Andrew Reynolds joins an elite crew of skateboarders on Nixon Watches. The official Nixon website revealed today that Andrew Reynolds is the latest skateboarder signed to the watch giant and will have his own style and flavor embedded into a new watch line up. This comes as great news for Reynolds, with his new Deathwish project launching out of Baker, and the new Emerica shoes which some say could have “lights” on them. (according to recent ads) Andrew Reynolds has been doing some great things lately, and this could be seen as another piece to the puzzle. Altamont & Nixon…now that’s a collaboration that has money written all over it.
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Mark Gonzales has teamed up with Elwood clothing for a 100% cotton t-shirt that you might be interested in. Now, I know what you’re thinking, who cares about 1 solitary t-shirt? Well, this shirt is not only 100% cotton, it’s 100% organic cotton! So all you guys trying to go “green”, this is a good place to start, and Mark Gonzales has some squiggly lines for a design in collaboration with Dan Drehobl. Why not?
info,image src [Elwood Clothing]
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Blueprint Skateboards has unleashed this awesome video. Mike Wright might not be plastered through magazines, but the name is going to be bigger, once more peeps check out this skate montage, and slick edit. Check it out below:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/uEEhBAleI54" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
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Fallen Footwear has been promoting their latest video offering through their ads in magazines, online trailers, and teasers for a while now. Most of the videos are easily accessible, and a lot of media is still out there on youtube and other places. But to consolidate the effort of bringing quality video to you, they have launched a video gallery with their own media player.
Now you can get all the Fallen Footwear skateboarding footage onto your computer via the official Fallen Footwear website. The videos range from recent footage, trailers, teasers, to older footage, all in high quality streaming media. Not bad, not bad at all. Looks like Fallen Footwear might be trying to one up Lakai’s Fully Flared release, which recently won a Transworld Award for best video.
src - [Fallen Footwear]
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Activision, producer of the Tony Hawk skateboarding series, is toying with the idea of using a motion skateboard-like motion-sensitive controller for the next 360/PS3/PC game.
That’s right, Tony Hawk is really pushing the envelope, trying to gain momentum against a major competitor in the skateboarding video game market. Remember EA’s Skate? Tons of people jumped shipped for the more simulation style skateboarding game, that was backed by a lot of skateboarders that were no longer relevant in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater universe. With Proving Ground not exactly selling as many titles as the previous games in the series, The Birdman went back to Activision with a new plan.
We are now seeing that the new plan apparently might include a real motion sensitive device that will let you skateboard in real time. This seems like a perfect fit for the Wii, but I’m not sure if they can get this motion thing down and still be good.
If you’re a skateboarder, you know that there is some skill involved with skateboarding’s even most simple of movies. If this new game is really going to break ground, they are going to have to make an ollie easier than the real thing, which will then make a lot of fat kids king of video game skateboarding, rather than skateboarding for reals.
Which makes me a little skeptical about this new height of skateboarding popularity. Sure, we have a lot of couch skateboarders, but this is going to bring in a new era of skateboarding, which we are experiencing mildly right now, where people that do not skateboard at all, are still buying skateboarding products, boards, and trying to “fit in”.
I remember the first time that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was released. The same thing was said about the game. I remember thinking the same thing I am thinking now about this latest news, but then again, I still got off the couch and I still skated. So maybe this isn’t going to do a whole lot more than what happened with me.
Who knows?
Info src [Crunchgear]
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Ryan Sheckler is enjoying a nice mainstream push, and is crossing over from being strickly a skateboarder by occupation. We saw this happen to Tony Hawk, with his whole push towards being in commercials for Hershey’s, Dorito’s, and now with T-Mobile. Sheckler has been on a different path, and continually pushes skateboarding wherever he is, and while I am not the biggest Ryan Sheckler fan, he’s getting into places where skateboarders really never get exposure in.
Case in point; Ryan Sheckler in Men’s Fitness. He was named one of the fittest guys in America, and it’s no wonder. The guy is ripped, and is often a girls fantasy of what a real man is. (I’m going to get so killed for saying that) I say that only from my experience in a local Mall where rabid Sheckler fans were nearly causing a riot while he was signing autographs.
You can read his interview for Men’s Fitness online, or pick up the magazine in print format.
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Girl Skateboards just came through the Northwest on the Beauty and The Beast tour and here are all the links you could possibly want to see or read. There are videos, photos, and all sorts of media from this highly publicized event. I actually missed the tour, due to previous engagements, but heard that all that went down was just insane, and I’m sure the footage will be collected for a Girl Skateboards dvd down the road.
Crailtap: The latest video, video 2, video 1, Koston’s photos, Carroll’s photos 1, Carrol’s photos 2, Spike’s photos
Thrasher: Orcas Island, Portland - The Department, McMinnville, Lincoln City, Time Trials
Etc: O’Dell’s photos, another Department video
Links,Info src - [Skatedaily.net]
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Landscape skateboards comes through with some awesome footage. Don’t let the name fool you, as it might be snowy, but it’s not “snowy” if that makes any sense to you. Check it out below:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/NCymuviHL0U" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
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Sometimes we gloss over the past in regards to skateboarding, but here’s a classic clip to make you remember the pioneers…Hosoi from 1985, this clip is dangerous. Some might argue that today’s pro’s have it easy, cheating death in the streets, but then again…our boards are a lot more sophisticated than the ones of the past…or are they? Check out a piece of history with this classic footage from Hosoi. Check out the video, and if you like it check out more skateboarding action via shredordie.com and even enter to win a signed Tony Hawk skateboard, not bad, if you ask me.
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Three huge names have announced a summer tour, and you’re not going to believe your eyes when you see who it is: are all going to be headed to a city near you! The dates are on the flyer, and you’re in for it, as the these bands have never been billed together like this before.
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The 4th annual Protect Poolparty is going to take place on May 17th at the Vans skateboard park in Orange County, and it’s going to be great. Sure, it’s not cool to wear pads, at least not in the media, but it’s nice to see a partnership between safety and skateboarding. Check out more information via the Vans skate website.
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The professionals in skateboarding get a lot of attention, and rightfully so, but things are changing a bit. Ams are getting into the spotlight and are ripping terrain, proving that they are as good as a lot of the professionals we are seeing today, and will be the future of skateboarding. Now is your chance to see them in action at several spots, and even give you a chance to compete with the biggest and the baddest in skateboarding. Here’s 6 stops for the Am Slam tour, and you never know who’s watching, so if you’re good get yourself involved. If not, then check out the stops and see some sick skateboarding.
STOP 1 / JUNE 7TH / MISSION VALLEY YMCA Registration is May 24 - June 5th
STOP 2 / JUNE 28TH / CHULA VISTA SKATEPARK Registration is June 14 - June 26th
STOP 3 / JULY 13TH / ENCINITAS YMCA Registration is June 28 - July 10th
STOP 4 / JULY 26TH / ESCONDIDO SPORTS CENTER Registration is July 12 - July 24th
STOP 5 / AUG 10TH / OCEAN BEACH ROBB FIELD SKATEPARK Registration is July 26 - August 7th
STOP 6 / AUG 24TH / FINALS / MISSION VALLEY YMCA Invite only based on accumulated points.
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Facedown Records has really been doing great things for the metal,hxc, and music scene as a whole. They’ve continually developed great music, and are growing by leaps and bounds. This is a great thing, considering that the rest of the music industry is suffering from poor sales all around. One thing I’ve always loved about Facedown Records is their commitment to the d.i.y mentality, and continual push of the scene, regardless of what anyone believes.
Here’s the latest video from one of the best bands on their hxc roster, For Today, followed by their latest tourdates.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/PaWUPLKakco" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
For Today on tour now:
May 8 - Titusville, FL @ Skatepark of Titusville
May 9 - Lakeland, FL @ Abundant Life Church Of God
May 10 - Raleigh, NC @ The Brewery
May 11 - Wilmington, NC @ Soapbox Lounge
May 12 - Lynchburg, VA @ Tree of Life
May 13 - Annapolis, MD @ Knights of Columbus(2590 solomons island rd)
May 14 - Rockville Center, NY @ The Vibe Lounge
May 15 - Clinton, NJ @ Aquifer Music Venue
May 16 - Manchester, NH @ Rockos!
May 24 - Meier, MI - BLED FEST 2008 @ Meier Skatepark w/Inhale Exhale, Once Nothing, Here I Come Falling, Kingston Falls + more!
(May 25 - June 7 w/ Kingston Falls & This or The Apocolypse)
May 25 - South Bend, IN @ The Underground
May 26 - Terre Haute, IN @ The THM Venue
May 27 - Evansville, IN @ Boney Jones
May 28 - Dewey, IL @ The Shed
May 31 - Spencer, IA @ New Life Worship Center
June 1 - Buffalo, MN @ The Vault
June 2 - Duluth, MN @ The Herman Town Church
June 3 - Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
June 4 - Bismarck, ND @ The Light Club
June 5 - Grand Rapids, MN @ The Light Club
June 6 - Alexandria, MN @ Club 1
June 7 - Willmar, MN @ The Warehouse
June 30 - Bushnell, IL - CORNERSTONE FESTIVAL @ The Phoenix Generator Stage 7:15pm
Jul 3 - Bushnell, Illinois @ CORNERSTONE FESTIVAL: The Underground Stage (FACEDOWN NIGHT)
July 19 - Willmar, MN - SONSHINE FESTIVAL @ HM Stage w/As I Lay Dying, Maylene & The Sons of Disaster & more
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DVS is going to be giving away a free streaming skate video next month and here’s just a quick promo to get everyone hyped! Sure the name Dudes Dudes Dudes, isn’t exactly the best name dvs could have chosen, but the footage that has been springing up is top notch. Could it top Fully Flared? That’s what everyone is waiting for….seriously. (Someone to top Lakai)
[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/aQkJ3gL1-Sc" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
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Rx Bandits have announced a summer tour with Portugal. the Man as direct support and Maps & Atlases, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground and Facing New York on select dates…of course this is NOT your average tour, as it isn’t sponsored by any corporations….or is it? Scary huh? The Rx Bandits are working hard on bringing the rock, so maybe save a few bucks and instead of going to the summer festivals, check out the guys in Rx Bandits for some good time tunes! Here are the tourdates….
Datesw/ Portugal. The Man and Facing New York
7/15 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
7/17 San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit
7/18 Austin, TX – Emo’s Outside
7/19 Dallas, TX – House of Blues – Cambridge Room
7/20 Houston, TX – Meridian – Red Room
7/21 New Orleans, LA – The Parish at House of Blues
7/22 Tallahassee, FL – Floyd’s Music Store
7/23 St. Petersburg, FL – State Theatre
7/24 Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
7/25 Orlando, FL – The Social
7/26 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade
7/27 Wilmington, NC – The Soapbox
w/ Portugal. The Man and Maps & Atlases
7/29 Baltimore, MD – The Ottobar
7/30 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore at the TLA
7/31 S. Hackensack, NJ – School of Rock
8/1 New York, NY – Highline Ballroom
8/2 Allston, MA – Harper’s Ferry
8/3 Rochester, NY – The Club at Water Street
8/5 Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop
8/6 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
8/7 Chicago, IL – Metro
8/8 St. Louis, MO – 2 Cents Plain
8/9 Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
8/10 Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
w/ Portugal. The Man and Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
8/12 Denver, CO – Marquis Theatre
8/13 Salt Lake City, UT – Avalon Theatre
8/15 Seattle, WA – El Corazon
8/16 Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
8/17 Orangevale, CA – The Boardwalk
8/18 San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
8/22 Pomona, CA – Glass House
8/23 Las Vegas, NV – Jillian’s
8/27 West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
8/28 West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
8/30 San Diego, CA – Soma
8/31 Tempe, AZ – The Clubhouse
9/1 Tempe, AZ – The Clubhouse
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You know, I’ve defended the Sex Pistols on several occasions when people said they sold out, and that they weren’t even punk.
But today, my friends, I give up…they have sold out.
Just look at these toys…is this really what punk has turned into? The rebellious nature of the music that was once taboo, is now ubiquitous and manufactured in china somewhere in toy format for you kiddies to play with. I’m not sure what to say anymore…but at $40 a set, you too can buy a piece of punk history…or infamy.
Maybe the greatest punk thing to do, is to just not care and make toys, underwear, skateboards, and so much more…on the success of one studio record.
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Black Label Skateboards recently invaded Arizona, and here’s some footage of their adventures. Arizona is hot…really hot…but skateboarding helps make the time pass a little smoother.
Download Black Label Arizona Video
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A few years back I was chilling in Downtown Los Angeles, and Rage Against the Machine held a free concert right outside the democratic national convention, turning Los Angeles into a riot zone!
I thought I would never hear about another riot that was motived through music of some kind, and here we are, 2008, and Pennywise’s latest concert turns into a riot! Did they go into one of their anthems and insight a real riot? I’m not sure what sparked the powder keg, but this is great news for punk rock fans that are tired of pop and looking to raise their fist, literally.
It could have just been too many people showing up to see them play, and the venue not having enough room, but still…we need a good punk rock riot.
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Metallica is up to something. Seriously, they are up to something, but does anyone know what? Their latest effort to get more “with it” is to allow their fans instant gratification, but what is it exactly?
Apparently a new album is in the works, and you can be the first one to hear it, or maybe you’ll see a video of it…or maybe they’ll show a video, or maybe their therapist is going to jump in and write lyrics for them…
maybe it’s nothing, maybe it’s something….
Whatever the case is, Metallica has to step up their game, because a lot of fans are waiting to see if they are going to continue to suck.
Here’s the latest…….are you in? Mission:Metallica is live.
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Despite what you might hear on the internet, Motley Crue is still going out on tour, and there is still a demand from rabid fans that want to see the guys rock out again. They will be joined by some interesting supporting acts, BUCKCHERRY, PAPA ROACH, SIXX: AM & TRAPT, but will still make sure the house gets torn down with some rock & roll. The tourdates for this venture are below, so go out and check out these guys, before they implode again.
Jul. 01 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
Jul. 03 - Tampa, FL - Ford Center
Jul. 05 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jul. 06 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
Jul. 08 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Jul. 09 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Jul. 12 - Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
Jul. 13 - Washington, DC - Nissan Pavilion
Jul. 15 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theater
Jul. 16 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
Jul. 18 - Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
Jul. 19 - Milwaukee, WI - Marcus Amphitheater
Jul. 20 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Jul. 22 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Jul. 23 - San Antonio, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Jul. 24 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com center
Jul. 26 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
Jul. 27 - Denver, CO - Coors Amphitheater at Fiddler’s Green
Jul. 29 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheater
Aug. 01 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Wireless Pavilion
Aug. 02 - Los Angeles, CA - Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Haven
Aug. 05 - Sacramento, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheater
Aug. 06 - San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheater at Mountain View
Aug. 08 - Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheater
Aug. 09 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden Arena
Aug. 11 - Vancouver, BC CA - GM Place
Aug. 13 - Edmonton, AB CA - Rexall Place
Aug. 14 - Calgary AB CA - Pengrowth Saddledome
Aug. 15 - Saskatoon, SK CA - Credit Union Centre
Aug. 17 - Winnipeg, MB CA - MTS Centre
Aug. 19 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
Aug. 20 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
Aug. 22 - Boston, MA - Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
Aug. 23 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 24 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Aug. 28 - Toronto, ON CA Molson Amphitheatre
Aug. 29 - Albany, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Aug. 30 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion
Aug. 31 - Pittsburgh, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion
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The Deftones announced recently that they will be entering “the studio” to record a new record next week. The Deftones last album wasn’t exactly the highest grossing album for the nu-metal band, and we have no word on a new “Team Sleep” record, but this is good news for Deftones fans, itching for new material.
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Free music is always a great thing, and Eyeball Records is giving away a free compilation to introduce you to their line up of bands. If you’re into underground music, you’re going to love this compilation from Eyeball Records. The track listing is as follows:
01. Baumer - “In Your Stead”
02. New Atlantic - “Cold-Hearted Town”
03. The Number 12 - “Grandfather”
04. Sleep Station - “Always In The Fire”
05. Pompeii - “Numbers”
06. Kiss Kiss - “Satellite”
07. Jettie - “Start/Stop”
So it’s just 7 tracks, it’s a nice introduction to the Eyeball roster, and if you’re not familiar with the label, you’ll get yourself into some new bands and hopefully get yourself away from the cookie cutter main stream music world.
Plus it’s free, you can’t beat that at all. Click here, to get yourself a free comp, it’s worth it, seriously.
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The guys in U2 have reason to celebrate this morning, as they have just signed a 12 year deal with concert promoters Livenation. There was an undisclosed amount of money that will promise the guys in U2 will not be broke any time soon. This of course does not change the deal that U2 has with Universal Music, and will still release music through that major label. However, Livenation will handle online branding and distribution of the rock group.
This of course is interesting considering the rumors of Motley Crue signing a similar deal with Livenation. Whatever the case is, Rock music and mega bands like U2 are still major revenue sources for major labels and those interested in the band as a whole.
So all those news reports about the music industry dying, might have not counted on major deals with bands like U2.
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Nine Inch Nails has been in the news a lot lately, and to keep the momentum going, they have announced complete tourdates for their upcoming tour. Expect to hear a lot of music, and here are the tourdates:
07-25 Pemberton, British Columbia - Pemberton Festival
07-26 Seattle, WA - Key Arena at Seattle Center
07-28 Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
07-29 Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
07-31 Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
08-02 Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
08-05 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
08-07 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
08-08 Worcester, MA - DCU Center
08-12 Knoxville, TN - Knoxville Civic Coliseum
08-13 Duluth, GA - Gwinnett Arena
08-15 Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
08-16 Houston, TX - Toyota Center
08-18 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
08-20 Saint Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
08-22 Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
08-23 Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
08-27 East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Center
08-29 Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
08-31 Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena
09-02 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater
09-03 Salt Lake, City UT - The E Center of West Valley
09-05 Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
09-06 Inglewood, CA - The Forum
You’re going to want to keep your eyes out on this one, because the shows are most likely going to sell out fast. If you haven’t seen Nine Inch Nails before, you’re going to be in for a treat. The catalog of music they have is huge, and the live show is just great.
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The Vans skate team is hitting the road in a new tour bus, and is going to be rocking the skateparks, skate shops, and local spots along the way. If they show up in your town, you can get some cool free stuff, free food, and catch some of the best skateboarders in the world, do what they do best: Skateboard!
The tour is going to be hitting the midwest,east,and then the doors are open to second leg of the tour?
Vans, is finally stepping up with a good promotional tour.
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The Melvins have announced a new album set for release on July 8th, 2008. The album entitled “Nude With Boots” will feature 11 new tracks from the band, consisting of the members that recorded their last disc released in 2006. The band will also be headed out on a full blown promotional tour in support of the album. The tourdates are yet to be announced, but the album should rock hard.
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Greg Graffin of Bad Religion fame is going to be awarded 2008 the Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism from Harvard University. Simply because he’s been a long standing voice in the atheist community for a long time. Regardless of your personal religious leanings, this is a huge thing for a punk rocker, who paved the way for many melodic punksters that formed a band, lost their hair, and became college professors…all while still touring the nation.
Interesting sidenote: While I was in high school, Bad Religion asked a classmate of mine to use their home for a music video shoot. They declined and voiced their righteous decision in front of my class. I booed her out of the building, since it was stupid to decline their video shoot…considering there was money involved, and I am a huge Bad Religion fan. Even though I don’t believe the same way.
Congrats to Greg on that huge award.
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Dr. Pepper is making a bold moving, offering everyone in America a free can of Dr. Pepper if we see Chinese Democracy. No not the country, the supposed new GNR album that has never seen the light of day. I’m not sure if I even care to hear the new album, but a free Dr. Pepper? This is epic! Photo src - Complex.
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Not long ago the skateboarding community was rocked, when Steve Rocco (no pun intended) sold World Industries for the sum of 20 Million Dollars. Pushing the brand into a mainstream world wide that it hasn’t really capitalized on in the skateboarding industry since.
Well, dying brands are still worth something, as we saw in the past when Larry Flynt bought Big Brother magazine. Such is the case with Duffs. Duffs wasn’t exactly a huge name in the skate shoe market, where new comers and new brands (Lakai for instance) were taking off into main skateboarding markets. Duffs has been sold to a UK company, according to Transworld business , and is moving forward to close their California offices.
What is the future of Duffs as a brand? Time will tell.
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Despite what anyone thinks about Tony Hawk, it is undeniable that he’s been a driving force in skateboarding for a long time. He’s been at the forefront of innovation at times, and also responsible for bringing skateboarding into a mainstream crossover that the 80’s can not take credit for. He’s the spokesman for skateboarding while others just have a good life in street skateboarding or random magazine covers. The Birdman recently gave an exclusive interview for Birdhouse skateboards, which you can read here.
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The current label that houses Smashing Pumpkins is soon going to get a lawsuit thrown at them for signing away a song by Smashing Pumpkins for the use in a Pepsi campaign. The band claims they did not authorize that sort of use, and will be filing actions against their label for breach of contract. Is this just a ploy to get news writers to talk about the alternative band? Or is it truly a breach in contract? I’m not quite sure, but more details will be forthcoming, as the alternative bands get older and try to deny that they are selling out.
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Elvis Costello has officially abandoned future cd releases. The legendary musician has decided to release music through digital and vinyl formats only. It seems odd to release those two, but it does speak volumes about demographics in general. Taking that into consideration, people either buy digital media for their mp3 players, or they buy vinyl to collect. This might be the smartest thing I’ve heard in a long time, or it could be a dumb move, but whatever the case is, the cd is not looking to great right now.
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The Dead Kennedy’s once again made news, and in no surprise to me, they’ve lost another singer. The singer apparently quit after hearing news that the DK’s members have gotten a new singer, without even telling the existing singer. So another singer down, and the Dead Kennedy’s are fighting to keep whatever fan base is still there for their tired punk rock sound. You can read the whole story here, or just forget the band ever existed.
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In the world of music, some people just have their eyes and ears open to new sights and sounds. One such person is Vinnie of Less Than Jake, co-founder of Fueled by Ramen. He’s up to something very cool, fusing art and music together in a time where record labels are hurting. The label is called Paper + Plastick and it will focus on releasing limited edition vinyl records, artwork on paper, and digital music releases. It’s a cool concept, that I’m sure is going to find its home well in the hearts of many of todays indie insiders, whom already enjoy the mixture of two genres (ie: the velvet teen). Plastick Records is a side project that is very interesting to watch, especially in these preliminary steps, as the Less Than Jake drummer moves forward with plans to spotlight artists for what they are…makers of art. Check out the official Paper + Plastick Records myspace page, and support art and music and independence from the major record label world. You can also read the official announcement via CMJ by clicking here.
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While a lot of people are speculating the future of music as a whole, some artists are releasing music for free, in small bits and pieces or whole albums. There are also labels dedicated to giving away music on a constant, consistent basis. One such musical endeavor is rcrdlbl.com giving out free music on a daily basis from artists around the world. This week they dished out a plethora of cool music and you can check it out by clicking here.
Free Music is always nice, and you can download mp3’s legally, and safely. This week’s updates include music from: Boo and Boo Too,Jet Black Crayon,The Submarines,Little Dragon,Surkin,The LimesRadio 4,Cassettes Won’t Listen,Adam Kesher,Maximo Park,Old Man River,Carla Bruni,MINK,Trifonic,The Subjects,The Subjects,Subtitle,Orouni,The Spiders,Borko,and The Fashion. Now that’s a lot of free music, so enjoy it! Click here to get free music from this weeks updates on rcrdlbl.com
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In light of the latest news that The Raconteurs is going to drop a record without any pre-promotion whatsoever, they have announced a string of tourdates which will be their only form of promotion at this point. This new scheme of things is one way that the bands and labels are trying to save their little industry. It might work, as The Raconteurs do have a multi-million dollar guitar player and member of The White Stripes in the band. Just on his publicity alone, he might be able to garner some recognition. Here are the dates:
April 20 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
April 21 Seattle, WA - Neumo’s
April 22 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom !
April 23 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo’s 365 Club !
April 25 Indio, CA - Coachella
April 26 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
April 28 Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
April 29 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
May 1 Dallas, TX - House of Blues !
May 2 Austin, TX - Stubb’s BBQ
May 3 Austin, TX - Stubb’s BBQ
May 4 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
June 13 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
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The swing craze might have lasted a short while in the late 90’s, as a booming ska hungry audience formed around major labels, but the bands that were around for that period of time are still kicking. Case in point: The Cherry Poppin Daddies, who are set to release a new album entitled, Susquehanna on June 10th, 2008. Swing fans will be glad to know that they are not ditching their horns, and not going into a more rocksteady sound, and this will be a great release in light of recent releases that have no staying power. A tour is most certainly to follow the release, so stay tuned here for more information on that. For now, check out the official Cherry Poppin Daddies myspace page or check them on tour now:
Apr 19 2008 portland, Oregon @ Wonder Ballroom
Apr 26 2008 Eugene, Oregon @ Wow Hall
May 9 2008 Seattle, Washington @ Triple door
Jun 4 2008 Los Angeles, California @ Crash Mansion
Jun 5 2008 San Juan Capistrano, California @ Coach House
Jun 6 2008 Long Beach, California @ The Blue Cafe
Jun 7 2008 Santa Ynez, California @ Chumash Casino
Jul 12 2008 Bend, Oregon @ Bend Summer Fest
Jul 19 2008 Chicago, Illinois @ Beverly Arts Center
Jul 20 2008 Vernon Hills, Illinois @ Summer Celebration @ Century Park
Jul 23 2008 Lewiston, New York @ Artpark
Jul 24 2008 New York, New York @ BB Kings Blues Club
Jul 25 2008 Falls Church, Virginia @ State Theatre
Jul 26 2008 Liberty Lake, Washington @ Pavilion Park
Aug 10 2008 Walker, Minnesota @ Northern Lights Casino
Aug 15 2008 Carson City, Nevada @ Brewery Arts Center/ Outdoor
Dec 30 2008 Maricopa, Arizona @ Harrah’s Ak-Chin-Oasis Lounge
Jan 31 2009 Ottawa, Ontario @ Centrepointe Theatre
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Wilco is going to hit the road, and you can catch them playing the hits, and maybe even some new tracks if you’re lucky. Here’s the dates for the latest road trip for Wilco:
03-20 Byron Bay, Australia - East Coast Blues Festival
03-22 Whitianga, New Zealand - Bluesfest
03-23 Auckland, New Zealand - Bruce Mason Centre
03-24 Wellington, New Zealand - Opera House
03-26 Melbourne, Australia - Palace Theatre *
04-30 Rochester, MN - Mayo Civic Center
05-01 Fargo, ND - Fargo Civic Auditorium
05-02 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Burton Cummings Theatre
05-04 Bozeman, MT - Emerson Cultural Center
05-05 Missoula, MT - Adams Center
05-07 Grand Junction, CO - Avalon Theater
05-08 Colorado Springs, CO - Pikes Peak Center
05-09 Albuquerque, NM - Popejoy Hall
05-11 Austin, TX - Stubb’s
05-12 Austin, TX - Stubb’s
05-15 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
05-16 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
08-07 Charleston, SC - North Charleston PAC
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Pluto Records has been below my radar for a while, until this morning when they’ve officially announced the signing of a new band: My America Is Watching Tigers Die! That’s right, the band with the long name is now officially signed to the label that brought you the first ep from Norma Jean and the earliest recordings from As I Lay Dying. Scope out the band on their official myspace page, and check out Plutorecords.com for more information on this momentous occasion.
you can also catch My America Is Watching Tigers Die on tour now:
Mar 21 2008 West Chester, Pennsylvania @ Fennario (w/ BIRTH SCREAMS)
Mar 22 2008 Mine Hill, New Jersey @ The Whiskey Barn (w/ BIRTH SCREAMS)
Mar 23 2008 Brooklyn, New York @ Rock Star Bar (w/ BIRTH SCREAMS)
Mar 28 2008 Doylestown, Pennsylvania @ Doylestown Teen Center
Apr 18 2008 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania @ Lower Paxton Youth Center
Apr 25 2008 Frederick, Maryland @ The Mudd Puddle
May 3 2008 Richlandtown, Pennsylvania @ Benner Hall
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Most skateboard magazines come through my desk and it takes me a while to get to them and read through all the articles. But yesterday, in the mail came the latest issue of Skateboarder Magazine, and I was thrilled to see that in the middle of the magazine, the guys over at Adidas skateboarding strategically placed a free dvd! That’s right, there’s a free Adidas skateboarding dvd glued to the ad for their latest skateboarding endeavor. The dvd says that it’s from the Adidas skate team’s trip to France, and you can get yourself this free dvd by picking up the latest issue of skateboarder magazine. Here’s the cover, the dvd is placed in the middle in the Adidas ad. So go out, spend a few bucks to get the zine, get a free dvd, support the print world that seems to be dying.
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Skatemental.com is up and running, and I’m not sure what I hate more: the all flash, slow loading website, or the near mystery meat navigation, or the use pop-up windows. Apparently there are videos in this site, somewhere, but I’m not going to tell you where. Check out the site for yourself and see why Flash designers need to learn more about user interface.
But before we lose track of things, it’s nice to see Skate Mental trying to push the web a little. It’s better than some other skate websites, with horrible code, lack of effort, or realism. So it’s a draw…the site made me want to break my computer, but than again…it’s nice to see someone at least trying.
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The dynamic duo of comedy, are back at it again. With a follow up to their last collaboration, “Blackout” which went platinum. No not “How High”, but a new studio album with the two doing what they do best, spitting rhymes. The album is scheduled to drop later this Summer, meanwhile, no word yet on when the show “Method & Red” will get a comeback, ala “Family Guy”. The album features production by Gilla House, E-Sermon and Rocwilder and there may even be a DJ Premier track or two before recording wraps. Sounds like a winning disc, so keep your eyes open, and your ears peeled for this collaboration between Method and Red.
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Coheed and Cambria fans will be glad to know that all their lyrical content was leading up to a single purpose: a comic book. For those of you that are new the Coheed and Cambria musical endeavor, you might not want to jump in so fast. Their albums are riddled with verses and lyrics that have a lot to do with a comic book story line that they were set to release. Now it’s here, and you can scope out the cover art. Check out the latest news and more in depth reporting about the Armory Wars comic, by clicking here.
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Mike Ness is set to embark on a solo tour, and while he’s not hitting every city in the U.S. he’s going on a big enough trek for many of his fans to catch him live doing both solo tracks and acoustic tracks from his band Social Distortion. If you haven’t seen Mike Ness perform live, he really does a great job. Some might even compare his solo performances on par with the late great Johnny Cash.
May 2 2008 - Indio, California Stagecoach @ Empire Polo Field
May 5 2008 - Dallas, Texas @ House Of Blues
May 6 2008 - Houston, Texas @ Meridian
May 7 2008 - New Orleans, Louisiana @ House Of Blues
May 9 2008 - Atlanta, Georgia @ Variety Playhouse
May 11 2008 - Baltimore, Maryland @ Rams Head Live
May 12 2008 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ Trocadero Theatre
May 13 2008 - The Fillmore New York @ Irving Plaza New York, New York
May 16 2008 - Asbury Park, New Jersey @The Stone Pony
May 19 2008 - Detroit, Michigan @ Saint Andrews Hall
May 20 2008 - Chicago, Illinois @ Park West
May 23 2008 - Denver, Colorado @ Gothic Theatre
May 25 2008 - Aspen, Colorado @ Belly Up Aspen
May 26 2008 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Depot
Jul 5 2008 - Irvine, California @ The Hootenanny @ Oak Canyon Ranch
For more information check out the official Mike Ness myspace page here, and if you’re looking for his solo records, click here.
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The morning coffee got spilled over here at Seshn HQ when we heard that Eli Reed is now on Zoo York, and will most likely be on the new Zoo York video that’s being filmed right now. Haven’t seen Reed in action? You’re missing out, he’s pretty good, and this is a great addition to the team. Zoo York is starting to come up above the East Coast stigma.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q67bhnenmSc" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
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With Nine Inch Nails getting rave reviews over the delivery of their latest musical endeavor, it is not a surprise to hear more artists contemplating releasing albums with a mutli-choice way of getting music. Portishead recently drew comparisons to the latest Ghosts album by offering a very limited box set. Somewhere in the range of 1,000 limited edition box sets will be available and you can pick one up at their official site by clicking here.
Included in this limited edition box set is:
USB features the album, and 5 films, Double vinyl album, Etched 12” vinyl of ‘Machine Gun’, Limited edition print from Nick Uff
USB Tracklisting:
1. Silence
2. Hunter
3. Nylon Smile
4. The Rip
5. Plastic
6. We Carry On
7. Deep Water
8. Machine Gun
9. Small
10. Magic Doors
11. Threads
‘ The Truly Spectacular Universal Conference Film’ (film)
‘The Rip at Mr Wolfe’s’ (film)
‘Ade’s House’ (film)
‘Machine Gun’ (film)
‘We Carry On’ (film) LP
(Double Vinyl) Tracklisting:
A1. Silence
A2. Hunter
A3. Nylon Smile
B1. The Rip
B2. Plastic
B3. We Carry On
C1. Deep Water
C2. Machine Gun
C3. Small
D1. Magic Doors
D2. Threads
The box sets will be officially released April 28, 2008, so pre-order now and get yourself a lot of Portishead, before anyone else. I’m not sure why they drew so much comparison, considering that Portishead is not allowing a free option, is not putting this on cd for pre-order, and is limiting the currency somehow too. Whatever the case is, diehard Portishead fans will be glad to see new music coming out sooner than later.
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The guys in Fall Out Boy have been recently plagued with publicity. Recently, the Simpsons had words with the band over a comic book they were planning to publish. Apparently, the Simpsons own trademarks and copyrights in the realm of comics over the rights to use Fall Out Boy as a name and/or character. So while the band maybe on thin ice over their band name, they can most definitely can not be in the comic book world.
That’s not stopping them though, because it was announced today that they will try to break a world record on March 25th, 2008. The guys are going to try and perform shows in Antarctica, Europe, Asia, Australasia, North and South America and Africa on March 25 to raise money and awareness for environmental and conservation charity Greenpeace. That’s right, all those places in one day.
Can it be done? We’ll have to wait and see.
Radioactive Man was not available for immediate comment.
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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.
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Trying to get your message across to the world is getting easier for skateboarding companies that are smart enough to realize the internet is a great way to deliver said message. Etnies has recently updated their blog with an all new layout and design, so that you can keep track of all the good things they are doing. Etnies, you may have heard, recently signed Ryan Sheckler to a whole new deal that is going to see the company reap the benefits of having one of their main riders on television on a weekly basis. I’m sure sales are huge right now, but that’s beside the point. Etniesskateboarding.com is alive and well, and you can check out their blog at any time.
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I moved to Seattle from Los Angeles last year in March, and was disappointed in finding out that a downtown skateboard park was dead and buried, so that the city could provide more parking spaces for visitors to the Space Needle and the surrounding complex.In the weeks that would follow, several meetings were held, and calls for attentions were placed in newspapers both far and wide in the City, and no skateboarders seemed to rise up and take a stand. Instead, the community did not rebuild the skateboard park as promised, and for the most part has been on a tirade of closing down skateboard parks, and making sure that skateboarders are not heard.The most recent of events to cast a shadow on the Seattle Skateboard community is the news that the beloved indoor skateboard park, “Skatebarn” is going to be closing down, unless a miracle occurs in a hearing scheduled for March 12th, 2008. If no one comes forward and puts up some serious cash for the massive indoor skateboarding haven, the city will add another skatepark to its number of skateboard related closures.In a city that is so diverse in art, it sure hates skateboarding for some reason. They are quick to build condo’s, close down music venues, and skateboard parks, but are slow to respond when the community needs help. Read the whole story about how the Skatebarn could be here today, gone tomorrow, by clicking here.Seriously, this is getting old fast, in the last year Seattle and the surrounding areas have closed down at least 4 skateboard parks. While there are rumors of a “skate plaza” being built ten minutes from downtown, no immediate plans to replace the downtown skateboard park, have surfaced.
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