British Columbia

The Shop

It’s hard not to get excited when you find yourself in a place like The Shop. As far as literally building your dreams, it doesn’t get much more tangible than this and it’s my favorite type of story to cover.

Brett Beadle and TJ Schnieder have been channelling the shop in their own personal lives for years and finally it has come to fruition. When I visited The Shop it was about a month away from its grand opening and for that reason, the visit felt even more special. You could see the work that had already been done, new elements being built and how excited they are for things to come.

Unwrapped merchandise sat on tables and a few stunning denim jackets by Eat Dust hung from the rack. You could simply squint your eyes and imagine them accompanied by all of the other brands to soon join them. The thought put into each decision of what to carry in the shop is enough evidence to believe that when you walk into this place to buy something, you are buying ONLY what the guys want in here – the brands they have a connection to and brands they believe in. Some of our favorites will find a home here; Brixton, Deus, Filson, Lifetime, Stance, Penfield to name just a few. The shop even carries handmade motorcycle handlebars made right out of a local Vancouver garage.

The Shop opened a few weeks ago to the excitement of the riding community in Vancouver, but it’s more than just a cycle shop, it has quickly become a place to hang out for riders and non-riders alike; stools line the windows and you can also find a damn fine cup of coffee within these walls. Whether it’s to see old friends, make new ones, pick up some new gear, or even just to get shelter from the imminent BC rain as you’re cruising around the city, there is a special energy here that warmly welcomes all that venture inside. Something tells me this little shop nestled right off of Hastings street will live to tell a big story for decades to come.

 

theshopvancouver.com

 


A sneak peek at The Shop under construction.

Brett Beadle walks us through The Shop from Witness This on Vimeo.

 

By Dersu In Style

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Bear Mountain

Within the first thirty seconds of pressing play on Bear Mountain’s first track off of XO, their first LP I get really excited. It’s got the layering of The Avalanches, the big anthem feel of Passion Pit, the basslines of Tanlines and its own special powerful ingredients all mixed together in one electronic-rock-synth emotionally charged landscape. It’s hard to completely put a finger on the genre of music as the album travels from minimal house, to Fisherspooner-esque electro salsa beats. Ian Bevis’s vocals add a sing along quality to XO.

Bear Mountain is made up of Ian Bevis and Kyle Statham both from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. The band has caught the attention of the city and their audience is growing every day. Just last week Bear Mountain played in Stockholm, Sweden opening for Van She.

I caught up with Ian at The Keefer in Vancouver last month and had the opportunity to share a beer with him leaned up against a brick wall outside of the bar. This type of interview has proven to be the most fun. The combination of a few drinks and Ian’s relaxed, engaged, positive energy made this interview one of my favorites to date. A structured interview was far from what took place, and within moments any questions that I had written down to ask were replaced with conversation that energetically shot back and forth.

Ian is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. His calm demeanor isn’t one of shyness, but instead of politeness and authenticity. He knows that he is a part of something special. He’s played in several other bands throughout his career, however Bear Mountain seems to be different from most of the other projects. The songs developed from Garage Band to Ableton and Ian then began to record his vocals and slowly Bear Mountain was birthed. Ian asked Kyle to listen to some of the initial recordings and immediately Kyle was hooked and the two recorded the album alongside Doug Wells and Greg Bevis.

The touring part initially didn’t exactly go quite as well as the recording did. Ian recalls their first concert, “I played a couple shows by myself, I was just playing the songs on Ableton and I was singing, and then had a kick drum.” Ian leans back against the wall and shakes his head then starts laughing as he recalls the next part of the story. “It didn’t really go that great, the next band up was called The Wizards and half way through my set the crowd started chanting, “Wizards, Wizards, Wizards.”

Ian quickly realized that he had to put a band together and Kyle and Doug Wells joined him for the next live show and Bear Mountain found its footing.

It’s certain that big things are in store for the band as trips to LA to meet with record labels, as well as a small tour in Europe keeps the momentum moving forward. I had the opportunity to see Ian again a few weeks later as he caught a few days of vacation with his girlfriend Gina in Berlin. I had the chance to ask him what he sees happening next with the project. I see his eyes move off behind me, scanning the cobblestone streets, and sunny building tops of Berlin. “I would love to move here and just live here, writing during the day and getting inspired by night.” Something tells me this isn’t a far off dream for Bear Mountain, the energy of Ian and the project feels right for Berlin, or Vancouver, or really anywhere amazing music lives.

mybearmountain.com
soundcloud.com/bearmountain

By Dersu In Sound

Tags: , , , , , ,

Love Jules Leather Part 2

Love Jules Leather is back and our favorite leather crafting genius’s Jules and Joshua have been very busy. See their newest additions to the Love Jules Leather line below and make sure to check out their Etsy site for lots more amazing product. Our favorite new items are a dead draw between the Ben Wannamaker Throwback Pro Model - HIGHTOP Leather Boat Shoes – Pebbled Red and Navy Blue Cowhide with Pendleton Details, and the Recycled vibrant red leather fanny pack – hand cut, sewn, and riveted – with the nautical striped belt. Are you kidding, it doesn’t get much better than what is going on here.

www.etsy.com/shop/lovejules

By Dersu In Style

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Witness Spencer Kaneda

Spencer Kaneda is from Canada. Wait what? Just kidding, I’m sure that’s not the first time that Spencer has heard that! He lives in Hawaii now and at 18 years young is already deep in the creative realm of photography.  ”Photography is my favourite way to express myself as it provides the perfect platform of being in the moment and creating at the same time, but the best part is the surprise of how each photo turns out.  That is what keeps me shooting.”

Spencer travels with his Pentax SP1000 and below you will see photos from his adventures in British Columbia as well as Hawaii. Hard not to love his natural light leaks and the results of scanning these photos. The dust, scratches and the developing solution all come together in telling his story.

cargocollective.com/theaquarium

By Dersu In Darkroom

Tags: , , , ,

Robyn Penn

We came across Robyn ‘s work a few years ago and became fans immediately. Not only does she seem to constantly surround herself with amazing settings; British Columbia Wilderness, Hawaiian Islands, Desert Landscapes, but she also has a consistant cast of absolutely astounding people to photograph all of the time. There is a love hate relationship that takes place when looking at her images, love for the moments she captures, her relationship with her subjects, the way seems she to catch a time and place intimate and special or ferocious and powerful. There is a hate as well, or maybe to use a less strong word, envy, for the way her photography makes us long to be at the beaches, jungles, rain forests, or the Playa of Burning Man. The bottom line, Robyn Penn is a Genius, watch for her. We can’t wait to see where she goes next, who she will photograph, and what moment she’ll capture.

Without further delay we present Burning Man, through the lens of Robyn Penn.

 For the full experience click on the photos to make them larger, it’s definitely worth it.

Where you from and where do you live now?
born in New Zealand, grew up in Victoria BC, live in Maui. started taking serious photos or taking my photography seriously when i moved to maui and couldn’t work legally.
being an illegal alien turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it kind of gave me permission to take something ‘less serious’ seriously.

What got you into taking photos?

i studied biology in university… a ‘steady for sure thing’ with a promising future… and photography was just something i did on weekends. it took almost a decade, and a move to maui to admit that i was in love… passionately in love. a fleeting romance had progressed to the point where i had to make a commitment and focus (neither of which come naturally to me) and it was time to bring it home to meet my mom.

Who inspires you?
my family and friends. i am blessed with incredible parents.. they have always provided me and my siblings with the perfect balance of supportive roots and a rich environment and space to cultivate our craziest ideas/dreams.
i am surrounded by inspiring people and there is such a contagious quality to being around other people who are inspired in their own lives.

what inspires you?
sensuality… human chemistry… the way people interact with each other or their environment.

If you were going to direct a film what would it be about?
sensuality and human chemistry

Where is your special place? why?
underwater. i find it very comforting… probably because that’s where we all began. i think that its the closest my inner reality comes to matching my physical reality… i very much exist inside my mind;)

whats a typical day in the life of Robyn Penn?
that depends where i am… my typical day on maui is simplistically (or maddeningly) simple.. consists of getting up, making coffee, editing for a couple hours, getting in the ocean, surf/run/sup/bodysurf/sail/swim/snorkle.. something active… i photograph most days.. surf, wedding, portrait, or whatever creative project i am in the depths of… watch a lot of sunsets, drink a lot of wine, host a lot of canadians.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“I have no money, no resources, no hopes. I am the happiest man alive!” – Henry Miller or “A book should be sought after even if it has only one great page in it. We must search for fragments, splinters, toenails. Anything that has ore in it. Anything that is capable of resurrecting the body mind or soul.” – Henry Rollins

Who is the person you most want to photograph in this world?
i would love to continue photographing new people.
my desire to photograph a person stems from falling in love… discovering an aspect of a personality or person that i identify with inspires me to photograph them… hope that i keep meeting people that i fall a little bit in love with.

Visit her website here.

Visit her blog here.

By Dersu In Art, Darkroom

Tags: , , , , ,
1 2