nothing is...

The Friendly Alien World

2011-12-29T16:49:00.001-07:00

My boys made these cute little "alien" creatures out of eye balls and foam letters. We had lots of fun with the project. We made a little stop motion video to share. Fun!

Family

2011-12-18T21:07:00.003-07:00

I am always inspired, refreshed and positively motivated after talking with my Dad. I hope I can have that effect on my kids. I love you Dad! My whole family is amazing. I am so lucky and blessed.

Pull yourself together man

2011-11-30T12:34:00.004-07:00

This may sound crazy but if go too long without skateboarding, I start to come apart at the seams. How long is too long? It just depends. For some reason this activity from my youth has become necessary for sanity. I don't skate enough I guess. Sometimes I'm too scarred. I don't want to crash. The stoke is worth the risk. I don't need to destroy a mega ramp or execute a perfect impossible flip to twenty stair hand rail to feel it. All I know is that riding a little wooden toy with wheels levels me out. I am thankful to be able to ride.

The way I see it.

2011-09-24T17:48:00.001-06:00

I always wanted to be so good at something that my heros would want to meet me.

I posted this on FB and an old friend Named Fred pointed out that my kids are my "real" heros. It brought totally new perspective. Thanks Fred.

Backstory:
I had seen a pic of Hosoi and Cab and wished I could hang with those cool cats. That pic prompted my statement.

It's funny, My heros Hosoi and Cab were totally into my kids when we met.

Life... time does pass so quickly... I have plans... it feels like there is no time left to be what I wanted to be. Maybe I am what I wanted to be... I am trying so hard to enjoy every day for how much it is worth.... maybe I have had too many glasses of wine. Maybe everything is perfect.

Hello Blog!

2011-08-30T13:37:00.002-06:00

Whew! I lost access to my blog for a while... and I was lazy (busy) and did not post for a long time. I really want to start posting to my blog again. I like the personal journal aspect of blogging, it's something that facebook lacks. I mean when you post to facebook EVERYONE see's it. I think I have grown to like the fact that few to no people ready my blog. It feels less scrutinized! I like it here!

The weather outside is delightful! 12-27-10

2010-12-28T12:19:00.006-07:00

WOW! The weather has been unseasonably warm. 50+ degrees every day! P,A and Andrew came to visit the day after Christmas. Great weather and the best lil sibs ever make for an epic winter session. Two sessions today in fact. We hit the ramp once in the morning then again after taking the kids to Bananas fun park. Fantastic day!

PJ Slashing!

Kvon Backside. Some things never change.

Andrew, A.K.A. "Keanu"

Andrea kick'n.

One NEW song EVERY Sunday in 2010!!!

2010-01-28T23:34:00.009-07:00

I am writing and posting one NEW song EVERY Sunday in 2010! The songs will be available for purchase on Facebook as singles. Albums will be available on itunes say... every twelve weeks. You can listen to full songs on myspace. Here are links:
HAIL THE SOUND on myspace
HAIL THE SOUND on facebook

  

  

Artistic expression

2010-01-23T07:56:00.003-07:00

From the looks of my blog I have been doing quite a bit of photography. It's true, "shutter-bug" is my middle name... or something. Back to topic: 2010 means a new year and new focus on the artistic things that define part of "kevin". Why leave the camera on a shelf when you can be clicking away! I had an opportunity to work with the lovely Sarah on a shoot. Above are three of my favorite shots from the shoot.

The Ring flash goes back.

2010-01-23T07:35:00.002-07:00

I purchased an Alien Bees Ring flash a few weeks ago for my photography set up. The Ring Flash gives you some crazy cool effects but it has to be plugged in to a wall outlet. The Ring flash is mounted directly to your camera so the cable to wall makes you feel like a dog on a chain. To further complicate things my so called big feet tend to catch stray wireing at random. I don't want my shoot to turn into a pull over, knock down session. In short, I sent the ring flash back and will likely purchase a conventional b800 flash head from Alien bees instead. Below are a couple examples of the ring flashes effect. ps You know what they say about big feet right ... "Big shoes".

Family Christmas card 2009

2009-12-10T12:22:00.003-07:00

Just in the St. Nick of time! The 2009 Family Christmas card! Let me know what you think of it!

SNOW DAY!

2009-12-08T13:27:00.003-07:00

Today school was canceled due to lots of fluffy white snow. My wife set up Muppetts Christmas on her laptop and all the kids crowed onto the couch for a fun morning off!

Pics with Mom and sibs 11-26-09

2009-11-30T23:28:00.004-07:00

A9 and Andy came to visit us for Thanksgiving weekend. I SO love hanging out with my sibs. We skated. We jamed. We ROCKED! it was fun. We snapped a few pictures and A9 snapped his board. SNAP! Good thing I have a stock pile of yard sale decks from last summer.

Happy Thanksgiving from Martinellis!

2009-11-27T23:20:00.008-07:00

This is how we do! "A wine glass of Martinellis? Don't think so fool! I drink it strait from the bottle YO!"

Every thanksgiving we have several bottles of Martinellis Sparkling apple juice left over. In years past I have just poured it down the drain. I assumed it was full of high fructose corn syrup and other poison. This year I happened to read the ingredients...100% apple juice... and carbonation of course. The carbonation is real bad but finding out that its just apple juice was enough to make me refrain from wasting the excess. After a bottle the room was spinning... "Crap! Did this @#$% ferment???"

Don't worry Ma, it's just apple juice! ;)

Today, I put down a bottle of Martinellis and skated without pads. Livin on the edge SON!

Hail The Sound album cover

2009-11-26T00:38:00.003-07:00

In the face of economic down turn...
With a newborn a wife and three other kiddos counting on me to put food on the table...

I have decided there is no better time then the present to try [once again] to "make it" as a performing songwriter. 0% talent 100% PASSION!© I also make weird combinations with my musical gear, take pictures of myself and pretend to be a graphic artist. Oh brother! Here is my subtly offensive album cover.

Facebook notes vol 1

2009-11-18T10:44:00.003-07:00

I have decided to included some of my facebook musings here on my blog. Facebook notes vol 1:

11-18-09 10:34am
Shea is vocal training me and it is working! But I have a long way to go still. I can hit notes real well but holding them is tuff. I over correct and over correct. Vox really are just like any instrument: takes tons of practice. Thoughts? Advice?

11-18-09 10:20am
I think I want to get a piano for the living room.... maybe.

11-17-09 6:07pm
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Rory Grace! Eight pounds two ounces! She is a princess! :)

11-17-09 9:02am
...working on my 2009 album. (narrowing it down from around 50 songs. What will make the cut?) ...waiting for a new baby. ... wishing it would warm up so I could skate. ...wishing it would snow (in the mtns) so we could shred (after the new baby comes). My thankfulness increeses exponentially.

11-16-09 11:16pm
Kevin Decker is.

11-14-09 10:02pm
Working on my songs! Wrote two this week. stoked. Over the past few years I have developed a thing for orchestration.

11-13-09 11:44pm
I always want to do everything at the same time.

Hail the Sound

2009-11-12T20:57:00.009-07:00

I purchased the Adobe production premium software bundle. My pockets are empty but I have this killer software. Don't know if I will get the full benifit of this powerful platforme but for now I am delighting in the camera raw update that comes with photoshop CS4. It has enabled me to open a few ".cr2" photos that were taken at the best ever Hail the Sound gig. Me, my sister, brother and cousin had the opertunity to rock together. We're a family band! At least we were, for one shining moment! Now the sibs have gone off to collage and my cuz has been consumed by the City. Cuz is a 911 dispatcher and for the moment has no life outside of the PD. "crrrk we have a 411 on the nothing is blog... over. crrrk". "crrk rodger that. crrk". Side note: one of our other friends on the force was bass player and co conspiritor in ,SMA. SMA was a killer band that I was in some years back the likes of wich the world will never see again. Liten to SMA Here. End side journy. Hail the sound is now pretty much just me, doing my Trent Reznor thing wrighting tons of music and wondering if the world will ever care. At the front part of 2009 Hail had the opertunity to open for Autumns Chase another cool band in which I loved playing drums. End second side note. Here are some cool pics taken by my friend Seth from Hoptocopter at the infamous Hail show earlier this year.

Rocktober 09

2009-11-11T19:24:00.005-07:00

October 2009
In a effort to get back on board with my blog I have prepared a little October 2009 recap. This is how it all went down... at least this is the way I remember it. The names are the same because no one is innocent. Bam! October started with the fall 7 days self portrait shoot out. & days is a photo group I belong to over on flick-r. here are my entries:

This was my day pic. Flikr actually used this pic as a "feature pic" what ever that means. All I know is it got a lot of extra hits as a result.

This was my day two pic. People in the group said this pic scared them.

I missed day three this was day four. I wanted a silhouette with the soft box in the shot... well there ya go.

I missed day five and seven here is day six. Long exposure at dusk, cell phone... yep.

October 09 continued on. The leaves turned and then fell. I did a few photo shoots fro friends and did a ton of local Television commercial production. As usual I started a few musical compositions and practiced electric guitar like a mad man. It was much of what you would expect from a Kvon October. What I did not see coming was a 24 hour stomach bug and the uh.. swine flu!?!? These inconvenient illnesses hit me one week apart, each put me on my back with less than enough strength to move and BOTH had their low point on Saturday. I have a gig every saturday playing guitar at a church that has about 3000 members. yep, I played two gigs totally sick as a dog, I learned first hand the true meaning of "The Show MUST go on". On top of all that my whole family got hit with said illnesses. No fun... no fun at all! Since we were sick we stayed in on Halloween and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". We are over the sick stuff now. Hopefully we have the immune system of super heros!

The boys are very talented, they draw and create all kinds of lego masterpieces. The other night when I was tucking B in he informed me that he is "a genius" to which I replied " yes, yes You are"

I purchased a line 6 M9 in October and love it. If you play guitar, get one... or two.
I still have a weak spot for Gibson les paul standard guitars. I have been watching ebay and saving my money.

I organized my garage and my studio.

I have a plan to tear down my ramp and build a full on vert backyarder!

D is doing very well at his new school.

Mommy is going into labor any day now.

We got hooked on Battle Star Galactica and then I got mad at it and for now I have very little interest in watching it any more.

I met some cool producers here in Happy valley.

I watched my Kook friends awesome coverage of their awesome trip to Cali to skate with Cab.

I decided persons on Social security are not allowed to send spam emails bad mouthing other government systems. I don't believe in government, I just believe in me.

I learned that the simple rebellious saying "Shut up and skate" is profound and may be the answer to 48.6 percent of the worlds problems.

So that was my October 09. It came to pass and pass it did... with the joy and fragrance of a good flatulation and ya know what... MAN do I feel better! :)

10,839 feet above sea level! Color Sunday 2009

2009-09-27T21:27:00.009-06:00

My kiddos.

Princess S.

The kids with Grandma (my mom).

Smile boys!

They were disipointed to find out we had no plans to take this boat out on the lake.

The D man.

Two boys and a boat.

Big B.

Big B.
"I told you so" ... that's what she said. She in this case is my sweet wife. She told me I would be sorry I did not bring my 5d mark II on our little expidition. Color Sunday is sure to be a photo op. I decided to bring our old camera, it's lighter and smaller but not up to the level of the 5d mark II. In the end the sb800 flash saved the day. Here are a few pics of my family!

"well, what do ya know!?"

2009-09-27T21:12:00.002-06:00

That's what my son D said tonight when I found his Game Boy advance charger right where he had left it. For our purposes the expression means "Well what do ya know, an actual blog post". Yes, I have been away from the blog for quite some time now. I have been busy playing and writing music, being a Dad and even skateboarding. It has been a whirl wind summer. In June 2009 I was skateboarding about three to six hours per day, playing music two to four hours per day. In July I began to notice several growing injuries so I dialed my skating back a bit and started practicing Guitar two to ten hours per day. I got a regular gig playing guitar out at a local church. I have met some great people. This gig has given me a reason to progress. I hope to have solid guitar skillz by this time next year. I am still skating, just about every day. I will never quit. I love it. There is just no need to push it too hard. Skate, get stoked and then rest! More posts to come SOON!

V6 Flyer returns from Infamy!

2009-07-28T22:12:00.004-06:00

It was 1992 (or there about) I was playing in a band called "V6" with skater / musician friends; Captain Payne and Jason Larson. We were a mix of Primus, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Fishbone, Janes Addiction and Rage Against the Machine. Early on we played a gig at the now razed Liff Auditorium. Liff was on the campus of Mesa State College. It was a small, poor sounding venue with nothing going for it. If you had a local band in those days, Liff was the only place to throw a show. I had butter flies. Half the time I was scared stiff to go on stage. Some how I made it through. Over the years I played Liff shows with many different bands. Now I get depressed if a week goes buy without being on stage... any stage.. anywhere. I just love to rock. Any instrument any kind of music. V6 was my first band to make a unified sound. Most groups just make noise, but a "sound", now that is a beautiful thing!

The other day my cousin showed up to Hail practice with this old V6 flyer. We had a few laughs over the content. Thinking back, I took that picture into a mirror then we photocopied the pic to enlarge and scribbled all the info. Now I have a career in marketing and production... ironic.

Thanks for the flyer Big Wolfe.

Birth-Day-Sesh!

2009-07-27T09:30:00.005-06:00

"Girl you know I,I,I.."
"Girl you know I,I,I.."
"I've been feenin"
"wake up in the late night... dreamin' about your lovin"

"Birthday sesh"
"Birthday sesh"

What? Isn't that the way the song goes?

Well the first line of the song is:

"It's your birthday so I know
"You want to Riide out"

As far as I can tell its a song about a Skate session!
I took the songs advice and had a birthday session of my own in Aspen Colorado. The Vert bowl gave me a little too much lovin... I still feel it. A9 captured a few slams and makes on vid. They hurt a lot worse than they look. At the end of the day I landed six inverts on the 9' with vert. I am stoked! The featured backing track to the vid is my new song "The saboteur"

You're never too old for a lil Birthday Sesh!
"Riide out!"

Birthday Sesh. Aspen CO July 2009 from kvon on Vimeo.

WARNING! AWESOMELY BAD VIDEO CONTENT... on the way to the skatepark.

2009-07-23T23:34:00.003-06:00

My brother and I took a lil skate trip up to Snowmass and Aspen, old news, I know... but here's something new: On the way we rolled 32 gigs of binary code. I sent the footy with my lil bro A9 to edit. What he sent back makes Dumb and Dumber look Genius. omg. Four video shorts so far. Get out your lap top and have a seat on the throne because this is "The Bathroom youtuber!"

Flashback to June 2009

2009-07-22T20:59:00.003-06:00

It took me a while to start cutting footage from my Spring skate voyage. Here is a fun mellow vid from X-court Skate park in Glendale AZ. This was the last day of our trip. We had a blast. A thousand "thank yous" go out to everyone who helped make that vacation the perfect way to start the 2009 summer!

X-court June 2009 from kvon on Vimeo.

Aspen /Snowmass Colorado. The 4th of JULY!

2009-07-05T11:32:00.006-06:00

Up AT the crack of dawn. Drive for 2+ hours. Skate. Drive. Skate. Drive! It was a fun filled 4th, and that was just the morning! My brother "A9" and I pulled off a sneak attack on the crete at Aspen and Snowmass yesterday morning! It was a good, no.. it was a GREAT time! I will do it again FO-SHO! Here are some shots to document our celebration for INDEPENDENTs!

A9 Drops at Snowmass . This pool simulation bowl was so RAD! The shallow end was real tight but still ride-able! The waterfall was steep! This bowl was challenging in all the right ways. It gave us nothing for free! I would like to ride this thing every day and get good on it.

Snowmass is just around the corner from Aspen. This park was built by Dreamland Skateparks. It truly is a dream to ride. But watch out for the water from the sprinkling system. It leaches in through the concrete cracks and can turn this dream into a nightmare! The city of Snowmass should seriously check into this before it becomes a problem.

Snowmass skatepark. View #2

Snowmass skatepark. "B.F.B."Big fun Bowl

I would love to have this in my back yard!

I took it easy. The bigger bowl was a bit intemidating. I wanted to keep it fun and that means NOT getting hurt! I threw a few micro backside airs and called it good!

Another BS air in the bigger bowl.

Kvon Pivot in the bigger bowl at Snowmass.

Victory! "The hairy pit old man hath skated The and walketh away to skate another day!"

Commonly miss-referred to as "Butt-pencil" THIS, is a little place called Aspen COLORADO!
Colorado Combi! Two 6'+ rounds and a 9' or 10' square! OH-SO-SMOOTH! I love this Bowl!

Kvon back side Carve.

Shot of the park surroundings.

I love this town!

4' to 6' area. Tons of lines! THe Locals kill it, and you will too!

The big tile extension.

A9 with a cool fly-out!

This little bowl is RAD for beginners. It just ROCKS!

We returned home tired and happy, ready to light some fire works! I hang out with my wonderful family then we grilled steaks with our good friends Jim, Allie, Honor and Eden. We lit fire works in the street in front of our house then walked down to the community overlook to watch the city burn some $. It was a good day!

Sumer time rolls

2009-07-02T21:23:00.009-06:00

Bust-a-backside! A9

Bail shots rule!

A9 "chillin-it"

Kvon invert

Kvon Lein to tail

Kvon Boneless one

Tha heat makes ya K-ra-Z!

Big B Shreds!

I have been racking my brain to no end... trying to formulate a plan to build a vert ramp. I have always had this passionate pursuit of big air. I have dreamed of boosting 6'-8' above the coping on a 12' vert ramp. There is currently no such ramp in my town (to my knowledge). So, I can drive out of town or I can build one. I would have started building already but there are variables that perplex me. Ramp construction is relatively straight forward but knowing the future is another thing all together. It's like this.. say I build a vert ramp and.....
1. my neighbors throw a fit.
2. we decide to move
3. it rains and snows ALL the time..
4. etc.etc.etc...
Anytime I am working on a plan I go through a time like this. I am just trying to work out the details. I'll get it worked out. Mean while, "LETS SKATE!"

Old Kook Skating... Magazine???

2009-06-22T21:36:00.003-06:00

There is something cool about a magazine. When I was younger my mom would take me to the grocery store. I would hit the magazine isle while she shopped. Those were good times. There was a wealth of knowledge in those pages, they made my world bigger, more exciting! I read BMX action, BMX plus and eventually Thrasher and Transworld Skateboarding. Some times I would switch things up with a Hit Parader or Black Belt, the mag for the suburban Ninja! I fantasized about being on the cover of BMX or skateboarding magazines. Enough back story. Recently I did some basement layout work for a fictitious mag called Old Kook Skating. Old Kook Skating mag is based on a website with the same name. There are lots of skate forums out there, I belong to many of them but Old Kook has an innocent purity that puts your finger right on the pulse of what I believe to be the true essence of skateboarding. It's not about being "core" it's about the very act of shoving the earth and its gravitational pull away from you and rolling. Just roll away! I conclude this post with two mock up "covers" for a magazine that lives in my soul! Old Kook Skating dot com!

Kvon Helmet art #1

2009-06-11T20:18:00.003-06:00

I have been wanting to do something custom and iconic to my helmet for quite some time now. I dig it when people customize their gear. It helps as identification in pictures and it is a lot of fun! I put together some primitive helmet art the other day. The concept was an electrical tape interpretation of old time football meets classic skate bones. Seems like all my stuff is black and white these days. I didn't really plan it this way it just sort of worked out with the supplies on hand.

Arizona recap #2 Father and son

2009-06-10T09:11:00.004-06:00

I got the privilege of riding with many cool skaters last week two of which are the father son team of "Pat" and "Pat" or "pj" as the younger is often referred to. Here are a couple shots from an evening session at Kelcore's ramp.

Arizona trip re-cap #1

2009-06-10T08:54:00.003-06:00

We had a blast in Arizona last week. I really dropped the ball as far as taking pictures goes... I didn't even get a picture of my Sister and brother in law. BUMMER! My Brother in law has just purchased a professional welding set up! I don't know much about welding but I know his set up does Mig,Tig and has a really nice feeder! I have always wanted to weld. My b.i.l. offered to let me try it. It looked like a lot of fun. I didn't have the guts to try it, I will someday... after I do more research on "how NOT to destroy the world with a welder". My Sister-in-law is a competing "Body sculptor". She is on a strict diet now because she has a big competition in Chicago this month! It was very good to see them both. I can't wait till next time!

Working on it. #3 060909

2009-06-10T00:19:00.003-06:00

A few days ago I reached my next step to invert style. I am grabbing after the wheels cross the coping. This will help me work this trick up to larger transitions and vert. I am also working on the madonna and a trick I call a 3/4 cab pivot. Additionally we are getting used to the new firmware "1.1.0" in our Canon 5d markII(s). 1.1.0. allows full manual control over the video features in the 5d markII. It's a whole new world for us with the 5d markII! We are stoked!

Mulberry brigade from kvon on Vimeo.

Laguna Beach 6-02-09

2009-06-07T22:14:00.008-06:00

We had a fun but short visit with my wife's Grand Parents in Ventura,CA last Monday night, I regret that I left the camera in the car and forgot to take any pictures. The next morning we got up, grabbed a continental breakfast and headed out to Orange ,CA. There I met up with Skate Mom icon Claudia H. to skate the Vans Combi bowl. Again... I failed to take pictures at this fun event. Later that afternoon we checked into the Double Tree in Orange. After enjoying our 11th story view we set off to Laguna beach to meet up with My Wife's second cousin.
These parking meters accept credit cards!

My little princess!

Laguna!

My wife's 2nd cousin jazz and Derek

Laguna.

The boys.

THE BOYS!

Laguna...

Big B.

D

D said he was "Free Running"

"hey b... The SAND CRAB is gonna get ya!"

Tree boys!

Check out our Mysterious moves!

Chillin in Laguna, wish you were here!

Spring Skate voyage '09 begins!

2009-06-01T08:30:00.002-06:00

We have been on the road now for a couple of days, I went to the St. George park to find it over run with scooters, bikes and my personal pet peeve... a dirt pile and trash in the big bowl. It wasn't too bad really, but I didn't have a broom and I don't like to make my family wait in the car. We have Vans LA on tap for tomorrow then a few days of pure Arizona stoke so I decided I could wait. In the mean time I have really enjoyed just rolling around future primitive style. With all the parks these days it is easy to forget the simple roots. Anyway, here is a fun vid with some uber basic skating.
ps: That mellow hill in front of my Dad's house is so smooth! I bombed it on my vert board several times, I hope the H.O.A. doesn't freak out! :)

skate 'em if ya got 'em from kvon on Vimeo.

Ham'n it up in the sunset, with my Dad!

2009-05-31T23:37:00.004-06:00

My Dad is the greatest! If ya don't believe me... just ask my boys! We don't get to see papa as often as we would like... so we make the most of the time that we get. I dragged out my light kit and and convinced the family to humor me with a few poses. We did a few standard family shots and then my Dad and I decided to have some fun.
photos and all content ©kvon 2009

We're on vacation!

2009-05-30T08:50:00.004-06:00

Gear up!

Loaded!

Feed the beast!

The fam is ready!

Cute (prego) girl sighting at a rest area!!!

We hired professional house sitters and my N.R.A. card carrying neighbor has orders to watch the perimeter so don't even think of trying to sneak in a session on my ramp while I am gone (P, you and Andrea can ride but no one else).

We (rather impulsively) decided to bust loose! We are headed West and we're not going to stop until we get to the Pacific Ocean! The older you get the harder it is to "Just do it". Maybe its fear, maybe it's lack of motivation either way we are crushing complacency and surfing adventure!

Kvon's New vert model

2009-05-30T08:39:00.003-06:00

I like a little customization when it comes to my passions! Someday I will learn the art of screen printing but for now I am doing one off customs that feature hand cut graphics on masking tape. Primitive but fun. Here is my new setup: 8.25 mini logo custom spray paint, Indy 149's(?), 60mm Bones spf concrete lovers, thin ribs and for now, china red bearings (I have swiss 6 balls on the way)

Vert is dead..

2009-05-30T08:11:00.002-06:00

So it has been said... Vert is dead... "There's no money in it." does that make it dead? The skate companies may be wrapped up in marketing strategies and styles of the 90's but there is an movement on the horizon. I say if vert is dead it's because we killed it today! So get out there and do your part. Vert is dead? KILL IT DAILY!

Have a laugh at my expense!

2009-05-21T09:10:00.002-06:00

Seth stopped by a while back to try out his camera. I took the time to wipe all the water off of my shoes but little did I know that the lawn sprinklers had left a nasty wet spot on the west transition. Wet masonite and urethane don't mix, have a laugh at my expense!

Wet feet, wet ramp. from kvon on Vimeo.

Working on it. #2 051209

2009-05-10T23:55:00.005-06:00

Late grab and Sab plant.

Sad plant. I don't know if I am doing this right. Sad plant is a regular invert with a strait front leg to tweak some style into it. I am working to extend it up and stall it out... then tweak it out. This is where I am at... I am working on it!

I have been throwing backside airs for over twenty years but they have been (for the most part) "early grab". Early grab is an easy way to learn but is very limiting when it comes to boosting hight. I have been working on the late grab. It is coming along. I am working on it. Here is a make.

Big D and A9

2009-05-10T23:45:00.002-06:00

I love this time of year! D is doing very well. He is dropping in. I still give him a little help, he could do it on his own if I wasn't so scared.

D reached his reading goal!

2009-05-10T23:39:00.004-06:00

The deal was that if D memorized all the flash cards he could have a lego star wars AT-ST as a reward! Well, he did it.. I was very meticulous and did not let anything slide. D nailed it! Congrats D!

Check out KEV's new song!

2009-05-05T00:19:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone! Give my new song "Sunset" a listen and leave a comment! Music is my passion! What good is any passion if it is not shared with others? It will only take a few minutes! heck, right-click, download it and put it on your ipod! Show it to a friend. Copy it and share it with a friend! Just tell them that it is Hail the sound, kvon's band! Click-e Click-e on the link-e!
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SUNSET"

Skateboarding is fantastic!

2009-05-04T23:48:00.001-06:00

under overcast sky from kvon on Vimeo.

I hope this dose not bog your computer all up and down with Pin wheels, hourglasses and progress bars. You may have to right click and download. It's worth it! You get the strait scoop from "Big D", "Monster B" and "kvon"!

Facebook did it.

2009-05-04T23:46:00.002-06:00

O.k. so I haven't posted in a while... sorry... facebook has sucked my brain clean out. lol! If you don't have a facebook account then go sign up and feed your brain (and your time) to the hungry-hungry interweb! best networking tool EVER!

working on it April 2009

2009-04-27T15:28:00.007-06:00

Here is a new section of my blog called "Working on it" I will post things that I am currently working... trying to get better at etc.

Todays "W.O.I." is a ramp trick called a..... ummm well I don't know what it is called but it's like a cab with a 5.0 stall in the middle. Right now I can spin land on the coping and then ride it out but I don't have the 5.0 pivot. I keep dropping my front wheels to the deck to catch my balance, loosing all my style points. It's all about style.... I'm working on it!

MY skate playlist

2009-04-25T22:28:00.003-06:00

Music is!
Music and skateboarding go hand and hand! When I think back to my high school skate years I have many fond memories of the music, my music of the time. Here is a memory playlist of of a few.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers: "Knock Me down

Public Enemy: "Fight the power" (and all the other songs on "It takes a nation of millions to hold us back"

Front 242: "Headhunter"

Nitzer ebb: "Warsaw Ghetto"

Sex Pistols: "Pretty Vacant" (This is a Letterman performance from recent years. I was actually stoked by this vid! They ROCKED this performance. John Lydon has never gotten the credit he deserves, his vocals are amazing! Here he sounds a little more Public Image Limited as opposed to Sex Pistols but I still love it. This performance also features the [only] REAL bassist of the Sex Pistols Glen Matlock. Don't forget Steve "Ya get major chords, that's all" Jones and was Paul Cook actually there? Thanks to the limited camera work we will never know! An excellent vid. Old guys still can ROCK!

It's the BEST time of year!

2009-04-23T23:26:00.005-06:00

Mama and baby on board!

Ready to skate!

I'll do it myself!

Little help please.

Photo by Big "B"

Photo by "D"

We all got out for some fun in the not so hot sun the other day. Sometimes I wish It would stay this temperture all year long. It's in the 70's but it is supposed to get hotter soon, YIKES! Turn on the sprinklers lets hit the slip N slide naked! ...or not.

Rifle Action [Skate] Park

2009-04-23T22:44:00.004-06:00

At about Mile Marker 94 on I-70 You'll see a town called "Rifle" [Note: must always be pronounced in a hick accent]. The story goes that way back in the day when these.. ehem "parts" were being mapped, the map dude lost his rifle. He scribbled on the new map the approximate location where he thought he would start looking for the lost gun. When he turned in the maps to the U.S.P.I.C.O.M. (United States people in charge of maps) he forgot to erase his note and well, the town of "rifle" was born.

Rifle Action Park must have happened in much the same fashion. Somebody lost their Concrete and they thought "We better find it quick or it is going to set up" "This requires our immediate ACTION". When they found the lost Crete it was getting hard so they just finished it and called it a skatepark. Really, its not that bad, better then many on the western slope. This park was done by that one guy[Tim Alltec] that did Montrose and a few others. Its an ok park but the crete still gets a bit wavy in places. Once you have skated a Team Pain park you are spoiled for life. The Rifle park flow seems to cause lots of cross traffic. Add a few bikers to the mix and you are starring in a game of frogger. We showed up at at 3pm. Lucky for us the locals must have had loads of homework that day, we had the whole place to our selves! I skated the kidney bowl for the majority of our stay. It is very close to the dimensions of MC's project, however this kidney has some fairly steep walls in the deep end, much like a real swimming pool. The stairs are far less menacing than most and comes complete with a few size 11 vans foot prints. Although the metal coping ruins the illusion, it is set EZ and bestowed me with several shallow 50/50's and a few sketchy lien to tail air's. We had fun and left with insignificant sun burns. Thanks to my wonderful wife for her endless grace and patience!

In the shadow

2009-04-23T22:32:00.003-06:00

Things have been busy. Work, play, family... but mostly family and play. Work is definitely NOT a priority for me, work is only a temporary thing until I figure out how to support the family without doing it!

I have been blog-delinquent lately. Many apologies to my faithful readers... you know who you are... "yes you, the one guy way at the back. Ah but I digress.

Here is a triptych titled "In the shadow". The youngest is always in the shadow, it's a good thing. The shadow keeps the sun out of your eyes.

Because I like it that much.

2009-04-14T10:21:00.008-06:00

I am a big fan of Trent Reznor... um maybe a better term would be "student". The guy is hyper creative, original, driven, ideaistic and he is not afraid to get a little crazy to make a point. NIN is on tour with Jane's Addiction. Add that to the list of great shows I missed. Two of my all time favorite bands together on one stage.

For a few weeks I have been really into the NIN song "The beginning of the end". It is featured on the beginning of the Bird house skateboards video called... ehem The Beginning The sequence is awesome. It looks like a Red One shot piece including epic slow-mo of Shaun White, Jean Postec and Mr. H. The seen goes over the top when mother nature arrives in the form of a mini tornado! I.M.H.O. The crew missed an opertunity for skate chaos ala Tony Hawk throwing a 900 through the tornado while the crew flees in terror... all in mega-mo of course! That would have been uber-epic! But it is still a great segment.

Last week my lil brother downloaded a remixable garage band file of NIN's "The Beginning of the end" and did his own little remix. Its sick! [That link is A9's myspace page you will have to select the NIN remix from the play list but first check out some of A9's tunes ;)] I really wanted to do my own remix but I was too scatter brained to search for it so I just built my own version from the ground up. Yes,my own tribute remake of NIN's "The Beginning of the end". All parts programed or recorded by Kvon. No loops baby. Its not perfect but it's fun. Here it is, Have a listen!

KVON's TRIBUTE TO NIN "THE BEGINNING OF THE END"

Bad Ideas Vol.1

2009-04-06T22:54:00.004-06:00

In the pointless search for originality I am starting a section here on ye ol blog called "Bad Ideas". I am sure it has been done somewhere else, probably even better... but these are my bad ideas and no one can take them away from me.

Without further adieu here is Bad Ideas volume one titled: "Camouflage Yard Sale sign"

Where the heck have you been?

2009-04-04T11:14:00.006-06:00

Monitor world

Adam and Cory at F.O.H.

The stage set in the hotel

Yes. I have been gone. Out of town. Last week I was working with my sound reinforcement company over on the eastern slope. Colorado Sprigs, Denver, ETC. These gigs are very consuming and exhausting but thanks to the incredible people that I work with (Cory, Adam, Philip,ETC) we made it through and actually... I had a great time!

This last week was way low on the skate time. The weather was cold, wet and there was way too much snow and ice. :( I did get to visit the Woodward Denver 13' vert ramp again! We will discuss that in a later post. Stay tuned!

Don't take it personal but...

2009-03-31T12:31:00.003-06:00

One day I was stuck behind a "bumper soap boxer" you have seen them. They will shut up and drive but their vinyl rectangles are obnoxious.

You are the ONE!

2009-03-31T12:26:00.002-06:00

My Dad says that "ideas are in the atmosphere" anytime you get an idea you can bet that many other people got it at around the same time. Mankind is a community. We are all connected. When any person suffers we all suffer, likewise when any one person is praised we are all praised. The "struggle" for individual is a vain pursuit of youth. Every person on earth was "THE ONE" in a million that won the race to the egg. That fact makes us all original, individual and successful!

I'm thinking...

2009-03-24T00:20:00.004-06:00

*NOTE: ok, this post kind-of turned into a sermon of sorts... it is a sermon directed at myself for personal growth... if you see anything here that inspires you... then take it for yourself! YA!

It's not about how many things you can claim as your own invention...
It' not about what you can be the first to do or what can be named after you...
It's not about how well you keep others away from "YOUR" ideas...
it's not even about getting the credit you deserve...
It's about how much inspiration you give to others.

Is talent meant to be owned? Possessed? OR Is talent meant to be shared?

ahhh but I ramble on.. maybe its better stated in the movie SLC Punk:

"Another thing that pissed me off, talkin' about who started punk rock music. Was it Sex Pistols in England? Was it the Ramones an the Velvet Underground in New York? 'It was the Ramones!' 'It was the Sex Pistols!' Raahh! Who cares who started it?! It's music. I don't know who started it, and I don't give a *@#!.The one thing I do know is that we did it harder, we did it faster, and we definitely did it with more love, baby. You can't take that away from us."

If you see someone um "Copying" you... don't get mad... be happy! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! They probably did it first anyway... just with less publicity. ;)

There is nothing new under the sun... to try to find identity in these things is futile.
To inspire others... now that's immortality! ... even if they don't know it was you that inspired them. ;)

How did I get myself into this?

2009-03-23T19:48:00.002-06:00

"SOCCERED!" The act of bestowing soccer on someone. Or maybe it's short for soccer-head. Either way my goose is cooked.

It all started when I signed my oldest son up for the city pee-wee soccer league. They asked for volunteers, so I wrote in "maybe" between the "yes" and "No" check boxes. When I was younger I thought my Dads favorite words were "You know better than that!" and he was always right. Yes, I knew better and yet I was suckered into Soccer coaching. RATS! "Its REAL easy" said the League president. Words like "It will be fun" and "No worries" were presented. Well, today I got a coaches packet that consumed more trees then a mortgage closing. rats. I played soccer for one year when I was like eight years old. I have never coached anything. Sure I can tell people what I think they should do, but this time... I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

to be continued...

In case you needed another excuse to buy Adobe Illustrator...

2009-03-23T17:42:00.004-06:00

My friend Stephanie Lloyd sent me this cool tutorial for creating your own skateboard graphics using Adobe Illustrator. It looks like a lot of fun. With a little creativity you can crank out a nice piece of art... just in time for that long board slide. ;) This page also has links to other tutorials for "colour palette" selection (color way) and other helpful A.I. stuff.

Thanks for the tip Stephanie! Sorry I kinda gave you a screen full in the comments the other day. I didn't mean to vent on ya.;) You guys rock!

fly or die. VERT IS!

2009-03-22T00:25:00.006-06:00

My brother P made this cool vid to document our two hours on legit vert at woodward Denver. Watch as I get schooled by the big ramp. We had SO much fun. Vert is addictive. Right now I can just reach the coping on the 13 foot monster but I have plans to build a behemoth of my own in the back yard *evil laugh*. You can see from the vid that I was stoked and a little giddy. Vert can do that to you!
GREAT JOB on the vid P. I dig your edit decisions. How did you know I was in the mood for a little Type-O... wait that's Sisters of Mercy, or no... who is it? Sounds just like S.O.M. to me, crazy.

UPDATE: O.K. I got the strait scoop now.. The song is obviously a cover of Sisters of Mercy's Lucretia, My Reflection performed by Project 86. Project 86 has done quite well on the remake I might add. I have met Project 86 before but that is a totally different story. A quick you tube search unearthed many versions of Lucretia, My Reflection, including a rather disappointing offering from Wes Borland's band "Black Light Burns". I found this classic Live sisters of mercy performance complete with keyboard drums and a black glove wearing bass player. I LOVE THE 80's! There is not a good youtube vid of projects remake. Oh well I guess I will have to buy it on itunes.

"Kev's Quotes" Vol 01 ep.01

2009-03-20T08:13:00.003-06:00

"I can rant.. I can go on... but when I boil it down, it all [most] makes sense."

Welcome to "Kev's Quotes".
A Weekly quote from the K himself! This is the first week so you get two for one!

"We cleaned up all the clutter.... now we have only an empty room."

Hi, I'm Kvon.

2009-03-19T14:00:00.005-06:00

I joined this cool forum for vintage skaters. I am excited to have a little camaRADerie with people who have responsibilities and yet still nurture their love for the ride! I had to post a little about my self in the Noobe section. I thought It might be fun to post here on the blog as well.

Hi everyone! Its good to be here. Since it is kind of hard to avoid narcissism in this particular post I decided to take it over the top with an interview of myself. I caught up to myself a while back here is how it went down:

Me: "So you are kvon"
Kvon: "That's my username, yeah."

Me: When did I start skating?
Kvon: 1985 (years earlier on a plastic GT)

Me: What was my first issue of Thrasher?
Kvon: November 1985

Me: What originally drew you to skateboarding?
Kvon: My Mom would drag me to the grocery store and I would head strait for the magazine rack. I read everything... At first I was into BMX but sometime in the late 80's I fully converted to Skateboarding. In Jr. High a couple of the rich kids had cool skateboards... boards like, NATAS, Slasher,etc. I loved the colors, the fat white Tracker copers and the jelly bean wheels. I was into the gear at first.

Me: What was your first "legit" deck?
kvon: I am a real wheeler dealer, I bartered the paper boy out of his Grosso Angel bat, then a kid at summer school talked me out of it and left me with a thrashed Roscopp face.

Me: Did you ever get a full new set up?
kvon: Yeah. My Dad took me on vacation to the west coast. On the way we stopped in Vegas and I went to some cool shop in the suburbs. I bought a teal rat bones t-shirt, A boneite Tony Hawk in navy / grey, White tracker ultra-lights and lime green cross bones.. that ride was sick!

Me: How long did it take you to learn how to ollie?
Kvon: People don't ollie, the board does that, ya get a board that can ollie and you are set.

Me: What was your first Vert experience?
kvon: Rewind a few years to '85, My Mom hauled me to Glenwood springs. There was an 11' (or so) vert ramp there with metal surface. Kids were ripping it. I sat in the car with my Nash executioner, scared to try it. I am glad I didn't, I would have looked like an idiot. In '89 I broke my wrist on that same vert ramp with a backside gone wrong. I took a few years off skating and pursued a music career.

Me: What do you skate now?
kvon: I like to go fast on the road and do big power slides. I like to go from point A to B and ollie every thing in my way. but I mostly ride my back yard mini it is 16' wide 6' tall and 4' tall all with a 7' radius. I ride vert whenever I can, mostly on trips to the city.

Me: Who do you skate with?
Kvon: I am the only known old school skater left in western Colorado.
*laughs*
I skate with my little brother, he is 18 yrs younger than me. I skate with my kids. I skate with my wife and I skate alone.

Me: What is skateboarding to you?
Kvon: as cheese as it sounds The search for Animal chin was right on, it goes back to the surfing roots, looking for that perfect ride that carries you off into the sunset... into infamy.

Me: Do you have goals in skateboarding?
Kvon: I couldn't live without goals, progress and growth in my life. I have a basic need to get better at everything I do. There are countless tricks and maneuvers that I want to learn but mostly I just want to stay stoked, healthy and skate with other people who love the ride!

I hope to get the honor to skate with you all soon!
-kvon

I got a gig!

2009-03-18T22:41:00.003-06:00

I gotta gig.... I got A gig! I have mentioned before that I do a lot of hired gun work as a musician. I prefer to play in one band, tour and rock original material but due to the flaky nature of musicians, being a working musician seems to be the best bet for the "now". I still write my own original material, practice and perform daily but the gigs as of late have been of the musical mercenary verity. This week I got a call to play rhythm guitar for a local mega church. I asked them if we could play a few Dead Kennedys tunes and they just stared blankly. (I didn't Really say that, but if I did they would have ben like "whaaat".) [-kong fu panda] I am not much for organized religion but these people are good hearted, I like them. :) Mainly I am a drummer. This week is different because I will be playing the six string axe! I am excited. Wish me luck!
Rock it!

Happy 9!!!

2009-03-18T22:32:00.003-06:00

Some things just make good sense. Nine years ago today I married the girl of my dreams. My girl captivates me every day. She is a model Mom and a most wonderful companion. S, You are loved by all! We can't get enough of you. I can't get enough of you! I thank God every time I think of you. Lets grow old together! Happy Anniversary!
-k

LEGENDS SIGHTING IN DENVER

2009-03-16T20:25:00.007-06:00

Tony Alva. Christian Hosoi. Stevie Caballero. I could end this blog post with those three names and it would be complete. Howerver, In the presence of Legendary skate talent completely lose my cool and babble like a twelve year old! I got to meet Stevie, Christian and Tony! VERT YES! (thats my new explotive, not as hot as "Hell", more down to earth than "Heaven").

We arrived at the mall one hour early and grabbed lunch at Tokyo Joe's, its a little higher price and not as tasty as PEI-WEI ah but I digress. It was 30 min away from legend time when we strolled up to the Vans store and started our Search for Animal Chin aka "the end of the line". By the time the session (autograph sighing session) started the line was devastatingly long. A guy walked in at 3:10pm with a genuine Skull Skates Hosoi Hammer Head. He undoubtedly hoped to get his prize signed by the man himself... anyway the guy took one look at the line, shook his head and left. I was thinking to myself... "Would I have traded my place in line for that authentic Skull Skates Hammerhead? NOT A CHANCE!" I had driven 250 miles, purchased a hotel room and found something to keep the family busy just so I could have a chance to see three people who have devoted their lives to help shape skateboarding into the incredible gift that it is today. I waited in line with my son D for just over two and half hours. When I finely got to to meet Christian, Tony and Stevie I was as nervous, awkward and clumsy like Chevy Chase in a comedy scene. Thankfully The legends were very gracious. They rocked pictures and gave encouraging words. Thanks Stevie, Christian and Tony. The gift of your time made my day! May you skate forever!

Waiting in line with my boys! The whole family was there at the start but they finely had to bail. Understandably so.

P,A, and their friend Andrew swapped places in line with S,B and ?

Check out my Ripper eyes. Court Johnson would be proud!

Hosoi was so nice... He is one way cool person.

I am right next to Christian Hosoi... I will lose my cool in 5...4..3..2..

Legendary warriors.

I shook Cab's hand, maybe some Radness will transfer!

I wanted a pic with Cab so bad that I accidently leaned in and blocked T.A. from the pic.... RATS! My bad! Sorry T.A. I meant no disrespect.

Andrew kept his cool and got a pic with both T.A. and Cab. I think T.A. is smiling in this one. ;)

I grew up studying the moves and the style, I feel like I know these guys. I hope I get the chance to skate with them someday. I may never be as advanced on the board as them but one thing that we do share is a pure love for the ride!

5293 feet of air...

2009-03-16T11:38:00.011-06:00

...above sea level anyway. We took a trip to the mile high city last weekend! We wanted to do something fun with the Family to finish up spring break week. I have been craving VERT and the closest REAL "vert- ramp" is at Woodward indoor skatepark in Denver Colorado. I had vacillated about taking the trip but then I heard that Steve Cabalerro, Christian Hosoi and Tony Alva would be making an appearance at the new VANS store. The news was enough to make me jump off the fence! With four gigs of mp3 sound, my wife, my kids, my brother, my sister and I packed into our suburban and hit the road. Our first stop on Saturday was at Woodward Skatepark. We paid $12 each for two hours and it was worth every penny. The guy at the counter said the Vert ramp was 13 feet tall. It was crazy. We skated for two full hours and then headed over to PEI-WEI for a well deserved feast.

We prayed for a sign... we got one!

"VERT-YA"

"13 feet-whatever... wait... he wasn't kidding!"

Discussing the artistic characteristics of the phallic graffiti on the wall

It has been awhile since I skated something
legit... at first it looked oververt... even though I knew it was just vert.

P contemplates the decision to drop.

P drops first!

K drops.

I LOVE VERT!

P bails but I like the pic

"Today we skated, tonight we FEAST!"

Going into it, I really didn't know what to expect. I dreamed of catching big airs and inverts. I dredded a fall. But with focus.. and balls I rode that ramp until I was close friends with the vert! No Mctwist today... but I am SO stoked! Skateboarding is! Vert is!

The Silhouette

2009-03-12T23:47:00.004-06:00

In preparation for my .. uh.. movie (every video producer I know is "going to make a movie" someday... it's kind of a joke) I have been experimenting with a few shots. I want to develop a more artistic style of storytelling. Here is a short clip of a sunset shot I did the other day titled "The Silhouette". No story yet... although I have toyed with ideas that would include middle aged skaters, an unknown punk rock band, an aspiring artist, a small time movie producer... hmmm.

On through the night

2009-03-11T22:19:00.004-06:00

I am a big fan of a blog that delivers a skateboarding related cartoon just about every day. Today the cartoon lamented a skateless day and the blanket of darkness that prohibits the ride at night. I often go for a midnight snack and think, "I wish I could go skate but it's dark. Well here is the answer (see above pic). Of course it wouldent work, but photoshop doesn't know that. ;)

The older I get the more I love skateboarding. What's up with that? I guess I am growing younger! Well with three, soon to be four children (ok in 8 months), I should fit in with my clan quite well.

B-Day!

2009-03-08T21:46:00.014-06:00

I am a man! I fix things and rescue damsels in distress. So naturally when I noticed my wife attempting to hand cut twenty-three fondant (don't ask how I know this term) bats for B's-BIG-Batman-Birthday-Bash... I sprung into action. Armed only with a small pair of jewelers pliers I salvaged a Christmas tree cookie cuter. The transformation was worthy of an A-Team episode and I was B.A. Baracus.. only smaller and lighter skinned.
The "Bat-Cakes"

"The Bat-Face"

"The Super-Friends" "Hey what's with the Knight? Isn't this suposed to be a Batman party? Oh-well"

It's a good thing that Knight showed up.. the Dragon lurks! photo:Big Wolfe

The Dragon GRINDS! photo:Big Wolfe

The Dragon tried to eat papa A!

Four BEAUTIFUL generations!

Nana B can still bend over and touch her toes without bending her knees! She is 87!

Ya can't top the O's! Two of the best people in the whole world!

If you know Bampa then you are laughing right now! I had to take this pic! LOL!

60's Nash Sidewalk Surfboard!?

2009-03-07T17:25:00.004-07:00

I scored this cool old NASH Sidewalk Surfboard at an estate sale this morning. Thanks for the tip Mom! ;)

lady at the estate sale claimed she had ridden it when she was very little. From the looks of it, it is of the 60's verity of NASH Sidewalk Surfboards. It is part skateboard, says it is a "Surfboard" but has handlebars like a scooter. The 60's were a crazy time! ;)

The best days are here!

2009-03-05T22:08:00.008-07:00

I love composing all kinds of music. I like experimenting with different styles and attempting different feeling. I love skateboarding, I love springtime and I love working for myself / working from home. I also love making movies. There is a whole lot a love in this post (sans Zeppelin). Today was a double stoker with a mellow session in the morning and an all out ramp assult in the pm. Here is a vid from the morning.

NOTE: The file may take a few minutes to load. It's 90 megs. This was all shot in 1080p full HD. The file you will see has been scaled down but is still pretty high res. I am looking for ways to make HD small in file size. Sorry! :)

Ugliest HAWK ever????

2009-03-04T21:57:00.003-07:00

My brother scored a Powell Peralta Tony Hawk 7P "Poker Chip" deck at a yard sale for a buck! I have heard this to be called the Ugliest Hawk ever. We were guessing the age of the deck. My Mom pointed out that under the front truck is stamped 2004. Now I know this deck came out in the 90's. Right? But did they ever do a re-issue? I think the 2004 is some kind of serial number. The deck is still ride-able but what a TANK! One might ask what brand of purple plastic adorns the biggest, ugliest Hawk ever... any guesses?

Old (but good) news!

2009-03-04T21:13:00.006-07:00

Remember January 2009? I do! Jan '09 was my first month officialy on my own in the business world. In January we cellebrated my oldest son's birthday. My wife designed a pinata to look like the Death Star then we let all the kids whack it with light sabers. I hung the death star from an eye hook so I could swing it out of the way anytime the kids were moving in for the kill. The kids found this to be annoying, I on the other hand almost amused myself to death... star. Good times! Thanks to Big Wolfe for the pictures.

Ya don't want to see a picture

2009-03-02T21:58:00.004-07:00

Today I had a 4pm appointment for Drill and Fill at the dentist, so I asked the boss if I could leave early to skate. He encouraged me to forget the office and skate all day but I insisted on working until 3pm. I had a great session! I am trying to stall my inverts. I hope to do them like Neil Blender by the end of the summer.

THE DENTIST
I showed up at Apocalypse Dental on time and ready for the chair. They smiled and told me that they were running an hour behind. I came back at 5pm and they were ready. The dentist gave me four shots of Novocain and I was numb as rib eye in deep freeze. Turns out the Doc and I graduated high school the same year, "Nineteen ninety-forever-ago". I joyfully noted the eighty's music playing in his office as he began to drill. He drilled and drilled then confirmed my suspicion... I needed another root canal. rats. He wanted to fill it and reschedule me for a different day... I didn't want to do that... the Novocain leaves me with a splitting headache. "All the hangover, none of the fun." The Doc was real busy, remember they were already an hour behind I elected to wait there until they could get to me. An hour and a half and another chair later they started drilling. It turned into an ordeal. They drilled, I slobbered. We got the job done to the extended dance remix of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love". There was an African american woman in the chair to my right that could not stop laughing. To my left was a big tough oil worker type guy. six foot four and full of muscle. They gave him shot after shot but he would not go numb. The Doc didn't want to work on him in that state but he insisted that the Doc go ahead and pull his infected tooth. Ironically the music stopped as they went to work on the big guy. The poor guy shouting and gasped in pain. It brought me some perspective. Comparatively speaking, I was on an amusement park ride. I said a prayer for the poor guy and went to pay my bill. My insurance is maxed. "Great". The crowns are going to cost more than a new half pipe. The Doc showed up at the front counter to apologize for my appointment taking so long. "It's ok" I said "But ten more minutes and I was going to fill out a W9... maybe take out your trash." The Doc laughed and said good night.

I spent the better part of the day drooling in the dental chair, My head hurts, my teeth hurt and its going to cost me a lot of money. On the way home I passed a fresh road killed cat... This too brought perspective.. Ya know, my Life is pretty good!

I can't change the world... but I can skate it!

2009-02-27T22:27:00.010-07:00

It has been "the week of dental work". My head aches and I feel like I am chewing aluminum foil. Skateboarding might be the last thing on the list of things to do for someone in my condition, however, Skateboarding is a huge part of my well being. I want (need?) to skate daily.

I hauled my new camera out to the mini tonight and set up a few tripod shots. I am borrowing some inspiration from MC. Many skaters are artists. Skateboarding is in many ways a physical art-form.
The surface of the ramp is in bad shape. I was able to repair it enough to skate it but it skates slow. I am not complaining I am just glad to be skating.

Click here to see a larger version of the video.

Walmart steps up!?!?

2009-02-21T20:03:00.005-07:00

My facebook page says "Kevin is... feeling unusually fond of walmart" and its true. Here's the story: Today at the mall I scored a nice pair of DC shoes on the sale rack at zumies for $29. Later we stopped by walmart to get some supplies. I wandered into the shoe isle and tried on a pair of McGill's (airspeed). They fit great. They were very comfortable and priced much less than the sale DC's. I didn't buy them, I am too vain (or maybe just broke from buying the DC's). I wonder how they would hold up on the board. I may have to try a pair out. I did however, make a skate purchase at walmart for which I am stoked.
Check out this kiddie pad set complete with wrist guards. Unlike most kid pads, these are totally legit. They appear to be made to use. They fit my kids well. The caps are thick plastic with extra padding. At only $10 per set I was happy to outfit both my boys. Kooks in training.;) "PAD 'EM UP!"

When the going gets tough, the tough buy more toys!

2009-02-19T23:28:00.001-07:00

My kids are always stealing my skate. They all have boards of their own but "Daddy's rides better". I don't blame them, I can set up a good stick. So now I'm going crazy riding the "crappy board" while everyone else fights over my A,B,and C setup. Today I took matters into my own hands. Armed with the Mastercard, we packed the whole family into the Suburban and set off for the local skate shops. I scored two sets of 78a's for the boys. I got a set of zip zingers and a set of Satori's. I was hoping that 78a's would be real smooth on the street. They are not bad. The smaller diameter and narrow width makes them relatively ruff. I think they will work for my kiddos. Next I will find some bushings that are soft enough for the kids to turn. The master plan includes a mini size deck for each kid.

The best part of the night was teaching my boys how to switch out their wheels. Now my sweet daughter wants her own skate. :)

Maximum Damage

2009-02-03T20:34:00.003-07:00

I did a project in my high school photography class (years ago) called maximum damage. The idea was to break all the rules in the the dark room and see if we could get something artistic out of disaster. Standing over my weather beaten ramp, I find myself reflecting back to that project. We had a heavy snow followed by thawing and freezing. The drastic changes have left my ramp in a near un-skate-able state. It is a wavy bubbly mess. I thought an extra layer of outdoor floor paint would protect the surface... I should have tarpped it. RATS!

The old night job is...

2009-02-02T22:24:00.004-07:00

Nik-O was right... I am fired from blogging! lol! Shame on me for not posting in so long... I let both of my readers down... hahaha! Actually I have been wanting to post for quite some time... there is too much to post really.

Heres the run down. Since my last post I have...

1. Lost my day job of 10 years
2. started my own company
3. had an influx of crazed clients
4. billed more $ in one month then than I did previously in two working for the man.
5. taken on more studio work than is legal in most states
6. innovated new time to spend with my kids.
7. enjoyed tiny moments with my family as hours
8. skated any time possible
9. learned to push, ride, kick turn, tick-tack, shuv-it and ollie switch! SWITCH!!! HECK YA!
10. taught my boys to push ride and bail!
11. Helped my awesome wife throw two rage'n parties for our 6 year old!
12. went to Winter X-Games in Aspen
13. produced several jingles for local businesses
14. made countless TV commercials for local businesses.
15. worked more than my share of 18 hour plus days.
16. killed almost two bags of ice-melt
17. prospered in the face of economic downturn thanks to the grace of God, a positive attitude and good old fashion, NON-stop HARD work!

It's times like these ya learn to live again.... Look out world, I'm punch drunk and ready to tear it up! Sorry, I have also been watching Nitro Circus... I had better stay off the chocolate.
It's good to be back. I snapped a crappy picture of the new office. I hope the new year is treating all of you well!
-kvon

7 days day 7 "The finer things"

2008-12-27T14:54:00.004-07:00

Another 7 days has come and gone. I am still playing with the new Canon 5d mark ii. This shot was taken in very low light. The 5dm2 is an incredible camera... the grain is not too distracting ever at iso 6400! Here I am enjoying a moment to read my Christmas gift "Skate And Destroy... the first 25 years of Thrasher Magazine".

7 Days day 6

2008-12-27T14:17:00.006-07:00

The new Canon 5d mark ii is working out great. Here is a shot of two special girls in my life. This was my Christmas Day self portrait. If you look very closely you can see my reflection in their eyes!

7 days day 5

2008-12-27T00:49:00.005-07:00

I just got a new camera and I am loving it! Upon opening the box I clicked off a few pics on auto, I tried to take pictures with poor set up such as... into windows like the one behind me. This photo is a little out of focus but I still love the results I am getting from this camera. Here I am spinning with the camera.

7 days day 4 "The rat king strikes again"

2008-12-24T08:37:00.011-07:00

The other night my wife turned the TV on to PBS. The Nutcracker suite was being performed by the San francisco ballet. Now I am not into the nutcracker and I am not into ballet but the production was amazing. If I ever get the chance to take my wife to see that in SF I will! Here is day 4 of the winter 7 days photos. The sinister rat king is about to off the nutcracker. Bawa HAHAHA!

7 Days Day 3 "Man vs. snow-tree-light

2008-12-24T08:32:00.008-07:00

"Man vs. snow-tree-light" Long exposure under tree and streetlight. I am thankful that that snow did not fall off the tree, down my neck!

Winter "7 Days" so far

2008-12-24T08:26:00.004-07:00

We are doing the winter "7 Days" photo group. I have participated in day 1,3 and 4. I missed day 2. I have been super busy trying to get my new business off the ground. Severance pay from the day job wont last forever. Here is day 1, "Nothing is cool". Double exposure with led words.

Snow Way

2008-12-16T11:10:00.005-07:00

Well it finely feels like winter here in the desert west. The weather man is saying snow and more snow for the better part of the week. Looks like its time to dust off the old shred sled for some Colorado stoke! See ya on the slopes!
-kvon

Hello Camera

2008-12-15T22:28:00.006-07:00

D,K and B. Chill. I love my kids!
Last summer I bought a remote (on ebay) for my Nikon. I finely dug it out tonight to shoot a few pics (concealed in right hand). At under $10 the simple, single button gadget has already paid for itself. I can use it next summer for Skateboarding self portraits! Let the narcissism commence!

wordless at 1600 iso

2008-12-15T22:12:00.010-07:00

FAILURE!!!

2008-12-13T18:17:00.005-07:00

Break out the party poppers and strike up the band! We have a failure! Ever since I did my LED drummer last fall I have wanted to do an LED skater. Tonight I set out to accomplish the goal. I wanted a full fledge LED art skater drawn in mid flight over the deck of my beloved mini ramp. Well... I failed... yes the results are not even close to my expectations. I decided to post anyway. I am actually very happy. I believe failure is vitally important ingredient in progress. I believe we are to celebrate our failure and realize that it is the foundation for success. So here are my best failed pics from my art shoot tonight. Failed yet fun... and I learned a lot about movement. It is hard to draw, even harder to draw when you can not see! Further, Transitions are made for riding NOT standing upon! Skate it or GO HOME!

Say You Will

2008-12-12T15:05:00.008-07:00

I have been dragging my heals on posting my new song. It's not finished. I am trying to post a new song every week. As you know it has been a couple of weeks since my last song post so I have a little catching up to do.

Todays song is called "Say you will". "Say you will" reflects upon disagreement between humans. There is a tendency in all of us to get stuck on one perspective view then defend our stance to diminishing and dangerous returns. I wonder at times if people in general posses the ability to change their perspective. We have also been watching "Lost". To me "Lost" communicates a clear message; "He who is most fearful is most dangerous". Ah but I digress. "Say you will" was inspired by bits and pieces of different events of the past, some involving me I suppose. The underlying desire of the song is that people would refuse fear and learn to understand and accept each other. Maybe a game of musical shoes in in order.
LINK TO SONG "Say you will"

6000 words worth

2008-12-12T14:29:00.010-07:00

I put out the word to our extended friends and family that I am running a holiday special. eh-em! By the way... I am running a holiday special, $50 gets you a disc full of digital fun. Matt and Heather jumped at the chance to let me shutter bug.... they were scared so they jumped! Matt is a Sci-fi nut and computer wiz, Heather is an aspiring writer and can get us a discount at Best Buy! They are very imaginative and animated! We had a fun shoot. I must say I was hoping they would show up dressed as Henry the eighth and Cleopatra but they were in a conservative mood due to a long work schedule in retail hell. Thanks Matt and Heather! I hope you enjoy the pics and have a wonderful holiday!

Turkey shoot 08 (not really)

2008-12-01T12:34:00.010-07:00

Ok so it wasn't on Thanksgiving and my friends Seth, Carrie and Hannah are not turkeys. They have been known to be hams at times however. We had a fun time shooting some pics down on main street last night. I dragged one of my studio lights down there and poached some electricity off of the city! Here are a few shots to tell the story. All photos ©kvon 2008

Song of the week vol. 01 112508

2008-11-25T10:06:00.004-07:00

I am perpetually writing songs. Day and night. I never stop. For a while now I have desired to post my rough drafts here so that friends and family can hear my progress.

When you are passionate about something, You have to be committed, diligently working, progressing, never stopping. You have to take the risk, to show someone your creation. Art is meant to be shared. So without further ado here is the current rough draft of my song titled "Lets Go".

PLAY Kevs song titled: "Lets Go"

Click on the above link. A window should open and the song should play. If the song does not play then you may have to save the song to your desktop and play it from your mp3 player. Feel free to keep a copy of this song for your own personal listening pleasure. You are welcome to share my song with others but Please do not sell copies or steal my ideas! :) "Lets Go" ©2008 Kevin Decker

191 mini ramp. 1988?

2008-11-23T23:10:00.010-07:00

In the late 80's I built a mini in my back yard. I had no experience with ramp construction and I had no plan. I started screwing wood together and ended up with something that very loosly resembeled a half pipe. It was four feet tall, twelve feet wide and had uber tight transitions. It went almost to vert in just four feet. It was a challange to ride but I loved that ramp. I skated it every day!

If you are searching for impressive skate footage then keep looking, you wont find it here. What you will see is an authentic 80's afternoon of skating my back yard creation! Fasten your seat belt, we are about to go back in time!

191 Thompson Vintage K from kvon on Vimeo.

Thoughts

2008-11-20T23:28:00.005-07:00

What's on your Pandora Radio?

2008-11-12T00:08:00.004-07:00

Pandora.com may be my most enjoyed web find of 2008. If you don't use pandora then I highly recomend you check it out. You can make your own radio stations easliy and quickly. My current top five pandora.com radio stations are:
1. Morcheeba
2. Duran Duran
3. Ulrich Schnauss
4. Thievery Corporation
5. General Midi

I highly recomend that you try these when you are ready to chill, groove style!

What are YOUR top five pandora.com stations and why?

little help from my friends

2008-11-10T13:49:00.009-07:00

It's almost Grand Opening time for "The Recording Studio". "The Recording Studio" is the name of my new studio on main street. Yes, I decided to go with a name that was hyper conceptual and obscure. Now I humbly call on the talents of my friends and family... Lend me your advice and perspective regarding my new T-shirt design. Have a look at some of my design concepts and let me know what you think!

All design and content herein ©kvon 2008

The wall ride is!

2008-11-06T23:28:00.005-07:00

In my 80's glory days I loved to rock the wall ride. Look at those pads! lol! Why am I wearing knee pads in this pic? I think we had just finished skating vert at Mr. J's ramp nearby. Or maybe I just wanted to look even MORE dorkish. Who knows. I have been threatening to ride walls again but wall rides leave dirty marks. These days I can't bring myself to deface someone's property even if it will wash away. Wanted: Brick wall that will not show dirt. What is your favorite 80's trick? When are you going to relearn it? ;) I love the shadow in this pic. Photographer: ??? One of my friends took this shot maybe Kolby W, Jeremy P. Bob J or Gary D.?

What? The Hail!

2008-11-03T11:59:00.004-07:00

Hail the sound is a three piece (for the moment) band from Western Colorado. Rocking in the style of "polka-country-gangsta rap". Hail the sound is every musical genre you despise. Boowhahahahaha! My wife thinks the lead singer is hot so she snapped this picture. HAIL THE SOUND!

Fall pictures at Grandma's

2008-11-02T23:16:00.015-07:00

The feel of perfect. The place where tempeture and humidity join together with ambiance to make weather that is unimaginably nice. Ah yes another woderful weekend has come and gone. Work, play and pictures! I wanted to do a photo shoot at Grandma's house but due to the busy schedule I forgot all about it. In fact, I was deep into another project when P reminded me about the pictures. I really wanted to get some shots. The fall surroundings will likely disappear by next week. With that in mind, we drove all the way back across town to get the Camera gear. By the time we returned to G-ma's and got set up It was getting late in the afternoon. The perfect weather was changing quickly. Foreboding clouds approached from the west. My light blew over, my kids wouldn't cooperate and my wife was tired. Challenges were plentiful but we persevered and got a few cool pics. Some of the pictures are not exactly what I had in mind but ya know... I like 'em anyway!

Thanks to P for taking the shots of me and my crew.

Up for grabs?

2008-10-31T10:15:00.006-06:00

Calling all skaters! Your opinion counts! "NAME THAT GRAB!"
Lets make this a formal introduction to the whole thumb abusing gang and their positions on board. ( Do you like my handy chart?) Slap me with skateboard grabbing terminology, add to my list of bad puns and dimwitted humor or share a related story. Note: Grand Mothers read my blog, so keep it PG13.

GOOFY UPDATE!
Seems I left out half of the skate race by only posting a "Regular" stance chart. Shame on me! BAD KVON! Heres a chart for all the goof balls out there! ;)

Fall

2008-10-30T07:55:00.007-06:00

Fall is here and almost gone. I lament few too many photo opportunities. The leaves started to turn, we had a big freeze, the leaves all fell. I am still skating as much as possible, playing shows with Hail The Sound and loving life. I got a new lens and did a few timed shots, cleaning and winterizing the ramp, enjoying the perfect weather.

kairos shoot

2008-10-20T00:20:00.005-06:00

I shot some pics for a cool kids clothing store last Thursday. Kairos ROCKS! I dragged my kidos down there to play dress up. As you can see they had a blast. I want a to shout a big thanks out to Carla B. Great job with the store. Thanks for the awesome hats. The boys love them! Here are a few fun, random shots.