citywise
Oasis Skateboard Company
From the humble beginnings of brewing curb wax at home to owning a skate company, Dan Madsen not only puts out a line of hand-painted decks and clothing, but also works to support skate artists all over the islands and is trying to implement environmentally friendly practices. You would never know that this Big Island transplant is from Minnesota. Without a trace of the Midwestern accent, the skater/surfer lilt is so strong that this fast-talking San Francisco native had to ask him to repeat himself multiple times after tagging him on his freestyle voicemail.
With a skate culture that isn’t as prominent as on O’ahu, opportunity presented itself to Madsen back in 2001 when he helped to build the House of Ramps skate park (the first privately owned skate park in Hilo which unfortunately no longer exists), as well as the skate shop that was in the park. Oasis also just finished a recent fundraiser for the new Pahoa Skate Park, which was about 10 years in the making.
Going to school in Hilo as an art major and with plans to continue school in the future for graphic design in Honolulu, Madsen’s design skills manifest themselves with ‘local flair’ on his products. The Aloha Soldier logo, with its primal skull sporting a pineapple-inspired helmet, graces most of the decks. Upcoming stencil and spray paint designs include a machete and an Aloha Soldier-like King Kamehameha statue.
-Margot Seeto
Oasis Skateboard Company
[oasisskateco.com] (808) 217-6873
Oasis products are available at some of the following shops:
Five-O Skateshop
84 Ponahawai St. Hilo, Big Island
(808) 934-9981
The Skate Shack
75-159 Lunapule Rd.
Kona (808) 326-9094
The Hell Caminos
Lust
If a scene implies a style, and a style implies a look, then this psychobilly posse will meet your expectations. With an all black get up consisting of tight jeans, shoulder cut shirts exposing sleeves of ink, ankle wrought bandanas, slicked back hair and enough eye-liner to make Little Richard woot, ‘Good golly, miss molly!,’ these pretty boys have their image bulls-eyed. Forming in 2004 with one album and an American west coast tour under their studded belts, The Hell Caminos set off to do it again with Lust and new enlistee Jesse Atomic (guitar, vocals).
Opening track ‘A Dark Place’ sets the mood for the album’s higher nod to punk rather than a rockabilly approach, which may offset fans of their live shows. Trading twang for crunch, along with vocals such as those sang in ‘Lust,’ with its pirate anthem sailors ahoy brings to mind psychobilly’s greats, The Meteors. Unfortunately, the album lingers with dull, cliche, emo-screamo lyrics your 12-year-old MTV-savvy sister knows all too well. Tears aside, The Hell Caminos seem to be focusing on a pop chorus-heavy approach with their song writing, which is refreshing when it comes to Hawai’i’s tight knit rock scene. Ode to that small crowd, ‘18′ is a fun, ballsy slap to those sharply marked, X-handed groupies And yes, ‘Sound House,’ the now-defunct underage hot spot, is another song.
-Cory Asato
Hell Caminos record release party, Anna Bannana, Sat 3/15, 9pm, $5, all ages, 945-5190
