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T H E B A L A N C E O F O P P O S I T E S
KANOA IGARASHI : THE BLOCKED VEE BOARDSHORT
randoms • 18 product review • 22 shaper profile • 24 justyna kisielewicz • 26 zadok ben-david • 28 stuart snoddy • 30 super taste • 32 desert x • 34 vestal village • 36 viva mexico • 38 deville nunes • 42
roos van der vliet • 48 duncan macfarlane photo profile • 54 freedom frontier • 60 the young and the brave • 64 actve x nixon x bones brigade • 66 lychee launch party - d’blanc • 68 jack’s pro • 70 feels • 72 music reviews • 74 grom • 76
artist • Roos van der Vliet
John John Florence S I G N A T U R E
S E R I E S
Watch the short ďŹ lm Moving Still on nixon.com/JJF
John John Florence S I G N A T U R E
S E R I E S
Featuring the Comp, Base Tide, Descender & Ultratide
Editor-in-Chief nick kalionzes nick@blisssmag.com
Editor
joey marshall joey@blisssmag.com
Creative DirectoR mark paul deren : madsteez madsteez@madsteez.com
assistant editor delon isaacs delon@blisssmag.com
EDITOR AT LARGE liz rice mcCray liz@blisssmag.com
SNOW EDITOR jon francis jon@blisssmag.com
MUSIC EDITOR max ritter max@blisssmag.com
advertising ads@blisssmag.com nick van de kamp vandekamp@blisssmag.com
contributing Photographers Jason Kenworthy, Dominic Petruzzi, Daniel Russo, Toby Ogden, Tom Carey, Brian Beilmann, Jack Coleman, Andrew Mapstone, Adam Moran, Dave Nelson, Pat Eichstaedt, Julien Lecorps, Ryan Boyes, Zach Hooper, Tim Peare, Michael Lallande, Bob Plumb, Peter Morning, Bryce Kanights, Arto Sarri, Anthony Acosta, Cameron Strand, Brian Fick, Deville Nunns, Gage Thompson, Derek Bahn, Tom Cozad, Bruce Beach, Robbie Crawford, Ryan Donahue, Joe Foster, Sean Sullivan, Delon Isaacs
contributors Willie Marshall, Daniel Russo, Jason Arnold, Greg Escalante, Nathan Spoor, Tom Carey, Travis Millard, David Choe, Kai Garcia, Mickey Neilsen, Peter Townend, Hamilton Endo, Tawnya Schultz, Mike Murciano, Geoff Shively, Casey Holland, Steve Stratton, Robbie Sell, Andrew Miller, Pat Towersey, Raul Montoya, Ian Dodge, Richie Olivares, Eric Meyers, Kelly Shannon, JP Olson, Bruce Beach
BL!SSS Magazine
MAY 2017
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.
Artist • Roos van der Vliet If your favorite shop isn’t receiving BL!SSS Magazine please contact info@blisssmag.com
PSYCHIC MIGRATIONS
NIXON JJF COLLECTION
There’s a day of the year to celebrate everything. Love. The Earth. Beer. Some are more meaningful and/or legit than others. Last month on April 22nd it was record store day and our favorite record company, Light in the Attic Records, along with one of our favorite brands, Volcom, got together to give us a vinyl treasure. The duo has brought us the soundtrack to one of the better surf films we’ve seen in the past decade, Psychic Migrations. If you’re having trouble remembering the jams in this one, give yourself a little refresher. Then, you’ll definitely be possessed to get this extremely unique vinyl. Visit lightintheattic.net or anywhere core records are sold.
It’s hard not to like anything that John John Florence endorses. He’s got good style, and if you add in the track record of a strong brand like Nixon then you’re definitely going to find some collaborative gold. Enter the new JJF Signature Series Collection. Four of Nixon’s tide and waterman inspired watches (The Base Tide, The Comp, The Descender, and The Ultratide) make up the collection with a solid orange-and-black color treatment. The collection is now out, so head to www.nixon.com or your local retailer to grab one today.
OC INSTANEWS
Uh oh… He’s back! That’s right, we’re talking about the one and only Chad Towersey. The child Volcom prodigy turned BlueTorch (or was it 5,4,3,2,1?) TV host, turned salesman of the year is now rocking out to a new side title… newsman. Chad is up at the crack of dawn every day “glassing” with his dog Ledger, giving us the 411 on what’s happening in Orange County under his OC Instanews handle. He’s had the likes of Mason Ho on his show already and is gaining quite a bit of traction. Check him out @ ocinstanews and see what ya think.
EVEL PIE
SHARKBANZ TESTIMONIAL
The son of Evel Knievel has taken the family name and opened up a rad new pizzeria in downtown Las Vegas named the Evel Pie. Longtime fan of the mag and OC expat, Hew Burney, is helping out the Evel Pie crew with marketing and promotions and stopped in our office this past month to fill us in. Definitely the best pie in town and bringing some culture back to Vegas, Evel Pie has a special sale horn that sounds like bomb alarms every morning at 4 a.m., alerting everyone in a three-block radius that $1 slices are available. So next time you’re leaving Spearmint Rhino, waddling back to your hotel room, and hear bomb alarms sounding, don’t get too nervous – just rush on over and grab a slice to soak up some of that booze-filled belly.
For any of you out there wondering if Sharkbanz really work we got a cool little testimonial this past month Huntington’s Christopher Fennell who had an encounter with a Great White Shark while out on his SUP. “I have been using Sharkbanz for about a year,” he said. “I have seen three sharks since. Two days ago [April, 2017] at Huntington Beach a shark came very close to me [but] then ripped a sharp turn away from me, causing the tail splash in the water. Then the people on the pier started telling me there was a shark near me.” We’re all convinced the magnetic shark deterrent is the reason he bolted. So have peace of mind, get a Sharkbanz today and get in the water with the confidence that you won’t be the one getting munched.
VANS X BROTHERS MARSHALL
It just sounds so right, doesn’t it? A timeless brand like Vans is linking up once again with the goofiest brothers with the last name Marshall to have ever trimmed down first point Malibu. Chad, Trace and Vans are now bringing us two surf-style shoes, the Authentic SF and Slip-On SF, in an all-white color way and rainbow gum sole. They’re also offering two black sandal styles, the Slide-On and Nexpa Synthetic, to close the deal. Visit finer surf shops today to grab ahold of some Marshall’s Bros X Vans gold.
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@805BEER SEE THE IKE SIMAS STORY AND MORE AT 805BEER.COM
ALUMINATI MULLET
BODY GLOVE INFLATABLE SUP
Mullet can mean a couple of things. First to mind is my favorite baitfish that I grew up fishing with back east as a youngster. Second would definitely be Kenny Powers’ haircut, and man do I love that. But now mullet takes on an entirely new meaning, as our favorite aluminum skateboard creators Aluminati have just released their first concave deck to the Ultra-Lite Series, aptly named The Mullet. It’s a throwback to vintage cruisers with a 28-inch deck and ¼-inch concave. The shape maintains the strength, flexibility and endurance that we’ve come to love about all Aluminati boards. Get yours at finer retailers today or online at aluminatiboards.com.
Are you a SUP fan? Seems like everyone’s coming around these days. Well, Body Glove has caught on to the ever-popular trend and is now offering a new line of best-in-class Inflatable SUPs. Their new Dynamo series offers boards that range from kids to adults, beginners to advance, for all activities you could think of. Summer is basically here so why not get out there on the water as much as possible on a spankin’ new Dynamo Series Body Glove iSUP. Visit your local Body Glove retailer or bodyglove.com to get yours.
AGENDA FESTIVAL
Here at BL!SSS we’re all about the festivals, and this year’s Agenda Long Beach has added an extra day and named it Agenda Festival, which will open up the venue to the public. It’s a first-time event for Agenda and will include live musical performances, limited-edition product drops, art installations, panel discussions, skate contests, athlete meet and greets as well as locally curated food trucks. It’ll all be going down on Saturday, July 15th. You won’t wanna miss it so mark your calendars now.
MONDAY MASS
Our dear friend and the voice of the oh-so-missed Transworld Surf, Chris Cote, has been uberbusy filling his spare time with all types of new projects. Newest to our ears has been his weekly podcast “Monday MASS,” where he discusses (dare I say it) action sports and all its components. Opinionated and as hysterical as ever, Chris is hammering folks across the nation with his witty humor and out-of-the box topics that we all have come to enjoy. Combining surf, skate and snow with the nonendemics and bringing it to us in a relatable, organic way, he’s got our attention every Monday morning for exactly 23 minutes. If you haven’t discovered it yet, be sure to tune in and get caught up on weeks you’ve already missed. The price is free-fifty-free and available to all on iTunes, so you’ve got no excuses. There’s your plug, Chris, so how about ours?
ETNIES VEGAN
You may eat vegan, but do you even skate vegan? Etnies is making it more stylish and easier than ever to do so with their newly introduced Vegan Jameson HT. This shoe follows the Etnies mantra as it was clearly “Built By Skateboarding” and that’s something we appreciate. Not only does this shoe boast top-notch tech but also a bit of heritage. The artwork for this collection was inspired directly by the original sheep from Sheep shoes, the vegan sisterbrand of Etnies from the mid ‘90s. An excellent shoe choice that we highly recommend, so when you’re in need of new kicks check the whole collection at www.etnies.com.
LIQUID IMAGERY
Our man Dave “Nelly” Nelson, constant BL!SSS contributor, world famous photographer and one of the best gents we know, has just come out with a new website. Whether it be photography from anywhere he’s traveled in his countless globetrotting trips, or the spectacular imagery he captures in his hometown of Santa Cruz, he’s sharing it with everyone on his Liquid Imagery site. Find happenings, get in contact with him or buy some Liquid Imagery apparel. Check it out before he’s out of stock and you’re stuck waiting for more. Visit liquidimagery.com.
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F O R
A N Y
G I R L ,
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A N Y W E A R # A N Y W E A R
Banks Waves Boardshort - $65 banksjournal.com
Hurley JJF Maps Elite - $100 hurley.com
Quiksilver Lapu Lapu Arch - $59.50 quiksilver.com
Salty Crew Marlin - $59.99 salty-crew.com 22
Billabong Sundays - $54.95 billabong.com
Matix Barfly - $55 matixclothing.com
Rip Curl Mirage MF Eclipse - $69.50 ripcurl.com
Vissla Sea Snake - $59.95 vissla.com
Fishworks Breezers - $61.95 fishworksproducts.com
Poler Backside Boardshort - $63.95 polerstuff.com
RVCA Bruce Warp Plus rvca.com
Volcom Mag Vibes Stoneys - $55 volcom.com
PHOTO @ JULIAN MARTIN
W W W.S KETC H Y TA NK.C O M
interview & photos • spencer pirdy “Not everyone has something that they identify so much with that they also have a shot at making a living off of.” The words of Greg Giddings – owner, shaper and founder of G-Force surfboards – could not be truer. Greg grew up in Newport with three core-as-it-gets brothers who continue to be his lifelong team riders, who helped him perfect his rails and overall shaping. But the life of a shaper is not an easy one to maintain. Greg stepped back for a while, but, as you’ll hear, he’s come back stronger than ever, applying a sharp business-savvy mindset and a new lineup of sleds. From the Lightning Fish to the Sweet Pickle, and some of the best local surfers on his boards – nephew Addy Giddings, local charger Bobby Okvist – he’s got plenty of reasons for you to fill out an order form. How did you start shaping? Well, in ’78 or ’79 my brothers and I would take old surfboards and rip off the fiberglass, sand the things down and make something silly. Those were my junior high years going into high school. When did you know that you had a passion for shaping? From the start I really enjoyed it and thought it was really fun. Just to have
a material and work with it with your hands, and mold and fabricate and all of that was really great. Basically, just to have something and work on it from start to finish. You shape it, put some fiberglass on it, glass some fins, sand it and then to actually paddle it out and go, “Hey, it floats!” That was really cool. You also had these great test pilots in your family as brothers, right? Oh yeah, absolutely. That was huge to have them as friends, as brothers and just like you’re saying, as test pilots. Throughout time they obviously got boards from other shapers, but there was that element that I lucked out because they’d always order boards and I’d make what they want. If I didn’t get it right, or maybe put on a rounded pin when they wanted a swallowtail… sometimes you’re in the other end of the shaping bay and you really want a pintail or something, so you do it. Now you shape out of PureGlass, which is the hub here in Newport, but where was that hub for you back when you were first starting? At first it was just in the garage at home with garage tools and all of that. Shortly after that it was just through making connections with people. I shaped with Bryan Hovanian
at his parent’s place, shaped at some random house down on the Newport peninsula, Surf Glass in Dana Point and then down on Laguna Canyon Road where Shawn Stussy and Paul Burke used to shape out of in the mid ‘80s. You worked in finance for a while, didn’t you? In 2007 I was kind of having a change in my life, and I got hired by Smith Barney. I finished up an MBA, interviewed with Morgan Stanley, UBS and Smith Barney and took the job with SNB and was a financial advisor for about seven years while still shaping a bit on the side. I learned a humungous amount from that experience. You’re pretty well known for you channel-bottoms. Who or what inspired you to excel in that area? Alan Byrne and Gary “Kong” Elkerton, Rabbit Bartholomew and Chapping Jennings, just to name a few, really inspired me. There was a plethora of guys using them in those late ‘70s early ‘80s. They used to call them “clinker bottoms” which comes off of a boat design which I thought was pretty cool. I always did them in the ‘80s and just kept on doing them. I remember doing some channel bottoms where I’d lay them out and if I wasn’t careful when I was using the planer I could almost push too much foam and the high part of the channel would mow down. You could cut it down and cut it down, and have to make the
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channel deeper but end up cutting into a part that shouldn’t be cut into. They’re just like a little motor in your board. Do you feel like they’re best in certain conditions? There’s common talk that channel bottoms in kind of blown out or jumbly conditions might be difficult. That could be true to some extent, but there’s certainly nothing like them in clean, glassy conditions. What’s your favorite thing about shaping? I just really enjoy contouring the rails, getting them not too fat, not too pinched. Just getting them to where you go, “Ok, that’s a good rail!” It’s also always a blast seeing a batch going to the laminating bay and seeing them get their decals on and stuff. Any advice for aspiring shapers? One of the key things is to really put out a lot of effort. Don’t cut corners. Every step that you do make sure it’s meaningful. When you had to learn how to use a planer you really had to make sure that every step you did from filling out the order form and getting the numbers right to plotting it on the blank and everything else. For more information, visit g-forcesurfboards.com or follow him @gforce_surfboards.
Justyna Kisielewicz is a Polish native and a Californiabased painter. Her paintings are cheeky, trendy-cool and popping with clever and lively unexpected colors. Kisielewicz’s paintings are filled with references to modern pop-culture and inspired by the tradition of American and European aesthetics. She has been celebrated by international fashion and lifestyle magazines as the “popculture, obsessed rebellious artist from Poland” and as the “princess of pop culture.” Her artistic style and subject matter is non-repetitive, however, it is consistent and sexy. She freely uses inspirations, words and symbols that are subconsciously rooted in the eye of the viewer through culture. She is the master of color and sublime technical expression. Kisielewicz’s work is uniquely self-referential and emotionally honest. Justyna Kisielewicz received her MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland. Her work has been the subject of exhibits in international galleries and museums in Warsaw, San Francisco, Sydney and Berlin. Her work has been presented at art fairs in Hamburg (Germany) and Maastricht (Netherlands). Most recently, Kisielewicz’s work was acquired to fill the permanent collection of the National Museum in Gdansk, Poland. Make sure to check out more of her artwork at www.justynakisielewicz.com.
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interview • liz rice mccray
Award-winning Artist Zadok Ben-David is Londonbased and was born in Bayhan, Yemen, in 1949 and immigrated to Israel the same year. Zadok Ben-David has received numerous awards including the Grande Biennial Prémio at the XIV Biennale International de Arte de Vila Nova de Cerveira in Portugal in 2007, and the Tel Aviv Museum prize for sculpture in 2005. Ben-David has had over 40 solo exhibitions, one of largest in the Far East in China at the Guangdong Art Museum in Guangzhou, in the spring of 2007, which was both popular and critically acclaimed. Many thanks to Zadok Ben-David for taking the time to answer our questions. To see more of Zadok BenDavid’s artwork go to www.zadokbendavid.com. The scope of your work is so impressive and spans decades. Can you tell us a little bit about your early beginnings as an artist and how/when you knew it was what you wanted to do for the rest of your life? It is a big question... when I was a child I wanted to be a painter. I discovered and experienced the sculpture medium only later on, during my studies in art school. As a student my sculptures were abstract. Soon after leaving school I started searching and creating a more personal language. The subject was around internal and invisible human spirit, using metaphorical means via the theme of nature, such as animals, insects and plants. Not sure where to start, as we are blown away by your sculptures and installations. Will you please tell us about your latest ongoing body of work? The current installation “People I Saw but Never Met” is ongoing and growing every day… It is closer to reality, symbolic, individual and global with contemporary and eternal issues. The conclusion from these countless human figures is that we all are creatures with similar activities and feelings. Yet, while we are advancing the technology and the means of communications we are experiencing more alienation and distance from each other. The amount of people that I saw communicating outdoor and
indoors with mobile phones and cameras astounds me. The idea had been simmering in my mind for a while due to my extensive traveling around the world. It all started two and a half years ago when I exhibited in Kazakhstan. So far I’ve featured people that I saw in Europe, Central and South East Asia, Australia, Antarctica and USA. “People I Saw But Never Met” may be one of my favorite titles. How did this project and idea come about? Seeing thousands people everyday and hardly knowing one was the main trigger. Photographing and later drawing them was an act of compensation by reliving each person that I encountered. Almost creating a one-sided intimate moment. Will you tell us a little bit about your traveling installation “Blackfield?” Blackfield is an optimistic installation presenting two extreme situations, death and life. It is a psychological installation about the way we see things in life; it is more about choice than fate. It was exhibited first in 2007 in London with 3,000 miniature flowers; the last show was in Japan last year with more than 27,000 flowers. It has traveled extensively around the world, showed in many countries, and to my delight broke several visiting records. Wow 27,000 flowers. Will you tell us a little bit about your creative process and techniques? What are some of your favorite materials to work with? There is no such thing as a favorite material. The choice of material is not a goal for me; it is a mean to express and carry out my ideas in the best and most accurate way. Right now I enjoy the process of making my current installation. It involves from my side breathing a fresh air in various countries, observing people, photographing them and then drawing. The rest is technical and less exciting. Printing the drawings through photo process on metal then acid etching them. Finally, painting the figures black. Like much of your work, your portfolio is massive. Is there a project that sticks out in your memory as pivotal to launching your career as a world-renown artist? I cannot single out one project, as the process of idea development is the most important one. However, I think that the installation “Evolution and Theory,” made 20 years ago containing 250 works, was the first one for me to open much wider possibilities to one single theme. What kind of art do you like? Do you collect anything in particular? I like anything that is personal, sincere, new and different. I do collect art from various mediums, especially photography.
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What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an artist? The next unknown one.
You have received many awards, and you have had more than 40 solo exhibitions all over the world. You have also been an educator. Any bits of sage wisdom you could impart to artists who are just getting started? People are individual and so different, so it is hard to give a general advice. Speaking from my own experience, if I had listened to some of my early teachers I wouldn’t be an artist now. Others believe in my ability more than I did... so all I can say, hear but do not listen to criticism, listen more to yourself since the choice and the final word is only yours. Wonderful advice. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. Thank you.
interview • christina atkinson
Midwest-based artist Stuart Snoddy paints surreal and evocative works of art that embed themselves in your mind and haunt you like a dream. He prefers to paint in the place where fantasy starts to sour after lingering there too long. We caught up with Stuart to chat about his creative process, his fantastic artwork and what fuels it. Your story is fascinating. Will you tell us a little bit about your childhood? I was born in Honduras and I grew up in the Midwest. Where are you now? Indianapolis, Indiana. Do you miss your friends? Where are your friends? My friends are everywhere. I find that people are always passing in and out of my life and that some of the strongest connections I’ve had have also been the most fleeting. Your artist statement is a pretty moving and well-written statement – it’s almost poetic. Are you also a poet or writer? I don’t consider myself a writer. I like doing so when it’s called for though. It’s a good time to consider, in words, all the things I feel and to try and double back along the deterministic breadcrumb trail that brought me here. You have included its progression from when you first started writing it. We assume your paintings have evolved as your statement has. Can you speak a little about the evolution of your work? I was always a painter at heart, but for a period I needed to stop painting because I considered it so personal that I feared I might not be analytical enough about it. I started making performative and video work because it was something that seemed to be filtered through so many processes that it wasn’t so close to me. I eventually returned to making paintings in grad-school though. Your paintings are quite evocative and full of fantasy, and sometimes they are even a bit unnerving. I’m thinking of the ones with the yellowy eyes especially. What affect do you hope your work evokes in viewers? I like the idea of nostalgia as being a fantasy that can break. If I remember something too fondly it becomes sacred in a way that to intrude on it would start to erode it. There’s a point, I imagine, where fantasy starts to spoil. I try to make images where people can linger there for a while. Even the titles of your pieces are funny – they say things but in a different way than is to be expected, like “Lands cape,” for example. Can you talk a bit about that? Titles can be confusing to me. They’re like little poems that we attach to the images. I consider myself a poetaster so I usually let a couple words pop into my head and then chop them up and stick them back together in clever little ways that evince my sense of humor, or lack thereof.
Your work has such a surreal and dreamlike quality to it; how do you conceptualize your ideas? Do they come to you in dreams? I wish I remembered my dreams more often. I start paintings automatically, almost always. I make squiggles and abstract marks until I see an image. I rarely look at or reference anything throughout the process of the painting because, in a way, I do all my observation out there, in the world, and then try to remember or conjure it in the studio.
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What mediums do you mainly work with? Oil paint and Gouache. Where can people check out more of your art? My website, www.stuartsnoddy.com and on Instagram, @snodster.
WWW.THESHWACK.COM
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photographer • dominic petruzzi • @dominicpetruzzi model • chandler bailey • @chanbailey agency • wilhelmina • @wilhelminamodels makeup • juanita lopez • @jlomakeup
This month we ventured to the dessert (Palm Springs, California) to see one of the most anticipated art exhibitions of the year, Desert X. The exhibition was curated by internationally renowned curator, Neville Wakefield, who activated the desert landscape as a canvas for commissioned, site-specific artworks and installation projects by some of today’s most recognized international contemporary artists, including Doug Aitken, Lita Albuquerque, Jennifer Bolande, Will Boone, Claudia Comte, Jeffrey Gibson, Sherin Guirguis, Norma Jeane, Glenn Kaino, Gabriel Kuri, Armando Lerma, Richard Prince, Rob Pruitt, Julião Sarmento, Phillip K. Smith III and Tavares Strachan. Desert X offered selected artists non-traditional as well as institutional venues with which to engage, including spaces at Palm Springs Art Museum and Sunnylands Center & Gardens, where commissioned artworks amplified and cast a gimlet eye on the geographies, ethnic/social and historical/geologic layers that exist in the Southern California desert, while also looking to major movements in contemporary art worldwide.
and other explorers of landscape and soul. From the theological cast of the Biblical desert wilderness to the secular observations of Joan Didion’s Holy Water, it is a place of scarcity, of stark contrasts, crude survival, mystery and transformation. But it is this very inhospitality towards life that has in part made it receptive to new forms. Desert X will harness and combine the matchless spectacle of the geologic epic, the radical abstraction of the surroundings and the singular incursions of man into the seemingly barren landscape.” The organization’s board of directors includes creative and cultural professionals from a cross-section of disciplines and backgrounds who are working internationally and within the local community in contemporary art, music, film, and philanthropy. Many serve on the boards of major arts institutions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Park Avenue Armory Conservancy, the New Museum, the Hammer Museum, Film Independent, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Serpentine Galleries, Creative Time, Nasher Sculpture Center, and the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation.
Artistic Director Neville Wakefield stated, “The desert has long exercised its fascination over the minds of artists, architects, musicians, writers
Desert X installation view of Doug Aitken, Mirage. 2017. Photography by Dakota Higgins. Courtesy the artist and Desert X. Desert X installation view of Claudia Comte, Curves and Zigzags, 2017, photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
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Desert X installation view of Jennifer Bolande, Visible Distance, 2017, photo by Lance Gerber, courtesy of the artist and Desert X.
Desert X is currently funded by its board of directors, philanthropists well known to the desert community and has received generous support from organizations and commercial entities doing business in the region, including program partners such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Palm Springs Art Museum, Art Los Angeles Contemporary, and Sunnylands Center & Gardens. Desert X was open to the public from Saturday, February 25 until April 30, 2017 at sites across the California Desert. For more info and photos from this year’s exhibition be sure to visit www.desertx.org.
Doug Aitken Workshop, Mirage, 2017, Rendering, Palm Springs, California. Image courtesy of Doug Aitken Workshop
Desert X installation view of Doug Aitken, Mirage. 2017. Photography by Lance Gerber. Courtesy the artist and Desert X.
Doug Aitken Workshop, Mirage, 2017, Rendering, Palm Springs, California. Image courtesy of Doug Aitken Workshop.
Desert X installation view of Doug Aitken, Mirage. 2017. Photography by Lance Gerber. Courtesy the artist and Desert X.
words • joey marshall The annual pilgrimage to the desert for this year’s Coachella Music Festival was one for the history books. And even though my personal adventure never actually made it to the holy grail of festivals I had the absolute time of my life and was quite content spending the entire weekend at Vestal Village. To say these boys hit a homerun would be a drastic understatement. Upon pulling up the secret location, my jaw dropped at the rows and rows of teepees that were already setup for those lucky enough to book a glamping tent in advance. Fully decked out with a Tempur-Pedic bed, couches, rugs, linen and a care package of glamping essentials, I don’t think anyone could complain about the comfortable accommodations at this year’s Vestal Village. I honestly don’t know how they do it, but every year the Village just seems to get better and better. I swear that they’ve thought of absolutely everything. And this year was no exception, as the four-day extravaganza was blessed with perfect weather, insane musical acts and pool parties that would make the Las Vegas hotel community jealous. It was literally non-stop action, as the 700-acre private
venue had something for everyone. Big thanks are in order to all those who make this event happen, including but not limited to: Vestal, Bead Head, Hempep, 805 Brewing Company, Buzzbox (yum, yum, yum], QSC, Fender, Masters of Maple, Ernie Ball, Aviator Nation, Active, Supra, Mammoth mountain, all the musical acts and so many more. The big news was that at this year’s Vestal Village weekend two was Recovery Weekend, as the Vestal crew did something it’s never done before and went completely sober. To be honest, that is probably the best thing for everyone, because after weekend one I think we could all use a little health and detox in our lives. But by all means that didn’t make it any less fun, as there was countless activities and excursions that had been scheduled throughout: hiking, horseback riding, fishing, yoga, meditation, massages and unforgettable meals curated by Southern California’s finest chefs and restaurants – it was a huge success! We can’t wait to see what 2018 brings, as this really is the one event we look forward to each and every year. To see more, visit www. vestalwatch.com or search Instagram #vestalvillage.
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cam richards noa deane
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words • joey marshall photos • courtesy of D’Blanc
Oh Mexico, how much I love thee. You have been the epicenter of so many wonderful adventures – so many barrels, so many fish, so many beers, so many senoritas and so many good times. You are the reason why I missed so many days in the office, missed so many phone calls and probably let down so many people. And yeah, you’ve given me ample hours on Montezuma’s throne, toyed with my emotions by sending fickle winds and had me praying I was back home and in my own bed, but all that is relative when I think of all the good times that we’ve had together. I love the landscape, I love culture, I love the language and I love the abundance of low-lying fruit that you have on constant offer. Whether it be a simple strike mission down to Baja, giant waves at Puerto or the endless sand points in southern mainland, for someone living in California, Mexico is a surfer’s wet dream come true.
colin moran
cam richards
colin moran
noa deane
cam richards
noa deane
colin moran
And I know I’m not the only one that feels this way. I can’t think of a single friend who hasn’t been to Mexico and had their minds absolutely blown. It’s one of the last places where there’s still a plethora of undiscovered waves, crowd-less lineups and barrels that would have even the most experienced surfer shaking in his or her boots. There literally are not enough words to describe my affection for this land south of the border. With over 9,000 miles of coastline and cheap flights leaving daily there’s really no excuse why someone shouldn’t go. To be honest, I don’t think there’s another country that has had as much quality exposure over the years. It’s no secret, and even though it’s on everyone’s radar it’s still, and always will be, a go-to surf destination that we can guarantee you won’t regret. So put the mag down and do what Noa Deane, Colin Moran and Cam Richards just did and surf your freakin’ brains out.
jake rupp • f.s nose
I first met Deville in a suburban parking lot in central New Jersey. To see a skateboarder in New Jersey at that time was like finding a needle in a haystack. We instantly became friends and I began filming and shooting photos with him. From the numerous sponsor videos I made for him he eventually got sponsored. Fast forward a few years we were on a trip to Tampa Am and he brought his 35mm camera along for the ride. Our crew was skating the Ybor Post Office double set, and this was my first memory of him shooting a skate photo – a kickflip of our late friend Virgil with a slow shutter. Upon returning to NJ he was hooked. That 35mm camera came on every skate mission we did after that session. His love of photography and skateboarding went hand in hand, and neither have left his side for over 20 years! – Joe Krolick I’m not the best at writing these things, but for Deville, let’s just say this doesn’t come close to what he’s done for me or the people around him. I can say firsthand that he has changed people’s lives for the better, and I personally can’t thank him enough. Thanks for everything, Deville! – Chris Joslin!
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jordan hoffart • t-slide
josh hawkins • ollie
donger
ben hatchell
donny barely
collin provost
steve caballero
bobby worrest • b.s lip
nunes
plg
“This thing is going to revolutionize surfing. The beauty about the Shark Leash is that it’s always on, always ready-to-go. It feels like you’re wearing a normal leg rope and because it doesn’t affect performance, the best surfers in the world are currently using it”. - Mark Mathews
LEARN MORE AT sharkbanz.com
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interview • liz rice mccray This month we had the pleasure of interviewing the lovely, talented, Dutch artist Roos Van Der Vliet. Roos is concerned with the human condition, particularly with how living in such a large and historic world affects our identities. She paints photorealist portraits of young women she identifies with in an effort to resolve these feelings of anonymity and alienation. Many thanks to Roos for taking the time to answers our questions. We look forward to staying in touch. Will you describe where you are right now? This way everyone reading along can imagine the setting. Well, I am sitting in my living room right now, at the dinner table. I’m listening to Soap&Skin (I love her so much!). There’s a huge black mug sitting next to me, with “I LOVE NYC” on it. I bought it last week when I was in New York. This mug is filled with tea. It’s dark and cold outside (freezing and snowing), but the heater is on, and it’s quite comfortable here. There’s this painting of my son hanging above the table. My living room is an open space; all the walls and curtains are white. I painted my kitchen cabinets purple. I like it to be neat and tidy. I need that, because my studio is an enormous mess, always. It’s in my garden, very romantic, but you don’t want to see it right now. It’s like a battlefield of spilled coffee, paint and dead spiders. Gladly I quit smoking last year, because otherwise you would fall over ashtrays as well. When I’m in my studio, my head is filled with art, there’s no room left to think about cleaning. Congrats on quitting smoking. Thanks for the great visual, your answer is the reason I love asking the question… Will you please introduce yourself to our reader, a little synopsis if you will? I’m a 31-year-old female artist. Got my BFA in 2009, and I’ve painted almost constantly ever since. I’ve been teaching on the side for years, but painting was always the main thing. Last year I quit on all the other jobs. I saved some money and gave it a go. I worked my ass off, but one thing led to another, and it’s going better than ever. I am an insecure person though. I’m always afraid that this painting I sold will be the last one, or I’ll never have a show again, or that everyone will just forget about me all of the sudden. But I try to put it aside and live and enjoy it by the moment. You were born in Dordrecht, in the Netherlands, and now currently living in Arnhem. Tell us about Arnhem. Arnhem is a city in the Netherlands, near the German border. It’s the city where I studied at ArtEZ (Fine Art). It’s one of the greener and more hilly cities in the Netherlands. You can walk endlessly through all the different romantic parks. I like it because it can be both quiet and very much alive. Because of ArtEZ, it’s an artistic city with a lot of nice little shops and hip cafés. I don’t think I will live here forever though, but for now I’m fine where I am.
You paint photorealistic portraits of women, mostly of their eyes and their hair hiding them, covering their mouths, leaving just beautiful details. Will you tell us about this series, your subjects, and what they might be concealing? This is the hardest question. Although it’s my main series of works (I have been working on them for two years now), I still don’t know the actual answer to your question. It’s like the story develops while I keep on painting them. I make all these paintings rather intuitively. I don’t want to think too much because I don’t want to spoil them by overthinking. However, there are a few important elements that keep coming back in all of my work. Anonymity is one of them. Struggling with the unimportance of being human, while at the same time we tend to make ourselves the center of the universe. Outside versus inside is another one. How we are used to judging a book by its cover, and how that cover could never match the inner world. And above all, and this is the most important theme within my “Storytellers” series, that is this desire to be seen and heard, to be visible, but on the other hand to hide from this world, to close the curtains, to hide under the blankets. We want people to see us and listen, but we don’t want to talk. By painting these portraits I hope to make people stand still and look my paintings in the eyes. That’s why they are called “Storytellers.” The actual story can’t be heard, but it can be read
by watching them closely. All these elements are contradictions actually, themes that I recognize both in myself and in the women I am portraying. The beauty of your artwork is in the details. Would you call yourself a perfectionist? Yes, absolutely. I think most artists are perfectionists, because you have to be your own critic. I know I am usually a little too hard on myself, but I am okay with being a control freak. I enjoy getting lost in the details of a face, to challenge myself again with every new painting. You could even say that I’m trying to get more control over life by reproducing reality. Not necessarily over my own life, but life in general. By painting reality I’m understanding more of it. It makes me feel more real. You mainly work with acrylic. How long does it take to create a piece? I’m painting 8 to 12 hours a day, so I can work fast, and I usually finish paintings in about a week. But there are paintings that took only two days, and there are some that can take like a month or more. I’d say a week is perfect. Finishing a painting usually makes me a little sad because I get attached to my subject quite easily. But when working on a piece for more than a week I get a little impatient and hungry for the next one.
It must require an incredible amount of patience to create one of your paintings. Do you have strategies to sustain interest, enthusiasm and concentration? The only way of sustaining interest in what I’m doing is by making sure that I love what I’m painting. I have to fall in love with the subject. I have to allow myself to paint all my favorite parts of a human being. To search for a balance between what I know by painting what I’m already capable of and what I don’t know by trying something new. For example, if you’d ask me to paint a basket of eggplants I’d probably get totally stressed because I’ve never painted eggplants before and this whole painting is just about eggplants, nothing is familiar. That’s no fun, that’s hours of hard work. I’ll manage it, but it won’t be a good painting. But if you’d ask me to paint a bowl of hair with an eggplant on it, it would be great fun and a nice challenge. I would then probably manage to paint a good-looking eggplant. I think that’s the key. Have you ever had a moment of questioning your own personal identity? That’s a hard one. I’d say no because I never had to go soul-searching
in India or anything like that whatsoever. It’s been quite clear who I am. I’m just a grown up version of the girl I’ve always been. That doesn’t mean I’ve never felt lost though, or that I’m always okay with whom I am. It has been the opposite of that for years when I was struggling with so much stuff in my life that there simply wasn’t room for satisfaction and peace. I started painting self-portraits mainly because of this, and I think it has helped me to look at myself with a certain distance but also with an honest point of view. This distance helped me to get closer to myself. And placing me amongst other models with their own stories gave me a wider perspective. I’m not that unique and knowing that is comforting in a way. Do you do any commissioned portraits? I do. I like doing them when I have the time. I learn a lot from them. It’s different when I am not the one choosing the subject. Last question, where can people check out your art? My website, www.roosvandervliet.nl, Instagram: @roosvandervliet and my Facebook, www.facebook.com/roosvdvliet.
interview • spencer pirdy Everyone in the surf industry has come across a Duncan Macfarlane photo at one time or another. However, few people know who the man is behind the lens, even what he looks like and all that he brings to the table. Dunc’s not your average photographer for multiple reasons. He’s got a lot going on up in that shaggy cranium of his, whether it be finding a new angle, concocting one of his famous iced coffees or plotting to play a practical joke on you. Well traveled and connected, Duncan has been snapping gold (check out the following pages) for a long time and is always a pleasure to catch up with. Where do you come from, Duncan? I was born in Perth and moved around a bit when I was younger and settled in Coffs Harbour on the east coast of Oz when I was 10 and I still live here now. What first sparked your interest in photography? I started getting into photography at the later end of high school. I’d go surfing and take along disposable water cameras and waited till I got a couple shots on them. Then I got a Nikonos V, a waterproof film camera and got some cool shots on that and got motivated to get some more photos but I ended up flooding it. Then, it was just a slow progression from there.
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What do you normally shoot with? I shoot on Nikon gear and Aquatech housings for my surf photos. I travel with a Fujifilm x100t for something lighter and less intrusive and occasionally a film point-and-shoot or anything else I’m testing or trying. Where’s your favorite place on earth to travel? Hmmm… Well, I’ve been to New Zealand a lot. Three years in a row for surf shoots and three years in a row for holidays with my wife. It’s definitely a favorite spot. The South Island is incredible; it has surfing, snowboarding, hiking, views, food and wine. It’s pretty amazing. I think I’m at the stage where I’ve got to go visit other places now, but that’s a favorite for sure. What’s the best part of photography to you? The best part of photography is definitely getting paid to go to the beach, drink beer and hang out with mates. It’s sometimes a joke how I get paid for this. You live life on the road a majority of the year, so what’s the best part about coming home? I love to travel and all that, but I love home almost as much. I’ve got an epic setup, lovely wife, house and a couple of dogs.
Ricardo Dos Santos
Taylor Clark
Ryan Callinan
Ryan Callinan
Dave Rastovich
Dave Rastovich
Jack Freestone
When I’m home I don’t shoot really and surf a lot myself, potter round my office experimenting with things and hang with my family. It’s really relaxing and regenerating and for me it’s an awesome balance to the fast-paced travel, and shooting I do around the globe. It keeps me sane. Do you have a favorite photo you’ve taken over the years? I don’t think I have a single favorite. I have a bunch that I like over the years that definitely get a repeat play, like some of the ones I sent in. But it changes a lot. I think the 50/50 one I took from a chopper (black and white at Pipe) is probably up there. That one always gets pulled out in “best of” selections. Tell us about “People of Pipeline.” People of Pipeline is a view on the existential reality of the Homo sapiens that meander along the shoreline during the Pipe Masters (laughs). I just people-watch all the weirdos that come out the cracks during the Pipe
Masters comp and take photos of it. So many weirdos, it’s awesome to pay attention to. Who are some of your favorite subjects to work with? I’ve worked for Billabong for a majority of my career and have done some incredible trips with all the boys (and girls) on the team. But I’ve definitely spent a lot of time with Ryan Callinan, Creed McTaggart and Jack Freestone over the years and call those guys good mates. I love to hang and shoot with them. It’s always a good time whether we’re cleaning up or getting skunked. What does the future hold for you? I have no idea what the future holds. I’m having fun experimenting with journaling, collage writing and basically fucking up my archive of photos so maybe that will lead somewhere or maybe I’ll burn my house down, but I’m having fun doing what I’m doing and hope to keep it rolling.
photos & words • scotty arnold The world is getting more and more dependent on technology. We are constantly looking at our phone, television and/or computer screens all day long. This makes an “off grid” location, where you can truly disconnect, harder and harder to find. Chris Grenier and Alex Andrews had a vision of getting away from it all, and last year that vision became a reality. They purchased a cabin somewhere in Utah that is completely off the grid. They called it the Freedom Frontier. There is no cell phone, television or Internet service up there, and that is definitely not a problem. The plan was to have a place to get away from the rat race and be able to clear your head. They wanted to snowboard with just a tight group of friends and no distractions. Chris and Alex spent their summer welding rails and building obstacles to ride on. They cleared out trees and bushes on the slope next to the cabin, creating a clear trail for when winter comes. The boys even built a rope tow out of an old lawnmower that has comparable speed to most resorts rope tows. Chris and Alex equipped the cabin with solar panels and custom-made furniture, all DIY. A wood stove heats the cabin with good old-fashioned chopped wood. Some off-snow activities include barbequing, skeet shooting, four wheeling and jet skiing at the lake nearby. This is just the beginning for these two visionaries. They plan on making a full cement skate park this upcoming summer, and making even more features and terrain to snowboard in the winter to come.
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spencer schubert
spencer schubert sammy blazejewski
chris grenier
chris grenier
spencer schubert
I headed up to meet the squad at this exclusive location for one last day of riding before the snow was completely gone for the season. The crew, Chris Grenier, Spencer Shoeburt and Sammy Blajewski, were already at work on some features. They were setting up whatever rails they felt like, in whatever fashion they wanted. After we dialed in the zone Chris gassed up the lawnmower-turned rope tow and the lapping began. The rope tow is a game changer. It enables you to get so many laps in such a short amount of time, making hiking a thing of the past. The boys were getting tech on the flat bars, jumping over bushes, sliding the C-rail into a very thin landing, and having a blast doing so. There was even some snowmobile and Timber Sled action as well. After an awesome day of true freedom and fun I drove back to “reality,� reaching cell service and being greeted by email, text and missed call notifications, reminding me of the greatness of the Freedom Frontier. Thanks Chris Grenier and Alex Andrews for making such an amazing place. These two made a dream become a reality and it will only get better with whatever new ideas they come up with. To see the latest on what Chris and Alex are up to over at the Freedom Frontier, give them a follow on Instagram, @thefreedomfrontier. homemade rope-tow
shane borland
jojo whelan
nathaniel curran words • bones • photos • stan seivers In California spring has sprung, south swell is on the rise and the water is heating up. With the warmth in the air also comes warmth in hearts, and charity surf events starring one of California’s hottest up-and-comers warms our hearts. This year marks the 4th Annual Young & the Brave charity surf event in Newport Beach, which is hosted by Tyler Gunther. Wise beyond his years, young Tyler wanted to broaden his skill set while also doing a lot of good at the same time. The waves were pumping, the weather was perfect and the surfing was amazing. Having touched almost all of us in some way, shape or form, cancer can be a very hard thing to deal with, and not only for the person going through it but also those around them. The Young & the Brave is a nonprofit charity looking to make a difference for those who are going through cancer treatment. Seeing what the foundation was doing and how it was helping those in need, Tyler teamed up with Young & the Brave to put on a surf charity event to help raise more awareness for this great cause. With major brands backing the event there are usually awesome raffles and great silent auctions. And trust us when we say this event didn’t disappoint, as Tyler and his team pulled out all the stops. Our favorite moment was all the groms having a race to see who claims the brand new RVCA wetsuit. If you ever witness 20 kids running full speed in ankle-deep water while tripping each other then you know what we are talking about – hysterical! When you have a great surfer for a host and an even better cause to go with it, you get some big names showing up at your event. With the likes of big-wave legend and now WSL host Pete Mel, or California natives like Christian Fletcher, Nathaniel Curran and Chase Wilson along with up-and-coming groms like Jon Mel, Shane Borland and a score of other local groms, you get a great event to watch. With a four- to six-foot combo swell in the water, Newport was doing its thing and there was no shortage of highlights. From Christian Fletcher’s spitting left tube to Nathaniel Curran’s giants backside airs, to Shane Borland taking out the expression session with a backside air on his last wave with seconds to spare or Pete Mel doing giant forehand hack on a wave
darren brilhart
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chad towersey
that looks nothing like the Lane, the event highlighted nonstop action. The mini groms and girls were charging doing big turns and getting some sick tubes as well! Staying glassy all day, Mother Nature gave us her everything on earth day.
darren brilhart
They say love beats cancer, and even though most of us aren’t doctors, we can all still help make a difference. Congratulations to Tyler and his team for a great event, and kudos to you Tyler for spearheading the movement to get younger kids involved and giving back to those around them. We can’t wait for next year.
dylan hord
john mel
vince boulanger
tyler gunter
tyler gunter
Mike McGill
Lance Mountain Collection
Grant Brittain, Craig Stecyk & Tommy Guerrero
Vernon Courtlandt Johnson
Mike McGill Collection
Tony Hawk Watch
Tommy Guerrero
Tony Hawk Collection
words • @therealzhour • photos • courtesy of nixon On April 8th, Nixon teamed up with the Bones Brigade and Active Ride Shop to release a special collection of six watches. To celebrate this collection, Active Ride Shop threw a party hosted by Nixon and the legendary Bones Brigade team. The whole crew – Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, and Tommy Guerrero – made an appearance alongside a special Bones Brigade-themed photo exhibit curated by Grant Brittain. Two hundred VIP customers took this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hang with Tony Hawk and the Bones Brigade team and got that signature they always wanted. The watch collection is available at select Active Ride Shop locations while supplies last.
Steve Caballero Rodney Mullen
The Crowd
Lance Mountain
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Grant Brittain
Tony Hawk
Megan Brunner, Michael Darr & Kelly Loreto
kat, summer & victoria
noa & merrett
andrew doheney words • joey marshall • photos • steve neiley Noa Deane is quite possibly the most publicized surfer of modern times. So it shouldn’t be a big surprise that when the D’Blanc crew releases his new signature shade, Lychee, and decides to throw a release party at DAX Gallery in Costa Mesa that the crowds show up in full force. And so it was: April 7th was the night, DAX Gallery was the venue, and the man himself, Noa Deane, was dressed in his best leather jacket, awaiting the hordes that were to embark upon the gallery and consume the pallet of Pabst Blue Ribbon that patiently sat behind the bar. The venue itself was staged with oversized images of the man of the hour (both surfing and lifestyles), his board hung on the wall, Lychees were on display and projected video weirdness played throughout – all setting the mood for what was to come. By the time I arrived I was greeted by Costa Mesa’s finest shirtless roller-skater, skatedancing his way around the party-goers, making for great people watching. Before too long the gallery was starting to fill and live performances by Chinese Wax Job and Power Lunch had the crowd mesmerized. The entire who’s who of Orange County’s youth surf culture was in attendance, and I’m pretty sure the entire pallet of Pabst was completely dusted by 10 p.m. Though the beers quit flowing the people weren’t leaving, and before long it seemed like the entire party flowed out and into the parking lot. It was about that time that I snuck into my car and said my Irish goodbyes. And if you were there, then you had a good time. If you weren’t, you’re just gonna have to wait until the next one.
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ciao bella
megan, adrian, lisa & kristianna
k-slesh & friend, spencer, stevie & jye
merritt of chinese wax job
tromberg & ford middle finger crew
roller dude
arashi kato
hizunome bettero
arashi kato & hizunome bettero
keanu asing
jordy collins
words • spencer pirdy • photos • baptista I’m not the biggest fan of the US Open. Smack dab in the heart of summer and a zoo of madness will engulf you before you know it. Plus, I don’t care that Tom Rezvan says the waves on Southside Huntington Beach during mid-summer are not ideal unless you like going straight. Oh wait, I actually do… but here’s where I start to come around. Last month, when I walked up on day one of the inaugural Jack’s Surfboards Pro it was fair to say that I was a literally blown away. Under sunny skies I witnessed the first rounds of this QS 1500 in head-high to slightly-overhead, peaky surf. There were ex-World Tour members there like Wardo and Keanu Asing, local rippers like Derek Peters and brands that were pleasantly organized in tents with enjoyable activations for the public to enjoy. The surfing level and conditions remained high all weekend. The guy who took the event, Hizunome Bettero, I’ve seen surf there before during the US Open. He rips and puts it all on the line. He obviously isn’t a fan of the US Open either, which is why he waited to win this event. What was almost more exciting than the final between Hizunome and Arashi Kato was the Boardriders Club battle that went down just prior. This whole boardriders thing is starting to catch on here in the US, and people are really taking it seriously. Anyways, the home team took the win, and some said it was rigged, but who really knows. Bottom line is that the folks at Jack’s are onto something, and I will certainly oblige them with a visit every spring. Because, now in my book, Southside HB and spring now blend well together. 70
torrey meister
dylan goodale
patrick gudauskas
kilian garland
photos & interview • david evanko
If Feels was formed in an alternate reality, what would it sound like? Laena: Mirror colors reverse running jet engine backwards water droplets in a cloudy lighting pool. What would it be called? Laena: Sleef. Trump hears your song “F* Trump” and writes a rebuttal track. What does it sound like? Amy: It would sound like ignorance and denial; fake news from a false leader. Honestly, someone with that unhealthy of an appetite for power has no soul to create music. I bet he just talks about the song coming out for months but never actually writes it. You are working on some new music. What is the influence behind these songs? Michael: We have so many individual influences; I try to play what comes naturally within the jams and with what the other members bring to the table. There seems to be an experimental grunge thread that remains constant.
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What direction do you see the LA music scene moving in the next few years? Michael: Hopefully continuing towards a communally cohesive art and music scene. So many great and active LA bands! You have the chance to write the soundtrack for any movie ever made, which do you choose? Shannon: The soundtrack for Repo Man. Which one of your songs would you use for the opening of Braveheart? Shannon: Play it cool. What can we expect from Feels in 2017? Laena: 2017 is really a wizard-behind-the-curtain year for us. We will be recording our second album soon, making some videos and other secret, fun stuff. I think it will probably be 2018 when we actually unleash all of the stuff we’re working on this year. We will be touring the states a bit in the fall though, dates coming soon. Feels self-titled debut LP is out now on Castle Face Records.
reviews • max ritter & rob molt
Kendrick Lamar DAMN. Top Dog/ Aftermath Prince Bat Dance Warner Bros
This is Paula’s oldest son I know murder, conviction Burners, boosters, burglars, ballers, dead, redemption Scholars, fathers dead with kids And I wish I was fed forgiveness Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, soldier’s DNA Born inside the beast This one is easy; I’m still tripping after his Coachella closing set. Kendrick Lamar just put out the hip-hop record of the year, DAMN.
Shoutout to “record store day” for reminding me that Prince once soundtracked Batman. My dude.
Show Me the Body Corpus 1 Kay Kaya Show Me the Body is Queens hardcore and they probably don’t care what you think. They are still DIY in the days of custom lattes. There won’t be any guest list at a Body show and it will be all ages. I suggest you don’t have a problem with that – no one there does. If Show Me the Body cares about something it’s aggression, anti-authoritarianism, community, and most importantly, inclusivity. And it would be cool if you did too.
Buzzcocks Times Up Domino Their live demos recorded in 1976 and originally released as a bootleg.
Chaz Bundick Meets The Mattson 2 Star Stuff Company Records
White Reaper The World’s best American Band. Polyvinyl
Holy moly. Creative freaks collide on this beautiful collaboration between Toro Y Moi’s Chaz Bundick and psychy-jazz duo The Mattson 2. You have to love a record with a quarter-hour of improvised jam before you even hear a lyric. Is this called jazz-wave?
White Reaper is cigarettes, lite beer and primered muscle cars. They are Kentucky; they are layered guitars and heavy riffs. White Reaper wants you to come see their classic rock show at the glam party. They look slightly out of step in their lockstep rhythm. White Reaper is the best American band.
Kodak Black Painting Atlantic Thanks Kodak Black for making a man feel younger when driving to the store in his Prius to pick up baby diapers. Kodak Black, like all good rappers, has some legal issues and I think maybe he is locked up right now.
Thurston Moore Rock n’ Roll Consciousness Harvest Records/Caroline International You walk down 9th Ave, leaving Chelsea headed to Greenwich. The new Whitney Museum was incredible, but the protest in the Village is important. Thurston Moore is today’s street-walking soundtrack. Sonic Youth was pure NYC, and Thurston is now the perfect combination of its art and activism. You walk up to Washington Square ready to contribute, full of rock n’ roll consciousness.
photo • alice baxley :: words • max ritter When We Were Young Festival Saturday April 8th + 9th The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA Somebody threw a corndog at Moz and he had a meltdown and walked off stage, and then Saves The Day took their awkward saw and ran it against his thighs. Things escalated from there and a bloodbath ensued.
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Age: 12 Hometown: Vista, Ca Sponsors: Baker Skakeboards, Volcom, Krux Trucks, Etnies, Nixon, Shake Junt, Orbs Wheels, Protec, and Tactics Favorite Surfer: Grant Taylor, Dylan Reider and Greyson Fletcher
photo: jason kenworthy 76