Sean Malto's first shoe comes out this season, and last night at Tenno Sushi in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo was the release party. Malto loves sushi, so that was the theme, and most of the crowd was decked out in one of Malto's favorite 4Star shirt and red and blue beanie. The all-stars in attendance were the crowd you'd expect, from Girl, etnies, 4 Star, Escapist in Kansas City, and the folks from Transworld all came up as well.
To order the Faction "Collection" CD, email Mark (at) skatepunk.net to check remaining stock.
The Faction was a hardcore punk rock band from Halloween 1982 until Halloween 1985. Coming from the heart of the Northern California skateboard scene, (San Jose, numbskull: if you thought I was talking Frisco, you're wrong!) the band was one of the original "Skate Rock" bands whose music and lifestyle tastes centered on skateboarding and punk rock.
Here I will collect a number of articles that I've saved over the years about the Clash. Many of them are from Melody Maker and New Musical Express by the top punk writers of the day. Others are by one-offs who I never read again. I will always give credit to the original writer and I will continue to add to it as long as I can find new old articles.
The Clash was one of the first punk bands whose records I bought as they came out. I'd heard of the Clash from the skateboarding magazines, but didn't know what to make of them. Then, in 1979, around the time that London Calling came out, I got their first three records all within a short span of time. At the time, I loved the self-titled album, The Clash, I liked London Calling, and Give 'Em Enough Rope didn't really register. It sat in the pile with Never Mind The Bollocks until 1981 or maybe even later, mostly untouched. As time went on, they became one of my Favorite Bands, along with X and Devo.
The following article/interview was originally published on skatepunk.net in early 2000. The timing was key. The Locust had really hit their stride as a band, 31g was boasting a strong catalog, and the recent passing of Swing Kids and Unbroken guitarist Eric Allen was a bitter pill to swallow. Justin took the time to provide thoughtful and in-depth answers and the interview reflects that period of time very well.
