It's Sharpie time! Get ready to get inked by the Altamont team on Saturday, July 11, 2009 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Val Surf, 169 West Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, California. Don't miss the special deals on Altamont products at Val Surf Pasadena on July 11, 2009 only.

Natey Fresh got some serious Altamont love! Check it out over on his blog. Thanks heaps for the props, Natey!

Get a load of this sweet Altamont "A" logo tat spotted on Go Skateboarding Day in Kansas City, Missouri by Rob Brink.

Time: The mid-1970s. Place: The Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. On the downside, it was a scum and grit-encrusted, crime-splattered no-man’s land full of bums, drug dealers, petty thieves, pimps, prostitutes, thugs and other assorted, felonious flotsam. On the upside, huge, empty lofts were up for rent at bargain basement prices, pizza was 50 cents a slice and musicians and artists from all over were flocking to this murky mecca to participate in a myriad of spontaneous performance art and contemporary art shows, music concerts, underground film and video screenings and other assorted happenings.

By this time, the idealism of the 1960s had been brutally battered, as it quickly licked its wounds and floated off into a grey haze. Although a reactionary movement, punk rock, was on the rise, the public at large was unaware of a parallel, even more visceral, vital movement that, at its genesis, had no name. In short order, it was bitch-slapped with the moniker no wave. The most well-known no wave bands— James Chance and the Contortions, DNA, Mars and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks—got corralled by Brian Eno into a studio to record their shrill, slashing, grating, anti-rock for a genre-defining compilation called No New York.

Aside from gig flyers, photos, articles in the New York Rocker and other random tidbits, No New York was the only official document of this impromptu anti-everything scene. Other important players like Rhys Chatham of the band the Gynecologists and performance space the Kitchen, and Glenn Branca of the Theoretical Girls, went on to form massive guitar armies who played deafening minimal symphonies in alternate tunings. In turn, they—along with the no wave bands—gave birth to Sonic Youth, who took that sound, put their own spin on it, and delivered it to the masses in the decades to come.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore and longtime music writer Byron Coley (Forced Exposure, Spin, Arthur) would publish a book on this scene that they witnessed firsthand, and that inspired them so much. No Wave--subtitled Post Punk. Underground. New York. 1976-1980.--covers the half-decade-long era largely through Thurston and Byron’s super detailed story, which is peppered with lengthy comments from dozens of people who were there, the most prominent being Teenage Jesus’ own Lydia Lunch, who, in addition, penned an insanely clever, incendiary introduction. Sample quote: “The anti-everything of no wave was a collective caterwaul that defied categorization, defiled the audience, despised convention, shit in the face of history and then split.”—Lydia Lunch

The rest of the story is told through large, gorgeous, black and white photos and gig flyers encased in stark, elegant graphic design that perfectly compliments the subject matter. A no wave family tree, plus a list of bands, people, places and venues wraps it all up.

Timeframe: Post-Altamont.

Public Impact: Although the brightly burning no wave scene was brief, its legacy went on to inspire a whole generation of noise rockers and transgressive visual artists and filmmakers. Overall, this book is one of the best and most beautiful examples of scene documentation I’ve ever held, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a very tasty slice of the musical history of Manhattan, before it turned into a mall.

More: Amazon (No New York), Amazon (No Wave), Hyper Real, New York No Wave Photo Archive, Wikipedia

Look for Altamont contributor Sammy Baca in the fat-ass 12-page "A Pirate's Life" article in the July 2009 issue of Thrasher. Covering a Converse trip to the Canary Islands, it's chock-full of swashbuckling photos of Sammy and the rest of the 'verse crew.

Check out the coverage that's piling up for Altamont's No Age and The Goat show at the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver on Saturday, June 20, 2009. Keep checking back in this same news item for more. Post links to your photos and videos in the comments below and we'll add them to this list.

Altamont
Color
Facebook Garret Louie
Lindsay's Diet
Underworld
YouTube SPHeavens 1
YouTube SPHeavens 2
Timebomb

Also, definitely don't miss all of Emerica's Wild in the Streets 2009 Coverage.

Ashbury eyewear just announced the addition of Theotis Beasley to their team. He joins fellow Altamont contributors Bryan Herman and Garrett Hill; plus Lizard King, Billy Marks and Adam Alfaro. Congratulations.

On Saturday, June 20, 2009, a huge crowd of several hundred alcohol-soaked animals packed the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver to get their ears punched in the face by The Goat and No Age. As smoke from a machine filled the air, and the sweat and the beer flowed, all eardrums began to beat and ring to the scathing, punishing sound of real, raw, rock 'n' roll. Luh dat shit, indeed!

First up is an Emerica team signing on Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at Underworld, 860 Granville Street, Vancouver followed by a session at LeeSide right after.

Then The Goat play a show with No Age that same evening at 10:00 p.m. at the Biltmore Cabaret, 395 Kingsway, Vancouver.

The next day, June 21 at 1:00 p.m., join everyone for Emerica's Wild in the Streets 2009 at Vancouver's Downtown Plaza.

Enjoy a little photo gallery handpicked especially for our site by Altamont contributor Boogie. Check out his Altamont collection at that link you just passed, and view many more of his beautifully stark photos over on his site.

Congratulations to Dominick L. of Maywood, New Jersey for winnning the Win the No Age Collection! contest, courtesy of Altamont and Sub Pop!

Dominick received all of the following free prizes:

No Age Hisham t-shirt (Altamont)
No Age Matthew t-shirt (Altamont)
No Age Sam t-shirt (Altamont)
No Age Tour t-shirt (Altamont)
Spring 2009 catalog with the No Age 10" vinyl record (Altamont)
No Age Nouns CD (Sub Pop)
No Age Eraser 7” (Sub Pop)
No Age Teen Creeps 7” (Sub Pop)
No Age tour poster (Sub Pop)
Altamont + No Age + The Goat tour poster (Altamont)

The seven runners-up--Zach O. of Lodi, California; Nick J. of Los Angeles, California; Nico D. of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Thao T. of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Ron F. of Costa Mesa, California; Nick B. of Montclair, New Jersey; and Christopher T. of Seattle, Washington--each received:

No Age t-shirt of Altamont's choice (Altamont)
No Age Nouns CD (Sub Pop)
No Age Eraser 7” (Sub Pop)
No Age Teen Creeps 7” (Sub Pop)
No Age tour poster (Sub Pop)

Thanks to everyone who entered.

I'm from Chicopee, Massachusetts, a decent-sized city with a whole lot of diversity. I've been wearing only Altamont Apparel since the beginning of my freshman year (I'm going to be a junior in a few months).

Altamont is the most comfortable clothing I have ever worn. Currently, I own at least 20 Altamont t-shirts, and had 10 of your pants. The fit and feel is incredible. I just went to Theory (my local skate shop) yesterday and bought The Goat and the Occasional Others t-shirt, the Camoflage t shirt, and four stickers.

You have inspired me to begin my own company. It's called Alias Apparel. We have a few designs, and we're working on more. Alias will never come close in comparison to Altamont, and that's fine. I'm just glad to be doing what I love, skating and making clothes.

I just wanted to send you this email and say thank you for all of the inspiration. I appreciate it, and as long as you keep making the best fitting clothes in the world, I will continue to buy them.

--Nick B.
Chicopee, Massachusetts.

Nick,

--Altamont Help Desk

Oh wow, man. Did you hear the news? The Altamont Hippie Collection is up for grabs. Groovy! Just enter your contact info on the contest page for a chance to win the Acid Rock, Fillmore, Hippy Chick and Livin’ On t-shirts, a Friendship belt and a pair of Altamont denim of your choice. Hurry, though, cuz this hippie will get a haircut, a job and magically transform into a yuppie on July 10, 2009. Far out!

Get a load of this lengthy video interview with Altamont contributor Justin Figueroa conducted by none other than Active's own Erica Yary.

Debacle is an all-am, all-high def video production by Nike SB featuring Altamont contributor Theotis Beasley going buck wild, as well as a short list of past and present Altamont flow riders like Justin Brock, Daryl Angel, and Shane O'Neill, in addition to David Clark and Grant Taylor.

View the Debacle trailer and get all the info for the U.S. premiere tour dates and locations through June 19 featuring Theotis and the team. And in case you can't make it out to any of the premieres listed, check back on June 24 to watch the full video premiere online.

Until then, enjoy a sweet little interview with Theotis about skating in China, getting sponsored by The Boss, turning 18, G-code and much more over at Skateboarder.

Attention, all you Pacific Northwest heads! Experience Altamont contributors No Age and The Goat live on Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 10:00 p.m. at the Biltmore Cabaret, 395 Kingsway in Vancouver, Canada. Don't miss the Emerica team signing earlier that same day at 2:00 p.m. at Underworld, 860 Granville Street, Vancouver. And get ready to rage some more with the Emerica team at Wild in the Streets the very next day, June 21. Meet at Downtown Plaza in Vancouver at 1:00 p.m. Rain location: Leeside.

Well, well! Look who's moving up in the world! No longer confined exclusively to MySpace, The Goat just erected their very own Facebook page. Ha-ha. Luh dat shit! Time to celebrate! Peel off your clothes and get buck! Shake Junt, son!

Holiday 2009 Altamont contributor Eriberto Oriol will be showing his work this month in three photo exhibits and you're invited!

First up, the Folk Tree has selected one of Eriberto's photos called "First Love" (shown above) as part of the cover for their invitation to a group photo show called Retratos y Recuerdos. Featuring the images of Eriberto and many others, it runs through July 3, 2009 at The Marengo Collection, 494 S. Marengo Avenue, Pasadena, California.

Next, Crewest's The Legendary Belmont Tunnel exhibit, a tribute to the birthplace of Los Angeles graffiti art, features the work of Eriberto and many others through June 27, 2009 at Crewest Gallery, 110 Winston Street, Los Angeles, California.

The third exhibit, another big, self portrait-themed group show called Installation Five, is traveling the United States as we speak. It's currently at Anno Domini in San Jose, California through June 20, 2009; followed by T&P Fine Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from July 3 through July 25, 2009; Igloo in Portland, Oregon from August 6 through August 28, 2009; and Scion Installation L.A. in Los Angeles, California starting on September 12, 2009.

Big-ups to Father Damian / Pink Eye of Fucked Up, who donned some sweet Altamont Apparel last week at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. Primavera is one of the premier music fests in Europe, showcasing some of the best in newer music and drawing enormous crowds every Spring.

Head over to the Vans site right now and vote for Altamont contributors Tim Kerr or Neck Face's Off the Wall logo!

Mika Miko

Andrew Reynolds

Kenny Hoyle

Theotis Beasley

Sammy Baca

Check out the brand-new Altamont Fall 2009 Collection, featuring:

Off Bowery Productions

Off Bowery Productions is an expression of Aaron Bondaroff¹s Community. Is it an artists' collective? Is it a music label or film production company? Is it a clothing label? No, OBP is simple: Get to the weapons, and use them any way you can. We know you won't break the rules, because there aren't any. But remember where you are: This is New York City, and death is listening, and will take the first man that screams.

Aaron Bondaroff¹s Community

A lone warrior searching for his destiny...

A tribe of lost children waiting for a hero...

In a world battling to survive, they face mediocrity and inauthenticity determined to rule. Hold out for A-Ron. This is his greatest adventure. Welcome to Aaron Bondaroff's Community. Like us, they are trying to put the fragments of truth together in the right order, taking all the damaged parts and using them to make an undamaged whole.

Aaron Bondaroff

Aaron Bondaroff is 31, part Puerto Rican, part Jewish, Brooklyn-born and a high-school dropout. His life weaves through the most elusive subcultures of lower Manhattan. A-Ron, as he is also known, is one of those individuals who embody a community. He's not a designer, nor an artist, nor a photographer. A-Ron is something more. He's a scene builder and an impresario working to create something bigger, like the cultural noise made by the Beats in the 1950s or Andy Warhol's Factory in the 1960s or the bands and fans that clustered around CBGB in the 1970's. Being a key member of the '90s era Supreme store posse, he knows a little something about the rebel underground. Welcome to Aaron Bondaroff¹s Community.

Altamont concert, December 6, 1969. Photo by Bill Owens.

Bill Owens

Bill Owens (born 1938) is a world-renowned artist and photographer known for his 1972 classic photo documentary, Suburbia. Bill is now making digital movies and has a few more books up his sleeve. He is a father, a brewer, a gardener, and founder of the American Distilling Institute. For 17 years, he published America Brewer Magazine. His favorite toy is his Daisy BB gun and he recently spent three months driving across the USA to photograph the New Suburbia. In 1969, Bill was on hand to document the concert at Altamont Speedway that would come to symbolize a turning point in youth culture. The Bill Owens for Altamont collection is comprised of some of those photos.

Altamont concert, December 6, 1969. Photo by Bill Owens.

Also, don't miss the loads of other brand-new denim, hats, hoods, jackets, knits, pants, shorts, sweaters, t-shirts and wovens in the Altamont Fall 2009 Collection! Choose your favorites right now and buy 'em down at your favorite local stockist.

All photos (except Naked Guy) enlarge.

Altamont flow rider Tyshaun Johnson gets featured in a Thunder on Radar segment.

Sir Richard Bishop & His Freak of Araby Ensemble.

Huntington Park, California
Saturday, May 30, 2009

This show was originally supposed to go down at some place called Gilbert’s, which I’ve never heard of in my life. Even Google Maps couldn’t find it, and neither could I after an hour or two of driving around in circles. I’m convinced it doesn’t exist. Luckily, a gigantic carnivorous insect landed on my shoulder and whispered into my ear a rumor that the show got moved at the last minute to the Escarpment--a rad, raw office / warehouse set-up in Huntington Park. By the time I got there, a good-sized crowd of at least 200 teens and 20-somethings had gathered. Earthless had just finished, which was a bummer, because I’ve always wanted to catch one of their sets.

Wolf Eyes.

A few minutes later, Sir Richard Bishop & His Freak of Araby Ensemble took to the stage. After numerous solo acoustic guitar tours over the past several years, Richard embarked on this, his first tour with a full band after the demise of the Sun City Girls, and it’s great to see him show off his highly skilled, intricate fretwork in an all-electric setting. The band, which consisted of guitar, bass, drum kit and a hand percussionist, offered up a short but sweet set that recalled the most melodic, perky, Middle Eastern-singed Sun City Girls instrumentals.

A big-ass crowd of smokers.

The second half of the show was dedicated to a legit, non-stop noise fest for the kids. Complete with a coonskin cap, a double sax machine, snarling vocals and electronics, Wolf Eyes fed the feedback-hungry crowd a deafening, hour-long, abstract electronic tonic. Black Dice followed suit with more of the same with the addition of an electric guitar and a psychedelic film that battered every pair of eyes in the house with 6.8 billion images per moment. That’s one image for every person alive on the Earth every second.

Black Dice.

Saturday Night Fever.

The most amazing part of Black Dice’s set came near the end when a random girl behind the crowd started dancing to the tune of the electronic maelstrom, wildly flailing around and falling down in the process. The only bummer about this place was that they sold alcohol out of a back room. I would have been more stoked on a vegetarian burrito. Anyway, this show was a rousing success. P.S. I was really stoked on all of the old, rusty steel fences out back, some sections of which looked kind of like sculptures.

Check out these mp3s of the Rolling Stones playing live at the Altamont Free Concert in Livermore, California on December 6, 1969. Billed as the "Woodstock of the West," and marred by violence incited by the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, it turned out to be "one of the largest rock disasters ever." Although the sound is super lo-fi and the bass and drums are barely audible, there's some nice banter and crowd sounds from this historic event--including a couple of songs that get interrupted by all of the chaos. When you're done listening, watch Gimme Shelter and contemplate the end of one era of youth culture--the idealistic 1960s--and the beginning of another, more realistic one.

North County Invitational is an art show featuring the work of Jo Jackson, Andy Jenkins, Chris Johanson, Jason Lee, Chris Pastras, Clint Peterson, Russ Pope, Roger Seliner and Tobin Yelland opening on Friday, June 5, 2009 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at Cal's Pharmacy, 11 NE Hancock Street in Portland, Oregon.

Win a chance to hang out with No Age for every $25 you spend on Altamont Apparel at Anti-Social at 2337 Main Street, Underworld at 860 Granville Street or The Boardroom at 1745 West 4th Street--all in Vancouver, Canada. The drawing will be held on June 19, 2009. You must be 19 or older to enter.

Tune in to Altamont contributor Brian Hansen as he manhandles the tip-top of a giant satellite dish on the cover of The Skateboard Mag issue number 64. Perfect reception.

The man on the right, wearing an Altamont The Goat t-shirt, is none other than Animal Collective's own Panda Bear (also known as Noah Lennox). Noah's solo record, Person Pitch, was the best record to come out in 2007. Says who? A large, flightless bird with an IQ of 300 that just landed on my shoulder. The Altamont plague is spreading...

Fall 2009 Altamont contributors Mika Miko recommend their favorite bands, including The Goat, and other junk over at Dazed Digital.

Yep, that’s right! Here’s your chance to clad yourself from head to ankle in Altamont Apparel for free! Enter for a chance to win over at +1 Magazine. The contest closes on July 10, 2009.

Hey, you with nothing to do but stare into your computer screen. It's about high time you got involved with a lil' hocus pocus fokus featuring Altamont contributors No Age over at the Glob. What in the hell does that mean? Well, there's no other way to explain it than to say it's a funny-ass pair of interviews with Dean Spunt and Randy Randall, so go read 'em and weep tears of joy.

Altamont Fall 2009 contributors Mika Miko have been busy as a housefly lately, and you can be, too! Download a free song at Pitchfork, buy their new album, We Be Xuxa, read their blog, and go see them on tour in the United Kingdom now through May 26, and all around the United States and Canada from June 2 through July 29.

May 16, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Black Lips, Gringo Star at the Drowned in Sound Festival, Sheffield, England

May 17, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Black Lips, Gringo Star at The Globe, Cardiff, England

May 20, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Black Lips, Gringo Star, Times New Viking at TJS, Leeds, England

May 21, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Black Lips, Barfly at the Liverpool Sound City Festival, Liverpool, England

May 22, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Black Lips, Gringo Star at Crawdaddy, Dublin, Ireland

May 23, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Black Lips, Gringo Star at Oran Mor, Glasgow, Scotland

May 24, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Black Lips, Gringo Star at Academy 3, Manchester, England

May 25, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Lady Fortune at the Masonic Arms, Shrewsbury, Midlands, England

May 26, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Black Lips, Gringo Star at Electric Ballroom, London, England

June 2, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Trunkspace, Phoenix, Arizona

June 3, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Cirq Gallery, Albuquerque, New Mexico

June 4, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Bash Riprock’s Lubbock, Texas

***Beginning of tour with the Strange Boys***

June 5, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Rubber Gloves, Denton, Texas

June 6, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Red 7, Austin, Texas

June 7, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Mango's, Houston, Texas

June 8, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Saturn Bar, New Orleans, Louisiana

June 9, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, Georgia

June 10, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Square One, Greensboro, North Carolina

June 11, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Comet Pizza, Washington DC

June 12, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Talking Head, Baltimore, Maryland

June 13, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
The Market Hotel, Brooklyn, New York

June 14, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
The Cake Shop (21+), New York, New York

June 15, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Danger Danger, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

June 16, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Ralph’s Diner (21+), Worcester, Massachusetts

June 17, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
La Sala Rossa (19+), Montreal, Quebec

June 18, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Casbah (19+), Hamilton, Ontario

June 19, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Sneaky Dee’s, Toronto, Ontario

June 20, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Cafe Bourbon Street, Columbus, Ohio

June 22, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Beat Kitchen, Chicago, Illinois

June 23, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
First Avenue (21+), Minneapolis, Minnesota

June 24, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Public Space One, Iowa City, Iowa

June 25, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Jack Pot Saloon (18+), Lawrence, Kansas

June 26, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Hi Dive, Denver, Colorado

June 27, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, Utah

June 29, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
The Smell, Los Angeles, California

July 8, 2009, 9:00 p.m.
With Ty Segall, The Moonhearts at The Smell, Los Angeles, California

July 15, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Audacity at the Casbah, San Diego, California

July 29, 2009, 8:00 p.m.
With Audacity at Alex’s Bar, Long Beach, California

Sit back, relax, crack open a cold one and enjoy a super sick slide show from the Friends art show, featuring Tim Kerr, Bill Daniel, Cynthia Connolly, Rich Jacobs and Michael Sieben. If you're down in Texas anytime soon, go see the show in person! It runs through June 4, 2009 at Domy Books, 913 E Cesar Chavez, Austin, Texas.

Congratulations to Christopher J. of Santa Maria, California for winning our Reynolds Pants and Shorts Contest! Christopher received one pair of the A. Reynolds Alameda Signature, A. Reynolds Cord Alameda, A. Reynolds Signature Five-Pocket, A. Reynolds Wilshire Signature, Reynolds Denim Cutoff and the Reynolds Signature Shorts. Enter the Win the Boogie Collection! contest right now. It ends on June 5, 2009.

To celebrate the upcoming second annual Maloof Money Cup on July 10-12, 2009, Rob Brink just posted a bunch of photos and animated gifs from the first contest that he lagged on last year. Check out this collection featuring Reynolds, Herman, Figgy and others. Look for more on Brink's main page.

Boogie started photographing rebellion and unrest in his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia in the early '90s. His first book, It's All Good, documents gang members and drug addicts in Brooklyn, New York. His first child, daughter Maya, was born in 2007, and is the most photographed baby in the world. Boogie lives and works in Brooklyn and the world.

Just enter your contact info on the contest page for a chance to win the Altamont Boogie Collection, including one Stroll hood, Rounds tote bag, and Crack Gun, Eye, Good Rat and Solo Pit Bull t-shirts. We'll also throw in one Boogie photo book. (The winner may receive a different book than the one shown.) The contest ends on June 5, 2009.

Check out Altamont contributor Garrett Hill and his brother Gantry in this teaser for the upcoming Feel Free video.

Peter Sutherland is a New York City-based artist. His work employs some of the techniques of traditional documentary photography to capture the hidden beauty of ordinary objects and everyday situations. He's released several publications and films, most recently Buck Shots and Tierney Gearon: The Mother Project.

Sutherland has shown in group exhibitions at Rivington Arms and Guild and Greyskull in New York City; Circleculture Gallery in Berlin, Germany; V1 Gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark; and the travelling Tiny Vices show, curated by Tim Barber. His solo exhibitions have been on view at the Someday Gallery in Melbourne, Australia; MU in Eindhoven, Netherlands and Gallery White Room in Tokyo, Japan.

Peter Sutherland Hot Coals Only will be on display from May 10 - June 10, 2009. The opening reception will take place on Sunday, May 10 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. at Hope Gallery, 1547 Echo Park Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The opening will include a street barbeque. A complete catalog of the exhibition will be available at the gallery, published by Seems Books.

The Maloof Money Cup wants you to vote for their Wild Card entrants. Altamont contributor Brian "Slash" Hansen is on the list! Vote for him right now!

A ton of coverage is pouring in for the opening reception of famed street photographer and Altamont brand contributor Boogie’s latest exhibition entitled The Best of Times, plus the Murphy's Law gig later that night. Check it all out!

A Moment Only
Art Coup
Black Rainbow (Preview)
Fecal Face (Preview)
High Snobiety
Brian Jones
LTD Magazine
Oz Goes to NYC
Rad Collector
Dante Ross
Dante Ross YouTube
Slam X Hype
Upper Playground

On Thursday, April 30, 2009, Altamont presented the opening reception for famed street photographer and Altamont brand contributor Boogie’s latest exhibition entitled The Best of Times.

A diverse crowd of over 400 artists, art aficionados, skaters, models, drug dealers, musicians, hang-arounds and a veritable who’s who of the OG downtown New York hardcore scene came out to view a mix of over 700 of the Serbian-born, Brooklyn-dwelling photographer’s new and older work presented in a ‘zine style format throughout the Altamont showroom's basement gallery.

A live performance by the legendary L.E.S. hardcore band Murphy’s Law hurled the typical SoHo art show theme out the window and whipped the eclectic crowd into a smiling, moshing frenzy as over 1200 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon were crushed in what event attendee Dante Ross called, “The best shit to hit New York in a while.” The Best of Times, indeed!

Read this lil' one-page interview with Altamont contributor Brian "Slash" Hansen in the June 2009 issue of Skateboarder. He talks about going pro, riding motorcycles, his nickname, the Green Room and filming, among other things.

Attention, all you Pacific Northwest heads! Experience Altamont contributors No Age and The Goat live on Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 10:00 p.m. at the Biltmore Cabaret, 395 Kingsway in Vancouver, Canada. And get ready to rage some more with the Emerica team at Wild in the Streets the very next day, June 21. Meet at Downtown Plaza at 1:00 p.m. Rain location: Leeside.

Is this really the new Slash ad from Deathwish? Hmmm. We think it might be a fake. What do you think? Either way, it's awesome possum.

Congratulations to Trevor C. of Flemington, New Jersey for winning our Kurabo Denim Contest! Trevor received three pairs of Altamont Kurabo denim pants of his choice. Enter the Win the Humberto Liechty Collection! contest right now. It ends on May 15, 2009.

Altamont and Boogie present Murphy’s Law on Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 10:00 p.m. at the Altamont Showroom in SoHo, 29 Greene Steet, between Grand and Canal, New York, New York. You're invited. Free beer provided by Pabst Blue Ribbon. Boogie's Best of Times photo show will also be there!

Altamont presents The Best of Times: Photographs by Boogie on Thursday, April 30, 2009 from 9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. at the Altamont showroom in SoHo, 29 Greene Street, between Grand and Canal, New York, New York. You're invited. Drinks and entertainment will be provided.

No Comply skate shop in Austin, Texas just posted another set of photos. This batch shows off The Goat's rooftop shenanigans during the No Age and The Goat Tour last month. Go get buck and keep an eye out for more!

No Comply skate shop in Austin, Texas just posted their first set of photos from the Altamont team's adventures in town during the No Age and The Goat Tour last month. Go have a look and keep an eye out for more.

Please join us this coming Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at Family for an intimate evening with Mike Mills in honor of the release of his new book Graphics / Films. A short presentation of retrospective films, videos and graphics will be followed by an informal conversation about his work in all mediums.

Family
436 N. Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, California
(323) 782-9221
Open noon to 9:00 p.m. daily.

Set in the 25th century, the story of THX 1138 takes place entirely inside a vast, technologically advanced civilization constructed under the Earth's surface. This gleaming white dystopia is chock-full of a population of humans who are forced by their government to shave their heads, wear all white clothes and consume a daily regimen of sedative capsules to keep them in line. Mindless production and consumption are the norm, while sex, love and emotion are forbidden.

The main character, a man named THX 1138, holds down a job as an assembly line worker who helps build the nuclear-powered robot police that control the society. His roommate, a beautiful woman named LUH 3417, becomes disenchanted with the prison-like existence. So, she rebels against the system and stops taking her meds. LUH then replaces THX's capsules with placebos, and when the sedatives wear off, the two share a few tender, passionate moments and have sex, which allows their humanity to show for the first time in their lives.

The powers that be, who monitor the entire population via omnipresent video cameras and medical sensors, quickly find out, and the duo is charged with drug evasion and sexual perversion. (The only form of sexual release permitted is administered by a machine that is synched-up with a hologram of a naked dancer.) Deemed incurable, THX and LUH are whisked away to detention inside a vast, white void, where they await their final sentence. They encounter another screw-up there named SEN 5241, a computer programmer who had previously taken a shine to THX.

Seems SEN had been cast into the void for illegally tampering with the computer system to assign himself to replace LUH as THX's roommate. Amid an assortment of disturbed miscreants in the void, LUH delivers a bit of shocking news to THX, while a plan is hatched that sets the extended chase scenes of the movie in motion. This action is aided by another malcontent named SRT 5752, an actor who appears as a hologram in the repetitively vapid entertainment programs which run the course from comedy to sex to violence.

Since I don't like spoilers, that's all of the plot I'll give away. Overall, though, I can say the main theme involves the attempt to escape oppression and the comfort of familiarity to experience the ultimate freedom. On an aesthetic note, the super basic dialog, visuals and plot make THX 1138 is an utter classic of icy cool minimalism. Also, the movie's innovative electronic sound design and techno-laced graphics peppered throughout foreshadowed an explosion of electronica music and album covers of the 1990s by a good quarter of a century.

Timeframe: Post-Altamont.

Public Impact: THX 1138 was the first feature-length movie written and directed by George Lucas of Star Wars fame. Filmed in 1969, released in 1971 and based on a student film he made a bit earlier, this feature bombed at the box office, but gradually found its audience as it turned into a late-night TV cult classic. I remember watching THX 1138 as a little kid in the early '70s and it tweaked me like nothing else since the Twilight Zone.

THX 1138 was available on VHS and laser disc for many years in the '80s and '90s, and finally got a deluxe 2-DVD treatment in 2004 with a ton of bonus features. This set replaced the original version of the film with a director's cut that included numerous CGI enhancements, which, of course, angered purists. Too bad George didn't include both versions. Despite that, as the omnipresent bureaucratic deity in the movie intones, "Buy…and be happy."

More: Amazon, Geocities, Official, THX 1138.org, Wikipedia

You know that odd object laying in a pile of junk in your older brother's room that looks kind of like a space age waffle-iron? That's actually a Sony Discman, an "obsolete" device from the late 20th century that plays music pressed into little five-inch frisbees called compact discs, which sound a whole lot better than mp3s.

And what about that huge contraption out in the garage buried under cardboard boxes and covered in so much dust that there's no way to tell what the hell it is? That's a turntable, an even older machine that plays huge, archaic slabs of plastic called vinyl records. When they're in excellent shape, they sound even better than CDs.

So, throw out your iPod and dust off the CD player and turntable, because this coming Saturday, April 18, 2009 is Record Store Day! This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music.

Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet-and-greets with artists, parades, DJs spinning records, and much more.

Plus, you just can't get gorgeous, printed, large format artwork and liner notes with mp3s, so you're missing out on a big chunk of the experience! Find a participating store and discover the wonderful world of record collecting.

Daniel Higgs made his first appearance in the '80s hardcore punk band Reptile House, who broke up in 1986. Lungfish emerged in 1987 and released the Necklace of Heads 12" on Simple Machines. Almost immediately thereafter, they found their permanent home at Dischord, where for the next 20 years, Higgs and company created music that was challenging and thought-provoking. The most prolific of any Dischord band, Lungfish recorded 10 full-length LPs for the label before going on hiatus in 2006.

In the time since the pause in the Lungfish journey, Higgs has been pursuing a solo career, often playing just a feedback-drenched banjo and a jaw harp, and setting about to record his newest masterpiece, as well as working on a continued partnership with longtime musical / artistic compatriot Asa Osbourne in The Pupils. Most recently, Higgs has been gathering notoriety for his artwork.

Daniel Higgs
Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

Family
436 N. Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, California
(323) 782-9221
Open noon to 9:00 p.m. daily.

Bill Owens is an internationally renowned photographer living in Hayward, California. His most famous work, Suburbia, has been exhibited in museums around the globe, but it is just one part of his dynamic creative life.

Five Decades of Photography is the first exhibition to feature Bill’s photographs from the Peace Corps in the '60s to the Rolling Stones at the Altamont concert (some photos of which made it into his upcoming collaboration with Altamont Apparel) all the way to his newest video work.

Bill is a vibrant "people person" who shows us our real selves with wry humor and wit. If you only see one exhibition this year, this should be the one! Learn more about Bill Owens.

Five Decades of Photography runs from April 17 to June 18, 2009 at Photo Central 1099 E Street, Hayward, California, phone (510) 881-6721. Reception: Friday, April 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Gallery hours: Monday, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Saturdays 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and by appointment.

The Berrics has a Deathwish! Support legit, skater-owned and operated companies. Watch this rad video interview with Baker Boys Distribution heads* Jim Greco and Erik Ellington, then go out and buy a Deathwish deck today.

*Andrew Reynolds is also part-owner.

Congratulations to Andrew T. of Fontana, California for winning our Win the Mike Jones + Mikhail Bortnik Collection! contest. Andrew received a free Altamont Ratings hood, Home Invasion t-shirt, Nightmare t-shirt and Young and Ruthless t-shirt. Enter the Win the No Age Collection! contest right now. It ends on April 13, 2009.