Doc Abrams was a ubiquitous fixture of the community, sparking much debate, a bunch of press and a documentary over the years. I didn’t realize he was a doctor until I read a piece in the LA Weekly about him and his compulsive ways. It seems that he had left his practice last year sometime so he could spend more time reading, and of course, walking. Dude was obsessed.

Abrams traversed 20 to 30 miles of pavement each day and wore out four pairs of shoes each year. He walked swiftly — often hunched over a newspaper — slowing only to shout hellos to friends or give medical advice to those who asked for it.

Plus the guy did 4,000 push-ups a day. So, upon his passing yesterday we at Kspace gently tip our hat to the man that embodied commitment to fitness (well it seems his diet was somewhat flawed) as well being an icon to the California lifestyle. Rest in peace, Doc.

Oakland is the birthplace of the Scraper Bike, a phenomenon that blew up a few years ago with kids using their bikes as canvases for expression. They were aping the tradition of customized cars, or “scrapers” that have flossed out rims, colorful paint jobs. Tyrone Stevenson, aka Baby Champ, couldn’t afford his own car so he took to his bike’s frame. Now, its a bona fide internet craze. The idea didn’t catch on until he made a song about Scraper Bikes and added it to Youtube and now it’s a craze that’s spread from Oakland to Oregon and as far as Australia and Jamaica.

The kids use everything from Skittles packages and mylar tape to trick out their spokes, and the stance is decidedly “I got my bike, I don’t need no car!” They ride in a single-file line when riding, and after 10 rides Champ and his crew will decide if your bike is up to standards. After your evaluation they will determine you a member (or not) and honor you with an Original Scraper Bike Team Shirt. You should be so blessed. (Thanks to @raymondroker for the tip.)

For more Scraper Bike videos, link here.

As folks go back to traditional styling and vintage starts to appeal again — sometimes its clear that the 90s were really like the 80s in some ways — Woolrich is making a timely move. Woolen Mills is a new classic, set to take more of the market for those looking for quality pieces. However, McNairy is keen to avoid mimicking Suzuki’s path.

“It’s not going to be red-and-black buffalo check — that I can tell you,” McNairy said. “I think I’ll end up adding a military aspect and some Ivy League. In the late Fifties and early Sixties, Woolrich had a sportswear collection that wasn’t necessarily geared for the outdoors and was more about the piece goods like Ivy League styles, duffle coats and things like that. It’s going to be a mixture of the things I love.”

McNairy’s inaugural line won’t be til Fall 2001, but sounds like it’ll be right up our alley. It also looks like Woolrich licensee WP Lavori will be behind it with added retail visibility with an outlet in New York’s Soho with five more US stores in the next few years.

Here’s a slice of Woolrich’s history:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Mr. Brainwash is either a genius or the luckiest art-world hustler on the planet. Either way, his story is an interesting paradox of streetwiseness and seeming mental illness. Turns out he is the main character of Exit Through The Gift Shop, the Banksy documentary that has been buzzing since Sundance. While most folks, including me, thought it unusual for the most notorious clandestine artist would be appearing on camera, but in typical Banksy form he turns the tables and employs the opportunity to issue his own spectacle. This time, it is Mr. Brainwash that is the foil, a sort of sad-sack L.A. filmmaker and street art enthusiast who becomes obsessed with his subjects, especially the illusive Banksy. Mr. Brainwash is a Frenchman named Thierry Guetta who gains unprecedented access to many of the most prolific and talented street artists today through his relative, the one and only Invader, at a time when the medium (as well as the art market itself) was heating up quickly. Banksy, as a notorious and talented maverick, became Guetta’s (who had habitually documented numerous murals on his video camera) main obsession in the year running up the “Barely Legal” gallery show in Los Angeles. However, Banksy manages to turn the camera back on Guetta and the result in a seemingly effortless twist on the ‘street art documentary’ that Guetta himself couldn’t pull off. Banksy as a filmmaker crafts a commentary on the state of the art scene as well as a characteristically smart, tongue-in-cheek and ‘meta’ view on the spectacle. The joke turns out to be something I don’t even think Banksy could have conjured up on his own, at least not knowingly.

The interesting phenomena (or perhaps the most implicating) are the roots of this story in Los Angeles, the perfect backdrop to this fantastical tale. If you didn’t manage to catch the first hype on Mr. Brainwash, you didn’t miss much as his ascent was meteoric. Guetta’s rise was solely built at the suggestion by those who he’d been filming over the years, and via some carefully chosen quotes. Brainwash was born a la some sort of Warholian (he does owe equally to Andy as well) daydream, and this is where the core of the documentary seems to amazingly coincidental and too absurdly true to not be some exercise by the hand of Mr. Banksy. Still, the film itself hangs together as timely context for the best street art and most prolific artists, like some modern day ‘Wild Style’ if Lee Quinones was enabled as a self-referential filmmaker. Banksy moving into filmmaking is as natural a move as when he embarked on gallery shows in America. I expect his immersive brand of art could continue to morph to the point that, as in this situation, no one will know who the joke is on, including Banksy, but that is largely the point.

‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’ Opens in Select Cinemas Nationwide from April 16

We’ve recounted a number of our experiences from SXSW last month, but we’ve only been able to share a portion of the video until now. There’s far more to the real thing than can be captured here, but you can probably get the essence of what happens to a small town when it explodes in population and decibel levels for a few weeks, rammed with bands, musicians, film and tech enthusiasts from around the globe. They say it’s an industry confab, however the pure debauchery speaks volumes on how serious (or not) these businesses might be. The montage above tries to do SXSW justice, but you may have to peep the rest of the videos to catch a few of the special moments.

For instance, flash mobs seem to be popular still. Not the type that are prearranged by some horrible energy drink or half-brained marketer, the flash mobs that ruled SXSW 2010 were organic, driven by enthusiastic spontaneity like Fucked Up playing a Jay Reatard tribute on the front steps of Beerland or this group of kids that are obviously harnessing the power of pocket technology, throwing together an ad hoc 8-bit sound system — rocking jams on Nintendo Gameboy’s, Pocket Playstations, etc. 8-bit (also known previously as “chiptune”) had seemingly faded in the music news, however these revelers don’t seem to care, at least until the cops arrive and shut it down.

Click here to view the embedded video.

8-Bit Flash Mob

We ran into some notable folks, and some were also there, like us to find some of the next artists to break. We bumped into Elliott Wilson, editor of Rap Radar, who has had a long history covering the hip hop trade, enjoying a sunny day in Austin.  He dropped some names — see if you’re fast enough to catch em, or savvy enough to know — but he had to stay out on the late tip to catch a couple of hotly tipped up-and-coming produders, Flying Lotus and The Glitch Mob, both ends of the LA beat scene.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Elliott Wilson, editor of Rap Radar

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Glitch Mob @ Rusty Spurs

Click here to view the embedded video.

Flying Lotus @ Warp Showcase

There were tons of other late night and daylight moments — mostly unexpected — which have become de riguer during “South by” but our favorite moments were those that were the hardest to catch on film, food and drink.  There’s no doubt we’ll be back next year, hopefully we’ll have even more to show for it. Until then, stay tuned for other trips from the road.

Seemingly randomly, DJ Manny came into our lives on the front of a pedicab, the ubiquitous mode of transportation in Austin, especially while trying to get from end to end of town with the streets blocked off to 4-wheel traffic and filled with revelers. Sometimes the pedicab drivers are just trying to make a buck, and others are more enterprising.

While waiting outside the Fader Fort to get wristbands and credentials, we noticed a pedicab driver ride up, turn his cab with the backend facing the line and start to fire up a couple of turntables(?). Never ceasing to amaze at how many different forms of expression are going on at any one time at SXSW, we were happy to stumble upon DJ Manny, humble and enthusiastic, he was part of our awesome day. “You don’t need wristbands to hang out with DJ Manny,” he says as he rides off into the Austin sunset. Awesome in his very own way.

Floating around the internets today is a seemingly genuine story about how a band called Fucked Up is being sued by an energy drink company for talking smack about them. You might even, if you didn’t know better, try to interpolate from the audio of their ’surprise’ tribute to fallen Jay Reatard on the street during SXSW some sort of corporate malignancy. Just because of the band name, and their ease in which they don’t play by rules, or are fronted by a scary bald guy, don’t try to pin them for silly punk rockers. We caught the appearance in the street and we heard nothing overtly negative (their other show was opening for Hole), actually it was a treat to catch this spontaneous show amidst the warm afternoon Texas sunshine. Anyway, peep the video. We’ve got lots more where this came from — little bites from the smorgasbord that was “South by.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sly Stone — Medley

For instance, Sly Stone was a true California pioneer, merging soul, rock and funk together with joints like “Everyday People” and “Dance” (check here performed as a medley). He would eventually blow some minds at Woodstock but he was all Northern California. His counterparts Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and others also fused the blues with their own brand of jams. Down south in Los Angeles basin, Surf City and Malibu developed the iconic surf guitar and pet sounds of The Beach Boys, Dick Dale and The Surfaris. It wasn’t long before Laurel Canyon inspired Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as well as The Eagles to brand California yet again. (The Eagles would single-handedly brand the state as a place of mystical, dreamlike qualities with their song “Hotel California.”) The late 70s evolved the sound yet again with punk and hardcore, all with a unique California twist. Dead Kennedys even made an anthem, “California Uber Alles” (see video) a middle-finger salute to then governor Jerry Brown and his brand of hippy fascism, or to what then frontman Jello Biafra felt his generation should rebel against.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Eagles – “Hotel California”

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Dead Kennedys – “California Uber Alles”

The period calmed down into pop domesticity with pop-punk as well-known as The Go-Gos and Oingo Boingo. Just as suddenly, a hair metal revolution took the Sunset Strip with bands as varied as Van Halen and Poison. Yet in another corner of LA, the ’80s was heralding a growth in DIY funk and body music, paving the way for acts like N.W.A. and LA-based hip-hop (an explosion in gangster memes) in the ’90s. This spirit led to opening doors for hybrids like The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction to take the stage, with no rules as their primary force. N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” and ode to their slice of the Golden State still makes the grade as a seminal piece of California ephemera.

Click here to view the embedded video.

N.W.A. — “Straight Outta Compton”

By the time the aughts (00s) rolled around, everything was fair game and acts like Rage Against the Machine were bringing as much noise as Digital Underground offshoot Tupac, even then notorious for his Cali-centric flossing. Jane’s Addiction continued to wander across lines, while Weezer and Beck confused audiences with their amorphous genres that have since become uniquely California. More recently, mainstay quasi-villages like Silverlake have become fertile creative land for bands, producers and performers of every shade. One that took its name from a central liquor store (since renamed) and went on to huge success was the Silversun Pickups. While the business of music may have taken some harsh blows in the last decade, California seems to continue its musical legacy by attracting and nurturing talent.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Silversun Pickups — “Panic Switch”

Our friends at K-Swiss have taken it upon themselves, as a California company (born in 1966, a local heyday for music), to initiate April 2010 as the innaugural California Music Month. Coinciding with the launch of the Vintage California Classics, the sneaker that was first developed in the 60s. The brand will be working with rock historians at Rhino.com hosting classic albums, songs and giveaways. In celebration, we’re serving up a few finds we made of some classic performance videos from seminal California Classic artists. We look forward to what April has to offer.

If you were following a few weeks back, we ventured out to Austin, TX for South by Southwest Music Festival, which is more of an industry confab than a festival but a party nevertheless. We saw tons of music and met loads of folks, and there were a few highlights or as we called them “highlights of hype” which were seen daily through the portals of Twitter, Facebook and many many blogs (including this one). One moment was central to the SXSW experience of late, is the outside stage at Stubb’s on Friday evening, which has grown from indie cred to reunion fever for bands looking to impact the many fans, festival promoters and barons of live music. This year, Spin magazine put a show on featuring a “reunited” Hole with Courtney Love, together for the first time in 14 years. Well, it was a new band and a new (heavily botoxed and re-rehabbed) face for Courtney, definitely not the lustre of years past. While it passed as a quick fix for the tabloid junkies — she threatened people in her trademark slur (girl still has issues) from the stage — a true return to form seemed fading, just as her youth. Check her own words, “I’d stage-dive, but I’m far too elderly” which just about sums up this parting shot of 90s nostalgia. Stay tuned for more video we shot that week in and around SXSW.

Regardless of the references or locality, it’s a sound that has it’s own associations that are remarkably modern day. I doubt that many of the 20-somethings that play in these bands even considered that they’d be lumped into a genre, let alone have anything in common with their counterparts. Still, humans being what they are, yearn to lump things into piles, boxes so they can easily associate and try to feel a commonality with the bands.

Coincidentally(?), music blog Aquarium Drunkard has organized a festival aptly called Waved Out, which features many of the bands being lumped into this psuedo-genre. It is appropriately going to begin on Saturday afternoon, March 27th, and end on the early side. Apparently “chill-wavers” don’t stay out late, or maybe they enjoy the sun too much to miss the next sunrise. Whatever the case, though the music isn’t the charging BPM that you may want to take your daily run to, the eternal pop-timism is helpful booster fuel for your mood. Think of it as green tea to the highly caffeinated coffee. Contrary to the title, I’m not even sure you can run to chillwave, but now that Spring has sprung, I’m easily convinced to take those vibes and make a move.

Waved Out, Saturday March 27th 3PM

16 band, two stages

Lineup: Surfer Blood, Best Coast, Turbo Fruits, The Sandwitches, Dirt Dress, The Coathangers, Active Child, PoPo, Moon Duo, Gamble House, Family Portrait, Tape Deck Mountain, Apes of Wrath, Pizza!, Giant Cloud, Superhumanoids.

The Echo / Echoplex

1822 Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 413-8200

Like my high school basketball coach implored, “Quit looking at your feet, you’ll never get anywhere!” This is true of almost anything, especially when it comes to running. Marathons are a competition, but they are also a celebration of city life, and in the case of the new and improved LA Marathon “urban life.” For Los Angelenos, it’s really one of the few days that makes for a good excuse to get out of your car and explore on two feet this wildly complex and eclectic city.

This piece, directed by local boys Rick and Buddy aka Six Stair, ‘Don’t Forget to Look Up’ is a reminder to take in the sights, sounds and people as runners traverse the wide expanse between hillsides and shoreline. Narrated by Peter Abraham, Creative Director for the LA Marathon (Sun March 21st), the film is witness to the myriad of signs and strange little monuments that we pass each and every day. His natural ability to voice the spirit of this event, turning 25 this year and uniquely revamped, as well as put into context the even playing-field that has become running’s  involvement in LA history. Unlike any other urban city, running is part of the fabric that makes living here so great. Once upon a time the band Missing Persons sang that “Nobody walks in LA,” but time is certainly showing that almost everybody “runs in Los Angeles.” Take a peek at Six Stair’s vision of the new route from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica as they “ran” it, on skatedecks and in 4-cylinder beaters.

Watch for more coverage from a runners perspective here at kspace.tv featuring our own Jenn Tran. Also, check out the new LA Marathon poster created specially by Shepard Fairey’s team at Studio One.

Be sure to take a look at Six Stair’s ‘K is for Kalifornia’ piece, one of 3 of the new K•Swiss video series ‘Things That are Classic’ paying homage to the iconic brand’s Classic heritage.

As announced on Anthem magazine’s website last week, Vampire Weekend dropped a new single and video from the album Contra, “Giving Up the Gun.” While the band has been steadily crossing over (#1 on the charts), the band still hangs on to their more alternative roots. In the video, helmed by The Malloys (N.E.R.D., White Stripes, Silversun Pickups, etc.), the band’s performance is interwoven into a “bizarre-o tennis match” featuring Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lil’ Jon and RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan as the referee. As to be expected, it’s not your typical tennis match. Gyllenhaal manages to binge his way to defeat, Lil’ Jon is a tennis consultant and Joe Jonas is somehow one of the cooler ‘actors’ in the video. It’s not clear how The Malloys managed to pull the strings that they did to get not one, but three music superstars and a top-name actor, but Vampire Weekend is riding high(er) with a top notch video with plenty of balls.

Brakeless polo isn’t just for fixies. These kids take to the polo pit on BMX bikes and obviously not a care about the so-called elitism in bike polo. Obviously there’s no love loss between BMXers and Fixies, but this looks to be indication of common values. Here they take over the court and run shit.

via Love Fixe

J. Dilla is an LA institution, even though he heralded from Detroit (rock city). His fans might know him from early Tribe Called Quest, or even his contribution to neo-soul, but his champions who still tout his name and speak on the anniversary of his birth/death really seem to remembered when his skills bloomed. His last days were largely spent in Los Angeles working alongside fellow beat-heads like Madlib and Peanut Butter Wolf. His collab with Madlib, dubbed Jaylib for it’s true mutual respect for each other, is one of the most memorable to the subjects of a 2 part documentary on J. Dilla’s legacy to the City of Angels. Brian Cross (+), Houseshoes and many others offer their stories of the man and his beats. RIP Dilla.

Core to the Sundance festivities last month, was the first ever K-Swiss Ping Pong Challenge, where four filmmakers squared off at the net, as well as on screen.  K-Swiss used the opportunity to enlist an excellent videographer in Travis Graalman that offered a bit of Ping Pong history. Apparently the sport was born the Victorian era, when dinner was followed by clearing the table for a game with books stacked up to be used as a net. These four filmmakers showed their competitive spirit, taking the challenge of this “casual” sport very seriously — going out for the win, which went Skateland’s Anthony Burns, who, if not for his prowess behind the camera, could have been a ringer. Peep the video and watch out  for the next Ping Pong Challenge in Austin, TX for SXSW in March.

Pro skater, Greg Lutzka, explains, “The economy is definitely hurting our industry because people aren’t buying as many boards and aren’t spending as much money. It’s hurting our board sales because, as a pro, our boards sell for $60 when a kid can go buy a local shop deck for $35.”

The bottom line is that smaller skate brands and smaller markets will be most hit. The result of that will be less innovation and indie startups than in the last 10 years or so, at a time when skate is just coming into its own. That’s not even taking into consideration the rising star skaters that might not be able to compete. It’s not a surprising story, but the well-timed sentiment on skateboarding as a cottage industry that has seen much success and could be in for a tough run is welcolmed.

More: ESPN Skateboarding

Video games have come a long way, and even the iPhone app games rival anything you’d see in an arcade back in the day. So it was a matter of time before skating became a game sector of its own, and our local, Greg Lutzka is the main character of this new one called S.K.A.T.E. which is the skate version of H.O.R.S.E. You challenge the virtual Lutzka to a head-to-head game of S.K.A.T.E. where he links together a series of tricks which you have to match or suffer the fate of getting another letter. Spell S.K.A.T.E. and you are out.

The game also features a pretty dope soundtrack Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Ivy League and Soapbox Paradox care of Skullcandy. It’s only $1, so if you’re a skate freak with an iPhone there is no excuse to not grab it.

More: LA Examiner