Mikey B drops some knowledge..

Photography: Homies
Text: Jake Da Jeweler

Name? Mike Barela

Where you from? Born and raised in Albuquerque!

Years Skating? 23 years


23 years SKATING! How old are you? you look 23! I'd rather not answer that. Haha I'm 35

What was the O.G. ABQ skate scene like? It was a hella tight knit squad. Everybody knew each other. It wasn't like it is now, skateboarding was not the "cool thing". There was like 10 to 20 skateboarders at your local high schools. The scene was really underground but that made it really cool. UNM used to be so crazy. On any Friday or Saturday night, you could find like 20 to 30 skateboarders outside the SUB building skating, chillin drinking 40s, smoking herb, or just hanging out and hooking up with girls. We used to run shit over there. Nowadays your lucky to get a full skate session in without being kicked out. That was always the meeting place to set off the night.Back then, there were only like 3 shop teams that were well established. Concrete Wave, BZ, and Danz were the only teams who had bangers on their squads.


Right: While everyone else was in "normal" High School classes, Mike was taking classes at Indian School. Subject, Pop Shuv-It Indy's 101... Grade A+ Photo:???

Danz skate shop? Where was that and do you remember anyone that skated for them? They were always in the height but moved around a bunch. there was one on San Mateo and the other two were on Montgomery. This kid Jeremy Sevier, the Ginn twins and I believe Mike Giant skated for Danz

What were some of the first spots you skated that you still see kids skating around town? I grew up right downtown so those spots were the first I ever skated. Downtown has changed so much though. All the schoolyard were always a hit for us old schoolers cause we had no skate parks.

Where do you skate these days? My old ass usually sticks to the skate parks nowadays. I enjoy skating mini ramps most now.

If we wanted to find you skating would we go to Alamosa or the new Paseo park? Both, i live near Alamose but i think i go to Paseo more. But my local park is 86th and Tower

Who did you skate with in the O.G. days? Team Concrete Wave, big ups!! The OG Concrete Wave team was Ray Chavez, Tommy Borunda, myself, Leroy Lovato, Jeff Barboa, Elliot Shoei, and a few other heads. I was always with Ray, and Tommy like everyday I was skating. Concrete Wave was hands down the most innovative shop team for a very long time in Albuquerque.

Who do you skate with now? My Sonny boy Bobby.

Left: Nowadays when you see Mike Dropping In, its not gonna be on some GNARLY ditch wall like he did back in 1997!!! Photo:Mike Kirby

Other then skating what have you been getting into? Just working and snowboarding in the winter. Its a little easier on my body and I can't skate everyday anymore. My old bones can't take it. Haha!!

Where can we find you on a Friday night? Chillin' at home or downtown having a drink with my little berd.

Your "Litlle Berd"..? Like a kuku bird? My Shorty, my Dove hahahaha my girl friend!

What youngsters have you notice on the come up here in town? Damn there is so much young'uns ripping right now that I can't even keep track. The guys who come to mind are kids like Brian Jackson, Little Teal, Alfred Flores, Xander, to name just a few..

Who's the best ABQ skater in you opinion? Past, Ray Chavez hands down! Ray was like the best street skateboarder in Albuquerque when he was 13!! He was doing shit I had only seen in pro videos. Another cat that was amazing was Leroy Lovato.


What was a trick you remember seeing Ray (chavez) do that you were like, "damn!"? Backside board the curved rail at UNM's sub building in 1990. That was so ahead of its time! He was the first person i saw ollie boardslide and ollie 5050 rails. Way back in like 1987! Everyone was jus doing CAVEMANS onto rails still.

I always thought it was Tommy B that did the pole jam 5050 on the curved rail, was that HIM or YOU? That was me not Tommy! Everone always mixed us up. It's funny there's this old TransWorld video that has Tommy doing a BIG flip down the Del Norte 8 and the caption said it was ME. I got all the credit for that one. I always let people know it was Tommy tho hahaha

Above: Mike put the MIX UP to rest with this 5 frame sequence of the Ollie Hang'Up 5050, on the old UNM Sub rail. Photo:Mark Sanchez

I know you skated with Tommy B, and everyone always tells me good stories about that dude...got any good ones from skating with Tommy? That is one Albuquerque skateboarder that no doubt should have went pro. Stereo skateboards flew him up to San Francisco in the late 90's and he killed it! I believe it was Pat Odell who took him to a gnarly ass flat rail that was like hip high and extended out over like 10 plus stairs. Pat Odell had took a top notch pro who is a rail killer to that rail like a month or so before and that guy didn't want anything to do with it. Tommy ends up doing it now problem. You can catch that footy on the Avenue Skateboards video which I believe is on YouTube.

Wanna say whats up to anyone...or how you wanna end this? I wanna say whats up to my life long friends whom I grew up skating with, Tommy & Ray, my girl Juanda, Mom and Pops, my brother Chris, and all of my fellow Albuquerque skateboarders young and old like me.....