ANTiSEEN In Brooklyn at Hanks Saloon

Some really raw footage of ANTiSEEN at Hanks Saloon in Brooklyn and killer photos, have a look...

Muddy Roots Festival This Weekend

The Muddy Roots Fest is coming up in a few weeks and we are damn stoked to get out and meet a lot of new folks while also supporting Ronnie Hymes and Hellbound Glory. Be sure to come by our booth as you won't be able to miss us. Barbecue, endless amounts of beer and good times are going to be had along with a few other surprises.

Below post is from Triggerman over at SavingCountryMusic.com

"The Muddy Roots Festival being held in Cookeville, TN this September 3rd & 4th is about a month away now, and Saving Country Music is proud to present to you the complete festival schedule. Please note times, stages, and performers are subject to change.

Also, Muddy Roots is looking for workers, volunteers, people willing to lend music gear, transport vehicles, stages, hay bales, etc., so if you have something to contribute, please help do your part to make the festival a success."

Saturday September 3rd

STAGE 1

• 11 am – Cashman
• 12 pm – Mark Porkchop Holder
• 1 pm – Jayke Orvis and the Broken Band
• 2 pm – Derek Hoke
• 3 pm – Don Maddox
• 4 pm – JB Beverly and the Wayward Drifters
• 5 pm – The Dirt Scab Band
• 6 pm – Spinderellas
• 7 pm – Ronnie Hymes
• 8 pm – O’ Death
• 9 pm – Soda
• 10 pm – Wayne Hancock
• 12 am – Hellbillies

STAGE 2

• 11 am – Porter Hall Tennessee
• 12 pm – Ten Foot Polecats
• 1 pm – Reverend Deadeye
• 2 pm – Calamity Cubes
• 3 pm – Cletus Got Shot
• 4 pm – Peculiar Pretzelmen
• 5 pm – Slim Chance and the Can’t Hardly Playboys
• 6 pm – Lucky Tubb
• 7 pm – Possessed By Paul James
• 8 pm – Bob Wayne
• 9 pm – Hellfire Revival
• 10 pm -
• 11 pm – Burlesque Le Moustache
• 12 am – Black Jake and the Carnies
• 1 am  – Viva Le Vox
• 2 am – Owen Mays

STAGE 3 – Films

• 3 pm – Burly Q movie
• 5 pm – Folk Singer
• 6 pm – Mink Cousins
• 8 pm – Folk Singer

Sunday September 4th

STAGE 1

• 10 am – Liquorbox
• 11 am – The Cheatin Hearts
• 12 pm – Davie Jay Sparrows
• 1 pm – Sean Wheeler y Zander Schloss
• 2 pm – Pinup Pageant Intro and Talent
• 3 pm – Pinup Pageant Housewife Dress and 3:30 will be awards
• 4 pm – Joshua Black Wilkins
• 5 pm – Art Adams Band
• 6 pm – Hillbilly Casino
• 7 pm – Legendary Shack Shakers
• 8 pm – Sound Check and set up
• 9 pm – Wanda Jackson

STAGE 2

• 10 am – Sunday Services
• 11 am – Hogslop String Band
• 12 pm – Thomas Maupin & Daniel Rothwell
• 1 pm – Cutthroat Shamrock
• 2 pm – Left Lane Cruiser
• 3 pm – The Dirt Daubers
• 4 pm – The Krank Daddies
• 5 pm – Hans Condor
• 6 pm – Hellbound Glory
• 7 pm – Harmed Brothers
• 8 pm – Scott McDougal
• 9 pm -
• 10 pm – Whiskey Folk Ramblers
• 11 pm – Rachel Brooke
• 12 am – Goddamn Gallows

STAGE 3

• 12 pm – Scissormen
• 1 pm – The Perezze Farm
• 2 pm – Last False Hope
• 3 pm – Smokestack and the Foothill Fury
• 4 pm – The Dirty Dougs
• 5 pm – James Hunnicutt
• 6 pm – Graham Lindsey
• 7 pm – Highlonesome

Idiots At The Workplace

We have all worked with idiots and see them daily. As soon as I see morons playing their chosen roles I feel as if Steve Irwin is speaking out to me and sayin' "crikey, look its one of the morons in his natural habitat, let's get a closer look." So of course I have to see it through and watch stupidity that only reality can present best. Have a look at some of these morons on the job site that we found over on buzzfeed. Please, anyone would dig seeing our beloved state road crews doing dumb shit, got a photo of 15 guys staring at one pothole and all with shovels, yet doing nothing?

Self Inflating Bicycle Tires

Science breaks new ground and engineering steps in to build the infrastructure. Noticing the genius of the self inflating tire could be a completely game changing product and one that ultimately advances future products. Don't just listen to us ramble on, peep the video and then go over to kickstarter.com to help fund a product that might eventually make its way over to the motorcycle realm.

Link to kickstarter project for Self Inflating Tires

About this project

Imagine taking your bicycle out of the garage and never having to fill up the tires or even check the pressure. Or imagine yourself being able to change your tire pressure on-the-fly with a simple adjustment from the handlebars. Our project is to bring two self-inflating bicycle tires to market, the City Cruiser and City Pro. Both tires are intended for the urban cyclists and both tires incorporate the patented PumpTire technology.

With your help we can bring this patented technology to cyclists everywhere!

Why Bicycle Tires Lose Pressure

Bicycle tires lose pressure due to air molecules diffusing through the rubber sidewalls. This requires cyclists to fill their tires on a fairly regular basis due to the high operating pressures (up to 120 psi) and thin sidewalls of most bicycle tires. PumpTire solves this problem by incorporating a pumping mechanism directly into the tire. And this means ... fewer pinch flats, no more pumping, hands stay clean, less time getting ready and more time on the saddle.

Overview of the PumpTire System

Each PumpTire set consists of 3 components – a tire, a detachable valve and an inner tube. Unlike traditional tires, the PumpTire inner tube clips into the tire to enable air to pass from the tire to the tube. When the pump is working, air moves from the atmosphere, through the valve and into the lumen surrounding the outside of the tire. From there the air is pushed into the tube. Once the desired pressure is reached, the valve senses the increase in pressure and closes the air pathway so no more air is pumped into the tire. The system works on normal rims and does not require any special equipment or modifications.

The valve assembly works by simply screwing it into the valve stem on the inner tube. Although the valve stem looks similar to standard Presta/Schrader stems, it’s actually a custom design that allows air to enter the tire before being pushed into the tube. The valve is either a fixed pressure valve that shuts off once the desired pressure is reached or it’s a user adjustable valve as shown in this drawing. Turning the valve, adjusts the pressure higher or lower to reach the desired setting. The top of the valve has an air inlet and is compatible with Schrader or Presta fittings to use with a traditional pump if desired. A filter keeps dirt, water and other debris from entering the tire.

City Cruiser for Casual Riders (26" x 1.5" tire)

The City Cruiser is designed for the casual, urban cyclist. It’s a 26” x 1.5” tire with a set pressure valve. The pumping mechanism will pump from a flat up to 65psi. It has a moderate tread design and is intended mostly for pavement.

City Pro High Performance Tire (700c x 28mm)

The City Pro is a high performance tire with a 100 psi maximum pressure. It’s a 700c x 28mm tire. The tire works in conjunction with a high performance user-adjustable valve which allows the user to set the pressure from 65-95psi. This tire is designed for the avid cyclist who is constantly seeking better performance from themselves and their equipment.

Video Footage From Heavy Rebel 2011

Thanks to Jefe of the Road Devils for posting up the footage from this years Heavy Rebel in Winston-Salem, NC. Once again it was another great fest and lookin' forward to 2012 but rollin' up in our '51 Chevy Shop Truck.

Inventive Escape Tools Made By Prisoners

Imagine this, you just got nabbed for a crime you didn't commit and they lock ya up, akin to the West Memphis 3. What the hell do you do? Needless to say you learn to become quite resourceful and look at your situation in one of those come or hell or high water types of scenarios and devise a plan. The planning will take time but the payoff could be huge. Unfortunately Michael Westen or Jason Bourne are not here to help so get MacGyver on the case and dream about a roll of duct tape and a swiss army knife, or better yet get creative.

Have a look at some of these inventive escape tools created by a few German prisoners. With a lot of time on your hands, anything can be possible. Otherwise the only way to pass the day is figuring out who is going to shank you next or doing more pushups.

All of these images are found on the site of Marc Steinmetz

Mace - Instrument found in the metal workshop of "Santa Fu" prison in Hamburg, Germany, where an unknown inmate manufactured and hid it. It is either a weapon or attached to a pole, might have been designed to push away barbed.

Radio Receiver - Sometime in the seventies an  inmate of Ludwigsburg prison, Germany, built this radio on the sly and hid it inside an encyclopedia. It was probably commissioned by another inmate who had no electronic expertise himself.

 

SHOTGUN - made from iron bedposts; charge made of pieces of lead from curtain tape and match-heads, to be ignited by AA batteries and a broken light bulb. On May 21, 1984 two inmates of a prison in Celle, Germany, took a jailer as a hostage, showed off their fire power by letting go at a pane of bullet-proof glass, and escaped by car.

STOVE / GRILL / TOASTER - An inmate of Ludwigsburg prison, Germany, botched together this multi-purpose tool from wire, a broken heating rod and sometin foil. It was found in his cell and confiscated sometime in the mid-eighties.

 

GRAPPLING HOOK - with segmented extension rod (13 segments, overall length: 4.5 meters); rope made of leather and string. This cleverly conceived tool assisted two inmates in their escape from Ludwigsburg prison,Germany, on August 19, 1987. The attached rod enabled them to place and retrieve the hook and thus negotiate two prison walls in succession.

 

DOUBLE-BARRELED PISTOL - This gun was found along with other homemade firearms in the cell of two Celle prison inmates on November 15, 1984. The weapons had been made in

the prison’s metal workshop. They were loaded with pieces of steel and match-heads.

 

 

SHIV - disguised as a wooden crucifix; found in an inmate’s cell in Wolfenbüttel prison, Germany, sometime around 1994; intended for use in an escape or as a general weapon. At that time a lot of crucifixes were fashioned in prison woodshops until jailers finally figured out  their true purpose.

 

DUMMY PISTOL - from blackened cardboard; found on June 23, 1988, in an inmate’s cell in Stammheim prison, Germany, after a fellow prisoner tipped off the jailers. The dummy was hidden in an empty milk pack and was most probably intended to be used for taking hostages in an escape attempt.

 

DUMMY SUBMACHINE GUN - made from a grease injector, wood, a rubber sleeve, and tape. The mock weapon was found in 1994 in a prison workshop in Wolfenbüttel prison, Germany, after jailers were tipped off that an escape attempt was being planned.

WHIP - with razor blades. The grisly weapon was found around 1996 in ‘Santa Fu’ jail in Hamburg, Germany, in the cell of a drug addicted inmate after his failed attempt to extort a higher Methadone ration by threatening a female prison officer with a knife.

 

HASH PIPE - fashioned from an empty horseradish tube; confiscated in ‘Santa Fu’ prison in Hamburg, Germany. Smoking implements are the most common illicit items in prisons. The range of materials they are made of mirrors the inmates’ great imagination.

 

SAW - An inmate of ‘Santa Fu’ prisonin Hamburg, Germany, fitted a wooden handle to a piece of saw blade for better handling. The tool was found in his cell and confiscated

IMMERSION HEATER - made from razor blades; found in a cell in ‘Santa Fu’ jail in Hamburg, Germany. Jailbirds use these tools to distil alcoholic beverages forbidden in prisons. Your typical inmate’s moonshine still includes a plastic can containing fermented fruit mash or juice, an immersion coil of some sort, a rubber hose, and a plastic receptacle for the booze.

TATTOOING NEEDLE - made from a toothbrush handle, a ball pen and an electric motor;  confiscated in ‘Santa Fu’ prison in Hamburg, Germany. Tattooing instruments are a popular and common source of income among inmates but are banned as ‘illegal objects’ due to the danger of infection (Aids, Hepatitis, etc.)

Smart Crackheads Love Motorcycle Spark Plugs

A friend of mine once laughed when I had said that I had met quite a few "smart" crackheads. Case in point, if you rode a motorcycle in San Francisco, you never knew if coming back to your bike, the spark plugs might go missing. Odd theft for sure, but "smart" crackheads devised a way to turn them into a crack pipe, no joke. What the crafty good fer nuthin' idiots do, is saw or break off the porcelain bottom, to smoke their backyard chemistry batch of chemicals into oblivion. It got to be a problem in several cities so read more from this Craigslist post a few years back:

"Yes, you. You sick fucker. On Wednesday morning I emerged from my girlfriend's building by U.N. Plaza to find that you had sawed the tops off both the sparkplugs on my motorcycle. At the time, I had no idea why anyone would do that. Other than the sparkplugs, the bike was untouched. Some kind of bizarre vandalism? A fraternity prank gone awry? I had no idea. All I knew is that I looked like a huge douchebag riding the Muni to work in a padded motorcycle jacket and helmet.

Because the bike was immobilized I got a $35 street sweeping ticket that night. Thursday I had it towed to the shop ($45) where they replaced the sparkplugs and the boots ($50 including labor). They explained to me that "people" - I use the term loosely here - like you break off the tops of spark plugs and use the porcelain tubes to smoke crack. As an engineer and former MacGyver fan, in a way I think this is kind of cool. But then I remember that I just paid $100 for YOUR crackpipes, and I get angry again.

Crackhead, it was really good to have my bike back though. I rode home from the shop with a couple of spare sparkplugs and a smile on my face. I figured the next time I parked at my girlfriend's place overnight I would have to buy some crackpipes and tape them to my bike as a peace offering. Overall, I wasn't that upset. Despite having to ride the bus for three days and dropping a hundred bones at the shop, I had gained some fascinating knowledge, a new set of sparkplugs, and a pretty funny anecdote about how fucked up you are, and how our paths once crossed briefly in the night.

But you couldn't just let sleeping dogs lie, could you Crackhead. You couldn't just stay in on Friday, watch Letterman through the window of a home electronics store and then call it a night. You couldn't rest on your laurels. Two porcelain sparkplug crackpipes just wasn't enough for you, was it Crackhead? You just had to come back for more.

This morning, a scant fifteen hours after I rode it out of the shop, I found my motorcycle violated once again. This time you only took the right one - maybe you were having an off night. At least this time I had a spare sparkplug and the tools to fix it - or so I thought - having ordered a 73-piece toolset from SEARS.com last week. But no, the sparkplug socket in my new toolset was for American sparkplugs. So I had to go down to the neighborhood Ace hardware. They had an 18mm socket that would fit over my sparkplug, but it was for a 1/2" drive ratchet. My toolkit only has 1/4" and 3/8" ratchets. So I had to buy a 1/2" ratchet along with the socket. Even though the clerk took pity on me and gave me the senior citizen discount (I'm 25) it still cost me $22 all told. Now, you might say that I should have just gotten a 3/8"-to-1/2" drive adaptor instead of springing for the whole ratchet. And to that I say "Shut the hell up, Crackhead, I'm not finished. And besides, I was eventually going to buy a 1/2" ratchet anyway so it's probably not worth it to take it back now."

OK, now I'm rambling. But the point is, Crackhead, that you have done me wrong. Now, I get that you love crack. That is totally understandable. I've heard it is really fun, at first, and quite addictive. What I don't understand is,

YOU ARE A CRACKHEAD. WHY DON'T YOU OWN A CRACKPIPE?

I am an engineer. Do you ever see me shaking down bums in the Loin for a calculator and sliderule? No, you don't. Because engineering is the main thing I do, I went and bought myself a calculator. The main thing you do is crack. How do you get by without a crackpipe? The other crackheads must clown on you non-stop. I mean, the fucking saw you used to saw off my sparkplugs is probably worth five or ten bucks. Why not sell or trade it for a crackpipe? You really haven't put much thought into this, have you?

Please, Crackhead, please don't tell me you sold your crackpipe to buy crack. Even a stupid crackhead such as yourself couldn't possibly be that stupid.

I've decided that taping crackpipes to my motorcycle would be tantamount to appeasement. You have crossed a line, Crackhead - specifically California Street. You have come onto my own street and you have desecrated that which I hold dear. You have stolen from me, and you have caused me to spend the last half hour writing this post instead of engineering shit, and it is concievable, if not likely, that my boss could find out about this and fire me. I am hella pissed at you dude.

Here are my options as I see them:

1. Write a note saying that I have coated both of my sparkplugs in rat poison and tape it to my bike at night. You can thank Tim for that one, it was his idea.

2. Don't write a note, but just coat both sparkplugs in rat poison. This is probably closer to a punishment that would fit your despicable crime. I'm sure this is super illegal and shit, but it's not like anyone is going to miss you, Crackhead. Don't fool yourself.

3. Wait in an alley near my bike armed with my new stainless steel mirror-finish Ace Professional brand 1/2" drive socket wrench, my 18mm sparkplug socket, and my searing rage. It's pretty heavy and well balanced. I am not a large man, but I am angry.

In conclusion, Crackhead, why don't you just do both of us a favor and buy yourself a crackpipe? It will both enhance your crack smoking experience and save me a lot of time and felony assault charges. Think about it.

Sincerely,

Matt

San Francisco Wooden Ladders

Random question, which would you choose as a ladder of choice, wooden or aluminum? Given the special circumstances involved in the geography of San Francisco and power line issues, the fire department has been constructing wooden ladders since 1917. These ladders are quite cool and knowing the history of their log book on every single ladder ever created using aged Douglas Fur makes them even cooler.

San Francisco Fire Department Custom Wooden Ladders

Inside the Ladder Shop at the San Francisco Fire Department from AdamKaplan on Vimeo.

Green Lady Killers Live At Cretins Motorcycle Club

Left coasters, do yourself a favor and get out to see those femme fatales in the Green Lady Killers. They will be melting faces this saturday at the Cretin's Motorcycle Clubhouse in beautiful downtown Los Angeles. Doors open around 8pm this saturday and the ladies will be coming on sometime afterwards. If you haven't heard about the Cretins read on...

Link to the Cretins Motorcycle Club

"Cretinism, deficiency disease caused by congenital absence of thyroxine, a hormone secreted by the thyroid gland, and characterized by defective mental and physical development . Their limbs are distorted, their features are coarse, and their hair is harsh and scanty. Mental development is retarded throughout life. An adult cretin may reach the intelligence of only a four-year-old child. The Cretins MC (est. 1992) formed simultaneously in Seattle and San Francisco by six friends. While a pox of bike towings, accidents and high rent folded the Frisco chapter, the Seattle chapter flourished under the guidance of Cretin #1, Todd “T-Bird” Werny. Today there are over two dozen riders, a chapter in LA, and solo members in NYC, and Maui.

Cretin Philosophy

We strive to interact with motorcyclists who focus on vintage, cafe, and “streetfighter” bikes. A club of misfits of the motorcycle world, the Cretins MC brings these elements together providing a unified entity for this overlooked/underappreciated segment of motorcycling. The Cretin aesthetic loosely resembles the bygone days of the British Rocker clubs. We are by no means an “Outlaw Club”…just a fun lovin’ bunch with a pint of Rainier, a game of pinball, and a 10mm wrench if you need it.

The lineup of Cretin bikes is quite diverse. Currently, we have a couple old Triumphs, an old Guzzi police special, various ’60’s & 70’s Honda Twins & Fours, BMW /5’s, a tricked out Yamaha RD350, and a few newer bikes (Ducatis, Buells, Speed Triples), and even one Harley Sportster, to round out the herd. The Cretins are dedicated to keeping old bikes on the road and helping others do the same! We meet every Thursday to have pint or two, swap parts, plan rides, BBQ’s and such. Not surprisingly, many of the members are also active in the local music scene.

If you are interested in riding vintage bikes, drinking beer with buds and possibly joining the CRETINS, please e-mail the club president nearest you. Plus if you are in a club that would like to hook up with ours for ride, campouts, racing, drinking, please contact us."

Reno Divorce & Stiff Little Fingers - Denver, CO

For those of you lucky enough to have been at the Denver show for Stiff Little Fingers and Reno Divorce, we know that it was one to be remembered. Stiff Little Fingers left their imprint on the emerging punk scene of the late seventies and early eighties with numerous classic songs and damn if they still don't resonate today.

Link to the photo set by Michael J. Fajardo on flickr