Joey Kramer opens skate shop!
drummer
recently spoke to
about a new skate and clothes shop, Technical, that he opened in Boston with John Nichols. The shop is stocked to the rafters with a range of streetwear, from hats and hoodies to shoes and skateboard accessories.
Check out the interview below...
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Q: So, do you skate?
Kramer: Um, not really. I'm just afraid to break my thumbs and my wrists, you know? Then I'd be in a fine how-do-you-do.
Q: How'd you get involved in Technical?
Kramer: I met John four or five years back, after he started the store in Norwell. The thing that caught my eye was the passion he had about the skateboard culture. He was definitely a quality-before-quantity guy.
Q: The South Shore store is kind of a hard-core skate shop. What's the new location like?
Kramer: It's geared toward the foot traffic on Newbury Street. There's stuff in here that I would wear, that I do wear.
Q: Such as?
Kramer: Well, in particular, a brand of watches called TW Steel that I found overseas. And another watch from Toy Watch with a skull and crossbones, and T-shirts from Upper Playground and Spacecraft.
Q: Would you wear it onstage?
Kramer: To me, it's definitely more everyday clothing.
Q: Do you think the skater ethic is similar to the '70s rock ethic?
Kramer: They're both word-of-mouth, underground-culture-ish but spread quickly. In this world, you have to be cautious about advertising: If skaters think it's for everybody, they won't come.
I'm MusicRadar's eCommerce Editor. In addition to testing the latest music gear, with a particular focus on electronic drums, it's my job to manage the 300+ buyer's guides on MusicRadar and help musicians find the right gear for them at the best prices. I dabble with guitar, but my main instrument is the drums, which I have been playing for 24 years. I've been a part of the music gear industry for 20 years, including 7 years as Editor of the UK's best-selling drum magazine Rhythm, and 5 years as a freelance music writer, during which time I worked with the world's biggest instrument brands including Roland, Boss, Laney and Natal.