IS HE HUMAN? A QUESTION ONCE ASKED OF VAN HOMAN, NOW ONE I HONESTLY WONDER ABOUT MY AGING AND YET STILL AMAZING FATHER, COACH CARL SCHNELLENBACH. I RESPECT THIS MAN MORE THAN HE WILL EVER KNOW, FROM BEING IN THE PA HALL OF FAME, FROM BEING THE MOST WINNING COACH IN ALL OF PA. MY DAD, CARL SCHNELLENBAH IS AN O.G SICK GUY!
New Delco Shirts out soon as well, for my dad to help him out with his heart troubles. These are the OG first presses. But the new ones will have the Delco Philly "D" on the sleeve and "Hero's Get Remembered, Kid, But Legends Never Die." (Sandlot shit)- Coach Schnell LIVES on the back. These must be done not this paycheck, but next one. I gotta pay Empire the last of my loot. I just think it would be a good idea so he can see that even if he thinks me riding BMX these long years he will see that there is community and its not just a hobby but a lifestyle. Would anyone be interested in carrying these in Black and Heather Grey (NOT WHITE LIKE IN THE PHOTO!) in 10 lg, 10 md, 10 sm if kids buy them it is for a rad cause and then we can re-up and get Delco Brand moving again here in PA and in Austin. Any thoughts? My pops has had multiple heart surgeries and problems but still coaches football, and is the highest winning wresting coach in PA. Look him up. Carl Schnellenbach. Would you wear this shirt with the extra details that I stated above. I love my dad and want him to realize that through BMX since I can't show him a paycheck for all my hard work and he gets mad at me when I show him how stoked I get when Dig BMX Magazine runs my work, but he blows it off because I don't get paid. What he doesn't understand that to me it is all I wanted my last two years of high school, and a complete honor that I still don't know how I have. The fact people like my work in the magazine makes me so happy but it does little to him. I just want to show him how we act as a community plus my dad is a super bad ass dude born in 1933. RESPECT. ps Sorry I always smell like skunk pops, my bad I try to stay by the shed, and No more borrowing the van and not putting gas in it. PLEASE LIVE ANOTHER 10 YEARS POPS! I LOVE YOU DUDE EVEN IF YOU HATE ME SOMETIMES FOR NOT HAVING A REAL JOB, NO GIRL AND MY BMX!
Peep the shirt design minus the Delco logo and the fact Im not making these in white, the more that they are wanted the more we will print, but these will be limited and hand made each by an artist friend of mine, sold online and at Ridley Wrestling Matches.
Here are some Halloween Tunes For You Kids. So Lock Your Doors, Bolt Your Windows. And Turn Out The Light. Enjoy your all Hallows Eve for SATAN!
HAIL LUCIFER
1998 life hahaha. Coyler took this at the old Tinicum Skatepark when I was just turning a freshman. Pretty funny, I love my Garret Byrnes outfit ha.
Navazio used to air that thing and it would move, I was impressed alot back then.
SxE!
And me at 19 at Title Ten Skatepark R.I.P
Title Ten Tuesday Sessions Made Me Such A Better Ramp Rider It Was Fun. I still rode ramps like street, but minus pegs before it was trendy. Weird now I run Four.
James Bencrowsky took this and I was too lazy to scan it.
Eddy Menna filmed these and I captured them with Youtube haha. Keepin it GRIMY!
Here are some Sunday Bloody Crumday tunes for your ears pleasure.
And finally..
Brilliant and HEAVY! LIKE A GARBAGE TRUCK...DROPPED OFF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING!
Wow, we filmed it on a flip cam haha. Paul will be working on his first DVD section in a project Dan Conway has up his sleeves. Stink Pit? Hmm, Paul deserves it. And yes I wanted this to be edited like an old ECD video.
Just watch and get stoked.
I love the look but, fuck me are these brutal to ride in. First my Cult X Vans shoes lasted two weeks. my Nikes lasted 3 weeks, and these Zoo York sneakers are already showing wear and tear after three days of riding. What happened when a pair of Etnies Mike Valley shoes lasted 11 months? Im going for a pair of Etnies again when I finish off paying what I owe to Empire.
All that damage is from riding metal pedals. What the hell is wrong with child labor these days?
Here are some Witchery Wednesday Tunes For Your Ears Pleasure, here are the top five records I've been slaying and the number one Pizza joint. Navaz and Stew know what's up! '
1. Chuck Ragan- Feast Or Famine (Ex Hot Water Music in case your a pair of clown shoes) 2. Beastie Boys- Licensed To Ill (best song on the record, sick rhymes) 3. Converge- Axe To Fall (just vicious, most pissed record since Jane Doe) 4.Ghostlimb- The Custom Of The Sea (members of Graf Orlock for fans of His Hero Is Gone and Tragedy) 5. Young Widows- In and Out of Youth and Lightness (Brilliant!)
I showed Van and the Fit team around with Stew Johnson behind the lens in my town. Of course Ben Lewis sees a set up at a spot I've been to thousands of times but my mind never had this move in mind when taking the dudes to this spot. Ben did an opposite wallride manual to 180. It was seriously crazy. Proof also that sometimes you just need to look at a set up on the streets and 100% think outside of the box. Try not to have an opposite grind side, spin both directions, learn opposite wallrides and you can never complain again that a spot sucks.
More wild moves in this.
I also had to shave my beard for work. Bummer.
Thanks Stew for the 1201 soundtrack tip.
If you happen to be in the NYC area this weekend be sure to check this out!
Every fall I seem to find myself in a situation that makes me super happy and normally along with that comes the same situation but with sadness prevailing in the end. Im not letting the latter happen this Autumn.
(Always loved these lyrics) And I kissed a girl with a broken jaw that her father gave to her. She had eyes bright enough to burn me. They reminded me of yours. And in a story told she was a little girl in a red-rouge, sun-bruised field and there were rows of ripe tomatoes where a secret was concealed. And it rose like thunder, clapped under our hands. And it stretched for centuries to a diary entry's end where I wrote, You make me happy oh!! when skies are gray You make me happy oh!! when skies are gray and gray and gray. I haven't listened to a Bright Eyes record in forever, but I still LOVE Conor Oberst's other project "Desaparecidos". Seriously an amazing record in the same boat as the first Weezer record when it comes to catchiness and just the fact it never gets old. I got a letter from the army
So I think that I'll enlist
I'm not brave or proud of nothing
I just want to kill something
Spotted this photo on Facecrook and had to post it.
What is there really to say about Russian Circles? Yes they happen to be one of the best instrumental bands around, yes they are simply brilliant in a live setting, and yes you need to hear their new record, "Empros".
I was lucky enough to catch Russian Circles at Dudefest a few years back in Indiana dead stoned and was blown away. Beauty in the form of riffs not lyrics is hard to come by in a way that actually makes you feel whatever you want depending on your mood. Sad, happy, crushed, relieved, whatever emotion you may have on your shoulders these are tunes you can relate to. Enjoy.
A message to you people who may take your friends for granted here in PA, and the whole world i guess this applies to. Be sure to let the people who you care about, and whose company you enjoy know that they are rad every once in a while. Everyone deserves those friends that make your day regardless of how you may be feeling just brighten up the day with their laughter and smiles. Friendship is a wonderful thing. There are people in my life who I love with all my heart, people who make you look forward to each day instead of dreading the rising of the sun. Growing up most of my friends were dudes, so having friends of the opposite sex was very confusing at first for me. Even more confusing when you didn't have a girlfriend or even went on a date until your nineteenth name day. This has cost me a few lady friends very close to me, but I have been granted a second chance to make things right with one person I really cared for and still do care for. And cannot wait to hang out again, its been too long! I have done so many shitty things in my life that over the past few days all that I can think of is what to do to make this one person in my life smile and that alone makes all of the lonely days and nights I have had worth it for me. Friendship maybe a revolving door for some, but there are those people in your life who you never want to leave. These are the people who aren't just in for a short run, these are the people whom you tell your grandchildren about because they just make everything more interesting and amazing. So it looks like Im going to see Torche on Monday November 7th and keep my friend and myself smiling. Hopefully we run into the slob in the Skittles costume again!
Good Friends = Good Times Every Time
Here is all of the information for this upcoming Torche show for anyone else interested.
Torche
Torche, our favorite sludge pop geniuses, who by our reckoning should be HUGE. They may be heavy and loud and distorted, and feature members of Shitstorm and Floor and Dove, but the music they make as Torche is something else entirely. The guitars massive chugging and crunchy, the drums pounding and brutal, the bass thick and buzzy, the vocals a totally unique wail / croon, they sound a bit like the Foo Fighters, if the Foo Fighters were heavier and catchier and more punk rock.
Big guitars, a killer hook of a chorus, amazing harmonies, kick ass drumming, even some shredding leads, this band just keeps getting better and better, but also tighter and more polished, without ever sounding wussier or like sellouts.
Part Chimp
London's loud, smart-assed Part Chimp have spent two studio albums and one compilation finding nuance in dirty, clobbering rock. In the four years since their last LP, they've offered the "New Cross" single, one of their sleekest and most bruising tracks, while it's B-sides showed the band at their most experimental (all of which ended up on 2007's Cup compilation). Now they're using their third LP to slow down, stretch out, and indulge their metal side a little more
Restorations
There seems to be a common theme developing within recent reviews for Restorations‘ Strange Behavior – the terrific four-song EP released last year by Paper + Plastick – which is that this Philly outfit plays music for “grown-up punks.” I’m not sure if that’s necessarily true as the band’s background, touring history and all-around response to its relatively short discography collectively point to the fact that its appeal spans generations of music fans. From hardcore, post-punk, shoegaze, americana, roots rock and even stoner metal, the overwhelming consensus that Restorations’ singular sound is difficult to pin down (though it’s fun to try) and originates from an undeniably earnest place – something that is universally easy to get on board with.
So from what I can tell, “grown-up punks” is merely a term used to describe what the band is not. It’s not music made solely for adults; on the other hand, you’re not going to find much in the way of buzz-saw riffs, throat-shredding screams or breakneck drumming. And if you’re searching for a record where playing loud and fast trumps playing well, I’d go elsewhere. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Restorations’ brilliant Self-Titled debut full-length isn’t exploding with passion and electricity (it is) and we’re certainly not inferring that these eight amazing songs won’t rip through your skull before knocking the wind out of you with repeated sonic gut punches (they do). What we are emphatically stating is that if you’ve been searching for a thoughtful, nuanced take on punk and indie rock – and all the sub-genres they entail – Restorations might just be your new favorite band.
Need proof? Listen no further than the stunning opener “Nonlocality,” with its atmospheric, spine-tingling intro, gorgeous harmonies and crushing wall of sound which closes out a track that feels nothing short of epic. For the album’s 33 + minute duration, Restorations follows a similar trajectory, creating songs that are intricately layered, tension-building monsters which lean heavily on a rhythm section that could probably knock a hole in the side of a Sherman tank. Still, that never takes away from the band’s ability to craft warm, stirring melodies, enduring hooks and dense, dynamic song structures. Cascading guitars, pulsing waves of reverb and spacey flourishes are held together by Jon Loudon’s raspy-yet-tuneful growl. His delivery is one that transmits confidence, wisdom and a bit of wear and tear – perhaps from years fronting post-hardcore heroes Jena Berlin – but he also sings with a soulful, youthful exuberance that feels like he genuinely loves the process of creating music.
Perhaps that is Restorations’ strength as a cohesive unit – that even though this Self-Titled record is a serious work of art with many subtle complexities, achingly intense moments of restraint and driving need to find a unique voice, it also resonates as if it were an absolute joy to write and perform. Even the pristine recording and production from Algernon Cadwallader’s Joe Reinhart allows the band to maintain a raw, loose aesthetic and foundation-shaking low end that owes a much to the members’ punk and hardcore roots.
If we were to speak in metaphors, Restorations is like a menacing storm on the horizon, steadily rumbling across dusty plains and jagged mountains and enveloping everything in its path. Its impending arrival is a nail-biting experience and the anticipation is nearly as dramatic as the actual event, which in itself is a moving, white-knuckled affair. Pouring down dense sheets of cathartic sound, Restorations washes away the throngs of stale, unimaginative bands that pollute the once-inspired reservoirs of independent music and breathes new air into tired lungs.
Perhaps that’s why this Self-Titled effort speaks so loudly to us “over-the-hill” punk rockers. It’s not that Restorations is a band comprised of jaded old punks; it’s that some of us have been around long enough to hear (what feels like) everything music has to offer. Every once in a while we need a group to cleanse our palates and get us stoked on the scene again. For these ears – and I’m sure many of yours – Restorations is that band, and the term “grown-up punk” is not about leaving behind the fire of our youth but rather the exciting possibilities and new frontiers that years of experience can underline.
Here are some rainy day tunes for you to wash down that new Russian Circles release with. Austin Texas I will be in you soon! Im buying the plane ticket next week, stoked on that shit!
On a lighter note, all I have to say is Wolf Cola.
This season of Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia has been amazing thus far.
Amazing weather today. I have a five year old throw away cellphone so thats why there is no fancy Iphone shit on here. Im slacking. Won two games of B-I-K-E today which is always a good time.
I forgot I had this on my desktop. Super awesome photo of Mr.Rich killing it as usual.
Mark Gralla has always shredded, stoked to see him getting the credit he deserves for tirelessly searching out the concrete jungles of the East Coast for new interesting shit to ride. Cheers Mark! Photo stolen from Animal Bike Company.
Been blasting some sweet tunes and reading my book due to the awesome weather we are having. Total shitstorm outside at the moment. Enjoy.
