Following our own interviews with Kurt Cobain and co from Nirvana, another old gem has surfaced this week from the Blank on Blank crew who have unleashed a Jon Savage interview that was recorded on July 22, 1993. Cobain discusses his confusion with his identity in this amongst more treasured quotes which is accompanied by a wonderful illustration. Enjoy this.
We got it, did you get it? Run The Jewels‘ album is definitely up there as one of the best of 2013 so if you ain’t got it….you know the rest.
A new video from EL-P and Killer Mike taking their Run The Jewels live show on the road through Northern America just dropped online with live and goofy footage. Fun times for rap, avoid the crap. If you want more of this then head for the hills.
Don’t miss their live show at the Electric in Brixton, London on the 26th November. It will be like missing Public Enemy rock the Brixton Academy back in 1987.
Get It from Run The Jewels on Myspace.
Fallen’s ‘Road Less Traveled’ is a tour video with a difference. Most tour videos focus on the demos, the never-been-done tricks at the local EMB and the random acts of silliness that endless hours of van life can produce. As a result it doesn’t always paint the best picture of foreigners abroad and distorts the reality of just how difficult it can be to actually get those rare clips.
Following the lead of Patrik Walner’s Visual Travelling projects, Jamie Thomas and master lensman Mike Gilbert took the Fallen team (Tommy Sandoval, Jack Curtain, Garrett Hill, Brian Hansen, Tom Asta, James Hardy, Tony Cervantes, Dane Burman and Jon Dickson) off the tourist trail to film the trial, error and triumph that goes into producing a feature length film. Like a book, Road Less Travelled is broken down into chapters for each of the four locations visited: Turkey, Portugal, the American West and Thailand. In order to provide insight and background for the events on display, several of the riders walk us though their individual experiences running up to, during or after each journey. The end result is a far more complete and coherent product that doesn’t simply focus on the proverbial hammers (even though there are plenty and they’re shocking!), but also the craftsman putting in the work, their environment and motivations.
Mike Gilbert has understood the purpose of high definition cameras and puts his to work as he captures scenery and surroundings akin to a National Geographic photographer. You also get the sense that sending a crew of scruffy skateboarders halfway across the world, or deep into the back roads of their homeland, generates a strong bond between each rider and the team dynamic gets amplified. Whether it’s another skater stepping between you and an angry sword wielding citizen or watching your buddy step up to the plate of a huge double kinker and get served only to return the next day and ride away victorious, the Fallen team are a tight unit. Thanks to Road Less Traveled I now hold Tommy Sandoval in much higher regard as a tough as nails nutter and James Hardy as a man that actually thinks twice about his role as a professional skateboarder and the opportunities he has to travel. The only cringe worthy (“chocolatey”) moment that stood out for me was listening to Brian Hansen explain his travel anxiety and questionable knowledge of geo-politics. That said, he still managed to board a few planes and put down some tricks so it was all worthwhile.
Garrett Hill pop-shuvs in SA. Photo: Chad Foreman
For a meager 10 dollar download fee via iTunes, I would strongly recommend purchasing Road Less Traveled because it delivers great skateboarding but also provides insight into the riders’ experiences and footage of spots you’ve probably never seen before. Otherwise you can wait patiently for the Transworld Skateboarding website to stream limited viewings of each chapter over a period of time. My humble opinion would be to source the funds for a download with your mates so you can enjoy the skating straight away and for as many replays as you like but that’s your decision not mine.
Ralph Lloyd-Davis
The Spanish Vans team dropped into London to skate its many spots and covered some good ground. Take in the sessions at Tottenham to Southbank and Hemel to Stockwell with many street spots along the way.
VANS Spain London Tour 2013 from Vans Europe on Vimeo.
By November, the UK will be enjoying the annual freezing cold winds that we all know too well, so in the last 2 weeks we have been checking out various threads that will stand the test ahead that are worth investing in. Fourstar‘s winter collection has come up with some combative options to fight the freeze and Tony T’s woven shirt is a straight up winner.
Essentially it’s a super thick plaid shirt made of wool, which some of you may not find a pleasant ride. Wool can be a really itchy mother if you are not used to it but those in the know will understand that you adjust to the feel of it pretty quickly and will not be perturbed.
I found wearing a long sleeve or just a tee under this did the job. It’s a really warm number and loose enough for you to skate in. There are two pretty large breast pockets on the front and minimal branding. These also come in brown, put it on your list and have a look for yourself.
Neon Windbreaker are a Toronto five piece treading the spidery line between noise-rock abandon and melodic structure. Having formed in the spring of 2010, they have played across Canada and the United States alongside Pissed Jeans, Male Bonding, DD/MM/YYYY, Monotonix, This Will Destroy You and many more. We caught up with them in advance of their first ever UK shows coming later this month, and their New Sky EP dropping October 28th.
How did you all come together as a band and who coined the name Neon Windbreaker?
Neon Windbreaker more or less started as a group of friends looking to play noisy music. The only remaining members from our first show are Pat and myself with many members of various Toronto bands having cycled through at one point or another. Our line-up has remained the same save for one member for the past two years and hopefully will remain as such indefinitely. I coined the band name as an in-joke with a friend of mine when at a Japanther & DD/MM/YYYY show given the sheer number of neon wind breakers worn by those in attendance. I should note that I have released multiple records by both bands, have booked many tours for both and don’t mean it as ill will. It just sort of happened that the name stuck.
A lot of noise rock and punk bands take things into their own hands from the off and stick to a DIY ethos. Would you say the same for yourselves?
I think that we take our band and our objectives into our own hands. We all are involved in all aspects of the band, although some members may take a more active role depending on their skills. I release our records through my label, we all book our shows together and write the songs. We are not opposed to the help and support of those interested in helping further the band, so we have been fortunate to have a team of great people working with us, especially in the UK and Europe to help grow the awareness. That said, if we weren’t proactive, there wouldn’t be anything happening.
I can hear a selection of different noise in your upcoming EP New Sky, what were you guys listening to when you wrote these songs and what are your influences?
We all have pretty wide ranging tastes in music stylistically. I would say that we’re all fans of bands like Future of the Left, METZ, Rocket From The Crypt and similar. Some of the songs were written late last year and some right before we recorded, so while we would like to think the record is cohesive, the writing was a bit disjointed.
Tell us about the time you spent recording/writing New Sky and how was it working with Alex Bonefant?
We practice infrequently and write our songs in quick succession. Someone will come in with an idea and Pat and I will write lyrics and we will more or less have a finished song. Two of the songs were finished in the studio. All of our records have been recorded in a few days time. It’s a combination of finding time with everyone’s schedules, the cost of recording music and the urgency of getting things done. Alex is a friend of ours that has worked on some incredible records and we were fortunate to book in with him when he had a short window. He has an incredible ear, really took the time to help us structure the sound and some of the songs and really played an integral role in shaping the record.
How do you guys like to work when it comes to writing? Do you all throw ideas at the wall and see what sticks? Or is there a sole song writer amongst you?
Everyone will come in with ideas and we will riff on them. Usually it comes together very quickly and makes the process a lot of fun. We definitely have ideas that fall short and will end up reworking until we are happy. The band is an equal partnership.
We can’t wait to see you live when you hit the UK in October, are you looking forward to playing in the UK? What really makes a live show for you guys?
We’re very much a live band and is what defines us. While we are really proud of our new 7″ EP, we would think that our live show is the definitive Neon Windbreaker experience. It’s about controlled chaos for us. We like to interact, and make the show as much about musicianship as it is about entertaining. While it’s great to play your songs well, it’s even better to play them well and create a memorable experience that at least temporarily gets lodged into someone’s mind. We’re looking forward to playing the UK and the Czech Republic. As Neon Windbreaker we have never played abroad, although Ben, our drummer is currently on a European tour with Beliefs.
Are there any particular gigs from the past that stand out from the rest? What’s the best gig you’ve played and what would be a dream show for Neon Windbreaker?
I think that since our line-up solidified, almost all of our shows have been really memorable experiences for us. We’ve noticed a trend in that every band we have or will be playing with in Toronto has some sort of phallic reference to their name. So far we’ve played with Big Dick, Pissed Jeans, and will soon be playing with Nice Head.
‘Dream show’ is a tough one, and I think every member would have a different answer. I think to play it safe I will say Rocket From The Crypt.
Are you guys happiest when you’re on the road playing shows every night? Or do you prefer to get in the studio and write song after song?
Everyone plays in touring bands and has different commitments. We definitely like playing shows and writing songs. Most of us have been friends for 12-15 years. If Neon Windbreaker didn’t exist, we’d all still be hanging out and doing a lot of the same, maybe just not with the opportunity of travelling to the UK to have the chance to play.
So what do you guys get up to when you’re not playing music as Neon Windbreaker?
Ben (drums) – Also plays in Beliefs (No Pain In Pop), Rituals (Hand Drawn Dracula) and a few other great Toronto bands.
Stan (guitar) – Also plays as a solo act under his own name and just finished a new album, which is fantastic
Pat (guitar/bass) – Also plays in Non Stop Girls, Sam Coffey and the Iron Lungs, Milk Lines and three dozen other bands
Mat (guitar/bass) – Is starting many new bands
Eric (vocals) – I run a label called We Are Busy Bodies that has put out records by METZ, Doldrums and dozens of other bands
Where is Neon Windbreaker going next? What’s on the cards for you guys after your UK shows?
We are going to do a number of Canadian dates in support of the 7″ in December and US/Canadian dates in early 2014. We will also start working on another record. Not sure if it will be another 7″ or full-length. We will have to see how the writing process is.
Find Neon Windbreaker on Facebook.
See them play at the following UK shows:
29th October – London @ Birthdays w/Blacklisters
30th October – Brighton @ The Hope w/ Moth & Claw Marks
31st October – Bournemouth @ 60 Million Postcard w/ Bitches & Tigercub
1st November – London @ Old Blue Last w/ Charlie Boyeur and the Voyeurs & Temple Songs
Black Flag fans worldwide woke up to the news that this is the official new artwork for new album ‘What The….’ Ha! No joke. This is sat proudly on iTunes right now as the band’s artwork for their new 22 song record. It certainly doesn’t look like a typical Raymond Pettibon piece, more like something The Offspring would chuck out there.
Surely this is some sort of joke from someone who loves hardcore at Apple as it doesn’t seem to be on the SST website or on their social networks, yet.
Recently, Black Flag founder Greg Ginn lost his legal battle to regain the trademark of the Black Flag legacy, allowing rival members in the new band FLAG to tour under the name and use the same branding. It’s a sad state of affairs that seems to just get worse by the week.
Fred Mortgane’s archived tapes give up some gems once again. This week they unleashed a rail session from Lyon with Bastien Salabanzi, Apples, Saari and Ali Boulala annihilating it and enjoying some scooter fun.
It’s a Benson but not as we know him alongside Justin ‘Iceman’ Gastelum hitting up some concrete in this clip from SF. Enjoy this private bowl jam session in a desirable back yard spot.
Iceman and Benson attack the city from PK on Vimeo.
These Loops of Death have always been a menace, especially the egg shaped one they built at that Game On festival in London back in 2001, remember that?! Only in Britain.
Watch Steve Caballero, Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, Josh Stafford, Alex Perleson, Tom Schaar, Mike McGill, Corbin Harris, Owen Neider, Tyler Martin, Tony Magnusson, and Keegan Hawk get nailed or hailed in this recent session.