Killer Dana Board Society

In the summer of 2008, iconic surfer and former Pipe Master Rob Machado flew to Indonesia to experience a different kind of surf trip.

A journey that would take him way beyond his comfort zone, to the point where he could finally be alone with his thoughts, his desires and the empty perfection of an unnamed Indian Ocean reef. What did he discover? You never stop dreaming.

Thanks to our friends over at Hurley, we have 2 Drifter DVD’s to give out today! Whoo Hooo! All you have to do to win is tell us about your most memorable drifter experience. We’re not necessarily looking for some long novel but just something that will wow everyone… and if you haven’t had the opportunity to go abroad then tell us about your dream Drifter experience. For some inspiration check out the Drifter trailer:

For tour dates on the Drifter check out Hurley’s website

Freeee shipping to U.S. residents only. Contest ends Wednesday Nov. 25th

Hey Oh! Every Monday we like to hook you guys up with some free-bee stickers. This week we’re givin out some super fun Jason Maloney stickers (Hurley artist).

All you have to do to get some FREE STICKERS is tell us about an artist you’d like to see represented on our blog… from there we’ll pick someone to do a Featured Artist blog on. That’s it!

I’d say we have enough stickers to do about 15 or so sticker packs. We’ll give out as many as we can!

Free Shipping to U.S. residents only…

Featured Artist: Jason Maloney blog

About the Film:
The film is a definitive look at wave riding in the current state of our worlds oceans. Follow the worlds best surfers around the globe exploring all the natural wonders of our precious oceans. The salt water provides life and energy on a daily basis and the time to restore and preserve our oceans is now. Way of the Ocean stars Josh Kerr, Asher Pacey, Kelly Slater, CJ Hobgood, Ry Craike, Dane Reynolds, Craig Anderson and Adam Robertson. Coming in 2010…

Here’s some unused footage from the upcoming surf film, Way of the Ocean starring Josh Kerr, check it out!

WAY OF THE OCEAN (MOVIE) BLOG : ENTRY 5 from CIRCULATE on Vimeo.

Head on over to the blog for Way of the Ocean for more footage and some bitchin photography!

Big ups to Rusty for wring this blog on their site: www.rusty.com/blog

As the founder of Killer Dana Surf Shop, one of my favorite things has been helping customers with custom surfboard orders, and I am still as stoked today as I was way back in 1991 when we opened our first shop. After all, surfboards are the foundation of what we do…GW

Mark has shaped thousands of boards and is a master with his planer.

A custom built surfboard is one of the few things you can still get to order that is truly hand-crafted to your exact specifications. We thought it would be fun and interesting to show you how a custom surfboard is created, from the order form through the finished product. Master shaper Mark Ellis has been making surfboards for Killer Dana since we opened in 1991, and he has shaped literally thousands of custom surfboards for our customers. I asked Mark to build a quad fin for us, and the photos below show how the entire process is done, from start to finish. Enjoy.

-GDub

What’s the Girls Scouts motto?! Be ready for anything…? Yea something like that. I never was a Girl Scout, but I sure was a Indian Princesses with my Dad! Those were the good times, camping every month and being outside everyday. Loved it! I’m pretty sure our motto was “Always friends”.

Anyway, my inspiration for the week definitely has to be this Take a Hike theme. It’s full out outdoorsie gear, flannels, earth-tones, and adventure!

I’m totally digging this new Hurley Jamison Parka Jacket that we have. It has this awesome parka lining that can zip up separately from the rest of the jacket (which is great for when you need to shed off a layer).  The RVCA Clover Dress is a favorite that we’ve had since Summer, but don’t let that detour you. The style is still killer and deserves to be carried into your Fall wardrobe.

Also be sure to check out some accessories like the Hurley O&O Military Hat. This little guy is perfect for sun protection and has a great fit. Last but not least you should definitely invest in some warm and cozy boots, like these Sanuk Boots (which are my favorite)!

Get out there,

Kacee

Mr. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam is no stranger to the San Diego area. Along with drummer Mike Cameron who hails from Chula Vista, the band has over twenty years in the the better half of Southern California.

Pearl Jam’s performances usually have a family type atmosphere, with the steel piped Vedder carrying on conversations with the audience and always giving his appreciation for the fans. For this Diego stint, held at the Viejas Arena, Vedder and the rest of the 90’s punk rock inspired Pearl Jam took this atmosphere to the next level.

It showed in their set (two sets would be more applicable to the lengthy performance), playing an abundance of classics that kept the audience on fire all night long. The first part of the show got the momentum going with a quick but hard version of Corduroy.

The energy went on a roller coaster ride from there, with a version of Even Flow mixed in to a steady stream of back to back bangers. Before anyone realized it was only ten o’clock, the band threw out a 12 minute pyschodelic/punk metal rendition of Rear View Mirror that kept the crowd buzzing during a short break before a complete second set.

Vedder came back with a solo version of The End that almost left everyone in tears before the rest of the band rejoined him for Red Mosquito. Ben Harper came out to lay down some slide to the classic from No Code. Watching Mike McCready’s hard, fast and scattered soloing feed off of Harper’s smooth slide mastery was a potluck for the ears that left everyone satisfied.

The family environment of Pearl Jam’s crew was put on display as Vedder got the whole audience to sing happy birthday to Lulu, the daughter of light engineer Kieth Wismar (Now with Ben Harper). Keeping the vibe going, the band members paid their usual tribute to the audience behind the stage, turning things around for Last Kiss, the popular Wayne Cochran cover.

Wayne wasn’t the only cover to grace the set, nor the best. This would have to go to the fast as hell version of The Byrds’ Rock N Roll Star; a rare song out of the deep bag of tunes that even the most frequent Pearl Jam rockers were sure to be surprised by. It was a good mix in to the rest of the second encore which featured nothing but the hits. Why Go, Black, Better Man, Alive and Yellow Ledbetter rounded it all up in a power packed end to the show.

With all the lights on, Vedder finished his bottle of wine, tossed out a couple tambourines and left McCreedy wailing the National Anthem as Pearl Jam finished the home leg of their tour.

The iconic group is one of those bands that has to be witnessed live to appreciate what goes into their music. Much like seeing any good band live, the experience will leave Pearl Jam higher on your play list for a long time to come. Usually until the next time you see them, when you experience it all over again.

That was the theme of the Sacred Craft 2009 Surfboard Expo at the Del Mar Fairgrounds last weekend. The Expo is a totally bitchen event that brings together surfboard shapers across the generations, and this year was particularly special because Dick Brewer was the guest of honor. Brewer is known as the ‘guru of guns,’ and he still shapes incredibly contemporary boards today. All the shapers owe a ton to Dick, and they were all out in force to honor him.

Shaping demos were held throughout the day, and we watched Brewer protégé Reno Abillera shape a mini gun, in addition to shaping demos by Robert August, Pat Rawson, Gary Linden and others. The day was a who’s who of shaping luminaries, as shapers like Mike Hynson and Carl Eckstrom of the original Wind n Sea crew talked story with Timmy Patterson from T-Patterson surfboards, and the legendary Mickey Munoz mingled with luminaries Mark Richards and Maurice Cole.

The guest of honor, and the man who helped start it all, Dick Brewer. He is 73 years young and still shaping great surfboards.

All the booths were stocked with the finest custom surfboards that the cream of the crop had to offer, and the public was invited, so people were able to meet and greet their favorite and most legendary shapers. It was particularly gratifying to see people like Rob Machado bring his entire family to pay tribute to some of our sports great heroes.

One of the most interesting sections of the show featured the first ever ‘antiques road show’ appraisal event for vintage surfboards. Steve Pezman, publisher of The Surfers Journal, Sam George, and Bird Huffman helped host the event, and a couple of hundred people brought in old longboards, balsa boards, vintage guns, and other surf memorabilia to get a free appraisal on their treasures. I’m pretty sure the guys having the most fun were the appraisers, as they got to see an incredible variety of surf craft of all types throughout the day.

Surfboard appraisers Sam George and Bird Huffman loved my 1971 Brewer gun, which Dick Brewer later signed for me. I was stoked!

I brought my Brewer gun, and later Dick himself was kind enough to sign it, and I was stoked! I went to the show with Timmy Patterson, who was there with Reno Abillera at his booth. Hanging out with Reno was awesome, as all kinds of people stopped by his booth to admire the custom Lightning Bolts and Reno Hawaii surfboards he had made for the Expo.

Timmy and I had a blast, and the show was a reminder that as much as the surf industry has become fashion, clothing, and accessory oriented, it is really the surfboards and the great shapers that are the foundation for all we do. Without people like Dick Brewer, there would be no Quiksilver or Billabong or Hurley, and probably no Killer Dana Surf Shop as we know it today. This event was a reminder that a good surfboard is the number one key to all we do, and great shapers and craftsmen like Dick Brewer need to be acknowledged for their contributions to surfing. It was an honor to pay tribute to all the shapers who came to the Sacred Craft Expo, and better yet, we all had a super good time doing it!

Gary Wright, founder of Killer Dana.

Two generations of elite shapers, Mickey Munoz and Timmy Patterson, shared some stoke at the show.

The ever evolving surf guru John Peck stopped by to visit with Reno Abillera at his display booth.

Rob Machado took a break from surfboards to demo this sweet hand crafted Koa cutaway acoustic guitar.

Boo Stubbs from Future Fins entertained the crowd with some sweet original music.

The great, and always gracious, Mark Richards, four time World Champion. His MR shapes are still incredibly popular.

All Photos by G-Dub

There are few events in surfing that can truly capture the enjoyment of what it means to live a surfing lifestyle. Granted, the very nature of any surf contest is rooted in the sand of the beaches they take place on, allowing anyone interested to spend a day at the beach and immerse themselves into all things surfing. But the kind of events that bring families, pros, multiple generations of surfers, every day locals and anyone else that wants to be thrown into the mix of surf culture at its finest are few and far between.

The Cosmic Creek is one such event and has been for the past ten years. The basic idea behind the event came about long before the modern hipster rebirthing of retro shapes and style. It was about bringing together the local community and a few interested pros to compete in a friendly atmosphere on boards from a different time.

Every year the event has garnered a little more attention and the tenth anniversary was no different. The pros came out in force and the local field was as big a part of the event as it ever was. As in years past, the Pacific Ocean decided to wake up just enough to hold Saturday’s local heats in small but fun surf.

After Saturday night’s benefit concert and party, everyone snapped out of it as soon as they saw the windy, angry, scattered peaks rolling around the point at Salt Creek. The no leash rule is always in full effect and made things that much more difficult for the contestants. There are a number of divisions in the contest and most of them are filled by local surfers. Brandt Bacha represented Killer Dana with a second place finish in the Rocket Men’s division with fellow KD employee Mike Leach making the final as well.

With all the development in board technology over the years, you take for granted how good surfers these days actually are. You really notice this though when they are thrown into the line up on a Local Motion twin fin that is older than most of the surfers in the contest. But it is exactly this board that Yadin Nicol rode to victory in the Pro division over guys like Tom Curren and Donovan Frankenreiter. Yadin blasted a huge backside tail blow that propelled him over the always perfectly styled Curren for a close finish.

As always though, the Cosmic isn’t all about the surfing. Every year the groms are treated to a free for all on the psychadelic painting spree that always comes out pretty cool. Killer Dana provided a cool photo booth that was a hit among beach goers and all kinds of free stuff gets tossed to whoever is lucky enough to be under the raining tees. The biggest give away always goes to the winner of the beach run. This year, Dane Ward took home a killer Ukulele signed by Diamond Donny himself.

The vibe during the Cosmic Creek is one of the best there is when it comes to surf contests. From the groms to the pros, every person on the beach is having a good time enjoying what the ocean does to the human spirit. That is what this lifestyle is all about and why the Cosmic Creek is one of the best events around.

Photos: Billabong

Photo: Billabong

If there is one good example of the many boundaries that surfing crosses, it would have to be the world of music. It may have to do with the similarities in rhythm and style that are so essential to both worlds, or simply the fact that every visual display of surfing is accompanied by some kind of soundtrack that at the very least is an attempt to accentuate the esoteric feeling of riding a wave.

It is really a testament to the power of music that it is the go to device for translating this feeling. Perhaps surfing musicians are so abundant for this very reason. Of course, much like the differences in surfing soundtracks, certain surfing musicians contribute a little more to the futile goal of translating these feelings into a universal understanding.

Whether or not Donovan Frankenreiter is a surfer, a musician, both at the same time or everything all at once, the one certainty in it all is that he is really, really good at both. He first proved this on Saturday night in Laguna Beach where he rocked two sets to a stoked crowd, and again showcased what he is all about the following day by making the final of the pro division at the Cosmic Creek.

Diamond Donny has been a staple figure in the ten year history of the Cosmic Creek and was once again the highlight of the event’s benefit concert. His set included a number of his hits, a couple new jams and some killer guest appearances. Any show that sends it out with The Weight by The Band is a good show in my book and Donny and his guests did the classic tune justice as the crowd begged for more while they packed it up.

The decision to not play an encore was most likely merited on more than a few valid reasons, but if the only bad thing about a show is that you wanted more and didn’t get it, well then it wasn’t bad at all.

The venue at 7 Degrees isn’t a venue as much as it is an art studio that provided a cool setting for the evening. It featured insane art by Wolfgang Bloch, John Van Hamersveld, Alex Weinstein, Art Brewer, Andy Davis and many others. The theme was painted guitars and ukuleles that provided a truly unique visual experience and added to the overall vibes of the great party that went down. Everything was up for the silent auction that contributed all earnings to the Surfrider Foundation.

In case you missed it, Killer Dana provided a live webcast of the entire event. It included interviews with artist Wolfgang Bloch, Billabongs GT and Surfrider’s Rick Erkeneff, not to mention a two camera shoot of the entire concert. Definitely look forward to more Killer Dana webcasts in the future.

The benefit concert for the Cosmic Creek is another aspect to the event’s ability to capture a side of surf culture that more often than not falls through the cracks. People come together for good food, drink, music, art, community and waves all for a greater cause than just the good time that it all offers. But of course it is the good times that keep us all looking forward to next year.

I recently hooked up with Joey Santley of Green Foam Blanks, and was immediately impressed by their program. As the environmental editor for killerdana.com, I am constantly looking for ways that individuals can go green for a better future. Green Foam Blanks is definitely part of the solution. Their program takes all of the foam dust used in surfboard shaping that would normally end up in landfills, and recycles it into new blanks. When you factor in the number of shapers in California alone, the amount of foam shavings is measured in tons – material that would normally be discarded as waste.

One of the challenges to producing a recycled foam blank is obviously quality. Joey and his partner Steve have, through research, design, trial and error, created an eco-conscious surfboard blank that fits all the criteria demanded by world-class surfers and shapers: they are durable, lightweight, workable, and cost effective. One of my personal goals was to lessen my carbon footprint with this board, and because the foam came from shapers like Timmy Patterson and Matt Biolos of Lost, who shape in San Clemente, and Green Foam manufactures their blanks right here, the transportation costs involved in my surfboard blank were negligible. I am also very committed to supporting local businesses and our local surfing community, and using this process creates a win for all involved.

Green Foam is actually white. Photo:G-Dub

Master shaper Timmy Patterson is one of my very best friends, and has been shaping my surfboards most of my life. He knows what I like, and for this one we decided on a 5’11” Rising Sun model, one of his most popular shapes, and one I actually haven’t ridden yet but can’t wait to try!  The Green Foam blank looks a little different, because there are bits of stringer wood and different colored glue bits encased throughout the foam, since it is recycled, but the board shaped beautifully, with no nicks or soft spots, and is also very light, so I’m stoked about that. We’re going to glass it using Hemp fiberglass, further reducing the use of petroleum based materials for my new board.

Timmy Patterson has been one of the ‘greenest’ surfboard manufactures around for many years: he’s been using recycled materials for his shaping bays, low wattage fluorescent lighting, rebuilt tools and planers for shaping, cleaner vacuums for minimizing foam dust, and basically following the Hawaiian tradition of using whatever materials are available, without having to buy expensive and less environmentally efficient products. He does it to save costs, and is quite amused that his way has become the new, trendy, ‘green’ movement of today. I was stoked when Timmy agreed to shape my board with the Green Foam blank, and he now has an option available to him to build an environmentally friendly product using locally produced, recycled waste material.

Can I have your autograph please? Photo:G-Dub

If you are interested in Green Foam blanks, their website is www.greenfoamblanks.com. They also reuse foam dust for municipal projects like pavement fillers, and as a very effective insulation for refrigerated trucks: go visit www.resurf.org for some interesting info about these uses of recycled foam.

World-class surfboard shaper Timmy Patterson has made surfboards for Killer Dana Surf Shop since we opened in 1991: you can order them from us or directly from his shop at www.tpattersonsurfboards.com. If you’d like to try a Green Foam blank, simply contact our shop through our website or at the stores, and ask that we use the Green Foam blank for your new custom surfboard.

Cheers! GW