You don’t visit Austin enough. It’s a fact. And if you’ve never been, put it on your short list to get there asap, even if only for a few days. It had been years since I’d visited, but when Calvin Millar phoned me to let me know he’d be premiering his video he’d been working on for the last ~nine months at No Comply Skateshop during South By, one week from today, I set about securing a last minute flight and a place to stay. I didn’t want to pass this trip up!
A huge crew amassed outside No Comply. As it was SXSW week, a lot was going on. For instance, Chris Haslam and Rodney Mullen were in town to promote their new AR skate game app.
The line to meet Rodney went on for hours. A fan and Calvin on the roof!
Chris Haslam patiently waiting to sign more autographs.
Haslam over at House Park with a fan.
As luck would have it, I ran into my old buddy Tom Ruzbasan as he lives in Austin now. He’s on the far right. Max Taylor and Max Fitzgibben, ready for a night out in Austin.
After the sun set, THE SQUAD premiered.
It says “Lone Star,” duh.
Next day, I took in some sights of Texas’ capital.
A little vintage shopping on Congress.
Longhorn manny pad.
SXSW hopefuls everywhere.
The beautiful UT campus where many Today Was Chills have been filmed.
Business is booming in Austin!
Round closing time, all roads lead to the shop and the park.
Best squad ever! Rob Homyak, Jayson Bentley, Max Jang, Lake Stiles, Dylan Jones, Elias Bingham, and Calvin Millar.
Selfied up with my No Comply shirt and iced coffee from their shop.
Over at House park, here’s how they ride in Austin.
Thanks for the hospitality y’all!
The two days whizzed by, I could’ve easily stayed a full week and taken in the SXSW music showcases every night and No Comply’s Daniel Johnston exhibit. As it was I packed in an afternoon at Barton Springs, a Guru Khalsa sighting (and free incense), a Spits show at Hotel Vegas, clinked bottles with Chris Russell and many Shep Dawgs, ran into old friends and met many new ones. The mental note has been made that I ought to make it to Austin annually. Great, great people, an incredible skate scene, live music for days—as a skateboarder, it really is a treasure of a town.
SurfinDaddy has been hanging around the periphery of the web since 2001 – but the dawn of 2021 sees us ready to jump into the fray. No longer content to be an outsider (but loving that our readership will be those who love the outdoors) we’re poised to become your online resource for all things related to boardsports.
