Author: Crossfire

Categories
Buzz Chart

The Dresden Dolls

How best to describe the Dresden Dolls? ‘Punk cabaret’ isn’t a bad place to start, but it doesn’t fully do them justice. This Boston-based duo consist of Amanda Palmer on vocals/piano/songwriting duties, and Brian Viglione on drums/backing vocals; together, they create a dark but theatrical sound that has won them a cult following across the globe since the release of their self-titled debut in 2004.

‘Backstabber‘ is the second single to be taken from this year’s excellent ‘Yes, Virginia‘ album. Don’t let the carefree piano melody and sweet harmonies fool you – this is Amanda’s bitter, cynical ode to past deceptions. “Don’t tell me what to write, and don’t tell me that I’m wrong”, she warns, before joining Brian in joyfully unleashing waves of condescension over said ‘Backstabber‘ in the chorus.

Sounds interesting, no? Check out their website and decide for yourself!

The band’s forthcoming UK dates are:

August 23rd – Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Spiegel Tent)
August 25th – Leeds Festival (NME/Radio 1 Stage)
August 27th – Reading Festival (NME/Radio 1 Stage)
November 3rd & 4th – London Camden Roundhouse

Categories
Skateboarding News

Dirty Sanchez hit the big screen in September

Yep, that’s right, the Dirty Sanchez full blown, cinema screen movie is finally here featuring Pritchard, Dainton, Joyce and Pancho and will hit your local city from September 23rd.

The press release we were sent says: “Dirty Sanchez: The Movie” features Pritchard’s World Record attempt for paintgun hits, nostril supergluing, finger chopping, liposuction fat drinking, tongue stapling, wasabi snorting, shin kicking, lady-boy guessing and shooting a BB gun into your own head, taking the Sanchez boys excruciatingly hilarious exploits to a new level.

The movie sees the Welsh buffoons travel the world in search of the Seven Deadly Sins taking them across England, Wales, Russia, Thailand, Japan, Mexico and as afr as the Dominican Republic, where they will surrender themselves to the evils of sloth, anger, lust, envy, pride, gluttony and greed.

Go to www.dirtysanchezthemovie.co.uk to watch the trailer or if you a myspazz fan and in need of more friends then i’m sure the boys will accomodate your requests at www.myspace.com/dirtysanchezthemovie

Categories
Skateboarding News

Kris Markovich launches Crimson

I’d love to find out what Kris Markovich‘s work ethic is because this guy has single-handedly ridden for and started up more companies than the shopping channel.

Anyway, after quitting Blind, Kris has found his goal and started up Crimson Skateboards with Richie Belton and James Atkin for pros, then Jeremiah Babb, Thomas Bonilla and a handful of other eager amateurs.

If you go and visit their website, you’ll be able to download a 15 minute bruiser of a promo video with no hip-hop here. The first thing you will notice are the graphics which are sick Markovich creations as you will see from the site.

Has Markovich found his version of heaven? In due course we will see how this develops, but looking good for launch.

Categories
Skateboarding News

French filming comp

In a similar vein to the UK’s ‘Day in the City’, the French are about to embark on their own filming mission.

La rue est vers l’image (The road to pictures) is a comp that gets a filmer and a group of up to five skaters together to film and edit a 3 to 5 minute skate video in either Bordeaux (28th August to 2nd September), Lyon (4th to 9th September) or Paris (11th to 16th September).

At the end of each week, the videos will be premiered at each cities skateshop; Workshop for Bordeaux, Wall Street for Lyon and Street Machine for Paris.

The videos will be judged by Fred Mortagne, Josh Stewart, DJ Need, Stephanie Solinas and Youcef Khemane, five people that touch several aspects of youth culture be it through videos, music or otherwise. The three best videos from each city will be aired on the Extreme Channel.

Three companies have been invited as guests for the comp. Cliché will represent Lyon, Metropolitan in Bordeaux and Landscape in Paris.

For more info and snippets of footy as the comp runs, visit www.larueestverslimage.com and www.plusdesucre.com (Sugar Magazine)

Categories
Features

Helsinki Pro 2006

Helsinki, Finland – written by Guido Gazzi

Here’s the brief:

The flight was late, i jumped on a bus from the airport and everyone is very friendly. Helsinki looks like a beautiful city and weather is good.

I was straight in at the deep end – hooked up with event organiser Mikko and some of the other guys and headed out onto the streets to the Opera House for a little street comp on some weird angled wall ride, then onto the Museum of Modern Art for more.

I shared an apartment with Paul Shier, Ollie Todd, Pat Duffy, Justin Strubin, new Death rider Patrick Melcher and Brian Ueda (Thrasher photographer) – and generally it was all good.

The following mini interview is conducted with Mikko who organised the event which should give you some background on what Helsinki is becoming famous for in World Skateboarding.

So, when did the pro-skate actually start?

Mikko: The first pro-skate was in 1999 in a small warehouse in Helsinki, but we are now at the ice stadium and the first one was held here in 2000, so we’ve been here 6 times. The whole thing started in 1992/93 and we had Finnish championships in the Autumn. More and more people started to know skaters from around the world so we started to invite skaters from outside of Finland. We sent out pro-skate invitations and now 40% are foreign skaters and the rest are Finnish who are semi-pro/amateur or sponsored. So that’s the main idea.

Skating has been quite big in Finland. There are 5 million people here and most of them are old, so there are maybe 1 million who can be in the target group so it’s a big thing, that’s why we have this event. If you compare Pro Skate with a lot of other places they don’t have this kind of ice-rink, and may use skate-parks or something like that but here, the scene is so big which attracts people from other countries to.

And why have you adopted an indoor venue rather than build something outside, is it just a precaution for the weather?

Yes it is just because of the weather. It is really expensive to do it like this. We would have much better prize money if it was outside. It usually rains in the Spring time, not in the Summer but if you do it any earlier it’s colder.

The first championship arena was too small – there was only 2,000 people who could see at the same time which was really crowded and half of the people didn’t see anything anyway. So the ice-rink is good for that, that’s why we have kept it here because it’s more comfortable, everybody sees everything. It’s maybe a little bit big but they can all see what’s going on. If you’ve paid for a ticket you have the view, you can see all the tricks.

So you have put this event together from the beginning?

Yeah, I run it, I’m like the founder of it. I’ve been doing this with 2 guys. The first time we did it, in 1998, we tried to do it without any sponsors, the next year I did it with one other guy without sponsors and after that we started using sponsors.

What are your feelings about this year so far, maybe in comparison to other years – has the level of skating increased?

Yeah, now, the international level is quite good because now about 10 out of 30 people are invited by us, usually it’s not so many but it’s mainly because who we invite usually are good guys. But it’s a good level, many of the guys have been here before.

Last year we had Mark Appleyard who was skater of the year in Thrasher magazine a couple of years before. Maybe we have like one main star for example – 3 or 4 years ago we had Bastien visit us, it was his first big tour coming here and he won. Then we had Spanky, so they were like new names for us here and in a couple of years they have got bigger with Mike V,Rick Mcrank and Ed Templeton.

It’s great skating and a good gang of people – basically a good vibe where everybody gets on together quite well. It’s fantastic to have a great atmosphere so that the competition is not the main thing. The main thing is people coming to a new place, many haven’t been to Finland before, so we welcome them to check out new spots and a new kind of lifestyle, that’s the main idea. With the addition of sponsors we can also offer a little bit of prize money too so a few thousand dollars are up for grabs for the winners which is a cool gesture…enjoy!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

So the Helsinki pro event turned out to be laid back but well organised and was in effect, excellent.

With the class of skateboarding equalling the expectations of previous years Mikko has brought his experience of running events across the board and applying it to what he loves best – skateboarding. Enjoy the footage on this page.

This years results:

1. Eero Anttila – Finland
2. Eniz Fazliov – Finland
3. Jani Laitiala – Finland
4. Chami Laprebendere – Argentina
5. Clint Peterson – USA
6. Justin Strubing – USA
7. Chris Åström – Sweden
8. Jyri Pitkänen – Finland
9. Pat Duffy – USA
10. Patrick Melcher – USA
11. Sami Miettinen – Finland
12. Miikka Virtanen – Finland

Go to www.proskate.com for more.

Categories
Buzz Chart

The Steal

They ain’t called The Steal for nothing! Having formed in Kingston in October 2005, this melodic hardcore lovin’ quartet got together to have fun and pay tribute to the classic eighties punk rock they were brought up on.

We’re talking the classic shit here folks; 7-Seconds, Gorilla Biscuits, CIV – all the good stuff before emo took over and everyone’s fringes were blow-dried sideways and the fashion police moved in on the scene.

The Steal may be thieves but the source they’re taking from is as fresh and inspiring as the day it was created. And although their influences shine through this debut album as clear as the day, every song is littered with killer hooks and riffs and songs that will stick in your head like glue.

This is quality punk rock. Put down that fucking hair dryer and let’s walk together and rock together.

Categories
DVD Reviews

Transworld – Time to Shine

www.skateboarding.com

Transworld have been dropping top quality skate videos for quite a while now, so if you aren’t aware of the high standards the staff filmers put upon themselves then Time to Shine would be a good place to start.

As per usual, Transworld also like to make sure they’ve got all the bases covered with a little revelation thrown in when they choose the line-up for each new video. The cast for Time to shine reads as follows:

Cooper Wilt, Chris Roberts, Ronson Lambert, Chad Tim Tim, Dylan Reider, and Jereme Rogers, Paul Rodriguez and Mike Taylor sharing a part for kicks. Stick Jason Hernandez and Jon Holland behind the lens of their digital, 16mm and 35 mm cameras and you’ve got something good.

From the get go, and throughout, Time to shine feels like a follow on from First Love, Transworld’s previous DVD. Some of you might feel this shows a lack in originality, and even a little sickeningly sweet thematic as skaters pour out their hearts about how great it is to skate for a living, yet how hard it is to get the job done. This discourse has been done, re-done and done again, so lets hope the next Transworld opus offers a grittier edge to our culture.

Anyway, what really matters is the skating because if it doesn’t cut it, the motivation stays low and the rep turns sour. Time to shine needn’t worry about such scenarios because with the very creative skating and obscure spot selection that Cooper Wilt presents, many a young skater will never look at their surroundings in the same light again. I must say Cooper has really come through with something in this part, like an affirmative action that separates him from the chaff.

Next up is Chris Roberts who obviously learnt to skate with one truck and two wheels judging by his incredible balancing act. However, the lengthy nose grinds and fakie nose grinds, and the numerous rotations of Chris’s trademark 360 shove-its all come across as lacking in the originality department. Watch a previous Chris Roberts part, and you’ve probably seen two thirds of this section already…

After that slight dampening of stoke, let Ronson Lambert‘s modern street tech take you away. I’ve been hearing Ronson getting a rep, then a bad rep for such debatable criteria like wardrobe and style. I thing the critics have forgotten what progress looks like. Ronson seems to build his lines and combo tricks together like a tough level of Tetris. A few of his combos will have you on your ass, both metaphorically and literally.

Chad Tim Tim will gain much appreciation for sporting the brown cords and H&M jumper look, but peel away the lame opinions and you will see the genuine prowess this humble young man beholds. I’ve seen Chad put out several killer parts in the past, but these are often too soon forgotten because the rest of the feature was rank. Well, like the title suggests, hopefully this really is Chad’s moment of limelight because it’s about time people recognized the skills.

In order to cover each discipline in skateboarding (something that severely lacks in today’s video releases), Transworld hooked up Dylan Reider with a part for this video. Dylan is a happy-go-lucky all terrain vehicle. Of course this upstart handles the transition side of things and with smooth class I might add. But don’t label the kid just yet, because Dylan can throw a head high crail grab just as fast as he can switch backside flip a ten stair in a line. Buy stocks and shares in this kid because he is destined for great things. We have seen him skate in the flesh over the last 4 years and he is one hell of a talent, and remember, the best skaters skate everything.

Three skaters that have already established themselves are the trio Paul Rodriguez, Jereme Rogers and Mike Taylor. Why these three put forward a part for this Transworld video, I have no idea, but I guess it’s always good to get some mainstream coverage out there for the sponsors, eh? I know Jereme can kill anything be it rails, ledges, stairs or simple flat ground, but that doesn’t make his skating look good. Mike Taylor takes the simpler route of smooth skating and solid tricks. Then there’s Paul Rodriguez. Paul generates a lot of hate because he really is gifted with his skateboard. This section could have/should have been his alone with a trick each from the other two because single-handedly Paul is putting incredible pressure on the game with his skills. I’d like to see more transition skating from the “P-Rodigal son”, but I guess picture perfect switch flip backside tailslide switch flips out will have to do for now.

Finally, it isn’t a Transworld video if there aren’t two or three masterfully put together montages of the global skate community. Barcelona and Australia roadtrip footage blends in with Danny Gonzales‘ mental roof ride deep in the Los Angeles sewers somewhere, and who said the chain was over? Chris Dobstaff pushes the envelope and proves that no spot is officially shut down- at least until someone tops his move*.

And there you have it- Yet another fine offering from the Transworld camp. With the next video due in about 6 months, you really have to take your cap off to Jason Hernandez and Jon Holland for their hard work and initiative to release hit after hit.

Soundtrack:

In a hurry & Psychadelic Sambai- Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra
Introducing, the conspirator Mishaps happening- Quantic
Cherry red- The groundhogs
No sugar tonight/ new mother nature- The guess who
Huddle formation- The Go! Team
White unicorn- Wolfmother
Keep on- Braille
Mattie’s rags- Gerry Rafferty
Can you feel the wind- Mt. Egypt

* I know you’re desperate to find out, so here’s your spoiler: Chris Benihana nose bonks the chain link! Gosh! … Just kidding- He cabellariel heel flips into the bank over the chain! Double gosh!

Categories
Skateboarding News

Birdhouse welcome Ragdoll

Anthony Scalamere aka “Ragdoll” has now joined Birdhouse Skateboards.

The amazing Las Vegas born skater was one of the riders free to find a new home after the decision to close the Pig Wood division this year.

Tony Hawk’s team have been busy filling the gaps left by team manager Seamus Deegan who quit the company taking Brandon Westgate, Aaron Suski and Anthony Shetler to Zoo York.

Over the last few weeks Birdhouse have upped the anti and signed up new 14 year old ripper David Loy and also St Loius born Randy Ploesser, whose unique skateboarding on his ‘sponsor me’ tape captured the eyes and ears of Jeremy Klein.

Click here to watch it, this kid has some serious skills and will be one to look out for in the future if this is anything to go by.

Categories
Features

Oban Ramp Jam

Well the Oban ramp jam went nuts as predicted.

It was just like the x-games but gold medalist Div decided to trade his million dollar prize money for the 24 pack of Tennants!

From here on in we all new it was going to be an alchohol fuelled weekender!

The Heathen boys were out in full force with Young Colin pulling out his big guns all over the place, along with big Mark tearing the amazing mini a new a-hole.

After the fun and frollicks by the ramp the whole crew upsticks and head even further north towards a wonderful mystical island known as the Isle of Seil. Considering the single track road and shear remoteness of this wee island the turn out was a hefty few hundred.

All were there to witness and drink in accordance to the soon to be famous band called UNCLE JOHN AND WHITELOCK. The gig as expected went absolutley ballistic, im sure the Isle of Seil has never before witnessed Div and Napalm Jeff slam dancing there way through the star’y night.

Hopefully this is going to be a yearly event which will involve mandatory attendance.

Big thanks for drunken debauchery pics from Alex Irvine who will have his Triple Shot interview on this very site soon.

Tez

Categories
Skateboarding Product Reviews

Etnies Gal 86

Pioneer product test.

With girls skateboarding coming of age, the Gal 86 demonstrates how Etnies is supporting this side of the sport to be taken more seriously.

Reflected in the adaptation of the shoe over the last few years (as life began for it as standard fashion skate shoe based on the Sal 23) the Gal 86 series has been updated to give the durability needed for the wear and tear demands of skateboarding. The outer shell is made from suede with reinforced triple stitched seams.

Pioneer is the chosen skate park to put the shoes to the test, so they will be thrown straight into some hard working ramps from the off.

The first thing I noticed when putting these shoes on is how comfortable they are. Some shoes take a bit of time getting used to when stepping onto my board but I found I took to these straight away, forget any wearing-in time, I could skate quite happily forgetting I had a new pair of shoes on my feet.

The padding is just enough to stop you feeling any knocks from your board, but they are not too bulky to loose all feeling. I also noticed that every part of my foot was well supported and I felt like I had better control between shoe and board. There is a good grip outsole and they are also pretty light.

The only problem I did find was after wearing for copious amounts of time was; where there is an overlay at the ollie area it was slightly too thick and rubbed on my little toe but other than that these shoes are comfy and really well designed for support.

After several days of skating, there were no noticeable marks, which considering they have a suede outer shell, this was quite impressive. If like me you like your shoes to last, then these are a pair that are worth investing in.

Find them at Etnies Girl

Jenna Selby