Steez Magazine Issue 27

90 Jason Adams

40 Dropping

38 24/Seven

28 Bckgrnd

26 Creative Quest

22 Kory Lyn

INSIDES

14 48 90 100

Chile Estevan Jason Emancipator

Oriol Adams

140 Prof

130 C215

120 DJ Drama

110 Ryan Humphrey

100 Emancipator 110 120 130 140

Ryan DJ Drama C215 Prof

Humphrey

P

27 ESTEVAN ORIOL

magazine® SNOW SKATE CULTURE CHIEF

Andrew Bablo andy@steezmagazine.com ART DIRECTOR

Joe LoVasco joe@steezmagazine.com

TWENTY SEVEN

Individual issues cost $5.00 in the U.S. and Canada. Steez is printed quarterly (Jan, April, July, Oct) and distributed in all 50 states and Canada as well as published online through issuu.

EDITOR

SEND US COOL STUFF: If we like it, we might feature it in our Dropping section. If not, sorry in advance. We DON’T return items so package them well and don’t send originals etc.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

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Taylor Kendall taylor@steezmagazine.com Greg Manning gman@steezmagazine.com CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Stewartsmithphoto.com, Kyle Arc, Fallon Keenan, Scott Askins, Cody Tarilton, Maxwell Santeusanio, Ashley Rosemeyer, Chris Faronea, Sean Michon, Karim Ghonem, Brendan Wixted, Steve Stratton, Jai Tanju, Josh Friedberg, Chad Foreman, Brett Pajerski, Billy Drowne, Alex Barz, DCKT Gallery, Charity, Sasha Maslov, Drew Carlson, Estevan Oriol, Zach Wolfe CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Joe Banda, Bo Vice, Bro Vice, Taylor Kendall, Sydney Lindberg, Cody Potter, Timmy Taussig, Katie Mack CONTRIBUTORS

Andrés Navarro Garcia, Eddy Densow, Buddy Bleckley, Daniel Muchnik, Pat Milbery REPS

facebook - facebook.com/steezmagazine twitter - @steezmagazine instagram - @steezmagazine issuu - issuu.com/steezmagazine

CONTACT US:

Steez Magazine® LLC 17 Knowlton St. #3 Beverly, MA 01915 607.329.5767 No reproduction of any content in whole or in part is allowed without the expressed written consent of the publisher and artists.

Steez is also not responsible for any injuries occurring from stunts performed in past, present or future issues. Always be safe.

© Steez Magazine® LLC 2013

Pete Prudhomme, Doug Brassill, Chris Gadomski, Doug Setzler, Nick Legere, Dustin Amato, Ryan Brouder, Johnny Miller

COVER: rider - Slash (back tail) photo - Estevan Oriol

INTERNS

ISSUE 27 IS DEDICATED TO: “MOE LOVASCO” R.I.P.

Michael Connolly, Lauren Georgiades, Jenna Hoy THANKS

Ben Werth, Stefan Kunze, Katie Davis, Justin Melanson, Tom Ryan, Ben Meadows, Ben Knight, Nick Carmer, Georges Dionne, Jerry Bellmore, Snowdogg Carter, Gustavo Chavarria

MYSTERY QR’S Who wants to read all that industry jargon anyway? Each issue we’ll feature QR’s for some of our favorite video’s, pages, blogs, websites etc. It’s totally random and totally a mystery, we’re not gettin paid for em either. There’s some real gems in there but you’ll have to find out for yourself. Oh yeah, some of it may or may not be safe for work. Sorry...

Photos and Words: AndrĂŠs Navarro Garcia

Checking IN

14

Chile Cristian Navarrete, Ollie, Valparaiso We call Cristian, “Poke.” It’s a long story, but big ollies are for Cristian. This was in Valparaiso, the major port city in Chile, home to tons of spots. Valparaiso is full of hills, like this downhill sidewalk.

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Checking IN

Eduardo Garcia, Nosemanual, Villa Alemana Eduardo is from Villa Alemana, a city just a few minutes from Valparaiso, with a hard skate scene. That spot has been an abandoned hat factory for decades, and for only a few days we got to skate in this. There were tables, lockers to slide, we had so much fun, until the cops came to stop the fun.

W 16

e are from Chile, a very long and narrow country in South America, off the east of the Pacific Ocean. Here, the skateboarding scene has grown in big steps over the last decade. From the appearance of a new breed of young skaters who have grown up watching the late ‘90s, early 2000’s skate videos, as well as new media creators and magazines, up until now with the “all-over-the-internet” era. These factors combine and make efforts to grow the skateboard panorama. Now, there are a lot of independent skateboarding brands, not only soft goods, many are deck brands, that’s the important thing.

There are only two skateboard specific printed magazines here, “La Tabla” and “Descaro,” although some websites publish news about skateboarding, and post the latest clips from the kids. Obviously, there are always new kids rippin’ it, new “little guns”.

Camilo Guzman, Nosebump, Santiago Centro One day I was walking with Camilo looking for pictures; the sun, the flash, and the red t-shirt made it all. This was in “Bellas Artes� metro station near the principal museum of Santiago, downtown.

c 17

Willy Mu単oz, flip to fakie, Mendoza, Argentina

Checking IN

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bridge in an intersection of many avenues. The bridge has very slanted columns, and a few are kinda skateable. Watch out for the ceiling, you may beat yourself making some tricks.

Chile

With Willy and some friends aboard his car, we’re on a little tour in Mendoza, Argentina.

An Argentinian friend of Willy was our host, he showed us this spot. It’s a long pedestrian

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a

Checking IN

Pablo Marquez, BS lipslide, Las Condes

I thought the glass in the background would make a great reflection. I wanted to shoot the trick front and back, with a high depth of field focus. However, that was not an option at night, with only a pair of small speedlights. So, I resolved the problem by freelensing, detaching the lens from the camera and using it like a tilt-shift lens; a little difficult of a technique, but it worked.

Chile

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In the late 2000’s, April ‘07 to be exact, was the inauguration of a big skatepark in Santiago, in the “Parque de los Reyes”. This became a massive spot for skaters from all over the city.

After that, a skatepark fever spread to other cities from north to south. More skateparks equals more kids, and after that skateboarding was often on TV, and became mostly acceptable to outsiders.

In Santiago, the main city, resides about a third of the Chilean population. Here are many spots,

CHECKOUT MORE HERE

skatevideochile.cl flickr.com/ang_55 facebook.com/angfoto

some of them skated and featured by foreign videos and magazines. In some spots, only private guards are the obstacles to skate. They may call the police, but in those cases you just leave, and there is no problem.

Another interesting city is Valparaiso, a port city about 90 minutes from Santiago. Valparaiso is full of hills and rough pavement, but it’s a very fun city to skate. It’s a very touristy city also, but, definitely a “must skate”.

a

Show & Tell

Interview: AB Photo: Stewartsmithphoto.com

Kory Lyn 22

I heard you’re country? So, you’d rather save a horse, ride a cowboy?

As much as I love animals, I like cowboys more. So I’d ride a cowboy!!!

Are guys worried about dating a farmer’s daughter?

Yes, daddy taught his little girl how to shoot a gun so he wouldn’t have to worry about it.

Is it true country girls have more fun?

It’s absolutely true, country girls have more fun. Plus, we’re not afraid to get down and dirty and can still look good!

Are you more comfortable nude or wearing a completely seethrough shirt like this, while driving a tractor?

As much as I love being nude, I look sexier in a see-through shirt.

Aren’t these shoes kind of hard to walk with in a field?

Yes. Heels are hard to walk in a field with, that’s why I switch them out to my cowboy boots!

What do girls like you eat and drink in the country?

We eat whatever we can kill or grow ourselves.

Can I come to your next photo shoot?

You’ll have to ask Stewart about that one. He’s pretty fussy about things like that.

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Show & Tell

CREATIVE QUEST

Pat Milbery takes on Nemo storm

When you think of New York City during the winter months, you typically think about cold weather, gray skies and the bitter wind chills that pierce through your layers of clothing with ease. New York has yet to be blanketed with a healthy coat of snow on any sort of consistent basis through the 2012 & 2013 season.

When the city does receive snow, coming from a snowboarder’s perspective, a large percentage of New Yorkers refuse to try and enjoy the snow, and consider it to be a more of a burden than a chance to enjoy winter activities. Whether it's to go sledding, build snowmen, have snowball fights or ice skate in Central Park.

I did notice with the climate change and inconsistent weather patterns, that Hurricane Sandy has proven to have a dramatic impact on the city, and it will continue to until the city has the resources to rebuild pockets and waterfronts that were completely destroyed. I can imagine that most New Yorkers, as well as New Jersey residents would pray for anything but snow, especially in blizzard amounts.

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Obviously, snowboarding in the Big Apple is a foreign concept. The crew and I easily gathered this opinion by observing the reaction from passers-by as we walked through the city with snowboards, shovels, and film gear in our

hands. There was confusion and disbelief, we fielded numerous questions about what we were trying to accomplish; which was to snowboard a beautiful city, something that has not been done but maybe a handful of times in the past.

I would also like to add how grateful I am to create in the most inspiring city in the world. In one instance, years ago, I recall when the Forum Crew was jibbing the streets during a freak blizzard, and they were able to document a few spots around New York City. We decided to document urban snowboarding in an iconic manner, an approach that has not been documented yet in snowboard media, or in any mainstream media coverage to date.

Utilizing the resources in the environment around us, our focus was to incorporate snowboarding into some of the world’s most recognizable landmarks, bridges, and skyline, in one of the most famous cities. With the assistance of our good friends at Red Bull, we were able to accomplish everything from hand plants to pow slashes to quarter pipe fence stalls with the use of a winch.

Special thanks go out to Officer Louis Mecka, and Froto, Eric, Kyle, Nick, Gracie, Chris, and especially Grandma Marilee. Thank you New York City, for letting me take a bite out of your delicious apple.

PEACE, PAT

27 Photo: Kyle Arc

bckgrnd

P Fallon Keenan

EQP Camera: Nikon D3100 Lens: Nikkor 55-200mm

Being the first killer snowstorm to hit New England in a couple of years, Blizzard ‘Nemo’ dumped three feet of pow on Boston in early February. Steez Magazine and Arbor Snowboards jumped on the opportunity, and headed into Government Center for an urban shred session before the city even had time to plow.

The yet to be shoveled stairwell offered the perfect location with rails, walls, and stairs. The whole crew worked quickly to shovel the snow, making the perfect site while trying not to draw too much attention. As things started to come together, the riders grabbed their boards and quickly shredded Boston’s city features.

-Fallon Keenan

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bckgrnd

P Scott Askins R Cody Potter

EQP Canon Eos 1d Mark 2 N Canon 50mm 1.8 Elinchrom Ranger Quadra rx A foreground camera right @ 1/2 power Vivitar 285hv background camera right @ full power 2x Pocket Wizard Plus 2 2x Quantum 4i Slaves

We were coming to the end of a long day of jibbing. We had set out early that day for an urban mission to Denver, CO. We started with a session on this cement ledge redirect, and after that we were on the hunt to find more. With large amounts of snow dwindling in various areas, we just had to find a spot that we could settle at, setup and do work. We drove around the Denver area for hours!

The crew figured it would be best to go hit this well-known rail at a park close by. With all the time wasted looking for spots we pulled up to Belleview (Airplane) Park at about 1am. Thankfully this feature had a natural run in. Only thing about it was we had to build a few pump bumps for speed in between the road & the rail in order to keep enough momentum for the tactical maneuvers that were being tested. We had an incredible session, where I went for a backlip down this steep gnarly rail.

Having a good crew is always crucial when hitting urban spots! Our crew couldn't have been any better with my girl Savvy G on the camera filming along with my boi Brandon Albright from Snow Desert Productions, as well as another rider Andrew Agar, and the man of the hour, Scott Askins, who made this all possible with his fantastic photo taking skills.

- Cody Potter

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bckgrnd

P Eddy Densow R Ben Stockinger, five-0 to fakie

EQP Canon 5D MKii - 70-200 f4 L 32

k

I live in Los Angeles, but I grew up skating in the Bay Area. I don’t really get a chance to shoot with the dudes I skated with back in the day because of the distance and everyone’s busy schedule. At the end of last month after trying to get them to come skate LA, I decided to pack up my car and just make a quick trip up there hitting as many spots as possible in three days. I met up with my friends Ben and Clayton who live in SF and they took us to this spot. It was a rad day, I was stoked to catch the bridge with no fog. Everyone there was killing this bank, Ben was working on this five-0 to fake and got it in a few tries. I got a few more shots of my friend Tuan after this, dropped him off, and drove straight back to LA. - Eddy Densow

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bckgrnd

34

P Cory Tarilton R Timmy Taussig

EQP Pentax K-7 50mm f/1.4 SMC-A manual focus lens

N Features change here (North Cascades, WA) as the season progresses. As the snow piles, steep entrances guarded by the wariness of hidden rock turn to hardly edgeable ice with branches, roots, and trunks to arrest your slide. Earlier in the season this line requires a rappel to get into, and is impossible for a skier to get into without risking a season-ending fall. But for riders, it asks only that you come with the gall to wrestle this rascal of a line.

-Timmy Taussig 35

bckgrnd

D

P Buddy Bleckley

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R Mason Silva

EQP Nikon D700 2 Einstein strobes

I don’t really know what to say about Mason Silva, I shot the photo of this 180 nosegrind 180 out, only a few days after I moved from Boston to LA, and I really had no idea who anyone was. I’m not a huge skate nerd so I don’t spend hours on YouTube watching every person’s part, those things just don’t matter that much to me. However after watching Mason skate the ditch, I immediately had to go home and check out his footage. I found his part from a local LA video named “Disorganized Fun,” that looks like it came out in 2011, and Mason looks like he isn’t any older than 14 in most of his footage. Even though he looks small, his footage is absolutely mind blowing. If you haven’t seen any of the parts in “Disorganized Fun,” then you should go check it out and see what those dudes are all about. - Buddy Bleckley

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24 SEVEN

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Joshua Abernathy Words & Photo: Daniel Muchnik

Joshua is a bit of a rarity as far as samples of humankind go. He is as sincere as they come, and a genuine pleasure to be around - on the session or off. With the skate session in full effect though, Josh pushes himself to the end of his limits; he’s on a constant quest for progression. Last year, Josh had a part in the LA / LBC video “Ground Control”, filmed by Ilja Maran - a

24 / 7 -switch frontside nose

video which has more recently seen notoriety when the crew were selected to be finalists in the latest “Younited Nations” at The Berrics.

Josh has also been working closely with Nathan Sacharow, to create a more experimental video part than what we commonly see. (Have a look at Nathan’s “Blue Line” edit for some interesting perspectives). Joshua is a ripper and always

down for a crusty or unusual spot. Born and raised in Compton, CA, Josh tends to favor a quieter setting than the city provides, and can be found ripping through the entire LA area.

Keep an eye out for future footage from this guy - he’s sure to get you hyped and change your perspective on what’s possible in skating!

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Dropping Spring ‘13

Bern Macon W/ Visor, $60 All the cool kids wear hats under their helmets.

Osiris PLG VLC, $85 Vulc is a funny word.

Vew-Do EL dorado, $135 Like skatin in the office.

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Dropping Spring ‘13

Phunkshun Wear 2l pullover, $24 The ladies willl never know how many teeth you’re missin.

Arnette squaresville, $90 Better than those cheap wayfarers but just as cool.

Radii IM KING the jack, $50 Skate fast like a cheetah.

AWSM SKATE TOOL, $17 Nice tool!

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Dropping Spring ‘13

Society Tokyo lover sweats, $70 Sweats and shorts in one = genius.

Rocksmith classic cap, $30 Denim is the new black. explicit wallet, $30 Mo money, mo proeblems.

Gold Coast 42

Pier Complete, $100 I’m so cool, I can cruise these streets all day.

Dropping Spring ‘13

Freebord black bamboo complete, $275 Panda’s eat bamboo so keep this thing out of the zoo.

AWSM belts, $15 - $20 One of these even stretches so you can wear it to the buffet.

Electric BACK line crystal shades, $120 Sup girl.

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Dropping Spring ‘13

Recover WOOD IPHONE CASE, $38 Got that woo grain.

Leatherman Hail & style ps, $45 I’m carryin it on a plane and I don’t give a damn what TSA thinks.

IVI Vision Sepulvida, $180 These are fancy. Wowzer.

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Rhythm KEEF Bag, $50 Automatic cool kid status.

Dropping Spring ‘13

Poler Napsack, $130 After trying this on for the shoot, I wore it the rest of the week. So, we had to wash and hang it... Mine!

Osiris VLC, $70 What are you supposed to put in these tongue pockets???

Fuel knee high socks, $14ea Merica!

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Dropping Spring ‘13

Electric daily driver backpack, $65 Board straps cuz who carries books?

Narragansett imperial bohemian pilsner, $6 8.6% alc sneeks up on ya.

The Hundreds hazel denim jacket, $108 Half of your Canadian tuxedo.

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Dropping Spring ‘13

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48 Interview: AB

Estevan Oriol

O

interview

Estevan is just an all around awesome dude.

He’s traveled the globe touring with legendary musicians like House of Pain and Cypress Hill. He’s met some of the biggest celebrities imaginable, actors and musicians, and shot some of the hottest women you could only dream about. He’s as raw and straight up as the street life he’s so well known for photographing.

Unfortunately, professional photographers have taken a beating over the past decade, especially those working in film. Estevan is pushing on nevertheless. So, put your Instagram away for the next 30 minutes and listen to Estevan’s years of wisdom and enjoy some pretty rad film photography. He’s the last of an amazing, but dying breed, of real photographers.

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Can you tell me about your dad’s influence on you growing up with photography?

He was doing the photography thing like in the early 80’s and maybe the late 70’s, I’m not sure. Then, around the early 90’s he kind of stepped away from it, and started painting.

I was tour managing House of Pain, and lowriding a lot, and he told me, “Hey, I think you live in a cool environment right now with your touring with these guys, being backstage with them and other groups, the places you’re going to see, and the whole low-riding thing. I think it’d be cool if you captured those moments on film.” He gave me a camera he wasn’t using anymore, and gave me like a five minute crash course and I just started taking pictures here and there. Then the more I saw the pictures I was taking, the more I liked it. I just started shooting more and more.

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You did a show back in November with your dad. What was that experience like after all these years?

We’d done one in L.A. first, and it was a great experience to be able to do something with my dad, to do a show together and have people come out and get the reaction that we got. It was great doing it while we’re both alive because a lot of people don’t get to do that, and it was a cool experience because we could both make the rounds if we had to. This show started out in L.A., like father like son with the

Carmichael Gallery, and went great the first night. We had a great turnout going to New York, but kind of had some problems, because the storm Sandy had come the week prior to our show. We had already been promoting and everything, so we had to try and throw an event where they just had devastation happen.

It was kind of a risky thing for us, but we’d gotten the tickets, the hotels and time out of our calendars long before the storm was even coming. The day before we were supposed to have it, they announced that our flight had been canceled and that there was another storm coming, so we had to postpone the show one more day. We ended up flying out the next day after the second storm, went to the show, and it was great. A lot of people came out. At least like a third of the city was still without electricity, so a lot of people didn’t even know we were doing the show. It was a great night, a lot of people came and showed support, saw the art, and you know, it worked out great.

What are you working on now? Books, movies?

Yeah, I’m doing a couple more books and I got a couple of documentary ideas that are being shopped around for funding. I’m doing two books. One on street life right here in L.A., like my hood shots, and then another one, L.A. Woman Part Two.

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You shoot tons of stuff. What would you say you like to shoot most these days?

I like shooting my traveling experiences, wherever I go. Of course, shooting the hood over here in L.A. is fun, and the women. That, or music, so everything I like I get to shoot, which is pretty cool. I don’t shoot weddings, bar mitzvahs, or products, shit like that.

You did a shoot in Brazil with models for a brand client, how was that?

That was cool. Originally, I went down there with

I’m the one that put it out there and made it look

“

so good, so how can I not expect somebody to want to adapt it to their style and to what they do?

52

Cypress Hill when I was tour managing. We did a couple shows down there, then I went back and promoted my book there. I went to São Paulo for five days, and Rio de Janeiro for 20 days, I shot a lot of stuff. When I went down there I was like, “Oh, man. I need to come back here,” but I kind of was trying to figure out a good way to go back. I was thinking, “Man, it’d be cool to have a clothing company do some shoots down here.”

My own company is too small, so I just thought of everyone that I work with, and the first one I went to was T.I.T.S. They were like, “Oh, we’re

down. Let’s do this.” So we planned it for a year, went back and knocked it out. We shot 13 girls in 10 days, and the 10 days also included two travel days going there and back, so we had 8 days to shoot 13 girls all over the city of Rio. The first couple of days was meeting girls, and picking them, and then we just started shooting. There was like, a day, where we ran out… well, not ran out of girls, but we’re like, “Okay, we need a couple more girls.” So, we went out, met some more, and then those next few days shot them, and it was perfect.

You don’t have to name anyone, but have you ever had a difficult shoot with anyone, or anyone that really kind of pissed you off during the shoot?

Oh, yeah. People that show up four hours late, like rappers and shit. They’re at the mall just doing stupid shit, you know? If you need to go to the mall for four hours to look pretty, that’s cool, but don’t make an appointment to do a photo shoot, you know? It’s kind of disrespectful. It was the man-divas… That’s pretty close to working with products.

a

53

e You know,

“ sometimes the street gets pretty f*cking rough.

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Have you ever been asked to delete photos, or asked for photos by the police?

Never been asked for photos by the police, but I’ve been asked to delete photos before.

Was it by the client or just the situation?

By the client. It was a high end celebrity, Alister and his wife. That’s part of the deal, you know. You have to meet up with his wife after you shoot each card out and show her. I had to go sit like, in the back room with her, and she would tell me as we go through each picture, ‘delete that one, delete that one, keep this, delete those two.’ But, you know, it was one of the requirements of that job, so it’s okay.

You got started with photography back in the 90’s, can you give us a brief history of where you’ve seen photography go, from your start up until now?

Back when I was shooting two elements, which was a low-rider lifestyle culture here in L.A. or the hip hop culture, there weren’t that many people doing it. Everything was being shot on scene, so when I would be on tour with these bands going around countries and different places, most of the time I would be the only person with a camera throughout the whole tour. There would be people coming the day of

the shows, you know, to take pictures of the bands for interviews or magazines, or to get live shots for the daily newspaper, but for the most part, I was the only one with a camera backstage. I was on the inside. There’s a lot of things I missed because I wasn’t approaching it as a photographer, I was approaching more as like a tour manager.

Most photographers they’re like, “Oh, I’m going to see a band today. I’m going to see Cypress Hill, so I’m going to shoot them onstage and then we’re doing an interview, so I’m going to shoot them backstage in whatever location.”

At that time I was rolling with Cartoon all the time, so I was always with the muralist too. He started tattooing at the same time I started shooting pictures, so I was pretty much there for every tattoo. That was the kind of content I was getting without even trying to know about it.

I should have got way more. I just wasn’t coming at it from a photographer’s state of mind.

Is it fair to say that’s what helped your work grow in popularity and made it so intriguing to everyone, because you were bringing more of an in-depth view of these subcultures that people in middle America knew nothing about?

55

Some artists out there,

they’re control freaks.

Yeah. Definitely. I was showing them from the inside, and I was places they couldn’t be. It was special. Now, if you were to go on tour, every single bus either has a camera and a videographer, or every bus has one guy that can shoot photos of them backstage, onstage, shoot video, be edited that night, and uploaded for the YouTube page the next morning. Now it’s like a machine.

You know, if you go out there to the low-riding events, like, I’ll go to Crenshaw Boulevard on Sundays, everybody comes and they go hopping and stuff. There used to be one or two guys that would do videos, you know like Young Hogg and these other guys that do the low-riding videos, but now you go out there and it’s like almost as many guys with cameras as without them. I go to a rap show and there’s going to be 50 people with 5D’s in the front row, while the whole audience has their phones out. It’s not special anymore.

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Doesn’t it kind of piss you off that with the advancement of all these digital cameras, and like you just said, it seems like everyone who picks up a camera now considers

themselves a photographer. I mean, it’s got to be frustrating for you to see so much watered down photography.

Oh, f*ck yeah I get pissed off. Though, what good does it do? I’m the only one feeling it.

It’s like me drinking a poison and wanting them to get sick. It doesn’t do any good. My head’s about to pop, and everybody else is running around clicking their heels, smiling, taking pictures of shit. You have to make all those feelings do something for you. I know people that just get pissed off and that’s all they get, and it’s just like pumping their brakes. They’re so caught up in being pissed off that they don’t get shit done. They’re just like f*cking angry and hateful you know, losing their mind. I try to flip it to where I can use that to drive me, you know?

I have my own style, and so I’ve seen a lot of the youth coming out, and they’re imitating my style you know, and going after my imagery. At first I’d get mad about that, like man, all these people biting me and stuff; biting my style. But, then I thought, “Well, I’m the one that put it out there and made it look so good, so how can I not expect somebody to want to adapt it to their

style and to what they do?”

I have people asking if I can do photo shoots for them for 1,000 bucks. You know the budgets are like $25,000 and up. I laugh, too. Then I think, “Man, I’m over here laughing and all these youngsters are going, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it for a thousand bucks.’ I only need to get paid $100.”

That shit is a joke. You know? I’m used to being paid at least 10G’s to do a photo shoot like that.

They’re trying to pay me a grand? Like, they’ve lost their f*cking mind.

Do you ever miss the days of being a tour manager for Cypress Hill?

Sure. I was living a five star lifestyle, and I wasn’t paying for it. I was staying at the best hotels, eating good food, making good money, my weekly salary was good, and I was traveling the world.

The perks of rolling with the rock stars, you know? The only bad thing about touring, is not touring. That’s the only time you don’t get paid.

You know for me, it wasn’t like all these other tour managers. Most tour managers, while they’re on one tour they’re trying to hustle and book another tour with other bands, and never get to be able to establish a relationship.

Whereas I knew how to hang with Cypress Hill before I went out on the road with them. Being out on the road was just like a group of brothers you know? We’re all out there just having like, a party bus of brothers rolling around the f*cking United States, Europe, or all around the world. I was never a tour manager of a bunch of bands.

I tour managed four bands in my tour managing days, then all that shit ended.

I know you shoot other action, but you’re most well known for your lifestyle and portraiture/studio work. You also used to skate and have shot tons of skaters like Jereme Rogers, P-Rod, T.K., Stevie Williams. Do you find skating to be more difficult to shoot than the street life stuff?

For me shooting everything is the same. I’m just shooting something that I like, so it’s full of love for me, whether it’s skateboarding, fighting, surfing, sexy girls, music fans, or low-riding. All that type of shit, I like. My first board was a Black Knight. It had clay wheels.

Marina Del Rey was the place where Dogtown

came out of. Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Christian Hosoi, Tony Hawk, and Gator were down there, as well as the Hackett brothers. So, a lot of legendary skaters came out of there, and then when they closed it, it was a bummer for a lot of people, there wasn’t much to do. It wasn’t like today’s street skating, because the skateboards were different. The wheels were bigger, they were softer, they were higher off the ground, so they weren’t doing all those tricks that they’re doing now. More like just skating around the flat ground, or little banks, wherever you could find a bank or go downhill. Eating shit on some of those hills wasn’t too fun. It rips off half of your hands, or the side of your face, or your elbows and shit. Crash at like 40, 50 miles an hour.

Then, I got into dirt bikes and surfing, until I had to start working and all that shit stopped.

You’ve done a bunch of stuff with Snoop Dogg. It looks like he’d be a lot of fun to work with?

Yeah, he’s real cool and mellow. He jokes all the time. He’s a lot of fun to work with, he’s down.

Some artists out there, they’re control freaks.

The most successful ones out there, they’ll let you be...all the other guys, they got successful by being control freaks. They want to control every little thing. They don’t let people really express themselves and do their thing. We just showed up and he was like, “Whatever you want to do homie, let’s do it.” We got ready, and I shoot pretty fast, I don’t sit there and drag it out or bullshit people. If you’re good at what you do, you just get it.

Would you still rather shoot film over digital?

Oh, hell yeah. I hate shooting digital. You know, back in the day when porn came out, and it looked cheap, but like real clear, crispy and colorful, they were just like how real movies look.

Porn came out and it was just like, “Oh, f*ck.” It looked so tacky, and crystal clear, and the colors were in your face. That’s kind of what digital looks like to me. A lot of people don’t know how to work the cameras, so you shoot every single thing in focus. Then, the color is just like, blasting. Some people add HDR effects and all that shit. Just take good pictures and you won’t need all that.

57 If I try to just shoot my picture, it is what it is.

If you had a f*cking zit

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Estevan Oriol interview that day, then you shouldn’t have been stressing out, or eating chocolate the day before your photo shoot. I don’t do all the little tricks on my pictures. I guess there’s still a lot of people that argue and say, “Well, you should, because everybody else is and their shit looks perfect.”

You’ve got to keep up, but I’d rather just shoot it how it is you know, that’s real.

Do you ever wake up and think, “Holy shit, even if nothing else happens from here out, I’ve done it, I’ve made a name for myself?

Oh, yeah. I always think about that. You know, sometimes the street gets pretty f*cking rough.

Sometimes you work a lot, sometimes you don’t. I’ve gone three months without working once. In the peak of it, when I had a lot of hot shit going on, I went for three months without doing one job. Luckily, I wasn’t an idiot with my money, and I stretched it out to go for those three months. When I got a new job, it kept the ball rolling, but about the second month I was thinking, “F*ck man, is my time up? Did enough people come in and start molesting my style?

Who needs the old guy anymore?”

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If it all ended now, and there came a point where I had to make a decision and say, “Hey, I had a good run, I did great but, I need to get a job.” For me personally, I think I did great.

I might not have been an award-winning photographer. Though, I have album covers, I shot some musicians, and I shot some sick actors that I never thought I would ever even meet, let alone get to take their picture. I’ve also gotten to travel the world doing my photography, not just touring with Cypress Hill. My photography took me around the world, I put out a couple books and I was like, “I’m doing it.”

You know, when you’re an artist you have all these f*cking head trips, and start doubting yourself. Artists I know doubt themselves. I’m never satisfied. I always push myself the most.

You know, when you’re a freelancer, it’s like every day you don’t have a job, so every day you’re out there pushing yourself, selling yourself like a little hooker.

You’ve got four kids, have they shown any interest in photography?

My son, my youngest daughter, and my one grandson, he’s three. We always go around and take pictures, and he’s all, “Grandpa look.

Grandpa look. Look it. Look.” He’s taking pictures, and he takes his little legs and like, he gets in a stance, and he does like these poses to take a picture.

Every time you take a picture, he wants to see it. He goes, “Let me see. Let me see.” He’s a trip that kid, you know, it’s kind of sad that kids will never have film or have to wait to see their pictures. You just carry around a couple hundred thousand pictures on a USB drive. Carry your iPad around and be like, “Hey, check out my pictures on your phone.” Some aspects are cool, because you got it right there. But I don’t know, there’s just something about rolls of film, and negatives, and big prints.

Well, that’s about a wrap. One last question, to all the kids picking up cameras and to the ones who aren’t even thinking about doing anything with their life right now, what do you have to say in closing? Any advice?

Yeah. Don’t plan on making a living at it. It’s a market that’s fully saturated. Don’t expect to make money out of it. It’s a great, great hobby.

If you can make some money out of it, that’s great. I had to change, the game’s changed, it’s not the same anymore. I also noticed too, that a lot of kids who went to school for it and have like, these bachelor’s degrees, they tend to get jobs. It helps them get into the inner circle a little bit better if they have that certificate, or that status that they’ve been to college.

There’s a lot of guys that are good, but they have no hustle in them. They don’t know how to get themselves a job. They know how to take a great picture. You could be the best motherf*cker in the world, but if you ain’t got that shit about you, then nobody cares.

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R - Wyatt Woodward, kickflip back-lip

P - Buddy Bleckley

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R - Tim Humphreys

P - Eddy Densow

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P - Maxwell Santeusanio

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R - Elliot Murphy, backside flip

P - Daniel Muchnik

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P - Ashley Rosemeyer

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P - Pat Milbery

P - Chris Faronea

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R - Curran Flanagan

P - Maxwell Santeusanio

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R - Jimmy Lake, 180 nose 180 out

P - Sean Michon

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R - Kevin Phelps, kickflip front board

P - Karim Ghonem

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R - Eric Abo, blunt

P - Brendan Wixted

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STUPID QUESTIONS

Dustin Dollin n t to ra o t S B v e o, te , B r S e o ot Jo Ph rds o W

Do One, Kill One, Marry One: NeckFace, Lizard King, Trainwreck All 3...All 3

Do you like to think of yourself as Mel Gibson in Road Warrior?

No, he had it easy.

What is it like kickflipping straight at a wall?

Go that way real fast...if something gets in your way, turn.

Who’s lamer, Crocodile Dundee or Steve Irwin?

Neither. Both: Legends.

Will there ever be a Vans video?

2 years.

Can you fix the American Economy?

Nobody can.

What’s wrong with America?

If you’re with the right people, everything is groovy, ha.

80 Would you rather be seen drinking a Fosters, or kissing a dude?

Fosters.

What’s the worst trend in skateboarding?

Internet porn.

Who has the worst tattoos on Baker/Deathwish?

Lizard.

As a professional athlete, how many push ups can you do?

Picking yourself up off the ground is a work out.

What’s your favorite color... of BOOBS?!

The nipple. xxdd

STUPID QUESTIONS

o oJ

JEFF BRUSHIE

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Did kids in school ever call you Jeff Combie?

Nahhhhhh. Never was called Jeff Combie. Just “Don’t forget to Brushie,” that was it.

You still listen to NWA? If it pops up on Satellite radio in the car, hell yeah, I’ll bump that shit. But it’s not on my iPod.

Are today’s snowboarders a bunch of babies compared to your days?

No way, we were babies in our little 8’ pipes!

Did Jake ever yell at you?

I probably saw Jake a total of 5 times the whole time I was at Burton, LOL. He was a pretty private dude.

But when I did see him he was always very cool!

What’s the weirdest thing you ever won at a competition?

Those fake oversized checks were kinda weird.

Did you consider eBaying your dread clippings from the 90’s?

No... I’ve never eBayed any of my personal crap from snowboarding.

Why does Shaun White have so many bodyguards? How many did you have?

Probably because he has money coming out of his ass! We didn’t need bodyguards in the 90’s, we were small time, and if you did, they were your bros!

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sh AB

rie

While we’re on the subject, who do you think parties harder, Shaun White or Justin Bieber?

Who knows... I’m sure they both party hard together!

Have you thought about contacting Signal to make a card dispensing poker table snowboard?

No, that would really f*ck up your flex pattern.

Are you still eating McDonalds?

Not really, but I did pop a 20-piece back not long ago!

Now that the U.S. Open is at Vail, will it ever be as good as it was in the 90’s? No way, it’s too serious now, there’s real money at stake now. The 90’s was all about FUN, and beer gardens on the deck of the pipes!

STUPID QUESTIONS

Ph Wo o t o rd Cha sJ o e d Fo ,B r ro ema ,B n o

CHRIS COLE Do One, Kill One, Marry One: Wallenberg, Love Park, The Open Road?

Kill Wallenberg, Do LOVE, Marry Open Road.

Have you done any good Karate lately?

Haven’t done karate since I was 7…and wasn’t good.

Do you miss Wawa?

So much…

Who’s your favorite pro wrestler?

Ultimate Warrior is the best ever!

What’s your highest guitar hero score?

No clue, I ain’t got nothin’ on what dudes do now.

Once you master BMX, what’s next? Razor Scooter, or Roller Blades?

The fact that you compare BMX to those other things makes me wanna f*ck you up.

Given the opportunity would Hot Wax open for Nelly?

Sure! What could go wrong? Ha. What’s worse, Dubstep or Sheckler?

Dubstep. I love Shecks.

Would you rather booger slide down the Staples Center Hubba, or eat a booger sandwich?

Staples, and feed you a knuckle sandwich.

Do you miss Nyjah’s dreads?

No one misses those things.

Cords or Cut-offs?

Cut-offs.

How often do you google yourself?

Every time I get a haircut…to find a pic of how I want it.

Tits or Ass? Ass for sure.

84 If you remove your wristbands will your hands fall off?

“It will be painful…for you”

Milk or Sausage?

Milk and that is indeed a stupid question.

RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR, LAZY subscribe now! steezmagazine.com/unionize

STUPID QUESTIONS

Ph Wo o t o rd Bre sA t B t Pa

je

rs

ki

JJ THOMAS Did you know Justin Timberlake bought Myspace?

Yeah I heard that. Not sure where he’s going with that, but you shouldn’t count out old JT, so who knows, he’ll probably turn it into something cool somehow. Not sure if that’s possible, but we’ll see.

What if someone calls you Jarret?

My parents do so it’s all good. Ha. Which pro snowboarder would you least want to fight? Travis Rice, dude is a beast! He’d literally have me ripped in two pieces before I even knew what was happening.

Are you and Kobe best friends now?

Ha, no. He was cool when I met him though, and I’ve always been a fan of his basketball.

What about a ‘Naw.Mean’ line?

Haha, that’s awesome, and a new one at that. We get lots of people saying funny stuff to us, but that one is new and pretty funny. Maybe we’ll make a t-shirt out of it!

Seriously, who’s the girl in the bikini on the Yea.Nice blog? That’s Stacey Brooke aka Hot Buns. She’s a local girl here in Encinitas who is my friend. She used to be a Reef girl. Hence, the certified ass!

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If you were able to snake Louie for the next “Dancing with the Stars” position, what song would you open with?

Benny and the Jets, by Elton John... Maybe..?

How many complaints do you hear about that ‘stache?

Quite a few, it’s pretty funny. It’s shaved now, but when it was in its prime, people would definitely let me know how they felt about it. Most people didn’t like it.

Have you ever considered a Paul Mitchell sponsorship, or do you think Shaun would be jealous? I actually rode for them last season, haha! I did some signings for them and stuff like that. Those guys are actually cool, and what people don’t know is that they’ve been sponsoring snowboard events since the beginning!! 90’s style, so any company who’s been with us since then, I’m cool with.

Who wrote your Wikipedia page and have you ever tried to add to it?

Shoot, I don’t know. Not me. I should probably check that out and get on top of that.

Don’t you think there’s a cooler metal than bronze they could use for third? Like Tungsten, or Gallium or Mercury or something?

Hah ummm, I don’t know, bronze is cool ‘cause it kind of looks like gold, so people think you won when you wear it.

The Living Legend

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Yup, it’s fixin’ to be an epic spring on the living legend.

cannonmt.com

snowphone 603.823.7771

F R A N C O N I A N O TC H S TAT E PA R K , N H

STUPID QUESTIONS

o Dr

ANTHONY SHETLER Do you find that most of the police composite sketches have a resemblance to you?

Yes!!! Most police hate skateboarders! Well that is my experience at least.

What’s the longest time you’ve ever gone without taking a shower?

Maybe 3 days? I try to shower twice a day, got to take advantage of the showers before the powers that be take them away.

How many hoodies do you own?

More than I can count. I’m from the East Coast, got to stay stocked up on hoodies! Sometimes I wear two at a time, no lie.

Sketchiest thing you’ve seen in New Bedford lately?

To be honest I haven’t seen anything sketchy lately, but this one time I saw a homeless man having a seizure. I called the ambulance and just waited with him until they got there. I thought he was gonna die in my hands.

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What about an “All I Want” spinoff company, where you only sell sex toys?

I’m down for that. I’ll slang some sex toys! I bet there is a lot of money involved in that.

wn

e

y ill oB B t o A Ph rds Wo

Have you ever worked on a commercial fishing boat?

Never, but my buddy Martin fishes for a living! His Instagram photos are pretty awesome. All these crazy looking fish and sea creatures. I would be down to try it out! Its really hard work from what I hear.

Billie Jean or Purple Rain?

Billie Jean all day.

How often have you been mistaken for Sheckler?

It happens sometimes, they ask me to repeat my name thinking they heard Sheckler. They always leave a little disappointed when I spell out S-H-ETL-E-R. What do you think about Taco Bell’s meat filling only being made up of 36% beef?

36%, that’s pretty good. I honestly thought it was completely fake meat. I don’t eat that stuff anyways. I have a burrito sponsor in New Bedford, called No Problemo. My good friend Craig Paiva owns it and hooks me up with free food. Its one of my best sponsors.

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The Kid Jason Adams INTERVIEW Interview: AB / Photos: Jai Tanju

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Jason “The Kid” Adams has been skating for over 25 years now, most of the time professionally. Though still a kid at heart, he’s well respected as a skate legend these days. He still shreds (a little less now) but he’s also working his way through the ranks of the art community and continues to show work on a regular basis. If you thought his skating career was serious, then heads up, ‘cause he’s just as serious about his art, and he’s only just getting started. Although he remains humble about his past achievements, and isn’t willing to call himself an artist just yet, I bet you’ll be seeing more and more of his artwork outside his native California.

Even if it’s another 20 years from now, he’s shown that he’s willing to put in the work.

For the readers that don’t know, how did you get the nickname ‘the kid?’

I’m from San Jose, CA. I grew up skating here. Came of age, which at the time was 19, 20-ish. I moved downtown and started to meet all the old dudes I had totally idolized over the years in the local scene, including Corey O’Brien. He was a pro from Santa Cruz in the 80s. I met him, and a good friend of his who we all called Reeps. They took me under their wing, or their party wing, basically. (Laughter) In San Jose, that was as much a part of the skate scene as skateboarding; it was like raging...like f*cking raging. As a kid I always heard about the crazy stories and was like, I want to rage like them; they got cool punk chicks. So basically, one night they were making plans and Corey just said, “We’ve got to bring the kid.” And it just stuck, just like that. They called me, “the kid,” throughout the whole trip, and then it never went away to this day. I’m going to turn 40 soon and I’m still, “the kid.”

That’s awesome. You grew up in a very blue-collar family, and I’m assuming with not a ton of resources. Would you say your upbringing is what inspired you to get into skateboarding?

I lived in a pretty blue-collar mentality. My

mom was very religious. There was a little part of my life where we probably did a little better, because my dad ended up starting a sheet metal/heating and air-conditioning business. I was just always attracted to skateboarding. Even as a young kid, I think it largely had to do with that I was really introverted.

Growing up in school, I kind of felt a little lost.

I had friends and stuff but something wasn’t clicking. I just didn’t get what was going on, I didn’t jive with it. Although I always rode skateboards as a kid, when it came to that age, you know 12 or 13, I got a real one, and something just clicked. I don’t really know how to describe it, but the thing I’d been searching for, I had just found it. You know what I mean?

There’s something about skateboarding that scratches that itch for us skateboarders. It was rebellious at the time, but there’s also a creative/cerebral side to it as well that I didn’t realize until I started making and being interested in art. I think it’s a kind of unique combination that skateboarding would... it just scratched an itch that I had. As a kid, I was kind of into art but I really wasn’t that good at it. I always wanted to be the good kid in the art class. I always wanted to take art classes but to me I wasn’t naturally good at it.

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want to be a little more, I wouldn’t say vocal, but I want to tell more of a story about what I’m doing, rather than just recreating what inspires me. It’s weird, because I’m starting to think differently even though I’m just starting to put it down. It’s almost like this little game I’m trying to figure out. Now I have different needs and different itches I’m trying to scratch, more than the visual arts.

Take me through the process of making a piece. How long does it typically take?

People ask me that all the time, and it’s a hard one. To start, I just come up with an idea of what I want to do. I find my image, whether I’m stealing it, or actually using a photo I’ve created.

Then, I size the image, print it out, put it on my material that I like to use for the stencil, and I just start cutting. The image dictates what the stencil is going to turn out like. Sometimes it’s a basic one, with not many layers. Sometimes, it’s like oh, this is going to be nine layers.

Or, I might be trying to do the least amount of layers, and get more detailed within the layers themselves. It really depends on what I want

…when it comes to art and skateboarding, if you can’t keep it fun and inspiring, it’s like dredging through the mud.

“

In your own words, can you describe your art, and is there a message?

The thing about art is, it’s always changing. I’m taking images and I’m putting them through my filter. What I like to call, polishing turds. I create stuff when I feel inspired. I also compare everything to skateboarding because that’s who I am.

I’m not an artist, I’m a skateboarder who makes this stuff. I want to feel inspired. There’s nothing better than that feeling. I wanted to make this stuff because I felt like I needed something else besides a skateboard. I think there is a common message in it because I think the message is the same, almost like celebrating the same things I love about skateboarding, like punk rock music. I got into punk rock about the same time I got into skateboarding. I think it was wanting to be youthful, wanting to not grow up, wanting to be a bit rebellious, know what I mean? It’s almost like visual images of what it means to be a skateboarder, or means to me. Like I said, however, things are always evolving. Now that I don’t feel like it’s about getting a handle on the aesthetic of what I do, I’m starting to think about it differently. Now I

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to get out of it, and how much time I want to put into it. It’s hard to say time-wise, because part of my attention deficit is always working on five or who knows how many things at once. I’ll start painting one thing, and while that’s drying I’ll start another painting. Then, while that’s drying, I’ll start cutting something. I’ll go back to working on another stencil and then I’ll be like, okay go back. Some stencils take 15-20 hours total. On average, I put in at least eight, ten hours. That’s just the stencil. There’s also the whole painting process. I’m willing to do the work, I think that is where a big part of my ability lies, just willing to put in the time!

You make all of your art in a tent, which might sound unusual to people. Can you tell us more about that space?

When you use a lot of aerosol, it’s a dirty space.

I can’t have some cool little art studio. It’s filthy, and needs to be ventilated very well. Right now I live in a typical suburban house. I have my garage, and I converted half of it to my indoor workspace. That’s where I cut my stencils and mainly, where I store all my books, all the crap that my wife doesn’t want in the house. It’s like my office, but it sucks in the winter! So ya, I paint in the tent because I don’t really have any other space. I got one of those car tents, I have it in the backyard. I ran some electricity to it, it’s like a portable garage.

Your skate deck collage stencil pieces, are they actually some of your used decks?

Yes. They usually are. I actually like it when they’re worn. It adds depth and texture to them.

A lot of the times I like the existing stickers and graphics. I definitely like used ones better than using new ones. It’s cool that once you start skating, it then becomes this process of turning it into art. It’s kind of cool, almost like the piece started while I was skating it.

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That’s cool. It gives it that much more depth. Your recent show, featured a lot of Western and Americana folk art type work.

Are you sticking with the same theme for your work in these shows, and what’s your future schedule like?

The latest show I’m working on is definitely not going to be the same theme. Guns and Arrows came out of my friendship with Sid Enck Jr., he’s Native American and an artist/skateboarder. I also have always been into country music. My family comes from Oklahoma/Texas and the Midwest, so I have that whole background. It was a no-brainer, we had to collaborate with the whole cowboy and Indian thing. It’s interesting, fun and inspiring. I’m definitely inspired by folk

“

“

It will be like a mini old man comeback, that’s how I’m looking at it.

art, even though I use stencils, I don’t really go to street art to find my inspiration, which people usually think is the case. That’s not how I got into cutting stencils, it’s not really my thing.

For this Friendly Fire show, some of the collaborations are with photographers, so I just kind of took their work and then put them through my filter. I was trying to make it interesting, you know? Now I’m trying to put different things

out there. Coming off this show in San Francisco with Sid, I wanted to come up with something that is totally different . I just always try to make it fun, or whatever I think is going to be fun. As much of a hard worker as I am, when it comes to art and skateboarding, if you can’t keep it fun and inspiring, it’s like dredging through the mud.

Do you listen to country music when you create art, typically?

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»J It depends on my mood. The last show I did, I listened to Johnny Cash’s Bitter Tears a whole lot.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with that record.

He made a whole record about the American Indian, how they got f*cked over. But yes, I do, and it helps. I’ll go through a phase where I listen to all punk rock. Usually, when I start burning out, I drink coffee and listen to Bad Religion.

There’s something about that driving beat that’s in every record, and it gets me in this production mode, and I just go, go, go, go, go, go.

Hell yes. If you had to guess, how many board graphics would you say you’ve done?

That I’ve done the art for? Maybe 40? That’s just the number that popped into my head. I really don’t have any idea.

What does Lost Highway and Nowheresville USA mean, and what’s the plan for it?

Good question. When you’re a kid, you’re always coming up with stuff, like I want to have my own company or I want to make a zine. You’re always coming up with these concepts. For some reason I was like, I want to brand my art. Maybe someday I’ll start, like I am now, making my little products, and I don’t want it just to say Jason Adams on it. I would rather have it say something. Also, when I went to do the website, Jason Adams was taken anyway.

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The whole Nowheresville line, I was actually making one of the logos that I still use. I wanted to make an Americana version of a Sex Pistols graphic. It said the Sex Pistols, and then on the sign on the front of the bus it said ‘no’, and the other sign said ‘where’. I basically ripped that off, but had two old Cadillacs, and it said Lost

a Highway, Nowheresville USA. It was kind of like once again, ripping something off but putting it through my filter. It was like a name where the images created, and my attitude, and my position as an American were represented. Like, Lost Highway, Nowheresville USA, is how I feel as an American.

How often do you skate?

Over the last three years it hasn’t been close to enough. The economy hit, skateboarding as a job for me took a huge shit, my wife got a job. Everything dried up for me. My wife went to work and I was home with the kids. I was a little burned, I’ll be honest, I worked hard for a lot of years. Now, I’m recharged and I feel like there’s an opportunity again. Most importantly, I feel inspired to do it again, a lot more. I’d go out once a week, on a good week. I’d just skate to the store or cruise around here and there.

Not very often though, I really feel out of shape, and it sucks, I need to get healthy. After this next project, I’ve got a lot of things on my list that I’ll do skateboard-wise. It will be like a mini old man comeback, that’s how I’m looking at it.

That would be awesome. Would you say the art world is more true to its roots than the skate world these days, or vice versa?

I have no idea about the art world, I’ll be honest. I don’t even feel like I’ve breached it. Skateboarding wins!

What would you like to say to all the kids in middle America?

F*ck the crowd, f*ck the hype, Follow yer guts.

Go Sharks!

Interviewed: Sydney Lindberg Photos: Alex Barz

It’s not too often you get to see a chilled, downtempo show in a swanky venue on the outskirts of Hollywood.

Yet, Portland-based producer, Doug Appling and violinist Ilya Goldberg, together known as Emancipator, delivered the much anticipated blend of various instruments, raw electronic sounds, intricate jazzy melodies, and headnodic beats. A signature sound all too familiar to those that have been following Emancipator since he selfreleased his first album Soon It Will Be Cold Enough in 2006.

Emancipator has been touring the US in a string of sold-out shows promoting his newest LP, Dusk to Dawn with the lead single “Minor Cause”. I was lucky enough to meet up with Doug and Ilya just hours before the show to talk about the muse of nature, summer festivals and Doug’s secret musical talent.

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You guys just rolled in to Los Angeles for a show tonight at El Rey Theatre. I know you’ve been busy traveling around the country and beyond. Where’s your all time favorite place to perform?

Favorite place, hmm... I love playing on the West Coast, especially hometown shows in Portland.

My favorite place ever was probably Tokyo. It was way different than every other show, you know, because their culture is so different.

You used to play in bands in high school, what kind of music?

In high school I was playing in a rock band. We listened to the Pixies, Fugazi, and Radiohead, so we were kind of influenced by that. Also, I was making electro-pop on my own with sort of a Postal Service sound. I guess I was making all kinds of music in high school and just finding my own style. That’s what eventually became the Emancipator sound.

You truly have created a one-of-a-kind, signature sound -- a live violin riding crisp downtempo beats, with melodic instrumentation masterfully layered on top of each other, how did your musical journey land

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you here?

I think a lot of it has to do with teaching myself production. I’ve experimented with all kinds of production styles and I kind of developed my own way of writing songs, so it has a unique, kind of signature sound because of that. The instruments I choose and the production techniques, that all contributes to the overall sound.

What’s your writing process?

The first two elements I throw down are usually the beat and the melody. I start a lot of songs on keys or guitar, and then I start building drum loops around it. Sometimes, I will work with samples that will kickstart a song, remixing stuff.

How do you feel about other artists remixing your songs?

I’ve heard some great remixes of my songs, and I’ve heard some not-so-great remixes. I like to hear peoples’ fresh perspective of my songs (if it’s done well).

You mentioned that you remix other peoples work sometimes, you like that?

Oh yeah, I started out considering myself more of a hip-hop producer, so I would take rap aca-

A song to me is something that can take you to

pellas and build beats underneath them, in that sense remixing it. Recently I like to mix songs I love, remixing them. I actually have this unreleased track I keep playing -- it’s Biggie and Enya. I might bust it out tonight.

Do it! That sounds totally rad. Lame question, do you have a favorite song?

No, I don’t have a favorite song. I have songs of the week, and songs of the day, and songs that I will always go back and listen to, but I can’t pick just one.

So, I heard a rumor that you can freestyle.

Is that true?

Yes, if I have a 40 to drink, then I can rap.

Let’s get some 40’s up in here! Who is your favorite MC? Top 4 MC’s include Nas, Outkast, if you can count that, Biggie, Sage Francis... that kind of got me going into hip-hop. I like all kinds of hiphop.

Word. Do you plan your sets before shows?

Depends on the set and where we are playing.

Sometimes we have chunks of several days

another place in your mind than where you are physically.

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I feel like all music is a reflection

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where we play similar sets before we switch it up. Our sets are also influenced by time of day -- if it’s sunrise vs. sunset vs. in the middle of the night.

Um, sunrise? I know you go to a lot of festivals. Which do you prefer, festival scene or club scene?

Oh, festivals are a better experience overall. It’s always fun playing outside; it puts everybody in a good place.

How has digital technology and the popularity of the internet changed the landscape for young producers?

Yeah, it’s an open field really. You just have to put your music out there. It’s kind of a democratic process now because everyone can stumble upon your music as soon as you put it out there, and if it spreads, it will spread.

Do you hang out with other artists at festivals, is it often the same people?

Yeah! For example, we were just in Costa Rica.

It’s cool to be halfway around the world and surrounded by dozens of artist friends that are there from the festival world, the musical world.

We actually just did part of our East Coast tour with Random Rab after we bonded together in Costa Rica.

Wise words. I love sharing your music with my friends and often tell people it sounds like you’re “floating in the mountains,” because I legitimately feel that way listening to your tracks. Do you feel like your music has a connection to nature?

Yeah, nature definitely spurs my imagination all the time in music. A song to me is something that can take you to another place in your mind than where you are physically. Most of the time, it’s a beautiful, organic place I’m imagining, and that kind of inspires the sounds I’m choosing.

What festivals will you be at this summer?

Electric Forest, Wakarusa, Gratiflag. There will be more, but I should only mention the ones that have already been announced.

How has your sound changed over the years?

Yeah I’ve been listening to a lot of new music and it’s unavoidable, it’s going to have an effect on my music as well. I feel like all music is a

of other music because we all learn from each other…

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reflection of other music because we all learn from each other, and inspire each other, passing along the energy.

What kind of new music are you listening to?

I’m expanding my musical horizons all the time.

The fusion of genres is my favorite kind of music to listen to. I listen to a lot of instrumental electronic, a lot of hip-hop, and some world music.

I love world music. There’s also a lot of good electronic tracks, a lot of young rising talent and people keeping it fresh in Portland right now.

A lot of people look to Portland and the West Coast as ‘tastemakers’ in electronic music.

Are you guys ready for tonight?

Sold out show at El Rey with these beautiful chandeliers in this awesome venue? We’re really excited to play our set, and I think we’re hitting our stride of this West Coast tour. This is going to be a big show.

Any last words?

Big things, and big love to everybody on the West Coast -- thanks for coming out to the show, it means a lot. East Coast love too!

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Interview: AB Photos: DCKT Gallery, Charity, Ryan Humphrey, Sasha Maslov

Ryan Humphrey interview Ryan Humphrey is a New York based artist who was born and raised in Ohio. His art is widely influenced by skate, BMX, cars and things that generally go fast. He’s shown at some great galleries in and around New York and even competed on a reality TV show for designers. He also has some of the craziest ideas for a modern day Pontiac Firebird Batmobile. Next time you see a crazy restored ‘69 running from the cops on TV, look for Ryan in the driver’s seat.

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You said once that you could have slipped through the cracks in your hometown, so how did you get started and get to where you are today?

Well, a combination of things. You have to look at that time period, there was no internet to speak of. A lot of your exposure to things like skateboarding, graffiti, BMX, came through magazines. Where did I start? I had no rules as a kid. My dad would take me to job sites, and I’d find myself five miles away on my bike, like, “Okay, here’s the new neighborhood, these kids are throwing rocks at me.” (laughs) You grow up pretty quick.

right Golden Arches

You ended up teaching BMX at Woodward, which is how you got more heavily involved in the skate and BMX scene, and has a lot to do with your work today. But, how and why did you get into art?

I really feel like it’s something that I just always did in some capacity. You could look at these scatter artists from the ‘70s who might fill an exhibition space full of random pieces of felt or whatever, and I’d be like, “Yeah, I kind of did that in my backyard.” I remember trying to get everything in the backyard into a giant pile, for no reason except to do it. (Laughs) It’s one of those things, it’s like,

“Oh you draw a good picture,”

or, “Oh wow, hey that’s really good.”

You get attention for it, so it gets reinforced and you get kind of encouraged. I never got that for my math scores, (laughs) never got that on a science exam.

So you were recently on a reality TV show called “Top Design.” What was that experience like, just kind of behind the scenes? What was your recap of that whole thing?

Honestly, it was kind of gross. You have ideas in your mind, like what you’d like to accomplish. You know what your capacity is, you know what your limitations are, and if they gave you the right assignment, you’d really get to excel.

But, part of the basis of those shows is setting it up so that you can fail as well. I watched people get terrible carpenters. You’re assigned a carpenter, and you get this kid who’s like… he might be able to put together some IKEA furniture, (laughs) but when it comes down to it he’s totally a rookie.

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I got assigned one of those guys and I was just like, “Step aside. I’m tight with all the rest of the carpenters, I’ll use their tools, why don’t you just go do this thing.” It was pretty frustrating. But, I learned a lot in terms of who I was, or who I am and kind of what I want out of life, and that was one

photo DCKT Contemporary

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of those things that was like, “Wow, what if I really get a little exposure on national television, all these other things might occur,” and some of them did. I got a lot of work from Old Navy, doing t-shirt designs. Probably more money than I’d made in the previous year, I made in like two months.

So it was a mixed bag. Really dealing with the network people, gross. Maybe they’re good people in their private lives, but professionally they’re just the worst of the worst, not really people you want to hang out with. That’s not true across the board though, some of them are amazing, but I think it’s mostly the circumstances. Maybe some of those Nazi war criminals weren’t such bad guys. (Laughter) If you had to do it all over again, would you do it?

Absolutely. There’s only one way to know. Better to regret something you have done.

above Now She’s Black

photo DCKT Contemporary

Yeah, very true. I’m going to switch gears a little bit. You’ve worked in tons of mediums, what’s your favorite?

My favorite medium? I really don’t have a go-to medium. I think I’m mostly involved with ideas. There’s a ritual for a lot of artists, and I’m not discounting it, but they start a certain way, and work a certain way, and really hone a skill or craft. There’s amazing people who do that, but for me personally, I’m really more interested in materials and how they resonate culturally.

Oil paint, to me, for example, resonates a very particular way. It’s like, “Okay, you’ve mastered the violin, that’s what you do.” But I’m more of an orchestrator, I’m more interested in all of the instruments, what they all mean and how you can compose them. I’ve taught college before and I’m like, “Look, you really need to think about what a drywall screw means.

You’re going to get some ugly drywall screw in this giant thing you’re making and there’s a hundred of them and it looks like bullet holes. What happens if you use a pop rivet? What happens if you use a bolt, what happens if you use, I don’t know, Velcro?”

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Are these actually real Firebird hoods in your work?

Yeah, yeah they’re the real deal, and they’re getting tougher and tougher to find that’s for sure. There was a really weird window, for like five years I could find these 20 year old Firebird hoods, and now if you do find them they’re $400 and the graphics are totally gone, so it’s getting tougher.

As the Speaking of which, how’s your ’69 Firebird restoration coming?

Well it’s not really a restoration, it’s more of a metal death box. It’s actually in very good shape, but the rest of it is more just structural and cosmetic.

I’ve finally got the drivetrain ironed out; the motor has been rebuilt. Ideally, it’s going to shoot paintballs, it’s going to dump nails, and blow smoke. It’s going to be like a total spy car. It’s probably sacrilegious to a lot of purists, but I want to coat the inside with rubber, like you put in the back of a pick-up truck. As well as, rip out the carpeting, get flip down license plates. Actually, there’s a manufacturer I think, they make these air cylinders that you can totally hook up, and flip a button to drop the license plate or pick it back up. I just want to experiment a few times going through some tollbooths.

I’m not saying that it will replace the E-ZPass, but I could probably get away with it a couple of times.

Yeah, I think so, it’s worth a shot. Where does the skate influence in your work come from?

Well, it comes from the past, man. Skateboarding now is a whole other beast. You hear of stories about like, “Oh, I saw this kid across the whatever, parking lot, and he was wearing a whatever t-shirt, Santa Cruz t-shirt, Gullwing t-shirt,” and you’re like, “Whoa!” It was such a small exclusive group in the mid and late ‘80s that you were kind of like, “Hey, that’s one of my people, that’s one of my tribe.” Now there’s a lot more attitudes like, “Oh,” you get the once over if you show up at a spot and… you know. But,

culture around it changes, you have to stop and figure out what part of it you’re interested in.

below Install at DCKT

photo DCKT Contemporary

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photo Sasha Maslov I’m really not good. (laughter) I’m an old man.

It’s kind of a jock mentality now, and it kind of makes me sad. There’s still a lot of creative stuff going on, but I love it at its core, I love it for what it is.

As the culture around it changes, you have to stop and figure out what part of it you’re interested in. I’m happy riding a skateboard, I’m happy riding a BMX bike, but you can’t do either with certain groups.

Your show Fast Forward was a really interesting concept that took five years to conceive, can you tell us about how that concept developed, and how it was received?

I can almost pinpoint the day, if I went back through my calendars. I was just kind of looking at the art world and a lot of what you see, and there’s kind of a blueprint to much of it, in terms of the gallery system. I’m not talking about museums, I’m not talking about alternative spaces, but to the gallery system there’s sort of a blueprint that you can follow. Just with my history of BMX and the characters I know in it and who did what, I’m like, “If this guy Dizz Hicks had gone to art school, he would have been totally his own, whatever, being.”

I don’t see a big difference between what he did on this kick turn ramp and what a lot of artists are doing in the studio. They’re kind of inventing and reinventing, taking something and making it their own. I’m like, “How great would it be to take him out of this BMX context, and out of the past, like he’s missing in action, and then insert him into this art world context, and try to lay down a little bit of a foundation of who he is and why he’s important?”

That was sort of the genesis of it, and then it took forever to get anybody to be interested in it. This curator, Erin Sickler, had come over to my studio, and at that time I had probably 20 bikes hanging from the ceiling. I had just started to pick them up here and there. She was like, “Wow, I’m really into these bikes,” and I was like, “Really?” She goes, “Yeah, here’s the situation, the Queens international show, you’re definitely in but are you interested in this space? It would be a huge undertaking.” I’m like, “Yes, I’ll do it.”

You had a show very recently, what was this one about?

Pretty much everything in the exhibition has been stolen or has some criminal element to it. That goes from police barricades I found, to a Chanel handbag that had clearly been dumped, automobile glass, milk crates, newspaper boxes, a lot of stuff off the street. There’s a bike rack that’s titled “Golden Arches,” and it’s just covered with bike locks that I’ve collected. Which really, you see it a lot in New York. You’ll come across a bike rack and there’s like four locks on it, and you’re like, “Are you kidding me?

Did they just cut the frame, was the frame easier to cut? Did they just tape it back together and ride home?” Just a kind of mystery. There’s a bow and arrow that’s made from a Robin Hood bicycle frame.

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There’s one with cross country skis, and that one is titled “Robin Hood.”

There’s some placards, I did an edition of 20 of them that says, “God bless this home, and f*ck the police department.” They’re all from police barricades, and then the rest of it is painted to look like the police barricade process they use.

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Now you’ve shown at a lot of great places like the Whitney, DCKT, Queens Museum of Art to name a few. What’s down the road for you, are you looking at international exhibitions? What’s kind of like longterm goals of yours?

Honestly, I’m not in a place where people say, “Hey, what are you doing in two years? Do you want a show in Seoul, South Korea?” I hope to get to that point. A lot of opportunities that come my way are a couple of months off generally, like, “Hey, what are you doing in June?”

In terms of my future, I’m at a crossroads. I’m at a point where I’m asking, do I stay the path, do I stay in New York and continue scraping by? Yeah, I get these great opportunities and everything, but I don’t make work that’s really sellable. I don’t make beautiful paintings, I don’t make stuff that’s easy to live with generally. It’s pretty raw. A Trans Am hood, even when I take a lot of time to finish them they’re still like, “Whoa, that’s not something that disappears behind the sofa.”

I wonder about places like Detroit. I’m like, “Okay, is that the new creative capital?” Maybe not in terms of the marketplace, but maybe in terms of where things get made, that’s like old New York. You could work a part-time job and get a loft and live some bohemian life in the 1960s and ‘70s. That’s Detroit now, it’s like okay, ten grand – you’ve got a house. Fifteen grand, you’ve got a house and a garage and security doors, awesome. I’m sure there are older artists or people that can talk about this in greater depth, but just my time in New York – I’ve seen a huge shift. I’ve been there 17 years, and just in that time you’re like, “Whoa.” I wonder if this could possibly maintain itself, keep expanding and growing.

Is it safe to say that Evil Knievel is a hero of yours?

Evil Knievel was, let’s just say he was a complex character for sure. I like that he kind of willed this thing to occur. He became in some way like Batman or something, he kind of became this superhero. On a moral level, Evil Knievel was probably not the coolest guy. He did some shady stuff, he was notorious for like, “Hey, you did a great welding job, come by the hotel, I’ll take you out for dinner, pay you then,” and then the guys show up and he’s gone. I actually met him, it was 1998 or so.

He’d been through a lot, clearly, he had a much younger wife and his manager was really cool, but he seemed just kind of over it. He was just there to do his appearance and go have a couple of drinks and leave. So, I can’t say he’s a hero, but definitely in terms of my art career, he’s somebody I look to. People ask me who my favorite artists are and I’m like, “Evil Knievel, absolutely.” What he was able to do and how he was able to kind of engage culture, that’s what every big artist wants to do. I don’t care if it’s Matthew Barney or Shepard Fairey, they want to engage the culture on that scale.

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That’s about it. Are there any last words to the wise you’d like to say, any advice?

Here’s my advice. Art wise, sports wise whatever, do what you love and be nice to everybody, because you never know who that person knows or where they’re going to be some day, or how attractive their sister is or whatever, seriously. This is a mistake I’ve made, you know, I haven’t been nice to everybody all the time. I try to, but things happen. That would be my advice.

Rider: Adam Hohmeyer Photo: Waylon Wolfe

Carrabassett Valley Academy A Better Way to do School

www.goCVA.com

120 Interview: Taylor Kendall Photos: Zach Wolfe

DJ Drama He’s DJ Drama, aka Mr. Thanksgiving, aka Barack O’Drama, aka Gangsta Grillz. Starting from scratch, Tyree Simmons made a name for himself producing mixtapes, most notoriously the Gangsta Grillz series, and blew up to be one of the hottest, most sought after DJ’s in the game. An originator of trap music, he’s worked with countless artists, and also has a radio show out of Atlanta. In the past, he’s faced adversity against the industry and the R.I.A.A., but is yet to be kept from success. In 2012, he dropped his 4th studio album, Quality Street Music, only a year after releasing a successful 3rd album, Third Power, in 2011. Any up and coming artist, as well as the hip hop vets, would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to be on a Drama record. After a busy day in NYC, Drama took a few minutes of his time to talk about his new album, and let us know what’s good these days.

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What’s goin’ on?

You know, more music, more money, more movements. Tryin’ to get to it!

“ If I wasn’t a DJ, I’d probably be a surfer

Right on, how was SXSW? SXSW was crazy. It’s one of those events that, for somebody like myself who’s in the industry, that’s in the music business, but is also like a fan, with a love of the culture, you know it’s great. We get to go to events like the Super Bowl, the Grammy’s, and interact in those type of environments, but SXSW is like, that type of energy with the musicians. It’s in Austin, TX, and it’s a cool vibe, you can go from one venue to the next, see some of the biggest bands and some of the newest or hottest artists that are about to break on the scene, and you know it’s always a great vibe. I’ve been twice in the last few years, it’s one of those events that I love being a part of because you meet so much fresh talent and get such an interaction with so many genres of music, technology, stuff like that, and also it’s just a cool place to lay back and kick it.

So, this was your second year at SXSW, what was your game plan going into it?

Umm, just to get more CD’s and listen to as many CD’s as possible. But, the SXSW vibe is just to have a good time, you know? It’s for people like myself to touch the fans, people that love the music, and to meet new people that I know years from now are gonna be the biggest stars in the game, while they’re still early in their career, and, getting to watch that grow.

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You’re well over 10 years deep into your career, and you’ve been successful to say the least. I mean, I can remember when Dedication 2 first dropped back in the day. To

play off one of your new singles ‘My Moment,’ is this your moment now?

I feel like I’ve had many moments, truthfully. From you saying you listened to Dedication, to me first doing Trap or Die, even when I got raided, or when I put out my first album, and even just recently with this new record.

For me, I’ve had many moments in my career. I mean, first my moment was when I first became a DJ, and all I really wanted to do was to get my name on a flyer, and that was the only accomplishment at the time, you know what I’m sayin?

So, I think the song is one of those, kinda inspirational records people can really feel, because everybody has, waits, wants, and works towards their moment. But, I’m definitely havin’ one right now and I’m enjoyin’ it, you know. I’m livin’ my life, and after being how ever many years in the game, just still to have a blessed career, and be relevant, on the cutting edge of the culture, it’s humbling to myself.

I feel you man, you’re definitely living a dream for sure. So, what got you started in producing/DJ’ing?

I actually went to go see the movie Juice. When I went to go see that movie, that’s what inspired me to be a DJ. When I was in high school, I would make my little mixtapes, and hit up my little beat machine. Then I went to college, and went a few steps further, doing college parties, house parties, weddings, whatever I could do. After I got outta school I just maintained workin’ for myself, and makin’ tapes, puttin’ together projects that eventually turned into street albums, which eventually turned into real albums, and here we are now.

Damn, that’s incredible, what a ride! Did you

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“ First of all, I grew up a skateboarder.

come up with DJ Drama, or did someone dub you that?

I actually had these two friends, Hakim and Bakari. Bakari used to sell mixtapes, and Hakim used to always call him Drama, like DJ Drama, except he wasn’t a real DJ. I remember it was around the time I first started, I was looking for DJ names. I asked him, like “Yo, can I use that name? You’re not doin’ nothin’ with it.” Bakari told me cool it’s all good, and he let me have the name.

Nice, and Mr. Thanksgiving, that’s my favorite name of yours, how did you get that one?

I made that one up man. You know, when me and Jeezy were doin’ the Can’t Ban the Snow-

gles, and features young stars to legends.

What were you tryin’ to say with this album?

Basically, this album for me, being my 4th album, I feel like it was my most cohesive album, you know? To go into the Quality Street brand, and put this album together, I really just wanted to make a good, solid body of work. That was my goal with the album, and to incorporate artists that weren’t necessarily known for doing records together, and just bring together that, you know, quality street music. “Quality street music” was a phrase that I coined on Jeezy’s Trap or Die, that was the first time I said it. As much as this album has some of that Gangsta Grillz feel, it’s more about the brand Quality Street Music, and what encompasses that, you know? I just wanted to get good music more than anything man, and make a decent album, something that felt like a good movie, a solid album. I mean, 4 albums in as a DJ, that’s not bad.

man CD, we were like the hottest thing in the streets, the mixtape game was on fire. All the local stores used to always come to me, and be like “Man, when’s the CD comin’ out, like, we need it, we hungry out here, you gotta feed us!” So, Jeezy had come to the station to do an interview with me, and when we did the interview, I was just like, “Man you know, it feels like thanksgiving time, like, for everybody, they’re baby gets fed.”

So, hence the name Mr. Thanksgiving, ‘cause I felt like I feed the streets, you know? I make sure that everybody eats.

That’s f*ckin’ awesome. Well, your 4th studio album, Quality Street Music, just dropped at the end of 2012. It’s got a few bangin’ sin-

Hell no, man. You’ve got a lot of fire on that album, all kinds of talent from beginning to end. You’ve worked with more people than most can claim. So, who dead or alive would you still wanna work with?

Well, I haven’t gotten my HOV verse yet, so I’m still gunnin’ for a HOV verse. Besides that, I’d probably have to say, umm, Bob Marley and Marvin Gaye.

A little bit of soul there, I dig it. Speaking of soul, are you someone who believes in YOLO, or do you feel the karmic cycle continues from past lives into present and futures ones?

You only live once? I don’t know man, I think I can definitely say, Karma is a bitch, and has a great memory. (Laughs) Ha, I completely agree. Tough question, where do you see the rap game in 5 years?

I don’t know where it’s gonna be in 5 years. I’m never one to predict, because you can never

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know where things go. But, when I look at hip hop in 2012-2013, and what’s comin’ up, I feel like these are the best times in the culture since like the ‘90s, you know? We got so many different outlets and avenues, and different types of spitters. N*ggas out here with their snake tongues, you know, real lyrical music, as well as great records for the clubs. We just have such an abundance of good music, from Kendrick, to Meek, to Drake, to Future. There’s just so many different varieties and sounds. I believe that in the last 4 or 5 years, n*ggas can still really spit, you know, so who’s to say what’s gonna happen in the next 5 years?

Looking back, what album are you most proud of, or what was one of the most memorable projects you’ve worked on?

I would say, because my career wouldn’t be what it is without ‘em, T.I’s, Down with the King, Young Jeezy’s, Trap or Die, and Dedication 1 and 2. That trifecta of Wayne, Jeezy, and T.I. is really what enabled me to be where I am today. But, I mean, I had Outkast on a record, I had an Outkast record! Man, like, that was incredible, that was one of my biggest achievements. Also, my first album means a lot to me, because it happened at a time after I got raided, when I could’ve had to sit my ass down and you know, people woulda been askin’ like, “What happened to DJ Drama?”

So, that was quite an accomplishment, and then there’s my most recent one, Quality Street Music. All those have been my proudest moments.

(Now I’m gunnin’ for that HOV verse!)

Who do you like to listen to when you’re not puttin’ in work?

My daughters, I like just listening to them talk.

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What projects do you got in the works right now, are you already workin’ on your 4th album?

I’m about to drop the tape for XXL, the Freshmen class of 2013, Gangsta Grillz edition. Then, I got

my man Problem from LA, him and I are about to drop a tape, that’s gonna be pretty hot. Got a couple other things in the works, but you know I’m always in the streets, I’m always there, I’m never leavin’.

We’ll be watchin’ for sure. How many hours a day are you in the studio?

Depends. Could be six, could be ten, could be thirty five minutes at a time, depending, you know? I’m on the road a lot, I have a facility I work out of in Atlanta, called Mean Street Studio, which is like a radio station, studio and everything. So, I do my radio shows from over there, and work on music, but you know it all depends.

I can come in at 10 o’clock most nights and not

leave til 4 or 5a.m.

So, any hot names we should be on the lookout for that have caught your eye?

I like K. Gates, I like 2-9, I like this cat Rich Homie Quan and AR-AB from Philly.

You and Don Cannon have collaborated a lot.

The Greenhouse Effect was an impressive project just to name one. It was because of you and Cannon really that Asher Roth was able to blow up and even make it to the mainstream airwaves, like MTV. You still keep in touch with him?

I haven’t seen Asher in a minute, I did run into Scooter as SXSW though. Cannon told me he ran

into Asher, and said he’s workin on some new music, so, shout out to the homie.

Producers are starting to get a bigger following for simply the music they create, rather than for the artists or vocals featured on their tracks. From Araabmuzik to Green Lantern, Diplo, and upcoming trap stars like Baauer and Flosstradamus. Are you getting into that style of production at all?

I haven’t been, but you know, maybe. Me and Green are like, I can say he is one of my closest friends in the industry. I’ve seen him doin’ his thing, so you know, maybe I’ll get a lesson or two. But, I love what those guys are doin’ man.

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“ When I saw the movie Juice, that’s what inspired me to be a DJ. I just love seein’ DJ’s be rockstars, and you know, comin’ up with new shit, like Baauer and Diplo, the wave is just crazy. I love what I do too though, and I think people love what I bring to the table.

I think at some point in my career I may experiment down different avenues, but I’m always a supporter and fan of all of it.

I feel you, and honestly, I mean ever since Trap or Die you’ve been bumpin’ that sound, so I’ll be lookin’ forward to whatever you do next.

Yeah we’ve been rockin’ with trap music since ‘03, back when Gangsta Grillz first started.

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Hell yeah! Have you ever been on a snowboard or skateboard?

Man, first of all, I grew up as a skateboarder. One of my closest, earliest friends in this industry, is Stevie Williams. I’ve known Steve Williams since he was 12, when we used to be down at Love Park together skating. One of the first pair of sneaks I think I ever bought with my own money was from Airwalk, but yeah, I used to be into skateboarding heavy. I’ve never been on a snowboard but, truth be told, I said this on a recent mixtape, on Future’s mixtape actually; I said if I wasn’t a DJ, I’d probably be a surfer. It makes sense too because, if you think about it, our wave has lasted longer than most everybody else’s,

and some people can’t even catch the wave. Also, their landscape is the ocean. Why it even came into my head is, if I wasn’t a DJ, and I could have any job in the world, I’d just live on a beach somewhere and be a surfer. Maybe that’s some of my skateboard roots, shout out to my n*gga Stevie Williams. We done came from rags to riches, from DJ to skateboarder, at the top of the food chain.

Any words of advice to the youngsters who got a dream they’re tryin’ to live?

Man, just, you know, love yourself, love the culture, put as much work in as you can, you know?

Always try to put in more work for yourself than you have to put in for others. Just be a good person man, and good things will come.

I want to thank you DJ Drama, for taking a little time out of your busy day to shed some light on the ride that is your life. Best wishes to you in upcoming endeavors, and keep it Steezy! Last words, shout outs?

It’s all good, Quality Street Music album in stores, so go cop that! I appreciate the love, and remember, before Drama was a DJ, he was a skateboarder! I just wasn’t that good, so I couldn’t keep it up. (Laughs)

Interview: Sydney Lindberg Photos: Courtesy of C215

Christian GuĂŠmy,

better known as C215, is a French street artist who is wildly popular overseas. His career took off in 2005, when he began painting in the streets. He started using stencils to produce highly detailed images in a fleeting moment. He captures the essence of any street by representing its people – beggars, refugees, and orphans among others.

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What’s the significance of your street name, C215? Does it have a special meaning?

It has precisely no meaning, despite the fact that I have given it many different explanations. This nickname popped up in 2006 when I was publishing poetry. I wanted to get an abstract nickname as a poet, not really human, but a kind of mysterious code. I felt it was corresponding to urban modernity.

I kept it later when painting stencils since my friends were already calling me C215.

How did you first get into street art?

I’ve been into graffiti since I was a teenager. I was bored to see nothing in the streets. I had heard about graffiti the first time I did it, and the same thing with stencils. However, “street art”

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5 I am not a vandal, emerged when I was trying to get modern illustrators for my first poetry book. Then, I decided to cut stencils in 2006 because I wanted to see beautiful, detailed stencils in the boring streets.

You wrote poetry as well?

Yes, but nothing serious. I started doing it for my daughter when she was very young so she could read it later on in life.

I was mostly writing short, catchy rhymes.

Often times they were funny stories.

What does street art mean to you, and how is it different from graffiti?

Graffiti is leaving a mark behind you without asking authorization or being commissioned. It could be art, but that’s not nec-

essary to graffiti. While street art aims at capturing the beauty of the city by placing ephemeral and contextual art in the streets.

Where do you take your motifs and inspiration from?

My own emotions! I use more and more of my own pictures as motifs these days, and I like to steal pictures from my friends.

Sometimes I take photos from the internet.

Your daughter Nina appears in many of your works around the world. How does she feel about all of the attention?

She’s used to it now, so she doesn’t care that much. Although, she is paying more and more attention as she grows older.

and I like to turn things without interest into beauties

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Street art aims at capturing the beauty of the city by placing ephemeral and contextual Your main subjects are often children, beggars, architecture and animals, some have said they are often “broken people” even.

How do you choose your subjects?

With my own emotions, trying to express my feelings through portraits. Love is one of my main subjects, loneliness too. It’s really about whatever I feel in that moment by myself.

If there’s a story behind each piece, is their a certain work that means the most to you?

Which one, where is it, and why?

“Painting Without Authorization,” my portrait on the national portrait gallery of London has been a big challenge. It has been amazing to see that they kept it more than one year instead of buffing it immediately.

Your work is vibrant and multi-layered, what different elements go into each of these images?

Acrylics, spray, ink, varnishes – that’s the way to get a painting, no?

When did you first start using stencils, and how has that decision influenced your works?

I wanted to paint achieved portraits very quick and without authorization, so the vectorial style came naturally with that medium. Stencil helps me get precisely the result I want. Without it, I would not be able to get such details in my works. Although, when I paint real big images it is useless to use a stencil. I will freehand those big walls even if they are based on my own stencils.

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Your images have striking color, how do you decide what colors to use in each image? Do you have any favorites that appear often in your works?

Blue is my favorite because when doing portraits, blue helps turn the flesh bright.

I’ve read that you like to work in “non-places” like rusty doors and small crevices, why?

I am not a vandal, and I like to turn things without interest into beauties.

All of these elements (stencils, color, motif, placement) come together to represent the people of the streets. What do you hope to convey about your subjects?

Mainly emotion and feelings. I feel more and more relaxed and safe compared to when I first started painting walls. You can also feel that change in my work as I become more equilibrated. For example, they are no longer black and white, but full of color. The part I cannot catch is the feelings of the viewers, who put their own feelings into my works when viewing them.

art in the streets.

Do you have a process for choosing places to paint when first going to a new city?

I go around randomly. Or, if I’m where I know someone then I’ll stay around them. I would love to go back to the ghost town I visited in Spain, Ciudad Rodrigo. I went there in 2002 and would love to visit again, but this time to paint.

You’ve painted in tons of places around the world - Oslo, USA, London, Morocco - what’s one place and experience that has greatly influenced you while traveling, and why?

Morocco was the first country where I painted outside of France, and the way you can do street art there has been very important to me.

You can paint directly on walls without taking

c

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It’s really about

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in that moment

whatever

by

I

feel

myself

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care of any repression because it’s simply authorized by people. Since Morocco, I decided to paint straight on walls anywhere without trying to make people happy or worrying if police will care.

Is street art illegal in many of these places?

Yes, for sure.

Have you ever had any run-ins with the law or been arrested for painting?

Many times: Istanbul, Brooklyn, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona. I have only been fined though, never jail time. Fines are enough.

What’s the difference between art in the streets, and art in the galleries to you?

In the streets, art is ephemeral and ever

changing. In the galleries people want to possess the works by buying them, in the streets they possess the works by taking a picture.

Which do you prefer?

The streets for adrenaline’s sake, also for the poetry of it.

Do you have any artistic mentors/influences?

Ernest Pignon-Ernest and Caravaggio -- They are both masters in drawing and painting. I love how they were painting while traveling.

They use strong contrast if not chiaroscuro, and they both turn the anonymous into saints.

What are your thoughts on the current international street art scene?

I prefer not to think too much about it. I regret to see more and more festivals, and less and less spontaneous street art.

Where do you see it thriving, and where is your favorite place to work?

I love my own city, Vitry, near Paris, which is so tolerant for street art...

Where are you headed next? Any plans for 2013?

I will be too busy unfortunately... I wish I could get more time for myself, and for painting, and relaxing in the streets. My solo show Mea Culpa opens on March 23 at the Wunderkammern Gallery in Rome. Those are the next steps.

Finally, how do you say “street art” in French?

Art urbain.

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Interview : @patmilbery Photos: Drew Carlson

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R F

Meet Prof, a very talented, highly energized Midwest born MC. Independent, f*cking hilarious, and one humble, hard working human.

Enough said, let this entertaining interview journey you into his imagination.

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Art

is

communication.

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Where are you originally from?

South Minneapolis. Powderhorn Park.

Where do you currently reside?

Still Southside. Not Powderhorn Park, but close. Still in the 30’s.

Who named you Prof?

Jess Fiedt. We Played basketball together. He threw that out as short for Prophecy. He kept calling me that, and it stuck, but just as Prof though.

As for the rap shit, it ain’t short for professor, prophet, none of that shit.

Just Prof.

If you could send a package of your shit to anyone in the whole wide beautiful world, who would it be?

I would send my music to Kim Jong-un. If I’m lucky, maybe I could end up partying with him and Dennis Rodman one day.

Have you ever snowboarded?

Oh yes.

How did snowboarding affect your perspective on life?

I’ve always been sort of a daredevil, always been into sports. What I love most about riding is pushing your limits. Going steeper, higher, faster than you thought you could. It’s a f*cking rush. It keeps your eyes open, that adrenaline going. There’s nothing like it. I started as a skater, but I go a little harder for snowboarding because of the speed, the bigger airs…

F*ck. I want to ride now. Hahaha.

Creation and perception.

If you could have album art designed by any friend, artist or anyone, who would it be?

Barack Obama. It’d be pretty sick if I could say the President personally designed my album.

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“It runs in my city, so I signed myself.” Please share some influence from these lyrics.

The influence is clear with that one. MPLS has one of the best rap scenes in the world, not because there is a particular sound, but because there is a particular hustle. An independent hustle made popular by my buddies Atmosphere, and Rhymesayers.

What destination would you travel to on a llama ride of your choice?

Haha I don’t know… Maybe my moms house. Show up there on a gdamned llama. That would be funny as hell. I’d be like: “Momma!! Come to the f*cking door! NOW!!!”

How much time have you spent outside the U.S.A.?

Lots of time touring through Canada. I’ve been to Mexico on vacation, and went to Iceland once. Nothing too crazy though. I’d like to spend a lot more time across the world. Lets hope my rap can take me there.

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“Whip so hard, got my dick soft. ” Please explain…

A line before that is “how my pinky ring got my shoes mad?” Like, these inanimate objects of mine are jealous of each other for being so dope.

Like, my car is so tight, my penis is salty about it.

“ When you’re in 50 cities in 60 days, you get a broader understanding of human culture.

How does traveling affect your lyrics, mind state and appreciation for home?

Oomph. Thats a loaded question. When you’re in 50 cities in 60 days, you get a broader understanding of human culture. Whether you realize it or not, you’re forced to learn tons about people, culture, human interaction, and so on. And with this, you actually get a better perception of the city where you live; in this case, Minneapolis. Traveling this country so many times these past couple years has actually given me a better understanding of MPLS through the context of all the cities I’ve spent time in.

When was the last time you have been to Pizza Luce and what did you choose to eat?

Last time I was in Pizza Luce was a few months ago with Slug. He placed an order over the phone for pick-up at the newer Richfield location. Then we drove to the Seward spot by mistake. Ha, oops.

Larry Bird?

SWAG. Car, scooter, bus or elephant?

Dildo.

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You speak a lot about personal growth, and no limitations.

If you could only use a paintbrush with a quart of paint to paint a message to the world on a wall, what might you paint?

Hmmm.. Personal growth, no limitations… probably a giant cock.

Creating is fun, what message to the world would you like to send to anyone creative out there that may be intimidated to share their work with the world?

You don’t necessarily need to share your work in order to create something. During the actual moment of creation, it’s just you; running around in your head, looking for and discovering things that you didn’t know existed. F*cking incredible if you think about it. But half the pleasure about making stuff is seeing how people interpret it. Art is communication. Creation and perception. Start small by sharing with your peeps, see what they think of it, soak it up, and continue to build. DONT STOP! If you could drink from one set of nipples, that would be yours for a single evening of pure enjoyment, whose might they be?

Roseanne. No doubt.

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Junk food from nowadays, they aren’t even real seeds anymore! They’re all genetically modified, like some creepy sci-fi clones. I feel like every month there is something new going on – E. coli in the spinach and hormones in the chicken. The food is crap! Crap I tell you!!!

CRAPPY FOOD Words Katie Mack

Welcome to the year 2013 – a time of hashtags and smart phones, a time of tabloids and tanning beds, a time when food travels like a technical foul,

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to and from vacation destinations I’ve never even been to! How did we get here? Does anyone else look around and ask themselves this question too?

This world is weird! You can look at any aspect of our society and the closer you look at it, the weirder it gets! Take food for example. O.K. so, one hundred years ago, if our great grandparents bought food, they bought it from local farms and local markets around them – otherwise they would hunt deer or wild game, maybe gather wild mushrooms, or blackberries, or go fishing. This is what their parents did before them, and their parents did before them! All the way back, stretching throughout the whole of human history for 2 million years or so. Now, all of the sudden, in the last one hundred years, it is common to buy coffee from Ethiopia! Bananas from Nicaragua!

Peppers from Peru!! That kind of food comes to us from bigass farms that grow only one crop (real bad for the soil), as opposed to traditional farms that would grow lots of small crops to feed the locals. These megalithic farms are focused on capital gain – making money is their goal. To keep the crop yields high and the money a-flowin, they’ll pump their food with crap that they know is probably gonna make us all terminally ill in 30 years! Even a lot of the seeds food grows

Crap food isn’t just about eating Funyuns and pretending like your muffin tops aren’t baking over the waist of your low-rise jeans. It’s about where your food comes from, who grows it, and how. This is important for active people, like skateboarders, snowboarders, surfers, and BMX kids to take to heart.

Not only does wholesome, local, organic food make you feel better, think better, and perform better, it also supports a localized economy. We need local economies to keep running smooth, otherwise we could get stuck in the working grind so hard, that we wouldn’t be able to get out and do what we do to stay sane! And if anyone calls you a hippie for munchin’ on your pesticide-free, free range, organic, whatever whatever snacks – well you just punch that dummy straight in their ignorant face (…with some knowledge). Let them know they’re idiots for not taking advantage of their local farmers market where they can actually get healthy food, where they support their native economy, and they do it all for so much less money than going to any big-time grocery store around. Have you ever wanted to do something revolutionary? Buy local food, eat local food, be local food! Even if half of all North Americans started doing that, it could change the world.

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NUT & BOLT

The dollar has lost 21% of its purchasing power in the last decade

There are twice as many billionaires in the US today than there were 10 years ago The average millionaire goes bankrupt at least 3.5 times

Fortune Cookies were invented in America, not China.

In the late 15th century, during the first outbreak of syphilis in Europe, nearly 10 million Europeans died.

Many sources claim that left-handers may die as many as 9 years earlier than right handers.

Experts suggest walking 6,000 steps a day to improve health and 10,000 steps to lose weight.

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New Orleans’ first Mardi Gras celebration was held in February 1826.

German beer used to be hallucinogenic, containing Henbane, until adding it was banned in 1516.

Statistically you are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork, than by a poisonous spider.

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shop spotting Denver EatS La Abeja Bakery Spices Cafe Tommy Thai Snarfs Sharon (Cart Lady)

BRANDS Altamont, Emerica, Nike, LRG, Vans, KR3W, CLFX, 15Limited, Adidas, Converse, 303, Lakai, Spitfire, Indy & Thunder

SHRED SPOTS Civic Center Park Denver Skatepark Tabor Center Wynona Ditch Anything Team Pain

INFO 1338 East Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80218 303-860-1303

15 303 Boards 303 Boards was founded 15 years ago by Sam Schuman. It was started out of a love for skateboarding, and a lack of shops with a core foundation in the area. It has and always will support a full team. They also throw events and premiers on a regular basis, and support the community on all levels, often donating to events and fundraisers.

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M - T: 11-7 FRI & SAT: 11 - 8 SUN: 12 - 6 Basically, 303 Boards/CLFX was born in Colorado and has been a proud part of the Denver skateboard scene for generations. Refusing to compromise since 1997.

Oh wait... I think that’s the Coors Banquet slogan.

303 Boards... They Run Shit!

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