Opening Ceremony’s OCTV Presents: ‘Hobbyist’ by Twin Bike, Part 1 – Featuring Lake Bell

In part one of Hobbyist, Twin Bike takes a drive with actress, filmmaker and car enthusiast Lake Bell. In just over three minutes, Lake explains the importance of Trail Mix on road trips, “Tetris driving”, and the ups and downs of driving a 600-horsepower “beast” around the suburbs of Los Angeles. Bell’s adorable pup and roadside companion, Margaret, also makes a cameo. What a bad chick!

Mayer Hawthorne - What's In My Bag?

Wore my Mayer Concert T today! Damn he is one cool Mother Fucker! Also Amoeba records is so tight in LA. They have not only every record ever, but they have every movie as well!  Can't wait for the new  album to drop!

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS THE ADVENTURES OF RAIN DANCE MAGGIE

Damn if this was July 30, 2010 I would have been right there jamming in Venice for this! Anyways nothing like putting the aging rock band on the roof in a public area to perform for a new music video!

Get More: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Music, More Music Videos

Song of the Day Oddisee feat. Toine "Different Now"

A friend of mine put me onto this video.  All I can say is it is a must watch if you are a hip-hop head.  Fresh beats legit lyrics and flow.  The video is chill and low key and still fly.  Its funny I just got back from D.C. and I just find it interesting that these guys are from there I'm guess.

MICK BOOGIE & DJ JAZZY JEFF – SUMMERTIME 2

You don't even know how stoked I am for this! Just in time for your 4th of July Mick Boogie and Jazzy Jeff drop the follow up to their memorable, UNDRCRWN presented, summertime mix from last year.  I can't not tell you how many times I listened to last years mix.  Probably every day driving to work in Cali,  I even listened to it today as a matter of fact!  If you want some good summer music than go download right now!  DOWNLOAD!

Generic Surplus

To all my fellow Sneaker Heads and Footware enthusiasts I would like to take a moment of your time to tell you about a company that I have come to love. Not only do they make high quality products they also have amazing customer service.  For those of you who have never heard of Generic Surplus, they are a branch of The Generic Man, a small company founded in Los Angeles in 2008.  
Their mission statement is simple:  
Timeless, Refined, Monochromatic
In a time when shoe design is overwhelmed with flashy branding and logomania, Generic Surplus pursues a more conceptual approach, discarding loud logos in favor of clean, refined lines with monochromatic colorways and durable, innovative materials. Incorporating elements of street wear, rock n’ roll and avant-garde fashion, Generic Surplus creates designs with a timeless appeal that leads the way towards a new direction for everyday footwear.


You may be asking why I am taking the time to talk about a company.  Well recently I came across some of the best customer service one could possible ask for.  My favorite pair of GS shoes are my 2010 Chukka Sneakers.  A couple of weeks ago the laces ended up shredding after a year in which I wore them all the time in many different kinds of environments including: airports, bars, formals, clubs, baseball games, in the rain, traveling, and the beach. So, about a week ago I decided I would try to find an email address for the company to see if I could get a new pair of laces for them.  


Blah say blah to make a long story short I basically emailed the company asking if there was anyway I could buy a new pair of laces directly from them or if they could recommend a place that sells their laces.  The next day I received a very nice email from GS.  They basically said they would do their best to find the matching laces in their office or a pair of laces that would work, and that they would go ahead and send everything my way.  At no point did they ever mention money or ask for any in return.  Today I came out to my mail box and found an envelope full of new free GS laces!  I was shocked at the level of customer service and genuine care they showed me.  I have always been a fan of their products and when anyone asked me about my GS shoes I would always sing their praises.  But after my recent experience I thought it was time for everyone to know that GS not only makes quality goods, but they back them up with amazing customer services.  So if you are looking to add a new edition to your collection, one that blurs the line between sneaker and shoe, casual and dressy at a reasonable price, then look no further Generic Surplus is the brand for you!


Generic Surplus 

Nike 6.0 “Leave a Message” Trailer

I love woman who surf.  This summer at the US Open in Huntington Beach my jaw was dropping at all the gorgeous female pro surfers!  Guess who is leading the way in showing off the rise of the female surfers? None other than Nike!


Recent years have seen an astounding growth in female professional surfers, so much that the Swoosh’s alternative sports line Nike 6.0 rises to the forefront of the sport. To address this trend, Nike unleashes the trailer to “Leave a Message”, an ode to the culture featuring surfing’s most talented women. Enjoy the trailer until May 24th when the full film releases.

SF to Paris in Two Minutes

This is incredible! Shot with a 5d2, a time-lapse controller, and a 16mm - 35mm, mixed with some iPhone shots. The plane took the Great Circle route above the polar regions, the video flies us through the aurora borealis, giving us a look at those spectacular northern lights.  Also remarkable is the fact that the Air France flight crew allowed the use of that bundle of electronic devices throughout the entire flight. At the end of this video, you'll see the rig with which he snapped the 2,459 shots -- one approximately every two miles. After the flight, they were edited together along with a few judiciously placed iPhone pics shot along the way. You need to watch this!

Nike Better World 100% Recycled ad

I am always talking about the innovations that Nike makes, this past week I had a long talk about it.  I had a discussion with one of the Nike employees at the new Santa Monica store and he was super cool, its funny to see the love for the brand that is built by working for them. Anyways,  Nike just introduced the premise behind its Nike Better World initiative via video this week. Prescribed as a “film made from 100% recycled ads”, Nike Better World is also part Public Service Announcement (PSA), but without the lengthy preaching. Highlights all Nike’s efforts locally as well as globally in assistance with environmental issues, humanitarian cause, and others.  So go check out the ad and rock some Nike's why you are at it.

Going back to Cali strictly for the weather, Women, and the...SB 2011

Just got back from Los Angeles yesterday. It felt really good to be back in the city of Angles, but sometimes I still do not know if its the place I should be at. All in all it was a successful trip: handled some business, handled more fun, got to go on the set of one of my favorite shows (Community), ate at some of my favorite spots, went to some new places, made some new friends, saw some old ones, caught the good vibes of the California Soul.

Places: Los Angeles, LACMA, Santa Monica, Hollywood, USC, Pepperdine, UCLA, Malibu, Griffith Observatory.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Happy Birthday Grandma! I took this picture during the holidays when I was up in NJ visiting her...she is a total G!

Nike SB "Around The World"

Nike SB does a great job with their new video Around The World. The work is an collection of highlights taken from footage captured in 2010 on several different tours. Starring Stefan, Grant, Wieger, Lewis, Daniel, Youness Amrani and Chet Childress.  There are some really cool time lapse and stop motion shots in the video, my favorite  is of the ATL skyline near the very beginning.

Nike Stadiums: Nike 6.0 “Snowboard Trip”

In this video some of Nike’s 6.0 team, the crew head out from New York in the early morning, giving them time to pack, fuel-up and drive all the way up Killington Vt. and some of the best snowboarding in the country.  Which is perfect because all of the snowboarding gear that 6.0 is making right now looks like the best that you can buy!

Gatorade “Go All Day” with Nigel Sylvester

This year, Gatorade’s theme is “Go All Day.” In celebrating that theme, Gatorade wanted to start doing research on the non-traditional sports like BMX, so they hit up team rider Nigel Sylvester and asked him If you could go anywhere in the world to ride bikes with friends, where would you go? After lots of research and different ideas being thrown around Japan was chosen as the destination. If you aren't into BMX this is still an interesting video, there are some really cool shots of Japan and the city of Tokyo. All in all the video documents the trip, from the riding and research, to the culture and adventures.

Maestro Knows Special Edition (Tyreke Evans)

In this episode Maestro follows Tyreke on an off day in Los Angeles as they head to EA Sports for some NBA JAM and then out to the court as Tyreke tries to assist Maestro's efforts toward his slam dunk.  Later in the episode they go to Venice Beach to check out Elite 24.  Its so crazy seeing Venice Beach I miss it so much there.  Can't wait to try and make my way back out there.  I've got mad respect for Tyreke Evans after watching this too he's a beast. Also in this episode you finally find out how Maestro got his nickname...

Song of The Day "Long Hot Summer" Reflection Eternal

It seems a little late but Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek of Reflection Eternal just premiered their new video "Long Hot Summer" off of Revolutions Per Minute.  I have to say that I was bumping this album and this song all summer out in Cali, and you know what it looks like he went there to film the video!

Thinking About California Puts A Smile On My Face!

Song of the Day "Hundred Million" The Whigs

It's funny that The Whigs are a quote unquote "Athens band" and I never really listened to them until I saw them live in Los Angeles at the world famous Troubadour.  It was one of the first times that I can remember hearing a band live before their studio stuff and liking them a lot.  Their drummer especially killed it.  Anyways this song definitely stood out to me that night and for some reason while I was sitting in my 9:00 AM class it popped into my head.  Thankfully I had it on my iPhone!

Road trippin' with my two favorite allies

Los Angeles-Las Vegas-Flagstaff-Chinle-San Antonio-New Orleans- ATL
I've been driving across America the past week so that explains why I haven't posted in a while. I had an amazing trip to say the least, but I am sooo beat. But things don't stop and tomorrow I'll be on to the next thing...moving in and school.