July-August by Christina Marie

Jul-Aug 2015

Autumn Sky: The Introvert is OUT.

Adrielyn Christi: Orlando Velez Roger Corman takes The Trip By: Cliff Weimer

Thank you!! To our Generous Donors

and Sacramento Regional Community Foundation

“Alone we’re Artists. Together, we’re Entrepreneurs.”

We raised $1,700 on Big Day of Giving for programs like: Media Mentoring Fashion Challenge INDIEWOODbus TM

www.CapitolINDIECollective.org

Inside INDIEblush Jul-Aug:

44 Cover: Photographer, Christina Marie Model, Autumn Sky

Cover Stories:

Autumn Sky: The Introvert is OUT- The music and the Message By: Christina Marie

Roger Corman, The Trip By: Cliff Weimer

I LOVE Bunny!!

32 8 Thank you for your readership!

by Jim Meyer

ORLANDO VELEZ By: Adrielyn Christi

Heather Underwo od and her World of Fallen Angels Oscar Benjamin

Please direct any questions or comments to our website. Editor-in-Chief/Founder: Christina Marie Co-Founder: Shane Maus Staff photography: Quroscuro Proofing: Kimberly Lucero

In every issue: 64: Regional Wine Maps Plot a “Daycation” Today! 68: Festivals and Deadlines

About Our Contributors for this issue: Christina Marie, Founder, Editor-in-Chief:

Christina Marie is a Writer, Producer, Director, and Actress with over 30 years experience in the entertainment business. She obtained her Theater Arts degree from CSU Sacramento with a Minor in Music. After working on the stage for several professional theaters, she converted to film. She is driven by the INDEPENDENT spirit in film, fashion, wine & food, and the outdoors. When not working, Christina enjoys camping, crafting, regional wine tours, day spas, and spending time with her extended family. Indieblush was co-founded with Shane L. Maus.

Adrielyn Christi, Fashion Editor:

Adrielyn is an obsessed fashion, beauty and music lover. To her, fashion is art, expressed through each designer’s creation. She loves everything about the industry from the clothing to the shoes to the accessories -which is why she loves writing about it. She’s experienced some physical and emotional pain from a car accident several years ago, but has found that writing is now her therapy. This journey helps her meet the most amazing people in the publishing, blogging and photography world. Because of them, she has the opportunity to share her thoughts and experience a whole new different side of life.

Kimberly Lucero, Proofing:

Kimberly likes reading, writing, and long walks on the beach. She enjoys candle lit dinners, piña colada’s, and getting caught in the rain. Art, music, and theatre are top of the list, but she also enjoys cooking, painting, and sensual massages. Snuggling by the fire under a warm blanket and watching old love movies (while proof-reading, of course), Kimberly is a true romantic! The fact that she is “Librarian Hot” is a side effect of proofing INDIEblush.

April Potter, Sales and Marketing

April Pirl Potter has been involved in the Fashion, Arts & Entertainment industry for over 15 years working in film, television, music and fashion in various capacities. She is an Actress, MC, Stylist, Producer, Director, Writer, Videographer, Talent Booker and Promoter of the arts. She is fiercely dedicated to inspiring and connecting to others using media and entertainment as her medium, sharing it through Megatude Media. If she’s not on a production of sorts, April can be found playing out in nature with her two dogs Johnny Cash and Pirl.

Chris Kisela,

Contributing Photographer (Owner of CMYK Photography.) From my beginnings of shooting classic car shows to now, not much has changed. I still have a deep love for photography. When I’m not shooting, you can usually find me outdoors. I enjoy the thrills in life from scuba diving to going on bike rides. In my down time I can cozy up with a good book and a great cup of coffee and spend the day inside. I consider myself very lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people, my friends and family are truly a blessing. Often times while working, I get to collaborate with my talented partner and dance teacher, Christina Day. Some of my favorite moments to photograph are the small ones, the ones that are often times missed while the larger things are going on. I think these are the ones that are unquestionably the most beautiful and extraordinary. My goal as a photographer is to capture your unique moment.

Oscar Benjamin, Music & Film Industry Writer/Photographer:

Oscar has always lived with the idea that an individual should always pursue their dreams and interests to the fullest that they can. This philosophy shaped Oscar’s career and positions he’s held over the span of his adventurous life. Oscar’s been a mobile disk jockey, a truck driver, a commissioned artist, and more. He relishes his current life as a professional photographer and writer who’s documented a number of high profile motion pictures, TVshows, red carpet premieres and numerous other entertainment events. He continues to enliven IndieBLUSH with his first hand tales of the entertainment industry.

David Alvarez, Writer, Photographer (Freelance):

David was born in Los Angeles but has made Sacramento his home for the past 30 years. Some of the events he’s covered this year include Sacramento Fashion Week, Martin Luther King & Cesar Chavez annual marches, The Pacific Rim, Sacramento Horror Film Festival, SacAnime, Sac-Con, Wizard World, Fiesta en la Calle, Concerts in the Park and TBD Fest. Photography is his passion and he enjoys showcasing the talent, places and events Sacramento has to offer. David loves interviewing local artists, models, designers, producers and promoters whose passionate works always make for a good story.

Arlene Barshinger, Media Outreach

Arlene Barshinger is a model, film producer, actress, and photographer. She is half German and half Korean, having been born in Fort Belvoir, VA. She’s been involved in such projects as Fruitvale Station, HBO’s Looking, HP commercials, and worked as an American Express Print Model. She also currently models for INDIEblush Magazine and Hopelessly Romantic.

Cliff Weimer,

Film Historian Clifford Weimer is a Sacramento-based writer and film historian; his website, inthebalcony. com, is celebrating its tenth year, and he also writes a regular column for ClassicFlix.com. He’s contributed bios, documentaries, and other material for numerous DVD releases for various companies, including VCI Entertainment, AC Comics, and others. Some of his work can be found on such DVDs as The Green Hornet, The Phantom Empire, and Buck Rogers.

Do YOU have what it takes to make us INDIEblush?

Send us a sample of your writing, photography, video, or join the sales team! INDIEblush aims to be a competitive magazine in the INDIE market. We need writers who are PASSIONATE about writing and all that is INDIE; photographers who have a unique eye with a knowledge of commercial production; and videographers who get 1 minute journalism. Is that you? email us at indieblush@gmail.com.

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From the Editor:

Thank you for reading our magazine! This Bi-month, we bask in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Summer of Loveâ&#x20AC;?. The Sacramento-Sierra Region becomes a playground of water & mountain sports. For the less physically motivated... the Wineries pour generously; the Bar-b-ques blaze; the fashions get skimpier. Whatever you do, love it! Summer is a time to recreate, relax, and be passionate while the days are long and the nights are warm. This issue we meet Autumn Sky, a musician who personifies love, has a passion for music, and bares her beautiful soul to us. I hope you enjoy! Photog: Stephen Richards MUAH: CM

Do you know of an INDIE who could use coverage? Our mission is to highlight the INDIE films, fashions, wine producers, and more in the Northern CA region and internationally. Please contact us with your story! We also take photo submissions through our site. You may be highlighted on our blog, social media, or in the magazine itself. Thanks again!

~Christina Marie

YOU could be Advertising here. www.INDIEblush.com

Heather Underwo od and her World of Fallen Angels

Oscar Benjamin

The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the noun “art” in the following way: something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings. Works created by artists: paintings, sculptures, etc. that are created to be beautiful or to express important ideas or feelings. The methods and skills used for painting, sculpting, drawing, etc. I had the opportunity to be a witness and experience the power art can and will inevitably have upon those that are in the vicinity of it at the recent Sacramento Toy Expo convention that was held on May 31, 2015. Among the various dealers proudly displaying their many collectable toys and action figures, there stood a striking raven haired woman who had appeared to be taking care of relatively newborn child at first glance. Intuition had signaled to me that something was amiss in the way she went about her mysterious business at the convention. As a reporter and a professional photographer I am able to quickly discern subtle irregularities that most would perhaps not notice and my suspicion had led me to believe that this seemingly “normal” woman may well be hiding a dark secret. Intrigued-I approached her and was immediately astonished and mystified by her “baby” who turned out to be a work of art that in essence could be viewed as a performance piece. The artist’s name turned out to be Heather Underwood and this is her story! In order to understand who is and what drives Heather Underwood as an artist whose art cannot easily be classified, it is best to go back to the beginning of an obvious love and passion that she exhibits. Underwood begins with a pleasant laugh and speaks, “I have been sculpting and painting since I was twelve. I got into character designing which included makeup effects for a while, but I am more into sculpting and the like. I am pretty much a self-taught artist. I made friends with people in the art doll field as well as other character design artist. It is all trial and error and I have wasted a lot of money figuring out my own technique in creating different things.” She continues, “I have networked with people in the horror film industry and I have made fake blood props and stuff like that. I have never done any characters for horror films, but I have had babies in ‘C.S.I. Miami’ and I have had a doll in a recent film about a little boy that was born with no eyes, so they came to me and I did a doll for them. It was pretty interesting!”

I wanted to know more about what I had perceived to be a sub-culture of artists and fans that enjoy the art of capturing babies with an uncanny sense of realism. Heather Underwood provides an explanation as she has seen it. Underwood explains, “It has actually been around since the mid-90’s and it started with women with those Ashton Drake dolls and there were these dolls called ‘La Newborn’ and they would paint them to be more realistic. I found this style of art in 2009 and have been doing it ever since.” Heather further adds, “It was very strenuous for me which is why I started networking to conventions and the horror film industry. I initially steered away from the sub-culture aspect of it because the women who collect some of these dolls can be really stressful!” Underwood clarifies, “a lot of women want commissioned babies. They will pick out the sculpture, hair color and skin complexion. If you are going through something in life and you cannot complete their doll in time, they will post U-Tube videos calling you a scam artist. They are really dramatic people because a lot of them are insecure and have a lot of issues with depression and anxiety. I had to learn that the hard way and I am not an insecure person so people that try to project that onto me is something I don’t put up with.” This led Heather Underwood to make a decision. Heather speaks, “so I kind of left the whole doll community from 2009 to 2013, but just recently got back into it once again.” Heather Underwood’s area of concentration for her art seems to focus on recreating a newborn baby’s appearance and variations on the theme. I asked about this and what attracts her to this kind of art. Heather responds, “I have three kids and I study their birth photos. I mainly do newborn and toddler size, but I have done five years old dolls. If I want to do a monster I will be up all night looking at pictures of lizards and their color schemes! I enjoy going out and getting people’s reactions to my work.” This led to a conversation on the dark side of her art as most would see it. Heather Underwood begins, “I went to go see ‘Child’s Play 3’ on my third birthday and I remember it very well. I have always been a fan of horror and my mom was always very open to allow me to be who I am. I have been a horror fanatic all of my life since I was born. I have always been a big fan of dolls which is actually pretty funny because I just found out that my great grandmother’s on my dad’s side was a doll maker for fifty years!” Heather con-

Left: Artist Heather Underwood in public with one of her creations. Photog: Oscar Benjamin

“It is very time consuming to paint them. My babies tend to have anywhere from forty-five to one hundred layers of paint on them depending on what kind of look I am going for. My newborn human babies will have forty to fifty layers on them. If I want to do a monster it will require a hundred plus layers of detailing. I like to bake them between each and every four layers because the heat sets that paint. The hair is applied with a forty-three gauge needle-one string at a time. I will map it in a realistic pattern so it has a natural crown swirl! I love it!”

Heather Underwood displaying her sense of humor with one of her babies.

tinues, “I started making the horror dolls in 2011 and have been making them ever since. It is what I prefer to make. My favorites are demons.” The process of producing Heather Underwood’s creations is rather complicated and involves many artisans that are based out of their homes. Underwood explains, “I do sculpt, but I don’t produce my babies as other artists do. I sell them as one of kind clay babies. They start off as a sculpture and many of them are produced in limited quantities which are my favorite. There are all different kinds of vinyl-German and Chinese. We do not send our sculptures to China anymore because we have found that they are reproducing our kits without our permission.” Heather further clarifies, “there are certain people that make them into the vinyl or silicone final product out of the molds. Everything is done in other people’s houses and not at a factory. I think that makes them that much more special.” The final element that will essentially make or break the realism of these babies is how they are painted. Heather Underwood states,

The most obvious question would be that of why Heather Underwood has chosen to channel her abilities on what many may consider to be controversial. Underwood speaks, “there is just nothing quite like the innocence of a child. For me it really brings out your maternal instincts when you hold them, they are weighted and life-like and you just say oh.” Heather’s sense of humor creeps in as she states, “they don’t cry, they don’t whine, they don’t poop and they don’t throw up! You can leave it there sitting naked in the corner and it won’t die! It won’t grow up with a happy college fund.” She adds, “I like to study a lot of scripture too. I am obsessed with learning ancient Hebrew scripture, Greek and Norse mythology and demonism. I like to incorporate a lot of that into my work. There is something so innocent and creepy about a little demon baby which is very cool.” I had the dubious experience of being vilified for posting on Facebook a particular image of a female cosplayer essaying the role of the comic book character, Deadpool holding one of Heather Underwood’s creations upside down near the snack bar at the aforementioned Sacramento Toy Expo. There can be no doubt that Heather’s creations spark outrage and a wide amount of other emotional reactions. Un-

derwood comments, “I think that people attack things that they don’t understand. They feel like it is a something different and they are just not open minded about it. I faced scrutiny from my family members who think I am just so crazy because I am determined to make something of myself and my art. My own grandmother took a look at one of my images and told me that I look like a murderer of innocence!” Much to her credit, Heather Underwood has not let such comments and opinions affect her. Heather speaks, “I am a creepy person and that is just who I am. I don’t expect you to like it, understand it or follow my work. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and I have faced a lot of that in the seven or eight years I have been making them. I definitely do not have a lack of compassion towards infants. I actually have a very deep compassion for infants and children. I am a very maternal person, but I also like babies on the other side.” The looks that I had witnessed at the con seem to continue to inspire Heather Underwood. Underwood also seems to be part of an art tradition that began in the fifties known as “happenings”. Happenings are events created by artists and unleashed upon on an unsuspecting public. It is this format that Heather’s babies will inevitably cause somewhat of a commotion. Heather speaks, “a lot of people always ask me if I treat them like they are real. People think I am this delusional person that lives in a fantasy world playing with this baby. I actually bring them out to get reactions and I don’t play with my dolls like they are real. I feel like it adds to the realism when you are holding them like they are real. I do have a stroller that sometimes I take a baby to a mall to get people’s reactions.” Heather continues, “From late

The controversial image that caused Facebook to investigate writer and photographer, Oscar Benjamin.

August to early November is when I bring the monsters out in public. I actually get much better reactions from them then I do the human babies. The fact that ‘The Walking Dead’ and Sci-Fi is so popular I think that people are more open minded towards the monsters than the human babies which I find kind of funny.” One of the most positive aspects of art is that there is therapeutic benefit that can be gained from it-whether it is as a practitioner or as an admirer. Heather Underwood comments on the soothing aspects of her art. Heather speaks, “People like to do box opening videos on You-Tube when they open up the boxes that contain the dolls. People will send me the videos and I have had the opportunity to be on the phone with some of my clients when they open up the boxes. It is a very special thing and it is a very rewarding experience. I think with some people it is an instant gratification kind of thing where they get this new baby and actually nest for it. Some people buy cribs, cradles and things. I have shipped my dolls

Above: One of Heather Underwood’s demonic babies. Right: A baby in construction before painting and assembly. Photos by Heather Underwood.

all over the world and I have made over 300 of them. I have babies in Australia, Russia and just about everywhere except for Asia.” What may the future hold for Heather Underwood and what are her true aspirations? Heather Underwood concludes, “I want the dolls to lead me into special effects for films. I sculpt, I do props and I can do prosthetics and can work silicone and other stuff”. Heather continues with a laugh, “I can transform a person into something creepy”! If you wish to find out more and perhaps order your own unique one of a kind baby, follow the link athttp://www.theimmortalchild.com/

#DYSPHORIA

A CMmedia/Quroscuro Collaboration

Summer Art Salons: See #DYSPHORIA up close and personal! Help us get to the GLOBAL STAGE at Burning Man: www.CapitolINDIEcollective.org www.dysphoriaproject.org www.quroscuro.com

Bunny!!

and friends because she was back-stage waiting to walk the run-way with the other models who were displaying the fashions of the amazing local designer “Hill Tribe.”

When the event was over, Stewart stayed to sign From the moment one meets the bubbly blonde dozens of posters that she gave away. Bunny loves actress, model, make-up artist that is Bunny Stew- to give autographs with the silver sharpie she art, you might start to think that you have known always keeps on hand for live appearances. her all your life. Bunny uses her unassuming, friendly personality Her sparkling personality, infectious smile and to her advantage. When meeting her, you will happy giggle put you on notice that this is not remember her professionalism and want to keep your average entertainer. This is someone who in touch with the woman who is constantly maryou could easily call “friend.” keting herself in a low-key way, using social media such as pinterest, facebook and instagram. If you meet her on a photo shoot, the set of an independent film or at a fashion show, eventually Bunny goes the extra mile in everything she does, you are going to hear the words “I love Bunny,” even with her business card. When asked for her from someone nearby, or maybe you accidentally contact information, Stewart whips out her postutter the phrase yourself. card size business card which includes photos from various photographers along with QR codes In a world full of back-stabbing , spiteful, angry which can be scanned by your smart phone so people clawing their way to the top, Bunny has you can keep in touch with the young woman via decided to approach the entertainment world various social media web-pages. with a gentle, laid-back, yet professional attitude. Today it seems to be paying off and Bunny is When asked for advice about how to break into working constantly, but it wasn’t always that way. the world of modeling in Northern California, she advises that a new model must first build a portWhen Bunny moved to Sacramento from Michfolio with a handful of photographers who are igan, she was repeatedly told that her look was professional and have different styles. “Be willing not in demand here. But Bunny ignored those to work for free as you establish your name,” she who told her to change as she embraced her advises. “Marilyn Monroe “ look and pushed forward, refusing to cow-tow to the “experts” and now her She advocates starting a Model Mayhem page phone is ringing off the hook. which is free. There you can share a limited number of photos with other people in the industry Because Bunny is not one to brag about her acand you can add to your portfolio at a reasonable complishments, most would be surprised to hear cost. about all the things she does. Recently, Stewart added film producer to her resume. While most Stewart advises caution as there are many scamfilmmakers struggle for years to get their work mers who troll through Model Mayhem looking into festivals, Bunny’s first production, a short film for innocent models with big dreams who somecalled “Bunny & Claude: An Eye For an Eye” was times are all too willing to believe anything. Bunaccepted into the Sacramento International Film ny says, “If an offer seems too good to be true, it Festival’s, “Fashion on Film”category. usually is.” Stewart’s film was extremely well received by the crowd, but she could not watch it with her fans

She insists on bringing an escort to any photo shoot with a photographer she has never met

before and if the photographer resists this request, she moves on. “I’ve heard plenty of horror stories about girls who were not careful and I have no intention of being one of them.” Most of the work Bunny gets today is through referrals from other people in the industry of whom she has worked with in the past or people she has connected with via social media over the past few years. Her acting role in the film, “Predatory Lender,” directed by Vert Wright came about when she was referred to the film as a make-up artist. An LA actress who had agreed to act in the film somehow did not understand how far Sacramento was from LA and backed out.

Bunny auditioned for the part of model/actress Judy Bellows who gets into a boxing match with another model/actress. Bunny also recruited her friend and Playboy Playmate, Heather Rene Smith, to audition too. Bunny and Heather each auditioned for the parts of Julie and Lindy , Julie being the bigger role. The two ladies had to show off their boxing and acting skills while dressed in provocative outfits. They had to look good, fight and deliver several pages of dialogue while jumping around, punching and trying not to break a sweat. Bunny landed the role of Julie who is stalked by the film’s villain, Luke, the evil lender. At the red carpet gala for “Predatory Lender” held recently, Stewart’s acting incited one of the largest audience reactions as she confronted Luke who had been very successful up until that moment as he abused other female characters. The filmmakers are courting distributors now, so you will have to wait to see Bunny’s amazing performance. Today, Bunny is hard at work as a member of the burlesque troupe called the “Frack Girls.” The troupe has plans of taking their show to a mining town in North Dakota which will be the center piece of a reality show . The producers of the show have no distribution as of this writing but are very enthusiastic as they are consulting with one of Northern California’s most successful TV producers, Doug Stanley, who is one of the producers of Emmy Award winning reality show “The Deadliest Catch”, one of the most popular shows of its kind on TV today. Because Bunny’s goals are lofty and her time is valuable, she must choose her projects wisely and finds herself saying “no” to requests every day. She hates to disappoint the many photographers , filmmakers and designers who contact her, but “My family comes first, then good quality projects with people who have the same passion that I have to succeed. If I can’t be involved I always try to help connect creative people I know who I believe would be a good match. It’s nice to try to help others achieve their goals as I am not in competition with anyone except myself.” While Bunny and Sacramento took a while to get on the same wavelength, the model, actress, makeup artist and producer calls Sacramento home and says “I have fallen in love with Sacramento. It’s where I found the man of my dreams and I’m here to stay.”

Bunny is married to Michael Stewart, the bass player for the local rock group “Ostrich Theory” which, thanks to Bunny, has been featured in several independent films recently and who’s unique sound and great determination are gaining them more fans every day. While it’s easy to ask most entertainers to sing their own praises, this writer had an easier time tracking down those who love working with the platinum haired beauty and asking them for their feedback. The very popular, award-winning photographer from Antelope, CA, Yancy Menzoda, who turns down women constantly who wish to shoot with him says: “Bunny is a classic beauty for the modern age.” Five-time world champion kick-boxer, Robert Parham, who is producing the film,“Bullet’s Blades and Blood, ” says: “Bunny is always a pleasure to work with. I love it when she’s on set!”

extras also and is an incredible inspiration.” Laura Bendixsen has had a long successful career in the entertainment industry. She cast Bunny in her TV show “Is it normal or not” and hired Bunny for her amazing make-up work in the show “Dateless.” She says: “Bunny is a dear friend, one who would do anything to help. She is witty, kind, talented and an amazing make-up artist. I absolutely adore her!” Executive Director of the California Film Foundation, Martin Anaya says, “Bunny is an awesome talent and superb person. She has modeled and acted in our Fashion On Film program and continues to lead the way in our region, a true role model. “ Local fashion designer Rory Castillo has had the privilege to work with Bunny as a model, showcasing his designs on the fashion runway, “ Dynamic is too weak a word to describe Miss Bunny, a picture perfect pinup girl “

When Bunny is acting and producing, she is smart enough not to try to do too much multi-talking Bunny not only was the make-up artist for Parat once and for “Bunny & Claude”, she employed ham, but she also plays the part of a make-up the superb talents of make-up artist Genavieve artist in the film. Gibson who says: “I had the privilege of working with the talented Bunny Stewart on the set Perfectionist , Vert Wright, director of Predatory of “Bunny & Claude”. She is professional, kind Lender says, “Bunny is one of the hardest working and just as talented in her acting as she is in her and most talented actresses that I have ever had make-up artist skills. It would be a joy to work the pleasure of working with. One of a kind with a with her again!” real screen presence.” Associate producer, Alison Bolton says, “Bunny Photographer Richard Rendon has worked with is such a wonderful joy to work with! She has a hundreds of the most beautiful women in his great attitude about being an actress, and what it business: “Bunny Stewart is a photographers takes to be in the movie and stage industries and dream. She has everything a visual artist looks does not let it ruffle her feathers!!” for, including physical beauty, and innate sense of presenting herself. She understands all the aspects of photography, from the point of view of both sides of the camera. Best of all, it’s a real pleasure to know and work with her.”

Sacramento’s funniest comedienne, Laurelle Martin, has worked with Bunny on numerous projects and co-stars in “Bunny & Claude.” Laurelle took no time at all to blurt this out about Bunny : “ She kept the virtually uncontrollable Jim Meyer in line which isn’t easy to do. She coordinated the

So maybe you are a film producer, photographer or clothing designer and you are still not ready to zealously blurt out the phrase, “I love Bunny!” Maybe you need to meet her in person and ask her for a silver sharpie autograph as her sparkling aura mesmerizes you. Chances are that when you read this Bunny will be making a live appearance somewhere within the next couple of weeks and you will get the chance to see what all the fuss is about.

The best thing to do is find Bunny on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or whatever other platform pops up in the future. But beware, Bunny does not spend time “private messaging” people she does not know, especially men. Bunny says, “If you are looking for a romantic relationship with me, that’s not going to happen. In that category I am booked for life. But if you want to book me for legitimate, entertainment purposes, I would love to talk to you and do more than just show up to act, model or do make-up, I am interested in doing my best and helping you achieve your goals and if that is what you are looking to do, then reaching me is pretty easy. What’s next for Bunny? The big event on the horizon is the completion of the movie. “Jackson Bolt” Starring 70’s action star Fred Williamson. In this amazing action thriller, made in Northern California, Stewart plays the part of an evil doctor who assists a crime lord as he tries to fix a kick-boxing fight. While Bunny has been hired for TV shows such as “Sex Sent Me to the Slammer,” and the movie “The Story of Eva” for her long blonde hair and intoxicating sex appeal, she is thrilled to be playing a short haired, spectacled doctor who’s costume conceals many of her assets, forcing her to rely on her acting ability. “This is the kind of part I have always wanted to play and I can’t wait. “ Bunny gushes as she relives the experience of working on the set of “Bolt” as a make-up artist. “To be able to work with a legend like Mr. Williamson was a true honor. I could not believe how kind and down-to earth he was. I really hope we can work together again. Things went so well, there is already talk of a “Jackson Bolt “ sequel.” You have a number of choices when looking for Bunny, here are some of the ways. www.facebook.com/bunny.carley?fref=ts www.ModelMayhem.Com/BunnyStewart www.frackgirlstv.com/ www.pinterest.com/bstewart3695/ www.youtube.com/channel/UCHJiehR-3mvO6y_sAv95g0Q https://plus.google.com/+BunnyStewart/posts bunnycarley@gmail.com http://bunnystewart.tumblr.com https://twitter.com/bunnycarley www.imdb.com/name/nm5459786/

And once you meet her, tell me how long it was before you heard yourself or someone else saying, “I love Bunny! “

Roger Corman takes The Trip

reservations (they’d later meddle with Corman’s finished product), so long as the film wasn’t interpreted as being “Listen to the SOUND of LOVE! Feel purple! Taste green!” – pro-drugs. Corman felt neither pro nor con about it, and from the promotional material for Roger Corman’s The Trip. so decided as part of his own education as a filmmaker, he should read everything he could. He decided after familiar1966, and American-International Pictures was at a crossizing himself with the writings of Timothy Leary to actually road: the popular Beach Party series with Annette Funicel- take an LSD trip. Now THERE’S a filmmaker preparing for a lo and Frankie Avalon had run out of steam, and reliable project! director Roger Corman, who’d made eight profitable Edgar Allan Poe films for the studio in only five years (including Lysergic acid diethylamide was first synthesized by a Swiss The House of Usher and Masque of the Red Death), was chemist in 1938, and its properties as an hallucinogenic bored and balking at continuing that series. The studio had were quickly identified. The CIA used it in the 1950s on been founded in the mid-1950s to distribute independent Army personnel in an attempt to create a mind-control films; their very first drug; by the release, in fact, was 1960s, as young the original version people began of The Fast and using it as a the Furious (1954). recreational They quickly found substance, the a niche producing government low-budget films banned it. Corfor the massive man and friends baby-boomer trade; went to Big Sur the 1950s belonged for their trip, to teenagers, and and scheduled the studio gave the activity with them what they precision timing wanted to see in so that there’d the Passion Pit always be part drive-ins of the of the group ‘50s: monsters (I sober onsite in Was a Teenage case of bad trips or danger. Corman himself later said he Werewolf; The Amazing Colossal Man), rock ‘n’ roll (Shake, spent seven hours on his face, staring through the earth’s Rattle and Rock; Rock All Night) and rebellious youth (Mocrust at the wonders therein. torcycle Gang; The Cool and the Crazy). Filming a trip By the mid-1960s, though, with youth culture more reflecting Vietnam, drugs, and psychedelic images than clean-cut Experienced as he now was, Corman first turned to his kids dancing to surf music on the beach, AIP was flounusual screenwriter, Charles Griffith (Attack of the Crab dering a bit, until a 1965 Life magazine article about the Monsters, The Little Shop of Horrors) for The Trip but was Hell’s Angels motorcycle club provided a clue at a possible unsatisfied with the result. At this point, Corman’s low-budgoldmine for the studio. Corman, who’d been studio-bound get expertise (“genius” may be too strong a word, or may for too long, jumped at the chance to film outdoors, and not) kicked in: Corman knew Jack Nicholson’s acting career learned to handle a chopper so he could ride with the had stalled and that Jack (a) had stepped in to rewrite Hell’s Angels of Venice, California to prepare for the making scenes, without credit, in earlier Corman films, (b) was of The Wild Angels (1966). Most fortuitously, he also cast tuned in to youth culture; and perhaps most importantly, young actors Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in the picture (c) worked cheap. Nicholson jumped at the chance, but (Corman, himself, was a youthful 40) and, with the suchis script was too long and involved: “It was a $50 million cess of that picture, the studio asked for another picture dollar film, and we never could have got it made,” Corman with Hopper and Fonda. Roger, though, wasn’t anxious said. “I had to give some symbolic version of the images to do another motorcycle film: instead, he wanted to do and stay within our three-week schedule and a budget that the first feature film about LSD: The Trip. “More and more was about $300,000.” Nicholson spent a few days on-set, films were being made independently, and independent ensuring that the props, posters, and background art was [filmmakers] understood the beat of people more than the as he envisioned it, despite the film’s budget. Fonda and bureaucracies of the major studios,” Corman later remem- Hopper were back, joined by Susan Strasberg as Fonda’s bered. wife; as their marriage falls apart, Fonda – a director of TV commercials who feels creatively frustrated – decides to try Studio heads Jim Nicholson and Sam Arkoff agreed, with

LSD with the help of pal Bruce Dern. The bulk of the film is then Fonda’s trip, as he’s chased by demons dressed in black, encounters a beautiful woman in a laundromat while listening to the washing machines, and experiences a wealth of light and crystal liquid images (many of which are projected on nude dancers with go-go body paint). Young cameraman Allen Daviau was tasked with filming a cross between avant-garde and just plain weird while still keeping the film watchable, all on a miniscule effects budget using special lenses, strobe lights, and much post-production artistic cutting. American Cinematographer did an article on the groundbreaking psychedelic effects in the film, and Daviau went on to serve as Director of Photography for such films as E.T. and The Color Purple, yet another Roger Corman indie success story. While much of the cast was comfortable in the drug culture, Bruce Dern – an Olympic-level runner at that time – says he was not. Studying the script, he later remembered, ““I said to myself this is not for me. I’m gonna have to be an ACTOR here.” In fact, he’s the only member of the cast not shown taking a drag of pot in the film’s most famous scene, a 360 degree drug use shot later parodied (nearly weekly) on That 70s Show. The completed film raised hackles with the AIP heads; they thought by being neutral and not specifically anti-drugs, LSD use was being condoned. They added opening narration and scrolled warning on the dangers of drugs, and a “broken mirror” shot at the end of the film to represent Fonda’s shattered psyche. (They did, however, leave in the female full-frontal nudity, a first for an AIP picture.) Released in that glorious Summer of Love in 1967, The Trip – with an appropriately groovy score by The Electric Flag – grossed more than six million dollars. “The reason audiences came in such

large numbers was so the curious could take an LSD experience without taking it,” Corman thought. Postscript With the success of The Trip, American-International Pictures wanted a quickie follow up, and Fonda and Hopper wrote a script for another motorcycle picture to co-star themselves and Bruce Dern. There was only one holdup: Hopper was insisting on directing the film himself, at which AIP balked. (The studio also didn’t care for the film’s downbeat ending, and insisted that it be changed). Hopper and Fonda took their script to Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, whose Raybert production company had just made a fortune doing The Monkees for NBC-TV and who were looking for feature productions. They agreed to produce the film so long as their pal Jack Nicholson replaced Dern; the result, Easy Rider, was the highest-grossing indie film made to that time, with a box-office gross of $60 million. AIP had missed out on that goldmine, so give Corman much leeway to create another youth-oriented film for the studio. He gave them Gas-s-s-s (1969), a surreal comedy in which an accidental nerve-gas leak kills everyone over the age of 25, leaving the young and restless to rule the world. Gathering a talented cast of then-unknowns who’d go on to big things, including Cindy Williams, Ben Vereen, and Talia Shire, Corman was sure he had a big hit: but AIP, nervous about the subject matter, made editorial cuts without consulting Roger. Furious, Corman set up his own distribution company, New World Pictures, and ended his 15-year-long association with American-International. And thus the ‘60s ended.

a state of unease This is the CONTROVERSERAIL IMAGE

that

started it all.

Craig Fouts, celebrated photographer and master editor, made a bold decision in posing nude in order to empathise more with the subjects he shoots. The story begins when he posted this image on Facebook, baring his soul to his â&#x20AC;&#x153;Friendsâ&#x20AC;?. The un-edited excerpt on the next page contans just a few statements made.

dys·pho·ri·a

Psychiatry noun: dysphoria a state of unease or generalized dissatisfaction with life.

Who has Dysphoria? Every day we are marketed and advertised to in a fashion that makes us feel lesser about ourselves so that we will buy a product. These products include (but are not limited to)clothing, cosmetics, dietary supplements, prescription drugs, surgery, food, and beverages.

Brands depend on us having a “problem”, so that they can sell us a “solution”. Quroscuro, CMmedia, and the community partners feel that we are happy just the way we are. We celebrate our bodies. We defy myths. We stand up for change.

The participants in #DYSPHORIA are Euphoric. We are ecstatic to have a platform for education on the 3 main genetic body types. We aim to spread awareness on Body Dysphoria and hope to cut off peer pressure and bullying tactics before any more people obtain Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).

BDD sufferers are 49% Male and 51% Female. This affects us all.

Alex: Artist to artist. You need to drink more beer and eat! David: THAT IS SICK AND NOT RIGHT. The idiot who posted this is obviously fucked up in the head. I’d rather CHUNKY DUNK any time than go skeleton shagging give me something I know I am cuddling Paula Belfon xxxx David: Nina yes you are right you don’t know me so don’t judge me. Like I haven’t judged you thank you. “FREE SPEECH” and all that fajizzle Ellen: I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions but that was harsh and unnecessary. David: All I’m saying is that skinny female models get slagged off for portraying themselves like that so why is it acceptable for male models to do it? Darren: David, for a man who immediately called my Business Partner “sick and not right” & name called him for posting this image, you’ve got a lot of nerve claiming we can’t respond to your ignorant commentary. Just as you have the “freedom of speech” Son, so do we...it’s a two way freeway. When people utter stupid sh!t like “you don’t know me, so don’t judge me” it is indicative of one of 3 things: 1. You have no valid argument 2 you are too lazy to argue further or 3 you know you are wrong. Funny how you judged the fuck out of Craig, yet you pull that super- hypocritical statement. As far as Neener is concerned, she is waking up on her beachside estate in Hawaii with a big fat grin on her face, lovin her life. I have a similar taste in women that you do David, I love curves on the female I am with....but I don’t rip those with other tastes. David: I’m not hiding from the fact what my point is that there is to much of this wafer thin models showing on tv it gives the wrong impression Darren: True, yet Humans aren’t robots, self esteem is a great thing for individuals to have. Most people realize that not all people have the same taste and become happy with the package they’ve got. Craig eats 3 to 5 meals a day. His Dad didn’t “fill out” til age 40, it’s genetic. His metabolism is off the charts. I’m not a fan of waifs (Kate Moss, etc) I am more of a “baby got back, Sir Mix Alot video” variety. Peace. Noah: Craig Fouts bro you need to eat more habit burger, carls jr, dickys BBQ, etc,etc...you look like an extra on a “Tool” video! Lol Christina Marie: Read through thread again (because it got me going) for those of you judging Craig Fouts, I have this for you: If you think skinny = bad or negative, STOP FUCKING BUYING IT. Turn off your TV, don’t buy the magazines, don’t buy ANY product that uses skinny images to market the product. PERIOD. Then write a letter to the Magazine/Advertiser and simply state I do not and will not purchase anything marketed this way. You can make a difference that way. BUT DON’T rest back on your laurels and judge individuals for simply having a different body type. It’s called being an Ectomorph. GET OVER IT

Four successful years of creating couture in 10 days with unexpected materials: Newspaper Couture, Fashion Pairings, Poe Couture, and TRASHION. Your generous donations will fund this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenge. What secret materials will there be this year?

Orlando Velez:

A Man & The Mission

Model: Orlando Velez MUA: MariaNoel Bagnulo/Makeup by MariaNoel Hair: Adielyn Christi Stylist/Coordinator: Adrielyn Christi Photographer: Chris Kisela/CMYK Photography Car by : Friscasso Jewelry: Friscasso (both pages)

By: Adrielyn Christi

The city of San Francisco is known for many things; for the art, the shopping, fisherman’s wharf and the culture. San Francisco is such a big city with various classifications of neighborhoods that draw tourists because of their lively culture. You have Japan Town, China Town, Little Italy and then there’s the Mission District. The Mission District is alive and well with the Latino culture with vivacious graffiti art and of course Hispanic food. But that’s not all you’ll find in the Mission District. The people who live there strive to keep the culture alive by either the food, events or the arts. Along with the culture and arts, The Mission District is also known for the gang violence, murder an drug dealing. Within these gang members, there are those who want to leave that gang style life. They want to better themselves and make something of themselves. I had the opportunity to interview one of these former Latino gang members who changed his life for the better and went on to create custom jewelry and clothes for some of the bay area’s biggest hip hop artist; Orlando Velez. I sat down with Orlando and talked to him about his past and what it took to get to where he is today along with where he sees his future:

Adrielyn: Orlando, tell me a little bit about your history in the Mission District! Orlando: I spent a lot of my time on 24th St in the San Francisco Mission District, which is one of Northern California’s biggest and most well known and violent gang neighborhoods. At that time I was in the middle of it every day and night. Imagine 10-15 yr olds, barely teenage gang members alongside older 30-40 year old gang members spread out on every corner up and down 24th St selling crack cocaine, getting high, drunk, robbing people etc. That’s how the neighborhood was every day and night. It’s all online about this neighborhood. Adrielyn: What inspired you to start drawing and the desire to leave that lifestyle behind? Orlando: I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, I’m very artistic. I would be failing all my regular school class and getting A’s in art class. It wasn’t until 98/99 that I got into shirt printing. From all this negative came the good that helped me change my life.

Model: Whitney Romo MUA: MariaNoel Bagnulo/Makeup by MariaNoel Hair: Adielyn Christi Stylist/Coordinator: Adrielyn Christi Photographer: Chris Kisela/CMYK Photography Car by : Friscasso Jewelry: Friscasso

One day some local home girls from a gang known as Bryant St Locos knew I used to draw and I don’t remember how it came up but they told me about a free class a block away on 25th and Mission. They said the class was for teenagers and preteens that were in trouble, who were in and out of jail and in jail programs. The class taught you how to make t- shirts. My whole life I never had any intentions of making t-shirts and I never thought about it, but then I decided to go check it out and talk to the people. The name of the Art studio was “Estudio Ollin” ran by a community organization called “Instituto Familiar de la raza” They agreed to let me in. So I went and started taking the classes and started out printing paper and stickers to learn the entire process. As time went by I became hooked. I don’t remember how much time went by but I started making neighborhood “Mission” and “Frisco” shirts and started selling them in the neighborhood. So I started spending a lot of time there, I’d go to school which was two blocks away, ditch school and go to 24th St and hang out, go back to school for a little bit and then go back to 24th St after school, then later in

the day I would go to the art studio and take the shirt class. Adrielyn: So when did you decide to venture out to do this on your own? Orlando: Little by little I started to invest and buy my own print equipment, I started hitting up all the local stores up and own 24th St and mission St and putting my shirts up for sale in the stores. By the time I was 18 I owned my own basic print shop, I purchased a 4 color 1 station silk screen machine. Adrielyn: When did jewelry come into play? Orlando: Maybe about a year after the printing I decided to check out the jewelry class which they also had in the same building. To teach me basic cutting, stamping, soldering, and polishing they started me out making 30 brass buttons. It was boring but I still did it, I figured I had to get past that to get to the good stuff. As time went by and I had some gold saved up and

Model: Charlie B Good Model: Ariana Christi MUA: MariaNoel Bagnulo/ Makeup by MariaNoel Hair: Adielyn Christi Stylist/Coordinator: Adrielyn Christi Photographer: Chris Kisela/CMYK Photography Car by : Friscasso Jewelry: Friscasso

thats when I brought it in and I made myself a solid gold SF Giants earring. After that it was on, I started making “Mission” “415” “Mob” “650” and other styles of earrings and mass producing them in gold and selling them to everybody in the neighborhood. Next thing you know I started getting request for custom earrings. Adrielyn: How did that make you feel? Orlando: Instead of just negative influences selling dope I now had some positive stuff in my life to put my time into and help me get legal money. As well as selling my shirts and jewelry in local stores all through the mission I also started doing events like Carnival, Bernal Heights festival on the hill, and car shows from San Francisco to San Jose, Hollister, Salinas, etc. It felt good. Adrielyn: So did all this continue for you? What was your next step?

Orlando: After a few stints of up and downs, I was still doing events and traveling all through northern Cali to as far as LA, San Diego, New York. A friend of mine came over one day and told me about a couple people who opened up their own stores in a building on Mission and Geneva and mentioned there was another room available. I went and checked it out and hollered at everybody in the building and got the info for the landlord. From there it was on; I was motivated. I went home and I started going through all my electronics and anything that I had to sell. I was on a mission to come up with the down payment to get the shop. I don’t remember how, but I pulled it off. So I opened up the store and just exercised everything I could from printing shirts, to taking custom jewelry orders in the store. I was tattooing people after hours and when I closed the store, I took it upon myself to try and teach myself how to use the airbrush gun so I can take custom orders airbrushing shirts, shoes, jackets etc. Time went by and things were going pretty smooth, I had magazines in the store, CDs from a lot of the Bay Area’s biggest local artist, as well as all my jewelry, and

t -shirts. Things took a turn for the worst family wise and my mind wasn’t there and lost interest and began to care less and less of being straight. I started hanging out with some people who had me constantly in the mix around the influences of lots of drugs, lots of alcohol, lots of ecstasy, cocaïne and I just ended up getting caught up in the lifestyle. Adrielyn: Did you eventually change? Was there anything that made you want to get out of that lifestyle? Orlando: I ended up getting in touch with a friend from high school and he had his own construction/maintenance business going on so he decided give me a job. He let me stay on his couch and I would go to work with him making tax free money. I would just hustle everything I could and work with him job after job sometimes working 10-12 hour days. I started to do good with my hustling, working with him and I pulled my print shop and jewelry shop equipment out of storage and set it up in his garage. I got myself together and started doing jewelry orders, printing shirts, getting shirts back in stores and slowly starting to build and I was motivated again. 2 yrs later, that’s when things were slowly coming back together and I got my first website www. THEMACOFALLTRADES.com. After that I set up my second website www. FRISCOMOBGEAR.COM, and after that my new website www.FRISCASSO.com went live which focuses on my music. Adrielyn: Wow, you’ve been through quite a lot. Model: Charlie B Good MUA: MariaNoel Bagnulo/Makeup by MariaNoel Hair: Adielyn Christi Stylist/Coordinator: Adrielyn Christi Photographer: Chris Kisela/CMYK Photography Car by : Friscasso Jewelry: Friscasso

Orlando: Yes, there is so much that has happened in my life, both good and bad that I can go on and on. My life is a crazy long detailed story but trying to focus on the good these past 6 and

going on 7 years I have been building my life back together. Adrielyn: Was there anything that helped you stay on the straight and narrow? Orlando: I’ve overcome so many obstacles in my life and without a rich mommy and daddy to hold my hand and give me help or a place to fall back on, No matter what I always keep going and self motivate. I’ve lost it all and made it right back multiple times, I swear if someone invested a million dollars in me I can turn it to 3 million. I am one of the most creative, driven, hard working self motivating people that you will ever meet. I have so much positive things going on. I have so much that I plan and want to do that I don’t know where to start, but I am doing the best I can to balance everything out and make the right choice on my investments. My network has grown bigger then it has ever been, My products are the best quality they’ve ever been, I am currently doing everything I can to keep growing in a positive way and get my business and ideas flowing smoothly and consistently so I can live off them. At this point and time I am getting the most notice that I’ve ever received. Adrielyn: What’s your next step? Or goals? Orlando: I have 3 websites with 2 more coming soon, I have my original clothing line “Frisco Mob Gear” in stores throughout Northern California, and I just started a new clothing line called “American Hustle Clothing co” which I plan to brand and push on a worldwide level.

Model: Charlie B Good Model: Ariana Christi Model: Whitney Romo MUA: MariaNoel Bagnulo/Makeup by MariaNoel Hair: Adielyn Christi Stylist/Coordinator: Adrielyn Christi Photographer: Chris Kisela/CMYK Photography Car by : Friscasso Jewelry: Friscasso

My shirts are spread out through stores all over Northern California, and I get sales and views from all over the world on my websites. I’ve upgraded my entire print shop so I can easily print 100s of shirts. I have a solo album “If you buyin’ I’m sellin’” has been released in stores and online on over 300 digital websites including all top sites like iTunes, Google Play, Rhapsody, Amazon, Spotify etc. and is in actual stores in San Francisco, San Jose, Pittsburgh CA, Sacramento, Berkeley and more. I built a name that is known and trusted in the streets and also on a business level. Now my life is filled with so much positivity, things are just slowly coming together. I just continue to get better.

Well, there you have it, a proven fact that if you work hard with motivation, no matter what your situation is, you can always overcome any obstacle in your life. It just takes the faith, belief in yourself that you can be a better person and Orlando Velez is living proof of that. For more information on Orlandoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s products, visit all three of his websites. ~AC

Autumn Sky: The new songs, the new outlook, & the new magic. “I will not give in, I will not give up” (Lyrics from “Bells” on the SCOUT EP) Catch up with Scout now and see where Autumn is going in July’s interview with INDIEblush Magazine.

ON itunes

Styling by Adrielyn Christi, Clothing and Accessories provided by: Button Up Make- up by Lauren Richardson, Hair by Christina Marie Photog: Christina Marie

AUTUMN SKY: The Introvert is OUT Photos and Interview by Christina Marie

Black Romper by Free People $128

MUA: Lauren Richardson Stylist: Adrielyn Christi Hair & Photograhy: Christina Marie Boutique: Button Up, Folsom, CA

I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing Autumn Sky AND doing a photo spread with her again a few weeks after. Our conversations in a coffee shop and on the beaches of Folsom Lake, CA made for two very enjoyable afternoons with one of the most talented musicians I know. Lauren Richardson, MUA and Adrielyn Christi, Stylist, joined us to give Autumn a look for the Summer from Button Up of Folsom. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did experiencing it.

The light in the coffee shop is different somehow as I sit down with Autumn Sky at the Peet’s at the MARRS complex, downtown Sacramento. Autumn exudes a vibe of relaxed confidence. The aura of someone who is on the verge of discovery. We begin by catching up and regaling stories of recent roller rink visits. Autumn quit skating 12 years ago when she broke her wrist while rollerblading. She considers getting back on skates a personal achievement now. She went to The Rink to celebrate her girlfriend’s 26th birthday. “It’s not just for kids anymore.” “Oh I know!” I gush, “I just celebrated my 14th birthday at Skate King-” “Fourteen, huh?” “I have dyslexia, you know...” I wink. “Everyone at my party was 30 and up. We rocked the floor.” “Isn’t it exhilarating? It’s just mindless fun! The only time you fall down is when you are distracted- like when your friend says “hi!’” Then Autumn shifts gears (no pun intended) and tells me that she’s a terrible driver. “I can’t drive with distractions either- I am worse when people are in my car. To be fair, I don’t have a car anymore.”

~CM

there. I have seen stats that say about 10% of yes RSVPs show. “Have I said how much I LOVE my fans??” Her face lights up at the thought of her fan base. She also uses Instagram and Direct Mail campaigns to stay in touch with her base. We discuss how marketing phrases including the words, “Video, Music, Buy” actually suppress her presence on Facebook. “You should just say something like, ‘you know you’re a slut when’...” I say sarcastically. She laughs. It becomes our new campaign. “For new releases of INDIEblush Magazine, we are now saying, ‘Hey it’s July- you know you’re a slut when you pick one up!’” We giggle. “Instead of new music, we should say, ‘new sluts available’”. We both muse how that phrasing would boost our Facebook hits. “I keep a journal of things I want to say on Facebook now and take a picture [of my writings] and post it as a picture. A picture of a squirrel on my page gets over 1,000 views, but if I say, ‘Hey come to my show’, 60 people see it”. Now back to the music:

“We just put out the Scout EP on SoundCloud. I’m not forcing an album, I don’t want to push anything I’m not totally 100% behind”. She wanted to make more of an Art project. Her father was diagnosed several years ago with Huntington’s Chorea, a Neuro-degenerative I ask her what’s coming up. She thanks me disease. “He is an Artist and a painter and now again for the interview as many outlets refuse he is a computer programmer. I wanted to do to interview artists unless they are just resomething that gave a nod in that direction”. leased. We discuss the lack of promotion and The project is about the female psyche. “I have what the differences are between Bookers and been focused on artists that internalize their Promoters in the region. “You can’t just do a feelings and make art from that.” She is going Facebook invite and expect people to show up anymore about 40% of those that RSVP ‘yes’ ac- to take emotionally potent times in her life and tually show”. I tell her that she is above average turn them into a song. “Now that I am 26 I have a good dose of riotous anger. Now I can take

Cream Waffle Weave Sweater by Sanctuary Clothing $59

MUA: Lauren Richardson Stylist: Adrielyn Christi Hair & Photograhy: Christina Marie Boutique: Button Up, Folsom, CA

Denim Overalls by Level 99 $149 Lace Bralette by Free People $38

MUA: Lauren Richardson Stylist: Adrielyn Christi Hair & Photograhy: Christina Marie Boutique: Button Up, Folsom, CA

that and either become jaded, or I can harness that for good.”

her first [sexual experience]. They make jokes about guns.”

She discusses how she feels at the cusp of something. I am reminded of how she looked as I came in the coffee shop. Yes. Yes she is on the cusp.

“We live in a rape culture where we don’t educate our girls, then tell boys they can just take what they want,” I lament. We discuss how indoctrinated we are as a society. It didn’t happen overnight. We are a result of hundreds of years of not asking the questions we need to ask to be truly free. We spend time fighting each other instead of standing up for ourselves collectively.

I tell her about my angry twenty-something self and we immediately identify on a level that only the American Woman can. I tell her about Jennifer Siebel-Newsom’s movie, Miss Representation. She immediately identifies with the lack of representation that women have in government and other positions of power due to the hyper-sexualization of the feminine. “If you feel angry now, just wait until you see this movie.” I explain how it affected me so much, I brought to the Crest and teamed up with the Legislature and High schools for a two day event as a Nor-Cal premiere. I explain, “I hated how my parents told me I could be anything- even president of the United States, but I didn’t have any role models to prove that. I was angry from a consistently cluttered message.” “Yes, hundreds of years of no examples [of women achieving presidency] for no particular reason.” Autumn agrees. Now back to the music: “It’s time to join the fantastical side of me with the real part of me in my music. One of the songs we are working on right now is sort of a riot girl approach to a moody electronic background and the process of being a young girl and virginity.” She elaborates how once a girl gives her virginity away there is a loss of purity and power. “Someone, somewhere made it OK to tell girls that you can’t have sex and be good at the same time.” She goes on to say that a group of women she hangs out with still feel guilty for not being married yet and having sex at 26 years old. She wrestles with her inner 12 year old trying to wrap her head around the double standard. “It’s not cute when a girl has

“We [women] are really, really good together,” Autumn says, “but they keep us fighting each other. I want to be on teams with girls, I want to be in clubs with girls.” Autumn was home schooled until High School where she had a hard time integrating with the main stream kids. “I used to have days go by where I wouldn’t talk to anyone!” “And now you’re a performer!” “I think I am making up for lost time. I have SO MUCH TO SAY now!” We further discuss how unhealthy we are as a society and how more education about sexuality would benefit us all. “It’s OK to know that a part of you is meant for [sex]....it’s a really empowering thing to know about the human body...that it’s good for your health.” We touch on the sexual revolution of the 60’s and 70’s and how “out there” Feminists were back then to get the message across. I ask her how she feels about the movement now, “Do you think we are still getting the messaging out there?” “I think so, I hope so. The younger generation has really picked up the conversation of gender equality. I find myself having more conversations about it.” I tell her how I thought we had a lot of steam in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s and crested with the messaging in Fem-Punk. We blurt out together, “AND THEN IT WENT AWAY!” It seemed like our Feminist mouthpieces went away, misleading us

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MUA: Lauren Richardson Stylist: Adrielyn Christi Hair & Photograhy: Christina Marie Boutique: Button Up, Folsom, CA

to believe that we achieved equality. We both muse how since the movement wasn’t as vocal, we must have solved the problem. But that was just the beginning of the back slide.

I tell her that I always look forward to her playing and want to see her headline more. “Honestly, I have seen you open for other bands that couldn’t follow you on stage. Your talent exceeded them. They should have opened for “And now it is starting again. Girls are felling like YOU.” That reminds her of the Documentary, they don’t want to be over sexualized.” I see “Women Aren’t Funny.” We discuss how female the anger coming back. We discuss how now Comedians are forced to open for male acts Feminism is the F word and now women are otherwise they don’t book. afraid to be on the internet. “No guy in a band is afraid to be on the “It happens in music internet.” Female too, “ she elaborates, artists are more like“Bjork just released ly to be sexually haan album where she rassed online. They did most of her own are targeted sexually beats and mixing, and slut shamed for and in interviews the simply being percouple of men workformers and getting ing on the album are their message out. It getting all the credit. is even worse for INInterviewers just asDIE bands and artists sume [the men] did because they aren’t all the work and she censored by the just sang over the labels. This opens tracks.” up the door for more “And the men workcriticism from males ing with her aren’t and females who correcting them?” don’t accept the artist’s messaging. “No, no, no.....you Negative messaging know, if she was and trolling is also Kanye West, would gaining momentum there be any queson Social media tion to the authenticsites. “People who ity of the creation of are mean get more those beats?” press”. But Autumn Adrielyn Christi looks on as Lauren adjusts Autumn’s make-up “Probably not,” I doesn’t want to (next page) agree. be that band that treats their fans like the enemy or indulge the “And he hires his work out then just approves negative publicity. “People say, ‘I can’t believe you write such sad songs because you are such the work, but he gets all the credit.” I think about this for the film industry as well. Fema nice person.’ Apparently I haven’t been deinine Producers often get glossed over in recpressed enough for people’s standards.” ognition. Where is the line for work done or managed? I laugh, “Let’s dye your hair black.”

Gold Earrings by Sara Swa MUA: Lauren Richardson Stylist: Adrielyn Christi Hair & Photograhy: Christina Marie Boutique: Button Up, Folsom, CA

MUA: Lauren Richardson Stylist: Adrielyn Christi Hair & Photograhy: Christina Marie Boutique: Button Up, Folsom, CA

I push her to talk about authenticity, because that is, after all what makes music so good. “I am so sensitive. I am managing better now, but years ago I would cry over [someone not liking my picture],” she says. “How are you taking that into your work?” “By not caring at all. My personal heroes are Patty Smyth and Stevie Nicks. They are on such a poetic plane and have been able to preserve themselves. They transcend that entire rabble. I am in it for the Art. At the end of the day it’s about that. Being a teenage girl is one of the biggest joys and one of the hardest things you could ask anyone to do... everyone expects you to have the answers by age 18, but I am 26 and I still don’t have all the answers... I feel like I’m closer...while I feel emotionally strong, I sometimes need a bigger logical picture. When you are up there in the clouds with your emotions it does feel a little dangerous. It’s nice to have someone around a little more grounded to show you a better sense of belonging.” She says how she is collaborating more with the band now.

“I am really excited to be here in Sacramento right now, because I feel like it’s just going to get better and better.” The landscape is changing n Sacramento. It used to just be a jumping off point, but due to the D.I.Y. INDIE scene, anyone can be famous from anywhere in the world. This opens up a lot of opportunity for Sacramento artisans to shine as a whole. “When I see someone one from Sacramento shine, I know it helps me too.” Autumn remarks. She has no intention of moving away to LA or Seattle to pursue her career. They have played TBD Fest, Bottle Rock, and opened for Peter Murphy. “We played at Bottom of the Hill, in San Francisco. That’s as far as we travelled last year, and we got great exposure on the internet.” “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

“Hmmmmm...” she muses, “I want to be on a headlining tour, where I have all the openers be a band of girls or lead by girls.” she explains how there is a stigma out there that girls can’t open for girls. “There was a sense that if a girl opened for another girl, some of the performance would be lost.” Like shiny objects competing for space in an open air market. “I want We discuss what the bands are doing these days to compete with other women. I want to set a with their platforms they have. Autumn exgreat example”. presses her love for Nirvana. The idea of having a message is something that seems to be lost “I also want to focus on my blog, Babetown on newer bands these days. “We have a shared USA. (https://www.facebook.com/babetownuexperience [as a band]... everyone is participat- sa) It’s a site where feminine artists can come ing in the song writing process so that when we together and share their experiences and art. are on stage, we all know the full levity of what She struggles to describe it, “It’s like a Femwe are trying to say. It’s been 6 years and we ine....ist...meeting place?” are just now starting to write like this. Everyone “Oh my God, you used the F Word....” we has to be on board or I feel fake.” And autumn laugh. has much to say in her messaging. I can relate to that. It’s the difference between “That’s weird that people think Human Rights is a political topic...” Autumn muses. We discuss being a pretty model and translating an emotion or experience through a single photograph. how Facebook has reached a critical mass with If we are not experiencing the moment authen- politics and opinions. tically, how can the audience identify with it? It “I used to use my FB page as a platform to edtakes the whole team being on board to capture ucate folks and let trolls hang themselves puba genuine experience on film-otherwise it is just licly, but now I just hit delete and block. I don’t another airbrushed, shellacked image.

MUA: Lauren Richardson Stylist: Adrielyn Christi Hair & Photograhy: Christina Marie Boutique: Button Up, Folsom, CA

Ivory Lace Dress by RB Couture $68 Silk Embroidered Tunic by Johnny Was $198 Denim Cut Off â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s by RB Couture $39 MUA: Lauren Richardson Stylist: Adrielyn Christi Hair & Photograhy: Christina Marie Boutique: Button Up, Folsom, CA

have time for negativity and the debate of why feminism is the F Word,” I concede. We discuss the depression of having “too many Facebook friends/fans”. There was a time where it took years to build your base and you really got to have a connection with your fans. Now with incentive purchasing of fans and advertising, there are no more real connections. “We just have to find the next platform.” Autumn is trying to break out of her routine. She now has spontaneous brunch with girlfriends and tries to get out of the house more. “I’m trying to push myself to be a more social person.” She hates how far and few the connections are with others. We both wonder why it seems so hard to catch up with friends in this modern age. “It’s my life, it’s my responsibility.” We agree that we both need to take more time for relationships. Now back to the music: She’s back in the studio. “I want to release something this Summer.” I muse to myself how nice to would be to have Autumn in Summer. “I have something RIGHT NOW that I want to capture....I want to ride that lightning.” The air does feel charged as it would before a lightning storm. I can see the introverted teenage girl peeking out from the wings of the grand stage of

life, getting ready to make her message heard through a mature, evolved version of herself. The introvert is ready to be OUT on center stage. We are listening, Autumn.

Sing it loud.

~CM

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UPCOMING FESTIVALS

DEADLINES

Sacramento Film &Music Festival Submission Deadlines! May 29, 2015 Regular Deadline June 5, 2015 Late Deadline June 12, 2015 Extended Deadline July 12, 2015 Notification Date