This trip to Las Vegas is easily the first I have enjoyed in some time. With our focus on the apparel industry and giving our reader looks into forthcoming fashions at lightning speed, Vegas has always been a bit of tensile city  - blogging and getting the story (with images) online in a timely manner puts a strain on the scene.

But being in Vegas for INTERBIKE has been a completely different experience. For one thing, I enjoy the pool for more than 30 minutes and second, I learned a great deal about the cycling industry - new people, new faces, new products - all without the concern getting my story in on time.

Yet, here I sit in the Bellagio typing up a quick look at a solid evening last night with BMX rider, Nigel Sylvester.

Coinciding with INTERBIKE, Gatorade and Nigel brought together myself, Maestro Knows, the gentleman from Defgrip, Frank151, and others to premiere a four episode document of Nigel’s “Because I Grind” BMX Demo Tour which took the Highsnob Columnist and other BMX’ers across Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami, and Oceanside to do onsite demos which bring back the spirit of the classic demo tours of years past. On top of that, The Alchemist, got involved in scoring an exclusive soundtrack for the show.

Seeing as the  ”Because I Grind” show drops October 12th, I do not want to give away too much. Just expect some good stuff for your viewing pleasure. We’ll be sure to link to it over on Highsnobiety soon.

Thanks to our hosts Amy, Lauren, Kenny, and Nigel for making it difficult to leave hungry from NOBU. Here’s some views from the evening.

Kenny and our host.

We ate a lot of this. Note yellowtail. I prefer it as sashimi but who am I to complain.

Defrgrip your face.

I dont know who this is.

“Two bags of ice, three chickens, and Kanye walk into a hotel…”

I put this photo up so you could admire the large bellied gentleman on the right acting like he hasn’t seen grown men hug. God bless.

I forgot to mention above that after NOBU we headed over to the House of Blues for the NORA Cup Awards - like the Grammies for BMX folk. Nigel escorts us in.

Seriously, BMX dudes rock hard. Louder and rowdier than any crew I have hung with in a while.

Kenny is awed while Maestro smiles with glee…

… as we rock out to a metal band. This is Vegas people.

Actually no, this is Vegas. Girls x Metal x Beer. I love it.

Later!

For the first time in a long time, I am heading to NYC without a laptop. It is pure leisure weekend in the Big Apple for me. I’m bringing a sack of clothes, a phone, and earplugs.

Music is possibly the most important thing in my life outside of my friends and family. I still get excited to hear new music and I tend to spend too much money on headphones.

And I am incredibly excited about this weekend.

As the stars align, NYC is being graced this weekend by some of the biggest names in the dubstep scene. The guys I hold close in Boston are very much on the same page as me about what may transpire over the course of two nights listening to the loudest, newest, and clearly, most banging sound on the planet today. I’ve been excited for a month in regards to this weekend.

I want to invite everyone in NYC reading this to join me for what will be two events like no other.

So this is how we’re starting it off…

Tonight (Fri): Mary Ann Hobbs and Pinch for Dubwar at LOVE Niteclub

This lovely woman helped elevate the genre through her radio show as well as a comp that pushed the sounds to the masses. In the USA, it’s getting there through the ability to download her BBC 1 programs via bootleg MP3s or direct from the BBC Radio 1 Player. I, like many, have spent hours listening to Ms. Hobbs drop the best new records out there.

Pinch as well with rip into the deep side of the dub. For the deeper side of the sound and is the night to hit for the dub purists.

On the other end of the spectrum is Saturday night at Le Poisson Rouge with Skream and Benga - easily the two biggest name DJing at the moment.

For me, it is a special treat to see them both together on the same stage. Below some select moments of madness from these gentleman. The have dropped some of the hardest in your face dubplates one could imagine. Hearing those tracks on downloaded MP3 mixes has been great but they clearly will not compare to hearing them in person on a massive PA. MP3’s simply cannot give you the sound of the big club. Both of these gents still roll with vinyl dubplates on top of their CDs. We want the vinyl. We hope to get it.

I should add that Saturday night is also part of Trouble & Bass 3 Year Anniversary, so congrats to them for making it this far. Well done. Keep pushing it.

I expect nothing but full on head bangers on Saturday night.

This is NYC. We are not fucking around. See you there.

Pure evil.

For as long as I have known Kim, she has been filling my head with tales and stories of a private stash museum her father has built in the back of their Maine home. Her tales revolve around a two story barn packed and stuffed with just about every type of motorcycle and hotrod memorabilia you can image. The problem for me was that in general, most girls I know want nothing to do with their fathers’ grease monkey tendencies but for Kim, it was simply another part of life’s necessary educations.

Collectors come in all forms - from those that leave shit wrapped up in their cellophane packages, to the hands on obsessive who is on a constant hunt for the next find.

Mr. Harris is neither to me. He is a man so well connected with his first encounter with the mechanics of cars and motorcycles way back at the age of 13, that he simply converted his love into an occupation of restoration (hotrods, Harleys and Indians for the record) and curation. When you have been at it for 30 years, you’re not hunting down the next find - they somehow discovers you through the ever aware eyes of friends and fellow collectors who know just what will make your day.

The Harris Museum really should be open to the public at some point because my words and photos will not do it justice. It is indeed housed in a private barn and is one of those special places in which you walk in without a drop of knowledge on a subject matter but walk out wanting to return to explore some more.

Then again, maybe it should remain private.

Here’s just a quick dip into what I discovered on my first visit.

I apologize in advance for not knowing the make of this bike but what you should take away from this image is to what means Americans went in keeping their bikes in order during the World War years when metal was scarce. Old “Vacationland” plates used to mend a fender.

I was hesitant to show this image as it is Mr. Harris’ homage to the names of those who have passed on who made an impact in his world of motorcycles and hotrods. I find it to be the coolest way to commemorate a passion and the people who influenced it.

Your grandparents and parents probably took their driving tests on a machine like this back in the day 50’s and 60’s. Beats a computer screen any day.

A 1950 Harley “Pan Head” as removed from a scrap metal yard after being crushed. Two questions - who would crush up this bike and how do you find a relic like this?

O.G. Studebaker radio. His father was a Studebaker dealer back in the day.

Prime example of the first two years which Maine issued license plates. I’m thinking 1913 or around there. Ceramic on metal.

This example from 1934 is my absolute favorite in it’s saftey orange finish. I am pretty interested in acquiring an example for my own collection.

Thank you sir.

And you thought sailing was a fun day out on the water? The Volvo Ocean Race took off for it’s next leg from Boston to Galway, Ireland. It is a full on non-stop race. Seven sail boats with crews of 11 are bombing across the Atlantic at this moment. No support team. Just them, water, wind, and a little help from above.

Many thanks to the good people of Helly Hansen for inviting Karen and I on board for the chase boat view. Absolutely killer.

More on this soon. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

How about this - Boston says goodbye like no other city. We let a massive freighter right onto your race course for the fun of it.

Another batch of attic finds from this weekend in CT. Comic Strips and shitloads of them. Not the books - but actual clippings that I meticulously sliced with an Xacto back when I did nothing good as a teen.

I clipped comic strips because I hated waiting for the tradebooks to be published at the end of the year (which compiled a years worth of strips). Comic books were meant to be read, saved, and traded. Why the fuck could I not do the same with comic strips.

I found this box in the attic.

I opened it and discovered my stash of Matt Groening’s “Life is Hell” strips from 1990-92. I loved the uncommon square read flow of “Life is Hell.” Like “The Far Side” (which I found to be boring), this odd shape of the comic strip made it a bitch to place in the comics’ section. So youre paper either buried it with the classified, of in the case of “Life is Hell” you just got picked up by the alternative papers.

I think this is the strip that summed up the strip nicely. For those that know Groening’s work on this front, this will be familiar. Blinky in ropes.

Akbar & Jeff - the gay boys.

The craziest part for me was that “Life is Hell” and the Hartford Advocate taught me what trannies were. Flipping over some of the clippings, you’ll discover that they were only a short phone call away… if you’re into that.

I found these red envelopes as well. I fashioned them out of Hallmark envelope remainders from my days working at CVS. “Calvin & Hobbes” all labelled, dated, and spliced in my outstanding obsessive way. Again, I hated waiting for the trades to be printed. I wanted to pull them out and check out Watterson’s pen and ink work whenever I wanted. I think I have about 15 of these little envelopes labelled C&H. Ridiculous.

I love this one. Calvin was the master of torture without shedding blood. “Home Sweet Home.”

Oh yeah, I got more coming….

Highsnobiety will be live at the Bread and Butter Barcelona Show next week. Stop by if you’re in town.

I have to give a big shout out to my friend and Selectism Columnist Ben for sending over this great keychain. It’s a new old stock Campagnolo Syncro shifter. It get the engraved Freeman Transport treatment as well. A dope gift! Thank you sir.

I’ve been waiting for this docu to come out for a while. If anything, I offer it up here to those who ask me what music I turn to when I need to get my head straight again. A good amount of music will set me good but if I had to pick three right now, they would be the following:

“The Bells” by Jeff Mills is almost a cop out by me in trying to pinpoint what techno record really changed my life. “The Bells” changed my life when it was released but it is not the best techno track ever made. If anything, it was the first sign of a cataclysmic shift in the current (at the time) wave of techno and gives a very good composition of what is what.

Anyways, watch the film if you want some a better understanding of where Detroit techno came from. Don’t confuse it with house, please.

We took some time from the day to head into Tribeca. Some shots of the scenery.

We somehow ran into the Ghostbusters building which has just about made my week now.

New York City is vast, people.