DIME Entertainment | November 2016 | Real vs Fake

DIME ENTERTAINMENT

REAL VS FAKE

NOVEMBER 2016 | VOL. 2 • NO. 11

WILLIAM FAULKNER’S

ROWAN OAK OLD TAYLOR RD., OXFORD, MS Tues.–Sat. 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sun. 1–4 p.m.; Summer hours (Jun. 1–Aug. 1): Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun. 1–6 p.m.

662.234.8284

rowanoak.olemiss.edu

54 JONAH TOBIAS

THIS ISSUE

NOVEMBER 2016 | Vol. 2

No. 11

DIMEENTERTAINMENT.COM BITE/POUR Beer of the month \\ 12 Papa’s secret recipe \\ 13 Leaves & ink \\ 14 Copycat \\ 25

FEATURES The real me \\ 39 Finding your own brand of beautiful \\ 44 LIT Poet’s Delight \\ 26

BEAT Freshly brewed entertainment \\ 51 Gender does not equal genre \\ 52 Dead on Dorothy \\ 56 All hale the queen \\ 58 The real Ray \\ 60

NEON 5 Seconds of Summer \\ 64 Tove Lo \\ 66 Lil Wayne \\ 68 One MusicFest \\ 69 Wrecking Ball Fest \\ 70

SEAMS Candy Crush \\ 72 STANDARDS Ed’s note \\ 11 Horoscopes \\ 82 STOWAWAY Chicago \\ 80

18

MOCKINGBIRD CAFE

FEATURED ARTIST: SWAY

30

‘tis the

Season

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Lott Center 2 Cochran Center www.usm.edu/event-services 601.266.4399 eventservices@usm.edu Find us on Facebook and Instagram

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DIME ENTERTAINMENT

PUBLISHER Jim Cegielski EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jacqueline Lee MANAGING EDITOR Courtney Creel ART DIRECTOR Kassie Rowell MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Amy Allegrezza Sarah Campbell PHOTOGRAPHERS: Kate Dearman Jenn Devereaux Tristan Duplichain Lenore Seal Courtland Wells Jesus Nieves

ILLUSTRATORS: Sean Morgan Maura Worch CONTRIBUTORS Mary Ann Avallone-O’Gorman Michelle Brugioni Nicole Chantreau Biz Harris Zachary Jones Devin Ladner Whitney Miracle Malcolm Morrow Sean Murphy Heather Osbourne Brittany Purvis Justin Sawyer Jane Clair Tyner Robyn White INTERNS: D’Anthony Jackson Caitlin Olson Paige Pritchard DeeJay Rolison

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EDITOR'S NOTE Nothing blurs the lines between real and faux like that window to the world we all keep within reach. You know the one... it’s probably in your hand or pocket right now, never with quite enough juice. (Raise your hand if you reach for that rectangle first thing in the a.m.) It’s a blessing of privilege that we all keep supercomputers on our person, and a curse of society that we can’t ever go dark.

In the pre-wifi era, feelings only had three levels: bottled, crazy and Alanis Morissette. I can’t imagine being 20 years old today, now that everyone’s emotions have their own in-your-face daily broadcasts.

When it comes to connectedness, there’s always a raging conflict — like having 4,000 followers and no one to call when you lock your keys in your car. Our obsession with media and all these digital interactions has some brutal side effects .. such as making perfection seem totally normal. Even the limitations of a square to frame some of life’s best moments is completely bogus. You can be branded as #goals even when you can

barely assemble a smile IRL. The result is that our generation collectively spends half of our time curating and the other half judging the feed.

But there is one upside to all this exposure to total strangers, and it’s the loud and clear evidence that there are infinite ways to go through this life. What’s wrong today is tomorrow’s snapchat filter. So relax.

This issue is for the simple spirit in all of us, who would rather go outside and play but instead we’re scrolling infinitely and can’t stop and probably won’t stop.

Since there isn’t yet a cure to social media addiction (nor to the lies it promotes), let’s at least pull back the veil on all the BS out there and enjoy a good laugh at our own expense. We promise not to cost you any data.

Wishing you the strongest wifi and the fullest month you can experience in 140 characters or less.

Jacqueline Lee Editor-In-Chief

Lanna Wakeland Band September 10, 2016 Southern Miss vs. Savannah State Game: 6 PM Concert: 4:15 PM

October 29, 2016 Southern Miss vs. Marshall Game: 6 PM Concert: 4:15 PM

September 17, 2016 Southern Miss vs. Troy Game: 6 PM Concert: 4:15 PM

November 5, 2016 Southern Miss vs. Charlotte Game: 2:30 PM Concert: 12:45 PM

October 1, 2016 Southern Miss vs. Rice Game: 6 PM Concert: 4:15 PM

November 25, 2016 Southern Miss vs. Louisiana Tech Game: TBA Concert: TBA

BEER OF THE

q

MONTH

SAM ADAMS OCTOBERFEST ABV: 5.3% SAMUEL ADAMS 30 GERMANIA ST. BOSTON

BY SEAN MURPHY

For this month’s top beer, let’s move to one of the original members of the craft beer revolution of the mid-1980s. We know it’s November, but Samuel Adams’ Octoberfest is a perfect complement to the cooling temperatures in the South regardless of what month it is. While many people, yours truly included, loathe seeing Octoberfest hit the shelves here in August, when the proper time of year actually comes around, it’s time to malt it up. This beauty pours a deep red amber color, using two-row pale malt, Munich 10, Sam Adams Octoberfest Malt and some Caramel 60, which gives it the color. Using German hops, this malty batch of deliciousness is hearty enough for the cool weather and easy-drinking enough for a long day outdoors.

At 5.3% ABV and low IBUs, this beer is perfect for this time of year.

s ’ a p a P

Recipe

Submitted by Tobin Ross 1 oz. Johnny Black Scotch 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice 3/4 oz. Dry Vermouth 3/4 oz. Honey 2 dashes Peychauds Stir, and garnish with a lemon swath.

Tobin Ross, 28, is a master drink slinger and four-year veteran at the Mahogany Bar. This recipe is a tribute to his grandfather, Papa.

PHOTO BY CHAD EDWARDS/MCE PHOTOGRAPHY

Secret

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S E V LEA & ink 14 // dime entertainment

BY JUSTIN SAWYER

G

rowing up in the South, there’s typically only two types of tea: sweet and unsweet.

The very idea that tea comes in any other variety is nothing short of mind-boggling to some. And then there are connoisseurs such as Kimberly Richardson of Memphis, who works to elevate and tantalize the taste buds of others with her own tea blends.

“I order my products from several herb and spice companies, plus I visit international groceries,” Richardson said. “When I get an idea for a blend in my head, I pull out my mental list of ingredients and mix and match until I have a blend that represents what I’m trying to convey.”

Richardson launched her company Viridian Tea with the express purpose of crafting unique, flavorful tea blends that are perfect for intimate moments with friends, or for simply curling up with a good book. This isn’t surprising, considering Richardson is an award-winning author and editor when she isn’t searching for the right ingredients for a cup of tea. She has published three novels, two short story collections, and edited several award winning steampunk science fiction anthologies. Her latest novel, Open A, was published last September by Dark Oak Press, an independent publisher that specializes in speculative fiction.

Richardson speaks about tea the way some speak about religion — reverent, yet impassioned.

“I honestly don’t know where my love of tea came from; it just happened,” she explained. “However, once it took hold in me, there was no looking back.

Several years ago, I attended a matsuri (Japanese for festival) in Phoenix and had a chance to take part in a tea ceremony. That ceremony takes the simple act of having people over for tea and elevates it into something spiritual and calming. I used to be a coffee and tea drinker until April this year – when I said goodbye to coffee, I fully embraced the tea lifestyle and have not looked back.”

On the surface the deceptively simple act of preparing tea seems worlds apart from the single minded ambition and tenacity of writing a novel, but Richardson sees it as merely another facet of her creative output.

“My writing and my tea making are not that far off from each other,” she said. “My mind is always in motion, always creating ideas based on scraps of thoughts or ‘what ifs.” It’s true for both my writing and my tea making.”

Richardson often names her specialized blends after her own literary work and the work of other authors she admires, giving them unique, whimsical names such as Faerie Tea, My Enemy’s Tears, and Goth Librarian (named after Richardson’s first short story collection).

“Now that I’m making teas based on books and stories, the two acts are really overlapping quite nicely,” she said “Lately, I’ve been making blends for authors and their books – that’s been quite nice. It’s really cool to tell people, ‘Hey, you’ve read the book, now drink the tea!’

Richardson, a frequent guest of honor at science fiction and fantasy conventions around the country, is constantly on the lookout for new venues to promote not only her literary work, but also her tea company.

“It’s funny – people are now remembering me more as the Tea Empress than the author. It’s cool, though. I’m just glad they are enjoying my tea blends,” she said. “I also sell my blends at Tubby and Coo’s Mid City Bookshop in New Orleans; Little Shop of Horror in Durham, North Carolina; Fantom Art Gallery in Memphis and The Book Juggler in Memphis.”

Ultimately, the two great passions of Richardson’s existence are really about the quiet moments in life. In a time where most of us are only the tap on an app away from both the frivolities and horrors of the wider world, it’s no small thing to have a bit of calm amidst the storm. Simple things, like a good book or the perfect cup of tea, can do a person a world of good.

Richardson’s teas can be found at etsy. com/shop/ViridianTeaCompany​, while her books can be purchased at d ​ arkoakpress.com.

(Warning: the combination of both book and tea will result in a tranquil evening at home.)

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Owner Alicein Schwabacher and Chef Julie Ragusa strut on the porch of Mockingbird Cafe.

ANN MADDEN PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN

mockingbird cafe

Pulse of the Bay

BY JANE CLAIR TYNER It’s been called the “living room of the Bay,” a moniker owner Alicein Schwabacher is proud to claim. I suppose it fits, but “living room” makes me think of a stuffiness that could never be said of the Mockingbird Cafe. There’s such intimacy there.

On a first visit, you may feel as though you’re intruding, like you’ve walked into someone’s kitchen in the midst of a family spat. Come around often enough and that fades as you’re adopted into the family. The Mockingbird is where you return after time spent away (lost or otherwise) not just for the welcome of home but the reminder of your place in it. This is family, where nothing is sacred, and there’s always a spot for you.

“What we’re promoting, always, is kindness.”

Alicein Schwabacher

THE MOCKINGBIRD CAFE:

I pulled in from New Orleans after a long day of navigating PULSE road OF work, THEhandshakes, BAY big smiles and small laughs. I headed to the back bar for a Southern Prohibition “Jack the Sipper.” Standing in front of the taps at the Mockingbird, I knew the Coast had become home for me. It was a Friday night, and they were open for a special appearance by the band La Terza Classe (a troupe of men from Napoli, Italy, playing bluegrass and Dixieland). They’d played the Mockingbird a few weeks before on their first tour through the American South. Members of the Bay’s Raw Oyster Marching Club hosted them to a banner night; they got to witness their first tasing in a bar parking lot. I was there to listen to Italian men speaking in hopes that those ending vowels would strip the week’s work from me before heading into the demands of domesticity, but that wasn’t what did it. It was the welcome of Alicein and staff that ridded me of any need for pretense.

The first few times I spoke with Alicein, the squint in her eyes felt like a sizing up that forced me to look away and take inventory before meeting that gaze. There’s a comfort in meeting someone you know you can’t bullshit that’s made even better when you discover someone you’d never want to.

Alicein is both.

Having grown up within blocks of the restaurant, she returned to her childhood stomping grounds after Katrina and opened the Mockingbird to provide Bay neighbors a place to convene and share in the emotions of rebuilding. Named for the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” (which she read while escaping New Orleans before the storm), she wished to encapsulate the sensibilities of the novel into a place. Over the past decade, that vision has solidified to create a space which provides the town’s very pulse.

If you want to get people together in the Bay, just ask her to open the doors of the Mockingbird, and the folks will gather like moths to a naked bulb on a porch ceiling.

Alicein’s family has created a legacy of hospitality. Growing up, her parents ran Harbor House (a home for teenage girls who either were or had come from “trouble”).

She tells a story of her parents asking if she 20 // dime entertainment

and her sister would like a little brother, but when they arrived at the orphanage, there were no children left, only Mr. Dot, a 68-year-old Vietnamese refugee. Shortly after “adopting” Mr. Dot, her parents would sponsor his son and five children while they sought asylum in the US. Alicein reminisced over her upbringing and said, “In that, they taught me there’s always room for everyone.”

Sitting with Alicein and Mockingbird chef, Julie Ragusa, they swapped perspectives of their interactions over the years.

They met in high school when Julie’s family moved from New Orleans to Waveland. The two banter like sisters., but there’s as much joke poking as there is admiration between them.

“I was intimidated by you… not out of fear.” Julie looked to me and continued, “There was one time we were walking on the beach, and she was wearing this beautiful, white flowing dress and she made this comment, ‘I’m not wearing any underwear.’

And I was like, ‘That is so fucking cool!’”

Alicein gave a head shake, eye roll and a quick explanation for her behavior, “Were we in mixed company?”

The notion of Julie ever being intimidated is impossible to imagine. She’s the friend I’d want at my side through the perils of any women’s restroom. She spent several years abroad. Having been a training manager for the Big Easy Rollergirls, she introduced Belgium to the world of roller derby and co-founded their first team, the Gent GO-GO Roller Girls. She attended culinary school at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts. Working in restaurants in Belgium developed her chef’s philosophy of making everything from scratch.

“There we got all our ingredients from a farm down the road,” she said. “We were wiping the dirt off the potatoes.”

That philosophy has followed her to Bay St. Louis, where any ingredient they can make in the Mockingbird’s kitchen, they do.

When Julie returned to the States, she

landed in New Orleans. Trips to the Bay always included a jog on the beach followed by coffee and a muffin at the Mockingbird. On one such trip, she noticed they were hiring.

“I needed a job. So I thought, ‘What’s going to make me want to show up to work? What’s going to make me want to get out of bed in the morning?’” Julie recalled, as the two gave each other a high five.

Once Julie took over the kitchen, the Mockingbird saw tremendous changes in their product. What was once good atmosphere for coffee and chat became a foodie’s destination. I asked Julie about the changes she made to their menu. She started, “Can I just be honest here?” She looked over to Alicein, who responded with wide eyes and a voice of mocking authority, “I don’t know. Can you?”

“It was not just the menu.” Julie explained, “But it was this evolution of a whole

undertaking. I had a lot of help and patience from Alicein. She had a lot of confidence in me.

That says something remarkable about her.

She was very supportive. Everyone was.”

The Mockingbird is one of those rare places that retains employees for years. When I asked such an employee about the arrival of Julie to the kitchen the response was, “transformative.”

We spoke of upcoming menu changes and future business endeavors. I asked them both what keeps them here.

“I fit right in. This place is like family. For once, I wanted to sink my feet into something and be part of the long process, see it all the way through. That in and of itself is a joy. That’s what gets me up in the morning,” Julie said.

Alicein thinks for a minute and said, “I always called myself a ‘recovering beauty queen.’ With my upbringing, that was my rebellion. I didn’t get into drugs or drinking. I got into pageants.

It did teach me poise, but it also taught me what’s authentic… about myself. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I love this place most of all and the people that make it a community.”

We discussed the sociological phenomenon of southern porches.

Julie said, “The most amazing things happen on porches. The conversation, the people watching, the whole social aspect of it.

This whole place is like a porch.”

Alicein looked around as though reading the Mockingbird’s history on the walls. “Yeah, there’s a lot of hanging out and lots of really good moments. A lot of people have had a lot of really good moments here.”

Others can refer to the Mockingbird as the “living room,” but for me, it’s the front porch — a place of ease, comfort, belonging and Chef Julie’s lemon-feta cookies.

110 S. 2nd Street. Bay St. Louis . | M - W: 7 am - 5 pm | Thurs - Sat.: 7 am - 9 pm | Sun. : 7 am - 1 pm Bring your mat and stay for a class upstairs at Treehouse Yoga. On the final Friday of every month, come for Mr. Atticus’s Night Market and invest in the artistic and entrepreneurial talents of the Mockingbird’s staff.

t a c y p o C WORDS AND PHOTO BY BIZ HARRIS

I recently found myself in a Pinterest time warp where I couldn’t stop scrolling through copycat recipes. Many posts are dedicated to recreating common chain restaurant foods. When I was pregnant with my son, the only craving I had was for McAlister’s honey mustard. I understand the desire, but rather than trying to find the right combination in my own kitchen, we just drove to the restaurant and bought a quart.

However, I’ve learned that exceptions do exist, like when I lived in a town that only had 300 people in it. We were 20 minutes from the nearest restaurant of any kind, even McDonald’s, and sometimes you just want a Big Mac. A friend of ours invited us over on no less than three different occasions to taste-test his attempts at the McDonald’s classic. He got pretty close, but the special sauce was never quite right.

If you’ve got a craving for that one thing

24 // dime entertainment

the chain restaurant makes better than anyone, don’t waste your time trying to make it at home.

Just go pick some up, even if it’s an hour drive.

Not to mention, if it’s from a major chain, it’s probably filled with so many preservatives and acids — and chemical-words-you-can’t-pronounce — that you’ll never be able to TRULY get it right anyway, no matter how many times you try.

But, if you’re craving an item that was made by a real chef in a real kitchen with real ingredients, try it. Chances are, unless the recipe calls for a super difficult cooking technique or a very specific and complicated process, you’ll be able to make it at home.

The best copycat recipe I’ve ever used came from my mother-in-law. She fell in love with Café Du Monde Beignets once on a trip to New Orleans and searched high and low for years to find a faithful way to make them at home. Now, every Christmas morning we can eat like we’re in the French Quarter although we’re ensconced in the snowy mountains of North Carolina.

e p i Rec ingredients

COPYCAT CAFE DU MONDE BEIGNETS '

directions

➊ Mix water and yeast by sprinkling the yeast on top of the warm water.

1 pkg (8 oz.) Yeast ½ c. Warm water (just above your body’s temp) 1 Egg, beaten (at room temp) 4 tbsp. Sugar 1 c. Evaporated milk (each can is 1½ cups) 3 c. Flour Vegetable oil (1½– 2 ” deep) Powdered sugar in a plastic bag

➋ Add 2 tablespoons of sugar until the yeast rises and

Note: you have to let this sit overnight, or at least for several hours, so plan accordingly!

❻ Using a pizza cutter, cut into 2 ½” squares.

doubles (about 10 minutes). It will froth and bubble.

❸ Add the other 2 tablespoons of sugar, the egg, and the milk, then add in the flour one cup at a time so you can stir it in thoroughly.

❹When you’ve finished, the dough should be wettish (a direct quote from my mother-in-law). At this point cover the dough and refrigerate it overnight so it rises. It should double or triple in size.

❺ Dump the dough onto a floured surface, and roll it out about 1/4″ thick.

❼ Heat the oil to 350 to 365 degrees (use a candy thermometer or a fry daddy) and then drop the dough into the hot oil to fry it about 3 pieces at a time. They should flip over by themselves, but if they don’t, use a pair of tongs.

❽ Dry the beignets off on a paper towel, then drop them into a bag of powdered sugar and toss.

❾ Serve hot with a cup of coffee.

POET’S DELIGHT

BY MARY ANN AVALLONE-O’GORMAN

Next time you want to update your status with your actual voice and receive comments in the form of applause or gasps of disbelief, head out to an open mic poetry event. You may be surprised to find a wealth of options. People are talking and listening in the real world all over the state of Mississippi. Here’s where to go to hear and be heard.

GULF COAST

Kate Penrose loves poetry, so she set up Poetry Night at The Greenhouse on Porter in Ocean Springs on the last Wednesday of each month. Readers are welcome to share original work or poems that they love. Sometimes there are games with prizes, and there’s always coffee, beer and biscuits. Sign-up starts at 7, and the readings start at 7:30 p.m. This is an all ages event with no cover.

Greenhouse on Porter 404 Porter Ave., Ocean Springs (228) 238-5680 greenhouseonporter.com ••• Sheena Miles runs Words Gone Wild every 3rd Saturday at the Almanett Hotel and Bistro in Gulfport. This poetry open mic has been pulling poets in for two years and averages 90 listeners and poets. The reading begins at 8 p.m. and sign-ups go on all night. After 10 p.m., the poetry becomes more adult.

Must be 18 to attend.

Almanett Hotel and Bistro 1514 18th Ave., Gulfport Contact Sheena Miles (228) 896-5307 @Almanett @WordsGoneWild ••• Da Wall in Gulfport has Spoken Word night every first Saturday. The doors open at 8 p.m. with sign-ups until the performances start at 8:45. A DJ is on hand to keep the energy up. Da Wall draws over 100 people for Spoken Word night. No cover. 21 and older. The poetry can go on until midnight depending on the crowd.

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Da Wall 3370 C Ave., Gulfport Contact Pretis Young (228) 731-9997 ••• Southern Bound Book Shop holds a Poetry Night at the Biloxi location on Thursdays at 6 p.m. every third month.

This bookstore gives the new or shy poet a quiet, intimate space to share. Adults only. No need to sign in, so feel free to come to listen. Check Facebook page for poetry night schedule and other events.

Southern Bound Book Shop 280 Eisenhower Drive, Biloxi (228) 207-6472 @readlocalbiloxi #readlocalbiloxi

OXFORD

Mugg Cakes, a bakery in Oxford, holds Poetreats every Friday night from 7-9 p.m. with sign ups at 6:45. This gathering includes spoken word and acoustic music, so bring what you have. There’s a $2 cover, but $5 gets you covered plus a cupcake. All ages.

Mugg Cakes 68 HWY 334, Oxford (662) 380-0562 muggcakes.com

JACKSON

The Soul Wired Café in Jackson has been an art, music and performance venue for five years. Every Friday night is Poetry Night for adults called Love Jones or Mindgasm. This adults-only event opens at 8 p.m., with readings starting at 9:30 p.m. There could be a cover charge if there’s a featured poet that night. On alternating Thursday nights, there’s a

youth open mic from 6-9 p.m. And on every third Sunday from 4-10 p.m., there’s a Gospel Open Mic. Soul Winters runs the show, promising a “vibe to please the soul.”

Soul Wired Café 111 Millsaps Ave., Jackson Soul Winters (601) 790-0864 Email soulwiredcafe@gmail.com ••• Synergy Nights, co-founded by Maranda Joiner and Tiger Rogers, gets going every second and fourth Saturday night from 9 p.m.-midnight at the Mediterranean Grill in the Northpark Mall in Ridgeland.

People come from Memphis and Atlanta for this night with live painting, live jazz and live readings. Throw your name in the mix and be ready when Maranda calls you up. No cover.

Mediterranean Grill Northpark Mall, Ridgeland (601)383-6094 @synergynights

COLUMBUS

The brainchild of C.T. Salazar, open mic night at the historic Princess Theater in Columbus draws an eclectic crowd ready to knock each other out with the spoken word. Readings are held on the first Monday of every other month, with the next event scheduled for December.

The crowd is a rowdy mix that loves interacting with the reader. Ages 18 and older. No cover. Start time is at 8 p.m.

Names are pulled from a bowl.

Princess Theater 215 South 5th Ave., Columbus (662) 570-1695

FESTIVAL TAKEOVER

BY DEEJAY ROLISON It’s the perfect time of year to get outside, and Ocean Springs has your plans for the first weekend of November covered. The 38th annual Peter Anderson Arts and Crafts Festival will take place in Ocean Springs on November 5-6.

Presented by Blue Moon, this monumental arts-centered event is one of the biggest festivals in the state of Mississippi and will be home to nearly 400 artists and vendors and over 130,000 visitors throughout the festival weekend. Painters, photographers and merchants will be selling wide varieties of art while festival goers enjoy live music from local performers.

The Peter Anderson Festival has a history deeper than its inaugural festival in 1978. The festival, created in honor of expert potter and

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original potter of Shearwater Pottery, Peter Anderson, is designed to celebrate the arts community and foster a sense of belonging to all kinds of artists while simultaneously aiding in the economic development and growth of Ocean Springs.

According to the Peter Anderson Festival website, their mission is to “increase the public awareness of local artists, shops, and restaurants and to create opportunities for artists, business development and a welcoming quality of life for residents and visitors alike as we share in the creative economy.�

Peter Anderson Arts and Crafts Festival will be well worth attending this year with food, drinks, shops, art and plenty of things to keep everyone entertained.

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SWAY // PHOTO BY JENN DEVEREAUX

JAMHIR // BY SWAY

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED ARTIST

SWAY

HATTIESBURG Age: 25 IG: @_swayart

BLACK AND WHITE // BY SWAY

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Make . . . r o f way

BY DEEJAY ROLISON

M

ost artists seem to be wired in one of two ways. Either they are quiet and brooding, using their form of art as a direct expression of how they feel inside, or they are bubbly and outgoing, with their art mimicking that persona and allowing them to find inspiration in the world around them. Hattiesburg artist Sway has managed to do both, taking the inner expression from the former and mixing it with the outgoing persona and worldly inspiration of the latter.

After sitting down with the painter at a coffeeshop, I was able to get an easy feel for who she is as both an artist and a person.

The first snippet of personality she showed was warm, radiating with a bright smile and gentle eyes that made you feel as if you had known her for years. She struck up a conversation, and I was able to see the many facets that go into her elaborate pieces of work.

Her interest in art began at a young age, starting with pencil drawings and other doodles.

“I’ve been doing art my entire life,” Sway said. “When I got in high school, my art instructor was like, ‘You should try painting.’

I didn’t necessarily like it because I had been drawing my whole life, and it’s so different.”

She compared the complex differences between pencil lines and brush strokes and elaborated on her difficulty transitioning between the two. She despised the new type of art and found it more trouble than it was worth. After doing her first solo painted piece, an “ugly little flower” according to her, Sway

got a piece of advice from her instructor that managed to stick with her after all these years.

The instructor said, “A paintbrush is not a pencil, don’t treat it that way.”

That lesson was something that inspired Sway to continue on with her art and moved her to try more elaborate pieces, such as a portrait of Barack Obama during his campaign for the Presidency in 2008, which turned out to look similar to the then Senator.

She found it so inspiring that she could not drop her brush, and considers this moment a turning point in her artistic career.

Her zone is somewhere she describes as “a place no one else can touch.”

She doesn’t feel or see anything else and constantly surprises herself with what comes out of her during that time.

She uses subjective colors in her pieces, non-realistic colors. Her process begins with just the five primary colors (red, blue, yellow, black and white) that she then mixes and matches as she goes to form her art pieces.

This type of technique allows her pieces to remain unique, surprising even herself by the outcome.

“I mix as I go,” Sway said. “That way I can’t expect how it’s going to turn out. It makes every piece new, interesting and original.”

After she left high school and did a small stint in college as a dentistry student — let’s be real, she did more doodling than anything — she maintained her artistry throughout and experimented with only black and white pieces. She felt that this technique was able to

teach her more about color and broadened her artistic horizons.

“Black and white is only values,” Sway said. “If you don’t understand values, you can’t understand colors.”

After figuring out she had no interest in a career in dentistry, in the form of a mini-breakdown, Sway pursued her biggest passion by majoring in art at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Art school allowed Sway to mature as an artist, expanding her skill set and technical abilities. She worked on landscapes throughout this time, but, after graduating, she picked back up on figures, what she finds to be her best work. Now she paints decorated portraits of people in their most beautiful form — simple pieces that elaborate on the strengths of the characters.

One word to describe Sway’s art is cultured. The eccentric pieces parallel her life as a hardworking, well-educated woman of color. Her artwork usually depicts other people of color, mostly women, in a pro-black nature.

They show these characters, the people in her pieces, as strong and independent, ready to conquer the world. The Afrocentric paintings could easily be described as race-positive artworks that portray the best parts of a culture so regularly stereotyped in a negative fashion.

“I am very pro-black,” Sway said. “Not because I am anti-white, but because I am very pro-black, and I feel like there are a lot of things that need to be spoken about.”

SWAY

MUTHA // BY SWAY

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MONA // BY SWAY

JADE // BY SWAY

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She went on to discuss how she got started in making ‘black art.’

She refrains from using social media for any type of hot-topic opinion, limiting her feelings toward the negative things happening in her life and in her country by putting those feelings in her artwork.

“I started making black art originally because that was something that would sell to the people that I knew,” Sway said.

“Then as I started to grow older and understand the things of the world, I started to want to speak through my pieces. I don’t have to say the things that I feel when I can visually say them.”

She finds passion in her work because she does not paint for a paycheck. Instead she paints for the love of painting and the love of expression. Her inspirations come from many different places — from nature pages on Instagram to seeing another artist’s work in person. She’s currently beginning the planning for her next piece and gave DIME the inside preview.

“You know when the TV goes blank and the big color strips show? I’m thinking I’m going to do an entire collection of really big bold backgrounds, colored, and have different images of African-American women emerging from those backgrounds, and I’m going to call the collection Colored,” Sway said. “It’s making you think by catching your attention in multiple ways and still making a statement.”

As a self-described free spirit, Sway has plans for moving on to bigger places and finding more inspiration in her surroundings. She does not feel at ease with staying in one place too long, but rather feels more comfortable when she moves to a new place, conquers it and moves on. Her main goal upon moving to Hattiesburg was to make a name for herself as an artist, and she has done just that.

“I think it’s time to spread my wings and go somewhere and build my name again.”

THE

REAL ME ONE TRANSGENDER MAN’S JOURNEY TO FREEDOM

BY DEVIN LADNER | PHOTOS BY LENORE SEAL

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E

arlier this year, gender neutral bathrooms were quite the controversial topic. When Target openly announced that any transgender employees or customers were free to use whichever bathroom corresponds with their gender identity, conversation about the transgender community became more prevalent. But what does it mean to be transgender?

Transgender is defined as being a person who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person’s biological sex.

According to Gary Gates’s study at the Williams Institute, transgender individuals account for approximately .03% of the population in America. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey revealed that over 40% of those that identify have attempted suicide due to harassment and bullying — a staggering statistic for a small community.

DIME sat down with Dillon King to discuss what it’s really like to be transgender in today’s society. Biologically born female, Dillon grew up in South Louisiana and started transitioning at the age of 25. He currently lives in New Orleans with his wife Missy where he is a personal trainer and hair stylist.

DEV LADNER: Let’s start at the beginning. When did you know you wanted to transition?

DILLON KING: Well, I didn’t know what that meant until I was much older, but I have always felt different. When I was little, I used to argue with my mother about wearing dresses and bows. When I kept being put with the girls instead of the guys, I knew something was wrong. I always wanted to do what the boys were doing.

DL: So your parents were pretty accepting of everything then?

DK: No. Definitely not. My mother and I have never gotten along and this kind of added to it. We talk and associate with one another, but I would not call her a friend. She was really abusive to me growing up. One time, she stripped me out of my clothes, sat me in front of my mirror, closed my door and told me to come get her when I grew a penis. She body shamed me at a very young age. It was really difficult growing up.

DL: So even before taking testosterone, you’ve always dressed like a boy?

DK: Oh god, yes. <laughs> I would go to the mall and my mom would give me money, but I would have to spend it in the girl’s store. I didn’t want any

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of that shit. I was like, “You can keep your $300 for the girl’s store. Just give me $30, and I’ll go to the boys.” Before I even knew what transitioning was, I would tell people that I know biologically and physically I am a female, but mentally I am a male. I didn’t even like being referred to as a lesbian.

If I had to label myself, it would be heterosexual trans-male.

DL: What was the process to transition like?

DK: I had to get a letter from my psychologist to give to my doctor, so I could be approved for top surgery [chest restructuring] and hormones. Not everyone in transition wants those things, but I wanted top surgery. I wanted hormones. I wanted to have the facial hair and the deeper voice. I wanted to be physically male.

DL: How long have you been on T (testosterone) for?

DK: Next month will be two years.

DL: Have you struggled with it at all?

DK: I’ve had bad acne but other than that…

Everyone talks about the rage, but that didn’t happen for me. Maybe road rage. <laughs> I did, though, used to be super emotional, but now I’ve cried less than ten times in a year. I love it! It feels great to not cry over everything. I used to be more emotional than Missy.

DL: <laughs> That sounds very freeing.

DK: It is. Before, you feel so trapped in your head.

Like you can’t get out of that mood and it would ruin your entire day. Now, I feel like I can take one thing at a time. I think the sense of confidence I’ve gained from transitioning helps that, too. When you are insecure, all of the insecurities build on top of that, and it makes it worse.

DL: Do feel more confident now?

DK: Dude, it’s like night and day! The first time I tried committing suicide I was eight years old.

DL: And that was because you felt like you were in a body that didn’t belong to you?

DK: Yeah, and I also had a lot of family issues.

I mean, a lot of it was just me and my mom, and a lot of that was based off of her shaming me for not being the girl she wanted me to be. There were always fights about it. I think I can remember being in second grade and her yelling at my father, asking him if he saw a little boy in the delivery room. So, I always felt like I was wrong, like I wasn’t wanted, like I was a big disgrace. When I finally came out

about being gay, I was 16. I finally was like, “I like girls!” My family is Spanish, so some of them didn’t accept that lifestyle. Some of them embraced it and I’m grateful for them, but not everybody. I got kicked out of my house quite a few times. At that time, I told them I was a lesbian. That was before I even knew gender identity was a thing or could be changed. I can remember praying to God before I went to sleep at night. I would say, “Please, God, let me wake up and be a boy. Please, God,” and then being so upset when I would wake up and that didn’t happen. Like come on, God, you’re supposed to answer prayers!

Overnight! <laughs> DL: How’s everything with your dad?

DK: My dad finally divorced, remarried and moved away. He was like, “So you’re finally doing that for yourself, huh?” My dad is very relaxed and laidback. A country guy, but he really doesn’t care. He’s very liberal — started calling me Dillon and (using the pronoun) “he” immediately. He has no issue with it. He was like, “You always wanted remote control racecars so that’s what I bought you, and I always got in trouble with your mom about it.”

He always treated me like his little boy. He took me out and let me wash his car and shine his guns. It was just the body shaming with my mom, and you already face that enough on your own.

DL: How do other people react?

DK: I have to say that I am really blessed in the sense that I never really faced anything outside of the home because I always made people laugh. I love laughing, and I love making people laugh. I would take pills on the bus ride home, though, so that way I could just go to sleep and not face my mom. She’ll deny this, but I’m not going to change my story.

DL: Did you lose anyone after transition?

DK: I lost some close cousins. One cousin told me that I was lost, that I didn’t care about the family, that I was just confused. I didn’t invite them to the wedding, and I got shit from my family for it, but my happiness is not going to be jeopardized.

DL: Have you always been like this? That mentality of my happiness comes first?

DK: No. When I tried committing suicide (again at 19), I ended up in the psych ward.

When I got out of there, I never wanted to go back... I had survived, and I swallowed a handful of pills and chased it down with a bottle of Nyquil. I asked myself, “Why am I alive? What is my purpose here?” Over the years, I just started letting positivity in, and, as more doors opened and more positivity came in, I realized I could be happy. And then when I started changing my own life and not being shy about it, I started helping other people, and I was like, “Well, if I helped them then who else could I help?” I believe that we are all here for something. Now I’m out of my dark hole, and I’m never going back there. So it’s like who else needs help getting out of their dark hole because you can. If I can, then you can. I had nothing.

I ate buttered noodles because we were poor. I had my mother telling me that my father didn’t love me and that’s why the lights weren’t on.

My parents were going to let me drop out of school, but I didn’t want my younger sisters to drop out, so I stayed. It literally was a series of unfortunate events that freed me, and now I feel fucking awesome. I don’t care anymore what people think of me. I have an amazing life. I have a roof over my head. I have a beautiful wife, and we want kids soon. I have my own business. What else could I want? I have friends that worry about getting outed.

People attack the weak links, though. People attack those they know they can take down. So put your shoulders back and show them that you won’t back down, and they will either try to understand you or walk away. If they walk away, let them.

DL: Missy was with you before you transitioned?

DK: Yes. DL: Did that change anything?

DK: I would say yes. See, Missy and I have known each other since high school. She used to say she would never date women. We went to different colleges, but one day I saw her in a gay bar I was performing at, and I was like, “Missy, are you gay?!” right in the middle of my performance. That was my chance! We were together for about two and a half years, and then I proposed. She always knew how I felt, that I felt like a man in my head. I knew that I would feel much better if I started transitioning. Missy told me to look into it, but when I actually started taking the steps towards it, she was hesitant. She already had to come out to her parents and felt like it was going to be a lot for everyone. At first, I was like, “You’re right. I’ve lived most of my life

like this. You love me. I guess that’s all that matters. I will be okay.” But I started getting insecure about our relationship. I would get jealous of the guys she worked with, and I think it was just because I was envious. It was always going to be viewed as us being the lesbian couple, and I wanted to be Missy’s man. I wanted to be her husband. I wanted to physically look like I could take care of her. I know it sounds vain, but your mirror image really does affect who you feel you are. We broke up, and I decided then to go through with the transition. A few months later, she came back and I told her that I was going through with it.

She was worried that it would change me, and I didn’t know if it was going to… We decided to not get back together. We didn’t speak for two months — I was upset with her. She was everything I wanted, and she had walked away. I understood it, but I was hurt. Missy kept trying to contact me, and, finally, I gave in because I couldn’t deny that I still loved her.

We went to dinner, and I told her we needed to go to therapy and figure out how to make it work. And we did. We went to therapy, and we talked about who Destiny was and who Destiny was going to be as Dillon... When we got back together, it was because we wanted to be in it for good, so we got married.

DL: I feel like a lot of people don’t realize that besides dealing with what society thinks about you, you are also going through your own struggles — whether that be your own perception of yourself, figuring out who you are, or the relationships that you are in.

DK: That’s why I wish people would care less about what the public thinks of them. Just make sure you are happy. After that, when you are confident enough in your own skin, it won’t matter what anyone says about you. You have to build your foundation first — your own self-worth. I do feel very lucky, though. Now I just look like your stereotypical, privileged white guy. A lot of my friends don’t, and it is hard. It is difficult for them to get that respect because people are so unknowledgeable about gender identity. Sometimes you have to be more understanding. I feel like people in the LGBTQ community jump the gun and expect the heterosexual community to know what to say, but how would they know if we don’t talk to them in a nice way and educate them in a kind way?

We want them to be so patient, but we have to be patient, too. I mean, I’m still learning.

g n i Fi n d

n w O r You B ra n d o f

l u f i t u a Be

BY HEATHER OSBOURNE

REAL WOMEN DISCUSS PHOTOSHOP, BODY SHAMING AND HOW TO EMBRACE UNALTERED BEAUTY. Bethany Fagan is a model for several international and domestic clothing lines. // PHOTO BY HEATHER OSBOURNE

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rom Alicia Keys’ bold move to live life makeupless, to Meghan Trainor’s statement against the photoshoppers who slimmed down her waist, women everywhere are stepping out of the shadows to challenge our current culture’s idea of beauty.

Women in their teens, twenties, thirties and beyond, from models to moms to the average gal, are striving to educate women on altered images, as they unapologetically embrace their “own brand of beautiful.”

Billboards, magazines, commercials and every form of media in existence have seemingly managed to create one picturesque epitome of what it truly means to be beautiful. From Cara Delevingne’s god-like eyebrows to Kendall Jenner’s flawless frame, the money-seeking tabloids have slowly erased flaws from beauty one mouse click at a time. In turn, leaving real-life women insecure, unconfident and emptying their pocketbooks, as they hopelessly struggle towards an image they can never physically attain.

Bethany Fagan, a model for several international and domestic clothing lines, is just one among millions of real-life women who find themselves discouraged by failing to attain Hollywood’s view of “beauty.” As a model, Fagan said she herself often feels disturbed and “under par” because of the amount of digital altering that is done to her body.

“It’s disturbing,” Fagan confided. “It’s disturbing how they can hire you based on your looks, based on your size, based on the way your body fits lingerie or clothing and it’s still not good enough. It’s scary to think that what is supposed to be such a good tool, to fix clothes in retail or on a commercial level, is being exploited and manipulated to not only sell clothing or a product, but to control how women view other women.

“During a recent photoshoot, the shots came back, and I instantly knew it was not all of me in those photos,” Fagan continued. “I was already in a corset, and

they edited down my waist even more, made my bust larger and edited in sharper angles. I know my body. I know what it looks like, so I have noticed in the past when it’s been altered.”

Worldwide, however, Hollywood’s definition of beauty in no way matches the perception of true beauty cross culturally. In Ethiopia, according to research by Cosmopolitan magazine, body scars define beauty. In Mauritania, full figures; New Zealand, face tattoos; China, pale skin; Iran, surgical bandages; Thailand; long necks. Modern America continuously injects its women with the idea that beauty is only portrayed through one image — skinny, yet curvy. Tanned, but not tainted. Contoured, but not too bony.

Large assets, small waist, the list goes on.

“When I see these perfect images, I immediately just want to get back in the gym,” admitted 43-year-old Micki Wypyszinski, everyday woman and mother of four. “The superficial part of me says I need to do something to look like that, while the realistic part of me tells myself those images aren’t real.

There is no perfectly flawless body or face; everyone has some type of flaw.”

The fight for perfection in modern day America has resulted in a tremendous influx of extreme body altering methods.

Plastic surgery, botox and thousands upon thousands of dieting methods.

Even more harmful, bulimia, anorexia and body cutting have been on the rise in teens and young adults, according to Cheri Murray, a licensed counselor. She said many teens and young adults use these methods as a last-ditch effort to relieve the shame they experience, as a result of poor body image.

“Sometimes I have these goals I set in my mind of what I want to look like,” agreed 13-year-old Abigail Wypyszinski.

“When you see these pictures it makes you lose hope, almost to even have a healthy lifestyle because I’ll never look like that perfect image. I can be healthy, but my face will never look that pretty. I can change my weight, but I still won’t

There is no perfectly flawless body or face; everyone has some type of flaw. have those features.

“To come back from that, I concentrate on the fact that I exercise because I want my organs to function properly, not because I want to change my body,” she continued. “I always encourage everyone to do the same.”

Murray said she believes disclaimers should be set into place to educate the public on the unrealism of these images, separating an expression of art from reality.

“It would give the women out there a message that these models aren’t perfect either,” Murray said. “In the years after having kids, your body changes. When you see these other women celebrities who have also had children, and when you see them photoshopped into having this perfect body, you do stop and think, ‘I’ll never look like that.’ It does make you feel negative about yourself.”

Fagan agreed, stating the most destructive thing to both women and men’s self-health and

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image is comparison and believing what others say about your image. The overuse of Photoshop, according to Fagan, is the number one tool that can “mess you up.”

“I personally love the creation of these photos,” Fagan said. “I love how they come out.

I love experimenting and becoming something different. I love being in my pajamas and staying in my home all day, but I also love going to work and becoming a pinup goddess. Everyone has a version of that, and everyone’s version of that is beautiful. You can make a checklist of what you want to change about yourself, but anything portrayed in the media should be taken as an opinion.

“I’m a firm believer that literally everyone is beautiful and anyone can be beautiful,” she continued. “It’s a personal thing of how you see yourself and the world around you. It’s about finding your own brand of beautiful and believing in it.”

ILLUSTRATION BY SEAN MORGAN

NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kate Dearman // Photographer

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Freshly Brewed Entertainment

BY DEEJAY ROLISON Backdoor Coffeehouse, founded by David Walker and Paul Laughlin in 2006, is an artistic event that has taken place in Hattiesburg for 10 years now, featuring a number of singers, songwriters, artists, writers and even comedians on occasion.

Housed by University Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Backdoor Coffeehouse has become a phenomenon for people in this college town.

Once a month the event promoters of Backdoor Coffeehouse put on a one-of-a-kind show for audience members, free of charge, funded by donors and sponsors. Donations are accepted, unless it’s your first time showing up. In that case, Walker advises newcomers not to give any kind of donation — except a listening ear.

“The first time you come, I don’t want you to make a donation,” Walker said. “If you liked it, then you can donate the next time you come in, if you want.”

The event was born solely with the help of volunteers, but has since been assisted by the University of Southern Mississippi’s recording industry production department. The students set up sound equipment and cameras to gain practical experience to add to their resume. Dr. Jonathan Pluskota, a professor at the university, leads the students each month.

The upcoming lineup for Backdoor Coffeehouse is packed with immense talent and outstanding writing. This month, Backdoor Coffeehouse will host the second annual TRIPOD 2016, a two-day event showcasing artists, writers and performances by The Mulligan Brothers, Sarah Bryan Lewis, Cary Hudson, Thomas Jackson and Scott Chism & The Better Half.

When there’s not a musical act onstage, there will be plenty of other things to take part in, like poetry and songwriting workshops on Saturday, Nov. 12. These workshops will be lead

by Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter Tricia Walker, and writer/poet/photographer Sharon Gerald. There will also be a cardboard sculpture show by co-founder David Walker.

“It’s going to be a great time,” Walker said. “There’s going to be a lot of really great art and experiences that will be well worth the time.”

Backdoor Coffeehouse will take place every month and is a great place to go for both caffeine and amazing entertainment.

Lineup: November 11-12: TRIPOD 2016 December 2: Lisa Mills January 13: Claire Holley with Jonathan Kingham February 3: Scott Ainslie March 3: Andrew McKnight April: TBA May 5: Pierce Pettis

YOUNG ART PATRONS PRESENT THE FIRST ANNUAL WINE DOWN! Where: Elegance Ball Room, 2208 Front St., Meridian, Mississippi 39301 Competition type: Cabernet Sauvignon Date/Time: Thursday, 12/8/16 - 6-9 p.m.

Cost: $25 per team + three bottles of wine Tickets: www.eventbrite.com Questions: info@msarts.org or call 601.581.1550 HERE’S HOW IT WORKS. . .

Get together your team of one to three members and register online at Eventbrite.com The team fee is $25. Each team should arrive at the Wine Down with three identical bottles of the competition type - cabernet sauvignon.

On the night of the Wine Down, teams will check in and two of their bottles will be anonymously bagged and given a team number, the third bottle is placed in “the pot”.

Each team member is provided a score card and complimentary The MAX wine glass for the blind tasting. At the end of the contest the team with the highest score wins the entire pot!

All attendees must be age 21 years or older.

Learn more at MSarts.org, Eventbrite or email info@msarts.org.

wine down ad.indd

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GENDER DOES NOT EQUAL GENRE

WORDS AND PHOTO BY JENN DEVEREAUX Massachusetts punk trio Potty Mouth is a modern reincarnation of the 90s alternative music scene.

Although they draw many of their musical influences from the 90s feminist Riot Grrrl movement, this band deserves to be recognized for their talents and not as an anomaly, the fate most commonly pinned to girl-fronted bands. Potty Mouth is paving the path for a whole new era of female musicians.

Even their merch shirts are a prime example of that, proudly stating “Gender Does Not Equal Genre.”

It’s shocking and inspiring to see a band from such unassuming DIY beginnings skyrocketing onto the radar of Alternative Press, Elle and Nylon Magazine, as well as landing a spot on the widely popular Lollapalooza Festival lineup. DIME sat down with lead vocalist/guitarist Abby Weems, bassist Ally Einbinder and drummer Victoria Mandanas on a sweltering Atlanta afternoon to talk about misogyny in the current music scene, shaking up the status quo and one of their favorite bands, Veruca Salt.

JENN DEVEREAUX: Potty Mouth is definitely an interesting name for a band. How did you come up with it?

ALLY EINBINDER: Well, Phoebe, our original guitarist, just thought of it on the toilet, and it was during a summer where we were trying to change our name. That was the only thing where we were all like, “Ok, yeah, I can live with that.” <laughs> JD: Two years after releasing your full length album Hell Bent in 2013, you released your self-titled EP. What made you decide to go with an EP instead of another full length album?

ABBY WEEMS: It was just kind of our way of testing the waters. We had so much new material that we definitely could have released a record, but we weren’t really in a position to label-wise so we just put an EP out with the five best songs that represented where our new direction was going. We are working on a record now, so it’s coming.

JD: Your music seems very 90s inspired. Was that always the intention or did it just happen organically?

AW: It was definitely organic. When we first started, we didn’t even know what kind of band we wanted to be. It was very loose, and I think it was just inspired by the kind of music that we listened to. I know for me, personally, just getting into bands like Veruca Salt, Juliana Hatfield and Hole were all really inspiring.

JD: Back in the early 90s, as the alternative rock scene started to grow into the mainstream, many of the bands that led the charge received a lot of backlash from critics saying they had sold out. Do you think this happens a lot in the punk scene as bands grow and have more opportunities with recording and touring? Have you had any personal experience with it?

AE: Yeah, I think this concept of selling out is something that gets projected onto bands all the time, especially self-starting bands that grew out of a punk scene. Like our band, we came from a basement punk scene. Our first show was in a basement, and we booked all of our own tours the first two years. I think that is something that’s really easier to say about bands with women than it is about bands with men. It’s just another example of how misogyny is woven into the fabric of rock music culture. You know, Nirvana was a band that started out, like, as a basement band of young boys doing it just to do it, and they became the biggest band in the world. I’m sure there were plenty of people who said they

sold out, but they are still so highly regarded and they’re in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. No one is really questioning their legacy. If anything, they probably weren’t well prepared for the kind of success that came their way.

AW: It seems like they are almost more well respected for it being punks that made it big than it being punks who sold out. I just think the idea of selling out is bullshit. It’s another way for people to say, “Well, they’re only successful because they sold out.” No, we are successful because we made a choice for this to be our lives.

AE: Also the concept of selling out rests on the assumption that if you make it big, you’re somehow just conforming to the status quo or the dominant cultural way of doing things, but it’s not black and white. There are ways to gain more mainstream success and still stay true to yourself or even shake up the status quo. If you have a bigger platform in which to work on with your band, you have a bigger voice to say what you want to say. Its an opportunity to challenge things.

JD: So obviously the band loves Veruca Salt, and since they are my all-time favorite band, I thought I’d ask a few quick questions about them. What is your favorite VS song?

AW: Hmm, maybe Volcano Girls. Ugh! I don’t know. I just like all of the Eight Arms to Hold You album.

JD: If Veruca Salt could cover one of your songs, which one would you want it to be?

AW: I feel like they would do a good job covering Creeper Weed or The Bomb.

JD: Abby, you had the opportunity to write with Nina Gordon and Louise Post of Veruca Salt recently.

AW: Yeah, I was in the studio with them in LA for a day to try out writing, and it was cool. They brought a song to the writing session, and they were like, “Oh! What if we did something like this?” and I was like, “That sounds very Veruca Salt. I don’t think I could get away with writing something that blatantly sounds like Veruca Salt.”

It turned into me bringing a song to the table, and they were tweaking it. It was fun just to get to hang out with them and get to know them.

Writing sessions are always interesting, but it definitely felt more like hanging out.

JD: What was the best advice they gave you?

AW: When we were writing I was like, “Does this sound too much like Sheryl Crow?” and Louise was like “Fuck it! It sounds good, just do it.” <laughs>

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Jonah uses the Strymon Timeline TML for delay effects and the Strymon BigSky Reverberator to produce non-directional reverbs, structurally akin to the cascading flow of water. He also uses Electro-Harmonix Superego synth pedal to freeze chords and simulate epic organ accompaniment.

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A

R E T R A QU INTERVIEW AND PHOTO BY ZACHARY JONES

Rounding the corner of St. Peter onto Chartres, you can hear the sound of harps emanating from the face of St. Louis’ basilica. To me, it sounds like the evangelists on Bourbon Street were right. The angels are here, and they’re about to kick some sinner ass.

The source of that heavenly noise is Jonah Tobias Groppar and his Malian kora, traditionally a 21-stringed harp-lute fashioned from a gourd. Jonah, 31, is a New Englander by birth and a New Orleanian by choice — or divine providence. If you’re lucky enough to hear and see him play, you can decide for yourself.

ZACH JONES: Did you have a musical childhood?

JONAH TOBIAS: I’ve always loved music. My dad played harmonica in his studio. My mom played tapes in her car, and we sang along to Phantom of the Opera and 10,000 Maniacs.

ZJ: What was the first instrument you learned to play?

JT: I started playing the drums in 5th grade, guitar in middle school, piano in college, violin, mandolin, banjo and harmonica some time later… and I stunk at them all. I was just a dabbler.

Loved music, but admired it more than created it.

ZJ: How did you discover the kora?

JT: I discovered the kora at The Mystic Garden Gathering in Lake Selmac, Oregon, about six years ago. There was a kora player onstage named Youssoupha Sidibe. It was overwhelming,

obliterating and elevating all at the same time.

That same day, I borrowed $1300 from a friend and bought a kora from a luthier set up at the festival. And I’ve been playing ever since. A couple years in, I started craving more bass in my sound, so I started using thicker, longer strings and rebuilding parts of the kora to achieve that, which set off a long journey in building and rebuilding my own 25-string bass versions of the instrument, all in pursuit of that perfect tone.

ZJ: Out of curiosity, what key do you tune your instrument to?

JT: The traditional kora can be tuned in a lot of different ways. A lot of modern players tune to the Key of F. I dropped mine five whole steps to the Key of A major, so F# then is my relative minor. The strings alternate from left to right hand up and down the scale across three and a half octaves, with the thumbs playing the bass line and the forefingers plucking out the melodies and rhythm. I also added Harp levers to the neck so that I can choose which strings are “fretted” a half step to change the key.

ZJ: What’s the hardest thing about playing the instrument?

JT: To put it simply, the kora is hard. And it’s really temperamental. The best sound often exists somewhere within that perfect balance of tension and strength.

Jonah’s mystical solo album, “In the Belly of the Whale,” is available for download on iTunes.

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DEAD ON DOROTHY

BY JENN DEVEREAUX L.A.-based rock band Dorothy may be new to the music scene, but that hasn’t stopped them from hitting the ground running. In fact, there’s a good chance that you’ve already heard some of their music without even really knowing it, considering their songs have been featured in commercials for Gatorade and Levi’s, hit television shows like Orange is the New Black and Pretty Little Liars and, most recently, in the movie trailer for the new Jonah Hill film War Dogs. And if that didn’t make you want to run out and get their new album ROCKISDEAD, then maybe the fact that Rolling Stone listed them as one of the “10 New Artists You Need to Know” will peak your interest. Lead singer, and the band’s namesake, Dorothy Martin chatted with DIME about ghost hunting, what it’s like to be on Jay Z’s label and the best advice she’s ever gotten from Lzzy Hale.

JENN DEVEREAUX: You just finished touring with Halestorm and Lita Ford. What’s it like having that much female badassery in one room?

DOROTHY MARTIN: So fun. They’re really, really cool girls. There’s no cattiness. It’s all just very supportive, like having sisters. I get to learn from people who have been doing this for so much longer than me, and it’s awesome. Actually, I was just talking about it with my guitar player, how excited we are to go on this tour again. A lot of their fans have been coming out to support us on this run with The Struts, and their fans are just amazing, super supportive and very much happy to see us and really stoked about the music.

JD: Best advice from Lzzy or Lita?

DM: Lzzy says “Fake it ‘til you make it.” <laughs> I don’t know if she was referring to guitar playing or just rocking out. It wasn’t so much advice as it was watching them tour, watching them perform, seeing them day-to-day and watching what they do. Lzzy is just the real deal and Lita is a legend, and you just soak that up when you’re around them.

JD: Your album is called ROCKISDEAD. What made you choose that for the title of the album?

DM: It was between me and my manager, George Robinson. I wrote down a ton of title ideas, and none of them really sounded that good. He brought that one up, and I started cracking up because I thought it was funny. So it was just us being stupid and funny and sarcastic. It just stuck out because everyone has been saying that for years, and obviously it’s not dead. So it’s just really funny to me.

JD: The song Gun in My Hand is one of my favorite songs off the album. In fact, I’m constantly listening to that song while driving — and singing very badly to it. Was there anything in particular that inspired you to write this?

DM: I had come out of a very, very tumultuous relationship before I started this band and this journey with this band. I had come out of a really bad, emotionally abusive relationship, and I also had lost my father. It was just a lot of grief and emotion, and I think it just had a very dark undertone. Through my 56 // dime entertainment

voice, I wanted to express my pain. When love puts a gun in your hand, it’s almost like maybe you’re so tortured that you drink yourself sick or you self-destruct or you destroy the relationship or whatever it is, so the gun is not necessarily an actual gun. It could be a behavior. It’s a metaphor, you know? So, yeah, it was just an outlet for me to express how I was feeling because I was dealing with a lot of things that were just crumbling underneath the surface. I think I’ve let them go. I’m very, very grateful for where we’re at now, and getting to do music and perform live is awesome and so much fun. I guess if I went through all that, it was worth it.

JD: What’s it like being the first rock band signed to Jay Z’s label Roc Nation?

DM: It’s pretty cool. I guess it’s a talking point. I’m just glad they are an artist driven company and let us do us and be ourselves. And, you know, the music, obviously, it seems to be working. They are all really good people, and I love the company.

They let me brainstorm, and they let me creative direct sometimes. They don’t try to make me be something I’m not.

JD: Beyond music, what do you like to do in your downtime?

DM: I like to paint and draw. I really like fashion and makeup. I really like horror films, like classic horror films. I like to ghost hunt. I definitely believe in spirits and that whole other side because I’ve seen things I can’t explain, and I was completely sober, so it’s not something I can really readily explain to you. I was with other people who saw it as well.

This has happened like two or three times. I’ve taken photos where orbs or shapes or human-looking beings have appeared in the photo that weren’t there. So it’s very interesting to me. I’m very, very sensitive and somewhat psychic and intuitive. I have experiences that I just can’t explain, and I want to learn more about that, and if that’s a gift I have, I would love to develop it more.

For more from this interview with Dorothy, including the inside scoop on who leaves her starstruck, visit dimeentertainment.com.

ALL HALE THE QUEEN 20 MI N UT ES WI T H L ZZY H ALE

BY JENN DEVEREAUX

Pennsylvania hard rockers Halestorm are known for being one of the hardest working bands in rock music, touring 275 days out of the year (a trend they’ve maintained since they were mere teenagers). That hard work has finally paid off with their current album Into the Wild Life reaching #1 on the U.S. Rock Album charts, not to mention their two previous albums, Halestorm and The Strange Case Of, achieving certified gold status earlier this year. However, the biggest honor to date for the quartet was their Grammy win for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance.

Although this is an incredible award for the band, it’s a huge achievement for women in the industry, considering front woman and band co-founder Lzzy Hale was the first female to ever receive a Grammy in that category. DIME sat down with the queen of rock to talk about Lzzy 2.0, the one skill she’s yet to master and everything in between.

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JENN DEVEREAUX: You recently won the Dimebag Darrell Shredder of the Year Award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards. Not only is this a huge award in general, but how cool is it that you were the first female to receive it?

LZZY HALE: Oh! I was like, “Who screwed up and gave that to me?” <laughs> It was funny because the DragonForce guys were presenting it, and I was standing next to them side stage, and they had this whole spiel. They were like, “Just so you know, we wanted you to win.” So they basically told me I’m not getting it, and then all of a sudden they were like “Psych!!” It was really cool. It’s the first thing that I had ever been nominated for regarding guitar. My voice has always outshined that. So it was a really neat and humbling moment of mine. So I was like, “I’ve got this, but now I have to own it.” I have to live up to that now, so it’s actually made me sit down and keep practicing. Now I’m like, I’ve got to get some leads under my belt, and maybe some finger tapping.

JD: I know you have had some issues with your voice in the past, and you have referenced this transition in your voice as ‘Lzzy 2.0.” Can you tell me a little bit about what that means and how you overcame the challenge?

LH: It’s something I had never faced before. I was doing the same thing I always do, and I started losing my voice a lot and not being able to last through a tour. Or I would just have to muscle through and be hoarse every day I was off and just have to be quiet, and I was like, “This is impossible.” So I found out I was going through a vocal change and this transition started before we did the last record. I would get some squeaks and pops…

JD: So like you’re going through puberty?

LH: Exactly! Like, I am not a 12-year-old boy, what is going on? Basically what I ended up doing was going back to lessons that refreshed on all the basics. And then what was recommended to me was to actually warm up less. Don’t freak out so much about it. Don’t start two hours out.

Check your voice during the day, and if it’s there, great! Go out and kill it.

Trust that. Don’t use so much air and all that stuff. The thing is, the more tours we were doing, the more I felt everything starting to settle and balance again. And the craziest thing that came out of it was that my lows in my range got richer, but then I have this really crazy high. My old vocal coach is now calling it a “baby resonance.” It’s something I have never used before, and it’s super high. Like, I can do all of these Sebastian Bach things. One other thing is, I was in denial for a long time. I was like “No, I want to sound like I did when I was 17,” and the biggest advice that was given to me by both my coach and a couple other local Nashville rock

’n’ roll people was basically, you’re 32. Own it. Don’t deny it. Accept it.

So it’s been really therapeutic just being like, “Ok, I’ve got this. I got my little badge. I went through it.”

JD: What artist or band changed your life the moment you heard them?

LH: Wow! Digging back to when we first started this band, I was listening to a lot of my dad’s music. If I had to narrow it down, the two guys that were monumental in my sound — when that spark went off, and I was like, “Oh my god, I need to do that!” — was Ronnie James Dio and Tom Kiefer from Cinderella. The first female that really blew me away was Ann Wilson from Heart.

JD: What’s one skill you haven’t mastered that you would like to?

LH: Oh! Driving a car. A lot of people do not know that I don’t have my driver’s license. Just because things keep happening, and I keep not wanting to do it. We are on tour so much, and then we come back for four or five days. I don’t want to spend time at driving school. That’s happened for many years, so I’m going to see when we end this record cycle, if I can master that. Because no one wants to take me out. They’re scared shitless of me.

JD: What’s a quality about yourself that you are genuinely proud of?

LH: I’m a damn good cook... I make a lemon rosemary chicken that’s pretty amazing, and I make a really good meatloaf. I just did my first fish fry. I live next to a lake and went fishing and caught a catfish and two bluegills. I cleaned them and had a cast iron skillet, got the mixture together and fried those suckers up. Lake to table!

JD: Does it bother you when people say, “She’s a badass female rocker”? Would you rather just be a badass rocker, or do you take pride in standing out as a female in a male-centric industry?

LH: I don’t really care either way. Because it’s something that’s always going to happen. I know a lot of my friends in this business who would be super upset about it, like, “No, I’m just a person.” And, yes, I agree, but the stigma doesn’t go away just because you think it. It is slowly evolving out of that because there are so many girls now. And I always tell everybody that it’s not a matter of gender, it’s a matter of talent. If you, guy or girl, can’t go up there and give it 110% and win some people over every night, then it doesn’t matter what your gender is. You either suck or you don’t. But I don’t mind. I mean, I happen to be a girl, and I’m proud of it.

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THE REAL RAY

BY MALCOLM MORROW P H O T O S B Y T R I S TA N DUPLICHAIN

Ray Kincaid has gained momentum as an artist at an astounding rate. His m o s t re c e n t re l e a s e , A r t i s t i c D e p re s s i o n , e x p l o re s s e v e r a l d i ff e re n t s t a t e s o f a d e p re s s e d m i n d . I t tells the loose s t o r y o f a m a n â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s u p s and downs, using s o n g s w i t h d i ff e re n t tones, themes and i n s t r u m e n t a l s . I t â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a n i n t e re s t i n g a p p ro a c h a n d p re s e n t s i t s e l f i n a f re n e t i c j o u r n e y t o w a rd s a d e e p e r understanding of self.

H e w e n t f ro m b e i n g a re l a t i v e l y u n k n o w n upstart MC to being a mainstay on sets a c ro s s J a c k s o n .

Ray’s home dojo is Offbeat and his training grounds were DJ Bigg O’s Greenhouse Recording Studio in Jackson.

He has performed at political rallies, indie showcases and the Mississippi Museum of Modern Art. His most recent show was opening for one of MF Doom’s past collaborators, Count Bass D, a moment of significance due to the reverence that Ray holds for the Metal-Faced MC. His rise as an artist may seem sudden, but it certainly wasn’t easy. Ray began rapping a while ago but has had a number of stumbling blocks thrown in his path. Rather than succumb to the pressures of life, he decided to focus his energy into his career as an artist. He searched to find his sound and aesthetic, eventually discovering that people responded more to him being his true self in music and in life. We are witnessing the rise of the real Ray. Ray was born in Jackson, raised on Champion Hill Drive on the city’s south side. He attended Whitten Middle School and Jim Hill High School, where he felt like an outsider due to being considered a nerd, but the reputations of his older family members saved him from being harshly ostracized by his peers. This kept him from experiencing the extremes of bullying, but his geekier interests insured that he wasn’t going to be invited into the popular crowd. Outside of school, there was pain and death surrounding his community and even right at home.

“There was a shootout with the police right in my front yard. Some guys were running from the cops and jumped the fence into my backyard,” Ray remembers. “The cops pulled up in front, blocking them off, and the shootout began. My neighborhood is one of the roughest areas in the city, and people are still shocked to learn that’s where I’m from.”

The Artistic Depression rapper said that growing up in such a volatile environment taught him to be a well-rounded person.

“Growing up in the hood taught me that it was important to be book smart but also have street sense to go with it,” Ray explained. “I learned to look at things from a lot of different angles, you know, really analyze a situation and make the best choice.”

Even with the ills of society going on closer to home than most people experienced in an entire lifetime, Ray didn’t let it consume him. Instead, he overcame the odds.

Although his family members were heavily involved in the streets, they always encouraged Ray to take the alternate path.

“My cousins would always tell me to stay out of the streets and stay focused on school. They always told me I had to be the one to make it out,” he recalled.

Along with the influence of his family, Kincaid’s interest in anime, video games and comics helped to occupy his mind and help him visualize a world outside of his own reality.

“I used to come home every day and watch Toonami and play video games like Street Fighter,” he said.

These topics often come up in his music and social media accounts. These were also the interests that helped him connect with the people who would go on to form G.R.O.U.P. Nation in 2008.

G.R.O.U.P. Nation was a collective of artists from various mediums and backgrounds that came together through common interests in music, culture and feelings of being outsiders. The crew became a support system — a family — for everyone involved.

“Finding G.R.O.U.P. Nation was a very important part of me becoming comfortable with being different and being myself. The bond we had helped us to build confidence in our abilities as artists,” Ray said. “It was basically a group of friends coming together and honing our skills while gaining exposure before launching into solo endeavors”.

One of the people Ray connected with the most was fellow member Cee. This friendship played a pivotal role in Ray maturing into the creative force that he is today. Clarence B. Honer Jr., a.k.a Cee, was one of Ray’s closest friends and a constant collaborator. The chemistry and dynamic energy that these two produced on tracks was electrifying. The best example of their tag team abilities is evident throughout one of Kincaid’s earliest releases, The Orbital Frame EP. Cee’s vibrant lyricism and diverse flow set made Ray work harder to rise to the occasion as an MC. They would often tell each other that they were going to make it one day grinding with music. Sadly their dreams would not be realized together. In 2014, Cee died in a tragic accident that left Ray depressed, suicidal and uninterested in stepping in the booth. wThe devastation that Ray experienced at this period in his life affected him and his music deeply. He had not only lost his best friend, but his love life was also in shambles when his then-girlfriend dumped him. It was a double whammy of hits that created intense turbulence. One of the few tracks that Ray released during this period was “The Rope.” It is a haunting tune that shows him battling the urge to to end his life in the midst of his turmoil. The opening lines chill the soul: “Now my girlfriend gone and my best friend died/Thoughts of suicide/They been on my mind.”

The refrains of “Don’t Do It” and “Give Me The Rope” show the constant struggle that he experienced to keep those thoughts at bay.

“After Cee died, I was depressed and didn’t really want to create anything. I was aware of my own mortality and had lost the passion for making music,” Ray said. “It took me awhile to get back into the booth. His death made me take my music more seriously, like it was my responsibility to achieve the dream for both of us.”

Kincaid has an interesting theory to explain his resurgence in creative energy and improved wordplay and skill.

“I think that Cee left me his rapping ability behind when he died,” Ray said. “I feel like it was laying dormant in me until I was prepared to properly use it.”

It’s similar to the origin story of a superhero or anime character, which is fitting. His newly found lyrical move list, coupled with the rise of true hip hop auteurs to the forefront of the industry in 2012, was the spark that he needed to propel him towards greatness.

Ray is receiving widespread attention from media and acclaim from critics. His fearless performances and personal soul-searching songs reveal a side that most artists try to keep guarded. Regardless of what anyone has to say about him, Ray can’t do anything but keep it real.

“I really just came into completely being the person I want to be last year. When I was younger, I let the opinions of other people keep me from being true to myself,” Ray said. “Now I’m comfortable in my own skin and with my ability to express myself artistically.”

Find Ray, @AyeKincaid, on social media and Soundcloud to stay updated on his upcoming projects and performances.

5 Seconds Of Summer Australian pop-punk band 5 Seconds of Summer, known for radio hits like “She Looks So Perfect” and “Amnesia,” packed out the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans with a massive amount of screaming fans on September 16.

PHOTOS BY JENN DEVEREAUX

Upcoming Shows November 4 FLOW TRIBE Duling Hall

November 6 GALACTIC fruition Duling Hall

November 7

SHAUN MARTIN & MARK LETTIERI Duling Hall

November 10 LUKE COMBS Duling Hall

November 11 MAC MCANALLY will kimbrough

Duling Hall

November 13 TAUK the jag

Duling Hall

November 23 THE MOLLY RINGWALDS Duling Hall

December 15 WHISKEY MYERS scooter brown band

Duling Hall

December 17 BRICKS IN THE WALL:

the sight & sound of pink floyd

Duling Hall

#JX//RX tickets & info ardenland.net

Tove Lo Tove Lo made her debut appearance in New Orleans on September 5, opening for Grammy award winners Maroon 5. Tove Lo admitted it was her â&#x20AC;&#x153;first time here in such a fucking beautiful place,â&#x20AC;? which made the sold out crowd go crazy. She ended the set with her smash hit single Habits (Stay High), amping up the fans just in time for Adam Levine and company to take the stage.

PHOTOS BY JENN DEVEREAUX

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weekly events MUSIC | FOOD | DRINK MONDAY RED BEAN RUNNING & WALKING CLUB | 6 PM MONDAY NIGHT MOVIES | 8:30 PM

TUESDAY 1/2 PRICE PITCHERS | 5-10 PM OPEN MIC NIGHT | 9 PM WEDNESDAY FREE LIVE TRIVIA | 7 PM SATURDAY FREE LIVE JAZZ 6-8 PM

LIVE MUSIC

ALMOST NIGHTLY SEE CALENDAR ThirstyHippo.com

309 Mcleod St, Hattiesburg (601) 583-9188 LUNCH: MON-FRI 11AM-2PM EVENING: MON-SAT 5PM-CLOSE

LIL WAYNE

Lil Weezyana Fest Lil Weezyana Fest returned to Champions Square for its second consecutive year. The festival, hosted by hip hop superstar Lil Wayne, boasted a lineup consisting of Migos, Yo Gotti, Colegrove and special guests Mystikal and Partners-N-Crime. Concertgoers were also treated with a surprise guest when Grammy award winning R&B/pop heavyweight Chris Brown hit the stage later that evening.

PHOTOS BY JENN DEVEREAUX

One MusicFest Hip-hop/R&B collective Dungeon Family, consisting of Outkast, Goodie Mob, Organized Noize and others reunited at One MusicFest in Atlanta. The sold-out festival also included killer performances by Ice Cube, Gary Clark Jr., Jazmine Sullivan, A$AP Ferg, Andra Day, Anderson.Paak, BJ the Chicago Kid and Erykah Badu.

PHOTOS BY JENN DEVEREAUX

ICE CUBE

ERYKAH BADU

THE JULIE RUIN

Wrecking Ball Fest The second annual Wrecking Ball Fest returned to Atlantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic Masquerade in time for one last blowout before the venue closes its doors and relocates. Fans experienced killer performances from L7, Dinosaur Jr, The Julie Ruin, Potty Mouth, The Joy Formidable, Deerhunter, Thursday and Juliette Lewis.

PHOTOS BY JENN DEVEREAUX

DIARRHEA PLANET

JULIETTE LEWIS

Y d n a c h s u cr DRA navy dress, $149 (Between Boutique) Fringe earring, $18 (Between Boutique) Marylee pump, $80 (Aldo) Handbag, $55 (Aldo)

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Love Stories julian blouse, $125 (Between Boutique) JOA harvey pants, $69 (Between Boutique)

PRIMARY HUES AND CLASSIC STRIPES SERVE UP A SUGARY SWEET GLOW SURE TO CURB EVEN THE PREPPIEST OF APPETITES.

PHOTOGRAPHER: JESUS NIEVES PHOTOGRAPHY HAIR: ANNA MOHRBACHER OF COBALT STUDIO MAKEUP: NIKKI DELAPENA OF COBALT STUDIO STYLIST: ADAM MYRICK MODELS: VICTORIA LIECHTY AND CAITLIN COOK VENUE: STUDIO ONE PENSACOLA

Scotch & Soda Emerald City tee, $105 (Between Boutique) Cory stripe skirt, $159 (Between Boutique)

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Scotch & Soda Color block dress, $155 (Between Boutique) Scotch & Soda party cardi, $149 (Between Boutique)

DRA Felicity poncho, $189 (Between Boutique) Scotch & Soda copper bra, $55 (Between Boutique)

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Scotch & Soda contrast collar top, $115 (Between Boutique) Love Stories metallic jogger, $125 (Between Boutique) Depietro peep toe, $90 (Aldo)

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Scotch & Soda brooch sweater, $169 (Between Boutique) JOA harvey pants, $69 (Between Boutique) Scotch & Soda lingerie, $55 (Between Boutique) Marylee pump, $80 (Aldo)

Scotch & Soda stripe blouse, $179 (Between Boutique) Scotch & Soda navy pleated skirt $126 (Between Boutique) Marylee pump, $80 (Aldo)

10 things to do in Chicago off the beaten path WORDS & PHOTOS BY ROBYN WHITE

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1. Chicago is one of the most artistic cities in America, evident by the impressive collection of museums.

Head to The Art Institute of Chicago ($25 adults/$19 students), where you can view everything from Claude Monet’s waterlilies to 16th century Nigerian war remnants.

2. The Museum of Contemporary Photography features incredible works in their permanent collection by Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange along with temporary exhibitions featuring up and coming photographers — all of which can be viewed for free.

3. Take advantage of another one of the city’s best kept secrets — the Driehaus Gallery of Stained Glass at the Navy Pier. With no entrance fee, you can freely marvel at an incredible collection of stained glass, featuring the trademark style of Louis C. Tiffany (son of Tiffany & Co. founder), as well as breathtaking renditions of Alphonse Mucha’s The Seasons.

4. In a city with such an impressive skyline, you can pay $18 to go to the top floor of the historic John Hancock Center for a 360° view, or you can get more bang for your buck by grabbing a drink on the 96th floor at Signature Lounge. The entire lounge offers jaw-dropping views of the city, even in the bathroom. The lounge is two floors above the observatory and has no entrance fee, although technically you’ll spend about the same, considering most drinks will set you back $15. Still, you’ll get to enjoy a sunset over Chicago with a drink in hand, inarguably more satisfactory than a few selfies at the observatory.

5. Venture out to the suburb of Oak Park, about a half hour west from the center of Chicago on the green rail line. Oak Park is home to not only one of the most influential 19th/20th century architects and designers Frank Lloyd Wright, but also one of the most beloved 20th century writers Ernest Hemingway. Spend the day roaming the streets of this picturesque suburb with the audio version of the self-paced Historic Neighborhood Walking Tour (available at the Frank Lloyd Wright museum for $15 adults/$12 students).

6. End the day at the Ernest Hemingway birthplace home (200 N. Oak Park Ave.), where the $15/$13 admission fee grants you access to a tour of the home, as well as to the Ernest

Hemingway Museum (Closed M/ Tu; open 1-5 p.m. W-Fri and Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.), which provides an intimate look at the late writer’s work and life through private correspondence and other relics.

7. Go deep with Chicago-style (deep dish) pizza. Deep dish pizza is not for the faint of heart, with its intimidating block of thick, dense dough, mound upon mound of mozzarella, and top layer of rich, thick tomato sauce, not to mention all the toppings. While the best place to try this uniquely Chicago treat might be highly contested (as both internet and extensive first-hand research have proved to be inconclusive), the good news is that there’s no shortage of places to help you check this must-eat off your list. Try a pie at one of the city’s traditional pizzerias, like Lou Malnati’s or Gino’s East, or try out one of the newer kids in town, such as The Art of Pizza. You can’t go wrong either way (but just to make sure, you might want to try them all).

8. Check out a comedy show at Second City, which has essentially served as a pipeline for SNL for years.

As the first ever ongoing improvisational theatre group in Chicago, this famous comedy club has been the breeding grounds for beloved comedians like Dan Aykroyd, Chris Farley, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Second City offers shows nightly, with most tickets starting at $15.

9. As one of the greatest art cities in the U.S., it should come as no surprise that, in addition to great museums, the city also has numerous sculptures and public art installations all over town worth seeking out. While downtown, swing over to Millennium Park, home to the famous “Cloud Gate” sculpture (more commonly referred to as “The Bean”), as well as Crown Fountain, an interactive video installation known to occasionally, and not so dryly, interact with visitors (dress accordingly!).

10. While there’s clearly no shortage of things to eat, see and do in Chicago, be sure to check out what festivals are happening when you’re in town. With the exception of the quieter winter months, you can rest assured that at least one festival will be underway during your visit.

For more information and photos, visit us online at dimeentertainment.com.

ROGUE FUTURES

SCORPIO

by Nicole Chantr eau

OCT. 23 - NOV. 21

LEO July 23 - Aug. 22

You’re getting a handle on your life just in time for your birthday. You’ve dropped some negative people from your headspace so you can get back in tune with the real you, so why do you still feel so terrible? You might need some you time or some time to reflect, so plan a trip with the bestie or just get an Airbnb out of town for a weekend away — and don’t forget to treat yo’ self.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22 - Dec. 21

Someone you really care about has been ghosting you lately, and you’re at your wit’s end. You’ve been worried about confronting them, but trust me, get it over with. They may be holding a grudge or hiding some really big news from you, and this news may turn out to be much bigger than you expect. Buck up and confront them.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

With the help of your friends, you’ve got your groove back. Now it’s time for you to return the favor when someone in your family is down in the dumps. Host a Sunday dinner or brunch to get the family in one place and show them how great time together can be.

The holidays are right around the corner, and you’re going crazy trying to think of the perfect gift for your bae. Instead of something tangible, surprise them with something you can experience together, like a concert out of town or a weekend together at a cute bed and breakfast. The look on their face will make the expense worth it.

CAPRICORN

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

Dec. 22 - Jan. 19 You’ve built up your little holiday money nest and are already buying things for people in anticipation of the holidays. Your great self-control means you’re still putting money aside for your own little nest egg. You’re basically crushing it this month. Keep this up and everyone around you is going to have a great holiday

AQUARIUS Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

Host a get together for your friends this month, nothing fancy, just a board game night or something chill. You’ve felt out of touch with your pals lately, so a night in laughing and playing cards or a complicated board game may get you back in the swing of things with them. Plus, with you, there’s never a dull moment.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20 You’ve found a new dimension to yourself through your newest hobby, so why are you feeling so one dimensional these days? You normally love being alone, but lately it’s just not fun. Maybe it’s time to take a trip or, dare I say, time for a move? Think long and hard about it, but a change of scenery could do you good.

ARIES

March 21 - April 19 Your artistic side has felt stifled lately, and it’s driving you up the wall. Get a head start on the holidays by making some presents for those closest to you. Just make sure it’s well thought out and the execution is perfect, so they don’t have to pretend to be excited when they open your present on Christmas morning.

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You can’t wait for your holiday break this year since you’ve been so swamped with work and social activities. You won’t have any work hanging over your head for a while, so get out of town for the weekend and go camping or do something spontaneous with friends. It’ll give you a great opportunity to clear your head and forget about your looming responsibilities.

CANCER June 21 - July 22 Things have been a little hectic lately, and you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions. Take a mental health day and check out your local library or spend the day checking out new music online.

Do something that’s just for you, down to a recipe you’ve been wanting to try. Your brain will thank you for it.

VIRGO Aug. 23 - Sept. 2

Give something back this month to get yourself back on track before the holidays. Help out with a work or school fundraiser or volunteer at an animal shelter.

With your love for animals, that wouldn’t even feel like work, so find something that you enjoy doing to give back to the community and build up some positive karma.

LIBRA September 23 - October 22

Your friends can find you to be a bit of a wet blanket sometimes, with your potential for emotional over-sharing, but they’ll appreciate it this month when they really need a shoulder to cry on. Do your best to be there for them, and they’ll return the favor when you need someone to vent to later this month.

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