In The Blink Of an Eye

As far as news goes not a ton has been going on other than ridding and enjoying the very non St.Louis weather we have been having this summer. It has been a welcome change over last years monster heat and humidity for nearly three months straight. Last week I was running bachelor style as the Jenster was out hiking in Utah. I decided to stop putting off some bike maitence of my own as well as help j.rider swap and bleed some brakes and start building up his 1x10

I got most of the wrenching duties squared away Saturday afternoon and headed out for a ride and some shopping before night fall. did some more wrenching before I decided to read and hit the hay for the night.

the death riders had a Bi-Fecta planned for the morning so I needed some shut eye.

Sunday morning we were off to Lost Valley and trying not to make mention of the droplets forming on our windshield. We stayed the course and by the time we had crossed the river the sprinkle had passed us by. 

A little overcast and breezy but no rain so we headed out for a day in the saddle.

Everything was pretty grand, good company and trails in great shape.

Things were rolling along nicely. Until...

I have been ridding Mountain Bikes for the last 14 years or so and have made this move countless times.

A group of riders is approaching from the oncoming direction, so you slow down and yield to them just off the trail. No big deal easy peasy... Well that is unless you pile drive your front wheel into a six inch tree stump camouflaged in the duff along the trail. Honestly, I had no idea what was happening I just heard everyone gasp and say OOOH! or something like that. Luckily, since I had no idea it was, I did the perfect rag doll crumple kind of slam. Other than smashing my glasses into my cheek and coating them in sweat and dirt not much was a miss. The ride was in fine shape not a scratch and I was all intact and just a little shook up. We went about our ride but cut off the second half since I couldn't seem to get back in a good rhythm.

I'm just glad it wen so smooth, could have been pretty gnarly for sure.

I was a fan of VISON from the first chords of  'once'.

 It's hard to put my finger on what it is that makes the "In The Blink Of An Eye" record still hold up after all these years. Somehow it does and I listened to it just a few weeks ago, never fails to put a smile on my face.

We Gotta Know

Sorry for being absent the last couple of weeks. I have been doing some traveling, ridding and some music viewing. At the end of June I was faced with the opportunity to see the one and only Black Flag. Depending on how you look at it...I guess.  That being said it was actually pretty awesome! While i can't say it was better than seeing Flag, the OTHER Black Flag band touring. I am still glad I got the chance to see Greg Ginn and hear some wonderful early punk rock!

The following week I set a course for the windy city. I was collecting on my birthday gifts of tickets to see the almighty Cro-Mags. Yes, you already know I'm quite a fan boy of John Joseph and the mags. So finally getting a chance to see them was super exciting. The icing on the cake for me was none other than my old friends Endpoint were on the bill as well. The boys from the other river city were doing a few one off shows and I'm never one to turn down a chance to see Duncan and Rob. Endpoint was as solid as ever playing lots of great songs. Some of them taking me back to some of the darkest days of my life. That is the awesome thing about music, it has been able to give me something to hold on to as long as I can remember.  It has been one of the only constants in my 39 years on this earth. I am truly greatful for all that music has given me.

The crowning jewel of the night was witnessing the power of the Cro-Mags. It is every bit of what you would imagine. I can only wonder how fierce it was when John was thirty years younger. It was better than I could have ever imagined and I was grinning ear to ear as I shouted along. Before they went on I was able to chat with John a bit about bikes of course... 

He was super kind and very nice. I will spare you the photo of us together.  

All in all it's been a nice few weeks away from the internet.

We will return to weekly blogging next week.

Get out and ride or see some Punk Rock.

Art Offensive

I have said before that I am a sucker for a good art department, and well it's true. I am a classically trained photographer and art school drop out. While I have used my education at some parts of my life, for the most part I've always worked with my hands. Everything from short order cook to helping map the human genome. At times I wonder what my life would have been like if i had pursed commercial art and design work. However, that usually only last long enough to remember awful assignments of design classes past.

With all of that said, I love it when a bike company or record label or anything for that matter has the ability to make a nice product and marry it with awesome design and ad work. 

Yes, my stature and measurements place me in the 'AVERAGE' segment for bike frames and fit. Yet, I do love handcrafted bikes. In my time I have be blessed to ride and race an Original Fat Chance 'Yo Eddy' made in Sommerville, MA and an equally righteous Independent Fabrications 'Steel Deluxe'. Even my current Santa Cruz 'Highball' has a custom paint treatment. I really like not being the white sheep and having something unique and somewhat different from the status quo. 

Lets just say if I had money to burn I would be calling 44 Bikes in a heartbeat.

Built to shred...check.  Awesome design and art department...Check. 

Bitchin' shop and cute shop dog...check. Soft spot for Punk Rock...check.

Whats not to like?

Oh and then there is this. I stumbled upon a piece of 44 Bikes propaganda that reads

"I'm painting my bike black, until they make something darker..."

Nervous Breakdown

Well as luck would have it my dreams of 6hr solo racing at Indian Camp Creek will have to wait yet another year. It seems I sort of overlooked a previous engagement in my not so busy social calender. I will be attending a punk rock show the evening before. I'm sure I could swing both of the physically... But, what will probably wreck my good time is planning and preparation for the solo ride. It is no secret my anxiety level hovers around max most of the time. I know myself well enough to know that if I can't focus all my energy on Friday night towards packing the car and what not, I will be a wreck on Saturday trying to race. Yes, it's sort of crazy and nonsensical. However, that is what happens when your brain likes to work overtime all the time. Believe me when I tell you my anxiety is much better now than it was a few years ago, yet it still is something i deal with daily. So what could be so great to mess up my racing plans?

A chance to see the mighty Black Flag. While not the 'classic' era for the band. It's still a chance to see Greg Ginn who has been the only constant member since the band formed. He also serves as the primary song writer and lyricist of the band. While I will never know it was like to see them in the 'Salad Days' of the 80's. I couldn't miss the chance to see this piece of history. Black Flag is one of those bands that is just hard to deny. They just might have the best logo and art department in the history of Punk Rock. Not to mention some of the most intense riffs and lyrics. The album 'Damaged' is by far one of the heaviest records ever. Musically and lyrically it's soul crushing at times. It's got one of the best B. sides on music history. When everything in the world sucks, I always tend to cue it up and watch the world burn for awhile. If only in my mind.

Hold True

It was a rare treat today to spend a few hours chatting and tearing up the tight twisty stuff with Pauli a.k.a. m.rider. He needed to burn some vacation hours and I didn't have to be at the salt mines until the afternoon so we hooked up bright and early. I finally got to hand out his very own death riders kit and make it official. He threw on the new togs and off to Castlewood we went. I don't think I've ridden with him since a Bonktoberfest some years back... like 8 or 9 years maybe??? 

Can that even be right? Ah whatever it was just great to chat it up and spend some time on two wheels with him again. He can still draw smooth lines and descend strong as ever.
I just hope we can make this a regular type of thing.

Getting to catch up with him today I was reminded yet again how some of my oldest and best friends have come from punk rock, skateboards or both. Mike and I met some twenty plus years ago at all things a Hardcore show.  As luck would have it our girlfriends at the time were close friends and we met via the gals. Our local heroes Short Cut were playing along with some band I knew nothing about from Louisville KY. 

Two awesome things happened that night. 

I got introduced to a band and a guy who as Pauli himself would say are 'solid'

The band would be Endpoint and the 'solid dude' Pauli

I have a pretty good memory for whatever reason and I can remember where I heard certain records for the first time, people I met at which show etc. One of those things that has always stood out about that first meeting was the t-shirt. Pauli was wearing. None other than a  'Wide Awake' shirt. You know, that other Connecticut Straight Edge band. Being a 'youth crew' member myself I was in awe. A great lesser known band of it's day and a pretty rad shirt. So in a fitting tribute to our first meeting.

HOLD TRUE

Coliseum

Not a ton of stuff to report the last week. We here in the midwest have been dodging tornadoes and flood waters. I keep waiting for locust and pestilence, so far so good.  It's been trying to get in some saddle time between raindrops and mega storms. I have only been caught out in one on the bike so far. However, it seems most of my rides have ended with me hustling my gear into the E as the rain begins to fall. 

J.rider is being the family man at Disney and will be out of touch for a few more days.

So to pass the time I have been looking at many hub options for the whip. So far in feeling sort of English and leaning toward Hope seems to meet most of needs and not require a loan to acquire. Other than that I'm just licking my wounds for being an idiot and forgetting to get our of work early tonight.

My friends Coliseum 

No catching up with my pal Ryan Patterson and the mighty Coliseum 

or getting a chance to see Baroness either. 

Stupid jobs.

Laid To Rest

I had initially thought I would let this roll of my back and ride it off. It just so happens that the way my mind works it has been on repeat since this morning. On one hand it's really no big deal yet on the other it just really irritates me. Okay... I'll just spill it.

So as j.rider and I were getting geared up and ready to head out for a nice Saturday ride. A fellow pulls up next to us and starts getting his bike ready and kitting up. Out of nowhere he says this "Death Riders huh....So you like laughing in the face of God?" Now keep in mind it's the first and only thing he says to us. We weren't jamming SLAYER or Lamb Of God while suiting up. Just two fortyish guys heading out for a bike ride. Heck we were wearing arm warmers so my sleeve of tattoos was even covered. I don't even think I was swearing, which is kind of hard to believe.

I typically am not a people person so I just kind of smiled and clipped in for the ride. I guess what bugs me is this. How am I laughing at God exactly? By wearing BLACK and not being afraid of the word DEATH? While I may not follow western religions it doesn't mean I am godless. I would also like to think any God no matter what the faith has a sense of humor and appreciates the irony of life. Hey just look at the platypus or three-toed sloth, I think God may like to laugh as well. Or have a look at this bible passage:

Genesis 21:6

And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 

 

I guess what gets me is  how righteous some folks seem to think they are. My whole life I have been an outsider not always by choice in my early years. Somewhere around 12 or 13 I realised I was going to be different and that would be okay. I began getting tattooed at 18 and I have had numerous piercing over the years. My current ear rings are large enough that you can put your fingers through them. So I am well versed at getting strange looks and judged by how people perceive who I am.  Maybe I am being to hard on the fella but it was just a weird thing to say much less open a conversation that way. Either way he is entitled to his beliefs, just don't assume I am making some sort of statement on your life or chosen faith. 

Just don't assume I am some Godless Heathen either. In fact it might surprise the guy how much reading I've done on religions of various faiths. Something he would probably find hard to believe. Some of the most wicked men and women in the world used religion as guide for hate torture and abuse. So it may not be the best measuring stick of someones character.

With all that off my chest. It's a long weekend get out and ride your bike.

I'll chain you to the truth

 For the truth shall set you free

 I'll turn the screws of vengeance

 And bury you with honesty