Credences' adopted motto, "Live free or die", encapsulates the feeling I get watching their new DVD, "Feel My Chest Muscles I'm a Trail Builder". Nutter, Clint and Matty have been doing things their own way since day one; from building and riding the sickest trails, traveling the country in search of badass concrete, to their embrace of exploring landscapes off the bike. Filming for this video has spanned at least six years, and despite the inconsistency of video formats, the riding and vibe dominates all, leaving the viewer with an internal stoked to get out there. Having lived some of these recorded moments along side these dudes, I was able to capture some photos of them over the years. Recalling these moments through video makes it all the better, something that can translate to any person stoked on building trails, riding and traveling with friends. The title gives a nod to the first S&M Bikes video, "Feel My Legs I'm a Racer", and Credence's collaboration with such a respected company.
The intro sets the tone with a classic Woody Guthrie tune and a chill energy. However, the chill is about to explode into an intoxicating mix of heavy guitars and heavier trail riding. Names like Brian Yeagle, Tony Cardona, Robbo, Eric Jensen, BF, Ryan Greene and Mark Potoczny make up the mix sections with riding that makes you want to jump into the TV, scream and give these dudes a high five. Matty Aquizap's section is introduced by the hilarious soda commercial that him and Clint starred in a few years back. The riding begins with inverts and huge airs from places like Eastside, Catty and Posh taking over your screen. Matty is the trail rider's trail rider, he builds huge lines, rides them with style, and keeps the tricks classic. There is a clip where Matty makes a wizard/warrior like gesture at the camera, summing up his riding style. The highlight for me was a lap through Boomers at Catty and after a huge air on McRoast, Grady Corbitt is overheard screaming "Fuckin MEAN!!!", words that say it all about Matty's riding.
Clint Reynolds' part begins with him and Nutter sending a firecracker into the air with a slingshot, a foreshadowing of the riding that is about to come. Clint spins his way through huge lines and gets as stylish as can be floating through the trees. He is one of most progressive in the world of trail riding. Not so much an inventor of new tricks, but a bringer of fearless style over jumps that are just straight up intimidating to most. Clint is the backbone of Credence and this section does a good job of showing us why. Jim Nutter gets the last section in Feel My Chest Muscles I'm a Trail Builder. Being a few years older than Matty and Clint, Nutter is the guy they looked up to in the New England scene where they came from. Nutter saw something awesome going on in the Pennsylvania trail scene and made himself a part of it. He adapted his trick-heavy riding into a trail flowing navigator of PA clay. He helped introduce his New England brothers to this scene and the Credence crew never looked back. They took this to Austin and added a heavy presence to the trail scene down there. Nutter's section shows his versatility on a BMX, from wild flips and threes to one of sickest darksides in BMX. His humor also shows through and his many different hair styles gives a good sense of years these guys have put into filming this video.
The Credence crew and lifestyle isn't one that is slowing down any. All of these guys continue to progress at a steady rate, leaving me excited for more. The dedication to trails and the lifestyle that comes with it is easy to appreciate for anyone watching this video. This video serves as an invitation from the Credence crew to do things your own way live the life that you want.
