Paul Shier completed a full interview with us last night discussing an insiders view on Blueprint Skateboards and also posted this Mallorca clip up this week to youtube. The largest island of Spain is hands down the Blueprint team’s favourite skate trip, enjoy footage of Brady, Murawski, Smithy, Shier himself, Kennedy and Jensen here.
Author: Crossfire
Plymouth’s new mini ramp at Prime Skatepark opened with a banging session. Enjoy this footage and have a think about whether this is the best mini ramp in the UK right now? It looks amazing.
Fluff legend Marcel Veldman has rolled out some more collab tee shirts with the 5050 Store in Bristol this month.
If you like rocking it then these screen printed, photo print graphic tees with the classic 5050 embroidered label on the hem is for you this month.
These are £25 from their online store and in your hands within days. Get them before they are out of stock.
Viewing this nearby to Bristol? If so, check out 5050’s latest basement vibes from Foustar who have a pop up store at the 5050 Store from this Friday. Under the shop you will be able to check the launch of the Brian Anderson Fourstar X Nike SB pack and the Erik Koston dunk hi and low.
Starts from this Friday 11th June– the opening night comes with free rum, get in there.
Imagine going to the cinema to watch the 4 most influential metal bands play live sets?! Well, it’s happening. Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, sharing a stage for the very first time, are bringing their historic European tour to 79 UK cinemas via satellite in a special HD cinematic event.
Declares Slayer’s Kerry King, “I can’t believe someone didn’t make this happen 15 years ago! The fans finally get what they want. I think it’s awesome!”
The legendary June 22nd concert from the tour’s stop of the Sonisphere Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria will air the same day in 79 movie theaters in the U.K. Tickets for “The Big Four: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax” are on sale now at participating theater box offices and on-line at www.thebigfourlive.com, where fans can also view the event cinema trailer. The programme event starts at 6.30p.m, don’t miss it.
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Minus The Bear
Omni
Dangerbird Records
www.myspace.com/minusthebear
Minus The Bear’s latest album ‘Omni’ has passed by the media with little/no fanfare but their fans and interested parties have been taking note of the band’s latest addition to their catalogue and the video for their latest single ‘My Time’ is sure helping. Slightly bizarrely featuring break-dancers and a stark white background, it’s kind of retro and kind of unexpected.
The song itself is typical Minus The Bear in its lo-fi electro feel versus guitar-riffs aesthetic but is somewhat funked up with keyboard riffs that are rather more catchy than is usually the case with MTB. A sort of call and response vocal which packs a punch as the repetition of the refrain builds up really provides the main hook in this song and will worm its way into the permanent bank of bits-of-songs-that-whirl-around-your-brain.
Arty but with the talent and tunes to back it up, Minus The Bear have a solid cult following but by rights they really should be picking up a whole new fanbase with tracks and videos as good as this.
Winegums.
Categories
We Are Scientists
Barbara
PIAS
www.myspace.com/wearescientists
With the release of latest album ‘Barbara’, We Are Scientists continue to back up some ultimately quite serious lyrical content with a general accompaniment of tomfoolery and ensuing hilarity. Proving once again that they know how to write a catchy pop-song, ‘Nice Guys’ features the usual brooding verses, melodic chorus and nifty guitar solo. They meld these three together in indie-pop perfection.
The band have created their own low budget video for the track, which features vocalist Keith Murray skating around on a scooter attempting various daring tricks and having a blast. Lyrics pop up along the bottom of the screen, karaoke-style, but they’re not the actual lyrics… They’re what someone might hear if they didn’t know what the words were. A prime example of We Are Scientists making fun of themselves and not taking anything too seriously.
I can’t write anything about this band right now without mentioning their own contender for the official World Cup song which they played on Zane Lowe’s show recently and are apparently recording and releasing as a single. It really has to be heard to be believed.
So I realize I haven’t exactly talked that much about the track itself, but it’s a given that any single from We Are Scientists will be a stellar tune and it’s always far more interesting to examine the band’s extra-musical antics.
Winegums.
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RIP Stuart Cable
Stuart Cable, former drummer for Welsh rock band Stereophonics, was found dead yesterday at his home in Aberdare, South Wales. Police are yet to reveal the cause of death, although it has been revealed that there were no suspicious circumstances. He was aged 40.
Cable, who played drums for the Stereophonics for 11 years, also had his own TV show, ‘Cable TV’, as well as his own radio show on BBC Radio Wales. Furthermore, he had worked for Kerrang! radio, XFM Wales and played drums for the band Stone Gods, which was founded by former members of The Darkness. He was due to play in his new band, Killing for Company, at this year’s Download festival, as well as interviewing his favourite band, AC/DC. In his lifetime, Cable supported legendary bands such as U2 and the Rolling Stones.
Since hearing about his death, friends and loved ones have paid tribute to Cable. Stereophonics front man, Kelly Jones has said “He will be really missed, whenever you met Stuart, you always walked away with a massive smile on your face”, the band also added that the drummer had “Such a gigantic personality which was reflected in his drumming”. Other musicians and celebrities, including Rob Brydon, Cerys Matthews and Steve LeMacq, have paid their respect and given their condolences to the drummer’s family. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him and his loving fans.
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Monster Network – In Between Days
When he’s not networking with the metaphorical beasts and ogres of the interweb, Russell Cowling turns his creative eye to the viewfinder of a camera aimed directly at the gritty shores of the South-East. Though countless filmmakers have been influenced by the do-it-all-yourself approach to filming and editing that’s evident in the finer skate videos courtesy of French Fred, Greg Hunt et al, no one achieves it with such DIY honesty than the Essex lad himself. There’s no stock footage in sight. The Monster Network, seek to progress even further from the wonderful Never Forever and Into The Fall, combining creative skateboarding with artistic interpretations and observations from the eyes of those that walk the four-wheeled plank. In Between Days does just that…
After biting through a typically impressive visual introduction, the filling bursts through the crust in the form of ‘Gorgeous’ Dave Watson who’s been steadily on the up since silently killing it on the now-defunct Clown and having the raddest trick in Into The Fall half-way through the end credits. This section is effortless and his style speaks volumes that the dial on big-talkers doesn’t even turn to. While they’re blabbing away at 10, Dave is cruising away at 11. And that front-blunt on the unreal natural quarters in Basildon is completely off the scale. Essex Legend Simon Skipp – whose Romford ditch recently got some gnarly coverage in the new Blueprint flick – shares his section like he did in Never Forever and proves himself still worthy of being the undisputed king of Romford. There’s no bad-talking the way Skipp can attack Romford’s blue wall switch and still 360 flip like no other. Nigel Davies slips in a huge noseblunt before Dave sleeps through a killer ender to close this excellent opening section – that’s kindly been posted online to whet your appetite on the Monster Network site itself. Good stuff.
I’m gonna call out my own bias right now on the second section, because I grew up skating with Warren Greatrex, and I can only express my anger that he didn’t land such incredible shit when I was the one filming him. A lot has changed since secondary school and that huge gap he glides over wasn’t even in the shitty bike track we used to skate back then but Warren’s style has always been perfect. We could be seeing more from this kid if he keeps killing it like this. George Gough and Wil Thomson follow to the spectacular soundtrack going with some interesting ledge trickery and a couple quick-footed gems. That frontside shove…
In Between Days Trailer from Monster Network on Vimeo.
What I’ve always enjoyed about Monster Network productions is that they’ve never been afraid to have lots of shared sections. For someone with Firefox-Generation-ADD (or FIGADDS! as I’ll call it), keeping it consistently fresh makes the skating flow down even more nicely, like a well-made mix tape made for a friend. For the next track we have new Channon King footage, and it’s like hearing the opening chords to a song you haven’t heard in a while but always loved. His style is unmistakable and still suits his off-beat trick selection on ridiculous spots, including what’s either the world’s worst designed bench or one that’s been victim to the world’s largest arse sitting on it.
The next treat is a meaty friends section full of some more familiar South-East heavy-hitters, culminating in some really piss-taking malarkey from Raemers, Veran Tull and Neil Smith. Nick Remon jams to a song you’ve all heard before but not in such raw context. Nick rips through impossible terrain and reps Switch Skatestore hard. This admirable local loyalty is kept up with the notorious smooth stylings of Jay Tate. This is a section so fresh and clean that even the haters-gonna-hate brigade that often dismiss natural style for sketchiness can’t talk shit on. Real pop, excellent catch and fluid, bolt perfect skating that’s never robotic, Jay Tate kills it. With the assistance of Adam Howe and Jay Minta (specifically that Kalis-as-fuck catch on the nollie frontside flip off the indoor kicker) this montage is my personal favourite in a video full of bangers.
Carl Wilson takes the end section and deserves the honour. Park skating in videos is something often contested and I disagree with those doing so, particularly if you can kill it like Carl, if you skate what you want and film what you want and be creative in your own way then you get a great video. And this is just that. Top work to all involved, 3,5,0,1,2,5 go!
Order it now for £5 before it sells out at www.monsternetwork.co.uk
Stanley
Enjoy these offcuts…
Unused footage In Between Days from Monster Network on Vimeo.
Bay Sixty 6 Skatepark in London have just had a new lick of paint across their park last week courtesy of Orange Rock Corps and have also installed a new ledge and hubba in the centre of the street course that you can see below.
The park have also opened up a new skater owned store in the park too- Stand Up Skate Shop is now open run by Kevin McKeon so look out for that on your travels.
