Art, Randoms, Skate Or Die »
COME RIDE WITH ME
On a fine beautiful Saturday morning, I dropped by DLXSF to check out some of the new goods as well as talk to the crew. Spoke to the Rasa Libre designer there that just launched the new site and even some local photography savs that shoot for the infamous Low Card zine.
Pretty much nationwide now, the new Stefan Janoski’s should be at all your finer skate shop retailers. These are the brown joints that released with the black ones as well. Limited to the first batch, the shoe also came with some cork insoles as the Janoski family has it’s foot in the wine industry. Comes in a sweet wine bag too.
Spoke to the manager at DLX and he gave me the scoop that the Fallen team will be in the house next Sunday. A signing with all your favorite Zero goons as well as a small demo at 3rd and Army right after.
Walked down Market St. a few blocks down to catch the Civic Center Bart and realized I was near the Market Street Gallery.
Actually someone at my work told me about this as I was carrying some decks to work. Just a little local show with a great cause. 50 artists doing hand custom painted skateboard decks in helps to raise money for the homeless youth in the Tenderloin.
Drove down with Maria to Fort Miley area to stretch out our legs out in the nice weather with the slight wind chill factor.
The Legion Of Honor.
One day when I stop drinking and eating scraps on the daily, I’ll save some money to go on a trip to Europe to see some real art. Not graffiti, not weak ass chicken scratch…. but REAL ART. Where people dedicated their livelihood to practice something that brought no real physical treasures, but only pride and satisfaction of accomplishing something that takes real mastery and skill. One day….
Later on we drove back to the heart of city to check out Ian Johnson’s new art show and get my board signed. Full coverage here.
And what a better way to end the night. Steaks, some veggies, sangria and a HBO special. What a great day! Can’t wait for the sun to bring out some real heat. I am ready for it.
Randoms »
CONVERSE X JOHN MINARDI
My buddy and fellow SF State Alumni John Minardi just informed me of his Converse shoe that he help create for the Converse (RED) campaign that they have going on. A hundred artists were specifically picked for their art and idea for their shoe and he was fortunate to be one of them. I know sneaker heads will think these are kind of bogus to rock but if you look at it from a designer’s perspective, it’s kind of cool to just have a shoe in general, let alone be a Converse one.
Here’s the original drawing John did for the shoe. I actually have seen in it person and regardless of what people think of the art, it looks pretty damn clean. Doodling is actually kind of a hard art form to perfect and John unknowingly does it with ease. Congrats dude! I got my pair coming soon.
Art »
SHIGANIST: A GROUP SHOW CURATED BY USUGROW RECAP
In anticipation to the new show, I decided to get my pre perk on at Noc-Noc on Haight. $3 Racer-5’s are not a bad gig.
My sidekick wasn’t phased by anything at all. Blunted on reality, buzzed off beer….high on life.
Walking to the show at Upper Playground SF on Fillmore Street. To think Fillmore Slim used to pimp mad hos here.
As soon as I get there, I was greeted by some Japanese fellow that for some odd reason wanted to take my picture with my board. I stay pretty hard on the skate scene (yes Koston is going to be on Etnies…..watch.) but with foreign skaters, they get me twisted all the time. Turns out this is Maru, AM skater for Consolidated Skateboards which means that I was carrying his signature deck that Ususgrow designed. Had to get his Johnny Handcock on the board and even got is info to go thrashin’ with him in SF since he is in the area for 3 months from Japan. Too bad dude shreds pools where as I like to ollie up curbs.
No words to be said. Ususgrow’s new artwork is the shit!
Design he made for the Hundreds 5th Anniversary collabo shirts that were made not too long ago.
And what do you know….the original artwork for Maru’s signature Consolidated skate deck.
A great picture if I ever took one. Maria, Usugrow and Mr. Mike Giant.
A Giant and a Fong.
Temporary artwork is where its at. Usugrow 1-of-1 hand drawn calligraphy. Make sure to check out his work if you can. You’re missing out if you don’t.
Events »
SHIGANIST: A GROUP SHOW CURATED BY USUGROW
One of my favorite artist (enough to get a tattoo on my friggin’ arm!) will be having a unique show this Thursday with a couple of his friends work. Some great stuff coming up this week as far as art goes. More info below via Upperplayground:
In anticipation of his imminent clothing line release with Upper Playground on August 1, and in celebration of his new book “Shiganist,” Usugrow has rallied the book’s contributors to action. Together, these five artists are taking over the walls of the FIFTY24SF Gallery and tearing down the house. True to the meaning behind “Shingan” – those who create based on visions spurred by the mind’s eye and those who are not affected by the opinions and expectations placed on them by the outside world – USUGROW, MOZYSKEY, TOSHIKAZU NOZAKA, BENE and JUN KANEKO are driven by the pure passion to create.
The work being presented on May 7th is a testament to those who live life for the love of art. From body art to street art, these young men have explored every aspect of the creative world. They have fought passionately for the right to express what the mind’s eye has shown them and have succeeded at every turn. Encumbered by the weight of societal expectations, they defy the prescribed life path and valiantly pursue the life of the “Shinganist.” Bringing us art born from passion, a harmonious blend of various culture’s aspects absorbed over time that still reflects a style inherent to Japan, this show will be one of a kind.
“SHINGANIST” opens May 7, 2009 from 7 to 9 PM.
FIFTY24SF Gallery
248 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Events »
MATIX TEAM SIGNING @ DLXSF FRIDAY
Riders including Marc Johnson, Mike Mo, Brandon Biebel and majority of the whole Matix team will be at DLXSF on Friday at 6pm for a signing.
DLXSF
1831 Market Street
San Francisco, CA. 94103
415-626-5588
Events »
IAN JOHNSON @ WHITE WALLS GALLERY SATURDAY
via FTC:
Opening Saturday @ White Walls Gallery, May 9th from 7pm – 11pm, artist Ian Johnson will be showcasing his prolific jazz portraits in a solo show featuring over forty new works on wood and paper.
Going bigger and brighter, Ian reinterprets portraits of iconic jazz musicians such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Nat King Cole in black and white using dry brush techniques. Juxtaposing the black and white faces against psychedelic rays of color and wood grain backgrounds makes these images pop. Ian’s skateboard company, Western Edition, then uses these images on skate decks to highlight the movement, action, and energy inherent in both jazz music and skateboarding.
I will definitely be there to this. I’ve been trying to get my order of Ian’s Western Edition boards for quite sometime and hopefully I can get them in time so I can get them signed at the show. Full coverage on this later in the week and check out his White Walls interview.
Events »
SATORI DEMO SATURDAY RESCHEDULED FOR 5/9
Heard it was going to rain Saturday but if not, don’t sleep on this demo. Hopefully Nilton Neves and Karl Watson come out.
Edit: Demo rescheduled due to the rain.
Skate Or Die »
OMAR SALAZAR NIKE SB SHOE SAMPLE
via the Shoegame site:
Omar Salazar Nike SB Shoe Sample
Nike SB blessed Paul Rodriguez with his own signature shoe and this year Stefan Janoski’s shoe will makes its debut. Up next to get their own Nike SB shoe is pro skater Omar Salazar. Here we have an early look at Omar’s upcoming shoe. Is that Flywire along the back panel? A simple sneaker that features “Omar Salazar” on the tongue.
We don’t have any info about when Omar’s kicks will drop, so stay tuned. Props to Chris Gomez for sending us the images.
Sac skaters are sure getting their props. I heard about a couple of months ago that Omar would be the 3rd pro skater on Nike SB to get a signature shoe. Rumors spread that it would be a tech shoe compared to Janoski’s boat shoes that were just released not to long ago. Notice the fly-wire technology that you would see on the new Kobe signature shoes. Pretty odd hybrid of a shoe so far (think blazer+harbor+dunk mid=Omar). I am sure there will be some minor changes in the future but this will be an interesting skate shoe nonetheless.
Another picture leaked. Omar x Alien Workshop Blazers.
Events »
GROUNDSOUND HAPPY HOUR
via Upplerplayground:
WHO: Amplive, The Tourist + DJ Centipede
WHAT: 3 dudes cooking up some beats to make that mouth water
WHERE: Laszlo (2526 Mission St. – between 21st and 22nd)
WHEN: 5/1/09 : 6-9 pm (and every first Friday, thereafter)
WHY: To celebrate the artistic union between 2 Bay Area pillars of music and art culture…Upper Playground & SonicLivingUpper Playground and SonicLiving are joining forces to change the face of Friday nights, as well as the face of sonicliving.com. Upper Playground is now going to be heading the art direction for the default concert posters on SonicLiving’s site, giving the musicians that post events some serious visual weight behind their show’s listing (these posters will be up, as of 5/1).
U.P. has long had roots in the Bay Area music scene, which is evident in everything from the fact that they started off as a record store, to the musical artists that have been rocking the gear for over a decade, to the slew of designs referencing music culture. SonicLiving seemed like an obvious choice for the partnership, due to the fact that they are also an integral part of the Bay Area’s music scene and have been working on expanding their reach, to become more of a taste-making organization, as well as an interactive hub for info on concert listings.
To celebrate this new pairing, Upper Playground and SonicLiving are going to be hosting a monthly happy hour party, on the first Fridays of every month (starting on 5/1/09). The resident DJ’s are Amplive (Zion-I) and The Tourist (Magnificent 7). There will also be a guest DJ each month and for the inaugural event, we are proud to have none other than DJ Centipede (Mophono).
UPPER PLAYGROUND WILL BE BUYING THE BEER (Trumer Pils and Shiner Commemorator are on U.P.’s tab until 7pm) + there will be great drink specials and surprise giveaways (concert tickets, clothing and more..), so you will absolutely not want to miss it!
Events »
STEFAN JANOSKI’S SHOE RELEASE SKATE JAM
Meet the man and the shoe Saturday @ B Street skatepark.
Adventures In Wonderland, Randoms »
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
One of the best bang for your buck happy hour spots (minus the crowd) is Palios on Sacramento street. Get two alcoholic beverages and receive this nice thin sliced pizza for free.
The beautiful streets of North Beach. Only about a couple blocks up was the line for Dave Chappelle’s show at Cobbs. I found out about his show on Wednesday and still couldn’t get tickets for all 3 of his shows this week.
So it’s not like I haven’t been hip to this info before. Apparently one of SF’s most slept on venues is the night life experience that they have at museums and exploratoriums. Okay, don’t expect top notch ho’s and booty shakin’ strippers. This is just an alternative thing to do when you’ve done almost everything in the city. Still, when you have enough drinks in your system, the place does turn into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory at times. But for some reason, science and liquor just hurt my head.
I am not going to go out on a limb and say this was totally worth my while, but luckily Maria knew someone that worked at the Exploratorium and we got in for free. We grabbed about two drinks each and called it a night and ate cheap chinese in Chinatown. Consider these pictures a window into this place and just save your money but this is an idiot telling you that science is dumb.
Art »
VOLCOM FEATURED ARTIST PHOTO SERIES
Stopped at the Volcom store in Berkeley and they happened to have a photo exhibit by some of their riders. I was most interested in Mark Appleyard’s work and surprisingly, he’s a pretty decent film photographer.
Skate Or Die »
EXCLUSIVE: FTC X LAKAI CARROLL LOWS
First look at the FTC X Lakai shoes dropping later in the fall. So far no real info aside from them using a potential Carroll 5 low model and that only the black one above will be released but only time will tell. The other two below are just scrapped samples.
Some honorable mentions that I ran across. New suede PJ Ladd’s by DC Shoes. $98 price tag unlike the $120 leather versions.
Stefan Janoski new Nike pro model. Vacaville in the house!
Retroed Emerica Marc Johnson 1’s. Sole Tech’s response for Lakai releasing the Koston 1’s.
Events »
SOME COOL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
Karibbean City, Chris C & Friends, Spicey Promotions, & DeeCee’s Soul Shakedown
Presents
LIVE FROM JAMAICA
Mr.Vegas
Jamaican dancehall super star, Mr Vegas finally returns to the Bay Area on Friday April 24th 09. With smash hits like, “Heads High”,” Hot Gal Today”, “Hot Wuk” and Mus Come A Road! I can go on and on. It promises to be a show to remember. If you have haven’t seen him perform make it a date and don’t be late. .
Also performing Bobby Tenna
Music provided by
DJ Jah Yzer (Jah Warrior Shelter Hi-Fi)
Doogie (TNT Sound)
Toks (City Cat Sound)
Date: Friday April 24th 2009
$25 in advance
VIP Tickets $50 which included Valet parking, drink and food special
Purchase your tickets NOW
Drink specials all night long
510*251*0769
http://karibbeancity.com
Buy tickets here
Surreality in Reality presents:
HELLA LOGOS!!
Logo Design Competition
S.I.R is looking for the hella good logo design for next up coming art shows.
Let’s vote for THE hella good logo (voting ends at 10pm)
21+ | FREE | Door 8pm | Result announcement 10:30pm
Music by Yusai / Junzo / Zaion / 8doors (Sound Design, DJs)
Info: www.sir-sf.com
Buy tickets here.
Come celebrate Ankh Marketing ’s 5 Year Anniversary Party!
with Mos Def Performing a FULL SET Live!!
Also featuring special guest performances by dead prez and The Bay’s own DJ Big Von on the 1s and 2s!!
Sunday April 26th
@ Mezzanine 444 Jesse St
Get your tickets now at http://going.com/ankh5yrmosdef
9PM Doors
21+
For More info email : ankhmarketingevents at gmail.com
Official Site: http://www.ankhmarketing.com
