Target Audience Magazine March2014

Table of Contents The Best Bathroom Book Ever.................................................................................... 5

Letter from the Editor

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Editorial Board Ellen Eldridge Russell Eldridge

Editor in Chief Operations

Victor Schwartzman

Poetry Editor

Michael Bradley

Design Editor

Danielle Boise Leah Bishop

Music Editor Copy Editor

reating anything is a job, and we all know that when you love your job and you feel passionately about it, your job is more of a passion. However, as entrepreneurs in the arts, we often find outselves tasked with taking the D.I.Y attitude more deeply into our business than we’d like. My own perspective with Target Audience Magazine has led me to fully realize the difficulty in being both a struggling artist as well as one who takes pride in doing it on my own. At a certain point, for quality to exist, one cannot do everything on one’s own.

So, I’ve take a few months off designing the monthly issues to develop a plan to offer services for makers who want to make the most of their business. I believe that for a band to make the best pitch to a publicist, professional photos and a press kit are crucial. A writer releasing a self-published work should invest in the work of an illustrator or designer to create the best cover. We can cultivate a community where we help each other succeed. Target Audience Magazine will start offering services from a media strategy perspective.

Social Media for Artist Promotion............................................................................ 8 How I Got Into THAT Band: Van Halen.....................................................................10 Advice on Independent Publishing and Marketing............................................. 12 What Should Musicians Blog About........................................................................14 CD Reviews.....................................................................................................................16

On the Cover: Karen Briggs at Suite Food Lounge.............................................18

Live review: Revolver’s Hottest Chicks In Rock Tour..............................................19 Live review: Amon Amarth, Enslaved, Skeletonwitch.........................................20 Country music sweetheart speaks from the heart of ‘Music City”....................21 “Wild Girl Waltz” Review and Interview with Mark Lewis..................................23

Included in the services we offer will be marketing analysis and strategy. So, read the magazine as a resource. If you decide you need help with one aspect of your art, let our community help. We’ll call you in return. ii

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FEATURE

The Best Bathroom Book Ever A Girl Goes Into The Woods, Lyn Lifshin

by Victor Schwartzmann, Poetry Editor

A Girl Goes into the Woods (NYQ Books, www.nyqbooks. org) is the best bathroom poetry book ever. Buy it and, when ready, take it into the bathroom. You will be surprised.

There is nothing new to write about Lyn Lifshin, the “Queen of the Literary Magazines.” She has over one hundred books published--and counting, has edited anthologies and taught. She is blonde, thin and long into ballet, despite periodic injuries. When it comes to writing poetry she is beyond active.

She has been around, well, a long time. Over many decades she continued to write, get published and maintain her reputation. That is some trick. Most writers consider themselves fortunate to get a single book published.

So Lifshin is a rare bird. But why the bathroom stuff? Is it an ill-conceived compliment or no compliment at all?

Why is A Girl Goes into the Woods perfect bathroom poetry? In case you run out of paper?

Hardly! [Disclaimer: due to eyesight problems, reading print for this reviewer has difficulties. Most of his reading is on the internet, where he can blow up the type size. Over the past few years, your Poetry Editor discovered he did much of his print reading in the washroom. He began putting books there, experimenting. In the end, he realized he did some of his finest reading of poetry in the washroom. This review is the result of his knowledge.]

Her poems feature short lines and no rhymes. They are quick reads, but although simple at first rapidly grow complex as you think about them. There is also amazing variety: the poems in this large collection include family history, sexuality, the bombing of Hiroshima, high heeled boots, tragedy, men and women lusting, the Holocaust.

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A lot of ground is covered. Suitable for every possible mood (380 pages.)

Most poems are not great washroom reads. They are too long, pretentious, have nothing worth saying or are selfinvolved. Yes, okay, it’s important there are plenty of poems out there, something for everyone, and it’s all good. But you are not everyone. You do not want to read something in the washroom that is annoying. You do not want to end up wishing you had never gone into the washroom to begin with. The poems must be special.

To continue to define our terms, the poem should be short enough to allow you to read it at least twice. It must also give you something to think about after you read it (reading only takes a minute or two.) This last part is the most important—what you do after reading the poem. If you are in any other place, you go on to something else. In the washroom, you have the time to read it again.

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The poem must be direct on the surface but convoluted underneath. The writing should reach out to the reader and pose previously unconsidered questions. The whole process should set you up for leaving the washroom relieved yet thoughtful, looking at life around you, at familiar things perhaps, differently.

You could even have some kind of realization. Some of those realizations come through reading:

BARBIE HUNTS THRU MEDICAL BOOKS LOOKING FOR WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER WHEN SHE SEES HER BIRTH DATE IN A BOOK, KNOWS SHE IS OVER 50 and feels so hollow inside, unfulfilled, as if all she’s done is change her clothes She wonders about the women’s movement, maybe she frowns it’s the change and she hasn’t even had a baby, had a period, a hair that was not in place. perfection that can be shelved, one yank and I’d be bald, naked.

She flips thru chapters on neurosis, wonders If it’s hormones she lacks. Where she’s been, hardly seems to matter: the beach, Sun Valley, Spain.

It’s all façade, going thru the motions. What did a wedding get me she groans I never was freemoving, as they said in 1975 but empty, full of holes—something just for someone else

The selected poems in this collection are divided into sections. “Black Velvet Girl” is “autobiographical,” for example. “I Don’t Know What Your Eyes Have Done To Me” has poems on “relationships.” “In The Darkness Of Night” has “war” poems.

NOT QUITE SPRING

The following Lifshin poem is a perfect example of what this column has been about, and a fitting end, and after

Baby, you know I get high

which nothing needs to be written:

on you, come back with me whispering in her ear. it was all she could do to say no, spring leaves budding, his hand on her breast, crocus smell and everything unfolding. he gasping I want, I would but instead hurrying back to the windowless room where she locks the heavy door. lemons are rotting on her pillow, she studies her nipples, nyloned crotch in the mirror then hugs her huge body to sleep

WHO HELD THE CAMERA SO STEADILY AND WHY? Photographs at the Holocaust Museum: In black and white a naked girl, maybe six, gripped by the neck in the hands of a woman with huge biceps.

A mentally disturbed girl shortly before her murder.

Near the dangling girl is a photo in summer— trees are fully leafed,

What a terrific little tale of yearning. A “huge” woman.

A man comes onto her. She denies herself, perhaps for good reason, but perhaps not many men show interest.

What do we know about this guy? Sounds as if he is feeding her a line so he can sleep with her (does “sleep with” someone make sense? don’t you want to be awake?) A lothario perhaps, but she really wants him or perhaps the attention. Sometimes a creep has his uses.

dark smoke pours out of one building.

Down the hall a young woman with glasses takes aim at a man kneeling in front of a pit of bodies:

But she is a strong woman who decides to pull herself away, only to “hug her huge body to sleep.” Not a happy end at all. The more you think about it, the more harrowing the poem becomes. It may not be healthy to read it more than three times in one sitting.

the pistol points at the neck so no shattered bone will fly his way

to collect or abuse

The life of a woman, and objectification, and of men using women, runs through Lifshin’s poetry.

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FEATURE

Social Media for Artist Promotion

by Jack Varnell

In thinking about writing this post, I wondered if doing promotion or social media for an artist, writer or musician was truly different than it might be for any other entity looking to spread its gospel.

The truth is that it is. And it isn’t.

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here are universal truths, always in flux, that guide the world of social media. Stats, analytics, page views, downloads and user data. There are techniques, methodologies and constantly changing adaptations to newer technologies. These necessary evils do a lot to suck our time and creativity. If you are like me, the risk is always there of being led down a side road of information, seeking information on the web. After hours pass, you realize you haven’t written one word, bothered to open Photoshop or compose a single measure of your next song—your work lives on in your head.

Unless we have sponsors, commissions, record or book deals--or a silver spoon level inheritance, we have to work promoting as well as spend time creating. Dreamy-eyed passion is great until the landlord knocks on the door. I live in a hybrid world. I write for a living and manage social media for clients, so I spend an inordinate amount of time switching from a creative to career mindset while never leaving either. The sad reality is my creative endeavors tend to get shafted in the process. That said, how are we to balance the requirements to feed our muse, while meeting the demands necessary to actively build platform, or an audience with the fervor the digital age requires?

“When things get tough, this is what you should do: Make good art.”

– Neil Gaiman

Image Credit: “Technicolor Promotion” by Jack Varnell – The Emotional Orphan

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The most important concept here is one of sharing. In my business and in my artistic endeavors, relationships are developed through mutual admiration and respect. If you are on social media, you should be talking proportionately more about the work that inspires you, the books that mark you, or the bands that read your soul better, than

you should self-promoting. I’m a big proponent of selfpromotion, but if all I ever see is buy this, watch that, look how great I am today, the chances are I become immune to your talents. Steff Metal said in her piece “Going Local: 5 Ways to Market Your Art in Your Community,” for my friend Drew at The Skinny Artist : “Hold Local Exhibits” (readings, concerts) “Network with the Local Arts Community,” “Schmooze with the Press,” (backstage passes for Target Audience Magazine for example) and to “Team Up with a Local Charity.”These are all valid and well-proven methods, and they translate well into the digital neighborhood as well.

Here’s how: Find your niche community online and participate. Give and take. Give and receive feedback and encouragement. Many artistic communities online have competitions, exhibits, calls for submissions and the likes to encourage engagement. Share other artists work, and call attention to the other things in your life that are important to you and those in your community. Help spread the message for others and the things they care about. I can assure you that in doing so, you will amplify your own message and art infinitely.

As a person who does social media management, and who both personally and in support of my art, has followed specific methodologies that seem to work, allow me to share a bit of what I might tell a client. There is, after all, a science to what works and what doesn’t whether it is artistic, or business related. One of the things I personally have struggled with is promoting my art in environments full of other starving artists who aren’t inclined, nor have the resources to actually pay for my art. The communities are great for sharing and learning. No so much for actually selling the work. I am learning to use an old school set of principles, loosely based on the work of Peter F. Drucker management that brings the client, customer, or the audience to the forefront. It looks a little like this, again, as presented by The Skinny Artist:

Who is your ideal customer?

Are they local, regional, or world-wide?

How exactly is your artistic product or service going to improve their life?

What are their alternatives to hiring or purchasing from you?

What do you think may be the best of connecting directly with this customer?

How can you set yourself apart from your competition?

What can you do today to build your online “brand” awareness with this customer?

By mastering this process, or allocating resources to have a professional work with you in formulating and executing this plan you can devote your time and energy to actually creating your art, and collaborating with your artistic community to grow in your craft, not social media, promotion or marketing which so easily can take you away from where your passions lie.

Jack Varnell is a social media enthusiast, visual artist, contemporary prose poet, and writer living in the suburbs of Atlanta, Ga. Most artistic endeavors can be found under the pseudonym “The Emotional Orphan” Find out more at vizify. com/jack-varnell . To contact him about social media contract projects please tweet @jackvarnell or through the contact page at emotionalorphan.net

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hide his mind-blowing technique and how their singer,

FEATURE How I Got Into THAT Band: Van Halen A Story About AM Radio, Unique Marketing and Volume

by Michael Bradley

I

grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the ‘70s, and during that time I shared a bedroom with my older brother.

Between our beds sat our clockradio which was tuned to our favorite radio station at the time, a local station called 13Q. The unique thing about 13Q was that it was an AM station, not FM. Traditionally, AM stations broadcast news and talk radio, but 13Q was essentially a Top 40 radio station with an FM / rock radio format, which was revolutionary for its time. DJs had their own personalized shows and they would play the songs that they wanted to play. I was exposed to all of the popular artists of the day which included Elton John, Stevie Wonder, The Steve Miller Band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and my two favorite groups at the time: Kiss and Grand Funk (Railroad). On one particular night, 13Q played Grand Funk’s cover of the 1962 Little Eva hit song “The Loco-Motion” twenty-five times in a row because listeners kept calling in to request it.

Van Halen did “rock band” the way that I thought a rock band should be done. The music, the stage show, the personalities - it was absolute perfection.

13Q employed many revolutionary tactics to increase listenership. The station would randomly telephone 10

listeners, and if you answered your phone with “I listen to the new sound of 13Q” instead of “Hello,” you would win a cash prize. They also ran a Bingo game, handing out small cards with a grid of songs on it and if you heard the right five songs in a row then by golly, you were a winner! My favorite of all though was something called a “13Q Card.” The card was a trifold brochure that had a photo of one of the DJs on the front, and it included song lyrics, top album and singles lists and lots of funky cartoons around the edges. My brother and I would hound our parents to stop at the local G.C. Murphy’s department store every Sunday so we could run inside to grab some copies, which were kept on the counter in the record section of the store.

Dave Roth (the “Lee” had yet to be added) would do splits off of the drum riser. I can remember walking up the stairs at school one day and a bunch of the stoner kids were trying to replicate Roth’s split-legged jump from six or so steps - not too successfully I might add.

With my interest peaked, I again turned to the radio to find WDVE, a station with a harder-edged playlist and within weeks I completely fell in love with Van Halen’s “Dance The Night Away.”

The band’s second album had just been released and ”Dance The Night Away” was their first Top 20 hit. That song began my life-long, well, obsession with this band. I bought and listened to all of their albums, I drew the Van Halen logo all over my school books, made custom-mix tapes of my favorite songs, wall-papered my school locker with pictures from Creem and Hit Parader magazines and constantly discussed with my friends the more weighty topics of the day, such as: “which do you like more: Eddie’s jump suit from Women And Children First or the “elf pants” and striped sox from the Fair Warning Tour?”

In 1982 I finally got the chance to see Van Halen live at The Civic Arena in Pittsburgh during their Diver Down tour. To this day, and after hundreds of shows and concerts, I honestly believe it was the loudest concert that I ever attended. I will even go as far as attributing the slight ringing that I currently have in my ears to that night. It was loud, it was memorable and oh-my-freaking God was it magnificent.

Van Halen did “rock band” the way that I thought a rock band should be done. The music, the stage show, the personalities - it was absolute perfection.

Without the help of local radio, I still probably would have found Van Halen, but in my 10-year old mind, 13Q represented another world, and I escaped as often as I could. The fun, unique marketing ideas that they brought to the masses and the broad range of music that they played help fuel my hunger for music. What’s the 13Q for the impressionable, music-hungry 10 year-olds of today? Internet radio? Pandora? Spotify? I guess time will tell.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to do a little “Dancin’...”

Check out Jeff Roteman’s 13Q Tribute page.

In or around 1978, after several years of listening to 13Q, the station changed formats and I moved over to 94 FM WPEZ to listen to what I considered to be more “rock” and less “pop.” It was during that time that there was a lot of “buzz” going around at my school about this great new band from Los Angeles. I had heard all types of outrageous stories about how their hot-shot guitar player performed with his back to the audience to 11

I’ll admit, I was a snob initially. But here she was with a contract and book deal and I was fumbling around trying make my writing good enough for a ‘real’ publisher.

Eventually she told me I should attend digicon, an free online writers conference being hosted by Savvy Authors.

FEATURE Indie Publishing and Marketing

by Amy McCorkle

The two most dreaded words in the small press/independent author’s language: self-marketing

and

self-promotion.

Though for some people these come naturally, others struggle mightily with these tasks.

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othing is harder than being an indie filmmaker.

NOTHING—except maybe running your own small press. I’m convinced of it. As an indie filmmaker I had to write my own scripts (I’ll cop to having a partner in crime, Melissa Goodman, God bless her she is the yin to my yang), find funding in a town with two intersections, (asking someone to read your script in Mount Washington, KY and asking for money in a down economy is not easy), is no walk in the park. Then finding actors and actresses the caliber that you want. But if you dig hard enough and long enough you will find them.

With a background in independent film there was virtually no one to light the way when I came up. There were breakthroughs like Pulp Fiction and Slacker and Before Sunrise. An entire movement was born grandfathered by the likes of the great John Sayles. All of these films inspired me. But the director who inspires me most is Kevin Smith.

Having broken through with Clerks and followed up with award winning Chasing Amy. He’s written books. He’s done speaking tours. He’s helped his friends and gone to the mat for them and then some. Now that’s Indie at its best.

It’s amazing what you will hear come out of an auditioner’s mouth. One actress told us once she realized she couldn’t get by on her looks in the Navy she opted to become an 12

actress. Another one, who after he got the job, told us he was so nervous he drank a beer like John Goodman did before his audition for Rosanne. This guy had talent and raw charisma and charm. But we would learn, you shouldn’t always befriend your actors.

Then there are the amazeballs of talent you stumble upon that you just consider yourself to be working with. Like Vicki Jones, Paul Reynolds, James Tackett, Stacey Gillespie, and Jennifer Boeringer. These actors may not have been given the best of conditions to work under or the benefit of a final dvd of their film but they all had a work ethic Hollywood would be proud of. And in the end your actors only work as hard as you do.

So when I was burnt out a bit from the directing and the producing I realized, after 3 short films that never saw the light of day and good money thrown into film festival entries never to be chosen to be screened, that biggest joy I got from the whole experience was the writing portion.

In 2006 I turned my eye back to a world I’d been struggling through into since I was 18 years old. The publishing world. In the time I had focused on film and screenwriting, a curious thing was happening. A revolution of sorts.

Small presses had started going epublisher and POD, print on demand.

And I’ll admit I got caught up in some of the scams, Publish America anyone? But as with anything indie publishing is about relationships. And mine started very simply with one person. And I met her when she auditioned for a role in one of those short films. She ended up being our cinematographer on Too Far From Texas. Her name is Pamela Turner, and she’s a brilliant author in her own right. She mentioned she was published with a small press (an epublisher) Lyrical Press, which more recently merged with Kensington to become their digital first imprint. (Lucky her, she’s now NY author). And to open my closed mind to it.

At this point I had written a short novel, and had submitted it Lyrical only to get an R & R (revise and resubmit). I was actively building my brand via Twitter, FB, a blog, and a website. I had friended the likes of Julie Butcher and Christine Bell on twitter. Julie at the time had the time and kindly read Another Way to Die. She told me to comb through the manuscript keep make notes on what I wanted to keep then write it all over from the beginning.

So I did. It landed me offers from 4 different small presses.

I chose to go with MuseItUp Publishing.

As I edited, I regularly posted to Creative Chatter, a now defunct award winning blog.

It built twitter followers up. And my Facebook friends up.

Then Pamela offered me a second bite of wisdom. She was going to be a guest Fandom Fest on their literary panel and gave me the director’s name, Stephen Zimmer.

He got me on 4 panels. There I met Bertena Varney who showed me the ropes of doing a Con. And I also met the then owner of Hydra Publication, Frank Hall. I did a signing at his store That Book Place which led to me becoming a Hydra Author with my first print book Bounty Hunter.

I went to Fandom Fest this past summer. There Melissa and I were finalist with a screenplay adaptation of my bestselling book Bounty Hunter. We eventually won and while we were there we saw Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes in person, met Adrian Paul of Highlander, and made a valuable contact in the Ghost Hunter’s Grant Wilson.

Which led to me being asked by Delilah K. Stephans to be the Marketing Director for the home of my 8 book series Bella Morte. I also met GL Giles through the Fandom Fest Literary Track which led me to TAM for my books being reviewed. Which led to articles for TAM. Which led to me approaching Ellen Eldridge for a spot in their marketing and promotion section not just for myself, but for ALL Hekate authors as well.

Promotion and marketing is about building relationships to further your book or backlist’s success. It’s about employing every resource at your command to further your career. None of this would have happened had it not been for the morning Pamela Turner, author of Deathsword, Family Tradition, and several short stories included in Rayne Hall’s anthologies, walked into the auditions for You’re the Reason. A project that never got off the ground. At least not yet.

I also met Dave Mattingly of Blackwyrm Publishing there, they would eventually become home to my Gemini Rising Trilogy and my co-written effort with Melissa Goodman, When Doves Cry.

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FEATURE

What Should Musicians Blog About?

by Sara Crawford

It’s important to connect with your fans

Engage With Your Readers

and followers, and keeping a blog is a great

Don’t just share a bunch of content without responding to comments, engaging readers in conversations, asking questions, and giving your fans and followers a chance to speak back. If you are posting about your favorite hip hop albums, you might want to end the post with a question asking your readers what their favorite hip hop albums are.

Keep discussions going, and let your readers know that you care about what they have to say.

way to do that. Posting about your music and your events is a wonderful thing to do on your blog, but writing about other topics is an effective way to get more people involved with your blog. For example, if you are posting your take on the new Beck album, people who are looking for blogs about Beck are more likely to visit your

Photo credit: Flickr

website. This can be an excellent way to introduce your website (and therefore your music) to new people. So what else can you blog about aside from your music? Here are a few ideas and tips.

Blog about Music You Like What is it about music that speaks to you? What are the songs and albums that have made you who you are as a person? What artists have influenced you or your band’s music? These are all fantastic topics to explore. Chances are, your followers are all music lovers, and they will relate to stories about the songs that have touched you, inspired you, and made you who you are today. I know I am always interested in the music that has inspired the musicians I love.

Discuss your influences and connect with fans of other bands.

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you and your bandmates were on the road? Do you have some interesting musings on your city’s music scene? Do you have something totally unrelated to talk about? You want to be engaging, interesting, and sincere. Your readers and fans will appreciate and connect with these stories and anecdotes.

Post Interesting Videos on Your Blog Official music videos to your songs are awesome, but for most of us indie musicians, we don’t get to produce them very often. There are a lot of videos you can create less expensively and more frequently.

Videos of live performances and rehearsals are always interesting, and they aren’t very difficult to produce. Unique covers of popular songs will bring a number of viewers and readers to your blog. All of the acoustic covers I have posted have gotten a ton of traffic, and many people who watch my cover videos take an interest in my original music.

Share Funny and Interesting Stories about Your Life as a Musician Using a genuine voice and sharing remarkable personal stories is a great way to connect with your readers. Did something really funny happen when

It’s also nice if you can get your fans involved in your music, and a blog is an excellent way to do that. For example, post a blog that asks fans to give you some possible song titles and then pick the best one and write a new song using that title. Similarly, my singer/ songwriter friend, Juliana Finch, writes a new song every time she gets 100 more Facebook likes on her fan page. This makes people want to check out your website and see what you’re up to. Get creative with

Does your business provide services to artists?

the ways you connect with your fans and readers on your blog.

Link to Other Bands and Blogs about Music Is there a great article about indie music you recently read? Is there an awesome new alternative band that played before you at a gig last week? Share these things with your readers and link to their websites.

Your readers will appreciate being exposed to new music and other interesting posts, and the musicians or music blogs will appreciate being linked to. Maybe they will link to you in their next blog as well. Spread the link love around and support your fellow artists.

These are just a few suggestions for musicians who want to beef up their blogging skills. There are tons of other things you can do to make your blog more interesting and engaging. The most important thing to do is to use your unique voice in a genuine way and be creative about creating new content.

Sara Crawford is a musician and an author from Marietta, Georgia. She was voted Best Local Songwriter in 2010 in Creative Loafing’s Best of Atlanta issue, and she is the author of an upcoming young adult novel series, The Muses.

Visit SaraCrawford.net for more information.

Advertise with us here!

Ellen@targetaudiencemagaine.com

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CD REVIEWS

CD REVIEWS

Mastodon Live At Brixton

Indian From All Purity

Review by Alex Moore

Review by David Feltman

A

I

tlanta-based progressive metal quartet Mastodon have seen a meteoric rise within the last five or so years, with multiple Grammy Award nominations and two brilliant studio albums launching the group into the spotlight. As any fan of the metal behemoth can tell you, though, the real heart of Mastodon lies within the group’s stunning live performances, which balance masterful musicianship with raw, heavy power. The new digital-only audio/video release, Mastodon: Live at Brixton, documents the band’s performance in London, England last year at the height of their tour in support of 2011’s The Hunter.

Let’s get one thing out of the way immediately: Live at Brixton is infinitely more polished than Mastodon’s 2011 live release, Live at the Aragon. Traditionally, Mastodon have been associated with notoriously poor live vocals, but fans will be happy to know that the group’s abilities have increased substantially and are on full display, particularly on the two and three part harmonies in The Hunter selections. Even the two tracks from Crack the Skye sound better on Brixton than the Skye-centric Live at the Aragon. Improvements over Brixton’s predecessor aren’t confined to vocals, however. The mastering in general is impeccable. The cracks from Brann Dailor’s drums on the introduction to the Blood Mountain track “Crystal Skull” have never sounded better, and you can hear the excitement in the crowd’s voices whenever a fan-favorite track is performed.

Where Brixton really stands out, however, is its track diversity. The album features multiple cuts from each of Mastodon’s five albums, and it’s nice to hear some deeper selections such as “Where Strides the Behemoth” and the dizzyingly psychedelic “Circle of Cysquatch.” While the

ndian is so abrasive that it’s cleansing, like scrubbing your inner ear with steel wool. The band may bill itself as “blackened doom,” but neither the doom nor black metal labels are a snug fit. Sure it captures the guttural harshness of black metal, but its gruelingly slothful drone makes it a closer cousin to the likes of High on Fire and Harvey Milk.

The effect is devastatingly heavy. This is music to hate to.

tour was, in fact, in support of The Hunter, Live at Brixton doesn’t feel bogged down by new material. In fact, out of the album’s 23 tracks, only nine come from The Hunter, so the record never feels overrepresented and offers some nice variety.

The ultimate question, then, becomes is Mastodon: Live at Brixton worth the digital purchase? Absolutely. The diversity in the setlist makes Brixton an excellent gateway record for those curious about the hype surrounding Mastodon, and longtime fans will no doubt love having live renditions of the Remission and Leviathan cuts. In addition, the record clocks in at just over an hour and a half, so fans are getting a lot for their money. Ultimately, Live at Brixton will satisfy even the most jaded fans, and easily warrants the $15 asking price.

Mastodon: Live at Brixton is available for purchase now at your digital retailer of choice.

From All Purity marks the Chicago natives fifth release and the tenure shows. Every painfully delayed beat and gut-grindingly detuned chord is well wielded. Slow is often more technically taxing than fast when it comes to extreme tempos, and Indian manages it expertly with Black Cobra levels of psychic synchronicity. Every growl, every fed back squeal falls perfectly in place.

The album is skillfully crafted, sporting a scant six songs.

But an average track time of seven minutes makes up for the short set list. The new release hits so hard and unfurls so gradually that it never feels skimpy. And just when you think Indian couldn’t get any more punishing, the band winds up so tightly with the discordant static and screams of “Clarify” that the opening melodic refrains of the closing track, “Disambiguation,” come across as a small mercy.

This, admittedly, isn’t an album approved for all metal fans. Indian falls far on the extreme side of the metal spectrum, but gloriously so. If you like shouts and chords so loud and lengthy that they devolve into nihilistic noise before the next note hits, then this is your band.

The Unsemble The Unsemble

Review by Daniel del Ben The Unsemble trio consists of the Jesus Lizard’s Duane Dennison on guitar and keyboards, Einsturzende Neubaten’s Alexander Hacke on bass and electronics, and Silver Jews’ Brian Kotzur on drums and keyboards.

Their self-titled debut seems a bit like a one-off project, but I guess we’ll have to wait to find out. This album was written and recorded over a two-week period. Not surprisingly, a lot of this album feels a little unfinished.

There are 15 tracks that clock in at just over half an hour, and it seems like some of the songs don’t develop as much as they could.

That’s not to say that the album is bad, though. There’s some really cool stuff on it. Since he’s spent a good deal of his career playing in bands with David Yow and Mike Patton, it is nice to see Dennison’s guitar get a large lot of focus. The guitar on this album is very classic Jesus Lizard or Tomahawk sounding, but also mixing in some experimental electronic and keyboard parts. I mentioned that a lot of this felt improved, although there are times that the tracks labeled as improvs are some of the mosr diverse and interesting tracks on the album.

Overall it’s a pretty solid album but in no ways a must have.

It’s got a cool ambient feel, and fans of these musicians should find it enjoyable. The Unsemble will be released by Ipecac Records on March 4, 2014.

You can find more about Indian on Facebook and on its official website.

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LIVE REVIEWS Karen Briggs Suite Food Lounge Photography by Bonnie Morét

LIVE REVIEWS Revolver’s Hottest Chicks In Rock Tour, featuring Sick Puppies, Lacuna Coil, Eyes Set To Kill and Cilver The Tabernacle Review by Jenna Hughes Photography by Ken Lackner

R

evolver’s Hottest Chicks in Rock Tour rolled through Atlanta on Friday, February 21 at The Masquerade.

The line-up featured the best of today’s hardcore scene, including Sick Puppies, Lacuna Coil, Eyes Set To Kill and Cilver.

Cilver, a rock quintet out of New York, took the stage first, riling up the crowd with their infectious energy. The hard hitting single “In My Head,” featuring Bumblefoot of Guns N’ Roses, was the highlight of the short but sweet set. The band’s debut EP In My Head recently dropped on February 20.

Eyes Set To Kill was up next as the crowd continued to grow and push closer to the stage. This female-driven post hardcore trio out of Phoenix, Arizona recently released its fifth studio album, 2013’s Masks, which is something of a revelation in the band’s career. Vocalist Alexia Rodriguez has said, “I felt like we were wearing a bunch of masks to impress people. We have gone through so many changes over the years, but it wasn’t about anybody else. It was about us and we’ve really found the band’s face at this point. We aren’t wearing masks anymore.” The album’s title track opened the band’s set, followed by “Killing In Your Name,” also from Masks. The rest of the set was primarily new material, with the exception of “Where I Want To Be,” from 2011’s White Lotus.

K

aren Briggs plays with a focused sound and a fast, continuous vibrato. There was a delicious variety in the instrument’s tones, all of them unfailingly

lovely, coupled with Karen’s understanding of style, and a her daringness in letting the moods be shaped by individual artistic rendering.

Follow Karen Briggs on Facebook

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The crowd was pumped and ready for Lacuna Coil as they hit the stage next, launching into “Trip the Darkness,” from 2012’s critically acclaimed Dark Adrenaline. Co-vocalists Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro worked the crowd effortlessly as they continued with “Kill the Light” and

“Intoxicated” from the same album. The band recently completed its seventh studio album, Broken Crown Halo, set to drop on April 1st. The band said of the new material, “We set the bar pretty high with Dark Adrenaline and it hasn’t been easy bringing our sound to the next level; but we have lived, learned and grown through a year full of personal issues and changes. We learned to be strong and get stronger. And we felt an inner vibe in this band that we haven’t felt before.” The new songs seem to return to Lacuna Coil’s roots; they’re raw and emotional while still bringing the hard hitting rock the band is known for. New song and current radio single “Die and Rise” features both vocalists playing off one another in a way only they can and “Nothing Stands In Our Way” has the potential to be one of the greatest rock songs of 2014.

Sick Puppies was the final act of the night, launching into “Die To Save You,” from 2013’s Connect. Front man Shim Moore was a nonstop energy, keeping the crowd on their feet and fist pumping through every song. “Cancer” and “Pitiful” from 2007’s Dressed Up As Life satisfied the band’s old school fans and new songs “There’s No Going Back” and current single “Gunfight” kept the set going. Bassist Emma Anzai, the band’s resident “hot chick,” is featured on vocals in many of the new songs and her vocal compatibility with Moore brings a new element to the live show, best done in the song “Walking Away.” The set also featured plenty of songs from 2009’s Tri-Polar (arguably the band’s best effort to date) such as “Riptide,” “Maybe” and “War.” Fan favorite and massive radio hit “You’re Going Down” closed out a great night of hard hitting rock at The Masquerade.

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LIVE REVIEWS Amon Amarth, Enslaved, Skeletonwitch Center Stage Review by Alex Moore Photography by Ann Bodan

The last few years have seen a dramatic increase of interest in the metal community. With more and more audiences flocking to shows, metal, it seems, has never been more popular. Each of the evening’s three acts: Amon Amarth, Enslaved and Skeletonwitch, has enjoyed an increase in popularity as of late, and for welldeserved reasons.

Though drastically different stylistically, openers Enslaved and Skeletonwitch each put on excellent performances.

After releasing Beyond the Permafrost (Prosthetic Records) seven years ago, Skeletonwitch has made a name for itself as one of metal’s most persistent groups.

The band maintains a seemingly never-ending touring schedule, with a string of solid records. The thrash/black metal combo effectively riled up the crowd, as everything from shoes to shirts were ejected from the rapidly expanding mosh pit.

After the chaos of Skeletonwitch’s set, an admittedly hungover Enslaved took the stage. The past few years have seen Enslaved gradually shift from a die-hard black metal band to a progressive band with black metal undertones, and judging by the latest offering, RIITIIR (Nuclear Blast Records), change is good. Enslaved’s traditionally existentialist lyrics and black metal drumming patterns combined with softer sections. Clean vocals made a 20

INTERVIEW surreal set that is truly worth witnessing. Though the performance was excellent, 45 minutes seemed entirely too short for a group like Enslaved, whose compositions typically last for a minimum of six or seven minutes.

Brynn Marie

Occasionally, a group will construct a set that is so wellbalanced and crafted that it becomes almost as impressive and memorable as the performance itself. Amon Amarth did precisely that. By the time Odin’s favorite sons finished their 17-song, 90-plus-minute set, the crowd was left awestruck by the Swedish quintet. In an era where a headlining performance typically lasts anywhere from 5070 minutes, other acts should take note: this is how you properly construct a headlining set and ensure your fans get their money’s worth. No song sounded out of place, and filler tunes simply weren’t present. Even the eightminute ballad “Warriors of the North” never dragged on in the slightest.

Brynn Marie decided that life, either out

Opening with new single “Father of the Wolf” (see the recently released 10-minute short film here), the performers erupted into a dizzying cyclone of hair during most of the set. With a thematic emphasis on camaraderie, pagan mythology and standing your ground until the bitter end, lyrical tales took new life as the audience raised fist and beer can alike, creating a triumphant tavern-like vibe throughout Center Stage. Fans of Amon Amarth’s latest series of records should rejoice, as 13 of the 17 tracks played came from the group’s latest three records; though since the material is regarded as the group’s strongest, it seems doubtful that even longtime fans will have qualms.

While the group was playful and interacted with the crowd frequently, it never once felt like pandering.

“It’s pretty motherfucking cold here,” frontman Johan Hegg quipped, with a smile on his face and his trusty war horn strapped to his side. “Not for us…we’re from Sweden! But for you guys.” Amon Amarth is a group that know its audience well, yet have the ability to keep newcomers interested. By the time the final chorus of “The Pursuit of Vikings” kicked in, even admitted novices were in on the fist-pounding fun. If Deceiver of the Gods (Metal Blade Records) is any indication of the future, Amon Amarth has a trajectory ahead of them that is as bright as their beloved Thor’s lightning hammer.

Interview by Danielle Boise Photography by Chuck Holloway

on the road or in the recording studio would be the life for her, which didn’t surprise her considering she grew up in a musical family. Brynn Marie took a little time out of her hectic schedule to talk with Target Audience Magazine about her musical aspirations, life on the road and what it means to be an independent artist in the mecca of country, Nashville or “Music City.”

What inspired you to enter the music industry?

My love for music and performing. I was raised in a musical family. I started playing the violin at a very young age and by the time I was 18, I was playing in a band all around my hometown. A few years later, with words of advice from my Gram, I decided to move to Nashville to pursue my dreams.

There is a bit of grit and no-nonsense in your music, like with “Just Like That,” the sass of “Bandaid on a Bullet Hole, while “Hung on the Line” (with Ford Thurston) has such a sexy, earthy quality to the song – it shows the diversity in your work. Can you in your own words describe the sound of your music and where you want to go with it?

I connect to songs and write songs that I can relate to first and foremost. I love incorporating the rock-ish grit of a guitar, but I do love the traditional country elements like a banjo, steel and fiddle in my music.

That truly defines me. It takes a piece of everything that I grew to love and turns it into my own.

How is it working in Nashville while being an independent artist?

It can be tough. There are many talented people that have moved to Nashville to reach for the same goals.

It’s great to be surrounded by all kinds of talented musicians, it pushes you harder, but you do need to stand out, be true to yourself and be original.

How is it being an independent artist and trying to get your music out to the masses? What have you found to be the platform that works best for you to connect with your fans and have your voice heard?

I think it’s somewhat easier to get your music out there as an independent artist. There are so many ways to do it, the only problem to that is everyone is doing the same thing. I’ve been lucky enough to tour a lot and travel. I feel like you can only go so far pushing your music online. It’s being on the road that 21

INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW my mind. I get so focused in on that song vocally and emotionally and it shows in my performance.

When will you head into studio to work on new material?

I’ve been writing a ton of new songs. I’ve been lucky enough to start writing with some of the great writers in Nashville. There have been a few songs I’ve been playing out live for over a year that hasn’t been recorded yet. I love testing new material on a crowd first, before I record it. I wanna make sure the fans connect with the music and lyric.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned so far?

Stay true to yourself and always work hard.

has helped me a ton. I’ve been able to travel all over the country and meet the fans, talk with the fans and play my music for them.

You’ve already have logged an impressive amount of live performances; how was it being on tour with the likes of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo?

What did you take away from that experience?

2013 really was a fun year. I traveled everywhere!

I think it was almost 90 shows, which is a lot for an independent artist. Touring with Pat & Neil was a learning experience that I will never forget. It was an education that you can’t buy. I mean I got to watch Pat & Neil do their thing every night from the side of the stage after my performance and I learned so much by just watching them connect with the fans through their live show. It taught me how fans become dedicated to an artist and how important it is for an artist to embrace that.

What do you foresee for 2014?

“Wild Girl Waltz” Review and Interview with Mark Lewis

By David Feltman

W

hile Hollywood scripts are, for better or worse, rewritten and touched up on average by six to seven different people, ambitious indie auteurs, like Mark Lewis, write, direct, produce and edit everything by themselves. Such low budget, single credit indie films trade the collaborative polish for freedom and a more singular vision. Lewis’ sophomore effort, “Wild Girl Waltz,” may lack the wild stunts and grand set pieces of one of“The Hangover”movies but, for a film shot in eight days on a $10,000 budget, Lewis manages to create an engaging and personal female centric counterpart to the typical Hollywood bromance.

The simplistic story is really more premise than plot: two friends (Christina Shipp and Samantha Steinmetz) down recreational pills to pass the afternoon and hijack a cranky boyfriend (Jason Sterns) to play designated dad

for their cross-town trip. Lewis wisely takes advantage of his surroundings, using petting zoos and community centers to imbue the film with local color.

“It was filmed in West Massachusetts,” says Lewis. “I’m not from the south, but I’ve grown up in what I call the ‘Yankee Redneck’ society. Small town life in the north is very similar to the south. There’s really only two differences: the accents [and] the headgear. Down south it’s the cowboy hat. Up north, it’s the baseball cap.”

“Wild Girl Waltz” feels like it could have been shot in any small rural town and its relaxed pace reinforces that impression. Indie stalwarts like Kevin Smith and Richard Linklater have popularized the dialogue driven, slice of life indie film and Lewis cribs from their playbooks.

A lot of touring and traveling. I wanna do more than last year. I’d love to get new music out to the fans this year as well. It’s an open road ahead and I’m excited for it.

http://www.brynnmarie.com “Bandaid On A Bullet Hole” - Official Video

What is your favorite song to sing live?

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M y favorite song to sing live is “I’m Sorry.” I get lost when I sing that song. It’s a moment in my show where it seems everything just goes away in

“Hung n The Line” - Official Video

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Nothing really ever happens in the action of the film, but the relationships between the three principal characters successfully pulls the weight of the movie, with pop culture minutia and shit shooting dialogue peppered in for laughs.

is refreshing even with its warts. Lewis’ ability to create something fun and entertaining with so few resources is admirable and makes him a filmmaker worth watching.

“I really think there’s a difference between a movie about women and a ‘chick flick,’” says Lewis. “I don’t think a guy Working on a micro budget and an ultra tight shooting would have to be dragged kicking and screaming to this window, Lewis makes the production look effortless movie.” despite all of the planning and work it required. It’s the sort of film that makes you want to pick up a camera too. Read more about “Wild Girl Waltz” and Mark Lewis at the official website.

“When you have such a low budget, you need to give yourself a lot of time to balance it out,” says Lewis. “I gave myself about five months to prep, schedule and cast.

Especially casting. Bad acting is the most damaging factor in most low budget films.”

“I didn’t have a chance to rehearse with the actors beforehand, [but] I had a solid script to start with. It turns out that the cast [was] great at improvising, so while we didn’t invent new scenes, they did take a lot of the rough edges off the dialogue.”

“I can’t believe I’m this desperate to hold onto my buzz.”

The film suffers from the expected drawbacks of small budget productions, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.

Lines are sometimes overwritten and delivered stiffly, but the scenes and the actors casted feel natural in the local setting. But for a film named “Wild Girl Waltz,” one that presents itself as a small town girl-power reimagining of the bromance genre, its biggest weakness lies in the strange, misogynistic currents that flow through Stern’s dialogue. Referring to the girls as “yammering hens” and “annoying skanks” may have been meant as playful but come across hateful. And after an altercation with a woman attempting to rob him, Stern editorializes, “Women are always squawking about wanting equality.

You’re never gonna get full equality until you can do two things: outlaw alimony and learn to take a punch without calling the cops.” It’s the sort of thing that pulls you out of an otherwise charming film.

With so many lackluster and generally soulless movies out there, a small homemade film like “Wild Girl Waltz”