THE HARD ROCK’N BI-WEEKLY MAGAZINE
#65
INSIDE: 4 BAD ASS CHICKS (AND THE KILLER JOBS THEY DO)
PAISLEY MOYER OF LASTING IMAGE TATTOO, KRISTA JAMES OF KRISTA JAMES PHOTOGRAPHY, ELIZABETH GOOS OF CMJ SURVIVAL GEAR, & RED VALKYRIE OF MISTRESS
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This Is: Paisley AnnA Moyer of Lasting Image Tattoo Interview by Michael Demos We recently sat down with the very talented Paisley Anna Moyer, a local tattoo artist working at Lasting Image Tattoos in Exeter, Pa. Although still young in her field, Paisley has shown an exceptional amount of talent and her portfolio is quickly filling up. We talked with Paisley about her start in tattooing, her favorite styles, and what advice she has for people looking to get some work done. Here’s what she had to say… M.D. PI: Rock and Metal go hand in hand with Tattoos, and we're always looking for new and amazing artists. Your name has come up in quite a many conversations recently. Why are people talking about your work? PM: I honestly feel that the reason people talk about my work is because I am a respectful person. I treat people with the upmost respect, and when it comes to putting something permanent on one’s skin, I put all the effort I can into making it something they will love for the rest of their life. PI: How did you get your start in tattooing? Do you have an artistic background? Did you go to art school? PM: When I was younger I knew that I wanted to have a career that had to do with art. My mom was very artistic and never had the chance to show her ability, so that encouraged me more to find a way to promote my art. I had the opportunity to attend an art school in Lancaster, but turned it down so I could start my career in tattooing. PI: Is it necessary to have a background in art? Do you have to know how to draw to become a tattoo artist? PM: Now a days in the tattooing industry, having artistic talents will take you a long way. Although, being able to do custom work for a client will express your artistic ability, tattooing is nothing like drawing or painting. Sometimes a person can be an amazing artist, but cannot tattoo to save their life. PI: What is your favorite style and why? Do you get to do your favorite style very often? PM: I absolutely love realism, especially drawing eyes. I have always thought eyes were so beautiful and the most interesting feature on a person. Although I have been tattooing for 10 months, I have not been doing too much realistic work. I am still at the start of my career so I am trying to get a feel of different things until I am set on what type of tattoos I will specialize in. (Cont’d)
PI: How did you get your start in your current location? Tell us a little about your apprenticeship. PM: My junior year of high school I took on an internship with Bryan Anastasio, the owner of Lasting Image. I interned for a few months and went by the shop once a week, and it was my way of getting a feel of things. Since then I kept in touch with the owner and the end of my senior year talked about taking on an apprenticeship and well, here I am. With an apprenticeship you are more like the shops pet. You have to clean, organize, break down and set up tattooing areas and talk to customers. But besides that, my first 5 months was all about drawing and learning different things about tattooing. PI: As a tattoo artist, what concerns do you have for people looking to get work done? What advice do you have for them? PM: I advise people to think thoroughly about what they want and to be sure that the artist they choose to go to is capable of satisfying their needs. They also need to realize that you get what you pay for. PI: You must get the chance to meet some very interesting characters. Tell us about somebody that just blew your mind. PM: Oh definitely. Besides tattooing, I am also a piercer and will not forget this one girl who came into the shop. She said I was "cute" which I was fine with, then she just started to hit on me nonstop and asking me some pretty personal questions about my relationships ect‌ Might I add she was straight! So then I thought, damn I must be doing something right! PI: Is tattoo work seasonal? Does it have slow times? If so, what do you do during the slow times? PM: We do have our slow times at the shop. Usually around fall people are preparing for the holidays. During that time I try keeping myself busy by cleaning more and drawing.
sic and drawing.
PI: What personal hobbies do you have? PM: My hobbies usually consist of me watching movies, spending time with my boyfriend, listening to mu(Cont’d)
PI: We know you’re a fan of the heavier music. Who are your favorite bands? Any local band favorites? PM: My favorite bands are Architects, Bring Me The Horizon and Parkway Drive. I actually never got a chance to listen to any local bands. PI: What’s the best concert you’ve been to? PM: Warped Tour 2010 for sure. Being surrounded by a bunch of strangers who were just going crazy and having no care in the world was completely amazing. Even though it was hot and my feet began to bleed, it was well worth it. PI: How would we go about booking you for our next tattoo? PM: Well, come by Lasting Image Tattoos in Exeter and we can work something out! PI: Thanks so much for sitting down with us and giving us a chance to get Plug’d In. PM: Of course! And thank you for this privilege.
www.lastingimagetattoo.com www.facebook.com/paisley.moyer
610-898-1228
This Is: Krista James of Krista James Photography Interview by Michael Demos Krista James…You’ve probably seen her work already. She’s a phenomenal Photographer from Fleetwood, Pa. Krista does some of the best Band Photography in the area. She is very adept at capturing the essence and personalities of the bands she’s working with. While her band photos speak volumes, it doesn’t label her, because Krista has also set herself apart as an amazing Concert and Portrait Photographer. We sat down with Krista and asked her about her unique styling, where her interest in Photography came from, and what sets her apart from today “internet” photographer. Here’s what Krista had to say… M.D. PI: Krista, your Photography looks amazing. Do you have any formal training? Did you go to school for it? KJ: I do. I had three years of Vo-Tech during high school for Photo Imaging and then I continued on to attend Boston University's Center for Digital Imaging Arts, a school that was taught by industry professionals, where I graduated with my Professional Photography Certificate. I’ve also assisted some photographers in my area to gain more insight on the industry. PI: How did you get your start? What interested you? KJ: I actually started when I saw the booklet for my technical schools program, but before that I never really had an interest. I was always really artsy, but I could never draw or anything of that nature, so I figured photography would be a great outlet. PI: What is your favorite type of Photography? KJ: I really enjoy high fashion photography, anything that has a lot of thought into the planning of the photo to the point of almost theatrical. Joshua Hoffine has to be one of my favorite photographers/Photoshop masters. I really love his style and how much thought goes into his concepts. .I also really like High Dynamic Range Photography. (Cont’d)
PI: There are lots of "internet" photographers out there. What sets you apart? KJ: I'm very educated in what I'm doing and I enjoy taking photos to the fullest extent. I'm very passionate, no matter what I am shooting. I always want to be doing something different and that hasn't been done before. PI: What type of equipment do you use? What's your set up look like? KJ: I shoot with a full frame Nikon D700, 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/1.4 prime lenses the majority of the time and when I choose to use flash I work with the Nikon Speedlight system. PI: What type of services do you offer and what type of payments do you accept? KJ: I offer anything from portraiture to band promotional photos to stock photos. I do charge for my work and the price all depends on what I am shooting. If people are interested in having me shoot something, I encourage them to just talk to me. PI: You're very involved in local music. Who are your current favorite local bands? KJ: I’m proud to say I’m a part of the A Scent like Wolves family. I work very closely with them. PI: What interests you so much in Band Photography? KJ: I love the atmosphere and how the stage lights are. I try to incorporate the lighting in my photos as much as possible because that’s the look I prefer. Another reason I am interested in Band Photography is because I love capturing memories for the musicians while they are on stage, so they have photos to look back on. PI: Where would you like to be in the future with your Photography? KJ: I would love to go on tour with a band and capture all the aspects of a tour or I'd like to open up a studio space where I can then expand more on my portrait work. PI: How do you plan on achieving that? KJ: I plan on achieving that by working really hard at my photography and working as much as possible to get the money that I need to be able to (Cont’d)
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get my equipment and/or studio. PI: What have you not accomplished yet, but plan on in the near future? KJ: I’d just love to shoot more bands but not only that, I’d like to do more portraits. PI: Top 3 bands that you would love to photograph if you got the chance? KJ: I would love to shoot Hands like Houses, Attila, and Memphis May Fire. PI: What are your personal hobbies? KJ: I enjoy taking photos in my spare time also. Those are more along the lines of photographic projects that I would like to start. I also like spending time with my close friends and my cat. PI: Thanks so much for sitting down with us and giving us a chance to get Plug'd In KJ: No problem. Thank you for the opportunity!
www.facebook.com/pages/Krista-JamesPhotography/103910686335338
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This Is: Elizabeth Goos of C.M.J. Survival Gear Interview by Michael Demos Now if you guys don’t already know…I love CMJ Survival Gear. I joined the team several months ago and have had a blast the entire time. I take survival preparedness very seriously, so it’s just a good fit for me. My boss Elizabeth Goos is a great person to work for and take it just as serious as I do. I remember when we had our first meeting and she showed me her own personal survival bag. It’s serious! I sat down with Liz to get some of her insight and here’s what she had to say…M.D. PI: Liz, tell us a little bit about CMJ Survival. Is it about the Zombie Apocalypse or the end of the world? LR: CMJ Survival is a little bit of everything. These bags are to help you get through 72 hours of a zombie apocalypse, the end of the world, a blackout, flood, hurricane, tornado, water shortage. Basically any type of disaster, natural or not, where you might have to bunker down in your home, get yourself home, or flee your home. PI: Is it just survival gear or is it weapons? LR: As of right now we only carry survival gear. I’d like to get an FFL license in the future for firearms, but that's way down the line. However if you’re creative, some of our items can be used as weapons. We have a great folding shovel that folds into a large pick so you could defend yourself at close range with that. We're looking into survival tools such as machetes and crossbows to add to items we currently offer. We also test everything before we use it. PI: What types of survival gear do you offer? LR: We offer survival gear to help you indoors, on the move, and for your outdoor destination. All of our bags come in a backpack of some type. It makes our bags easy to grab, easy to recognize, and easy to travel with. We even offer a basic kit in a child's size backpack for super easy mobility and it’s small enough you can keep it in the trunk of your car. Our "CMJ Master" Bag has just about everything you need to make at least 72 hours and comes in a great military canvas bag measuring about 16' x 14' with a 5' wide pocket on each side. It’s super easy to just grab and go! PI: Your CMJ "Master Survival Bag" is packed to the brim with over 193 pieces of equipment. Do I really need all of that? LR: We like to think you might need them all! You may not use them all right away, (Cont’d)
but every item that's in the bag has at least one function and a purpose. There is nothing in these bags that isn't useful. This bag covers all your main needs. Food, Hydration, Shelter, Hygiene, Light, First Aid, and Tools with multiple purposes. With this bag you can hide in the woods, set up camp with a tarp, tent, sleeping bag and blanket, cook yourself a dinner of fish that you caught with our fishing kit (packed in our survival shovel) on our smokeless utility stove, and relax with a game of solitaire by our 30 hour candle. Our tent sets up in under 4 minutes and clean up is just as fast, in case you need to leave in a hurry. PI: How did you decide what to put into your bags? LR: We make sure each essential area is covered including Food, Hydration, Shelter, Hygiene, Light, Communication, First Aid, and Tools. We spent a lot of time searching for the perfect items at a reasonable price. We make sure that it’s something we would use, that each item is personally tried by us, that each item serves at least one extremely useful purpose, and that each item is lightweight and ultra compact. PI: How important is it to have a weapon and what kind do you recommend? LR: I am a weapons fanatic. I think everyone should have at least one. In an emergency situation I will definitely have at least a few firearms, a machete, an a blow gun. I love guns, however, as much as it pains me to say this, ammo is heavy and bulky to carry, which will slow you down and make you a target for someone else. Ideally you should have a plan of how to get to your bug out destination and safely stash some on the way. That process takes some time to figure out. This stresses the need to be prepared. At least have a bag or kit that can keep you mobile and figure it out on the way if you don't have a planned route. I personally recommend at least one handgun, a rifle, a box of ammo for each, and a knife or machete. (PI) Are you stocked up? LR: HELL YES! PI: Your survival bags are all pre-packaged. What happens if I want to add something to your kit? LR: There's some extra room in each of the bags for you to add your own personal items or attach small bags with extra items on the sides or straps with carabiners. PI: What kinds of things are people preparing for? What are you personally concerned about happening? LR: People should be preparing for anything. Blackouts, Floods, and Solar storms were just on the news, government takeover, any possible natural disaster. I personally feel (Cont’d)
terrified of the government. Google some of these terms: American holocaust, FEMA camps, FEMA coffins, Denver airport conspiracy. Tell me it won't keep you up for hours watching it, and then the next day you above and beyond aware of your surroundings. People need to be aware and question everything. Be observant. This election scares the daylights out of me. If they call Marshall Law on guns, people better duck because it will definitely lead to a riot. PI: A lot of people, when they think of a "prepper", they think of a crazy person. Why is that? LR: Because they're scared, ignorant, or both. There's nothing wrong with being able to take care of yourself, your family, and probably the jerk that thought you were crazy when the shit hits the fan. PI: Now you don't just do the survival gear...what else are you involved in? LR: I have my hands in everything. I also own a successful hair salon "It's All the Rage" Hair Designs in Wyomissing PA. In the salon I also have a Pole Fitness and Zumba Fitness studio and we have become independent distributors for IT WORKS! Global. We offer the ridiculously amazing Detox and slimming body wraps. Yes it is possible to lose inches in 45 minutes! They have been an amazing addition to our salon services! PI: You're also a huge hard rock/metal fan too right? Who are some of your favorite bands and why? LR: I am hopelessly in love with Rob Zombie. He's everything i love in music. Horror, rock and shock, amazing shows, grisly voice, a good dose of emotions and f bombs, and always a good story to tell. I also love Marilyn Manson for the same reason. Antichrist Superstar still gives me chills when i listen to it. I do love a lot of different music. I think I own every Wu-Tang cd ever put out, Dmx, Johnny Cash, Battleme, Skrillex, and to really throw people off, Herb Albert and Bert Kempfort. My Daddy loved them, so it was part of my childhood and it helped me get through some rough patches with his passing. PI: You have a huge collection of horror memorabilia. How did you get into collecting? LR: I've always loved the villain, ever since I was a kid. I collected all things Joker. Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson Joker. I loved him! I even had the sneakers. I always loved the Disney villains. The evil witch, Maleficent, Cruela, and Ursula. I still collect stuff from them. In fact I just bought a Maleficent make-up kit that’s ridiculously sick! PI: Who is your favorite horror movie character and why? LR: I'd have to say it’s hard to pick a single favorite character. I'd have to say it’s a tie between Captain Spaulding and Freddy Krueger. They're both horrifically evil, funny, kind of charming, and for me, I think they're cute. I do believe Otis B. Driftwood is gorgeous too. He's hot, funny, evil, and dangerous, and mmmmm just perfect. Also after meeting some of the actors, Kane Hodder (Jason 7,8,9, X) is an amazing character too. Plus Kane's a hoot and he's hot. His burns are real and his true life story is amazing. (Cont’d)
PI: What's next for CMJ Survival Gear? LR: We're looking forward to next Eagle Arms Gun Show, especially the holiday one. Rumor has it someone will be in a Santa suit.... adding some new inventory and considering a vendor table for March Monster Mania. I don't know if I can give up my vacation though. (Laughs) PI: Thanks so much for sitting down with us and giving us a chance to get Plug'd In. LR: Anything for you guys!
www.cmjsurvivalgear.com www.facebook.com/liz.goos
This Is: Red Valkyrie of Mistress Interview by Michael Demos As part of our all girl killer issue, we knew we had to talk to Red Valkyrie of the band Mistress, because she definitely is one bad ass chick! She’s got some killer vocals and carries a beefy stage presence. On top of all that she’s also got a killer brain. Going to college doesn’t leave people much time for free time, let alone being the front woman of a killer metal band. We luckily caught up with Red during her busy schedule and she filled us in on who her favorite female influences are, the direction and goals of her band, and her “craziest” fan story. Here’s what she had to say…M.D. PI: Should we call you Red or Deanna? RV: Neither... I prefer Jared. That’s the name my parents were planning to give me if I was born with boy parts. PI: Excellent. So tell us, you're the front woman for Mistress. How did you get your start with the band? RV: Three billion years ago, I went to Mojo 13 on a humid summer evening to see a friend’s band, Nightfire, for the first time. I was both impressed with the band’s intensity and bummed at my inactivity on the band front. The next day, I posted an ad as a vocalist on Craigslist. Mita, the guitarist and brain behind Mistress, found my ad by chance and emailed me a few tracks. Two weeks later, I auditioned with those two songs and was asked immediately upon finishing “So when can you start?” PI: How did you get your start in music in general? Do you play any instruments? RV: I hail from a musical family. My mom is a concert pianist, organist and vocal director with a Master’s in Music Education. My biological father was a rock ‘n roll drummer before I was even in the womb, so I was in the front row at shows as an embryo. My late uncle Duke, whom I have tattooed on my left wrist, was a diehard metalhead and played a neon yellow Charvel up until he died from cancer at 22. He was in a death metal band and wore a monk’s hood while carrying a stuffed Tickle Me Elmo. They had a friend dress up like a granny that stage-dove with a walker at every show. My stepdad is a guitar teacher who digs the Stones. As for me, I started on piano at age 4, then hand percussion and my dad’s drum kits... at 13 I picked up guitar and have been noodling and shredding away ever since. You can throw bass, cello, bouzouki and harp in there too... I like to diddle on those when the opportunity arises. Vocally, I have training in opera and musical theater, which lead to the whole Rob Halford style nowadays. Maybe all of that explains why I have hearing loss at 25. PI: Obviously metal and hard rock is a male dominated genre. Does this create any
(Cont’d)
problems for you as a woman? RV: Hardly. I don’t even give much thought to that crap. Why play the gender card? It’s music. PI: Okay. Does it have its benefits? RV: I suppose being a gal in a metal band attracts slightly more attention since it is less common, but again, who’s asking? We’re just a damn good band. PI: How hard is the life of a musician? Tell us a little bit about the sacrifices you've made for your music. RV: Time is the ultimate sacrifice, but if you’re trying to get somewhere with your music, it’s not considered a sacrifice- it’s just part of the big picture. I don’t even call it a job... it’s a pleasure. PI: In what direction is Mistress going? What goals do you have as a band that you're trying to accomplish? RV: As high as pie in the sky that can fly. We want the world. We also want a flashy tour bus, but for now I’ll stick with my little Honda. It handles tight curves like a champ. PI: How are you going about trying to achieve those goals? RV: Practice, fine-tuning, getting along with each other, staying on the same page, playing new venues, and returning to stages past to remind them we enjoyed wrecking them before. PI: So what’s been your best “onstage” moment? Do you have any crazy fan or creepy stalker stories for us? RV: I have a few favorites for stage antics... at Club Risque I started a tradition of taking off my pants/shorts/skirt for the last song as a tribute to the tired strippers who have told me they are not sure how to dance to metal. I always have some silly little shorts underneath. For one particular performance, as I was attempting to remove my skirt, my bullet belt caught onto my fishnets and I was stuck up there with my skirt half down, so the two strippers already onstage waltzed over and unhooked everything with a flourish to the loud approval of the crowd. Drunk folks are fun, too: during our headlining set on May 5th for the Damsels of Darkness Tour this year, a burly man who had obviously become friends with too many beers tripped over himself onto our stage area yelling “PLAY SOME SLAYER!” and wouldn’t leave until he was escorted away. As far as stalkers... there have been a handful of individuals who have approached me over the last three years with very strange pickup lines, but the worst was one fella who wrote me novels via Facebook about how I was his “headbangin’ slice of heaven”. PI: What other women musicians or artists do you look up to and why? RV: The greats of ages past: the Wilson sisters from Heart. Annie and Nancy were an unbelievable duo. They’re powerful, emotional, innovative, and always in tune. Lita, Joan and Cherie from the Runaways were a triple threat. Doro Pesch from Warlock was rad as hell, and I had a customer from my store show me a singer with a style similar to hers named Leather Leone. (Cont’d)
Her band was Chastain and they had some catchy riffs. Recently a buddy from Richmond got me into this sick thrash band from a few decades back called Ice Age. All female, all badass... three part harmony vocals at some points that you NEVER hear anymore! PI: Have you had the chance to play onstage with any national acts yet? If so, who? RV: Yes, we have; recently, we shared a stage in Philly with Diemonds (Canada) and did a show with Straight Line Stitch in Trenton. Woe of Tyrants came through Delaware two years ago, which we played; but my absolute favorite, which has been on two occasions, was getting down with Mobile Deathcamp! PI: How was that experience? RV: Todd, Dave and Bo of Mobile Deathcamp are three of the BEST metalheads you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. Sharing a show with them is always a treat... never a dull moment... developed a nasty headache both times from too much fun. PI: Who would you love to share the stage with and why? RV: I’ve made many friends in fantastic bands over the last few years, so when the time comes, I’d be incredibly stoked to play a show or even tour with any of them: Exhumed, Havok, Goatwhore, Dying Fetus, Cerebral Bore, Withered, Cephalic Carnage, and especially Battlecross. They are absolutely blowing up right now and deserve every ounce of it!!!! PI: What are your personal tastes in music? Who do you listen to? RV: I come from a classical background just as much as I do rock ‘n roll... but I think at the moment I listen to more versions of flamenco, samba and capoeira music than anything else. I’ve been on a serious blues kick for about two months as well... plenty of SRV, Bonamassa, Jeff Healey and the like. PI: Who do you listen to that people would be shocked to find about? RV: Whatever I please. Why would anyone be shocked? My chops in metal shouldn’t equate to it being the only genre I care for. Sometimes I even go crazy to a few tunes from the Spice Girls. It’s like being 10 again. I always wanted to meet Scary Spice. Her hair was insane. PI: If you could put together an ultimate tour that Mistress could play on...who would be on the tour and why? (Living or dead artists and bands) RV: If Chuck Schuldiner survived and Vitek from Decapitated was still around, you’d be damn sure that I’d have Death and Decapitated with us, plus Obscura (fabulous dudes all around, great conversationalists), Necrophagist, and hell... Aerosmith. Who am I to worry about keeping it gritty? They’re rock ‘n roll. You can’t say no to Stephen Tyler. He’d probably play harmonica over (Cont’d)
Steffen’s guitar solos. Come to think of it, the tour I’d love would be way too big. It’d end up being another Maryland Death Fest of sorts... but just for sake of humor, let’s put it somewhere obscure and remote, like Montana. Do they have death fests in Montana? PI: What’s next for Mistress? RV: Our second album (release date TBD of course), the Damsels of Darkness Tour 2013, the Warriors of Metal Fest in Ohio following that, and hell... let’s throw in some more strip club shows. Everybody loves those. PI: Thanks so much for sitting down with us and giving us a chance to get Plug'd In. RV: I have actually been squatting, but the pleasure is all mine.
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