Java.Dec.2.2015

241 • DEC 2015 

RACHEL BESS 

JORGE TORRES • STEVE YAZZIE • SWEETBLEEDERS • OCOTILLO MIDTOWN

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CONTENTS 

8 

12 

22 

32 

34 

FEATURES 

Cover: 

Rachel Bess 

Photo by: Brandon Sullivan 

8 12 22 

34 

RACHEL BESS 

Painter of Darkness and Light 

By Amy L. Young 

JORGE TORRES 

Curating the New 

By Demetrius Burns 

XXXMASS 

Photography: Larry Alan 

Art Direction and Styling: Jen Deveroux 

SWEETBLEEDERS 

We Were Never Here 

By Mitchell L. Hillman 

DIGITAL PRESERVE 

Steve Yazzie Explores Film Production 

By Jenna Duncan 

COLUMNS 

7 

16 

20 

30 

38 

40 

BUZZ 

December Cheer 

By Robert Sentinery 

ARTS 

Chip Thomas at Chartreuse Gallery 


Rag Collection Promotes Free Expression 


The Art of Eric Kasper Shocks Bisbee Locals 


FOOD FETISH 

Ocotillo Heats Up Midtown 

By Sloane Burwell 

SOUNDS AROUND TOWN 

By Mitchell L. Hillman 

GIRL ON FARMER 

Hover Me 

By Celia Beresford 

NIGHT GALLERY 

Photos by Robert Sentinery 

JAVA MAGAZINE 

EDITOR & PUBLISHER 

Robert Sentinery 

ART DIRECTOR 

Victor Vasquez 

ARTS EDITOR 

Amy L. Young 

FOOD EDITOR 

Sloane Burwell 

MUSIC EDITOR 

Mitchell L. Hillman 

ASSOCIATE EDITOR 

Jenna Duncan 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Rhett Baruch 

Celia Beresford 

Demetrius Burns 

Tom Reardon 

PROOFREADER 

Patricia Sanders 

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Larry Alan 

Richard Douglas 

Brandon Sullivan 

WEB DESIGN 

Allen Sentinery 

ADVERTISING 

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Java Magazine 

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4 JAVA 

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HOLIDAY 

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SEASON SPONSOR: I. MICHAEL & BETH KASSER

DECEMBER CHEER 

By Robert Sentinery 

BUZZ 

If I could buy myself any Christmas gift this year, it would be a painting by the 

incomparable Rachel Bess. In fact, I wish I’d done this a decade ago when 

we first met and her work was just starting to get noticed. A nice smaller 

piece back then might have been a few hundred dollars; now it’s more like 

two or three thousand. She has climbed the ranks and landed in the top 

gallery in town—Lisa Sette. 

Part of what makes Bess’ work so intriguing is that she employs classical 

technique. Her oil-on-panel pieces harken back to the golden age of painting, 

when the Dutch masters were on the leading edge. But there is a twist. Bess is 

a self-proclaimed Goth kid at heart, so a certain sense of the macabre is everpresent 

in her work. 

Her portraiture, which brings the most acclaim, often chooses subjects who 

do not abide by societal norms: artists, outcasts and unconventional beauties. 

There is an energy that emanates from these people, and when combined with 

Bess’ rich chiaroscuro, an immediate impact is achieved. Her still lifes are lushly 

painted, almost photographic depictions of rotting fruit (see “Rachel Bess: 

Painter of Darkness and Light,” p. 8). 

There are those who make art and others who support them. Jorge Torres 

actively seeks out talented artists who haven’t yet broken into the mainstream. 

The walls of his salon/gallery, Palabra hair.art.collective, are often filled by 

artists who’ve never had a solo show. Many of them exist in what Torres 

describes as “the shadows,” without the social skills to get their work out there. 

For Torres and Palabra, change is on the horizon. Their existing space is soon to 

be swallowed by ASU’s downtown campus. Its stunning exposed block walls and 

soaring wooden-truss ceilings, so lovingly restored by Torres and company, will 

cease to exist. But never fear, a new Palabra will rise from the ashes at a nearby 

Roosevelt Row location. The exciting news about this new space is that there 

will be a dedicated gallery next to the salon—as art takes on a larger role in the 

Palabra concept (see “Jorge Torres: Curating the New,” p. 12). 

Steve Yazzie didn’t start making art until much later than most. He served in the 

Marine Corps, then later built a solid reputation as a painter and conceptual 

artist. His works were often narrative, in the Native American storytelling 

tradition. At 40 years old, despite a flourishing career, Yazzie decided 

to head back to ASU and finish his art degree. While there, he became 

fascinated with video art and documentary filmmaking. That led to his 

forming a company called Digital Preserve with his wife, Eileen. Yazzie’s 

foray into film production has been so successful that his painting studio has 

been transformed into an editing suite where he works on both commercial and 

art fi lm projects (see “Digital Preserve,” p. 34).

Painter of Darkness and Light 


Photo: Brandon Sullivan 

8 JAVA 

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I 

first met artist Rachel Bess at the end of 2003, when my partner Douglas 

Grant (who passed away earlier this year) and I moved from New York to 

downtown Phoenix’s Grand Avenue to open Perihelion Arts. Rachel had a 

studio down the street that she shared with Karolina Sussland. The pair 

dropped by unexpectedly, just a few days after we had briefly invaded their 

building’s shower facilities; we shared a landlord, and our own bathroom was 

still under construction. A couple of days later, we found the pair peeking in 

our side door as we unloaded some boxes that had arrived after us. Eventually, 

we would come to work with Rachel for several years, as we found her work 

exciting and shared many of the same ideas about art and business, along 

with several personal interests. We exhibited her paintings and drawings in 

Phoenix, as well as around the United States and Europe, and never failed to be 

impressed by her evolution. 

Around the time of those initial meetings, it certainly wasn’t a surprise that 

local artists would be interested in finding out what a couple of new-to-theneighborhood 

gallery owners were up to by popping by for a peek. But as I grew 

to know Rachel, it became apparent that her curiosity was both inherent and 

tenacious—the kind that impresses you and challenges you, simultaneously. 

Everything with Rachel is on a need-to-know basis, as in: she needs to 

know. That continuous journey to the core of everything she engages with, 

topped off by an excruciating desire to excel, is exemplified in her extremely 

detailed oil paintings. 

The path to becoming an artist was one Bess jumped on at a pretty early 

age. “I knew by college that I was going to try my hardest to make my living 

as an artist,” she says. “I started college at 16 (she is an ASU graduate) and 

had my art degree mapped out at that point. During my first semester, I sold 

a little linoleum print to a friend for $15, and that’s when it really clicked 

that it would be possible to pay bills doing this and that things could be 

okay.” She adds that the small sale paid her pager bill for two months. That 

technically wasn’t her first art sale— when she was a little kid, she sold 

Halloween drawings from a table in her front yard for a nickel a pop, adding 

humorously, “my prices have been steadily increasing since.” 

Her determined nature helped her stay rooted in that choice, despite its 

obvious potential for pitfalls. “One of the hardest things about deciding that 

you want to be an artist,” Rachel says, “is that everyone knows how unlikely 

success is, so there are so many people that worry about you. People 

second-guess you and generally try to persuade you to do something that is 

perceived as safer. I chose not to apply to grad schools and instead save that 

money, or rather prevent having that debt, and live inexpensively and focus 

on making artwork.” 

Bess’ work is produced through traditional techniques, and the processes 

are time intensive; she averages about 100 hours per painting, and her 

recent works are modest in size, anywhere from 5” x 7” to 11” x 14”, further 

highlighting the attention lavished on each painting. The ways they engage 

you are numerous. The skill is undeniable; viewers add an external layer to 

the motion and flow of the work as their own eyes follow each impeccable 

detail to the next. 

Rachel’s body of work is largely comprised of human portraiture, mostly 

women, though the mix is peppered by some paintings of men. Sometimes 

the subjects are in interesting scenarios, but generally they are alone, 

surrounded by objects that help make them more unique; in one case that 

could be ghosts, in another, like “Shattered Heart,” it may be shards of a 

delicate stained glass strewn atop the body of a sullen, beautiful girl. 

Bess is selective in her choice of models, as she sees each finished piece 

as self-reflective—a version of self-portraiture. “The people I use to model 

are complicated people. As a chaotic person, I gravitate toward those who 

are similar. I can tell there’s more beneath the surface, and that’s what I am 

interested in capturing.” For instance, she focuses often on hands, saying 

that they give cues and also offer clues about what a person is thinking. 

She is interested in seeing and highlighting the vulnerabilities that reveal 

themselves, sometimes more subtly than others, and allowing those to 

become natural focal points. 

When your paintings include a dark, rich palette and items that are related 

to decay, like skulls or extracted teeth, people tend to assume you have a 

death obsession. Bess, who definitely has a love for all things Goth, doesn’t 

deny that, but it’s truly the entire life cycle that continually fascinates her. 

“The overarching theme of my work has always been impermanence,” she 

tells me. “The natural order is for things to grow and dissolve. What is left 

when that happens? When things die or are destroyed, what remains?” 

JAVA 9 

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10 JAVA 

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Those are questions she continues to explore in 

her upcoming exhibition at Lisa Sette Gallery, 

which opens in January. “This show started 

out using a gemstone to symbolize the way an 

inanimate object could connect different people, 

times and places. The stone is a symbol that 

could represent shared knowledge, experience 

or other ways people can be connected, often 

without knowing it. While making the work for 

this show, my husband—a kind and wonderful 

person—and I filed for divorce, so then the 

idea of an inanimate object used to represent 

connection took on the idea of both connectedness 

and division. Previously, I was thinking about the 

stone being something that people shared without 

considering the others they may share it with and 

having this invisible web connecting disparate 

people or events across time and space. Now it 

also represents a reminder of a connection that 

you have with someone and when that connection 

dissolves, a reminder of that loss.” 

When Perihelion Arts closed its physical gallery a 

few years ago, I approached Duane Smith—then 

associate director of the Lisa Sette Gallery— 

about representing Bess’ work. Smith had long 

admired Rachel’s art and was even a collector; 

he saw the fit immediately. Now a program 

coordinator at the Boca Raton Museum of 

Art, Smith says, “I’m drawn in by the updated 

classical painting technique and pulled toward the 

very current story Rachel is telling. Getting to live 

with her paintings is my admission into a fantasy 

of great style and mystery.” 

Lisa Sette, with her years of expertise, also saw 

the benefits of a union with Rachel. “I suppose 

it was her masterful use of the medium—oil 

on panel, an extremely old medium used for 

portraiture—that first drew me in. That technique 

used to create the type of 21st-century characters 

that are not a part of my everyday existence 

was quite appealing to me.” She adds, “Rachel’s 

work has everything that I look for in an artist— 

seamless craft that is appropriate to the concept 

of what she wants to show us. If she had chosen 

photography, for example, to document this type 

of today’s youth, I would not have been interested. 

It is the melding of classical portraiture with 

21st-century characters that makes it interesting.” 

Rotting fruit is another subject that Bess has been 

painting the last few years, and they’re enthralling 

for all the same reasons as her pieces featuring 

human subjects. Visually arresting, they send 

the senses into overdrive, conjuring scents and 

textures. For Rachel, not only does she love the 

visceral beauty of these different rotting fruits, 

painting them also gives her an opportunity to 

use them to parallel the process of human decay 

through this different perspective. The new show 

will give guests an opportunity to see a variety of 

subject matter. 

Her talent and style are consistently rewarded. 

Bess has been creating and accumulating 

serious collectors throughout her career and 

has received numerous accolades and awards, 

including the 2014 Arlene and Morton Scult 

Contemporary Forum Artist Award, which 

provided a cash prize and an opportunity to 

exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum. 

For those who like to draw, Rachel and artist/art 

teacher Matt Dickson host the monthly Anti-Art 

School event at the Lost Leaf bar in downtown 

Phoenix. Using the types of non-traditional models 

you might find in either of their work, this is a 

great event for those who want to draw outside of 

the box, while in the company of other artists who 

like to explore and create. 

Dickson, also an exceptional painter, is a huge 

supporter of Rachel’s work. “Knowing the 

mechanics and complexity of oil painting, Rachel’s 

work is humbling in her technical prowess and 

ability to include narrative in her work. It’s rare 

that you find both in a contemporary realist artist,” 

he says. 

Whether she is creating art, tending to her tiny 

urban farm or competing with other fast-fingered 

members of the pinball league she is involved 

with, there’s no question that Rachel Bess will be 

doing it with her combination of a passion for life 

mixed with a fight to the death. 

rachelbess.com 

lisasettegallery.com 

A Time That Never Existed,10” x 8”, oil on panel 

Queen of Heartbreak, 12” x 21”, oil on panel 

Pass Through These Hands Into a Season of Mists, 7” x 5”, 

oil on panel 

A Storm Always Follows, 14” x 11”, oil on panel 

Spoils, 10” x 8”, oil on panel 

Smashed, Rotting Grapefruit, 5” x 7”, oil on panel 

Rotting Plums, 6” x 10”, oil on panel 

JAVA 11 

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Jorge Torres 

Curating the New 

By Demetrius Burns 

12 JAVA 

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Photographer: Richard Douglas 

Lighting Tech: Matt Martian 

Shot at Blok Photo Studio

Walking into Palabra hair.art.collective is like stepping into a canvas. The 

walls feel high, and though they have art on them, the placement feels as 

though you’re ingesting much more blank space than art. As a viewer you are 

invited to create meaning, to pull it apart, to have a space within the space. 

The art in no way overpowers your narrative or feels intrusive. 

Even the music when I walk in is hushed. It’s King Krule, a new wave jazz 

musician, crooning. The words are inaudible. Everything about Palabra 

feeds off nuance and space—hyper minimalism. The shop’s construction 

synthesizes the vision of Palabra in general. 

Tucked away off Pierce and Seventh Street, Palabra has been open for three 

years now and is planning a move in January to a location that puts it in 

the spotlight even more. Owner and curator Jorge Torres calls this move his 

major label debut—his LP, in other words. 

If Palabra were a style of music it would be a modern take on jazz. Jazz by 

nature is about breaking rules and imagining the future with a respectful ode 

to the past. Palabra is a jazz ensemble that incorporates a matrix of parts 

working together to push Phoenix forward in a new way. 

The physical space serves as both hair salon and gallery. Palabra hosts a 

bevy of artists who are all, in their own ways, emerging from the crevices 

of Phoenix. “I thrive on discovering something new and watching its 

growth,” Torres said. “To me that’s a much more mesmerizing and beautiful 

process than bringing in someone that’s already established.” 

The current space is one big room that contains gallery and salon, but in 

the new space those functions will be more segregated. The desire to 

break up the space speaks to the pride Torres has in both, and a sense that 

he doesn’t prioritize one over the other. All components of Palabra are as 

important as the next, and Torres wants people to be able to experience 

them separately. 

It wasn’t that long ago that Torres was relatively new to the scene himself. 

Raised in East Los Angeles before moving to Phoenix for high school, he 

JAVA 13 

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took on his parents’ love of music and submerged himself in the local music 

scene. His first foray was a project called Mexikatek Productions with Nico 

Paredes, which brought innovative Spanish-speaking bands to Phoenix. 

By chance and through the magic of the muse of music, Torres was 

distributing fliers for Mexikatek at Hair Pollution when his fashion sense 

caught the eye of the receptionist—so much so that the receptionist 

requested that Torres meet the owner, Tad Caldwell. Torres eventually 

became Caldwell’s client, and through their friendship Caldwell recognized 

the creativity in Torres and persuaded him to attend beauty school and 

later apprentice for him. 

While at the shop, Torres hosted several shows and worked faithfully for 

six years before opening up Palabra in 2012. Palabra was originally in 

the smaller space—a former bail bond office—in the same building it is 

in now. The older space was about one-third the size of the current one. 

Though there have been lots of changes over the three years, and the 

number of artists involved with the Palabra brand is at an all-time high, the 

vision has stayed the same: invest in the new. 

For in Torres’ own story there’s a lot he owes to being given a chance. 

Caldwell recognized him as someone with a lot of potential and saw skills 

within his arsenal that Torres might not have seen himself. The impact of 

that is not lost on Torres, who as a curator is driven to bring out the best 

in the artists he represents. They are growing with him, emerging out of 

the shadows to produce art that is forever challenging—expanding on the 

blank canvas that often attracts people to Phoenix. 

The challenge within any city is gaining exposure. How do nontraditional 

artists generate support when they haven’t met the people who will 

feature their art in a way that honors them? Torres is very much committed 

to preserving and respecting the individual processes of the artists, 

whom he often finds on the periphery. “You think of someone coming out 

of the shadows and how vulnerable and private that is. They are often 

over protective of themselves and their work,” Torres said. With that 

understanding, Torres is delicate with artists who have been behind the 

scenes, for whatever reason, but not for lack of talent. 

Torres stresses that Palabra’s main orientation is incorporating the new 

into everything they do. When you look around the space, there are 

three pieces hung on the center wall, and one in particular arrests my 

attention in a strange, perplexing way. The piece looks like a hazy Technicolor 

interpretation of a character from “Where the Wild Things Are,” and it 

immediately challenges all my notions of what a monster is. The piece seems 

to be a testament to the duplicity of suffering and pain in a way that feels new. 

There are about 30 different hues in it, and I can count at least six different 

shades of blue. The artist responsible for this piece is Josh Brizuela. 

There are few people in Phoenix as invested as Torres, and he doesn’t 

stop moving. The day I walked into Palabra, he had his hands immersed 

in water, shampooing a client’s hair. I’ve seen him outside the shop at 

odd hours of the night sweeping and doing maintenance. Along with his 

fiancée, Priscilla, he is creating space and emerging in real time. You can 

talk about change all you want, but if you aren’t in the trenches, you will 

get run over. 

Josh Brizuela 

Palabra Featured Artist 

Brizuela will be the featured artist in the opening show at the new 

Palabra space. He is tasked with delivering the new—embarking on an 

emerging tomorrow—and there’s probably nobody better in Phoenix for 

that right now. 

Brizuela was raised in the greater Phoenix area. In high school he didn’t 

talk much at all, but he created a vocabulary of communication between 

himself and his peers through his sketches. “I would listen to kids who 

were just talking without recognizing what they were saying,” said 

Brizuela. “It felt like a snapshot of time. I would turn their words into art. 

I was literally translating a moment through drawing, which was the only 

way I really expressed anything.” 

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People were connecting with his art in school, so Brizuela decided to 

start Bask, an online gallery and t-shirt design company that prides 

itself on giving the artists all the profits from their sales. 

Brizuela’s upcoming show is titled “Out of the Blue,” and it really 

speaks to both the artist stepping out of a depressive summertime funk 

and Palabra embracing a new chapter in its new space. There will be 

a live jazz band and a new performance series, which Palabra plans to 

continue in the future. 

For Brizuela, this show is about finding balance in everything. He 

hasn’t experimented with colors for very long, but he isn’t holding 

back, implementing a wide assortment of hues and even colored 

backgrounds. His first show with Torres was in 2013, and the two have 

built a great deal of trust. Brizuela feels as though Torres is someone 

who respects the potential of youth (Brizuela is 21 years old) and the 

undiscovered. “I think a lot of the older cats are afraid of learning. Jorge 

is not scared. It’s just a matter of bringing new ideas through Phoenix. It’s all 

just risk, but I think in terms risk,” Brizuela said. 

Brizuela fits perfectly in the branding of Palabra—especially in light of the 

new space. He considers himself an underdog in a scene that often caters 

to artists based on reputation and ability to network rather than on talent or 

growth. He feels that the youth can be the arbiters of talent, with the Internet 

acting as their gallery. 

With Brizuela, Torres is trying to bring together youth and the mainstream 

in a way that will challenge Phoenix. Torres believes that the future of 

Phoenix rests on the shoulders of the youth and those in the shadows—not 

necessarily the people already in the spotlight. An important component to 

curating for Torres is keeping artists in Phoenix. He wants to develop and 

create an underground culture in Phoenix for artists of all types to thrive and 

feel welcome and ultimately remain here.

ARTS 

CHIP THOMAS 

at Chartreuse Gallery 


It was in 2012 that JAVA last wrote about Chip 

Thomas. At that time, the artist who also goes by 

the name Jetsonorama was showcasing his “Painted 

Desert Project,” a community-oriented endeavor that 

features murals across the western Navajo Nation, 

created by artists from the reservation and beyond. 

This multifaceted artist and organizer is also a skilled 

physician who moved to the Navajo Nation in the 

1980s to help care for others. 

A photographer, too, Thomas got introduced to wheat 

pasting, and that has become his primary artistic 

output. His work reflects the passion he has for the 

betterment of humanity, justice and truth—often 

shown through his bold, expressive pieces. 

In December, his exhibit 5 Earths opens at 

Chartreuse, a newer addition to downtown Phoenix’s 

Grand Avenue. The gallery’s director, Nancy Hill, is 

excited to present Thomas’ new works. “I love the 

way he has connected his photographic work with his 

subjects and the community. He feels very accessible, 

and I think that helps give his work the power it has,” 

says Hill. 

We got a chance to chat with him again about this 

new exhibition and more. 

JAVA covered your Painted Desert Project back 

in 2012. What have you been up to since then? 

Thanks for checking in. There have been a lot of good 

things happening. I’ve done two projects with poets, 

including Ursula Rucker and Mahogany Browne, and 

I was invited to join the activist, artist cooperative 

Justseeds. I’ve continued to get work up on the 

reservation and have been inviting artists from 

various parts of the world to create murals in the 

Navajo Nation. 

Tell us about 5 Earths and the meaning of the 

exhibition’s title. 

This new show is kind of a mid-career retrospective 

in that I have work going back 25 years. I spent 

my first 22 years in Arizona doing black-and-white 

film photography and developing that in my home 

darkroom. A lot of those images have been digitized 

and will be shown along with newer work, which 

includes wheat-pasted posters. The title of the show 

comes from this climate change fact on the National 

Wildlife Federation site: “The United States releases 

more carbon dioxide than any other country, though 

it is home to just 5% of the world’s population. If 

everyone in the world lived the way people do in 

the U.S., it would take 5 EARTHS to provide enough 

resources for everyone.” 

How did you get involved with Nancy Hill’s new 

gallery, Chartreuse? 

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Nancy purchased a print of mine at a group show in 

Phoenix about a year ago and contacted me shortly 

after that about doing a show at Chartreuse. I got to 

visit the gallery this fall and love the neighborhood 

and the industrial feel of the space, so I’m excited to 

get to show there. 

What can we expect from this new show and 

work? What will people see? 

I don’t know how familiar people in Phoenix are 

with my work. I get the sense that those in Phoenix 

who do know my work are familiar with the 

larger installations and not my black-and-white, 

documentary style photography, which serves 

as the source material for the larger installation 

pieces. So, they’ll see larger installations, screen 

prints and documentary photographs from various 

parts of the world that speak to our shared 

humanity, as well as stickers. Hopefully, there will be 

something for everybody. 

What has been inspiring you since we last 

caught up with you? 

I’m really humbled and honored to be invited to the 

cooperative Justseeds, whose mission is art directed 

toward social justice and environmental activism. 

Along these lines I’ve been involved with traditional 

Navajo tribal members who have been opposing 

the development of a resort at the confluence in the 

Grand Canyon, as well as creating art addressing 

climate change. By the way, we recently exceeded 

400 parts per million of carbon emissions in the 

atmosphere. Given that 350 ppm CO2 is considered 

the tipping point, we’re moving in the wrong 

direction. Let’s hope the world leaders commit to 

realistic carbon emission reductions in Paris over the 

next two weeks. If not, I guess my show celebrates 

life on a dying planet. Speaking of celebrations, 

folks are invited to come to a party at the gallery on 

December 18, with Phoenix’s own DJ Djentrification 

on the wheels of steel. 

What does the future look like for Chip Thomas 

and Jetsonorama? 

This is my first gallery show since 2010. I’ve not been 

doing shows since I started wheat pasting in 2009. I 

don’t have any other shows planned, but have several 

installation projects coming up, including a big one 

in Brooklyn during the Women of the World Poetry 

Slam in March 2016. Also, I was invited to participate 

in the 10-year anniversary show at 516 Arts in 

Albuquerque this coming spring. 

5 Earths 

Chartreuse 

Opens First Friday, December 4 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. 

Artist’s reception on December 18. 

Chartreuse is located at Bragg’s Pie Factory, 1301 NW 

Grand Avenue, Phoenix. 

JAVA 17 

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Rag Collection and Food for the Hungry - Peru 

RAG COLLECTION 

Promotes Free Expression 


Sage advice warns not to go to art school if you want 

to make money in this world. But many disregard this 

warning. The big challenge for those with art degrees 

is finding ways to have their work make a difference, 

while simultaneously fulfilling artistic passions and 

being able to make a living. 

Local artists Michael and Charith Denson have found 

a way to cover all of the above. A few years ago, 

they became involved in Rag Collection, a non-profit 

organization in Phoenix that provides art outreach to 

local communities. “I moved to Phoenix about three 

years ago and met Noel Davy,” Michael says. “Rag 

Collection is the non-profit that she started about five 

years ago. Davy currently serves as Executive Director.” 

Michael’s background is in photography and drawing, 

and during college he honed his skills in all sorts of 

art—painting, drawing and mixed media. Charith 

is also a photographer who works in mixed media. 

For their outreach, the Densons and other members 

of Rag Collection hold workshops to help others 

discover ways to heal through art and use art as 

personal expression. 

“Our workshops are often geared towards helping 

at-risk youth speak up about something they 

feel deeply about,” Michael says. “They are not 

necessarily about technical training, but more like, 

‘What’s in your heart? What do you feel passionate 

about?’” The projects can become highly personal, 

depending on the individual, and can use art to tell 

very authentic stories. 

“Many of the students are already artistically 

inclined, so they’ve already written or sketched about 

things that they care about. We just help them flesh 

it out,” Charith says. Generally, these workshops 

have three goals: 1. How to identify story, 2. How to 

talk about yourself in art, and 3. How to speak about 

a certain topic, for example, conflict. 

For a recent project, the couple and Rag Collection 

teamed with the Unexpected Gallery. Some students 

create a mural and some read poetry. Michael says 

the project helped initiate a dialogue about loneliness 

and how to have more of a sense of community. “The 

mural talks about identity and how today’s youth are 

labeled as certain things, whether they identify that way 

or not,” he says. “We are fighting negative ideas about 

youth. This mural gave them a chance to talk back.” 

Michael and Charith Denson recently took their art 

workshops to Peru, where they worked with adults 

from the international organization Food for the 

Hungry to strengthen the team and support personal 

expression. The idea was to teach the members 

and volunteers about storytelling, so that they 

could go out and engage with the people in various 

communities. “When helping people in developing 

nations move out of poverty, sometimes it’s hard 

for them to identify their stories and share them 

with Western audiences,” Charith says. Michael 

developed a special storytelling presentation, 

teaching them how to tell stories visually. 

In addition to the not-for-profit workshops for youth, 

Rag Collection also offers workshops-for-hire to 

adults. Adult groups, organizations and businesses 

can bring them in to lead art outreach and teamand 

community-building workshops in the Valley. 

Their art outreach cycle ends with the semester and 

starts again in February. The couple is currently in 

Delhi for three weeks, as Michael was awarded an 

artist’s residency. 

Rag Collection hosts monthly art parties at The 

Refuge coffee shop every third Friday. These help 

fund their youth art projects. There is a $25 per 

person charge, and youth under 16 are free. At the 

next event, in January, they will bring materials and 

ideas for participants to make vision boards. 

ragcollection.org 

@CreatableArtParties 

18 JAVA 

MAGAZINE

THE ART OF ERIC KASPER 

SHOCKS BISBEE LOCALS 


Bisbee, Arizona, is a former mining town and home 

to a small community of artists and freaks who 

enjoy a colorful nightlife. So it was a shock to many 

members of the community when a Valley artist’s 

figurative paintings were slammed by some locals as 

too “pornographic,” and the landlord of the Windows 

Gallery ordered gallery co-owner Meggen Connolley 

to take them down. 

Especially surprised was the artist, Eric Kasper, who 

opened his show in Bisbee Nov. 14. “Everyone thanked 

me for bringing it down there and told me how great it 

was,” he says. “I left Bisbee thinking it was great.” But 

actually not everyone thought it was so fantastic. In fact, 

within 48 hours of his opening, someone passed by the 

gallery windows and was aghast at what she saw. She 

took her complaint to the landlord, and he and the 

owners called a meeting. 

In the meeting, the building manager, Scott Ries, 

demanded the painting come down. Gallery and 

small business owner Connolley refused. Ries then 

demanded six more drawings and a painting also 

come down. Again, she said no. “She said if you try 

to force me, I’m not going to rent from you anymore,” 

Kasper explains. 

“Essentially what happened with Eric [Kasper]’s show 

was that Scott Ries, who represents the building 

management, came into the meeting and wanted 

seven of Eric’s pieces removed. And there was 

no compromise,” Connolley says. As a response, 

Connolley and her husband, Eric Meyer, decided to 

close the gallery. 

Connolley is a clothing designer who ran a boutique, 

Magnetic Threads, out of Copper Queen Plaza for 

years. Windows Gallery had not been around Bisbee 

for that long. Their first show was in June of this 

year. “We started renovating the space in March, 

which took a couple of months. We had the first 

show in June and then the last one November 14.” 

The painting in question is called “Photograph.” It 

depicts a grown man and woman with children on 

leashes. “The female child is in a very submissive 

position,” Kasper describes. “The boy looks like he’s 

about to mount her.” But the painting was meant to 

be something of a joke. “I tried to use the image to 

get attention—which I guess it did!” he says. 

But instead of sparking feelings of disgust and 

offense, Kasper says he had hoped people would 

look at the painting a little more deeply. To him, the 

image contained many personal as well as political 

messages that he feels the painting’s detractors 

overlooked. “This painting is about close-mindedness 

in a religious upbringing. It’s about fighting gender 

roles that are assigned at birth. And it’s about the 

homosexual struggle.” 

Kasper says that he is disappointed that the 

community’s battle over his painting and drawings 

resulted in the gallery shutting down. “That was their 

dream, you know? They open this art gallery and 

think everything is fine, and then they’re faced with 

this censorship,” he says. 

Kasper describes another viewer’s almost polaropposite 

reaction to the painting at the opening. She 

was drawn into the painting so deeply that she sat 

on the ground and cried for about 10 minutes, he 

says—purely out of appreciation. “It’s strange that 

you could get two completely different reactions just 

days apart,” he says. “But I guess that’s what I love 

about art.” 

Eric Kasper is a working artist in Phoenix and a 

native. He’s been making art for about 10 years and 

was previously represented by monOrchid gallery. He 

plans to show in Phoenix sometime in mid-2016. 

Horses (E) 

Photograph 

Teeth 

JAVA 19 

MAGAZINE

ocotillo 

Heats Up Midtown | By Sloane Burwell 

What do you get when you cross an obsessive wine and spirit guy with a couple 

of crazy-focused chefs and an absolutely gorgeous location? Ocotillo, the new 

midtown culinary hotspot. Open for around a month, but initially serving only 

breakfast and lunch, this engagingly gorgeous compound added dinner service 

recently. And while I’ve yet to make it in for dinner (which started only 12 hours 

prior to my writing this piece), I can say that if the dinner service is anywhere 

near as good as breakfast and lunch, we’re in for a real treat. 

I’m not kidding when I call this place a compound. Ocotillo’s 3rd Street location 

manages to squeeze in a coffee bar (called O to Go), a shaded arcade with 

a cocktail bar and loads of outdoor seating, in addition to a walkable green 

space and the rather large restaurant itself. It’s as if The Yard were reborn as 

a grown-up foodie paradise, without the douchey, drunken bros and mandatory 

valet parking. In this place are loads of families, friends and a coterie of other 

chilled-out central Phoenix types. Do you like big dogs? On one visit, I counted 

five outside on the stunning patio, where I made several new canine friends 

while noshing on one of O to Go’s stellar Nutella croissants and red velvet 

crinkle cookies. 

Ocotillo itself is an homage to desert modern architecture, mixing industrial 

chic and French mid-century touches (like the stunning lamps shaped like ample 

breasts over the booth where we were seated during one visit). Think lots of 

metals and xeriscaping. I’m looking forward to how the environment will evolve 

and how the patina of rust and time will age with the space. Ocotillo, like all 

good design, has a sense of place that makes it seem impossible to have never 

existed, while giving enough room to age and mature—like a fine wine. 

Or a cocktail. I can’t imagine a visit to Ocotillo without Number 9 ($10), a heady 

mix of cucumber, watermelon and Sobieski Vodka—a soothing drink if ever 

there was one. It’s like a spa experience in a glass. Or the obligatory drink of 

brunches everywhere, the Bloody Mary ($10). Theirs is obviously handcrafted 

and robust enough to be considered an alcohol-based smoothie. 

Before I give you the rundown on the food, here’s a pro tip. Go on Saturday for 

brunch. Sunday brunch is already a huge hit, and expect a wait (please make a 

reservation). However, the hungry hordes haven’t yet discovered that Saturday 

is brunch time, too. Try Saturday to avoid a wait. However, I would happily wait 

for this delicious food, like the Blue Corn Pancakes ($10), with agave butter and 

maple syrup. Four delicious pancakes that are light, fluffy and missing any of the 

grit you’d expect from lesser blue corn. Warm, nutty and not too sweet, these 

are arguably the best pancakes in town right now. Yes, I said it. We fought over 

these on every visit. 

The Roasted Beef and Potato Hash ($10) defies physics. Somehow the potatoes 

retain their crispy texture in spite of the amazing sauce in which they are 

nestled. Complex tomato broth is spooned around, dotted with roasted tomatoes 

and topped with a fried egg. The beef is warm and savory, rounded out by the 

creaminess of the egg. If there were bread, it would have been used to sop up all of 

the residual juices. Not that we needed it, it’s just that the sauce is that good. 

Clearly someone in the kitchen is a master with the Fryolater, because a more 

perfectly crispy Breakfast Chimichanga ($10) isn’t found anywhere. Golden and 

warm, loaded with eggs and chicken and served over a green sauce, it will satisfy 

the most hungry of all brunch types. Seriously, this chimi is as huge as it is tasty. 

And the quiche—try the Black Truffle Quiche ($8). A generous slice of silky egg 

perfection, with all of the flavors of fall, manages somehow to melt in your mouth 

while still retaining the flaky texture of the crust and the integrity of the eggs. The 

punchy arugula salad on the side is no slouch, either. 

And, should you desire some veggies to round out the meal, try the Roasted 

Cauliflower ($8), which appears to be an entire head, roasted till crispy and served 

over a lemony pesto with peanuts for added crunch. Every time I order this, the 

consensus at the table is that this would be an excellent meal unto itself. Same 

with the Fried Zucchini ($8)—a sumptuous mélange of breaded and fried long 

slices of zucchini (again, master of the Fryolater), which serves as way to melt 

the fresh burrata, with kicky Calabrian chilies heating up the show and peppery 

arugula providing texture and depth. Again, I’d eat this side for lunch and be 

quite happy about it. 

For dessert, try the Roasted Vanilla Poached Pear ($9), a stunning treat. Scoops of 

goat cheese come in the hollowed-out center, with sliced almonds and port syrup 

drizzled on top. Rich, gooey and fabulous—it’s a wonderful dessert. Or, if you’re like 

me, a side dish. 

Ocotillo is a stunner. The food is stellar, the service is great and the surroundings 

spectacular. It’s a true treat for the senses—and for the neighborhood. Let’s be 

honest, we could use more places like this in midtown—actually anywhere in town. 

Just sneak in on Saturday so you don’t have to wait. Or, grab a coffee and a snack 

from O to Go, which is open every day from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are few pleasures 

quite as great as sitting back with your friends, in a truly beautiful and special 

place, and sharing great food. 

Ocotillo 

3243 N. 3rd St., Phoenix 

(602) 687-9080 

ocotillophx.com 

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Art Direction: Jen Deveroux & Larry Alan • Photographer: Larry Alan Model: LuxBot 

Lächeln • Designer: LuxBot Lächeln • Hair: Frankie Arzaga (Blue), Jen Deveroux (Red) 

Makeup: Ashley-Nicole Warwick (Blue look) • Tara Hutchison: (Red, Blonde look) 

Crowns: Xappa Land 

JAVA 29 

MAGAZINE

Sweetbleeders : 

W E WE R E N E V ER H ER E 

by mitchell l. hillman 

30 JAVA 

MAGAZINE

Sweetbleeders are a legendary Phoenix band that over 

the last 16 years have graced us with some amazing 

music, both on record and on stage. Two years ago they 

posted a three-song sampler on Bandcamp urging fans 

to purchase it to assist in funding their next full-length 

album (their first since 2007’s bzzz). Last month this 

dream became a reality, and I have to say that We Were 

Never Here is a latter-day baroque pop masterpiece. 

I first became aware of Sweetbleeders in 2009 when 

they covered Let’s Have Fun’s “Merrily” for the landmark 

When in AZ compilation. At that time, they already 

had a decade under their belt. Over the years the band 

has featured many amazing musicians on their roster, 

including the late Mark Erickson (Colorstore) and Mike 

Montoya (Fatigo), among others. I remember them as 

being the brother band to Colorstore, mainly because 

Sweetbleeders was fronted by Robin Vining with 

Erickson on guitar—whereas Colorstore was fronted by 

Erickson with Vining as a multi-instrumentalist. It was a 

beautiful setup, so there is some bittersweet joy in the 

fact that Sweetbleeders continue to this day. 

The Sweetbleeders 2015 lineup is a pretty impressive 

one, featuring members both old and new, with Robin 

Vining at the helm (vocals, guitar, piano and other stuff), 

Steven Dueck (drums), David Marquez (bass), Keith 

Kelly (flute, sax, clarinet), Megyn Neff (violin), and Jon 

Rauhouse (pedal steel guitar) and featuring Brendan 

Dueck (melodica and keys), as well as the late Amy Ross 

providing additional vocals on the record. It’s something 

of a dream lineup, and this is definitely a dreamy 

album. It should also be mentioned, due to the record’s 

rich production value, that it was engineered by Mike 

Hissong with Catherine Vericolli and Dominic Armstrong 

at 513 Studios. 

There is something that makes this the perfect Arizona 

winter album. It begins with the sound of singing birds, 

and then dark bass tones and melancholic strings kick 

in. This is “Albuterol I,” the short introductory invocation 

and the first of four “Albuterol” pieces found throughout. 

It ends as it began, with singing birds. 

You may think that you’ve walked into Pet Sounds–era 

Beach Boys at the start of the stunning “Dumptruck,” 

with organ, sleigh bells and all the instrumentation. One 

of the songs that appeared on the preview sampler, it 

is musically amazing and lyrically quizzical, revolving 

around a vicious woman. Ending with almost a sense 

of understanding, it’s as sweet as it is jaded, and the 

discord between the sunshine of the music and the 

pointedness of the lyrics is thoroughly enjoyable. 

“Albuterol II” follows, and it’s another from the sampler, 

but in this case it’s about a lost friend, an affection for 

mixing asthma medication with alcohol, and a guilty 

lost look back upon one’s past. It’s a stunner, and while 

I could speculate what or who it is about, I’d rather just 

quote the touching final lyrics: “Guilt’s the bitch, let’s 

share it ’cause it wasn’t only you, hearts and loves stick 

in your throat, trapped inside a dreaming ghost, wish 

that I could hear you, friend, talking on the other end.” 

Hauntingly enough, the song features vocals by the 

late Amy Ross from Nowhere Man & The Whiskey Girl, 

sadly, perfectly. 

There is a cabaret jazz joy to the wry-spirited “On Their 

Backs,” which seems as political as it does derogatory. 

With a catchy piano and ukulele melody and a delivery 

akin to a theatrical-pop number by Queen, it is where 

the charm of Vining’s vision and song writing truly start 

to enchant. It is the ultimate pop song about sex and 

death, eros and thanos, and it is delightfully clever in 

every capacity. 

There is almost a hint of soft surf guitar to “Some 

Curiosity,” in a “Sleepwalk” sort of way. It also 

becomes evident that Vining has an unworldly, 

beautiful voice that comes from some source on 

high. This is one of the most lovely ballads I’ve heard 

in ages, and there is no irony in it, just a lovely song 

superbly executed. Yearnful, mournful and beautiful all 

at once—so dreamy it almost hurts. 

If “Someway” isn’t a clear single from the album, I’m 

not sure what would be. It is drawn from a 15-yearold 

solo recording by Vining and features Ross, as 

well as some of the best drumming by Dueck on the 

album. It is another gorgeous number, with an amazing 

rollicking flow, yet it is clearly born out of sadness and 

loss. I suppose there is a lot of that here, and maybe 

that’s the gift of this album, an alchemical process that 

transforms our common tragic events into something 

uplifting and majestic. 

The first jaunty semi-instrumental in the center of 

the album is called “Bicycle Sex,” which sounds like 

cartoon music or possibly the theme for a bawdy silent 

film. Either way, it is a hilarious romp, suggested only by 

the music, laughs and “doo doo doo doo doo doo doo.” 

Meanwhile, “Albuterol III” continues the pervasive theme, 

combining elements from the album so far, including singing 

birds, while introducing clarinet and trumpet to the mix. 

These instrumental songs are the centerpiece of the album, 

and if it is issued on vinyl, they would clearly be the end 

and beginning of their respective sides. 

The baroque pop continues right along with “Sleeping 

Beauty,” which seems to channel their inner Ben Folds 

a bit in a cautionary tale that challenges our beautycharged 

society and the cosmetic surgery industry. The 

harmonies are simply heavenly on this piano-based 

number, with enough of a mid-20 th -century dance hall 

vibe to keep you grinning. In the end our protagonist 

declares, “I’m so glad we’re sharing our apple a day, 

keeping those quacks and butchers away, we will grow 

old and ugly anyway.” 

The title track is the last from the preview sampler, and 

it’s another single-worthy tune. Featuring amazing 

violin from Megyn Neff and pedal steel by Jon 

Rauhouse, it is another song of sadness, loss 

and self-reflection, and it creates a comforting 

beauty, like your favorite blanket. Slightly hypnotic 

and soothing, with probably one of the simplest 

arrangements on the album, it concludes with, 

“People you know, are kinda funny, people you 

know, you never know ’em at all.” 

With a wistful violin introduction from Neff, “No 

Pain” is slow and lovely, fl oating with beautiful 

harmonies, a melodica and stunning percussion, 

until it goes off the rails completely as Vining 

waxes poetic about a backyard pet cemetery and 

even lists its occupants. It is at once childlike and 

sinister, a feeling brought forth from the hyperbolic 

cartoon soundtrack. It finishes as it began, drifting off 

into memory and a bit of aural bliss. 

The final Albuterol installment (“Albuterol IV”) returns 

to the theme, now drawing in violin, guitar, piano, 

harmonica and more. There is a sole lyrical passage: 

“Albuterol, how I depend on you...” as if added by an 

angelic choir, but the song ends with ominous chords 

and crazed guitar while cymbals crash. 

“Back in Time (Remember the Night Waltz)” seems like 

a song from a long time ago (at the very least the ’90s 

but perhaps as far back as the ’50s). It’s a piano-driven 

lullaby, and it is indeed a waltz. I imagine a beautiful 

moonlit starry sky and a grand piano in the middle of an 

open grassy field. It’s a romantic, nostalgic piece, full 

of smiling memories, that concludes with a wonderful 

vision: “I’m back in time with you, come back in time 

with me.” It would seem to be a great ending, but that 

wouldn’t be Sweetbleeders’ way. 

Thus, the doo-wop groove of “Stupid Face” is the 

grand finale—an uproarious piano rager about ending 

a relationship with a terrible partner who wants the 

torture to go on. The song reduces the band to the 

core trio of Vining, Dueck and Marquez, and the album 

could end no other way: with a laugh and a smile, once 

again about horrible things. “Are you crazy? Are you 

nuts? What makes you think I ain’t had enough of your 

stupid face and those bad mistakes that are ruining my 

life?” Vining sings with a hilarious delivery that masks a 

vicious attack. 

We Were Never Here has been four years in the making, 

following the sampler. It’s the first new complete work 

since 2008’s EP, The Lightning Bug Luau. After all this 

time, Sweetbleeders are still able to put out a relevant 

indie pop record that sounds as fresh and fantastic.

SONORAN CHORUS 

Lagoon Squad EP 

CITRUS CLOUDS 

In Time I Am 

GOOD FRIENDS GREAT ENEMIES 

Cautiously Poptimistic 

It seemed that no sooner had Leonardo DiCapricorn 

disbanded than Sonoran Chorus picked up the 

remaining pieces and became even stronger. The 

pieces in this case are Damon Dominguez (bass/vox) 

and Joe Allie (guitar/vox), who have now teamed up 

with Alex LeBlanc (guitar/vox) and Troy Penny (drums). 

If you loved Leonardo DiCapricorn you will probably love 

Sonoran Chorus more. The sound is a bit more mature, 

they have three singers, and they still hold tight to loud, 

fast rules and aggressive hooks. 

Lagoon Squad is their debut EP, and it’s six tracks 

of totally raucous, enjoyable indie rock. They’ve 

taken things up a notch sonically, as well, with 

Jalipaz of Audioconfusion on board. “Mt. Fuji” opens 

with a swelling guitar groove and a hint of surf 

that will immediately draw you in. The histrionic 

vocal madness is brilliant. Things slow down for 

only a moment with “Dogs,” until it explodes and 

Dominguez sounds like he’s about to lose his mind. 

“Hack” was one of two preview singles, and at just 

over four minutes it’s the longest song found here. 

LeBlanc takes vocal duties for what is one of the 

band’s finest moments. 

The other single, “Pike,” follows in its wake—the 

two songs together creating what is essentially the 

centerpiece of the record—and it is pure thrashing 

joy. “Lucy” appears as a bit of a surprise, slowing 

things down with a sentimental ballad for the first 

half before it becomes a straight-up garage-rock 

anthem in the middle, only to come back with a soft, 

sweet end. Lagoon Squad finishes with “Not Fixed,” 

which laments a wasted evening at an un-fun party 

and hiding at home alone. It comes across as the 

confession of a conflicted introvert, and it may be 

my favorite song here, because I can totally relate to 

every single word. 

If you dig psychedelic shoegazing music from the 

height of the Creation Records era, I’ve got the 

perfect record for you. Citrus Clouds is the newest 

project from Erick Pineda (guitar) of Tierra Firme, 

joined by his girlfriend, Stacy Huttleston (bass), 

and Anthony Jarero (drums), with all members 

offering vocals. Together they create a soundscape 

of beautiful feedback-laden pop songs that are as 

fascinating as they are hypnotic. 

One thing I must say is that Huttleston’s vocals 

are absolutely angelic, and this debut truly shows 

her talent as a musician. Whether she provides 

harmonies (“Dreamer”) or takes the lead (“In 

Time I Am”), her voice is magic. No matter who is 

doing the singing, the real star is the tapestry of 

sound these three present. Whether it is Pineda’s 

dizzying guitar, Huttleston’s thumping bass or the 

brilliant percussion of Jarero, Citrus Clouds create 

a sound akin to early My Bloody Valentine, taking a 

fascinating genre and truly owning it. “Anymore,” 

“Love Is” and “Forever Friends” are perfect examples 

of this, where there is as much noise as there is 

sheer beauty, woven together into moody mosaics 

accented by dreamlike imagery. 

There is more than just shoegaze going on here. 

Tracks like “The Colors” and “Day’s Glow” have a 

sense of Syd Barrett about them, if he had a more 

rock-oriented band accompanying him on his solo 

work. “Day’s Glow” especially stands out for its pop 

aesthetic and straight-out weirdness. It’s probably 

my favorite track here, for its more experimental 

approach in all regards. The finale, “Circus Fluffy 

Elephant,” is a grinning, unexpected, but somehow 

light and perfect finish. 

Through tragedy and triumph Good Friends Great 

Enemies have returned with their first record in over 

two years. It also happens to be one of the best 

indie pop releases of the year. A concise, majestic, 

magic album, it is best listened to from beginning 

to end to gain the full effect of its artistry. Some 

of the songs here are less than a minute long, and 

yet they are not link tracks, rather full-fledged 

compositions that express in 44 seconds a total 

depth of emotion. That is the case with the 

opener, “I Mean It.” Meanwhile, longer songs, like 

“Gonna Die” and “Similar Things,” get into jazz 

explorations that approach mild psychedelia. 

It is a quirky, fun and lively record and far more than I 

could have ever hoped for after Evan Bisbee survived 

a critical auto accident—but survive he did, and so 

thankfully so. Clearly, the members of Good Friends 

Great Enemies are lovers of music from all eras and 

all genres, yet there is a distinctive American feeling 

here. There are singles in the form of “Hot Sea Men” 

(go ahead and laugh, it’s all right), “Middle Class 

Kenny” and “Freshman Year (Song for Jack).” 

The finale is the epic-length (for them) pocket 

symphony “Contemptorary,” which is both cleverly 

titled and one of their finest compositions to date. 

Nothing here is accidental, and the arrangements 

are stunning. Whether it’s a swift old-time jazz 

number like the coy piano bounce of “Ike and Biz” or 

the thought-provoking rave-up rock of “Nunu the 

Great and Powerful,” every moment is perfectly 

constructed. Cautiously Poptimistic is the best 

thing that Good Friends Great Enemies have ever 

done, and it is one of the most cohesively crafted 

albums of 2015: charming, brilliant and unexpected 

in every way. 

32 JAVA 

MAGAZINE 

Sounds Around Town By Mitchell L. Hillman

TOBIE MILFORD 

Listen to the Trees Grow 

DINERS 

It’s All True EP 

DAY BEFORE PLASTICS 

Explosive Sadness 

Listening to the music of Tobie Milford is something 

akin to treating your ears to a luxury item. He is one 

of the few local musicians whom I have referred to 

as genius. After hearing Listen to the Trees Grow, 

his first album in five years, I feel that sentiment 

holds true. Unlike in his debut, Milford is not exactly 

flying solo. He is joined by some of the best and the 

brightest classically trained musicians in Phoenix. 

This lineup includes Mark Michaud (percussion and 

recording), Chris Kasych (studio trickery) and the 

Downtown Chamber Series musicians Leslie Frey 

Anderegg and Megyn Neff on violin, Mark Dix on 

viola and Peter Lorenzo Anderegg on cello. 

Milford’s looping violin is no longer the centerpiece 

of his work, and he has now turned to concentrate 

on vocals and keys. The album shows his growth 

since the release of 2010’s Alyosha, not only as a 

musician and composer but also as a human being. 

This is some of the most high-minded music I’ve 

come across all year and beautifully arranged, which 

makes it clear why it’s taken five years for this 

album to follow his debut. I’d have it no other way, 

and I’d happily wait another five years for another 

installment of beauty, vulnerability and reflection 

through Milford’s stunning vision. 

I sincerely hope we don’t have to wait that long. Still, 

this is one album that may last through the ages— 

chronicling the terror and beauty of a man facing 

adulthood, whether in the opener, “Fear of Music,” 

in which he accepts music as his path, or “Doctor,” 

which tells the story of his mother’s wish for him to 

practice medicine. “Gepetto” is filled with self-doubt, 

and the majestic “Queen Isabella” tells stories of 

Milford’s own self-discovery. At times it feels like he 

is cleansing his soul on record, yet the sheer beauty 

and vision of his songs cleanse yours, as well. 

This month I’d planned on writing a feature-length 

review of Diners III, as I had been following the 

demos posted throughout 2015. The album isn’t 

ready yet, but Diners have offered up a five-track 

EP called It’s All True, with two super-solid singles, 

and it totally satisfies my craving for their brand of 

indie pop. According to Tyler Broderick, the EP was 

“mostly put together with songs originally intended 

for my upcoming album, III. Recording sessions were 

farther apart than what I had hoped for, but in the 

end I believe it was great practice in listening and in 

imagination!” 

That definitely comes across on It’s All True. The 

songs are short and sweet, while exploring more 

territory in sound than they’ve approached before. 

Just listen to the intro track, “Really Wanna Know,” 

and get lost in its wizardry for the 80 seconds. The 

single-worthy “Must Be Nice” sounds as if post–Pet 

Sounds Beach Boys had made a slightly snarky song 

about jealousy, and every second of it is an absolute 

blast. Meanwhile, “My House” sounds like postgrunge 

indie pop straight out of the mid-1990s—like 

a lost single on a K Records 45. “Only You” would be 

another serious consideration for a single and has 

such a childlike charm about it, perfectly summing up 

the total elation and yearning of a wonderful crush. 

The brief EP finishes with “Speaks to Me,” a song 

I wish was longer just so my ears could hold on to 

this record just a little longer. A beautiful, diminutive 

finale, it makes you crave more, and yet it totally sets 

the soul at ease. With Diners I’ll take anything I can 

get, and this 7-inch EP is a perfect pop gem. I hope 

that next year III will be released and I can dig into 

their sunshiney vibe track by track. 

Sounds Around Town By Mitchell L. Hillman 

Day Before Plastics has been one of my favorite live 

bands in Arizona since the release of their debut EP, 

Physical Garbage, well over a year ago. Their followup, 

Explosive Sadness, shows so much growth that 

it’s mind blowing. Their debut was one of my favorite 

EPs of last year, but now it seems like a mere shadow 

compared to the new album. This isn’t just about 

quality production but song writing, composition— 

everything. It’s clear the amount of shows they’ve 

played have benefitted them tremendously. 

The singles “Space Beach” and “Papaver” previewed 

the album nicely but couldn’t really show how it 

would come together so brilliantly in the end. The 

stunning “Electric City” starts the record, which is 

another single in the waiting, with a sound I never 

would have expected in their catalog. Stylistically, 

Day Before Plastics are all over the place, from 

explosive pop to indie rock to country tunes of 

sadness. In some respects, you wouldn’t even 

know this was the same band as in their debut. It 

seems to be their intention to create something of 

a schizophrenic contrast between songs, or even 

between the upbeat songs and their lyrics. 

Still, Explosive Sadness is filled with instant classics, 

including the aforementioned songs, but also the 

Dylanesque “Little Darling” or the live favorite 

“Dog” or the country-style flared finish of “Break My 

Heart.” The band has never sounded better, and their 

song writing has grown beautifully intense. This is 

the sound of a band coming into its own, and it’s 

fantastic to listen to. I can’t wait to see what’s next 

from one of the most talented crews in town. 

For more on these events and other highlights of 

the Phoenix music scene, check out Mitchell’s blog 

at http://soundsaroundtown.net. For submissions 

or suggestions contact him at mitchell@ 

soundsaroundtown.net 

JAVA 33 

MAGAZINE

Digital 

Preserve 

Artist 

Steve 

Yazzie 

34 JAVA 

MAGAZINE 

By Jenna Duncan

For artists there is often an intersection between the passion that drives the work and 

the business side of things. Some are never able to fully find a balance between these 

two winding roads. Others mix business with innovation around every corner. 

For Valley artist Steven Yazzie, merging his practice with his business life seemed 

to happen quite serendipitously. I spoke with him last month as he returned to Phoenix 

from Las Vegas, where he and his Digital Preserve collaborators had been working on a 

commercial shoot for Big Beard Films. 

They documented the grand-scale installation piece “Double Negative” by Michael Heizer 

in Nevada’s Moapa Valley desert. He described the group’s return from the site: “There 

are a whole group of us here [in the airport] trying to find outlets to plug in our various 

devices.” The footage Digital Preserve just shot will be part of a documentary series for 

PBS called “Land Art of the West.” 

Digital Preserve is a commercial film 

production project that Yazzie started 

with his wife, Eileen. She helps with the 

business part-time—mostly nights and 

weekends, while working full-time at 

the City as an administrator in streets 

and transportation. She has a master’s 

degree in urban planning and a minor 

in business management. Prior to 

getting her master’s, Eileen did public 

relations consulting. She brings those 

skills to Digital Preserve, writing plans, 

putting together budgets and helping 

with logistics. 

Steve Yazzie didn’t go to college for drawing 

and painting—school came later. When he 

was 40, he decided to finish his bachelor’s 

degree in art at Arizona State University. 

Through the program, he gained exposure to 

digital arts and the world of film. He credits 

professor Muriel Magenta for introducing 

him to filmmaking through her documentary 

film class. 

Being part of the conceptual art collective 

Postcommodity helped facilitate Yazzie’s 

return to college. It was a collaborative 

environment, where one person would have 

an idea and the group would work out the 

details and logistics together. Unlike a young 

artist with little direction, Yazzie knew what 

he wanted and was practical about the 

additional skills he would need to collect 

in school. When he got to ASU, it was as if 

the stars and moon aligned. He landed two 

big exhibitions, and he used his time there 

to make work for his shows. School really 

pushed him to interact and collaborate. 

Recently, Digital Preserve traveled to 

the Arizona–Mexico border to document 

“The Repellant Fence,” an installation 

by Yazzie’s former art collaborators at 

Postcommodity. While documenting the 

work, Digital Preserve’s crew bumped into 

another crew, and that’s what led to the 

“Double Negative” job. 

Yazzie says that the work of Digital Preserve 

doesn’t always fit neatly into the commercial 

JAVA 35 

MAGAZINE

world. He often reworks, modifies and edits 

the source material from commercial shoots 

for his art explorations. “When I first started 

as an artist, I was a narrative painter—a 

storyteller,” Yazzie says. “I have moved 

through all of these different practices. My 

painting studio has now been converted to 

an editing suite.” Speakers for audio editing, 

cables and gear now inhabit the spaces once 

saved for canvases and paints. “I would 

have never imagined stepping into this 

direction,” he says. “But a lot of factors 

added up.” 

Collaborator Jon Jenkins has been working 

with Digital Preserve for two years. He first 

met Yazzie after reaching out and inviting him 

to collaborate on a video installation proposal 

for the light rail. Their project ended up being 

a short video chronicling a day in the life of 

Phoenix, called “Under the Sun.” 

Jenkins is from Jacksonville, Florida, but has 

been living in Phoenix for about seven years. 

He studied film at Scottsdale Community 

College and now works as a director of 

photography and camera operator. He’s 

recently taken on some big-name clients, 

including Dolby and Under Armour. “Everyone 

at Digital Preserve is an independent 

contractor; we all have things that we’re 

doing on the side,” Jenkins says. “It’s kind of 

like a family. It feels really good to have that 

kind of support.” 

Yazzie first got started with the business 

angle of his documentary film work by making 

short, interpretive movies about Native 

American artists for the museum store at 

the Heard Museum. He did an educational 

documentary on Ron Carlos, a Salt River 

Indian potter. The project was interesting for 

him, and the museum was pleased, and soon 

they were asking for more. 

Prior to that, he shot a video that ended up 

as an extension of an art project done during 

a 2006 artist’s residency in Skowhegan 

School of Painting & Sculpture in Maine. 

He describes an outlandish and perhaps 

dangerous experiment he conceived called 

“Drawing and Driving.” Yazzie devised a 

basic, gravity-powered vehicle that he could 

guide down an incline, while his hands were 

occupied with drawing. But he needed some 

way to document his adventures down these 

slopes. So he fastened some small cameras 

to the vehicle and recorded the action. This 

was years prior to the advent of the GoPro. 

The next year, he had a show at the Heard 

Museum called “Draw Me a Picture.” Yazzie 

says he used his “very raw and rough” 

footage to create an installation piece 

showing his process. He liked the project’s 

conceptual, multidisciplinary nature, and 

credits the piece with prompting his desire to 

return to school and explore more about film 

and documentary production. 

More recently, Digital Preserve worked 

on a project documenting the fate of the 

36 JAVA 

MAGAZINE

controversial David and Gladys Wright House 

in Phoenix. The house changed hands a few 

times in the last five years, and at one point 

it had fallen into the hands of a commercial 

developer who was dead-set on tearing it 

down. But concerned citizens rallied, and 

the house finally gained official landmark 

status and protection on November 16, 

after a vote by the Phoenix City Council. 

The Digital Preserve crew was there to 

document the decision. 

“We’ve been working with them [David and 

Gladys Wright House Foundation] seven 

or eight months now. We are hoping to 

share this story in a way that builds on 

the narrative of the campaign and the 

foundation,” Yazzie says. 

An example of where Yazzie’s personal 

art merges with commercial work is found 

in a project he did last year for ASU. He 

worked on three short documentaries about 

indigenous sustainability, talking to leaders 

and scholars at a local conference. “This was 

when he started utilizing his collaborators, 

like Francisco [Flores],” Eileen Yazzie says. 

Clay Hawkins is another collaborator—a 

musician friend who has provided musical 

scores and soundtracks to the film work. 

Not only did Digital Preserve produce 

these three short docs, but some of the 

collected footage made its way into a new 

experimental video project that Yazzie 

recently produced, called “Mountain Song.” 

Using imagery of the mountains and touching 

on critical land issues, such as uranium 

mining and disruption of indigenous lands, 

Yazzie was able to find a way to address 

current issues while also speaking about 

what’s happening in his own work. 

Yazzie recently produced a short documentary 

on Michael Prepsky, an artist and teacher 

at South Mountain High School who helped 

bring Keith Haring to Phoenix for a mural 

project in the late 1980s. “I believe that new 

forms of documentary can be made, and I am 

trying them out,” Yazzie says. 

What Digital Preserve brings to the table 

that a lot of other production companies 

probably don’t is “a long history of fine 

art and practice.” Yazzie’s collaborators 

are mostly artists who are trained to 

know color, light and shadow, and other 

aesthetic considerations. They bounce new, 

experimental ideas off one another. 

“Mountain Song” premiered Nov. 20 at 

Northern Arizona University. Yazzie says 

he expects to create many more of these 

experimental art films in the coming months 

and years. 

digitalpreserve.co 

stevenyazzie.com 

JAVA 37 

MAGAZINE

GIRL ON FARMER 

Here it comes again. I can hear the sleigh bells 

ringing and the cash registers clinking; Christmas is 

here again. I love Christmas. On Halloween I get sad 

because no little kids wear homemade costumes, 

and on Thanksgiving I have an ethical quandary with 

the whole “let’s eat, then we’ll kill you” part. But 

Christmas? No way. Christmas is 100% fun. Maybe 

it has something to do with the intersection of all 

things great—food, friends, family and presents. And 

don’t forget wine. 

I have written about some of the things I did as a kid 

for Christmas, most memorably, the “quarter pull” 

where drunk relatives gathered to watch my siblings 

and I dig into a glass jar of quarters to see who 

could pull out the most money and subsequently try 

and steal from one another. The pull gave us money 

to buy presents for family and friends. One of my 

favorites, a note pad covered in purple plastic that 

said “Gag Me With a Spoon.” I gave it to my friend 

Lisa Billingsley. Everyone was pretty jealous of that 

one, obviously. 

As a kid, writing Christmas lists was basically the 

highlight of the entire year, and I don’t know about 

you, but I certainly spared no desire. I had no limit 

to the number of items, and cost was no object in 

my mind—clearly, because one year I asked for a 

golf cart. And I was serious as hell. Let me tell you 

now, this idea was ahead of its time. People didn’t 

roll around on carts in the hood the way they do 

now. Although I approached my Christmas list in 

the vein of “ain’t no mountain high enough,” my 

parents did not feel the same and I did not get a 

golf cart. 

I think I know what the kids are going to be asking 

for this year. You know, there is always the hotticket 

item that parents are throwing themselves 

at the mercy of the crowds to get their grubby 

mom-and-dad hands on, hoping that their kids 

might like them more, which I understand. They 

weren’t my proudest moments, but I have resorted 

to buying my daughter’s love on holidays— 

especially as she’s gotten older and isn’t so 

impressed by me anymore. Anyway, here is what 

the kids want: hoverboards. But here’s the thing, I 

am not OK with: calling them hoverboards. 

38 JAVA 

MAGAZINE

There is always the hot-ticket item that parents 

are throwing themselves at the mercy of the 

crowds to get their grubby mom-and-dad hands 

on, hoping that their kids might like them more. 

Here’s why: Marty McFly and Doc promised hoverboards to us in Back to the 

Future 2. They said we would have them, and we saw Marty zipping and 

hovering all over the town on his. It was fast and fun. It literally did hover. And, 

it did not have wheels. Marty’s hoverboard did not look like these current fancy 

skateboards that are prancing around, masquerading as hoverboards. These 

things should be called lazyassboards because you can walk or ride a bike faster 

than getting around on these things. 

In Back to the Future, the hoverboard moved Marty’s ass around at top speeds. 

That thing looked fun as hell. The word “hover” implies you will be sort of flying, 

but just really low to the ground. It’s like we’re not quite ready for jetpacks, but 

working on it with the hoverboard—or we should be. These fake hoverboards we 

see people around on today are a total misappropriation of the word. 

What are we going to do when real hoverboards get invented? Call them 

SuperHoverboards? No, that’s not right. And P.S. I have not seen anyone but 

semi-fatties on the fake hoverboard. All I’m saying is, we all need the exercise 

people. Rolling along slowly on a sideways skateboard is not helping anything. 

Can very big people ride the lazyboards? Or will it just stop and seize up? There 

must be a weight limit or something. You know, it’s not a jet engine in there. It 

sounds like a remote control car when a fake hoverboard goes past. It’s a lowpitched 

whining sound. You can actually hear the engine crying about having to 

roll these people around. 

Besides all this, aren’t we supposed to be happy we can walk? I thought that 

not being able to walk was a thing that we did not want to happen. I need to 

clarify here, that if it was a hoverboard like the one that Marty McFly had, I 

would not be in such a twist. I get it, wanting to be fast and fun; it’s just that this 

contraption they are promoting for the holidays is not that. And what happens 

when you’ve scooted yourself to the store and your power pack runs out? A real 

skateboard won’t let you down like that. The current fake hoverboard doesn’t 

even have a back-up option. 

So, you know what everyone else wants for Christmas, but not me. If you were 

wondering, I am still hoping to gather funding for my golf cart. The only thing is 

that I want it to be solar powered. That way, I can go fast but avoid getting stuck 

at Fry’s due to a battery situation. If I see you riding on your flashy hoverboard, I 

will pick you up and make you watch Back to the Future with me, so we can talk 

about how to move forward on the production of a hoverboard that Marty McFly 

would be proud to ride.

NIGHT 

GALLERY 

Photos By 

Robert Sentinery 

1 

2 

3 4 

5 

6 

7 

8 9 

10 11 

1. Runway babe at the WEARizona fashion show 

2. Camelback Art Collective opening with founder Teresa Wilson 

3. Bill Dambrova’s Goat Heart Studio 

4. Jennyfer and Yuko at Mitch Fry’s studio 

5. Stephanie Metz in town for the International Sculpture 

Conference (ISC) 

6. Skyler and Brittany at the inaugural Scottsdale Grand Prix 

7. Fashion by Luis Solis at WEARizona 

8. Tondra’s housewarming was so much fun 

9. First Friday Garden Party for PAM’s White Shirt Show 

10. Sean Deckert meets a fellow Sony camera guy 

11. Gorgeous model in vintage from the Robert Black collection

12 13 14 15 16 

17 18 19 20 21 

22 23 24 25 26 

27 28 29 

12. Phoenix Frida’s Monique and pal at the Paz farewell 

13. Rare Scarf bring high style to WEARizona 

14. White Shirt Garden Party lovelies 

15. Zlata Kolomoyskaya does body painting at {9} 

16. Fist Friday garden party at PAM 

17. This stylish posse was rolling deep 

18. Here kitty, Estrella Observatory Halloween party 

19. Austin Head and pal at Transforming Space at Carlene Center 

20. International Sculpture Conference attendees at Goat Heat Studio 

21. Met this kitten at the Scottsdale Grand Prix 

22. ISC kickoff event with Sara Cochran and friends 

23. Jeremy Thomas and John Reyes at Bentley Gallery 

24. Christy and Jane at Tondra’s housewarming 

25. Photographer and the stylist at PAM 

26. Rafael and Holly at the Tieken Gallery grand opening 

27. Fashionistas at the First Friday garden party 

28. Rockin’ it mod style at the Phoenix Art Museum 

29. Joan Baron at the ISC kickoff and Small Works Exhibition

VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE 

w w w . J A V A M A G A Z . c o m

30 31 

32 33 34 

35 36 

37 38 

39 

40 41 

42 43 44 

45 46 

47 

30. Getting jiggy with a stormtrooper 

31. Working it on the runway at WEARizona 

32. First annual Scottsdale Grand Prix 

33. Sweet looking duo 

34. Rare Scarf crew brings the orange 

35. Elizabeth Cheche with her surreal work at Tieken Gallery 

36. Liking this down-home duo at Scottsdale Grand Prix 

37. U3ECK Sy5tem in the house at Paz farewell 

38. Aileen Frick’s opening at {9} Gallery 

39. Gary, Joe and his lady at the Tieken grand opening 

40. Cheers to pretty Ashley Harder 

41. Hanging with these sweet sisters at Tieken Gallery 

42. Alyson and Greg at MIMfest 

43. Tuft & Needle crew at the Containers on Grand opening 

44. Tim and Kim at Lisa and Shane’s wedding reception 

45. Quincy photobomb at Containers on Grand 

46. Mother-daughter fun at MIMfest 

47. Having a blast in Tondra’s backyard

48 49 

50 51 52 

53 54 

55 56 

57 

58 59 

60 

61 

62 

63 

64 65 

48. Camelback Art Collective (CAC) opening 

49. International Sculpture Conference attendees at Bentley Gallery 

50. Kitten girls at Scottsdale Grand Prix 

51. StarkJames Architects did Containers on Grand 

52. Tia makes a new friend at the Camelback Arts Collective show 

53. Steve Strange leads the PAPA Parade on Grand Ave 

54. Perry Czopp from @thecoffeechop 

55. Sabrina’s show at Grand Ave Brewing Co. 

56. Rare Chocolate Factory opening for the Grand Ave Fest 

57. Angela Johnson shows her wears at WEARizona 

58. Cosmic chic at International Sculpture Conference 

59. Mr. & Mrs. Modern Manor at the Camelback Art Collective 

60. Super short polka dot sweater dress 

61. Luster Kaboom show at Grand Ave Brewing Co 

62. Nice food and drink at Camelback Art Collective 

63. John Coll is the man behind Grand Ave Brewing Co 

64. Hanging from the fences at the Grand Ave Fest 

65. Bring on the stilt-walking clowns

66 67 68 

69 

70 

71 

72 73 

74 75 

76 77 78 

79 80 

81 82 

83 

66. Johnny, Joe and Vaiden at Christine Cassano’s open studio 

67. Denise releases her inner monkey 

68. Awesome Angela Johnson dress at WEARizona 

69. Trippy alien trio in the PAPA parade 

70. Design bling by Luis Solis 

71. Behind the scenes with these hotties 

72. Bill Dambova’s opening at Treeo 

73. WEARizona host Marshall Shore with El Nico on the decks 

74. Designer Luis Solis strolls takes a bow 

75. Larry Willis retrospective at {9} gallery 

76. Mysterious Rare Scarf model on the runway 

77. International Sculpture Conference kickoff 

78. Bentley Calverly is the force behind Bentley Gallery 

79. Another Angela Johnson original on the runway 

80. Amir and pal at the Camelback Art Collective opening 

81. One of Angela Johnson’s repurposed t-shirt ball gowns 

82. Lucretia and Cindy at the Estrella Halloween Party 

83. Snapped these Oasis on Grand pretties at {9}

Continues through Jan 10, 2016 

*FREE 

Admission! 

Such Styles, Teen Angel (detail), 

Contemporary enamels, 

Montana gold, Montana II, 

Hardcore and Sharpe and Such 

inks on canvas, 36 x 24 inches. 

David Manje, 

Preorder your 

2016 Original 

Print Calendar 

by Dec 4 and receive $5 off! 

For more information, please visit 

MesaArtsCenter.com 

One East Main Street • Mesa, Arizona 85201 • 480-644-6567 • MesaArtsCenter.com

REGISTER for 

SPRING 2016 

CLASSES 

• University Transfer 

• Flexible Classes 

• Affordable Tuition 

Starting at 

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*Maricopa County Residents 

Chandler-Gilbert | Estrella Mountain | GateWay | Glendale | Maricopa Corporate College 

Mesa | Paradise Valley | Phoenix | Rio Salado | Scottsdale | South Mountain | Skill Centers 

The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

LILIANE 

TOMASKO: 

IN VISIBLE WORLD 

november 21 — february 14, 2016 

Liliane Tomasko 

The Shifting (detail), 2012 

Oil on linen. 50 x 56 in. 

Loan from Lee and Mike Cohn 

2015.TOM.4.1

Java.Dec.2.2015

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