When owner Robert Hackney opened A Tiki Tattoo, it effortlessly blended right in with colorful Waikiki. Unlike many of the tattoo parlors on the island, A Tiki embraces island lifestyle with its laid-back, open atmosphere and friendly staff. The shop feels like a tropical oasis complete with bamboo light decor and paneling. With more than 30 years experience, Hackney plans on making A Tiki Tattoo a household name. Each of the five full-time tattooists (three born and raised in Hawaii) brings in his own clientele, whether locals, tourists, or celebs such as Reverend Horton Heat, Mike Ness of Social Distortion, and members of Alice in Chains. With diverse backgrounds, their focus is versatile, ranging from realism to old school Polynesian. “It’s a good place for people visiting Hawaii—they can bring ...

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The story behind the start of chef Aarón Sánchez’s career is not all that unfamiliar: “I started cooking because...

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The 30-year trail of wreckage behind Aussie rockers AC/DC includes 16 studio albums, one deceased singer, and countless shattered eardrums. This boxed set collects the songs that were left by the side of the road, including 18 studio rarities and 29 live tracks, stretching back to a blazing live version of “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” from ’77. Among the best outtakes are the sleazy STD homage “Crabsody in Blue,” originally yanked from Let There Be Rock, and the original single version of “High Voltage.” But the real gold is in the roof-burning live takes of staples such as “Shot Down in Flames” and “Shoot to Thrill.” The set also includes a DVD of AC/DC videos and a live DVD from Germany that shows three decades haven’t slowed them down—just made them meaner. 

AFI made their transformation from hardcore kids to goth-punk pioneers look as easy as applying eyeliner. The truth is, they've been tweaking their formula, and Crash Love might be the closest they’ve come to perfecting it. “Beautiful Thieves” explodes into huge guitars and operatic backing vocals while “Veronica Sawyer Smokes” races around a punked-up Cure riff. On “Medicate,” singer Davey Havok tries self-diagnosis (“I feel nothing at all”) while darting between dive-bombing guitars and a big gang-chorus. Later, AFI come close to their early days with the hardcore blast of “Sacrilege” as Havok preaches the evils of religion, snarling, “Just let your faith die!” Their best yet.

Few records captured the violence and rage on the streets of New York City in the early ’80s like Agnostic Front’s Victim in Pain. Released in 1984 and considered one of the first official releases of the hardcore movement, the songs blended the speed and fury of punk with brutal rants about life on the dirty, drug-addled streets of the Lower East Side. In honor of the album’s 25th anniversary, this reissue pairs the original 11 songs with Agnostic Front’s debut single, United Blood. Songs such as “Power” (“Fighting in the streets/Trying to be free”) and the anti-NYPD rager “Blind Justice” still evoke the hard-knock sound of early hardcore, while the growl of the title track perfectly captures the moment all of the frustration boiled over. Essential.

Inked People covers world-famous Jockey, Alex Solis.

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“When I shop at Nordstrom, the store employees follow me around,” says Los Angeles makeup artist and handbag designer Allison Burns. If only those department store employees, on the look for shoplifters, knew they were tailing the head of a handbag line coveted by celebrities and now sold at Bergdorf Goodman and more than 250 boutiques worldwide. Burns started her company in 2001; at the time she had already been working in Hollywood as a makeup artist for more than a decade, and she often wore her own handcrafted accessories to work. It was client Jillian Barberie who finally convinced her to sell the bags. The company took off after ...

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Amanda Beard has swam in the Olympics four times, dissed Michael Phelps, and been tattooed on LA Ink. Now back from Beijing, she's ready to dive in to life outside of the pool.

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