Brian Brannon, Douglas Miles & Rob Locker tell their story:

Growing up in Arizona, the more I learned, the more I developed the deepest respect for Native American people – their vast history and heritage, their abiding strength and culture, their spirituality and their grit.

Around 2003, my wife and I were in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Doug Miles was showing his fine art paintings of Apache warriors using skateboard decks as his canvas, which was somewhat of a novelty at that time. I was struck by the directness of his approach, the stark honesty of his portraits, and the solidity of his lines. Shaking each others’ hands planted the seed of what would become a strong and enduring friendship.

Doug told me about how he had founded Apache Skateboards to introduce the kids living on the San Carlos Apache Reservation to the freedom, exhilaration and unlimited self-expression of skateboarding. The whole thing seemed remarkable and I asked if there was anything JFA could do to help.

Doug floated the possibility of JFA playing a gig at the small skatepark they had built on the San Carlos reservation and needless to say, the band was 100% into making it happen.

Thus, Apache Skate Blast was born.

JFA played six of those events on the reservation from 2005 to 2010, with up and coming Native American bands like Navajo rockabilly punks S.O.L., Phoenix hardcore stalwarts like Dephinger, and full on punkers like The Mongoloids, The Cremains and The Revenge. Not to mention headliners like Agent Orange and Debra Hall of Romeo Void. The skating was off the hook. Doug’s son Doug Miles Jr. was always on fire, who along with other local shredders like Reuben Ringlero, impressed the heck out of seasoned pros like Lance Mountain, Donny Barley and unrepentant rippers like Aaron “Jaws” Homoki.

The Apache people have had so much taken from them over the centuries, it felt good to give something back, each and every time we played there.

My utmost gratitude goes out to the people of the reservation who opened their homes to us, as skate punks and Native American culture came together and intertwined. Extra special thanks go out to Doug’s mom and her family, who always made sure we were well fed with delicious home cooked meals, including our favorites, fry bread tacos.

This skateboard is a product of that coming together, that intertwining, that mingling and merging. It is a tribute to the inspiration, the culture, the hospitality, and the spirit of the people of the San Carlos Apache Reservation. It is the result of what can happen when people of different backgrounds unite in an environment of shared humanity, open heartedness and mutual respect.

In the increasingly divided world that we live in today, I only hope we can inspire more of the same.

-Brian Brannon, J.F.A.

When We started Apache Skateboards (AS) it was literally based on an Apache history of rebellion. I knew JFA was an AZ punk band so when we (I) met Brian Brannon in NM, it was perfect for a lot of reasons. AS blended the simple fact that rebellion against oppressive systems at work could free the people. When JFA and APACHE came together it was liberation at work, through skateboarding, punk rock, art, and Apache history. The San Carlos Apache Reservation has never been the same and we’re going to do it again! 

Thx AZPX for the rad ride. 
-Douglas Miles, Apache Skateboards

We had no churches, no religious organizations, no sabbath day, no holidays, and yet we worshiped. Sometimes the whole tribe would assemble to sing and pray; sometimes a smaller number, perhaps only two or three. The songs had a few words, but were not formal. The singer would occasionally put in such words as he wished instead of the usual tone sound. Sometimes we prayed in silence; sometimes each one prayed aloud; sometimes an aged person prayed for all of us. At other times one would rise and speak to us of our duties to each other and to God. Our services were short. 

-Geronimo

During the early Eighties in West Phoenix skateboarding and punk rock found it’s way to me through the likes of my neighbor Tina (RIP) and a schoolmate, Charles Amparan. I was able to capture the end of an era of the most diverse hardcore music/skate scene. One of the bands Chuck turned me onto was JFA I couldn’t believe these guys skated and actually lived in my town. They became my all-time favorites. Fast-forward a few years and one late Saturday night me and buddy Matt decide to hit the Hohokam Banks after a long night of partying. When we showed up there was one skater there on a lone ditch mission tearing the place apart. I pull up in my ’73 Bug with ‘Valley of the Yakes’ blaring from my cassette deck. We could pull right up to the ditch and open the doors to skate to music. We skated for awhile with this lone ripper before we even talked to each other. It turns out this dude was Brian Brannon, lead singer from JFA!!! Matt and I were hyped. We talked for a bit and went our separate ways that night. Not long after, I ran into Brian at different shows and skate events, he always remembered me and made it a point to stop and talk. I was IN!

With that being said, I never dreamed that chance meeting would turn into a life-long friendship and a whole lotta shit talking, let alone having the opportunity to collaborate on a skateboard! The Brian Brannon Signature Model has been the flagship deck on AZPX for the past 6 years or so. The shape has evolved to it’s current configuration and now it’s time for a new graphic. I can’t tell you how extremely excited we are to not only work with Brian on a new graphic but to throw our old friend and mentor into the mix – Apache Skateboards’ Douglas Miles.

Douglas Miles is NOT a Native American artist. Doug is a Global artist. I’ll even go on a limb and say he’s an Astral artist. Miles’ is at constant battle with the art ‘establishment’, who persistently try to pigeon-hole him into a collectible genre to decorate your Paradise Valley estate. When I think of the gritty/clean urbanized Pop art of Miles; Warhol, Basquait and Herring come to mind. Self-taught but highly skilled, Miles has the ability to see in objects what others don’t see and turns them into a beautiful narrative defined by his struggles and his interpretations of his culture’s rich history. For example, when I visited his studio there was an old dented-up hood of a mini-van. Doug had painted an Apache warrior poised to take a shot with his rifle. The title of the piece is scrawled across: “This is How We Roll”. I asked Doug about the juxtaposition of the warrior and the urban quote. His answer is something that is not taught and has stuck with me to this day. He said, “The mini-van is the modern horse for the Apache family. It was our life-line, generations of us relied on it. That’s how we rolled.” Art can’t get any higher.

To update the shape, Brian teamed up with Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee ‘Professor’ Paul Schmitt. Brian showed Paul some past JFA decks and our current configuration. Physics was discussed, math was explored, Brian and Paul came up with a total original new shape. A shape that has details from past shapes combined. Brian quickly donned it ‘The BOMB’.

In a true collaborative style, AZPX was looking to do something a little more than just a graphic. The result is something that we all feel pretty hyped about, a visual message of peace and harmony transcendent among the bullshit we see going on today. It’s more than just a skateboard. It’s a vessel of time travel. Sound corny? Fuck yeah. Sound religious? Fuck yeah. That’s what skateboarding is: a fucking corny religion.

-Rob Locker