Isis have sat on a video for the track ‘Pliable Foe‘ for a few years, until now. It’s been over two and a half years since the band split up officially in May 2010, but the full production for the track that is lifted from the “Temporal” album was posted online last night.
Watch it here and hope they reform at some point.
Girl and Chocolate team manager Sam Smyth discusses how Sean Malto’s sponsor me tapes got him a place on the Girl Skateboards team. Was it easy? Find out below and get more about Sean’s part in Pretty Sweet from this week’s interview.
If you missed the London premiere and are itching to watch Stacy Peralta’s Autobiography of the life and times of the infamous Bones Brigade, then get on i-Tunes and download it or from the Bones Brigade site.
With 10 days to go before Pretty Sweet drops onto premiere screens across the planet, Kansas born, Girl Skateboards pro, Sean Malto spills some beans on his trips to the UK, what’s coming from Pretty Sweet and a little bit more.
How different has this year been, knowing you started 2012 wearing a pair of Nike‘s?
Man, it’s so crazy. I’m just starting a different chapter in my skate life. I’m just grateful for the opportunity that I have to skate for some of the best companies in the world. With that though, it creates much more traveling for me.
This was your second trip to London in 2 months, what’s your take on the terrain we have here to skate?
It’s tough, but I love the way footage looks in London. I’m a big fan of all of the Blueprint videos.
Have you found how rough our streets are a hindrance or a challenge?
It’s definitely a challenge. Getting stuff in London does not come easy! It’s a lot of walking and skating just to get to the spot. Then you have to deal with the weathered ground. I have a lot of fun in London though so I try and go there when I can.
Have you managed to film any footage for Pretty Sweet in London’s streets?
I got a few things in London that are in my part. Feds (Girl Filmer) and myself came out and skated around for 10 days and filmed kinda everything from skating spots to taking the tube. I’m not sure how they ended up editing my part but I’m sure some of that footage is in there.
Any particular UK spots that you enjoyed most?
The bench that turns into a flatbar is amazing. I’ve never skated anything like that in my life.
What about the culture, the people and the food. Some Americans hate our food…
I’m the least pickiest eater. I like all types of food, so that doesn’t bother me at all. The people are always nice and I definitely enjoy a good pub every once in a while!
Growing up in Kansas, did you have any knowledge about the UK skate scene at all?
I didn’t know a lot about it, other than the Blueprint videos. When I started hanging out with people that have visited the UK, everyone always mentioned that Nick Jensen was killing it.
Which UK skaters do you rate the most?
There’s so many talented people. Neil Smith, Nick Jensen, Danny Brady, Jerome Campbell, Paul Shier…..they’re all so awesome to watch skate.
Is your Pretty Sweet part finished yet?
Last day of filming was October 15th, so I’m all done!
Where was the majority of your footage for this production filmed?
Kinda a little bit of everywhere. Over the past few years I’ve spent time all over Europe, China, and the US, so it’s just a collection of everything I’ve filmed.
Which trick was the biggest pain in the ass to get down and where?
I filmed one of my last tricks a week before the deadline of the video. It was one of the scariest tricks I’ve every put myself through. It sucked so bad. When I landed it, I was more happy that I didn’t have to try it again than I was about landing it!
Did you have to go back to any spots to re-shoot tricks you didn’t particularly like?
There were a few things I had to go back to. Towards the end, it was more about trying to do tricks I’d been putting off until the deadline.
Did you manage to get any NBD’s down in this section?
Haha! I’m not sure. I’m not the best at skate history. I’m sure there’s a couple tricks that seem to be NBD’s, but someone probably did it at EMB 20 years ago.
We always discuss the skateboarders, but the filmers are equally important to mention when it comes to film productions. Out of Ty Evans, Federico, Ryan Lovell, Sam Newman and Roger Bagley, which one person gets the very best out of the team for their parts on the day, which filmers do you like working with mostly, and who filmed the majority of your part?
I love all those guys. Ty Evans, Ryan Lovell, and Feds filmed the majority. To be able to work with all those guys has been an amazing experience. I did work with Ty Evans a lot for Pretty Sweet. He’s so motivated, and knows what it takes to get a video done. I’ve never been on more productive trips than Ty Evans’ trips.
Sean hits up a bs nose blunt at the Ladbroke Grove rail, poached by Matt Anderson’s phone cam.
Do you know what other names came up first before they chose the title Pretty Sweet?
There was one other name that I really liked, inspired by Keenan Milton. I don’t know if I should say it, because I think it could be used for another video somewhere down the road!
Brandon Biebel mentioned in a recent interview that Guy Mariano’s part is going to blow minds. Have you been on any filming missions with him for this production?
I’ve seen a few things on trips, but Guy is a very talented and motivated person. His part is going to exceed any expectations. To me, his part is going to be one of the best parts ever in skateboarding.
Who is everyone hyped on for this video from the Chocolate camp?
Obviously MJ is the man. All the new guys on the team killed it as well though! Stevie Perez, Elijah, Raven, and Vincent took this video to a whole new level!
Any words on Gino, Koston and Howard?
Watching Gino is, and always will be amazing. No one makes it look better than him. Rick Howard is a big reason why Girl is so awesome, and why this video is even happening. I have so much respect for Rick and always have such a great time hanging out with him. Koston’s the best skater in the world! But you guys already knew that right?
For all the new skaters out there who may not have seen classic Girl Skateboards videos, Mouse or Goldfish. If you had to choose a section from each film, which ones would you choose
Koston in Mouse and Jeron’s section in Goldfish.
Tell us something about Pretty Sweet that we don’t know?
Trunk Boyz are always fun and funny to hang out with. If anyone from London wants a dose of the Trunk Boyz, I would suggest going to the premiere in the UK! They’ll be there, and in full force!
Last words….
Don’t piss into the wind.
Pretty Sweet premiere’s in the UK at the Richmix Cinema, London on Monday November 19th. Girl and Chocolate team riders Raven Tershy, Elijah Berle, Rick Howard, Cory Kennedy, Vincent Alvarez and Stevie Perez will be in attendance on the night. Pre-order the deluxe DVD boxset from your local skate shop this week.
Watch Sean’s latest footage for Kansas City skate shop Escapist, whose latest video ‘Red and Yellow’ just dropped this weekend. This part also features footage of Tyshaun Johnson.
Watch this clip of how Sean was sponsored by Girl too.
London’s Prince Charles cinema was awash with rad dad’s, old rippers and many other skaters who had crawled out of the 80’s skateboard woodwork last night to wallow in nostalgia from Stacy Peralta’s autobiography on the life and times of the infamous Bones Brigade. The cinema was a packed house, made up of skateboarders who’d traveled from all over the country. Even Krooked’s head chef, Mark Gonzales took a seat at this London premiere, treating those around him to his own running commentary as the film featured the rising fame of Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Tommy Guerrero and Lance Mountain.
The Bones Brigade individually spill the beans on the ups and downs of the fame, fortune and fatigue from a golden era that projected them to the very forefront of world skateboarding, before a split in the group and the uprising of street skating forced them go their seperate ways.
For us, the highlights came from Lance Mountain, whose background, words and overall presence is to be admired. Fred Durst’s contributions were thankfully masked by a vociferous response from the audience, who heckled his every word. Stacy Peralta’s acting skills were also noted by many, but, unfortunately, the team’s mentor will probably never receive an Oscar for this performance. His pained, self-agrandising delivery only highlighted the fact that the Bones Brigade were the actual heroes from back in the day; and they all came out of this emotional rollercoaster with their heads held high.
That aside, Peralta’s job of stitching this story together is to be commended, and overall, Bones Brigade: An Autobiography has delivered an essential piece of the Californian skateboard jigsaw, documenting the incredible history and success of the 80’s scene. It’s a must-see flick. Look out for the DVD that will drop into skateboard shops later this month.
South Devon’s Rat Attack are set to be one of 2013’s most exciting prospects and what a way to round off the year by releasing scorching rock’n’roll anthem ‘Bad Catholic’ for FREE download accompanied by their first ever promo video.
After having already toured Europe 4 times, played over 300 UK shows supporting the likes of Rancid, The Ghost of a Thousand, DZ Deathrays, The Computers and Cerebral Ballzy, expect big things from this Every Time I Die/The Bronx inspired punk rock outfit.
Tweak Bird
‘Undercover Crops’
Mini album / Volcom Entertainment
www.tweakbird.com
Back in 2010, the Crossfire office was buzzing on the debut Tweak Bird album. The crunching riffs of doom layered with catchy vocals played openly on this stereo here for months, but where the fuck have this band been since?
As we live in a society where the earth seems to spin at a million miles an hour faster than back in the 90’s due to this stupid thing that was invented called the interweb, we expect far too much from bands these days, but with Tweak Bird, they probably stuck up their middle fingers and said, “fuck it, we will drop our shit when we are ready”. And here it is, seven new tracks that will rip your ears a new beat with a plethora of new, filthy riffs and a cool arse vibe only associated with the Brother’s Bird.
Testing the psyche with a drug induced, robotic chant of ‘EVERYONE IS PARANOID’, Tweak Bird launch Undercover Crops with every stoner’s nightmare. A bong-full of repetitive words that you will never probably forget followed by what they are known best for, driving beats, crunching riffs and sing-a-long vocals that make up the track ‘People’, available for free download on this page.
Next track Phychorain will be engrained in your conscience for years once you hear it. They take this dream scape with aplomb, spreading imaginary rainbows across and underlay of haunting samples and baritone guitar riffs that would appease any Sabbath fan. The Weight only furthers the storm with an extension to Psychorain. These could easily be played back to back live and may have even been written in the same session. Who knows, but a breather is offered for the laid back vibes of Pigeons which sees the brothers come down a level, in a similar way to how Janes Addiction do so well. Once they’ve managed to completely pull back from dense riffs, Bunch O’ Brains brings the new material to a boil once again with slamming, repetitive slabs of stoner bliss and catchy vocal melodies. Seriously amazing stuff.
The mini-album ends on familiar riffs with Know It All and paves way for next year’s UK tour and full album that is said to be in the works. Overall, this 17 minute drug-fueled aural delight is yet another splendid offering from the two stoners that know best. Get Tweaking.
FREE DOWNLOAD:
Death Grips continue to punk their record label Epic Records today by sharing the email sent to the band asking them not to give away their album for free on the internet. This is either a great press stunt for all, or they are legitimately not giving a toss. You decide, but in the meantime read this. The band just posted this saying: “HAHAHAHAHAHAHA NOW FUCK OFF”.
‘Sound and Vision’ by Shepard Fairey
Until November 4th, 2012
Stolenspace Gallery
E1 6QL, London
Words and photos by Phil Procter
It’s been 5 years since Shepard Fairey’s OBEY camp invaded London with Nineteeneightyfouria and this time they are back for total Sound and Vision domination.
His brand new show hosted in London’s Brick Lane has been nothing short of a main attraction. Queues of onlookers have graced the pavements outside for the first few days to witness Shepard’s latest work, showcased alongside legendary sound commander, Z-Trip on the turntables. Z-Trip and Fairey have been collaborating together for years, and both attack their art with a punk mentality that is mixed with the cut and paste ethos of the classic late 80s Hip Hop sound.
Those who adore collecting mixtapes will no doubt be rushing to download his new mixtape which oozes a mash-up of classic Hip Hop and propoganda-inspired beats from the likes of Public Enemy and many more.
The emphasis of this show features the music that inspired Shepard to become an iconic figure in the art world. The installation of an old-skool record store enables you to delve into his collection of Fugazi, Public Enemy, the Sex Pistols and many more acts that influenced his desire to create. The art itself is spread over two spaces. The Stolenspace Gallery is dedicated to album art, while around the corner on Dray Walk, there’s a pop-up store hosting Obey Clothing and the main gallery space for his art which spans across 3 floors. The main building concentrates on influences, with a wall of fame dedicated to album art and portraits of leading members of different genres and subcultures. On display here are artists like Basquiat and Keith Haring, as well as musicians that include the likes of Joe Strummer to John Lennon.. All who were chosen have one thing in common: They were pioneers in their own genres.
This is a huge body of work, exhibited in a fantastic warehouse setting. If you can make it down to the show there’s no doubt that you will be blown away by the scale of this project. With that in mind, it will no doubt be another 5 years until we see work like this again in the UK, but fear not, Fairey has been out and about in East London on this trip and more than left his indelible mark on the city. Get out there and find it.
Mexican ripper Stevie Perez gets the day in the life treatment ahead of the launch of ‘Pretty Sweet‘ worldwide. He will be in the UK on the 19th November at the official London/UK premiere but until then, get stuck into this for an intro into Chocolate Skateboards’ best kept secret.