Richard Tognetti at Mollusk, Musica Surfica Screening!

Life deals one many hard blows. Not even close to the least of which (that is to say, it shouldn't even register on the radar) are the tough decisions regarding time well-spent. But really, enjoying a surfing life can serve up plenty of these devastating sorts of lesser hurdles. The constant tug of war between family and waves, work and waves, car and waves, money and waves, and in this case, culturally unique moment and waves. A tip of the hat to those who continually strike the profoundly efficacious balance. It is a long way off for some. Either way, if you can balance this in, you very, very much ought to should. It is a can't miss. Unless you have to miss it. Like some of us.

Greetings friends.

We’re having another action packed weekend on River Street.
Saturday and Sunday we’ll be hosting a late summer board exchange.
Bring in your used boards and wetsuits ready to sell and receive 100%
store credit of your sale! Feel free to drop off your goods any time
between now and this weekend. There are already some great boards
showing up at the shop, including a 9’6” Dano, 10’6”
Christenson glider, and a 9’9” Tyler.

The best part of the “action” will be a special performance by
Master Violinist and life long surfer Richard Tognetti. Richard and
members of his ensemble will play on River St. followed by a
screening of Mick Sowry’s Musica Surfica, winner of The New York
Surf Film Festival.
The performance will start at 8pm Saturday evening and is free to the
public.

The River Street event is just a warm up to an amazing performance
Richard and the Australian Chamber Orchestra will perform on Sunday
August 15th at Le Poisson Rouge.

Here’s the Program:

THE GLIDE An original work for film and orchestra with oceanic
imagery by Jon Frank and music by Bryars, Elgar, Shostakovich and
Tognetti.
MOZART Symphony No. 41, Jupiter


Its hard to express in words the uniqueness of this opportunity. Try
not to miss it!!

Aloha from the Mollusk Team

Doing Kegels

Dropping in on Mastastico did the reminder job of some fine style. The mission was hatched to find more similar, fine style. R. Kegel in a number of different positions and looking particularly interested in every single one. It's good to look interested. The first, an image from Keith Novosel. The second, a series lifted from Mother Sky Records, photo credit currently unknown. Number three lifted from Newport Surfers.

Swell Surf Art Show Semi-Review

A pleasant note from the Van Hamersveld office recently received via the electronic mail reminded us we never posted up a review of the Swell surfy group art show here in New York last month.  We did, in fact make it to the show, even finagling some coveted bricks of Swell After-Party Sexy Wax, even if it did us little good to actually get onto the maxed out party boat.  Recollection of a strong feeling eludes the available mnemonic pathways, but uncovered in the little yellow EBNY log-book entry from that night spells out a conversation with the wife of one of the artists as a single word review: "good, no,  fantastic."  Also scribbled : Olson twin- A or B? and Video, Campbell, Weird and Stand-Out Fresh Pieces: Cameron Martin, Chris Gentile.  In truth there was so much surfy art star power on hand it was hard not to be bowled over by the sheer quantity and quality of perspectives.  Safe to say the Van Hamersveld work merits its own stand-out distinction... check out the work you know, and don't know, here.

And yes ma'am, we feel much better. 

** an infinitely less informed try at review-reportage here**

The Day Pass

The notion that surfing is a permeable adventure filled with resolutely independent characters tackling the impulses of the ocean in solitary ecstasy is something farcical in my current surfing life. A fact that induces no small consternation. The creation-myth that fuels this state of internal affairs, the idea of man against nature, or rather, man in tune with nature, is so ingrained in the psyche it is impossible to escape.  But where does it fit in an interconnected, globalized, ultimately explored environment?  Is the sense of satisfaction I gain from communing with nature simply the wool I pull over my eyes to hide some esoteric shame about a place I inevitably have to take in a social community?     

The finality of a thing is completely dependent upon what comes after, not before, a fact embraced by some, a plot completely lost by others.
Once the cause cannot be differentiated from the product, move on.
The progressive mind needs to constantly attune to a shifting causality, a reordering of relationship, in order to adjust to the observance of any effect.
The conservative mind believes the cause stays the same, despite the evolutionary nature of context.
There is nothing wrong with any of this.

Sounds good, if you are looking...

So this Surfer and his Shaper get on some Motorbikes... (you come up with the punch line.)

Granted, an oldie, but the sheer length is too reminiscent of a long ass EBNY meander through myopic psychological blather.

Virtual Surfing Perfected

I don't know how they did it, but they have. There are a number of tips and tricks on this website for the newbie who wants to understand the ins and outs of surfing, provided they are patient enough to slog through a grind of monotonous posts. Or they can just watch this and get a pretty good feeling for it all. One stop shop, so to speak.

Kurungabaa Volume Three

If you haven't, you should.  Or you could.  We aren't ones to be too moralistic.  At least we try not to be, against our bad moods and foul spirits.  And rotten tasting teeth.

Stand Up. Sit Down. Roll Over. Play Dead.

NY Times #1,  NY Times #2

It was a few years ago, out in California.  I was staying at G&Ps, celebrating some sort of winter holiday, when I looked out and saw this guy cruising south, maybe a quarter mile out, on the glassy morning water, standing up on what looked like one of those massive old-style sailboard with an oar.  A little later on his way back up the coast he swung the thing closer to shore and paddled into a couple minuscule ripples that turned magically into semi-ridable pound right in front of the house before continuing his way north. The whole thing got me excited.  Not too long after that, Ian asked me if I wanted to go paddling and I had my first couple days on a SUP board up at Dog Patch, the spot allocated to the paddlers at San Onofre.  Ever since I've heard one thousand and one bad things said about the suppers, the janitors, the push brooms, what have you.  I've always tried to speak up on behalf of a water craft with particular uses and a fun quotient of a slightly different kind, knowing all along I'd never really had to deal with the apparently ubiquitous frustrations of being in an undesignated lineup with suppers.  This all changed with more time spent at Ditch Plains.   A couple Sundays ago, I found myself having a great time, paddling out for a thirty minute session, coming in playing with the boy, paddling out for another go, coming in, playing with the boy.  Super smiles, super rhythm, super fun.  Then this goofball on a paddle board strolls over, on the periphery of things, sniffing around.  A nice little set comes in, I was in position as the other few guys taking waves had just gotten theirs, when this jerk standing stalk straight, having just ambled over, furiously paddles, wobbling all over the place and catches the wave about eight meters before any discernible peak.  As he passed, I swore and splashed water at him.  The other guys in the water shook their heads. 
Granted, there is a small host of guys who know exactly what they are doing and seem to "get it," able to exist in the lineup, getting respectable rides without falling at the most inconvenient moment only to let the heavy boards tumble into some unsuspecting paddle-out.  But there are those guys who roam around the periphery of the breaks from Ditch to Trailer Park, unsubtly taking whatever they can get, wobbling down the face and doing their best to obliterate a head or two.
It's a weird place to be for a longboarder, long the target of similar derisions. And this is something I've tried to keep in mind. It occurs to me that despite the worst of it, stand up paddling is totally enjoyable in the right context. But seeing the dark side of the SUP business first hand, it doesn't necessarily warm the heart.

Pool Skating

Link Courtesy of M. Standish

Long & Boring : The EBNY Open Round Table Panel Discussion About Hand Planes and Other Stuff

Ancillary source footage here.

A subject matter near and dear to my heart, this is a nice little piece that opens a small window onto something I would definitely explore if I still lived in my homeland.
Toddy

Today's Thought

Foto Courtesy of Jack Brull via Salt Stained Eyes

Foto Courtesy of Herbie Fletcher via Frank Magazine

 

 

Link Courtesy A. Bynoe-Kasden via You Tube

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