Enjoy Every Sandwich

These guys are soft packin'

IE Weekly

By Arrissia Owen

The Soft Pack lives by the words of the late Warren Zevon

“This one’s for Warren Zevon,” singer Matt Lamkin shouted to millions of TV viewers just before his band The Soft Pack launched into a rousing rendition of its single “Answer to Yourself.” That was February 2010, and Lamkin and company were in New York promoting the self-titled LP on Late Show with David Letterman.
The LA-based band has been on tour ever since, promoting the tracks while writing and recording songs for its upcoming fall release. The unexpected shout out sent a jolt through Letterman’s staff, guitarist Matty McLoughlin fondly recalls.
Zevon was a frequent guest and friend of Letterman who choked up the host on air in 2003 during his last Late Show appearance months before he succumbed to lung cancer. The Matts, who are huge Zevon fans along with drummer Brian Hill and bassist David Lantzman, spent time chatting with staff afterward, getting earfuls of anecdotes about the sardonic songwriter.
That performance was one of many highlights for the band during the last two years. Letterman is up there with 2010 slots at Coachella and South by Southwest, “Answer to Yourself” fueling beer commercial bravado and opening for bands like the Breeders and Franz Ferdinand.
These days The Soft Pack heads through the IE on Wednesday, April 11, opening for Arctic Monkeys at The Glass House in Pomona, followed by the Moon Block Party Thursday, April 12, with Dengue Fever at Dillion’s Roadhouse in Palm Springs.
While the band shared stages with heavy hitters, The Soft Pack boasts its own dedicated followers. Its fans freak for the deadpan deliverance of jangly pop reminiscent of post-punk forefathers the Modern Lovers and Manchester band The Fall.
The Soft Pack formed in San Diego in 2007 after McLoughlin returned from Virginia after college. McLoughlin and Lamkin, who was still in high school, hung out and wrote songs while geeking out over their shared love for the aforementioned bands, as well as Hot Snakes, The Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, The Kinks, R.E.M. and, for variety, Steely Dan.
“We wanted to do repetition and simplicity,” McLoughlin says, with a nod to Mark E. Smith’s musical philosophy, The Fall’s cultish frontman. “Everything else was just up in the air.” The result is Lamkin’s lyrics that dryly dismiss any sort of hype, adoration or ambition over grinding guitars, a stomping backbeat and funky bass lines that maintain that sought-after straightforwardness.
By 2008, The Soft Pack, then known by its much-maligned name The Muslims, relocated to Los Angeles. The moniker attracted negative press, even some racist rants. The music itself was getting rave reviews though, so the group ditched the diversion.
To give fans and the press something else to talk about, the band members set aside their apathy for ambition and tore through 10 shows in 13 hours throughout the Los Angeles area.
“It was cool, but really exhausting,” McLoughlin says about the marathon musical tour that the L.A. Times hopped on the bus for. “I think we will be doing something less exhausting this time.” The band has spring and summer to figure out its next move.
The upcoming release is more diverse, McLoughlin says, with more instrumentation added. Fans can also anticipate some robust beats thanks to Lamkin’s affinity for Funkadelic, Sun Ra and Sly and the Family Stone. “Sonically, there is more soul. It’s bare bones, but it’s still rock music, pop songs. It sounds bigger.”
The recordings are under wraps, but fans can catch sneak peeks as the band continues to tour, something they’ve taken little time off from. But don’t expect any road warrior ramblings to creep into their repertoire.
“When people start writing about the road, that starts sounding very Bon Jovi, and that’s boring,” McLoughlin says with a laugh, preferring Zevon’s take on the whole Wanted-Dead-or-Alive thing. “That’s dumb. Who wants to write about sitting in a van?” The boys are more excitable than that.
The Soft Pack w/Arctic Monkeys at The Glass House, 200 W. 2^nd St., Pomona, (909) 865-3802; www.glasshouse.us. Wed, April 11. 7pm. $35.

For the original post, visit here:  http://ieweekly.com/2012/04/music-2/music/enjoy-every-sandwich/

Beauty is in the Eye of the Skateboarder

Beauty is in the Eye of the Skateboarder

Decks in Effect

 

IE Weekly

By Arrissia Owen

A San Bernardino museum delves into the realm of skate art

“Full Deck: A Short History of Skate Art” brings new meaning to canvassing the neighborhood. The celebration of the subculture that emerged from a once-maligned pastime is at Cal State San Bernardino’s Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art’s through April 21.
Skateboarding, with deep roots in 1960s surf culture, emerged into a full-blown billion dollar industry toting superstars like Tony Hawk and Rob Dyrdek who surpass skate fame. With the intense growth spurt pushing the sport into the mainstream an industry continues to emerge that holds steadfast to its values, touting creativity and freedom of expression as its call to arms.
The wooden skate decks they rolled through town became the army of athletes’ calling cards, a way for skaters to express their individuality. “Full Deck” is an anthology of skate art, with artifacts and photography thrown in for cool context. Close to 300 decks exhibited are borrowed from artists, skaters, collectors and companies from across the U.S.

Performers vs. Athletes

“Skateboarding and art are for the most part individual pursuits without really any rules or confines,” says skateboard company Enjoi’s graphic designer Winston Tseng, whose board designs are featured prominently in “Full Deck.” “They foster creativity, and are both ultimately forms of self-expression. When you look at it that way, skateboarding at its core is a lot closer to performance art than it is to any traditional competitive sports. So it makes sense that a person who’s drawn to or excels in one would gravitate towards the other as well.”
Exhibit curator Carrie Lederer calls the skate deck images one of the purest forms of self-expression, highly personal and mostly created without artistic boundaries, just like skateboarding. Lederer is the curator of exhibitions and programs at the Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek.
“Art and Skateboarding are both acts of creation that involve an ethic of freedom of movement and personal exploration,” says artist and skateboarder Mike Kershnar, known for his neo-folk art influenced by 1980s skate deck designs and low brow artists like Robert Williams. His work has been featured in art and urban lifestyle magazines Juxtapoz and Mass Appeal, as well as skate mag Thrasher.
“Style is the essence of both pursuits, and there is a passionate subculture around the two and the interconnection of the two,” Kershnar says. “It was also skateboard graphics and the art direction of early skate mags that really pronounced to the world what skateboarding was about and where our artistic, aesthetic, spiritual heritage was from.”

A Coat of Arms
The exhibit features historic decks from private collections, unique hand-painted decks, commercial boards, photography, painting, prints, sculpture and videos. Professional skater Corey Duffel, who hails from Walnut Creek, loaned decks from his private collection, which travels from the Bedford to museums, galleries and universities throughout the U.S.
The exhibit includes one-of-a-kind hand-stained decks by Zepher Skate Shop’s Skip Englbom, who was profiled in the movie Lords of Dogtown. There is also a collection of 1960s boards on loan from pro skater Sam Cunningham, a broad range of now rare commercial decks from Element, Enjoi, Krooked, plus more from the collection of Mark Whiteley, editor of skateboarding magazine SLAP.
Other collections featured are from Jason Strubing, owner of Skateworks in Santa Cruz, Metro Skate of Pleasant Hill, StreetCorner Skate of San Francisco and Thrasher magazine. Photography by Bryce Kanights, Tobin Yelland and more are on view.
“When we skate down the street, we are often met with dirty looks, barking dogs, honking cars, etcetera,” Kershnar says. “I look at the graphics on my skateboard as a coat of arms, or a medicine shield against negativity, and a self affirming statement of who I am, and even why I skate. I love to add stickers to my board that show a variety of personal influences, friendships and inspiration.”

A Bit Offensive and Borderline Inappropriate

The show’s skate decks run the gamut, from vintage Santa Cruz and Powell Peralta to artists like Todd Francis, Mofo, Pushead and Kershnar to Tseng’s The Lebowski Five, a five-part series with each character of the beloved movie featured. Tseng’s whimsical style has made for some memorable decks over the years.
“I like my work to always have an idea or some meaning behind it, and I suppose humor is my preferred way of getting that message across,” Tseng says. “I think humor in general appeals to all of society no matter what the context, but my personal sense of humor probably resonates with skaters because it’s admittedly a bit offensive and borderline inappropriate, just like a lot of skaters.”
Tseng’s work is decidedly humorous, sometimes even bizarre. The deck he holds dearest is a perfect example: Enjoi’s 2006 Jerry Hsu signature model called Kitten Dreams.
“It’s a silly graphic with a bunch of kittens and rainbows on it, and at the time everyone told me I was crazy and should not to do it,” Tseng says. The feedback was universally negative. “It ended up being one of the most popular and best selling graphics for us, and taught me the really important lesson to trust my instincts and not put too much into what other people think.”

From the Streets to the Galleries

Such subject matter can make the skate industry’s impact on street art and culture seem like a fluke, but there is no question there is talent in droves. Progressive companies like RVCA, Element, Obey and more help fuel the connection between skateboarding and the arts by supporting athletes as well as artists.
“I think ‘Full Deck,’ along with ‘Art In the Streets,’ and the prestige of artists like Ed Templeton, and Marc Gonzalez shows that this genre speaks directly to youth and youth culture,” Kershnar says. “This is not an art movement from the ivory tower, rather a bunch of unique creatives being brought from the streets to the galleries and museums. I think there is a realness and honesty in the work that paired with the aesthetics of it all make a powerful testament in the gallery.”
The crossover helps push the skate art to the forefront of the culture, which benefits skaters and artists alike, Kershnar says. “Skateboarding is at a point where the pros are so far beyond the average skater that the kids cannot imagine themselves doing the tricks in the mags,” he says.
But anyone can pick up markers or paint. “I like that that is a big part of skating and sort of levels the playing field on the subculture,” Kershnar says. “If you are a kid stuck in a class you don’t enjoy, I think the closest thing you can do to skateboarding in class is to draw. It’s a quiet rebellion.”
“Full Deck: A Short History of Skate Art” at Ribert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art, 5500 University Pkwy., San Bernardino, (909) 537-7373; raffma.csusb.edu. Gallery hours: Mon-Weds,10am-5pm; Thurs, 11am-7pm. Parking $5. Thru April 21.

For the original post, visit here:  http://ieweekly.com/2012/04/feature-stories/decks-in-effect/