Andrew Kidman- Plenty Of Fish

Plenty of Fish from The Surfer's Journal on Vimeo.

Completely lovely little ode to the swallow tailed, twin keeled goodness by Andrew Kidman via Surfer's Journal. The always excellent Journal has a piece by Kidman in issue 24.1 on the fish that is worth cover price on it's own. Inspired, and from top to bottom: 'Heroin' fish shaped in NYC by Kidman (5'10" x 21 x 2.5", technically for sale still), 'Sharkbait' fish shaped by Kidman for Wibz, Mackie sidecut I've been frothing over, 'Bombers' fish shaped by Skip Frye for Kidman and a serious influence on the templates and details of the boards Andrew shaped, fish surfers- the little keeled beauts will make you so stylish in the water that on land you just don't care.

Ben Chipper

The above photos are from Ben Chipper's blog. He's Australian, but he's bloody brilliant and a true fin making inspiration. Check him out.....

Ryan Burch

Volcom Stone presents… Ryan Burch… The Rush of the Continuous Rhythm from Volcom on Vimeo.

Yeah, this has been kicking around for a while but damn it's good. Watch, then watch again. And again.

Aleutian Juice Widowmaker Fins!

Very, very happy about this indeed. Ladies & Gentleman, these are the first rudders to come from a foray into the manufacture and sale of excellent hand crafted and surf proven fins. Dave Parmenter is the motivator behind this, and it's mainly his designs and deep template collection we'll be drawing on. The fins are being made by B.C. Rudders in Hawaii, and whole set up will be small scale, hand made and very cool.  These first examples are Dave's own widow maker design, and it doesn't get much more authentic than that. Solid 7.5" center fin, sidebites are single foil and 3" & change. Two colors as you see, $100 for the set. Email info @ foamandfunction.com if you're interested, and stay posted, we'll have more soonish (these things are being made by one guy in Hawaii) and there's going to be full fin run downs from Dave as well as a few collaborations with the usual suspects. Stoked!

Ode To California by Patrick Trefz

'Ode to California' a film by Patrick Trefz from Patrick Trefz on Vimeo.

Awesome, well done Trefz.

Wolfhound Fins

Down to the last pair of Neal Purchase Jnr. Wolfhound fins. One of the only modern shapers making an old school single- plenty of base, nice and thick well drivey. There's 1 of each left, a 7.5" Beer tint and an 8.5" bottle tint. $110, made in Australia by the really excellent Salty Merchant. As always email info @ foamandfunction.com if you're interested.  Here's Purcho doing his thing with a channeled single from start to finish....

A SINGLE MOMENT WITH NEAL PURCHASE JNR from Rhythm Livin on Vimeo.

Nice clip by Nathan Tommassi courtesy of NPJ's long time sponsors Rhythm. Stellar stuff, always such a great surfer to watch in action, and he's really coming into his own as a shaper.....

Yes, that's a double single. Go Neal!

5'10" Andrew Kidman Fish For Sale

But not willingly really. The story is this: Late 2013/early 2014 Mr. Kidman was in the US briefly and decided to shape a very limited run of 10 boards. Most went as customs, a few to the very excellent Pilgrim Surf Supply in Brooklyn and a brace wound up in my hands as the West Coast stock. They arrived in June, literally hours before I left to Europe and so were not immediately documented, and then on returning and settling in again, I started obsessing on just how good this board is. 5'10" x 21" x 2 1/2" Off white/greyish tint. Andrew has immersed himself in the work of the   San Diego masters, Frye & Lis, and has hands on experience with their boards which is so utterly apparent in this craft. Single foil keels, glassed at Faktion in New York. Sum of it's parts most definitely.  The real kicker with this one is that the late great Lou Reed had passed right before Andrew left on his travels, and so each of the New York boards is a tribute to the man with 'RIP Lou' and the title of one of his songs on the stringer. This one? 'Heroin". Yes, I want to keep it really but justifying that is hard, so here it is- up for sale at the price Andrew charges- $1100- with no shipping from Australia issues and one time only. The money will simply go back to Andrew for the next board and the cycle of independent craftsmanship continues. This is good. To enquire or comment, email info @ foamandfunction.com.

Oh- if you click on and enlarge that last pic, it's the dims/stringer info- the details matter....

2015

photo by Tom Keck, and it's one of the best.

The beginning of each year brings with it a sad reminder- January 2nd being the date Rell Sunn passed away in 1998 depriving the world of an incredibly talented, graceful and generous individual. Rell seemed to have nothing but positivity in her attitude to life, so it's seems fitting to start the year with a tribute to her and all she stands for. Thanks for taking the time to look at this weird corner of the digital world, and even more thanks to those of you who have supported us by purchasing what trinkets and artifacts we offer. You are supporting the truly independent outliers of the surf/skate culture, and we be live those are the truly important ones- the people who keep it creative and interesting and fun. 2015 will bring some good stuff- a new website, new board collaborations with Dave Parmenter, Mick Mackie, Andrew Kidman and others, a new book we hope, and much more- stayed tuned.....

Skateboard Related Video

Keep On Pushin' from Ricki Bedenbaugh on Vimeo.

Tour of Skateistan Mazar-e-Sharif Skate School (Afghanistan) from Skateistan on Vimeo.

As the year stumbles to an end, here's a couple of videos featuring skateboarders of all ages and both genders. First is the promo for what seems like being an awesome film (or at least collection of short films) and which features so many of the guys that made skateboarding so exciting, and who are still doing it, and how's good is that beginning- Barbee, Kaupas, Hensley, Duffy, Dressen, Marcovich, Agah? Heroes. Next is a fine clip from Skateistan, an organization I support 100%. They  build skateparks and educational facilities for kids in parts of the world where there is almost zero opportunity for kids, both educationally and recreationally.  They began in Afghanistan and have since spread their programs to Kampuchea and now South Africa. If the kids want to skate, they need to go to school as well, and what's truly awesome about this how it's been a huge success for young girls, so often marginalized even in affluent Western society. There's a certain feeling of joy and positivity in both videos, and that's worth holding onto as we head into 2015. Best of luck everyone....

Jeff Ho

The very elusive Jeff Ho has a selection of boards on display at C. Nichols Project , and they are that good that they deserve the gallery setting. Incredible work, the photos barely do it justice. If you're in the LA area go and see them in person- 12613 1/2 Venice Blvd, Mar Vista 90066. Monday to Saturday, noon til 6. Epic.

Sideburn & Mr. Porky

I often mention the genius that is Sideburn, an utterly superb self produced magazine and web presence that pivots around flat track racing and glory of a good motorcycle. The Sideburn lads are the epitome of independent publishing and culture, not just doing a brilliant magazine around day jobs and family, but also setting up some fantastic events. It doesn't get any better than Dirt Quake, a chance for the common folk to race like the pros, and on whatever that have to ride as there are classes for Inappropriate Road Bikes and Choppers. Genius, as is this short film produced by one of their sponsors, Mr. Porky's Pork Scratchings. This event is very very high on my to-do list....

And Another Parmenter.....

This one is for sale via a good person. It's damn near cherry and is currently in Mollusk Venice so call them. 6'8", nice Hawaiian color ways tint and you need one of these for winter....

Parmenter Customs

Two 7'10"s for the Great White North. The camo spray pintail is a Sunset mini gun style deal, straight up speed line action for the beautiful cobblestone points these guys surf. The other is a bit of a mind bender, a Makaha Machine with some of the most elegantly subtle shaping tweaks I've seen in a while. Felt great under the arm, totally intuitive rails and foil, and serious V in the nose? Loved it, surfboards are magic sometimes and the ones Parmenter has been sending through are a class above. There's still the single fins for sale if you want one for christmas, both the channeled V-6 model and a MP disc (although be quick on that one...)

UPDATE
Too many 7'10" boards = a deal for someone else. That 7'10" Makaha Machine? It's been ridden, but only a couple of times and it may well be available to a discerning enthusiast of the longer ride. info @ foamandfunction.com for more details.....

Glen E. Friedman- My Rules

Minor Threat watch Rodney Mullen at Kenter Canyon

Bad Brains

Chuck D & Flavor Flav of Public Enemy & Buffy from The Fat Boys

Jeff Ho

Glen E. Friedman & Ian MacKaye discuss some of the photographs in MY RULES the book (2014) from Burning Flags Press on Vimeo.

Although we didn't do it, the new Glen Friedman title is out. 'My Rules' incorporates both the 'Fuck You' books as well as newer and unseen work. It's a monster of a book and an amazing compendium with the bonus feature of new essays from Stecyk, Rollins, Rodney Mullen, Tony Alva, Ice T, Jeff Ho and more. It's in shops, but you can get s signed special edition for $75 either by visiting the Consafos Press website or by simply emailing info @ foamandfunction.com. 

Akounak

Aside from being potentially the best music related film since that Ginger Baker documentary, this actually has a surf connection- there's a Parmenter board in the works with a resin tint inspired by this very film, and by Mdou Moctar's bike in particular. The surfboard that is the color of blue with some red in it?

Litmus/Glass Love/Last Hope

Still have copies of the Kidman oeuvre for those who foolishly haven't got them, or those who have worn theirs out. Litmus & Glass Love, single disc versions $15 each, Last Hope $25. As good as surf movies get. Email info @ foamandfunction.com to order or inquire or whatever.

Ryan by Ryan

Burch by Thomas. Wow!

For Sale

Autumn is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere, even here in Southern California. Days are shorter, the light is slowly changing, and I'm eyeing my wetsuit. Best of all there will soon be swell to go with the sunny but crisp mornings, so it's time to think about that step up, and here's a lovely option. From Ninelights and used, but could pass for brand new thanks to the fine compsand construction. Balsa and poplar vacuum bagged over a foam core- super light, springy and strong. 7'11" x 21 1/2" x 2 7/8" (I'm not sure where that thickness is though, feels thinner to me but Mr. Beck says nearly 3 so nearly 3 it is), perfect for the bigger guy or bigger day. Vented, so it can sit in the ride in summer without a care. Tri, and it comes with a set of fins and a boardbag to make it a seriously good deal. Best of all- $800 for all this handcrafted goodness. Email info @ foamandfunction.com to enquire, comment or just tell us something good.

What's Down There #3- Australian Edition

Australia. A lot of coast and arguably the best array of surf on the  planet courtesy of that. But also a lot  of very odd stuff in the ocean. Like the giant Jellyfish at the top. Or the Dendrogramma below that were fished up out of deep water of Tasmania's coast. They don't fit into the scheme of any existing animal group at all. They are an entirely new branch on the tree of life as it were, and that's pretty amazing. Well done Australia.

Single fins for your single fin

The Neal Purchase Jnr. Wolfhound fins are just perfect for those of you who favour the sort of boards that have been posted over the last few weeks, so in the name of doing things right, we're making them available in the US. The culmination of Purcho's many years of refining and developing what he wants in a single, you can't go wrong. There's still a few left in the beer tinted 7.5" or bottle tinted 8.5", and they run $110. Email info @ foamandfunction.com if you're interested......