bl!sss magazine | january 2012 | #53

BLISSS_SP12_Phantom.indd 1 12/19/11 10:28 AM

analogclothing.com

Blisss_Analog_Sammy_Jan12.indd 1 12/13/11 11:08 AM

T H E B A L A N C E O F O P P O S I T E S

R V C A . C O M

L O C A T I O N / M E X I C O

Vans-Blisss-Jan-Lynn.indd 1 12/19/11 3:02 PM

Reef_Blisss_Spread_21x13.625.indd 2-3 12/20/11 10:15 AM

DROP CITY

20 // 11

WWW.THECOMUNE.COM // [email protected] // THE-CHANGE.TUMBLR.COM COPYRIGHT 2012

INTL. CHANGE SOMETHING BETTER CHANGE 1300 FACTORY PLACE LOS ANGELES CA 90013

A//S2 PHOTOS: MIKE SELSKY

EVENT

Ce nest pas la fin du Monde was the second Drop

City group exhibition since the success of 2009s trend-

setting Experiments in Occultism & Parapsychology.

We have since added on sixteen more unique visual

artists, including seven females to the previous Drop

City boys club, all of which share the collective vision of

Drop City and reflect the COMUNE lifestyle of carefree

idealism. Ce nest pas la fin du Monde or This is Not

The End of The World was a loosely themed group

show celebrating life, friendship, optimisism, and indi-

vidual creative freedom. We also unveiled the new Drop

City logo and concluded the evening with a performance

by special musical guest PLG\VNDR (Plague Vendor).

ABOUT

Drop City was introduced to attract likeminded

creative people to the COMUNE artist community and

to collaborate on special projects through COMUNEs

clothing brand. Participating artists include: Andrew

Kuykendall, Krystal South, Noah & Nathan Rice, Ray

Gordon, Noel Sinclair Boyt, Wyatt Hull, Devendra

Banhart, Mario Wagner, Alana Paterson, Beth Hoeckel,

Bryan Schnelle, Jen Wolf, Kealan Shilling, Alex Mertz,

Jason Levins, Adam Harteau, PLG\VNDR, Kevin

Castanheira, Sam Avery, Mike Selsky, Alexis Gross,

Michael J DeMeo, and Amber & Ashlie Chavez. Drop

City will continue to evolve its community, creative

platform, and influence.

COMUNE // DROP CITY CE NEST PAS LA FIN DU MONDE GROUP SHOW

samm

y

samm

y winter / gravisskateboarding.com

Blisss_Gravis_Sammy_Jan12.indd 1 12/13/11 11:14 AM

TOCRANDOMS // 30PRODUCT REVIEW // 36WAVE WARRIORS // 38VIRGINIA WAGNER // 40TENDERLOIN NATIONAL FOREST // 42BEN BLATT // 44CMO // 46SUPER TASTE // 50MEGA RAMP // 54PIPE MASTERS // 56ART BASEL // 60KOLOHE ANDINO // 66FASHION // 74THE ART OF C.R. STECYK III // 80RYAN DECENZO // 86 MICHAEL AZEVEDO PHOTO PROFILE // 90SURFER POLL // 98POLYESTER PREMIERE // 100WESC X RZA // 102MAMMOTH NIGHT OF LIGHTS WEEKEND // 104SPYDER SNOW FEST 2 // 106THE SPITS // 110CD REVIEWS // 112GROM // 116

C.R. Stecyk III drawing this months BL!SSS cover logo :: Photo: JP

RZASHOT BY

KA I REGANwww.wesc.com/chambers

RZA LOGOS:

in10,5x13,625-wesc_rza.indd 1 2011-12-16 10:55

2012w w w . e z e k i e l u s a . c o m / w w w . e a s y - k i l l . t u m b l r . c o m

Disclaimer: Although all best efforts are made to avoid the same, we reserve the right to publish unintentional mistakes and/or factual errors which may occur on a monthly basis. No responsibility is assumed by the publishers for unsolicited materials/articles/letters/advertising and all submissions will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright and/or appropriate licensing purposes subject to Blisss right to edit and comment editorially. The views and opinions expressedinthismagazinereecttheopinionsoftheir respective authors and are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Blisss Magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising matter which may reect negativelyon the integrity of the magazine. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form [print or electronic] without prior written consent from the publisher.

If your favorite shop isnt receiving BL!SSS Magazine please contact [email protected]

January 2012

EDITOr- IN-CH IEFnick [email protected]

EDITORjoey [email protected]

CREATIVE DIRECTORmark paul [email protected]

EDITOR AT LARGEliz rice [email protected]

SKATE EDITORchris [email protected]

SNOW EDITORjon [email protected]

MUSIC EDITORmax [email protected]

ADVERT IS [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSJason Kenworthy, Dominic Petruzzi, Daniel Russo, Toby Ogden, Tom Carey, Brian Beilmann, Jack Coleman, Andrew Mapstone, Adam Moran, Dave Nelson, Pat Eichstaedt, Julien Lecorps, Ryan Boyes, Zach Hooper, Tim Peare, Michael Lallande, Bob Plumb, Peter Morning

CONTRI BUTORSMatt Patterson, Willie Marshall, Daniel Russo, Jason Arnold, Greg Escalante, Nathan Spoor, Tom Carey, Travis Millard, David Choe, Kai Garcia, Mickey Neilsen, Peter Townend, Hamilton Endo, Tawnya Schultz, Mike Murciano, Geoff Shively, Casey Holland, Steve Stratton, Robbie Sell, Andrew Miller, Pat Towersey, Raul Montoya, Ian Dodge, Spencer Pirdy, Richie Olivares

BL!SSS Magazine413 31st StreetNewport Beach, CA 92663www.blisssmag.com

Cover Artist: CR Stecyk III

nixon.com

After starting thingsoffwithabangbydecimating theeldof competitorsat Sunset, John John FlorencehadhissightssetongettinghisrstTriple Crown Title. Unfortunately, Haliewa didnt offer up the best waves, but John Johns versatility made up for it as he boosted and spun his way into the later rounds of competition. Then came Pipe, and as we all know Pipeline roared to life this year. John John put on a clinic out there; recording high 9-point rides all event, along with a perfect 10-point ride that had him getting two critical barrels on one wave. Kelly took out John John in the quarters with some of his own trickery, but by that time the deal had been sealed. Congratulations to John John on becoming the youngest Triple Crown winner in history and thanks for inspiring us all!

30

Erik Leines over at Celtek gave us the heads up on their newest glove to hit the market called the Ruble. Aside from being comfortable and durable, these things are made out of a poly cotton blend with touchscreen capac-itive leather that allows you to stay connected. How does all of this work? Well, Celtek teamed up with the folks of TouchTec Leather, used a little nano-technology combined with the bodies own electrical current and the end product was this badass glove. That means no more fumbling with your gloves to answer a call or send a text, and dont worry, you wont be compromising your warmth one bit as the gloves are insulated to keep you cozy and dry. Get yourselves some of these gloves ASAP and remember not to text and ride!

Every January, the city of Seal Beach plays host to their own Seal Beach Surf Championships. The folks over at Body Glove are mak-ing this contest one for the record books, as theyll be having a waiting period to make this competition well worth your time! Thats right, were talking world tour style waiting pe-riod that allows for the contest to be run in good-epic conditions. The waiting period starts January 7th and goes until February 25th and with so many divisions available the contest will be able to accommodate the whole family. Log onto sbsurf-contest.com to download an entry form or visit a local Seal Beach surf shop and well see you there!

Theres a lot of domino playing that goes down in the BL!SSSofcewhenweprobably should be working. The game is just too fun sometimes and we found a really unique set available called the Bronze Bones, which we might be using our leftover holiday cash to buy. The Bronze Bones is a 28-piece domino set, hand ma-chined from blackened bronze to give these dominoes a polished look. The Prin-cipals designed the set for The Worlds Best Ever and this is a one-of-a-kind additiontoanyonesgametable,livingroomorevenyourofceloungingarea.Theset comes in a leather bound hollowed-out book complete with a score pad, pencil and sharpener. Go to bronzebones.com to check it out yourself!

JOHN JOHN GETS CROWNED

BRONZE BONES

SBSC

CELTEK GLOVES

MR MALONEY & MR CATWe received more than a handful of holiday cards this past month from allwalksoflife;advertisers,friends,PRrms,fans,jailmailyounameit and we got it. Most were the typical holiday greetings, Happy New Year, Merry Christmas type but one in particular really stole our hearts. Our dear friend and artist extraordinaire Jason Maloney went all out and re-ally shocked us with this amazing holiday card of himself and his cat, Mr Cat. Anyone who knows Jason knows he is a bit of a dark character but now we all know that hes a big softy on the inside.

Our friend Frank at Contour sent the whole BL!SSS staff a few of their new hands free HD video cameras called the Roam. The Roam is water-proof, easily turned on and off with the slide of a switch and weighs only 5 ounces which make this camera as light and durable as they come. Whether you want to make yourself a high quality video or just get some adventurous footage and frame grabs of your friends, this camera is ide-al for everyone in the action sports arena. The cameras had us all worked up and excited and we cant wait to give these things a go in some solid surf, on the mountain or even while were messing around skating in the parking lot. To order one yourself visit contour.com.

With the coconut water craze thats infected the US lately, its no surprise to us that someone is actually doing it all-natural. Our boy Gerry Edick swungbytheofcetodropoffsomefreshlyimportedsweetHusk Cocos from Thailand and man we gotta tell ya, theyre some of the best nuts that weve ever tasted. Theres something to be said about drinking coconut wa-ter straight from the source, nothing added, just as pure as Mother Nature intended it to be. Organic, green, and right from the tree, what more could you ask for. One day we hope to see all the sodas and soft drinks replaced by this all natural, truly organic beverage. Log on to huskcoconuts.com and order them directly to your home, business or special event today.

Big thangs have been happening at the James Haunt camp lately. Be-sides releasing their own new collection Style Gangster, which will debut at Agenda in Long Beach, theyve also landed online exclusives at UrbanOuttters and Zumies with their Kill Time Space collection. Not just making quality threads, Haunt has been busy behind the brush as well; painting live pieces at Tillys in Santa Monica, installments at the Red Bull Plaza at Bear Mountain as well as an ultra naughty 148-foot long mural Tijuana. Check out everything James Haunt and his crew have been up to at jameshaunt.com.

Good things come with change and were very delighted to let the world know that our dear friend Paul Gomez is now CEO of Podium Distribution. Hes been captain of the ship for a few months now and weve kept it under wraps, but now that Matix Cltohing is back in the mag and blowing up, timing couldnt be better. Our editor Joey Marshall got to spend a week with Gomez and his son Dakota this past month slaying yellowntuna down in Puerto Val-larta, Mexico and got to hear all about the big changes happening at both Matix and DVS. Keep your eyes peeled for big changes and quality products coming from both these brands in 2012.

HUSK COCONUTS

HAUNT 2012

PAUL GOMEZ CEO

IANS BOARDIES

CONTOUR ROAM

Ian Walsh is a man synonymous with big waves, hard charging and all around ripping. Ian is also one of Fox clothings shining stars these days, and hes just re-leased a new boardshort with the crew. The shorts are lightweight and come with mesh pockets that are sewn in, making them ideal for surng. Theshorts also come with insane graph-ics, and whether you charge like Ian or are just trying to impress the la-dies, we think these boardies will help you excel in either category. Visit foxhead.com or your lo-cal surf shop to purchase Ians signature boardshorts today!

32

brixton.com

COAKLEY

BrixtonAd_Bliss-0112.indd 1 12/13/11 11:37 AM

Want to see an epic concoction? Try taking Mitch Abshires Captain Fin Co. and mixing in Dane Reynolds Summer Teeth, voila! The all-new Sum-merTeethDaneReynoldsnsareoutandreadytoberocked.Theycomefully equipped in a Futures Fin template and feature some of Danes own signature artwork. We all love Dane and his vagabond carefree style, so why notallowthattocarryoverintoyourownsurng.Gooutandgrabthesensatyourlocalshop,screwthemintoyourboardandyoullbedoingnsfreesnaps to head whips in no time! Well, we take that back, but youre at the very least guaranteed the head whips so have fun!

Coalatree skate team member Matt GurreroisaBakerseld,CAresidentwho clears giant ledges or sticks stylish nose blunts down 20-stairs for a liv-ing. Well, since he became a member of the Coalatree family hes taken up quite an interest in sustainable farming. So much so that hell be moving out to Colorado to live and work on the CTs family run organic farm. Were talking organic produce, meats and, of course the high quality organic clothing that they produce. Check out daily updates from the adventures of Matt and the Coalatree family at coalatree.com and remember to live sustainably!

Riviera has come out with a new line of hybrid skateboards that bridge the gap between standard performance skate decks and cruiser longboards. The boards are part of the Combine series, and besides the versatility these skate decks offer, they also come equipped with some insanely cool art. The Riviera crew enlisted in the help of some of their creative friends like Ty Williams, Daniel Zvereff and Dethkills. There are three equally unique boards on offer and you can choose from the Fish Stick, the Jellies or the Wrekd. Check them out online at rivieraskate.com or at your local shop!

Heres a little treat for all you future movie producers out there, the crew that brought you the original RED camera has just released their latest and great-est, RED Scarlet-X. With the ability to capture 4K-motion footage and 5K-stills, this will become the must have camera in thelm industry. It comesstandardwith Canon EF and PL mount options, allowing you to access nearly all your previously purchased lenses, hopefully offsetting the nearly $10,000 price tag. Im sure it wont be too long before we see some insane action footage, so start saving those pennies and get to work.

GURRERO X COALATREE

STECYK X BL ISSS

CAPTAIN FIN X SUMMER TEETH

In case you didnt notice we changed the BL!SSS logo on the cover this month. Seeing as though weve ran the same logo on the cover for almost six years now, and considering our friend CR Stecyk (cover artist), created some new lettering for us, we thought it was the perfect time to change it up. Its actually quite an honor to have Stecyk create the cover glyph for us. We were also able to make some t-shirts with his handy work on them as well, which will be available for all you serious BL!SSS fans out there - you know who you are. We are super stoked to have his feature in the magazine this month and its been a pleasure working CR Stecyk. CR is a busy manashesalsocomingoutwithashortlmbythenameofFIN that will be premiering at H Space, located at Hurley campus in Costa Mesa on February 8th from 6-9pm. Hope to see you all there, stop by and grab an exclusive BL!SSS/Stecyk shirt from the crew.

34

MOSKOVAS M-2

RIVIERA COMBINE BOARDS

The boys from Moskova have been making big moves this win-ter. After a jaunt over to the North Shore to meet up with family members like Jeremy Flores, Coco Ho, Sunny Garcia and Dustin Barca, the crew is back to making things happen around Cali. While they were here we also got a quick glimpse of their newest boxer-brief, the M-2. These briefs keep you styled and protected under any conditions and we strongly suggest you purchase a pair and feel the difference for yourself. It seems like all of the biggest names in the action sports world are linking up with Moskova. A diverse group of highly skilled individuals like Kron Gracie, Dirt Nasty and Grey-son Fletcher are getting in on the Moskova lifestyle. Be sure to keep up with the crew at moskova.com and @moskova on Instagram.

STAY WARM

Alpinestarsalpinestars.com Analog

analogclothing.comBrixton

brixton.com

Comunethecomune.com

Electricelectricvisual.com

Fyaskofyasko.com

Hurleyhurley.com Matix

matixclothing.comNixon

nixonnow.com

Oakleyoakley.com

RVCArvca.com

Vansvans.com

Volcomshop.volcom.com

36

Itsbeen twentyveyearssinceHerbieFletcher brought together the original Wave Warriors for the photo that captured a time in surf history, that was to become iconicLookingback, thatphotoseemsto represent a time of innocence before huge multinational conglomerates were putting big money into the sport, and it was difcult to make a living as aprofessional surfer. Now when it seems like every great ride is posted on the internet before the swell is gone, and the North Shore has taken on the vibe of an industry trade show with company houses all up and down the beach, it is especially important for the surfers to get together in a celebration of what makes them united. Though their individual talents have made each of them unique, and their efforts are rewarded with contest wins, magazine covers, popularity polls, and other media coverage, that same reward system also creates a sense on isolation just as each wave is a one men event,surngiscompletelyindividualisticand creates somewhat of a loner type of existence.We owned the three story wood house at Pipeline with Gerry Lopez from 80 to 98 where all the great young surfers hung in the yard looking down the barrel of one of the most awe inspiring lefts in the world. It was these quick-tempered, tightly toned young panthers pacing the yard who pitted themselves against the huge barrels of water breaking over razor sharp coral heads in as little as two feet of water for the sheer thrill of it who were

the surfers who seemed larger than life, heroic. It wasnt about the magazine covers of the time or butt wiggling contest surngtothebeach.Thesesurferswerethe heart of the Wave Warriors.

There were few chances for anyone to see what was going on this small seven-mile stretch of pristine beach that is the North Shore. Of course there had been Beach Blanket movies, Gidget and a host of other Hollywood fair, along with some greatsurflmsbysuchgiantsinthegenreas Bud Browne, MacGillvray Freeman, and Bruce Brown to name a few. Herbstartedlming in 83andreleasedtherstinaseriesofveWaveWarriorvideosin1985,documentingthesurngthat was happening in Hawaii. This wasnt the Wide World of Sports or coverage that was being televised, this was something RAW. With an original heavy metal sound track, Martin Potters aerial assault on Backdoor, radical Jet skiing at Maaleaa, the fastest tube in the world, and barrel rollsatPipeline-theselmswhichstartedout as a way to document the surfers who were riding Astrodeck (the tail pad Herb invented and brought to market). He always felt that he was making training tapes, and that did become the case for most of the young Warriors we see at Pipe now.

With the advancements in technology plus the acceptance of tow-ins, this

unique breed of surfers are pushing themselves into more critical positions in the take-off miles from shore in 50-foot plus gargantuan open swells and are after ever more extreme adventures. This is what keeps surng alive andmovinginto new frontiers with a handful of Wave Warriors of each generation resetting the bar.

At the end of the ASP season, when many of the pro surfers are glad to get off the road and head home to their respective corners of the world, its a great thing to see them band together with all the same photographers that have been with them through the ups and downs of huge swells, friends passing, contest angst, and everything else that is the life of what professionalsurnghasbecome.WhenIgot the call from Christian last evening, he summed it up best by saying, Mom, its the greatest team photo ever, only Dad could have done that!

My friend Tom Servais said he thought one of the funniest moments was when Buttons Kaluhiokalani, who had been the corepieceoftherstteamshotshowedup late and said, You guys cant start without me! They redid the shoot, with him back at center stage.

We had shirts printed for the event with a picture of Nathans awesome Teahupoo tube ride on the front and In Memory of Andy Irons, Marvin Foster, and Sion

Milosky on the back as mementos for all our friends that showed up. Ive gotten the chance to get a few quotes:

Jamie OBrien: I was so stoked to be a part of history with everybody!Julian Wilson: I was so happy to be a part of the Pipeline!Danny Fuller: It was simply an honor to be a part of this. Its the history of Astrodeckandahugepartofsurng.Nathan Fletcher: Incredible, to see all the people there and all the people from 25 years ago, Incredible!Bruce Irons: I wouldnt have missed this for anything! If Id of left for Kauai, I wouda ownbacktobeinthisphoto!Kelly Slater: Snap your ngers , geteveryone together. It was great!Buttons Kaluhiokalani: It was getting everyone together, Id always be here to support the Fletchers and Wave Warriors, Ive known them forever.

We have the original Wave Warrior photo (taken during the 80s) blown up and on thewallofourofceandnowwellhavethis one to hang beside it. Were so grateful to be part of such truly talented, driven, intense and completely crazy bunch of individuals who take time to come together as the greatest team in the history of surng:TheWaveWarriors.

A special thanks to our family friend Julian Schnabelwhoewinforthephotoand has helped us in so many ways.

38

Words: Dibi Fletcher :: Photo: Tom Servais

Words: Kelly Shannon

insight51.com/art/rad-dan insight51.com/surf/jared mell

kai otton

jamaican surf team

warren smith

rangi ormond

thom pringle

otis carey

cj kanuha

WWW.INSIGHT51.COM

Virginia Wagner is a painter and writer currently living in Brooklyn, New York. More of her work and her blog can be found on her website www.studiovirginia.net.

Last year you spent some time in Iceland. How did the paintings in your Outpost series grow out of your experience there?Yes, I spent some time last summer exploring Icelands stark, elemental countryside. I found its expansive plateaus, jagged edges and big skies the ideal stage on which to set my story. Nothing grows very high in Iceland because of the harsh winters, so the mind has all the space it wants to wander with the wind. At the same time, there was a lot of drama in the landscape that I tried to harness as a

reectionofpsychologicalconict.

The two main characters in the Outpost series are the female protagonist and the glass house that she lives in. The setting could be construed as apocalyptic and is certainly desolate. I was thinking about Icelands days of darkness and the colors in the Aurora Borealis.

The narrative scenes you portray frequently depict one scene but allude to a larger story. Are we supposed to ll in the detailsourselves?Although I often have an elaborate back-story in my head before making a painting, it is not important to me that Itthisallintotheimage.Itismyaimto transport the viewer to another place

and let them have their own adventure there. Hopefully, my detailed histories addbelievability and specicity to theplaces that I construct and enrich the viewers experience.

You come from a background in both painting and creative writing. How do these two practices inform each other?Writing and visual art feed into each other in a productive loop. When I am haunted by a story or question, it usually has a preference as to whether it prefers to be explored in images or words. Ideas that have been distilled to their core elements or are more abstract in nature tend to manifest visually. Words work well for untidy, restless stories that want to stretch their legs. I also use writing as a way

of documenting my travels and studio practice on my blog.

What is next in the world of Virginia Wagner?I recently spent some time in Berlin and am working on a body of work called Sleeping Beauties that draws from German mythology as well as the youth culture in Berlin and New York. There are exciting parallels because many German sagas and poems were rstrecordedbymonksinIcelandandmany of the Norse Gods were worshiped in both regions. But, in contrast to Icelands blankness, German myths were birthed from its thick, imposing forest. The new images tap into the rich, black magic in these old tales and look at life forms that grow together in close quarters, urban and woodland.

40

Words: Martha Joseph

Words: Kelly Shannon

Virginia Wagner

1,&.9,6&217,

5

bl!sss magazine | january 2012 | #53

Documents