Article By: Jeremy Johnson
Photo By: Tiffany Rose
Originally Published In The February 2013 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
So when I got the call to head west for the magazine, I was beyond excited. I have never been to California before. Little did I know that I was going to meet cast members from Sons of Anarchy, Guns ‘n’ Roses, and Nick Perri of Shine Down and the owner of the Perri Ink Cartel which was the spot we hung around all weekend. Sara Liberte and I landed in LA and went straight to work filming for Rally TV. While shooting, we came across a billboard that we could rent for the Cycle Source bike show. This was going to be the first ever show the magazine has done on the West Coast, and I was going to host it. Boy S did they make a mistake! I think that I have Roadside Marty a little nervous about me taking his place at Willie’s Tropical Tattoo show in Daytona! The Perri Ink Cartel is the first ever lifestyle superstore. Nick picked some of the greatest people he knows and put them all under one roof. There is a tattoo parlor, photography studio, guitar shop, a custom motorcycle parts’ section, and last but not least, the best barbershop in LA, featuring Ritchie the barber. Man, this place has it all. It’s like the only onestop- shop in all of California. You can get cleaned up, buy cool parts for your bike, get a fresh tattoo and have your picture taken without ever leaving the building. So, Nick wanted me and Sara to come out and film for Rally TV as well as help host the red carpet deal for their grand opening. I have never been on the red carpet much less interview celebrities on it. I’m probably the only person that was invited to get kicked off as well! Just kidding, Kevin! I got to hang out with Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees; two of the most famous horror movie serial killers of all time. Then there was Opie and Chucky from the popular TV show, Sons of Anarchy. Of course, there were plenty of musicians that also came through to hang out with us. The party that night was not your normal bike party. We were hanging on the famous Melrose Avenue in LA but when you have motorcycles and cheap beer, it’s just like any other party we’ve ever been to. You would think all the famous people would be different but I saw all of them drinking Pabst and standing under a propane heater; all real guys enjoying motorcycles and cheap booze.
The bike show on Saturday was going to be a tough one being this was our first show in LA. Tabor Nash from Nash Motorcycle Company came out to show his support. If you know Tabor, then you know he never rolls alone so he brought all of his minions with him. Teddy and Austin, love you guys! Well, I arrived early to the Cartel and started setting everything up for the show. It was kind of slow at first but after the weather cleared up, the bikes started rollin’ in. There were some really nice rides that showed up and one of my favorites was a guy and his son that rode in on a black Evo chopper. It’s really cool to see dads sharing their love of bikes with their kids. Gene Louis provided us with music all day and man, this guy has some set of pipes. We heard him sing at the grand opening the night before and I was hoping he would return. For every bike that showed up, there were four people walking in. The store was packed all day long from wall to wall and front to back, it was standing room only. While the bike judging was going on, I decided that it was time to get one of the famous straight razor shaves from Ritchie. After I was all cleaned up, I watched Nick Perri and Gene Louis play a song and then it was my turn on the mic. To my surprise, everyone was very respectable to my southern drawl when I speak. I was kind of worried about them attacking me when I got on stage. With all the awards handed out, it was time to pack up and head east. I do have to say that I really hope the guys from the West Coast invite us back next year. There’s a great feeling out there and it’s a cool place to be. I really enjoyed my trip and have to thank Nick and his family for having us! The cats from Nash are scheduled to set up a satellite shop location in the back of The Cartel now so look for an upcoming issue where we drop in and check out those digs.
