Monthly Archives: May 2011

31

May 2011

Posted by BOBBYHUNDREDS

TELEGRAPHIC.

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Welcome to Telegraph Ave., which stretches from Oakland, California to the entry of the UC campus in Berkeley.  The ’60s and ’70s established Telegraph as a hub for the counterculture movement, and by the ’90s it was homebase for vagrants, runaways, and gutter-punks.  That’s when I first found and fell in love with Telegraph.  I met one of my best childhood friends, a local straight-edge crust chick named Stefani, while standing on the corner one afternoon at the age of 16.  My crew and I drove up to watch (and set up) shows at the Gilman, skate in the streets, and true story, I once got chased halfway across Berkeley by a rabid pack of crackheads at 3am.

This was my first time back on Telegraph in 15 years, and a lot has changed since then.  I guess at some point in the late ’90s the city did a sweep and cleaned out all the transient life.  Bummer.  There’s still Blondie’s Pizza, but now I see a Volcom store, a Hot Topic.. not exactly the same vibe I relished as a teenager.

But Rasputin’s is still here.  Just down the street from the original Amoeba Records, Rasputin’s was my jump-off.  Before iTunes, before even Napster, this is where I’d spend hours digging for music, racking my brain for any work by any artist, and always finding it.  It felt good to be in here again, and I re-bought the first album I purchased here back in 1996.

A little window display for the Gilman, which is the legendary grassroots music venue just down the way.  You can see albums by some of the bands who got their start at the Gilman, including Green Day, Op Ivy, and one of my favorites, Fifteen (which I also used for my Office Music video bit).

Further down Telegraph, there’s a couple stores that The Hundreds vouches for.  First is our local authorized retailer in Berkeley, 510 Skateboarding.

The homeys at 510:

All the legitimate skate, street, and sneaker needs your heart desires:

There’s something to be said for well-done, classy skate shops that still maintain the hangout feel with considered product and clean design.

And if you’re serious about your shoe game, head directly across the street to Bows and Arrows.

A sophisticated footwear boutique stocking the finest from Nike, New Balance, Vans, Pointer, Converse, and more.

Next door was an Upper Playground store but unfortunately I couldn’t cover it for you guys because the shop staff didn’t want the free publicity. (Sorry Matt, I’ll get you next time!)

Stumbled into Amy’s shop here, James Rowland.  Vintage goods, thoughtfully curated, with a deep online presence as well. Please check it out and SUPPORT ALL INDEPENDENT RETAILERS in Berkeley, and in your neighborhood.

by bobbyhundreds

31

May 2011

Posted by BOBBYHUNDREDS

LIFTED.

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As strange as it may or may not sound, I’ve never actually met Jonas Bevacqua, co-founder of LRG.  Of course I’ve been in the same room with him, in the same conversations, but for whatever reason we’ve never shook hands, and I regret that now. I don’t even have a photo of him that I can post to this tribute.

This morning I woke up – no clue why – thinking about Jonas and how he established a simple apparel brand that evolved to the monster that it is today.  You can ask anyone around me – I’ve always held the LRG brand and company in the highest regard, and have had nothing but respect and lofty words for Jonas and his partner Robert.  Ben and I should be so lucky to have achieved what they have, to have the noise and spread of influence as LRG has amassed.

And then I got the texts about his untimely passing and it really rocked me.  I had never known this guy, but without him, brands and careers like ours wouldn’t be as far as they are today.  (For one, we wouldn’t have this crossroads between skate and urban that is the platform for our clothing genre).

In the spirit of Memorial Day, I think it’s only fitting that we continue to pay our respects to the soldiers who carried the flag and paved the way for the rest of us.  From everyone here at The Hundreds, thank you Jonas Bevacqua.

by bobbyhundreds

31

May 2011

Posted by BOBBYHUNDREDS

QUINN’S TOP 5 SKATE VIDS.

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30

May 2011

Posted by BOBBYHUNDREDS

HURRY UP, I’M STARVING.

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How did this happen?

Rewind 3 months back, when we were here in the same spot (San Francisco’s SOM Bar) celebrating The Hundreds SF’s 3 year anniversary.  Kreayshawn and V-Nasty were riding with us that night, and I forced ‘em onstage to give the crowd an impromptu live performance.  The bar-goers weren’t having it, the DJ wasn’t having it, but we pushed for it. The girls got to do one song, about 20 people got a kick out of that. And just like that, it was all a dream.

Meanwhile… Kreayshawn’s “Gucci Gucci” hit Youtube 2 weeks ago.

A week after that, this past Friday night to be exact, we put on this show for WHITE GIRL MOB featuring Kreayshawn, V-Nasty, and Lil Debbie.

The tickets were beyond sold-out by gametime.  And during the show, there were more people outside the venue — ticketless, but not without hope of getting a mere glance at these crazy white Bay Area rap girls — than inside the sweatbox.  I’ve been to plenty of concerts and shows in my day. I’ve seen local, homegrown acts go from playing backyard birthday parties to center-stage at summertime festivals.  But I’ve never seen a star born like this – a supernova – let alone expedited in the fashion that Kreayshawn and co. have been fast embraced by their audience.  Girls like this like girls like this.  It was time for an anti-Gaga, a female emcee that spilled her guts with equal-parts weirdness, snide Emineminence, and an unfiltered opinion.

The show was unapologetic chaos.  The stage barely contained the trio and nearly buckled under the weight of the surging crowd: hipsters, hip-hoppers, lesbians, teenyboppers, skaters, streetwear kids, – it was an even cross-section of the Twitter generation.  And when the microphones blew out, the speakers crackled, and the DJ fumbled, you didn’t know the difference, because the fans were so obnoxiously vehement in their participation.  4 songs in, it was impossible to tell who was actually in the WHITE GIRL MOB and who wasn’t.   They didn’t know the words outside of a “Bumpin’” or “Gucci” but they mouthed along anyways, filling the gaps with phone-camera flashes and rebel yells.  They wanted this so bad.  They’ve been wanting this.

“Was it a good show?” is what everyone back home wondered.  ”Does it matter?” is what I responded.

By Sunday morning, the rumors started spilling in from all sides.  After negotiations over the past half-month with every major label under the sun, Kreayshawn had signed a rather unprecedented, hefty, record deal.  And just like that, it was all a dream.

by bobbyhundreds

28

May 2011

Posted by BOBBYHUNDREDS

SPITSET.

27

May 2011

Posted by BOBBYHUNDREDS

DOUBLE TAKE.

27

May 2011

Posted by BOBBYHUNDREDS

CREATE AND DESTROY.

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Streets of Santa Monica.

The Hundreds by Mark Dean Veca skateboard series is instore at The Hundreds Santa Monica:

Nelson is the other 1/2 of CLSC and a THSM resident.  Don’t ask about the tie-dye Adam…

…but you can ask about this CLSC hat, which drops on their website this weekend.

Brick is the manager at THSM, the man wholly responsible for bringing tie-dye back into the youth culture lexicon, and Odd Future’s photographer.  He also just happens to have a blog on our site right HERE.

Some of the guys in the office were a little confused by my idea for the misspelled college series of t-shirts under the latest Rosewood Collection.  The truth is, that it’s a concept I’ve been sitting on for almost 8 years and I accidentally stumbled upon the graphics while working for content for The Hundreds’ Tumblr.

But vindication came in the form of one voluminously-coiffed television sitcom star named Julia Louis-Dreyfus.  The artist formerly known as Elaine from Seinfeld was shopping here at THSM and bought the “STANFURD” tee. Not only did she find it repugnant that anyone would diss the concept, but she told me my t-shirts were “genius.”  GET OUT!

The Hundreds Eyeware “Blue Rain” Phoenixes are also in stock.

Check out these The Hundreds Footware customs!  Dropped off by a company called Diversitile .  Our very own WAYNEs inspired by The Hundreds Santa Monica.

You can even feel the texture on the bricks…

by bobbyhundreds

26

May 2011

Posted by BOBBYHUNDREDS

I HAVE TO WORK WITH THESE PEOPLE.

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hahaha

26

May 2011

Posted by BOBBYHUNDREDS

CONTRAST.

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This Saturday night, our head graphic designer BENJIE is hosting “It’s All Black and White” at the X-Large store here in Los Angeles.  Along with some of his friends, you’ll find some other The Hundreds staffers on the roster like Vernon, Switch, and Vito.  It’s basically an unsanctioned The Hundreds party except Ben and I want nothing to do with Benjie outside of work, and vice versa, so these are the kinds of arrangements we have to make.

Benjie also made this limited edition t-shirt that’s gonna be sold exclusively at the show.  It would be a perfect addition to The Hundreds collection, but I guess Benjie just decides to save all the good graphics for himself as usual.

Anwar‘s down at The Hundreds headquarters. Yes, those are his dreadlocks that Tyler’s talking about. And that’s his brand, Peas and Carrots that the underground’s talking about.

The Jenn Klein.

Every self-respecting girl should carry wet-naps.  I respect the self outta Jenn.

Rob and Dennis, also known as Crooks & Castles, make a surprise visit with June from Deadline.  Hearkens back to the old days – 5 years ago – when we were all holed up together on Fairfax, scheming and making moves together.  Since then, their brand has obviously gone on to world domination.  While we’re in an awkward position where our employees are doing cooler things than us.

Like Josh here, who’s 1/2 of CLSC.  Josh just got out of jail this morning, and instead of seeking the sweet embrace of a woman, he came to work, where he was met with the leery eyes of debased men. Which I guess was an easier transition from his time in the pen.  He said a lot of the inmates love The Hundreds.  Is that a good thing or a really really awesome thing?

This Sunday, CLSC is having an in-store release party for their Summer Delivery 2 at BACKSIDE with Carter, CBG and Gomez performing. Alexander Spit is also gonna be onstage.

It’s gonna be a fun weekend.

by bobbyhundreds

25

May 2011

Posted by BOBBYHUNDREDS

BOMBS AWAY.

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Something tells me this collection’s gonna be a hit.

The Hundreds Summer 2011 Delivery 2 hits THLA, THSF, THNY, and THSM tomorrow morning at 11am.  The idea this go-around was to be as open and obvious as possible.  Let’s take Adam Bomb and re-imagine him into a kaleidoscope of summertime flavors.  The results are very Cali and very much The Hundreds.

by bobbyhundreds