Java.May.2016

246 • MAY 2016
CIRCUS GIRLS • LGO’S BOB & SARA • MILK BAR • WARBIRD PRESS

Images courtesy
of Phoenix Art
Museum archives.
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RISING:
april 16 – may 29
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2 JAVA
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Sam Bush
SUMMER 2016
CONCERT SERIES
Tickets on sale now at MIM.org/concerts
Steve Poltz
May 6
Sean Watkins
Opening Act: Sonya Kitchell
May 8
The New Standards
May 10
Matthew Mayfield
May 16
An Evening of Film and
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May 22
MIM and Phoenix New Times
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Dirty Dozen Brass Band
May 31
Morgan James
June 3
CéU
June 22
Sam Bush
September 16
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JAVA
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CONTENTS
8
12
22
32
34
FEATURES
BOB AND SARA
Le Grande Idea
By Rhett Baruch
CIRCUS GIRLS
By Jenna Duncan
Cover: Miss Alexis
Photo by: Larry Alan
Location: Cobra Arcade Bar
Artwork: Noelle Martinez
8 12 22
34
DESERT LIGHT
Photography: Kitchen Sink Studios
Styling: Georganne Bryant
THE BREAKING PATTERN
There Are Roadmaps in Our Veins
By Mitchell L. Hillman
JACOB MEDERS
Warbird Press
By Demetrius Burns
COLUMNS
7
16
20
30
38
40
BUZZ
Media Circus
By Robert Sentinery
ARTS
El Mac Aerosol Exalted
By Amy L. Young
Forrest Solis
Creative Push Project
By Jenna Duncan
FOOD FETISH
Milk Bar
By Sloane Burwell
SOUNDS AROUND TOWN
By Mitchell L. Hillman
GIRL ON FARMER
Miserable Hugging
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
Carrie Evans
Kitchen Sink Studios
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Java Magazine
Copyright © 2016
All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph
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Publisher assumes no liability for the information
contained herein; all statements are the sole opinions
of the contributors and/or advertisers.
JAVA MAGAZINE
PO Box 45448 Phoenix, AZ 85064
email: javamag@cox.net
tel: (480) 966-6352
www.javamagaz.com
4 JAVA
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R O C K A B I L L Y
PAT ROBERTS AND THE HEYMAKERS
BLUE BIRD PIN-UPS + PINUP CONTEST
DANCING + SWING LESSONS BY ISAIAH MEDERS
BOOKSIGNINGS AND TALK BY AUTHOR JIM WEST
CHICKEN AND WAFFLES + EXHIBIT GALLERIES
NEW UPTOWN LOCATION NOW OPEN!
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FOLLOW US FOR STORE UPDATES AND EVENTS!
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ART
EVERYWHERE
In All Terminals
PHX Sky Train Stations
Rental Car Center
AT THE AIRPORT
Southwestern Invitational
Contemporary Arizona Artists
Terminal 4, Level 3, eight display cases
For nearly 30 years, we have
put the “art” in martini...
Artist: Cristian Candamill
Light Rail Access
Larry Willis, The Anglo-American Alliance, ©2014, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48”
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
skyharbor.com/museum | 602 273-2744
and we’re still
a great place to be seen.

MEDIA CIRCUS
By Robert Sentinery
BUZZ
One of the fringe benefits of my work involves attending various events
designed to captivate the attention of the media. This could include
anything from the sneak preview of a new restaurant, to the opening
night of a theatrical run. Any given month might bring a culinary festival
or two, a meet-and-greet cocktail party for a new development or even
a hard-hat tour of a construction project (like the FOUND:RE Phoenix art
hotel, scheduled to open in June). These events are usually catered with
interesting, exotic food, wine and spirits, which highlight the talents of
various chefs and mixologists.
Of course, all of this fanfare and hospitality happens for a reason—to
titillate those with the power of the pen (or more fittingly, keyboard) and
inspire them to spread the word. One thing that has changed over the years
is the mix of people who run in these media circles. What was once the
reserve of the coveted television and print crowd has now opened to the
entire blogosphere of Instagram gurus, food junkies and socialites who
write, making it a much livelier, circus-like mix.
This month we celebrate the circus, with the help of the uber-talented Jen
Deveroux. She has assembled a cast of sideshow-style artistes, from stiltwalkers
and pole dancers to contortionists and pyro-performers—and they
all happen to be sexy ladies who know how to put on a show. Jenna Duncan
interviewed all six and photographer Larry Alan captured moments, as these
“Circus Girls” (p. 12) took over the popular Cobra Arcade Bar.
Without a doubt, one of the most influential establishments to open in the
Valley in the last 10 years was Le Grande Orange (LGO) Grocery. Not only
was it a prototype for the kind of hyper-local community-based restaurant/
retail that we have grown to know and love, but it was years ahead of
its time and has been often imitated since. Writer Rhett Baruch had the
opportunity to sit down with LGO founder Bob Lynn and his wife, the
talented artist Sara Abbott, in their newly acquired Al Beadle home. The
gorgeous mid-century surroundings inspired a conversation (see p. 8) about
how the two first met, yoga, fine art, design and the various restaurants
under the LGO umbrella (including the newish high-profile seafood
establishment Buck & Rider).
Finally, artist Jacob Meders uses the power of print to communicate his
message about Native American identity. With an MFA in printmaking from
ASU, Meders now operates his Warbird Press out of The Hive in central
Phoenix. His recent installation for PhICA, entitled “Too Many Capitalists,
Not Enough Indians,” curated by Nic Wiesinger, utilizes multiples of the
same image—the passive and prideful Indian—to bring home the message
about stereotypes and race (see “Jacob Meders: Warbird Press,” p. 34).

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La Grande Idea
By Rhett Baruch • Photography by Johnny Jaffe
What do yoga, art and cuisine have in common? They are the key ingredients behind a successful restaurant
group that has spearheaded better neighborhood connectivity through inspired conversation and phenomenal
food. The creative couple behind the Le Grande Orange (LGO) Hospitality brand, Bob Lynn and Sara Abbott,
spoke to me about how they got together, their artistic outlets and the importance of building communities.
They have undoubtedly helped pave the way to the Arcadia neighborhood’s success, starting with the original
LGO Grocery over 10 years ago.
Bob Lynn hails from the Windy City, where there is an immense sense of community built through retail, food
and public activity. Lynn studied business in college, but his heart was always in the kitchen, having spent
much his life there from age 13. Combining his savvy for economics with his passion for the fry pan, early in his
career he helped launch and operate established concepts including Houston’s and Hillstone.
Bob and Sara recently purchased a 1963 Al Beadle–designed home—simply known as [Beadle House] No.
11. They humbly consider themselves the new caretakers of this iconic home, once the personal residence
of Al and his wife, Nancy. Lynn and Abbott had been living primarily in Santa Monica, but now with more
restaurants in Phoenix than California, it made sense for them to have their primary home here in the Valley.
The house and its grounds offer a tranquil sanctuary from the busy street life of Santa Monica that they’d
grown accustomed to. Additionally, it offers the practical logistics of being just down the road from many of
their establishments.
A focus on quality and approachability is thoroughly ingrained in their company ethos, from top to bottom, and
the pair work closely with local purveyors, chefs, designers and artisans. This formula has helped to create the
open-air market feel of LGO Grocery; the ground-up Australian beach house vibe at Buck and Rider (serving
flown-in-fresh seafood); the California casual ambiance of Chelsea’s Kitchen; and the quirky Will Bruder–
designed architecture of Ingo’s Tasty Food, serving up burgers, comfort food and delicious sangria.
During my time with Bob and Sara, their genuine practice of maintaining the quality and boldness of their
concepts was clear to see. Every detail is notable. Equally interesting was the insight into their operations,
giving a perspective on how they’ve arrived at where they are today.
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JAVA: How did you two meet?
Bob Lynn: I was sitting in LGO Grocery one morning
and a voice from across the room said, “I know you’re
a real art lover, and I’ve got some local Arizona artists
I’d like to show you.” This voice happened to be that
of an art broker I know. She pulled out a portfolio
with the work of a half dozen artists, and I came
across these paintings of barns that I thought were
really well done, so I asked about them. Turns out,
the artist was Sara Abbott, who was originally
from Portland.
I informed her [the broker] I wanted to see those
pieces in person, and within the next few weeks, the
broker came over with several pieces and brought the
artist as well. I saw the work, loved it and bought it.
Strangely, I had immediately felt something for Sara
as well, with no real idea of who she was.
The long and the short of it is, it wasn’t until five
years later that we had our first date. During that
long interim we were in different places in our lives.
I had just moved to Los Angeles and was opening our
Pasadena restaurant, but Sara and I stayed in touch.
Years later, we had an opening coming up in Arizona,
so I had my assistant start calling people on our list,
but first I would describe who he was going to call.
When I got to Sara, I explained that she was a really
cool and talented artist and pointed to a painting
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that was hanging in my house. The following day as
Nicholas and I reviewed the contacts he had made, at
the end of the conversation he said that he’d talked
to Sara and that she would love to come. That was
10 years ago.
Sara Abbott: I was in Arizona working at an art
studio called 3CarPileUp with Randy Slack, James
Angel and David Dauncey. I moved here in 1991 for
school, to study photography. I was successful in
doing my art and, as Bob mentioned, we first met
through my work.
JAVA: Bob, describe your typical workday.
BL: I start my day by checking in with all of the
restaurants (emails, phone calls, touching base). I
also try to find time to do 90 minutes of yoga and
meditation. It is a way to focus and reach much more
clarity. When you have a special organization, you
need to be a special leader. Yoga helps me be that.
At LGO Grocery we have someone here from
about 4:30 a.m. There are lots of moving parts, so
it’s important to make sure everything is running
smoothly. Additionally, there are always things that
we are working to improve, upgrade and rebuild.
For example, in our backyard, we have a prototype
picnic bench (for future use in LGO’s Java Garden)
to address the needs of a more stable surface. Tom
Tuberty created the prototype. He is an artist with
a welding mask that has been a loyal customer and
partner for many years.
One of the most important things that Sara and I
do for each other is to check the clarity of work we
are doing. Creative people start with a goal in mind,
to conceptualize and execute their point of view.
What’s special about our relationship, friendship
and marriage, is that we are constantly challenging
each other to make sure that the end viewer/user
can best understand our original intention. In order
to be able to do that, there has to be a deep level of
trust with each other; being vulnerable, listening and
demonstrating a great degree of patience. It’s a very
special part of “us” and what we do together that
leverages both of our work.
JAVA: Sara, your art seems to have no
boundaries. Can you explain what inspires your
different subjects and media?
SA: For me, art is a way of contributing something
to the world. I like to help put that vibration out
there. When I am creating, as with most artists,
my intention lies within the art. The viewer or the
collector has his or her own set of filters, so as an
artist, you hope that your intent comes across in

each and every piece. There is definitely joy in the
takeaway of my art being fully understood.
I am almost always working. Oftentimes that means
just picking up the camera and capturing something
new. Then bringing it back to the studio and using
paint to transcribe my perspective. The types of
media I use are pretty broad, but my newest is
printer ink—ink from the waste tanks of large-format
printers. Throughout most of my career, I have used
these printers for my mixed media and photography
work. Over the years, I’ve collected the leftover
ink—a rich, saturated, crude oil–like substance—in
jars. I kept saying that someday I would have a
good idea for it. I have finally utilized these inks
to create abstract pieces that I will be showing in
my Los Angeles studio on May 1. These poured
and manipulated works are essentially my take on
“green” paintings. It’s quite a process, as they take
around six months to fully dry.
JAVA: Bob, how are your new restaurant
concepts conceived?
BL: It always starts with a location and a community,
rather than coming up with a business model that
just gets rolled out. We try to look at the local
surroundings and deliver something that is true to our
brand, but also something that really adds to the lives
of the people in that area. We love high quality, but
we don’t focus on formality. We like things that are
emotionally irresistible and compelling, yet useful at
the same time.
LGO started as a sort of community center, being one
of the few commercial properties in the area that
people could walk and ride bikes to. Buck and Rider is
in a very powerful location, so we wanted to create
an important seafood restaurant there. My business
partner, Adam Streckler, is from New Orleans and he
brings a lot of knowledge and experience.
The Buck and Rider building was inspired by a house
on a stretch of the Australian coast called Noosa
Beach. I wanted it to have a big city, cosmopolitan
feel inside, yet remain casual. We had to think about
what was needed, adding a layer to the area that
would compel people to use it. Let’s face it, fresh
seafood is expensive, so it puts a bigger burden on us
to execute and deliver value.
Buck and Rider resonates a nomadic, remote and
untouched feel. When you think about seafood,
you are thinking about clean, cool water and a
light, healthy way to eat. The interior, which we did
ourselves, started with the idea of one big room,
while really thinking about the brasseries and coffee
shops of Paris and Berlin. The energy is charged
and the environment intended to be fun. It is a room
where everyone is included, offering a sense of relief
and comfort where all people can feel at home.
JAVA: What is next for LGO Hospitality?
BL: The first thing that comes to my mind is “how
do we make what we are doing even better?” As a
company, we get as much enjoyment from perfecting
and improving what we already have, as we do
creating something new. The market is always
changing and our customers are always evolving and
becoming more progressive. So the first question to
ourselves is, “How are we getting better?” Look for a
tasting room at the LGO Bar and brunch at Buck and
Rider, with a very exciting menu.
Our newest concept is housed in a 1946 building
in Santa Monica called Ingo’s Tasty Diner, serving
up farm-to-table cuisine. We are looking at more
opportunities in Southern California on the horizon.
Lastly, we are committed to New York—Lower East
Side, Brooklyn area—but that’s as much as I can tell
you for now.
www.lgohospitality.com
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CIRCUS GIRLS
LINDSAY GREEN By Jenna Duncan • Photos By Larry Alan
Professional pole dancer Lindsay Green doesn’t
just spin the pole like you might have tried on
the playground. She also bends and balances
her body and does aerials and contortion from
high up on the pole. Her special trick involves
an aerial hoop called the Lyra. “There are many
different aerial apparatuses that I use,” she
explains. The Lyra is a metal hoop suspended
from the ceiling that Green bends around, twists
around and sometimes hangs from.
Green is self-taught, but she’s been doing
pole for a “long time,” she says, and Lyra for
five or six years. She got to a point where
she wanted to start performing and started
looking for companies. Eventually she became
a member of a troupe called Aerial Intensity,
who perform regularly.
One of the most intriguing and eye-popping
tricks in Green’s repertoire is called doubles:
two pole dancers perform simultaneously,
dangling from the same pole and using the
strength of each other’s bodies to get into
poses and do transitions. Green performs with a
partner a lot and has won doubles competitions.
In 2014, Green took third place at an event
in Burbank, California, in doubles. In 2012,
she won first place at the Pole Classics in Los
Angeles. Recently Green performed alongside
Cleodora Mathers and Scarlett Xander at the
Fetish and Fantasy Ball, which happens every
Halloween at the Hard Rock Café in Las Vegas.
Getting into teaching was a natural transition
for her. She started showing some friends how
to pole, and it snowballed from there. Green
is now part of an active studio, Prowess Pole
Dancing, where she teaches people how to
do tricks without getting injured and how to
increase their strength and do more challenging
pole and aerial work. Green has many students,
and she trains both men and women. Green
says she hopes the interest in pole work isn’t
just a trend but continues to gain momentum.
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MISS ALEXIS
There is new wave of flash-dancing beauties
inspired by the James Bond and Elvis flicks of
a far-gone era, but these ladies aren’t donning
beehive hairdos and Nancy Sinatra knee-high
boots. We’re talking about the new generation
of go-go girls, led by queen-pin Miss Alexis
(Alexis Borja) of BOSS Entertainment.
Miss Alexis says she hires enthusiastic girls
to dance, go-go style, at all kinds of different
venues, parties and festivals. “It’s sort of like
ambient entertainment for parties,” she says.
“We are usually on stages or on top of bars, freestyling
to whatever music they throw at us.”
Prior to launching BOSS, Miss Alexis danced
with a different Valley go-go crew. She says
she started dancing in high school (Borja is
originally from the Philippines, and moved to the
Valley at age 11). She originally studied ballet,
jazz and studio hip-hop, and after high school
she performed with a hip-hop crew called
Broken Toys.
After college, she took a year off and traveled.
During her travels, Miss Alexis found herself at
an exciting EDM festival—the Electric Daisy
Carnival. She saw modern-day go-gos there in
elaborate costumes, and this inspired her to
want to do it herself.
When she returned to the Valley, she joined
a team but was disappointed by their lack of
costuming. “Three years after I worked for that
company, after pushing and pushing, I had to
just break off. I wanted people to take classes
with me and I wanted to take costuming to a
whole other level. Now that I’m doing my own
thing I can direct the girls the way I want to
direct them,” she says.
When her girls dance at District, for example,
they follow the all-American theme. “We do
a lot of pin-up costumes, pin-up hair and red,
white and blue. Sometimes camo,” she says.
For holidays they do candy cane girls. And
when they dance at Gypsy Bar at Cityspace in
Phoenix, they like to make things interesting
with themes like “dominatrix unicorn.”
BOSS Entertainment recently had a gig at
the Barrett-Jackson auto auction, and they
are preparing for a big show April 30 at Wet
Electric—a stadium event at Big Surf in Tempe,
where Dadalife will headline.
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CRYSTAL CRUZ
If you think walking in high heels is hard work,
try towering (and not tottering) five feet above
the stage, while dancing—yes, dancing—on
enormous stilts. Graceful stilt-walker Crystal
Cruz has been doing just that for three years.
She had a background in burlesque for more
than a decade prior to mastering the stilts.
Not too long ago, Cruz decided to expand her
bag of tricks. She started adding more dance
and fire to her routines. “Those are my staples.
Then later I moved into circus stuff like aerials,
stilts and sideshow work,” she says.
Cruz says the average stilt height in the United
States usually ranges between two and three
feet. But as you build your skills, you try to walk
with taller ones. Her newest pair is five feet tall,
which doubles her height (she’s 5’ 1” without
stilts). When she stands straight up, she would
hit the ceiling of her home, so she has to “stiltup”
outdoors.
Even though Cruz performs on stilts regularly
and even teaches other performers the trade,
she’s still learning new tricks and perfecting
her art. The first thing Cruz teaches anyone
new to stilts is how to fall safely. “Once in a
while a server might drop a tray of drinks, and
there is ice and water all over the fl oor,” she
says. A good stilter must know how to spring
back up from a quick tumble. After all—the
show must go on!
Cruz leads a performance group called House
of Cirque. She previously led the burlesque
performance company Provocatease, but has
been getting more into the circus variety
show, not just strictly burlesque these days.
Her company likes to blend stilt walking with
aerial work, sweeping up performers, spinning
and tumbling them.
Another fan favorite is stilts mixed with breakdancing—a
form of performance that requires
a lot of contact with the ground, as well as the
ability to spring back up to a standing position.
There are toe stilts, contact and aerobic stilt
performers and a branch of Afro-Caribbean
traditional stilting that is more dance oriented,
Cruz says. Some people even use pirate peg
legs, although she is not really a fan.
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SCARLETT XANDER
If you’ve ever seen a pretty but somehow
freaky sideshow girl stick a nail up her nose
and have it disappear, chances are you’ve
met Scarlett Xander (also known as Reanna
Craig). She has been performing sideshow, fi re
tricks, the Human Blockhead and other physical
performance art in the Valley for about two years.
Xander’s fi rst big break was at Rob Zombie’s
Great American Nightmare a couple years ago. The
Mystic Freak Show hired her, and she performed on
stage for the first time in Las Vegas. “I actually
got to meet Rob Zombie the first night I was
performing,” she says. He was standing on the
stage only inches away from her.
Xander was inspired to go into circus arts after
learning about real, traditional circus sideshow
freaks of days gone by. Unlike the little shows
and skits you might see at the Arizona State
Fair, the original sideshow performers were what
you saw before you went into the “big tent,” she
says. “It was a little more vulgar—they did more
shocking things,” she says. There would be
people with genetic disabilities on display, such
as the Elephant Man and Lobster Boy.
After learning about these freaks, Xander
became inspired and wanted to learn how to be
a “human blockhead,” hammering nails through
her nose and shoving other objects through
her nose and mouth. Now she has an entire
repertoire of tricks, including fire eating, putting
mouse traps on different parts of her body,
breathing fire, lying on a bed of nails and even
having someone break heavy cinder blocks on
her body. She also swallows coat hangers and
is training to perform as a sword-swallower.
“A lot of people think sword-swallowing is
fake,” she says. “But when they see that I can
bend the coat hangers using the muscles in my
throat—that is impressive!” she says.
Xander also dances on broken glass that she’s
smashed with a hammer. “The glass is the most
dangerous thing I do because I cut myself a lot,”
she says. She does bleed, and there’s a shock factor
for the audience. “I don’t really get hurt. They are just
baby cuts,” she says. She recalls one time when
she spent an entire night walking around Vegas
with a piece of glass in her toe. Fortunately,
Xander’s boyfriend is a doctor, and he’s always
ready to stitch her up as needed.
Instagram: @clownslut
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CLEODORA MATHERS
Contortionist Cleodora Mathers cools her
heels at Sky Harbor Airport for a short phone
interview. She’s on her way to Vegas to
hang out with friends from Cirque du Soleil.
Since she’s been doing contortion for years,
Mathers has amassed quite a network of bigtop
performing friends. “Circus people are so
accepting of other circus people,” she says.
Mathers uses her full body for contortion
work, performing all kinds of bends, poses,
handstands, headstands, elbow stands, chin
stands and pretzels. She also does some aerial
hoops and chain work. “It’s definitely a full-body
workout!” she says.
For one of her most jaw-dropping tricks, Mathers
casually reclines onto her elbows, as if reading a
book on a sofa, except that her body is bent almost
in half, backwards, with her legs and feet hanging
over her head (hard to imagine, but her photos
on Instagram are worth a thousand words). No
matter what pose she strikes, the look on her
face is always calm and relaxed.
Perhaps the ease with which Mathers gets into
these awkward-looking positions comes from
the fact she’s been training since she was nine
years old. She started as a rhythmic gymnast,
growing up in the Bay Area. She trained for
about two years with Serchmaa Bymba, a worldrenowned
Mongolian contortionist and trainer.
Mathers moved to Phoenix four years ago
with a friend and got involved in performing
burlesque and variety shows with local company
Scandalesque. Even though San Francisco has a
much bigger scene for this type of performance,
she stayed in Phoenix because she really likes it
here, but visits the Bay Area often.
Mathers now trains dancers and gymnasts in
this art form, offering flexibility classes and
beginning contortion. Her students are often
adults, and she believes almost anyone at any
age can get into it. She has adult clients whom
she eventually trains to get into splits.
When she was a kid starting out, Mathers
couldn’t do the splits, but she worked her way
up to it. “A lot of people think I was born this
way, or whatever,” says Mathers. “But it’s all
about training and being consistent.”
Instagram: @cleodoraa
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JESSICA PACKARD
Sometimes the world of performance leads
performers to become multifaceted—it’s not
always enough to be a one-trick Judy. Take for
example the hula-hooping, fire-walking, stiltwalking
contortionist Jessica Packard.
“I started out mainly as a hula-hooper, then
me and some friends created the Heady Hoop
Tribe,” she says. Initially her troupe staged
performances that included lots of fire LED
lights and elaborate costumes. But in time, their
performances dwindled. So Packard sought
greener pastures.
She moved on to perform with a local company
called Altitude Aerials and bonded with the
owner, taking her as a sort of mentor. Packard
began doing more circus-style shows and tricks
and did some stage managing.
Last fall, Altitude Aerials was acquired by
another performance company, Showstoppers.
“Showstoppers does a lot of interactive
entertainment,” Packard explains. Instead of
being on a stage or hanging over a crowd,
nowadays she might find herself mingling
a little more as a character or personality.
“Sometimes I do gigs where I’m dancing in the
crowd with the guests but dressed as a weird
space character,” Packard says.
But her most fun thing lately is coming up
with character gimmicks built right into the
setting of a party. For example, she does a lot
of “champagne skirt diva” work. As Bubbles
the champagne skirt diva, she is rolled onto the
fl oor in a giant metal skeleton of a skirt with
fi ve or six different tiers holding champagne
glasses. As guests arrive, she offers them
glasses from her skirt. “I try to adopt a flirty and
friendly demeanor,” she says.
Another gimmick Packard has developed is her
living red carpet act. The general idea is that at
an event, the guests will arrive and set foot on
a beautiful red carpet that attaches to Packard’s
waist. She plays the role of the friendly greeter,
welcoming folks into their star-studded event.
The job is glamorous, and many guests want
photos with her.
“I really enjoy entertaining and connecting with
people,” Packard says. “I’m from Alabama and
my Southern side—she comes out a little bit!”
Special thanks to Cobra Arcade Bar, Ariel Bracamonte, Chuckie Duff, Genuine Concepts,
Noelle Martinez, Lalo Cota, Pablo Luna, Yai Vila, Topher Bray, Liz Brice-Heames, Volar,
Mr. Matt, JJ Horner, Carlos Lopez, Nico Paredes & O Von Ordovich.
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ARTS
EL MAC AEROSOL EXALTED
at Mesa Contemporary Arts
By Amy L. Young
The artist El Mac (also known as Miles MacGregor) is
nothing short of a local legend. Though he was born
in California and currently resides in Los Angeles,
Mac grew up here in Phoenix and has deep roots in
the local art community. He has been making his art,
which includes drawing, painting and large-scale
murals, since the 1990s. During the early years, he
exhibited at now-defunct gallery spaces such as MARS
and Tonatierra. Some of those exhibitions were as part
of the Nitty Gritty collective, which celebrated their
longtime union with a 20-year-anniversary exhibition
this past March at Monorchid Gallery.
El Mac: Aerosol Exalted was originated by the
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and fit in with the
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum’s desire to work
with Mac. Last year, the Mesa Arts Center, which
includes the Museum, was celebrating its 10th
anniversary at its current digs, and associate curator
Tiffany Fairall knew she wanted El Mac involved.
“Of course, I was familiar with El Mac and had
been watching his career take off for years,” Fairall
said. “He is an established, highly respected figure
in the local art scene, and in recent years has
gained national acclaim and is now branching into
international waters. We were discussing ideas
for the 10th-anniversary season at the Mesa Arts
Center and I thought that it would be a perfect
opportunity to have such an accomplished artist
with strong Arizona ties to commemorate this
milestone. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center had
organized the exhibition, and we reached out to Mac
to see if he would be interested in bringing it to MCA
Museum. And as they say, the rest is history.”
That mural idea came to life as “Desert Rose (Nuevas
Generaciones),” a 35-foot-tall piece that is nothing
short of majestic as it transforms a wall of the venue’s
courtyard. Using the signature rippled lines that often
comprise and surround his subjects, Mac created a
beautiful woman by using black on the building’s grey;
she holds a pale pink rose. The soft splash of color pops
out of the piece, but the real magic lies in the artist’s
ability to present emotions in his subjects. As the
woman’s giant and unavoidable eyes look down over
the rose, her intensity is palpable.
The exhibition allows visitors to see the distinctions
between El Mac’s styles. In the transition from spray
painting on big walls to utilizing brushes on smaller
canvases, no detail or perceived intention is lost.
Collaborative pieces such as “El Viejito/The Old
Man,” with artist Marquis “Retna” Lewis, play Mac’s
ripples against Retna’s signature glyphs. Together,
the pair creates and maintains a unified fluidity
despite the differences in their line work. All of the
shapes work together to magnify the old man’s years
and all the experiences they contain.
A lifetime appreciation for the European masters has
inspired Mac’s work. In the early 2000s, he began
recreating some of those masterpieces, which led
to a 2003 invitation from the Groeningemuseum
in Brugge, Belgium, to paint his own versions
of classic paintings in their collection. His 2015
pieces “Abraham and Isaac (after Piazzetta)”
(red and brown versions) use acrylic on steel to
recreate Giovanni Battista Piazzetta’s 18th-century
piece “The Sacrifice of Isaac.” It not only shows
his appreciation for those masters but recreates
the motion, emotion, turmoil and complexities of the
original. No matter the medium, Mac’s work merges
style and substance victoriously.
El Mac: Aerosol Exalted
Through August 7
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum
mesaartscenter.com
El Mac and Retna, La Madre/The Mother, 2010-2015 Aerosol and acrylic
on canvas
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FORREST SOLIS
Creative Push Project
By Jenna Duncan
Arizona State University art professor Forrest
Solis has taken a giant leap into honest,
personal experience with a large, multilayered
project revolving around women’s stories of
birth and motherhood.
Solis was the recipient of the Arizona Commission for
the Arts’ 2015 Artist Research & Development Grant.
Last spring, she launched Creative Push, a dialogue
between storytelling and visual art revolving around
childbirth. The project focuses on stories of women
and their labor and delivery (L+D).
So far Solis has collected interviews with 50 women.
With some help she’s audio-recorded women in a
very personal, almost confessional style, telling their
own stories of pregnancy, labor and birth. Solis says
she is embracing “the opportunity to talk to women
about their individual births and not just categorizing
them, such as C-section, home birth, [etc.].” She
instead seeks themes such as faith in birth, trauma
and other heavy themes not necessarily explored by
the medical community.
Some of Solis’s paintings, especially the ones using
dolls, force questions of women’s bodies becoming
objectified during childbirth. One painting depicts a
woman-sized doll spread out on the delivery table,
her parts threaded together like a marionette, having
her vagina stitched by a real-life doctor. In another
image, a clearly fake doll baby has emerged from a
new mother and is attached by a real umbilical cord.
When Solis discovered the second-floor surgical wing
of what used to be a Children’s Hospital at 200 E.
Curry Road in Tempe (a property that ASU acquired a
few years ago and mainly uses for the ASU Transfer
Center), she knew it was perfect for a multimedia
installation project connected to Creative Push. The
walls were bare and tiled, and the place has its own
ambiance, including a strange stillness that almost
sounds like a hum. Oh, yes—and it’s chock-full of old,
creepy hospital equipment, including examination
tables, vintage wheelchairs, life-size medical
dummies, a locker room for medics and those bright
overhead lights that are the first and last thing you
see when you go under for surgery.
The backbone of the immersive exhibition, titled
“Creative Push: L+D (Labor and Delivery),” set in
the decommissioned hospital, is a series of seven
paintings. Often using herself as the model, Solis
shows hospital scenes—some familiar and some
uncanny. For example, in a room close to the
ward’s entrance is the image of a woman seated
on a delivery table somehow self-administering an
epidural. In the hallway, a hospital-gown-clad Solis
stands with blood streaming from her legs—an
image that may disturb the faint of heart. But that’s
part of the mysticism and illusion of delivery. No one
ever seems to want to talk openly about the hardest,
most gruesome parts. And certainly not in public.
“Throughout antiquity, there’s lots of imagery, art and
talk about birth,” Solis says. “But then Christianity
came and there was this idealization of mother and
child, Immaculate Conception—all post birth. There
are none of the messy or visceral qualities about
it.” It wasn’t until the late 1960s or early 1970s that
the art world began to look again at women’s actual
experiences and truth in childbirth and motherhood.
Creative Push will pursue a National Endowment
for the Arts grant of $100,000 to take the project on
the road. Solis envisions something like Storycorps:
a traveling storytelling booth or team that collects
women’s birth stories from around the nation.
For more information or to learn of upcoming outreach
projects and Creative Push exhibits, visit www.facebook.com/
creativepush.org.
Photos courtesy Forrest Solis
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M i l k B a r B r i n g s t h e P o l i s h F l a v o r
By Sloane Burwell
About a year ago, a super sleek Slavic restaurant and watering hole called Milk
Bar opened up in a tiny building near McKinley and 3rd Street. I love perogies
(who doesn’t) and couldn’t wait to try them. And then life happened. So here it
is a year later, and I’m still craving perogies. I round up my merry band of willing
eaters, drinkers and design fiends, and head off to try the Polish treats housed
therein. After several visits (and at least 10 rewrites), I’m still not entirely sure
what to say about Milk Bar.
Here’s what I know for sure. Milk Bar is the latest iteration in a Polish tradition
of comfy, cozy outposts for affordable food and drinks, usually featuring milk.
Never intended to be fancy, these homey spots were community centers, in the style
of public houses in Great Britain. After the fall of communism, milk bars became
kitschy throwbacks, but still offered affordable food for the masses. So Milk Bar
pays homage to this style of straightforward, unpretentious food and seeks to
become a hub of conversation, friendship and, of course, food and drink.
Milk Bar looks like a charming spot someone picked up in Europe and dropped
in central Phoenix. It’s gorgeous, replete with white surfaces and loads of colorchanging
LEDs to tweak the mood. An all-white bar perches next to white tables
(perhaps eight of them, at most) and gorgeous metal chairs. A wall made of
charming white milk bottles beckons you to the outside patio, and on your way
you’ll pass an impressive Warhol-styled artwork featuring Pope John Paul (a
Polish folk hero at this point). Two silver fatted calves straight out of a swordsand-sandals
epic guard the outside of the bar. It’s impressive. As are the two
private rooms secured by velvet ropes that adjoin the restrooms, with a Space
Age–looking chrome dairy milker repurposed into a stunning fiber-optic light.
The restaurant is only open for dinner, and we were surprised to see a bevy of
parking meters. We were informed by a very charming bartender that yes, the
city will ticket you, and yes, you have to pay until 10 p.m. Mercifully, since these
ancient parking meters only take coins (who does that?), she had a giant stash
of coins just for the meters.
We were excited to be there. The place is gorgeous and the drinks seemed
amazing. The Dirty Commie Martini ($12) came highly recommended by several
regulars at the bar, who insisted we try it because, they said, there is nothing
like it in town. They also indicated they only drink here. More on that later.
This martini is a stunner—a mélange of vodka, pickle juice, and raw sugar,
with a smattering of dill atop that creates an olfactory impact. It’s herbaceous,
warming, homey and really tasty. So is the Matkas ($8), a milk-based sweet
cocktail perfect for summer sipping, which comes topped with a tiny triangle
of milk chocolate, best swirled in the drink before consuming. I’ve never been
compelled to drink vodka and milk, but when it’s this good—I’m sold.
And as for the food? There are some clear winners. Like the Klupski Sliders
($14.95), two meatloaf sliders loaded with sliced Gouda and served on a soft roll
with a side of fries. The sliders are meaty and delicious, and every bit as good
as they sound on the menu. The room-temperature fries, not so much. After a
do-over, they were excellent. However, they were not salted. Let’s face it, fried
potatoes need salt. But that is easily remedied (and eaten).
The Cheese and Potato Perogies ($3 for three) were excellent—pillowy
perfection, a carb within in a carb with a smattering of bacon on top. Is that
heaven? It is with the vodka cream (skip the meh sour cream).
The Burak Beet Salad ($7) was actually the crowd favorite on each visit. Ribbons of
perfectly pickled beets, nutty goat cheese, walnuts and perky vinaigrette create a
huge winner. If you could add a protein, I bet every Paleo/Keto/Adkins enthusiast in
town would add this to their rotation.
The Bukiet ($5) salad is a quartet of pickled lovelies, including the stellar beet
ribbons, whole mushrooms, cucumber pickles and a toothsome slaw that
disappeared first. This quality at this price feels like a steal, and quite frankly I
couldn’t stop ordering them.
The Bigos ($7.95) is allegedly a hunter’s stew. I say that because while meaty, stews
usually have some form of gravy, and this does not. It’s more like a slightly loose
country paté. Don’t let that discourage you—the sliced bread perched in the dish
is perfect for dipping. It’s a tasty, robust meat dip. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it
wasn’t nearly warm enough to be considered a soup or a stew.
The Meat Cheese Board ($14.95) is precisely what you’d expect—gorgeous hunks
of rustic sausages, salami, kielbasa and cheese are dotted with quirky toothpicks.
A small dish of slightly crunchy and candy-sweet raisins comes alongside. If I
had grown up eating these instead of the ones that come in the ubiquitous small
cardboard boxes, I would probably still like raisins. It was odd, not having any bread
or crackers with a meat and cheese board, but we were happy to roll with it.
The Cabbage Roll ($7.95) comes covered in a white country gravy, and it is succulent
and delicious. That is, when it isn’t cold. Tender ground beef, spices and enough rice
just to hold it together. When served at the right temperature, this is good. Almost
nearing excellent.
Sadly, service was never attentive here, unless I sat at the bar. Having the attention
of the bartender made all the difference in the world. The drinks are stellar, the
surroundings are gorgeous, and the food—when it comes out of the kitchen at the
right temperature—is bordering on truly special. However, if you aren’t fortunate
enough to sit at the bar, expect long waits. I guess, in the overall scheme of
things, this isn’t bad, but when it takes so long to get your food that it arrives room
temperature, it starts to be a question.
On every visit, I’d see people on the substantial patio just give up and come inside
to order. Whenever we actually sat at a table, at no time were our water glasses
refilled. We were never asked about a second round of drinks, or even if we wanted
dessert or coffee. There’s being busy, and then there’s missing out on substantially
increasing per-person revenues. It’s the difference between a successful restaurant
and a “For Rent” sign.
It made me wonder if that is the reason why the regulars we met at the bar
only come to drink. It’s too bad, really, because I feel like Milk Bar is this close to
something truly unique and aspirational. Adding another server or expediter should
solve these issues. And I hope that happens, because I want to love Milk Bar!
Milk Bar
801 N. 3rd Street, Phoenix
800milkbar.com
Tuesday to Thursday 5 to 11 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 5 to midnight
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DESERT
LIGHT
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Styling: Georganne Bryant
Wardrobe: Frances
Model: Monika George
Photography: Kitchen Sink Studios
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Seemingly out of nowhere, The Breaking Pattern has emerged on the local
music scene with a recent string of three amazing singles and a teaser
video for a forthcoming album. With a signature sound that is something
like ambient emo rock, they wrap catchy hooks and choruses in endless
layers of guitars.
The Breaking Pattern didn’t actually emerge out of thin air, but instead rose from
the ashes of Ezer after a lineup change and a definite re-focus. While Ezer was
good, their When Dark Patches Fall EP from 2014 was somewhat directionless, and
if you heard the songs individually, you wouldn’t guess it was the same band on
each one. The Breaking Pattern have regrouped and created a consistent sound
that spans the entirety of their debut album.
The Breaking Pattern are Derek Hackman (guitar/vocals), Brandon Dillman (drums),
Jacob Beaver (bass) and Nick Benzer (lead guitar). On There Are Roadmaps in Our
Veins, they lead the listener on a journey from the first song to the end. Themes
of love and loss are typical emo outpourings, but they don’t come across as tired
or trite here. There is imagery within the lyricism that is surrounded ambient rock
and sometimes magnificent explosive guitars. The Breaking Pattern aren’t necessarily
breaking ground, but they do offer up a compelling debut across 35 minutes that
completely defines their sound and vision.
“Let Love Go” was released as a teaser video at the start of this year. Clocking
in at just under two minutes, with all of four sentences in the lyrics, it somehow
upped anticipation for the album, especially after the string of singles. It is
the album’s opener and serves as a doorway into its atmospheric world, with
ascending, chiming guitars and lush harmonies. It feels exactly like what it
is, a stunning intro.
The band’s first single was released last June. They chose “The Rapture” as their
calling card, and it was a wise choice. It is one of their most subtle songs,
verging on alternative pop. An elegant ode to lost love that leaves an indelible
mark upon your life and memories, the song captures the spirit perfectly, even
incorporating some folk guitar elements toward the end.
It seamlessly blends into “Act Natural (Keep Your Composure),” which should
clearly be the next single, since it’s pretty radio ready. Lyrically speaking, it could
be about the woman that parted ways in “The Rapture” and the horror, nay sheer
pain, it causes to see her out with another guy. It’s a pretty common theme, but
it’s handled here with poetry and grace. It also makes the song damn relatable. It’s
uptight and manic, just like the incidents it describes. It also shows off Hackman’s
vocal range as he hits some falsetto at the best, most pop moments of the song.
At another turn he growls, “It’s another bullshit night, I lie awake in suck city.”
This moves without pause into “Alaska,” the second single, released last
September. It is a thinly veiled metaphor where Alaska stands in for a cold
and remote woman, who is the object of someone that is more than a bit
obsessed. While the heavy guitars lay in the background, the angelic choir
harmonies push forward and dress an indie rock song in shimmering pop sheen.
Their final single of 2015 was December’s “Pretty on the Outside,” and at the
time, it was my favorite to date. It’s still one of the best rockers on the record, but
what makes it great is Hackman’s sexy as hell, slow vocal delivery at the start of
the song, before it becomes a punk pop anthem. It also has some of the most
amusing lyrics about lovers willingly making bad decisions.
“Something/Anything” serves as the centerpiece of the album, with its church
organ intro that quickly switches to raging guitar. This is the tale of a man after
the loss of love, after the good times, left alone to wallow in his sorrow. At this
point, the album is playing out a bit like a concept piece, but it’s subtle enough
that listeners can enjoy the album with or without following the storyline that
seems to unfold.
With “Woman of Seine” they tell another story of a man trying to get a woman
who’s beyond his reach. It’s a slow burner that turns almost hypnotic, with lush
atmospherics that cushion the downtrodden lover with pillows of aural bliss. The
haunting refrain of “I fall in love with ideas, and you are just another one of my
solutions” sums up the sentiment perfectly.
“White Stone” would almost qualify as a link track, but like the opener of “Let
Love Go” this is a fantastic song despite coming in at under a minute and a half.
It’s compelling and fully formed and just as powerful as other songs that are
twice as long. Whether it’s the terse lyrics or the explosive guitar, this is a tiny
power-packed gem that brings the album out of melancholic reflection and turns
up the energy.
“White Lie Black Market” maintains that upswing with verve. It also continues
the narrative of our hero’s bad luck with women and love. This time it’s about the
point in a relationship when people are losing interest, or maybe trust is lost and
fi ghts are starting. The lyrics are pretty clever, and the bridge about the movie
scene is brilliant in its delivery.
The near Americana feel at the start of “Colonies (Of Earth & Ocean)” is a bit of
a surprise, though earlier they showed they had some folk tricks up their sleeve.
Still, the combination of this sound and Hackman’s slow vocals is reminiscent
of The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Name.” It’s a song about an unwanted pregnancy, but
the poetry of the lyrics seems to obscure whether it was terminated, though it
certainly lends itself to that idea. There is a fantastic megaphone vocal toward
the end that could be interpreted countless ways. This is one of the finer tracks
on the album as it sorts a range of emotions in front of you.
“Skyward as We Burn” serves as a fantastic finale to the entire affair. The
only thing missing is an orchestra to make it even more impressive. Lyrically
it seems to go off the rails, and no matter how many times I’ve listened to
it, I actually can’t make head or tail of the mixed metaphors. That said, it
reads like pure poetry, where you don’t have to know what the hell it means
to enjoy it. It is perhaps the finale of the protagonist who has finally cracked
and entered a darker, weirder, more violent world, if only in his mind. It is one
of the more fascinating guitar-driven songs on the record, bringing it to a close
with a droning feedback wash.
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THE PLEASURE VICTIMS
7
PAINTED BONES
Dragon Ride EP
THE SINK OR SWIM
Fish Out of Water EP
The Pleasure Victims are Ginger Fields (lead vocals,
synthesizers, acoustic guitar), Outlaw Cody James
(guitars, vocals), Nigel L’Amour (bass guitar,
synthesizers, vocals) and Randalite (drums,
percussion, vocals). They’ve been rocking out for
years and have finally slapped their sound on a record
called 7, which is not an album but too long to be an
EP, so it comes off as more of a mini-album. However
you define it, their sound is where Prog rock meets
alternative, where indie meets theatrical. It falls
somewhere between the hair rock of the ’80s, glam
of the ’70s and down-and-dirty garage rock. It’s an
interesting mix that keeps you grooving for the entire
record, and it’s no wonder they are such a popular
live attraction.
The record opens with “Broken,” which also served
as a pre-release single earlier this year. The song
gives you a taste of what they are about, but it’s
the follow-up of “Questions” where they really
start to shine, with Fields’ near-rap delivery being
the absolute highlight. “In 3’s” is much lower key
and definitely catchy. It sits in the shadow of its
predecessor, but the Afro-Caribbean bits scattered
throughout save it from obscurity. Meanwhile “Don’t
Walk Away” feels like the desert in which it was
composed and recalls a few classic country riffs, but
it’s a stand-out rocker in the end.
You would expect a song titled “Misery” to be dark
and brooding, and it’s exactly that. It’s one of the few
without Fields on lead vocals, which actually assists
the vampire-like feel. “Night Life” is an in-your-face
rocker with lush, seductive vocals—think classic Heart
with a touch of Pat Benatar. The finale of “Fantasy”
is a synthpop dream straight out of the 1980s, and it
completely slays. Get your pleasure on with 7.
Within two months of their live debut, Painted Bones
have dropped their debut EP, Dragon Ride. Right
from their first show, this band was ready to go, with
music scene veterans from bands such as Spar Afar
and The Counterfeit Party. From those sources you
wouldn’t expect the band to rock so hard, but indeed
they do. Painted Bones is Brandon Blaise (vocals),
Don Sherrick (drums), Arthur Detrie (guitar) and
Michael Muriett (bass).
“Jaw Drip” is the opener, and it was the first single
from the EP. It’s catchy alt rock drenched in a 1990s
sound. Think Soul Asylum when they rocked out,
and just as catchy. The guitars get far heavier on
“That’s It,” which owes more to ’70s arena rock than
anything from the alternative era. It’s also a dark
number, with an intriguing sense of violence.
Every time I’ve seen them live, one song stood above
the rest: “Straight into the Sun,” which serves as the
centerpiece to the release. It is the most powerful
song in the deck, mostly for Detrie’s wild guitar line,
which comes on deep and strong with a swampy
blues vibe. Blaise’s vocals take it further with part
grunge, part Morrison. Muriett plays a bass line from
hell and Sherrick pounds his skins mercilessly. This
song fires on all cylinders, and the band is completely
unified in its mission.
The title cut follows, and it’s a more down-to-earth
alt rocker. Honestly it’s a relief after the intensity
of its predecessor. While it’s definitely a slow
burner, it does show off their songwriting range.
Comparatively speaking, this comes off as the
ballad of the record. Painted Bones finish their
debut with their straightforward rocker “Inside
& Out,” an exciting number that has more punk
leanings than their other songs.
The Sink or Swim just dropped their debut EP this
spring, and it’s a refreshing blend of indie rock with
power-pop sensibilities. While it might not tread any
new ground, it’s damn catchy and pretty easy on the
ears. “Wasted Time” is a sensible opener and a good
choice for a first single. The opening bass line of
“Revolving Doors” is completely killer, then the guitar
wraps a solid groove around it and the vocals kick
in. This is another choice for a single, and it’s pretty
radio ready, with a chorus that will remain in your
head for days.
“New Song 3” is where your head wraps around the
overall sound of The Sink or Swim, with lead singer
Nate Zeune nearly crooning on this slow burner. Yet,
it reveals how their style can be applied to more
laid-back tracks in addition to more straightforward
rock and pop. This is the song where Zeune has
a few near Eddie Vedder moments that are pretty
spectacular. “On the Run” is another single in
waiting, completely pop conscious and reminiscent
of The Pixies when they were in a lighter mood. It’s a
great blend of Zeune’s gentle, easy-on-the-ears voice
with the alt-rock sound of the band.
Closing out the EP is “Faith,” which starts as a slow,
loping number that smells of Sonoran Desert wind,
with a near spaghetti-Western sound to the minutelong
intro, but then the guitars kick in. The end result
is a solid number that veers toward alt-country
territory and serves as a great ending.
However good the Fish Out of Water EP may be,
The Sink or Swim are an entirely different force live,
whether they play songs from this record or the new
material they are working on, which suggests that
their next release is not far off.
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Sounds Around Town By Mitchell L. Hillman

ROETHKE
Toxoplasma Gandhi EP
THE BLANK WAVES
The Blank Waves EP
I.AM.HOLOGRAM
Rejecting the Program
Considering roethke only play a few times a year,
it was unexpected that they would ever release a
record, much less a noisy, synthpop EP. Nevertheless,
they did just that, and Toxoplasma Gandhi is the fivesong
result. Having seen them live a few times, I was
surprised by the synth presentation, especially the
near six-minute introduction of “Bad Aspect,” which
revolves around astrological thought and gets into
specifics about both natal and synastry charts. It ends
perfectly, with screaming over seductive dance beats.
Shannon Harden, who is more well known as a
painter and visual artist, is the woman behind this
musical foray, with the help of Jedidiah Foster (The
Bittersweet Way) on synth and drum programming.
While the music is thin and dark, the vocals have a
spark of punk vitality in their delivery. “Solar Sailor”
has Harden mixing between a goth chanteuse and a
bit of rap. It’s an interesting combination of flavors
to take in while admiring the poetic lyricism, and
the track is ultimately a triumphant song as she
proclaims, “I survived when the ship went down.” In
“Bit by Bit” Harden comes off like a goth songstress
trying out eurodisco, which actually works, and the
lyrics are creepier than hell. Still it remains one of the
catchiest numbers here.
“Angel Street” adds a bit of groovy funk. It’s a
vulnerable number about lost love or a love that
never was, but it’s downright romantic either way. It’s
a moment of sweetness that lifts the veil of shadows.
This debut release concludes with the striking
“Different Waters.” An acoustic folk song with a
spare arrangement, it is a beautiful, uplifting close to
one of the most surprising EPs of the year.
The Blank Waves have released one of the most
unique, acid-drenched, psychedelic EPs of the year.
This is old-school lo-fi psychedelia at its finest, and
they make no bones about it right from the start
with “Song for Syd.” With a title like that, you don’t
need much imagination figuring out what it’s going
to sound like, but The Blank Waves definitely add a
modern twist to the fragmented sound of early Pink
Floyd. This is definitely ideal for woozy summer days,
or daze, as it may be.
The EP moves seamlessly into “Changing Sun,”
which is dizzying and hypnotic as it takes you
further down the rabbit hole with indecipherable
vocals that phase in and out, like the transition
suggested in the title itself. It comes off as a
tone poem for the sky. “Interlude” gets deep into
creepy electronic noises, haunting keyboard riffs,
angelic harmonies and disturbing voices, like a
lysergic-tinged intermission before things get
even weirder. With “Let It Breathe” they lull you
into a dreamscape and hold you there for over six
minutes, while distorted voices lurk in the shadows
like Gregorian monks. The keys provide space-age
cocktail music, and halfway through it sounds like the
vortex at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The transition to the danceable, psychedelic pop
of “Why You Fight It” is a shock to say the least,
a complete 180, despite the Pet Sounds-style
percussion and bass lines. Syd would love the hell
out of the finale, “Looney Bin.” It seems like the
perfect conclusion and a song that would appeal to
fans of not only Barrett, but more modern psychedelic
rockers like Television Personalities, Robyn Hitchcock
and Animal Collective.
Sounds Around Town By Mitchell L. Hillman
You may think that Richard Nihil is a raving lunatic,
a proud mad hatter, but it turns out he’s a fairly
brilliant musician. Like me, you may not really dig on
the one-man band scenario, but i.am.hologram is the
exception to that particular prejudice. Admittedly,
half the tracks here were recorded under the
influence of mushrooms, and that lends itself to
the weirdness and wonder found throughout this
strangely psychedelic synth-folk full-length release.
At times, it can be legitimately painful to take in, but
it’s supposed to be that way. Still, the overwhelming
aspect throughout is the vulnerable agility of Nihil’s
voice. His histrionic vocal gymnastics are a spectacle
and almost distract you from concentrating on the
lyrics or the myriad of instruments surrounding it.
This will definitely go down as one of the most
intriguing releases of the year. It is raw catharsis,
tempered with madness, bringing you into a world of
wondrous psychosis. One listen to “Phantom Tree”
should sell you on the whole thing, and if it doesn’t,
then just skip the complete mind fuck that is “Osiris
(Remind Us),” which clocks in at nearly nine minutes.
Rejecting the Program does just that. This is your
soundtrack for coming untethered and unraveled in a
world not your own. If nothing else, Nihil knows how
to create an atmosphere of uncertain emotions and
nervous energy that propels you through the record,
with gems like “All the Lonely People,” “The Dancer
and the Arsonist” and “House of Dreams.” There is a
depth and singular vision here that is missing in the
works of many, and it is damned refreshing to hear an
artist turn himself inside out on record.
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
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Collotype.
Even the name has a haiku quality to it—an ancient mystique that dances around the word. A collotype is
high-quality print made by exposing light-sensitive gelatin to create an image without using a screen. These
prints have an unforced, aged feel to them, transporting the viewer to another time with their antiquated
tones. The collotype served as a precursor to lithography, which eventually proved more cost effective. Now,
the collotype process is used primarily for fine art, and for Phoenix printmaker Jacob Meders, it is a vehicle for
reconfiguring history.
One of the foundational dialectics underscoring most of Meders’ work is the question of reclamation. Meders
is a member of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria, California, and his work wrestles with
preconceived notions of Native identity and history. In that sense, working with collotype and printmaking in
general allows Meders to edit the past and offer alternative perspectives of his people. Collotypes also serve
as metaphors: they employ the past to speak to the future.
Mirrors Reflecting Mirrors
For Jacob Meders, art should open further dialogue and create questions. “Some of the best work I’ve seen is
not an answer or a solution to something. Usually it’s a really good question that one could spend a lifetime
dancing around, filtering and diluting.”
Meders created work that reinforces this notion while studying at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He
took those old, distinctive Mexican blankets and painted on top of them images associated with Native culture,
including woven baskets, with a contemporary twist. Meders became fascinated with the idea of altering the
Mexican identity represented by the blankets. Blankets also have a specific historical signifi cance for Native
Americans. They were used for comfort, gifts, ceremonies and, by enemies, to spread disease (smallpox).
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This project represents Meders’ vision of reclamation. “In some way, I was masking
the identity of Mexico,” said Meders, “[by] re-layering a new identity on an old
blanket. There are so many indigenous people in Mexico, and we look at them
as ‘Mexican’ because they speak Spanish. But a lot of these people are actually
mestizo—mixed culture. Many of them have been told that they are of Spanish
origin and identify with that.”
The blanket pieces serve to help answer questions that Meders continues to come
back to: How do you make something new out of the old and preconceived? How do
you create a new idea in the shell of history, antiquity and prejudice? These ideas
continue to expand as Meders advances as an artist. “The more that you grow
and the world grows around you, the more that it [your dialogue] grows richer and
richer,” said Meders.
Too Many Capitalists, Not Enough Indians
The printing and dissemination of images was the primary means by which Native
Americans came to be seen as heathens and savages. “When I learned the history
of print and how it applies to Native identity, I was like ‘Wow, here’s a well so deep
that I can dig forever.’ In Europe, some of the first prints showing Natives depicted
them as cannibals running around naked—completely uncivilized—as if they
needed to be controlled and guided. It was a way of justifying a policy of manifest
destiny,” said Meders.
Given this history, Meders tries to utilize printmaking, the old tool of prejudice,
for good. “I’ll use it as a weapon to rebalance the Force, in a way. There are those
collectors who try to possess the ‘Indian,’ and I try to mock that. Their collections
don’t affect me because I am doing something completely different. I contradict that
stuff. I like to use Western aesthetics and processes because they’re familiar to
non-Native people.” Meders essentially uses Western, linear language to tell the
multifaceted history of Native people in images that are authentic.
One of his prints, entitled “Kill the Capitalist, Save the Indian,” takes the old
phrase “Save the Man, Kill the Indian” and remixes it. He created the piece
through his printmaking company, Warbird Press, which is located at The Hive
in central Phoenix. Meders started Warbird about five years ago, just after
he graduated from Arizona State University with an MFA in printmaking. It is an
indigenous-minded press that works primarily with Native artists, but has also
collaborated with non-Natives.
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High School Underachiever, Dean’s List Bachelor
Meders graduated from high school in Florida with a 1.5 GPA. School was
something that got in the way for him. He had to work in order to help his
mother—who was separated from his father—and he liked to surf. From early
on, he gravitated toward art. A lot of people in his family were artists, as well.
Prior to entering high school, Meders just figured that everyone was into art
because of the ubiquity of it while he was growing up. After barely earning
his high school diploma, Meders was determined to get into an art program.
The Savannah College of Art and Design accepted him, based on his portfolio,
with one condition: that he starts the program on academic probation. Not only
did he met the demands of probation, but he made the dean’s list. Going to art
school connected him with his passion for creating.
Besides his professors, another Native artist, Zig Jackson, especially inspired
Meders. Jackson served as a mentor, and at one point he asked Meders
to trade pieces. This was a pivotal moment for Meders. For a while, he had
struggled with the notion of identifying as Native. “It [identity] is a real sticky

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situation, because there’s a part of me that has no problem talking about issues
relating to my culture and putting that in my work, ’cause that’s a part of my
history and I want honor that,” Meders said. “[However], I feel like people tend
to label Native artists. We get thrown into certain boxes, and only selected
for particular exhibitions. There are a lot of expectations that come with this
label.” When Jackson took Meders under his wing, it gave him the courage to
step out and embrace his identity.
Before graduating, Meders exhibited his work in the school’s anthropology
museum. “I told them that, in a lot of ways, I’m questioning the authority of
the institution, and anthropology is part of that equation. There’s a big stain on
history through the anthropology of Native people,” said Meders.
After graduating, he went on to attend ASU’s MFA program, where he was
paired with many skilled printmakers, but none of them were Native. This was
a bit of a concern at first. However, Meders decided to stick with ASU because
of the vibrant Native American culture in Arizona. Meders names a few people
that were especially helpful in his development as an artist: Steve Yazzie, Kade
Twist and Andrea Hanley.
Printmaking helps Meders remix the past—and honor both the past and future.
He has achieved wide success as an artist, producing work that challenges how
we perceive the conflation of identity in art. His work has appeared in galleries
and museums around the world, including the Heard Museum.
Moving Forward, Giving Back
Meders takes trips back to visit his tribe in California about twice a year.
He sees himself and his generation as necessary for preserving the stories
of their elders. He goes up, listens and helps when he can. He does printmaking
workshops with the kids. They make bird books in their native language that
pay homage to the old stories. They also create personalized t-shirts. Meders
knows how these kids struggle with identity and belonging.
Meders also teaches studio art at ASU West. There is a give and take that is
evident in his life and work. He feels compelled to teach, to listen and to usher
in the future through the hallowed doors of the past. He might not find answers
in art, but that’s not a problem, since he is definitively questioning the very
notions that uphold our lives and the lies we fall into.
jacobmeders.com

GIRL ON FARMER
Something smells around here—literally, as I’m
sitting here. I can’t tell if it’s my armpits or the couch
I am laying on, which the cat peed on several years
ago, which despite repeated steam cleanings and
lots of angry shouting, still smells. I think I have
a hyper sensitive sense of smell, and one of my
hobbies is smelling things and trying to pinpoint
what it is. I mean that in the most ungross way
you can imagine. Like, I’m not crawling around
the yard looking for bird carcasses or feces, but
occasionally after the irrigation there is a funky smell
that I will try to suss out and sometimes it is a dead
bird. Smelling things is also a great hobby for those
who like to relax and lay down; another reason I
excel in this area.
However, if you were looking for bird carcasses
(novice taxidermist?), my backyard would be
a great place to look. Apparently, there are
some very unskilled pigeons living in my olive
trees, and they are not good at building nests.
I am happy about this, because the more eggs
that drop means less surviving pigeons for me to
throw grapefruit at. I don’t aim to kill. I just want
them to think, “We deserve better than this, and
we can find it at the telephone pole down the
street.” I have never conspired in my heart to hurt
a living creature (cockroaches don’t count), but these
pigeons have me fantasizing about dart guns and
slingshots and even a BB gun. I won’t do it, but still, I
do think about it enough that I feel guilty.
Back to me smelling things. Or making things smell.
I have tried every natural deodorant ever, and still
my armpits smell like day-old coffee grounds. That is
way better than smelling like spicy onions, which is
the only other armpit smell, aside from a mild cat pee
smell. Here’s the good news, I recently found a locally
made deodorant and it is the first one that has ever
worked. Ever. In fact, it smells so good I prefer to call
it armpit perfume. It’s that good. But you must follow
the rules! It tells you to apply the deodorant paste to
a CLEAN and DAMP pit. You have to use a dipping/
spreading tool and my preferred choice is a clean
popsicle stick. Things were smelling great for weeks.
Until I got lazy before going to a show a few weeks
ago and just slapped some on my dry and stanky
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Apparently, there are some very unskilled
pigeons living in my olive trees, and they are not
good at building nests. I am happy about this,
because the more eggs that drop means less
surviving pigeons for me to throw grapefruit at.
underarm. Then I did a re-dip to put more on to compensate for the dry armpit. I
didn’t think much of it but it turns out that was a bad idea. Much later when
my friend and I found ourselves in the heart of the youthful Beach House
crowd, I discovered that the rules on the deodorant jar were not merely
suggestions. In a big crowd, things were getting smelly, as expected. But
the smell was me! I did not expect this. As I came to terms with what I had done
by breaking the deodorant rules, I looked (and smelled) around the crowd. There
was so much slow swaying hugging going on that I almost forgot the mild coffee/
cat pee scent.
I’m sorry, I did not realize hugging was meant to be a punishment for the people
doing it voluntarily. A forced hug, or forced snugging of any kind, is absolutely a
form of punishment. But as far as I could tell, all these hugging couples were not
engaging in government-mandated hugging. It was consensual, public, extendedengagement
hugging. Some of these people were in a permahug. I never saw
the embrace let go. And it wasn’t some kind of fun, drug-induced swaying hug. I
know this because they all looked so miserable! It was like someone forced them
to drape their arms around their partner and then velcroed their head to the taller
person’s shoulder.
When I walked to the bathroom I noticed that the miserable hugging was not
limited to just my area, there were displays of depressed devotion everywhere. It
was also during this time that I passed my 16-year-old daughter’s doppelganger
in the bathroom line, and I decided it must be one of the things she berates me
that I just don’t “get.” Like taking pictures of yourself all day long to send to
friends or just post so everyone can comment on how cute you look. I assume the
hugs were enjoyable on a level that I wasn’t attuned to. I made a mental note to
check with Urban Dictionary when I got home.
When I did make it home after the show cut short, I reapplied my deodorant
paste and sat in the backyard for a nightcap. The smell intensified. I think I
contaminated the stick, which then tainted my whole jar of deodorant. I was
tempted to blame it on a decomposing bird carcass, but then felt bad when
I saw the recent casualties from the failed attempts at a nest and decided I
would accept smell responsibility. It was all I could do to express my begrudged
sympathy, aside from embracing the pigeon in a miserable hug.

NIGHT
GALLERY
Photos By
Robert Sentinery
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1. Pretty Jessica from @phoeniciansocialite
2. Rani and Leah at the Rhythm Room
3. Everyone came out to celebrate Omayra’s birthday
4. AZ Costume Institute (ACI) turns 50
5. MOD-AZ show at Chartreuse Gallery
6. Dressed to the nines at the ACI fete
7. Post concert fun with Xenia Rubinos at Rhythm Room
8. These gents greeted us at the Herb Box grand opening
9. Fun trio at Rhythm Room
10. Celine and Megan at the ACI 50-year event
11. Chris poses with a pretty actress

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12. Alejandra and Mia at A Bloom Salon
13. Snapped at a theatre performance in Justin Katz’ house
14. Tammi Lynch Forrest with her mosaic shoe at Inspired Soles
15. Oscar with his fashion protégé
16. Snapped this photog and her beau at Chartreuse
17. Esteemed visitors to the Fortoul’s 40Owls pop up gallery
18. Edison Condos’ rooftop party at the Clarendon
19. MOD-AZ artist at Chartreuse Gallery
20. Caesar, Margaree and friend at the ACI anniversary
21. Frank Gehry talk at Taliesin West with Jason and pal
22. Live theatre in Justin’s living room
23. JAVA love with Gary and Miwa
24. Pat and Lee at the Frank Gehry talk
25. Sharp-dressed posse at the ACI event
26. Edison party on the Clarendon rooftop
27. Aqua Hydrate crew outside of MonOrchid
28. Rhythm Room with this crew
29. Drinking the hard stuff—Press Coffee cold brew

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30. FOUND:RE art hotel hard-hat tour with these guys
31. Fortoul in the house
32. The folks behind the FOUND:Re art hotel
33. Aaron Betsky interviewing Frank Gehry at Taliesin West
34. Quincy showed up for the Gehry talk
35. Bill Dambrova’s opening at MonOrchid
36. {9} Gallery with this cute couple
37. Pretty Katie and friend at the ACI anniversary
38. ACI party at Phoenix Art Museum
39. Local fashion icon Angela Johnson and friends
40. Snapped at Phoenix Art Museum
41. Kinga is part of the Green Living AZ crew
42. Skyler and Lindsay from Couture in the Suburbs
43. Artist Valerie Hunt at Daydreaming at Night
44. MY BOY B presents Daydreaming at Night
45. Snapped in front of an Abbey Mesmer painting
46. Turner Davis “Passages” opening at eye lounge
47. Grand opening of The Vintage 45 event space

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48. Fashion show at Daydreaming at Night
49. Kim E Fresh on the decks at the Girls in Tech mixer
50. Frank Gehry lecture at Taliesin West
51. More fashionistas at the ACI anniversary
52. Zenobia at the Girls in Tech mixer
53. Lauren from Postino with Susan from Herb Box
54. Putting on the style for the ACI event
55. Fashion designer extraordinaire Joy Li and her hubby
56. Frank Gonzales with his work at phICA
57. Parley from the FOUND:RE and pal
58. Ann and pals at the ACI fete
59. Checking out The Vintage 45 with Nicole and friend
60. Snapped these pretties at The Vintage 45
61. Denise with her painting at Lotus Contemporary Art
62. Dorina is at home with the politicos
63. Sharp looking couple at Phoenix Art Museum
64. Girls in Tech founder Adriana Gascoigne and fan
65. Dessert time at the Herb Box at the Colony

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66. Casey & Levi Christensen at the ACI 50-year fete
67. Three of a kind at the Rhythm Room
68. Stylin’ at PAM
69. Girls in Tech conference attendees
70. Fashionable fun at PAM for the ACI anniversary
71. Yuki, Stephen and Jeff at the AZ Costume Institute fete
72. More fun at The Vintage 45 opening
73. Angela from Angelic Grove/The Croft in the house
74. Inspired Soles show with artist Lucretia Torva
75. Anthony and pal at Daydreaming at Night
76. Brandon Greer and the Daydreaming at Night crew at MonOrchid
77. Xenia Rubinos on stage at the Rhythm Room
78. Shot in the fashion gallery at PAM
79. Jacob Meders’ phICA exhibit
80. Unwinding at the Girls in Tech mixer
81. Attention to detail: Her lipstick matches his shirt
82. Haley and Jennifer are dressed for success
83. This trio is looking good at the Herb Box grand opening

El Mac and Marquis ‘Retna’ Lewis,
La Madre (The Mother - detail), 2010-
2015. Aerosol and acrylic on canvas.
*FREE
EL MAC
Aerosol Exalted
Admission!
FREE Opening Reception:
Fri, May 13 (7-10pm)
One East Main Street • Mesa, Arizona 85201 • 480-644-6567 • MesaArtsCenter.com