August 27, 2010

NIKE STADIUM NY PRESENTS: MAKE SOMETHING!! WITH ARI MARCOPOULOS

The power to positively inspire and motivate another person is an amazing thing. I watched this video over and over, all day, and I still found myself smiling everytime. It's a hard feeling to explain, but this two minute video is very special to me.

With the help of Vice Magazine photo editor Lele Saveri, legendary photographer and film maker Ari Marcopoulos teaches a group of kids in New York City the basics of photography and putting together a zine. Ari, Lele, and most importantly, the kids, get it done, all while keeping a strong D.I.Y. mentality.

The message in this and every other video in the Make Something!! series is obvious... MAKE SOMETHING! The only person that can hold you back is yourself, so if there's something you want, go get it!

August 25, 2010

RONNIE FIEG PRESENTS: "THE COVE"

Inspired by a trip to the Bahamas, Ronnie Fieg's new Gel Lyte III's beautifully represent the tropical serenity of the Caribbean. The shoe features an all blue upper with white accents and a grey midsole. As I mentioned in my post about Ronnie's Cultureshoq Gels, this guy definitely has an eye for design...and models!

Colombian model Soraya Yd laced up the new Gels for this shoot on a private beach in Aruba. All the shots were taken by none other than Fieg himself.

I can't wait to see more detailed product shots; I'm curious to see what materials were used (sneaker geek moment). No release info has been announced yet, but according to Ronnie's blog, more info is coming soon.

Oh, and if you know me, you know I've got a crazy infatuation with women with curly hair. Thank you, Ronnie!



August 20, 2010

REVIEW: KANYE WEST - POWER (REMIX) FEATURING JAY-Z & SWIZZ BEATZ

I hope, by now, everyone has heard the original version of "Power." If not, you've been sleeping too long. When it was first announced there would be a remix of the track featuring none other than Jay-Z, I was sold. Together, the two never fail to impress, whether it's on an album track or a remix, such as "Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)" on Late Registration. Jay and Kanye compliment each other well, and some of each artist's most memorable verses are on tracks they record together.
It's no surprise the "Power (Remix)" is no different. Lyrically, both emcees went in on this track, and on the production boards, Swizz Beatz put his unmistakable signature touch on the track. The end result is a great song, but it still leaves me wondering what the rest of the album is going to sound like.
Oh, and if the name SNAP brings back any memories, listen all the way through the track for a sweet and nostalgic surprise. Now that you've read through this, press play and start clapping!




Music courtesy of Hypetrack
(I do not own the rights of these pictures)

August 16, 2010

RECAP: MISHKA ECHO PARK LUNCH TRUCK DAY

If you haven't eaten from an LA lunch truck, you don't know what you're missing. These mobile fusion restaurants are the future of street cuisine. A popular combination among many of these food trucks is blending traditional Mexican dishes with a variety of Asian ingredients. That's not it though. There are plenty more unique food trucks in business, which means, you have a really good chance of finding exactly what you want.

Mishka invited four popular Los Angeles-based food trucks to their Lunch Truck Day at Mishka's Echo Park location. Although it was a little hot, beautiful Southern California weather all day, and, of course, great food!

Coolhaus, Mandoline Grill, Frysmith, and Lomo Arigato parked out front the Mishka store on Echo Park Ave Sunday, ready to serve the hungry customers lined up on the sidewalk. I was excited to see Mandoline Grill again! They are definitely one of my favorites! Each of of these trucks serves up one-of-a-kind meals with prices that'll make your stomach AND wallet smile. Follow them all on Twitter to know where they'll be next.

Shout out to Greg and Andrew at Mishka. These guys are always holding it down. It's always good chilling with them. If you missed Lunch Truck Day this time around, come out to the next one. Your stomach will thank you.





Don't mess with Eric (Lomo Arigato) or he'll cut you!

Alife make great sneakers!
Coolhaus serves their ice cream sandwiches in an edible wrapper. See, now you can eat paper and not get in trouble for it!
Greg(far left) and Andrew(middle) finding some shade. Andrew enjoying some food from Lomo Arigato.
These dudes are from Virginia. They decided to pack up and fly to Cali just because. These guys are living right!
Look up next time you walk into Mishka in Echo Park.
Andrew approved of this shot.
I forgot the first dude's name(sorry), Greg, and Kevin. Not too sure why he's carrying that bottle of pesticide though.

RECAP: MAD DECENT BLOCK PARTY LA

I'm sure if you asked anyone there, they would have told you LA's Mad Decent Block Party was more than just mad decent. It was a damn good time! The energy from the performers and all the attendees was as beautiful as the weather in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.

Honestly, I've never been a fan of dubstep, but those deejays really know know how to get a crowd moving. I really only went to see Theophilus London and Gaslamp Killer (who I missed), but I was pleasantly surprised with some other sets I saw.

Although it wasn't really my type of music, Maluca had a really energetic performance. I don't think the crowd stopped dancing throughout her set! I'm a fan now. Download her new mixtape here. Gilbere Forte' also made a special guest appearance during her set. If you haven't heard his album, 87 Dreams, I highly recommend it. Bosco Delrey, on the other hand, was completely different, but I was feeling it. His music is like a mix of old school punk, the Rolling Stones, and electro. His leather jacket was really dope too!

See, I knew Theophilus London would put on a great set, but even that would be an understatement. It takes a certain artist to be able to dominate a stage entirely, and he did just that. I've had his last two mixtapes on heavy rotation all summer, and I'm glad he was able to exceed the energy from his recordings during his performance. He performed a song from his upcoming album, and judging off of that, this album is gonna be bananas! It's also being produced by the one of my favorite songwriters, Dev Hynes of Lightspeed Champion. If you haven't listened to any of his mixtapes, you can get them here.













August 12, 2010

RONNIE FIEG X CULTURESHOQ X ASICS GEL LYTE III

Ronnie Fieg does it again with these new Cultureshoq Gels. His sense of design, materials, and of course models never fails to impress. Amee Enger's natural beauty does an incredible job accenting the sneakers...I think I might have that backwards.

Truth is, I have Mr. Fieg to thank for turning me onto Asics Gel Lyte III's. Since he dropped the Super Reds, I've been hooked (so what if I was a late bloomer to the Gels game). Gel Lyte III's are definitely the most comfortable sneaker I have ever had the pleasure of putting on my feet. The silhouette is timeless. Throw some nubuck and a memorable colorway into the mix, and the end result is a great sneaker!

Although no release date has been announced, I would advise you all to keep up with Ronnie's twitter updates. Don't sleep on these. They will literally sell out within 5 minutes of their release. Trust me.

UPDATE: Release info for the sneaker was announced this morning on Ronnie Fieg's blog. They will be on sale at 10am EST on DavidZ's site. They are limited to 190 pairs for men, 24 for women, and are priced at $105.








All pictures courtesy of Ronnie Fieg's official blog.
Video courtesy of Karmaloop TV.

August 6, 2010

FIVE MINUTES WITH JEFF STAPLE

A week ago, I posted information about the Reed Space HNL pop-up shop. This video explains why Jeff and his team at Staple Design decided to bring books and photos to the Honolulu pop-up shop, instead of the clothing and footwear that can be found at the Reed Space in New York. Thank you, Jeff Staple, for helping keep print media alive!

MAESTRO KNOWS PRESENTS: "IT'S ALL FOR THE LOVE"

What drives your passion? LOVE.

August 3, 2010

NIKE SPORTSWEAR PRESENTS: 1LOVE BROOKLYN

In the first episode of Nike Sportswear's 1LOVE series, Theophilus London takes us through his Brooklyn neighborhood and shows us what makes it so unique. 

Nike will be releasing similar videos for each of the four remaining boroughs, in a celebration of hoops, culture, and the Air Force 1 sneaker. Nike Sportswear is also releasing a limited collection of Air Force 1's representing each of the five boroughs. The sneakers were designed by DJ Clark Kent and will be available at 21 Mercer and select retailers in each borough.

I love Brooklyn. Need I say more?

August 1, 2010

PARMESAN SNEAKERS?

I didn't have anything to blog about today, so I decided to share a video of one of my favorite footwear brands out right now, Gourmet. This video by Frank 151 shows how important attention to detail is with the brand. Similar to a gourmet Italian dish, each ingredient that goes into making a pair of Gourmet sneakers is vital to the end result of the recipe.

By the way, I started working on one of my next projects today. I guess I could have written about that, but I think I'll save that for later.