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Words Adam Pasulka Photos Marissa Kaiser What’s in a name? That which we call Portland, by any other name, would still be home to the country’s most impressive collection of roses. Grab a pair of pruning shears and take another hit of your favorite nasal spray. We’re here to show you why it’s called the City of Roses. Portlanders began showcasing their roses in the late nineteenth century. The Portland Rose Society was founded in 1888 by Georgiana Burton Pittock who initially used a tent in her garden to display flowers grown by friends and neighbors. Seventeen years later, Portland had nearly 200 miles of rose lined streets. This was all thanks to the Rose Society’s eagerness to display their local gems in the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Expedition. There Portland acquired the nickname, “City of Roses”. The flowers were such a success that Portland held their first festival of roses two years later. Following the 1907 event, a group of local businessmen took it upon themselves to plan and finance an annual Portland Rose Festival which continues to this day. Even in the Rose City one Portland garden has managed to grow high above the rest. The Portland Rose

Test Garden began as a refuge for roses on the eve of World War I. Fearing that the flowers would be destroyed in combat, botanists and enthusiasts alike transported hybrids from all over Europe to the safety of the Test Garden. Ever since, the Test Garden has been home to some of the world’s most beautiful roses and many prestigious contests that aim to judge them. Portland’s lush floral history owes a lot to Mother Nature. The climate is just right for roses. They receive about 40 inches of rain every year and a generous helping of sunshine during the warmer months. Summers are not too hot and winters not too cold. It all adds up to a natural blend that yields beautiful flowers. So when in Portland please be sure to heed the gardener’s cliché and make sure you take time out to stop and smell the roses.

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Words + Photos MYG For over a decade I’ve been pretty much addicted to gambling. Everywhere you go, you run into video poker. Up here in Oregon you can go to almost any restaurant, tavern or strip club and POOF, a poker room exists with anywhere from four to eight poker machines. They take ones, fives, tens and twenties. No new tens, fifties or C notes like in Vegas. Also no credit cards, but I’m sure it’s coming. I’m pretty much known to be a video poker fiend. At all the poppin’ clubs you can usually find MyG on a machine with thousands of credits. Cashing out is a whole other story. I’d have to say the most popular words my homies tell me when they see me is, “MyG cash the f**k out,” but having all those credits is just the cushion I need to keep it movin’. Double up. Double up until you max

the machine. Automatic cash out is right around 2,000 credits, and it won’t let you double up anymore. Also, the machine will automatically cash you a slip when you hit 5,000 credits which is $1,250. I’ve done it numerous times. Of course the “Royal Flush” is the magnum opus you want to reach. That pays 2,400 credits which is $600. You used to be able to double a Royal, but

not no more. They cut it off because all the die hard heads were bubblin’. Scared money makes none, that’s the motto.

if you’re trying to break the bank like most die-hard, compulsive, obsessive gamblers out there, stay composed and on top of your game.

Now of course you say: “This success story is off the leash. Teach me.” It’s not all peaches and cream. I’ve lost my ass before. One time $2,000 in one day. The machines were ice cold that day. I drove home a huge loser and instantly hit the streets to get my bread back any which way I could to justify acting so foolish and squandering so much energy. It’s crazy the things you try to justify when you lose bread. Well, five beers for $40 (even though I knew the bartender and got ‘em free). I just got a box from Gravis, four pairs of shoes, that’s $200. Yeah could’ve been, but a cat got plugs. Anyway you get the point.

If you come to Oregon and decide you want to shoot a twamp in a machine, I recommend the sit-downs. The standups were designed a little more recently and Oregon Lotto stepped their game up so it’s basically impossible to beat the machines. Oregon Lotto hires the top graduates fresh out of the finest colleges with PhDs and basically Nobel Peace Prizes in psychology and how human brains work to program these suckers. If I go left twice you will probably go right the third time (when you’re attempting to double up you get two chances, 50/50, left or right). Most of the time, just keep hitting the same side. Trick dat bitch!!

I used to dream about video poker, hear the noises in my sleep. Credits cashing out has this crazy annoying beep beep beep. But it’s the sound of $$$$, and we love $$$$. Each beep is a quarter. Shit adds up. Well, besides the fact that it can make you a complete non-social hypnotized druid, it can turn your life into complete hell. I’ve heard stories of doctors and lawyers draining six-figures and losing it all - their jobs, wives, houses, everything. But it’s a legal, voluntary trap for one’s demise. Self-control is the key to trying to double up your paper. But hey, if you got it, play the game. Charles Barkley lost $10 million. I guess some of us have it to lose. Quick cash goes fast - a disturbing truth.

What’s real crazy out here, there is this joint called Maddy’s, a strictly video poker facility. There’s nothing in there but an employee and poker machines with a cooler of drinks. Mostly, you will find the elderly squandering their pensions, or die-hard Asian mathematicians in a trance following a pattern scheme. I know a few Asians that kill it. It’s all math, baby.

On a lighter note, if you just moderately play to keep you and your buddies drinking - hell yeah, play on playa’. But

In final thought, there are lots of paths you can take in life. If you choose to go to Portland and you are at a strip club or restaurant and you see a video poker machine, shoot a five. Screw it. You might lose. You might hit it big. You might turn your five into 40 and you can say you had a good night, drank for free, and ate for free. What a lovely feeling. Or you lost it all. At least you gave it a shot and didn’t keep feeding

it money like most video crack heads. Look at me. I turned it into my record label logo, and all the heads say: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yep. Perfect. That logo fits MyG and

the rest of the crew who all gamble with freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.â&#x20AC;?

Words + Photos Shayla Hason The Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls was started back in 2001 by Misty McElroy. I heard about it in 2002 via my friend Connie Wohn, and like all the volunteers, I thought “My god I wish there had been something like this when I was a kid.” We immediately went over to help out, and I started taking photos, some of which are reproduced here. Now I’m the photographer for the camp and Connie is in charge of media relations.

These pictures reflect the amazing work and growth everyone at camp experiences â&#x20AC;&#x201C; learning how to play, finding the courage to be yourself and expressing your feelings. I am always astounded at the change between portraits taken the first day and ones from the end of the week. Girls, who

before had been retiring or shy, are suddenly looking at my camera lens straight up, unafraid and unadorned. Camp is such a safe and encouraging place that they are no longer afraid. They are confident! So very confident, and if you know teenage girls then you know what a miracle this is.

Learning how to play from your idols helps. Watching awesome bands play lunchtime shows, then talking to you afterwards about the way they write songs or started in music, does as well. Forming a band and playing a song you created in front of a sold out crowd, learning how the soundboard works, how all the equipment functions together, what sound check is, demystifying the technology so you don’t worry about electrocuting yourself – these are all part of the experience. Having grown ups talk to you as peers, not as “oh, look she’s so cute trying to play the drums” is a big part of it too. Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls could only have started in Portland, Oregon.

The fierce DIY ethic and vibrant music scene let this scrappy little non-profit survive past it’s first year. Last year saw the birth of the Willie Mae Rock Camp in New York City, and this summer inaugurates the Chicago branch of the camp. Everyone wishes we didn’t need the Rock Camp, that parents would buy their little girls a guitar for their birthday as a matter of course, and that all-girl bands weren’t classified as such, that music scenes gave the girls as much props as the guys. But check out your favorite music rag. How many bands have a woman in it? How many six plus member bands have more than one girl? Or any at all? We’re not there yet. Rock Camp is trying to change the future for the better.

Robbie Sell in the Frena.

Embry Rucker photo coalheadwear.com

Words Piney Kahn Photos Marissa Kaiser The word Voodoo usually conjures up negative imagery of women holding pin filled dolls made to look like ex-boyfriends, or Lisa Bonet dancing around covered in chicken blood, but in the case of Portland’s Voodoo Doughnuts - it’s all good juju. Partners Kenneth “Cat Daddy” Pogson and Tres Shannon opened Voodoo Doughnuts in Old Town in May 2003. Cat Daddy, a 20 year Portland resident, also moonlights as an announcer for wrestling and female roller derby (Voodoo sponsors local team the Breakneck Betties). Surrounded by clubs and hotels, Voodoo has paved a road beyond supermarket pastry and sad little Hostess products to become an institution that personifies the independent spirit of Portland. A favorite among drunkards jonesing for the perfect late night snack, the Voodoo menu includes the Mango Tango (mango filling, Tang sprinkled on top), the Bacon Maple Bar (topped with two strips of crispy bacon), the Maple Blazer Blunt (the Portland Trailblazers have been known to spark a splif or two), the Cock & Balls (of course, cream filled) and the Old Dirty Bastard (sorry, no plans for a Big Baby Jesus doughnut). Unfortunately, two Voodoo favorites are no longer on the menu. Cat Daddy explains “We had the Nyquil doughnut and the Pepto-Bismol doughnut. We got a letter from the feds saying ‘you

aren’t allowed to put medicine in food, you must cease and desist.’” Voodoo isn’t just a doughnut shop, but an attraction. The people-watching is prime; the shop packs to the gills as a variety of Portlandians trek through. Everyone from homeless vegan punkers to middle aged ladies out for a night on the town are stunned like deer caught in the headlights in front of the glowing glass case full of sugary fried oddities. Always the proponent of doughnut revolution, Voodoo is currently working on the most expensive and bling-tastic doughnut in history! “It’s the $100,000 doughnut, diamond encrusted. We have a jeweler lined up; we are going to make the doughnut and we intend to sell it under lock and key.” Looking off into the distance, Cat Daddy muses “that’s my dream doughnut right there.”

Photos Marissa Kaiser Styling Holly Stalder & Kathryn Towers for Seaplane Hair & Make Up Katherine Ross

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yes darling white cotton / lace dress by Kathryn Towers (side bustles and front buttons ) worn by Robyn Adams 46

white flamanco mini dress by Holly Stadler (short a line dress with large ruffles off the shoulders) worn by Jessica Issacs

girl with a pearl dress by Holly Stalder (second dress in the dark / field) worn by Robyn Adams

Models Robyn Adams Jessica Issacs from Mode Models

Words + Photos

Greg Pressler

The sheer proximity of death. It’s the reason why Corey Sevigny, a.k.a. “Solid Gold”, joins up with dozens of his friends every Sunday evening near the highest elevations of Portland, Oregon. Corey and his ragged gang of self-proclaimed misfits and malcontents comprise a group that is collectively responsible for dozens of emergency room visits, plenty of titanium bone screws, and countless cases of PBR. Individually, they are bike messengers, laborers, accountants, and salesmen. They are straight and gay, men and women, young and old. One thing binds them in unison: Their greed for the thrill of speed. Astride their 15 and 16 inch kids’ bikes, this group known as “Zoobomb” rides down the paved roads that intersect Portland’s Washington Park on a four mile trek that descends nearly 1000 feet in elevation and has riders reaching speeds of over 40 miles per hour. On a standard road bicycle, it’s an electrifying trip. Sitting on a pink Barbie bike inches from the pavement with white streamers blowing behind the handlebar grips, it’s a journey

that at best, leaves you white knuckled, and at worst, requires a face-to-face meeting with an orthopedic surgeon. Bike clubs don’t normally lube up with beer and weed before their group rides, but thanks to the danger of the ride and sheer terror of the descent, those ingredients are almost mandatory for the pre-ride gathering. Threats to the ride have appeared in a variety of forms; the anti-establishment nature of the group is intimidating to many, including the residents of the neighborhood who live near the base of the park, and the Portland Police Bureau, who

have hassled the riders with promises of tickets and jail time. But a truce, if an uneasy one, has beset the warring factions for the time being, letting the Zoobombers fly their freak flags as they please. “We’re not as much of a bike gang as we are a ‘thrills gang’,” cites 25 year old Ryan Miller, affectionately known as “Chopper” to his bombing brethren. “The social aspect is the appeal for me,” says Chopper. “We’re a very welcoming crowd, and we even offer a stable of extra kids’ bikes for those in need.” Chopper refers to a heaping mass of bikes, chained and locked together on a street sign adjacent to Rocco’s Pizza, a popular Portland bike messenger hangout. Zoobomb culture even has assigned the key to the pile of frames and wheels to the group’s “librarian”, a post once held by Chopper himself. As the riders fly down to the bottom of their thrilling run, they approach the city’s light rail line, known locally as MAX, to board the train for the three minute ride back up to the peak of Portland’s West Hills, exiting at the Oregon Zoo and finding their courage for another trip down. Occasionally, instead of speeding through the quiet roads of Washington Park, riders brave the heft of automobiles as they travel en masse down the more direct route into the city: U.S. Highway 26, or as it’s better know to the riders, “The Hellway”. Amidst the horrified stares of motorists heading home on a Sunday evening, bracing themselves for the coming work week, the Zoobombers flirt with further disaster on the straight-line drop.

Injuries for the Zoobombers are inevitable. Solid Gold remembers his worst crash, a high-speed tumble where he was struck by another oncoming rider, resulting in the loss of short-term memory for two days. “It was scary, but I was lucky,” he now recalls. Others aren’t as fortunate. Teeth are lost forever in roadside gravel. Bones are snapped. Leah, a waifish twentysomething, pulls down her candystriped stockings to reveal the scars of a ride gone wrong. “This one took seven stitches,” she says.” A cavalcade of war wounds ensues, as sleeves get rolled up and pants get dropped in a mass exhibition of Zoobomb injuries. The most shocking is an elbow, grossly inflated — permanently, claims its owner — as if a tennis ball sized chunk of flesh had been grown in a lab and transported to the rider’s arm. But the man with the obscene elbow just smiles, a twinkle in his eye as he displays his deformation with pride. Solid Gold acknowledges that the social aspect is the biggest appeal of Zoobomb for the majority of the riders, but he feels that this is just the “outer layer” of the group. “We’re the entrylevel drug into the bike culture,” he notes. “People forget how much fun it is to ride a bike. We remind them of that fact, and I love that we’re helping to keep bikes ‘cool’. Sure, we all brush up against the black rings of death every night that we Zoobomb, but so far, we’re all alive. Knowing that we’re inches away from death every Sunday night — and escaping it’s grip — that’s about as thrilling as life can get.”

This man might have tuberculosis and other problems.

Words Jim Riswold Photos Ray Gordon Tuberculosis is bad. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a deadly infection of the lungs that can also screw up your central nervous system, lymphatic system, circulatory system, genitourinary system, bones and joints. It makes you cough a lot, spit blood, lose your appetite and sweat at night. It makes you feverish and tired. It makes your chest hurt and it ruins your looks. It can kill you. It killed Chopin, Kafka, Orwell and that nice lady Kate Winslet played in Finding Neverland. French worrywart Camus beat his tuberculosis by dying in a car crash.

At last count, 14,600,000 people in the world have tuberculosis. And all of them hang out in two bars in Portland: Sewickly Addition and The Watertrough. Any and every city has straight bars, gay bars, lesbian bars, biker bars and dive bars, but only Portland has tuberculosis bars. Like our former state tag

line says, “Things look different here.” Oregonians are not embarrassed by our tuberculosis bars and many of us consider them tourist attractions; in fact, we pro-tuberculosis-bar-Oregonians think we should incorporate them into a new state tag line: “Oregon. Come for the salmon and the trees; stay for the tuberculosis wards that serve alcohol.” Some non-tuberculosis friends and I braved infection and visited these two wards and learned a thing or two about the disease. The first thing we learned is people with tuberculosis don’t like people who don’t have tuberculosis to hang out with them; it must be a no shirt, no shoes, no tuberculosis, no service thing. People with tuberculosis like music. They really like Country music. They really really like the Country music song “Lap Dances Are So Much Better When the Stripper is Crying”. People with tuberculosis are strong. The women with tuberculosis in Sewickly Addition and The Watertrough could beat up the men without tuberculosis in Sewickly Addition and The Watertrough. People with tuberculosis are concerned about their health. An elderly patron/patient with a voice of sandpaper and chalk said he smoked only unfiltered cigarettes — and, I might add, smoked them quite a lot — because they “kept out the cancer without keeping out the flavor.” People with tuberculosis are into feng shui. Sewickly Addition is dank. The Watertrough is danker. I think this is a bit

of feng shui for tuberculosis wards designed to make the patrons/patients feel better about themselves: “Yes, I have tuberculosis and, yes, it kills 2,000,000 people a year, but it could be worse; I could be Sewickly Additon or, worse yet, The Watertrough.” People with tuberculosis consider it a diet. Bukowski got tuberculosis and shed 60 pounds. None of the tuberculosis patrons/patients in Sewickly Addition and The Watertrough were eating, not even a cocktail olive or beer nut, presumably because eating took too much time away from smoking and drinking. People with tuberculosis are patriotic, brand-loyal and earth-friendly. They all drink Hamm’s beer and drive an American pick up truck, the first vehicle to be completely powered by an alternative fuel source: Hamm’s beer. People with tuberculosis are considerate. Tuberculosis is spread when patrons/patients cough, sneeze, speak, spit or sing along to their aforementioned favorite song “Lap Dances Are So Much Better When the Stripper is Crying”. One patron/patient with active tuberculosis can infect an estimated 20 non-tuberculosis people a year. I think this is why, as mentioned earlier, people with tuberculosis don’t like people without tuberculosis to hang out with them. Undoubtedly, this was on the mind of the good soul of a tuberculosis patron/patient when he made it clear we should leave. You meet the nicest people in Portland’s tuberculosis wards that serve alcohol.

Courtney Taylor-Taylor of the Dandy Warhols doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have tuberculosis but maybe he wants to write a song about it. Note the health warning sign.

emag

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Burnside Words MYG Photos Jay Meer The Pacific Northwest is infamously known for rainy weather. Therefore a group of diehard skaters in the early 90s manifested a revolutionary act which has now spawned into a legacy. Under the east side of Burnside Bridge now lays one of the most corest concrete skateboard parks built by skaters for skaters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Burnside.

It has been raining/hailing/snowing for weeks straight. Now most skaters will lose their mind if they don’t skate. A good session is like 10 visits to the shrink for most core skaters. Now if there’s nowhere to skate one gets restless and irritable, therefore one evening we were all at Chuck Willis and Brett Taylor’s crib, behind Nike, drinking 40s (ah the good old days). Brett stated he had some bags of concrete in the garage and we should go down under the Burnside Bridge and erect some banks to the wall. Now most people didn’t know the wall behind the face wall was a slanted wall previously, and you could skate it - but it was gnarly, the ground was rough and to skate it, you had to dodge broken glass, feces, etcetera. Up above the bridge was Baloney Joe’s Soup Kitchen where vagabonds and nomadic hobos could get a hot free meal. Directly under was formerly known as “hobo camp”, which was actually a famous drinkin’ spot for the train hoppers and hobos. Now as Burnside progressed the skaters started seeing a vision. One bank went up, then another bank juxtaposed about six feet away. You could transfer bank to bank if you were a G. Slowly but surely skaters heard far and near, and soon it became known that we got a dry spot to skate. Not to mention we were getting our boards taken by the police for skating downtown. Well, the skaters began cleaning up the whole area, cats are bringing brooms, and then we started bringing slabs of concrete to form bulkheads, metal streetlights bent over to grind, makeshift quarter pipes, it was quickly becoming a potluck skate spot. Now as we started to gather, the local hobos were not feelin’ it. They would

yell at us from the top. Throw their beer bottles down below, and actually some bums got beat up by the locals. At any rate, the skaters won. Well after we totally jacked the hobo camp and basically made their drinking spot our drinking spot, it raised the brow of the cat who actually owned the property. He was bellowing to the city about “these kids are hanging out on my property and building ramps.” The city looked into it and replied to him that “you owe the city thousands of dollars and until you pay us we don’t care what goes on down there.” So he didn’t pay, the city foreclosed on his property, and because of that it became ours. Resolution 1153 was reached and now supports the skatepark’s existence. So after awhile the local police would roll their beat and stop and chat with us and see what we were doing for the community. They were hyped and stood behind us and even went to city council meetings and backed the skaters. Even a CEO of a nearby company backed the skaters as well. Shortly thereafter, Mark “Red” Scott came back from Florida and saw what was going on and basically took over as foreman, delegating responsibilities to certain skaters. Slowly the spider bowl was built, a tight trannied little bowl with cinder blocks all around, topped with pool coping, then a curved bank with actual curbs at the top, then a hip, then twinkie, then the big bowl, and then the rest is history. To this day Burnside is worldwide renown and people travel from the other side of the planet to visit Portland.

I remember the day I saw Tony Hawk skate Burnside and do a McTwist, just like the video game that Burnside is featured on (Activision’s 2002 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater). Shit was crazy. What makes Burnside so eclectic is the way it was erected. Skateboarding is a way of life, Burnside was formed by an unforgettable alliance. A brotherhood of peers sharing the same love for a sport, banding together, and manifesting a destiny at a time when skateboarding wasn’t considered cool by the general public. There weren’t parks everywhere to skate like now. Kids you got it easy, it’s cool to be a skater now. Jocks used to scream bullshit out their windows and throw their pop bottles at us. This was our chance to fight back and flip a middle finger at the so called system that suppresses us. The skaters won this battle.

To this day we decided that Halloween will be the anniversary, and on every Halloween we will celebrate the existence of Burnside. More than a skatepark, Burnside consists of the blood, sweat, and tears of hundreds of kids worldwide who strive to be heard and wish to be immortalized by inscribing their mark in an edifice. People come from all over the world to celebrate the birth of a movement, a revolutionary act, that this time we the skaters won. Core OG Burnside Locs Mark “Red” Scott, Sage Bolyard, Osage Buffalo, MyG, Chuck Willis, Brett Taylor, Jay Graham, Travis Willis, Germ, Gavin, Karl Hubble, Steve Ufert, Kent Dalgren, Jon Beatty, Pat “Q”

Words Jay Meer Photos Marissa Kaiser Rendering Courtesy of Steve R. Gump Dreamland Skateparks is top notch in the skatepark building world. Their highly coveted work is the result of wanting to build great skateparks as much as their wanting a worthy place to skateboard themselves. Sweat, blood, and backbreaking labor goes into the parks they build, their style and work takes skill, commitment, inspiration, dedication, and most of all heart. With innovative designs that are setting the standard for skatepark building worldwide, it seems nothing is out of reach for Dreamland. Their dreams and creations are skateboardersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reality, better than a good world, it is a Dreamland.

Frank151 had a chance to sit down with co-founders Mark “Red” Scott and Sage Bolyard to discuss the history of Dreamland and the implications of being visionaries in the world of skatepark design and construction. Frank151: How did your business Dreamland Skateparks get started? Mark “Red” Scott: I started working on parks starting with Burnside. Then I got the opportunity to actually build a couple more with Team Pain. I got the chance to build one I was actually in charge of in 1999. Skateparks started to get popular again in the late 90s close to 2000. Word of mouth got around from Burnside. People liked the stuff we built and put together, so there was a need for us to keep building these

parks. That forced us to get our shit together. That’s a general outline. Our company wasn’t even formed then, a year or two later we got legitimized. F151: You made the cover of Thrasher back then busting an air at the Lincoln City Skatepark, they said it was the “gnarliest skatepark in the United States.” Now there are three separate skateparks there! Red: Yeah, they hyped it up a little bit because there weren’t that many good parks in the 1990s. After that it was kind of the start of the lotto. It’s still the best one, man. You skate that new bowl yet? Dude, you’re missing out homie. Yeah Dreamland, Dreamlanders, everything starts from Burnside. Before that

skateparks died in the 80s. Now it’s a go again, they’re all over the fucking place, it’s great. F151: I heard you have a dare to anyone in the world to contract you guys to build your Monster Park design? Red: Oh yeah, we’re ready to build the two story skatepark. If somebody would step up with some straight cash we would make their park bigger than the China one, which is super gnarly, I mean big time. We could go to work there, and just stay there for like two years. Gotta do it in Oregon too, do it in Lincoln City for me. China’s gnarly, I don’t think anyone is gonna step up to that one for a while. China does everything gnarly they got that big huge dam and shit, they got it going on. F151: What do you think is the most rewarding thing about Dreamland and building these skateparks everywhere? Red: Knowing that kids have somewhere to release their energy rather then getting into trouble. Positive outlook for youth. F151: Where do you see Dreamland in the future? Red: I don’t know, hopefully multilevel skateparks. Skatepark on top of a skatepark on top of a skatepark - like pillars, multi-level downhill spiral things. We can engineer it as we go. We don’t have to deal with the paperwork, that’s where we are going to do our best work. A multi-level skatepark, we get someone to give us all this bread, we can engineer it, which I know how to do. It’s pretty basic you know you just lay it out square, off the rebar. That’s the future

that I want to see, we already got portions of that going on, full pipes that you can roll over. Imagine that, like three levels with weird trippy lights and stuff. F151: How many parks do you guys have right now? Sage Bolyard: Currently we are getting up toward 40 parks, with a dozen or so private backyards. F151: How do you guys go about building a skatepark? SB: We don’t do any cookie cutter skateparks, each park is individual. Every park we build caters to the location and community. We actually get ideas from the local skateboarders and incorporate their thoughts into the big picture, the design. We also add a special feature to each park, no two parks are alike. We are trying to build our parks light years ahead of their time. The shit our kids, kids, kids, kids won’t even comprehend. Creating lines in the parks that generations from now won’t even find. We want to stay ahead of the increasing progression of skateboarding, daily, weekly, and annually. This will make sure our parks aren’t boring in a month or a year. F151: Everyone that works for Dreamland also skateboards, so does that give you an advantage? SB: We are not trying to be greedy, but we do want to build every park in the world so that they will be quality parks. We are tired of all the garbage out there. People that don’t skate don’t deserve to build or design skateparks. There might be a lot of money in building golf courses, but we don’t play golf, so why would we try to build golf courses? So all you people out there building

skateparks for the money, you need to skate or go home. F151: You guys have a select crew, do you limit the size of your crew? SB: We are trying to keep our crew stocked with long term guys. It’s all skater owned and maintained, we want to keep the quality up. I wish everyone at other skatepark companies would step up to the plate on their quality factor. It is not just by chance we are named Dreamland. F151: Word on the street is there is a Dreamland shoe in production. SB: Vox came to us and was giving the crew a box of shoes, I jokingly said, “where is the Dreamland shoe?” They said that was a good idea, and talked to us about a having a pro shoe. So that is

a landmark occasion, Vox is recognizing Dreamland as building some of the gnarliest skateparks out there. Currently it is the most sold shoe in their line, and it hasn’t even come out yet. F151: I heard you guys put more money into the skateparks you build than other companies. SB: The thing about being a design / build team, we aren’t charging $40,000 to $60,000 or $120,000 for the design only. More money goes from the design into actually building the skatepark. The town gets the most bang for the buck. Hey, we are not getting rich off of building these parks, but I think we are making a lot of people happy. F151: Favorite skatepark? SB: It hasn’t been built yet. I get asked

that question a lot. I have a couple, so to speak, but my favorite hasn’t been built yet.

but I realized we are really building it for our kids and their kids, maybe if you’re lucky, your kids.

F151: Have you guys planned a grand tour to skate all the parks you have built? SB: There is always a grand tour planned to skate all these parks, but the only times we have to skate our parks are the top secret design trial runs prior to completion. We have been traveling the world for seven years. I’m really stoked to come full circle back to Portland and be building an original park here; that we wanted to do years ago. The city of Portland is a lot to deal with, the regulations, inspectors, the plans, etcetera. What makes it worth it is I get to see my family and kids after work, and they’ll stop by with lunch. It’s going to be my kid’s local park in a couple of years when he is older. Originally I was in this for myself,

F151: Where do you see Dreamland in the future? SB: On a trading card (Laughs). If I get lucky, my son Skywalker will step up and take my place, and trowel into the future. I already got him dirty doing finishing mud. That is my final answer.

Red, Sage, and the Dreamland Skateparks Crew, we salute you. You guys are heroes for generations of skateboarders yet to arrive, the stuff that legends are made of. Thanks and keep up the good work. If you would like to contact Dreamland Skateparks and help finance the Monster Park, or just see the parks they’ve built, check out: DreamlandSkateparks.com

Words MYG Photo Choppy Omega

As the founder of the Oregon Trifecta, Choppy Omega stays busy creating new opportunities for skaterboarders to compete, while helping to expand the sport’s boundaries. The Trifecta is not only about providing a series of events that revolve around public skateparks, it is proving that communities can generate revenue from these recreational facilities, benefiting from their investment in concrete skateparks. Frank151 had a chance to catch up with “the Chop” and learn more. Frank151: How did you think about the whole concept of the Oregon Trifecta? Choppy Omega: I wanted to develop a bowl series, similar to a traditional vert ramp series, incorporating World Cup Skateboarding (WCS) and concrete parks. I did a single contest the first year at Aumsville skatepark and it went pretty well. I decided to make it an annual event - The Oregon Trifecta. I wanted a legit international contest series featuring concrete skateboard parks. This allows bowl skaters to ask their sponsors for help to attend and bring all us bowl riders together. If the street skaters and vert skaters have a circuit, why not the parks? F151: So you decided if they can do it we can too? CO: Yeah kind of, I used to skate in those series when it was more of a wooden skatepark with lines galore. Park riders loved it and true street cats hated it. Now they’re set up more for street skating - rails, ledges, stairs, small banks, highway dividers, picnic

tables, etcetera. This ends up leaving park riders without a series. It’s not like you need a series, it just helps bring skaters around the world together to skate. F151: When did you actually move to Portland and why? CO: I was on parole. I had to keep it cool. 93/94 the Chop arrived in Portland and it was because of Burnside skatepark. F151: You travel the world and always come back to the UpCoast, why? CO: Aahh yeah! I always fly back home to the trees (laughter). Portland is a beautiful place - tax free, mad parks, and the cops aren’t so stormtrooper-ish. Knock on wood. F151: Which three skateparks are involved in this year’s Trifecta? CO: Lincoln City is The Golden Otter, West Linn is The Crown Royale, and Newberg is The Corn Cup. Each event has its own purse and points for World Cup standings. We will always start in Lincoln City. It’s on the coast, after the contest we hit the casino, build bonfires on the beach, rage. Saturday it’s West Linn, a mad house. Following the contest Saturday evening we hold a party called the Love & Guts art show featuring Lance Mountain, Pat Ngoho, Steve Olson, and Bryce Kanights. Then Sunday we take it to Newberg. F151: When does the Trifecta take place? CO: Each and every August, if you want to attend or keep up in the mix go to OregonTrifecta.com or WCSk8.com.

Words MYG Photos Mari ssa Kaiser Sure, Oregon’s got fishing, snowboarding, skateboarding, shoes, and beaches. But the Beaver State also has mad strip clubs. The state ranks second in the U.S. behind West Virginia in flesh clubs per capita. An Oregon Supreme Court ruling cleared the decks for liquor and completely nude broads, table and lap dances, and legal gambling. Where else can you get a Jack & Coke, a $3.00 steak, and sit at the rack and have bush in your face? Watch out for the flying pubes in your potatoes though. When you’re bored with the next dancer coming up because she’s nasty, go shoot a 20 dollar bill into video poker and win back the money you just spent in the last hour. Can’t be mad at that, so here’s the rundown.

While some may be confused by distinctions between table and lap dances, it turns out most Oregon strip clubs use the terms fairly interchangeably. Table dance versus lap dance, what’s the difference?

LAP DANCE

TABLE DANCE

What

When a dancer moves around on or near a patron’s clothed lap. Some clubs have a more secluded area or a special chair for lap dances. If you’re lucky you might receive a wrap around.

When a stripper leaves the stage to perform a personal dance for a paying customer. However, this is usually not at the table, but in a dark secluded corner.

Proximity

On, or hovering just above your freshly pressed Diesel jeans, zipper securely fastened... sometimes?

With the protection offered by the court decision, close enough to the pockets of your freshly pressed Evisus that you can easily hand over cash to the dancer.

Where

Most strip joints in Oregon don’t offer true lap dances.

Not at 18 and over joints (which don’t serve alcohol). But they’re a go in many of Portland’s finest establishments, like Magic Garden, Sassy’s, and Mary’s Club Whoo-Hoo!

How Much

$20 to $40 - Same price range as table dances.

$20 to $40 - Depends on how much you like the dancer and how long it might take to persuade her to give you her #.

Be on the lookout for fake smiles, fake tits, fake names, fake relationships with old men, and ran through superficial women. Once in awhile you will meet a genuinely nice girl who just wants easy $$$. Fuck it, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy - I take my clothes off and I get paid. Where do I

sign up? According to research conducted by Frank151, 60% of girls you see in clubs in Portland are both strippers and escorts. Sex sells, and buys leather couches and entertainment centers. Baby mommas donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let your babies grow up to be strippers.

MYG’s In Da Mix Strip Club Ratings Acropolis - Good drinks, cheap steaks, video poker, and four stages. No pool table, a cover charge, and hot strippers. SM

Boom Boom Room - Plays Hip Hop and I came up here in video poker. Girls are pretty crazy. SM

Cabaret - Small, smoky, seedy chicks. Good drinks and right downtown on Bus Mall. Lots of characters in da mix. SM

Club 205 - Off duty cop hangout, good lookin’ girls, video poker. For drinks order beer, or a double. SM

Club Cabos - This place is morbid. Chicks look like heroin addicts and the food sucks. SM

Cocktails & Dreams - Scared of Hip Hop, lots of Pearl Jam, rockers. Good lookin’ strippers though. SM

Devils Point - Small, smoky, good drinks. Sketchy chicks.

Dolphin 1 - Hot strippers. Drinks a little light, so stick to ordering beer. Good music. SM

Dolphin 2 - Good atmosphere, girls mingle, drinks a little light, good lap dances. SM

Exotica - Hot chocolate divas. Video poker and cages, a definite slide through. SM

Jiggles - No liquor, amateur strippers. Easy pull if your games tight.

Jody’s - Good atmosphere, airy, good chicks, deep location.

Lush - Good environment, good drinks, good music, and hot chicks, what more can you ask for? SM

Magic Gardens - Stiff drinks a plus. Little, small and smoky. Strippers are a little seedy. SM

Mary’s - Right downtown on Broadway. Good drinks. The oldest club in the game. Hit ‘n’ miss on strippers. SM

Safari Club - Not afraid to play Hip Hop and you can feed piranhas.

Sassy’s - Stiff drinks a plus. A little hard on checking IDs. Two stages and two pool tables. SM

Stars Cabaret - Yuppie club, suburban, girls make good $$$. Stiff environment, cop presence. SM

Soobies - Hit ‘n’ miss. You’re not missing anything if you don’t peep. SM

Tommys 1&2 - Fat chicks, bad food, small.

Union Jacks - Good location, regulated drinks, hit ‘n’ miss on broads. A must slide through. SM

Viewpoint - Spacious, dull vibe, random strippers working.

Words + Photo MYG Images Courtesy of Jacob & Arnold Pander It’s a beautiful 88 degree day in Portland, the Blues Fest is crackin’ on the water front, and Portland’s UpCoast Guest Curator MyG is rollin’ around town in his drop top. Scooping up the Pander Brothers, Arnold and Jacob, he had a chance to learn more about these UpCoast multimedia mavens. Amazing artists, they are well renowned for putting Portland on the map. You can be in the most obscure hip spot in the metropolis of Portland and find one of their images lurking on a wall, whether in a coffee shop or a Weiden+Kennedy party warehouse bathroom. As kids, they looked up to their parents, both of whom are visual artists and painters who were heavily into theater in the 70s. It’s no wonder they would grow up to do big things and make major moves. Frank151: What up, go ahead and introduce yourselves. Arnold Pander: I’m Arnold and I have been working a lot in the areas of film, visual art, multimedia, and music. A diverse range of madness. Jacob Pander: I’m Jacob, Arnold’s brother, and we started out drawing comic books for the high school newspaper. Then that gradually turned into movies and crafting apocalyptic visions. Then it went into music and collaborating with other artists. F151: When did you basically start working together as a team? AP: It started in high school, working on the newspaper, doing posters for bands in the local scene. JP: Arnold had some artwork in a comic store and cult comic book writer Matt Wagner saw it. That was our first big break. We came out with

Grendel. That ended up being the biggest selling independent comic of the time. F151: Who started drawing first? AP: Jacob’s a little older so I was always trying to catch up. He would be one step ahead drawing these incredible urban scenes with beautiful women. I would be like “I can catch up,” and then eventually he would be onto the next thing. When we were little kids, Jacob would be the magician and I would be his assistant. Then he got a camera and started making films. It grew from there, but we both always kept drawing. We kind of found our own niche. With the drawing, we became a symbiotic team. JP: Where Arnold excelled at drawing figure art and people, I would do the architecture in the comics. We work in a very organic way.

F151: What year was your first comic book published? AP: 1986, that was Grendel. Grendel’s Legacy. Which was a 12 issue series put out by Comico, an indie comic book publisher. It got us on the map at a pretty young age so we took the opportunity to dive into our own concepts. We suddenly had some money, so we returned to Europe “(Amsterdam)”, where we were born. F151: What year did you guys move to Portland? JP: We grew up here. Our mom is from Portland. Our dad is from Amsterdam. She had gone over and met our father. Lived over there for a year, then we came into the picture and moved back to America when I was three and Arnold was one. AP: We did this project in Amsterdam called Triple X. Which is actually the symbol of Amsterdam. We wanted to do something political and edgy that really tapped into the times. The first Gulf War was happening and we were feeling like there was a lot of tension and we wanted to express it through our work. We had the opportunity to do something really ambitious and we did this comic book Triple X. It turned into a graphic novel that Dark Horse comics published. F151: What year did Dark Horse put out TripleX? JP: 1994/95. The title was later taken by a Vin Diesel action movie. AP: We’re re-working the project as a screenplay called X-Patriot. F151: How did you come up with the Secret Broadcast comic? AP: We were listening to a lot of pirate

radio. We thought, how could we follow up Triple X with something that keeps with this sense of doing something rebellious? JP: Creative rebellion. AP: Yeah, doing something that is about art, not just about politics. So we created the Secret Broadcast that was all about pirate radio and a kid that is kind of lost in the world and finds the radio as a way to communicate. At that time there was a big pirate radio scene here in Portland. We worked with the Portland aesthetic and atmosphere of that time. JP: We did some fundraisers with local Portland pirate radio. AP: 1997/98. It was a pretty small DJ scene then, but the station had an impact on the culture so we did the project feeding off or own community. We brought Drum & Bass legend Soulslinger to Portland to blow some minds. We created the Secret Broadcast CD as a soundtrack for the comic. We took it to a new realm. That was our independent release through Nail Distribution. We pressed up a thousand limited issues. We self produced two videos for the project which landed on MTV. JP: Essentially that’s what we are now developing into a digital feature called FREQ. F151: What other films have you done? AP: The Operation was an infrared experimental short film released in 1995. It won Best Experimental Film at the New York Underground Film Festival, becoming a cult hit in the underground “scene”, mixing pornography with art in a way that’s never been seen before. JP: Unexpectedly, it became a huge

success and we were enlisted by New York’s Palm Pictures to do a big compilation DVD project where we shot several music videos for the album that Howie B. put together titled Suck It & See. That was a playful sex romp that helped break out the DVD market. AP: In comics we then did a cyber punk comic book titled Accelerate for Vertigo Comics around 2000. JP: By now we had created a number of projects where we owned the rights, so it made sense for one of us to venture into the jaws of Hollywood. AP: That was my duty so I spent ‘01 to ‘05 pitching and developing screenplays and other concepts for animation and live action features, TV shows, and games. Gotham Group manages our properties and has created huge opportunities for us to get our ideas out to the studios and top producers. It was an amazing shift from the creative discipline to an “on the ground mode”, pitching ideas. L.A. was defining in many new ways. JP: We did a lot of meetings that seemed to lead us back to our gut instinct; make a movie ourselves and set the tone for the kind of movies we want to make. AP: Hollywood is a tool, but not the end all. It’s more important to get a movie made even if you don’t have studio backing right out of the gate. JP: Which leads us to where we are now. While Arnold was in L.A., I started the company Conveyer Films with Jeremy Wilson. We’ve been doing a lot of commercial work which will lay the ground work to do this feature film. AP: We manifested a website titled

PanderBrosStudios.com and that’s oriented towards creating media that can be delivered on the web. It’s also a place to see our larger projects as they progress. F151: You can live anywhere you want in the world, why do you choose to stay in Portland? AP: The great thing about Portland is you can get things accomplished, it’s not only beautiful, it’s affordable to live. It’s visually stunning. L.A. is crazy. I love it, but this is a much healthier place to be to take on independent projects. JP: There’s a lot of talent that we can utilize. People support each other up here. There is a good community feel of creative energy. We’ve been blessed to have all these great creative people around us and be able to work with them and support our vision. F151: Do you collaborate with any other visual artists? JP: The Operation was really a collaboration with photographer Marne Lucas. She and I developed the concept for that film. AP: We’ve worked with other writers like Jon Vankin (80 Greatest Conspiracies) and Richard Kadrey (Kamikaze L’Amore). F151: Are there any other artists that inspired you when you were younger? AP: Definitely. I was into fashion, and pop icons like Warhol and Keith Harring were also pretty strong influences. I was fascinated with this Antonio Lopez who was a fashion illustrator, who died of AIDS in the 80s. In comics, Alex Raymond, Will Eisner, and Frank Miller. We were sponges to all of these artists and many more.

F151: If you could work with any other distribution channel or comic book industry companies, who would it be? AP: We definitely would want to do some more stuff with Dark Horse now that they are creating a movie studio for indie films. The other big comics companies are great too. We love doing bigger than life stories as well as the small stuff. JP: We did an amazing high concept Batman series called City of Light for DC Comics. Arnold just did some stuff with Marvel too. F151: What is next to look out for from the Pander Bros? JP: Our first feature film Freq. A digital feature involving animation, after effects, music, and our comic book background. AP: A story about a homeless “Techno Mozart” who uses radio to communicate with the world. We’re still developing it and look to release it through Conveyer Films next year for festivals

and hopefully limited theatrical. F151: Well, in closing are there any final thoughts? JP: Definitely, check out PanderBrosStudios.com, ConveyerFilms.com, PanderMedia.com, MastanMusic.com and MarneLucas.com. AP: You can also find our videos on MySpace.com and YouTube.com.

Words + Photos Joel Muzzey Believe it or not, people in the city you live in are driving around for free. Imagine never paying for gas. Imagine no smog. Mike Parziale is an activist and educator in the alternative fuel movement and he rides for free. His program, Grease Not Gas, is enlightening people to the advantages of vegetable oil as a viable fuel source for cars. Parziale works and lives in Portland, Oregon. This past year he drove a long and winding trans-continental tour in his grease-powered RV to spread the good word about veggie oil. As the Earth wheezes under a thinning, eroding atmosphere and the oil companies lobby to level more forests and wetlands for â&#x20AC;&#x153;oil explorationâ&#x20AC;?, the time for progressive thinking is overdue. The type of creative, homegrown energy solutions put in motion by people like Parziale, show us all that we can make a difference as individuals. And even if we just want to get a free-ride out of the deal, this is progress.

Frank151: How long have you been involved in this grease-conversion thing? Mike Parziale: I first got involved in 1999. I heard that you could run a diesel motor on grease and didn’t really believe it, but I thought I would try it out. I bought a diesel pick up truck and started converting it right away. Now it’s been about seven years, 200,000 miles, and about 12,500 gallons of free fuel. F151: How many vehicles have you done? How long does it take to change over? MP: I’ve done about a dozen or so. Lot’s of different makes and models including a full size city bus in L.A. It generally takes about two to four days to get the entire process squared away. F151: Explain how a diesel engine can burn grease. MP: The diesel motor was designed to run on organic oils, like restaurant grease, and the reason it works is because of the high compression rate inside the motor. When the piston in a diesel reaches the top of its stroke the air in the combustion chamber is compressed about twice as much as in a gasoline powered car. When anything oil based is sprayed into that compressed air it ignites on its own. Diesel vehicles don’t have spark plugs like a gas vehicle. F151: What are you trying to accomplish with the whole Grease Not Gas program? MP: I started Grease Not Gas just to educate the public about using renewable fuels in general. At first, it was a little more widespread, but eventually I focused in on using straight vegetable oil. I think it’s the simplest and most

ethical way to drive down the road. The mission is to teach people how it works so that they don’t have to do as much trial and error as we did. F151: How do you go about getting the fuel from restaurants? MP: Every vehicle we convert is set up with an on-board filtration system and de-watering system so that you can pull up to a restaurant, pump out some grease, and go. If it’s a place we’ve never been, we’ll get permission from the owner first and then go to the 55 gallon drum, or whatever the waste grease is housed in and either pump it out or use a two bucket system so we can just pour it into our vehicle. It’s really important not to make a mess or you end up hurting the entire movement for everyone, so we’re really careful about that. F151: What is the current state of alternative fuel use and conversion out there? MP: There are a handful of companies out there that sell conversion kits, but since they try to be a bit universal, I find it’s always best to take into account the type of vehicle the owner has and the type of driving they plan to do. If they’re a touring band, we’ll make them a bigass tank so they don’t have to fill up very often. People are starting to realize that there are alternatives out there but they’re not nearly as accessible as they should be. I think the success that biodiesel has had is encouraging to see for all types of renewables. F151: What developments are making the conversion and / or fuel gathering process better, easier, and more viable on a widespread scale?

MP: We’re always trying to streamline the process to make it easier for everyone. For the most part, it’s just little techniques, or ways to set up the vehicle, it can make the user have a much easier experience and will therefore burn more grease and tell more people about it.

F151: Are there any disadvantages to driving around on grease? MP: Sometimes it can be hard to find grease in a town you’ve never been in, but it’s sort of fun too. Kind of Mad Max. It can be hard to collect cold grease in the Winter, but there are ways around that. You need to change your filters every once in a while, but it takes about five minutes and costs around nine bucks. In my RV I have to change it about every 8,000 miles. But the benefits greatly outweigh the disadvantages. It’s much better for the environment, costs nothing, prolongs the life of the engine and can be produced in the country you burn it in. No need to kill people for it.

Photo Marissa Kaiser

F151: What would it cost me to get you to convert my car? Say it’s a 2002 Volkswagen Golf TDI. What do I need? MP: It’d probably cost around 600 1000 bucks in parts. The cheapest way to do it would be to use the existing fuel tank for vegetable oil and put a small fivegallon tank in the trunk for diesel. You need to start up on diesel fuel to warm up the engine, which in turn warms the grease tank, therefore the need for two tanks. Other than that, you just need a

bunch of hoses, a fuel filter, and a way to switch between tanks.

Words Aaron Ginsberg Photos MYG I’ve heard that there are something like 10 different ways to get into downtown Portland. Bridges, large ones, are what make this possible. It’s quite simple actually. Like most American cities, a mess of highways and interstates surround Portland. The major ones, Interstate 5, Interstate 405, and Naito Parkway, run along downtown Portland. Many of these highways are carried by bridges that sit all along the Columbia River. With a multiplicity of different bridges, each seems to have their own unique personality. The Marquam Bridge, for example, has two levels, and is the busiest bridge in Oregon, while the Hawthorne Bridge remains the oldest functional vertical lift bridge in the United States. Certain bridges can carry up to 135,600 people a day. Their location and versatil-

ity, as well as their sheer capacity, allows commuters to enter Portland through basically any district. Thus emerges the city’s reputation for efficient planning. The city allows for somewhat organized transportation, which makes it easy for any crazy muckhead to travel in and out of Portland rather quickly. Not only recognized by its inhabitants, but embedded in the culture, the name Bridge City seems to pop up everywhere: Bridge City Comics, Bridge City Tool Works, Bridge City Legal, Bridge City Home Security, Bridge City Veterinary Hospital, Bridge City Water Sports, and countless other Portlandbased businesses. Other nicknames such as, “Bridgetown”, “River City”, or “Stumptown”, also exist. Portland may be a city of bikes, beer, and roses, but it is also undoubtedly the Bridge City.

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words + photos Eric Green

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1. So you’re crossing the bridge out of Portland, OR. You checked out of your room at the Jupiter Hotel, had breakfast at the Acropolis, picked up books at Powell’s, and skated Burnside. You’re on the road to Seattle, and a two to three hour drive lies ahead. Here are some sights on the way that you will want to keep an eye out for. 2. Passing Battle Ground, Woodland, La Center and Kalama, your first stop is going to be in Kelso, WA. Home to the Kelso Crater. It’s a break for anyone with a background in dirt boarding, wake, slalom, haven’t skated in ten years, wasted, stoned, or Eric Koston. It’s a dinosaur from another time and no one seems to know its background. It’s there for a laugh and to stretch your legs. It’s skateboarding. 3. Passing Castle Rock, Mt. St. Helens, Ryderwood, Vader and Toledo. Next on the list is Winlock, WA for a look at the world’s largest egg. It sits at 12 feet long and 1200 lbs. After 9/11 it was painted as an American Flag in memory of those we lost. Winlock also claims to be the home of The World Champion Women Log Rollers. 4. Keep your eyes peeled to the right for four tall statues. These are the work of millionaire Dominic Gospoder. Built to memorialize victims of the Holocaust, Mother Theresa, American Indians, and Jesus Christ. Dominic watched the construction from Seattle by four tall video cameras and he is not done yet. One of his next pieces is dedicated to all the drunk driving victims throughout the country. 5. Ole Al Hamilton has a way of getting his point across. His famous, right wing billboard on the side of I-5 has been attracting attention since the 50s when the I-5 was built right through his farm.

6. Centrallia will come up next. Don’t miss Richart’s Art Yard. Centrallia was made famous in 1919 with an incident of labor unrest named the “Centrallia Massacre”. One victim had his teeth smashed, was castrated, hung three times and finally filled with bullets. 7. Passing Bucoda, Tenino, Maytown, Little Rock, and Rochester. Olympia, WA is the state capitol. Known mostly for the music scene and its hippie college Evergreen. The downtown scene of Olympia makes it a perfect stop for the thirsty. The China Clipper, McCoy’s, China Town, the 4th Ave, and The Brother Hood are only a sip of what Oly has to offer. Also, stop by Lit Fuse Tattoo to visit Marco Hernandez and check out the Star Wars piece. 8. Passing Du Pont, Ft. Lewis, Lakewood and Puyallup. Tacoma, WA has always been defined by the Tacoma Aroma. You know you’re there by the smell and the large Tacoma Dome off to the side of the freeway. Tacoma seemed to almost curl up and die with the cutbacks in manufacturing. In recent years however Tacoma has been changing. There is an amazing Glass Museum and a rebuilt downtown among other new attractions to the city. Even the smell is disappearing a bit. Check out Bob’s Java Jive on the old Tacoma Highway. Also there is a Never, Never Land Trail complete with an old log fort. 9. Passing Federal Way, Auburn, Kent, Burien, and Sea-Tac. You will finally see Seattle and forget all about the road. Look for the Troll and the Hat and Boot. Get quarters for the Lusty Lady. Go to Goods. Get drunk at the War Room. Skate Inner Space and Garfield High School. The rest you can find on your own.

Photos Jimmy Clarke

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500 Limited Edition sets available at select retailers worldwide. Check the website for more info: www.20-94.com

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Words Mic helle L. Goshorn Photos Nin Truong Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult to talk about Seattle without saying something about its place in the gourmet coffee scene. Sure, coffee is all over the world, in fact itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the second most globally traded commodity after petroleum. However, here in Seattle people have cultivated a whole culture around a single shot of espresso. The increased popularity of espresso has inspired the transition from producing large amounts of coffee to supply the farthest corners of the world, to producing smaller, quality roasts catering to the palettes of coffee aficionados. This evolution in the production of coffee combines contemporary artistry with traditional machinery to create some of the best coffee in the country.

Recently, I had the chance to venture beyond my “macchiato in demitasse” in search of the perfect cup-of-coffee story. The journey led me to one of Seattle’s most vital coffeehouses, Caffe Vita, where a pre-World War II coffee roaster turns out 3500 pounds of coffee a day. Those in the know refer to the cast iron roasting grandfather as the Probat GG45. From green bean to roasted delight, this German crafted piece of machinery supplies Caffe Vita’s gourmet blends such as Caffe Del Sol, Queen City Blend and Caffe Luna. Each blend is small batch roasted in 80 pound drops, with the utmost attention placed on the needs of the bean. As to be expected, the Probat GG45 has a history that befits its image. Steeped in the tradition

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of Italian coffee roasting, the machine origins can be traced all the way back to Germany where it was owned by a family in a small town right near the Rhine River. The family roasted small batches and distributed locally, but eventually the family business was bought out by a larger company who only wanted their customers. Selling off their equipment, the roaster would make its way to the United States where it would spend nearly 45 years as the back-up roaster for the West Coast’s legendary Caffe Trieste. In those days, the frequency of roaster fires made an additional roaster necessary for continued production. Born out of San Francisco’s North Beach, Caffe Trieste is recognized for bringing Italian style espresso to the West Coast. During its career as a fixture of the burgeoning cof-

fee scene, the GG45 was spectator and contributor to the poetic Beatnik counterculture that took shape. In 1999, the roaster made Seattle its home by virtue of Caffe Vita. Exceeding eight feet in height and weighing in at over a ton, the GG45 anchors Italian tradition into each small-batch roast. Each day over 14 million dried green coffee beans enter the drum of the GG45 by means of a bucket elevator. The pre-roasted beans are hoisted 27 feet high to slide down cylinder tubes into the greenhopper (a funnel shaped component at the top of the roaster that holds the beans while the drum warms). The beans are then roasted at varying temperatures and dropped into the cooling tray. The process results in the signature artisans blends

that are carried throughout the city and parts of the country. Not only is the GG45 roaster the backbone of Seattle gourmet coffee, but it also stands as a testament to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s determined spirit to seek traditional Italian ways of preparing coffee. Unlike many contemporary coffee roasters which have traded human sensibilities for technology, the GG45 assigns control to the roaster technician. This piece of handcrafted machinery transforms everyday women and men into culinary coffee artisans dependent on their senses to produce desired roasts. The attention to detail and proud craftsmanship establishes Seattle as a mainstay for coffee culture now and into the future.

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Words Adam Pasulka Interview Jonathan Moore Photo Jimmy Clarke Amongst the things that Seattle is famous for, rap music is not at the top of the list. I can’t be sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion that when MCs throw up the “W” they’re not trying to rep Washington state. Even the most knowledgeable of Hip Hop heads have trouble naming UpCoast rappers. With so much hype coming from California, one trail blazing West Coast MC is often overlooked. Native Seattleite Sir MixA-Lot pushed his way through the haze of flannel and lush forest to become one of the original pioneers to find success in the rap game by going the independent route. Mix-A-Lot co-founded his own record label – Nastymix, promoted his own music, produced all his own tracks, and pushed his sound until he could no longer be denied. Sir Mix-A-Lot gained national recognition after the release of his 1988 debut album Swass which featured the hit single “Posse on Broadway”. This title confused some people back in the day, but Mix-A-Lot was actually referring to Broadway street on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, not the New York avenue. Four years later Mix-A-Lot topped music charts with his timeless phat-ass anthem, “Baby Got Back”. The song helped him sell over two million copies of his 1992 album Mack Daddy and won him a

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Grammy in 1993 for Best Solo Rap Performance. Mix-A-Lot would go on to drop two more albums, Chief Boot Knocka in 94 and Return of the Bumpasaurus in 96. In the late 90s, before the term “mash up” was even a buzzword, Mix-A-Lot experimented musically through collaboration with alternative rock group The Presidents of the United States of America. The union called themselves Subset. They never released anything official though music was made, some of which was leaked over the internet. In 2000, Sir Mix-A-Lot would release Beepers, Benzos & Booty: The Best of Sir Mix-A-Lot, followed by his sixth album, Daddy’s Home in 2003. Being a Seattle rap pioneer must make a man hungry. Jonathan Moore, aka Wordsayer, point man for local Hip Hop group Source of Labor, got schooled on Seattle’s top five swass food spots by the Bumpasaurus himself. So if you find yourself rolling through the Rainy City, make sure to posse up with the crew, and head over to one of these Sir Mix-A-Lot approved restaurants to get your grub on! The food will be almost as tender and delicious as the models featured in the “Put ‘Em on the Glass” music video, we guarantee it.

Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Top Five Spots: 1. JoAnna’s SoulカCafe Southern Cajun / Creole Cusine On 26th and Cherry in the heart of Seattle’s Central District

Located on 23rd and Jefferson in the middle of the hood, across the street from Seattle’s historic Garfield High School

2. Daniel’s Broiler Classic American Steakhouse & Fine Dining Located on East Lake Union

5. Home of Good Bar B Que Down home recipes and good ol’ fashioned Bar B Que One of Seattle’s oldest eateries located next to the once infamous Yesler Terrace Housing Projects in Seattle’s central district

3. Tup Tim Thai Traditional Thai Food Located on Lower Anne 4. Ezell’s Famous Fried Chicken Spot (Oprah used to have it flown overnight to Chicago for her show.)

Queen As told to Jonathan Moore during lunch @ JoAnna’s spot over plates of Honey Dipped and Fried Jumbo Shrimp, Collard Greens, Candied Yams, Macn-Cheese,、Cornbread, Soul Gumbo, Shrimp Ettouffe, Soul Rolls, Bar B Que Wings, Ox Tails, and Cajun Chicken Fettucine. Topped off with homemade Peach Cobbler, Pound Cake, and Red Velvet Cake for dessert. Damn Homie!!!

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Words Nin Truong Images Courtesy of Grindline “If you want it done right, you have to do it yourself.” That proverb holds especially true for the crew at Grindline Skateparks. During the early 90s enterprising groups of skateboarders bored with the existing terrain in the Northwest began to build their own concrete paradises. It started with Burnside and the West Seattle Bowls and, fueled by the desire for new and progressive terrain, it grew into a full time business. In 2002 Grindline Skateparks was founded, putting Seattle skatepark designers on the map and offering friendly competition for the Dreamland crew down in Portland. Taking skateparks to the next level, Grindline develops terrain that turns skaters’ fantasies into concrete playgrounds of the future that are helping to push skateboarding in a whole new direction. These Stonehenge’s of skateboarding will be a permanent testament to the free spirit and creativity that is the core of skateboarding.

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Ugly Casanova – Sharpen Your Teeth

It’s not just Thomas Campbell’s cool illustrations that I love so much (which are awesome) but his layout, and type as well. It’s rare to see an “illustrator” be able lay out their own images so amazingly. Page after page in the booklet is a visual treat.

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Words Jeff Kleinsmith Images Courtesy of Sub Pop Records From the humble beginnings of a fanzine started in 1979, Seattle-based Sub Pop Records would evolve into the one of the region’s premier independent record labels and become a name synonymous with the local music scene. Responsible for introducing the world to such bands as Nirvana, Mudhoney, and Soundgarden, the label would be one of the driving forces behind the explosion and success of the Grunge genre. Today, Sub Pop continues to release relevant music from the region’s most talented artists, including Band of Horses, Sleater-Kinney, and Postal Service. The label’s Art Director, Jeff Kleinsmith, took some time to dig through the vaults and round up some of his favorite cover art from the label’s storied history.

A. Green River – Dry as a Bone This was one of the first Sub Pop Records I bought when I was in college and it was a big influence on me, both musically, and as a graphic designer. I wanted to learn how to stretch type SO bad! And I wanted to sing like Mark Arm! This cover has a boldness and immediacy that sums up the age so well. B. Dwarves – Blood, Guts, and Pussy Never a big fan of the Dwarves as a band but I always appreciated their desire to shock (I was a huge fan of the Angry Samoans). How can you go wrong with two strippers, a dwarf, and a rabbit all naked and all covered in fake blood. C. Afghan Whigs – Congregation One of my all-time favorite albums on Sub Pop provides a less shocking, but more thought provoking cover here. I don’t know EXACTLY what it means but I know it’s supposed to mean something deep. D. Earth – Special Low Frequency Version Having listened to my mom’s George Winston albums on Windham Hill Records as a kid, I always loved the (intentional?) parody of Windham Hill’s new age cover art by this cover. While Earth doesn’t play light jazz or instrumentals about Winter, they would weirdly fit in with the Windham Hill posse.

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E. & F.

Rogue Wave – Descended Like Vultures & Out of the Shadows Both album covers are the product of having a close, creative relationship with the band. On Descended Like Vultures Zach, the song writer, relayed a very elaborate dream that summed up both what the album is about and what the cover should look like. I knew as I was listening to him that there was no way I could visually recreate his dream so I interpreted it the best way I could. Normally bands supply a photo or a drawing or painting for us to work with. In this case it was all up to me.

G. The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow This is where Jesse LeDoux took his art to the next level. After all, it was nominated for a Grammy for Christ sake! H. Supersuckers – Must’ve Been High Until this record, the Supersuckers were high-energy, melodic Punk Rock (with a love for Classic Metal). So when they decided to do a Country record I was as surprised as anyone in Seattle. They brought in a couple of old albums as art examples on which fine artist/illustrator Whiting Tennis based his block print ideas. I love the texture and narrative of this one and with Hank Trotter’s back cover and inside it has that classic country album feel combined with all of the humor and sarcasm one expects from the Supersuckers.

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Words Kerri Harropp Artwork Jesse Edwards

Seattle’s infamous love affair with heroin was (and still is) a bummer on many levels, particularly when you look at the amount of damage it inflicted upon the music scene. Heroin destroyed a lot of lives, ruined a bunch of careers, and left an indelible, sour mark upon the Grunge Years ™. But, as far as drug trends go, heroin had a few qualities that would be more than welcome in the 206 today. Cocaine has replaced heroin as the Rock & Roll drug of choice in Seattle, and with absolutely none of the benefits that Mr. Brownstone brought to the party.

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First and foremost would be dope’s ability to get even the most annoying Chatty Cathy scene-ster to shut the fuck up. It is damn near impossible to wax poetic about your crappy band when you are on the nod. Idle small talk about what Sub Pop is up to these days becomes non-existent when you’re trying to score some junk. And the 20 minute monologue about the last time you got wasted at the Cha Cha? Good luck stringing that story together while you’re banging around for a vein. Cocaine, on the other hand, has turned every hipster with a working nostril into a walking, always-talking encyclope-

dia of useless knowledge pertaining to every club, band, DJ, and bar within the city limits. If Martin Scorsese’s mom were still alive, she could make a mint just walking around parties, uttering her oft-repeated Goodfellas line, “You’re always talking?” Drugs are like that family of badasses that live at the end of the street - you know, the house with a kid in every grade and a dad that drinks. Even though they’re all pretty tough, some of ‘em are way tougher than others. Heroin will pull a knife on you, steal all your lunch money, beat your ass, and then force you to poop your pants (while puking). Cocaine will merely

make you look like a loudmouthed idiot in front of all your friends and maybe give you a nosebleed. Needles are much tougher than a Trans Am carnival mirror lined with powder. Lou Reed shooting dope is far more Rock & Roll than Diamond Dave doing lines off a stripper’s ass will ever be. Heroin is the menacing hoodlum that’s gonna fuck you all night, while coke is his dorky little brother with a runny nose and ADD. Politically speaking, heroin is a Democrat. Dope is still cheap enough to be enjoyed by the masses and pretty much anyone can get hooked. It is

a fair and just drug – virtually anyone, no matter their race, economic background, or religious beliefs can be a junkie. Such liberal fairness does not apply to coke. It’s still expensive, unless you’re smoking crack. Like Republicans, coke is sneaky, elitist, and white. Three people hogging the bathroom at a house party is the equivalent of George W. Bush denying government wiretapping. Dude. Come on. You’re not fooling anyone. We know exactly what you’re doing in there. For a scene so concerned with appearance, it’s surprising that coke ever made it out of Studio 54 and into the Rock world. Dope was all decked out in tight black jeans, dark shades, leather jackets, and a deathly pallor long before the fashion mags started pimping the look. It is a look that never goes out of style. Keith Richards looked his best at the height of his addiction and you cannot deny the magic that heroin worked on Courtney Love’s waistline. Behind every eight ball of blow, however, is a twenty-something dressed like an extra in a Kajagoogoo video. Perhaps looking like Sonny Crockett of

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Miami Vice makes today’s snow bunnies feel closer to the Columbian drug lords that have inspired such questionable apparel. Leaving the house wearing a powder blue Lacoste, collar up, with a Goods hoodie draped across your shoulders and a bad pair of 1980s shades is only a smart fashion choice after doing a couple of lines of coke. Which brings us to a very important fact. Powder blue (along with virtually any of the baby or electric blues on the color wheel) will only look good on Blacks and Latinos. Ever. The bottom line? Ingesting unknown substances purchased from shady characters should carry a certain amount of risk. Rock & Roll is best served with a certain amount of menace and swagger. If cocaine is, indeed, the new heroin in Seattle, it needs to start separating the wheat from the chaff. The process of natural selection should apply to all drugs, not just heroin. A few well-publicized overdoses should do the trick, or perhaps just a couple of major busts. If anything, it would help cut down on the bathroom line wait time on Capitol Hill.

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Words +

Photos Muzzey

Everything There Is To Know About Big Business Nobody really needs to know anything about Big Business, except what they sound like. But here’s some extra claptrap. They’re gonna play this shit until the wheels fall off. And the shit is funny, way more funny than screamo, more like old Steve Martin records. Indeed, they’re from the Pacific Northwest, but not every band from the Northwest sounds like the Sonics. You’ll listen and maybe wonder: “What are these songs about?” Save yourself the trouble, these are garbage men after all. They don’t worry about the music, and neither should you. What really matters is that it’s hot, at least 12 inches and slathered in pepperoni. Then again, according to the dudes, the songs don’t write themselves. Nobody needs to conduct an aptitude test to find what is cool about Big Business. They’re surely man enough to break out the mini-keyboard. It’s just not even serious. If you call breaking legs for a loan shark a regular job, then you could even say that these guys are just part-time players. Pros in the rain with hardly any V.D. It’s pretty standard, usually the artificial highs outshine the natural ones. Tell the ex-wife to fuck off. Show us yours and we’ll show you ours. Big Business is just two guys.

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Words Larry Reid Images courtesy of Fantagraphics When the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s principal purveyor of alternative comix and graphic novels relocated to Seattle from Southern California in 1990, it set the stage for a critical mass of counterculture activity that would coalesce to create the most significant American-bred youth movement since the Sixties. Fantagraphics Books came to wide attention by publishing the breathtaking multicultural punk epic Love & Rockets by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez in 1982, which almost single-handedly revitalized the moribund underground comix genre. Headquartered in a modest home in a quiet residential neighborhood, the Fantagraphics imprint made Seattle a magnet for a cadre of creative cartoonists that transformed this uniquely American art form. These new arrivals - together with emerging musicians formulating the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seattle Soundâ&#x20AC;?, groundbreaking graphic designers, and innovative visual artists - made the Pacific Northwest the epicenter of a cultural quake that would shake pop culture to its very foundation. Currently celebrating its 30th year in publishing, Fantagraphics Books continues to support the most inventive and challenging comix the world has to offer.

R. Crumb When Robert Crumb began hawking the first issue of Zap comix from a baby carriage in San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fabled Haight Ashbury district in 1967, few would believe that this curmudgeonly chronicler of the Hippie era would become one of the most significant artists of the last half of the 20th century. His adroit rendering style and piercing satirical narratives would come to define the aesthetics of the Sixties. Crumbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comix continued to be relevant throughout ensuing decades, and Fantagraphics Books has undertaken the monumental task of documenting his entire body of work in The Complete Crumb Comics. The current volume, the 17th in the series, covers his work in the late 1980s and exhibits the legendary misanthrope at his finest. At this point in his career - enticed by notorious San Francisco pornographers the Mitchell Brothers - Crumb began collaborating with filmmaker friend Terry Zwigoff on movie scripts. When their efforts failed to produce results, a bitter Crumb returned to cartooning and Zwigoff turned his camera on the artist to create the stunning 1994 documentary Crumb. The new Complete Crumb collection includes a comic detailing the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s misery in attending the 1991 Academy Awards as a cartoon journalist for Premiere magazine. Ironically, his colleague Zwigoff would attend the same ceremony a decade later as a nominee after collaborating with a different Fantagraphics artist.

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Daniel Clowes Fresh from a discouraging stint in art school, Daniel Clowes sent Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth a few pages of his hardboiled Lloyd Llewellyn comic project. To his delight the budding media mogul immediately granted Clowes his own title. His later effort, Eightball, contained atmospheric serialized stories that were cinematic in nature and frequently compared to the work of David Lynch. Clowes and Terry Zwigoff teamed in 2001 to adapt his

Ghost World tale from Eightball into a feature film starring Scarlett Johansson, Thora Birch, Illeana Douglas and Steve Buscemi. Rave reviews were followed by an Oscar nomination for the pair’s screenplay. Often overlooked are the hysterical short pieces that Clowes ran in the early issues of his comic book. Thankfully, Fantagraphics has compiled these pieces in Twentieth Century Eightball. Included are gems like Cool Your Jets, My Suicide, and Art School Confidential (recently released as the second Clowes-Zwigoff feature film collaboration). Perhaps the most prophetic of his early one page cartoons is Ink Studs, wherein Clowes imagines himself as a “cartoon Casanova” replacing surly rock stars as the object of public adulation. On a recent visit to Seattle to attend an exhibition of his original art, Clowes was endlessly amused when informed that several rock personalities of the Grunge era – having blown small fortunes - were employed in the Fantagraphics warehouse at minimum wage stuffing his comics into envelopes.

Peter Bagge A critic from the Seattle Weekly once wrote “Twenty years from now, when people wonder what it was like to be young in 1990s Seattle, the only record we’ll have is Peter Bagge’s Hate.” So precise was Bagge’s satire of the Seattle scene, countless fans were convinced beyond certainty that the characters in his comics were based on them. (Sadly, several installments of Leonard the Love God, really were based on this correspondent – a dubious distinction at best.) For the unfortunate few that missed the early issues of Hate, Fantagraphics has recently re-issued these essential comics in Buddy Does Seattle. The Seattle stories, following the mundane lives of Buddy Bradley and his crew of hapless losers, remain fresh and penetrating, as well as hilarious and heartbreaking. A smart introduction and interview, conducted by rock critic Everett True, add context to the themes Bagge so expressively examines in his singular cartooning style. If you ever wondered what it was like to be young in Seattle in the 1990s, steal this book.

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Ellen Forney Among the most talented of the new breed of cartoonists that flocked to Seattle in the 1990s is Ellen Forney. She quickly established herself as a rising star when her comic illustrations regularly appeared in Seattle’s alternative weekly, The Stranger, and on rock show posters throughout the city. Much of this work has been collected in the new Fantagraphics title I Love Led Zeppelin: Panty-Dropping Comics by Ellen Forney. An entertaining “How To” section includes collaborations with personalities like comedian Margaret Cho (“How to Be a Fabulous Fag Hag”), sex worker Tracy Quan (“How to Become a Successful Call Girl”), and particularly useful advice for Seattle’s Grunge milieu, “How to Kick Heroin at Home,” with addiction counselor Kate McCoy. The introduction by local literary giant Sherman Alexie describes her post-feminist comics as “eclectic, smart, sexy and funny.” Truer words were never spoken.

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Photos Charles Peterson In the photos of Charles Peterson we find captured the essence of the early 90s Grunge movement. Mosh pits, stage diving, and a young Kurt Cobain surfing on a sea of flannel clad fans - all convey a sense of the critical mass of the audienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy. Transcending the image, the viewer is left with an understanding of Grungeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s influence and impact.

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Words + Photos Jimmy Clarke Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been said that abuse of power comes as no surprise, but it does. Unionists, Hippies, Anarchists, Idealists, and my mom were there that morning, and we thought we lived in a very free country, surprise. It seems so long ago, Fascism was not quite a valid criticism yet (look it up and think about it now). When the Hippies blocked the street, the Unionists, the Anarchists, and my mom thought - big deal they are sitting in the street, go around, problem solved. The men with the guns thought differently, they were apparently afraid of this. I was standing among a crowd who prefers black sweatshirts when they shot the first Hippie from close range with a hard rubber ball and emptied a canister of pepper spray an inch from his face. The world changed. Tactics. The Unionists, Hippies, Anarchists, Idealists, and my mom share

many values, where they differ is tactics. When you witness the abuse of power blatantly wielded in your face will you sit down and be abused with the Hippies? Will you stand back and watch with the Idealists? Or, might you be willing to put up a fight with the Anarchists and the Unionists? I was hoping there was a symbiosis developing, but I believe patriotism has now divided their efforts to gain these values yet again. What led to that? When you see civil unrest in big media I think you may have noticed how it is generally framed, but might it just signal the fact that some things are truly being done wrong? War is divisive and profitable; it just depends on whether you stand among the divided or the profited.

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Words Sean Reveron Images Courtesy of Book of Black Earth The Black Metal scene is thriving in Seattle. One band that is on the forefront of the movement is Book of Black Earth. Rockers NYC’s head Cultural Engineer and former Seattle resident Sean Reveron caught up with lead singer and guitarist TJ Cowgill to learn more. Frank151: What was the driving force to start this band? TJ: My last band Teen Cthulhu had just broken up, and I was looking to start another band. Joe (Axler) was the one who came to me wanting to start a Black Metal band and I was all, “sure, maybe dude,” then I heard a recording of him playing and I was all, “FUCK! I’ve gotta call this guy!” Then we went around collecting the rest of the sol-

diers to fill out our ranks. F151: What was the first Black Metal record to push your wig back? TJ: I don’t remember but probably Darkthrone’s Transylvanian Hunger or Satyricon’s Nemesis Divina. I got into it pretty fast and just started listening to as much as I could. Bathory is probably the most influential band of all time to me though, fucking fantastic.

F151: Why Black Metal and not Hardcore or Alt-Country? TJ: The nihilism, or anti-religious themes are a lot stronger in Black Metal than any other music. Also the music itself is closer to Classical than anything else I’ve heard. F151: Would you say that your music is bringing different people from different scenes together? TJ: Not really, no. F151: What makes the Northwestern scene so rad? TJ: It’s an awesome place to live, with the forest near by and urban blight if you want it too. I like it because it’s so cold and rainy here most the time, all my friends bitch and complain all Winter long, then Summer rolls around and for a month I complain because it is too hot and I am all sweaty all the time and shit. But mostly it’s a beautiful, cold, forest-like place. I think the music that comes out of here is influenced by it. F151: How do bands from surrounding areas support each other? TJ: It is much like the Punk or Hardcore scenes, we book shows for each other, get each other high or drunk, that type of shit. There are so many good bands out here. Bands like Wolves in the Throne Room, Order of the Vulture, In Memorium, Leech, Tormentium, Oakhelm, Inquinok, and Lesbian. Bands that are so good it’s hard to not support them. F151: Will Black Metal be assimilated into mainstream culture? TJ: No way. I’ve thought about this, the only way for a band to get signed to a mainstream label is to have some kind

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of pleasant vocals and if you sing like that, well it’s not Black Metal now is it? F151: Is there any room for politics in this art form? TJ: There are a lot of politics in the Black Metal scene. Book of Black Earth is a political band. I hope to one day rid myself of the religious majority of the United States and the influence it has over American politics. If you read our lyrics to our new album they are basically about the separation of church and state. I’d say that’s political. F151: Where is your ideal place to play? TJ: A nice smelly crowded basement close to our practice studio so I don’t have to worry about getting my equipment home. F151: Was Thor real? TJ: Probably. That shit is so old. At one point he was probably a real dude. Now whether or not he rode through outer space on a chariot of lighting, well... F151: Who was better at war, the Brits or the Vikings? TJ: C’mon, do you have to even ask? The Vikings were poets and warriors, man, I’ll leave it at that.

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Words Josh Bock Photos Nin Truong The saddest day of my life wasn’t when my parents told me I was a “gift”, or when my cairn terrier, Matzo Ball, was run over by an ice cream truck, or even when “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose” signed off the air. The saddest day in my life, or any Sonics fan, was May 16, 1994 when the Sonics dream season was cut short by the Denver Nuggets and Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacques Wamutombo (his actual full name). That image of him on the floor of the court crying, like a bitch with a skinned knee, while clutching the game-ball not only sums up the Seattle SuperSonics success after their 1979 Championship, but all Seattle sports. In the city known for rain, Starbucks, Microsoft, more rain, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and pretty much the start of flannel, local sports supersedes almost all aspects of life. In the 1990s Shawn “The Reign Man” Kemp, “The Glove” Gary Payton, and Adolph Hitler’s Aryan wet dream Detlef Schrempf ruled the city. (True story, my uncle tore his ACL

jumping on the Sonics bandwagon before the 1993 post-season when the Sonics made it to the Conference Finals.) However, none of the great seasons the Sonics had in the 90s ended in a title. Seattle is arguably the most depressing city when it comes to sports. Besides the NBA Championship won in 1979 by the Sonics, there has been no other major title won by any Seattle sport team. The Seattle Storm did win a title in 2004, but the WNBA is hardly major. Who wouldn’t want to watch awkward 6’7’’ tall Amazonian-women who have great fundamentals and pull off sky high lay-ups? Despite the Sonics being the bane to my sanity, I still remain a Sonics fan. Through all the heartbreak and missed playoff years I still remain faithful. Oh well, I guess there’s always Ichiro and Shaun Alexander’s gapped teeth… wait do we have an NHL team? Shout out to Dennis “DJ” Johnson and Xavier McDaniel, and whatever happened to Sam Perkins? He really could wet the three pointers with out jumping.

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Words Robusto Bustamante Photos Jimmy Clarke The Duwamish River is the name of the lower 12 miles of Washington state’s Green River. At one time, the Black River and the White and Green Rivers, which combined at Auburn, joined at Tukwila to form the Duwamish which flowed across tidal marshes and mudflats to meet Elliott Bay. The river provided an ideal habitat for fish, birds, and wildlife. However, a century of industrial development changed all that. Starting in 1912, the Cedar River was diverted to empty into Lake Washington instead of the Black River. Then, with the opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in 1916, the lake’s level dropped nearly nine feet and the Black River dried up. Over the past century, the river has been drastically altered. 1,200 miles of river were diverted away from the Duwamish to North Seattle or Tacoma, and the last 10 miles of the river’s course was straightened, deepened and shortened to a six mile long shipping canal now refered to as the Duwamish Waterway. On September 13, 2001 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed the lower Duwamish River - a five-mile stretch through South Seattle - as a federal SUPERFUND site. The Superfund List is a roster of the most toxic contaminated sites in the country. Years of industrial development and

manufacturing had turned the Duwamish into a total wasteland. In 1998, King County found that fish and crab caught in the Duwamish River had up to seven times more cancer causing chemicals in them than those from clean sites. PCBs, an industrial cancer causing chemical, are found in nearly all salmon in the river, and the river bottom exceeds safe standards for heavy metals like mercury by up to 400%. All this attention has created a renewed interest in the Duwamish amongst Seattleites. Local photographer Jimmy Clarke, decided to round up some friends and document the area first hand by venturing into the river. To understand why he would want to do this, Clarke explains, “the river is such a part of our environment, and all of us have grown up around it. We also know how fucked up it is, but it represents something important about our area’s culture and history. Yet, we hadn’t really explored it fully ourselves. When I said ‘let’s do it,’ everyone was in.” Launching their boat from the parking lot of a suburban mega mall, what they found were “secret places that are right in front of your eyes. Traveling through time down the river, through nature and industry, we ended up in the heart of our city.”

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March 27 1976 - March 26 2000 Photos Jimmy Clarke

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