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Intro: JVC Force – Strong Island (Instrumental)
Brandon Westgate: Heart – Magic Man
Matt Miller: Method Man and Redman – Cheka
Chaz Ortiz: Big L – School Daze
Donny Barley: Early Man – Beware The Circling Fin
Ron Deily: Edwin Starr – Twenty Five Miles
Kevin Taylor: U-God – Stomp Da Roach feat. GZA & Scott Watty
Anthony Shetler: Kabanjak – To The Bone
Forrest Kirby: The Pharcyde – Passing Me By
Lamare Hemmings:Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings – How Long Do I Have To Wait For You
Aaron Suski: Mos Def – Blue Black Jack
Eli Reed – Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Takin’ Care Of Business
Zered Bassett #1: Dio – Holy Diver
Zered Bassett #2: M.O.P. – Cold As Ice
Credits / Friends & Fam: Pete Rock – 914
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Credit to skatevideosite.com for soundtrack listing
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Introductory Musings
I anticipated this video greatly for the past two years, mostly due to their roster including Matt Miller, Donny Barley, Aaron Suski, and Zered Bassett, all some of my favorite skaters. However, once I viewed it, I felt it didnt quite measure up to my expectations… Don’t get me wrong, this video is damn good, but it just didn’t have the jawdropping factor as frequently as other videos of late (Ride the Sky, Mind Field, Fun, Fully Flared…). Upon rewatching it, i started to really pay attention to detail, particularly the spot factors such as runup and ground texture, and I really came to appreciate it, much as I knew i would. However, the editing and music don’t fit my ideal video format, and it feels like the production was fairly half-assed. That being said, this video is one that isn’t an instant-stunner, more of a video that will stand the test of time in terms of whats-been-done-where for the next several years at least. This video is a perfect east coast video; grimy, wallies and sketchy spots, slapped together, and lots of riding in the street. But it’s a video of attention too; to enjoy, you must analyze.
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Intro
This video starts off much like Chris Hall’s Get Familiar from several years ago. A strange, east coast song, with a beat bop-esque beat and some sick tricks. Notably, watch Bassett’s switch fs flip wallride at Brooklyn banks, Ortiz’s rail clip, Shetler’s kickflip noseslide other angle, and a sick footplant by Mr. Suski. Then, we slam straight into Brandon Westgate’s part and his skating begins instantly, in a somewhat forgotten method of introduction that we’ve become unaccustomed to since the premiere of Girl’s Yeah Right.
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Brandon Westgate
Right away, Westgate shows up barging like Barley, going fast in baggy pants with big ollies. His part catched your eye as he starts going UP some things other people are still going DOWN, such as the spot Kevin Taylor tosses a weak tre flip down later. The song fits well, it’s chill and allows the muted skating to really sink in. Now, a blog I follow accused Westgate of having little man style, but I honestly don’t see it, the pop and perfection he displays for an east coast skater are fitting of his sponsored-status, and he lands everything with a certain rushed ease, if that makes sense. There are quite a few tricks I’d wish to mention, including a retardedly good looking manny clip across that blue wave Alex Olson frontside 360d off of in Fully Flared. Yet, I’m going to mention only one, and the lucky trick happens to be his tre flip up the Melbourne Museum gap, which Daewon Song recently kickflipped up, I think. This is a long gap to go down, so a tre flip up it from flatground is bordering on insanity.
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Matt Miller
Many of you first heard of this kid in Transworld’s And Now, which I also reviewed and in which he was the owner of my favorite part. This part doesnt feel as well rounded and astonishing as his Transworld segment, but he still impresses with ass-hauling and stunning pop, in addition to some pioneering technicality featuring the hardflip and backside noseblunt slide, combined. Plus, lots of his spots look busted as they can be. His song is unmemorable, and felt too fast for his fluid style, despite his speed of skating. I’m going to mention his polejam frontside 180 over a dock-to-handrail gap, because this trick displays exactly how capable he is on alternative terrains, not to mention he launches it up there and lands with steez.
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Chaz Ortiz
The young Dew Tour phenomenon gets his first legit video part, and surprises with a bag of tricks I’ve never seen him do at contests, and an unpredicted lack of kickflip feebles and tre flips. Skating to Big L, his song is a big factor in making his part enjoyable, but the kid indeed has skills and pulls off a much more entertaining part than I had thought he was capable of. He lands everthing nearly perfect, and when he starts to grow, I predict a more interesting version of P-Rod. I really like his kickflip gap to manny to gap, because around this part of his segment is when I really begin to appreciate how talented the little bastard is. Just don’t get on his balls like everyone did with Sheckler, and he’ll be a perfectly likable and legit skateboarder.
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Donny Barley
Skating to an annoying and repetitive song, I feel this might be Donny’s worst part so far, and I have to say I was disappointed with him. Nevertheless, he lays down some sick tranny lines and skates some ridiculous spots, and still delivers some enjoyment on a regular basis. I have to mention his line at that weird sideways zero shaped tunnel, because anyone who fs reverts to fakie 5-0 grind (like a hurricane motion) on something that steep deserves credit. Watch out for a nollie bigflip switch manual that may or may not be him.
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Ron Deily
Fairly new to the industry, Ron sports some crazy hair, a sometimes sketchy nerd-steez, and a big bag of tricks. Skating to a great feeling son, Ron’s part starts off fairly slow, particularly compared to the throwaway I watched on Zoo York’s video progress podcasts. However, his part picks up with a sick lined frontside nosebluntslide, and I have to say something about his Lakai-like switch backside bluntslide to frontside noseslide, which I still don’t comprehend three weeks later. Watch this guy in the future; with a mop like that on your dome, good things are bound to follow.
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Kevin Taylor
Long a veteran of the industry and the East Coast scene, Taylor’s age shows through in a solid but unremarkable part. Some of his tricks just feel dated, like a switch flip manny I’m sure three-fourths of Arizona could do. Regardless, his song is great for car rides, and his syle holds a sort of timelessness. Watch out for his perfect-tweak front crook ender.
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Anthony Shetler
Long regarded by me as a boring sellout due to his enduring endorsement of Split clothing products, Shetler, not to be confused with Sheckler, puts it down with the surprises in this part, making it one of my favorite parts of the entire video. A great street-cruising song and a kickflip into the brick bank of Bachinsky backside-nosegrind fame hold down his couple minutes of burly east coast shredification, and I must inform you of a sweet kickflip backside lipslide pop out to fakie line and a kickflip backside 5050 on a triple set hubba, which Zered later charges at from the opposite stance.
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Forrest Kirby
Plagued by injury and absence from the industry, Kirby’s part is a slowed-down video surprise, despite the awkward appearance of some of his older footage, pre-style and pre-haircut. Evidentally Frontside feeble grinds to fakie on transition are becoming popular, as Forrest tears one in the Big Apple much like Jamie Thomas and Ben Hatchell have done recently (except in different locales). If nothing else, you must watch his wallride pivot fakie on top of a wavy roof, for multiple obvious reasons including its height, risk factor, and the sickness just a wallride would have carried. Why this clip isn’t his ender is beyond me, although his ender is on a popular spot, right after a killer switch-but-not-switch-looking-trick-that-shouldnt-be-done-switch-trick. If that’s comprehendable. Watch the video to understand better. Lastly, the song is a relaxing fit to Kirby’s style, and enjoyable on the whole.
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Lamare Hemmings
Spawned to fame in retiree Jereme Rogers’ attempt at Forecast, Lamare has come a bit into his own, using his long frame to his advantage while tackling a variety of rough city spots. Obviously his legs give him some indredible jumping powers, and they’re fun to watch, to say the least. Check out his fs flip wallride on the bank to wall from Matt Miller’s ending clip in And Now and this video, and let me know if you think he was trying nosestall or not. I’m thinking no, but it looks so deliberate, I cannot help but wonder. Also, he fakie flips that kink rail to bank of Arto Saari back lip fame, which was also done in The Blind Video, or some other recent release. His song sounds like elevator music, and would have gone better in Transworld’s First Love.
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Aaron Suski
A favorite of mine since his part in Emerica’s This Is Skateboarding, Suski has been shredding a while and I feel it’s starting to show. Some of his more conventional tricks feel weak, like his backside suski grind line at the Pyramid Ledges, but stalefishes and other street grabs still sweeten your gaze, in addition to his timeless steez. There’s an 8-clip string in the middle of his part, each clip utterly amazing, so watch out for those. Also, pay special attention to his incredible launch to tailslide bonk, a perfect example of a spot I would never even classify as a spot. A slow song makes him feel slower, but his tricks make up for it, for the most part.
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Eli Reed
Another child of J-Rog fame, Eli seems bent on challenging the former switch skills of his ‘discoverer’, landing some incredible opposite-stance manuevers and making one of my friends question how much the guy ever actually skated regular. A few clips feel like filler, and the song sounds like something from an old concert, but Eli still delivers an interesting part, helped especially by his mindblowing switch ollie to switch frontside wallride over a handrail. I feel Eli’s style will continue to mature, and he’ll be some kind of future Stefan Janoski for the grom-generation behind me. Also, his ender is just nuts.
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Zered Bassett
Zered came out of nowhere in DVS’ Skate More release several years ago, along with super star and future legend Dennis Busenitz. Zered gets down to a great opening hard rock song, and tears through some fantastic street lines and rough terrain in both stances without regard to anything around him. His part is jaw-dropping, marked by switch hurricanes on barriers, massive fs flips, flawless switch tre flips, and a display of versatility the burly shorts-wearer had not really displayed before now. Any major brand release should include a part that goes down in people’s memories for years to come; some accomplish this, some don’t. However, much like Cole’s recent Fallen part, Kirchart’s tremendous ending segment in Mind Field, and Jani Latiala in The Blind Video,l I feel Zered joins the ranks of other last-part greats like Cody McEntire, Marc Johnson, Eric Koston, Corey Duffel and Andrew Reynolds easily. After the last minute of his part begins, backed by a strange hip hop track, opinions about this are confirmed, as Bassett pulls out multiple ender-worthy clips back-to-back. His ender is incomprehensible. Go watch it.
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Credits
Skippable, instrumental song with Transwold-esque highlight reel replays, shenanigans, and bails. Also includes a Friends and Family section with limited notable appearances.
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Outroductory Musings
A good East Coast video for sure, a decent major brand release at best, and the container for a legendary Zered Bassett two-song ending part, Zoo York’s State of Mind is worth a peek at least one time. A bit expensive for my feelings about it, try to pick it up used, or in a trade if you can. But if you love east coast shredding, are following any of the J-Rog amatuers, or are devout fans of some of the older legends on the team, you shouldn’t keep on about your daily life without seeing this video. Not truly a must see, but a video one can thoroughly enjoy in the right mood. Also, don’t let it sit after the credits, or it will start replaying almost instantly. Unless that’s what you want, of course.
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