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YADIN NICOL / PHOTO STRUNTZ
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vanssurf.com Š2010, Vans Inc.
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Vans Fleece Pack SRPLS, SK8 Mid Fleece, Raglan, and Rata Vulc Featuring premium suede and canvas uppers with soft fleece lining. All weather design details built for year round warmth and comfort.
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DROP CITY
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FUNCTION COMUNE was formed from the idea that there will always be people out there who not only embrace the rawness and imperfections of everyday life but use it to creatively push the boundaries of what’s possible in skateboarding, fashion, art, and music their own way, with complete disregard of the consequences.
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PURPOSE Our goal is to provide clothing that reflects this lifestyle of carefree idealism and to support the people that choose to live it.
INFO@THECOMUNE.COM WWW.THECOMUNE.COM
COPYRIGHT © 2010 949 574 9142
FALL TEN
Clifford
Lidell
“Wet Dreams & Silent Screams”
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SP11 Drop City: Look for “Wet Dreams & Silent Screams” from Clifford Lidell hitting stores in January, part of COMUNE’s on going Drop City program. To learn more about Drop City, go to: http://thecomune.com/team/drop-city/
Taken from SP11
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Clifford Lidell www.cliffordlidell.com
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Clifford Lidell’s artwork can be descried as a mash up of bizarre, offbeat, cultural oddities, both taking from, and spitting in the face of, pop culture. His sarcasm, irreverence, and suggestive story telling are all evident in the works of his latest collection, ‘Switchblade Fantasy’.
Something Better Change
www.thecomune.com info@thecomune.com 2139 Placentia Avenue Costa Mesa CA 92627
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The film is part of COMUNE’s ongoing DROP CITY creative platform, which launched last month. Inspired by the early 1960’s artist commune in Colorado and the brainchild of COMUNE’s Art Director, Corey Smith, DROP CITY was introduced to attract like-minded contributors to the COMUNE artist community.
javier mendizabal / gravisskateboarding.com
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Photo: Beau Roulette Underwear – Pull-In pull-in.com
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5500 AAATM Junior Sheer Jersey V-neck Tee 4.3 oz. 100% Ringspun Cotton.* Super-soft with a slight stretch for a perfect fit. Machine washable. Sizes S-2XL. *Athletic Heather 90/10 Cotton/Polyester. *Charcoal Heather 60/40 Cotton/Polyester.
Athletic Heather Black Charcoal Heather Dark Chocolate Hot Pink Purple Turquoise White
All garments are available with a Tear Away Label for easy removal to help with your re-labeling and heat transfer programs. Contact us today for a copy of our 2010 catalog to see what styles and colors we have to fulfill all your blank apparel needs.
west coast 800.225.1364 east coast 800.621.6578 www.alstyle.com
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF nick kalionzes nick@blisssmag.com
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joey marshall joey@blisssmag.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR mark paul deren madsteez@madsteez.com
EDITOR AT LARGE liz rice mcCray liz@blisssmag.com
SKATE EDITOR chris ortiz chris@blisssmag.com
SNOW EDITOR jon francis jon@blisssmag.com
MUSIC EDITOR max ritter max@blisssmag.com
ADVERTISING 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
CONTRIBUTORS
Matt Patterson, Willie Marshall, Daniel Russo, Liz Rice, 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, Spencer Pirdy BL!SSS Magazine 413 31st Street Newport Beach, CA 92663 www.blisssmag.com 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.
DECEMBER 2010
Cover Art : Joe Sorren
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nixonnow.com
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RIP ILIESA Ask any well traveled professional surfer where the most beautiful, loving, open and caring people are in this world, and you will hear the same answer every time: Fiji. The Fijian people, and in particular the tribe which watches over Tavarua, are amongst the finest citizens on God’s green (and blue) earth. And of all those incredible Fijians, one particular stands out as the most beautiful of all… He was a gentle, giant man named Iliesa Natoga who passed away earlier this month. Anyone who has been to Tavarua in the last decade or so will undoubtedly remember the humongous bartender who looked unmistakably like Evander Holyfield and was missing one of his two front teeth. Always with a smile, and usually with a drink, Iliesa would welcome you with open arms and show you the true spirit of Fiji. He is survived by a large family, a larger tribe, and an enormous group of people, who have been lucky enough to call him a friend.
NIXON X HAWAII LOWDOWN If you’re in Hawaii at this moment, as soon as you’re finished reading this magazine you might want to scurry on over to a local Nixon retailer. The reason being is that the Nixon x Hawaii Lowdown tide watch will only be available for a limited amount of time. This tribute to the legendary chain of islands, inspired by Nixon team member Mark Cunningham ,comes with all sorts of gadgets including tide charts for over 200 beaches for the next 15 years. The watch is decorated in true Hawaiian fashion, and you’ll surely be missing out if you don’t snag yourself one. The watch will be retailing for $100 with a portion of the proceeds going to Defend Oahu Coalition reminding us to “Keep Country COUNTRY!”
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PARKO’S BACK After a devastating foot injury at home in Australia over 6 months ago, Joel Parkinson has made it right back to where he left off. Parko arrived for the beginning of the Haleiwa contest focused and ready to contend for a podium spot and a Triple Crown title. He did just that by posting the highest heat score of the event in his opening round as well as a perfect 10-point ride. Joel also went on to win the contest; ousting ‘09 champ Joel Centeio, and now leads the Triple Crown standings. Not too shabby for your first contest back. Joel’s now looking to finish the year off strong, and heading into Sunset, we have him as one of our favorites to take the crown this year on the North Shore. Good on ya Parko!
RUMORS Everyone has heard of the endless perfect waves that lie south of the border, and now these mystical spots are being showcased in the first film to come out of Mexico in a long time that has really caught our attention. Director/Producer Mark Kronemeyer and producer Alistair Calderon bring us Mexico at its best. The gaping barrels of Puerto, undisclosed reeling point breaks, and hotbed of talent are perfectly depicted throughout the film. The film stars Puerto madmen David Rutherford and Oscar Moncada and with cameos from guys like Bruce, Nate Fletcher, and Dusty Payne that make the film non-stop entertainment. The bottom line is that you’ll watch the movie for about 5 minutes and then have yourself scrambling for plane tickets like a giddy child. The boys did a great job on the film and we can’t wait to see more. Muchas Gracias!
ASR: THE END OF AN ERA
Whether you enjoyed the twice a year gathering of board sports brethren or found it to be a big pain in the ass, we all have fond memories of the Long Beach and San Diego Convention Centers at what was formerly known as ASR. The parties, the new trendy lines, the premieres, the hotels, the girls, the industry bro’s, the pro’s and the unmistakable way that ASR brought us all together for a few days was something that kept our industry prosperous and alive with excitement. Due to a tight credit market, consolidation of stores, and other factors, Nielsen Sports Media Group (the owner of the event) has suspended ASR indefinitely after nearly three decades. Now don’t be too saddened because where something is lost another can be gained, and we see this to be the case with proposed alternatives coming in all shapes and sizes. So we say goodbye to an era of good times and a show that always had us with wide eyes!
TBMBTQIPUP
GRAVIS CUSTOM FOOTBEDS
SKATER OF THE YEAR
Gravis Footwear is hooking up 15 of their favorite retailer shops with custom Cloud 9 Footbeds. Each footbed is thicker than the standard one found in Gravis shoes, and will have custom colors and logos for each shop alongside the brands logo. The goal is to acknowledge the shops as well as the local kids who are out skating like crazy and wearing through the soles of their shoes. The retailers have already received the packaged goodies for the holidays so stop by your neighborhood shop and ask for them!
BODY GLOVE PRIME The polls have closed, the votes have been tallied, and Leo Romero is officially the best skater in the world according to Thrasher Magazine. It comes as no surprise, the guy has been on a tear with mind blowing video parts in “Stay Gold” and “Brain Wash” to go along with his all out assault on the pages of every skate publication from here to Hong Kong. The news came straight to Leo’s home one morning in the form of Thrasher head man Jake Phelps and a couple of ice cold Coronas. Bottom line is that RVCA’s golden child deserved it and we are psyched for him!
The all new Body Glove Prime is the latest and greatest to come into the neoprene surf world, and with test dumbies like Mike Losness, Dusty Payne and Alex Grey giving it their full fledged approval, it’s hard not to want one of these. The suit has a unique design with wavy art along the upper torso and back, Ez-slant zip technology, external liquid tape, and enhanced kneepad design. The suit is quite possibly the warmest, comfiest, most stylish suit out there and we suggest everyone gives it a try.
2011 HAVASSY CALENDAR Our boy Robb Havassy is one of the coolest individuals we know, an unbelievable tube rider, and one of the top artists in the surf world. This year Robb brings us the 8th edition of “A Surf Odyssey.” It’s a gorgeous view into the life, travels, and mind of Mr. Havassy. The calendar benefits the Surfrider Foundation and includes 12 FREE surf art prints, significant dates to remember, and some beautiful photography as well. The calendar is a must have for everyone and is the perfect gift this holiday season. Get yours at havassyart.com.
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ETHIKA We got an early Xmas package from our buddy Malcolm McCassy over at Ethika. Any time this guy gets new product in or has some hot new deal in the works he always delivers to us first. New for the holidays, Ethika is putting out some fresh color ways to cover your junk. These things are super limited and make great stocking stuffers so log on to Ethika.com and get yours in time for the holidays.
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DOOMA X FILTRATE Our good pal Damien Fahrenfort is proud to be the newest member of the Filtrate surf team. The South African import has been paving the way here in the states, constantly chasing swells and getting his mug all over the mags, all while creating scandalous rumors on his blog doomasrumors. com. Hell, the giant is on fire, hence the profile on him in the pages to follow. Anyway, keep an eye out for more of Damien cruising all over Southern California It seems that there’s no need for a TV anymore with so much content being in his Filtrate shades. thrown onto the web, and now Vans is giving us another reason to chuck the remote and log onto cyber space. Offthewall.tv is a new online digital network that will show the many faces that the Vans brand has to offer, and allow the user access to hundreds of videos and episodes chronicling some of their favorite athletes. Offthewall.tv will be launching such series as: Collaboratory, Adventures With Chris, Time and Space, and Yo Gabba Gabba with more to come. The site is very entertaining and you’re guaranteed to find yourself sifting through the videos for a few hours or more.
VANS ONLINE TV
FISHWORKS
MT HIGH GETS CELLULAR
With Christmas just around the corner I’m sure there are more than a few of you readers out there that are still looking for that perfect gift. Well, if that special someone is a fisherman may we suggest you get “hooked up” with some new gear from our friends over at Fishworks. Our boy Lawrance Quigley has been hard at work and has a plethora of sweet new tees, boardshorts and a ton of other fishing related gear available at fishworksproducts.com. So head on over to their website right now and start crossing those names off the list.
GASOLINE RAINBOWS Mountain High is always coming up with bigger and better ideas every winter, but this time they’ve outdone themselves. On November 15th, Mountain High became one of the first resorts in the country to release an application for both the iPhone and Android cell phones. The app keeps you up to date on the mountain conditions, latest photos, videos, and live cam images, as well as giving the user quick links to Mountain High’s forums, Facebook and Twitter pages. It’s an easy way to book tickets or hotel rooms, and for just $1.99 it’s a great way to make your winter a whole lot easier and enjoyable. You can get the app through Mountain High’s website at mthigh.com or the Apple App store.
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Gasoline Rainbows is a compilation featuring music from Pheonix, Vampire Weekend, The Black Keys, Passion Pit, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and more. The proceeds for this compilation will go to Global Green which benefits communities affected by the gulf oil spill. This great benefit was molded together by actor Austin Nichols and actress Sophia Bush. The compilation was released on November 30th, so go out there and get a copy and be an advocate for a cleaner, greener community.
VINYL SERIES LUGGAGE
THE SUSTAINABILITY COLLECTIVE Good news has come from the Industry Boot Camp this past month with the forming of the Sustainability Collective. The group is made up of Derek Sabori, Director of Sustainability, Volcom; Roian Atwood, Manager of Environmental Affairs, Sole Technology; and Jeff Wilson, Vice President of Sustainability Programs, Quiksilver. The goal of the group is to tackle environmental and sustainability issues within the industry and provide a commonplace where everyone can go to learn better practices instead of spending their own individual time and energy on these issues. The Collective currently consists of Quiksilver, Volcom, and Sole Technology, however they look to expand with more companies joining. This ability to influence everyone in the industry into working with the environment in mind is priceless. Congrats, and we look for great things to come!
LOVE VS DESIGN
Mathew “Shaddy” Shadbolt sent us over a little sneak peak of the new luggage Electric has come out with, and the end product is a sharp and practical line that will have heads turning in whatever terminal you’re in. The red vinyl luggage series comes to us in four uniquely modern pieces. The bags are in stores now, so go out and get yourself some red radness.
REED’S GINGER BREW
We love geeking out on new websites we come across and it’s even better when we find something we love and can spread the word to our faithful readers. In this case, our friend Jen Gierman has been working on this little project for a few months now and we gotta say that her new site lovevsdesign.com is the shit. Through the site customers can create personalized invitations, cards and other items to print at home or at a professional printer. If you are anything like us, then you sure will be able to appreciate this easy to use website where you can layout and design your own stuff even if you don’t know how to use any Adobe products. Check them out next time you want to keep it classy and save a buck or two.
Our friend Todd stopped by the office the other day and brought us a boatload of goodies and sodas from Reeds Inc. These truly are the best non-alcoholic ginger brews in the world, featuring flavors like Original, Premium, Extra, Spiced Apple, Raspberry, and more, these are the perfect thirst quencher. The sodas are carefully brewed and aged like fine wine, with only the highest quality herbs, spices, roots, and fruits that make the natural taste to die for. They have a great root beer and a crystallized ginger candy that will have you eating a whole box full. Go out and try these great products for yourself and reap the healthy benefits of ginger.
BODY GLOVE X MATT PATTERSON
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It is our great pleasure to announce that our boy Matt Patterson is back and working as Sales Manager for Body Glove wetsuits. Matto is a former QS surf turkey, contributing founder at Volcom, former Director of Marketing at Quiksilver, former Creative Director at Analog/Gravis, producer of 54321 at FUEL TV, and most recently held down marketing at Ocean & Earth, before moving up to Body Glove. This brings joy to our hearts and puts a smile on our faces. With Matto back doing what he loves and what he is most passionate about, expect to see big things from our friends up in Hermosa Beach. Congratulations Matto, we are all looking forward to seeing you at it again and bringing your A-game.
Ten is Zen - Kelly Slater does is again :: Words: Matt Patterson History has been made once again; records broken and scores tallied. The results are back: Kelly Slater has won his 10th World Championship. Over the last few days and weeks since this historical event occurred much has been said, written and speculated upon. Slater has been measured, sized up and counted. And with all these statistics keeping us, the viewing audience, comfortable and safe, one unmitigated fact remains: He is the best surfer ever. Michael Jordan: 6 championships. Lance Armstrong: 7 championships. So does this make Slater the greatest Photo: ASP/Kirstin
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athlete ever? That is to be decided by the pundits and punters around the world, and we will all take a swing at it. For this author, personally, I can’t say. And that is probably because I don’t share an interest in baseball and football and the vast majority of sports, team & individual, that scoring matters so much too.
outrageous claim. I remember feeling sorry for the poor kid from Florida who I thought could never possibly live up to such expectations. Until, that is, I saw him surf. He was faster, smoother, and more polished than Curren, Carroll and Occy combined. My memory after seeing him surf live for that first time was disbelief at how much the pundits were low-balling it!
I will, however, never forget the first time I saw him surf in person. United States Amateur Surfing Championships 1986 at Oceanside North Jetty. He was being called the next Tom Curren by the pundits, and at the time that was an
Over the last three decades he has shown us everything we hoped surfing could look like. He has literally carved the paths we only dream about when mind-surfing our peachy folders at school, or the curled up page of a post-
it note while sitting in the office. And throughout the entire experience he has demonstrated a level of dignity and grace that would likely be lost on the lot of us. Does he deserve such praise? That one I can’t answer. But I’m awfully glad that he put in those extra couple hundred hours as a kid, when no one was watching, so that he could achieve such an incredible state of readiness. I’m grateful for the movie parts that got me psyched as a grom, and the rivalries that play out on my computer during ASP events. We each get to form our own opinion, and weigh in accordingly. For this one in particular, I say, “Congratulations, Ten is Zen.”
Words: Nick Kalionzes
The printer had just dropped off our November issue and we were in the middle of setting our out-of-office email replies when news started coming across the world about a 7.7 earthquake and possible tsunami hitting Indonesia. That usually isn’t cause for alarm for us since stuff like that seems to happen frequently over there, but we were packed and about ready to hop on a plane that night, and were headed directly to the area mentioned on the news. We had heard a rumor that a couple of boats anchored in the bay at Macaronis had slammed into each other and exploded and washed ashore, but the reports were sketchy and that’s really all we knew. By the time the pilot asked the passengers to kindly shut down all electronic devices we were hoping for the best, but still didn’t have a clue as to what was in store for us half a world away. After the usual riddle of getting to that side of the world we finally made it to Padang where our boat, the Pelagic, awaited us. By now word was getting to us that the Tsunami’s main focus had been exactly where we were headed. When everything was loaded aboard the Pelagic our Captain, Griff, decided we should grab some extra supplies to drop off in villages out in the Mentawais. That turned out to be a good call, and off we went. The first morning we woke up at the Playground and discovered that the Tsunami had missed that area completely. The next day we decided to head south to find an area affected by the tsunami and try to help out. Green Bush has been a special spot for our Indo crew over the years – the Pelagic actually discovered the break – so we set off for Green
Photos: Madsteez
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Bush to see if we could help. When we started to turn into the bay, we were shocked by the unfamiliar look of the shoreline up the point from Green Bush, as well as across the bay. There was no jungle left along the shore, and only a few palm trees were still standing. We anchored across the bay in deep water and took the skiff in loaded with rice, canned food, fruit, water and clothes. On the skiff ride in it became apparent that things were much worse than we had imagined, for the village we remembered had been completely destroyed. Having seen this village a bunch of times on previous trips, hopping with a thriving little community of about three hundred, it was an eerie feeling realizing that the sea had literally swallowed it whole. Once ashore, we were greeted by a search and rescue team, and were shocked by what they told us. They had been pulling bodies out of the jungle for the last few days, and we soon realized that we weren’t prepared for the level of devastation we had just walked into. It’s really hard to describe what the place looked like. The closest I can get is that it appeared as if a gigantic bomb had exploded there, leaving only a few tree trunks standing. Everything that was once growing or living had been pushed about a half mile into the jungle. Behind where the village huts once stood, and where only the foundations of the huts remained, were three mass graves. Just before we had arrived they had buried nearly 200 people. We stood in front of the graves completely blown away. It seemed impossible that the whole place had been literally wiped off the map. We were getting second hand accounts of what had
happened and how high the wave was from the rescue workers. From the looks of things, the tsunami was at least as high as the palm trees, and had rumbled as far as a kilometer into the jungle. Then they told us that there were two little kids in a tent who had survived the tsunami, so we went to talk with them. One kid, about seven or eight, was severely beaten up. His head was swollen with black eyes setting in, cuts all over his body, and his foot in a trash bag. Later that day we wound up taking him and his father to the hospital in Sikakap. This kid had an amazing story. Apparently, he was a surfer and had a surfboard that he kept right beside his bed. When he heard the wave coming he grabbed his board and held on for his life. He was washed right out of his house, tumbling with his board over and over, clenching it as tight as he could until the board was eventually ripped from his grasp. He was then washed up into the jungle, slamming into everything that was in the way. This kid was truly a walking miracle, lucky to be alive. The other boy, who was much younger, maybe four or so, had an even crazier story. Apparently, when the tsunami hit him he was pushed so far up into the jungle that no one else was around, survivors or victims. So when he finally came to and didn’t see or hear anyone nearby, he thought he was dead. He was under the impression that that was what it was supposed to be like after you die. He stayed in the jungle for the next three days, roaming around dazed and injured, living off of sugar cane. Now, there’s a river that comes from way inland and flows out of the jungle and right through the Green Bush village before dumping into the ocean. And on the third day of roaming around the jungle the little boy came across this river, and there happened to be raft floating by that he was somehow able to get a hold of. So he jumped on the raft and started
to float down the river. Meanwhile, down the river in the area where the village once stood, the rescue workers were busy pulling bodies out of the jungle, when along comes this little kid floating by on a raft. The workers couldn’t believe it, and quickly scooped him out of the water where he was reunited with a couple of other survivors. Sadly, most weren’t as fortunate as these two kids. In fact, 49 out of the 53 children that lived in their village were dead. Another man that had survived, who we wound up giving a ride to as well, had lost his wife and three children. He was pretty beaten up and needed medical attention. It was really tough to witness the pain this guy was suffering, and the catatonic look in his eyes explained it all. What these poor people had gone through was unbelievable. One of the most alarming things we heard about this whole nightmare was that there were a few incidences where people took their own lives after realizing that they had lost everyone and everything they had in the tsunami. There were lots of other islands and villages affected by the tsunami, and many other deaths reported, but we weren’t able to find out as much information as we did at Green Bush. As our trip continued, helicopters and boats were dropping food and building supplies into the affected areas, and on some islands the tough and resilient people of the Mentawais were already rebuilding. At the time I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to be able to help the people in an area that has meant so much to me over the years. I know that what we saw and the stories we heard will never be forgotten, and I am grateful to know that the boys of Green Bush village – the one who lost his board to the tsunami, and his little friend who found a raft in heaven – are alive and on the mend.
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Words: Liz Rice McCray Patrick Lee’s drawings of “rough men” highlight the humanity and vulnerability of his ultra-masculine subjects. His graphite sketches are extremely detailed and have a seemingly delicate nature, softening the subject’s angry exterior. The contrast of the hyper masculine male in an almost ethereal image allows the viewer to find beauty where one may not have been seen before. My first thought was that Patrick Lee must have a rough background and been exposed to his subjects from a young age, thus having a deeper understanding of these thugs/tough men that enables him to portray them in this vulnerable light. However, I was surprised to find out that Lee was not from a rough inner city, but from Northwestern Montana where he grew up in a blue-collar environment. Currently, Patrick Lee lives in Los Angeles. He walks the streets of LA with a mini portfolio and a camera to find his subjects (I know, unheard of walking in LA). Lee
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approaches these tough looking individuals and asks to take their picture in order to draw a portrait. His encounters are usually brief because the subject is on a break from work, and he takes between 30 seconds and two minutes to get the picture he needs. He then spends countless hours sketching. Lee states, “Three years ago, when I started this, there was no way in hell I could approach someone on the street and ask to take their photo, but I forced myself to do it. I’m extremely shy, but I’ve found it’s given me optimism about humans. Most people, regardless of the way they look or aspire to look, are pretty decent as long as you show them respect and don’t try to abuse them.” Patrick Lee’s art is a commentary on society’s idea of masculinity. He cracks the hyper masculine exteriors of his subjects to shine a light on the universal humanity and vulnerability within us all.
Words: Matt Patterson Orange County has been called a lot different names over the years, ranging from the Orange Curtain to Housewife Hell, but one undeniable fact about the OC that everyone agrees upon is that it is home to most of the action sports industry’s name brands. Everyone from Analog to Volcom has their operation headquarters somewhere in Orange County. The one fact that many surfers overlook is that is also home to best of surf hardgoods manufacturing, primarily at a little locale known as PureGlass. The building itself sits on the same block as Volcom, RVCA and the former Quiksilver building. In a previous life, these walls housed a little surfboard brand called Wave Tools that was owned and operated by Richie Collins and his father Lance who truly did it “their way”. Today, PureGlass is owned and operated by Jim Chalunik and is home to JC Hawaii, Dano Surfboards, Rickland Surfboards, Surfboard by the Greek, Wave Tools, McKinnon Surfboards, On Surfboards, and many more. In addition to the in-house stable, Pureglass also does outside pick up and deliveries up and down the coast from San Diego to Santa Barbara. They grab boards from Teqoph,
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Photo: Madsteez
Roberts Surfboards, J7 Surfboards, Zippi Fish, JS, Chilli, Lost, Chemistry, to name a few. Also, Pyzel from Hawaii, Hayden Shapes and Sollife from Australia are built here when the shapers come to town. There also is a showroom at PureGlass. Offered is a variety of traction pads, leashes, board bags, racks for your car and walls, shaping tools, a wide selection of fins, fiberglass cloth, resin, surfboard blanks, and much more. The used board rack is always stuffed with old team rider boards to consigned boards from all sorts of labels. In-house, they offer shaping bays to anyone who might want to shape on a Shape 3D Machine. They allow just about anyone to come use the facility and shape a board by hand or scrub out a machine cut. PureGlass offers everything to build a Surfboard from start to finish, from performance shortboards, fun-board fishes, cruiser and performance long-boards, and stand up paddleboards. So if you are in Orange County, or just in the market for a new board, visit PureGlass and touch a part of surfboard history.
Photo: Dominic Petruzzi : dominicpetruzzi.com // Model: April Cheryse
That time of year is creeping up on us again, and you can bet that the crew at BL!SSS sure have been good little boys this year! Christmas is that special time where it’s always best to give than receive, and that is why we’re so stoked to present this little present to you all. There’s nothing we’d like to see more this year than April sneaking around giving the gifts of joy, so all you out there in BL!SSSville better have been good. We wish everyone out there a joyful and happy holiday season and we can’t wait to continue bringing you the goods every month in 2011 and beyond. Hair: Jason Becker :: Makeup: KC Witkamp
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Words: Jake Smith :: Photos: Mapstone This year marked the 10th annual Damn Am contest, which has been held in Volcom’s parking lot in Costa Mesa, CA since the first contest in 2001. We faced some challenges putting the course together this time around because of a mean storm front that moved in the week before the contest and stuck around to torment us throughout the weekend. We were actually pretty lucky in that, although there were some wet spurts and most of the wood got a bit soggy, we missed the majority of the storms and the event was able to go on as planned. The contest brought some heavy hitters from near and far and, after watching Thursday’s practice, it was obvious that this was going to be a good one. Running through qualifiers, the riff raff got weeded out leaving only the best of the best to battle it out. Going into the semi’s and final it was anyone’s game. Everyone still standing in the contest was ripping and it literally came down to the very last runs. Some of the tricks that went down on the flat box during some of the runs, such as Tyson Bowerbanks’ BS Smith 360 out on command, was a delight to watch. After the battle was over and the dust had settled, it was Oklahoma’s Kyle Walker who came out victorious.
Louie Lopez : Switch Feeble
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Kyle Walker : Ally Oop Feeble
Anthony Estrada : F.S Feeble
Alec Majerus : K-Flip
Alec Majerus : K-Flip
Anthony Schultz : Smith Grind
Brodi Penrod : K-Flip Back Tail
Once the finals were over, it was time for the best trick jam on the bank to wall. Nothing beats a solid skate jam like having live music ringing in your ears at full volume, so having Railroad to Alaska fuel the best trick jam with some heavy riffs made the session an excitement for all. David Loy took the cake towards the end with his blast up from the quarter to smith stall the top railing into the bank. Railroad to Alaska played one last jam, and then a massive product toss was thrown out and the awards were announced. Australian powerhouse Tommy Fynn was ripping all weekend and was awarded the Zumiez Destroyer Award for his efforts. Right after the contest finished and the awards were given out, Mother Nature couldn’t hold out any longer and gave us a torrential downpour. Well, at least she waited until the contest was a wrap.
FINALS RESULTS:
A big thanks goes out to everyone involved in making the Damn Am contest in Volcom’s parking lot such a success. I’m excited to see what next year will bring.
BEST TRICK: David Loy, Smith stall from the quarter to the top fence.
Riley Hawk : Low to High Back Smith
1 2 3 4 5 6
-
Kyle Walker Louie Lopez Anthony Estrada Anthony Schultz Alec majerus Brodie Penrod
7 - Tommy Fynn 8 - Boo Johnson 9 - Tyson Bowerbank 10 - Kevin Romar 11 - Jack Olson 12 - Kechaud Johnson
ZUMIEZ DESTROYER AWARD: Tommy Fynn
Tommy Flynn : Over Crook
Andy Irons – The Passing of Grandeur :: Words: Matt Patterson “The first wave I ever caught, I remember it to this day, as clear as day. I went left, right, left and the wave never broke. And I thought right then this is the coolest thing in the world. And from that day on I told my dad every night I WANT TO GO SURFING, I WANT TO GO SURFING, I WANT TO GO SURFING! It all started with
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going left, right, left on one wave at the pier. I’ll never forget that wave, till the day I die, that was one of the purest moments of my life, and it will always be.” - Andy Irons.
dead in a hotel room in DallasFort Worth during a layover en route to his home on Kauai. Since then the surf world has mourned his loss and many of us wonder how such a thing could happen. How could a man who On Tuesday, November 2nd, is so strong, so determined, and 2010, rumors were confirmed so capable leave us so soon? that three time surfing world champion Andy Irons was found Born on July 24th, 1978, Andy
lived his life in Kauai surrounded by family, friends and a community that celebrated his success throughout the course of his incredible, short life. Over the course of his career he won three world titles and etched his name into the history books at events like the Quiksilver Pro France that he won three times and The Rip Curl Pro Search
series that he won in Mexico and Chile. Ironically, it was the Rip Curl Pro Search event in Puerto Rico that he was on his way home from when passed away. The characters that Andy Irons played over the last two decades have been a competitor, a villain, a champion, and a hero – to name a few. But above all the labels that we put on him, and that he put on himself, he is, and was, a son, a brother, a husband, and a surfer. Hindsight is always 20/20 and looking back on a life as rich as Andy’s, it is clear that he was loved beyond measure. Although it is not
possible to summarize a life like his in a word, there is one word that truly speaks to the essence of Irons: determination. It was determination that drove Andy to push himself into situations that lead to his success and ultimately made the life that we know.
even years perfecting video clips rather than the competitive type whose surfing is more reserved and safe. But Andy was much more than just a freesurfer, much more than just a video guy - he was the complete package. And although we saw glimpses of a more destructive side of Andy Most notably about Andy’s career early on in his career, it was clear are his contributions to surf films that he had the “total package.” and his iconic rivalry between himself and Kelly Slater. Andy’s In 2002 as Kelly Slater crept into “parts” or sections in surf films semi-retirement, a new name to initially labeled him as a free- the ASP World Tour circuit began surfer. An ultra-creative, anti- to emerge as more than a mere contest artist who would rather threat; Philip Andrew Irons began work for weeks, months and winning heats with a confidence
that no one had seen since the emergence of Slater fifteen years before. “He had people beat before they paddled out,” remarked Pat O’Connell, who was on tour with Irons at the time. “If you had him in a heat, and you were stretching on the beach getting ready to paddle out, you knew that he was going to win.” That confidence and determination radiated from Irons and sparked a competitive wildfire that wouldn’t be extinguished for years. Three consecutive world titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004 helped contribute to nearly $1.5 million
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Tom Carey
Photo: Tom Carey
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Tom Carey
Photo: Kenworthy
in career earning prize money. And the industry that built itself around Slater now had a new reason to reinvent itself over their rivalry. Throughout the first two-thirds of his competitive career, Kelly Slater never really had a solid rival. He has had matched battles with Sunny Garcia, Shane Beschen and even Rob Machado, but it wasn’t until 2002 when Andy Irons came on so strong that Kelly rose to the occasion. The confrontations that would follow would inspire the surfing world in a way never seen before. “For me, just being affiliated with Kelly - to be next to him - I mean, that’s awesome. He’s the ultimate surfer. He’s the best surfer in the world. Ever. Best competitive, best free surfer, you name it, and to have my name put next to his everywhere really is flattering. He’s the Michael Jordan of our sport. Kelly knows how I feel about him. Despite all the media hype that comes out of a rivalry there’s a lot of respect given both ways. People don’t realize there are times when we hang out. We’ll go check the waves together. We talk about boards. He invited me personally to his contest on Tavarua. There’s a ton of respect there,” stated
Photo: Kenworthy
Andy. But the “showdown” between Slater and Irons that world wanted so bad was one that Andy never fully embraced. Although he was the eventual winner, he never seemed to want a fight with Slater, just that chance to beat him in heats. One after the other, heat after heat, relentless determination: The true spirit of a champion. On the beach, Andy’s composure oscillated with highs and lows. He let us all see the inner working of a man who could summon the will to do what most of us only dream of. The surfing world reveled in finding the only man who could take down Slater, and we needed to see more. The pressure of life on the road and fronting for multi-million dollar companies can take a toll, and as the years went by, it became more and more clear that the same engine driving that competitive determination had a darker side, one that came with a cost. “I have a lot of inner demons,” Andy said while being interviewed in a short promotional film by Billabong titled: I Surf Because. “And if I didn’t have surfing to get those out of my system I would selfdestruct. Surfing is the only reason that keeps me going Photo: Kenworthy
All Lifestyle Photos: Kenworthy (*unless notod)
Photo: Tom Carey
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Tom Carey
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Kenworthy
in a normal state and an even keel. Without it I would just tip into oblivion.” Those innerdemons may have contributed to Andy’s ultimate passing, but he knew them, and it was with those inner-demons that he had his first confrontations. Battles that he often won, and that would make him the fierce competitor, the loyal brother and devoted husband that was. Slater ultimately won the Rip Curl Pro Search in Puerto Rico and he dedicated his victory to Andy. “I just want to send my condolences to Andy’s family,” Slater said. “I’m a little overwhelmed right now but I want to dedicate this to Andy... It’s like exact opposites. This doesn’t really offset that, I’d give this title away in a second if Andy could come back.” Since his passing, the world has reached out with numerous celebrations of his life including a synchronized, world-wide “paddle-out” on November 14th at surf spots around the globe, places where Andy had won events and shared his life with us. The surfing world will continue to mourn his loss along with his family and loved ones, and his spirit will live on forever. The Annual Irons Brothers Pinetrees Classic, a contest exclusively for the kids on Kauai who otherwise might not get the same opportunities that Andy and his younger Bruce had, is a clear testimony to the philanthropic spirit that Andy embodied. The event itself was originally designed to allow local Kauai kids the ability to get noticed, but coincidentally, with all the success the Irons brothers have experienced, Kauai is now a breeding ground for future superstars of surfing. This is another example of Andy’s iconoclastic ideology outshining itself.
Photo: Kenworthy
Andy Irons is survived by his father, Phil, his mother Danielle Tache, and his wife, Lyndie, who is expecting the couple’s first child any day. There have been countless memorials dedicated to Andy in the days since his passing, but nothing has summarized his spirit better than his words about his beloved passion, “I’m always a better person when I come out of the water.”
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Kenworthy
Photo: Kenworthy
February 23, 2010 - London, England
Alta-Bliss-DEC10.indd 2-3
11/19/10 12:09:36 PM
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Interview: Greg Escalante & Nathan Spoor In every art movement, there are followers and there are innovators - artists whose use of aesthetics change what was accepted and seemingly overnight create a new genre of their own. Joe Sorren is one of those artists. Quick to emerge from the sometimes forced 90’s style-factory that was/is Los Angeles’ La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Joe Sorren’s emotional mindscape paintings pulse with Odilon Redon bursts of color and Willem de Kooning painterly inventions. Sometimes somber, sometimes containing small comical details melded into a larger narrative or poem, Sorren’s work always makes his audience reflect. However, it is Sorren’s ability at abstracting
color into sentiment that sets him apart from his contemporaries. The impact of his work today is reminiscent to what N.C. Wyeth brought to book illustration during the early 20th Century or Frank Frazetta’s use of color and shape to deepen the experience of American fantasy and science fiction paintings. - Intro by Ron Barbagallo Hi Joe, thanks for spending some time with us. The readers are very curious, how did it all begin? When did you know that you were an artist? Well, when I was 7, my mother moved the family to Arizona. At first we didn’t have a TV, so we would have nightly contests.
Some nights it would be these drawing contests, with a nickel going to the winner. My sister was doing something really amazing, which years later I found out was the ‘Kilroy was here’ character from WW II - tough competition for a seven year old. Do you have any good stories from when you were a kid in school? Well, I would draw incessantly. I would take notes and eventually they would just degenerate into doodles. There was this kid in my grade, Spencer Walters, that could draw a pretty mean monkey smoking a banana. In the end, he won ‘Artist of the Year’ in my 4th grade class. I am still
devastated, the bastard! (laughs!) So once you got to college what happened? I seem to remember they were shutting programs down while we were in them! I was really getting into painting and felt like I was sometimes swimming upstream from what the teachers wanted. There was this time that I had received an F on a canvas and was feeling pretty dejected. I went out to the dumpster to throw it out and a fellow classmate came up and offered me 50 bucks for it. It made me think to myself, “Now that’s an interesting moment right there…” I think I began to figure out
that it didn’t matter whether everyone understood what I was up to. It was an important start of a lesson, you know? What happened when you got out of college? Right after graduation, I sent out slides to see if I could drum up some interest from magazines and galleries. Not internet, not email – slides (laughs!). I got some jobs and did a lot of work for TransWorld Snowboarding. Eventually, I fell into working at TransWorld for a season as an art director, before I realized I was quite terrible and missed painting! So why did you really quit working at TransWorld? I just don’t work well with others (laughing). You have a new show opening up at Grand Central Art Center in November that runs until January 2, 2011. What’s this new body of work about?
It’s funny because we booked the show at GCAC and the museum was looking for the title for the show, and I was constantly putting it off. But for me the title comes after, not before the work. So I gave them a working title, but it wasn’t what this show became. It was - Ruby Lips Above the Water- Blowing Bubbles Soft and Fine. An amazing lyric from “my darling Clementine” But in the end, the work was more jarring to me; it felt like events were pushing me across my life, interrupting me. This Interruption isn’t just a painting exhibit, correct? You produced some bronze sculptures for the show as well, I believe. Yes! I collaborated with sculptor, Jud Bergeron. He is a more abstract artist than myself, which I think led to an interesting visual language that the pieces were then conceived in. Gnarly couples eating pudding at pretend gallery openings (at the Tate) and imaginings of
Bruce Willis’ insides (Moonlighting in the Garden of Bruce Willis’ Brain) are two examples from the eight we built. Jud is so comfortable working in all sorts of materials that anything goes.
shots are what I am most fired-up about, as most people just know my work through jpegs. It’s cool to have a way to show people what exists inside those bitmapped squares online.
So tell us about the showpiece, what does it mean? In 50 words or less, right?! (laughs) Everything happening in this piece is either causing or being effected by an interruption. All the way down to the mummy that is preparing to lap-dance for the Sultan, and the poppy-infused childegg-like beings that are still begging for more.
We’re really curious about some other aspects of your career that are great stories. What is the story about the mural in Flagstaff? You mean the whole one-hair brush and all that? Well, I got hired to do the mural, which I thought would be a 5 x 5 foot mural. But it ended up becoming something like a 45 x 20 foot mural! Now, this isn’t your everyday wall or square building. It’s like a giant cylinder, bumpy, curved, irregular surfaces and all. It made planning impossible. I had to just jump in and see what happened, which is actually the first time I tried working that way. It’s pretty much how I paint most canvases these days. No sketches or plotting, just creating situations and chasing ideas, trying to surprise myself. If you check out my blog (joesorren.com) you can see the
Another exciting bit of news is that your new book is also coming out which features the work from the show, correct? Over the years I have put out a handful of books, but this one is definitely the most recent (laughs). No, this book features the paintings I have made since switching to oils six years ago. The detail
process from start to finish. You’re a pretty active guy and somewhat of a health nut. Tell us about your running… I’m quite a slow runner. And that you’re a barefoot runner? I don’t’ actually run barefoot anymore. I wear Vivo Barefoot shoes by Terra Plana. It gives me about an eighth-inch of hard rubber for protection from poop and such, but still allows me to feel most everything my body and feet are encountering on the trails. Since I started going barefoot and now with these shoes even, my foot and leg injuries have all but ceased. I think it’s because my body can feel the pressure and adjust to run lighter, whereas with thicker-soled shoes, they may mask the pain, but not the pressure. It’s an idea I first heard about in the book, “Born to Run.” Is that by Bruce Springsteen? No Greg, it’s by Chris McDougall. Haha! The book is full of great suggestions for running and nutrition. One of the things that have been really beneficial to me is information about Chia seeds. Those seeds have complete Omega 3’s like Salmon. More protein than any other vegetables, more antioxidants than any other anything, They have no flavor, never
go bad, and each seed collects 10x its own weight in water from what’s around it, causing excellent sustained hydration. Ok, back on track! What influences do you have from art history, contemporary or favorite artists? I was influenced first by going to the Chicago Art Museum and seeing Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte”. I was something 8 years old and it felt like the top of my head popped off! The same day, I discovered Turner and was shocked at what he could do, still am! Later I started getting more into the Renaissance and in particular Michelangelo. That guy had courage. Why was he brave? I don’t know if you know the story of the Sistine Chapel? It was originally planned as having something like 30 figures or so, but ended up having like 320 figures. I don’t know the exact numbers, but the ratio is off the chart! He eventually fired everyone that was working and finished the whole thing himself. If you read what was going on at that time, he showed great courage in tackling such an undertaking with such verve. His dad was deathly ill, he was responsible for his brother, the Pope was constantly coming down on him, his family back in Florence relied heavily on him for their
sustenance and the poor bastard wasn’t even a painter! Did you read pretty thoroughly into the Renaissance then? Sure! One of the best books I’ve found about that time is Benvento Cellini’s biography, also, Vasari’s “Life of the Artists”. It’s an art history book written around 1530! I listened to those both as audio books. Did any other books or authors influence you? Early on, I was really turned on to drawings in Mad Magazine. Mad just blew me away! Al Jaffee and Don Martin, Damn! The Muppets, too. I love them. Those characters are so lucid, and yet so developed and strong! One artist that does a lot of audio books is Liz McGrath. Yeah! She and I have that in common for sure - and what an amazing artist, the piece of hers you have in your house is great, Greg! Right now I’m listening to “The Iceman - Confessions of a Mafia Hitman.” I go to the library and get a bunch to listen to, and the third one I popped in recently was that one. And I thought surely it has to be fiction - but it’s TRUE! I’ll definitely check that out. What’s it all about, why is it so good?
I find myself stopping and waiting 15 minutes just to see what happens next before even going in to appointments. He passed away, but they didn’t catch him until about 30 years of professional hits. This is for real? Wow. So Joe, you mentioned a love for music. Do you still make or play music? Yes, I do play out twice a week, playing upright bass in a band, and occasionally drums. I am just good enough to know that I am not very good. If someone wants to listen to your music, how would they do that? Actually, you can go to iTunes and find our band, ‘The Lyle and Sparkleface Band.’ I’m really proud of both albums that are there. Lyle plays a hand-made drum kit while simultaneously beating up on his guitar. All the while he wears a helmet with a microphone mounted to it. It’s not just a freak-noisefest though, because his writing is worthwhile. He writes songs worth hearing, you know? I am just lucky to be involved. Do you have any concluding statement or philosophy to leave us with? If you are an artist and have a plan B for your career, you’ll end up using plan B. Just stick with plan A.
JOE’S RECOMMENDED ART AUDIOBOOKS: The Last Judgement of Paris
Girl With the Pearl Earring
By Ross King
By Tracy Chevalier
For me, the best of the best books ever to contextualize the impressionist movement. Also, you get to learn that even Monet lived off of ramen and rats from time to time.
I love the world of Vermeer, what can I say?
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini
By James Lord
By Benvenuto Cellini
Still my favorite insight into Picasso’s head. The story of the large, gifted chair is worth the price of admission alone!
As far as I know, the only existing autobiography to exist from the Rennaissance times. The number of admitted murders by this one man rivals a typical modern Italian family. (being Italian, I ought to know!)
Picasso Memoir
and
Dora;
A
Personal
Brunelleschi’s Dome: The Story of the Great Cathedral in Florence By Ross King
Girl In Hyacinth Blue By Susan Vreeland In this historical fiction, you trace a lost Vermeer from a modern day gym teacher, back through the Nazis, poor farmhands, scamming pawnbrokers, etcera to the day Vermeer started the exquisite painting. It made me feel the same as when I learned they used to pack fish with the now lost manuscripts of Bach. Definitely worth the read.
After visiting this dome in 2000, I was incredibly thankful to learn of the battles Brunelleschi fought and won while building the world’s largest freestanding dome structure. The Birth of Venus By Sarah Dunant Guernica
Lives of the Artists
By Dave Boling
By Giorgio Vasari
The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece
In a nutshell, it’s an art history book, written in the 1500’s, amazing!
By Jonathan Harr
Photography: Beau Roulette Assistant : Derek Bahn
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Styling: Kendra Portier
beauroulette.com
Model: Erika Jorgensen
Dress – Vans vans.com
Shirt – O’Quinn oquinnclothing.com Bikini bottom – Pull-In pull-in.com
Bikini top – Volcom Denim shorts – Volcom volcom.com Purse – O’Neill oneill.com Boots – Vans vans.com
Mesh top – Alpinestars alpinestars.com Thong – Pull-In pull-in.com
Denim – Hurley hurley.com
Bikini – Volcom volcom.com
Sweater – RVCA rvca.com
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Interview & Photos: Jeffrey Moustache When you first started skating, how old were you and what did you shred? I started when I was about four. My older brother and I made small jumps and rails to skate on out in the streets. A few other friends did it too, but it was my brother and I that skated mostly. My first board was so big for me; I’ve got old photos that are hilarious.
What got you into skating? It was my brother, I think. It was just one of those things, you know, it looked fun and all the cool kids on the block did it. Over the years I just got more and more into it. It was what I did every day after school… all day, every day. And, if I couldn’t skate I’d snowboard. Over in Norway I’d order all the 411VM mags from the US so I’d have new tricks to check out cause we didn’t
have a skate shop in my hometown for a few years. When did you realize that skateboarding might actually take you somewhere? When I started to get free stuff from skate shops and sponsors sending me big boxes of gear to rep when I was out in the streets skating, and did well in contest and people started sending me airplane tickets
Front Board
Tail Drop : Berlin
to travel around the world. But it was once we first started filming the reality TV show that I was like thinking, “Wow, this is actually starting to work out.” What are some of the events/trips that you have recently been on? Filming season one, two, three and four of “The Adventures of Danny and the Dingo” have been a lot of fun. We went to Europe, Japan, Korea, Amsterdam, London, and all over the USA. The nicest place I have been recently was all the Alps while filming season four. We got to go to six countries in three weeks. Can you elaborate on your thoughts when you are out skating, specifically, your inspiration for
lines and tricks? I just really like to skate. I like to skate to street spots. It’s always fun finding new spots and getting creative with all the stuff around - not just a park or a rail, you know? I am down to skate bowls, street-ramps… anything.
my favorite cities thus far are New York, Barcia, Spain, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Kristians, and Norway.
Growing up in Norway we had to work a lot to skate: shovel snow, make our own ramps, skate underground parking garages because of bad weather. Now that I am living in LA I can definitely appreciate the nice weather.
Do you have any upcoming video parts in the works? Yeah, I just did a part in a video over in Europe for the shop I ride for and we’ve been working on season four of the TV show. We got a lot of good skate stuff on our last trip this summer. Other than that, I’ve just been filming and shooting a lot of photos on all our trips.
Where is your favorite place to skate and why? Favorite place to skate is any place where that’s fun to roll around on. But
Any favorite foods? My mom’s homemade Norwegian dinners and New York pizza.
What are you trying to accomplish
with your skateboarding and how far from now do you see yourself accomplishing that goal? I am trying to accomplish a lot of stuff. It all started from nothing too, I didn’t know anybody in California. What I am doing now is traveling around the world doing what I love to do. I like meeting people all over the world. I want to do a lot more filming and contests this year. I always like doing a lot of different stuff. I am not one of those dudes that just chills at home all day, ya know? It’s cool being involved with the TV show and all that’s going on in the action sports industry. So
you
just
took
2nd
in
the
Nollie Back Tail : Vegas
Norwegian Championships, can you tell us a little bit about that contest? Well, they just got a super good skate park in my hometown in Norway with a vert-ramp, bowl, and a good street park. This year the Norwegian Championships was held at the new park. There are a lot of good skaters in Norway and up-andcoming kids too. All we had before was an outdoor park so the skate scene is growing big time right now. I got 2nd, which was fun but it was just cool to be home for two weeks and hang out with the friends family. And, talk Norwegian from the Viking lands. Tell us a little bit about what it
was like growing up in America, moving to Norway, then back to America. I was born in NYC, moved over to Norway when I was 8 and went to school there. I learned how to speak Norwegian and it was a good place to grow up. I lived in a small town, so skateboarding over there before was pretty unheard of. When I was eighteen I moved to California and just started skating, meeting people, working at a skate shop. It all started from nothing, really. It’s starting to work out now, though. How often do you travel back to Norway? I go back like twice a year. Usually at Christmas and summertime for a
Phoenix
Europe
Piano Nose Bonk : Ventura
B.S 180 : OC
few weeks. Tell me a little bit about your family. My mom is from America and Dad from Norway. I have an older sister and older brother, Thor, who’s in a Norwegian black metal band! If you weren’t pursuing skateboarding, what would you be doing right now? I’d be building houses in Norway with my dad and working on the farm… haha. Skateboarding is a lot more fun. It’s always sunny in California, but what do you like to do in the
off-season? Well, if I’m not skating I try to go snowboarding. Do you have any upcoming contests? Canada Ams Get Paid should be fun. I’ve never been to that part of Canada before. And we have a few more trips coming up with the show too. Anything else to add? Nickname is TOMTOM. Shoutouts? Grenade, Oakley, Kicker, Monster, Etnies (flow) and Girl (flow). Shoutouts to Danny Kass, Dingo, Dylan Radloff, JN, Media, Fuel TV.
Grenade RV Ollie
360 Flip to Fakie : Mammoth
“JULIAN WILSON HATES ME BECAUSE HE CAN’T TAKE A JOKE AND MICHEL BOUREZ WANTS TO PUNCH ME IN THE HEAD.”
Photo: Joe Foster
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Interview: Jordy Smith So you’re kind of blowing up right now Dooma, you’re Rusty’s new ambassador and you just inked a deal with Filtrate Eyewear and OAM… Yeah, it’s been a good few months. Rusty has helped me so much they get me on trips and in the mags and it has lead to getting sponsored by Filtrate and OAM. I’m stoked with my sponsors; all of them
have small teams and want to help each athlete as much as they can. Now I just have to figure out how to become Oprah rich like you. Rusty has given you the green light to free surf and rock out in whatever way you choose, has this changed goals that you may have set for yourself competitively?
Yeah, totally. Last year when I met with them I still had the WQS in mind and they basically said to me how is 3rd in Brazil going to help your career? Who hears about that? Why don’t you go get shacked, get photos, help us build our brand here and live in our pad on the beach at Newport. I said, “You guys got a deal!” and I have never had better waves and enjoyed surfing as much as
I have this year. The only bummer is that my roommate is my boss, Shon aka Dirt. When are you going to live up to your potential and come challenge me on tour? Haha, I dunno, hopefully soon. Maybe when you start paying the judges for me or if you surf for me in my heats. Nah,
Life Style: Jack English
Photo: Dorsey
I dunno, I still wanna really qualify and feel I could beat a lot of guys on tour but it’s tough and those guys have all worked really hard. Right now I am enjoying getting better waves then the guys on tour and spending half the money. Do you feel that my success has lit a fire under you to go out and find your niche? Whether it be getting on tour, getting video parts or shots in the mags? Ya, I mean your success has done that to all the Africans. But South Africa has their world title contender now - I need to do something different. Maybe pick up a guitar and become a Donovan or save some whales with Rasta, I am trying to figure out what to do still. You’ve been shaping a bit too, what’s the deal? Are Rusty’s boards not good enough for you? Or, are you trying to be like a taller, Zaffa version of Andrew Doheny? Hahaha… Nah, I just got in the bay with Rusty and tried a few out. I would hardly call it shaping. It was more like butchering the board and Rusty fixing it. I think my 6.6 is now a 6.5 cause I ruined the tail and my other gun might bottom turn good but does not carve cause I did the outside rail. I respect Droid’s shaping, he has some skills. Newport has been our home base for a while now, have you fallen in love with any local babes lately? Unfortunately… No, I have found a really cool girlfriend from HB that lets me do my thing and isn’t like most of the American chicks – she is trustworthy and knows surfing is comes first. The 4th of July party at the Rusty house took years off my life, can you refresh my memory on some of the highlights from that day. Shit, that was a crazy day. I had no idea it was going to escalate to that. Rusty bought a bunch of kegs and had the rock band going and invited a lot of people. Andrew Doheny’s band Party Theft played inside our house I thought the ground was going to cave in and fall through the neighbor’s roof. I had never seen so many girls in one place wearing so little, it was hectic. I had to fly to South Africa the next day at 5 am for a contest too, it was hell. You’ve always been psyched on big waves, what are your goals for Hawaii this winter? Photo: Joe Foster
Photo: Joe Foster
The outer reefs for sure. I always get a few waves at Pipe and Off The Wall. I am gonna send over a 9.0 that I got from Rusty so I can try and charge… I’ll still shit myself out there though. How do you see yourself leaving your mark on the surfing world? I would be stoked if people just remembered me as someone that was always where the waves were best or happy and doing my thing. Once you’re gone you’re gone and all the things you did don’t really matter if you were not happy. What do you think of Andy’s tragic death? How can we cope with this legend leaving us too soon? It’s the saddest thing that has ever happened to any sport let alone surfing. I think Andy’s life was on display so everyone felt close to him because he wasn’t a robot, he showed his emotions. The best way to honor him is to start celebrating his life and stop mourning, it’s what he would have wanted. AI will live forever. You and I got to spend some time with Andy in Hawaii when we were young at the Bong house, tell me your favorite story about him. Yeah, that was epic. I remember being so nervous every time he spoke to us and when he wanted to just chill and have us out of the house he would make us go surf and tell us he would watch. We would come back in and he told us we were ripping and it made our trip. I’d even phone my dad to tell him Andy thought I was ripping. So Slater barely got his 10th title this year, no points for 2nd place, should the old guy get off the tour already?
Hells no. He is surfing the best he ever has and don’t you and everyone else wanna win while Slater’s still there. A world title won’t count as much if Slats isn’t there. I wanna see you beat him in a final and get revenge. Where can we see you next? Are we going out tonight? I almost went to the Outer Banks tonight for that swell but Hawaii tomorrow. Tonight, who knows… La Cave – maybe drinks are strong and plenty of emo eye candy. What about a Vegas trip this weekend? I’ll bail Hawaii for Vegas, hahaha. We will have to tell the chicks we going to Mexico and pack boards and wetsuits too. Has your site (DoomasRumors. com) got you into any trouble yet? Oh yeah, a bunch of people are butt sore. Julian Wilson hates me because he can’t take a joke and Michel Bourez wants to punch me in the head. I have two motto’s for the site, “Rather beg for forgiveness then ask for permission” and “Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.”
Photo: Shon Lassiter
Any last rumors we should get out? Like, I still have a chance of taking the title at Pipe? No chance for you at Pipe but I heard that you can’t beat me at tennis and you’re obsessed with the Modern Warfare game. Yeah yeah Dooma, see you in Hawaii and you better be on your game cause I’m bringing the heat. Photo: Dorsey
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BESIDES ALMOST LOSING HIS LIFE, HIS TEETH WERE SPIT OUT, BROKEN ORBITAL BONES, HIS NOSE BROKEN AND HIS LEG WAS SHATTERED IN 17 PLACES. Interview: Jon Francis :: Photos: Dodds Recently, Doran Laybourn literally made the come back of a lifetime. A couple of years ago, Doran was hit head on by a snowmobile around a blind corner in the backcountry of Aspen. Besides almost losing his life, his teeth were spit out, broken orbital bones, his nose broken and his leg was shattered in 17 places. Although I felt like I already knew Doran because of so many mutual friends, I first met Doran a few years back working together at Vans while he was on a slow and steady recovery. Since then, Doran has rehabbed hard and came back with three video parts from last winter. He and Scotty Arnold shared the ending video part in the Commotion movie, he has guest shots during Darrell Mathes’s part in Videograss and has a part with Role Model Production’s I’m With Stupid, out of Colorado. I hadn’t seen Doran for a bit and when we finally caught up this summer and I saw his new footage and I was shocked. It’s the best footage he has ever put out, after one of the gnarliest injuries I have ever seen. So if you haven’t seen his footage this year, check it out, and look for a full part banger out of Doran next fall 2011 in Givin Film’s first release ONE.
What’s good in NYC? Out in the LES, chillin’. Waiting for the big Nor’easter that’s bound to come, just hanging at Franks Chop Shop.
on staying in New York? I have a place until January 1st, but I’m leaving to Oregon right now to start it off with Stamps and Colin, they just got mad snow.
Is that why you’re in New York? Me and Yelawolf, Wiz, IZM White, and Creepy Loc. Aaron Hoop behind the lens, it’s a wrap.
Didn’t you live with Cody this summer in Encinitas and help edit Commotion for a bit? Yeah, it was pretty funny; I basically lived in the meth lab apartments for a month with I heard he may be filming Cody after Nick moved out. again this winter for Givin, Shoutouts to 193 Vulcan and what’s up with that? what up shred Ted! A little bit? Full part – count on that. Is that how you and Scotty ended up with the ender, What’s Givin all about? because you were helping Hoop and Keegs making a edit? movie – It’s gonna be the ill We strong-armed that fool and shit. Codes Rosenthal doing I got ender, not SCO double, we the web and me and Jon on the share. ones and twos. Did you and Scotty make any And your plan? rap videos this summer? Pow-Pow and NY, if I’m healthy Vaginto is serious son, but I lost it’s a wrap! the camera.
Why do people call you D-Tale? That’s my DJ name, and really people just call me Tales.
Why is it that so many snowboarders are moving to NYC? Because Bozung is killing it and everyone wants to be like him. Saw him last night and he was looking on point.
How long are you planning
Any new rap videos soon?
Can I call you G-Tale? Yup, that’s my new one, half team for all you insiders. What’s up with that new iceberg you got around your neck? Just representing Colorado, Colorado, Colorado. Is that where you were born and raised? Born in Wyoming, moved to Colorado when I was 10. The Rockies is where I am from and where I will be laid to rest. Who did you grow up riding with out there in Aspen? YME Kryme Fam. Anthony
“THE ROCKIES IS WHERE I AM FROM AND WHERE I WILL BE LAID TO REST. ”
D
Rizutto woulda been the best shredder out if he’d not got locked up. He owns his own store now, killing it in Aspen, check him out, it’s across from the Paradise Bakery in Aspen. And Wyatt Stasinos and IZM. You just came back from a near death accident in the backcountry a couple years back and had shots in three videos this year. You had ender in Commotion, a guest shot in Darrell’s part in Videograss and a part in Colorado’s Role Model Production’s I’m With Stupid. What are your plans for the winter, another 3-part winter? Filming all winter with my friends and getting it in with Givin. Watch out cause its lights out! Oh yeah, and I want shots in T-Rice’s new movie, “What’s up Travis?!?!”
No competition with our video project, it’s all homies shredding. I want everybody to get the best part they ever had this year! Are you feeling stronger physically and mentally going into this winter compared to before your injury? I’m stoked. I feel I’ve proven it’s all good-to-go now and I want to do it and learn some new tricks again and hit some urban stuff once again too. You respect all types of snowboarding then? If you’re having fun, you’re killing it.
Let’s end it on watch Doran’s comeback footage, it’s heavy. Any final shout-outs? Check TK killing it in T9 and Keegs in TWS, and all my friends and fam in CO, Do you see any competition with all LA, and NYC. Kbox, Mikey Mike, AK, Chop the new film crews doing their thing Shoppers, RKF, Creepy Loc, IZM White this winter? and Flawless Jewelry.
Happy Holidays, It’s that time of year again!
Serving the industry holiday nuts for over 20 years. erikp@mglitho.com
www.mglitho.com
RON ENGLISH : STATUSFACTION
Photos: Derek Dahn :: Words: Greg Escalante
Ron English opened his first ever-solo museum exhibition, at OCC’s Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion - A survey exhibiting over 100 new paintings. Before I go on, where you might stop reading, I urge you to get his mind blowing film, POPaganda: The Art and Crimes of Ron English which rated on my scale an 11 out of 10. You can grab this on Netflix and even better stream instantly. The reason I recommend is you see another side of Ron, probably his best work, which is impossible to show in traditional museums. English is one of the most important artists in the last 100 years and is easy to see why watching this biopic unfold. Then when you see his museum full of art you realize what a mad man he is, and you understand what it takes to complete such a gnarly body of work. Do yourself a favor and visit this exhibit. Then in 40 years when people talk about this seminal art event you can be proud you were there. Just like burnt out hippies treasure Woodstock as the highpoint of their life. But you’d better hurry - it closes Dec 17th. Special thanks to Opera Gallery, Hurley International and Planet Illogica for making the exhibition possible.
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COMUNE’S BLKHLZINVZFS VIDEO INSTALLATION
Photos: Sean Rosenthal :: Kelly Ash, Andrew Kuykendall, Liz Davis, Corey Smith, Jason Lee Parry & Wyatt Hull // Wyatt Hull of Gypsy Death Star // Comune viewing stations // Jade Summers & Michelle Mason // Jordan Minardi, Billy Garner, Mike Quinones & Austin Sherbanenko // Matt Davis & Julie Shumaker // The Comune compound // Kesslyr Dean & Jacob McCabe // Raul Montoya, Matt Davis & Sean Ciminesi // Ben Rice & Cale Zima // Gypsy Death Star Crew with Corey Smith & Liz Davis
Towards the end of October, Comune unveiled their first snowboard video project “Black Holes and Invisible Forces Bending Time Through Particle Deformations Creating Infinite Freedom in the Garden on the Moon” at their headquarters in Costa Mesa, CA. Under a full moon, the packed house witnessed seven edits of the experimental film while live music from Gypsy Death Star, C-Town and The Perfect Gentleman filled the night air. The idea behind the film was to focus on showcasing snowboarding and snowboard filmmaking as a raw, creative art form giving all involved the creative freedom to translate a collection of footage through their own interpretation. Multiple viewing stations were set up for the guests to throw on a pair of Eskuche headphones and watch each individual edit of the movie featuring Comune snow team, aggregates and associates. Contributing artists towards the project included: Corey Smith, Liz Davis, Ryan Scardigli, Hunter Longe, Matt Porter, Kevin Castanheria, Mark Wiitanen and Shelby Menzel. All edits of the film as well as shorts and trailers ranging in style from traditional snowboarding to abstract obscurity can be viewed at thecomune.com/blackholes so log on and check them all out.
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THALIA SURF and VANS are giving away 3 surfboardss from legendary KOOKBOX SURFBOARDS along with a bag full of gear from THALIA SURF SHOP and VANS VANS.. V O lucky winner will be chosen at random One rando oon n Januar Januaryy 7th, 201 2011. 1. Contest ends January 6th, 2011 at 11:59pm PST
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THE SOUNDS: PRESENTED BY VESTAL
Photos: Peter Morning :: Words: Derek Boucher // The Sounds // Maja Melting the Crowd // Mammoth’s Steve & Mark with The Sounds // Future Mr & Mrs Eddie Wall, Peter Line, Louie Vito & Friend // Hyde & Mammoth Crew // Derek Boucher, Tommy Smith & Travis Rice // Party Crowd // The Clausen’s and Lauren Tanzer // Louie Vito & Maja of The Sounds // Jesper Banging Keys // DJ Rockwell Vestal and Mammoth Mountain have kept the party going with another concert series for the 2010/2011 Winter Season. The first event took place Saturday, November 13th and featured The Sounds, the Pop-Rock-Electro-New Wave-Dance band who flew in from their homeland of Sweden to play the show and get in a few runs on the freshly opened mountain. The Sounds concert coincided with Mammoth’s Opening Weekend, which featured numerous events and parties such as the first chair of the season, Hyde Lounge Grand Re-Opening, Mammoth’s Unbound Magazine launch party and the premiere of their new film “Another Day in Paradise.” This three day, non-stop party at Mammoth Mountain was capped off by an insane
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set from The Sounds that was arguably the highlight of Opening Weekend. The show took place at Canyon Lodge in front of a capacity crowd pushing over a thousand people. Many made the drive specifically for the concert while others came to party as a fitting conclusion to the weekend’s festivities. Partygoers at the show included Vestal Snow Team Members Peter Line, Louie Vito, Eddie Wall, Zac Marben, Scott Blum and many more such as Travis Rice, Mason Aguirre & Carey Hart. If you dig The Sounds and missed the show, don’t worry, as the band will hit the road next year in support of their upcoming album due this spring. If you dig Vestal & Mammoth Concerts, don’t worry, as there are plenty more on the way. For more information visit mammothmountain.com or vestalwatch.com.
MAMMOTH OPENING WEEKEND
Photos: Peter Morning :: Words: Chris Friel // Arbour Crew first chair // Travis Rice & his new entourage // Zak Hale // Sarah Butner, Joanna Kaylor, Mason Aguirre, & Deena Betcher // Trevor Jacob, Zak Hale & Forest Bailey // SteveK, Travis Rice, Steaphan Clausen, Oren Tanzer, & Bryan Stephan // Woolly & Michail Gergory // John Jackson, Joanna Kaylor, Eric Jackson & Louie Vito // Zak Hale // Colleen Quigley, Hana Beaman, Leann Pelosi with friends // Lonnie Kauk Getting ready for opening day at Mammoth is a lot like getting ready to go to the homecoming dance. A lot of thought and preparation goes into what you are going to wear, how you are going to get there and what girl you’re going to dance with. You spend hours on the perfect iPod mix and pick just the right place to eat. You may even workout a little dance routine that you’re sure will win praises from the opposite sex on the dance floor. As you enter the party, the Assistant Principal Tommy Smith holds you back, so the freshman photographer Peter Morning can get a clean picture of the honor students, the brothers Jackson. Once inside you b-line for homecoming king to be, Mason Aguirre and begin talking to the cute girl in the skinny jeans that’s with his entourage. Only after you buy her a drink do you realize the girls name is Kevin... Castillo. You blame your “obvious” mistake on the altitude, strobe lighting, hypnotic dub-step and the simple fact that some dudes would make hot chicks and disappear into the crowd. After downing your drink, you head to the dance floor to lay down your fully choreographed 6-minute hip-hop/jazz/tumble routine only to be shown up by a sleeveless sophomore Louie Vito,
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showing homecoming queen hopefuls Leanne Pelosi and Hana Beaman the Lambada. In an attempt to regain a sliver of your social standing, you head to the homecoming courts table only to be turned away by star athlete Travis Rice’s security team. Beaten, defeated and embarrassed you sit alone near the punch bowl when your night is saved by 5th year seniors Peter Line & Eddie Wall, who happen to have an extra seat for you and the pretty girl in the skinny jeans at the cool kids table. So maybe homecoming was more preparation then pay off. You didn’t end up being homecoming king and maybe no one got to see you do the “Dougie” with Woolly and Teachers Aid Josh Chavet. And maybe the queen’s court wouldn’t let you in their hummer limo but you can take solace in knowing homecoming was just a warm up and prom is still a few months out. So work on your dance routine and iron your tuxedo tall tee and pray that maybe, just maybe, Kevin has a sister.
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NOW OPEN EVERYDAY
Interview: Max Ritter Delta Spirit are a group of folk rockers from San Diego that put a bluesy California spin on the classic Americana sounds of the deep south. The band formed after a chance meeting in a downtown San Diego train station where frontman Matt Vazques was “busking” and caught the ear of one of his future band mates. Not too long after that meeting, the boys began honing their chops playing residencies all over Southern California. Nowadays, Delta Spirit continues to build on their music with a zealous devotion to their fans. Earlier this year they put out their second LP called “History From Below,” which carefully captures their buzzedJoelle aboutWords: live act. Coco Supporting a solid new EP of live takes, the boys will be out on the road through the fall. We phoned in with lead singer Matt Vazques just before he left for tour.
fall? Yea, headed out. We did this EP called The Waits Room Sessions. Our record label paid to film us tracking our record after we actually already recorded the record. So we ended up taking the money and spent the whole weekend up in the studio. We had the same engineers with us and we just tracked a live EP. We are releasing just 300 limited edition vinyl of that for the tour and it will be on iTunes.
Update us on the latest with Delta Spirit. It has been a good year. You have come a long way from busking in the trolley station have you not? Yes (laughs), miles further. It’s been a long, long fun road so far. We didn’t immediately start a band right after that but it had built into a relationship of wanting that. Once we got to the point of that being a reality, it was pretty liberating.
Doing it DIY style? Yeah, you know. We are playing club size venues where a lot of bands can take tour support and do that stuff. But we live off this money and so for us to be able to continue to do it and still do something new and different while still entertaining people - we do all we can. Every tour is different. We like doing things like that for our fans. It’s gonna look really cool. I am really excited.
So what exactly is busking? Busking is playing out where people are… in any capacity other than playing a proper show. For instance you could be just walking down the street singing, and you are busking. Or you can sit out on a corner and throw a hat out and try to make money. Or you can sit down at a bus stop and just sing because you feel like singing. For me, it ended up being a thing like this; I lived in Dana Point and I had just moved from Texas. We had a twobedroom apartment with five people in it. I had no choice but to do that. I got used to it and it was a really good way to learn how to play.
Talking about that new EP, I had a listen, the song “John Henry” blew me away. You are belting on that thing! That’s an old one you know? That’s a Library Of Congress song.
Have you guys been touring lately? We did a tour back in June. It went really well, a lot of the shows were sold out. The crowds that came out were totally insane. We headlined Europe and then went to Australia and that was really fun. So we kind of already did a world tour and now we are coming back around again. And now you’re headed out again for the
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So that’s kinda the new perk your supporting on the Fall Tour? Yea, that and we have our new light show. We went to Lowes and bought a bunch of lights. With the help of our friend we have welded these huge frames for gels. They look really crazy. We bought nine of them.
Is that really you singing? Yeah that’s me. I’m holding a bullet mic and singing on another clean mic at the same time. What got into you there? You went all Little Richard on us, is that your alter ego? (Laughs) I dunno. No, I think that song in that key just makes my voice do that. Having fun also. We played that song on the 4th of July in DC. It’s on You Tube, you gotta look it up. Who is your idol as a front man? I would have to go with Nick Cave or Little Richard. Interesting. Two totally different styles there. But they do a lot of the same things. They
focus on the audience, they are extremely energetic, and they are not afraid to look at people when they play. I like that. You seem like a pretty funny and lighthearted guy from talking with you. Where do you channel some of these heavy passionate songs? I think the funny light-hearted thing is kinda like a defense mechanism honestly. Songs about the heavy side of things, that is just shit I have to deal with and walk through. Writing songs like that helps me walk through it. The video for “Bushwick Blues” came out pretty rad. Where was that diner and how did that whole concept spawn? The diner was in Santa Monica. That was the one video we actually had budget for. We did it at the diner where they did that movie “True Romance,” which is like one of Quentin Tarantino’s first screenplays. But all the treatments or storylines we got for the video were really cheesy and unless you had a budget like “November Rain” they were just gonna look like shit, you know? We had this idea presented and it seemed kinda cool. He (Banner Gwin) is a hard working very talented director and we trusted him with the vague idea and just let him roll with it. It was easy and fun. You’ve been a band for a while now, you guys are pretty much veterans now? (Laughs) Yeah we’ve been doing it a while now. What is it like looking back and what kind of challenges do you face going forward? Well, because we’re not a new band anymore it’s not like the new upstart thing. When you start a band and then you start to explode you have a shelf life of that. When that’s over you have to sink or swim. If your fans really love you they will stick around and then you can build from there. That’s definitely where we are. So you’re working on getting out of that hype phase and being something more long term? Yeah. Which we never really had a hype. And that might have helped us. All of the hype that we really had was from people telling other people. There hasn’t been much press. Other than a Rolling Stone review and a Spin review,
there has never really been a feature on us. Yet, we have sold out the El Rey and other bigger clubs across the US on our own and that’s from fans and people telling other people about our band. That’s where we are. There are a million other bands our size. A lot of those are the buds just breaking in. Some of those will still be here and some of them will be gone. Those are the people I suppose we compete with if it is a competition, you know? We are thankful that our fans are our fans and we try to give them something better and something more each time they come. Hopefully if they stick with us long enough it would look something like Wilco and that would be great. I think the days of the overnight success have long past us. We are looking forward to earning it. We have been working hard ever since we started this band and we are happy to be that way. You guys are from our hood, sorta? SD: the whale’s vagina? Yeah, it’s kind of funny. Some of us are from SD and some are from Orange County and we all really just kind of encompass Pendleton. Like north county SD. We have all lived in LA at one point. What made us different when we first started was that we were able to play SD then OC then LA all in one week. We did a residency in all three places in one month. That basically is what we did for the first few months of the band. It really helped. Three nights a week we would play a show and I had to work the next day. I would drive in the van with the gear, sleep in the van in a parking lot, and wake up and go to work. It was fun but it was crazy. Well it was fun talking, lets wrap this up. You guys will be out on your fall tour. Can we expect some new stuff in the set list or what? We are committed to presenting our stuff the best way we can. It’s sounding good right now. We are bringing back some songs that people haven’t heard in a long time. We are sounding better than we ever have and we are feeling more confident than we ever had. That’s what’s being brought to the table with this tour. Thanks Matt! Be sure to check out Delta Spirit’s new live EP on iTunes and catch these guys on their fall tour, they wont disappoint!
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Live Review: Troubadour 11.14
After months of touring in support of their new record “Crazy For You” one of the years hottest buzz bands, Best Coast, returned home for a sold out two-night stint at the Troubadour. Confidently burning through their polished set list, the band’s fuzzy guitar songs about boy drama were welcomed with open arms. In short, Bethany’s Rilo Kiley inspired voice kills. If you missed this go-round be sure to check her out when she returns with boyfriend Nathan Williams of Wavves in the coming months. Hopefully this indie super-couple doesn’t break up in the mean time and spoil all of the fun. Words: Max Ritter
Reviews: Max Ritter
The So So Glos Low Black Chain Shift EP Green Owl
Stuyvesants Brooklyns Finest SD Records
The War On Drugs Future Weather EP Secretly Canadian
Girls Broken Dreams Club EP True Panther
A short collection of jangling tunes by some Brooklyn fellows who coast above the crowd with their surf-punk sounding pop technique. They do five quality takes that somehow blend the upbeat and the ballads in less than 15 minutes. The band members are also music scene Good-Samaritans for cofounding the Brooklyn venue Market Hotel and supporting their local DIY bands.
Producer Allan Cole and record collector Darien Victor Birks have put together twenty-five banger hip-hop tracks that pay tribute to the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Just straight classic instrumentals that sample 70’s era soul vinyls. With fire like this, it’s only a matter of time before YE phones in on these guys for some beats. You can download the entire record for free at thestuyvesants.com and have a rap battle with your friends for hours on end. Make sure to leave these dudes a tip in the tip jar for all their hard work.
This Philly rock band does a vintage throwback sound with a futuristic free-flow style. This EP contains five songs plus three noisily droned instrumental intermissions for you to trip out on. It might actually feel more like a short LP than an EP. Front-man Adam Granduciel shines as a modern day poet channeling Dylan while articulating forlorn tales of opportunities lost. Nostalgic folk guitars strum basic three-chord progressions over warm textures for a rad upbeat sound or a down tempo atmosphere.
Chris Owens and his band Girls put out the ironically titled “Album” last year and everybody ate it up; especially the single “Lust For Life.” There is plenty more of that magic on this EP and the outfit is playing tighter than ever. Girls are showcasing some progressive growth in their song writing while upping the production value from the first go around. You will dig the better fidelity in addition to some nice slide guitar and horns to compliment their moody rock vibe.
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AGE: 17 HOMETOWN: MALIBU, CA SPONSORS: MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, NIKE 6.0, OAKLEY, GKC FAVORITE RIDER: KEVIN JONES Photo: Peter Morning
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S M : Y O B R D G SENTE S S S ! PRE BL
AGE: 11 SPONSORS: AUTOBAHN (FLOW), BILLABONG (FLOW), CELLULAR SKATE SHOP, FKD (FLOW), FREESTYLE, IPATH (FLOW), ROBOT-GUTS SKATEHARDWARE, SKULLCANDY SQUAD VIA A-TEAM REP AGENCY, VENTURE (FLOW) HOMETOWN: CLAREMONT, CA FAVORITE SKATERS: TK, CARDIEL, FURBY, BREZINKSI...AND MAYBE 100 OTHER SKATERS K-Flip Bump Gap :: Photo: Ortiz
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Electric iPhone App Version 3.0 Out Now
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Photo: www.bacconphotography.com
Craig Anderson BPM
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