bl!sss magazine | august 2009 | #24

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COMUNE WAS FORMED FROM THE IDEA THAT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE OUT

THERE WHO NOT ONLY EMBRACE THE RAWNESS AND IMPERFECTIONS OF EVERY

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IN BOARD SPORTS, FASHION, ART, AND MUSIC THEIR OWN WAY, WITH COMPLETE

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09

I W A N T M Y

C H I L D H O O D B A C K

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OakleyReinvent.com 888-547-1789 2009 Oakley, Inc.

Seriously not.

Theres a lot of pressure on action sport athletes these days. So many decisions to make, so many people wanting a taste. It can get the best of you. Or not. Shaun, somehow, has been able to watch it all unfold, and laugh in the meantime. Enjoying his opportunities and everything

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEFnick kalionzes

[email protected]

EDITORjoey marshall

[email protected]

CREATIVE DIRECTORmark paul deren

[email protected]

SKATE EDITORchris ortiz

[email protected]

SNOW EDITORjon francis

[email protected]

MUSIC EDITORtim bergevin

[email protected]

[email protected]

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSJason Kenworthy, Dominic Petruzzi, Daniel Russo, Toby Ogden, Tom

Carey, Brian Beilmann, Jack Coleman, Andrew Mapstone, Adam Moran,

Dave Nelson, Pat Eichstaedt, Andrew Miller, Julien Lecorps, Ryan Boyes,

Zach Hooper, Tim Peare

CONTRIBUTORSMatt Patterson, Willie Marshall, Josh Spencer, Aaron Astorga, Daniel

Russo, Liz Rice, Jason Arnold, Greg Escalante, Tom Carey, Travis Millard,

David Choe, Kai Garcia, Mickey Neilsen, Peter Townend, Hamilton

Endo, Tawnya Schultz, Mike Murciano, Geoff Shively, Casey Holland,

Steve Stratton, Robbie Sell, Andrew Miller, Pat Towersey

BL!SSS Magazine

413 31st Street

Newport Beach, CA 92663

www.blisssmag.comDisclaimer: Although all best efforts are made to avoid the same, we reserve the right to publish unintentional mistakes and/or factual errors which may occur on a monthly basis. No responsibility is assumed by the publishers for unsolicited materials/articles/letters/advertising and all submissions will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright and/or appropriate licensing purposes subject to Blisss right to edit and comment editorially. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine reectthe opinions of their respective authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Blisss Magazine reserves the right to accept orrejectanyadvertisingmatterwhichmayreectnegatively on the integrity of the magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form [print or electronic] without prior written consent from the publisher.

Cover Art : Nathan SpoorIf your favorite shop isnt receiving BL!SSS Magazine

please contact [email protected]

AUGUST 2009

B6@=C56B633G3A=48=

nixonnow.com

DUSTY_BLISS.indd 1 7/13/09 3:11:18 PM

HOMETOWN HERO

20 YEARS OF BLABAC

ANOTHER BABY PIC

SUMMERTIME PARTIES

Mike Blabac got a little industry nod from the folks over at DC this past coupleofmonthswhenhereleasedhisrsteverbook,Blabac Photo The Art of Skateboarding Photography. With 224 pages of iconic skateboarding imagery, Mike has been bicoastal celebrating the release, signing copies, and showing off his limited edition signature shoe that DC alsojustdropped.AvailableatallDCagshipstores,premiumlocalshopsand at powerhousebooks.com, it is another must have for all skate enthusiasts.

30

SURFRIDER SHOCKERG-Shock watches and the Surfrider Foundation have teamed up to col-laborate on limited edition Surfrider timepiece. Celebrating 25 years of keeping our oceans, beaches and waves clean and enjoyable for every-one, this must have is now in shops and available for all. Head on over to your local shop and pick yours up today.

Gotta give out to my homies newborn son, Charlie Sciortino. Sam and his lovely lady were blessed with this little guy right after we completed our deadline for the July issue and couldnt let another month pass before running another baby pic. Sam tells me all things are going great on the Famous front and they already got little Charlie rocking the Famous baby tee, congrats!

We try to reserve ourselves from the same-old, same-old industry par-ties that are more than abundant during the summer months but when three emerging brands by the likes of Sabre, Insight, and Eskuche invited us to partake in an Agenda after party we decided what the hell. They were promised editorial coverage but seeing as only one of them currentlyadvertisesIgureditdbeoktopushthemtoournewweb-site. With wild Australians, a misplaced company card, the Posso girls, and some X-rated dancing (if you dare call it that) you can bet we all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Jake from Insight wrote a naughty little story while Jesse Fulton captured some sweet imagery all available at blisssmag.com so log on today.

Who would have thought that when the bigwigs at Hurley decided to bump up the US Openprizemoneyto$100,000forrstplace,theywouldbe creating history and a Cinderella story for local boy Brett Simpson at the same time? Simpo blazed through the opening rounds at his local break like a madman, and never looked back enroute to knocking out someofthebiggestnamesinsurngincludingMick Fanninginthenal.With his hometown win in front of friends and family, Brett also jumped up to 5th in the QS ratings and is looking good to qualify for the WCT in 09. Not a bad event for this hometown hero.

ELECTRIC SOCAL SHOOTOUT

FLATLIGHT TIME

ACTIVE X TOMS SHOES = GIVE

KODAK ZI8

NEVER NEVERLANDGot the summertime blues? Cant wait for the snow to start falling and cold dry air to start blow-ing again. Not to worry, youre not the only snow-boarder suffering from this syndrome. Lucky for us, the boys at Absinthe have just released their latest and greatest ickNeverland and are cur-rently touring the world. It just might be enough to hold you over for a few months but with insane footage of Travis Rice, Dan Brisse, Brode Merrill, Nicholas Ml-ler and many more Im betting its gonna drive you even more stir crazy than you already are.

32

The peeps at Active Ride Shop have been busy putting the pieces back together and played host to a Give Event for Tom Shoes and Krochet Kids International this past month at their Irvine Spectrum location. Live music, live art and a ton of awareness help raised over $3000 for the Krochet Kids and put more than 350 needy kids across the world in shoes. It always makes me smile seeing a great event like this go down.

The boys over at Element just sent us their newest Flatlight deck to demo. Its super tech with super big logos and is currently one of the best decks they made as of late. Now I dont get to skate all that much beingthatImlockedintotheofceputtingthismonthlybeasttogether,but with guys like Bam, Muska, Tim Tim, Levi, and Mike V. you know theyve got it down. Go and get one today and well be looking for ya next time we do get rolling.

Keeping current with the latest elec-tronics, Kodak just released the Zi8 HD handheld video camera. Now I kin-da wish I hadnt blown my load a few months ago and bought that Flip HD cam cause this thing is the exact same size, a tad bit cheaper with full 1080p quality and has an SD card for added memory. This is always happening to me, I go out and buy something I re-ally want and the next day someone re-leases a better version. Oh well, all you readers out there now know better.

By far the scariest event in Electric history went down this past month at Camp Pendleton - Three top performing SoCal retailers (Spyder, Red E Surf and Sun Diego) battled it out in a life or death, no holds barred paintball competition at Camp Pendleton. After all the dust settled, and believe me there was plenty, it was Sun Diego taking top honors. Awards were also given to the following: Jordan Mead Best Fighting Rep Jani Lange Best Attitude Bruce Beach Worst Paintballer Mike Todd Best Hollow Man and Joel Olenick Least Valuable Player. Way to go Joel!

34

MADSTEEZIN HB

That surf scent youve loved for so many years can now be enjoyed onthedaily.ThenepeepsatSex Wax have released a few more avorsfortheirever-growingcandlecollection.Sonexttimeyousiton the throne to read the latest copy of BL!SSS, spark up a Sex Wax candle and enjoy the passing. Shoots, its the only thing that keeps ourofcetoiletsmellingfresh,thanksguys.

COMUNE X INVEN.TORY

STREET DREAMS

SEXY CANDLES

Our Creative Director MADSTEEZ has been pretty much MIA all month long making this issue of BL!SSS an absolute nightmare to complete. Hes been busy throwing parties, signing autographs and kissing babies since the release of his new Nike 6.0 shoe collab he did with Stink. Healwaystellsmehowbusyhe isandcantmake ittotheofcebutsomehow always manages to get his work done I guess I just really miss seeing his gay face around here. Turns out we werent the only ones demanding his presence, just in time for the Hurely US Open, he completed 3 insane murals in downtown Huntington Beach. Located on Mainstreet between Jacks and Perqs, he got all big time on us and left his permanent mark. And even though we begged and pleaded for him to throw in a subliminal BL!SSStagweveyettondit.Ohwell,lookslikeIll forget to sign his check this week.

When we rst heard about thenew major motion picture re-lease, Street Dreams, we in-stantly knocked it as just another poorly put together movie about skateboarding that is geared to the masses in an attempt for some Hollywood types to make a quick buck off skateboarding. Well, with a little closer inspec-tion we found that it is not en-tirely true... Co-written by Rob Dyrdek and starring Dyrdek, P-Rod, Ryan Dunn, and Sheck-ler (to name a few of the big guns from the skate industry), it seems like this movie could have gone either way. Well be the rst to admit that no one herehas actually seen the lm, butwere willing to bet that its more Gleaming the Cube than Dog-town and Z-Boys. Either way, someone is making some money off this thing, so get out there and see it and let us know what you think.

It looks like the boys at ASRarenallygettingtheiracttogetherandbringing in some CLASS to ASR. Two tradeshows at once, super-director Dan Moylan and marketing genius Jim Shubin have teamed up to bring a new type of tradeshow this September to the San Diego Circus. CLASS is geared towards the more fashion-forward, upscale brands that just didntquitetintheASRmayhem.Withallofthecrossoverthatshap-pening these days it was only a matter of time before this lovechild was born. With a plethora of top quality brands already committed combined with some insane artists and music you can bet the BL!SSS crew will be making their rounds too.

CLASS @ ASR

The boys at Comune have been on tear this summer. Between releasing their Fall line, throwing parties, and keeping all the trendsetters guess-ing, theyve also managed to open a popup store within a store in New York City. Inside INVEN.TORY (lovechild of Mike Townsend and his ex-girlfriendwhohatesme)youllndawholesectiondedicatedtowhatis quickly becoming one of Americas most fashion forward brands. Tight pants, vegan leather, waxy denim come on, this shit is legit. So get with the trends, get to INVEN.TORY and get some exclusive Comune gear, you wont regret it.

STYLE DETAIL FITfor

EricGeiselman

wears theT-REX SKINNY JEANCAPRIKA JACKETSPRUNG BEANIE

Untitled-1 1 6/11/09 2:51:40 PM

ITUNES BS!

By the time you got your grubby little hands on this beauty of a mag, Volcomsnewestsurfick,BS! will be available to purchase for the low price of $4.99 from the iTunes store. Yup kids, its seems like the days of DVD are gone almost as fast as they came in. What are you waiting for, get off your ass and get into some BS!

KID MAC ATTACKS

LUGGAGE ALERT

Ocean & Earth is getting all Willy Wonka on us this month by hiding hundreds of golden tickets among all styles of O&E tail pads. Up for grabs are all types of O&E accesories and six lucky winners will even get a $500 shopping spree - so be sure to pick up an O&E pad and check for your chance to win. Im sure Im not the only one in need of a new pad or two afer this last round of insane south swells.

36

Its not just the surfers from Oz that are coming up. After a stellar perfor-mance earlier in the year at the Quiky Pro, our boy Kid Mac from down under just landed a 5-gig tour with The Game coming up in the month of August. After a short stint touring with other BL!SSS favs, Mickey Avalon and Drew Brophy, Kid Mac is doing big thangs down under and is ex-pected to be up here stateside in the near future. Get to know him today at kidmacmusic.com.

THE GOLDEN TICKET

Coincidentally, Iwas in LAoneneSunday afternoon and was roped into a rooftop pool party for cool kids going down at the Standard Downtown. It was just as I would expect hot chicks, loud music, and overpriced drinks. While there, I got into a pretty interesting conversation with a hotel employee. Rumor has it, Quiksilver and The Standard have teameduptobringusthersteverboardshort/bikini vending machine. I was told it would be located poolside at The Standard Downtown and is loaded with retro releases from the 70s and 80s. The machine is said to be unveiled during a secret party at the beginning of the month and avail-able to public thereafter. A really neat concept, I bet well be seeing more and more of these in no time.

Someofourindustrysnestfootwearcreators,Gravis, have also just dropped some pretty damn sweet looking travel luggage. Designed from some of the toughest materials on earth, these bags are gonna hold up no matter what your destination. Designed to carry it all, its got compartments for everything: iPods, laptops, digital cameras, magazines, skateboards, and even wetsuits. It once again looks like the team at Gravis has not left one leaf unturned.

VENDING MACHINES

38 Photo: Some random drunkn child

Revok, Kelsey Brookes, Mark the Cobrasnake and myself traveled to Germany for a Rvca art show at the Lodown Gallery in Berlin. This Artist Network trip was an odd lineup to say the least, considering they were opposites in almost every sense: personalities, art forms and backgrounds. I have traveled more than a few times with each of these guys, but traveling with all three of them together made it a trip to remember.

When I told Revok that Kelsey was coming to Berlin he said, Thats a funny match, are you sure? and I said, You will like him, Im sure. The same thing happened when I spoke to Kelsey. Its interesting when you take individuals out of their usual comfort zones, styles of working, painting and circles of friends, and bring them together to do something like this in a foreign country. You never know what youll get.

Kelsey is a formally trained scientist who spent years tracking viruses for the US government. Kelseys gurativepaintingsdrawinuencefromHinduandBuddhist deities and exotic animals. He

is extremely meticulous and organized, looking at the bright side of everything with the most incredible attitude.

Revokisknownworldwideforhisgrafti.He has embedded himself within the grafticulturebymaintainingemphasisonthetrueessenceofgrafti tradition,astrictstyleofletterswithinthegraftiworld. Revok is a mad man always looking for the best possible piece in the best possible location. He reminds me of James Bond, calling me from a rooftop while watching trains with binoculars, always on a mission.Mark The Cobrasnake has traveled the world taking photos of the fashionable, hip, and unique, and has made a career for himself through this art form. Everyone wants him to take his or her picture (except maybe Leo Romero). His images are fast and speak for themselves.

The trip was hectic after four days of painting day and night. As we roamed the city, Mark sporadically took photos of our adventures. We left a trail of stickers everywhere we went so it was always easy nd our way home. Berlin has a

feeling of lawlessness, people seemed to wander the streets for days and never sleep. There was tons of grafti onpeoples homes, we found ourselves in abandonedbuildingslledwitheccentricpartying vagabonds. I got the sense that an artist could live in Berlin for relatively cheap; however making a living might prove more difcult. There seemedto be a lot of people oating arounddrinking in parks arguing in the wee hours of the morning, drinking redbull and cheap booze. After two days of no sleep, painting and then wondering the streets exploring the city, Revok decided to knock somebody out. Decided might be the wrong word. The guy was almost begging to get knocked out, and Revok being the accommodating person he is, obliged.

For the show, the artists worked on large-scale photographs printed on aluminum. It was interesting to see how the artists were able to adapt to one anothers styles and work on such a challenging medium. Revok would start out by blocking in areas with paper and adding color. He and Kelsey would go back and forth

adding their individual styles to create these really interesting hybrid pieces. In some ways it was the visual equivalent of seeing Bob Dylan jamming with Three 6Maa...Onpaper thiswouldntwork,but somehow they managed to create 8 beautiful, cohesive paintings. During the show Mark DJed and charmed the ladies with his hairy chest and dangerous moustache, all while snapping pictures throughout the evening.

So, you put these three extremely different individuals together on a trip for eight days to Berlin, and its anything goes. We found our way through the crazy Berlin streets at night together. Friendships were made, collaborative pieces were created, and we put together an amazing exhibit consisting of life-size photos that Kelsey and Revok painted together. I doubt any of us will ever forget this trip. I guess this is what I have always loved about RVCA over the years - mixing subcultures and personalities. In the end I think we all came away with so much more then just a beautiful body of work and eight days in Berlin.

RVCA ANP 8 Days in Berlin :: Words: Liz Rice

40

Todd Selby has been getting some tremendous response from his personal project, theselby.com. Selby has an uncanny knack for capturing brilliant photos of interesting people from all over the globe in their personal spaces. Hes built an incredible networkof inuential artists andhasshot and featured some of the worlds top creative minds including Michael Stipe, George Gorrow (creative director of Ksubi), Sarah from Colette, Erin Wasson and Andre (artist) to name a few. Each feature he does has a unique twist with hand written interviews and watercolors done by Todd. Todds unparalleled approach has every industry person hoping to someday be featured on his site.

Todd has recently attracted the likes of Nike 6.0 and will be shooting the Nike 6.0 athletes in their natural environments for the 6.0 Fall/Holiday apparel campaign in true Selby form. In September, be sure to check out Todds photo show at Nike 6.0s Motel No Tell in San Clemente, CA.

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Ican,canyou?Theuniversehasinnitepossibilities,soyoudbettergetoutthere and get yours before Vanessa Giovacchini and Marylouise Pels get it all!ButintruePosso(poe-so)spirit,thesetwoinuencerswanttocreatethe platform for you to get yours alongside them. Posso, which translates in Italian to I can, is a galactic space baby that was birthed by Vanessa and Marylouise to raise full creative potential that includes music and fashion, amongmanyotherculturalidealismsthatcreate,inuence,andspiritualize,while detouring from the rigid framework of todays popular culture.

Vanessa and Marylouise both grew up in Northern California in the same small town and have known each other since they were 4 years old. In high school, they were counting down the days to when they could escape from the sea of grape vines, lush rolling green hills, clean air, and amazing food for a metropolitan city - any city with progressive culture. It was in Los Angeles where Posso was born, and the two girls soon found themselves making quite the name for themselves in no time.

The two major pillars of Posso, but not limited to, are music and fashion.

As a brand, Posso has carved a nice niche in fashion, alongside establishing themselves as a well-respected DJ act in a male dominated arena. Their uniquepaletteforfashionandmusichasinuencedasoundthatisasexycreation of Nu-Disco, House, Funk, Disco and Dance. Posso has played alongside the likes of The Juan Maclean, Aeroplane, Treasure Fingers, Cut Copy, and Classixx. And thats not all, Vanessa and Marylouise have also designed and marketed a avant-garde accessory line consisting of leather spats, belts, and cuffs, with a focus on functionality for a modern versatile look.InthepastfewyearsPossohasstyledsomeoftodaysmostinuentialfemales with their directional accessory line including Katie Perry, Rhiana, Nomi Ruiz (Hercules and Love Affair), in addition to executing one-of-a-kind leather collaborations with Brian Lichtenberg as well as Colette Paris in 2009.

After traveling to play at the Summer Sonic festival in Japan in August, Posso the DJ will then be heading to New York in September for Fashion Week events before heading back to Asia for a fall tour. So keep your eyes peeled and your ears open as the Posso girls are coming to a universe near you. Check them out at possouniverse.com.

Photo: theselby.com

MAGAZINE: BL!SSSISSUE: AugustJOB NUMBER: 0393

SPECS:9.5 x 12.625 Live Area10.5 x 13.625" Trim11 x 14.125" Bleed

CONTACT:Morgan Wichman - Nemo Design503-943-3047 x [email protected]

44

In every generation there are a handful of rare humans. They function on the edge of insanity, usually creative and socially magnetic, attracting the attention of those functioning on the safe comfy warm side of life. Its these people who remind us to live life to its fullest, venturing away from the safe and familiar to inhabit the dark corners, nding the light ofa new world of experiences and exploration. Unbuckle the seat belt of security. The wild ones remind us to be alive.

Dash Snow falls under this category. Snow started in his early teens painting his name SACE on every surfaceofthecitywiththeinuentialNYC grafti crew IRAK, (Dash wasone of the founding fathers). Legend has it, after supposedly stealing a camera he began documenting his drunken nights so he could remember the fun that went down. His pictures showed the truth in his surroundings, the underbelly of New York nights, the famous hamster nests (look it up) and most important the glorious Hedonistic rituals of life. With a nudge from his friends he began showing his work in galleries and quickly it began attracting big names such as Charles Saatchi, the Whitney Museum, Peres Projects and Jeffrey Deitch, all wanting a piece. Along with photos he produced an array of collages with his own personal word building style with phrases like Bin Laden Youth and I forgot more than you will ever know on aging paper glued and crude, but truthful. He was most famous for his newspaper clippings with headlines of Saddam Hussein covered in his own semen with a little dash of glitter to give it some glitz. He is part of a circle of young downtown New York artists who are destined for greatness in the art world and sadly as this story has been told before, drugs turned out the bright light of a human too soon at the age of 27. He was a raw talented artist who lived on that edge of creative insanity who had that rare ability to simply not give a fuck and at the same time, project more love than the summer of 69. You can see he was loved closely by many which says he had a good heart.

Manyinuentialpeopledieeverydaybut the ones who are in the limelight with stories attached to myths are brought to our attention quicker than most... So fuck all you haters... This page is dedicated SACER.

Words: Ben Brough

WeSC activists Lady Tigra, Love Eneroth, Jonas Wiehager, Chris Pastras and Mika Edin contributing to WeAretheSuperlativeConspiracy

Pick up a copy at your nearest WeSC retailer.

For more information visit www.wesc.com

Bikini: Becca :: beccaswim.com // Model: Tami Farrell

This months Super Taste is also our current Miss California. Between photo shoots and her budding acting career, Tami spends a good amount of time playing EAs Fight Night and keeping current on her blockbusters. She is a sucker for SNL, anything by Judd Apatow andsurprisingly bakes an amazing batch of brownies. All of this is great and all, but we just really like the way she looks in a bikini enjoy!

Photo: Dominic Petruzzi // dominicpetruzzi.com

46

Tommy Sandoval : Gap to F.S Smith Hubba off Big 4

It was like watching a best trick video. Everybody on the vert ramp was going off. Bob Burnquistattackedtheminimegarampraillikeamanonamission(hedidarsttrybackside 180 fakie 50-50) while Alex Perelson blew everybody away during the vert rampjam,pullingpracticallyeverythinghetried,includingarsttry900thatelectriedthe entire competition and the crowd. He had it in the bag early on in the jam, but that did not keep PLG and Bucky from doing everything they could to catch up. The battle was on and the outcome was one of the best vert competitions in recent history.

Thehighenergy from theprovert competition carried straight into the streetnalswhere the pros went nuts, all trying to earn the top spot and the $100,000 check that comeswithit.Fromthestartofthestreetcompetitioninthequaliersandcontinuing

Alex Perelson : Indy 540

Words: StrattoPhotos: Ortiz

48

Chris Cole : K-Flip over Rincon Rail

Alex Perelson : Indy 540

Nyjah Huston : K-Flip B.S Smith Rail

Torey Pudwill : B.S T-Slide up ledge

Ryan Sheckler : B.S 360 K-Flip Brick Hip

Felipe Gustavo : Nollie Flip N-SlideRyan Decenzo : Nollie Flip Big 4 Shane ONeill : Switch Flip Big 4

Torey Pudwill : B.S T-Slide up ledge

Mark Appleyard : Switch 180 5-0

Ryan Sheckler : B.S 360 K-Flip Brick Hip

Top 3 Ams

all theway through the nals, the coursewas getting annihilated. Up andcoming pros like David Gonzalez and Torey Pudwill charged the course with a vengeance while veterans like Geoff Rowley and Brian Anderson wowed the crowdwith style. By the time the nals began, the epnameter peakedand reached epnicity. Dennis Busenitz scorched the course with his lines and Tommy Sandoval vaulted from the roof in every sort of way. In the end, Chris Coles consistency and tech gnar edged the contest crew and rest of the kids favoritestoreigninaverywelldeservedrstplace.

1. Chris 2. Tommy

Mens Street Finals1) Chris Cole2) Tommy Sandoval3) Nyjah Huston4) Torey Pudwill5) Ryan Sheckler6) Sean Malto7) Greg Lutzka8) David Gonzalez9) Paul Rodriguez10) Mark Appleyard

Best TrickAdamDyet-Kickipbackside tailslide

Vert Finals1) Alex Perelson2) PLG3) Bob Burnquist4) Andy MacDonald5) Bucky Lasek

Am Street Finals 1)Felipe Gustavo2)Shane ONeill3)Ryan Decenzo4)Abdias Rivera5)Davis Torgerson6)Theotis Beasley7)Louie Lopez8)Manny Santiago9)Morgan Smith10)Nick Merlino11)Andrew Langi

Intro: Tom Carey :: Captions : Bielman

Uncle Brian is the man. Over the past few winters Ive had the pleasure of working alongside him at the Volcom Hawaii houses. His body of work is astounding from his water shots all the way to his portraits. I dont think its too common to see an older photographer that can still shoot such a variety of photos. It seems like hes always learning new techniques and is really able to adapt to new styles. I think thats why hes the best in the biz, and I consider myself lucky to know him and learn from him. 52

Waimea shore break evening

Shaman medicine man

Shane Dorian, Tahiti

Kelly and Darren Crawford lming,Mentawais2008

Kalani Chapman on uncle Owls board

Dusty Payne, Maui 4th of July

Pipeline hell

Tahiti turtles with mantas

Rabbit at Pipe

Marvin Foster off the wall

Tom Doslin OTW 08

Lopez the master Pipe

Mr. Pipe 84

Tahiti palms Shawna underwater Dion from Globe in Mainland Mexico

Marley, Honolulu shell 1978 FreddieP&jellyshinFiji

I married a mermaid, Tahiti

Quik ad 81, Bugs, Kong, Chappy, Wes Laine, Willy Morris Bruce and Mochi

Ben Harper in Japan

Dusty Payne, Sunset Beach

Jackie Dunne, Rabbit and Shaun Thomp-son late 70s pipe contest

Dane Reynolds Oz

Rabbit 80 Big Boy Westside Zeke Lau, Rocky Point 08Bobby Martinez Fiji

FreddieP&jellyshinFiji

Ben Harper in Japan

Cheyne Horan 80s

White Stripes Fuji rock

Cheif Druku Fiji

Andy Irons, Fiji

Donovan Oz 09

Strider pipe

Gerlach, 80s Eddie ceremony

Tom Carrol early Quiksilver ad

Archie and Ford Off The Wall Lou Reed New York

Parko with Mohawk FijiMick Cambell

Kelly

Tattoo surfer 09

Kekua Festival 05 Jack Johnson, John Cruz and Jackson Browne backstage

Danny Fuller Tahiti trials 08

Clay Marzo Oz Ramana and ski

Haunted house Tahiti

Corey Lopez Tahiti

Sharks Cove explosion

Apocalypse now Mentawais

Underwater wave Waimea Bay

Marley, Honolulu shell 1978

Gavin Beschen Fiji

Mick Fanning Tahiti

Bruce and Kaiborg Tahiti swell

Me, Brian Bielmann

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Photography: Kevin Wilkes Styling: Djuna BelStylist Assistant: Helen Huang

kevinwilkesphoto.com Hair & Makeup: Megumi Wakabayashi

Model: Emily BrynneVolcom Denim jeansInsight t-shirt

Hair & Makeup: Megumi Wakabayashi

Model: Sarah KargesVolcom ShirtRVCA white jeansVans high top shoes.

Model: Emily BrynneEzekiel Shorts

Volcom ShirtOakley Bikini Top

Model: Sarah KargesRVCAplaidannelHurley sweatshirtRoxy shortsVolcom shirtSmith sunglassesVans bagOakley hat

Model: Rachel BarnesFox black dress

Vans shoes

Theres a saying Ive heard in regards to young skateboarders where parents will say, He was practically born on a skateboard. Well, Collin Provost is about as realistic to that saying as it gets, stepping onaskateboardnotlongafterlearninghisrststeps.Whileskatingvertandtrannyishisrstlove,Collinismakingquiteanameforhimself in the street skating world. With the respectable list of sponsors backing him, you know there is something extraordinary about the way Collin stands on a board. My guess is that Collin will be riding his board for many more years to come, as long as that means having good times with good friends.

Give me all your stats: Name, age, hometown and sponsors.My name is Collin Joseph Provost, Im from Huntington Beach, CA and Im 18. My sponsors are Volcom, Element, Emerica, Thunder, SpitreandOakley.

Top 3 skateboarders that youre stoked on right now?Im feelin David Gonzalez, Slash, and Jake Duncombe right now. I just like skaters that skate fast. They all do sick tricks and have super good styles too.

Interview: Jacob Smith :: Photos Chris Ortiz *unless noted

Boardslide

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Whowasyourbiggestinuencegrowingupskating?

I was too little to have a favorite skateboarder, but probably my dad or my neighborhood friends. I grew up around older kids and they kinda taught me how to skate. When I was young I had a ramp in my backyard and my neighbor had a atbox,akickerrampandaquarterpipe.Wewouldjustskateout back all day. My dad still skates every once in a while.

Doyourememberyourrstboard?

TherstoneIrememberwasaPowellboard.Itwasthelogothat had the skull with the sword in front of its face. I think that wasmyrstone.It lastedforeverbecauseIwassoyoung.Nowadays, everything breaks so easily. I always break trucks.

It doesnt even matter what kind of truck it is, I just land too hard on my board. Ive broken the hangar on my truck several times, but Ive never broken base plates or anything.

If you could skate anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?Probably China again. Every spot is just perfect and there are brand new, never-been-skated marble ledges everywhere. There are so many perfect spots that havent even been skated yet. Last time I was there, we had to wax up a lot of the spots we skated because they were brand new. The smog is insane though; it looks like it is constantly foggy.

Boardslide

F.S Flip

What skate trips are you going on in the near future?Im going to Holland and Paris tomorrow with the Emerica dudes. We are just going out for the Rotterdam contest and street skating... and fun. Ive never been to Rotterdam but it sounds cool. Well be over there for like two weeks.

What local skatepark do you skate the most?The Sole Tech Park holds it down. Thats where we skate at night just to have fun. We havent been going as much lately though. Last time we ran into some super weird dude hanging out outside. He came up and tried to sell us something, and then he asked if we wanted tattoos and then he was talking about designing board graphics with us. He was outta control.

Whats better; street skating or tranny skating?Tranny skating, all the way. Street skating just hurts, and its a lot harder to get tricks for me. Id rather go skate a park and just cruise around a bowl.

What about Vert skating?I havent done it in a long time. I

used to be all about vert. I used to have vert tricks in my skate parts. I got over skating vert when I slammed super hard at the Vans Skatepark. I was skating the old vert ramp there. It was after like a three-hour session and I was just kinda tired and sore. I dropped in on the big roll in, and then hung up ontherstwallafterabouta6-footair,ewstraightintotheatbottomand was knocked unconscious. My dad said I fully bounced like 3 times. My whole body was just jacked. That basically ended my vert career.

When are you gonna do the mega ramp?Im kinda scared of the mega ramp. Iwanna do the smaller one rst. Ihate the rainbow rail in the middle though. I feel like I would get out of control and just smash straight into it going 90 miles an hour. The mini mega at the Vans downtown showdown was the best. Dude, we need that at the Volcom Park!

If you could build anything to skate at your very own park, what would it be?Maybe just one gigantic bowl. That

Hardip Photo: Mapstone

F.S N-Blunt Clam Shell

F.S Lipslide

F.S N-Grind

F.S Lipslide

Ollie 15 : Puerto Rico

F.S 180 Rail :: Photo: Mapstone

would be the best. I like skating street a lot but skating tranny is just a lot more fun because Ive been skating it practically my whole life. Street skating is denitelyabitharderforme.

I noticed youve been shredding hard lately, what are you lming for right

now?Just working on lming somegood tricks for Stay Gold. Oh, and the homie video, Be Here Now. That video is basically done; we just need to get some money to have a premiere. Chris (Gregson)istryingtogureoutsome sponsors to help fund it. Me, John Dickson, John Demar, Chris, Stoogles, Kyle, and Figgy all have full parts and then Spencer and Joey share a part.

How do you see skateboarding a few years from now?Everybodys just gonna be killing it so much harder. Its gonna be insane. Dudes will probably just be sessioning El Toro all day for fun... Hopefully in a few years everybody will stop skating street and only skate tranny. That would be the best!

Shout outs?All the homies, my parents and all of my sponsors.

Photo: Mapstone

Gap to Lipslide Bench Shuv it out

Name: Yadin Nicol Sponsors: Hurley, Channel Island Surfboards, Smith, Globe, Monster and Surf Diven Ski Home: Margaret River Age: 23

For such a stumpy little humanoid, Yadin can really shred. I just had the pleasure of shooting him in Western Australia this year and he didnt disappoint. His bag of tricks is amazing.Fromipstofullrotatoralley-oops, hes got it all. Hes

your typical Aussie too, always getting blind at the pubs and then getting naked. I dont know what it is with Aussies getting nude all the time but that shit is funny. Yep, Yades is the whole package (no pun intended) and hopefully well see him on the CT in the

near future.

Yadin, what kind of name is that anyways? Is it aboriginal? I got it given to me by an aboriginal elder named Yagen. He got his head cut off in battle.

Whendidyoustartsurng? About 240 full moons ago Figure it out. I heard your dad is kind of a legend in WA. Is that true? Not that I know of. He probably thinks hes a bit of a legend.

Words & Photos: Tom Carey

What do you do for fun around there? Hunt stray dogs in Speedos. Its a hell of a sport. I saw a lot of shots of you dressed up like Hunter S. Thompson in those Hurley ads, did you fear and loathe in Vegas? Not a lot of fearing went on in Las Vegas but I was loathing the place when I was leaving. There are a lot of funny stories of you circulating through the surf world throughout the years. Can you indulge on one? This is a dumb question What do you want me to say? That Im a hell man? Whats up with Aussies always getting naked and showing off their anteaters? Dunno, but I think its pretty funny when people get there kit off. I would think that you would be thinking that that sounds gay but I am happily married to a girl. You came extremely close to qualifying last year. How bad did that hurt?

Not as bad as the clap Paul Fisher told me it was extremely painful to piss. Is that something you want personally or something thats expected of surfdogs these days? To get the clap? Or to qualify? You recently got married. Has that helped your surng? Yeah, shes like my Ian Cairns, shelmsmeandweregonna bring about a series, Yagerbomb Yadins. Its a bit like Simply Simpo with no surng.Itwillbesick,lookforit on HBO. You guys are both pretty young. Were you in the same cult? Yeah, our parents are the leaders of it. It was meant to be; they arranged it when we were 6. A lot of the photos in this piece are from WA. Can you tell us a little about the trip? Well I wasnt invited on it and I pitched a tent on the corner of where the other boys were staying and whenever I heard

I THINK JORDY IS GONNA BE BLOWING GOATS, DANE LLAMAS, DUSTY GERBILS, AND MITCH AND DION ARE GONNA BE WITH ALPACAS...

a car go past I quickly got up and ran to the car. There were a lot of false alarms but in the end it was worth it. I was ripping way harder than them and got you paid! Where else have you been lmingfortheModern

Collective? Nightclubs,footballelds,FIDM,aroundwheretheylmedTheHills, is that Hollywood? Maybe there. What else can you tell us about thelm?Isitgonnablow

doors or goats? I think Jordy is gonna be blowing goats, Dane llamas, Dusty gerbils, and Mitch and Dion are gonna be with alpacas. Its gonna be sick! What do you think about this new young crew of dudes coming up like Jordy, Dusty, Mitch and Dion to name a few? They blow hard! Dane is the worst, thats why you left him out huh? Whats next for Yadin? Feel free to talk about yourself in third person.

Well, Im gonna give this one to James Taipan Wood and let him talk for me Well, Yadin is just about to jump in the shower and light 15 candles, chuck on some Enya, put some incense on and get to know himself. After he gets out I am gonna upload the footage that he doesnt know I shot on redtube.com and watch the numbers soar! Michael Jackson just died. How do you feel about that? I dont really care too much, he didnt touch me in any way when I

was young. Didheinuenceyoursurng

or dancing? Surng. Whats in your iPod right now? Enya, I was just listening to her. Sail away, sail away, sail away! What else do you have on tap for the rest of the year? Me and James Woods are gonna start a pie shop up in Newport Beach, Cali. Its gonna be called Ya Moms Pie, Come On In and Eat It!your tombstone when you d

Occasionallywemeetanartistthattrulydeestheboundariesofdenition,and Nathan Spoor is just such an individual. Having been working on a serious body of work for nearly ten years, and showing it to great interest across the globe, the artist has made a career of being a major proponent in the Los Angeles art scene. Spoor has both curated and exhibited in

careerdeningshows,cultivatednewinterestinartfromtheundergroundto the established noteworthy galleries, and is now tackling the mantle of museum curator and art writer. Even though his art does most of the talking, its fascinating to hear what is going on behind the curtain of what may strike you as one of the modern eras more creative and interesting minds.

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So, Nathan, how did it all start? I mean to say, how did you get to the point where youre seven years into a body of work and painting almost nonstop?Wow, well, Ive always been into making things, mostly drawing from a young age. I remember all through my youth drawing on the back of all my Dads old sermon sheets and music tablature sheets.

Wait, your Dad was a preacher?Yeah, a Youth and Family Minister for Churches of Christ. So I got to hang around groups of older kids and go to lots of church activities. Mostly I would draw or explore the huge buildings and play on my own. This is pretty young, not really grade school or anything.

So was it the kind of church with the

snake handling and all?No, I think those are pretty much tent organizations and small town gathering things, like evangelical and beyond.

I hear they drink the snakes poison and dont die.Well thats no doubt a good gig if you can get it.

Did you continue the art interest through school?Denitely, and I was the guy to drawthings on your book cover in Jr. High and High School. In Jr. High I discovered skateboarding. That must have been around seventh or eighth grade. And when I saw the skate decks from Powell, the ones VCJ inked, I was blown away. Incidentally, Vincent Court Johnson

THE INFINITE STORY : Interview: Greg Escalante

The Riddles End / 2003 / acrylic on canvas / 20 x 30 inches

got me turned on to MC Escher before I knew about proper art or drafting. And Jim Phillips too, cant forget the whole impact of his work through making Santa Cruz look super cool.

Your parents were cool about skating and all? I mean, wasnt that what the rebellious kids did?Oh yeah, theyre pretty hip about the amount of space my brother and I needed to grow up in our own rights. They totally supported my love of skating and are fully behind me being a full time artist. Through skate graphics, like

the Ripper and McGill and Hawk decks, and Phillips whole thing for Santa Cruz, I got a street level education on some top-notch talent in the pool at the time. At that point I lived in Houston and went to the local grocery stores magazine section to catch up on things in Thrasher.

So what happened after High School then, did you go for more formal training?I put together the best drawing portfolio I could for the time and submitted to a couple Christian universities and got accepted into ACU in Abilene, TX. If I had

to go to a Christian school, I was going to have to get a fairly good sense of the basics, and they had a good start.

Is that where you started painting then?Yes, my second year in. I think it was a 2D design class and we had to illustrate a phrase with a limited palette. It was pretty advanced for what I was used to. I went from pen and ink and paper to prepping illustration board and brainstorming an idea that was due in the next class (two days). But once I got started all my nervousness disappeared.

It wasnt as difcult as I hadthought. I mean, it was, but it seemed to make sense and was a challenge worthy of my entire attention from then on.

Did you get a painting degree from there?Well, I got a BFA in Graphic Design and Painting, with minors in Drawing and English. My Design teacher had come from SCAD in Savannah, GA, and so I applied to Grad School there and at UNT SOVA in Denton, TX. My senior show at school was a two-man exhibit at the local museum that Id been working on for a bit. So

The Gateway to Her / 2004 / acrylic on canvas / 22 x 42 inches

The Kiss of Life / 2006 / acrylic on canvas / 36 x 48 inches

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with that body of paintings, I got accepted to both and did a stint at each university before deciding I needed to get out and make some real work for myself.

So you left Graduate School and started painting?Well, I felt that I needed to explore my voice on my own terms. The school systems were really pushing abstraction and I was denitelynot

You mean they were still leaning on students to be abstract? Robert Williams and Rick Grifn had

the same problem, and its hard to believe that that mentality has been hanging on this long.Yeah, they were serious about the students creating more conceptually based and less gurative or narrativework. I totally appreciate that thats what so many artists or students need, but I was pretty well set on going my own way with exploring painting. So when I realized that, a year into the grad program, I deferred my

fellowship and put the thesis work on a lengthy hold. I went out and got a design job to support my painting habit.

Oh, so you entered the working world, how did that go?It went really well actually. I worked my way up from a beginning graphic designer to Sr. Designer in a years time and then to Art Director about a year after that. So I spent my time, at that time in Dallas, TX, going to work and dreaming up new sketches to paint. Then I would get home and paint for two or three hours to wind down. And on weekends - all weekends generally.

Did you start showing your work in Texas, or were you still building up to a body of work?Well, Iwas buildingmy rstreal body of work and doing little shows for friends in nice gallery spaces that their ofces had available (read:free unused space). I started showing my work out here from TX, though. Then when I moved out here around

Our Monument to Each Pressing Memory / 2005 / acrylic on canvas / 30 x 36 inches

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The Pleasant Plunder / 2005 / acrylic on canvas / 40 x 30 inches

The Institute of Thought2003 / acrylic on canvas 40 x 30 inches

the end of 2001 things picked up a lot more. Being in the area you want to show in really makes a huge difference when youre getting started up.

After you moved here, did you notice your work changing in any noticeable way?Absolutely! I started my actual work at that point, I feel. I wanted to work on a large body of work, something that was grand and encompasses a large variety of life and emotion, as a narrative. I had stretched a few canvases and kind of waited for inspiration to hit, and it eventually did. Pretty soon after becoming open to the ideas, rather than trying to force things, I had the vision of my current body of work: The Intimate Parade. I saw it as having three parts, and am currently still exploring and following the rst partof that, Discovery. I thought the whole thingcouldbedone inveyears,butIve been painting the rst sectiongoing on ten years now. So I bet this could take up the formative part of my painting career, if were looking at it from a birds eye view.

So how does this work develop, where is it going whats the process on this vision narrative?Thats such a great question, and I wish

Ihadadenitiveanswertothat.WhatI can tell you right now is that its about relaxation and acceptance. I think its important to not rush something of this nature, let it develop and unfold. I see it as an organic epic that is taking on shape as each piece reveals itself, sometimes in parts or pieces.Where its going is a little more up to me I think. What it is, is a world in which a small boy and girl are traveling, not with each other but on their own journeys. Thats the Discovery part of it. In essence, she is creating the surrounding scenery from her thoughts and wishes, and he is adventuring through it, both seeking different things. I used to believe that it was a love story, and that theyd end up together, but now I think I see it a little differently. Eventually I believe that they will fuse together, not because of love, but because they are essentially one and the same and will realize it. That will be the conclusion of therst chapter and thebeginningof the next. The work is set up as a wavelength, so you begin on the top, roll through a valley and climb back to another crest and into a great new world of possibility.

Youve been involved in so many other things though, besides major gallery shows. Youve put together

shows, started galleries, written several articles on major artists and worked with some big clients. What do you have in the mix right now?At the moment the most exciting thing is the museum exhibit Im curating for next year. It will be at Grand Central Art Center, and the artist list is amazing. Were concentrating the show on artists that possess a masterful usage of suggestive power; work that you take something away from once the viewing process has ended. And theres also things coming up with Hurley, the new Planet Illogica network that has something to do with the Mark Murphy, and Im excited about my upcoming solo at Copro Gallery in June and having work in New York at Sloan Fine Art as well.

Im also excited to have been in the latest edition of Australia based bienArts Metamorphosis 50 Contemporary Surreal, Fantastic and Visionary Artists. It has such greats as Tiffany Bozic, Lori Early, Travis Louie and Michael Hussar. That and the latest couple custom art shows, one at Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei that was an amazing exhibit to be a part of with the XFUNS folks in Taiwan. I also just won the Grand Prize from the latest Artsprojekt contest,

Andy Howells latest brilliant company incarnation. Theyll make a custom tee from a graphic of mine. That kind of thing is so amazing to be a part of!

And what are you doing right now, at this very moment. Not typing, but what is going on with you for today or this week?Well, I have twelve paintings in different stages of beginning or middle of the work cycle, mocking up some designs for clients, working on the details for the GCAC exhibit, lots of sketching, a couple interviews on other artists, keeping up with family in TX, get a Thai iced tea (which Im now partially addicted to), respond to emails, and get tted for clothes for some shootwith Details next weekend.

Well, I have to say that I cant wait to get into more of this and see the new work. Its fascinating to be able to understand a bit and want to follow it more and see where it all goes.Thanks and much love to the magazine here too, great quality and always relevant content and artists. Ill keep you guys up to date on the latest on my site and blog: nathanspoor.com.

It Was No Surprise / 2002 / acrylic on canvas / 28 x 32 inches

Just like a birdie putt, you dont want to leave this one short.

I could feel the twenty or so sets of eyeballs staring at us as though we were making off with everyones wallets. It was March 25th and our Hot Laps crew was waiting to get an early ride up the gondola. Early meant being at the bottom at 6:30am. Ski Patrol was heading up the gondola as well, getting their dynamite ready to chuck down some slopes for avalanche control. MakingamovielmedalmostentirelyonMammoth Mountain required a ton of help from the people that make the mountain run, but we had to tip toe at times so as to not get in the way of people trying to do their jobs. Our relationship with ski patrol was decent, but one wrong move would set us way back andmakethelasttwomonthsoflmingimpossible. Our goal that morning was to build a jump off of Daves run, which had a good two feet of fresh waiting for us to land in. It was a classic bluebird morning in the Eastern Sierras but something caught my attention, a large plume of snow blowing from east to west off the top of the mountain. Turns out the top of the mountain was getting blasted by 80 mpheastwinds,somethingwewouldntgureoutuntil walking out of the upper gondola building and entering a scene out of a Mt. Everest documentary. When Oren Tanzer told me he wanted Mammoth to make a movie, my mind immediately started to think of all the cool stuff we could do in and around Mammoth. He asked me to help out organizing

Words: Gabe Taylor :: Photos: Peter Morning

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Just like a birdie putt, you dont want to leave this one short.

Eric Jackson made the most of his early season in Mammoth, logging footage on lots of log rides.

Words: Gabe Taylor :: Photos: Peter Morning

JaredDawoudworkedhisassoffseekingouthisrstvideopart.Middlejumpatsunset.

ThisiscalledtheBringaFriendJump.Its

really close to a golf course which is where Greg Bokenkamp(pictured) has been spend-ing most of his summer.

Photographs are great at capturing the feeling of the mo-ment. Can you feel the frostbite forming on all of our faces?

things and hired a solid crew of lmmakers, editorsand photographers. I knew that Oren was putting it all out there and I wanted to see this project succeed as much as he did. So when we got in situations like the one we were currently in, we had to make the best of it. Matt Hammer hurled a snowball as hard as he could, just to watch it y back over his head. Thetemperature was in the low single digits with a wind chill of -30 or so. Our crew of four snowboarders, two videographers, a photographer and Oren was standing next to an amazing looking cornice that we wanted to jump off. Unfortunately the wind was blowing directly uphill and made it impossible to hit. What it did do was make any inch of exposed skin extremely susceptible to frostbite. We couldnt last any longer, so we hiked back along the top of the mountain to the upper gondola building. Ski Patrol was there and I couldnt help but feel embarrassed by our lack of getting anything done. Its not everyday that you get earlyupsatMammoth,infactthiswasthersttimeI had ever gotten early ups, so while we sat in that room twiddling our thumbs, my insides were boiling. At this point in the season most of the riders had a good start on their respective parts but things are never quite as easy as they seem. I cannot stress enough how difcult it istomakeasnowboardmovie.Everythinghas to come together just to get one shot, weather, a good jump, good snow and a rider performing their best are all part of the video part equation. Since we were focusing on the Mammoth area for this project, it got us to open our eyes and get creative. As we sat in the upper gondola building that morning I started going through my list of jumps and cliffs I thought would be good to hit for the movie. Most of them would be hammered by the wind, but I remembered one transfer jump off of a rock and over a little valley that could be decent. It had never been hit before so I had no idea if it would work, I had actually scoped it out while riding my mountain bike in the summer. After a long traverse around half the mountain we began the hike up to the top of the peak, which would lead us

ThetermSendingitisbecomingthe

most over-used term of 2009. Peter Benchetlergoingpostalonapretty

popular Mammoth Mt. cliff drop.

Peter Benchetler blasting through his slough on a little face found out in the middle of nowhere.

Greg Bretz has been a star on Mammoth High Schools football teamforthelastfewyears.CoachCunninghammaywanttore

thekickerbecausethiseldgoalismoney.

CodyRosenthalgettingcorkedontheBringaFriendJump.

The Middle jump in Main Park has seen its fair share of 720s and 540s but Im pretty sure Tyler Flannagan has done more 1080s than anyone on it.

Waking up at 5 am and hiking in sub-arctic temperatures would prove to be the easiest task this day. Jared Dawoud with a large fs 5 over the valley.

to the jump we were headed to. I tried explaining the thing to everyonebutgureditwasprobablybesttojustheadoverthereand let everyone see it for themselves. The hike was brutal, super windy with the worst snow one could possibly imagine hiking in. We got everyone together on the top of the peak and discussed the varying degrees of frostbite each of us was suffering from. Oren didnt have a facemask and his cheeks were looking quite purple. We worked up some motivation, strapped in and headed down to the jump. You want to jump from here to there? Oren asked. Yeah, I think its doable I said. After 20 or so snowball throws and 100 or so rubbernecks up the run-in and take off, we were in! The crew was hyped, well, scared silly,butdenitelyexcitedatthepossibilitythatthisbeastofajump might actually work. It turned out to be a solid 120 feet to the sweet spot and after an hour of shoveling Alex Dawoud nominatedhimselftogorst.Whatachampheis.Withlimitedpowder jump experience, he was willing to hurl his carcass over a jump that had Matt Hammer and myself trembling in our boots. Looking back on the year I cant help but see the symbolism between that day and our season. Through adversity our crew overcame brutal conditions and made a day which was better suited for sitting on the couch into one of the better ones of the season. Each rider had something different motivating them but in the end it can be the simplest task that gets you to the end. By putting one foot in front of the other and never giving up our crew nishedoffaninsanedayandmoreimportantly,themovieitself.

GabeTaylor,staleshinthejunkyard.

MattHammerghtingthewind. Greg Bretz B.S 7 road gap

Ski Patrol scoping the clouds

Bobby George has been ripping Main Park for years and here he is, yet again, Ripping!

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NATHAN FLETCHERS LAVASE LAS MANOS

The Lido Theater in Newport Beach, California was the scene for the World Premiere of Nathan Fletchers new movie: Lavase Las Manos. The line to getinwrappedaroundthebuilding,buteveryonewaskeptsatisedbythewonderful and free taco stand and roving mariachi band. The Analog surf team was on hand, with protest signs against the mistreatment of puppets trying to earn points for Transworld Surfs Cali Rally. You might have to see the movie for that puppet reference to make sense.

The movie itself is a mental, thrashing surf montage set to the fast paced, dramatic instrumental music of the Russian Circles. Nathan rips everything

from Mavericks to Indo while busting airs, backdooring tubes and taking some incredible wipeouts. You can download the movie FREE on Analogs website right now: analogclothing.com.

Afterwards, the crowd headed down to the Analog sponsored after-party at Woodys Wharf. The entire bar was packed, and we also heard there was some nudity. The elusive Nathan Fletcher even made it to his own party for a few drinks stoked! Thanks to the naked guy for waiting till the end of the night to take your clothes off!

Photos: Don Le & Lugo :: Words: Shelby Coyne // Lido Theater // Mo & Meehan // CMO // Hoyer & Merle // Morrissey // Lugo & Richie Jail bait // Full house // Food // Foreigners // Drunks // Protesters

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225 FOREST

225 Forest is a new store rooted in customization, which opened this past monthinLagunaBeach.ItsthersttimeanassortmentofHurley,Nike6.0, Converse and Nike SB product are available under one roof, but the real draw is the way in which you can put your signature on these products. Called wear it your way, on the second-story workshop you can transfer designs of your choice on Hurley boardshorts with a heated sublimation process. You can also decorate your new pair of Chucks with an ink-jet printing procedure and you can design your own Nike 6.0s in the Nike ID studio.

Couple this with a heavy infusion of artwork from notables like Dalek and Bob Dob, music from legendary underground label Stones Throw, and numerous other ways to involve budding artists, and you have a store that helps the cycle of creativity keep on rolling. 225 opened its doors to friends and family one night last month and is now currently open to the public. SonexttimeyoundyourselfinLaguna,feelfreetostoponbyandwearit your way.

Photos : Beau Roulette // The New store // James Dalek Marshall // Bob Hurley and Rob Machado // Rosie // Ryan Hurley // Rob and Rosie // Stecyk hard at work // Dom and Friends // The Gomez family

7D:H;M:E>;DOWEARING: THE ZR-3

:?=?9>EH:CASE: 41MM ABS PLASTIC

BAND: POLYURETHANE 24MM WIDE

BUCKLE: STAINLESS STEEL

CRYSTAL: PMMA PLASTIC

MOVEMENT: 12 HOUR DIGITAL

WATER RESISTANCE: 3 ATM /30 METERS

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COMUNE OPEN HOUSE

On June 27th, the Comune crew opened the doors of their Costa Mesa headquarterstomedia,industryandfriendstocelebratetheofciallaunchof the brand and showcase their Drop City art gallery.

The gallery is housed in a recycled steel shipping container located on site and the nights preview included artwork and live video installation by Comune Art Director Corey Smith, Hunter Longe, Jason Lee Parry, Shelby Menzel and skate team rider Gareth Stehr.

Woven Bones out of Austin, TX and Tender and The Ragbones from Portland, OR performed while guests dined on tacos and Tecates from Gringo and the Bean.

Media and industry VIPs were given tours of the headquarters to see where the Comune design and marketing team is making it all happen, and a good time was had by all. Check out the premiere collection and see whats happening next at thecomune.com.

Photos: Nathan Martin :: Words: Jeannie Thomas // Art by Noah and Nathan Rice, twin artists from Portland // Photography by Jason Lee Parry // Matt Davis, Raul and his boys // COMUNE Art Director, Corey Smith // COMUNE Skate Team Manager, Erik Hammamoto, Matt Ball and friend // Chad Towersy, Andrew Doheny and Ford Archbold // Frank Delgadillo & Mike Q with Han Cholo crew // Mikal Marchbanks, Jimmy from the Closet and friend // Braydon Szafranski and homies // Mike Beach, Lara Lynn Murphey, COMUNE Marketing Director Julie Shumaker and Gerard Noel.

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NIKE 6.0 PIER PRESSURE

Top global under-age surf talent took over Huntington Beach on June 28th and 29th, slaying waves south of the pier for the Nike 6.0 Pier Pressure Pro Jr. presented by Jacks. The Grade 4 event is the highest rated Pro Junior on the2009schedulethisyear,providingmajorpointstowardsqualicationfor the ASP World Junior Championships.

Under 20 denitely doesnt equate to under-rated these young gunsare slaying it these days and Pier Pressure was living proof. Surfers were throwing progressive maneuvers and the youthful vibe was emanating from the vibrant event artwork by famed-illustrator, Jimbo Phillips, who was onsite hand-painting athlete boards and painted a room at the Motel Notell in San Clemente.

Conditions were tough, but Islander, Keanu Asing, battled through, blasting strong outside turns on the set-waves, and managed to work his way through the infamous reform to take home the check for $3500 and a valuable 1,500 points.

DillonPerilloovertooktheleadearlyintheFinalwithtwomassivens-freeforehand turns on a Pier bowl right which earned him a seven-point-score, butwasunabletondabackupwavetoovertakeAsingforthewinandnishedrunnerupatthepremierevent.EvanThompsonwaskillingitbothdays,butwasunabletondarhythminthenal,nishingthirdoverall.

Photos: Brent Hilleman // Keanu Asing // Dillon Perillo // Podium // Chase Wilson // Setup // Cody Thompson // Cory Arrambide // Jimbo Phillips // Nat Young

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FIVE SPEED FEVER SWIM FASHION SHOW

On a warm summer Friday night in July, the Volcom headquarters in Costa Mesa was rattling and shaking! Volcom presented their Five Speed Fever movie premiere and showcased the rst preview of Spring 2010 SwimCollection ina full fashionshow.The B-Movie inspiredlmdirectionofBarbarella meets Superwoman and then falls into Charlies Angels theme lit up the air as the movie began to play. Guns, action, motorcycles and an incredibly hot girl in a bikini tearing it up kept the audience on their toes Immediately after the last laser gun was shot lights slowly brightened, and the fashion show kicked in. Volcoms Spring 2010 Swim collection was on the runway; the girls were styled as if they just came out of the lm guns, helmets with a vixens attitude and the energy to

match. The collection spoke for itself as colors popped, prints made a statement and a sexy, edgy appeal was covering the runway. The crowed was covered with guys in a hypnotic stare, while girls were gleaming at what they pieces they wanted from the collection As the show ended the music increased, the lights brightened and the party began. Drinks, music, mingling and some dancing went down in what is known as the Volcom Costa Mesa warehouse. This was a true Volcom party in all aspects of the word. The Spring 2010 Swim collection will be landing in stores in December. For product info keep up to date at volcom.com/girls.

Photos: Boyes & Wignall // Five Speed Take off and Runway // Finale // Bonnie & Kristi, Wooly & Cari // Lance, Nicole & Clint // Volcom Store // Uuuffffffff // Skindog & Annouschka // Laserguns // Hypnotized

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BEACHWORKS/VON ZIPPER BATTLE OF THE BANDS

TheBattlewaserceatBeachworksduringthe3rdannualRockbandBattleatBeachworksSouthCoastPlaza.VirtualRockGodscamefromalloverthestate to be judged by BMX pro Rick Thorne and Von Zippers GT. The pot consisted of and Xbox 360, $500 in Beachworks goodies, and a boat load of Von Zipper gear. The most inspirational drummer of the night, Peter Kell, went home with the Ion Drum Rocker. The bands played till our ears bled, it was a triumphant night for Gamers and Rock n Roll. 1st Place Dirty Girls 4 Life, 2nd Place Tenacious 3.

Words & Photos: Amber Wierenga // Dirty Girls : Winners // Whispering Eyes // BJ Cheesecake // Blake Wessleman // Last Ditch Effort Stage // Andre has a Posse // Insert // The City Sleeps // Ten 3 // GT & Rich Thorne // LOESV

As times change, labels that are attached to things like music take on new meanings. In the 80s, alternative music was made by bands on indie labels and never got a sniff of mainstream radio play. In the 90s, alternative music became mass marketed and all the little bands started calling themselves indie. It was the same for that little nook called pop punk as well. What was started by bands like the Buzzcocks in the late 70s and perfected by the Descendents in the 80s nally manifested itselfinto what is now nothing more than a mainstream haircut.

Thankfully, there is a new crop of artists trying to right the ship and snatch back the pop punk label and bring it back to its roots. Three young men from Portland, Oregon are leading this charge under the name Broadway Calls. Bred in the hardcore scene, their ascent into playing pop punk was as natural as the forests that the band grew up in.

Newly signed to punk label Side One Dummy, the band headed to Colorado to record their second album Good Views, Bad News with none other than Descendents member and song writer Bill Stevenson. It would seem like the transition back to bands playing proper pop punk is almost complete. Ty Vaughn, singer, guitar and co-songwriter takes a minute to weigh in on Bill, bands and the Warped Tour.

What was it like recording your record with a legend like Bill Stevenson?Well, Josh and I had wanted to record withBillsincewewerefteen,sowhenSide One Dummy told us we had the opportunity to record with him it was like a dream comes true but also really intimidating at the same time.

How did you get ready to go out to Colorado to make the record?We wrote all winter and sent the songs to Bill, the label and our manager, and he was the only one out of all of them that was really stoked on them. I ended up calling him up all the time and wed talk on the phone for hours about music in general and not just about our songs, it was really cool. So by the time we got out there we were really excited.

What did he bring to the studio that may have been missing from the band?I think he got us a lot more focused on the details. When Josh and I put a song together we do the verses and the chorus and we try to arrange it the best we can and there is the song. When we got out there every single drumbeat and guitar strum was scrutinized and made sure that it was exactly what that part of the song needed. He got us really focused. We wanted to make a shorter record than our last one. We went out there with eighteen songs and we came back with eleven. He helped us make the perfect record.

Can we get controversial and talk about your comments last summer

about the Warped Tour?Yeah, lets do it.

You ripped the majority of the bands that played on the tour last year by specically calling out certain

genresandessentiallycallingita

huge frat party. Do you want to expand on those comments or do you wish you never said them?I dont regret making that blog. It got some people upset that maybe thought I shouldnt have said those things and that it wasnt my place to say it because Im not in a big band or something. But that is how I was feeling at the time and I was really frustrated and fed up with my daily surroundings. When I look back on it now I dont even remember that part, I only focus on the good times from that tour. Its a tough tour to be on, probably the toughest that we have ever been a part of and it denitely felt like work and thatsnot what were used to. It kind of just caught up to me. I do like Warped Tour and it is fun to be on, were doing a week of it this year and Im sure will do it again in the future but its not my favorite tour.

Is it the tour or it the bands that are on the tour with you?Its some of the bands and some of the kids at the shows. Everyone who works at Warped Tour and works behind the scenes on the tour is awesome. They really helped us out last year and supported us, especially Kevin Lyman (Kevin is the founder of the Warped Tour).TherstWarpedTourJoshandI ever went to was in 97 and there were amazing bands. We saw the Descendents, Blink 182, Sick of it All, Face to Face and Social Distortion, but at the same time there was this band called Limp Bizkit that we had never heard of and they were horrible. I guess its always been that way, these weird out cast bands but it seems like now that at least half of them are not what I would want to listen to. There are only a handful of the bands that I really enjoy and you dont want to tour with bands that you dont like.

It seems you always play with a certain kind of band at your own shows, bands that are more reminiscent of the punk bands from the past. Is there a new crop of bands resurrecting that sound?I think there is and that there are a lot of great bands right now. What is weird for us is that a lot of those bands stick to their own and the opportunities that weve had over the last couple of years have led us to cross the genre lines. Weve toured with All Time Low and Cobra Starship and it was the strangest thing in the world but it was also a new experience for us and we were glad we got to do it. There have been bands that have broken out of this punk scene like Alkaline Trio. A band like that is the perfect example of a band that started out in a small scene and then broke out. Now they are pretty massive and are playing great shows. That is kind of what we aspire to be.

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Interview: Tim Bergevin

FabolousLosos WayDesert Storm/Def Jam

Fabs new album is allegedly loosely based on the Pacino movie Carlitos Way. If this record is basedonthatlmthanthisrhymeonthersttrackistotallyoffthemark, No Diddy, No Dupri, No Dr. Dre, No Cash Money from Baby and no Rocs from Jay, and Im still here. Tracks on this record feature beats by Dupri and a guest spot from Jay Z so I guess we can just chalk those words up to poetic license. Anyway, his guest list and production list is long and tight with tracks featuring The-Dream, Keri Hilson and Lil Wayne and production from Ryan Leslie and The Alchemist. The whole I sold drugs thing is getting old to me but at least the tracks here are freshandshowcaseFabsowwhichis one of the best in the game.

MatisyahuLightEpic Records

As the worlds most popular or maybe only Hasidic Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu breaks back into the scene with his latest disc called Light. This record shows him experimenting with some different sounds especially the electronic edge on tracks like Smash Lies andWeWillWalk.TherstsingleOne Day is what you are used to hearing from Matis and is the kind of song that garnered him the accolades and a Grammy nomination. Among all the horrible music and evil that permeates this world, it really is amazing that there are still people who hold fast to their religious beliefs and create music that is about positivity and the love of others, which is a really strange concept to most.

Dillinger FourCivil WarFat Wreck Chords

We here at Blisss like to feature stuff that we have slept on and this record denitely falls under thiscategory. This is the perfect issue to feature this record with all the talk of proper pop punk. Formed in Minneapolis, the band dropped this record in October 2008 and it is a atoutamasterpieceofpoppunkperfection! Tracks like Gainsville, Ode to the North American Snake Oil Distributor and The Art of Whore are lesson 101 in how to craft and play punk rock and break neck speed but with sing along choruses and verse complete with lyrics that make you laugh and break your heart. No one would mistake this band for models which is even more endearing and a throw back to a time when it didnt matter what you looked like, just what you sounded like.

La RouxLa RouxPolydor

This UK synth pop princess is all the rage in England and has a great haircut. You could probably stop there, but there is actually some fun stuff here to knock around. This is a way cooler version of Lady Gaga. There will probably be a million remixes to drop from this record but if your DJ skills are not up to snuff than youll be able to get away with rocking the original tracks like In For The Kill and Im Not Your Toy at yournextUrbanOutttersgig.Alsospin the song Fascination which sounds like Tiffany on E.

108

DiscoveryLPXL

Here is a new collab from two members of the indie rock elite, Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend and Wes Miles singer for Ra Ra Riot. This electro pop record has a bunch of cameos from their friends and the feeling you get after therstspin is likeanoverhead,glassy summer day with no one out and no blackball all day. If only that would ever happen, at least you can pretend when listening to this record. Check out the cover of the Jackson 5s I Want You Back.

R.E.M.Reckoning Delux EditionI.R.S.

Forget everything you think you know about R.E.M., any annoying thought you have about this band since they became one of the biggest bands in the world and started believing their own PR should be erased. This was their second record originally released in 1984, probably a few years before most of you Blisss readers were born. The material here is dark, swirly and bleeds the Southern roots that made this band stand out from the pack in those early Alt Rock days. Michael Stipes lyrics are indecipherable and the guitar playing by Peter Buck sounds like a man playing the banjo on a Rickenbaker. If you think you hate this band take a stab at tracks like Camera, Dont Go Back to Rockville and the mini hit So. Central Rain. You might change your mind about these guys.

(500) Days of SummerSoundtrackSire

Im not usually a big fan of movie soundtracks unless it involves the Sharks and the Jets and teenagers knifeghtingbutthisonegottome. Reason one is that this movie stars Zoeey Deschanel. Not only is she dreamy, but she is the She to M Wards Him, not to mention the future wife of Death Cab for Cutie front man Ben Gibbard. Lucky Ben! But what you cant get from Zooey physically, at least your ears will be stoked on a record that offers up some quality bands and songs. Two songs by The Smiths along with tracks from Feist, Black Lips, and Hall & Oates make this an enjoyable and eclectic collection. You even get a cover by She & Him of The Smiths song Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want.Notsureaboutthelmbutthe soundtrack is solid.

GallowsGrey BritainReprise

Punk isnt made any better by anyone than Gallows these days. Snatched up by a major label that probably had no idea what they were getting into by handing over substantial money for the band to enlist some real production. What it got handed was a loud, angry masterpiece! There is a hint of more metal on this record than the bands Orchestra of Wolves album but it doesnt dilute the all out punk aggression of the band. Instant classics served up here like Graves and I Dread The NightareatouthomagestoUKlegends Rudimentary Peni. Good luck taking this to radio Reprise.

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Reviews: Tim Bergevin

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bl!sss magazine | august 2009 | #24

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