DIME Entertainment | January 2017| Find Your Mind

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FIND YOUR MIND

JANUARY 2017 | VOL. 3 • NO. 1

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM PRESENTS

The Beautiful Mysterious:

The Extraordinary Gaze of William Eggleston SEPTEMBER 13, 2016–FEBRUARY 18, 2017 A series of stunning color and early black-and-white photographs, some never exhibited before, by the world-renowned, Memphis-born photographer.

Lecture: February 9, 2017, 7:00 p.m. Anne Tucker, scholar and curator-emerita, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will discuss the work of William Eggleston.

The University of Mississippi Museum A D M I S S I O N

I S

F R E E

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78 THIS ISSUE

JANUARY 2017 | Vol. 3

No. 1

DIMEENTERTAINMENT.COM BITE/POUR Beer of the month \\ 12 Alpine Flip recipe \\ 14 Good mood food \\ 16 BEAT The Pretty Reckless \\ 38 Let me ride: part two \\ 42 Muscle Beach Records \\ 44

LIT Unconventional inspiration \\ 20 FEATURES A hobby for your thoughts \\ 22 Overcoming anxiety \\ 24 Hungry for beauty \\ 26 Not another statistic \\ 32 NEON Coheed and Cambria \\ 56

Evanescence \\ 58 Lindsey Stirling \\ 60 Switchfoot \\ 62 Suwannee Hulaween \\ 63 REEL A Monster Calls \\ 68 STANDARDS Ed’s note \\ 11 Horoscopes \\ 82

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OVERFLOWING EMOTION

FEAT. ARTIST: ADRIENNE DOMNICK

The Link Between Artistry and Mental Illness

BY ASHTON PITTMAN

Also included in the study was jazz luminary Miles Davis (who is featured on the cover of this month’s issue of DIME), the artist behind My Kind of Blue, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz records of all time. Behind Davis’ creative genius, though, was a man who suffered hallucinations and persecutory delusions.

Davis, like contemporaries Art Pepper and Bill Evans, developed an overwhelming cocaine habit. Pepper also suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and exhibited severe anxiety in the form of blood and telephone phobias.

Famous jazz pianist Bud Powell sought treatment on multiple occasions for schizophrenia.

And Billie Holiday, the smoky voice behind the song that TIME declared the We don’t highlight the high “song of the cenrates of mental illness among tury” – “Strange Fruit” – struggled famous artists to stigmatize with mental illness our cultural icons or their throughout her life, dying in 1959 likely craft. Rather, we highlight as a consequence their struggles to help peel of her drug and alcohol addiction. away the stigma Those are just a that surrounds few cases of mental illness Dr. Wills mental illness. documented among some of the Jazz greats.

He noted that the trend was “comparable to [research on] other creative people.” But does that necessarily mean that jazz and creativity are linked with mental illness?

It might. Then again, it might not.

The living conditions jazz musicians of the era experienced may have contributed to mental illness. Living in extreme poverty and

Is there a link between creativity and mental illness? A study of jazz musicians from the genre’s Golden Age suggests there could be.

Dr. Geoffrey Wills’ 2003 study of 40 world renowned jazz musicians – stars like Chet Baker and Thelonious Monk – found that these musicians were four times more likely than the general population to suffer from a mood disorder.

Even more striking, they were eight times more likely to have suffered drug addiction. More than half of them were addicted to heroin at some point in their lives. And the suicide rate was unusually high.

struggling to survive, Billie Holiday was arrested at age 15 for prostitution. And across the board, even jazz musicians who had “made it” were often poorly paid, and drugs and alcohol were readily available – poisons masquerading as antidotes.

Many of the standards of classic Americana today are jazz songs, but in its heyday in the 1940s and 50s, jazz was considered subversive. In the era of McCarthyism and segregation, being part of any movement that was considered subversive – whether political or artistic – promised to exact a toll. Being subversive while black came at an even greater price.

“Modern jazz was a revolutionary music that was rejected by the general public,” Dr. Wills told the BBC. “And heroin, like the music, was defiantly anti-establishment.”

So what conclusions can we draw from Dr. Wills’ study? Certainly, we know that mental illness can happen to anyone – even the musical heroes and heroines of classic Americana. Conversely, though, we know this: Mental illness cannot kill talent, or artistry, or the human will to create. It can only suppress it.

We don’t highlight the high rates of mental illness among famous artists to stigmatize our cultural icons or their craft. Rather, we highlight their struggles to help peel away the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

A cursory glance at the long list of revered Americans with mental illness should dispel the false notion that mental illness is something to be ashamed of, or that it is a roadblock to greatness; it is not. That list includes not only jazz artists like Miles Davis, but also the likes of President Abraham Lincoln, too. As Miles Davis once sang, “It Could Happen to You.” If you suspect you or someone you know may be struggling with mental illness, or if you are seeking treatment, resources are available at mentalhealth. gov or via the treatment referral hotline at 1‑877‑726‑4727. For emergency situations, the Suicide Prevention Hotline can be reached at 1‑800‑273‑TALK (8255).

DIME ENTERTAINMENT

PUBLISHER Jim Cegielski EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jacqueline Lee MANAGING EDITOR Courtney Creel ART DIRECTOR Kassie Rowell MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Amy Allegrezza Sarah Stewart Jenn Devereaux DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA Ashton Pittman PHOTOGRAPHERS Kate Dearman Jenn Devereaux Tristan Duplichain Lenore Seal Jesus Nieves

CONTRIBUTORS Michelle Brugioni Nicole Chantreau Kyle Crockett Kate Dearman Jenn Devereaux Zack Grossenbacher Biz Harris Malcolm Morrow Sean Murphy Adam Myrick Heather Osbourne Brittany Purvis Justin Sawyer Andie Szabo Teddie Taylor Kristin Teston Robyn White INTERNS D’Anthony Jackson Caitlin Olson Paige Pritchard DeeJay Rolison Kaitlyn Watkins Michael Rabina

DIME Entertainment Magazine is published monthly

by Gin Creek Publishing, 318 N. Magnolia St. Laurel, MS 39440. All contents copyright 2016

by Gin Creek Publishing and all rights reserved.

Any views expressed here are not necessarily endorsed

by DIME Entertainment Magazine, its staff or advertisers. Individual copies of DIME Entertainment Magazine are free for the first three copies. For additional copies, subscriptions, address changes and back issues, write to: Dime Entertainment Magazine, 110 E. Front St., Suite 103 Hattiesburg, MS 39401, call 601.909.6092 or visit dimeentertainment.com.

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ON THE COVER: Adrienne Domnick captures the raw emotion of Miles Davis, jazz trumpeter, bandleader and nine-time Grammy award winner, in her piece, Kind of Blue. Completed in September 2014 and now up for sale, this work of art hangs in Cups in Fondren. Titled in honor of the Miles Davis’ song Don’t Lose Your Mind released in 1986, we hope our mental health issue Find Your Mind aids you in your journey to be mentally whole in 2017.

s ' r o t i d E

Note

I was working a job I’d come to loathe when I had my first panic attack. I was making

my commute when an overwhelming wave of anxiety swarmed me like a herd of bees.

It was a foreign experience, and I didn’t know if I was ill or going crazy. I naively

described it as a tingling sensation that I didn’t know how to end, and at the time,

I blamed too much caffeine. Those powerful moments could make me question every aspect of my life, and the answers were only more questions.

Looking back, these feelings were an alarm call that something needed to change

drastically in my world. But in that moment, all I could see was that I wasn’t in control — not of my feelings, my body or my head.

Essentially, that’s the awful nature of feeling that something is not right and acknowl-

edging it. You cannot just will it away. ​I faced enough instances of these attacks over the next several months to make me worry that this was just my new life, some sort of adult coming-of-age that no one had warned me about. Thankfully it wasn’t. Within the next year, I left that job and purposefully began surrounding myself with driven, positive people. The benefit of a fresh start was as immense as the downsides of staying in the same rut.

Years have passed, and I haven’t felt that ​sting. And the preventative measures I’ve

taken to stave it off have been a long game. I still get stressed (duh), but I try to stay away from triggers that would send me down an anxiety-riddled path again, like saying yes to too many people and projects at once. Or not petting my dog enough.

But beyond a panic attack, there are other threats to our mental state, from chemical

imbalances to addiction, negative self-talk and actual abuse. The battle against these things can require quite the arsenal. We at DIME, by no means, have the cure-all, but we do want you out there to know that your weird tingles, internal voices and mental fragilities make you human, nothing less. Sometimes, just raising your head to see the suffering of others around you can give you grounds for gratitude and motivation to improve your situation, and sometimes it just helps to know you’re not all alone in the struggle we call life. We hope your 2017 is full of yays and high-five moments, but also that the unavoidable blahs and mehs are entirely survivable. We’re rooting for you!

Jacqueline Lee Editor-In-Chief

R E E B h

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BY SEAN MURPHY

One of Southern Prohibition’s earliest beers got a recent revamp, and the results are nothing short of astounding. This beer pours a hazy gold similar to a glass of grapefruit juice. The nose is bold with dankness, as all you 420 aficionados well know.

Loads of aroma and flavor hops dominate this one. Anyone who is a fan of pale ales or IPAs will certainly find a gem with Devil’s Harvest. Slanté!

dime entertainment // 13

Alpine Flip RECIPE SUBMITTED BY DUSTY FRIERSON PHOTO BY CHAD EDWARDS/MCE PHOTOGRAPHY 2 oz. Bourbon 1/2 oz. Braulio Amaro 1/4 oz. Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice 1/2 oz. Vanilla Syrup 1 whole raw egg Combine ingredients in a shaker.

Shake well.

Pour into desired glassware.

Dusty Frierson is the Chief Operations Manager and Beverage Program Director at The Hog in Hattiesburg.

dime entertainment // 15

Good Mood food

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MESS OF GREENS SOUP

BY BIZ HARRIS I’ve always dreaded the month of January.

One year in my early twenties, I felt so down that I gained ten pounds eating pasta and streamed six seasons of Smallville (which, in hindsight, is an awful show).

For years I called January my “guilty pleasure month” since I let myself eat, watch or do whatever I felt like to bring up my mood. It never seemed to work.

Another January in grad school, I hid in my kitchen, away from friends and classmates, making batch after batch of brownies or homemade ice cream.

Cooking and baking felt comforting, like I was actually accomplishing something, even though I should have been writing my thesis or, you know, going to class. Little did I know that avoiding human interaction and eating carbs or sweets were the worst possible things for combatting my blues. In fact, the National Institutes of Health examined studies connecting depression and unhealthy diet, and found that “although stress and depression can promote unhealthy eating, recent longitudinal studies have suggested that reverse causality is a less likely explanation for long-term associations.” In other words, bad food can be one of the causes of bad, harmful moods.

Some people experience mood disorders or depression in the winter months as the darkness lingers and the weather turns colder. Others face entirely different mental health challenges, and it turns out that a remedy can sometimes be found in our kitchens and grocery stores.

The growing research

supporting this theory that mental health disorders like ADHD, anxiety and depression can be treated effectively in part with a change in a patient’s diet is inspiring and exciting to me, since I both love food and have struggled with severe mood swings my whole life.

If you have been feeling like you can’t focus or have always struggled with ADHD, psychologists recommend limiting processed sugars, alcohol and caffeine to help yourself stay on track and calm your mood. Or, if you have been feeling down or blue, try eating fatty seafood high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon or oysters; leafy greens high in folic acid like collard, turnip and mustard greens or kale; and complex carbohydrates like brown rice, sweet potatoes and quinoa to boost your mood and improve brain function. Studies seem to show that these nutrient-rich foods can have a positive impact on your mental health. I mean, has a doctor ever prescribed oysters or sweet potatoes to you before? A diet change should not be considered a silver bullet for severe mental health issues, but a possible remedy that might decrease the need for antidepressants or other pharmaceutical solutions could be worth a try.

Since I’ve never been one to turn down a chance to eat good food, and the side effects of my own mood issues — like binging on bad TV all winter — are something I’d like to get rid of, I’m willing to give it a shot. Here’s one recipe high in folic acid and full of flavor, plus it can do double duty as your lucky New Year’s Day meal.

Serves about 6 (depending on the serving size) Time: 1.5 hours WHAT YOU NEED: One can of black eyed peas 2 quarts of turnip greens (around 4 bunches or probably one or 1.5 bags of prewashed) 1 onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 4 strips of bacon 1 package ham pieces or 1 ham bone 4 cups chicken stock 2-4 cups water salt, pepper, red pepper flakes/hot sauce to taste WHAT YOU DO: 1. Make sure to rinse and wash your greens very well to rid them of grit. Also, take out all the little veins and stems and tear the leaves into 1-inch pieces.

2. In a large heavy bottomed pot, brown the bacon and ham pieces, then use the grease to saute the onions and garlic until translucent. Remove the ham and bacon and set aside.

3. Once the onions and garlic are cooked, add in the chicken stock and the red pepper flakes.

4. When the stock comes to a rolling boil, toss in your greens.

5. Add in the ham and bacon (that you’ve chopped up) and the water. You want it all to simmer together for an hour or an hour and a half at least.

6. When the greens are beautifully wilted and the flavors have melded a bit (45 minutes or more), stir in the black eyed peas.

7. Let the soup simmer for another hour on low at this point and, if needed, add a bit more water.

8. You can either serve it immediately, or freeze it and serve it at your leisure, but whatever you do, for the love of God, serve it with cornbread and a few dashes of hot sauce.

Unconventional Inspiration

BY JUSTIN M. SAWYER PHOTO BY MICHAEL RABINA

Being a person is hard work. Sometimes it helps to have a guide book of sorts to help you navigate through this world. This list of books won’t help you take command of your life. They won’t make you a conqueror in the boardroom or in the bedroom, nor will they lead you to any great spiritual awakenings, but we like to think that by reading some of these books you’ll be touched by the human experiences you’ll discover within their pages. Or, if nothing else, they’ll at least kill a quiet night at home.

MY FATHER, THE PORNOGRAPHER: A MEMOIR

by Chris Offutt Chris Offutt’s father was a prolific writer of cheap paperback erotica novels. It may have been an impressive feat if the work had been any good — and if he hadn’t sidelined every other aspect of his life, particularly his children.

After his father’s death, Offutt tasked himself with organizing his father’s writings. As he unpacks and catalogues his father’s work, Offutt also works towards unpacking his own complex feelings about their relationship. At one point Offutt finds a short story his father had written as a teenager and is brought to tears thinking about all the wasted potential his father once had. The book is a powerful memoir about reconciliation for Offutt, not only with his father, but also with his complex feelings about him.

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WHERE MEN WIN GLORY: THE ODYSSEY OF PAT TILLMAN

by Jon Krakauer For better or worse, many of us came of age during the United States’ War on Terror.

Amongst the countless tragedies to have risen from the conflict, the story of former professional football player Pat Tillman still has a special resonance. A gifted football player who put aside his career in order to serve his country, ultimately giving his life in the process, is a story practically tailor made to stir feelings of patriotism. Then it was revealed that Tillman had been accidentally killed by a member of his own platoon. Through the course of the book, we explore the man rather than the controversy, and are reminded that a person is not defined by a single moment. We live in a culture where the talking heads that populate the media landscape try to make everything a simple question of right and wrong. Of course, real life is much more complex. It’s important to take a person as an individual with flaws and strengths all their own. This book reminds its readers to look at their fellow humans as, well, people.

COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN: A HARDCORE JOURNAL

by Mick Foley Mick Foley is a former professional wrestler probably best known for having broken nearly every bone in his body. Now, on the surface it may seem that somebody who regularly allowed himself to be struck in the face with a baseball bat wrapped in barb wire has no wisdom to impart, but that’s simply not true. Foley has written several autobiographies about his experiences both inside and outside of the ring, as well as his philanthropic work with charities and women’s help centers. If you’re looking for a book about how to balance your passions and find ways to enrich the lives of others through charitable works, you could do much worse.

A WALK IN THE WOODS: REDISCOVERING AMERICA ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

by Bill Bryson This book was adapted into a film starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, and while the movie certainly has its charms, it is nowhere near as poignant or informative as the travelogue/memoir.

Bill Bryson has traveled extensively throughout Europe, but this was his first real exploration of his home country. Accompanied by his old college buddy Katz, Bryson attempted to walk the Appalachian trail, a monumental hiking path that runs from Georgia to Maine. The book manages the impressive feat of being both wildly entertaining and informative. Additionally, the book is about testing your limits — not because you need to prove anything, but for the joy of the experience.

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BY ANDIE SZABO Here are a few examples of how crocheting can help keep anxiety at bay.

Crocheting is an easy hobby to start.

Adopting this new hobby will cost you less than $10 (and 15-minutes dedicated to a Youtube tutorial) to begin. Crocheting is repeating the same steps over and over again until you have enough size to create the piece that you want. There are unlimited types of stitches possible, but you only have to master a few to get started.

It occupies your hands.

If you have anxiety or suffer from a self-mutilation disorder, you could unconsciously bite your nails, pull out your hair or eyelashes or pick your skin. A crochet needle and a bit of yarn can help occupy your hands for hours. Some stitches are so simple that you can even do them while watching the latest episode of The Walking Dead.

It creates a sense of control.

You get to decide how long the scarf will be. Will it have fringe? Are you going to make it striped so you can represent your inner Gryffindor or stick to solid black?

Often we encounter events that are out of our control in life, but crocheting brings your mind back to a place where you have complete authority.

It helps you fall asleep.

Many people report that crocheting calms them down to a state where sleep is an option. There is a deeply repetitive nature to crocheting that can ease an insomniac into a state of rest. It’s also a relatively silent activity that can be performed when the rest of the world is sleeping.

Your roommate won’t resent you for making a hat at 3 a.m. when you can’t sleep. This makes it easier to cohabitate and adds no undue strain on relationships.

You can create useful items with your bare hands.

You may not be a woodworker or potter. Perhaps you buy everything in your life at a store or online. Crocheting allows the maker to create something unique to exact specifications (and with unique flaws). Suddenly making a potholder is within reach. Crocheted items also make special gifts for relatively little money.

The items you make can serve as a comfort object.

My stuffed animals were donated to charity many years ago. Now, when I’m feeling stressed out or anxious beyond reason, my comfort objects have changed to more useful, less conspicuous items. If you crochet a blanket, you can go to it for a safe place when it feels like the world is crashing in on you. The best part is that you made that safe place yourself.

If you want to simultaneously benefit your mental health and animal rights, you can order alpaca yarn (made cruelty-free) from A Stroka Gene Us Alpaca farm in Stringer, Miss. Go to, squareup.com/market/astrokageneusalpacas.

Made popular by grandmothers everywhere, crocheting uses one hook to create woven patterns out of yarn. It may seem like something you do in a rocking chair when your hair is gray, but crocheting is actually popular amongst millennials as an anxiety and depression coping mechanism.

Transforming

Turmoil

BY MICHELLE BRUGIONI

Almost everyone experiences anxiety or panic at some point in life. For the lucky ones, it’s temporary and scarce, but for some, anxiety is a daily battle.

Symptoms of anxiety can be both physical and mental. Headaches, nausea and tingling, as well as excessive worry, overall panic and weird and irrational fears, are just a few of the wide range of symptoms associated with constant anxiety. Whether or not you choose to take medication to help control anxiety, tricks for calming yourself when there’s a flair up or panic attack are essential. Here are a few tips to ease your anxiety.

and ask them to name off random numbers in no particular order and repeat them one at a time.

Keep doing this until the panic subsides.

BREATHING Remember to breathe. One of the most important things that people often forget when having a panic or anxiety attack is normal breathing. Skip the deep breaths. Instead, regulate your breathing as normal as possible. Otherwise, you could get dizzy and pass out.

CALL A FRIEND One of the most beneficial things for someone having a panic attack is to have a reliable friend to contact. Although your friends love you, the last thing someone having a panic attack wants to hear is a friend, even with good intentions, saying “just chill out” over and over again. (see sidebar for some substitute coping mechanisms that are just as practical as this well-meaning idiom.) No one understands anxiety better than another person with anxiety, so find a support group or friends that understand your struggles with anxiety.

COUNTING WITH FRIENDS Another trick I learned recently is a number trick.

The purpose is to trick your brain to focus on the numbers instead of your panic attack. Grab a friend

MULTITASKING Sometimes doing everyday things can be tricky when living with anxiety. Making phone calls can be an intimidating task, so focus on another task while making the call. It can ease anxiety when you focus on doing something like playing Mario Kart, coloring, doodling or cleaning. People with anxiety are ballin’ multitaskers.

These tricks can help when you’re in a pinch, but there’s no substitute for proper medication and therapy if that’s the route of treatment you choose. Anxiety is scary. Those suffering from it deserve to know that the way they’re feeling is real and valid. Your wellbeing is important.

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FIVE SENSES If you’re in the midst of a panic attack, try the “five senses” trick. This will ground you and allow you to be better aware of your surroundings any time you’re feeling overwhelmed or like you’ve lost control of a situation. Write it down on a sticky note and keep it in your wallet, at your desk or in the car… wherever you think it would be helpful.

5:

Find five things around you that you can see, like a phone, a pen, a cup, a lamp and a window.

4:

Find four things you can touch around you, like a couch, computer mouse, burger pillow and TV remote.

3:

Find three things you can hear, like a phone ringing, wind chimes outside and the TV.

2:

Find two things you can smell, like a candle and a freshly washed blanket.

1:

Find one thing you can taste, like coffee.

just

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BY BRITTANY PURVIS

Anxiety is a bitch. But unlike the mean girl in high school, anxiety is the kind of bitch that isn’t easy to understand — not for those who have it, and definitely not for those who have never experienced it. For all of those who have ever been told to chill out, we grimace with you and, in turn, offer these equally effective alternatives.

• Remember that you’re single.

• Instead of counting sheep, count how many relationships you’ve ruined.

• Take a pregnancy test.

• Check your bank account.

• When someone says you’re faking it, beat the shit out of them in the fakest way possible.

• Look up people you went to highschool with who are on their second baby and make more money than you.

• When you’re trying to get some sleep after a long day, remember something dumb you said when you were in 6th grade, then you’ll fall right to sleep.

• Think about all the bad sex you’ve had.

• Remember how unpopular you were in high school... and college… and now.

• When you feel a panic attack coming on, just think about how terrible all of the other panic attacks have been. That will definitely calm you down.

• Think about how much stuff you have to do this week and how you have accomplished nothing so far.

• When you’re feeling anxious and your friend tells you to “just chill out,” transfer your negative energy to them by slapping them across the face. Namaste, friends.

Hungry For Beauty

DIME contributor and renowned photographer Kate Dearman shares her personal battle with an eating disorder, how she conquers it, and how recovery has helped her find beauty in everyone.

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WORDS & PHOTOS

BY KATE DEARMAN A little more than seven years ago, I began my road to recovery for Anorexia Nervosa. For those who don’t know, Anorexia Nervosa is defined by the Mayo Clinic as “an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body weight.”

Several people over the years have told me, “I could never make myself not eat.” For a long time, I couldn’t put my finger on why this statement irked me so much.

One day I realized that there is a misconception that every girl with anorexia chooses this disorder. Contrary to this misconception, I don’t have a date circled on my calendar marking the day I started starving myself. While I could never cover the range of causes and factors that lead to eating disorders, I can share my story with the hopes that at least one person who is struggling reads it and knows that he or she is not alone in the fight to recovery.

I was a chubby kid, and for any fellow chubby kids, you know it’s hard being a chubby kid. I hit my first growth spurt right before junior high. For the first time, I wasn’t a chubby kid. I realized quickly that not being chubby had its perks, and I started controlling my food intake.

My mom realized what was going on and talked with me about it — and then made me eat ice cream for dinner.

Things got better for a few years.

I was stockier because I played sports and was definitely not as thin and petite as my friends, but it didn’t bother me too much until the day I got called the “DUFF” of my friend group. DUFF is a clever acronym crafted for use in high school hierarchies that stands for Designated Ugly Fat Friend. That stung a lot more than I thought it would.

The following fall, I was injured playing soccer, permanently ending my high school sports career. The next spring, I decided to participate in a pageant program and, ironically enough, my platform focus was healthy lifestyle promotion. My battle with anorexia started very innocently.

I started going to the gym everyday

by drinking enough coffee to train through not eating anything more than a little fruit each day. I couldn’t accept that I had a problem no matter how many people tried to intervene.

My battle with anorexia climaxed when I passed out backstage at the state pageant after eating hardly anything in nearly three days. I woke

and eating healthier. People started noticing as the weight came off and encouraged me, telling me how great I looked. Somehow what started as healthier food choices and a 45-minute walk on a treadmill morphed into 3-hour cardio sessions fueled

up with one of my best friends and fellow contestants trying to feed me a cookie to get my blood sugar stabilized enough for me to stand up. Later that night, my coach called me into his room to talk about my weight loss and what had happened that night.

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I will never forget him asking me, “Are you hungry?” All I could think was, “Yes, I’m hungry. I’ve been hungry for months.” That night I acknowledged my problem for the first time.

Reintroducing normal food patterns was difficult. Even though I wanted to eat, my body didn’t quite know what to do with food at first. My metabolism was so out of whack that getting back to a healthy weight was hard. I was an emotional wreck because of what I had done to my hormones. My hair was falling out as a result of starving myself for months. The fact that my mom stood by me, loved me and never gave up on me through recovery is a debt that I will never be able to repay her. She respected the emotional limits I had with food and instead of forcing me to eat large quantities at first, would just throw a stick of butter in every meal we ate. Instead of making me feel weak for struggling, she celebrated even the smallest victories of my recovery process. Instead of commenting on my weight gain as the scale went back to normal, she would just comment on how healthy I looked and would compliment me on my skin and hair as my body came back to life.

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Things were getting better, but as high school ended, I began getting nervous about leaving for college because I knew that major life changes can trigger a relapse. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t relapse my freshman year.

My freshman year was when I discovered photography. By my junior year, I knew that photography was more than just a hobby. It was a gift and a voice for me to use. I get asked at least once a week why I love photography so much.

I love it because it gives me a tangible way to express to people that they matter. Ever since I started recovery, I have felt a call to show other people how beautiful they are. I want people to know they are enough. Seeing people’s faces light up when they see a photo of themselves is unlike anything else.

Seeing people transform and begin to see themselves as enough is what drives me to want to make pictures everyday.

I didn’t realize the primary root of my disorder until about two months ago when I was walking with my friend Faith in Nashville. She told me, “The origin of all a person’s fears is the fear that they aren’t lovable and will never be enough, and that is the biggest lie they will ever believe.”

That night I realized that for a large part of my life, I had viewed ‘thin’ as a synonym for ‘lovable’. Since that night, I have been forcing myself to purge thoughts that feed into that lie. I am not defined by my body. My body is lovable without a thigh gap, and my worth is not defined by a body fat percentage. I finally realized that my struggle was not a sign of weakness.

Admitting you have a disorder is not a weakness. In contrast, admitting that I have struggled and still do struggle with anorexic thoughts is a sign of strength and the first step to ensure that I continue walking in recovery.

I still have days that are hard. I still have moments where I have mental fist fights with junk food and get super bummed if I miss a workout. Those moments do not define me, nor do the lies that tell me that I will never fully recover. I rest in knowing that I have the strength to fight this and the army of supporters to fight alongside me.

I challenge you to look into your life and identify the lies that you’re believing and then kick them out and know that you are already lovable.

You are not a fixer-upper. You are already enough.

Resources

WEBSITES

ANRED.COM ANRED is a website dedicated to providing easy information about anorexia nervosa and related eating disorders and how to recover from them.

BEDAONLINE.COM The Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) is the national organization focusing on increased prevention, diagnosis and treatment for Binge Eating Disorder BULIMIA.COM Bulimia.com is a resource dedicated to providing information and treatment options to men and women suffering from bulimia, anorexia and other types of eating disorders.

FEAST-ED.ORG F.E.A.S.T. is an organization of and for parents and caregivers to help loved ones recover from eating disorders by providing information and mutual support, promoting evidence-based treatment and advocating for research and education to reduce the suffering associated with eating disorders.

MIRROR-MIRROR.ORG The mirror-mirror website is dedicated to raising awareness and providing information on eating disorders.

It contains definitions, signs and symptoms, getting help, relapse warning signs, how to approach someone with an eating disorder, facts, statistics and much more.

NATIONALEATINGDISORDERS.ORG NEDA supports individuals and families affected by eating disorders, and serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care.

HOTLINES CRISIS CALL CENTER 800-273-8255 or text ANSWER to 839863 Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week crisiscallcenter.org NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ANOREXIA NERVOSA AND EATING DISORDERS (630) 577-1330 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday anad.org NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS ASSOCIATION 800-931-2237 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday nationaleatingdisorders.org

RECOVERY CENTERS A BRIDGE TO RECOVERY 361 Towne Center Blvd Suite 1300 Ridgeland, MS 39157 abridgetorecovery.com COPAC, INC. 3949 Highway 43 North Brandon, MS 39047 copacms.com PINE GROVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & ADDICTION SERVICES 2255 Broadway Dr Hattiesburg, MS 39402 www.pinegrovetreatment.com (601) 288-2273 FAIRHAVEN TREATMENT CENTER FOR EATING DISORDERS 671 N Ericson Rd Cordova, Tennessee 38018 www.fairhaventc.com (844) 757-7979 RIVER OAKS HOSPITAL 1525 River Oaks Rd West Harahan, LA 70123 riveroakshospital.com (504) 734-1740

NOT

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T

ANOTHER "I used to be a person who would wake up in the morning wanting to die.

That's not my story today."

- Devin Ladner

istic

Where there was once too much time in the world, now there is not enough.

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BY HEATHER OSBOURNE

In our adolescent years, many are told their futures will be full of adventure and promise, every twist and turn offering new opportunities for greatness. As numbers start adding to our years and bad experiences come our way, we quickly learn life isn’t some utopian experience, but instead it includes days filled with pain, loss and loneliness. When the dark days of life come, it often leaves people feeling alone, helpless and questioning life itself — some even taking desperate strides to end their painful reality through suicide. However, there are some who survive.

Some who become advocates for life itself. Some who fight. Some who live. Here are their stories.

A DEADLY ATTEMPT “I went to the kitchen and looked through our medicine cabinet. My mother’s family has a history of addiction, so we didn’t keep pills in the house. There was a bottle of 200 mg Advil, though. I opened the bottle and started taking them. I remember just lining them up and swallowing them. I know now that you can’t really overdose on Advil. You can mess up your liver. I can laugh about it now. It’s strange how eventually you can look at these memories in a different perspective. I think part of me understood that I wasn’t going to be able to kill myself with Advil, so I grabbed a knife out of the counter and pushed into my wrist hoping to break the skin. That kind of pain — it hurts. I sat there in this manic state, etching away at my wrist and watching as the blood would attempt to clot. I knew that if I wanted to make serious damage, I would have to push further, and I tried convincing myself to do that. Over and over again, I told myself to stop being a baby and push down harder. And then, I don’t know what happened. I had a moment of watching myself in the kitchen trying to convince myself to end my own life and realized that I needed help. Just like my skin that was trying to clot, just like that part of me that couldn’t actually do it, there was something inside of me that really wanted to live.”

A CALL TO LIVE Six years later, 25-year-old Devin Ladner’s life looks much differently than it did the day of her first suicide attempt. Back then she was a rape victim. Today she is the author of “ANAYA,” a book telling the story of her survival. Then she was a drug addict and an alcoholic. Today she is an artist and filmmaker. Then she was a suicide attempt statistic. Today she is a loving partner and mama to her two kittens. Today, she is not only alive. She is not only existing. She is not only surviving. Today, Ladner is living.

“I used to be a person who would wake up in the morning wanting to die,” Ladner said. “That’s not my story today. Where there was once too much time in the world, now there is not enough. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that it isn’t about me anymore. We get better so that other people can get better.

“The only way to help someone else is to show them how you found the way out,” she continued. “I have an opportunity to help someone else that might be going through the same thing. I don’t want anyone else in the world to feel as lonely as I do, so I have to heal my own loneliness to show them how. I work through dark times now in hopes that I make a path for those that will come after me.”

For Ladner, she said there was no one incident that led to her first suicide attempt. However, a harsh breakup, getting involved with the wrong crowd, being raped in college and her growing substance abuse problems were all factors.

“I was completely consumed with sadness,” Ladner confided. “I started hanging out with troubled people. People that stole from me.

People that lied to me. People that didn’t care about anyone other than themselves. Hurt people seek other hurt people. It was a dark time in my life. During that time, I was raped. That incident made my drug use reach an all time high and it became difficult for me to leave the house.”

After calling a suicide hotline and being referred to a mental health specialist, Ladner began receiving treatment for her suicidal thoughts.

However, Ladner said by not discussing her substance abuse problems with the specialist, the suicidal thoughts returned and, three years later, she found herself walking off of a raised car lot trying to end her life once more.

“The next day when I sobered up, I sought serious help,” Ladner said. “I checked myself into a psychiatric unit and from there went through detox. Those people taught me about substance abuse.

I thought I was insane. I thought that I would be an anxious and depressed person for my entire life. Their understanding and guidance about substance abuse literally changed my life. I’ve been sober for almost three years now and suicidal thoughts are not present.

“Some days I still get overwhelmingly sad and sometimes my social anxiety can be there,” she continued. “But, I have been taught ways to handle it. I finally saw a professional about the rape and now publicly discuss it with other women who have gone through the same as I have. Together, we help each other. I’ve learned an abundance of things about acceptance and strength. I’ve learned to seek the beauty in things especially when it doesn’t seem to be there.”

For Ladner, all she wants people to know is that it gets better. During her three years of recovery, in addition to writing “ANAYA,” she has made a science fiction short film centering around sexual abuse. She also uses her story to encourage those also struggling with suicidal thoughts.

“On my wrist, I have ‘Bring Light’ tattooed,” Ladner said. “It’s what I breathe in each day. It’s my reminder that I have to bring the light. The light is within me, and it has always been there. The light is within you. You are the flame. Take it a day at a time. Seek help. Love yourself. Those with the darkest past have the brightest futures. Never forget that.”

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A Second Life

According to the CDC, someone commits suicide every thirteen minutes. These are the stories of those who didn’t succeed in their quest to end life’s journey, and in turn have chosen to advocate for life itself.

“No one had any idea what I had taken, or what had happened. I had severe compartment syndrome in my left arm. Severe to the point they could not find a pulse in that arm at all. They went in to release the pressure, and found necrotic tissue, which they then had to remove. There was such a large chunk of tissue in my forearm that they had to take skin grafts off of my thigh. After a couple months in the hospital, I came to know Christ. I went through months of rigorous rehabilitation before I was finally able to go home. I could hardly use my left hand, and had to walk with an assistive brace on my leg and a walker. Today, (almost 9 months later) my left hand is still in need of work, but I can use it well enough to type on my computer, and I can walk with just the brace and a cane. Nothing anyone can say can change someone who is as determined to die as I was from stopping. But, I will say to please consider the outcome that you may survive your attempt.

The consequences can be worse than you might imagine.” — Brennan League, 23.

“Under the skin, I had large open wounds, wounds that had happened throughout my life stemming all the way back to my early childhood. I didn’t know how to love myself. I knew only how to survive. I can vividly remember the numerous attempts I made to cut deep enough into my wrists to cause the bleed out. I woke up to my friend and my uncle standing over me desperately trying to help me regain consciousness. I was lying in my bed covered in blood. I had made over 15 lacerations to my stomach and nine lacerations between my two wrists, but not a single one had made it down to an artery. I had wanted to end my life. I felt alone. I didn’t feel like I had anyone I could place trust and faith in. I wanted more than anything to have and be a part of a close and loving family, something that seemed would never happen. Now, I hold a collateral duty as a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Survivor Advocate.

We are trained in both sexual assault response and suicide awareness and response to be advocates for survivors of sexual assault.” — An anonymous sailor, 31

CARLOS MARTINEZ // PHOTO BY ALLIE CATALANOTTO

“Throughout high school, I always had a mask on. I was never truly myself. When I began getting involved in my church, I did the same thing and I tried to be that perfect Christian. Five years of having a mask on and hiding so much builds up over the years. March of this year, I found myself wanting to commit suicide by taking some pills. If it wasn’t for the grace of God that sent friends of mine to my house and told my parents that came to help me, I wouldn’t be here now. If you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help and don’t be afraid to open up because you will only put yourself in a deeper hole.”

— Carlos Martinez, 18.

Young AND THE

Reckless

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BY TARYN DECKEN

6 QUESTIONS WITH TAYLOR MOMSEN FROM THE PRETTY RECKLESS

BY JENN DEVEREAUX PHOTO BY ANDREW LIPOVSKY

You might recognize her as Jenny Humphrey from the CW’s hit series Gossip Girl or Cindy Lou Who from the 2000 reboot of The Grinch, but in 2009, at the tender age of 16, Taylor Momsen permanently left the acting world behind to pursue her longtime love of music by forming the hard rock grunge band The Pretty Reckless. Singer and frontwoman Taylor, now 23, is a woman of conviction when it comes to her passion and art. The band has garnered a significant amount of commercial success with their first two albums Light Me Up and Going to Hell reaching Top 10 status on the U.S. Alternative Rock charts, not to mention breaking records for the most number #1 songs by a female-fronted group on the Mainstream Rock chart. Now that the band’s newly released album Who You Selling For has reached #4 on Billboard’s Top Rock albums, it’s safe to say that The Pretty Reckless is here to stay. Momsen took a timeout from her busy touring schedule to speak with DIME about the new album, musical influences and everything in between.

JENN DEVEREAUX: Listening to your latest album Who You Selling For, we hear an incredibly diverse range of musical styles and influences from track to track. Musicians and bands that came to mind while listening to the album were Stevie Ray Vaughan, Led Zeppelin, Tool and Alice in Chains.

Were there any particular bands you were listening to during the writing process?

TAYLOR MOMSEN: I’m always listening to the same things: Beatles, [Pink] Floyd, The Who, Soundgarden, etc. I’m sure it’s all reflected in the songs I write — I hope it is. The biggest compliment I could get is, “That sounds like the Beatles.”

JD: What was your biggest challenge making this record?

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TM: Writing is always the biggest challenge and the biggest payoff. Creating something from nothing is an amazing feeling. If I can make something I’m happy with, there’s no better feeling.

JD: Were there any songs that didn’t make the album, and, if so, what happens to those songs?

TM: We actually had enough material for two records. We decided to make one now and save the others for later. We went with the songs that worked at the moment and kept others that needed more work for the next record. We’re already excited for the next album. We feel like the next few years is a work in progress. Our writing has really been on a roll. That’s going to continue to be the main focus every spare minute we get.

JD: Do you have any memorable music experiences that have shaped who you are as a person?

TM: Life is a musical experience. Starting with my family, my father is a huge rock and roll aficionado. That’s really the start of my musical life. My family’s house is like a museum to rock and roll.

JD: What’s one thing you would change about the music industry?

TM: The relationship between art and commerce. It’s very narrow. Lots of talented musicians are forced to do things artistically

that they don’t want to just to make a living.

Art can make money. The business just has to trust that and put the time and effort into making that happen. Getting rich should not be the goal. Fame should not be the goal.

Communication through art should be the goal.

JD: If you had a hypothetical soapbox to get one message out into the universe at this very moment, what would it be?

TM: Peace and love. We must live in harmony with each other and nature.

LET ME RIDE: PART 2

BO CART, BO CARTER

BY KYLE CROCKETT ILLUSTRATION BY PAIGE PRITCHARD This is the second piece in an ongoing series called “Let Me Ride” that celebrates, discusses and explores the unique nature of music in Mississippi and the infinite catalog of stories that contributes to that rich portrait. The subsequent pieces in this series will focus on particular events, characters or locations in Mississippi’s musical history and in its current musical landscape, and examine how they reflect or uncover the mythic, murky identity of one of the world’s greatest musical watering holes.

The names Chatmon and Carter mean a whole lot despite their relative obscurity. The family is rugged and rowdy blues royalty dating back to the ’20s or earlier, stars of the Mississippi Sheiks and many of them individual dynamos in their own right fathered by Henderson Chatmon himself. The patriarch of nearly a dozen early bluesmen, including the likes of Lonnie, Sam, Willie, Edgar, Lamar and Bo, Chatmon also takes the genetic credit for Charlie Patton. Charlie’s fire eyes certainly agree with the claim, and so does his manic lifestyle and personality. What’s more is that Henderson was a slave, and Patton was a product of Henderson’s affair with a white woman or a Native American woman, leading the nowhere man to walk his own path rather than fall in totally with the Sheiks. Many of the Chatmons used that outfit to propel a solo career, but Charlie the bastard was the only one to taste that sweet, sweet irony of fatherhood — as father to the Delta blues itself. The whole batch is bonkers, but they played raw and thrilling blues from the late ’20s until Sam finally died, marking the end of that Chatmon generation in 1983.

These men lived in the jukes and porches of a deep and seedy Mississippi. These Chatmons and Carters got drunk and played music and howled and crooned and got paid and fought and drank and left, as did the rest of the bluesmen. But these boys were different, like their half-brother-king Charlie Patton. Once, he was on a trip to Wisconsin to record with the hero Son House and the Vicksburg favorite Willie Brown. Freshly sauced from a nice per diem and a nicer Buick and the nicest Stella guitar, brand spanking new and paid for in full the second he hit the road, Patton got into it with Brown and forced the driver to stop their haul on the side of a highway, maybe one you know well, so the two could have it out. But the drunken deity stumbled out of the Buick and flat onto his brand spanking new Stella. Then he stood in the middle of the highway for thirty minutes, just to cuss.

Now, in 2016, some interesting stuff is happening. The estate of Bo Carter has filed a lawsuit against Eric Clapton seeking $5 million over a case of improper credit on Clapton’s part. He’s always loved to play “Alberta” by Leadbelly at his live shows, and it’s always been a crowd-pleaser for him. Only… he wasn’t playing “Alberta” by Leadbelly. He was playing a Chatmon song, a Chatmon hit, “Corrine, Corrina,” and replacing those words in the song’s refrains with Alberta. Easy enough, and very likely a totally innocent error. In fact, there are reasons for such a loss in translation.

This lawsuit, and others like it, simply has no way of communicating with its parties, in body mind or music. Copyrighting in 2016 is Martian to the

Chatmons, and everyone else who played blues in Mississippi in the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s. These are the moments when the fourth dimension opens, and time fights with itself.

Bo Carter licensed the “original” “Corrine, Corrina” in 1929 with Brunswick Records, a 12-bar blues that became a popular hit and made its way across state lines, a rarity in those days. But what about Tampa Red and his 1929 recording for Vocation? And what about Charlie McCoy, who made his own way with the hit and rightfully so having recorded it in the same studio on the same day at the same time as Bo Carter. His name only appears once in the entire suit. Charlie Patton tried on the song for himself, recording his own “Come Back Corrina” in 1929. Even more confusing, the Mississippi Sheiks performed yet another cover of the song, an exact one save for one detail. They sang “Alberta, Alberta” during the refrain instead of Carter’s original title, which would lead the song’s title to its continued interchangeability throughout the decades following its official release. None of this even considers Ma Rainey’s 1924 “See See Rider,” later covered by Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1926 when he inserted a verse about a “Corrina” that bears many similarities to Carter’s song. Ironically, or obviously, Leadbelly famously recorded a “CC Rider” with the Corrina verse, and he also did indeed sing a song called “Alberta,” but it resembles Rainey and Jefferson’s “See See Rider” far more greatly than the Carter tune. Nonetheless, like all the other blues songs from this period, “Corrine, Corrina” in all its forms was driving dancefloors across Mississippi jukes every night in dozens of locations at once, by dozens of bluesmen. In this way, blues music exists in a wonderful state of flux between its value as a primary source and its own incredibly unique oral history. And it’s exactly why Clapton shouldn’t have to pay up here.

The juke joint community was a world that dwelled entirely on immediate experience, and that is what bluesmen carried for their dollar — the ability to incite a group of people living in Jim Crow Mississippi to hope and feel and love and groove. Crowds came not for specific songs, so much as they came for specific renditions. It’s the entire nature of the blues genre: a broad catalog of traditional stanzas, progressions, and melodies at the extended root of the slave song and spiritual waiting for a performer to apply their own stories and musical explorations within that framework. It’s exactly why so very many genres and subgenres of the blues exist —, because each bluesman found their grit in different creeks.

Same with all of us I guess.

TAPE MEASURE

BY ZACK GROSSENBACHER PHOTOS BY PAUL GANDY

It’s Wednesday night at Proud Larry’s in Oxford. Kieran Danielson sits at a wrought iron table underneath the staircase that leads to the apartments above the restaurant/bar/ venue. A tall, slight man in his mid-twenties, Danielson is the frontman of the night’s headliner, Bonus.

He’s looking over his shoulder through the door that leads inside.

“Where’s Kate?” he asks about his girlfriend and local musician Kate Teague.

Someone else says, “Dude, that is Kate,” pointing at a girl sitting at the bar, just visible through the door.

“Then who’s that she’s talking to?”

“That’s Mario,” another says. Mario Martinez is the drummer for Bonus and Danielson’s long time friend.

“Aw man,” Danielson jokes, “Guess he’s out of the band!”

The other two at the table laugh. They are Graham Hamaker and Adam Porter, and together — along with Danielson — they make up not only the rest of Bonus but also local record label Muscle Beach Records.

The three are sitting around, pre-show, drinking beer and waiting for the first of the night’s three acts to start.

Your dad warned you this would happen.

One young north Mississippi label is finally giving the cassette a do-over.

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THE BEACH GOES ON Muscle Beach officially launched this year on May 10 but had been a work in progress for some time. The label started with the release of Bonus II, then went on to put out an album by Starman Jr. (fronted by Porter), and has now continued on to release albums by six different artists (with a seventh coming down the pipe).

Muscle Beach is operating in a strange time in the Oxford music scene. Earlier this year, the Cats Purring Dude Ranch — a (questionably legal) venue on the outskirts of Oxford, housed in an old Boy’s and Girl’s Club — was forcibly shut down by the property’s new owner. Somewhat similarly, local bar The Blind Pig chose not to renew its music license, and subsequently stopped hosting shows.

Muscle Beach is very much a product of Oxford. Both Starman Jr. and Bonus had early shows at the Blind Pig. Starman Jr. was the last band to play at The Dude Ranch. But they are starting to look elsewhere.

“If you look at what we’ve already put out, more than half of it is from Oxford,” Danielson said. “We’re totally down with the scene, but we’re definitely still doing our thing.”

“There was an Oxford blast in the beginning,” Hamaker said, “which was nice, for us to define ourselves as an Oxford-based label.”

Muscle Beach now boasts talent that lives in as varied locations as Tuscon, Brooklyn, Argentina and Australia.

“Those early records helped us let people know what our sound was,” said Danielson, “and now we’re attracting bands that like what we’ve already done.”

The name Muscle Beach comes from Hamaker’s childhood. His grandmother owned a small island in Louisiana that they called Muscle Beach because, fittingly, it was covered in muscles. And that’s telling about the whole enterprise.

For Muscle Beach, as with so much of Indie

culture, the currency is nostalgia. It permeates their aesthetic. On Bonus’ first album, the cover art is an old black and white photo of a man in horn-rimmed glasses. The first song on Muscle Beach artist Swear Tapes’ album Cherish the Cabin kicks off with a harpsichord sounding 12-string, and the whole song sounds like a lost track off Abbey Road. A haze obscures all of Muscle Beach’s music, making it sound not quite new.

Then, there’s the fact that, to date, Muscle Beach has only produced cassettes. Scenesters have been flocking back to this antiquated medium. The tape has seen an increase in overall sales for the first time since the 1990s, and it must be in large part to the rise of its use among independent musicians.

According to Forbes, the National Audio Company — the biggest producer of cassettes in the US — produced over 10 million tapes in 2014. 2015 saw a 30% increase in that number.

Cassette culture is back, and it provides something that no other medium does.

For the Muscle Beach crew, the draw was something almost ineffable. Cassettes harken back to a time of mix tapes and the Walkman, intimate and tangible in a way digital music isn’t, and they are portable and durable, unlike vinyl.

Cassettes have a unique role at the merch table, too.

“There’s this culture we admire,” Danielson said. “[Tapes] are fun to buy at shows, and the majority of our friends buy tapes at shows.”

“You can go to a show, stick a tape in your pocket, and go home. Regardless if you listen to it or not, it’s collectible,” Hamaker said.

Aesthetics play a big role in the choices Muscle Beach makes. “Tapes look so good now,” Porter said. “They’re like trading cards, something small and cheap… It’s cool to have them there.”

Despite all of Muscle Beach’s high-minded rea-

sons for limiting their offerings to tapes, there is a practical one, too. Having tapes made is cheaper than having vinyl pressed, and there seems to be a consensus among the group that having CDs made is a questionable practice (a faux pas of style and authenticity, no doubt).

However, it’s called Muscle Beach Records, for a reason.

“We didn’t want to limit ourselves… or be too obscure,” said Danielson, referring to using the word ‘records’ in the moniker versus, say, ending it with ‘tapes.’ “It gives us this umbrella to do any sort of media.”

Muscle Beach is planning to release their first vinyl later this year with Tucson, AZ, based musician Casey Golden. Though it promises to be a great release, the process to get it there has been long.

“Tapes are one-fourth or fifth the cost of vinyl,” said Hamaker. “To have a vinyl made of someone,

it has to be something you really want to hear on vinyl.”

Danielson said that Muscle Beach is halfway done with raising money for the vinyl, a process that can be difficult for the label. They pay for everything out of their meager sales and money left over from their personal pocketbooks.

For the owners of Muscle Beach, the label is a passion project.

“We get to work with music in our day-today lives,” said Hamaker. “We might not sell 10 records a week, but maybe six months from now we will.”

For now, Muscle Beach is focused on refining their sound and expanding their catalogue. Even with all their reminiscing, they are excited to grow, but in the meantime, they’d just be happy to get their first vinyl out.

Give Muscle Beach artists a spin at musclebeachrecords.bandcamp.com.

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PHOTO // TRISTAN DUPLICHAIN

ACOLYTES (NIKKI GIOVANNI) // ADRIENNE DOMNICK

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED ARTIST

ADRIENNE DOMNICK JACKSON, Ms @adriennedomnick adriennedomnick.com Age: 31

SESSIONS OPEN MIC

Spoken Word Poetry Friday, January 6th Doors Open 6:30pm - open mic sign up Show Starts 7:00pm $5 open mic artists/$7 audience Link Centre Black Box Theatre facebook.com/groups/ WordPlayTupelo

WEST OF SHAKE RAG Comedy - Improv Saturday, January 14th 7:30pm - $5 Link Centre Black Box Theatre fb:/ @westofshakerag Secret Art Show *late night* @ Link Centre {following West of Shake Rag}

MONTHLY MUSIC MIX

Blues Cafe Featuring blues icon Sam Mosley, Ryan Perry, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram & Blade Hudson Saturday, January 28th 7:30pm - $12 adv/$15 at door Link Centre Reception Hall

FOR ALL INFO ABOUT OUR EVENTS, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, ARTS PROGRAMS AND MORE, LIKE US ON FB: @LINKCENTRETUP 1800 West Main Street Tupelo, MS 38801 ph: 662.690.4011 www.link-centre.org

TRILLA (A$AP ROCKY) // ADRIENNE DOMNICK

ORANGE MOON (ERYKAH BADU) // ADRIENNE DOMNICK

Golden Era:

The Artistry of Adrienne Domnick

BY MALCOLM MORROW

Adrienne Domnick has carved a unique niche in the growing visual arts scene of Jackson. The Jackson native has a style that can easily be recognized from anywhere.

She is proficient in multiple artistic disciplines, including photography, glasswork and painting, her most renowned medium. Her trademark pop art paintings have a minimalist approach that births pieces with extreme detail and liveliness.

“I love pop art because it’s controversial,” Domnick explained. “Some people don’t even consider it art and look down on it. Some people love it and easily find a connection with the piece.”

Domnick’s use of dark backgrounds versus light colors is visually arresting, drawing the viewer into the depths of those bold hues.

“I try to focus on the eyes so they strike you as soon as you view the portrait,” Domnick said.

Her subjects draw from her experience growing up in the 90s, and she often pays homage to the music and films that helped define that generation.

“I’m a golden age hip hop head and an album cover geek,” she said.

One of her first pieces was a portrait of The Notorious B.I.G. painted on cardboard as opposed to a traditional canvas. Her ability to meld iconic music and film images into something totally new and vibrant is astounding.

“My creative process is all

over the place,” Domnick said.

“That’s why I don’t do murals and live painting. I’m constantly moving, tweaking and recoloring.”

Adrienne has drawn inspiration from a number of sources — old books, photographs and vinyl album covers.

She has created portraits that have featured musicians like Janelle Monae, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Erykah Badu and Miles Davis.

However, she doesn’t limit herself to simply displaying her musical tastes. Grace Jones, Basquiat, Spike Lee’s Mo Better Blues and the X-men’s Storm have all graced one of Domnick’s canvases.

Pop culture through the eyes of Domnick is truly a captivating sight.

Despite the fact that her name and art are ubiquitous around the city, many people wouldn’t even recognize her walking down the street. But this isn’t an issue for her. The mystery adds to her brand.

“I’m a natural introvert, so I don’t really go all out trying to promote myself. I don’t want me as a person to overshadow my art,” she explained. “I want my style and brand to speak for itself.”

And this seems to hold true because coffee mugs, laptops, jackets and even walls are adorned with her creations among the art lovers of Jackson.

Adrienne was one of the first artists to grace the walls of Offbeat, an alternative store selling records, comics,

apparel, music, collectible toys and even beer that has been affectionately dubbed the nexus of weirdos in Jackson. Her blend of music and art provided the perfect aesthetic for the quirky shop. The portraits and paintings breathed life into the store, allowing it to feel like a haven for the artistically inclined and their supporters.

Her artwork was integral in invigorating the independent arts scene in the city.

“The thing about Offbeat is that my art is perfect for that setting. I sold every piece of art I placed in there when it first opened,” Domnick recalled.

“Venom [Offbeat’s owner] and I developed a true friendship after that, and I’m thankful he gave me the opportunity.

I feel like Offbeat is where my art resonates the most with people.”

Domnick held her exhibition Hip Hop Show Vol. 1 in 2014 at 133 Millsaps Ave. The show presented portraits of Lauryn Hill, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Kanye West and Mos Def. She is also the former president of the Business Association of Midtown (BAM). During her time as president, she helped to plan, organize and execute a number of large scale events, including Midfest, The Holiday Studio Tours and her own in-studio art exhibit, that helped bring attention to the progression of the community of artist’s studios and businesses.

Not only has she excelled in breathing life into the canvas

and the city of Jackson, but she is also a highly skilled photographer and glasswork craftsman. She maintains a day job as a glass artist and has worked on large scale projects like the restoration of the windows in the Jackson Capitol Building.

Her artwork stands out amongst the crowd and can be seen adorning walls, phones and laptops all over the city. She has been nominated for several “Best Of Jackson” Awards and continues to improve upon her craft with each new release.

“I feel like I take a rapper’s approach and apply it to my painting ethic,” she said. “I always try to build and innovate on my past work, and I always want people to see me growing as an artist.”

Adrienne unveiled her new installation Hip Hop Show Vol. 2 on November 25 at her very own gallery, AND Gallery, located in Jackson’s Midtown district.

“I’m a hip hop enthusiast, stuck in the golden era of the genre,” Domnick explained when asked what

inspired her latest collection.

“There are new artists that I like, but it’s rare that they get my creativity flowing the same way. I wanted to show people that I was a curator, and I wanted to present all-new, personal work.”

Domnick’s opening show featured live DJing from DJ Young Venom and merchandise emblazoned with Domnick’s earlier works.

“With the gallery, I hope to introduce a new contemporary venue for emerging artists to display their

s d n u o r g k c a b , g k n r i t a s d e rr f o a e y s ll u a s u ' s k i c v i n s s i m h t o s p r e o D d l o e c h t t h o g t i l n i s r e w e versu i v e h t g n i draw bold hues. e s o h t of 54 // dime entertainment

work. I look forward to putting together some creative and experimental shows that will feature work from myself and others.

My partner Tyler Tadlock and I have been planning out this concept for two years and have the gallery ready for a soft opening in two months,” she said. “It took some extensive preparation, like building walls, painting and much more, but we got it done.”

Domnick is carving a legacy in the art world that is sure to be remem-

FU-GEE-LA (MS LAURYN HILL) // ADRIENNE DOMNICK

bered, and her unique aesthetic and creative process will keep her in a lane all her own. She’s creating classics every time she steps up to the canvas and creating an art experience that will be unrivaled for plenty of time to come. It’s exciting to see such a young artist with so much talent and leadership ability making a name for herself.

“One of the main things that I’ve learned throughout my journey as a professional artist is it starts with you,” she said. “Block out the

opinions of others and just do what makes you feel good. Put your passion into whatever it is that you’re creating and do you.”

Just by creating and following her passions, Domnick is helping to expand the platform of Jackson artists to brand new heights.

Check out Domnick’s exhibit Hip Hop Vol. 2, open until January 25, at AND Gallery, located at 133 Millsaps Avenue, Jackson, MS 39202.

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COHEED AND CAMBRIA Coheed and Cambria performed at the Civic Theater in New Orleans on September 28.

PHOTOS BY JENN DEVEREAUX

EVANESCENCE Multi-platinum hard rock band Evanescence sold out Saenger Theatre in New Orleans and put on a killer show with Nashville-based alt-rock band Veridia on November 6. Evanescence had fans going crazy with hits like Bring Me to Life, Going Under and Lithium, as well as hits like Origin and Whisper. For an exciting encore, lead singer Amy Lee slayed a fantastic cover of Michael Jackson’s Dirty Diana.

PHOTOS BY JENN DEVEREAUX

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VERIDIA

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Upcoming Shows January 6 SOUTHERN AVENUE Duling Hall

January 21 COUNTRY SHOWDOWN Duling Hall

January 28 ERIC LINDELL Duling Hall

LINDSEY STIRLING It’s hard to believe that six years ago dancing violinist and performing artist Lindsey Stirling was voted off the hit show Americas Got Talent with Piers Morgan stating, “The world doesn’t need an electronic violinist.” But fans of all ages filled the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans on November 3 to watch their favorite electronic violinist continue to prove the ruthless AGT judge wrong.

PHOTOS BY JENN DEVEREAUX

February 1 DYLAN LEBLANC Duling Hall

February 14 BIG SANDY

& HIS FLY-RITE BOYS

Duling Hall

February 19

BankPlus Concert Series Presents

“An Acoustic Evening With”

LYLE LOVETT & JOHN HIATT Thalia Mara Hall

February 19 ISAIAH RASHAD Duling Hall

March 1 EILEN JEWELL Duling Hall

March 7 SON VOLT Duling Hall

March 8

SOUTHERN SOUL ASSEMBLY LUTHER DICKINSON ANDERS OSBORNE MARC BROUSSARD JJ GREY

Duling Hall

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SWITCHFOOT & RELIENT K Switchfoot and Relient K played a special Halloween show, laced with middle school nostalgia and new music for an almost sold out audience at Iron City Birmingham.

PHOTOS BY REGINALD ALLEN

SUWANNEE HULAWEEN As host of Suwannee Hulaween, The String Cheese Incident transported its audience to the “upside-down” during its “Stringier Cheese” performance at the Suwannee Hulaween Music Festival in Live Oak, Fla., tributing the ’80s with a spoof on the Netflix original hit series Stranger Things. Along with The String Cheese Incident, My Morning Jacket, Logic, Umphrey’s McGee, STS9 and several others graced the stage for one hell of a weekend.

PHOTOS BY HEATHER OSBOURNE

STRING CHEESE INCIDENT

KALEIGH BAKER & THE GROVE ORIENT

LETTUCE

STS9

dime entertainment // 65

Stories are Wild Creatures: A look at A Monster Calls

BY JUSTIN SAWYER

Irish author Siobhan Dowd wanted to write about the loss of a loved one and how such a loss affects those left behind. In a bitter twist of irony, she died of cancer before she could even begin to write her book. All she had were her characters and a couple of notes.

Patrick Ness, best selling author of the Chaos Walking series, never met Dowd, but he was entrusted with the task of bringing her story to life.

The book won widespread acclaim. Focus Features snatched up the film rights and even hired Ness as the screenwriter. J. A. Bayona, a Spanish director best known for his films The Orphanage and The Impossible, signed on to direct.

Newcomer Lewis MacDougall stars as Conor O’ Malley, a thirteen year old boy whose mother (Felicity Jones) is dying of cancer. His mother assures him that the treatments are working, despite her worsening health. Conor moves in with his grandmother (Sigourney Weaver), an overbearing well-to-do woman. At school he has pushed away his friends, preferring solitude over being pitied because of his mother’s illness. The only person who seems to pay him any attention is Harry, the school bully.

It’s during this unhappy time in his life that something truly strange happens. Around 12:07 each night, a massive yew tree contorts itself into the shape of a Monster (Liam Neeson) that comes to Conor’s window and offers to tell Conor three stories. In exchange, Conor must in turn tell the Monster his own story. A true story about his life.

As the Monster tells his stories to Conor, they are transported to bright, wondrous landscapes to watch the tales unfold in real time. The visual effects take on an unearthly glow, giving the tales a simplistic feel that makes the audience feel like they are in a storybook.

Neeson’s elegant, commanding voice lends a sense of gravitas to the Monster, a character that the audience is meant to both fear and sympathize with at different points in the film. He’s not an imaginary friend meant to instill a sense of wonder in his young charge. He is a means by which Conor can come to terms with the reality that his mother will die. And yet, he is not cruel, nor indifferent to the boy.

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MacDougall manages to hold his own with the all-star cast that surrounds him. If his relationships with Weaver, Jones and Neeson had felt forced in anyway, it would have greatly damaged the credibility of the story, ruining the film in the process. That’s a great deal of pressure, but the young actor proves he is up to the task.

The film is full of such well rounded performances. In one of the more powerful scenes of the film, the Monster destroys Conor’s grandmother’s pristine sitting room that Conor is forbidden to enter. Conor takes joy in the destruction until the Monster abruptly vanishes, leaving Conor alone in the leveled sitting room just as his grandmother returns from a night at the hospital. Rather than being angry, Weaver joins in on the destruction, allowing the anger she feels over her daughter’s cancer to be unleashed.

Everyone, even adults who seem so secure in their lives, need a release for their emotions.

The major theme of the film is death, and how letting go of the people you love is not wrong, but necessary for a person’s emotional health. It’s alright to be angry, just so long as one doesn’t hold on to that anger for the rest of their life.

As a culture we don’t talk about death as often as we should. It’s the most universal experience we all share, yet, we are too uncomfortable with the subject to speak of it honestly and openly.

That is why most audiences will probably stay away from this film. Most of us just want to take our children to mindless cartoons with cheerful musical numbers, rather than have a conversation about mortality and how it is okay, normal in fact, to be angry when you are hurting.

In time, A Monster Calls will be appreciated for the wonderful film it truly is, and it’ll find a wider audience. For now, there are those of us who appreciate it in the here and now. There are some of us who could have used a film like this when we were young, angry and unsure of what to do with our emotions. But now A Monster Calls has taught us that “it’s okay that you’re angry … And if you need to break things, by God you break them.”

A Monster Calls opened in limited release on December 23 and comes out in wide release on January 6.

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1. Soak up some history and visit the Acropolis and the Parthenon. The sheer scale and age of these constructions is humbling and a must-see even if you’re not the biggest history buff.

Plus, the outdoor cafe at the Acropolis provides stunning views of the city below — perfect for an afternoon espresso, light snack or just admiring the scenery.

2. Eat like a local. Conduct your own baklava taste-testing throughout Athens as it’s readily available in

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n i a p O r e nn i r

most cafes and is so delicious you won’t mind the ‘research.’ After a long day’s work, treat yourself to a typical Greek dinner of Moussaka (think lasagna-like layers of eggplant, minced meat and potatoes) and Spanakopita (layers of filo pastry with spinach and feta cheese) paired with, of course, wine.

3. Explore Street art in the Plaka and Monastiraki neighborhoods of Athens.

The current political and economic climate in Greece’s capital city has in-

spired artists to channel their opinions and frustrations via large-scale murals which can be found across these neighborhoods in the city.

4. Get out of town! Yes, literally.

While Athens can provide you with the excitement and conveniences of a modern European capital, there’s much to be explored outside of the city. Sports buffs should head three hours south to Olympia where the classic olympics began centuries ago. Those more interested in Greek

WORDS & PHOTO BY ROBYN WHITE

The birthplace of democracy, the Olympics, and modern philosophy; feta cheese, baklava, and tzatziki; the ancestral home of comedic geniuses Tina Fey and David Sedaris, as well as Uncle Jessie ( John Stamos): Opa, Greece!

In a country that’s clearly rich with history and culture, and produces some of the world’s most envy-inducing Instagrammed islands, need there be more reason to hightail it to Greece?

Read on for just a few of the reasons that make visiting this Central European treasure a must.

mythology may prefer to head two hours northwest to Delphi to visit the place that was once believed to be the center of the earth.

5. Take a detour! If heading to Delphi, be sure to take in the gorgeous Greek countryside by stopping at Hosios Loukas Monastery. Escaping into the Greek countryside will reward you with views like rolling hills and beautiful architecture found at the Hosios Loukas Monastery between Athens and Delphi (about two hours

outside of Athens). This great side trip will only set you back about a half hour on your way back to Athens.

6. Located just a 10 minutes’ drive from Athens is the Flisvos Marina, which can make your dreams of visiting Greek islands come true in just a day. Many day cruise companies dock from this port and offer stops at islands such as Hydra, Poros and Aegina. While they may not be Mykonos, your day is sure to be excellent with the gorgeous views of the Aegean Sea

and the small island charm of these quaint villages in between.

7. Get custom made sandals from Stavros Melissinos, the “Poet Sandal Maker” of Athens located near Monastiraki Square. The shoemaker has fitted custom sandals for celebrities like John Lennon, Barbara Streisand and Sarah Jessica Parker. For less than $50 USD, you can leave Greece with a custom souvenir in any of his 30+ sandal styles. See more photos at dimeentertainment.com

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Basic New Year's Resolutions

BY JUSTIN M. SAWYER Another year means another resolution that you know damn well you have no chance of following through with. What? Did you want comforting platitudes?

We’re too real for that. But there are ways in which even you can manage to keep your New Year’s resolution. The trick is to set your goals as low as humanly possible!

TRY NOT TO ARGUE WITH YOUR RELATIVES ABOUT POLITICS IF THEY’RE 65 OR OLDER. Look, we get it. To say that your grandfather’s viewpoints on how (insert any scenario involving any minority here) would have been “handled” back in his day can be upsetting is putting it mildly.

(Monstrous or genocidal may be a more apt description.) Just try to remember the good times… Like when you brought your boyfriend to Thanksgiving and Pop Pop managed to last a whole thirty minutes before he called you both a sexist slur… We never said this would be easy.

P.S. Anyone under the age cutoff is fair game. They don’t have senility to fall back on as an excuse.

MAKE ART! Look, here’s a fact — everyone of us holding this magazine is creating something. It may be painting, or jewelry, or music, or food, or just your ideas floating around on a Pinterest board, but we’re all creating something. You

may scoff, but you know it’s true.

If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at painting, take some classes. Or, hell, just get some paint and make something! But, create for the right reasons. Don’t create because it’ll make you wealthy, famous, or get you laid (by that same token, if any of these outcomes are obtainable, go for it). Create because there’s something inside of you that has to be expressed.

books cluttering up your house?

So what? Deal with it. Ain’t nobody want to read your old ass, outdated Economics book! Here’s a novel idea: buy a book you love and share it with your community.

If you don’t want to drop actual paper money on a new book there are options. Both the Hattiesburg and Oak Grove libraries have regular book sales. Most are a dime or a quarter, maybe fifty cents tops.

Splurge a little!

ACTUALLY SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES! There’s a lot to be said about the convenience of super stores like Walmart and Target for all your generic shopping needs, but sometimes you want something a little more personal. Local businesses offer merchandise that you can’t find in the nearest big box store. If you want to help out your community, do as much of your shopping in local businesses as possible.

PACE WATCH INSTEAD OF BINGE WATCH! Guys! Did you finish Luke Cage yet? No? You mean you’ve managed to limit yourself to one episode a night instead of ignoring your responsibilities and obligations and binge watching it all at once?

It’s tempting to just veg out on the couch and catch up on your new favorite show, but there comes a time when you realize you’ve got other things to do besides see how much worse things can get for Jon Snow and fam.

Say it with us: Just one episode a night.

Look, we know these are small changes, but they can do a lot of good, like improving familial relationships, being more open about your passions or giving back to your community. In order to improve your life, you don’t always have to make drastic changes to your lifestyle. All it takes are a couple of slight adjustments to make you feel like you’ve actually accomplished something.

DONATE ACTUAL BOOKS YOU LIKE TO LENDING LIBRARIES! We all love a good book.

They’re compact, user-friendly and each of them contains hours worth of entertainment.

The recent trend of tiny lending libraries (think of a birdhouse, but with books) popping up all around various Mississippi towns is a book lover’s dream come true.

What could be better? Well, a better selection of books for one.

Listen folks, lending libraries are not garbage cans. Got old school

ROGUE FUTUR ES

CAPRICORN

by Nicole Chantr eau

DEC. 22 - JAN. 19

You always look forward to the promise of a new year. This one may have a lackluster start (mostly because you’re putting too much pressure on yourself to start off with success), but everything doesn’t always work out the way we plan it. Try not to take rejection too hard and get back up and try again. Maybe the first few tries don’t work, but give it time and everything will work in your favor.

LIBRA Sept. 23 - Oct. 22

You’re a little burned out from party season, so schedule a long brunch with your closest besties and get all dolled up for a selfie session with them at your favorite place with bottomless mimosas.

Spending a long, lazy day with those closest to you will help you unwind, and maybe you’ll even get a new profile pic out of it.

SCORPIO Oct. 23 - Nov. 21

AQUARIUS Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

Aquarians love conversation, and you’ve met someone new who always seems to keep up with you intellectually. But you’re worried you aren’t feeling that spark when you shouldn’t be. It’s the beginning of a new year (plus you hate being limited to one option anyway), so keep this person as a friend for now and see if things progress later.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20 You’re feeling fishy since the new year started because, in true Pisces fashion, you’re scared of what the new year holds for you and everyone you love.

A new president. Maybe a new job. Take our advice: just relax and keep swimming upstream. If you get too worried, reach out to your pals for a night out at a local pub to get your mind off things for a bit.

ARIES

March 21 - April 19 You’re always impulsive, so with the new year comes some big change for you. Get a new haircut or a new car. Just make sure you’re making a good decision and not just changing something because you’re afraid of being stagnant. There’s nothing wrong with change as long as your heart is in the right place.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

The start of the new year has you feeling nervous and insecure. 2016 had a lot of changes and you’re worried about what 2017 has in store. Do your best to relax and take your life and work one day at a time… because that’s all you can really do. Maybe get out of the house, or spend a nice night at a bonfire to relax.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

Family has always been important to you, but even though you just spent time with them for the holidays, maybe spend some one-on-one time with your siblings this month since the past year has been a whirlwind. Whether it’s a long, boozy brunch or a quick lunch, make sure to have a laugh before the year ramps up.

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CANCER June 21 - July 22

You’ve been in a slump since the beginning of the year, so have a spa day to catapult you out of that rut. Go check out the local library and spend a few hours roaming the stacks for something that speaks to you. A graphic novel or a cookbook will kickstart your mind again.

LEO July 23 - Aug. 22

Your confidence is through the roof since it’s the start of a new year, and you always see the positive side of things. Being a Leo and a fire sign means you always have a passionate fire within you, just make sure that passion is being put to good use this year … as putting your all into something you don’t love will just leave you burnt out.

VIRGO Aug. 23 - Sept. 2 You can be really shy sometimes, so maybe do something crazy this month. Kiss a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve or wait until a (non important) bill is a day late before you pay it. Live on the wild side a little bit.

You might like the thrill of it.

The start of a new year makes you a little anxious.

You have trust issues and don’t want the fresh start to be a bad one. Stay true to yourself and try not to focus on being perfect — you’re bound to do great. Thinking about it too much will just make you nervous enough to second guess and then actually make those mistakes you’re so terrified of. Relax.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22 - Dec. 21 You love experiencing everything life throws at you, so you’re the most excited for the new year.

Set some goals and resolutions that are realistic; however, by spring, your excitement may wear off and you don’t want to break your own promise to yourself… although that would probably be the most meta Sagittarius thing for you to do.

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