FEAR, EMPTINESS, DECIBEL: THE SHRINE TALK ROCK AND SKATEBOARDING
Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…
“Getting cosigned”—earning the endorsement of an established, respected artist—is a phrase mostly employed in hip-hop circles, but obviously the premise applies to any genre of music. Recent example: sludge merchants haarp have reaped the benefits of Phil Anselmo’s super-fandom, releasing two increasingly acclaimed full-lengths on his Housecore imprint. As for L.A. thrash-punks the Shrine, well, they have proof of their Chuck Dukowski cosign onstage: Black Flag’s former bassist gave frontman Josh Landau the P.A. head Greg Ginn used to record Damaged and Nervous Breakdown. It’s like being knighted (a fellow scumbag)!
You’d imagine the Shrine have to be pretty likeable guys to be the beneficiaries of a gift that legendary, and the latest installment of the Converse x Decibel series seems to confirm that. The focus isn’t name-dropping Dukowski so much as the Gonzales Pool, a classic, recently demolished SoCal skate spot where the band took their own (now highly circulated) promo pictures. It’s part of the same DIY ethic they apply not just to creating their own merch and booking their own shows, but turning found space and hideous architecture into skate heaven. Grind over and check it out after the jump!
-AB
The November issue of Decibel features Pig Destroyer, Enslaved, and a sweet Deceased flexi disc, and can be ordered here. But why not just get a full subscription to ensure that you an issue?
