Halloween

I carved this pumpkin today. We did it as "a family" (which meant my wife slept in and I had both my kids strapped down in their high chairs as I used sharp knives and somehow managed to keep them both entertained for 30 minutes). Carving definitely takes some patience and skills but I think this boy turned out alright.

And speaking of Halloween, someone asked me the other day about my back round pic on my Twitter page. The picture was taken on Halloween (2006) in the backyard of Cavotu rider, Wes Wee's house in Santa Barbara. The homey, Forrest and I were goofing with the skull makeup in between shots of Jameson and Silver Bullet chasers. That night we saw Devilock, a Misfits cover band who has been playing their annual show at the Velvet Jones for at least 10 years.

Mr. Cavotu and Mr. Panda back then...

Forrest took these photos today in San Diego. The skull makeup still goes strong four years later. That makeup is amazing, who knew it was going to be permanent.

The finger nails add a nice touch as well. Happy Halloween folks.

Be Calm

Last night my wife and I went to the Fonda theatre in Hollywood to see a little band called Fun. My expectations were rather high due to my love of the Format. Overall I was impressed with the performance. The audience straight killed it in the participation points. Even Nate, the lead singer said that this was the most clapping he had witnessed all tour. Way to go Los Angeles!

It feels good to see live music again. It also feels to good to follow through with things I say I am going to do. Hopefully both of these trends will continue.

Candyland

The wife and I spent the afternoon strolling around the Shore. No, not that one. I'm talking about 2nd street in Long Beach. Beautiful weather today, easily could of went with the shorts and sandals look but somehow I was rocking the denim. I can only pretend it gets cold around here but can't complain when the heat comes thru. My wife is always talking about this spot called Powell's so we wandered inside for a visual experience. Unfortunately I only had my iPhone so the quality of the images is rather weak but you get the idea.

This mouth spray product might be the answer to all my problems. The packaging said "In need of a faith lift? When you're ready to turn to God, we're there to show you the way."

Every time I see all these crazy sodas, I just want one sip of each one out of pure curiosity but could never consume an entire bottle.

I loved the band and the candy.

All we need is love.

Gene Wilder is an amazing actor. "So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it."-Willy Wonka

Tee of the Day

I found this shirt earlier today while I was checking out Busted Tees. These guys always keep me smiling with their clever humor. The shirt is called Analog Retirement. They could probably add this guy to the group too.

Boise Bound

There comes a time in most people's lives when they experience a BIG change. Many fear the idea of change because it shakes up their comfort levels. But on the other hand, change can provide great motivation. My friend/Cavotu family artist, Adrian will be leaving Vineland, New Jersey this week to explore life in a new part of the country. As Mr. Petty would say "the future is wide open."

Cavotuesday

The Walkman received its last rights. Sad news indeed. The cassette played a major role in my relationship with music as I was growing up. I had several cassette players over the years but this particular GE model is still alive and kicking. Now only if I could find some double A batteries around here.

The reality is that I never fully embraced the compact disc let alone the MP3. I hope the kids of the future will someday understand. Rest in peace mr. walkman. Gone but not forgotten.

Almost Famous

Cooper Wilt's shoe release party went down Saturday night at the new location of Sunken City Skates at 446 W 6th street in downtown San Pedro. The event also doubled as an art show for the super talented Eric Wollam of Almost skateboards.

The homey, Craig (Water Under the Bridge Records) brought down the house with the latest in dance/techno, total rave scene, kidding. The generous supply of booze and multiple kegs of Pyramid kept the thirsty kids very happy happy.

They even had a custom ice carving/shot luge of the Pedro shoe.

I wandered around to the front of the building to snap couple shots of the new digs. Unfortunately there isn't enough space to build a half pipe inside this time around but the walls are still freshly stocked with all your skateboarding needs.

The man of the hour and his lovely girlfriend, Angelica were all smiles. Thanks for the party guys. I can't wait to get my size 11's in the mail. Cheers.

Happy Birthday Speed

“Southern boys never die or give up, they just get busy gettn reborn”-Speed

Speed aka Scott Hall was an artist that I befriended in my early twenties. Our unique friendship began circa 1999 after I ordered a poster from his website. The poster was called Less Than Jake Fez Monkey. Back then I was a huge LTJ fan (I have seen them live in concert at least 15 times, always tons of energy). I always shared community space in apartments/houses during my SDSU days, my bedroom was the only place I felt comfortable decorating. I literally wallpapered entire walls with large graphics and album cover art that I had color copied from Kinko’s.

I eventually ordered more posters from Speed and we established an email friendship. Speed was always really stoked or really depressed. He mentioned that he had some mental issues but I didn’t know him on a personal level so I never knew what to make of it. Speed lived in Redondo Beach and we tried to meet up for coffee when I made my monthly visits from San Diego to San Pedro but never could coordinate our schedules.

In 2002, Speed moved to Hollywood and was crashing on people’s couches after a fire had burned down his pad in Redondo. Apparently his cat had knocked over a candle while Speed was sleeping. A majority of his personal possessions and artwork materials were lost in the fire. He set up a donation option on his website to help replace the items lost.

Speed invited me to the opening night of New Found Glory’s Sticks and Stones tour. I was a huge NFG fan at the time. Speed designed all the backdrop artwork for the tour so he promised VIP status and said that he ordered a limo to take us to the show. It sounded too good to be true.I arrived at Speed’s Hollywood apartment to find the door unlocked and all the lights turned off. We had never met in person so I was a little nervous going into the situation. Speed yelled from the darkness that he couldn’t get out of bed. He said he couldn’t go to the show and that he was sorry. I thought he was just kidding so I made myself a drink and sat down on the couch.

Moments later some dude came charging through the front door rambling nonsense and Speed yelled at him from the bedroom. The guy started going off about how he was waiting for a container being shipped from China but the Port of LA was closed due to the ILWU Lockout of 2002. I naturally offered a different point a view being that I was born into a pro union family/town. The conversation quickly turned heated and suddenly Speed emerged from the bedroom. He backed me up with pro union talk and made the guy leave. I was a bit confused and wondered what was going on, chaos. Speed quickly changed his mind about going to the show and he we took his truck to the House of Blues on Sunset. I never brought up the limo.

We grabbed our VIP wristbands and talked with Chad and Ian by their tour bus. They were really down to earth normal guys. We strolled inside the venue and bumped into LTJ at the bar; yes the whole band. LTJ were recording their Anthem record at a house in Malibu so they came out to support their fellow Floridian rockers. I felt pretty nervous talking with the guys at first. I told Vinny that I was a street team member for Fueled By Ramen (his former record label) and he was stoked so I felt pretty cool. Speed worked on several art projects with LTJ over the years. He didn’t speak with Chris because they brawled one time so it was a little awkward.

After the show we went backstage to hangout with the cool kids. Jordan was the only band member who drank so I asked him to take a shot with me at the bar. He wanted a chocolate cake shot and yeah he was serious. The night got a little foggy after that but I had a disposable camera so I captured part of the debauchery.

Our email chats were about weekly life experiences as well as future work opportunities. I was enrolled in several advertising and marketing courses so we often shared business ideas. Speed worked for Saatchi & Saatchi in the early part of his career so he understood how the game was played. Around this time, Speed started printing his art on tee shirts and Squaresville Clothing was born. The seeds of creating my own clothing line were planted but not fully actualized.

We agreed to meet up for the second time at the final show of the Sticks and Stones tour. I brought my friend, Dave along for the ride. Speed lived in a different part of Hollywood now and was neighbors with Beck. This vibe was completely positive when we entered the pad. Speed was super stoked to show Dave and I all his new concert posters and tee shirts. We saw the final draft of this poster before it was printed. Rad.

No limo and no car this time. We walked a couple blocks to the Palladium but barely arriving in time to see NFG. We watched most of the show up on the stage. Dave and I ran down into the pit for a couple anthems. The after party scene was rather foggy, Dave had to fill in quite a few parts but apparently I chatted with Travis Barker and made quite a drunken ass out of myself in front of everyone. Jack Daniels was never my friend. We ended up back at Speed’s pad and took turns ramming our heads into the coffee table with a motorcycle helmet. Madness indeed but sadly the last time we shared.

In 2003, Speed’s medical condition became worse and he moved back to his hometown in Florida to be with his family. I rarely heard from him after that. I would still send lengthy emails about what was going on in my life but he never responded. Somewhere in my mind I hoped that he was still reading even if he wasn’t replying.

In January 2004, I received a call from someone notifying Speed’s cell phone contacts that he had passed away. I was shocked and even more bummed that the call back number faded out with the reception. I never spoke with anyone to find out how he passed but from what I read it was said to be a natural death. My assumption is that it was an accidental overdose and hopefully not intentional.

I often wonder what our relationship would be like at this point in my life. Our friendship after all was pre college grad, pre Cavotu, pre wife, and pre kids. I can't even imagine the possibilities. Despite his battle with his disease, Speed was a cool guy. I am grateful for our memories. Today would have been his 40th birthday, which he shares with Tom Petty (60) who was also born in Gainesville, FL. Speed was always proud to share today with Mr. Petty. Rest in peace brother, today is your day to shine.

Side note: I am fortunate to own a majority of the concert posters that I included in the text above. Someday they will be framed and given a proper place in my future home.

Yeah Sweden Yeah

Throw-back tracks of the day. First off is Sweden's finest punk rockers, Millencolin. These dudes were on heavy rotation during the cassette mix tape days. Always upbeat and positive vibes.

And might as well throw in some Magnified Plaid aka MXPX for fun. Enjoy. Ok Saturday, I'm ready.

Thanks Lucas

I am in the process of getting stoked on music again. It sounds silly to say but it's true. Music has been very inspirational in shaping my life especially during my teens and early twenties. Unfortunately I have a million excuses as to why I no longer devote time to seeking out new artists but it is never too late to start making an effort. That being said, today's artist of the day is The Gamits. The band has been called the Brett Farve of punk rock because they can't seem to decide if retirement is permanent or not. Currently they back on the road promoting their new record. This video is just a demo but you get the idea. Listen and love.

Free Beer