Skinnie Magazine Issue 114 by Skinnie Magazine

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CONTENTS|August 2011

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FEATURES p.012

HIT THE BEAT Jason Lee Takes on the Style and Swagger of Memphis

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UNCLE LUKE GOES LEGIT From 2 Live Crew to the Mayor’s Office of Miami

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GET ON OR GET OUT OF THE WAY Skrillex Doesn’t Have Time to Slow Down

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FROM THE MOUNTAIN Death Cab for Cutie Has Reached The Top, Now What?

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THE STREETS ARE CALLING Glasses Malone Puts The West On His Back

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NO TINY DANCER Meet Skinnie Girl, Rachele Royale

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WHEN YOU LOVE WHAT YOU DO Jay La Rossa of Lossa Engineering Shoots Straight

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THE NEW BREED X Games 17 Is Here – and So Is A New Crew of Stars

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NINE DOWN THE LINE Lucha VaVoom Recollects On The Story Thus Far

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iPHONE CINEMATOGRAPHY Adam Green Discusses his film The Wrong Ferrari

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A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR| The last

breakfast Edition

August 2011 J ISSUE #114 10184 Sixth St. Suite A Rancho Cucamonga, Ca. 91730 Ph. 909-476-0270 Fax 909-476-5931 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PUBLISHERS Jimmy Clinton and George Giordano ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EDITORIAL Editor-In-Chief Ramon Gonzales Jasen T. Davis, Alex Mendoza, Eric Bonholtzer, Katie Evans, Kristie Bertucci, Patrick Douglas, Lacy Ottenson, Elysia McMahan, Ben Marazzi, MM Zonoozy, Katie Evans, James Gobee, Contributing Writers

For editorial submissions, email editorial@skinniemagazine.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ART & DESIGN Art department

Morgan Desmond, Meloki Morgan Carrol

Client Service Representative

PHOTOGRAPHY Michael Vincent, Alan Rivera, Sean Myers, Joanna Miriam, Dave Gatson, Karen Curley, Harmony Gerber, Edison Graff, Amanda Davies, Angela Jugon, Timothy Sheppard, Erik Faiivae, Christian Sosa, Tammy Rapp, Todd Scheuerell Contributing Photographers

Sales & Marketing Marketing Director

Jason Zahler David Pham Christopher Pena, Kevin Whetstine, Ashley Biering Denise Moraga, Stephanie Tula and Julius Lopez

Advertising

Business Development

For all sales inquiries email sales@skinniemagazine.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Administrative Kevin Whetstine House Of Designs Morgan Desmond Contributing Staff Angela Jugon Raquel Lopez, Cynthia De Los Santos and Ryan Mercer Promotion Director

My parents are creatures of habit. They maybe go to the same six places to eat. On any given day, if anyone would ever have a heard time tracking them down, I could give you a short list of places to call and I would bet my paycheck you would find ‘em there. Something was different this Sunday however. Normally we are met with a bustling waiting room at our Sunday morning breakfast diner. Free vanilla roasted coffee while you wait, people talking about how they are not looking forward to going into work on Monday, and Dad flipping through the paper to find something he wants to read. This time, just a big white sign that read something to like this… “After 27 years of serving the community, we will be closing our doors forever…” Aside from being bummed about the news, things got even more real when we sat at the table. For the years my parents have been spending their Sunday mornings at this place, there was one server in particular that would always make her way to our table. In between making sure the coffee was hot and the eggs were scrambled, she was quick to share little tidbits of her life with ours. It was more than a smile and a hello. It was always a hug, a “sweetie”, a joke or two. “90 percent of the staff has been here for 10 to 20 years,” she said while obviously holding back tears, coffee pot still in hand. “Closed, just like that.” We finished our breakfast but the conversation had come to a standstill. I might sound dramatic here, but the food even tasted sad. To say times are tough right now is a fucking cliché, it’s so much worse than that. My fear is this will come off preachy and that is not my intention. I guess the point here is to say thank you to our server. This has nothing to do with good service or even the added personality she showed, I have to hope that her situation will get better soon.

Webmaster

online editor

FASHION Michelle Ngo Heather Choi and Christina Pham

Fashion Director Fashion Coordinators

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SUBSCRIBERS If the post office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within two years. LEGAL DISCLAIMER The content in this magazine is for entertainment and intended for mature audiences only. Advertisers are responsible for their ads placed in the magazine. Skinnie Magazine is not responsible for any actions taken by their readers. We may occasionally use images placed in public domain. Sometimes, it is not possible to identify and/or contact the copyright holder, if you claim ownership of something we’ve published, we will gladly make a proper acknowledgement. Skinnie Magazine does not share opinions and/ or views stated by the writers and or photographers. Some of the content published may be of a mature nature; we do not, in any way, condone underage drinking or any other illegal activity. All submissions become property of Skinnie Magazine, be it text, photos, art, etc. Skinnie Entertainment Magazine All Rights Reserved. 2011

Good people deserve the best in life. Not because they should be rewarded, but honestly, if good things don’t come to good folks, then what do we have to believe in? Fuck Staying Thirsty, Stay Strong My Friends –

Ramon Gonzales

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Cover Photo by Jeff Farsai

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ACCOUTREMENTS 2 1

Summertime Blues

Why Not Curb ‘Em With Some Retail Therapy? Motorola Xoom

COPE2 X Sprayground Collab Backpack

“Lard Lad” by Matt Groening X Kid Robot

In God’s Hands “Harmony”

Impressing nerds universally at this year’s CES tradeshow, the Xoom from Motorola is the latest competitor to the tablet market. At 10.1 inches, the sleek design and ubereasy Google performance platform of the Android 3.0 OS system makes this a real contender. Backed by the muscle of a dualcore processor plus all the necessary features of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc., the iPad may need to watch out.

With a finger firmly on the the pulse of true graffiti culture, Sprayground has joined forces with one of NYC’s most revered names in graffiti art, COPE2. Aside from the provocative look, the bag’s ergonomic design allows for laptop, tablet, cell phone, and mp3 player compartments separately. The bag is made with a water resistant material and looks pretty damn rad.

Muthafuckin’ trinkets. Gotta love ‘em. Plus, why lie, no matter how old you are, The Simpsons are just iconic. For hardcore nerds, this tribute to a lesser-known footnote in the Simpson legacy is the perfect little gift. Homer would be proud and so will you to look at this little guy on your desk every Monday.

Founded by Lauren Lusk, widow to famous Freestyle Moto pioneer Jeremy Lusk, In God’s Hands is fashion with the free spirit in mind. Complete with a men and women’s line, Lusk is now venturing into the necessary accessories. The IGH line of jewelry manages to command attention, without looking tacky; Delicate and bold all in the same clasp.

$799.99 Motorola.com

$60 Sprayground.net

$39.95 KidRobot.com

$129.99 InGodsHands.com

Christian Louboutin “Louis Flat Spike” Sneakers

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French shoe designer’s Christian Louboutin has ventured into men’s sneakers and for the collector, these are a must have. Missing the signature red sole of the shoe that has become the calling card for high fashion footwear, these kicks will set your pocketbook back quite a bit, but the ladies will likely jump on the jock when you make mention of the Louboutin estilo. $1095 ChristianLouboutin.Fr

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foreplay

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taking the lead

once again Jason Lee Feels The Vibe

Words By Patrick Douglas

His name was Earl. Now, it’s Dwight.

Known for his iconic lead role as the somewhat dimwitted but good-hearted ex-con in “My Name Is Earl,” Jason Lee has turned a complete 180 by donning the badge in TNT’s “Memphis Beat.” While the hair and the job description are much different, there’s still an odd similarity between the two characters. “With anything you do, the characters have to be believable, acceptable and likable and that’s always sort of my stance even with a guy like Earl,” explained

Lee. “With just a massive lists of wrongs, you still like the guy. I felt like we needed that with ‘Memphis Beat,’ and have Dwight feel even more tangible, real likeable, accessible and approachable. I thought a lot about Burt Reynolds back in the ‘70s. That strong, kind of jokes ‘every man’ (and) the camaraderie with those movies like ‘Cannonball Run,’ and ‘Smokey and the Bandit.’ Strangely, (I’m) trying to incorporate that into this show and making it have more of that old school, Southern flair.” Lee plays Detective Dwight Hendricks, a singing cop if you will. He loves Elvis,

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carries around a guitar and busts out in a song in every episode. While that might seem a bit odd in description, it works on the show. The cool factor surrounding Dwight’s character was definitely a selling point in getting Lee on board and he’s taken the role seriously. “Oh, man. Well, I think it was the boots, some of the wardrobe, the car, the music, the old guitars,” said Lee, describing the things that attracted him to the role of Dwight. “There’s a little bit of a modern day kind of cowboy vibe to the guy which I think is really interesting. That could get real cheesy, real fast. I just try to be aware of the importance of this guy’s job and making it as much about how much he cares as it is about how cool the guy might be and how fun it is to play the guy.” Lee has had experience as a rocker before, having played the lead singer for the fictitious band Stillwater in, “Almost Famous.” Having to pretend to be both an avid musician and a crime fighter for “Memphis Beat,” has been both a rewarding experience for Lee and somewhat of a hindrance to getting the show to take off. “The lip-synching and the performances, I try to be as genuine with those and make them feel as heartfelt as possible and make it look as good as I can,” said Lee. “This season there’s less of the country Elvis thing and more of just Dwight performing music. Certainly Elvis is his idol but you know what really kind of didn’t help in our favor at the beginning of the first season was that people have this ideal that the show is like cop by day, Elvis impersonator by night and that kind of screwed us up a little bit.” In addition to Lee, “Memphis Beat,” stars Sam Hennings as the gruff Charlie White, the awkward DJ Qualls as Davey Sutton and Alfre Woodard as the sassy boss, Lt. Tanya Rice. To adapt and prosper for a second season and beyond, the producers of “Memphis Beat,” had to change things up a little both on and off the set. It was all positive, says Lee. “I think the show is more fun this season. Dwight is a little bit more identifiable.

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He’s less of a character and more of just a guy. It’s less of a sacred kind of Elvis thing and more of just a Southern dude who loves music and he happens to be a musician and a performer,” he said. “We have a more fun kind of lighter, looser kind of old school cop show with more car chases and shoot outs and more joking and (as actors, we’re) having fun and more camaraderie among us. (We’re) a gang.” A self-proclaimed fan of old school cop shows, Lee likens “Memphis Beat,” to some of the old serials that used to run on Saturday nights back when there were only three channels to choose from. “I’m a product of the ‘70s. My favorite stuff is ‘Streets of San Francisco,’ ‘Dukes of Hazzard,’ ‘Rockford Files,’ CHIPS.’ ‘Smokey and the Bandit.’ That’s my vibe and that was something that I brought to the table,” he said. “These guys are cops and people are being murdered and, no shit, there’s a lot of stuff going on here.” Even though the title and scripts suggest that the show takes place in Memphis, it’s actually filmed in New Orleans. That’s okay, explained Lee, because both cities convey the spirit of the South. Everything from the music on the show to the personality of the actors is thick with Southern sauce, giving it as authentic a look as possible. “That’s the beauty of the show. It’s taken straight from the South. It’s like you’re going to get these flavors of blues, R&B, Elvis, it’s like the backdrop to the show because it takes place in Memphis and we all know how important music is to Memphis,” said Lee. “Honestly, I think anything that’s part of the South is real. That’s the thinking. Why wouldn’t it be as real as the music or the food? Why wouldn’t it be as real as the manners or the characters or the people? It just goes with the territory and it’s celebrated as a Southern thing.” Even though Earl is a character of the past, Lee hopes that Dwight will take off and become just as iconic a television character.

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Uncle Luke

calls out Miami

The 2 Live Crew Icon Takes On A Different Kind of Sleaze By Lacy Ottenson

It’s official: Former Rapper and 2 Live Crew front man Luther Campbell, aka Uncle Luke, WILL NOT be the new mayor of Miami.

Yes sadly, the lyrical mastermind behind “Me So Horny”, “The FuckShop”, and “Pop That Pussy” officially lost his bid for mayor earlier this Tuesday, in a highly-contested Miami-Dade election. Surprisingly, Campbell managed to yield the fourth highest number of votes overall out of the total 11 candidates who ran, earning him 11% of the vote with 20,663 votes in his favor. A small minority by most accounts, especially when compared to the 34% and 29% that election rivals Julio Robaina and Carlos Gimenez each earned respectively, but out of the 10 candidates who ran for mayor without any previous government experience, Campbell came out on top; though a small consolation for a man desperately seeking to change the current status quo of corrupt Miami politics. Unfortunately, Miami is no stranger to political corruption. Earlier this March, the constituents of Miami voted to oust then-Mayor Carlos Alvarez in a landslide recall election, holding him accountable for raising property taxes and increasing the salaries of county staffers by $132 million during the height of the recession (among other alleged questionable practices). “There’s a lot of issues that need to be dealt with, but they need to be dealt with by somebody like me and you know, not by these other corrupt individuals who are trying to get into this race,” Campbell states during a pre-election phone interview. And he’s not afraid to call people out either-especially those he’s running against. Without naming names, Campbell tore into the competition, accusing some of his opponents of having “a background of getting terminated from jobs for things like cronyism and nepotism, and other individuals in this race-the cities which they serve in they have illegal slot machines-and you’ve got another commissioner who’s trying to get in this race and steal $10 million dollars in CRA (Community Reinvestment

Act) money…I mean it is really, really bad here.” And politicians aren’t the only ones Uncle Luke is calling out; another major faction he’s pretty heated about is the hip-hop community, and their general lack of interest and support so far, “You know that’s the saddest part about this campaign-the mere fact that these uh hip hop artists and music executives, they’re not keen to support this. You know I need the Puff Daddys and the 50 Cents and the Russell Simmons and the Ice Cubes-the people who are profiting from what we’ve done as far as fighting for this music, fighting for these people, for this city, to come out here and support this campaign financially. What I’m really running off of right now is really name recognition, but at the end of the day, you still need money to get out there,” says Campbell “To be honest with you, I just really need the hip hop community to come in and help because the people that we represent can’t afford to put $5 into a campaign, you know? That’s when I need my friends and colleagues in the business to you know, come up with some money; they need to get involved in this thing…they need to be apart of this.” And while Campbell’s initial announcement to run for mayor took many by surprise, it also garnered him a ton of media attention and left many wondering if this was a serious thing or not, though Campbell has remained steadfast and adamant that he is absolutely serious about becoming Miami’s next mayor. No stranger to controversy, some portions of Campbell’s political platform have also come under fire for their unusual and perhaps even bizarre proposals; such as a proposed stripper tax which would tax any cash tips strippers might earn, which as of now, currently go untaxed. To which Campbell simply says “You know, you’ve got to make bold moves to make more revenue.” Even though Uncle Luke may have lost this election, it’s doubtful the city, or anyone else, has heard the last of him: “I’m a fighter.” he says, “I fight for what I believe in and I ain’t ever gonna stop.”

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GET ON or get out

of the way For Skrillex, Life Really Has One Speed

It’s about six hours before Skrillex takes the stage and there’s already a line outside of the Glasshouse in Pomona, CA. These die-hard fans want to be front and center to see the 23-year-old DJ perform on a warm, sunny day in June. While his fans wait, Skrillex, born Sonny Moore, is inside his tour bus parked a block and a half away, working on some new beats. Two of his sound check buddies walk in, informing “Skrilly” how everybody is talking about the sold out show.

Words: Kristie Bertucci Images by Jeff Farsai

2010) and recently put out its follow-up EP, More Monsters and Sprites, in addition to working on numerous remixes for other artists. For the day’s no-fuss shoot, Skrillex dresses in a head-to-toe black ensemble with some shades and his signature glasses in hand, to change up his look for the photographer. Once the 15-minute shoot finishes, he jumps back onto the bus and asks to conduct the interview in his makeshift “studio” conveniently located at the back of the bus. Next to his computer is a guitar—a remnant from his earlier days as the frontman and guitarist for the band From First To Last.

“Cool,” he simply replies. The nonchalant Skrillex has become a highly sought after entity within electronic music after dropping his debut EP, My Name Is Skrillex, back in June 2010. Since then, he’s released Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (October

He immediately sits with one foot on the couch, the other on the floor and yells for a friend to pass him a cigarette. The interview commences with the first question touching upon the transition from being a band member to a DJ, which has him bluntly answering: “That’s a silly question. It’s always the

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first question I get, but there wasn’t a transition from being in a band to being a DJ. I’ve been making all types of music since I was 13 years old—electronic music, live music, guitar, drums, singing…whatever. I just stopped doing one thing and kept doing another.” From there, Skrillex lets loose and all formality in terms of sequenced questions fly out the window. The interview now becomes spontaneous, with “Skrilly” in charge. “I don’t really classify myself, I just make music on a computer,” he asserts as he takes a hit from his cigarette. “Let’s move on from talking about my time in a band,” he laughs after being asked if it was ever on his mind to go back to his origins. “There’s a lot more interesting stuff happening with me right now.” And he’s right. The so-called “Prince of Dubstep” is at the top of his career. Actually, he probably hasn’t event peaked yet, given his youth and is yet to drop his official LP album. But be careful if you call him that to his face, you’ll quickly be corrected. “I wouldn’t even call myself that; ‘The Prince of Dubtep,’” he corrects. “You know what…I’ve taken a lot of influence from dubstep and my sounds lend to that, but I would never call myself a dubstep artist.’ It’s kind of like the Ramones, who lent from rock and roll, but were ultimately a punk band. Do you know what I mean? I’m just making electronic music that has elements of everything really, you know?” When Skrillex says everything, he means it. From garage, acid, techno, progressive house and trance, you name it, he listens to it—taking bits and pieces of whatever he’s into at the moment and transforming them into Skrillex pieces with heavy basslines and crazy drops. At the moment, Skrillex is on a reggae/dancehall/dub binge, and graciously provided

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a preview of something he’s been messing around with. Head banging in unison to the heavy beats, it’s amazing to think that the piece—composed only a day before— already sounds as if it could land on an EP the very next day. He also mentioned that he’s currently listening to a lot of breaks and acid, as well as retuning back to a lot of the old stuff he grew up listening to, which was everything on Wrap Records (circa ’98 to ’03, to be exact). Since becoming Skrillex, life has been non-stop for the DJ, with more than 300 shows scheduled this year. But the fast-paced lifestyle isn’t a challenge to the young artist. “It’s not hectic to me though,” he states. “I love what I do and know what comes with it. I don’t know anything else other than this.” While other artists might take time off from music making while touring the globe, Skrillex is constantly making beats and consistently putting out music. “Personally, I can’t live a day without making music. Whether it be here [as he points to computer on a small ass table in the corner of the tiny section at the back of the bus], or on headphones on an airplane.” Despite just putting out another EP, he has an arsenal ready when it comes time to compile them all for his upcoming LP, due out this fall on Big Beats. Because he’s always putting out music, fans are always excited to hear something new, further engaging them into his musical world. While very active on the net and handling all his own social media, Skrillex also provided fans an intimate look into what life has been like in the past nine months in his first official video for the track “Rock n Roll (Will Take You To The Mountain).” “The video is pretty honest in the sense that it’s very fast moving like my life,” he confesses. “I’m all over the place and I get to meet extraordinary people, see

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extraordinary places and play extraordinary shows. That song has always really been close to me just because it says so much with out words. I think it’s nice that you can create your own story with that. To me, it conveys, like, that free spirit world we all live in being musicians, without being obligated or obliged to live a normal life.” Although he confirms that his LP will drop later this fall, the free-spirited Skrillex doesn’t exactly know what it will entail or be comprised of, but is far from worried. He actually mentioned turning in tracks for the EPs about two weeks before they dropped. Being the popular DJ/producer he is, Skrillx’s inbox is filled with requests for remixes and production requests, but is a bit particular on which projects he takes on. “If I like the original song, I’ll do it,” he admits. “Remixes take a different mindset from working on my own music. I’m a bit more lazy—or, really, less precious about remixes because my original stuff should be more popular than my remixes; or I hope they are. I’ve been fortunate that both my remixes and own stuff are pretty level in terms of popularity. I do bug out a bit more when I do my original tracks.” One of the biggest remixes that’s in constant rotation at the moment is his bassline heavy version of fellow DJ Benny Benassi’s “Cinema,” which the Italian DJ even plays in his sets. “I love “Cinema” because the vocals were so strong, and I like to work with vocals.” He’s also done some production work for Korn’s upcoming album, which is said to have been produced by a variety of dubstep artists. Back in May, the rock band released “Get Up,” which Skrillex produced. “Well, John [Jonathan Davis] called me up and asked me to work with him and I grew up listening to Korn from a young age so of course I’m going to do that. I went into the studio and we just jammed. I got on my computer started to make some sounds and then it became a song right on the spot.” Despite not sure if he’ll do another artist collaboration soon, Skrillex did admit that if the timing and vibe is right, then he’d be down to work with whomever he has a connection with.

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With everything that he’s doing now, Skillex is setting up a solid musical foundation for his future even though he doesn’t know what that might be yet. However, he did mention a few things he’d like to achieve within his lifetime, which includes film scoring, in addition to more video game music interaction, which he’s already sort of dabbled with the PlayStation 3 game, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, that features the Bare Noize remix of “Kill EVERYBODY” from his Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites. Already a very accomplished artist and DJ, Skrillex still has many viable musical years ahead of him. Not one to think heavily upon the future, he does know that the legacy he’d like to leave behind includes being proud of all that he’s done and not giving in to doing things that don’t “feel right or isn’t me,” he explains. As for his legacy in electronic music, he doesn’t exactly ask for much. “I know that me and some other producers/DJs are creating this sort of bass movement, I guess, and that it’s opened up new possibilities for everybody, you know? So, I can only hope that what I’m doing can help build a foundation for everybody that’s doing electronic music.” Whether he knows it or not, Skrillex is definitely going down in the history books for his unique take on electronic music, and while he may not fit into any certain categories of music, he’s creating his own hodgepodge of musical elements will influence the scene forever. And his ongoing sold-out shows, massive following and sought after remix collaborations only further prove Skrillex’s ability to amaze the masses with his booming basslines. For Skirllex, 2011 is going to go down as one of his busiest years, given everything he’s done and all the cities he’s stopped in. “Everything will slow down a bit after I drop my LP, but that not much,” he says. “I might take a small break in 2012, but I can’t be away from music too long. It’s what I live for.”

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building

a mountain

Death Cab For Cutie Has The Mountain, Now They Have to Maintain It

By Patrick Douglas

Over the past decade, Death Cab For Cutie has quietly tip-toed into the minds of many a music fan. With a style that’s hard to pinpoint, the band is consistent if nothing else. One of a only a handful of melodic rock bands in the world that can tour the U.S. and fill arenas every night, Death Cab For Cutie has released three straight top selling records, including the recently released “Codes and Keys.” Yes, it’s an honor for the guys when they look at the Billboard charts and see another record at number one, but it doesn’t make writing the next one a pressure cooker of expectations. They do what they’ve always done which is write from the heart and they don’t look at future projects as gravy poured on top of their already immense accomplishments.

how important this band has been to us and the singular focus has been for all of us.”

“It’s not really gravy. To be honest, there’s no pressure,” said bassist Nick Harmer. “By saying that, I don’t mean to imply it’s easy, good going and gravy. I think (“Codes and Keys”) really just marks a time where we feel like we’ve accomplished so much in the past that we were so happy with everything that’s come down. Up through ‘Narrow Stairs,’ the sole focus of all our lives has been the band and touring and it’s really been an all consuming thing for us emotionally, creatively and spiritually.”

“Family and personal lives outside of the band has really come up for us and become such a great place for us to go to and have our lives outside of this band,” he said. “We’ve really found this great balance between that and being in the band. Suddenly, there’s a big, deep exhale amongst all of us. It’s not that we don’t care, it’s just there’s this relaxed confidence about it.You hear athletes talk about being in their zone or people finding that harmony that happens right in the moment. I really feel like we’ve tapped into that recently and I attribute that, 100-percent, to the fact that we’ve worked at finding some good, healthy balance in our lives. I think that’s come through in our decisions in the music now. We’re realizing that we’re gonna be doing this for a long time so let’s trust our gut and make things we like to make and then we’ll put that out there and we’ll start talking about the next one.”

In a way, the sudden fame that came behind 2005’s “Plans” and 2008’s “Narrow Stairs,” pulled the band into a vacuum of writing, recording, touring, repeat. Being able to pull away from themselves and see life away from the band helped rejuvenate the foursome when it came time to punch the clock in the studio again. “It was really great, the break between ‘Narrow Stairs,’ and this album,” explained Harmer. “It was really us taking a break and concentrating on a lot of personal things outside of the band. There’s this weird confidence that we have now in what we do because we’ve taken our hands off the steering wheel. We were holding on so tightly to everything in the band that we kind of were living and dying by the moment. It made everything ratchet up so high that we were always questioning and always unsure of ourselves. I wouldn’t say doubting but we were always feeling that we needed to overthink a lot of our instincts because of

There are rockers who live on the road and form their relationships one city at a time and there are rockers who worship their families at home, hitting the road to share their talents but always knowing that there’s a wife and kids waiting for them when the cycle ends. The men in Death Cab For Cutie are definitely members of the latter. Family men with a day job that requires them to perform in different cities every night. Getting back to the family is the true motivation, says Harmer.

Despite the newfound spiritual confidence, following up the critically acclaimed “Narrow Stairs,” wasn’t an easy task for the band. “Codes and Keys,” wasn’t a piggy back off of that success but rather an evolution. What started out experimental ended up coming out very ambient, eerily similar to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” Harmer attributes some of that evolution in background music to fellow bandmate Chris Walla’s experience with the computer as a producer and a newfound love for a not so new instrument. “Every album we make is basically a reaction to the previous one in some ways.

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We recorded ‘Narrow Stairs,’ and it was the four of us and was very much an experience of ‘We need to record this album in a very classic and formal way,’” said Harmer.“The four of us tracking in a room, 24 tracks, analog tape, very minimal overdubs or studio trickery and we were gonna let our performances speak. Some things happened in the ‘off season,’ as we say as Chris has really fallen in love with more synths and vintage keyboards and also as a producer fallen back into a good workflow with the Logic program and recording it into a computer. This album is the first album we’ve recorded directly into a standard computer with existing computer software. We all just sort of encouraged each other to let our brains sprawl outside of the instrument that was in our hands.” When Death Cab first began striking their instruments back in the late ‘90s, the goals were much simpler. Perhaps a gig in nearby Seattle would be the peak of accomplishment, they’d say wishfully back in the day. There were no aspirations of worldwide touring and million-seller albums. Fans and fate have combined to make the band what they are today. “For whatever reason, the music that we make has connected and we’ve been at

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the right place at the right time,” said Harmer. “We’ve been steadily working. We worked for years without much attention being paid to us and then we started making people’s radars. (Frontman) Ben (Gibbard) has made the metaphor before. In the beginning, it felt like you were trying to build a mountain or build something that was yours or carve out this little space of music that you can define as your own. Now, there’s less pressure to build as there is to maintain.” “This is the band that we are,” he continued. “We’re probably not going to grow much bigger then we are at this point. This is what we’re comfortable doing. I think we have a really strong identity at this point. We love playing music together and we’ve lasted for almost 15 years and at this point, it’s probably the longest relationship any of us have been in which is fantastic. We are such a part of each other’s lives professionally with this band and personally as friends outside of the band that I can’t imagine what my life would look like without these guys. I feel so lucky and so blessed that I was able to find these guys and we were able to, for whatever reason, share our musical vision. I’m still living a dream but it’s been long enough where the reality has set in and I can really celebrate that. It’s fantastic.”

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Actress Manlin Akerman

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Patience

is a virtue

Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing... Glasses Malone

Originally discovered by Black Wall Street and The Game, Glasses Malone has been through many high and lows in his career, His life story would easily be a VH1 Behind the Music hit. From signing his first deal with Sony for 1.7 Million Dollars to losing his mother who was serving a 20 year sentenced for selling narcotics, Glasses has seen and heard it all. Aside from the pitfalls that come with real street credibility, Glasses hit professional roadblocks too. Delays, setbacks, broken deals meant that his signature “Gangsta Soul” sound would take a just a bit longer to reach the masses. Finding a new home and retaining his artistic integrity has afforded Glasses a real opportunity now to put the West Coast on his back and ride for real. One conversation with Glasses Malone and you will quickly know that you are in the presence of a star. He doesn’t sound like your typical rapper; he seems to have something bigger in mind. He os obviously passionate about his music, but this rapper has something real to say. He’s not concerned about making that radio hit. Glasses brings a certain transparency to his music. Already a veteran in the West Coast, Glasses was introduced to the world as the 1.7 Million dollar man by signing a deal with Sony Records after a major bidding war between labels like Def Jam, Atlantic and Interscope Records. Originally set for 2007 release Glasses found himself getting dropped by Sony. “The Good thing about that situation is I had a good lawyer and I didn’t have to pay anything back,” says Malone. When asked why it took so long for a release date Malone said, “Radio Success don’t come easy to gangster rappers, we don’t follow what radio does”. In keeping things hood, the business strategy meant finding a label that supported G. Malone’s vision. Chas Money Records took on the assignment and partnered with Suburban Noize Records to make sure Glasses would finally be heard.

By Aaron Amaya

Since then he has finally got that release date that he has been longing for years, Titled “Beach Cruiser” the album features some of Hip Hop’s biggest heavyweights like Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg and Lupe Fiasco. When asked why he decided to name his album after a bike, Malone goes on to explain the metaphor, “it represents the feel of the West Coast, no matter how many Bmx’s and Dyno’s people own, the Beach Cruiser will always be around. I want my music to be like the same thing. Timeless. Classic,. So no matter how many other albums come out people are always going to rock with this one. “ The title “Beachcruiser” doesn’t particularly conjure images of struggle and setbacks but major high and lows since 2007 have been the soundtrack to Glasses Malone’s career up til now. “As long as you always try and keep defining your craft you will get far,” says Malone. There were even times when people in his own camp were questioning his move to Cash Money asking if Lil Wayne and Baby were putting in the effort it took to get the a release date. “It’s my fault until I get that single, it was like boot camp – people were losing faith in me asking if rap was still something I should pursue but after making it through all this with Birdman sticking by my side and working next to Mack 10 on a daily basis it can’t do anything but make you stronger.” After years of struggle, deaths and major labels questioning his future Malone has fought harder than most to become one of raps elite. “Most of the rappers that I came in the game with have already came and went since I first signed,” says Malone. Glasses Malone is the last of a dying breed, on August 30th 2011 the world will be introduced to that, and on that day he will prove that good things come to those that wait.

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Remastered for Perfect Picture with New 7.1 Audio All-New Blu-ray Exclusive Bonus Features ™

LIMITED EDITION STEELBOOK PACKAGING Includes

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™

skinnie girl 4no parking on the

dance floor Meet Skinnie Girl, Rachele Royale

There really is no shortage of female pop artists - what do you feel sets you apart from the pack? I’m a teacher, choreographer, dancer, director. For me it’s about putting the whole production together and merging great people with great people. There are so many open doors in showbiz and you have to take the initiative. Being a jack-of-all-trades is something that comes in handy for me. Dancer eh? How long have you been at that and does it give you a leg up in terms of crossing over into music? I was literally conceived in Japan while my mother was the lead dancer in a production over there. She was running off the stage, throwing up and then running back on stage to continue the show. So I was pretty much on stage before I was even born. She had the biggest performing arts center in the bay for 10 years. I was trained in ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop, tumbling, partnering… You get the point. When you’re a studio brat you live at the studio. Since getting involved in music, what has been the coolest moment thus far in your professional career? I was living in Portland, Oregon and I had just recorded the theme song for the Portland Trail Blazers NBA team. I’m driving home, and all of the sudden my voice was on the damn radio. I almost crashed my car (laughs) I was screaming and freaking out. Any hate? What are some of the stereotypes you feel like you have to buck? You gotta love the haters. I do have to admit I am very sensitive when it comes to negative commentary, but at the end of the day those are the people keeping you relevant. I do love proving the stereotype wrong though. At the end of the day I don’t mind being type cast as long as your coming to see my show. Lots of new folks are meeting you for the first time - what is something about you most people would never guess? I can rap.Yes, I said it. Give me a pair of Jordan’s, some basketball shorts, and a hoodie and I’ll battle you. Maybe it’s cause I’m from the Bay. It’s that Bay Area swag. Any parting words for your new followers? I have two music videos coming out. “Make Up Your Mind” and “Stupid Girl”. Long funny story short, “Make Up Your Mind” was actually shot by the creators of the Rebecca Black Video “Friday”. We took my footage and turned it into a ridiculous dance comedy. “Stupid Girl” is going to be my first bad ass music video. Six of the most amazing girl dancers choreographed by Nathan Trasoras from So You Think You Can Dance. Keep an eye out. www.RacheleRoyale.com

Photographer: Michael Vincent Hair : Michellle Laxson Make up: Ruby Polanco Director : Tal B Wardrobe: Busy B & Punk Couture Location: Michael Vincent Studios michaelvincent.com

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creating a

classic

Jay LaRossa of Lossa Engineering Has No Problem with Getting His Hands Dirty By Elysia McMahan Photos By John Pangilinan

Before even walking into the shop, you can already sense what it is you’re getting yourself into. You slowly walk up to the front door and before you can take a step inside you notice a little sign to the right that reads: “If we’re here, we’re here. If we’re not, we’re not.” No bullshit. Racing helmets, trophies and old blue and yellow license plates line the walls. These are memories worth keeping. A few custom completed bikes hold their ground close to the entrance - as the early evening light makes its way through the blacked out windows and manages to create an amends with the fluorescent glow of the showroom floor. One can’t help but take notice of the time and effort put into each and every one of the creations that sit stationery; daring to be handled but that come with a warning sign. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THIS BIKE. If you do, Desmo, the shop dog, may smother you with love. It’s been a little over four years since first getting starting in the business, but ever since deciding to fasten himself to one idea and actually follow through with it – Jay La Rossa has been taken on quite the ride. His self-started company, Lossa Engineering, recently went mainstream with Café Racer TV, which has aired on Discovery HD Theater. Hooking up with a magazine that

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specializes in the café racer styled bikes that he builds, a show was pitched in his direction and was initially picked up with thirteen episodes. “We are currently filming for season two and three and so far, we’ve received plenty of business from that show,” says La Rossa. The first thirteen episodes of Café Racer TV have already aired and the shop has been featured on seven of those. “It’s been great! But my main motive is to keep the focus on the bikes being built in the shop, not the dramatics – but these days – everything seems to have turned itself into a reality show.” The program shows the start to finish build and even though they are altering the format a little this year, expect the “problems” of the process to be televised. “It has kind of pissed true motorcycle folks off. It’s about the motorcycles and the history of the bikes.You want to see the bikes!” Appearing in magazines and on television is nothing new for La Rossa, but he has managed to remain unassuming. Aside from gaining terrific exposure, as well as branding his name and looking great on camera, he has not let the fame faze him – despite how other builders on the show may present themselves.

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“It doesn’t take much for fame to get to someone’s head,” Jay reveals. “Some of these guys are living the lifestyle of the rich and famous. I’m still pursuing building motorcycles and continuing in the direction of my dreams artistically.” The majority of people tend to venture off and lose sight of their original goal, but Jay plans on staying true to his core in regards to what he likes and what he desires to give rise to. Seeing as the company has retained the rights to the program and Discovery could not buy it, Jay and his crew, are not getting paid for being on television and having their lives exposed to the public eye. Fortunately, Jay knows how the industry works and has taken full advantage of the resources he’s been provided with in order to preserve his lucrative establishment and retaining what few can – integrity. About eight years ago, he started up his business in his own garage. Jay bought a truck, began fixing it up, going to shows and eventually opened his first car shop, but then, unexpectedly, his outlook on life completely changed. Jay developed Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which is cancer of the lymphoid tissue, including the lymph nodes, spleen, and other organs of the immune system. The disease had left him pretty much for dead; reaching stage IV-B. “When you realize that the routine you are strictly adhered to does not suit your true calling – you have to make a change. I was sick and tired of wasting time. Having cancer pushed me to create something worthwhile. This is my dream job.” After undergoing chemotherapy and making a full recovery, Jay decided he was fed up with his “shitty” employees and started working with Jesse James. “In time, I also lost interest in doing mail order parts. I stopped answering e-mails and pretty much just let the company’s chips fall where they may,” explains Jay, all while retaining a

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radiant smile and holding his head up high. “Once I started doing the bikes, I never gave up. I went full force. Considering the fact that I had no real career at the time, I had nothing to lose. And now, I’m not ready to bow down to anyone. I have a great group of people here at the shop. I don’t want to drag other people around, but I’ve learned that you can’t go at it alone.” Lossa Engineering just recently took on a project to create a bike for Matix’s Capitol Collection. This collection features all Made in the USA products. Matix wanted an old-style bike but Jay persuaded them otherwise.The low 7,000 original mile base bike they decided on turned out to be a 2001 Harley. “I just did all looks on it. I wanted to give it an old look, even though it was new. We didn’t want to make them a bike that was going to have future mechanical problems. These bikes aren’t tinkers and they wanted a bobber – so I built them something that would turn heads and look badass in their catalog.” The emphasis is in the engineering.When a product is deeply rooted with an industrial aesthetic the high-tech fabrication is always exposed, showcasing the contemporary construction and clean lines. But please don’t confuse clean for monotonous, because the special accents outlining this bike are what make the designs stand out. With just over 200 man hours put under that bike for completion and countless test drives under his belt, Jay can guarantee, “This baby’s fast!” Currently, Lossa Engineering is working on a few high end builds. “The bike we built on Café Racer TV is now a bike that everyone wants. No one wanted any bikes, at first, and now within the last couple of months – we’ve got three of them in the works and one’s even going to Hawaii. “I’m usually selling custom creations within a couple of days after having completed them. People end up fighting over a bike. I’m

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sad when bikes go because I can never get them back to show them off or display them for a show. Sometimes I’ll call up some of my recent customers and attempt to gather them up to showcase their bikes. The bike I built for Jason Lee is now in a private museum in Arizona. The customer says he still rides it. I hope he does.” Jay usually ends up helping his previous customers resell their bikes for more than they initially purchased it for. It’s surprising that with such a collapse in today’s economy that my endeavor continues to prosper, but I’m not complaining.” Café Racers are the next trend. Jay paints, upholsters, welds, fabricates, and builds engines – he creates the entire bike. Each one is in its own process. “I had like twenty-something bikes at first that I was getting for a couple hundred dollars to five hundred dollars and they’d run. But now they are so popular that the bikes I find now are up to $1,500 for a great barnyard find. It’s wild. I now only have three or four bikes left from those original twenty.” Since using up all the bikes he formerly collected, if a customer were to request a particular model, he’ll go out and hunt for them. He’s been pretty lucky and found bikes local. The farthest he’s had to travel to pick up a frame or bike is Hesperia. “I’m at the point right now where I’ve got enough work to show what I’m capable of. At first, I was starting out selling bikes for $5,000, which was ridiculous!” It takes about four to six months to do a complete, which turns out to be around 100 hours per bike. “We’re in our groove now. It’s a

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new process working with the Harley’s – I’ve never taken in a Harley before. All the Asian bikes are all no brainers.” “I’m just going to go for it. I’m not going to give up. I followed through with this one. After three years – this is taking off. I have it down. All of my supplier and sources are organized.We are efficient.You have to overcome and keep building. Sometimes it will take years for something to hit.You could be in a magazine on the cover and not get one fucking phone call for months. Nothing. I don’t want to be famous. I just simply want to do what I love. It’s an artistic outlet for me and that’s what keeps my drive alive. Nothing should ever take away from the initial vision of the business. I don’t plan on moving. All of my efforts have been put into this shop. It’s the perfect spot.” Lossa Engineering’s first-ever open house party, which is open to the public, will be taking place August 7th – where they will be unveiling a new bike. They are also currently working on building six limited edition bikes, just like the one they built for Jason Lee. All will be badged and numbered and will never, again, be reproduced after the sixth one. Number two of six will be finished just in time for the open house. The garage is open, time to see the magic inside. www.LossaEngineering.com

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X Games 17

Welcomes the new breed

Words By Lauren Felechner

Brazil’s Finest

Pedro Barros Takes on X Games

Hailing in from Brazil, Pedro Barros came to the U.S. to pursue his passion for skateboarding. Turning pro at 15, it’s a toss-up if his first word was “mama” or “skateboard” when this free spirit learned how to skate at just 11 months old. Barros seems to embody the freedom of skating, as he goes into his contests with the abandonment of “feeling the vibes” but with the intensity of wanting nothing but victory. He’s fearless, and even with the X Games approaching at the end of July, Barros maintains his stance that there will be no preparation for him because, “Skate is not supposed to be like that. Skate, it’s the freedom of expression.” Although skateboarding has brought a life for Barros that he had only dreamt of at one point, he insists that even without skating, he would be just as happy because of the family and friend support system he has in his life. Surely, however, his recent $30,000 win at the Pro-Tec Pool Party must be a bonus, as it is deemed by Barros as the most difficult contest for a bowl skater. It wasn’t the $30,000 check, however, that made Barros feel as though he has made it in the skate scene, it was the contest itself. “The only thing that I can (say) about this that I felt like I made it, when I started to skate I always wanted to be in contest like the Pro-Tec Pool Party, Bondi, X Games, etcetera. (Because of) that I can say that I made it.” It’s almost surprising that Barros has such a wholesome and positive outlook on skating. In Brazil, skating is not just a sport, it’s a survival tool. Skaters in the U.S. might be more apt to taking their skill and spotlight for granted because it’s a national sport. There is support and acceptance for skaters and what they do for a living. However,

in Brazil the money and opportunity doesn’t come as easy to those pursuing the sport, “Brazilian skaters need to do well in competition to survive. For that we play hard as we don’t have a good spot to skate...in Brazil it is just starting.” Barros hasn’t been scheming any new tricks to blow the judges, crowds and competition away at X Games 17. He plans on winging it. Yes, winging it. To him, “it’s going to be just another rad session with friends and good music.” Barros is obviously an individual when it comes to this sport, however, Leo Kakinho, Marcelo Kosake, Josh Borden and Lee Ralph- amongst many others- are some of the names that Barros admires and is inspired by in his world of skateboarding. Barros has been lucky enough to not only be inspired by these guys, but mentored by these skaters to share their words of wisdom with him as well. “[Jake Phelps] told me once that medals or trophy it’s just to show off, that I shouldn’t care about it. The most important thing is live the moment in the best way I can. And my dad also told me that if we can get big and strong, we do and then we can help people.” He believes there’s no fear in skateboarding as long as you’re there to win. However winning for Barros remains the feeling for him in landing a new trick. Besides all of this, Barros’ dream lies deeper than perhaps someone his age and success would even think about. “...My dream is to help Brazil get really big in skateboard then we can have big contest there and pay back all (the) American people who supported us and welcomed us to come over and compete here.”

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femme fatale

Vicki Golden Takes on X Games

Words By Lauren Felechner

Although high school is full of transitions for most teenagers, Vicki Golden’s transitions were on a different level than most. Homeschooled due to her racing schedule,Vicki went from amateurs to the professional rankings as a motocross rider in 2009, competed in her first X Games last year and crashed so hard on her bike halfway through her rookie pro season that even though she felt fine, she had internal injuries that needed significant time to heal, and still affect her to this day. Wanting to keep up with the boys throughout most of her life, Vicki started riding when she was just seven years old. Her dad bought her an xr50 for Christmas that year. It seems as though that purchase set the tone for Vicki’s racing style as this is one chick that is not afraid to go up against the big bad boys on dirt bikes. At the AMA Arenacross in Colorado, Golden explained, “Being the only woman racing I wasn’t sure how I would be treated, but everyone treated me equal on and off the track. I grew up racing the boys because there wasn’t a girl class to race, so it was like going back to my roots in a way. I really had to be more aggressive racing them and hopefully that will help me racing the women’s pro races.” For X Games 17, Golden will be riding in the Women’s SX competition, and is set as the first alternate for the Women’s Enduro X competition. Missing a medal by one spot in last year’s X Games, Golden is hungry, eager and confident to win this year. She will face the top eight women riders in her SX competition that feature athletes from around the world, coming from such far-off lands as France and Germany. Although SX is where she shines, Vicki knows she needs to keep her breathing intact and her mind on the down low. “There’s a lot of great racers but when it comes down to it

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for me, it’s [competition] definitely gonna be myself. I know I can do really well I just need to keep my head in the right place to do it. I have a great team around me with Motorcycleusa.com, Langston Motorsports, Kawasaki, Thor and my whole race crew, I have the support I need and I just need to not be a head case. (Laughs) ” She’s an established athlete with an obvious bright future ahead of her in riding, but Golden knows she is constantly fighting an uphill battle because she is in a maledominated sport. But just as she remained optimistic and hopeful in her recovery from her crash, Golden remains optimistic about women’s future in motocross riding, “We all deserve more acknowledgement and respect for what we are doing, sure we may not be as fast as the guys but every year we get a little closer and we put in the same amount of work. Hopefully, things will continue to get better and the women will get more media coverage in the outdoor racing.” If the world of motocross didn’t have Vicki Golden, some traveling circus full of carneys would. And one day she hopes to achieve her ultimate goal with riding, and close the gaps between women and men’s racing a little bit more by earning a men’s professional license; so she could jump on the track and race with them at the AMA Supercross. Until then, Golden remains an inspiration to today’s 7-year-old fans. “It’s really inspiring to see all the young girls who come up and talk to me. When I was their age there wasn’t really a whole lot of women riders to look up to and now we have a full pro national series and the X Games to see women racing. I try to work even harder because of the younger girls.”

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BMX’s Wiz kid

Brett Banasiewicz Takes on X Games

“Incomplete,” is how Brett Banasiewicz described his life if he didn’t have BMX. And really, that may not be an exaggeration as this high-schooler has been riding since he was six years old, and started competing when he was 11. What started as a way to just keep up with his older brother, blossomed into a full-fledge career as a badass BMX rider. Whether you know him as Brett or “Mad Dog,” or the guy that did the massive double front flip at the ASA BMX Triples last year, the fact is, you know him. With still two years left of high school to complete, most people his age can’t say that they were the youngest BMX competitor in X Games 2010 or that they were recently added to the DC Shoes/Apparel BMX Team. But just as he takes his riding and competition seriously, he intends to finish school, keeping up with work while traveling. Amongst such competitions as the Dew Tour in Las Vegas, X Games 17 will be another competition that Banasiewicz is looking forward to taking head on. “X Games is by far one of the biggest and best contests of the year and to be a part of it again is awesome,” said Brett. Although the X Games are up there as far as magnitude-level, Brett keeps a level-head through it all. “I just go out there and try to have fun. I know it’s a huge event but if I’m not having fun and I’m stressing over my run or the size of the crowd then I’m not going to do as well. I just keep a clear mind and drop in.” Brett takes his training a little harder when it comes to the X Games, or at least polishing up a new trick or two to showcase. Perhaps Dave Mirra, Daniel Dhers and Anthony Napoliton are to thank for Brett’s BMX drive, as he grew up admiring

these men on their bikes. Or maybe just his older brother who relentlessly teased him when they would ride together, pissing him off so much they created “Mad Dog.” Almost every competition is like a blast-from-the-past for Brett, as he is competing against the very individuals that inspired him to get into the sport. “Yeah almost every contest I’m in there always seems to be someone there that I looked up to in the magazines and videos and now I’m riding along with them. “ Wherever it is that Banasiewicz got his drive and ambition for the pedals, it all will be spotlighted again at the end of July when he drops in for another run at the X Games. The Games seem to be just a little piece to the puzzle for Brett, as he has bigger ideas for the world of BMX. “I just want to be able to ride and travel the world with my friends. I really want to try and push the sport to its maximum capabilities,” Brett explained. And although he may not think of where he stands as him ‘making it,’ he realizes his worth and bless that he is able to see places and do things that he is passionate for, and that some people can say they never did in their lifetime. The snowball affect seemed unavoidable for Banasiewicz’s career. Once he took off, he gained speed and momentum taking his life in a flourishing direction, but he managed to stay grounded through the headway. “It has changed quite a bit. Mainly with traveling. It seems like I’m on my way somewhere all the time. If not a contest then it’s something with a sponsor. It’s awesome. But when the day is over I’m still just the same kid who just loves to ride his bike,” Brett explained.

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nitty gritty

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Nine years long, nine

years strong Sex and Violence That Only Gets Better With Age

Unless you have experienced it, the idea of full grown men flying through the air in Mexican wrestling masks, coupled with saucy ladies performing the occasional striptease is either very intriguing, or downright repulsive. For the last nine years however, Rita D’Albert and Liz Fairbairn (both the founders and producers of Lucha VaVoom) have managed to piece together much more than a show that can be described by the sum of it’s parts. Lots of blood, sweat, tears, tequila, and titty tassels, have resulted in a production that is indeed, Mexican wrestling and burlesque – but really is one of the world’s most unique celebrations. A pilgrammage for those who appreciate the opportunity to cut loose, Lucha VaVoom is stylized partying in every way. Beyond the booze, the bruises, and the boobs, the last nine years have provided a feast for the senses for the thousands who have experienced it. But enough with the hard sell. The only people who can describe just what Lucha VaVoom has done thus far are the two ladies putting the muscle into it since day one. Both Rita D’Albert and Liz Fairbairn explain just how Sexo Y Violencia has infiltrated the world and transformed their lives. See you ringside… Lucha VaVOOM debuts in 2002 When we did the first Lucha VaVOOM, we had no idea what to expect. We knew we had to bring the most famous wrestlers (Hijo del Santo & Mil Mascaras), but we had no capitol and no way to pay their fees, travel, accommodations. Somehow we never doubted that people were going to come out and that everything would be ok. There was no way to rehearse it, and the lucha-liason we hired was a total criminal. Well, it was awesome. The crowd went nuts, and everyone got paid! We were so blown away by the audience’s reaction - you can’t underestimate the effect they have on you. In the middle of the show (which we thought would be a one off), it became apparent that we had to do this again and REAL soon. Blaine Capatch & Fred Armisen were our first comedians, so I called Fred Armisen to see if he’d want to come back and do our next show. He said he would be in NYC, taping a show. He didn’t mention that the show he was taping was

Words by Ramon Gonzales

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. He’s on it til this day! Our initial crowd consisted mostly of the low-brow art-crowd to high-fashion to show-biz types; it has since grown to pretty much anyone who is over 21 and loves to cut loose. As Blaine says, “...for those of you seeing this, I’d like to remind you that you’re ACTUALLY seeing this.” In 2003 we started to tighten the show and had the chance to hone in on what the audience loved. We established our Valentines show, our Mid-summer show, and our Halloween show. We did our first out-of-town shows in Toronto, which were awesome. Our comedians in 2003 were Patton Oswalt and Jeremy Kramer, and we brought Blue Demon up for some shows. Patton made us laugh so hard our faces hurt- no one was safe! Misterioso charged at Patton from the ring, prompting Blaine to say (for the first but not last time) “I just shit YOUR pants.” In 2004 we were asked to perform at the first ever Las Vegas Comedy Festival. It was very exciting to be among John Stewart, Dave Chapelle, Penn & Teller, Lewis Black, and so on and so on. We hooked up with mega-lucha fan Tom Kenny and my old friend Dana Gould. We also embarked on a disastrous mini tour that nearly ruined us. A little advice - don’t take twenty three people on the road without the backing of an agency! 2005 things got even better. Even though Bush was president, he hadn’t destroyed the economy yet. We were doing three shows per run, we performed at the E3 party at Dodger Stadium, we streamlined our cast, and Lucha VaVOOM was a major influence and (unpaid) consultant on NACHO LIBRE. Jack Black came and sat in with us, declaring “Lucha VaVOOM is some good shit, yo.” Bobcat Goldthwait also sat in, and admonished the crowd that they were all going to hell. We did an amazing giant show at the Congress Theater in Chicago and El Vez came down and made an appearance with us. We had an after-party with the Onion. 2005 was probably my personal favorite year for Lucha VaVOOM.

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2006 took us to Las Vegas and Amsterdam to help promote Nacho Libre. I haven’t mentioned that over the years, we were dealing with one sleazy wrestling coordinator after another. It’s not easy being gringas and dealing with the cheap grifters that take advantage of wrestlers and everyone that comes in contact with them. By 2006 we began to shuffle off the chains and also create our own stable, including Dirty Sanchez and Chupacabras!

2007 saw the historic birth of the Lil’ Chicken. We signed with ICM, did the rounds; TV was not ready for Lucha VaVOOM. Every time we were close to a deal, the crazy executive that was in charged got fired. Seriously. Welcome to Hollywood. In other news, we brought in Sashay Gigante; a consortium of working TV actors and comedians (including Kato Kaelin) who come out en masse and perform an homage to the 1966 Mexico Olympics, which culminates with them all stripping down and running crazy thru the audience; upsetting the more jock-esque element but delighting everyone else in the crowd. It made us giddy - it took the energy to an even crazier level and it was just bonkers. That’s what we like! Honestly can’t remember any specific details about 2008. 2009 we added our historic CINCO DE MAYO aka CINCO DE MAYAN show. WOW. A bit of a departure from our usual show, we take the seats off the floor, we bring in Mariachis, Aztec Dancers, Folkloricos and bring a dance party aspect to the show. It was an instant hit and continues to grow and grow. We also went on the road and this time with the help of CAA, so no heartache or suicidal thoughts. We packed out Webster Hall in NYC, where the jaded New Yorkers started chanting “Ho-ly Shit, Ho-ly Shit” without any prompting from us. We started playing the Fillmore pretty regularly and debuted in Philadelphia, Baltimore (our least favorite show ever - can I have my top back, you fuckers?) and some other cities. I’m pretty sure 2009 is when we played at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. It was pretty surreal. If you want more details, we’ll tell you about it sometime but not now. I’m also pretty sure it’s when Harry Dean Stanton had his 70th birthday party at one of our shows.

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Almost to 2011, but first, let’s cover 2010 a little. We continued to go out of town; we did great shows in Seattle, Portland, Boston, NYC and of course San Francisco. We performed with Ozomotli at the Hollywood Bowl, which was huge! The book L.A. BIZARRO came out with a big ol’ chapter about Lucha VaVOOM and we did a bunch of local TV and reality shows because apparently, we’re here to provide content for everyone else. Now we’re at 2011. We performed at Bamboozled in New Jersey and for the first time in our history, did two simultaneous shows; Chicago and Los Angeles on May 5th aka Cinco de Mayo. Both shows were huge and totally bananas. To sum it all up, we’ve never, ever done a stinky show. If you ever came out and didn’t like it, it’s just not for you. I am our harshest critic and there are odd times where I physically want to make it go faster, but I’ve never been let down or not entertained, and we’ve seen the show about 3000 times. It’s totally spontaneous, it’s totally rock n’ roll, and if you ask us, there’s not enough rock n’ roll in the world, there’s not enough unbridled fun in the world. We provide a scenario for people to just go nuts, scream and yell at the bad guys, hoot n’ holler at the girls, yell at the comedians, dress crazy, drink (but don’t drive!) and do things that grown ups should be allowed to do but mostly are discouraged from doing in this day and age. You don’t set out in life thinking that you want to be a Mexican Wrestling promoter when you grow up. But we were lucky enough to have it happen to us and boy there is never a dull moment. With all the ups and downs, mostly ups, we love every minute of every show and all the lovely, kooky people we get to work with. It all makes this upcoming 9th Anniversary show so ultra-sweet and super exciting for us. If you’ve never come to Lucha VaVOOM, this is your chance to catch up with our bestof, people’s choice, anniversary CLASSIC. Come have fun with us - it’s what we’ve been perfecting for the last nine years! www.LuchaVaVoom.com

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nitty gritty

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as real

as it gets

Adam Green’s, “The Wrong Ferrari” Offers A Unique Take on Modern Cinema Words by Alex Mendoza

“Haven’t you always had that feeling when you were a kid that you wanted to make a movie?” Adam Green asks.

The tone in his voice implies that type of wide-eyed enthusiasm that is vacant from most productions these days. Art, music, movies, etc. – the entire media machine driven by profit margins, opposed to the spirit of the craft. But Adam Green is fully aware of the lack of passion behind whatever is placed on the silver screen, or on iPods and anything else society finds itself tethered to when it comes to media consumption. Quantity supersedes quality and the end result is what you see, or hear, on a weekly basis. But for Adam Green the advent of pursuing a cinematic endeavor is a personal quest; a type of extension to explore a realm he has always glanced upon with a curious eye – although from afar. See, Adam is one part of The Moldy Peaches. Yes, the same group upon which lent its quirky musical sentiments to complement the Best Picture nominated film, “Juno.” Opposed to the feel-good nature of the Jason Reitman film, however,Adam’s first pursuit into the world of celluloid is an ambitious one. It also happens to be one of the first of its kind, as Adam devised a script and filmed the entire production on an iPhone. “I remember always being a kid and remembering there were few films, if any at all, that kind of showed the gritty realism of what it’s like to be a teenager, or a young adult. Nothing in the sense like people killing each other, but everyone knows growing up is different from each individual perspective. Most of the time it’s a roller coaster ride, and most of the films when I were growing up were in John Hughes type of era; feel good films if you will, and great movies, but nothing that really showed the realistic nature of growing up, or dealing with being an adult.” Adam’s film, “The Wrong Ferrari,” comes off as an amalgamation of a young adult’s reality filtered through a dark fantasy of sorts. Imagine the aspects of a David Croneberg film in the most indie regard, focusing on drugs, traveling through the world, broken relationships and everything else that could possibly come to mind. The entire prospect of the film is built upon the aspect of Adam’s own personal experiences, but the manner upon which it is conveyed through the digital eye of the iPhone adds a surreal tone that truly makes the film one of a kind. The cast is also exceptional in respects to the size of the project, as well as its endless ambition. Macaulay Culkin, Devendra Banhart, Alia Shawkat and Cory Kennedy are but a few of the actors that contribute to the film’s dreamlike properties. There is also the occasional stark realism that is unexpectedly hurled at viewers, with its plot teetering on the edge of being one of those tragedies packaged into a disarming collection of images that are seared into your brain long after the film’s conclusion. Often you hear the term, “you have to see it to believe it,” but in the case of Adam Green’s film, this rings true. Chalk it up to the unapologetic portrayal of the actors, whose less-than-functional characters are placed through the ringer in a slew of events that are cringe-worthy, comedic and painfully depressing. “There wasn’t really anything I didn’t leave to chance when filming this story. It’s something I took from my own life experiences, but put it in a way that everyone else can relate to. It would be really boring to film the experiences as they are without some sense of fantasy attached to it. We all see the world in a different way, and this movie was my way of showing how I perceived those important moments. Sure it’s a bit scary

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to let people in, but these people that are involved are people I trust. It’s a small, tight-knit group, so I felt comfortable asking them to partake in certain things that I know they probably would have been hesitant to do otherwise.” The film’s visual style is unique. It possesses a documentary-esque feel; something where you imagine the graphic and horrific realism of “The Blair Witch Program” coupled with the shock-and-awe imagery that Danny Boyle’s “Trainspotting” entailed from a frame-to-frame basis. It’s an impressive feat considering the entire production was completed on an iPhone, but it manages to pack an emotional impact that even the most high-end productions severely lack. There is a sense of passion strewn about, regardless of the film’s often-hard-to-swallow thematic content. It ensnares you in an intricate web and refuses to let go because the viewer is compelled by the blatant honesty and conviction of the story, its characters and their struggles. Yet, Adam notes that the experience was a far cry from his experience with writing music. “With music you tend to collaborate with a small team. And for this film there was about 30 – 50 people involved and it is so different. But it was one of those really exciting first time experiences, because these people were all united in sharing my vision. I think that’s important when you’re making something of this degree. I didn’t want this to be some half-assed thing. I wanted everyone involved to have this sense of just doing something different and that we could all be proud of. “ “I wasn’t one of those iron-fist directors that had everything done his way, or the highway. It was never like that. This entire film is a product of all of our hard work. I asked their opinions on certain things because people see things in a different way than you might see them. It’s easy to get swept up in your own ideas in your head, so having different vantage points from these people I trusted was a big factor into this

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entire project coming together. We weren’t just making a film. We were creating an experience that we could all enjoy.” “The Wrong Ferrari” is refreshing in the respect that it feels uninhibited in its portrayal of its story; the kind of art imitating life clause we tend to hear every so often, but filtered through a hyper-realistic pipeline that elevates it to another level; one that words cannot aptly justify and even Adam jokes about it during the course of the conversation, clearly deviating from the norm in terms of what the general anxieties a director has when unleashing their work to the world. The concern obviously falls down to profit, but for Adam it’s something far more genuine and honest. “I know this is one of those movies that either people are gonna’ get, or not get. I’m not expecting the entire world to come rolling in to see it. It’s a really small film compared to the monsters that get produced. Just to do something of this size required a lot of people, so I can only imagine the work that goes into the big feature films. But if anything we did what we set out to do. I was fortunate enough to make the movie I wanted with people that I trusted, and really that’s more than I can ask for. And even if one person likes the movie, that’s what matters. There’s a certain film for everyone, you know?” “We all have those cinematic taboos that we enjoy, and I like to think that maybe this film might fit under that category. Not sure how long it will be before I decide to do something like this again, but I know it was something I won’t forget. It was something we worked really hard on and we’re all proud of the final product. Plus, it’s always nice when your dreams come true. I can definitely cross this one off the list, and in all sincerity that’s the greatest feeling of all.” www.thewrongferrari.com

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SKINNIE Scene

Electric Daisy Carnival

INDEX

LOS ANGELES

LAS VEGAS

ORANGE COUNTY

SAN DIEGO

INLAND EMPIRE

p.062 Weekly Club Listings

p.064 Weekly Club Listings

p.066 Weekly Club Listings

p.068 Weekly Club Listings

p.070 Weekly Club Listings

Calendar Club Pictures

p.063 Forza Motorsports 4 Unveiled @ G3

p.067 Power 106 Presents Powerhouse @ Honda Center

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Los angeles | Skinniescene

Photos Courtesy of Tammy Rapp, Harmony Gerber

LA CALENDAR

08.02 The Naked & The Famous @ The Music Box

Far East Movement @ LA Artwalk

Vargas Paints FEM @ LA Artwalk

The Vandals @ Ink N Iron

Far East Movement @ LA Artwalk

Greg Hetson @ Ink N Iron

Steve Soto @ Ink N Iron

Vargas Paints FEM @ LA Artwalk

Far East Movement @ LA Artwalk

Ink N Iron Long Beach

LOUD @ Ink N Iron

08.03 Lyyke Li @ Greek Theatre 08.03 Coldplay @ UCLA Tennis Center 08.04 Rx bandits @ Mayan Theatre 08.05 John Waite @ Brixton

08.05 Katy Perry/Robyn @ Club Nokia 08.06 Hard Festival @ Los Angeles State Historic Park 08.07 Exhumed @ Key Club 08.10 Big Audio Dynamite @ Club Nokia 08.10 Vans Warped Tour @ Home Depot Center

08.11 Ellie Goulding @ The Wiltern 08.12 The Eels @ El Rey

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Los angeles | Skinniescene

FORZA Motorsport 4 Unveiled

@ g3 los angeles

Photos by John Pangilinan // ID Agency

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Las Vegas | Skinniescene

Photos Courtesy of Rukes, Erik Kabik Retna

LV CALENDAR 08.02 Last Call @ Zia Record Exchange 08.03 Other LIves @ The Cosmopolitan

Electric Daisy Carnival

WOW @ Electric Daisy Carnival

Unreal @ Electric Daisy Carnival

Electric Daisy Carnival

The Carnival @ Electric Daisy Carnival

Swedish House Mafia @ Electric Daisy Carnival

Electric Daisy Carnival

08.05 Weezer @ Red Rocks Casino Resort 08.06 Exhumed @ Cheyenne Sallon 08.06 Jesse Malin & The St. mark’s Social Club @ The Royal House 08.06 Matisyahu @ hard Rock Casino Outdoor Pool

08.14 Calvin Harris @ Encore Beach 08.11 Nekromantix @ House of Blues 08.12 Pepper @ Hard Rock Casino 08.20 Constellations @ The Cosmopolitan

08.22 Raekwon/Ghostface/ Mobb Deep @ House of Blues

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Orange county | Skinniescene

Photos Courtesy of Jeffrey Craig, Erik Faiivae

OC CALENDAR 08.02 Filter @ City National Grove Of Anaheim

DJ Scotty Boy @ Continental Room

Fresh Peaches Show @ 8Eighty8

Yum @ Sutra

Fresh Peaches Show @ 8Eighty8

The Rej3ctz @ Powerhouse

Continental Room

Ummmm @ 8Eighty8

Horny @ Sutra

Partytime @ Continental Room

08.03 RX Bandits @ Art Theatre 08.04 EC Twins @ Sutra 08.05 Devo @ City National Grove Of Anaheim 08.06 Ludacris @ Angel Stadium

08.04 The Sounds @ Huntington Beach Front 08.06 MGMT/Surfer Blood @ US Open of Surf 08.13 Pacific Festival @ Oak Canyon Park Irvine 08.13 Thrice @ Yost Theatre 08.14 The Damned Things @ House of Blues

08.24 Chris Tucker @ Terrace Theater Long Beach 08.20 311 @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

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Orange county | Skinniescene

POWER 106 Presents

powerhouse @ Honda center

Images by David Gatson

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san diego | Skinniescene

Photos courtesy of Bobby Reyes of Eventvibe.com

SD CALENDAR

08.02 The Belle Brigade @ Belly Up Tavern

Fluxx

Intervention Sundays @ Hard Rock

FLuxx

Fluxx

Intervention Sundays @ Hard Rock

Fluxx

Intervention Sundays @ Hard Rock

08.04 The Bravery @ Del Mar Racetrack 08.05 Weezer @ Del Mar Racetrack

08.11 Sia @ House of Blues 08.07 Matisyahu @ Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay 08.09 Katy Perry @ Valley View Casino Center 08.09 Vans Warped Tour @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre (Chula Vista)

08.12 Snoop Dogg @ Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort 08.16 Death Cab For Cutie @ RIMAC Arena 08.18 Adele @ SDSU Open Air Arena 08.19 311 @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

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inland empire | Skinniescene

Photos Courtesy of Erik Faiivae [Five Eye Imagery]

IE CALENDAR

08.02 Dredg @ Glass House

A Day To Remember @ Warped Tour

Yup @ Warped Tour

Surfin’ @ Warped Tour

Whatever This Is @ Warped Tour

Against Me! @ Warped Tour

Reppin’ Tills @ Warped Tour

Pepper @ Warped Tour

Aggrolites @ Warped Tour

Club Keys

08.03 Peter Frampton @ Fox Performing Arts Center 08.04 He Is We @ The Wire

08.06 Chelsea Handler @ Pechanga Resort & Casino 08.09 Plateus @ Aladdin Jr. 08.14 Pluginstereo @ The Wire 08.20 Agent Orange @ Friar Tuck’s 08.20 Go-Go’s @ Pechanga Resport & Casino

08.20 Missing Persons @ Monte De Oro Winery 08.20 Rock The Bells @ San Manuel Amphitheatre 08.27 The Dear Hunter @ Glass House

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