THE NORTHERN EMBASSY

29 May

Posted at 22:49h in archive, features by

Those familiar with Canadian BMX in the early 2000s may have seen the Calgary based video The Western Front. Filmed and edited by Marc Doucette, it featured all of the prominent Calgary locals of that time, and included standout parts from Danny Cox (one of the all time great Canadian street riders of the era…. IYKYK), Dave Myers, and a young King of Streets.

I’ve heard a few mentions over the years that Marc made a follow up video to the Western Front that never came out. Marc passed away earlier this year, and as part of the remembrance of Marc and his legacy of bmx videos, Richard Gallant has gotten that follow up online.

This video is an incredible time capsule of the era, in what has long been one of Canada’s best bmx scenes. Calgary has incredible street spots, a long history of trails, and a core scene held together with Millenium park at the center of it all. The city has always had great riders and a cool and welcoming scene. It must be surreal to see this entire video come out 22 years after filming concluded.

From Richard:

Number 7

So this is it, first off I really have to dedicate this video to Marc Doucette, the man is a true OG. When I started BMX, he had already made a few videos. This wa sin the 90s, and Marc was making them using 2 VHS players. Eventually, I was going on trips to Halifax, Truro and PEI, with Marc and the gang welcoming me into the crew, riding and stacking clips for all of his videos. Eventually, a few of us moved to Calgary and Marc made the video Western Front. It was. a scene video that highlighted the ever expanding BMX scene in and around Calgary. For the next couple of years, he had filmed and stacked more clips for another video. He edited and made a bunch of sections but that’s where it all stalled out. As the years passed, he got more into the Music scene in Calgary and his life evolved into that journey More than BMX.

Tragically, Marc passed away in January and I ended up with his computer in my hands to render the final version of his video. I asked around for clips and photos of Marc to stitch together a slideshow for a last addition, dedicating it all to our lost brother.

 

30 May

Posted at 08:44h in archive, features, home, videos by

Level 39 features Zeb Dennis riding an indoor park constructed from the old Toronto X Jam ramps. With a guest appearance from Matt Drew and a Props rock soundtrack, the mid-school vibes are strong in this one.

“I just turned 39 in March and put together a few sessions with my friend, Josh MacDonald. We are lucky enough to have an indoor spot to ride all winter in Owen Sound, Ontario.”  -Zeb Dennis

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01 May

Posted at 09:53h in archive, features, home, videos by

Braden Beck came to prominence in the Canadian BMX scene through Saskatchewan which is honestly pretty damn rare and probably pretty difficult. But that tends to happen for a guy riding at the level that he’s gotten to, regardless of location. Most of us would have seen him through Brodie Gwilliam’s videos, including the seminal Saskatchewan full-length Let’s Get Fistical. Braden and Kelly Bragg put together a new Embassy edit and it’s as good as you hope it would be. Below is a quick interview with Braden and a couple of anecdotes from James Perry.

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03 Aug

Posted at 11:30h in archive, events, features, home by

The Nelson contests were our piece of ’90s BMX lore in British Columbia. They exemplified so many things about that time, from people scraping together road trips across Canada and the PNW to get there, to the collective party vibe that resonated throughout the town and its nightlife (which by most accounts could not handle that many BMXers). For those of us who were young, it was a chance to see our heroes in the flesh, riding in the purest way possible with our friends. There were bangers, crashes, and even a flatland contest. Above all else, the vibes were unbeatable and everyone who showed up had a chance to feel like they were a part of something. When a small crew of organizers resurrected the contest as a reunion effort in 2022, a long lost piece of our culture returned and by all accounts brought back its original spirit. The contest is on again for 2023 and I know many riders are feeling the collective pull to be there. Justin Schwanke and I traded some questions with Andrew Lazaruk and Wade Nelson, who are both at the helm again for this year’s gathering.

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22 May

Posted at 08:33h in archive, features, home by

With 43 years of BMX riding comes 43 years of reflection. We have a special interview today featuring Wade Nelson. From starting riding in the burgeoning 1980s to progressing through the commercially low period of BMX in the early 1990s to working industry jobs in the late 1990s to transitioning into a career in teaching in the 2000s, Wade has plenty of stories about his life on and off the bike. Aaron Gates and I teamed up for questions on this one, and we’re appreciative of the amount of wisdom Wade had to share. Dive in for an extensive interview with one of Canada’s most “seasoned” bicycle stunt riders. 

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