Tuesday, October 7, 2008

These STREETS of FIRE are burning again!

NATAS KAUPAS (Santa Monica Airlines, Santa Cruz, 101, Etnies) 80's SKATE LEGEND

Its time to talk about some skate stuff, I want to give thanks to another legend of the streets.. NATAS KAUPAS! This man was responsible for almost every trick I learned back in the day. I would study his moves in the videos, look at the magazines closely, whatever glimpse I could get of him,I would take it. This guy was unstoppable, a true street skating legend. This excerpt is from Transworld Skate Magazine Online and pretty much sums it all up rather nicely.

" The fire hydrant. That’s pretty much all I really need to say. Or maybe that and ollieing the cow at Ohio Skateout. Or maybe those two and the world’s first rail 50-50 down the extremely soft metal Westwood Federal Building ten-stair in ‘88. I mean, he railslid it the same day Mark Gonzales did in ‘86-the first legitimate handrail trick known to man. Johnee Kopp slammed, then Natas went back for the clean boardslide to fakie in Streets On Fire (’89). Frontside wallrides at Kenter? Only about five feet high. He kickflipped the 3rd Street gap in Santa Monica in ‘89-Vision and the rest of us still thought launch ramps were the ticket.


Maybe I’d mention all those and then just touch on the Jeep roll bar. Maybe I’d even mention the fact that he won the first pro contest he entered on a handmade board in Willamette, Oregon in the rain. Am I going too fast for you, young reader? Because I thought you might also like to know that Natas was the first dude ever to ollie up a picnic table in ‘88. He then unveiled the first frontside flip ever on a quarterpipe during a demo on the infamous ‘89 Cadillac tour. Legend? Are you kidding me? “God” would be a more appropriate description. With all due credit to the other big innovators (Mullen, Hawk, J. Thomas), very few approached their innovations as casually and spontaneously as Natas. Gonz, Dressen, Hosoi, Gator, Hensley, Duffy, Penny, and now PJ Ladd … there was something about the give-a-f-kness in the way they could invent a trick without even thinking about it beforehand, creating every trick in the book while riding to the store for a sixer.

Natas didn’t need to come back from his broken ankle in ‘91. He’d already done everything that could be done on a skateboard before you were born. And he’s pretty much done everything you can do off of one since. Captain, there ain’t no doubts … in your abilities."-Mackenzie Eisenhour

YOUTUBE LINK to NATAS KAUPAS "Streets Of Fire" session

THE FACTION feat.(Steve Caballero) San Jose California 1982-1985
Check out Bones Brigade and skate legend Steve Caballero's band The Faction, these guys created some awesome music back in the day, and if I am correct they might still be together or doing reunion shows or something.
www.myspace.com/thefactionband

The Faction "Tongue Like a Battering Ram" 80's Skatepunk!!!http://www.zshare.net/audio/201839353451c72b/




FOAMO - High Wycombe UK
Ok now onto the new stuff, I am sure many of you have heard the name FOAMO by now, this kid is making some killer trakcs and remixes at the moment. He was introduced to me by Felix Cartal, Felix spoke very highly of this guy, so I took a listen and was floored! New, exciting, fresh, check it out! www.myspace.com/foamo

FOAMO "Everything Cool" Wearhouse Music
http://www.zshare.net/audio/20184884f25dad70/




MYSTERY JETS (UK)

I have got one more group of UK lads for you, Mystery Jets, wasn't too fond of the first album. However, seems like ever since Erol Alkan http://www.erolalkan.co.uk/ got a hold of them, he has helpedthem refine thier sound and produce some better stuff, this is a song off the newest album, Twenty One. www.myspace.com/mysteryjets

MYSTERY JETS "HIDEAWAY" http://www.zshare.net/audio/20185302e9d791f9/





ALSO UPCOMING EVENT ALERT!!!

Wednesday October 22nd MSTRKRFT w/ Felix Cartal & Guests @ Warehouse Live
AFTRKRFT (mstrkrft) afterparty to follow w/ special guests @ Boondocks
wooooooo hoooooooooo!!!!!!!





There will be a new Wednesday night weekly starting up November 12th its going to be BIG, you will not want to miss this!!! REAL LIVE DANCE MUSIC IN A REAL LIVE DISCOTHEQUE,that doesnt suck or isnt douche-baggy..... just wait and ye shall see!!!www.myspace.com/boysandgirlsclub1415 for more information.











3 comments:

Unknown said...

The vert/park scene of the 80s was taken over by street skating almost entirely because of Matt Hensley's part in H-Street's Hokus Pokus. Skate videos like that and Thrasher were my sources for finding punk rock.

-Travis Ritterbms

Unknown said...

Here's what I am talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSh1HAi4BLg

the amplified bard said...

totally agree with travis. that's how i got to know most of the punk bands before i met eloy and them.

anyway, i love rodney mullen. he is fucking amazing! i even wrote a poem for him.