Rare Breed

ART/CULTURE/HUMOR//SKATE/SNOW/BIKE/WATER

FEATURED STORY: STEVEN_DARDEN

ISSUE_001

1 RAREBREED

A DOLLAR OF EVERY ISSUE SOLD WILL BE DONATED TO ACF Photo: Alec Castillo Nebbi, Uganda

“Recognized as a leader in the fight against malnutrition, Action Against Hunger | ACF International saves the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. With 30 years of expertise in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity, ACF runs life-saving programs in some 40 countries benefiting five million people each year.

ACF’s 4,600+ professionals work in over 40 countries to carry out innovative, life-saving programs in nutrition, food security & livelihoods, and water, sanitation, & hygiene.

ACF’s humanitarian programs directly assist some five million people each year, along with countless others through capacity building programs in collaboration with government ministries. Committed to principled humanitarian action, ACF restores dignity, self-sufficiency, and independence to vulnerable populations around the world.”

To learn more about Action Against Hunger please visit www.actionagainsthunger.org

Letter from the editors: Throughout our years of growth, we’ve encountered the ideas of people with seemingly infinite potential within the realms of creativity. These men and women never decided to be artists, but rather their art became them. Through the networks of these people that we acquired, there existed a common theme of Art as a cohesive force. There existed a common love, interest, and time-consuming obsession that essentially became the Spine of our shared cultures and lifestyles. Yet, with all the meaningless Art that exists in this world, it’s far too easy to let our minds sink into the over saturation that is the inevitable result. The value of Art is in a fucking militaristic state and we’re all in the midst of it. at first it seemed like an impossibly complicated, mildly abstract, and somewhat misguided task. we decided to represent this culture.

Rare Breed Magazine is a home for this Spine, and like a chiropractor, we aim to keep it as straight and functioning as we can. Our goal isn’t to take your money or to deceive you. Our goal is to share a world who’s voice isn’t heard quite enough.

Our goal is to push the ever-growing entity of creativity and love that is this magazine as far as we can, while still offering the reader the most direct, untainted glimpse into the possibilities of creation. How powerful are grassroots efforts anymore? Uncensored, unfunded, and unsatisfied, we’re going to find out.

3 RAREBREED

Rare Breed Magazine is an independent quarterly magazine based in Boone, North Carolina, promoting upcoming artists of all medias.

As action sports

enthusiasts, we also aim to showcase the art, skill, and culture that make snowboarding, bmx, wakeboarding, and skateboarding a celebration of creativity. With These expressions of individuality and creativity, chill tones like yourself create the formula that is Rare Breed Magazine.

Team: Alec Castillo- founder/editor Charlie Hill- editor connor mikita- editor patton magee- editor sebastien carpentier- editor hans van hamburg- editor

front cover: steven darden back cover drawing: chelsea swift

WWW.RAREBREEDMAG.COM

RAREBREED 4

CONTRIBUTORS

CIS SE CROU RICK_FRAN T PA

ALEX_

CHELSEA_SWIFT CARSON_TALBER T

KELSEY_CAMACHO JOE_WESSELMAN ZA CH_MCCRORIE CONNOR_MIKITA

SEBASTIEN_CARPENT

JOSEPH_TONEY

IER TOMASZ LOW

CINDY CONRAD

STEVEN_DARDEN PATTON_MAGEE

Y” NDAHILL U S ZY LIE “LA CHAR Y B

SEAMUS_MCKEON DONNIE_WELCH

ALEC_C

ASTILLO

TON

ING RTH O W _ IS RKER // PA SE DUBO L L E I S A S L U B B_R

//

E RKLARNER O K _MC MG HIE EW_BU C I R DR E AN Y A K C M E_

RO

LUK

CHELSEA_SWIFT // below: “taste the baby“ // right: “the fetus god- consciousness beyond a physical world

Hometown: chesapeake, Virgina

Medium of Choice: Pen and Ink

Describe your Style: A group of celestial perverts playing Dungeons & Dragons

RAREBREED 6

7 RAREBREED

“The Fall�

The arrogance of Autumn ensures its leaves feel no pity, or pain, or~ With their dull grandeur leaves land as crunching footsteps the theatrics of change set against the sky : an aged prop covered in cobwebs and sunsets.

Donnie_Welch

carson_talbert

RAREBREED 8

“Art�

What we have here is a special thing.

It is something surreal, distanced from the flawed trivialities of human thought, What we have here is something else, It is inside us, we must free it.

CONNOR_MIKITA

carson_talbert

9 RAREBREED

alex_crouse // below: onikiwa, japan

RAREBREED 10

11 RAREBREED

trevor biggs // fs bluntslide

the value of money

What is the value of money? Money is worth

nothing, yet money is worth everything. Money is a medium of exchange that lets its users ascend past the primitive system of barter. It is exchangeable for any material good imaginable, or service unimaginable. Markets are created by the attainment of raw materials, refinement of resources and production of goods. With a vast enough market, money has the ability to transform into anything desirable. Money is a technology that enables the flow of large scale economies. There is a positive side to the concept of money, being that it stimulates productivity and development.

There is a negative side to money, being that it is an obstruction to morality. Just as guns do not kill people, people kill people; money is neither inherently good or bad, but the way in which it is used, or misused, is subjective to the user.

The year is 2012, the world population is over seven billion. Through technology, humans have temporarily beat the system of natural selection.

The rapid development of technology is much due to the specialization of society. All knowledge is highly compartmentalized and few people have a multi-disciplinary understanding of the world.

People efficiently help society in narrow aspects, with almost everyone relying upon others for vital needs. Because life necessities are easily fulfilled with an exchange of currency, people have time to devote themselves to the advancement of science and technology. Money allows for the success of specialized consumer based economies. Individualism is endorsed and embraced in monetary societies. Money serves as an incentive for individuals to innovate. People are driven to be productive and “get ahead” financially. A successful monetary system keeps the cogs of the human machine turning.

// by patrick_francis

Although money has allowed for advances in all aspects of living, our “advancement” as a species is paradoxical. With more potential than ever for the improvement of our species, there is an even greater potential for destruction. Money has the power to hypnotize its users against common moral standards. From small scale injustices to worldwide atrocities, money is an omnipresent antagonist. With increased revenue, corruption is bound to ensue. Money has been a motivator for robberies and murders on a small scale, and in the bigger picture it has led to disinformation, suppression of technologies, war and populace control from the top down. Everyone has got a price, and for the right offer people will do anything.

The existence of our current monetary system plays an integral role in the way we think, interact and live. Currency has allowed for many societal advances and innovations, but also many setbacks to social equality and justice have occurred as a result of currency. Everyone contains a

good wolf and bad wolf within; the one that grows is the one that is fed. It is astoundingly difficult to free

oneself from the system of money. For the vast majority who participate in the system of money, exercise moral uprightness and be consciously aware of how money that one uses could affect another being, either directly or indirectly.

13 RAREBREED

kelsey_camacho

Astronomy, Captured Leaning over rolls of film in a darkroom, you watch the fragile spools as they unwind among shadows.

Negative prints of the moon are hanging from the ceiling on a clothesline while you’re focusing the intensity of light pouring into exposed photos.

The air is dense with the stench of chemicals as they collide in a room almost completely in darkness.

In mid-June, the moon folds into a crescent, suspended and bent like glossy film strips: delicate reminders of the time you would spend framing our galaxies, each lunar eclipse— how, even with darkness and chest-pressing fumes, you awaited the blossom, the cosmic bloom.

RAREBREED 14

Airplanes Or maybe it’s how, miles below the thick plastic cups filled with travelsized ice balanced on trays advertising tropical places and dividend rewards, the world is moving very fast. Cities laid out flat in maps of blinking lights strung out like highways, cars swerving through six lanes and building tops reaching up but obscured in drifting clouds and thick fingerprints etched across three-inch window glass. Crossing time zones has never been easy, invisible lines dividing from eastern to pacific, hours swallowed up by the gaping sky. Earth, one small and conquerable planet. It’s the idea of seeing everything and nothing.

Maybe it’s the feeling of being stagnant, framed by the cold metal of armrests and recycled air, lit exit signs always waiting to guide you home.

Thin edges of smooth coastlines, gentle concave indents of valleys and the raised ridges of hazy mountain ranges merge into one idea of a microscopic Earth, one small and conquerable planet. It’s the idea of seeing everything and nothing.

Maybe it’s the feeling of being stagnant, framed by the cold metal of armrests and recycled air, lit exit signs always waiting to guide you home.

15 RAREBREED

joe_wesselman

RAREBREED 16

joe_wesselman

Contest // Describe the most vivid dream you’ve ever experienced.

No format.

Be as creative as your mind will let you.

Send any content to info@rarebreedmag.com (Winners receive t-shirt, and contest piece will be featured in next issue)

19 RAREBREED

RAREBREED 20

STEVEN DARDEN PHOTOGRAPHER / ILLUSTRATOR EDUCATION: SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN AGE: 21

So let me ask you this, first off, what inspired you to become an artist?

I’ve always been into skateboarding and in middle school I was really big into filming friends and editing footage since not many of my friends were filming. From there I studied photography in high school and my first year at SCAD I got really big into illustration.

We really appreciate your artwork and the designs you’ve sent us for shirts, fonts, etc. Are you doing any work for any other companies?

I did a board design for an upcoming skateboard company in Florida called Zothcorp. I’m also still working on a board design for Blacksheep Skateshop. Other than that I’ve just been doing random commissions and building my portfolio.

What’s your favorite thing to draw?

To photograph?

“I’m kind of an introvert so getting to stay at home and draw definitely beats having to explore in the Savannah heat”

I really like drawing monsters and people, and sometimes just random patterns. With photography I generally like to explore and photograph my friends while doing so. Whenever I get the chance, skateboard photography is definitely my favorite.

I used to do promos for bands but kept getting ripped off by stupid metalcore bands in Charlotte that can’t appreciate “art”. Hopefully in the future I’ll do more of that but be able to find people more mature.

You’ve recently switched your major at SCAD from photography to illustration. What sparked the change?

I just found myself drawing whenever I didn’t have to do homework for my photography classes. I find it more fun to do and I’m kind of an introvert so getting to stay at home and draw definitely beats having to explore in the Savannah heat to find new spots to shoot.

RAREBREED 22

23 RAREBREED

Do you like SCAD and the area?

SCAD’s awesome. Savannah is pretty cool- the gridded city is my favorite perk and being so close to everything is cool. The music scene isn’t the greatest and it’s super hot all the time and touristy. But overall the school and facilities are top notch and better than any other art school I’ve visited.

We see you are doing are doing a 365 project. How is that going?

Oh god. The 365 is coming along, it’s really stressful but I’ve gotten so much better at drawing since I started back in late December. I’m on day 215 right now and my last day is December 21st, 2012. (oh no the end of the world). But it’s definitely beneficial.

RAREBREED 24

Do you and your girlfriend Chelsea Swift (featured on pgs. 5-6) find inspiration from each other in your illustrations?

Oh yeah, that’s probably one of the benefits of being around Chelsea all the time.

She’s been illustrating forever so I can always ask her for advice if I need to. We also are always looking on the Internet and in magazines for inspiration daily.

What does your daily routine look like?

This summer, each day I go to my 8am illustration class. Get home, do my homework, and then start on my daily 365 piece. Once that’s done I usually immediately put in on the Internet.

After that I usually spend more time working on my larger, better pieces.

Chelsea and I spend about an hour or two each day playing with the kittens. If I ever have free time I’m skateboarding, finding awesome new beers to drink, or gaming. My summer isn’t really much of a summer since I have to take classes every single day.

25 RAREBREED

So not only are you an avid photographer/ illustrator, but you are big in the skate scene as well?

HELL YEAH, well at least I used to. I try to skate as much as I can, but school can be really time consuming down here.

Savannah is okay for skating, a couple alright parks and some mediocre street spots but I’m hoping to get a lot more time to skate this year.

RAREBREED 26

Any big plans for the future? Things to look out for?

I’m planning on moving out to San Francisco after college, or at least somewhere around there where rent isn’t so expensive.

I’d like to get a rad internship with Cartoon Network or Adult Swim, but I don’t think that will happen for a while.

Is there anybody you would like to thank?

I’d definitely like to thank Rare Breed of course, Chelsea, and all of my skate buddies in Savannah and Charlotte. LiVe LaUgH LoVe GOOKIE MANE. To purchase prints, stickers, clothing, etc. of Steven Darden’s artwork, visit society6.com/sc00ba.

27 RAREBREED

“Too weird to Live, Too rare To Die.” -Hunter s.Thompson

(fear

and loathing in

las vegas)

Lazy sunday: more than bluegrass, bourbon, and thouroughbreds by charlie hill

If you had a chance to attend the first Rare Breed release show this November, you may have left asking yourself, “Who was that groovy band and why haven’t I heard them before?” Don’t worry, you are probably not alone, but you will be glad to know that you are already on your way to indulging in the latest wave of great music to come out of Louisville, Kentucky. The name is “Lazy Sunday,” the sound is one of a kind, but the words funky, groovy, and fun loving come to mind.

The group consists of guitarist and vocalist Sam

Filiatreau, bassist and vocalist Sam Gulick, guitarist and vocalist Anthony Keenan, saxophone and harmonica player Daniel Grizzle, and drummer Tyler Johnson. The funky five were not conceived overnight though. Sam, Tyler, and Anthony have played together for years under a number of band names, but it was when Gulick and Grizzle were added to the equation that “Lazy Sunday” was truly created. Since then, the music is not merely a weekend hobby, but a burning desire within each musician to spread their stories and grooves with anyone in earshot.

As far as influences go, fellow Louisville band “My Morning Jacket” offered a perfect picture of what can truly happen with a determined family of truly talented musicians. However, the local inspiration doesn’t stop there; local band “The Treez” led by Zach Penland’s songwriting provides an up close and personal relationship with a fellow group of music lovers and creators. Although you will not find The Treez in any issue of rolling stone or on an iTunes Top 100 list, it is more than worth your while to look into them. Outside of the 502 area code, influences such as Sublime also shaped the musicians that stand before us today.

with windows and head sets and recorded our tracks simultaneously. It’s much more convincing and real that way. It sounds more like us than any other kind of recording we’ve done but it’s a lot harder to get everything absolutely perfect. Due to minor hiccups throughout the process we came to the name “Livin’ With It” because there is some minuscule hiccup on the album we are all living with, but nothing that anyone would ever notice besides us.

Charlie Hill got a chance to sit in with guitarist Anthony Keenan to discuss some of the details of their musical experience:

AK- We have been playing bigger and better shows lately and made it out of town for the first time and cut our teeth in the festival scene at the Terrapin Hill Harvest Festival in Harrodsburg, KY. It was a great feeling loading our stuff up and hitting the road, and the festival was like a dream.Terrapin is like something out of a storybook. It’s one of the most beautiful places you will ever see, with some of the nicest people you will ever meet. It’s a very surreal experience going there for a festival. The show in Boone will be our first show out of state and we hope that it starts a trend for us. We love Louisville but we have to get out to get noticed.

-“In a time where seemingly anyone can make a song and release to the internet, what is it that makes Lazy Sunday stand out from the masses?”

AK-We have always played original music and have never had a lack of songs to play. Sam Filiatreau is a song writing machine and we keep setting the standard higher and higher for our songs. Sam Gulick has also contributed some of his songs which are getting a lot of love from our listeners. We tend to sound a little different every time you hear us. Our songs criss-cross and breed like love children and surface in many different genres, from the hip hop, funk, blues inspired song “Stray,” to the hard rocking “Natarajah”(featured on our new album), we have something for everyone to get down to. It seems that our fans, like us, enjoy music from several different genres.

“What should people know about your guys’ new debut album that will be out soon?”

AK- The new album is going to be titled “Livin’ With It” because of where we have come from and because of the struggles of the way it was recorded.

Unlike most bands today, especially up and comers, we recorded the music for the album live. We got the amazing opportunity from our buddy, Christian Hannah who produced the album, to get into a high end studio called “TNT” in Louisville for free. Instead of everybody recording their tracks at different times over a metronome we went into sound proof rooms

-“As you all are getting the album together and progressing and growing as a band, how have you seen your opportunities grow?”

As much excitement as there is within the band, people everywhere should be just as excited to hear what they will be creating and releasing within both the near future and years to come. As a new, young band, it can be easy to fade away into the mist and make but a small mark on the map. However, Lazy Sunday’s musicianship and soul behind their music is too incredible and unique to be ignored.

Check out Lazy Sunday at(http://www.reverbnation.com/lazysunday502)

Harvest House provides a recording studio, a dance studio, an art studio, and state-of-the-art stage performance capabilities all in one facility.

Harvest House is managed by Harvest Equippers, a non-profit organization, and all proceeds benefit water, housing, and education projects in Nicaragua, Africa, and Haiti.

247 Boone Heights Drive – Boone, NC 28607

STRICTLY BUSINESS BUT MOSTLY CHEELIN’.

33 RAREBREED

people you know

// pt. 1 // connor_mikita

I’m every guy’s closest friend—well girl friend that is. When I enter an all male social gathering I assume indifference to my presence. Sure, I get in on the clever nit picking, the subtle innuendos, and even the off-hand homosexual humor. The fact that my biological structure is completely and irreversibly different from every other person around me certainly plays no factor in the overwhelming discomfort every guy feels in my presence.

I even throw back beer like the boys, carefully noting that I haven’t eaten anything for lunch to imply that my premature drunkenness is a special case.

My interests are all slight, superficial variations of yours. I say things like “Led Zeppelin was the best guitarist of all time,” or “Red Wine is my favorite Bob Marley song.” My naivety is almost equivalent to the lack of sexual interest every guy around me has. I’m a girl who likes a good time with “my” boys.

-Sincerely, “Just one of the guys” girl

people you know

// pt. 2 // connor_mikita

That’s my son. Number 36. You may know him as the mildly talented, morbidly obese linebacker that your son complains about. Competition exists at any level of sports, including peewee football. What better way to distinguish yourself for college scouts than to be the standout player in a pack of uncoordinated ten year olds. I’m at every game, making sure to take off work on any days that offer conflicts with my schedule. I make my presence known by second guessing any penalties facing my son’s team, because my vocal interference will ultimately determine the fate of the game. I’m easy to spot too. I traditionally wear sleeveless memorabilia of teams I was never qualified to play for, but supported through thick and thin. My flat top offers a smooth transition when removing my Nike visor from my head in order to get the attention of the referees. I like to shout words of encouragement directed towards my son though he undoubtedly cannot hear me. I make note of bad habits that may impede my son’s progress into the collegiate level of game play.

If it’s a game, I’m there. I’m everywhere.

-Sincerely, Overly passionate sports fan Dad who lives vicariously through failed actualizations of childhood dreams placed on his children’s shoulders

RAREBREED 36

Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.

-Jim Morrison

rare breed

Photo Courtesy of Zach MerrilL

people you know

// pt. 3 // connor_mikita

I was bred for competition. Whether it’s casual beach volleyball, relaxed beer pong, or even a careless game of kick-around soccer, you better believe I’m going to leave it all on the line. While others socialize and unwind, I dig my heels in and go to work. Everyone knows that women want a winner, and I have no intentions to be anything otherwise. Sure, it appears that everyone else is mingling and laughing, but in the back of their mind they’re watching every point. And if they’re not, I make sure they will with loud, biting insults directed towards the opponent’s sexual orientation, strength, or overall ability to succeed. I’ll trade some elbows.

Rough up the competition a bit. Sure, no one else is keeping score but that doesn’t mean you can’t win, right?

-Sincerely, Overly competitive alpha male who takes games at social events way too seriously

Sheep

// connor_mikita

You pour yourself a bowl of quarters, And eat them with a golden spoon.

You eat and you eat but are never full, So you go to the store and spend your time, In exchange for more change, And you eat just to shit, Always filling but never full.

You go to your church, Upset that you’re missing the game, And you talk to your god, But he can’t hear you because he’s watching the game.

And you see your friends and think, Isn’t this great?

And your bed agrees, he still sleeps.

You go to work and sit at your desk, Thinking about next year’s vacation, As you chip away at the layers of papers in front of you.

And you can get emails on your phone now, So you can make work a home now, And the guys at the water cooler think, Isn’t this great?

The windows and the doors laugh at you.

You go home and sit on your couch, And you flip on the tube, searching.

You pay extra for the extra channels, So you can pay extra time, Seeing people and places you won’t ever experience.

And you tell yourself, Isn’t this great?

But the remote control is the only one who awaits your arrival, He weeps for you.

You tune in to a CNN special, North Korea—the communist nation, And you see these people’s faces and think, What a shame it is to not be free, As you sell your fate to your alarm clock and fall asleep, The moon shuts his off as he awakens and sees your closed eyes.

He smiles, for he is free, In a nation of sheep, One brave man is the majority.

(Thank you, Edward.)

sebastien_carpentier // below: untitled/ right: “what happens in burma�

RAREBREED 40

“if anyone can complain about their job it’s the gun”

41 RAREBREED

We’re not a gang, or a clothing company, just some dudes that like simple things, such as concrete and beer. The money that we may or may not raise with the sale of our products will help us reach out for more of the simple things we enjoy.

It has been great so far. This thing has gotten us farther and farther from home, has allowed us to meet some amazing new people, and has gotten some of our names out there. I Couldn’t be happier with the way things are going.”

“Park Sharks Rider Club”

-Tomasz_Low

“The idea behind Park Sharks is relatively simple. After meeting

After meeting Tomasz Low, Drew

some people on the road and not

Needleman, and the rest of the

being satisfied with the scene

dudes behind the operation, we

that we were associated with, we

really got a better idea of what

decided that it was time for us

“Park Sharks” is all about.

to step out and create some sort of entity that would define us more clearly than whatever else

Check out some cool videos, and buy

is out there.

some cool shit from Park Sharks at:

www.parksharksnc.blogspot.com

ng i h t clo at a th or , s g e n d ga du as a e h m c t so su no , t e s s r g u ’ .”

“We pany, j e thin r e e b mpl com i d s n like te a

e r c n co

photo: tomasz_Low // jackson_davis // switch fs bigspin

43 RAREBREED

photos: Tomasz_low

The Face Of Evil I once knew a man who blew off his face, Though he said it would, not much changed, Except his face.

CONNOR_MIKITA

john laseter // fs smith // charlotte, nc

RAREBREED 44

nick_scott // bs smith // mooresville, nc

science fair // “the crater” // wilmington, nc

“LOVE your spot”

// seamus_Mckeon // photos by SEAN STALLINGS

SEAMUS MCKEON // FOOTPLANT BIKE SMACK

Growing up as a youngster, unless you were a complete poindexter, chances are pretty high you built a little

ramp. You and your pals pushed each other, testing the newly discovered limits of your bravery and gravity as you undoubtedly jumped the ramp. With each jump you went a little further, and maybe you even started laying your buddies down to launch over. Whoever jumped the farthest would ultimately become the neighborhood superhero. And then you grow up. Cars, babes, jobs, real life adult shit happens. Now the little ramp that you jumped the farthest isn’t so cool.

RAREBREED 46

CONOR MCKEON // HANDPLANT

Luckily most of my friends never grew up, not completely at least. See, we’ve got jobs, girlfriends, and real life obligations a-plenty, but our undying love for little ramps has never fizzled out. Maybe the ramps have gotten bigger and the aerials more calculated, but we still hold within the same ruthless youthful bliss we discovered so many years ago. We will continue to explore and experiment this realm of complete freedom that so many have once had but lost, the equation reached by calculations of obstacle, speed, and precision. And I say thank goodness we’re not some bored fucks with our feet stuck to the ground.

A few years ago, our bicycle explorations led us

Flash forward a year and the place is truly one of a

to an abandoned foundation under a bridge. As we trudge

kind. Our countless hours, beers, sweat, and dollars devoted

through the path we are welcomed to the spot by a few 40

to the spot really show. The tweakers disappeared, the art

oz. drinking tweakers. Other sights were trash, an amazing

painted on the wall is ever blossoming, and the ramps are a

view of Charlotte’s skyline and a lot of really great graffiti

sight to behold. Cops walk back all the time. We see them

work. Meager attempts were made to build a few ramps on

approaching and the butterflies flutter. We throw our beers

the foundation by unknown sources who share the same

in the weeds. But time after time, our worry is ceased when

ramp ideology. However these ramps resembled the small,

the cops gaze at the spot and remark “this is fuckin’ awe-

rickety ramps of old. In our years of never growing up, our

some!” People film music videos and families even shoot

taste in ramps has progressed to be quite sophisticated.

Christmas pictures back there, it’s crazy. It’s safe to say we

So about a year ago, after years of complaining about how

literally concreted our love for our passion as well as our

bad the spot sucked, we woke up and did something about

home city. I’ve been a lot of places and my tires have grazed

it. We assembled a build day and all of the local persever-

a lot of great obstacles, but it seems nothing feels better or

ing youthful spirits came out of the woodwork. Gravel was

more rewarding than riding what’s crafted with your own

stacked and shaped, concrete was mixed and poured, and

hands.

by dusk we had already dove head first into the revitaliza-

To anyone whose ever lifted a finger, you’re the shit.

tion of the spot.

LUIS PINZON // TABLETOP

LUIS PINZON // TAILWHIP

Surveyors have begun marking off plots to demolish and later construct townhomes. If you’ve ever been to

the spot you know it’d be a terrible place to live because of the train tracks, the loud highway bridge, and the 50 foot high field of power transformers. If you’ve visited you’d also see the hub that’s been created for the city’s outcasts to express their forbidden passions. The future of the spot may be out of our hands but there is always hope. And as there’s a bunch of ignorant kids filled with youthful bliss, there’s plenty other private plots of land we are ready to trespass and build upon. Most of the world will probably never understand why some concrete bumps jutting out of the ground are so amazing and make us so happy, or why this tale is so sappy, but forget ‘em, they’re probably grown ups. I’ll be with my homies in our personal fountain of youth.

49 RAREBREED

“Hawaiian Shirts”

//

Donnie_Welch // Hawaiian Collection : Alec_Castillo

It takes a surprising amount of courage to hang out with someone who enjoys wearing Hawaiian Shirts They are usually individuals who laugh too much, talk too often And smile at all the inappropriate times The saddest thing is, they’re usually the nicest of guys it’s just that no one gives them a chance Because they’ve got a blue shirt with parrots and palm trees on it You might even say, they look pretty fucking retarded.

Because unless you’re on vacation you’re not supposed to wear one.

The night my Uncle died of lung cancer I stood in my driveway and screamed for half an hour Straight Then I sat down and cried I had spent most of my 16 years being too embarrassed to be around him and I realized then That I would never have the chance to do or say anything different He suffered from schizophrenia, mental retardation and he happened to wear Hawaiian shirts all The time He smoked two packs of cigarettes a day every day Because the nicotine calmed him down And Risperidone sucks the life out of you He would rather have had two personalities than none at all I always tried hiding the packs in the lilac bushes beside my grandparents’ house But I would always end up just giving them back When you are eight years old and he looks you in the eye to tell you that he needs a cigarette How could you possibly say no?

He would stand on the porch and smoke while I ran around outside He’d ask me, “Who are we fighting today Sarge?”

And I would just tell him “I don’t know” because I didn’t want to deal with him but I don’t know who or what I’m fighting anymore Mark I call myself a poet, but all I feel like I’ve really done is come up with Interesting metaphors about red-heads

RAREBREED 50

I never had the guts to say that every time someone uses the word “retarded” in a casual Conversation I get the impulse to freak-out But how do you possibly explain to them that you don’t want that word thrown around without Sounding like a self-righteous asshole How do I tell them that I spent the better half of my childhood listening to kids in the Neighborhood joke about how fucked up and stupid my Uncle was that all their parents referred To him as the retard who lives down the block It has taken me 19 years to say that just because someone is mentally ill it does not mean that They are handicapped I believe that my Uncle was a tourist And I don’t mean that he was constantly lost and couldn’t speak the native language I mean that he found something fresh and unique In everything we take for granted That he saw a part of this world that our passports will not let us visit but there are souvenirs A couple of lessons I’ve carried around for the past couple years like, Find friends by the decibels of their laughter Because you’re gonna fuck up and you’re bound to be imperfect But that is exactly what makes you so absolutely breath taking It is our imperfections that let us remember how human we are And it is the laughter of others that reminds us we need to celebrate these shortcomings more Often Everyone is just as insecure about it as you are so don’t be too hard on them Instead, help them out Talk more than you have to and every so often be sure to talk a hell of a lot more than you Should Be the butt end of every good joke and the asshole in all the bad ones Say the word Lilac real slowly whenever you start getting depressed Feel the way the syllables naturally stretch your mouth and curve your lips And remember that there is never a good reason to frown When there is always so much to smile about That even if life knocks you for a hard one, leaves you feeling broken or hurt You can always find hope Even if it looks an awful lot like a Hawaiian shirt.

Filmer’s spotlight rob_russell

You just finished filming your wake film, “Out of the Norm”, can you tell us more about it?

We filmed the video in about 3 months, so it was a really short time for what we accomplished. I’m really proud of how it came out and all the work everyone put in really paid off in the end. Doing the video really pushed everyone to get out and ride/film as much as possible, even when we didn’t feel like it. I got to travel to some awesome places in NC and form some great friendships. It was a great experience overall and I can’t wait to get started on the next one.

Any future projects to look out for?

P. Connor_Buss Hometown Cornelius, North Carolina What inspired you to start filming?

I have a lot in the works in the next year. I have several small wake projects planned: Raleigh skating, a music video, a wedding in October, and plenty more. Just keep on the look out for new stuff. I’m really excited for what the future holds, although I have a long way to go. Also, a huge thanks to all the people who have shown me support, it means a lot.

Me and some buddies just starting filming with some cameras we had about 9 or 10 years ago when we would be skating. I loved it from the start and just really never stopped since then.

You are big in the wakeboard, wakeskate, and skateboarding scene. What is it about these sports that draws you to them?

Board sports are just all I have really known, I grew up skateboarding and all of the best memories I have involve skating. Then I moved to Cornelius from Charlotte and made some awesome friends who introduced me to wake boarding and wake skating. I was never super into riding but loved the way it looks. I kept filming skating and going out on the lake with those guys too. I loved getting to branch out my video and get to be out on a boat with my best friends all the time. I really can’t imagine a childhood that didn’t involve walking around the city all day and being on the lake all the time, I don’t know what other kids did. I think that’s the best part about it.

(www.vimeo.com/robrussell)

RAREBREED 52

blaise_dubois Hometown, Age Mooresville, NC_17 years old What inspired you to start filming?

I started filming basically because I wasn’t very good at skating.

What is it that you love about filming skateboarding?

I enjoy making skateboard videos because of how simple it is. Unlike most things film related, theres no stage, lighting, production crew or anything like that, just skateboarding and a camera.

You just finished filming “Yeah! Really!”, can you tell us more about this? Who was involved in the making of the vid?

Yeah! Really! was a video I was working on from September 2010 until August 2012, It was just me and 4 other guys (Nick Scott, Luke Bumgarner, Jackson Davis, John Laseter) going skating every weekend.

Any future projects to look out for?

I don’t have any big video projects planned as of right now, but that’s always subject to change.

(www.youtube.com/blazedubois)

parker_worthington Hometown Born in Oakland, CA - raised in Mooresville, NC What inspired you to start filming?

For some reason as a kid I loved toying with my dad’s computers, devices or what ever old cell phones he had lying around. In a storage box full of these old prosumer gadgets I found an old Sony handy cam. Similar to a smaller cheaper version of the Sony TRV - 900.

Years later my dad had gotten so sick of me messing with his pc, trying to edit the mini DV tapes or play virtual pinball, he purchased a mac for my mom and I to wreck. I was 11 or 12 and at the time iMovie was a complete revelation. Type writer effect, adjustable length fades and basic key framing! The first edited sequence I put together was skate “clip” shot on that same old Sony cam, embarrassingly to the tune of “Afternoon Delight” - The Anchorman Ron Burgundy Version. I loved the movie and at the time was watching it on repeat. I felt as though I got all of the jokes until I played the video for some friends and family when it dawned on me. That the song I loved from the movie was all about bangin’. And I felt like a dumbass...

So I tried to shoot a better one and then a better one after that until all my friends and I were doing was skating and shooting.

You started out filming skating? And you filmed “This is Reality” a few years back?

Started shooting skating purely to skate with friends and watch what we landed. I couldn’t edit the stacks of mini DV tapes but playing them back on our home TV later helped to unintentionally prove to my parents that we weren’t just smoking blows as soon as they dropped us off at the skate spot. As I got older I rode bikes more than I skated and ended up racing downhill mountain bikes for 5-6 years. When I was no longer a minor (17-18) and had to get myself to races; I would barter shooting and editing videos for pro teams to stay on their floor and get a plate at their meals. For the 2009 season, I shot a few World Cup races in Canada for Decline Magazine’s “Team America”. While I was home visiting for the weekend near the end of the season (August 2009), I met Zack Whyel and Curt Braden at a mutual friend’s party at UNC. A friend of both of ours, Alex Crouse, had shown them what I was shooting for the mountain bike team. At the party they asked if I wanted to shoot the intros for their skate video. When explained who was in the video - I was sold. Trevor Biggs and I had skated together since 6th or

7th grade and he had even been in that embarrassing “Afternoon Delight” clip. Trevor had also introduced me to Nate Stout, Niki Porcello, Andrew Kolometz, and Eran Hays in high school. After that party and meeting up with everyone again I decided to live at home again, hold off film school for a semester, and help Nate and everyone finish the video they had been working on for the last 3 years.

You have your own company called imminent studio, can you explain what this is all about?

Imminent or any name that could be in its place basically acts as first impression or introduction professionally. Say a company needs to hire out video work and he or she types in their contractor data base “art for hire” or pull my business card out of their desk and it reads “MyName.com” - I’ve just lost them... based on that seeming meaningless glance over my business card they’ve already assumed my cap pay rate, my capabilities creatively and productively, and the tone in which to go about speak to me all before they ever typed in my URL. These assumptions are based on the thought “he’s a single entity” or worse “a kid with a camera”.

From that they assume further: “he probably doesn’t work regular hours and I can speak to him directly”.

With “ d/b/aStudio.com” they assume it’s more that one person, possibly capable of quickly turn things around (Mad Men creative team delusion) based on their first assumption and last but not least - another person will see the pay rate, contact, or purchase order I’m sending to him. That last bit of awareness on the clients side of the phone a gives us a bit of negotiation room where we could have had none. (d/b/a) Doing Business As (Client) The company that hires us for their work.

Where has filming taken you the past few years?

In last year alone I’ve been to every continent excluding Antarctica. If the opportunity presents itself some time in the in the near future I wouldn’t be supposed to going!

Any future projects to look out for?

In a few weeks I’m shooting a new fashion brand’s social media video campaign in Amsterdam; releasing on November 1st. We have some outside interest waiting to see finished products to talk about what’s next, but until then I’m in the dark as side from working on personal projects.

(www.imminentstudio.com)

RAREBREED 54

joseph_toney

Top Left: “Dignified Indulgence” // Medium: mixed media on canvas Top Right: “Marylin” // Medium: pen & ink and digital Bottom Left: “Untitled” // Medium: photograph

57 RAREBREED

t h a w

TEH

FCUK

Cindy_conrad // “untitled”

RAREBREED 58

ERA

YUO

G N Y I SA

? medium: acrylic and ink on canvas

below // “growth transcending” // medium: acrylic right // “who’s responsible for this?” // medium: acrylic

RAREBREED 60

alec_castillo // compression falls, tennessee

RAREBREED 62

63 RAREBREED

in the lair of the lizard

// by patton_magee Left: Untitled // by alec_castillo

IN THE EARLY CRADLE OF CREATION I WAS ALL WE HAD...

DESCEND. DOWN PULSING STEM TO THE LAIR OF WARM DESIRE WHERE THE LIZARD KING BROODS HIS LONELY IRE. HE NEEDS NOT EARS, HEEDS NOT FEARS FOR HERE, IN THE MELTING HOT SPRING, HE IS NOT LISTENING...

IN THE DEPTHS OF MY BRAIN, IN THE WARMTH OF MY SKIN, I’M ALONE. I CAN DO ANYTHING.

Luke_mckaye // Ben Gold- ollie // lynchburg. Va

Luke_mckaye // Wells Shaw- Bs smith // Raleigh. nc

oozing creativity on and off the skateboard

andrew_bumgarner // below: untitled

What is it about painting that attracts you?

“It’s the most raw form of aesthetics. You take color and a surface and make whatever you want. It’s kind of all about style. What naturally comes out when you have those two in the same place at the same time.

It’s never going to be what I expected to see when I started, but it’s always going to be me.

And that shit is kinda tight.”

RAREBREED 68

69 RAREBREED untitled // collab w/ brandon naples // medium: acrylic

shweiki media ad here

submissions info@rarebreedmag.com or www.rarebreedmag.com

www.rarebreedmag.com