Interview by Sean Bendon.

Photos by Jon Frazier.

How’s it going?

Chilling. Michigan winter is setting in. It’s snowing so no skating is happening right now.

You’re currently living in Grand Rapids, why did you decide to move there instead of say California or New York?

Michigan is a good home base. It might not always seem like it, but there’s a lot to do. I spent a lot of time in Grand Rapids growing up and skating with the dudes at Premier, it just made sense to move down here from Ludington. I have been thinking about making a move, not sure where yet though.

What’s good with Premier?

It’s the shop that I ride for, and where a lot of my good friends work. They just celebrated their 20 year anniversary. Last night we had the shop Christmas party. They rented out the upstairs of a bowling alley and we had some fun. I’m not much of a bowler, I barely broke 100 last night.

Have to ask, do you skate with Kalis?

Yeah, I’ve known Josh since I was a little kid. I met him at my local park. He moved back to Michigan a few years ago to raise his kids and I’ve been skating with him since he moved back. Real skate rat.

Did he help you get hooked up with DC?

Yeah for sure. I was out skating with him and he was like, “Yo, you wanna get some shoes?” Actually, I’m not sure he even asked, cause he knew I was down. Thankful for him hooking that up and looking out.

Having Kalis look out for you is pretty special. Michigan has some pretty heavy hitters, any personal favorites?

Adam Mueller and Nick Rainey out of Detroit. Josh, Auttiesh Danger, Nelson Solivan, and Teddy Seeley from Grand Rapids.

When did you get on Snack?

I was in SF in 2015 and I was skating Soma park. Some dude in a green Snack hat saw me skating there and said he knows a guy at Snack and I should send some footage. Premier was starting to get their gear at the time and I was down. Sent some footage after I got back from SF. It all kinda worked out from there. I can’t remember what the guy in the green hat looked like.

You’ve gotten to do a fair amount of traveling under the Snack budget, does any one place stand out in particular?

Jamaica. We had all the homies on that trip exploring the island and the people of Jamaica showed us a lot of love. Every time we go on a Snack trip we meet a few people that help showing us around and we end up having a good connection.

While you were in Jamaica you went to Laza Morgan’s (Jamaican American reggae singer) mansion?

Yup, we were headed there on a bus from Kingston and we talked the driver into renting out the bus for $100. He drove us to the end of the island, but Bonesaw only had a sticky note with directions on it. So we stopped and asked a local how to get there. We found someone named Pepe who said he knew the way, and he guided us. We made it there but not before he had us stopping at a few bars and a roller skating rink.

Sounds like an adventure. How was Morocco?

Morocco was a lot of fun. I flew into Rabat and met a guy at baggage claim who told me he’d be heading towards the train station. Him and his mother dropped me off and helped me get a train to Casablanca. Everyone was really nice out there. Good spots and good hash too.

Would you say skating has been your main way to travel or did you travel much before?

Growing up on a farm and being in the woods made me love exploring, but skating has definitely opened it up. You get to meet people and make some great experiences.

Is there anywhere you wanna go, whether skating or not?

I’ve been wanting to go to the Northeast more. Like Philly, Boston, and New York.

You had some filming credits in the Snack video Once Upon a Time in Mexico, how did that come about?

I had burnt out winter legs and Sam left us the camera. I’ve had a few VX’s and used to film a bunch so if anyone wanted to get anything I’d be down.

Got any videos or projects you’ve been working on?

I’ve been working on a video with my friend Fausto Fernandez for a few years now. I’m also filming with my homie Matt Eggebeen around Grand Rapids. he’s the guy when it comes to fixing and finding the spot. He’s got a good eye for that. Dues Paid, a video out of Cleveland by my friend Jesse Braun and a Snack x Deep Dish video.

Besides skating in Michigan a lot, you fish?

Got into fishing this past summer cause we get days where it get too humid to skate. My friend Chad and I would grab our poles and head to the Grand River. Fishing is kinda like skating. You’re just looking for a cutty bank spot where you can post up with the homies and drink some, smoke some. Even if you don’t get the catch, you’re still having a good time. I got a mean tackle box.

Shoutouts?

Bonesaw and the Snack boys, Josh Higginson, Fausto and all the homies at Premier skate shop. Mike Jasinski, Kalis, Mike Hoag, Jon Frazier, Matt Eggebeen, and Andrew Collar.