March 2013
INDIE TIPS ater Dream The ppice Carmine A ture Poetry fea nt Radioluce Reviews
Founder Christy Petterson explains how I.C.E exposes artists
Bryan Collins Art
A RTIST OP P OR T UNI TI ES at :
*Branding benefits of social media for musicians *Interview with visionary of World of Art Showcase
/ index / How does artist Bryan Collins find clients?...................page 3 Interview: Carmine Appice on secrets of becoming a one-man dynamo in the music business..................page 16 Branding benefits of social media for musicians..........page 4 Puscifer: Donkey Punch the Night review..................page 21 “Nails and Picks” art by Cyan Jenkins..............................page 4 Iceage: You’re Nothing review........................................page 21 How I got into THAT band: Dream Theater....................page 5 Phinehas: The Bridge Between review........................page 22 NAMM: what’s in it for indie musicians?.........................page 6 Deftones: Koi No Yokan review.......................................page 22 How Atlanta’s I.C.E. offers indie crafters exposure........page 9 Andrew Cooper’s “Burning the Middle Ground”.........page 23 Poetry: Chansonette Buck’s “blood oranges”.............page 12 Radiolucent’s Mike Cowan speaks.................................page 24 Interview: Visionary of World of Art Showcase...........page 15
/staff/
Want to contribute or advertise? Email ellen@targetaudiencemagazine.com
Ellen Eldridge Russell Eldridge Victor Schwartzman Ryan Meriwether David Feltman
Editor in Chief Music Editor Poetry Editor Graphic Designer Film Editor, staff writer
/contributers/ Danielle Boise, Jeannie Caryn, Bryan Collins, Ellen Eldridge, Russell Eldridge, G.L. Giles, David Feltman, Marc Lawson, Cyan Jenkins, Rose Riot, Victor Schwartzman, Kelleye Troup, Page Allen White
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March 2013
Artwork of
Bryan Collins By Ellen Eldridge Bryan Collins’ eye-catching art caught the editor’s eye back in 2008 when it was first featured in Target Audience Magazine. I contacted him to ask how he has adjusted his career and what works for him to network, find clients and build his brand. I have about three of his original pieces in my home and office; I love the bold colors and expressive emotions apparent in both his more real-life images as well as the often abstract ones. Collins has quite a way of making the abstract seem mundane and vice versa. Of his efforts at maintaining a career as an artist, Collins says: “During 2012 I spent a little extra time working to diversify my use of social media. While Facebook is still a giant for online communication, I've had a surge in exposure from things like Instagram, Twitter, and Google+. I've paid extra attention to my blog and loaded more files to online print shops such as Society 6, Imagekind, and RedBubble. It's a great deal of extra work and takes time away from actually making art but after all the time that goes into creating, it's important to put time into making sure people will see what's been made.” “As for the art itself, I'm focusing more on colored pencils. It's a niche medium and has had exhibit limitations in regards to shipping glass and frames, but after my wife's suggestion to try colored pencil on wood, I've come up with a combination of materials and techniques which allow me to create vibrant, clean work on a durable and archival surface. I've been working with a lot of nautical themes since moving to Saint Augustine, FL. I've always pulled influence from the ocean but now that I live by it again its power over me is greater than ever,” said Collins. Find more of his work and follow his blog at http://www.useeverycolor.com/
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The Branding Benefits of Social Media for Musicians Kelleye Troup is an independent social media consultant you can find on Facebook.
You must establish an organic connection built on engagement to build your brand.
Social media adds a whole new aspect to getting the word out!
Make your page engaging by sharing some of your personal self with fans, which will encourage them to buy more of your music, more tickets to your shows and more of your merchandise because they will genuinely want to support you.
Since the time of Pompeii people have been spreading the word by means of writing on walls! The Internet allows for advertisement from one’s mind through the fingertips, and immediately in front of your The number one rule of social media target audience. An estimated 150 million people use for musicians is to make sure your Facebook and 190 million people use Twitter, so communities and friendships built online can merge profile always looks fresh. into real connections for those making the most of social media. If you don't update your profiles regularly then you will give your fans or anyone else checking (promoters, For people in the entertainment industry, social media publicists and labels) the impression that you don't are powerful tools to keep a connection to fans and have much going on in your music career. to build a fanbase. Fans turn into friends through the You definitely won't give visitors the notion that you strength of the online connection, and this builds your have an active online community that they really need brand. People will listen to something that their peers to be a part of or that would benefit the label to have have recommended before they listen to something you as part of. A stale, abandoned profile can actually that mainstream has recommended, and via social me- hurt more than not having a profile at all. dia tools friends see literally what others stream or post videos of. Maintaining a solid presence on your social media accounts will help keep your fans engaged, and will You may have started a social media profile with the build your fanbase in the long run, which is what you goal of selling more of your music, more tickets to your want promoters, publicists and club owners to see show and more merchandise, but if you push sales too when deciding whether or not to give your band a much your fans are going go away in a hurry. chance.
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March 2013
How I got into THAT band...!
If you want to share your story of how you discovered that band or artist that influenced you and helped you define yourself during your formative years or after--email 500 words to ellen@targetaudiencemagazine.com
Dream Theater:
by Russell Eldridge
After spending my youth playing guitar to the first four Metallica albums, and diving into the darkest and sickest death metal bands I could find, like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Death and Obituary, as an18-year-old guitarist for a band called Purgatory, I accepted my impression with Dream Theater. Though early on I could hear technical prowess from Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci, in “Pull Me Under,” the band’s big hit at the time, I didn’t know enough about guitar playing. Years later, one my co-workers suggested that I take a closer look at Dream Theater because he was spending hours looking through the Images and Words tablature book. I took his advice and it was over for all other guitar players in my eyes, though I didn’t realize it yet. I started spending hours playing various tunes, but I also tried songs from the Awake album. I still didn’t know what I was doing; I only read tablature (not sheet music). Attending the Atlanta Institute of Music gave me sharpened skills and the tools needed to keep learning.
The more I learned about music, the more I appreciated Dream Theater.
art by Miles Tsang http://www.milestsang.com
Dream Theater’s sound cannot be judged by listening to one album. Some say Petrucci is too over-the-top, and that all he does is play fast, but songs like “Another Day,” “Surrounded” and “Learning to Live” contain melodic and memorable guitar passages that aren’t very fast. Yes, Petrucci can break sound barriers if he chooses to, but he does so with taste.
It may have been a coincidence or it might have something to do with the addition of Mike Mangini to Dream Theater, but the most recent release, A Dramatic Turn Of Typically, once one starts to hone skills on an instrument, Events, is one of the best albums compositionally in the radio-friendly music seems too predictable and trite. band’s discography. Hence the music snob is born. Since 1985, the guys in Dream Theater have written Petrucci’s guitar playing filled Images and Words with great music without being repetitive, and, though it more colorful chord work than on any other album I had took a while, I fell in love with Dream Theater because heard, which makes me wonder if he wrote while attheirs is the very definition of musicality in my eyes. tending Berklee, where he met his bandmates. The followup to Images and Words Russell Eldridge teaches guitar locally and showed similar chord work, but Petrucci online via www.RussellEldridge.com starting using blues-flavored double-stop 5 licks, and he also plays a seven-string.
What’s in it for the indie musician? By Jeannie Caryn and Marc Lawson
“Be an animal! Do it all,” said Kyle Morrison of the NAMM show was honored with the appearance of music
band Triphon, self-described as “a Euro-American melodic icons Elton John and Stevie Wonder, as well as rockers metal blending elements of power, thrash, classical and like Nikki Sixx and Boston this year. metalcore.” Going to NAMM is all about “making connections and get- WHAT CAN THE INDIE ARTIST GET OUT OF GOING? ting yourself in front of the right people,” Morrison said. “If you’re looking to make a connection with the The NAMM show is an annual trade show and convention artist relations director of a gear company, here’s your that descends upon Anaheim, Calif., each year. It’s THE chance,” Craver said. “Just walking up and introducing place for music equipment manufacturers to showcase yourself is a great idea.” their new and upcoming products, often with the help of celebrities and music industry leaders. According to the He suggested that, “An even better way to take advanorganization, the mission of NAMM is to “strengthen the tage of NAMM would be to actually perform during the music products industry and promote the pleasures and show,” and he recommended offering to be a ‘demo’ artist for a number of different brands. benefits of making music.” Singer-songwriter Peyton Parker, a former Atlanta artist who recently relocated to Nashville to pursue her career, said that her favorite part of NAMM was “being able to interact with people who are as passionate about music as I am. It’s really great meeting people who have David Craver, musician and president of OpenMic.us, said dedicated their whole lives to helping independent artists like me.” that attending NAMM is a business venture for him, an opportunity to meet and network with musicians, vendors, and other business owners – folks that he will call Atlanta musicians Marc Lawson and Jeannie Caryn share after the conference to share ideas and pursue business their perspectives on three important reasons for indie artists to consider hopping on a plane to L.A. next opportunities. January – networking, new products, and sponsorship opportunities. “The NAMM Show brings the ‘top brass’ from all of the major gear companies together in one place,” Craver said. NETWORKING For the independent artist and anyone involved with the Marc Lawson: As a songwriter and composer, my music industry, Craver agreed that NAMM is the place to primary reason for going to NAMM is networking. Sure, be. it’s nice to hear about the latest gear and see some One look at the thousands of people strolling around the celebrities, but those things aren’t going to help my Anaheim Conference Center during the convention con- career as much the relationships I cultivate at the show. firms that it is indeed the place to be for all types of music industry folks, including artists, vendors, business owners, This year, the highlight of my NAMM experience was attending an annual event with an international group media representatives, software engineers, business of musicians who work in the film and TV industry. The associates and industry agents. dinner was sponsored by the good folks at SCOREcast Even celebrities attend and can be found roaming Online, and about 50 composers, musicians and other inthrough the crowded maze of product booths. The Morrison has been doing it all and attending the annual conference since 2006. He now attends as a sponsored artist for Casio, performing demos and showcasing products during the conference.
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dustry professionals from all over the globe attended. The best part of that event was simply being able to talk with so many people I had previously only known online - folks from Germany, the UK and other distant countries. Even in this digital world, nothing beats an old-fashioned (analog) handshake and meal shared among friends. The value of an event like this is staggering – I now have a network of colleagues across the globe that I can reach out to for career advice, questions, or even project collaborations. Jeannie Caryn: As a singer-songwriter, attendance at NAMM two years in a row gave me the opportunity to make invaluable contacts from all over the world in all areas of the music industry—some of these contacts could be potential sponsors and others who are now new friends. I’ve met musicians whom I now can stay connected with to expand my music community and share in music, ideas and opportunities. I never would have met a composer from Germany or made friends with a drummer from Tempe, Ariz., had I not attended. The conference exhilarates the soul, inspiring new thoughts and direction for the solo artist. NEW PRODUCTS The best and latest instruments, software and gear – everything from PA systems to guitar picks – are available and on display at the NAMM Show. Press conferences are held throughout the day, product demos are provided top artists, and “how to use” seminars are offered by software companies like Avid, MOTU and MakeMusic. We caught up with Morrison as he demoed the new Casio Privia Pro PX5S Keyboard, a 24-pound, digital stage piano that will be available for sale in April. ScoreCleaner is an innovative new program geared toward writers and musicians who lack formal training in music. Using ScoreCleaner, musicians can play or sing their tunes into an iPhone or iPad, and the software will produce a legible and accurate
score of their tunes – in the correct key and at the correct tempo. Jazz guitar legend Stanley Jordan and America’s Got Talent finalist Taylor Mathews celebrate the U.S. release of ScoreCleaner at NAMM 2013. ScoreCleaner is the first-ever instant plug and play notation software, revolutionizing the way music is scored, shared and played.
Left to Right: Mark Hiskey, president of ILIO, Stanley Jordan, Taylor Mathews, Sven Ahlback and Bengt Lidgard, founders and creators of ScoreCleaner.
“ScoreCleaner is the first-ever instant plug and play notation software, revolutionizing the way music is scored, shared and played,” the press release said. Jazz guitar legend Stanley Jordan and America’s Got Talent finalist Taylor Mathews celebrated the U.S. release of ScoreCleaner at NAMM 2013. NAMM can offer an artist new insights about equipment that can enhance performance and recordings. Everything from microphones, computers, guitars, amps, PA’s and cables; the latest and greatest in technology are on display at NAMM.
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Morrison visited the Casio booth and played for hours until every Casio representative at NAMM knew him or knew of him. SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES At each booth, representatives are on hand to discuss each guitar, violin, or drum, and an artist has the opportunity to play everything on display. Morrison told us that in the early years of his conference attendance, he would visit the Casio booth and would sit playing and for hours until every Casio representative at NAMM knew him or knew of him. He also talked to them about his band and handed out copies of their CD. Since they liked what they heard, they eventually approached him about sponsorship. But be warned, Morrison said that the process of becoming sponsored by Casio took years. He recommends spending time as he did, just meeting people and playing in front of as many people as possible. Ultimately, it’s all about relationships and who you know. GETTING INTO THE SHOW But just how can an independent artist obtain a pass to the conference? Unless you are employed by a music equipment manufacturer, or a buyer who purchases from a manufacturer (think Guitar Center), you might not be able to get in. The show is very clearly labeled as “not open to the public,” and they mean it.
Kyle Morrison, photo by Marc Lawson
Bands perform all day and all night long during the conference on stages in nearby hotels like the Hilton and Marriot and on a stage right on the Anaheim Convention Center grounds. There’s almost as much to see on the outside of the NAMM Show as there is on the inside: Fashion, food, drum circles, random performances by musicians, visits by celebrities and more all happen just outside of the show.
Making connections as a musician is quintessential to success, and a hungry artist should make connections everywhere; outside of that convention center in So, if you want to go, you’ll need someone from one of late January, there are many, many connections to be these companies to sponsor you. made. Goal to have for next year: Find a sponsor!
So who knows? If you go to LA, one of the connections you make just might offer you a pass to the But if it doesn’t work out, don’t let not having a pass to show the next year. But if you don’t go, nothing will the NAMM Show keep you away from LA. happen. 8
March 2013
Make money crafting through exposure at Atlanta’s premier craft By Ellen Eldridge
Put your creativity on ICE – While your mother may not have been a crafter, your grandmother possibly was. Atlanta has a rich and inspiring market of artists and entrepreneurs, and the Indie Craft Experience exists to help the best of the best in the crafting world gain exposure and new opportunities to sell to more people – This ain’t your momma’s craft fair! Our contributing photographer and reviewer Rose Riot covered the Holiday I.C.E. show and listed the top ten choices for Black Friday online purchases to show support for indie artists. “I have always been in to crafty events,” Riot said. “My grandmother used to decoupage candles to sell at her church bazaar so I always thought making things was cooler than buying things; buying handmade things was cooler than buying things from a regular store.” I.C.E. brings together crafters in a similar fashion to the church bazaars that your grandmother may have been a part of; founders Christy Petterson and Shannon Mulkey envisioned an Atlanta-based opportunity for the growing body of independent crafters to sell and promote their wares not unlike the opportunities available in markets like Chicago and Austin.
I.C.E. founders Christy Petterson and Shannon Mulkey
“I think that they had to separate themselves, but we’ve been able to swing back,” she said. Petterson feels that society has gotten to a point culturally when women and all crafters can take pride in the great skill it takes to bake a pie or make items by hand. The fun and creativity can return now that society can recognize the true skill it takes to be a crafter.
Petterson and Mulkey both started as crafters, but now “We met at a small craft market at Youngblood Gallery, have less time for their own creations. and from talking to each other we could tell there wasn’t anything in Atlanta that had the right aesthetic for the “Ironically, now that I.C.E. has taken over we don’t have kind of stuff we were doing,” Petterson said. “Atlanta has time to make anything ourselves,” Petterson said. a lot of great artist markets, but they weren’t the right scene for us.” Shows: “We have the same shows every year but in the past The topic of changing times and why crafting is becom- two years we’ve increased the number of shows,” Peting more popular now than in our parents’ generation terson said. can keep conversation rolling at any modern craft market. Petterson believes that many women of the Baby The original shows are the summer show with all handBoomer generation felt it was important crafted items and the holiday show that to establish that they weren’t tied to takes place the weekend before Thankswomen’s work, and could get out in to the giving. workforce. 9
They’ve now added Wedding Day Hooray, which involves all hand-made items as well as local services for planning a wedding. This show is always in February, usually around Valentine’s Day. “Salvage is our vintage show, and last year had such a great turn out that this year we’re doing it in the spring and the fall,” Petterson said. Being at the market is a great way to get exposure and talk directly to shoppers. Every crafter gets a link from the I.C.E. site to his or her own site, which provides added exposure,” Petterson said. Swag bags give crafters an additional opportunity to provide between 100-500 pieces of promotional material like business cards, sale flyers or coupons. The past two years I.C.E. put on a popup shop during the holiday season, inside Criminal Records just in the back of their store. “That’s a different setup for us because we’re selling the stuff on behalf of the artist, which is nice because we can work with artists all over the country,” Petterson said. In 2014 I.C.E. expects to open an online store that will be open all the time, but in an attempt to get their feet wet, the founders will host a series of popup shops starting in March, where items will be available online for three weeks.
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May’s online popup shop will showcase art prints from the many illustrators and artists that ended up working with I.C.E. over the years. By October, the popup shop will spotlight craft-making supplies and will hopefully get people excited about the gift-giving season. So what does it take to be accepted into a show? The application process isn’t as easy as it may seem, and as the competition has increased, acceptance into I.C.E. has become steadily more rigorous, especially in the holiday market, where many crafters are turned away. “We ask crafters to describe their craft, but the most important thing is the photos, Petterson said.” “Ninety percent of the decision is made on the photos. We’re looking for things that are aesthetically interesting.” Petterson provides sound business advice that crafters as well as all entrepreneurs can take seriously:
“Photos are so important no matter what your business is,” Petterson said. “You want people to be really excited about your product; it costs more money when you’re first starting out, but it’s really crucial to invest the money in those photos.”
March 2013
One thing a great photo will capture is that the 3 tips to make money in a crafting career products are well-made items. Quality is really important for acceptance into the craft shows, and Peterson and her partner know customers can tell when someMake connections: thing is made well. As a grassroots organization, I.C.E. has worked with relationship building. They’ve done shows all over the country and always took the time to network with those in the same field. They always look for people and organizations in Atlanta to work and partner with. “We like to work with other small organizations on cross-promotion,” Petterson said
A business plan? Dedicated budget?
“We live in an amazing age of Internet social media.” When she was younger, even in high school, Petterson admits to having felt shy and nervous of possible rejection when seeking potential buyers of her crafts. Now, the daunting anxiety of rejection is lessened when trying to connect with buyers via email or social media. The possibilities are broader with a great online presence – it’s a free tool, use it.
Invest money:
One area where the founders fell short in beginning their business was in planning and organization.
“Recognizing what you should invest money in and what you can do yourself is really important.” “We had no plan at all,” Petterson said. “We made Petterson and her partner have hired a graphic designer some stupid mistakes the first time, and it’s always because while she could do it herself it “would take twice a learning opportunity, where we learn from our as much time and be half as beautiful.” It’s more important mistakes rather than getting frustrated and quitting. to spend time working on what one can do well rather than Planning hasn’t always been our strong suit, but we’re trying to do it all. always full of ideas.” Realizing when way too much effort doesn’t pay off with success is an important aspect guiding the events that are continued and when.
Build relationships:
In addition to online, always keep an eye out for other crafters and organizations where you can help and support Continually adding new ideas and thinking up new shows and ways to promote independent crafters and each other along the way. Petterson feels that even when entrepreneurs propels the Indie Craft Experience. The she and her partner are working “a crazy number of hours,” having others to talk to who understand the business helps next show, Salvage, takes place April 13 so apply at keep them going in ways friends may not understand (if ice-atlanta.com. they aren’t crafters).
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Poetry feature - Chansonette Buck By Vistor Schwartzman
S
ome poems are so in your face with their message, you wish they would back off. But some poems you wish would come closer— they seem intimate but provide no explaining detail. Political rant or vague reflection? Advocacy poetry or literary poetry? Does the poem bring itself to you, or do you have to bring yourself to the poem? Chansonette Buck spent her childhood ‘on the road’ as stepdaughter of a Black Mountain poet, living all over the American West, in England and in Spain. (Her writing is available in various publications; her second poetry chapbook, “desire lines,” was published by Crisis Chronicles Press.) Her personal background informs the poem “back then.” Do you think it was a delirious treat, growing up with famous poets? Have you ever eaten with a poet? back then i hated peter orlovsky for touching me in the back seat of the station wagon on the way from santa fe to taos as we passed camel rock for the second time i drowsed between his body and the body of my brother allen and my parents as usual in the front it was a simple touch, sweet on the shoulder the kind of kindly touch one gives a child who is tired and cranky almost pity really the child on the verge of sleep, helpless against the motor’s hum, falling asleep in a rage.
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The opening line grabs and immediately involves the reader. At first, with the ‘touching’ mention, you think Orlovsky is being creepy. But no, he is being friendly. Orlovsky is best known as Allen Ginsberg’s lover. Ginsberg sits in front, with the narrator’s parents. This car is a class society: The ‘important’ people are up front. (Ginsberg is very famous for one part of one poem. Few people have read anything of his other than Howl, and fewer still have read more than Howl’s first section.) The patronizing, insensitive class society in the car is not the point, nor is it that Ginsberg is the most unread read poet in America. The point is that the five year old, dragged all over the map, is “falling asleep in a rage.” Attempts to comfort her provoke the opposite response. Orlovsky is showing “almost pity really,” but what this kid really needs is a childhood. This poem is easy to understand. “back then” is straightforward, reflecting the poet’s history and is styled identically to the other poems in blood oranges, Chansonette Buck’s first poetry chapbook. All poems in this review are taken from blood oranges, published by NightBallet Press ($7; 123 Glendale Court, Elyria, Ohio 44035; nightballetpress@gmail.com; nightballetpress.blogspot.com.) The chap feels good. Publisher Diane Borsenik assembles the chaps herself.
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Buck does not like capitals. She does like short lines and crisp words. You can feel her weighing each word, placing it on the page just so, occasionally creating an emphasis by using a few blank spaces. The cover photo is a close-up of desolate gravel on which lay a pair of sunglasses and a drink container (possibly containing blood orange juice.) Blood oranges are not a happy-go-lucky fruit. They are not yellow sunshine baubles of the orchard, sweet to look at as well as to eat. Blood oranges are mutations that don’t look like a “normal” orange on the outside. Inside, they are a creepy red, and often taste often bitter, not sweet. Yes, blood oranges are deliberately misleading. Do not trust a blood orange. If there is one fruit which should be kept from children, this is it. Yet Buck named her first poetry chap after this devious produce, but she only wrote one poem about blood oranges: blood oranges left the dishes in the sink the water turned grey left the blood oranges on the counter stained the counter red left the coffee in the pot burned the coffee dry left the ruins of the day ruins crumbled into dream left the dream, dream subsided into now left now to the blood oranges
Things do not appear to be going well at home. Dirty dishes in the sink, blood oranges staining the counter, coffee burned, the day itself awful. Like the kitchen, the narrator’s life is a mess. Once life was lovely, but those dreams crumbled and have now shrunk into blood oranges, which stain the counter, supposedly sweet oranges which are bitter and look like bloody death. This poem creates atmosphere. You know it is about something, but what? You’re asking the wrong question. What is important is the creation of a moment, a feeling, reflecting a person’s life. Part of what makes poetry different is that a poem can go for the moment while explaining nothing. A poem can be about feeling regret for something never revealed or explained. Buck quite possibly named her whole chap after blood oranges because many poems reflect the whole bitter/ sweet blood orange deception—a life which should be sweet is bitter. Critics like to fit art into slots, it makes it easier to write about them. Buck’s poetry fits into no slot. “Literary Poetry” is pretty much what it sounds like— poems concentrating on lovely language, not harsh reality. It is unfair to say such poems are academic exercises, and this reviewer feels bad already, but beautiful/ haunting/heartwarming words and images feel pointless without content. Buck shares with literary poetry the use of spare language. Does she share its frequent lack of meaningful content? No. Just because there are no details does not mean there is no content. There is plenty of content, but it isn’t for sissies. It is a different type of content, and you have to ask the right questions. You must bring yourself to this type of poem. occluded memory I what you first thought empty water is a swarm of fish: first a ripple, then a flicker of fin,
One hour has gone by, forever for the person on the ledge, but a short time for the narrator. However, the person on the ledge apparently (SPOILER) would have waited forever for the narrator, whereas the narrator is almost impatient (jump!).
a long body, a swarm… up from the black depths, to feed among the rocks in the sunlight in the shallows at the pond’s edge. II the speculum opens on a rancid tampon jammed against your cervix, oh! you think, so that’s where that smell came from.
First the unexpected flow of wildlife in water, then the wildlife in you, which turns out to be blocked by a rotting tampon whose smell you’re in denial about. Time for a shower. Why occluded memory? Occluded means ‘blocked’ and it’s gotta count for something that this poem features a stuck tampon. There are a lotta fish flowing outside, inside’s been non-flowing for a long time. And there’s been a rancid smell, but you’ve ignored it. Symbolically or allegorically, the fish rushing to the surface could be a blocked memory/experience being unfreed. Or, maybe it’s about creativity being blocked by a bad memory/experience. Or what if the womb is associated with opposites: growth (the fish) and repression (the tampon.) The tart “so that’s/where that smell/came from” is playful and pointed, very much in-your-face, which, since it involves a smelly tampon, is problematic; an offhand remark. The tampon is blockage. Now that it is gone, it does not look as if the memory will be less occluded. Those last lines say it all about the narrator’s attitude. Since we’re pushing things to the brink, why not stand on that edge. In parapet the narrator speaks to someone standing on a ledge (or herself ). Emptiness and concrete (or something else bad) are below. Back to the sky, the person faces the stone (building) (pedestal) (sacrificial alter).
Is jumping involved? There is a ledge, but the jumping could be physical or metaphysical. Interpretations are open. Perhaps this isn’t someone standing on a ledge waiting to jump at all. Perhaps it is about lovers breaking up. One stands outside the apartment door, ready to jump, to leap away, the other inside, watching. Perhaps the person outside wondered if she was truly loved. Perhaps insecurities drove them apart, in which case, the final response is ironic. OR this poem could be about something else. Can you bring yourself to this poem? parapet you stand on a parapet lean against the stone your back to the sky ask: how much older are you now? as if centuries as if lifetimes one hour i say just one… how long would you have waited? forever you say forever
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March 2013
Interview with the World World of Artof Art Showcase Showcase visionary, and COOCOOof Jerry’s Artarama, David Goldstein
By Ellen Eldridge Instead of asking for background for our readers, since most of our readers are independent artists trying to make a successful career out their passion for creating, What is your “elevator pitch” for The World of Art Showcase in Las Vegas? Art is the mirror of humanity and this show puts forth a massive display of the finest works of contemporary artists. It's aim is to make stars of fine artists and to connect with the viewer about the power of art. What makes great art and what makes a great artist? What makes a “professional” artist in your mind? A great artist is a free thinker. With all the homogenizing of society, with all the rules set upon us and the patterned programming of government and big business, free thinking itself is an art. Great art communicates to either your left or right side of your brain. It is translatable to the viewer and has the ability to transform or renew vision and belief.
Art by Lauri Blank What do you see as the biggest problem truly talented artists have with reaching a fan base that can and will pay them for their art? A comatose society that can't distinguish reality from illusion. What is needed is a new way of thinking, a New Renaissance to awaken what is innately part of the human genome. The World Of Art Showcase is just a small part of this awakening process. I am sure that given the opportunity to see really good art in mass scale will enlighten. So we need big events like WOAS in fine art to wake up society and notice their hunger to feed their soul. What advice do you have for an independent artist, one not aided by a publicist or publisher, to brand him or herself? Be as outrageous as you can no matter what your style and to get people to notice you. To believe in yourself and not look value monetary success as success. Getting people to hear or view your art is success. Carry business cards and give them out liberally. Film YouTube pieces. Show up at big events that 15
the media attends and do your art. Spread the word that the arts are clearly the only thing that separates us as human beings from the rest of the planet. Spread the word that being an artist is not necessarily paintings, drawing, music, dance, film, prose, poetry and theater but the passion of life itself which can extend to all aspects of one's life. Do you think nonartists can appreciate art? Do people need to appreciate art for an artist to be successful? As previously stated there are no non-artists. Just those that are comatose. How else can you explain the fact that we allowed in New York City 32oz soft drinks to be banned. To allow ourselves to be scanned at airports so some government worker can see us nude and that we allow spending on billion dollar planes and tanks that are out of date while people starve or remain homeless. Aside from the artists included in the World of Art Showcasee, who are some of your favorite independent artists, and do you appreciate any musicians or poets because of their connection to fine art? This would be unfair as I would leave out too many artists. It is infinite. Just go on the Internet and you can find thousands of talented artists. John Lennon was an artist too. I'll leave it at that.
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What do you think about the idea that some individuals can become so personally attached to their work that they don’t want to sell it cheap if at all; should artists price art according to what it means to them or should they think more in strategic economic terms? I believe originals should always be priced relevant to the time and quality of the piece. That being said it would be a good idea to do girclee prints hand embellished or not to offer to the public at a good price their images. Originals can be set at any price and the market will buy them or not. Prints can keep you fed. I don't think any artist should ever give their art away. In fact it is the selling of art too cheaply that reduces it value in the minds of society. www.worldofartshowcase.com/
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Interview with Carmine Appice: between the recording, the touring and the charities, Carmine Appice found a moment to tell us the secrets of becoming a one-man dynamo in the music business. an Interview by David Feltman You may not have heard the name “Carmine Appice” before, but chances are you’ve heard his work. For nearly half a century the award winning musician, producer, author, teacher and philanthropist has released countless records with over 20 bands and side-projects. He’s worked with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne Pink Floyd Ted Nugent, Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck to name a few. To put it simply, Carmine Appice is one of the most accomplished and influential drummers still walking. At 66 years old, Appice’s incessant output puts the young’uns to shame. Appice has a vast assortment of peers and friends to fuel his all-star projects like Cactus, King Kobra and Guitar Zeus. And yet, between the recording, the touring and the charities, Appice found a moment to tell us the secrets of becoming a one-man dynamo in the music business. I’ve read that you were the first rock musician to organize instructional clinics, is that true? What motivated you to start doing clinics? Yes, that is true. It was Ludwig Drum Company that kept hounding me to do it. When I was in Vanilla Fudge they kept asking me to do clinics and I never did. I was like a pop star in Vanilla Fudge. But then when I was in 18
Cactus, I started thinking about it. I wrote a book titled “Realistic Rock” which became a big hit and the reason why I wrote the book is because I had seen some books in the music store, that were supposedly rock drum books, but the authors had nothing to do with playing rock drums. Once I wrote it, the drum company said now that you have a book, you should be able to go out and do clinics and sell the book so I did one at Sam Ash in Rhode Island and I liked it. We had 250 people there. Then Ludwig started booking me and I was their main modern clinician because no one else did it. I found out later, was the first rock player to do it.
March 2013
Between Little Kids Rock, the drum clinics and even SLAMM, you seem to spend a lot of time aiding younger and less experienced musicians. How has that sort of mentorship benefitted you? With SLAMM, it was good to see new people in the business – the excitement of seeing them going through the motions of making and playing big stages. It was always something that was exciting to see young people get involved in the music business. One of our SLAMM members, Veronica, ended up playing with Jeff Beck on some shows. With that kind of thing, it makes me feel good to help someone get into the business
You’ve amassed an incredible pool of associates in your 40-year career. But have you ever found it difficult to find talented musicians for your projects?
With Little Kids Rock, it’s a whole different thing – it’s an actual charity. It’s more like helping kids in the school. It’s not about them making it in the business – it’s about them playing an instrument, watching them begin to play and getting into music. It’s a good feeling to me to do that. Glancing at your discography, it doesn’t look like you ever slow down. How do you maintain such a high output? I don’t know, I guess I’m just from Brooklyn (laughs). I got a lot of energy. Probably because I love what I do and I have a passion for music, for drumming and for anything with music, and when you have a passion for it you just love to do what your doing and you keep pushing forward. You’ve worked in other well-known musician’s bands like Jeff Beck, Ozzy Osborne and Rod Stewart, but for the most part you generate your own projects. Do you prefer to be your own boss? Actually, I would love to play with these other people. I heard one time from Ted Nugent’s manager the reason why I wasn’t playing with Ted anymore is that I am not a side man anymore; I am more like a leader like Ted. They told my manager one time that Carmine has his own record deal, his own publicist, his own records - he’s like a leader, not a sideman. So I think I brought it upon myself to have to do that because you build your name up to a certain point, and artists who are like solo artists say they don’t want Carmine in my band because I am more like a leader than a sideman. So that’s what I think happened. I would rather be in a big band lead by someone else because to tell you the truth, I’m tired of being the leader (laughs).
Not really. I never really had a problem finding people to play my music. Even the Guitar Zeus project went a lot easier than I thought it would go. I had a lot of great names offering to play. If I called someone up and asked them to do it, they were interested and did it. A couple people didn’t do it I wanted, but as a whole though, I had a really good output of people. All the other solo projects like with Pat Travers, we always wanted to play together. Me and Rick Derringer wanted to play together so I never really had a problem where I had to sit around and wonder who was going to play with me. Considering all of the amazing people you’ve worked with over the years, what was it about Kelly Keeling that inspired you to do the tribute album? I only did one song. I did that song for Sandy Serge. She called me and said we want to do a song that you wrote with Kelly and Tony [Franklin] “Perfect Day” for this Kelly Keeling tribute album and would you be interested in doing it. So once we figured out what we were going to call the band, we went into the studio and Sandy had an arrangement with the singer Anthony Z’sler, as far as the arrangement of the song, and put the bass on it. Then they sent it to me and I put the drums on it. That’s pretty much how it went down. I was a co-writer with Kelly on the song. When I worked with Kelly on my Guitar Zeus records, he was a brilliant songwriter, great singer, great talent – guitar player, bass player, keyboard player. The guy’s really a talented guy and I loved him like a brother. We wrote some great songs together. We wrote about 25 songs together for that Guitar Zeus project. Perfect Day was really the only one that ended up on the tribute album. You were classically trained, how important do you think formal education is to a musician? It depends on what the musician wants to do. If he wants to cut shows on Broadway or anything like that, they have to get classically trained, to learn how to read music and read shows. If you are trying just to be in a rock band, you don’t have to be classically trained. A lot of people that made it are not classically trained. 19
Today, there are a lot of different avenues you can go. It’s always better to have lessons. Classically trained in my case is taking lessons for 4 years. When I grew up, I was in all these school orchestras and bands. I never really played in a professional orchestra, but I did have that experience of doing that in junior high and high school. When I joined Vanilla Fudge, I used that experience in the drum parts I wrote for VF. My drums were considered more like a percussion section in an orchestra than a drumset. Depends on what they’re doing. Some great drummers aren’t great readers. Buddy Rich doesn’t read. Gene Krupa didn’t read, but all the other guys like Billy Cobham and Tony Williams, all the drumming greats that are around, most of them read. Reading is good for, if nothing else, to improve yourself. If a new book comes out, you can grab it and go through it. If you don’t know you how to read, you can’t improve yourself.
What advice would you give to a musician trying to build a career in the music business? I really don’t know what advice to give them except to get a good band together and push all together to try to make it. To make it today, I don’t know how the bands do that. All I know is a band comes out and all of sudden, their playing Madison Square Garden with no radio airplay or television exposure, and somehow they are selling out Madison Square Garden. I really don’t know how they do that. To make a living in the music business, get lessons. If you are a drummer, try to learn to play something else so you can write songs, maybe write tv commercials. Just set your goals and go for it. You have to be prepared enough in your playing, in your chops, to be able to go for your goal. If you want to be a session guy, you have to learn to read. If you want to play on Broadway, you have to learn to read.
In this business is it important to be selective about what projects you take on or is it better to keep an open mind and tackle as much as you can? I always do projects that have a career benefit. If Joe Shmoe called me up and asked me to do 3 songs for $5000, I probably wouldn’t do it. But if Pink Floyd called me up and asked me to do a track for $1000, I would do it. The Pink Floyd one would be more of a career move. I might on occasion do a project for a friend of mine for a reduced rate. If you look at my discography, most of my projects are pretty big name people or my own bands like King Kobra or Vanilla Fudge or Cactus or DBA. I played with Edgar Winter. I never did a recording with him, but I played with him. That was a good career move and whenever I played with him I got billing. It was always Edgar Winter featuring Carmine Appice. If you look at the length of my career and the discography, it comes out to be really one or two albums a year which really isn’t a lot versus somebody like Gregg Bissonette who is a session guy who did 45 albums in a year. I do albums for career moves.
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March 2013
Puscifer - Donkey Punch the Night Iceage - You’re Nothing Review by David Feltman
Review by Rose Riot
Ever the vessel for Maynard James Keenan’s rampaging musical id, Puscifer entertains any and all of the man’s musical fancies. While maybe not consistent with the expectations of Tool and A Perfect Circle fans, Puscifer always offers an intriguing glance inside Keenan’s head.
Denmark lads Iceage play the type of music that transcends time. If I were to listen to them for the first time, knowing nothing about them, I would be hard pressed to figure out in what year or even decade they recorded their second album, You’re Nothing.
Donkey Punch the Night is an all-new collection of fascinating whims and impulses. Opening with a spot on (excepting a few vocal variations) cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” this EP proves to be a menagerie of the beautifully bizarre and unexpected. To accompany the Queen classic, Keenan adds a moody cover of “Balls to the Wall.” Imagine The Cure covering Accept. If you cant, don’t worry, Keenan did it for you and then added a second minimalist techno version that sounds like a Kraftwerk deep cut.
Iceage is punk. Not the kind of post, post punk that became popular sometime in the mid-nineties when “punk” started getting played on mainstream radio. They are punk like bands that preceded them by 40 years. As I listened to their latest album, I could hear influences of Black Flag on the song “Ecstasy.”
Original tracks “Breathe” and “Dear Brother” each come paired with their own remixes and are typical Keenan fare for those familiar with his more synth-rock, Robert Smith-loving side. The electronic aggression of “Breathe” borders on trip hop, with mantras like “The body has needs,” repeated until it becomes another layer of bee-like drone and buzz. It’s remix doubles down on the aggressive buzz, turning those bees into angry robo-hornets. “Dear Brother” sounds a little closer to an APC track and its remix gives the song a Reznor-like face-lift. This EP doesn’t feel like an album and never pretends to be. Donkey Punch the Night is simply an assortment of free-floating ideas to tide over fans. If you’re feeling a little hungry for Keenan-related work, this strange and savory side dish just might sate your appetite.
“Morals” felt like a Velvet Underground song, and “Wounded Hearts” could have easily been recorded by Lords of the New Church and “It Might Hit First” is GBH all the way. Let us not forget, true punk music was forged from American blues and rock and roll; these influences are obvious on You’re Nothing. Throughout the album you will hear broken down bass chords that are used to prepare you for the parts of the songs that hit you over the head with angst. The drums sound tribal, while the guitar is fuzzy and the vocals are desperate. Never having been, I can only imagine what the punk shows of Max’s Kansas City or CBCG’s heyday were like, but I imagine what I witnessed at Iceage’s show last year would be very similar. The crowd literally became part of the show as Iceage proved that quality, youth and angst-driven music lives on and is appreciated.
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Phinehas - The Bridge Between
Deftones - Koi No Yokan
Review by David Feltman
Review by Danielle Boise
Christian technical metal might be a fairly obscure genre, but Phinehas is aiming to change that. The band takes its name from a zealous high priest who was known for running a spear through a man and woman mid-coitus to stop their inter-racial “mingling.” While maybe not the best example of God’s love, the guy does sound a little metal. The mustachioed quartet leans heavily on the thrash. The charging rhythms rely more on the pinched squeals and shredding speed of guitarist Jason Combs than the typical blast beats. In fact, blast beats are nearly non-existent. Lee Humerian’s drumming is far more technical, demonstrat ing a penchant for changing time signatures on a dime. Songs slow, stutter and suddenly speed ahead like a teenager learning to drive a stick shift. That’s not meant as a slight. The songs are cohesive and intricately composed. Singer Sean McCulloch combines clean with cookie monster vocals and in that aspect the band sounds like typical metalcore. But what the band is actually playing under the vocals is far more nuanced and technical than bands like Underoath and The Devil Wears Prada. The Christian aspects of the songs do go largely unnoticed until the acoustic tracks start to kick in. It’s around this time you might begin to notice that this isn’t an album in the true sense but a collection of b-sides. Every song from “A Pattern in Pain” forward drops any metal pretense in favor of acoustic ballads. The tracks, unfortunately, lose much of their technical virtuosity and transform into fairly typical, fairly bland praise music. The band has real talent that is better served at 100 mph balls-out metal, but they lose their charge when they unplug. But that’s the nature of these collections. They are often times a grab bag of songs and, well, they can’t all be winners. 22
Koi No Yokan allows listeners to get physically entrenched in the music, while allowing their minds to roam free. The 11-track album has a multi-dimensional sound with lofty, ambiguous lyrics – the feel of being strikingly open and very relatable, yet distant and slightly out of reach. Each song on Koi No Yokan is very much its own creation – separate and alone, yet with a striking ability to flow nicely into the next song. The album starts off hard and fast with “Swerve City,” and it continues to build from there, pulling listeners along for the ride. Chino Moreno’s evocative voice draws fans into the darkness with songs “Tempest” and the haunting “Rosemary.” The use of 7 and 8 string guitars really provides the driving force for Koi No Yokan. Something dark and sad exists within the track “Entombed,” but the song feels remarkably uplifting as well; using the swell of Moreno’s tenor against the vibrant guitars strings, creates not only an enriching sound but one that is dynamically carried throughout the entire album. The alchemy of the Deftones is they don’t stay confounded to just one box. Rather, they allow the music to go where it must, experimenting with genres while adding woven musical components to complete their sound. The bravery in bits of alternativemetal combined with a hint of dream pop and rounded out with art-rock alone speaks to the artistry that is the Deftones. The Deftones will be making their stop in Atlanta at the Tabernacle on March 17. For more information on the Deftones, visit www.deftones.com.
March 2013
“Burning the Middle Ground” reviewed by G.L. Giles The review paperback of “Burning the Middle Ground” arrived in attentiongrabbing and truly unique packaging with faux blood splattered across the front and a note taped to the front reading: “Only one more blood sacrifice, and you, too, can join… THE AMERICAN VALUES FEDERATION.” Great marketing and the interior didn’t disappoint either! Hard to believe that “Burning the Middle Ground” is just the debut novel of author L. Andrew Cooper. This dark fantasy novel is set in a small town in Georgia (USA), and though the storyline is engrossing with gore aplenty, it’s really the characters, who are anything but cardboard, who will keep you wanting to turn the pages. Empathy will come easy for Brian McCullough who comes home one day to find that his ten-year-old sister has murdered their parents. Yet, it may be difficult to find any love in your heart for the fundamentalist Christian group known as The American Values Federation
who would burn more than just ‘the middle ground’ if they had their druthers. Many readers will probably easily side with the ‘rebellious’ Jeanne Harper, who though still strictly Christian, is more into the love part of the biblical teachings, rather than the fire and brimstone dogma. So, it’s no surprise that she squares off with the Reverend Michael Cox who runs Kenning, Georgia’s First Church in favor of her more enlightened New Church. One of Michael Cox’s biggest faults is that he’s rather prone to selfaggrandizement, besides not exactly practicing what he preaches. If hypocrisy can be considered the theme in a sense, then the thesis of perhaps public personas versus inner realities spread throughout this read make it that much more interesting. In fact, it’s demonstrated well in characters like the miserable Sara Cox, wife of Michael Cox, who sums up her having to keep up appearances as a preacher’s wife with how she really feels in, “Look, Mike, if this is another sermon about the long suffering of my Biblical namesake, I tell you, I’ve had it. I’m not going to pray to a God that did this to me. I’ll keep up appearances–go to church, bake cookies, do all the preacher’s wife things–but when we’re alone in our bedroom, I’m not going to pretend…” (P. 124). Although this read may not be for all, as it’s clearly set in the Christian paradigm, I’d highly recommend it for hardcore horror fans, who have an aversion for all things maudlin—and, its well-drawn characters, action and suspense will be the gory icing on the bloody cake!
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Radiolucent's Mike Cowan UPCOMING SHOWS: March 15: Marietta 120 Tavern and Music Hall March 16: Smyrna Atkins Park Tavern March 30: Athens The Georgia Theatre
Who is Radiolucent?
Photo: Page Allen White
April 10: Jacksonville Burro Bar
Radiolucent is a five-piece band but a large extended family. (Insert the players (and cohutta) here), but RL is also a dedicated, loving, hard- April 11: Macon core family of fans, stalkers, friends and cohorts. We rarely have a show where The Hummingbird Stage and just the 5 of us travel to some bar. There are usually one or two (or more) of Taproom these die hard family members who will do any number of things to get to a Lucent show aboard the ‘Scursion. April 13: Atlanta Smith’s Olde Bar
What is Radiolucent?
Photo: Page Allen White
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April 26: Tifton Radiolucent is a movement. It repreThe Gin sents a growing class of people who are tired of cookie cutter, auto-tuned, Nashville polished “Southern” music - most of which has no idea that you can’t eat April 27: Valdosta Bluewater biscuits with collard greens, those call for cornbread Our roots are real therefore our music is real. We do not attempt to emulate anyone. We simply June 27: Isle of Palms The Windjammer gather around Mike Mann’s lyrics and pull whatever we can out of our hearts - in an attempt to honestly pay homage to who we are now and where we came www.radiolucentmusic.com from. We write about love and pain and fun and partying and home and
March 2013
Radiolucent
Photo: Page Allen White
heartache and church and parents and family. We use our rich, southern musical heritage that comes anywhere from the four wall churches of our youth to the greasy dive bars of Athens, Statesboro, Valdosta, and Columbus - to create a sound that is purely Georgia.
Whiskey Gentry will bring the house down with their foot stompin, fiddle ripping NewGrassy Rock n Roll. We consider both of these bands as close as family and will do anything we can with this show to boost their presence in the Athens music scene.
What can we expect from your show at the theatre with Leogun?
As for the Lucent, we will bring honesty, blood, and pure country, corn pone Southern American Rock n Roll back to the Ga theater once again. I’m not ashamed to be a part of one of the best things to happen to Southern Rock in a generation.
The Leogun/Whiskey Gentry show on March 30 will be epic. Leogun is on fire and they have done to British Rock what we strive to do with Southern American Rock. They have given it a rebirth, paying tribute to sounds like the Who, Zeppelin, etc while remaining honest and true to who they are what kind of music they love to play. They will melt faces, and have sexy accents.
Give a message to your fans, the lucent family... I love ya’ll. You humble me with your undying dedication to this music. We strive at every show and every practice to make ya’ll proud. Photo: Page Allen White
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