Concrete Skateboarding Issue 101 by Concrete Skateboarding Magazine

Issue 101 . August 2009 . Free

Chad Dickson switch ollie

Tournament Capital Talent

The Kamloops Trio A Fine Mess in

Gator County Issue 101 . August 2009 . Free

The

Andrew McGraw Interrogation The Goat Identity Dylan Rieder five spot

Underworld goes Yard camping DC Howard shoe Vault

3 inches of blood

Danny Garcia. Backside tailslide kickflip out. Photo: Atiba. See Dannyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new shoe, the Edward, at esfootwear.com timebombtrading.com stickers@timebomb.bc.ca

Mo knows texting. Mo knows Call of Duty. Mo knows S.K.A.T.E. Mo knows Simi Valley. Mo knows Bagakoos. And now… Mo knows shoes! Introducing the personalized Commerce LK color way by Mike Mo for Summer / Fall 2009.

LAKAI LIMITED FOOTWEAR: THE SHOES WE SKATE JOHNSON / CARROLL / MARIANO / HOWARD / FOSTER / WELSH / BIEBEL LENOCE / CAPALDI / ALVAREZ / FERNANDEZ / PUIG / GILLET / BRADY / JENSEN 955 Francisco Street, Torrance, CA 90502 / www.lakai.com / www.crailtap.com / www.supradistribution.com

contents: To some, Chris Haslam appears as a friendly Viking or some sort of mysterious urban wizard who roams the Earth. He may not be able to speak the local dialect everywhere he travels, but certainly has a deep bag of moves – including this Barcy backside noseblunt – that transcends any language barrier. photo francisco Gaston cover:

Chad Dickson, switch ollie

[Read “Virgin Spot” on p.10] photo

Brian Caissie

Concrete skateboarding

Thunder 24 Rolling Go Skateboarding Day 2009 // Vancouver Steady Brush Strokes

26 Corey Sheppard 32 Nanaimo The Harbour City Andrew McGraw Interrogation

The

A Fine Mess in

Gator County

56 Underworld Goes Yard Camping Tournament Capital talent

68 The Kamloops Trio 78 Photo Gallery 10 Editorial 18 Identity with The Goat 90 YoungBloods 98 Video Reviews 100 Shoe Vault // DC Howards 102 Sound Check // 3 Inches of Blood 104 Five Spot with Dylan Rieder 106 remembering Don ‘mad carver’ Hartley

Concrete skateboarding

SEE THE ENTIRE SCOTT DECENZO INTERVIEW AT C1RCA.COM/DIALOG NOLLIE FRONTSIDE CROOKED GRIND. DENVER, CO - circa 2009. PHOTO: BROACH

PUBLISHER Kevin Harris EDITOR / ART DIRECTOR Kelly Litzenberger kelly@concreteskateboarding.com staff photographer / PHOTO EDITOR Brian Caissie brian@concreteskateboarding.com associate EDITOR Frank Daniello frank@concreteskateboarding.com Marketing Director Richard Neuman richard@concreteskateboarding.com Marketing Associate Kristin Lamont kristin@concreteskateboarding.com

Justin Allain, backside smithgrind

keep skatin' while the world keeps hatin' words

Matt MacLeod and nick Shinner

photo

rich odam

As skateboarders we have it lucky. Everyday, regardless of school, jobs or other obligations, what do we go do? Skateboard. Now, think back to all the time you’ve spent skating, then take the skateboards out of picture. This is where I gap out for a minute and finally say, “What the hell else was there to do?” There’s only one thing we could ever see ourselves doing – skateboarding – which is why we continue to be some of the most fortunate human beings on the planet. We have something we love; something we think about all the time, and something we get in constant trouble for because we refuse to be stopped. When we’re seen skateboarding and actually fulfilling our passions, people either view it with love, or hate and envy. Unfortunately, we run into the hate part a little more. On the daily we have all sorts of people curse us as we skate by. There’s security guards at every building, and budgets earmarked for skate-proofing. Now that’s some serious hate. But Rolling Thunder [p.24] is a prime example of skaters gathering into a critical mass to proudly display their passion to the masses. For Corey Sheppard, skateboarding and art feed off each other, and he shares those intricate mediums with us [p.26]. Our loose look at The Harbour City on Vancouver Island [p.32] is completely void of Nanaimo bar references, and Montreal’s Andrew McGraw doesn’t get interrogated by the fuzz, but by the homies instead [p.38]. A squad of juvenile Southern Ontarians blaze a destructive deep-south path, somehow managing to stay alive enough to skate Gator County [p.46]. Underworld West opts for backyard grass mattresses to rest their Coors-filled noggins during an outdoor excursion to BC’s Okanagan [p.56]. We also take a brief look at nearby Kamloops in the Central Interior, and focus on the talented Gabriel-Swaim-Berger trio who hail from the Tournament Capital [p.68]. There’s more, so keep turnin’. And by all means, keep skatin’ while the world keeps hatin’. We have something the rest of them only wish they had. One love.

Administrator Dave Buhr Contributing Photographers gaston francisco, rich odam kelly litzenberger, matt macleod geoff clifford, shane hutton dan mathieu, hendrik herzmann stephen denton, Ian Cocherty andrew norton, jesse taylor andrew koronovich, jody morris dave todon, terry worona ryan allan, nurmi, mark anderson, murray siple contributing Writers frank daniello, ben stoddard dave ehrenreich, matt macleod lucas wisenthal, andy pierce shane hutton, tj rogers rich odam, jarvis nigelsky lee saunders, stacy gabriel antoine asselin, mitch barrette lee yankou, dan watson jenny charlesworth Distribution Ultimate Skateboard Dist. east 705.749.2998 west 604.279.8408

Virgin Spot cover photo and caption

Brian Caissie

Living in Vancouver with about 10 other skate photographers can be difficult at times, and new spots are hard to come by since rumours fly fast. But construction is booming in Vancouver these days, so I took a day off shooting to do some scouting. Luckily for me, the first spot I came across was this massive roof gap with a smooth run-up that had never been skated. Chad Dickson was in town and I knew he’d be down. A lot of people know that Chad got hit by an SUV last year and almost lost his life, so it’s great to see him fully recovered and ripping. He took full advantage of this virgin spot with a huge switch ollie off the roof to the top of the stairs.

Subscriptions 1 Year subscription ($19.95) 7 issues including The Photo Annual subscribe online

concreteskateboarding.com send cheque or money order to: Concrete Skateboarding Subscriptions 150 - 11780 River Rd. Richmond BC V6X 1Z7 NEXT ISSUE:

issue 102 - September 19th, 2009

Concrete skateboarding

Photograph by: the Rodent

AN HD VIDEO PROJECT BY NIKE SB FEATURING: JUSTIN BROCK DARYL ANGEL // DAVID CLARK // GRANT TAYLOR // SHANE ONEILL

DEVINE CALLOWAY FRONT BLUNT etniesskate.com

CALLOWAY

MALTO

OLIVER BARTON PHOTOS

ROJO

LEEPER

DILL

SHECKLER

TAYLOR

BLEDSOE

TORGERSON

TIMEBOMBTRADING.COM STICKERS@TIMEBOMB.BC.CA

photo brian caissie

Identity

The Goat

This edition of Identity features group participation by The Goat – a five-piece boasting Shane Heyl on vocals; Andrew Reynolds and Kevin “Spanky” Long on guitars; Atiba Jefferson on keyboards and Baker filmer, Josh Beagle on drums. “We just recorded an album on Werewolf Heart records,” says Reynolds. “It’ll be out in August through Amazon.com and the iTunes store, plus you can listen to us on our MySpace page.”

Dream band to tour with?

Heyl: Snoop Dogg, Ween, Andre Nickatina, Wu-Tang, Minor Threat Reynolds: No Age, Nick Cave Long: Animal Collective Atiba: Da Lynch Mob

Favourite music?

Atiba: Animal Collective, Battles Reynolds: Nick Cave, Goodie Mob Beagle: Project Pat, DJ Screw

Best skate rock band of all-time? Atiba: JFA Reynolds: Firehose Heyl: Bad Shit

Concrete skateboarding

Skater’s style that represents The Goat’s sound?

Atiba: Jovontae Turner Reynolds: Frankie Hill, later on when he got into acid. Heyl: A little mix of Lizard King and Bryan Herman. Straight up, the goodness.

Best venue to play a show?

Reynolds: Mini-ramps, inside apartment complexes. Long: Backyard pools, skaters’ house parties. Anywhere that’s very mob and small with a lot of drunk people who can’t tell. Atiba: Yeah, the drunker the person the better. werewolfheart.com myspace.com/thegoat

K E V I N T H E

“ S P A N K Y ”

B A L A N C E

O F

L O N G

O P P O S I T E S

2 6 # ! # / - s T I M E B O M B T R A D I N G . C O M ST I CKERS@ TIM EBOM B.BC.CA

INVentory hard bound

Vans ‘Stories of sole from Vans Originals’ Momentum ‘monster series’ 50 mm // 51 mm // 52 mm

Matix ‘This Is Progress’ Celebrating ten years

Creature ‘Brue Killers’ Gravette // partanen // Navarrette

Black Label ‘god save the label’ shuriken // alfaro // childress // Leeper // Adams

Concrete skateboarding

INVentory soft goods

DVS chico brenes x lrg collection cheeks flannel Munition ct mid lrg - black suede plaid cheeks hat

DC PJ Ladd black

C1rca x underworld 99 vulc

black / purple

Neff headwear skull cap majors hat

Fourstar

dagget jacket - charcoal Mariano jean - worn grey

Concrete skateboarding

caissie

Rolling Thunder Go Skateboarding

Day 2009 // Vancouver

words

Frank Daniello

With the barrage of skate and mainstream media coverage after the fact, “Went Skateboarding Day” should be the past-tense translation in the wake of Vancouver’s epic 2009 edition of Go Skateboarding Day – the annual June 21st summer starter that’s been gaining obvious momentum world-wide. Ever since the IASC (International Association of Skateboard Companies) initially proclaimed this “skate holiday” on the first official day of summer back in 2004, it’s grown into the most documented skate event on the Internet – blogged, Flickr’d, Facebooked and YouTubed – with stills and video footage being provided by every kid with any form of a digital point-and-shoot. Let’s not forget the record amount of bogus GSD “sick-day” requests or straight-up no-shows employers must have had to face, and all the Dads who were hung out to dry due to the fact that this year’s GSD trumped both menial teenage jobs and Father’s Day internationally. Last year, according to the IASC, “millions of skateboarders participated in more than 600 events held worldwide…” Rewinding back to June 15th, Vancouver Parks Commissioner and skateboard advocate, Sarah Blyth (on behelf of Mayor Gregor Robertson) proudly read the official “Skateboard Week” proclamation – a resurrected initiative originally spearheaded by Jay Balmer and Mayor Larry Campbell back in 2003 during Slam City Jam. From the official 2009 proclamation: “…I, Mayor Gregor Robertson, on behalf of the City of Vancouver, do hereby proclaim June 15-22, 2009 as ‘Skateboard Week’ to recognize the importance of this sport in our city. I further proclaim June 21, 2009 as ‘Go Skateboard Day’.” Emerica has been a strong supporter of skateboarding’s national holiday since the beginning with their “Wild in the Streets” campaign, and this year most of the Emerica team converged onto Vancouver on June 20th for a record-attendance Underworld in-store signing – featuring Andrew Reynolds, Heath Kirchart, Ed Templeton, Kevin 24

Concrete skateboarding

Andrew Reynolds, frontside flip.

“Spanky” Long, Bryan Herman, Leo Romero, Jerry Hsu, Brandon Westgate and Jamie Tancowny – followed by an epic Leeside session. That evening, The Goat [see page 18] took to the stage at the Biltmore as the opener to No Age. On June 21st, coinciding with the swelling cloud cover, a thunderous roar coming from 2000 simultaneously rolling sets of hard urethane on Vancouver’s rain-weathered streets turned the heads of citizens and brought traffic to a stand-still. Once the police caught wind of the army of skaters storming downtown Vancouver, not only did they avoid trying to stop the mayhem, they actually provided a police escort from spot-to-spot to ensure that the rolling mob, which included the Emerica team, had the road clearance they needed. The Plaza, Hot Spot, Victory Square, the Black Double, and New Spot all got treated to serious no-vacancy sessions. It’s true, Andrew Reynolds really is “The Boss.” He skated hard at every session, and even copped his patented frontside flip down the legendary Black Double in front of a capacity crowd. He’s the second person to lunge that trick down the lengthy and dark stair-abyss since Ryan Decenzo’s frontal flip feat in 2006. There’s strength in numbers, and the massive congregation of skaters eventually departed New Spot and barged Burrard, a major downtown Vancouver street, before making the annual Go Skate Day grand ender statement to the city: by skating across and shutting down the Georgia Street viaduct, a bridge artery that funnels traffic out of downtown. This year, the police actually barricaded both ends of the bridge to traffic, and kept it closed until every last skater made it across. As Epicly Later’d producer, Patrick O’Dell skated amongst the bold rolling thunder of Vancouver’s 2009 Go Skate Day, he let out an awestruck laugh before accurately claiming, “This is insane…” goskateboardingday.org emericaskate.com/team/wildinthestreets

Concrete skateboarding

odam

litzenberger

odam

caissie

odam

litzenberger

caissie

words

Frank Daniello

photos

Brian Caissie

Well-known Canadian Pro, Corey Sheppard can be elusive at times, but is very much still in the mix. He’s currently sponsored by Descarte skateboards, Supra footwear, Momentum wheels, Independent trucks, Blue Tile Lounge, Upful hardware, and Vivo headwear. One thing is certain: if Sheppard’s not skating, he’s creating art.

headwear. He also moves units at his homestead from time-to-time.

“I was living in Fullerton, California in ‘02, and this chick was moving out of the complex I lived in,” he explains from his apartment/studio in Vancouver. “She brought over a tube of oil paint, and I had no clue how to even use it or anything. I cut a shoelace really close to the tip of the plastic thing on the end of the lace, taped it up, and made a brush out of it. I used the plastic end of the shoelace as the handle [laughs]. I started painting on a piece of paper, and I never stopped. As a kid I used to fuck around and draw all the time. I remember in Grade 3 I got and A+ in art class drawing eagles and shit. I didn’t really put too much into it growing up; I did graffiti and shit, but everything changed when I got that paint tube. It was something I wanted to do.”

To top off Sheppard’s art endeavours, he’s involved in two localized pet-project clothing companies on each side of the country – Artasance, based in Vancouver, and Market Garden in Toronto.

Sheppard’s paintings have appeared in 10 art shows over the past six years, both in California and Canada, and he’s explored different mediums through his graphic work for Blind, Momentum, Descarte, Endeavor snowboards, Power shoes, Sessions clothing, and Vivo

Concrete skateboarding

“I’ll have a party at my place,” he says while partaking in switchback bouts of online chess and poker. “If someone likes something, they’ll buy it off me.”

“I’ve always wanted to do Artasance [artasancesite.com], and me and my friend Rob Dow put that together. It’s more of a fun thing, I guess, and it’s all about putting random ideas on shirts,” he loosely explains. “Market Garden [themarketgarden.ca] is also fairly new and the same sorta deal.” In many ways, skateboarding and art are joined at the hip and are quite comparable. While the key attributes of technique, soul and style are visually evident when observing skateboarding, they’re qualities of equal importance to the art world. “Painting is totally like skating. It’s very individual, and you’re by yourself. I mean, you skate with people, but it really comes down to you. Same with art,” Sheppard explains. “I sometimes paint with people, but I’m totally by myself doing it, you know? With painting, you can do whatever you choose, just like skating. The styles are different, too. Some people paint weird little characters, and I paint emotions and thoughts. Art helps my skating, and vice-versa. It kinda just makes sense.”

switch bigspin frontside boardslide

Concrete skateboarding

“I did three Power shoes for a signature artistseries in ‘08. It all started because I was painting my own shoes when I was on IPATH, and I really liked doing it. Then I showed Dan Opyk from Power, and they wanted to do a limited series. They’ve got my little trademark easel thing that I do on the tounges. One shoe’s got bird-skull camo [laughs]. I wanted gum soles, but that didn’t really work out. That’s what you get when you work with stupid companies, but I was stoked on doing art shoes at the time.”

“I’ve done about six wheels for Momentum. They’re usually my Pro wheels, except for the Steven Seagull wheel from ‘08, which is my favourite. I want it on a shirt. I did that graphic on the computer – I’ve been doing a lot of shit these days in Illustrator instead of painting; it’s just a different medium.”

Concrete skateboarding

“I did a graphic for Endeavor in ‘07. In Harmony with Nature was a series, and they sort of assigned a graphic to me. I don’t usually work that way – I usually just do what I want to do – but I guess the Japanese dude, whose model it was, wanted a lion and some dude by a tree. I don’t draw that kind of stuff, and it was really weird for me but it worked out.”

kickflip

“Vivo headwear is a new Vancouverbased brand, and I have a signature line coming out with them of a t-shirt and a baseball hat. It turned out sick. The shirt I made for them is called “Bird Flu”, and the inside of the hat will have a silk lining that has a print of the same graphic.”

“There’s a painting I’ve been working on that’s really basic; it’s just drips that form an image [left]. I’m always experimenting with different styles. I’m also working on textured paintings using just a pallet knife [above].”

Concrete skateboarding

Nanaimo AThe Harbour City A

words and photos

Matt MacLeod

I grew up in Port Alberni – a small town on Vancouver Island – so going to Nanaimo for a day trip was always a big deal. As I got older, I realized that Nanaimo wasn’t all that big. It’s actually a city of about 79,000 people, and is quick and easy to get to from anywhere on the Island. It’s also a very convenient destination via Vancouver’s North Shore with only an hour and 40-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay. Nanaimo is located right on the Malaspina Strait and boasts some of the best summer skate weather in BC. With very warm temperatures in the summer, a cool breeze off the ocean, and then a dip in the refreshing Nanaimo River, it doesn’t take much to turn any day into a perfect one. Splitsville I must say that Nanaimo has one of the most amazing scenes I’ve had the pleasure of being involved in. One of the best parts is a place called Splitsville [171 Calder Road] – a bowling alley that’s staffed by skateboarders. It’s owned by the father of Island ripper, Curtis “Riv” Gruninger who is in fact one of the managers. With a bar that features a free pool table, a college crowd, and hip-hop playing all night, Splitsville is the place to hit Friday and Saturday nights. It’s one of the best after-sesh hangouts for skaters and anyone who loves the lanes. splitsville.ca

GPS the GS Tucked away down the road from the Pioneer skate park in North Nanaimo [located across from Woodgrove Centre, 6631 Island Hwy North], Ghetto Spot is the most randomly placed circle of cement I’ve ever seen. It consists of a raised and quarter-piped barrier, a big nipple, a mellow pole jam, and a nice bench. Although the barrier looks perfect at first sight, it has punished even the best. It features a steep tranny at the bottom that shoots you out if you’re unprepared. The pole jam is great for learning all your tricks before taking them to bigger ones. The chances of finding Ghetto Spot on your own are slim, so it’s worth asking a loc for directions. coastalbc.com/skate/pioneer.htm

RIP, DNA The Nanaimo skate scene suffered this spring with the closing of long-time core skateshop, DNA. The shop closed its doors in March ‘09 after being open for eight years. It fathered many of the Nanaimo locals since they started skateboarding. The shop also sponsored many indoor sessions, demos all over the Island, and helped out the skate community in any way possible. However, as one era ends in this community, another one begins. Nanaimo is not without a place to buy gear locally – Alternative Groove Board Shop [201-6750 Island Hwy North] is conveniently located minutes from Pioneer Park. alternativegroove.ca

Concrete skateboarding

Marten Maxwell, switch heel Marten resides in Nanaimo but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s originally from Austria and has lived all over the world. His natural talent on a skateboard is amazing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it looks like thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what he was put on this earth to do. Concrete skateboarding

Nanaimo DIY and Beyond This Island city has also been the starting block for two up-and-coming companies: Instrumental Skateboards and Concyse Clothing. Instrumental originally started out with unique spray-painted and dipped boards made in owner Brandon Wells’ basement in 2006. Brando has since moved to Victoria where he now co-owns a shop called Higher Ground [2514 Douglas St., Victoria, BC] along with Concyse owners, Colby Spence and Aden Ellis. Concyse was conceived in 2001 as a brand that had Nanaimo appeal, representing their crew and love of skateboarding. Spence and Ellis eventually moved to Victoria for higher education, where they also opened Incite Screen Printing. instumentalskateboards.com concyse.ca

1 Dylan Timmins, backside heelflip

2 Gilbert Turenne, frontside 180

Brandan Soros, keyhole ollie

Scarewood

The best and most spots in Nanaimo are located in the section of the city called Harewood – or “Scarewood” – which is the East Hastings of Nanaimo. It’s nowhere near as bad as Hastings in Vancouver, but it’s where the skuzzier residents dwell. Another nice thing about Nanaimo is there’s no need to worry about the bums. They all keep to themselves, minus the occasional drunk on a bike. They also cheer you on, which is always good for footy. Vancouver Island University has sets upon sets, and a beautiful view of the Georgia Strait and the Mainland. There’s a Catholic Church that has a small over-rail to bank, a 7-stair rail, and double set with a kinked rail out front. In the summer, there’s an emptied pool that has a small natural kicker over a nice sized handrail that leads into the pool. There is Georgia Middle School, which has multiple large over-rail gaps and 11 stair handrails, and tucked in the back of Harewood is the Park Avenue 3-flat-3 – it features an almost perfect run up and landing [1]. Just outside of Harewood, there’s a gap called “The Annihilator” [2], and has its name for a reason. The gap is a 4-set over an eight-foot sidewalk that’s given out many beatings. Although the spots in Harewood are a little spread out, they’re definitely worth the trek. 34

Concrete skateboarding

Benson Wishart, backside kickflip at Nanaimo’s Ghetto Spot. Next time you and your homies are planning a BC skate trip, don’t forget to make Nanaimo one of your destinations. It may be a small Island city, but it has a hell of a lot to give!

Sean Hanebury, frontside nosegrind pop-out Sean has a one-of-a-kind style thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a pleasure to watch, and this bridge is a perfect example of how he always seems to shred the most obscure spots. Concrete skateboarding

THE ORIGINAL AND STILL THE BEST BEARINGS FOR OVER 25 YEARS

CHAMI

DARYL ANGEL SWITCH HEELFLIP

Win with Bones Bearings. bonesbearings.com/contest U 30 S. La Patera Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93117 U 805-964-1330

The

Andrew c M Graw I n t e r r o ga t i o n 38

Concrete skateboarding

photos

Geoff Clifford Lucas Wisenthal and Andy Pierce

interview by

Crooked grind

Andrew McGraw says I don’t know him well enough to write this intro. Even though I see him regularly and we’ve hung out in various capacities – skateboarding, drinking, eating junk food and talking shit – apparently we’re not, like, bros or anything. What I can tell you is that he skates a lot. The first time I tried to do this interview, he showed up with some other dudes and they ditched me to go to a spot. He was wearing a t-shirt with a few rappers’ names on it – Sean Price, Masta Ace, and a couple more. ‘90s shit, for sure. Basically, McGraw’s a grown-up skate rat who lives in Montreal and hasn’t strayed from what he’s always liked. —Lucas Wisenthal

Concrete skateboarding

frontside boardslide

How did you get into skating?

Some dude rolled by my house – some real scumbag with a Powell-Peralta board or something – and I bothered my Dad to buy a used board from him. The guy sold me a Rob Roskopp board. It had rails on the bottom, and I bombed hills for a few years. Then got a new school board – a Black Label. Where was this?

New Brunswick. Who did you start skating with?

I skated with a few dudes from Junior High, and then they stopped so I skated with the older dudes in Saint John. My brother started skating; I’d skate with him and all my close friends. Tim Breen is from my city, and he’s pretty sick, so I used to skate with him all the time.

Concrete skateboarding

called The Circle; ledges, a three-up/threedown, and no kick-outs. It was super sick to skate there all day. I skated there for 10 years. What year did you actually start?

I’d say, like, ’89 or ’90, maybe. I think it’s been, like, 18 or 19 years of me skating. But unlike the rest of us, you’re not trapped in the past. Why do you think that is?

I just like to give new kids a chance. I don’t like a lot of the rail kids that come up and they can just skate rails. I like new kids that come up and can skate everything. Who do you skate with?

Pretty much anybody, man. Studio guys, kids from Underworld. Whoever’s around the city and is pretty mellow, I’ll skate with them. I’m not going to vibe anybody.

What was it like to grow up skating in Saint John?

Do you come from a family of musicians?

It’s a pretty decent sized city, but it’s super east coast – raw shit. If you can skate there, you can skate pretty much skate anywhere. Half the city’s brick, and it’s pretty raw. The sick spot there is the EMB of New Brunswick

No, but my Dad was super into music when I was growing up, and he kind of got me into funk and some old rock. I like blues music and jazz…I played the drums growing up. I think I started at the same time I started skating.

Nollie heelflip manual I had two sets; the first set was stolen and the second set I couldn’t afford, so I had to sell it. I just skated and forgot about drums, but I still play them once in a while. What role does Gucci Mane play in your life?

Gucci Mane is a popular item at Temple, man. When you’re really drunk, it’s kind of fun. It’s kind of good to throw on some Gucci [myspace.com/guccimane], but I’m more down for Max B [myspace.com/maxbiggaveli] if I’m going to be that drunk and listen to some stupid music. Explain what The Clubhouse is.

The Clubhouse a collection of winter-time washes with nothing better to do than just being locked in the house playing Tiger Woods every night. That, or some NHL ’09 –

there might be some betting going down on that. It’s pretty much a clubhouse. I’m sure there’s one of those in every city, but it’s only the Temple dudes that go to this one. There’s limited seating. I know you’ve spent time skating in the States. What’s your connection to Boston?

My Mom grew up there, and then she came to Canada. She moved back there when my parents divorced, and I moved with her. I lived in Boston for a pretty decent part of my life, but I was born in Canada. It wasn’t like I was a US citizen, but people would just associate me with Boston because I was in a few videos [McGraw appeared in Zoo York’s E.S.T., among other vids]. It’s kind of like a second home to me.

“It’s kind of good to throw on some Gucci, but I’m more down for Max B if I’m going to be that drunk and listen to some stupid music.”

Concrete skateboarding

frontside feeble

Concrete skateboarding

The

Andrew c M Graw I n t e r r o ga t i o n

“Sometimes I wish I didn’t skate as much because I’d probably be more constructive with life, but I don’t know. I have the urge to skate every day, so I skate all the time.” —Andrew McGraw

Concrete skateboarding

backside flip

How does skating in Boston compare to skating in Canada?

Back in the day when you went to Boston, to me the kids were next-level. They could do all the switch shit. You’d meet some Pros. We didn’t really have that on the east coast of Canada. I think Montreal is up to par now with other places. There’s not as many good kids, but there’s a few good ones that by any means could go anywhere and fit in. You were on Robbie Gangemi’s company, Vehicle for a little bit. How did that happen?

I just came back from California and he asked me to ride for him. I don’t know if I could’ve really said no to that dude because he might have snuffed me or something. He’s pretty G. He asks you if you want to ride for his company, and you pretty much have to say yes. He didn’t really have the greatest funding for it, but it was a sick company. He did hook it up – took us on tour and shit. 44

Concrete skateboarding

Was getting on Studio a similar proposition? Were you afraid that Darrell Smith might snuff you out if you said no?

Not really. I was kind of just over the whole distribution thing. It just seems like, if you’re going to ride for a distributor then why not ride for a Canadian board company? Tell us about your nickname, “SmokeBomb Senior”.

When you’re in a shitty club with all the Temple crew or whoever’s out that night – because there’s always something going on in Montreal – and it’s just the wackest party, you smoke-bomb. You don’t tell anybody you’re leaving, and you might drop a few texts to one of your close friends after you leave, where you’re like, “Alright, peace.” They didn’t see you leave or anything; you just miraculously smoke-bombed out of there.

Aside from skating, do you have a job?

I’ve got my own little business painting houses. I’ve got all the painting equipment, so I just do contracts for people. I don’t work for anybody except myself. My Dad taught me to paint when I was younger. I do make a little bit of money from skating, but I definitely make way more painting – I can make $200 or $300 in a day. It’s pretty good, and it’s something that I don’t mind doing. I just throw on the iPod and paint all day. But I’m never going to work to the point where I can’t skate. Who do you want to shout out?

Shout out to Temple Skate Supply, Studio, Adidas, WeSC, RAW in Boston, and Concrete. Thanks to my family, and to everyone who’s helped me out in my life. Peace.

blunt frontside flip out

“They didn’t see you leave or anything; you just miraculously smoke-bombed out of there.” Concrete skateboarding

Fine Mess in Gator County

words and photos

Shane Hutton TJ ROGERS

colour commentary

I have to admit something right off the bat – I was worried about this Miami trip from the start. Not because the group was lacking talent, but because they can have a severe shortage of common sense at times. Individually, this can range from a mild annoyance to downright amusing, but when they’re in a group situation…I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into. When Mitch Barrette called me with the final list of people he wanted to bring to Miami, I couldn’t help but wonder if they would even make it there in one piece. I actually began to consider how long I would be willing to wait for them to pick me up at the Miami airport before giving up and flying back to Toronto (I decided that two hours seemed reasonable). 3000 kilometres is a long way for anyone to drive, but when it’s a van full of skaters with more Red Bull than brains, things can go wrong pretty easily. While they did manage to get to the Miami airport on time to pick me up, they already had some issues. Hugo Balek almost blew up the van with fireworks, Bobby De Keyzer forgot his skateboard, Matt Canadien had an acute shark paranoia, TJ Rogers didn’t have any money (except for a Red Bull cheque he couldn’t cash) and he knocked out David Delfino, the filmer, twice. At the border, the van got a top-to-bottom search – TJ and De Keyzer almost didn’t make it through the first time they crossed. 46

Concrete skateboarding

Matt Canadien backside heelflip

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...Canadien kept watch for sharks, since he was convinced somebody was going to get eaten.â&#x20AC;?

Concrete skateboarding

TJ Rogers 360 flip

“... He spent most of the night running his mouth about how him and his friend (who just got out of jail) were going to kick TJ’s ass.”

Double Border Moves TJ Rogers: “We get to the border and we have to be searched. They take everything out of the van, and rip all our bags open. We have about 50 some-odd skateboards and they think we’re bringing them over to sell. Me and Bobby are under-age, so they call our parents to make sure we’re allowed to go, but my Dad doesn’t answer the phone. I had to get them to call Bobby’s parents and see if that would work or else we’d be driving home early. When we finally get through the border, we see the Duty Free and pull in to buy liquor and smokes. We didn’t realize it was the US Duty Free, so we had to bring all the stuff we bought through the border again after spending three hours there the first time.” Suspect Firework Use TJ Rogers: “Somewhere in South Carolina

we go to a firework stand and buy hundreds of dollars worth. While we’re driving, Hugo once again decided to be loose and light some up. He threw one out of the van, but the wind blew it back onto the front window and it slid down into the engine. We put the van in neutral, turned it off and let it coast hoping it wouldn’t blow up because Hugo’s a fucking idiot. After that, we had an agreement that we’d never again light fireworks in the vehicle.”

Down to Business We didn’t waste much time once they had picked me up in Miami, and had a spot lit up no more than an hour after I walked out of the airport. Hugo got right down to business and did everything he could to land a wallrideto-grass gap that seemed to defy logic. He came close a dozen times, but in the end, logic and gravity won out and Hugo ended up broken. Before we packed it in for the night, however, I decided to start a firework fight in hopes that it would wear the children out so I could get a decent sleep. The Lawn Chair Sleeping arrangements were pretty normal as far as skate trips go – seven guys in a sleazy motel room. It really wasn’t that bad because De Keyzer is too small to count as a full person, and Matt Canadien passed out just outside of our room every night in a lawn chair. He was either taking full advantage of the nice weather and the fact that our hotel was right on the beach, or he’s just so ‘hood that sleeping sitting up with an empty bottle of malt liquor on his lap comes naturally. A quick morning-after dip in the ocean helped wake us while Canadien kept watch for sharks, since he was convinced somebody was going to get eaten.

Concrete skateboarding

TJ Rogers ollie

“TJ didn’t have any money (except for a Red Bull cheque he couldn’t cash) and he knocked out Delfino, the filmer, twice.”

Mitch Barrette tailslide to frontside heelflip out

“Mitch was always the first one skating and usually the last person back in the van. Even with all the Red Bulls he drinks, I still don’t know how he does it.”

“She got her sorority friends and they came into our room and started trying to fight me, saying, ‘Delete that! I don’t want that shit on YouTube or my boyfriend will kill me!’”

—TJ Rogers

Sorority Girls Gone Mad After a significant amount of alcohol had been consumed that night (mostly by Hugo and Delfino), things got pretty loose at the hotel pool. We had met a group of sorority girls from Jacksonville University, and while none of them were particularly attractive, some of the boys seemed interested anyway. Canadien, who must have been hammered by then, was pretty hyped on the big one that can best be described as Shrek’s love interest, Fiona (and I don’t mean when she was a princess). Mitch, on the other hand, threw himself into the pool a couple of times from the highest thing he could find (a mating

Concrete skateboarding

ritual, perhaps?) and ended up going for a “walk” on the beach with the looker of the group. It didn’t take TJ long to grab Delfino’s camera and head out to see if he could get some soft-core footy of the two of them. Her friends seemed concerned after she left and let it slip that she had a man back home. As you can imagine, TJ’s on-the-scene interview after he busted them on the beach wasn’t very popular with the girls. TJ Rogers: “I caught it on film, and the girl freaked. She got her sorority friends and they came into our room and started trying to fight me, saying, ‘Delete that! I don’t want that shit

on YouTube or my boyfriend will kill me!’” It may not have taken long to make friends with these girls but it really didn’t take long to make enemies. The sorority girls had convinced some Tap-Out-wearing UFC fan that he should defend their honour, so he spent most of the night running his mouth about how him and his friend (who just got out of jail) were going to kick TJ’s ass. Thankfully, that didn’t amount to much, because I didn’t want to get the boot from the hotel at 3am and end up sleeping in the filthy van.

Delfino Goes Down One night, Delfino stumbled into the room drunk off his ass and refused to go to sleep. We managed to get him to lie down, but he then decided it would be fun to keep spitting into the darkness randomly.

TJ Rogers: “Another time, Hugo and Delfino were skating this manny pad/ledge spot where there are coconut trees. Hugo and I decided to try and knock some down. I throw my board directly at the tree, miss it, and the board hits Delfino right in the head while my truck hits his camera. Delfino TKO #2.”

tj rogers: “All you hear is Delfino spitting

huge loogies in the air and they’re landing everywhere. One hits me in the head, so I got up, choked him out, and punched him as hard as I could in the face. Delfino TKO #1.” Needless to say, this was the last night Defino was allowed to drink with Hugo…

Human Bait For Gators One day it drizzled enough to kill any hopes we had of skating for the day. Our tour guide/ southern redneck had a great idea, though – Alligator hunting. I am, of course, using the term “hunting” a bit loosely here because we had no intention of actually killing gators. The plan was to get as close as we could,

without them killing us. Our guide took us out to the Everglades, and after a bit of a hike we were definitely in gator county. I was a little worried about De Keyzer because while most of us might end up losing an arm or leg, his small frame would probably be gobbled up in one bite. It turns out that Hugo and I were the stupid ones. We ended up cutting a path through tons of brush and getting within a couple feet of a really mean looking one. Had he been hungry, there’s no chance we would’ve been able to move through that brush fast enough to avoid some very cool scars.

Concrete skateboarding

Mitch Barrette frontboard

“Mitch ended up going for a ‘walk’ on the beach with the looker of the group.”

Hardly The End After a week in a filthy cramped hotel room (De Keyzer wouldn’t even use the washroom) and an even dirtier van, I actually felt quite comfortable on the flight home in an economy seat with a rather large man sitting next to me, taking up what seemed like half my seat. By this point, it was the most personal space I had all week. There was no way I would’ve been able to handle the long drive back to Toronto in that van. From the reports I got, the ride home was 52

Concrete skateboarding

a bit mellower than the drive down (they were out of Red Bull and fireworks). I did, however, hear rumours of a full search and another three-hour wait at the border while the guards did their best to get De Keyzer to tell them where the others were hiding their drugs.

he texts,‘Yo, you got any tree?’ The border dude took my phone and read the message, then searched the whole van. He cornered poor Bobby to try and get all this information about us. They finally let us go and to this day we still hate on Wade for sending that stupid text.”

TJ Rogers: “My friend Wade Power was in

Needless to say, if we go back to Miami next year, I’ll fly down again to meet these guys and might even splurge and get my own room.

North Carolina and was also on his way back to Toronto. He got through the border a bit before us, but while we were going through

Bobby De Keyzer backside flip

â&#x20AC;&#x153;...The guards did their best to get De Keyzer to tell them where the others were hiding their drugs.â&#x20AC;?

Concrete skateboarding

CHAD HELLER

JON HUBER MIKE LAW REX MARTIN AARON FANUZZI BILLY MOYLE folioskateboards.com (406) 696 - 1513 www.myspace.com/folioboards

PAT BYRD

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; L L I M 51

RE-MIX

Distributed by Ultimate / Wick Winder

www.hubbawheels.com

Concrete skateboarding

Penticton

Pirates Underworld Goes Yard Camping

words

Lee Saunders Rich Odam

photos and captions

We were a pack of weekend warriors going upcountry to escape our regular lives as urban skateboarders. The constant city-life ritual had spoiled our skateboard love, and we needed an adventure to revive our passion and ease our heartaches. We left the bustling Vancouver metropolis to discover the gems hidden inside BCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Okanagan Valley, with nothing more to merge into but small towns filled with fresh air, crystal clear lakes, untouched skate spots and simple living. With assistance from Underworld we were able to mix seasoned veterans with some bright-eyed stars of tomorrow. This camping adventure to the unknown reinforced our friendships and brought a sense of calmness. The city tends to harden your soul while the countryside can soften it. Our big heads deflated like the river dinghies we floated on down the Penticton River Channel. Everyone experienced the great natural wonders outside of the city limits. Going up-country was the best escape for us all.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jarvis Nigelsky

Concrete skateboarding

“…Waiting for everyone and playing luggage Tetris...” The trip started as any usual skate trip: meet up at a skatepark, pack everything into the vehicles, crack a few road pops, and head out along the open road. But everyone knows how that goes. Basically, only a few of us arrived at the scheduled time while the rest of the crew was still packing their shit or forgetting something vital, like the video cameras. The trip consisted of the west coast Underworld team: Dustin Montie, Chad Dickson, Hayden Kelly, Micky Papa, Arte Lew, Jamin Shepit, Dan Redmond, myself [Lee Saunders], along with special friends, Justin Allain, Rich Odam, Jarvis Nigelsky, Mitch Francis, and Brandon Alton. 58

Concrete skateboarding

After a long game of waiting for everyone and playing luggage Tetris, we finally got everything packed in and organized, then headed out on the road.

“We all woke up with a welt or two...” The Okanagan Valley is one of the best places in Canada that I’ve ever visited. It’s got a huge-ass lake, friendly people, and beaches filled with sexy bikinis – the perfect destination to try out my new perv sunglasses. Our first home-base was in a town called Naramata, just 20-minutes outside of downtown Penticton. Naramata’s so small that it reminds you of the movie The Hills Have Eyes, where everyone stares at you. Dan Redmond’s friend, Jeff Pacheco,

Micky papa

frontside flip Micky is a machine, and was always good times on this trip. This double in Kelowna is a little weird since the bottom set is on an angle, which makes it a bit longer to clear. I also learned two things about Micky on this trip that I didn’t know: he’s got mad skills at foosball, and his beer tolerance count is two cans.

Arte Lew

tailslide shove to tailslide fakie Arte and Micky would always hang together. On the last day of the trip, Arte woke up really early and started skating on the street. I’m not sure what got into him – he probably had a dream about skateboarding and felt the need to bust some moves at 6am. He also shared a two-person tent with Micky and ‘lil Hayden.

Concrete skateboarding

Dan Redmond

backside nollie flip to fakie manny 180 out We spent about 90% of the time stationed in Penticton, which is Redmond’s hometown. Everywhere we’d go he’d bump into someone he knew. Girls would come up to him and say hi, even though he’d never met them before. I guess he’s kind of a big deal there.

Concrete skateboarding

let us pitch our tents in his backyard. It was funny watching Mitch Francis set up his tent because he had no poles for it. He eventually pulled a MacGyver and rigged it to a tree. Jeff has a huge house right by the lake, and it’s the ultimate party place with an air-hockey table, classic arcade, and foosball. We brought our own party supplies there, like a pellet gun and a shitload of Coors Light. The first night was your normal get-your-drink-on night, but there’s one thing I should mention about being drunk and playing with pellet guns: Just don’t do it. We all thought it would be a good idea to shoot beer cans off the balcony until I thought it would be a better idea to put them on my head and give everyone a more challenging target. I think we all woke up with a welt or two in the morning, and the brisk lake water was a perfect way to shake that nasty hangover. I mean, who needs a shower when you have a bar of soap and the Okanagan Lake to rinse off in? Towards the end of the trip, everybody got dunked one way or another.

“What goes around comes around.” It’s always fun going on trips with people that are way younger than you. I like to call them The ‘Lil Shits, with Hayden Kelly being one of them. After a few shotguns, this little trooper was always trying to find ways to annoy people, whether it was running his mouth or lighting fire crackers under your chair when you’d least expect it. But you know how the saying goes: “What goes around comes around.” That morning, Justin Allain thought it would be a good idea to drag Hayden out of his tent, duct tape him to a chair, and hose him down. Later, Justin carried him off onto the dock while we all sat at the edge laughing at him, enjoying our coffee and cigarettes. Micky Papa quickly became the MVP of the trip by skating every spot. He had something insane to bring to the table – hella foot control. I don’t know how that ‘Lil Shit does it. Micky and Arte Lew would awaken at 6am and bomb the hills; we’d hear them walk back up the hill and do it again until we all woke up. On the other end of the spectrum, Dustin Montie and Justin Allain got along like sisters. They always found a way to have a good time. One time, while the others were skating a back-alley

ledge, both of them dipped into Slack Alice’s, the local strip club, to keep the blood flowing.

“Nothing is better than a fresh pair.” Even though we were only in the Okanagan for six days, it still wasn’t enough time to skate everything. It’s like a little Canadian skate paradise tucked away. Dan Redmond is a true Penticton local, so he knows all the gems. But skating there in the summer is tough – it’s hella hot in the Okanagan. You basically skate for ten minutes, find shade, then drink tons of water for another ten. Every day the temperature was at least thirtyabove. During our adventures, we ended up in Kelowna to hang out with all the locals. Morgan Hystad happened to be at the Ben Lee skatepark. He graciously showed us some street spots in town, and that’s when we ended up at the sickest place – a huge stair set for all the jumpers, and a buttery ass curved ledge for the low impact skaters. Even the security guard was surprisingly outgoing. As skateboarders, when we see a fake cop we immediately think we’re getting kicked out, but this security guard ended up watching the session go down. When

nightfall reached us, we decided to head back to base. Morgan ended up hopping in the van with us and had nothing but a t-shirt, a couple of silly sticks, and some dirty deodorant. He managed to stay with us for the remainder, although I felt bad for all of us because he had no extra socks. Morgan probably wore the same pair for three straight days before I finally hooked him up. Nothing is better than a fresh pair.

“…They always had dirty burgers.” Being on the road for a week gets exhausting. You live a totally different lifestyle and develop habits that you normally wouldn’t have at home. The kids were the worst when it came to food – they always had dirty burgers. Breakfast was an important part for all us since we needed that lasting energy to get through the day. I recommend going to a local restaurant called Bear’s Den [950 W. Westminster Ave, Penticton] – the best bigportion and greasy breakfast ever. It’s also a good place to people-watch. It was the Pacific Northwest Elvis Festival that week, so there were plenty of fat Elvis impersonators to keep our morning conversations enjoyable. Concrete skateboarding

Dustin Montie

frontside board Montie always took the opportunity to throw Hayden into the lake either by just pushing him off, or by physically carrying him there on his shoulders and diving in with him. This frontside board across and down the rail was the last skate photo of the trip.

“I guess he didn’t have the ball hair...” It seems like every time a crew gets together to travel, there’s always a nonsense saying that everybody repeats throughout the trip, kind of like an inside joke that only the people on the trip get. Ours was “Ball Hair.” I’m not too sure how this came about, but it was pretty much used in every situation – a funny phrase, yet very awkward at times. We had gotten into the habit of heckling people while driving past them, and if an award for heckling existed, Jamin Shepit would’ve definitely won. While we drove next to a convertible Camaro, Jamin would try to get the driver to say, “Ball Hair.” We drove along this poor sap for at least nine blocks, but he was a little too 62

Concrete skateboarding

embarrassed to play along. I guess he didn’t have the ball hair to man-up. The nightlife in Penticton is pretty funny. If you’re not a local, the women can tell and love you almost right away. We were skating a random downtown Penticton spot when a few girls crossed our path; of course when you’ve got 13 guys, you know somebody is going to make a comment. The girls immediately mentioned cheap drinks – an offer we couldn’t refuse. We ended up getting on a guest-list at a local nightclub, where we stood out like sore thumbs. All the guys mean-grilled us, and the only way we could’ve fit in was by wearing an Ed Hardy t-shirt or Tap-Out gear.

Lee Saunders

nosebluntslide Lee was one of the funniest dudes on the trip. Even when he’d be stressing at a spot and getting mad, he’d turn around and make us all laugh – a super good attitude when people start getting on each other’s nerves at times.

Concrete skateboarding

Hayden Kelly

backside nosegrind Hayden’s Mom sent him on the trip with some sweet banana bread and brownies, so he was everyone’s best friend real quick. He’d also be shit disturbing constantly, whether it be farting on Justin’s face, dropping fireworks in the fire-pit while everyone sat around it, or trying to fight Redmond. Everyone loved hanging with him ‘cause you’d be laughing your ass off sooner or later. He can also keep up with the big boys when it comes to shot-gunning beers.

“…Even the ducks followed us.” We camped out in Dan Redmond’s folks’ backyard in Penticton on the last few days of the trip. Their home is pimp, and they’re the coolest parents I’ve ever met. We set up our tents on the hard and bumpy grass, while Rich Odam had his own little guest room in the basement. It looked like he was moving in, with picture frames of his family to put on the shelves, and all his stuff neatly placed. For the trip ender, there was nothing better than cruising down the Penticton Channel. Everybody was flat broke at this point, but we all managed to gather enough money to buy ourselves some dinghies. Some chose air mattresses, some chose tubes, and some of us even had oneman boats. But Morgan Hystad was the only one who bought an inflatable crocodile. It was one big party on the river that lasted 90 minutes – even the ducks followed us. As the sun dipped behind the mountains, Micky Papa and Arte Lew got out of the river early to get the van and pick us up. An hour had gone by as we waited for them, and we began to worry. After finding a ride back to the vehicle, the only sign that they weren’t lost was Arte’s wet shoes next to the van. Finally, we spotted them skating the park and they had totally forgotten about picking us up. ‘Lil Shits! After traveling to the Okanagan, partying, throwing people in the water, shooting pellet guns at each other, skating in the hot sun, and picking on Hayden Kelly, it was finally time to head back to reality and 64

Concrete skateboarding

rejoin our city lives. Everybody brought a unique trait to this trip that balanced everything out. If I have any advice to give anyone out there, it would probably be: GO YARD CAMPING IN THE OKANAGAN.

Concrete skateboarding

$!22%. .!6!22%44%

#/2.%2 !)2 ). 4(% 6!-0 #(/0 4/0 0(/4/ 37)&4

6!-0 #(/0 4/0 ",!#+ '2%%. 7()4% #2%!452%

6!-0 #(/0 4/0 ",!#+ 7()4% 2%$ ./7 02/5$,9 $)342)"54%$ "9 7)#+7).$%2 $)342)"54)/. !6!),!",% !4 9/52 ,/#!, 3+!4% 3(/0

6/8&//47%!2 #/-

words

Stacy Gabriel Brian Caissie

photos

Kamloops, British Columbia – The Loops, Fruit Loops, Camel Poops…these are just a few nick-names the small city has acquired over the years. But don’t let those goofy names fool you, because there’s a lot more to Kamloops than the world thinks. Something you might not know about Kamloops is that it’s labeled “The Tournament Capital of Canada”. I guess at some point a group of either heat-stroked or frost-bitten-crazies decided to self-label us as the hot spot for sports tournaments. I’m not sure if it’s the dry 30-below winters or the above-30 arid summers, but just like any other small city in the Okanagan, we have our fair share of interesting characters that flock to the city like a fake Elvis conference in Vegas. Good-Times Guide of The ‘Loops Skateboarding-wise, Kamloops has a little bit more to offer than some of the other places in the Interior. Besides having a 34,000 square foot skatepark – the largest in BC, located in McArthur Island Park – we have some of the best spots. We weren’t always so lucky, though. Growing up, we had the worst skatepark at first, which makes it crazy that we ended up having skaters motivated enough to get good. As for the nightlife, head to The Max [205 Lorne St.] on Wednesday nights if you’re looking to get grimy, or head to “Totally Boss” on Friday nights at Grasshoppers [1435 Summit Dr.]. During the day, go for a swim and some cliff jumping in the Thompson River, or drive out to Shuswap Lake while you wait until the day cools down before heading to the skatepark; you might also be able to witness some drug-induced park rats fight in the grass if you’re lucky. And if you’re looking for a good place to eat, hit up Senior Froggy’s Mexican restaurant [700 Fortune Dr.] – it’s really close to the skatepark and you won’t be disappointed. Tranquille Kamloops has an abandoned city within the city that’s ten minutes away from the skatepark. This place is straight out of a horror movie with things like bloodstains on walls, overly tall grass, unstable floors, and a rusty children’s playground that creaks in the wind. It has underground tunnels and lots of houses to check out, but the owners live on the property and there are sensors placed all over the little city so you have to watch out. You might be asking, “Why is it there?” In 1905 they were looking for a place to build a tuberculosis hospital and found the ideal spot by the Thompson River, just west of the where the Kamloops airport now sits. It was used as a tuberculosis sanatorium for 51 years until it was converted into mental health institution. In 1984 they kicked everyone out with plans of making a resort called Padova, which never happened. On a more positive note, Kamloops recently decided to move ahead with a 250 million dollar, 45-acre theme park – Sedric’s Adventure Resort – that’ll be located on the Kamloops Indian Reserve. The first phase is slated for 2010 – a 17-acre water park that will be the largest in Canada.

Concrete skateboarding

Tournament Capital Talent

The

Kamloops Trio Concrete skateboarding

captions by

Brian Caissie

Concrete skateboarding

Known as a mellow guy, Derek Swaim is pretty damn entertaining. He knows all the spots in Kamloops and drove us to them in the “Afghan Limo” – a beautiful 1980 Mercedes. The Limo got us in trouble because a lot of security recognized it, so an excuse like, “We’re not from around here, we didn’t know we couldn’t skate here,” was hard to pull off. Like most Canadian spots, this one has its share of rough ground and no run-up. With a quick drop and one push, Derek rolls up slow and pops a high frontside flip over the kinked rail.

Swaim Derek

This famous blue bar in the ‘Loops is pretty amazing. It’s the perfect height and really long with a mellow kink, but as per usual you do get kicked out fast. It’s behind a busy store, so you’ve gotta get to it quick. This trick is always a bit scary ‘cause you’ll go down hard if you miss your pop, flick or slide. Luckily for Derek, Kamloops’ massive skatepark is right by his house so he can practice moves all day long. A few minutes after we showed up to this spot, he pulled a kickflip frontboard two times in a row – one for a sequence, and one for video.

Concrete skateboarding

Being from Kamloops, Matt Berger is excited to skate anything new. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure a lot of skaters have walked by this spot in Vancouver and never noticed it. Usually, it takes a visitor like Berger to see the spots that the locals take for granted, and this backside flip is a perfect example. Every time he comes to Vancouver, I always hear crazy stories of tricks heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pulled during his short stay.

Concrete skateboarding

Berger Matt

On my last trip to this Kamloops spot, we got kicked out in seconds, which is why no oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ever skated it. A virgin spot in a small city is hard to come by, which is why I really wanted to go back and shoot something. The bar was really rusty, so they waxed the hell out of it in true â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Loops fashion. With security walking over to kick us out, Matt kept running back for more, and landed this backside feeble pop-over three times before we got the official boot. Concrete skateboarding

Sometimes, you can find spots just by looking in your own backyard. This one is close to my house in Vancouver, so I brought Stacy Gabriel to it while he was visiting from the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Loops. He claims immunity to all forms of brain freeze, so after inhaling a bunch of ice cream, a frontside bigspin fakie manny crossed his mind. A few days later, I tried to go back to this spot but it was torn out and replaced with a house. This is the first and last sequence there. 74

Concrete skateboarding

This is Kamloopsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; version of the spot that everyone looks at but no one tries. The poles at the bottom are much closer than you think â&#x20AC;&#x201C; your heels and toes can easily hit them during the ride-through. After a few scary bails into the poles, Stacy popped this frontside 180 over the rail, cruising fakie down the bank and through the narrow middle.

Stacy Stacy

Gabriel

Concrete skateboarding

photos

Dan Mathieu

Mike McKinlay / Texas Plant

on skull skates’ “Salty Dog tour” of Canada’s east coast. the trip also featured Barry Walsh, marc tison, bill danforth, deer man, and brent jordan. it was skull’s first-ever tour since it began in 1978.

subscribe online

bill danforth, layback Concrete skateboarding published 7 times a year // 6 issues plus the special-edition photo annual. a one-year subscription is $19.95 (including shipping and taxes). concrete skateboarding subscriptions:

150 - 11780 river road, richmond, bc. v6x 1z7

CONCRETESKATEBOARDING.com

PhOto GAlLERY 78

Concrete skateboarding

Mark Froelich

backside 180 nosegrind photo Hendrik Herzmann

Concrete skateboarding

AJ Mcallister

backside 180 fakie manny bigspin kickflip out photo Andrew Koronovich

Concrete skateboarding

Tyler Holm

kickflip frontboard photo Jesse Taylor

Concrete skateboarding

Richard Sarrazin frontside air

photo Ian docherty

Concrete skateboarding

PhOto GAlLERY

Brandon Del Bianco

frontside crooked grind photo Andrew Norton

Concrete skateboarding

Josiah Gatlyn 360 flip to fakie

photo Stephen Denton

Concrete skateboarding

Mike McDermott

frontside bluntslide backside flip out photo Eric Palozzolo

Grant Patterson

frontside nollie 180 heelflip photo Jody Morris

Concrete skateboarding

PhOto GAlLERY Mitch Pryma frontside 5-0

photo Dave Todon

Concrete skateboarding

ERIK ELLINGTON / JIM GRECO / TERRY KENNEDY / DAN MURPHY ANTWUAN DIXON / LIZARD / GREG MYERS / CHAD MUSKA / TOM PENNY KR3WDENIM.COM / ONEDIST.COM

Young Christopher Bloods St-Cyr

Age: 20 Lives: Montreal, QC Sponsors: Deathwish, Palm Isle skateshop

Chris is gnar. He’s always been the gnarliest skater around Montreal. I mean, even from back when we were kids he was always the one pushing it. He’s got so much board control that nothing scares him, and I’m not talking about some kid just jumping down big shit. Chris has more skills and style than we could ever dream of. After taking it mellow for a while, working in construction and just livin’, he’s back on his board and destroying everything. —Antoine Asselin 90

Concrete skateboarding

geoff clifford photos

ollie over to nosebluntslide

w w w . w i c kw i n d e r . c o m

Young Ian Bloods Gauthier

Age: 21 Lives: Ottawa, ON Sponsors: EQ skateshop, Annum clothing

My boy since day one! Polite, motivated, and underrated come to mind when I think of Ian. While others go back to the same old spots, Ian is always searching for untouched terrain. I can always count on him to be down for a mission, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a 3am uncapping or just kicking back for a few brews with the homies. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Mitch Barrette

Concrete skateboarding

terry worona photos

360 flip

CANADIAN TEAM LEE YANKOU*MITCH BARETTE*DUSTIN MONTIE*ANDREW CLASSON*LEE SAUNDERS JOSH KLINE*GAB LALANDE*CASEY MACDONALD*SCOTT DAILEY DISTRIBUTED BY NO LIMITS, CA

geoff clifford photos

Young Max Bloods Fine

Age: 19 Lives: Toronto, ON Sponsors: Hurley

Max is on fire! As you can tell from the above sequence, he has some skills and style on a skateboard. He learns tricks at the Dunbat park too easily. It’s also impossible to not like Max – he’s always positive, down to skate and have a good time. Overall, he’s a good homie that kills it. Keep ripping, duder! —Lee Yankou

Concrete skateboarding

Brian Caissie

nosegrind Nollie flip out

q q v` q`q qJ 3q q q ! 3q q qpq q ! 3q q q`q q q 3q q

qpq q 3q q q

** q q h q q ** 3q q q !* 3q q q`q q M q q *q q !q q q q q `q ` `q q `qo8ntW8o t

qJ 3q v ` q q !q

q q

Whitby, Ontario’s TJ ROGERS might be rocking S Club 7 on his iPod with a genuine air of happiness rather than a this-is-a-joke smile, but don’t hold that against him. The kid knows how to roll, and we took notice by giving him a feature interview in #99 (April ’09). As this issue’s review page guest, TJ was very enthusiastic about streaming a couple of free web vids – Globe’s United By Fate Episode 5 and Nike SB’s Debacle – and letting us know what he thought.

photo samantha barber

VideoReviews Debacle – Nike Sb

The intro to Nike SB’s Debacle is gnar. I thought Justin Brock was going to lose his legs ollieing onto that car! The editing of this video by Jason Hernandez is creative, and the skating is sick. Daryl Angel is a nut bar with sick style that stands out, and a good collection of tricks. I don’t get how Grant Taylor comes up with some of his tricks. Didn’t he just come out with a bangin’ part in Mind Field? Crazy. Debacle is also sick because it’s not your ordinary YouTube web video. It’s free to stream on your computer in HD, or you can download it to your hard drive or iPod. You’ll also find parts from Shane O’Neill and Theotis Beasley (their combo-part is so good), David Clark, and Justin Brock (his triple-set 3-flip is bonkers!). I sometimes wondered if all the rebel glass smashing in the video was scripted. According to the credits, it was. I give Debacle an 8.8 out of 10.

nike.com/nikeskateboarding/debacle

United By Fate 5 – Globe

I’ve always liked Globe’s online video series, but I don’t always make it through a whole episode. United By Fate Episode 5 definitely caught my eye with Ryan Decenzo just killing it. I liked the skatepark montage intro part with the rest of the team, but it seemed so long because everything was in slow-motion – I found it started to get dull. But I can basically say that Ryan Decenzo is my favourite skateboarder ever after watching his feature part. All his tricks were so well popped, flicked, and caught perfectly. Nollie El Toro!? Like, WTF. And that wasn’t even his ender. Ryan is next-level and deserves everything he’s getting if not more! One edit that’s super crazy is when he frontside flips a 5 block, then it rewinds in slow-mo back to the top, and he hits the same set with a hardflip. The song – Kenny Rogers’ “Just Dropped In” – went well with his section.

unitedbyfate.tv

—TJ Rogers

Fun! – Powell I’m not a big Star Trek fan, but I recently checked out the franchise’s latest film at a midnight screening. I thought I’d pick it apart, poke some fun at it, and basically just enjoy the whole experience for what it was – a shitty bigbudget space flick. About twenty minutes into the film, I started changing my opinion fast. I couldn’t deny the fact that I was buying into the cheesy storyline, and actually anticipating what was going to happen next. A week later, I had the same experience at the FUN! premiere. I attended to see Jordan Hoffart’s turning-Pro-part and that’s about it. Not to be a dick or anything, I just wasn’t that hyped. But as soon as the video started, my opinion changed really fast. This movie has some very good skateboarding in it. I wasn’t familiar with all the names, but you could tell that they’ve been stocking up on the footage for a while. It might not be the best edited skate video of all time, or have the best soundtrack, but I would definitely suggest putting it on your must-see list. Watching the Hoffart part and this Ben Hatchell kid’s part are worth the price of the DVD alone. By the way, congrats to Jordan for getting that board with his name on it. It’s well deserved. —Ben Stoddard

The Blind Video – Blind While we were working on Concrete’s retrospective 100th Issue, I was in touch with Blind TM/Brand Manager – the illustrious Bill Weiss. We wanted to include him in #100 (mission accomplished), but there was an underlying theme while we played e-mail tag. “I am swamped finishing The Blind Video,” was one succinct iPhone reply I received from him at the time, and an understandable one since he was in post-production editing mode. The Blind Video is as straight-up as the title implies. And while the company’s latest effort comes off as slightly generic in its overall presentation, it fully delivers in the most important department: skateboarding. The Blind Video opens up with a healthy part from Markham’s Morgan Smith (along with an extra full Morg part in the bonus), and it’s very apparent that Curitiba, Brazil’s Danny Cerezini is technically gifted. Just when I was wondering where the hell Grant Patterson’s been, he’s flicking and boosting double-XL bangers to “Ghetto” by Jeru the Damaja. All is well. Ronnie Creager doesn’t miss a beat in the ripping category, and Jake Duncombe shows us that all beer and no calisthenics can still produce a shralpy result. Helsinki, Finland’s Jani Laitiala has quite the unique style going on; he takes hold of the final fade with a valiant effort backed by the eyeliner sounds of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like The Wolf”. But if you’ve only got time for one part before the sesh, make it Morgan’s.

—Frank Daniello 98

Concrete skateboarding

Shoe vaultsTHE DC Howard Dan Watson

shoe photos owen woytowich

words

Back in the late ‘90s, DC Shoes was pretty stacked with riders from the Girl/Chocolate camp. Mike Carroll, Rick Howard, Scott Johnston, Rudy Johnson, and Stevie Williams were all one-time DC riders with the Pro shoes to match. However, these people eventually left the company – Carroll and Howard started Lakai Limited Footwear in 1999, and Williams went on to strike a multimillion dollar deal with Reebok. But during their tenure with DC, all of these riders left some classic Pro models that were highly sought after by skate shoe enthusiasts. Of all the Pro shoes left behind, the DC Howard models stand far and above the rest in terms of style. The Howard 1, released in spring 1998, was one of those shoes that had to grow on you. However, the initial reaction to the shoe did not have it flying off of the shelves. As people got used to the style, and more importantly skated in it, the Howard 1 quickly became a favourite amongst skaters everywhere. As we all know, the late ‘90s was a crazy time for skate shoe designs, and much less emphasis was placed on functionality. The first Howard Pro model really stood out as a shoe that not only looked good, but also skated well. Reflective accents and an innovative sole featuring crystal clear rubber ensured that 100

Concrete skateboarding

the shoe could hold its own stylistically, while the relatively slim upper and grippy tread made sure it didn’t feel like you were trying to kickflip with bricks on your feet. The model initially came out in the three classic colours that all shoes seemed to come out in at the time: black, white, and navy, with a late release of a grey colourway in the fall of ‘98. In fact, these four colours were the only ones ever released. During this time in DC’s history, shoes would usually only be out for a year or so, at which point the Pros would design and release a new style. By the time summer 1999 rolled around, the Howard 1 was gone and the Howard 2 was released. The Howard 2 was not a major departure from the original. Using the exact same sole, it focused on changing the upper of the shoe into a mid-top, also adding a Velcro strap. Functionally, the shoe felt and skated very much the same as the first Howard. In fact, in a Big Brother interview that came out around the same time as the shoe’s release, Rick Howard spoke about how he liked his first model but was having ankle problems and decided to add the Velcro strap for support. The Howard 2 was actually the first skate shoe to incorporate a Velcro ankle strap – a

feature borrowed from Nike’s Air Force One. Look at the shoe wall in any skateshop across Canada nowadays, and it’s easy to see how influential this design feature would become. Following tradition, the Howard 2 came out in a black model, as well as a white one. To round out the three-colourway release rule of the time, a grey model with orange accents was released. An all-navy model with neon green accents showed up in catalogs, but never made it into shops. A third Howard model – named the “Kovar” – was subsequently released, but failed to hit as hard functionally and stylistically as the first two models. Shortly thereafter, Carroll and Howard quit DC to start Lakai. Overall, the first two Howard models on DC are going down in history as having all the elements that make a skate shoe truly classic. The design stood out when it was released, and a decade later it still stands the test of time. Rick Howard’s most recent model on Lakai, simply called the “Rick”, is based on the Howard 1. So for all you people wanting to get a piece of the Howard shoe legacy, there’s still hope for you.

April 14, 2009 - East Los Angeles, California timebombtrading.com stickers@timebomb.bc.ca

Sound check words

Jenny Charlesworth

3 inches of blood

photo

Omer Cordell

Cam Pipes, the 3 Inches of Blood frontman, insists that the Vancouver-based metal freaks never intended to spur an international Star Search-style casting call when they announced earlier this year that the band was on the hunt for a new bassist. But from the sounds of things, that’s exactly what has happened. “We’ve had a lot of inquiries from the States and a lot of Canadians… even people from as far away as Germany,” says Pipes on the line with Concrete from his Vancity apartment. “We didn’t do an open call per se, we just posted on a few well-read message boards – the response has been pretty crazy.” Losing bass player Nick Cates may have thrown a wrench into 3 Inches’ plans, but the upcoming release of Here Waits Thy Doom this September is a clear indication that the fierce outfit has soldiered on. With guitarists Justin Hagberg and Shane Clark filling the bass vacancy on the new disc, fans can rest assure that the band’s fourth record and Century Media debut is chocked full of the same brutality and gut-wrenching terror that made 2007’s Fire Up The Blades a favourite amongst the metal set. Drawing on the primal intensity that initially sparked interest in the heavy rockers close to a decade ago when the 3 Inches banner was first raised, Here Waits Thy Doom is a blistering assault of pounding sonic wrath with an intense thrash-flavouring. Lyrically, Pipes reveals that the new album is a bit of a departure from earlier material. “We’re known for writing about mythological fantasy stuff, but not as much of that is prevalent on this one,” he explains. “There’s still stuff about battles and warfare, but we’ve gone into other stuff like our personal experiences – like being on tour.” The mighty group has also taken the opportunity this time around to celebrate its love of Canadian classic rock. Trying its hand at the Bachman-Turner Overdrive national treasure, “Not Fragile”, 3 Inches 102

Concrete skateboarding

pulverizes the nostalgic tune with menacing growls and heavy riffs. It’s a badass nod to the group’s national identity and more than holds its own amongst the gnarly tales of apocalyptic zombie attacks and gruesome Viking massacres also featured on the release. “Being from Canada in a lot of ways helps us stand out as a band. People are like, ‘Oh, they’re that Canadian band’,” says Pipes of the decision to play-up the outfit’s Canadian roots with the cover.

His modesty is sort of endearing, but judging from 3 Inches’ growing popularity, it’s safe to say that the band’s high profile rests on more than just its connection to Timbits and shitty Molson beer. Why else would Nike 6.0 release the Blood Oncore High – a limited edition street shoe designed in collaboration with the notorious BC metallers. As skateboarders know, getting your own shoe marks the pinnacle of your career and according to Pipes, it’s no different for musicians. “I want to keep the shoe fresh and in mint condition; more like a trophy or an award than a piece of clothing,” he explains. “I’m going to give some [shoes] to my parents and other family members, but I don’t expect most of them to wear them – it’s just like a souvenir.” With a lush pair of Blood Oncore Highs proudly displayed on his mantel, an album in the can, and auditions for a new bassist well under way, it seems as though Pipes is on a roll. So how is it that the extreme vocalist has managed to weather so many grueling years of playing shit-hole clubs and smelly tour van rides to get to this point? “It’s just all the desire to do it,” says Pipes. “It’s all about finding the right people who have the same desire to want to do this, and have equal passion for the music we all play.” 3inchesofblood.com

Dylan Rieder Books

1. Hot Water Music 2. Keith Richards: The Biography 3. Elliott Smith And The Big Nothing 4. The Outsiders 5. Everyone Poops

Possessions 1. Bed 2. TV 3. My strings 4. iPod 5. Right hand

Bands

1. B.R.M.C – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 2. Syd Barrett 3. Townes Van Zandt 4. Elliott Smith 5. Pink Floyd

Movies

1. Irreversible 2. Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt 3. Meeting People Is Easy 4. Gangs of New York 5. Five Easy Pieces

Video Parts

1. Jake Johnson – Mind Field 2. Heath Kirchart – Sight Unseen 3. Jon Goemann – Slave Promo 4. Nick Trapasso – Suffer the Joy 5. Arto Saari – Sorry

Earth Elements 1. The snow 2. The sun 3. The mountains 4. The ocean 5. The desert

Habits 1. Eat 2. Sleep 3. Move 4. Travel 5. Learn

Tour Pals

1. The Pink Panther 2. Donald Duck 3. Mighty Mouse 4. The Tin Man 5. Roger Rabbit

104

Concrete skateboarding

photo ryan allan

the Five Spot

P H O T O _

C O R E Y

S M I T H

2 0 0 9 A D S _ CSMITH C O P Y R I G H T

2 0 0 9

P I N K

9 4 9 . 5 7 4 . 9 1 4 2

C O R E Y S M I T H F E L T L E T T E R I N G

T H E

W O R L D

F I G H T E R S

DISREGARD OF THE CONSEQUENCES.

IN BOARD SPORTS, FASHION, ART, AND MUSIC THEIR OWN WAY, WITH COMPLETE

DAY LIFE BUT USE IT TO CREATIVELY PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT’S POSSIBLE

THERE WHO NOT ONLY EMBRACE THE RAWNESS AND IMPERFECTIONS OF EVERY

COMUNE WAS FORMED FROM THE IDEA THAT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE OUT

S A V E

S T R E A M E R

T O

S C U L P T U R E

S T E A L T H

C A N V A S

C O M I N G

W O O D

Don ‘MAD Carver’ Hartley 1957-2009

When you leave here, how do you want people to talk about you? How will we remember you? What will be your epitaph? Heavy questions. But it’s been a heavy time for many Canadian skateboarders as we come to terms with the passing of a Vancouver legend – Don “Mad Carver” Hartley. Rad dad, selfless friend, reggae DJ, beacon of positivity, sushi connoisseur, slasher, ripper and stylin’ master carver – all of these and so much more could be said of Don. He was a person that touched so many different people on so many levels. Don might best be remembered as the ultimate skate-rat. That may sound weird, but truly did embody the soul of skating. From the time he got his first board at the age of 12, until the moment he passed, he lived the life of a skater. In his 40 years on the board, he never once stopped charging and looking for the next sesh. Gernerations of skaters knew Don as style epitomized. I knew him as a friend who knew where he was going, but always took the time to check where he had been...with a smile. If you’ve ever seen him skate North Vancouver’s Seylynn, you know what I’m talking about. Keep carving, Don. Keep carving... —Chris ‘Cuz’ Parry

106

Concrete skateboarding

www.momentumskate.com photo: Caissie

T H E C R U I Z E R IN BLACK FULL-GRAIN LEATHER CHAD MUSKA / ERIK ELLINGTON / JIM GRECO / TERRY KENNEDY / TOM PENNY / ANTWUAN DIXON / FURBY / SPENCER HAMILTON SPENCER HAMILTON THREE FLIP

SU PRAFOOTWEAR.COM

Jordan Hoffart

Distributed by Ultimate

INDEPENDENTTRUCKS.COM

Introducing the new Reynolds Cruisers

Designed by Andrew for total shred �ing or just cruising around, the new Reynolds Cruisers not only lo�k ste�zy, they feature a full-length System G2™ foot-bed for unparal�eled protection and comfort!

Emericaskate.com/cruisers

timebombtrading.com stickers@timebomb.bc.ca