Nostalgia: Dinosaur jr.

the soundtrack of my adolescence.
(the video for Just Like Heaven is so damn good)

The Great Outdoors: The Life & Times of Claude and Mary Tidd.

Claude Tidd. Born in England, 1886. Left for the Yukon at age 24. 20 years as a Royal Mountie. Married Mary Ryder in 1925. Avid outdoorsm
an, photographer
, musician, writer and film maker. Died in Dersingham, England, 1949. A frontier renaissance man. The real deal. To read more on Claude and Mary, click HERE. To view more of Claude's photos from his life in the Yukon, click HERE.

Johnny Cash, b. 2/26/32

Released today, Johnny's final American Recording, produced by Rick Rubin, America VI:Ain't No Grave.
HERE Rick talks about his work with Johnny and the final recording.
I had the pleasure of meeting Johnny on a number of occasions throughout my teenage years. He was a big man, in both stature and presence, with that deep drawl and booming laugh. It would take some time for me to fully appreciate having met the man in black all those years ago.

Moving Pictures: Rapha + Apolis Activism.

In late 2009, Shea Parton of Apolis Activism, Cole Maness of Rapha and videographer Dave Christenson took a trip to Kathmandu, Nepal to finalize the project that had brought them all together, the Transit Elite sweater. 70% merino wool, 30% cashmere, it is the marriage of the understated style of Rapha and Apolis Activism's continuously growing dedication to sustainable production methods on a global level. In their own words, "NEPAL BEING ONE OF THE WORLD’S CAPITALS FOR ADVENTURE CYCLING, THE STARS BEGAN TO ALIGN. LEADING US TO SEEK OUT RAPHA WITH OUR MERINO CASHMERE SOURCE, THE HAND KNIT STORY OF CITTA’S WOMEN CENTER AND THE CLASSIC HIMALAYAN TERRAIN. RAPHA WAS INTRIGUED WITH THE PROJECT AND AGREED TO HELP CURATE THE PERFECT REWARD AFTER A LONG RIDE – THE TRANSIT ELITE SWEATER."
This video gives a glimpse into what was surely a once in a lifetime experience. Well done fellas.

TRANSIT ELITE from Dave Christenson on Vimeo.

From Manchester to New York: The Rig Out, Issue 2.

Imported by Secret Forts, The Rig Out's second issue is even bigger and badder than the first.
There's a visit with a Secret Forts favorite, Daiki Suzuki. It's a good and essential read.
I have 25 copies I will personally be sending out. If you are interested in receiving a copy, while supplies last, email me at secretforts@gmail.com
(Please don't leave a comment here requesting one) with "Rig Out" as the subject. Include your address and I'll do the rest.
*A larger number are being made available as a bonus to all order over $30 online at Hickoree's. So if you're contemplating ordering that Trace Carrier belt or Hill-side handkerchief, now's the time.
A huge thanks to Steve Monaghan, Glenn Kitson and the rest of the Rig Out and Oi Polloi team for making it happen.

Happy V Day.

A day for lovers, hot tubs and spiced lamb shanks.

Into Right Now: Stanley & Sons Apron and Bag Co.

The Stanley & Sons Apron and Bag Supply Co. has been around for a while. Started by Stanley Grodzki way back when, it has now found a new life as a small, handmade, Brooklyn-based bag and apron outfit restarted by Stanley's grandson, Chris. Each bag and apron is made one at a time, bags primarily from repurposed dead stock vintage Army and Navy textiles. Aprons from handsome waxed canvas and hickory striped denim.
With rugged 12 oz. leather handles and straps, brass rivets, vintage buckles. Really handsome stuff.









CLICK OVER to have a look. Available at Luddite in Brooklyn and Save Khaki and Eleven in Manhattan.

R.I.P.: Brooklyn Banks.

Without a doubt, as iconic of a spot as any. I first visited the banks in '91, while in NY to visit some schools.
I remember being just totally overwhelmed by the entire experience. Washington Square, getting 40's from any corner bodega, being wild in the streets. But more so, to skate such a spot and with total rippers, and not be in Cali. Being there felt like a rite of passage.
Back then, felt like there was such a focus on the west coast, EMB being this Mecca(a pilgrimage I would make a few years later myself) for skateboarders and ground zero for what skating was moving towards.
But there have always been such rippers on this side of the country, having to make due and compete with the shitty streets, the weather, cabbies, over-zealous security guards, etc. SHUT, ZOO YORK, SUPREME...born from these streets. And too many skaters to name.
Brooklyn Banks will be under construction until 2014. Whether they will be skateable once construction ends remains to be seen. Among the clips below, Edison, New Jersey native Mike Vallely makes a last trip back to his old haunt and tells it like he remembers.

Six More Weeks.

The Aesthete: The Pursuit Aesthetic + Secret Forts.

It was a pleasure to be asked by Brennan over at The Pursuit Aesthetic to be apart of an ongoing project of his, aptly named, The Aesthete.
A while back, I had asked, in a similar fashion(no pun intended) a number of people to do something similar and in this way, it's always rad to see this type of thing continue, especially in such a fresh way. It's a great line-up of folks on Brennan's roster and provides something seemingly more representative of where things are now. What people, who have come to be regarded as knowing a little something,
are thinking and how much more now it feels, as opposed to, say, a certain current article in a certain magazine.
Really, we're all just trying to do something that feels authentic to ourselves, not necessarily chase this look of authenticity. Glancing around, at those I consider peers in some way and that I have tons of respect for, there are so many different voices and personalities, so many various angles and everything is always in flux and to me, that's what keep any of this interesting.
Click over to Pursuit Aesthetic and have a look at the rest of the series.