Two new website launched recently, each with great concepts, design, and navigation that’s often forgotten about in the realm of the world wide web. Most people leave at least one of those points out when developing their website, so it’s nice to see people get it all right. Here we have the website for Mass Appeal/10.Deep’s Dante Ross which utilizes a drum machine design and fashion brand, Ksubi’s google knock-off.

www.danteross.com

www.ksubi.com

Jet Black Crayon
In The Interim
Function 8

The day that Jet Black Crayon’s fifth album arrived in the mail was a magnificent day, and I immediately opened the record to give it a listen because I wasn’t certain if I would ever hear from these guys again. Needless to say, this album did not disappoint me in any way. After weeks of earnest listening, In The Interim has earned a permanent place on my shelf. If you’re fond of Tommy Guerrero, the ambient brilliance that bandmates Gadget and Monte Vallier contribute is definitely something you shouldn’t ignore. Smooth backbeats laced with samba samples and clean Durutti Column-like guitar. Layers of ghostly industrial bytes dominate each song, making this album excellent background (or foreground) music. My favorite tracks are perhaps the opener, “Memory Lost,” “Lost In The Fog,” and “My Fair Romans” possesses some brawny spoken verse reminiscent of Beat Happening. This album doesn’t even fiddle with falling short - Kelly D. Williams, Mannerist Zine

My first skateboarding magazine was an old issue of Big Brother magazine that featured Andy Roy. I thought the magazine was awesome because you had to be 18 years old to buy it, and somehow I sneaked it past my dad’s viewpoint, and he bought it for me. The interior wasn’t as risky as I thought, but I did notice that there was a lot more profanity and potential nudity than the average skateboarding magazine. It was awesome, and introduced me to the counter culture of skateboarding. The magazine was the brain child of Steve Rocco, and eventually spawned Jackass, but not before being bought out by Larry Flynt. This morning, news broke that the boys at Jackassworld.com will be bringing back the magazine in digital format! That’s right, the Big Brother magazine will be available online for your viewing with more skateboarding and counter culture references than you can shake a stick at. According to Transworld…”“Right now the plan is that Big Brother will be a section of Jackassworld.com….We’re going to put up all the back issues and anything we do skateboarding-related will be housed there as well.”

So there you have it folks. Skateboard Magazines online are getting a kick in the pants, with the release of Big Brother Magazine, online! Check out jackassworld.com for more details as they become available.

 Our hometown Philly boys, The Roots, have been releasing some videos to get people pumped about their upcoming album. Here’s one of them, entitled “75 Bars.”

Character design by cypher13.  More comin’ soon!!!

The team over at Fallen Skate Shoes, have recently posted pictures from their latest treks into the unknown. First up they wen to Mexico, and showed the legions of Mexican skateboarders a thing or two about skateboarding, and hooked up a lot of my brethren with some free shoes, which is a huge blessing. In between all that, they hit some spots, met some girls, and documented it all for you.

Just when you thought that was all, Fallen also took a trip to China, where skateboarding is seeing immense growth. Sure, Lakai and Zoo York were already there, but now it was Fallen’s turn to see what they could do in the red country of China.

You can see more photos, and news from the Fallen Skateboarding team’s trip to Mexico & China, by checking out the black box distro website here or the official Fallen website here.

Caroline
Murmurs Mixes
Temporary Residence Ltd.

As I was pondering what to write in this record review, I couldn’t help but think of the song “Sweet Caroline” by one Mr. Neil Diamond. I’m not sure why, but my thoughts continued to roll over that same hill to discover notions like, “…Diamond… Caroline… Ruby… What a Gem…” My conclusion of the meaning of these linked thoughts? This album is a sweet, precious stone by the artist Caroline. For those who appreciated Caroline’s debut album Murmurs, the restructured Murmurs Mixes is an appetizing bit of digital dessert that seems parallel to the sound already forged by female forerunners The Cardigans, Sugarcubes, and Frente. You may want to go directly for the album upgrade Mixes, as I’m finding that I like the remixes better than the primary recording. Perhaps the inspiration & contributions from audio allies Wake, Andreas Bjork, and DJ Poignant are what make this record worth getting. This iTunes exclusive is a perfect follow-up to the original Temporary Residence Ltd. release that was already impressive. Once again, this label has found another gem. – Kelly D. Williams, Mannerist Zine

Etnies founder recently sat down with Format Magazine in an interview that covered a long list of topics, from the inception of Etnies in the mid 80’s to the growth of their skate shoes on a global scale. Read the complete interview at formatmag.com, and learn a little bit about the company that is making some major moves in the skate shoe department.

In recent years the Skateboarding documentary has become a way to explore the origins of skateboarding, the rise and fall of certain skateboarders, and at times explain the personalities and ideas that make skateboarding such a unique experience for every individual that has ever stood on a board to kick & push.In this latest documentary, the filmmakers embark on a journey through art and style to discover why NYC is such a large mecca for skateboarding. Aside from California, New York City, gets credited with a lot of swagger in the realms of street skateboarding. Along the way the film makers discover that it’s more than just a city, and it’s more than just 4 wheels, and deck, it is about community beyond tangible restraints or verses already spoken. Check out the official site of the film, here, and scope the trailer here.