Sam King and I met many years ago through a love for skateboarding especially a love for skating pools. Whether someone else’s discovery of a backyard gem that we would skate when the owners weren’t home or the house was for sale, repoed, or abandoned. Our favorite was waking up every Saturday morning around sixAM choosing a region of Northern CA and setting out looking for pools that were either already empty or just needed us to pump them dry. The leads would come from construction workers, firemen, PG&E workers, bankers, recently burned down homes, brush fires, and endless other creative resources to fill our love. We did not have Google Maps like all the new kids are using for recon work, ahha. The number of pools we’ve skated together is ridiculous, stories too long and too many to write here but our friendship materialized into memories I hope our aging minds never forget. I know my joints, bones, and scares won’t forget the abuse they’ve been dealt! Through these adventures and others he’s gotten the aliases Out of Hand Sam and Leg. Sometimes we’d spend a whole Saturday emptying and cleaning the pool to return Sunday to skate it. We’ve conned, or is it charmed, our way into house owners backyards to let us skate their pools with permission as well as straight up lied to their faces saying we’re with “So and so and the pool needs to be empty because of blah blah blah” if it was a construction site and they swung by. We’ve ran in a split second relying on good recon work and communication ahead of time if the cops showed or homeowners came home. If a pool wasn’t on the list for a Saturday adventure it would be the backside of a damn, full pipes, drainage ditches, etc. If it wasn’t meant to be skated we tried to find it and skate it!

Over the years Sam has done several music projects with his latest project being a band called Get Dead. Get Dead captures while fueling his energy that he brought to every skate session and embraces his nicknames and reputation that equates into an insane show. Sam sent me some demo’s years ago and I had the opportunity to do some pre-production with them but things didn’t line up for me to produce the album though I hope the opportunity will rise again. They continue to develop and manifest into what few punk bands can do today! If you go to a show you will leave a changed person with bruises and blood to maybe go with the experience for free. The music is Sam’s whitty verses with some talented musicians together into what will make your blood boil and legs move!

Here are some links to check Get Dead out and support a band that deserves your support!

Get Dead Myspace

Get Dead Reverb Nation

1) The who, what, when, where, and why of your first tattoo? Picture?

My first tattoo is still the best worst tattoo I have. I got it when I was thirteen living in San Martin, California at Coyote Tattoo off Monterey Rd.. It’s a sun on my shoulder. When I got it, it filled up my whole shoulder. But I was so scrawny then that it has gotten smaller, almost to a comedic size. I was the only kid in school that had a tattoo that didn't say “Flaca” or “lil man” or shit like that. I sported a wife beater all the time with my head held high like some kind of white trash matador. I bugged my mom for an entire year to go in there with me to say it was ok. It wasn't until a few years later I fell into the garage tats by my friends or I would've had that shit at eleven. My mexican friends called me Sunshine and it stuck for a few years. I hated that tattoo then. I would be skating down the street or walking with a girl and some would do a drive by "Sunshiiiiine".
The best part it is I just pointed at the wall and picked it out of a bunch of flash suns. To this day there are some 15 people from my hometown that have the same tattoo.

2) The who, what, when, where, and why of your latest tattoo? Picture?

The last tattoo I got was the other night by my homie baby drew in South San Jose at Salvation Tattoo. Drew had just closed up his shop and met me at my moms house and she cooked us dinner. I've known Baby Drew for years, ever since he worked at Al's Rock of the Ages in San Mateo. That shop was dope because Al was good friends with Captain Don (rip) and we got to met him a couple times. The dude swallowed swords for us it was epic. Anyway, me and Drew were eating and he told me he was gonna get violated for a parole violation. He is looking at the better part of a two year stint possibly in San Quinn. So I wanted something from him as a way to keep him in my thoughts and remind me to send him money for the canteen. It’s a blackcat with a horseshoe and some clouds and lightning, nothing too deep. Just a dope piece by Baby Drew who is a stand up dude in a shitty situation.

3) The last band, album, and song you listened to?

My band Get Dead. We have been working on our fourth album. Its gonna be our first full length. The boys came up with a bunch of new songs that need lyrics so on my train rides in between San Jose and SF I listen and write. Shit should be out February/March 2011 on vinyl.