Contents Under Pressure Issue 1: San Diego DIY

Contents Under
pressure
Duuns | Gaib Ramirez | Savannah MetcalfE |
Malls | No Hope Kids | Holly Murphy | Kaelin
Bell | Pure Nowhere | Buddha Trixie

ISSUE 1:
DIY in
San Diego

contributors
MUSIC
Duuns
Members: Nate Gentry, Luke
Cottrell, Marc Montez, Mikey
Snykes
duuns.com
soundcloud.com/duunsmusic
duuns.bandcamp.com
Intagram:@duunsmusic
Buddha Trixie
Members: Daniel Cole, Dennis
Moon, Andrew Harris, Kenzo
Mann
buddhatrixie.bandcamp.com
soundcloud.com/buddhatrixie
Twitter: @BuddhaTrixie
Instagram: @buddhatrixie
Malls
Members: Sophie Parker,
Mikki Durgan, Ashley Lopez, Lily
Hewitt
Instagram: @mallsband
No Hope Kids
Members: Michael Barrios
nhkband.bandcamp.com
soundcloud.com/nhkband
Twitter: @bound_two
Instagram: @ourtimeapart
VISUAL ART
Holly Murphy
Instagram (art): @toilettart
Instagram (personal): @hollimoon
Savannah Metcalfe
Instagram (art): @hannavasart
Instagram (personal): @fakefoes
Kaelin Bell
Instagram (personal): @babykaelin
Instagram (art): @kaelinmariephoto
facebook.com/kaelinbellphoto
Gaib Ramirez
Instagram: @letssinkthesky
NEWS
Pure Nowhere
Editor: Kyla Rain
purenowhere.com
Instagram: @purenowhere
Instagram (personal): @kyla.rain
All portraits, interviews and
layout design completed by:
Francesca Tirpak
003

editor’s Letter
Welcome to the first (and possibly last) installment of Contents
Under Pressure, at least in the format which follows. The
goal of issue one is to feature a variety of creatives working
independently in San Diego county. Almost every volunteer is
included in the following pages, alongside samples of work and/
or links to more online.
Having a creative community in a world that trods on
expression (in any form), especially in a country where the arts are
considered a hobby and not an absolute necessity, the DIY
scene in any community is a cornerstone of well-being. I see it
wherever I go: a band of young people banding together to be
creative, by any means necessary. And the outcome is never not
beautiful.
I want to thank every contributor who volunteered their time to
come and speak to me about the DIY scene, their place in it,
and the art that they pursue. Without you, I would not have been
able to achieve what I have here. I remember why a DIY scene
is so important for creatives, and why having such a tight-knit
community imminently produces so much more beauty: having
others to spur you on in genuine encouragement is such a
necessity for those who create.
Take inspiration from the talented people between these pages.
-- Francesca
004

Table of
Contents
GAIB
p. 006
SAV
p. 012
MALLS
p. 018
KAELIN
p. 044
PURE NOWHERE
p. 050
BUDDHA TRIXIE
p. 052
DUUNS
p. 026
NO HOPE KIDS
p. 032
HOLLY
p. 036
Missed out on this issue?
We’re always looking for talent
to celebrate, and new scenes to
discover. Submissions on these
will be taken through the contact
below:
Email: francescatirpak@gmail.
com
005

art
GAIB
006

18-year-old Gaib Ramirez has
been pursuing various mediums
of art for the past few years,
namely drawing, painting,
ceramics and poetry. They put
their entire self into each thing
they create. “Everything that
I make, I refer to it as a selfportrait,
because it’s how I’m
feeling,” they tell me.
“To me, it’s a lot more powerful
than just journaling, because I
don’t want to read on dumb shit
that I was going through that day.
I just want to look at my art and
be like, holy shit, I made that out
of this emotion. I think it’s good
because it helps me express who
I really am, in a simplistic form.”
Using this art as an outlet for
their emotions, creating a
“metaphorical” body, is the
subject of much of their work.
That’s why they like interacting
with others in the DIY scene. “It
gives you a chance to see who the
people in the DIY scene are, who
they really are, their true selves,
versus what they portray to family
and friends. It’s really interesting
to see that there are real people
behind the art.”
Gaib takes part in the DIY scene
to distance themselves from the
mainstream art and media that
limited them in high school
art classes, and in life overall,
where diversity is lacking.
“Especially within the youth of
San Diego DIY, there is so much
diversity because it’s typically
the only way people who are
experiencing diversity can
express themselves without being
belittled by mainstream art or
media.
“People say that the United States
is a melting pot, but that’s kind of
hard to believe. I think San Diego
is a real, true melting pot, so it’s
really cool to see people’s different
cultures and stuff being portrayed
in the way they like to express it.”
007

art

art
“The DIY
scene is
trying
really
hard to
change
the world,
in a sense,
by making
things that
don’t want
to be seen,
seen.”

Gaib finds themselves involved
in much of the political activism
surrounding them in San Diego.
The DIY scene supports them in
this pursuit by showing others
“what movements we’re standing
behind.The DIY scene is trying
really hard to change the world,
in a sense, by making things that
don’t want to be seen, seen.
“I also think it’s important for
the older generations to really
experience, hey, all these things
that you thought were bad,
aren’t bad. I’ve seen a lot of
sexual art, and you don’t portray
it as pornography. You portray it
as art, because that’s what it is. But
I know, to some older generations,
they’re gonna be like, oh, you’re
going to hell for that. I think it’s
kind of like a wake up call to
older generations, like, hey: you’re
fucking wrong. Not everything is
evil.”
Find more of Gaib’s art on their
Instagram, @letssinkthesky
011

art
SAV
012

Savannah Metcalfe is an
18-year-old San Diego local
artist, mainly focusing
on painting and drawing.
She wants to delve into
digital arts, and maybe even
music production, “but
that’s a whole other story.”
(That’s the beauty of San
Diego DIY culture: members
can delve into more and
more diverse art forms, and
because of the tight-knit
nature therein, they have the
resources to learn from their
peers.)
We met up at Balboa Park’s
botanical gardens, her
choice for a place where she
finds a close connection,
and then sat down amongst
the colours in the Spanish
Art Quarter for a chat about
the DIY scene.
Doing art helps Sav
express her emotions
in ways she struggles
less with. “It just helps me
understand myself better,” she
tells me. “I pent everything
up. If I’m angry, it stays in; if
I’m sad, it stays in. Literally
everything stays inside. So
when I do art, it can actually
come out, and no one really
has to know what it is.”
She’s also a strong supporter
of the San Diego DIY scene,
and the diversity therein. “It’s
definitely unique because we
have a lot of different kinds of
people. In particular I feel that
the power in the youth in San
Diego is really strong, because
we kind of do what we want
without remorse. It’s really
unapologetic, and sometimes
it can be really angry, it can be
really uplifting, but either way
it’s really moving, because
we’re such a forward-thinking
city.” Having a DIY scene, to
her, is “kind of like giving art a
new power.”
Check out Sav’s art here and
on her Instagram,
@hannavasart.
013

014
art

art

“[ART HERE IS] really
unapologetic.
it’s really moving,
because we’re
such a forwardthinking
city.”
017

music
M A L l S
WITH:
018
Mikki Durgan
&
Sophie Parker

Malls is a San Diego local
DIY band who may little
recorded to show for their
work, but have a whole a
lot of spirit and drive to get
there. They’re working on
mixing and producing their
own work, and are playing
shows every once in a while.
I sat down with Sophie
Parker and Mikki Durgan,
two of the four members
of Malls, to talk about putting
emotion into art, the
importance of sensitivity,
and avoiding the standard
clique that seems to run
rampant through the San
Diego DIY scene as of late.
Check out more of Malls on their
Instagram, @mallsband
Left: Mikki Durgan, Right: Sophie Parker
It just goes to show how
tight-knit a community is
when two separately-scheduled
interviews run over and the two
contributors end up being part
of the same band. Running into
my next interview’s runtime, I
decided to invite both to meet at
the same place and time in order
to speak with them both before
leaving the country the next
day. Waiting for coffee with Mikki
(who also has her own solo
project called Saturdays on
Saturn), she told me how she
often never made it out to Public
Square Coffee House unless it was
with her other bandmates, since
they lived closeby. And speaking
of, Sophie arrived just then, with
a flurry of smiles and hello’s, and
I came to learn that both were a
part of Malls.
Both have been a part of the DIY
scene for years, though in relatively
different ways. “I’ve been going to
shows since I started high school,”
Mikki tells me, “and it’s kind of
shaped my being, the experiences
not only with the people I’ve met,
but the places I’ve been.” Coming
across new areas of San Diego
has been a big part of what she’s
enjoyed.
019

music
“I just want
to create
something so
raw and real
that people
can relate to
on a specific
level”

Sophie is a little more on the
lowkey side. “I like quiet nights. I
don’t always like to go to shows.
If I don’t like the band, I probably
won’t want to go to the show unless
my friend is going.” Being involved
in both music and theater
(as well as speech and debate),
she’s a performer. “I really like
playing shows because it’s fun, and
I like to talk to people, and I’m not
good at dancing but I can make
people dance, which is weird. I
have some kind of magic: Dance,
monkey, dance!” She laughs
as she mimes strumming the
guitar, hunched over her green tea.
“Playing my guitar, and they’re
dancing, it’s amazing.”
The fans in the scene are
something of a dedicated bunch,
more so than you’d expect of
someone watching a local band.
Being hyped up boosts their
confidence in ways that helps
with their own insecurities, Mikki
says. “I am the epitome of
insecurity. The last show that I
played, someone screamed out
that they loved me, and I was like
‘What the fuck is this. Who the
fuck.’ But it was cool that people
like my work.”
But having something on a
smaller scale, not playing shows
as much, still keeps them humble.
Mikki’s grown since first joining
the scene as well, in both good
ways and bad. “People helped
me find who I am, but also
being in the scene has had me
figure things out. But also, the
downfall of it is finding things
out about myself too fast. I was
shaping myself to be someone
super cool like everyone else,
and then I was like, Aah! I don’t
want to do this. I’m not myself.”
Having been there for so long, it’s no
wonder they’ve started to have
something of a less-than-positive
insight on the group.
One aspect they point out to me
is the recent cliques that have
developed, especially since DIY
stronghold The Che Cafe has
gone under construction and
bands have had to find new
places to showcase their work
to an all-ages crowd (since most
small venues in the city are bars
and thus 21+). “There’s no room
021

music
for up-and-coming people who
want to get into it, get into it without
having to start becoming friends for
six months with all of these other
people,” Sophie tells me.
“The shows have become one
person runs the show, and they’re
usually part of the clique, and
then they invite all their friends.
And that’s it. The music is shit, but
because they’re friends with the right
people, they can get into all the
shows. And nobody cares because
they’re not there for the music,
they’re there to hang out with that
clique. It’s just a mess, and I feel like
that’s why we have no diversity in
the music scene.”
Mikki finds offense with those
people being in a band just to be
“cool” and fit in with the clique.
“I’m an emotional person, so I
put my whole being into it.,” she
tells me. Seeing others making art
without that same passion and
succeeding with it is a very different
experience than it was a few years
ago. “I mean, it’s toxic, and I used
to seek comfort in going to shows
and seeing people and being social,
because I felt that, otherwise, I
wasn’t doing anything with my
life, and I was just sitting at home,
grieving over shit that doesn’t
matter anymore.”
How is the scene different, then? “It
used to be a lot more chill, I guess is
the best way you can say it,” Sophie
says, “because now I feel judged
whenever I go to shows. I feel like
everyone’s looking at my outfit and
if I fit in or if I don’t, and it feels like
middle school times two thousand.”
Mikki continues: “The reason that
the toxic people have such a large
following is that most of their
content is insensitive and driven to
be aggressive. But some people are
into that.” Sophie agrees: “They give
up a lot of empathy and sensitivity.”
But that doesn’t mean they don’t still
get involved with the scene. Both
being such passionate and
driven people, they have their own
reasons for not abandoning the arts
altogether. “I like being social in
a way that’s not directly social,”
Mikki says. “I’ve always been very
passionate about art, and I feel like
if it helps me let out something that
I’m feeling, and evokes emotion
in other people, that makes me
happy. I feel like, a lot of times, we’re
022

“Now I
have the
stage,
and I’m
gonna
show
you
who I
am”

024
music

so desensitized from shit in our
lives. I’ve really had attacks where
I think, what’s real? I don’t know!
I just want to create something so
raw and real that people can relate
to on a specific level. It makes me
feel good that other people can use
that to their advantage.”
“Whether
or not
you’re in
the arts,
you can be
creative.”
Sophie uses the outlet for much
the same way. “I feel like anything
can be creative, so I feel like
everyone is. Whether or not you’re in
the arts, you can be creative. I think
everyone needs outlets to express
themselves in a way that’s not
just, ‘Hi. I’m feeling sad.’ We’re all
habitating in our own little realms
of grief and sadness and personal
problems that creativity and music
is for consumption for other
people. It helps us go, ‘Oh shit, I’m
not the only one with problems.’
And I think that’s really cathartic.”
It seems there’s hope for the scene
after all, manifesting itself in
people like Malls. We’ll have to keep
an eye out for what they achieve in
the near future.
025

music
DUUNS
Duuns is something of an exceptional
band. Made up of four members
(Nathan Gentry, Marc Montez, Mikey
Sykes, and Luke Cottrell), not one
member has one instrument they play
exclusively. Every member dabbles in
each others’ speciality, creating a sound
that changes from song to song.
They also take influence from a variety
of wildly different backgrounds. Nate
brings punk rock to the table, Marc
brings jazz, and they all add a touch of
psychedelia, in whichever form that may
take.
Duuns have been working on an
album for upwards of two years, and this
spring, they’re finally bringing it to the
light of day. Twice-recorded, in both
analogue and digital methods, and
almost entirely DIY, this quartet have
lots in store for us in the coming year.
026

Check out more of
Duuns on their
Bandcamp, duuns, or
their Instagram,
@duunsmusic
027

It’s one of those coastal fog
days most people who hear
about Southern California’s
coast would never dream of
happening. Just a few hours
before meeting the boys
at Terra Mar Point in North
County’s Carlsbad, a wall of
clouds rolled in over the cliff by
the seaside, obscuring the sun and
giving the air that wet, salty smell
one can only experience and not
properly describe.
The band has obviously spent a
lot of time along the cliffs here,
hardly stumbling as they trek
along the steep cliffs and rock
ledges as we make our way down
to the beach, their photoshoot
location of choice. After the tides
get too high (Mikey’s shoe being
soaked along the way), we head
back up to the side of the coastal
highway to talk about their next
album and what it means to be in
a DIY scene.
Luke describes their experience
recording the album as
“turbulent.” Having worked on
the album for two years, and
having recorded it twice after
scrapping a bad first take,
they’re finally ready to release
their work. “It’s got songs that
are almost two years old now,”
Marc tells me, “and the new ones,
we just finished the writing
process a couple of months
before we recorded it.” It seems
that there’s an entire catalogue of
their work from the band’s career
there.
Why record it twice, though?
Luke says they just needed more
practice. “We weren’t getting
tight enough to record in one
take.” Mikey agrees: “That was a
priority, to be able to play the
songs well enough to just do it.
We recorded it once, and then
we scrapped that, and then did it
again. And we did it all to a tape
machine, so it was analogue.” “In
my garage,” Marc laughs.
The entire thing, outside of
paying a friend to help mix,
was DIY as well. Nate tells me
they did buy a digital interface
to record, but it didn’t
go so well. “We bought our
digital interface before that,
trying to record just straight
onto the computer, and ended up
stumbling.”
Despite it being a long and messy
experience, though, Mikey sees
it as a learning one. “It was just
a lot about making mistakes and
fucking up and doing shit wrong.
Because that’s the thing, [you
have to] expect to fuck up a lot.
Over and over again.” Marc
sees the benefit of DIY in having
every say in what happens
to your work: “If you want what
you want, you’re gonna fuck up.
Someone else might do a good
029

music
job, but but they’re gonna do
it quick, and it’s gonna be their
way. That’s what we wanted. We
wanted full control.”
As for other advice in being
in the DIY scene, Mikey has
a few insights. “Don’t wait
for anybody or wait to be good
enough. Because I feel like that’s
the biggest thing: people think
that they’re not good enough
or not ready yet. You’re never
gonna be ready, and you’re never
gonna be good enough. The
point it to just start making stuff.
It’s up to you, completely.” Nate
finds the importance in being
resourceful on the small scale.
“Work from where you are, out.
Expand from your community
and where you’re from.”
Especially being from so far
north (about an hour’s drive from
central San Diego), they’ve had
to be resourceful in new ways.
The DIY scene in North County,
while still being quite integrated
with that in central San Diego, is
very much its own thing, Mikey
observes. “The distance is pretty
big, so we’re not going down
there to see shows too often, or
people are coming up here to see
shows, so it’s a little separated. I
feel like there is kind of a lack of
organization.”
He also sees the downfall
in it. “There’s not people
coming out of it and going places,
necessarily. I wish there was
more bands that were taking that
next step and growing past it as
far as professionalism. It’s up to
everybody on their own.” There
is still hope though. “It’s growing
right now, and it just needs more
people to be involved.”
Being so far removed has also
influenced Mikey specifically in
reference to how the album has
turned out. Outside of their own
musical tastes and the jam culture
they’ve found themselves a part
of, driving has moved Mikey to
write songs in reference to that.
“Lately, in the music, we like
a lot of forward-moving, pushing,
propulsive rhythm, and I think
that comes out,” he tells me. “I’ve
always driven a lot, and I live in
Fallbrook, which is far away from
everybody, so I’m always driving.
I’ve always connected that with
music in a way, and a lot of people
and the franticness of living here.”
They project their next album to
come out sometime this spring,
so keep your eyes peeled for that
and a possible music video/single
combo. They’ve also bought a
generator to do some shows in the
desert, as Mikey tells me, so things
are looking pretty cool for Duuns.
030

Left to right: Mark Montez, Mikey
Sykes, Nathan Gentry, Luke Cottrell
031

music
NO
HOPE
KIDS
032

Michael Barrios has been
making music since he
was fifteen, and under
the moniker No Hope Kids for
the majority of that time. Now
21, he’s working on an EP and
his second full-length album
simultaneously.
“The EP is more stripped-back,
ambient-type ballad things, and
the album is fully fleshed-out
arena pop, kind of,” he says.
There isn’t a name for either
yet, but taking a look at his
past album, Our Time Apart, it’ll
be interesting to hear how he
moves forward. All he knows so
far is that it will be eight songs
long, to keep it concise (“every
single second is necessary in
the runtime”), and with a diverse
amount of instruments from
various genres.
“Alternative pop is what I’ve
been doing lately,” he tells me
at our meeting in central San
Diego. “I like to mess with
different genres in each song.
It used to just kind of be myself
with an acoustic guitar, and I’d
play a couple of basic chords
and sing over them, and now
033

music
I’m really into the whole
getting on Logic and just
layering a bunch of shit until I
make something really huge.
So I’ve basically expanded my
instrumentation.”
Michael is also adding in
mostly-unused instruments
in the genre he’s pursuing. “I
get bored playing the same
thing over and over again. The
way I like to create is, every
single song I do, I like to add
one thing that I’ve never done
before. On my last album, I
had a kind of straightforward
eighties synth-pop song, and I
wanted to, in the bridge, add
some tribal drummers, just
because I had never done
it before.” On this upcoming
album, he’s planning on
including “mad trumpets and
shit.”
“Do
whatever
the hell you
want. That’s
kind of the
beauty of
it: there are
no rules.”
As for any advice on
musicians just starting out?
“Do whatever the hell you
want.,” Michael says. “That’s
kind of the beauty of it: there
are no rules.”
Find No Hope Kids’ music on
Bandcamp (nhkband)
034

art
HOLLY
MURPHY
036

Holly Murphy meets me
in Trolley Barn park in
the heart of central San
Diego. She’s an artist who
works mostly with ink
pens and watercolours to
create some impressive
pieces. Still one semester
from her high school
graduation, she speaks with
a thoughtfulness that is
well beyond her time on
the art that’s impressed
me since I first came
across it. Featuring almostabstract
portraits with
vibrant colours, they’re a
provoking bunch that show
great talent and immense
promise in the coming years
of her work. We sat down
to talk numbers versus
individuality in the world
of college applications and
school stress.
“I feel like I kind of see myself
as a number,” Holly explains.
With graduation coming up in
six months, she’s just finished
the application process for
university, and art keeps her
sane by helping separate
herself from the constant
barrage of test scores and
grades she must provide for
applications. “Being able to
be creative kind of makes me
feel like more of an individual,
and gives me kind of more of a
sense of purpose.”
The DIY scene, as she sees
it, benefits everyone the same
way. “For people who are
really into school, it’s a way to
escape from that and be able
to find what makes you an
individual. And for people who
maybe don’t feel like they fit
in at school, it’s another way
to be like, no, I am good at
something. I am talented.
“I feel like if you have bad
grades or whatever, people
just see you as not worth it, or
you don’t work hard, or you’re
lazy, but if you have this other
community, people see
037

something special in you, and
it makes you feel worth it.”
Despite her passion for the
arts, Holly is choosing to
pursue a STEM path at
university, but she has a few
good reasons. “My mom
has always kind of go the
science route,” she tells me
when I ask whether it was
her own choice or not, “but I
definitely enjoy science, it’s
not like I’m being forced or I
don’t want to do it. And I think
that it’s important to go into a
science major, especially in
the world that we’re living in,
especially because of climate
change and all that kind of
stuff. I really would like to make
a difference in that.”
Her choice also comes from
what seems like a common
one: stable living. “Sometimes
I wish that I could just be an art
major, or I could do that kind
of stuff and know that I would
be able to have a secure way
to live.”
038

art
She shows a deep
appreciation for and
dedication to the DIY
scene in which she’s
found great support and
positivity during her years
at San Diego High School.
“Every time I go to an art show,
or to a music show, I always
find people who are just so
genuine and so nice. I’ve
never had anyone be mean to
me, and everyone’s so open to
sharing ideas.”
She finds others in the scene
a great way of boosting
her confidence and finding
constructive criticism of
her work. “I can go to other
artists and I can be inspired
by them, and ask them, “How
did you do this?” or “What are
you doing to make this kind of
art?” So you can always be
inspired, you can always get
good ideas.” Barring even
the building of skill, her own
belief in herself can grow off of
others, and she can do the
same.
“Being able
to be
creative
makes me
feel like
more of an
individual,
and gives
me kind of
more of a
sense of
purpose”
040
Find more of Holly’s art on her
Instagram, @toilettart

“if you
have this
other
community,
people see
something
special in
you, and
it makes
you feel
worth it”

art
Kaelin
Bell
044

Kaelin Bell took me
to a place close to
her heart when I
asked where she wanted to
take portraits. “I chose
the parking structure at
Horton’s Plaza because
when I had my super old
camera, I would go there on
the trolley with a friend, and
we would just stand on the
parking structure at night,
and she would let me take
picture of her, just because
I wanted to mess around
with my camera,” she tells
me. “And that’s kind of how
I figured out that portrait
photography was what I
really wanted to do.
“I feel like every time I go there,
it reminds me of the very first
portraits I ever took, and it’s
nice to just think back on that,
and to look at myself now, and
think about how much I’ve
grown, and how much growth
I still have.”
Kaelin first found solace in
photography in her first few
years of high school. “At a lot
of points in my life, I’ve felt
like I don’t have a lot of the
same skills as other people,”
she tells me as we drive from
the photoshoot location
downtown towards her home
in east county. “I was never
good at sports, I could never
cook, but once I figured
out that I could do photography
and really hone into my
creative side for a living, then
I finally felt that there was
something that I was meant to
do.”
Recently, she’s picked up on
the long-time dream of music
photography, but she started
off small. “I would go around
and take lots of pictures of
my friends, and I never really
thought about it as anything
that was something that I
could make a living out
of eventually, or really
consider myself to be a
photographer. I would just
kind of do it for fun, and
then my friends would
make my pictures their
profile picture on Facebook or
something, and it eventually
just led me down a path of,
okay. This is what I like to do.”
045

art
Kaelin lives in Washington
State now for university, but
San Diego will always hold
a special place in her heart,
specifically because of its DIY
scene.
“Having moved away to a
different area for school
really made me miss a lot of
the different parts of the DIY
scene here that I had come to
love,” she tells me. “From the
graffiti on the walls, to all the
local bands. Without that,
it makes an area hard to
differentiate from another. The
DIY scene is what gives an
area its soul.”
How does one come from the
roots of taking portraits on top
of parking structures. “Just go
for it,” Kaelin suggests. “It’s
really hard, especially it you’re
like me, to not compare
yourself to other people, but
I feel like comparison is the
enemy of creativity. So, just
go out there, and do what you
want to do, even if you are
garbage at it at the beginning.
The only way for you to get
better is to practice.”
“The DIY
scene
is what
gives an
area its
soul”
Find more of Kaelin’s
photography on either of her
Instagram accounts,
@babykaelin and
@kaelinmariephoto
046

“I feel like
comparison
is the enemy
of creativity”

news
Kyla Rain
of Pure
Nowhere
Kyla Rain is a recent seventeen
year old running the San
Diego-local online magazine
Pure Nowhere - both owning and
editing. Just last year, they
expanded their presence into
Europe, and are hoping to
continue with Canada and
Australia. Their tagline, “It’s
Where The Music Takes You,”
may be misleading in that they
are not only a music magazine.
They are a platform for creatives
to be heard, and for that music
(in whatever form it may take) to
make a difference to all who may
experience it.
“I want it to be a space where
people can feel like, if they don’t
have an outlet to be heard, they
can use it and be able to get their
voice out into the world,” she
tells me as we sit at Public Square
Coffee House. “I want to
expose people to artists and
musicians that maybe don’t have
the resources to get their art out
there on a big level.”
Being at the center of it all means
she has the chance to bring
people together to collaborate.
“I have a ton of group chats
with different artists and photographers
and musicians to
come together to plan different
things and collaborate, and they
all end up being friends in the
end.” With the great benefit of
a DIY scene in itself, bringing
those within it closer together is
definitely work we can all hold up
as respectable.
Kyla herself has a high respect
for the effect a DIY scene has
on a community. “I think it
specifically benefits creatives
because it gives them a
chance to express their
creativity in ways that are less
conventional or in ways that you
wouldn’t really get anywhere
else that wasn’t a DIY scene, like
throwing shows and making your
own zines and your own clothing
line. It’s really cool to see what
everyone can do.”
050

Check out Kyla’s magazine on the
website, purenowhere.com, or
their Instagram @purenowhere 051

music
Dennis Moon
& Daniel Cole
of Buddha
Trixie

In June 2017, San Diego rockers Buddha Trixie put
out their first full-length studio album, Stop the Space
Age. Drummer Daniel Cole and guitarist Dennis Moon
chat about the coming year, and about moving away
from where they had their start.
How do you find inspiration
to create music? From what
different sources do you draw
from?
Dennis: It’s my best
artistic outlet, it’s the basis
of our friendship and I don’t
know what else to do with
my time. As far as other
sources I get a ton from movies,
books, paintings, travel and
exploration. Not to mention
conversations that last til 3am
and you lose all sense of
time. Jamming can be a
conversation too. At its best,
it is unconscious but definitely
takes a rapport and a
vocabulary similar to speech.
I guess one of my goals is to
move people.
As a band, what are you
working towards at the
moment?
Daniel: Although we don’t
have many shows lined up as
of now due to school, we’re
currently investing a lot in developing
our live shows. We
want to sound and look the
best we possibly can. Amps,
pedalboards, lights, fog —
the whole 9 yards. We’re also
tossing around the idea of
using projections. We want
our live sets to be cinematic
and life changing, even if
we’re playing house shows
or dive bars. This July we’re
planning on going up the coast
on a tour, and we simply want
to blow the roof off of every
place we hit.
How do you feel being creative
and making art benefits
you? How has it helped you
progress in life and in your art?
Dennis: We feel as though
we have to take this the fur-
053

“We want
to move
music
forward
and be a
catalyst
for our
generation.”

music
thest we can in search of
collective satisfaction and
chasing our vision. We want
to move music forward and be
a catalyst for our generation,
too.
How do you find being in a
DIY scene benefits you as a
creative?
Dennis: As far as how it
benefits us personally it’s huge
just cause it provides us a
circle of people to write
towards and play for who are
appreciative of our endeavors.
“We want
our live
sets to be
cinematic
and life
changing”
“We want our
live sets to be
cinematic and
life changing,
even if we’re
playing house
shows or dive
bars”
Why do you think having a DIY
scene in a community benefits
you?
Daniel: Sometimes it can
be difficult to book at the
limited number of venues
in San Diego, which is why
being involved in the scene
is helpful — you can literally
play in someone’s backyard
for a case of beer, and as long
056

057

music
as there are people there to
listen, it’s just as valid of a
show for us.
How do you think the San
Diego DIY scene is unique to
itself?
Daniel: Although we haven’t
had much experience with
other DIY scenes, San Diego’s
DIY scene seems unique
because it’s so young.
There aren’t that many
viable all ages venues in San
Diego, especially with the Che
being renovated, so many
times house shows will just
be teenage fans DMing
bands to play in their parents’
garages. It makes me feel cool
to finally be invited to high
school parties even though I’m
21.
How has moving away
from the city changed your
connection with it? Your
perspective on it?
Daniel: If anything,
moving away from San Diego
for school has forced
me to realize just how important
of a role the internet
plays in gluing a scene
together. It’s interesting to feel
up to date with what’s going
on in your music scene simply
because you follow the right
Instagram accounts.
“One
of my
goals
is to
move
people.”
Find Buddha Trixie’s music on
their Bandcamp (buddhatrixie)
058

Contents
Under
pressure
A ZINE
Duuns | Gaib Ramirez
| Malls | Savannah
Metcalfe | No Hope
Kids | Holly Murphy
| Kaelin Bell | Pure
Nowhere | buddha
trixie