A Reminder To Always Skate Safe.

DON’T BE LIKE THIS GUY.

Not even a cool mustache saved him from eating it on the grass next to the road. As hilarious as this video is (even more so with the subtitles), hitting your head and getting messed up sure isn’t fun for anyone. What you spend on a helmet and other protective gear for skating will still cost less than hospital bills and injury time that’ll keep you from getting better on a board!

Image from Longboard Loft NYC

No matter what type of riding you’re into, from mellow cruising to bombing steep and turn-filled hills, longboarding has its share of inherent dangers. Make safety a habit by (at least) wearing your helmet. So once again, don’t be like that guy! Skate hard, but always skate safe!

Music and/or the Musician

A couple of posts down, I put up the new Blink 182 single “Up All Night”. Now it isn’t exactly surprising to hear mixed reactions from people whenever a musician or band puts up a new single, but getting to hear one of my favorite bands again after much time away got me thinking.

I’m no expert on music, nor am I in a lot of other things, but I would like to share my opinion on it and how I understand musicians.

Listening to the new Blink 182 song, it’s easy to tell how different it is from “Cheshire Cat” era Blink. I love the whole spectrum of change that the band has gone through over the years, and the different bands/side projects they had in between, like Box Car Racer, Transplants, +44, and Angels and Airwaves. The new Blink to me, is an amalgamation of all those things.

I guess it’s easy for any Blink “diehard” to feel a little put off by their more recent musical direction, as with many other musicians or bands. It’s a tale heard often enough. A “core community” supports an artist/band, said artist/band blows up, experiments, and changes, leaving the “core community” alienated or bummed out by the transformation.

Some people never want the music to change, but what about the musician? Sure, it’s easy to get bummed out whenever a musician or a band puts out something new that’s pretty different from their past body of work. But what most people forget is that musicians are people too. They can take in from experience, explore, and grow as much as those of us with less documented and publicized lives.

The Beatles' sound was pretty far out years after how they started, and when they did their own stuff too.

So I guess, when people say they never want the music to change, maybe what they really mean is that they don’t want the musician to change. I don’t think it’s fair for someone who calls himself a “true fan/diehard” to not account for the fact that the musician or band they support can mature, change, and grow too.

Same goes with The Eraserheads?

I might not be making a lot of sense, but what I guess I’m trying to say is musicians, like all other artists, are people. When you appreciate music, you appreciate something made by a musician, out of a certain context in a period of time. They’ll grow, just like we will over time, and that growth will show in their work in one way or another. Any fan can appreciate the music, but I guess a true fan appreciates the musician, that possibility of growth, and is game to keep following the journey.

The Queen of Reinvention

Where do I even begin?

Again, just my opinion. Feel free to disagree.

Stoke+63 Episode 2: “Collective Identity”

Just your friendly neighborhood longboard skate shop.

The second episode of Longboards Manila and Manila Man Productions’ series of video shorts showcases the store and the people who help run it.

I’m beyond stoked to be able to help out with such great people, to get to meet different kinds of people who share the same passion for longboarding, and try to help out our still-growing community in the ways that I can. I’m by far not the best skater around, or the most knowledgable when it comes to gear, but there’s no questioning how much I love skating.

Whatever and however you skate, chase after the stoke more than anything else. Always remember to skate safe!

Enjoy  the video!

Longboards Manila is located at The Collective, 7274 Malugay Street, Makati City. We’re now on our fourth year of operations proudly serving the ever growing longboarding scene in the Philippines.

We’d like to thank the following people for making this video possible:

Director: Paolo Abrihan
Directors of Photography: Paolo Abrihan, Gio Puyat and Dijo Songco
Assistant Directors: Dijo Songco and Gracie Vergara
Editor: Paolo Abrihan and Gracie Vergara
Producer: Dijo Songco
Production Assistant: Raffy Las
Featuring: Mykee Alvero, Artee Libunao, Nico Naguit and Paolo Vasquez
Music: Superfast Jellyfish – Gorillaz
Special thanks to: Rico Trinidad, John Tumang and Alexis Javier-Betia♥

Stoke+63: “Neighborhood” (1 of 3)

Longboards Manila in collaboration with Manila Man Productions brings you the first video in a three-part series called Stoke +63. Solid good times!

While going downhill fast and shredding it is always fun, sometimes you just wanna skate at your own pace.

In the first of three shorts in the Stoke +63 series, Longboards Manila and Manila Man Productions spent an evening with just those types of folks who do do that. These are just some of the people in your neighborhood.

Hope you’ll enjoy this brief video as much as we did making it.

***
Thank you, Liz, Bojit, Gian, and Japeth for your time and sharing with us your unique insights. Thank you also to the following skaters and friends who shared the stoke with us that evening:

Nico Naguit, Artee Libunao, Justin Rivera, John Tumang, Gino Jose, Gali Te, and Dino Pastrano

Special thanks as well to the people of Barangay Kapitolyo for giving us permission to skate that evening.

This wouldn’t be possible without the creativity of our friends at Manila Man Productions:

Director: Paolo Abrihan
Directors of Photography: Miguel Gutierrez and Gio Puyat
Assistant Directors: Dijo Songco and Gracie Vergara
Editor: Gio Puyat
Producer: Dijo Songco
Production Assistant: Raffy Las

Music: “Something About Us” by Daft Punk

***

Remember to skate safe and always wear a helmet!

Blink 182 – “Up All Night”

Finally, after the long “hiatus” and new bands, Blink 182 have released their first single off their upcoming album.

I’m reserving judgment on the single. I’m just really really stoked that my favorite band is finally back together making music.The more recent stuff is certainly more dynamic both musically and lyrically reflective of how the band’s done some growing up as well. Although, songs about dicks and boobs will never get old.

I’m waiting for more singles, hell, I’m waiting for the album, and the chance of the big tour to support it, with a Philippine date if ever.

Enjoy!

The Dark Knight Rises

What great news to start my work week.

Here’s the newly released poster for the upcoming Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” which is the third movie with Christopher Nolan at the helm. I just finished reading a Batman graphic novel yesterday (Yes, I read), and if there’s one game I could add to my library of video games this year, I’d get the upcoming Batman: Arkham City (make that two, I gotta have LA Noire as well). Yes, I’m a big Batman fan. However, I’m no Hollywood reporter so I won’t go into the process of naming the stars, who’s reprising roles, any speculative plots, and whatnot. I’m only putting this up as a fan of Christopher Nolan movies, and Batman, of course.

My girlfriend Ice will be quick to point out that Nolan’s movies in general are rife with great storytelling, and I agree with her  completely. Aside from the storytelling, I love the stark amount of grit and realism that Nolan’s Batman movies have. They’re so far detached from the Tim Burton ones, which were also good, and the Joel Schumacher ones, which were campy as hell, but enjoyable nonetheless. I could go on in length about the movies in general but I’ll reserve that for a different discussion. I have real work to do after all.

I’ll just end by putting up another released photo. This time, it’s a still of Tom Hardy, who’s slated to play Bane in the upcoming movie. Enjoy!

A Couple of Sessions with…The Landyachtz Wolf Shark

Every culture has it’s own mythical and legendary creatures. The Greeks have the Hydra (and dozens of other things), the Scots have the Loch Ness Monster, while our lola’s tales of Kapres and Tikbalangs were surely a part of many a Filipino’s younger years. In my life, I doubt I may come remotely close to seeing an actual creature of such stature, but I’ll still be able to pass on stories in the future of me in my younger years being able to skate with a board of equal mythical footing, the Landyachtz Wolf Shark.

By now, it’s no surprise that the Wolf Shark is a new deck that’s a part of the 2011 Landyachtz lineup. It’s a 9-ply topmount speedboard made in the same press as the freeride-friendly Nine Two Five. It comes in at a pretty good size in my opinion for many riders on this side of the world, 37″x9.75″. And in terms of features, the board sports a range of wheelbase options from 25.25-29″ to dial in the ride in the exact way you want it, a good amount of rocker, and huge gas pedals to aid the rider with both heelside and toeside slides.

I set it up with 44 degree Caliber Trucks, 70mm wheels, and used one of the shorter wheelbase options. With even the longest option coming in below 30″, it’s no surprise that the board is pretty nimble. For slides, the huge gas pedals really allow for huge amounts of leverage on both sides, with the slight curvature of each pedal’s end providing a good reference point to map your feet when it comes to both the normal riding position for carving and sliding down hills, or  getting in a tuck when you want to get your speed on.

Aside from freeriding and going sideways, the Wolf Shark has all the makings of a downhill predator as well. The rocker helps ensure a stable ride, and attempts to negate the high, slightly unstable feeling many experience riding a topmount. The concave is pretty comfortable for long bombs, and again, the reference points created by the gas pedals allow for good foot mapping, and the curves at the ends of each pedal come up big when it comes to providing riders with a locked-in feel, despite not having as solid a concave as say, Rayne’s “Pleasure Dome” or other aggressive W-caves.

The only drawback I would have to mention is that the wheel wells aren’t very forgiving when it comes to different trucks. Many other people have had problems with the wells when it came to their setups. Make no mistake about it, wheel wells that look like shark teeth are a nice touch. But then again, teeth bite. I did a little bit of searching on the net as to why this problem came about, and do correct me if my info is wrong but it seems like the wells were primarily designed around Bear Trucks. With another setup, I encountered a bit of wheel bite. This issue should be taken into consideration by anyone who wants to get a Wolfie, as wheelbite isn’t fun at any speed. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to get around the problem, with risers or sanding down the actual teeth. But then again, not everyone’s setup is bound to encounter problems with it, so a little trail and error may come into play.

Overall, the Landyachtz Wolf Shark is a great top mount speedboard on its first salvo in the longboarding world. Wheel wells notwithstanding, Wolfgang Coleman came up with a pretty sweet design, which I can only hope gets improved in future Landyachtz lineups. In its first sighting, I’d say the Wolf Shark could take a high spot on the longboarding food chain. But with a couple of little tweaks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this beast way close to, if not on the very top itself.

Go out and skate hard! But no matter how wild your style, always skate safe and make it a habit to wear a helmet!

Sneaker Roundup

Two pairs of skate shoes in six months of downhill skateboarding. And the number of unfortunate casualties will only keep growing. To lament the death of both pairs, here’s a few sets of sneakers I wouldn’t mind on my feet (and in my collection as well).

Vans Rowley SPV
(Photo: HKnowledge)

I’m a sucker for simple and clean design, and you can’t go wrong with the colorway. I wouldn’t say I grew up idolizing Geoff Rowley (Reynolds/Greco/Steve Caballero were my idols), but his Vans have been nothing but solid, especially his recent releases. The Rowley SPV (Super Pro Vulc) is said to be a light sneaker with a great amount of board feel, and you can’t miss that classic Vans side stripe.

Converse Skateboarding KA-One

Despite the awkward sounding name, this fairly new Kenny Anderson signature release from CONS appeals to both my appreciation for simple design and retro-styling. The silhouette is pretty no-frills, without the extra bells and whistles of technology that isn’t needed. It’s a skater’s skate shoe, made to skate first and foremost. The toe-stripe detail and outsole material remind me of the Nike Bruin, sans the check and a whole lot of unwanted hype.

Adidas Busenitz Pro

This came out a while back, but turned into an instant classic upon release. I’ve seen a few here and there, and subsequently kicked myself for passing on them each time. The football inspired shape reminds me of a time where I was vaguely athletic, playing fullback during school street soccer games. Then I discovered skateboarding and started to wait for the games to finish so I could skate the area. The long tongue is reminiscent of Adidas classics like the Samba and Copa Mundial. Retro. Functional. All-around-awesome.

Nike SB Koston 1 (Koston x Kobe Pack)

I’m all for collaborations that transcend boundaries. Eric Koston, always in the discussion of the best skater out there now, and Kobe Bryant well, let his NBA Championship Rings do the talking (that’s 5 and counting, Lebron). I just threw this one in the mix for fun, as this is a special release of Koston’s first shoe under Nike SB. It’s got some new tech that makes it a pretty comfy ride, and is made up to look like Kobe’s latest basketball sneaker under the Nike banner hence the black “snakeskin” print and purple/yellow accents. The special release comes with the box pictured, a special pair of Kobes, and a few other neat things like golf balls. It’s also worth noting that the release was limited to 24 pairs (go figure), all of which were sold at the Staples Center for the very reasonable price of USD1000.

They’re cool and all, but no thank you.

Padyak Bayani Dos

To celebrate the last weekend before school starts, I decided to join my first ever downhill skateboarding race this past Saturday. Padyak Bayani is a race organized by the folks of Society Longboards, and is held over at Hinulugang Taktak, a stretch of road in Antipolo which I had gotten pretty familiar with in the weeks leading up to the event (for more on Taktak, read me and Ice’s’ entry in our blog Discultured). I’ve only been downhill skateboarding for about six months, and by no means do I think of myself as an expert. But at the same time, I wanted to see how much skill I’d acquired in that span, so I figured what better way to do so than to join a race?

Me, Ice, and our friends Artee and Diego, all met up in Makati at about 7AM and headed out to Antipolo soon after, reaching Taktak at around 8. When we got there, there were lots of cars parked on the sides of the road, with people already skating and taking practice runs. This was all happening even before the organizers had set up their registration table! I took it as another sign of how longboarding is certainly growing on these shores, for a moment making me more a witness than a contributor to its steady growth. After a bit of chilling out and warming up by doing a couple of small runs, Me, Artee, and all our other friends who were joining went to the registration table which was over at the finish line.

When the race began, each participant had the opportunity to have a practice run before the heats started. The heats were determined at random, and at that point, despite making it my resolve to just have fun, I got pretty nervous waiting out my first heat. I had taken Taktak on before to relative success, but not with any kind of pressure to make it down before anybody else.  Regardless, I sucked it up and just took it on.

My first ever race heat saw me against my friend Dam and two guys I had never met before. As we took our places behind the starting line, all those thoughts of taking the proper line, drafting, and whatnot took a backseat to a bout with nerves and hopes of not wiping out and being able to make it down the hill in one piece. The marshall eventually called our heat on, and as he shouted “Go!” I pushed hard and settled into my tuck. What started out as me in third place eventually moved to me finishing the heat in 1st place. I couldn’t believe it. First race, with a first place finish in my first ever heat. It’s all sinking in at this point.

I made it to the quarters along with Dam, and other friends. But this was where my race would end for the day having placed 4th in the heat to advance to the semis. Some of my other friends made it past the quarters, with one winning the event (Congrats again John Tumang!) I didn’t take away any hard feelings at all. In their place was a good portion of race experience, solid good times with great people and a drive to keep getting better in this passion of mine called longboarding.

Thank you’s are in order to Society Longboards for hosting a great event that the Philippine Longboarding community can continue to look forward to, to Paolo Vasquez for all the help and giving me and Artee the amazing opportunity to rep Longboards Manila in the ways that we can, to everyone in SMB and Sisig Skate (I’m equally stoked on the fact that everyone who joined made it to the quarters and beyond), and to Ice Betia for being the best girlfriend in the world. Your support means so much to me!

For anyone looking to join their first race, here’s a few things I learned that could be of help.

• Bring food and refreshments, you’ll need them.
• Make sure your gear is ready for the race. That includes your protective gear, and things like skate tools.
• Regardless of the course being on a closed road, always practice road awareness. You still won’t be the only one on the road. It is a race after all.
• Relax.
• Try to enter and leave with good vibes.
• Make some new friends.
• Have fun!

I’ll certainly gear up for more upcoming races. But regardless of winning or losing, chase the stoke more than the competition!

Converse x Dickies Chuck Taylor High

Blame bad marketing for how Dickies is commonly known in this side of the world. Dickies is a classic workwear brand that just last year ventured into creating footwear built to satisfy the needs of those who do actually do gruntwork, and those who like to imagine they do (like myself).

Coming off the heels of their first collection, Dickies teamed up with another American icon in Converse to release a limited-run collection of footwear using the timeless Chuck Taylor All-Star silhouette and a new model called the Chuck Taylor All-Star Classic Boot. Essentially, the collection consists of solid colors fit for everyday wear, a tougher canvas upper, branding from both sides, and subtle workwear-inspired details which you’ll see below.

I got myself a pair of black high-cuts during my last trip out in Hong Kong. To this day, they’re still deadstock, but they won’t be that way for long.

Exactly what the tag says.

Branding on Both Sides

 

A Hidden Dickies Print

 

The Classic Star Patch+Lace Hook Detailing

 

 

Converse and Dickies, a match made in workwear heaven.