POLARIZE
by Emily Kovacic
Issue #8 November 2017 1
Polarize Zine Issue #8 It’s that time of the year again when I reached a ‘photo depression.’ I haven’t shot a show in over two months. I wish I got approved for more shows or maybe I should’ve approached it differently. Alas, this is the last issue of 2017 and I have to say that I’ve accomplished a lot this year. This issue features A Day to Remember, a band that I’ve wanted to shoot since forever and it’s the only gallery in this issue. So that is defintely a way to go out this year! We’ve got some great interviews with females from the industry, something I will be continuing! I’m going to keep at it. Here’s to see what I’ll create for the next issue! Till then, enjoy this issue :)
-Emily Kovacic
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CONTENTS 9...Exclusive interview with Isis Queen of Barb Wire Dolls 15....Wage War 23....Moose Blood 29......A Day To Remember 37...Interview with singer/songwriter Caity Krone 41...Interview with Band Manager, Booking Agent, Music Blogger Meredith Vance
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CONTACT polarizezine@gmail.com or emilykovacicphotos@gmail.com
CONNECT Instagram: @polarizezine or @emilykovacic Twitter: @emilykovacic
THANK YOU TO... Isis Queen, Denise Santoro, Maria Ferrero, Caity Krone, Meredith Vance, Will Barrett, the bands featured, and to all the readers.
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Exclusive interview with Isis Queen of Barb Wire Dolls
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- How has being on Vans Warped Tour 2017 affected your band? It was a really great experience for us since we have played now over 900 headlining shows in 25 countries and have never done a tour support slot for anyone. Since a lot of the shows we play are venues for 21+, we have not had the chance to play for our under age fans. Warped Tour gave us that opportunity and it was extremely beneficial! Our younger fans wept and screamed! It felt like we were The Beatles! -Would you want to go back to the 1980s and play then in that scene or in today’s scene?The future is much more exciting than the past. -How would you describe your music?Like Lemmy Kilmister said “We play Rock N Roll”. Our influences are first wave of 70’s punk like the Clash , The Slits, The Ramones, New York Dolls and a lot of the punk /grunge that came out in the last 80’s like Bikini Kill, Nirvana, Sonic Youth and The Pixies. Of course Motorhead too! -How did you feel about being personally signed by Lemmy Kilmister to the MotörheadMusic record label?Totally honored! Lemmy is the standard for Rock N Roll and since he chose us to be on his label after years of searching for a band, it is the highest honor we could have received for our music. He told us to be true to our music. Our new album that is out now on Motörhead Music is dedicated to him. He had told us “No apologies and stick to your guns”
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-I think it’s great to be bringing other bands into the states that wouldn’t have had the opportunity otherwise. Is that something that you’d like to continue doing for support for your tours?We’ve always done our best to support other bands. We started out as a DIY band and toured Europe and the U.S relentlessly. We have opened up for a handful of big name bands but the rest of the shows have all been our own. And it’s a demanding position! So we like to treat people the way that we would like to be treated, by helping out other bands and help give them whatever opportunities we can. With unity there is power, with power there is change and with change there is freedom! -What challenges have you faced as a woman in the music industry?The same challenges you face in everyday life. But a lot of that is changing and has changed in the music business. The percentage of women that are picking up a musical instrument has tripled in only a few years and every year it grows! Once we break the chains of what is expected from us then we we truly can overcome gender. Lemmy really supported females in rock and he helped a lot of other female artists along the way. -What would you say to young girls who want to work in the industry?Forget it. Don’t work in the industry... Let the industry come to you! Be true in your craft and strong in your opinions and the world will beg you for advice and your involvement. -How do you think we can change sexism in the music industry?Don’t compromise your art. Sometimes we give in to other people’s opinions of who we are suppose to be. Instead create the blueprint of how you see yourself and how you wish to be treated and then treat other people that way. -Where do you see yourself in five years?Accomplishing my goal for world domination. -Any last comments?You’ve got the fight burning inside of you. You have the power and that’s the truth. See you at a show. 13
WAGE WAR
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MOOSE BLOOD
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A DAY TO REMEMBER
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Interview with singer/songwriter Caity Krone
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-Why do you do what you do? What inspired it?I’ve always really loved to sing. My mom has always loved artists like Fleetwood Mac and James Taylor, and when I think I started really digging into their archives, I knew I wanted to be that kind of artist. I started writing my own music when I was fifteen after hearing Ed Sheeran’s + record. Seeing someone sort of have a modern and unique take on classic songwriters inspired me to do the same. . The way I feel when I listen to Dreams and Silver Springs is what keeps me pursuing music. If I can write a song that makes someone feel the way I feel when I listen to those songs, or write a song that makes me feel that way, that’s my definition of success. -What artists influenced you?...Artists like Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jackson Browne, etc. I love the way they write, I love their unabashed honesty. I resonate with a lot of what Stevie writes about, which I think is what draws people to their favorite artists a lot of the time. I really just love the music so much. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to Rumours all the way through without crying at least once. Same when I listen to the song Silver Springs. I try and channel Stevie’s her fearlessness, kindness, and witchiness in everything I do. I think of her when I need to push myself to be fearless and when I want to give up. The way I feel when I listen to Dreams and Silver Springs is what keeps me pursuing music. When I’m talking to myself while performing, writing, singing a lot of the time it’s me saying to myself, what would Stevie do to make this better? -How would you describe your music?Like driving up Laurel Canyon on a Sunday Morning on riding on the highway on a Friday night. -What challenges have you faced as a woman in the music industry?I think, especially in Los Angeles, you’ve got people who’ve built careers solely off of Instagram, aesthetic, physical appearance, what have you. A lot of the pop landscape these days feels like it’s more about aesthetic and branding than it is about artistry. You’ve got a million singers with nice clothes, but very few people who are artists at their core. But that inauthenticity resonates I think. A male with a good face who can sort of carry a tune will get 200,000 followers and a record deal before you see a real female genius getting the recognition they deserve. People don’t want to take you seriously, they
want to push you around and place value on you based on your looks, followers, or based on how much you are like the top females in the industry. Everyone will tell you that you need to look a certain way, or write a 1 4 5 chord progression, or your chorus needs to be in this register, your verse length needs to be this or that, this lyric doesn’t translate. -What would you say to young girls who want to work in the industry?I think the most valuable thing you can do as a woman is to be yourself fearlessly and unabashedly. Show up constantly, be persistent, and never let anyone stop you from creating. Be honest and authentic in your work and trust yourself. Go with your gut on everything. I also read a great piece of advice the other day, from Issa Rae I think. She said to focus on networking with people at the same level as you, focus on creating and meeting people who have the same hunger and drive you do, rather than trying to get meetings with people eight steps ahead of you. No one meeting will make or break your career. Don’t wait on anyone else to make things happen for you, you have to put in the work yourself. -How do you think we can change sexism in the music industry? Christ, I have no idea. Our industry is male dominated. Like, where are all the female producers? I think the only thing to do is to keep creating and hustling. Show up every time and speak out when somethings not right. -What music are you listening to right now?Phoebe Bridgers, ELO, Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris, Fleetwood Mac (always), and Elton John. -Where do you see yourself in five years?Hopefully with a Grammy. Dream big no?
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Interview with Meredith Vance Band Manager, Booking Agent, Music Blogger 41
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started seriously aspiring to work in music toward the end of my sophomore year of college,several months following seeing my favorite band on tour. I wasn’t sure in what capacity or how to get my foot in the door, but I had this crazy motivation to work with bands and be around authentic artists. I started doing a lot of research about different labels, PR companies, touring agencies, etc and contacted a lot of people, most never replied to me. Then one small,independent label called Misra hired me as a promotions and marketing Intern and it kind of rolled on from there. Following that, I interned at another label called Communicating Vessels one summer, interned at radio stations, and a production/promotion company. I aimed to have a diverse background of experience, to not just get a well-rounded insight into the industry, but also to figure out what I was really interested in. Then before the start of my senior year of college, I started a music website called Sounding Board and starting managing/booking bands under the agency name Best Pal, so I do the blog and Best Pal now. 43
-What challenges have you faced as a woman in the music industry?As of now, I haven’t faced any real issues within the industry. Everyone I have worked with in whatever space, have seen how passionate I am about what I do and how hard I work. I think no matter what you are trying to do, it’s about proving yourself capable and being confident in your abilities. On the other hand though, I’ve heard and read stories about women in music dealing with men underestimating them, not thinking a woman in a band can set up their own gear, is a band mates girlfriend or even if they know a woman is in the lead singer, they bypass them to speak with the male band members. I think it’s ridiculous that kind of perspective still exists. That stuff should be talked about and called out. -What would you say to young girls who want to work in the industry?I would say to try a bit of everything and see what you like best! If you are interested in playing a instrument, start taking lessons or start playing with other kids. If you like writing, try writing some songs and see where that takes you. Go for every opportunity that you think is cool and where you can really learn something. It’s just about finding what you’re passionate about and going after it. I’ve found that it’s about having that drive to not only seek out opportunities, but to create your own. It’s about being persistent, passionate and working hard. It’s not an easy industry to get into, but I think if you figure out what you really want, just go after it and don’t give up. -How do you think we can change sexism in the music industry?I think it’s about having those discussions and confronting those situations, so everyone can learn from those experiences. Also, though it’s about supporting and providing more opportunities for women in the industry. There should be more festivals giving headlining spots to female-fronted bands and female artists because there are so many great ones out there, along with shining a light on those producers, managers, etc through press, podcasts, things like that.Your gender doesn’t define your ability and I think it’s important to champion women and provide a platform and to contribute to provide opportunities. -Why do you do what you do? What inspired it?I think what keeps my determination going is..seeing how music connects and impacts people, cause I don’t think there are that many things can do what a great song or record can. I do what I do because nothing else really compares as cliché as that sounds. When I find an authentic,
original artist or band, I want to do everything I can to help them or shine a light on their work. There are so many great bands that I know of or have worked with that I feel people should know about like The Vernes from Philadelphia, Wieuca from Athens, OHMME from Chicago, Slow Caves from Denver, a singer-songwriter from Philly named Belle-Skinner, the alt-pop band from Portland called Wild Ones, or Faye Webster from Atlanta-just to name a few. I get a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment from helping great artists get another step closer to achieving what their goal is and It’s important to me to build relationships with the people I work with. That having them know that I’ll always be there for them and that their goals, aren’t just theirs, that it’s a shared mission. Helping authentic artists, who are making substantial music that stands out, that challenges you, that makes you think, is why I do what I do. The chance to share music like that with others and seeing it impact people is why I aim to work in music.
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