Nolan Hall

Top 10 Skateboarders That Became Musicians

Skateboarding and music mingle nicely, from the soundtracks of skate videos to the shredders themselves hitting notes. For some skaters, it's hard to say what comes first, the music or the maple. It's not uncommon while learning about a band to find that a member or two has skateboarding in their pa ... More >>

December Surf Events: Signings, Films, Art Shows, Sales, Grand Openings And Socializing

Getting out of the house begins tonight!​​Need somewhere to go, something to do? Is that recent paycheck burning a hole in your pocket? Have an interest in surfing, beach culture or anything that takes you away from your re-runs? Here are a few surfing/beach-type events going on in the OC area i ... More >>

Forking Around With... Nolan Hall

Alex KnostNolan Hall chowin' down.​Welcome to Stick A Fork In It's newest weekly feature, "Forking Around With...," where we quiz local notables on what they're currently eating, what they're currently obsessed with and what they can't get enough of. Since the dissolution of his Costa Mesa-based r ... More >>

Q&A: Alex Knost on Tomorrows Tulips Signs with Papermade; Future of Japanese Motors and their Unreleased Album

Costa Mesa garage rockers Japanese Motors shocked the local scene when they informed OC Weekly last Tuesday that they were ditching their Jan. 20 gig with Vice label mates the Black Lips at Detroit Bar, canceling all upcoming shows including SXSW dates and going on "indefinite hiatus." Alex Knost ... More >>

Breaking News: Japanese Motors on 'Indefinite Hiatus'

It's late yesterday and I'm proofing the Black Lips feature that will run in the OC Weekly that streets Friday. In the middle of some fact-checking I visit Japanese Motors' MySpace page and notice the Costa Mesa-based Vice Records act canceled their opening slot for the Jan. 20 date with fellow Vic ... More >>

Wax On, Wax Off: Fight at Newport Point

by Nolan Hall The Point This is a true story. Names have been changed to protect the innocent, the anonymous and the downright idiotic.You don't see many surfing-related fights in Orange County. Surf spots in San Diego, L.A., and especially Ventura Counties have much more violent reputation ... More >>

Wax On, Wax Off: Andrew Atkinson and Nolan Hall of Japanese Motors Talk About Recent Tour With the Horrors

by Patrice JacksonFollowing their recent, rocking West Coast tour with The Horrors, local surfers Andrew Atkinson and Nolan Hall of Japanese Motors agreed to share with Wax On, Wax Off a bit about their trip. They just got back yesterday, and answered a few questions about their travels and th ... More >>

Wax On, Wax Off: Surfboards in the Sand Event in Huntington Beach

​Surfers are being asked to participate in an event called Surfboards in the Sand September 19th in Huntington Beach. Basically, participants will lug their boards and whatever basic creature comforts they can carry down to the sand. There, they will stand shoulder to shoulder, boards sticking nos ... More >>

Wax On, Wax Off: Trestles Embodies a Summer of Change for Orange County

by Nolan HallLower Trestles​Any surfer in Orange County, and just about anyone who reads the newspaper, knows this has been a big summer for Trestles. Just when we finally thought we'd "saved Trestles," a whole lot of nostalgia and tradition about the place seems to be evaporating or evolving. For ... More >>

Wax On, Wax Off: First Glimpses of Fall Conditions

By Nolan HallOffshore Conditions in Baja​The Santa Ana Winds and the hottest weather of the year are already showing up this year, even as early as late August. It brings back memories of last year, coughing and surfing ash-covered waves under dark, smoky skies. Early Santa Anas bring that haunted ... More >>

Wax On, Wax Off: Japanese Motors at Echoplex on Friday, Growlers on Monday

Megan West​Perhaps after our last interview with Nolan Hall of Japanese Motors, you were left with a hankering for the scruffy, dimly-lit, semi-surf-related-but-not-really Indie scene that has rooted itself in Orange County's underbelly. Perhaps this weekend, you'd like to tear a hole or two in a ... More >>

Costa Mesa's Japanese Motors Head East Before Camping Out at Detroit Bar

Japanese Motors in Vice's Grip Now