Independent 30th Anniversary Tour or "When Getting Old Gets Awesome"

People come and people go
Some grow young and some grow cold.
-Tom Petty

I know. You wouldn't expect a Tom petty quote up front on a post about Indy. But, here's the thing, if you know a lick about your music history you'll know that Tom Petty battled major labels over album pricing. Yep, TP used to be quite the retro punk rocker by music industry standards. Quite simply he knew what he was good at and what his audience wanted so he would hook it up for them anyway possible. Wouldn't you knowthe same thing happened in skating.

Independent Trucks has had a similar effect. They stick to their guns and make damn fine trucks. Personally, I love 'em and cherish them under my feet. When I picked up this little nugget from my in-box I was quite pleased. See, having just flipped the switch on 35 myself it's nice to know that skating isn't just the young mans game. This Tour, like Indy, will be all about skating and skating of all ages. The lineup is wide and diverse guaranteeing that no matter who rolls into your town you best flip on the camcorder because it will be another 30 years before it happens again. Check out the Indy Trucks 30th anniversary website and if you are in the mood for some good old fashion Byrds influenced jangly rock get Tom Petty's new Mudcrutch album.

Mr. Kalis Goes to California & Some Vid-yo

The sovereign sect appears to be relocating one of it's finest foot soldiers from the Midwest to California. But, this is nothing new for Josh as the heads at EXPN report. If you haven't checked out the interview you should but don't expect anything ground breaking from the worldwide leader.


Also footage from those Nike guys getting their Euro Trip on Courtesy our pals at Vital

See More Skateboarding Videos at vitalskate.com

The Skate Park of Tampa is Smarter Than Everybody

I really do believe the Skate Park of Tampa guys are smarter than everybody else. The latest example comes form the bare bones "Hey look what our website is doing for traffic " graphics the posted with the following message.



"All the ads on skateparkoftampa.com are free if we carry your products in our Shop. Send your ads to rob@skateparkoftampa.com. Here are the sizes: 375x200, 750x250, and 150x70. We only use jpg files. Sorry no obnoxious animated gifs and Flash is allowed. Save that for Myspace. Below is traffic stats for the year so far and for the last 30 days ."

Yeah, first look at the graphic closely and then look at the message. That's a shit-ton of impressions to be giving away. OK, take it in context that this is when Tampa Am has occur ed but you can't deny that SPoT isn't more and more in the public eye. With an online store that kicks the crap out of most everybody else ... they aren't just in the game...they are starting to lead it. Those page view per unique visitor metric are better than most days on some major media sights.

If you run the quick math via a standard niche category $12 CPM (cost per thousand) SPoT could be giving up over $35K in ad revenue. Now, surrendering close to $10-15K is more likely but it's still an amazing thing to turn your back on over $100K in ad revenue annually. But, I believe this contributes to their larger success and their innate smarty pants-ness

Why do I think these guys are so smart? Simple they managed to blend the right amount of commerce and content. This shouldn't be rocket science but nobody can latch onto it. CCS has a little news feed. All of the core shops may have a blog but no online shopping component. Factor in the SPoT skater profiles and other assorted content rich nuggets buried across the site against their shopping experience ... the reasons for the numbers become apparent. They've managed to grow but concentrate in the few key areas that will help drive sales and awareness. This, as we all know, are critical for a shops is survival.

Their message and transparency with traffic is the perfect example. Let me translate it for you: "We get great traffic and we'll give you free advertising if we carry your product." One would assume this is first come first serve but if I was a marketing director I would have a full run of their ad sizes ready to go first thing Monday morning. This does an amazing job of strengthening the manufacturer and retailer relationship. What's even more amazing is that it's evolving from the retailer side and not the manufacturing side.

How will SPoT's traffic fare over the summer months? We'll have to wait and see. But, I believe their model will continue to thrive. Now, one has to wonder what their online conversions rates from browsing to sales are. I know I haven't made a purchase yet. I'm busy supporting my local skate shops and you should as well.

Nike SB Drops May 2008

April showers bring May flowers and...Nike SB drops. Piggy backing onto yesterdays SB news here's a glimpse of what will be rolling out the door in the Month of May. We finally get to see the allegedly Ferris Bueller inspired dunk high and the 720 inspired dunk. A couple of kicks that come in under the radar this month are the classic, Abington and the blazer low. The unique colorways really expose the clean lines of this shoe. Sometimes low-tech is best and these are top notch all around.








All Photos via Hypebeast

Nike SB: The SPoT Mid, Lance Mountain Blazer and More

I might have inserted my foot into my mouth a wee bit early in the Nike SB front. First up it turns out the clever collaborations aren't just flowing out of the Vans camp. Even better is that Nike has teamed up with one of the best groups in the industry: the Skate Park of Tampa. The guys at SPoT are notorious for their moat races along with having the most enjoyable comps in all the land. Let's have them describe their new SB Mid in all its glory. Copped straight from the SPoT site:

Skatepark of Tampa's infamous Moat has earned legendary recognition through the traditional "Moat Race" at the Annual Tampa Am and Tampa Pro. Although stories vary on the origin of the "Race," it is rumored that Clyde Singleton used to regularly throw chicken bones into the murky waters to feed the The Moat's original inhabitant, the turtle. Although The Moat has been the receptor of diesel run-off and human blood for the last 15 years, it still threatens to flood Skatepark with every Tampa-style torrential downpour. The colors of The Moat-Inspired Dunk Mid, chosen by Barak Wiser and to be released on 4/25/08, truly tell the story of The Moat. By the way, this shoe does not smell anywhere near as bad.

The first photo was ripped form the SPoT site and their Trip to Fuel TV's Captain and Casey Show. Read their blog entry on their booze filled adventure before Dropping in of Fuel TV's Daily Habit. I'm looking forward to my business trip to Tampa in about 6 weeks. Gotta go skate and check out the shop. Nice to see this crew keeps skateboarding real...as in real god damn fun.

Over on the drop side if anybody read through the most recent issue of Trans World Skateboarding you might have caught a glimpse of an orange Nike SB Blazer. This shoe had a nice graphic popping up on the heel side. If you took the time to read the caption you'd see it's that's a collab between Craig Stecyk and Lance Mountain. The rumor going around is that there's also a small video project between Craig and Lance is forthcoming to go along with the shoes and clothes. Clothes? Yes, clothes. Look for this to drop in October.

One month later Nike SB will be dropping a Lance Mountain SB Blazer. The shoe will be based off an old leather jacket of Lance's (but won't have any leather in it.) This should be really interesting knowing how long Lance has been around the game. If anybody caught the "Mountain's Mountain" in Thrashers Burnout know that Lance has been around forever. That's a good thing. Finally, make sure you go to the Nike SB site and read the interview with Lance.

That's it for now...May drops coming soon...

Dropping Today: Bad Brains X Vans X Supreme

Supreme is back at it with the collab. This go around we got a threeway and thankfully no Muppet's were involved. Nope this time Supreme stepped into very different yet equally large cultural icon. See, if Kermit the Frog represented an optimistic wholesome side of the Regan years then Bad Brains represents the pissed off angst whose anger broke through with the Positive Mental Attitude.

Few groups actually played as fast and as technical as these guys. Certainly in the early days H.R. voice would wail thru song after song. Honestly, in terms of musical force, it's highly unlikely they will be rivaled. Finding that unique combination of talented musicians who play lighting fast with so much to say will be near impossible. Certainly in Washington D.C. they are still revered as a band that played equal parts contributor and pioneer to the harDCore sound. Then again you know what they say about pioneers ...sometimes they end up with arrows in their backs.

All of is in this game want to honor those who have paved the way and it's nice to see these guys get their due. You know what they say abouThey belong up there with Hosoi, Cab and the rest. Dig.





All Photos Courtesy Hypebeast
View the full collection here.

Zered's Echo Commercials for DVS

The Echo commercials from DVS are pretty much one of the cooler themes to roll along in the past few years. I really enjoyed the Daewon Song versions. Growing up in New York that was pretty much how you imagined and hoped a skate mecca like California could be. But, I did have New York City and would haul ass down there whenever possible. I'm sure this is pretty late to the game but these commercials from DVS are equally amazing.

I'm not talking about the skating. Although, there's a sequence off a wall bump in commercial number two that will be the best thing I will see until May. No, it's the portrayal and capture of a skater in New York City. Only in that city can you be surrounded by millions of people and feel totally alone. Watch and figure it out...

Skate Wrap: Creature, Megaired and Shadrach

After three consecutive days of shinning sun the rain has returned to the East Coast. Who's the big winner? You are. that's right skate wrap is back again. time to wrap up another bog dose of skatin' and everything in between. So pour yourself a nice cold beverage. We're gonna be here for awhile.

More Creature Goodness
After several years of having the worst website in skateboarding Creature has relaunched with bangin' new site. Now you can have your evil and skate as well. Actually, I'd like to think Stu Graham had everything to do with this. A giant Scotsman can easily motivate you to get the job done. Who knows? Good site though and the crew over there has been solid with updates so check it out. Actually, Blair Alley over at TWS had the best line. "There's a Creature Corner at every contest now. That sh-t is so tight. They're like the new Alva posse." I actually spit coffee out when I read it...shit made me laugh. Laugh in a good way. Don't send Stu over to stomp my head in.

Certified: Shad
Sure you can go to the Skateboard mag and check out Shad's work but what's even more fun is lurking through all his solid point and shoot photos. Secrete mission was in effect but you'll have to wait. Also there's some demo skating and a wee bit of house partying. Most important we got Lizard King being Lizard King. Yes indeed.

Pull My Finger for Big Air
So mega ramp will be making itsy return to the public eye once again. This go around Ryan Sheckler has manned up. Plan B posted the footage and you can't help but feel a certain amount of mega pucker factor when he steps up for the first time. That dreaded creeping feeling of dropping into the unknown isn't any fun. So after watching Ryan fly over the gap he lands a few and it's a nice feeling all around. Danny Way is with him and has more ability on that thing than should be allowed.

The best mega ramp moment to date actually comes in during a video that surface over on Skate Fairy. Danny Way and Jake Rosenberg actually get to catch up on the Mega Ramp flat and discuss some good old filming from version 1.0 of Plan B. Watch the intro of the video filmed on April 5th because Danny casually throws a huge layback on the Mega ramps vert. No Helmet. No pads. Just a nice old slasher. Pretty stylish from where I sit and to do that on a quarter that big you gotta be real comfortable. Go Now and Watch it.

Testing 1-2 1-2

Just throwing up a quick test of a news service...never mind the interuption.

SLB x OJ Wheels

Looks like Sal Barbier and NHS poured a nice tall glass of awesome for the SLB OJIII wheel. 58 mm of rad!

Terry Kennedy's New Video

Wow. OK, for the record, I'm not going to talk shit here. I see more and more pro skaters making money from letting cameras invade their lives with reality shows and the what not. Now, that being said this isn't my idea of good hip hop. But, then again neither is Lil' Wayne and last time I checked he's currently making more money in a month than I'll make in my life. So if nothing else being observant of the facts is in order.

Terry is making a legit run at hip hop. Good for him. Seriously. No reality show and no bullshit story lines. Beats, producer, music video and of course some interesting cameos from a few skaters in the form of P-Rod, Gorecki and Jereme Rogers are the formula du jour.



Although the best comment to date comes from You Will Soon: "This is nothing but one big advertisement for Krew." So thanks to Watson and crew for the chuckle and the heads up on this one. In the mean time I've been enjoying Knux while out skating. This may be old news to you but enjoy if it's your first time...

Do You Like Rob Dyrdek?

I'll be honest I watch the show Rob and Big once in a blue moon. Usually I get a chuckle or two out of it. I think Rob and Chris can actually be really funny. Then again with Tremaine leading the troops that's kind of a give. regardless, I don't know if I like Rob enough to go buy his trucks. However if you do. ...they are now available. Honestly, they should have put the mini-pony on the truck.

The Music World Drops in on Skating

The music world has a long standing affair with action sports. I personally blame Tony Alva for rockin' out in the 70's like the rockstar he was and Nata Kaupas for throwin' huge ollies while wearing that infamous Public Enemy t-shirt. Then again without Tony who knows where we'd be and of course Natas along with Gonz brought us the modern era of street skating. Thank you for the ollie boys. I use it daily. Back to music though...

This whole topic came up through word association. A few weeks back a friend was asking me what came to mind when he said "New York City". I blurted out 'hip hop and punk rock of course!" That's right two of the most glorious expressive forms in the musical world. there was no better place to be that around the NYC in the 80's from Strong Island to the Boogie Down Bronx, New York was the stuff you read about in books. The musical forms that made New York unique began to branch out and heavily influence skateboarding. While it might have been in Southern California...who can forget and photo of Natas Kauapas busting a huge ollie on a schoolyard bank while rockin' the infamous Public Enemy logo?

Now, 25 years later, the homies at Zoo York are keeping the spirit alive.This collab is with longstanding NYC crew the Lords of Brooklyn. I continue to be stoked on Zoo and their desire to keep pushing the boundaries of skating. Hip Hop, like skating, is a funny thing. One day your hot next thing you blink and you're not. The LOB have been around for awhile from tagging to putting out rhymes. Only thing I can say is it's good to see New York City skaters and bands standing strong together.

However my affinity for NYC Hip Hop aside (who can ever forget the Jam Master Jay Adidas?) no company drops more music collabs in the sneaker world than Vans. Taking a swing through Hype beast on any given week I see a new level of steez sneaking out from the edges. Recently Vans dropped their third installment in the Iron Maiden series. When an Image of the Kiss collab popped up I was a wee bit shocked. Then came the big one. I came across the image for the Vans X Supreme X Bad Brains collab.yeah. That pretty much puts them over the edge. For those of us living in D.C. "Banned in D.C." never rang more true than in these freaky deaky turbulent times. Hair metal, glam rock or political jah-riddem punk...take your pick Vans covers all genres.

End of the day I'll stick with my beat up old Public Enemy shirt and try to ollie off the hips at the downer like it was 1987 all over again. In the meantime you dig Public Enemy's performance from Fuel TV's Daily Habit. Although if anybody sees those Bad brain kicks please hook me up with a pair. Now go skate ...or run to the hills.

Peter F***ing Hewitt!!

You can catch this sequence at the tail end of Peter Hewitt's "60 Seconds" section from "Black and Blue: Volume 3".

The Even Hernandez Interview

Everyone's favorite East Coast writer out in the West has a interview out with former Baker phenom Evan Hernandez in the May issue of The Skateboard Mag. Rob sums it up nicely here...

"Skateboarding moves fast these days, though. Roll and ankle and stay off your board for two weeks or skip and issue of a mag or ignore the web for a few days and you feel clueless. Older, wiser and more experienced—things are certainly different for Evan now—on many levels."

Evan's back in the mix now witha new lsit of sponsors: DGK, Krew, Ice Cream...the list goes on. Good to have him back.

Read the Article Here

Que Pasa Adio?

Nobody is 100% sure where Adio is heading these days as company but they do appear to be marching forward. There were some layoffs and it sounded like an overall shift for them was a longtime coming. We do know that as now Tony Hawk and Bam Margera are no longer on the team page so start speculating where they may decide to go in time. Brian Sumner jumped to NSS awhile back so the brand appears to be getting an image and marketing overhaul as well. The easy answer is this: times are tough all over. The current economy in the States is brutal and doesn't appear to be getting better anytime soon. The trickle down effect hits every industry and marketing. Yes, that includes skateboarding.

What will the final shake up be for Adio? Well, for several years they hitched their caboose to the Bam Margera train. That of course came to screeching halt as his MTV show faded out with a slightly awkward series about him getting married. So, long story shortened here, Adio is left with a team of good skaters but nobody they've marketed or built an image around. Starting from marketing ground zero is probably the best thing they can do right now. That and trim out all the shoes which nobody buys.

Nike SB and ... CCS?

Nike skate shoe drops and rumors used to actually be pretty interesting. The swoosh can still brighten an otherwise gray day if they are putting out something unique or suddenly decide to roll out some random pair of kicks to five shops or so. Basically, they do a very good job of keeping you on your toes month-to-month.

However, as of late trade show photos wind up leaving very little to the imagination. Sneakers that are coming out next Fall an Winter have already made appearances on a number of sites. The interesting part for me is when I see CCS carrying shoes nobody else has. Does this mean these are CCS exclusive Nike SB's? No. Absolutely not. But, it's still funny.

Nike SB Quickstrike: The Donatello

Nike skateboarding, love them or hate them they keep you on your toes. I've always been interested in how Nike does a sublime job of tying to zeitgeist of pop culture back into the world of sneakers. I just got word from Emage in Denver that a quick strike is dropping tomorrow. I've seen images floating around but these are the first drop dates I have heard of. regardless it looks like the first TMNT inspired shoe aka "the Donatello" is hitting the street/

Another Year Down: Happy Birthday to Me

Age ain't nothing but a number and youth is only a state of mind. Thank you skating, surfing and snowboarding for continuing to make me feel young. Another candle goes on the birthday cake tonight. Slowly it's starting to resemble less of a "funny thing" and more of a fire hazard. Onward to middle age!

Seriously though I do believe as you age you get a little sharper in the wisdom department and a little more downtrodden in the physical and mental department. I even caught myself singing along to a dead song on the radio today. That's just gotta stop. With the forecast well into the 70's and a new set of wheels it's time to go skate. See you tomorrow. Today ain't for blahhhgin' it's for schralpin'.

Girl skateboards and Product (RED)

I scribbled about Product Red a few months back when the Girl catalog dropped. Now you can get the first hand words from Andy Jenkins and Eric Koston.

"Ole! Ole!" or "I Told You So"

Stop me if you have heard this one before. A funny thing happened on the way to the X Games. A bunch of suits who don't skate decided to cut vert out of the competition because viewership was on the decline. Revenue was down and if the X Games were 'Glengary Glen Ross' then vert would be Shelley Levene. But, brilliant David Mamet movies and plays aside, vert was officially cut last week.

As of today ... vert is back in. Apparently ranting and raving can help. I'm sure my Open Letter to the X Games had very little to do with this but since I wrote it... I'm glad to say: welcome back vert.

Now X Games, move the street skating comp out of the f*ckin' velodrome and back to the street.

An Open Letter to the X Games

Dear X Games,
Hi, it’s been a long time since we spoke. I know. I skipped out on you last year and talked some shit. That was my bad. But, you can’t blame me. You’re hanging out in Los Angeles and I’m holding it down on the East Coast. I mean, if you are going to walk around all "made for TV" then I might as well stay home and check you out on ...TV. The beers are cheaper from my fridge than at the Home Depot Center. Enough of the chit shat. The reason I’m writing is I think it’s time we had a talk about where you’re heading. I understand you want to try new things and “experiment.” But, nobody wants you to make a mistake you’re going to regret. So let’s talk a little bit.

I hear you’re dropping vert. Can I ask why? I’m hearing things like that it’s about “staying ahead of the current trend with action sports.” Is that right? So are you trying to embrace the long standing round wall revolution that’s been taking over small town America from every public and DIY skate park across the lower 48? Does this mean you’ll start pitching in with the Tony Hawk Foundation and giving back to skating? I think that’s pretty cool and we can always use the help. Last years X Games prize money was only a small section of the ad revenue you generated from X Games advertising. If you’re open to new things and trying to stay current carve out a small portion of those X dollars for building parks. Don't forget people actually skate along with watching skating on TV.

I also heard you might have been scarred by some low TV ratings. It’s understood you gotta pay the bills but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Think about the ratings bonanza you will reap alone from the Ryan Sheckler vs. Shaun White match up in this “super park” event. While Shaun has no real interest in doing the mega ramp Sheckler has stepped to it according to Plan B’s website. No worries though, Shaun will show up and give it a go. If not…hey that’s the chance you take.

Here’s where I gotta show some tough love. You are taking a big chance on tossing out vert all together. “Incorporating elements of …” is very different from vert itself. A few vertical walls isn’t the same thing. In reality here’s what you are about to do: you are about to send a lot of credibility back to the Dew Tour and the ASA. Listen to what I am saying here. You lead this space. This action sports thing, this event, this…you practically re-invented the skate comp and made it a spectacle. The ASA is like the county fair of action sports and they’ll still have vert events. Sending any remaining credibility out the door isn’t the smartest thing.

X Games, lets cut the crap. What you are doing is a made-for-TV event and that's OK. But, turning your back on the skating people love, the skating people grew up with and the skating people aspire to achieve is a very dangerous thing. If you want to stay current add more skating and less rally car. Find a way to include the traditions of skating without removing a large piece of its past.

OK, I’ve probably burned a few bridges here and won’t be getting my media credentials for the X Games this summer. However you look at it... I say this because I care about you X Games. You brought more exposure to skating in the early part of this decade and that inadvertently led to more dollars coming in for public parks. Hopefully, your move will grow a new audience rather than completely turn off the old one. You are going to get one chance at this change-up. I’ll tell you right now I don’t agree with it. But, if you are going to do it here my one bit of advice: Don’t half a** it and don’t f*** it up. You can't build a great concrete park out of skatelite. Not outdoors in a Los Angeles Summer. So start buying land, start digging those holes and start building forms because you have some concrete to set down in order to get this right. After all, more is riding on this than your advertising dollars.


See you this summer,
Jonny
SouthoftheNorth.com

Drops, Rumors and Hops

Yes, it has been busy the last few weeks. People have been jumpin’ on and off teams. The biggest consistent rumor has been following Arto and whoever will end up on Gravis. The rumor mill continues to churn now with Dylan Reider leaving Vans and heading to Gravis with Mr. Saari. Dylan is already in bed with the Burton brands Habitat and Analog. Hey why not make it one big happy family.

In other shoe news, is Braydon making the rounds wearing some samples of his pro shoe with Emerica? Certainly appears that way. Nothing says I’m a pro skater like a bat tattoo under your eye and some shoes with your name on them. Also, Jason Lee and Chris Pastras are now enjoying the scene over at Dekline? Que? In the event you’ve been living under a rock Jerry Hsu’s pro shoe for Emerica is out and about. Enjoy. TWS was on the scene…live everybody else.

Transworld and Slap news confirmed that Alex Olson and Anthony Poppalardo are off Lakai. Hopefully Olson will be making his way over to Vans. A bunch of people think that’s a strong fit. In board news… Walker Ryan is on Organika. Hopefully we’ll see more flowing out of the Organika camp soon. For those of you who want to sep into the way back machine original stereo pro Matt Rodriguez is joining back up with the Stereo Sound Agents. Oh, David Gonzalez went pro for Flip.


Looks like 48 Blocks is getting some love in the Deluxe refresh for spring. Along with your Cardiel flannel deck you can now get your Spitfire shout out t-shirt to 48Blocks.com. Yes, the block is hot indeed. Finally, flowing out of the Baker camp… it’s Death Wish. The crew looks like Lizard King, Greco, Atwuan Dixon and Eric Ellington. The boards are looking pretty solid.


Now go skate.

Skate Wrap for First Week of April

In case you are wondering, it’s true, April showers bring indoor skate sessions. More importantly the warmer weather is starting to sneak a peek around the hazy shade of the East Coast’s temperamental fog and rain. Brighter days lay ahead for those of us longing to escape the life behind a computer. Coffee and skating on the horizon for spring morning sessions. Can’t wait. …On with the skate wrap for this week.

The Stuff You really Want: Eye Candy
You Might have been sleeping on this one but Real went to the Berrics. You can find over here in the older news pages on DLXSF. Hey, look who is in high definition. Yes, that is Kyle Leeper. Nice staplegun Mr. Leeper. Watch Kyle’s lovely clip now.

Timmy’s Top 5
Dirty Jersey’s finest in the form of Tim O’Connor went on point recently with his Top 5 for Crail Tap. Tim’s humor and point of view isn’t everybody’s cup of tea but I kind of liken him to the Bill Mahrer of skateboarding. 20% of the time he’s funny and 80% of the time he’s just telling the truth. The funny thing is that you can find sublime humor in the truth. Comedians like Mahrer do this very well and it’s very thin and dangerous line that most don’t like to walk. Tim does the same thing and for the most part it’s pretty funny. Because, like I said: true is funny. Even if all it means is slinging dat raw.

Did you hear the one about the Priest, the Rabbi and Vert skating?
The biggest thing to happen to the X Games since the started televising near death accidents happened this weekend. The cancelled skate and BMX vert for some ubiquitous new event called super park which will apparently incorporate elements of vert. OK, I get it. TV ratings were down. What’s done is done and there’s no going back on this one. Colin Bane has a good wrap up on BNQT with additional photos and comments from Lance dalgart.

A Mighty Convoy
In case you missed it we dropped a wrap up on the Battle of the Pyramid and review of Convoy skateboards this past week. Check it and if you need new wood support DIY skating. Dig it.

Jokes on You and Me
April Fools day is fun I copped You Will Soon’s style and wound up on skatedaily.net. There were better jokes to be had though. Crailtap had Andy and Spike duking it out in a fake fight. Robust flavor had a good one as well stating they got hit by Banksy. As for us.. no, Jamie Thomas is not starting and inline brand so all of you skaters dressing like a pawn shop broker from the deep south quit sending me e-mails.

Sheckler gets Megaired
All you fans of MTV, teen Beat and Proactive cleansing solutions can go to the plan B skateboards site to see Ryan padding up for the Mega. If you ever watched any of the Almost vids you know Ryan can throw down on some really big gaps. This shouldn’t surprise anybody.

Vans Gives the Block a Face Lift
It doesn’t take much to make me smile but hearing that Vans was giving the block a new look to reflect more of a skate plaza made me pretty happy. I mean, they’re leaving Combi replica as-is and next up is to make it more accessible. Keep skating interesting and accessible. Nice move Vans

Vert is Dead at the X Games, Long Live vert

Yep, the world wide leader in sports is no longer having a vert comp at the X Games.

Per the previous postings we saw this coming.

Awwwwww Sh*t, it's Creature Time

These days it doesn't take much to put a twinkle in my eye and getting the latest Creature graphics dropped front and center is always a good start. Nice to see Stu Graham get a deck and of course Creature tends to drop beauties in limited shapes with great artists. Check them out and then go buy two or three.



OK, working left to right we have the limited editor Chupacabra deck. These are limited to 300, hand numbered and signed by Skinner Davis who freaked up this art. Apparently the Chups comes with a skinner monster zine.

Next up is Stu Graham's evisceration pro model. Why does Stu get a pro model? OK, watch this and then scroll down.

Do we really need to get into it? Really? I mean ...really... No? Good.

Finally, it's the Death Card model. I mean what did you expect it is Creature after all.

Stussy Grand Opening Celebration In Washington D.C. .... Kinda Sorta

This is about as far as I'll go with "lifestyle" and potentially stray away from skating. Commonwealth has some relationship with Stussy and helping get the Stussy D.C. store is open. I know you could care less right? But, it's taking place in DC and Biz Markie will be around. I'm sure if you show up with some Spree, Sweet tarts and other assorted Wonka goodness he'll be your best pal.

Make sure you check the shirt that cops the D.C. flag. Still funny how people grab onto that since it's iconic in it's own right. I would pay about five American pesos to see Ian MacKaye rolling around with this shirt on. I'm sure Ian and Raekwon have lots in common.

Vert is Dead Part 2

Leave it to legitimate media to actually get the story straight. I'm pretty sure Stiepock never would have answered my questions. I'm sure he has a digital trash can labeled for South of the North when I send him e-mails. Read up and stay tuned to find out if vert is dead at the X Games.

Nike SB April 2008

Got an Update from the Emage Crew. A little more color is provided..

Dunk Mid SB (Clubber) - Remember Rocky II? Mr. T? Well his character was Clubber Lang in the movie and this colorway was inspired by his get up in the flick. Look for a t-shirt that ties in as well.

Blazer SB (Capuccino) - No big story here, just a sick color way that we're all super feeling!

Zoom Tre A.D. (Rasta) - Hemp, Red, Green and Gold...What more do I need to say? 4:20 bro.

Zoom Air Harbor (Leopard) - Rockabilly inspired colorway by Aliyasha Moore. Very skate-able indeed!

Zoom Air Abington (Orange) - Remember the Blaze FC? Anyway, nobody's missing you in these

Looks like the shoes are flowing out earlier and earlier from Nike SB. Continuing down the path of staying ahead in the game Nike SB is showing off their latest drops. Another strong push comes for the Zoom Tre A.D. All in all some top notch looking shoes all around.