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JULIAN WILSON 8/7/14 5:15 PM
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ED TEMPLETON The RVCA Artist Network Program is an ongoing venture which aims to showcase the talent of accomplished as well as emerging artists who inspire our generation and push the boundaries of creativity; providing something of substance and culture.
GREYSON FLETCHER WELCOME TO THE TEAM MAMMOTH LAKES, CA
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THE 7 SEAS WETSUIT
Brendon Gibbens
Creators & Innovators
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GUSSETED TONGUE, MOLDED LUNARLON SOCKLINER CONS TRACTION RUBBER OUTSOLE
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Louie Lopez. More at CONVERSE.COM/CONS
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RANDOMS // 26 PRODUCT REVIEW // 32 LUCY GLENDINNING // 36 BRYAN IGUCHI // 38 NILE MAR // 40 INSTAGRAM // 42 SUPER TASTE // 44 JAY ADAMS // 46 SEX PISTOLS // 48 VANS US OPEN // 50 DELON ISAACS PHOTO PROFILE // 54 JOHNNY JONES // 60 THE ART OF BRIAN VIVEROS // 64 FASHION // 70 KEVIN SHULZ // 76 DYLAN THOMPSON // 80 VOLCOM PRESENTS “VEECO” // 84 STRANGE RUMBLINGS: GLOBE MOVIE // 86 VANS PIZZA PARTY // 88 LOST & ARNETTE’S BLACK BULL BLOWOUT // 90 PACIFIC FESTIVAL // 92 THE FEATURES LEAGUE // 94 CD REVIEWS // 96 GROM // 98
Artist: Brian Viveros
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EDITOR-IN-CHI EF nick kalionzes nick@blisssmag.com
EDITOR joey marshall joey@blisssmag.com
CREATIVE DIREC TOR mark paul deren : madsteez madsteez@madsteez.com
A SSIS TANT EDITOR spencer pirdy spencer@blisssmag.com
EDITOR AT LARGE liz rice mcCray liz@blisssmag.com
SNOW EDITOR jon francis jon@blisssmag.com
MUS IC EDITOR max ritter max@blisssmag.com
ADV ERTI SIN G ads@blisssmag.com
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jason Kenworthy, Dominic Petruzzi, Daniel Russo, Toby Ogden, Tom Carey, Brian Beilmann, Jack Coleman, Andrew Mapstone, Adam Moran, Dave Nelson, Pat Eichstaedt, Julien Lecorps, Ryan Boyes, Zach Hooper, Tim Peare, Michael Lallande, Bob Plumb, Peter Morning, Bryce Kanights, Arto Sarri, Anthony Acosta, Cameron Strand, Brian Fick, Deville Nunns, Gage Thompson, Derek Bahn, Tom Cozad, Robbie Crawford, Ryan Donahue, Joe Foster, Sean Sullivan
CONTRIBUTOR S Willie Marshall, Daniel Russo, Jason Arnold, Greg Escalante, Nathan Spoor, Tom Carey, Travis Millard, David Choe, Kai Garcia, Mickey Neilsen, Peter Townend, Hamilton Endo, Tawnya Schultz, Mike Murciano, Geoff Shively, Casey Holland, Steve Stratton, Robbie Sell, Andrew Miller, Pat Towersey, Raul Montoya, Ian Dodge, Richie Olivares, Eric Meyers, Kelly Shannon, JP Olson BL!SSS Magazine 413 31st Street
SEPTEMBER 2014
Newport Beach, CA 92663 www.blisssmag.com
F E AT U R I N G T H E S Q U I R E
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Disclaimer: Although all best efforts are made to avoid the same, we reserve the right to publish unintentional mistakes and/or factual errors which may occur on a monthly basis. No responsibility is assumed by the publishers for unsolicited materials/articles/letters/advertising and all submissions will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright and/or appropriate licensing purposes subject to Blisss’ right to edit and comment editorially. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine reflect the opinions of their respective authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Blisss Magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising matter which may reflect negatively on the integrity of the magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form [print or electronic] without prior written consent from the publisher.
ARTIST: BRIAN M. VIVEROS
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T H E C R I T I C A L S L I D E S O C I E T Y. C O M @TCSS #CALLOFTHEWILD ESKIMO CREW
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NYJAH CROWNED CHAMP Nyjah Huston just took out the 2014 Street League Skateboarding Nike SB Super Crown World Championship this past month. It really comes as no surprise seeing as Nyjah had won every Street League tour stop for the 2014 season going into the final event. However, he did have to dig deep in Newark, as he just narrowly pulled out the win with a signature Caballerial Flip in his last trick attempt. Not only did Nyjah receive a massive SLS trophy and a whopping 200k check, but he also grabbed the newly christened Nixon Street League Skateboarding Championship Watch valued at 20k. Not a bad Sunday’s work for the 20-year-old. Congrats to Nyjah, and we look forward to next year’s Street League season.
VANS X CAPTAIN FIN Vans and Captain Fin Co. partnered up for a little pop-up fall collection that’s perfect for the back-to-school season. Both brands have grabbed at their roots for this collection, and it shows in the iconic graphics displayed on all the items. The collection consists of three of Vans most popular footwear offerings in the Old Skool and Fairhaven shoes as well as the Thresher sandal. Then, there’s the “Stay Glassy” tee, the Captain Fin boardshort, Captain Fin Backpack, Captain Fin Bucket hat and even a Captain Fin Beanie for those colder fall days to come. This collection gets you decked out from head to toe in the finest of Vans X Captain Fin gear. Make sure to look for the whole ensemble at your local shop or visit vans.com.
FREETHINKERS CONSPIRACY GUILD Von Zipper is a sunglass company that has always stayed ahead of the curve, evolving and paving their own adventurous roads in the process. Recently we’ve seen some new developments on the VZ front in that of the formation of their Freethinkers Conspiracy Guild. The FCG is a movement that embodies the spirit of living life to the fullest and champions those who are forward thinkers. As a result of the FCG, new frames are emerging that abide by no conventional guidelines and convey a contemporarily avante garde approach. There’s a shade that accents each individual’s quirks, and take it from us when we say that you’ll want to join this movement immediately. Check them out at vonzipper.com/fcg.
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THE BRIG The Brig, “Special Edition 14k Gold,” by Jordy Smith is a digital tide and train watch that just dropped from the good folks at Vestal. This watch can track the tide at over 200 beaches worldwide for the next 20 years, and the “Special Edition 14k Gold” model features 14k gold-plated pushers, case back and buckle. The Brig also offers a host of other high-end features like a digital tide graph that displays current tide height, quick access to Vestal’s own custom training mode with “Suffer and Recover” interval timer, and Heat Mode with countdown timer so you can practice your surf heats just like Jordy. And the watchstrap is secured to your wrist with a new patent pending OKTOLOCK system. All of this, plus the fact that it’s one of the comfiest fitting watches we’ve ever felt, make the Brig a must have. Head to your local retailer, or vestalwatch.com and grab one today.
MUSCLE MONSTER Here at BL!SSS we’re accustomed to long hours and restless nights whenever our monthly deadline hits. That’s why we’re always so thankful for Kim Dresser and Monster Energy for supplying us with routine drink deliveries. This past month she sent us a little care package that consisted of their new Muscle Monster Energy Shake. This shake is a two-in-one energy+ protein drink that’ll get you through long workouts and help you rebuild all at once. The shake comes in tasty flavors including: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, coffee and peanut butter cup. We recommend you all give these delicious shakes a try next time you’re at the store.
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RICANTE HOT SAUCE
We recently had the pleasure of meeting Costa Rican resident and Ricante Hot Sauce owner Ricky Ricante. He was able to share with us some of his unbelievably delicious hot sauce, and let’s just say that this stuff is the real deal. Ricante Hot Sauce is made up of farmfresh ingredients including organic fruits, vegetables and locally grown chilis from the soil-rich region of Fortuna, Costa Rica. Ricante’s “Awesomeness Collection” includes four unique flavors: OG Mango Caliente, Pina Dulce, Fire Melons and Manzana Encendida, plus, a collaborative hot sauce Chipotle Bueno. You can find all these freshly flavored, non-GMO hot sauces at over 300 locations in the USA and Costa Rica. Keep an eye out for the Ricante line at your local store, or visit them at ricante.com to order your bottles today!
SEARCH GPS Sure, there are surf watches out there that perform and give you solid data, but never before have we seen anything quite as innovative, practical and easy to use as Rip Curl’s new SearchGPS watch. The SearchGPS is a watch connected to an app that you can download to any smart phone. It utilizes one-touch auto set technology allowing you to see the time and tide for wherever in the world you are, as well as tracking that displays your top speed, distance covered and wave count while you surf. The watch also syncs to your phone via Bluetooth for instant access to all of your stats, and you can check your own personal logbook and share your info anytime you want. This watch really is groundbreaking so make sure you get one for yourself ASAP. Head to ripcurl.com/searchgps to see more!
XCEL DRYLOCK
DUNPHY TAKES ECSC
Michael Dunphy is one of the nicest pro surfers we know. He knows how to have a good time and is a skilled competitor, but he’s always just missing out on reaching the top of the podium. That is, until this past month when he went back home for the Vans ECSC’s. It was there that the Virginia Beach native decided that enough was enough, and he ousted the strong list of competitors on hand for his first ASP win. Dunphy was on fire in the final, posting two of the highest scores of the event and even tucking into a magical little tube in the less-than-stellar VB conditions. It’s safe to say that Dunphy and his town went wild that night in the wake of his victory. But don’t expect him to be partying for much longer as he’s now ranked No. 14 on the WQS with work to do in solidifying himself a spot on tour next year. Anyways, congrats to Michael and good luck with sealing the deal!
MCNETT AQUASEAL
Our friend Alex Dauw of Xcel Wetsuits sent us their latest and greatest suit this past month, the Drylock. Wearing the Drylock has further proved to us that the suits Xcel is producing are far and away some of the best on the market! This suit is as flexible, warm and durable as any suit we’ve ever slipped into. The Drylock uses Xcel’s all-new Thermo Dry Celliant (TDC), an inner lining with smart fibers that recycles your body’s heat into infrared energy for greater warmth, increased endurance, faster recovery and enhanced overall performance. The Drylock series also comes with a 100% waterproof zipper, Xcel’s FusionWeld technology – the most durable, stitch-free, maximum all-way stretch seam construction available – and plenty of other features that make this one of the most high performance suits we’ve ever come across. Make sure to snag one at your local surf shop or visit xcelwetsuits.com today!
Though we haven’t really needed much in the way of neoprene this summer, the impending wetsuit season is just around the corner. Even with all the advances in wetsuit technology, problems still arise in the way of leaky seams and accidental holes. That’s why we were relieved to get a little care package from McNett Essentials that included their Aquaseal wetsuit repair kits. Their Urethane Repair Adhesive and Colorant Kit is perfect for those bigger tears and rips that need extra attention, and their All-Purpose Patch Kit is ideal to carry in your car, on a boat or with you during a trip for instant field repair. McNett and their Aquaseal products are proven to give you permanent repairs, so head over to mcnett.com/m-essentials today to get your repair gear stocked for the colder days ahead. 28
LIRA 2014 FALL COLLECTION W W W. L I R AC LOT H I N G . C O M
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ACTION CAMERA COLLECTION The crew at InCase just introduced a new collection of action camera accessories to the market that are perfect for your picture taking equipment. Their Action Camera Collection is specifically made to protect, carry and store a GoPro and other capture devices. They’ve given us 13 products to choose from that give both active and professional photography users the ultimate protection solution for their gear. The Action Camera Collection is available now at Best Buy or by heading over to goincase.com today. Make sure to grab a few of these items to keep your gear fresh.
BUFFALO SOLDIER
PBR GOODIES
House of Marley is always satisfying our auditory impulses with the finetuned, free-flowing products they regularly put out. This time around they’ve hit us with the Buffalo Soldier, some earth-friendly on-ear headphones that are the perfect way to enjoy your favorite tunes. Stemming from the Marley Jasmin Collection, the Buffalo Soldier is a minimalistic headphone with all of the right style and plenty of comfort for the ears and the rest of your dome. And of course, only the best quality of sound comes piping out of these headphones. Make sure to grab a pair of the Buffalo Soldier at your local retailer or head to houseofmarley.com and get your jam on today.
We love ourselves an ice cold Pabst Blue Ribbon from time to time. And we also love partaking in a little game of darts to satisfy the competitive nature in our office. So, when PBR sends us a decked-out fridge and a dartboard, we pretty much lose ourselves in happiness for a little while. Some in the office have better aim than others, and let’s just say things get interesting after a few cans of PBR are downed. Anyways, we want to thank the folks at PBR for bestowing us with these fine gifts and for brewing such a quality beer for the past 170 years. Make sure to choose PBR the next time you’re in need of some hydrating and follow them on Instagram at @pabstblueribbon for all the latest from the brew masters.
BEST HEAT EVER
All you surf fans out there saw it, and we’re still pretty awe struck from it. We’re talking, of course, about what we’re claiming to be the best heat in ASP history at quite possibly the best surf competition to run in history. It was semifinal number two of the Billabong Tahiti Pro at Teahupoo with 42-year-old Kelly Slater and 21-year-old John John Florence putting on a remarkable display of backside tube-riding wizardry. John with his calm and casual no-handed approach and Kelly with his high-lines, it was truly a treat to watch. In the end, they tied, 19.77 to 19.77, and Kelly received the nod due to his higher 10-point ride. We were bummed they didn’t let them surf a tiebreak heat, but oh well! Anyways, pro surfing is in good hands as long as Kelly and John are in the mix, so until their next heat, thanks for blowing our minds! 30
DEATH LENS I’m pretty sure we speak for the majority of our readers out there when we say that we all use our iPhones as our primary cameras nowadays. With the allure of Instagram and social media turning us all into photographers, it’s always fun to come across new accessories that enhance our picture taking in a simple way. Death Lens is a company that’s doing just that. They provided us with a few of their fisheye and wide-angle lenses that work for iPhone 4/4s and 5/5s. They’re easy to use, inexpensive and the final product is hard to differentiate from that of any professional equipment out there. Make sure to check them out at deathlens.com or on Instagram at @deathlens.
1. Converse, CONS Star Player Pro - $65, converse.com // 2. Freestyle, Freestyle X Then One - $65, freestyleUSA.com // 3. ourCaste, Ryan Vest - $102, ourCaste. com // 4. Mission Belts Co., Battleship - $34.95, missionbelt.com // 5. D’Blanc, Pretty Vacant - $110, dblanc.com // 6. Volcom, Sympton Canvas Backpack - $79.50, volcom.com // 7. VISSLA, Vic Woven - $69.95, vissla.com // 8. House of Marley, Liberated Bluetooth Portable Audio System - $119.99, thehouseofmarley.com // 9. Neff, Rad Plaid Cap - $24, neffheadwear.com // 10. Spy, Fold - $179.95, spyoptic.com // 11. DVS, Nica Shoe - $70, dvsshoes.com //12. Vans, Vans X Captain Fin Co. - $75, vans.com // 13. Lira, Acid Denim Jogger - $62, liraclothing.com 32
1. Hurley, Melbourne Chino - $55, hurley.com // 2. Imperial Motion, Relic Jogger Pant - $59.95, imperialmotion.com // 3. RVCA, National Dufe Bag - $66, rvca.com // 4. Adidas, Busenitz ADV - $65, adidas.com // 5. Vestal, The Helm - $100, vestalwatch.com // 6. Black Flys, Fly Stinger - $159.95, ys.com // 7. ArtLife Clothing, Old School Pullover - $55, swell.com/artlife // 8. Catch Surf, Weekend Warrior - $59.99, catchsurf.com // // 9. Roark, Einstock - $110, roark.com // 10. Nixon, The Corporal - $150, nixon.com // 11. Ezekiel, Luxor Shirt - $54, ezekielusa.com // 12. Explosive Clothing, Pyscho Talker - $21.99, explosiveclothingusa.com // 13. The Critical Slide Society, Plain Jane Beanie - $29.99, thecriticalslidesociety.com // 14. Smith Optics, The Clayton - $80, smithoptics.com // 15. Electric, Hanford Jacket - $80, electriccalifornia.com 34
THE INTENSITY OF NEW YORK CITY BALANCED BY THE FREEDOM OF THE SEA Introducing a new collaboration between Freestyle and Then One, a leading graphic artist from the Streets of New York. Welcome to the intersection of city and surf. www.freestyleusa.com/then-one
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Words: Lucy Glendinning
For me art inspires perspective and accountability through enhancing self-awareness and perception of humanity within our cultural historical context. This, to me, seems vital to the self-awareness of society and in particular with growing contrasts. I want the observer to become conscious of him or herself, as perceived in comparison to the object. This is why I am drawn to using the figure and the use of craft as tools. To present a situation where the artwork draws the viewer into an intimate and personal reaction with the sculpture or installation, to instigate their own reaction and perception of themselves in the relevance of the sculpture. My work is derived in the studio and is usually made in series. These are developed around an
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idea, which starts as a poem or short statement. These ideas and thoughts are usually derived and inspired by philosophical questions, medical information, psychological studies, with imagined projections into potential futures. These pieces are explored through a domestic and often classical sculpturally approach to the manipulation of the figure as object. A series I am currently developing is: Will we be able to resist it? This is the first in a series of works exploring how we will manage our ability to replace and choose our genetic makeup. Will we be able to resist improving ourselves? To save a person from disease is one thing that’s obviously wonderful, but will we be able to resist improving the well? Will this become a commodity, the gap between the rich and
poor, becoming more than just money? Will the rich be buying genetic enhancement for their offspring, making new meanings to the privileges of wealth? I like to look at these possible futures and explore how they could develop. What alterations we might find desirable and how these children might look. A natural reaction seems that it is a bad thing, to improve the well, but is it? Has evolution put us in charge? The poem for this series follows: FEATHER CHILD Will we be able to resist it? The endless opportunity to better our futures, to improve the human race, and quench our instinctive appetites for more. Will we be able to resist it? Once we have cured the sick,
to improve the well. What fun we’ll have making useful modifications improvements and special vocations. Will we be able to resist it? A decoration applied with a gene, not a needle. To breathe under water Wouldn’t that be useful, or to fly who could resist that. To be special we all want it, once we are no longer child. Will we be able to resist it? Is evolution ours now? Will it be like most, money will buy the prize? You will need to be something like a Rothschild to be able to fly. Or to glow in the dark a Geldof or a Stark. Is it all about to change, are we to be in charge? Make sure to check out more of Lucy Glendinning’s works at www.lucyglendinning.com.
AFTERNOON DELIGHT
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CHAOS MEETS CULTURE
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Words: Spencer Pirdy :: Photos: Wade Dunstan
Bryan Iguchi first surfed the Snake River back in 1997. Before that session Bryan would migrate back to California to spend his summers surfing. However, after having surfed that first session, Bryan began to form a deep bond with this unique region, leading him to gain a deeper connection with the river itself and its surrounding resources. Here, he gives us a little insight into what riding the Snake is all about. Bryan, tell us a little about the phenomenon that is the Snake River wave you ride? At the end of every winter the snowpack melts and the river level rises creating a standing wave in a narrow rocky rapid. Some years it only breaks for a few days and others for a few months during the spring and summer. It really depends on the seasonal snowpack, how quickly it melts and the amount of water released from Jackson Lake to satisfy
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agricultural demands downstream. What’s a typical day like when you head down to session the river? I treat it like any other surf session, I guess. I usually head down with a friend and catch a few rides and hang out with the crew on the bank of the river. Does the wave itself get crowded at times, or are you generally able to surf it by yourself? It can get crowded for sure, but people don’t tend to last too long out there. The laps through the rapids takes it out of you pretty quick so there’s a lot of “shift changes” going down during the long days of summer. I try to avoid jumping in right away if there are more than a handful of people surfing. If it is crowded I try to keep my rides short and kick out early to keep the session flowing. I’m realizing there is an etiquette
evolving, but right now it’s more like hanging out on the deck at a ramp session than paddling out in a crowd. Judging by pictures and footage it seems to be mostly a right. Does the shape of the wave change depending upon the conditions? It is definitely a right, and the wave’s steepness and performance changes at different levels. It seems like having this wave close to your home really makes a perfect unification of surfing, snowboarding and the mountains. Do you feel that way about where you reside? Yeah, it’s been a good way to keep my love for surfing alive. It’s been an amazing experience getting to know and ride in a new environment. I have gained a deeper appreciation and respect for our watersheds, the power and beauty of the rivers, the life
it provides in the connection from snowpack to the sea. What’s the most memorable session you’ve had while surfing the Snake River? Last summer we lit up the wave and had a night session. You could see perfectly while surfing but when you kicked out it was pretty unreal paddling through the rapid in the pitch-black skies after every ride. It was a session I’ll never forget. The following are a few words Bryan wrote just prior to having surfed the Snake River for the first time in 1997: Water Evaporates Clouds form life begins a snowstorm a top high peaks falls heavy settles and melts flows through tributaries, streams and rivers then returns to the air This process we follow this cycle we ride
experiences. It’s just interesting to me that in the 21st century “Man Made” can be a loaded expression. How did the band get started? I first started playing the songs on my own still going out under the name “Man Made.” It was easier to get gigs that way, and at the time I wasn’t interested in playing those songs with a band. Man Made has gone through a fair few lineups over the past few years. I’ve been playing with Scott for a little over a year now, and Callum has been part of it all for almost three months. I hooked up with Scott through a mutual friend, and we got involved with Callum after stalking him online a fair bit and poaching him from another band. We both thought he looked really cool. We hadn’t ever spoken to him before asking him if he wanted to come round and play. What can I say? He’s a good lookin’ dude. This is the best lineup I’ve played with. Will you tell us about your new album, TV Broke My Brain? I made the record in stages over a couple of years, and as a consequence the songs really had time to develop and grow through playing them live. I found that I was thinking a lot about the impact technology has on our lives, so that’s very much a theme of the record. It was made in three batches, and I really like the way the songs all fit together. As it was put together over such a long period of time, I think it shows a lot of different sides to the band and it’s a good representation of what we do live. What bands did you listen to as a grom? When I was a kid, my favorite record was Desire by Bob Dylan. It was the only CD I ever had on. It was given to me by my mum’s friend when I was really little and it just stayed with me. I used to fall asleep to it every night. I probably did that for about seven years. Interview: Liz Rice McCray
Will you please introduce yourself to our readers? Hi, I’m Nile Marr, I’m from Manchester, UK, and I write music under the name Man Made. Man Made is a threepiece guitar band with Scott Strange on drums and Callum Rogers on bass. We are currently touring the UK in our van (a.k.a. “The Angel of Radness”) playing songs from our debut album TV Broke My Brain. You sing, play guitar and write music. Do you play any other instruments besides the guitar? I actually started out as a drummer and did that exclusively for a few years. It was great fun and I got to play with a few different bands. I slowly started gravitating towards guitar and it was really the thing that resonated with me. It just felt like I could express myself more and it completely took over. But it was never a conscious decision to make a switch. I’m actually playing drums on a few tracks on the album. I played the bass on a lot of the record too. I’ve always found bass fun, but that probably just counts as guitar, doesn’t it? When did you start writing and playing music? I started playing drums when
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I was maybe 12, which was probably just born out of the need to make a lot of noise. Just before I was 15 I broke my hip, which kind of put a stop to my drumming, and everything else for that matter. I couldn’t really do anything, so I guess that was when I got seriously into playing guitar and writing songs. “Don’t Thank God,” that’s on the record was the third song I ever wrote. I wrote it when I was just 15, and I still play it live, along with a few other old ones from that period that get thrown in every once in a while. At the time, getting injured really bummed me out, but I’m really grateful for it now. It got me serious about writing and playing and I’ve been doing it ever since. What is the first tune you learned to play? It was ‘I Am Mine’ by Pearl Jam, which I actually think is pretty cool. The riff is really simple; I still slip into playing it absentmindedly sometimes. The first thing I learned to play and sing was ‘There She Goes’ by the La’s, which is still to this day one of my favorite songs. Then, I was just trying to learn stuff by Tom Petty, because let’s face it: no one doesn’t like Tom Petty. If someone says they do, they’re lying. What name do you perform
under and how did that name come about? I make music under the name Man Made. I can’t remember how I came up with it… I think it happened pretty organically one day. As time has gone on the name has actually become more of a mission statement for myself and for the band, getting to be way more significant as an ethos. It has become more than just being DIY. Huge corporations that certainly don’t have our best interests at heart are encroaching in on every aspect of people’s lives, through technology that’s designed to make everything more and more convenient, giving us the most direct route possible to becoming nothing more than consumers. Don’t get me wrong, I dig convenience as much as the next person, but I don’t necessarily think the most convenient experience is the most enriching. The more organic an experience the more meaningful it is, I think. And for me at least, I think that can be applied to every aspect of life. Screens take away any chance of truly organic and meaningful encounters, they demand our attention and I worry about that intrusion, as it’s so easy to get swept up in it without even so much as a thought. But, I think attitudes are starting to shift more towards appreciating the value of analogue formats and
What bands inspire you today? When I was a teenager I spent a lot of time in Portland, Oregon, as my family moved out there for a few years. I remember the first time I went there it just blew my mind. Band’s like Modest Mouse, Beat Happening, Built to Spill and Fugazi are huge influences on me and what I do. I remember seeing Modest Mouse for the first time and it completely changed the way I wanted to make music. I really got into a load of bands from the Pacific Northwest that were all around at the same time. I still love pretty much everything that K Records puts out. But it wasn’t just about the music that got me into all those bands; the way the records sound and the way the artwork looks it was all really exciting. Especially at the time we moved, I didn’t really identify with what I was around in the English music scene. Any tour dates scheduled? Right now there are only UK dates but we play around quite a bit. Now that we’ve got the van and we’re getting nearer to summer there’ll be plenty more to come. Where can people check out your music? We tick all the usual social media boxes, but the album is free to stream at www.soundcloud.com/manmade. When it’s all said and done, how would you like to be remembered? I’d just like to be remembered as someone who made interesting and exciting music, always keeping guitars at the center of it all.
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Photographer: Bryant Eslava :: @bryant // Model: Mayson Kai :: Vision Models :: @maysonkai
Photo shoots don’t always go as planned, and such was the case on this month’s Super Taste shoot, as a lastminute location cancellation had the Ezekiel crew doing an impromptu overnight trip to Joshua Tree for the “Girls in Guys Clothes” shoot. But not to worry, with beautiful Mayson Kai in tow the boys were destined to come up with something that would make our jaws drop and keep us begging for more. And talk about dropping jaws, Mayson is perfection in a 19-year-old mix of French and Mexican with a smile that can melt hearts and a body you wish your girlfriend had. But she’s not the typical girl from Malibu, as she has a pet snake named Alejandro and spent 13 years studying ballet, making her a standout amongst the sea of Californian beauties. Shirt – Leaf It Tee – Ezekiel: ezekielusa.com :: All We Have Is Now
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Words: J.P. Olson
“There will never be another Jay. Every moment he had, he lived life to the fullest. Whether spearheading a revolution won on battlefields of blacktops and backyard pools, or just getting you to laugh at his funny faces and irreverent masquerades, Jay was the most punk rock dude I ever met. He used to say, ‘Anarchy, but in a good way,’ always questioning the status quo and upping the ante with a rawness and purity. What made Jay who he was was his mistakes; he wasn’t perfect by any means, there was a lot of humility there and he never took himself too seriously. The skate and surf world was devastated after his passing on August 15th; Jay suffered a heart attack in his sleep just after midnight. Three months ago Jay moved down to Puerto Escondido, and Jay spent his last days with his wife Tracy and longtime friends Solo and Allen Sarlo getting barreled. I’m so stoked for him that he got to do that. Being who he was, Jay meant a lot to a lot of people; not just ‘cause of what he did on a board but also because of who he was when he wasn’t on one. My heart goes out to his family and friends and anyone who ever dragged their hand on the concrete. Thanks for everything you did for us Jay, Vaya con Dios.”
Photo: Stecyk
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Photo: Derek Bahn
Photo: Stecyk
Photo: Stecyk
Photo: J.P. Olson Photo: Stecyk
Interview: Jen DiSisto On a call with iconic British photographer Dennis Morris, he reveals his motto has always been, “Seek and ye shall find.” He’s done just that in his illustrious 40-year career, which began when he was just a young boy. From documenting political and social movements in the ‘60s and ‘70s, to, as a teenager, becoming a close friend and confidante to Bob Marley after waiting outside of his sound check, to then becoming the main photographer for the Sex Pistols, Morris has certainly been able to find and to make an indelible cultural mark. You got your first camera at age eight, and at age 11 one of your photos, incredibly, was printed on the front page of The Daily Mirror (UK). What was the image? I was a choirboy at a church in the east end of London and they had a photographic club at the church. It was here I was first introduced to photography. The club was organized by a man named Donald Pattersen, a millionaire philanthropist who had invented photo equipment and would become a mentor to me. He believed in me and was very encouraging, providing me with equipment and publications on photography. Straight after choir one day I headed to Hyde Park and there was a demonstration that broke out. These were common for the time, as there was a great deal of political frustration. The only thing you couldn’t do was speak against the queen! Mr. Patterson had always said to “take pictures until you have no more film.” So that’s what I did. Then I took the film to a photo agency on Fleet Street, who promptly sold it to the Daily Mirror for £16. You accidentally became a music photographer when you played hooky from school one day and waited for Bob Marley at his sound check at the Speakeasy on London’s Margret Street. Being that you bonded immediately with him and wound up on the road with The Wailers that following year, did you ever return to school? And how was your first ever year on the road with them? The tour was an eye opener to say the least, and it was our first tour together, and many would follow. I recall one day it was snowing, and Bob said “What is that?” I replied, “That’s snow, Bob” to which he responded, “Whaddat?” He had never seen it before. Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh believe it was a sign from Jah to return home early, so after some discussion that’s what they did. Also, they were accustomed to a Rasta diet (very similar to a vegan diet) and they didn’t care for the food. And yes, I did return and finish school! Johnny Rotten was a huge reggae fan, and it was your photos of Bob Marley that caught his attention. Were you a Sex Pistols fan at the time? I saw myself as a punk, so yes. I felt I had a lot in
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common with them. Punk is a state of mind, not a style, so I related to them. Though it was a time of complete and utter chaos amongst them and they had been thrown off two labels, were cancelling gigs, and infighting and the drugs. My personal favorite photo from your current exhibit, The Bullocks, at Known Gallery, is the one of Sid and girlfriend Nancy on a bench. What was their interaction like? This photo was taken on a bench after their gig at Brunel University. Nancy was certainly the stronger of the two; a tough cookie who was very dominating with a lot to say. Sid was actually a quite gentle person, though he would become a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde while on drugs. You are known the world over for your iconic music photographs of Bob Marley, Sex Pistols, Marianne Faithful, The Stone Roses, and many others, but a seminal part of your portfolio documents cultural shifts in the UK in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Your book Growing Up Black explores and examines this. What was that time like? It was very, very challenging and there was a breakdown of systems – a time of great struggle and change. Basically, we didn’t want to work in factories like our parents, we wanted something else. It was also a very pivotal time for black culture as well. Suddenly we weren’t colored people any more, we were black. It was no longer a transient state; it was a permanent state and it became a question of pride and of self-definition. And obviously, music was such a strong influence for the youth and you had movements like punk and reggae finding their places. It was a pioneering time – I’ve always seen myself as a social documentarian alongside the music stuff. You recently collaborated with Shepard Fairey on the hugely popular S.I.D. exhibit that took place at Shepard’s LA Gallery, Subliminal Projects. How did you and he decide to work together? Though we were mutual fans of one another’s work we had never met. The concept for S.I.D. was born in our very first meeting. What current projects are you working on? Music. I had a band in the late ‘70s called The Basement 5 and am now working on a music project called Return of The 5 with Billy Morrison, Jeordie White (A.K.A. Twiggy Ramirez), Chris Goss and Shepard Fairey. We’ve been in the studio and already have about five tracks complete. U2 is a supporter!
Filipe Toledo
Garrett Parkes
Willian Cardoso
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Kanoa Igarashi
Matt Banting
Brett Simpson
Josh Kerr
The Vans US Open of Surfing is the biggest surf competition on earth, and depending on who you are, you’re attracted to this nine-day event in vastly different ways. If you’re a teen, you’re looking to run amok and grab as much free schwag as you can. If you’re a professional surfer, you’re looking to grab your best groveler and Huntington hop it all the way to the top of the podium with a big fat $100k check in hand. If you’re a professional skater you’re putting together rocketing runs in the world-class cement bowl on offer during the Van Doren Invitational. And lastly, if you’re just normal folk, which is basically all of us, you can head down to the south side of the HB pier to witness all of the previously mentioned, plus some out-of-this-world people watching in the process. For 2014 Vans made a point of recapturing what really is the backbone of the US Open – the local community. Movie nights and art exhibitions were held almost every evening, and surrounding businesses flourished as always with the massive influx of event goers.
Words: Spencer Pirdy Photos: M. Lallande
On the skating side of the US Open, competitors were nervously excited to do battle in the Van Doren Invitational. Geoff Rowley himself fully backed the specifically crafted, one-of-a-kind concrete bowl that would award those who used high speed and flow in their runs and easily sniff out and dispatch those who didn’t. Everyday the bowl was being attacked with the highest caliber of talent. The shredding of Curren Caples, Greyson Fletcher, Ronnie Sandoval and Pedro Barros was almost bringing tears of joy to the eyes of those who’d slaved in creating this concrete masterpiece. In the end, though, it was all about Mr. Raven Tershy. The guy stuck to his clean, flowing style and was able to throw down banger runs when it counted the most. Congrats to Raven, and to Charlie Blair and Murillo Peres as well for coming in a close second and third, respectively. Obviously, the US Open of Surfing’s success is always dependent on the swell that’s on tap for the whole event. This year, contest
Kolohe Andino
Raven Tershy
Ronnie Beres
Murilo Peres
Ben Raybourne
Greyson Fletcher
Pedro Barros
Charlie Blair
Curren Caples
Alex Sorgente
directors bit their nails off in the days leading up to the start of the contest, as little to no swell was forecasted and a pretty weak sandbar was disallowing the Huntington hop connection to occur. But lucky for us, miracles do happen. The day before the event a minimal west wind swell acted as a broom to clean up the unsavory sand bar and make way for a rising swell. That first Saturday and Sunday saw some amazing surfing go down in both the men’s and women’s Pro Junior as well as the Men’s trials. You may hear the word “amazing” and say “bullshit,” but the way these guys and girls were surfing was something to behold. And the magic kept on flowing all week long. As the main event began a few tropical disturbances aided in keeping the HB lineup very rippable, giving both the crowd and surfers something to get excited about each day. In the Women’s Pro Jr. Bailey Nagy took home the top spot, and Aussie regular-footer Matt Banting stayed light on his feet in the men’s Pro Jr. to trump his fellow competitors. Joel Tudor’s Duct Tape Invitational has been a pleasant addition to the Open. It’s not everyday you see the best loggers in the world gliding and
cross-stepping right in front of your eyes on truly traditional equipment. Justin Quintal walked the right line and was victorious in his efforts, holding up his second consecutive US Open Duct Tape Invitational trophy. Getting down to the main divisions, Tyler Wright flat out smoked all of her fellow competitors in the Women’s CT. The Men’s Prime saw local hero Brett Simpson making it all the way to the semifinals but coming up short to eventual winner Filipe Toledo. The biggest story was the man who met Toledo in the final, fellow Brazilian Willian Cardoso. Now, Cardoso is an incredible surfer, but he’s not exactly everyone’s favorite pick in Huntington-esque conditions. His large frame is more suitable in a powerful Bells type wave, but damned if he didn’t rewrite the book on how to properly put it on rail in lackluster surf. In the final, Willian fell victim to the hops of Filipe, as he aired out and pulled almost everything he threw down. Either way, the crowd loved it, Brazil bounced back as a nation from their shocker of a World Cup exit, and the Vans US Open of Surfing kept its status as the hottest summer attraction on the Western seaboard.
Ronnie Sandoval
Awards
I first met Delon Isaacs, or Delom Dobach (as I like to call him), in an Xbox Live chat room whilst playing Call of Duty. For almost a year, our relationship flourished. We spent 1,000s of hours together and our kill/death ratios went through the roof. Our Halo clan match play was unstoppable, and sometimes we’d just watch Netflix movies together… online. And then, everything came crashing to an end when we both simultaneously got banned from Xbox Live for making Dik tattoos on our Skate 3 avatars, and I thought I’d never hear from my best friend again. About two weeks later I was at the Mariners Church Skatepark when I heard an unmistakable “Mickey Mouse if Jerry Seinfeld was five years old” voice and I turned around and said, “Wipemedown909?” And he said with a huge grin on his face, “BLAWKawkDown?” As fate would have it we were reunited in the form of real life humans, although it was a bit strange that he looked like he was about 12, had braces with a wide nose and short curly hair. For the past five or so years I’ve seen Delon grow up from a little shitdik to now a pretty big shitdik. I’ve watched him be everything from a fake graffiti writer to a pseudo basketball player, to a kid who’s claimed to get barreled to too cool. Somewhere in-between he became a photographer, and I must admit, as big of a shitdik he may be, he is quite a damn fine photographer. He’s truly got a unique perspective on the ordinary and can make the mundane seem interesting. He’s my go-to for photo and video missions because I always know I’m going to get A clips. He’s accomplish a lot in his early career from seeing Emily Ratajkowski’s bare titties to Matt Biolos Instagraming his vintage square back Volkswagen on fire on the 405 saying, “I think I saw Thom Pringle burning on the 405.” He’s got a huge future ahead of him and I just hope I can still hire him for dinner at Rubio’s. -MADSTEEZ Hey there, Delon. Tell us a little bit about yourself? I’m a 23-year-old slender, ethnic teenager hailing from the oh-so-fantastic town of Huntington Beach, California. When did you first begin snapping photos? I jokingly started taking photos when I was about 17, when I used to do cute things like make zines and contribute regularly to a photo blog. What equipment do you use? Contax G2, Mamiya 7II, 5D Mark whatever. Who did you look to in your early years for inspiration? Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. Being 18 is such a silly, frustrating age. I literally was a new person with
Troy Elmore
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Creed Mctaggart
“I would probably still be hanging out in Torrance trying to make gravity bongs out of two liter bottles
Andrew Doheny Ford Archbold
“So I can fucking hashtag #35mm of Instagram,duh.”
Alex Knost
Jake Reuter
different tastes and influences every three to six months. I don’t think I ever really fanned-out on any photographers that young; was just really big on movies and the directors, and I liked the entire skate scene. Who or what inspires you now? That’s a loaded question. I’m inspired by everything from musicians, movies, friends, photographers, authors… whatever. I know it’s pretty late, being 23 years old, but I finally think I’m comfortable with who I am and the things that I like. Tell us about the crew you hang with on a regular basis. There’s a different crew of people I hang out with every different activity I participate in. There’s the cast of friends who I surf with, the group of friends I skate with, there’s the people I go to shows with, the kids I hung out with when I used to smoke a lot of pot, the list goes on and on. Each group I shoot supplies a completely different type of photo. Do you feel like being surrounded by these unique people has helped you in your creativity? Yeah fully. My friends are everything to me and really shape whatever thing I do that day. Without all those talented and pretty individuals I constantly pester and cling on to, I would probably still be hanging out in Torrance trying to make gravity bongs out of two-liter bottles or Crip Walk or something retarded.
Eli Steele Alex Knost
“ a th to th a s o d u
Warren Smith
Noa Deanne
Jake Reuter
“I will always have the ability to produce those annoying sounds that only your dog can understand.” You have a pretty hot girlfriend. How did that happen? You mean young-ass Irie Jean? Yeah she’s awesome. I met her like any other silly person living in this day in age would meet their girlfriend – on the Internet. Why do you shoot most of your photographs on film rather than digital? So I can fucking hashtag #35mm of Instagram, duh. A lot of people shoot film over digital for tons of whatever reasons. For me, the biggest advantage of shooting film is just how much nicer and more candid it is for your subject. Pointing a massive Canon 1D camera with a huge girthy, zoom lens usually produces the shittiest reaction from whomever you’re photographing. Most of my film cameras are sharp little sneaky single handheld boxes. Do you see yourself sticking with photography for the long haul, or trying out
Lee Lou
different mediums? Fuck… for now probably. Would love to try or help produce a film one day. What is it that you hope to achieve in your career? The only thing I would like to achieve is the ability to continue living the selfish life of never having to go into an office and work a nine-tofive – that and maybe starring in a portraitbased photo exhibit with a couple of my friends and people I look up to. Lastly, do you think your voice will ever get deeper? Nope. I think I will always have the ability to produce those annoying sounds that only your dog can understand. Alright, Delon, thanks for being awesome and keep up the great work!
Thom Pringle
Thom Pringle
Collin Rossell
Interview & Photos Ray Yzguerra I remember first seeing Johnny at Garvanza skatepark. Kids would make fun of him and his brother for having SpongeBob boards from Walmart. Now when I see him show up to the park those same kids are asking Johnny to hook up product. He’s one of the most humble humans I have ever met. He puts Kool-Aid on pickles, and he kills it on a skateboard. If Johnny didn’t have all the success in skateboarding that he has been fortunate enough to have, he would still be out there killing it on that SpongeBob board because he loves skating.
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“Growing up in South Central was rough but I also had some good times there.”
How old are you? 17, about to turn 18. Who got you into skateboarding? My older cousin Randy. Does Randy still skate? Nah, Randy never skated. Some kids on the block were teaching us how to ollie and Randy ended up taking their board. So how did Randy get you into skating? He gave me my first real board.
You come from a big family, please elaborate. Three brothers, two sisters and there’s another one the way. Where are you from? South Central. How is it growing up in South Central? Growing up in South Central was rough but I also had some good times there. Tell us about a rough time you
had in South Central? I’ve had to move around a lot, growing up staying with different family members and switching schools all the time.
Central. First, you get a plate of sliced pickles then add Kool-Aid powder over the pickles then finally splash some pickle juice on there then start killing it.
Are you gonna graduate? Yeah, but it’s going to be hard because I’m behind so I have to get my shit together and stay focused.
It’s good? Hell yeah, one of the best snacks.
What’s up with pickles and KoolAid? It’s something I learned from my mom when I was living in South
Do you still live in South Central? Not no more. Where do you live now? I live in El Sereno with my filmer.
Boardslide
F.S Heel
How do you like living in El Sereno? Living in El Sereno is fun, I get to film all the time. They just opened up the new Diamond Skate Park down the street. It’s nice here but I miss my family. What’s a typical day like for you in El Sereno? I wake up, make some food, hit the shower, we talk about what spots we want to go to. Warm up at a park then after film a little then come home and cook dinner and watch Netflix. Favorite Movie? The Woods.
F.S Blunt
Who do you skate for? I skate for Chocolate, Fourstar, Royal, Puma, Ashbury Eyewear, Bones Wheels, Remind Insoles
and Maintain Skate Shop. You were on the Camp Woodward reality TV show, tell us about it. Yeah, I was one of the three kids that was picked to get flown out to Woodward East for two weeks. How was that? It was fun, skated all day, learned some new tricks, went paintballing and rode horses for the first time. I met a lot of cool people. Any good stories from camp? At camp they would have us do all these random activities for the show. Me and my brother went paintball shooting. As we were gearing up we saw a gopher so we started dumping on it, bang bang. All the filmers were like,
‘No, no don’t do that, he is trying to get home.’ So that was a good time at camp. Did anything come about from being on the show? I met Chico Bernes on the show and he started hooking me up with Chocolate boards. I get recognized every now and then. It’s kinda funny. Where can we watch the show? I think its on Hulu, Camp Woodward Season 6. Who are your favorite pros on Chocolate? Chico Brenes and Stevie Perez. Who do you skate with? I skate with my brother and the homies. What do you and your brother do besides
Nollie Hardflip
skate? When I was living back home with him we would just help our mom out, watch the babies, clean up and think about new tricks we want to learn. Do you drink or smoke? No. What are you working on? Just finished my first part. Where can we see it? I don’t know, maybe BL!SSS will put it up. Where do you see yourself in five years? Skating and traveling, maybe purchasing my first car. What kind of car you gonna buy? I don’t know but I’m
thinking an Audi or BMW. Better start winning some contest. Yeah, that’s my plan. What are some of your goals for this year? Win competitions, make another video part and get more photos in magazines. If you did not skate what would you be doing? Maybe be playing football or basketball because I use to play for a football team for three months then I quit to skateboard; same with basketball. Anyone you would like to thank? I wanna thank skateboarding, my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister, my friends Ira Ray and the one and only God.
Front Boardslide
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“FIGHT KLUB III”
Interview: Greg Escalantes Brian M. Viveros is at the top of his game. He’s on a quest to create a powerful perfect woman, sometimes empowering us to experience his overt and subtle differences, and sometimes he even takes us into a new dimension. Brian is a driven artist who is good at putting his thoughts and ideas into words. We got him to lay down his brushes and give us a rare glimpse into his world. It was great visiting with you during your sold out show during Art Basel. Thank you for agreeing to pour out your soul to the readers of BL!SSS. How did your illustrious career begin? Let’s get in a DeLorean and go way back into my mother’s womb. She said I should’ve popped out with a number #2 pencil and that I was a crazy baby constantly moving around, as if I was already doodling and drawing inside of her. Let’s picture that for a second… I was a creative kid that always viewed things a little different and upside down. Early memories are setting up and drawing my action figures, which at that time were Star
“BEAUTY IS THE BEAST” Wars and Universal Monsters. It was fun and it gave me something to do and I was never bored. My father, who was quite an artist, always said, “Don’t ever be bored, don’t waste fuckin’ time, BE CREATIVE!” Fast forward to high school and I started to get heavily into comics and started publishing my own hardcore underground naughty books. They were pretty dark and I was just going with what I was into at that time – the crazy dark psycho comic artist phase. I think it was ‘94 or ‘95 a friend showed me Juxtapoz mag and I was just blown away. I was getting tired of the comic thing and drawing those little panels; it’s a lot of fuckin’ work but I knew I wanted something more. That magazine helped open my eyes to something I was searching for and wanting to be, which was a known artist showing the world my art. I wasn’t sure what that art was yet but I knew I’d get there. I felt that my mindset for my art career was starting to happen around that time. I would send out these elaborate packages trying to get published, but my work was still dark and dirty and I wasn’t even painting yet. There were a lot
of rejection letters, but I did get a response from Clive Barker, which was rad! I was still young and searching and I hadn’t honed in on my signature style. It wasn’t ‘til 1997 I ended up getting my first group show in Switzerland with H.R. Giger, Eric Stanton and many others I looked up to. My work was more erotic surreal then – they were charcoal, ink and airbrush pieces. When I really started to develop my style was when I started painting what I know and love. Using elements and things I grew up around from childhood, from the boxing to Lucha Libre to bullfighting, just everything that I loved. It was all starting to come together. Quick rewind because my mind likes to jump around, especially after two cups of coffee. I showed up many years ago in my blue Honda Civic hatchback to the old Copro Gallery on Washington with a bunch of stuff in the back, and I had no clue how the gallery thing worked but they gave me a chance and said they would show a couple of my pieces. That was a BIG moment for me in what I wanted do and where I was going. It was a truly
“WALK THE WALK ” memorable day that I’ll never forget. After that I developed my DirtyLand world that would bring it all together and has been growing strong since 2005. For a while you have been working on a body of work that features a bruised-up, sultry-looking seductive woman usually with a cigarette or cigar hanging out of her mouth. What is the evolution of this body of work? What are you trying to say with these paintings? The evolution of the smoking girl started in 2000. These pieces were still my early days of more erotic surreal works but they did still have that damn cigarette. It was basically my way of putting a piece of me into my work. I was a really big smoker at that time and wanted my pieces to have something recognizable and that was signature to me whether you liked it or not. I just wanted something thatvisually had a stamp on it, if that makes sense. When I started to open up and start painting around 2005 was
when the evolution of the smoking arm – me – really started to grow. I always loved drawing the female form and wanted to start painting women that were sexy and strong with elements from my childhood, while keeping my signature cigarette as part of this DirtyLand world. There was something about a girl smoking that seemed a bit bad girlish and naughty to me and I liked that. The cigar is a more recent element and something I started to get into a couple years ago when I hooked up with the Arturo Fuente family. Some of them prefer the cigars, depends on their mood. With this arm, me and the world I’ve created, I’m basically trying to say, “Don’t smoke kids, it’s bad for ya.” Just kidding, but kids really shouldn’t smoke. But what I’m trying to say is for me it’s all about expressing the strength and power of women through these characters and world I’ve created. Just know that these smoking bad girls are not victims in anyway; on the contrary they are the heroes, they are the ones who have just stepped off there
own personal battlefield, standing tall and victorious while taking that second to pose for my camera eye. Were you self-taught or formally trained? I was self-taught. My mother and father did encourage me a lot as a kid. My dad was a pretty huge influence on me. He was always drawing the anatomy and Conan the Barbarian. He was always showing me how to draw anatomy and how the body works and is puzzled together. Good times. Did your dad have an art career? No he didn’t. He was an avid bodybuilder and surgical tech with a great mind who enjoyed drawing Frazetta-type warriors and collecting Conan The Barbarian comic books. For many years as a kid he told me his name was Conan and I thought that he was. Long hair, muscles, tough guy… shit, he was Conan to me. I can remember we would have these drawing contest to push the imagination to
see who could come up with the strongest character. I now realize what a great exercise this was to me and what he was trying to do. His creations were always better than mine, I think it was the added weapons and gear that gave his characters the edge, but that didn’t matter. I was learning to really push creativity and not to hold back. You learn a lot when you just let go. Good times, good times! Just wondering, what are some of your favorite movies and music? And do they influence your art? Let’s see now, um, that’s a really good question. Some of my favorite films that are just an overall influence and mean a lot to me are Viva La Muerte, Un Chien Adalou, Holy Mountain and Meshes of the Afternoon. Music, I’m all over the place, I listen to so much different kinds of music it’s really hard to pick. Right now I’m digging drawing to the latest Thievery Corporation album. Some albums that are kind of my go-to and are a
“THE BLUE ROSE”
“WALK ON THE DIRTY SIDE”
“THE LAST SAMURAI”
“BATTLE SCARS”
“DESENSITIZED13” Collaboration Piece : Viveros/Quintana
“BLACK MAGIC WOMAN” part of me is definitely Tool the ‘Aenima’ album and Elliott Smith the ‘Either/Or’ album. Some of my favorite artists are Beardsley, Egon Schiele, Klimpt; all are inspiring but probably Schiele spoke to me the most. I believe he was a protégé to Klimpt but his work really got me. The beauty and rawness was very exciting - my early paintings I feel had some of that in them. I’m also a fan Alberto Vargas, Mucha, Warhol and Picasso. I was drawn to Vargas for his signature style, beauty and elegance in everything he painted, always focusing on one powerful girl. Warhol for building an empire with his art; I admire his business sense and approach and I’m a firm believer of taking your art very seriously and making it your business. Part of being a successful artist is being smart and understanding the business side. Don’t let people walk on you. If they do, just kill ‘em, haha. H.R. Giger and Frazetta are always in the list of favorites. Wow, these guys were the first two art books I ever bought as a kid. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing opening the H.R. Giger Necronomicon book; I couldn’t believe these were actual paintings. My early erotic, charcoal airbrush pieces were very Giger inspired. I have to say this, my first solo exhibition was in Switzerland and I had the honor of being invited to his house while I was out there
in 2006. For me it was truly having one of my biggest dreams come true, to meet and spend the day with the master H.R. Giger. For those that don’t know, he just recently passed away and I say this aloud: Much love and respect to ya brutha’, your art has been and always will be a true inspiration to me! Frazetta is forever a part of me and my childhood because of my father, but also because he took painting of fantasy and warriors to another level. So amazingly stylized and beautiful, it gives me chills. He’s definitely changed the comic art world with his painting and signature style. How did the Switzerland solo show come about? Yeah, the group show came first. I ended up sending one of my handcrafted packages to Mr. Les Barany, who is H.R. Giger’s agent. I didn’t expect a response but thought what the hell, let’s see what happens. About a week later he got to back to me with a phone call, no computers or email at that time, but there were fax machines though. Anyhow, we ended up developing a friendship and I would fax him stuff I was working on. He would tell me I’m a possessed and a very driven artist. He then told me he was curating a big group show with Giger and a bunch of others with the Museum of Porn In Art in Switzerland
and wanted to know if I’d be interested in putting in a couple pieces. Keep in mind I wasn’t painting yet; these were pretty erotic pieces done in ink and airbrush and I ended up selling both of them. I was so jazzed that they sold and I think at that time they were like 400 bucks. I was then later approached by the Museum of Porn In Art in Switzerland to do my first solo exhibition, which was called ‘Swiss Bitch.’ So funny, that title cracks me up. The experience was just so surreal, I’d never been out of the country and was able to go to the home and hang with one of my favorite artists. I returned to Switzerland a few years later to do my second show out there, ‘Smoking Swiss With A Twist.’ It’s such an awesome place and hopefully I can return soon. What are some of your latest projects and how did they go? I recently did a very special pop-up group exhibition in Berlin, curated by Andrew Hosner at Thinkspace Gallery. I was really excited about this because I have a lot of fans in Berlin, so this was definitely a great way to finally get to show some of my smoking girls out there. The whole show was tied in with Urban Nation and a future museum opening next fall. I was so happy to hear that the museum purchased one of my paintings for their collection. The response was huge and I look forward to
hopefully doing some international shows in the future. Can you tell us any future plans or directions? Well let’s see, I’m currently in the works with one of my plans and that is this documentary we’re currently shooting about my first surreal film I made 10 years ago entitled ‘Dislandia.’ For those that want to check out some of my shorts feel free to go to www.dislandia.com and prepare yourself, haha! Also, plans of a future include a book and new works for upcoming New Orleans ‘Dirty Dozen’ exhibition next month and returning to Art Basel this year. Any shout outs or last bits of wisdom? Yes, to my one and only queen of The DirtyLand, my wife Jenie, to my mother and brother, much love, and of course to all of the DirtyTroops and supporters out there. I’ll leave with this quote by Warhol, which always seems to motivate me, ‘Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide whether it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.’ Real quick, just want to thank BL!SSS Magazine for this opportunity, Mr. Greg Escalante for the interview and to everyone else - Stay Dirty My Friends.
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Dress – Hurley hurley.com Beanie – Nixon nixon.com Bracelet – Le Vivo Rings – Vanessa Mooney & Urban Outfitters
Kimono – Lira liraclothing.com Top – Lush lushclothing.com Shorts – Volcom volcom.com Watch – Nixon nixon.com Shoes – Etnies etnies.com Necklace – Le Vivo
Jacket – Volcom volcom.com Pants – Volcom volcom.com Bracelet – Forever 21 forever21.com
Top – Vans vans.com Necklaces – Le Vivo & Urban Outfitters Earrings & Bracelet – Forever 21 forever21.com Jacket – Hurely hurley.com Dress – Hurley hurley.com Watch – Nixon nixon.com
Sweater – Vans vans.com Skirt – Lira liraclothing.com Denim Shirt – Vans vans.com Rings – Vanessa Mooney Shoes – Rock & Republic
Shirt – Lira liraclothing.com Skirt – Vans vans.com Sunglasses – Crap Eyewear crapeyewear.com
Photo: Scotty Sherin
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“Nice guys finish last” isn’t always true. Kevin Schulz is a really nice guy – almost too nice. He doesn’t smoke cigarettes, get in fights, and break bottles over his head, but he might give you the shirt off his back or his kidney if you really needed it. Even as of a few years ago he was your average NSSA competitor, but somewhere along the way this really polite kid from San Clemente blossomed into a consistent winner and one of the most progressive young surfers in his age group. Last season, he battled a stacked field for the Southwest Open Men’s season title and nearly took Nationals after finishing second. A former US National Team Member, he has surfed in ISA events, done a few ASP Junior events, but now has graduated into the ASP where he’ll be fighting for seeds and trying to avoid the cold, dark path that can become WQS obscurity. These days, it seems like everyone in professional surfing has to have some sort of gimmick to be successful, and Kevin’s gimmick is progressive surfing. – Aaron Checkwood
Photo: Scotty Sherin
Photo: Checkwood
Photo: Scotty Sherin
Photo: Checkwood
So Kevin, first off, tell us about your recent trip to the Northeast? I went to Nova Scotia this past winter. It is such a beautiful place. I had met this guy, Scotty Sherin, an amazing photographer from NS who was interning at Surfing Magazine. We became really good friends and he had mentioned that Nova Scotia gets very good on a fairly consistent basis. When I heard about a swell up there, I booked a plane ticket that day and hopped on a plane by myself with hopes of scoring. Scotty picked me up from the airport and also gave me a place to stay for a week and a half. The waves were all time, the best I had ever seen! You can definitely expect to see
me back there within the next few months. You’ve evolved into a very well rounded, progressive surfer. Do you feel like growing up in San Clemente and surfing waves like Lowers have helped to polish up all areas of your surfing? Growing up in such a saturated surf town has undoubtedly helped polish many areas of my surfing. There are so many waves, all of different variety, within San Clemente’s five-mile stretch. No matter where I paddle out, there is someone who pushes me to surf better, and I think that has been one of the major factors in my progression.
Who inspired your surfing when you were younger? When I first started surfing I would always see Kolohe, the Guadauskas brothers and Nate Yeomans out in the water. Those guys were so rad to me and never failed to paddle out and say, “What’s up?” Seeing their actions, followed by the level they all surf at, made me so stoked and I still, to this day, strive to be a good role model in the surfing world and push my surfing to the level that I see those guys at. What goals have you set for yourself? I would really like to qualify for World Juniors in these next two years and be
in the top 150 in the next three years. Although that is a far reach I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge, and setting a bar for myself to reach has always helped me in my surfing career. Are you going to be an all-out QS warrior now, or are you looking to jump between select events and freesurf trips? You will certainly see me on the QS grind these next few years. I love competing and I think it is good to stay in a competitive mindset. However, after going to Canada this last winter, I would really enjoy going to places that have been less explored. The
Photo: Scotty Sherin
Photo: Checkwood
adventure side of things is very appealing to me. The people you meet and things you see on those kinds of trips are priceless. I think there is a fine line between the two, but I would love to balance those things and make a career out of them. For you, what’s the perfect surf session? A perfect surf session consists of surfing with my good friends; the waves could be complete crap, but as long as everyone is stoked that makes a surf session the best. Surfing surrounded by good people keeps everyone positive, and nothing is wrong
Photo: Scotty Sherin
with that. When you’re not surfing what occupies the majority of your time? When I’m not surfing I try to stay up with school. Right now I’m attending Northeastern University online. I’m a sophomore and trying to get my bachelor’s in health management. This degree would allow me to pursue a career in sports medicine or physical therapy if I needed. Having an education has always been important to me. What’s on your radar for the next
couple of months? These next couple months there are quite a few North American Junior and QS events, so I will try to build my seed at all of those. September and October are good months up in the Northeast so a few of my friends are taking a journey to an undisclosed northern location. Who’s been taking care of you sponsorwise, and is there anyone else you’d like to thank? I would like to thank Rusty Clothing, Xcel Wetsuits, Smith Optics, Move or Die Surfboards, Dakine and DSC performance.
Personally, I need to thank Kevyn Dean, Scotty Sherin, Aaron Checkwood, Brian Coe, my parents and my girlfriend. All of these people have invested so much of their time into my surfing. There is no way I could ever repay them for what they have done. The support I have received from many others as well is priceless. I am so thankful for the people in my life and could not be more stoked. Alright Kevin, thanks for chatting with us and good luck!
Interview & Photos: Sean Sullivan
How old are you, where are you from, where are you now, and how did you get here? I am 26 years old, I am from Hood River, Oregon. I am currently traveling the Oregon coast on a little surf trip for the next few weeks, then headed down Mexico way. I got here by way of vehicle. Do you have health insurance? Yeah, I have health insurance. I think it’s pretty crucial in this line of work. I’d be in a lot of debt otherwise. Tell me about your first sponsors, mom and dad. It seems to me like you were just a normal kid. A lot of riders grew up in full-time snowboard academies, but when you made the choice to do this and you never looked back. Yeah, well my parents got me snowboarding super young, but I also did a lot of other stuff growing up. I didn’t get really into snowboarding until years later when I got into skateboarding and saw my first snowboard movie through a friend. It was The Resistance and it got me so psyched, it was all I wanted to do after that. I bought my first season pass the following season! Who are the other key players in the rise of Dylan Thompson? I know that when you moved to SLC the doors opened and that was it for you. Yeah, well I moved out there after high school and I was just trying to ride as much as possible and just have fun with it. I didn’t really have any expectation of becoming pro or anything, but I also knew I wanted to try and film some kind of video part, even if it was just for myself. I met a lot of rad people out there, and my second season I ended up living with Jonah Owen, who had just started filming with the Technine crew. I ended up going out with him and met Cole Taylor and somehow ended up filming a full part for the Familia movie in the last month of the season. Everything seemed to kind of snowball from there. Nothing happens overnight. You had your first sponsors, but I know that you still did side gigs to keep the gas tank full. What are some of the craziest things you’ve done for money to keep the dream alive?
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It took some years on the struggle before I could really survive off of snowboarding, I did all kinds of random shit: dishwasher, snow removal, janitor, manual labor, etc. I don’t know of anything too crazy. I cleaned houses for this lady that had AIDS and she was super weird. One day she cut herself and was freaking out, like “Stay away, I have AIDS!” Pretty crazy stuff. Do you remember when we were in a Denny’s at 4 a.m. in Boulder, CO, on tour with FODT for the Hard 2 Earn premier? Marc Frank Montoya and Johnny Paxson took a bunch of leftovers, plus every condiment available (ketchup, mayonnaise, bbq sauce, mustard, lots of salt, lots and lots of pepper, etc.) and made the gnarliest smoothie I’ve ever seen in my life. Money was on the table for the first person to drink it and you grabbed that thing, pounded it, and puked all over the table. Why did you do that? I totally forgot about that, haha, yeah that was crazy. Why did I do it? I have no idea. I think I was a little harder up for cash back then and I think that combined with the booze… there were really no fucks given. I do stupid shit when I get drunk, in case you haven’t noticed. Now that the ball is rolling, how do you keep it going? You top yourself in every video part you put out, but there’s only so much terrain out there. Well, I think there’s still a lot of new terrain out there, but there’s also so much room for being creative and looking at things differently. People always seem to come up with new ways to ride old features. I know what you mean though, like in Salt Lake it’s hard. I’ve driven around for days looking at the same spots I’ve already seen, trying to come up with something new. But the search is always part of the fun. There’s nothing like showing up at a new location and knowing every spot is new and you can do whatever you want there. You got to hang with MFM in the early years of your career. What are
some of the things you learned from him that stuck out with you over the years? Yeah, I did for sure and MFM is the biggest boss, but as far as learning from him I guess just the way he handles himself in the industry. He has been around and really knows what’s what. I was gonna say something snowboard related but I think that we have too different of approaches when it comes to that. He was so good it seemed it could happen a bit more naturally for him where I kinda have to work more for it. You hit a lot of really big stuff in the streets. What’s the protocol for finding those things and making sure you don’t die for a 4-second video clip? There must be some pretty trippy moments when you drop in and commit to a new feature for the first time. It can definitely be a little nerve racking, but you just have to have faith in yourself and know it will work out somehow and it usually does. I’m always super nervous beforehand, but usually once I drop I just focus on doing what I need to. I think the anticipation is the worst, like when you’re setting up and just thinking of the whatifs – I do that way too much. You just have to trust yourself. Who are your favorite dudes to ride and shoot with? So many people, I pretty much enjoy shooting with everyone! I like to ride with Andrew Brewer, Nick Pooch, Zander Blackmon, Ben Biledeu, Dallin Twiligear, the whole T9 crew, and some other Utah homies: Brandon Hobush, Bode Merrill and Jonah Owen and Justin Norman back home in Oregon.
You have clocked some serious frequent flier miles the past few years. What’s the best shred trip moment of the last couple seasons? So many good ones, hard to really pick one. I guess a while back when I was in Japan for Holy Bowly, and everyone was there staying in one hotel. We all went out after the event and things got a little wild. I ended up in costume freestyle rapping with Blake Paul under the alias Stevie Buseemi. Everyone seemed to get a good laugh from that one, super good times! As a photographer, I am constantly witnessing things so crazy that it’s almost become the norm, which
is a troubling thought. What’s the sketchiest thing you’ve ever seen on snow? On snow, hmmm… I guess I would say this spring in Japan, our Japanese friend Masaki got knocked out at a spot. It was intense because we didn’t have any way to call for help of anything and he was the only one who spoke Japanese. Luckily, someone came by right away and called for help. That led to a bizarre series of events that included 30 cops showing up, measuring the rail and the height of the fall and what not, trying to make sense of what happened. One dude almost fell off the dam the spot was at and we ended up getting detained and taken into the police station. It was a
long ordeal. Masaki ended up being fine – he was chillin’ back at the hotel before we even got released, haha. What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever seen go down? On a snowboard? I would have to say that shot of Johnnie Paxson airing over the fence to the down-flat-down with the close out. That thing was so insane, and he stomped it, and then he tried it again and slammed the close out. That was like four years ago and is still the heaviest trick I’ve witnessed. If you could offer a few words of advice to someone interested in a career in pro snowboarding what would they be?
I would say to follow your passion and ride as much as you can and just let it happen naturally. Don’t over-think trying to get sponsors and stuff like that. If you’re killing it people will take notice, especially if you live somewhere where the industry is. If you live in the cuts then you might want to be prepared to move or do a lot of filming to get some exposure. Moving to Salt Lake was a key factor for me. Sponsors, supporters, and nonprofit organizations you’d like to shout out? Technine, Neff, Monster Energy, Thirtytwo, Etnies and Jammypack.
Words: Shane Kendall :: Photos: Tom Carey & Chelsea Jeheber // Tomorrows Tulips // Veeco // Pat Barrazza & Bryan Iguchi // Ford Archbold, Jack Coleman & Mitchell Ross // Parker Coffin & friend // Yago Dora // Andrew Doheny // Kid Creature & Dax McGill // Volcom Security getting fueled for the big night ahead // Irie Jean & Delon Isaacs
Where there are free movies, music, and beer, you can bet your britches you’ll find just as much free spirits. Out-of-towners and locals of all ages visited the Volcom HQ in Costa Mesa July 30th for a taste of freedom and the premier of a Veeco Productions film, self-entitled “Veeco,” by self-taught filmmaker Jamie Heinrich. The newest flick is a collage of films that became the history of Veeco itself and the fuel that fired the iconic Volcom brand. The documentary relived the inspirational history of the out-of-the-box thinking and ideas by the Volcom crew from athletes to editors, doing what they want and just because. This lifestyle expressed in the movie proves its off-screen appeal when the film ended and groms quickly filled up the Volcom lot, sharing an appetite for the same interest. The brand’s identity fed these future connoisseurs some courage to beg for a beer and test the luck with some beautiful gals. But in general, the gathering provided a goodol’-fashioned place to just loosen up. Kala Truck and The Viking Truck
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kept busy filling stomachs, while a Pacifico station quenched the thirst of the 21+ and teased the dreams of the 20-. Local bands Tomorrows Tulips, New Gods, and Lovely Bad Things kept the night going with their good vibrations until there was no where to go but home. By the end of the night the beer was tapped, music stopped, port-o-potties violated, and the Volcom teet was yet again officially milked for the night. Who knows where the party really ended; we only know where the party began. The film not only answered that – it literally was the reason. The reason we had something to do on that warm Wednesday night is owed to the trailblazers in the film who invested their precious time and energy into developing the legacy that is Volcom. Doing what they want with their very own ideas is what branded the stone into what we see today. Without the efforts inside and out of the film there would be no reason to celebrate. Thanks Veeco, and thank you Volcom for getting us here.
PHOTO: RHOADES
BRIAN “SLASH” HANSEN FRONT CRUNT SHOVE @activerideshop | #ActivePRO | @brianhansen Bliss-Slash.indd 1
8/4/14 3:56 PM
Photos: Nick Corradi & Life Without Andy // Jack Freestone, Mitch Crews, Mitchell Ross & Mitch Coleborn // Beren Hall, Brendon Gibbens, Dion Agius & Craig Anderson // Joe G // Warren Smith & Nate Tyler // Curren Caples, Friend, Dylan Goodale & Evan Geiselman // Eric Tomlinson // Luke Davis, Friend, Jack Freestone, Nat Young & Kai Otton // Kolohe Andino & Ian Crane // Lovely lady lickin’ There are lots of parties during the US Open, I mean LOTS! And it came as a bit of a surprise that the one party to blow all the others out of the water at this year’s weeklong ragefest extravaganza happened to take place the furthest away from Main Street, HB. Globe’s Strange Rumblings in Shangri La went down on a warm Thursday evening in the heart of Long Beach at the Pacific Air Center. That’s right, planes were taxiing as people were partying from the early sunset hours on late into the night. If you were lucky enough to hop on one of the many party buses that was headed there you may or may not have gotten in to see the film, and it didn’t matter how VIP you were. Either way, there was plenty of alcohol in supply and an overabundance of radical people looking to throw it all back. However, if you were able to jump the line, juke a few TSA agents and sneak
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a peak of the Shangri La world premiere, you definitely left that much more impressed with Joe G and the whole Globe team. An ode to explorer Jack Cousteau and surf film pioneer Bruce Brown, the film itself brings its own distinctive flare to the screen with all of Joe G’s innovative directing style. It’s an adventurous quest to find paradise where we come to find out that the best part of it all is the journey itself. The music blends brilliantly in with new wave discoveries in Morrocco, insane cinematography in places like Iceland, and of course the surfers and their surfing gets you as psyched up as ever to go out the next morning and fall on your face in a hangover inferno. From new members like Noa Deane and Brendon Gibbens to veterans like CJ, Taj and longhaired style masters like Creed McTaggart and Nate Tyler, the entertainment is endless. Most surf films in today’s world are easily forgettable, but this one isn’t, and the whole night, although a bit blurry, will be a happy memory for a long time to come.
Words: Reagan Ritchie :: Photos: @lifewithoutandy // Courtney & Dane // Tanner Gudauskas & Conner Coffin // Steve Van Doren // Joel Tudor & his son // Nolan Hall, Fuzzy & Mitch Abshere // Dylan Graves // Dane Gudauskas // Nat Young // Bryana Holly & friend // Brendon Gibbens & a pretty lass // Curren Caples // Andrew Doheny // Kassia Meador // Noa Deane & Gabe Garcia
I attended the Vans X Dane Reynolds Pizza Party and had an awesome time. The party celebrated lots of things – The US Open, the newest Get-N Classic Vol. 3 flick and Dane’s new shoe collab launch. I’m pretty sure there were smiles to be had by all. It seemed difficult not to. I mean, if you’re going to throw a party during the US Open, what better way than to have Steve Van Doren himself handing out pizza while engaging in some all-time sounds by DJ George Trimm. Dane had these custom-designed pizza boxes for the pizza that came from Pizzanista up in LA, which is owned by skateboarding legend and Vans alumni Salman Agah. And the Thrasher “Skater of the Year” definitely makes the pizza of the year, so thank you Salman. Vans Get-N Classic Volume 3 played right out front of the Shorebreak Hotel that pizza-filled evening. The crowd was full of the local community and families that brought beach chairs and blankets to watch the film. Afterwards the dancing and smiling resumed, and at one point I saw everyone in a conga line. Did I mention that I lost my wallet? All in all it was a great evening filled with friends, delicious food and good vibes.
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LIRA 2014 FALL COLLECTION W W W. L I R AC LOT H I N G . C O M
Words: Joe Alani :: Photos: Daniel Shea // Mason Ho, Clay Crandal & Rusty Long // Keoni “Cheeseburger” Nozaki taking a quick power nap // Jonah Morgan, Charlie Carroll, Mike Ho & friend // Omar Meddeb & Matt King // Ketara Gadahn, Joe Alani, Mason Ho & Cheeseburger // Cheeseburger, Keala Naihe & Billy Hopkins // Tunnel Vision rocking // Taming the Black Bull // Christian Comet about to make a move // Chris Lomenzo, on a good one
The good people from …Lost and Arnette threw Mason Ho and Cheeseburger’s US Open party on a Friday night at the Black Bull. The bar is located in downtown Huntington Beach and features a mechanical bull, which when combined with surfers ready to let off a little steam is one funny and entertaining spectacle. People gathered, high-fived, and sampled some of their favorite drinks, but the real reason they showed was to get a sneak peek of Mason Ho’s next movie project. Always the gracious host, Cheeseburger politely asked the crowd to “shut up and watch the video.” The clips had the people in the bar glued to the big screen. One segment from Mason’s recent trip to Costa Rica with sister Coco and Cheeseburger featured tropical wedge ripping, while his secret stash of massive airs from this past season in Hawaii was greeted with oohs and awes. Also included are audio insights from Mike Ho, Cheeseburger, and Coco that give the viewer an authentic look into the world of Mason Ho. After the video, San Clemente’s Tunnel Vision took the stage. The band, influenced by punk, reggae and ska, is made up of four surfer/skater/ surfboard builders (some of them set the fins at the …Lost surfboard factory) that include Tanner, Jacob, Hayden and Josh. The rest is a blur of bull rides and beers. Thanks to Jesse Evans and Black Bull Chop House for hosting it all.
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Photos: Sean Rosenthal // Blue is our favorite color // The stage was the place to be // Plenty of “blue steel” looks going down // Dressed to impress // Sun’s out buns out // We like bikinis... // And colored sunglasses... // And accessorizing... // And girls with phones in their hands… // And best friends // And white smiles… // And you!
There was no riot at this year’s Vans US Open of surfing. Once the final day of competing commenced the hordes of people went home, and the next day the beaches were virtually empty. Most were partied out from the weeklong melee, and the thought of another all-night extravaganza was the last thing on most people’s minds. Reread that last sentence, “most people’s minds.” Not the boys and girls at Collaborative Media though, as they were just gearing up for the 3rd Annual Pacific Festival that was staged to go down the following Saturday at The Dunes in Newport Beach. The final week of summer came and went but it wouldn’t be completely over without one final bash. The stage was set and the musicians were all fired up, and by the time I arrived at 1 p.m. the parking lot at the Dunes was already nearing capacity. You could feel
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the anticipation in the air as the line lengthened and most people were ready to get their groove on. With over 4,000 expected to attend, this was definitely THE place to be in Orange County on this overly warm Saturday afternoon. The masses dressed to impress and there was an overabundance of beautiful ladies in attendance to satisfy the thirstiest of eyes. Come to think of it, this is some of the best peoplewatching of all summer, as partygoers from all walks of life came to enjoy the over 20+ DJs and bands and countless libations. The eighthour ordeal went by like a flash, and those who knew what was good for them headed on over to The Observatory in Santa Ana to keep the good times rolling. If you missed out just check out the photos above and start planning for a good time in 2015 – you got 340 days till she happens again.
Interview & Photo : Max Ritter
Really psyched to have met these rock ‘n’ rollers The Futures League! Great humans. We had a nice Friday evening perched on frontman Jon Arman’s boat in the Dana Point Harbor, sharing some laughs and talking shop about the band. Be sure to get the band’s debut EP entitled Don’t Be a Drag that’s produced by Gus Seyffert, which is available now on planet Earth. Interview with Jon Arman (vocals, guitar), Jack Rose (guitar), and Scott Ruth (bass) below. John Fontana plays drums. How did you guys meet and start the band? Jon: I met Jack through mutual friends and we started going through some songs I was working on at the time. We started jamming in a little wine cellar in Laguna Beach and it just kind of grew from there. We were working together teaching surf lessons. I actually met Fontana at that time. Scott was a mutual friend of Jack’s and he was just around through various social environments. In this day and age there are so many ways you can go as far as direction with your music. You guys are a pretty straight up rock ‘n’ roll band – how did you get on the kick? Jack: Originally we were a folk outfit. We had a kick drum up there and wore suspenders and we were called Arman and Sons. Scott: I think Jon just grew up listening to rock ‘n’ roll like the Stones. At the point when I joined the band Jon had written every song up until that point before it started to become more collaborative. I think that’s what he was really into at the time and the three of us at the time just kind of wanted to jump on board with that. Jack: I wanted to make that too. That is primarily what I listen to. I think Fontana was more of a hip-hop dude at the time, which we have a little of that in some of the beats. It’s good, it works. Like Limp Bizkit, you know. Jon: A little Durst in there. Durst’s early work.
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Scott: His hat mainly.
perspective.
During the recording process and making the EP you worked with a wizard producer and musician named Gus Seyffert, who was obviously a big part of the sound and how it came out. Jon: It was a really a unique experience for all of us in our musical lives. When I think of a musician, I think of a dork at Guitar Center. The stereotypical musician is a pretty lame picture in my mind; it’s something that’s not cool at all. When I first met Gus I didn’t know that much about music. I knew a little songwriting and I knew what I liked as far as tones and what I thought sounded good, but I wasn’t a geek about it or a gear guy or anything of the nature. When I met Gus I was like, “Whoa! Musicians are really cool!” It’s almost like his arms are like extensions of his gear in a way. He is his gear. It’s part of his body and his being and everything. He’s a cool guy and just has so much knowledge on something I was pretty in the dark on. He has such a knack for songwriting and tones and it’s incredible. It was really attractive to work with him and I just got a whole new passion for everything about music.
How was the experience of playing a large festival like Bonaroo? Jack: Everyone there treated us incredible. The hospitality was amazing.
Jack: He gave us a lot of direction. He never really changed things, which was cool. He gave us a lot of artistic freedom. He was never like, “No! This is the way it has to be.” He’d give us ideas or just his two cents, which was awesome because we all respect it so much, coming from someone who is light years ahead of us musically. Jon: He’d point out what was working and tell us to run with that. The little nuances we would over pass would make all the difference. Scott: He did push us to perfect the songs in a lot of ways. They were pretty sloppy when we brought them in and he would push us to make everything have a reason, which is a producer’s job but it was great to have him there to do that because we were so caught up in the songs we needed to see from his
Scott: We played on one of the smaller stages and the show was whatever, but the experience of getting to go was really cool. Seeing our name on the flyer next to the other acts was really cool. Jack: Just to be there was cool. We were on the same stage as the cool guys, but just being in the same venue and doing that same thing as all these people you look up to was pretty surreal. It was a pretty epic deal for all of us. [Jon takes a break to pee in a French press, dumps off side of boat and we continue the interview.] We are hanging on your Boat El Rancho Relaxo right now; tell us about your boat lifestyle. Jon: Well, there are strict laws so I am not technically a full-time liveaboard, but I love my boat and I spend a lot of time on it. You know you’re only allowed 48 hours a week. I stay down here 480 hours a week…. every week. And then I piss on the cops and tell them who’s boss. I catch all the fish I want. I throw stingrays at people (laughs). No, joking… it’s cool. It’s a good time and it’s very mellow. I spend some time down here every week and I go to a lot of happy hours. Can you tell the story of the first time you took your boat out? You had no idea what you were doing. Jon: My friend called me up and wanted to do a music video. I was kind of scared to take it out. I had no idea what I was doing. There are no brakes (laughs). Anyway, I had promised my friend he could shoot a music video on it. So he cruised down with a whole posse and shot a hip-hop video. I think the artist was under the impression it was going to be like a Yacht, which made it
funny when they first saw the boat. They were all super scared of the ocean. They were calling me Captain Jon. They brought all these chicks and they were shooting 35mm too. So it’s a big 1970s camera. It was pretty rough seas and there was like 10 people on this tiny boat. As soon as we get out there no joke a huge whale was like 10 feet away from us. All the rappers were freaking. It was pretty funny. The video actually came out good. Yeah, that was the first time I took my boat out. What’s coming up next for the band? Are you working on the full-length now? Jon: We have been really focused on the live stuff and playing lately. Right now I have realized it really is about the writing and the content, and if you’re not doing that all the time then your kind of exhausting everything. So we are playing out as much as we can, but we are also working on a lot of new songs and hopefully we will complete the full length in the next six months or so. I think there is a new little wind in our sails right now where we are kind of stoked on writing again so we are starting to write a bunch more. I think we will record again with Gus. We have been working with him on writing a little bit. We have about five new songs we are pretty pumped on right now so… We all want the writing process to be more collaborative. Some of our best songs were written collaboratively, so we are always working toward that. We’re just finishing up our residency at The Satellite and we really want to tour. We are all hungry to get out there. Scott: Literally hungry! Jack: Yeah, so any bands out there, take us out on tour with you. Jon: Yeah, we’re nice guys. We throw back sand sharks. Jack: Strictly catch and release! Thanks for having us, dudes! Check out The Futures League Don’t Be A Drag debut EP available now!
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T I D E & T R A I N - S P E C I A L E D I T I O N 1 4 K @ VESTALWATCH | VESTALWATCH.COM
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Echo Park Rising Live Review & Photo: Max Ritter Saturday, August 16th, 2014 Echo Park, CA
Echo Park Rising is a free annual, neighborhood event that focuses on the music, creativity, diversity, and small businesses of Echo Park. Over 300 bands played at multiple venues over the festival weekend. If you missed it make sure you keep it on the calendar for next year! Here we have the guitarist from the band Meatbodies showcasing some heavy shredding on day two. He had a slight resemblance to Pickford from Dazed and Confused – you know, the guy who gets caught trying to have a keg delivered for a party at his parent’s house. When his dad’s like, “Did you order some kegs of beer?” “Noooooo…” Anyway, Pickford was ripping and Meatbodies are great live. Check out their seveninches on In The Red and full-length LP available October 14th.
Reviews: Max Ritter
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The Growlers Chinese Fountain Everloving
Superdrag Head Trip In Every Key Side One Dummy
Spoon They Want My Soul Loma Vista / Republic
The Growlers have a new record release this month with some seriously catchy jam hammers like “Good Advice” and “Dull Boy.” I must say, their curated Beach Goth Party at The Observatory in October is looking like a really outrageously good time too. The Spits are coming back here? Pauly Shore is hosting? Really?
Side One Dummy has re-issued late ‘90s power-pop band Superdrag’s first two major label records for the first time ever on vinyl, along with a new rarities collection of demos and unreleased tracks entitled Jokers w/Tracers. If you are 30 years old, like I am, then you might be a John Davis/ Superdrag fan. Or maybe you were in a Limp Bizkit phase. The ‘90s were pretty rough. I do miss my rollerblades, though.
The second track, “Inside Out,” is maybe one of the better songs the band has ever penned and worth the purchase alone. For all you fellow nerds, there is a really interesting podcast on a website called song exploder that details the production process of the track that I really enjoyed. The record comes on pretty marshmallowy white wax. I was reading the thank you credits on the back of the record and they thanked Kobe Bryant. Closet Lakers fans!
Zath Black Goat Razor Drag City This month’s recommended metal fix is a seven-inch release from Drag City imprint GOD? Records. We have “Black Goat Razor” on side A and “Pain Reaper” on side B. Plenty of punishing double kick and riff-age for you to scare the neighbors. Will put hair on your chest, if nothing else.
WE JUST PRINT THE SH&T! / ERIK@AMPERLITHO.COM / 760.213.4008 / 910 17TH ST. COSTA MESA, CA 92627
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