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Intro: Spongebob & Plankton – F.U.N. Song
Josh Hawkins: Softlightes – Heart Made Of Sound
Dallas Rockvam: The Blues Magoos – (We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet
Ben Hatchell: Triumph – Lay It On The Line
Aldrin Garcia: George Harrison – What Is Life
John White: Elliot Smith – Son of Sam
Derek Elmendorf: Strawberry Alarm Clock – Incense and Peppermints
Jordan Hoffart #1: Van Halen – Panama
Jordan Hoffart #2: The Fifth Dimension – Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
credits #1: When In Rome – The Promise
credits #2: Rod Stewart – Young Turks
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Credit to skatevideosite.com for soundtrack listing.
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Introductory Musings
Known as a legendary board company somewhat fallen from grace, it’s been a decade since the skateboarding world has viewed a new powell video-outing. In an attempt to regain its place among the big-name shred sled companies, Powell has given us a surprise classic full of incredibly impressive parts from their team of recently-dubbed ‘super ams’.
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Introduction
As an introduction, Powell escapes all norms and standards and shoots straight for originality by using the Sponge Bob Squarepants ‘fun’ song. An obvious choice, although how I feel about the usage is yet to be determined. However, in an age where introductions sometimes dont even make it onto the internet ripped versions, it does the job of a quick prelude, ready to be skipped in later viewings.
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Josh Hawkins
I wrote about this kid in my review of Buster O’Shea’s A Happy Medium[/b], and although I had semblances of appreciation for him then, this video gave me a new insight into the kid. Flare-esque tech manuevers, several large carcass-tosses, and perfect kickflips are all ingredients in his stunning opening part, leaving me shocked at exactly how ‘throw’ his throwaway AHM part was. The song is one of the best in a video full of fantastic music choices, and the editor even had the sense to line the lyrics with relevant parts of his part, such as ‘climbed our way down’ as Hawkins leaps into a foundation hole and again at ‘we found our way to a tree’ as he kickflips through a wishbone-shaped tree. Despite my previous methods of review, I’m no longer going to be an ender-spoiler unless the trick is a-buzz in the industry. So I’ll leave you with a particular trick of note for each part, one that sticks in my mind when I think about each person. For Hawkins, there are two such clips, but I’ll go with his amazing frontside noseslide nollie backside flip transfer on that blue kinked ledge that appeared in Filmbot Files, And Now, and several other videos.
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Dallas Rockvam
The Element black-sheep has changed his style of skating quite a bit, while still managing to display versatility, creativity, and balls. His song feels a bit fast and slightly hokey for some of his no-bullshit tricks, but regardless he conquers and old score and lines a ridiculous bridge-side wallie backside 5050. A good part, but not a standout.
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Ben Hatchell
Hailing from Virginia like myself and holding down one of the best parts I’ve ever seen, Ben Hatchell shreds to a Black Label-esque song and shares a few Steve Caballero transition jewels with the rest of the world. Be sure to check out the extras, his clips are just as ridiculous as his part. Among other notable accomplishments, Ben tackles that metal filmstrip-in-the-middle-of-the-fountain of daewon-reknown with barefeet, soaked pants, a tranny-bottom puddle, and two ridiculous tricks. He also tears into transition only flirted with by pros, goes as big as he pleases, and oozes style. The pipe-to-pipe gap recently ollied by Rick Howard and fastplanted to fakie by Jamie Thomas gets line-ripped by Hatchell, as does the pool that harbored Steve Nesser’s ending trick in The Beginning. He one-ups a recent trick by a Toy Machine team rider, if i remember right, but the trick i feel is most-mentionable in a part FULL of mentionables is his halfcab blunt frontside 180 on a concrete extension, for both the steez factor and the fact that the trick in question has never been seen by my eyes on anything that large, and it’s considerably impossible to the average skater. Check out his part somehow, even if you don’t see the rest of the video. In an interview he said his go-to trick was blunt kickflip fakie….. that should tell you something. Not to mention the buzz that should follow his ender.
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Aldrin Garcia
A little guy not well known to me, Aldrin oozes style and leaps a tremendous fs flip over a 13-set handrail. He also features a few guests in his part, and skates to a feel-good song. Much like Hawkins’, Rockvam’s, and Hatchell’s part, prepare to have your jaw drop a good several times throughout his part. Pop, tech, and gnar all factor into his skating, and this part is sure to have something for any type of skater, much like the rest of the video.
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John White
Starting strong with an interesting ledge line, White rips his Adio Wray’s as hard as he can, leading us to believe that Powell has some kind of style-quota for their riders. Watch out for a massive, shifting wallie over a handrail gap. Also, his song is infectuous, and his part doesn’t get skipped. Anyone with backside nosebluntslides that good shouldn’t go unwatched. Also, a photographer pops up for the first time at the end of White’s part, and he’s the kind of guy you can instantly tell is a pain-in-the-ass, particularly in his next two pop-ups.
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Derek Elmendorf
I believe this kid was once referred to as ‘Deathwish’, before the brand came out. I got that second hand, so I can’t confirm it, but I could easily see where the name comes from. His song is not my favorite, a little too youtube for me. However, he goes big and does so with style, and I seriously fear for his knees through his entire part. Backside flip nosegrind revert in the pool soon to be known as the pool Powell pissed on is my mentionable for this guy, but several switch front feeble variants will please you as well, not to mention his tremendous ender, which I personally wouldn’t have thought possible had I walked by that spot in person. Check it out, if Transworld hasn’t already printed it and ruined it for the world.
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Jordan Hoffart
Hoffart turned pro for the company right after this part, and also effectively ruined the frontside tailslide for the rest of the industry, save possibly Blind’s Morgan Smith. If you remember Digital’s Get Tricks or Die Tryin’ from around the time of 50 Cent’s lame movie, you’d remember this kid as the guy that does sick varial heel combinations, and eats shit trying to backside fifty up a death-drop. Appropriately skating to ‘Panama’ at first, Hoffart tosses himself at any terrain in his path with a mix of busenitz attitude and unfortunately-cliche-to-say Capaldi steez. His part really puts on the jaw drop action when the happy beat of his second song starts off, putting a potentially classic and definitely ender-esque vibe on his next minute and a half of slaughter. Bigspin heelflip bluntslide sticks out most to me, but I must mention his ending tailslide for the pure fame it’s sure to achieve. The drop he endures at the end of it is truly immense, not to mention the ledge isn’t small at the beginning, either. How someone can endure that kind of impact is beyond me, but what I do comprehend is their thinking in turning this deserving-ripper pro. Him and Hatchell are must-see parts, although personally I’d rank my top three parts as Hatchell, Hawkins, then Hoffart, for pure enjoyment factors. All three ‘H’ last names.
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Credits
Actually worth a watch, like the Ride The Sky credits. Good songs (including a former Barletta song), interesting clips, throwaway and bails, the usual. Some truly gnarly bails, I must say.
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Outroductory Musings
Very possibly the best technical video I have seen since Fully Flared’s release, Powell captures a truly great vibe and some incredibly skateboarding in their release, and my hopes are that their efforts don’t go unnoticed. You must watch Hatchell and Hoffart to call yourself a modern skateboarder, and this video is well worth the twenty bucks you’ll pay for it at your local shop.
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