By - Jason Hamric The music world lost a giant this week.  Seymour Stein, was a music industry veteran who shaped the sounds and careers of some of the biggest and some of my favorite artists of the last century. From the Ramones to Madonna, his influence can be felt in all corners of the music world.  As the founder of Sire Records, Stein played a huge role in finding […]

By - Brian Teasley It may be an unpopular opinion, and I agree he was had some massive missteps and done some horribly cheesy things, but I think John Lydon has had so many moments of brilliance despite surviving so much manipulation, animosity, and tragedy. I think very few humans will ever know what it feels like to be the #1 national target for so much hot-blooded anger and brickwall […]

All words and photos by - Sandi Sidwell Everyone has their, "How they got into skateboarding story". Mine follows the I was going through a rough time narrative and needed help. I quickly found out that when you are learning to skateboard, your mind is completely focused on not falling. It let me exist for those hours without feeling the immense pain of losing a loved one. Fast forward to […]

By Jason Hamric The quintessential dive into every day life in the 80's NYC freak scene If I could time travel there are a few places I'd love to go.  Paris in the '20s would be amazing, California in the 60's sounds exciting but my first stop would have to be Manhattan in the early 80's.  The intersection of punk, hip hop, new wave and street art/style.  The Bronx were […]

By Jason Hamric Substrate wants to thank the Grammys for a great start on redirecting the awards event this year. From an organization with an extremely problematic history with rap and the over all hip hop genre and lifestyle when it comes to awards, this is a wonderful move forward.  The 50 years of Hip Hop presentation was amazing. I don’t even know how to elaborate on that (GO WATCH […]

“La Bestia,” a documentary about kids traveling thousands of miles on top of trains from Central America to try to get to the United States, truly broke my heart. It is an utterly gut-wrenching and wholly vital watch at the same time. The main train line these kids often ride is called La Bestia ("The Beast"), also known as El Tren de la Muerte ("The Train of Death"). It takes […]

By Jason Hamric   tris·kai·dek·a·pho·bi·a /ˌtriskīˌdekəˈfōbēə/ noun extreme superstition regarding the number thirteen.     What makes the number 13 such bad luck?   While it evokes sheer dread in some, it completely plays on feelings of nostalgia and wonderful children’s games with others.   BUT, if you add in “Friday” to that 13 in there it s a straight up super villain holiday, and indisputable BAD LUCK DAY! But, where did that […]