November- rainy, cold, beautiful and nice. Time for another Aqua Shopping Nite/MIxer at Aqua on Haight!
This one features live music from SF's own Botticellis- peep this below.
They have played live in the store a couple of times now, and they sound amazing- and are all really nice people. So come by for some drinks, a little shopping (20% off all clothing and accessories during the sale) and some live music. That's Thursday November 13th from 6 till 9pm at Aqua on Haight Street. The Botticellis will go on around 7:30pm.
Paul Ferraris is a great local photographer and teaches photography and digital design at City Arts and Tech High School in the Excelsior. Paul and Matt Proehl are having an opening at John Collins Lounge this upcoming Saturday night, Nov 8th.
Paul, please tell us a little about the show.
So the show is myself, and my friend Matt Proehl. We have gone on a bunch of trips together, and our photography complements each other. John of John Collins Lounge asked Matt if we would be interested in putting a show together. Recently I’ve been going through all my negatives on the weekends- my original intention was to clean up and throw away slides and negatives that have been filling up my desk drawers and file cabinets, stuff I never intended to use- in this process I started to find some serious jewels that I began to scan and work on- and they came out to be some of my best work. Who would of thought!?! I had images that judging by the negative seemed not worth printing- but upon second inspection I’ve saved some gems- I was going to throw most of it out! Right after this Matt asked me if I would be interested in this show at John Collins so it just all worked out. I started working with this new paper from Germany that has a certain luster that gives the prints deep tones, which in a lot of ways looks better than the silver gelatin prints I usually make. Almost all these pictures are from Fuji ISO 1600 speed film, so they all have this grainy, strong contrasting look that give the images a moody look and feel. Because it is such high-speed film you can shoot it with a high aperture so everything is in focus.
What is the theme of the work? Where are they primarily shot?
The work is from all over - Africa, South Pacific, New Zealand, Santa Cruz, and couple Ocean Beach overviews.
About half the pictures are surfing related and about half are travel related. Some are a little “folksy”- like this one of a poodle in front of a doublewide trailer- Oh, and one of these pictures is from last year- an amazing place called Vanuatu in the South Pacific. There had not been any surf and my mother and father had ventured out to visit me. This one stormy morning my mother and I had been taking a walk by this spot I routinely checked, and it happened to be firing. I quickly snapped some shots and than sprinted to get my board. My mother got to watch me surf for the first time. “It’s pretty good out there?” She asked, even mom could tell how special and epic the waves were at that moment. Another picture reminded me of the first time I had ever seen elephants in the wild. I found this negative I had believed was all washed out- yet when I took the time to scan it, it was unbelievable! Three elephants and a baby facing each other at a watering hole, just a beautiful image.
So the show opens this Saturday night from 7 till closing and the show runs till Dec 8th. It is at John Collins Lounge which is 70 Natoma Street at 2nd. We’ll see you there! Visit Paul's site HERE
Recently I had a chance to sit down with Hagan Kelley and Joe James of SUPER surfboards and ask them some basic questions about what their SUPER surfboard brand is all about. Hagan’s mission statement on the Super site is a good way to introduce this log entry.-
“We came together and started SUPER BRAND as we wanted to develop our own company where we can directly influence the direction of the business all the way from the board designs, to the graphics and all the creative elements of the brand....most importantly all home grown in the US and Australia. We all bring something a little different to SUPER BRAND, but with the common desire of always having ripping boards and surfing sick waves. SUPER BRAND is our way of sharing with you what we love doing every day and what keeps us inspired and super happy. Come be a part of it and get SUPER BRANDED!”
The above summarizes the concept behind SUPER, but Hagan on a more personal note what got you motivated to start SUPER surfboards?- And how did you get such super (not to overuse the word) riders such as Clay Marzo, Dion Agius, Ry Craike, Kolohe Andino, and Tosh Townend involved?
Hagan- Growing up I always felt connected to particular skateboard teams, GIRL, Powell Peralta, etc. Teams with amazing riders and a certain cohesive graphic look and feel to the brand they rode for- you connect with the certain flavor of that crew- I wanted to capture that with surfing. We all had those skate boards as kids you treasured and the graphic imprinted upon your mind. With SUPER I first told my friend Mark Teperson about the idea. He was psyched on the idea and to make the investment (he’s the CEO). From there we just called the guys and asked ‘em to be part of the company, to be involved in the shapes, the graphics, and the overall direction of SUPER. Right from the beginning the guys brought a ton of ideas and influence. It all happened really naturally. SUPER is a rider-driven brand, and the team is excited about that.
Mr. Hagan Kelley board testing.
Mr. Clay Marzo "Try shralping...it's SUPER!"
Graphics for each team rider- how does this work- meaning how involved is each rider in picking out the graphics that represent them?
Hagan- All the guys are different. Clay had a really good idea of what he wanted on his board and what his graphic was trying to communicate, while Kolohe saw Gator’s old skate deck graphic and was really fired up on it and wanted something similar for his first graphic. So they are all different, in how involved they are with developing their graphic. All the riders are really creative guys- when you give them the freedom to do what they want to do. Again one of the main ideals of SUPER is to do what we feel, to be true to our place in the world of surfing.
For the graphics do you plan on working with established skateboard illustrators and designers?
Hagan- We would love to, and we have been getting good feedback from some illustrators whom having been doing skate graphics, that are excited to try something different like a graphic for a surfboard. I have a lot of designers that I am inspired by like Kill Pixie and Cody Hudson that I would love to eventually work with on SUPER.
Graphics aside the surf boards have to be top notch. Who are you working with to shape SUPER surfboards?
Hagan- Our team surfs very progressively, so we need to work with shapers that have a lot of experience that can shape the kind of templates that our riders need. I want SUPER to be a coalition of talent, meaning we will continue to work with new shapers, which will help keep the brand fresh. Currently, we work with J Koons in San Diego, CA, and Sparrow in Austrailia. These guys are great to work with and make very high performance boards. Both are very involved in the company, shapers like the riders have a lot of influence in what SUPER is all about. Both Sparrow and J Koons understand where surfing is going, if you watch Clay surf you notice he looks at waves differently, he is aiming above the lip. Our shapers relate to this style of surfing and know how to make the right templates for it. We are also working with other shapers that I cannot name just yet, that we are very excited about and whom will bring their design knowledge to SUPER and help keep the brand evolving. One of the things that makes SUPER so unique is our Shapers Collective. It gives our brand more creativity to have multiple shapers collaborating on our designs.
Ry "How high can you go?"
How do these SUPER team shapes translate to surf shops and getting the right combination of template and dimensions for the average “Joe the plumber” surfer?
Joe- Surfboards are a very specialized business- all our different rider templates, can be taken and customized so it is more taylor-made for your local type of wave with the correct dimensions for that surfer’s size and needs. Through the diversity of our team riders we pretty much have a template for everyone, and through the surfer-shaper relationship we can get the customer what they need.
Where are the boards made, and how do you watch the quality control to insure the boards are premium and consistent?
Joe- Premium boards, the best surfboards are made here- so that is where we make our surf boards. We work very directly with Pacific Glassing (formerly Mill Productions) in San Diego to insure our quality control is consistent. At SUPER we set our standards really high, so we do not want to rush anything out- no wine will be tasted before its time. We will be making great surf boards!
What else is currently going on with SUPER?
Hagan- We are working on the SUPER movie! We have already been to Sumba, and the Menatwais collecting some great footage for the film. This film takes inspiration from some of my favorite skate films, and will be influenced by all of us at SUPER making a film with a different mind set then most surf films.
Crew study the footage after the session--Indo
Thanks Joe and Hagan for the info- you can learn more about Super HERE
Long ago Halloween was a night of mystic significance. For Druids it marked the end of summer, which they celebrated with a festival for the Sun God Samhain. Celtic people believed it was a night of witches, a fearful night when ghosts and goblins were free to roam. Some of these beliefs came to America with immigrating families and formed the holiday that we now call Halloween- which we pretty much turned into another reason to party! So get into the carnival spirit!- Just be careful though, look at poor Ash in the spooky clip below. His hand has become possessed by Evil Dead spirits!
Don’t feel too bad for Ash- in the next scene he gets a cool chainsaw arm! Bless you Sam Raimi!
The theme for our Halloween windows this year is Alfred Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS! Oddly enough after watching it last night, my little Parrot has started to bite the crap out of my hands- when that little beak catches and punctures flesh- DAMN it hurts!
So imagine if you will, flocks of angry birds, attacking/pecking/screaming from every angle! This is what makes Hitchcock’s film so frightening! We do not think of common birds as a threat, but if they were aggressive and unpredictable?!!- Well just watch this scene where Ms Brenner finds her friend Dan dead in his bedroom-
Why do the birds attack? Tippi’s hairstyle? Revenge for all the birds we’ve killed as boys with BB guns? Your guess is as good as mine, and for me this is what makes the film so memorable.
For the window design I have a favorite Bird’s scene in mind- Where the main character Melanie is sitting outside the Bodega School House nervously smoking a cigarette while unannounced behind her, crows are silently collecting on the school yard jungle gym. Readying themselves for an ambush on humanity. So in the West window I am assembling a jungle gym prop out of some redwood lattice, and mounting a bunch of crows cut out of masonite atop it.
In the east window I have painted this canvas of mad erratic birds swarming around the schoolhouse. Then I added some simple head illustrations of Melanie and Dan atop our mannequins, and painted the logo of the man himself- the "Master of Suspense"- Alfred Hitchcock.
So HAPPY HALLOWEEN everybody, get out there and make some creative costumes.
The band Anberlin is touring to support their new release NEW SURRENDER and they are running a promotion where you can enter to win a $200 dollar gift certificate for Aqua. Just stop by either shop and fill out the entry at the front counters. Check Anberlin out at myspace.com/anberlin
Maybe everyone has already seen this, not sure- But it is a neat little story of some fishing buddies that use a surf board to paddle their bait out far enough past the breaking waves.
Todd Francis just came thru SF for a show of his work at 3131 Clement and we got to ask him some questions-
Element is one of our favorite brands- and they have “Da Man” as their art director- Todd Francis- Who is Todd Francis you ask?- Come on, Todd has been doodling out some of the most memorable deck Illustrations ever!!!- You know his graphic work
from brands such as Real, Antihero, Spitfire, etc. Todd has a show going on at our Buddy Yong-KI's gallery 3131, so let's ask Todd a few brief questions-
At DLX your graphics communicate your outrageous sense of humor. I see your decks up on our store walls and they get my cracking up. (Note the disgruntle series above.) It seems like almost every topic was fair game with Anti Hero- how do your art direction and themes change over at Element in order to communicate their brand and their market?
Todd- “I’ve had plenty of opportunity with Element over the years to do funny stuff, which I’ve tried to mix with more straightforward content and ideas to hopefully capture the balance that best represents the company’s philosophy and aesthetic. And while nobody is going to confuse Element and Antihero graphics, there are a lot more things in common than you’d initially think. Its all about having fun, something both companies do a pretty good job of capturing.”
A lot of the new Element decks feature wild animals. I like the art
And the design seems to remain consistent even though the drawing style changes drastically from very detailed to simple cartoon imagery.
Where are your influences and inspiration coming from for this new
series? What are you communicating to the viewer with this imagery?
Todd- “One of Element’s bread-and-butter themes has always been the wind/water/fire/earth concept, our ties to the natural world around us. A number of years ago, we latched onto the animal theme, and we’ve always tried our best to maintain that theme and expand upon it without getting boring. The challenge is to always come up with something new that’s both timely and interesting, so we attack it with different stylistic approaches and try and keep it lively.
We’re sticking with the proven classic themes that have always been tied heavily to Element, and bending them to make sense with today’s market, whatever the hell that means.”
Pigeons, pigeons, pigeons! Your design style changes a lot- So your
Pigeon illustrations for me- and I am sure others, are what I most
strongly associate or sign back to the illustrative style of Todd
Francis. Why are Pigeons such a recurring character in your work? I
mean you must have a place in your heart for these little
misunderstood guys. By the way those Limited edition Oakley shades
with the pigeons art were popular- It was crazy!
Todd, why pigeons?
Todd- “Yeah, I’ve clung to the pigeons ever since that first Antihero logo board way back when. Love the little scumbags, they’re funny as hell, and nothing better captures a city and its horrors than the decrepit condition of its pigeons. SF pigeons are particularly damaged, all puffy and diseased and oozing. For lack of nothing better, they’ve become my pirate’s parrot.
Glad you liked the Oakley shades, they were big fun to work on. Hard to beat a pigeon with a needle in his mouth, talk about high fashion.”
The show at 3130 seems to be a retrospective of your various
illustration work- What does this show mean to you- and what pieces
are you excited about displaying?
Todd- “Honestly, this show is an incredible honor for me. 3131 Clement does a really great job with everything they do, I’m still stunned they’d select me as their retarded poster boy for 2008. Seeing all the old Antihero decks alongside the original drawings will probably be nice for folks who dig Antihero, and I’ve got lots of Element, Stereo, Real and New Deal graphics in there. Been doing this for awhile now, and all these pieces alongside each other is solid proof of that.
Just as pleased to present a series of new paintings nobody has ever seen before, they’re an incredibly sensitive and thoughtful trio of paintings, with the series title “When Animals Rape.” Something tells me Oprah won’t be choosing these for her art picks of the week anytime soon. But Bin Laden might.”
So everyone- I'm sure you know- but here are the details. 3131 Clement shows by appointment only so call Yong-Ki at 415 987 2782 to arrange for a viewing of Todd’s work. Also Todd created a deck for the show as well. 50 numbered and with all 4 of logos selected from his glorious past within skateboarding (Anti-Hero, Real, Stereo, & Element), again call Mr. Yong-Ki and get one. You can learn more about Yong-Ki’s gallery here- http://www.equaldist.com/
The other day Betet came in to borrow a wetsuit to go surf in front of the shop. Who is Betet? Betet Merta is a really nice guy from Bali who just happens to be one of the select crew of Indonesian rippers- The Bali Boyz. Betet is super fast, smooth, and determined to pull above the lip gymnastic maneuvers- check the clip below from Surfline. We all end up going to surf the amazing waves in Indonesia, but it makes me really stoked when instead- you have an pro from Indonesia amped to surf our unpredictable, beloved Ocean Beach.
Ocean Beach can go from super crappy, to super epic- punchy, hollow surf, back to crappola in two hours. Have you had enough time out here to see Ocean Beach turn on and get good?
Betet-
"Yes, I surfed a couple of days out in Ocean Beach, the first day was kinda crappy but the second day I got good waves. But too much duck dive for me, I am freezing! Haha!”
What brings you to the Bay Area? How long are you around for?
Betet-
“I came to California for one month, I surfed in LA, Malibu, San Diego, and Santa Cruz. I came to San Francisco to visit my girlfriend she is from Petaluma, and hopefully to score some waves. I am heading home in less than a week but it has been super fun to be up here but it is different than Bali, such a fast life.“
How are Northern California surfers different that the surfers from the rest of the world you meet?
Betet-
“Well I met some locals here when I came to Ocean Beach the first day that were really cool, Charlie, Sam, Ben and Jake, all great local surfers. they were laid back like me, and took me to Mexican Food after we got out of water. We hung out for a couple of days and surfed good waves, and they let me stay with them and hang out. I heard the locals here can be territorial, but so far they have been hospitable.”
photo Steve Robertson
Back home in Bali, you are known as quite a host. Showing everyone your beautiful home and epic waves. Here in SF I love taking visiting friends around to show em why this city is so unique and amazing- but after about four days of playing tour guide, I’m over it and just want to hide out at home. Do you get tired of showing people around your home, and the constant migration of western surfers? Balinese are known for the constant generosity and friendliness, but I’m sure you need to hide out once in awhile. What do you to get away and re-energize?
Betet-
“I don't really ever get tired of showing people good waves in Bali and parties, everywhere in Kuta where I am from is so close. If I get tired of crazy Bali, I just take off to Sumbawa and go surf where it's quiet and relaxing. “
The Bali Boys are doing some of the most futuristic airs I have ever seen, and I think it was Rob Machado who said- “There now is two kinds of surfing- above the lip and below the lip. Do you find you are focusing on aerials- or mixing it up?
Betet-
“Right now I am definitely mixing it up, now surfing is getting crazy, many surfers can do airs. But airs are still my favorite.”
I have a lot of friends from the US that now live in Bali- many of them you know and work with. Are the Ex-Pats and the local Balinese becoming one big family of diverse friends? Or are there divisions and frustration?
Betet-
“A lot of pros and ex-Pats that come to Bali have respect for the locals; they know how to act around locals and treat everyone with kindness. Like Rob Machado, Bruce, Andy, and Taylor Steele, and Benji, they have been coming for a long time and we treat them like family. Not many divisions in the surf community, they know how to respect each other and the Balinese.”
Anything else you would like to mention?
Betet-
“Thanks for the respect from the locals, and I have had a great time in SF and Cali. I hope I see you soon in Bali!”
