Alice Magazine NYC - Chapter 3
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VOLUME 1<br />
CHAPTER 4 OCT 2016
“THERE IS HERE IN THIS WORLD A SECRET CONFRATERNITY,<br />
WHICH ONE MIGHT CALL THE COMPANY of MELANCHOLIACS?<br />
PEOPLE WHO BY NATURAL CONSTITUTION HAVE BEEN GIVEN<br />
A DIFFERENT NATURE AND DISPOSITION THAN THE OTHERS;<br />
THAT HAVE A LARGER HEART AND A SWIFTER BLOOD, THAT<br />
WISH AND DEMAND MORE, HAVE STRONGER DESIRES AND<br />
A YEARNING WHICH IS WILDER AND MORE ARDENT THAN<br />
THAT OF THE COMMON HERD.”<br />
JENS PETER JACOBSEN<br />
THE NEW GENERATION OF VINTAGE FASHION AND SUBCULTURE<br />
BYRONESQUE.COM
www.zconnor.com
Collaboration has always been one of the more rewarding aspects of being an<br />
artist. Working with Art Director, Richard Ray, is especially fantastic for me as<br />
an editor because we have known each other for more than 20 years. I have<br />
respected Richard’s work, not only as a graphic designer, but also as a musician.<br />
He and I work really well together, always aligned on the aesthetic and vibe of<br />
the visuals for <strong>Alice</strong>. I’m excited to see new contributors and advertisers in this<br />
issue. Caroline Hoermann’s story, styled by long time friend, Donald Lawrence<br />
makes me proud to have them both in this issue. We’ve added a new section<br />
called The Continuum Series where we showcase one visual artist in each<br />
issue, beginning with Scott Irvine’s phenomenal and haunting photography,<br />
even placing one of his shots of Nick Zinner from the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’s, on our<br />
cover. I’m happy to announce that Cory Ingram is now our new photo<br />
editor and will be flying to London at the end of the month to cover more<br />
bands and a few festivals on the other side of the pond! Don’t forget to<br />
subscribe to our newsletter so you can find out about our upcoming showcases<br />
and events! You don’t want to miss out on <strong>Alice</strong>’s parties!! Until next issue……..<br />
Editor in Chief<br />
Melissa Rodwell<br />
Art Director<br />
Richard Ray Ruiz<br />
Photo Editor<br />
Cory Ingram<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Kris DeVito<br />
Video Director<br />
Lola Young<br />
Digital Director<br />
Jan Klier<br />
Digital Supervisor<br />
David Neilands of Solstice Retouching<br />
Social Media Manager<br />
Abigail Leyva<br />
Cover Photographed by SCOTT IRVINE<br />
Back Cover Photographed by CORY INGRAM
JULIETTE<br />
AND THE<br />
LICKS<br />
Words<br />
Photographed by CORY INGRAM<br />
by EMMA DEBONO
Unless you have been living under a proverbial rock, chances are you have heard of<br />
academy award-winning actress, Juliette Lewis, and maybe have even seen her in one<br />
of your favorite 90’s films. Lewis gained her claim to fame in Martin Scorsese’s 1993<br />
remake of Cape Fear, along side Robert De Niro. From there, her acting career<br />
skyrocketed - starring in films such as What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Strange Days,<br />
From Dusk Till Dawn and several other iconic movies. What you might not know (but<br />
totally should) is in 2003, Juliette found a new calling after attending a Blondie<br />
concert and falling in love with the live element of rock n’ roll. There, a spark was<br />
ignited to speak up and branch out through music. Thus, Juliette and the Licks came<br />
to fruition. The band had taken a break in 2009 and started up again, with their first<br />
tour in seven years, this past summer. I got the privilege to witness them first hand at<br />
the Brooklyn Bowl, a venue that doubles as a bowling alley and restaurant/bar, in<br />
Williamsburg.<br />
This band has an electrifying vibe that makes you want to dance while sending a<br />
message of power and individualism. Juliette arrived, swinging from the spiral staircase<br />
that led to the stage, wearing eagle wing shoulder pads, cherry leather boots and<br />
good ol’ red, white and blue bandana. Her and her band were ready to take on the<br />
night in front of the packed out venue. During the performance, Lewis spoke about<br />
love,<br />
feminism, the heartbreak of a bad (band) break up and the real, dirty issues going on<br />
in America today. Lewis seemed possessed by a wave of emotion; twisting, shaking,<br />
contorting her body with the rhythm of every drum solo and lick of the guitar. She<br />
had the audience sing along several times and midway through the set list, she even<br />
got off the stage to join the sea of Brooklyn fans - singing, dancing, cheering with<br />
them. The band played a wide range of songs, from originals like “Hello Hero” to a<br />
classic rendition of “Proud Mary.” The show closed with a three-song encore,<br />
including “Hot Kiss,” “Speaking,” and, to close the night, “Suicide Diver Bombers.”<br />
About a half hour after the show, Juliette and The Licks came back down. Lewis<br />
ended up sticking around to say hello and hug every fan that waited in anticipation to<br />
meet her. Her and her band were grounded and humbled by the turn out. Overall, the<br />
night was filled with inspiration, stamina and a real passion for great live music.
NICK<br />
HINMAN<br />
from PALM<br />
SPRINGSTEEN<br />
Photographed by MELISSA RODWELL<br />
Interviewed by LOLA YOUNG<br />
Photography Assistant CORY INGRAM<br />
Post Production by DAVID NEILANDS @ SOLSTICE RETOUCHING
Lola Young: What do you get from performing?<br />
Nick Hinman: Hopefully paid in cash. But seriously, it’s always an adrenaline rush.<br />
Any kind of performance is about being present and in the moment. Following your<br />
impulses and getting out of your head.<br />
LY: What do you think about the need for expression in general?<br />
NH: I think it makes a good Madonna song.<br />
LY: How do ideas usually come to you?<br />
NH: Sometimes it’s a predetermined concept that provokes the sound of a song, and<br />
sometimes it’s writing music first that guides the feeling. It’s never exactly the same<br />
twice though, which keeps the thrill going.<br />
LY: What do you think about when walking the streets?<br />
NH: Usually I’m trying to remember if I left my stove on or not. Unless I’m sleeping<br />
on my friends couches, which seems to be my MO lately. Then I’m trying to remember<br />
if I left their stoves on or not.<br />
LY: What are you dreams like?<br />
NH: Wet, if I’m lucky.<br />
LY: What frightens you? What excites you?<br />
NH: Anytime you play someone your music for the first time, it’s a bit of both. It’s<br />
frightening because its intimate, but it’s exciting because it’s intimate as well.<br />
LY: Do you think how you’ve chosen to live your life has a strong influence on your<br />
work?<br />
NH: I think choosing a to live in a high risk, no reward lifestyle is pretty unstable.<br />
But it’s never boring. Which is always good in the arsenal when songwriting.<br />
LY: Did you ever watch/ read/ see something that altered your perspective on things?<br />
NH: That “if you see something” ad. But I’ve actually never said anything.<br />
LY: Are you ambitious?<br />
NH: As much as Parvulesco in “A Bout de Souffle”
BANG<br />
A<br />
GONG<br />
Photographed by LAURA OKITA<br />
Creative Directed and Styled by JULIA MORRIS<br />
Model ELENA SARTISON @ MAJOR MODELS <strong>NYC</strong><br />
Make Up by MICHELLE COURSEY<br />
Hair by ISAAC DAVIDSON @ WILHELMINA ARTISTS<br />
Leather Vest EDGE OF CULTURE
Metal Bustier LAUREL DEWITT<br />
Leather Pants EDGE OF CULTURE<br />
Leather Vest EDGE OF CULTURE<br />
Top WEARTHEPAINT<br />
Distressed Denim Pants LAUREL DEWITT<br />
Latex Shoes PLAISIRE
Top TOPSHOP<br />
Embellished Leather Skirt LAUREL DEWITT<br />
Boots PLAISIRE
Top WEARTHEPAINT<br />
Jeans GUESS<br />
Garment Belt VINTAGE<br />
Boots PLAISIRE<br />
Fringe Denim Bolero with metal LAUREL DEWITT<br />
Leather Pants EDGE OF CULTURE
Art Direction by TEENA COLLIN<br />
Hair and Make Up by HEATHER-RAE @ WILHELMINA ARTISTS<br />
Photographed by NICOLA COLLINS<br />
Interview by ABIGAIL LEYVA
Frankie + The Studs Is a Rock ’N’ Roll band from California. They<br />
might live in a modern world but their musical influences take us back<br />
to the glam Rock ’N’ Roll from the 70’s where sweaty glittery faces<br />
with black eyeliner used to shine in the spotlight onstage to the sound<br />
of electric guitars. Their musical influences range from David Bowie,<br />
Ramones, The New York Dolls, Nick Gilder and Kiss. We interview the<br />
band before they left for the Lollapalooza 2016 music festival in<br />
Chicago where they performed.<br />
ALICE MAGAZINE: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?<br />
FRANKIE AND THE STUDS: The current commercial sound of auto tuned apathy<br />
that somehow dominates the airwaves and is now considered “rock”. We love the<br />
sound of raw passion and energy, as cliché as it may sound, a Les Paul into a Marshall<br />
stack.<br />
AM: Can insanity bring on more creativity?<br />
F&TS: Most definitely, if its not being self-perpetuated, when its observed and then<br />
documented.<br />
AM: If your name had to be a song title which song would it be?<br />
F&TS: (She’s) One Of The Boys – Nick Gilder<br />
AM: If you had to live in the world of an album which one would it be and why?<br />
F&TS: Kiss – Destroyer, as not only does it sound larger than life, it has multiple<br />
relatable themes within the context of one record… and it’s fun.<br />
AM: Which song would be the national anthem of your country if you ruled one?<br />
F&TS: We Are The Road Crew - Motorhead<br />
AM: If Frankie + The Studs was a flavor, what flavor would it be?<br />
F&TS: Chocolate vegemite pizza with extra hot sauce.
AM: How important is to be true to yourself when it comes to making music?<br />
F&TS: Crucially important, with it being such a fight to keep rock and roll alive today<br />
there is no point in being anything but authentic.<br />
AM: What has music taught you?<br />
F&TS: That as isolated as we may feel at times in life there is something constant that<br />
can unite us with like-minded people cut from the same cloth.<br />
AM: What were you doing the last time you really had a good laugh?<br />
F&TS: In a bar, laughing about how everyone thinks Frankie and Ronnie are sleeping<br />
together.<br />
AM: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?<br />
F&TS: We don’t try to get people to like us, if they do they do, if they don’t they<br />
don’t.<br />
AM: What is the most embarrassing moment of your life?<br />
F&TS: Well what most people reading this would find embarrassing we personally<br />
would most likely find amusing, in hindsight it’s all pretty funny... so... Next question.<br />
AM: Where is the one place in the world you feel safe?<br />
F&TS: In the recording studio
The Continuum Series<br />
With Photographer<br />
SCOTT<br />
IRVINE<br />
Interview by EMMA DEBONO
Scott Irvine, a Williamsburg based photographer, has been in the industry for over<br />
twenty years and, during his career, has primarily focused on traditional darkroom<br />
techniques. Irvine has experimented with manipulating his photographs, both digitally<br />
and with film, in order to create a storyline through nostalgia and evoke an uneasy<br />
emotion by displaying an exposed beauty in decay. <strong>Alice</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> got a chance<br />
to chat with Scott about his start with photography, his journey in finding his own<br />
unique technique, his professional relationship with his wife and their projects, and<br />
what the future holds for him.<br />
<strong>Alice</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>: What first got you interested in pursuing photography?<br />
Scott Irvine: My first interest in photography actually stemmed from exploring old<br />
abandoned factory buildings near where I grew up in Connecticut. I loved going in to<br />
the spaces with friends and photographing the architectural decay. I was using 35mm<br />
film cameras. I then began to get interested in photographing bands and friends. In<br />
College I learned traditional darkroom techniques and started learning and working<br />
with larger format cameras. It was really when I moved to New York City I begin<br />
actively finding people to photograph, and start working for music magazines photographing<br />
a lot of bands.<br />
AM: The majority of your images bare a very heavy film noir aesthetic, from where did<br />
you originate this style? And over the years what have you done to make it your own?<br />
SI: From the very beginning of my exploration with photography, I was always drawn<br />
to black-and-white. It just made sense to me. I loved the mood and texture that you<br />
can create. And I loved the play between light and shadows that can be so much<br />
more dramatic than most color photographs. I think my overall style of photography<br />
emerged from being in the black-and-white darkroom, and really experimenting with<br />
contrast and mood.<br />
AM: How and when did you start using dark room manipulation on your images?<br />
SI: Well, like I said, I really started to learn traditional darkroom techniques in college<br />
at RIT, in Rochester New York. When I began learning, digital photography did<br />
not exist yet. Any kind of manipulation to the image had to be done somehow - either<br />
manipulating the film or the paper or both. There was a lot of experimenting with<br />
things like scratching film, printing techniques, trying different photo printing papers,<br />
chemistry. All these different elements could be implemented to create different<br />
effects. Over time, I developed a look or style that felt was like my “visual voice”.<br />
AM: In 2014, you published the book “Vietnam” in collaboration with Kim Meinelt.<br />
How long did you spend working on this project and what was your goal in capturing<br />
this image series?
SI: Kim Meinelt is actually my wife. She is also a photographer and a visual artist. We<br />
have done several big trips together to southeast Asia, which is one of our favorite<br />
places to travel. Vietnam was a big trip we did in 2014. We were there for a month and<br />
traveled through the whole country. We had the idea of doing a book from the very<br />
beginning, so it was basically just a reflection of our travels. The images in the book<br />
are both mine and Kim’s images. It was one of the first times we actively decided to<br />
not take credit for individual images. The book was a combination of both of us, and<br />
we felt the images belonged to both of us.<br />
AM: Your upcoming exhibit at Collier West Gallery is also with Kim. How did this<br />
exhibit come to be?<br />
SI: Yes, the Collier West gallery is also with my wife, Kim. We have exhibited together<br />
a few times now, and hope to do more in the future. This show is also a combination<br />
of our photography, and again, we are not taking credit for individual photos.<br />
We have called our photo husband and wife team, waxenvine. This exhibition came<br />
about through meeting the gallery owner through some mutual friends, and she loved<br />
the work. We’ve broken the show in into two parts: one is a vision of New York - very<br />
moody images of buildings, people, street scenes. The other is a series of portraits<br />
that have been manipulated and double exposed. We’ve been calling this ongoing<br />
portrait series “haunted”.<br />
AM: Digital photography has become such a main component in the industry. What<br />
compels you to continually shoot film?<br />
SI: Yes digital photography has definitely taken over. It is a great tool that I have<br />
embraced. For a lot of jobs, film photography is simply too expensive and too timeconsuming.<br />
However, film is still a great medium and I still use the darkroom and film<br />
cameras for a lot of my work. I have also been experimenting with bouncing backand-forth<br />
between digital and analog. Manipulating images digitally, and then bringing<br />
them into the darkroom environment and printing them traditionally. The combinations<br />
are endless, and it’s great to be able to use both.<br />
AM: In the future what do you hope to accomplish in your work? Are there any personal<br />
projects you have in mind?<br />
SI: I hope to do more future projects with Kim, under the umbrella of waxenvine. I<br />
am also excited about using new photography equipment and blending it with traditional<br />
ideas and techniques. I always love finding new models and people to photograph.<br />
I also look forward to new travel opportunities and adventures. I am a big<br />
maker of books, so I’m sure there will be many new books in the near future.
Photographed by IRON MIKE SAVOIA<br />
Interview by ABIGAIL LEYVA<br />
Makeup/hair & styling by THE FAME RIOT
ABIGAIL LEYVA: Do you think it’s better to be street smart or book smart?<br />
LIZ: I think that’s a circumstantial question. I believe that there’s a time a place for<br />
‘this’ and for ‘that’. If you wanna buy illegal drugs, you wanna be street smart.. If you<br />
wanna start a law firm, you wanna be book smart, yeah?<br />
SHAZAM: Generally speaking, I’d rather be strolling along the brighter side of town<br />
with all of my blood, than a nerd lying dead in the wrong alley, amidst his his student<br />
loans and cultural studies thesis.<br />
AL: What kind of power have you found in music?<br />
LIZ: The ability to match physical energy to emotional response and sensation. It’s<br />
like pseudo mind-body control and I love it. MWUAHHAHAHA!!<br />
SHAZAM: The power of voodoo.<br />
AL: What’s your favorite way to spend a rainy day?<br />
LIZ: Drinking coffee.. making beats.. Netflixing.. Gaming.. Cuddling.. Sporadic outdoor<br />
nude photo sets..<br />
SHAZAM: Reading cultural studies theses from the Library of Alexandria. “We read<br />
to know we are not alone.”<br />
AL: Which is better to listen to your heart or your brain?<br />
LIZ: Well factually, our brains tell us what our hearts are feeling.. so as long as you<br />
know that that bias is there, you should be able to determine which one is cohesive<br />
for each moment -once again, circumstantial..<br />
SHAZAM: If you are at THE FAME RIOT, and your heart is telling you to get naked<br />
and jump onstage and dance, but your brain is telling you to sit down cause nobody<br />
wants to see that, go with your heart cause we want to see that.<br />
AL: If you had to challenge someone to a duel, what would your weapon of choice be<br />
and why?<br />
LIZ: A lightsaber cause I can use The Force.<br />
SHAZAM: My Hattori Hanzo hair shears. Cause I could make that pleb look like shat,<br />
baaa-tch. ;)<br />
AL: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?<br />
LIZ: Of course. At times, I have no choice, I am my only friend..<br />
SHAZAM: “You are your own worst enemy.”<br />
AL: What’s a song that everytime you hear it makes you want to dance your life away?<br />
LIZ: Oouuu great question, baby! So many -TOO many!! Hmmm top 3? Okay, top 3<br />
are: “Love Never Felt So Good” - Michael Jackson, “Moon Rocks” - Talking Heads, and<br />
“Get Off My Cloud” - Rolling Stones.<br />
SHAZAM: Ohhhh babe you went there! How bout these: “Just the Two of Us” - Bill<br />
Withers “What A Fool Believes” - The Doobie Brothers “Four Kicks” - Kings of Leon
AL: Do you believe its better to know about pain and other emotions or go through<br />
life numb?<br />
LIZ: It’s better to know about pain and other emotions, so that you CAN go through<br />
life numb, in my opinion.. numb to these so called ‘problems’. What problems?<br />
What’s your point of reference? You won’t have one, unless you experience it for<br />
yourself.<br />
SHAZAM: I think the best way to go through life is to realize that your feelings have<br />
never been of merit in the grand scheme of the universe. There are so many more<br />
issues going on. Vanity is to view yourself as “that” important. The world keeps<br />
turning, so you must keep loving. Life is pain, highness.<br />
AL: What movie could you watch over and over and still love?<br />
LIZ: How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - (1967) - or Momento..<br />
sheesh, tough one again!<br />
SHAZAM: The Princess Bride of couuuuurse :) GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME.<br />
STRAIGHT UP.<br />
AL: What has been the biggest sacrifices that you had to make for music?<br />
LIZ: Sleep.. money, and romance<br />
SHAZAM:Battling spiders in all sorts of disgusting housing situations. The fight has<br />
been worth it every single step of the way. Though my sword may be bloody, I have a<br />
duty yet to fulfill.<br />
AL: What about yourself do you find the most pride in?<br />
LIZ: That every human who has ever and will ever exist in this universe is mine and<br />
your equals.<br />
SHAZAM: “Pride comes before a fall.” but damn, I can play some sexy jazz chords on<br />
occasion.... Hell of a drug, jazz chords.<br />
AL: If love was a drink, what drink would it be?<br />
LIZ: A Sazerac.<br />
SHAZAM: ESPRESSO. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.<br />
AL: If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?<br />
LIZ: Jump various flights to multiple locations.. maybe check out the Bohemian grove.<br />
SHAZAM: Swipe the next Game of Thrones book from George R.R. Martin. BTW<br />
WHAT A WONDERFUL INTERVIEWER. These questions were so stimulating to<br />
the mind! Thank you!!!!!
HAFU<br />
In the City of Angels<br />
Photographed by IRVIN RIVERA<br />
Styled by KRISTINA HULEN<br />
Model ALEXANDRIA YAMAZAKI @LA MODELS<br />
Make up by BETHANY GARITA<br />
Hair by DAVID HARRINGTON<br />
Photography Assistant PHIL LIMPRASERTWONG<br />
Production Assistant VICTORIA INNOCENZI
SURF<br />
Surfbort are a blessing for music right now. They’re anti surf-pop and pro-choice;<br />
hence the name. “Two creepy old dudes and two young chicks.”I meet with Dani and<br />
Sean. She’s in a bra and prairie skirt with her dog Grizzly. He’s in grills and green<br />
inked up arms. They invite me to a tattoo party at theirs. She’s a filmmaker, he’s a<br />
painter, his work further embellishing their charming, magpie basement apartment.<br />
They claim to be hoarders, but the wild paraphernalia echoes their sound and image<br />
perfectly, and reflects the special world they’ve so naturally created for themselves.<br />
This band are beyond authentic. They don’t think they just do, whatever the fuck feels<br />
right, and honest. They want to wake people up to think about shit, whilst dancing,<br />
letting go and enjoying being alive. They’re unassuming but driven, frustrated, but<br />
grateful. Their music is chaos with grace, abandoned and intelligent. I’m inspired<br />
watching Dani perform. It’s freedom, makes me feel something important. I admire<br />
her willingness and desire to express. It’s for people, for friends, a shared exorcism of<br />
energy. Which imbues it with a glorious innocence and unaffected magic. As their<br />
fierce rock n roll, comes essentially, from the heart.<br />
BORT<br />
Photographed by CORY INGRAM<br />
Interviewed by LOLA YOUNG
ALICE <strong>Magazine</strong>: Both your shows at Elvis and Rough trade were amazing. Elvis<br />
maybe even better, in your environment.<br />
Dani Miller: Thank you! Yeah big shows are weird I’m like what the fucks going on?!<br />
The sound is too nice I can hear myself!<br />
Sean Powell: I like being close to people.<br />
DM: I like being on the ground. I love dancing with people, it’s fun.<br />
AM: So obviously you guys as a band are very real, open and truthful which is rare to<br />
come by, especially in the time we live in. What do you think ?<br />
DM: About being real?<br />
SP: Auto tune makes me sick.<br />
DM: I think mental illness is super real, and depression. So just meeting people and<br />
connecting with other humans - it’d be weird if I wasn’t real to others. The shows are<br />
to hang out, work sucks so might as well get together with people and release your<br />
crazy pent up emotion.<br />
AM: Exactly. So how did the band begin? How did you find you wanted to do the<br />
same shit and communicate the same message?<br />
DM: I saw Charlie had a guitar in her room and I don’t know about music or anything<br />
I was just like yo lets start a band I want to scream shit and dance to music.<br />
AM: How did you guys meet?<br />
SP: We met at a show where another band I was in was playing.<br />
DM: I ate a whole burrito before the show and I didn’t drink anything but half way<br />
through the set I was like oh shit I’m gonna puke! And then I puked, and then we fell<br />
in love!<br />
AM: Thats cool. Were you like whatever keep going!<br />
DM: The band kept playing so I wiped off my mouth and kept singing, and the next<br />
band that played was like “this mic smells like shit!”<br />
AM: Did you decide there was something you wanted to capture with the band or it<br />
just happened?<br />
SP: Organic.<br />
DM: We kind of started the band as a joke. Our friends from LA wanted to play this<br />
house show and we named our band for it after Beyonce.<br />
AM: Do you find it funny that its got serious and everyone loves you now?<br />
DM: Haha it’s still a joke! I’m happy to meet new people and dance with my friends,<br />
it’s basically just laughing with them about the end of the world. I hope it never gets<br />
serious.<br />
AM: But do you want to help instigate any change in the world or how people think?<br />
DM: Definitely. It’s like a sweet mixture of having a platform where I can say shit<br />
that’s important to me and bring up how fucked current politicians are, and we have<br />
songs that are about saving the environment, but we try to put humor into it as well.<br />
Everything is so fucked up its pretty hopeless! But the other day we were playing<br />
with this band and they were like “I hate it when people mix music and politics.” I’m<br />
like dude really like fuck! I enjoy some music that’s just to make you feel good but I<br />
would rather have something to say.<br />
AM: Yeah what else are you going to talk about when all this shit is going on. But you<br />
definitely keep it playful and funny and talk about everyday stuff which is cool.<br />
What’s the writing process like?<br />
DM: Me and Sean get together at night sometimes.<br />
SP: I’ll just play something on the guitar and just play it over and over until she can<br />
find something she can sing along to - She doesn’t like much!<br />
DM: I get really annoyed with rock n roll psychedelic music. I enjoy it from the 60s or<br />
70s but anything now is just boring to me.<br />
SP: She secretly wants to sound like No Doubt.<br />
AM: Do you consider yourself a punk band?<br />
DM: A freak band.<br />
SP: When you say punk I think of something that -<br />
AM: Happened.. and died right?<br />
SP: Yeah..in the 70s. So if you’re a punk band now you’re like a member of the punk<br />
reenactment movement..<br />
AM: I agree. You guys have definitely reinvented something different.<br />
SP: It’s like civil war reenactment like if you have a fucking flannel butt flap on with<br />
like zippers on your pants and a mohawk and shit and you’re a punk rocker then I<br />
think that you’re a weird person.<br />
DM: Jocks in punk suits.<br />
SP: You know whatever we are, if its jokey or punk or serious or whatever it’s a really<br />
heartfelt band. When I saw them play I knew that it was a big steaming pile of shit,<br />
like it was definitely a really fucked up chaotic loose gnarly band but I really liked it, I<br />
was like woah, this is a real band.<br />
AM: Can you put your finger on what touched you ?<br />
SP: Just really gnarly energy. I don’t mean like roaaaaar..<br />
AM: It’s not like that at all.<br />
SP: They’re real songs. It’s a real fucking band. It’s scary.<br />
AM: Yeah you seem to have this no inhibition chaos but you tame it in a beautiful<br />
way which makes the message and your energy come across even stronger. I don’t<br />
know where that comes from I guess it’s just natural.<br />
DM: Thank you. I don’t know what I’m doing at all!<br />
AM: It’s very truthful which is great. Obviously you give a lot when you perform, all<br />
of you, but particularly you Dani being front woman.<br />
SP: We’re all trying to give ourselves heart attacks.<br />
AM: Do you find it draining? Emotionally or physically, or you feel liberated?<br />
DM: I feel really liberated. Just working jobs and dealing with whatever everyday<br />
issues, I have really bad anxiety and just getting up there and letting it all out with<br />
friends who all have different problems and the same problems, it’s very liberating,<br />
like fuck man! Of course playing a bunch of shows is exhausting but when it comes<br />
down to it it’s just really good therapy.<br />
AM: Do you feel completely yourself when you’re up there or do you enter a different<br />
state?
SP: I feel like I’m completely myself after the shows over and its 30 minutes later and<br />
I’m eating a hamburger.<br />
DM: I feel myself on stage but it’s definitely exaggerated emotions of myself. When I<br />
wake up I’m not going to start screaming and singing…I should start doing that<br />
actually… It just gives me a place to do that. Still myself, just a more dramatic version.<br />
SP: A good out let.<br />
AM: I loved it when you stripped off!<br />
DM: Yeah I don’t know why I like doing that! Sometimes it’s because of the heat, and<br />
I like wearing leotards. I don’t really feel like people look at me… like I don’t want to<br />
be a sex symbol or anything like that. I just want to be myself, dressing up in weird<br />
revealing shit, but still my freak self. I just love hanging out that way and singing!<br />
AM: You play so many shows. How do you keep them all fresh, exiting and different?<br />
DM: We try to write new songs a lot. I always try to bring up current things. I try to<br />
talk to people like “hey whats up how’s it going, today this happened, oh shit!”<br />
AM: Do you guys have plans or just see what happens?<br />
DM: We’re going to record hopefully in September. I’d like to put out a record, we<br />
just have a 7-inch out right now, put out another music video, tour Europe next<br />
summer, just continue playing music.<br />
AM: I love that you were cinema driven and then this just happened and it’s just gone<br />
off!<br />
DM: I’m really excited about working in film and also having music. I think it’s important<br />
to do multiple different things, for anyone.<br />
AM: Do you think the special energy that you and your band have, that authenticity, is<br />
happening elsewhere in cinema or culturally or wherever?<br />
DM: Definitely. It’s a broad thing to think about but I fucking hope so otherwise that<br />
sucks!<br />
SP: Not happening in the main stream thats for sure..<br />
DM: It’s happening underground! Yeah if you’re doing cool shit lets hang out!
ELEGANTLY<br />
WASTED<br />
GERARD MARTI<br />
Photographed by GEORGIA MITROPOULOS<br />
Words by MELISSA RODWELL<br />
Some people are just born with rock and roll in their DNA. And Gerard Marti is one<br />
such person. Born in Marseille and schooled at École des Beaux Arts in Paris, Gerard<br />
knew he wanted to pursue a career in the music industry even at a young age. After<br />
school he became a musician and songwriter, then he became a sound engineer,<br />
record producer and video director for one of the biggest music labels in the world:<br />
EMI Records.<br />
Frustrated with the ever-changing recording industry, in 1990 Gerard Marti moved to<br />
the United States and settled on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Through his passion<br />
for music and the great personal relationships he forged during his time at EMI with<br />
some of the world’s biggest rock legends and industry entertainers, he created<br />
Celebrity Galleries, the first ever art gallery to feature artwork created by uber-famous<br />
celebrity artists such as John Lennon, Miles Davis, Paul McCartney, David Bowie,<br />
Ringo Starr, Jerry Garcia, Ronnie Wood, Paul Stanley, Tony Bennett, Richard Chamberlain,<br />
Billy Dee Williams, Mick Fleetwood, Steven Tyler, Michael Madsen…..the list<br />
goes on……In fact, Bob Gruen, legendary rock photographer who has shot everyone<br />
from Muddy Waters to The Rolling Stones, Elvis to Madonna, Bob Marley to<br />
Bob Dylan, has exhibited in Gerard Marti’s galleries, they are long time friends.
In 2014, Gerard and his business partner, former model runway model Jennifer<br />
Vinklarek, purchased the Robert Kidd Gallery in Birmingham, Michigan. Jennifer,<br />
being a marketing genius, looks after the social media, press relations, special events<br />
and finances, with plans to open a Robert Kidd Gallery in her native Austin, Texas.<br />
And while Marti is proud to exhibit the works of his friends like Steven Tyler and<br />
Paul Stanley, he also is an artist in his own right, creating incredible pieces definitive<br />
of the Post-Modern Eclecticism, Symbolism and Expressionism form of Pop Art. His<br />
style beautifully integrates fragments from pop music, advertising, technology and<br />
urban street poetry. He engages in free association and in his words; “Pop art should<br />
be glamorous, entertaining, and popular. My pieces combine all of these elements.<br />
People who look for symbolic meanings fail to grasp the inherent poetry and mystery<br />
of the images. I question the idea of authority and the traditional role of the artist. I<br />
like to take something from the everyday world and transform it into art. Most of my<br />
paintings involve the post-modernist technique of appropriation of anonymous<br />
images. My inspiration comes from the imagery of consumer society and popular<br />
culture.”<br />
And not only is he a great artist, he has incredible stories. I’ll leave you with my two<br />
favorites: The guitar portrait is from his vintage Washburn Washington J9 guitar that<br />
he acquired in Toronto a few years ago because his friend Ronnie Wood invited to<br />
come see the Rolling Stones rehearse. He spent 5 or 6 days in an abandoned TV<br />
studio, watching them play. Keith stood out for him through out the week-long trip,<br />
he remembers not being able to take his eyes off him. Between each song, he was<br />
pouring himself a drink from the bottle of Jack Daniel’s sitting on a little table next<br />
to him. They were playing 30 to 40 songs every night. That should tell you how many<br />
glasses went down and many bottles were killed! When he returned to his home in<br />
Maui with his new acquired guitar, he set up a little table and a bottle of Jack in his<br />
basement and put on his fave Stones song “Can’t you hear me knocking” and spent a<br />
few nights playing along, being Loud and Elegantly Wasted.<br />
In his own words, I’ll leave you this last story that I absolutely love!<br />
“In 1983 while working as a record producer for EMI records. I was asked to manage<br />
a young French band newly signed by the company . We had just finished the reco<br />
In 1983 while working as a record producer for EMI records. I was asked to manage a<br />
young French band newly signed by the company . We had just finished the<br />
recording of their first Lp, and on this summer day of June 1983, we were all waiting<br />
in the make up room of the French TV channel TF1 for the lead singer to be done<br />
with make up and hair. Like it is often the case in bands, the lead singer was a total
“ prima donna ”, and his bratty behaviors were annoying the hell of everyone in the<br />
room.<br />
At some point, because I felt that punching him in the face just before his first TV<br />
appearance, might not be necessarily a good idea, I decided to leave the room and get<br />
out to take a deep breath.<br />
Because I was on the verge of committing and homicide, I opened and pushed the<br />
studio door fairly abruptly and immediately realize that by doing so, I just hit a<br />
person who was coming in on the other side. I slowly pop my head and saw a man<br />
slightly bending over, holding his face in his hands and behind him a girl carrying a<br />
make up bag looking at me with stupor . A few seconds feeling like an eternity passed<br />
and while the man moved his hands to his nose making sure that it wasn’t broken, I<br />
heard myself mumbling in French “ Oh my god, I’m so sorry, are you okay ? “ the man<br />
double checked that his nose wasn’t fractured , then slowly removed his sunglasses<br />
and said “ I think I’m okay !!! “. At this point, like everyone else around us, I<br />
recognized the pair of alien eyes looking at me under these infamous platinum blond<br />
locks, he smiled at me and said in an British accent “ Bonjour ! I am David, I<br />
murmured, Bonjour! I am Gerard, I am so so so sorry !! .<br />
That was my first encounter with David Bowie who was in Paris to perform at the<br />
Hippodrome D’ Auteuil during his 1983 “ Serious Moonlight Tour “ . A couple of days<br />
later on June 8, I found myself standing backstage watching Mr David Robert Jones<br />
setting the Paris crowd on fire with his freshly released #1 hit “ Let’s Dance “ .<br />
Around my neck an All Access VIP pass is hanging, where my name is supposed to be<br />
printed, someone has handwritten “ The man who ALMOST broke my nose “ .<br />
The new released watches are a collaboration<br />
between Gerard Marti who created the silver<br />
skull on the watch’s face and Ernst Benz the<br />
famous swiss brand . Each watch is produced as a<br />
limited edition of 25 worldwide .
T<br />
H<br />
R<br />
I<br />
C<br />
E<br />
Photographed and Interviewed by JANA EARLY
Jana Early sits down with Dustin Kensrue, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the<br />
band THRICE before they go onstage in Atlanta!<br />
ALICE MAGAZINE: So, first, What in the world did the guys say when you told<br />
them you wanted to come back and start Thrice up again after calling it quits a few<br />
years back?<br />
DUSTIN KENSRUE: Everyone was into the idea in general. We had to kind of figure<br />
out logistics. Everyone just really wanted to make sure that it was going to be sustainable<br />
this time. Just trying to start over with better rythyms. yeah, i don’t think anyone<br />
expected me to hit them up again within a few years like that. It was hard for<br />
everyone in different ways (ending Thrice a few years back), but it was really good for<br />
us all to have a break, I think. Like, we all have a much better perspective and<br />
appreciate things more now for sure.<br />
AM: How many of the songs on the new record were songs you had written in the<br />
past or worked on in the past, or was all of this completely new material?<br />
DK: Its all new in a sense, I mean we all sort of tend to kick ideas around constantly,<br />
like, “hey check out this riff... it may be cool to use in the future.” Generally, I never<br />
have lyrics aside from the song i’m actually writing at the time. So, generally its all<br />
just new, or built off some random old idea or something; generally very skeletal,<br />
if theres anything (written previously) it’s just some simple crapy recording on our<br />
phones or something. Most of mine are just like me humming quietly into my phone<br />
because i’m somewhere where I can’t be loud and I”m just like “ggrrrhhhherrrr,”<br />
(Dustin sort of growled into his phone at this point to demonstrate how he quietly<br />
records random ideas.) Then I’ll go back and listen and I have no idea what it was<br />
that I was thinking. (laughs at himself in that quiet Dustin Kensrue way of laughing).<br />
AM: So all new material. Thats cool. Now on the record itself when you get into<br />
“Blood On the Sand” and just the racial violent chaos...<br />
DUSTIN: Yeah, in 2015.<br />
AM: Yeah, exactly. Could you just comment on that I guess? We all saw the hell of<br />
2015 and what happened, could you just comment on that? Why sing about it?<br />
DK: Yeah, part of it is that I try to let the songs themselves dictate a lot of where the<br />
lyrics go. So, we always write the music first and thats kind of telling a story on it’s<br />
on, and I need to find something that overlays it that makes sense with it. So I’ll have<br />
a variety of things that I’m thinking about or an idea that would be a great song, so i<br />
kind of sit with those songs and see what they feel like they are kind of telling. I think<br />
because the music in Thrice is kind of weighty feeling and serious in a lot of ways, I<br />
end up having to choose weighty and serious subject matter. So, that could be a<br />
variety of things, but this year it just ended up being a lot of that stuff on my mind<br />
that was bothering me. For me, writing stuff like that is a way to process some of it. In<br />
the creative process of writing, I end up doing a lot of research about whatever I’m<br />
writing about, just trying to understand it before I write. When I’m writing a record<br />
I feel more engaged in the world than I am at other times, and I like that. Makes me<br />
feel like I need to be more engaged more of the time too. Better than none at all
I guess.<br />
AM: So because of it being a heavy band, because its more serious, it causes you to<br />
have to go after heavier topics?<br />
DK: Yeah, totally.<br />
AM: What about your own solo stuff? You came out with “Thoughts that float on a<br />
different Blood.” How was that received as you toured, released that album, and<br />
made your way back into writing and performing.<br />
DK: You know, it was like, less of a big-to-do, I think just because it was covers and<br />
live, and for me it wasn’t like a huge undertaking to make, but it was something I had<br />
been thinking about doing for a while just because I enjoy doing that in that kind of<br />
environment. I like taking these songs and deconstructing them, and I wanted to<br />
capture them raw like that. I don’t know... It seems like people really dig it...<br />
AM: I seriously love it. It’s so well done.<br />
DK: Obviously, this record is a much bigger deal, with all of the stuff surrounding it.<br />
So, yeah, I wanted to get it (solo record) out before all of this happened.<br />
AM: So, plans, future, Thrice, any other hiatuses scheduled?<br />
DK: No, no. We are all stoked and ready to rock. So, yeah, I don’t know when we will<br />
record again, but I”m pretty sure we will start writing soon. We are touring through<br />
the end of the year on and off.<br />
AM: Any international touring?<br />
DK: Yeah we are doing several European festivals in August and a couple club shows<br />
over there. Then we aren’t announcing the other side of this tour yet. (smiles).<br />
AM: So, I’ll be honest... I have a massive headache right now. What do you do when<br />
you have a massive headache and you still have to go crazy and rock out? That sounds<br />
terrible to me. (we all sort of laugh)<br />
DK: I have a couple drinks, then go rock out.<br />
AM: yeah, that’s what I’m about to do as well. What do you usually drink?<br />
DK: Well, (laughs), our tour manager, Matt, is really into the tiki world. He’s pretty<br />
much an expert at really well crafted tiki drinks and knows all of the top tiki bars in<br />
every city. So we all go have tiki drinks.<br />
-Dustin then proceeded to tell me the entire history of original tiki drinks as told by<br />
Matt. Who knows if it was actually accurate because the man who brought it all back<br />
is named Beach Bumberry. I don’t know if I trust the story. It made for good backstage<br />
weirdness as we tried to make our own drinks though.
Assistant & Videography SAM WALLANDER<br />
Editing by HARD ZART IMAGING , LLC<br />
Styling by DONALD LAWRENCE<br />
Assistants to Donald NICOLE WOODS & TAK LAVARES<br />
Hair & Make Up by NATALIA MOZART<br />
UNDER<br />
THE<br />
BLACK<br />
SUN<br />
Photography by CAROLINE HOERMANN<br />
www.hardzart.com<br />
Models MATTHEW S. / HIDEKI A. / ELIZA H. / ALL @FUSION MODELS <strong>NYC</strong>
Top & Skirt MARIA CORNEJO<br />
Boots LAURENCE DACADE<br />
Vest HYDROGEN<br />
Pants LEVI’S<br />
Boots DR. MARTENS<br />
Hat PATRICIA UNDERWOOD<br />
Harness ROBERTO CALASANZ<br />
Shirt DEATH TO TENNIS<br />
Pants C.P COMPANY<br />
Boots DR. MARTENS
Hat PATRICIA UNDERWOOD<br />
Jacket HYDROGEN<br />
Pants LEVI’S<br />
Boots LAURENCE DACADE<br />
Scarf STYLIST’S OWN
Pants C.P. COMPANY<br />
Shirt DEATH TO TENNIS<br />
Harness ROBERTO CALASANZ @ LEATHER BOUND<br />
Hat PATRICIA UNDERWOOD<br />
Boots DR. MARTENS
D<br />
R<br />
E<br />
A<br />
M<br />
E<br />
R<br />
S<br />
Photographed and words by CORY INGRAM
What I think about ‘Modern-Rock’ or ‘Alternative’ music in the year 2016 is as follows;<br />
A lot of modern, maybe a guitar or two and some live drum kit samples, an extra<br />
fuck or bitch or some other cuss word thrown into the chorus somewhere that<br />
it doesn’t need to be so the song gets an explicit rating, and a singer in a leather<br />
jacket, preferably wearing pants that cost more than my rent. All so they can register<br />
their songs under ‘rock’ on iTunes. There’s no balance in the dynamic anymore.<br />
Hell, there’s barely a dynamic, all I hear when I turn the radio on is analog drama<br />
with the most depressing, desperate, and subdued first position guitar chords laid in<br />
somewhere underneath “synth track #11”. On top of all that, it seems the only bands<br />
playing real rock ‘n’ roll music seem to be out on their eighth farewell tour, but something’s<br />
gotta give sooner or later, right?<br />
My hope for the lost art of keeping the ‘rock’ in ‘Modern-rock’ or the ‘Alternative’<br />
in... the word ‘Alternative’ was rejuvenated late last year when I started touring in<br />
what seemed to be the underground revival of all things sacred to a rock ‘n’ roller.<br />
Glam bands, and funk heads, and new-age nimrods in a mad dash across the country<br />
to revive the art they so sorrowfully mourned for. In the continuation of my efforts<br />
to join the movement, my call to arms, if you will. I continued on through the winter<br />
and spring, in search of something exciting, perverse, and existential. In the early<br />
spring month, I ended up on a national run that started me in Los Angeles. It was a<br />
three band package for twenty-eight shows in thirty-nine days or something like that.<br />
The days, highways, cities, and plethora of hotel rooms all begin to blend together<br />
somewhere near the end of week two anyway.<br />
The band I had been routing with since October was on the bill. As was a Canadian<br />
group of guys who were all kind, generous, and talented as hell. They were much<br />
bigger in Canada than America, and that probably says something about the disparity<br />
of the state our music industry is currently in, but that’s a story for another time. The<br />
headlining act, originating from most corners of the country who had settled in Los<br />
Angeles by way of Brooklyn, was Dreamers.<br />
Dreamers is a trio. Marc Nelson on bass, vocals, and synth. Jacob Wick on drums<br />
and vocals. Nick Wold on guitar and lead vocals. The night the tour started, at The<br />
Roxy, on Sunset, I spent most of their set across the way at the Rainbow Room catching<br />
up with an old friend over Margaritas and a sub-par cheeseburger. Shortly after,<br />
I came to regret my decision. I returned to the venue near the end of their set and<br />
continued to drink in celebration of finally ending the four-day drive out from New<br />
York. The last song Dreamers played that night was a cover. I’m never particularly<br />
fond of most bands who do covers in our day, because they’re mostly just songs off of<br />
the radio, to draw the crowd in. I particularly dislike when bands end their set with<br />
a cover. But this experience changed my opinion on that. Nick Wold came up to the<br />
microphone prior to the performance and said “ We’re gonna do one more song for<br />
you, and if you don’t mind, it’s going to be a cover. There are a lot of crazy, terrible<br />
things going on in this world right now and we need to take a stand and change that.<br />
We need a revolution.” As Nelson and Wick began to add noise behind him Wold let<br />
his guitar amp shreek out a rebellious feedback and continued “ Our friend Max from<br />
Arkells is going to come out and help us out with this one, sing along if you know it.”<br />
The song was ‘Revolution’ by The Beatles. It was a flawlessly original rendition with<br />
the most conviction and understanding I had ever seen anyone play the song with.<br />
They knew what they were saying, and they meant it. From that point forward I stuck<br />
around for as many of their sets as I could while we traveled together. Their honesty<br />
and conviction carries over into their originals too. Each night I watched the trio play<br />
several of the tracks off of their upcoming record, “This Album Does Not Exist” and<br />
the execution, emotion, and expressiveness only got better each night. This is not a<br />
band one can get bored with easily when watching them play live.<br />
Dreamers unique brand of Modern-Rock is the perfect Alternative cocktail to claim<br />
the genre respectfully and skillfully. Tracks like their latest single, ‘Sweet Disaster’,<br />
incite references to The Rolling Stones, The Ramones, The Talking Heads, and more.<br />
With influences like that, it’s difficult to fall away from the path of success. The overdriven<br />
grunge-like guitar tones, straight drum beat, and throaty bass all cut through<br />
the track like any rock record should, although, they’ve artfully added synthesizers,<br />
electronic drums, and other analog electronics to attribute to the claim of the ‘Modern-Rock’<br />
category because that’s what it is. Modern, and rock. Without the addition<br />
of any tongue in cheek radio cliches that could let them slide into the iTunes classification.<br />
The debut album from the trio is due out at the end of August and they’ve already<br />
had three of the tracks debut on alternative radio and I have a feeling this is only<br />
the beginning. When “This Album Does Not Exist” drops I suggest you grab it. Even<br />
more so, I suggest you keep tabs on this band and catch a ticket to one of their shows<br />
when they come to your city. And you can hope that the show you see is only half as<br />
good as the time they played at Nuemo’s in Seattle that packed the legendary grunge<br />
birthplace out and blew the roof off with a full blown rager of a dance party, right on<br />
the stage to conclude the night.
BLEACHED<br />
Photographed and Interviewed by CORY INGRAM
Sugar, and spice, and everything nice. That’s what girls are made of, Right? What<br />
about the ones that aren’t? The girls who don’t get up early on Sunday morning; The<br />
girls who wear all black and jeans to a family BBQ in the (San Fernando)<br />
valley in July and sneak away to have a smoke or two while everyone is down stuffing<br />
their faces with baby back ribs. What’re those girls made of? Worms? - It’s better<br />
than nothing and says a hell of a lot more for ladies like those in Bleached. The SoCal<br />
trio, whose latest album, ‘Welcome To Worms’, resembles everything from Joan Jett &<br />
The BlackHearts “Ridin’ With James Dean” to “Charlie Don’t Surf” off of The Clash’s<br />
1980 release, ‘Sandinista!’. The acid washed, four-chord, surf-rock is nothing short of<br />
reminiscent of everything we’ve been missing for decades. With a modern sparkle and<br />
melodic twist that leaves the listeners and crowd goers completely engrossed. With<br />
summer in full swing and more flower crowns and five panels than any early-spring<br />
festival, I caught up with the girls at the 104.5 Block Party at the aptly named, Festival<br />
Pier.<br />
ALICE MAGAZINE: With the new album, ‘Welcome to Worms’, consisting of song<br />
titles such as “Trying to lose myself again”, “Wasted on You”, “Desolate Town”,<br />
“Chemical Air”, and the obvious “ Hollywood, We Did It All Wrong” it’s easy to say<br />
Bleached has gotten a handle on embracing the darker side of life. Songs that<br />
obviously depict that everything isn’t always what it seems in the land of money, fame,<br />
and plastic surgery. How do you feel, being from California, other people misconceive<br />
Los Angeles and the concept that everything isn’t always what it seems in Hollywood<br />
and how confronting that is as a universal theme throughout this record, along with<br />
facing and overcoming personal demons as well?<br />
JENNIFER: Los Angeles has always been portrayed as the dream town of California<br />
with perfect weather and beautiful people - but that bores me. I find beauty in the<br />
darker, mysterious side of LA. The way my mind sees it is what inspired a lot of this<br />
record. Sometimes I would get sucked into partying, being self-destructive and other<br />
times I would find myself and need to escape to the desert seeking some peace of<br />
mind. Ultimately what I learned is life’s a package, the good and the bad, and if life<br />
were perfect we would be bored and ungrateful.<br />
JESSIE: Los Angeles can be a very distracting place, so the need to escape it is<br />
important sometimes to focus... But, I love it because it’s made me who I am today,<br />
more so the San Fernando Valley where we spent a good portion growing up.<br />
MICAYLA: LA has a toxicity to it that can be really distracting. I like living here now<br />
because I find everything to be amplified and filled with extremes; extreme beauty,<br />
wealth, and so-called idealized versions of human life, as well as the converse extremes<br />
of poverty, competition, and despair. That polarity I find inspiring because it<br />
forces me to reach inside and be myself. All I can do is face myself in the middle of a<br />
chaotic sea of conflicts. It really is sink or swim. Eventually, I want to live somewhere<br />
more relaxing and naturally beautiful.<br />
AM: Jen and Jessie, as sisters, it’s clearly not a question of “how did you meet?” , to<br />
state the obvious; But - at what point did you say to each other “let’s make music and<br />
start a band together?” what was the catalyst for your musical endeavors together and<br />
who were some of your initial influences?<br />
JENNIFER: We used to go to as many shows as possible every weekend, it didn’t<br />
matter who was playing we just wanted to see bands play. I was watching this opening<br />
band one night called f-minus and there were two girls. That’s when it hit me that I<br />
needed to start a band with my sister. I went home, picked up one of my dads’ guitars<br />
and taught myself how to play. I had two records Blondie and The Slits and one VHS<br />
video called “Girls Bite Back” that had the most amazing and inspiring video of<br />
Siouxsie and the Banshees. I was obsessed and that’s what led me in my musicaldirection.<br />
JESSIE: I had been playing bass at that time, so when Jen started playing guitar I was<br />
super stoked to have someone to play with. I totally admit it, I was that girl singing or<br />
playing bass in the mirror because I wanted to be in a band so bad! I was only like 12.<br />
Around that time a neighbor gave me a tape of The Velvet Underground, and I had<br />
this little jam box I would record songs I liked from the radio, but when I put that<br />
tape on and heard the song Rock n Roll for the first time I was so excited! It wasn’t<br />
like anything on the radio... And when that guitar solo kicked in, oh my god, I was<br />
dying.<br />
AM: Micayla, knowing you initially began playing with Bleached as a live member and<br />
only began writing contributions on this most recent record, where and when did you<br />
get your start in playing music? Did you have any bands or projects prior to this?<br />
MICAYLA: I started playing about age 12 or 13 when I discovered The Beatles. I<br />
spent the majority of my teens in my room learning to play Beatles on guitar, and<br />
was fairly isolated from other kids. Then at 17 a girlfriend asked me to join her band<br />
called The Tanks. I was immediately thrown into a world of musicians who were socially<br />
awkward nerds like me, but all of a sudden we belonged and were even a little<br />
cool! I had never considered being in a band before being asked to join that band,<br />
but have somehow been in one ever since. Other serious projects if played in include<br />
Clear Plastic and Only You, a few bands I started in LA that had great potential but<br />
fizzled out too soon due to personal conflicts. I was so thankful to get hooked up playing<br />
with Jen and Jessie because they had momentum and I had the energy to match<br />
them and help push Bleached to rise to its full potential. I admire them both as true<br />
artists and visionaries, and respect them and what they have built as a sister duo. I<br />
also feel a real energy and pureness that comes when we write as a trio and I hope to<br />
be able to keep the ideas coming and contributing on the next recordings.
AM: Expanding on that last bit, writing your newest album, ‘Welcome to Worms’, was<br />
a new experience for all of you because, as Bleached, you had only written as a duo<br />
prior. What was the shift in dynamic like for your writing? How did the conversation<br />
start about opening up the family affair to Micayla as a writer?<br />
JENNIFER: Writing wise it’s been great. We started off slow to make sure we could<br />
work together. And it’s rad because I still got to write alone, Jess and I still wrote as<br />
a duo, and a few songs we all three wrote together. It literally goes all ways and the<br />
more material the better and adds more dynamics. We are now starting to write with<br />
our drummer Nick.<br />
JESSIE: Its cool to expand a little, try new things. When Jen and I started I was used<br />
to having more than just 2 writers and everyone having their instrument to play, but<br />
with just Jen and I we were able to have hands on more than one instrument and<br />
taught me so much more.<br />
AM: You worked on this record with Joe Chiccarelli, who has worked with everyone<br />
from Elton John to The Strokes, and co-producer Carlos De La Garza, how did you<br />
come to the decision that this was the team for your sophomore record, and what did<br />
they bring out of the experience that might not have otherwise come about?<br />
JENNIFER: Confidence. I feel like if I had been offered to work with these two before<br />
this record I wouldn’t have been ready for it. I was finally accepting of my potential<br />
as a musician and Joe and Carlos helped me see that in myself<br />
JESSIE: Joe and Carlos were super respectful, and I felt they truly believed in our<br />
musicianship, so I was comfortable to try a lot different things.<br />
AM: You’ve got a pretty heavy and vast touring schedule for the next few months,<br />
from Kansas City to Newton, New Zealand. After the next few months wrap up what’s<br />
next for Bleached?<br />
JENNIFER: Very excited to play Seth Myers! Then we go on small tour playing a<br />
bunch of cities that bands don’t always tour through which is gonna’ be fun. Then we<br />
go on a US tour with the band Beach Slang aka the tour name “Bleached Slang”. So<br />
stoked on what we have going on, I feel like now is the time!<br />
MICAYLA: I feel so much energy surging around this band and feel very alive when<br />
we’re playing together. We are united and have a clear vision, and are pushing<br />
ourselves to be our best. I can’t wait for all the cool shows coming up!!!