This is Your Life

Drawn and Quartered

I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to zines. Always liked collecting them, reading them, storing them and then reading them again years later. Arty zines, hardcore zines, one-sheets, newsprint, photocopied, whatever was around was good for me. Nobody did it better than Frank Foe. I can't say I was a regular reader in '84, but FOE was still going strong in the mid-90s and I didn't miss an issue. While I feel like FOE was the gold standard, the quality never matter much to me: I've been responsible for some lame zines in the past (Young & the Useless) and read some pretty lousy attempts, but lately, I scooped up some really good zines that are really well crafted.

The first is from Easton's Giancarlo DeMarchi. He's responsible for some of my favorite show flyers, prints, t-shirts and artwork for hardcore bands over the years. Analog Dreams is a pretty sick collection of some different prints that he has done. I have always dug his style of drawing and really like the color scheme of the whole book. Not sure if it was intentional, but the size is similar to a 7 inch record and comes in a similar sized protective sleeve.

The second pair come from the Drug Money Art collective, run by Tin Ojeda. A little on the pricey side, DMA book 1 and book 2 (Everything You Know is Wrong) are a collection of photographs that are screened (yup screened) over newsprint to make a killer collection of random images that are a mix of the east coast longboard and art scene. Each one is handmade and there is some overlap in images in both books, but there is something really unique about the pages being fully screened as opposed to printed. I would imagine the overall aesthetic would be frowned upon by the usual weekend joe-longboarder , but it's good to see an effort to document the culture outside of the bigger magazines. Surfing needs more zines.
An interior shot of Everything You Know is Wrong. The dimensions are 14x11 or something really cool like that.
Last up is Through These Eyes by Robby Redcheeks. Again, a screened cover, with the inside being newsprint. The cover should be your first indication that it is not just another hardcore fanzine. What makes this zine unique is that along with some pretty incredible live shots (and set lists), the writing comes off as a manual for how to do it yourself, whether it be booking shows or creating zines. It's not only a great read, but a pretty good push for the reader to get going and get get creative with whatever he or she is in to.
I don't think I did any of the books any justice with this write-up. I'm not a zine reviewer, just a couple that I was stoked on over the past couple months. It's zines like this that help me get through a long winter. Happy first day of spring.

Savory

Point Concept Surfboards': Third Stage from Ryan Lovelace on Vimeo.

I really want a Vampire hull, but I'm not sure it's cut out for Jersey beach break. Love the way they cruise on longer points. The music in this is kinda eh, so here's my recommendation after you mute it:

Cut Throat Tactics

This came in the mail for me the other day. I was really excited. The End.

Nice Try

Been working on cutting and shaping my paulownia wood into a fishy-handplane type deal. I'm not a very good shaper, but I feel like I have the outline where I want it, and the rails are getting close to being turned up and down in the right places. Even got a little flip in the nose. Trying to get some concave in the tail and get the two sections of the cut-out to be symmetrical, but overall, it's coming along and the flaws are becoming less noticeable to my eye. Should be ready once the water has warmed up.

Dressing Cold

Color Removal

It's funny that this work space looks like it belongs to a six year old.

Amphiladelphian Dream

Give (Full Set) from hate5six on Vimeo.

Support this band. They deserve it.

Tough Love

Commitment

Caffine Blues

The only blues I get is when this stuff is gone. Wondering if there will be some sort of variation for the Spring and Summer?

No One Rules

Drove around searching for a rideable wave this afternoon before sundown. Came upon this spot only to discover, the steps were gone. Still managed to make my way up and made it out to surf some one foot slop. What is wrong with me?