This is the promo for the latest video in the works from Solstice of New Bedford, MA. Jay Vasconcellos has been a big supporter of RAW and we support Solstice in every way we can based on two things. One, the shop represents everything that is good about skateboarding and two, Jay V. represents the reason why people should want to skateboard forever because he’s never slowed it down (and he probably never will). More details about the new Solstice video can be obtained via the Solstice site.

S.C.  K.S.

Above is a single from Gavin Macmahon Nolan courtesy of Digital Skateboarding. It was filmed at Stoner Park in Los Angeles, CA. Switch bigspin. Switch tailslide. Switch 270. Damn.

S.C.  K.S.

A video starring a solid dude filmed and edited by a solid dude. Not much more to be said.

S.C.  K.S.

Everyone who is in the Woburn, MA area on December 11th is invited to come skate with us at The Boardwalk from 7 pm until midnight. Admission at the park for the night will be one or more non-perishable food items that will be donated to a local charity and given to those in need during the holiday season. We would like to thank Jon Wolf and Matty Polianites for their efforts in making this event happen.

S.C.  K.S.

A great photo of Gavin Macmahon-Nolan by Zander Taketomo was recently printed in Focus Magazine. Above is a preview of Gavin’s frontside 180 switch crooks, which is located on the Fore//Words page of the magazine. Copies of the issue are available at 622 Somerville Avenue and skateboard shops all over the East Coast.

S.C.  K.S.

From November 11th through the 14th, RAW will be sponsoring the annual Fall Brawl event at Boston’s Seaport World Center  in affiliation with Eastern Boarder and Waterville Valley. Our main focus for the weekend will be a skate jam with a sizable number of our supporters on the course the night before the contest at 5 pm. If you are going to be in the Boston area and would like to be part of the group that night, please email skatefast@readyamongstwilling.com or call 617.666.1152 for further details as soon as possible. We look forward to skating with you on the night of the 12th.

S.C.  K.S.

Nick Mola is good at life.

S.C.  K.S.

“Mayo’s Mixtape” is a video short by Tom Grande, who is a good friend of the RAW brand and our space at 622 Somerville Avenue. Before we consolidated our efforts under a single brand name, RAW, our space was named Assemble & Conquer. Mayo was the first person to put together an edit in support of A&C. Whether he meant to or not, this edit reflects Tom Grande’s view of skateboarding as we know it perfectly. Based on the many hours of conversations that we’ve had with Mayo, skateboarding is about being out there with your friends… all of them… as often as possible.

S.C.  K.S.

The world is not filled with people who have good intentions. Such people are few and far between and Dan Daley is one of the few. His true passion for the skate life and genuine nature make it very easy to support his efforts. After a stint in San Jose, California, Dan is back in Boston, but by his presence in Tilt Mode’s newest montage, he clearly left the same impression on SJ that he continues to leave on us. Click on the photo above (taken by Pauly Harper) to view “The Mantage”. Dan’s clips are located a little more than halfway through the edit.

S.C.  K.S.

In the 1990’s, there was a significant influence of hip hop on skateboarding. Many video parts from that era are still famous for the song featured in them and expanded the reach of skateboarders’ musical tastes everywhere in the world. The main reason why these soundtrack choices are still effective to this day is that the tracks compliment the skateboarding and personality of the person in the video part.

Recently, we were introduced to Lawrence, MA native Reks via Jon Wolf and Dana Ericson. When he visited 622 Somerville Avenue with his friends Hatim and Rizzo, we had a great discussion on the subject of how hip hop has influenced skateboarding and how skateboarding has influenced hip hop. The main direction of the conversation was that skateboarding and hip hop are both cultures where style is of the utmost importance and that the cultures themselves are considered to be ways of life and not just hobbies.

In Rek’s newest video, which was shot and edited by Jon Wolf, two things are glaringly obvious to us: 1) Reks has a style, message and voice that compliment the track he is rhyming on and 2) Reks does not consider hip hop to be a hobby. We’d like to thank Reks for his support of the RAW brand in the “This Or That” video and wish him continued success as an artist.

S.C.  K.S.