Edge Magazine Issue 7 by Edge Magazine

GraphicDesigner

founder+editor

EDITORS NOTE Welcome to a brand new issue of Edge Magazine with a brand new clean, sleek and modern look. But even better than that...we’ve got a packed issue for you! There’s more music than ever in this issue plus many more articles and stories to inspire you and get your mind wandering. We are always looking for contributing writers, photographers, artists and just about anything else. If you are interested, don’t hesitate to send us an email! Don’t forget to follow our blog on Tumblr, where you can find links to all of our other sites! Enjoy reading! Till the next issue, Melanie Founder & Editor edgemagazine@comcast.net

sidewalk chalk 1 •••••••••••••••••••••••• artist signal 3 •••••••••••••••••••••••• northstar session 5 •••••••••••••••••••••••• photography 9 •••••••••••••••••••••••• bradley james SKISTIMAS 11 •••••••••••••••••••••••• Agnieszka Wszolkowska 13 •••••••••••••••••••••••• roxxxane 15 •••••••••••••••••••••••• summer playlsits 17 •••••••••••••••••••••••• generation waking up 19 •••••••••••••••••••••••• anchors 21 •••••••••••••••••••••••• photography 25 •••••••••••••••••••••••• page 9 27 ••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHALK

SIDeWALK

•••••MUSIC

Interview with Charlie Coffeen-Keys player for Chicago natives, Sidewalk Chalk. CC lets loose all of the details of working with a band and dreams of collaborating with the roots and much more!

EM: Give me a run down of the band and how you all came together? CC: Sidewalk Chalk is an MC, singer, rhythm section of bass, keys, and drums, horn section of trumpet and trombone, and a tap dancer. Five of us came together four years ago just to create some music, to create something new. We had such a strong connection and we kept building and growing. About two years ago we added the horns and tap dancer to complete the family and we haven’t looked back since. EM: Your sound is incredibly unique and blends hip-hop, funk, jazz and pop together so seamlessly. Who are some of the artists who have influenced you as a band? CC: Yikes. There are so many! J Dilla, Gil Scott-Heron, James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Meshell, Jamiroquai, Erykah Badu, Baby Lawrence, younger guys like Robert Glasper and Flying Lotus…we could go on and on. We like to describe our sound as “the evolution of hip-hop, soul, and jazz”, so that means we’re influenced by all of these things that came before us. EM: Chicago is known for its blues and jazz music. Did that have a big impact on SC’s style and sound?

CC: There is definitely a lot of “jazz” in our sound, probably less blues than you might expect from a group based out of Chicago. “Jazz” is in quotation marks because that really doesn’t describe anything. So much music could be called jazz, or isn’t called it because it doesn’t fit a set of requirements. It’s all music to us. EM: Fun name. How did you guys come up with it? CC: The name came about very suddenly and just made a lot of sense. We were auditioning for a talent show at Columbia and at this point hadn’t really worried about naming the project. We knew we needed a name to tell them so, as we’re walking over, we’re throwing out ideas. “Sidewalk Chalk” was said at one point and that’s what Rico wrote on the audition sheet. We liked it and kept it. The idea of something artistic, but light hearted with fluidity and impermanence is just fitting for what we do. EM: Eight people can be a lot to handle. Does it ever get hard working with so many people, coordinating schedules and figuring out all the miscellaneous details that make SC possible, with so many voices?

MUSIC••••• CC: Things don’t ever get too difficult, though we all have very busy schedules. We meet pretty regularly once a week to rehearse, and we also use that time while we’re together, to discuss scheduling and miscellaneous details. What helps when coordinating our schedules is planning ahead, and everyone is usually very good at that, so it works! And of course 8 voices means 8 opinions, but when it comes down to decision-making we weigh our options, discuss the pro’s and con’s and decide from there. One may think that with 8 people there would be lots conflict, but with mature professionals who have grown to understand each other, things become simple. EM: Your debut album was produced with Greg Magers, who worked on Lupe Fiasco’s “The Cool”. What was it like working with him and how did that come about? CC: Greg is amazing on the boards. He looks like he’s playing an instrument when he’s working the session and he knows what he’s trying to capture for each song. He did a really good job at feeding off of all of our ideas and bringing his to the table. We actually met him through DBP who recorded his solo EP with Greg. EM: What is the songwriting process like with such a big band? Is it a collaborative effort? CC: Our song writing process is typically very collaborative. One person may come up with a part on their instrument and the others will draw inspiration from it, weaving together a song. As the song develops we start to fine-tune the parts, putting something together where every part has purpose in the make up of the whole thing. As far as the lyrics, Rico and Maggie play off of each other, draw inspiration from one another and probably spend the most time collaborating, many times separate from the instruments after the basic groove has been created. Everyone one in the group has a unique vibe and voice, honoring all these pieces really makes up the sound of Sidewalk Chalk.

EM: As a band, you have shared the stage with ?uestlove and some have individually worked with Talib Kweli and Brother Ali behind the scenes. Is there anybody specific SC has always dreamed of working or collaborating with? CC: There are many artists we would like to work with, on many different scenes and levels, whether it be underground or mainstream. There are a lot of talented musicians and producers out there. A bunch off the top would be Meshell Ndegeocello, the Robert Glasper Experiment, Bilal, D’Angelo, the Roots Crew, J DaVeY. But also Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Foreign Exchange, or even Radiohead could be an interesting collaboration. I’m sure I left out about 1,000 others, but these are all major people that inspire what we do, and that we have a huge respect for musically and creatively. In that sense, I think any type of working together or collaboration would be wonderful. EM: Now that your debut album has been released, is a tour next? CC: Absolutely. We all set aside most of the summer for touring and we’re working on purchasing a bus...after that it’s on like Donkey Kong! EM: What do you want the future to hold in store for Sidewalk Chalk? CC: We look forward to the genius changes our music will make and how those sounds will effect the band members & the listeners. We want more people to be able to find themselves with our product or be allowed to discover freedom through what we share in the music. We want the future to consist of more people dancing to, hugging, blogging, uploading, smelling, buying, liking, wearing & listening to Sidewalk Chalk.

For more on Sidewalk Chalk visit them at www.sidewalk-chalk.com 2

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SIGNAL The new way to vote for your favorite artists! Clayton Tummons, CEO and Co-Founder, is changing the way that artists can connect with their fans and kickstart their careers! EM: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? CT: Ever since I can remember I have always been an entrepreneur. Always trying to disrupt the way current businesses operate and create new innovative opportunities. I’ve always been fascinated with computers and the internet and knew I wanted to spend my life in technology. I grew up in the midwest and started my first online company with our current CTO. It was acquired by another company a few months after we launched. This company was very small and only created a greater passion to continue to focus on where technology and the world were moving. EM: Can you explain in a nutshell to our readers exactly what ArtistSignal is. CT: ArtistSignal is an online platform for artists to create a profile and upload their music and allow the world to decide the best up and coming artists. Users crowd source the best music by voting and at the end of 90 days the top artists gets $25,000 to help jumpstart their career. EM: So what prompted you to start ArtistSignal? CT: We started ArtistSignal after a few meetings with my co-founders. Kyle, my CTO, and I had just sold our first venture and were discussing what the next area of the internet we wanted to see change in. We all sat down and talked about where we thought digital content was heading and wanted to create a social environment around music. EM: It is such a great idea, I can’t believe something like it never appeared sooner. Do you think sites like yours is one of the new ways that artists will have to connect

“we are going to become a

solution

for artists all over the world”

ECLECTIC•••••

with their fans in this social media driven industry? CT: I think social media is in it’s infancy still and we will have to see have users adopt crowd sourcing platforms like ours. The best way to create opportunity in your own platform is harness the power of the other networks and not create friction among them. If the users can use our platform while continuing to use their favorite social networks it will make for a better experience for all. EM: Top artists receive over $20,000 to kickstart their careers. Where does the funding come from? CT: Actually, the top artist gets $25,000 to jumpstart their career. We’re a funded tech startup and have raised money to start and grow our company. The money is an investment to help grow the company and help us focus on building a reliable, scalable platform. We wanted to create opportunity for artists so we are taking a portion and giving it back the artists. EM: There are rock bands, hip-hop groups, singer/songwriters and just about every kind of genre on the site. Have you seen voters gravitate towards a specific genre or are the voters from all over the map? CT: Too early to tell what specific genres the users are leaning towards but we definitely have a large diverse user base. We didn’t want to alienate any specific genres or artists so we tried to open up the platform to allow all artists a place. EM: You have a growing number of artists signing up and voters too- how do you maintain the site? How many people are working behind the scenes? CT: We are very fortunate to be growing fast and have a great engineering team behind the platform. Many businesses have a strong separation between the business and engineering , not us. We are all computer “nerds” with a passion for building a large scaleable platform. We do everything from writing the

code to maintaing the servers and databases. EM: You have leveraged all of the necessary social media sites and linked them to ArtistSignal. Have you found that using such sites is the best way to reach potential voters? CT: Using social media is a great way for us to grow organically. Thankfully we have been able to build stream since we launched at SXSW and haven’t had to advertise to maintain momentum. Social media usually drives our traffic and keeps users converting to sign up on our platform. Facebook and Twitter are naturally our two largest social networks linking back to us and they also help us spread the word fast when we add new features and make changes to the platform. EM: More about you- who are some of the artists you listen to that have influenced you? CT: Many artists have influenced me over the years. John Mayer, Train, Kings of Leon, and James Morrison are some of my favorite artists when I was growing up. EM: What do you think of the current state of the music and entertainment industry? CT: I think the music and entertainment industry are facing many challenges due to the digital era and they are trying a lot of things to see how they can help. I’m not sure the answer has been found yet but we definitely want to become a large player in the solution to this problem. I firmly believe that content creators need to be paid and rewarded for creating and producing the work we all enjoy. EM: With some artists reaching over thousands of votes meaning you have more visitors to the site, I wouldn’t be surprised if ArtistSignal blew up anytime now! But what do you want the future to hold for the site? CT: The future of ArtistSignal is very bright and we are building our new platform releases as we speak. This year will be the most exciting yet and we will be adding so many incredible aspects. I can’t speak specifically on the matter but would encourage you to keep updated and watch how we are going to become a solution for artists all over the world.

•••••MUSIC

WITH MUSIC AS THEIR THIS BAND IS GOING PLACES.

NORTH ✴ STAR ✴ SESSION EM: When did you guys start playing music together? TNS: We all met as session musicians in Los Angeles around 2007. Matt was living in San Diego, and Kane and Dave were living in Los Angeles. Matt met Kane through a songwriters circle and began writing songs together. When they were ready to start making some recordings, they met Dave while he was playing for another band. The first recording was an EP of demos really, entitled To Be Continued and everything just took off from there. EM: The three of you harmonize perfectly together. Have you all always sung and had leads in different songs? TNS: Most of the songs were sung by Matt and Kane at the beginning. But all three of the band members have been singing since they were children and as session musicians, Kane and Dave were singing backup for most of the bands they worked with… it helps that all three members of TNS have great ears for harmony. EM: Where did you come up with the name for the band? TNS: ‘The North Star’ has always been the guiding light for sailors and travelers. We feel that music has always been our ‘North Star’, and then we heard the reference in a Black Crowes song and it was pretty much solidified as the moniker we would trade on. The only problem was that there was already a band called Northstar, so as we all met as session musicians in Los Angeles, we thought it a great fit to add session 5

onto the name and call ourselves The Northstar Session. EM: Your music reminds me a little of Augustana and Ryan Adams. Have either of them influenced your sound at all? TNS: We consider Ryan Adams to be one of the greatest songwriters of our generation, and I don’t think we’d have many people disagree with us on that. He’s definitely been an influence for us, as I’m sure he’s also been influenced by many of the bands that we grew up listening to - from Tom Petty to CSN. But we don’t really know much Augustana. EM: You’ve played on both the east and west coast. Do you prefer one coast over the other? Have a favorite venue you’e played? TNS: We don’t really have a favorite coast per se. We are based in Los Angeles, so the West Coast was a natural fit for us and also costs us far less to tour. We’ve played some large stages and small stages, and I guess our favorite big stage would have to be the Wolf Den at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. I mean, the night after we played it, Leon Russell was playing - a great stage and probably our highest profile stage yet. Our favorite small stage would probably be a toss-up between The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles and Rockwood Music Hall in New York City. They’re small stages but in big cities so the crowds are different than the small towns we play most often. EM: Do you prefer smaller, intimate shows or crowded, larger shows?

MUSIC•••••

✴ TNS: To be honest, we’d play to 10 people in a small town any day if they were there to see us - that’s the real difference in a “good crowd” and a “bad crowd.” We play for the people, whether it’s 2 people or 2,000 people. Our largest crowd to date is somewhere around 1,500 people. So at this point, intimate small shows are sometimes most fun. EM: What is your songwriting process like? Where does your inspiration come from? TNS: Our songwriting has primarily been between Matt and Kane. Dave writes as well, and on our future recordings, the songwriting is becoming more of a team effort. Matt and Kane originally met in a songwriters circle, and they bring song ideas to each other and hash out the parts together. They write mostly from personal life experience and Matt also writes from stories he reads and hears about in the news and documentaries, etc. Dave has less of a writing background, more of an arranging and producing background, and was most often a hired-gun backing up other artists for much of his professional music career. EM: How has the response been from students when you’ve played at their college campuses? TNS: We’ve had an unbelievable response from college students. This is our first year really putting in the time with colleges. It’s sometimes all about timing with them as well… I mean, you have to be polished and ready to really showcase your sound and your specific strengths. Students are often so open-minded, and emo-

✴

✴ tionally available in a way that is different than your typical bar-goer, and that’s a great way to meet people from a performer’s standpoint. We really appreciate performing for people who can appreciate our work and abilities. EM: You were on an episode of the show “Parenthood”. How did that come about? What was that experience like? TNS: The Executive Producer of Parenthood, Lawrence Trilling, heard our music through a friend of a friend, and he had his office contact us about using the music in the show. We thought it was just a placement until they asked us about shooting the scene, and what time we had to be at the studio for filming. It was a pretty awesome experience! We shot it in a real recording studio, and interestingly enough, a famous one - The Village Recorders in Santa Monica, CA. This studio may not ring a bell to most music lovers, but it’s where Fleetwood Mac recorded Rumors, where John Mayer does most of his recordings, where Supertramp recorded their infamous Breakfast In America album, and where T-Bone Burnett does the majority of his grammywinning works these days. It was a fabulous place to spend a day, not to mention get to record in. In the show we perform the song You Come Up Like A Rose, and surprisingly enough, they didn’t use the version directly from the record - we recorded it LIVE in the studio that day when we shot the scene. So the version you hear on the show is one-of-a-kind. It only took us 2 takes to get it right, so the rest of the day we spent 6

•••••MUSIC

✴ hanging out in the studio, and even got a tour of the whole facility! EM: You guys do a lot of the business side of things lie booking and press. What is it like working behind the scenes of the industry? TNS: We have the help of a great lawyer, and an excellent manager. But yes, we do 90% of thebooking ourselves, and we do all the advertising, press, and interviews ourselves. We also do all the duplication, ordering, merchandising, travel booking, accounting, and purchasing for the band. We are the band and the label. Sometimes it’s a bit daunting to be working the behinds the scenes stuff, but it’s been a fantastic learning experience, and we have received great help and advice from some of the big players in the industry. EM: To me, your music sounds like a combination of rock, soul, pop, singer/songwriter and sometimes even a tiny bit of a country too. It kind of has a bit of everything. How would you classify and describe your sound? TNS: Sometimes this is the hardest question to answer. In fact, we DO have a little of everything. You can say what you want about it, but we know it comes from our rich background of influences, in all these genres of music. We love all of it. When people ask us what we sound like, we tell them it’s rock and roll, the way we remember it when we grew up listening to our parents’ records. And we find ourselves somewhere on the rock and roll lineage between Tom Petty, CSN, Ryan Adams, and Wilco. After all, no one wants to hear the same song over and over again, right? EM: An 8 out of 10 stars is a near perfect review and that’s what the Music Connection Magazine gave you. Whats that feel like? 7

✴

✴ TNS: Of course, we’re pretty proud of our recordings. But we never really feel they’re good enough. While they are usually the best we’ve done to-date, we are always trying to find ways of making better records for a price that we can afford. That being said, it’s pretty amazing that a magazine of their size takes time to review our record, and actually gives it such a great review. We’ve had nothing but stellar reviews of the records, from Music Connection Magazine to The Deli Magazine, to Classic Rock Magazine, and the list goes on… Now the real work is getting these great reviews to translate into a larger fan-base and a bigger brand for The Northstar Session. EM: Would you say that your music has a “commercial appeal”? Do you think having that commercial appeal in today’s industry is a good thing, or is it something that you try to achieve when you are making your music? TNS: I can honestly say that “commercial appeal” is the last thing on our mind when we’re writing and recording. Usually it’s all about the song, first. Then we try to arrange the song in such a way that it’s not only fun to listen to, but accessible to a large spectrum of listeners. That’s about all we care about when making music - we want to appeal to as many listeners as possible, while making the best songs we know how to make. EM: What do you think makes TNS stand out from the other bands and music out there today? TNS: The Northstar Session has harmonies like you don’t hear in a lot of music today, and we do it day in and day out, live in front of people every night. That is the thing that most sets us apart from other bands today. And what really

MUSIC•••••

✴ blows people away is how tight we are. We are well rehearsed, we work very hard at writing and recording, and when you see us live, people swear it’s “too polished to be in this bar.” We’ll soon see! EM: What song would you be embarrassed about if someone found it on your iPod? Any guilty pleasure songs or artists? TNS: Hmm… that’s a hard one. We like a lot of music, and I bet a lot of it might surprise people. We’ve got everything from classical and jazz, to country, and even some of the most

✴

✴ “pop” stuff you’ve ever heard. EM: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians or people looking to start a band? TNS: We would tell them this: If you love it, then do it. There are plenty of ways and means to make a living in the business, but if you’re just doing it for fame and glory, then it’ll feel like an up-hill battle all the way to the middle. That’s just our humble opinion, and heck, what do we know anyway? We’re too young in our careers to really have any wise words for the weary.

To listen and read more about The Northstar Session visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/thenorthstarsession 8

•••••ART

photography

Bryan Grreenberg, Highline Ballroom, NYC

Paramore, Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ

Photographs by M.Goffman

ART•••••

photography

Long Beach Island, NJ

Photographs by M.Goffman

•••••MUSIC

BRADLEY JAMES SKISTIMAS

“MUSIC IS

Independent Musician, Singer/Songwriter, Recording Artist and Producer Previously Known As The Man of Five Times August

IT’S TOUCH, LITERALLY!”

When I was nine years old I wrote a letter to Michael Jackson. As I’m sure we are all King of Pop fans in some way, you can bet I spent a lot of my own childhood pretending to be him. Truth be told, before I discovered the guitar I would lock myself away in my room mimicking his dance moves pretending it was me in all those iconic music videos. It wasn’t uncommon for me to show off those mad skills during family get-togethers either, especially if it meant scoring a couple dollars from Grandpa to entertain everyone. I had every solo album Michael made on cassette tape. Well, every album except one. I don’t remember why exactly, but, when Dangerous came out I had a hard time getting a copy. Maybe I didn’t have the money, maybe I didn’t have the patience for someone to take me to Sam Goody at the mall. For whatever reason, my naive young mind thought the best course of action to obtain MJ’s latest would be to just write the guy, tell him how big of a fan I was and simply ask if he’d send me his new album. I thought surely he read and answered all his fan mail, he would understand, right? Well, actually, yes… well, sort of. Weeks went by after I mailed the letter and by the time all hope of hearing back was lost a small manilla packet addressed to me from Epic Records happened to show up in the mail, and guess what? Inside was a copy of Dangerous on compact disc. I couldn’t believe it! Of course Michael himself probably never got the letter, but somebody somewhere in the industry ranks granted my wish and I’ll never forget and always appreciate that. That’s the story of the first CD I ever owned, I still have it today. It sits in alphabetical order (by artist) amongst 2,000 or so other discs I’ve accumulated since then, each with it’s own little personal story on how it got there on my shelf. Some sit in cracked jewel cases with a worn and wrinkled lyric booklet, and on the most important albums you will undoubtedly find the discs themselves marked with scuffs and scratches from dedicated and continuos play (especially the ones I kept in my car during high school). So, what with the evolution of the digital music library, why not get rid of them? Don’t all those CDs take up a bunch of space in my house?? Well, no, not really. But, that’s the assumption these days considering most people can now fit their entire music collection comfortably in their back pocket on an iPod or Smartphone. Our homes are more empty than ever, void of tangible books, music, and movies (also known as “culture”). Make no mistake, I love the convenience of having all those albums on my own iPod too, but at heart I am of that dying breed of people that still prefers to buy the physical version before importing it into iTunes. Having the actual album in hand, to me, is like holding a photograph. It represents a specific time, a memory, and the many emotions you’ve had in life. Though the paper itself might get a little tattered in time, at least I can touch it. It’s not just a physical product, it’s a physical memory. When you got it, where you kept it, who you played it for, who you let borrow it, why there are staple holes on the cover or doodles and underlined favorite lyrics in the booklet; all subconscious memories about who you were/are stored away in a little plastic case with a round disc. You can hold it and say “I remember when I got this” and a story quickly evolves. Rarely

MUSIC••••• will you find somebody mousing swiftly down a computer playlist and say “I remember when I downloaded this, that was so great.” There’s just no sentiment in owning only the digital file. The idea of the iPod, to me, is like I said, just a convenience. It beats carrying around a huge binder of CDs, that’s for sure. It’s made it easier to enjoy my favorite music on a long drive, a jog, or in bed before I go to sleep. But, it’s not what I turn to when I want to sit down and really focus on the composition and recording being presented. Why? Because while I’m doing those things it makes the music secondary. It becomes a foggy audible background to my daily errands at that point and I don’t really find myself absorbing the entire art. It’s kind of like having the vacuum on while your watching a TV show. You kind of know what’s going on, you find yourself enjoying what little you notice, but overall you’re missing out on a lot of important information that can really enhance the entertainment experience. For as important as music is to our lives we continue to find ways to make the least amount of investment possible in it. We keep degrading the magnitude of it all, shrinking every aspect of it’s presentation almost to the point of it now being practically invisible. We went from big 12″ vinyl records to clunky little cassette tapes, clunky tapes to slim CDs, slim CDs to mp3 files, and now mp3s to an overly compressed audio stream stored on some “cloud” of glorious internet space in the sky. You can’t even hold a mp3 but somehow we have concluded we just don’t have space for it in our lives. These new cloud services are, if anything, symbolic reassurance that the physical format is dying slowly and drifting to the heavens. Additionally, headphones have shrunk to Skittle and M&M proportions, speakers the size of a quarter, and album covers are rarely viewed larger than the dimensions of a postage stamp. While the quality of these technological advances are actually pretty okay for their respective purposes, the price of these mobile music conveniences has come at the cost of sacrificing the most important attribute of all, sonic quality. Music of course has a lot to do with sound, so why haven’t we advanced to hi-def audio in the same way DVDs have advanced to Blu Ray? Well, we have… Super Audio CDs and other hi-def audio options have been around for over ten years already and offer listeners much better resolution and clarity in sound presentation than a standard CD. Like Blu Ray discs, they are a little more expensive and require a compatible system, but the impact of the musical performance is far-far more superior than any compressed mp3 you could download. But, truth be told, there isn’t a large market for SACDs or hi-def audio equipment because the reality is the average consumer doesn’t care, nor really understand, about higher audio quality and won’t invest in it. It’s a niche market, not to mention it’s another physical format that could horrendously “take up space” in our homes (gasp!). So while new technology is offering us wonderful opportunities to take our music with us anywhere we go, I guess the question is at what point will it get so small we long to touch and feel music on a larger physical platform again? Does the physical product have to completely vaporize for a decade so a later generation can rediscover those vintage CDs their parents grew up listening to? I know I wouldn’t have discovered much of the music I know now if my own parents hadn’t kept their vinyl records, and I know my son will undoubtedly have a decent collection of CDs and records to rummage through one day for himself. And when he asks me about them there will be plenty of stories to tell, too. But generally, I don’t envision children down the road thumbing through their parent’s obsolete Mp3 players the same way. But, speaking of vinyl, it has made a small and trendy comeback in recent years, so maybe there is hope for another generation yet! We’ll see…

Check out musicbybradleyjames.wordpress.com to read more!

End War, 2011 Acrylic Paint and Embroidery

Love, 2011 Acrylic Paint and Embroidery

•••••ART

[BRAILLE]

Agnieszka Wszolkowska

ART•••••

“The vivid use of color and contrasting application of thread stirs an emotional connection in the viewer even before the underlying symbolic meaning is understood.”

Love at First Sight, 2011 3 panels each 12 x 12 in acrylic paint and embroidery Based on a poem of same title by Wislawa Szymborksa

Braille Alphabet, 2011 Acrylic Paint and Embroidery 26 letters each 6 x 6 in

- Agnieszka

For more of her work and information visit: www.agnieszka-wszolkowska.com 14

•••••MUSIC to think about. But we’re in a good place because there is a big gap in the industry right now so we just need some strong, talented females to make banging records and songs. EM: What is the rap scene like in Birmingham, England? R: Its big, there’s a lot of very good and hungry rappers. There’s no industry in Birmingham though or up north so people that are making mixtapes, tracks, etc, are mainly doing it because they love music so much! I really respect that.

With an explosive energy and unique tone, Roxxxan is as sick as it gets. EM: First off, how did you get into rapping? R: I got into rapping when I was 13. My play scheme/community centre took us to Pato Bantons studio at the Custard Factory in Birmingham, London. The five of us wrote bars and recorded a track. It was dope, we sounded like the urban Rugrats, haha. EM: Do you play any instruments or sing, or you just stick to rapping? R: Rapping is number one but I can write songs and hooks for singers. I’ve recently recorded a track for my mixtape which I sing on. In primary school I did learn how to play the recorder- haha- I was really good too!

EM: Is it hard proving yourself as a female rapper in such a male dominated genre? R: I think it’s hard to prove you’re a good rapper whatever sex you are. But I think as a female it might be a little harder because you still need to be sexy and show your feminine side, there’s more

EM: How do you write your lyrics? Do you have a specific process or you just write whenever it comes to you? R: I do write whenever it comes to me or when I’m under pressure which probably isn’t the best. When I’m in the studio with Mikey J (Rock the Mic, Too Fucking Facety) its like he does something to me, we create such a good vibe, I turn into Lil Roxxx or Jay She (Lil Wayne or Jay Z) and just go off on one. I just jump in the booth and we let it grow from there. EM: What artists have inspired you? R: Biggest influence is definitely Bob Marley- he never gave in and always stood for something. Missy Elliot, Kelis, Busta Rhymes, Q Tip for creativity and Slum Village, Styles P and Nipsy Huslte for word play and patterns. And last but not least Wiz Khalifa who I love, I’m totally on his DGAF (don’t give a fuck) and be real to who you are wave. EM: Your name is spelled so uniquely. How come? R: Well the 3 x’s stand for me, myself and I. Which is what I put into my music and give at all times. EM: CD, vinyl or MP3- what do you prefer? R: I prefer MP3. I love my iPod, I can write bars in notes and record them into voice recorder plus it’s way easier than carrying cds or records around. EM: If you could go on tour and play with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be? R: Definitely Bob Marley!! After I get over the shock that it’s actually Bob Marley, I think we’d get on. I’m his looong lost grand daughter, haha.

MUSIC••••• EM: What are your top three essential rap albums that you can’t live without? R: “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” by Lauryn Hill, “Water Redemption” by Sizzla and “Boy in the Corner” by Dizzee Rascal. EM: There are so many artists and genres breaking into the scene today. What artists or genres are you currently listening to? R: I’m currently listening to “Sailing Soul” by Jhene Aiko. Wiz Khalifa of course- he talks about what’s true to him and how much he appreciates his people and success. Also Stylo G - I love how he his mashing up the dancehall scene right now, definitely gets me skanking. I rate MC’s like P Money, Ghetts and Kano because they’ve got their own distinctive sound and flow. EM: What would you be doing if you weren’t rapping? R: I really don’t know. Before I moved to London I worked in retail and I was literally pulling out my hair. I think I would have ended up running off and going traveling if I wasn’t rapping. EM: What album would someone be surprised to learn you have? R: “Blackout” by Britney Spears. EM: Is there one venue you have always dreamed about playing at? R: Not so much a venue but my dream is to headline something that is on the same scale as Glastonbury. To do that one day with the crowd singing along to my songs would be awesome. EM: What do you want your music career to look like in five years form now and what do you want people to take away from your music? R: I want my career to look healthy, credible and stable in five years. I want people to take away memories from my music. Whether sad or happy you always remember that song that got you through hard times or you had the best time ever to. Just for it to make some sort of impact.

Check her music out at www.facebook.com/Roxxxan Follow her at @ROtripleX

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Summer calls for rolling the windows and blasting some classic alternative, punk hits.

1. Soundtrack by Yellowcard 2. When Your Heart Stops Beating by +44 3. Sinking Cars by Meaning in Masterpiece 4. Jersey by Mayday Parade 5. Words by Between The Trees 6. Card House Dreamer by This Providence 7. Tell Me Everything by Just Surrender 8. Don’t Be So Hard by The Audition 9. Autumn by Sparks The Rescue

10. Breaking and Entering by Tonight Alive 11. Tonight We Feel Alive by Four Year Strong 12. Wake Me Up by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Go to www.8tracks.com/edgemagazine 17

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Simple indie tunes to get you through those warm, sunny, summer days. 1. Coast of Carolina by Telekinesis 2. Airplanes by Local Natives 3. Youth by Beach Fossils 4. Leaving on The 5th by Voxhaul Broadcast 5. Scared But Not That Scared by 1, 2, 3 6. Afternoon by Youth Lagoon 7. Love’s Taking Strange Way by The Mary Onettes 8. Anna Sun by Walk The Moon

9. Swim Until You Can’t See Land by Frightened Rabbit 10. Silence by Takka Takka

11. Young Adult Fiction by The Pains of Being Pure At Heart 12. Frustration by The Whip

to find these playlists plus many more! 18

•••••NONPROFIT

Have you ever needed that push oF _M _O _T _I _V _A _T _I _O _N ? That bit of _i _n _s _p _i _r _a _t _i _o _n ? That spark to fuel your yearning to make a _d _i _f _f _e _r _e _n _c _e ?

GENERATION waking up

Who Are They And What Do They Do?

Generation Waking Up is a global campaign aimed at igniting a generation of youth to wake up, take action and bring forth a striving, just sustainable world. Their mission is to not only to empower young people to make a difference and awaken their sense of understanding worldly issues but also to rally youth from across the globe to join forces and ultimately unleash a powerful collaborative force.

Why do you need to know about them? Their message and mission is so powerful, so unique and so true. It is up to every one of you reading this right now to make such differences in our world so that our world is sustainable in ten, twenty or even fifty years from now.

what can you do to get involved? There are so many ways to get involved but the most important way is to go to a WakeUp! They are interactive peer-led workshops held throughout various countries. If there isn’t one in your area, then signing up to host one is the next best thing! You will not only be able to get your friends, family, school and community involved but you will feel empowered and ready to make a difference and take on the world one issue at a time.

NONPROFIT••••••

Don’t forget to watch their inspirational, intriguing and incredibly thought-provoking videos by visiting

www.generationwakingup.org

You can find links to all different kinds of resources to start waking up online!

"Igniting a generation of young people to bring forth a thriving, just sustainable world”

•••••MUSIC

EM: Tell me about how you all came together as a band. Brian: Rob and I met each other in an economics class in college, we both attend Northeastern University in Boston. We hit it off immediately, it was almost scary seeing how much we operate on the same wavelength. Robert: From there we got together in our apartment and started playing guitar and creating the basis of our friendship. We told our stories of the past and what we wanted out of a band, out of a musical career – from there we began recruiting members to fill in the missing pieces. Brian: It actually took us about eight or nine months to figure out what direction we were headed in musically, and once we got to a point where we felt good about the music we were making, we recorded The Lakehouse Recordings EP. A few months later, we met our bassist Colin through our roommate, Tyler. Colin: I was bouncing around from band to band freelancing, and Tyler put me in touch as I was looking to be part of a full time project; we chatted via Facebook for a bit, got together for a practice in December, and the rest is history. EM: You have an important rule: that there are no rules and you just make music. Do you think that mindset has helped you grow as a band thus far? Colin: It’s the entire foundation of the band. We all come from different backgrounds and influences and I think it bleeds through into how we create music together. We’re all very open and enjoy listening to each other’s ideas. Trying something we haven’t done before is what excites us. 21

Robert: I definitely agree with Colin, I believe that it does help us solely on the fact that when we sit down to write we think to ourselves, “you know, what haven’t we done yet?” and I think that’s a really important part of the creative process. Personally I wouldn’t be happy writing the same song over and over again, recycling ideas just to fill space on a record – I want and need to grow, create from newly found emotions, from experiences that I encounter in this journey of life. With boundaries, or rather with rules, you limit yourself and exponentially prevent any sort of progression as a person as well as an artist. There’s no way I, and I know the other guys agree, that we could stick to a certain particular sound and formula to writing when there’s so much we want to say on so many different levels. Brian: I totally agree, I think that we say “What haven’t we done yet?” just about every time we sit down to write, and it’s something that is invaluable to our music. EM: Who writes the lyrics or do you all collaborate on them? Robert: The lyrics are mostly a collaboration between Brian and I, sometimes one will write more than the other depending on how either one of us moves along with a certain idea or concept. Since we both share the vocal duties of the band we tend to write on our own and come together to create a cohesive thought so that we can push our own emotions into what we’re trying to say. Many times we’ll have the other guys come in if they get ideas or have something they want to voice. As previously stated, we have no rules, we move along as a unit rather than an individual with a backing band.

MUSIC•••••

• a band set to make music without any rules • EM: As of now you are unsigned but with the ever-changing industry, do you think that being unsigned could be a benefit or do you think being signed is most definitely crucial? Colin: That’s entirely dependent on the situation. I think these days it’s not imperative to be signed to a major label; many bands have taken up self releasing their material, but I just want to be in a position where we’re left to have full creative expression. If that’s with a label, so be it. If it’s self released? That’s good too. Robert: If you want my honest opinion, the only thing that many labels could be really good for nowadays is funding a band – even then it’s tough with the economy as well as how the industry procures any sort of revenue stream. There’s this stigma that bands tend to chase and that’s to get signed to a label so that they can achieve their highest possible outcome of fame. There are many examples out there that show the benefits of being unsigned – you’re not confined to executives telling you what you can and cannot do. The best example is Bad Rabbits; those guys hustle harder than any band I’ve ever been in or known and it’s showing with the amount of recognition they’re receiving. Not only are they extremely talented musicians as well as songwriters, but their business sense surpasses what many indie level labels and management companies could dream of doing. So, I believe that with the right mindset, drive and ambition, yes you can benefit from being unsigned, especially with the state this Industry is currently in.

EM: Does your name “Anchors” have a specific meaning? Brian: It definitely does. When I was thinking of names for our band, I thought a lot about what this band means to me, and how it fits into my life. When the band was first formed, I was going through a difficult time, there was lots of trouble in my personal life, and everything felt really unstable. The one thing I could rely on, though, was the music we were making, because it was, and still is, a place where I could go and feel okay. To me, an anchor is symbolic for stability, and that’s what this band is for me. Robert: Yeah, the band name does hold a certain meaning for all of us, individually and as a whole. For me, personally, it’s the idea of having that ground below your feet, that someone or something that is there for you when the storm gets too rough to handle. We all yearn for that in one way or another and I think it’s something that can be attained, whether it’s success in business or with finding that someone who can keep you planted on the ground; as someone who has toured and will be in the near future with this group, having that anchor back home keeps your mind at ease when you’re driving at night 1,000 plus miles away from your bed, your friends, your family, your home. My anchor is my home and everyone who shares a significant part of my life. EM: What has been your favorite venue to play so far? Robert: So far (since we’ve only played 3 shows as a full group) my favorite venue has been Church near Fenway. It reminds me of 22

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a lot of the small clubs that I’ve played while in other outfits, especially one of which was my home for a while in CT (The Webster Theater). It ignited a nostalgic emotion that I haven’t experienced in many years. There’s something about the intimacy of smaller venues that help me connect more to the surroundings. EM: Have any pre-show rituals? Colin: I have a secret handshake with our manager, Liam. I also usually take a shot of whiskey, but I must stress that I do NOT play shows intoxicated- that’s the worst thing ever! Robert: A lot of times before shows I tend to wander off on my own all while humming to drown out any noise outside of my head. It helps me ground myself in a way, clear my mind before having to get onto the stage. I also run through quick breathing exercises to help get my blood flowing and heart rate up so I can get that extra adrenaline rush. Brian: I normally hang out at our merch table until about half an hour before we play, at which point I like to go somewhere quiet and warm up my voice and stretch for a few minutes. EM: If you could go on tour with one or two other bands, who would they be? Colin: I would love to tour with City and Colour. Dallas Green’s music is so good it puts a pit in my stomach. Robert: I would definitely love to go on tour with Boston locals Bad Rabbits and Circa Survive. Bad Rabbits mostly because they’re such a fun yet hard working group that I feel we would have a blast together causing trouble on the road. With Circa Survive, they’ve been one of those bands who show that creating art still exists, not to mention

“Do your best to make your own mark.” -Colin

MUSIC•••••

how diehard their fans are, any band would kill to have that. I love attending those shows and meeting their fans because they are there for the music not for any other reason – that’s something I admire. Brian: I want to tour with My Chemical Romance at some point. I’m such a huge fan of theirs and I love the theatricality that they bring to their live shows; it’s something I’ve always admired about them. EM: What’s the best piece of advice you could give a new band? Colin: Never be afraid to try something new or different. Do your best to make your own mark. It’s ok to have influences, but you don’t want to sound too much like anyone else. If people want to hear Radiohead, they’ll listen to Radiohead. If they wanna hear Led Zeppelin, they’ll listen to Zep. Bottom line is we all love music because of how it makes us feel. So if what you’re doing makes you feel good, you’re doing it right. Robert: Do what YOU want to do. Don’t let people influence you into doing something that isn’t you or isn’t what you want to portray as an artist. If you share something

genuine right from the gate then everything else will fall into place the way it should be. Music is changing these days. People want something real again so don’t let yourself be a fabrication of the media image, be you. Brian: Totally. As long you put your whole heart into something, you can’t go wrong. EM: Most importantly, what does the future look like for Anchors? Brian: Just trying to live the dream. Robert: That’s tough to say at this juncture – however, we are back in the pre-production writing process for our next release as well as working on some tour packages for the summer and fall. It’s really a week-by-week kind of thing, we can’t prepare for what will happen six months from now if we can’t see six weeks from now. Colin: I totally agree, we all currently have day jobs, and we all have obligations, but for now that’s a necessity. We want to be in a position where we wake up, and make music all day. If we reach a point when playing for people is what we do for a living, then we’ve achieved our definition of success.

For more information about Anchors visit them at

www.anchorsma.com

•••••ART

photography

Long Beach Island, NJ

Photographs by M.Goffman

ART•••••

photography

Switchfoot, Irving Plaza, NYC

London, England

Photographs by M.Goffman

•••••MUSIC

This Texas band who writes songs to connect is doing just that and more!

EM: Tell me a bit about how you four came together as a band. Josh: We finally came together after many years and many lineup changes. For a while, it was just a duo- Josh (vocals) and Lindan (bass) with a touring band. Slowly but surely, we started adding in our touring members that had proved they were in this with us for the long run- Nate and Kelsey! EM: Your sound is solid and I can tell you put a lot of energy into it. Are there any bands or artists that have influenced your sound and the way you approach your music? Josh: Yeah, we really try to listen to absolutely EVERY kind of music. We were all raised on rock radio so we’re not like a lot of other bands in our scene that HATE bands like Godsmack, Disturbed and Nickelback- in fact, that’s what we were raised on. We also love what all the other bands we tour with love like Blink 182 and New Found Glory, etc but then we love the classics like Earth Wind and Fire, Phil Collins, Journey- all the greats. We don’t feel like we can be the best band we can be if we let the fact that everyone 27

seems to hate on this popular band or that popular band determine our judgment on new music because it all helps us grow as songwriters. EM: Is your songwriting process a collaborative effort? Josh: There’s a few main songwriters, but everyone has their input. EM: You have been touring since 2008. What has been your favorite location or venue to play at so far? Josh: That’s a tough one, there’s a few. We recently got to play The Studio at Webster Hall in NYC and that show was so crazy and awesome so that was great. There are always certain areas that have always been good to us like Miami, etc. Lots of good spots! EM: As a band, have you had a defining moment where it felt like playing music is what you were supposed to be doing? Josh: I think we all felt that the second we joined this band. We all came into this with the intention of doing this for the rest of our lives so every show is that defining show to us. We definitely hope it shows.

MUSIC••••• EM: You got the chance to work with John Naclerio who has produced for Senses Fail and My Chemical Romance. What was that like? Josh: John is so wonderful. Very humble and complimentary and such a classy dude to work with. We’ll definitely work with him a ton more in the future. EM: How did you decide on “Page 9” for the name of the band? Josh: Well, back when we first started the aa local Chili’s. Right as we got our food, our original drummer, Kris, who’s catholic, decided he wanted to bless the food. So, we were like, “Aight.” Kris then decided to pull out his book of prayers since he apparently didn’t have them memorized. After about three stuff we like to jam to in the car. Ellie’s such a talent and I’ve been following Gavin

since I was in high school. And of course, everyone loves Katy! EM: If you could go on tour with one or two bands, who would they be and why? Josh: Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers because those are the two bands that have collectively had the biggest influences on all of us. No question about it. EM: Page 9 has utilized almost all of the necessary social media sites needed today but what else do you think is necessary to utilize in today’s constantly changing music industry? Josh: A business-minded core. Fans are more than just people who make you feel cool they’re your customers, your support system painstakingly long minutes of our delicious food staring back at us while waiting what better have been the best blessing our ears

Check out the latest single

“WORST DAY OF YOUR LIFE SO FAR” had ever beheld, he finally blurted out, “Oh! Here it is! On page 9”. I then made the comment, “OK, can we just name the band that, so we never run into this problem again?” That’s basically how it happened. So we always say it’s kind of an ode to the fact that we love food and Jesus. EM: You have covered Gavin DeGraw’s “Not Over You”, Katy Perry’s “Part of Me” and Ellie Goulding’s “Lights. Although you nailed them, they are definitely more “pop” then your usual sound so what made you choose them? Josh: Well, we love pop music. If you ask us, we’re a pop/rock band so that’s the kind of and really are your everything as a band.

You have to know how to be more and more accessible to them and to make them happy. Our fans are our lives. EM: What is the number one thing you want people to take from listening to your music? Josh: Hope that there are more people out there going through what you’re going through. We write songs to connect and we’d like to think we reach hearts in the process. EM: What does the future of Page 9 look like? Josh: We’re releasing a new EP this summer! We’re announcing the details of its release on April 10th at http://facebook.com/page9theband! After that, more touring and doing what we love!

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