Death Skateboards pro Richie Jackson has launched his own clothing range called Flower Children this week that currently has a psychedelic t-shirt range for you to check out here.
Check out this firecracker kickflip out down a set of stairs and start dreaming about what is going to be in his new section for the forthcoming Death video Ordinary Madness that is currently on course for a November premiere. Rumours online say that Patrick Melcher and Richie Jackson will be sharing a section. Thankfully we only have just 4 months to find out.
Nick Zorlac headed out to the Extreme Connexions skate park in Hemel last week to see how the build was getting on and came back with these 3 shots of the progress for the Death blog. The mini ramp is looking amazing. For more information about how this skatepark is progressing, click here for a full feature as this park will be the UK’s only indoor concrete skatepark once it opens this summer.
Death Skateboards are about to release a limited edition Dan Cates pro deck to celebrate his 10 years of service to the UK company. This new Clown deck that comes with with a sick custom shape is limited to only 100 decks and are hand numbered/signed by Dan himself.
Enquire and reserve yours in your local skate shop today and click here to read Dan’s travel feature on the wonderful country of Costa Rica.
If music is the food of love, then what would be the food of Death? We decided to pry into the personal ears of ten Death Skateboards team riders this week to find out what their 10 favourite tracks of all time could be. Enjoy their selection as you just know that there’s going to be some top choices in here from this lot!
MARK NICOLSON: THE BEATLES – ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
Photo: Rob Galpin
This song always helps put things in perspective for me. With everyone rushing around amongst the stresses and strains of modern life, people forget to love. Not physical love, but the love you have for your friends, family, pets, nature, even a sunny day maybe.
Being skateboarders, we have learned to appreciate moments, friends, fun skate sessions etc, these are the things that money can’t buy!
“….there’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where your meant to be, it’s easy”
Love from Mark.
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BOOTS: ERIC PRYDZ – CALL ON ME
Do I really need to explain why I like this! The only thing that ruins it is the one dude.
If you depart on a journey into the mind of Crispin Glover, you might never come back…
DAVE ALLEN: OPERATION IVY – UNITY
My song is Unity by Operation Ivy. I always liked this song and when I’m going skating I stick on really loud when I’m driving on my own. It gets me pumped up and ready to roll. It also makes me think of Buster Halterman’s section from the 1991 Planet Earth video Now ‘n’ Later, he killed it (and still does).
If I could skate half as good as him I’d be stoked!
ROB SMITH: BROKE ‘N’ £NGLISH – 15 STRATEGY
Sick freestyle by my mate Johnny, one of Manchester’s best MC’s with production by Chimpo- Manchester’s finest. It’s just a shame it’s filmed at Manchester United’s ground and not Manchester City’s. Haha!
ADAM MOSS: SNOOP DOGG – AIN’T NO FUN (IF THE HOMIES CAN’T GET NONE)
The track I chose is ‘aint no fun if the homies can’t have none’. It’s a classic track that’s good anytime of day and always brings the hype! It’s hard to find a better rap trio than Snoop, Kurupt and of course paying respect to the late, great Nate Dogg. R.I.P!
DAN CATES: JOURNEY – DON’T STOP BELIEVING (LIVE IN HOUSTON) Photo: CJ
I chose this video as my selection because:
1. It is quite clearly the greatest song ever written.
2. It’s the most downloaded song in the world.
3. The gear that they are wearing is clearly illegal.
4. When i was in a band I always wanted to play this song.
5. I am going to see them play at Wembley arena in June.
6. The lead singer Steve Perry is the absolute spitting image of Nick who runs the Skegness skate park.
7. You would have to go a long way to find a bunch of guys with their trousers hiked up higher than that.
8. You have to respect a guy that wears a yellow leopard print shirt to every gig, especially one that doesn’t fit properly.
9. The guitarist has a blue vest that is cut off above his naval.
10. This video reminds me that I still need to visit Texas.
11. The guy in the cut off red shirt looks totally ridiculous.
12. Journey is the raddest group.
13. You should watch the ‘Steve Perry and Journey’ documentary.
14. I could quite easily listen to this song on repeat all day long and actually have done before.
15. This song always makes me feel good.
16. I think it is safe to say that these guys screwed a lot of women.
17. I couldn’t think of any better music videos.
RONNY CALOW: KID ACNE – EDDY FRESH
Now then, here is my video selection. It’s Kid Acne a fellow Sheffield resident. I love the video on this as it was all shot round these parts, most of the people in it are friends so it’s really funny seeing them on it too. If you look carefully (I’m so stoked) at 0:13 to 0:18 on this video you’ll notice a certain Ben Grove getting his groove on. (He’s the one in the blue), I still think it’s one of the funniest things ever. That boy’s got the moves right? Haha! Don’t give up the day job mate!
MOGGINS: ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA – MR BLUE SKY Photo: Timmy Garbett
I could easily have picked any song by Sabbath, Hendrix or Pentagram but Mr Blue Sky is hands down my favourite song ever. It’s been my favourite song ever since I used to go and watch Birmingham City play as a kid with my old man and I still listen to it every single day.
Wherever I am in the world it never fails to remind me of home and gets me stoked out beyond belief!!
TIMMY GARBETT: N.W.A. – STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
Photo: Ash Redman
If somethin’ happens in Chezzy, nothin happens…
It’s just another nigga DEAD, dead, dead, dead! Straight outta Chezzy crazy mutha frigga named Timmy Cube, from a gang called Slugga with attitude.
When I’m called off, I got a sawed off, squeeze the trigga and bodies are hauled off.
You too boi if you wanna frigg with me, Moggins is gonna have to come and get me off yo ass, that’s how I’m goin’ out, for the punk mutha fucka’s that’s showin’ out!
Nigga’s start to mumble, they wanna rumble, mix em up and cook em in a pot like gumbo.
Goin’ off on a mutha frigga like that, with a Death size 8.25 pointed at yo ass.
So give it up smooth, ain’t no tellin’ when Kennelly’s down for the jack move.
Here’s a murder rap to keep yo dancin’, with a crime record like Meadies dancin’.
T-tool is the tool, don’t make me act a mutha friggin’ fool.
Me you can go toe to toe, no maybe, I’m knockin’ nigga’s out tha’ box daily.
Yo weakly, monthly and yearly. Until the dumb mutha frigga’s see clearly.
That I’m down with the capita c-town G.
Boi you can’t frigg with me!
So when I’m in your neighbourhood, you betta duck, cus Louis Slater is crazy as frigg.
As I leave, believe I’m stompin’. But when I come back boi, I’m comin’ straight outta CHEZZY!
After some hard graft filming and editing sections from the local crew of Essex and beyond Jake ‘Shunt’ Martinelli is finally about to drop his Harlow scene video this month.
Crazy Ass White Bitches will premiere at The Square Harlow on Saturday 30th April after a session planned during the day at Harlow’s concrete paradise.
Guests should expect doors to be open at 8pm, get ready to find £2 to get in before 9pm and £4 after 9pm. DJ Trax and Monk will be dropping a mix of hip hop, old skool, d&b, dubstep plus there’s a d&b live drum set planned on the night too.
Etnies footwear have started 2011 with a decent eco pledge, their mission is to plant a tree for every pair of Jameson 2 shoes that are purchased and create the etnies rainforest in an area that has seen much deforestation over the last 80 years. The latest ecological promise from Soletech founder Pierre-André Senizergues derived from a trip to Costa Rica in 2007 where he met with government leaders and learned about their commitment to making the country carbon neutral by 2021- one of the first developing countries to make this pledge. The result of that visit was a catalyst for his current mission that starts this month working alongside native tribes in Costa Rica called the Maleku and a reforestation organization, La Reserva Forest Foundation, to make it happen.
If you have ever visited this beautiful country found between Nicaragua and Panama in Central America you will know just how special this place is. I have personally had the pleasure of flying in to this wonderful land three times now and have seen it develop hugely since 1996. Hotels have sprung up all over the place with trees chopped down to accommodate the demand for tourism and tarmac roads connecting towns that used to be pot holed pathways are now common place. The country is dedicated to its fauna. Trees grow out of trees, flowers and shrubs grow everywhere and different rainforests harbor thousands of known life forms across across all of the various regions; all contributing something different that is vital to their environment so it’s great to see a skateboard company getting involved to help the cause.
Skateboarding has become popular in Costa Rica over the last 10 years. The Tony Hawk video game era of the early 2000’s helped to push skateboarding to many countries opening more avenues for skate teams to hit the road and add more countries to their touring schedules. Arenas indoor skatepark in San Jose is the capital’s biggest park to host demos. Last month four Volcom riders arrived in the capital and were mobbed by the locals eager to see a pro team skate their park. Arenas is an air conditioned indoor wood park and has a street course and a mini ramp but worth noting that you will need a helmet to skate it.
Costa Rica’s most famous concrete skate park at Hotel Tilawa in Tileran is situated on the edge of a picturesque lake nearby the Arenal Volcano which is still fully active. You can drive around the lake during the day and see Coati’s (raccoons with razor sharp claws) and Armadillos crossing the roads, in the evening on a clear night, you can also witness molten red hot Lava spitting from Arenal if you are sat below drinking cocktails in its natural hot springs. The mix of relaxing mud baths, mineral pools, and thermal hot springs after skating the Tileran park (below) is highly recommended. Take that in for a few seconds and try to resist the urge to book a flight.
Death Skateboards‘ most traveled pro Dan Cates phoned me back in 2009 for info on the country and came back with nothing but praise for Central American culture so I’m going to hand over the reigns to Dan from his own experience of visiting these shores.
“Costa Rica has year round sunshine, good surfing, natural volcanic hot springs and some strange one-off skate spots dotted around the country if you know where to look. It is a kind of paradise for many and indeed is the only country in the world to not have an army. One thing I would say however, if you are thinking of visiting this weird and wonderful place be sure to rent a 4×4! It has the worst roads and its tropical climate means lots of rain storms and lots of mud for you to get stuck in. Take heed.
Most of your street skating needs will be taken care of in San Jose, which also has an indoor skatepark and a skate shop. Find a local to show you the spots, because San Jose is notoriously bad for traffic, lawless driving and gangs.
Next stop is the surf town of Tamarindo, that has a fun concrete snake run (above) leading into a 7 foot deep vert bowl. This thing is a lot of fun. If you are in the know there is a guy who has a clover leaf bowl in his back yard nearby, but like I said you definitely need to know someone if you wanna see this spot, it is strictly private.
As mentioned above Hotel Tilawa on the shore of lake Arenal is a must see for any visiting skaters, a quaint old hotel on the edge of the jungle with a large concrete park in the grounds! I stayed here off season and was the only person in the hotel. It was kind of like visiting Dracula’s castle, but with a skatepark in the garden. If you are feeling brave and fancy a trek through a howler monkey infested jungle there is also a rather perfect concrete spillway pipe that Salba once skated, it’s Costa Rica’s answer to Mount Baldy. Search and you shall find.”
Truer words were never spoken. Costa Rica’s magical landscape hosts many hidden gems. The country is composed of seven provinces, all with variable climate’s. Within 45 minutes from the airport in Alajuela (San Jose) you can be overlooking the turquoise blue sulphur lakes of the Poas Volcano. 3 hours drive from there you can be surfing on the party beaches of Jaco Beach and driving the hillsides of the beautiful town of Manuel Antonio. The latter has one of the best National Parks you will ever see where cappuccino monkeys bounce off every branch, sloths frequent the trees and the beaches are on par with the luxurious settings of any of the James Bond movies. An hour spent on the ferry with the jeep from Punteranas to Paquera is necessary for you to find the ultimate paradise also known as Montezuma and 10 minutes from here you will find the tiny village of Mal Pias which is simply heaven. Zorlac caught his first ever wave on a surfboard here with myself alongside for the ride as the sun set. I personally didn’t want to leave here and many don’t.
If you visit the North East on the Caribbean side you can travel by boat or plane to the swampy land strips of Tortugeuro and see Caiman and Crocodiles ruling the inland waters. In the North West, the Rincon de la Vieja National Park is home to the most active geysers in Costa Rica and amazing waterfalls, sights that are so beautiful that you can never revisit it in photos. The national parks are generally mind blowing. It’s best to take a guide on these missions with you as you will be surprised just how many living creatures are watching you walk through the rainforests without you even noticing they are there.
So with all this in mind, get yourself a ticket to Costa Rica this year and experience this stunning country first hand and if you want to help the cause get yourself some new kicks and Soletech will plant a tree in exchange. Click here to find out more about them.
We have not had the pleasure of seeing Death Skateboard’s Matt Prichard‘s mug on this site for a while so was a pleasure to see his healthy frame on facebook this morning getting amongst it as ever.
Pritch talks about first tattoos, skateboarding regrets, worst pranks and even his fixation on collecting Galaxy chocolate wrappers.
Watch it below and look out for Dainton’s installment next week and find them both at www.pritchardvsdainton.co.uk
One of Britain’s finest exports, the Hertfordshire Baby Rhino and coping slayer known as Dave Allen has been making quite an impact on the Atlanta scene in Georgia over in the USA. This year his name has been cropping up a little more frequently as his Death From Above pro model for Death Skateboards dropped and the kind of frontside feeble that’ll make any other grown man cry was featured on the ATL Skater website as one of the photos of the year.
He joins us today for another series of personal reflections on the year that has just past. Have a read below and keep scrolling to find his top five video edits of the year too. Boom!
After what seemed like a forever of uncertainty, signing the paperwork and getting the keys to our house. Stoked.
Favourite skate trip?
I think it was when Zorlac was over here and we went drove down to Columbus for the Georgia Bowlriders. Myself, Nick, Will Boatwright and Shawn Coffman. We laughed all the way there and back. Shawn had the quote of the day “I don’t give a shit where we eat Dave” You probably had to be there I guess.
Favourite song or album?
I went to a club for a friend’s birthday and this dude was playing live. It’s not my usual taste but it left an impression on me for some reason.
Most satisfying trick filmed or landed and at what spot?
I’ve filmed some bits for the new Death video, but the most satisfying was shooting an invert fakie in the pool at Brook Run. It felt the nuts.
Newest trick learnt?
I re-learnt how to go in forwards on feeble grinds again just like the boss (Zorlac) does.
Favourite trick or line witnessed?
Grant Taylor at Mountain park, he’d just got back from King of the Road and was just cruising around doing more stuff in one line than I could hope to do ever.
Skate DVD you watched the most?
Creature Hesh Law
Your MVP of the year?
What the fuck is an MVP?
Fresh blood tip for 2011?
Obvious one, Grant Taylor. I’ve witnessed it first hand. He is the real deal. And Kevin Kowalski, don’t underestimate this kiddie.
What are you looking forward to most about 2011?
Skating again. I had knee surgery at the beggining of November, so I’ll be ready to start again in the new year at the new park they are building at the end of the street.
Smashing Up The Car
When I clicked on this I knew it was gonna be good. It’s worth watching just for hearing Renton Millar laugh. He loves this sort of stuff and I’ve never met anyone that gets off on the noise of stuff being smashed as much as him.
Stratosphere Skate Shop Halloween Edit
Crazy shit going down in this clip. Pure fun reminder of what skateboarding is really about.
Rumble In Ramona – The Final Stand
This one is a re-edit from the Thrasher website of the 2009 Rumble which they posted right before the 2010 one. I like it because it rekindled all the memories I had of what a good time it was. So much stuff went down and it was amazing to hook up with people I hadn’t seen in years.
Protec Pool Party – Jeff Grosso 28 Block Slider
Have you ever even done a boardslide? This one takes the piss, he passes the mental point and sticks with it. I sat up and watched this comp on a live feed and I was glad I did. Amazing to think he’s been to hell and back and he can still skate like a demon. Jeff Grosso will always be one of my heroes.
We Are The Music Makers
OK, so it’s not exactly new, but I love this scene. I was stoked when it appeared in Video Days.
Death Skateboards riders Moggins, Boots, Radman, Steak, Ronny Calow and Mikey Patrick all feature in this Xmas edit from Death filmed by Jake Shunt at the Boardroom in Leicester.
As you know this time of the year indoor skate parks are sat there catering for our needs, support them or lose them!
Death Skateboards pro Richie Jackson has launched his own clothing range called Flower Children this week that currently has a psychedelic t-shirt range for you to check out here.
We have not had the pleasure of seeing Death Skateboard’s Matt Prichard‘s mug on this site for a while so was a pleasure to see his healthy frame on facebook this morning getting amongst it as ever. 
One of Britain’s finest exports, the Hertfordshire Baby Rhino and coping slayer known as Dave Allen has been making quite an impact on the Atlanta scene in Georgia over in the USA. This year his name has been cropping up a little more frequently as his Death From Above pro model for 
