Harsh Creek Skatepark Will Ripped By Christian Hosoi, Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero and Many More on 10.18.14

 

Get Rad For Ray in Raleigh, NC on October 18, 2014

Tony Hawk And Other Skate Legends To Descend Upon Raleigh For Free Event

Hawk, Christian Hosoi, Steve Caballero, Eddie Elguera, Ben Raybourn, and other skateboard legends confirmed to appear at Marsh Creek Skatepark for Ray Underhill charity event on 10/18.

Tony Hawk is bringing the 80s back to Raleigh, North Carolina’s Marsh Creek Skatepark. At least skateboarding’s version of that notorious decade. And he’s not coming alone.

James Kelly Is One Fast Dude On Urethane Wheels

James Kelly is one fast dude on four urethane wheels

Watch this film on Vimeo

"On a rare occasion, you see a video that makes you stop - stop what you’re doing, stop what you’re thinking, even stop how you’re breathing - a video that masters your emotions and alters your vitals. At that moment, when your heart jumps into your throat, and your nerve endings fire, you realize you’re seeing something memorable.

10 Best Skate Videos With Great Music

Having posts such as this pop up in our inbox truly makes the morning quite special. Not only do many of these videos churn up a lot of memories of skating throughout the years, but also serve as a reminder of how fluid a skate video and the music paired with it can be. Paste magazine hit the nail on the head with this post, but they forgot a few crucial videos that we will gladly add below.




Check out Paste Magazine

Music and skateboarding have always shared a strong connection, and the overlap of the two cultures is most prevalent in skateboarding videos. While skating is clearly the most significant aspect, a great soundtrack can take an average skate video and make it extraordinary. So many incredible bands have been featured in high-profile skate videos through the years, and in honor of National Go Skateboarding Day, we’ve compiled a list of our 10 favorite songs used in skate videos.

10. Band of Horses – “Funeral” and “Is There a Ghost”

After a drug-habit induced hiatus from skateboarding, veteran Guy Mariano was ready to make a comeback. Everyone was excited to see his return in Fully Flared, but few expected Mariano to put together one of the greatest parts in recent history. That’s exactly what he did, and the Band of Horses sound track said a lot about his state of mind. “Funeral” starts slow and the part feels like an homage to the legendary skater’s past and comeback. But then the song kicks into gear and so does Mariano, as if to say “enough reminiscing, let’s get to work.”



9. Rush – “2112 Overture/The Temples of Syrinx”
If Jaime Thomas hadn’t already solidified his title as “The Chief”, his part in Zero’s Dying To Live etched it in stone. Thomas’ part is epic from start to finish and perfectly edited to the dynamic “2112 Overture”.



8. Santo and Johnny – “Sleepwalk”

Nick Trapasso was relatively unknown before the release of Toy Machine’s Suffer the Joy, but his debut was one of the most talked about parts from the video. Trapasso has one of the most relaxed styles in skateboarding (it doesn’t hurt that he skates in pajama pants half the time). Santo and Johnny’s “Sleepwalk” is one of the most apt song choices ever.



7. Metallica – “Orion”
A video that begins with a helicopter shot of Danny Way introducing the MegaRamp to the world requires a big song, and Metallica knows big. “Orion” sets the tempo for The DC Video perfectly.



6. Notorious B.I.G. – “Let’s Get It On”
Antwuan Dixon has had some problems as of late but his part in Baker 3 will always be remembered as a classic. Dixon is considered by many to be one of the most stylish skaters of all time. The big man effortlessly floats before stomping his tricks with conviction. Dixon flows through his part just as Biggie flows through “Let’s Get It On”.



5. The Killers – “All These Things That I’ve Done”
Daewon Song is one of the technical geniuses of skateboarding. Song put together an amalgamation of ridiculous manuals, grinds, and roof gaps deserving of The Killer’s anthem. His part in Almost Round 3 is also an instant classic.



4. Arcade Fire – “No Cars Go”
Lakai’s Fully Flared had a lot of hype to live up to after a nearly two-year delay of its release. The video exceeded expectations and after one of the most intense and expensive intros of all time, young Mike Mo Capaldi took the first spot of the video. Capaldi was only 16 for most of the filming and represented a new crop of young talent. Arcade Fire’s fresh sound and prominent percussion provides a perfect soundtrack for Capaldi’s technically absurd part.



3. Joy Division – “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
Girl’s Yeah Right! raised the bar for skate videos. The project was a massive undertaking and is known for its soundtrack. Marc Johnson’s part is a constant barrage of technical manuals, grinds, and gaps and the Joy Division soundtrack serves as a means to mellow out the part and make it flow perfectly. Ian Curtis’ haunting baritone voice is a great match to Johnson’s smooth style.



2. Dinosaur Jr. – “Kracked”
Starting off a Toy Machine video entitled Good & Evil with a Dinosaur Jr. song seems like a no-brainer. “Kracked” is a spot-on compliment to the illustrations of boss man Ed Templeton and the huge gaps, rails, and slams that kick off the video.



1. John Coltrane – “Traneing In” *
No place better to end than the most influential skater of all time. Mark Gonzales has shaped modern street skating and his part in Blind’s Video Days (arguably the most influential skate video of all time) is legendary. The Gonz has a style that can best be likened to Jazz music, riffing and improvising every chance he gets. John Coltrane couldn’t be a better fit for this part.

Skateboarding Is Life... Stay Rebel, Stay Sharp

There isn't a day that goes by, in which I don't think about riding a skateboard. Even though I don't get to ride everyday, my mind races back to great spots that I have ridden and I think on memorable times. Great sessions with friends or that personal 2 am mission, with me and slick curb at the ol' Food Lion grocery store, still make me feel absolutely alive.

Skating gives definition and meaning to everything that I have become. Without learning how to ollie a gap or dropping in on vert, could I have ever learned the confidence to work with a large client? I don't think it could have happened honestly. Without giving blood and adrenaline to further my skill set, most of what I know now would feel empty and false. A skateboard allowed my path to creative freedom. Traveling through the world on the only true four wheels that I know, I thank all those that I have met along the journey and those I will meet at the next jam. 

From Brazil, to a good buddy's photo imprint and lasting mindset... Stay Rebel Stay Sharp

Skateboarding is life... grinding in the pool at Raleigh's Harsh Creek park

Recycle An Old Skate Deck Into A Guitar Body

Damn, our minds are just spinning with ideas after seeing these awesome guitars created from old skate decks.

"Made entirely by hand in a buenos aires workshop, Argentinian luthier Ezequiel Galasso and pro skateboarder Gianfranco De Gennaro Gilmour have collaborated to develop electric 'skate guitars' from reclaimed skateboard decks. both the body and neck are constructed with layered maple - with models equipped with features such as single volume knobs, whammy bars and humbucking pickups." 

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Check out original post on DesignBoom

Skate guitar made from recycled skateboard deck

DIY at it's best, take an old skate deck and turn into a guitar, damn right.

Skaters Are The Future - The Lightest Electric Vehicle Is A Skateboard

Yes, we are damn stoked on the idea of an electric cruiser board. How often on those long pushes after hours of skating are ya worn out and just waiting for that first bit of downhill when you can just cruise. If you are a skater, this mindset is easy to get into. Unfortunately I don't get to commute on my board to work any more as the office is mere yards away, but the thought of having this board to cruise through traffic just made my damn day. Although I do quite miss holding onto bumpers to skitch across town. Go Skate!

Link to original article on GrindTV.com

Yes you can now Bomb Uphill! This skateboard has the juice to carry ya up the streets.

"A tiny company in Palo Alto, California, founded by some Stanford University students has the potential to change that way we travel.

Boosted Boards has introduced a prototype of what it's calling "the lightest electric vehicle that's ever been made"--a longboard electric skateboard that the company hopes will easily and quickly transport commuters from wherever their bus or train stops to wherever it is they actually want to be.

"The last mile of transportation is this huge problem that hasn't been solved yet," Boosted Boards co-founder Sanjay Dastoor said in the company's promotional video below. "Once you get off of a public transit system, whether it's a bus or a train or anything else, how do you get along that last mile to your destination? What Boosted Boards does is gives you a really portable vehicle that you can use in conjunction with public transit."

So far, the company is still working on prototypes, which weigh 12 to 15 pounds, can climb hills with grades as steep as 15 percent, go as fast as 20 mph, and last for six miles without being recharged.

The board's throttle and braking are all controlled with a little hand-held remote that's worn on the thumb. And, unlike other electric skateboards, there's room to grip underneath if you're looking to do any fancy tricks. The braking system is also regenerative, charging the battery a bit with every stop. If you do drain the battery and don't want to wait two hours to recharge, the board will still work like a regular skateboard, offering just a touch more resistance.

It appears as if the small company has a lot of support. It's partnered with longboard skateboard maker Loaded Boards and is consulting with a former director of engineering at electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors; Dastoor says he hopes the consultant will help the company avoid some of the common mistakes that young hardware companies make when they bring a product to market.

Nevertheless, Dastoor says that making a product like an electric longboard skateboard is extremely expensive, which is why the company has asked for pledges via online pledging system Kickstarter. So far, the company has raised more than $180,000, with 80 people (and counting) pledging the $1,199 required to receive a board by next June."

Los Angeles Tries To End Skating Fast, The Further Pussification Of America

My mind has just been fucking blown with another pussification of America law that is on the books. Los Angeles city council, how in the hell do you find putting a proposal into law about going too fast on a skateboard, good for the safety of all your citizens? What is next, bicycles have speed limits too? Hell, why you are it maybe arrest the moms who run too fast with their kids in strollers, as those babies aren't wearing seat belts.

Just because two individuals were killed for their own reckless enjoyment, don't create laws around trying to protect other skaters. Oh yeah, also get your facts straight, this isn't a new trend, its always been a part of skating. Bravo Los Angeles, way to go, hopefully your citizens feel safer now. Give yourselves a trophy for doing a good job at work, everybody is now a winner.

Link to this pussification of America article on Good Morning America

"Los Angeles skateboarders can still go on high-risk "bombing" sessions, but they will have to abide by new safety regulations because of a city ordinance passed Tuesday.

The City Council voted to institute several regulations and penalties on unsafe skateboarding practices. Riders will now have to ride standing straight up instead of crouching, maintain speeds that will not cause harm to themselves or others, refrain from hitching onto moving cars and obey all traffic signs and signals.

Skateboard or longboard "bombing" runs take place on hills, parking structures and winding roads, or basically anywhere a boarder can build up momentum very quickly. The riders, who usually bend to make their bodies parallel with the road and put their hands behind their backs, can reach speeds upward of 40-50 mph.

Los Angeles Councilman Joe Buscaino proposed the ordinance to stop "bombing" in his district, where he said two young skateboarders had died in the past year.

"Our objective today was to prohibit reckless skateboarding," said Buscaino. "We are sending a message that skateboarding is still allowed in the city of Los Angeles, but they have to do it in safe way and obey the rules of the road."

Before the ordinance was passed, Los Angeles did not recognize skateboarding as an official form of transportation, so there was very little that city police could do to stop unsafe skating practices. But now, the Los Angeles Police Department has the power to ticket "bombing" violators and confiscate skateboards at its own discretion.

Although "bombing" has garnered a reputation for being dangerous, many view downhill boarding as a growing sport that deserves recognition from policy makers.

Kyle Chin, an avid and experienced longboarder, is frustrated by the term "bombing," because he believes it shines a negative light on a sport he believes is legitimate and safe.

"It is a legitimate sport with an accompanying industry," said Chin. "This isn't just some fad, the sport is growing and the community is growing. There really isn't a legal place to do it, so it comes down to personal responsibility."

Chin, who has starred in a few downhill boarding videos on YouTube, realizes that his sport is viewed as dangerous by many, but he hopes that laws and regulations will help his sport gain some recognition and further legitimize its future.

"You need to look for closed roads or roads that are seldom driven on," said Chin. "We do need to be sensitive to traffic, and I think that some of the laws that are being passed are on the right track but aren't quite there yet."

Reno Divorce Featured on ESPN Skateboarding With Converse Shoes

Huge things are coming up for Reno Divorce with their new album, Lovers Leap. If you are a die hard skater and into watching some great footage check out the link below, as there is no embed link to add the video directly into this post.

Watch the video

Link to all things Reno Divorce

Reno Divorce has a featured song in the Converse Coastal Carnage Contest video

More footage from Coastal Carnage 2011

Rusty Knuckles And ESPN Officially Team Up

Couldn't be more proud to be able to get the bands we work with music into videos produced by ESPN. Check out this clip of Bucky Lasek talking on the XGames and skating. Background music is by the party crew from Rhode Island in She Rides.



"Bucky Lasek is a skateboarder first and foremost! While cars and racing also have been in his blood for years, it's no surprise that Lasek will be the first skateboarder to compete in RallyCross in the 2012 X Games in Los Angeles. Bucky will get his chance to race alongside Ken Block, Dave Mirra, Travis Pastrana and the rest of the field to prove that skaters can do nearly anything. ESPN.com got a chance to sit down with Bucky and pick his brain about skating, rally car racing and the X Games -- enjoy."

Link to original post on ESPN.com

The music of She Rides is now featured on ESPN.com with interview of Skate Pro Bucky Lasek

Free Riding in Rio - Red Bull Trial X Sessions

As of late we have been officially hooked on watching free riding videos while eating lunch. Yep, its just one of those things that mixes a skateboarding, bmx and motorcross mindset into a visual amalgamation of action sports porn. The way the free riders tackle any object and make it their own is just too damn cool. Add in a beastly little motor and all of a sudden a concrete bank is approachable from all sorts of new angles.

Vans Syndicate Photography Show April 14th to 19th

Vans Syndicate presents

 

"TWENTY"

Photographs by Gabe Morford, Dave Swift, Bryce Kanights, Jai Tanju, Mike O'Meally, Lance Dawes, Rhino, Luke Ogden, Anthony Acosta, Ben Colen and Atiba Jefferson.

April 14 to 19, 2012

Opening Reception Saturday, April 14, 2012 from 6 PM to 9 PM

New Image Art

7920 Santa Monica Boulevard

Los Angeles, California

(323) 654-2192

newimageartgallery.com

Curated by Lance Dawes, the iconic images of "TWENTY" showcase the ever-changing face of skateboarding over the course of two decades as quietly witnessed by one persistent and enduring time traveler. Vans Syndicate celebrates twenty years of the Half Cab shoe with a selection of photographs of some of the world's greatest skateboarders wearing the world's greatest skateboard shoe as captured over the years by some of the world's greatest skateboard photographers.

Photo: Ray Barbee, Hollywood Hills, California, 2009 by Atiba Jefferson

VANSSYNDICATE.COM

Vans Syndicate Presents "Twenty" Photography Exhibit

 

Flat Tires - 2 of 3 Things - Bike Runs and Motorcycle Mayhem

We will be shooting a lot more footage at shows now as we have solid editing software, so we are going to be uppin' the ante for all of our bands and producing quite a few new videos, mini movies, etc. Here is a video compilation of footage from theViva Las Vegas, Big Mountain Run and Run What Ya Brung Motorcycle runs in 2011, with music and live show by the Flat Tires. All footage by Rusty Knuckles, motorcycle mayhem by Rusty Knuckles and Sal Pepe.

So Ya Wanna Be A Roadie - Part 6 by Vice.com

Check it, once again Boots Electric waxes poetic on the greatness, that they call home in the Yucca Valley of California. After watching this, do yourself a favor and dig into the Desert Sessions recordings. This can help to immerse that cerebral cotrext of yours into the soundscape of the desert heat and cool nights that envelop some of the music coming from this oasis.

Link to Original Episode on Vice.com

"It’s Episode 6 of Marshall Headphones: On The Road, and the next stop is Rancho de la Luna, the spiritual home of the desert rock scene. Rancho is a recording studio where the likes of Arctic Monkeys, UNKLE and PJ Harvey have come to try to recreate the spirit of the original desert bands. After a jam session with his fellow Eagles of Death Metal man, Dave Catchings, and his girlfriend, acclaimed adult film star Tuesday Cross, Jesse persuades them to play a live show at a party in the desert."

While thinking on another desert oasis, I remembered of a spot always dreamed of skating but never got the chance to and now its gone for good. Oh Nude Bowl, always wanted to ride your smooth walls in the desert night with Kyuss jammin' in the background...

Slappy's Skate Shop - Ramona, CA

Good pals to the Rusty Knuckles camp, Jake Doomey and Jason Carney opened up a killer skate shop just outside of San Diego in the small but happenin' town of Ramona, CA. Guess what else has happened in that area, yep, the Rumble in Ramona for the last three years which was actually in Jake's backyard at his hot rod shop. For all you mofo's rollin' into that area on September 10th for the fourth annual Rumble in Barona (it is moving 6 miles over to Barona to be held at the Barona Dragway) stop into Slappy's and say hello. Not only is there a plethora of skate products to choose from, but we are betting that there will be a nice selection of music in there soon as well.

Link to a write up on Slappy's Skate Shop over on the SkateboardMag.com

Owners Jason Carney and Jake Doomey

Check out Carney rippin' it...

Rumble Fest Coming To San Diego And Raleigh

Later this week we will be announcing one of our major headliners for the Rumble Fest. These new events are growing out of the Rumble in Ramona due to the demand of the fans asking for it to be open to the public. Rusty Knuckles Music will be crucial in establishing the musical elements to the showcases and once the headliners are announced we know its going to be a game changer. All ticketing will go on sale through etix.com around mid May.

We will keep the updates coming via this blog and rumblefest.blogspot.com The photo below should be a solid clue as to what we have cookin'.