Saturday the 15th of April sees the return of Death Skateboards to Revolution Skatepark in Broadstairs, Kent.
The team consists of:Dan Cates
Mark Nicholson
Nick Zorlac
Ben Cundall
Mark Munson (Death Urethane)
Lee Blackwell
Carl Wilson (Death Urethane)
..and Steak
www.consolidatedskateboard.com
I have to take my hat off to the guys at Consolidated Skateboards. These guys are all about skateboarding and you can tell they are in it and at it for all the good reasons- reasons many others have forgotten… This double DVD is only a couple of hours worth of great skating from a very diverse team, ad I guarantee you it will have you rolling about in no time.
Miles is a simple road trip that took the Consolidated team across America in search of sick parks and gnarly spots. The journey passes through Washington DC, Orcas Island, Minnesota and Arizona to name a few stops. There’s even some foreign footage in there in case you thought these skate troopers might turn up a chance to visit Spain, for instance. Seeing as everyone skates together and no-one gets a defined part, it’s hard to say who rips the hardest. I think the general vibe of Miles is to open your eyes and get you m travelling into the unknown because there is a whole wealth of spots out there that are yet to be found or skated to their full potential. If that was the plan, then its mission accomplished!
The second DVD, So quick achieved, is a short team video that came about through endless travels (c.f. Miles), and gathered footage since the last 18 months at least. Obviously the Consolidated riders are too busy riding to stop for photo Ops and press calls, so this DVD is a chance to catch up with some seriously good underground skaters. First up to bat and definitely on route to greater things is Emeric ‘Olu’ Pratt. Olu doesn’t skate like your average street skater and that’s a feather in his cap. Seth McCaluml (who recently got the boot!) comes through with a well-rounded part that hardly touches any familiar spots. Seth can and will skate anything you put in front of him- Lets hope his next sponsor realises this.
Stepping up for OG status at Consolidated is Roberto Aleman whose solid style races around your screen and has you scratching your head as to how he gets away with such gnarly tricks. Next up is the man- Karma Tsocheff. Karma never ceases to amaze me with keeping up to par and simply doing what he likes. Karma’s skill is often over-looked but trust me this guy can skate it all, and has skated it all- huge transitioned boat skeletons? No problem. Sweltering indoor demos? He’s there. Sketchy rough asphalt hills? Karma’s had it. Finally, SQA ends with a sweet part from Brian Heck. I remember thinking this guy was looking comfortable on his board a few years ago, so today he’s breezing it. That said, Brian will still risk on some hairy line or carve if necessary.
So, for a double DVD pack, Miles and SQA are worth your pounds and pence. Even if Consolidated don’t hog the limelight, and half their riders are globally unknown, this team embodies skateboarding to the fullest. Whether it’s travelling with friends in search of new terrain, or standing up for the restless roots of our culture and taking it to the face of dubious corporate management, Consolidated get it done.
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
16/03/2006
DVS runs a tight ship of stylers, and everybody knows that you can judge a man by his shoes, so these kicks have got to look good. The Nova keeps things simple- it’s lo-cut, gum sole, suede, no air bags, stash pockets ankle straps or other wing dings. In fact, when I first saw this shoe, I thought it might not last very long, because of the minimalist outlook- I was wrong.
Now, I know the winter is not the best time of year to test new skate shoes, but every occasion I got I went for roll about, thrash and slash. And if Mother Nature was hellbent on keeping me indoors or offboard, I still wore my Nova’s.
Firstly, the gum sole grips. Always a good sign because in today’s saturated skate shoe market, some people will use anything for a sole in order to flog stock… So, I’ve got good grip, but will it last? I know other brands’ gum soles wear down pretty fast, but this DVS material took a good 4-5 months to finally bear a hole!
Next, the suede upper and toe area. I prefer suede to shiny leather because it grips your board straight away and doesn’t slip around like oiled fish scales. However, leather lasts longer as suede takes a harsh knock when applied to abrasive grip. Stitchings pop and holes rub through, and before you know it the shoe has fallen to pieces! Not here. The DVS Nova kept things together and even if the stitching wore away, the layers didn’t peel apart. In the toe area where ollies do the most damage, the suede simple wore away very slowly to reveal a weird silicone layer that wasn’t going anywhere. No holes for my socks!
Finally, I rock the hidden lace hoops because ripped and torn strings are not a good look, plus shoe laces are never around when you really need one. The only place my lace snapped (once!) was where I thread it through a regular hoop. Oh well…
So, the DVS Nova gets some sausage thumbs up. It’s simple and sturdy- two things so many skate shoes can’t seem to get right.
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
16/03/2006
Metal kings Sepultura will be slaying it on tour with In Flames throughout March and to celebrate the tour, an e-card for Dante XXI has been released. There’s a game and a massive prize for winning it. So check it out at:
http://www.spv.de/eng/sepultura/ecard
And the tour dates are:
March 22nd – London Forum
March 23rd – Manchester Academy
March 24th – Glasgow Barrowlands
March 25th – Sheffield Corporation
March 26th – Birmingham Academy
March 28th – Dublin Ambassador Theatre
March 29th – Liverpool Academy
March 30th – Cardiff Coal Exchange
Hit up www.sepultura.com.br for the official words.
Music TV giant VH1 has officially begun production of an upcoming “Behind The Music” feature on legendary metal titans Pantera. An exact air date for the show is yet to be announced by television sources.
Pantera’s “Greatest Hits” collection was recently certified Platinum for sales of over 1,000,000 units in the United States alone. The band’s “3 Vulgar Videos from Hell” home video collection is expected to see a store date of April 3 through Rhino. The set will reportedly contain all new Dolby 5.1 surround sound – the first ever Pantera release to obtain such a feature.
In other Pantera related news; front man Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown will make their return to the stage this coming Summer as part of a first ever European tour from heavy metal super group Down. The trek will run throughout both May and June – taking in a number of festivals as well as select headline shows.
Hit up www.pantera.com for the official business.
Manic Street Preachers guitarist and vocalist James Dean Bradfield and bass player Nicky Wire have each been working on solo albums since the last Manics output in 2004. Wire has recorded a punk album and said that the Manics were writing as a group as well, meaning that fans of the Welsh group have a lot to look forward to in the coming year.
James Dean Bradfield will be performing at the V Festival this year on August 19th and 20th.
Check their news at www.manicstreetpreachers.com
Gun-toting Republican Ted Nugent turned into Axl Rose this week after slamming pop-punk superstars Green Day’s decision to refuse a collaboration.
It’s reported that the outspoken left-wing group declined an opportunity to work with the guitar legend as part of an undisclosed creative venture, sparking outrage with the self-proclaimed “Hunky Ted”.
Nugent reportedly commented: “Their social ignorance, historical vacuity and knee-jerk condemnation of America and the Bush administration is nothing short of embarrassing”.
It is however believed that Nugent in fact owns all of Green Day’s albums. Twice.
Swing on over to www.greenday.com for the official stuff.
All you lucky Mogwai fans can check out the new e-flyer for the band’s upcoming Mr Beast. All you need to do is click on the address below and you can listen to tracks from the brand new album, watch 2 live videos, filmed at Mogwai’s 5 night “sold-out” residency at London’s ICA in January and see exclusive clips from the documentary “The Making Of Mr Beast” (available on the Ltd CD/DVD release).
You can also win tickets and hotel accommodation to their special Royal Albert Hall show on September 22nd.
So get a wriggle on and visit www.mrbeast.info
For the website, go and have a look at www.mogwai.co.uk
Music legend and general God-like being Bob Dylan has announced he will play 2 dates in the UK in June. The shows are part of his European Tour and will take place at the end of June. The tickets go on sale today so make sure you get in quickly.
The dates are: Bob Dylan will play:
June 27th – Cardiff International Arena
June 28th – Bournemouth International Centre
And don’t forget to check out www.bobdylan.com