Recently, Ben Masters of Scout-Seattle made the trek from Seattle, WA all the way down to Shelter Half, here in Los Angeles. Ben’s outdoors-inspired company has a great and refreshing point-of-view and it was our pleasure to have him help us set up here in the store. Our favorite item here at Shelter Half, and what may be Scout’s biggest accomplishment, is the Single Pole Tent. Come check it out in person here at Shelter Half. Thank you once again to Ben Masters and Wes Sumner for all their effort.

Today would have been the late Clarence Clemon’s birthday. From 1972 to 2011 “The Big Man” served the role of tenor sax in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

In many interviews  Clemons recalls when he and Springsteen first met; a story that has become legend:

One night we were playing in Asbury Park. I’d heard The Bruce Springsteen Band was nearby at a club called The Student Prince and on a break between sets I walked over there. On-stage, Bruce used to tell different versions of this story but I’m Baptist, remember, so this is the truth. A rainy, windy night it was, and when I opened the door the whole thing flew off its hinges and blew away down the street. The band were on-stage, but staring at me framed in the doorway. And maybe that did make Bruce a little nervous because I just said, “I want to play with your band,” and he said, “Sure, you do anything you want.” The first song we did was an early version of “Spirit in the Night.” Bruce and I looked at each other and didn’t say anything, we just knew. We knew we were the missing links in each other’s lives. He was what I’d been searching for. In one way he was just a scrawny little kid. But he was a visionary. He wanted to follow his dream. So from then on I was part of history.

Duel Supply Co. is made using only the finest materials, ingredients and superior workmanship. Duel products are produced in limited runs and are, by nature of this process, one of kind.

This product was designed with the intention not to be for every man. It is meant for the discerning man. It is based off 1800’s barber shop recipes that had thought to have been lost with time. Duel discovered these recipes and after 2 years of perfecting them, they are ready to share with the world.

Duel Supply Co. No. 25, No. 29, & No. 72 are all three now available at Shelter Half.

Much like Django Unchained, the original 1966 italian Spaghetti Western Django was considered to be one of the most violent movies ever made up that point in time. The main character, played by Franco Nero, drifts throughout the film carrying an empty coffin and the movie ends in a shootout in a graveyard. The name Django is a reference to jazz musician Django Reinhardt who was able to play guitar despite a disfigured hand. The main character has to overcome a crushed hand which affects his marksmanship in the final shootout scene.

Check out the stills & original movie art from Django above. Shelter Half approved. 

Legendary singer/songwriter Stephen Stills turns 68 today.  The member of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, as well as close friend & collaborator with Jimi Hendrix, performed at the both the Monterrey Pop Festival, Woodstock, AND Altamont. Check out this video of Stills performing in Big Sur in 1969.

Brady Erickson is a Los Angeles based artist who creates large geometric hard-edge paintings using acrylic paint applied directly onto wood panel. He uses a reductive process, often starting with computer-based designs. His work is available here at Shelter Half.