August 31, 2009, 2:08 pm : Breaking Down Bill & Danny

Filed Under: Interviews, Uncategorized
Discussion: C[0]mments

Hurricane Bill and the waves that it spawned received unbelievable amounts of mainstream surf media attention last week. Blame the internet, blame the ever-growing number of surfers in the water, blame whatever you want, but it seems odd for East Coast surfing to get that much national attention.

It’s not like we only get hurricane swells while demurely staring at a flat ocean the rest of the year. Seriously. Plus, Bill generated large swells pretty much up and down the Right Coast, but was only middling when compared to the QUALITY of the waves it produced. I know, I’m gonna hear it for that one, but considering how fast the storm moved and how much wind it produced, Bill was a short-lived phenom.

Long-time East Coasters surely remember the stretches of surf pumped out by tropical systems in recent years. Namely, 1995, 1999 and 2005 stick out as banner years for tropical juice. 1995 in particular delivered substance without the hype. Now, we get one storm and it’s all eyes on the E.C.

Truth be told, from my vantage point in the Outer Banks, Danny delivered the better surf. Mostly for personal reasons, but after all, isn’t the amount of stoke directly related to one’s personal experience? Not sure? Let me explain.

Bill, for all its hoopla, jacked up the surf along the entire coast to the big-to-huge range. Florida was well overhead, the Outer Banks weighed in with surf that was easily 15-20 feet, breaking way outside, on Saturday, August 22nd, backing down to overhead to well-overhead on Sunday and still solid on Monday. The best place in the Outer Banks looked to be S Turns, which I personally stayed away from, with all the attendant pros and photogs cramming in. And the Northeast delivered huge surf as well, from Montauk all the way up to Nova Scotia, daring the intrepid to get their guns out and have a go. But winds were mostly funky, with periods of clean conditions, meaning that most people scored only moments of perfection, if any at all.

Click here for aerial pics of the Bill swell in the Outer Banks

Click here for aerial pics of the Bill swell in New England

Danny, on the other hand, popped up like a surprise jack-in-the-box in the Western Atlantic, daring to form into a hurricane that could potentially smash into the Outer Banks. That never happened, but it did sit in place long enough to make Thursday, August 27th one of the funnest, most rippable days of surf this writer has had in some time. 3-6 foot clean lines groomed by a slight offshore breeze that backed off completely around lunchtime, hitting some sandbars that could easily rival S Turns. Not to mention that school was back in session, so the daytime surfer didn’t have to contend with hoards of frothing groms. And while the lineup certainly wasn’t empty, it stayed low key and spread out, giving everyone plenty of stoke.

And that wasn’t the end of it. After Danny ground down to an unimposing sub-tropical storm and raced by the Outer Banks early Saturday morning, the lingering swell was overhead and thumping. Drifty and a bit disorganized, yes, but sizable barrels were on tap for those that wanted them. So proving that hype definitely doesn’t equal stoke, the surprising and unheralded Danny dished out the real treats in this tropical combination. At least that’s how my stoke meter counts it.

August 10, 2009, 2:58 pm : A Stoopid Gallery

Filed Under: Imagery, Music, Show Reviews and Stories
Discussion: C[0]mments

Just finishing up going through over 630 images from the Blazed and Confused show at Merriweather.  Unfortunately the security staff only let us photogs shoot Slightly Stoopid for two songs, but I got as many as I could, and plenty of quality shots. I got many, many images of Snoop, which will be posted up soon. Here’s a gallery full of exclusive images of Slightly Stoopid. Miles features heavily here; he sang those first two songs, and was the only one playing closer up on the stage til later in the set, after we were ushered out of the pit.

All images copyright Jeff Schad, 2009. No unauthorized usage or reproduction permitted.

August 5, 2009, 10:35 am : Getting Blazed and Confused in Columbia

Filed Under: Music, Uncategorized, Upcoming Shows
Discussion: C[0]mments

Merriweather is turning it out again tonight with the fusion of Slightly Stoopid and Snoop Dogg known as the Blazed and Confused tour. First time for me seeing Snoop live. I should have seen him when Squeezetoy opened for him and

Chili Peppers a bunch of years ago. Problems of not having an official pass for the show and the possibly nebulous issues that would arise from a gate that would be left open so I could park backstage and hang with them all left me deciding to not press luck and get kicked out.

Since then I’ve seen Stoopid five times, three of them with all access accompanying their opening acts. What I appreciate most about seeing them up close is the focus and ethic that is evident in their live music. They’re down to earth, to boot. Products of O.B., CA; they’ve intertwined their musical talents with so many different people and acts from that area (try making a family tree of who they have worked and played with, it will probably blanket a vast area of the SoCal music scene, at the very least), it just seemed natural that they teamed up with Snoop Dogg for this huge summer tour.

It will be interesting to see the mix in the crowd of who is there to see Snoop and who is there to really see Stoopid. They have been touring hard for years and really earned the followings they’ve established. Baltimore is definitely one of those places. Check this gallery of Stoopid and Half Pint playing Baltimore’s Pier Six. They respect the fans and put forth all their energy, every single night.

Check back here later for photos from the show, plus exclusive coverage over at Examiner.