Public Enemy front man Chuck D is branching out into the communications market and bringing out a new company called Chuck D Mobile.
He aims to bring music and videos to phones wirelessly and launched his company at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Wireless Show in Las Vegas.
The mobile service will provide voice tones, ring tones, some full length songs as well as music and video clips and aims to allow artists to get their music out to a big audience quicker.
We got an email through from Micheal Peuhse alerting us to a rad video of twins Tristan and Nic showing off their talents. They are only 8 years old but they are already dropping and hopping transition you could park a school bus next to.
Is it something in the water? We’re not sure, but I think it has something to do with GOOD public skateparks.
Click the link below and start worrying about how good they’re gonna be once they hit their teens!
Sweden’s very own Backyard Babies have been flying the flag for dirty, punked-up rock n’ roll for over a decade now. Over the years, they’ve released four full-length albums, notched up support slots with the likes of AC/DC and Velvet Revolver, and developed a fearsome live reputation.
Alex Gosman caught up with Nicke Borg (vocals/guitar) and Dregen (guitar/backing vocals) just before their last show at London’s Islington Academy.
So, how’s the tour going?
Dregen: It’s been great, we’ve been touring with Social Distortion since their London show [in early August], and we’ve also done three or four dates of our own in Switzerland and Belgium, when they had days off. So yeah, we’ve been busy! We’re pretty much done touring for now – because we did an American tour with Social Distortion, and then they asked us if we wanted to do the European tour too, so these three UK shows are the last ones before we go home and start writing the new album.
Do you have fond memories of playing in the UK? Have our crowds been good to you?
D: Yeah, always…but the sad thing is that back in 2000, we signed a worldwide deal with RCA Records, and they were complete c**ts over here…they didn’t release or promote our records properly, so for us it’s kinda like a restart in the UK, cos we pretty much haven’t been here for about 3 or 4 years, besides the shows we did with Velvet Revolver and Social Distortion. But now we’ve signed a new record deal with Century Media, who are releasing a compilation album called ‘Tinnitus‘…but most of our hardcore fans will already have all the songs, so we threw in a live CD too, of a show we did in Paris last spring, so it’s a good deal.
You first made a name for yourselves in the UK with ‘Total 13’, back in 1998. How do you feel you’ve changed as a band since then?
Nicke: Well, ‘Total 13′ was more like an angry, frustrated scream, and now we kinda control the anger better…the coolest thing about being in this band is that we’ve never felt trapped in a corner, having to play the same kind of music to keep the fans happy. I’m not saying we’ll go and record a country album, but in a way we could, because it would still sound like Backyard Babies. We’re hoping to branch out even more on the next record!
These days, you see the phrase ‘rock n’ roll’ mentioned a lot in the press, but it’s usually in relation to bands like the Strokes and the Libertines. Do you feel that these bands capture the spirit of rock n’ roll, or is it all just hype and no substance?
D: Well, I don’t think anyone will remember the Strokes in 50 years’ time, but they will remember Guns N’ Roses, you know? They called Nirvana a grunge band, but I would say Nirvana was way more rock n’ roll than the Strokes are.
N: The sad thing is, though, that bands like the Libertines are more rock n’ roll than Good Charlotte or Blink 182, the mainstream ‘punk’ bands…a bunch of sissies who are controlled by their record company. So in comparison to them, the Libertines and Strokes are rock n’ roll, but there’s a lot of better bands that people are missing out on, because of how fucked-up the media is.
D: But I’ve got a good feeling right now, because I think everyone’s waiting for something new…record companies aren’t looking for the new Strokes, that’s pretty much over. Maybe it’ll be time for us!
N: Again! [laughter]
You guys have toured almost non-stop over the past few years; would you say Backyard Babies are more of a live band than a studio band?
D: Yeah…I think this is the ninth tour we’ve done for this album, so it’ll be good to get home and start writing a new record…but I have to say we do get bored pretty fast in the studio. For us, records are a necessary evil, so we can go out and start touring again! You can’t be a rock n’ roll band without rolling, you gotta tour, you know?
N: I think for any rock n’ roll band, the live show is important. I hate bands who put out, like, 2 records a year, with maybe 2 or 3 good songs and the rest is all crap…we’ll never be one of those bands!
Do you ever get bored of playing your older songs live, or does the audience reaction make it worthwhile?
D: Yeah, it does…I mean, for us there’s no difference between playing [recent single] ‘Minus Celsius’ or [old favourite] ‘Highlights‘ live, but to be honest, in the rehearsal studio it does get boring sometimes!
N: Like you said, the audience makes it worth it…but I guess it would get boring if we only got a reaction for the old songs. The ideal thing would be to be like AC/DC, where almost every song you play is a hit!
An over-asked question, but what’s your opinion on mp3 downloading? If someone told you that they discovered Backyard Babies via downloading some of your tracks for free, how would you feel?
D: It doesn’t really bother me…ok, on the one hand, it would be good if people bought the records, because we need record sales to live off and to make more records…but on the other hand, I don’t really give a fuck, cos I love bootlegs, I’ve bought a lot of them. Thing is, I buy a lot of vinyl…not because I think it looks or sounds better, but because I like the whole packaging of a record, which is usually bigger and better with vinyl.
N: For me, it would be so boring just to sit there and download songs…it’s just not the same as putting on a CD, or vinyl, or whatever. Fair enough if you’re broke, but it pisses me off when I hear kids say “Oh, you’re all about the money these days” – it’s like, would you want to work in McDonalds, and not get paid?
D: I think it happened naturally, like a punk rock movement – people started to download, because record companies have been fucking their customers over for too long, first through re-releasing vinyl records on CD…and now I think they’ve fucked themselves. But it doesn’t affect us too bad, as we make most of our money from touring, and I think that only the good live bands can survive in that way.
Cool…and finally, what are your plans for the near future, after this tour ends?
[Dregen yawns and briefly pretends to fall asleep]
N: [laughing] We’re gonna go home, take about two weeks off for holiday, then go back down into the basement to start writing the new record…hopefully we should be recording by January, and the record should be out before next summer.
C: We’ve also got a DVD, ‘Jetlag’, which will be released on Century Media…it’s a kind of documentary about the band – 15 years of us on one DVD! – with a load of interviews and videos.
Backyard Babies’ most recent album ‘People Like People Like People Like Us’ is out now.. Check www.backyardbabies.com for more info
Image (right) by Seb Michelini, other images courtesy of Wig Worland and RLD.
Written by Ralph Lloyd-Davis
Lille is a buzzing town on the north-eastern border of France neighbouring with Belgium, and also the first stop once you have spent 20 minutes under the Channel via Eurostar.
Despite the industrial roots, Lille has shed the smoggy image of yesteryear for a bright and colourful make over of music, art and attitude, thus gaining the title of Culture Capital of France in 2004. This is the link that makes Lille and skateboarding synonymous, and what better way to celebrate our culture than with Exposkate – Skate* Architecture, Music, Design, Art: Probably the most complete and exciting event about everything a wooden plank with four wheels entails.
Now, you might remember Crossfire visiting Lille once before in the past. Our man in the mist, Maxwell Woodger Esq. cleared customs and paid a visit to Europe’s first Street Plaza and the brand new skatepark that Lille had to offer. Well, the street plaza is still there and well worth your visit, whilst the indoor skatepark has grown immensely and anyone vaguely interested in street culture can be found rolling, spinning and swinging around the concourse. The “Halle de Glisse” (skatepark), as it’s known, was only an appetizer because my calling was SKATE*- an exposition that boasted artwork from the Beautiful Losers, photos by the famed Fred Mortagne, modern architecture by the skilled hands of the Side Effects of Urethane/Moving Units team, live music and much much more.
I am a frequent user and abuser of the Eurostar because of it’s facility to get me from A to B without the hassle of out-of-town-terminal treks, suspicious check in staff, disgruntled stewards and ludicrously expensive refreshments. I can literally go from the fabled gloom of Southbank, to the fresh open air of Paris, Lille or Brussels, and be back in time for Eastenders all in one day, and at very low cost if I book in advance. There is no need to sweat about getting lost trying to find the Exposkate; the location is a brief 5 minute walk straight out of the Eurostar station, Lille Europe.
Gathered in an abandoned Postal service building, the Tri-Postal, SKATE* spreads across three floors and 1600sq/m of space put to good use. I’ve visited a few skate themed shows in the past, but these are usually resumed by a mini ramp, or a few bits of artwork spread across the four walls of a basement or loft. A mere drop in the ocean when you see what Lille has to offer!
I was greeted at the Tri Postal by Laurent and Laurence – the couple behind this grand scheme and major success I might add. Laurent has been working as an event organiser for the last 10 years, so he knows how to put on a good show. Laurence is a lovely young lady who was always ready to answer a question or offer information, and kept me up to date with the venues goings-on via email before and after my visit. Obviously the town donated some cash to help fund Exposkate, but it was really down to Laurent and Laurence’s hard work and networking that made this show so big and worthwhile. With deep ties to the skate scene, Laurent knew what he wanted in his show, so the Beautiful Losers, Moving Units and various others were called up to make dreams become reality. Since opening it’s doors SKATE* has seen professional skaters, amateurs, musicians, foreigners and families absorb the mass of culture that the venue boasts, and the visits look unlikely to relent with an average of 300 people a day walking through the gallery.
So, I take my first few steps through the building and all I can do is gasp. There’s a bar, a stage for live music, a shop stocked with all those modern art books you hear about but never seem to find, a small enclosure dedicated to the lesser known artists and collectives entitled ‘Do it yourself’, and essentially the Side Effects of Urethane/Moving Units newest playground- Interstices. A beautifully crafted skate utopia of curved ledges, banks, driveways and walls that line and wind their way through the dimly lit space. It’s like an urban yet artistic décor that brings the action to the viewer. Huge screens lower during the day to project films that demonstrate the various uses for the unique bench/ledges, then from 5pm till 8pm, skaters pay the modest sum of 2 euros (approx. £1.35) to ride the obstacles. Needless to say, heavy sessions break out from 5 on the dot! Accompanying the modern take on architecture are Fred Mortagne’s exquisite photos, and texts submitted by various personages of the skate world (Jeremie Daclin, Soy Panday, Benjamin Deberdt…). I must say Fred takes some of the best skate shots I have seen in a long time, and he’s only been clicking away for a couple of years!
Oh! Did I forget to mention the video lounge? Hidden away in a darkened corner of the ground floor sit three televisions, flashing a constant flow of images that any video geek would willingly sell his soul for- Mouse, Easter Exposure Three, Skateboard Madness, Virtual Reality, Rollin’ through the decades, Public Domain… It’s all there and more. Each television is supposed to represent an era of skateboarding: The Concrete Wave, Big Time and Street Invasion, and even the tables and chairs you can lounge on are aesthetically close to their epoch. I think this section alone is worth the entry fee, but get ready for some serious viewing because more than half of these videos are categorically out of print today.
Already the first floor had me in shock and awe, but it’s only the first of three floors of sensorial euphoria. Upstairs lies the main art show split in two sections: Two thirds are made up of the Beautiful Losers, whilst the remainder hosts an eclectic show called Exposichienne. I’ll start by describing the latter of the two, Exposichienne. Already, the name is a word play in French that connects the two words, exposition and chienne, which literraly means ‘Bitch’. All the walls are highly decorated with graphic images and illustrations of a 50’s Golden era ideology and the gore and angst of modern day life. Despite an undercurrent of negativity and grittiness, the pictures and paintings are full of colour and detail which captivates your eyes to search out hidden meanings and detail.
Stepping across the hall and you enter the Beautiful Losers gallery. This collective was founded when Aaron Rose and Christian opened the Alleged Art gallery in New York to expose work by a post adolescent generation who mingled with urban culture, notably skateboarding. There is a heavy list of artists on show, but to name a few you can see work by Craig Stecyk III, Ed Templeton, James Jarvis, Mark Gonzales and many more. Each artist has a section which is unique in its genre. You can spot the misled youth of Ed Templeton’s provocative work, or the bolder bill board style paintings and prints of Mission District artists Margaret Kilgallen and Chris Johanson, and then witness the bizarre video reels of Spike Jonze. There is so much art and culture in the Beautiful Loser gallery that one visit would never do it justice. Obviously I felt a stronger tie to what I saw because of the connection through skateboarding, but judging by how varied and skilled the displays are, anyone can find one item to inspire them.
As I physically had to drag myself away from such an adrenalin rush of artwork, I made my way to the final floor where various artists will be allowed to expose their work over the following months. During my visit I was calmed by the portraits of James Cochran a.k.a. Jimmy C. James uses oil and aerosol paint to create very bright, yet soft portrayals of city dwellers. Future art shows on the third floor will include photographs by Martha Cooper, re-known for her pictures of life in the Bronx during Hip-Hop’s early years, a graffiti retrospective that follows the urban art around the globe and profiles some of the major players in the game, and finally an audio-visual exposé of B-Boy culture through the eyes and ears of Eddie Otchere.
After a good few hours (Which clearly wasn’t long enough!) of visiting the Tri Postal and it’s Exposkate extravaganza, I made my way back downstairs for an open display of skateboarding on the Interstices modules. I joined the locals and visiting skaters as we thrashed around the course, narrowly avoiding one another as we carved the wave and slid across the ledges. I must mention that Laurent and Co. invite various skate rippers to come and visit the gallery and Lille’s skatepark. I just happened to be there when the ‘Thrasher’ invitational was on, so I got to witness Antiz’s Hugo Liard, David ‘Roest’ Martelleur, Hans Claessens and Ian Dykmans grapple with the huge skatepark for a relaxed couple of hours, and then get gnarly at Interstices.
Needless to say the over vert sections and huge wallrides felt the real force of urethane and plywood for the first time! Future invitationals include a Rookie and Styler line-up. I think the live skateboarding was essential to provide that cerebral connection between art, form and function that visitors were looking for. And judging by the number of smiles I saw and cheers I heard, I’d say it was mission accomplished.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t hang around for the live concert planned for later that evening, but I did sip a couple of beers with everyone after a sweaty skate session. I also congratulated Laurent and Laurence on their initiative to present our culture to the masses in such a way that no physical sense is left spared. I can’t explain how essential it is that you get your tickets booked, or fuel in your engine to make the trek and visit SKATE* I know for a fact that I’m going back soon, and probably again after that, because this gallery is as complete and thorough as a portrayal of the culture we love can get. Plus, the exposition isn’t going anywhere fast because it’s set to stay in Lille until the 2nd July, before moving on to further shores (Japan, Berlin..?).
For more info visit www.exposkate.com and www.interstices.co.uk
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Click your nimble fingers over to the updated Adio Footwear site (www.adiofootwear.com) where you can peep shots of the team taken during their worldly travel, and more importantly check out their new models in full 360 degree rotation!
Cyberspace is nice, but what we want to get touchy-feely with is the new Kenny Anderson pro model available very soon! If you have any news about the Adio UK Team please get in touch as we think they may have been abducted and long forgotten about somewhere after the annual Hawk visit…
Okay kids, we know you love the footy, so here are a few new trailers that preview some of hot DVDs about to drop:
http://video.tumyeto.com/Suffer_Trailer.mov – Here is the brand new trailer for the latest Toy Machine visual feed disc, suffer the joy featuring Diego Bucchieri, Matt Bennett, Ed Templeton, Johnny Layton, Austin Stevens and Billy Marks.
www.concretepoets.com/newteaser.mov Watch out for Concrete Poets to drop next Spring. It’s a lovely new video project coming straight outta London and featuring the exploits of Shaun Currie, Kyle Edwards, Scott Howes, Greg Conroy, Jin Shimizu and Fares Hassen. Henry Edward-Wood is behind the camera and honestly this scene video is looking crisper than the average.
http://web.mac.com/xamplfilms/iWeb/www.xamplfilms.com/xamplfilms%20home_files/floorworkfinalteaser.mov Finally, a little something from Canada. Floorwork will feature the talents of Montreal skaters G. Daraiche, PY Gauthier, N. Bélanger, M. Mains, B. Fournier, J. Elkin, C.Hale, B.Garson, M.Duke, P.Knechtel and D. Williams. Say word?
For more clips and goodies visit www.xamplfilms.com
You might have heard about this video project in the past. Basically some fun loving Americans have decided to make a video, cast the stars, get the hammers, edit some hot tracks to their footage… The whole shebang except one major detail: the title! So, being the nice chaps they are, they have decided to run a contest where the best idea for a name wins a brand new Deathlens. Not bad for 30 seconds of brain storming, eh?
So, now that the contest is nearing a result, a worldwide premiere is necessary. So far the date set is 06/06/06 – the day for devilish behaviour! Premieres will happen in Campbell, California, and Clearwater, Florida, but Paul Cote (the main man behind the project) is keen to get a premiere in the UK too.
Check out the site and trailers, and see if you know what to call it.
Hip hop fashion entrepreneur Mark Ecko has filed a lawsuit against the Mayor and City of New York on behalf of seven graffiti artists. All seven are under 21 and have been found guilty under the new law in the City whereby it is a criminal offence to possess spray paint or broad tipped markers, regardless of whether you have them for an art class or for your job. This ridiculous ruling is something which Ecko vehemently protests, as is the law that under 21s legally can’t buy spray paint. In a statement he said:
“I have chosen to dedicated my time and resources to calling attention to the absurdity of laws and ensuring the rights of these individuals aren’t being preemptively censored.”
The writers are claiming that the laws make it impossible to express their artistic freedom. Ecko has already beaten the city of New York and Major Bloomberg in 2005 when he successfully appealed the Mayor and Councilman Vallone’s revokation of a street permit for his graffiti block party.
British rockers Muse will be back with a bang on June 19th, as they release the first single from their upcoming album. The single, entitled Supermassive Black Hole will be followed by the album on July 3rd.
Frontman Matt Bellamy said that he got the inspiration for the sound going out dancing in New York, allowing him to mix guitars with a dance type beat. Interesting…
Belle And Sebastian will play a free show in Trafalgar Squar as part of the Love Music Hate Racism campaign against the BNP ahead of the upcoming local elections.
Lining up alongside them will be Boy Kill Boy, Jerry Dammers [of The Specials] and grime acts Roll Deep and Lethal Bizzle. The show will take place between 2 and 7pm on April 29th and will also feature a series of speakers.
For more information see www.lovemusichateracism.com