STEEZ MAGAZINE® – Snow, Skate, Culture

Wednesday night was the Champlain College video premiere of Never Summer’s “Shred Em All” and Ian Post’s “Stitched Up Clipped Up”. The videos were awesome and and thanks to all our sponsors, nobody left empty-handed! One lucky misses even won herself a brand new snowboard of her choice, courtesy of Never Summer. Everyone was pumped for the snow to start flying again and best of all, the whole thing was free to attend. Not a bad Wednesday night. Look for the same video combo to premiere Friday night October 14th, at The Greatest bar in Boston. Gonna be another banger! Thanks to everyone who came out.

Baselayer/performance bandanna maker NXTZ dropped their new site today and it’s lookin sharp. All the hot threads for fall and winter 11-12 are up for browsing. Check out the Sound System section too for some extra goodies.

Blacklight Ruckus harmonizes dance, funk, and psychedelic rock until your face melts. A young band out of the New Hampshire seacoast, the three members, Thomas Forbes, Garrett Cypher and Steve Kysor started in the Fall of 2009 and have been tearing up fests and holding down the New Hampshire music scene ever since. With an album released this summer and a new one in the making, Blacklight Ruckus is coming in hot to the New England underground music scene. Steez met up with the guys to find out what’s good with upcoming festivals, a new album, and hot beats for the 2011-2012 winter season.

What’s the story behind the music; how did you start?
Well, Petah. Pete Prudhomme is the one that set us up. He put us on a match making thing. Actually, Garrett and Steve were playing in a band together called Something Wicked; we had a residency at Ballard’s in Durham, that’s how we got to meet Pete, and were playing there every week, but our bassist at the time was leaving ‘cause he got a real job. He became a scientist actually, credible. At that point, Pete was like, “Oh, I know this kid, he’s sick; I can introduce you to him.” Which is how we met Thomas, it was love at first sight. He called us up and got together and jammed. We scouted him out; it was like “No, you’re coming here because you’re going to start a band.” It was the pretense for the whole thing. We don’t fuck around!

You definitely don’t. The three of you swap instruments across tracks creating a sound totally unique to Blacklight Ruckus. How did that develop?
We like to change instruments, switch it up, and keep it interesting. It was definitely the dynamic that was the biggest shift when we switched to this band, for sure. Thomas is like the every man, he’ll fill in wherever we need him on anything, wherever he wants to sit, and we have three different seats so that allows us to move around, and that’s definitely part of the fun in it. It’s basically what got Steve into keyboard, being able to have Thomas play drums and allowed him to try something new and have a whole new dynamic to the band that he never could before. It was a fucking blessing, so thank you, it’s a sweet melody. It’s helped [Steve] progress in his music, and we all like it. We all have different styles that work together somehow. It took a while, but now it’s pretty solid, something that we all feel and can jam to.

The self-titled Blacklight Ruckus album came out this past summer. It’s your second album; tell us about producing this album together as a band.
Some of it’s a little bit older, stuff that had been kicking around from earlier. A lot of that actually is older material now, like Thomas had Lovely Vibes and we’d been playing Hey You for a while, then we started with the newer stuff like Down and Out and Sexy MF. It’s bits and pieces that we’d all come up with prior to having this band, and we just shared them with each other, learned them, it was all good stuff so, this one was a compilation of everybody’s projects put together with some stuff that we all wrote together as a band. Joe Got Boots was the first one that we wrote together as a band, which was interesting. We were all singing, just writing the words down as we went, it took a while. It was different, singing was something that I had to definitely learn, you know. We never plan on singing. We’ve always hoped on having a vocalist but it never happened so we just have to fill in, sing, and play your instrument at the same time. It’s a trip sometimes, man, it’s a trip. You can’t ever think about it, that’s the curse. As soon as you realize that you’re singing and playing guitar at the same time, you’re fucked. You may think right then like, oh my god I’m not gonna fuck up, I’m gonna be fine, but you thought it, you thought the bad thought. And then you mess up, swear to god, every time.

The CD release party that you had at RedHook was a huge event you guys put together for yourselves. Do you feel like the fan base is starting to grow as a result of the events, the shows, and the new album?
Yeah, that was our first event that we put on, organized, got everyone there, it was awesome. Only broke a few things, the crowd was great, we had fun. We joke that we’re the best opening band ever. We get there, we get people in and pumped up and then we have to stop because the next band is up. But, since the CD came out and the party we’ve definitely seen some newer publicity, the fan base is growing, and we’re actually going into the studio tomorrow to start recording the next album.

When can we expect that to be out?
We would hope by no later that the spring, but I’d like for it to be sooner, it’ll happen pretty quick.

Are you writing all new music for this next album?
It’s gonna be some stuff we’ve had kickin’ around, some of it we played at the last release party, some of it we haven’t played out. It’ll be all previously unreleased music, a shorter disc definitely, but we’ll be recording it in a professional studio environment. The last CD we recorded in here, so, yeah, that was a trip. In case you were wondering why the walls are covered in mover’s blankets and foam hanging from the ceiling, that’s why; we would just divide the room up, get all the mics out, it was a trip. We did alright, but it took long enough, that’s for sure. A few of the songs were done in the studio, but most of it was done in here. We’re excited to have the whole album be produced in the studio.

You guys have done several festivals in the past, I know you killed it pretty recently at The Big Up, melted some faces. What’s up with the festival scene for you guys?
The Big Up was sweet we got to play on a crazy, amazing stage, the lighting was great, the sound guy was great. It’s always so key to have it sound good coming back at you, biggest crowd we’ve ever played for. A lot of people in the New York area hit us up after that show; we definitely grew as a band after that. It was nice; it’s a whole new area for us. Plus, we got to throw tons of shit at people. We had like 600 glow sticks, eight or nine giant beach balls, a whole bunch of stuff. It was all gone at the end. People carrying them away tripping balls, it was great. Then there was the secret package. So, we’re out there with a mega phone and the mystery box looking for the guy under the most influence in the crowd, totally dazed, wicked confused, and Garrett walks up to him and gives him this box that says Open me with a huge question mark on it and this kid is trippin’ out and I passed it to him and he opens it up and it’s a Sega Genesis with all the wires and cables. A special present for that guy, a reward for his trip. I think we gave him Lion King and NHL 99. Congratulations, you enjoyed this night way more than everyone else [laughter].

What’s next for Blacklight Ruckus?
We’ve got this new album; we’re shooting for at least five tracks. We want to start playing more in Portland and Boston, maybe on a mountain top somewhere. We want to hook up with a label at some point, get a van, and do some traveling. We’re always growing, we got ourselves a new PA with the money we made, an upgrade from a PA we had since high school. We want to host a Susan G. Komen event next summer, just some of the things that we do. Follows us on Facebook, we’re on Reverbnation. Also, getting on the Portsmouth radio, we’ve been played on WUNH for a while now and we’re hoping that the Portsmouth radio stations are going to pick us up and play us for the local public. We’re playing Harvest Fest and Magnetic Gathering pretty soon. Then some Concord shows at True Brew, Penuche, and Green Martini. We’re doing a Halloween Show at Ballard’s in Durham. That will be our fiesta for the fall, pumped to get in there, it was the place we played our first show so we gotta take it back to the roots. Up and up and up.

Interviewed By: Cat Reagan

Jake Donnelly & Dan Plunkett Sunday from dlxsf on Vimeo.

Next Wednesday the 28th at 9pm get to Burlington, VT. Steez Magazine presents Never Summer’s “Shred Em All” and Ian Post’s “Stitched Up Clipped Up” at Champlain College. We’ve got tons of giveaways, raffles and an afterparty TBD, best of all it;s completely FREE! Click through for the Fbook event page. See you in the B.

How did The Collective Clothing Co. come about? What year did it start and how long was it an idea before it was turned into reality?
I started The Collective at Northeastern University in 2008 as a way to work for myself through the co-op program they had there. My previous co-op I had worked at was an e-commerce firm in the city. I really didn’t want to be in an office all day again just sitting around not being challenged, not being creative, and doing work I was uninterested in. So since I was in the entrepreneurial program at NU I put together a plan to work for myself for co-op and it somehow got approved by the school. I have always been involved with snowboarding, skating, fashion and music and I wanted to incorporate that into my business, and that’s when I began to create the basis for the brand.

The Collective feels kind of like an attitude, a way to guide your actions and emotions, as well as a “group” concept. If you don’t mind indulging, what inspired the name “The Collective”, where did the idea come from, what IS it if there is an It?
The brand definitely has an attitude embedded in it. I think most snowboarders, skaters, musicians, etc. have similar thought processes, attitudes and ideals which influence most other aspects of their life. This holds true for me and that naturally presents itself in my designs and the brand in general. As far as the name, it was inspired by that “individuals creating a group” aspect of the lifestyles I grew up around. Meaning, you can snowboard completely solo but it’s way more fun to go out with your friends in a group and shred around. So The Collective is based around individuals coming/working together to make something better, whether that be a shred session or a business.

The beginning collection has a sports theme, team attitude and successful execution leading to victory, glory. From playmakers to winners, were there specific sports you were into initially that progressed to the snow/skate focus you have now?
I’ve always been only connected with snowboarding and skateboarding. I didn’t play any team sports in high school or college but I’ve always been inspired by classic sport motifs and color ways, etc. so I wanted to present that in a line but direct it towards our demographic. On top of that I definitely admire the team aspect of sports like football, baseball, and basketball and I wanted to bring a little bit of that into the solo-orientated lifestyles of snowboarding and skateboarding. On a side note I’m really liking the newer competitions like the TWS Team Shoot Out and the Loon Shop Challenge that are happening now and adding a little team element into the contest circuit, I think that’s sick!

How did you come to settle into the snow/skate scene? Is there a marketing tactic there? Were riders a part of creating the company, or did the scene have a natural attraction to the lifestyle you wanted to project?
Like I mentioned above I’ve been involved with these scenes my whole life so it was natural and not a marketing tactic, it’s basically all I know. Riders were definitely a big part of starting the company. I think they’re super important to the brand as well as the lifestyle and industry because they drive the trends, progression and personality of it all.

What’s the music scene you’re promoting all about? Where do the artists perform? Anything new to be looking for?
The musicians we promote/represent are all artists that I think are dope and fit the brand’s image. They don’t have to be any certain genre of music as long as their style/attitude fits the brand. I know Pause is currently working on a new project and has been doing shows here and there in the Boston area. I promote the music I make as well as “Lytes” (although I don’t like to cross promote too heavily, as the music and brand are separate things) and I’m currently finishing up my second mixtape which should drop soon.

Are the team Riders a part of the company on the business end at all? Regardless, there must be some sort of shared passion about the company, plenty of good stories I’m sure. Any events coming up for your team? Are you looking to add more riders to the roster?
The team riders aren’t specifically involved with the business end for the most part but their input and styles influence many of my decisions. There’s definitely a shared passion for the company because they know they are the faces of the brand and the better we do as company the better I can do for the riders. Also, most of the riders have been with us from the beginning so I think they have a sense of ownership in the brand, which is dope.

Where are you promoting and participating in snow/skate world now? Are you looking to expand anywhere specifically? Your recent collections have a worldwide attitude, but do you hold tribute to any specific locations/areas that you come from, or enjoy riding, living?
We’ve really focused on the East Coast scene in the years that we have been around since that’s where I grew up so I would say that’s our primary region. But this summer I was out at Mt. Hood with Bogart and Sammy doing some promotion out there and we’re definitely looking to expand along the West Coast as well as overseas/worldwide in the next couple years!

There’s a certain luxurious feel about your clothing designs, with some irony in the designs which are printed on your casual ‘everyday’ clothes like t-shirts and hoodies. Are the themes intended to project an enjoyment of self & co. no matter your ‘status’, like what you’re doing or where you’re at, or should there be an aspiration for the real luxuries?
I’m definitely inspired by the classic luxury brands so that is represented in the designs. However, most of our demographic is used to getting looked down upon for being grimy, sleeping 5 deep in hotel rooms, skating back alleys, growing up in lower income areas etc. so I try to incorporate that feeling within the luxury motifs. And like you mentioned the aspirational concept is prevalent in the brand and that mostly stems from my hip-hop/rap roots.

There aren’t many country clubs at mountains, but the group mentality and coming together and enjoying the landscape exists in both places. What inspired the Country Club theme, is it meant to be literal tribute to and enjoyment of country clubs, and/or a metaphor to the group concept? Should we also be actively enjoying the seasonal pleasures off the mountain and out of the skateparks?
The Country Club line was inspired by just using those concepts that are mostly foreign to our demographic; luxury, champagne, golfing at prestigious clubs, imported cigars, etc. and incorporating them into designs that fit our lifestyle/ideals. It also involved a little bit of tongue in cheek humor as skaters/snowboarders/rappers are generally disliked/frowned upon by your average country club patron. And as far as enjoying yourself off the mountain/skatepark I fully believe in doing whatever is fun for you and experiencing as much as you can. Whether that be at a country club or not it doesn’t matter!

Your most recent “Greeting’s From” collection says you’re going places. Is there a specific end point you are working towards in making a “brighter future” with TCCC, & fulfilling your goals?
The brighter future is just being able to provide myself, my employees, and the team riders the opportunity to be involved with and live off of the things they love. I want an environment run by people who are directly tied to the lifestyles and to have the resources to throw events, allow the riders to travel, create other brands, etc.

Would you like to see tennis courts & maybe 9 hole courses at mountains, more heated poolside lounging outside?
Haha definitely more heated poolside lounging so we get to see what surfers are so fortunate to see every time they come in from riding! Chicks in bikinis would be dope for sure!

Any insider scoops you wanna drop on upcoming clothing lines, possible designs you’d like reader input on?
The new Fall/Winter 2011 is coming out very soon and we’re dropping previews of it on our Facebook fan page, it’s looking really dope.

Any shout outs?
I just wanna say thank you to everyone who’s been supporting us, rocking the clothing, telling their homies, posting on Facebook, etc. Thank you! I also wanna thank the team for shredding and putting in work, my sister and parents for all their help, and the local shops that have shown the brand love!

Check us out on Facebook & Twitter

Interviewee: Luke Schulze
Interviewed By: Taylor Kendall

VT Skates is puttin up $500 and tons of sick prizes in a game of SKATE this Saturday September 24th in Manchester. Winner takes all and don;t miss the face melting afterparty.

Congratulations on 10 years! How stoked are you on this milestone?
Wow – Yeah 10 years! We are so stoked to have been around this long. It just proves that a small independent skater-run company can still survive. Never did I think we would have come this far. We started Levitate in September 2001 in my basement in New Jersey with 12 hats and 24 t-shirts. We now have over 30 SKUs and our products ship world wide. We have seen so many companies come and go over the years and it just feels good to keep pushing along.

How do you feel your company has grown over the past 10 years?
Levitate has grown since day one. We have changed with the times, and continue to grow today. We have seen huge highs like ASR in 2005/2006 to the economic low in 2008/09. We have always supported our shops and team. I believe that is what has kept us strong and still growing today.

Have your company goals and ambitions changed?
Levitates goals have always been to stay true to ourselves and skateboarding. We have fun skateboarding. Anyone who has seen our videos, or seen us out on tour, knows our team not only kills it, they have fun together. Their different styles mesh together to create a unique group of guys. We test all of our products to produce quality decks, clothing and accessories at the best prices. We have team members who have been with us since day one. That is dedication! As a company owner I am never satisfied and push myself and my products everyday.

What in skating has you the most stoked right now?
Skating has been changing, I’m just stoked to see young kids on the streets, and parks pushing the limits learning new tricks. I want to see skating get back to the streets! Lately we have been rolling the streets in Denver just hitting whatever is so much fun.

I watched the Mike McCarthy video on your homepage, he’s got some serious tricks. What can we expect from him and the rest of your team?
Mike is super rad. He really kills everything. Mike has been with Levitate for over 5 years, I have so much respect for Mike and his skateboarding. He is our team manager and Phila local. Mike has been working on filming a new part now and should be out soon. Nate Gibson also has two parts about to drop one with Brick Wheels, and one on his own we will feature on the levitate site. J.J. Sereday, Rex Eure and several other team guys have been working on shooting photos, and a upcoming Levitate Video.

What are you goals for the next 10 years?
In the short term we are working on updating the website, and growing our FB page. Long term just be around another 10 years with great people supporting us. We are looking to add more to our clothing line, offer more shapes in our deck line. We are always looking for new team riders, and dealers. Ten years seems like a lifetime, we will see what another ten brings!

Last words and shout outs?
First off we would like to thank Steez for looking out! All of our family and friends, team riders, Mike McCarthy, Nate Gibson, Rex Eure, J.J Sereday, Pat Brosnan. Friends of Levitate Mitch Hartman, Ian Burn, Ki Realer, Scott Guntz, Bryan Novak, Tim Conner, Mazur @ Focus, Smith Optics and everyone I forgot, sorry. Everyone who has ever pushed a Levitate Skateboard in the past. Everyone who has ever toured or done a demo with us. Very special thanks to all the shops, skate parks, magazines, websites and social media that have and continue to support Levitate!

Interviewed By: Frank Lopes

September 22nd it’s goin down at the legendary Agawam Cinemas in Western, Mass. I’m not sure they’re legendary but who cares? Capita’s Defenders of Awesome flick will be premiering and Scott Stevens will be there giving away a pair of his new pro model boots and tons of other great stuff.

Hey everyone!
Today I have a fun little video from SnowPark! If I have failed to mention before SnowPark NZ is awesome. Great staff, phenomenal food, free wifi in the lodge, (a rarity in NZ), night riding and did I mention the park is unreal? Supergood times! On this day we enjoyed cruising the rail line and having fun. I broke out the GoPro for a few runs and here is some of what I got! Enjoy.

Tags: Benji Farrow, Taylor Gold, Arielle Gold, Brett Esser, Ben Ferguson, Aimee Fuller, SnowPark NZ, benjifarrow.net, aimeefuller.co.uk, Snowboarding

On Thursday September 22nd, at 7PM Chris Cole and the rest of the Omit Apparel team will be at Orchard signing autographs and skating the ramp!

Omit is a new apparel brand launched this fall by Northeast beast Chris Cole. Other team riders that will be in attendance are Jimmy Carlin, Trevor Colden, and Kyle Frederick. be there!

So I watched the promo for “Cheap Thrills” and it definitely got me stoked to go skate. What made you decide to start a video?
Skateboarding has always been my inspiration. The pure fun of skateboarding alone amazes me most. Especially when its captured on film.

Is this the first video that you’ve made?
Amongst all the mini projects with Jordan Fortuna, this is the first full length we have made.

What other videos really inspired you?
There are so many inspirational videos out there. Anything local is always a hype up, near or far.

Do you feel that you’re influenced by those videos in making this one?
With all of the advances in technology, it allows you to get a little bit more fancy. A creative eye always helps seeing that skateboarding is an art-form itself.

I saw a pretty sick 50-50 on the fender of a car in the promo, who was that?
Ahh man, that was a good session. Most of them are, especially when Ryan Quigley decides to join. With his selection of spots and unique bag of tricks, Quigs never fails to amaze.

Who’s part are you really stoked on so far?
Well, I’m really stoked on it all. Everyone has been working really hard. We had a few people start filming later on, and there stuff is going to be something to watch for. The young guys have been progressing fast and destroying it. As far as the other guys…damn!

Have you found a lot more challenges filming than you thought you would encounter?
I guess challenges can come from any number of different things. When you add more people, there is more to consider. It may stem from spots being a bust or destroyed to tricks being missed on the session. ( Fred Hein, KF backside nosegrind, Lowell 3 Stair).

What’s the most hilarious moment you’ve caught on footy so far?
There are to many funny times caught, only way to find out is to check out the vid.

Is making a video as much fun as you thought it would be?
It’s really something that is very involved. You must be prepared for the challenges that come with making a skate film.

Last words and shout outs?
Dave – thanks to everyone who helped out filming, skating, and anyone involved. Thanks mom.
Jordan – Tunas’ got the ill fish angle, shout out to whoever looks forward to this video, thanks mom for my first camera.

Interviewed By: Frank Lopes
Photos: Daniel Muchnik

Boa Technology, maker of the award-winning, patented Boa Closure System, is proud to announce the launch of project Reel Pink, a national campaign aimed to raise awareness for breast cancer through the sale of limited edition pink Boa dials for snowboard boots. One hundredpercent of all proceeds from the purchase of Reel Pink snow product will bedonated to Boarding For Breast Cancer (B4BC).

“We are delighted to be partnering with Boa Technology and the Reel Pink program as a fun, innovative way to keep young people healthy, active and ultimately educated,” says B4BC Director of Development Erika Sward. “Every time a rider swaps out their snowboard boot dials with Reel Pink ones, they will be supporting B4BC’s breast cancer education programs in a super stylie way!”

Reel Pink product will be available to purchase while supplies last starting on September 6th, for a minimum $10 donation at www.Boatechnology.com/reelpink.