The Roxy RV is on the road again! Today surf team manager Torri Alexander stopped at Wrightsville Beach, NC to meet up with one of our team riders Sofia Mulanovich and go surfing in the beautiful intercoastal waters. Enjoy these pictures!
From Torri:
Sofia is here in Wrightsville Beach NC, we went for a FUN surf this morning in the intercoastal waters, to a spot you could only get to by boat or with a jetski.
Brad Harrell our sales master on east coast brought down his ski Sofia, Brad and I took turns whipping eachother into waist high waves..I took over driving though, it was SO fun lining them up with air sections etc..did I mention 80 degree water?
DJ Daisy is spinning at our stores! Listen to some great tunes, shop and get 20% off your purchase. Print out this blog post and bring it into the below stores to get the discount.
Roxy South Coast Plaza
August 28th, 2pm – 5pm
3333 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, Ca 92929
714.540.45555
Quiksilver Miracle Mile
August 30th, 3pm – 6pm
3663 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
702.731.1521
Quiksilver 3rd Street Promenade
September 5th, 2pm-6pm
1422 3rd Street Promenade
Santa Monica, Ca 90401
310.899.9400
According to the folks over at Refinery 29, tiny hats (lovingly referred to by a much more fun nickname of “toppers”) are making headlines this fall. While this trend might be hard for many of us to tackle, I noticed a much more approachable and fun way to make this style work in one of my favorite shots from our Holiday photo shoot. Love it!
Our surf team manager Torri is driving the Roxy bus across the US! She’s in Cocoa Beach, FL this week. Lucky girl! Check out these sweet pictures she sent me:
Her partner in crime on the road…the Quiksilver bus.
The DUO!
From Torri:
We surfed Cocoa Beach, moDaddy (the driver on the Quik bus), me and the local shaper..fun fun and 80 degree water, oh and I did get chased out of the water by lightning yikes!
Perfect for standup!
From Torri:
This is right now at cocoa beach..btw I am out here to drive the roxy Rv to Wilmington NC for dear and yonder meeting up with Sofia Mulanovich there..then heading up to ECSC a surf fest in Virginia Beach and Dear and Yonder premieres..wohoo
Let the games begin! Our first series of workout videos have arrive and I’m so excited to get you into shape! First things first, Video 1 is a great Abdominal Workout We are going to work hard for lean and tone abs – you are going to love it!!! I recommend the Roxy Ready Set Race Sports bra and the Hot Competition shorts when you are working your abs. The material is light, the cuts fit great and the colors are sweet!
Bio: Four vans destroyed and sold for scrap metal. Five guitar amps crackled, hissed, and went silent, exhaling a final puff of smoke. An irreplaceable vintage keyboard face down at the bottom of a flight of stairs, 13 keys cracked and lifted, never to make a sound again. Dried blood on every drumhead. This is the story of one band.
A string of misfortune seemed to follow the five young men of Michigan’s Mason Proper (named for an obscure phrase relating to Freemasonry) as they toured in support of their 2007 debut album, There is a Moth in Your Chest and four-song follow up, Shorthand EP. Each time they packed up their belongings to head to another town, they would search their bags and equipment for arcane symbols, unexplained objects, anything that might prove to be evidence of the curse of unluckiness they seemed to be living under. “It was a ritual we took up half-jokingly,” singer and primary songwriter Jonathan Visger revealed, “but the second part of the joke was always that if we ever found anything, it would certainly explain a lot.”
The band powered on through the mishaps and continued to play as many of the shows as they could make it to, despite sending van after van to the junkyard. The early shows were energetic and bubbling with enthusiasm, but as the quintet encountered more troubles, they became progressively wilder and more dangerously frenetic, feeding into their own sick delight at watching the chaos unfold around them. It was around this time URB Magazine declared: “While Mason Proper – hailing from the chilly climes of northern Michigan – records really tight experimental indie pop, onstage they explode. Visger transforms into a hipster hurricane and compels his bandmates to follow his explosive antics.”
While touring took a toll on the entire band, it hit keyboardist Matt Thomson the hardest, as he would often disappear for hours at a time without telling anyone where he was going. He even missed the beginning of several shows, including a well-documented incident at Denver’s Monolith Festival, where he vanished into the mountains.
However, the relentless touring and subsequent strife wasn’t for naught. As the band traveled from city to city unleashing their schizophrenic pop, others took notice. The Internet began buzzing and the band received ink in major music magazines in addition to their hometown publications. CMJ New Music Monthly penned, “Mason Proper showcases a consistent juxtaposition of punk defiance across eerie plains of cascading indie rock,” while Amplifier proclaimed Moth as “an amazing achievement for a young band on its first effort.”
During a recent tour, the band were invited to record sessions for Sirius Radio’s “Left of Center,” WOXY.com and indie rock online recording hub, Daytrotter. “They have tapped into that very specialness that adds sterling richness to songs without making them sag like sad peach trees loaded with huge fruit,” they remarked about the band’s new material.
Coming off the momentum of even more touring and a great response to the unreleased songs they were roadtesting, the band decided to turn over a new leaf and look to the future, hopefully leaving their dark past behind them. They met with producer Chris Coady (TV on the Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blonde Redhead), and with him selected 10 songs from a pool of 30 they had to choose from, aiming to make a cohesive album, with a tone that reflected the band’s collective state of mind as accurately as possible. They rented a small, empty house in Ann Arbor, Mich. and recorded their sophomore album in a month; Visger then headed to Carriage House Studios in Connecticut to mix with Coady on the very the same console the Pixies’ Doolittle was mixed on. This would then become Mason Proper’s Olly Oxen Free.
While some of the songs on Olly Oxen Free do update the dense, electronically-enhanced rock sound the band wielded on its debut, the band veers off into intriguing new territory. Bookended by standout tracks “Fog” and “Safe for the Time Being,” the former kicks off the album with an ominous organ and guitar riff coupled with a pounding beat while Visger sings: “My horoscope said pack your bags. Running low on hope, I can’t get back. Made a hole in my head, then forgot why I did. I’m all gone.” ”Safe for the Time Being,” a song that had surprised the band by becoming an instant live favorite in the months before, sounds every bit as good translated to tape. A post-apocalyptic slow burner that stays sparse with only a heartbeat kick drum, thin guitar, and the most dynamic vocal melody the band has ever penned, it explodes at the end in a grand wall of fuzz.
On “Point A to Point B,” nearly all the band’s trademark noisiness is gone, while Visger sings: “In past lives I was wealthy, so probably unhappy. Oh, I’m so glad I died,” over a bouncy beat, and a bed of bass and guitar ambience, before opening up to a beautifully simple chorus of, “I swore to myself last time was the last time.” “Alone” shimmies, shakes and vibrates just like he mentions in the song.
“We made this album with the simple goal of following our instincts 100% and omitting anything that didn’t feel absolutely honest and true,” explains Visger. “We learned a lot about ourselves, and the world, in the Moth era, and Olly Oxen Free reflects that. This album is born of the same internal madness as the first, only now the layers have been lifted. The core of our band is exposed – to be loved, hated, or ignored.”
Olly Oxen Free will be out September 23rd on New York’s Dovecote Records.
Bio: Molly Jenson, a singer/songwriter whose sparkling, heartfelt songs nod to Sheryl Crow and Aimee Mann, began to make a name for herself in small venues throughout California in the early 2000s. Aided by producer Greg Laswell, a singer/songwriter in his own right who co-wrote Jenson’s debut, Jenson completed her first album, Maybe Tomorrow, in the spring of 2005. Thanks to a tireless gigging schedule, the ever-rising popularity of her MySpace profile, and a collaboration with Switchfoot frontman Tim Foreman on his solo EP, Jenson found herself with a sizeable fanbase by the time 2008 rolled around. She was signed to the newly minted Bully! Pulpit Records the following year.
Album Title: Centuries Before Love and War Featured Tracks: “Movies of Antarctica”, “With You” Record Label: Wind Up Records Website: http://www.starsoftrackandfield.com
Bio: When Stars of Track and Field found themselves without a bassist a couple of years ago, the Portland, Oregon-based band didn’t follow the typical steps to find a replacement. No want-ads were placed; no attempts were made to recruit from other bands and nobody within the group switched instruments. Instead, the band opted for the path less traveled: they went digital. “Our initial motivation was two fold; a chance to stretch our boundaries and break from the conventional rock format, and avoid the frustration of rehearsing bass player after bass player,” says Jason Bell.
Stars of Track and Field had become an entirely different band, one that keenly opted to straddle the divide of vintage analog and cutting-edge digital, merging the best of yesterday and tomorrow into a succinct musical package. “We could finally embrace all of our influences,” says Kevin Calaba, “and add the colors of Aphex Twin and early Pink Floyd to a palette that already included the Beatles and My Bloody Valentine.” Adds Dan Orvik, “between the three of us there are many influences, the musical direction could go anywhere.”
Fueled by their newly found “digital chemistry,” Stars of Track and Field suddenly took on an entirely revamped musical outlook and feverishly began developing new songs for their debut EP. Five hour practice sessions consisted of two-and-a-half hours of silence and self-imposed isolation; rehearsals were largely spent with all members’ headphones on, experimenting with sounds and textures, only to later share their finds. “We’re thinking in bleeps and blurps these days as much as we used to think in rhythms and melodies,” says Bell.
The result of these sessions was the band’s self-released debut EP, You Came Here for Sunset Last Year. Recorded and produced by Tony Lash (Dandy Warhols, Elliott Smith) and Jeff Saltzman (Stephen Malkmus) for a mere $2,500, the EP was released in June 2005 and garnered significant radio attention throughout the Pacific Northwest, which included commercial airplay. The public responded, and the band went on to sell several thousand copies of the release via live shows and local stores. The EP appeared on many Best of 2005 lists and reader polls, highlighted by SXSW Executive Producer Matt Dentler’s blog, which listed Stars of Track and Field as the #4 “Band To Watch for 2006.”
Orvik explains, “We never wrote songs with the thought, ‘Wouldn’t this sound great on radio?’ The attention has been great, but it hasn’t changed our compositional outlook. As long as this band exists, our intention is to simply make art.”
After a brief stint on the Southern California-based indie label Sidecho Records, Stars of Track and Field signed to Wind-up Records. “Around the time of SXSW 2006, several labels had their hands down the back of our swim trunks,” jokes Calaba, “and it always makes sense to take advantage of that kind of interest. Wind-up is about developing careers, and that is the priority for this band.”
Returning to the studio with Lash and Saltzman, the team created Centuries Before Love and War, the band’s first full length, which was released exclusively on iTunes on August 22nd. An ambitious debut, Centuries Before Love and War displays the band’s dichotomous formula, successfully mining elements from across rock’s history while simultaneously embracing the digital technology of the future. “Tony really put his heart and soul into it,” says Bell. “He thinks it’s the best thing he’s ever worked on. That’s saying quite a bit.”
One listen reinforces Lash’s confidence. The CD begins with the title track’s intriguing blend of vinyl-sampled kick drum, digital handclaps, reverse cymbals and keyboard arpeggio which builds to the song’s crescendo of electric guitar feedback, layered vocals and live drums. “‘Centuries’ had to be first because it best demonstrates the juxtaposition between digital and analog while setting the lyrical theme of the record,” says Calaba. The song “Movies of Antarctica“ briefly incorporates a drum machine before launching into a guitar/drum attack that any arena rock band would appreciate. “‘Movies of Antartica’ kind of wrote itself,” quips Bell. “Satan himself lisped that riff into my ear.” “With You” traverses the sonic territory from digital to analog and back, oscillating between digital minimalism and indulgent walls of keyboard and guitar.States Calaba, “Sonically and lyrically the song describes the emotional tug of war that occurs between sorrow and elation.”
If the anthemic rock aesthetic found on the full-length feels somewhat melancholic, then similarly bittersweet is the lyrical content. “We called the CD Centuries Before Love and War due to the fact that all the lyrics deal with maligned memory and love loss. And obviously, with the war going on now, it’s pretty hard not to have that affect your writing,” says Calaba. “The difficult part is presenting your politics with insight and thoughtfulness, while avoiding trite rhetoric and cliché,” adds Bell. “How one cannot be shocked and horrified by the random violence and lackluster performance of this administration baffles me.”
With the album wrapped and label in place, the road ahead looks especially promising. The band completed an August US tour with Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate & The Fire Theft) and is preparing to head out for another US Tour in October/November with The Twilight Singers (Greg Dulli, ex-Afghan Whigs). “For me, the live setting allows for us to present songs like ‘Movies of Antartica’ or ‘Say Hello’ in a much more raw fashion than the record,” adds Bell. “Sounds like we’ll never be home again,” Orvik laughs.
And although Bell and Calaba have been writing material together for a number of years in other acts, playing in Stars of Track and Field still feels relatively new, particularly since the introduction of the fourth “electronic member.” “We’re still a really young band in terms of playing together, so we’d like to think that our best days are ahead of us,” says Bell. “We’re still trying to figure out what the hell we’re doing.”
Bio: Armed with cell phones and attaché cases, they wander a bleak grey landscape shaded by ominous, nondescript buildings. Their soundtrack echoes the frenetic pace of their day to day lives—a relentless helicopter beat punctuated by strings of octave-hopping bass. Back and forth, up and down, to and from. Until a faint signal cuts through the static.
“Let’s go north until all we see is open air. Leave them be, those rats who race…”
Then the bubble breaks.
“This record definitely is very much about facing the pressures of a grind,” says Ian LeFeuvre, singer and guitarist for The Hundreds and Thousands. “You get in this big city and start to work your ass off, and you start feeling like other parts of your life are slipping away. Sometimes it’s fun to be caught up in the whole game, but sometimes you wonder how much you’re losing touch with things you wish you hadn’t.”
As The Hundreds and Thousands, Ian LeFeuvre, Peter von Althen (drums), and Maury LaFoy (bass) paint a beautifully unapologetic picture of life interrupted and rediscovered. Driven by brick wall bass and drums, the album documents the emotional and physical confines of day-to-day drudgery—crowded trains, unfocused thoughts, the brash white noise of passing conversations—but the payoff for survival is immeasurable. Through all the bare-knuckle angst, LeFeuvre’s resplendent melodies and powerful voice shine through with an unmistakable message of hope.
All former members of power-pop outfit Starling, each musician brings a wealth of recording experience to The Hundreds and Thousands. Von Althen’s resume reads like a who’s who of the Canadian scene (Kathleen Edwards, Jim Bryson, Skydiggers), while LaFoy’s bass history cross-references the folk reverie of Sarah Harmer with k-os’ next level hip-hop. As a producer and songwriter, LeFeuvre’s recording credits are nothing short of exemplary. In addition to providing music for films and TV shows like “The Girl Next Door,” “The Shield,” and “Queer As Folk,” the Toronto-based musician produced Lynn Miles’ Juno Award-winning Unravel, and is currently writing and producing with Barenaked Ladies singer Ed Robertson. Like LaFoy, he appeared on K-OS’ 2007 release, Atlantis: Hymns For Disco, and will be featured on the forthcoming Yes! As chief songwriter and producer for The Hundreds and Thousands, LeFeuvre has combined his pop ingenuity with jagged sonics to create a deeply personal album that resonates with strength and vulnerability.
Careful to not dilute the raw power of the three-piece, the vast majority of the record (vocals included) was recorded live in only a few short sessions; a testament to each musician’s technical aptitude. As a result, each of the 11 songs, including quieter ballads like “Fall,” swell with a larger than life sound.
“There are just so many records these days that have been edited to death,” says LeFeuvre, who enlisted Eric Ratz (Billy Talent, Big Sugar) to mix down the record. “The records that we grew up listening to, people couldn’t do that. You had to land the song together and play it as a band. No matter how good you are at editing, there’s something to be said for that energy. It’s not nipped and tucked in every little place, and there’s a very human thing to that.”
The all-too-human air of LeFeuvre’s lyrics goes hand in hand with this straight forward production aesthetic. You can hear the crackling hum of LaFevure’s guitar cabinet peek into the mix between the stops and starts of “When You Want Yours,” an ideal dedication to an estranged lover or a devious boss. On “Don’t Talk To Me,” LaFoy’s massive monophonic Roland bass slides up and down against a crystalline guitar solo drenched in trailing reverb. By embracing the imperfections and adding touches of electronic color, LeFeuvre and Ratz have created a sonic depth of field that places the album comfortably between the glossy space-prog of Muse and the blue collar rebellion rock of The Clash. Racked with heavy cymbal crashes and punchy guitar, “All Alone” builds like a pressure cooker until it explodes into an ephemeral wash of vocal harmonies and Colin Moulding-style melodic bass. When the protagonist on “Bullet Train Wreck” wonders, “Will I forget my name when the part of me that’s still sane goes off the rails?,” the band supports the sentiment with chugging drums and disjointed guitars. And when “the bubble breaks” on “Rat Race,” a sliding, distorted solo blasts a makeshift escape hatch through the emotional and physical walls of the outside world.
“We’re approaching this as a young, energetic and inspired band with nothing to lose and everything to prove,” says LeFeuvre. And he’s got the goods to back it up. The Hundreds and Thousands is a call to arms; an introspective yet urgent masterstroke of songwriting that broadcasts the message of the masses loud and clear.
Sofia, Brad and I took turns whipping eachother into waist high waves..I took over driving though, it was SO fun lining them up with air sections etc..did I mention 80 degree water?
August 26, 2009
According to the folks over at 
Album Title: Maybe Tomorrow
Album Title: Centuries Before Love and War
