Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 3
Rourke John Bogle KIM 030913 Born
Bedside Air Congrats to Geoff & Siobhan Bogle! [p] CMART
Cover:
JZ Radical Headbanger [P] CMART
Beer Drinker/Hellraiser/ Publisher: Mike Gustafson
Editorial
J. Hazelett Ralph Murphy Nathan Keegan Mike Gustafson Bruce King Michael Cirelli Taylor Garrett CMART Tony Le
Staff Photographers: CMART Sam McKenna Jimmy Collins Jon Wolf
Contributing Photographers: Chris Degrace Camden Moriarty Mike Greenwood Ashley Rosemeyer Matt Boron CornPhoto Michael Cirelli Buddy Bleckley Rob Collins Wes Cunningham Blair Alley
Send photo’s, funny stories or general inquiries to: stepdadmag@gmail.com
www.stepdadmag.com www.facebook.com/stepdadmag | Insta: @stepdadmag StepDadMag publishes quarterly (Jan/Apr/Jul/Oct) and is distributed to skate shops throughout the U.S.
4 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
Matt Seavy
Crook [p] Jimmy Collins
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 5
UNCLE KEEGS By:
Nathan Keegan
I was up in Portland for my birthday this past April. For years, my birthdays have been cursed. Anywho, I go up with my lady, she hooks up a bed and breakfast - straight 5 star shit. My plan was to relax with her and all my friends for the weekend. Ended up no one was in town besides a cou-
to “shut the fuck up.” I told him, “fuck you.” He leaves. Ha! I end up at the hospital, getting a tetinus shot and my ear lobe sewn shut. Bad night. We leave in the morning. I’m on the highway and open my wallet and somehow an old “Have a nice day” note from forever ago was in my
“My ear lobe was split bad. Cops show up, tell me, to tell my girl, to “shut the fuck up.” I told him, “fuck you.” He leaves. Ha!” ple people but it was all good. We had dinner and head into town to have some drinks. I happen to like Jäger, so I probably had at least ten shots ordered for me. Thanks guys but no thanks....haha.
console and worked its way into my wallet. I’ve never cheated on anyone in my life, nor will I. Either way, doesn’t look good. You can imagine the wrath after this. Long story less long, she figured out I’m a good dude.
So at the end of the night, I say my goodbyes to everyone and leave. I’m headed back and was throwing a quick tag. Some guy comes up, and all I hear is “bla bla” and get haymakered in the ear. I’m drunk and on the ground, not knocked out, but I have no idea what’s going on. My lady’s chasing him down, which she gets punched in the chest in the process. He never pushed me first or anything. Granted I’m sure in my state of mind he would have worked me in a fight, but still a bitch move. I get up, my ears bleeding, my girls tripping, I’m thinking of Reservoir Dogs, that guys ear. My ear lobe was split bad. Cops show up, tell me, to tell my girl,
She’s cooking a lovely dinner as I’m texting this. What’s crazy is 4 years ago to the day, Richie - from the first issue, was in the Ritchie hospital getting stitches and a - from the tetinus shot because I stabbed first issue. him. And there I was, same scenario years later to the day. Karma is a bitch, but why the note thing God? I never cheated on anyone ever. That shit’s not cool. Anyways, when it pours, it hails. Portland is a small town, so when I see this guy he’s gonna get a real haymaker to the ear. Pussy dick. Love y’all and thanks for reading! Enjoy life and be safe. :)
6 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
Auriel Rickard Backtail [p] Sam McKenna
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 7
ANTHONY SHETLER INTERVIEW words by Mike Gustafson
Mike Gustafson: Do you drink booze at all? If you do, what’s your favorite beer or mixed drink? Conversely, if you don’t drink, can you explain your decision to abstain from the world of adult beverages? Anthony Shetler: I drink, but not that often. I will usually get a six pack of Sam Adam’s and it will last between 2-3 days. I actually haven’t drank in about 6 months because I was dealing with vertigo. Vertigo basically fucks up your equilibrium. Due to the vertigo the only thing that seemed to ease the symptoms was weed. So I went to Framingham, MA and got my prescription for medical Marijuana. It cost me $200 and I can now legally smoke weed or grow it in Massachusetts.
life. She is huge into pole fitness. Its pretty sick shit!!! MG: Have you ever seen an adult shit there pants? Like, skating a spot and the homie bailed a trick or slammed real hard and they just shit there pants? AS: I cant really remember but I know there has been a few nights with the homies where they drank too much and shit there pants!!! If you listen to my podcast (The Shetler Show - download for free on iTunes store or podomatic.com) my homie Ramsey tells an amazing story about shitting his pants at the first party he had ever been invited to. The kicker was that he had shorts on and it ran down his legs!
“...my homie Ramsey tells an amazing story about shitting his pants at the first party he had ever been invited to. The kicker was that he had shorts on and it ran down his legs!” MG: Your from the New Bedford area of Massachusetts, correct? Did you ever see my friend, Sander Cowie’s Iron Maiden cover band? They were based in New Bedford. I forget what they were called but it sounded awesome. What do you listen to for music? AS: Iron Mustache is sick!!! Sander is the best. I listen to all types of music but I have a sweet spot for hip hop. First album I got was Wu Tang, “36 chambers” and I was hooked. MG: Growing up on the East coast where it gets cold as shit during the winter - what’s your kit for winter time skating? Do you get the Long John’s and gloves out or just kick it in a bar in between trips to the indoor skate park or out west? Or, actually, do you live out west? AS: I live in Taunton, MA. We have an amazing indoor skatepark called, “Skater’s Edge”. So when winter hits I spend a lot of time there. I still try to get outside and film tricks though. I usually just bundle up with tons of layers and some gloves! MG: Have you ever been on a blind date or do you have a horrible story related to being on any sort of date? AS: Nope, never been on a blind date - it sounds horrible. I am, however, engaged to the love of my
MG: Can you tell us more about your podcast? What the inspiration for it was? Is it a lot of work? Does it tie into World Industries at all or this a separate entity? Also, how is everything at World? Do you assume any roles beyond that of being a pro skateboarder? AS: My podcast is one of the best things I got going on. Basically, it’s a really stimulating conversation with people that inspire me! Musicians, skateboarders, entrepreneurs...we talk about everything. It’s pretty funny and moving at the same time. Its my own deal. I have some cool sponsors that back the podcast. World Industries is one of the sponsors. I contribute to World in many ways, not just being a pro skateboarder. I try to kick in help wherever I can. On top of that I run my own clothing brand, “All I Need” apparel. You can peep it at www.allineedskate.com We have an epic team. The pro’s are myself and Nick Dompierre. The two AM’s are Billy Drowne and Corey Goonan. MG: Thank you for your time, Anthony. Any shout out’s, thank you’s or no thank you’s, you want to put out there? AS: I would like to thank anyone who wakes up and continues to pursue their dreams regardless of the odds. It inspires me to continue my mission. Do what you love no matter what!!! You have one life, so go hard!!!
8 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
Eric Barrera Ollie [p] Sam McKenna
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 9
Joseph Delgado SW Crook [p] Corn Photo
10 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
Nolan Lee Frontboard [p] Corn Photo
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 11
Tim Nichols
Five-OH! [p] Buddy Bleckley
Nate Greenwood Gap Back Lip [p] Rob Collins
12 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
Angel Fonseca Back Five-O [p] Sam McKenna
Jay Brown
Kickflip [p] Jimmy Collins
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 13
Letters from the Inside Words: Bruce King
New Administration and Bad Press This camp has a bit of a laissez-faire reputation. In the past, wardens would turn over every two years, along with the administrative staff who worked under them. Such was policy. This practice has been relaxed recently, perhaps due to a lack of qualified applicants (who knows). Finally, however, after a long haul with the previous, we have a new administration. There could not be a worse time for an incident to garner media attention. As Murphy’s Law dictates, “Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” Last week, a state trooper spotted an inmate in his greens meeting up with a car along the highway. The trooper flashed her lights
contraband found in the trunk of the female driver’s car, they refer to a gallon bag of white powder. The natural implication here is that the couple was running drugs (specifically) cocaine) into the camp. More than likely, the bag contained creatine, a legal health supplement that some guys use in association with working out. Referring to the “powder” gives the impression of more dramatic debauchery taking place, thus a more sensational story. I can only speculate on the likelihood that he had a ski mask on – not likely as the incident occurred during the morning. I know the inmate in question and he was not a stupid individual. Plus, we don’t have ski masks, only ski caps. He may have cut eyeholes into a cap, but once again, not likely. As for the wire, the inmate in question was not a violent man. He was one of the most solemn and austere
At that point, the inmate jumped out of the car and high-tailed it through the woods. The trooper proceeded to call the prison and we were called to our bunks for an emergency count. and the driver of the car took off for a short distance before finally pulling over. At that point, the inmate jumped out of the car and high-tailed it through the woods. The trooper proceeded to call the prison and we were called to our bunks for an emergency count. By that time, the inmate was back in his bunk, present and accounted for. Unfortunately, the young girl driving the car cracked and gave up all necessary info. The local and national media got a hold of it, at which point the spin was on. One local article made the inmate in question sound like the biggest menace to society since the Son of Sam. The information that the paper claimed that they got from the police report said that the inmate got out of the car wearing a ski mask and walked towards the female trooper wielding a wire wrapped around his hand in an intimidating fashion. Accompany such an image with alluding to the fact that the inmate may have been an escapee from the medium facility below and you’ve got a hell of a news story to make the public panic. The news articles in both title and text referred to the inmate as an escapee. In reality, the inmate had not “escaped”. He was on an excursion and had no intention of running away. According to the guidebook, it is unlikely that he will be charged with escape. Also, when reporting the potential
people that I’ve ever met. What’s a guy gonna do against an armed trooper? As I said, he may have made a bad choice the day in question, but he’s not stupid. The general public doesn’t realize that camps exist. They are scared shitless of the idea of convicted felons not being kept behind a monumental security system, as they imagine us all to be the crazed villains depicted in the aforementioned news story. Thus, they are likely up in arms at the possibility of a criminal “escaping” the chains that bind him. In actuality, fenceless camps are tests for inmates that seem worthy of some moderate level of trust and freedom. As with all tests, it is not unheard of that some fail. Making this determination of trustworthiness is in part the reason for camps like this. An event like this and the consequential media coverage isn’t exactly desirable to a new warden. This guy seems like a no bullshit fella, and our camp specifically has a bit of a laissez-faire reputation. Naturally, due to this, he’s bringing the hammer down and things are changing around here. Yet I’ve no hard feelings towards him. The media, on the other hand, I hold in extreme contempt for spreading fear through their sensationalism. Yet another obstacle to the felon trying to reassimilate back into society.
14 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
Caleb des Cognets Kickflip [p] Camden Moriarty
Alex Duke
Wallride [p] Sam McKenna
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 15
Ben Skrzypek Back Smith [p] Blair Alley
16 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
John COYNE INTERVIEW words Tony Le photo’s Buddy Bleckley
Tony Le: So, what are you doing tomorrow morning? John Coyne: Tonight, I’m drinking but in the morning I have to be sober. I can’t blow a .01 in the morning because I have a DOT test. TL: What is a DOT test? JC: They check your eyes, your ears... TL: Well what is it for? JC: For a job that I gotta get back that I collected off for 15 months, ‘cause I’m a pile of shit, haha. TL: What does “D.O.T” stand for?? JC: I don’t even know…I just have that test. Whats MCATS?? Like, fuck, who tells you that??? But like I got a DOT test in the morning and I can’t blow a point .01 in the morning. I can’t be drinking too long. TL: Do you know what the MA limit is? JC: The MA limit is .08 if your 21 - if your under that it’s .02 and I just need…no matter what…I can’t blow .01 in the morning. So I have to stop drinking. TL: And what time is it right now? JC: 11:50 TL:…and we are all fucking sauced… JC: I’m gonna get my job back, gonna be a shithead after. I’m gonna smoke weed…I’m gonna do it all after tomorrow. But I gotta pass this. Alright, so Coyne convinced me to get in his truck and go to the next bar and it’s 12am, it’s still early, ummm, hopefully we don’t get a DUI. TL: So do you do this often? JC: Almost every night…I do. This is what I’m about. I’m not gonna be a pussy.
named…years before. JC: Well, honestly it wasn’t me, it was Pat Gleason. He started calling them Hoof because of Hoofbite in CKY2K, he does a frontside noselide and then he does the worst one ever and he’s like, “That’s a hoof!” Gleason said that and everyone…in the Northeast knows it as Hoof. Go to any motherfucker. This is pretty sketchy right now. Coyne is not driving between the lines and cops are everywhere. TL: So Nick Lamarche just called me and asked me to ask Coyne about the Tom Petty concert. Can you elaborate please? JC: Alright, man…this was a rough night…I started off, I drank a $3.75 bottle of SoCo and probably in about 45minutes to an hour, killed it, on the ride to the concert. Drank that, got to the concert drank probably like 10 beers before I had a blunt. There was people next to us with vodka so I was smoking a blunt whatever TL: Wait, at the show? JC: At the show, in the parking lot whatever. Pre gaming smoking a blunt and the dude next to me was like, “You can drink as much vodka as you want - let us rip that.” SW Front Shuv and I was like “OK”, haha. Let [p] Buddy Bleckley a couple kids rip it, two kids and I just went and I drank a shitload of vodka. Went into the concert…was feeling good. My Morning Jacket played first and then, ah, Petty played second and then when Petty started playing I didn’t feel so well, haha. I started puking in the aisle, called some girl a cunt and then ummm…
TL: You know what? Fuck it. What’s up with this HUF tattoo? Hoof? JC: Hoof. C’mon dude, smarten up.
TL: Wait, what led up to the word cunt coming out? JC: Vodka! And vodka happened, called her a cunt…. whatever and since fucking I puked in the concert they had to take me in an ambulance because they didn’t know if I fucking hit my head, hahaha, so I fuckin, I went to the hospital and I started bugging out. Like freaking out on everyone…I stood up, I tried to leave and they ended up handcuffing me to the bed with both my arms so I couldn’t get out of the hospital bed, because…I was just drunk. I was fine. I was a friendly drunk but these people…ahhh, fuck ‘em man. Fuck ‘em.
TL: My pronunciation is not on par. Hoof. Yo, watch out for that fucking cop over there. But anyways, Hoof. How do you have the balls to name a trick that’s already been
TL: Alright, now that we’ve gotten that story in there, umm, I was informed of a certain event where you drank a little too much and got a breathalyzer , umm….
TL: Don’t run that red light. JC: I’m not gonna run that light. I’m a good drunk driver. I’ve been drinking and driving since I was 18.
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 17
Front Nose [p] Buddy Bleckley what the fuck happened, hahah??? JC: Well, the thing is I didn’t get a breathalyzer, we have our own cause, it’s fucking hilarious. TL: What do you mean get your own? Who has there own? JC: Mont took it from his house, ‘cause Mont’s dad has one…and it’s just fucking hilarious to do so…whatever. TL: Wait, why does Mont’s dad have a fucking breathalyzer? JC: Cause Mont’s Dad is a complete alcoholic. He has his own breathalyzer, we were shitfaced and we had it at the house. We drank all night, drank until 6 in the morning, woke up at noon, I blew a breathalyzer at noontime and I blew a .11 and the legal limit is .08, haha. And this has happened probably…every weekend. I usually do .07, .06 but that weekend I killed it!!! TL: So I hear your into hunting? How did you get into it? I hear you have an extensive collection. JC: Ok, Ok, we’ll ahhh, talk animals first. I got four bucks, two does, I got a coyote, two fox, and I got a raccoon. TL: Do you think you track down a buck? Do you think you can track down an animal? JC: Actually, the last dear I shot…I tracked him... TL: I mean like before you shot him. JC: Nah, I’m not a fuckin, some fuckin military crazy ass…. TL: So you couldn’t survive a fucking zombie apocalypse?? JC: Time out….I still have a flip phone - fuck all of you guys, hahah.
TL: Alright, alright, so when you shot that raccoon did he look you in the eyes and tell you, “Your a bitch.” ? JC: Nah, I blasted him in the dome and he rolled on the ground . That’s all. That was the end of that thing. TL: So how did you get into hunting? JC: Me and Clem had fucking pellet guns and we did that for like a year. I wanted to get my gun license and he was like, “No, keep shooting pellet guns” like a little fucking…coward and I just decided to fuckin get my gun license and we just went an did that and since then I’ve just been hunting animals…deer, turkey. I got two furs at home, I tried to do the first one myself. TL: Speaking of furs - what’s your opinion of Pete Moulton and his new enthusiasm for rodents? JC: Pete Moulton is the best dude I know. Like fuck everyone else but Pete. That’s how I feel about him. TL: Umm, so how do you feel about Currency skateboards and how they never offered you anything? JC: I mean Currency never offered me anything but I got one on my wall. Boom! TL: You love puking? JC: Oh, I love it. I puked today. I puked at 4 o’clock. I ate a Moe’s burrito today at about three o’clock and I puked at 4 on purpose. I tried to puke on one of my friends feet. TL: Alright, back to skateboarding… JC: Fuck skateboarding… TL: Alright, what do you have for firearms? JC: I’m strapped, if the world ends come to me mutha fuckas, I got two 12 gauges, I got a 20 gauge, two .43s I got a 17 MHR I got a .22 WM , I got a fuckin AK-47, two .50 caliber muzzle loaders, I have three bows…
18 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
If you SEE something, SKATE something
words & photo’s CMART
A conversation with founder and president, Ian. CMART: What inspired you to do this? IAN: I have been living and skating here for 12 years now. The idea didn’t really hit me until 2001. That’s when the MTA was cracking down on the anti-terrorism act. They were putting up a lot of ads stating, “If you see something, say something” and pushing it so hard. Every time you entered the subway you would hear it or see it in the cars or on the banners on the subway stops. The slogan was everywhere. That slogan was basically telling the people to take right. It didn’t start as a political thing but it definitely started as a street skateboarding thing. I have always been into street art and wheat pasting and I was doing wheat pasting a lot by then. So this came pretty naturally. I had this idea kicking around “If you see something, skate something.” It seemed so easy and I asked myself why hasn’t anyone done this yet. I had the idea for a year and I didn’t have a job at the time so I was like, “Fuck it.” Let’s do it. CMART: What was the first thing you did? IAN: I started making posters and wheat pasting them around. The original mission was to go put them up at all the spots in NYC and is still an ongoing mission. The DIY spots are what inspired me most. For example the BQE spot was one of the first spots I hit up because people made it themselves and really goes with the whole idea. If you see it, skate it. Tell your friends about it. Not being spot hoarders. Not like surfers and there secret spots. It’s really about skateboarding. It’s about getting the word out, get people
talking and get people skating. CMART: Have you had a good response? IAN: People are getting hyped on it. Because it’s such a New York thing (the MTA slogan) It’s so recognizable for New Yorker’s and especially if you skate. You get it right away. No one knew it was me for such a long time and it was crazy the response I got.
a bad name.”
CMART: Any negative responses or encounters? IAN: No negative responses from skaters or people. But I did get a “Cease and Desist” letter from the head of the MTA. They got my info from the website and the guy called me up. He asked me if I did these posters and I told him “Nah man, I just did the website. It’s not me man.” He responds, “Well, we want you to stop selling posters and t-shirts because its subverting our anti-terrorism campaign and it’s giving us
CMART: Why did they call? IAN: The reason why they called… I started putting posters in the subways and in the subway stops. And that’s why they called. Correct me if I’m wrong, there was nothing illegal about the posters because there is no MTA or NYPD logo in there. They said, “Yeah, there isn’t but if we wanted to push it we could.” I said I would pass on the message but I didn’t do shit. I never heard from them again. I just stopped putting them in the subway. I talked to a lawyer and she said there was nothing that legally could get me into trouble. So then I copywrited it.
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 19
CMART: Ever been caught.? IAN: I never got caught putting up posters but I did get caught putting up stickers. I put up two stickers in Williamsburg and this sick 300m pulled up on the curb and four undercovers pulled up with there guns. They arrested me for putting up stickers. I got put in Central Booking. Spent the night. I got 5 days community service and I was like, “Hell no.” So I pushed it back and then it got reduced to 1 day. Which was like whatever. I prolly only did 45 mins of service, haha. CMART: What’s in the future? IAN: I started on the SF campaign not too long ago. They have a BART sign which says, “Bomb Watch”. So I made this poster called, “BOMB HILLS.” Two huge eyes and a huge hill. It’s pretty cool. The main goal for the “Skate something” campaign was the website. To make the first fully interactive map of all the DIY spots in NYC. Starting in NYC as the core and going from there. The map is underway and has been going strong for the last year now. It allows people to go on there, see skate spots and add spots themselves. It’s like a community and there are a lot more features that are coming up so be ready. CMART: Have you ever wanted to do a print version?? IAN: We were going to do it but there are so many spots coming and going, we just didn’t know if it was the right thing to do. But we might do one for the parks and that could be a more secure map. I think we will still do it. We have decks that we want to get printed and more shirts and stuff. Just need some more dough. That’s what the skate site is for - to generate more income so we can do more of these products and create more t-shirts and stuff and to develop the map. We are releasing our new site this week. It has a full on store, shop page, news and media and e-mail list while the map is being developed. The website is for our online shop. We also carry our stuff at blades, Tre-Truck, Skate Brooklyn and NBKC and a couple other shops in the mix. CMART: Shout outs thank you? IAN: Shred Labs Crew, Skate Brooklyn, Tre-Truck, Step Dad Mag, all the locals that rep SS the hardest and the NYPD for making it happen.
20 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
Kevin Hammond
Pole Jam [p] Michael Cirelli
Fred Gall
Wallride [p] Chris Martin
Jacob Jackmauh Kickflip [p] Wes Cunningham
Summer Fall 2013 2012 | Step Dad | 21
Fabi Michel Front Smith [p] Jon Wolf
Taylor Spinney Ben Cironi Backlip Backside Flip [p] [p] WesSam Cunningham McKenna
22 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
THE HOMESTRETCH words by Taylor Garrett
Sometime’s it’s hard to find a warm bed in a cold world. You knew what was going to happen. Don’t lie. You knew as that last shot of whiskey passed your lips that you were about to regress to the level of subhuman. Upon swallowing you notice that your ability to form sentences has been revoked, that’s a blessing in disguise. You try to turn to your friends and give a clever farewell but all that emerges
for them. In a city of street vultures something as seemingly benign as a pack of cigarettes can be grounds for a vicious assault, take all necessary precautions to ensure your bones don’t get picked clean. At about half way home you realize that every object you pass is fair game for ignorant vandalism, this is very important. Any anger you’ve repressed can safely emerge on the back windshield
“You knew as that last shot of whiskey passed your lips that you were about to regress to the level of subhuman.” is a series of grunts and belches that are more befitting some type of mutant rather than a “civilized” human being. You compose yourself enough to slide off your stool and into the cool summer breeze. Your face falls into an expression of urgency as you realize you only have yourself to rely upon to get home. No cabs, no friends, nothing. Just you, and you’re fucked. But fear not, my jaded friend, we’ve all made this walk before and we’ll continue to make it again until we invariably die of liver failure. You make your way in the vague direction of home and your last three cigarettes may as well be blood diamonds because at this point you’re willing to sacrifice your own limbs
of somebodies cute little Prius, or the storefront of some useless specialty shop. The bottom line is that these things wouldn’t present themselves to you in this state if you weren’t meant to deface them. You stumbled past a group of crusty gutter kids, they tell you, you aren’t real, you mutter something that might be really profound if it weren’t just drunk bullshit, you’re almost home but the hatred is all consuming. There’s your front door. It’s obscured by liquor but that’s the one, you’re sure of it. You fumble with your keys. A task that normally takes eight seconds takes four minutes. There’s your bed, welcome to blackout.
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 23
TJ SCHICK INTERVIEW words and photo by Michael Cirelli
TJ Schick is a really normal guy. He went to college and has a stable job, kills it both in the street and on transition, so for the sake of entertainment he is going to answer the following questions as if he was a complete psycho... But he’s really not... or is he? Michael Cirelli: How many cars have you stolen in your life? TJ Schick: I accidentally stole a chair the other day, indirectly at least. I mean I noticed the cashier missed it and I could have done the right thing, but I didn’t. It was overpriced so I felt more like I was avoiding a robbery than performing one. MC: What is your favorite malt liquor? TJS: I think I’ve had old English before, I guess that’s pretty much a cop out answer though MC: How much beer can you drink in one sitting? TJS: I can probably drink a six pack but I’ll be hung over from two if I’m being honest. I think I have an allergy, haha. MC: Who do you skate for? TJS: Bodega skateboards, Team Phun, Skate Lair, Brick wheels (Blue Collar Crew), I was getting shoes through a rep at Converse for a while but I was too awkward to ask for them. I do appreciate it but I don’t know if I can say I ride for
them in good conscience. MC: What are your favorite places to skate? Hurricane [p] Michael Cirelli
TJS: I’m so thankful for Chelsea Piers and everybody who skates there! Same goes for the Wednesday vert nights at Oil City. Lately, it’s been Stamford for me, gotta love having a Grind Line 2 exits from work. I can’t claim local status but Groton skatepark is my favorite in terms of terrain. It blows my mind that it isn’t more well known.
MC: Who the hell is Oscar from Bodega and why is his last name so long? It has the whole god damn alphabet in it!! TJS: Haha! Oscar is one of a dying breed! He’s secretly got the best back smith I’ve ever seen. He puts so much power into his skating on vert. He’s been a big influence on me in that respect. He may not be growing bodega into an international brand, but he has kept it genuine which I respect a lot- you won’t see him cash in on a trend. Or At least he hasn’t so far.
24 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
EYENINE Interview By: Bruce King
The entirety of the mid-90s belonged to the Wu-Tang Clan. There were few arenas in which their fame did not factor. The urban contingent was all rocking their Wu-Wear, and you’d go to hardcore shows and see kids with mohawks and Wu-Tang tees. Wu-Tang Hard Goods was a company that sold Wu themed skate decks, and regardless of the team, you could hardly find a skate video that didn’t have a track by someone affiliated with the Clan. Ol’ Dirty Pebbles was even the world’s hottest breakfast cereal...okay, it wasn’t, but it should’ve been. Fast forward 20 years and the Wu is still a factor, and not in an exclusively nostalgic sense. They still headline tours as a whole and as individual members, and continue to put out new material. With the help of Quentin Tarantino, Wu mastermind The RZA just directed and released the major motion picture “The Man With the
“Originally, there was a CD that came out in Sweden called Beats, Breaks and Big Smiles vol. 2 it had me, it had Eyedea, Kristoff Krane, Bleubird, Witness, etc. When they mailed me my copy, I heard Face Candy (Eyedea, Kristoff, Carnage). I hit up Kristoff on his Myspace and he responded saying “Hey man, I checked out your music, if you have any interest in having Eyedea on your album I could introduce you to him.” After a few email exchanges, the ideas for the song were underway. Eyedea recorded his part while he was making “By The Throat” with DJ Abilities and for my part, before the Flyrock Records days, I had a studio set up in my room and I recorded my part there. The beat was made by Dynamo414 from Sweden.” Despite a nontraditional approach, his sound is clearly hip-hop, “There’s usually one song on the CDs I have that are more hip hop oriented, like “No Morning” on
“Wu Tang had a show the night before in Portland, RZA and Daddy-O came to Rap Night because they were still in the area and walked in during my set.” Iron Fists.” One reason for their longevity is that RZA continues to expand the fam’, and offer new sounds to introduce to their established and growing. Enter Eyenine, hailing from New Hampshire and living the dream held by so many youths over the past 20 years, becoming a Wu affiliate. I caught up with him fresh off tour with RZA and preparing to open in Portland, Maine for Talib Kweli. I asked him how he ended up connecting “Wu Tang had a show the night before in Portland, RZA and Daddy-O came to Rap Night because they were still in the area and walked in during my set. Once I was done he had someone come get me and I spoke to him, briefly gave him my number which he then lost so he called the venue the next day and got it, and called me.” Today Michael Gene Dionne (aka Eyenine) is represented by Real Hood Music and has a new album that was recorded by engineers from the 36 Chamber’s studio. He just completed another tour, this time with the prolific Genius/GZA. That’s where the similarities to the Wu seem to end. Unlike Remedy, The Watchmen, Cilvaringz, or many of countless artists who can lay claim to the Wu Flag, Eyenine’s sound is not rooted in the traditional Wu sound. It more closely resembles the sound of the current underground scenes represented by Providence’s Strange Famous Records or Minnesota’s Rhymesayers. In fact on his last record he was fortunate enough to record a track with the now deceased but never forgotten Minneapolis legend, Eyedea.
“The Insomnia Sessions” or like “Caught” on “Afraid to Dream.” Yet Eyenine’s influences extend far beyond rap. “I listen to very little hip-hop actually, I listen to a lot of punk, ska and rock music.” He’s also been fortunate to be embraced by nontraditional hip-hop audiences. “I’ve never been a skater or snowboarder personally but do feel embraced by the culture. I’ve done shows at skate parks and With such a background, seeing him in the position to be heard by a larger audience is exciting for those of us who know what he has to offer. His new EP entitled “Dissembler” will be released late July. “I went down to North Carolina to record. The Wu people came over and helped with the engineering process. El Shupacabra (who regularly plays the role as touring DJ) did all the beats, Spose, Dilly Dilly and Chris Moulton from The Cambiata/ Policewomanwithfangs do some guest vocals.” He’s also been remixing some of his favorite tracks with God.Damn.Chan and El Shupacabra and rereleasing them. He is first on deck to do a track for “16 Bars and Stripes” a project that I myself am organizing under the moniker “Incarca” with the intention of raising awareness around the prison industrial complex. With so much happening so quickly it’s easy to feel like he’s already fully formed, but even in recent days he’s still evolving thanks to good guidance from hip hop vets. “I was so focused on creation initially, but on the last tour RZA, DJ Skane, Supernatural and their managers were giving me and Shupe tips to improve our performance. Skane was like, “when you started this you guys were just some local act but now you’re professionals.””
Brandon Cole
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 25
Front Tail [p] Matt Boron
Alex Ullman BS Noseblunt [p] Jon Wolf
Mike Berdis
Front Smith [p] Ashley Rosemeyer
26 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
Howie Hohen
Front Five-O [p] Mike Greenwood
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 27
Devin Colon Backside Air Camden Moriarty
Summer 2013 | Step Dad | 29
I was pondering in the bathroom, alone, the other night. Post puke - mid shit, “Why the fuck am I here? Why the fuck is my ass bleeding?” Then it hits me. I ride a skateboard. I’m 32 and a fucking drunk. Not because of A.I.D.S, which I’m kind of sure I don’t have - depending on if you have asked, if I have been tested but every chick seems to ask after the fact. The point of writing this is remembering the times I’ve been asked after the fact. I went “Harpooning” one night (finding the fattest sack of fuck you can) turned on the charm, bought her a burger and I was in. I brought her chubby ass back to her place, of course, stomped through her cats and teddy bears, open bottle of whiskey in hand. Without even taking her clothes off I’m jerking off (half hard) - can’t push a rope. Gotta try something. Get her fatty ass pants off, no tits, just straight for it. She stops and says, “I’m on my rag.” Fuck that, any good dude knows to dumptruck the sow’s leather cheerio. BAM! After a minute or two of eating what tastes like sweaty change, I flip her over and drill her shitpipe. After about 3 or so minues, I bust. She’s pissed. I head to the shit closet, look in the mirror, my face looks like Ronald McDonald, my cock looks like Gary Coleman an she’s pissing and moaning in the background. “Get the fuck up. Take a shower”, I say.”Fuck, do you have anything?” she responds. “No, I got tested yesterday!”, “You promise?” she asks. “Fuck yeah!” I tell her. “Ok, I had so much fun!”, “Me too, you’re fuckin’ rad! Take a shower hun!” “Ok!” she says. I take $40 out of her purse and jam the fuck out, with the stink of period blood and farts in my wake. Long story short, get as scum as you can! - Ralph Murphy
Ralph Murphy Hurricane [p] Chris Degrace
30 | Step Dad | Summer 2013
Why am I Such a MISFIT? words by J. Hazelett Five tee shirts. Ten pairs of socks. Six pairs of shorts. Toothbrush, soap, shampoo and two towels. I was packing for camp in the summer of ’97. Tomorrow, I was going up to New Hampshire and three weeks of working on the camp staff. Three weeks of being disconnected from the world. But that was tomorrow. Tonight, I was going to the punk show of a lifetime. With school over for the year, my friends and I began the summer by causing mischief in Harvard Square; it was our haunt, with the bums, junkies and runaways. It was on our stroll up Mass Ave. that we discovered a poster on the window of a record store. THE MISFITS! The Misfits were coming to Cambridge. They were playing the Middle East. Two nights of the MISFITS and I could see at least one! AH! As quickly as we could get through the door, our money was quickly exchanged for tickets to this show of epic proportions. Giddy, we spent the rest of the next two days listening to the band’s coffin-shaped box set on repeat until everyone around us was surely sick of ghosts and ghouls and fiends and the like. The opening act was Boston’s own Dropkick Murphys. I don’t mean banjoes and pipers, covering Irish tunes, modern day Pogues, costing $25 plus to see them. No, what I mean is the Mike McColgan, circle pits, Barroom Heroes, Boston Punks and Skins playing every weekend for $5 Dropkick Murphys. In those days, they were kings of the scene and playing with the Misfits, new line up or not, was surely the proof of that. They ended the set with, “Skinhead on the MBTA”; chaos enveloped the sparse crowd, but that did not stop them from enjoying every second of it. D Generation was the opener for the national tour. I don’t really remember them. The club cleared out for the majority of the cliché rock label punk riddled set. I had to look up their work to even comment on it. Their radio hit, “No Way Out” called out for Iggy Pop, but somehow lost its own way. It is too obvious they rode the coattails of the Green Days and Rancids of the world to sell albums. This was a welcomed break for us. We still had time to find a bum somewhere outside the club to get us some 40s and to guzzle those 40s down in some alley way in Central Square, hidden from cops and bouncers alike. As they cleared the stage, you could feel the anticipation building as the room quickly filled. The Middle East Downstairs is a fairly large venue. The number of times I have seen that place with wall to wall people can be counted on one hand. If you want to see pictures of this phenomenon, just look up the infamous Blood for Blood show where dudes were walking on heads. When the lights in the room went dark, my mind screamed as everyone in the room did. Drums began to thump.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! Then a guitar wailed and the bass jumped in and away we went. Michale Graves grabbed the microphone, bellowing into hit after hit. Accompanying the ghoulish music, a pit erupted around me and I found myself surrounded by other fiends, fists and combat boots flying every which way. Somewhere during “All Hell Breaks Loose” or maybe “Ghouls Night Out”, all the beer I sucked down suddenly needed to come back out. I was in the bathroom for milliseconds, my bladder knowing full well that I was missing precious moments of Misfits. Exiting the restrooms, I was immediately stopped by the wall of people spilling into the area often used for merch and chitchat. My brain quickly worked out the only course of action to get to the front of the room: Crowd Surf! This was a different time in Boston music history. This is before the Patriots incident at the ‘Dise that led to a giant barrier on the Middle East stage. This was before an almost complete ban in mosh pits and slam dancing. This was before the doors closed at the Rat. This was when VFW, Elks and American Legion Halls reluctantly accepted the afternoon punk show. I stepped back to get a little running space and when I saw the first kid bend over slightly, I took off. Using the poor bastard as a spring board, I was in the air and, on hands, was carried off into the night. It was one of the most thrilling experiences, riding my way through the room. Suddenly, the stage was looming closer and closer and without warning or ceremony, up and over I went crashing on the stage. I stood up only to have a bouncer grab me firmly and toss me back into the crowd. The crowd accepted my scrawny punk ass and after a brief tour of the room, I was plopped right back on stage. This time I had the good sense to remove myself. Jumping into the air, I was back in the surf and circling the room for the third time. Then the stage came right up under me for the final time. Just when I thought the bouncers had enough from me, I felt an arm around me. Singer Michale Graves had put an arm over my shoulder and was singing in the mic, “Texas is an outrage when your husband is dead/Texas is an outrage when they pick up his head/ Texas is the reason that the President’s dead!” And with a “You gotta suck, Suck, Jackie Suck,” I was tossed back into the crowd. The rest of the night just washed away in a blur. Little memories like my skater friend, George, going on and on about all the punk shows he was going to go to now that the “Misfits had broken his cherry.” I never did go to another show with George, but I did see the Misfits four more times in college. Each time with another set of good friends with equally exhilarating stories, but those are for another day.