Troy Dog’s Shack: What PAK X EMH Is All About

If you’re in the Dallas area tonight and are looking for something to do then you need to check out the PAK X EMH Pre-Release Pop-Up Party at the Centre TONIGHT from 5-7 p.m. If you aren’t aware of what PAK X EMH is, it’s a lifestyle brand that focuses on art, fashion, music, videography, and photography. The people in this collaboration are familiar to you ala Colt Nichols, Justin Bogle, and Brad Frace.

Frace is a jack of all trades when it comes to creating content and he has a busy day ahead of him today. He’s filming press day content at the Jerry Dome and then he’s going to go setup for tonight’s Ethika launch party. Frace designed a special edition pair of Ethika’s with his long-time friend and fellow artist Garrett Gaumond. Also, at the party tonight will be a Colt Nichols signing, a performance by Garrett Merk (the EMH portion), as well as plenty of giveaways including a raffle for two tickets to Supercross tomorrow night for anyone who buys a pair of Ethika’s.

I caught up with Frace to get more information on the party and you should definitely go check it out if you’re in the area.  

Let’s start with your day today. It seems very busy. You’re heading to the track to do some content and then you have your party tonight.

Frace: Yeah, so today I’m going to go and shoot some photos and videos for the handful of great people that I get the chance to work with. John Kuzo has always been one of my guys and I’ve been working with him closely for the past year or so. I’m just kind of working with the company that he’s involved with and relationships that I’ve had with companies over the years. I think Colt is going to ride the press today as well, so I’m going to try and get some stuff for him to use for PAK X EMH. 

We have a collaboration coming out with Ethika for the brand. I’ve always made clothes over the years, just one-off pieces and fun stuff for Bogle, Nichols, and I. It was just for us really and then I started selling pieces here and there. This year we were like let’s just actually do a line, have some events, and just see what we can do with all of this. We designed a pair of underwear and a t-shirt. We’re going to have the event at the Centre. One of my really good friends Tommy J is allowing us to do this and I’m very excited. The store is amazing. They help out a lot of people in the city. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have the event there. We’re going to have Colt come and sign some autographs for the people who buy the Ethikas. We have Garrett Merk coming out and one of my good friends is going to be DJing. We might have Garrett rap a couple verses for us.   

Can you explain what PAK X EMH is all about for those who might not have heard of it yet?

We could go all the way back to the beginning going to all of the amateur nationals back in the day. Bogle and I, we had this thing called ‘Rap 30’, and we would basically find a motorhome or a semi truck, just anywhere we could plug in our iPods. We would just play beats and just rap. We called ourselves the ‘Rat Pack’. We kind of ran with that and we were always rapping and having a good time off of the track. Then we met Garrett Merk and his crew, EMH (Early Morning Hustle). I got hurt and wasn’t racing anymore and pretty much had to find myself again. What did I like besides dirt bikes so much? I started making music, producing, and digging into the creative side of myself. When Garrett came into it we hadn’t even met him. I think Bogle hit him up on Twitter asking him to do a song together. He ended up inviting him to his house in Oklahoma and Garrett was like, let’s do it! We didn’t even have a conversation on the phone with him and he pulled up. We actually made the first PAK X EMH album in six days and we all just vibed together. We all felt like family right away. From there Colt was a longtime friend of Justin’s at that point and I raced Colt my entire life. Being from Texas we were always around one another. Then it became like a family in itself. PAK X EMH is basically just wake up and grind with your friends. That’s the core of it. At the end of the day Colt wants to win championships, Justin wants to win championships, Garrett’s trying to make it with music and get a degree in college. It was like let’s just do what we do and grind.  

It’s your home Supercross, you have Colt coming out, are you expecting a lot of people from the industry to show up?

I have a lot of people reaching out that are helping me with the event too. Kuzo is bringing some people, SKDA and Sam Morton over there, he is amazing. He helps me with all the stickers that I get printed to send with orders that PAK X EMH sends. We’re going to have a bike on display with full SKDA graphics with the Centre and PAK X EMH on it all blacked out. Then I have some other people coming to hand out products and to just hang out. I don’t want it to always just be about us. The collective of PAK X EMH is doing everything together with people. To link up with Tommy and get the chance to do this at his store is signed, sealed, and amazing. I’m so grateful for that. Kuzo is going to give away some 100% goggles. Sean Brennen at Feld, he’s been a great help to me over the years with the media, and he’s allowing me to give away two tickets to Supercross. Anyone who buys Ethikas, we’re going to do a little raffle at the end of the night. Let’s maybe get someone to Supercross who was just coming to Centre because they heard there was an event. Maybe they know Tommy, or maybe they like dirt bikes, but they’ve never been to a race. To be able to give someone that opportunity like that is amazing too.    

This event is open to the public, right?

Yes, anybody and everybody, man. I have a rack with some of the stuff from the line and we’re going to have a bunch of Ethika’s on display. We’re going to do a little pre-release. The Ethika’s won’t be dropping yet. So, anyone that comes to the event can see them in person before anyone gets a chance to buy them. We’re going to release them in just a few weeks.      

Is this the first pop-up party that you’ve planned?

This is the first time that I’ve ever done anything like this. Obviously when I was rapping I did a handful of shows, but this is the first time I’ve done this through PAK X EMH. I just want people to come out and just have a good time, you know what I mean? That’s really all it’s about. Having Merck come out and rap a little bit is amazing too. I love that kid, he;s amazing, and one of the best people that I know. Then with Colt and his signing, I really wish that Justin could be here, he’s not going to be able to make it, which bums me out. Other than that we’re set to just have a great time.   

Can you explain what the Centre is and why you chose it to have your party?

It’s at Mockingbird Station in North Dallas right off of I-75. It’s probably one of the biggest, best clothing stores in Dallas. A lot of Dallas Cowboys shop there, a lot of Dallas Mavericks shop there, a lot of people that come to the city go there. Just very good people. They help out anyone and everyone. They are very big into art as well. Tommy J (the owner) is a very talented photographer and incredible artist as well. They always get all of the Jordan drops. They always have a lot of one-off stuff. If you go to the mall and you go to the Centre, you aren’t going to see the same stuff. It’s definitely a cool palace and a cool vibe. It’s a two story spot. It’s going to be fun.  

Written by Troy Dog

Faster than Slaw Dog. Editor-in-Chief

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