The first thing you notice as you slip Jim Greco’s ‘Hammer’ shoes out of the box is just how damn light they are.
I must admit, although instant comfort surrounded my feet from the toes to my heel, the thought of skating with clouds on my feet wasn’t what I had in mind from a pro who is known for slaying it…until they broke in that is. It didn’t take long either, and the weight of these are truly magnificent. So much so, that other shoes feel heavy in comparison now these have worn out over the last couple of months.
The vulcanized sole married my griptape to perfection, (as any decent skate shoe should) the heel was supportive via their foam cushioning and they look fucking ace. As we all know, suede does not last forever when rubbing against griptape so I suggest that if you are going to buy a pair of these, get two, because they are one of those Supra models that may not be available again in the future and you will be kicking yourself.
Ambig Clothing’s latest visual endeavour is a short promo rather than a full length with only three riders releasing full parts, others taking up smaller montage roles and a flow rider section tagging on after the credits. The length of this flick didn’t bother me though, as the 16-minutes of footage delivered banger after banger.
Clive Dixon opens the box with a wide range of skating. I was really digging his part but the wailing soundtrack almost made it unbearable. My dog wasn’t too pleased with the music selection either. However, the skating made up for it tenfold, especially his FS bigspin lipslide that came out of nowhere. JT Aultz and Sean Conover then assault anything hand rail or hubba shaped. Sean even does a 360 flip 50-50 which is a total beer spiller. Moose then follows with his third video appearance of 2013, making him a good contender for the hardest working am this year. The Deathwish ripper shows us just how good he is at flipping into grinds, and once again delivers a solid section.
Next, we witness one of Ed Tempelton’s loyal pawns, Matt Bennett, who gets tech on some schoolyard tables. He shows us his legendary Bennett grind, taking some to handrails, and doing variations on picnic tables. This part (that also has a Dan Lutheran appearance) will make most people look forward to another Toy Machine video. Fingers crossed on that, especially as they have just acquired the services of Blake Carpenter.
The ender is closed by Birdhouse’s latest pro, Clint Walker. This part actually got leaked 4 weeks ago, leaving the internet in meltdown. He skates fast as fuck to Holograms’ ‘Monolith’ track and isn’t afraid to take a full tilt slam either. His all-out approach in this video makes it an instant classic. There are a plethora of tricks to mention from this section, but a the ollie body-varial down the huge triple set and his 50-50 down the weirdest triple kinker ends this on a huge high. This part will be up there as one of the very best at the end of the year and beyond. Sick stuff.
Watch it in full here with some extra’s from Walker’s section or even better, track down the DVD as it will be one to keep forever.
Before the Deathwish video comes out, Furby decided to spend 20 filming days to put out a throwaway web part for you to enjoy. Keep an eye out for his full lenght video part in the New Deathwish video coming out very soon.
Jeremy Bolm of Touché Amoré has started a new multimedia label called Secret Voice.
The label is a partnership with Deathwish Inc. and the frontman said of the deal:
“It’s an excuse to release different things that I fully believe in, whether it’s a record, book, video, etc. I have been lucky enough to spend most of the last few years traveling, and in my travels I have met a lot of talented people and seen a lot of fantastic bands that have influenced my decision to get this project off the ground.
When we were in Europe this last Summer I made the mistake of forgetting my music and books in our van back in the states. This lead to a lot of time to think about what else I wanted to do with my life aside from Touche Amore. I’ve always dreamed of working at a label, so what’s better than starting one with your friends helping you out?”
Single Mothers will be the first band to release on Secret Voice, with their self-titled EP, a song from which you can hear below:
Shake Junt is famous for making griptape and lumps of wax so anyone who didn’t know better would be safe in assuming their video consisted of cutting room floor clips that conjure up as much excitement as a tax bill. Well, stereotypes are made to be broken and filmer Beagle-Oneism and his buddies definitely smash any preconceptions with Chicken Bone Nowison.
There’s a reason why teenagers around the world are painting everything green and gold and neglect the traditional handshake for a double slap and pound combination. The industry runs on trends and Shake Junt are running the show right now. This is pretty amazing when you consider that all they do is deal hardware and scream obscure phrases, but when you look closer you’re quick to notice that Shake Junt is a subsidiary of the Baker-Deathwish camp which in turn means some of the biggest and best names in skateboarding are riding under their flag. As a result, Chicken Bone Nowison is anything but cutting room floor footage. Beagle-Oneism has gathered new footage, tour footage, off cuts from this year’s major releases and various other hi-jinks to create an hour long trip with some of skateboarding’s heaviest hitters.
Andrew Reynolds, Bryan Herman, Dustin Dollin, Justin Figueroa, Neen Williams, Theotis Beasley, Jeff Lenoce, Braydon Szafranski, Shane Heyl, Beagle-Oneism, Don Nyguen and new recruits Pat “Sinner” Pasquale and Mike White have parts as well as a couple of friends sections thrown in for good measure. The only person missing from the video (even though you spot him lurking) is Jim Greco. I was surprised to see he didn’t have any tricks as he rips.
Rather than go into detail, here are a few things Yays and Nays about Chicken Bone Nowison:
– Neen Williams has some of the most beautiful heelflips in the game.
– Jeff Lenoce finally came through with a real part that should prove the naysayers wrong.
– Even though some might find them annoying, Shane Heyl and Beagle-Oneism display genuine excitement and motivation which can only have a very positive effect on skateboarders trying to get tricks in an anti-skate city like Los Angeles.
– Terry Kennedy handling business like a boss.
– Unfortunately Antwuan Dixon fans will be disappointed especially when they see that his few tricks are twinned with that of Neckface.
– “Look mum, no hands!” jumping out of hotel windows into swimming pools is highly inadvisable. Whoever does jump is merely centimetres away from meeting their maker.
– Spray painting someone’s face isn’t a good idea either!
– Dustin Dollin (interview) proves yet again that you can skate anything and rip it apart.
– A very cynical person might remark that certain skaters are a bit like one trick ponies that filmed every possible variation of a specific trick on various spots. Haters gonna hate…
– With so many skaters and so many styles, the soundtrack is varied. Everything from mixtape tracks to Lemmy set the rhythm for the footage and it’s all-good.
In the category of hardware company videos Chicken Bone Nowison sits head and shoulders above the rest. The skating and positive vibe of the video are the major strengths which should guarantee that you get yourself a copy and watch it several times. If the tricks don’t convince you, the title jingle definitely will.
Baker and Deathwish pro Erik Ellington discusses his working relationship within the skate industry for Bitchslap Magazine whilst on tour with Supra this year.
Deathwish pro Antwuan Dixon‘s spotlighted lifestyle has been documented again, this time by his friend Zack Warren who explains the film he put together- Antwuan lived with me on and off for about 6 months and after seeing so many videos of him fighting for 15 or 30 seconds we decided to show the real Antwuan Dixon. We wanted to give a real look at this amazing one of a kind person and give him a chance to tell his story through his eyes.
This 15 minute documentary has everything you need to know about one of skateboarding’s most unique players, watch it here.
Jim Greco celebrates 10 years of Baker/Deathwish wood this month with over 3 mins of killer skating in this new compilation. If this doesn’t make you want to go skateboarding you should just buy a scooter.
The first thing you notice as you slip Jim Greco’s ‘Hammer’ shoes out of the box is just how damn light they are.
Watch this new Emporium interview and catch up with Antwuan Dixon’s world.
