Just in case some of you were on the fence with the Vault By Vans x PORTER collection, LBIFBACK has created a dope video review of the OG Old Skool in the Forest Night colorway. You’ll get a better idea of the shade of green chosen, and a good look at the various classic Vans patterns used for the entire collection. As usual, @akamedaniel delivers this review in his no-nonsense way. No hacky “Youtuber” shit you’re used to seeing all over the internet. Just straight factual talk, using the correct terminology, while providing great feedback and input. Our Vans community is just built different. What more can I say?
Vans is excited to announce the launch of Channel 66, a digital livestream network broadcasting weekdays from New York City, Chicago, Mexico City, and Los Angeles to audiences around the world. Vans version of community radio meets public access TV, Channel 66 is an embodiment of Vans’ commitment to support artists and creatives while also uplifting communities during such an unprecedented time. The COVID-19 pandemic has forever altered the events landscape and Vans has a deep history of reimagining event experiences and grassroots programs.
Channel 66 spotlights each city’s unique heritage in sub-culture by programming through the lens of the people who live it. Channel 66 offers a live audio and video broadcast featuring DJ sets, curated radio shows, talks, workshops, and musical performances across music, art, action sports and community. The General in Brooklyn, NY, House of Vans Chicago, Mexico City (broadcasting Spanish speaking shows), and Vans DTLA serve as Channel 66 studio locations.
Programming highlights include curated shows like Chessboxing with GZA, New Direction New York Hardcore show with Walter Schreifels, Afropunk’s Channel Interference, Poetry and lyricism by Young Chicago Authors, The Girl Ultra Show connecting music and fashion, and All Ages Show spotlighting Los Angeles’s rich heritage in DIY and punk.
Early show guests and DJs feature Japanese Breakfast, Channel Tres, Vic Mensa, Laura Jane Grace, Duckwrth, Rosa Pistola, Flea, Serena Isioma, Vans Pro skater Daniel Lutheran and many more. Additionally, Channel 66 turns over the airwaves to local skate shops, restaurants, music venues, and independent record labels.
Channel 66 went live on February 8th and will continue to broadcast starting at 11:00am EST / 8:00 am PST every weekday with Friday nights featuring marquee live performances and dance-oriented DJ sets. As distance and separation from others has become an unfortunate reality for everyone across the world, Vans strives to cultivate Channel 66 as a place where audiences from all walks of life can come together to find inspiration.
To stay up to date with Channel 66 broadcasts and upcoming events online follow along at vans.com/channel66.
Follow Channel 66 on Instagram at vanschannel66.
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It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a review from brotha’ Daniel, aka LBIFBACK, and this time we get a good look at the Anderson .Paak “Malibu” Sid DX. The shoe is wild, eclectic, and definitely original, just like Anderson’s style. This is a great introduction to possibly a few more releases we’ll hopefully get to see by him. Thanks again to @akamedaniel for the awesome video review!
This week’s session features music by Southern California musician, D Smoke performing “No Commas” and “Top of the Morning” accompanied by art by Tony Whlgn.
Hip Hop artist D Smoke, aka Daniel Anthony Farris, is the breakout star from the Netflix music competition show, Rhythm & Flow. As a vocalist, pianist, writer, and producer, D Smoke stood out among the pack because of his undeniable passion and meticulously crafted rhymes.
Growing up in a musical family in Inglewood, CA, it’s no surprise his music carries an authentic story alongside compelling production and beats. His words are often contemplative and aware.
In 2019, with the exposure of being named the winner of Rhythm & Flow, D Smoke released his EP Inglewood High and later in February of 2020 dropped his first studio album, Black Habits. The record is his life story and a “celebration of blackness”. He broke it down by saying, “I’m really collecting the best parts of my past and trying to build on those. Take people through somewhat of a history. A journey with me through my experiences.”
Watch Rhythm + Flow on Netflix and listen to D Smoke on the Vans Spotify Sidestripe Sessions Playlist: https://bit.ly/VansSpotifySidestripe
Art in this episode is created by Tony Whlgn, a multi-disciplined artist born and raised on the Eastside of Detroit. He has created art for various music albums, global fashion brands and countless murals found throughout his hometown, Detroit, where he currently lives and works. As a way to reinvest and provide the necessary learning tools for young creatives in his community, Tony and friends’ formed Whlgn®, a holistic think tank of collective creative entrepreneur studios.
Tony’s art is an imitation of his life and reflection of those he has encountered; people & experience teach us who we are. Through natural self-expression, his art should inspire engagement with self-knowledge and knowledge of the whole world, which, in a sense, is Self. Oneself. Whlgn®. TONEy.
Music Credits: “No Commas” “Top of the Morning”
VANS PRESENTS
THE TONY ALVA STORY
Written and Directed by Coan “Buddy” Nichols & Rick Charnoski from Six Stair Productions
TUNE-IN TO THE LIVESTREAM PREMIERE TODAY
SEPTEMBER 17, 5PM PST ON YOUTUBE.COM/VANS
FOLLOWED BY Q&A SESSION WITH TONY ALVA AND SPECIAL GUESTS
The year-long wait is finally over! Skateboarding critics and fans worldwide can rejoice today, as Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel brand, premieres the highly anticipated full-length Loveletters to Skateboarding feature documentary on the legendary “Godfather of Skateboarding”, Tony Alva. Tune in today on Vans’ YouTube at 5PM PST to experience the global livestream premiere of The Tony Alva Story. Following the documentary, a special Q&A hosted by fellow Vans skate legend Christian Hosoi will feature Tony Alva himself, original Z-Boy Peggy Oki, Vans Signature Pro Elijah Berle, and Six Stair directors Rick Charnoski and Buddy Nichols.
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Everyone’s favorite Vans reviewer, and our brotha’, Daniel aka LBIFBACK , is back with a new review of the Vans Vault x Pilgrim Surf + Supply Olive/Deep Ocean OG Authentic LX. These have to be one of the nicest colorways that Pilgrim has put out. Anyways, check em out!
Vans presents the worldwide release of a new surf documentary, “Breaking Boundaries: A Surfboard Drive for Trinidad & Tobago.” Breaking Boundaries spotlights pro surfer Chris Dennis and his ongoing efforts to provide underserved youth in his native country with access to the same escape he credits with saving his life – surfing. The documentary is available to watch now on Vans’ YouTube channel.
“Trinidad & Tobago has two different sides,” Dennis remarks of the unique region. While the country touts’ beautiful beaches and is one of the wealthiest nations in the Caribbean, due in large part to its oil and natural gas reserves, the country’s economic inequality is staggering, and many communities live in poverty. Chris has made it his life mission to share the transformative power of surfing with the youth in these communities.
From the moment he first witnessed surfing, watching in awe from the cliff at the back of his childhood home, Chris was enthralled. After winning the first local contest he entered – Chris jokes about how green he was, having to borrow a rash guard from someone on the beach – he rolled with the momentum and built a surf career for himself out of the most unlikely of circumstances. Ultimately, Dennis found himself traveling the world competing on the World Qualifying Series tour, where he made many lifelong connections. This time of exploration was eye-opening for Chris and his experiences abroad changed the way he thought about the world. His travels brought the social problems his community was experiencing back home into sharper relief.
Returning to Trinidad, Chris began to work directly with the youth in his community. He started small by teaching a couple kids to surf, with no grand plans in mind. In the process, he became more acutely aware of surfing’s value in these young lives, how it provided educational, recreational and even aspirational opportunities that otherwise were unavailable. He witnessed firsthand how surfing steered kids away from crime, abuse, difficult situations at home and other pitfalls of poverty.
As his impromptu surf mentorship program grew and local enthusiasm for surfing swelled, the lack of equipment became a hindrance to the program’s progress. Enter Dane Gudauskas – an old friend from the pro tour – and the non-profit Dane founded with his brothers Tanner and Patrick, the Positive Vibe Warriors Foundation.
Through Dylan Graves and the Gudauskas brothers’ foundation, Chris connected with Waves for Change, a South African non-profit that the Positive Vibe Warriors, in partnership with Vans, worked with on an extremely successful surfboard drive in 2017. The plan was to host a similar drive to bolster Chris’ grassroots efforts. The drive for Trinidad & Tobago united shops and surf communities on both coasts of the US and collected over 200 surfboards. Building on this support, in addition to training and guidance from his new friends at Waves for Change, Chris founded the non-profit surf therapy program Waves for Hope in 2019.
At its core, Breaking Boundaries is about connection, within the global surf community and humanity as a whole. It is the hope that all involved in these board drives that they trigger a domino effect, encouraging surfers the world over to contribute to foundations like the Positive Vibe Warriors, Waves for Change and Waves for Hope, and launch socially beneficial initiatives of their own. By connecting surf scenes across the planet, and the individuals who drive them, we can affect much greater societal change. It’s an ethos that Chris’ believes can ripple far beyond the world of surfing.
“It’s more than surfboards, and it’s more than a board drive to us,” Chris affirms. “It’s a human thing. If we share, and really care for each other, a lot of our problems will be solvable. So, it means the world.”
To learn more about the Vans surfing program, visit vans.com/surf.
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Words via Vans:
“As the graduating Class of 2020 celebrates this important milestone, Vans will be hosting a special virtual grad night on Friday, June 26 at 6pm PST as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.
While circumstances have made students and families celebrate at home, Vans hopes to inspire the graduating Class of 2020 to continue to be changemakers now and into the future. Vans is dedicated to enabling self-expression and creativity among the youth by creating an inclusive community focused on supporting one another and recognizing the global connection between action sports, art, music and street culture.
Virtual grad night speakers such as Steve Van Doren, son of Vans founder Paul Van Doren, Tony Hawk, Ray Barbee, Sami Miro and more, will be sharing personal messages to the graduates, encouraging students to pursue their passions, share helpful tips towards success and what it means to live “Off The Wall.” To conclude the ceremony, there will be a live music performance by King Princess and after party DJ set by SG Lewis.”
Students, families, teachers and Vans fans can tune in at 6pm PST on Vans official YouTube, Vans.com, Vans Facebook and the Vans Family app for a fun, special event.
When: Friday, June 26, 2020 at 6:00PM PST
Who:
Where:
Vans’ Loveletters To LGBTQ+ was filmed earlier this year, before the passing of legendary skater and host Jeff Grosso, who was a champion for inclusive skateboarding. We believe this message of unity and equality must be told, and that all voices of the LGBTQ+ community deserve to be heard. Grounded in the brand values of inclusivity and being open to everyone, Vans believes this unifying message must be told, and stands in support of the LGBTQ+ Skate Community as we continue to drive positive change.
Love Letters to Skateboarding is about the love we all have for skateboarding, a commonality we all share regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation. We are all one people with a love for skating. This LGBTQ+ episode is testament to that. On March 31st, 2020 our beloved legendary Vans family member and larger than life defender of skateboarding, Jeff Grosso, passed away. Jeff said this LGBTQ series of Love Letters and Love Notes were the episodes he was most proud of in the 11 years of the show. These were the last episodes he filmed. In the episodes Jeff admits, “I was taught at a young age to speak this way… I have been part of the problem…but I am trying to change…the last thing I want to do is make someone feel uncomfortable or make them not feel safe ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO SKATEBOARDING.” It is a fitting send off to our dear friend who believed that skateboarding is for everyone and all are welcome. Jeff was so stoked on this one— he cried a record 3 times while shooting it!
Vans is thankful to everyone who shared their story, strengthening the community of skateboarding. If you are a person in crisis or in need of a safe and judgement free place to talk, call the TrevorLifeline now at 1-866-488-7386.
Here’s a cool video, created by Rose Anvil, giving a literal breakdown of how the Vault By Vans OG Sk8-Hi Reissue LX is made, and comparing it to a GR (General Release) pair of Sk8-Hi’s. The approach of the video, is to compare the quality, and to see if it’s worth the extra $20 retail to buy them. To us Vans snobs, it’s never as much about the quality, as it is about the exclusivity of the Vault line. It’s an “if you know, you know” mentality that we all share. Although I will say, we admit that the latest iteration of Vault OGs are definitely our favorite, and most accurate to the Made In USA vintage pairs. The construction is and materials chosen are the best we’ve seen yet. Anyways, check out the video, and watch them cut this beautiful OG Sk8-Hi in half, lol!
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Currently on a little hiatus, but normally you can drop in for the live Twitch stream, or you can get caught up later on, by viewing us on our Youtube channel. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor. -
Check out and add to our collaborative playlist on Spotify. Let's hear some of your favorite, obscure, B-side, and personal selections. The funkier and more eclectic it gets, the better. Let's show everyone how much range our community has!
