Harbor County Scene Report: The Louisville Skate Scene is Hardened and Humble

The Louisville Skate Scene is Hardened and Humble

Where is Kentucky located? I mean, I know where to find it on a map, pinched in there between seven other states, about three-fourths of the way to the other side of America from California, but what region of America are we talking about? A Kentucky skateboarder from Paducah or Mayfield, living just a stone’s throw from Missouri and the Mississippi River, would probably tell you they were from the Midwest. Growing up, I’d always heard Kentucky was the gateway to the South with towns like Lexington and Bowling Green. Then there’s northeast Kentucky up near Cincinnati, Ohio and towns like Florence with Rust Belt skate spots, plus isn’t Louisville an Appalachian city? My point is it can be hard pegging Kentucky skateboarding to one specific region. Is it Midwestern, Southern, Appalachian or Rust Belt? Ryan Tassi would argue that the Kentucky vibe embodies all those regions, and if you’ve been watching any of Ryan’s videos out of Louisville in the last few years, it’d be hard to disagree.

Ryan Tassi is a Louisville skate scene renaissance man. Equal parts filmer, skater, photographer and amateur cultural preservationist, Ryan has been filming Louisville skateboarding with his good homie Connor Clark since the pre-graffitied days of the David Armstrong outdoor skatepark. What started as Hi-8 cameras and filming teenage shenanigans, has evolved into quite a sizeable crew, who along with Ryan and Connor have produced three full-length skate videos and several side projects within the last six years. Not only is Louisville front and center throughout their videos, but the rest of small-town Kentucky often makes appearances too, and I’m talking small, like google earthing the silly named one-horse towns in your state to see if they have anything that looks fun to skate.

Curious as to what Louisville has had going on in the last several years, I hit up Ryan with a couple phone calls to discuss Louisville skateboarding, Kentucky taco recommendations, the current shine on skate culture microcosms and Ryan and Connors’ latest full-length video, High Street....

Interview and article by Justin Hill (Harbor County Field Report)

The ceremonial footy review: Photo by Alex Hancock

 

Are you originally from Kentucky? How long have you been skateboarding?

I’m originally from New Jersey and lived there until I was 11 years old. After that we moved to Louisville for my dad’s work and have been here ever since. I’m 32 now. I kind of picked up skateboarding in New Jersey, but I’d say I didn’t start taking it seriously and really going into a tailspin of skateboarding obsession until I moved to Louisville.

How long have you been filming Louisville skateboarding? How long have you and Connor Clark known each other? 

We were actually doing the math on that recently, just thinking about all the videos our crew have been putting together throughout the years, and we’re coming up on a decade of making stuff, which is pretty cool to say, because it was never my full intention to become a filmer, oddly enough, so to be still doing this is definitely cool. With me, filming became that thing where you sort of start studying filmers and their different styles, and you notice that it’s its own little world with different people’s presentations of skateboarding, and that aspect engulfed my brain the same kind of way skating did. Connor and I have known each other since we were teenagers. When we were 16 or 17 we were making silly Hi-8 videos, going out in the streets, filming and just getting our bearings to be able to do that kind of stuff more on our own. Eventually we started linking up with the skate shop more and meeting everyone in town and finding our crew – from there it’s kind of gone on very naturally, which has been sick to see.

Brooks Shuping’s wallride from your video Townies made it in a Quartersnacks Top 10, do you think getting, or in your case filming a trick that makes it in a Quartersnacks Top 10 is the new generations’ version of getting a clip in the opener of a 411 video magazine? You know the old 411s, right? 

Yeah, I remember the 411 videos, I owned some of the later issues. I mean I’ve never really made that correlation until you mentioned it, but I do think it holds a similar weight in today’s skateboarding landscape. When you’re able to see something make the list that isn’t from two main hubs like New York or LA it feels pretty exciting, especially if it’s a trick of your friend in your city that lands in the Top 10 – it was certainly a memorable moment for me. Plus, that’s also a spot Natas skated back in the 1980s, and that Grant Taylor has skated as well, so it’s got this cool history to it, both locally and in the larger skate world.

Can you describe Louisville’s skate scene with just one word?

I feel crusty is an overplayed word when it comes to Midwest skating, so I don’t want to just cop out with that one. I would say, underdog. Around here you really have to push yourself, it’s not easy to skate here, so it’s not for the meek. It’s a really fun, small, cool community to be a part of though, and the scene is growing here too for sure – we have new skate parks popping up around here all the time now, which has been awesome, plus we have Home Skate Shop.

 

Wait, the Midwest?

You’re trying to say Kentucky is not technically the Midwest, right?

Haha, I am.

I know Kentucky isn’t always considered the Midwest, but I’ve pondered this question so many times, and I know we’re technically a southern state, or southeastern, but there’s just something about Louisville, just feels midwestern to me. Kentucky is also one of the states that touches the most other states, so we can probably do our fair share of claiming different regions.

 photo by Alex Hancock

 

Louisville skateboarding has been around since the 80s and 90s, which I love, because often, I think when skaters think of smaller towns like Louisville there’s this assumption that the town didn’t have a lot of skateboarding going on before whatever skateboarding is currently going on. Didn’t Home Skate Shop just celebrate 30 years in business!? 

Yeah, it’s crazy, so there was originally a skateboard shop here in Louisville called Skateboards Unlimited, around the late 80’s. The shop was started by Thom Hornung’s mother. Thom was a local who went on to become a professional skater, but he and his mom had a little skate shop and skatepark, then whenever Thom settled down from being pro and moved back to town, I think he wanted to do something more for the skate culture here, and that’s when the shop evolved into Home Skate Shop. Thom and Derek Metten ran the shop for a long time, and eventually sold the shop to Thom’s nephew, Noah Hulsman, who is the current owner. It’s rad how it’s been kept in the family. It’s moved a couple locations, but the welcoming and openness to everyone’s vibe has always been the same.

Has the scene in Louisville acted in the same way – a sort of passing down to the next generation? 

Yeah, when I first moved here, you’d hear inklings about local skaters, people that weren’t necessarily mainstream names, but skaters from the 90s like Thom Hornung and Tony Cox or Chip Van Ham, and then you’d see their footage in old local videos mixed in with all this other great skateboarding from the Louisville scene. Seeing that was reaffirming that we could do cool shit with our own city. I really appreciate all those guys putting in the work, and we just want to see that live on, and hopefully influence the next generations to keep that tradition going.

You film and edit videos, but you’ve also had parts in videos. Do you have a hard time switching between filming brain and skating brain? 

It can be challenging at times to hand the camera off when we’re out because I’m such a visual person, in my head I already know how I want something filmed to get it to look a certain way, and then I’ll just get in my head and not be able to skate. I feel really lucky though to be able to have a filming relationship with Connor. I’m just now recovering from my second knee surgery in as many years, so I’m grateful for any tricks I was able to get in our new video.

Two in two years!?

I had ACL surgery in September 2023, and then about a year later I ended up tearing my meniscus too. Once I got my meniscus repaired that took me out of skateboarding for another 6 months. So, I was coming off my first surgery when we started our new project, then had the second surgery halfway through the project, but I managed to get a couple last minute clips at the end. Now that we’re done with the video, I’m giving myself a little skating break so that I can focus on rehabbing and coming back fresh and excited about skating rather than having the nerve wracking feeling I’m going to hurt myself again.

Does Louisville have a meet up spot? 

Someone will usually start a group text with something like, “meet up at Dave’s at 11”. Dave’s is Louisville’s downtown outdoor park, so we usually meet up there, everybody gets their legs going, and we start devising a game plan for the day, like what tricks people had in mind and at what spots. Either there, or we’ll meet up at the shop. We don’t have a ton of skate spots where you can go there and warm up or chill skate for most of the day. There’s a lot of spots here that are trick based, like there’s not a lot of spots here where you can kind of dork around a bit and see what kind of tricks you want to do, you have to have some kind of intent on specific tricks at spots here. The more years we keep filming though, the more challenging it becomes to work with the same stuff, so with each video we do, we’ve been trying something a little different with each one and always looking for new spots so that we don’t keep showcasing the same things.

You guys have two very differently designed skateparks, has the old park lost some love now that the new park has arrived?

I’d say there’s a healthy amount of people going to both. Even though the outdoor park has been there for quite a while now, it still gets pretty good traffic coming through. Like I was saying, we still meet up at Dave’s sometimes, plus me and a bunch of the other dudes still go there after work now and again. Sprak, the new indoor park, just opened a couple of years ago, which is owned and operated by pro skateboarder Paul Zitzer. The new park has been a huge blessing for the city, it’s definitely brought a new spark for the younger kids to start skateboarding, and around here an indoor park can be such a game changer when it comes to dealing with skating during the winters, cause the winters can be brutal in Kentucky.

Any locals ever try the full loop at Dave’s?

No, I don’t think anyone’s ever tried the full pipe, but there was a BMXer who jumped off the top into the 12-foot section, which is fucking insane.

Photo by Alex Hancock

 

What’s the most extreme thing you’ve ever seen at the David Armstrong Extreme skate park that doesn’t concern skateboarding?

When I was younger, like still in my teens, I went down there to skate and there was some random Baptist church that had brought their whole congregation to the skate park to do their Sunday service. There was a preacher at the top of a ramp with a megaphone giving a sermon with church members standing around listening, while other members were baptizing people in the back of a pickup truck. It was a ridiculous looking scene.

You ever go to the local horse races? The Kentucky Derby?

Not really, horse racing isn’t really my thing. The Derby is kind of a wild event, celebrities come into town, there’s millionaires gambling up in Millionaires Row while there’s broke people gambling down in the infield, plus the city puts on airs and really tries to do itself up – it’s always come off as odd to me, I don’t know, it seems very culturally alienating. I know it’s kind of regional tradition, so maybe I feel that way because I’m not actually from here. I’ve watched my fair share of derbies though, but I’ve never been to the actual race at Churchill Downs. There’s also that element where so many people unfamiliar with Kentucky will identify Louisville just by horse racing. That or bourbon, which aren’t two very good vices for people to prop a city up on, alcohol and gambling.

 

I’ve asked versions of this to a bunch of people now, so I’m going to give you my answer as well, but the move to California? Necessary?  I’ve concluded the answer is NO. Travel there, for sure. Stack Cali clips on trips with homies, absolutely, but as for moving to California to make it in the skateboarding industry, I don’t think peeps are really doing that anymore. Some, yes, but like migrations of kids from small towns saving up minimum wage checks to see if they can hang in there with the industry locals, naw. I also think it’s not about the move to Cali as much as it’s about newer generations redefining what one means when they say, “make it in skateboarding”. I think some folks just want to live out the rest of their lives creatively, and submerging yourself in skateboard culture, even in a small local scene, is an excellent way to pursue that goal.

I think that also goes hand in hand with a desire to build and preserve your own history in your own place, as opposed to moving to California, where you have to worry about what’s been done where, and by what pro skater, there’s just something about building a scene with the people you’re close to, it’s just more open to interpretation so that you and your homies can really lay the groundwork to make it your own, which as we were saying earlier, that groundwork is a continuation from the generation of skaters before us. And the more you get in touch with your local scene, the more you want to know what type of stuff has been done before you, like seeing someone skate a spot completely different than you’d seen before, or seeing people skate spots no one from the current scene have touched, and I don’t know, it makes you want to do something equally inspiring and catch that same feeling and excitement that the skaters before you must have felt. Making local videos and documenting the local scene is such a capsule of a time period, especially in flyover cities like Louisville. It’s also proof left behind that you and your homies were really taking advantage of your time in that place. I think that’s one of the most fun things about being a part of skateboarding.

Of the skateboarding in your videos Porch Era and Townies, and the skating in Connor Clark’s video Crazy Feeling, how many clips are from California? Are there any?!! 

None that comes to mind. We did travel for those videos though, like to Indiana, Ohio and several other small surrounding towns. All the small towns surrounding us have a similar feel, and lately we’ve been really sparked on using Google Earth and trying to scheme on towns that other skaters would never even think to go to, which really opens the doors to capturing completely different looking clips that you wouldn’t be able to capture in other parts of the United States. We definitely like to get out of town, but all the energy to do these projects is generated from the things we’re filming in Louisville. We’re big on upgrading, just really trying to hone in on fixing up spots, always looking for new spots and keeping things going in town, as opposed to being frustrated with the city – we’re always looking for ways to create new options and be innovative. Are you familiar with Gabe Kehoe’s videos, out of St Louis? He had a video about seven years ago, called Comb, and it became a huge influence on how I looked at local spots, just utilizing all of it, the crust and the other bullshit in your city that people would otherwise look past. There’s an adventurousness to turning over every little leaf in your city so that you end up knowing every inch of it. I think skateboarding and filming have always been fascinating ways to get to know your city and where you’re really from.

I don’t know another group of people that know the ins and outs of the cities they live in and visit better than skateboarders. 

Of course! When skateboarders explore and skate a city, they utilize the city for all its worth, dipping into every little pocket, and just getting a better feel for all the neighborhoods and surrounding towns.

Let’s talk some about y’alls new video. Was this a collaborative effort? 

Yeah, Connor and I just finished our latest full-length video, High Street. We both filmed, and Connor did the editing. It was definitely a group effort of bouncing edits off each other, asking each other about music options and just sharing general ideas throughout the entire process, which was cool. We did the usual trips to surrounding towns, but for this video we also went to Atlanta and capped the whole project off with a trip to New York City. We actually just put our order in for the DVDs. We’re having a premiere here in Louisville on September 20^th.

The Revolution Won't Be Televised - Photo by Ryan Tassi

 

That’s awesome! Local skate scene premieres are rad!

That’s definitely an aspect that becomes addicting with projects like these – finally getting to celebrate all the work with a night of good energy and all your friends watching it for the first time. I’m really excited for this premiere because we have a good bit footage of the younger skaters that ride for the shop – they share a part in this one, plus it’s their first video premiere, so that’s going to be really cool.

Recently I noticed something wild down here. There’s been times when the local video premiere outshines the company or brand video premiere, in terms of how many skaters pack into the shop to watch it, which feeds into my belief that there’s kind of a middle lane opening up currently in skateboarding. Like the minor leagues in baseball but for skateboarding and skate scenes. I don’t mean in a sense that everyone’s competing to become a professional skateboarder, it’s more like the microcosms in skateboarding – shop videos, local crews, independent brands, homie videos, preserving while building a scene – those are more abundant now and possibly just as entertaining, interesting and intriguing to be a part of as being a part of the larger skate industry.

You’d hope so. With local videos and homie videos, all the hard work and all the time everyone puts into making them, in the end it’s a win for the whole scene, no matter what. I feel it kind of goes back to that generational thing too, because there’s an ebb and flow with skate scenes, and you’re always worried about the scene becoming stagnant, so you just hope that whatever you’re doing can spark the generation below you to get out there and do their own thing, that way the scene just keeps going. Honestly, most of the time I get more excited over crew and homie videos nowadays than over a company’s video. I don’t know, there’s the actual friendship layer that can sort of get lost in the company aspect, and with homie videos you can just tell and feel the camaraderie a lot of times. Also though, we’re very humble around here, none of us are in the skate industry by any means in terms of sponsorship or riding for anyone, and in a lot of ways we’d still be meeting up and skating without all the production or whether it was for a project, so I mean any recognition and praise we get for our videos is hugely appreciated. And if the videos inspire other skaters, skate companies or teams to want to visit this part of the country then it feels even more special.

You recently did a project with former Darkroom pro, John Clemmons. Do you have a different approach when filming a pro who rides for a company or brand, versus filming for a local homie project?

John and I have known each other for a really long time, and when he was skating for Darkroom, I was helping them with filming some local stuff, then once Darkroom was over, John and I ended up getting together for a solo project. It was around the time I was wrapping up Townies, but filming John was essentially the same process of utilizing what we had around here, so I treated it just like I was out filming a good friend and local ripper. John’s an incredible skateboarder, so it can be fun getting to film someone who’s trying some crazy things that not everyone would be willing to try.

How big of a part does music play in your videos? I’ve noticed you’ve used an eclectic share of tunes in your edits. 

Me and Connor have very similar tastes in music, so it’s a shared aspect when we’re working on projects. Plus, that game of finding the right song to match the skater – that whole puzzle is just as fun to me now as it was when we were teenagers making silly shit.

Have you ever heard of the band Slint?   

Of course! I grew up going to punk shows here and hanging out in the music scene, and Slint is one of the first bands locals will tell you to check out.

Louisville has a long history with punk music, right? 

Totally! Louisville’s punk and hardcore scene have a rich history with some really great bands. Originally when I moved here the punk scene was a lot bigger than the skate scene, and I was looking for something a little more niche, so I think that’s why I ended up gravitating towards the skate scene, but skaters, music and musicians are so intertwined, they kind of go hand in hand.

The Fog of Religion - Photo by Ryan Tassi

 

You also shoot still photography. Did you get into photography around the same time you started filming skateboarding? 

No, I was dabbling in photography well before I started to film skateboarding. I got into photography in middle school after my older sister took a film photography class and didn’t enjoy it, so she ended up passing down her camera to me. Ever since, it’s been something that feels special to me, and something I’ve never wanted to put down since my first camera.

You’ve mentioned Ed Templeton as being a photography inspiration of yours – have you ever seen the documentary Beautiful Losers? 

I have. I would say, photography wise, Ed Templeton and Jerry Hsu have been two who’ve always inspired me. Even as a younger kid, it always piqued my brain when I saw skaters putting just as much effort into their artwork as they did their skating – it was inspirational to see that you could do both. Ed Templeton has always been great at speaking about the correlations between skating and living life creatively and affirming to others that those realities are out there.

Your photography is notably not of skateboarding. Is there a specific reason for that?

Photography allows you to notice little things differently. It’s ultimately about capturing what’s in front of you, which is going to be different for every photographer. I tend to have ideas for photographs before I shoot them, not the actual subject I’m wanting to take a photo of, but rather the concept or feeling I’m wanting to capture, which keeps me always on the lookout for photographs I can take that would translate that concept or feeling well. There’s also the component in photography of having patience and preparing yourself to be ready for the moment. With photography, especially film photography, you have to put yourself out there and open, so that when you see what you think would translate, you’re ready for it.

When you’re out skating, are you taking both cameras, filming and 35mm?

Yeah, for the most part I’ve got my filming camera setup, and I’ll usually have some kind of 35mm film camera with me as well. It can be challenging though, because filming, shooting photos, skateboarding – they’re all really their own creative thing requiring equal creative space in your brain, so ultimately you want to be putting all your energy into just one of them when you’re out skating or working on a project.

 

Earned and Owned: Photo by Ryan Tassi

 

Do you think you’ll stick around Louisville? 

I don’t know, that’s something I toss around my head a lot. I’ve spent a good chunk of my life here, so moving is certainly something I’ve toyed around with, but it would have to be an intentional move with job backing, because I’m about to turn 33, so I’m looking for a little more stability and less chaos as I get older, or at least trying to find a healthy balance of both. It’s hard to decide sometimes, because I have such a good system here now, and I have family and friends here. Moving is easier said than done, I guess.

Y’all eat pepperoni rolls in Louisville? 

No, but funny enough, the last girl I was dating was from West Virginia, and she brought me some pepperoni rolls one time after she’d visited her family. They were pretty damn good man. I mean they weren’t from some fancy bakery or anything, so I can’t say I had the best ones, but I could see why those things are loved in the region. West Virginia has been on our minds recently because we’re thinking about West Virgina for our next project. While recovering from these knee surgeries I’ve been going pretty crazy with Google Earth, so we want to try and do a tour of West Virginia, using Google Earth for spots plus hitting up some local skaters from their scene. There’s a lot around this tri-state area that is untapped.

 

Hell yeah, that sounds rad! Y’all should spend an afternoon fly fishin’! I’ve pitched a West Virginia skate trip article with a fly fishin’ day penciled into the itinerary to a few publications, but ain’t none of’em bitin’. Pun intended!! Ok homie, thank you for taking the time to talk, I appreciate it. I’m looking forward to seeing y’alls new video! Let’s end with any shoutouts you might have.

Thank you and everyone at Theories. We appreciate you taking an interest in our little world over here in Kentucky. Also, I want to thank Home Skate Shop and Noah Hulsman for the support throughout the years, and all the people involved in the new video, Connor Clark, Brooks Shuping, Alex Hancock, Will Hommrich, Noah Long, Josh Romero, Zach Finck, Blake Bishop, Will Donahue, Collin Aubrey, Johnny Allen, and Archer Zitzer.

 

PICK UP A COPY OF RYAN'S & CONNOR'S NEW DVD "HIGH STREET" HERE!