NE BLAHS
New York City musician David Sasscer is taking the Big Apple by storm with his Latin-tinged rock grooves. Sasscer grew up surfing the world-class breaks of Puerto Rico--later moving to NYC to further a career in music. He's since established himself as one of the most interesting, funky, and diverse artists (with songs sung in both English and Spanish) on the scene. Check out David and his band the Mojo Conga Jam at www.davidsasscer.com, and listen to streaming samples of his music. E-mail dave@savesasscer.com for upcoming shows and booking information.
Morgan
Douglas from CornerFive Surf Shop on Martha's
Vineyard let us know the store just launched a new website,
www.cornerfive.com, that features a full-service online
shop with original clothing, wave reports, forecasts,
pictures, links, and more. Check it out--and don't forget
to stop by the shop at 5 Water Street, Vineyard Haven,
MA.
5boro Skateboards in New York, NY--100-percent skater owned and operated--is proud to announce that Willy Akers officially joined the tight-knit squad as its newest am rider. Willy's promotion within the 5boro ranks has been a long time coming--especially with his strong 5th-place finish at the Tampa Am 2005. In addition to new recruit Willy, the 5boro Skateboards family includes Dan Pensyl, Charlie Wilkins, Pat Smith, Brandon Westgate, Joe Tookmanian, Danny Falla, Andy Pitts, creative director Mark Nardelli, team manager Tom "Tombo" Colabraro, and commander-in-chief Steve Rodriguez. Newport, RI, photographer Chris Parker's website, www.parkerpics.homestead.com, contains a captivating collection of Parker's artwork, surf, skate, and snowboard shots, landscapes, and much more--most of which is done around the Newport area and encompasses the local vibe with shots of 'Porters like Mike Sweeney and Sid Abruzzi.
One of this issue's Who Da Guys, Nico Manos, a Quiksilver/ Red Bull rider and one of Nova Scotia's prime surfers, recently completed a full bore westside road trip, from Vancouver to Mexico. We can only imagine how all that training in perfect points, consequential reefs, and nonstop Pacific juice will affect Nico's performance at the upcoming Red Bull Ice Break this spring. Stay tuned to www.redbullicebreak.com for updates. Long Beach, NY, ripper Michael Flammer and veteran rep Len Valenti established Maritime Surf Company, which offers a cutting-edge line of T-shirts, hats, fleece, and accessories geared toward the specific needs of the coldwater surfer. Maritime Surf also boasts a classic line of custom retro surfboards--including longboards, fishes, eggs, and tri-fins. For more deets, e-mail info@longbeachsurfcam.com. Cape Cod, MA's, Brandon Eardley keyed us into his killer band Roots Down Below--which is garnering a solid fanbase in the Northeast. Roots Down Below is Eardley, Dan Allen, Patrick Golarz, and Aaron Small--and the group has shared the stage with national artists such as The Seth Yacavone Band, Zox, and Entrain. Tremendous stage energy, a diverse musical bag, and contagious tunes make this group one to look for. Visit www.sonicbids.com and search for Roots Down Below's homepage. ESM sends gigantic shakas out to Central Florida wahine staple-turned-Hawaii ripper Brenda Fried for taking care of New England-born Associate Editor Mike "I surfed Ehukai--that's almost Pipe, right?" Fish, on his first North Shore pilgrimage. Brenda, who rides for O'Neill and T&C, kept Fish in tune with a stream of local knowledge, made sure he was fit for the Polynesian juice while teaching classes at Bikrim Yoga North Shore in Wailua (call 808-637-5700 for more), and even put the bloke up with a free place to stay in her idyllic Sunset Beach pad--while she embarked on a surf trip of her own to Tavarua, Fiji. Infinite thanks go out to Brenda for her unconditional hospitality and generosity--and we're sure Ms. Fried found the same kind of warm, tropical reception in many epic Cloudbreak tubes.
Surf artists Jon Conant and Karen DeMattio relocated to Green Hill, RI, and aim to plan a show with other local artists, either at their studio in Providence or another South County location. Interested individuals should contact them via their website, www.everlutionforms.com. Huge apologies go out to Eastern Surf Chief Photographer and former assistant photo editor of ESM, Donald "Crusty" Cresitello, for two major league mistakes last issue: in The Making Of The ESM Video Photo Feature, we screwed the pooch deep (front and back) by incorrectly blowing The Donster's photo bylines on both the spread photo of Northeast ripper/ musician Java Bailey barreled off his tukus at Long Beach, NY--and then drove the typo dagger of misery even deeper by doing the same thing to his magnificent Rockaway Beach, NY, empty barrel shot that graced our Out The Back page. We don't know what was worse for poor Crusty, watching his beloved Yankees get crushed by the Boston Red Sox or ESM's double whammy typo which gave the credit to joltin' Joe Coffey. Hopefully this do-over will alleviate some of the angst caused by those epic errors. Now, if we could only get a do-over for the bottom of the ninth-inning of the ALCS Game 4! Compiled by Mike Fish |
MA
BLAHS
Get
in the van! Psychokinetic Mid-Atlantic flyboy Jeff Myers,
along with fellow tech freaks Kyle Garson and Adam
Wickwire, joined the ESM/ Always Right film
crew--consisting of Publisher Tom "The Mayor" Dugan,
Editor Matt Pruett, and Ad Sales guy Brendan Carr--on
a Latin American video/ photo mission this January, where
Jeff and the boys got busy and copped more clips in
ten days than most guys could hope to get in a year, but Jeff
eventually had to ante up--getting a grisly eight stitches
in his big bunion after an unfortunate run-in with a clueless
gringo expat, which ended his trip early. Myers and
Pruett returned back East only to be welcomed by Virginia
Beach legend Wes Laine, who took the boys out for an
honorable night of ice-melting libations in Central Florida.
Get well soon... and that goes for all of you.
Uh
oh, look out DJ Struntz! There's a new photographer
in the target-rich Wrightsville Beach, NC, area who goes by
the name of Kenny Onufrock, and the newest ESM
contributor looks to have some real potential. Check out some
quality action and lifestyle pics on his remarkably tight
website, www.dpsurfer.com.
In
other New Hanover County blurbs, our favorite surfing shitkicker
Jimmy "Vegas" Mendillo--who's also Oakley's
Mid-Atlantic rep--scored a sizzling gig as the romantic surfer
lead in Kenny Chesney's newest video for the country
hit "Anything But Mine." To give it a peep, visit www.cmt.com,
and search the artists list for "Kenny Chesney." Jimmy
basically plays himself (i.e. surfer-guy-woos-hot-wahine-chick-scores-then-bails-on-her-at-the-end-of-the-summer-to-go-surf).
His handsome mug (along with his paws) and surfing skills
are both given plenty of screen time--the surf footage captured
in Oceanside, CA, by famed surf filmmaker Sonny Miller,
along with a few clips of Myrtle Beach, SC, thrown in for
good measure. We promise you'll get a hoot out of it.
Kaos
Surfboards, an underground surfboard company out of Media,
PA, serves the Philly surf/ skate/ snow scene with a killer
new factory/ showroom. Kaos is stoked to be assisted
by knowledgeable West Oz chargers Julian Groom and
Andy Quilty, and you can contact them by e-mailing
hang10@kaossurf.com.
In
other Pennsylvania surf shenanigans, Media, PA, amateur threat
Michael Ciaramella enjoyed an exciting, month-long
trip to Tortola this winter, catching reeling Cane Garden
Bay for 11 days straight. Michael's one of the
best 11-year-olds on the Right Coast, and he regularly cleans
house in ESA and NSSA comps. Remember his name,
tikes. It won't fade anytime soon.
In other WRV news, the boys want to welcome Michael Dunphy to the team, as well as Steve "Baby Bird" Owens, who finally flew back home to his original nest. Speaking
of Steve, the kid spent a bit of time in Costa Rica
with fellow VB terrors Macon Humphrey and new college
graduate Mike Schirmer following the Orlando Surf
Expo in January.
Congratulations to Mike Connolly, the Mid-Atlantic rep for DaKine and JS Surfboards, who according to friend Carl Wallin had his first little girl, Taryn Lynn Connolly. Mike's wife Jennifer, of course, did all the work while Mike played on his computer filling the area's many JS orders, an account he's killing it with, by the way. Budding Wrightsville Beach, NC, videographers Jerry Ricciotti and Nate Lee of 410 Media have been racking up the frequent flyer miles lately with trips to Puerto Rico and Hawaii filming for their debut East Coast video, Luggage. The film features an all-Eastern cast, including Mid-Atlantic madmen Matt Gilligan, Chris Curry, Rob Brown, Zach Thompson, Mark Yonkers, and Mike Gleason. News updates, photos, and previews can be viewed at www.fourtenmedia.com. As a bonus, Jerry and Nate plan on throwing ESM some clips for our own first-ever video release, Always Right. Stay tuned to these pages for developments.
In other Delmarva blahs, Big ups to the ESA-Maryland District for hosting the 2005 Frozen Surf Open on Saturday, February 5th to launch the month-long K-Coast On-Line Raffle at www.marylandesa.org and to join the worldwide tsunami relief effort. More than 40 surfers braved the extreme, borderline unrideable conditions to help raise money for the nonprofit group, SurfAid International. Gusting 20-25 mph, sideshore winds, overhead storm surf, uncontrollable currents, and frigid 37-degree water temps weren't enough to dissuade the hearty souls, who were eager to compete for cash prizes and trophies donated by local businesses. Click on www.marylandesa.org for the whole story. Virginia photographer Brian Maglietta just updated his website with a new photo gallery following a trip to Brazil. Check it out at www.killerbphotography.net and feel free to e-mail him with comments. Virginia Beach, VA-born Donaldson Miele announced that action sports entertainment distributor Darkhorse Inc., dba Omega Media Distribution, acquired all outstanding shares of stock of Billygoat Distribution Inc., and consolidated all companies to form Mutiny Media, Inc, where Miele will serve as President. Go to www.bgdsports.com for now, and expect many Mutiny Media releases to be reviewed in future installments of ESM's Peepshow department. Dawn Gray reported lots of new happenings with the crew at Lynn and Nancy Shell's classy Nags Head, NC, shop Outer Banks Boarding Company. First off, they have a new website up and running at www.outerbanksboarding.com. Surf team manager duties have gone to Jason Forrest, with Dennis Windle running the skim side when he's not touring with his band Four Learning. Check out a review of their demo in this issue's Eargasm (Page 44). And while we're on the subject, congratulations to Four Learning guitarist and Ambiguous teamrider Brent McCoy on his marriage to Kelly Sutton during a small Blue Ridge Mountains ceremony.
Hatteras
tube-dude Jason Andre is back from his missionary trip
to Eleuthera where he and Delaware-Maryland Christian Surfers
members Skip and Jackie Miller and Russell
Brownlee built a playground in Gregorytown, planned a
boating day with local kids, painted a church, played music
during the town festival with preschoolers, and of course,
surfed solid, empty waves--an awesome experience all the way
around!
Jesse
Hines, Brant Doyle, Damien Hobgood, Will
Tant, Noah Snyder, Billy Diggs, and Surfing
staff photographer DJ Struntz returned from a trip
to Panama in February only to be off again to tour Australia
with Nic McLean's Noah's Arc film and Steelroots.
One more thing about McLean, he recently wed singer/
songwriter Jesse Kelly. And all is as it should be
on the island.
Look
for some big things from extremely talented Jersey artist/
entrepreneur Todd DiCiurcio and his equally talented
partner-in-crime Meghan this coming year, including
a possible motion picture, a feature exhibition, more live
drawing shows, and maybe even another Powerhouse North vs.
South format surfing contest in August like last summer's
OC 125 Cup. Stay tuned to Eastern Surf
for further developments.
Nags
Head, NC's, Katie Coryell is the new Surf Diva
rep for the East Coast. Call her at 252-573-9172 to get dialed
in. Also, the company picked up crossboarding Wilmington,
NC, wahine Liza Dean.
Virginia
Beach has a new lensman popping up and snapping up the action
going down around the Oceanfront and Sandbridge lineups. Armed
with a Canon A2e and Fuji Superia 200 film, Mike Colombo
has a keen eye for exploring different angles, so you can
be sure to see more of his images in issues to come. Boom!
Compiled by Matt Pruett
|
SE BLAHS
Matix
Reloaded! Matix Clothing just signed 24-year-old
St. Augustine, FL, superfreak Gabe Kling to their
surf team. In his first full WQS campaign, Kling
moved up 24 spots to finish 88th in the 2004 year-end rankings.
Excellent acquisition, Matix! Meanwhile, Rip Curl
responded to the loss of Gabe the only way they knew
how--by grabbing equally deadly pro threat from Myrtle Beach,
SC, Mike Hoisington, who's now based in SoCal.
Another
blockbuster '05 sponsor switch came when Globe International
announced Brevard superstars CJ and Damien Hobgood
committed to a multiyear agreement with Globe as
their major sponsor for apparel, footwear, and accessories.
Much
like the fine wines so near and dear to his heart and palette,
Hunter "Fish" Joslin's world-renowned Indo Balance
Board Trainer company is aging quite nicely, thank you.
Indo Board scored a corker of a year after hitting
record-breaking gross sales for fiscal 2004, just days before
Christmas. Guess Joslin's been nice and not so naughty
for a change. ESM sends big congrats to the
inexhaustible "Mouth of the South" for a job well
done.
Two
exciting skimboarding events, as part of the Zap East
Coast Skim Tour, will hit the Southeast this spring.
The Ron Jon Easter Skim Fest (302-227-4011) in Cocoa
Beach, FL, on March 26th-27th, and the Mr. Surf's Pro/Am
(850-235-2702) in Panama City Beach, FL, on April 2nd-3rd.
With these quality comps, you'll be picking crushed seashells
out of your crack well into summer.
Girls4Sport
seeks qualified outside sales reps to cover the following
regions: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South Florida, West Florida,
and Texas. Find out what they're all about at www.girls4sport.com--or
send your resume to Kim Ruby at kim@girls4sport.com.
It's
a much shorter drive for many Longdoggers aficionados
in Brevard County with the opening of the popular eatery's
third location in Satellite Beach. Joining the Longdoggers
lineup, which includes the flagship restaurant on A1A in
Indialantic along with its second establishment on Post
Road in Melbourne near the Brevard Community College campus--the
new location is at 1201 South Patrick Drive (in the old
Roland's Automotive building). You'll immediately feel The
Dog's cozy-cool vibe there, as it boasts the signature
environment that caters to the area's well-populated waveriding
crew. Visit www.longdoggers.com for exact locations of all
three bistros, their hours, menu items, and general contact
info. Tell 'em ESM sent you... and beg them
to bring back the Guinness on tap!
Two
killer new websites launched out of North Florida, www.piermonkey.com
and www.missmonkey.com, serve the Ponce Inlet and
Daytona areas with quality surf info. Headed by Jamie
Smith and Jeff Henderson, both sites are free
and feature local reports, updated forecasts, and plenty
of hot pics. Plus, when creating your own free account,
you can customize buoy readings and monitor the site from
your cell phones and PDAs.
Hall
of Famer Claude Codgen no longer works out of Roy's
Surf Shop--but is now set up at T&C's in
Rockledge. You can get a look at his supremely shaped boards
online at www.sunshinesurfboards.com.
Congrats
to photographer and filmmaker Dave Genchi for his
2nd-place finish at the inaugural Steamboat Mountain
Film Festival at the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel.
A sucker for heli-snowboarding photography, Gench
works winters at The 'Boat--and anyone who's met
him knows his camera is never far from his eye. His winning
film, Boat Trip, gives the viewer a true glimpse
of what it's like to be a guide there--and dig into the
breathtaking terrain the west has to offer. As one of the
top three films, along with a nice award check, Gench
Boat Trip aired on a jumbo screen during the festival.
Quite a few hoots and hollers were heard during the viewing,
no doubt. Click on www.rightskool.com.
Inspired Surfboards' Drew Baggett is stoked to announce star rider Jeremy Creter now rocks Futures Fins, immediately test driving the accessories during a photo trip to Puerto Rico. Baggett went on to report the shaper cam is up and running at www.inspiredsurfboards.com, where you can watch your custom board being shaped. Inspired shapes are also now available at Sun Coast Surf Shop in Treasure Island, FL, and The Compound in Sarasota, FL. Be
on the lookout this April for Jim Barnes, who will
trek through a shop tour from Florida to Maine showing off
Legend products.
As
for real-life legends, Dick Catri stopped by our
offices this February to tell us he had procured ...Lost
and Lost Energy Drink as sponsors of the Lost
Easter Junior Pro in conjunction with this year's 41st
Annual Ron Jon Easter Surf Fest, held March 24th-28th
at Shepard Park and Cocoa Beach Pier. It's
an ASP-rated Junior Pro event with a $5000 purse.
Applications are available at www.aspnorthamerica.org.
Folly
Beach, SC, shredders Anthony Osment and Dawson
Bolus returned from a five-week excursion to Costa Rica,
reporting a plethora of shapely waves and a fun sojourn
to Ticoland overall. Osment also announced his decision
to remain another year with Azhiaziam International,
Oakley, and Sharp Eye Surfboards.
Doh! We printed the wrong e-mail address for Rich Price in his ad last issue (Vol.14, #102). For the record, Price's correct e-mail address is rpsurfdesigns@cfl.rr.com. Skip
Maxwell runs a killer new surf shop in Clearwater, FL,
named Double Barrel Surf & Skate. Stop by at
1867 Gulf-to-Bay Blvd. to "get in the double barrel" and
peep the latest shapes from top craftsman BAT and
Cannibal as well as full skate and skim departments
and apparel from RVCA, Etnies, Ambiguous,
Lucy Love, and Girl Star. You can also give
Double Barrel a buzz at 727-467-0169.
Melbourne
Beach, FL, native John Lynch's latest film, Change
The Subject, is scoring rave reviews. Lynch's
film company Lynchfilm recently partnered with good
friend Theo Bessin to form Four Corners Films,
before signing brothers Matt and Ryan Kleiner
from Vero Beach, FL, to edit and art direct it. Check out
www.lynchfilm.com to dig John's artistic flair, hear
an eclectically charged soundtrack, and watch the world's
most captivating riders in some of the planet's best waves.
Blue
Sky Surf Shop has a new website up and running at www.blueskysurfshop.com.
Click it, fool.
From
decked-out dune buggies to colorfully decorated boards,
surfing will become the center of attention at Daytona Beach,
FL's, Museum of Arts and Sciences, from April 9th-May
29th in an exhibit scheduled for Root Hall titled
Surfing USA. East Coast surfers will be a special
focus, according to guest curator Neil Harrington.
Harrington is also working with many well-known locals,
including Bernie Crouch, Jim Morris, Mike
O'Shaunessey, David Sokol, and Randy Richenberg.
Call Museum Communications Manager Bill Lazarus at
386-255-0285, ext.17 for more information.
St. Augustine, FL's, favorite lip-bangin' beauty Kristin Wilson relayed that the very talented land/ water surf photographer Nicole Grodesky had her work on display at Gallery 104 in San Clemente, CA, from February 18th-25th, with spectacular turnouts. We
stumbled upon a number of awestruck postings on www.gulfster.com
regarding Texas' great hope and former ESM
Who Da Guy Morgan Faulkner ripping the Port Aransas
Pier. Obviously, news of Morgan's elevated water
prowess comes as no surprise to us. Three words for y'all:
Meet the Faulkner. Compiled
by Mike Fish and Matt Pruett
|
|
Blah Blahs |