Al Town and Stuff

New spine being built at Al Town. The guys need $150 dollars to finish this spine. You can use my donate button on the right to give what you can to the cause.

Hey Zach!! get off your ass and do something....JK, Zach killed it today.

They decided to make it 7ft tranny, everyone there was stoked.

No work on this today but it will be a new ledge. 

They are really stoked on the new amount of flow the spine will add. I have to give Johnny props, he really has this thing, everyone is motivated. 

And then there are the Trife homies, David and Taylor are instrumental in all this beginning among others not mentioned. 

Then I was stoked to see this out there being skated by its new owner. The gold has been a good color choice it seems. 

Zach's new board or the one I sent to Germany, no sure, they are both green.

Some clothed, some not.

Patches.

This is from the Tusk pour.

Wet Concrete.

Wait, no, that is Roxboro Colorado.

Leo, Matt and Sinclair just hanging out by the cheese burger.

Swamp Spot.

Neighborhood house party jam.

Swamp

Well, I am gunna go lay down.

Al Town Benefit

This past Sunday the concrete guys that like to play with asphalt decided to have a benefit for Al Town.

It started off great and ended great.

 Manatees played the cops showed up. people got crunk.

The guy liked the wall.

Skating happened.

Entry was free but risky.

The Crowds swelled.

They Rocked, out side, very cool.

I am not saying nothing about that except take Monday off next time.

Local Gang Bangers.

My name is Abe and tell cops to Fuck off!!

The End.

Al Town Benefit

I Love Peregrination

Peregrination means to travel about by foot, my favorite form of travel (backpacking). I found the word when  I was searching for an alternate word for travel because I wanted to spice up my heading. I traveled this past weekend to Jackson, Mississippi so the Rufus skate bandits could get their skate on and I could film them doing it. I loved meeting the people of Jackson and how well received we were to the locals. I have had this feeling a bunch on my travels of late while jaunting with the Bandits. 

Self Portrait just before we left for Jackson. We got a late start that day because these Cackalackas' got detained by the cops just a block from my house for looking like thugs. 

A Regal Self Portrait in the McDonalds on the road somewhere to jackson. I love the self timer function on the lil point and shoot.

Gnar Star's ass is a growing theme every where we go, it has its own personality. You either love it or hate it.

I like to rock out to Stoner Metal and take self portraits while driving. Look at Treydawg's expression in the back seat, he is saying SHIT CHRIS because we almost side swiped a big ass truck while I was getting the photo.

We made it to Jackson, Rampage Indoor Park. We caught Baby Skyler playing pocket pool when we arrived.

Early Picture of Rampage Park in Fall 2012 when I was stopping through, I forgot to take any stills on this trip here because I was filming 1080i video the whole time, wait for the video one day.

When Cackalackas' start drinking they like to take their shirts off and show people their tats. Look at Trey's under wear, looks like someone gave him a wedgy.

Breakfast and the Dirtbowl, backyard DIY.

DIY Street Spot.

Thanks to all the Homies in Jackson.

Another Arkassouri

You might remember back during the Summer I posted a trip story about driving Coltrane and Ron up to Missouri and back through Arkansas. Well we did it again, six months later and no Ron. This time we adopted new and old kin folk that included Coltrane, Cole, Skyler, Garner and of course me driving my Honda Civic. None of us are related by blood that we know but that does not stop us from acting like a dysfunctional family unit traveling the country side.

We started our journey on the Friday night of the 29th in December after Garner got off work around 630pm. The car was packed to its gills with skateboards, camping equipment, camera equipment and each person's change of clothes although I think Skyler had three outfits stowed away. Cole insisted we bring our Tents and Sleeping bags because we were going to camp out in Arkansas which we will get to in a minute. I was against camping from the beginning since the temperatures were predicted to go down below freezing but Cole insisted so we packed the car to car camp, I had no choice.

The first leg of the journey, the Friday night, we drove three hours through Arkansas into Missouri. About an hour into the drive, as we got to the other side of Jonesboro AR, snow started pouring out of the sky, just dumping. Driving through this mess was like a freaking light show. We were driving into the wind which made the snow come right at us, then with the reflecting head lights it was like a light show. This snow lasted for about an hour until I got just inside the Missouri boot-hills boarder at Mammoth Springs. Luckily the temperature was holding at 33-34 F which does not warrant it sticking to the road. Then the snow stops, we are diving in Missouri and deer start to appear on the road. First is was two deer, just standing in the middle of the road, I down shifted and drove around them. We were all freaking out a little in a good way. Then a couple of miles up the road three more deer, down shift and drive around them. Then there are more deer!!! What the hell?? We made it to West Plains safely were we spent the night in a Super 8.

Did I mention it was cold outside, it was cold outside. I think we got up that morning and it was 20 degrees F with a nice little NE wind. We drove to West Plains so we could wake up and go skate. I had opted to drive the night before to spare the day of three hours of driving which was good but this cold temperatures sucked ass a little. I think they skated the West Plains park for less than a hour, maybe more. Then we headed the hour and a half to Spring Field.

Summer Time at West Plains

Spring Field was great, we will have tons of footage at some point. We got to Spring Field, skated all day, checked into the hotel room, ate Mexican, then went and skated some more. With out giving to much away, it was the best day of the trip as far as everything goes, not the most interesting but the most wholesome. The hotel room was great, the park is great since it has a awesome indoor part and the town of Spring Field was great. The next morning we embarked on Fayetteville AR some two hours away.

Summer Time.

The idea here was to hit up Walker Park, go to Skate Station and then the Dump and Grind. It was cold outside at Walker Park but I think we may have lasted a whole hour and a half. Shot some good footy but the guys got bored with the place, or to cold. We drove the five minutes to Skatestation only to find a closed sign hanging inside the window. Cole called the number of the place and it was disconnected. Then moments later one of the locals Cole had messaged texted him that the guy who owns Skatestation had just closed the doors within the last month.  A month to late we were. It was open a few months back, Vert Ramp and all else. Dam, as you can imagine, we had a Super Bummed Cole on our hands. I think he broke down and cried for a bit while being balled up in the fetal position on the front steps of Skatestation. We loaded back up and went to the Square and had pizza and me beer. I love pizza and beer. After which we bombed some hills and headed to the Dump and Grind.    

Summer Time

Brandon, who runs Gnarkansas.com, was gracious enough to meet us in town so we could follow him through the back roads to get to the place in the woods they call the Dump and Grind. This really nice guy Mark lives in a cabin in the woods and has this a concrete mini ramp out side, then he also has a 2 foot mini ramp in a barn just adjacent. The guys skated a good part of the night until it got to dam cold. Luckily the guy that lived in the cabin next to mark was gone for the weekend which then Mark allowed us to crash inside the cabin. I knew camping was bleak and no body but me was prepared to sleep in sub zero temperatures anyway. After the skating had ceased we all took refuge in Marks small but very nice cabin for a game of Farkle. I had never played Farkle before as some of the inhabitants of the neighboring cabins, mainly Jenny, joined in. Somehow I won my first ever game of Farkle, it was the highlight of my trip. Jenny so wanted to win, she expressed it so many times but I prevailed. Fun times at the Dump and Grind.

Gnarkansas.com - New Dump N Grind: She Rolls from Gnarkansas on Vimeo.

The next day we were suppose to hit up Fort Smith, an hour away. They have a bad ass indoor park called Boarder Town. It was closed for New years Eve....  Double Dammit. The only Choice from here was to drive to Little Rock and go hit up their indoor Park called Enjoy. We did the two hours, get there and guess what. CLOSED !!!!!! Triple Dammit and it was raining. So what to do but drive around Little Rock, arrange a place to Stay with Bobby and Will while eating Pizza with me and Garner dranking the Beers. It was all fun times for me and Garner, we always have fun, no lie. I think Coltrane was ok with it but the others might have had other ideas. New Years Eve day was a bust if you could not drink some beers and forget the long drive. So I rang in the New Years with Coltrane, Garner and Bobby. Cole got sick and Skyler fell asleep. It was some what uneventful but it was great to stay with the Little Rock crew and get to know them better, so props to them since they are Super Rad!! 

This was Closed.

New Years Day we drove home after skating the North Little Rock River Park. The park's big bowl was full of water so skating the park was limited. Skyler lost his board in the water twice, completely submerged in water. I think he cried a bit and then we left. 

It was a fun trip over all. We should have called a head a bit. I had done that during the summer but had no idea that it would be a issue in the winter. Then we did not need the camping equipment either. Would have been nice to have the extra room in my small car. You live and learn. 

Joker Skate Shop got Robbed, Kick Balls, Shark Bait and Mark Gonzales

First of all, the local skate shops here in Memphis have been robbed three times I know about. The first one was Cheap Skates. Some African American dude walked in the shop, picked up a bunch of boards and some other stuff and just ran out of the shop. I think you call it Dine and Dash if you are at a eating establishment. The Second robbing happened with MidTown Skate Shop opening its doors as a new shop. Hunter, the owner, had not installed bars on the big store front windows when he opened. In the first week some body smashed the glass and stole a bunch of stuff. So he boarded the window up and a week later the other window got smashed with it more merchandise stolen. Brand new shop gets robbed twice with in its two week opening. Good job you deviants who think that stealing is a solution to a means when you don't have enough money to buy something you want. Go get a job you worthless pieces of shit and quit taking somebody else's hard earned cash. But this shit has been going on for years. The end looks bleak. I mean, Mark Gonzales, my favorite skater ever bought his first complete board from some guy in a parking lot. He said he strolled into the park, after his purchase, and one of the guys in the park yelled at him and said give me my board back, or something like that. Mark bought a stolen board basically.

Ok, so last night I was working on my skateboards. I get an Instagram, I have been tagged in some photo taken with a security camera. Its a picture of one of the dudes that robbed Joker Skate Shop this week. Apparently Gnarman tagged Hornlaker in the picture and accused the Hornlaker of robbing the joint even though, as Hornlaker pointed out, "I live in Hornlake God Dammit its just not possible, unless I could teleport, quit heckling me!!" Though it was to late by then, Ryan Sheckler had posted the same picture and BabySkylurker also posted that the person in the photograph was the Hornlaker several thousand miles away. By that time Ryan Sheckler had tried to friend the Hornlaker on FartBook while the Hornlaker was receiving droves and droves of new follows on Instagram. That's how I found out about the thieves in California.

Kick Balls!!

Then I got the new Shark Bait zine in the mail yesterday (its a first read for me but this is issue 47 for them). As I read it the theme the writer is conveying is about how he loves his surroundings, that he is never jaded. The writer is originally from somewhere in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is not known to be a desirable place to move. Nobody says "Yeah, lets move there!!" The writer is living and skating in Albuquerque, New Mexico presently. Have you ever been to New Mexico?? I drove to Santa Fe once and then up to Colorado after a sleep over just so I could see Santa Fe, it was great. Really laid back. I also had this friend once from Albuquerque, he always said it was the best place to grow up, even though he lives in California now. So back to Shark Bait, the writer expresses how he can't get mad or angry at anything in Albuquerque, everything is so positive and forgiving. The people, the environment, the skating (tons of ditches and parks), everything is at peace. Then he compares growing up in Oklahoma compared to growing up in Albuquerque. In Albuquerque, "You want to skate and start a punk band in the garage? People's parents here would probably not only condone it, they would encourage it and try to make you listen to the Melvins or some other 90's nightmare." And that is what I am talking about parents, no, don't move to Albuquerque because I am. Seriously, here in Memphis, the heart of the Bible belt, God's Country, if it ain't in the bible you can't do it. If you don't go to church you are a Heathen. The South is known for poor people, dumb bastards and Preachers. I am not hating, I love the South because I know what is good about it, you should know if you have ever read this blog. But it is true, because of the poverty and because of the narrow minded brain washing there are a lot of bad parents. But that shit is everywhere you know every where. Encourage and support, I love it. Albuquerque is living proof. Maybe less people would steal if they were from Albuquerque, maybe....

And back to Videos, did you think I would forget, I love You Tube. I am addicted to it, I need help.....?

maybe not.... I encourage it and support it, hah.. And here is one for Gonz, thought I had seen this but I have not. I watch like a dozen other videos of skaters that rip so hard then I watch Gonz and my thoughts are saying "The Gonz invented most of what they are doing". Which I could be very wrong about since I do not claim to know anything. This guy has such grace on and off the board, its like watching ballet but gnar. I mean there are a couple of tricks that no one has done or I have seen. Late.

Al Town Vids, Kids may be getting Dummer and a Gonz Stunner

Have you thought about what the future is going to be like on the web and as well other standards of media like television and print?? I mean, what are web sites in 20 years going to look like and what will the content be like? We have already moved further and further away from actually having anything much to read on some sites. Do you go to YouTube to read?? I can also say the same thing about Thrasher's web site, Transworld's sites and a slews of other sites strewn across the web that are catering to our youngsters. I am just saying we are turning into a visual/ video culture. I can't say I have done the research, I don't know enough about the target demographics of video on the web but its every where, video video video. I don't necessarily think that kids will stop reading but it will drop off further than it already has. It  will be even more shocking when they add those stats to their studies, just wait and see because its coming.  Is it a bad thing?? I don't think it is a good thing but its where we are at and where we are going it seems. What is the point you are making?? I don't know, I was looking for something to read on Thrasher's web site and didn't find anything. Even the magazine does not have a whole lot of reading. Good content does not include well written articles anymore, face it. At least not for the target demographic that Thrasher is gearing their sales at. Pictures and Video, that's all the kids want to see and that is how you sell add space to big companies that pay the bills. Its a vicious cycle that does nothing for the intellectual development of kids these days. So come on, in 20 years what are these kids going to grow up like?? Could be scary, I mean some of these kids can hardly read now LOL. Who knows.....

Then I have been working tirelessly on new graphics for the skate decks. I have posted some pictures below of what I have been doing. I have retired the one Rufus graphic and have moved onto another graphic that has bears, arrow heads and goolish lettering....

Then of course there is the Black Label team of skaters. The more I watch different street footage the more I like certain styles of skating. I guess I have been in the dark to have a huge opinion on it. Any way:
Black Label Footy


Then you got the guys from Gnarkansas. They visited AL Town and other memphis spots, its rad, they rip. And guess what, Cole is in it.
Gnarkansas Comes to Memphis


And then there is Gonz doing shit you never thought was possible. This clip is short but so rad you will watch at least five times.
Late.