Concussion 20 by Davoud Kermaninejad

97377 96425

park, which is closed due to thinking about riding the Berkeley So the other day me and Dave were getting a $150 ticket if you get risk you but , skate and fence the toxic waste politics. One can hop roll the dice and go ride San Pablo a few minutes we decided to not always a caught. After mulling it over for near my house. It’s pretty much is which ub batht a bling resem pool of pool instead, the tight square time but lately it hasn’t been the the all there ride to used We go and the bust factor is low. ay we were riding for maybe a half do anything good in there. Anyw d out. choice since we suck too much to end pocket when my wheels slippe deep the in s grind ide backs get ened. I tried hour and I was trying to before I even knew what had happ m botto flat the ked smac head Coming off the wall my rest in the deep end. After a coued to close my eyes and take a little ” Dave replied, and to get up but was dizzy so I decid “No I don’t think you’re OK, dude, up. got and OK” I’m think “I had sprung a head My . ple seconds I said, drain the near ting the pool of blood collec e years, but was coupl a I knew what he meant when I saw in ER the to been ’t emergency room. I hadn leak and it was off to the Kaiser “$100?,” I cried, “But I have nded $100 from me to be admitted. floored when the receptionist dema I almost decided to go home ged outra so was I up. fees had gone Kaiser insurance?” Apparently the I figured it was probably wise later head my in es stapl hours and nine but the moral of the and deal with it myself, but two park, ley Berke the riding off have been better that I stayed. In the end we may Still, I saved $50 and got . what r matte no taxed get taxed you’ll story is when it’s your time to get grind. - Davoud have to go back and make that some staples to boot. Now I just

Concussion Staff Big Jerk Davoud Kermaninejad Associate Editor Jonathan Hay Mr. Fancy Pants Layout Guy Lee Charron Videographer/Legal Department Dave Amell Photographers Jason Murray Charlie Middleton Bruce Rodela Terry Roland Contributing Photographers Rhino Blair Alley Brendan Klein Gabe Morford Jon Steele Rodent Snapcult James Kotter Mike Yaccarino Paul Wingert Brooks Fritz Brian Fick Uri Korn Eric White Nick Gates Jade Bloom

Writers Dave Amell Paul Morrison Darrel Delgado Nick Gates Chris Tobias Jon Steele Sarah Drexler Simon Hay Dean Starr

Artists Bob Brown

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Product Reviews

All deck reviews this issue. What’s up with that? Hell if we know. Guess nobody sent us any shoes or backpacks or iPods this time. Not that we have ever been sent iPods, but man that Tony Hawk iPod is just screaming for a review. So if you work at Apple or any other company and want to send us some stuff to review, send an email to reviews@concussion.org and we’ll give you a physical address to ship to.

Scum Skates Jimmy the Greek Pro Model Jimmy the Greek rules. I got to skate with him all weekend when he was up here for the “Northwest “premieres that were going on, and he was killing it – on that very deck! Anyway Jason Murray was supposed to review this board, but since he is currently in the hospital with a fractured skull (yikes!) I don’t think he is any shape to write a review of anything but the stars spinning around his head. So yeah, this deck looks pretty kill, but since I don’t have one and haven’t ridden it all I can say is “Shiver me timbers!” I would figure the size is in the 8-8.25” range, and after seeing what the Greek can do on this deck, I’d be hyped if I could skate half as well on it. One thing’s for certain – it’s about time someone gave the Greek a pro model. He’s been pretty much traveling the country and winning most every pool/bowl contest he’s entered in the past couple years so there you have it. And if anyone at Scum wants to actually send us some of these decks we’d be hyped. Fuck yeah. - DK

Super Predator Skateboards There are two kinds of predators in the animal kingdom, those who are merely a link in the food chain and those who are at the top of the food chain. The animals at the top of the food chain consist of mighty beasts such as the lion, tiger, great white shark, alligator, and eagle. They are all super predators. But the baddest super predator of all is the satanic goat, don’t get caught by one of those things after dark. The satanic goat is so badass that they have started screening its image onto skateboard decks, hence the Super Predator line of skateboards. I don’t know how many times we’ve tried to review these things – one time we had a review and had already sold the decks, another time we had the decks but no review. Man we suck. Well we are pleased to finally produce, at the same time, the decks and the review. I’m not going to pretend I rode the board because they’re too small for me, but the concave looks pretty mellow and the evil goat screen is tight. www.hqskate.com

PS – Hope your head gets better soon Murray.

Old Star Skateboards Old Star has had a good shop in Santa Monica for some time, and now they’ve released a line of decks. And man, these decks went pretty fast, I couldn’t even hold onto any of them except the Wee Man model. Jonathan swiped the one with the girl and the star because he liked how it looked and wanted to hang it on his wall or something, and fuckin Lee made off with the rising sun graphic which looked like the perfect size for me. And I’m too old and heavy to ride a skinny board, so I can’t tell you about the Wee Man board. But all of these decks seemed pretty solid and I gladly would’ve rocked either of those decks. Oh well, that’s how it goes. Anyway Old Star rocks, they have a good team which includes Eric D (look for an interview on these pages soon!) so if you ever run across any Old Star decks check ‘em out. - dk www.oldstarskateshop.com

Manik Skateboards I swear to God I rode this skateboard, and that is seriously amazing for one of us to actually set up a skateboard rather than sell it. I made the commitment to do a real-life product review rather than talk about random stuff without touching on the products performance, everybody's doing that anyways. We got some wheels too, I didn't ride the wheels and Davoud said they didn't sell yet. Anyhoo, back to my first-ever-real-deal-straight-up-set-thisshit-up product review... it was a good skateboard...jeez, this is harder than I thought, I mean I didn't break out insane-o new tricks. The shape was good though and not too much concave...uh... fuck this, I'm going back to just selling the shit, anybody wanna lick my butt? Buy these skateboards, these guys are from Seattle and that's cool because Bruce Lee is buried there. - LC www.manikskateboards.com

Skatepark Reviews We have developed a new park rating system here at Concussion. Skulls are out, piles of shit are in. Why? Besides the fact that skulls were cliché, most every park we review is more like a steaming turd than a beautiful cement creation. Whereas before, the more skulls a park got, the better it was - now the more piles of dookie a park gets, the worse it is. A low dookie rating or no dookies means the park is pretty good, and if we ever run across any good parks in California again, we’ll try and let you know that it is not a hunk of shit. But until then.... hold your nose and dive in.

Whoa, Dave got a photo in the mag. Look at that, and it’s not even a backside air. Redwood City channel ollie.

Phil Shao Skatepark Redwood City, CA Man, Wormhoudt has the skatepark design contracts on lockdown in the Bay Area. He designed both the parks on this page, and word has it there’s more to come. Don’t forget about the other handful of parks he’s recently built that we’re not even going to bother to review (Greenfield, Windsor) because they’re too similar. Redwood City is pretty good though, or at least it’s better than some of his other more recent parks like Ben Lomond and Martinez. The “Phil Shao Skatepark” is mostly a bowl park but there is a slight semblance of a street course around the perimeter. Kind of a jacked set up as far as that goes, but I don’t really come to Redwood City to ride the street course. If I did I might be kind of pissed at how it turned out though. The bowl is more original than most Wormhoudt designs, and sports a mostly 6’ deep design with a steep 10’ hip with two adjoining vert pockets, a teardrop hip that turns into a spine (kind of sort of like Marsielle), a somewhat useless channel, and a couple rounded hips. Big thanks goes to Jason Strubing of Skateworks for all of his input on this project, otherwise I have a feeling this park could’ve ended up being yet another stinker. Fortunately it’s not half bad (except for the street course), the trannies in the bowl are pretty consistent, the cement work is a bit rough but overall pretty decent, the coping is set correctly, and they even got the spine right more or less. Horray! There are some blind spots in the bowl which enables two people to drop in/roll in at the same time and so the crash up derby factor is moderate, so be careful if there are bikers lurking or if there is a snake session going on, I got in one particularly nasty collision which left me bruised and limping for a couple weeks. Wormhoudt channels tend to be a joke, he likes to put them in places where you don’t really need a channel (like in a mini bowl), or where they are in the way in your line (like here at Redwood City) so you are forced to deal with it and ollie over them. So deal with it dude. Some of the street course lines interfere with the old dudes standing to drop into the bowl which is kind of thoughtless, they could’ve made it so the decks to the bowl were not also a line to ollie off the lil’ 3 into the street course. What else is there to say about this park? It’s in a community center and baseball field with a lot of old civic minded people so you have to keep your bad habits on the down low, and the cops roll by from time to time although they don’t seem to be enforcing pad rules so strictly, which is nice. Do remember that Redwood City in general is a “Zero Tolerance Zone” so don’t get caught doing anything you shouldn’t be doing because the cops around there really don’t have all that much else to do except bust your stupid ass. Redwood CIty gets one pile of dookie, which isn’t too bad for Wormhoudt. - dk

Sunnyvale Skatepark Sunnyvale, CA “Dude have you been to the new Sunnyvale park?” I don’t know how many times I was asked that question but that question sure was popular. “Man it’s sick, it’s huge and it’s got this bowl...” Pretty much every comment I heard about the park was positive and everyone was hyping it up, so I was a little disappointed when I arrived and saw more Wormhoudt cookie cutter designs. Similar to what Site Design does, Wormhoudt is somewhat notorious for taking the same obstacles from his other “successful” parks and placing them in new positions to create a “new” park. You like that shitty channel he builds at every park, well they got one here too. I never knew you needed a channel in a 4’ bowl but I guess you do. I mean who needs to learn how to drop in when you can roll in every time? How about the roller pump bump thing he likes to put at every park? Got that one, check. The bowled section of this park is a cross between Truckee and maybe other more recent parks like Greenfield. There is a 7’ deep round bowl with some sort of hips and escalators which is ok, and there is also a vert wall/extension thing which constitutes the only real vert in the park. other parts of the bowl end up in the disparagingly small 4’ size, which was somewhat of a disappointment in my view. Even for carving for speed, 4’ bowls don’t really cut it. But I don’t know, I was only at this park once and it was pretty crowded, so I don’t think I have formed a full opinion. The cement is definitely smooth and well done, and the coping is definitely stainless steel shit that doesn’t grind well at all. Whoever was in charge of coping selection needs to get fired. The street course was pretty wide open and didn’t have too many “street” obstacles except for the obligatory pyramid and a kinked flat bank to wall jammer thing similar to what you can find at the Novato park. There were some rails sprinkled around the perimeter, and get this – on the cement edges not “meant” for grinding they have put skate stoppers. That’s right, skate stoppers at a skate park. Can you fucking believe it? Let’s not forget about the cops in Sunnyvale. Word is that they like to show up with 3 rollers in a “sting” operation and bust all y’all for not wearing helmets, knee and elbow pads. And that’s right, that means BOTH elbow pads, just like at Healdsburg. The only thing worse than a generic Wormhoudt skatepark is one where you are criminalized for not wearing all of your required safety gear, and that is potentially what is going on here. I mean anyone can have fun fooling around at a shitty park, but if you are forced to fool around with both elbow and knee pads, then who is the fool, fool? Plop, plop, two turds.

Good thing this photo was shot in Sunnyvale and not Sunnydale, otherwise Buffy would have to drive a stake through the Vertical Vampire’s heart and he’d turn to dust and shit. Now that would really be a disaster.

Zine Reviews Swellbow #7 ($2)

Drop Out #5

Now a swellbow is something I can relate to. The opening page has someone squeezing his swellbow with fluid squirting out. Now I’ve had 100 swellbows, but never have I had fluid squirt out... that’s gnarly. Swellbow is a quality zine from Colorado packed with skate shots, sequences, stories, video reviews, park reviews (Louisville), and some interviews (skate and music). Coverage includes Colorado, Burnside, Illinois, and Australia. One of the best zines out there. Get one now you lazy ass. For a copy send $2 to Swellbow, PO Box 461903, Aurora, Colorado, 80046-1903. (Send stamps get stickers)

This zine starts out with a sensitive intro, “Every day I watch another day of my life pass me by and dream of long summer days of bike riding or late nights playing in a punk rock band. I ‘m not getting any younger. So maybe this zine exists as an example...for me to grab back some of my limited spare time to do something creative.” So, this zine could be seen as a retrospective of Allan McNaughton’s 31 years of living and the good times he’s had. Features include a Tobin Yelland photo gallery with an intro that is by Tobin himself. My favorite shot in the article are these two kids laughing in the back of a cop car, and someone ollieing a bum in France or somewhere in Europe. The rest of the zine is more artsy photo spreads, one freestyle BMX article?, an article about a trip to Paris at the End of the Century, and a photo documentary about the L.A. boxing scene. This zine is random, and that’s why I like it. You will like this too. Yes, you will. Send $2 to Drop Out, PO Box 22971, Oakland CA 94609

Deep End #1 (.25c) This zine from Oakland covers skateboarding with porn clip art thrown in throughout. People they thank: 1)Skateboarding, 2)People who skate, 3)Ashby lumber, 4)All my friends 5)Concrete, 6)Wood, 7)Jim, 8)Joe, 9)Beer, 10)Ana! People they don’t thank: 1)Roller Blades, 2)Razor scooters, 3)People who use these. Need I say more? Ok, I will. Full page skate shots of Marfa and Melcher, some random funny photographs and a road trip story with some jank ass shots of people standing in empty pools holding their skateboards. Guess there were no rippers there that day. Anyway. Good shit. Check it out. It’s funny. And funny is good. (next month interview with Jerry Mathers (that’s the Beaver) and the Hot Dog pool! For a copy send $1 to Deep End, 3266 Louise St. Oakland, CA 94608

The Story of My Scab #6 Someone spent some serious Saturdays swilling soda so six separate copies of this zine could be produced. It is an eclectic scramble of Elvis, Migraine, Superchunk, stories about paraplegics, Drunky the Wetbrain, other zine reviews, Coney Island Mermaid Parades, lots and lots of drawerings, Crimson Sweet, cat’s getting oxygen from the fire crew, and an article about some Monkey bones found in a garden. The Story of My Scab is as random as random gets, and a lot of effort has been put into this magazine-sized zine. It would take me hours to read through this whole thing, so I just like to read a page once a week when I’m feeling normal. You too, should do the same thing. Write William McCurtin @ wmccurtin @hotmail.com or at: 123 Freeman St. #2L, Brooklyn, NY 11222. I don’t think he wants your stinking money.

Crustorbust #1 A Zine out of Santa Cruz by Concussion’s own Paul Winger. At first we didn’t print many of Paul’s skate photos, so he said fuck you, I’ll make my own zine and print my photos because they’re sick. So he did. I think maybe he realized making a ‘zine is a fucking pain in the ass, and decided to step up his photography a bit. Now we print his shots in Concussion so he doesn’t have to make his little zine and everyone’s happy. Well I’m not, and neither are you, but Paul is. This issue features Paul’s favorite place to go skateboard. You guessed it: Oregon. There’s no address to send money to, so I guess you’ll just have to look in Concussion for more of Paul’s work until we decide not to print it anymore, then he can make another zine.

Paying in Pain #11 Paying in Pain is definitely one of my favorite skate zines, the raw street footage those guys get is fantabulous. Have you seen their video yet? Anyway #11 has some pretty funny reviews, Big Gun Underdog with Aaron Morgan, Cookin with Tim Garner (he cooks better than he skates), and all of the usual stuff that PIP has. Word on the street is they’re going color soon so watch out! You can get a subscription (4 issues) plus a copy of their video ALL for $7! What a fucking deal Send your money to: Paying in Pain PO Box 4128 Visalia, CA 93278

Skate and Annoy Self Inflicted #1 They have a disclaimer in the beginning claiming they’re not like Vision (made a killing, went down the crapper and then started up again), because they never made money to begin with. Really? A zine, not making money...shocking!! Well Skate and Annoy is a pretty damn good zine. It’s bordering on magazine style except it’s photocopied and there’s barely any ads. Features include a review on pool skateboards, A “Then and Now…” article, a personal history of Skate and Annoy and why they skate, Texas Skatepunks and Salt Lake City’s “extreme” sports fiasco. They seem to be really into collecting old boards, and even feature an article on getting old skates on Ebay. For copies send $2 post paid to: Skate and Annoy, 3439 NE Sandy Blvd. PMB #666, Portland OR 97232 (www.skateandannoy.com)

Self Inflicted is a pretty hot skate zine made by Brendan Klein. Featuring many of Brendan’s fine photos, (and he is a goddamn ace photographer for being so young) Self Inflicted is 98% pool skating and 2% other stuff, which is how I like it. Did I mention how good the photos were? There’s some hot shots of Kevin O’Connor, Neil Heddings, Salba, Sam Cunningham, Luis from Room 21, and many many more. Good shit, can’t wait for #2 to come out. For a copy send $2 to: Brendan Klein 1496 Avocado Road Oceanside, CA 92054 Send zines to: Concussion PO Box 70565 Richmond, CA 94807

HEY DUDES...

ADVERTISE WITH CONCUSSION, AND YOU’LL BE REACHING GUYS LIKE THRASHER MATT, WHO ARE SO UNDERGROUND THEY DON’T READ MAXIM OR ROLLING STONE OR TRANSWORLD. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? EMAIL CONCUSSION@CONCUSSION.ORG OR CALL 510.236.3922 OR 831.345.7832

photo: sarah drexler

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Joel’s Bowl is the culmination of over a year and a half of hard work, and it’s still not completely finished. Why is this you ask? Because for the most part Joel Chavez has worked on this bowl all by himself, using only scavenged or donated materials and the occasional help of which ever friend had some time off during a weekday. Joel is a true evil genius, and this bowl is just part of his master plan. This is not the first ramp he has had in his backyard – the first one was a halfpipe made out of similar scavenged materials that butted up to his house so that there was like four feet of vert up to the window sill, which served as a lip and drop-in point. This was probably 25 years ago, and if you’ve been around for a while or ever have seen any old copies of Thrasher you’ve probably seen photos of Joel’s original ramp. Anyway that was then, this is now. Joel’s bowl is a 4 1/2’ deep mini bowl that more closely resembles the shallow end of a pool than a mini ramp. Remember that crazy steep mini ramp with vert that Neil Blender used to have in his backyard? It’s sort of like that. It’s rather steep all the way around, and has a couple inches of vert on one section. Right now there is a temporary angle-iron style lip on there, and it is only layered with plywood, but soon enough the bowl will have a fast top layer on it and pool coping. The shape of the bowl kind of sort of resembles a teardrop shape, or maybe a lopsided Powell logo, with two wide open corners and a very, very tight corner which houses the vert. There is also a plexiglass porthole to ride over (or peer through), and Joel even framed in a removable section of the tranny (kind of like the door in the Animal Chin ramp) that lifts up with a cable and crank so that water can be swept out or an injured skater can be dragged off the flat. This bowl is quite an amazing achievement in that it was built with so little money and manpower, but that just shows how much ingenuity Joel has. Almost every time I’d see Joel he would excitedly tell me about the new piece he got done for the ramp and how it’s coming along. And lately since the bowl has neared completion, he’s been telling me about which ripper came over for a gnarly session and who did what. So here are some photos of Joel and his bowl. Not surprisingly Joel tears the shit out of his bowl, and more or less he skates it better than pretty much everybody else who has come by to ride it. He blasts monster corner airs and some mean sliders to fakie, as well as a host of other mini ramp tricks that Joel probably made up back in 1983. So there you have it, Joel’s bowl. We’re not trying to blow out his scene, and probably won’t since Joel can only ride his bowl during weekday office hours (when the irritable neighbor lady is at work), so chances are you’ll never get to ride this thing. But that’s ok, you probably couldn’t make any of your tricks here anyway. - DK Captions, clockwise from below: Joel, his bowl, and a slider to fakie. Sean frontside five-o through the tight pocket. Josh “Get Live” navigating over the porthole. View of the bowl in progress, showing the framed in section for the “channel” that cranks up. Bowl overview circa Fall 2002. Joel Chavez, large corner air. Photo by Josh. Overview photos and photo of Josh by Joel.

Ox decided to show up after lagging most of the weekend.

Typical Saturday in the Bay Area. Tuff Enuff and Mad Mike come over to help with the El Camino and all we do is complain about how there’s nothing to skate. Let’s go here, we should go skate there, fuck, it all sucks. Let’s finish up aligning this dented, primered door. Phone call from the Worm: “Dudes I just bid a job to demolish this indoor pool, you gotta come see it.” Half hour later we pull away from the rental joint with the best pump money can rent and a shitload of two inch hose—none of this half assed garden hose bullshit. Tuff Enuff is sittin on a toolbox in the back of Mad Mike’s van, “Hey I gotta shit….NOW.” He’s already smoking out the van so we pull over to a gas station. Nasty hippy chicks are polluting the Snak Shop but Tuff Enuff beats ‘em to the shitter. About ten minutes later he’s laughing his ass off as he tells us how he left a straight pile of mud and clogged the toilet while one of the hippy chicks was knockin’ on the door. On the way out he told her that he thought that it might be backed up, and she asked him if he left anything. He laughed at her as she and her stinky friends grossed out, “EWWWWW that guy didn’t flush.” Back in the van laughin’ ass and haulin’ nuts. We pull up to this suburban street in the North Bay countryside and Worm shows us the goods—a sick amoeba, full to the coping. It sat in the middle of what must have been a house outta the Boogie Nights era. All the rooms (except the steam room) look out onto the pool and we know some crazy shit went down there. We drop some hose in and aim the runoff into the creek in the backyard. Coupla beers and two and a half hours later that bitch was dry. Seeing as how we were sub-contractors we had to “work” ‘til about ten that night, gotta get the job done right. Back to El Sob that night to the El Rancho bar/liquor store where Tuff Enuff got his first El Sob style Jack and Coke—95% Jack straight to the head, Coke floater for a little coloring. Back to “work” the next day, and a few days after that. The Worm called up and laughed as he brought down the hammer on our weekend project. Shit. Back to typical weekends and nothing to skate….until Worm’s next call. Don’t worry, you won’t be invited to the next job either… - Johnny

Typical Dude Crew weekend.

When Mad Mike isn’t grinding deathboxes he’s busy punching holes in walls.

All photos by Mad Mike Yaccarino, except for the photo of Mad Mike, which was taken by James.

Dude Crew James grinding it up, El Sob style.

For a one year subscription plus a free shirt* tear this ad out and send $20 to: Concussion Magazine PO Box 70535 Richmond, CA 94807 Please make sure to specifiy shirt size (M, L, XL) Go to Page 110 for more info. *shirts available with this offer only, sizes and styles are limited ** shipping included!

Pre-Nike era Smith grind in Texas.

As an introduction I might try to touch on the subject of Chet’s Skating, but, I’m not really sure of what good it’ll do. I can’t exactly describe a persons Skating ability without somewhat comparing it to someone else’s... “Chet? Oh he’s an all terrain Skateboarder who’s a cross between Salba, Wade, and Drehobl.” Nope. Ain’t gonna happen. Chet’s Chet. That’s that. It’s so easy to focus on the obvious, physical ability; yet, this is where I stray. Shallow is as shallow sees and hears. Smush it! Chet deserves better. The man you’re about read about has gotten where he’s at cuz he’s....? Well, he’s real. No one’s carrying his weight, he ain’t ridin’ no ones coat-tail... He’s got roots and them roots have got depth - This shit here isn’t too easy to explain. I’ve learned over the years that someone could impress the hell out of you with their fancy footwork, then suddenly crash down upon that impression with utter foulness; either their attitude stinks, or you see ‘em do somethin’ fucked to someone, you know, that certain show of “suspect” intelligence. It’s a game of watch who you respect these days, and sometimes I feel kinda worn out by people who kinda suck that I have to think of folk like Chet to reinstall my faith in humanity. I can say, without doubts hesitation, that I respect Chet. For example, Chet will stick up for people. He has this undercoverly smooth way of curbing degenerate thoughts of the naive and dim witted. I used to travel with Chet on tours and whatnot, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen him turn

kids around in their thinking. Some kid’ll say somethin’ screwed like, “So-n-so was here at the last demo, and he sucked. I could’ve skated better.” And good ol’ Mr. Childress would take the precious thing we call time to straighten things out a bit, “ C’mon man, that’s not really what you think is it?”...”That guy’s a ripper, maybe he was hurt or somethin’, you don’t know - Did you ask ‘em?.... Didn’t think so.” Or, “Well, I hear ya’ talkin’, let’s see them credentials. Back it up. Let’s see what you got.”.... “Well I uh.....?” “That’s what I thought.” It’s hard to put on paper, but so fun to see live. East Coast! Yes but no. Chet was born and raised in North Carolina and definitely has Love for his homeland, yet he doesn’t get all hung up on it like it’s the only thing that matters. He’s got a worldly acquired mentality that says, “Keep shit light”. Narrowness get beat! Soul. When our good friend Tim passed away, Chet and I went on a road trip to Canada. I just gotta say that he helped ease the loss by leaps and bounds. On that trip, I believe I had a laugh attack that simply can’t be matched. I was fucked, shattered with grief, yet, brewin’ with Chet it was easier to get my mind off shit... And I think that kind of pinpoints it - Chet is a person that lets people be who they be. Good times lookin’ forward to more good times. The surgeon general says friction is bad for your health. Chet’s a Dad. He’s got a son named Zachary whom Chet is very proud of. From what I recall, Zachary

really isn’t all that into skating, but that’s perfectly fine with Chet. He has chosen to let his son go with the flow of things, and doesn’t try to push anything on him. Chet’s got a sharp understanding, and isn’t one to try and hold back the tide. Father and son are lucky alike, let’s just put it that way. Chet sucks! He leaves me messages, or, if he gets me on the phone, he’ll start off by cuttin’ me low with some wittily fucked remarks by which, most of the time, I can’t quite match. You know, it’s that war between friends (J-Biz is another one of ‘em), you verbally try to stump your opponent with a few trusty trash-flight remarks, hopin’ the other person will choke on their match’s delivery. Fuckin’ Chizzo, gets me way too much. He’s quick and always catches me off guard...Listen to me, makin’ excuses....Fuckin’ Chet. Babble blah, chuckle fizzz... Words are fun, but (like a five dollar bill at the strip club) they can only go so far, regardless of my petty disclaimer, just know (if you don’t know already) that Chet Childress is 100%. Not sure 100% what, but he’s 100%, and 97.523% of the time, that’s a damn good thing to be. Support the Six-Gun. And if you ever plug your ears and blink, whilst standing atop the deck of the ramp, you may just miss the fact that he disaster smacked that bitch on the way back in. - Scott Greathouse

Off the loveseat into a lipslide over the box, Chet reels another one in.

Airs to disaster are pretty much Chetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trick, and one of our favorites. You want it frontside or backside? On vert or in a pool? Whatever you want you got it. In this case lien and backside.

Sometimes things which mean so much to us come from out of nowhere, overtake our lives, and vanish without a trace. Up in the hills so close to my house was what seemed to be an elusive dream world, an escape from suburbia OC. The San Juan haunted house pool was a rare find indeed. Hidden along the edge of millionaires and golf courses, its over grown foliage kept it out of sight. For well over a year it was a go. It even had electricity right by the pool for the first few months. Night sessions were definitely more sketchy than Pala, with lurkers and creatures of the night running about. The owner of the property found the Anthony kidney full of tagging and trash everywhere, and he decided to fill it up and put an end to the fun. This is where my friends and I came into the picture. We waited a few months until the property was mellow again. Jon and I went up one day with one back breaker shovel and after a few hours of struggling, we had started digging it out. I had never dug an entire pool out from start to finish so I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realize what I had gotten myself into. Within a few weeks a group of about 7 or so came together and religiously started digging. The (DODC) Dig or Die Crew had been created. By candlelight, moonlight, daylight, it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter, we would finish it. We finally reached the bottom of the pool, and we were thankful that it had only holes drilled in it versus total destruction of the flat bottom. By night we cemented in the holes, patched up everything we could, and in the morning we skated. To ride an old friend once again was great. To explain the excitement I had in myself that day would be hard to do. That night we painted the pool all gray with turquoise trim. JZ from San Diego rolled up with some fresh new pool coping for the deep end. Only those who helped dig actually were able to skate the rebirth sessions. Those who deserve thanks for such an accomplishment were Jon the Hesh, My girlfriend Jade, Tim, Drew, Anthony, Brett, Bobby, Josh Z, Scott and myself. For a brief moment in time we had an empty kidney with brand new picture perfect coping to ourselves in the middle of the most populated areas around. Well worth all the efforts, The San Juan Pool will remain in my head as a valued memory. It feels nice having closure, knowing I had my final runs in it. When it was filled the first time, there was no notice. One day it was there, the next it was a memory. R.I.P San Juan Pool The next project is already under way. The DODC are hard at work on a nice Blue Haven tear drop. Pool skaters must unite and come together, only then can we enjoy the fruits of our labor. - Nick Gates

Legends? By: Darrel Delgado Photos by: Brendan Klein A legend according to the American Heritage dictionary is an unverified popular story, especially one believed to be historical. The second definition is one of great fame or popular renown. Skateboarding has been around long enough to produce skaters of legend. There are the clay wheel legends that eventually gave way to the urethane wheel legends. There is definitely more than one in the urethane wheel category. A few names that quickly come to mind are: Hosoi, Caballero, Mountain and Partain. These are skaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skaters, individuals that have ripped all types of terrain, IE: street, ramps, pools and pipes. Right now I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think of ever seeing a picture of Cab in a pipe. Oh well.

Why I can legitimately label the aforementioned skaters as legendary is for one simple fact: they have proven over a span of several years that they have what it takes to adapt to any terrain in front of them at any given time. Becoming a professional lost its validity in the late 1980’s. A lot of skaters went pro whether or not they could ride well in all disciplines of skating. As a result, the “specialized” professional era was born, saturating the market with signature pro models. Most of the specialized pros looked unworthy compared to the “real” pros. At one point it almost became a fad to turn pro. This did not make sense to me. There were fly-by-night companies turning people pro so fast that the magazine readers could hardly keep up with them all. So many names…who could remember them all? Probably me. It seemed a lot of pros from this era got out of skating just as fast as they got into it. There have been far fewer professionals of our sport than are currently acknowledged. Another outcome from this era was that skateboarding ended

up with too many pros. I have felt sorry for the people that turned pro, yet never gained the respect from their peers. Nowadays to claim to be a professional skater is almost incomprehensible. The level of your daily skating would have to be heavily elevated for it to make sense. What happened to the days of the “real” professional? I guess they still exist to some extent, IE: Hawk, Drehobl, Hassan and Burnquist. This could conclude the second definition of a legend. I don’t want to get into the resurgence of ex-professionals with pro models out now. Good luck to them. Another can of worms is longboard pros. They do exist in the scene they themselves made up. The first legend definition mentions an unverified popular story. For a story to be verified it does have to be witnessed and often times only a few witness it. I am talking about all of the underground ripping that goes on all over the world everyday by unknown rippers; skaters that are not in the magazines yet are skating at or near a professional level. Throughout their entire skating years these skaters may never be acknowledged for their abilities beyond pats on the back from their friends. That is what it’s all about, having fun with yourself and your friends right? It is these skaters that are at the core of real skateboarding. Their skating is respected on a level that is no different than their pro counterparts, yet on a worldwide level they are virtually unknown. Every part of the world has them, the underground rulers, the guys that are keeping all the visiting pros in check should they stumble upon one at a session. After skating with so many rippers over the years, I have become even more confused about this whole pro thing. It is so subjective. We cannot simply believe who the magazines say are professionals, not until we have witnessed the underground going on in the underground.

Some of us will never get to this point, but if we do it can only help us to fully comprehend what real skateboarding is all about and the individuals performing it. Who is to say that the skateboarding that is going on in the underground is not as legendary or historical as skating that is covered by magazines, the Internet or videos? A lot of us have heard it, you go to a skate spot and there is often the story about the guy that ripped and nobody knows his whole name, they only knew him as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Joeâ&#x20AC;?. Who is pro? Who is not pro? Who is sponsored? Who is not sponsored? Who cares? Younger skaters should not let themselves get hungup on a subjective status label. Kids just need to ride and enjoy themselves and if something more happens, have fun with it and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect too much. Here are a few pictures of skaters that you might not have heard of. They are skaters that are riding for themselves. To question if they are skating on a professional level often causes one to scratch his head, yet it is not important. The fact is that they are skating now for the pure fun of it and hopefully nothing else.

funny how lance had a two page spread in tws doing this but he was fully padded and not quite as high. al owns upland. he ollied so high his fucking tail was scraping over vert! no pads! all photos by blair alley

all photos by blair alley

clockwise from left: - tailslide and part of a frontside air at a pala. - carve grind over the steps on one of blender’s old santa cruz decks. -onbody the clairemont y. pads required. pumped for speed his helmet and jar thenatwhipped it off right before takeoff.althe pad nanny was with powerless. - yup. crail five-0 in the megladon. can’t fuck with it. Alex Horn, age 24, born and raised in Pacific Beach, CA, and has been skating on and off for the past 15 years. When asked what he prefers to skate his reply: “Mostly concrete, and I’m only into watching the Chlorine trailer right now.” (laughs)… –Dean Starr All photos by Blair Alley Alex Horn interviewed by Dean Starr (DS) DS- So are you a flake? I heard you kinda were. AH- No, that was just some funny phone message shit that Delgado left at the Mission house about me not making it to meet him at a pool. My truck was out of commission. DS- Did you end up skating it? AH- Yeah, a kid came out and was checking it and it turned out he lived there with his mom and he had showed her the Dogtown Z-boy movie and shit so it was chill. DS- That’s pretty hot, was she hot? AH- Didn’t get to see her. DS- Do you have a cell phone? AH- No cellular access for me, I barely have a house.

Alex Horn interviewed by Jimmy Acosta (JA), Paz, and Peter Hewitt (PH) JA- How often do you drink beer? AH- I’m drinking one right now, but lately I’ve been lagging on it…not too much dough around right now. Paz- Last road trip? AH- A month ago to Bakersfield, Fresno, Vegas, AZ. A lot of fuckin fun. JA- What trick? AH- Um…inverts…got to get em down. JA- What food? AH- Dirty burrito. Paz- Standard session? AH- I don’t know. Skate a pool with my friends or whatever comes up with you guys or the guys in OB. PH- Last time you witnessed Oops Poops? AH- That would have to be at Vagabond after that guy did an invert fakie and slammed right on his ass. JA- Place to skate in SD? AH- Well, Washington Street rips but I haven’t been there that many times. Yeah, I know I should have helped more, fucker. Anyway, it’s fun. JA- Thanks? AH- Navarette/151, the guys at Pacific Drive, Ed, N.B. and Lance at 88 Shoes for helping me out, Blair, Z-Speed Bearings (Aaron Scott, Jimmy Acosta), Mr. Frosty’s, South Mission fuckers. Brendan, Ivory, Mom, Concussion, and people I left out.

clockwise from left: crailslide at clairemont. fuck ‘em and their rules. ollie to back truck gouger. blair sent two full rolls of stills of this trick, and it seemed like al stuck every single one but a couple. sure made the photo editor’s job a little harder that day. spine transfer footplant to tail or whatever you want to call it, al’s higher than he looks. no pun intended.

alex horn, nighttime stalefish at pala, higher than most. photo: blair alley

Is this the deep end or the shallow end, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell. Trey Winslow, f/s feeble in North Carolina. Top: JC from Oceanside and his f/s nosepicker. Photos by Rhino. Right: This was probably one of the gnarliest tricks thrown down at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Berkeley Demo, back lip on the channel of death by Tony Miorana. Photo by Davoud.

This photo of Sam Hitz was a cover shot contender, but we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really blow out the scene and have two Vagabond covers in a row, now can we? Photo: Rhino

Royce can find a line in any pool. Over the steps at the Dog Bone Bowl in Oakland. Photo: Davoud

coping, Never mind the fact that Hewitt is doing a three block long frontside grind on Anthony check out his fucking front foot position! Point and shoot. Photo: Davoud

The coping at Astoria, OR is one of a kind. Ride the snake. Photo: Fritz

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice to get some photos from Chicago again, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a good scene, even if this park is a hunk of shit, a blunt on this lump is nothing to sneeze at. Mikey Hottman. Below: AP and the backside grab into the seawall on the lake. Photos: Snapcult

White Dog, stalefish. Photo: Rhino

Watching Dan Drehobl try crazy tricks and slam is almost more fun than watching him make stuff. I mean you know he’s going to make it sooner or later anyway. Lipslide to boardslide to fakie transfer to slam on the vert wall at the “toxic” Berkeley park. Photos: Morford

This page clockwise from above: Marcus Sanperio in the boob tube. Photo: Wingert. Jarret Berry clears a dirty gap. Photo: Snapcult. White Dog drifts an ollie to fakie at the Monster Bowl. Photo: Fick. Dan Drehobl finds the hidden transfer line at the Berkeley Demo. Photo: Korn. That page clockwise from left: Grosso inverting himself at the Basic Bowl. Photo: Fick. Well, we almost got through a whole issue with no frontside airs. Unfortunately Germ had to go and ruin it for us. Fuck. Over the diving board in Bakersfield. Photo: Rhino. Jimmy Fuckin Acosta, layback grinder at Pala, eye contact at no extra charge. Photo: Alley. Before and after at the Pear. Photos: Middleton. Man, I’m really blowing Rhino’s captions this issue. Who the fuck is this guy slapping a f/s rock on that loveseat? Oh wait, it’s Toby Burger.

Yo, I’m back with some leftover photos for ya’ll to peep. Actually most of these aren’t left over, I just never tried to give them to other mags. Fuck all those other guys, right? Do yourself a favor grab your board, call a friend, go on a road trip and experience life - you neve r know when it’s going to be over. Whether injury, lack of interest or death, someday either you or homeys wont be rollin ’ - so go live life kids, if not now then when? Never forge t Bobby Wass- a True American Legend! - Rodzilla (left) Joel is like the Rodney Dang erfield of skateboarding no respect! Switch kick in Ohio . (below) This photo ran in Thrasher but the photo they chose didn’t show how gnarly it was this one does! Everyone’s favorite model DJ “Cha-Cha” Chav ez, somewhere in Big Bear Valley. (right) We had a team manager on think by the name of Physiological Mike who would put dudes on the team that no on liked - this is one of ‘em - Fabia n smith grind in Kackalacka, GA.

(this page) Who cares that Jason Strubing is doing a back Smith at the Brooklyn park? He’ll never be as cool as that guy on the bike, keep trying though homey. (top) I heard Corey is in trouble again for some racial slurs against Eskimo’s - that ain’t chillin’ dude. Front blunt in Kansas. (right) I don’t remember this guys name but I guess he rips, right? Nosegrind in South Dakota. (far right) I have been trying to get all my old photos together for my website and came across this gnarly 50-50 of Paul Zuanich somewhere in Hawaii (pre dive into the deep end). Fuck he had pop huh?

Bruce last issue and now he That’s right. Rodent filled in for shots again, and Whoa, four spreads of scraps? he did kick down some good But . issue every on secti s wants his own scrap him. for on secti s scrap n’t deny another you can’t deny that, so we could of Peter Hewitt getting all crazy Well if you look at that sequence o And these are scraps. Why? itt has been back in San Dieg Hew old. year a ably prob side, it’s , backside tail skidder at Burn ence from Burnside? That’s right sequ old year a run a gonn s ker, for the past 9 months. And who’ clacking a backside ollie at Croc Toad of photo this And • fuck. ? Concussion. We don’t give a ed it. Do people not like Toad g with it or why no one else want body blew it well I don’t know what’s wron So whatever haters, glad some rips. ng fucki he and me, to He’s always been cool Crocker is – they both rule. Toad is just as underrated as and passed on this shot cuz Next pages (top to bottom):

to over a bunch of shots of him Matt Kriegel kid up, and he sent Rodent has been hyping this Rob Welsh in Concussion that is shit, Oh • ‘em. of one just back it up. This front board is I was spelling Mike Rusc zyk’s twice. • I had to triple check that but at AGAI N? Lightning does strike aninejad. Ok well maybe not, Kerm ud Davo as spell to hard want to name right, it’s almost as obligatory ass shot. I don’t even The • . name last my in ls , but vowe least I have a couple shot looks even better in color at a rave. • Full page shot: This fakie. to lip know what Rodent was doing heelf nollie a with n r know. Jack Curti thanks to Concussion you’ll neve

Hometown: Santa Cruz Age:18 years old Sponsors: Santa Cruz Skateboards (Flow), Bill’s Wheels Skate Shop, and Adio (Flow) First off, what’s up with growing up and skating in Santa Cruz? As far as I’m concerned, Santa Cruz has one of the realest, raddest skate scenes I’ve ever come across. Not to mention the few from here who have come up and become legends: Ron Whaley, Justin Strubing, Israel Forbes, and Andy Roy. Those are the ones that come straight to mind. So, why did you start in the first place, have you ever wanted to quit? I started because everyone I knew who did it, (mainly my brother and his friends) looked like they were having a blast, while still being badass. Besides, it was more appealing than gangs. And no, I’ve never quit. Taking breaks when you get broke is different. What do you like most about skateboarding? Just about everything. What’s wrong with skating? I don’t know. Nothing, I guess, although I’m sure there are lots of people that would disagree with that. What makes for a good session?

ert P. Wing Photo:

Friends make for a good session. Cops and First Alarm make for bad ones. Are there some things that you can’t live without? Water, oxygen, love, hate, skating. Have you ever been to Oregon to skate? Yeah, twice. Oregon is definitely an unforgettable experience. Do you like skating transitions or street? Is one better than the other? I like to skate everything, ramps, street, pools, anything basically. As long as it’s smooth enough to roll on, it’s all good. It’s all fun. Any life philosophies? Take advantage of all life’s possibilities, apply them however you want, and try to be happy. After all, we only live once. Is there anyone you would like to thank? Yeah. Thank you to everybody who’s ever helped me out in any way or another. Not just with skating, but everything in general. Especially friends and family, for keeping it real. Have you ever had a concussion? I can’t remember.

Phot o: T. Rola nd

Sequence: P. Wingert

Hometown: Aptos, Santa Cruz county Age: 19 years old Sponsors: Bill’s Wheels What’s up with the skate scene here in Santa Cruz? Pretty underrated. Everyone. Antos, Yasha, Winkler, Chris Welty. No one even knows how good they are. Underrated. I like it. It’s great. Why did you start skating here in the first place? I got my first board when I was two from my grandma. It had a Medusa head on it. I’ve been skating for seven years, though.

Photo: P. Winger

What’s your favorite thing about skateboarding? Nollie flips. You like rolling too though? Rolling, yeah. Turning. It always comes to you when you least expect it. When your mind is the furthest from it. Like doing something that you’ve never done before. Is that some Zen shit? No. It’s absolutely not Zen. What do you think of Oregon? Unreal. It’s like a figment of my imagination. Like Disneyland, or some amusement park. So it’s fun? It’s fun...it’s...very relaxing. Lots of rolling to be had at Newberg and other places. And Burnside? I saw a half stick of dynamite blow up in the bowl. And bottle rockets hitting people in the face. Would you say that you’re a well-rounded skater? I know I’ve seen you skating all different sorts of stuff. Yeah, I skate everything. Transitions are my favorite, and just skating down the street. That’s always fun. You ever skated any pools? Yeah. They’re complicated. It hurts when you fall. It’s more like a wave. So, you surf? Yup. I get free skimboards. I like skimboarding more than surfing. What’s something that you can’t live without? Easiness. You’re a natural, Corey. It all came from the ocean. My style came from the ocean. What made you quit skateboarding a while ago? I quit for six months…skimming every day was one reason. Too many people crawling down my back, talking in my ear. I was just over it... over deadlines. But now you’re back? I wouldn’t say that. Skating is just in my free time. Anything you’ re thankful for? My Mom. My Dad. A.P. Barrels. Women’s ass creases. Have you ever sustained a concussion? I don’t know, maybe. I’ve been knocked out a few times. I hit my head so hard at Live Oak that it made my arms float.

Sequence: T. Roland

Interview by Mouse Hometown: Westside, Santa Cruz. Age: 15 years old. Sponsors: Quiksilver, Strive Surfboards, Ally Co., P-Wave, Gorilla Grip & Electric. How long have you been surfing? I started surfing when I was 4 with paps, but I’ve been really taking it serious for the last three years. What is your favorite surf spot? [Ledges.] How has your surfing progressed in the last year? I thought I had my flow down until I decided to throw a party. I thought I pulled it until my dad saw the fence and the overflowed recycle bin. And then what happened? The shit hit the fan! All of a sudden I got woken up in Oregon by three 250 lb. black gorilla dudes and they cuffed my legs to my nuts and they took me on an hour and a half journey to a military camp where they put you straight into “the hole” which is the name for when you work from 3:30 am to 12:00 am, that’s 21 hours of digging and filling grave dimensions which is 8 feet down and 6 feet wide. Did you learn your lesson? It was a pretty fucked wake up call that gave me good physical training. Now what’s the plan? I want my surfing to progress and I want to surf Mavs this year. I want to travel the world and meet exotic freaky bitches that are down to do the hanky panky. A lot of people try to talk shit about Strive Surf boards. What’s your take? Well for a bald Red Man spiting, big boned hick daddy, the guy sure knows how to shape. And he’s cool too because he likes feedback on his boards because he’s really into perfecting his shape. Strive Surfboards are blowing up and if you don’t have one you’re a loser.

Photos: P. Trefz

Check out the website at strivesurfboards.com. Who inspires you to go big? Jay Moriarty inspires me to go big. Slater inspires me to try to kill it, and last but not least I gotta give prop to my pops because he got me surfing. What groms are cominâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; up on the West? Watch out for Salty Donald; the kid knows how to punt. Watch out for the up and coming Jesse Ferris, he knows how to throw it up. Any shot outs? To all the boys on the west and thanks to all my sponsors. Thanks to all the people who put up with my shit, thanks to all those people who ever helped me out in any way & thanks to Concussion for running a shot of my sorry ass! And to all the people that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like me, lick my nuts. World Wide Westside.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER YOU’VE SEEN TONY HAWK ON $1 MILLION MEGA RAMPS, BUT YOU’VE PROBABLY NEVER SEEN HIM ON A 8’ WIDE JANKY MINI IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWWHERE.

BY JASON MURRAY

1. You thought pool coping was tough, try 2 billion year-old boulders. Donny rockin b'side pivot. 2. Barley, giving new definition to the term, RV. 3. Donny kicks it. 4. Tony tail blockin'. 5. Smoke on the water, Tony blunt. 6. Goped. 7. White man can jump. 8. Tony plants a hand.

LEARN FGS / TM K$

Concussion: So tell the people who you are and why you are being interviewed by us.

C: You live in the City of Angels now but you aren’t from there originally, aren’t you from the Midwest?

Brian: I’m motherfuckin’ BRIAN EWING! Not much else to say other than I get paid to draw evil shit/skulls and EMO kids lamenting over some girl they saw at Hot Topic.

B: I was born in La Mesa, CA. Pops was in the Navy so we didn’t stay. Lived in Hawaii, then ended up in Wisconsin, of all the God forsaken places. Now I’m back in LA, doing this - posters and illustration. Christ, I’ve even done a few comic book covers since then. Pinch me. LA is a magical place that will make you beautiful and rich.

Other than that... I dropped out of Art School twice, never learned how to drive and do not have a license. I worked in the porno biz for a few years and quit to do the whole art thing full time. As far as being interviewed...you tell me. I think you saw my profile on makeout club or lipstick & cigarettes. And you think I’m a sexy bitch that shares interests similar to yours. That’s cool.

C: What’s the beauty of a silk screened poster? B: I can’t answer that without sounding GAY. It’s an aesthetic with art people and collectors. People just take screen printed posters more serious. In the past few years, poster artists have introduced offset

printing into the mess and are doing pretty well. If I were vying for a gallery show it would be easier with screen printed posters. Screen printing is a pain in the ass to do. I tried it a few times and realized that I’m not cut out for the actual physical printing of it. I’m a sensitive artiste’. So I have real screen printers do my stuff because they are a lot better at it than I am. C: I went to this poster art show one time and it really seemed like the majority of artist all wanted to be Kozik or something. I mean with the exception of a few people that stood out. Do you see that or am I “straight trippin’”?

B: It’s a bit of both... There wouldn’t be as many concert posters now if it weren’t for him. Kozik took the medium into a different direction. Some people agree with it while others don’t. Some designers see Kozik as being successful and think that if they follow the same formula with the same style they too will reap the benefits. He’s a huge influence on a lot of people including myself, it’s just that some people don’t understand the difference between emulation and imitation. Recently, Kozik, helped to put together FLATSTOCK (www.FLATSTOCK.com), a glorified comic book convention for us poster artists. Twice a year we have this trade show type of thing that’s free to the public where they can buy posters directly from the artists. The last one was held at/sponsored by SXSW. The

next one is being held at/sponsored by the Bumbershoot in Seattle, at the end of August. We might be a permanent fixture at SXSW. It’s a great opportunity for all of us to drink for free. All because of Frank wanting to see that some of us succeed and have fun. C: What was the first “art job” you ever got? B: I can’t remember. I think it was airbrushing jackets and jeans for some of the girls in high school. Like “Milky Cereal” and shit like that. This was when Bel Biv DeVoe were big...so that should give you a visual and a headache. I also painted field jackets and jean jackets for the stoners. C: How often are you into the band you are doing a

poster for? Have you ever gotten a job and been like “Oh man, Hanson with Sheena Easton opening, this sucks.” B: 95% of the time I can get into the band. It’s easy to be open minded about most music. The other 5% are the bands that pay me some good cash or I’m doing a favor for a friend. It’s weird, because people identify with music so much and sometimes get pissed if I do a poster for Dashboard Confessional or some other band that they hate. The rent’s gotta get paid and SLAYER or HIGH ON FIRE aren’t touring at the time. Also, I like the challenge and need to keep myself from getting bored. The posters are like big assed business cards that help me get other jobs and impress the ladies. You should try it.

I wish that there were more posters for Rap groups. That would be so much fun to apply what I do to that type of music. C: What’s this about you going to school with Sam Hitz? B: We went to the same High School in Milwaukee, WI. I assumed that he had been ‘done in’ a long time ago, until I read the interview you did with him. It was an Arts High School, like a low rent version of FAME, and we were in the same Art classes for 4 years. Sam was funny as hell and could skate like a ten peckered owl. He was big into D&D at the time too. As a side note: Jeffrey Dahmer ate two of our classmates and lived a few blocks away from the school. C: You ever partaken in the interpretive art dance known as skateboarding? B: Yeah up til the end of High School. I was like the only Hessian skater of my group and there weren’t many others. I got a lot of shit for that. Everyone else kinda went with whatever trend at the time. I skated the Turf (in Milwaukee) but wasn’t that great at vert so I stuck to street mostly. Another factor was that I couldn’t afford all of the gear and had to rent a helmet and that shit was disgusting man. More incentive to skate street. I stopped towards the end of my senior year. Other than that... I worked at Big Brother as a Production Coordinator for a few years and had to keep Carnie and Tyler from missing their deadlines with the printers and prep houses. I actually had to lie about deadlines in order to get the magazine on time from them. I knew if I asked for stuff two days before it was actually due - they would be two days late. That way I could get everything on time and keep my shitty boss off of my back and theirs. Those guys were really cool towards me and even hired me to do my first non porn-magazine illustration. This is where I get emotional...cuz...those guys were.. sob sob... the fucking best, man. Fucking, tear up every time I think of those fuckers. Sadly, I never went down the path of dressing up as a skateboard like Carnie. Now I just want to fulfill one of those retarded childhood dreams of doing artwork for skateboards. I used to copy Jim Phillips & Pushead’s artwork and collect the Powell, Zorlac, and Santa Cruz stickers all through high school. I shoulda wasted my money on drugs instead. C: Do you hate people? Or do you just like it better when they are not around? B: Nah, I’m a social retard. I work at home and put in more than 10 hours a day drawing and whatnot. I live in LA. So it’s easy to hate some of the people out here. I can be kind of abrasive when people try their bullshit on me and that keeps me from being rich. I kinda hafta start being nice now. I recently formed a business (www.WRECKINGCREWSTUDIOS.com) with some other artists and need to be professional more often.

photo: gabe morford

Warning! The following four pages contain an interview and photos with Mickey Reyes. Mickey’s photos do not apologize for their unwavering gaze into a life which is sometimes disturbing or unsettling. Some of these photos may make you feel funny inside – amgry, sad, or confused. For someone more known for his ass kicking team manager skills than for his photography, Mickey has a vast photo collection and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Besides being the team manager of Deluxe, Mickey also spent some time as a police officer in San Francisco. There are many stories and rumors surrounding this time in Mickey’s life, but he did not want to talk about it, which lead us to believe that he either does not want to incriminate himself or he is saving the good stories for Big Brother. In any case, some of you will be offended by the photos and words presented here, so you may just want to skip these pages and check out the music section. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. How long have you lived in San Francisco? My whole life – born and raised. St. Luke’s Hospital. Nice. How did you get into photography?

I started hanging out with Luke Ogden, we were all skating together and Luke was shooting a bunch of photos when we were younger. And then I lived with Tobin Yelland and he had a darkroom, and that’s kind of when all these photos were taken. We were hustling out a bunch of prints back then because of the darkroom. And then Gabe Morford of course is just the baddest dude – and he showed people a lot of

Most of these photos are self explanatory, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go with some captions anyway. Clockwise from above: Mickey likes guns. The Gonz pointing a gun at himself. How much do you want to bet that thing is loaded? Junkie shooting up in her neck, gnarly. Ruben Orkin in the van. One of Mickeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hundreds of ass photos. Opposite page: Pierre having a drink. Do we even need to insinuate anything between Mickey and Sara Schalk from Bloomington, Indiana? I think not. Photo by Gabe Morford.

Subsequent Spread, clockwise from large photo: Junkie hands, pretty gnarly. Mickey can charm anyone, including the truckstop lady. More ass. Girl at skate demo. Mickey has many vices, this is just one of them. Boys in the van. Uzi.

tricks or you’d just watch him when he’s doing his shit and be all “Wow, that’s the real business.” So all these photos are from that era when Tobin and Gabe were influencing me. I hear that you’ve got a nice Polaroid collection. Oh yeah, that collection is pretty funny. I was fuckin rollin’ all kinds of girls, just reeling them in, and I was all like “You wanna take a Polaroid?” and they would be like “Sure”, and I’d take a Polaroid of their asses or tits, or maybe the whole package. I got a book, I gotta dig it up and show it to you. It’s pretty gnarly shit. People would trip out. So the chicks were into it, they let you take the photos? Well they were so wasted man, they were so drunk or so fucked up on drugs that they don’t even care. I’m sure they’d care in the morning, but when the party was on with the candles and the red lights and the disco, it didn’t matter. Pizza or burritos. Oh, burritos. The Mission is burrito land. How many burritos do you think you’ve eaten in your lifetime? Fuck man. 210 pounds worth. What’s your best burrito experience? When they come back up, those are the best one. 92

Have you ever killed anyone? Can’t say, I plead the 5th. So what sort of camera were you using to take photos? I used this little Minolta for a while, and then Tobin sold me one of his cameras and I was shooting with that. It had a Leica lens, a CLE. And then the Polaroid was just the baddest, where you had to wait a few minutes and peel it apart. I also heard you’re no stranger to penicillin shots. Oh you mean the Herpes? Herpes, AIDS or warts, which one do you want? Just check the box. What’s the gnarliest place you’ve ever stuck your dick? Oh dude, it would have to be in Ecuador. We were partying, and it was rough. We were wasted and WE were in a strip club, and you could go up this spiral staircase and they had little rooms and you could take the stripper chick upstairs for $5. It was fuckin ruthless, man, it was crazy. And then the chick’s boyfriend was the bartender - he was definitely spitting in our beers every time we went up for a drink because he was hating on us so bad. The chick rolled like five of us within 15-20 minutes. Five raw dogs? Oh no, fuck that. I had a jimmy hat. I think someone might have raw dogged her but I don’t know who. I know a story of another set of guys that um, I won’t even say their names but they went raw dogging out in some third world country and then this one guy ended up coming back and had gonorrhea of the throat, and he kissed his girlfriend and she got it too. Luckily I guess its penicillin you take for it. So she just thought she had a bad case of strep throat and he brought all the medicine home and they took it and got rid of it and she never found out. But (speaking directly into the recorder) you know who you are, you bastard! Did you get more pussy as a pro skater, a cop, or a team manager? Aw shit. So let’s get it straight. I never had a pro board, I just hung out with pro skaters. So I was a pro ho. And then the cop thing I actually worked for the FBI. And the team manager thing is just a farce, I’m just here bumming Jimmy Thiebaud’s life out forever. So back to the question, now that I’ve settled down in my old age I think when I was younger in my teens I had it. Gravity took over. What’s the worst head injury you’ve ever had? A vodka bottle to the skull. Knocked me out and they fuckin wheeled me away. I had a couple stitches, five or six I think. Do you think the image of Mic-E Reyes is bigger than the actual Mickey? My reputation supercedes me. Nice. Alright man that’s it. Thanks. Web nerds check out mickeyreyes.com

Who’s the real hip-hop? Come to the teacher as KRS, Kris Parker of BDP (Boogie…Down…..Productions) preaches his knowledge. Of all rappers, past and present, KRS-One has the most distinct style with intelligent and humorous lyrics. The night as a whole was hazy, after my friend continued to feed me double Vodka tonics after I’d already consumed at least a 6 pack. I thought this show was expensive at $22, but after I broke my camera somehow by bashing it in my backpack and had to send it to Nikon for a $300 repair charge, I then realized the true cost of the show, and a few too many “free”

It seemed too good to be true, the Unsane were getting back together and playing at the Bottom of the Hill, but I’ll be Satan’s little bitch if that isn’t exactly what happened. If any of you have still been kicking and screaming over the Cutthroats 9 breakup, then you’ll understand what a treat this was. I guess the Unsane have jumped back into playing shows and you wouldn’t even know they stopped with the raw ass show they put on that night. The drummer Vinnie broke his collar bone that day and still fuckin’ played! The openers were solid as well, JJ’s Paradise Players Club and Old Grandad severed spines and pummeled eardrums but in totally different ways. How many ways can you sever a spine, oh, plenty my friend, plenty. Great show, but you probably missed it because your girlfriend wanted you to stay home and paint her toenails and then she thought it would be cool if you put on her makeup and that night you looked in the mirror, all dolled up and you cried..shoulda went to the show. - LC

drinks. The parts of the show that stood out were old school tracks like “Jimmy Hat” & “Love’s Gonna Getcha”, B-Boys break dancing and popping in a circle like back in ‘88 at an Ice-T show, and when KRS taught a hip-hop history of rap’s most important playas, past to the present, including Big Daddy Kane, Queen Latifah, Chuck D, and of course KRS himself. It reminded me of learning about the presidents in high school history class, but with Kris as the Teacher. Overall the show was dope and KRS was busting knowledge and flowing the edutainment. Fresh, in two thousand and three….you sucka. - JH

Tu r b o n e g r o C o n t i n u e d . . . Hank: That’s kind of rainbow-ish, Sierra. A juggler’s brew. Sean: I just like it. Ali: So what’s with your sexuality? Hank: We’re everything. We’re sexual beings. We’re ready to be sexual. Happy-Tom: We’re omnipotent, as Hank says. Omnisexual. We get love everywhere! Hank: You’re a beautiful woman. And you’re a beautiful boy. Can we snuggle? I mean, will you two snuggle up with us? ******************************* HAPPY-TOM Slays the Skate Ramp. Happy-Tom: (To Sean) So you’re a skater. Our merch guy is one of the best skaters around. I used to skate but I was really bad. Hank: I torched a skateboard ramp once. That’s the closest thing I’ve ever gotten into board sports. Well, I didn’t really, but I was accused of it. Yeah, I saw those wheels clicking on the mini-ramp, so I decided to burn it down. Ali: What is it with Norwegians always torching things—like skateboard ramps and Christian churches? Happy-Tom: Skating is like a religion to some and we just had to burn it down. Religion should come in stone, not wood. ëCause then I torch it. ******************************* TURBONEGRO Fry the French. Ali: So I was at a bar last Friday and your song, “Get it On,” came on and everyone stopped talking and just pumped their fists in the air for four minutes straight. What about your music makes people go so ape-shit over you? Happy-Tom: Was Sonny Barger there? Hank: Freedom. Freedom as in French. Freedom as in freedom fries. Revolutionary fries. I like those potatoes with moustaches on and garlic around them. Sean: Now that war is on, do you think rock is gonna come back? Hank: Not all rock, just us. Happy-Tom: Everybody has played their whole hand, but we’ve still got a lot of stuff up our sleeves. ******************************* TURBONEGRO in the Valley of the Titans. Ali: What makes you the biggest underground rock band in the world? Hank: We’re always gonna be underground, and that’s where we’re staying. ‘Cause everybody else in Scandinavia has signed to major labels now and they just put out fair albums. It’s better to be the biggest underground band in the world than to be the smallest main-

stream band. Happy-Tom: I like to fly back in coach with the good-looking student women. ******************************* TURBONEGRO Outsmarts the Citizens of Mensa. Happy Tom: We have the highest average I.Q. of any band in the world. Hank: We’re all Mensa members in the band, actually. I’m speaking actual truth. We did the test and were invited to join. So we outsmarted Mensa. We didn’t pay shit and made fake membership cards. Ali: Have you been to a meeting? Happy Tom: Yeah, it was like some mongoloids playing chess. And I was like sitting there drinking whiskey and smoking cigars, like the most intelligent person there. And they were like all totally sober with like a chess deal in their head. And I was like smoking and drunk, all the time happy. I was the smartest. ******************************* TURBONEGRO Seizes Darkness back from the Feeble Goths. Ali: Is your new album, Scandinavian Leather, your best yet? Hank: All the naysayers were saying we couldn’t make a better record than Apocalypse Dudes, but guess what? We did. Ali: Did you produce it yourself? Hank: Yeah, everybody was into lofi, but we’re perfectionists. We were in the studio for two months. We’re more of a Phil Spector approach to production. And Phil Spector kills quite literally, Madame. We had the pressure on us to make a good album. Happy-Tom: You know the Swedish chef on the Muppet Show? That was how we made the album. Take a picture of him and that’s our band. Ali: Why is it called Scandinavian Leather? Happy-Tom: ‘Cause we’ve got these German people going, “You always sing about denim, you vear de denim, und now, it’s leath-ah!” Now we say, (Touching the pink skin of his chest) “This is Scandinavian Leather, baby, it’s what we’ve got on under the denim.” White leather with nipples on it. Hank: And nipples! This album is the sound of freedom, baby, the sound of 2003. It’s a combination of Detroit 1973 and Los Angeles 1983 and Stalingrad 1943. When you listen to all of our albums, they never stray from the death-punk sound. It’s the new loud. We hang out with the black metallers, not the other Scandinavian rock bands. They’re better musicians. Happy-Tom: We’re taking darkness back from the goth people.

Video Reviews Northwest DVD A Super 8 Movie by Buddy Nichols and Rick Charnoski It’s probably pretty hard for these guys to make flicks after Fruit of the Vine came out, it’s like being in a band that put out a stellar first album and then having to deal with all the pressure on you when you’re making your next couple of albums. So that being said I don’t know if Rick and Buddy will ever make a movie as great as Fruit of the Vine again, but this one comes pretty damn close. A kind of sort of documentary on Red, Monk and all the other guys who are currently building and riding the best skateparks in the world, Northwest takes you to some of the best skateparks in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. Similar to their “Skateparks of Oregon” mini-series that was picked up by Bluetorch, Northwest succeeds in getting you fully stoked to get your ass in the car and drive hours to hit some kill spots. Highlights include all of the Burnside footage, Ben Krahn’s lines at Aumsville, Greek’s backside d on the extension at Lincoln City, Hewitt’s Port Orford cradle lines where he’d do it frontside and then slap a rock and go back in backside, and pretty much all of the Brookings/Port Orford footage. Heavy fucking sessions. Ox and RJ destroy it. And then there’s the Hailey, Idaho park footage, oh man. So yeah, this is a fantastic flick, certainly one of the best. The super 8 footage is great, and if you buy the DVD you get a bunch of extra sections which are rad, so I suggest that you shell out the extra couple bucks because it’s well worth it. One word of warning though–don’t watch this video and then go down to your local skatepark, because you’ll be fully bummed out when you get there. - dk

Anti Hero Skateboards Cash Money Vagrant Lee hates this video. He says the whole premise is terrible and it's just terrible. "The worst video out in months." That's a quote, he just told me that about a minute ago. I used to respect Lee, but now I think he's just a kook. He doesn't know shit about skating if he thinks this video is terrible. He shouldn't even be allowed to own a skateboard. He should be forced to rollerblade, or ride the Magnaboard. Lee's a fucktard, because this video is one of the best videos out in months. Alright, Lee does have one valid point, the theme of the video is kind of silly. But whatever, fine, only someone who doesn't know shit about skating would hold that against this video. This video is the shit. Tony Trujillo and Frank Gerwer have good shit, Peter Hewitt has better shit, but John Cardiel has the best shit. His part is so good, even better than his Transworld video part. Cash Money Vagrant is the best video I've seen for a while. It isn't at the immortal level of the first Antihero video, but it's amazing. If you don't recognize this, you're as much of a ‘tard as Lee. - DA Fuck Dave, he's a misquoting lawyer ass motherfucker, you can't trust those dudes. I feel the need to vidicate my "so called" stance on this video. The skating is fucking sick but just throw the fucking radio out the fucking window, and have a sing-a-long. Cardiel forever and Trujillo, fuckin' A, Trujillo -Lee the kooky Magna-shredder. PS: Fuck Dave. - LC

Skateworks Shop Copy Back in like '96 I was working at a skateshop in MI when we received a copy of a video called Portable Flatbar. The video was actually good, (the name was misleading) but it had the worst soundtrack ever; it featured such K-Tel hits as The Bangles, Walk Like an Egyptian. Terrible. Well it took seven years, but a video with a worse soundtrack finally came out - Shop Copy. We're talking multiple Smiths songs. Really, this soundtrack is painful. Fortunately, the skating in Shop Copy, is topnotch. Jake Palu starts the video off and pulls out one of the better parts to come out in the last couple of years. Jonathan likes Jake's skating a lot. He thinks that Jake looks like a sprite when he skates. I think he means it as a compliment. Besides Jake, this video has footage of lots of other clean-cut white kids. Some of them you'll know. Ron Whaley, Israel Forbes, Colt Cannon, and Justin Strubing are featured. Others you don't know, but you probably will soon. Jonathan also thinks this video is too long. But Jonathan doesn't know anything. Clearly, he hasn't seen the new Girl video, or he would know that the longer the video, the better. That's why the old Santa Cruz Speed Wheel videos were the best. They were like longer than two hours. This video isn't quite as long, but it's still on the long side. But that's cool if you're paying for the video, right? - DA

Neighborhood Watch Destro Films I met the guys who do these videos last time I was in San Diego. They were cool; they bought me drinks. I guess that means I owe them, so I’ll write a good review of their video. Wait, I bought them drinks. That means they owe me! Fuck them, I’m going to write a shitty review of their video. No, wait, I can’t remember. So I’ll write a mixed review of their video -- which is probably what it deserves. This video is good, except when its not. It’s not good when it’s showing rapping bums, stupid sluts, and excessive San Diego area school lines. Also, way too many cross-fades going on here. For example, one skater’s line faded into footage of a bubbling creek -- what the fuck? I don’t know, maybe he’s a hippie or something and was stoked to get a bubbling creek in his part. But the point is there is too much random filler footage in this video. The thing is, this video doesn’t even need filler. There’s so much good skating by the likes of Neil Heddings, Ryan Johnson, Alex Horn as well as a bunch of others. There’s also footage of Shed (Hitz and Navarette’s band), which is kill. Overall this video is worth checking out, but keep one finger on the fast-forward button. - DA

Do you skate? Jen: I try Dalty: I used to all the time. Then my legs ran off without me. Fuckers. Stacey: I’ve tried my whole life, I can push around for days! Is your chair your big skate? Dalty: Huh? Do I skate my chair? I can pull 50/50 grinds on mini ramps and fakies on transitions, and I’m still working on inverts and handplants. So far I keep stacking up though. Have you always played music? Jen: I always wanted to play, I’m still working on it. Dalty: Yeah, since I was 14. Before that it was all in my head. Stacey: Yeah I have always played a little music! Chicks dig you? Jen: They love Dalty. My friends all want Eric Dalty: Chicks worship me. Stacey: Shit fuck yeah! Ever got into a fight, did you win? Jen: Yes, I won. Dalty: A few back in the day. A couple of victories here and there, but for the most part they ended in draws. Stacey: Yes I have fought and have both won and lost! Concussion? (ever had one, how?) Jen: Nope. Dalty: No concussions, but I’ve broken a finger skating a long time ago. Popped my shoulder out while attempting a rail slide. Broken ribs, smashed knees, that kind of thing. Stacey: Yes a few times in car accidents! They’re fun! How long has the band been together ? Dalty: Almost three years. How did you first start playing? Jen: I picked up some sticks and started hitting shit. Dalty: Playing with Gonz in high school in the band room that was full of punk rockers trying to learn Continiued on p. 100 99

Angry Amputees Continued from Page 99 guitar when the school band wasn’t in session. We smoked a lot of pot and made a lot of bad music back then. Stacey: I picked up a guitar, and started to play it. Who influenced you? Jen: My bro’s. Dalty: Everyone I hung out with in my life. Stacey: Everyone. Have you always lived in SF? Dalty: No, I’m originally from Goleta, Ca. Rock City, USA. Stacey: No but I was born there on Geary St. Favorite band? Jen: Hot Water Music. Dalty: I dunno, lately I’ve rediscovered Fifteen and started getting into them again. Stacey: I don’t have one! Favorite skater? Jen: I’d really like to sit on Bam Margera’s face. Dalty: I always liked Mike Vallely. Stacey: Jon Steele!!! Favorite extreme guy? Besides Eric Gonzales. Jen: My Grandpa he’s 70 and just got his black belt, still wakeboards and snowboards and his name is Phil Dick. Dalty: Me. I can take a pretty good beating. And being in a wheelchair in San Francisco is no walk in the park. Stacey: Dan Cleveland of Dark Horse. How old where you when this happened? Dalty: I had just turned 16. How does this affect your life? Dalty: The only thing I can’t do now that I could before is skate. I miss it, but luckily I’m still on wheels, so I just have to be creative on how to compensate for lack of a board to ride. It’s not hard to figure out ways to get thrashed attempting tricks that just wasn’t meant for a wheelchair. Unfortunately, wheelchairs aren’t the easiest things in the world to maneuver when you’re going sideways.

Advice for groms who are taking life for granted? Jen: Don’t. Dalty: I was just like you. Don’t worry, one day you’ll be in prison, drug rehab, or dead. The rest of you will have mortgage bills, alimony, or a psycho girlfriend. Good luck! Stacey: Fuck, life is short and could end at any moment. So make it the best you can! Whats a slut bomb? Dalty: Some broad we met at a party full of cocaine and stupid people. She was overweight and dressed really sleazy. We started calling her that. She didn’t get it. Stacey: One of those creatures, be it male or female, which hang in bars day after day, moving from one victim to the next…. That’s a slut bomb. Are you one? Dalty: Slut, yes. I drop bombs every other day or so. Jen: No, but I aspire to be. Stacey: I don’t think so. What do you want to do with your music? Jen: Play it. Dalty: Take it all over the world. Stacey: Play it for everyone in the world that wants to hear it. Who writes the lyrics? Dalty: Stacey writes the bulk of it. Gonz and I have contributed on a couple though, and I wrote one all the way through. Stacey: Me for the most part, sometimes we write them together. Future tours? Jen: Yes, lots. Dalty: America, Canada, Europe. Sometime within the year. Future gigs and albums? Whats up? Jen: I want to record so BAD!!! Dalty: The second album is now being written. We’re about a quarter of the way through it. We’re also leaving mid-May to hit the western United States for a two-week tour.

Stacey: Fuck yeah… We are getting close to another full album and will probably record it this winter. We will most likely work with Jack Endino again. Who sucks? Jen: I swallow. Dalty: Bush and his empire of fuckheads and pigs. I can’t wait until he gets some form of terminal brain cancer Stacey: Stinky Hippies. Describe a typical day.. Jen: Wake up, check email, do rudiments, lots of caffeine , shower, go sell some drugs, go to practice, drink beer. Dalty: Wake up late and go to work until 9pm. Come home and have band practice until 1am. Sleep, then repeat. Stacey: Coffee, Marijuana, Tobacco, Saturday Night Live, Band Practice! Do you like all the homeless people in SF? Jen: I would have to say NO. Dalty: Fuck them. They shit on the sides of my house. Literally. I wish I had a high powered fire hose. Filthy bastards. Stacey: Well we just wrote a new song, it is called “Barely Human” and is in regards to the homeless people who camp out against our building everyday, with all of their shit and mattresses and shoes and shit everywhere. Sometimes is gets depressing, but I guess there are all types of people in the world, I can’t change that! Punk scene up there, how is it? Jen: There are some killer bands, I love this city. Dalty: Confused. It’s there, it’s just hard to find solid venues and writers who support local acts and sponsor events. It probably could use a little more cohesion and some kind of a focal point like a killer venue that everyone knows and is stoked on that books shows on a regular basis. Kind of like Cheers, but with leather jackets and fish nets. Stacey: It was good when we started out a few years ago, but has started to die due to the lack of venues for local acts to play at. Lots of people are playing straight rock-n-roll these days. So I am at a loss!

I recently caught up with my old friends in Motograter. (a grind-core self made instrument which has now metamorphasized into an impressive and unstoppable wheel of destruction.) The Motograter is a home made electrified grind core machine… I heard they used to sacrifice new borns in it to make it happy. These guys are about to be on the Ozzfest tour. Check ‘em out at Motograter.com This is a band of skate misfits who have a vision. A vision called Motograter. The band consists of : Joey Krzywonski (Percussion) Welded his own kit, used to work as an EMT in the ER and is one of the most radical skaters I have ever seen; vert, pools, anything!! Bruce Butler (Motograter) He created this machine and skates tough as nails. Chris Binn (drums) Rips at drums and has more fun skating than anyone. Ivan (Vocals) I didn’t really hang out with him too much. I saw him puke, so he’s cool! JR (lead guitar) Used to play in Naggernauts which was grind-core meets Mr. Bungle. A skater and surfer from Ocean City, Maryland for 25 years who has recently dropped everything in his life to be in Motograter! Zak Ward (vocals, back up vocals) Big Skater who can do Big flip tricks.

What is Motograter (to you): Ivan: A blessing. It is the closest you’ll ever come to ridding an asteroid. Chris : The Beast. Bruce: Motograter is trying to conquer the world. Joey: World domination.

the extremeties. Bruce: Both, they go hand in hand for sure.

Ever Had a Concussion? Ivan: At least 5-10 times, usually self-inflicted. Zak: About 6. Bruce: No! JR: No Concussions. But I have woke up in strange places. Joey: Quite a few times, skateboarding mainly, falling off things. I slapped my balls pretty good cliff diving once.

Best metal band? Bruce: Pantera.

So, coming from Texas, only steers and queers right? What up? Joey: You see my horns bitch!??!

Best quirk about touring? Bruce: Free beer, food, and a bunch of weed!

Slayer or Christina Aguilera? Joey: If I was going to fuck ‘em, Christina.

You guys have Ozzfest coming up, how’s that feel? Bruce: It feels fucking great… we’ ve been working hard.

What if you were stranded on a desert island? Joey: Slayer!

How does skateboarding affect Motograter? Does the music influence skating or vice versa? Joey: We love to skate! Zak: Just the aggressiveness &

Shoutouts? Joey: Thanks to our friends and fans, you’re what makes the music. … Bruce: Travis Lacy in Austin, Texas. Thank you Dess Fafava

What do ya like skating more? Bruce: Pools over much anything else.

for everything! Zak: Keep your head up and eventually it’ll come around. Ivan: Keep supporting the things you believe in.

Would ya fuck ‘em? Joey: If it came down to it!

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Record Reviews Think your band has got what it takes? Send CDs, tapes, vinyl, etc. to: Concussion PO Box 70565 Richmond, CA 94807 Angry Amputees Slut Bomb Dead Teenager Records I love chick bands. I love these guys. It just so happens that the bassist is a real amputee. He is the 1st survivor of Bacterial Meningitis, so I don’t think they will ever just roll over and quit without a bloody fight! My buddy Eric plays in this band and can skate pretty tough so it only justifies them even more. And to top this crazy circus of musicians off, Ms. Stacey Dee, the singer, is hot as a Mexican firecracker… The Muffs meet good old “before sellout” Green Day/Greasy Punk early Rancid meets awww fuck it, they are the Angry Amputees and they are great! - JS Armed & Hammered Go to Hell Self Produced These punks start off the 12 track release with Frustration: “Fuck the government – it’s just a scam. Use us for taxes, that’s their plan. Lies, it’s so frustrating. Corporate greed – runs the country. Let’s start a war so stocks go up. We pay for wars we shouldn’t fight. We have no say about wrong or right. Democracy – it’s a disguise…” That should give you an idea what these guys are about. Fast paced punk rock with tracks such as “Fuck Conformity”, “Time Bomb” and “22” about being 22 and going nowhere. There’s nothing new here, but it’s good punk rock from Nevada. Good bass lines, good singing, good guitars, and a perfect fast tempo for this style of punk. Along with lyrics that make you want to rebel, what more could you ask for, except a possible solution to all these problems. (PO Box 6535, Stateline, NV 89449) - JH Bar Room Heroes Prize Fighter BRH Records I saw these guys opening for Throw Rag and Cadillac Tramps down in Southern California. They impressed me. Not so much in the originality zone, but in the raw talent zone. They were good. Very similar to The Staggers, Sixer, Swingin Utters, Et Cetera. Still, they had their own energy. This CD is very well done. The production is good and it’s laid out solid. Certain songs mean more to me than others. I could strip the album down to a handful of solid music. Nonetheless, I am just the critic, they are the musicians. Great band, good guys, solid release. Seek. - Sick Boy Bedford Spaceships, Sex, and Jealousy Boss Tuneage Jonny made me review this one because of all the hot pink butterflies 102

on the cover. Well, it sounds like the singer ate too many of those little pink butterflies. He, along with his band mates, got stuck on some sort of pop/punk trip. Didn’t anyone tell them they wanted the blue butterflies? Oh well. They blew it, they suck, and I’m flushing this CD down the toilet. - SD Boris Amplifier Worship Southern Lord This album came in a green CD case with a yellow and green gummy worm in the spine. I’m not sure what that means. Boris is a Japanese band named after a Melvins song that plays American-style doom metal. The Melvins influence is all over this record, but there’s a lot of Earth, Sleep, and Kyuss (fuck, there’s a band name if I ever heard one) here also. About the only thing I’m not so into with this album is the screamed vocals, but most of the record is instrumental. This album actually reminds me a lot of “Sky Valley.” It’s got its heavy guitar parts, but there’s some trippy quiet parts here like there are in “Asteroid” or “Demon Cleaner.” There’s also a fast song that reminds me of “100 Degrees.” So there you go; this is a great record. If you don’t have “Sky Valley” get that instead, but if you do, you can’t go wrong with Boris. But the gummy worm? I look at the case sometimes and wonder if it’ll go bad at some point and attract ants. My girlfriend doesn’t like this record and doesn’t like ants. I’d be up shit creek around the house if this record attracted ants. And what the hell is the worm supposed to mean? There’s nothing about this record that signifies “gummy,” and the only sort of “worm” connotations I can make out of it are real stretches, like mescal or those crazy spice worms in “Dune.” Even taking the terms together as “gummy worm” leaves me puzzled. That seems more like something you’d see in a CD case from a Japanese pop band. Maybe the worm is supposed to be ironic, kind of like the cute fruit basket on the cover of the Melvins album “Bullhead” that leads off with the song “Boris.” Fuck, cracked that code. - MS The Business Hell 2 Pay TKO “Oi! What’s this ‘ere, a new EP from The Business?” These guys have been churning out records for over 20 years now, and they still sound basically the same. Good quality Oi! music. You got “Hell 2 Pay” which almost sounds more hardcore than Oi! with some double picking and a tough sounding breakdown. Song 2, “Gangland”, is classic business style, with the quiet verse going into the more rocking pre-chorus, before letting it all loose for the catchy chorus then you got the ska’ish part going into the rocking end part with the over and over chanting of the same line, great song. Now I’m on the CD bonus track, “Do Anything You Wanna Do” which is like one of their

more melodic/acoustic songs and I think it might be a cover. - CP Buzzcocks Buzzcocks Merge Records Could it be a new album from the PopPunk Fore fathers? I guess it is if I’m doing this review. The only songs I heard from the Buzzcocks were only on comps (“Fast Cars” and “Battery”). It sounds like they pick up where they left off. The lyrical content seems to be deeper than what I have heard and I guess that comes with age. The riffs on the guitar are catchy and ruff at the same time. I can see now why so many people love this band. The music is soothing and comforting. What are you waiting for? The Buzz cocks have a new album out. Go get it. - Casper Camarosmith S/T Dead Teenager I must say I was hyped when this album arrived and bummed when I listened to it. Featuring a pretty cool name for a band and Donny Paycheck of Zeke on drums, this sounds more like Soundgarden than anything else. The music isn’t bad once the singer shuts up, but with those vocals I can’t think of anything but cheesy Seattle grunge. Oh look, this was produced by Jack Endino. Does that explain things? I’m not sure. - dk Codek Records Audio Messages Etc. Codek Records What we have here is a fine example of assorted electronica straight out of New York City. A seamless collage of many artists all woven together by the very capable selector Nicodemus. This is the cream of Codek’s crop all coming together under one banner. Clocking in with over an hour of musical treats, Audio Messages Etc. is an electronic CD that I can actually nod my head to. The beats change constantly leaving the listener immersed in a sound-scape of live instruments, well-placed samples, and super chill grooves. There are sounds that reoccur throughout the mix as well as themes that build upon one other. The injection of Indian music complete with live tablas definitely takes the mix into the stratosphere. As a matter of fact, many styles are represented here from Dub to Groove, to things that sound like Paul’s Boutique minus the Beastie’s raps. Not being a real fan of electronic music as a whole, I found myself moved by this disc. No repetitive drum machines, played out samples, or break-beat assaults. Zeb’s “Fatine Stonate” and Family of God’s “Pip” are some of the standouts, but there is really not a bad song on this album. Go get it: www.codek.com. - Sgt. Scrapes

The Cunts Indeed Disturbing Records One of my favs of this issue is The Cunts. Basically, the Cunts consist of jamming guitars, a relaxed slow and steady drum beat, with an early 70s punk style in the vocals. There’s a touch of rockabilly, and a touch of Iggy Pop/Stooges. But if you asked me tomorrow, I’d tell you something totally different, like they sound like the Cramps or Mudhoney playing lounge. There’s a lot of different styles going on here, and each song has it’s own feel. The song “Why don’t we do it”, is quite appealing with the organ setting the sensual feel. The Cunts are hot! You need it, don’t even try and fool yourself. Give in. Get it now!! - JH The Dragons Sin Salvation Gearhead Records Fast, bluesy rock and roll. I hear a little bit of Zeke in there, but the vocals don’t really do it for me. The hooks are pretty catchy and this stuff sounds ok as background music but unfortunatel it won’t stay in the CD player long enough for me to find out. - dk Drexel The Inevitable is Available Fork in Hand Records Being that my last name is Drexler, I had to review this album. Thankfully these guys don’t share my last name because I’d have to change it if they did. The cover art has a negative image of a tree and silhouettes of dandelions and may very well be one of the best parts of the overall package. Well, some of the shit they sampled and threw in the mix is kinda cool. For example, the opening has a bunch of kids with accents reciting plant names. All in all, these guys seem confused about what kind of a band they want to be. They have no distinct style, instead they sound like 503 different bands all rolled into one pile of shit. They should pick a niche and get some consistency. They aren’t necessarily bad musicians, they just make bad music. – SD Drive-By Truckers Decoration Day New West Records This album is beautifuly depressing. Much stronger than their critically acclaimed Southern Rock Opera, Decoration Day is a series of country and blues twinged ballads, rockers, and rocking ballads about life, love, and death. Heavy shit. “Sink Hole,” a song about getting your property repossesed, is probably the hardest rocking track on the album, but that doesn’t necessarially mean it’s the best one. Other standouts include the bluesy “My Sweet Anette,” “Sounds Better in the Song” and pretty much every other song on this album. I’ve been listening to this album so much I almost forgot to review it because it doesn’t seem

new anymore. Good, good stuff from a vastly underrated band that probably doesn’t get out to the west coast often enough. - dk Dropkick Murphys Blackout Hellcat records The entire prior releases that the Dropkicks have had always had a different vibe to each album. The new album takes a combination of Do or Die and Sing Loud, Sing Proud and swirls them into one. The song content is predominately the same as past albums, but with the exception of one song that is called “The Dirty Glass”. It has a female vocalist battling Ken Casey and Al Barr in the vein of The Pogues song “Christmas Day”. The Dropkicks’ just might have the potential to be in the ranks of the The Pogues. Ok, maybe that’s an overstatement. – Casper Drunk Horse Adult Situations Tee Pee Records As a whole, this is not my favorite Drunk Horse album, but it is worth checking out for the hilarious album cover (and inside cover) alone. I’m not going to spoil the joke so just check it out. Musically this disk picks up in the greasy riff-inspired groove where Tanning Salon left off, with hints of jazz here and there. Probably not enough straight ahead rockers on this disk for my liking, but the hessian “The Bitch is Bach” is easily the strongest

song on this disk and an instant classic. Oh wait, they’ve been playing that song for years. And yes, even a so-so Drunk Horse album is 99% better than most other rock out there today. - dk El Guapo Fake French Dischord Man this first song is weird. Drum machines and rhyming chanting. Second song is in the same vein. Bizarre. Maybe I was too quick to assume that every band on Dischord has that postpunk “Dischord sound,” kind of like every band on Fat Wreck used to have that “Fat Wreck sound”. Gotta break those stereotypes. If this were the early 80’s this would be the shit and people would be hyped on it. But since trends tend to recycle themselves every 20 years, I guess this is the shit again. Look how I am dating myself. Anyway interesting stuff for the art school crossover crowd. - dk Tommy Guerrero Soul Food Taqueria Mo Wax/Beggars Group I actually heard a song off this album on KALX (the Berkeley college radio station) and was wondering what it was because I liked it, and then the DJ came on and said that was Tommy G and I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t really know how to describe this music except to say it’s got mellow beats. My iTunes computer program labeled this album’s genre as Electronica, which I

sure hope it isn’t because I’ve been staunchly against rave/techno music since forever. But this isn’t really dance music as much as it is mellow sit on your back porch and enjoy the summer music. I dunno, whatever it is it’s not what I usually listen to but I like it. - dk Elliott Song in the Air Revelation Records If you like spacey, melodic tunes then this might be for you. Burn a spliff and chill out, see if you like it. – SD First to Fall Breaking the Silence Self Produced I saw this local Santa Cruz band by default at the Mediterranean in Aptos. They played after my friend’s band, but their PA was fucked and it seemed like they turned up the volume to compensate for the lack of vocals. That show was a bad first impression, but I saw them again during a Skateworks demo and it was a whole new experience. Anytime you get loud music and skateboarding together, it seems to work well. It’s kind of like when you get cigarettes and beer together... they are good in their own rite, but together they seem better. So, grab a six pack and some smokes and give this album a listen. Then go to the Asti, listen to one of the best juke boxes this side of the Mississippi, and find Troy (he’s on guitar and vocals) and give him a high

five or something. - SD Gallery of Mites Bugs On The Bluefish Meteor City The press kit for this CD boasts “a tenman band boasting five lead guitarists,” which was nice, but then I read that half of them were from Monster Magnet, which bummed me out because I never really liked Monster Magnet. But then I listened to the album and it sounded more like Queens of the Stone Age. And then I kept reading the press kit and they started talking about a song that Jon Garcia, the singer of Kyuss, did guest vocals, and so I skipped to that song, which was pretty good, except the vocals were so blown out you couldn’t tell it was him. So then I skipped back to Track 2 and listened to the rest of the album and it’s really good, but not in a Kyuss way or a band with five guitarists way. It just rocks. - dk Gravy Train Hello Doctor Kill Rock Stars This is porn shop rock, 80’s revival style! Woo! Woo! Watch out for Funx, Drunx, Chunx, and Hunx... those are the passengers on this train headed straight to a sticky floored gay bar near you. I got a few laughs out of their cheerleader beat, synthesized sex rock, but after all, I used to work at a sex shop. I sold freaky shit to sex fiends like this every day for a year.

They sing about blow jobs, Astroglide, asses getting tore up, titties bouncing, and being complete whores. They even include a segment in the sleeve devoted to various diagrams of pussy thrusts. A great one for the whole family. Buy it for the kids. – SD Good Riddance Bound By Ties Of Blood And Affection Fat Wreck Cords Unlike past albums that had slower breakdowns and build-ups, this one seems to have a tempo that is fast paced the whole way through. Of course you have the melodic soft vocals that Good Riddance uses from song to song, which keeps the album from being repetitive. This may be their best album to date. - Casper Guff The Guff is a Disaster EP Go-Kart Records This band sounds exactly like several other bands out there. They are better than MTV’s bands of the same style. Yet, not as good as who they aspire to imitate. It’s a 5 song disc. It has pretty funny pictures of the band. I’ll probably never listen to this again. I’m intolerant to generic music. If I mixed this band up, with all the suckass bands that I dislike, in a disc changer, it would be a suck-a-thon. Actually, these guys are decent for borderline emopoprock. - Sick Boy Kaada Thank you For Giving Me Your Valuable Time Ipecac Recordings Kaada is the best thing to come out of Norway since Leif Erikson set sail for America. And, much like Leif was passed over by the mainstream in favor of Christopher Columbus, I foresee a similar fate for Kaada in the good old US of A. If my soothsayer powers are in effect, most Americans will never get to know this little gem of an album exists. Like most of the bands on Mike Patton’s Ipecac Recording Label, Kaada is on the fringe of the fringe. Caught somewhere between Beck and a late 60’s soul singer, he uses samples in a way I’ve never heard before. Unlike Beck, Kaada does not feel the need to get overly funky. He gives it to you straight and ultra-smooth. It gets to the point where one cannot tell what is being played from what is being sampled. A neat trick if you ask me. The album comes off very mature for a debut artist and that is probably due to Kaada’s previous efforts with the band Cloroform. All & all, this is a very smart album that deserves many a listen. He even brings it to a close with a tender ditty actually thanking the listener for giving him the time. He’s that kind of guy... For more info, go to http://www.kaada.no/ or just cut to the chase and check out his video for “No You Don’t” at http://www.ipecac.com/videos.php Sgt. Scrapes

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The Kickass Death Metal is For Pussies Bifocal Media Now this is more like it. The guys on the cover are dressed in pink tank tops and pink tighty-whities. All of these songs are long, somewhat hessian, and have no vocals. And there’s nothing like bad vocals to ruin a perfectly good song. Some of this stuff tends to be on the jazz fusion/prog rock side of things, but that’s alright with me better that than mall punk. The production on this album was a little flat for my liking, but I bet these guys are heavy live. Death metal is for pussies, math rock is for nerds, and this falls somewhere in the mix. - dk The Left Rights S/T Uppity Cracker Records Holy Freakin’ Moley!!! This is exactly what I have been waiting for. No fooling! I bought this CD at an entertainment outlet for .99¢ for the cover alone. Now, usually I get burned by operating in such a reckless manner. If you could see the pile of miscellaneous 70’s funk vinyl that I bought simply for the cover shot...you’d understand. But, on this one rare occasion, the cartoon boy pooping in front of the little country cottage did not lie to me. Right off the bat, the album sucks the listener into a world of it’s own. Not only is the album hilarious, the playing is outstanding. And, it’s all coming out of two guys...Jimmy & Steve from the band Mindless Self Indulgence. The subject matter varies from poo to jerkin’ from DarthVader to station wagons, back to poo, farting for a bit...and, did I mention poo? Yes, these fellows are fecally obsessed and you will love them for it. Fans of South Park humor, Mr. Bungle changes, and intense eclectic music must have this disc. Everyone I’ve played this for simply loves it, including a vanload of 13 year olds...America’s toughest critics. - Sgt. Scrapes Lewinski Only When I’m Punk Naked Jain Records These guys are from England. Another installation of pop/punk fusion with a bit of ska thrown in at times. There’s a subtle reminiscence of Op Ivy - subtle. Maybe it’s all the OHHHoOHH’s. Their lyrics depict an out-of-control abusive lifestyle, which of coarse makes them so “punk.” - SD Liquorfish Four Song Demo Carbonated Records I was handed this by one of the band members. He said they’d fit right in with any good rock band. I must agree. I have listened to these four songs several times. I’m listening to it right now. The songs are spoken melodically and sung with a decent voice. Similar to MCD, Gotohells, and The Generators.

The fact remains; once the disc is over, I play it again. I am very impressed with these upstarts. It would be a great show to have Gluehorse and Liquorfish open for The Catheters. Great band, I hope to hear more from them in the near future. Seek them out. - Sick Boy Manic Hispanic Mijo Goes to Jr. College BYO Records No way. This is so funny. Ok, it’s on track 4, Cruise. It’s a remake of NOFX’s the Brews (you know, “hey hey, we’re the brews, sporting anti-swastika tattoos”), but it’s the Vato version. “Saturday night, cerveza’s and tequila, we’re going to cruise until we see the sun, smoking leno’s...” If you know the song, you’d appreciate the remake. They do a kick ass job covering the song and the lyrics are so funny. Every song on this CD rocks, and they’re all covers. The cover art is even a vato version of Descendent’s Milo, which I can’t do justice describing. You have to check this one out. The most exciting CD I received this issue for sure. Other hits include: My Homeboy is a Joto (sung to DI’s, “Johnny’s Got a Problem”), The I.N.S. Took My Novia Away (sung to Ramones’, “KKK Took My Baby Away”), and She Turned Into Llorona (sung to Misfits’, “I Turned into a Martian”). Get it if you have any sense of humour and you like any of the aforementioned bands. – JH Man Scouts of America Crash Course R.A.F.R. Records I have heard lots of great music through time. I have a huge collection of music. If I like a band, I will usually pursue their collective releases. Most bands have a handful of songs on each release that really kickass beyond their other material. The Scouts just play hits. Every song is kickass raw RocknRoll. There are only six songs, though. The thing that sucks about this band is that they disappeared. Six songs that rule beyond most shit out there, then nothing! Fuck! This is bullshit. Their website is home of some gay camping retreat and their label doesn’t have a clue. Or so they say. Well, this is what I say, “Bring back the Man Scouts of America!” The world needs their superpowers of rocknroll to heal the damage society has done upon us. I need several albums worth of this pure rockittude. Fuck! Oh well, maybe they are out there listening. So, if enough of us play the album, they will somehow be resurrected. I just want more, that’s all I know. Truly a gem of an album. - Sick Boy The Murder City Devils R. I. P. Sub Pop Records This is the last show in the existence of Murder City Devils recorded live. I didn’t give these guys my full attention when they were at full throttle. I did the same thing with Dgeneration. I kind

of lingered in the background just watching the bands, never caring enough to spend cash on them. Then the time comes when I see a deal on the disc or it’s given to me. I’m then, presented with a chance to get personal with the bands. Dgeneration rule way beyond the credit they were given. MCD are close to the same in my book. I do think The Hookers (PRE-MCD) were harder, although I think they broke up because of the overwhelming attention. The truth be told, I was listening to a lot of Oi when both of the mentioned bands were doing their thing, so I should tell you about this disc. It has 19 tracks on it. If you put it into your computer it will show you clips from a vampire movie they were attempting to create. I think they were on the right track. The songs are a comp. of their list of material. They talk a bit in between songs. I like a lot of stage banter, personally. You can hear the fuck ups and it’s a tad unorganized......like a true punk band should sound. Great band, fantastic album. I’ll put it in the disc changer now. If you like anything they’ve put out or a fan of RnR, then seek to own. - Sick Boy NOFX The War on Errorism Fat Wreck Chords Welly, well well...the new NOFX. It seems that Fat Mike and the boys have decided to get a little more involved in politics with the continuing decline of civilization. The CD booklet opens up with a three-page spiel about politics and how NOFX are patriots, not in the “fly your flag” type of patriot, but the “true sense of the word. We are the ones calling attention to the faults of our government and trying to fix them. We are the ones trying to expose mistakes in order to learn from them instead of covering them up.” The music on this CD is classic NOFX, a blend of old and new, just new songs with new lyrics. They’ve veered away from the ska-punk and more into faster metal punk riffs with predominantly political lyrics, and lyrics clowning on trends and the common state of the “punk-rock” scene. I’d like to stress the importance of the lyrics on this CD, since the rest just sounds like your typical NOFX. My favorite part of Franco UnAmerican is, “I never looked around, never second guessed, then I read some Howard Zinn now I’m always depressed. And now I can’t sleep from years of apathy, all because I read a little Noam Chomsky. I’m eating vegetation cuz a Fast Food Nation, I wear uncomfortable shoes cuz a globalization. I’m watching Michael Moore expose the awful truth, I’m listening to Public Enemy and Reagan Youth.” I could go on, but you might as well just pick up this CD, if for nothing else, to learn a little about what’s going on in the world. Think of it as an hour-long class with NOFX playing the background music while singing about what’s really going on in this world, with their inter-

pretation included. Open your eyes. Read some Chomsky. Read some political zines that attempt to tell the truth. Listen to NPR. Just know that you can’t always believe everything you see and read...now can you. This CD also is an enhanced CD with political videos you can watch if you have a computer, about all kinds of political ideas that I don’t have space to discuss. Get it, and experience it for yourself. - JH OTEP Sevas Tra Capitol Records I am always suspicious of major label metal, unless it’s something like AC/DC or Maiden or Slayer, and so I was pretty damn close to writing off this disk as garbage but decided to give it a listen anyway just to check out the liner art. And lo and behold, it’s not half bad, at least the first song was good. Heavy riffs, cookie monster vocals, parts of it almost sounds like Brujeria with English vocals. Unfortunately as the album progresses, some of it also sounds like nu-metal or rap metal or whatever you call that shit. Other songs are really slow with a bunch of talking and trippy, weird sounds, what we used to call “Headphone” music I think. Except usually we were talking about bands like Pink Floyd. So by the end of this disk I’m totally confused - I don’t really know what this shit is but, I’m sure you’ll be able to catch them on the Ozzfest or some other major

label backed pseudo-metal tour. - dk Plan A Project S/T Go-Kart Records Is this the same Go-Kart Records that owes us $250 for an ad from 3 issues ago? Oh I am going to be so nice on this one. Just kidding, the label has nothing to do with whether or not the band is good or not. But this is some punk shit. There’s some woooooOhhOhhhs, while the music is kind of cluttered and merging in with itself. It’s hard to pick out anything specific, except a couple cool bass licks, and yeah yeahhhs. I don’t mind this at all, but I can’t really hear anything but a bunch of angst. They kind of remind me of US Bombs, but more highpitched and not as riveting. I’m not doubting these guys are for real, they seem pretty gnarly from reading the lyrics, and with their handwritten jail/HB titles in the lyric book, but it’s just not that appealing to me. So there you go. Maybe if I turn it up. Now that’s a bit better. I’d prefer to see them live, but wait, then I couldn’t just turn it off. – JH A Planet For Texas Sprechen Sie Rock? Diaphragm Records This disc is kooky. It starts out with a powerful hard rockin’ song, very similar to Motorhead in ‘85. Although, at

the end of the song the bands drifts into a more melodic sound. Then they carry that sound into the next song. I don’t totally grasp the meaning behind the second song. It’s called, “The Ballad of Skinhead Joe”. The lyrics are about a skinhead that is in the closet. The band urges him to come out of the closet. “Skinhead Joe, it’s o.k. that you’re gay, skinhead joe, it’s o.k.”. Now if these guys are just clowning some skin, I think it’s funny. On the other hand, if they are encouraging homosexuality within the Skin Scene, well that’s gay! This is another one of those bands that hasn’t pinned down their sound just yet. They shift gears a few times throughout the CD. I think they should stick to the style used on the songs, “Truckstop Speed”, “Reaganomicon”, “The Luthern Sisterhood Gun Club”, and “Escape from Portsmouth”. I will record these songs and listen to them a lot. So there you go. The CD has a 50% approval rating. Worth, at most, $6. The next release should be a great deal more focused. - Sick Boy Pistol Grip Another Round BYO Records The second full length from this southern California street punk is more produced and is a step above, musically, to the last. All that and it doesn’t make this band any different from every other band out there that is adopting the 77’ / Street Punk sound. It is basic

and redundant. It is like smoking a self-rolled cigarette that is too tight. You want the pleasure, but it just won’t come. - Casper Revenge Therapy S/T Amendment Records I was first attracted to this CD by the hand drawn sharpie label “Don’t hate this ‘cause it’s ghetto”. It worked. I actually put this in before the other 25 CDs that I’m not going to have time to review for this issue. Revenge Therapy are fast hardcore with a metal influence. They crank through 5 high-energy songs in 7 minutes and then it’s over. I need another session with my therapist. When can I get an appointment for the full hour, not this teaser mind fuck that leaves me needing more? JH Since By Man We Sing The Body Electric Revelation Since By Man play heavy screaming emo metally hardcore with some jangly or melodic or atmospheric or wanking parts thrown all over the place. It sounds like Converge or Cave In or something like that. – CP

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Songs:Ohia Magnolia Electric Co. Secretly Canadian Classic rock radio has by and large become unlistenable. Thanks to Clear Channel, every city in America has a radio station with a tough-sounding animal name and a playlist of about 100 songs. I remember driving around the Bay Area a few years ago listening to KFOX and hearing all kinds of great music. I mean, Billy Vega playing both sides of “Meddle” straight through at midnight? Early Steppenwolf album cuts? You had a better chance of hearing some good music on classic rock radio in the 1990s than you did on most college stations. That’s all gone now: what you have on The Bear, The Gator, The Hawk, or whatever the fuck your local Clear Channel or Infinity Broadcasting owned station is are the same 100 songs, over and over and over again. It’s a shame, because there’s a lot of great rock from the 1960s and 1970s that you won’t hear there any more, and college radio won’t touch most of it either. If I was the Governor, that wouldn’t be the case. The local state-run classic rock station would play a variety of good music from the 1950s up to the present day, and would definitely play this Songs:Ohia record. Maybe not heavy rotation, but there’s a few songs on here that are great in the way Robin Trower’s “Bridge of Sighs” is great. Like they wouldn’t be your favorite song of all time and you wouldn’t want to listen to them every day, but when they come on kind of infrequently, they kick ass in a sneaky kind of way. On the local state-run classic rock station, I would as Governor sponsor initiatives to pay low-income citizens to hunt down and round up Clear Channel executives, who would then be fed methamphetamines, locked in cages, and forced to listen to tapes of their own stations all day long. We could beat them occasionally too, just for fun. But mostly they would just sit there all geezed up hearing “Rianna,” “Hotel California,” or “Carry on My Wayward Son” for the ten thousandth time. They would pray for the end, but these prayers would not be answered. After beating one of the corporate programming directors with a baseball bat on Friday night around sunset, I would retire to the porch of the Governor’s mansion, crack open a Bell’s Amber, and turn on our state-run classic rock station. This Songs:Ohia album would be a wonderful record to hear right about then, maybe in a set with something from Neil Young’s “On the Beach” or some 70s Bob Dylan. - MS StarStrangled Bastards Whose War Is It? Go-Kart Records A lot of mixed messages in their lyrics. First, anti-American, then, ProAmerican in their namesake anthem song. The music is fast and easy to understand. That gets points right there, but their music is done by bands that do it better: Defiance, Chaos U.K., 106

The Exploited, D.R.I., et cetera. I listened to the whole disc once, and the song, “Star Strangled” twice. It is pretty decent hard punk, but I always hear the same stance in the lyrics. I’m a realist and I don’t believe most of the shit these bands spout. I like a funner style of rock n roll. These “Political Punk” bands shout rhetoric about experiences they’ve never even had. They read it somewhere or had a friend that got them into it. I can talk politics, but my view of the world is way different than most peoples’. I see the world after 8 years of incarceration, which makes my views unique. If a band has true experience in life, you hear it in the music. Otherwise, You are just spoutin’ rhetoric. Good disc. If you like any of the bands I mentioned above, then you should get this. – Sick Boy Stratford 4 Love & Distortion Jetset Records Sometimes there are albums we receive which you just know by looking at them are going straight into the “sell” pile. And then sometimes I feel guilty for not even bothering to listen to an album before I sell it, so I unwrap it and give it a listen. And then sometimes after I’ve listened to a track or two on said album, I go, “Oh yeah, this stuff does suck. That’s enough of that. Into the sell pile you go.” And there it went. - dk Street Trash S/T Black Noise Records This band tears your soul out and beats it to a bloody pulp. An assault that left me with the same feeling as when Hardcore Thrash and skating went hand in hand. Older DRI and Aggression come to mind when I hear this band. An 8song EP with titles like “What the Shit,” “Fashion for Rebellion” and my favorite “Thrash your Face” are all under 2 minutes. This band is much more intense when seen live. They play up in San Francisco every now and then, but until then, this album will have to do. Got thrash in yer face? www.streettrash.net - Casper Sworn In S/T Bridge Nine This is some pissed off, vicious, fast paced hardcore, with some heavy breakdowns (and one quiet part). A lot of parts remind me of Talk Is Poison, sometimes so much that this could have been Talk Is Poison’s next record if they had moved to the east coast, gone straight edge, and wrote more mosh parts. - CP Throw Rag Desert Shores BYO Records Up beat Rock N Roll, dirty and raw. Not only do they have the “guy that plays the spoons on a washboard”, but also I

think I here a cowbell thrown in there. These people seem to know how to have a good time and want you to join them. My head is swaying back and forth and my feet are tapping the floor. A good sign when the first song can do that to you in the first 10 seconds. - Casper Turbonegro Scandinavian Leather Burning Heart In these trying economic times, I’d really like to give thanks for filesharing and for record company promos. They save me the money I used to spend on records I was hyped to buy but that turned out to suck, like this one. This record has no balls at all and rocks about as hard as Krokus or the Donnas. The glam element of their earlier records is now the dominant part of the sound, and the album has neither the energy of “Ass Cobra” nor the wall of sound of “Apocalypse Dudes.” They still have one of the best shticks in rock n roll and I’d definitely go and see them live, but I can’t imagine putting this record on again. Bummer. MS V/A Liberation: Songs to Benefit PETA Fat Wreck Chords You should buy this album, if for no other reason, than it benefits PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. And I’m way more down for helping animals out than humans. And the music on this album is ok too. - dk Vaux There Must be Some Way to Stop Them Volcom Entertainment This is an album worth buying: it’s well produced, consistent, and has a distinct sound. I foresee this band being huge with the angst-ridden teens. A high school anthem is dying to be unleashed... but hey, it’ll probably be a hit with the older crowd too. - SD Verbal Assault Volume One: The Masses and Learn Mendit, It. This is a great CD from this grossly underrated band. It consists of Verbal Assault’s demo and first EP. For those unfamiliar with this band they started in the early 80’s and this is probably their best stuff (although the “trial” 12” is excellent, and I would assume this will be included on verbal assault volume two). If you like shit like SS Decontrol, Uniform Choice, No For An Answer, 7 Seconds, and Minor Threat, chances are you’ll like this. The CD booklet is really good too, with 24 pages of writings, flyers, photos, lyrics and all the info from the demo and 7”. This is how a reissue should be done, the only way they could have done it better was to put it on vinyl instead. – CP

The Voids Kill A Generation Black Noise Records I saw this band before they even had an album. At the time I wasn’t very impressed. Listening to their album didn’t help me in the least to appreciate what they are trying to accomplish. The Voids are fronted by a female vocalist and I usually love that, but in this case I am just bored. They sound as if they are trapped back in a time when leather jackets, spiky hair and saying Oi was the sign of the times. They try very hard to be like Vice Squad and Naked Aggression. Or at least that is what they come off as trying to be. Don’t get me wrong, this band has angst, I just feel they should direct it in a different light. But hey, what the hell do I do know? - Casper X Aspirations Rocknroll Blitzkrieg/Now! A reissue of X’s 1979 LP. “What do you mean?” X’s first LP was ‘Los Angeles’, released in 1980.” “Listen mate, this ain’t the X from L.A., it’s the “other” X from Australia.” So this band might have been overshadowed by the American X, but they’re pretty good too. Musically they’re actually kinda similar, but you could say that about most punk rock n roll bands that were playing around ‘79/’80. This record has a discordant feel to it sometimes reminding me more of the Feederz or something like that. A couple of the songs reminded me of the Newtown Neurotics, and some of the songs almost sound like jams with a real bluesy/rock n roll sound which fits with the “recorded in 5 hours at......” scrawled on the back cover. Oh yeah, not to keep comparing them to the X from L.A., but the cover looks almost exactly the same as the cover of “Los Angeles”, kinda makes you wonder, don’t it? - CP Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To Tell Interscope A chick backed up with two other members’ fronts the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. One playing drums and the other playing all the guitars and a drum machine. The Garage Rock invasion should be left in the garage. Just give me The Seeds and I would be content. Fuck all these bands that are jumping on the bandwagon! – Casper Reviewer Key: Casper – Chris Tobias CP - Cuerpo de Perro DK – Davoud Kermaninejad JH – Jonathan Hay JS – Jon Steele LC – Lee Charron MS- Mickey Stamm Sick Boy – Paul Morrison SD – Sarah Drexler Sgt. Scrapes – Rob Krautheim

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Left: Limo and his twenty frame slam sequence at Burnside. Photo: Rodent. Above: Max Schaaf pulls the rip cord on a FSA attempt in Berkeley. Photo: Davoud Above right: What’s so fucking funny about having bloody, ripped up hands. Well what’s his name, that one dude–I mean Emmanuel Guzman–apparently thinks it’s funny. PS - Sorry about not knowing your name last issue in the caption for the Derby gap frontside flip. My bad. Photo: Roland

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Above: Stephanie’s hand. Photo: Fritz. Right: This could’ve been a cover shot too–Hewitt falling from 10 o’clock in the Louisville pipe, doing what, a fuckin switch frontside slasher? Gnarly.... Photo: Snapcult. Left: More Pear Camp slam action. Photo: Middleton. Below: The caption for this photo that was emailed to us said, “Here's a pic of my knee after a failed attempt at BS Smith on the fun spot mini.” Real fucking fun, huh.

Sequence. Some kid gets introduced to Mr. Wilson on a kickflip attempt. Photos: Rodela.

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