Swimmer's Ear Magazine #15

A Whisper in the noise The Hang ups jamiel nowparvar four letter lie The Umbrella Sequence Earthology Records november Snowboards

issue 15

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SATURDAY, DEC. 25TH: CLOSED FOR X-MAS DECEMBER 27TH - 29TH: MONDAY - WEDNESDAY WINTER BREAK CAMP #2 TIME: STARTS AT 9:00 AM JUNE 10TH - 12TH, 2005: DAMN AM SKATEBOARD CONTEST

Swimmer’s

ear 2004

issue fifteen

november

editors chris pernula adam sever

contributors ashley brookins Kimberly brown blake carson laura pernula maria schmitt Dave Lehl

On the cover: Jeff Meyer photo: Dave Lehl, courtesy of winter park Here: The black dahlia murder photo: Kimberly brown contact us: P.O. Box 2076 maple grove, mn 55311 swimmersearmag@yahoo.com

MEMO:

Manditory Party Photos

There has been an evil trend plaguing the pages of nearly every boarding magazine I have come across in the past couple of years. That trend, my friends, is the party photo. The party photo never appears alone. It is always accompanied by ten, twenty, or 1,000 similar pictures, sometimes taking up an entire two-page spread.

The party photo usually coincides with a brief, half-assed paragraph on a video premiere, gallery opening, or contest afterparty. Sometimes there’s no text at all, just a bunch of images of redeyed, shiny-faced no names with a drink in one hand and the other around a companion in true “I love you, man” drunkard fashion. If they do have a free hand it’s always giving a totally cool gesture, such as the shaka brah, the devil horns, or the ultra-rebellious middle finger.

The party photo gives you a chance to see your favorite pro outside the realm of their respective sport. It gives hope to those who look up to professionals in admiration. You may not be as talented on a board, but you can definitely get as hammered as the pros if you put your mind to it.

Maybe even more hammered! If the subject in the photo isn’t an athlete, it’s usually a person no one has any interest in seeing, like a team manager, a videographer, or someone’s girlfriend. Last year Snowboarder Magazine featured some photos from an X-Games afterparty, one of which was of the rapper Coolio. Coolio? What the hell. Is it 1995?

Who invited him to an X-Games party? Who would invite Coolio to ANY party? It was as if someone had purchased a digital camera earlier that day and was a little too anxious to try it out and get their money’s worth.

Images of drunk people aren’t exactly top priority when I’m looking for a good read. I can see them pretty much any weekend. Sometimes weekdays. It’s really nothing new.

But I guess if you’ve got a few extra pages to fill or if someone backed out on an ad deal, there’s really no other alternative.

Next time we’ve got some space, we’ll be sure to include pics of people you’ve never met, puking on each other with dopey grins on their faces.

Variance

Red Hot Media-on-Media Action 2004. Elizabeth, New Jersey Top Photos: Ashley Brookins Bottom Photos: Chris Pernula

Strike Anywhere

As I Lay Dying

Shadows Fall

Get your dance on

Dunc Gets Tweaked

By Gary Paulsen Dell Publishing This is a story about two best friends, Dunc and Amos, who constantly argue like an old married couple. When they’re not bickering with one another, they’re making up, holding hands (seriously) and complementing each other with phrases like “You’re tremendous at everything you do.” So anyway, Amos has a cousin named Lash, who’s a pro skater from San Diego. Of course, the author makes Lash a mindless skateboarder who can barely put together a sentence. And when his sunsoaked brain does manage to put his thoughts into speech, it comes out

as one word Ninja Turtle crap like boned, rad, tripping, tubular, and of course, tweak. Lash has a totally awesome prototype board with frictionless bearings, but some thieves in raincoats steal it and the real action begins. Dunc, Amos, and Lash set out to find the board and to win the Skateboard National Open. Along the way, parrots shit on people and monkeys make out with innocent youth (see cover illustration of monkey grabbing crotch). A good book for kids. One thing that caught my attention was when the author described the windows of a run-down apartment as “holes in a corpse.” Gross. In retrospect, I would have been better off paying a fifth grader to read and review this for me. I just wasted 45 minutes of my life.

Loop is a Chicago-based distro run by Billy Roberts, an old classmate of mine. This is by far my favorite online distro. Each zine has a little review so you know what you’re getting yourself into. Click on the title of the zine and you get info on the author. Too cool. Loop offers a wide variety of zines on a multeity of topics with no shipping charges. Check it out at LoopDistro.com. Here are just a few that I have received...

American’t #5 Subtitled “Mostly About Girls,” this 80-page handwritten masterpiece by Seth Emily is a retrospective on every girl he’s ever been involved with, from elementary school all the way to his wife. For lack of better comparisons, it kinda reminded me of High Fidelity. Lots of wonderful stories, some humorous, some sad. But not too overly-emo, which you might expect from something on this subject matter.

I highly recommend this one if you’re considering buying something from the site.

Pee This features stories about peeing from several different writers. There are a few funny parts, but I was kind of hoping for more laughs considering the topic. The yellow cover is a nice touch. Speaking of pee stories, one night in the summer, all the kids in my neighborhood got together for a game of Ghost in the Graveyard. We were all gathered together under a tree in Ben Presley’s backyard.

Ben had been hiding in the tree and began peeing, hitting my neighbors Jeff and Cole. Cole looked up and got pee on his face. Everyone screamed and ran and I just fell over laughing.

Tight Pants #10 I don’t know Madeleine, but she seems like a very interesting person. Lots of exclamation points and silly illustrations give off a fun, energetic feel to this zine, along with the fact that she likes cereal and sour gummi candies. Reading her stories kind of made me want to meet her in person. I imagine running into her at Extreme Noise. She’s buying hair dye and I’m looking for an Ela CD. Being that she’s such a friendly character, I’m completely at ease with approaching her. I tell her how much I enjoy her zine, and she admits that not only has she never even heard of mine, she probably wouldn’t read it if I mailed her a copy. Being in a record store, our conversation ultimately leads to music, wherein she discovers that I’m less into punk , more into indie rock. Her inviting smile quickly sours as she explains that she’s late for a bus and has to be on her way. Moments later I see her driving west on Lake Street and I wonder to myself why she would need the bus if she has a car. Damn, even my fantasies end up rejecting me.

The Adventures of Eustacia H. Cow If you didn’t know the author of this strange zine, you’d think it was created by either a kindergartner or an insane person. This is a story about a cow and a toaster. They’re in love. They go shopping in Antarctica. The cow buys the toaster an igloo made out of frozen boogers. And it goes on from there. I don’t want to spoil the ending for you. The drawings are just as absurd as the text.

The Life & Times of Sheldon Grubs #1 Sheldon Grubs is a funny guy. He collects fake dog poop, and owns over 1,000 pieces from across the globe. When he was a kid, he played with an Idaho potato and pretended it was a baby. His Aunt Rhoda used to be a fluffer, and his dad’s favorite phrase is “You do the math.”

Check this out to learn more about the life and times of Sheldon Grubs.

Tora!Tora!Torance @ The Uptown Bar Photo: Chris Pernula

Variance There’s a war inside of me Tegan and Sara “So Jealous” Vapor If I had to describe “So Jealous” in one word, it would be “infectious.” This is by far one of the catchiest albums I have heard in a long, long time. Every song sounds like it could be a single. There’s no filler.

It’s just one poppy tune after another. Each chorus will stick in your head and you’ll find yourself singing along and tapping your feet after only one or two listenings.

The Velvet Teen “Elysium” Slowdance I don’t listen to Radiohead or Coldplay but I can easily see bigger publications like those dicks over at Spin comparing this group to larger bands of that nature. I bought this CD for the song Forlorn, and it turns out the rest of the songs are pretty good too. Huh. The track Chimera Obscurant clocks in at a whopping twelve minutes and fifty seconds. If you like piano, check this out.

Not the band P:ano, the actual instrument. But since I mentioned it, check out P:ano while you’re getting this.

Rilo Kiley “More Adventurous” Brute/Beaute One day while vacuuming, I decided to do that six degrees of Kevin Bacon thing to see how easily I could link former child actors Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett.

After thinking about it for about 30 seconds it hit me. Most people remember Blake as Pinsky from Salute Your Shorts, but he was also on Boy Meets World with Ben Savage. Ben was in Little Monsters with his older brother Fred, who starred in the 1989 film The Wizard with Jenny Lewis.

There may be an even easier connection, but I thought that was pretty damn good considering I haven’t seen either of those movies in over ten years and I stopped watching Boy Meets World like... weeks ago.

I can imagine Blake and Jenny going out for drinks after a long day in the studio, having a few too many and totally ripping on the Savage brothers. Cracking jokes about their hair and awkward on-camera growth spurts, the pair would then start quoting their favorite lines from The Wonder Years, slurring tripe about Winnie Cooper or Paul and his nerd frames. “What was it like kissing Fred?” Blake will ask.

And Jenny will just do the finger-down-the-throat gagging motion while the two burst into uncontrollable laughter. Later, when things have calmed down a bit, Jenny will admit to feeling bad about poking fun at her former co-star. And Blake will confidently reply, “We can do whatever we want. We’re rock stars.” Damn straight, Blake.

Damn straight.

These Arms Are Snakes “Oxeneers or The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home” Jade Tree As a follow up to the 2003 “This is Meant to Hurt You” ep, TAAS have made a full length that is more original than most bands I’ve heard. These Arms Are Snakes don’t like to be lumped into one genre. I can’t compare them to any bands because the sound they make is so inventive. The only bad thing about this album is track number six, “Gadget Arms.” It’s nearly all instrumental and it seems like it drones on forever. And the fact that it’s eight minutes long doesn’t help. Every time I come to that song I skip over it. If you liked their ep, odds are you’re going to like “Oxeneers...”

Joan of Arc “Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain...”

Polyvinyl Records New band members, new label, new record. This is by far Joan of Arc’s most approachable album yet. If you have heard previous Joan of Arc albums, you know what I’m talking about. JOA’s previous albums had songs but they were not played in a typical song structure; they were often confusing and just plain difficult to listen to. “Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain...” is like previous Joan of Arc albums, but in a nice new wool sweater. Sure this CD sounds like past Joan of Arc, but that new wool sweater makes it look damn good.

Zycos “Zycos” Post Parlo Records When I first listened to this new album by Zycos, I didn’t much care for it. But as time went on and I listened to it over and over again I began to fall in love with this CD. I fell in love not only with the music but also with the CD itself. With it’s shiny plastic and slender frame, Zycos is what every man has searched for. We gazed at each other for hours one night, talking about what we could be if the world accepted our love for one another. It all would have worked out but my wife caught me and Zycos in an awkward situation under the bed sheets. I told her it’s not what she thinks, I was just listening to it, I swear. She kept calling me sick, and a perv, and told me over and over again that I needed help. She didn’t care. I told her to give it a listen and she would feel the same way I did about Zycos. She kicked me out of the house that night. But the strangest thing happened the next day. She called and told me she understood my love for such an album. Now we all live together, and sure it looks creepy when we hold hands in public, but at least we’re happy.

Son,Ambulance “Key” Saddle Creek “Key,” the new album from Joe Knapp’s Son, Ambulance can be described as a semi-epic piano driven, guitar supporting, intelligently written piece of work. Some of the songs are seven to eight minutes long, which may cause boredom for people with short attention spans. I’ve listened to the album a few times but it doesn’t seem very memorable. That doesn’t mean its not good, it’s just so long and it is a lot to take in. I suggest downloading one or two of his songs off his website, to test before you buy.

Voice in the Wire “Signals in Transmission” Eyeball Records The lyrics are great. Sounds like punk rock. The good kind. Reminds me of MPLS’s The Crush. Features Jason Shevchuk of Kid Dynamite and None More Black, and Chris #2 of Anti-Flag doing guest vocals on a few tracks. All around “Signals In Transmission” is a very solid rock album This band could easily be very popular if the right/wrong people heard this CD.

Blood Brothers “Crimes” V2 If you thought the vocals were high in “Burn Piano Island, Burn,” then you’re in for a surprise. This guy can scream so loud that it sounds like a female vocalist.

What you can expect from “Crimes” is the same spazztic rock that you heard on their last album, but a lot better.

I’ve seen Blood Brothers twice at the Triple Rock, and it was pretty much the exact same show both times. Hyperactivity and convulsions add up to an interesting live performance.

Harlots “The Woman You Saw is the Great City That Rules Over the Kings of the Earth” Feeling Faint Productions According to drummer Jeff Lohrber, the concept for this album deals with the natural destruction of society that occurs over a period of time. You can’t have a beginning of something without an end, and the music reflects the idea that you wouldn’t know what good experiences were if you didn’t have bad experiences to compare them to. The tracks switch back and forth from heavy and vicious to slow and melodic, so don’t skip around on the disc. Just listen all the way through from beginning to end. It will be worth it.

The Faint “Wet From Birth” Saddle Creek When I first heard this album, I was a little let down. All the hype and anticipation that had built up in the downtime after Danse Macabre had my expectations through the roof, so when the release date finally arrived I was kind of like “That’s it?” Fortunately, after several listens it grew on me, and I realized my first reaction was far too judgmental. “Wet From Birth” has that rock/electronic hybrid sound that so many bands have attempted to emulate but very few pull off without sounding like a new wave cover band. Their live show in the Mainroom was killer as always. The projections went haywire for a few minutes, but the band seemed more upset than the audience.

They just wanted to dance. And dance they did.

Valet “Life on the Installment Plan” 2024 I had this friend who was the funniest person I had ever met in my life. This kid was borderline insane. After knowing him for a couple of years, his attitude and personality did a total 180, as if his parents started slipping Ritalin into his meals. I never really figured out the true reason. I guess the weight of the world finally crushed his spirits. I hadn’t seen him in over a year until the CD release show at the Turf Club for Valet’s “Life on the Installment Plan.” I asked him what he’d been up to, and it turns out he’s a valet. How ironic. Valet’s sophmore release isn’t a vast departure from their previous sound, but they did put a lot more work into the production than on “The Glamor is Contagious.”

The Faint

Photo: Ashley Brookins

Variance

Autumn will show us the beauty of dying You Idiot #1-3 You Idiot is put together by Nate from the band Rivethead, and I can honestly say that it is my favorite zine. I picked up #2 and liked it so much I had to go back and buy the others. I have never laughed so much at anything in print. This is hilarious. The writing is witty and sarcastic, and the content is perfect for ridicule.

Nate examines such topics as anti-drug video games, comics, and commercials, celebrity albums, strange books, and a lot more. One of my favorite articles is Dollar Store Reviews, in which he takes a hard investigative look at the Godzilla Killer Key Chain and Magnetic Locker Lingo.

“Everyone knows it’s Swoosh as hell.” Check these out for a good laugh. Multiple laughs actually.

Pick Your Poison #1-4 This is Nate’s other zine. Unlike You Idiot, Pick Your Poison is mostly short stories about growing up. The majority of issues one and two involve his junior high and high school years, but there are a few more recent tales mixed in as well. Issue four is all about crappy jobs he had between the ages of 19 and 21, like Super America and temping at Pilsbury. I think anyone recently out of high school can relate to these tales about being confused and despondent, wondering what the next step is once you’re out in the “real world.” Issue three is my favorite. Nate picked words out of the dictionary and wrote short stories based off of those words. Each story is only a couple pages at the most, which makes it an easy read if you have a really short attention span or ADD. Take it with you and read a story while waiting for a bus, on your lunch break, or in the bathroom.

Nate Gangelhoff PO Box 8995 Minneapolis, MN 55408 www.pickyourpoison.net

Unarmed #47 Unarmed is an “adventurous poetry journal,” and features poems by people all over the US, along with a few from Canada and the UK. A lot of good work crammed into one tiny booklet. Send in a poem of your own and maybe you’ll see it in a future issue.

1405 Fairmount St. Paul, MN 55105 www.unarmedjournal.com

Industry #2 Industry is a full color, glossy, perfectbound magazine on the Twin Cities music, art, fashion, and culture scene. What sets it apart from normal magazines is that it’s a quarter-size publication, making it the most portable mag since The Journal. Issue one didn’t really grab my attention but number two is packed with good stuff. It’s got an interview with artist George Thompson, a short conversation with Slug, an I-Pod commentary with Mike Munzenrider, and a lot more. They’re free all over the place, so pick one up. www.industrympls.com

Into The Void #2 This is a short zine out of Duluth. It’s a quick 16 pages, four of which are CD reviews. There’s also a couple vegan recipes, some photos, and some writing about art. The purpose and motivation is there, so it can only get better with future issues. One thing I found funny but probably shouldn’t was the section where he thanks people under the headline “Cheers to:” followed by the headline “Fuck you to:” and at the top of the Fuck You list was “The deer that ran into me.” He’s obviously referring to an accident involving a car, but the first mental image I got was a deer on it’s hind legs actually running into him, maybe while jogging or in a crowded mall. I need sleep.

Not A Puppet 16 W. 58th Ave. N. Duluth, MN 55807

Duckbox #1 Duckbox has the classic cut & paste look to it with a thicker stock for the cover, which means you can whip it around the room or let a car slam on it’s brakes while driving over it and it will remain resilient. The main feature in this issue is an interview with Jawbreaker drummer Adam Pfahler.

Did you know that his favorite movies are The Wizard of Oz, Blade Runner, and The Bad News Bears? Now you do! If you’re at a party and someone starts talking about Jawbreaker, drop that little ditty of info on them. People will worship you for your vast knowledge of obscure pop trivia.

Rick 2440 Lyndale Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55405

This thing is just bizarre. The box even admits it with the phrase “Mysterious Action.” It also lists such features as forward and wheelies, reverse and sideslip, spinning action, movable arms, and music. Well, they got a few of those right.

There’s no remote control or anything, you just turn it on and it spins around on the floor (minus the wheelies) while headacheinducing music screams from it’s bowels. Christmas music. Yeah, I don’t really get it either, but it plays the tune “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” in a pitch that I thought only dogs were capable of hearing. The “movable arms” merely rotate about 90 degrees up and down, which really isn’t a deciding factor worthy of being printed on the box. “The arms move? Holy shit! I wasn’t gonna buy it but damn, that’s cool!” The top of the board says “Burger Boy,” which I’m guessing is the full name of the toy, but the word “Boy” is covered up by one of his shoes. It also says “Dash!!” on the tail.

The ridiculous box and it’s exclamation point-riddled phrases were what first drew me to this toy. “Tired of skating the same old curb?” “Up the ramp and down the stairs!!!” “Give it some fast lines and big airs!!!” “Get ready to bust some moves!” I thought about it for a while and realized that I indeed was tired of skating the same old curb, and was ready to bust some moves. What kind of moves you ask? Well according to the box, Pop shove-it!, Ollie, 360 shove-it!, Backside 180 slide!, G-turn!, and Walk the Dog. Woah, dude, you can walk the dog with this thing? I thought that was just a yo-yo trick. The park consists of a halfpipe, a set of “stairs,” and a wedge ramp. The halfpipe has an incline of about five degrees, and the set of stairs is just a ramp with some mild waves in it. Nevertheless, I set up the park and whipped out the instructions, eager to get some moves busted. The G-turn sounded pretty badass so I looked that up first. It was actually just another way to say manual, which confused me because there was no turning involved whatsoever. Oh well, how about a shove-it.... or maybe a bigspin?

I found those to be easier said than done considering the feet are permanently adhered to the board. “Well shit, what can this thing do?” you may be wondering to yourself. Um... much like our pal Burger Boy, it’s a pro at spinning around in one spot. If you play your cards right with the remote control, you may be able to get the little dude to ride in a semi-straight line and hit the ramps, but the figure is so heavy that it goes far to slow to actually get any “big airs.” Or any air for that matter.

Above: Misled Youth

the hang ups

An Interview with Brian Tighe The Hang Ups have been around for quite a while. To what do you give credit for your longevity?

I would say friendship is the reason we've been around so long. Lord knows it hasn't been commercial success that holds us together. Jeff Kearns is one of my oldest and dearest friends and has been an artistic and critical guide for me since I met him in '86 at MCAD. Aaron, Marcel and Todd have become some of my closest friends too. And now, more recently Jim Petroski, our awesome new drummer seems to fit right in. We get together to practice and there's a lot of joking around and good times. We're lifetime musicians and we enjoy each other’s company.

How has the group changed over the years?

Well, there have been quite a few different players over the years and the way the songs shape up has so much to do with the character of each player. I mean, Steve Ittner's harmonies and drumming style were central to the H.U. sound from the beginning until his gradual departure. John Crozier's guitar work also played a huge part, creating counter melodies and textures that helped define the songs. The current lineup has its unique character too, which I think we are still discovering. Our influences have changed over the years as well. As a three piece in the early days we were pretty affected by Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine. I almost never listen to those records anymore. I went through a huge Kinks phase that really affected my writing in '98 and '99. These are just examples.

How has Minnesota's music scene changed, in your opinion?

I don't really know. We definitely have a rich tapestry of songwriters and musicians in Minneapolis. I'm very excited about some new acts that seem very focussed on creativity and originality: Arctic Universe, Best Friends Forever, and The Chris Danforths to name a few. There's a freshness and humor to each of them. They don't follow a particular structure laid out by someone else. I like the fact that there is not one dominating style in the music scene these days- it allows for more variety.

You've put out four full lengths since your formation. Would you say that you believe in quality over quantity?

Definitely. Although I think you can still have artistic integrity and crank out lots of material. I think for some artists the act of releasing lots of material, even the not-so-good stuff, is important to their process. I think being too guarded about what you release can be counter-productive as well. I just honestly haven't had enough material to release records more often.

Have you guys toured at length? If so, what was it like?

We lived the life of road dogs in '98 and '99. I have many fond memories but I'd have a hard time doing it again. We really bonded as friends and the band became more solid in the process. We just had a really hard time developing a strong audience outside of the midwest, so a lot of the shows were poorly attended and it gets hard to see the point after a while. All the time spent driving, moving gear and waiting around in order to play a show to fifteen people gets old after a while.

Some of my friends have heard your latest album and have compared you to The Beatles. Would you agree with that?

I'd be lying if I said I didn't love The Beatles. There has never been a more powerful combination of songwriters in one group, at least on this planet. If you believe in life on other planets perhaps there is a group better than Beatles out there. I'd like to hear them.

Have you ever thought of touring with The Busy Signals and calling it "The Telephone Tour?"

I don't know if Howard Hamilton III would want to tour with us. You know, I often forget that the name "The Hang Ups" has anything to do with the telephone. For us, the name came from having "hang ups" about presenting songs to each other, back in the early days when we took it all too seriously.

Who are some other local acts that people should know about?

Well, definitely the ones I mentioned above, but I'd like to add The Carpetbaggers, Mike Gunther, Heavy Sleeper, Sideways, Luke's Angels, TVBC, Mandrew, Stephanie Says and Faux Jean.

What does the future hold for The Hang Ups? I'm really focusing on songwriting right now. I'm on vacation in the Rocky Mountains hoping to have some small breakthrough. Every songwriter works differently and I almost exclusively begin the process in working with chords and melodies, and when I'm satisfied, add lyrics to that framework. But I'm curious about reversing the process, starting with words and seeing where they take me melodically. Let the words set the mood and build the song from there. We'll see what happens.

EW I V R TE I N R VA R A P OW N L IE M A J THE

Age/Location 20 /MPLS skate house 2005 What is your opinion of MN's skate scene?

Personally, I like the scene here because just about everybody is down with everybody.

Who do you look up to?

Locally I look up to Chad Benson and Steve Nesser, and all around I look up to Daewon Song, Kenny Anderson, Paul Rodriguez, and Marc Johnson.

Favorite spot?

As of right now I’m feelin' the murphy ledges, the front benches.

What do you do when you're not skating?

When I’m not skating it’s usually eating, sleeping, perhaps watching a movie, or searching the web at all my favorite sites.

Ollie

Who do you ride for right now?

Fobia, Venture, Hubba Wheels (you know the ones with the dope ads in every mag), Nike, and I’ve been getting stuff from Zoo York.

What are some trends in skateboarding that need to end?

Girls’ Pants. I mean come the fuck (can I say fuck?) on. What’s the deal with all these girls’ pants wearing fuckers? Tight pants I won’t hate on but to go out and get a pair of women’s jeans is pathetic. I wonder if it even crosses their mind that they are cross dressing.

What do you want to see more of?

I just want to see some creative skating.

What do you see in the future of skating?

It’s either gonna go ape shit with rails or get really creative.

Are you a lover or a fighter?

Well that all depends on what kind of mood I’m in. If I’m in a real shitty mood then I’m down to brawl but other than that I guess it goes the other way.

Switch Flip 50-50

You had your own part in Open Iris. What was it like filming and being a part of that video?

It was kind of weird because I wasn’t supposed to have a part in it. But then I just started filming a couple tricks here and there, then all of the sudden I had enough footage for a part, so he gave it to me. But to this day I only like about three tricks in my whole part.

Are you filming anything for a future video?

Currently I’m filming for the Fobia vid but I am almost done. I have like two more tricks to film. Then I gotta film for my friend Dan’s vid called H.A.A.B. Vid’s gonna be off the chains. Then after that I have to see what I can get for Benji Meyer’s new production.

“What’s the deal with all these girls’ pants wearing fuckers?”

You've participated in a lot of contests like Damn Am, Midwest Melee, Top Shop, etc. What is your opinion on contests?

I love contests. For me they are just a great time and a good place to meet people.

Do you consider yourself a competitive person?

I don’t consider myself a competitive person at all. I just love the hype that you get from skating with a bunch of good people. It gets me stoked to skateboard.

Backside Noseblunt How would you compare contests to street skating?

Contests are way different than street skating ‘cause in a contest you have to make all of your tricks in a row and in street skating you kind of just skate spot to spot learning new tricks.

Who do you like to skate with?

I like to skate with Humble, Dan Buck, Dirty D, my brother Jahan, Chad Benson, The Munz, Wes, Vinbucktu, Casey Mode, and Eddie K. What keeps you skating?

I love doing it. Waking up and thinking of new tricks to try and learn and having dope sessions with your whodi's. That’s what it is right there.

Affinity @ The Foxfire, 1999. Photo: Chris Pernula

Nehemiah @ Segue Cafe, 2004. Photo: Blake Carson

Wow, where do I begin? I'm risking it all and saying that Modest Mouse was the best concert I had ever been to. I can’t seem to collect my thoughts enough to start my own little review of the concert. Starting at the beginning, and going in chronological order of events often works, does it not? So that is just what I will do.

My sister, Kristin, and I arrived at First Ave. in Minneapolis around 4, which was two hours before the doors were to open. There were about 20 people in line in front of us, already waiting patiently. Kristin and I just stood around, watching cars drive by, chatting about the people around us, and hoping the sky wouldn’t drop the rain that seemed to loom in the clouds. Our place in line was right next to a locked door with an open mail drop. And through that door we could hear Modest Mouse rehearsing (if that’s what it’s called). It was a mini treat to hear them live, and not yet see and hear them simultaneously. Some guys in front of us also took part in standing in the doorway, listening to mic check-one-twos, faint talking, and Modest Mouse practicing parts of songs.

There were a number of people walking around looking for tickets to buy. The concert had sold out almost immediately after tickets went on sale. I bought them the minute they went on sale earlier this month. I now feel lucky to have been able to see Modest Mouse perform. There was one couple who were looking for tickets, and I don’t think they were able to get any, which was unfortunate. The guy was rather cute, and I couldn’t figure who he looked like. At one point I said to Kristin, “That guy looks so familiar...I don’t know why... He looks like...” And I was thinking, and she said “Jack White.” Yes! He did! It was somewhat creepy, but amusing all the same. We ended up giving unknowing people around us nicknames for the fun of it. Yeah, we had to do something, anything, while waiting for two hours.

People started to get restless as 6pm approached. The line moved forward and people started standing closer to each other as to get ever closer to the entrances. When the doors did open, the line moved smoothly, and people were frisked, pockets emptied, and cigarette boxes and cameras and the like checked for anything suspicious. Entering the dark club, Kristin and I hurried our way up to the front of the floor, and we took out usual concert places right in front of the stage, off center just a bit, arms on barriers. We ended up waiting until 7:45pm, when The Walkmen took stage. It was a bit excruciating waiting for so long, but I guess it was all worth it in the end.

With The Walkmen on stage, things warmed up fast. Literally. It seemed as if there was very minimal air circulation and air-conditioning seemed not in existence in the place. But I will put up with my sweat and 20 other peoples’ sweat soaking me to see Modest Mouse any day.

I really liked The Walkmen. Broken Social Scene was supposed to open as well, but I didn’t hear of any reason why they didn’t take stage. The Walkmen reminded me of a couple different singers/groups combined. I won’t dare say who, because that’s my opinion, and some people will most definitely think otherwise! I really enjoyed their music, though. I plan on buying their music. I’d heard of them quite a while ago, and so I finally heard their music.

After the Walkmen left, the crowd waited and sweated for Modest Mouse to get all ready to take stage and rock out. The place was getting hotter by the minute- at least where I was. It may have possibly been different elsewhere in the place. Modest Mouse was so awesome! It’s so difficult to put into words how awesome they are live! I was so excited. I was able to sing along with almost every song. Isaac was sweating like crazy. I ended up getting shoved towards the middle more, and I was right in front of him on the floor. For that reason, my photos that I took were mostly of him. I wasn’t close enough to the other band members, and the drummers I couldn’t even see since the stage is about five feet up.

Modest Mouse ended up playing a number of songs- some older, most from Good News For People Who Love Bad News. The set list consisted of: 3rd Planet, The View, Float On, Interstate 8, Black Cadillacs, Wild Packs, Doin the Cockroach, Satin In A Coffin, Bukowski, Paper Thin Walls, Oceans, Bury Me with It, Infinite Math, and encore songs: World At large, One Chance, and Cowboy Dann. I’m not a hundred percent certain that they played every song. I could be wrong, but for some reason I’m not sure if Infinite Math was played. Isaac looked as if he was going to die from the heat and his own sweat before leaving stage to allow the crowd to cheer the group back on.

It’s impossible to put into words how good Modest Mouse’s music is live. The rock out parts, the loud parts of songs, are so much more intense and Isaac really belts out those lyrics. The guys were friendly, and chatted with fans a bit. Between songs, a fan asked “How’re you doin’ Isaac?” He replied “How am I doing? I’m moist...”

There was some discussion about need for a n air conditioner, a wishing box (some cardboard box in the middle of the stage- What was it used for??), and various other little chattings. There was this one cute fuzzy dog figurine on stage- they would occasionally, between songs, pet it (for good luck?).

I have to say that those roadies for Modest Mouse were some of the nicest. At the end of the concert, most of the crowd dispersed, while a few people remained at the barriers, myself included. I was hoping to get ahold of a set list, but didn’t think I’d get one. I just wanted to have a little memento from a concert I enjoyed more than any I’d ever been to (and I’ve been to quite a few). I asked the roadie (who had a nursing cat on his shirt) for a set list. He peeled Isaac’s list off the floor, but since he couldn’t reach my hands, he set it on the stage in front of me. Me, being a measly 5 ft 3 inches short, couldn’t reach it. I tried leaning over the black metal barrier, but was held back from reaching by about five tall people (including Kristin) all around me. One other 6 foot tall guy next to me grabbed the list and triumphantly walked off with it. The roadie got really upset and yelled “HEY...HEY!!” and told the guy to give the list to me. Ok, I did feel a little bad about that, but he WAS handing it to me, and I wasn’t able to reach it. The list was soaked in sweat, which was sort of gross, but who cares, right? I thanked the nice roadie and swam my way with the hundreds of other fans out the doors. I noticed that the floors to the place were literally covered in sweat. They were wet and slippery. Sweat or something else. I don’t know what else it could be. Beer? People weren’t throwing water around. If they were, I was oblivious to it.

A few days before this concert, I had driven down to Iowa with my sister to see Incubus in concert. That concert totally left an open wound, so to speak. I don’t know why. I just left the concert in the worst mood, and I didn’t feel like going to anymore concerts. It just did some nasty stuff to my mind. That concert was huge- so packed with people, it was hard to breath. I didn’t enjoy it much, and it just messed up my concert going obsession. I went to Modest Mouse in a bad mood- I wasn’t looking forward to it in a crazy crazed fan state of mind. I didn’t want to get at First Ave. early, because I felt it’d just be dumb. Why wait to get a good spot by stage, when I’m just some insignificant fan? But, I was completely content afterwards with waiting in line for two hours, and waiting for another three hours for Modest Mouse to take stage. It was so worth it. I highly recommend anyone to go see Modest Mouse if they have a chance. Incubus left me a wound- a scar- that hurt me and made me wonder about why I attend concerts. Modest Mouse was my band-aid. I’m not going to big concerts anymore- I’m sticking to music I really like and smaller club concerts.

They are so much more fun.

The Cheapskate’s Guide to Off-Season Snowboarding Snowboards are pretty expensive considering they only get used a few months out of the year for a lot of us.

About halfway into this past summer I noticed a fine layer of dust coating the topsheet of my board and realized just how seldom I actually get to use it. Determined to get my money’s worth all year round, I set out to find as many uses for it as possible. Here are a few of the better ideas. There’s a lot more that I didn’t add so use your imagination and get more bang for your buck.

Toast of the Town One major defining aspect of the snowboard is it’s sharp metal edges, so using it as some sort of cutting utensil was the obvious first choice when it came time to decide how I was going to apply it to my daily routine. I thought about using it as an axe and testing it on a tree in my front yard, but other than fueling my hatred for nature and fulfilling my desire to destroy everything living, it really wouldn’t have served any practical purposes. The next idea was to use it as a carving knife, specifically for a fully cooked turkey. Seeing as how it was 7 o’clock in the morning, I wasn’t really in an “eat an entire turkey by myself for breakfast” kind of mood. I felt like eating toast instead.

Then it hit me. Butter knife! Jibbers have been known to dull their edges anyway, in order to avoid catching on a rail and breaking their faces or losing their teeth. Plus, I had been buttering all winter long on the fresh corduroy, so bringing my skills to the breakfast table was an easy transition.

Photo: Ashley Brookins

Photo: Laura Pernula

Tea For Two Living on your own, you learn to become careful with your money and thrifty with your purchases. Why buy Lucky Charms when you can get the generic stuff that comes in a bag for a fraction of the price? Why buy a new CD for over twelve bucks when you can download and burn them without even leaving your bedroom? And why drive to IKEA, fighting the swarms of rabid consumers for that chic coffee table, when a perfectly good snowboard can easily be transformed into a table with the help of a couple stolen cinder blocks?

Pure genius. I liked it so much, I invited my grandmother over to have tea with me. She added booze to hers. Weird!

Iron Maiden After hotwaxing my own board for years, I was pretty confident that I’d be able to pull this off. It was essentially the same thing I’d been doing all along, minus the wax, plus an article of clothing. I didn’t have an ironing board of my own and this truly was the next best thing. It’s a good thing I cleaned off all of the old wax in the spring, or it would have reheated and jacked up my entire wardrobe. And those two dollar thrift store t-shirts don’t grow on trees, kids.

Photo: Ashley Brookins

Give us a the who, what, when, where, and whys of Traffic Skateboarding?

Traffic was started in 2003 and it is based out of Philadelphia. I solely own it and I run it out of my house.

How has business been going with traffic and who’s on the team?

Traffic has been running smooth. I have opened up a lot of accounts in a year including most of all the major distributors. I have a few international distributors as well but I hope to pick up the rest of the world pretty soon. I work well with my manufacturers and keep the communication lines open so my boards and shirts get done in a timely fashion.

Rich Adler and Andy Bautista are the two main guys I have been pushing but Brannon John, Aaron Szott, Henry Panza, Shaun Williams and Mike Bouchard are all guys I give boards to on a regular basis. I just started to give boards to Pat Steiner and Lee Berman as well which I am pretty stoked on. I want more like supporters than team riders, people who believe in what Traffic represents but are their own person with their own styles.

After New Deal went out of business, did you think about going to another team or did you want to start Traffic right away?

I wondered why about PopWar and I thought maybe about Zoo. How is it going from being on New Deal, to running your own company?

Going from being just a rider to doing mostly everything is a big transition but it was time and somebody had to do it.

How does being a rider for a company compare to being the boss of the company?

A rider is easy. Running things and catering to others is always going to be difficult.

Do you design all the graphics for the decks and shirts?

No, Mike Stein has done mostly all of my graphics. I put my input in of course.

One of Traffic’s shirt designs has the tagline of “the lost art of skateboarding” on it. What are you implying with that statement?

To push is a lost art of skateboarding.

How does Traffic compare with all the other skateboard companies out there?

I have always tried to be unique with my skating so the same goes for my company. Traffic has a meaning, a way of thinking. Most companies are just cool art or a gimmick of sorts, not all of course but very few still any meaning behind their brand.

What are you planning for Traffic for the future?

I am going to let things happen.

What is a typical day for Ricky Oyola?

Too boring for a skateboarder to read.

How do you balance skateboarding and your family?

With a strong wife.

What do you look for when you go out skateboarding?

A new challenge.

How do you feel when people say that to be big in skateboarding, California is where you should be?

That is old and I havent heard it for many years.

In an article about you in the 1st issue of the Skateboard Mag, it mentions that you built a cement wedge up to a steep ledge, do you find yourself building more permenent obstacles or more temporary ones?

The idea of permanent but it usually doesnt end up that way.

How do you keep skateboarding from not getting boring?

Build what my mind sees.

Has the way you skate changed over the years?

Sure, I dont practice as much as I used to or be on my board as much as I used to. I have to use my time more wisely these days.

When you skateboard are you concerned about having a filmer or photographer their to document it?

Not always but at this point anything that I think would be good in a video part I will film it same goes with photography.

What skateboarders do you think have unique style and creativity?

I have always like Quim Cardona and Jake Rupp but I am into the kids I skate with like Damian Smith, Rich Adler and Jack Sabback. Bobby Puleo and the list could go on and on.

Do you think there is creativity in skating these days?

Not as much but watch STATIC II. How do you feel about skating in demos and contests?

I am not really into them.

If you were limited to skateboarding one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

The streets.

Where has skateboarding taken you, and what is the importance of traveling to you?

I have traveled many places and have stayed for a good amount of time in some of those places. I always loved being a part of somebody elses scene for a few months. Barcelona is all you need to know. Traveling has been the best thing about my career of skateboarding.

How important was Love Park to the Philly scene, and is the Philly scene better or worse now that its gone?

Love was huge no doubt but Philly the city is the root of all good skating out of here.

At what point did you decide that skateboarding is what you wanted to do?

At 15 years old.

If you hadn’t started skateboarding, what do you think you would be doing?

A truck driver Who are your current sponsors and is their anything else you’d like to add?

AutoBahn Wheels, Drop Backpacks, Black Magic Grip, Krux Trucks and Lost Clothing.

The The

Umbrella

Sequenc

a

ce Stars of the Small Screen

Interview with Jacob Swogger and Aaron Hagebak How did the idea of releasing a DVD come about?

JS: You'll notice tour footage laced throughout the DVD. A local up-and-coming multi-media company, . Flash Mob Media, wanted to shoot a video with us and we did that and that turned into a "documentary" of sorts featuring a struggling band working to make their way, which is where the tour footage came from. After the 1st Ave. show, we looked at the footage when a few friends said that they would love to see us sell something like that.

How long did it take to put together?

JS: I guess a relatively short amount of time. With all the footage we had from tour and whatnot already shot, it was just putting it all together after the 1st Ave show.

It took about a month or so.

AH: Matt "The Silence" Novak has been recording us for the past year at shows, in our homes, on tour, taking baths, and getting fit at the gym. Once he realized that he had about 80 hours of tape and wanted to create the DVD it only took about 2 weeks to compile the finished product.

Where can people find it?

AH: You can buy it online at our website (www.theumbrellasequence.com), www.revhq.com, and www.ohevrecords.com, as well as Cheapo, the Electric Fetus and other places around town.

Where did the idea for the Pushing Nevada music video come from?

JS: That was the Flash Mob guys’ doing. They came up with just about everything in that video.

Has Ryan been the victim of voyeurism in real life?

JS: No, Ryan's just a bastard.

The end of the video shows the young woman revealing her footage to a crowd that includes Ryan, the subject of the footage. What do you think happens next?

JS: Her eyes meet with the five of us, creepy porno music starts, fade to black.

How did you guys become a part of Ohev Records?

AH: I know a guy who knows some people that sometimes take care of a dog for the receptionist of Revelation Records. The dog really liked a song called Love Song on our demo and he hooked us up with Rev, who called in a favor with Ohev. They have been really nice to us, and they give us posters and pins and stuff.

“Her eyes meet with the five of us, creepy porno music starts, fade to black.”

Do you have plans to release another full length in the near future?

AH: We have about six songs that we are playing live right now that are not on any records. We have about three more songs that are still being worked out in our heads and with our instruments. I would assume that by November we will be ready to start committing some of these rock songs to tape.

JS: We are really trying to find ourselves again. Nick was a large part of the band that is no more. So we are really trying to figure out what we sound like and what kind of sound we have.

What happened to Nick? Was he eaten by a shark, as his greatest fears would suggest?

JS: He fell in love and moved to Holland. No shit.

AH: He was actually eaten by pull-ups. It's not funny so don't laugh.

What was it like playing on the lane of a bowling alley in Portland? Is that an average occurrence at that bowling alley?

JS: Oh man, it was fun. We were not even supposed to play that night. But we decided to try and play a show. It is what they usually do. It could be a lot of fun if there were people there.

AH: One part that you didn't see is when Ry was turkey-neckin' around the "stage", and he wasn't watching where he was going and stepped out on the lane. Those lanes are slick and Ry slid into the pins and got a strike. It was awesome.

How would you describe your songwriting process?

JS: Democratic for the most part. Songwriting is the hardest thing to do on the planet. It is like trying to decorate a house you just bought with 3-4 girlfriends, each of whom have different tastes and are valued equally. It can be pretty rough.

What's in Ryan's backpack? Drugs? Midgets?

1 million dollars?

JS: One million doll hairs.

AH: Nick left us with one of his fingers as a memento. Ryan carries it around with him everywhere. It's endearing, but kind of sad.

Photos: Chris Pernula

R E B M NOv E s nowboa rds An Interview With Jeff Dale

How and when did November Snowboards come about?

November 2001. During a really dramatic hike in the alps with my wife, I literally stopped and looked around at one of the most amazing pieces of scenery that I had ever seen and decided that I really didn't like my job that much and that I needed to make a change before it was too late.

What did you do before November Snowboards?

I was a multimedia producer. I designed, produced and programmed interactive cd-roms for corporate clients like Alina Health Systems and AOL. A good gig, but really stressful at times coupled with sitting behind a desk for eight to ten hours a day.

Was it hard leaving your job to start November?

I actually started November about nine months before the job ended. AOL posted the largest quarterly loss in corporate history and they were my bread and butter in my last job - and my job kind of dried up. It was a drag at the time because my wife was about six months pregnant, but things worked out and I was able to segue into the snowboard business pretty smoothly.

How has the response been among local riders?

At first like with anything new, there was some apprehension among riders to try something different. That has changed a lot, but there are still the riders who will only ride what they see in the magazines. I think there will always be a segment of the population who cares so much about what others think and has to conform. Last season, which was our second, was like day and night compared to our first season.

We really got a positive response from riders. We also had a team that was raging at comps, so I'm sure that helped. Local riders gave us a lot of feedback on the ride and some of those things were incorporated into the new boards for this year. All in all, I would have to say that things have been positive.

Have you run into any difficulties basing your company in MN? The biggest difficulty is that we don't have the mountains to test in so we have to travel. Not a big deal. There may be a perception that a MN board can't be good, but a lot of those people are riding boards from China and Indonesia, so go figure.

Could you explain the process of putting a board together? How long does it take?

A simplified explanation of the process is that it is like making a sandwich. Getting the materials ready to go into our press takes about three hours per board. The materials all get stacked in the press wet with epoxy resin and then pressed for about twelve hours. When the boards come out, they need to be cut to shape, finished, decaled, and finally base ground.

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Does running November provide a living income, or do you have a side job to help pay bills?

Right now November supports itself. I still take freelance multimedia jobs to earn an income.

What do you do in snowboarding's off season?

Build boards, design the website, put together our team for the upcoming season, order materials, make capital improvements. On a personal level, I skate bowls, camp, kayak, travel, hang out with my daughter and wife.

How does the price of November Snowboards compare with other major brands?

I think it's a great price for what you get. We are in about the same price range as a lot of the Forum, Burton and Ride boards.

What sets November apart from other snowboard companies?

While the big companies have a lot of resources at their disposal and can do a lot of things on a bigger scale than we can, we - as a small company - can do a lot of things that they can't. We are extremely accessible to our customers and really stand behind our product. We do a lot of demos and encourage riders to ride our boards before they buy to really get a feeling for what we are all about. If a customer or perspective customer has a question and they call us, chances are that either myself or my partner will answer the phone or return their email. More than anything, we understand that not everyone is going to like our boards, and we're not going to try and sell a board to someone who it won't work for. We are small enough that we still have a conscience and want to do the right thing.

A cool thing about your company is that you'll let riders test out your boards for a few days to see if they like it. Have you had any problems with people not returning the boards?

Never. Like you said, it is a cool thing. I think our customers sense that and want to be cool in return.

After testing your boards, how many people have bought them?

A lot. The majority of people that demo the boards love them, and a percentage of those people become our customers.

How many people work at November?

Myself, my partner Todd Underhill, our team manager Ryan Olmstead, and our Duluth representative Jeff Bullert.

Jon Thei s

Who is on your team?

Richard Rist (19) - Richard is a pretty amazing rider. He rose up through the ranks last year and became our #1 guy on the team. He has amazing athletic ability and does really well in comps. Last year he either won or came in the top three of every comp he competed in.

Maize Diffley (17) - Maize was a park rat that used to hang around and bug us. He started helping out with demos and continued to improve. Somewhere along the way he really stepped it up and started going super big. He had a great year last season and did really well in comps.

Brennan Swanson (14) - Brennen is the #1 ranked 14 year old slopestyle rider in the US (as ranked by USASA). He is our first rider who will be competing on the national level. He is also a member of the Sports Illustrated NextX team and won best trick at the Smith rail jam last season. He also rides with the 3rd Lair inline pro team.

Jason Kaas (19) - We met Jason after he, Maize, and Richard held the podium for a big air comp (Richard 1, Maize 2, Jason 3) and slopestyle comp (Jason 1, Richard 2, Maize 3). The three became friends and there was good chemistry there so we picked him up.

Alex Grolla (15) - Alex is probably the rider who I am most excited to see this year, mainly because he is like an alien that picks up things so fast and has such rapid progression. After his second season he wild carded into USASA nationals and placed 24th out of nearly 100 competitors. He trained at Windell's in Oregon in June and has a rail setup in his backyard where he sessions for four hours a day during the summer.

Adam Stromwall (19) - Adam is our newest rider. He goes really big and does really complex switch-axis tricks that are really hard to understand. He is a really strong all-around rider and can do all of his tricks off of both his heel and toe.

i ffle y Ma i ze D

If Burton or another major snowboard brand wanted to buy November Snowboards, would you do it?

I don't think so, at least not yet. We are having so much fun building this company and are really excited to see what it becomes in the future. We didn't get into it for the quick buck, and I don't think we could put a price on it yet.

Does November manufacture any other products besides snowboards like wax, clothing, bindings, etc...?

No. You've had a lot of coverage from local press (Pioneer Press and Kare 11), have any of the snowboarding magazines mentioned anything about November?

There might have been some mention in the local section on Snowboarder, but we're not placing ads in the magazines so they probably don't care too much about us yet.

How did the Kare 11 story come about, and why did they keep calling you Jeff Gale when your name is Jeff Dale? They are reporters, right?

I'm not sure how the Gale thing happened. The Kare thing was great exposure. Pretty whitebread, but that's the audience. For what it was they did a pretty good job. November isn't really about me anymore, so it's cool. Props to KARE for wanting to do a story on us.

About the Pioneer Press story, you said that some of the things that you said in the story, you actually didn't say. Is that true?

It's true, but again, the exposure was good. I don't really want to rip on local media because they give us great exposure. If it was real hard news I'm sure they would have been more careful about the facts. All in all they did a good job.

Do you have any demos or contests planned for the 04/05 season?

We are going to be demoing for sure at Buck Hill, Spirit Mt. and Tyrol Basin. We have gotten a lot of interest from individuals at other resorts as well. In addition to the Midwest scene, we are also doing demos in Colorado and possibly Montana. We will definitely sponsor some comps if we are approached, probably more in Duluth and at Buck.

Do you have any plans for a promo video or advertisements?

There is a DVD in the works, we just need more footage. I don't think we'll have a problem with that this year. Advertising is expensive, so we will probably rely heavily on demos, tradeshows, and guerrilla marketing.

Do you plan to have your boards available in more shops?

We will be in the ALT and also have boards on display at 45 Degrees in Stillwater and Midwest Mountaineering in Mpls. There might be some stuff happening in Colorado, but otherwise it will all be direct.

What goals would you like to meet with November?

I would like to see the brand grow and become known for being the great, high quality, high performance product that it is, and do it all without selling out or compromising. It is great to see really great riders putting the boards through their paces and really pushing the limits of what they as riders can do.

Obviously, I'd like to see more great riders on the boards riding all over the world.

I really have no interest in having a business that I can't be proud of or stand behind 100%. If I'm able to make a living and do the things that I like to do that would be great, but it's not the primary goal. In the end, November has always been about building the best product to get down the hill with. I'm really happy with the way the boards have been received and want to do the things that are required to allow that to continue.

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Who are some of your favorite ban ds that you've played with?

Brian: Definitely Nehemiah, they wou ld have to be the best. Also The Spil l Canvas, and The Fallback is always Kevin: I had a blast playing with The great.

Sleeping. Then of course The Semester , Nehemiah, With Dead Hands Rising.

The Fallback. Love ‘em to pieces.

And who can forget Has the change of guitarists affected your material in any way?

Brian: It’s only gotten better Kevin: Wow, a question about me.

Can I answer the question if I'm the new guitar player? I think I brought the group. Giving it more emotion more of a punk influence to than technique.

What do you think of Segue?

Brian: I think the Segue Cafe is alwa ys a fun place to play for us just beca use all of our friends come out to hang laid back atmosphere. There are som out and it’s just a e weirdos there I’ll admit, but you get that everywhere haha.

Who do you think is the most und errated band right now?

Brian: The Semester, those kids are seriously so good.

Kevin: Hmmm, I think that Tricia Year wood is very underrated. Most over rated is LeAnn Rhymes. Tricia total Air song first. Scandalous. ly wrote and sang that Con Where does the inspiration for your lyrics and music come from?

Kevin: Well, lyrically I'm sure a girl fuels Brian's poetic passages. Musicall y we make music that suits our pers core and metal but we like girls. So onalities. We love hardwe try to balance so everyone will like it.

You're going to be putting out an EP soon. What can you tell us abou t it, and how will it differ from your Brian: We are super excited for our demo?

EP. We have been writing like craz y and the new material is going to blow We might be doing the recording thro the demo out of the water. ugh my school Musictech because it all will be free. We’re working hard sure keep everyone updated when it’s at it though and will for near completion.

Kevin: We will be demoing the EP before we record it in a real studio.

It's gonna have a lot more energy and Plus there's more songs than the dem flow than the demo had. o. Cha ching!

Could you give a little history on how and when the band formed?

The band officially formed in late-2001 with Nick Conner, the drummer, and I. I had tried to put together the band in the two years previous to meeting him but was unsuccessful.

Nick and I decided we wanted to avoid heavily using guitar, so I started asking around for a violinist, cellist, and French hornist and found some great people.

Later we added Chris Rocha with electric bass.

Where did the name of the band come from?

I guess maybe for a whisper of truth, first and for most. Or the little truths I think I feel in a shit-fucked world with a lot of people yapping solutions.

A Whisper in the Noise also came from the feeling of anonymity I felt in the world at the time. I used to walk into record stores and see the thousands of records that people so painstakingly created displayed so superficially in the fluorescent-lit isles go almost completely unnoticed. For what could I do that was better? And most of them only seemed to only last there for a year or so. Not to mention the countless other forms of art struggling on the backburner waiting to be noticed. I was one of many artists that wanted to be noticed but didn't want change for it. But wanting to be noticed is a pointless aspect of art anyway, which makes "a whisper in the noise" quite ironic, which I like.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it?

Orchestral garage rock.

Who or what are some of your musical influences?

Bob Dylan, Philip Glass, and Daniel Lanois. Many of the Icelandic exports. Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, and Tori Amos when I was younger.

Influences outside of music?

Errol Morris, Charles Bukowski, and bad governments.

You toured part of the midwest in '03. How was that experience and do you plan to tour more of the U.S. in the future?

The midwest seems to be a hard place to make enough money to even pay for gas unless you have your shit together. I have no problem sleeping on people's floors and barely eating, but I'm not going to waste my time going in debt for six people to show up at some shit club again. I love traveling, but I'd rather be at home writing better music if that’s what touring is going to be. Pointless touring is a good way to burn yourself out, and I plan on doing music for my lifetime. We will tour the U.S. again when we have our shit more together but not until then.

Could you describe your songwriting process?

Initially, I'll come up with simple little scratch ideas that sound cool to me and archive them. Later, I'll build some form for them.

I like writing slowly over longer lapses of time. All of the songs we've done so far have started like this. Next, I'll introduce the rough versions to the band and figure out how to perform them. At first, I wrote out most all of their parts. Now, part-writing is a bit more of a blend of that approach and each of the members creating something independently.

How did the writing & recording of 2d differ from Through the Ides of March?

Through the Ides of March was the recording of songs previously written, and 2d was an experimentation of writing songs while recording them around four pieces by another band. Plus, I recorded 2d myself (minus the base tracks for If Thousands), and it was my first studio recording experience by myself.

How long did it take to put together the wooden packaging for 2d?

Christian from If Thousands did it. It took a couple months.

Were your shows in London and Iceland the first time performing outside of the U.S.?

Yes. How was that experience?

It was great for the most part. We will go back again soon I hope. People are obviously far more art-oriented there. Yet, the world is a little fucked up right now for a U.S. band playing outside of the U.S. with our country’s foreign policies and all.

Not dangerous or anything, just a little off putting in some ways. I don't know if this is a good example, but there was a pub where some jackass came up on stage and told us to go back to America and that we sounded like a bad rip-off of Godspeed.

Strangely, the same kid came up to us a week later at another show and told us how much him and his friends like our band.

Have you ever thought of adding more instruments to the group?

It might be fun to try something with a small orchestra. Working with If Thousand was adding people too. No plans to add any permanent members though.

Who have been some of your favorite artists to perform with?

I'm not sure. Any of Dave King's bands, Cloud Cult, Shellac, and Umbrella Sequence I guess.

What is your opinion on Minnesota's music scene?

Some people are very cool, but overall it is a constipated and pretentious scene too focused on trying to be like yesterday and other places with awful mainstream media coverage to gamut. But then again I'm in a good mood today, and that describes most cities.

A lot of your music sounds like it could be a soundtrack to a film. When you're writing, do you ever have visual images that could fit with the song?

Mood or sentiment more so, I guess. I do have visual images that pop in my head with each song though too. We are in the process of adding video to all our live shows again.

What are some of your likes and dislikes of live shows? How would you compare them to playing in a studio & recording?

I think I need to quit being so timid as a front man and get out of my shell more but that is about it right now. The other members in the band are great though. I like performing live as much as being in the studio as long as people are paying at least some attention.

Otherwise I guess we could be just as well playing in our living room.

What can we expect from your new material that you're putting together this summer and fall?

It is hard to say. We are going out of state for most of the recording.

Once we start tracking the first bunch of songs in August, we'll have a better idea.

All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no boarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no sn ing makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboa makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl.All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no s boarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no sn ing makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboa makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no snowboarding makes Jen a dull girl. All work and no

Jennifer Sherowski Senior Editor of Transworld Snowboarding

All work and no snowwboardding makes Jen a dull girl.

All work and no nowwboardding

How did you become senior editor of TWSnow?

I grew up in Colorado and was a pro snowboarder, or at least trying to be all through high school and college. I rode for Sims for a lot of years, and they paid for me to travel all over and shred. I'd go to college in the summers and falls and then ride in the winter. But when I finally graduated in 2000 I was ready to move on and "do something" with my life. So I moved to California for an internship at Bluetorch in Hungtington Beach. Five days after I got to California, Bluetorch shut down all their print publications and canned everyone. Thank god for that, cuz I really hated HB. I heard about a job at Transworld Snowboarding Business, Transworld's trade publication, and moved down to San Diego to do that. A few months after TWSBiz hired me, the then editor of TWSNOW, Andy Blumberg, hired me on the print mag edit staff. The rest is history.

What are some of your responsibilities as senior editor?

Each editor is responsible for a handful of columns, plus on average about a feature per issue.

But I edit pretty much all the copy that goes into the magazine, as well as helping Kurt Hoy, the editor, with page maps and all that other B.S. Sourcing photos, fact checking, caption writing, and copyediting. Being a magazine editor is pretty much doing EVERYTHING except maybe running the goddamn printer to put a magazine together.

What is the best part of your job? The worst part?

The best parts: writing-I love everything about it. Working with five of my very best friends.

We are a team and a little family and all that cheesy shit. Traveling for work and having it be more like vacationing, snowboarding and out on the town and all with a company credit card.

Good shit, for sure. The worst part: I get paid very poorly, like the salary of a social worker or something. And of course there are all these other benefits, but a person has to make ends meet, ya know? Also, dealing with advertisers. Companies who advertise always think that when they buy ads they are also buying editorial, which is NOT the case, at least we try to make it that way.

What advice can you give to kids that want to do what you do?

One of the most important things about working for a magazine that covers a scene, be it snowboarding or whatever, is being part of that scene, first and foremost. You can come in with the shiniest journalism credentials and if you know nothing about snowboarding, you're not getting anywhere. So get out there and get in the mix.

If you started your own magazine, how would it differ from the one you work for?

I would let everyone live wherever they wanted and get things done by using email and holding monthly meetings on the beach in Barcelona.

You've contributed writing and photos to The Journal. Are there any other publications featuring your work?

I send stuff into The Journal because I am down for the cause- I think it's an amazing publication... not trying to do too much, just enough, and with a point. But I also submit to a bunch of my friends' little zines. I also write freelance for European snowboard magazines when I get a chance, because I'm broke, too.

What do you think the importance of an underground zine is?

The importance is freedom to make exactly what you want to make. Because I can't tell you how many times one of my cooworkers or I have said, "I just wish I could make my own damn magazine." But when you think about it, we are making our own magazine- twsnow, but it doesn't feel like it. There's too much B.S. and too many hands in it trying to make money.

Zines are honest because they are what they are, crappy, worthless in the traditional sense, and most importantly, not for making money.

Do you have a favorite zine?

The Journal, It Was Snakes, Mayonnaise.

What would you be doing right now if you didn't work at Transworld?

Having a mid life crisis. Oh wait, I am anyway.

Earthology R

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Some people are leaders, and others are followers. We can sit back and watch problems unfold in front of us, expecting the proactive people to step in and help, or we can take action and be part of the solution. As the creator of Earthology Records, Craig Minowa is a definite leader. Donating 100% of it’s profits to various organizations, Earthology is the only nonprofit record label in existence. Read on to learn more and support this noble cause.

Cloud Cult

Photo: Chris Pernula

Who are some of the environmental charities that Earthology supports?

Earthology provides technological support to the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, Environmental Association for Great Lakes Education, Organic Consumers Association. Monetary support goes to the Organic Consumers Association, Native Energy, and a variety of other smaller programs...for example we just completed a benefit for the Idaho Green Party, a benefit for a documentary on water privatization and diversion's impact on indigenous peoples of Canada, and have a benefit for Fair Trade coming up in October. We also provide tabling at all of our shows.

The tabling is open to all environmental nonprofits, but regular tablers include the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, Environmental Association for Great Lakes Education, Organic Consumers Association, Great Lakes United, Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, Environmental Association for Great Lakes Education, Organic Consumers Association, Sierra Club, Institute for Sustainable Agriculture.

What groups have released material on Earthology Records?

Cloud Cult is Earthology's major breadwinning band with airplay on over 400 radio stations and Top 20 CMJ and AAA North America charting. Earthology has released 4 Cloud Cult albums. The label has also released two albums from the band Atticus Finch out of California. They have received some airplay on the West Coast. They've got a sort of Cold Play kind of flavor. Earthology has also released an album called "Gonzo Science" which is an interesting sort of hip-hoppy album with this narrator talking about conspiracies of all types...from JFK to aliens. Some other projects Earthology has released include: Dream Music for Little Wizards (scientifically designed music for baby's with colic), and an Idaho Green Party compilation benefit CD (featuring Built to Spill). In the short term, we're looking at possibly releasing a new artist out of NY called "Emily Is", which is this sort of blend between techno, hip-hop, folk and spoken word. Another Cloud Cult album will be released in April of 2005.

Could you explain how the wind-powered studio works?

Earthology's studio is located on an organic farm. We have volunteers come out and work on the gardens, and we are working to establish an ecologically sustainable intentional community on the farm. Many of the studio walls are made from a board called Homasote, which is made out of 100% recycled newspapers. Our decks are made of 100% post consumer recycled plastic. All of the heating and cooling is provided by a geothermal system we installed.

It's pipes buried 25 feet down in the earth that circulate into the building, bringing warm temperatures from the earth inside during the winter and cool temperatures inside during the summer. The system cost roughly the same amount as it would cost to put in a basic furnace and an air conditioner, so it's odd that more people don't do it, particularly considering how well it works. We're in Northern Minnesota, and the temperatures can get down to 40 below wind chills in the winter time. Even given that, and pretty cheap windows on the house, the geothermal system has never let us down and has never even had to work at full capacity.

It's guaranteed to last the life of the building itself. We also get used CD jewel cases shipped to us from individual donors around the country who find our website. Amazingly, it's several hundred CDs donated every day. We sift through them and hand clean the good ones for reuse. None of our CDs are made from new PVC CD jewel cases. We'll stop making music before we'd ever start supporting the poly vinyl chloride industry (creates dioxin, which is toxic and a carcinogen). Our CD jackets and booklets are made from 100% postconsumer recycled paper and printed with soyink. The CDs are cut from polycarbon and the scraps are recycled into milk cartons. We will soon be sourcing a completely biodegradable shrink warp made from corn cellulose. Our wind power is provided via Green Tag programs...that is where you pay extra per kilowatt hour to have the amount of electricity that you consume from the grid, provided to the grid via wind power. This is an option that everyone has and everyone SHOULD do. It's cheap and if everyone paid that little bit extra to have their electricity provided to the grid from renewable sources, we would no longer rely on coal, gas, incinerators or nuclear power plants. It's easy. We recommend Native Energy (wind power generated on Reservations which provides green electricity to you and the tribal members with a healthy and sustainable economy) http://www.nativeenergy.com/

Earthology R

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MPLS One with an inquisitive mind can’t help but wonder what lies beyond unknown doorways...

NYC

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MPLS

NYC

Photos: Ashley Brookins

NYC MPLS

MPLS

Photo: Ashley Brookins

Photo: Ashley Brookins

Swimmer’s Ear

“Wasting Paper Since ‘98” P.O. Box 2076 Maple Grove, MN 55311

Jenny Lewis with Postal Service. Photo: Kimberly Brown