Hawaii Five-0 Season Finale
Two Crows Surfboards Blog... Life in the factory
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Hawaii Five-0
Hawaii Five-0 Season Finale
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Memorial Day Contest @ Steamer Lane
Awesome contest at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz this weekend. So great to see all the familiar faces turn out for it. We had the honor of donating a couple boards for the annual raffle this year.
Loved this little mini with a sanded gloss finish. The grey looked like primer
Of course we had to donate a noserider too... it was a longboard contest after all
I didn't have a good enough camera to take pictures of the action. The waves were on and off all weekend, but you can jump over to the Santa Cruz Waves site to take a look
Surfing day 1: santacruzwaves.com
Surfing day 2: santacruzwaves.com
Love these guys. The Pedro Point Crew, always keeping it real, always a full cooler with beers stashed away somewhere. These guys know what the contests are all about: Community & good friends.
Fake tattoos of course
Good idea of the turn out... the awards & board raffle
Many thanks to Waylon (middle of the picture, black hat) for stepping up to the plate and being the contest director this year. An amazing job well done! Also big props to the rest of the Union crew who worked so hard. Scotty, Cathy, Paula, Leigh, Kevin, Stoner, Cindy.... just to name a few!
The contest after party. One of my favorite parts. That's a good chunk of the younger side of the Santa Cruz Longboard Scene all seated together with a few stragglers. :) -Carl
Monday, May 28, 2012
The Story of the Two Crows Logo
People always ask us the story of how Two Crows came to be our logo. There is a long story and a short one. We usually tell the shortest one possible just to spare any boredom. Here is the long story if you are interested.
It was 2005, I was living at Sunset beach in the house where Turtle had his shop in the movie North Shore. I was making a lot of art trying to get a t-shirt thing going with a few fellow artists. My grandpa got the news he has the cancer and wasn't going to be around too much longer. I headed back to Santa Cruz to spend some quality time before he went on to greener pastures. He had some serious wisdom. Smartest man I know. So being 23 and not the smartest man, I asked for the Cliff Notes on life. "What's some words of wisdom?"
"Carpe Diem" he replied.
Classic. My mom woke me up every morning for school with the saying. I thought it was her way of being smart, but it was bred into her as well. The next question: "What would you come back as?"
"A crow, I always liked them" he said in his humble voice.
Days later we said our goodbyes and I was off to Hawaii knowing that was it. Life cycles.
The inflight magazine on Hawaiian Airlines has a section called Native Intelligence. A section of the magazine that examines indigenous aspects of the Hawaiian Islands. What do you know, a piece on the 'Alala. The Hawaiian Crow. Almost extinct with less than 52 (at the time) in the wild. I ripped out the page and took it home. Over the next few weeks I did some research and made about 6 paintings using the silhouette of the crow and its scarcity as the theme. A few of those pieces are still around somewhere.
During this time our t-shirt company needed a logo, we hadn't come up with anything solid yet so I got some stickers and a screen made of the crow. The guy who made the stickers asked if we wanted to print up a few laminets to put them into surfboards. No extra charge. Awesome. This is all over six months or so.
"Nah, too many bird logos"
"I like our other logo"
No one liked it.
No worries, I am always down for a collaboration and if the others are not feeling it, no need to press.
Too many cooks in the kitchen.
One crow ended up on a longboard I shaped but that was it for a good three years. No crows no nothing.
Fast forward to three years ago working as a production sander out in the Sugar Mill. As a board builder I was always trying to get my friend Carl to come to Hawaii and see what was going on with the surf and board building scene. Carl and I had made our first boards together in my parents garage as groms and soon both went to work at the local surfboard factory. Him a shaper, me a polisher.
He came out with all the boards I told him too. Short board, mini gun, and a 7'6 gun. Ooops. It was flat.
"Lets make a longboard, it's going to be small all week" I say.
"I don't know, I don't have any tools, I ah... I don-"
"Fuck it, Carl don't be a pussy. Joe's got a shaping room and we glass it at Charlie's. Blanks are in Wahiawa. We can do it in a day or two. Easy"
"All right" Carl says dissapointed he had no chance to argue against my eagerness.
We pick up a blank and head to Joe's. A little shaping room under his house at V-Land. Carl had never meet him, but Joe is super cool and easy going. I had worked with him for years. Droping Carl off at the shaping room and take off for a surf. Its raining upon return and we got to get the blank to Waialua. He sits in back of my old truck and holds on tight.
In the glassing room Carl wanted it clear. Yah right. I get to glass a board. I am going to do whatever I want. It's Carls board he can't get that mad, I think to myself. I sneak in some color and get to it. I had only glassed 60 boards at this time but had spent countless hours watching and learning from the masters. Laminating the deck we ran out cloth. This is when Carl started tripping. I told him we would Freestyle some pieces together. The board ended up coming out killer. Grey, red and black. Patches style. We put a white splooge on it and wrote his name in pen the script.
"Charlie do we still got those crow logos somewhere?"
"I don't throw away anything"
Charlie comes back a minute later with a stack of crow laminents. We put two on the bottom.
"We should make more of these"
"I bet they would love this in Japan" Charlie says.
The rest of the trip was spent surfing and cruzing. I was putting on my first art show in Haleiwa in a vacent retail space. We thought the board was pretty cool so we put it in the show to see peoples reaction. All positive. On the way to the airport we decided Carl should come back out if we could drum up some work. No problem. We knew we were onto something we just didn't know what it was yet. I sold all my boards on Craigslist. I told each person they could buy this one or get a brand new one for the same price. My thinking was we just needed to get glassing more and see where it takes us. No one took the offer thank goodness, but I did get a few friends and roomates to give me some cash. Carl flew back out 3 weeks later and we did the first batch of boards. Driving him to the airport after 2 weeks and 9 boards later we discussed what we should call the collaboration.
"Murder" (the term for more than one crow)
Stupid.
"Red Rum"
Genaric.
"Fuck man we got to get this figured out by the time we get to the airport"
"Shit I'm thinking"
We see the sign. Airport up ahead.
"Lets just call it Two Crows. "
"Sounds good with me. As long as its not a shapers name I am down"
"Cool"
"K -den ill finish these and get some more orders... Lets do this"
Carl disappears in the doors and Two Crows Surfboards is born.
-nick
It was 2005, I was living at Sunset beach in the house where Turtle had his shop in the movie North Shore. I was making a lot of art trying to get a t-shirt thing going with a few fellow artists. My grandpa got the news he has the cancer and wasn't going to be around too much longer. I headed back to Santa Cruz to spend some quality time before he went on to greener pastures. He had some serious wisdom. Smartest man I know. So being 23 and not the smartest man, I asked for the Cliff Notes on life. "What's some words of wisdom?"
"Carpe Diem" he replied.
Classic. My mom woke me up every morning for school with the saying. I thought it was her way of being smart, but it was bred into her as well. The next question: "What would you come back as?"
"A crow, I always liked them" he said in his humble voice.
Days later we said our goodbyes and I was off to Hawaii knowing that was it. Life cycles.
The inflight magazine on Hawaiian Airlines has a section called Native Intelligence. A section of the magazine that examines indigenous aspects of the Hawaiian Islands. What do you know, a piece on the 'Alala. The Hawaiian Crow. Almost extinct with less than 52 (at the time) in the wild. I ripped out the page and took it home. Over the next few weeks I did some research and made about 6 paintings using the silhouette of the crow and its scarcity as the theme. A few of those pieces are still around somewhere.
During this time our t-shirt company needed a logo, we hadn't come up with anything solid yet so I got some stickers and a screen made of the crow. The guy who made the stickers asked if we wanted to print up a few laminets to put them into surfboards. No extra charge. Awesome. This is all over six months or so.
"Nah, too many bird logos"
"I like our other logo"
No one liked it.
No worries, I am always down for a collaboration and if the others are not feeling it, no need to press.
Too many cooks in the kitchen.
One crow ended up on a longboard I shaped but that was it for a good three years. No crows no nothing.
Fast forward to three years ago working as a production sander out in the Sugar Mill. As a board builder I was always trying to get my friend Carl to come to Hawaii and see what was going on with the surf and board building scene. Carl and I had made our first boards together in my parents garage as groms and soon both went to work at the local surfboard factory. Him a shaper, me a polisher.
He came out with all the boards I told him too. Short board, mini gun, and a 7'6 gun. Ooops. It was flat.
"Lets make a longboard, it's going to be small all week" I say.
"I don't know, I don't have any tools, I ah... I don-"
"Fuck it, Carl don't be a pussy. Joe's got a shaping room and we glass it at Charlie's. Blanks are in Wahiawa. We can do it in a day or two. Easy"
"All right" Carl says dissapointed he had no chance to argue against my eagerness.
We pick up a blank and head to Joe's. A little shaping room under his house at V-Land. Carl had never meet him, but Joe is super cool and easy going. I had worked with him for years. Droping Carl off at the shaping room and take off for a surf. Its raining upon return and we got to get the blank to Waialua. He sits in back of my old truck and holds on tight.
In the glassing room Carl wanted it clear. Yah right. I get to glass a board. I am going to do whatever I want. It's Carls board he can't get that mad, I think to myself. I sneak in some color and get to it. I had only glassed 60 boards at this time but had spent countless hours watching and learning from the masters. Laminating the deck we ran out cloth. This is when Carl started tripping. I told him we would Freestyle some pieces together. The board ended up coming out killer. Grey, red and black. Patches style. We put a white splooge on it and wrote his name in pen the script.
"Charlie do we still got those crow logos somewhere?"
"I don't throw away anything"
Charlie comes back a minute later with a stack of crow laminents. We put two on the bottom.
"We should make more of these"
"I bet they would love this in Japan" Charlie says.
The rest of the trip was spent surfing and cruzing. I was putting on my first art show in Haleiwa in a vacent retail space. We thought the board was pretty cool so we put it in the show to see peoples reaction. All positive. On the way to the airport we decided Carl should come back out if we could drum up some work. No problem. We knew we were onto something we just didn't know what it was yet. I sold all my boards on Craigslist. I told each person they could buy this one or get a brand new one for the same price. My thinking was we just needed to get glassing more and see where it takes us. No one took the offer thank goodness, but I did get a few friends and roomates to give me some cash. Carl flew back out 3 weeks later and we did the first batch of boards. Driving him to the airport after 2 weeks and 9 boards later we discussed what we should call the collaboration.
"Murder" (the term for more than one crow)
Stupid.
"Red Rum"
Genaric.
"Fuck man we got to get this figured out by the time we get to the airport"
"Shit I'm thinking"
We see the sign. Airport up ahead.
"Lets just call it Two Crows. "
"Sounds good with me. As long as its not a shapers name I am down"
"Cool"
"K -den ill finish these and get some more orders... Lets do this"
Carl disappears in the doors and Two Crows Surfboards is born.
-nick
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Lamination Station
After a good Friday night in town at The Thin Line art show, Saturday was back to the glassing room. Plenty of boards to do with plenty of inspiration. There was one happy accident today, nothing major but I think it could be adding another dimension to the Freestyle. Michel came by just in time to see his board get laminated (thanks for the 12 pack btw). Jason also stopped in to see some resin get laid. Good times. It feels good to get back in the creative zone. Its where I need to be. I like creating.- n
Here is one of the pieces for the art show. "Comfortably Uncomfortable"
This one is for Long Beach Surf Shop in Canada a. This is the one with the happy accident. Ill keep you posted.
Busy Busy
Hows the new CL labels. How am I supposed to know if its super cold? I cant belive they didnt ask us before they changed their look ;)
ooh this one is going to be a nice one for Surf Garage
Here is one of the pieces for the art show. "Comfortably Uncomfortable"
This one is for Long Beach Surf Shop in Canada a. This is the one with the happy accident. Ill keep you posted.
Busy Busy
Hows the new CL labels. How am I supposed to know if its super cold? I cant belive they didnt ask us before they changed their look ;)
ooh this one is going to be a nice one for Surf Garage
Friday, May 25, 2012
The Thin Line: Art & Design & Everything in Between
I just got this video sent over from Matt and Brad. They are putting on an art show tonight May 26- May 30 at 687 Auahi St. (Next to R&D in Kakaako) Come by and check out 2 new pieces. - Nick
Back To It Take 2
Japan was awesome. After being side by side with Heather Brown and seeing the work ethic it takes to make it happen, I was pumped to get back to the shop and make some art. I had some pieces in the works unfinished and needed to get some paintings done for another art show: The Thin Line: Art and Design. Here is a new piece The Mini Simms Wins. This idea came to me after we realized how much easier it is to travel with a 5'2 rather than a 9'8 .
Here is "As Single as a Single Fin" #3
Here is a 4' x4' "I Like my Toes Hungover" #3 getting glossed. Ahhhhhh the smell of resin.
For some reason i ended up with spray paint in my hand. After little creativity action over the last week it was time to let go a bit.
A new Bonzer waiting to be glassed for Long Beach Surf Shop in Canada
The shaping bay. If the door is locked don't bother ;)
Carl is a machine. We were pounding beers in the airport in Japan trying to get enough booze in us to sleep on the plane. Unfortunatly he didnt get any sleep. We arrived in HNL and he seemed to be on mushrooms. We didnt have any left after Japan so I knew he was hurting. Sure enough the next morning after a jet lag sleep he busted out 2 days of solid work, shaping 9 boards.
Greg here picking up 2 new paintings for his house. He is a rep and sells board bags, fins and all kinds of goodies. If you need a board bag with your next board let me know. He always has good deals :) -nick
Back to it
Ever try moving a 9'6" board bag containing 3 longboards around in Tokyo? We tried. It's literally impossible without a car. We almost ended up leaving these boards right here, in the lobby of the last hotel we stayed at. Luckily, a friend came though at the last moment and took them off our hands.
Posca pens! So hard to find in the states... we use them on the boards and always are keeping our eyes out for new sources... it was trippy to see them being used like it was no big thing in a Lawsons convenience store on our way out
Our last day in Tokyo, raining. We were stoked to be on the road. I think Raw Dog bought an Umbrella and some guy gave Nick one
Mayhem on the way to the airport. One of the most packed subway stations we stopped through...
On the plane back Welzie managed to crash out almost the instant he sat down... jealous. What's Rawdoggie up to... reading the drink menu?
Sayonara Japan!
Time travel. We took off at midnight and landed at Noon the same day. Straight to the Hawaii Fiberglass from the airport, time to get back to work. 110 gallons of surfboards.... 55 gallons of acetone wasn't enough to keep Welzie from smoking on the drive home.
Straight to ripping up the floors and cleaning the shop while fresh boards are being shaped.
What did you think we were just going to sit around and talk about the trip all week? Man we got work to do! :)!-Carl
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Greenroom Festival take 2
Our Friend Matt (RawDog) let us poach some of the pictures off of his Camera phone. A few more angles to wrap up a great trip. We're heading to the airport in a hour, then it's back to Hawaii and our shop. Time to get to work. Everyone's boards will be done soon enough. :)
Classic picture of the triumph after figuring out how to hang the boards. Originally we were going to have to just leave them lying on the ground. After seeing how much foot traffic there was @ the show... we now know that would have been a nightmare!
Fake tattoos for everyone. Even little girls that couldn't understand what was going on. :) She's shy but hopefully someday she'll grow up to be a big fan!
Nothing wrong with wearing suits to work. These girls liked them!
We had to get a picture with the most popular girl at the show! Thanks Heather
Here's the Heather Brown model and a couple of her fans that purchased it. Stoked! -Carl
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Greenroom Festival take 1
The last few days have just been a blur. We finally made our way to the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse where the Greenroom Festival was being held.
We were so stoked to see that the boards that we had shipped out right before left had safely made it to the show and were waiting for us in a nice stack when we walked in to our booth area.
Unpacking the the boards we discovered that the ceiling height of the space was only about 8 feet, totally killing our plans to display the boards vertically. We brought about eight 9 foot plus boards.
We managed to to freestyle together a novel way to hang the boards horizontal. It works so well that it could be used at home... it's so easy to slip the boards in and out... it's just a series of knots that form a bunch of loops that we tied to the ceiling. So happy with the way the booth looked
The freestyling continued to the hotel room, here Nick has torn apart a razor to use it as an impromptu knife to convert his pants over to shorts.
We joined up with Heather, Chris and Jun and headed out to a small fisherman's bar in the middle of who knows where. Drinks composed of ground of snakes and other not safe ingredients were consumed, leading to an impromptu party in the hotel lobby that lasted until sunrise. Not the smartest thing to do the day before a show but when you're surrounded by friends the time seems to melt away.
Fake tattoos were definitely a hit
It turned out that our "Artist" badges allowed us to get backstage at the music part of the festival. We snuck out of our booth for a couple performances when we found out. It's not everyday that you stand back stage at one of Slightly Stoopid's shows
Later on in the evening, the Drums headlined. We tried standing in the crowd but ended up going backstage again... sitting on the rail drinking beer about 8 feet from the drummer... pretty amazing
Afterwards we hooked up with a few new friends and went to Dinner... and then onto karaoke. It turns out Nick's an amazing Karaoke singer... haha
Day Two at the show was just as packed as the day before. People take their dogs very seriously in Japan... Outfits are the norm for many of the smaller pooches. Here's a pretty cute little guy wearing just as cute of an outfit. Kawaii!!
As the day wore on, boards started going... here's one of my favorites going first
We ended up with 6 of 15 boards left over, we took them back to the hotel with us. They didn't fit in the elevator, here we are taking them up several flights of stairs. 4 boards in that bag... Anyone want to buy a longboard in Japan? Shoot us an email, we're selling them before we leave. -Carl
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