Pala, California

Our good friend, Benjie, is the CEO of the military skate brand, Thrash n Raid.

As you guys know we’ve done a bunch of events with Thrash n Raid as well as “6 Feet Above” which is an organization of veterans that help combat PTSD depression and anxiety by channeling it through skateboarding.  In June, both of these brands were hosting their second annual music and skateboard event out in Pala, California.  

The event would consist of about 1000 attendees with food from Grinderz and other vendors skateboarding ramps by us and several live bands including Steve Caballero’s punk band, Urethane, and the amazing headliner, The Aquabats.  Steve Cab is a legend and an incredibly kind human being.  

Christian Jacobs, singer of the Aquabats, is also a good friend.  He’s been the front runner of the band since they began in the mid 90s.  Christian is also responsible for the kids tv show, Yo Gabba Gabba.  

The venue was in the middle of nowhere, Pala California.  It was one of the coolest warehouses we’ve been to - open and full of graffiti art.  

The guys already had a rad setup before we even arrived on site including the 8ft wide mini ramp, grind boxes, the bump to butter etc.  Plus we brought a custom launch ramp + landing and 12ft long flat/round rail.  Ya know, just some of our favorites!  Steve having a little fun on our ramp between sets.

via GIPHY

Skateboarding and live music is the best, there’s nothing like it. The vibe was great. It was an amazing event for families, kids, professional skateboarders and everybody in between.   

All the bands put on a great performance at the very end our Skate Team riders Mike Berdis and Andrew Miller both wanted to launch over a limousine.  With the assistance of a handful of these vets, who are far more ripped than us, helped us push the launch ramp up against the limousine.  

The guys landed the trick and literally shook the crowd with excitement. So much fun!!

We had a great time doing an event with great people.  Follow them for more gigs!

Check out our full YouTube video of the event -