Listen

This one was a staple of the Point Loma backyard party scene when we were in high school. Do kids even have parties like that anymore?

Gone Too Far?

I'm just asking.

Rudderless 70s

Nuuwiha being trailed by his own fin.

Hot Photo #1

By maestro Grannis, of course. I love this shot.

Flat Duo Jets

Waaaay before the Black Keys we had the Flat Duo Jets. A raw live clip, and a classic snippet from IRS's The Cutting Edge. I miss that show.

Last Night

The Mar-Keys are what you get when you add on to the BTMGs quartet. I love how these guys all worked together, separately, as partial combos, etc. No matter how you slice it, it's history and a crucial part of American music.

Red Beans & Rice

Live. On a Steve Cropper kick again. Great intro if you speak Norwegian.

I Wish I Was a Catfish

Actually, if I could choose I'd rather be a dolphin, but it just wouldn't work the same here. Muddy and his Tele, Newport 1960.

Morning Session

Weird morning here in SD. Surfed north county until we were told to exit the water. The helicopter circled us for a while before we got out. It was kind of surreal to hear over a loudspeaker, "This is the lifeguard, there's been a fatal shark attack. Exit the water." There's going to be a lot of hype going down. Thoughts to the man's family.

Back en Acción

It's been a nice albeit busy hiatus from the SB1000. Nice to step back, get out of Dodge, and get some fresh perspective. So, what's been happening?



Been surfing the Andreini more than any of my other boards. Definitely appeals to my single-fin minimalist side, and it's a nice contrast to the big twin (which is one of the best boards I've ever had) and the others. I've ridden it from chest/head high to really little days and the versatility is there. But it really turns on in better surf. The cleanest fades are possible on this thing. I'll talk more about it later.



Had some nice down time with my girls. There's nothing like getting out of town and enjoying each other in different environments.



Been playing a lot of guitar too. It's been nice to bring music back to a more consistent place. I'm set to play drums with a few cats I recently met. We'll see how that all pans out.



Been building out the shop and it is coming along incredibly well. We have sourced sustainable/recycled materials throughout the entire space; from the floor, to the walls, to all of the cabinetry. And it all looks really tight. If anyone ever needs woodwork done in the San Diego area let me know and I'll refer our guy. He's legit.



Tea. Lots and lots of it. All day, every day. We are fiends, and crafting our exact list for the shop is actually a challenge, but so much fun.



And I became an uncle for the first time. Yep, Uncle JB. Audrey was born to my sister and her husband on 3.31.

That's it for now. Not super surf-related, but thanks for checking in.

Cheers.

Vacation

I'll be on vacation for a bit. Back in a month or so, but not gone forever. I'll be checking your blogs and posting comments here and there. I can still be reached via email at any time.

Take it easy.

jb

New Deck

Kinda dorky, but I'm stoked on this new deck I got for my birthday. I had this same board when I was 15 in a different colorway. I must confess I fell to the resurgence of old(er) guy skaters a couple of years back and got a deck, new 151s and a set of original NOS Santa Cruz Bullets. It has been fun! But that's been on a Mike Valelly reissue, and his model was just after my time. I mellowed on skating when I broke my finger and drums were more important to me at 17.

Anyway, we used to dig watching Steadham in the keyhole at Del Mar. Other skaters may have been more technical, but he had great flow. Check this recent video of him at Encinitas. 45 years old and still pretty damn tight. Nice railslide at :15.

Truth and Soul: The Podcast

Not only an insanely good label and online record shop, but absolutely one of the best podcasts for soul/funk heads. Check the site and it will take you right to the podcast. The featured show from the above image is by DJ L Michel and features some obscure latin soul/funk gems. I also have to recommend show #7 with El Michels Affair playing live Wu-Tang cuts with full band and the MCs. This band is connected to the whole Daptone, Budos Band, Antibalas, Mighty Imperials, etc. scene. A lot of the same players. Check the feel on drummer Homer Steinweiss in this little live snippet. So nice.

From the Stacks

Yeah, the B-52's have had their day. They're still out there playing, but I'm talking about 1978–1981 or so. This first album is so damn good! I'm not thinking Rock Lobster (which was endearingly quirky in 1979), but cuts like 52 Girls and 6060842! I broke this record out after not listening to it for years, and I forgot how good it was. For a combo out of Georgia in the late 70's they were tapping into the right stuff. Throw in the old keyboards, cheap guitars, and you got a signature foundation that worked very well with the vocals of Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson. Funny, when I first saw this as a 9 year-old kid the album cover kind of freaked me out in ways my early Kiss records never could. Not sure why. But New Wave Theater and the Dead Kennedys soon took care of that.

Have You Seen This?

If so, can you give me the rundown? I know it's been around for a while, but I haven't seen it. How is it? Worth getting? Seems like it has to be good; you can never get enough Greenough as far as I'm concerned. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.