(light music) - Welcome to Music Matters.

I am your host Apolonia Davalos.

- We build community through music as we meet the artists of Innoskate.

Innoskate Sioux Zoo Falls was a free festival with skateboarding invention, creativity, and fun.

(bright upbeat music) (jazz music) - Stereo Skateboard Co-founders, Jason Lee and Chris Pastras are legends in skateboarding and media creation.

Their short film, "A Visual Sound" is one of the first introductions of experimental art, film and music in skateboarding videos.

Going against the grain with the use of eight millimeter film black and white still photography, and a pure jazz score.

"A visual sound" is now revered as a classic within the skateboard community and was inducted into the Smithsonian American History Museum's Permanent Sports History Collection at Innoskate Sioux Falls.

Music Matters is excited to explore "A visual sound" with Chris Pastras and Jason Lee.

(jazz music) - You know, first of all, jazz being an American invention.

The improvisation that you see from skateboarding, it's like the best skateboarders in the world don't plan everything.

Just like Monk didn't plan everything he played on piano.

They were unbeknownst to most people.

Jazz musicians were classically trained, really, really classically trained.

So you listened to Mingus Plays piano.

If you wanna know if Charles Mingus was classically trained it's a beautiful album, and they got their chops down but that enabled them to just go off in these tangents like skateboarders.

Like once you get the, the floor model down you get the basics down with the ally, the kick flip, the tail slide.

You can make infinite combinations and no two runs, no two skaters are the same.

And also, the collaboration that happens with a jazz band is the same thing, same type of collaboration that happens at a skateboard contest or a skateboard jam with your friends.

You're feeding.

So the improvisation, the other thing that's very similar to jazz music is a collaboration that happens in skateboarding.

And, you know, the skaters feed off each other, whether it's at a contest or a session.

The skateboarders are really, really like feeding off.

You know, even Nyjah Houston is feeding off Aurélien Giraud who's from France.

If one skater makes one move, a skater does the same move but adds a twist to it and goes 180.

And that's the same sort of collaboration that happens on a jazz stage.

They delineate and, and vibe off each other.

So those are two huge, huge comparisons to skateboarding and I think that's part of the big message for us being here.

And given this panel.

- This was years ago, but a fellow pro skater, probably around our age had seen the video when we premiered it in San Francisco in 1994.

And uh, years later he said, "Hey, I just wanted to "let you know I didn't get the video when it came out "I thought it was kind of weird and artsy "but now that I'm older, "I really, really appreciate it "and understand what you guys were trying to do."

So that's a great compliment because in a way, you kind of want we wanted a little bit of people maybe not understanding because it was challenging.

Here's the way everybody's used to seeing everything and let's kind of throw a wrench into the gears and stop the machine for a second and give you a different look at how skateboarding videos can be made.

And like Chris said, you got it or you didn't get it.

But I thought that was cool that he said years later "As I got older, "looking back, watching it again ""I got what you guys were trying to do."

I thought that was really cool.

- And skaters to this day are like, "you know what I would've never ever listened to jazz music if it wasn't for stereos.

So I pride myself where I pride, you know, us in, in sort of bringing that to the culture.

(jazz music plays) You find that there's like-minded people like Bryce Wettstein who's an Olympian who rides for us.

She completely, she's 18 years old she completely embodies the stereo momentum.

- [Jason] She brought her ukulele and her art supplies and she's out there - [Chris] making art with kids and-- - [Chris] I call her the Piper.

She's got like all the kids - [Jason] Yeah.

- [Chris] following her around, playing music, drawing for them, skateboarding.

And she had never even heard of stereo when I approached her.

I'd been doing sideline interviews with her for five years and watched her grow up and she was like, "oh, let me see."

And I sent her a package and she was like, " Aah, oh my Lord" you know, stumbled on, play jazz music.

Her parents really embraced it.

And she's a perfect example.

Like there is those artistic kids in that group.

You just have to search a little deeper sometimes.

- Yeah.

- A lot more athleticism these days.

- I would say that, all the creative things that I would go on to do acting, photography I don't think are possible without skateboarding.

And certainly without this guy - Aaww.

- I would like to acknowledge that.

- Same with him.

(Jason laughs) - For me.

- Skateboarding really does that.

If you do your research right, you are open to all of its possibilities.

you're gonna just have a broader view.

And because of skateboarding, I'm here at 52 years old ultimately celebrating something we created 28 years ago with the "visual Sound" and just extremely honored and really proud actually.

- Yes, 100%.

And I'd like to say like the family thing that happens in skateboarding, like it's a brotherhood it's a sisterhood, it's a bond.

I mean, I met this guy like 34 years - [Jason] 34 years ago.

- [Chris] 34 years ago.

- [Jason] Yeah.

- [Chris] I was like a little 17 year old kid tugging at his pan-- - [Jason] You were 15, you were 15.

- [Chris] 15?

Oh my gosh - [Jason] Yeah, you were 15.

- [Chris] Even younger.

pulling at his pant leg, like, "Hey Jason, how you doing?

"I'm from New Jersey."

Fortunately, I was embraced by guys like Jason, Mark Gonzales let me room with him for $300 a month.

You know, Rodney Smith, my god-brother who founded Shut Skateboards in New York.

I came from a broken home and skateboarding was my extended family.

And ultimately that's what it is.

You can go anywhere in the world and have the communication of skateboarding with locals.

You don't even have to speak the language.

You can go to Italy.

They're gonna look at your skateboard and they're gonna show you spots.

Likely one of 'em is gonna let you crash on their couch and bring you to the restaurants and all that.

So it's one big family.

And I think that's something that really stands out from other sports.

Is the inclusion and the family the extended family of skateboarding.

(skateboard rolls) - Jason, Chris, thank you for introducing us to how skateboarding is an art and the colorful history into the culture of skateboarding.

Learn more about them.

Visit their website, stereosoundagency.com and give them a follow on their social media.

Thank you to our sponsor The Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation.

I am your host Apolonia Davalos And I love you.

(blows a kiss) - We love you too.

Thanks for tuning in.

(Bright upbeat music) We we love, we love, we love the Levitt.

(bright upbeat music)