Dan Arget
What part of Canada are you from?
I grew up in Woodbridge, Ontario but I’m living in Toronto now.
What’s the worst thing about that town?
Eventually all my friends I started skating with quit and moved on to more exciting things like homework or golf. For most of my teenage years I skated by myself getting McDonalds garbage chucked at me out the windows of Honda civics on a regular basis, often followed by verbal abuse. Common Gound skate park saved my life. Thanks for everything Glen.
Whats the worst thing about being Canadian?
Winter ofr almost half the year I guess but that couldn’t be any worse than being American, could it?
I heard you got a reputation for making photographers wait so you can take a sh*t. I like that.
I’ve got this problem with time management: my buddy Pat Maloney calls it “arget time”. Somtimes I’ll take a nap or just sit around till about 2 minutes before I’m supposed to leave my house. As soon as my phone rings with the “I’m outside” call, I scramble and usually have to take a sh*t, have a snack, than look for my keys or something like that so when I say “I’ll be right out”, there’s a good chance I’m still sitting on the toilet. Sorry everyone, I swear I’m getting better slowly– Very slowly.
What’s the best story?
I can’t think of just one time in particular, but I’m surprised I still have friends. Since we’re on the topic, at my old job driving a forklift at an electronics warehouse, I would get written up for taking too long in the bathroom only because everyday I would eat a gnarly sandwich from the coffee truck and as soon as I lifted one TV it was all over. One day O clogged the toilet so bad and the boss walks in the bathroom just as I’m trying to fix it. I’d never seen that fat little man so pissed almost as much as the time I forgot to put water in my noodle cup and I set the microwave on fire.
Tell me about your Slayer tattoo
It was my first tattoo. Ever since I discovered the joys of Slayer I haven’t been able to get enough, anytime, anywhere. I had the idea for a while and finally decided to get it done. My freind and fellow Slayer fan Chris David did it for me over some beers and of course a strictly Slayer playlist. I guess you could call that a Slaylist?
Arget FS Board
Does it make you feel tough?
Nah, it just makes me feel like listening to Slayer, does it make you feel afraid?
Do you think you dad thinks Slayer is a good way to represent the family name?
Probably not, he was pretty bummed when I showed him but I guess it’s too late.
Ever have sex on acid?
Nope but I think it’d be pretty wild.
Tell me any acid or drug story.
Back to the warehouse, the other forklift driver was one of those 35-year old dudes who lives in his parent’s basement and plays computer games all night. Everyday he’d show up on two hours of sleep and start going on about his new swords and magic spells. One day on break he offered me magic grass and I obliged without considering its effects. I got back to my forklift more or less cross eted, buckled up my harness and of course my next order was a full skidof speakers 30 feet upon the top rack. Have you ever seen it rain speakers? Never trust a f*cking wizard.
Do you like movies about gladiators?
Not at all, but I was really disappointed when Chad Knight blew it on American Gladiators.
Which of thse people do you like the least: Mitch Barette or Spencer Hamilton?
All of them Kill it.
How often do you wish you were American?
What the heck’s an American, eh? Well I’ll admit you have dirt-cheap beer, so cheers!
Photos: GILS
Interview by Chris Nieratko
Taken from KING SHIT MAGAZINE
For more of Chris, check out:
ALL NEW DIAMOND TEE’S IN SHOP!
Diamond State of Mind
Blenderhead
AGK: Hey Blenderhead why exactly is your name Blenderhead and where did that originate from?
BLENDERHEAD:
The name came after a while of learning to mix. The first time I spun at a house party on Halloween around 3 years or so ago (as Jesus Lennon) I was given the name DJ Skull n’ Bones. Nice, but ….I passed on that one. Next I thought DJ Press Play. Made sense. However, there is a DJ Press Play in T.O. I heard him on the Edge. I like his style. Thinking again, I came up with Busker Decker…that one felt pretty good but something was off. So, while thinking and mixing tunes at home, I thought what is IT that I do? For years I had made mixed tapes. Song to song with hard cuts and usually some kind of theme. CDs happend and things changed. I was slow to upgrade. I had on of those cassette adapters for a discman and Realistic combo tuner/tape/record player from Radio Shack. One day I noticed that I could play two things at once. A new avenue appeared before me. Song to song with transition. Next was a mixer and three discmans then the CDJ’s and a drum machine I call the K-Hamilton. So, at first it was about blending songs together, sometimes I would hear it in my head. Being a passionate appreciator of the music, lyrics, and lives of Bad Religion a light went on and it hit me, blenderhead! Blenderhead is #4 on Against the Grain, in my books, an awesome album. To me, the lyrics to Blenderhead are fitting. Completely? Complimentary. I googled blenderhead and found that there was a punk band from Seattle. Finished now, similarly inspired i’m sure.
AGK: What is a Mixoligist?
BLENDERHEAD:
I like to play with words as well as music and other sounds. I felt that DJ was a little presumptuous. Originally a Disc Jockey was a person on the radio. Next, a DJ was a person that took parts of other songs(existing or their own composition) and made new songs. I was new to this form of expression and wanted to make a humble and innovative approach. Maybe i’ll be a DJ one day? Also, I like how the short form of audio mixologist, a.m., is similar to amature, roughly originally meaning “doing for the love of”. Yeah…music, I love it!
AGK: For everyone who dosent know what MOCtalk is about please explain what it’s all about and why people should tune in.
BLENDERHEAD:
You mean every one doesn’t know about MOCtalk? What the f*ck!!! 
Who’s doing the promo?
All right, seriously, if I can. MOCtalk is a monthly ( give or take a couple days) on-line variety talk show featuring original musicans/bands, visual artists, comedians and who knows what from the Niagara Region and beyond. The musicians/bands and the visual artist are interviewd/chatted with and their work and preformances are presented through out the show. Oh yeah…and I’m the host.
Why stream in? Thats up to you. I love being involved with the show. Check it out @ www.moctalk.ca
AGK: Who’s all part of making MOCtalk?
BLENDERHEAD:
Well…we all wear many hats. Episode to episode those involved change. Their is a core crew and many other people are involved in making MOCtalk possible. The MOCtalk Collective currently consists of you, Trevor Nedea (camera+), Cannibal Cam (camera+), Kev Davidson (D.O.P.++), jim the roadie (Tech+), Joe Stracuzzi (creator++), Anthony Stracuzzi (Guest/Audience Relations+), Brianna Stracuzzi (Stage Manager+), and Steve Pritula (photographer+).
I’d also like to mention Carl David Onofrio, Judy Lu, Todd Van Eyke, Paul Lacroix, Dean Tedesco, Elizabeth Senese, Peter Haverkamp, Lorenzo Medico, Wayne Corlis, Katie Webb and Joe Stracuzzi Sr. plus many more. It takes a village to produce a webisode. Cheers and Thank You to all of us that do this!
AGK; What’s the future for BLENDERHEAD/MOCtalk?
BLENDERHEAD:
Hum…? I guess we’ll find out? MOCtalk VII, VIII, and IX will be taped at fourTRIPLEfive on Queen St.
AGK: Who is Jim the roadie?
BLENDERHEAD:
It is jim the roadie that makes what I do possible. If it wasn’t for him I don’t know where I’d be. He slugs my gear around, stets up and tears down, books shows for me, does research and development for MOCtalk, is a source of inspiration, and drinks alot of my beer, but thats OK!
AGK: What do yeah think about AGK and what we do over here?
BLENDERHEAD:
I don’t really know what you cats do over there? I should come for a visit.I know your sk8in’, helping people sk8, and making sk8 movies and photos. jim the roadie used to sk8. I think he said something about getting a long board for surfing on concrete. I dig that you also have visual art on your web site.
AGK: For some die hard music fans what should people listen to that BLENDERHEAD loves?
BLENDERHEAD:
Oh!!! There is so much! Here is a sample of the musical joys that I’ve had and have the opportininy to expirience.
Classic stuff:
The Beatles, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Social Distortion, Minor Threat, Fugazi, The Angry Samoans, Operation Ivy, Green Day, The Bouncing Souls, NOFX, Rancid, Face to Face, Strung Out, Pulley, Down By Law, Pennywise, Aimless Nonsense and of course Bad Religion to name a few.
On the dance/electronic/? side o’ things:
KLF, Goldfrapp, The Chemical Brothers, Fischer Spooner, NIN, Juno Reactor, Hallucinogen, Soul Coughing, Infected Mushroom,The Peace Leeches, Foxes in Fiction, and Gravity Wave. The last 3 are from Southern Ontario and kick ass!
Niagara local: The Anti-Q’s, The Waxbills, Townline, The Black Flies, A Sea of Gold and Burgundy, The Broken Lyre plus more and any open mic you can get to!
AGK: Whens the next MOCtalk shooting?
BLENDERHEAD:
@ fourTRIPLEfive on Queen St. in Downtown Niagara Falls on Fridays May 29, July 3, and July 31.
see you there.
AGK: Shoutouts?
BLENDERHEAD:
Hi Mom!
PHOTO: STEVE PRITULA
INTERVIEW BY: TREVOR NEDEA
kslims
YMCA kids healthy day
Purpose:
Objectives:
Date
Sunday May 31, 2009 from 1:00pm – 3:00pm
The youth action program is a program on Friday nights for 10-15 year olds held at the Niagara Falls YMCA
It is open to all youth in the community and has a fee of $5 it provides access to the facility including the gyms where there are structured games and tournaments. As well as other activities including swimming, crafts, Wii’s , Play station and internet. There are weekly special events as well with the program which is where we will be incorporating the AGK demo on the 29th.
YMCA
Blasphemy.
Speak when spoken to.
As fame infects their name.
A monster you’ve become.
With every reason to continue on.
Hold your breath and keep the beat low.
Depress the volume and put the headphones on.
Do not disturb as you can see the sign on the door.
Closing eyes when he is missing in action.
Deriving from the streams of dreams pouring from cracks of concrete skies.
Over the edge and to the bottom.
Beauty reduces the mind.
Foreiting every aspect designed to interupt.
On the road and in the trees.
Sustenance is bliss when ignorance is kissed.
With eyes closed embraced by the sounds of copters slicing the air.
Prefering the definate, valuing rhymes.
In the backseat of cars cruising to the same old song.
Swirling smoke of cancer second hand.
Whirling choke of the inhale as deadly as the next.
Reciting the latest monologue written on the wrist.
Despising the roots from the trees which they’ve slaughtered.
One day they swore, one day.
As a song of power, an ode to devour.
Sitting across from the same old portrait.
Where the finest of ladies and gentlemen gather.
Formal suits of Kings, Queens and Aces.
Running low on chips on the table and upon shoulders.
Vultures waiting to pick the bones clean.
When the cards are down, Aces are high.
Niagara
Thanks to the internet, if the mainstream media’s programming just isn’t cutting it these days, you can create your own. That’s just what Joseph Stracuzzi did with his Niagara Falls-based project, MOCtalk.
MOCtalk (www.moctalk.ca), originally funded solely from the pockets of its creators, is an online television series that puts home grown talent at the forefront. Each episode, released monthly, is filmed live and features interviews with local musicians, entrepreneurs, artists, comedians, and more.
MOCtalk began as a dream for Stracuzzi, and with the help of a number of friends and experienced associates, the series was officially launched in November of last year. Now with five episodes under his belt, Stracuzzi has seen an overwhelming response of support for the MOCtalk project.
“On a daily basis, support mediums range from being stopped on the street with a handshake, to emails and online blog/community support,” he said. “Our host, Blenderhead, has even been recognized in public as far as Hamilton, Ontario. Online viewership ranges from local to international. Local musicians, artists, and filmmakers have been showing their support and inquiring to be a part of the experience; we truly appreciate and encourage this type of behaviour.”
Assuming the roles of MOCtalk’s creator, co-producer, sound technician, web moderator and on-screen graphic designer, Stracuzzi produces the series with the help of several key players: Kevin Davidson (Co-Producer/Director of Photography); Jim Agar (Tech Crew/Research and Development); Cam Schwartz (Camera Operator); Trevor Nedea (Camera Operator); and his own siblings Anthony and Brianna Stracuzzi.
“A group of friends and associates, with an amazing array of talents and equipment, organized themselves into a collective to independently finance and produce Episode I from my family home with Van Eyk Media, Brotherloose Films and the support of friends and family,” said Stracuzzi. “The MOCtalk collective’s first attempt was a success. The stream, however, was rather choppy. The online viewing audience heard bits of audio with frozen and fragmented video. Episode I was then brought into post production and uploaded to www.moctalk.ca. Since then, all episodes have been treated the same way.”The latest episode of MOCtalk, filmed in March, featured Thorold’s Rod Standish and Port Colborne’s The Spooky Scarecrows as musical guests, as well as St. Catharines’ Laurie Boese as the featured visual artist. Stracuzzi calls the series’ support for local talent a “labour of love”.
“We are all in some way musicians and artists ourselves,” said Stracuzzi. “In the beginning the show was a medium to showcase the works of people in our immediate artistic community. This community grew rather quickly and was extended to surrounding cities. Now we’re capable of supporting and promoting talent from a wider variety of mediums and locations.”
With more and more people turning to the internet for their main source of entertainment, Stracuzzi refers to the public’s growing interest in streaming video as a “short-form revolution” in which MOCtalk is fully engaged.
“I feel that today’s viewers would much rather spend half an hour online watching multiple short clips then sitting down in front of a TV and watching full-length programming,” said Stracuzzi. “This is simply due to the fact that such a wide variety of sources are virtually free and at our fingertips. I can only hope that more viewers, especially locally, would turn to our coverage of local events such as the Niagara Music Awards and any future events where MOCtalk is live on the scene.”
Each episode of MOCtalk brings in approximately 350 to 500 views within the first week of being posted online, says Stracuzzi. The collective has been working to build their live studio audience, growing from eight audience members for Episode I, to 50 to 70 in attendance for the soon-to-be-released Episode VI. MOCtalk films next on May 29 at 4triple5 Cafe, and extends an open invite to the public to join the studio audience.
“I describe the show as a ‘rolling sticky ball continuing to attach to everything it rolls past’,” added Stracuzzi. “With each episode the MOCtalk collective have been honing their craft and pouring their soul into each upcoming episode.”
KRISTEN DE PALMA
PHOTO: WELLER PHOTOGRAPHY
Trevor Nedea
Here’s the pic from the newspaper article from the Day Jam. AGK
CORY WILSON JOINS QUIKSILVER CANADA SKATE TEAM
Becomes newest team mate to Jordan Hoffart on the growing Canadian line up.
Vancouver, BC (March 30, 2009) - Quiksilver Canada is excited to announce the addition of Cory Wilson to their growing Canadian skate team. Cory had a very productive 2008, which included a SBC interview, coverage in Concrete Powder, The Skateboard Mag, SBC Skateboard and Offline Mag from Finland. He also hit the road on the “Kitsch Hungry like a Wolf Tour”, three demos in three days driving 3000 km. Outside of Canada, Cory was in Barcelona and Montana filming for the new Kitsch Skateboards video. Pick up Color Magazine Issue 7.1 to check out the Montana article.
The beginning of 2009 brought Cory back to Barcelona this time with fellow Canadian team rider Jordan Hoffart. After spending time skating with Jordan the call was made and it was official that Cory had a spot on the Quiksilver Canada skate team.
“I am hyped to be a part of something new in Canada; it feels good to be riding for a company that has been in skating for so long,” remarked Cory Wilson.
“Quiksilver is all about style. Cory has his own approach to skating that stands out - making him a perfect fit for the Canadian line up,” commented Trevn Sharp, Quiksilver Canada Skate Team Manager.
Taken from Push.ca
Photos:Cassie
