A Long Beach Thing: Cyclone Coasters

Long Beach, California is one of the best kept secrets in Los Angeles. It's been no secret to the pro skateboarding, lesbian, maritime or pro bmx communities. One of the many great things about the neighborhoods near the beach are the Cyclone Coasters. They are a local bike group that meets on one Saturday per month at Portfolio Coffee Shop. 

What makes the Cyclone Coasters unique is that they are a group of classic beach cruiser owners. When I say classic, I mean "old as hell". Sure there are some pristine bikes, but the thing that makes their gathering so great are the relic-like bikes that the owners pull out of the bowels of American garages and backyards.  

The group park their bikes along the curb like a group of bikers. They spend an hour or so chatting and admiring other bikes. Then the leader gives the signal and the nearly 80 riders slowly grind away for their ride through the beach neighborhoods like Alamitos Beach, Belmont Heights and Belmont Shore.

2nd Car in 2 Weeks Slams into Phil Coffee in DTLA

Poor Philz Coffee. Looks like the second car in two weeks has slammed into the front porch of the well traveled coffee shop in DTLA. I spend a lot of time in DTLA in the early morning. Philz Coffee is usually the only coffee shop open at 6am in the area.

This morning I was walking from my car at approximately 6:15am and noticed a serious car accident at the corner where Philz is located. A Jeep Cherokee with a smashed front-end sat leaking fluids onto the cold asphalt while a Mazda was crammed into the front porch of Philz with tables and chairs strewn.

It was intense. Figured I'd post a photo here. The silver car is pinned against the front doors of the coffee shop.

Hanging at the Pablove Shutterbugs Gallery Exhibit in Los Angeles

Went to the Pablove Shutterbugs event last night in Los Angeles. The gallery exhibited work solely from Shutterbugs. I'm so happy I went. The kids that shoot the photos are living with cancer. They've been taught by pro photographers. One of my buddies, David Reeve, has been a mentor for years. Thanks to him, I got the invite to attend the event.

Rather than overwhelming the kids with complex and technical elements of photography, the mentors stick to a lesson plan that focuses on the creative side of photography: composition, framing and expression. Need there be any other angle? 

One of the cool things about the photos on display was that they were pulled straight from the camera. That means there was no post production in Photoshop or Lightroom. What they took is what we got. I was stoked to be able to meet many of the artists: Gabriel, Ace, TyAnn and more.

My favorite piece last night was from Ace (pictured below). She did a pseudo-abstract approach to sand, light and nature. It is called "Hue". I was surprised that a point and shoot camera was able to render such a cool, creative shot.

TyAnn had a really cool shot she took in Venice Beach. I liked that one a lot too. She was a mentee of David Reeve. Below you'll see her posing with her piece.

DTLA Coffee is Tragically Hip...in a Good Way

You need to go to Shreebs coffee in downtown Los Angeles (DTLA). Trust me.

If you've been to the east side of downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) in the last year, you will have noticed the proliferation of non-chain coffee shops and street art.  I spend a lot of time each week downtown, so I've been able to experience all of the activity. Shreebs is definitely adding to the cool factor in that ever-growing area of DTLA.

Their menu is simple and creative. I got the salty coffee. It is VERY good. Replete with astro turf, artistic shipping containers and drought tolerant plants, Shreebs is like a bright spot of manufactured happiness in an otherwise brick and warehouse part of Los Angeles. When I say "bright" I mean it. 

BTW, on the same strip of astro turf they have another shipping container that serves as a juice bar. They have plenty of tables to chill. I suggest going here for coffee during the work day or on the weekend if you find yourself headed to Little Tokyo or the Arts District.

Latest Mucho Arigato Playlist Out on Soundcloud: #23

This most recent playlist I've put together is chock full of deep R&B grooves and esoteric electro.

Mucho Arigato Playlist 23

Like with all of the other Mucho Arigato Playlists, this has an unpredictable mix of tracks. Not everyone likes to listen to a singular type of music every time they turn on your their computer or phone. Or am I alone? 

This playlist kickoff with a killer track called "Get Even" edited by Mark Wayward. It's a great edit and a perfect way to set the tone for the entire playlist. It's promptly followed up by a breakbeat/heavy synth/r&b electro track "Grammatology" by FZPZ. It almost has a feel of a mashup of breakbeat and new age jazz. It's a trip! 

Midway down the playlist your mind will be tweaked by Jonah Christian's version of Busta Rhyme's "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See". It's like a free jazz deconstruction version of that banger rap track. You'll love it.  Trust me. 

Towards the end you're energy will get pushed when the UNO NYC dropped their remix of "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". 

Do your friends a favor and share this most recent playlist with them or on your social media accounts. You never know what stuff your friends truly listen to when you aren't around.

Here's the link:

https://soundcloud.com/muchoarigato/sets/playlist-23

Mucho Arigato Featured in Howl Adventures: Alaska Excursions

Howl Adventures and Mucho Arigato have teamed up to bring readers a piece about the wilds that abound in Alaska and within oneself.  You should checkout their site and their magazine. The content is high quality. 

The piece uses my words and photographs from an adventure in Alaska. In it I explore - rather, I urge the reader to explore - how adventure in a remote place like Alaska can be manifested. Of course, it depends on each person. That's the point. I posit that Alaska, like any other wild place has the uncanny ability to tap into each of us in ways that large, urban cities cannot.  

I like adventure in any format. Whether it be in a heaving, throbbing urban jungle or isolated forests with a heavy pack on my back, I am at home in adventure. We all are. It's that our thresholds are different. With the piece for Howl Adventures, I wanted to explore what the city person can achieve with an adventure to a wild place without having to hike days into the backcountry. Adventure is so accessible. It's at our fingertips. It's that we are so set in our collective routines that we don't even see it. 

Dads in Los Angeles: Let's Give Them Some Props

The role of father is something that doesn't get much attention in America. There is no shortage of commercials, general advertising and TV programming hailing the greatness of mothers. Trust me, I get it. I was raised by a single mother. No need to tell me the importance of moms in the world. :) The bummer is that we always hear of dads in the context of "he was never around" or "I never knew my dad" or whatever. I typically only hear the negative. I rarely hear people laud the great things their dads do or the fantastic characteristics they possess.

I know guys here in Los Angeles that are highly focused on raising their kids in a way that deserves just as much attention as all of the hard working moms out there. Above, you'll see a photo of Manuel and his daughter relaxing after some serious playing at the beach. Endless leap frog over Iris was on repeat that day. Apparently dads need just as much nap time as daughters. 

Konrad and his daughter Frankie have a knack for mixing learning and silliness in ways that makes even the coldest of hearts warm. Clearly Frankie doesn't have time for her dad's love of the Seattle Seahawks on this day.

Sometimes when the napping and superfandom is complete, it's time to share deep thoughts and ideas with each other. Below you'll see Sergio and his son Kingston solving the world's problems in Seal Beach. Kingston's earnestness is priceless when telling his dad about something critical about his toy truck or the bouncy slide he just rode. Dad's there ready to take notes.

Adventure abounds in Joshua Tree National Park with Ryan and his son Eli. These two always seek and find high adventure. There is a wild freedom between the two of them that is wonderful to observe.

What about the dads I don't know? I was riding my bike in the neighborhood one Sunday afternoon and was able to observe this father and son combo have deep conversations, crack jokes and observe the gutsy kite boarders. 

Japanese Tattoo Legend Shige & Mucho Arigato in DTLA

Shige was in Los Angeles and you know your boy Mucho Arigato was there to witness it all.  Shige and a crew of fellow Japanese tattoo artists came to the opening of the photo exhibit called Perseverance.  The event was held at the Japanese American Museum of Art in Little Tokyo in DTLA.  It was a who’s who of famous Japanese tattooers.  Many of them were doing live tattoo demonstrations.  It was impressive to see them work.  In addition to Shige there was Junii, Yebis, Horitaka, Horitomo, Chris Horishiki Brand, Yokohama Horiken and Miyazo.  Also, Chuey Quintanar was there signing autographs and doing photos.

7th Wave Surf Shop in Long Beach

Long Beach is home to a great surf shop on Retro Row called 7th Wave Surf Shop.  There are a few shops peppered on this hip area of Long Beach that really anchor the vibe.  7th Wave is one of them & generating a lot of buzz in the local scene.  They are located across the street from the good folks atWest River Cycles.  That’s where I met Kelly.  

There was a small crew of us celebrating West River Cycle’s anniversary on Retro Row and I was fortunate to meet Kelly.  After wowing me with her insanely trashed iPhone, we got to talking about 7th Wave.  I was thrilled to learn how passionate she is about supporting the local surf scene.  Whether that mean selling tray boards, local artist hoodies or being the only local dealer for Stamps surf boards by Tim Stamps or sponsoring the local high school surf team (Milliken High).  I will purchase from her.  You should also.  You’d be supporting local artists, shapers and business owners.  Leave the big box brands for a big box store.

Outpost Cold Brew Coffee: An Intro to a Quickly Expanding Boutique Brand

Super premium coffee in Los Angeles is growing, but Outpost Coffee is carving a different path to reach coffee drinkers and I was there to get a taste of the experience.  It was nearly 1 year ago that the Outpost Coffee crew began their experiment by creating a guerrilla pop-up coffee experience in an alley of Long Beach. Since then, their growth has been quite impressive. Don’t ask me how they pull this off, but this is text book shit people wish they could do with their new brand.

They are nice people.  They are genuinely happy to see people, there is no air or arrogance attached to their top-shelf coffee.  Stacked on top of that is their approach to building the brand by word of mouth and clean assets (website, cold press bottles labels, etc.).  That’s where Bryan Neff comes into the mix.  The dude knows how to build brands and coffee.  With Bryan is Tiffany and David.  Blood is thicker than coffee.  This brother and sister duo bring a real, down-home feel to the vibe that Outpost transmits.  What’s more, they cut their teeth at the iconic Handsome Coffee Roasters in DTLA (Los Angeles).  I look forward to seeing where they go with this brand and how it organically grows.  That said, I can tell you that I was at Eggslut in DTLA and noticed Outpost for sale there.  Fantastic.  Drink-up, America.

The 1st Mucho Arigato Playlist

The first of many Mucho Arigato Playlists, this one is packed with a heavy amount of electro and house.  Future playlists will have a mix of groove, hip hop, house, soul, electro, lo-fi, etc.  Mucho Arigato Playlist #1 has quite a few great artists, but my favorite track has got to be "Know Me" by Frankie Rose.  It's track 2.

Other artists on this playlist include:  Englands' Bondax, LA's Poolside, Tycho, Pompeya, etc.

Share this and other playlists with your friends and wow them with artists they've never heard.

Time w/ Rinzi Ruiz in DTLA

I had a private session with Rinzi Ruiz in downtown Los Angeles (DTLA).  As my photography evolves, I am making an effort to spend more time with people that can share their expertise.  Like all of us, I improve on my own by shooting a lot and studying the work of people I admire.  That said, there is something to be said about spending time with a person better than I am.  

My day with Rinzi was great.  We started out discussing philosophy, mindset and approach.  It was a great way to ease into the day.  Though I was eager to hit the streets, starting the way we did was great.  Once we hit the streets, I realized that we were on Rinzi’s turf.  He knows the streets of DTLA like the back of his hand.  To do a full review of my session with him would require quite a long post, so I’ll save you the pain.  Ultimately, my time with Rinzi was great because we were able to talk tempo, framing, camera technique and how our energy as a photographer can greatly affect the subjects we shoot in street photography. If you find yourself in Los Angeles or in any other city where Rinzi is working, schedule some time with him.  You’ll be happy you did.

Mucho Arigato Playlist #19 is Available on SoundCloud

Mucho Arigato Playlist #19 is out.  This latest playlist I've put together is definitely one of my favorite so far.  It's peppered with deep grooves and lo-fi style synth electro.  That's a powerful combo.  It's 2 hours of music with artists like: Jam City, CSCN, Electric Youth, Ghostly, Wild Geese, etc.

So far one of the 2 top songs on this playlist for me is the track "Lets Escape" by Abrahamblue and "Losing my Edge" by LCD Sound System.