LOUD& OBNOXIOUS: May 2009

Developing

SUMMER 09 photos coming soon! Keep checking back.

(photo by David Manahan - DAM Image Trends)
- Vince

Shaken. AND Stirred.

Sometimes this is what our current warehouse feels like..

A few days ago, we finished production on the LOUD& OBNOXIOUS Summer 09 collection and now we're just finishing up the packaging and organizing along with the lookbook and webstore photo shoots this weekend. I will be posting preview images of ALL the shirts VERY soon so make sure you stay tuned to get a peek before the release in the next couple weeks.

As for our screen printing company, GRink, we're busier than we've ever been and we've got orders to fulfill like you wouldn't believe. And the best part is we have to finish it in the next 8 days before we leave for a 2 week west coast tour with our band, Dear Life. We're swamped. No days off, working Saturdays and Sundays, 12 hour work days. If this isn't "paying your dues", I don't know what is.

I don't know how we manage to get ourselves into these kinds of messes, but I guess that's just how we like our lives served. Shaken AND stirred.

And if you've been keeping up in the streetwear world lately, you'll know that the D.I.Y. mentality and the hardcore/punk spirit is alive and well. I'm not surprised.

- Vince

TRAVIS IS HERE!!!

If you remember a couple months ago, I posted a blog about a baby shower we attended along with the gifts we came with. The mommy is Kathy and just wanted to let everyone know that baby Travis has arrived and is now ready to take on the world! Here's uncle Jase with the little guy.

I can't wait for him to wear these!

Congratulations Kathy on your bundle of joy! The gift of life is a incredible and we are humbled by your miracle. See you soon!

- Vince

Workaholics Anonymous

This feels very reminiscent of when we used to work in the garage back home. Except this time, we're in a warehouse and office and we wake up at normal work hours. AND it's a Monday. Well, it does feel like a Monday and it doesn't. Probably because this is the 8th day in a row that we've decided to work. Yup, we worked all through the Memorial Day weekend AND we're working on Memorial Day. Everyone in the office complex is totally not here. The entire parking lot is empty except for our cars.

Truth is Matt and I probably should not be going on tour with our band (Dear Life) because of all the work that needs to get done in the next 3 months. As you may or may not know, our two companies (LOUD& OBNOXIOUS and GLAD RAGS INK) will be investing in our first auto screen printing press and moving into a much larger warehouse and office this Summer. We've worked very, very hard for a while and literally taken these companies from the ground up. Started in a garage doing it for fun, got serious, made moves, and now we're at this point.

Anyway, we shouldn't be going on tour, but we've always had this undying sense of "carpe diem" that we can never seem to shake. My brother and I have always had the "fuck it, we only live once" mentality and tried to pursue as much as we possibly can. We're addicted to our work ethic and just can't stop. And with the help of our friends, like Brian, Pfeffer, Pat, and our band-mates Mike and Daniel, we always get shit DONE.

So here we are squeezing almost a month's worth of work for both companies into a tiny two week period just so that we can afford to go on this tour and not miss a beat. There's a reason why I have bags under my eyes, and I'm completely fine with it. I have faith that all this hard work will pay off. Someday, somehow. Always ambitious. Always tired. NEVER DEAD.

Thanks for reading. I apologize for the lack of imagery in this post, but to be honest, I was far too lazy to open Photoshop and edit anything right now. I just felt like writing about what was in my noggin. If you're really that upset about it, here you go..

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. -Abraham Lincoln

- Vince

Summer Heat

It's getting hot in the warehouse.. and it ain't the weather! Ok I lied, it is. It's definitely the weather. Anyway, before you go and enjoy your well-deserved weekend of raging, I just wanted to let you peep what's been in production so far for our upcoming Summer 09 line.

This isn't part of the line but I wanted to show you one of our test prints because I thought it was funny. This is what happens when you accidentally print the wrong color on the wrong screen during the 4 color CMYK process. You get Hulk hands.

And no, you can't have a Hulk hands shirt! I don't think he had any tattoos anyway. That would be just ludicrous! Ludacris?

More previews coming soon! Keep checking back!

- Vince

For The Record

I miss touring. Being in a band in a van is definitely an experience like none other. I wish there was a way to bottle up that feeling into a tiny convenient pill that you could buy over the counter. It would be called Tourlenol. Eh, I tried.

I never really understood how fortunate we were to get to tour until this year because it's been literally almost a full year since we last went out. People always told me that we were so lucky to get to do what we do. I always replied talking about how much work it was to tour and all this naive mumbo-jumbo, when they were all totally right. I mean, what better way to spend your days on a constant road trip with your best friends doing something you genuinely enjoy. New cities and new people to meet every night. Sleeping on living room floors and eating shitty fast food day and night. You can't buy those kind of memories.

We don't tour as much as we used to, but obviously if you've been reading this blog, you know that my brother and I just have much larger priorities at this time. I still really enjoy playing shows and trying to write aggressive music because it's just another one of my creative outlets. Luckily, this Summer, we (Dear Life) will get the chance to hit the road again thanks to a band called Earth From Above. These guys were kind enough to invite us on their west coast tour in June and kudos to them for all the hard work they've done. Not a lot of bands still book their own tours so it's awesome to see that the D.I.Y. mentality is still alive.

Check our page for upcoming dates, and if you are in the area make sure to come hang out! Just look for Danny Tanner. He's the brown van we call home for a few weeks out of the year.

He's due for a wash.

I'm definitely very thankful to have the life that I've worked hard to have because not very many people get to live every single day of their lives thoroughly enjoying the fact they're alive. This Summer is probably going to be literally the most stressful and awesome time of my life, and I couldn't be more excited and terrified. With all the money that needs to be saved and all the work that needs to be done to move Glad Rags Ink and L&O into a new, bigger warehouse in August, we really should NOT have gone on this tour.

Fuck it. Carpe diem. Seize the day. I got that tattooed for a reason.

- Vince

Conquerors

This past weekend, The LA United group at Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights, CA invited us to be part of the festivities for the school's 50th anniversary celebration. They had set up a fashion show as part of the entertainment for the day featuring projects and collections from current students and alumni so, of course, we had to get involved. Matt, Robert, and I learned a lot about organization, business, public relations, leadership, teamwork, and networking from going to this school, so we thought it would be a good way to give back and show the kids that you CAN do something "cool" with what you learn in school. We learned most of that stuff in the Engineering academy but you can obviously see how far we all got with engineering. Sorry, Mr. Franz.

Big thanks once again to Morgan, LA United, and everyone involved with the event on Saturday for having us! Bigger thanks to Minh and all the kids who hung out, modeled, and supported that day! You guys rule.

There was another photographer who said he will be posting more (better) shots of the fashion show on the LAHS website so I'll post those once we get them.

STAY IN SCHOOL.

- Vince

Worst Idea Ever

Last year, when we used to print t-shirts out of a dumpy little garage in Hacienda Heights, CA, we came up with a bizarre idea to promote our Summer 08 collection. With the SUMMER 09 season around the corner, I thought it would be fun to reminisce over some idiotic times we've had. Also, because today is Monday and you know how I really hate Monday's and I've got nothing else to talk about today. Here's Brian's challenge vs. Molca Salsa last year. Enjoy!

I should mention that through this challenge, we actually discovered the truth to an urban myth. Apparently, there's a myth that if you eat enough food or I guess just eat the right type of food or some combination of those, you CAN get high or intoxicated. Let me tell you, on the way home from Molca Salsa, Brian was completely WASTED without a drop of alcohol or any drugs whatsoever. We are firm believers that food can indeed get you SMASHED.

- Vince

Summer Bummer

Sad news today in the punk/hardcore world. Boston hardcore band Have Heart is going to be calling it quits after their upcoming world tour throughout the Summer. Here's what the band had to say about the decision:

"Once the Fall rolls around, we can't really do this band the way we would prefer to anymore. Knowing this deadline of ours and having a whole world tour already booked, we'd like to take advantage of the chance to say goodbye to all the people we have met around the world over the years.

"So, please come check us out in the remaining months on our little trip around the globe. So far Asia has been a wonderful experience and we're very happy to have had the chance to meet so many kind people and look forward to the rest of Asia.

"We will be playing our last show on this year's National Edge Day on October 17th 2009 with a bunch of our friends bands and a sweet guest. It will be somewhere T accessible in the Boston area. It will also be a benefit for a women's shelter in New Bedford, MA, run by my kind mother.

"It's been a nice 7 years and we'd like to thank all the unique hardcore kids and bands we have encountered. And in the words of DFJ, thanks to all the shit talkers for all the material to get off on. But, really....we have met so many wonderful people who we'll just never forget.

"It's been so great. Take care and hope to see you over the next couple months."

I think the main reason why I'm so bummed about this news is the fact that bands like this are so few and far between nowadays. As of late, there's been such a huge decline in bands that write honest and emotionally-driven music due to all the money-hungry moguls who support bands built on scene-kid trends and fleeting genres. Not even just hardcore, music in general is in a bad place and it's definitely sad to see another band like Have Heart have to go.

You can only be in a band and break even for so long until the pressures of real life start knocking on your door. I don't know Have Heart personally, but from the years I've spent on tour, I know that this was definitely a hard decision for them to make, but at some point you have to move on. It's unfortunate that trend bands continue to reap the benefits of thousands and thousands of confused kids, but I guess that's the way punk hardcore has always been. Punk has always been the underdog and it always will be. That's what makes it so amazing.

As another influential band moves on, we will continue to uphold the D.I.Y. mentality in their honor. Thanks for giving the world something to hold onto forever! RIP Have Heart.

You better believe I'll be at Chain Reaction to see these guys off.

- Vince

Get Low

We've begun production on our Summer collection which is set to release within the coming weeks, so with that being said, I just wanted to remind you that there are only a few, very select pieces left in our previous Fall/Winter and Spring collections. Many sizes have sold out so if you want to grab something, you better do it now! SHOP NOW!

You know how we are. We rarely do re-prints in the same colorway, so if you want it, this is your ONLY chance!

Keep an eye out for future updates. We've got some new tricks up our sleeves for the long Summer season and into Fall.

GO LAKERS!

- Vince

Foodbeast Adventure

On Wednesday, since it was National Foodbeast Day, we decided to grab some lunch with the Foodbeast and IM KING guys. We chose Hatam's Restaurant in Anaheim because since it was a special day, we had to take these guys to a special place. Ever since Pfeffer introduced us to Hatam's a few years ago, we've always made it a point to stop by once in a while. This is Persian food done right.

For more photos and commentary, head over to the Foodbeast Blog and check it out! And if you're in the area, make sure you stop by and give it a try. A word of advice: come hungry.

- Vince

DIY Sushi

Earlier this week, while we were watching the Lakers get handled by the Rockets in Game 1, we decided to have ourselves a pre-Foodbeast Day extravaganza. None of us really know how to roll sushi, but luckily Pfeffer had this awesome and convenient contraption along with a razor sharp sushi knife. First, we stopped by the market to pick up some essentials - cucumbers, carrots, avocados, and imitation crab meat. The bargain hunt paid off at the register with the total only being a little over $5! At home, we steamed some rice, fried some spam and eggs, and we were ready to roll! Pun definitely intended.