Matt Pailes is a veteran of skateboarding with a long legacy. He was part of the early Think squad that definitely left a lasting mark on the sport, and along with Matt Field and Matt Rodriguez helped shape Ipath and the whole organic / Rasta movement in skateboarding. Pailes continues to contribute to the sport as a pro for Creation and Satori and team rider for Ipath. He is also managing the 28th & B Park in Sacramento where you can catch him skating on a regular basis. We recently got Matt to answer a few questions about his history and current projects, check it out below.
48 Blocks: What are your memories from the early days back in Massachusetts, how and when did you get started skating?
Matt: I grew up in Northern Mass Newbury Port and I first saw skateboards in a bmx magazine. My first board was a Lester Kasai,
48 Blocks: What was the Boston scene like back in the early 90's? Boston has alway had a healthy skate scene and guys like Jahmal Williams and Robbie Gangemi were getting coverage out there.
Matt: Just before I moved out to Cali I used to commute to Boston with my friends in the freezing cold. It doesn’t matter when you’re a grom, you’re like “fuck it.” We used to skate the Financial District with all the locals - Robbie, Jahmal, Pat Noonan, sometimes Adam Ayer, Roger Bagley, Preston Maigetter, and Ben Liversedge was going to college there so we’d meet up with him too. It was fun, wicked fun.
48 Blocks: You were riding for G&S out in Mass and then moved to SF, what made you decide to come here?
Matt: It just looked so rad skating in SF and it was cold and snowy half the year in Mass, and I graduated.
48 Blocks: That era was when pretty much everyone was living in SF or coming through on a regular basis - what do you remember about skating in the city back then?
Matt: My friend Greg Ware and I moved in with Jamie Thomas for about a month. He was doing that company Experience then we eventually moved in with Drehobl. We'd bomb down from the Tenderloin to Market Street and eventually end up at Embarcadero. I remember selling my flat spotted wheels hella times to get lunch. The kids couldnt tell because of the bricks. There was always sick skating going down.
48 Blocks: Did you know Dan from back East? How did the transition to Think go down?
Matt: I knew Dan from back East a little bit, we used to skate a park called Rats. He was always real cool, we moved in with him or just barged on his scene basically. We’d skate everyday, eventually Greg Carroll was like “what are you doing with that Blockhead board?” Laban had given it to me, I was like “I don’t know.” He gave me a think board and took that board. Then I guess I was on.
48 Blocks: You, Drehoble, and Phil Shao (RIP) are the classic Think squad - what do you remember about skating and traveling with those guys?
Matt: Those were some good times for sure. I love that time. Skating with Dan you would always see something that you’d never seen anyone do before. Phil was an all terrain spot murderer and don’t forget Wade Speyer, he was amazing too. Skating with them just opened my eyes to skating anything and everything. I wish Phil was still around, he'd still be killing it.
48 Blocks: The early Think videos stood out cause you guys were hitting up a lot of different spots in the SF - what made you guys decide to venture out beyond just skating downtown.
Matt: It just got boring skating the same thing so we would venture out on buses and seek out new shit of course Greg would drive us around a lot too and he knew a lot of spots. He had a lot of influence on all of our skating back then actually.
48 Blocks: At what point did you leave Think and what caused you to leave?
Matt: A few years into it I got a little too hippy'd out and we were growing in different directions. I was still skating all the time just with like Mike Daher, Matt Field, Quim, the Macgraths, and the philly Guys when they were in town - Matt Reason.
48 Blocks: Talk a little bit about Supernaut - you rode for them after think and had a part in Urban Canvas. How did you hook up with them and what do you remember from that era?
Matt: It started out Cairo, Paul Sharpe, Brian Gaberman, John Miner and then me. Mike Ballard was the brain behind it. Then half of them left and Rodriquez got on and we rebuilt from there with Aaron Vanderbulke, Steve Young, Tony Cox, Reason for a minute, Daher for a minute, then later Carlos Young got on and Matlin rode for us. It was cool, we had control when it came to the graphics and Brent and Henry let us do whatever we wanted. We had a a super trife tour van.
48 Blocks: You, Matt Field, and Matt Rodriguez were the founding members of Ipath, how did that company come together? It was so different from every other shoe company at the time, what was the original idea behind the company?
Matt: We had a little thing called Half Life, it was a clothing company; Field was looking to do something more. We were all brainstorming one day in the park, it was like “Path? Ni Path? Ipath!” Most of the credit I gotta give to Field - his concept and his motivation. Bigfoot came up with the logo and it was a classic. We designed the first original shoes The Grasshopper, Field, The Cat Rodriquez, and the Buffalo, Karl Watson was added to the team at the first trade show. There was an investor named Brian, Field was the brains behind all the early creative ideas. It was all his concept, people can say what they want but that’s the reality. Matt Rod and I did a Supernaut tour in Japan and introduced Ipath to them which became one of their biggest accounts. We just wanted to do an organic Rasta / Buddhist / Yoga lifestyle type company and eventually use hemp and organic products. The rest is history.
48 Blocks: Ipath has gone through a lot of changes over the years including being bought by Timberland. You've been there since the start, how have all of the changes impacted the company from your perspective?
Matt: Wow! When they got rid of Field that was the worst thing they could've done. Nothing’s been the same since. I'm just like a team rider now, I don’t get paid or anything. It’s pretty disheartening at times to see all of the foundation that we built being bought out by a big corporation and not really hooking up the guys that started the whole thing. I do like Dave the TM, he’s trying to do a lot for us as much as he can. All the newer team members are rad, I got love for them. I really wish the "path" had been different, but it is what it is.
48 Blocks: You're also a musician, when did you first start playing music and what projects are you currently involved in?
Matt: I’m a reggae artist – reggae / dancehall style music "Rasmatthew." I've produced two albums, Kingsmusic and a recent release called Perseverance. I got a pretty big tune called Ganja In My Brain if you Google Rasmatthew my tunes are all over Youtube, Itunes, Yahoo, etc.I perform with a couple backing bands all over Northern Cali, one of them is named We A Dem. We have a weekly Dancehall here in Sac, we got a sound system called Capitol City Rockers - DJ Esef, Kdk, Rasmatthew, and actually Cardiel is a part of it he goes by Juan Love. I love Reggae Dance Hall and I'm going to keep making music so if you get a chance check out my tunes.
48 Blocks: Music and skateboarding both require a certain level of creativity, how does one pursuit impact the other for your? Does your music inspire your skateboarding?
Matt: Yeah, it’s all one in the same both get me psyched
48 Blocks: You've lived down in Sac for a long time, what made you decide to move there and how does it compare with other places that you've lived as far as skating and vibe?
Matt: I love sac - good people, good spots, hot summers, hot girls, and a good mix between city and a town
48 Blocks: Matt Rodriguez also lives in Sac, how often do you guys skate together?
Matt: We see each other a lot actually. His son Micah is friends with my son Emanuel and we see each other all the time at B Street skate park.
48 Blocks: You've been with High Grade for a long time now as a pro for Creation and Satori. At what point did you hook up with them and how has it been working with them over the years?
Matt: A couple years after Ipath started Satori started up and a few years later Craig asked if I wanted to start a board company. I shot a bunch of names at him and Creation stuck. Yeah, it’s come a long way. It’s all good, it’s been through a lot of changes, but it’s still going.
48 Blocks: Other than skateboarding and music, what else occupies your time these days?
Matt: I actually work for the city of Sacramento and manage the 28th and B skate park. It's a pretty rad job. I get to be involved with kids, the whole Sac skate community, and I get to skate everyday. My kid rides his bike around, soon we will be planning events and contes. It’s really rewarding. Other than that I chill with my girlfriend and my son a lot.
48 Blocks: You've traveled extensively through skateboarding, what's one trip that stands out in your memory and why?
Matt: I’d have to say Jamaica, then Puerto Rico, then Panama, I like the Carribean vibes - the people, food, music, everything. The Jamaica trip was the best because we got to give back to the community. Got to big up Joey Tershay for that one.
48 Blocks: What do you have planned for 2010? Any trips or projects currently in the works?
Matt: My album, Rasmatthew Perseverance just dropped. I’ll be producing more tunes, I got something coming out on the new Ipath mix and the Satori mix with Jah Warrior Shelter. You know, skating a lot – I’m going to film something with Chris Ray for strange notes. I got some footage compilation from the last few years, it will be up on Creationskateboards.com and Youtube. I’m thirty five now, I can still skate and enjoy life and friends and my son - I’m stoked.
48 Blocks: Any last words that you want to say to wrap this up?
Matt: Skate hard, skate cause you love it. Don’t get mixed up with the wrong intentions when you skate and be diverse. Give thanks keep it simple.