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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Toasted Berry is in town!
Since it's Halloween I figure I'd pull through with a treat. A brand new split section of Cameron Card, Nicholas Swan, and Erik Bill. It's some of our leftover footage from the filming of DAYSHAPES. Check it out after Cameron's interview! On top of that, An NDN Insight comes a day early.

An NDN Insight with Cameron Card!



1.) What does The NDN mean to you?

NDN is my motivation to blade. It's the idea that keeps me in love with rollerblading. Anyone involved with NDN really enjoys rolling around. It's a great idea and would look good on some clothes.

2.) I know you're always experimenting with flat/anti/tri-rocker set-ups. What are the ups and downs that you've noticed?

I LOVE the feel of flat when rolling around the streets. It's like ice skating on a different surface and that's where my roots lie with hockey. I also love to grind… My hands down favorite setup is anti-rocker with 2nd regime Plastiks. You can grind anything, stair ride, and roll on un-even surfaces. (a lot more controllable then other anti rockers) It's too bad they don't get produced anymore.

3.) Who are a few of your favorite bladers to watch right now and why?

Richie Eisler, Mathieu Ledoux, and really anyone that show's they really know how to rollerblade; rather then just grind. I like Richie and Mr. Ledoux because I believe they market them selves in a way that captures my attention the most. It's always refreshing to see an edit from either of them.

4.) It's awesome that your wife gets to travel/come skating with you sometimes. How does she feel about all of it?

She has priority over blading; but we went rollerblading on our honeymoon; she also knows I love to rollerblade. She has no problem wandering off somewhere while we blade, or helping film a second angle. I'm very lucky to have her, she's the best.



5.) Who are your sponsors and how did you end up riding for them?

Denial, and Kato at Remz hooks me up with blades. Remz has a whole story behind it…

I was just starting to blade after 9 months of not blading or even thinking I would ever blade again. I had just started back up and I was on the same pair of Valo's I wore when I hit my head. Valo's at the time were my favorite blade, I just had an eerie feeling, and knew I needed something new.
I went on a trip to AZ with some friends to visit the wonderful scene of AZ, and all it's resident bladers. We had a stop at Revolution near the beginning of the trip and I took a look at the huge wall of blades on the market at the time. I noticed some white OS1's on the shelf, these particular ones stuck out like a sore thumb. I tried them on and fell in love. Gretchen put me on the phone with Kato and he's been hooking me up since.

Denial because I really needed change and i've been homies with Killgore since ASA World Finals 2001.

6.) I know there's talk that you might like to live in Boise, what's up with that?!

It's a dream of living in a cheap, cool, artsy area with people that motivate me to blade. Who knows it could happen. I'm living in a house that's for sale, and I have nowhere to really go. We'll see what happens.



7.) Has your style of skating changed over the years? If so, how?

Yeah, I started blading in jeans that fit me. I then found other rollerbladers/movies, and was then influenced in my young years to wear Jinco jeans. It's not until my adult years (around 24) that I started wearing my normal hanging out attire when rollerblading. I was heavily influenced by rollerblading. I believe the style I was wearing has changed, but not the way I rollerblade. My style is based on my roots in ice hockey, and having a good park to learn at.

8.) What are 3 pieces of advice you can offer to younger bladers on the come-up?

You know I always have a hard time with this one. I like to say enjoy what your doing and don't let the ego get out of control. Stick to your roots and play your cards right.

9.) What are 3 things that you've learned through blading?

Filming/Editing/Distributing
How an industry works
How to travel the world

10.) Any hopes/plans for 2011?

I was thinking of trying to get on some flow teams and of course I'm going to continue to enjoy rollerblading while I can. (hopefully with insurance so I can finally blade to my full potential again)

Cameron Card / Nicholas Swan / Erik Bill from erik bill on Vimeo.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Siiiiick tat almost done!



TRIPLE-THREAT COMING SOON!

Also, this week's NDN Insight should be a good'n!

Keep an eye on the blog, Happy Halloween.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Been working on an edit that should be pretty sweet when it drops!

Erik Bailey is out in SF for the Valo4Life premiere.

Jay Whitmore is moving into the Vista Homestead...should be cool!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Corey Grubb shredding/progressing around Boise in his brand new online edit.

Corey Grubb from erik bill on Vimeo.

Monday, October 25, 2010

The vows have been read. Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Swan

Sunday, October 24, 2010

This week I hit up a younger NDN who's looking to come up in the blade-game. He's also got an online edit coming out reaaaal soon. Corey Grubb.


Corey and his pup, Franco.

1. What's it like coming up in the Boise scene?

It's the best! everyone here is all pretty close, i grew up skating in mountain home idaho with two homies from back in the day it kinda sucked. i always watched Erik Bill edits and videos before i went out for a session, shit got me juiced! long story short, i love it here and couldn't imagine living anywhere else!

2. What does The NDN mean to you?

The NDN to me is a group of really close homies who all have the same passion and love for skating, it's a lifestyle i guess you could say like a code of honor haha. it also means really fucking sweet content lol

3. Any hopes/plans for 2011?

i just plan to blade my ass off and hopefully come through with a section. I also plan to build my record collection up immensely

4. What spot do you consider your stompin' grounds? Why?

this is a pretty hard question, hmm probably microsoft just because i find myself skating there alot and dont really have any other spot that i go to on a regular basis

5. Who are a few of your favorite bladers to watch right now and why?

definitely john bolino, dude is sick and has the coolest style and a huge trick vocabulary but i prefer to watch everyone i skate with, my friends are the ones that influence me and push me to try new harder tricks, that kind of goes for question one too because the scene here is small but great we're all good friends


The ol' NDN guitar.

6. What are 3 of your favorite tricks at the time being?

1. Dead Makio
2. 270 inspin back unity
3. toe rolls are sick too.

7. What are 3 things that you've learned through blading?

1. how to fall for sure!
2. to have confidence in myself whether im trying a new trick or playing music for people, rollerblading pretty much shapes me into who i am today.
3. that real friends are hard to come by!

8. What are 5 things you couldn't live without?

1.blading
2.music
3.my friends
4.my family
5.a job obviously otherwise i would be one of those stinky crazy bums were always dodgin at rhodes

9. I know you just won a lil' bit of cash with your guitar/harmonica/singing talent. Who influences you most? bob dylan of course, i grew up listening to him with my pops! i've looked up to him since diapers

10. Top-played artist on your Zune HD?


Mr. Lif



Keep an eye out for Corey's online edit. It'll be up any day now!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Here's an edit of Phil wrecking shop on the Rhodes p-rail. Big ups to J-Hustle for the track!

Phil Davidson Vs. Rhodes Rail from erik bill on Vimeo.

For this week's NDN Insight I hit up a good pal of mine who's currently dwelling in America's Hat. Joe Taormina.



1. First and foremost: "All Along the Watchtower", Dylan or Hendrix? I know both versions have their perks...but I hope you have the same answer as I would.

I think you and I have had this conversation before, so I’m pretty sure you know the answer. Bob Dylan, hands down! For whatever reason I’ve never been that big of a Jimi Hendrix fan. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate his music and all, but when you hold him up to Bob Dylan, in my eyes there is no contest! In fact, I think I’ve only ever heard one Dylan cover that I really liked and it was an Italian hip-hop cover of “Like A Rolling Stone.”

2. What does The NDN mean to you?

The NDN is a group of good friends that have been drawn together in life by their love and passion for rollerblading. It’s a Western Idaho lifestyle. It’s a group to come home to. Most of all, The NDN is family and I miss them all.

3. How does the feel of blading in Vancouver differ from Boise?

Well, unfortunately blading in Vancouver has been pretty nonexistent for me. I’ve gone out a few times here and there, but it’s tough not knowing any skateable spots in the downtown area where I live. I rely on public transportation up here, so driving around and finding spots in my area is not an option either. I’ve made a few attempts to reach out to the scene here, but my attempts have been pretty lame what with school occupying most of my time. I skate to school every now and then, but it rains all the damn time and the sidewalks and driveways downtown are terrible. I miss blading a lot and wish I could get out more than I do.

4. Oregon, Canada, Idaho etc... Where do you consider 'home'?

Oregon most definitely, but Boise as well. I consider the whole Eastern Oregon/Boise area my home, but I am absolutely an Oregonian. I tend to get homesick very easily and when I do I find myself thinking about both Ontario and Boise as a whole. My family is in Ontario, but my friends are in Boise, so in my mind they go hand in hand.

5. Who are a few of your favorite bladers to watch right now and why?
My favorite bladers to watch at the moment are my friends. Anyone skating in an Erik Bill production. Besides the fact that everything showcased in an NDN film is so creative and inspiring, it really makes me feel closer to home.




6. Explain the key ingredients to your ideal session. Ya' know, paint me a picture.

Good friends to skate with and a mellow spot to skate. I’ve never been much of a huge hammer thrower and this is especially so as I’ve gotten older. I like a good, simple ledge or something unique that not a lot of people would think to skate.

7. What are 3 things that you've learned through blading?

I’ve left this as the last question because I’ve been racking my brain trying to come up with an answer for it. Truth is, I don’t think I can narrow it down to only three things. From when I began, who knows how many years ago, rollerblading has shaped my life in every aspect. It has and continues to influence the kind of music I listen to. It’s in big part responsible for the kinds of films I love. It has shaped my style and attitude towards life in general. It has always provided me with an outlet in which to release and vent anything I can’t get out by any other means. Most importantly, it has blessed me with some of the greatest and longest lasting friendships I will ever know.

8. What are 5 things you couldn't live without?

Family and friends. Music. Art and creation. Love. Inspiration. Yeah, I kind of cheated, deal with it.

9. Any hopes/plans for 2011?

I’ve got a lot of hopes for 2011. I’ve still got a lot of hopes for the last few months of 2010. A lot has happened this year and only time will tell what is yet to come. As for any plans for 2011, that I wish I could tell you. Hell, I wish someone could tell me! I have no idea what 2011 will bring. The only certainty is that I will graduate from the Acting for Film and Television program at the Vancouver Film School in April. Anything beyond that is something that is beyond me.

10. Joe Taormina in a nutshell.

An extremely passionate and wildly hopeless romantic, who’s nothing but a huge kid at heart. Yeah, I suppose that works…

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Time for some seriously serious computer work. Sending Bailey clips to Valo4Life (going to be sick). Organizing a whooole lot of Dayshapes clips from the past couple days. Naming/placing all the second angles that Cameron filmed this weekend. Tossing together a quick edit of Phil Davidson destroying the rhodes rail, timed to a nice J-Hustle track. And last but not least, compiling the entry for this week's NDN Insight! Stay tuned for some good shit. RIP Eyedea.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

The Bill & Bailey households are packed full of NDN's that are blading their asses off for Dayshapes.

Sick.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Peeps flying into town tomorrow. Peeps driving into town tomorrow.

We should be going to TNS at rhodes skatepark in the evening for a fun lil' session. Come out!

Should be a really productive weekend, hit us up.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

This week for An NDN Insight I hit up blader/photographer/ndn, Logun Mitchell.



Pictured: Al Borland...errr, wait...Logun Mitchell.

1.) What is Toasted Berry? How did it come about?

-Toasted Berry is my alias that most of my photos get credited towards. It actually came about through the brain-storming of Erik Bill and I. We were texting ideas back and forth one day and I think Toasted Berry just stuck out more than the rest.

2.) Who are some of your favorite bladers to go shooting with?

- You sir, Billstro. Most definitely. We always seem to find something super unique to blade, which makes it challenging and fun to shoot. Bailes is always a blast to go shooting with. He’s usually down to shoot something sick and he seems to lace his shit within the first few tries. I absolutely love taking photos of Cameron Card and Dan Dickerson. Those doods get it done. Most of the NDN peeps are a lot of fun to shoot with. The Boise NDN’s always seemed to always be stoked when they got a photo, which made it a lot of fun for me.

3.) I know you're back home in Pocatello for a while. How's that? Are you missing anything about Boise?

- Pocatello has been good. Peaceful. It’s nice to be back around my family. I miss Boise tremendously. Blading/hanging/gaming every day. Never a dull moment in the Vista household.

4.) I also know you love to haul ass and hold a grind on a nice long ledge. What's your favorite spot to do that?

- Haha. Yes. There’s so many good spots to choose from. I’d probably have to say the Rhodes angle iron ledge. That park is definitely home. Glory ledge is amazing (an OG Boise spot) I miss it a lot. I guess that could go under question #3. The Library curved ledge in SLC is a lot of fun too!

5.) What’s your top favorite custom plate you’ve ever seen?

- I do kind of have an odd obsession with custom license plates. I’m always keepin’ an eye out for them while I’m on the road. It’s way too hard to pick one, but I’d have to say N8TIVQT is probably one of my faves. Just because I live right on the out skirts of one of the shittiest indian reservations in North America. It makes it ten times funnier.



6.) You're the main NDN photographer. What's that like?

- It’s great. There’s nothing I love more than blading and shooting with all the NDN homies. I just wish I could do it more often. The 250 miles between Boise and I makes that a bit difficult.

7.) Any new ink? Any plans for some new ink?

- I’ve got quite a bit of new ink lately. I need to slow down. Haha. I never really plan out my tats. I get all my artwork done for free, so it’s like, I go into the shop to just kick it and hang out and end up walking out hours later with a fresh piece. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

8.) What are your 3 favorite meats? You stocked up currently?

- Fish, fish, and fish. I eat a lot of it and my freezer is absolutely stuffed with it. I’m sure I have mercury poisoning.

9.) Any advice to photographers just getting into the game?

- Just shoot as much as possible. Experiment with different styles and framing. You’ll learn something new every day.

10.) What are 5 things you couldn't live without?

-Real friends, family, cameras, music, and $$$$$$$$$$$

You can now post comments on the blog without signing into your googlewhatever or bloggerwhatnot. Even anonymously if you want to talk shit without us knowing how you are!

Either way...This week's NDN Insight will be up shortly.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

DAYSHAPES

Dayshapes Trailer #1 from erik bill on Vimeo.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Productive day yesterday.

Jay, E.Bailey, E.Bill & Dickerson went a couple towns over to skate some random finds.

E.Bailey grinded a droprail next to a river. That's sick. Would've been a chilly day for an accidental swim. Dan got some tricks, made his quick flight worthwhile.

As for today...today is the one-year mark from when Phil Davidson had his life-threatening fall.

Phil: Keep up the good work homie - you've made some solid moves since then and you're blading better than ever!

Now it's about time for some editing, blading, a Pigeon John show, and all other things that a good weekend brings.

Keep an eye out for An NDN Insight, every Monday!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Tyler Schmidt, Ty Acuff, and Erik Bill went out for a night-time blade mission.

Ty wanted to try a gap at a highly secured facility in Boise.

Laced the gap but after a nice clean roll-away he ended up smashing his face into a parked Civic (hahahah). The dude that I thought was going to kick us out blasted out of the doors saying "Why'd you hit my car!??!". Apparently he didn't notice the big old dent that Ty's head left above the back tire because he said it was coo and we bounced.

Oh, and Dan Dickerson is flying into town in the morning.

DAYSHAPES!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Monday. That means it's time for a new NDN INSIGHT.

This time around I hit up Mikey Petrack.

He pulled through with some hilarious shit, good read.



1. How do you pronounce your last name?

Haha, you say it like P-Track. I guess I should change it to that to make life easier for everyone, til’ then I’ll just go by Mikey P.

2. Are you drunk right now?

I hate to start off the next answer with another haha, but I totally knew this would be a question. And no unfortunately I quit drinking and smoking about a year ago due to a heavy influence of love and support from both my family and friends, as well as our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Just kidding, I’m kicking back a pitcher of Highland Scottish Ale with Stump right now as we speak, at the Gargling Gypsy watching Return of the Dragon. I’ll be there soon enough.

3. What do you do for a living out in NC?

I slang pizzas at Slice of Life late night. The only place where you can grab an amazing slice of pizza at 3 am, while at the same time getting the chance to watch a bum throw a hooker through a plate glass window. Shit gets rowdy. I got into an altercation the other night when some jackass with crossed lazy eyes came in the kitchen and told me to “quit eye balling him”. I couldn’t stop laughing.

4. What are some similarities and differences between the scene there and the scene here in Boise?

Well for starters you guys have a scene. The scene here in Wilmington is me, Stump aka Danny Coggers, and ChrisZachary.com . It’s kind of weird really, people look at us at the skatepark like we invented the sport or something. Everyone has no clue about what dudes are doing nowadays. I’m definitely jealous of you guys out there, I remember someone actually recognized me downtown from one of your videos. Here….. Not so much.

5. Who are a few of your favorite bladers to watch right now and why?

Let’s see, I’d say for NC itself Jon Cooley is the most underrated kid ever, Nike should be signing at 3.2 million dollar deal with a 1.5 signing bonus with him and his sweat pantz as we speak. Gumby is fucking insane and is one of the most entertaining dudes to watch today. You <3. And Stump because he skates like a last season line backer. I really don’t watch other people skate really; I’m usually stuck up my own ass. CJ Wellsmore is really sick too, same with Joey Chase.

6. What are 3 of your favorite grinds at the time being?

I don’t know really, maybe X-grinds and just awkward ass switch ups. I kind of just try to skate something that’s different. I’ve been pretty bored with doing numerous tricks on standard obstacles for awhile now. Bruce Lee.

7. What are 3 things that you've learned through blading?

Everything that life itself has to offer. The place I live, the friends I Have, how much drugs I can do, the stories I tell, are all in relation to skating. It’s taken me on quite a journey these past 10+ years. That and I can endure a lot of fucking pain.

8. What are 5 things you couldn't live without?

Skates, Music, Love, Art, and Cocaine. Just kidding about the blow, probably my dog Jackson Daniel and my kittens Sushi and Saki. Wait that’s 7, so I guess screw the cats (my girlfriend is going to punch me if she reads that). And I’d gladly trade in the Love for a motorcycle.

9. If someone offered to buy you 3 tattoo's right now, what would you get?

I was actually just telling my girl about how I’d get a sleeve of all the reasons why I hate stump with animations of him dying and getting fucked by a horse. So I guess that, and probably something gnar. Skulls and evil shit always seem to make me happy. I don’t want to say anything else and give people ideas. How about that mouse guy? I still need you to draw that out for my arm.

10. Mikey in a nutshell:

I shred on skates and I got hair on my nuts. That’s it. ( o Y o )

The NDN - NC Section from erik bill on Vimeo.