Adding art to music draws fans:
Are film festivals worth it? Tool drummer discusses his album with VOLTO! How Google+ can help
/ index /
/staff/ Ellen Eldridge Russell Eldridge Victor Schwartzman David Feltman Danielle Boise
Editor in Chief Music Editor Poetry Editor Editor, staff writer Senior writer, photographer
/contributers/
Art draws attention to power metal band....................... 3 “After Death� anthology reviewed..................................... 4 Interview with VOLTO! ..........................................................5
Amanda Dixon, Ellen Eldridge, Russell Eldridge, David Feltman, Ian Frank, G.L. Giles, Cyan Jenkins, Amy McCorkle, Norbert Papp, Rose Riot, Victor Schwartzman, Graham Sclater,
Comic: Rock Star by Cyan Jenkins...................................... 6 Film Festivals in the DIY Age...............................................10 Finding photojournalism................................................... 13 Author Exchange..................................................................12 Uphill battles: finding inspiration for writing................ 15 Poetry on religion without cliched ax-grinding.......... .17 Advice on publishing writing.............................................19 Making the most of Google Plus........................................21 Film: Pacific Rim................................................................... 22 Film: The Lone Ranger......................................................... 22
Want to contribute or advertise? email ellen@targetaudiencemagazine.com
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Black Joe Lewis: Electric Slave...........................................23 Back Cover..............................................................................24
August 2013
Draw fans by adding art to your package: Thornwill’s animated videos By Ellen Eldridge
Art by Norbert Papp What made the band Thornwill stand out in my inbox flooded with literally hundreds or press requests and review recommendations? The art. Generally speaking, Target Audience Magazine’s content focuses on the business of being an artist. Specifically, how a band or an illustrator, photographer or even a small business owner gains access to the people who will support what they create. TAM covers all content that speaks out about what makes an artist noteworthy and what can other independent artists learn from what another artist is doing in the “community.” Thornwill’s email described the Hungary-based band as power metal, and when guitarist Márton Szabó wrote that his band made an animated video for the song “Struck by Lightning” I couldn’t help but recall Metallica’s “Master of Pupperts,” but the art pulled me in and I answered the email. Szabó said a good friend of the band,
Norbet Papp, hand-drew all the frames for the video and animated with extra effects aftert drawing each frame. This kind of dedication to craft inspires not only fans or music but also fans of art. And therein lies the key to cross-inspiration and attempting something new that will make your music or band offer something extra and something exciting. After I contacted Papp, he wrote about his process and what moves him as an artist: I discovered drawn fantasy worlds when I was a child and I was amazed for the first time. I did not understand the texts as I couldn’t read but I didn’t really care. I collected superheroes and their foes and made free-hand copies of them. I designed new outfits and sometimes new scenes, backgrounds for them. Later, when I became a teenager I was much more attracted by richly illustrated role playing games’ rulebooks. When at the age of 14, I had to choose a profession I had two options: policeman or graphic designer. I preferred iii
pens to guns. I had never been interested in classical art so instead of the syllabus I concentrated on my own ideas. It was not as easy as I had thought.
creating an atmosphere inspired by comic books instead of an artificial, digital-like world.
I had to draw all the frames on paper. In the meantime I had several exhibitions and I started doing sand animation live performances which required a totally different attitude. The frames of a video must be designed and worked out thoroughly while sand As I shape sand with animation is the art of improvisamy palm or fingers, tion. As I shape sand with my palm or fingers, I only care about my I only care about feelings.
Soon I started working in a graphic studio. While I was continuously gathering experience I kept practicing drawing and made sketches for Hungarian fantasy publications. A couple of years passed and I realized that my works are published in magazines together with those of the artists I had admired earlier. In the past 5 years I have been working as a freelance illustrator for Hungarian publishers. I always choose the style and technique which fit the actual topic the best.
my feelings.
The world of canvas is more philosophical: it is the world where I can express myself in an abstract way. There are no customers, and there are no expectations. It is my own world.
The animated video made for Thornwill has been my first work of the kind. It was extremely interesting to see my motionless figures move. We insisted on
Find Norbert Papp’s art at http://pappnorbert.com/ Find Thornwill at http://thornwill.com/
Review by G.L. Giles
In fact, every single story included in this anthology is worthy of a mention, as Guignard definitely made the right decision including John Langan’s “With Max Barry in the Nearer Precincts” as “the closer” because it “perhaps leaves the strongest lasting impression” and a “good sentiment to retain” (p. 295). The darkly delightful illustrations of Audra Phillips included before each story also leave lasting impressions.
Though many of the stories in Eric J. Guinard’s “anthology of dark and speculative fiction stories examining what may occur after we die” stay serious, depressed and angry in tone, some are also hopeful, tender and even serene. “Someone to Remember” by Andrew S. Williams engrosses readers (with an unexpected, though well set-up, ending), and ensures anticipation for the rest of the stories that follow. Classical references, to Charon, Lethe and so on, with an updated twist are only part of what makes “Someone to Remember” so engaging. Williams’ tale presents Lethe not as a river of the underworld as in in Greek mythology, but as a beautiful bartender at the tavern where the dead gather. John Palisano’s “Forever” manages to accomplish something that many 4
horror reads haven’t: it presents horror coupled with hope, pairing them believably. William Meikle’s “Be Quiet at the Back” contains well-executed, but hardly hopeful, visions, and Joe McKinney’s “Acclimation Package” may stay with readers long after finishing the stories.
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Each of the 34 authors included in this anthology does a great job of “offering suggestions” as to what the afterlife may be like. Further, since we’ll all shake our mortal coils, sooner or later, well-written reads that focus on this relevant-to-all subject matter are unquestionably alluring to most great minds. http://www.ericjguignard.com
Art music, networking:
How Tool drummer and friends spent summer vacation debuting VOLTO!
Danny Carey with VOLTO!
By Ellen Eldridge Famed Tool drummer Danny Carey just released the debut album for his project VOLTO! that he and friends have been working on since about 2002. Guitarist John Ziegler first met Carey back in 1999 when he was in L.A. for a few years; they used to hang out on Wednesday nights in a jazz club. “For over a year I didn’t know that he was this drummer for Tool,” Ziegler said. “We just kinda became friends and I found out that he played drums.” Carey also played in Pigmy Love Circus, which Ziegler really liked, so he told Carey, “If you ever need a guitar player, let me know, because I would love to play guitar in that band. So, in 2002, he asked me to join the band; we started playing and we found that we had a mutual love for ‘70s jam music like jazz stuff, progressive rock,” Ziegler said.
So Carey and Ziegler put together VOLTO! and after jamming with a few bassists, they welcomed Lance Morrison, who has done session work for Alanis Morrissette and Don Henley previously, to VOLTO! in 2004. Ten years went by as VOLTO! remained largely a relaxed project among friends, but July 23 saw the release of Incitare (Fantasy/Concord Music Group), the debut that proves VOLTO! is more than just a downtime activity for these working musicians. I’ve heard VOLTO! called a ‘jazz fusion jam band,’ and I’ve also heard the word progressive thrown in there. So, kind of describe for me what genres VOLTO! fits into, and how you came to that conclusion.
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When I think of jazz, it’s the way that tunes are For progressive music, does it have more to do composed,” Carey said. “You have a jazz melody that with the heart of changes more so than an odd goes over chord changes, and then a lot of times meter? there’s some kind of a break. Then you go back over the same chord changes with some kind of improvi- “Progressive, to me, doesn’t necessarily mean sation and you have lots of freedom to go crazy over a bunch of time changes and different types of the top until you get back to the form. I think that’s sounds,” Ziegler said. “I think it’s kind of more in the the typical formula for jazz tunes like Miles [Davis] lengths of the chords that has the element to that songs or Charlie sort of stuff. They’re Barber songs and got all of these “ If you took jazz, rock, blues and funk music and things like this. So terms, and I just we do have that ele- squashed it together, that’s kind of what we are” call our band a jam ment going for us. -John Ziegler, guitar band, but everyThen we have more body seems to have composed ideas for a label for it. What’s things going on in heavy metal to one our band, too, so that’s the progressive part of it, I person might be pop music to somebody else. Well, suppose,” Carey said. what’s death metal, and what’s progressive, and what’s country music? I guess it’s progressive music “The term “fusion” came around in the early ‘70s,” that we play. Danny’s playing stuff that’s in 9, 10, and Ziegler said. “If you took jazz, and rock, and blues, 7, and 5... all that stuff is actually in there. The thing is and funk music, and you kind of squashed it togeth- to try and make this music for people who don’t play er, that’s kind of what we are. You’ve got a distorted music to like it. Does that make sense?” Ziegler said. guitar, a rock drummer, and we’re all kind of rock guys trying to play a jazz style, being able to improCarey chimed in that he takes it as a compliment vise. The songs are vehicles to get you to be able to when people say they you don’t hear the odd jam.” Ziegler explained that similarly to comedy immeters. When fans of Tool come out to hear VOLTO!, prov, where audience members give the comedian Carey believes they will “dig it, because the level of on stage subjects to work with, VOLTO! songs are musicianship is extremely high,” Carey said. He finds “little grooves with a melody involved and we just inspiration playing with Ziegler and Morrision and see what we can do for ten minutes. That’s what we said that “any fan or music lover would be inspired are,” Ziegler said. by it, too. That’s my hope, anyway, that’s the reason
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August 2013
I’m here. I feel like I’m learning and working for myself as a musician when I play with this band. That’s the goal for me. I think it transports people to a better place when they hear inspirational music. That’s the aim of the art here,” Carey said.
Danny Carey, drummer
How do you take your experience and your knowledge to go forth and start a new project? How has it helped, and how has it hindered? “Well, for me, the music just comes first,” Carey said. “Once that’s in place, I have lots of contacts, but it’s kind of just us figuring out our own game plan. I think, ‘How much can we do?’ so we tour. What’s gonna be our media outlet this year? We wanna get to as many people as we can. Each situation is different, so we just try to do what we can without stepping on each other’s toes,” Carey said. As far as putting out Incitare on Concord Records, the idea to make an album came before any thought to
what label, if any, the guys would use. Morrison said the process went like, “Let’s get a record! And then Danny and I were like, what do we do now with it?,” he said. In considering whether or not VOLTO! even needed a label, the pieces seemed to just fall into place. “We got approached by this gentleman named Al Jones, awesome guy, and he’s a big fan of ours who happens to be Adam Jones’ brother.” Ziegler said. “Adam, you know, plays the guitar in Tool, and he asked us if he could be our band manager. He asked us, what were we going to do with the album, when was the album coming out, when do you get the album? And I was like, ‘I dunno, maybe we’ll print ‘em up here in L.A. and send ‘em out to people or something.’ So he said, ‘Well, let me be your band manager and I’ll see if I can get you a record deal.’ And he went out and he got us a record deal,” Ziegler said. “That’s kind of how it happened, in a nutshell. He put it out there, and he got some offers, and that’s pretty much how it worked.” Carey agreed that though VOLTO! had the place to record and the intention of putting the album out D.I.Y. on the VOLTO! website, they could get more done with the help of a label. “Once we talked to the record company we found out that we could sell probably ten times as many records as we would’ve done on our own,” Carey said. “I think they’d probably have to sell that many for them to make their cut. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making a record yourself and selling it online, but you’d have to be prepared to go out and tour and slave away. It takes a lot of time, going around in a van and pulling a trailer. I don’t have the time or the luxury to be able to do that all over again,” Carey said. Carey paid his dues with Tool, back when he had the time to invest, but in his current position it makes more sense to invest the help of a label so that VOLTO! can focus on making the music, which is what any independent musicians strives for ultimately (if he or she is in it for the true art that is). VOLTO!’s Incitare stays focused as an instrumental, but the guys have thought about adding vocals. “We used to have a singer but he quit and moved to Texas,” Carey said. “We used to have guys sit in and sing tunes for us at our gigs. I think it’s kind of neat to keep 7
it as a special guest kind of thing, that way we aren’t tied down to someone’s voice. That’s the way I look at it,” Carey said. Ziegler added that VOLTO! started as a cover band, playing a lot of classic rock, before the jazz stuff got interjected in there. “We still play some classic rock tunes, but we do the melody. We’ll do Zeppelin, or Hendricks, or Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, that kind of stuff,” Ziegler said. Are any of you particularly influenced or inspired by Yes, and how did the whole YESTIVAL come about? “That come out of cold air,” Ziegler said. “Getting another project is as important as getting a record deal. We had a monster booking agent who came out and saw us play, and he was one of the big dudes at ICM, a great booking agency, and he offered to become our booking agent. Literally, the first gig he booked for us after he became our agent, he was like, “Hey, wanna go play with Yes?” and we were like, “WHAT!” Morrison agreed that Yes influenced him as well stating that “Yes was actually my favorite band, and Chris Squire had a huge influence on my playing.” Playing YESTIVAL in New Jersey is a dream come true for Morrison, who looked forward to the show at the time of this interview. “I’m gonna feel like a 13-year-old me when we play that gig, I’m gonna be so excited,” he said. “I’m in the same boat as Lance, too,” Carey said. “He [Squire] had a 8
huge influence on me. They [Yes] all had a huge impact on what I played, and I’m really looking forward to this,” Carey said.
made sense to use a piece from that time period, since we’re a sort of ‘70s jam-fusion band, and I think it’s important to reinforce the music with art.” Carey further Ziegler excitedly added, “Roger explained that he used to get Dean, the guy who did all of Yes lost in those old records, and the album covers; he’s gonna be there. artwork just really helps to define We’re gonna hunt him down and it when you’re listening to it for make him do our next album the first time. “It’s synergistic: the cover.” combination of music and art That idea about art “You don’t have a visual as something to get connection to the music anymore excited about with respect to music and I miss that. I think that if I could and album covers is go to the Yestival and get Roger something that all Dean to do the artwork for one artists reading this should pay attention of my albums, that would be the to. greatest thing to happen to me” The cross-inspiration that artists, musicians and writers share plays out in examples like the does stuff to your brain to make fact that Adam Jones is not only you feel things and experience the guitar player for Tool but also emotions you haven’t had bewhat some might consider an art fore,” Carey said. “I don’t think you director. Jones contributes the could’ve done that without art work for Tool albums and has attacking two different senses at worked on the claymation videos the same time.” for popular songs like “Sober.” Morrison said he believes the loss of artwork accompanying an album is a sad fact of the industry that is moving to more digitallybased methods. “I would buy a record and put on headphones, and then I’d just stare at the album cover while I listened to the music. And now, with digital downloads, that’s not there anymore,” he said.
The Incitare cover comes to VOLTO! from the ‘60s or so; “I think it was made for Stepphenwolf but they didn’t like it,” Carey said. “It
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”You don’t have a visual connection to the music anymore and I miss that. I think that if I could go to the Yestival and get Roger Dean to do the artwork for one of my albums, that would be the great-
est thing to happen to me,” Morrison said. “I could die and go to music heaven.” Where do you guys see Volto going in the future? Is this something you want to dedicate a good bit of time to? “This is a serious project that we’re gonna keep putting as much combined effort and time as we’re allowed into,” Carey said. “I wanna keep moving onward and upward.” As far as how members of VOLTO! measure success, Ziegler admits he’s not a financially wealthy man, but his music is all-encompassing. “Whether I’m teaching guitar, or playing a gig, or hanging out with friends; if I’m doing music I consider that a success,” Ziegler said. Ziegler teaches guitar and though he has quit teaching to pursue other opportunities including music production, he always returns to it because he feels he learns the most about playing from teaching. “That’s where I learn the most, from teaching others,” he said. “Whether it’s playing with someone else or listening to the questions that my students have, it’s great. I see them using new techniques that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. But if I had to choose, I think I’d rather be playing all the time,” Ziegler said.
Morrison, on the other hand, works as a session player often; he has worked with Don Henley and Alanis Morrissette, yet he agrees with Ziegler that defining success often comes down to being able to do your own thing. “Ultimately, I think most people want to do their own thing,” Morrison said. “When you’re recording in a studio, you’re helping someone else achieve their own vision, which is great, but growing up I wanted to do my own thing. It’s all about networking, really.” Morrison explained that he would go to jam nights and hang out with other musicians. Networking and accepting every offer and every gig that came his way helped him establish himself. “As the network of people I knew grew, I would let them know that I wanted to do some recording,” he said. “I was doing a record one time and the engineer said, ‘I’m going to work with Simple Minds next week,’ and I just kind of half-jokingly said, ‘Well, if they need a bass player, have them give me a call’ And I got the gig!” Morrison said. Whether what you want to do is session work, teach or tour with a band, networking and “meeting as many people as you can and letting them know what you want to do, that’s the key,” Morrison said. “Put yourself out there.” Those fans who may only take notice of VOLTO! because they are eagerly awaiting the forthcoming Tool album can rest assured that it’s on its way. “Hang in there and enjoy VOLTO! in the meantime,” Carey said. “The new Tool record is getting there, and it’s sounding great.” http://www.voltoband.com/
VOLTO!
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Film Festivals Advice for film makers in the digital DIY age
By David Feltman Film festivals have been around almost as long as films have had sound. Movies have since become a multi-million dollar business, and many directors and actors are household names; the avenues for movie consumption and production extend well beyond traditional theaters and studios. But, while film festivals have likewise become more business-minded, little about festivals has changed.
technology has removed the obstacles of conventional studio distribution, allowing the artist to deliver his or her work directly to the audience. Digital “Video On Demand” services like Youtube and Hulu are rampant and even major releases have started experimenting with early digital releases. With so many new strategies available it’s hard to tell if film festivals are still relevant in the digital era.
Like a museum that lets you vote for the best piece of art, film festivals have long balanced a celebration of culture with the spirit of competition. Most festivals, especially the big name festivals like Cannes and Sundance, have molded their Palme d’Ors and Grand Jury Prizes into marks of distinction desperately sought by filmmakers to bolster their movies. The recognition may be its own reward, but the real prize is attracting investors and distributors. Filmmakers enter in hopes of getting studios to bid on the rights to release their films in national theater chains. For many artists working independently of the major studios, festivals offer the biggest chance to get noticed and get their movie a wide release. Or, rather, that’s the way it was.
Chuck Hartsell co-directed the zombie film “Hide and Creep” in his hometown with the help of friends and family. After failing to get anywhere on the festival circuit, Hartsell said in a 2011 interview with Target Audience that he decided to try a more direct approach: Niche Marketing and Networking
Distributors and studio executives focus their energies on the major festivals, where the competition to just be considered is fierce. The chances of small indie-filmmakers to win admission into even moderatesized film festivals can be slim. But 10
“When we had our finished film it premiered at the Sidewalk Film Festival. We got a wonderful reaction from the crowd that night and also from a lot of the other filmmakers in town who saw it, so we started sending “Hide and Creep” out to other film festivals around the country. That route did not work for us. I’m not sure if there really is a definition of what’s a festival film and what isn’t or if that’s something that’s constantly in flux, but at the time at least, our film wasn’t considered a “festival film” by most of the upper and midlevel festivals we were submitting to. Or maybe they just didn’t like it. Who knows? We did get into some smaller, horror festivals, but none where it would get noticed by distributors.” “[Co-Director Chance Shirley] and I
August 2013
were discussing, one day, whether we should try submitting to some other festivals or what else we could do, and one of us hit on the idea of simply writing to some distributors to just see if anyone would take a look at it. I did a little research online and at the video store, checking the backs of DVDs to see who was distributing what. After I had a list of about 12 companies that were distributing lower budget horror films, I found their contact info over the Internet and wrote them all to see if anyone would be interested in looking at a screener of our film. I heard back from five, sent those DVDs of the film and waited. Three called with interest in distributing the film.”
With entry fees ranging between $35-to-$50 per festival, not including travel and marketing expenses, putting your film through the festival circuit can be a high stakes, longshot gamble. And considering how expensive it is to make a film to begin with, is it really worth the money and the effort? Even with digital distribution options and the high cost, film festivals still have a lot to offer savvy independent filmmakers. It’s really just a question of short-term goals and strategy. Film festivals are unique in that they don’t just attract casual moviegoers; they draw audiences that are legitimately passionate about their films. Putting your film in front of the right audience can generate a lot of buzz.
But research is key.
ing extra screeners for the local papers can mean more publicity and The best first steps are to start small, a bigger audience. Such grass-roots start local and be honest about your digital campaigns are the cheapest film. There are some festivals out and easiest way to get attention for there that don’t charge entry fees, your work. but postage and screener DVDs can add up fast; it’s important to make Take a festival screening as a chance sure you are submitting to festivals to watch the film with an audience that will be the best fit for your film. and make notes. You should have put Treat it as if you were applying to a your film in front of a test audience college: you don’t want to apply just before submitting, but it doesn’t hurt anywhere, but unless you really have to use the festivals as an extra occathe cash and connections, applying sion to feel out your audience and to the Ivy League will probably be a look for chances to improve. Is it too waste of time and money. long? Is a sub-plot not panning out? Audience reactions may help you Local festivals like to support local give your film a better cut, or at least artists and there is a niche film fes- teach you what to watch out for on tival for almost every kind of sub- your next project. genre, ethnicity and ideology. Does your film contain themes relevant Finally, along with attracting enthuto the LBGT community? Then apply siastic audiences, film festivals also to San Francisco International LBGT draw a lot of like-minded filmmakFilm Festival or Birmingham’s Shout ers. Be sociable and network. Movie Film Festival. Is your film about mon- making is a collaborative process ster fighting metal heads? Apply to and you can never make too many Austin’s Housecore Horror Fest. Does friends or acquaintances. Watch the your film feature a bicycle? Try the other entries and if you’re impressed Bicycle Film Festival in NYC. Target- by someone else’s film, go talk to ing the right film festivals can mean them. adding on to your film’s resume and increasing the chances of getting into bigger, better festivals down the road. “Chance and I were like a lot of people in that we were film fans who Social networking tools like Face- talked a lot about how cool it would book and Twitter can make word-of- be to make a movie,” Hartsell said. mouth a powerful currency. There “There came a point where we asked, may not be any distributors at the “are we just going to talk about this Bicycle Film Festival, but if the film or are we actually going to try and do loving bicycle enthusiasts liked your it? Sidewalk really was the catalyst for movie, encourage them to promote that discussion. One of the excuses it online or support your Kickstarter for not doing something creative like campaign. Make sure to bring plenty making a film is figuring out what of promotional materials with you would I do with it once I spend all and make yourself available to the audience. Don’t be shy about contacting the local press either. Bring-
this time and money making it? Well, here was Sidewalk, a film festival in our own backyard. Birmingham suddenly had a film festival, a venue that would show not only independent films from all over, but local films as well. So to use a well-worn cliché, it was put up or shut up time,” Hartsell said. “I think it was the second ...or maybe the third year of Sidewalk that our first short film played. It was a rough first effort to be sure, but it was a fun, quirky little film. And watching our short with an audience that first time, meeting other filmmakers, really the whole atmosphere of the festival encouraged us beyond measure.” As Hartsell points out, there’s more to a film festival than just getting your movie seen. A local festival can be a source of education and inspiration for first time filmmakers. Aside from talking shop and rubbing elbows with other filmmakers, festivals typically present a wide range of panel discussions with industry professionals, covering topics from marketing to sound design. Many film fests also offer short film competitions, where budding auteurs are given a topic and some basic equipment with which to produce a short film. Birmingham’s Sidewalk Festival hosts a “Scramble” where teams are given 48 hours to put together a film. The Atlanta Film Festival hosts an annual “Short Cuts” contest, where competitors are to “capture the essence of ATL” in five minutes or less. This festival also holds a screenplay competition where the three winners are awarded an intensive workshop to hone their skills. These sorts of events are invaluable learning experiences for those interested in making movies. If you’ve always been interested in 11
making movies but don’t know where to start, your local film festival is probably your best bet. -With submissions piling up fast, festival programmers like to start reviewing films promptly. So, while you can submit at any time during the submission period, proThe Dark Side gram slots are being filled as soon as the period begins. The sooner you send your film, the better your chances. Independent filmmakers often use a scattershot approach to festival applications, valuing quantity over quality in hopes of getting as many people in front of their movie as possible. This might not be the most fi- -Once you start submitting to festivals, you’re going to nancially effective strategy, but numbers do count and start getting spammed by a lot of other festivals hungry new online tools like Withoutabox are making mass ap- for entry fees. To spare your personal inbox and keep plications easier. However, these tools also make you an things organized, a separate email for film submissions will only make your life easier. easier target for shady film festivals. There are many so-called festivals that, while operating just within the boundaries of the law, do little more than bilk money out of hopeful filmmakers. Not unlike “diploma mill” colleges, these festivals charge high entry fees and sell trophies to the filmmakers when they “win.” Some of these operations even go so far as to charge filmmakers to attend the screening of their own film, if they even offer public film screenings. One key way to identify shifty festivals is the use of the moniker “film awards” over “film festival.” These “film awards” are more often than not online contests that superficially present themselves as regional festivals. Entering one means you will probably be able to buy yourself an award, but no one but the judges will see your film. Always check a festival’s website for warning signs before submitting. Several of these awards or festivals are owned and operated by the same companies and their websites will all look similar, or try to emulate the appearance of other, more prestigious festivals in the same area. Also be wary of mailing addresses and phone numbers that are located outside the state where the festival is being held. If the phone number is out of service or the festival operators don’t respond to emails, don’t waste your money.
The festival circuit isn’t going to work for every film or filmmaker and you certainly shouldn’t rely on a festival showing to magically launch your career. But film festivals can be beneficial. So if you decide to show your film at a festival here are some tips to ease the process and get the most use out of your money. 12
-Throwing entry fees at every festival you see will only consume your budget. Do a quick background check of a festival online before submitting. Make sure the festival is a fit for your film and watch for warning signs of shady festivals.
-Don’t throw your whole budget at entry fees. Keep in mind most festivals aren’t rich and won’t foot your travel and marketing expenses. Put money aside for room and board as well as fliers, extra screeners and other promotional materials. Do your own PR work and contact the local papers about coverage as well.
-Not only do local festivals like to support local filmmakers, it will also give you the chance to have friends, family and your whole crew present at the screening. Test the audience reactions to your films at small festivals before you start shooting for Cannes or Tribeca. There are also plenty of smaller influential festivals that focus on independent films such as: the Academy Award qualifying Atlanta Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival and the Tall Grass Film Festival.
-Again a little research goes a long way and a quick Internet search can help you find several fests with no submission fees. This is an expensive process so save money where you can. Some festivals will even allow for fee exemptions. Don’t expect the festival operators to waive the fee, but it doesn’t hurt to ask either.
August 2013
Photo versus photojournalism How Ian Frank found photojournalism
Photography in short, is an amazing craft and in certain markets it can provide a wealth of notoriety and huge monetary rewards. However, for me it is not about the money; it is the love of the craft that inspires and keeps me breathing. I often find when people find out that I am a photographer, the first question I am always asked is “Whom do you shoot for and what do you like most about photography?” I chuckle, give a coy smile and politely say, “I just like the fact that I get shoot people for a living.” Given the fact that I share with them I am also Marine Corps veteran, the sheer look of confusion on their faces is priceless (I find it quite entertaining when I give that response). Nevertheless, the majority of society doesn’t quite understand the magnitude or the lengths that many photog-
raphers go through to capture that one image that just feels right in his or her heart. Commercial and fashion photography can be fun, daunting and somewhat rewarding at the same time, yet I felt in my heart something was missing and it had me on the strangest roller coaster ride ever. I’ve always had a camera in my hand, but one fateful day I tried to capture raw emotion. I was with my oldest son during one of his many chemotherapy treatments, and in tow was my youngest son (he stated he wanted to be close to his brother but I think he just didn’t want to go to school). Once my son received his first dose of Benadryl, he immediately began to drift off to sleep. As I often wondered what went through 13
his mind, this time it was different, and it was much more. I watched my youngest sit on his bed beside him and speak to him as he slept, but I never knew what he was saying and I never asked; I left it as an intimate moment between him and his brother. My heart felt heavy and elated at the same time due to the innocence and their personal bond, so I immediately grabbed my camera from my bag and proceeded to capture the emotion on my youngest son’s face. I had never felt such a range of emotion in a matter of seconds. In that instant, I knew I was moving to photojournalism and documentary work. For me there is no greater reward than to be able to convey such emotion and a powerful message in one frame that can move a once hardened Marine to tears. From that moment on my life had changed forever. As a result, I am working on several projects that include Childhood Cancer patients, Survivors and the ongoing rebuilding process in New Orleans and the education system in the United States. In my growth process, I realized I put down a weapon that was used to harm others and now I have picked up a tool to be a voice for the voiceless. Through my camera’s lens I am showing the world that we have to do something to give back to humanity, which is a responsibility for us all. Visit: www.ianfrankgallery.com 14
August 2013
Weight loss inspires writer By Amy McCorkle Over the years I’ve been through some things that most people might believe to belong in the dark heart of fiction. But as a former co-worker once said to me, “Whatever you dream up in a world of fiction has already happened to someone in real life.” For me, truer words were never spoken. I wish I could say I have the healthiest of self images. And, while I must confess that my view of myself is better than it’s been in my life, recovering from the damage done by others, has led to one of the most common addictions on the planet. Whereas some people drink alcohol, and others take illegal narcotics or prescription pills, I am a food addict. Not everyone is inclined to be an addict, of course. Some people go through what I and many other artists go through without developing an addiction. Sometime, sadly, artists don’t come out of it at all. I came out of my experiences with a predilection for addiction, and my drug of choice was food. Now, I had other coping skills; as a fan of books, television and film, I began to write stories as a way to tell stories, which gave me a voice when no one else was listening. A victim of abuse, bullying and mental
health issues including bipolar disorder and anxiety, I had to find a way to handle it. From a very young age, I coped with food. And as I grew up, I had it modeled to me that addiction was a way to cope. My biological father was and still is an alcoholic, among other things, and I decided I didn’t want that for my life. What I didn’t realize was that the other side of my family included addicts as well, but they depended on food to ease the pain. I’m not judging them. It’s just how they cope. However, growing up addicted to food is difficult. And adults are just as cruel as kids. Fat jokes seem to be one of the last bastions for where it’s okay to bully a group of people. Now, as a writer I feel and write about things that are emotionally truthful. People tell me, “You are not your work,” but, honestly, that’s how I identify myself. While I’ve written about the abuse and bullying, I’ve yet to write a published book about food addiction. But something wonderful happened on May 10th, 2013. I went grocery shopping and I had what some would call a moment of clarity. You see, my professional life over the last two and a half years has kind of exploded for me. I have 23 publication contracts, with 7 books out now, and 4 more due out before the end of this summer. Two successful blogs in 15
Creative Chatter and Letters to Daniel and an extensive online presence. I am a complete and total workaholic. But I’ve always wanted to attain a certain balance in my personal life, which includes good health. And good health means finding a way to let go of the pain and lose the weight I carry around on my body.
yourselves and embrace the possibilities to love yourself as well as what you do. Here is what I look like now. I’m not hideous by any stretch of the imagination. But as I lose weight I will only feel healthier and better about myself. Read more at http://letters-todaniel.blogspot.com/
I currently weigh 289 pounds, and my not-so-secret admiration of an actor has driven me to professional success, has inspired me to embrace control in my personal life and learn to love myself. In doing so I’ve started to see improvement. I dress up. I’m currently flirting with someone with whom I plan to get coffee. He plans to be my “arm candy” at an awards ceremony this summer convention. And I no longer believe I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life. I’m sure there will be an up-and-down effect of my weight loss as I go along. But, as a lot of artists experience with the recovery process, I’m sure my professional work will continue to grow as well. And as you all share in my journey I hope you see
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August 2013
Poet tackles religion without ax grinding: from God to you and back again By Victor Schwartzman Mainstream and underground poets alike write about everything except religion. There are plenty of poems about sex, work, trees and politics. Mostly, poets who write about religion are proselyting for their own religion. Poems about God by writers without an ax to grind are a general no-show, whether in literary quarterlies or public washroom walls. The lack of poetry about religion does not stem from the poets’ beliefs. Like any of us, yep, poets are devout, agnostic, atheist and everything between. Poets write about what interests them. We know how interested they are in memorable binges and injustice. Why ignore religion? This Poetry Editor [I never use I in these ‘reviews’] has read a lotta poetry, especially as Target Audience’s you-knowwhat over the past six years. Why no quality poet has written about religion is the question. The answer, it turns out, comes from an award-winning elder poet from Saskatchewan [disclosure: the reviewer and the elder poet were both copy boys for NBC News in Manhattan in 1968], Dave Margoshes. “Dimensions of an Orchard” (Black Moss Press Poetry, 2010, available through bookstores and online if you can’t get to a bookstore or for some reason want to hurt local booksellers, in which case therapy may be important for you) looks at religion beginning with the starting point, when God created it. (We are talking only about the Christian religion here.) At 96 pages, “Dimensions” is divided
into four sections, including literary poetry and a series involving the moon. The first section, however, is significant for today’s reading: “Devotion.” Most poems in “Devotion” center on the Creation and its consequences. No time is spent describing Creation itself; that is not where devotion began. Devotion began after people were created and God saw what He had done: The seventh day Why was it God stopped? Six days of labour and then, nothing. So much done, so much still to be done. He rested and no one would say he didn’t deserve to, so much brilliance already to his credit. but it wasn’t just a rest. He stood back, saw that it was good and left the rest up to its own devices, let Darwin be his priest. That was cool, things worked out all right, some good some bad, just the way they might have with God’s hand. But what was it that made him turn away after so much rapt attention? Had he squinted into the future, seen something he didn’t like? Did he blink?
Yes, what God saw was unsettling. Perhaps looking at his Creation He felt cosmic self-doubt at his sloppy work. Perhaps He saw oil pipelines or Government eavesdropping on citizens (or anything between.)
Creation was more of an idle day dream, God toying with His abilities, than anything seriously thought through. Now that something’s tinkered up, reality, something God personally did not have to deal with, creates its own problems. It would appear this God is no more perfect than His creations. Like His creations, he’s done something without thinking much about the results. Is this problem important to God?
God shrugged On the last day, God paused to consider what he’d done. there’d been mistakes but inspiration, ingenuity. He hadn’t done anything actually, merely allowed his thoughts to take shape. Now he pondered the consequences, good and evil, of course, but also beauty and banality, ecstasy and pain. He saw with exquisite clarity his error and his genius, mirror images of each other, the droplet of pure water and the speck of dust caught in an intricate balance that pleased the esthete in him. He shrugged and turned his mind to the creation of religion.
A shrug? It reflects His lack of interest in addressing His own sloppy work. Religion is used by the snake to seduce
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Eve herself, and in turn religion becomes God’s response to being out-maneuvered by the devil (or is the snake one of God’s own creations, which would be downright humiliating?) and also to use religion as a way of punishing people for learning about sex. What a mess.
No wonder most poets do not write about religion. To face it honestly is to open up a Pandora’s Box. The questions are dangerous, the answers (because we have no answers) potentially worse. Poetry about these issues requires an author of Margoshes’ caliber.
Babel Religion is the language the snake employed when he whispered to Eve, telling her delicious lies. Reason is the language God thundered to show his pique that the snake had anticipated his next move. Adam resisted cynicism, a language whose time has not yet come.
His talent and skills are not limited to poetry. He has written a lot of published fiction. You can see his fiction in the narrative drive which occasionally rises up in his poetry. “Dimensions of an Orchard,” still in print, is as good a place to start as any in experiencing Margoshes’ writing.
We are close to summing up, but first we need to relate religion to the human experience.
This hefty book covers much of the human experience. Religion is only the start. “Devotion” is only the first s ection. This last poem demonstrates skills both at poetry and narrative fiction. The results manage to be heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time:
Religion and trouble So far, all he’d had was religion and trouble. The former kept him going through the latter, which always began at the end of the trail, blue smoke clear through Tuesday. Whiskey, women and bad habits didn’t faze him, he kept his mind on the religion, its surety and promise of better things yet to come, he remembered the saints and martyrs who’d risked the same temptations and came through unscathed, their reputations, at least. But some days the trouble took hold of him like weeds around the legs of a swimmer and religion thinned into smears of opaque cloud above the horizon. Religion requires faith, trouble has its way, believe it or not.
She leaves her husband
Ms. Gwyn once wrote that the regret of her life was That she never had children. She leaves her husband. --news item
To summarize: God creates our planet and everything on it, possibly even the devil. The Creation is an off-the-cuff project, created without any forethought. Then, God mostly leaves us alone, except to give us religion. Religion is more of a punishment than a path to God, and it is barely useful as a salve. So of what use has religion been? Apparently, religion acts mostly as an unreliable painkiller. Religion and pain caused from trouble were created to go hand-in-hand. Religion props you up through the trouble; trouble
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creates the need for religion. Unfortunately, for some, religion ain’t enough. Trouble is real, and forceful and in-your-face. Religion is opaque, and is a faith that requires faith.
Mornings, sleep still in her eyes, she shakes the pillow the way her grandmother shook the dust from her skirt leaving that Polish town she never regretted, would sometimes confess t grandchildren not even remembering being born in, so much has she made her future into a present, even a past. He’s still asleep and why couldn’t she do the same, forget she’d ever even had a life with him, happy though it was at its beginnings, why couldn’t she start again as if for the first time, her whole life still ahead of her. She foregoes her shower and dresses quietly as she can, the bright dress he liked so much once, the shoes that never quite matched, and takes a few things from her drawer and closet shelf, stuffing them into a duffel bag in the next room. She’ll have coffee later, she’ll have everything she can imagine later, but now there is just the matter of the note, the unforgettable good-bye. This she, she knows, the moment for years will define her, take her pulse, the moment when she shakes her head and steps carefully through the door and into herself.
August 2013
ON Publishing
By Graham Sclater
“Anyone can write a book, but there is a process to follow” I sincerely believe that anyone can write a book but there is a process that you need to follow. I had been working on an idea for a book for many years, but couldn’t seem to grasp the way to do it. I bought myself a PC and, after a lot of deliberating, set up a series of chapter headings and a short sentence or paragraph beneath novel, “Ticket to Ride,” in 2006, and that gave me the each one. That meant that I was easily able to locate encouragement and motivation to look at a second specific chapters and work on those as and when I book. had ideas. When I first started working on TTR ideas for other Once I did that things got easier and my mind buzzed novels came into my head, and whenever I was stuck with ideas and slowly my first novel began to form. I would flick across to a second project, which was a When I completed my first full draft I systematically historical novel. Strangely, working on two projects at went through it time after time for many months tidy- the same time seemed to stimulate me and it helped ing up each chapter and moving on to the next. It was me with each story as well as other ideas for future then a matter of continuing to edit page after page film and television series. I have continued to do it until I finally had what was the semblance of a novel. that way and it works for me. However, I have spoken to other published authors who prefer to work on one I asked anyone I knew to read it and give me their idea at the time. comments. Having picked myself up from their negative comments, I went back to the draft and made I don’t write every day but I do spend a lot of time more amendments and edits. honing what I’ve already written, and I am continually reading articles in newspapers or magazines that give Finally, I believed it was ready to be published but me ideas. every publisher I contacted rejected the manuscript. Eventually after more work, edits and I can’t pretend it is easy to finish a novel changes Flame Books published my first but if it is something you enjoy then 19
write and write. Having your book published is very rewarding and a great feeling, but even if you don’t have your “baby” published it is therapeutic and a wonderful process. Remember, it is never to late to start. A couple of suggestions for anyone who wants to write: Know everything about your characters; you do need a back story for everyone. You must have a basic story outline and plot the timeline before you even start to write. If you haven’t fully researched the subject and don’t “know” your characters inside out then you will have no idea where they will go and how they will think and react to events and situations. Always carry a notebook with you and make notes. If you don‘t write it down you will forget it.
********** Type up your notes or they will soon be UK author and music publisher Graham Sclater forgotten or lost in the pages. has been involved in the music business for many years, working with artists including Jimi Hen“Ticket to Ride,” “We’re gonna be famous,” “Hatred drix, Elton John, James Taylor, and Fats Domino, is the key” and Graham‘s latest novel, “Too Big To but more than ten years ago he began writing Cry,” are all available from Amazon or on Kindle and his first novel, “Ticket to Ride,” was published in 2006 by Flame Books. His latest novel “Too Big and in the UK and Europe from Tabitha Books To Cry” was recently published by Tabitha Books. http://www.tabithabooks.webs.com **********
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August 2013
Making the Most of by Amanda Dixon
Think twice before turning your nose up at the mention of Google+. Google+ offers many advantages over its competitors. It’s a neat little hub between personal sites and social networks. Plus, Google+ pages appear higher in search results than other social media pages.
Equally as important as having a complete profile is ensuring that you receive credit for your content. Activating Google Authorship en-
(similar to a Facebook “like”) or share them. Insert a +1 on your websites and blogs.
Think twice about turning your nose up at the mention of
With a stellar Google+ profile, creative entrepreneurs can maximize search engine optimization and increase their fanbase and clientele. “Fill in the blanks,” said Loren Weisman, a music consultant for independent artists. When creating your Google+ profile, use keywords and include as much information as possible. Make everything “public” so your content will show up in searches on the web. Beyond your personal profile, launch a Google+ Local page. With a Local page, clients and fans can add reviews and find your business on Google Maps. Additionally, Local pages rank well in search engines.
Google+ hances SEO by placing your name and photo beside your posts, allowing you to distinguish yourself in search results. Circles on Google+ can also help you maximize SEO. You can determine which circles view certain material. “Start targeting that [circle] via an update, a picture, an offer,” said Mark Boudreau, an expert in SEO and social media marketing. “That’s going to directly impact where you come up on a lot of these searches.” Links on your profile serve as another way of increasing SEO if others +1
The key to benefitting from Google+ is being active on the site. This means frequently generating and disseminating quality information and joining communities.
Two unique Google+ features include Hangouts, which allows 10 people to video chat, and Hangouts on Air, which live streams video chats. “There’s this thing with the Hangouts and Hangouts on Air that really allows a musician or an artist to feel like they’re connecting with people,” said C. Bret Campbell, organizer of the G+ Musicians for Autism Awareness Project. Through the project, musicians and independent artists on Google+ permit downloads of their songs for a dollar to support the Autism Society. Campbell said Google+ was the ideal platform for getting others involved. “I could have taken it to Facebook,” Campbell said. “When it comes time 21
to fill out a form and submit a song…well they’re iffy about hitting those buttons. I see the people using Google+ as almost being pioneers. They’re not afraid to hit a button and see what it does.” Google+ is a powerful marketing tool, but not many independent artists and entertainers recognize its potential. “It belongs to Google, so it’s going to be something,” said Weisman. “By just clicking on Google+ when it comes to a YouTube video or just copying and pasting in what you’re putting up everywhere else, I believe that can radically help musicians, artists and other businesses and it just surprises me how few people take advantage of that.”
Film Review: “Pacific Rim” Review by David Feltman Had this film been released in Japan I’m sure it would have received a splashy and overly honest title like “Super Robo Monster Battle!” Thankfully for a movie about psychically linked soldiers in giant robots fighting extra-dimensional monsters, the only thing mundane is the name “Pacific Rim.” Just for example: in the first 15 minutes you get to see a giant robot, piloted by Charlie Hunnam (aka Jax from “Sons of Anarchy”), kamehameha a 40-story behemoth named Knifehead. Story takes a backseat to spectacle, giving director Guillermo del Toro the opportunity to paint the screen in 3D madness. What we’re offered is a multi-million dollar Saturday morning cartoon filled in equal measure with mammoth Lovecraftian cosmic beasties (here named kaiju after Japanese creature features), cheesy end of days bombast and impromptu kung fu fighting. Every little piece of futuristic tech, every brightly colored projectile, every glowing monster orifice is designed to leap off the screen. This is the rare movie worth the couple of extra bucks for the glasses. 22
The cast is stellar. Hunnam and Idris Elba ham it up as the deep and brooding heroes while Charlie Day and Burn Gorman play an “Odd Couple” pair of wacky kaiju experts. Fellow son of anarchy Ron Perlman makes a comedic appearance as a kaiju poacher/black market male enhancement supplement salesman. The characters are admittedly shallow archetypes and the story about family and shared trauma is suspiciously similar to Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers,” but del Toro’s world is so big and imaginative that it’s easy to overlook the plot’s shortcomings. “Pacific Rim” definitely marks a departure for del Toro, a man known largely for making quiet but visually striking fairly tales like “The Devil’s Backbone” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.” While del Toro’s knack for nuanced parables is sadly absent, his impish sense of humor and Jim Henson level of creature design elevate the film well above the typical big budget blockbuster. This film revels in nerdgasmic exploitation and offers everything you could hope for from a summer movie, assuming you were hoping for some robots to punch some monsters.
Film Review: “The Lone Ranger” Review by David Feltman Trying to breathe new life into beloved but forgotten franchises sounds good on paper, but seems doomed in practice. Promising projects like “The Green Hornet” and “John Carter” have only managed to bury anything loveable about their source materials. Likewise, while Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski attempt to re-skin the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films in cowboy hats, “The Lone Ranger” fails to grasp the spirit of the original radio/TV show. With the “Pirates” films, Depp and Verbinski stood firmly on the shoulders of Errol Flynn style swashbuckling serials, but the duo scrambles to capture the spark of the old west bullet operas in “The Lone Ranger.” To compensate, Verbinski simply throws one reference after another at the screen, hoping to cover up the deficit of personality. “The Lone Ranger” steals scenes from silent to spaghetti westerns, switching from Buster Keaton train stunts to “El Topo” treks through the desert. The film also confuses kookiness
August 2013
for cleverness, trotting out a surreal cast that includes a transvestite henchman, a one-legged madam of a hell-on-wheels brothel and a host of crazy carnivorous bunny rabbits. And even these kooky characters aren’t original, each one lifting from “Dead Man,” “Planet Terror” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” respectively.
“Vampire” has kitschy ‘50s feel that summons the ghost of Lux Interior. “Guilty” makes Rob Tyner not roll over in his grave, but shimmy, shake and smile. Do not mistake anything on Electric Slave as copycat of other artists; these songs are simply the product of people with amazing tastes in music.
Clocking in at nearly three hours, “The Lone Ranger” is an unwieldy mess of wandering motivations and poorly defined plot points. Verbinski tries to disseminate the story through a Museum of Natural History framing device that only proves to be ridiculous and distracting. It’s hard to get invested in the story when the big bad is just as generic as his henchmen and the family he terrorizes only exist on screen to be victimized. Depp’s standard weirdo shtick is old hat, but Armie Hammer’s adept comic timing makes him surprisingly entertaining as the titular ranger. But Hammer’s performance isn’t enough to save the movie. “The Lone Ranger” is a slogging pastiche filled with missed opportunities.
I like all things Black Joe Lewis including the harder, dirtier turn he takes on the new EP. The whole album sounds fuzzed out, which produces an effect that makes Lewis’s amazing vocals sound better. Hearing a perfect album is a rarity, and Electric Slave is a perfect album without a weak song on it.
Black Joe Lewis - Electric Slave Review by Rose Riot Black Joe Lewis has the ability to transport listeners to a different space and time in reality. The first time I saw a performance, I went from being a middleaged woman in the year 2009 to a teenager in the ‘50s who snuck out, and was peeking into the window of a juke joint witnessing “the devil’s music”; I have been a huge fan ever since. Lewis combines the best musical influences and styles from the last six decades and cranks out a bluesy, jazzy, funky, punchy soul sound that, when added together, equals pure rock and roll. Electric Slave (out August 27 on Vagrant Records) is dotted with inspiration from some of music’s greats. The song “Young Girls” has a distinct New York Dolls vibe. My favorite track, “My Blood Ain’t Runnin’ Right,” is the song that Lou Reed wishes he recorded in 1973.
Electric Slave pays homage to a non-digital era. It sounds like it was made using vintage gear and recorded on analog equipment. If you close your eyes, you can imagine that you are sitting in on a jam session. When I played the EP for my husband, he had just come home from a long day at work and he reluctantly agreed to listen to one song before going to bed. I played him “Vampire” knowing that he would love it, and seven songs later he was wide-awake playing air drums and proclaiming, “This is the best album I’ve heard in years!” Download the album and pre-order it now. I am going to make it a required listening for all my friends. Black Joe Lewis will be performing at Terminal West on September 8. Most of Electric Slave was produced by GRAMMY award winner Stuart Sikes (White Stripes, Cat Power, Modest Mouse) and recorded at Church House Studios in Austin, Texas. Three of the new tracks (“Skulldiggin,” “Dar Es Salaam,” “My Blood Ain’t Runnin’ Right”) were recorded and produced by John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, St. Vincent, Okkervil River) at Elmwood Studios in Dallas. The band will tour supporting Electric Slave beginning in September, playing a number of shows along the east coast including a show at New York’s Terminal 5 on September 26. http://www.blackjoelewis.com/
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