Ralph Fatello proves himself dependable and steady as he brings us the latest in New England surf action. Ralph is not the only one who is steady as these DVD's show the steady surf in NE. THE RUN as Ralph has branded it ran from February 18, 2009 to December 10, 2009 comprising 43 out of 44 weeks of waist high or bigger waves. Ralph proves every year that there are big waves to be had around here but a run like that is a real phenomenon. The result is two jam packed generous DVD's. Ralph shoots all the action straight ahead with no frills and excellent quality. Ralph's videos are the only place where when you say they are snow boarding you don't mean ON the snow but on the water WHILE it's snowing.

      One of the changes is these videos is the use of more untraditional surf music. The mold is broken with all local music acts. So, now you get the local music scene along with the surfing one. One of the most used groups is QWILL. Ralph does some playing too. I like the way the moodier music plays off the action in the water. One long fiery instrumental makes for a dramatic section.

      The videos also have a sense of place; you pick up on the locals with the small interviews and the small snippets of the street scene.
      Along with the videos there are some beautiful still photos by a group of dedicated photographers who help document the scene. Extras include charity events that give credit to a community that gives back.
      Both videos are long which makes them a great bargain.
      You can get the videos at ....www.surffreeordie.com .

     One of the problems with Boston Punk is that to enjoy it you have to make sure you live at least 30 years after the date. Here's an example. This is a video of La Peste from 1979 fresh on your doorstop now in 2010.
     What a gem: an 8 song video from La Peste. We have been La Peste deficient from the beginning. There just never was enough from these guys. Only the lack of material in the day explains why they didn't get more attention.

     Here we get to see their arty yet hot version of punk. Peter Dayton and Mark Karl both thin and tall; Peter dark and Mark blond and angelic looking. Peter's guitar buzzing and sometimes clanking like a steam engine while Roger Tripp will crack sharp on the snare and then make a busy rumble on the toms. It's all captured here on a good night. You also get the feel of the crowd and the space. It zaps you back to it's time and place.
     The disc also has 12 more songs with tons of pictures of the group. It's all a must have.
     Get it from Jan at his site http://www.kinodv.net/movies/archive/La_Peste-Package.html

      The story of hardcore in America as the title says. It's much worth seeing.. Three's lots of interviews by the principals of the scene and Boston gets its share, we care about that. They talk to Jerry's Kids, SSD, DYS and Gang Green. Springa gets himself in there a lot; it's hard to stifle that wild personality. They do give the props to SSD.
     Black Flag, Bad Brains and Minor Threat get the attention they deserve. I liked the chance to see Ian MacKaye talk for a while. Rollins does the Rollins thing. H.R. from Bad Brains gives a lucid interview and they say that isn't always the way.
     It's fantastic to see the short film bursts of gigs. Hardcore shows are the most exciting shows in rock and you can see that every time a film clip plays. Some times during a clip they subtitle the vocals which is actually a good thing. Putting words to the fierce onslaught of energy makes the impact even stronger.

     Lot's of great photos.
     The extras have 6 full songs. This is one place I thought they could have done more. There is one by Jerry's Kids and one by SSD.
     The commentary by the directors is chatty and worth hearing.
     This is readily available around.

     As sure as the seasons change Ralph Fatello gets out his surf videos. This year he has two: Greeting Seasons and GrooveMasters.
     The local long boarders get their due in GrooveMasters. The triple fin guys used to see the long boarders as a throwback or oddity but here we see them as a comfortable community of very able surfers. They get the classic long gliding ride although they can get a modern move in when they want.
     As with all of Ralph's video you get to see plenty of surfing in the New England breaks. The production is quality with good music, it's always easy to take in.

     Greeting Seasons (clever) takes you through a year of ocean action in New England from Jan. 2007 to Nov. 2008. Sometimes it seems like none of the beaches have sand, it's always surfers working their way through rocks to get to the breaks. You have to wonder at the hardiness of the surfers who have wet suits on almost all year because even if the air is warm the northern Atlantic isn't.
     Greeting Seasons comes up with two big celebrity surprises. First you get legendary Tom Curren surfing in conjunction with some event. One would never expect to find the three time ASP champ in NH but there he is and Ralph got him.
     Next Ralph films gentleman surfer Shaun Tomson. This former world champ was just checking out the surf in NH!. I love Shaun so that was a big thrill for me.

     If you like to check out the local surf scene this is the only place to go.
     You can get the videos at ....www.surffreeordie.com .

     Ralph Fatello was always into surfing even during his days playing on the scene in the Vinny Band. When the BGN did a "Day in the Life" feature on Ralph it was all about the surfing. Now Ralph works his design agency (www.adlantic.com) and still spends his time surfing.
     Also, he does one or two surf videos a year. The DVD's spotlight surfing in New England, New Jersey and Cape Hatteras, mostly. It's a kick to see the NE surfer in his element. These guys can cut it with lots of nice moves and some respectable waves. The winter surfing sections will give you frostbite just looking at them. These surfers are hardcore like the warm weather riders can never be.
     Ralph does good production and you can see here what he will bring to the documentary on the Rat. One of his biggest strengths is matching music to visuals. All the DVD's have small side elements like jokes or interviews but nothing gets long because Ralph is going to show surf action, that what it's all about for him.
     The surfing community is lucky to have someone like Ralph cranking these things out. Pictured here is his 2007 epic. All his DVD's can be bought in some surf shops in New Hampshire where he is based or on www.surffreeordie.com his web site.
     This is the real deal, local action in the Atlantic. Very worth it for the interested.

     What a wonderful opportunity this is. A chance to see The Cabinet of Dr Caligari with some updating and it was done locally.
      This film is so influential on many areas of art. I'm not going to go into the history and such because it has been done elsewhere. (Check out Wikipedia for a start.)
     I know we all have trouble getting through silent film but this is too good not to tackle under any circumstance and here it is a pleasure. Tim Casey has cut the title cards and added subtittles which keep things moving. Hayim Kobi has added a winning electronic score. It's here in 5.1 surround sound if you want to crank it out and you should. It perks up the whole experience for the modern vewer.
     Not having seen this for some time I was amazed again at the incredible set designs. To think these were done in 1920 is a source of wonder. Goth fans have to digest this, I mean it's mandatory.
      This is available at www.lowbudgetrecords.com which is also Mr. Curt's label currently.
     Very highly recommended.