Livin' the Dream by Gage Roads

McKenzie Bowden and Ellie Brooks have life pretty well figured out. Both members of the Gage Roads Surf Team, Mac and El always have a suitcase packed, ready to hit some of the world's best spots in search of epic waves. These two legends were recently in WA, starting in Margaret River before heading north to Gnaraloo. In a loose chat, Mac and El spill the beans on some stories from the road, while explaining how surfing helps them stay level headed.   

Brenden “Margo” Margieson is a surfing pioneer. Dubbed by many as the world's best free surfer, he was one of the first to tread that path. Travelling the world hunting waves, Margo's power and style was featured in dozens of iconic surf films including The Green Iguana, The Sons of Fun and more. Margo is a proud member of the Gage Roads surf team. He sat down with JB for a chat that went far and wide, talking big breaks at Gnaraloo, epic trips and iconic films, as well as diving deep into how his free surfing career evolved, what it's like watching his son compete and how he became a self described “bird nerd.”      

If you love adventure, this one's for you! Shipwreck Hunters Australia is a new doco-series on Disney+ that's grabbing world-wide attention. The six-part series has it all - epic locations, long-lost shipwrecks and hair-raising stories of survival. Created by a team of divers, underwater filmmakers and archaeologists, the series takes in some of WA's most epic and isolated off-shore locations. This ep, I sit down for a yarn with two legends behind the show, Brendan Hutchens (director and producer from VAM Media), and Ryan Chatfield (co-producer from Terra Australis), who dig into how it all came about, the amazing stories they uncovered, and detail some behind the scenes gold from their expeditions away.

If it wasn't for a high school knee injury, or his parent's refusal to buy him new toys, James Giddy might not have become the artist we know today. James is well-known and much loved for his epic mural art, depicting Australia's unique flora and fauna. It's a talent that's taken him all over the country, and overseas, to paint murals in both public and private spaces. He's also no stranger to canvas, holding several exhibitions over the last few years, with a new show, Strangers to Mortality, opening late November. I sat down with James Giddy at his place, for a deep dive into his work and journey so far. It's a wide-ranging chat where we talk creative sparks, his first mural, the benefits of being uncomfortable and what his new exhibition means to him. Oh, and we find some time to talk motorbikes too. Enjoy! James's Giddy's new exhibition is Strangers to Mortality. It opens on Friday, November 25 (6 to 9pm) at Vic Park Art Framers, East Victoria Park WA.

Pat Stevenson knows how to capture a moment and a vibe. Over the last 20-plus years, the Sydney based photographer has shot some of the world's biggest bands, DJs and club nights, building a rep as one of the best. During this ep, you'll discover that Pat is one fun and generous dude. We cover some ground in this chat, including how the Sydney graff scene kick-started his love of photography, the traps for new players when on tour, why Violent Soho are epic to shoot, and where the moral line is when camera is in hand. I had a blast during this yarn and hope you dig it too.

Let's be honest, we've all been there. Work's been a drag. You're over the 9 to 5. And you think, "let's pack this up, buy a van and find some adventure on the open road." Well, Jay and Alesha are about to do just that. Only their van is a boat they rebuilt themselves, and the open road is the open sea. Obviously. I caught up with the couple just before they set sail from Perth to Indonesia and we hard a yarn about their motivation, fears and what they're up to when they finally reach dry land.

Chris Nixon's plate is pretty full. And while his story as an illustrator, mural artist and public art creator is one of hard work and hustle, he also takes time to think about the bigger picture and balance. In this chat, we talk about getting a start illustrating kids' books, the challenges of murals and public art, and how he finds creativity and inspo.

This episode, it's pencil in one hand and beer in the other! Jamie Browne is a Sydney based artist and illustrator who definitely brings a vibe. His art is all about finding that daydream escape, and in a way that's how his adventure kinda started. With art that's inspired by surf, skate and sweet tunes, Jamie is all about finding good times. During this ep, we have a yarn about how it all kicked off, his time in Cali with Volcom and what it's like working with bands like Weezer.

To put it simply, Simon Collins has a pretty cool gig. For the last two decades, the music journo and features writer has interviewed some of the world's biggest musicians including Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Ray Charles. While he's been front and centre for some of the great gigs (travelling far and wide for them too), Simon's also a massive fan of the local scene and the musos plying their trade at local pubs and venues across the country. In this chat, Simon and I sat down at Ruin Bar to chat about his love of tunes, the dangers of music reviewing, and how he added beer writer to his list of tricks.

We're back. And to kick things off in 2022, we're taking you behind the scenes on the build and creation of our new home, Gage Roads Freo. Converting a near 100-year-old cargo shed into a brewery, venue and real-life example of what we're all about wasn't easy. But it was bloody fun. In this episode, host Jamie Burnett chats with Aaron Heary (Gage Roads) and Craig Peterson (Managing Director at builder ICS Australia), diving into the idea, design, build and challenges. You'll hear how a random moment on the wharf sparked the idea for the venue, how the team navigated a building that sits half over water and half over land, and what Gage hopes the venue will mean for Freo and its connection to the working port. Yeow!

Josh Garlepp and his mates, Harry Fitzgerald and Giorgio Savini make funny videos. You could call them skits, bits, content or whatever you like, but over the last 18 months their audience has blown up. You've probably seen their work on insta and TikTok, but if you haven't, check it out. There's videos taking the piss out of the everyday stuff that annoys us, mock news reports hitting the big issues and even campaigns like the one that landed Perth the AFL Grand Final (true story). In this ep, the guys talk about how it all started, their favourite gags and how a multinational brand tried to "twist their arm" on cash. Yeow!

This episode is pretty close to home. Dwight O'Neil is one of the crew here at Gage Roads, but we're not talking shop. Five years ago, Dwight received a heart and double lung transplant. For a healthy 31-year old dude, it came out of left field and nearly took everything. Take a listen to Dwight's story of survival, resilience and his journey back.

This one's for the art and music lovers. Chances are if you're into good tunes, local art and wild times, you've spent at least one night at The Corner Gallery. With news that this cultural institution is closing its doors at the end of the year, we sat down for a yarn with co-founder Alex Miller to talk about the journey. He spills the beans on how it all started, why it meant so much and gives the goss on many epic nights - including the time Tame Impala nearly broke the entire venue with an monster jam.

Stace Galbraith is one of Australia's top surfing coaches. Growing up on the Goldie, Stace frothed waves. But instead of heading down the pro surfer path like some of his mates, Stace found his groove as a judge and later a coach. While 'surf coach' is a tag that still feels a bit weird, he's certainly at the top of his game, nominated as "Coach of the Year" at the 2021 Australian Surfing Awards. In this ep, Stace talks about when he knew he had a passion for coaching, what it was like judging a comp where a young Owen Wright was tearing it up, and how you can level up your own surf game. Yeow!

It's fair to say David the Robot gets a good run at the Gage brewery. We're fans. But if you haven't seen his stuff, David's a cartoonist and illustrator, whose work is pretty loose. It's not the stuff you'd share with mum, but it really does brings the lols. David's built a monster audience of diehard fans over the years, but it wasn't exactly an overnight success. This episode we have a chat right across the journey, including how a backpacking trip first sparked the idea for his drawings, the time Violent Soho helped kick things along, and where inspo strikes for his art. This one comes with a content warning. There's some bad words and loose content, so if you're easily offended, it probably ain't for you.

Oli McDonald was the guy in school who'd be drawing designs and making them into tees for him and his mates. And 10 years on, he's still doing it. Except there's a lot more people than his mates wearing his threads. Oli Clothing has grown from high school idea to in-demand label with Oli and his partner Phoebie creating a huge online following. There are regular limited releases that sell-out fast, a retail shop in the heart of Perth, and a new studio that's fast filling with like-minded crew bringing Oli Clothing to life. But despite the growth, it's still all about hand drawn, hand printed, and local.

This is one of those stories you need to hear to believe. Chad Jackson and his mates were on the hunt for one of the world's most feared waves, when things took a turn. Cyclops was a bit of a myth back then, but when that myth became a reality, things got hectic. Chad broke his back taking it on and pretty much thought his number was up. But it was that moment that sparked a fresh and creative new direction in his life. It's still early doors, but Chad's lived a hell of a life. He's been on the bodyboarding world tour, he was a regular on the Tenison movies and he's currently the man behind clothing brand Grand Flavour.

The dudes from Sly Withers are on a heck of a run. After getting together at high school and making pennies busking by the beach, they've taken their brand of pop punk national. Album number two (Gardens) has been out for a few months, with punters and critics alike frothin' at the sounds and stories laid down. Since then, there's been national tours, live performances on Triple J and a heap of fun. We have a chat with guitar-wielding frontmen Jono and Sam about the new album, covering Coldplay on the J's and how to take your high school band to the next level.

This legendary lens man is one of the country's most sought-after photographers, and has a super knack for capturing the world's most snapped sites in a fresh and unique way. In this episode, Jarrad explains how he got into photography by mistake, what it's like touring with some of the world's biggest bands, how a camera in hand opens doors and what it's like to tough it out for 30-plus days on Survivor Australia.

A little taste of what's to come on Livin' the Dream!