Volume 2 serves as your welcome to the team announcement.  How did that start your relationship with the brand develop?

The relationship started when some of the volume crew came down for a shop stop tour in Utah. Mike invited me to jump in the van and ride with Boyd, Josh, Demarcus, Brock. Sean and Tate. I instantly clicked with the team and after hanging with them during their visit and a few of them a handful of times, Mike asked me to join the team.

Had you met Mike before starting to work on this video?

I actually met him a couple summers ago while filming for Dollar Bet. He was down with Tate and we hung out a few times after that.

How was it having the crew visit your your hometown of SLC for the project?

It was sick having them in town because I was able to meet the other guys on the team and get to know and ride with them.

Did you have some spots in mind for yourself in advance?

Yeah when Mike asked me to be a part of Volume 2 I had a full list of stuff I wanted to do. We got through it and some.

How about for other guys?  Anything you knew you had to take Drew, Boyd, or Bahlman?

For sure, I knew about an abandoned army depot that we wanted to take Boyd to.  There was a crazy bank and ledge set up which will be featured in the video.

With your section in ‘Dollar Bet’ and now Volume 2 dropping you’ve had a lot of footage come out recently, does that motivate you to stack for a next project?

I'm definitely motivated to stack for any new projects. I recently broke my hand so it will put a hold on  any upcoming project but I will be back soon.

What would you say is your one favorite clip in Drew, Boyd, or Bahlman’s sections?

Damn, that's tough because everyone's sections are so diverse and awesome I can't just pick one clip.

Have you made it out to the Volume headquarters in California yet?

I haven't yet but my flight is booked for February to go to California and chill with the Volume squad and at the warehouse.

Any plans yet for 2017?

Hopefully wrap up a Merritt project with Elf, ride and stay as healthy as possible.

You are the lone foreigner(Australian) involved in Volume 2.  Was this your first time riding in the US?

Haha yep holding it down for Straya! But no this trip was actually my third trip to the States and the best one yet.

Had you filmed with Mike prior?  Your welcome to Volume video was shot
entirely back home by a friend correct?

So yeah my Welcome part was filmed by my homie Dave Pendleton while he was visiting Aus at the start of the year. Coming to the states this year I'd never met Mike before but he actually picked me up from the airport, from then we got our first clip a few days later. Mikes a wizard with the camera, always has fresh ideas and angles. I really enjoyed working with him.

What sort of differences did you find between California and Salt Lake
City?

For starters theres the obvious differences like dealing with the Mormons, but spot wise Utah has epic spots and everything is fairly well untouched. Another thing I found different in Utah compared to cali was kinks on the end of rails. I never really messed with them before, but being out there I had to learn real quick.

Would you say that different regions of Australia you’ve visited vary like
that as well?

Yeah in a way,  I feel like they're pretty switched onto it these days so usually the older parts/towns have the better spots.

How long were you over here this time?

89 days to be exact, used up as much as i could on my 3 month visa.

Did you feel much pressure, or did filming go smoothly from the start?
Will you be back over again in 2017?

I did feel a bit of pressure leading up to trip but once I got in the van and Mike started taking me to spots I knew I was going to be fine. MIKE’S GOT SPOTS!  Yes I’ll be back as soon as I can, I love the States.

Is it safe to say your Volume 2 section is the collection of footage you
are most proud of to date?

Yeah for sure I'm happy to say its my best work to date! I'm also extra stoked on this because Its my first 100% street part I’ve ever put out. Hope everyone likes it

You are the veteran of the Volume 2 lineup, and outside of Jason Enns, you’ve been on the team longer than anyone else correct?  How many years has it been?

It feels weird to think that I'm on the veteran end of things it feels like just yesterday it was all getting started. I think its been almost 9 years since I got my first frame from Volume and I think I started getting parts from Demolition a little before that, time flies. Next to Jason I'm pretty sure I'm the longest running member of the team, though I think Lil D got put on Pro before me.

How’s it feel to wrap up another video section for Volume?

Another notch in the belt I guess. Filming is one of the things I enjoy most about riding so it feels really good to have completed a project and see how it all came together.

In what ways did filming differ from past projects?

Over the last few years I had a lot of video parts coming out and after a while it just kind of feels like filming the same video part over and over. I did kind of change up my approach with filming this section, probably the biggest change being that only a handful of clips were filmed in my hometown. I used to be pretty organized and planned out with putting together a video part but with this one I left more to chance. I had a few set-ups that I was looking for but for the most part it was just kind of riding spots that I stumbled across out in the van with Mastroni.

How much does your comfortability with working Mike Mastroni these past few years help with filming?

It helps big time, I feel like we work really well as a team. If I'm trying something for a while or crash really hard trying something I usually start to get over it pretty quickly but Mike is a good motivator and pushes me through it and we get the clip. We also have a pretty similar mindset when it comes to street riding so we bounce ideas back and forth really well. In general he is just good motivator to keep trying when I want to quit and convincing me to film something I might not want to because he has some idea to make it look really sick on video.

Was it fun travelling with the newcomers Boyd and Brady?  Had you met either of them prior?

The Volume lineup has been pretty much unchanged for the last few years so it was fun to get some fresh blood in the van for a trip. Brady is super chill and really easy to get along with so it was too easy, he killed it at playing host and showing us around SLC. Boyd is a cheeky little but had me in stitches the whole trip, can't wait to kick it with him again.

I know it’s always tough to pick favorites, but whose part in Volume 2 do you enjoy most?

Probably Brady's because its the hammer you didn't see coming. Aside from his part in Dollar Bet I think he has been pretty low key but he kills it super hard. He can ride pretty much anything but he's got a lot of influence from other SLC riders especially Elf so he's really not just doing the same shit as the mainstream.

Between The Finer Things, the Arizona Highways project, a Ride Pro Part, and now Volume 2 it feels like you’ve been stacking clips for one thing after another for quite a while.  Anything new in the works?

I did a lot of filming for a few years, almost too much even I started to get a little burned out on it. I took a bit of a breather from filming before finishing up Volume 2 and I think I really needed that to get myself refreshed. As far as new stuff goes there is the possibility of starting a new video project soon but the details are still a little fuzzy so I will keep it to myself for now.

I heard that you were planning to move in the Spring? Where will you be heading?

If all goes as planned I will be driving to Alaska in the spring and staying up there for the summer. Pretty much a polar opposite of living here in Arizona but I have lived here for so long I'm in need of some change. I know spots will be pretty limited but hopefully enough to nibble on through the summer, who knows might be some insane shit out there. After the summer is up I'm headed back to the mainland but who knows where I will end up but likely somewhere along the west coast.

Will this be your first time living outside of Arizona?
It might as well be I have lived in Arizona for pretty much my entire life. For a while I was traveling so much that I didn't really feel the need to live elsewhere, but now I'm getting the itch. For the first time in my life I have no idea where I will be or what I will be doing a year down the road and that's a surprisingly good feeling.

As the man responsible for the photos of your teammates in this article I wanted to talk about your interest in photography.  Was there anything in particular that made you want to start shooting more seriously recently?

Well I've always been a very visual person and had an interest in photography but never had my own camera. So last year I dropped in and got a Sony a6000 mirrorless camera. Shortly after owning it for only about 2 months, a photo of Simone Barraco got published and that's when I knew this was something I wanted to do. Being able to capture a moment in time, to create art that can be admired and looked back upon to remember that moment can be very powerful and gratifying.

Has shooting during your downtime added a new layer to trips for you?

Yeah for sure. A majority of the spots on trips aren't really meant for me so instead of hanging out I get to be apart of what's going down. Taking the right photo can be just as satisfying as landing a trick yourself. So now I've been able to get the reward of doing both which makes trips that much more amazing to be a part of.

Would you say that your experiences with BMX photographers have influenced you?

Without a doubt. I've met some of the best photographers in BMX and seeing what can be created is very inspiring.

Are you still bringing the Hi-8 camera out these days too?

I need to dust her off again. Had a lot going on this year with work, buying a house, summer being insanely hot etc. But now that's all settled down I think it's time for another edit soon!

Where do you see yourself taking your photography going forward?

Not 100% sure. I've gotten opportunities to go on trips to specifically be a photographer and would love to continue to do so. I truly love shooting photos no matter what it is. Hopefully something will come along that could be a side job to start and lead into something greater, we'll see.

Now let’s talk about your section a bit.  Was this your first time in Salt Lake?

Ya! It was pretty awesome to say the least. I got to escape the intense AZ heat and ride a ton of good spots and hang out with good locals. I'd love to go back again, shout out to Tate for the hospitality and showing us around.

Do you feel like you checked off most of what you wanted to do in Arizona?

Yes and no. I'm a very adlib type of rider. I rarely plan out a trick or have a certain spot lined up. I just like to go ride with the homies and if I see something I want to try I'll go for it. Being in the moment is the kind of riding I like.

Any noteworthy stories from the project?

While Drew was trying an over toothpick on this slanted concrete plaque, a lady exiting the building got super pissed at what he was doing. Mike nicely asked her to get out of the shot but she wouldn't budge. They both got pretty heated, yelling back and forth at each other all while drew was trying to land it and get out of there. She was on the phone with the cops making it sound like we were taking a sledgehammer to the spot and threatening her. You'd probably have to be there but it was a wild scene for bit.

It’s tough to pick favorites, but what’s your favorite clip from Drew,
Boyd, or Brady in the video?

Boyd's banger! My god. He was going so fast and what the video doesn't really capture is the fact that there was a fence pretty close at the end which he had to dodge. Such a sick set up which locals didn't even know about either. Boyd came through and handled it like a boss.