Thread Monthly #2- Jim Denevan

Jim Denevan LAnd Art, Big Sur.
from 'Thread' by Patrick Trefz, available from Foam and Function

Jim Denevan's outright incredible freeform beach art, definitely one of the moments that takes Thread (both book and film) beyond your basic surf imagery. Personally, I love these almost landscapey shots- the sense of place above and beyond a breaking wave is what makes this sort of work so fascinating to me. Fun fact time- aside from doing the above and riding a twinny really well, Denevan is an acclaimed chef and very much an early proponent of the whole local food/farm to table movement- he even got props from the A.A.A. in last months 'Westways' mag!

Wegener T-Shirts

For a decent chunk of the surfing population, the t-shirt is as much about proclaiming rank and status as any fancy Bird-Of-Paradise feather bonnet on a Sepik River tribesman in New Guinea. Admit it, if you saw some guy strolling through the parking lot proudly rocking a shirt from 9Fish or some inland action sports emporium you're not going to take him too seriously. (I'm ignoring the whole Marshall Bros./ironic valley dude deal here- arcane Mailbu trends no longer have the cultural weight they once did.) Meanwhile a good t-shirt still carries some of the thrill of being a kid and landing an exceptional item, maybe a relative or friend going to Hawaii or Australia would bring a good one back and you'd be set, strutting around like Fitzy himself because you had a new Bolt shirt. Here's a shirt that won't make you look a goose in the lot, full underground cred with the Wegener shirt, M, L or XL and he has a really nice OG Hanes, full CalTrans safety orange colour one as well. $25 bucks gets one in the mail to you, info at foamandfunction.com to order as always. Oh, and that's the back- the front has the image only on the left chest.

Ether Monthly #6

Martyn Worthington by Andrew Kidman. From 'Ether'

From the interview with Martyn in Ether:
"I think, when people try to control things too much, through advertising, through money, through marketing: trying to control it so, basically, they can profit out of it, it becomes sterile very quickly. And then you get the rebellion against it. It just seems that, maybe, we're on the cusp of something, of finding an expression again. I don't know how it's going to happen, I just feel people are searching for something, just in the work I'm being asked to do. They're getting pretty bored with the way things have been.
There's all sorts of things, there's Oscar Wright- that stuff's just fantastic. I mean, that's him, there's no mistaking it. And if people want to imitate that but do it in their own way, that's so much the better. I want to see a stage where it's alright for people t paint their own boards, or get somebody to do it for them, or whatever else and not worry about paddling out and thinking 'I don't look like whoever.'"

For those of you who are unaware, 'Ether' is an independently produced 252 pg, 12 x 12 signed and numbered book featuring photography, art and interviews by Andrew Kidman. It's limited to 1050 copies only, and comes in a screen printed box with a coloured vinyl 10" record featuring Kidman's music. It's $175 and available from info at foamandfunction.com.

Profane Directional Stabilisers...

and the board for them (the big flex fin anyway). New Mackies fresh off the aeroplane, a 6'6" bonzer for Paul here, felt like an absolute screamer under the arm so I'm hoping the decent little swell we've had the last few days sticks around a bit. Personally, I had probably the funnest surf I've had in a really long while yesterday at a spot I hit purely for proximity to a board drop off. Peaky, chest to head high but oh so crowded. Sat out the back a bit, got a few meaty rights and I am feeling mighty good.

Sacred Craft 2

Mirandon Twin Pin

Ekstrom Earwigs front and center

Eli finesses a dolphin board

A few more. Eli Mirandon was a high point, he had some really awesome looking boards on display, a 5'2" fish I would have walked with if I had some money, and a crazy agave stringered beauty. The Ekstrom finless tripped a lot of people out, there was no shortage of folks looking at them, looking at Jon's alaia's and foam finless then walking away shaking their heads. Each to their own I guess. Personally I like fins, but you've got to love what guys like Jon and Carl are achieving with this stuff. Change and progression are what life is about really.

Sacred Craft 1

Wegener Art Paipo

Bat tail channeled mini-Sim

Mini Sim Asym

Daniel Thomson shapes

A truly over the top weekend. I think the show was excellent but I didn't get to see too much of it as we were swamped. I did see a parade of very entertaining people stroll by- too many to name check really, but I was totally starstruck by seeing MR wandering around. Reno Abellira who was funny as hell and by getting to have a short chat with Maurice Cole. He was on fire- described the top 44's boards as being 'retro' and played some terrifying clip of RCJ and Tony Ray on a monster wave. It was like being a grom again. I'll post some more as I get through the photos and chores this week.

Busy Weekend

If you're in the S.F. area, head by the Aqua Surf Shop on Sloat- they have a big swapmeet/parking lot show going on Saturday, seems plenty fun and you may even pick up a sweet airbrushed single fin from River Rock himself, seen in the second photo being escorted from a Tiki conference by San Diego's finest. Apparently he had tried to convince them a Post-it with a cactus drawn on it was a 'Medical Mescaline Card'. Meanwhile that same Saturday (10th by the way) there's a Santa Barbara swap meet in the parking lot at Ledbetter Beach, same deal, all kinds of used surf goods on sale. Further south, there's the mighty Sacred Craft at Del Mar Fairgrounds. We'll be there Saturday and Sunday with a full blown combo booth- Jon Wegener and his alaias, Carl Ekstrom with new finless and asymmetrical shapes, Mackie sidecut and flextail fish and of course the unveliing of a whole new range of Hydrodynamica Test Pilot boards. There will be boards to try at the official demo which is Saturday morning at 7am, 15th St Del Mar and I think we'll be out there again on Sunday around 8am with the goods. It's a whole array of 'non-mainstream' boards that are totally functional. And really fun. Come on by. There will definitely be a storm of photos next week, and I'm hoping for some input from the Kidman east coast jaunt which has been strangely quiet the last few days. The Windy Hills have played a weeks worth of shows so as soon as they recover I'll have the documentation.

Zucchini Weenie

LA County Fair gourmet special.

Sometimes a day not at the beach is called for.

Ether Monthly #5

Well, sort of- given Mr. Kidman is out here in the US (East Coast) and hard at work he's getting all manner of blog press, so I'll keep it simple. The band is playing, 'Last Hope' is screening and there will be books and shirts for the punter who wants a souvenir. Here's the dates, the shows will undoubtedly be excellent in all conditions. Photos above are AK's quiver from the pages of Glide magazine. Few interesting ones in there, believe me.

-9/28 Monster Island Basement @ Secret Project Robot, 9pm
-9/29 Tiki Bar Long Beach, NY
-9/30 Third Ave Pavillion, Asbury Park NJ, 8pm
-10/1 Corner Store Co-Op, Bellport Village NY, 7pm
-10/2 Ocean Mist, Wakefield Rhode Island, 9pm
-10/3 Grain Surfboards, York Maine. BBQ 3-9pm
-10/4 Ashworth By The Sea, Hampton Beach NH, 7pm

Flex & Torque

Stringerless EPS, carbon rails, flexy tails. Good on ya Mick.
New Yorkers batten down the hatches, Brown Birds From Windy Hill play on the 28th in Brooklyn , more soon.

Earwig Spaceship

Coming soon, and this isn't the half of it. Just had one of those beach days with sunshine, warmish water, rail grabs and fine hand crafted surfboards that reminds me why I persist with beach breaks. To add to the simple joy of it all, there's a mussel brose going to happen for dinner and I may get some work done before that.

And Party We Did...

Another September, another celebration of that which is mad, chaotic and Simmons related in surfing. Number 7 was a really good one- Jamie Brisick, Jon Wegener, Ryan Thomas and Andy Davis all in the same room- any one of those gentlemen is entertaining enough to warrant the drive to San Diego, all four at once was classic. The Old Man Hands Gypsy Orchestra played briliantly again, Elwell, Bahne and co. brought the knowledge, photogs Ryan Field and Maggie Marsek were there with cameras in hand, crowds of international flavor came and went and a few just stayed, films were played, Tyler Warren showed with footage and a board, I talked to a very cool surfer from Senegal and the Manny Caro Mobile Disco wound out the night for the lovers and dancers in the parking lot. Boards too, some seriously fine ones- Bauguess, Ekstrom, Mackie, Mirandon, Thomson, Wegener and a few Fryes for good measure. There's a teaser above and more pics soon. Here's the new shirts, limited quantities in mens med and lg on the Ando Bodysurf, Casper in all sizes and the blue one is for the ladies.

Thread monthly #1- The Basques

Patxi Oliden by Patrick Trefz from the Thread book. Signed copies available for $30, email me.

The opening image of the Trefz book. Patxi is the first Basque shaper (check that Diff template behind him.) Before starting on boards, he shaped oars, and his label apparently translates to 'Democratic Surfboards' as he felt everyone deserved the chance to surf. This man is truly a legend, and I highly recommend you read 'A Basque History Of The World' by Mark Kurlanski. You have no idea how how badly I want to go to the Basque country, but for now I make do with the fact that we wound up with a run of 500 copies of 'Way Of The Bird' translated into Basque. I leave the last words to Patxi, from his manifesto also printed in 'Thread'.
'Nahiko zaila da detaile guztiak gogoratzea; nik uste, nahiko garbi dagela hemen estaen direnekin zer metaodo erabiltzen nuen.'

Eastward Ho!

Slowly it all comes together for the last 1/3 of the year. A flurry of t-shirt printing for the Swift party this weekend, including the Casper with Casper and new run of the old school Jill Jordan 'Bird' shirt. Not on yellow or tan of course, that would be too simple- black and a pale blue called 'Seafoam', blue shirts for the ladies too. I'll post pictures of the actual colors when I see the actual shirts. If you can't make it to San Diego, send me an email to info @ foamandfunction.com and I can get you sorted out with a shirt- $25, shipping included, inside the US of A. The Brown Birds shirts are also reprinted for the upcoming east coast tour for Andrew and boys. Mr. Kidman will be in the New York Groove for a couple of months, the band is playing some shows in the N.E., there will be an Ether show in the city and some film events. As I get actual dates I'll post them, and it'll be fun. I also moved a large piece of Trefz art so it too can be sent east as he's part of a show in NYC later this month, again, more info as I get it. Finally, and waaaay east, are the very cool folks at Revolver Surf in Newquay, Cornwall. They will have a selection of our shirts and goodies and we couldn't be more stoked to be associated with people who wear woolen bathing suits. They've done an alaia demo with Tom W and been a part of the World Bellyboard champs this past week or two, and they proudly support tea and tattoos. On the off chance that anyone reading this is in Cornwall (which would be pretty cool of itself), go check 'em out.

It's time....

So again, make your way to downtown San Diego for more fun and some seriously outstanding surfboards. Having had the sneak preview of what Bauguess has been cooking up all I can say is it's going to be good and the weaker willed surfboard fanciers should come prepared or leave that wallet at home. For those not able to attend, I'll certainly be taking some pictures and I'll be rolling in on Friday with a truckload of Mackies for perusal and purchase as well. It will be, as always, a really good time.

If this run of swell continues into winter....

7'6" Round pin single- $750

7' Baby swallow single- $725

6'5" double bump single $675

...you might want one of these and as always an email to info at foamandfunction.com will do the trick. All Lynch designs shaped by Tim Griffin, who can do a custom if you want and has a really nice line in 2+1 setups, something I'm very fond of when there's a bit of water moving around. All these boards are hand shaped by Tim to Wayne's specs which makes them a pretty excellent score- no machined close tolerance blanks here. Although one of my favourite boards is straight out of the computer and I think you should surf whatever makes you happy, I have nothing but respect for the shapers out there who mow foam from a blank and end up with something like these. I know we're meant to hate imports/popouts what have you, but something that has just had the crust scrubbed off it seems pretty much like a popout to me, especially when it's easy enough to feed someone else's dimensions into a machine and there you go- witness all the mini Sim versions out there. All a bit hypocritical it seems. I get the 'support your local shaper' concept, but what if your local shaper isn't Wayne Lynch, Joe Bauguess, Dick Brewer or whoever? Does it make it OK for someone to sell a cheap version of their design? Lynch takes flak for having models with Surftech, but his motivation for that was basically that his designs get duplicated anyway, so he may as well make something on the deal. Not the best way to go about it in my opinion, but now he's got Tim making his boards which is a far better option. Sorry about the rant, surf whatever your conscience says is right, but a doff of the cap to the likes of Tim, Joe, Mick Mackie, Jeff Beck, Jamie Murray, Rob Royal, Pendo and the other craftsmen at work (many who have blogs listed to your right). They deserve our support because it's their efforts that drive the whole design process forward. I'll shut up now, I think I'm a bit surf happy from a week's worth of closeouts on the noggin.

More magenobashi o

Jeff Ho by Craig Stecyk III



Jeff & Carl Ekstrom at the Ventura Sacred Craft

Weather's been good, there's a bit of energy in the water and I've availed myself the last few days. Had some good moments courtesy of the Mackie flextail, coming off the bottom hard and fast which is needed in the closeouts I've been frequenting. Good fun, but back to work now.

What's The Japanese word for flex?

Mackie in Glide magazine. Seriously, any Japanese speaking readers out there- I'd love to know.

Ether Monthly #4

Mark 'Sutho' Sutherland by Andrew Kidman.
From 'Ether' available from Foam and Function

For many of us antipodeans, Sutho is something of a hero. He was and is responsible for the mighty 'Gonad Man' comics, some of the finest 'surf art' ever made. Back in the old days, the mighty Testicular one was a mind blower, utterly hysterical and totally universal in it's lack of respect for the sacred cows of the culture. It was around this time that young editor Kidman met mighty artist Sutho in the 'Waves' office and the two have been co-conspiritors of sorts ever since, both artistically with Sutho contributing animation (and genius monologues- check 'The Ghosts Are Calling' film, available with the new edition of 'Litmus) and musically as the Val Dusty Experiment. The above photo is from the morning after the band broke up. Sutho is still at it and Gonad Man is back at www.gonadman.com For a low subscription price you can have the new work delivered straight to your desktop- genius!

Simster

As I've mentioned before, there's often someone's custom surfboard sitting in my house waiting delivery, and almost inevitably I'm frothing over the thing, wishing it were mine to soil with wax and pressure dents. This one is an absolute beauty, a 5'6" Simster via the talents of Joe Bauguess, and having ridden an earlier prototype of this board, I'm pretty heavily stoked on how this batch look like they'll ride. The original Simster is a lot of fun, sort of a performance version of the mini Sim with the trailing fin and narrower tail giving serious hold and responsiveness- whereas you surf a dual fin, these boards feel a lot more neutral and like a thruster go where you point them no problem. Unlike a thruster however, the Simsters have that awesome drive and planing feel of the mini- maybe not as blazingly fast down the line, but in more serious waves the speed of the mini makes some of those bottom turns a skin-of-the-teeth affair and there's none of that feel here. It's a really nice option on the days that the fat little fish isn't going to be the sensible ride. Along with the Lynch single fin, definitely the board discovery of the past 12-18 months for me. In case you feel like ragging me on the start of the garden, there's chunks that look might fine- like this.