Writing, reviews, interviews, photography.

Field Trip: Almond Surfboards

Posted on November 6, 2013

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I took a trip down to Newport Beach, CA. to visit Almond Surfboards, nestled on the north side of Newport Bay. Moving to California has provided me with the insight that whether or not you surf, you know someone here who does and by proxy you’ll become extremely familiar with a host of brands and their product lineups that you never even knew existed before. I can’t remember specifically where or when I had heard of these guys but was thrilled when their email popped up in my inbox.

The shop itself is a beautiful space, reflecting the hard work and perseverance of a brand founded by a few young guys with a dream. Everything had a story, from the way products were displayed to the designs on the t-shirts and the art on the walls. Nothing was thrown up without care or a reason which is impressive; I’ve visited plenty of shops (most of which never made it on this site) where trinkets and props make up the majority of the space and nothing holds true value for the customer rather than the limited, precious items they have for sale. Not only does Almond maximize the small space they’re working with to display their famed surfboards perfectly but their retail display of men’s clothing shares the stage wonderfully. Even being a non-surfer, visiting this shop is completely worth it for any guy looking for some California inspired wear without feeling like a beach rat. Click here to view the rest of the article and photos.

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Categories: field trip, Inquiries & Responses, Photos

Playlist: Summer Into Fall

Posted on August 30, 2013

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This is our second playlist; a smattering of tracks we’ve been listening to lately. As the seasons shift into late summer mode, fall is certainly in the air and while it’s still hot as hell some days, night time ushers in the sweet smell of change that signifies we’re arriving into a new season. While there are plenty of warm days ahead, especially for those of us here in Southern California, we’ll be traveling quite a bit this fall to some not very warm places. This playlist is anticipatory: it’s looking ahead to things just around the bend. Mountain weekends, cool nights in the city, changing your beer pick from that double IPA to an oatmeal stout, and pulling out that duck cloth jacket you bought at the end of last season but never got the chance to wear in properly. This playlist goes just as well with those hot days coming up (we’re just hitting the heatwave here in LA) with a little Tom Waits, Dr. John, and Band of Skulls as it does with crisper walks home in the evening with Soosh, Pomegranates, and The Felice Brothers.

This is also the beginning of labor day weekend, the last bastion of summer. As you head out to your respective places of celebration this weekend, leave this on in the background. It’ll keep you in good company. Prepare thy selves, good readers. This is the most exciting time of the year: the death of glorious summer and the birth of beautiful, merciless fall and winter. Click here to listen to the full playlist.

Categories: Playlist

In Support of Paleo Denim

Posted on August 5, 2013

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We’ve known Richard from Paleo Denim since the days of our Natural Process show in Philadelphia. His story of on-again-off-again denim crafting and now full on doing it no-holds-barred sucked us in again a few weeks ago when he reached out with his entirely new line and a Kickstarter plan. He wanted to raise $19,000 in a few weeks to get the equipment and help necessary to launch not only the first iteration of the jeans but to ensure the longevity and success of the lines to come after that. We’re super pleased to say that he passed his goal a few days ago and is still going strong with Kickstarter commitments. A common misconception with Kickstarter is that once you’re funded, you’re all set and no more money is needed. This is not true. That’s why we’re writing this article. The more money Richard’s able to raise, the more he’ll be able to do with the line and the faster he’ll be able to get the products out to the pledgers. Click here to read the whole article.

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Categories: Photos, Writeups

Meriwether Field Gear pt. 1

Posted on July 23, 2013

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A writeup on The American Classic about Meriwether Field Gear has been a long time coming. Danny reached out to me in April of this year to review some of his products. We’ve never reviewed home goods for the site before and though we have an immense appreciation for well crafted things, this was a new challenge to approach with a different mindset from looking at mens clothing. There’s a lot of great design happening right now, particularly in this sector, and getting a fresh look at this made me reexamine my own home and for that I am very thankful. Meriwether sent us their coat rack/personal organizer, classic six-pack carrier, cedar tree swing, and magnetic key ring holder and shelf. They sent us so much amazing stuff that we have to divide it into two segments in order to give it the attention it deserves. I sent half of the goods to Philly for Steve to try out, most notably that tree swing because if I so much as laid a hand on a tree here in California someone would murder me. In this review, we’ll be talking about the six pack carrier and coat rack. Click here to read the entire post.

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Categories: Photos, Reviews, Writeups

Summer Preview 2013

Posted on July 2, 2013

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Over the past month I’ve been shooting our Summer 2013 preview to relay some of the awesome stuff we’re releasing coming up later this season. As the weather’s gotten warmer we’ve steadily moved into full summer mode, frequently serving watermelon, drinking hoppy IPAs, and spending plenty of quality time outdoors. We’ll be traveling a bit of the Californian coastline and heading back east for a few visits and are excited to share those trips with you. This summer will see our first review of products made for the home. Meriwether Field Gear is an amazing shop in Montana that makes some really great wooden home goods that we’re excited to showcase as well as the continuation of our usual Weekend Adventures posts, a few shop visits, and the release of our second playlist (here’s the first in case you missed it). Stay tuned.

Categories: Announcements