SLUG Contributor Limelight
August 28, 2009
Contributor Limelight: Chris Swainston
Chris Swainston teamed up with SLUG Magazine in 2006 shooting action sports photography. Since then he has busted ass in numerous areas of the magazine – shooting cover photos, writing skate and snow articles, planning, designing and building coarses for the Summer of Death Skate series and The SLUG Games ski and snowboard contests. In addition to being published in SLUG Magazine, Swainston’s work has been featured on TypicalCulture.com, Transfer Mag (based out of Australia), Automatic and others. Swainston recently snagged the title of Action Sports Coordinator and will be covering all things action sports here at the SLUG offices while his counterpart and partner-in-crime Adam Dorobiala travels abroad this fall.
Articles by contributor
Sun Up to Sun Down with Austin Namba
“I don’t drink, don’t smoke, just skate, there is nothing better then skating,” says Austin Namba. Namba is one of those skaters out there that can do every trick flawlessly. He is one of the most down to earth chill people you could meet, always down to skate, keeping it low key and mellow. His
World Superpipe Championships
The 5th Annual World Superpipe Championships was held in Park City, Utah. The comp allowed riders to show off their individual style and skill in a best of three run set up. The pipe was 22ft deep and around 500ft long. It was a perfectly cut tranny and super steep, giving riders tons of speed for
GZA @ The Urban Lounge
GZA The Urban Lounge August 29th SLC fans throw up their heads for Wu-Tang member GZA The house was packed full for this show, everyone from tall-t thuggish-ruggish-gangstas, to tight pants fashion kids and dirty rotten skate rats were there. Ws flew high as the crowed chanted, “Wu-Tang Clan aint nothin to fuck with! Wu-Tang
Love It Or Leave It, SLC Premier
Keeping me warm on a freezing night is Josh Martinez’s first film Love It Or Leave It. Pretty damn good for his first six months of filming. The kids on the come up check out the review here. … read more
ManExpo Skate Contest
It was a David and Goliath battle Saturday April 10th at the Sandy City Expo center. An all ages pro/am skate contest blazed on for seven long hours. As local Utah rippers came out to compete for $4,000 in prize money. Local pros James Atkin and Adam Dyet showed up to show their support and rip it with everyone. In the end, and to no surprise, it was big time heavy hitter Greg Lutzka that took the first place check home along with his fresh new K-Swiss kicks. … read more
Make It or Break It – February 2007
With each new season the progression of snowboarding reaches a higher level. Bigger gaps are discovered. Urban spots are constantly being built in cities around the world. Riders think up innovative technical tricks that nobody has ever seen. … read more
Diamond in the Ruff
photo: Chris Swainston There aren’t many things in this city that get me to venture past the greater down town area, until now. Nestled away in the corner of Rose Park on 1200w. and 1300n. is Salt Lake valley’s newest edition to the ever growing community of concrete parks. This place is a gem, to
Noise on the New Horizon: Team Thunder
The artful and curious minds of Team Thunder, a local crew of snowboarders, are turning heads in the snowboard industry. They’ve created a newfangled creative style of riding and are pushing the idea of what’s accepted as good in snowboarding. “We have a different outlook; were not trying to prove anything to anyone, we’re trying
The Story of Aus
It was Wednesday, December 5, 2007 when I stood dazed and confused, staring wide-eyed like a newborn child at a whole new world. I couldn’t believe that after thousands of hours pinching pennies and serving pompous idiots at fancy Salt Lake restaurants, I had finally made it to Melbourne, Australia. … read more
Product Review – July 2008
It was the end of themonth and I was indire need of a new setup. Thankfully RealSkateboards hadsent SLUG a crisp new8.02×31.75 porvida deckready to be shralped.I’ve had Real woodbefore and knew itwas going to be stiffmorning, noon andnight. Its beautifulsymmetrical shape andtantalizing concavewasn’t the only goodthing about this boardthough. … read more
Suburban Assault
Photos: Chris SwainstonWelcome to suburbia, where miles upon miles of white vinyl fencing and acres of perfectly groomed emerald green grass outline row after row of dark taupe, taupe, light taupe and grey cookie cutter homes. Mom’s Porsche Boxter sits in the garage while dad’s Dodge monster truck flaunts his manhood curbside. A handful of
Backyard Bliss
First things first––crack a beer. When skating a mini ramp, having a frosty beverage in hand is almost as essential as a board. The session doesn’t feel right without one, it keeps you loose and smooth. Just sip it and rip it, then grab another. … read more
Sunday Break
It was another Sunday morning when the crew decided to mount up and sail south to a divine land of skateboard delight. … read more
Trail Kings
The future for the Tanner Trails looks bright. Wood and Ingersoll aren’t about to slow down with upkeep and expansion of the trails. They are constantly thinking up more efficient ways to maintain the trails year-round and coming up with crazy inventive ways to keep riding the trails even when they are covered in snow. … read more
Six Feet Under
It’s that time again – frigid temperatures, frosted windshields, frozen locks, short days and cold hard ground. Winter is like being locked in an insane asylum for five months. Most people fatten up on calories and hibernate behind locked doors, but not skateboarders. We’re too fucking ADD for it. … read more
Brian Berec
Hailing from the garbage state (New Jersey), Brian Berec moved out to SLC seven years ago. He came out here to snowboard and explore as many spots that I could find on and off the mountain, he says. … read more
Mike Brown Fest
What do you get when you mix beer, skateboarding, loud-as-fuck guitar-destroying metal and obnoxious idiots dressed like sperm throwing used condoms at the crowd? The answer: the first ever Mike Brown Fest. … read more
Sunny Brooks
One of the first rippers I thought of was Brooks Scott Hall. He’s always up to some crazy-ass antics and always down to skate. The kid is a wild fucking hellion. … read more
Local Legend Tully Flynn
Tully Flynn has been in the epicenter of the local skate scene for over a decade. He was around for the Dirty Hessian days. … read more
Snug Life: The Jared Smith Story
“He’s a swindler, a shyster, a cynical bastard.” “I would be fucked without him.” 28-year-old Jared Smith, more commonly known by the nickname Snuggles, has been pushing around the skate scene for more than 15 years. It all started for him back in Lawrenceville, Georgia. By the time he was 13, his mind was made––he would either fulfill a career as a skateboarder or produce the artwork on the bottom of the boards. … read more
Summer of Death: Road Warriors
I pulled under 600 North, astonished by the number of people that had gathered for the fourth year of SLUG’s street-style skate contest. It was half an hour before Summer of Death: Road Warriors started and more the 50 people were already on the scene shredding and sipping some undercover, frosty, adult beverages. … read more
Damn Hell Ass Kings
We wallowed in gluttony, consuming everything we desired. For the night, this was our kingdom, this was our land. We lived like kings: damn hell-ass kings. … read more
The Blue Collar of Odeus Skateboards
The concept for Odeus started with Alex Lemons skating in the mid 80s when the only board options were a plastic banana board or a Powell Peralta. The banana boards were poor quality and the Peralta was expensive. “There was no in-between option. I was going to be the guy that made that third option.” … read more
Product Reviews – November 2009
Reviews of products from Etnies, Transworld and iBlink including headphones, skate vids, t-shirts, shoes and jackets. … read more
Butters
At 19 years old most kids are gagging on their fourth shot of vodka in the back seat of mom’s car, but not Brock “Butters” Nielsen. … read more
Product Reviews – December 2009
This month we review products from Boardpusher, Brinno, Zagg, Sleepictures, Lafe’s and Electro Joe. Whether you like skateboards, belts, earbuds or deodorant, there’s something for everyone. … read more
Milk and Cookies
The keeper of this kingdom is Spencer England and behind the hanger doors lay the formations of his imagination, coined “Milk and Cookies.” Before you go blabbering on about how your friend has a mini ramp too, let me set something straight—there is no other ramp out there as pristine and diverse as this one and I’m still just talking about the ramp. I haven’t even mentioned the big screen TV, climbing wall, man-sized BBQ grill and arcade games. … read more
Mexican Millionaires
It all started with an opportunity to catch a free ride to Bahia de Kino, Mexico. The whole idea seemed impossible to me. How could I have fallen into a chance occurrence of driving to Mexico for an eight-day stay on the beach? The idea was so alluring and romantic that there was no possible way I could pass it up, especially knowing we would be driving, not flying. Traveling by road is a grand excitement that borders on obsession for me. … read more
True to Form: The Sofa King Interview
When considering the symbolic nature of the rat in parallel with Willy Nevins, it becomes obvious why his alias is “Ratchild.” His art, music, skateboarding and writings are the proverbial foods for you to devour. Infected with the disease of creation, he rapidly spreads it through the streets he scurries through. … read more
Skate Lake City Chronicle
SLUG delivers all the news that’s fit to give a shit about in the local skate world. … read more
Stuntin’ Like Yo Daddy
It was a casual, sunny Sunday afternoon when my phone rang. The call was about a super shredding session in Heber Park. “So sick,” I thought to myself, to escape the toxic carbon dioxide soup in the city and fill my lungs with the fresh mountain air. I was thinking it would be a mellow afternoon of snake lines and 5-0 grinds. Little did I know there would be a pack of heavyweight rippers, all literally old enough to be my father, going off in the deep end. … read more
Shop Talk with Brick & Mortar
Hondo opened SLC’s first ever skate-only shop, Brick & Mortar (561 W 200 S), on July 31. It’s a fresh lookin’ shop, but don’t get confused, it’s not FICE in there. Hondo says, “The way I see it, I can’t sell a pair of pants for $200 when that’s 20 hours of work or half of someone’s rent.” You’re only going to find useful skate products in this shop. … read more
Levi Faust: Iceman
“Iceman: it’s the way he flies, ice cold, no mistakes … ” That quote is right out of Top Gun and if you’ve ever seen Levi Faust skate, then you know it describes him perfectly. His focus is impeccable. You can see it in his face as he rolls up to a spot, feet perfectly placed, eyes locked on the target. He understands skating like most can never comprehend. I think it’s all the sugar he eats. … read more
SK801: It’s for the 801
SK801 started about six years ago on a trip to Denver. There was a video contest going on and all the kids wanted to be a part of, but they needed a crew name to enter. Nobody can really say who came up with it, but SK801 was the one that stuck. By the next summer the first SK801 video had dropped. After forming an LLC 7 months ago, and with the concept of having a free park for the community that was supported by a shop instilled in their minds, they started hunting for a space. … read more
Age of Everlast
With how quickly today’s acceleration of digital camera technology is growing, it makes it almost a financial impossibility to keep up. In less than ten years, digital cameras have almost completely replaced film. I remember when buying a new camera, I had no doubts about its functionality. I never took into consideration how old it was or how many shots it had fired. The cameras were built to last, made of metals not plastics. … read more
Conserving A Culture, Framing The Future: Skate 4 Homies
“I wanted to do something that was a collective good, to show kids that they can be good and do good things together and have good things happen,” says Todd Ingersoll, founder of Skate 4 Homies. It was a little over a year ago when Ingersoll had the idea to create a non-profit organization focused around the preservation of skateboarding through youth mentoring programs. “Really, what [Skate 4 Homies] is all about is giving back, doing the community a service.” … read more
Rocky Hudson Jr.
Skating with Rocky Hudson Jr. usually starts off with a twist and a flat ground session. He carves around tranquil and smooth, popping no-complies and thunderous switch heels. He’s got massive pop—you’ll never see a worm burner out of Rocky. For Rocky, skateboarding is all for the love: The whole experience of going out to film tricks, playing games of skate in empty parking lots and always having a reason for a road trip keeps him pushing. … read more
Let It Be.
Josh Martinez has become one of the most dedicated and motivated skate filmers in Utah. His everyday mission is to get up early and stay out all day, filming. He has spots from Las Vegas to Reno and is never short of an idea on where to go. “I just like filming. I love making skateboarding films and working with people that want to skateboard and make something happen,” says Martinez. It’s this type of determination that has lead to his third film, Let It Be. … read more
Rejected
Two summers ago, I made a contact at Thrasher Magazine. It was just an email to one of their long-time staff photographers, but it was an in, and I felt like I had found a secret passage to the holy grail. Being the ambitious photo geek that I am, I started shooting as much as I could, sending him all the best sequences I shot, but nothing ever seemed to make the cut. … read more
Articles by contributor
Brewvies Review
I decided to review my one favorite spots to grab a beer with friends, bullshit a little, and if I’m hungry, order some eats. Plus, in my opinion, it’s the best place to watch a movie in town. With all that extra leg room and no kids, how could you not love it? That’s right, I went to Brewvies. … read more
Beer Review: Red Rock
The Red Rock Brewing Co. team hasn’t had a problem gaining national acclaim for their brews. … read more
Positively 4th Street / Record Store Day
There is no better month than April for buying a record store, as the second annual Record Store Day falls on April 18. … read more
Localized – May 2009
This month SLUG’s Localized presents Palace of Buddies, Birthquake and openers The Buttery Muffins at Urban Lounge. … read more
The Advantages of Being the Little Guy: Desert Edge’s Chris...
If you enter the Desert Edge Brewery at The Pub in Trolley Square from 500 East, you’ll see through a pair of double doors the untidy and cramped array of fermenters and tuns which is the playground of Head Brewer, Chris Haas. … read more
Mike Brown: My Afternoon at General Distributing
I decided to head out to the local General Distributing plant to tour the facility and see if we could get any employees to drink with us. … read more
Real Life Renegade, Andy Leyba
“I’m a cutter, that’s why they call me Scratch,” Leyba let me know. Andy has a rich history of violent, aggressive, drunk behavior that has kept him in jail for the better part of the past decade.
… read more
Craft Lake City Artist: Carrie Eldredge
When not slaving away, Carrie Eldredge spends her time recycling. She recycles things that other people have discarded into her own art. … read more
Snug Life: The Jared Smith Story
“He’s a swindler, a shyster, a cynical bastard.” “I would be fucked without him.” 28-year-old Jared Smith, more commonly known by the nickname Snuggles, has been pushing around the skate scene for more than 15 years. It all started for him back in Lawrenceville, Georgia. By the time he was 13, his mind was made––he would either fulfill a career as a skateboarder or produce the artwork on the bottom of the boards. … read more
Product Reviews – September 2009
Product reviews, including products from F1ND, Velo City Bags, Jansport and Shogo. … read more
Hyrum Summerhays
SLUG: What is Audio Space setup like?
Summerhays: You know the scene on Back to the Future with the giant guitar amp? It’s kind of like that. … read more
Jud Powell
When an average person walks into a room, they don’t think about how it could potentially be set up for proper sound diffusion, if the space has adequate reverberation time for the size of the ambient and/or if it is provided with low levels of reflection. Jud Powell can’t help but think about all of these factors and more. … read more
Damn Hell Ass Kings
We wallowed in gluttony, consuming everything we desired. For the night, this was our kingdom, this was our land. We lived like kings: damn hell-ass kings. … read more
Product Reviews – October 2009
Reviews of products from FRESH, Bacon, Zagg, Keen Footwear, Tagur and The Shred Sled. Check It! … read more
The Blue Collar of Odeus Skateboards
The concept for Odeus started with Alex Lemons skating in the mid 80s when the only board options were a plastic banana board or a Powell Peralta. The banana boards were poor quality and the Peralta was expensive. “There was no in-between option. I was going to be the guy that made that third option.” … read more
DTX
The wasteland of pavement and cement are more or less glorified playgrounds and we do not understand why people are so fucking stupid that they don’t see this simple truth as well. I bought my first skateboard 15 long years ago. I progressed slowly without the aid of cement facilities or social support. No matter, I rode the bus route 8 on epic adventures the boys and me coined as DTX: down town motherfuckin’ extravaganza. … read more
Gaza: Shouting from Soapbox Tops
Gaza is not an “anti-“ band. Anti-religion or anti-Mormon, anti-meat or anti-you, Gaza is more about things than against them. … read more
Product Reviews – December 2009
This month we review products from Boardpusher, Brinno, Zagg, Sleepictures, Lafe’s and Electro Joe. Whether you like skateboards, belts, earbuds or deodorant, there’s something for everyone. … read more
Missionary Position: The Colt Bowden Saga Continues
Colt Bowden has a deep, throbbing relationship with his skateboard. When asked what motivates his raw-dog approach, he said, “The push.” When he grabs his wood and throws down, you can tell he’s putting passion into every thrust he musters. Bowden likens skateboarding to jazz music. He’s most happy when improvisational poetry is coming out on the streets. Bowden tells me that he is intensely familiar with every crack on his block, and penetrates them often during daily rides. … read more
10 Years of Stoneground
At this point, the location of Stoneground really shouldn’t be a secret. But since it’s tucked away downtown on the second floor of an older building, one that overlooks the Salt Lake Library and a Trax station, it is easy to drive straight by without ever seeing the large rust-colored sign. In June, Stoneground celebrated its tenth anniversary. And while this is an incredible feat for any restaurant, it is even more impressive when you consider the eatery’s humble beginnings and the adversity it has faced over the past decade. … read more
Blue Plate Diner
Since 2000, Blue Plate Diner has been a favorite of local scenesters of every age. Owners John Bouzek and Tamrika Khvtisiashvili attribute the unique diner’s style to falling in love with an old 1940s soda fountain in Salina, Utah while they were passing through on a road trip. Inspired, the two combined their fondness of mom-and-pop cafés and appetite for authentic American cuisine with Bouzek’s cooking skills, and Blue Plate was realized. … read more
Summer of Death: Roughside of the Trax II
On September 24, the Roughneck crew came out to Salt Lake City from their San Franciscan homeland once again for SLUG’s 2nd annual Summer of Death: Roughside of the Trax skate contest. Roughside of the Trax, the Salt Lake version of Roughneck Hardware’s BART Tour, takes skaters along our city’s Trax line to street spots in a contest format. … read more