In Memoriam
josh evin’s first appearance in Concrete:
‘Kootenay Country’ // 50-50 // Issue 30 – September 1997
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Josh & Chris Haslam // Slam City Jam 2003
KERRY McCALL artwork Jay Rego
I first met Josh back in 1992. Even at 11 he had magnetic charm and was killing it on a skateboard with unique style. He was definitely not like anyone else. During high school in Castlegar, BC, he would put on demos for the entire school, airing huge gaps and launching over a friend’s Pontiac Sunfire. Classic Josh. Our good friend Ian Comishin owned PM Skateboards, which became Josh’s first sponsor. He started traveling to contests like Slam City Jam in Vancouver and the Cash Bash in Kelowna. These events are where he started to make a name for himself, and soon he began picking up more sponsors on his way to doing what he always dreamed – becoming a professional skateboarder.
We did two skate tours in 2004 and 2005 with our company Black Russian, and Josh was truly in his element. It was a dream getting to promote Black Russian while skating with good buddies like Eugene Voykin, Mike Stewart, Rob Sigaty, Jesse Lockhart, Ben Demoskoff, Daniel “Alien” Nelson, Paul Carter, Morgan Campbell and Dayne Brummet. I feel so lucky to have known Josh, and I wouldn’t have a lot of these experiences if it wasn’t for him. Josh will be remembered and loved forever by his family and friends. Over a thousand people attended his service in June, and since some people
were not able to make it out to the Kootenays, a few of us decided to have a celebration of life in Josh’s honour. On August 14th, a Memorial Skate Jam was held at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver, and over 200 people, including both old and new friends, joined the epic session. Josh would’ve been so stoked. Afterwards, we held a party at the Century House featuring SideSixtySeven (Josh’s good friends and one of his favourite bands). A collection of his video parts from the last 15 years also played alongside Ty-C’s hip-hop track, “Black Russian”, which was dedicated to Josh. Memories were shared, and it was a great end to a great day – a tradition that will carry on. We love you, Josh. joshevin.com
leeside and josh/haslam photo by brian caissie
The first big skate trip for Josh was PM’s “Hicks on Sticks” tour in 1999 with Shane Wallace, Eugene
Voykin and Mike Evans. This was a major move in Josh’s career, because he really flourished in the demo setting. He loved to skate and entertain, and people loved to watch him. It was what he was meant to do.
‘End of an Era for Downtown Vancouver’ // 5-0 at leeside // issue 47 - june 2000
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Concrete skateboarding
‘can-am’ (Josh’s first interview) // Issue 49 – December 2000