No, it’s not that dude–even though he’s a winner because he has the balls to wear a fanny pack and a speedo.  Nevertheless, when we began this contest we honestly had no idea how the response would be.  Thankfully, Joe Rogan’s fans share his passion for fanny packs as the moment the contest went live my inbox was under constant assault by people looking to snag a sweet fanny pack.  The vagueness of our guidelines for the contest also led to a wide mix of Best 10 lists, and while many were good we had to pick one since there is only one fanny pack.  The question we then had to deal with was whether or not to judge the list on practicality, on humor, on creativity, and the like.  In the end, practicality won out.  After all, we are dealing in fanny packs here and any other focus on judging besides practicality would be blasphemous to the ole Buffalo pouch.  So, without any further gibber jabber, we give you the winner of the Joe Rogan Fanny Pack Initiative and Contest.

10. Small Swiss Army Knife (it saved MacGyver’s ass for 7 seasons, that’s reason enough for me)

9. Small roll of Gorilla Tape (because regular duct tape is for wimps)

8. (1) small packet of medical marijuana for my glaucoma (that makes it legal, right?)

7. Wind Resistant lighter (it would suck to have #8 without #7)

6. First Aid Kit (necessary in case of confrontation with immovable objects possibly caused by #8)

5. Post It Notepad (when inspiration strikes you gotta be ready. Napkins just don’t hold up)

4. Pen (goes hand in hand with paper)

3. Sunglasses (#8 seems to make lights much brighter)

2. Cash (makes the world go around)

1. Credit Card (I don’t have enough cash to make the world go around very far)

~Chris H~

The reason for Chris’ victory is due to how practical his list was.  Now, there were similar lists, but they included superfluous items in the pack–items that things like a knife or multi-tool could make (pipe, for instance) or an iPhone and a iPod.  If the fanny pack is all about practicality and efficiency it doesn’t make sense to add objects whose function is already covered by a previously listed item.  And sure, you could make the argument that if you have a credit card you don’t need cash, but there are certain things you can’t buy with plastic.  For instance, the most commonly included item in all the entries, weed, is something that often requires a good ole fashioned cash transaction.

That being said, since we did receive so many good entries it was hard to pick just one, which is why we created a special category with another special prize.  Due to the overwhelming abundance of drugs and drug paraphernalia included in the lists we had no other choice, but to give out a prize to the druggiest contest participant.  The druggiest entry will receive the following:

That’s a nice and sturdy bowl from Good Times Glass in Burlington, Vermont.  In addition to their new pipe, they will also get a copy of the LSD Riders stunt and BMX DVD.  And the lucky recipient of these fine prizes is:

A Gentleman’s Guide to Proper Fanny Pack Use

Welcome, fellow fanny pack enthusiasts! You’re about to go on an amazing adventure! Follow these guidelines and your first fanny-pack experience will be a rich and fulfilling one! After years of diligent research, I have determined that the following ten things are a MUST if you want to get the most out of your fanny pack. Enjoy!

1. *100 Hits of Acid* – This is essential to full enjoyment of your fanny pack. You should be sure to spend lots of time standing right at the edge of the sidewalk in hopes that a car will zoom by and splash you with puddle water, like in the movies. Normally, this would suck, but as a highly advanced master of the fanny pack you know that pretty soon those soaking wet hits of acid will seep through your clothes and you’ll blast off to another planet. The only problem is that now your precious fanny pack is soaking wet, which brings me to #2.

2. *A Smaller, More Expensive Fanny Pack* – See what I did there? Now you’re really ready to rock. Fresh, clean, dry fanny pack? Check. A massive psychedelic overdose slowly creeping into your system? Check. The knowledge that you shrewdly avoided destroying your more expensive fanny pack by encasing it in a larger, less expensive fanny-pack barrier? Check. That’s right, you’re the Michael Jordan of fanny packing, and you’re ready to go fuck shit up. Time to hit the streets and get into some madness. But, first…

3. *Gigantic David Bowie Sunglasses* – …reach into the fanny pack and pull out some gigantic shades. Advanced fanny pack gurus all agree that hitting the streets whilst tripping balls can be a dangerous undertaking if you aren’t prepared. You will likely have an encounter with some sort of authority figure and the last thing you need when you’re getting grilled by Officer Hatesfun is him checking out your bigger-than-my-balls pupils. The only problem with this item is that prancing around town with giant glittery sunglasses and a fanny pack might give some people the wrong idea. You need some way to bolster your macho-cred when the need arises, which brings me to #4.

4.*Tough Guy CD’s* – I recommend DragonForce, Hatebreed, and Motorhead, but really any rock/metal group with a name that’s two random words combined will usually suffice. Just make sure it’s the kind of band where their live show has at least 99% dudes in the audience, because nothing is manlier than 20,000 sweaty drunk mustachioed bikers screaming in unison. When you are approached by a fannypack-less mouth breather (and you will be, trust me) you need to immediately establish dominance. “Boom! Hatebreed, bitch! Where’s YOUR tough-guy music? That’s what I thought, you don’t have any. What are you, GAY?” Checkmate.

5. *A Map* – Time to hit the road, but where to go? Break out a trusty map with locations of interest pre-marked for convenience. Note: the acid is probably starting to kick in at this point, and you want to be very careful not to try to mark new locations on your map while tripping. The last thing you need is a map cluttered up with nonsense like “Yarrr, over here be dragons!” Hitting the strip club while on a fanny pack adventure is always highly recommended, so plot your course and get moving. Some beginner fanny pack users make the mistake of using a GPS navigation machine for finding their way around the city. Any advanced fanny pack user will tell you that 100 hits of acid + a machine that tells you where to go can be a recipe for psychological disaster, so I advise you to trust the fanny pack and find your way around the city the old fashioned way. You’ll likely end up wandering through some shady neighborhoods, which brings me to #6.

6. *Weapons *– Any time you go traipsing around the city in a fanny pack, booty shorts, and rollerskates (did I mention that’s what you’re wearing? LOL, fag), people are going to think you’re gay. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but since you’re also tripping balls, you’re gonna get lost and wander into the part of town where men go to meet women (and sometimes men) who will give them sex and herpes in exchange for money. You will likely be mistaken for one of these man-whores and propositioned by a fat married guy with kids, a mortgage, and a shameful secret. These guys can get pushy, so you need to be armed. I recommend a blackjack or some other kind of blunt instrument. You’re high as fuck and on your way to the strip club, so the last thing you need is to get dragged into an alley and roughed up by a John.

7. *Thousands of $1 Bills* – OK you’ve made it to the strip club. You’re officially tripping balls, so you’re definitely going to have trouble feigning interest in a stripper’s highly plausible yarn about taking nursing classes while her eyes are glowing red and her face is melting. Dwayne “Lil’ Wayne” Carter has published a series of compelling studies that indicate that “making it rain on a ho” will render your behavior and/or personality irrelevant, so man up and start tossing bills on her tits. $1000 and 10 drinks later, you’ll probably be ready to fuck, which brings me to #8.

8.*Fleshlight* – For those of you who don’t know what a Fleshlight is, it is a rubber fuck-toy that’s cleverly disguised as a plastic fuck-toy-shaped tube. You should’ve already cut a hole in the back of your fanny pack to allow EZ-Fuck TM access, so head to the bathroom and pick the most romantic stall that’s available. By this time, the entire world will be a swirling mass of colorful madness, but try to stay focused on the task at hand and FUCK YOUR FANNY PACK. And by the way, if at any point you start realizing that you’re wildly tripping on acid while humping a fanny pack in the bathroom of a strip club and you start to get down on yourself, put that shit right out of your mind. That’s just liberal media bullshit. By this point, everything is going to stop making sense and just melt into a senseless blur of ecstasy and dwarves, but don’t worry, that’s just the acid destroying your mind.

9. *Spaceship* – THIS IS ESSENTIAL. Now that you’ve left planet earth, it is crucial that you have a reliable spaceship. Intergalactic travel takes much longer than you’d think, so you’ll need a comfortable ride, preferably with an on-board entertainment system. So just set the ship on autopilot, kick back, and watch the in-flight movie (It’s about you killing a hooker and burying her in the woods).

10.*Contact Information of a Trusted Friend* – 17 years later when you wake up the next morning, you’re gonna be a bit confused. Sure, your hands and clothes are covered in blood, you’re lying on the floor of an abandoned warehouse, and your ass hurts a little more than the regular took-an-unusually-large-dump hurt. KEEP YOUR COOL. That’s what fanny packs are for. Bust out the contact info of your closest pal, and hide out at his place for the next few days. You guys will have a grand old time making hot chocolate, having tickle-fights, and sharing secrets (note: don’t tell him about the dead hooker thing). Keep your eye on the newspaper headlines for a few days, and if nothing pops up about a dead hooker who was viciously decapitated with a Hatebreed CD, you’re good to go!

~Christopher G~

Christopher is winning not so much for his list, which was funny and entertaining in it’s own right, but more to do with the fact that he had to be so incredibly high when he wrote it that he would truly appreciate a fine piece of glass.  And if we’re going to award the druggiest entry, we might as give it to the guy who smoked himself into oblivion and then wrote a story about some bizarre adventure on acid.

All right, that’s all for now.  Remember to keep checking out RoneBreak for other odd and fun contests in addition to a variety of informative, entertaining, and hopefully useful articles on a broad range of topics and issues.  I don’t know if you noticed, but this site is an ADD clusterfuck and for good reason: People’s attention spans require such a thing and we aim to please.

Surprisingly, this astounded Orange colored people around the country.

Really? You thought this look was healthy?

Was this your ultimate goal?

You didn’t think laying inside of a glowing container for any amount of time was going cause you skin damage?  These are the same type of people who were astonished to find out cigarettes were bad for your lungs.  Apparently, inhaling smoke seemed harmless as well.  The Chernobyl-like glow to the tanning bed should have been your first sign. The truth of the whole situation is our unquenchable thirst for instant gratification. Since we all have filled our days with so much nonsense, the mere notion of sitting outside to score some rays the old fashion way seems both juvenile and, most importantly, something the poor would do.  You are not hearing much from the impoverished today on whether or not they will be returning to the tanning salon. The least shocking part of all of this is, much like cigarettes, this news will go in one orange colored ear and out the other.  Maybe tanning salons will see a slight dip in attendance for about week or two, but once the news media has moved on to the next cancer causing product, the Orange Army will return to its glowing cancer beds.

New Jersey is known mostly for the negatives: the pollution, the corruption, the aggressive drivers, the citizens’ arrogance, and so on.  And in an effort to keep the negative reputation going, federal authorities have begun rounding up mayors and other state officials in a massive corruption probe that involves an international money laundering conspiracy–even some rabbis have been fingered as major players in this mess, which could prove to be one of the greatest betrayals of public trust of all time, working to make Bernie Madoff look like a good fellow by comparison.  Oh, New Jersey. 

Here is an excerpt from the Associated Press.  We’ll have more info as the story unfolds so check back for updates.

The mayors of two New Jersey cities and a state legislator are under arrest Thursday as part of a major corruption and international money laundering conspiracy probe.

Federal prosecutors say about 30 people have been arrested. They include Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt, Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III, Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell and Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini. Federal prosecutors say several rabbis in New York and New Jersey are also arrested.

UPDATE: As it stands, it looks like this is just the beginning of a lengthy investigation.  Apparently, bribes were being thrown around like confetti, kidneys were being sold, and money was being funneled to Israel.   44 have been arrested in total, but something tells me many more will be joining the ranks of some of the scumiest scum to ever breathe in that New Jersey/New York air.  To say that power corrupted these men would be a huge understatement.  Power didn’t corrupt these cuncbags, it simply enabled them.

Part of the press conference, which I couldn’t find online, featured the U.S Attorney, Ralph Marra Jr., reading quotes provided by the investigation’s cooperating witness.  After the run-off election between Peter Cammarano III and Dawn Zimmer for Mayor of Hoboken, allegedly it was heard by Cammarano and associates that, “There are 3 kinds of people: Those who were with us during the run-off.  Those who jumped on the bandwagon after the run-off–they’ll have to wait in line.  And those who were against us the whole way.  They get ground into powder.”

Now that’s a paraphrase, and a pretty accurate one at that, but I will keep looking for a full video of the press conference.  If you found one, please post a link in the comments.  This is definitely going to be a lot bigger than it looks right now and we can only hope justice gets served and that the public isn’t kept in the dark about all the details.  So far, it’s looking like there are good people out there driven to make sure lowlives get what they deserve, which is plenty of years in prison.

Below is part of the U.S. Attorney’s press conference:

sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/23/new.jersey.arrests/index.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090723/ap_on_re_us/us_nj_corruption_arrests

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2009/07/cammarano_should_resign_as_hob.html

My roommates have constantly been busting my balls over the creeper stasche and patch, and now it has gotten to the point of friendly gambling.  I will play my roommate, Taylor, in a game of Madden 09 as the 67 overall Miami Dolphins against his 97 overall New England Patriots.  In this series I have beaten him 6 games out of 7–the loss came in a blizzard at Foxboro.  If I win I will receive $5.  If I lose, Taylor gets to the shave the stasche off my face.  My other roommate, Sam, has decided to contribute $2 to the cause as she despises the stasche greatly and Taylor is a cheap bastard and clearly unsure of his Madden skills.  This could very well turn into a very profitable thing. Wish me luck.  Check back later for update.

UPDATE: The game started out rough, with multiple turnovers in the first quarter.  Fortunately, I got my game together and won 45-17, winning $5 and the right to maintain the stasche.

Here are some stats worth mentioning:

Chad Henne (rosters aren’t updated) – 155.8 QB RTG 226 YDS 4 TD 0 INT 73% CMP

Tom Brady – 60.4 QB RTG 224 YDS 1 TD 5 INT

Ronnie Brown – 117 All Purpose Yards 2 TDS

Jason Taylor – 8 TCK 5 TFL 4 SACKS

I figure if I’m going to look like a goon I might as well make some money off of it.

Schick doesn’t beat around the bush.  They just send out obvious hints that maybe you ladies should, you know, trim it.  After all, this isn’t the carefree sixties and seventies anymore.  Big, fluffy genital fros are no longer in style.  Germs and terrorists are our greatest enemies and hair, especially pubic hair, is a breeding ground for germs–evil, nasty, cell-destroying germs.  Besides, nobody likes getting hair in their mouth when they perform oral, which really should be the motivation behind trimming the hair around your twat or sack.  Now you don’t have to napalm the entire forest, but just cut the canopy off to make it easier to spot any unpleasant surprises that might be hidden within.  And if you’re wondering, yes, I am milking this tit for all it’s worth.  I mean, this commercial actually aired on television, which isn’t a bad thing.  But in this politically correct era of phony righteousness I’m just surprised that Schick followed through.

“It’s suggestive!” some loon would protest. “It’s corrupting the youth.”  Yada, yada, yada.  You’ve heard it before about something even dumber, but hey it is suggestive.  The nut has a point, but so is every ad and television program.  Hell, the Bible is incredibly suggestive and many will argue that it corrupted more people than it helped–and vice versa.  However, I get the feeling that promoting bush trimming will help and benefit more than it hurts.  Sure, they’ll be a few nicked vaginas and balls, but there will also be more oral pleasuring of the genitals and that helps everyone–even the Biblical scholars who think abstinance is the way to God.  Good work, Schick.  Your poo-pooing of the nonsensical political correctness that has created uneccesary drama and tension in our country for the past dozen years or so has earned, as Ali G always said, “Much respek.”

Remember when fanny packs were cool? Yeah, neither do we.  But that’s not the point.  Fanny packs have been hated on long enough and Joe Rogan has set out to do his best to put a stop to that.  And you know what? We support him wholeheartedly in his endeavor.  Still not sure you’re down for the cause?  Look at it this way:

Clearly, the decision to wear a fanny pack is done out of function and practicality not aesthetics.  But if you’re a real man you already don’t give a damn about how you’re viewed by random strangers.  In fact, I always respected the courage of any person who walked out of their house to face the day with a fanny pack strapped around their waist.  Why?  Because you know that person is secure enough with themselves to be called all sorts of derogatory names by people who are secretly jealous they don’t have the balls to make such a bold fashion statement.

Take it from me.  I started wearing a fanny pack when I went out on bike rides because a bookbag was too restrictive and I only needed to carry a few things.  And since I live in a town that is bike friendly I often found myself biking to parties with a fanny pack full of beer–granted, your average fanny pack can’t hold a 12 pack, but if you noticed the photo of Anderson Silva at the top of this article then you know fanny packs come in all sizes and varieties.  Nevertheless, not only did I catch shit from the random bros you encounter at a party, but people actually yelled things like, “Fag” and “Queer” from their car window as they passed me by.  Did I hold it against them?  Not at all.  Why? Because I knew deep down inside there was a sad, miserable little man stuffing his sorrys in a sack as he wishes he could abandon the pain-the-ass wallet and don a fanny pack–at least that’s how I see it.

Besides, when people realize how useful the fanny pack actually is they often change their tune.  Being fashionable is overrated.  It’s all about being unfashionable, turning that into a fashion trend, and then moving on to something even more ridiculous like those crazy pants people used to wear in the early 90s.  You can view a photo of me as a child in said pants here.

Anyway, if you’re down for joining Joe Rogan and RoneBreak in our quest to make the fanny pack acceptable–since making it cool is a longshot–then you might be interested in entering the little contest we’re having in celebration of the Fanny Pack Initiative.

The winning entry can be viewed here: http://ronebreak.com/2009/08/14/the-winner-of-a-brand-new-fanny-pack-is/

Here’s a video of Joe declaring his support for the fanny pack and Ari Shaffir’s love of the mustache, which is something I unfortunately have to support (on my face) until the Dolphins win the Super Bowl.

For more Joe Rogan check out his website (www.JoeRogan.net) or follow him on Twitter @joerogandotnet

Also the Wikipedia page on fanny packs has some interesting info: Fanny Pack | Wikipedia

Change is inevitable.  The planet changes as do the animals that inhabit it.  People’s tastes change as people change themselves.  However, change is not always guaranteed to be for the better, but in Scotty Taylor’s case progression has trumped regression.  His design and production company, Catalyst Design, has gone from a small operation in a friend’s apartment in Waterbury, Vermont to a warehouse and boutique in South Burlington, Vermont in less than 4 years.  It has evolved from merely design and production to his own clothing collective, BrandNew Clothing, which is both a brand and an ally to other up and coming brands.

Originally from Minneapolis via Canada, Scotty spent his summers snowboarding in Oregon, a place he always imagined he would end up.  But rather than going west at the age of 18, he packed up his van and went east to Vermont where he got a job at Burton stuffing catalogs in the back of the warehouse.  From there he worked his way up through the company for 8 years, holding a variety of positions from mail clerk to R&D Technician for hard goods.

“They were always a company that I was really into since they were such a progressive company whether it was fashion or function,” said Scotty.

Scotty’s time at Burton, specifically his experience as product manager for the AK line, which sent him to China for months at time, is precisely why Catalyst and BrandNew are focused on innovation and on doing what hasn’t been done before.

And as much as Scotty’s stint as product manager for the AK line was, as he described, “a dream job,” he quit to focus on Catalyst full-time.  He had been doing design work under the Catalyst name since 1999 while still working for Burton, but knowing any entrepreneurial endeavor takes time to develop Scotty figured the sooner he took Catalyst seriously, the sooner he would be able to realize his dream.  In only a few months, Catalyst got so much work that they outgrew the Waterbury based apartment and moved to their location on Pine St. in Burlington where they stayed for 3 years until moving to the new spot in S. Burlington.

It’s all about progression, and Brand New, Catalyst, and Scotty are focused on creating a company that gives newer generations a unique option when it comes to apparel.

“It’s a lifestyle clothing brand that is influenced by music, snowboarding, and the whole youth culture in general,” said Scotty.

Scotty’s capabilities go well-beyond apparel as he has helped design and modify more industrial products such as faceguards on motocross helmets and squeegees on gloves.  This wide range of design experience has given Catalyst and BrandNew a competitive edge when it comes to expanding the product line.  Cut-and-sew shirts, custom denim, and even fragrances are currently in the works and Scotty promises they won’t just be more of the same in an already oversaturated market.

With the 21^st century culture being as dynamic as it is it only makes sense for BrandNew to keep moving forward.  Instead, designs can always be improved as Scotty and the rest of the folks at BrandNew are proponents of tweaking something if the changes will enhance it.  Not only does this add more diversity to the product line, but it also turns clothing into collectibles as a fan of one design can purchase new variations in the design’s evolution.  Additionally, this we-can-make-it-better attitude ensures that BrandNew will constantly try and push not just themselves, but the fashion industry and the brands and artists which they collaborate with.

Scotty credits his business partner, Rebecca Welch, as one of the major reasons why BrandNew has been growing so quickly.

“In the beginning I had to do everything myself, but fortunately I met Becca Welch,” Scotty says. “She’s been really helpful in expanding the brand and organizing things better.”

Becca has taken on much of the responsibilities that are essential to keeping a business running smoothly, allowing Scotty to focus more on what he knows best, which is product development.  The BrandNew Exponential Sessions, which creates clothes that feature various artists’ work, is something Scotty and BrandNew are psyched on.

After all, one of the coolest things about BrandNew and what they’re doing is their focus on collaboration and unification.  It’s all about bringing in a variety of different perspectives to create clothing that is fresh and ever-evolving; clothing that is brand new.

Check It Out: BrandNewClothing.com

Herein lies the problem. For all his of anti-posturing, Froberg’s turned himself into something of a hipster icon. The dynamic between the quality of his output and the level of his profile is the thing of a hipster’s wet dream. They love to love Froberg and whatever he touches because, while it’s all great stuff, it’s even greater because so few actually know about it. So when he disbanded Hot Snakes much to the dismay of its loyal followers, jumped shipped to Brooklyn and formed Obits in 2006, the hipster blogosphere had already collectively blown its wad on this new quartet before they even recorded a single note. Some went so far as to say they may save rock ‘n’ roll for the new millennium. C’mon, really?

So it may go without saying that, no, this disc doesn’t really save rock ‘n’ roll, despite the fact that it is a great rock ‘n’ roll record and not much more. Made up of other indie rock elite like Sohrab Habibion from Edsel on guitar and Scott Gursky (also a member of Shortstack) and Greg Simpson on drums and bass, Obits plays a blend of punked-up surf-rock and 60s pop filled with plenty of jaunty grooves and formidable interlocked guitar riffs while Froberg rants over the top in his signature reedy yowl. What sets this project apart from his past efforts is that there is no genre or mind bending going on; no real desire to forge into the areas you’d least expect. No, for once Froberg seems absolutely content to just stay exactly where he is. In short, he’s having fun, and that may be the disc’s biggest strength. It’s a taut, spiky little thing filled with tightly wound tunes bubbling over with nervous energy.

“Two-Headed Coin” sums it up well. Simpson lays down a funky walking bass groove as guitars noodle in some reverbed snarls over the top and Froberg scowls on about his big nickel and big brass and how “the mint is at fault, because you were never asked, about the two-headed coin,” whatever that may mean. It’s not the tightest tune here, but its loose groove makes it perfect to stretch out on, and, like all the best cuts here, Froberg sounds like he’s having an absolute blast.

It’s already certain that many are blabbing about how this lacks in quality next to Hot Snakes, the more open minded will have trouble not being charmed by its vibe. No, it doesn’t save rock ‘n’ roll for the 21st century, but for those 42 minutes that it plays, it just may save it for you.

Listen: Obits – “Pine On”

Buy: Sub-Pop Records’ Shop

See: Obits’ Tour Dates

He came from Springvale, Maine to Burlington, Vermont to attend Champlain College for its upside curriculum, which allows students to work on their major requirements while doing the core nonsense. During his first semester he got his first taste of clothing design when Russell and fellow students had to develop a website for an environmentally friendly product. The group came up with the idea for outerwear made from recyclable material.

“From there I transitioned into a couple of other design classes where I started mocking up ideas for the first Get Lifted tee,” said Russell. “At this point IMAG3 wasn’t anything yet.”

The first designs were made with birthday money, which allowed Russell to buy a couple dozen blank shirts and a one color press that he used to make the first batch of shirts in his apartment—a messy process that left a black ring around his bathtub.

“We would just chill in my apartment, cut stencils and make shirts.”

But as the get lifted motto suggests, Russell continued to build his brand, tweaking and improving old designs as he went. Eventually Russell had to give it a name, and logically it made sense to title it after the nickname, Image, that his friends had given him as a result of his annual process of getting new ski-apparel.

“It’s funny because I would buy most of my stuff on this website Steep and Cheap, so it was all really cheap gear.”

It began as Image Threads, but once Russell realized the company’s purpose, it was modified to IMAG3 (Image-Three), which represents the 3-pronged audience the company aims to reach: Riding, Music, and Threads.

While the threads category is broad in the sense that it’s for anyone who wears clothing (sorry nudists), it is a reflection of IMAG3’s mission statement that is all about unity and focusing on the progressive culture of the younger generations. And the IMAG3 objective came as a result of Russell’s observation of the shift in the relationship between snowboarders and freestyle skiers.

“I noticed this change in the way snowboarders and skiers were acting towards each other. That old rivalry was gone, and it’s now all about just laying down sick tricks and enjoying each other’s style. So what I’m trying to do is not just appeal to snowboarders or freestyle skiers, but to all forms of riding be it on wheels or on snow.”

Russell is hard at work developing the Fall 09 line in addition to organizing and participating in events that will get the IMAG3 name and brand out there. Whether it’s sponsoring competitions like the Battle for Burlington, a college versus college snowboarding and freestyle skiing competition, or working on a non-profit event such as Slam for Sudan, a 3-point and slam dunk contest that helps support Sudanese refugees living in Vermont, Russell is taking a hands-on approach to not just shaping his brand, but leaving a mark on the culture it caters to.

As of now, the main distributors of IMAG3 are UndergroundHipHop.com and BrandNewClothing.com, a clothing collective that supports, promotes, and distributes multiple different brands of clothing. The Burlington-based BrandNew, which is powered by Catalyst Design, has facilitated the rapid growth of IMAG3 as Russell occasionally would put in 18 hour days as an intern just so he could print his own stuff on site. It’s that kind of hard work and dedication that has allowed Russell and IMAG3 to continue to get lifted.

How do you get lifted? Send your answers to Russell at russell@imag3vt.com

www.imag3vt.com

www.brandnewclothing.com

www.undergroundhiphop.com

Thousands lined up outside the Park Central New York Hotel in Manhattan to auditon for America’s Next Top Model, only to erupt in a stampede of wanna-be/will never be super models. The video says it all.