The Transmission77 Blog

Barrels of Krakens - art show

2012-02-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Its that time again, Black Top Society is throwing another group art show...

Black Top Society - AFTA Art Show

2011-11-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I wouldn't have any good photos of the show, Killdisco/The Self-Centered Man comes and kills it. Thanks again Matt for coming out and supporting the show, your pix say it all!

Take a second and check out "The Self-Centered Man" coverage of the AFTA art show.

http://www.theselfcenteredman.com/motorcycles/2011/11/16/afta-motorcycle-art-show/

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT KILLDISCO DESIGN unless otherwise stated

Raccia Motorcycles

2011-11-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

Mike of Raccia Motorcycles was kind enough to trust Black Top Society with this super clean Triumph. There's no way this photo does it justice, you'll have to come check it out in person this Saturday at the AFTA art show.

Saturday November 12th
dba256 bar and gallery
256 S. Main St.
Pomona 91766

Art From The Asphalt - Art Show

2011-11-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

AFTA Sneak Peek

Like any finely (un)tuned machine, sometimes it takes a few kicks to get it started. As was the case for last night's Art From The Asphalt preview night. We were down to the wire as usual but once every nail was hammered and every piece hung the show fused together seamlessly. Even though every artists here has their own unique and distinguishable style there is balance throughout the gallery walls. However, the art was only half of the night's equation. Truly the show would be nothing without the support of family and friends. For this, I thank everyone who came and supported the preview night and I look forward to those who will support us this coming Saturday for the AFTA opening.

Once again, thank you to my friends and family for helping with the show and all the moto enthusiast who help spread the word. Couldn't have done it without you

BTS

Moto Rivista

2011-10-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

Art From The Asphalt art show is a non-sponsored show, so there is no real budget for advertisement. For this reason we're grateful for guys like MR. Moto Rivista not only posted the AFTA art show announcement on their site but they also want to do a follow up. Thanks again Moto Rivista for the support.

If you haven't checked out Moto Rivista, allocate a few hours and start browsing. There's coverage on just about every (cool) moto out there.

Art From The Asphalt - Art Show

2011-10-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

For all of you folks who can't make it to the AFTA art show but would like to have one of these posters, contact me.

$5 poster + Shipping

Poster are shipped in poster tubes

Sold

2011-10-12T13:40:00.001-07:00

(note: this was actually in progress, I have yet to photo the finished piece)

For all the artists out there, we all know how tough it is to sell a piece. Well, for most of us "unknown" artists its tough. Today I just got a call from Boomers Coffee House, where I had some pieces showing, that one had sold! In these times, I gotta tell you that makes me happy as hell. With any luck a few of the others will sell too.

Pipeburn

2011-10-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

As the date gets closer, more and more support is coming in. Amongst the really cool stuff Pipeburn post on their blogs, they've helped spread the word about Art From The Asphalt via their Facebook page. If you've never checked out Pipeburn, I suggest you do. Pipeburn constantly updates their site with the coolest shit happening on two wheels. Big thanks guys!

Keep up with Pipeburns website or their Facebook page

Piston Driven Mfg. - Hurst

2011-09-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or does it seem like we live in a generic world? Everything is so disposable, some how I doubt Ikea furniture will be sitting on the showroom floors of antique/vintage shops. Its for this reason I'm glad I have a chance to work with companies like Piston Driven Mfg. PDM is helping preserve the legacy of names like Bates Leathers, Car Craft Magazine, Ghostracks USA and most recently Hurst Shifters. If you don't know who Hurst is or what they do, then you've never experienced the joy of sitting behind the wheel of a steel machine with raw power. Don't take my word for it though, just check out the Piston Driven Mfg site and get some knowledge. Myself and the team at PDM worked hard to bring back some of Hurst's coolest designs and a few newly developed designs. Best of all, these kick ass designs are discharge printed on tees treated for that broken in feel. Enjoy!

Piston Driven Mfg.

Black Top Society - AFTA Art Show

2011-09-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

Please join us November 12th for a two-wheel powered art show, AFTA. Art From The Asphalt is presented by Black Top Society (a T77 project) and hosted by DBA256 Gallery. BTS has invited a select list of local artists and motorcycle builders to exhibit their art, representing their passion for two-wheels. If art shows aren't your thing, not to worry, DBA256 Gallery just so happens to moonlight as a bar. So, come for the art, the beer, the DJ or just for the motorcycles, either way I hope to see you there.

Art From the Asphalt
November 12th 6-11pm, (bar open til 2am)
DBA256 Bar and Gallery
256 Main St, Pomona Ca

If you love motorcycles and art inspired by them, help spread the word. BTS

Transmission77.com

2011-09-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

I have a new website coming soon, and I'm really excited. Its been a while since I've had an active website. My new site will have all my current photography, art and design. It will also include a page for my latest project, Black Top Society. Like T77, BTS is will be an ever evolving project. More info to come.

Ontario Emporia Arts District - Art Walk

2011-05-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of months my neighbor and I worked really hard promoting this past Saturdays Art Walk. Although our efforts paid off to a certain degree, we're still so far from our goal. Its amazing how difficult it is to get people out to the Ontario area. I realize our community is no where near the scale of LA's art walk or even the Pomona's art walk, but you'd think they'd look past that in the name of local art.

OEAD is about as grass roots as it gets. Artists of the lofts all work hard to do what we love, create. Without the support however of the public and city in general, we become a faint memory of what once was. So, put us down on your calendar for the next OEAD Art Walk and come see how the other artists are surviving without the lime light of high skylines and art agents.

Thank you to all the family and friends who have supported our little community. We hope to have your continued support and hope to make every Art Walk better than the last.

Hello again

2011-05-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you following my blog or at least visiting it, I just remembered my password!? So, as soon as I get a chance there will be some major updates and facelift to my blog, but for now I want to invite everyone to two upcoming art shows. The first is the 1-Shot Art of Pinstriping art show in Pomona. There will be tons of Pinstripe art work, plus the original Von Dutch eyeball that hung above Kenny's garage. The second show is the Ontario Emporia Arts District art walk, we have been putting in an extra effort to bring guest artists, some of which will be displayed in the loft courtyards. Join us for two weekends of art, music and shit loads of fun.

Pomona Drags Exhibit

2011-02-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

Here's the final promotional piece for the Pomona Drags Exhibit.
100% Pre-shrunk (fine jersey) cotton, water based silkscreened, A-1 bad-assness.

Salon Sessions

2011-02-01T10:35:00.000-08:00

Hair: Danielle H @ Salon Sessions

Hair: Karissa G @ Salon Sessions

Being married to a hairstylist (Brenda B) has some serious perks. Not only is my hair always maintained, the hair cuts are always free. As a photographer there's also another great benefit, I'm never short of pretty faces and the talented people who style them. This past Thursday I had the chance to work with two very skilled hairstylist from the Salon Sessions team in Pasadena, Ca. This is the second time I've worked with Karissa, and Danielle and their artistry never cease to amaze me. What they lack in age they achieve in shear talent.

Pomona Drags Exhibit

2011-01-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

As part of the continued promotion for the Pomona Drags Exhibit, here is the official poster that will be for sale at the exhibit opening. Join us for a night of hot rod history.

Just to be clear, we designed this poster to replicate the feel and styling of old school racing posters. This event however is not a real drag race. The event is mainly a photographic exhibit of racing in Pomona. There will also be a few art pieces from Robert Carter

Pomona Drags Exhibit

2011-01-19T16:55:00.000-08:00

I will be curating an exhibit for the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Race through 60 years of racing at Pomona, through photography and artifacts. The exhibit will be showing at the dba256 gallery, which is a wine bar/gallery located in Downtown Pomona. The exhibit opens the same night of Pomona Art Colony Artwalk, so there will be tons of other art to enjoy.

Kustom Magazine #22

2010-11-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

For all the French speaking car guys out there do check out the latest issue of Kustom Magazine. Issue #22 features a 6-page spread with my photography of artist Max Grundy's Merc. If you're not familiar with Max, he is an incredible artist who collides fear and power into his chaotic paintings.

Show Your Soul

2010-09-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

Photo Progression

2010-09-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

This was the end result to a progression shoot I did with Karissa @ Salon Sessions. There were about 200+ pix taken for the video so, I'll just share the end result. Once the video is completed, I'll be sure to post it.

OEAD Artwalk August 2010

2010-08-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was one of the bi-monthly Artwalks here at our lofts. This time around I knew I really wanted to display some photography. I had a photo shoot in mind for months but because of my schedule and the schedule of everyone involved it just wasn't happening. Only two weeks before the Artwalk did everything finally come together. Originally the concept was mime inspired but in some ways I feel we missed the mark and truthfully the outcome surpassed the concept. To my advantage I was working with my favorite team, Brenda B. (my wife and hairstylist extraordinaire) and the very talented Rikki. The shoot had its moments of frustration, controlling the light up the hill was a battle. Feeling a little defeated we headed back to the loft and started the studio portion of the shoot. We went through the motions of a wardrobe and hair change for the next look, but it was the final look that changed everything. It was the last 10 minutes of the shoot when Rikki applied some hearts to her make-up and Brenda B simply let Rikki's hair down. Those simple changes rocked the shoot, and in the end I was a bit amazed at the out come. I choose these four images to represent my work at the Artwalk and from peoples response I would say they were quite successful. I myself, being the photographer look at these images and wonder how such emotion was given & captured. I can only hope those who see these images ask the same.

I'd like to run a limited number of individual prints 20"x30", so if you're interested please email me for pricing.

Thanks again Brenda B and Rikki for all your hard work.

Seven Seven Motos - Kickstart

2010-08-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Just kicked out this new poster for SSM and I'm diggin it. I used a photo from a photo shoot I did with Rikki, earlier in the year. Ever since I took the picture I knew I wanted to do something with it. Since I'm prepping for the artwalk this weekend I figured why not do what I do and created a piece of graphic design art. I'm working on having prints made but not sure how quick that will happen. I'll keep you posted once I do.

Stromberg-97

2010-07-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

Can a man ever really have too many t-shirts? I like to think not because chances are you have a few that should really be shit canned. Deodorant stains aren't helping anyone's game. Check out some tee's from Stromberg-97, they're printed on American Apparel and the best part is they're discharge prints, so you wont have that caked on screenprint feel. Check em out, buy one and increase your cool-factor by 10%, hell maybe even 11%.

Stromberg-97 apparel
Kimmie Caracoles for Stromberg-97

76 CB550 - Seven Seven Motos

2010-06-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

If you look close you can just see the seat of Tony's CB500

FINALLY! is the only way to open this blog up. I still remember the day I called this guy selling a 76 CB550 for chump change. Thankfully I had my buddy Tony from SSM to help turn this old commuter into somethin way cooler. It was a long time coming (5 long ass years to be exact) and I can't thank Tony enough for all his hard work. My bike is finally legit and ready for the road. This wont be a daily rider but I'm definitely looking forward to cruisin around town and where ever else she'll take me.

Seven Seven Motos

Salon Sessions Shoot

2010-05-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

Every year Salon Sessions in Pasadena, Ca. has a competition within its salon. Salon stylists are divided into teams and given the task to organize and execute a photo shoot. This year I was given a chance to showcase my photography skills along side the talented Danielle and Stephanie of team 7. Danielle and Stephanie's idea was to create head shots that focused on the styling and texture of their models hair. They also created a neck piece made of entirely of soda can tabs and under the lights & beauty of the models, it looked like one expensive piece of jewelery. The shoot took about 5/6hrs and in the end everybody's hard paid off. Yesterday, Salon Sessions had a viewing party yesterday and though we didn't win first place, we did nail second place!

As with so many things in life, it was great learning experience and I've already noted what I can do to make things better for next time. I had a great time working with everyone, stylists, models and mua. Hopefully, I can be part of this talented team next year.

Big thanks to Danielle, Stephanie and Salon Sessions for letting me take part in your competition.

Salon Sessions

Rikki Ever & Brenda B.

2010-03-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

Last week my hairstyling, blow dryer slinging wife needed to make some promotional cards soooo we called up Rikki to be our subject (model). As you can see, we had some kick ass results. Rikki has helped me before on the Seven Seven Motos project, and did a killer job rockin that. Between Rikki's modeling and Brenda's hairstyling, they make photographing way to easy. Thanks girls

Hair: Brenda B
Model: Rikki
More pix: T77

Photography

2010-01-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

The great thing about photography is you can photograph what ever you want. The bad thing about photography is you usually photograph things you could never have.

Pomona Art Walk - February 13

2010-01-18T17:41:00.000-08:00

Come join us for a night of art at the Pomona Art Walk, February 13. Pomona is filled with tons of art galleries, restaurants and bars to entertain you for the whole night. I will be showing art and photography at Savoie. Please save yourself the Valentine headache and come join us, (plenty of bars to keep you happy!)

Savoie
264 Third St
Pomona, Ca 91766

Stromberg 97

2010-01-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, I finally finished editing a few pix from my latest shoot. Clive at Stromberg-97.com is reproducing one of the most iconic carburetors in hot rodding history. This year Clive is hitting the hot rod circuit hard and to kick things off he's had me photograph Kimmie Caracoles for a promotional poster that will be available signed at this year's Grand National Roadster Show. Kimmie and the Stromberg 97 team will be there from Fri-Sun. Don't miss you chance to meet Kimmie and get a signed poster for the shop. Check out some more pix on my flickr

www.stromberg-97.com

1934 Ford

2009-12-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

So! How good do you have to be to get one of these for Christmas?! Seriously though, if anybody out there is getting rid of one of these let me know. And when I say get "rid" I mean give it up for free, yes free. Boy can dream can't he.

Motos, photos and everything else

2009-12-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Finally a moment to write. It's been a hectic last few months with the usual laughs and headaches. I don't think I need to elaborate on the headaches, as most of us have them and don't need to be reminded of them. So, lets just skip to all the good stuff. As my blog title states, motos & photos have been keeping my quite busy. A few weeks ago I did a personal photo shoot for one of my latest projects (more details coming soon). The shoot involved photographing a beaut named Rikai with a motorcycle built by my friend Tony Sandoval. It was a near perfect shoot, with the exception of a few equipment malfunctions. I had my wonderful little Brenda B providing her professional hairstyling skills; while Sheila P. helped Rikai glow to her fullest potential by hand painting her flawless make up. Brenda and Sheila are both available for colors, cuts and styles, check em out. Sorry boys n girls Rikai's happily taken.

My next adventure was doing a test shoot for Garage Magazine/West Coast Choppers. If you're not familiar with Garage magazine, it's is lifestyle magazine catering to those who love loud music, pretty things and machines made to go fast. That's about as much as I can share about this one but lets just say they've got a hell of a team at Garage. Big thanks to Red for the opportunity.

My most recent photo shoot was for Jessica Padilla's portfolio. She's another great hairstylist who works side by side with my wife Brenda B. As usual it took a team effort to get these shots. Thanks to Brandon from the Glass House we had a killer location. The back stage set up at the Glass House provided the perfect setting for capturing Cherry's bedroom eyes. That's what Jessica called them. It was a quick shoot but I strongly believe in quality vs quantity. More pix coming soon!
Hair was provided by Jessica Padilla @ Savoier Hair, Model: Cherry, MUA: Patrick Santa Anna

Photographing subjects with a pulse is never easy but when you have a professional team that's easy to work with and knows what they're doing, it's as easy as it gets. Can't wait to see what the next shoot has to offer. If your portfolio needs an update or you're looking for some head shots please email me at transmission77@hotmail.com Big thanks to everyone who's helped out with the latest shoots, couldn't have done it without you.

Hairstylist: Brenda, Jessica and Sheila

Helping out #2

2009-10-13T20:19:00.001-07:00

I just want to update everyone on my attempt to help out my bud Gil. Car Kulture Deluxe is going to do a small write up on their "new product" section, hopefully this will encourage hot rodders around America to help out. Also Lowtech Garage has also posted the "Helping Out" blog on his blog. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped either by donating or by spreading the word. If hot rods aren't your thing then consider them a great gift for someone who is. Thanks again everyone and lets keep spreading the word.

Helping Out

2009-09-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

There will come a point in all our lives when we will have to come face to face with the dreaded “C” word. Having lost three family members to cancer I know the pain families endure. This June I found out an old buddy of mine was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. If you’re not familiar with Hodgkin’s disease, it is a type of Lymphoma cancer that typically spreads from one lymph node to another. If detected in the early stages it is about 90% treatable but percentages are of little comfort when cancer hits so close to home. Treatable or not, receiving such news is devastating.

Like so many others battling a serious illness there is the harsh reality that insurance will only cover so much. Only half way through his chemo treatments, my buddy has received his first medical bill. It made me sick to think that not only is my friend battling this disease, now he has to worry about medical bills? I’m not a rich man by any means but I had to help somehow. After racking my brain I knew the only way I could potentially help my friend is to offer my photography.

I decided that I wanted to offer photographs that were as timeless as friendships. After searching through my archives I decided that my photographs from Bonneville would be the perfect fit. I have chosen 4 photographs that are professionally printed 8x10 on Kodak Endura paper. Each photo is hand numbered and signed and preserved in an acid free poly bag. There is also a special edition set available. The set includes all four photos, professionally printed with a special metallic finish. They will also be hand numbered and signed, as a set. Please help me, help a friend by purchasing one of these timeless photos. Take pride in knowing that for the price of a few hot rod magazines you’ll be helping a young family ease the pain of an extremely difficult battle.

Individual photos: $10.00 ea. + Shipping
Special Edition “Metallic” Set: $50.00 set + Shipping
To place your order please email Alex at Transmission77@hotmail.com
Proceeds will go to the Jason Contreras Cancer Fund

If you would like to make a donation without purchasing a photograph please visit
http://gilbertjasonblog.blogspot.com/
Times are definitely tough for many, so if you find that donating is not an option then please help by forwarding this blog to friends and family.

Thank you

Sincerely
Alex Maldonado

Note: This is a one man project, orders will take 1-2 weeks for delivery.

Car Kulture Deluxe #36 2009

2009-09-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Just nailed my second cover for Car Kulture Deluxe. It's the latest issue #36 - October 2009. Big thanks to the Shredders CC for hookin up the drinks at the Primer Nationals this weekend.
Don't forget to pick up a copy. Cheers big ears.

New Works

2009-07-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone I know this is the 3rd blog in a few days but these are my works so check em out.

Custom Garage #6 - Ink n Iron 2009 & Coop's at Corey Helford Gallery

2009-07-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Here are my latest articles for Custom Garage magazine. It features a 2 page spread on Coop's first solo show in 3 years! There's also a 6 page spread on the year's Ink n Iron Festival. Enjoy, feel free to comment or critique. Thank you

Ink n Iron 2009

So, what makes Ink n Iron so damn special? I mean, doesn’t every car show have bands, tattooed hooligans and pin-ups? Well, let me explain something for those of you who’ve never been. Ink n Iron is no ordinary show; you don’t just get a few bands, you get an entire music festival. And there aren’t just a few tattooed tough guys; there’s a ship full of guys and girls rockin some of the finest tattoos around. As for the car show, forget about it. This year’s car show featured the “Showcase of Kustoms”, which was a car show within a car show. Inside the dome that once housed the famous Spruce Goose one could find top of the line customs. Under the dim lights they sparkled like rare gems in a dark cave. One fine example was Brian Everett’s gold 1940 Merc. Brian’s lowdown Merc was built by Oz Kustoms and truthfully words can’t describe how beautiful this sled is. I’d have to do an entire feature on it to do it justice. Richie Valles from Unique Twist Auto Body had several cars showing. One look at his tangerine ’50 Chevy Fleetline and it’s no surprise he landed 14 pages in Rodders Journal. Outside the dome the quality of customs and hot rods was just as impressive. As a matter of fact, there were two wicked rides right outside. One of them was Voodoo Larry’s ‘31 Model A. This hot rod may have single handedly stolen the show. Spectators couldn’t get enough of the suede 40’s Mopar paint job laid down by Hired Guns Paintworks. Not to mention an array of custom fabrication done by Larry, himself. Right across, was a slammed ‘54 Kustom Chevy truck. This killer custom had all the right touches; a low stance, custom molded headlights, custom grille and a slick 2-tone suede paint job. It looked like something right off the cover of a 1950’s Rods & Customs magazine.

The car show was definitely a crowd pleaser but it’s only one element of Ink n Iron show. For three days, a variety of bands lit up the stages with 100%, unfiltered rock n roll. Bands like Eagles of Death Metal, The Fuzztones, Frenzy, Aggrolites and Batmobile gave the crowd their moneys worth. However, for me, there was one band that rose above the rest. I’m talking about the forefathers of punk, The Sonics! When they took the stage on Saturday night, the crowd went wild. I had a front row, worm’s eye view of fans shaking their goods to the frantic beats. They may be a little older now but they can still make the girls scream. After watching The Sonics perform live, it’s easy to see how they had such an impact on music, then and now.

After a long night of rockin out to The Sonics, waking up Sunday morning was no easy task. But it was time to get to “work”, so I peeled myself off my friend’s floor and got to it. Sunday was my day to take my time and really soak in the tattoo convention. The crowd was definitely a lot calmer but tattoo guns were still blazing. Booth by booth I could see ink and blood mixing, and with every stroke of the needle you could see the art emerge. As I made my way through the ships 3 main floors I stopped to admire the extensive portfolios of tattoo artists from around the world. Each one offering it’s own unique styling. After looking through several portfolios, I quickly understood why good tattoos cost so much and why bad ones don’t. If you’re looking for the best, Ink n Iron is the place to find it.

It was time to wrap the weekend up, so I decided to go to my favorite spot, the ships Observatory Bar. I was enjoying a few Bloody Marys and sharing photos with newly acquainted friends when “Chelsea” and her friends decided to put on their own show. I won’t go into details but lets just say these girls were having lots of fun drinking and showing off their “tattoos”. If you haven’t figured it out yet, this is what makes the Ink n Iron show so damn special. Come for one day or come for three, either way you’re guaranteed to walk away with new friends and some wild ass adventures. Only time will tell what’s in store for next year but I can tell you this much, I’m already counting the days.

Coop's New Works at Corey Helford Gallery

It seems an artist like Coop aka “Chris Cooper” needs no introduction. His deviant art can be found everywhere, from the walls of tattoo parlors to windows of hot rods. Born in Bixby, Oklahoma, Coop started paving the way to his visual debauchery at the young age of 2. As soon as he served his time in High School, Coop headed straight Los Angeles. It was here in 1993 that he would land his first solo show at La Luz de Jesus gallery. Sharing the gallery walls with artists such as Robert Williams and The Pizz, it’s no surprise Coop would move on to build an empire.

It’s now March 2009 and Coop has emerged with new works and what better place to exhibit them than at the Corey Helford Gallery. With hundreds of galleries in the greater Los Angeles area, there’s no doubt this was the right choice. The Corey Helford Gallery is a chic little gallery in the art district of Culver City. Openings here typically mean a night of great art, great people and a great selection of drinks. What can I say; admiring fine art can make a guy thirsty.

For most of us kustom kulture aficionados Coop’s voluptuous she-devils and smoking devil heads are deeply engraved in our heads. If you’re a music buff, then you’re for sure familiar with his rock & roll posters. Coop has created hundreds of poster for bands ranging from The Dave & Deke Combo all the way up to punk legends The Sex Pistols. Even graphic designers may recall his collaboration with House Industries. He created a custom set of Coop fonts, which where packaged in an ultra cool limited edition box. Whatever your recollection is of his art, it still wouldn’t compare to the impact of seeing his paintings in person. From close range one could study the intricate layering of his art, from a far one is hypnotized by his oversized half tone treatment. Each half tone was meticulously hand painted dot by dot. I’m talking hundreds if not thousands of them. As a huge fan of graffiti art, Coop’s choice to incorporate stencils and spray paint to his art was like fueling a ‘55 Olds motor with a tri-stack of 97 Stromberg’s. It gave his smoking devil heads just the right amount of fuel to propel them to a whole new level. Coop’s new works are a true testament of how a talented artist can recreate himself, his art and those who follow it.

Judging by the red dots on the wall and the fire marshals regulating the crowd, I’d say the show was a success. There were tons of Coop enthusiast, including artists Keith Weesner and Gary Baseman. It was yet another great collaboration between artist and gallery. When Coop’s collection comes to your town, don’t miss it! In the meantime check out his flickr page. It is a huge collection of “risqué” photographs taken by Coop, plus plenty of behind the scene photos to some of his latest masterpieces.

Coop Interview

AM - Coming from the hot rod industry myself I’ve seen the influence your art has had in the world of kustom kulture. How much did kustom kulture influence you in your earlier years?
COOP - Honestly, the whole concept of Kustom Kulture is a pretty recent invention, but I was always involved with cars and car culture, since I was a kid. "Kustom Kulture" is a better description of the folks who started creating art related to hot rod culture, starting with Robert Williams, of course.

AM - Lets just say in some cruel dimension there is no kustom kulture; do you think the world of Coop would be the same?
COOP - Probably not, but I would still be making art. I have plenty of other interests outside of that.

AM - Triumph or Harley??
COOP - I had a '64 Triumph bobber, but I sold it shortly after realizing that Los Angeles is not friendly to motorcycles.

AM - The first thing I noticed about your new works was the use of stencils and spray paint as part of your medium. Is there any specific reason that influenced this choice of medium?
COOP - It was something I'd never really done before. It started with one stencil done for a specific purpose, but I immediately realized that this would be a cool technique to incorporate into my fine art stuff. It adds a different texture and a bit of ragged edge to the canvas.

AM - Have you ever used or experimented with these mediums before?
COOP - No, I never really did the graffiti thing when I was growing up in the early eighties.

AM - Even though I don’t have you as a contact, I often follow your flickr page. I see you’re “almost” a photographer. How long has photography been part of your creative artillery?
COOP - I started shooting photos when I was a kid, thanks to my photographer dad, but I stopped shooting for about the next twenty years. I got back into it a few years ago thanks to the advent of digital photography, and now I'm back to shooting film again.

AM - Has photography had any impact on your paintings?
COOP - Definitely. It has completely changed how I work on my paintings, and the paintings have been a big influence on the color and composition of my photos.

AM - Are you ever torn between doing one or the other?
COOP - Not really. I like doing both, and each provides an escape from the other. When I get burned out on one, I can mess with the other, and not lose any of my creative momentum.

AM - Will you forever bless us with your free photos?
COOP - I guess so. I plan to do a book eventually, but I like the feed back on flickr.

If you haven’t been to Coop’s flickr page, do it! There’s a huge collection of photos. Thanks again Coop for taking the time to do this interview. It’s a tiny glimpse into the mind of an artist I consider as iconic as green rats and flying eyeballs (that’s a good thing). I’d also like to thank Angelique Groh from Charm School Marketing + PR for making this interview possible.

Half a year is officially done

2009-07-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

It’s been way too long since my last blog but as usual, time seems to pass me by with no remorse. I can hardly believe that half a year has already slipped by. Thankfully, things have been crazy busy all through my creative spectrum. My articles continue to be published in Custom Garage magazine and as a matter of fact, the next issue is on its way. When it arrives I will be posting my coverage of Ink n Iron Festival 2009 and Coop’s first art show in 3 years, with a special interview. My photos also made the pages and cover of Car Kulture Deluxe July 2009. In June, after one long ass year we had our annual art walk. During that year I kept busy creating a whole new series of paintings. I wish I could say my paintings flew off the wall but they didn’t, nonetheless it was a great night. A small group of my closest friends came over and hung around until about 2am. For those of you who missed the art walk, this Friday I will be participating in a group show at Hue Salon in Huntington Beach. Info: Hue Salon 7821 Edinger Ave. Huntington Beach, Ca July 10, 5-8pm. On the graphic design side of things I just finished up a cool little t-shirt graphic for my Viking brothers The Templars car club. It’s available, I believe through their myspace site. The Templars are a car club based out of Spain. They’ll be throwing “The Hot Rod Tsunami” car show this July, which I believe is Barcelona’s first hot rod car show.
I will have updates to all things mentioned, so if you haven’t already subscribe to my blog and stay tuned.

Ink n Iron Festival 2009

2009-06-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

Ink n Iron is now behind us, but what a show it was. Great cars, hot people and The Sonics fuckin rocked! I have some of the pix posted on my flickr page and once my article for Custom Garage goes to print I will be posting it on my blog and adding tons of more pix.

Check out my friend Antonio's coverage of Ink n Iron Festival 2009 at Motormavens. This guy doesn't just have killer photo equipment he's got skills.

Car Kulture Deluxe - July 2009

2009-05-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, just wanted to share my first magazine cover. So hit your local liquor store (or Borders) and pick up a copy! It's the July 2009 issue.

Grand National Roadster Show - 2009

2009-04-23T22:11:00.000-07:00

Grand National Roadster Show - Custom Garage Magazine #5
Text & Photos by: Alex Maldonado (Transmission77)

2009 marked 60 years of “The Longest running indoor car show in the world”, The Grand National Roadster Show. Not even the crippled economy could keep die-hard car enthusiasts away from this hopped up extravaganza. It seemed that there was a place for everyone and everything. With thousands and thousands of sq.ft, the show was filled to capacity. In the main hall were all the heavy hitter’s, you had shops like Brizio's, SO-CAL Speed Shop, Jalopy Shop and Hot Rods & Hobbies. I was relieved to see that this year there wasn't an over abundance of "million dollar" rods. Instead, they were replaced with some seriously cool pieces, like Hot Rods & Hobbies 1950 Merc. This street machine was rocking a two-pound shift knob made of 100% silver. For all you die-hard traditionalist, there was Don Ferguson’s 1934 Coupe. This original 50's racer looked as good today as it did forty years ago when it made its runs at El Mirage. If that wasn’t enough, Bill NieKamp’s 1929 Model A Roadster was on display. Bill’s roadster won “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster” back in 1950.

As I made my way through the rest of the hangers and the fairgrounds, I came to realize just how diverse this show is. Almost every genre of automotive culture was in attendance. There were Tri-Chevy’s, Muscle cars, Lowriders, Drag racers and of course, the low buck steel. This brings me to the Suede Palace, an old hanger set aside for all the homegrown customs and traditional hot rods. Two or three years ago, this hanger was more than enough space to house these hot rod deviants. Today, it is a different story there were hot rods and custom spilling out of the Suede Palace. There where as many cool cars outside as there where inside. Some of my favorite customs came from San Jose’s “Gambino Kustoms”. If you haven’t seen these rides check them out, www.gambinokustoms.com.

After three days I still didn't see it all. So many cars, so little time, especially when beer breaks lasted a few hours. By Sunday the show was reaching its end and the winners would be announced. This year’s AMBR (America’s Most Beautiful Roadster) went to Harry Willett’s and his ’32 Ford roadster. Honestly, it’s an amazing roadster but it’s just not my cup of tea. Most of us could have built our dream car for the money spent on the display alone. Pound for pound, the GNRS definitely did not disappoint. I had a chance to meet up with some friends, shake hands with a certain star from TV show LOST and to top it off I even spotted Tera Patrick walking around. There you have it, TV stars, porn stars and even rock stars; it doesn’t get much better than that.

View more pix: Grand National Roadster Show 2009

NHRA '34 Ford Exhibit

2009-04-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

NHRA Museum exhibit – 75th Anniversary of the 1934 Ford
Custom Garage Magazine #5 - Text & Photos by Alex Maldonado (Transmission77)

In a nation that so easily destroys the old to make way for the new, it’s a relief to see that so many are dedicated to preserving automotive history. One fine example of such dedication is the Wally Parks NHRA Museum. For years the museum has exhibited automobiles essential to the history and the future of hot rodding. This year the museum is helping celebrate the 75th anniversary of the 1934 Ford. Under the direction of Tony Thacker, the museum’s Executive Director, some of the most famous ‘34’s were gathered for exhibit. For starters, Tony had the ’34 Piersen Brothers’ Coupe and the ’34 SO-CAL Speed Shop Coupe displayed side by side. These two machines were vital to early hot rod speed and styling. Next on the list were a couple of ‘34’s that Henry Ford himself would have been envious of, The California Kid and Jake’s Coupe. These were the creations of masterminds Pete Chapouris and Jim “Jake” Jacobs. These two buddies took their passion for hot rodding and turned it into life long careers as founders of Pete & Jake’s hot rod parts. Not bad for a few guys looking for kicks. Let me just say that seeing cars of this historic magnitude, all under one roof is a little overwhelming. To top it off, it just gets better. Jim Lytle had his “Big Al” ’34 Tudor Sedan present. Talk about rare vintage power, this monster is outfitted with a 1,710 cu. in. Allison V-12. For those who don’t know about Allison motors, google it! They’re WWll aircraft motors, capable of 2250 horsepower. Here’s where things really kicked off, Billy Gibbons “Eliminator” was on exhibit. Most of us have only seen this car in ZZ Tops “She’s got legs” video. I kept hoping some long legged blonde would step out of the car dressed in 80’s attire and stockings. As if it wasn’t enough that the Eliminator was here, Billy himself was in attendance. While the night’s entertainment played, Billy made a very rare move. He walked up, grabbed a guitar, and started jamming. This was the only way you could have topped an already amazing night. I credit one man and his team, for having the vision to make it happen. Congrats Tony on a great exhibit and the free Billy Gibbons concert (sorta).

for some great swag visit:
http://www.museum.nhra.com/

Movers & Shakers - Pasadena, CA

2009-04-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

Movers & Shakers - Custom Garage Magazine #5
Text & Photos by: Alex Maldonado

Pasadena probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind when one mentions kustom sleds, hot rods or motorcycles. For some time now the city of Pasadena has been known for being a little stuffy and “yuppie-ish”. From first hand experience I know this isn’t exactly 100 percent accurate. There are plenty of “yuppies”, fancy dining, and one too many sports bars, but then there’s guy’s like Victor Val Verde looking to change the distorted image.

Victor is part owner of Sessions Salon Studio, yes salon, as in hair salon. Now before you throw this magazine across the room, hear me out. Victor, along side his brother Dante grew up loving pretty much anything with wheels and speed. It didn’t matter if it was skateboards, BMX bikes or racing shopping carts. As the boys grew older they naturally graduated from skateboards to custom rides. It’s because of these life long passions that when Victor first decided to have a bash at his salon, he knew he had to incorporate these fixations. The original plan was to have a skateboard show but unfortunately Pasadena city officials had some reservations about that, so he shifted gears to bring “classic cars” to the city. As the idea picked up speed it started a snowball effect. What had first started as a skateboard show soon turned into a kustom rides and art show. Victor got a big hand from his brother Dante who has tons of experience with kustom rides. Dante customizes rides for a living and also runs the Lowdown Luau car show in Long Beach. As word of the show started spreading Victor soon had a hand full of talented artist passionate about their rides as they were about their art.

Just to name a few of the visual talents, there were art pieces from artist like pinstriper The Harpoon , Race Car 13 and graffiti artist/pinstriper Pacman. For the mechanical artwork, Victor hooked up with masters of bike building like Shinya Kimura, founder of Zero Engineering, Paul Yang of Iron Gatsby Designs and of course some Brit-bobbers from Earl’s Bikes. With so much talent already accumulated one thing was still missing, the skateboard element; Victor turned to his good friend Ryan of Circa. Ryan helped get Victor connected with legendary skaters Christian Hosoi, Lance Mountain and Steve Cabellero. After some schedule juggling they were able to get these legends to donate some time to hang out and sign limited edition prints of an art piece actually painted by these masters of skateboarding. With an estimated 2,000 plus spectators, the show went on without a glitch. It was a wild mixture of kustom machines, art, music & pretty girls.

This show helped prove a few things; A. there are some seriously cool people in Pasadena and as long as Victor is in town he’ll continue to reinforce that. And B. You can successfully fuse creative minds from all spectrum's to have one amazing show where everyone who comes leaves a little enlightened. In the end Victor certainly crushed the uptight reputation of Pasadena, let it be known the city itself has asked him to do it again next year. Congrats to Victor and his team, it’s well deserved.

For more pix on this event visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/transmission77/sets/

http://www.salonsessions.com/

Headshots

2009-04-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Although I love photographing hot rods and all things related, I'm finally making a push to photograph things with a pulse. For sometime now I've had the itch to do interesting portraiture/headshot work. Thankfully my wife Brenda B. is looking to add to her portfolio, so I'll be helping her document some of her chicest haircuts, styles and colors. Annabel was my first subject in what will hopefully be a life long series. My main objective was to capture the amazing angles and colors of Annabel's hair created by Brenda B.

If you or anyone you know is looking for headshots, portraits or product photography, give them my info. My pricing is fair but my quality is even better.

If you're looking for an amazing haircut, color or style contact Brenda B.

Famoso Raceway - March Meets 2009

2009-02-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone I'll be shooting this years March Meets at the Famoso Raceway, in Bakersfield for Custom Garage Magazine. The article and photos will be featured in issue #5. So if you plan to be there Saturday, I will see you there. Here's a little info on the races.

Hot Rodders to Fill the “Grove”
At March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway
Local street rodders to display cars at event, March 6-8

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (Feb. 20, 2009) – At the March Meet’s inaugural event in 1959, hot rods were at the heart of drag racing. Fifty-one years later, hot rods are still, well, hot. The March Meet, March 6-8, is still celebrating the timeless connection by inviting all street rods to Auto Club Famoso Raceway for three days of show and competition.

“Every year I am amazed at the number of locals and car clubs that come to be part of the March Meet,” said Blake Bowser, vice president and general manager of the Kern County Racing Association, operators of Auto Club Famoso Raceway and producers of the March Meet.

“We get everything from ’32 Fords to muscle cars from the 1960s, and everything in-between,” said Bowser. “Come on Friday to get the best deal because it doesn’t cost anything extra to show a car, and owners essentially get premium parking for the Meet and you might just get an award. The March Meet is Bakersfield-born and bred and the community is a huge part of it, and always the first to support it.”

All street rods, muscle cars and classics older than 1975 are welcome to participate in the annual car show. Spaces are available for $75 for the weekend and include three-day admission (for car and driver) and parking in the tree-lined Grove of Auto Club Famoso Raceway while space lasts. Vehicles will be judged by decade (1930, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s), on Saturday, with awards being presented later in the afternoon.

“The competition among rodders is going to be intense this year,” added Bowser. “We’re expecting more than 350 cars to show up for bragging rights and the chance to take home a trophy.”

In addition to the trophies being awarded for each vehicle decade, three special awards will be given out for top cars: the Grand Marshal’s Award (chosen by 2009 Grand Marshal Cruz Pedregon), the Legend’s Award and the Media Choice Award.

“Bring it on,” Bowser said to hot rodders. “Show what you got!”

The fun continues into the night at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, with hot rodders camping out for the weekend, mingling and mixing with other race fans and car aficionados, and some even firing up their cars in the wee hours.

“A lot of folks will be having a lot of fun at the March Meet,” said Bowser. “A good time will be had by all, young, old, male, female. It’s just a plain ol’ good time.”

Now celebrating 51 years of racing, the March Meet is a three-day affordable speedfest that enthusiasts call ‘the jewel of Nostalgia Racing.’ It attracts drag racers and spectators from around the world and also includes a hot rod car show, swap meet and a vendors’ midway. The 2009 March Meet is also the first race of the Hot Rod Heritage Series, the NHRA’s 8-race nostalgia racing series. The Grand Marshal this year is NHRA World Champion Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon.

Tickets: a Super 3-Day Pass for $75 can be purchased online now and can be picked up at the track the week of the event. There are no service charges for tickets purchased online at www.autoclubfamosoraceway.com. Individual day tickets for the event will go on sale Mar.2, but will be available only at the track. Ticket prices are $25 for Fri., Mar. 6; $30 for Sat., Mar. 7; and $30 for Sun., Mar. 8.

Auto Club members also receive a $ 2 discount off daily admission tickets by showing their cards when they purchase tickets at the track. Daily tickets for children ages 7 to 12 are $10 and kids 6 and under are free when accompanied by an adult with paid admission.

The Kern County Racing Association (KCRA) operates historic Auto Club Famoso Raceway (just north of Bakersfield, Calif.) and promotes a full schedule of races year round, including the world famous March Meet, Mar. 6-8, 2009, is the recognized Mecca of nostalgia drag racing. For more details, visit www.autoclubfamosoraceway.com.

Latest adventure

2009-02-06T20:50:00.000-08:00

It's very rare that I get the opportunity to photograph subjects with a pulse, by this I mean models. Typically, by default, most of my work involves photographing hot rods and all the parts used to build them. For anyone who knows me this is going to sound a little foreign, but photographing models is really intimidating. In this modern world of easily accessible "pro" cameras there are tons of GWC's, aka "Guy With Camera". If you're a female model, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. For this reason I tend to shy away from asking females to pose or model for me. My fear is I'll be forever categorized as a GWC.

Recently I laid my fears aside, I was fortunate to be invited to a cool little photo shoot with a real model. By "real model", I mean she wasn't just pretty, she actually knew how to be pretty in front of the camera. If you're a photographer looking for a legit model, I would recommend Kimmie . I don't think I have to state the fact she's pretty (and fit), that would just be obvious. More importantly, even though I just met her, Kimmie rocks. Her attitude was easy going and with the occasional (funny) smart ass remark she kept me on my toes. Something else that made shooting Kimmie easy was she was ready to go as soon as the camera was on her. Did I mention she was on time? Hands down, Kimmie has made it just a little easier for me to get past this model and GWC fear. I can only hope they're all like that, but that's just wishful thinking.

At the moment I can't really say who or what it was for but as soon as the magazine hit's the stands I'll post up the details and pix. Until then here's a sneak peak, by the way this probably wont make the magazine, so enjoy it here.

Mooneyes X-mas Show

2009-01-20T19:16:00.000-08:00

I just received my latest issue of Custom Garage Magazine with my coverage on the Mooneyes X-mas Show. To view more photos of the event visit my flickr Mooneyes X-mas
As always feel free to leave some feed back good or bad.

It’s December and so begins the holiday madness. Everyone is on a manhunt, searching for the perfect gift at the perfect price. It’s also the time to remind yourself not to drink too much at the company Christmas party, because you’ll either end up getting too friendly with a co-worker or telling your boss what you really think about him. Thankfully for gearheads December means a little something else. It means putting the final touches on their ride in hopes of making it to the annual Mooneyes X-mas Party.

Three years ago as I walked the rows of countless custom machines at the Mooneyes X-mas Party I knew the show was going through some serious growing pains. There were hot rods, customs and even motorcycles flooding the surrounding streets because there simply wasn’t enough room in the show. Chico Kodama would have to find a new location to accommodate the growing crowd of participants and spectators. To the surprise of many gearheads and myself, Chico announced he would hold the X-mas party at the Irwindale Speedway! Chico had truly out done himself. Since 2006, the event has been held here at the Irwindale Speedway and let me just say as I walk through the show today I wonder how close he is to reaching the capacity of this venue.

The speedway was filled with hundreds and hundreds of kustom machines. Most of the cars found here are local homebuilt machines, with the exception of a few “high dollar” builds. Whether you call them customs, kustoms, rat rods, low buck, high buck, bobbers, choppers or even VW’s one thing is for sure, there’s something for everyone here. One can spend hours examining the fine details of these highly crafted machines. If I had to mention just one car that stood out, I would have to say it was a gold mid 50’s Ford pick up with green scallops. The color combination was odd but without a doubt, it was refreshing.

Aside from the additional space for all these kustom machines, there’s another benefit to this location. You couldn’t occupy a speedway without doing a little drag racing. Dragsters, muscle cars and of course some very impressive gassers were ready to put their money where their mouths where. While walking through the aisles of vendors and visiting a few booths like Devil Deluxe Clothing and Trophy Queen, you could hear engines roaring down the drag strip as drivers put their skills to the test. There was a short delay when some unfortunate soul smacked his coupe into the guardrail. The driver was okay but I couldn’t say the same for his front end. As usual Mooneyes didn’t disappoint, the show went on without any major incidents and thankfully for everyone the rain gods managed to hold off until the next day.

Custom Garage Magazine articles Part2

2008-12-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

Since getting these magazines in the states is near impossible I decided to scan the articles. In case you didn't read my previous blog these are the 4 articles written and photographed by me for CGM, Enjoy.

Custom Garage Magazine

2008-10-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

Finally, the latest issue of Custom Garage Magazine is out and they published 4 of my articles. There's a total of 16 pages with photos and text by yours truly. Unfortunately they're only available in Spain and the articles are in Spanish. I've decided to post the articles in 4 blogs, starting here with the Bonneville Speed Week article. Mind you I'm more of a photographer than a writer so feel free to drop the advise on how I can improve my writing (don't mention grammar, I'm well aware of that one). Enjoy

Bonneville Speed Week 2008

Bonneville is known as the fastest place on earth. It is a place where history is made and records are broken. In some cases it happens all in the same week. 15,000 years ago this was a different story, back then this haven for hot rodders was just another lake. It wasn’t until 1949 when a group of guys came together to put their hot rods to the test. This would be the start of what would eventually evolve into Bonneville Speed Week. 60 years later Bonneville is still running strong. The event is now being organized by the BNI & SCTA, two organizations dedicated to preserving the sport of land speed racing and doing a hell of a job.

The feeling of being on the lake where so much hot rod history has been made is incredible. Seeing real hot rods racing across the lake was like watching tigers in the wild. There are no chain link fences or concrete barriers separating the drivers from fans. Here you’re free to talk to every racer big or small. Even as they’re lining up to make their runs you’re still only a few feet away. It’s no surprise many travel great distances to experience “Bonneville Fever”, some driving from as far away as Maine, USA. There was even some Kiwi’s (New Zealanders) in attendance, how’s that for long distance? When I think of these dedicated hot rodders traveling cross-country or even across “the pond” just to be here, I begin to wonder what was this voyage like in the 1940’s? Today we have the modern convenience of cell phones, air conditioning and navigation systems but what did the hardcore hot rodders of days gone by do when they ran out of fuel or blew a head gasket or worse, wrecked? Even in this day and age there are stretches of roads with out a medical facility in sight or even a gas station for that matter. We found this out the hard way; imagine three grown guys sharing a small bag of chips for 2 hours because there wasn’t a gas station or café for hundreds of miles! What possesses men and women to take on such a voyage? Why not just head down to the local street rod show? After experiencing Bonneville first hand I know why, it’s passion. Bonneville is all about passion, it’s what drove them then and it’s what drives them now. Hot Rodders don’t come here to win a trophy for shiniest car or prettiest interior. They come here because of their passion for speed.

Teams

Leslie Porterfield is a prime example of this “passion”. At the young age of 16 Leslie shelled out $200 bucks to buy a motorcycle as a means of transportation. Who knew this was only the beginning, she quickly fell in love with motorcycles and her appetite for speed evolved. Did I mention she use to run her own construction company and currently owns High Five Cycles, a used motorcycle dealership? Talk about every hot rodders dream girl; brains, beauty and an appetite for speed. As time went on she knew ordinary racing wasn’t enough, Leslie wanted to go down in history so she set her sights on Bonneville. Her first trip to Bonneville was in 2007 and would not come without a hefty price. While running her turbo Hayabusa she wrecked, leaving her with 7 broken ribs, a punctured lung and a concussion. Any sensible man would have cut his loses and called it a day, maybe taken up some golfing but not this little speed demon. Not only was she back on her bike 2 months after the accident, she also came back to Bonneville this year and set a record in the “Naked” (no bodywork) class at 209mph! This girl not only has passion, she’s got balls.

Brauer & Sons racing team is yet another example of this hot rodding passion. The father and son team out of Mentone, California has set 19 records in the last 10 years with their Big Block powered 1929 roadster. This year was no exception, Mike Brauer; son of Gary Brauer set a record at 259.897 mph in the A/Fuel Roadster class. Unfortunately with the good comes the bad, Gary Brauer had to leave Saturday do to a bleeding ulcer but don't worry guys he's doing better now. Without a doubt Gary and the boys will be back next year to break yet another record.

Scandinavian Street Rods, What would you do if you found an original belly tank racer? Would you tear it down and completely restore it? Or would you leave it as is? Erik Hansson of Scandinavian Street Rods chooses the latter, sort of. A friend of Erik spotted this jewel in the backyard of a Pomona home back in 1992. After some heavy negotiating Erik got his hands on this hot rod relic. The original owner was Bob George of Redondo Beach, Ca. Bob raced the tank from '58-'61 out in El Mirage where it ran 147mph. Erik is still trying to unearth the complete history of the tank but it hasn't been an easy task. For now he's focused his attention on more important things, going fast! At first glance you would think he restored it to its original condition but nothing could be further from the truth. The only thing original is the body and the paint job but underneath lies shear mechanical genius. Erik cleverly has tucked every bit of suspension and steering within the body, nothing is wider than the axle. This helps keeps the tank as aerodynamic as possible. To keep the tank stable while it rips through the lake, four of the lower frame tubes are filled with lead and the floor pan is constructed of 1” steel. Unlike drag racing, weight is your friend on the flats. The tank is powered by a freshly built 59-A 292ci blown Flathead, which hit a top speed of 163mph. According to Erik this was just a tester, a little shake down if you will. The full potential of the new motor has yet to be unleashed. Erik even had a chance to swap out motors and put in his older naturally aspirated 59-A 299ci Flathead, which ran 165mph. I will be following Erik closely in the months to follow to see exactly how fast this jewel will go once the motor is dialed in.

How do you define a Bonneville winner? Is there such a thing as a Bonneville winner? I'm not sure to be honest; the way I see it is there's triumphs and disappointments. You either break your own record or break someone else's. Worst case, you break something and leave with a very expensive lesson. There is however an important goal many set their sights on and the reward is a big red hat. I'm of course talking about the 200mph club; here is a list of this years newest members.

298 Troy Cochran - Raver - Cochran Racing - 216.598
76 Bob Nakonieczny - Ferguson Racing - 290.774
675 Bill Harris - Harris and Wester - 207.320
2132 Doug Macmillan - Honda RSX - 221.652
4449 Wayne Jesel - Jesel Motor sports - 219.487
760B Derek McLeish - Team McLeish Bros. - 218.240
913 Robert Duffin - Jan Berry Motorsports - 229.750
913 Russell Duffin - Jan Berry Motor sports - 230.545
332 Ronnie Tesinski - Robert Lindstrom - 229.386
5100 Ted Gedhill - Salt Flyer - 276.374
743 Roger Ross - Loose Screw Racing - 212.886
183 Russ Eierman - Eierman / Anacierio - 222.080
646 Mark Walten - Reflections - 214.556
777 Dennis McNeil - Fjastad - Kinne – McNeil - 266.426
6751 Richard Ross - Harris & Webster - 207.190
7431 Leo Sands - Loose Screw Racing - 219.909
630 Gary Spencer - Spencer Racing - 250.704
81 Mark Weiler - WZBD Racing - 324.376
752 Zofia Peda-Proffit - Ferguson Racing - 280.508
912 Walter Medun - Linsmeyer Motor sports - 216.305
2211 Bill Smith - Smith Special Const - 299.642
1976B Leslie Porterfield - Leslie Porterfield - 209.046
9700B Shane San Miguel - San Miguel Racing - 205.193
222 Troy Langlo - Langlo Racing - 246.550
9843 Tim Schnell - Schnell Racing - 210.270
278B Robert Steele Jr. - Stainless Steele Racing - 208.959

If you’d like to check the complete results of Bonneville 2008, visit
http://www.scta-bni.org/SCTA-NewWeb/Bonneville_Main_Page.html
In a nutshell Bonneville is a hell of an experience, but there are few things you need to know to make it a memorable experience.

1. If you’re driving make sure to fill up your gas tank and grab some snacks because you don’t know where the next gas stop may be.
2. Sun block, SPF50 to be exact. The white surface of the salt flat bounces back sunlight, which means you can get a serious sun burn from every which direction.
3. Water, and tons of it. Trust me you’ll need it.
4. If you’re a picky drinker bring your own booze or you’ll be sucking on crappy canned booze all week.
5. Make sure you shake your sheets out before going to bed. If you don’t, you may just find a lizard crawling up your leg. Yes I’m serious.

ABC Rebel Night - NYC

2008-10-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Its been a week and I'm barely recovering from my recent trip to NYC. My wife and I, plus the Murdocks started our trip on a Wednesday night, red eye, via Jet Blue. Upon landing it seemed like it would be like any other New York trip, shop, drink and enjoy the sights. It was my mistake, as shit could not be further from the truth. Thursday night was semi quiet as we rested from our flight and caught up with our friends from Brooklyn and Jersey. We tore the floor up that night at the Union Pool bar. We jived, we cut a rug, hell we even slow danced! but as cool as that night was, it was only the tip of the iceberg.

It's Friday night and we're getting polished up for Rebel Night. If you're not familiar with Rebel Night, it's a 50's/60's rock n roll club thrown by Dj's June, Kick & Sei. I know what you're thinking, this is going to be some cheese ball club that time warps you to saddle shoes, white t-shirts and pompadours. Well yes and no. Yes there's vintage, yes there's a few 50's hardcore's but it's not the vintage fashion show that has tainted the LA Rockabilly scene. Do you know what I'm talking about? Kids bidding on vintage clothes until there's no money left to give mom for their share of the rent?? Nor is it the Alpha male and female battle to see who knows who (10 extra points if you know a foreigner). I'm not bashing LA, I love LA, I was born and raised but spending most of my twenties in the rockabilly scene, I've seen the best and the worst of it. Any whoo, the night started like most bar nights, give the gent at the door your id, step through, scope the crowd and proceed. As we made our way to the back of the club where the rock 'n' roll was blaring we huddled in a corner with our good friends, even meeting up with our Spanish friends Nieves and Jose (Beiby) who coincidentally were in from Spain the same weekend as us. As the drinks slowly set in I noticed it wasn't like one of those shows I mentioned earlier. This place was full of smiles and people who did not give a flying fuck who you were, where you're from or who you were with. Hipsters, Soul kids, Rockabilly's and plain jane bar kids were jumping up and down frantically to the beats Kick, June and Sei were spinning. One by one our crowd separated to join the madness. Brenda B was busy spinning on the dance floor and then falling on it! Moni screamed in rock 'n' roll madness as Chauncey rocked out as only he can, air guitaring and pogo dancing. Nieves and Jose admired the madness of the diverse crowd. Apparently in Spain having such a diverse crowd in a specific genre club is not so common. My local friends were busy tearing their clothes and bumping people with their fabulous booty. Myself, well I was busy carrying June on my shoulder, then dropping him. I followed that by annoying strangers with my drunken jibberish (sorry Anna). Drink after drink, song after song we pounded the dance floor. There really wasn't a care in the world and the smiles on everyone's faces helped reinforce that feeling. Now here's a fun fact you may or may not know, NYC bars don't close until 4am! Even that wasn't long enough for some serious rockers. Otto's allowed a small group of us to keep rocking until 5am! My best advice to you is don't be stupid go to NYC and if you can, do it the week of Rebel Night. It will be the best time you will ever have.

Thanks everyone for making this past weekend so damn wild. It's hard to find people who encourage drunken deviant behavior and still love you the next day. I count the days until the next Rebel Night. Thanks NYC.

http://www.myspace.com/rebelnight
http://www.myspace.com/unionpool

Finally!

2008-10-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since my last blog but finally I'm taking a second to bring you some news. First off, my article for Custom Garage Magazine has finally been published. I covered a few LA shows, plus I took a long trip to Bonneville to cover Speedweek. I'm still waiting for my copy of the issue but (if you can read Spanish) you can read it on their website http://www.aaediciones.com/index.php?tipo=2&revistaId=242&artId=367.

Some of my favorite photos from the Bonneville show are posted on my flickr page as well. I do plan on blogging the entire article in English, soon!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13281556@N07/sets/72157607501178820/

My designs for Killspeed are finally available. The prints came out great, I just got my copies yesterday. If you dig the designs they're only $20 a t-shirt. Remember it's not about being a hot rodder it's about showing some love for a few artist. If all goes well there should be more designs to come. The designs are available at http://www.killspeed-nyc.com/store/

Last Saturday I had the opportunity, thanks to A Place to Bury Strangers (Brooklyn) and the Sian Alice Group (UK) to photograph their show at the Troubadour. It was great to see two awesome bands perform in such a small venue. It was my first time seeing both bands but thanks to the "photo pass" I was able to take the memories home. If you ever have a chance check them both out, word to the wise if you go see A Place to Bury Strangers wear ear plugs! not because they're bad but because they rock the shit out with some seriously loud distortion.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13281556@N07/sets/72157607840043609/

Killspeed Inc

2008-08-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

My latest collaboration comes to me all the way from Brooklyn, NYC. After seeing me in the pages of ‘Kustom Graphics’, Marisol and Jens of Killspeed Inc. dropped me an email about doing some design work. Sometime later I received the call from Marisol and after a long chat the ball was in motion. We bounced around a few concepts and to my surprise they loved them both. In the end I had two designs that we were all insanely happy about. A big part of that was because Marisol wasn’t looking for just another t-shirt design, she was looking for a small piece of art, from me. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this, I’ve been hammered in the past about proportions and things like “the wheel looks like it’s bouncing not rolling” WTF??, it’s an illustration! Like Marisol said, “if I wanted something realistic, I’d get clip art”. I thank Marisol and Jen for appreciating my work for what it is, just a fun piece of art.

The T-shirts are on pre-sale at www.killspeed-nyc.com/store/kustom_prints.html I believe only one design is posted right now but the second one is coming shortly. Help support a couple of artist and buy these puppies up. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you’re a hot rodder, just wear it because you dig it.

killspeed-nyc.com
www.myspace.com/killspeedinc
www.killspeed.blogspot.com

Custom Machines magazine

2008-06-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, Custom Machines magazine editor in chief Alvaro Cabezas was visiting California to tour the local hot rod and kustom shops. At the top of his list was SO-CAL Speed Shop. My first impression of Alvaro was he’s obviously a down to earth guy passionate about his work. After getting acquainted and giving him a brief tour I cut him loose to photograph and interview the guys around the shop. In the mean time I took a moment to look over his premiere issue of Custom Garage magazine. It covered everything from custom cars to the skaters who love them. The magazine had a great layout with awesome photography to compliment it. I immediately thought this is the kind of car magazine I’d love to contribute to, so I took a gamble. I told Alvaro if he needed a photographer in the states, I was his guy. I could cover all the big shows he obviously couldn’t attend. Much to my surprise he was thrilled at the idea. The first thing that came out of his mouth was ‘that sounds great, I’ll send you my rate sheet’. This was music to my ears, not only do I get to contribute to a magazine from Spain but I also get a little cash for it!
There’s no way of knowing how many stories he’ll pick up but even if it were only one, it would all be worth it. My first gig will be the Iron and Ink festival in Long Beach. I’ve never been but considering The Black Angels along with BRMC will be rocking on stage I figure I can’t go wrong. If that isn’t entertainment enough there will be carnival rides, pin-up pageant, car show and tons of tattoos. Sounds like the perfect place to take the little bambinos.

If you have any info on the festival I’d love to hear about it, if not, maybe I’ll see you there.

http://www.aaediciones.com/index.php?tipo=1
http://www.ink-n-iron.com/

Film School - Spaceland Silverlake

2008-03-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

I recently heard Film School on woxy.com and was stoked when I found they were playing a local gig. Come Thursday evening I was off to Spaceland to catch their show. If you haven't been to Spaceland it's a great little venue with intimate stage, full bar, pool tables and even vintage video games. Film School was accompanied by two other bands Airiel and Famous Amos. With the exception of security telling me there was no flash allowed the night went on pretty damn well. Stella was on tap, the bands rocked and I even had a chance to chat with Dave of Film School. Like the rest of the band Dave seemed like a really laid back guy and didn't mind spending a moment with a new fan, cheers Dave. My only regret of the night is I wish I would have brought a faster lens to deal with the low light/no flash situation but I'm hoping to catch them next time around. Next time I promise better pix.

I highly recommend any three of the bands next time they're around your neck of the woods.
Film School - great sound, awesome attitude, can't wait to see them again.
Airiel - not much on stage performance BUT their music is good.
Famous Amos - they rocked! don't know what else to say.

www.filmschoolmusic.com
www.airiel.com

Jef Bredemeier - Art exhibit

2008-03-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Jef Bredemeier - Art exhibit
March 19 2008 @ Violet Grace 7021 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, Ca.

I was fortunate to be invited to an art show this past Wednesday by my good friend Christian Mejia. Arriving only an hour and a half late to Violet Grace in Melrose, I was pleased to find a healthy crowd of people and some cool art work. Unlike some art shows, this one was full of welcoming smiles. Ross Resnick of Honest Beverages kept the crowd hydrated with his Honest Teas and Honest Ade beverages (with the optional splash of Vodka) while a young lady who I can only refer to as 40D girl (because I wasn't smart enough to ask her name) kept the crowd on their toes with her shutter assaults. I mobilized my own shutter attack on 40D girl, with great success I might add. You can see my pix on flickr.com. Overall this was my idea of a great show as there was excellent artwork and plenty of people ready to have a chat and a few laughs. Artist Jef Bredemeier even found a minute to introduce himself to my friends and I. Good luck to Jef and I await his next showing.

Jef's myspace - http://www.myspace.com/plaidnik
Violet Grace - 7021 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, Ca.
Honest Beverages - www.honesttea.com

My First Time

2008-02-25T19:26:00.000-08:00

It seems our lives evolve around first times, like our first steps, our first kiss, right down to our first fast food job! Today is no different. I find myself writing the first entry of my first blog and I couldn’t imagine a better way to kick it off. Today I received a package with about 13 stamps, what made this package special was that it encased yet another first time, another moment in my evolution. Last year I received a phone call from Yak Droubie asking if I’d like to participate in a book about “Kustom Kulture” graphics, with no hesitation in responding I quickly gathered my work and sent it off to Yak. Fast forward to one year later and there it is, my first published work, a 4 page spread that included my work for Devil Deluxe Clothing Co., SO-CAL Speed Shop and a special collaboration with Thom Taylor for SO-CAL. Unfortunately Thom’s name was not mentioned, so for the record on page 130, the middle row of t-shirts feature illustrations by Thom Taylor. I admire Thom’s work and hope that one day I posses a fraction of his talent. I will say though, it gives me a great sense of accomplishment to be amongst so many talented artists and hope it’s only the first stone to a greater path. I sign off today by thanking Tony Thacker for all his encouraging words and for teaching me that nothing is beyond my reach. I’d also like to thank my wife for her support and great deal of patience. Last but not least I’d like to thank all my family and friends who love me, and all my friends who hate me. Thank you