Modernity Killed Every Night

Kidman

One of those weeks of unrelentingness, but all in a good cause I suppose. Boards were delivered all over the place which is actually fun. Obviously if they're buying a board through me, it's one I like and therefore the customers tend to be quite entertaining and cool folks, and so they were. It's a bonus getting to be the guy handing a new board to someone too, makes me feel like I've improved someone's day a bit, and I snuck a few sessions in around the handoffs which improved my days a bit, and the dog found a dead seal which made it very happy but didn't improve anyone's day at all. The shapers here and in Australia are on a roll, there's new concepts and ideas being thrown around and I'm certainly excited. Also collected and am sorting a stack of art from Trefz and Curren, I'll no doubt have some up here and I'm sure you can buy it if you're so inclined. Go to Warbles and check RT's great little advance promo for his new project- fully shreddy acrobat action, made me want a decent wave and a thruster.

From the bay...

The shaping bay that is. Joe Bauguess in full legend mode, mowing out the beauties and the boys get a little experimental with the colour work. Photos by Level Horizon Phil with more to follow.

Efficiency and Organisation

No seriously, there was some on this last trip south. I collected some boards which will shortly be making certain people very happy. Joe Bauguess is on fire, the boards are looking really clean, especially the first batch of Simsters which are soon to be glassed. Here's the state of my kid's bedroom at present, she's holding a pretty awesome quiver. There's a 5'9" Mackie Sidecut flextail very similar to the one I've been riding in there, and after the last few days I'm back loving it hard. In the better surf of San Diego county it was feeling really good, sort of like driving on a well cambered road- the flow and drive was apparent, even in the bumpier stuff. Tues was cleaner and bigger than Weds, but there were waves that made the whole jaunt worthwhile both days. The Hydro crew were scoring too, check RK's blog.


The nice new shirt colours were collected- blue for the gents, I've got some Hydro spirals and the Foam & Function with a serious green print, both in Med, Lg and XL. The ladies get the lavender shirts, S, M, or L. There's some Spirals and a few Swift Slayers in black and lavender. All $25 including shipping.


This is the sort of weird score of the month- the always genial and utterly legendary John Elwell designed and had printed these Simmons tribute shirts, front and back print shown. Limited edition, M, L or XL white beefy-t only and $25 also- mad O.G.! To order any of the above just email info@foamandfunction.com.

Asym For The Cement

Here's some asymmetrical skateboards from the guys at December Snowskates. I'm aware the rails on a skateboard aren't engaged, but it's a lovely concept and a really nice execution. There's even a cool little video of the painting process here
http://decembersnowskates.blogspot.com/2009/06/super-hooked-on-this-tune-from-movie.html
Yusuke took the photo of Ekstrom's 6 footer in Japan, the flextail is seeing some action and I'm off down south for a couple of days.

Twinnies are hard to turn...

Indeed. Try these on for size- from the top you have RK throwing a little spray, Rastovich putting one of Mackie's flextails on a rail and into a turn that doesn't appear to be sliding out and a guy named Bud who lives in Hawaii and not only built the really sweet looking single bump modern twin he's riding, but knows what to do with it at Rocky Point. This prompted by a session at Mailbu and watching so many people go so straight. All good if that's your bag, but personally I like what you see here. Of course I was riding a 3 fin Simster so I'm not worth a damn either. The flextail gets broken out this week if the swell persists.

He's back!

go here: http://www.gonadman.com/gonadman/Home.html and you can get on the list to have Gonadman delivered to your desktop by the wonders of computering.

Last Hope

Well, the good news from down under is Andrew Kidman has announced the release of his latest film project,'Last Hope'. In much the same way Ank took surf films in a whole new direction with the release of 'Litmus' all those years ago, I believe he's done something really cool & interesting again here. Rather than a film with any sort of narrative flow, Last Hope is a collection of 16 short films themed around the sea and each with a song from the Spunk Records catalog as it's background. The filmmakers involved are Albie Falzon, Jon Frank, Monty Webber, Michelle Lockwood, Richard Kenvin, Patrick Trefz and of course Andrew himself. The music is from the likes of Smog, Sufjean Stevens, Brown Birds From Windy Hill, Vetiver, Bonnie Prince Billy, Mogwai, Dirty Three and My Morning Jacket. To quote Andrew from the press release:
"One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a filmmaker is the process of bringing scenes, emotions and stories to life with music. It's kind of a filmmaker's dream to have access to great music and the freedom to make whatever you want without the constraints of trying to make a full length feature or editors wreaking havoc with your work. This is what I was thinking about when Aaron Curnow (Spunk Records) and I first had a conversation about this project. I thought something special could come from letting the filmmakers make what ever they wanted. I hope the project has kept a pure line and these original thoughts transcend in the viewing."
I'm not sure when this will be available in the US, but I'll certainly find out. If you're Australia this July you can go check out the film on tour with The Brown Birds playing a live score at each showing- epically old school!
JULY TOUR
July 2nd Noosa Bowls, Noosa Heads
July 3rd Old Museum, Brisbane
July 4th Byron Community Centre, Byron
July 10th Neverland Bar, Coolangatta
July 12th Mullumbimby RSL, Mullumbimby
July 16th Waverly Bowling Club, Bondi
July 17th Palm Beach RSL, Palm Beach
July 18th Manly Boat Shed, Manly
July 19th Heritage Hotel, Wollongong (Tickets from venue)
July 20th Brass Monkey, Cronulla (Tickets from venue)
July 21st Royal Exchange, Newcastle

Archival

some Antipodean at Rincon on a weird looking board, image Kenvin Jan 08


the weird gets weirder, image me May 09


and yet weirder, image Daniel Thomson, the Future?

Lynch Swirls & The Brown Birds From Windy Hill

Post Trefz tour, Sacred Craft and other assorted jaunts I'm finally getting stuff in order and I'm about to try and do some updates on the Foam & Function site as there's new goods. It's killing me as I now have a stack of beeyoootiful Lynch single fins in the house. Here's some serious resin swirl action, and I wish someone would buy one of these as not only are they epic boards, but should a decent swell come the temptation would be very great. The blue 6'7" is $725 and the orange acid swirl is $775.



Among the new goods are some t-shirts and here's the legendary Brown Birds From Windy Hill bootleg of the bootleg shirt. Black only cause it's rock and roll. Still got a few of the 'Searching For Michael Peterson' soundtrack CDs left too, only $22 postpaid. As always, email me at info@foamandfunction.com if you're interested. The rest of the associates are scattered and getting the surf I wish for- boat trips to in Mex, art shows in Japan- there should be some interesting photos from all this action soon I hope.

Mick's Winter Quiver

Ether Monthly #2

Narrabeen by Andrew Kidman, from Ether.

After the chaos of the last couple of weeks, this image seems to encapsulate what I want perfectly- it looks cold, empty and somewhat epic. AK's home break, Narrabeen, is a storied one even by Australian standards. Simon Anderson is a local here, and that says a lot.

Like A Rhinestone B-Boy

In the 80's, one of these men was breakdancing to Afrika Bambaata at the Camden Palace and the other was getting shout outs on NYC hip hop radio. Stupid fresh.



Ray Barbee @ The Surf Gallery Laguna Beach

Unbelievably, we not only made it through the Thread tour unscathed but it was the most fun I've had on dry land in a long time. Our thanks to those who showed at the events and to those who helped make it happen (especially the very kind folks at Primo who's generosity fueled some of the best moments). Trefz was an epic travelling companion and he has some serious stamina as in just a day or two he's back on the road for a surf photo trip. Me, I'm catching up on sleep, work and jonesing for another visit to the La Gloria Market & Restaurant in lovely Oxnard CA for more carnitas. If you missed the shows and want a book, there's a few signed copies sitting here and you can email me at info@foamandfunction.com to get one.

Sketchy Business Tour 09

Sorry ladies, he's spoken for. Andy Davis, top notch artist and surf celebrity, models the excellent Tour shirt shortly before the evening took a wild turn or two.



Carl Ekstrom builds boards, and he builds a model of the board first. Seriously detailed model too, the rails on these things are amazing.



The Tudors and a fully psychedelic looking Bill Bahne by P. Trefz



New Shirts! Some styling designs, small run to start so get 'em while they're hot-you can email at info@foamandfunction as always. I've got Trefz books too if you can't make a show.

Exhaustion was kicking in, but a solid 5 hours last night and we're back on it with Trefz heading to NYC for a signing event with Powerhouse, and me trying to get the Sacred Craft booth organised. San Diego was a stormer, huge thanks to those who showed. I fully loved the mix, Carl Ekstrom & Bill Bahne talking design to Chris Del Moro, Tyler Warren and the new school kids, Bauguess and Elwell dropping knowledge and checking Daniel Thomson's ultra hitech performance boards, Trefz and RK had the visuals dialed in, the Windansea groms turned up and laughed at us geezers, Old Man Hands were fantastic, sounding a little darker and wilder I thought, Ando became a wild man, Trefz whipped up midnight tacos, the Primo stocks took a serious hit and the Shores was pretty good on the AM. Join us at the Surf Gallery, 911 S. Coast Hwy this Friday for more of the same and we'll be in booth G3 at the Sacred Craft this Saturday and Sunday with some fantastic boards- I collected a few Lynchs, the Mackies are ready, we'll have the new Hydrodynamica Test Pilot boards of course, and as a total bonus, Carl Ekstrom is on the team and will be bringing some exceedingly interesting stuff. Saturday night we end this batch of book shenanigans at Tom Curren's shop, 727 State St Santa Barbara. Tom will play and I bet Trefz gets silly.

And so it begins....

The cover collage- this thing is epic in person.


Bella had run out of sticks so she fetched oranges for a bit.


Alex, the hardest working man in showbiz, about to make his first attempt at hanging a show. He'd had a brief tutorial from the master and he did a perfect job of it. Impressive.


In the days of yore, the sudden and unexpected arrival of heavily armed Vikings caused fear and chaos among my Highland forebears. The same is true today, although the consequences are less dire.

Up north is dealt with and it was brilliant. Edited highlights include arriving in Santa Cruz in time to get a moonrise session in head high waves at a spot a few miles out of town, then a fantastic SF show - Kirkeby's place on Texas St is incredible, he's a master framer and if you're up there and have art he's your man. The crowd in SF is always one of the best and my thanks to the regulars like Brittany and Crystal who turn up without fail, Joe Curren was in town while en route to somewhere else and had some of his up norcal friends there too, and_Hod played most entertainingly, free beer flowed and books were admired and purchased. Simply can't beat that. Santa Cruz next and a bit more casual, Patzog working the grill and the SC surfers are some of the most interested, open and enthusiastic about board design that I've ever met. Totally enjoyed several hours of it all, talking Bernoulli and dynamic lift with mechanical engineers, former pros and shapers. Brilliant. I even love the drive, hauling up and back through some really lovely country, stopping to surf places I visit too rarely, blasting that hill down into SLO, the joy of rounding certain bends and seeing the ocean alive, the haul down through the Gaviota pass and seeing the landscape shift from gold hills and oaks to chapparal and the smell of ocean- I love this stuff. San Diego tomorrow, 340 16th St with the art and new visuals and a bonus preview of the Hydrodynamica Test Pilot Series boards. Oh, and beer of course.

Down South

3 More from Joe Curren who's just returned from another trip to the far south (a different continent this time) that hopefully we'll see some images from soon. The Thread signing tour progresses- aside from the 8th in San Francisco and the 9th in Santa Cruz he'll be doing the following:
Tues 5/12- San Diego at the Swift Movement Stockyard, 340 16th St 7-10
Weds 5/13- Los Angeles at the Alva Store, Fairfax Ave 7-10
Friday 5/15- Laguna Beach at the Surf Gallery, 7-10
Saturday 5/16- Santa Barbara at Tom Curren's Rip Curl Store, State St, 7-10
The shows will all feature art, music and visuals as well as free beer from our generous friends at Primo Island Lager. Come by and say hello.
Of course the 16th and 17th are also the weekend of the Sacred Craft Surfboard Show in Ventura, and we'll be there with an array of excellent surfcraft from The Swift Movement, Mick Mackie and Tim Griffin. The show has a really impressive roster of companies involved, so it'll be well worth your time and $5 entry fee.

Up North-With A Change

The dates up North are confirmed and set, for real this time. Friday May 8th in San Francisco at the Gallery Space at 128 Texas St at 7pm, NOT Thursday, sorry about change. Saturday 9th in Santa Cruz at The Tannery Arts Center, 1040 River St at 5pm. Easy as that. There will beer courtesy of Primo, there will be music, art and visuals and there will Patrick's new 'Thread' book available for sale. If you can't make it and want a signed copy, email me at info@foamandfunction.com and we can get one to you for the price of $35, shipping included inside the US. The book is really good, jaded as I am I have to say Patrick did an excellent job on this one.

Egad!

Photos & Genius from Mick Mackie.

Yet more in the 'forthcoming' file

Hooray! Joe Bauguess will back on Cinco de Mayo and undoubtedly in the shaping bay on the 6th. Those of you with orders in are set, and if you're interested in one of the original Caspers or the new Simster models, drop me a line at info@foamandfunction.com and we can get you set up. Meanwhile if you're in the northern part of California, Aqua are having their swap meet this Saturday, noon til 5.30 at 2830 Sloat (between 46th & 47th, across from the Zoo fittingly). You can buy and sell old surf and skate gear and it'll be brilliant as that's how Aqua do things. They have some of the Swift hoodies available too. Trefz is readjusting the SoCal dates on the Thread signing tour as he's been invited to a fancy New York photography event on 5/14. We'll still be doing Tom Curren's shop on the 16th for Sacred Craft but there will be some movement of the other events- as soon as it's sorted I'll post the new dates.

Ether Monthly

Pat Curren


Terry Fitzgerald

Andrew's internet postings have lulled due to having too much to do basically, so I'm picking up the slack. Ether is something I'm incredibly proud off, I can still leaf through that book and be blown away by how fantastic it is and I'm utterly stoked to have had a part in making it, although obviously it's all about how insanely good Andrew's photographic eye is. Case in point, these two shots. I love the 'hands of a craftsman' deal here, and it's righteous to think how good these two boards would have been. Andrew once gave Terry a tour of the US end of the little business empire we have going and all he had to say was "Appearance is everything in business Andrew." Thanks Fitzy, coming from someone who used to shape in his front room that means a lot.

Thread, soon.

2 by P. Trefz, from the very imminent 'Thread' book, soon to be in a venue near you. Patrick has some dates sorted for May- 13th in LA (Alva shop we hope), 14th in San Diego at the Swift HQ, 15th in Laguna Beach at the Surf Gallery and the 16th in Santa Barbara at Tom Curren's shop. (Which is of course the Sacred Craft Show weekend.) Dates for SF and Santa Cruz are being confirmed for the weekend of the 9th/10th. I'll update with solid details as it comes together.