http://www.hurley.com/?e/rss Hurley blogs en-us 2010 Hurley Tue, 09 Feb 2010 5 http://www.hurley.com/?e/rss http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/9462/headerzw7.gif 180 78 Hurley.com There was a thread that bound kids like Mel Kadel, growing up in the suburbs outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “Every kid I knew there had one thing in common, which was to get out of that town as soon as they graduated from high school.” The dull landscape of strip malls nudged her along, first for a short time in New York City, where nothing clicked. “I made a very blind move to LA,” she explains, “I got a job as a receptionist and made drawings at night. It was a shocking move. I didn't know the city, didn't have any friends, and swore I wouldn't stay more than a year. That was 11 years ago.” Today, she and fellow artist Travis Millard share a cabin high atop a hill in Echo Park, with drawing desks a few feet apart. With a little wood stove and a rustic feel, it’s the kind of urban retreat perfect for a self-barricading writing session with an acoustic guitar, or for this pair of artists to work. Spacing Awake. Mel’s artwork, done almost exclusively in micron pens and ink washes on coffee-stained paper, immediately seemed to tickle my amygdala, an uncanny blend of the special artwork stored in my back-brain childhood. “Shel Silverstein was my favorite,” she says, “I would read his books over and over. The drawings and stories were a perfect balance or weird, dark, and funny.” As in the line drawings of the great, weird poet and storyteller, there’s a tension in Mel’s work, too. Her characters – a company of actors in similar garb in tableaux of action – are pushing, pulling, riding, rising, often against great, ornate quilts on the verge of becoming their own animal and force. Falling in Line.  Along with her successful studio art practice, Mel’s managed to keep her hands in zine-making, a most labor-intensive and non-remunerative art form – especially when one prints them on paper lovingly coffee-stained by hand and distributing her small-run zines by hand or via Travis’ Fudge Factory Comics. Should you find yourself in Sydney in March, look for Mel and Travis at the Semi Permanent Conference in Sydney, Australia. While the thought of it, she says “makes me nervous, it'll be a great honor.” –by Caleb Neelon / Hurley Art For more, go to melkadel.com http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38273 Evan Slater Monday, February 8, 2010 Born out of a drawing in the sand during the summer of 2000, Leaf was initially a movement of ’05/’06 Laguna Beach High School art students with a love for the ocean. With inspiration and guidance from longtime LBHS art teacher Peter Tiner, that movement naturally expanded beyond Laguna’s shores. “Leaf took the local community of Laguna Beach by storm at the first annual Peace Pipe Pageant held at the Woman’s Club back in 2008,” says Leafer John-Paul Olson. “Since then, there has been a snowball effect, with more buzz and larger crowds at following productions.” Examples of this can be seen in their recent exhibits in San Francisco, where additional artists joined the cause. Leaf’s ultimate goal is to reach a pinnacle of design, art, music while keeping the family and community as a central theme. Essentially a collection of photography, films, prints, and paintings, the Time Tablets exhibit creates a strong feeling of one communal voice. Artists represented include Laguna Beach locals: Scott. Z Stinnett, Sam E. Ferguson, Edgar Nelson Obrand, Seth Barnard, Isaac Zoller, Dustin Pettit, and John-Paul Olson. Other Leafers, including Travis Parr, Robert Polizzatto, and Mathew Marsh Green, will also be represented. The Time Tablets are now on exhibit at 225 Forest in Laguna. The collection will be on display until Feb. 14. The images are from the exhibit’s opening night, where a good number of the local art community came out to recognize the project.   For more on Leaf, visit www.youarewithleaf.blogspot.com For more on 225 Forest, the Hurley/Nike/Converse retail experience that prides itself in customization and community ties, go to Go to www.225forest.com. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38242 Evan Slater Sunday, February 7, 2010 Self-taught Philadelphia painter Jim Houser combines words and storytelling with cartoony renditions of recurring motifs, everything from ten-gallon hats to snakes. An honorary member of the artists collective Space 1026 and a life-long skateboarder, Houser had a busy year in 2009. “I moved out of and back into my house, put in a new kitchen, got married, had hip surgery, got Jessica pregnant, and did three shows.” It’s a wonder that his paintings, sculptures, and installations don’t show the same frenetic pace – instead, they’re the near opposite: purposeful, considered, and peaceful. Incredibly peaceful. The Sound of a Drum. Jim has a vocabulary of images that he draws on continually, among them vines, cowboy hats, hands, scalloped patterns, octopuses, and wallabee-like shoes. Throughout his paintings, he combines his imagery with lines of text, rarely with a line longer than a few words. Such text is planned, but only to a point. “Whatever it is I write down usually changes or is changed by the time I paint it on a painting. I carry as much of the stuff around in my head as possible at one time, and whatever order it comes out in usually is about 35% governed by my conscious and the rest just is what it is.” Two Face. Among Jim’s friends, he has a reputation as a homebody, and he agrees. “I like being home more than anywhere,” he says, “I am half-heartedly looking for a studio right now, since once the baby comes, I need to get out of the house. My studio is the whole 3rd floor of the house, and I need to clear out room.” Does that mean he’ll be looking for a studio in its typical form? “Rather than a dirty warehouse-y place, I'll probably rent an apartment. I need a comfortable place with cable and a sofa, or I will never go there to work. I don't think i have the personality to share a space with another artist.” The Hit Taker. At the moment, Jim is putting finishing touches on a February solo show at Monster Children in Sydney, and on return, plans to paint a bedroom in his house for his and Jessica’s lil’ player to be named later. “A couple other shows after that, a lot of diaper changing and baby singing, in the near future, I think. Can't wait.” The Barrage. Like a lot of artists, I like to collect art, and like a lot of collectors, I find that each piece on my wall develops a bit of a role in my daily life. The small piece of Jim’s lives by my door, and when I see it, I’m reminded to take a long, slow breath and find my center. That baby room will be a wonderful place. –Caleb Neelon / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38224 Evan Slater Friday, February 5, 2010 Erin Ashley wishes she would have learned a different instrument. "Learning the saxophone pretty much limits me to jazz or ska. And I've done both," she says. But right now, she's the chief horn-blower for the up-and-coming band Go Go 13. "We're playing Warped Tour this year," says the 27-year-old from Long Beach. "Better late than never." Erin rides a 9'6" double-step deck single-fin shaped by Dano. She enjoys surfing Blackies in Newport because everyone keeps an open mind there. Erin -- also known as "Worm" -- also frequents spots like Malibu when she's in the mood. "I like to roam," she says. Erin recently spent the day with talented photographer Justin Jay. "Blackies was bad, so we went to Seal," says Erin. Justin -- who's photographed some of the best in the music biz in their most intimate moments -- captured a few gems both in and out of the water. Erin Ashley is the newest Hurley Slider. She's nice, drives an old car, thinks for herself and can hang on the nose way longer than you. She also plays saxophone, but wishes she would have learned a different instrument. --es http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38221 Evan Slater Thursday, February 4, 2010 November 2009 was a huge month for the Dubyouth boyz. For the first time in their DY musical careers, they were invited to play shows in Europe (Paris and Berlin). The Paris show was organized by Chinese Man crew, who got fully hooked in by Dubyouth after seeing them perform in Yogyakarta. The show in Paris took place in the legendary Elysee Montmarte building, while the Berlin show was organized by the House of World Cultures for the Worldtronic Festival 2009. This was BIG for the Dubyouth crew; something they never imagined would happen when the group were first starting up in their humble bedroom studio. What it has done is proven that Europe (or even the International community) is now welcoming their music. Europe has been funked by the grooved up sounds of Dubyouth! http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38202 Mitch Ross Thursday, February 4, 2010 Rockies has always been one of my favorite waves, for high performance surfing, on the North Shore. I was stoked to be able to meet and surf with fellow team riders, Brett Simpson and Micheal Dunphy. PHOTOS: Moses Slovatizki Colin http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38192 ColinHerlihy Thursday, February 4, 2010 Bob Does Bali!Last week we were really happy to see our founder and Chairman Mr. Robert (Bob) Hurley drop into Bali for a quick tour around our stores and some surfing with Riz and the boys.He kept it low-pro staying at Un’s Hotel in Kuta and just generally hanging out, meeting the locals and soaking up the sun and even managed to snag a few decent four foot lefts at Turtle island.For a lot of the local people working here it was a chance to meet the man behind the name and the brand & it had a deeply profound effect on some of them. Our product manager Marlon exclaimed that the experience “was like meeting God!”Bob was as cool and approachable as any one you have the had the pleasure of meeting and he was really stoked on what he saw in Bali and the development of the brand here; as only a little over a year ago there was no real sign of the brand anywhere… We hope to see his smiling face, surf stoke and words of wisdom back here soon…Hurry back to Bali, Bob! --Nicholas Farris http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38191 Mitch Ross Thursday, February 4, 2010 Illinois pop-punk band Alkaline Trio has a long-standing relationship with Hurley. This latest collection is another example of that. Be sure to get your limited edition tees, jeans and polos at West 49 right now or in the US on March 1, where the collection will be available at Active, 255 Forest, Hurley Irvine Spectrum and www.hurley.com. Alkaline Trio's new album, This Addiction, will also be out later this month. Check it out here. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38164 Evan Slater Thursday, February 4, 2010 Born out of a drawing in the sand during the summer of 2000, Leaf was initially a movement of ’05/’06 Laguna Beach High School art students with a love for the ocean. With inspiration and guidance from longtime LBHS art teacher Peter Tiner, that movement naturally expanded beyond Laguna’s shores. “Leaf took the local community of Laguna Beach by storm at the first annual Peace Pipe Pageant held at the Woman’s Club back in 2008,” says Leafer John-Paul Olson. “Since then, there has been a snowball effect, with more buzz and larger crowds at following productions.” Examples of this can be seen in their recent exhibits in San Francisco, where additional artists joined the cause. Leaf’s ultimate goal is to reach a pinnacle of design, art, music while keeping the family and community as a central theme. Essentially a collection of photography, films, prints, and paintings, the Time Tablets exhibit creates a strong feeling of one communal voice. Artists represented include Laguna Beach locals: Scott. Z Stinnett, Sam E. Ferguson, Edgar Nelson Obrand, Seth Barnard, Isaac Zoller, Dustin Pettit, and John-Paul Olson. Other Leafers, including Travis Parr, Robert Polizzatto, and Mathew Marsh Green, will also be represented. The Time Tablets are currently being transported from San Francisco to Laguna Beach, where they will be installed for Thursday night’s exhibit at 225 Forest. The collection will be on display until Feb. 14. For more on Leaf, visit www.youarewithleaf.blogspot.com. For more on 225 Forest, the Hurley/Nike/Converse retail experience that prides itself in customization and community ties, go to www.225forest.com. Be sure to come to 225 Forest in Laguna Beach at 6:30 p.m. and watch the vision unfold.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38155 Evan Slater Tuesday, February 2, 2010 greetings from the land of aloha. it's been quite a winter.  for a while there it seemed like it was never gonna stop.  swell after swell... after swell... after swell.  i almost got the feeling  of being surfed out... almost. but when's there's no swell in the islands i like to partake in other ocean activities with my friends over here. everything from canoe paddling, hawaiian sailing canoes, open ocean stand-up paddling...  basically anything that keeps my mind occupied and my body in the ocean. so here is a few photos of some of my adventures over the past month. enjoy.—rob http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38141 Evan Slater Sunday, January 31, 2010 Jake Halstead, star of Sliders TV and other Hurley.com videos, had the event of his life at the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Games in New Zealand this past week. The 15-year-old powerhouse from La Jolla muscled his way to the Under 16 final after a long, grueling run in the repercharge rounds. In the round before the final, he narrowly beat out teammate Kolohe Andino for the last spot. He then put together an impressive display in the punchy sandbar peaks of Piha, but came up just short of Australian Matt Banting for the world title. The runner-up finish helped Team USA secure a Bronze medal at the games behind Hawaii and gold medalists for the fifth straight year, Australia. A huge congrats goes out to Jake and Team USA for their efforts. The party's on us when they get home. For more, go to www.isaworldjuniors.com. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38129 Evan Slater Wednesday, January 27, 2010 The cinematic phenomenon known as The Drifter reached its pinnacle Tuesday night as Rob Machado accepted his award for “Athlete of the Year” at the X-Dance Film Festival in Salt Lake City. The movie, which packed theaters worldwide for the past few months, also won “Best Director” (Taylor Steele) and “Best Soundtrack” (Chad Davis and Warner Brothers Records) at the event. Keep in mind that the X-Dance film festival isn’t some rigged insider bro-down like certain video awards events. It’s an unbiased showcase of all the best action sports films of the year. And naturally, The Drifter stood apart. A huge congratulations to the entire Drifter machine (especially Rob) for making Hurley history. For more, go to www.x-dance.com http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38128 Evan Slater Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Francesco LoCastro’s new paintings are a pulsating mix between abstract eruptions and pop-infused realism. They’re sleek, calculated, but, at the same time, completely guttural. “I make the best decisions when I don’t think about them too much,” LoCastro says. “It doesn’t come from logic. It comes from something more primal than that.” After years curating, organizing, and working to make South Florida’s art scene sizzle, LoCastro has taken some time out—“I’ve been trying to come back to silence and get rid of all the noise, clutter and outside pressures”—to pin down exactly what he wants to say in his own art. What he’s finding is that his connection to counter-culture irreverence and free-spirited imagery may all be part of a subconscious search that started years ago. LoCastro grew up in the middle of a culture clash. He spent his childhood in Germany and, at one point, lived near Stammheim Prison. Members of the Red Army Faction, the anti-imperialist group that, among other affronts, killed high ranking officials and hijacked an airliner, were held at Stammheim, and the prison acts as an unhappy symbol of what happens when youthful unrest veers out of control. “I saw all of that go down, and it’s taken me this long to digest it,” LoCastro says. When he left Germany for Ft. Lauderdale, LoCastro was 17. He caught wind of the iconoclastic underground festering in New York and California and when he saw an issue of Juxtapoz with Mark Ryden, king of lush phantasmagoria, on the cover, “it all just kind fell into place.” The “lowbrow” language of Ryden and other artists in that scene was one LoCastro could speak to. And though he’d grown up thinking of drawing as a hobby, not a career, he soon had his first show at San Francisco’s Shooting Gallery. Since then, LoCastro, who still works out of Ft. Lauderdale, has exhibited nationally, spearheaded exhibitions that included artists like Shepard Fairey and Dalek, and started the Vanguard Art Fair—he wanted “to show artists that they could be as free as they want.” And now, even though he suspects the underground scene he’s championed is about to break open, LoCastro is laying low, revisiting his youth, rediscovering himself, and making resin covered paintings that marry flare-ups of color with controlled rendering. “I have more fun doing these than I ever have,” he says, “because I feel like they’re more my voice than me trying to be part of anything that’s been done before.” –Catherine Wagley / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38122 Evan Slater Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Dean Bowen (Gerroa, NSW) today claimed the 2010’s Grade – 5 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior claiming a professional junior surfing world-record USD$25,000 winner’s cheque. Bowen defeated Chris Friend (Alex Headland, Qld) in a seesawing final, which saw Bowen fall behind early, before retaliating with a blistering 9.17 (out of a possible 10) wave, registering a combined two-wave total of 16.17 (out of a possible 20) to Friend’s 14.63. “I’ll definitely be having a few drinks tonight with family and friends, and possibly take a quiet little trip to the Gold Coast casino,” an excited Bowen, 19, said. “The Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior is easily one of the best junior surfing events in the world and despite not being able to surf the famous waves of the point this year, its still been a great event and Hurley definitely know how to put on a show,” he said. Bowen's backhand did the trick.  Meanwhile for Friend, it was a bittersweet day with the likeable natural-footer not quite having enough gas to get him over the line in the final. “To come so close and not be able to walk away with the USD$25,000 is disappointing, but in saying that placing second is still a great result,” Friend said. “Dean (Bowen) is such a competitor in the water and he’s as Aussie as they come, so it’s great an Australian walked away with the cash in the end,” he said. With four Australian surfers competing on the final day, the end result was always going to spark patriotic celebrations, however, Bowen’s win did spoil the party for the local contingent, as three Queenslanders including Blake Ainsworth (Coolangatta, Qld), Mitch Crews (Currumbin, Qld) and Chris Friend were eliminated in the semi-finals and final respectively. A big turnout for the final.  All is not lost for 19-year-old Mitch Crews, with the Gold Coaster attaining the number-one position atop the ASP Australasia Junior Men’s ratings, holding a 770 point lead over his nearest rival Davey Cathels (Narrabeen, NSW). Visit www.hurleyprojnr.com for news, photos and updates relating to the 2010 Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior with plenty of action from the event’s Australia Day celebrations. 2010 ASP Australasia Junior Men’s Ratings 1. Mitch Crews (Currumbin, Qld) – 4770 points 2. Davey Cathels (Narrabeen, NSW) – 4200 points 2. Dean Bowen (Gerroa, NSW) – 4200 points 4. Chris Friend (Alex Headland, Qld) 3930 points 5. Blake Ainsworth (Coolangatta, Qld) 3390 points Results – Day Five Semi-Final One: Dean Bowen (Gerroa, NSW) 15.67 def Blake Ainsworth (Coolangatta, QLD) 13.66 Semi-Final Two: Chris Friend (Alex Headland, QLD) 13.03 def Mitch Crews (Currumbin, QLD) 12.23 Final Dean Bowen (Gerroa, NSW) 16.17 def Chris Friend (Alex Headland, QLD) 14.63 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38110 Evan Slater Monday, January 25, 2010 Over the past few days, surfer Jon Rose's organization Waves for Water has been deep in the trenches in Haiti, helping distribute water filtration systems to the hundreds of thousands in need. He also had friend Sean Penn helping him out (who happened to be wearing a Hurley/Surf n' Sea tee during the mission) and they're well on their way to getting more than 3000 filters to earthquake victims. Check out the video of Sean Penn in Haiti here. To learn more about Waves for Water or to donate, go here. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38109 Evan Slater Monday, January 25, 2010 Waves were even a little smaller today than the last few, but luckily the beachbreak still had some shape and competitors made the most of it. There were only 8 heats run today and they were 8 good ones.... The highlight by far was in Quarterfinal 3, Mitch Crews vs Peterson Cresanto. Mitch, who earlier in the day locked in one of the best performances of the day, was on the ropes against the Brazilian. Peterson had a 7 and 6 and Mitch was stuck with a mid range 4 point ride... 30 seconds to go Mitch gets a chance... In search of an 8.50 Mitch goes crazy and does some of the best surfing of the event to lock in a 9.17 and book a spot in the semis... A crazy performance! Mitch Crews with a buzzer-beater.  Today's matchups: Dean Bowen vs Blake Ainsworth Mitch Crews vs Chris Freind Click here for the live webcast. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38108 Evan Slater Monday, January 25, 2010 With the swell down once again it was time to go mobile... Rather than going south to D'Bah we headed north to Surfers Paradise and ended up at "Southport Spit." We were super lucky. The waves were basically non existent at Burleigh but at the Spit it was a fun 2 foot with the occasional  3 footer. The bank was a real tidy A frame with plenty of opportunities for big scores. Nike 6.0 rider Nat Young powers through at The Spit.  The level of surfing has been solid and we're now down to the Round of 16. Watch for Hurley's Mitch Crews and Chris Salisbury to continue to do damage. Stay tuned as the world's richest pro junior gets down to business or click here for the live webcast. — Mitch Chris Salisbury on his way up.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38100 Evan Slater Sunday, January 24, 2010 International competitors have dominated day one the 2010 Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior presented by Nike 6.0, with overseas imports going toe-to-toe with domestic stars in round one of competition. However, there was as much action out of the water, with Hurley officially opening the event with a media conference that had everyone talking. Special guests included 1978 World Champion Wayne Bartholomew who received a gift from founder of Hurley International - Bob Hurley. Bob Hurley traveled to the first day of the event all the way from his Californian home and presented Bartholomew with a replica of a surfboard Hurley shaped for Bartholomew in the 1980s. Bob and Rab talk shop.  Before that, 1988 World Champion Barton Lynch and former top world tour competitor Pat O’Connell as well as a host of top junior surfers including Mitch Crews (Currumbin, Qld), Chris Friend (Alex Headland, Qld), Chris Salisbury (Newport, NSW), Davey Cathels (Narrabeen, NSW) and Nat Young (Santa Cruz, USA) entertained an eager media gallery who were clearly excited to be in the same room with so many surfing legends. The main theme of the launch touched on Hurley’s initiatives in regards to prize money after it was announced late last year that the winner of this year’s event would receive a professional junior world record USD$25,000. Kicking off another historic event for Hurley. Meanwhile, in the water - Coming from the same Hawaiian Island as three-time World Champion Andy Irons, 18-year-old Dylan Goodale sent a warning shot to his rivals registering a day high combined two wave total of 15.08 (out of possible 20). Goodale said he was enjoying the small, tricky conditions treating the beach-break of Burleigh Heads like a skate park. “It wasn’t quite the Burleigh Heads that I’ve heard so much about, but it was still fun on the beach break despite not being able to surf the point,” he said. The January 22-26 competition window of the 2010 Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior presented by Nike 6.0 will also see the event’s finals conclude amidst the celebrations of Australia’s national day, bolstering the already festival style atmosphere associated with Hurley surfing events. The Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior presented by Nike 6.0 is proudly supported by Hurley, ASP Australasia, Surfing Queensland, Electric, Redbull, Coastalwatch, Australia’s Surfing Life Magazine and Aerial 7. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38099 Evan Slater Friday, January 22, 2010 A few months ago, we told you about former Hurley employee, Jamie Tworkowski and his organization. Well, now is your last chance to vote for him to receive this year's MTV Woodie award. So, go here now and voice your approval of all his amazing work. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38097 Evan Slater Friday, January 22, 2010 If you read my last blog, you know I missed the Eddie, and hurt my rib. If you didn't read it, please do. I put time and effort into my bullshit. Anyway, here we are six weeks after hurting my rib and I'm ready to go. I've surfed 3 or 4 times, swam a little in big surf, and feel pretty confident. By the way, surfing with a hurt rib sucks...lying on your rib trying to paddle is not pleasant. The point of these excuses is, I haven't surfed much. So here I am, home, ready to start surfing more, feeling good, and about to go to bed. I decide to take a quick look at the buoy before I go to sleep; it's 25ft., 17 seconds. For people who don't speak buoy language, that's GIANT. Its as big as Waimea can handle, or possibly even too big for the bay. I have no reason to be nervous, the Eddie is over, and I've proved myself enough times. F*&%, I still can't sleep. Brock didn't have any photos from this year, so we wanted to remind him what he's ridden before. When I wake up in the morning and drive down the hill, I see its really big. I have a doctors appointment I shouldn't blow off, so I go. Driving around the bay I'm seriously hoping it will drop by the time I get back. When Waimea is this big, its not fun; it will kill you, or me. When I get back from town, around 11, its as big as it gets. I'm not sure why, but I have to go out. Waimea has nearly killed me twice at this size. I'm afraid. One of my things at Waimea is I don't like to watch it before I go out. I get down to the beach and paddle out. People usually follow me because I've been around a while, but jumping in when I do is a bad idea. This time my friend Arnold Dowling followed me out. He paddled towards the channel, I stuck next to the rocks. He got his ass kicked in the middle of the bay, I got tossed around by about 20 waves, 5ft. whitewaters next to rocks. When the waves finally let up, I paddled my ass out to the line-up. All the way out I was worried about a close out set. When I made it out, I was winded. I knew I shouldn't be out there. I was not in shape, mentally, or pysically for maxed out Waimea. Usually, when I'm on the beach, I'm scared, I feel sick in my gut. On my way out though, those feelings start to change,and by the time I reach the line up, I'm fearless. This day was different. When I got out I could only think, shit, its going to be hard to catch a wave in. Not the right mindset. We know we've run this sequence before, but we don't care. It's still king in our book.  All my life I've seen when people surf closeout Waimea, most of them don't want a real wave. They paddle out thinking they want one, but when they get out there, they figure out its a bad idea. On days like this one there were 20 guys out, but only 3 or 4 who wanted a 20+ wave. I was suprised by Kahea Hart, he charged. Arnold, and this nice South African also wanted one. Pretty much everyone else looked like they'd seen a ghost. I was on the so called fence, not sure which way I was going. I told myself many times if I was one of the guys not wanting one, I'd quit. All of a sudden I realized, I might be one of those guys....I'm 42, got a great wife, I can't achieve much more wave-wise than what I've already done in the past. Why am I out here when I know it can kill me? I also know that when I'm out in the thick of things , I make bad choices in regard to my well being. So all this crap is going though my head, but I'm starting to get my wind back. I've been out about 10 minutes, and a set starts to form way out in the ocean. Horns are honking, everyone is paddling for the horizon. I don't paddle out because I know if you want to catch one, you have to stay close to the reef. For some idiotic reason, all of a sudden my mindset has changed, and I'm going to get one. When the set came, I was too far in for the first one, out of position for the second one, and the third (and biggest) was aimed right at me. I turned around and took off, knowing I'd make the wave. It was outside the main reef, so getting in wasn't very hard. A wind chop pushed me in, and before I knew it I was half way down the face. Then the wave hit the regular Waimea reef, and created a little bump. I went over that, and knew I had the wave made. After a sigh of relief, my board slowed down but my body didn't. I'm not sure what happened, but I went shoulder first into the bottom of the wave face. It wasn't a big deal, I knew I'd be under awhile, I've done it before. I got worked, and when I made it up, I felt fine. We'll still stack this one up against anything ridden this year.  Then I noticed that although I was swimming with 2 arms, one was just floating. I freaked out, screamed like a little girl. I had dislocated my left shoulder. It was so heavy to be thinking I'm moving my arm, and then look at it just dangle. There was a 20ft. wave coming so I had to start thinking about functioning with 3 limbs instead of 4. I took off my leash, because I didn't think it would be a good idea to drag my arm though the water, with the leash pulling me. The wave thrashed me around pretty good, but not too bad. While I was underwater I swam like I had two good arms, it didn't feel any different than normal. When I popped up, both arms were working. I was actually swimming. Did that just happen? Somebody who was on the shoulder came in and let me jump on the back of his board. I'm sure he heard me screaming, because before that wave I truly yelled like a big fffnnn pussy. Clyde Aikau came over to help push me into the channel. Everybody was waving for the jet ski. The weird truth was, I felt fine. I was paddling on the back of some guy's board and my arm didn't even hurt. The lifeguard (Abe Lerner) came over on the ski and had me climb onto the sled. He took me in, and dropped me perfectly right on the sand. End of story... How many of these can you take in a lifetime? But I don't know. I've come a lot closer to drowning, broke my kneecap blah, blah, blah...I think what I'm asking myself is should I keep surfing giant Waimea? I know this is cocky, but usually I'm the best guy out,even now (Shane and a few others are definitely better than me). I can't pass up a close out, if I'm in the spot, and in the mood. I'm 42 with nothing to prove. No decision, but leaning towards walking away...we'll see.   Just saw the photo, kind of a nothing wave, nothing fall. Not very good for my ego. If my shoulder pops out on a medium wave at the bay, what happens on a real wave? Makes me think about Mark Foo's medium wave at Mavericks. I think I think too much.-- Brock http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38041 Evan Slater Thursday, January 14, 2010 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38038 Evan Slater Thursday, January 14, 2010 Legendary L.A. graffiti pioneer RISK has been responsible for his fair share of graffiti firsts. He helped introduce New York style graffiti writing to the streets of L.A. in the 1980s. He was one of the first L.A. writers to paint freight trains, one of the first freeway bombers in the city, and one of the first writers to put his graffiti to canvas. A true trailblazer, known for his fearlessness on the face of grievous bodily danger, law enforcement and extreme heights, RISK is one guy who truly fits his name. Says RISK, “A lot of these things, being the first to do something, came out of wanting to push the limits and gain more notoriety. It’s hard to say if I ever did things specifically to be the first or if they just happened. I always liked it after it happened, but it’s hard to say if I ever thought about it beforehand. It comes from just taking things one step further.”   RISK ventured into the world of graffiti aged 16, in 1983, while a student at University High School on the Westside of LA. He decided to make the high school his personal canvas, tagging SURF (his first writing name—he was an avid surfer) everywhere during the day and returning at night to do pieces. He found that his efforts often disappeared by the next morning, and realized that he had to get creative if he wanted his graffiti to stay up. One night while RISK and another writer, JIMBO, were driving through the San Fernando Valley looking for a place to paint, they stumbled across a freight train yard behind the Budweiser plant. The two were most likely the first writers in L.A. ever to paint freight trains, and the artist formerly known as SURF would later go back and paint his first piece as RISK on a freight train. In L.A., as in just about everywhere outside of New York, graffiti was still almost entirely foreign, aside from gang markings and wall scrawl. RISK credits gang writing as an influence on his style, but he also wanted to find something more like his other primary influence—New York-style graffiti.   Everyone wanted to push graffiti further—hitting more spots, more visible spots and more unusual spots, with bigger pieces and crazier styles. Writers often talked about how cool it would be to do a piece along the freeway, but it seemed like a pipe dream to most of them. Says RISK: “One night I was sleeping, and I woke up and was like, ‘What am I doing?’ So I went to the freeway. It was an obscure spot, the Mulholland overpass on [Interstate] 405. I did a piece, drove by the next day, and looked up at it like, ‘Wow.’ Another first for RISK—and for L.A. graffiti—came soon after the freeway incident. RISK, WISK, MEC and SER were all drinking together while sitting on an overpass above the Pasadena Freeway just north of downtown L.A. when RISK, in his drunken state, decided to hit one of the signs hanging over the freeway, known as a “heaven.” To get to the sign, he had to shimmy across a piece of wood supported by two cables. His friends, scared for his life, begged him to come back to the overpass. That night spent hanging over the Pasadena Freeway was hardly the first or last time RISK encountered danger while writing graffiti (and it certainly wasn’t the last time he’d find himself hanging over a freeway). Contemplating the arc of his career, RISK attributes his success to something deep inside him. “I think I was the first to do a lot of stuff because I was competitive. I always wanted to take things one step further. If everyone was painting blocks, I’d put up a background. If everyone was painting blocks with backgrounds, I’d put up a border. If everyone went as high as they could reach, I’d paint the whole wall. “The reality is, you can’t be the best at anything. You always want to be the best, but there’s always gonna be someone better than you—and that’s what’s great about it. Because if there wasn’t someone better, why would you do it? You’d have nothing to strive for.” –Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/38005 Evan Slater Tuesday, January 12, 2010 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37994 Evan Slater Sunday, January 10, 2010 “I’m a perfectionist,” sayd Miso of her meticulously-crafted, otherworldly sculptures and paintings, “and it drives me crazy to the point where I don’t get any sleep. I’m pretty much an insomniac. I have weird ideas always going on in my head and I have to work.” She creates small figures and fantastic characters so believable that they begin to take on a life of their own. Miso is the nom de plume of Los Angeles photographer Karen Hsiao. Karen makes dark, haunting photographs; Miso carves, casts, and paints warmer, though still mysterious, figures and images. Miso adopted her second identity a few years ago to avoid confusion—those interested in her photographs tend to be attracted to fetish—but the duality resonates with her project. “I like the idea that what goes on in my head, people can also see and experience,” she says, and her invented name immediately blurs the line between imagination and actuality. A Los Angeles native and a graduate of Art Center, Miso initially thought she would pursue entertainment. But her time in art school convinced her that the studio and gallery life suited her better. She became enamored by the craft involved in sculpting and rendering and she realized she was the type who could spend days obsessing over every detail. She began exhibiting work in 2007. Miso recently finished the work for her upcoming show at Corey Helford Gallery, A Cold Return. “I’m loosely basing things on global warming but I’m not trying to be political about it,” she says of the exhibition. “I’m fascinated by the ice age and the extinction of animals during that time and also the talk of the polar bears being extinct in thirty years.” Her figures, often vulnerable and dependent on their environments, sometimes resemble strange sheep-like specimens. Then there are what Miso calls “white marshmallow creatures with horns,” and a recurring character, a rabbit girl who has long hair that covers her eyes and a posse of bats that take care of her. “She needs her little friends to pull her hair up. They’re like her sight.” A Cold Return opens in January, and then Miso will decide what to next. Eventually, she wants to bring all of her characters into three-dimensions, and she'll continue to take a meticulous, methodical approach to her work. "It almost makes it seem that my characters do exist," she says. —Catherine Wagley / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37960 Evan Slater Sunday, January 10, 2010 The Australian Junior Series is up and running once again for 2010 with the first event down at Bells Beach. It was a great event for the Hurley Team. Gold Coast surfer, Mitch Crews who has just recovered from injury, did extremely well in the event to finish runner-up. According to contest director and General Pants Group employee Matt Owens, Mitch was the surfer of the event and was unlucky not to have won. All in all a fantastic result for Mitch which now puts him in second position on the Junior Series. New Hurley recruit, Chris Salisbury also did well to finish equal 5th in the event, a solid start to the year.Next up for the Juniors is the World Juniors at Narrabeen and then the Hurley Burleigh Pro Junior up on the Gold Coast which boosts a 25k first prize cheque. Break's over. Time to boogie again. —MR http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37953 Mitch Ross Thursday, January 7, 2010 When most people think of Israel, they don't think of surfing. But this New Jersey-size country in the Eastern Mediterranean actually gets its fair share of waves in the winter months. The legendary Dorian Paskowitz brought surfing to its shores in the '60s and there was even a major pro event -- The Tel Aviv Pro -- held here in the early '80s. Fast forward to this past weekend, where Israel's thriving surf community held its national championships. Our man on the ground, Shai Swissa, informed us that two Hurley riders brought home the gold in their respective divisions. Local legend Aviv Vaknin won his fifth men's championship in a hotly contested final, while 19-year-old Tal Saporta won her first women's crown. Here are a few photos from Aviv and Tal's big day. We'll also be calling them during this week's Sliders TV web show this Wednesday at 4 p.m. It'll be 2 a.m. their time, but they promise us they'll still be up celebrating. Congratulations to two very worthy champions. Aviv gets soaked.    Tal (left). You know, the one with the Hurley hat.  Aviv racks one up in the final.  Tal: carving her way to her first Israeli championship.  Tal: thrill of victory.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37947 Evan Slater Tuesday, January 5, 2010 Another year, another ISA World Junior Games title on the line. Fortunately, the USA is in good hands in 2010 with three Hurley family members on the squad. Evan Geiselman, Conner  Coffin and Jake Halstead are less than two weeks away from packing their bags, zipping up their team sweats and heading to the land of sheep and kiwis. After a grueling year and a selection process that rivals American Idol, these three Hurley riders got the final nod from head coach Ian Cairns.   Evan Geiselman, showing team spirit in HB. PHOTO: MICHAEL LALLANDE   Which is no easy task. Cairns isn't afraid to call it like he sees it, and is the only coach this century to guide the Americans to gold. (He did it last year with the pros at the ISA World Games.) And now insiders are saying he can very well do it with the Juniors. "No promises," says Cairns, "but I think we've got a very strong team in every division."   Conner Coffin isn't making any promises either. He's been on two previous world teams (the ones in France and Ecuador under coach Joey Buran), and knows how unpredictable it can all be. "We thought we had the best team ever in France but we didn't even do that well," he said. "There are so many variables that a lot of things have to go your way. I'm so stoked on our team, but we just have to put our heads down and get it done."   Conner Coffin, getting it done. PHOTO: LALLANDE   Coffin also thinks Cairns is the right man to get them to gold. "He doesn't hold back to make you feel good," said Coffin. "And I respect that. Plus, he's made us all such better competitors."   For young Jake Halstead, this will be his first ISA World Junior Games. But he already has the right mindset. "Everything changes in these team events," he says. "You might have friends from Hawaii or other countries or whatever. But once that contest starts, you're all about the USA."   Jake Halstead, good thoughts and good deeds going into NZ. PHOTO: DHUMP   The 2010 ISA Juniors event will take place January 20-28 in Piha, New Zealand. Click here for more info.   Here are this year's team members: Boys Under 18 Conner Coffin Evan Thompson Evan Geiselman Andrew Doheny Boys Under 16 Kolohe Andino Jake Halstead Trevor Thornton Parker Coffin Girls Under 18 Courtney Conlogue Lakey Peterson Kaleigh Gilchrist Taylor Pitz http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37944 Evan Slater Monday, January 4, 2010 With only a few weeks off, the Junior Series in Oz is up and running once again and the first event down at Bells Beach is The Jetty Surf Pro.   New Hurley Team Rider, Chris Salisbury started this thing with a bang, knocking down the highest combined heat score of the day, first wave was a high 8 and then got a few 6's for good measure... Chris was riddled with injuries in 2009 but this year he has his sights set on glory and really wants to win the Junior Series and then a Junior World Title... Stay tuned. —Mitch Ross http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37940 Mitch Ross Sunday, January 3, 2010 Craig “Skibs” Barker loves women —the shoe-wearing, skirt-draping parts of them anyway. Yes, this Huntington Beach surfer is a leg man and, like most artists, he paints what he likes, as evidenced in his new show, “Stay Right Here” at Thinkspace in L.A.   “I am definitely a ‘leg man’,” he says “but it started as a series of suggestive paintings of women, and my wife/model was a little shy about having her face in them. It gives the work that kind of voyeuristic, anonymous feel. I do paint the entire figure a little more often now, but I still enjoy the legs.” Southern California culture also plays a huge role in Skib’s compositions, even though it may be an entirely subconscious effort on his part. The “old Polaroid” influenced color palette, the skirt lengths, and the pair of pointy kitten heels in every frame lend themselves to a time warp of his own making, modernized by depictions of his wife’s tattoos. “I don’t consciously say ‘I’m going to use distinctly Southern California colors’ it just kind of ends up that way…I just mix colors that I like,” says Barker. “When I take pictures for my paintings I let my wife and her friends (my models) pick whatever they think is cute. Which I suppose is somewhat regional since we live here. If I lived in New York my work would probably be different. I think climate, fashion, and culture are very influential in art, but it’s hard to say how different it would be.” The type Barker uses in his images pays tribute to the stenciled slogans associated with punk. However, he conceptually softens the original harshness of the font edges with more heartfelt messages, like “still here”, “carefree”, and “true”. Whereas Barker was in high school during the punk rock 80s, it proved to be a definitive time in his life—it was then that he got his nickname (Skibs), made his career choice (art), and discovered his favorite music (the Clash). “I got the nickname “Skibs” when I was about 14 or 15. I used to hang around with one of the older H.B. punkers nicknamed “Scab”. Everyone said I wasn’t big enough to be a full “Scab” I was just a little “Skib”…from there it has been every variation you can think of…Skibbles, Skiblets, Skibbies, Skibaroo…etc. But, “Skibs” is the one that has stuck the longest. I’ve had friends for years that never knew my name is Craig, “ explains Barker. “It was around then that I realized that you could make a living as an artist. The majority of my working life has always been in a creative field of some kind…I work as an Art Director now. So, after a few life detours I’m giving the fine art/gallery angle a solid try. My “Sight For Sore Eyes” show at Thinkspace gallery has been big boost for me. I think the day that I can have painting and gallery shows as my full time job, that‘ll be pretty big.” —Shelley Leopold / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37932 Evan Slater Sunday, January 3, 2010 Heavenly creatures abound in the whimsical wonderlands brought to us by artist Amy Sol. Long-limbed, waiflike, doe-eyed girls are portrayed in nature, with sweet looking foxes, sea ponies, and air balloon-bearing pandas. Their graceful locks move in concert with the dancing vines that surround them. A quality of movement so lovely and graceful, it’s as if these figures were under water. At the same time, these ladies might be illuminated by sunlight or cradled in clouds.   Sol, a Korean-born, Las Vegas-based painter, creates alluring surrealist fantasy, inspired by Manga, folk art and children’s illustration. She started pursuing a career in art around age 22, though her creative leanings began as a child. Sol recalls, “I remember it was my place of retreat, where I could explore a world apart from daily life. I did not play with toys or role-play as much as other kids but I got a similar enjoyment out of drawing.” Her work conveys a state of quiet contemplation. Her subjects, both the maidens and animals, are often portrayed with their eyes closed, their emotions contained, their state almost meditative. Sol says, “I like to imagine the girls, animals, and plants are sharing one dreamscape and each living thing is equally present in thought.” She emphasizes this tranquil mood by employing a muted palate of pastel grays, pinks, greens, and soft browns. Sol says, “Semi-muted frequencies have always captured my eye as well as misfit color combinations. I can fall in love with colors and would enjoy just mixing pigments and pairing tones for hours and hours.” She often paints in acrylic on wooden panels, with the grain serving as a guide for her creativity. Sol says, “I started using the wood grain as a base to structure my palette off of and it provided subtle direction of motion for some of the compositions. The panel has become an important part of my technique, but I am beginning to practice on other materials, such as canvas, cotton, and bamboo panels.” There exists an intimacy between the gals and the animals. Each of their interactions is a vignette of companionship. Sol says, “I suppose the female character is an embodiment of a mother nature-like figure, I don't ever think of her as a human. I put the character there to translate for a viewer how I want you to feel if you are in the picture.” It makes sense that Sol’s paintings are imbued with dreamlike quality, given that she creates at night while the rest of us are sleeping. Sol explains, “For some reason my imagination seems exceedingly stimulated at night and there are far less distractions.” --by Camille Lowry / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37914 Evan Slater Wednesday, December 30, 2009 “I sometimes speak English in a very French way,” warns artist Turf One with a good-natured laugh before discussing the work that makes up his latest show, “Shining Darkness,” which is on exhibit at the Thinkspace gallery in Los Angeles through the end of November. But much like his bold, uncompromising paintings, the former graffiti artist’s thoughts are direct and right to the point. Utilizing a wide range of found objects to serve as his canvas, Turf One’s latest works reflect his process of letting the subconscious mind guide his art. “The title ‘Shining Darkness’ actually came in the middle of working on it,” he explains from his current home base of Montreal, Canada. “I already had a few pieces done for the show which were very much playing on the notion of the juxtaposition and correlation of darkness and light. This is an underlying theme in my work in general, but I explored a more serious aspect of it for this show with pieces like “MEAT” or “FORTUNE TELLING MONKEY AUTOMATON.” Animals play a large part in the exhibit, with monkeys, pigeons and a disembodied pig’s head just a few of the creatures represented in the paintings. “I don’t really know where they come from. They each symbolize different things,” the artist muses. “I think the monkey, for example, is probably a symbol of the unconscious. The pigeons and sparrows are the messengers between different levels of reality. Most of the animals I paint are often vermin placed in a sacred context. Holy pigeons, rats and mice, cockroaches are amongst my favorite subjects. Living in a big city, they are also the species that share my environment.” “Montreal is definitely a great city,” he continues in regards to his present big city of choice. He relocated after vacationing there in 2000 and falling in love with the Quebec province. “The combination of cultures is very rich and inspiring and makes it unique. It’s not too big, so Montreal is still a very human city. People in general tend to be very chill and open.” Music fuels Turf One’s painting sessions, citing a panoramic soundtrack that includes everything from legendary hip-hop producer Jay Dilla to revered jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. “I just like good music,” the artist shrugs. “I never paint without music. It fuels me. It’s all about good music and coffee.” While Turf One has nothing specific planned for the time being, he’s been dabbling in taking his vision to the screen, co-directed the feature documentary “Dead Space” with his partner Lela Quesney a couple years ago. The pair has also been working on a TV show pilot based on his work. “I basically see myself as someone who has a vision and a need to create,” Turf One says finally. “I don’t necessarily define myself solely by the mediums that I use to give life to my creations. Painting is just one of these means I found to give shape to my vision. Filmmaking could be another one.” –by Scott Sterling / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37897 Evan Slater Monday, December 28, 2009 The surf has been pretty non-stop since I've been home from Hawaii. For this last one, I got the car ready the night before because I knew in the morning I would be half awake. We woke up at 4am and were on the road by 5. The tide was really high in the morning but there was still a few good waves. Once the tide started dropping out around 11 it really started to turn on. We had about an hour of good waves before the northwest wind started howling. Definitely worth the mission.--Brad Ettinger http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37868 CMH Tuesday, December 22, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37862 Evan Slater Monday, December 21, 2009 Just after returning from a teaching project in Norway, Baltimore stencil artist Chris Stain left a message on his web site, Woody Guthrie's 'So long, it's been good to know you.' We’re not sure what that means, except that we’re glad to have him home. What were you up to in Norway? I was in Norway working with Josh McPhee founder of JustSeeds.org. We had a creative workshop incorporating stenciling, music, dance, performance, installation, and painting, consisting of 80 students. The school's art director had asked us to come and work with the students on the theme of consumerism. How have you liked it? Has it been a good place to paint streets? We were on an island three hours south of Bergen. It was very rural so there weren't any "streets". Our main concentration was to work with the students. I think we both learned from each other more than just us talking at them. Can you tell us something about growing up in Baltimore that influenced you a lot, but that we'd never know unless we had spent a lot of time there? My neighborhood was very working class and my family as well. I grew up in the 70s and 80s. Rap, graffiti, and breakdancing were starting to filter in slowly and then more heavily once "Beat Street" dropped. So I have this blue collar steel worker mentality mixed with Run-DMC, Grandmaster Flash, Revolt, and Phase 2. How do you go about composing your images - do you work from source photos? Is art a full time gig for you, or do you do other work as well? I do source images from old photobooks, stuff I find online, and photos I take myself. For the past three years I have stayed home with my kids while my wife worked. At that point art was full time but also the times were better economically. I have now applied to several general labor jobs to help pay the bills. You had a big show this past summer in Brooklyn - can you tell us about that experience? I was working with Armsrock on that show. The show was titled I KNOW THERE IS LOVE and was taken from the CRASS song of the same name. It was a nod to the band as well as our own wanting to find light in the darkness of these times. I think artistically the styles worked well together. What do you have coming up that you are excited about? I have been turning a lot of things down. I'll be excited when I can get some steady money coming in. --By Caleb Neelon / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37839 Evan Slater Sunday, December 20, 2009 When Roland Tamayo was growing up in Glendale, outside of Los Angeles, his parents took him fishing – “on boats, piers, barges, in lakes and streams, you name it,” he remembers. As immigrants from the Philippines, it was “a cultural thing, the eating and catching of fish,” but Tamayo came away inspired by the detail and beauty of sea creatures. He paints them to this day, but seems more drawn to those he’ll never catch: creatures like narwhals and whales. Like many Los Angeles area artists, Tamayo honed his skills working in industry, in his case, as a concept artist, helping create the look and feel of games series like the Ratchet and Clank, and Resistance: Fall Of Man. “Before a level can get started, or even a whole game for that matter, there needs to be a clear vision on how it looks. Paintings need to show mood, atmosphere, what kind of civilization was here, etc. Was it an ice or lava planet, lush or desert? These paintings need to inspire the team toward a common goal. You also work with designers and programmers, making sure that ideas they have for gameplay reasons can look cool and make sense visually. Plus there are gameplay maps for each level, and at times, most buildings or objects need to be drawn in detail. From doors and how they work, to crates, light posts, energy generators, anything you can think of.” While he loved the teamwork aspect of the gaming work, when he came home and created his personal pieces, they tended to be simpler. “Concept paintings can be composed pretty complex and dramatic, with mood lighting, color, perspective angles, props, and characters, all mixed into one image. It was a relief coming home and painting a simple scene and image that mean something more personal to me. Something much more quiet I guess you could say. I'm not opposed to getting more complex in my compositions for my personal work, but I'm thinking I'll just slowly build up to stuff like that.” Just over a year ago, Tamayo and his wife welcomed twin boys Bradley and Tyler into their lives. Tamayo stepped away from the gaming work to raise the boys, and has concentrated on his personal artwork. “As far as my art, it's changed the themes a little bit,” he says of the change. “My themes are never overly deep - just simple thoughts that run into my head. A piece I've done recently that has included my family unit is "Bound." It shows two trees whose limbs are bound by rope, and holding up a tire for a couple of fish to jump through. Simple idea, but means a lot.” –by Caleb Neelon / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37827 Evan Slater Thursday, December 17, 2009 These are some photos taken during the filming of my documentary "Surfing Through Time" The documentary covers surfboard design and progression from 1937-1969, as well as a look into modern day surfing. Stayed tuned for more information about the film! Colin  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37800 ColinHerlihy Wednesday, December 16, 2009 I'm so bummed. I missed the "Quiksilver Eddie Aikau fueled by Monster Energy" (I'll call it the Eddie from now on) surf contest this year. About 2 weeks ago, I hurt my rib working on a movie. I flew into the corner of a table ribs first. I couldn't breath or barely move. After my breath came back, I stood up, and said I was fine. We did the stunt 4 or 5 more times. I was lucky, after the stunt, I got to lie down and play dead. Just doing that hurt like shit. Whatever, I made good money doing what I love. I still love going for it. I wasn't worried about the Eddie, the opening ceremony was around 2 weeks away. They never have the contest till later on in the waiting period. About a week after I hurt my rib, I tried to surf small Waimea. I made a fool of myself, and almost had to get rescued. I could not paddle with my left arm, it was pain. It's weird, at this point in my life, I try not to let the Eddie rule me. I'm lucky, I make money working outside of surfing. Life is good. Who am I kidding, the Eddie is on my mind all year long. It sucks. This year I could have paddled out, sat on the shloulder and cheerled. I know I would have been looked at as a kook. Instead, I was on the mainland shooting a fake gun on the passenger side of a car. In hindsight, I would do nothing different. If I surfed I would have surfed to survive. I want to be in it to win it. After watching the some of the webcast, i'm really bummed I wasn't healthy. Hopefully I'll be back next year. Whatever, this year hurt me mentally and physically.-- Brock http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37777 Evan Slater Monday, December 14, 2009 Imagine paintings that contain graceful female characters in art nouveau style, mixed with gambling icons like cards and spades, Asian letters, music notes and delectable sweets…this curious collage is what you will find in the paintings of Brandi Milne. Looking at her art is like playing slot machines; you can never predict what combo you might end up with, no matter how many times you pull the lever. That sense of spontaneity and excitement is what makes Milne’s art such a find.  Milne, a self-taught artist, paints in acrylic on wood panel or on covers of antique books. She draws from an array of influences, such as music, Asian culture, and her life experiences, especially those from her childhood in Anaheim, California. “As far back as I remember I’ve felt a creative pull,” says Milne. “I remember certain images from when I was wee, being obsessed with Halloween decorations, big colored bulb lights on the Christmas tree, any coloring book with thick lines, Popeye and Bugs Bunny!” Milne’s paintings often feature sugary treats, such as smiling ice cream cones, melting popsicles and peppermints. Milne explains, “Growing up I was a candy FIEND! I felt that including those images in my work added a little relatable nostalgia.” Though there is playfulness in her work, there also seems to be a solemn vibe surrounding the central characters, and a bite to the overall compositions. Regarding this darkness, Milne says, “I’ve had a pretty wonderful life, but there are recurring sad undertones and overwhelming emotional struggles that we all deal with along the way. I tap into that in my work in hopes of relating to my viewers.” At the core of her paintings is an expression of universal emotions—loss, loneliness, and love. Her personal tenderness is represented here as well, through the reoccurring image of a strawberry, which Milne describes as, “a symbol for my heart. Whether it’s bleeding, sad or being cradled.” In addition to her paintings, which have been exhibited throughout California since 2004, Milne has made irresistible plush toys, collaborated with Hurley and published her first book “So Good For Little Bunnies.” She is currently preparing for her next solo show at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. “It’s gonna be a big ‘un!” she says. –By Camille Lowry / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37776 Evan Slater Monday, December 14, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37756 Evan Slater Sunday, December 13, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37748 Evan Slater Sunday, December 13, 2009 One of the few bands from the early West Coast punk scene to regularly play with original members, The Gears haven’t lost any of their original energy. Hurley talks to Gears frontman Axxell G. Reese about their lives in the fast lane.  Tell me your full name and where you’re from. Did you grow up in LA? I’m Axxel G. Reese (Christened Terry Lee Davis) and I was born in Tampa FLA, but my family moved to L.A. in 1968, just in time for all the fun and games of the late sixties. I grew up in N. E. Los Angeles (we call it N.E.L.A.) where the street gang ‘Los Avenues’ has resided for over 50 years. I moved in and around Hollywood for most of my adult life, but I’m living back in N.E.L.A. again, full circle as they say. How invested are the Gears in California car culture? The Gears all love great cars but we admire them from a distance. We usually own vehicles that can carry us and our stuff. We’re also big drag racing enthusiasts who wish we had our own Gearster to run someday...who knows? Maybe someday...but then we’d have to fight over which of us gets to drive. What’s your dream vehicle? A 1967 Chevy Camaro with a 327 3-speed if I’m racing for pinks; a 1964 original Chevy Impala (slightly lowered with classic Cragar rims) if I’m cruisin’ for a bruisin’ or have my Girl along. You started going to LA's first punk club the Masque and that’s how you got into punk culture. Tell us that story. I was lucky enough to hear about this Masque place right after the Bicentennial era, around ‘77/’78 and I happened to be a bit disgusted with corporate rock and radio at that same time. I forget where or how I heard of the place, but I was also lucky enough to have a band at the time with members in the same frame of mind I was in, and we explored The Masque together. What’s your favorite Masque memory? The first time the boys and I went, the proprietor, Brendan (Mullen) wanted to charge us at the door but made a deal with me that if I went to the store and bought him some smokes he’d let us all in. He smoked; we rocked like we never in our lives rocked! The first person I saw as we went in was Nicky Beat (from the Weirdos) with broken drum sticks duct taped onto his tennis shoes. It was a place I knew I need to be at. Which bands did you see there, and who influenced you guys the most? I saw The Bags, Controllers, Black Randy, X, Weirdos, Dils, Skulls, Screamers, Go-Gos...I saw almost everybody who played there and in hindsight I now realize how fortunate I was to be there, even as a spectator. One of my favorite shows had to be the first time I saw Black Randy because it was as it was as if I was watching Curly from the Three Stooges perform in a punk rock band. It was outrageous, especially at the time. The Gears still plays with its original members – what’s the secret to the band’s longevity? Well, we actually now have Sean Shift and Mike Manifold who have replaced Dave Drive and Brian Redz respectively on drums and bass, but Redz and Drive still occasionally sit in depending on the show and their availability. The secret to our longevity is our take on rock ‘n roll...we do it on a very accessible ‘street’ level. What do you think of the modern day punk scene and the music that comes out of it? I don’t think there is a ‘scene’ anymore, not really; not like the original scene that spawned everything that came after it. Of course I can only speak for the L.A. scene. This said; I’m still happy and a bit surprised that we still use the word ‘punk’, and still with reverence. There are a lot of younger, great bands still carrying on with it today & that’s very cool. You have the surf song “Lets Go To the Beach” - how have you and The Gears been influenced by surfer culture? If you listen closely, we’re saying “Let’s GO to the Beach” It was a rare trip for us growing up in the hood as it were. Like the fast expensive cars, we liked what we saw and felt at the beach, but were hard pressed to attain it. Surfers were like another tribe that we could visit and kick it with. Why do surfers and punk rockers enjoy a natural affinity, in your opinion? In my humble opinion it’s all about freedom. Freedom in music and lifestyle. Would you punch an alien? Only if he or she or it refused to give me a ride in their spaceship. —By Caroline Ryder / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37721 Evan Slater Friday, December 11, 2009 When prankster/artist Matt farts, people listen. And farts are funny, so Matt Furie funneled them into a popular comic book appropriately named “The Boys Club”. A surprise smash hit at Comic Con, “The Boys Club”, now in its 3rd annual issue focuses on four young, male, animal-like roommates doing mundane boy-things like playing video games and ah, farting. There are no plans to turn the comic into an animated series, but Matt has visions of who would play Brett, Pepe, Landwolf, and Andy in real time. “Brett is a dancer like Mikhail Baryshnikov, Pepe likes to eat like Jessica Simpson, Landwolf likes to party and wear shades like Lady Gaga, and Andy is a lower case jokester like ‘that's so raven’.” Aside from the recent graphic novels, Furie’s silent-but-deadly fine art style has evolved over the years from gray pencil dragons to colorful cartoonish creatures inspired by his childhood spent in Ohio watching lots of TV and hanging out with a dog named Duffy, who “liked eating pizza…once he drank some beer out of a bowl and sneezed.” Matt has always drawn animals and depicts his imaginary friends in hyper sexualized, yet detailed human scenarios. Furie packed up his rainbow colored pencils awhile back and now he’s now based in San Francisco, where he takes advantage of the great Indian food and breaks into not-so-public pools; not to skate, but swim – at night. “It's usually cool but thanks to the combination of global warming and the technology of heated swimming pools my dreams can come true. I love swimming and yeah, summer in San Francisco is too cold.” Furie is inspired by the NorCal landscape as well as his current roommates: “I have two pet rats,” Furie beams, “Wat and Foxy. They are adorable small dogs that eat a fresh salad every day.” When asked whose work he’d love to have hang next to him on a gallery, Matt answered, “Right now I'm really into Shary Boyle, a fantastic figurative artist that does work in a variety of different mediums including oils, watercolor, video projection and porcelain. Her style is deeply personal, colorful, surreal and inspiring.” Watch for Matt Furie at Space 1026 in Philadelphia this coming January, and at a gallery near you in 2010. –by Shellet Leopold / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37672 Evan Slater Wednesday, December 9, 2009 Just because something looks sweet on the outside, doesn’t mean it won’t rip your face off and chew on your eyeballs. It’s a lesson well learned for Charlie Immer, whose warped imagination knows no bounds when it comes to the mutilation of cartoon characters. “I have always been trying to see how far I can go,” says Immer. “I guess it stems from watching so many extremely violent movies when I was younger. I like to push the violence so far that you will look at it and not be disturbed.” In his paintings, creatures that look freshly plucked from a toddler’s toy box are skinned and laid bare, their innards a cartoony gore fest of pastel and neon. In another painting, a glassy-eyed skeleton plucks tiny fairy creatures from their grassy island homes and rips off their delicate heads, with a swift bite of bony jaw (Skeleton Snacks). The resultant bloodshed is massive. And in another, an Easter Egg-like bauble with spaghetti arms hovers through an anemone forest, pausing only to snatch an eyeball from an unsuspecting fellow Easter Egg (whose teeth, by the way, are sharp and menacing as a moray eel’s). “I am really into transparency and slime and water,” says Immer, who cites Dave Cooper, Travis Lampe and Mark Ryden as influences. “I like that when you tear my characters apart there’s sinew and veins and blood,” Immer continues. “It looks like candy to me…sort of delicious.” Based in Brooklyn, Immer has just released his first set of prints, of his fantastic painting Elk Puke. It shows an ethereal forest elk in Damien Hirst-like relief, sliced in half, and literally barfing its bloody guts up. (You can buy a print at Bold Hype.net.) “Elk Puke…that was actually my breakthrough painting that I did when I was at Rhode Island School of Design about three years ago,” says Immer. “I just wanted to do my own take on a forest spirit having a real emotional outpouring. It’s like he’s sick of everything, and his guts are coming out. I like that you can see through him and you can see what’s inside of him at the same time. Yeah…I really like that.” --by Caroline Ryder / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37638 Evan Slater Monday, December 7, 2009 For the past month or so, Brett Simpson didn't want to claim anything yet. Even though his third in Brazil put him well past the "cutoff mark," Brett wasn't throwing any "qualifying parties" or taking any time off. "I just want to do well in Hawaii," he said. And while his competitive stint on the North Shore didn't go as well as he hoped, he did win a heat in huge, washthrough Sunset and was a regular standout wherever he surfed. And now, with the conclusion of the O'Neill World Cup at Sunset today, Brett Simpson is absolutely, officially a 2010 ASP World Tour member. "What can I say? It feels great," says Brett. "Having the pressure off in Hawaii was nice, but it didn't make me try any less. Hawaii is still the most important place to do well." Along with Simpson, a record-breaking five new Americans qualified for the tour this year, including Patrick Gudauskas, Nate Yeomans, Tanner Gudauskas and Dusty Payne. A lot can be attributed to the work of Ian Cairns, who's been coaching Simpson, Yeomans and others and giving the confidence and know-how to make it over the hump. Simpson will be heading back over to California today in pursuit of this next big swell. The Hurley family congratulates Brett on this huge milestone. We're confident this is only the beginning for Mr. Simpson on the world stage.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37608 Evan Slater Sunday, December 6, 2009 Haven't you heard? Personalized Christmas gifts are, like, so in this year. Fortunately, 225 Forest recognizes this and has you covered. The festivities kicked off Thursday night at the Kid Robot Munny World release party with the unveiling of Dalek's new art centerpiece. (Check all the photos by clicking on "View Gallery"). The Laguna community was there en masse taking advantage of the DIY festivities, lining up out the door for signature pieces from artists Jason Maloney and Aero. “To be able to interact and give back to kids was such a joy," said Maloney. "I know they inspired me and I hope I was able to do the same for them. Hurley is all about collaborations and this was a great example of that." For more info on the Munny World toys, go to www.kidrobot.com. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37607 Evan Slater Sunday, December 6, 2009 This week Cooper Chapman has been up at Coolum Beach for the Australian Titles in hope of backing up last year's victory. The waves were a fun 2-3 foot all week long for the event and Chapman was notching up some of the highest heat scores... Unfortunately when it was final time Cooper lost a little sync with the ocean and finished a respectable 3rd place...The good news for Cooper is now that gets to compete at the World Juniors Titles next year in New Zealand!MR http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37573 Mitch Ross Friday, December 4, 2009 The Hurley Store at Kuta Square, Bali was the place it all went down last night, the launch of the new Nike Flywire Boardshort. Bottles were popping as the crowd turned out to celebrate the occasion. Hurley put on a great night serving sushi all night long and offering information on the product which has been labeled the best board short ever... Making it out for the evening were guys like Taylor Steele, Jason Childs, Lee Wilson, Betet and of course Rizal and the Hurley family. Great night, great vibe, great people and incredible board shorts...—MR http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37556 Evan Slater Thursday, December 3, 2009 The first ever product night in Bali happened on Monday night and was a real success. 100 retailer staff turned out for the night which was held at legendary surf bar, Tubes. The king of Bali, Rizal Tanjung and his crew put together a fun and informative evening which was hosted by the best ever and most entertaining human on this planet, Marcelo. Plenty of prizes were won, smiles on faces were seen and a lot of pizza was eaten. After the product night was over 3 local bands hit the stage and turned it on, Hurley ambassador Sari played a bunch of songs with her band and entertained everyone in the building. Next year the plan is to roll not one but a few of these nights. — MR http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37552 Evan Slater Thursday, December 3, 2009 Los Angeles artist Luke Chueh recently reduced his beloved workspace to rubble. He had called it his 'Shedio'. "It was a little work room that the previous owners of this house had," he says, "and it was really patched together from different projects. It was falling apart, so we tore it down." Chueh had made most of his paintings in that little workspace, work that's been shown in galleries, as vinyl toys, prints, even ending up on the cover of a Fall Out Boy album. His simple, character-driven images are spare, and feature bears and rabbits in angsty tableaux. "To me," Chueh explains, "these are all different paintings and each painting stands on its own. I don't look at them as a repeat character, but I'm trying to connect an iconic look that will help separate me from the sea of other character-driven artists out there." "The reason why I use the characters that I do," he continues, "is because it was a way to sidestep potential prejudices that might come up if I painted an Asian male or a black female. Human beings generally have prejudices, whether they like it or not. If I were painting an Asian male, I'd be instantly alienating my audience. Animals kind of shift away sexism, ageism, and racism." But that wasn't the initial impetus for him to paint them. "The reason I started using animals was because I am a self-taught painter. There was no way when I started out that I'd be able to paint something like Robert Williams or Todd Schorr or Mark Ryden. My skills were nowhere close to that level, so I started with cartoons because it was all I was able to paint." He had plenty of company as an artist who painted animals, and began along with Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles to organize large group shows, called Vivisect. "It's of artists who use animal characters to illustrate the human condition." November 2009 sees the sixth incarnation of the show—and the last. "All good things have to come to an end," he says. Luke Chueh will have a solo show at Los Angeles' Copro Gallery in May 2010, his first without the 'shedio,' though not to worry: "I should have a new one done this week, so I'm excited to get back to work!" –by Caleb Neelon / Hurley Art http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37513 Evan Slater Tuesday, December 1, 2009  A fun weekend down in jupiter for the fall classic.    Team riders cheyne cottrell, oliver kurtz , mikey detemple , and myself attended the contest.  The first day was about as bad as it could be. knee high waves breaking right on the beach with rocks everywhere. All of us somehow got through the first round. The next day was at least ridable with waist high mushy windswell. Cheyne surfed really well for it being small and barely got knocked out in the semi-finals. mikey got 3rd in the longboard finals and i got last in the mens final. i just couldn't find a wave in the 25 minute finale. It was a great turnout for the event, with bands, a bikini contest, hot girls everywhere, and a awesome beer tent going on at all times.  ASHER  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37500 Asher Nolan Tuesday, December 1, 2009 Time was, there wasn't a person alive who wouldn't want to live in a Shag painting, at least for a while. You'd be bedding attractive mates one after another, you'd dress impeccably, and the drink in your hand would sustain you just the perfect level of buzz throughout your evening. Shag's art lived like that for a decade. "A lot of my earlier work espoused a consequence-free hedonism," he says. "But in reality you can't live that way for long. That was something I didn't really want to face up to." He had his moments of being tired with his own work. "At one time the themes and the settings were really exciting to me, but over time, I felt like I was less and less invested in it, and it almost felt like I was working in a factory. I had to make a set of paintings for my next gallery show, and they had to be Shag-like paintings that everybody loved. I decided that I didn't want to do that any more, I wanted to do something that interested me. Over ten years, your interests change. The things that you want to paint change." In Autumn's Come Undone, Shag's new show at Corey Helford Gallery, he gives fans a reason to look deeper and those who had grown tired a reason to look back. For one thing, you don't want to live in them. "I used to be a very non-self-reflective person, I didn't spend a lot of time paying attention to my emotions and what was going on inside my head, and in the past year I started to pay more attention to that. I started to pay more attention to the dreams I was having." "I also got to a point in my life where I was really successful. I was making a lot of money, have a nice house, a wife and two kids, drive a nice car, get to go on vacations. But it was starting to bore me, and I felt that I was trapped in a factory having to make these paintings to keep up this lifestyle." The show includes 22 small paintings and 16 large (54" x 72") canvas giclee prints on canvas, fantastic landscapes you don't want to be a part of. In 'Prince from the Biomass,' people line up to descend into a hole. In 'Lone Star,' bottles of Maker's Mark float in a pond of something green. The party's over. –By Caleb Neelon / Hurley Art For more on Shag's exhibit, visit: www.coreyhelfordgallery.com . http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37471 Evan Slater Sunday, November 29, 2009 If you don't write things down on the North Shore, it's easy for the details to get away from you. And a lot has happened since our own Joel Centeio's big win at Haleiwa. We have a new women's world champion (Congrats on No. 3, Steph.) We had Rell Sunn's Menehune event this weekend (good on ya, Kaulana and Elijah.) We had a solid swell hit the Outer Reefs and Waimea on Wednesday (welcome back, Aamion.) We winced as Dillon Perillo took a board to the eye, got five stitches, but is back in the water a few days later. And we've welcomed the arrival of Phantom Man, Damien "Dom" Wills to the seven-mile miracle. Fortunately, we have Michael Lallande and Tom Aiello on hand to document all this action, and there's been plenty. Next up: Joel looks to continue his winning streak at Sunset. Brett looks to end his stellar competitive season on a high note. And Dom is looking for anything — and we mean anything — to pull into. Until then, enjoy the latest batch of images from Lallande and stay tuned for more Waves of the Day from the Hurley Ohana. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37458 Evan Slater Saturday, November 28, 2009 This was a camp that Hurley Oz put on to help out its athletes in all areas from heat drills, strength and conditioning, fitness, stretching and so much more. Lead by former World Champ Barton Lynch, the camp took place at Whale Beach on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. With Ace and Yadin both having competitive commitments at the time of the camp that left us with Damien 'Dom' Wills, Mitch Crews, Cooper Chapman( Current under 16 Oz Champ), Max Weston and Harrison Vann to work on their A game. To kick things off, we rented an absolute mansion on the hill at Whale Beach... The first day was jam packed with training, we got up early and went and visited the Narrabeen Sports Academy so the boys could get evaluated. Cooper was a local at the training facility so he felt comfortable but that didn't mean he would stand out the most, with Dom's big wave fitness he was at the elite level showing the grommets how it's done. Straight from there it was off to the beach for a whole lot of heat drills... Obviously this is where Barton Lynch really comes in to play, this guy is awesome, to have a former world champ on the beach is so beneficial for the guys. Excluding Dom all these guys want to be competitive surfers and Barton is there for them in any way at all. After our surf session we would always go back to the house and the boys we pick Barton's competitive mind whilst watching the days footage. Over the next few days we would tick all the boxes, video analysis, media training, swimming session, we even brought in one of the best surfboard shapers going around, Lee Stacey to chat about boards, the importance of having the correct equipment for you. Lee was great and answered all of the boys questions... Over the 4 days we had a filmer capturing all of the action and soon as we have got a clip together i will get it up on the site! MR http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37423 Evan Slater Wednesday, November 25, 2009 On 22rd, November 2009, a sunny day with NNE swell, side offshore wind  and cool temperatures to treat this competition completed smoothly. God bless surfing...    This year X Game is so happy to have Hurley International to be our  title sponsor, Hurley also sent Mr. Rizal Tanjung (General Manager of  Hurley South Asia) the Bali legendary pro surfer to this event, helped  out for the judging as well as a demo session. Rizal said "this is  quite a nice concept to camp on the site and the hiking trail is  beautiful, the crowd was willing to make such effort to go all the way  there are core and keen in surfing, I like that!"   The competition started at 9:50am with the horn by Grant Robinson (the  head judge) and heats back to back non stop, we had to run 2 race  courses to complete all the heats on time and finished the last heat  at around 4:00pm. We had total 75 competitors this year the most  entries ever, plus hundreds of friends and spectators make this event  full of beats.   Thanks to all the sponsors: Channel Islands Surfboards, Sanuk, Skull  Candy, Team Relax, Asahi and Red Bull. Also great thanks to all the  judges, helpers on the beach, F&B team, DJs and Hoi Fung Store to make  another successful event for X Game.   Results:   Men's A 1st: Jason Guy (Australia) 2nd: Cris Par (Philippines) 3rd: Barak Nachmani (Israel)   Men's B 1st: Atticus Summers (Australia) 2nd: Hugo D'Auriol (French) 3rd: Man Hing Wan (Hong Kong)   Women's 1st: Niu Chen Lin (Taiwan) 2nd: Chan Sin Man (Hong Kong) 3rd: Iris Lim (Malaysia)   Boy's 1st: Atticus Summers (Australia) 2nd: Hugo D'Auriol (French) 3rd: Joe Keogh (Australia)     http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37414 Evan Slater Wednesday, November 25, 2009 Ask anyone about Joel Centeio, and you'll hear it time and again: "Nicest guy in the world." But after today, you can also add "2009 Reef Hawaiian Pro Champion" to his name. Hurley's Ambassador of Aloha went all out in the 6- to 8-foot surf at Haleiwa today, winning all seven of his heats, beating Parko and finding a huge, heat-winning barrel in the final for a 9.33. Joel's always a force in his hometown waters, but this past week, he's never looked so formidable. "It all just clicked for me this time around," said an elated Centeio. "A lot of my friends -- us guys who surf Haleiwa all the time -- have done well out here. Moody and Kekoa last year, Freddy...I just wanted to keep the tradition going." He did more than keep tradition going. With his win, he catapulted up to 51st in the World Qualifying Series rankings and has a commanding lead in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing race. Sunset's next, another one of his strong points. Stay tuned as Joel continues his campaign to a coveted Vans Triple Crown title. As he's already proven, he's only getting better.   [Check the photo highlights by Michael Lallande.] For more info, go to www.triplecrownofsurfing.com. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37388 Evan Slater Monday, November 23, 2009 Good waves are officially on the way! The first jewel of the Triple Crown will finish in solid 6-8 foot Haleiwa. It’s a bummer for some of the Hurley boys that would of probably did well if the waves were solid. Unfortunately Yades, Brad, and Hawaii’s own Kai Barger came up short in the tiny lefts at Haleiwa. Simpo and Ace have not surfed a heat yet but are probably psyching to get on some big boards and into some solid surf. Look for Simpo to further cement his CT berth this Sunday and Monday at Haleiwa. Another really solid west northwest is predicted for the middle of next week. From what I’m seeing on the charts Pipe could be a solid 10-feet-plus on Wednesday. I’m excited to see Aamion get back into form at Pipeline. This is also really good news for the second jewel of the Triple Crown at Sunset Beach that will begin on November 24th. Until then, check out the fun, head-high surf that’s been on tap the last few days. -– Joel C. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37360 Evan Slater Saturday, November 21, 2009 "I can't believe it's almost over," said Rob Machado last night from the 225 Forest store. He was sitting at a throng of autograph seekers lined up down the stairs and out the door. It's something Rob's gotten used to at these Drifter premieres. Huge turnouts, support and interest in the movie that took almost two years to make. "We've had such a good time on this tour. I'm flattered and humbled by the amount of people who've shown up to every single venue. San Luis Obispo was amazing. New Jersey was classic. Even though they can be grueling, you forget how fun these tours can be." And after nearly a month on the road and tens of thousands of new Drifter devotees, it's finally coming to a close. To send it off properly, we held an event at 225 Forest last night, including an autograph signing and live acoustic performance by Rob and Jon Swift. We then armed everyone with free popcorn and candy and sent them over to a packed house at the South Beach Theater. Machado has another premiere tonight at Patagonia in Cardiff and another one tomorrow night in Oceanside, but after that, he's off to Hawaii to get back in the water and start drifting again. Thanks to everyone who came out and watched the movie, watched the live music and participated in the Q&As. Keep wandering. For more, go to www.thedriftermovie.com. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37329 Evan Slater Friday, November 20, 2009 The fall is my favorite time to be in Delaware. The summer is over,  it's time to kick back with friends  and have a little fun. These  shots are from my favorite wave, Southside, as well as the O'Boyle ramp. Colin    http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37261 ColinHerlihy Tuesday, November 17, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37145 Evan Slater Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Hurley was part of a historic occasion this Halloween—Robert Williams, founder of Juxtapoz Magazine and icon of the low brow art scene, unveiled 25 highly-anticipated new works at the Tony Scharfazi Gallery in New York, and among them were three pieces that he had invited Hurley to exclusively recreate as part of a limited edition series of t-shirts. The show, entitled “Conceptual Realism In the Service of the Hypothetical” was most definitely high brow in name and in intent (Williams’ artist’s statement , in which he breaks down the philosophy of conceptual art, is worded so as to appeal largely to critics and theorists.) But the work itself was gleefully accessible—one wouldn’t expect anything less from the artist who invented the term "lowbrow", with his groundbreaking 1979 book, Lowbrow Art of Robt. Williams. Inspired and schooled by legendary custom car builder Ed "Big Daddy" Roth in the mid-1960s, Robert Williams learned, along with his peers (Robert Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, S. Clay Wilson, Spain Rodriguez, Victor Moscoso and Rick Griffin) how to carve his own path and exist outside the walls of traditional contemporary galleries. Initially dismissed as a rookie outsider, it took many years for Williams and those of his ilk to gain the respect they deserved. On October 31 2009, the well-dressed crowds at the Tony Scharfazi gallery spoke for themselves— Caroline Ryder / Hurley Art For more, go to: www.robtwilliamsstudio.com. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37098 Evan Slater Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Don’t be deceived by Jeremy Fish’s aquatic last name—the San Francisco-based artist is all about mammals. Living ones, dead ones, financially-disadvantaged ones—and armadillos. Especially armadillos. We talk to Jeremy about his solo show at the Laguna Art Museum (called “Weathering The Storm”, it opens November 7) and discuss rabbits, hard times and his alter-ego, Dick Tickles. JEREMY FISH—THAT’S A COOL NAME. Every once in a while that is the opening question in an interview: “why did you choose that to be your art name?”. But it is actually my real name. If I had to actually choose a name I would have picked something else. Like when I was a kid I used to get in trouble for skateboarding, so I would give the authorities a fake name. Me and my friends would challenge each other to raise the bar and come up with the most ridiculous fake name ever. Mine was Dick Tickles. YOU HAVE A SOLO SHOW COMING UP AT THE LAGUNA MUSEUM OF ART—CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE WORK YOU’LL BE SHOWING? Well I’ll have acrylic on wood and a lot of drawings and mostly all paintings and 80% of paintings and a few wood and sculptures and a bit of furniture that I have been working on. YOU’RE KNOWN FOR YOUR ANIMAL-INSPIRED ART…CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE LOTS OF THAT IN THIS UPCOMING SHOW? Most definitely—it’s animals across the board in this one. More specifically, the theme is about hard times—an easily-digestible theme these days. As human beings you would like to hope that through difficult times you can gain knowledge or better yourself through the experience. The positive outlook is that yes, we are all going through hard times, and we just continue trudging forward. I illustrate the theme with a library of animals instead of people. It’s a 40-piece story with all these animals quarreling over the last of the natural resources and evolving to become stronger. ARE THERE ANY NEW ANIMALS IN THIS SHOW? I did a road trip through Texas with my dad and we saw all these armadillos dead on the side of the road. They get hit by cars—it is sad, they have these really cool little faces. I had never seen one up close before. The last six paintings I did were inspired by that trip through the Southwest—I did a buffalo and an armadillo and a wolf, for instance. ANY PARTS OF THE HUMAN ANATOMY INSPIRING YOU RIGHT NOW? There are a lot of hands in the show. I use hands because they are really powerful—they provide the gateway to being tactile. And they project so much emotion. ARE YOU INTO TAXIDERMY? I own a little taxidermy—a really nice antelope and a pigeon. And I would love to have a stuffed armadillo. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL CHARACTER? I use the rabbit the most—I think that’s mostly because I was drawing them before I took drawing that seriously. There’s this gang I had with my friends in high school and the pink bunny was the symbol of our gang. I still draw it the same way I used to back then. He is my favorite animal character and he has the largest army of meanings. I use him across the board to mean family, and loved ones, and speed and agility and a rebellious nature. --Caroline Ryder http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37091 Evan Slater Tuesday, November 10, 2009 It's been quite a year for Huntington Beach kingpin Brett Simpson. A US Open title (along with a $100,000 first-place check.) A Surfer Magazine Breakthrough Performer of the Year award. And now, after finishing ninth at the O'Neill Coldwater Classic in Santa Cruz this past weekend, it appears he's a lock for the elite 2010 ASP World Tour. "I would say he's safe," says ASP tour manager Al Hunt, who says the cut-off point is 12,500 points. Simpson's latest result puts him at 13,150 points and seventh in the rankings, well above the danger zone. This means he can relax at the events in Hawaii and focus on making an impact against the Top 45 next year. "This is everything I've been working toward since I was a kid," said Simpson. "It's such a good feeling to reach this point, but I know there's a lot of work to be done. Making the tour is just the first step." After four years of close calls, Simpson finally had the year go his way in 2009. A strong start in Oz, the big US Open victory, a semifinal in Brazil and now this solid finish at the Coldwater. Simpson, along with Patrick Gudauskas and Nate Yeomans, is part of a new American crop of ASP WT surfers destined to shake it up against the top seeds. Congratulations to Brett for reaching a huge milestone in his career. We know his impact on the world stage is just beginning. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37079 Evan Slater Sunday, November 8, 2009 Went to Ehukai yesterday with my brother Anthony. He lives over here and works at Ola's restaurant at Turtle Bay.  We paired off on some nice 2 to 3 foot waves. Plenty of waves for everybody.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37078 Eli Viszolay Saturday, November 7, 2009 Arrived at my new studio in V-Land on the North Shore of Oahu.  Been surfing V-Land and Ehukai. Pics to come. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37072 Eli Viszolay Saturday, November 7, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37049 Evan Slater Friday, November 6, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37017 Evan Slater Friday, November 6, 2009 Rob Machado and Taylor Steele's three-week domestic tour of The Drifter began last night at La Paloma Theater in Encinitas, the place where it all began. "I remember premiering Momentum here back in the day," said Steele. With two full houses, tons of hoots and laughs and a special live jam session during the 18-minute bonus segment, things are just getting started. "It went great," said Machado. "The jam session during the 9 p.m. just sort of happened. I think we're going to be doing more of that moving forward." Here are a few images from last night, courtesy of Surfline's Jeremiah Klein. Click here for the review on Surfline. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/37006 Evan Slater Thursday, November 5, 2009 I'm going off to "work" on the mainland for a couple of weeks, and for some reason I thought I'd write a few words. I put work in quotation marks because what I do for a job isn't real work. I get dressed in a costume, and on this movie I'll run around after some guy making millions. I stress about it, but refering to it as work doesn't feel right. I could probably get fired for writing this much about the movie, but I'll take a chance. Don't tell anybody you read this, everybody who works on a movie signs a super duper do not disclose any info about anything waiver. If anything is disclosed, you're fired. Anyway, I surfed V-land this morning. Sean Hayes was out with Shane Beschen. They were just finishing a coaching seminar with the Red Bull team. Carrisa, Brother Andino,and Conner coffin?, were all getting the benefits of their wisdom. Those kids don't need coaching, its not fair. But then again, I'd love to coach those kids, cause as a coach they'd make me look like a genius. I missed the Mavericks opening ceremony yesterday. I was on Lost, hanging on a cable (not too much info). I'm stoked I still get invited to the event, so I'm bummed I had to "work". I'm thinking about going up there to just go surf, we'll see. Its always good to freeze my ass, makes me appreciate home.--Brock http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36984 Evan Slater Tuesday, November 3, 2009 At the moment I’m sitting on the North Shore enjoying the nice breeze and the gorgeous weather. I flew over for a bit of a strike mission… It would have been the ultimate strike mission if the waves were pumping, but it's pretty much flat. Redbull is doing a little training camp with a few of the juniors, including Evan and myself. They flew Ryan and me over to hopefully get some stuff done. Unfortunately, the waves have been pretty small, but we’ve still been surfing. Purps and Shane Beschen have been putting us to work doing mini comps at random waves that practically don’t exist to most people on the North Shore. Thanks to PJ we had a sweet dinner at Lei Lei’s last night. I got a huge rack of ribs with some mash potatoes and I ate almost the whole thing. When I got back to my house, I left it on the wall to our gate. When I woke up this morning I went to grab it, but I found that someone had cruised by, opened my to-go box, and ate my ribs but left the box on the ground… What the hell! Some sucker made off with my scrumptious ribs! Well, I thought you guys might enjoy checking out this video since it has to do with bacon, somewhat similar to ribs. I like to eat and so does this little kid. Maybe it was even myself a few years ago… For you to decide. See ya. Ceester.  Click here for the video. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36983 Evan Slater Tuesday, November 3, 2009  I have been going through boards faster than Courtney Love goes through prescription Vicodin.  It seemed like every time a paddled out I would end up with some kind of fracture or crease on my board from surfing like an idiot.  To end this massacre of my little sticks, I got a Firewire that is exceptionally more durable than your traditional poll-urethane surfboard being it has  a "triple density EPS core with parabolic edges, lined with high-density aerospace composite material." Firewire Surfboards All Rights Reserved.  Wow, is that really a surfboard?  It sounds like the description  foreign compact car manufacturers, like Tata®, give their new cars although their products buckle at the fulcrum if they go in excess of 25 miles per hour unlike the Firewire Surfboard because they are so cheap and poorly manufactured. With all this extra support I pray that this board will last me longer than three months or I am going to be fired up.  So far so good and all she has experienced from my lead foot surfing is one pressure ding and a small crack in the tail.  Say your prayers for me...or maybe just my board. -BP   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36978 Ben Powell Monday, November 2, 2009 This week me, my Dad, my Mom and my dog named "Rocky" piled into our SUV... and headed up to Santa Cruz to train with Ian "Kanga" Cairns and the USA Junior Team. I was super excited to get on the road to surf Steamer Lane and other Santa Cruz spots that get good this time of year. Yes, I knew it was going to be risky taking my 25lb French Bulldog along for the trip since he hates cold weather and likes to fart alot. Although he did fog up the car with a few nasty ones, he was really easy and fun to have along for the trip The weather was as nice as can be with sunny, clear days and cold nights but the surf was really small. Our first session at "The Lane" was barely breaking at the high tide. We were the only people to paddle out at 7:00am in the fridgid knee high inconsistent surf. After a few waves, we decided to hit a more remote spot about 20 minuets up the coast. We found a beach break with fun peaks at a place the locals jokingly refer to as "Shark Park". At one point in the session a few dolphins popped up in the lineup and gave Cam Richards quite a scare when everyone on the beach yelled  "Come in"!I would say the highlight of this surf trip was our afternoon session at a place that I will not name. Many of you will notice it from the pictures. But this place is a wedging, sand bottom bowling peak off the side of some cliffs. The cliffs provide shelter from the wind and the sand builds around the rocks making shallow sand bars. Even though the session did not last long, everyone had a blast in the 2-3ft perfect peaks with mini air sections. So, the drive home was about 8 hours back to San Diego and Rocky had eaten some bad dog food, and we all paid for that the whole way home.Shoots.....Jake   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36938 Jake Halstead Saturday, October 31, 2009 Here is a shot that just came out in the OC Register. This day was really fun and I actually saw some of the Hurley boys leaving when I showed up. Stoked to get some coverage in the paper — it was a great surprise! —Christian Saenz  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36921 Christian Saenz Thursday, October 29, 2009 As soon as Rob touched down in Sydney it was time to work. After a quick rest, we had Rob doing all sorts of media work, local papers, national papers, surfing magazines, Fuel TV, etc... Rob cruised through Sydney, enjoying his time through Manly, Avalon and of course the city. The whole reason Rob is in town is, of course, for his new movie, The Drifter. The premiere was a lot of fun with surf royalty stopping by to check it out. Two-time world champ Tom Carroll came and watched it and loved what he saw: "Rob's always been a favorite and I loved the movie," he said. Before the show started Rob played a bunch of songs from the film and afterward he hung around and answered a bunch of questions from the captive audience. Tomorrow the tour rolls on as Rob will be stopping by at some retailers to say, 'what up' and also show them the film... —MR For more on The Drifter and tour dates, go to: www.thedriftermovie.com. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36902 Evan Slater Wednesday, October 28, 2009 We all know 13-year-old skate prodigy Curren Caples has a flawless "surf" style. But what most people don't know is that the Ventura resident is quickly becoming as skilled in the water as is he is on cement. For proof, check the results of the recent Volcom VQS event on Kauai, where Curren happened to be there on a family vacation and happened to enter the contest on a whim. "They let him in as a 'seventh man' in the first round," said his dad Evan. "He was skins." But Curren squeaked through the first heat, made it through the second, then the semis. Before he knew it, he was up against some of the heaviest little big guns in the surf world: Ian Gentil and Koa Smith. Granted, it was waist-high, semi-walled Pine Trees. But Curren went out, clicked on a couple rights, and ended up winning the contest. He's now automatically qualified for the VQS Championships in Newport next May. Curren himself is pretty casual about it all and is quick to praise the talents of Gentil and Smith. But we know what this could mean. With a little more time in the water (his skate schedule currently keeps him away from the ocean for weeks at a time), Curren could be the first legitimate skate/surf crossover star since the Dogtown days. Keep checking those surf mags for the other "Curren." http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36860 Evan Slater Tuesday, October 27, 2009 I haven't written a blog in a while, and I have all kinds of excuses why I don't have the time to write. I've been working on ...Lost (I'm not sure why I put the ...), I've been in a movie with Seth Rogan (great guy), I've been surfing a lot (yeah right). My excuses are weak. I'm lazy. About a month ago, Pat O called and told me I was going to do some commentating on the webcast for the Hurley Pro at Tresles. I tried to wiggle my way out, but when Pat sets his mind to something there is no changing it. I was on my way to Cal. For most people this probably sounds fun. Hurley pays my way to the mainland, gives me great accommodations (Pat's couch), and Pat takes me out to dinner, lets me drink his wine and eat his ice cream. All I have to do is bullshit about the best surfers in the world. I know this makes me sound like a puss, but talking on the web is scary. Let me go paddle in at Waimea, or do some dumb stunt, those are things I can handle. Walking into the webcast booth, that's intimidating. Once I get going, it's all good, and then come the e-mails. In between questions and "Atta boy Brock" is the constructive criticism all the webcasters love. Stuff like "You're a kook," "I'm tired of Brock already" etc., all that crap tends to stick with you more than the love letters. This year the waves were inconsistent, but I thought the contest was still insane. The level of pro surfing is so high. This was the first time in at least a decade, I walked away not sure who the best surfer in the world is. For me it's always been Kelly. This year, I thought a few of the guys had reached his level, or maybe he slipped a little. Could be his boards suck. Whatever, now I feel like Kelly's one of the best, with company. Can't wait to webcast next year, if Kelly's on tour he'll prove me wrong. If he's retired, he'll e-mail me and call me a kook.—Brock http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36849 Evan Slater Monday, October 26, 2009 It’s that time of year again.  The time where thousands flock to the North Shore for the huge winter swells.   I just recently took my very necessary step to getting ready for those big swells.  Got the brand new quiver!  My North Shore quiver consists of about 17 boards.  Ranging from 6’3 all way up to 7’6.  I like to have atleast 2-3 of each dimension.  Just because you have to expect to break a few in the time frame of the winter swells.  Majority of my quiver is shaped by Eric Arakawa who I believe is the best big wave board shaper in the world.  I also have a few Kerry Tokoro’s.  It’s already been a great early season with a lot of good swell, so I’m really looking forward to getting some good use out of these sticks.  Thanks to HIC for supplying me with this awesome quiver!   Aloha, Joel http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36840 Joel Centeio Monday, October 26, 2009 For more than 30 years in the surf world, the name "Flame" meant only one thing: a fiery, red-haired photo editor who controlled our sport's imagery with an iron trigger finger. Demanding? Yes. Meticulous? Absolutely. Fiercely competitive? You bet. But beyond his intimidating reputation was a man who loved to see young talent develop. During his long tenure at SURFING Magazine, Larry "Flame" Moore was never too busy to give a rookie photographer advice, feedback or encouragement. And during that time, everyone from Dan Merkel to Aaron Chang to Jeff Hornbaker to Jeff Flindt to Pete Taras have Flame to thank for helping them develop their vision. When Flame succumbed to a brain tumor in October 2005, his friends and loved ones decided to keep this legacy alive by creating the Follow The Light Foundation. Now in its fourth year, Follow The Light awards a $5,000 grant to a deserving, up-and-coming photographer. In years past it's gone to names like Chris Burkard and Todd Glaser, two of the most respected young lensmen in the field right now. This past Thursday at the Surfing Heritage Foundation in San Clemente, we honored the fourth recipient of the Follow The Light Foundation grant. All five finalists had incredible portfolios and were deserving in their own right: Patrick Ruddy and his ability to make the East Coast look world class; Myles McGuinness and his striking lineups, Brian Nevins' mastery of the mood photo; Karl Steindler's frames of fun. But when master photographer Aaron Chang opened the envelope, it was former coal miner (yes, coal miner) Ray Collins, whose incredible water imagery blew away the judging panel. Collins, who lives on the South Coast of New South Wales in Australia, is getting plenty of experience in the wide-open slabs around his home. But it's his command of light, his variety and his pure passion for chasing that "perfect image" that will propel this photographer for many years to come. "Whether it’s a shot of a candid line-up, a pulled back water shot of an empty, distant peak or a wide-angle liquid explosion detonating into the reef a few feet away," says Collins. "I believe that part of me is woven through each photo." Collins plans on using the grant to enroll at the Institute of Photography. "I feel that studying the craft will take me to the next level," he says. "The best things haven't been shown yet." Spoken like a true student of Flame. For more, go to www.followthelightfoundation.org. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36825 Evan Slater Sunday, October 25, 2009 The East Coast is usually supposed to be good during the fall. So far we have only really had three tropical swells and they were fun but nothing amazing. Florida only got two of those swells and after being home for over two weeks and only surfing once I was getting the itch. The forecast reports started claiming that there was going to be a good size north swell with possible good winds in the outer banks of north carolina. I decided to charge up there and see if i could get lucky and get some fun solid waves. Oliver Kurtz was in cali and i told him that i was heading up there. He hasn't ever experienced a good swell there before so he got a ticket and met me there. We ended getting great waves for five days straight. From big thick barrels to super clean fun barrels. It was definitely hard to get them cause of the crazy drift but when you got one it was amazing. After five days of nonstop paddling and running up the beach my body is pretty beat up but it's a good feeling knowing that I surfed my brains out. — Asher Check out more Matt Lusk pics at http://www.mattluskphotography.com Check out the Surfline article at: http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/east-coast-nor-easter_31478/1/ http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36793 Asher Nolan Friday, October 23, 2009 When the waves are small on the north shore rocky point is one of my favorite waves. It's like a skate park, plenty of ramps for airs, and all the locals are always out there destroying it.Colin http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36775 ColinHerlihy Thursday, October 22, 2009 This weekend was really fun! It started off as a disaster because the contest kept switching places and we were practicing a kealia but she( Bobbie Parker) changed it to this spot called PK's on the south shore and i'm not so famous at that spot. Then i got 5th place and i wasn't so stoked. But then i just got my act together and found the spot to and won the explorer menehune division. —Elijah http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36759 Joel Centeio Thursday, October 22, 2009 The North Shore has always had a special place in my heart. My Dad started going to the North shore in the late sixties. So going over there and riding the waves he did was like a right of passage for me. This upcoming season will be my ninth winter there. Check out these photos from last season.Colin http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36758 ColinHerlihy Thursday, October 22, 2009 Delaware is the second smallest state, and YES we do have waves!Just like anywhere else on the east coast, we endure long flat spells, and the water gets freezing in the winter. This makes the delaware locals surf in the snow, and pick up different hobbies outside of surfing. I grew up fishing, and lately I have found myself becoming more and more of a hunter. It's pretty unique here, we have a few beautiful beach towns, and if you drive 5 minutes inland you're surrounded by pristine pine forests and agriculture.They say a picture says a thousand words,so I'm going to let these following pictures tell the rest of the story.ColinPS- Surf photos by Phildo http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36714 ColinHerlihy Thursday, October 22, 2009 The Driftter has officially arrived;now he wants to give you a poster to mark the occasion. Simply retweet this message: "RT @HurleyClothing is giving away 3 signed Drifter posters! Details here: http://www.hurley.com" And you'll be entered to win. Winners announced on October 26. For more on The Drifter and November's tour dates, go to www.thedriftermovie.com http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36713 Evan Slater Thursday, October 22, 2009 Sneak attacks are where it’s at. Ask anyone who’s ever TP’d a house on Halloween, or street artist Gabriel “Specter” Reese. He earned the name Specter in Montreal, where he ran with the hip hop collective Kops Crew. Instead of quick throw ups or tags, he favored large burners that seemed to magically appear overnight. “It was like a specter (ghost, spirit) came and dropped a piece and nobody knew how it got there,” Specter says. From graffiti, Specter’s work has now shifted into thoughtful, site-specific artworks that parody the realities of modern urban life. For example: He filled a warehouse space in Toronto with hand-painted, faux abandoned storefronts, built using with materials reclaimed from condo developments. A series of wall paintings entitled “Eat Fruit And Die”, poking fun at North American eating habits, turned heads in city streets, as did his series of cardboard gates placed at the entries to alleyways, beautiful portraits of homeless people in New York City and a tiny little cockroach added to the corner of a McDonalds window display. Pretty much everywhere he looks is a potential destination for his sly, smart (ass) works. “If I had a can and the urge right now, I would write ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ on top of the 24/7 sign,” he said. Since moving to New York last year, Specter has gone legit, producing work for the Austrian Cultural Forum and the New York Department of Transportation. Paying gigs come with restrictions, but at least he doesn’t have to fear the long arm of the law. Not that he can’t talk his way out of most tight spots after his many years as a street artist. “Most people don't really know what's going on so acting like you do goes a long way,” he said. — Sarah Tomlinson / Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36712 Evan Slater Thursday, October 22, 2009 This was one of the most amazing trips I have ever been on!It was March on the north shore and the season was really winding down. I was hoping to get some soid waves under my belt before I had to head back to the east coast.  I was at my friend's daugther's birthday party, and everyone was talking about this swell that was about to hit Micronesia. There was one spot left at the camp, I made my reservations and booked a flight that night. We arrived at the airport early that morning, and there was a couple top pros awaiting the same flight. I knew right then and there that it was gonna be the real deal! After 4 stops we arrived to our Island and got settled into our rooms. We woke up the next morning, had a quick bite to eat, and headed out to the reef. We were welcomed with a solid 6-8 foot swell and nobody out. To make a long story short, we scored 3 days of epic surf and I met some amazing people from different corners of the world. It's crazy how good waves will bring people together in such a far corner of the earth. I hope to go again real soon! Colin   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36689 ColinHerlihy Thursday, October 22, 2009 The Brooks St. Contest in Laguna Beach is the oldest surf contest. Every year wewait for the biggest swell of the summer to hold it.  I rode this wave all the way in from 2nd.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36688 Eli Viszolay Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Join Rob and friends for a Drifter premiere at a theater near you. Every show includes an acoustic set with Machado and Jon Swift, a full-length showing of the film and a Q and A with Rob and Taylor Steele.Come wander with us. Get your Drifter Premiere tickets* at the following locations: SAN DIEGO @ La Paloma Theater 11/4/09Shows at 7PM and 9PMThe Drifter tickets available at the following retailers:Surf Ride Board ShopsHansen Surfboards & Surf ShopK-5 Board ShopSouth Coast Surf Shop (Ocean Beach)Sun Diego (Carlsbad) LOS ANGELES @ The Montalbán  11/5/09Doors open at 8pmThe Drifter tickets available at the following retailers:ZJ Boarding House Val Surf E T Surfboards Becker (Malibu, Hermosa) Spyder Surf (Pier, PCH)LA Channel Islands Surf ConceptJack’s Surfboards (OC all locations)Huntington Surf & Sport (OC all locations)Surfside FLORIDA @ Coconuts on the Beach11/7/09Doors open at 7pm$10 cover at the door, proceeds go to World Skin Cancer Foundation The Drifter tickets available at the following retailers:Ron Jon Surf ShopQuiet Flight Surf Shop NORTH CAROLINA @ Blockade Runner Beach Resort 11/9/09Shows at 7pm & 9pmThe Drifter tickets available at the following retailers:(Tickets available 10/26)Sweetwater Surf Shop 17TH Street Surf Shop VIRGINIA BEACH @ Contemporary Art Center of Virginia 11/11/09Shows at 7pm & 9pmThe Drifter tickets available at the following retailers:(Tickets available 10/26)WRVFreedom Surf Co.17th Street Surf ShopCoastal EdgeNEW JERSEY @ Algonquin Theater 11/12/09Doors open at 7pmThe Drifter tickets available at the following retailers:Brave New WorldHeritage Surf & Sport  SANTA BARBARA @ Victoria Hall Theater 11/15/09 Doors open at 7pm The Drifter tickets available at the following retailers:Channel Islands SurfboardsBeach House SAN FRANCISCO @ Victoria Theater 11/16/09 Doors open at 7pmThe Drifter tickets available at the following retailers:Aqua Surf ShopNor-Cal Surf ShopProof Lab SANTA CRUZ @ Del Mar Theater 11/17/09 Doors open at 7pmThe Drifter tickets available at the following retailer: Pacific Wave Surf Shop SAN LUIS OBISPO @ Fremont Theater 11/18/09Doors open at 7pm$10 at the door (Cash Only), proceeds go to SurfAid InternationalThe Drifter tickets available at the following retailers:Central Coast SurfboardsOne Way Board ShopMoondoggies, SLO Central Coast Surfboards, SLO One Way Boardshop, SLO Panchos, Pismo Beach Wavelengths SBI, Morro Bay LAGUNA BEACH @ South Coast Theater 11/19/09Doors open at 7pmThe Drifter tickets available at the following retailers:(Tickets available 10/26)225 Forest*Tickets do not guarantee seating. Event is based on a first come first serve basis. For more info, go to www.thedriftermovie.com. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36687 Evan Slater Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Jamie Tworkowski was working as a sales rep for Hurley in Florida when he met a young woman named Renee. Only 19 years old, she was already mired in a never-ending cycle of drug addiction, depression and self-abuse. Jamie then discovered in horror that this girl, who had been denied entry to a treatment center, had carved the words “F--k Up” on her arms with a razor blade. “It summed up how she felt about herself at the time,” says Tworkowski. “The sense of regret and failure…she didn’t believe she could live a different life.” It was an experience that would change the course of his life. Within six months of meeting Renee in February 2006, Jamie quit his job at Hurley and founded To Write Love On Her Arms—TWLOHA—a charity specifically geared toward people struggling with depression, addiction and self-abuse issues. His bosses at Hurley, while sad to see him go, were 100 percent on board with Tworkowski’s vision. “Bob Hurley was super understanding and super supportive at a time where there were people who thought I was crazy,” says Tworkowski, whose work with TWLOHA just earned him an MTV Woodie award nomination. (He is up against Alicia Keys, Wyclef Jean, Ra Ra Riot and John Legend among others--click here to vote for him). Likewise, Jamie’s friends in the bands Switchfoot and Anberlin were also quick to support their friend’s mission, wearing TWLOHA t-shirts on stage to bring attention to the cause. Music lovers responded—in just a few years, the charity has evolved from Jamie selling TWLOHA tees at Warped to a fully functioning non-profit with eight full-time staff, and five full-time volunteer interns. Together, they have responded to more than 100,000 messages and calls for help from people all over America. With suicide the third leading cause of death among 18-24 years olds today, it’s likely that TWLOHA has saved more than a few lives, and given hope to many more. “So many people live alone when it comes to the stuff that hurts,” says Tworkowski, who has himself battled depression over the years. “They feel it is stuff they can’t talk about. Well, we say ‘maybe this is part of being human, and we can all relate’. We’re inviting to believe that life is worth living and that it's possible to get help when we need it.” And what of Renee, the teenager who felt life was so hopeless she scrawled her self-hatred on her body with a blade? She celebrated three years of sobriety just a few months ago, and finally views the world as a place she wants to live in. “This is something that she will be fighting for the rest of her life,” says Tworkowski. “But she knows she’s not alone—and that’s important.”—Caroline Ryder/Against The Grain Don't forget: vote for Jamie and TWLOHA for this year's MTV Woodie Award right here. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36669 Evan Slater Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Last Saturday we had the Second Annual Dane Williams Memorial Surf Festival at Goldenwest Street in Huntington Beach. GW was Dane’s local spot, so we thought it would be most fitting to round up all of our friends and family and have a fun day at the beach to celebrate our wonderful friend Dane’s life. Dane was always one for having EVERYONE around…the guy took his family, grandmother included, to Las Vegas for his 21st birthday. Many of Dane’s family and friends were on hand to join in the festivities to win cool prizes donated by our friends in the surf industry. Nalu’s Island Grill was on hand at lunchtime to feed everyone around the event. The contest went on hold due to a massive fog bank that rolled in and made it tough for judges to distinguish jersey colors. That didn’t stop everyone from getting into all the beach games. We eventually had to call it off and choose winners based on the scores in Round 1, which was a bit of a bummer because the waves were actually really fun...when you could see them. — Brandon Guilmette Special thanks goes out to: Nalu’s Island Grill, Hurley, Analog, Volcom, Nike 6.0, The Shorebreak Hotel, Firewire Surfboards, Gravis, Jack’s Surfboards, Lee Stacey, Brett Simpson, Brad Ettinger, Sugar Shack Café, Arnette, Electric eyewear, HSS, Java Point, Surfing Magazine, Fox, Rip Curl, Ezekiel, Surfline, Nixon, Skull Candy, Warner Bros., and many many more who helped make this event possible. WINNERS: Juniors - Alex Barone Mens - Matt Payne Boogieboard - Dan Knight Super Grom - Griffin Foy Groms - Jake Marshall Girls - Sara Taylor ABOUT DANE: Dane Williams, a Huntington Beach resident, was reported missing in San Diego on January 25, 2008, where he was attending the Action Sports Retailer (ASR) Convention on behalf of Hurley.  A few days later his body was discovered in an alley miles from where he was last seen.  For almost two years his case was a mystery.  With relentless efforts by San Diego’s homicide detectives an arrest was made on September 15, 2009.  Dane’s family now waits for the impending trial to begin and justice to be served.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36644 Evan Slater Monday, October 19, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36561 Evan Slater Friday, October 16, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36554 Evan Slater Friday, October 16, 2009 We know Kai Barger is a competitive warrior, but he went above and beyond the call of duty yesterday at the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge in Bali. Here's the details from the crew at Keramus:  "An inspiring performance was also put on by Hawaii’s Kai Barger today. Barger suffered a knee injury sustained free surfing two days ago and this morning hobbled to the water’s edge fully braced around his knee to surf his semi-final. Early in the semi-final he could barely turn on two extremely low scoring rides and most wondered why he even bothered to paddle out. Half way through the semi on a good clean medium sized wave, Barger pushed his performance hard, clearly uncomfortable but still showing signs of his renown power and he scored a very worthy 6 point ride putting him in contention. His following ride was simply amazing, taking one of the largest set waves, Barger unleashed a massive opening bottom-to-top turn and followed up with three more powerful controlled turns, scoring an excellent 8.5 and looked set to take an incredible semi win. Barger’s injury clearly made it very tough for him in the final 5 minutes and a priority mistake saw Wrench claim the semi final but Barger’s remarkable performance was applauded by all at the event as limped from the water. With an iced bracing around  his knee after the event Barger spoke of the semi-final performance saying 'It was good to get through it and get an excellent score but I feel disappointed now as it was also a missed opportunity, I was so close and it’s frustrating for me right now.''The knee was painful throughout each turn and it’s difficult to surf fully braced.'" Kai Barger wins the "Terminator Award" for never saying "die." Here's to a quick recovery for the reigning world junior champ. Congratulations to Aussie Sam Wrench for the win and Oakley for putting on such a solid Junior event. For more, go to http://oakleyprojunior.com/. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36540 Evan Slater Thursday, October 15, 2009 Two decades of defining moments on stage. One major collaboration with Hurley. Rock photographer Lisa Johnson has captured a lot of musicians in their glory, and now you get to wear them. Be sure to swing by 225 Forest TONIGHT, OCTOBER 15, at 225 Forest for her collaborative launch party. Food, drinks, good times and, most importantly, her timeless t-shirts will be on center stage. Festivities start at 6 p.m. See you there. For more on Lisa Johnson, go to http://www.myspace.com/lisajohnsonphoto or or to her Hurley bio page. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36538 Evan Slater Wednesday, October 14, 2009 So, it’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything on here… Which is actually odd seeming that I’ve had a lot of time on my hands. Maybe it’s because I didn’t think I had anything interesting to say. Well, to be honest I’m pretty sure I still don’t have anything too entertaining. Making attempts at surfing the waist-high slop, trying to write English papers on hideous topics and reading books have been my highlights. Even though it might sound lame, it's actually been quite nice. A bit of a change from the ordinary. I recently read an excellent book called The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. The words in the book are so smooth and flow so nicely that they lull you into some sort of trance. Then before you know it, you want to go to Spain, watch bullfights and drink vermouth all day. But that isn’t reality… Since I haven’t had to read books for school I have really taken to reading books that interest me, or that are recommended to me. Right now I’m reading 1984 by George Orwell and it sure is a trip. This man Winston lives in this odd world that is lead by “Big Brother.” Big Brother and his "party" basically control society. They make up the past by controlling everything — including our minds. The book's a bit out there but in an odd way paints a picture of what our world could some day be, or is maybe well on its way to being. It’s been really nice to have a lot of time to relax and hang around my house. But all the while that I’ve been here, my brother was off in some far off fantasy land where the waves were pumping and there were hot little girls running around. If you saw any of the photos you’d be quite jealous, too! It’s cool to hear that he is charging and getting some sick tubes! Someone has to do it…—Conner  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36533 Evan Slater Wednesday, October 14, 2009 It doesn't hit you until it really hits you: In the Mentawais, you're surfing in a seismic hotbed. And if the past few years haven't been proof enough, the recent 7.6 temblor on Sept. 30 confirms it once again. Bob Hurley and a crew of friends of family were anchored just off Macaronis — relaxing in between sessions — when the quake hit. They heard a rumble, felt a shake and realized it wasn't just a cleanup set or a thunderhead. And while they enjoyed a memorable trip up until that point, the rest was a blur. Rushed through Padang, dodging all the collapsed buildings and wreckage. Sirens and panic. And eventually finding a way home. But the difference for traveling surfers is, they actually have a home to go to. Many of the locals in Padang and the surrounding area have lost everything. Homes, friends, family members. These are the same people who help keep the Mentawais charter machinery in motion. Who are an important part of the two decades of surf imagery that's fueled our dreams and the industry itself. Fortunately, many in the surf industry realize this and are doing everything they can. Many organizations are currently administering aid, food and assistance to Indonesia's hardest hit areas. Surf Aid International, Red Cross, Last Mile Operations...the list goes on. In an effort to do our part, Hurley and its H2O division is holding a benefit event this Wednesday, October 14, at the "A" Restaurant in Newport Beach. Here are the details according to Bob: "The evening is informal and kicks off at 6PM. No RSVP or tickets required. No silent auction, but donations received with gratitude.....We will have a tip jar for Surf Aid on the bar and gladly accept cash and checks........please bring your friends and your smile. Please make checks out to Surf Aid. This recent quake was severe and tragic.......Wednesday Nite is another great chance for our industry to give back to the victims of the quake and the wonderful people of Padang and the Mentawai Islands." Where: “A” Restaurant 3334 W. Pacific Coast Highway Newport Beach, Ca. 92663 (Intersection of PCH and the 55) PH: 949-650-6505 6 PM Wed. October 14th If you can't make it, be sure to go to http://www.surfaidinternational.org donate to the cause. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36485 Evan Slater Tuesday, October 13, 2009 It's been a great two weeks of surfing for me. Last week I won my first event of the season in the explorer and this week I won the NSSA Open Mens on southside of the Huntington Beach Pier. I won every heat in both of the contest something I've never achieved before. The waves were small but I have this great Timmy Patterson 5'7" rising sun and the board went amazing. This was my first time to win 2 events in two weekends. I'm stoked to have won the contest against guys that surf so well. Conner Coffin has been surfing amazing and he's really hard to get a win over so I'm stoked I won with him in the contest.Thanks,Christian Saenz  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36483 Christian Saenz Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Cooper Chapman (North Narrabeen, NSW) continued his exponential rise one of Australia’s finest today, winning the Zink Surf South Coast Pro with a scintillating display at Werri Beach.Having already seen epic conditions and mind-blowing performances in the previous five Hurley NSW Championship Circuit events, today saw the curtain close on the prestigious Circuit for 2009 in blistering style.Defeating Jake Sylvester (Bar Beach, NSW), Connor O’Leary (Cronulla, NSW) and Cory Robertson (Cronulla, NSW), who finished second, third and fourth respectively, Chapman took the crown and the over Circuit – pocketing $500.“I’m so stoked,” he said walking away with two cheques.“The conditions were unreal – I loved surfing out there today.”Over the course of the five events he surfed in, Chapman highlighted his dominance and consistency throughout the overall Circuit.With his worst result a fifth, Chapman managed to rack up two wins to sit alongside a second and third placing.“This Circuit forces you to be consistent with your surfing,” he admitted.“It’s definitely a great initiative and I know the guys love surfing in these events.”Having been locked into an intense battle throughout the year, a mere 200 ratings points separated Sylvester and Chapman leading into the final, with both knowing that a victory was needed to be crowned champion.“I knew I needed to beat him,” Chapman said.“It made for an exciting final, but I wanted to take home the win.”   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36482 Cooper Monday, October 12, 2009 While we're not opening the champagne yet, we're definitely putting it on ice. Hurley's Brett Simpson slogged through some challenging conditions at Rio's Arpoador Beach this past weekend. But when the spray settled after tight heat with winner Simao Romao, he walked away with a third-place finish and a valuable 1875 points in his quest for qualification. That replaced Brett's 1100-point low and catapulted him back up to sixth in the overall ASP World Qualifying Series ratings. ASP tour manager Al Hunt wouldn't concede that Simpson is a lock just yet, but let's just say he can breathe a little easier now. Brett's flying back home today, but this is what he told the ASP after his heat: “Ahh of course, I’m still stoked, third place is a good result for me. He (Simao Romao) won here last year, and definitely this is his place, he is surfing amazing, so congratulations to him. I didn’t get a good result at Guaruja last week so it was great to come here and make the semis. We finally had a day of sun and fun waves. That’s how I like to think of Brazil, and today we certainly had the best waves of the entire event.” Four more six-stars left. We're hoping to open the champagne before Hawaii. Go, Brett. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36479 Evan Slater Monday, October 12, 2009 Fall is my favorite time of year at home.  The summer surfers have taken their soft tops back to the city, and we get our beaches and waves back to ourselves.  The Pacific ocean has started to wake up from it's summer slumber, and the water temperature is still nice and warm at 51 degrees.   Now we just have to sit back and wait for a big red blob to march across the Pacific and run straight into us.  October is going to be a big month for surfing in Canada.  The ever first ASP, WQS event is rolling into town, along with all the top guys on the WQS.  It's going to be interesting to say the least, and it's something a lot of people in Canada are looking forward to.  I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for waves so we can see these guys go to town up here.  The event won't be complete without wind, rain, hail, sun and maybe even a little snow so get ready.  It's going to be a crazy week!Pete   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36465 Peter Devries Thursday, October 8, 2009 Sitting home during the rare October doldrums looking back on how fun the waves were in obx a few weeks ago is just depressing. The waves were fun but ofcourse not when the contest (Eastern Surfing Championships) was going on, it was knee high at most. Bummer. After and before the contest the waves were good, the days before the contest there was a fun windswell with rippable peaks and the day after the contest it was head high offshore and going off. Thats just the way these things work i guess. -PJ  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36460 PJ Raia Thursday, October 8, 2009 This summer we were able to spend two months in Southern California and San O became our go-to spot. We had several Sunday barbies where we got a chance to catch up with old friends and share tons of fun waves. I had been out of the water for almost a year and San O was the perfect place for me to get back on a board and fall in love with surfing all over again. I was riding an 11'0" Chris Christenson most of the time.  We've all heard the old guy barking, "one fin, one god". Well now I'm starting to figure out what he's talking about. This Christenson board is opening my eyes to feeling the wave, instead of trying so hard destroy it. I'm learning to slow my surfing down and follow the board more. My wife has mastered this art with her effortless style in all parts of the board and the wave. Wifey and I are more inspired than ever to be in the water surfing. Thank you San O for bringing back the STOKE for the Goodwins. — Aamion http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36426 Evan Slater Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Myself, Mikey Detemple, Jake Burghart and Kassia Meador took off from New York city to Your Beach, Maine to hang out with the people over at Grain Surfboards and film for Mikey's new film and shred the seven seas of Maine. If you've never checked Grain Surfboards out, go do it now.  Built from all natural wood similar to the way a boat is built. I ended up doing a 4'8" paipo copy kneeboard that works way better as a surfboard. Mikey is bulding a 5'0" Simmons-influenced twin fin, Kassia took the all classic 5'4" twin fin and as for Jake he shreds harder than all of us and built some hand plant bodysurfing boards.We scored a few unreal days here and have a week left here. The water is cold, the people are friendly and vibes are good. I'll keep you people posted on the days events.—Scotty http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36402 Evan Slater Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Enigmatic depositer of wooden arrows, world traveler and non-Facebooker, ABOVE has taken his uniquely eclectic brand of street art to more cities than the Olympics. Against The Grain talk to the enigmatic artist about being stabbed in Ecuador, his hippie parents, and the fact that he smells like a can of Krylon. HOW OLD ARE YOU? 9+3 divided by 4, multiplied by 13, subtract -3. Divide that total in half and add +10 to get my age. Wheuf, and we only just started! YOU TRY TO KEEP A LOW PROFILE SO WE CAN’T ASK WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE—BUT WHAT COLOR IS YOUR AURA, AND WHAT DO YOU SMELL LIKE? I suppose both answers are flexible depending on what my mood is (aura) and what I've done that day (smell). Let's not forget some foods make some people smell more "potent" than others. Throwing caution into the wind I'd say "green" for my aura, and like the Krylon Ultra flat black "cinnamon" smell that comes out of that specific type of color. YOU GREW UP IN CALIFORNIA…WHICH CALIFORNIA ARTISTS, GRAFFITI OR OTHERWISE, HAVE MOST INSPIRED YOU? First and foremost my parents with their 110% encouraging me to do and follow whatever I felt I wanted to pursue. Growing up skateboarding and tagging in Northern California enabled me to see first-hand such great graffiti artists coming through or living in San Francisco. Graffiti artists like NAROC, VEGAN, BLES, FOKIS, TWIST, GIANT, DRONE, HEART 101, AMAZE and REMINISCE to name just a quick handful. There was so much going on and I was a little too young at the time to jump in but I did catch the tail-end of those times. IN INTERVIEWS YOU OFTEN DESCRIBE YOUR PARENTS AS HAVING BEEN HIPPIES—WHAT KIND OF HIPPIES? NEW AGEY? ART HIPPIES? HAIGHT-ASHBURY FLOWER CHILDREN? CULT MEMBERS? My parents are the kind of hippies that when they got busted when I was a kid for growing a huge crop of marijuana the police officers said those were the biggest plants they had ever seen. Storytelling is an art but my Dad told me that the plants were literally 18 feet tall and had softball sized buds on them. Needless to say, my parents would qualify for the Haight-Ashbury type. Not the ones with "Free Hugs" signs but the ones that are supplying the whole Haight street strip with weed. DID YOU JUST PAINT FREIGHTS OR DID YOU HOP ‘EM TOO? Both, but more painting than hopping. I moved to Paris when I was 19 and started painting freights when I was 16 so I preferred to paint than to ride. I once got stranded at the large Roseville yard and that sucked! YOU LIVED IN PARIS FOR A COUPLE YEARS—HOW DID FRENCH GRAFF STYLE INFLUENCE YOU? Le style du graffiti a Paris n'etais pas vraiment fait un choc avec moi. Il y avait beaucoup des mecs qui font le meme chose a chaque coin de rue. Mais j'adore les femmes Parisienne! DO YOU STILL PREFER NOT TO SHOW YOUR STUFF IN GALLERIES? How did you know about that? Lets just say this. My heart and passion are in traveling and working with public space. If and when I decide to step inside it will be a new challenge and experience. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SKATE SPOT GROWING UP? Hands down PIER 7 on the wharf of San Francisco. On any given day during the heyday of PIER 7 there would be so many pro and amateur skaters busting out and throwing down some crazy lines. We would skate until something broke, then buy a new deck or whatever off one of the pro skaters who were selling shit for half the price the stores were. Some of the best times skating went down there. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CITY IN SOUTH AMERICA, AND WHY? I fell in love with Buenos Aires, Argentina! It's called the Paris of the southern hemisphere and with just cause. The people are beautiful, stylish and very outgoing. The climate and cost of living is amazingly great. It's very easy to bomb or paint large there in broad daylight. I'll be going back soon as its too good of a city to be true. DID YOU CONNECT WITH ANY PIXACAO WRITERS OUT IN SAO PAULO? I connected with only a handful. The two don't really mix so much. Two different objectives and lifestyles. TELL US AN ANECDOTE FROM ONE TIME YOU WERE PAINTING IN SOUTH AMERICA. Getting stabbed in my arm in Quito, Ecuador by three crackhead junkies was interesting. My friend was lucky to only get one crackhead on him and he was able to run. I got un-lucky and had one crackhead on each of my arms holding them while the third crackhead had literally stabbed my left forearm with a knife and demanded that I give him everything I had on me or else he would push the tip of the knife in farther to my arm. They were so fucking high they never looked in my small pocket of my jeans where I purposely stashed half of my money in case of this exact situation. I'm not rich so they only made off with 40 bucks. IF SOMEONE WANTS TO BUY ONE OF YOUR ARROWS, DO YOU STILL MAKE THEM FILL OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT THEMSELVES? HAS ANYONE EVER FAILED? Yes I do. I clearly state and say that I'm not judging them, but want to know who they are, where my artworks will be hanging, and most importantly for people to check in with themselves with a little internal questioning. The only people who fail are those who give one-word answers and clearly don't put any effort into the questionnaire and just want to buy the artworks (perhaps) just to collect and resell them. WHAT DID YOU DO IN LEIPZIG GERMANY THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE? You will find out when the video is released. http://vimeo.com/above WHY THE URGE TO TRAVEL SO FAR AND WIDE WITH YOUR WORK? Because the world is a big place with lots of adventures and opportunities. I'm a curious person and I like to challenge myself and see what I'm able to manifest and accomplish in new uncertain environments where I might not know the language, city, culture, and pace of life. That's what and all that I really care about in life, is to live it to the fullest. YOU'RE NOT INTO FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND MYSPACE...YAY! I second that! YOU HAVE BEEN ELECTROCUTED WHILE HANGING ARROWS FROM ELECTRICITY LINES--DESCRIBE THE FEELING OF ELECTROCUTION AND ONE SUCH EXAMPLE. It's fast and intense. You only realize it like one second after it has already jolted through your arm or body. I kinda had a taste of metal in my mouth afterwards. WOULD YOU PUNCH AN ALIEN? Maybe, but only after it denied me my wish to go with it and return to its home planet so I could paint (assuming they have places to paint?) and hang out with other aliens. I bet even if I did try and punch the alien it would already know I was going to punch it so it would do some disappearing trick so It would be impossible to hit it.  HTTP://GOABOVE.COM http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36367 Evan Slater Tuesday, October 6, 2009 The Saenz boys were frothing to get back into the contest season. After a great summer I was actually stoked for school to start. When school starts all the NSSA comps are running up and down the coast of California. This was the 2nd explorer event and I was really looking forward to surf some fun waves at the contest in huntington. This weekend was different though, I won and my younger brother Jake won also! This was my first season win and my brothers first win in his career. We are stoked to have shared such a great weekend together and will always look back on it with fond memories. Not only did we both win the contest but also got NSSA surfer of the week together. For more check www.saenzy.blogspot.comThanks,christian saenz http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36365 Christian Saenz Tuesday, October 6, 2009 Nighthorse combine the old school sounds of Free and John Lee Hooker with sepia-tinged Native American imagery and the hard drinkin’ spirit of the Wild West.We talk to Nighthorse’s lead singer Sam James Velde (a skater born and raised in the OC) about riding horses, why Stevie Wonder is heavier than some doom bands, and how he doesn’t give a f--k about flares or drainpipes. WHERE ARE YOU FROM, SAM VELDE? I grew up in Orange County, in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. I was a typical Orange County kid—really into skateboarding and competed as a youngster. I've broken three ankles skating—f---ed up knees and everything—but it’s that risk factor that keeps you totally in to it. Someone once told me about skating—you gotta have a screw loose to shred. WHAT MUSIC WERE YOU INTO, GROWING UP? I grew up listening to lots of Southern California punk music and local music, from The Adolescents to MIA, which was a Costa Mesa band. COSTA MESA—THAT’S WHERE HURLEY IS HEADQUARTERED. Yeah, I grew up both sides of the Bay. I lived in Newport as a kid and my mom got divorced and we moved to Costa Mesa because it was cheaper and overlooks part of Newport Beach. Costa Mesa is a more creative, liberal area and Newport Beach is very wealthy. Costa Mesa is its more working class stepchild. Down to earth folks and lots of kids running around and being wild. I am thankful that I grew up my entire life within 15 minutes of the beach. That has played a big role in who I am. SO YOU SURF, TOO? I surfed in high school but I wasn’t drawn to it like I was to skateboarding. I didn’t want to have the weather dictate my enjoyment. You can go skating when it rains, but you can’t go surf if there’s no waves. YOU’VE MUSIC SUPERVISED A COUPLE SURF FILMS—DO YOU THINK HEAVY OR MELLOW MUSIC WORKS BEST IN A SURF MOVIE? Depends how it’s shot and what it looks like and who is surfing. That said—if you are talking about 15 foot sets and there’s some dramatic wipe out, you might go with something heavy or ominous, but if you're surfing 4 or 5 footers, then happy-go-lucky music might work better. YOU SING IN NIGHTHORSE, A BAND THAT’S ALL ABOUT STRAIGHT UP, RIP ROARIN’ ROCK N ROLL. HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A FAN OF KEEPING THINGS CLASSIC? For me, things have definitely progressed with age, as far as getting into heavier music and getting in touch with more bona fide blatant rock ‘n roll music. I have always been steeped in rock ‘n roll. When I was approached to do Nighthorse the one thing I really liked about them was that they are so rock and roll. They told me, “we aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel, we just wanna make a good wheel”. WHAT’S THE HEAVIEST BAND YOU’RE LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? I think heavy is a relative term. A lot of people would associate it with tonality and volume, and yet it’s not heavy at all. Like some stoner rock and doom, and it just sounds like the same old sh*t. You tune super low and you turned your amps up and you have Orange equipment—that’s what makes “heavy” now…but that’s not always what’s actually heavy. SO WHAT IS “HEAVY”, TO YOU? Sometimes things that are lyrical are super heavy. Like Leonard Cohen. He’s one of the heaviest cats ever. People can buy the equipment and they can tune down and play slow—but can they write “Bitches Brew” by Miles Davis? Or the song “Big Brother” by Stevie Wonder? That is some of the heaviest sh*t I ever heard. WHAT HEAVY BANDS ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Black Breath from Seattle. They have an EP out called “Razor to Oblivion”. And Trap Them…these American kids who are super influenced by Swedish metal. I gotta lie down after I listen to them. HAVE YOU RIDDEN AT HORSE AT NIGHT? Yes. I grew up riding horses—my uncle is a breeder and trainer, and I used to do rodeos. My mother’s side of the family are quote unquote horse people. My sister and mom are equestrian—I never got in to English riding, I liked western saddle better DESCRIBE THE MUSIC OF NIGHTHORSE. I think the way we have created Nighthorse is pretty much as a blues band and the blues are about not feeling so good. I would never limit this band to only feeling bad though—I love feeling good too. ARE YOU FEELING GOOD RIGHT NOW? I’m OK. I'm not super happy right now. I lost my sister in the fall. And I lost my grandmother last summer, and I broke up with my wife the fall before that. My ex-wife's father died six months before that, and my stepmother died the year before that, and it’s been a succession of really crazy things that happened. DAMN. I’M SORRY MAN. Thanks. It’s a process. WHAT’S HEAVIER—FLARES OR DRAINPIPES? I don’t give a f--k about flares or drainpipes. I have been wearing the same pair of jeans for one year straight and now I have to buy another pair. They are becoming paper. They’re by Helmut Lang, and I never washed them for one year. THAT’S REAL NASTY. If they start to stink I throw them in the sink. They were black and now they are cobalt blue. I had to get them restitched. —Caroline Ryder / Against The Grain http://www.myspace.com/nighthorsemusic http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36359 Evan Slater Monday, October 5, 2009 "You better hold on to this. It's going to be worth something someday." Ever tell your friends that after signing a random piece of paper? Neither have we. But here are some autographs you might be interested in: Kelly Slater, Dane Reynolds, Mick Fanning and Taylor Knox, to name a few. Introducing this week's Twitter giveaway, where we have this coveted, fully-signed keepsake from last month's Hurley Expression Session on Facebook. The challenge is simple: just retweet the message below and you'll be entered to win. And don't worry. It IS worth something. Right now. Message to Retweet: RT @HurleyClothing is giving away a SIGNED jersey from the Expression Session at the Hurley Pro! Details here: http://bit.ly/YTulD. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36354 Evan Slater Monday, October 5, 2009 Six years ago, it replaced the banana hammock for Nike-sponsored European Olympic swimmers. Today, it's the material that created the undisputed Boardshort of the Year for two years running. Hurley's Phantom won again at the seventh annual SIMA Image Awards held this past weekend at the Crowne Plaza Resort in San Jose Del Cabo. In front of 150 peers, Hurley Senior VP of Marketing Paul Gomez thanked SIMA for all its hard work, the retailers for their ongoing support and the other brands for their pursuit of excellence and healthy competition. The Phantom Stretch fabric — first introduced in 2007 —has sparked a space race in the boardshort category, with a handful of companies pushing for the next quantum leap in lightness, stretchiness and overall performance. Fortunately, the original of these super-stretch boardshorts keeps evolving with the Phantom with Nike Flywire coming 11/27/09. Check out the primer here or, to buy your own pair of Phantoms, go to our store. Here's the complete list of SIMA Image Awards winners recognized this weekend at the SIMA Surf Summit. Congratulations to all the brands who took home a wooden wave. Hope that tequila wasn't too hard on you in the morning.2009 SIMA IMAGE AWARDS WINNERS and NOMINEESOVERALL AWARDSBreakthrough Brand of the Year: * winner - Atwater Criteria: Recognizing the small- to mid-size men’s or women’s brand that experienced breakthrough growth between January 1 and December 31, 2008. Consider surfboard, apparel, footwear, wetsuit and accessory brands that had a breakthrough year through product development and/or increased brand recognition and appeal. Nominated companies can be new or established brands, but must have annual U.S. sales of at least $1 million and no more than $25 million.Atwater *Firewire SurfboardsSanuk FootwearSkullcandyVon ZipperBreakthrough Retailer of the Year: * winner – Coastal Edge, Virginia/NC Criteria: Recognizing the specialty retailer with 15 U.S. brick and mortar doors or less that experienced success in 2008. Consider the specialty retailer that had a breakthrough year in terms of sales and increased store recognition and appeal.Coastal Edge, Virginia/NC *Hanger 94, San DiegoHeritage, New JerseyK-5, OceansideQuiet Flight, FloridaMEN’S AWARDSMen’s Apparel Brand of the Year: * winner - Billabong Criteria: Awarded to the men’s apparel brand that featured the most exciting designs, increased its brand appeal, and grew its business between January 1 and December 31, 2008.Billabong *HurleyO’NeillRVCAVolcom Men’s Marketing Campaign of the Year: winner - …lost’s “The ‘Old’…lost” CampaignCriteria: Awarded to the men’s apparel, footwear, wetsuit, hardgoods, accessory or media brand that produced the most creative marketing campaign in 2008. Consider men’s brands that displayed a creative, cohesive and consistent brand message in print, digital and point-of-purchase materials. Campaign must have first appeared in consumer print publications with an on-sale date on or before October 1, 2008 (approx. the October or November issues of endemic magazines.)…lost’s “The ‘Old’…lost” Campaign * Billabong’s “Evolution of an Icon” CampaignHurley’s “Phantom – True Performance” CampaignNixon’s “Motion” CampaignSanuk’s “This Is Not a Shoe” Campaign Men’s Boardshort of the Year: * winner - Phantom® 120 by Hurley Criteria: Awarded to the boardshort product that featured the most exciting design, appeal or innovation between January 1 and December 31, 2008.Angulator Mod by VolcomMetallica Limited Edition by BillabongMy Dog Spot by QuiksilverPhantom® 120 by Hurley *TIA by O’NeillMen’s Retailer of the Year: * winner – Surfside Sports, Costa Mesa Criteria: Awarded to the specialty retailer that featured the best selection, product mix and merchandising in the men’s category between January 1 and December 31, 2008. Hansen’s Boardroom, EncinitasHuntington Surf & Sport, Huntington BeachSurfside Sports, Costa Mesa *The Beach House, Santa BarbaraWhalebone, Virginia/NCWOMEN’S AWARDSWomen’s Apparel Brand of the Year: * winner – Billabong Girls Criteria: Awarded to the women’s apparel brand that featured the most exciting designs, increased its brand appeal, and grew its business between January 1 and December 31, 2008.Billabong Girls *HurleyRoxyRVCAVolcom Girls Women’s Marketing Campaign of the Year: * winner - L*Space’s “What’s Your L?” Campaign Criteria: Awarded to the women’s apparel, swimwear, footwear, wetsuit, hardgoods, accessory and media brand that produced the most creative marketing campaign in 2008. Consider women’s brands that displayed a creative, cohesive and consistent brand message in print, digital and point-of-purchase materials. Campaign must have first appeared in consumer print publications with an on-sale date on or before October 1, 2008 (approx. the October or November issues of endemic magazines.)Billabong’s “Fever” CampaignHurley’s “Young Contemporary” CampaignL*Space’s “What’s Your L?” Campaign *Roxy’s “Ia Orana (Hello Tahiti)” CampaignVolcom’s “Easy on the Eyes” Campaign Women’s Swim Brand of the Year: * winner – L*Space Criteria: Awarded to the women’s swim brand that featured the most exciting designs, increased its brand appeal, and grew its business between January 1 and December 31, 2008.Billabong GirlsHurleyL*Space *RoxyVolcomWomen’s Retailer of the Year: * winner – Huntington Surf & Sport, Huntington Beach Criteria: Awarded to the specialty retailer that featured the best selection, product mix and merchandising in the women’s category between January 1 and December 31, 2008.Becker, Corona Del MarHansen’s Boardroom, EncinitasHuntington Surf & Sport, Huntington Beach *Jack’s, IrvineSpyder, Hermosa BeachPRODUCT AWARDSAccessory Product of the Year: * iPhone Application by Electric Visual Criteria: Awarded to the accessory product at retail between January 1 and December 31, 2008 that featured the most exciting design, appeal or innovation. Accessory products such as watches, eyewear, bags, fins, etc. can be considered.Double Agent Headphones by SkullcandyInfiniti Drylock Boot by XceliPhone Application by Electric Visual *Master Blaster Headphones by NixonUltimate Tide Watch by Rip Curl Environmental Product of the Year: * winner - Recycled Boardshort Series by Billabong Criteria: Awarded to the most exciting, appealing and/or innovative environmental surf product at retail between January 1 and December 31, 2008. Consider apparel, footwear, accessory, wetsuit, surfboard or any other surf-related product that was created to lessen the impact on the environment, whether through its manufacturing process, materials or usage of the product itself.Recycled Boardshort Series by Billabong *Slightly Choppy Eco-Friendly Boardshort by QuiksilverSoleo Organics Sunscreen by SoleoStash Sandal by ReefV.Co-Logical Creedlers Sandal by VolcomFootwear Product of the Year: * winner - Authentic by Vans Criteria: Awarded to the footwear product at retail between January 1 and December 31, 2008 that featured the most exciting design, appeal or innovation.Authentic by Vans *Dr. Simmons by ReefKia’i by OlukaiSidewalk Surfers by Sanuk FootwearSurf Turkey by O’NeillSurfboard Model of the Year: * winner - Proton by Channel Islands Criteria: Awarded to the surfboard model at retail between January 1 and December 31, 2008 that featured the most exciting design, appeal or innovation.C4 Waterman Subvector 9-3 Stand Up Board by C4 Waterman/BoardworksGTR by Rusty SurfboardsProton by Channel Islands *Shane Beschen Rocket by …lostTaj Pro Model by Firewire SurfboardsWetsuit of the Year: * winner - Psychofreak by O’Neill Wetsuits Criteria: Awarded to the wetsuit at retail between January 1 and December 31, 2008 that featured the most exciting design, appeal or innovation.Cypher by QuiksilverH-Bomb by Rip CurlInfiniti Drylock Fullsuit by XcelPsychofreak by O’Neill Wetsuits *Solution Gold Back Zip Fullsuit by Billabong   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36348 Evan Slater Sunday, October 4, 2009 Philadelphia-based artist Adam Wallacavage is a man of many talents. As a noted photographer, he’s captured many a weird underground scene with his hungry lens. And as a lover of eight- legged tentacled things, he’s become know for his beautifully-sculpted octopus chandeliers, the kind that would look just perfect hanging above Jack Sparrow’s dinner table. Against The Grain talks to Wallacavage about the decorative arts, squid ink pasta, and staying alive in Philly.WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ON OCTOPI? My brother had one in a jar when I was a kid. I thought it was super cool. I'm not obsessed with them or anything I just think they make cool chandeliers. I mean if I were to turn into an animal of my choice, I'd pick to be a Godzilla or a mothra. They have the craziest animals over in Japan. I saw a thing about them on TV. DO YOU EAT OCTOPUS? HAVE YOU HAD SQUID INK PASTA? I'm allergic to them because I'm allergic to shellfish and octopus are descendents of the nautilus which is a squid-like animal that has a shell. My ex tried to kill me once by ordering me the black pasta once, but I noticed some tiny tentacles in the mix and lived to tell the tale. WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE THAT THEIR PHYSIOGNOMY WAS PERFECTLY SUITED TO CHANDELIERS? Physiognomy? Damn, that's a cool word and I would have no idea what it meant if you didn't use it in a sentence. I started out with the idea of making an octopus ceiling medallion first with a jellyfish chandelier but it wasn't making sense and I was inspired by a glass jellyfish chandelier I saw in an old book and wanted to avoid that. The octopus just made sense. AS A PHOTOGRAPHER YOU’VE SHOT SOME PRETTY AWESOME SUBCULTURES. WHAT ARE YOU SHOOTING RIGHT NOW? This summer I documented Steve Powers’ Love Letters project in west Philly. It is a mural project covering the span of the elevated subway where Steve designed murals that line the rooftops of it with messages. They did over 30 of them and I've been shooting photos of the process and final results. Other than that, just whatever strikes my fancy as they say. YOU’RE SOMETHING OF A RENAISSANCE MAN – HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT? I just do what I want with whatever resources I find. I get into things because I just want it. I got into photography when I was a kid making skateboard ‘zines because it was too hard getting other people to shoot what I wanted. Chandeliers and wallpaper because I had ideas that were too expensive to realize if I had someone else do it. What I do is not art. It's some sort of craft. I just swindled my way into "art" galleries for the prestige. I'm joking but there's sometimes much truth in jokes. WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT LIVING IN PHILLY FOR YOU? The best thing about living in Philly is that I'm not dead. My family is in the area and that is important. I can do what I want here and take off easily if I want to. It's just home. WHAT KIND OF CAMERA DO YOU SHOOT WITH? I use a Lumix LX3 point and shoot and a Canon DSLR camera. I'm not a big gear geek, but I like a simple set up with a flash and a wide angle lens. WHEN DID YOU START SKATING? When I was 6 years old. 1976. My brother and sisters and all the kids in the neighborhood started back then. It was a major fad. I got really into it when I was 11. I discovered how awesome it felt to skate a tiny board down the steepest hill in the neighborhood all by myself. It was the greatest thing in the world to me. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SKATE SPOT IN YOUR TOWN? I need to be careful not to break bones but I hang out at FDR skatepark which is down the street from my house. YOU PHOTOGRAPH OBJECTS IN MOTION, OFTEN HUMANS IN MOTION, ABOUT TO JUMP OFF THINGS, ON THE EDGE OF SOMETHING, FACING GRAVITY. ARE YOU AN ADRENALINE JUNKIE? I suppose I am. I like seeing exciting things. I try not to do anything stupid myself but I'll gladly shoot a photo of someone doing something stupid. WOULD YOU PUNCH AN ALIEN? It depends. --Caroline Ryder / Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36306 Jess Thursday, October 1, 2009 Mexico isn't all life-or-death beachbreak barrels. There's plenty of spots that are so rippable and perfect. You just have to know where and when to go. We recently got a fun south swell so we headed up to a spot that's been so good this year. Just long, perfect draining sand-bottom barrels with rippable sections. And it's not the "somewhere" you saw in the Rip Curl contest. Anyway, here are a few shots from the trip, taken by my good friend, Edwin Morales. Until next time. — Coco http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36291 Jess Wednesday, September 30, 2009 “We’re not just looking for a career in music—we’re looking to make this our complete and utter life,” says Jimmy Zarembski, lead guitarist with Illinois garage band Satellites Over Stalingrad. “We want to be enveloped in our music all the time.” For so many high school rock bands in Illinois, and across America, being in a garage band isn’t just a hobby—it’s the start of a lifelong commitment to rawk. “We all hope that we can take our expressions and our music, and turn it into our life,” says Zarembski. Satellites Over Stalingrad have drawn inspiration from other bands in the local Niles, Illinois scene—like Silent Sirens, whose lead singer gave S.O.S. their name. Silent Sirens have set a fine example for younger newcomers, having moved beyond backyard shows in the suburbs to gigs at Chicago city venues. But S.O.S. knows they need to walk before they can run—which means proving their worth at local Battles of The Bands competitions, where they wrestle (musically-speaking) against other young outfits, like My Alumni and The Jips. When The Jips won a Battle of the Bands earlier this year, it gave the band members their first intoxicating taste of success. That victory was “the first time I thought I could see us going some place,” says Boston, The Jips’ guitarist and singer. Not everyone dribbling in their backyard will make it to the NBA, and likewise in music, there are way more hopefuls than professionals. For now though, they continue to practice, record in basements, and hustle up money for studio time, surviving on support from friends and picking up fans along the way. Kevin Flasza from My Alumni told us, “We have the best friends who are hardcore fans and support us like crazy…we would be nowhere with out them.” Parents also play an important support role for each of the three bands. “We get undying support from our parents, but they still make the rules,” says Flasza. “We all go to school and none of our parents will allow us to drop school for music—at least until some proof is seen that a career can be made out of music. Our drummer, Sean, and his parents get the worst of it because we practice in his basement and they have to put up with all the noise.” Who knows, maybe one day all the noise will have been worth it. —Story by Alexander Fructer / Against The Grain, photos by Mireya Acierto / Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36263 Evan Slater Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Was a pretty awesome time for a bunch of inner city Los Angeles teens when they got to ride the waves of Southern Ca.  Stoked Mentorship, Nike 6.0, and Surf With Daize by Hurley teamed up to make some serious dreams come true.  For three Saturdays in a row these kids got to experience the beach culture...  Yoga, Acai Bowls, Surf Heritage Museum, and the beach!! Most of the teens, coming from hard home lifes had only learned to swim a few weeks prior to surfing for the first time.  I was amazed at their dedication and determination to learning a new sport.  Surfing isn't the easiest to pick up, but most of the kids syood up and rode their waves to shore.  Here are some pix rom the fun.  Also check out the Nike 6.0 site for a video of the three week fun. Here's the link:  http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nke6-en_US/2009/09/15/60-days-of-stoked-ness Enjoy ~Daize Shayne Goodwin http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36244 Jess Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Hundreds of people predicted the winner of the Hurley Pro at Trestles. Only four made the correct guess. Here's a selection of those guesses from the beach at Lowers. For the complete collage, go to the Photos tab on www.facebook.com/hurley. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36238 Evan Slater Monday, September 28, 2009 Los Angeles artist Alex Chiu thinks just because monsters look a little different, doesn’t mean we should be mean to them.Against The Grain talks to Chiu about the scariest monsters in the world, growing up in Irvine, and his old art teacher Mr Wei. ?YOU PAINT LITTLE MONSTERS AND BIG MONSTERS THAT SOMETIMES LOOK LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN BRAINS AND FROGS. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PAINTING THEM? I've been drawing and painting characters my whole life.  I used to make up new "bad guys" for Super Mario Brothers and Mega Man.  Unfortunately my parents may have thrown all that in the garbage.  The signature monsters I currently create popped up about 6 years ago when I started tagging and doing graffiti.  My characters caught the eye of artist Billy Martinez of Neko Press Comics who helped me publish Chocolate Milk and Doughnut Doodles, a book of my drawings.  Billy was also my art teacher for a couple years and really helped me develop my own style.WHAT WAS THE FIRST MONSTER YOU EVER PAINTED, AND DID HE HAVE A NAME? The first monster I painted in my style was a dome headed monster with bulging eyes who yelled, "BLAR!"  I later started calling him "Blar Monster," which is now my Deviant Art moniker.  The whole thing started when me and my friends, SAND and GEM (MPK) used to battle each other on a board in our backyard.  All my characters used to say "BLAR!" which later became my Graffiti name. WHAT IS THE SCARIEST MONSTER YOU’VE EVER SEEN, EITHER IN YOUR HEAD, IN A DREAM OR ON TV PERHAPS? The chick from Captain Eo with the claws used to trip me out.  Goro from Mortal Kombat was also pretty bad ass.WHY ARE MOST PEOPLE OBSESSED WITH KLILING THEM? IT SEEMS UNFAIR.?You know as well as I do that people fear and hate those who are different.  It's a sad part of the human condition.  I was just having a conversation with my friend, Anthony Leano co-writer of the comic book BrAiNs, about how his neighbors hate him because he drives a hearse.  He's quite a character himself with his quirky costumes, curly wooden plugs, tattoos, and cleanly shaven head.  I've always been drawn to the misfits, freaks, outcasts, bums, and creeps. They each seem to have an interesting story to tell.?DO YOUR MONSTERS LIVE IN THE SEA OR ON THE EARTH? My monsters live just about anywhere.  I'd like to think that my monsters are domestic creatures who need a home.  I'd love for you all to adopt one of your own (which means buy my art and put it on your walls).  They also live on the web, in coffee shops, comic book store, CD covers, and clubs during live art sessions.  They're adaptable creatures.WHERE ARE YOU FROM? I'm originally from Irvine, California.  I went to Deerfield Elementary School, Venado Middle School, and University High School.  I used to hang out with Brian Rutledge from the rap group Homicide Broccoli, Michael Chi who now does financial stuff in NY, and Kevin Son (I'm not sure what he does now).   Thrice, Will Ferrell, and the singer from Rage Against the Machine, Zack de la Rocha all came from Irvine (...I believe).WHERE DID YOU LEARN TO PAINT AND DRAW? I was always into drawing.  As I kid I used to be obsessed with drawing fish.  I think I used to draw thousands.  I moved on to drawing characters from Super Mario Brothers, Mega Man, and Garfield and Friends.  Later in life, I started taking art lessons from an old Chinese dude named Mr. Wei.  I used to draw Disney characters and stuff from visual encyclopedias.  My teacher was brilliant, a master of his craft.  I heard that my old teacher's seen my new work.  I think he hates it and doesn't understand how his teaching could have led to my work.TELL ME ABOUT HONEST IAGO AND YOUR INVOLVEMENT? Honest Iago is the music and art collective that I perform with on occasions.  I belong to the group as a "live artist" which means that I created art while they play.  I usually create 2ft by 4ft paintings from beginning to end during their 30-40 minute sets.  It's a rush when people are watching.  The "live art" thing has led to my performing all over the place including a Hyphen Magazine event in San Francisco, clubs all over San Diego, Comic Book Conventions, Gallery shows, and even the Burning Man Festival.DID YOU KNOW THERE IS ANOTHER ALEX CHIU WHO MAKES IMMORTALITY RINGS SAID TO REVERSE THE ONSET OF AGING? I do.  I've known of the guy since I was in high school.  over the past few years I've been trying to form an alliance.  Unfortunately, I never heard back from the guy.  It's probably because we compete for Google space.DO YOU BELIEVE IN ALIENS? I believe I am one.WOULD YOU PUNCH ONE? Yes. --Caroline Ryder/ Against The Grain  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36190 Evan Slater Monday, September 28, 2009 Rob Machado's two-years-in-the-making opus The Drifter, is already getting the attention of the mainstream press. He recently appeared in a full segment on CNN, describing the film and the act of surfing. "It's the only thing I do where I don't have to think," he says. Check out the interview here. Be sure to check www.thedriftermovie.com to see when the movie's coming to your home town. Premieres start in October. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36164 Evan Slater Thursday, September 24, 2009 The Stopnik brothers and the Cycle Zombies are holding a rally this Saturday, and they want you to be a part of it. Just retweet this message: "@HurleyClothing is giving away a leather jacket (size: M). Details here: http://bit.ly/YTulD" and you'll be entered to win a new Cycle Zombies leather jacket (size: medium). Good luck, and be sure to wear your helmet. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36163 Evan Slater Thursday, September 24, 2009 You may know sharp-dressing Englishman Dave Warsop from his time as frontman of Beat Union—these days he’s holed up at Hurley HQ working on new sounds, modeling and getting used to life in America. Against the Grain talks to Warsop about his impeccable style, how California skate culture influenced him growing up, and why he’s not frightened to pick up a broom when needed. WHERE ARE YOU FROM?I am in a town called Bromsgrove just on the edge of Birmingham. Led Zeppelin are from really close by Bromsgrove. John Bonham’s' grave is down the road from my house and Robert Plant lived a little further out, in Stourbridge. YOU’RE AT HURLEY EVERY DAY—WHAT DO YOU THERE?Essentially my job is musician and model and whatever else they need me for. I’m a humble person from a humble background and I've' always believed you don’t get anything for free; you don’t get anything without working for it. I guess I could chill at home with a guitar in my hand but if I have to sweep the floor around Hurley office I’m not afraid to pick up a broomstick. YOU DRESS PRETTY SHARP—HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE?I like to vary my style. I am not majorly self-conscious or trying to look my best all the time. There are definitely days when I look like a slob. I have always liked a really clean-cut smart Mod culture look, from skinny ties and Sta-Prest slim fit trousers and tight-fit shirts. I have liked Doctor Martens or the desert boots the mods used to wear. And Fred Perry. I like having a short cropped haircut, shaved head or suede head. I’ve always thought that’s a really sharp image that is tied in to great musical culture. Paul Weller brought the Mod thing back from the sixties when he did The Jam in the 70s, and since then that look has been rehashed and recycled with all kinds of bands through the years. It’s timeless. HOW HAS SKATE CULTURE INSPIRED YOU? I grew up skating watching a lot of American skate videos. The biggest influence was called “Streets On Fire” by a skate film company called Santa Cruz, released in the 1980s. It changed my life because the entire soundtrack was from the punk label SST records, with bands like Black Flag and The Descendents and the Minutemen and Sonic Youth and that was the first alternative rock I ever heard. That definitely had a huge effect on my upbringing and that’s what got me interested in punk rock, I guess. The very first punk song I ever heard was on that video “Paranoid Chant” by the Minutemen and I was like “what is this music”? I had never heard anything like it. SO WHAT YOU GOT PLANNED, MUSICALLY? I’m thinking all kinds of projects—I might do the Dave Warsop solo music, but I also write in so many different directions. I want to do classic power pop stuff like The Rembrandts but I would love to experiment with soul. I listen to a lot of Motown. I’m also influenced by Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello. And I have an idea for a metal project called The Evolution Of Man. DO YOU REMEMBER PLAYING YOUR FIRST US SHOW?It was with Beat Union and we played our very first show in Massachusetts. We had to drive there from California, all the way to the East Coast. Literally it was like—“welcome to America—now drive for three days”. It was me and the drummer Luke sharing the driving, doing 10 hours each. We got in half an hour before sound check . Yeah it was a little bit stressful but it set the pace. We did Warped, and that was a crazy experience too. There’s no touring fest like that in the UK. WHAT WAS SO CRAZY ABOUT DOING WARPED?There’s crazy humidity and temperatures. And you’re working all day in it—setting up merch stands, counting merch, selling merch, restringing guitars, carrying gear around, doing a signing, doing an acoustic show in a tent and trying to fit in a meal in somewhere. It’s all about paying your dues though. I definitely feel that, with the sacrifices I’ve made with music, and I’ve put it first in my life. I've really wanted to make this happen and feel I have worked to get where I am. To be working with Hurley right now is an amazing opportunity. No one can tell me I don’t deserve it. I’ve put in years and years of work. WHAT'S THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FANS HERE AND IN THE UK? They’re more enthusiastic here. They’re into the idea of an English rock musician and they seem to love the accents we talk and sing in. So there's that feeling...when you’re playing in the UK, you’re no different to anyone else. Everyone in UK seems to be excited to be seeing the American bands. You stand out a little more being on tour in America. They are interested in seeing the imported talent. But touring is harder in America…you have the wide-open spaces and longer drives. You might make a similar amount of money at a show, but you’ve got much further to drive and more petrol, and you've got to eat more food. WHAT'S THE COOLEST THING THAT’S HAPPENED THIS SUMMER?For me, meeting Hurley was a Godsend really, for my career as musician. To have people like Bob Hurley believe in me so much as a performer and songwriter is what got me here. They are passionate people who care about music. To have them have my back is absolute amazing. Check Davey's video here, shot entirely at Hurley HQ. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36160 Evan Slater Wednesday, September 23, 2009 9/09/09 on the back 9, and by the way -- dress to the 9. Many 9's but for a good reason as this years Annual Whalebone party went Hurley.  Hurley hit its 10 year marker as Jim and April also hit their 10 year marker for hosting one of the best party's on the beach. Bob Hurley made the trek over and showed us how to play the back 9. There was music, games, great food, and much much more. Needless to say April did a fantastic job in all the planning and efforts to make this thing so special. Pete don't quit your day job (check golf photo). Till next time... -NoahSnyder http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36158 Jess Wednesday, September 23, 2009 Phoenix-based muralist MAC uses the tools of graffiti—spraycans and fatcaps—to create large scale murals that seem to channel an Old Master painter, like Goya or Caravaggio. Against the Grain talks to MAC ahead of his much-anticipated show with RETNA in Santa Monica later this month.WHAT WAS THE FIRST MURAL YOU PAINTED? Some cheesy lizard character wearing a suit in '95.WHAT WAS THE MOST RECENT? I just painted a couple walls in San Francisco recently.HOW DID YOU LEARN TO CREATE SUCH DETAILED, NUANCED AEROSOL ART? Perfectionism. Practice. Observation. Study. Obsessiveness.HOW DO YOU CREATE THE TEXTURE AND RIPPPLES ON YOUR WORK? With the spraypaint stuff, I usually use NY fatcaps, and spray the?paint quickly at different angles.HOW MUCH ARE YOU INSPIRED BY CLASSICAL PORTRAIT ARTISTS LIKE GOYA? Very Much. Goya was the shit. I think I've been inspired the most,?though, by Alphonse Mucha. Also, Caravaggio, Vermeer and Lempicka. I?could go on and on...WHICH CONTEMPORARY PORTRAIT ARTIST DO YOU ADMIRE THE MOST? Probably Chuck Close, who's famous for doing these huge photorealistic?paintings of ordinary people back in the 60s and 70s. Really amazing?work.HOW DID THE SHOW WITH RETNA COME ABOUT AND WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE? I'm having a two-person show with my friend RETNA at the Robert Berman gallery at the Bergamot Station in Santa Monica at the end of this month. It's a super big deal for both of us. Really nice gallery. It's actually been in the works for about two years, as that's when the?curator, Brett, first contacted me about doing a show there. This will be the first real gallery show that RETNA and I have had together. I think we're both pretty much giving it all we've got. I'm showing some of my best, most favorite pieces, and I know RETNA's been knocking himself out too. There will be a mix of stuff...from small ink pieces to a couple huge collaborative canvases. It's gonna be good.WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP IN PHOENIX? It was good. I was surrounded by lots of heat, palm trees, cacti, burrito spots, strip malls, pawn shops, bars, massage parlors, chain stores, chiropractors and Mexicans. It’s the 5th largest US city by population and it's also the kidnapping capital of America. It's a little like LA, but with less money, water or glamour. Hunter S. Thompson wrote that “Hell will be a viciously overcrowded version of Phoenix” which I think kind of says it all.WHAT’S THE GRAFFITI SCENE LIKE THERE?Not bad. The place has a pretty decent history of graffiti going back to the beginning of the 80s, if you don't count gang graffiti. When I got started in the mid 90s there were a lot of good writers around. These days I'm a little out of the loop, but there's still some old schoolers sticking with it and of course plenty of younger kids coming up. I think it's hard to progress because the city is very good about buffing stuff, which tends to keep the bar low. After years of seeing your stuff get painted over again and again, you don't really want to invest that much time into your work, so as a result, a lot of the most visible stuff you see is often pretty weak.WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW? I still live in downtown Phoenix, in a nice old home in a chill historic neighborhood. Because of my art I'm able to travel a lot so I get a good balance. I've been thinking about moving, but I can't decide. DO YOU EVER PAINT BLONDES? Hah. I have painted a few here & there. I just haven't gotten to my "blonde period" yet. Really though, I don't even get the whole blonde vs. brunette thing.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36105 Evan Slater Tuesday, September 22, 2009 This year's WRV / HURLEY PRO Contest went down in Nags Head, North Carolina on September 18th -- 20th. Contest winner Benny B. was pretty much on fire for the whole event, but Ben had lot of guys nipping at his heels all the way to the finals. Hurley stand outs included finalist Asher Nolan (3rd) and Michael Powell (2nd). This was Michael's biggest contest result yet. Oliver Kurtz (5th) and Michael Dunphy(9th) made a strong showing, and turned many heads during the event. The three day event saw tons of waves, giveaways, spectators, and just a whole lot of fun. Speaking of fun, the Hurley product launching was a hit (check photos). Special thanks goes out to the whole crew at the Comfort Inn Hotel for letting us take over and do our thing. Also I must thank all the sponsors that made the weekend a hit. Contest MC's were Ian Parnell, John Klientop, Matt Pruett, and myself. Needless to say we had plenty of fun on the microphones. All in all, the Contest was a blast !!!  — Noah Snyder http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36096 Noah Snyder Tuesday, September 22, 2009 FOR THE HURLEY PRO POSTER, YOU BLENDED ELEMENTS OF THE INDUSTRIAL WITH THE NATURAL COASTAL LANDSCAPE—IS THIS KIND OF JUXTAPOSITION SOMETHING THAT INSPIRES YOU, IN GENERAL? Yes, industrial and urban elements always inspire me. Showing the similarities to concrete structures and manmade structures. Showing how the ebb and flow of the ocean is similar to the crowd making their way down a busy street. I think as different as things are, there are common patterns that exist in both.  IN THE POSTER, IT LOOKS LIKE A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER. WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ON BRIDGES...DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE BRIDGE? No feelings what so ever. Give me a good alley or fire escape though, and I can talk for hours. Ha!  THERE AREN’T ANY PEOPLE OR SURFERS FEATURED IN THE POSTER. WAS THAT DELIBERATE? Sorta. I worked with the images that were given to me, but personally I am glad it wasn't a surfer type poster. For me, I like it because it has more of the feel of surfing, instead of being an actual action shot.  DID YOU SHOOT THE PHOTO YOU WORKED FROM? DO YOU ALWAYS WORK FROM PHOTOS? Yes, I always work from photos. I prefer realism in my work, and the photos I take are my inspiration. I didn't take the photos specifically for this piece though, because I am in NY and the deadline was too tight to fly out and get things done in time.  FOR ANYONE CONSIDERING TRYING THEIR HAND AT STENCILING, WHAT ARE THE KEY TOOLS THEY SHOULD HAVE? Everyone has their own way of doing things, but for me, I prefer Sabotaz spraypaint. It dries quick and has 120 colors. Aside from that buy lots of Exacto blades. I probably use one blade every 15 minutes. As soon as it seems like it's dulling, use a new one. Now I do huge murals that need thicker paper, so I use a laser cutter to cut a thick oilboard for stencils. It helps do the larger stuff. The largest hand-cut stencil I did was 12 by 15 ft, and it took three and a half weeks to cut. I was working 10 hours a day, 7 days a week.WHAT ARE YOUR THREE TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE KICKASS STENCILS, BEYOND THE BASIC TOOLS? Physical execution is less than half of the battle. Well planned, forethought, and creative vision is the hardest part of making a stencil. Oh yeah, and a sh*tload of time. No great stencil was ever created in a few minutes. YOU GREW UP IN BALTIMORE—HAVE YOU WATCHED “THE WIRE”, AND IS BALTIMORE REALLY THAT SHADY? I haven't seen more than a few minutes of “The Wire”, but I am familiar with it. Baltimore is, or at least was, very similar to it when I first moved back in ‘89. I can remember having to stand in the middle of my warehouse floor on New Year’s Eve because so many guns would be fired off at midnight that it'd always shoot out a few of my windows. If you stood in the middle, the trajectory of the bullets wouldn't reach you. There are tons of those types of stories for Baltimore. People getting shot up, drugs all around, stuff like that. I remember passing by an alley as a mother ID'd her son who had OD'd on heroin. It's a hard place to live at times. Lately though, they have really put money into things and put a new face on Baltimore. It's still a rough place on the inside, but it's got a good face. YOU STARTED STENCILING IN SAN DIEGO. I like San Diego but it's not the city for me. I am more of a nighttime creature and San Diego is so beautiful that it tends to be more of a daytime city. Also, because I grew up on the East Coast, I like my city to have a bit of grime and grit. As odd as it sounds, San Diego is too clean. I can remember wading out into the water, under the bridge with mud up to my waist and doing a 'workhorse' roller on the underside of the bridge out in Ocean Beach. It took me almost all night, and I thought I was going to die out in the water, but I made it happen. I snapped one quick photo before I headed home. Later in the day I took my girlfriend out to see it, but the buff squad took a f**king boat out and buffed the whole wall! I was pissed. I thought to myself “I gotta go to a city where you don't need to work so hard to make your mark”. WOULD YOU EVER SEE YOURSELF LIVING IN THE WILDERNESS? Yup. I grew up on a farm, so wilderness is a very comforting thing to me. I think everyone needs their balance. The city is great, and its where I need to be for now, but I don't want my kid growing up thinking that rats and pigeons are wildlife. If I could get to a point where I didn't need to have access to so much immediately, I'd love to get some shack in the middle of Montana or some other home-grown militia type state.WOULD YOU PUNCH AN ALIEN? Na. All about hugs and rainbows --Caroline Ryder / Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36046 Evan Slater Monday, September 21, 2009 Villains store is located on the infamous Haight Street in San Francisco, CA. Its vibrant décor is unmistakable, and so are the people who embrace the streets. Hurley’s Jason Maloney made his way up to Villains this week, and painted a brand new mural for them. The mural went up on the inside of their store, right above their front counter. Maloney’s artistic approach is very distinct. With over 9 years experience as an artist for Disney, Jason’s style of art is like a trip down the rabbit hole. Jason painted a huge mural, 25ft W X 8ft H. A “Snelephant” was born on Villains wall. A mix of two characters, an Elephant and a snake morphed together. Brilliant colors mixed with unusual creatures- that’s Jason Maloney. Stay tuned to hurley.com, Video of mural to follow!! Enjoy the pictures. — Zach Hartley http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36036 Evan Slater Monday, September 21, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/36028 Evan Slater Saturday, September 19, 2009 LOWER TRESTLES, California (Saturday, September 19, 2009) – Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, former ASP World Champion (2007), has taken out the Hurley Pro Trestles, besting fellow Finalist Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, to claim the richest winner’s prize purse in surfing history, US$105,000. Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Hurley Pro Trestles enjoyed rippable swell at the start of the waiting period before enduring three consecutive lay days to culminate in today’s marathon of barrier-breaking action. With mind-blowing surfing going down from Round 4 through the Finals in clean two-to-three foot (1 metre) surf at Lower Trestles, it was the lightning-fast Australian who turned up the juice against Reynolds to claim his first-ever ASP Dream Tour win in California. “I’m overwhelmed,” Fanning said. “I’d like to congratulate Hurley and a huge thank you to them. I’d like to congratulate Dane (Reynolds) too. The sort of thing that he did, he’s only the start of what we’ll see in the next few years, so thanks for inspiring all of us. The conditions this week been very difficult, but that’s surfing. You’ve got to surf in all kinds of stuff, you can’t sit there and imagine one perfect wave at Trestles.” In addition to racking up US$105,000 for today’s efforts, Fanning’s win rockets him from 7th to 2nd on the ASP World Tour ratings, bringing him right back in the hunt for the 2009 ASP World Title. “If you win an event you’ve got to beat everyone,” Fanning said. “It’s not just Kelly (Slater) I beat, you’ve got to get through everyone. That was just part of the path. Kelly’s amazing, but I’m just stoked to have a Final with Dane. The win doesn’t really change my approach to the title. I was sitting in seventh before this event and I was looking to climb up the ratings. I wasn’t really that happy where I was. I did some work and if it does happen again this year it’s going to be pretty big. I guess it’s more about building momentum again this year and getting the hunger back.” Despite falling short in the Final, Reynolds was a regular standout at the Hurley Pro Trestles, posting the top two single-wave scores of the event (a 9.70 and a 9.67) with his futuristic blend of progressive surfing. “It was a good time,” Reynolds said. “You can’t win the first one (Final), can you? I got an I.V. before the Final. I was cramping up really bad. I’m not used to surfing this much in one day. Sometimes I surf this much, but not this many heats and it’s different when you’re not milking every section. Trestles is almost like a skate park. It’s just soft enough to where you can push it around, but it’s pushy enough to where you don’t have to work too hard. Unfortunately this event wasn’t great, but it turned on for the last day and it had some good moments.” Today’s Runner-Up finish marks a career best result for the young Californian, vaulting Reynolds from 20th to 11th on the 2009 ASP World Tour ratings. “I was starting to feel pretty discouraged because I had three 17ths in a row,” Reynolds said. “That beats you down a bit and it feels good to make some heats. I enjoy competing and today was a fun day.” Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, former event winner (2006) and current ASP World No. 7, was in sterling form all event, taking out Kai Otton (AUS), 29, and Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals respectively, before falling to a rampaging Reynolds in one of the standout clashes of the event. “I was feeling good but I probably came up against the hardest competitor at the moment,” Durbidge said. “Dane (Reynolds) can get a score out of nothing and he’s starting to show his full potential now and it’s really scary. Still through, 3rd place is great confidence going in to the European leg. It’s a turning point in my year to get a 3rd here. Hopefully I can take the momentum over to Europe and come out Top 5.” The race for the 2009 ASP World Title has been shaken up a bit after the Hurley Pro Trestles, with current frontrunner Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, bowing out in Round 3, opening the door for challengers to gain some ground. Formerly boasting a 1,404 point lead over former ASP World No. 2, C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, Parkinson’s lead has now been cut to 936 points ahead of Gold Coast stablemate Fanning. Kelly Slater (USA), 37, reigning nine-time ASP World Champion and defending event winner, wowed throughout the Hurley Pro Trestles, dispatching of rookie Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), 24, and Heitor Alves (BRA), 27, today before getting stuffed by a hyper-focused Fanning in their Semifinal heat. “I didn’t go out there with any sort of game plan,” Slater said. “I was just trying to feel it out and I kind of read it wrong. The heat before, they had a lot of waves, and I didn’t think priority was really going to matter, but a lot of times, you have priority and there’s pressure to take that first one (wave), and it’s bumpy and the second or third one is real glassy. That happened in Dane’s heat and he got those real good ones, but that’s just the way it goes. I wasn’t really feeling it today anyway. Someday you feel it and you’re on and sometimes not. I kind of struggled through my first couple of heats anyhow.” Slater, who wore the heavy public expectation of hunting down his 10th ASP World Title in 2009, started the season uncharacteristically with three consecutive 17ths. The Floridian then rallied with a win in Brazil before netting a 9th in South Africa, and although today’s Equal 3rd place finish at the Hurley Pro Trestles moves him from 8th to 6th on the 2009 ASP World Tour ratings, Slater was guarded when discussing the remainder of the year. “I’m still planning on going to Europe,” Slater said. ?Michel Bourez (PYF), 23, led the rookie charge at the Hurley Pro Trestles, finishing equal 5th and moving from No. 25 to No. 21 on the 2009 ASP World Tour ratings. Next stop on the 2009 ASP World Tour is the Quiksilver Pro France from September 23 to October 4, 2009.  For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com   HURLEY PRO TRESTLES FINAL RESULTS: 1 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.40 2 – Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.10>   HURLEY PRO TRESTLES SEMIFINAL RESULTS: SF 1: Dane Reynolds (USA) 16.77 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.23 SF 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.26 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 10.74   HURLEY PRO TRESTLES QUARTERFINAL RESULTS: QF 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.83 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.50 QF 2: Dane Reynolds (USA) 18.20 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 12.50 QF 3: Kelly Slater (AUS) 13.84 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 8.17 QF 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.50 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.00   HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 4 RESULTS: Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.67 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 5.83 Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.50 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 12.00 Heat 3: Taylor Knox (USA) 9.50 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 3.67 Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.60 def. Rob Machado (USA) 10.94 Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA) 12.83 def. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 12.50 Heat 6: Heitor Alves (BRA) 14.16 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.27 Heat 7: Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.83 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 11.96 Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) 11.63 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.43   CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10 RATINGS: 1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 5486 points 2 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 4550 points 3 – Adriano de Souza (BRA) 4348 points 4 – C.J. Hobgood (USA) 4272 points 5 – Damien Hobgood (USA) 3974 points 6 – Kelly Slater (USA) 3906 points 7 – Bede Durbidge (AUS) 3760 points 8 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 3685 points 9 – Taylor Knox (USA) 3616 points 10 – Bobby Martinez (USA) 3582 points       http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35955 Evan Slater Saturday, September 19, 2009 LOWER TRESTLES, California (Friday, September 18, 2009) –Small surf has forced the third consecutive lay day for the Hurley Pro Trestles, with only inconsistent one-to-two foot (0.5 metre) surf on offer today.Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Hurley Pro Trestles went on hold for most of the morning in hopes of a swell increase, but inconsistency, combined with the continued small size, prompted event organizers to call competition off for the day.“The surf never approached a level where we were comfortable running today,” Perry Hatchett, ASP Head Judge, said. “We’ll competition tomorrow morning at 7am sharp and will finish by day’s end.”Surfline, official foreer of the Hurley Pro Trestles, is calling for a moderate southwest energy to continue filling in over the next several days.When competition resumes, up first will be former event winner Bede Durbdige (AUS), 26, up against compatriot Kai Otton (AUS), 29, in Heat 1 of Round 4.For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.comHURLEY PRO TERSTLES ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Adriano de Souza (BRA)Heat 3: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Roy Powers (HAW)Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Rob Machado (USA)Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)Heat 6: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)Heat 7: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS) http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35917 Evan Slater Friday, September 18, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35848 Evan Slater Tuesday, September 15, 2009 LOWER TRESTLES, California (Tuesday, September 15, 2009) – The Hurley Pro Trestles, Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, saw the completion of Round 3 today as the world’s best surfers ran rampant over the improved conditions, exhibiting some of the most dynamic surfing of the season as well shaking up the ASP World Title race. Rob Machado (USA), 36, former ASP World No. 2 and wildcard in the Hurley Pro Trestles, caused the upset of the event, eliminating current ASP frontrunner Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, from competition. In a somewhat wave-starved affair, Machado tactfully asserted his dominance at the break, scoring two average waves in the opening exchanges and holding on to hand the Australian his worst result of the season. “The last thing I thought was that I would beat Parko (Joel Parkinson) with a couple of five point scores,” Machado said. “I thought those would be warm-up waves and that we would get a set and were going to post some scores and it just never happened. I’m obviously stoked. Parko is always one of the guys that I’m looking at, he’s one of my favorite surfers to watch and he’s obviously on a roll this year and killing it.” Speculation abounds over the physical condition of Parkinson, who suffered an ankle injury while training in Bali in August, but the Australian has exhibited on-point surfing throughout the event, only falling to lack of waves in California. Regardless of the reason, Parkinson’s equal 17th today remains an uncharacteristic stumble in an otherwise flawless season, and opens the 2009 ASP World Title race up a bit more. “I know he suffered a little ankle injury a little while ago and I don’t know if that had something to do with it – it might have been an issue,” Machado said. “If anything now, it’s going to fire him up. It’s been a long break since Jeffreys Bay and there’s a big string of events coming up in Europe, so I don’t know, maybe it will tighten up the race. It’s more exciting for me when I’m at home watching for the rest of the year.” Kelly Slater (USA), 37, reigning nine-time ASP World Champion and defending event winner, wasted no time in capitalizing on Parkinson’s elimination as he dominated the very next heat with calculated abandon, dissecting the rippable lefts and rights to advance through to Round 4. “You definitely think about it (Parkinson’s elimination) – it’s impossible not to – but you can’t let it change the way you approach the heat,” Slater said. “You still have to go out there and win. That goes for the world title as well, I pretty much have to win everything from here out to put myself back in this thing.” While Slater proved victorious in his Round 3 heat today, it wasn’t without difficulty. The Floridian’s opponent, wildcard Brett Simpson (USA), 24, is considered one of the most dangerous surfers on the planet and Slater treated the heat with caution. “It was good to have a heat with him (Simpson),” Slater said. “Sometimes, for me, it’s harder to have a heat against a guy like Brett than someone like Parko (Parkinson) because you don’t know what to expect and you don’t get to see him all of the time. With a guy like Parko, you know he’s going to go out there and drop a couple of eights most of the time, so you know what the level is. In that heat, I felt as though if I got the biggest waves I could win the heat, because they were the best.” A favorite at virtually every event on the ASP Dream Tour, Slater has proven particularly lethal at Lower Trestles over the course of his storied career, claiming the event in 2005, 2007 and 2008 and is on track for a fourth elite ASP World Tour event win here in 2009. “I’ve been surfing Trestles since I was 12 and I love it here,” Slater said. “This was the spot I really wanted to surf when I was a kid and I won my first professional contest here. It’s been great to me over the years. It’s nice because it’s not so much a wave catching contest than it is a wave riding contest. You’re able to really do your thing either frontside or backside.” Slater will face former ASP World Junior Champion and 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie, Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), 24, when Hurley Pro competition resumes. Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, current ASP World No. 20, continued to unleash his progressive approach to surfing one of the world’s most high-performance waves, punting a massive forehand air-reverse on the way to his heat victory while showing the rest of the world’s best surfers that he is a force to be reckoned with as the Hurley Pro Trestles approaches the latter rounds. “It was actually a really bad wave so I just went for a big air because I knew they’d (the judges) would give me a big score for that,” Reynolds said. “I was lucky to make it and then I tried to milk the inside. In terms of equipment, you definitely want something fast and skatey and something you’re used to because with those long lulls and you don’t want to be surprised once you get a wave Unfortunately our heat didn’t have a lot of waves and I just made the most with what I got.” Reynolds will take on wildcard Machado in Round 4 of the Hurley Pro trestles. Michel Bourez (PYF), 23, current ASP World No. 25, continued the rookie onslaught at the Hurley Pro Trestles, taking down veteran Dean Morrison (AUS), 28, with an impressive 16.10 out of a possible 20. “That was great,” Bourez said. “A couple of lefts came through, so I’m really happy about it. I was expecting to go left out there. I was watching it earlier and I saw the judges were scoring the left, so I figured that was the option right there. I got one left and had some strong turns on it, so I was really happy about it.” Bourez will face former ASP World Champion (2001) and current ASP World No. 2, C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, when Hurley Pro Trestles competition resumes. Surfline, official forecaster of the Hurley Pro Trestles, is calling for today’s combination swell to dissipate throughout the next couple of days before tracking some southwest energy later in the week. When the event recommences, up first will be former event winner Bede Durbdige (AUS), 26, up against compatriot Kai Otton (AUS), 29. For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com HURLEY PRO TRESTLES REMAINING ROUND 3 RESULTS: Heat 7: Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.33 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 12.94 Heat 8: Rob Machado (USA) 11.27 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 10.73 Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.83 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 9.24 Heat 10: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 12.50 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 10.46 Heat 11: Damien Hobgood (USA) 15.10 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 14.73 Heat 12: Heitor Alves (BRA) 15.77 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.50 Heat 13: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.50 def. Luke Stedman (AUS) 10.93 Heat 14: Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.10 def. Dean Morrison (AUS) 11.60 Heat 15: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.74 def. Michael Picon (FRA) 10.33 Heat 16: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 13.84 def. Tim Boal (FRA) 13.44 HURLEY PRO TERSTLES ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS: Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS) Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Adriano de Souza (BRA) Heat 3: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Roy Powers (HAW) Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Rob Machado (USA) Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) Heat 6: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA) Heat 7: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF) Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS) http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35785 Evan Slater Tuesday, September 15, 2009 LOWER TRESTLES, California (Monday, September 14, 2009) – The Hurley Pro re-ignited today with the elimination rounds of competition running in pulsing three-to-four foot (1 metre) surf at Lower Trestles. Stop No. 6 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Hurley Pro Trestles awoke to cleaner conditions today, but inconsistency would create a minefield of challenges for the world’s best surfers. Despite the difficulties, the ASP Top 45 put on an incredible show, posting some of the highest scores of the event. Josh Kerr (AUS), 25, current ASP World No. 25, stunned spectators today with his diverse repertoire of progressive surfing, blending rotation aerials with power hacks to net the highest heat total of the day, a 17.17 out of a possible 20, to defeat an in-form Dayyan Neve (AUS), 31, in Round 2 of competition. “I'd been here the last couple of hours and in the heat before I saw that there were a few nice rights shaping up,” Kerr said. “There seemed to be a few in our heat. Dayyan (Neve) got a couple as well. That one wave wasn't the biggest wave, but it looked like it was going to connect down the line and that's exactly what it did. I raced down the line and popped a little air, came around, up and down, and it stayed wally for me and I gave it a little bang off of the end.” Inverse to the high-flying action of the Round 2 heat, Kerr’s afternoon bout against compatriot Adrian Buchan (AUS), 26, was a wave-starved affair. Sitting quiet for the majority of the heat, Kerr would only advance in the dying moments, ending Buchan’s Hurley Pro Trestles run and advancing through to Round 4. “I guess they’re both exciting because both heats came down to the wire, just in different ways,” Kerr said. “I had a good day though. I had a good heat earlier and got to sit around and get cold in the second one, but I still came through with the win. This year has been a bit slow for me so far, so it'd be good to get a good result here at Trestles. I'd like to get on a bit of a roll with this big leg we have coming up.” Kerr will face current ASP World No. 3 Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, in Round 4 of the Hurley Pro Trestles. Kai Otton (AUS), 29, current ASP World No. 19, enjoyed a career first in yesterday’s Round 1, besting ASP ratings’ leader Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, and continued the momentum through today’s Round 3. In one of the more exciting heats of the afternoon, Otton flared electric on his backhand this afternoon, netting solid scores to take down a rampaging Jay Thompson (AUS), 25. “I was actually a little bit shaky at the start of that heat,” Otton said. “I don’t really think I felt nervous, I just felt a bit tired. I had to calm myself down and luckily I picked off two good ones. I’m coming off of a good result in Jeffreys Bay, and if I can get through a few more heats here I’ll be feeling really good.” Otton will take on former event winner Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, in Round 4 when competition resumes. Day 2 of the Hurley Pro Trestles was not without upsets though. Highly-touted favorites Bobby Martinez (USA), 27, Jordy Smith (AUS), 21, and Chris Ward (USA), 30, were all bundled out in Round 2 of competition, garnering equal 33rds and shifting their attention to the European leg. Surfline, official forecaster of the Hurley Pro Trestles, is calling for today’s fetch of Northwest swell to drop slightly today and are still tracking a south swell for later in the week. When competition resumes, first up will be California wunderkind Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, against Ben Dunn (AUS), 23, in Heat 7 of Round 3.   For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com    HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 2 RESULTS: Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.16 def. Kai Barger (HAW) 9.93 Heat 2: Rob Machado (USA) 15.16 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.00 Heat 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 15.84 def. Marlon Lipke (DEU) 11.33 Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.40 def. Phillip MacDonald (AUS) 8.53 Heat 5: Luke Stedman (AUS) 12.70 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 11.00 Heat 6: Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.24 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 12.16 Heat 7: Taylor Knox (USA) 12.93 def. Drew Courtney (AUS) 12.83 Heat 8: Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.50 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF)13.24 Heat 9: Greg Emslie (ZAF) WIN, Mick Campbell (AUS) Injured  Heat 10: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 11.56 def. Jihad Khodr (AUS) 8.90 Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 13.50 def. Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 11.60 Heat 12: Dean Morrison (AUS) 10.50 def. Nathaniel Curran (USA) 8.93 Heat 13: Roy Powers (HAW) 12.13 def. Tim Reyes (USA) 11.57 Heat 14: Jay Thompson (AUS) 16.26 def. Chris Ward (USA) 11.26 Heat 15: Josh Kerr (AUS) 17.17 def. Dayyan Neve (AUS) 15.23 Heat 16: Ben Dunn (AUS) 8.23 def Dustin Barca (HAW) 7.67   HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 3 RESULTS: Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.33 def. David Weare (ZAF) 12.83 Heat 2: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.67 def. Jay Thompson (AUS) 13.50 Heat 3 Josh Kerr (AUS) 8.23 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 7.76 Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.07 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 12.26 Heat 5: Taylor Knox (USA) 13.17 def. Greg Emslie (ZAF) 9.77 Heat 6: Roy Powers (HAW) 13.06 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 12.00   HURLEY PRO TRESTLES REMAINING ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS: Heat 7: Dane Reynolds (USA0 vs. Ben Dunn (AUS) Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Rob Machado (USA) Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA) Heat 10: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) vs. Chris Davidson (AUS) Heat 11: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT) Heat 12: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA) Heat 13: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Luke Stedman (AUS) Heat 14: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF) Heat 15: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Michael Picon (FRA) Heat 16: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Tim Boal (FRA) http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35566 Evan Slater Monday, September 14, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35532 Evan Slater Sunday, September 13, 2009 The world’s best surfers took to the water today for Round 1 of the Hurley Pro Trestles, and despite the presence of a challenging south wind, the ASP Top 45 lit up the three-to-four foot (1 metre) rights and lefts on offer at Lower Trestles. Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Hurley Pro Trestles saw the completion of Round 1 and the opening two heats of Round 2 today, with some major upsets as well as big scores going down in the challenging conditions. Kelly Slater (USA), 37, reigning nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 8, wasted no time in reestablishing his dominance at the famed break, opening with a 9.00 and a 9.50 in the first five minutes of his Round 1 heat. Slater detonated on his forehand, blending lightning-fast fin throws with perfectly executed reverses in his relegating of Adrian Buchan (AUS), 26, and former ASP World No. 2 Rob Machado (USA), 36, to Round 2 of competition. “I think those two waves were probably two of the best that broke all day,” Slater said. “There haven’t been too many rights all day, but I was able to grab a couple of really good ones to start out. I didn’t think I was going to better a 9.00 out there so I came in and went for a board change to try something a little different towards the end of the heat.” While several competitors struggled with the onshore/side shore wind today, Slater tapped into his Floridian roots in order to navigate today’s challenging conditions, acquiring the day’s high heat total (18.50 out of a possible 20) en route to his advancement to Round 3. “Today is definitely more like Florida and less like California,” Slater said. “It can definitely be challenging and you have to change your approach to how you do maneuvers. I have some pretty good boards at the moment so that’s helping.” Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, former event winner (2006) and current ASP World No. 11, was another strong performer this morning, utilizing an impressive backhand repertoire to best Californian Tim Reyes (USA), 27, and returning compatriot Luke Stedman (AUS), 33, in Round 1 of competition. While the well-built Australian hasn’t enjoyed the same success as last season yet, Durbidge looks to build on a strong showing in California. “It’s always good to come back to Trestles,” Durbidge said. “I have so many good memories here and it’s always nice to come back. I love the wave; it’s just so fun to surf. It’s not Lowers at its best today, that’s for sure, but I’ve had heaps of surf like this before and I’m ready for anything. Hopefully we’ll get some good surf for the end of the waiting period.” Aside from the dominance of Slater and Durbidge, the collective victory at today’s Hurley Pro Trestles came from the new faces on tour. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), 24, former ASP World Junior Champion (2005) and current ASP World No. 17, led the 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookies today, scoring a major upset over current ASP World No. 2, C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, in Round 1 of the Hurley Pro Trestles. “It’s definitely good for my confidence to beat a guy like C.J. (Hobgood),” Bacalso said. “I had a slow start to that heat and I was pretty nervous, to tell you the truth. I hadn’t surfed a heat in about a month and a half, and I’m sure everyone is in the same boat. I blew it on my first wave and saw guys riding waves out the back, and thought, ‘oh great, I’m going to get smoked,’ but I was able to come back.” Michel Bourez (PYF), 23, another rookie on the 2009 ASP Dream Tour, bested an in-form Jordy Smith (ZAF), 21, and veteran Greg Emslie (ZAF), 32, in their Round 1 bout, bashing the lefthanders with unmatched power on his backhand. “The wind died down a little and I saw a few good lefts come in before my heat, so I thought that was the option,” Bourez said. “It ended up working out and I’m happy to get that first heat win.” Brett Simpson (USA), 24, wildcard in the Hurley Pro Trestles, caused a big upset this afternoon, taking down perennial threat Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, and lethal Australian Dean Morrison, 28, in Round 1 of competition. Needing a score with the clock dying, Simpson hooked into a roping a lefthander, punctuating with an electric backhand reverse to the tune of a 7.07 out of a possible 10, taking the win and advancing directly to Round 3. “That wave came out the back and I thought Dean (Morrison) was going to catch it,” Simpson said. “It looked really good and as I stood up, it ran and I knew I needed to do something big. I figured if I pulled it, I’d get a good score, and if not, it wasn’t like I was letting an amazing wave get away from me.” Simpson, who took down the prestigious ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star Hurley Pro Trestles last July and is hunting down a spot on next season’s elite ASP World Tour, is recovering from a bone chip in his ankle, but today’s performance spoke volumes about the young man’s tenacity. “I’m feeling much better and I’m trying not to worry about it (the injury),” Simpson said. “The more you think about it, the more it messes with your head, so I’m just focusing on going out there and catching the best waves and surfing well. It felt good to win that heat because there were some big names out there. I knew Taj (Burrow) was always going to put up a good fight and Dean (Morrison) was going to sit and wait with his guns out there and wait for the bombs and he’s lethal. My goal was to stay busy and try some new-school maneuvers and try and get some scores. Psyched I got through and looking forward to having fun in the event.” Burrow, currently ranked No. 4 on the ASP World Tour, would continue today’s run of bad luck, being eliminated from the Hurley Pro Trestles by the wildcard Machado in the final heat of the day. Surfline, official forecasters of the Hurley Pro Trestles, is calling for today’s fetch of Northwest swell to drop slightly before tomorrow and are still tracking a south swell for later in the week. Officials will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start. When competition resumes, up first will be former ASP World Champion (2001) C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, up against 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie Marlon Lipke (DEU), 25, in Heat 3 of Round 2 at the Hurley Pro Trestles. For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 1 RESULTS: Heat 1: Michael Picon (FRA) 13.67, Ben Dunn (AUS) 9.67, Tom Whitaker (AUS) 9.50 Heat 2: Damien Hobgood (USA) 7.27, Dustin Barca (HAW) 6.80, Drew Courtney (AUS) 5.43 Heat 3: David Weare (ZAF) 9.43, Bobby Martinez (USA) 8.64, Dayyan Neve (AUS) 7.10 Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.83, Chris Ward (USA) 8.67, Nic Muscroft (AUS) 4.43 Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.34, Tim Reyes (USA) 11.00, Luke Stedman (AUS) 7.97 Heat 6: Dane Reynolds (USA) 14.84, Phillip MacDonald (AUS) 11.47, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 6.16, Heat 7: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 11.90, Marlon Lipke (DEU) 11.66, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.27 Heat 8: Kai Otton (AUS) 12.83, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 9.83, Kai Barger (HAW) 7.83 Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.50, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.00, Rob Machado (USA) 9.67 Heat 10: Brett Simpson (USA) 14.24, Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.34, Dean Morrison (AUS) 8.10 Heat 11: Chris Davidson (AUS) 13.96, Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.77, Taylor Knox (USA) 11.76 Heat 12: Michel Bourez (PYF) 15.67, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.87, Greg Emslie (ZAF) 11.14 Heat 13: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.97, Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.33, Jihad Khodr (BRA) 8.86 Heat 14: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.66, Jay Thompson (AUS) 11.47, Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 8.87 Heat 15: Tim Boal (FRA) 14.10, Nathaniel Curran (USA) 12.83, Mick Campbell (AUS) 7.16 Heat 16: Heitor Alves (BRA) 14.57, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 11.44, Roy Powers (HAW) 4.17 HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 2 RESULTS: Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.16 def. Kai Barger (HAW) 9.93 Heat 2: Rob Machado (USA) 15.16 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.00 HURLEY PRO TRESTLES REMAINING ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS: Heat 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Marlon Lipke (DEU) Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Phillip MacDonald (AUS) Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. Luke Stedman (AUS) Heat 6: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. Nic Muscroft (AUS) Heat 7: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Drew Courtney (AUS) Heat 8: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT) Heat 9: Mick Campbell (AUS) vs. Greg Emslie (ZAF) Heat 10: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Jihad Khodr (AUS) Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Aritz Aranburu (EUK) Heat 12: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Nathaniel Curran (USA) Heat 13: Tim Reyes (USA) vs. Roy Powers (HAW) Heat 14: Chris Ward (USA) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS) Heat 15: Dayyan Neve (AUS) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS) Heat 16: Dustin Barca (HAW) vs. Ben Dunn (AUS) http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35495 Evan Slater Sunday, September 13, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35447 Evan Slater Saturday, September 12, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35373 Evan Slater Thursday, September 10, 2009 “I’ve always sort of identified with Popeye,” says artist Mark Dean Veca. “He’s the quintessential good guy, but always having bad things happen. It’s sort of the classic battle between good and evil. I always respond to that.” Veca, who was born in Shreveport Louisiana and studied art at Otis College in L.A., recently moved to Los Angels from Brooklyn. He is known for his giant, elaborate gallery installations that make you feel like you’ve stepped inside a cartoon land fantasy. As well as spinach-eating sailors, Veca is inspired by the paintings of Big Daddy Roth, and by guns. His new solo show, As Cold As They Come, at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York this fall, is named after a line from The Godfather, when Al Pacino’s character, Michael Corleone, is given a .38 Special pistol. “You can sort of relate [these guns] back to the battle between good and evil, and depending on whose hand the gun is in, you know, it could be good or evil.” Currently working on several new projects, (including an onsite installation in Guadalajara and a book featuring his Popeye paintings, due out from Fantagraphics Books’ Hotwire Comics anthologies), good vs. evil is still very much on Veca’s mind. —Sarah Tomlinson / Against The Grain www.markdeanveca.com. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35334 Evan Slater Wednesday, September 9, 2009 After countless hours of filming, months in the editing bay and a few hundred voiceover takes, I finally got to view The Drifter on the big screen with 800 friends. We had the world premiere at a place called Shibuya On Air East in Tokyo this past weekend and it was amazing. It's standard to premiere movies in Japan early because there's a crazy bootleg market here. Premiere it somewhere else and it'll be all over the Japanese black market before the real deal even gets there. So, my friend Randy Pennington and his partner Tai arranged the whole thing. It was huge. Jon Swift played a set, I joined in for a couple of songs and it all went real smooth. We even got a few fun waves from some typhoon swell remnants. I've seen the movie so many times now that I had no idea how people would react. Is it good? I don't even know anymore. But I do know that I enjoy watching it and it accurately depicts a really heavy few months of my life. So, when I saw everyone laughing in the right places and getting into the movie's high points, I felt relief and happiness knowing that people were enjoying it as well. The whole thing was subtitled and I have no idea how they read all those characters in a few seconds flat. But apparently they did, and The Drifter was, as they say, big in Japan. Check back for more info on premieres in your area in October. In the meantime, I collected a few photos from our trip, including one with the ultimate superfan. Thanks to everyone in Japan for all the support. I had a blast. — Rob http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35319 Evan Slater Tuesday, September 8, 2009 Ripping is in San Clemente surfers’ DNA. With T-Street and the Pier in the front yard and Lowers in the back, it’s no surprise that many waveriding breakthroughs started right here in this sleepy little SoCal town. Jim Hogan’s layback lipslides. Matt Archbold’s massive backside airs. Christian Fletcher winning 30 grand with big frontside airs (when no one else was doing them). Beschen, Nate, Wardo all the way down to young Kolohe Andino, San Clementians are born to shred. With this in mind, the Hurley Pro at Lowers teamed up with Nike 6.0 to recognize this tradition of high-performance wizardry. On the final day of the event, eight of San Clemente’s legends and heroes in the making will take to the water for a Super Session. Called the Nike 6.0 San Clemente Super Session, this rogue crew of surf renegades will compete for a winner-take-all purse of $6,000. “Super stoked to be a part of this,” says former World No. 2 Shane Beschen. “I’ll be surfing with my friends at a spot where a lot of great stuff has gone down over the years.” TENTATIVE LINEUP FOR THE NIKE 6.0 SAN CLEMENTE SUPER SESSION: 1. Shane Beschen 2. Chris Ward 3. Christian Fletcher 4. Nathan Fletcher 5. Gavin Beschen 6. Mike Losness 7. Kolohe Andino 8. Jason Miller http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35301 Evan Slater Monday, September 7, 2009 I'm 42 and I'm moving out of my parents' house. I had to move into the house that I own, with my wife. No more rental income for me. My parents, on the other hand, are taking my downstairs dwelling, and turning it into a rental. That means I have to move out all my shit. That shit includes a load of surf magazines. I figured I'd throw a bunch away. After starting to go though a few, I'm not sure I can throw any away. Each issue is like a high school yearbook. The issues I'm not in, are almost, (well they're not), as interesting as the ones I'm in. Snips and Pat O got a lot of shots. Wes Laine got coverage. Mark Foo and Todd Chesser were popular before they passed, looking at them kind of gave me chills. It's fun to watch Kelly grow up. He seemed to be in the mags since he was in diapers. There were lots of photos of creek, and Natividad, not to mention Todos. I forgot how big some of the waves we rode at Todos were. I got to be reminded of some of the places I got to travel. They include Alaska, Ireland, Morocco, and Peru. All these were great trips...I hope to write about them in later blogs. But now, I have to go and weed though some more mags, my dad is on my case. It doesn't matter how old you are, dads will always try to boss you around. I taught kids from the Boys and Girls Club to surf the other day. The pro surfers who helped were Brian Keaulana, Aaron Napolean, and me. Brian and Aaron are two of my idols. Here is a picture of us signing autographs. — Brock http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35276 Evan Slater Friday, September 4, 2009 Reclusive New York street artist SWOON has turned her attention to the crumbling abandonments of Braddock, a decaying steel town in Pennsylvania.“I was there a few years ago working on a show,” Swoon says, “and people from the town began taking me around to all these abandoned properties. I had the idea to rehab one of the properties somehow in a creative way.”  After taking on a few small projects, she was given permission to take on an abandoned church. Knowing it was too big for her to handle alone, the Brooklyn-based artist called together some friends, and “Transformazium,” the collective, was formed. Erin Harrell, Dana Bishop-Root, Ruthie Stringer and Leslie Stem, and Swoon, began developing the idea of the church as an art space, with workshops, gallery events, and a community garden. It’s an intense, in-progress task that has all five women getting their hands dirty. Four of the five have even moved to Braddock while the project is underway. “You’ll have these towns with huge levels of abandonment,” Swoon says, “with all these resources there that can be put to good use if you engage with them. They just need something to connect them.” Swoon says she and her posse are planning “all kinds of experiments” for the former church space. “We want it to be a big project.” They’re still at the beginning of what will be a long ongoing project—just defeating the code regulations for their ideas has been half the battle so far—but it’s one that Swoon and the other artists are excited to be taking on. “It’s about looking at cities and the ways that industrial areas that have collapsed have left space for growth,” Swoon says. “The point is to bring our creative artistic resources to the table, and create a model to make them useful in these areas.” –Lori Fredrickson / Against The Grain For more, go to http://www.transformazium.org/. Editor's Note: A collaborative exhibition by SWOON Allison Corrie and Solovei La Boca Del Lobo installation at Blackfloor Gallery Philadelphia Pennsylvania 2006 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35248 Evan Slater Thursday, September 3, 2009 As Hurricane Bill forged up the eastern coast of the U.S., surfers from the Caribbean to Nova Scotia experienced above average surf for a couple days.  Although he did not live up to all the hype, with news-hounds claiming it would be "the biggest swell in a DECADE", Bill threw some fun, consistent surf to us East-coasters that was highly enjoyable.  After passing north of Florida, Bill was forecasted to swing back out into the Atlantic and not make landfall.  Many people where seduced into traveling up north, passed the Mason Dixon line, to hunt for waves.  I think some were kind of disappointed at what they found but still had a fun time.   I got some photos from Wrightsville during the short window we had for waves. Enjoy!-BP http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35247 Ben Powell Thursday, September 3, 2009 Conner Coffin is a happy 16-year-old. After failing his first driver's test, he recently passed the second attempt (missing only two). This new freedom has translated into an overdose of water time. "I've been surfing so much," he said. "The novelty of driving my own car definitely hasn't worn off. I just keep using to go surfing, morning, mid-day, evening. I'm totally surfed out even thought it's like 1-foot up here." In between marathon sessions, we caught up with Conner and had him give us his take on a few big things in his life the past two weeks: his performance at the US Champs, the NSSA losing its permit for Lowers and the start of a new school year. Here's what he had to say: ON THE SURFING AMERICA USA CHAMPIONSHIPS: "I did OK, I guess. I could have done a lot better. The waves were really good for Huntington — it was like a mini US Open. I had a lot of good heats in both the Under 16s and Under 18s, but I sort of came up short in the late rounds. Brother (Kolohe Andino) was on. In our Under 16 final, he started out with like a 9 and an 8. I was 17 points in the hole. I clawed back with a high 8 and a 7, but the ocean went flat and I couldn't catch him. Still fun, though. I love surfing against Brother. He and Keanu [Asing] are the two guys who really motivate me to surf my best. Oh well. I'll get him next time." ON THE NSSA LOSING THE LOWERS PERMIT: "I gotta be honest: I'm pretty bummed how it happened. It was just, like, one day, we're all surfing the Nationals at Lowers. The next day, everything changed. None of the kids were ever asked about this — it just all went down behind closed doors. The NSSA is pretty much all I've known since I started surfing contests. I have a lot of respect for the program and I think they run great contests. Whether this new Surfing America Championships or whatever it's called is better in the long term, I don't know. Maybe it is. But no matter what, I'll still surf the NSSAs." ON STARTING SCHOOL: "Yup. I'm back in school this week. I'm taking english and math classes at the community college and just building up credits to transfer to a four-year if I choose to do that. Both my classes are at night, though, which is why I've been getting in all that water time." ON THE FUTURE OF AMATEUR SURFING IN AMERICA: "Regardless of what's happening with Lowers, the NSSA and Surfing America, I am so pumped to be a part of the US Team and be coached by Ian Cairns. I had a little time with him a few months ago, and Ian's the man. He can really pinpoint your faults and help you work on them in a constructive way. The guy knows how to coach — just look at his first result in Costa Rica as proof. So, we have a great roster and we have until January to sort it all out and head to New Zealand for the ISA World Juniors. Should be a blast." http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35231 Evan Slater Wednesday, September 2, 2009 I was fortunate enough to be invited to Chain Reaction on Monday night to see The Used perform to a select private crowd.If you've never been to a live show at Chain Reaction, it’s a treat. No barricade to stop you from being up close and personal, no stairs to keep you up in the balcony, no AC units to keep the crowd or the band cool. It was loud, hot and sweaty as the USED came out for their set. No opener, no intermission...just the band everyone came to see. They played some oldies as well as a few of their new songs off of their new album "Artwork" in stores now. Overall it was amazing to see a band of this size performing in a club this small. Thanks to www.smartpunk.com for making us all feel like we found a time machine.. — Beau Roulette http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35201 Evan Slater Tuesday, September 1, 2009 In the 1970s and 1980s, Amsterdam had its own graffiti movement before the New York variety had fully arrived. Anarchists, squatters, punk rock, Ska and names like Dr. Rat, Ego, Dr. Crack, Weed-Freak and Survivor were all over town. The 12-year-old Neils Meulman loved it, took on the pseudonym 'Shoe,' and began to write graffiti in a Gothic font, just like Dr. Rat, one of the pioneers of the Amsterdam graffiti scene. To a Californian, Gothic lettering in graffiti is a gang thing, but as Shoe explains, “that term 'Gothic' doesn't really mean anything. You can also associate it with newspaper logos or even your 'We the People' declaration. I think the Cholo association has to do with tattoo lettering.” He did his first 'big' Shoe piece in 1982, and hip-hop graffiti arrived in Europe barely before his paint had dried. Shoe would become one of the continent's early pioneers, painting in the wildly influential 'Crime Time Kings' crew with contemporaries Bando, Delta, and Mode 2. Formal calligraphy entered the mix, and at age 18, Shoe started a lettering company. “Then, at 20, I learned the graphic design trade from the master, Anthon Beeke. Then I started a design agency, sold it and became senior art director at BBDO and later creative director for MTV. Now, that was all very nice but in 2006 it was time for me to use all that experience and go back to the source; my real passion.” In early 2007, Shoe went to New York for a month, hanging out with his old friend Eric Haze, whom he had met in the early 1980s on a graffiti-infused New York vacation. “I made the first Calligraffiti works in Haze's basement in Williamsburg,” Shoe recalls. Calligraffiti is his combination of traditional calligraphy (“Japanese ancient brush characters, Arabic pictorial scripts, illuminated mediaeval books or swirly quill writing”) and the worldwide graffiti style perfected in New York City. “The fairly new art of graffiti has very old roots," he explains, “and I wanted to look further back into the history of writing. Thus resulting in Calligraffiti: traditional handstyles with a metropolitan attitude.” –Caleb Neelon / Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35189 Evan Slater Tuesday, September 1, 2009 As we've seen at Dream Tour events in years past, wildcards always make the top seeds nervous. They have nothing to lose and the big guns have everything to lose, which can make for a lethal combination. For proof, look no further than this very event in 2007, when Dane Reynolds and Jordy Smith eliminated Mick Fanning and Taj Burrow, respectively, causing pundits to proclaim..."The New Era has arrived!" OK, maybe it was a bit premature. But anything can happen in 30 minutes at one event. Here are the three Hurley wildcards in 2009 who hope to change the game.  1. KAI BARGER DOB: November 20, 1989 Best Known For: World Junior Champ Local Spot: Ho'okipa Crew: Wallrips, Tall, Bad Boy, Meat Frother, Marlon, AK, Pono-man, Moglie, Hana Hippies, Hookipa Boys, Couple Westside guys, Crusty, Brown Eye, Mantooth, Marzo Board of Choice: Wade Tokoro Dream Wave: Big barrels Top Five: 1) Too Short's "Cocktales" 2) The Game's "Doctor's Advocate" 3) Infamous, the first HGA video 4) Maui 5) Katsu from Ichiban downtown Liner Notes: 2009 World Junior Champ Kai Barger remains on a roll. The 19-year-old Maui goofyfoot is the embodiment of modern-age power, style and precision. He knows how to compete, too. Since winning the coveted world junior title in January, he's gone on to dominate the Pro Junior series winning the 6.0 event at Lowers and the Nike 6.0 HB Jr. Pro during the Hurley US Open. He's been so dominant, it's no secret that Barger is ready to graduate and make his mark on the ASP World Qualifying Series. Recently, Barger made good on that goal by reaching the quarterfinals at the six-star Azores Islands Pro. "I can't wait to go up against my heroes at the Hurley Pro," says Barger. "It'll definitely be a, 'Go big or go home' situation for me. Which is exactly how I like it." 2. ROB MACHADO DOB: October 16, 1973 Best Known For: Standing on a surfboard and riding moving pieces of water Local Spot: Seaside Reef My Crew:CG, Swift, Garner aka "Black Cloud" Board of Choice: Love 'em all. You got to. Every day I wake up, I think about riding a different board. My latest fav is this new Bisquit/Robber thing. We haven't named it yet but it's really cute. Dream Wave: Somewhere in Indonesia. Long, hollow fast left. Shallow. My Top Five: 1) Bringing two beautiful children into this world 2) "Voodoo Child" by J. Hendrix 3) Gerry Lopez 4) The Tree pose 5) Pipe Masters 2000 Liner Notes: Rob Machado may be "Drifting" these days, but that doesn't mean he can't do damage at the Hurley Pro. One of the world's most iconic surfers, Machado is the embodiment of stoke. His recent wanderings and upcoming film, The Drifter, are a testament to his evolution as a surfer and human being — and we all applaud him for it. But competitive instinct is just that — it's in your blood. And judging from his multi-round journeys at both the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro and the Hurley US Open of Surfing, he's just getting warmed up for yet another golden moment in a contest jersey. 3. BRETT SIMPSON DOB: January 5, 1985 Best Known For: Laybacks Local Spot: HB Pier My Crew: SWard, Guilmette, all the DSC boys and HB boyz Board of Choice: 6'2" x 18.5" x 2.25" by Hamish Graham (Superstix) Dream Wave: 4 to 6 feet, take-off barrels on reef with a long wall and the end section ramp on sand. My Top Five: 1)"Kids" by MGMT 2) Parko 3) Downward Dog 4) Surfing perfect waves with Timmy Reyes in Mex five years ago 5) Having a good time, traveling, trying to qualify Liner Notes: Brett Simpson is having a dream year. Strong out of the gates. A bit of a plateau through early summer, then, in front of 150,000 screaming hometown fans, he took home the largest prize purse in history at the Hurley US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach. It was the biggest win of his career, and just the start of big results to come. After the win, Simpson got minor surgery on his ankle to take care of a nagging bone chip. He's sat out the last few qualifiers, but is putting all his focus on making an impact at the Hurley Pro. "I haven't competed since the US Open so this is a nice event to come in with the pressure off and show how hungry I am," says Simpson. "I've been working hard as of late and this will be a good test to see where I'm sitting right now and will also be some great practice for years to come." For more on the Hurley Pro, go to www.thehurleypro.com. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35176 Evan Slater Tuesday, September 1, 2009 For the 47th year in a row the ECSC Surf Contest rocked Virginia Beach. This year the hosting sponsor of the event was Coastal Edge Surf Shop, and they did an amazing job. The Event had surf, skate ,music, games, and so much going on that you couldn't even take it all in -- it was just crazy. From a Hurley standpoint Asher Nolan took 2nd in the Mens Pro while Mikey Detemple took first in the Longboard pro. Meanwhile under the Hurley tent their were games , and prizes for all the spectators. Brian Harrison ( AKA Hurley Rep.), Mark Zee(Hurley tattoo artist ), and myself (Noah the dice man) tried to manage the mass of spectators with our skills  -- All i can say is it was absolute madness! See photos for some of the week's action. — Noah  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35152 Noah Snyder Monday, August 31, 2009 Reigning World Junior Champ got a solid result at the first-ever Azores Islands Pro this past weekend. Held in some tricky, chest-high surf at the obscure mid-Atlantic Island chain, the event provided some Rocky Point-like lefts for Barger's razor-sharp snaps. He was going strong the entire event before he lost to WCT surfer Tiago Pires, who then lost to event winner William Cardoso in the semis.      Barger picks up 1625 points and now has a solid foundation for a full run on the 2010 World Qualifying Series. With a good seed now in place, there's no limit to what Barger can do.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35047 Evan Slater Sunday, August 30, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35046 Evan Slater Sunday, August 30, 2009  AGAINST THE GRAIN: YOU ARE SELF-TAUGHT—WHAT DID YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT AT A SCREENPRINT LOOK LIKE?ROCKY GRIMES: Well, once I figured out how to get the image on the silkscreen, it looked like a bootlegged His Hero Is Gone (punk band) T-shirt. WHO DID YOU LEARN FROM?It was my younger brother, our mutual friend and myself that used the process of trial and error to make silkscreens. No one really taught us or showed us anything.WHAT ADVANTAGES DOES SOMEONE WHO IS SELF-TAUGHT HAVE OVER SOMEONE WHO IS FORMALLY TRAINED?First of all, I have problem with authority figures and people telling me what I need to do or how to do something. I like to figure things out for myself. Yeah, I make mistakes in all aspects of my life, but I learn from them and hopefully improve. I think people who are self taught have a more distinct style that is uniquely their own. I think those who are self taught are less inhibited about trying something new,or are less apt to seek approval of what they are doing and don't have the dialog of a teacher in their head. Rather they have a dialog with themselves, resulting in a more pure form of expression.DID YOUR PARENTS NAME YOU ROCKY, OR WAS THAT A NAME YOU ACQUIRED?Rocky is a nickname that I acquired before I can remember. I never get a straight answer from my parents as to why they started calling me that. However, my grandfather was a lightweight golden gloves boxer. MONKEYS FEATURE IN YOUR WORK QUITE OFTEN—WHAT DO MONKEYS REPRESENT TO YOU?For a while they were popping up, and quite possibly will again. Well this may sound disrespectful, but to me they really represent someone who is a follower with few solid ideas of their own. I believe the images that you have seen were a representation of our ex-president.HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO CREATE A SCREEN?To physically create a screen it is about a 24 hour process for me, but I tend to create a bunch at one time. Once I created something ridiculous like 40 or 50 screens in 24 hours. Creating the art that goes on the screens is another story.YOU HAVE YOUR OWN KIND OF SILKSCREENING PROCESS. WHAT ARE A FEW OF THE THINGS THAT YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?All of the prints I have made thus far have been printed without the use of a press and are hand pulled by myself, even the recent ones that are filled with color. So it is a bit of an archaic process, lining up the different layers by eye, and using a transparency, looking at the previous layer through the screen making sure all the color layers are lining up properly and then pulling the ink through the screen. When I print live I have been known for layering multiple images on paper, shirts, ties, handbags or whatever lands in my path and spontaneously creating compositions with multiple images from different silkscreens. However, I am growing tired of seeing shirts mass produced on press with this aesthetic and sold to the masses. I started printing in this manner as kind of a screw you to the dictators of fashion, and now it has become a standard. Perhaps when I print live I will continue to print in this manner, but as I produce items out of the eye of the consumer (not live) and are for sale they will not be printed in a manner now mimicked by industry.YOU PREFER TO SHOOT YOUR OWN PHOTOS—WHAT WAS THE LAST BUNCH OF THINGS YOU PHOTOGRAPHED? Some landscapes taken in this dead end town that are representational of the effects of the current economic situation. Then the other night I posed for some images that will be collaged together, showing some pig figures kicking my teeth in.??IN YOUR INTERVIEW WITH JUXTAPOZ YOU SAID THAT MASS PRODUCTION HAS REDUCED THE CHANCES OF HAPPY ACCIDENTS IN ART. WHAT'S THE HAPPIEST ACCIDENT YOU'VE EVER HAD AS AN ARTIST?Resisting mass production on a conceptual level through my live printing method—and then having people appreciate the outcome.WOULD YOU PUNCH AN ALIEN?Probably not, but I can think of some humans I'd punch square in the eye. —Caroline Ryder / Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35014 Evan Slater Sunday, August 30, 2009 After a long week of pumping surf in HB, we are finally down to the business end of the Surfing America US Championships. Conner Coffin has just come off a couple wins last weekend (NSSA Gold Coast and WSA Prime) and is looking nearly unstoppable. The waves have really suited Conner’s big powerful style. Conner has been posting some of the highest scores of the event so far, but he has his work cut out in the Boys Under 16 final against Kolohe Andino, Luke Davis, and his brother Parker Coffin. Conner also has another stacked heat in the semi of the Under 18 division. Jake Marshall has been another crowd favorite at the event this week. Jake has been surfing in the Under 12 and Under 14 divisions and has a tough semi-final to get through tomorrow in the Under 12 division. Local boy Kanoa Igarashi, Jake Davis and Newport’s, Tyler Gunther are all going to be battling Jake for the waves in the semi-final, in hopes to be crowned the US Champion in the Boys Under 12 division. Another standout has been Nor Cal boy, Kadin Panesi. Kadin has been quietly going about his business in the Under 14 division and is hoping to get into that final tomorrow. The swell looks like it should still be fun, so watch the action on www.surfingamerica.org— Brandon http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/35003 Evan Slater Saturday, August 29, 2009 In celebration of The Used's new release, "Blood On My Hands," Hurley and the band are giving away four coveted prize packs. Each prize pack includes the vinyl album, CD/DVDs and signed picture disks. What do you need to do to enter? Simple. Follow @hurleyclothing and retweet this message on Twitter: "RT@hurleyclothing is giving away 4 prize packs for The Used's (@wearetheused) new album. Go here for details: http://bit.ly/YTulD." Winners will be picked randomly next Friday, September 4 at high noon. Make sure you check out The Used on iTunes by clicking here. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34994 Evan Slater Friday, August 28, 2009 Meet Santa Inoue,Tokyo hipster and one of Japan’s most influential manga stars. His bloodthirsty, hip hop-inspired comic book series Tokyo Tribe depicts the streets of Tokyo as a war zone where gangs of youths run riot, pitched battles with Samurai swords and aluminium baseball bats taking place beneath the neon glow of Shibuya’s entertainment district. Warring tribes of young men like the SARU, the WU-RONZE and the HANDS love nothing more than picking unnecessarily violent fights with one another. Thankfully, this ultra-violent apocalyptic vision isn’t the modern day reality of Japan’s capital city; it’s dredged from Santa Inoue’s fertile imagination. Born in Paris in the late 1960s, Inoue first emerged on the manga scene in 1989 with ‘Murder’. This was followed by ‘Neighbour No13’, which was made into a film in 2005 (plans for a Hollywood version of the movie are in the pipeline). However, it wasn’t until 1993 that his most influential work Tokyo Tribe was unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Telling the story of a bloody turf war between rival gangs of youths, Tokyo Tribe was actually inspired by real life people and situations, says Inoue. “I used to meet and chill in a house where there would be lots of DJ's, skaters and apparel people hanging around,” he says. “This experience made me think that it would be a good idea to draw about the lifestyle of Tokyo’s young people.” (Later some of these friends would start streetwear line A Bathing Ape.) Mixing with this group of creatives provided the inspiration for some of the characters that appear in Tokyo Tribe. “Some of them are imaginary characters, some of them are people I mixed with and there are also some characters that have my personality traits,” explains Inoue. “As for the bad people they are based on my own imagination and also on rumours that I have heard about these types of people.”   His influences include movies like Boyz N The Hood and The Silence of the Lambs, and above all, hip hop music and culture. It helps him come up with story ideas, apparently. And it just makes him feel good. “I like listening to Grand Puba and DJ Muro, one of Japan’s most popular hip hop DJ’s,” he says. “Hip hop gives me confidence, it’s a philosophy.” –Simon Creasey / Against the Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34988 Evan Slater Thursday, August 27, 2009 MountainView With the weather as gorgeous as it was in Mountain View, it made it really challenging to find the will to run around in the huge crowd of people attending Warped Tour. So, I spent a good chunk of my day hanging out with the boys of All Time Low. I showed Alex a few photo basics and he tried his hand at photography. (You can check out a couple of his photos in the gallery!) Later on, I joined them onstage to shoot their set. I still can’t believe how huge they’ve become since I first met them on Warped in 2007 when they were on either the Hurley.com or Smartpunk stage. My, how fast they grow up! Marysville I was so excited to shoot Fishbone at the Marysville show! Front man, Angelo has been out on the whole tour MC’ing the Skullcandy stage and performing here and there with different bands, so it was extra special to see him on stage with his own band. Fishbone is definitely not a punk rock legend for nothing! I was pleasantly surprised later in the day on the same stage when the Addicts played. I didn’t really listen to punk rock growing up so I had never heard of them before, but they quickly caught my attention while trying to zip over to watch Saosin. I wound up being completely sucked in by the make up, the energy and all of the crazy confetti and props and missed Saosin’s set completely (whoops!), but had a handful of awesome shots of the Addicts. The best part of the day had to be when I bumped into Wade from Alexisonfire chatting with Anthony from Bayside. I stopped to say hello and we wound up walking around to hunt for a slushy vendor, and then sitting together at a picnic table shooting the breeze. It was such a classic summer activity and so nice to spend it with a couple of awesome guys. The perfect way to end the day! ChulaVista Second to last day! Where did the time go? And why does it feel like things were really just getting started? Warped has been crazy this year. The drives have been so long that everyone has had to leave by 10pm most nights, leaving very little time for socializing, especially when compared to years past. Tonight we had a late night, though, and an awesome after party put on by AP Magazine. The Punx Dirty Secret parties are some of my favorite after parties, so I was pretty excited about it during the day, which was quite a busy one. I shot three band-on-band interviews! And I shot a whole bunch of photos of some of the bands I really love on the tour this year. Plenty to see in the photo gallery! Carson, CA Oh, man. This is it! It’s the very last day of Warped ’09. I can hardly believe it! And what an insanely busy day to boot. Between shooting and packing and cleaning the bus and saying good byes and setting things up and breaking things down – my head was spinning. I managed to see most of the bands I love and learned to love this summer, including Therefore I Am, The Architects, The A.K.A.’s (all three over on “Skullcandy Island,” as they called it), Alexisonfire, Bayside, TAT and Saosin on the Hurley Stage, Innerpartysystem on Hurley.com. I definitely missed some bands, since there just wasn’t enough time, but I certainly packed quite a lot into my last day. Warped Tour is a strange and awesome thing. It’s definitely not for everyone, as it can be pretty grueling at times. The bands that did it in vans (Therefore I Am, The Architects, The A.K.A.’s, Longway) – hats off to you! They should give you guys a medal for all that you go through just to get your music out there. If that isn’t passion and drive, then it just doesn’t exist. There are so many highs and lows all rolled into one big festival tour and the one thing that makes it all worthwhile is the people you share the experiences with. Thank you Hurley for sending me out on the road this summer. Thank you Dougie for being the most awesomest co-worker ever! Thanks Nick and Michael, too! Thanks to my busmates on Bus 16 for being the best bus on the tour. Thanks to my Warped friends new and old for the times we had that will be great stories to tell the grandkids someday. Thanks to everyone who followed along with me in my blogs. And last, but certainly not least, thank you Vans Warped Tour 2009 for a killer 2 months; there’s no better way to spend the summer. With any luck, I’ll be back next year to do it all over again! Until then… Your Hurley Pit Reporter, Erin http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34982 Evan Slater Thursday, August 27, 2009 After a long five weeks of contests, traveling, and surfing, I am on my way home to Virginia Beach for the town's biggest contest surf of the year, ECSC. Here is what I have been up to since my last post. After watching local Huntington beach hero Brett Simpson destroy everyone in his path to a hard earned $100,000 at the US open of Surfing, Brandon Guil"NoNeck" and me got motivated and decided it was time to start training with Kevyn Dean at DSC. It  payed off a little as I was able to win the Sun Diego and Volcom contests in between our weekly training sessions. I was able to make $1,500 between the two contests and was now on my way to El Salvador.   The trip was set up by video guru Aaron Leiber, the producer of The Pursuit, in the search for footage for his next film. The trip consisted of Andrew Doheny, Dillion Perillo, Balaram Stack, Chris Waring, and the Thompson bros which made for some very exciting surfing. We also had Joe Foster there to document all the photos. We were able to time two different swells perfectly which made for overhead surf everyday of the trip. We surfed non stop for 8 days straight at Las Flores, Punto Mango, and Punta Roca. A great way to spend a week in Central America! — MD   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34931 Evan Slater Wednesday, August 26, 2009 Calgary, AB Canada The Calgary show was held at a NASCAR track in an incredibly dusty parking lot. I saw quite a few people running around with bandanas on their faces to keep from breathing in all the dirt flying around. Silverstein rejoined the tour today and played the Main Stage, since they’re such a popular band in Canada. Alexisonfire also played the Main Stage because they’re so much bigger in their home country. Highlights of the day would have to be Therefore I Am’s set (which they called the best audience of the tour), POS filling in for Timmy from Underoath during their set, and hanging out after the show in the parking lot with the Architects, the AKAs and Therefore I Am. Vancouver, BC Canada Our tour bus broke down the night before the Vancouver show, so myself and all of my busmates had to pack a bag and split up between four different buses. Some of us slept on couches, some in spare bunks, some on the floor. It’s the worst thing ever when your bus breaks down. We still managed to make it to the show, though, and my friends in The Architects and Therefore I Am were nice enough to let me stash my things at their merch tents until my bus was repaired and returned to tour. Since I was without a bus, I did a little more walking around than the usual amount. I caught There For Tomorrow’s set, as well as Broadway Calls on the Kevins Says Stage, who were fantastic. I remember them from last year when they were on the Hurley Stage. I also saw the guys from 3OH!3 doing a signing at their merch tent for kids who brought in five recyclables. I guess being green has it’s perks, eh? The Gorge It’s impossible to have a bad day at the Gorge. Beautiful weather and beautiful scenery and perfect weather makes it difficult to find anything worth complaining about. So many people on the tour just spent the day out and about rather than on their buses. Long story short, everyone loves the Gorge. I heard a rumor that Dallas from Alexisonfire would be performing a song with POS on the Hurley stage, so I made sure I was there to catch it. Aside from mixing up a few lyrics, I’d say he did a great job. I also watched Alexisonfire’s set later on that day. The crowd was so into it that they literally tore the shirt off of George’s back! Check out the gallery to see for yourself. Portland, OR The Portland, OR show was Bad Religion’s last day of the tour, so I naturally made it a point to watch their set. I wasn’t the only person from the tour with those plans, either. I saw many people from the crew out here and from different bands, like Bayside, Less Than Jake, NOFX and more. At one point Fat Mike even jumped out on stage and threw a Bible at the band. It was pretty hilarious. Fresno, CA Fresno was a busy day. I caught the Architects set, who were joined on stage by Angelo from Fishbone for a song. I also made my way over to the Hurley stage to catch a few Bayside songs. The best part of the day, however, had to be the after party put together by my bus mates. The Platinum Party was a great big dance party and dance contest hosted by my bus mate, Micah Dean and DJ’d by the boys of 3OH!3. People really got down, too! It may actually be one of the craziest dance parties I’ve ever been to, and was voted the best after party of Warped ’09. Check out the photos in the gallery! — Erin Caruso http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34926 Evan Slater Wednesday, August 26, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34877 Evan Slater Wednesday, August 26, 2009 The last five days here in FL have been some of the best waves I've seen at home in a long time. We just had hurricane Bill as our first hurricane of the year and it was amazing I don't think I've surfed so much in my life. For the storm, I just stayed in New Smyrna and I think it might have been the best place in FL for the hurricane. There were peaks everywhere and little tubes, which is really rare for here. Here are a couple photos from the past few days. —EG http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34866 Evan Slater Tuesday, August 25, 2009 I love Mexican people. I love Mexican food. I love Mexican wrestling. But I’m really not a fan of Mexico City. I’ve been to Mexico City twice; the first time was as the singer for Dead Kennedys in 2004. We were playing a sold-out show with the Misfits to an audience of 4000 at the El Rayo. As the opening bands played, we killed time in our dressing room: a small concrete bunker near the stage. The Misfits' tour manager showed us his electric stun gun, which he always carries "just in case." Suddenly, one of our crew members came into the room coughing and informed us that several hundred kids had rushed security at the back door and broken into the show. Security threw tear gas, kids threw bricks...or maybe it was the other way around. I remember thinking, "Hey, good for those kids. They got in for free!" We took the stage and after a few songs I watched a beer bottle arc through the air and bounce off the stage. Then another bottle whipped past me. And another. And many, many more. The kids who stormed the gates had also stormed the bar, stolen whatever they could, and then started throwing it all. At us. The bottles smashed against the backdrop, the amps, the stage, and the lighting rig, and soon enough, one bounced off my head. Thankfully, it didn't break, but the ringing in my ear told me that we were now officially f*cked. Bottles flew constantly for the rest of the set and at one point I even noticed a huge brick lying on the stage. Now that's a strong arm. Somehow, we made it through the entire set and, for some stupid reason, an encore. As I turned to finally exit the stage, a bottle connected with my arm and blood came gushing forth. I remember thinking, "I don't have health insurance!" Moments later, our tour manager came into the dressing room and explained that the audience had stormed the stage and were trashing the equipment. It was now a full-on riot. The Misfits’ tour manager pulled out his stun gun and stood guard by the dressing room door. Their van showed up a few moments later, but ours took an eternal 15 minutes, which we spent listening to the venue getting destroyed on the other side of the door. After our escape, we met up with one of the opening bands at our hotel and went out to eat tacos and trade war stories. It was a night I'll never forget, but not one that I ever wanted to relive. But two years later, in 2006, that’s exactly what happened. This time, I headed to Mexico City to film a NOFX concert for what would become the TV series "NOFX: Backstage Passport". It was a big, outdoor festival with a corporate beer sponsor and a professional staff. What could possibly go wrong? Well, first it started raining. So the kids in the crowd took it upon themselves to steal a big tent from one of the sponsor's booths and move it into the audience area to keep the rain off their heads. Then, the barricade started falling apart. The band stopped the show and told the crowd to dismantle the barricade before someone got hurt. Now the kids were standing face-to-face with the men behind the barricade: a line of cops in full riot gear. The kids had no reservations about grabbing the cops' shields or pushing up against them to get a better view of the stage, or to get up on stage themselves. Then the stage started to fall apart. The individual platforms started to separate from the rest of the stage and sag, advertising the potential of a full collapse. NOFX kept stopping their set so people could fix the stage, only to have it break again soon after. Finally, the police told the promoter that they had to pull the plug on the show because the stage was too dangerous. The band protested but the promoter insisted and physically dragged the band off the stage after only seven songs. The crowd was, needless to say, furious. Bottles, cups, shoes, pieces of concrete...pretty much anything that was throw-able was thrown. NOFX's crew broke down their equipment in record time, but lost a few mics to sticky handed kids who got past security. The stolen beer tent floated to the front of the crowd and ended up acting as a bit of shield, so only the most strongly-thrown debris made it over the barrier. As I walked behind the cops to film as much of the mayhem as possible, I was struck not only by the irony of the situation, but also by the lack of emotion on the cops’ faces and by the lack of any aggression or fear in their step. To me, this was like being struck twice by the same bolt of lightning—but to them, the whole thing seemed routine. Another day, another riot. Mexico City. Yawn. — Jeff Penalty/Against the Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34854 Evan Slater Tuesday, August 25, 2009 Well, the past two days have been some of the most frustrating and disappointing excuses for waves I've seen from a hurricane. I did so much driving and didn't reap many rewards. I only got Sebastian inlet fun one afternoon where the light was good and there were 7 photogs on the beach. While I'm waiting to see the results from that session, there were no other good waves to be had on my part for the rest of the swell. Melbourne was too big and closed out, NSB and Daytona were good yesterday I heard but I got that call too late before I could head up, and the OBX and Jersey were too large, then New York, Maine and all those spots were really good but I couldnt arrange a crew to get up there. So basically I had a shocker on this hurricane swell. These are photos are from the other night where no one was around at Inlet except a local photog. Hopefully there's more to come.  Oliver- http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34839 Evan Slater Tuesday, August 25, 2009 On the banks of the irreversibly polluted Salton Sea in the California desert lies the gloriously decayed North Shore Yacht Club, a former playground for the rich and famous left to ruin. But every cloud has a silver lining—its empty swimming pool has become a draw for fearless skaters from far and wide. We talk to Michael Nash, a blogger, skater, biker and hairdresser, who has been visiting it up to 15 times every year. WHEN DID YOU FIRST START SKATING THE NORTH SHORE YACHT CLUB POOL? I was probably 16 or 17, so it has been a while. It’s been abandoned for a long time. I have only known it abandoned. You take the 11 (highway) down there and it’s open riding. So we used to put our skateboards on our motorcycles and go out there looking for old hotels or abandoned drainage ditches and pools to skate. We found the pool, and I’ve been going back ever since. SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY SURREAL LANDSCAPE. It is beyond surreal. When the sun's going down, or when it’s rising, the light’s real weird and it feels like you’re on another planet. The whole area was supposed to be like a Lake Tahoe with casinos, and Frank Sinatra singing at the nightclub. But then the water got polluted with pesticides and people abandoned it. It’s one of those great American tragedies. WHAT’S THE POOL LIKE? It’s really brutal skating. I’ve seen people eat it pretty bad. Skate parks are so different—you don’t have four feet of vert. I saw the Stopnik brothers (Cycle Zombies) skating the pool once. There are a couple other secret pools around there too—but I’m not going to say where those are. HAVE YOU INTERACTED WITH MANY OF THE OUTLAW TYPES WHO LIVE AROUND THE SALTON SEA? Yes, you see them when you’re driving these little back streets by the North Shore Yacht Club. And then there’s Bombay Beach and Slab City, places where people go when they really want to get away from the rest of society. I remember seeing this one house with all this tiki art carved all over the property, so I knocked on the door and a lady with a beard opened the door. I had to work really hard not to stare at the beard. Every time I go there I explore and I find something new. WHO ELSE HAS DISCOVERED THE POOL? You see BMX dudes there, grinding in this thing. THE SALTON SEA IS REALLY BADLY POLLUTED—DOES IT SMELL BAD? Sometimes the sulfur is a little strong. But it’s not so bad. —Caroline Ryder / Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34829 Evan Slater Monday, August 24, 2009 What's up!I am finally home. After my long Japan trip, nothing feels better then stepping back on Australian soil. Japan was epic though. I had such a good time, whether it was meeting the locals to surfing the fun peaky beachbreaks.I was lucky enough to end my trip off with a win. I entered myself in the Murasaki Pro WQS and Pro Junior at Fukashima and managed to make some heats in the WQS and finished in the quarters... I felt like I was going to win the comp but in my quarter the ocean went to sleep.I ended up winning the Pro Junior Divsion which was Japan's highest rated Pro Junior of the year and had a lot of support from all the Japanese people when I won which made things extra cool.Pretty happy to finally find my feet again in the contests. Anyway I have 2 days at home then I'm down to Sydney for the Mick Fanning's Red Bull contest.Keep you posted! —Crewsy http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34816 Mitch Crews Monday, August 24, 2009 This year we took the girls from camp to the Hurley headquarters in Costa Mesa to do a little shopping.   Hurley also stoked them all out with 40 percent off everything in the store!  Check out how happy that made them! http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34801 Daize Monday, August 24, 2009 Yeah...it's good to get a win in the first WSA Prime event of the '09-'10 season. Glad to get the points right off the bat! Mid morning I had a bad heat and I was pretty bummed when I lost in the QTR finals in the 18under division. That kinda fed the fire in the 16under division, and I was determined to get some good scores. The surf was really fun all day, with nice head high lefts peeling off the jetty pretty consistently all moring. By time the final rolled around, it was choppy and closed out with a few lefts still be had now and then. I knew that it would take finding the good waves to get the scores, and..... thank God,....I guess I found them. It was a pretty good showing for Hurley because Conner also won the 18under division.  Yeah, team! —Jake  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34786 Jake Halstead Sunday, August 23, 2009 Yo! Had fun surf in Spain but it was pretty small. Was just good to get a wave, been flat mostly, did heaps sight-seeing with the gf. I'm giong to surf the river in Munich in a couple days, frothing.I have attached a few pics to check out... Ray collins nailed this one for ASL, lurking with the long lense in wollongong.New computer for me, which is exciting, old one died. Thats why posts have been slow of recent, so much has happened. Back in cali for the Hurley US open was pretty amazing, got to jump off the pier and whip into a couple waves and watch the comp, drive the skis then hit vegas.Wilko and I hanging with the euro boys in vegas, Marlon, Melvin, Alan. Talk soon, Dom. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34785 Damien Wills Sunday, August 23, 2009 Kaulana surfed a perfect event yesterday at Straight Outs in Town. Waves were in the 2-3 foot range. He ripped his way to the finals by winning every heat and posting massive scores. Kaulana has been on a great run the last few months taking 2nd place at the NSSA Nationals, winning the Rip Curl Grom Search, and now this HSA Event.  Keep up the great work and CONGRATULATIONS Kaulana!! Aloha, Joel Centeio  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34780 Joel Centeio Sunday, August 23, 2009 Wouldn't it be cool to check the cams at your favorite spots...from the comfort of your own phone? Well, thanks to Hurley and www.coastalwatch.com.au, that's now possible for Australia's frothing surf population. Snapper, Margaret River, Narrabeen, Bells...they're all a touch away with Hurley's new app for the iPhone called Hurley Surf Lite. Since it is the "Lite" version (ie for free), this app will allow you to check real time images of 110 breaks taken every few seconds. But the Hurley app with live streaming video of these spots is just around the corner. It will cost you a bit, but we imagine the small price will be more than worth it the first day it saves you from driving up and down the coast. Other detailed features of the Hurley Surf Lite include:*Location-based Search by state/beach*Summary list of beaches page with wave height & distance*Beach current conditions showing: Swell/Wind indicators (height, direction); 5 day human Surf Forecast chart; Wave Period data; Low/High Tides; Daily Surf Report; Temperature (Water/Now/Today/Tonight); UV Index; Short Forecast Weather*Recent ‘Wind History’ Chart (knots/direction)*Detailed Surf Forecasts*Map View For more, click here. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34776 Evan Slater Sunday, August 23, 2009 You never know what you're going to get when you open up a sponsorship opportunity to the masses. But at the Hurley Sponsor Me Shootout in South Africa, they couldn't have been more stoked on the results. The concept was simple: after going through a series of trials, five underground surfers — John Michiletti, Chris Bond, Jasper Eales, Ewad van Heerden and Adin Jeenes — assembled with a ZigZag Magazine photo and video crew and surfed for a week around the Cape. Each day, footage and photos were posted on www.zigzag.co.za, reviewed by the editors at ZigZag and Hurley and ultimately voted on. Waves ranged from sharky and sloppy to flawless beachbreak perfection as the boys put in their all, knowing that every wave, every move, was being documented and broadcasted to the world. In the end, the experts picked goofyfoot sensation Adin Jeenes as the overall standout performer. Adin will now enjoy a minimum year-long sponsorship with Hurley and a trip to Indo with ZigZag Magazine. "I really, really didn’t think I was going to win this," said Jeenes. "The final trip was insane. We couldn’t have asked for better waves. We all just pulled together; I made such good friends and everyone just surfed so well. Any one of the finalists could have won the Shootout."? "Aidn is more than we could ever have asked for," said Hurley’s Jevon Le Roux. "With his Indo trip just around the corner, it’s going to be cool to see him mix it up with the best. We just love his vagabond like lifestyle of work, surf, travel, and discovery. He’s everyone’s friend and people just gravitate towards him for his relaxed ways. It’s just insane that such a talented surfer has flown below the radar for so long." Congratulations to Adin, the finalists and all involved in the Hurley Sponsor Me Shootout. For more on the Shootout, click here. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34772 Evan Slater Sunday, August 23, 2009 The Hurley US Open of Surfing brought Brett Simpson plenty of joy, but he was surfing in pain throughout the event. A nagging bone chip in his ankle has been plaguing him for months now, and before HB, he's been sucking it up and getting it done. But with a crucial leg of six-stars going into the fall, Simpson decided to miss a few contests in Europe and take care of his chip once and for all. "I had arthroscopic surgery late last week," says Simpson, "and it's already feeling so much better. The two little holes in my foot still need to heal, but I should be back in the water real soon." Simpson was going to head to Portugal and join the WQS train there, but he's now thinking about rehabbing 100 percent, putting his all into the Hurley Pro at Lowers and then finishing his mission on the 'QS. "After Europe, there's two big ones in Brazil, a six-star in Canada, the Coldwater and then the two events in Hawaii. I need one more big result to be safe." Considering the road ahead, Simpson is well advised to take a pit stop and change the tires. Stay tuned as Simpo continues his quest to make the Elite 45. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34741 Evan Slater Thursday, August 20, 2009 Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis: the home of Prince. I am always excited to pay a visit to the place where one of my favorite artists grew up and made a name for himself. Minneapolis is also home to POS and Chachi from the AKAs. In light of this, I decided to check out the AKAs set. Front man Mike Skee is one of the most energetic entertainers out there! I also tried to catch Aiden, but no sooner did the band take the stage and they invited the entire audience to rush the stage in front of the barricades, so there went my shooting opportunity. I did manage to snap one semi-decent shot, though, which I posted in the photo gallery for you to see. St. Louis, MO The highlight of the St. Louis show was definitely the jam packed acoustic set in Girlz Garage. Craig from Chiodos donated his time and talents to bring people into the tent to listen to some tunes and learn a bit about the Keep A Breast Foundation and their mission. I love it when bands and artists do something to help people. Kansas City, MO The venue in Kansas City was chock all hills. It really felt like no matter which way you were going, you were climbing a hill. I made the trek to the Hurley Stage to watch TAT tear it up, and also caught a few songs from Less Than Jake’s set. Those guys are quite a funny bunch. They actually pulled an older couple out of the audience by getting the entire crowd to chant “mom and dad” until they came on stage. Once they got up there, the band gave each of them a beer and chatted them up a bit and discovered that they were actually the grandparents of one of the kids in the audience. They took it even one step further by convincing them to smooch in front of everyone. It was one of the funniest moments on stage all summer! Boise, ID The weather was what you might call crappy in Boise. Rainy and chilly all day long. Both the Hurley and Main stages were moved indoors where I believe they normally host rodeos and things of that nature. It was weird to watch indoors, but also nice to be able to escape the elements and still watch some bands or check out the skate ramp, which was also moved indoors. Gallows had a particularly wild pit. And the drummer from Chiodos was celebrating his birthday that day. SALT LAKE CITY, UT Salt Lake City was an eventful show. Cobra Starship came out and played their one and only Warped ’09 show on the Hurley stage to a huge audience. It was a star-studded set, too when Alex from All Time Low and Travis from We The Kings jumped on stage to sing with the band for a song. Shortly thereafter, Gallows took the stage and killed it! I was particularly entertained when I spotted Fat Mike in the pit on a bicycle with a basket in the front. How hilarious is that? He even joined in on the circle pit, pedaling his way around a little building next to the soundboard. I could not stop laughing! Salt Lake was definitely a memorable show. Denver, CO I would have to say that Denver had some of the best weather of the tour. Well, best weather right up until the end of the day, that is. Sunny and breezy, a few clouds rolling around, but all in all just pleasant to be outdoors. I watched After Midnight Project play their last set of the tour on the Hurley.com stage to a very enthusiastic audience. It was sad saying goodbye to some of the nicest guys of the tour! It was also the last day for the Bouncing Souls, so I made a point of watching and shooting their set. Keenan from the Architects joined them on stage for a song, as well as the boys of The Exploited. I also discovered the amazingness that is Reverend Peyton’s Big Dam Band. Just picture this: suspenders, flannel, glorious beard, steel guitar, red cowboy boots, washboard, fire. If that’s not a recipe for incredible, then it just doesn’t exist. They were awesome! So entertaining and something so different than anything else I’ve seen all summer long. I particularly enjoyed when they played a song called “Your Cousin’s On Cops.” If you’re heading out to Warped, or even if you’re not, you should definitely check these guys out! The last band of the day was 3OH!3 on the Main Stage, playing their hometown show. The crowd was HUGE and such an excited group of dance machines. Unfortunately, the wind picked up and clouds rolled in of nowhere and proceeded to rain and then hail harder than I’ve ever experienced before. The set was cut in half and everyone on stage scrambled to their buses. Some of us took shelter in the back of the semi truck that holds all of the equipment. A crazy end to such a beautiful day. — Erin Caruso http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34739 Evan Slater Thursday, August 20, 2009 I love hurricane season on the east coast.  After a terrible summer for waves, it finally looks like it's going to get good. I would actually say more than good, this hurricane Bill looks to be one of the biggest swells coming to the east coast in a long time. The question now is what spots are going to be able to handle this big of a swell and where do i what to be on what day. I sort of have a plan so hopefully it's a good call but the anticipation is killing me.  I am sure everywhere will have its moments. We'll keep you posted. — Asher http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34738 Asher Nolan Thursday, August 20, 2009 Normal 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} Please visit the link below to receive your free copy of "Chelsea (Live from the Hurley Studios)"! www.thesummersetband.com   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34695 Jess Thursday, August 20, 2009 I got to be involved in shooting a live concert DVD for Jason Mraz in Chicago the other night. Jason has partnered up with Hurley and designed an eco-friendly t-shirt collection to benefit the Surfrider Foundation. The shirts are available at select Buckle stores and www.buckle.com. The concert was amazing. Completely packed as 8000 fans bounced, swayed and rocked out to Jason's hits. A highlight of the night was the talented and beautiful Colbie Caillat coming out to sing along on their hit duet "Lucky". “I am proud to be supporting the Surfrider Foundation, and stoked to be working with the team at Hurley,” said Mraz. “Collaborating to create a limited edition organic T-shirt has been a fun way of contributing to the care of our coasts.” We are also doing a promotion that if you spend $75 on Hurley swag at the Buckle you get a ticket to see Jason on concert!!! Sweet, huh? O.K...get on it. I already did. — PK http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34647 Evan Slater Wednesday, August 19, 2009 With a name like Ace, you’d think he’d carry himself like a Las Vegas high-roller. But the well-mannered goofyfoot from Avoca Beach, Australia would rather let his results do the talking. Sixth in the world last year. The only surfer to beat Kelly Slater in a final in 2008 (at the Quik Pro France). And quietly but surely gaining a rep for having one of the best backsides on tour. Couple this with his hugely popular blogs on Surfline.com, his recently released children’s book, Macka’s Barrel Into The Dreamtime, and his consistent voice of reason on tour, and you have what many would call the model pro: fiercely competitive in the water, every fan’s best friend on land. After sitting out the last two events due to a knee-injury from a fully-fanged Indonesian barrel, Buchan is now ready to jump back on the horse at Lowers. We caught up with the man behind the moniker to see how he’s been passing his time.  Hey, Ace. Sounds like you just got of the water. ACE BUCHAN: Yeah, got a few at D-Bah. It feels so good to surf again. I’m up here seeing a chiropractor and the ASP is having a meeting with a few of us so I figured I’d come up and kill two birds with one stone. But the knee’s feeling good. I’m not a 100 percent right now, but it’s still 3 weeks until I compete so I should be right. Are you wearing a brace? No, just strapping it. You were out for a good chunk of time a few years ago, so at least you know how to prepare for stuff like this. I was out half the season for my first year. Did some damage to my ankle and foot. So, yeah, I know what it’s like to be sidelined. What’s the best way to deal with time off due to injury? Aw, look. Being an elite athlete, you’re going to get injured. It’s part of the territory. You just have to stay positive and deal with it. I dealt with the last one and came back pretty strong. This one seems a lot more straightforward, so you just have to do all the little things right so you get back in there in the best possible shape. Had some time to dial in your boards? Yeah, for sure. But it’s also good just to step away from it during the time, you know? And come back fresh so it feels like it’s new again. When you have it taken away from you, you get real clarity and appreciation of what you do. I always think things happen for a reason, and this has allowed me to do a few other things besides the tour. Things I wouldn’t have normally been able to do. But I got to say: watching J-Bay online, and the waves those guys got, really fired me up. It was hard to watch [laughs]. You recently had your children’s book, Macka’s Barrel, published. Did you have some more free time to promote that? Yeah, I did, actually. We did a few things around my area. And we’re about to an exhibition in Sydney with the artist. I’m also lined up to visit a few schools, so I’m definitely enjoying that. How have your results been at Trestles? I haven’t had great results there. It’s just kinda…things haven’t gone my way, really. Definitely a place where I want to do well. I had a good result in the WQS there a few years ago, got second in that one, so I know I can compete there. I love the wave, I feel real comfortable and I enjoy coming out to California this time of year. Seems like there’s a lot of opportunity for swell. And Pat O always lays out the welcome mat. [laughs] So, you had a decent start to the year with a fifth, but you’re looking to pick it up with some more of those. Yeah. I had a couple of 17ths after that fifth, so I definitely need to improve on those. I was out the two events with the injury. Have some catching up to do, but I’m confident I can get there. We’re looking forward to seeing you hooking up on a couple of those lined-up rights. Oh, definitely. Can’t wait. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34646 Evan Slater Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Age. 15 Loves. Getting barreled and hanging with his big family. Coop has a mum and dad and three sisters. His oldest sister Chloe, 17, is a model. From. North Narrabeen, home of Simon Anderson, Damien Hardmen, Chris Davidson, etc... Results. Coop is the current under 16 Australian Champ and recently Won the State titles. Over the last four years himself and Matt Banting have had a strangle hold on their divisions; they take turns on winning events. Work. Coop is sponsored by Chilli Surfboards and gets 30 a year to play with. One day a week Coop will go into the factory to learn about his boards and clean up the shaping bays, he hates getting fibre glass in his paws. Education. Coop is a straight A student and wants to finish school. Heroes. His Dad, His Grandparents, Kelly Slater, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan Favorite Movie. Step Brothers When Coop is not surfing, he is training to be better at surfing at the Sydney Academy of Sport, where he has a scholarship. Coop is also sponsored by Chilli Surfboards, Smith Sun Glasses, FCS, Gorilla and Skull Candy headphones. Look for much, much more of Cooper Chapman coming soon. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34619 Evan Slater Tuesday, August 18, 2009 Check out Active Rider, Ethan Loy’s newest footage. Yes, Ethan is David Loy’s younger brother. Ethan is also the infamous Bryce Loy’s younger brother as well. http://people.activerideshop.com/active-rider-ethan-loy-new-footage http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34603 Jess Monday, August 17, 2009 Soooo... it's been a while since my last blog entry. Maybe since Bali? Believe it or not, I've been quite busy. After Bali I came home for a few days and was feeling awful. I slept and did nothing until it was time to head down to the Notorious US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach.  Hurley sponsored the event and lucky for me they gave me a wildcard into the WQS and the Lowers Pro Trials. I was psyched but feeling pretty crappy. After my first round clown in the Junior, I went to the doctor because my lungs were burning. Pat O took me so we were able to hang out a bit which is a rare opportunity. He got a good laugh when the doctor told me he was going to give me a shot in my ass to help what he diagnosed as an ear infection, bronchitis and sinusitis. No wonder i had been feeling so lousy. Well, it was back to the scene at the comp for the next few days and I kept my contest shocker in fine form by losing first round in the QS and the trials. After losing so many contests in a row I'm starting to feel pretty bummed but hopefully I can snap out of it. However, I did find the truck I've been looking for for the last few months. I went and checked it out and bought it that week. An '06 black Toyota Tacoma with a standard transmission. After watching Brett win the comp it was time to get out of Huntington Beach and finally spend some time at home. Wasn't much surf, but man did it feel good to sit on my butt and not do much. My much-awaited license test went down during this time and I was pretty nervous. I managed to fail this as well. The instructor might have a different story, but this is how I saw it: I was at a red light making a right turn onto a one-way street. There was a truck coming up the road and started to turn left without its blinker. I started to go right and the lady yelled at me to stop because she said I didn't know the truck was going left... but it already was turning. Whatever. It was stupid. Next up was my Uncle's wedding which was rad! In my short lifespan, it was by far the best wedding I have been a part of. It took place on our family ranch on an amazingly beautiful afternoon and couldn't have been any better. Now I am sitting in Hawaii, North Shore to be exact, and I am doing absolutely nothing. Over here I have really been appreciating having no schedule. The weather has been amazing and I have been reading books, swimming and sleeping. Hopefully I don't forget how to surf... —Ceester  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34602 Evan Slater Sunday, August 16, 2009 It has been flat for nearly 2 weeks now. I have just been fishing and trying to stay active up here because there has been nothing to do. Before this giant flat spell there was a solid 2 weeks of nonstop waves which was fun. This coming weekend, it looks like the East Coast will be seeing some Tropical Storm Swell courtesy of Anna and Bill. I will keep you posted on the way these swells unfold. - PJ http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34592 PJ Raia Sunday, August 16, 2009 Thirty-five years ago, at the height of the New York subway graffiti movement, an artist named FREEDOM painted an entire Amtrak tunnel under Riverside Park in Manhattan and made it his own, covering it with his pop-art-inspired renderings of the Venus de Milo and Dali’s melting clocks. Today, the Freedom Tunnel remains a magnet for urban explorers and graffiti lovers from around the globe. Against The Grain catches up with Chris “FREEDOM” Pape at his home in New York, and talks to him about running away from home, living in a ping pong hall and hanging off of a tunnel ceiling for two hours. YOU STOPPED PAINTING THE FREEDOM TUNNEL IN 1996—WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WENT DOWN THERE? I went down there about two years ago with my wife. I touched up some works. There’s about 10 left—the “Buy American” one, the Goya, the baseball card, the Venus de Milo and the Dali clock. DID A LOT OF YOUR STUFF GET PAINTED OVER BACK IN THE DAY? Yes, the Parks Department guys used to hang in the tunnel and drink when it got cold out. It was this abandoned isolated place but they wanted to discourage what I was doing, so they would bring down their Park Department paint and paint over them. DID YOU GET PARANOID ABOUT GETTING BUSTED? I was very paranoid back then. Coming face to face with Parks Dept people who were anti-graffiti was not in my best interests. DID YOU EVER GET CAUGHT? No. There were at least three or four times when they followed me in the tunnel. I would climb up in to the beams on the top and I would watch them while they were looking for me. I’d hang out there for twenty minutes or so. WHAT’S THE LONGEST TIME YOU HAD TO HIDE OUT? Well it wasn’t really hiding—but there was this one time when we were standing around on top of freight trains. The ceiling was around five feet above me—and then the train started to take off. Instead of jumping off or climbing down the side I decided to hang on to the ceiling. I hung out there for two hours, 20 feet in the air. My friends were laughing at me and throwing rocks. I made a bad choice. THERE’S A WHOLE NEW GENERATION OF PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE FREEDOM TUNNEL—HOW DO YOU THINK THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT IT? The internet has really given it new life. It’s a huge attraction for urban explorers. They go down there and hang chandeliers and light fires. It’s cool. One guy took his girlfriend down there. He had painted on the wall “will you marry me?” I was really struck by that. IS IT TRUE YOU LIVED IN A PING PONG PARLOR WHEN YOU WERE A TEENAGER? Yes. I lived in a ping pong parlor that doubled as a gambling place. It would open at about 4 in the afternoon and get a little bit of the after-school trade. Most table tennis stuff would be done by 2am, and then the gambling would begin. That would go on until 9 or 10 in the morning. HOW DID YOU END UP THERE? I ran away from home. I used to hang out there and play table tennis late in to the night which was one of the reasons there was a conflict between my parents and I. It was five blocks away from me on the Upper West Side. I got there and Marty who owned the place gave me the key to the door and said ‘stay as long as you want’. I was there for two years. I liked it. At 6am every night I would curl up on a ping pong table in my leather jacket. WHEN DID YOU START WRITING GRAFFITI? I started doing graffiti in 1974, so I was 14 and then 1975 was when I really got to hit trains and stuff like that. I wound up at the School of Visual Arts in New York. I would bump in to Keith Haring and he knew I was a graffiti writer. This was before he was doing the radiant baby thing. WOULD YOU PUNCH AN ALIEN? Sure. As long as they didn’t have tentacles, then I am down to do it. I had a very bad experience with a squid once. —-Caroline Ryder / Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34588 Evan Slater Sunday, August 16, 2009 Evan Geisleman is the King of Groms in Florida. This year, the Quiksilver King of the Groms contest was held at Typhoon Lagoon at Disney in Orlando, Florida. There hasn't been much surf in the Sunshine State lately so they decided to move the contest there. Typhoon Lagoon is a hard wave to surf but Evan tore it apart from the beginning and took the title and an extra $850 in cash. He now gets an all-expense-paid trip to Hossegor to compete against 16 other KOG winners from around the world and try to become the King of the Groms global champion.This contest will be held in September during the Quik Pro France event. I am sure the waves are going to be on fire and there is a really good chance that EG could take the title. GO GOLDEN!!! -- Asher Nolan Check the Surfline article on EG's win here. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34576 Evan Slater Sunday, August 16, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34538 Evan Slater Thursday, August 13, 2009 Straight after the US Open myself and the whole Modern Collective unit hopped on a plane headed for Australia to get some more footage for the movie. We hung out and got waves from Balina all the way up to Stradbroke Island. There has been plenty of surf shots from the journey on websites like Surfing, Stab and Surfing Life for you to check out... Hopefully i nailed some more cool footage to make my section look the goods. After watching the other guys surf over the last few months im a little scared as those guys have been doing the craziest stuff ever! I took my camera to the Gold Coast and shot a whole bunch of fun picture that you can check out at http://lifewithoutandy.com/galleries/2008-2009/winter/181 Enjoy... Y   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34510 Yadin Nicol Thursday, August 13, 2009 New York is becoming a special little treat for the Brodeo Tour, and this year was icing on the cake. Special thanks to the whole crew at Flying Point Surf Shop for letting us be part of their surf camp. It's always good to go out with a bang, and thats how we went out as 40 plus groms went nuts. In and out of the water, this years crew of kids charged the surf fearlessly, and they were rewarded. Hurley T-shirts, autographs, stickers, and much more went out to all the kids that participated. All that was left with the kids were smiles, sand, and surf as the day ended. Till next yearSpecial  thanks: The Petruzziello family-Noah Snyder  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34509 Noah Snyder Thursday, August 13, 2009 Orlando, FL I have to be honest: I am not a fan of outdoor festivals in Florida. It’s just so hot and humid and uncomfortable! Despite the heat, it actually turned out to be a pretty great day. I watched Versa Emerge play for the first time, since it was a hometown show for them. The crowd seemed pretty excited to have them back. I stopped over to the Girlz Garage to see what was going on and found Pete from the Bouncing Souls offering up a little technical assistance to Laurita while she fixed a guitar. The highlight of the day for me had to be hanging out with the Gallows kids in their trailer listening to music and shouting at passersby. Who knew sweating in a trailer could be so amusing? West Palm Beach, FL Another rainy day in West Palm Beach. I don’t think anybody is surprised by rain anymore. Everywhere I turn I see ponchos and galoshes. Some people get creative when it comes to rain gear and finding shelter. In catering people were actually sitting on the picnic tables in order to dine under the umbrellas. The rain can also make things challenging on stage. Lags from Gallows slid a bit while playing and wound up taking a guitar to the face. Yikes! It still turned out to be a fun day, though. Angelo from Fishbone made a guest appearance on stage with Big D and the Kids Table, and my friend Lisa came out for a visit. Any day that I get to see my friend Lisa is a great day. St. Petersburg, FL The venue in St. Pete was both awesome and awful. Awesome because we were right on the water and could watch dolphins and seagulls, awful because all of the stages and tents were super cluttered due to the small space we had to work with. The weather was sunny and hot early in the day, and I made my way over to the Main Stage to see All Time Low play a few songs. They spent a little time over in the Hurley Zone for a signing, where one girl actually made All Time Low dolls. What talented fans, eh? Later on I caught a couple songs from the Maine before heading over to watch Therefore I Am play their set right beside the water. A couple of the guys took full advantage of the close proximity and leaped into the ocean at the end of their last song. Someone standing near me at the time said it was the single most punk-rock thing they’d seen anyone do all tour. I agreed with him. Atlanta, GA Atlanta: they don’t call it Hotlanta for nothing. It was one of those days when just breathing alone is enough activity to break a sweat. Gross. I tried to spend as much time in shaded areas as possible, which is easy when there’s an amphitheatre to watch bands in. Forever The Sickest Kids joined the tour, so I made a point of checking them out. I also heard a rumor of birthday pranks during the Architects set. Their drummer Adam turned 27, and there were definitely pranks-a-plenty on the Skullcandy stage! Check out the photo gallery to see for yourself. Happy Birthday, Adam!—Erin Caruso http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34363 Evan Slater Wednesday, August 12, 2009 New Jersey was on fire as the Brodeo Tour blazed into town for stop # 3. 100 degree temps, a piping hot grill, autographs, and free Hurley gear— what else could you want? Well, an afternoon surf would be nice. 7 Eleven slurpees went down along with hot dogs and hamburgers cooked by Mark Z. Everybody who came out got styled out with all kinds of Hurley goodies, and yes we dipped in for a quick little surf before heading off to New York. Check photos for some of the action.Special thanks to Gary, Bryan and the whole Farias crew! — Noah Snyder Additional link : click here. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34330 Noah Snyder Wednesday, August 12, 2009 Went to the mainland a couple of weeks ago for my wife's girlfriends wedding. My wife is 27, and all of her friends are getting married. We've gone to 7 or so weddings this year. I'm 42, and a lot of my friends are getting divorced. The cycle of life...not mine I hope. Surfed 1ft. Salt Creek, with the mayor of creek himself, Pat O. I rode Kai Barger's board and ripped. Pat told me the lefts off the point sandbar is the best ever. I'm bummed I had to leave, knowing how good Creek is going get. The Eddie always had a bunch of politics (who's getting in, format ect.) But now I think the Maverick's contest is worse. Jeff Clark might not run the event, there might not be any money, not sure about the format, and some of the invitees are getting old (me). The best big-wave event I ever surfed was the Eddie in '86. 1st place was $1500. That wasn't a lot of money back then either. Anyway, they thew up a scaffold, and had the event in big shitty surf. We all surfed that day basically for fun, and bragging rights. I don't think that can happen again. There is a tropical storm about to hit Hawaii. Hopefully we'll get some surf. As a surfer I don't worry to much about if the storm will do damage, just how the waves will be. That's f'ed up.— Brock http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34283 Evan Slater Tuesday, August 11, 2009 Transit Antenna left South Carolina seventeen months ago. Since then, the seven present-day nomads have put on a faux freak show in Louisiana, investigated UFOs in Roswell, and built a radio transmitter in San Francisco. They live out of a bus fueled by vegetable-oil, subsist on odd jobs and stop whenever anything warrants their attention. Their glorified road trip doubles as an experiment in living. “It seems so simple but it’s something that people don’t do,” says Transit’s Bob Snead. When I talk to Transit Antenna, they are enjoying steak dinners at The American Legion in Bombay Beach, a skeleton town near the notoriously polluted Salton Sea. “We planned only a couple of days at most to be here,” says Bob. But now, nearly a week later, they’re busy constructing a boat out of riffraff. “We decided to take materials that were rotting and decaying in the area and build something that could actually float across the sea.” Before sailing the Salton, they paint in big white letters on one side of the boat: “Prepare for the Worst.” And on the other side: “Hope for the Best.” Transit Antenna is, in many ways, an adventure in optimism. Rewind to Thanksgiving 2006. Bob, half-way through Yale’s prestigious MFA program, tells his wife Dawn he can’t see living as an artist in their hometown of Charleston. Dawn doesn’t want to blindly relocate, so they discuss taking their son Taylor on a cross-country RV trip. Their friends Seth Gadsen, soon to graduate with an MFA from Boston University, and Jamie Self, a freshman composition instructor at Boston U, like the idea. But an RV would be a money trap. Why not do something greener? ? By summer 2007, Josef Kristofoletti, also a recent grad, and Amy McBrine join the project. Planning a two year expedition, the group purchases a 1981 city transit bus and converts it into a habitable machine that can run on vegetable oil. This requires innumerable late nights, extensive research, and complicated valve systems. But by February 2008, the bus has wireless internet and rustic wood-paneled walls. “Some people are surprised that we would want to be traveling around like hippies whereas other people are surprised that we’re technological hippies,” observes Seth. “We shower every day. We have a solar water heater. Living on the bus, except for a small loss of space, is like living in an apartment. We figured out a way that we could be happy for two years and not get bitter with each other. ” On the road, Transit’s members explore creativity with an openness their educations didn’t allow. “Its wild,” says Seth, “the expanse of places we’ve been. And the bus is just a cave we take with us.” In May, they helped plant a community farm in Houston’s fifth ward. In October, Transit picked up a straggler, photographer Wheat Wurtzburger, who began documenting the journey. In November, they befriended Stanley Marsh, an aging prankster who once funded minimalist artist Robert Smithson and installs massive sculptures around the town of Amarillo, Texas. They’ve spent a year and a half moving in and out of creative collaborations and eccentric situations. “The whole name was based on this idea,” says Bob. “This idea of the antenna invoking some sort of movement of ideas back and forth.” ? “It’s going to be very strange when we have to return to real life,” says Jamie. Seth wonders if they ever will.— Catherine Wagley/Against The Grain www.transitantenna.com ? http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34280 Evan Slater Tuesday, August 11, 2009 17th Street Surf Shop was the hot spot for the 2nd stop of the Brodeo Tour. Thanks to the crew at 17th Street for letting us take over their parking lot. Check photos for all the action. Next stop: New Jersey / Farias Surf shop  — Noah Snyder http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34270 Noah Snyder Tuesday, August 11, 2009 World-renowned fine artist Dalek (James Marshall), who created the giant mural at the Laguna Beach Hurley store, was in Honolulu to showcase original, never-before-seen pieces in 2D: The Art of 2Day– an art exhibit at the SoHo Mixed Media Bar. In the week preceding 2D: The Art of 2Day, Dalek created 14 original pieces exclusively for sale at the show in a secret studio on O‘ahu. This event coincides with the First Friday Art Walk in August and is collaborative effort by In4mation, Contrast Magazine, Sheraton Waikiki and Hurley International as a benefit for The Contemporary Museum (TCM). http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34244 Evan Slater Monday, August 10, 2009 Over the weekend I took Michael Dunphy down to San Diego for a little Pro/Am event and he took it down. Not only did Mike win the Pro/Am with a $1,000 first prize, but Jake Halstead won the Junior division and got $200 cash! The waves were like 2 to 3 feet and fun. Dunphy smashed everyone in the final. Vah Beach cleaned up in SD. Congrats, Michael. — Brandon Guilmette http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34226 Evan Slater Monday, August 10, 2009 Animal Vikings, lanky black cat sentinels, and tree spirits—you’ll find them all lurking in the prints and paintings of Andy Kehoe. Not to be mistaken for his twin brother Ben, also a talented artist, Andy recently relocated from Pittsburg to Portland, of which he says, “its good to know that I arrived in Portland for both record snowfall and this week's record heat wave. It reached 106 degrees! It was so hot, I would've cried had I not sweated all the tears out of my body.” Working magic with illustrative scenarios filled with foreboding landscapes and occasional bison-like creatures that run, fly, flail and rise from the dead, his pictures capture a strange yet fascinating mix of morbid curiosity and hope. Perhaps drawing on the language of native-American mysticism, Kehoe’s imaginary creations grow from the ground or in the form of a curly, floral spirit from a creature itself, illustrating a connectedness with nature, an overall concept that affects even his color palette of warm reds and amber hues. One of Kehoe’s latest perpetual fall landscapes makes its debut in the current 2009 BLAB! Group show at CoproGallery in Santa Monica, an annual showcase of the latest in lowbrow, (now showing through August 29). Coming off an almost sold-out show at New York’s Jonathan LeVine Gallery, Andy has just released five new prints on Etsy, is planning an oversized print release with BLDG and is a current guest blogger on Juxtapoz.com. For those of us who can’t get enough Kehoe and are lucky enough to live in the Los Angeles area, he is preparing a huge solo show that opens December 11 at Thinkspace. Even Andy’s stoked: “I've started some pieces and already I’m getting super excited about this show.” See you there. –Shelley Leopold / Against The Grain www.andykehoe.net http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34222 Evan Slater Monday, August 10, 2009 The Brodeo Tour kicked off this year in Camp Lejeune, NC. The first stop was Onslow Beach and we were greeted with epic conditions for a full day of fun in the sun. Surf Lessons, BBQ's, autographs, and Hurley giveaways went out to 60 plus campers. Everybody charged the surf, and i mean everybody. Asher Nolan, Mark Zabalski, and myself were the 3 instructors for the day, and boy did we have our hands full. Two different groups of 30 kept us going strong throughout the day, and in the end, everyone left the beach smiling. Check photos for some of the action.Next stop -- 17th Street Surf Shop.— Noah Snyder    http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34213 Noah Snyder Monday, August 10, 2009 Aqua East surf shop and the city of Jacksonville Beach were hopping last Monday as band "Bayside" performed an acoustic showing live!  Hurley sponsored a free event for the city of Jacksonville Beach to come out and enjoy on a Monday afternoon. Special guests "Hello Danger" opened up the show with a killer acoustic set followed by "Bayside" playing some fan favorites and current singles.  Over 500 people were in attendance covering the lawn of Aqua East, singing along to their favorite "Bayside" songs and enjoying the nice weather of Jacksonville beach.  You would have thought you were at a Warped Tour stage by the amount of people laying out their towels and blankets on the lawn and rocking out. The event was a huge success and Aqua East and the city of Jacksonville Beach were pumped for coming out. Thanks again to "Bayside" and "Hello Danger" for some great performances! Take a look at some photos to recap the day!Thanks to all for your support! http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34161 Jess Monday, August 10, 2009 Surfing icon Rob Machado reached a new milestone on Friday night. His childhood hero, Gerry Lopez, introduced him as the 2009 SIMA Waterman of the Year. "Growing up, I used to stare at a picture of Gerry at Pipe on my wall and think, 'No way,'" said Rob. "And now he's here? For this? Unreal."    Held at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, the 20th Annual Waterman's Ball kept it rolling for key donations to groups like Surfrider, Save The Waves and Wild Coast. With a silent auction and not-so-silent live auction, offering up everything from trips to Tavarua to brand-new Audis, there's no doubt the Surf Industry Manufacturer's Association raised the bar once again for a cleaner ocean. Last year, the ball generated $500,000. One of the men responsible for the success of SIMA was the late Dick Baker, who received this year's Lifetime Achievement Award. Accepting the honor was his wife, Una, and his two sons. Environmentalist of the Year went to Dave Rastovich who, along with Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson, continue to shed light on the "obscenity called whaling." As Waterman of the Year, Machado joins a long list of Hall of Famers, including nine-time world champ Kelly Slater, who was there to cheer his friend on. Machado had a lot to say during his acceptance speech. About his family, his years on tour, his time in Indo for The Drifter and his commitment to helping the planet and inspiring the next generation. But what stood out among all of it was one major theme: the dude loves surfing.  Congratulations to all of this year's award recipients. Our lineups are a lot better off thanks to your efforts.          http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34139 Evan Slater Sunday, August 9, 2009 Boston, MA What a big day it was in Boston! I was so excited to be back home and see the friends that I’ve missed since I’ve been out on the road. I was hoping for a little sunshine, but we wound up with a day full of rain. Fortunately, music fans in Boston will stop at nothing to see the bands they love. I decided to spend my day watching Boston bands. Therefore I Am drew a huge crowd, who all seemed to know every word and weren’t afraid to scream them back at the band. It was so exciting to watch! I was also thrilled, and a little sad to watch Vanna play their last show with frontman, Chris Preece. The amphitheatre was jam packed for their set, so much so that the security guards literally had to use their legs to hold up the barricades. It was a little scary and exciting all at the same time. I also made sure to catch Big D and the Kids Table play. It was the last day for two of their backup singers and the first day for the two new ones, so I couldn’t miss it. Virginia Beach, VA I was so excited about the Virginia Beach show because I got to hang out with my friend Adam. He plays in a band called Story of the Year and just so happened to be staying in a town nearby working on a new record. Earlier in the day I watched I Set My Friends On Fire. I can’t believe so much noise comes out of just three dudes. I have no idea what the singer/screamer was saying, but the kids in the crowd seemed to know. I also watched Senses Fail play to a packed crowd. Charlotte, NC It was pretty busy in Charlotte. The highlight of the day for me was happening backstage. Katie from Keep A Breast was casting the torsos of a few lucky ladies on the Warped Tour, including Sierra from Versa Emerge, Tiffany the Pit Reporter and tattoo artist, Nicole. I even got to participate a little bit by finishing a few edges on the casts. — Erin Caruso http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34128 Evan Slater Sunday, August 9, 2009 The swell was big and powerful. A solid SW swell — so not many clean ones but every once in a while there was a perfect bomb. I decided not to paddle because the good ones were hard to find. I thought it was better to tow and ride more waves. I got a couple big lefts to warm up, then on my fourth wave was the right. I have to say it was the biggest barrel I've been in. Thinking about it, it felt like I did everything right. When I was in there, I saw a lip falling closer to me and I thought I was too close to it. So I tried to make one big pump to go higher in the barrel. But it was a mistake because my board skipped from me and I felt myself coming out of the barrel as I was falling. I took beatings from that wave and two more after it. I was pretty happy and thankful that I didn't get hurt. At the same time, I was bummed I didn't come out on my feet. It could have been a real contender in the XXL. But maybe God didn't want that for me yet. Now I have to stay strong and positive and wait for my next chance. — Coco http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34101 Evan Slater Saturday, August 8, 2009 Hurley's Dillon Perillo got it done. After narrowly missing qualification at Lowers for the $75,000 Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge, he decided to cross the Pacific this past weekend and make it happen at Shidashita Point in Chiba. Going up against fellow Hurley rider Mitch Crews, Aussie Chris Friend and Japan's Arashi Kato, Dillon came through in the small beachbreak conditions. He'll now join a growing list of Junior heavy hitters for the Oakley Pro Junior Global Challenge in Bali in October — the richest Junior event on tour. Congrats, Dillon! http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34094 Evan Slater Saturday, August 8, 2009 That's right baby, England. I arrived here last week to compete in the 5 Star WQS Contest at Fistral Beach Newquay in hopes so score some fun waves, get some points to boost my rating, and get out of the dead flat conditions that Central Florida has literally had the whole summer. I realize now that's exactly what I did, made a good chunk of change, got some solid points, scored some really fun waves, but I didn't do as well as I wanted to in the contest. But all in all it's been a really fun trip so far and it's unlike any other place i've ever been in the world. (and it's always fun to visit the mother country) Now I'm sitting here in London, taking in the scenery, doing a bit of touristy stuff, and just chillin' with my parents in the not so great weather. I'll be here for three more days, then i'm off to France to compete in the contest in Bordeaux next week. I've never been to France and I can't wait to visit the place and eat some baguettes and hopefully get some more fun waves! Anyway, here are some pics from the trip thus far. I didn't realize it but I'm kinda getting into photography a little bit. I always end up taking frames of scenery and stuff so hope you like these... — O http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34092 Evan Slater Friday, August 7, 2009 Channel Street Skatepark, a skater-built piece of gnarly wonderment, is a perfect example of do-it-yourself determination and subversive cool. Robbie O’Connell, longshoreman by night, is one of the original concrete cowboys who broke ground illegally under the Harbor Freeway at Channel Street. He and some restless heads took it upon themselves to build their own park after years of municipal inaction. The skaters were inspired by earlier do-it-yourselfers like Portland’s Burnside and San Diego’s Washington Street. Let’s not forget Inglewood’s Jett Inn, a crack motel with a swimming pool vulnerable to skater “redesign”. In 2002, the site of the Channel Street Skatepark was a scene of urban detritus, an illegal dumpsite where the homeless, addicted and generally wayward convened. The area was also a bureaucratic no-man’s land, surrounded yet unclaimed by the heavy-handed interests of the Port, the City of L.A. and Caltrans. O’Connell, Andy Harris and a few others cleaned up the area, pooled their money, and built a quarterpipe topped with pool blocks—a modest beginning. They assumed it’d be torn down. But wrecking crews never came. Yes, cops, suits and Caltrans workers did hover and these were nervous times. “Beware the man in a business suit and a hard hat,” says Harris, also a longshoreman, “especially if he’s on the phone or taking pictures.” These skaters continued to regularly and painstakingly craft their ultimate playground. Word spread. Kids came. Parents released their young from the mini-van into the urban wild. City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and the Port began to realize the skatepark was a community gem of greater import than its questionable origins. They suggested the formation of a non-profit to support the upstart project and ensure its long-term survival. San Pedro Skatepark Association was created, and word-of-mouth hit high-pitch. More tax-deductible donations kicked in. Local punk legend Mike Watt threw benefit shows. Sunken City Skates used their grand opening as a fundraiser. The Tony Hawk Foundation gave $5,000. Pasha Stevedoring & Terminals supplied a bonanza of rebar. The list of community supporters grew. So did the skatepark. Now it has three unique bowls, a rideable doorway, and a colorful tiled mural and archway, all hard-earned results of focus, sweat and many, many hours. O’Connell, Harris and others continue to work quietly, laying concrete, planting trees, seemingly impervious to the sounds of riders around them. For the younger skaters buzzed on nicotine and Red Bull, the place is special. “It’s handmade by skaters,” says one. “Not by the City.” “The only requirement [to skate here],” says O’Connell, “is to respect the place.” The younger skaters, says Andy Harris, don’t quite get the non-profit idea. “They all seem to understand capitalism but they can’t fathom the idea that Robbie and I don’t consider ourselves owners of the park. You try and tell them they own it as well,” he continues, “and they just look at you like you’re crazy! Slowly some are appreciating that it’s theirs to maintain.” — Julia Murphy/Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34082 Evan Slater Thursday, August 6, 2009 I had a great time. The rest of my stay in california for the summer was fun and there was a ton of waves and people around for the US Open. Unfortunately I only got to surf the first half of the So cal "Super Swell" that could have been hyped out but I wouldn't know because I had to come home for an important contest that ended up being worth it. The Grudge Match is a big deal in NJ and I am very happy I earned a spot in it by getting third in the Qualifier. This is a great event put on by Rob Cloupe every year. Cloupe made a great call for waves on the contest day and we ended up with overhead spitting barrels all morning that had to be the best waves ive ever surfed in a contest but deteriorated to chest high wind-chop by the end of the day, but hey, it is New Jersey. Here are some photos. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34064 PJ Raia Thursday, August 6, 2009 “We’re like those dudes who skate all day and then drink beer and watch videos for inspiration,” says Death Valley, a founder of Bay Area jump rope squad, SFC. “It’s never about competition. It’s about getting outside, learning tricks, and making friends.” Double reminds us of how fun city life can be, evoking memories of the 1980s, when girls in matching airbrushed tracksuits spent summers flashing rope as their cohorts practiced head spins and freezes nearby. Somewhere in the background, boom boxes thumped Grandmaster Flash and ghetto-rigged hydrants filled the sky with steam. Ah, the first years of ropin’—young, hot, and soulful. Unlike other urban diversions from that era (breaking, graffiti, etc), Double Dutch failed to grow pop-culture wings and instead morphed into an after-school activity for kids who couldn’t make cheer squad. But that’s changing. SFC Double Dutch, a crew of three tough-but-sexy chicks from San Francisco, is taking ropin’ back to the streets. “SFC stands for Sucka Free City,” explains Erin Dougherty, aka Venomiss. “We regionalized our name and invented badass alter egos to unify as a team.” Despite having awesome names—Venomiss, Switchblade and Death Valley—the girls weren’t serious when they got together in 2002. But they got good fast, and soon started performing at festivals and bars all over town. After a while something started bothering them. They wanted to find other like-minded ropers. “We didn’t want to entertain; we wanted a scene,” says Switchblade. So the girls got organized, started teaching classes, and began throwing impromptu parties citywide. Now, after years of work, their wish is coming true; San Francisco’s roping scene is huge, and growing daily. If you visit San Francisco these days, you might catch one of the sprawling parties SFC’s protégés throw all over town. You’re more likely to hear E-40 than The Furious Five and you’ll notice that these kids are older and rowdier than the originators—but SFC’s deal is a step away from the wholesome gymnasium scene and a step toward gritty urban fun. Which is what Double Dutch was supposed to be about in the first place. –Justin Juul / Against The Grain www.sfcdoubledutch.com http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34030 Evan Slater Wednesday, August 5, 2009 World-renowned artist Dalek is in Honolulu this week prepping for an exhibition of new work at Soho Mixed Media Bar. If you haven't seen it already, Dalek is the man behind Hurley's massive mural at 225 Forest in Laguna Beach. His Hawaii show will take place on Honolulu’s First Friday Art Walk, and benefit The Contemporary Museum. Sponsorship is provided by In4mation, Contrast Magazine, Hurley International, and the Sheraton Waikiki. In the days before the opening, Dalek is busying himself by creating several pieces of art especially for Soho Mixed Media Bar. It’s live painting, for those that want to stop by, and a great chance to view his creative process. We’ll be covering the goings on for those that can’t get to the islands. For those in Hawaii, Soho Mixed Media Bar is located at 80 S. Pauahi St., Honolulu. — From www.curatedmag.com http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/34021 Evan Slater Wednesday, August 5, 2009 It's hot and muggy, it's raining and 25,000 people are here in Chicago to watch their favorite bands play on the Hurley Stage. The Warped Tour keeps marching on this summer, like a high-speed locomotive that never loses steam. For this update, Hurley's Greg Teal and Beau Roulette hopped on board for a weekend whirlwind through Detroit, the Windy City and Minneapolis. This is what they saw. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33998 Evan Slater Tuesday, August 4, 2009 They made it till the end !!!! Some thought they were not going to make it through this years Boot Camp, but all things are possible. "Destined to Believe" was the theme of this years camp, and in the end 95% of the participants were left standing in awe that they had made it through. From flutters, to army crawls, and so on-- the group punished the beach for a month straight. Physically, mentally, and spiritually everyone's faith was tested to see just how much you could handle. The final day was the all-out Hurley race, where the group was split into two teams to compete against one another for bragging rights! It came down to just a few foot steps that decided the winner. All in all, this group of thirty plus killed it -- till the next one -- God bless. Noah Snyder   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33965 Noah Snyder Tuesday, August 4, 2009 I had to wait for a good low tide to venture out to the outer reef. With the full moon the following night, the tide was perfect. The sun was out too which makes it ideal conditions for a throwing spear. Catching fish with a throwing spear is my  favorite style of fishing. There is no power source besides you and your ability. The first step is to see the fish. Once you make a lock on it, you must stalk it without it seeing you... a little easier said than done. Because you're in the prey's territory, any movement is usually already detected from the fish.  You have to walk light, not breaking any coral, and keep your shadow behind you. The best possible scenario is if there is  a dry piece of reef or rock in between you and the fish, this way you can walk toward it without it seeing your feet. Another good way to camouflage yourself is by trying to stay in the whitewash areas. You wait for the whitewash then you walk toward the fish in the crumbling wave..., then you stop and wait for the next wave. You do this until you feel you have a shot.  A lot of times the fish will move and your shot is lost.  That's why spear fishing is mostly a game of patience. Here are a couple fish from yesterday... When we are down in Fiji, the only way to cook our fish is pretty much straight on the fire, and the only seasoning is a dip in the ocean. If you have access to a stove, oven and fridge you can get more creative. The red one is called a Nohu, weird looking fish but tastes amazing. It's best if you leave it in the fridge or on ice for two days,  it makes the meat real tender. Tastes great when you just throw it in a frying pan with some Olive Oil. The blue one is an Uhu or Parrot Fish. A good way to cook this fish is cut slits in the meat and fill them with garlic, onions, Hawaiian salt, pepper and a little lemon. You can also stuff the belly with mayonnaise if you like. Either way, it's a good meal. — Aamion Goodwin Stay tuned to Hurley.com for more survival techniques from Aamion. If you missed his first one, check it here. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33913 Evan Slater Tuesday, August 4, 2009 For years, the cure for the inner city blues in São Paulo, Brazil has been writing all over it, with spray paint or three inch rollers and a bucket of latex paint.It started in the 1960s, when people wrote political messages in the streets, writings that the media dubbed Pixação, pronounced "pee-sha-sow." In the 1970s Pixação seemed to have faded away (except for some elderly eccentric who was writing "Cão Fila Km 26" all over the place). Then in the early 1980s, it returned, in the shape of a young fellow who wrote "JUNECA". Reading magazine articles about JUNECA and sensing the vandalistic fun to be had, countless kids grabbed paint and went for theirs. These Pixação and stencil graffiti pioneers in São Paulo knew nothing about what was happening on the New York subways. In fact, graffiti as we know it showed up last to the block party, arriving with the airing of Beat Street in the middle 1980s. That’s when Pixação quickly evolved into a serious business.Early writers like TCHENTCHO set the tone by writing on the highest facade of the Edifico Italia, a 46 story tower that among other things is the tallest building in São Paulo. TCHENTCHO had to lay face down, hanging off the edge of the roof with a friend holding his ankles. The next day, of course, the fire was fed by the newspaper story and photos of the damage done. TCHENTCHO was famous.The Edifico Italia was an obvious target, being the tallest in town. But why stop there? Why not send twenty kids to scale the outside of the Teatro Municipal, the central building on all the São Paulo postcards and source of national pride? Why not the Matarazzo Mansion on the Avenida Paulista, one of the most elegant private homes in the city? Why not go on a mission to Rio de Janeiro and tag the Christo Redentor statue, the national symbol of Brazil itself?Pixação does not get colorful. It is a wonderfully low-budget medium, one that relies far more on sheer will and chutzpah than sense of aesthetics to get by. Practically everything in the city to a height of fifteen or twenty feet is slaughtered. Totally crushed walls are called an "agenda", as in the little calendar in which you write all your appointments. Pixação crews will send twenty guys into a building and catch tags outside of every single window. Some pixadores only write their crew name, while some are solo acts—although you don’t go out by yourself at night in São Paulo. Some of the most up names are groups of fifty or more, while some are just one extremely dedicated person. The writing is done late at night or early on Sunday mornings. Going out writing on Sundays is a tradition in Brazil, called the rolê or “roll”. Pixação is still special, still uncorrupted, still an entirely local phenomenon with its own style, methods, and kings. Pixação is inextricably linked to São Paulo, and both city and its endemic vandalism movement are a sight to behold. –Caleb Neelon http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33861 Evan Slater Sunday, August 2, 2009 Sheesh!!!  It's been a crazy last few weeks.  US Open was a huge success.  Congrats to Simpo!  A well deserved win, and huge win at that! 100,000 baby! Also Congrats to all the Hurley family that made the event run so smoothly.  I been doing WQS events for a long time now, and that was by far the best event I ever seen. New week new place. I’m now in Costa Rica representing Hawaii for the ISA World Surfing Games. This year there are 32 countries competing for the gold. The Hawaiian team is Roy Powers, Tonino Benson, Hank Gaskell, and myself.  For the Women we have Nage Melamed, and Alessa Quizon.  Then rounding out with longboarders Bonga Perkins, and Kekoa Uemura. The event started yesterday in really fun 3-foot surf and everyone on the team advanced to the 2nd round except Tonino, and Alessa. Day two started out really well for us I was able to get a good barrel and get a 8.83 followed by a 8.00.  Then Hank bettered me and got a 9.5 and 8.0 to take out his heat.  The only upset for us today was Roy Powers who lost a close heat to the local star Jason Torres, and Jeremy Flores.  He will now be surfing the do or die repecharge round. Stay tuned for more updates on the Hawaiian Team in Costa Rica.   Aloha, Joel http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33833 Joel Centeio Sunday, August 2, 2009 Camden, NJ Camden, NJ was a bit of a hectic day. I did a lot of running around in an effort to coordinate another band-on-band video interview. I was worried it was going to be a bust, but I managed to snag Brian and Alex from Therefore I Am and Dave and Omar from Hit The Lights. It was an interesting interview for sure! I’m going to work on some editing and see what I can come up with for all of you. Silly boys. We had a surprise rainstorm toward the end of the day, which resulted in the last mainstage band playing on the Hurley.com stage. That band was 3OH!3, who spent their first Warped Tour on that very same stage just last year. Man, they’ve really come a long way! A bunch of tour people packed on the stage to hang out and watch the show, and the audience was huge and super enthusiastic. Not a bad way to end the day. Long Island, NY Vanna joined the tour today for the first of three shows. I was excited to see them, as I’m friends with a few of the guys, and they’re all friends with the Therefore I Am kids. Needless to say, it was fun to have a few people to zip around and watch bands with. Also in attendance were a few of the world-famous Teletubbies. Did you know that Teletubbies can throw down in a mosh pit? Oceanport, NJ Today was a rather nice day. We were at a new venue that Warped hasn’t been to in years past, so I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of layout and where the Hurley Zone would be and all of the stages, but it was perfectly manageable and the weather was actually quite pleasant. It was also a day full of birthdays. Baptiste, the lovely French boy who works for Keep A Breast turned 21 today. I also discovered that the twins in Monty Are I had a birthday today. I spent a good part of the day bopping around checking out bands. I made it a point to check out a band I’d never seen before, and decided that band would be the Architects. There’s been a buzz about them, so I thought I should see it with my own eyes and I must say, I really enjoyed the set. Straight up dirty rock and roll. I definitely recommend checking them out.— Erin Caruso For a live stream of select shows, free downloads and more stories, go to www.hurley.com/warpedtour. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33831 Evan Slater Sunday, August 2, 2009 Before 150,000 screaming fans, Brett Simpson fulfilled a childhood dream: to win the US Open at his home break. He couldn't have picked a better year to do it, as his main sponsor, Hurley, had an unprecedented $100,000 on offer for the winner. "There's nothing better than sleeping in my bed during the biggest event of my life," said Simpson. "I stuck to the same routine all week, and somehow it all worked out. I can't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now." Simpson defeated 2007 world champ Mick Fanning in a final that saw some exciting exchanges in the beginning but lulled out toward the end as the tide increased. But the lull couldn't come soon enough for Simpson, who took the lead from the opening exchange and never gave it up. His best wave, a big hack with an air reverse on the end section, earned a 9.1. “When you’re riding on the ski in front of the crowd and you hear the applause it definitely pumps you up,” Simpson said. “Every time I was feeling a bit tired, the energy level of the crowd would lift me right up. It’s unbelievable to have all the support and my family and friends here with me. This is the best day of my life.” After a few years of close calls on the World Qualifying Series, Simpson is now in good position for the coveted Top 45. This is by far his biggest win and the most significant result of his career. "I'm really focused on the points right now," he said. "But for Hurley to step up is just so good for the sport. To be the winner of the biggest prize purse ever is just icing on the cake for me." The Hurley US Open of Surfing will certainly go down as one of the most -- if not the most -- US Opens of all time. So many memorable moments occurred over the nine-day period, it's impossible to list them all here. But a few that will be added to the "50-year timeline": Kelly's perfect 10 in the Round of 16, CJ Hobgood's impossible escape acts, Kai Barger's dominance in the Nike 6.0 Jr. Pro, 16-year-old Courtney Conlogue's gutsy performance, putting together the highest combined heat score for a female in US Open history and, of course, local boy Brett Simpson collecting the record-breaking 100K check. As longtime observer and former world champ Peter "PT" Townend says, "The ultimate surf stadium is back, and it's bigger and better than ever before." For full results from today's action, go to: www.usopenofsurfing.com/LIVE. [Special thanks to the City of Huntington Beach, the HB lifeguards and police department and all the people who helped make this event the best US Open in history.] http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33745 Evan Slater Sunday, July 26, 2009 The swell held and the excitement level bumped up a few more notches as the Hurley US Open of Surfing experienced yet another historic day of action. Sixteen-year-old Courtney Conlogue, an HB local who lives in Orange, continued her mind-boggling commitment to waves in the 10- to 12-foot range. After putting together the highest scoring women's heat in US Open history yesterday, Conlogue charged a few more intimidating closeouts today, with huge one-and two-combo maneuvers. Her efforts netted a 9 and an 8 respectively, beating another stellar show by 2008 US Open champ Malia Manuel. "I just keep telling myself that it's like freesurfing out there, " said USA Team Member Conlogue. "And it worked for me the whole way. Can't even begin to describe how stoked I am right now." Conlogue also got the good news that her prizemoney was more than doubled, meaning she earned $10,000 for her performance. Manuel had quite a day herself, winning the Nike 6.0 Jr Pro event coupled with her solid runner-up finish in the womens. With the two US Open finalists being teenagers for the second year in a row (Manuel is 15), there is no doubt that the next generation of female surfers are on the verge of changing the sport. Speaking of sport-changers, Kelly Slater continued to amaze the masses. In his Round of 16 heat this morning, mere seconds after the starting horn, he scratched into the biggest wave of the day, backdoored a huge section, then came screaming out in front of a 15-foot wall of whitewater. The result? A perfect 10 and a standing ovation from a pumped-up crowd. Other big results included HB local Brett Simpson, who stuck a huge floater and advanced in the final seconds against Aussie Matt Wilkinson. Simpson also beat Julian Wilson, Dusty Payne and Owen Wright in the Hurley Pro Trials final, meaning he'll join Kai Barger and Rob Machado as the wildcards for the ASP World tour event at Lowers in September. Former world champ CJ Hobgood made an impossible escape on a huge one, netting a 9.7 for his successful exit. In the Nike 6.0 Junior Pro, Kai Barger, Dillon Perillo, Tonino Benson and Nat Young came through for what will undoubtedly be a mind-blowing final tomorrow. According to lifeguards and fire officials, today had the biggest US Open attendance on record, with an estimated 125,000 people enjoying all the action on the south side of HB Pier. No doubt those people and more will be on the beach tomorrow, watching to see who will take the $100,000 prize. Come down to the beach or check it all out here: Stay tuned for more extensive coverage of the US Open of Surfing on www.hurley.com and www.usopenofsurfing.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Twitter@HurleyLive. For full results from today's action, go to: www.usopenofsurfing.com/LIVE. WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST STARTING TOMORROW AT 8. AM: http://www.hurley.com/usopen/. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33711 Evan Slater Sunday, July 26, 2009 WOW! For those of you who attended Walk the Walk LIVE in Huntington Beach last night, I'm sure you agree that this was by far, the BEST Walk the Walk in Hurley History! Set against the backdrop of the Hurley US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach and hosted by E! Entertainment's Sal Masekela, the night started off with a bang with a performance by skater/rapper/style queen Jayne Deaux. Hip hop and Hurley artist Murs served up amazing performances between each exciting fashion show. With themes including: Regeneration, Surf to Survive, Smells Like Teen Spirit, A Year to Remember at Hurley High, and The Channels of Hurley, Walk the Walk judges had a quite a challenge on their hands to choose their winner. On the start-studded judging panel were: Bob Hurley, Rosemary Brantley of Otis College, actors Wilmer Valderrama, Scott Eastwood, Adam Gregory, UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz and SVP of Hurley Design John Cherpas. The competition was fierce, but there could only be one GRAND CHAMPION...A HUGE congratulations to Lincoln High School of San Diego for their victorious performance to nab the title of Walk the Walk West Coast Grand Champions! As a reward for their incredibly creative and exciting show, Lincoln High School will receive a $10,000 donation to their art and music program. Also victorious were designers for San Clemente and Fountain Valley High Schools on their head-to-toe design challenge outfits. Shwayze wrapped up the night with a crowd-pleasing performance as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. What an evening! Thank you so much to everyone involved in the 2009 Hurley Walk the Walk West Coast Grand Championship. Be sure to stay tuned to Hurley.com for photos and video of the event and the complete coverage of the Hurley US Open of Surfing. — Jordan Dowty http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33664 Evan Slater Saturday, July 25, 2009 Huntington Beach roared to life today, making for one of the most exciting days of surfing ever witnessed at Huntington Beach. With a massive, 10- to 15-foot swell scraping the bottom of the pier and soaking spectators, the world's best surfers were truly put to the test. "This is definitely the biggest I've surfed Huntington," said three-time US Open champ Rob Machado, who won his heat today. "It's kind of survival out there. The current's like a river, big old closeouts, but it's a fun challenge." A few competitors rose to that challenge and reached a level never seen in Huntington Beach. Nine-time world champ Kelly Slater, after breaking his board on a big set at the beginning of his Round of 24 heat, went back out and pulled an unfathomable carving 360 on a 10-foot face. Patrick Gudauskas, lagging behind in his heat, took off on one of the biggest waves of the morning, bottom turned and smashed the lip of a 15-foot wall, and he somehow came out on his feet. Mick Fanning, CJ Hobgood and HB local Brett Simpson also shined in the iron-man conditions. Perhaps the biggest accolades should be reserved for young Courtney Conlogue, who put in the most impressive performance by a female ever witnessed at the US Open. With the swell pulsing, she scratched into two solid 12-foot faces, made big powerful bottom turns, and smashed the lip with perfect landings. Her efforts netted her a 9.7 and 9.93, quite possibly the highest combined heat score ever at a US Open event. "I can't believe the biggest swell I've seen out here coincided with this event," said 16-year-old HB local Conlogue. "I'm just stoked that the waves allowed us to show us what we can really do." Other girls who stepped up big included young Hawaiians Carissa Moore and Malia Manuel, who took down reigning world champ Steph Gilmore. "This is amazing," said Gilmore. "I was just stoked to be a part of this thing. Definitely got the heart pumping out there. In the Nike 6.0 Jr. Pro, Nike 6.0 rider Nat Young continued his winning ways in the quarterfinals. Other soldiers in the Pro Jr included Tonino, Matt Pagan and Charles Martin. The Hurley Pro Trials also ran its two semis today in ragged, oversize afternoon conditions. The four still in contention for the Hurley Pro wildcard spot include: Brett Simpson, Owen Wright, Julian Wilson and Dusty Payne. An estimated 100,000 were on hand to witness all of this drama at the US Open of Surfing, along with the Nike 6.0 HB BMX Pro, the Converse Coastal Carnage skate event, the Beach Festival and the Walk the Walk Grand Championship. Don't tire out on us yet. We still have two more days and a lot more swell in the water to make this the most memorable US Open yet. Come down to the beach or check it all out here: Stay tuned for more extensive coverage of the US Open of Surfing on www.hurley.com and www.usopenofsurfing.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Twitter@HurleyLive. For full results from today's action, go to: www.usopenofsurfing.com/LIVE. WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST STARTING TOMORROW AT 8. AM: http://www.hurley.com/usopen/. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33633 Evan Slater Saturday, July 25, 2009 With the largest prize purse in the history of surfing at stake, you can guarantee the best in the world were going to bring their A Game to Huntington Beach. And today, with clear skies, fun, windless peaks going both ways and the world's best battling it out, we witnessed the official return of Huntington Beach as the sport's ultimate surf stadium. Upwards of 50,000 people were on hand today to witness the action in the water and experience the opening day of the Beach Festival. With more than 120 booths, NIke 6.0's BMX half pipe and the Converse mini-bowl, music from acts like Sashamon going well into happy hour and countless giveaways and exhibitions, there is no doubt this is one of the country's biggest summer happenings. And it's tough to believe it's only Thursday. Brace yourselves for some serious traffic as we collide with a giant south swell and sweltering temperatures. Magic. But this is what the Hurley US Open of Surfing is all about. It is a true spectator's event, where kids and fans get to mob heroes like Kelly Slater, Andy Irons and Rob Machado as they exit the water. Today was all that and more, as the big names all made it through their heats. "This place definitely has you on edge in the water," said Machado, who held off upstarts like Owen Wright in his heats today. "The nerves are going, everyone's watching, you just have to put your head down and go by instinct." Clearly, "The Drifter" has not lost his competitive prowess, plowing through his Round of 96 and Round of 48 heats today. His old friend and sparring partner Kelly Slater had equal success, blazing to a victory today in heat 9. As it stands, practically all the favorites are still in contention for the $100,000 first-place check. 2007 world champ Mick Fanning, who blazed his heats today as well, is planning on going to Vegas right after this event. "Wouldn't mind having a little extra spending money," he said. It only gets better: tomorrow will see more Mens action, the Hurley Pro Trials, the Walk the Walk Grand Championship and much, much more. Come down to the beach or check it all out here: Stay tuned for more extensive coverage of the US Open of Surfing on www.hurley.com and www.usopenofsurfing.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Twitter@HurleyLive. For full results from today's action, go to: www.usopenofsurfing.com/LIVE. WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST STARTING TOMORROW AT 8. AM: http://www.hurley.com/usopen/. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33596 Evan Slater Thursday, July 23, 2009 For the first time in five years, nine-time world champ Kelly Slater slipped on a jersey at Huntington Beach, paddled out near the pier, and amazed the crowd. He wasted no time in showing us what we've been missing when he found the best-loooking right of the afternoon under the pilings, layed into three huge hacks, and posted a 9.3. Kelly, riding an experimental, dual-stringered quad, was typically humble in his assessment. "Why did I win?" he said. "Because I found the best wave. There weren't many like that out there." With weekend-size crowds on the beach to watch Slater's debut, it almost felt like a Saturday at HB. But with two WPS All Star Expression Sessions coming up, a massive summer swell and all the beach events at The Festival, it boggles the imagination as to how big the Hurley US Open will get. We can count on one thing: there will be no shortage of spectators at this, the 50th year of a major surf event in Surf City. Today, it was all about center stage, with two rounds of Womens and four afternoon heats of Mens in the Round of 96. Two-time world champ Stephanie Gilmore headlined a star-packed female lineup, winning her heat. "HB is gnarly, dude!" she said in her best American accent. Other Women's standouts included Coco Ho, who posted another 9, Sally Fitzgibbons and Carissa Moore. The Women got the best of the conditions today as tide and favorable winds offered punchy, head-high peaks well past noon. But in the men, it was all about Slater as HB and surf fans anticipated his arrival from Jeffreys Bay. He just landed yesterday, is all settled in, and ready to put on a show this weekend. That show will be webcasted live, starting first heat tomorrow at 8 a.m. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Twitter@HurleyLive. For full results from today's action, go to: www.usopenofsurfing.com/LIVE. WATCH THE LIVE WEBCAST STARTING TOMORROW AT: http://www.hurley.com/usopen/. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33527 Evan Slater Wednesday, July 22, 2009 It was an all-business day at the Hurley US Open of Surfing today as competitors slogged through the rest of the Round of 144 and 16 heats of the Round of 96. With a 90-minute fog delay in between it all, it meant a 13-hour day for those who watched every single heat. Fun, head-high peaks graced the South Side of the PIer during the best tides, providing plenty of opportunity for big scores. Top of the list was rising star Julian Wilson in his Round of 144 heat, who posted a 9 and 8.33 with relative effortlessness. "I've been here a week and haven't surfed much," said Wilson. "But today was fun — some of the funnest Huntington I've surfed." The fog eventually lifted for the Round of 96, where many of the top seeds made their opening remarks today. At the top of the heap was three-time world champ Andy Irons, who — as a WPS All Star — made his first appearance in Huntington in four years. Andy surfed exceptional in the challenging afternoon conditions, easily winning his heat. "Huntington's always been good to me," said Irons, who took a year off from the tour this year. "I kind of had some anxiety before my heat, you're in such a fishbowl here. But as soon as I hit the water, it all came back. Just stoked to be a part of it all." Irons, along with Mick Fanning, Kelly Slater, Bruce Irons, CJ Hobgood and Rob Machado, will be a part of the upcoming WPS All Star festivities this weekend. With two PWC-assist expression sessions slated and a solid, double-overhead swell coming down the pike, it could all come together for some serious fireworks. Other standouts today included Brazil's Miguel Pupo, who stuck the loftiest air of the day. Local Brett Simpson also shined, winning his heat and continuing his mission to qualify. ASP World Tour surfer Adriano de Souza and Travis Logie had a slug-fest with some solid high scores, and Modern Collective surfers Dusty Payne and Yadin Nicol put in solid efforts. Perhaps 2001 CJ Hobgood —who also won his heat — summed it up best. "Huntington's a tricky place," he said. "There isn't big difference between 3s and 8s out here, so you never really feel safe. But it keeps you on your toes, that's for sure." The top seeds have to stay on their toes, as vets Damien Hobgood and Sunny Garcia found out in their heat today. Surfing against teenagers Nat Young and Tonino Benson, one would have thought this heat a foregone conclusion. But Young and Benson didn't bow down, and tail-whipped their way to a major upset. "That was, like, the hardest heat I've ever made," said Young. "I mean, those guys have been world champs and stuff." Tomorrow will see the completion of the Round of 96, including Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Mick Fanning and Taylor Knox. The Women will also hit the water, featuring rising stars like Carissa Moore, Coco Ho and Malia Manuel, along with reigning world champ Stephanie Gilmore. All the action —starting with the women — begins tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. Men start at 1:30. See you there. Stay tuned for more extensive coverage of the US Open of Surfing on www.hurley.com and www.usopenofsurfing.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Twitter@HurleyLive. For full results from today's action, go to: www.usopenofsurfing.com/LIVE. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33493 Evan Slater Wednesday, July 22, 2009 She may be barely 21, but baby rapper Jayne Deaux is already making a big impression, catching the eye of MTV’s Steve O (he appears in the video to her song ‘Tony Hawk’), and Hurley, which has invited the skate-obsessed Deaux to perform at the US Open in Huntington Beach. Catch her on stage July 24 at 4.45pm, Huntington Beach Pier—and don’t forget your dancing shoes.  HURLEY.COM: SO WHERE ARE YOU FROM, JAYNE DEAUX?JAYNE DEAUX: I’m kind of like a rolling stone. I was born in Atlanta and I was raised in Ohio. My parents moved there when I was 4. I spent the majority of my teen life in Columbus, Ohio. It’s real laid back. Then I moved to Florida. HOW DID YOU FIND YOURSELF IN FLORIDA? I got a basketball scholarship down there—I went to Rollins College. I only stayed for one year because I had an opportunity to do my music, and my music was very important to me. HOW DID YOU GET IN TO MUSIC? When I was a kid I used to put on shows for my parents in the living room and make fake tickets. I always wanted to be a rapper. Some kids say ‘I want to be a doctor when I grow up’… I always said I wanted to be a rapper. I used to sell my CDs in high school and I did a few talent shows. One of my family members happened to be in the music industry in Atlanta and I gave him my demo. And it kind of went from there. WHAT WAS THE FIRST RAP YOU WROTE? I was probably 11 years old. I always rapped about having nice things. I have always been in to cars and nice houses—just fun things. I like to make all my music inclusive. It’s the kind of music that makes you wanna get up and dance. WHEN DID YOU START SKATING? First time I got on a skateboard, I was 10 or 11. Taking it serious, it has been about five years now. My favorite thing to do is get up with a group of friends—we all just skate around and have fun and show up, skate to the nearest mall and grab something to eat and do tricks along the way. Street skating is fun. I also love to ride BMX bikes and roller blade, play basketball, golf, tennis, whatever—I like to have fun. DO YOU FALL OFF MUCH? Caroline, I fall every day—I just cracked my phone yesterday on a skateboard. I haven’t had any major injuries, just some little nicks here and there. DO YOU NOTICE MUCH DIFFERENCE, BEING A GIRL SKATER? Yeah and being African American too—it’s very different. You get a lot of looks—but once you show ‘em, they’re like ‘yeah she can really skate’. I get accepted a lot more now. And I get the chance to meet new people and do new things that a lot of people don’t get the chance to. WHO IS YOUR SKATE ICON? Tony Hawk! I am in love with Tony. Tony is my man. I would love to meet him. If I could meet him I would faint right there. I have a song called “Tony Hawk”. TELL US ABOUT YOUR TONY HAWK SONG. I did that song two years ago in Atlanta and it was crazy because Steve (O) ended up getting on that song. I got invited to the studio by Lil Wayne’s manager Cortez Bryant, and I hear this raspy voice. It sounds familiar so I look round the corner, and it’s Steve O. So me, I am not shy, so I am like “I have to introduce myself” and we fell in love with each other off of the skateboarding. He’s one hell of a skater. He showed me a couple of things. That was two years ago, and he did that Tony Hawk song that night we met. WHAT’S THE STATE BIRD OF OHIO? Woah—I do not know the state bird of Ohio. We’re called The Buckeye State, after the little nuts that fall out of the tree. And I’m a big supporter of the Ohio State Buckeyes. But the state bird? No. WOULD YOU PUNCH AN ALIEN? If he got too close to me. If he was cool, he could come stay with me any day. Especially if he wants to skate—then I’m definitely not gonna punch him. — Caroline Ryder/Against The Grain www.myspace.com/teamjaynedeaux http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33461 Evan Slater Tuesday, July 21, 2009 7/9 - Cleveland, OH What a beautiful day we had in Cleveland! And quite eventful as well. All day long there was a buzz about who the mysterious “special guest” was on the Main Stage schedule. As luck would have it, it was Paramore! Word only went out about a half an hour before they played, but the place was absolutely teeming with adoring fans, including a stage full of bands and crew eager to see the only Paramore show on this years Warped Tour. Lucky for me, I managed to squeeze in just behind the drum kit. I also found time to shoot an interview with Nick from Bayside and Jay from Bad Religion. It was also Nick from the A.K.A.s birthday and they planned a little party for him at their merch tent, complete with cake, streamers and balloons. 7/10 – Toronto, ON Silverstein joined the tour today in Toronto and Anti-Flag fans got a treat when they played the slightly more intimate Hurley Stage instead of the Main Stage. I think I was just as surprised as the fans were when they pulled a bunch of people from the audience up on stage to play drums with the band. Chachi from the AKAs also joined in on the action. Probably the best part of the day for me was the end. That’s the part when Longway sets up a barbecue and everyone hangs out and gets to know one another. I saw the guys from 3OH!3 playing Frisbee for hours with some of the guys from the Maine, Innerpartysystem and The White Tie Affair. They played for It was quite entertaining to watch. 7/11 – Montreal, QC It was a beautiful morning in Montreal, but that didn’t last very long. The sky broke open and poured pretty much all day, leaving the festival grounds a muddy, gravelly nightmare. I still can’t believe how many kids actually stuck it out in that weather! The bands, too. The stages looked pretty slippery, but there were no major injuries to report from the day, thank goodness. I’ll admit, I spent a good part of the day on my bus, under tents or in catering, hiding out from the rain. But I did make a point of watching Underoath play, since they had the drummer from Scary Kids Scaring Kids filling in for Aaron, who has been too sick to play. Word on the streets around here is that he’s “killing it,” and I’d have to say, the rumors seemed to be true. The Devil Wears Prada was fun to watch, too. I think I actually enjoyed watching the crowd today more than the bands! It was almost like the pouring rain actually energized them all, rather than weighing them down. I guess you never can tell what the weather will do to people. 7/12 – Hartford, CT Today was a very cool day for me. I grew up in Connecticut and some of the first shows I saw were here at what used to be called the Meadows. It was also the first time my family was ever able to come and visit me on tour! So Hartford was family day for me; I saw my cousin Jeannie, my mom and my dad and his girlfriend. So awesome! I took them around a bit, including a stop to watch Flogging Molly, which was a hit with everyone. My dad and my cousin even picked up t-shirts. Adding to the excitement of the day was a little drama on my bus when a pipe broke and flooded the hallway. Water leaked from the bathroom all the way back into the carpeted bunk area. What a nightmare! Fortunately, there are very capable people working out here in the production office, so the problem was resolved quite quickly, although we did spend the night stepping over soaking wet towels. There are always random occurrences out here on the road. 7/14 – Columbia, MD Columbia, MD is considered the DC date of the tour. The best part of the venue is the press area, which is set back in the woods a bit, behind the amphitheatre. There are hammocks and gazebos and a stream with a bridge and a little pond. It’s so picturesque that it’s tough to not spend your whole day there. But I managed to put in a full day of running around. I bumped into a familiar face: Jake from Mayday Parade, who just happened to be visiting for the day. I also picked up a few new photo tricks from Chris of Bayside, who is a big photo geek like me. 7/15 – Scranton, PA The venue in Scranton, PA was pretty spread out from one end to the other, up and down a huge hill, but some parts get pretty congested, since the whole thing is set up along one big road. I definitely got my workout running back and forth, snapping photos and shooting a couple of interviews. One interview was with Big D and the Kids Table and their backup singers from Tip the Van, and the other was with TAT and Rick Thorne. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for those videos which should be up soon! Best part of the day was the barbecue afterward. Tatiana from TAT organized a little shindig to pay tribute to Michael Jackson and arranged for NOFX to bartend and Nat from 3OH!3 to DJ, with some friends. Some people really got into it and dressed up and everything! Me personally, I wore shot pants and white socks and made sure to bust out some serious dance moves. I think it’s safe to say that everyone there had a blast! 7/16 – Buffalo, NY Today started off a little hectic. It was very windy in the morning and the truck with the Hurley stage broke down the night before, so they had a bit of a late start. We’re also right next to an amusement park today, which is always thrilling! I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll have time for a roller coaster ride or two. It felt a lot like summer camp backstage today by catering, where a bunch of bands were sitting at picnic tables doing what appeared to be arts and crafts. As it turns out, they were painting drums which will later be auctioned off to raise money for charity. Pretty cool, eh? — Erin Caruso http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33445 Evan Slater Monday, July 20, 2009 Huntington woke up with a case of the Mondays today as the weekend's perfect weather transformed to thick, summer fog at dawn. That put the Hurley US Open of Surfing on hold for an hour and a half, but when the mist lifted, we were greeted to fun, shoulder-high peaks and relatively light winds all day. Nat Young wasted no time in picking up where he left off in the NIke 6.0 Pro Junior when he posted a 9.4 — the day's highest score. Surfing down toward "Machado's Peak," the 17-year-old upstart from Santa Cruz went right and opened up with three vertical hacks. "Definitely liked the rights out there today," said Young. "They're a little bowlier and offer more potential." Young will now surf against the big boys in the Round of 96, with Damien Hobgood, Sunny Garcia and Tonino Benson filling out his heat. With 100K on the line, you can be sure that the veterans won't go easy on the rookies. "I don't care who I have to paddle over," 2000 world champ Sunny Garcia said. "I'm gonna do everything I can to win this contest." Other success stories today included fellow up-and-comer Evan Geiselman, who nailed an air reverse for a big win. His older brother, Eric, also came up with a victory, while World Junior Champ Kai Barger marched on with a first-place scalp. Perhaps South African standout Travis Logie summed up the day best after cracking a left three times for a win. "This place just makes you excited to perform," he said. "It's one of the closest things we have to a stadium." Tomorrow will finish up the Round of 144 and begin the Round of 96. This is where the top seeds lie in waiting, including nine-time world champ Kelly Slater, three-time world champ Andy Irons and 2007 world champ Mick Fanning. In other words, there's a whole lot of star power about to shine at the Hurley US Open of Surfing. Stay tuned for regular video updates right here at the Pier. Stay tuned for more extensive coverage of the US Open of Surfing on www.hurley.com and www.usopenofsurfing.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Twitter@HurleyLive. For full results from today's action, go to: www.usopenofsurfing.com/LIVE. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33398 Evan Slater Monday, July 20, 2009 Singer-songwriter Mat Kearney writes heartfelt acoustic songs—but that wouldn’t stop him from touring with Slayer, as you’ll read in his interview with Against The Grain. Mat is performing at the Hurley US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on July 25—catch him on stage at 5.45pm in the Hurley Zone! Click here for details www.usopenofsurfing.com  YOU LIVE IN NASHVILLE, BUT YOU’RE ORIGINALLY FROM OREGON—TELL US ABOUT GROWING UP THERE. I was born in 1978 in Eugene and grew up in south Eugene. I went to this artistic, out-there kinda school and I was this weird kinda artistic-athletic person. I was super into graffiti, and not just illegal graffiti. I was a mural painter…and a soccer player. At our school being a soccer player was cool. These girls from my school moved to L.A. and are in the band War Paint—they were really into soccer. And my friend Asia, she’s in a band called Nico Vega here. ARE YOUR PARENTS FROM OREGON TOO? My mom is a sixth-generation Oregonian. She and my dad met in Hawaii, when she was working as a mermaid on a glass-bottomed boat and my dad was a deck hand on a snorkel boat. They married six weeks later on Christmas Day, barefoot in Kailua-Kona. I have Super 8 footage of them smoking illegal substances at the wedding reception. And she persuaded him to come back to Oregon with her. It must have been her mermaid moves. They are still happily married. It’s been, like 37 years. WHAT’S YOUR ALBUM CITY OF BLACK & WHITE ALL ABOUT? The title song I wrote while I was in Istanbul, Turkey. It is about community…and having nothing left to lose. My first record was the “Jack Kerouac heading out into the distance” type record. This record is really about me finding my place in Nashville and the community there, and inviting people to be part of my record. There are some deeply personal songs on there, about heartbreak and stuff. WOULD YOU TOUR WITH SLAYER? If Slayer was doing an acoustic set, I would. YOUR SONGS HAVE APPEARED ON LOTS OF TV SHOWS, LIKE NCIS, SCRUBS, THE HILLS, GREY'S ANATOMY. DO YOU WATCH A LOT OF TELEVISION? Sometimes I watch TV. I should say I watch more. But I feel like my life is in direct competition with primetime television. We are usually hitting the stage at 8 or 9 when everyone is sitting down to watch Lost. Usually I end up watching Conan or infomercials. CONAN THE BARBARIAN? No. O’Brien. WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE WHEN YOU’VE WRITTEN A GOOD SONG? For someone like me, I don’t know if there’s a greater feeling. You know, you can go months and then suddenly you write two songs in a day. Sometimes you have to work really hard. The really truly good ones, sometimes I feel like they are handed to you. You’re so satisfied and you just sit in a room and smile. WOULD YOU PUNCH AN ALIEN? If he was a mean alien. I would definitely punch a mean alien. And maybe a nice alien if that was their form of greeting. It’s like “better a blow from a friend than a kiss from an enemy”. http://www.myspace.com/matkearney http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33396 Evan Slater Monday, July 20, 2009 The heats marched on at Huntington today, with Coco Ho taking top honors in a blazing semifinal at the Nike 6.0 Pro Junior. Surfing against her friend and fellow finalist from last year's US Open Malia Manuel, Ho opened up on a lined-up left with three big backhand blasts. The judges approved, awarding her a 9.67 — the highest wave score in the event so far. "Malia had a wave right before me and I heard them say she got a nine," said Ho, whose legendary dad Michael cheered her on from the beach. "I thought, 'I gotta do better than that.'" 2008 US Open champ Manuel, who also advanced through the heat, will now have a shot at another title at Huntington Beach. "Coco and I have a good thing going out here," she said. "She makes me try harder, that's for sure." On the flip side, current WQS leader Carissa Moore suffered an upset in a wave-starved second semifinal. That sets up for another showdown between Ho and Manuel — along with finalists Cannelle Bulard and Sage Erickson — next Saturday. In the Mens division, three rounds of trials went down in the morning, with four surviving competitors making it to the Round of 144 tomorrow. The fantastic four include: Jason Harris, New Zealand's Richard Christie, Matt Pagan and Ventura's Kellen Ellison. The second day of the Hurley US Open of Surfing couldn't have been more favorable. Hot, slack-wind conditions and fun, shoulder-high peaks welcomed the competitors today, and the beach was already sunbathing room only. With music acts, a Walk the Walk fashion competition, BMX and skate events on the schedule for later this week, the most ambitious event in Huntington to date is just getting warmed up. Check back tomorrow for full-bore surfing from the Mens Round of 144. RESULTS: Mens Trials Round of 148 (top two advance to Main Event Rd. of 144) HEAT ONE 1. Matt Pagan 2. Kellen Ellison 3. Manuel Selman 4. Tyler Newton HEAT TWO 1. Jason Harris 2. Richard Christie 3. Michael Hoisington 4. Austin Smith Ford Nike 6.0 Pro Junior Womens Semifinals HEAT ONE 1. Coco Ho 2. Malia Manuel 3. Courtney Conlogue 4. Biana Buitendag HEAT TWO 1. Cannelle Bulard 2. Sage Erickson 3. Carissa Moore 4. Alana Blanchard TOMORROW'S LINEUP 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Mens Surfing Round of 144SURFLINE FORECAST: Peaky, small-scale surf will show Monday through Wednesday. Then a very solid and walled SSW groundswell moves in Thursday through the weekend.    Stay tuned for more extensive coverage of the US Open of Surfing on www.hurley.com and www.usopenofsurfing.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Twitter@HurleyLive.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33337 Evan Slater Sunday, July 19, 2009 New Smyrna's Evan Geiselman — a key member of America's big Next Generation push — lived up to his billing today at the Nike 6.0 Pro Junior at Huntington Beach. In wind-hacked, high-tide conditions, EG posted an 8.0 and 9.0, respectively, in the Round of 32, the highest combined heat total of the day. "I've been surfing here a week and haven't made a single reform," said Geiselman, whose 9.0 featured a big air reverse in the shorebreak. "That heat, I made two. Board's feeling great. I'm on old faithful." Other standouts today included 2009 NSSA Open Mens National Champion, Kolohe Andino. "Fun little peaks out there," said a growth-spurting Andino. "My board's feeling good and I'm having fun. That's all that matters." ISA World Junior Champ Keanu Asing, World Junior Champ Kai Barger, Pro Junior heavy hitter Dillon Perillo and Santa Cruz standout Nat Young also won their Round of 32 heats. Three Rounds were completed today at the Nike 6.0 Pro Junior, Day One of the Hurley US Open of Surfing. Running all the way through Sunday, July 26, this year is shaping up to be the biggest yet with a large swell forecasted for next weekend and 100K on the line for first place. As Surfline's Sean Collins said, "Prepare for the biggest swell of the summer." Stay tuned for more extensive coverage of the US Open of Surfing on www.hurley.com and www.usopenofsurfing.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Twitter@HurleyLive. RESULTS NIKE 6.0 PRO JUNIOR, HUNTINGTON BEACH ROUND OF 32 HEAT ONE 1. Dillon Perillo 2. Kaimana Jaquias 3. Fisher Heverly 4. Dane Zaun HEAT TWO 1. Kolohe Andino 2. Evan Thompson 3. Nick Rupp 4. Tyler Newton HEAT THREE 1. Stuart Kennedy 2. Cody Thompson 3. Ian Gentil 4. Albee Layer HEAT FOUR 1. Kai Barger 2. Adam Lambert 3. Spencer Regan 4. Koa Smith HEAT FIVE 1. Nat Young 2. Matt Pagan 3. Tyler Brothers 4. Dylan Melamed HEAT SIX 1. Evan Geiselman 2. Charles Martin 3. Brent Reilly 4. Brett Barley HEAT SEVEN 1. Oliver Kurtz 2. Andrew Doheny 3. Dylan Goodale 4. Luke Davis HEAT EIGHT 1. Keanu Asing 2. Tonino Benson 3. Michael Dunphy 4. Makai McNamara http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33294 Evan Slater Saturday, July 18, 2009 The contest hasnt even started and its all ready packed down here at Huntington Beach. It feels great to be at home going into this event in my backyard! After a great week and a half at bali with the Hurley boys Im feeling excited to get into contest mode. The contest should be held in contestable waves and it looks like its picking up! Should be a great event and im feeling confident going into the comp. Come support all the Hurley boys!)(B-Saenzy  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33269 Christian Saenz Friday, July 17, 2009 Master of the surreal Todd Schorr has joined forces with Hurley, lending one of his many tripped-out cartoon ghouls for a limited edition t-shirt being sold at the San Jose Museum of Art starting today. Get your hands on one of the 200 tees while you can (all proceeds go to the museum), and check out his exhibit there, Todd Schorr: American Surreal, which runs through September 16. HURLEY.COM: WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? TODD SCHORR: So many of my hobbies are connected in one way or another with my work, like for instance, collecting casts of fossil hominid skulls, antique magician posters, old comic books, and pulp magazines. The stuff that fuels my visual appetites. Hobbies a little more removed from my work would be playing the drums and running. WHAT IS THE SCARIEST MONSTER YOU EVER PAINTED? I'm assuming you mean monsters from fiction or film and not real monsters like serial killers or pathological dictators? To me, I don't see monsters as scary, just fascinating in a purely visual sense, and not things that cause fear or dread. Even as a child, I related to monsters as being outsiders who didn't fit in with the "normal" scheme of things. Mostly tragic, misunderstood, anomalies of nature, deserving of a little kindness. At least that's how my young brain perceived them. HAVE YOU HAD A RECURRING NIGHTMARE? I can think of one dream scenario that has managed to haunt my subconscious since I was a child. Looking out on a vast horizon and suddenly witnessing a nuclear bomb detonation of tremendous size rising up into the sky. What's so chilling is the sheer size of it and realizing it's only a matter of seconds before the impact will reach where I'm standing. I grew up as a kid in the 1950's with "duck and cover" drills a part of every day life, and that bit of childhood trauma has not completely worn off. TELL US ABOUT THE YELLOW NATIVE AMERICAN GENTLEMAN ON THE 200 LIMITED EDITION HURLEY/TODD SCHORR SHIRTS BEING SOLD AT THE SAN JOSE MUSEUM OF ART. The title of that painting is "The Amphibian Frontier" and the idea behind it is autobiographical. It's based on an incident involving me as a child, out in the woods looking for toads, and accidentally stepping through some rotting logs into a nest of yellow jacket wasps. I received over 50 bee stings that day, and in the process came to realize the significance of yellow and black as symbolizing the colors of danger and caution when I was consumed in a fog of yellow and black insects. At the time of this event, I was totally caught up in the Zorro TV show craze that was popular at the Time, along with a favorite set of yellow plastic Indians. I've transposed my impressions from this period into the yellow and black spotted monster in this painting. For anyone who's interested there's more to this story included in my new book "American Surreal". DO YOU STILL PLAY THE DRUMS? Whenever I can. Right now I'm trying to get my double pedal chops up to speed. DO YOU SKATE? IF SO, DISCUSS. Growing up in New Jersey, I got caught up in the first wave of skateboarding in the early-mid 60's, but that was with the old teeth chattering clay wheels. I took some pretty good wipe outs with those. A little later in the mid 70's I did cover artwork and actually posed for front and back photos of The Skateboarders Bible, an early book about the sport. But honestly, I'm no great skater by any stretch of the imagination. WOULD YOU PUNCH AN ALIEN? No, I'd invite it over and show 'em my paintings of course. — Caroline Ryder/Against the Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33245 Evan Slater Wednesday, July 15, 2009 When a South Swell pops up in the South Pacific, certain people take note. People who watch the forecasts, look at water temps, analyze swell angles and research wind forecasts. On the other hand, I wake up every morning, dedicate an hour to check around for the best waves wherever I may be. Lucky for me, I have friends who are on it to call and inform me there’s a pumping swell heading smack-dab into Mainland Mexico, and that we need to be there in 48 hours. I rounded up my firewires, packed my trunks and I was off; and what a day it was, barley making my flight outta LAX, a 4 hour flight down south, 3 hour layover, one and a half hour connecting flight, then a 3 hour car drive to our undisclosed location. But when I woke up, ate breakfast and arrived at the spot, my jaw dropped and the hellacious travel day immediately cleared my mind. After a 5 five-hour surf and one broken board later, I realized just how amazing Mexico really is. We surfed the best right point breaks in the world with no one around for three days. I ended up not getting sick which was a major plus and lucky no one else on the trip did either. All in all it was an amazing experience and will hopefully traveling back there within the very near future. Anyways Im back in California and am gearing up for the Hurley US Open in Huntington beach this next week. The field is gonna be a tough one with heaps of international contestants and hopefully the waves go off for the event and all runs smoothly. — Oliver http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33232 Jess Wednesday, July 15, 2009 We've been having really good waves this summer. Last week from Tuesday to Friday was pumping surf, 10 to 12 feet solid Mexican Pipeline! Broke my only 2 guns, 7'6" and 8'0" and the last day swells I had to go with a 9'2" cause it's all I had left.  You can see in this sequence the size of the board but it still worked. Normally I'd only ride a 9'2" in 20 foot-surf but you gotta do what you can. Stoked to see Allen Johnson here. He was geting some good barrels as well, he was so happy to be here, and it's always good to see him. Remember him in 94 on that big swell? He charges! — Coco http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33224 Jess Wednesday, July 15, 2009 Another great show at Anaheim's Chain Reaction with Ace Enders and A Million Different People. The guys stopped by Hurley for an acoustic sesh and then headed out to Chain to meet up with The Dangerous Summer, Gay Blades, and Person L for The Barbeque Across America Tour.  Check out Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} www.vagrant.com/ace/bbqtour to pre-order your tickets and get into the private barbeque before the show. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33212 Jess Wednesday, July 15, 2009 Police escorts in Afghanistan are reserved for high-ranking government officials or those rich enough to afford them. But today the traffic has to make way for a different set of VIPs—a group of young Afghan skateboarders on their first ride through the capital, Kabul. The chaotic procession ends its skate to mark Go Skateboarding Day at a disused Soviet-style water fountain, where 11-year-old Fazilla wipes the sweat from her brow and watches other riders try tricks in the make-shift skate park. Once a chewing-gum seller struggling to bring home $2 a day for her family, Fazilla now trains other young Afghan girls how to skate. The folks from Skateistan, Afghanistan’s only skateboarding school, first spotted Fazilla carrying a pile of firewood on her back near the water fountain. Her family had forced her to quit school to pay the bills. “Skateistan took her off the street and gave her family $4 a day so she could go to school and teach skateboarding,” says skate instructor Mirwais, 21, before proudly claiming to be one of Afghanistan’s first skateboarders. It is extremely rare to see Afghan girls playing sport in public. Most girls are forced to wear the veil after reaching puberty and are often barred from meeting men outside their families. Skateistan was founded by 34-year-old Oliver Percovich, who closed his bakery in Australia to join his girlfriend in Kabul in 2007. “When I began skating in Kabul, the kids would gather around and ask me what my skateboard was,” he says. “They had never seen one before. I saw it as a perfect chance to interact and engage with young people here.” Afghanistan’s first skate school started out with three skateboards, a handful of interested street children and $7,000 in sponsorship. Over the last two years, the school has grown rapidly. Now more than one hundred students are enrolled. $650,000 in donor money will be used to build Afghanistan’s largest indoor sports arena next to Kabul’s Ghazi Stadium, where the Taliban publicly executed men and women during their five years in power. The new arena will hold a skateboard park and two air-conditioned classrooms equipped with computers so students can study in between skate lessons. Girls will train in separate classes from boys so they can skate as they grow older. The word skateboarding doesn’t translate into either of Afghanistan’s two main languages—but Percovich hopes the sport will spread in a country where few people have ever seen a skateboard. “We believe skateboarding can provide a level playing field for young people here. When you fall off a skateboard everyone falls the same way. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor—you can’t bribe your way into Skateistan,” he says. — Miles Amoore/Against the Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33194 Evan Slater Tuesday, July 14, 2009 I've never had to rely on a real job to pay the bills. I've worked as a waiter at Seaview Inn (the original Haleiwa Joe's).  I've worked on a roof, sat in a lifeguard tower, and done yardwork for a lot of people.  But for a long time, surfing was how I made money. That changed around 2000. I got exposed to Baywatch Hawaii, and Hollywood stuntman money. Being a stuntman was another way to get paid and not have a real job.In 2000, my sponsor at the time was going broke, I was 33 and not getting younger.  It would have been easy to find another sponsor, but I decided to go after stunt work.  The truth was I had almost died a few times surfing, and in order for me to keep on surfing for a living, I would have to put my life on the line.  Back then, when I was "in the zone" surfing, I was crazy.  Stunt work was safer.Working as a stuntman is weird.  You never know what, or when, your next job is going to be.  When you work, you make a lot of money. When you don't work, you don't get paid (except for residuals). Sometimes I have to travel to the mainland to look for work.  It's always good to stay in touch with people, but I'm not very good at that. When I'm not working, I get to go surfing.  Life is good. A couple of years ago something really cool happened. Hurley decided to pay me some money every month. It's not enough to live off, but with the money they pay me, when I don't work in the stunt world for a few months, I'm all good. The last time I worked, I jumped out of a burning jeep going around 25mph, before it exploded.  I made a lot more money than Hurley pays me in a month. That was about 3 months ago. Haven't done anything since.  I got antsy and decided to give Pat O a call.  Maybe he'd send me to Bali. No Bali, but he gave me an invite to webcast at the U.S. Open. Sounded good. The next day, I got a call to stunt coordinate a small movie here in Hawaii. I haven't told Pat, or Hurley I'm not going to the U.S. Open, and I feel like shit. I guess I'm writing this blog as a apology. As a guy who works in the movies, the minute you make plans to do something, movie work comes along.     Make no plans, get no work.  I will probably write more about stunt stuff in another blog, but right now I want to end this one by saying SORRY PAT.....  Brock http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33184 Jess Tuesday, July 14, 2009 At the moment i'm sitting in the backyard of the Hurley Bali house at Canguu....It's rad! It's the last day of my trip to bali but man have I had a good time. I'm sure you guys have been seeing all the updates on the site, but if not, check it out. Possibly the highlight of the trip was the raw fish pro. Some pretty classic costumes and pooh stances. Waves haven't been great but we had one pretty sick session at Keramas along with 30 other larry's and half of the girls CT. Waves were pumping though.Unfortunately after that session i hit the wall. I passed out in the car ride home and then when i got back to semi civilization, took a shower and got super gnarly chills. I laid down in bed only to fall asleep for hours. I woke up with a burning fever, a throbbing headache, and back pains like i didn't know were possible. I was advised to go to the hospital so off i went. My temperature was 105 so they decided to take a blood test and make me pee in a cup so they could test me for dengae and some other odd sicknesses that did not sound promising for a fast recovery. It was back to the bed of misery for me... It turned out i didn't have dengae and they still aren't sure what i had, but i am back to my normal self (besides the fireworks I make, in the bathroom that is). So we're out of this wonderful backyard today and onto the plane going back, back to cali, cali for the us open. Thanks to hurley i have a wildcard!!!!!! yehheewww! see ya guys there. conner(aka vinny) http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33183 Jess Tuesday, July 14, 2009 Congratulations to Hurley team riders Bob Burnquist and David Loy on their top performances over the weekend at the 2009 Maloof Money Cup. The richest skateboard contest in history brought the best amateur and professional skaters from around the world to the Orange County Fairgrounds to battle for the big cash and top honors.Hurley am team rider David Loy was crowned overall ripper of the weekend in the amateur street event while vertical ruler Bob Burnquist earned a top podium spot finishing in 3rd place in the vertical competition. Overall, a solid effort from our crew in one of the most prestigious skate events in the world. — AA http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33182 Jess Tuesday, July 14, 2009 For nearly twenty years, the name CYCLE has been a fixture in graffiti in the United States. It’s hard enough to make a substantial impact in New York City’s saturated graffiti scene, but CYCLE’s managed to do it, even as he pulled off the same feat in both Washington D.C. and San Francisco. Not to mention a gang of freight trains in between. Some graffiti writers have followers who paint in their style. CYCLE, rather, has set a quiet example for younger graffiti writers to follow—being consistent, working equally in tags, throwups, and pieces, and keeping it interesting. The end result, while he’s worked in a wide variety of styles, is work that’s always readily identifiable as his own. “I always liked graffiti because I got to paint big,” says CYCLE, whose small frame sometimes surprises those familiar with his huge pieces. “When you’re in high school, what’s going to pique your interest? Art class, where you’re drawing a still life with charcoal, or something that’s big and dangerous and punk rock and colorful? Obviously, the graffiti took hold of me. There was more to it than an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper and a pencil.” Big art made an impression on CYCLE early on, before he’d even noticed graffiti. Before he’d turned ten years old, his mother had towed him along to New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. “The thing that really blew me away” he remembered, “was they had Picasso’s Guernica up there. That blew my mind, and this is why: it was f---ing huge. I didn’t know people could paint that big. And then when I saw graffiti, I saw people painting that big, and it was bright, it was colorful, you could walk around it—and you weren’t bent over a desk at a piece of paper. And I was climbing fences and sneaking into parking garages to skateboard already, as well as getting chased off by cops for it. Graffiti was just a visual form of that.” While he’s as famous in graffiti as they come, he’s run into the same challenge as many lesser-known graffiti writers: parlaying his art into anything resembling an income. “My quest now is to make work and sell it and to do design work and other projects to make a living, not just to be a kind of cult figure guy,” he says. “I can do graffiti walking backwards in my sleep with one arm tied behind my back. I’ve got name recognition, but I don’t think people are aware of the gallery stuff I do, or what I can do in other ways.” Anyone who has followed graffiti’s ascendancy in the past decade will know that it now offers more of a career path than ever before. But the career path isn’t automatic—even for those who have an undeniable presence in the culture, as Cycle can attest: “I’ve seen graffiti go from something that was local with no media, to something that has books and jams and walls all over the world. But at the same time, I know some pretty big-time graffiti writers who have jobs that are very ordinary, they’re the Orkin pest control guy or whatever. And I don’t really want that, I’ve been successful enough at graffiti that people paid attention to what I’ve done, but I think that if I can be successful at graffiti, I can set myself a new set of goals moving forward.” — Caleb Neelon/Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33153 Evan Slater Monday, July 13, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33083 Evan Slater Sunday, July 12, 2009 7/5 – Dallas, TX Yet another hot one out here in Dallas. I walked around for a bit to get a feel for the day and almost tripped over Brian from Therefore I Am, who was literally lying on the ground playing dead. It definitely drew some attention from the kids milling about! Then I stopped over to the Girlz Garage, where a boy had just won the Hurley T-shirt design contest for the day. A winner is chosen in each city, so I’m interested to see what the competition will look like by the time the last show rolls around. After that I caught a few songs from Chiodos, who just hopped onto the tour at the last show date. I was surprised at dinner when I realized that my food was being served by the boys of The White Tie Affair, who were wearing signs on their shirts made out of paper napkins and cracking jokes while slinging side orders. You never know who you’ll run into in the dinner line! All in all, I’d say Dallas was a pretty amusing day. 7/6 – Day off trip to a quarry in Lebanon, TN It’s a Warped Tour tradition for the people in production to plan fun activities and trips for our days off. While in Tennessee, Kevin Lyman and his crew arranged for all of us who run the stages and sponsorship stuff to spend a day at a rock quarry. It was absolutely breathtaking! Perfect weather, crystal clear water, catered barbecue and a bonfire to lounge by at the end of the day. I couldn’t have asked for a better day! 7/7 – Noblesville, IN I think Indiana gets the award for the best weather so far. Sunny, breezy, dry, perfect! I didn’t mind waiting in the catering line a bit, especially when I got to sit and eat with some of my favorite people: Therefore I Am and this year's pit reporters, Tiffany and Toni. I paid a visit to the merch area, where I found Alex from Therefore I Am offering up advice to show-goers, and noticed that they had a great view from their booth of the Hurley stage. At the time that I was there, A Day To Remember were just starting their set and I couldn’t believe how packed it was. The entire hillside was just covered with people singing along and throwing fists in the air. I’d say Indiana had some of the most enthusiastic crowds. Good job, guys! 7/8 - Burgettstown, PA I did an awful lot of running around today, since the venue is so spread out. The Hurley.com and Smartpunk stages were in the amphitheatre, and then the Hurley Zone and Hurley stage were all the way up this huge hill and back against the fencing at the very edges of the Warped Tour. No matter where you’re trying to go, you have to climb a big hill. Aside from tiring myself out, I still managed to enjoy the day. I saw Chris from Bayside backstage at the Hurley stage, where he showed me his newest piercing. Gallows were slated to play first at 11:15, but they actually started earlier than that at around 11:00, so I decided to start up the live stream early. Perhaps some of you out there were lucky enough to catch what turned into a pretty memorable set. Frank played futbol (aka, soccer) with the audience using a beach ball, and Steph (the guitarist) actually ran over to the Kevin Says stage next door and played onstage while the other band was in the middle of their set. It was hilarious! I spent a bit more time with the Gallows guys later on in the day to snap a few photos of their everyday life on Warped Tour. You can see a few of these in the photo gallery. Later on I dined with a couple of the guys from Big D and the Kids Table. I actually live pretty close to some of them back home in Boston, so it’s cool to see them out here. And after lunch I made a new friend in the Girlz Garage named Jessie. She’s an awesome artist who paints large murals on canvas to be painted on by kids from the show and then later given to a local skate park. I thought that was such a cool idea! And what makes it even more special is that her father used to do the same thing on the Warped Tour about 10 years ago. Quite a family tradition, eh?— Erin Caruso http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33061 Evan Slater Sunday, July 12, 2009 It's a crazy time at Hurley headquarters right now. The US Open is days away from happening, and with Hurley being the title sponsor the event it's all hands on deck.  That didn't stop these wonderful people from throwing a rear-kicking Picaresque premiere. It was a real last-minute decision, but Brandon, Scotty and Robby all came through into making it an awesome night.  We had 40 pizzas, tons of drinks and Carson selling DVDs. It was a pretty packed house with more than half of the cast in the film in attendance. along with another screaming 200 people including Paul Gomez sitting front and center.   This was loudest premier yet, with people hooting and screaming throughout the entire flick.  It was pretty amazing to have some of these people that support you so much to sit and watch 41 minutes of what really was the last two years of my life.   Again, I just want to thank everyone at Hurley — you guys really are like a family.  And a huge thanks to everyone who came out to support the film and everyone who was a part of it. — Mikey DeTemple If you missed it, you can visit www.highseasfilm.com for a copy! http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33019 Evan Slater Sunday, July 12, 2009 Don't you kinda feel like superman when you get to surf without a wetsuit?! I love it! I don't even care if it's not that warm by most people's standards, I'm all over it. I just went on another quick trip down south to get some new boards and score a little bit of south swell at trestles. I was the only one wearing trunks for sure! i'd say 80% of the people out had full suits on and the other 20% with a short sleeve suit.  The surf was really fun, way better than anything around here during the summer. And the boards are sick as usual, I'm gonna go see if i can't do some artwork on my board that doesn't look like one of Julian Wilson's boards.. you know those bold multi-shaped colors running along the lower side of the board? Why does everyone copy each others sprays, i don't get it. Anyway check out some quick shots and I'm gonna go tear a page out of a Surfer mag with my favorite surfer and try my best to make my board look exactly the same.    Peace, TPayne  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/33010 Tyler Payne Saturday, July 11, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32986 Evan Slater Thursday, July 9, 2009 6/29 – Litchfield Park, AZ TJ Martell Bowling party: One of the things that I love about the Warped Tour is their involvement with various charities and how bands and tour staff are given the opportunity to give back. One of the first charity events took place in Phoenix, AZ on our first off day. Tons of bands showed up to enter a bowling tournament for the TJ Martell Foundation, which is a non-profit organization, whose mission is to support innovative groundbreaking research for leukemia, cancer and AIDS. 7/1 - Las Cruces, NM Since they’ve been out here on the road with the Warped Tour, 3OH!3’s album has gone double platinum and their single has reached number 1 on the Billboard charts. How amazing is that? I still remember watching them play the Hurley.com stage just last year. Once I heard that news, I made it a point to zip on over to the main stage to check out their set. You can view the photos from the Las Cruces show right here in the photo gallery. Also included are photos of Thrice, Senses Fail and Innerpartysystem, who will definitely make you want to shake your money maker no matter how hot it is outside. Woo! 7/2 - San Antonio, TX It’s another hot one out here in San Antonio, man. I believe the word on the street is that the thermometer reached an incredible 107 degrees! In keeping with the “hot” theme, I decided to check out Alexisonfire. Check out the gallery for photos from their set, as well as a few shots of BMX pro, Rick Thorne and the super talented P.O.S., who performed most of his set right down in the pit with the audience. 7/3 - Houston, TX According to my little weather widget, it’s 100 degrees in Houston today. It feels even hotter out here on the festival grounds of Warped Tour. Sunny, dusty and sweaty, but the bands still play their hearts out and the crowd is eating it up, singing along and dancing, crowdsurfing and moshing. Circle pits look like dust storms out here! Nothing can stop the Warped Tour! You can watch it all unfold on the Hurley live streaming video (www.hurley.com/live/. I just got some new tripods, so the view is nice and clear, up and over everybody’s head – yesss! You should also check out the photo gallery for some live shots of the A.K.A.s and The White Tie Affair. See you out there! — Erin Caruso http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32958 Evan Slater Wednesday, July 8, 2009 Dan Haga and Dan Ayers are Urban Atrophy, a team of Baltimore-based explorers looking for the perfectly abandoned. With a take-nothing-but-pictures-and-leave-nothing-but-footprints ethic, their missions have taken them over and under fences surrounding disused psychiatric hospitals, missile silos, jails, and churches, among other places. There’s a small community of people who are serious urban explorers, following the same ethic – no stealing, no vandalism, leave it the way you found it, and, just as important, leave your good spots a mystery to others. "I find a lot of locations that catch my interest by browsing aerial images of Baltimore city," Dan Haga says. "Over time, I’ve gotten the eye for it. The next step is to figure out what it is—or what it was. After figuring out an address, things like tax records can tell a lot: its previous owners, descriptions of the property—things like that.  You don’t want to wander into an abandoned place without knowing what hazards to watch out for—there’s a reason these things are fenced up. I also like to like to research the history and find historic photos so that I can compare what it looked like new, to what it might look like now."  Trespassing, of course, is an equal opportunity crime, which means that the team often encounters a wandering wino, mischief-maker, or fellow explorer. "When we think security is onto us or just in the area, we try not to just take off running, since that attracts the most attention possible,” says Haga. “We usually try to make our way to a dark tunnel in the basement or some other creepy place a lone guard is unlikely to check. Then we just wait it out a while and either leave or continue exploring." Why bother, though? "Being in an abandoned place is like being in another world, a surreal dream where all the people just disappeared and left everything behind,” says Haga. “You know that these places were once crowded and noisy with people, but now these buildings lie silent and dying – power plant, jail, church, sanitarium, whatever it was. You can’t help but wonder things. What did the men running this machinery like to joke about on their lunch break as the asbestos filled air ripped years away from them? What did the prisoner in this cell think as he sat on death row, and what had he done to get there?  How many children passed thru this morgue?  What are the worst sins people begged forgiveness of at this altar?  There is just so much more to these places than concrete and wood." Dan Haga and Urban Atrophy continue to explore, documenting and assembling these unseen spaces into a forthcoming book. Visit them online at www.urbanatrophy.com — Caleb Neelon/Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32921 Evan Slater Wednesday, July 8, 2009 Jesse Graves can’t pinpoint the moment he came up with the idea to use mud to create street art. It didn’t come in a dream; he didn’t shout ‘eureka’ and run naked through the streets. He was 19, a student at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and the environment was on his mind. “I wanted to find a way to put environmental messages in public spaces in a way that made sense,” he recalls. “It wouldn’t make sense to use spray paint, because it’s a toxic substance. So I started using mud because the medium relates to the messages I’m putting out there.” Plus, it’s dirt cheap, and available everywhere. Graves experimented with earth and water until he came up with a mixture of mud “the consistency of peanut butter.” He spread this over a stencil made of mylar (eventually, he switched to animal x-rays, which are sturdier), and in November 2007 he put up his first mud stencil—of a bicycle with the word “free” embedded in the front wheel—in locations around Milwaukee. Graves knew they wouldn’t last, and on sidewalks, the stencils washed away in a hard rain. But many of the stencils he put on walls then are still up in 2009, even on walls exposed to the elements. “The mud ends up staining the wall, then the rain will wash some of it off, but the rest just stays there,” he says. “I’ve talked with people who’ve seen my signs and they never realized it was mud.” Though the use of dirt in art is as old as the hills, Graves’ innovation is a first, says one of his professors at UWM, Nicolas Lampert. “I follow street art very closely and I’ve never seen it anywhere.” All the mud stencils Graves has put up in Milwaukee are related to the environment. After Lampert introduced him to Tamms Year Ten, a Chicago group seeking to reform Illinois’ supermax prison, where prisoners are held in round-the-clock isolation for years on end, Graves, now 21, used mud to support a different cause in another city. On a gray Saturday in June, Graves demonstrated his technique for some thirty Chicago artists and activists who’d volunteered to put up large stencils—some 7’x 9’, others 9’x11’—displaying an outline of Illinois, a star labeled “Tamms” and the legend “End Torture in Illinois.” After the demo, seven teams fanned out to sling mud around Chicago. By the end of the day they’d put up 42 stencils. TYT organizer Laurie Jo Reynolds says the mud drew onlookers to the issue. “Their first question was, ‘What is that?’ ‘Mud.’ Second, ‘Did you put anything in it?’ ‘No.’ Third question: ‘What does that say?’” “I think we recruited more people per hour than in any other organizing activity,” Reynolds says. Though they worried about arrests, none of the stencilers was halted by police. Graves hasn’t had any problems in Milwaukee, either. “Legally, it’s a gray area,” he says, “but I’m definitely ready to make the case that it is just mud.” — Jeffrey Felshman/Against The Grain For more information on Mud Stencils, check www.mudstencils.com For a petition to reform Tamms C-Max prison, go to: www.salsa.wiredforchange.com  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32867 Evan Slater Monday, July 6, 2009 Hi guys...just want to let you know that I had one of the best trip last week to surf different waves on the big swell in indo. The waves we got is crazy...heavy take off and not every waves is good so we have to pick the right one,even Bruce Irons said,  heavy...!!! One wave we got up there is like teahoupo full stand up barrel but this waves have the craziest back drop. The whole set up about this place is beautiful. I got couple sick one too!....the photos is coming to a magazine near you! I will have some previews soon but in the meantime here are some photo i took with my camera...talk to you guys soon....Thanks, Rizal http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32856 Jess Monday, July 6, 2009 We just got to bali about 2 days ago and its been nothing but smiles and good times. We got a few surfs in at Canguu and ive personally fell in love with the wave. When all of us arent surfing we have been riding the scooters around, which has been quite hilarious, and eating my new obsession Jafles. The first day consisted of sholder to head high waves out front and it was great to jump in the water after the long flights and get some decent waves. Day 2 was a bit smaller but we decided to go on an adventure and we found a nice little beachbreak. Today was really small but I surfed a while because we have some really fun fish boards at the house and I had a great time. The crew is awesome and Joel "Pit Boss" Centio has been taking great care of us. We just got home from an awesome dinner and about to call it a night. Tomorrow should be fun as were having a costume surfing contest and we decided to name it the "Hurley raw fish parasite pro" theres some money involved so it should get interesting-Saenzy   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32839 Christian Saenz Monday, July 6, 2009 We made it!  After 18 hours of flying and a 20-hour layover.  We arrived at the Hurley True Performance house in Canggu at about midnight.  All the boys got settled in and went to bed.  I'm not sure if there was a wake-up call but the boys were up and on it Day One at 5:00 am.    For Bali standards it was flat.  For our standards coming from one foot Cali last week it was going off!  Canggu  had  overhead sets, sunny, and straight offshores.  The boys were all over it. They started on the left wedge, then over to the right, and then back again.  This is what took place all day.  They clocked some serious time in the water — at least 8 hours.  Aside from all the surfing, they managed to fit in a couple banana peanut butter jaffles, as well as a few moped rentals.  We topped it off with a nice dinner at the beach house.  And that's all she wrote for  day one. Check back soon! — Joel Centeio http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32833 Evan Slater Sunday, July 5, 2009 225 Forest — a new store rooted in customization — opened this past holiday weekend in Laguna Beach. It's the first time a culled assortment of Hurley, Nike 6.0, Converse and Nike SB product is available under one roof, but the real draw is the way in which you can put your signature on these products.    Call it "wear it your way." In the second-story "workshop," you can transfer designs of your choice on Hurley boardshorts with a heated sublimation process. You can decorate your new pair of Converse Chuck Taylors with an ink-jet printing procedure. And you can design your own Nike 6.0s in the Nike ID studio.    Couple this with a heavy infusion of artwork from notables like Dalek and Bob Dob, music from legendary underground label Stone's Throw and numerous other ways to involve budding artists, and you have a store that helps the cycle of creativity keep on rolling.    225 opened to friends and family on Thursday night and to the general public on Friday morning. Here are a few photos from the opening night party. Stop on by and wear it your way.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32830 Evan Slater Sunday, July 5, 2009 It was a beautiful day in Ventura with a nice breeze that made it a bit chilly. As soon as I got the streaming video cameras up and running, I watched a bit of Bayside's set and headed backstage to say hello just seconds after they played. Anthony showed me where he rubbed his arm raw on his guitar. Talk about suffering for your art, eh? That didn’t stop them from hitting up the Hurley Booth for a signing session with a long line of anxiously awaiting fans a little later in the day. Highlight performances for me for the day: seeing Thrice for the first time ever, a little bloodshed from Therefore I Am, and the smallest, most adorable audience member ever to step foot in the Gallows pit. You can see it all in the photo gallery. Check it out! — Erin Caruso http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32829 Evan Slater Sunday, July 5, 2009 Step into 225 Forest in Laguna Beach — a new store rooted in the customized buying experience — and you’ll witness a psychedelic yet meticulously-rendered explosion of color, a 20-foot high pink, green and yellow visual symphony created by graff writer/skater/fine artist, James Marshall, aka DALEK. The largest freestanding piece of Dalek’s career, it is, without doubt, the centerpiece of the store. Naturally illuminated by golden California light from above, it’s the modern day equivalent of a medieval stained glass window, casting a heavenly glow on the limited-edition apparel, footwear and art in the store. Marshall, who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, created the piece at Hurley HQ in Costa Mesa using quarts of Behr semi gloss house paint, rollers, heaters (for quicker dry time), and his trusty ruler. Seems like it must have taken hours and hours of meticulous planning—but Dalek’s work, despite its prismatic precision, is never premeditated. “I just show up and start working,” he says, adding that his method generally involves ‘zero planning and zero preparation’. “I find that any time you think about something, it affects the process. I would rather go in and let things unfold naturally.” While Marshall has created larger murals in the past (he painted a 13x50 foot mural in Chicago last year), this is his largest stand-alone work to date. No mean feat, considering he only had four days to complete the project. The time constraint necessitated “a more minimal composition”, says Marshall. Nonetheless, it’s a composition dazzling in its carefully-wrought complexity. Much like the LSD-inspired fractal art of the 1990s rave movement, or ultra-detailed Tibetan Buddhist mandalas, there’s a mathematical logic behind Marshall’s psychedelic freak-out. “Yeah, well sometimes psychedelics and mathematics go hand in hand,” laughs Marshall. “With this stuff I get real particular about measurements and balance—and at the same time I don’t really think about it. I am never really making any conscious decisions when I’m working—I almost block out the bigger picture.” Which means that when he finishes a painting and steps back to look at it, it’s like he’s looking at it for the first time. “I feel like I am discovering the work as much as anyone else,” he says. The work is entirely abstract and devoid of Space Monkeys (the odd, robot-like creatures that dominated his art until very recently). The first of his ‘Space Monkey’ characters emerged in 1995, the same year he graduated with a B.F.A from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Over the years, that Space Monkey character fueled DALEK’s success in the art and toy worlds. But in the last year, Marshall decided it was time to give his Space Monkeys a well-earned vacation, because ‘everything had become focused on the character’. “When you see something figurative like that, there are certain expectations, like ‘What is it doing and what is it up to?’ It became too loaded.” Removing Space Monkeys from his work, even if it’s just for now, has allowed Marshall to focus on the abstract landscapes his Monkeys inhabited, strange dimensions of pure shape, color and light. “These days I am really trying to learn about color balance, compositional structure, depth and those sorts of things,” he says. “Now my challenge is to really take something that is 2D and completely flat, and give it as much depth and power as possible. Pretty much what I've been focused on is still learning how to paint. I feel like it's an ongoing process.” — Caroline Ryder/Against The Grain Stop by 225 Forest in Laguna Beach to check his art or go to: www.dalekart.com http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32768 Evan Slater Thursday, July 2, 2009 All is quiet at the Hurley True Performance House in Bali right now. Quiet, peaceful, like a calm before the next storm. Kekoa Cazimero just left last night. Kalani Robb bailed a couple of days ago. And now video whiz Tom Aiello is there alone, logging all his stellar footage from the first half of the season.  He better work fast, because as we type this, Hurley's best up-and-comers — including Conner Coffin, Evan Geiselman, Christian Saenz and Jake Halstead — are on their way and ready to mix it up. Stay tuned. The final two weeks at the Hurley True Performance House could be ones to remember.   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32747 Evan Slater Wednesday, July 1, 2009 Mike Martin passed away on June 17, 2009 at the age of fifty after a more than decade-long battle with kidney failure. He suspected that it was spray paint that was the culprit for his failing health: Mike, under his alter ego IZ THE WIZ, was one of the most prolific graffiti writers of all time. In 1972, a then 14-year-old Mike became fascinated with the graffiti writing movement that was brand new in his Queens neighborhood. Until his health failed, he never stopped. There were graffiti writers who wrote for a short period of time, a few years, made their point, contributed new style, and left it behind. That wasn’t IZ THE WIZ. He kept at it, going as hard as anyone, for over a decade. IZ may very well have put more paint on the New York City subways than anyone, ever. ‘Who painted the most?’ is an endless argument when talking about the New York City subway graffiti movement, and IZ is in every discussion. A top-to-bottom of his appears in the otherwise corporate-sterile 1976 MTA annual report: he was that hard to avoid. He’s all over the 1984 movie Style Wars and book Subway Art, which spread the movement worldwide. IZ did it all: every subway line and every kind of graffiti, from tags to throwups to Technicolor whole car murals. One of the wonderful, special things about graffiti is that it is an art form in which artistic talent is not a prerequisite to greatness, and where quantity has a quality all its own. IZ THE WIZ wasn’t a naturally gifted technical draftsman like a few of his contemporaries, but he did so much work on the trains that he established his own playful internal logic. While other writers were adding detail and nuance, IZ went big and playful and big again. Even as it set an unmatchable standard of proliferation, his art, to generations of wide-eyed graffiti writers, said ‘yes, you can.’ By noon the day after Mike passed away, two friends from Finland had emailed me a memorial piece that they had done for him. Memorial pieces have been rolling in since from around the world: Boston, Albuquerque, London, Sydney, and on and on. It’s testament to the influence of IZ THE WIZ’s work that the first tribute to him should come not from a longtime friend, but from two strangers from five thousand miles away, whose lives were forever changed 25 years ago when they saw his work in a film. IZ THE WIZ won't be back, but he's still here. Just look around. — Caleb Neelon/Against The Grain http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32725 Evan Slater Wednesday, July 1, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32720 Evan Slater Wednesday, July 1, 2009 This past weekend I was invited to play and surf in the 5th Annual Switchfoot Bro Am in Encinitas. I was blown away at how much it has grown since I played it 2 years ago. The Bro Am is a benefit that gives money to Stand Up For Kids, which is a foundation for homeless kids in the San Diego area.   It was the perfect beach day weekend with head high+ surf, sunshine and the water was almost as warm as Bali. Those guys all surf so good and it was a pleasure to be on their team. The surf contest is really exciting because it is a 4 man team event and each team has 30 min to go out and catch 1 good wave, and then catch another decent wave switchfoot. It's hilarious watching everyone catch waves switchfoot and try and get a score, I know my 2 switchfoot waves in our heats were not so easy on the eyes.   In the middle of our heat I was called to go on stage and play my set which only is possible at the Bro Am. I don't think I have ever been still wet from surfing a heat while playing a show in front of thousands of people. It was such a great event and I was honored be a part of such a great day that is giving back to the community and the homeless. — Timmy http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32709 Evan Slater Wednesday, July 1, 2009 For most Americans, "family vacation" usually means a view of the Grand Canyon, a trip to Yellowstone or a time shared in Maui. But for the Hurley family, it means 6-foot tubes at Cloudbreak. This past week, Hurley president/founder Bob Hurley, along with his sons Ryan and Jeff and a handful of friends, spent a week in paradise. Here are a few images that will be making the next photo album. ALL IMAGES: MARK METCALF http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32693 Evan Slater Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Growing up in Fiji, I learned from the old timers how to make a throwing-spear from basically nothing. First, you have to find the right kind of stick.  It has to be a straight hard-wood with not too many curves in it... this can take days sometimes.  The next step is burning the stick. This enables you to straighten out the curves and also makes the wood stronger. Next you gotta dig out one end of the stick to fit the spokes. This can be a real process. I use a nail a lot, and use it like a chisel, basically taking out one piece at a time. You want to dig about 5 or 6 inches into the stick so the spokes can be snug in there.    Then, find your spokes. They can be from any piece of metal — I just found these from under my house. You want them to be about 16 inches long and a little thicker than pencil. Then you have to file them down — I use a file and a metal handsaw. Make sure you use the handsaw to cut barbs in each spoke. For fish under 10 pounds, you want six spokes.    The final process is winding the line around the spokes and stick. I start with the spokes and gradually work my way up to the stick. I generally use wire for this because it's stronger, but you can also use fishing line. Probably the most important part of the process is insuring you have a tight wind so that when your spear hits a big fish, the spokes hold strong.    This spear came out pretty good and I'm starting to walk the reefs at low tide. Check back in to see what I catch. — Aamion   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32619 Evan Slater Monday, June 29, 2009 Father's Day? Go Skateboarding Day? BBQ? All that is good, but this year, it included skateboarding, barbecue, music and helping the Next Up Foundation. My good friend Vina had a foundation in Brazil that helped poor kids to skateboard and helped them to start a new life through skating. So here, we started the BBQ at the Hurley Skatepark with a dream to raise money to start the foundation in the US. And after 50 pounds of tri-tip and music from the band Mother Boys featuring Sam G and all the donations, we gathered all the money needed to get this going. Thanks to Hurley and all the people who believed in Vina's dream. Keep your eyes open. Next Up Foundation is going to do big things. — Andre http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32608 Evan Slater Monday, June 29, 2009 It's crazy how much you can see in a four hour and thirty-two minute train ride from San Juan Capistrano to Santa Barbara California. I passed by the quaint towns of Southern Orange County, big cities like LA, went through the mountains of Northern Burbank and into the abyss of Eastern Camarillo. Once I got through Oxnard, I saw basically every surf spot there is to see including the Queen of the Coast, and it was dead flat. But overall my voyage was a good one. I decided to upgrade to the Pacific Lounge where they serve you food and drinks the whole way so it was a well-invested 10 bucks. My Santa Barbara weekend getaway was a sick one where I stayed in I.V. with fellow Floridians Matt Chellemi and Matt Kliner. I got a dose of college living and made my way into the mountains yesterday where I took in the gorgeous evening and overlooked Northern SB and Goleta. Enjoy O- PS- If you find yourself on a train anytime soon, download the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album titled “It’s Blitz” before you leave. Good Tunes. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32577 Evan Slater Monday, June 29, 2009 Fun times in Mexico, so many fun waves and parties every night if you want! We had a sick hotel called Hotel Ines with pool overlooking the beach! Can't wait to go back. In Cali for a week now hanging out with Pat O and the Hurley crew. -- Dom  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32552 Damien Wills Sunday, June 28, 2009 The San Carlos skate park is teeming with skaters preparing for the third annual Apache Skate Blast, a skateboarding competition put on by Apache Skateboards on the San Carlos Indian Reservation. “Apache exists in a ‘no man’s land’ far from the suburbs of Orange County or the hipster skate scenes of Brooklyn and Silver Lake,” says Douglas Miles, the founder of Apache Skateboards. “But still we grind. Because we love skateboarding and we love our community. It’s that simple.” The reservation rests in the mountains of southeastern Arizona, some 90 miles from Phoenix. With a median household income of $13,412, and 58.8 percent of the people living below the poverty line, it is one of the poorest communities in the country. But none of that matters today. “Skateboarding and frybread—what else do you need?” asks Miles. Apache Skateboards began with a board Miles made for his son. Miles, an artist known for his powerful depictions of modern Natives, painted an Apache warrior on his son’s deck. When Doug Jr. returned home from skating that day, he told his dad, “Everyone wants one.” Miles saved up money from sales of his art, and then contacted ABC Board Supply in Costa Mesa, Calif. The result was 100 silkscreened boards. “I remember telling the boys as we started, ‘It will be 10 years before [the industry] even thinks of messing with us. So let’s start our own team, we’ll do it ourselves.’” Miles and the team travel to other reservations as much as possible to put on demonstrations. “There’s nothing like a road trip with the crew, traveling to different Indian communities, working with kids who skate or want to,” Miles says. “It’s like that feel-good movie of the year.” The Apache team consists of eight members, and is almost exclusively funded by the sales of Miles’ art and skateboards. “It sure ain’t easy,” Miles says. “No comfy hotels or per diems for the Apache team. No screaming girls or air-conditioned vans. No sponsorship checks or boxes of product. Just a heavy crew who skate for fun and a few T-shirts and stickers to give away—if we were lucky that month.” When asked about the challenges facing Native youth, one of the skaters on the team answers, “There are no role models.” Miles is changing that. Razelle, one of the two girls on the team, says, “I look up to the man behind this all—Doug Miles. He has faith in me and every single other member of the team that we have all the potential in the world to make something of ourselves.” For Miles, that is the point of Apache Skateboards. “All I want them to do is see,” he says. “I want them to see that they can do this: They can skate, design, paint, create and carve out their own place in the world with sheer tenacity and raw talent.”—Zio/Against the Grain www.apacheskateboards.com http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32548 Evan Slater Sunday, June 28, 2009 APPEARING AT THE SLINGLUFF GALLERY ON JULY 11th,,,Bigfoot in person!!!! 11 w. Girard Ave. Philadelphia,PA ...July 11th 2009 from 6-9 pm  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32538 Big Foot Sunday, June 28, 2009 Chest to neck high waves where rolling in the zone all day for competitors.  Salt Creek came through with some fun waves all day for the college divisions.  About 20 different schools competed for the title of top surf academy in the nation which was ultimately handed to Cal-State San Marcos, University of North Carolina Wilmington just missing the gold after a sudden death surf-off.  Points where accumulated by individual surfers whom surfed for their teams. Surfing all day, I got 2nd in the mens division, just being ousted by Marty Weinstein, while my brother collected third.  UNCW was satisfied with their results after being placed ahead of all the UC-fill-in-the-blank schools except for one.  Get em next year.--BP http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32537 Ben Powell Friday, June 26, 2009 I've been surfing town a lot this summer.  Ala Moana is where I usually surf, but I sometimes paddle out at Tennis Courts or Kewalos.  All of these spots have perfect rippable little waves.  I like Kewalos when it's small and Courts or Bowls when it starts cranking.Getting waves in town is probably harder than getting waves at Pipe.  Ala Moana is a zoo.  The North Shore has the Wolfpack, Ala Moana has Mike Akima.  At Pipe it's hard to get a perfect wave or any wave from the Pac, but if you go on a closeout or just charge in general you will get respect.  With respect, you get more waves.  At Ala Moana every wave is pretty perfect, so everybody wants one.  There is no big bomb to charge, no way to get any respect.  Even if you're a great surfer, at Ala Mo it's all who you know.  Lucky for me,  I've been surfing Bowls since I was 10.  It's taken me 30 years to finally get to the top of the pecking order.  Even so, the main reason I get waves is because I know Mike Akima.  When I first paddled out this summer the crew who's been surfing there all winter looked at me like I was invading their spot.  That's until Mike Akima yelled out my name, and let me go on the next set wave.  I've been surfing against Mike since we were kids.  Now, he is the king at Ala Mo.  He has a job as a painter, but he is always out.We kind of share set waves with each other.  Last week, when basketball was on, we made a bet.  For game 5, if L.A. won, I get to choose a set wave, even if it's not my turn, he has to give it to me.  I won the bet.  I've surfed Bowls a couple of times since, but didn't collect on the bet.  I'm waiting for the perfect wave, one that he really wants.  There's a new swell coming this week, maybe I'll collect, maybe I'll keep him waiting.       Town had one of the biggest swells of the year last week.  A news crew came down to check it out.  As I was walking back to my truck, a reporter asked me for a interview.  When I said no problem, she was suprised.  She said surfers usually shy away from the camera.  Anyway, I did the interview, and was on the news that night.  This picture is off a computer. — Brock      http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32510 Evan Slater Wednesday, June 24, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32498 Mike Powell Tuesday, June 23, 2009 The 2009 Future Am Series finals held at Hurley HQ brought together some of the top skaters from the Los Angeles County area. At stake:  a chance to skate at the 2009 X Games in a best trick competition. A strong turnout of spectators were on hand to support the event and their favorite skaters and — with a live webcast streaming on hurley.com — the action was non-stop all day.     When it was all settled, the South Bay team of Jake Hill, Caeden Curto and Jared Cleland took top honors and will be going to the 2009 X Games best trick contest held on the custom-designed X Games street course this August. Congrats to the whole South Bay team and an honorable mention goes out to the winner of the 2009  Future Am Series MVP awarded to South Bay’s Caeden Curto who was a standout throughout the entire 2009 series.   Thanks to all the supporting sponsors for their help in making the 2009 Future Am Series possible and special thanks to Jeff Stern and the entire Future Am Series staff for all their time and energy. — AA http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32492 Evan Slater Monday, June 22, 2009 Sometimes, all it takes is a little creativity and initiative and suddenly you're staring at a $5,000 scholarship to keep pursuing your dream. This recently happened to Art Institute of California/Orange County student Candice Winer when she heard about a Design Challenge put on by the team here at Hurley. The proposal:   "If you could only take three articles of clothing for a one-month stay on the beautiful island of Bali, what would you bring?"   Candice is an Industrial Design major, but she also has an eye and an opinion for fashion. So, when she heard the deadline was winding down, she got to work. The result: a layered bikini/pullover setup that has more options than a Leatherman pocket knife. It's a skirt and a shirt, a mint and a candy...and it was borne out of necessity.  "My friends and I are very into multi-garments, but I haven't quite seen something like this. But I thought it would be useful if you're only given three items."   The illustrations were deemed the winner by Hurley's Design Team, meaning Candice receives a $5,000 scholarship at the Art Institute of California to continue her studies.    Is this enough to sway her to pursue the fashion world? "I enjoy it, for sure," she says, "but I'd like to come up with ideas that can apply to all facets of design, from clothing to architecture." Which is just what we like to hear. Keep dreaming big.    Congratulations to Candice and thanks to the Art Institute of California and all the students who participated in this year's Hurley Scholarship Challenge.   http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32461 Evan Slater Monday, June 22, 2009 After wrapping up their new record at Hurley Studios, Scottsdale's The Summer Set (The Militia Group) is hitting the road with The Cab, The Secret Handshake, A Rocket To The Moon, and Eye Alaska on the 'What Happens In Vegas..." tour. If you didn't see the live stream of the band recording on Hurley.com make sure to see them on this national tour! Pick up your tickets ASAP because shows are selling out. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32455 Jess Monday, June 22, 2009 The Hurley Stage and Hurley.com stage will feature a growing list of headliners — including Saosin, The Maine, Bayside, Meg & Dia, and Lights — with performances available via live feed on hurley.com on selected dates. Stay connected with regular behind-the-scenes updates on hurley.com, including live interviews, band-on-band interviews and photo galleries. On site in the Hurley Zone, there will be a swarm of activity, including band signings, free download cards, surprise acoustic performances and live paintings by artist Logan Hicks on select dates. Some of Hurley’s featured bands will have collaboration tees available at their merch booths, and you can also design your own Hurley tee at the Girlz Garage. Under the banner of our ongoing Microphone For Youth contest, the tee with the most votes gets $1000 and heaps of street cred. It’s all happening with Hurley at this year’s Vans Warped Tour. Stop by the Hurley Zone or stay connected on Hurley.com via Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} www.hurley.com/warpedtour. Add Hurley on Facebook Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/Hurley?ref=tsand Twitter Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} http://twitter.com/hurleylive  for constant updates all Warped Tour long. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32436 Jess Monday, June 22, 2009 His name is Kanga, and there's no one more qualified to get surfers to the next level. Former Bronzed Aussie Ian Cairns has been spinning gold medals for more than 25 years now, and before this year's NSSA Nationals, we had him spend an afternoon with the Hurley team and give them his honest assessment. Here are his comments. In short, the future is looking bright for Hurley's up-and-comers.  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32421 Evan Slater Sunday, June 21, 2009 Kai and I missed the bus somehow, so we surfed with Julian Wilson and Taylor Steele out front and had fun, waves got a little smaller but with the tide should be pretty sick later when it comes up, kai and i are gonna cut the boy's off if they come out for ditching us this morning:) HAWAIIAN, just kidding..........................not!Hurley House wars!!!!!! It's on, Perillo got his head buzzed, looks really bad, looks like a Aussie guy with a good haircut actually:) so he's got that going for him, but his chick won't want to be seen in public with him for a minute.Oh the boy's just got back, i asked how it was?, ya'yo said with a frown, it was ok, but the boys from Hawaii were taking all the waves.  HA HA!  See? Karma!!!!! — KRobb p.s How's my airplane wing looking????, with the screw's poping out of it!!!! fun stuff, i already hate to fly, but here's one more reason. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32392 Kalani Robb Saturday, June 20, 2009 Lower Trestles had a good south swell hit last week, but as usual it was packed in the lineup. Wait, it was even more packed than usual! I think every grom from accross the wolrd was there pre-surfing for NSSA Nationals. (plus a few WCT & WQS guys too). The beach was lined with photographers and team coaches taking in all the action. Last Tuesday & Wednesday I met up with my good friends and fellow Hurley Team riders, Evan, Conner, Christian, Eli, & little ripper Jake. The surf was really fun, with super clean & sunny conditions. Even though it was crowded, I still really enjoyed surfing good Lowers. The wave is like a skate ramp all the way through. The level of surfing out there is so amazing, and I usually get really inspired to punt big airs & stuff.Anyway, today it is almost flat here in La Jolla and I hear Lowers is not good either. Looks like I am headed to my local beach break for a surf on my four fin groveler board called a "Hustler". The thing goes so good in small summer surf!Gotta go....See you in the lineup Rot! — Jake H. http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32391 Jake Halstead Saturday, June 20, 2009 http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32389 HBRuss Saturday, June 20, 2009 Sadly, today was our last full day of IWS Surf Camp '09. But what a great day it was! We started off with clean waves, surfed with Hurley team riders, and then finally had the No Talent competition, which was at least as funny as everyone hoped.This morning we woke up (at a reasonable hour this time!) to thigh-high waves, lined up picture perfect right in front of our hotel. These were clean, easy-to-ride waves and everyone had a great time.After room inspection, the Hurley folks came-- including pro surfer Asher Nolan, who joined us in the water for a surf. After the session and freshly grilled cheeseburgers, the two Hurley team riders (Asher and Cheyne) signed a ton of autographs for the campers and we took group photos. Group photos always kill me because no one knows where to stand and everyone complains because the tall people wish they were shorter and the short people wish they were taller and nobody wants to kneel down in the front row no matter how tall they are, and everyone is going nuts until the photographer says "do something crazy," at which point no one can think of anything.The afternoon surf was kind of choppy, but fun. Even one of our hotel staff was in the water-- Mr. Mike loaned him a Bird longboard, and it turned out he knew what he was doing out there! And things only got better, because after a storm cleared everyone out of the water, the wind turned offshore again and we were graced with more clean lines. We surfed until the very last moments before dinner.The night ended with our long-awaited No Talent competition. This year's show featured odd costumes, wild music, dancing, feats of strength, and plenty of good natured ribbing. of our best surf stuff. Their skit was hilarious and I would love to explain it, but you wouldn't understand unless you spent a week surfing and hanging out with us here in Cocoa Beach.This should be the last of the IWS Surf Camp '09 blogs, because tomorrow will be a blur of surfing, cleaning up, and driving the big vans home. But I'm looking forward to our next event, and I'll spend another 360-some days looking forward to Surf Camp 2010. — Cheyne http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32387 Cheyne Cottrell Saturday, June 20, 2009 Today started very early for most of us -- we woke at 5:30am (yes, A.M.!!!) to see the launch of the space shuttle Endeavor. By the way, did you know it's not even light yet at that hour? So there we were in the dark with our eyes propped open, looking across the water to see the launch at 5:40. At about 5:43 we started getting suspicious. And then we started making a few phone calls. And then we went back to bed. It turns out they scrubbed the mission last night at 2:00am. Why weren't we notified??!!And the waves turned out to be small again when the sun rose. Those of us just learning to surf did not mind, but the more experienced of our ranks were getting itchy for something a little more substantial to ride. Then in the late afternoon, the wind clocked around and started blowing from the north. It added chop, but gave us a little size to work with. So things are looking up. Here's hoping for six-foot glass tomorrow morning!Then at night we had the band from University Baptist Church (in Miami) and we saw some hilarious video from No Talent Night 2006. It gave us some ideas for this year's competition, which goes down tomorrow night. Some of us are pretty amped about doing our skit, while others are starting to feel the nervous pinch. It's funny how some folks can stare down the gnarliest surf without blinking, but cower at the thought of getting up in front of people.This whole experience is winding down, and I myself am going to miss it when it's finished. On the other hand, we still have another day-and-a-half of this year's camp, then I'll have to start counting down to IWS Surf Camp 2010! (That's the year we make contact, I think...) So enough blogging for now-- I'm missing camp! See ya! — Cheyne http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32386 Cheyne Cottrell Saturday, June 20, 2009 ok, so we surfed deserts the first day i got here, solid 10 foot i would say, got a few good size ones and a barrel or two, bummed cause ACE got hurt he's been surfing really good and i wanted to try to rip with him, but i guess next trip for that one.then pandang the next day a fun 6 foot,pretty much got held under two waves Brad thought he was gonna have to save me, and he was talking about c.p.r the day before so i could have gave him some practice!!! grossssss:)!!!! today we are surfing cungu,changgu? whatever's? it's called? really fun, trying to get the shot so i don't get shot from the bossman patch o'connel:) getting there bud!!! hope this works,not too savy with this matrix stuff:) bye bye — KRobb  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32362 Kalani Robb Friday, June 19, 2009 I have to say: me and my wife Danielle upgraded from the first two nights where we had to sleep on the floor cause the house was blowing up with people. Now we're living large with just us, Kalani and his girlfriend.  This is my first time in Bali so it's been a rad experience surfing all these new waves and getting to know the culture.  Kalani took me to this super local noodle place down the street where we were the only tourists.  Best fried rice and noodles I've ever had and the best part was we ate like kings for only nine bucks total.The highlight of the trip was boating out to an outer island and surfing perfect 10 to 12 foot barreling lefts with Ace and Kalani.  I remember getting out of the water and doing a run around.  It was my first time getting a perspective from the beach looking at the wave. It was incredible freight training lefts for days.  We have two days left.  Gonna try and make them count. Oh yeah: it's International Surfing Day.  So, go surfing! — Brad http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32361 CMH Friday, June 19, 2009  Just got to stop by my shaper Timmy Patterson's shop and get some fresh boards! I just got these boards for an upcoming trip to Bali and some contest as well. It's amazing for me to be able to spend some time with a world class shaper and consistently be getting great boards. We have been working on some new files for myself and they just get better and better. We went with lower rocker and some thickness caried through the board and they suit my style and also the waves I consistently surf at home and go great in all conditions.  I have decided I wanted some flashy new paint jobs and Scott Metz (Timmy Patterson's team manager) always suprises me with insane designs! On these boards we kinda went off the New Hurley Phantom Kings Road boardshort and added a twist and they look insane! I wish I could paint like Scott, I cant even draw a straight line haha.  Can't wait to get in the water and test drive these crafts Til next time — Saenzy  http://www.hurley.com/blog.cfm/aid/32360 Christian Saenz Friday, June 19, 2009 For the past 11 years of my life photography has been a closet love of mine.  Most of the time I would just have my dandy ol' Nikon with me at all times... capturing moments of others as they are.  It's been such a smooth ride and so much fun....  And while I could never quite get it together to start the long process... it has now begun.  I finally got the kick in the behind from one my dearest friends who ensured me that the negatives were g