STEEL

I was pretty hyped up and floored after watching "Steel", a new video from Adam Bos. It's clear that a high degree of quality control and thoughtfulness went into the making of this video. And while I've always been impressed by what the Bos brothers have put together over the years, this one felt extra special.

Joshua Bos kicks off the video with his well-curated spot and trick selection, employing a quick flick when needed, while constantly overwhelming spots with his power. All of this, documented with excellent filming and editing, combined with an instrumental take on Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay", makes this opening part feel like a classic that will be rewatched more than the average online part.

A moment of ambient noise and imagery gives way to a light-hearted sounding section featuring Dylan Barnes, Ryan Desroches, Joe Yates, Evan Hay, and Jake Bos. Evan's opening line is particularly pleasing due to his continuation of spinning in the natural direction, while Jake literally throws down a rock to end the interlude.

The next part opens up with pole clangin' and banjo twangin', introducing us to Japhey Dow, who strikes me as the type of guy who has a purely original style that everyone who knows him wants to see more of, but he just does what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. I could be wrong, but that's what I'm picking up here. Taryn Ward, Evan Dow, and Adam Kerrick join the banjo jamboree, backing Japhey up with a barrage of their own solid moves. Japhey's Switch Bigspin to Nose Manual was a particular favourite of mine, and the floatiness of his exit from the Switch Backside Tailslide at Bickford was a pleasant surprise before his two-truck jammer to Nose Wheelie that closes out the part.

Adam Bos, the main filmer and editor behind the video, refrains from any type of musical score over top of his tricks, offering you a chance to relax and prepare for the upcoming demolition derby that closes out the video beneath a droning musical track. Caleb Lilly, Matt Genovese, Liam Daly, and Alex Furtado bring one hell of a video to an end.

"Steel" taps at a range of the viewer's emotions, blending techniques and imagery often seen in home movies, underground skate videos, and the ongoing documenation of some of eastern North America's now-decaying working class cities. Through the filming of Adam Bos, Taryn Ward, Jake Bos, and Joshua Bos, we are reminded that filming with a VX1000 doesn't inherently make your video "cool" and "raw", but when done right, as it certainly is here, it can be a valuable medium in portraying skateboarding in a particular type of way that many of us enjoy.—Jeff Thorburn