NOVEMBER 2011 Volume 2, Issue 15
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mindblowology
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The CUlt
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Bombadil
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Unknown Hinson
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Editor-in-Chief: James Johnson
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Ethan Hanson
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adam walls
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Das Racist
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What You Should Listen to
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Game review: Dead Island
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Book Review the leftovers
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Feed on film
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The Lobby
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music schedule
Bombadil 12
Unknown Hinson
16 22
Ethan Hanson
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adam walls
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Das Racist
Mindblowology
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Our Gayest Issue Yet
aleigh’s News & Observer was founded in 1865 by one Josephus Daniels. Daniels, was more than an entrepreneur with a big vision, he was a world class douchebag and an embarrassment to all who have worked with the now dignified and award winning daily. For Daniels, you see, was an unapologetic bigot, who not only led campaigns against black America, but was partly responsible for the death of 100 African Americans during the infamous Wilmington Race Riots. The lesson here being that when the smoke has settled and progress has been made in the fight for civil rights or more specifically the issue of Amendment One, I think it is important that we remember that the only commitment longer lasting and more sacred than that between man and woman, is that between paper and ink. For those who haven’t been following this story, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage as well as civil unions was passed on Sept. 12, by the NC House of Representatives, and then by the NC Senate one day later. The amendment is expected to appear on the May 8, 2012 primary ballot. If approved by a majority of voters, the constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage/civil unions will come into effect. Married people get benefits (not the least of which is being able to poop with the bathroom door open). To deny persons benefits based on 6 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
something that can not be helped is unfair. But then there are those who say that marriage is a religious issue and if the church is against gay marriage, then the government should legislate the church’s preference - the problem is, the church is technically against a lot of things that people have the freedom to do. Shouldn’t the church be able to legally ban the sale of shellfish? What about pork? Of course, that is only one interpretation of the Old Testament and it wouldn’t be fair for our government to value one interpretation over another. Part of having religious freedom is allowing others to interpret their religion the way they see fit. It isn’t our government’s job to choose the correct interpretation of a specific religious text over another. Our state government has essentially asked us to attach our names forever to a piece of paper that will solidify our feelings on religious freedom in our state. On May 8, our entire state will have the opportunity to commit ink to paper. Once we have made that final commitment, we will be committing to more than simply denying human rights, we will be committing to a vision of ourselves, one that will forever paint the way our great grandchildren see us. We can only hope that in the eyes of history, we are seen more favorably than Josephus Daniels. - James Johnson, Editor-in-Chief
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It’s a curse I tell you, a curse upon our fair city. Or maybe a conspiracy? Isn’t it odd that in the same year that Campbell Terrace is turned into glorious housing that the artistic vision of two local directors is lost? It’s a plan by an underground mole man to turn the city from its artistic roots and make it into a glorious haven of traffic barrels and new medians. What can possibly be done to turn the tide of inner-city war into a splash-pad of love and justice? Where is the middle ground? It’s time we stop trying to occupy and begin a new protest called “objectify.” We will stop at nothing until all things lose their worth and become a rapidly dissolving hypocrisy. It is only the beginning of the demise of the end of what we have not yet started. Oh wait.......... What was the question again? - Rick Howard
choked up while we talked. And then I called Bo and THANK GOD he didn’t pick up. Then I went into the kitchen to get some coffee,. and as silly as it sounds, that’s when it really hit me. Lynn and I used to drink coffee together. I say it, and I laugh at myself, because I have to and because, well... It just sounds so silly. Saying that makes me imagine a disconsolate girl who has just been broken up with and doesn’t want to do anything because she and her ex used to do that together. But that’s how I feel. I would stay at the Pryer residence as a sort of home away from home away from home. I had just been talking to someone about my life as an AV denizen, a professional couch surfer, and how when I think of home I don’t really think of Cape Fear, I think of the flat desert. When I think of family, I do think of my parents, but I also think of the Thorps and the Pryers. They feed me, the give me a room. We are connected. I always wake up before the kids when I stay at a household. At Bo’s house I would walk down the stairs and find Lynn there, sitting at the table in a robe or in his underwear, and I’d pour a cup and we’d just bullshit about music and the state of the industry and he’d butter me up by telling me how talented The Great Tortilla Heist is and we’d talk about marketing and how to be successful these days. And we’d drink coffee. So I wept today while I tried to have a morning cup. (Warning: The above text is pure fiction.) - Christian Henson
I reacted kind of the same way as I reacted when my uncle died. I didn’t believe it, I thought it wasn’t real. I thought that maybe I had misunderstood what was said. But it’s real. It happened. I was fine, at first. I thought I would just be one of those monotonous consoling friends, amicably wellwishing. So I called Jake and I started to get
Wow. We said “melodramatic,” not “incomprehensible.” Thanks for adding the disclaimer Christian, as I am sure Bo (who is a female, by the way) and Lynn would have been very confused without that stipulation. Rick, A.D.D. is a real illness and you should seek help. - FEED
Each month we at the FEED like to take your emails, Facebook messages and angry ransom notes and answer them as best we can. We, however, will not do your history exam for you, so please stop sending us your homework. By Staff Reports
Begin Scene
8 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
THE CULT We comb the cultural wasteland for the latest in crap that isn’t important in the least.
By Staff Reports
Read ‘Em ‘n’ Weep
Monster Mash Just when we thought the weather up North couldn’t get any worse, we hear that it is apparently raining zombies in Toronto, Canada. More specifically, on the set of the upcoming film, Resident Evil: Retribution. The franchise, which was originally based on the game franchise of the same name stars model / actress Milla Jovovich as a uh... lady who kills zombies. 16 of those said zombies were almost done in by the ultimate monster killer, gravity, when the undead horde of extras reportedly fell 20 feet. Fortunately none of the injuries were lifethreatening, though everyone involved was rushed to the hospital just in case. Oddly enough, the hospital was said to have a lot of difficulty determining just how injured the victims were due to the costumes that they were still wearing. 16 zombies being examined at a hospital seems like a really wasted opportunity for an elaborate zombie invasion hoax. 10 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
Singer Amy Winehouse died at age 27 in a manner that was both tragic, but, not terribly surprising. The artist, who climbed to fame with her song “Rehab,” in which she sung about her disinterest in seeking help for her many problems, followed the script laid out for her life almost exactly. Now, it has been announced that Winehouse’s father Mitch, has reached a deal with HarperCollins to publish a memoir titled Amy, My Daughter. The book, which is set to be released in 2012, will detail the singer’s life from her father’s perspective. This is, of course, another predictable move, but even we cynics must appreciate that the proceeds from the book will be going to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which was set up “to support charitable activities in both the U.K. and abroad that provide help, support or care for young people, especially those who are in need by reason of ill health, disability, financial disadvantage or addiction.” Who saw that coming?
“I came back with some samples and told everyone it would great if we would all wear these vests. Oh man, did I get booed off the stage. Everybody hated the idea.” iTurtleneck The loss of Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs on Oct. 5, due to pancreatic cancer have left many loyal Apple users asking questions. What does this mean for the future of their beloved giant evil corporation? Who will bring the world innovative ideas? What was the source of Steve’s powers? Was it, perhaps, his turtleneck? Probably not - but in the newly released authorized Steve Jobs autobiography, simply titled Steve Jobs, author Walter Iaacson attempts to shed some light on the way Jobs thought, even revealing the truth behind the CEO’s signature look in the below excerpt first published on Gawker.com. On a trip to Japan in the early 1980s, Jobs asked Sony’s chairman Akio Morita why everyone in the company’s factories wore uniforms. He told Jobs that after the war, no one had any clothes, and companies like Sony had to give their workers something to wear each day. Over the years, the uniforms developed their own signatures styles, especially at companies such as Sony, and it became a way of bonding workers to the company. “I decided that I wanted that type of bonding for Apple,” Jobs recalled. Sony, with its appreciation for style, had gotten the famous designer Issey Miyake to create its uniform. It was a jacket made of ripstop nylon with sleeves that could unzip to make it a vest. So Jobs called Issey Miyake and asked him to design a vest for Apple, Jobs recalled, “I came back with some samples and told everyone
it would great if we would all wear these vests. Oh man, did I get booed off the stage. Everybody hated the idea.” In the process, however, he became friends with Miyake and would visit him regularly. He also came to like the idea of having a uniform for himself, both because of its daily convenience (the rationale he claimed) and its ability to convey a signature style. “So I asked Issey to make me some of his black turtlenecks that I liked, and he made me like a hundred of them.” Jobs noticed my surprise when he told this story, so he showed them stacked up in the closet. “That’s what I wear,” he said. “I have enough to last for the rest of my life.” www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 11
Bombadil: Moving Forward
One of North Carolina’s most promising bands returns from the brink, stronger than ever. Story by James Johnson. Photos by Raul Rubiera Jr.
From left, James Phillips, Stuart Robinson, Daniel Michalak and Bryan Rahija get ready to race ... Naturally, Rahija’s basket gives him an unfair advantage. 12 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
T
here was a nervous tension in the air. It was a Saturday night and the 600-seat auditorium of Raleigh’s Fletcher Opera Hall was near full capacity. Though the four young men of Durham NC’s folk pop band Bombadil were no strangers to playing in front of large crowds, tonight was notably different, as it would mark the first time in two years that the foursome would be playing a proper show live. In late 2009, the band was blindsided by news that singer / bass player Daniel Michalak
was no longer capable of playing music due to what appeared to be severe nerve damage to his hands. Tonight was more than just another packed house, it was a final step in a two year healing process. It was a step forward. Bombadil began in early 2005, when Michalak and guitarist Bryan Rahija were both attending Duke University and studying abroad in Bolivia. Later, pianist and mutual friend Stuart Robinson would join the duo, along with Michalak’s brother John on drums.
www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 13
In 2007 John was replaced by James Phillips. The band’s upbeat tempos, clever lyrics and worldly sound proved a potent mix, that quickly attracted the attention of Dolphus Ramseur, owner of Ramseur Records. Ramseur was reportedly blown away by group’s song writing abilities after witnessing them open for fellow Ramseur artists The Avett Brothers, 14 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
in Chapel Hill. The band debuted with 2008’s A Buzz, A Buzz, before releasing their critically acclaimed sophomore album, Tarpits and Canyonlands in 2009. Tarpits saw the band challenging themselves like never before, with complex orchestral arrangements and themes that
touched on marriage, birth and death. “When I think about Tarpits and Canyonland, and this is just me talking... But, yeah. I felt like we were trying to do the impossible. Something that was big and grand. We just aimed for the impossible. That was like the whole philosophy at the time. We did these big monsters of songs, tackling big themes, you know?” said Rahija. “And I think you can only do that so long before you encounter some push back from the universe.” That “push back” came in the midst of a non-stop national tour, when Michalak began noticing an unexplained pain in his forearms and hands. At first, the effects weren’t as noticeable. He had some trouble lifting amps after their shows, then difficulty pumping gas, then playing his instrument, until finally he was having trouble just singing without physical pain. Finally, just before the release of Tarpits, while getting ready to perform a show in Orlando, FL, the inevitable truth came out. “We were about to eat soup just before the show and (Daniel) is like, ‘I don’t think I can do this. I can’t even lift my spoon.’” explained Rahija. “At that point we knew: we needed to stop.” Though Michalak has come a long way since then, he is still not entirely clear as to what had caused the damage, or whether or not he can expect it to flare up again. The decision to stop performing was one that was both frustrating to Michalak, as well as the entire band, who at the time were not certain how they would be able to promote their soon to be released album. “I had to rethink what music meant to me and had to decide that my health was more important,” admitted Michalak. “I had to come to terms with that and be ‘okay’ with never playing music again. It is hard. Nerve healing is so slow ... I look perfectly healthy. I look like a very normal person. I definitely had to imagine life being different, though I was so focused on the day-to-day that I don’t think I
ever got hung up on that.” Doctors, said Michalak, didn’t have many answers for him. He had even tried alternative healing, but the only thing that seemed to help was allowing himself time to heal. “It was difficult to watch. We are more than just college friends ... To see someone you care about like that … He can’t do what his one true dream is, and that sucks. That really sucks,” said Rahija. “It is hard to know what to do in that situation.” With Michalak being such an irreplaceable part of the band, the group decided to forge ahead with the promotion of what might have been their final album, without playing a tour. Instead the band hosted “listening parties” for the album in which the art used on the album was put on display, and other area artists performed, covering songs from the LP. “Touring is like the only way to get the word out these days. You have to do that. It was very tough on the band,” said Rahija. “We were all very proud of that record, and I think at the end of the day it was a pretty darn big handicap.” Despite the misfortune, Tarpits went on to receive rave reviews from such noteworthy publications such as Paste Magazine, The Indy Weekly and the News & Observer. Now, with Michalak finally healthy enough to pick up a bass again, the group is getting set to release their third album, titled All That the Rain Promises. The 11-track LP is far more intimate than previous efforts, featuring less of the broad orchestral sound that Bombadil had become known for. The album is a purposeful exercise in restraint. “Throughout this whole process we thought, what is the approach to this project that is practical and doable? Upholding the concept of simplicity,” said Rahija. “Complexity is less organized and accessible.” All That the Rain Promises will be released Nov. 8, with a special release show at the Cats Cradle in Carrboro Nov. 12. For more information go to www.bombadilmusic.com. www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 15
16 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
Unknown Hinson
Rises Again Everything there is to know about the Unknown. Story by James Johnson. Photography by Raul Rubiera Jr.
After a brief hiatus, country western troubadour and North Carolina music icon Unknown Hinson is back. The self-proclaimed King (who has also been known to answer to Stuart Daniel Baker) has built a cult following thanks to his unusual stage persona, dark humor and legendary guitar skills. Currently, “The Unknown One” is on tour after having just finished a soon-to-be-released new album (untitled as of press time), as well as a DVD of his old public access TV program, The Unknown Hinson Show. Hinson is also heavily promoting the sixth season of his Adult Swim animated series, Squidbillies, for which he stars as the voice of Early Cuyler. There is truly no rest for the undead. Hinson has naturally had to deal with rumors of his association with the undead for years, due to what he claims is an unfortunate affliction of the teeth, and perhaps his preferred manner of dress (an ill fitting black rodeo tailor suit, with a matching ribbon tie, and of course, leather gloves). The rumors however don’t seem to bother the artist, who claims to have spent much of his young life in prison, and he seems to only encourage it by remaining largely mysterious and aloof when speaking about his past. This month we caught up with Hinson to try to examine just what it is that he’s been hiding, discuss his new projects and find out the truth behind that infamous Billy Bob Thornton interview.
FEED: How’s life been treating you since last we spoke? Unknown Hinson: Hanging on, hanging on.
FEED: We understand that after all this time, you have
finally started touring with a different band. Is there a reason for that? Hinson: Well, there’s no real reason for it. Artists move around. Now and then you gotta switch up the line up. Met these boys a while back while working on my new CD/record/album. Going out with them … Can’t give you the name (of the L.P.) just yet. I got so much mess going on right now. I was out in Colorado a few days ago doing some video shoots. Hopefully that’ll be out soon … We just finished up a new season of Squidbillies. Working on a DVD. www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 17
FEED: A DVD? Of music videos?
Hinson: Nah. I used to have a TV show. Shot it in Charlotte North Carolina for two or three years. There is about 25 episodes. People kept asking about them, so we’re compiling them all on this DVD. A lot of people have VHS tapes of the show. I did this back in the ‘90s, ‘93, ‘95. It was on in re-runs for two years. It was actually about three and a half years. Every episode is like a day in the life of Unknown Hinson, shot in black and white.
FEED: The new season of Squidbillies is up and running. What can we expect? Hinson: Way, way, way over the top. It pushes the envelope real, real hard. I can’t give out no plots. (The show has) been a big help to me. A lot of people who did not know about Unknown put two and two together after seeing the show. And people who don’t know about Squidbillies but know about Unknown Hinson started watching the show as well. It came about in a funny way. They got a hold of my CDs. It was the E.P., Rock & Roll is Straight From Hell. I guess they listened to the little audio sound bites of me talking and decided to give me a call. I love cartoons, so I said sure.
FEED: You are known for putting on extremely long and powerful performances. Where do you get the energy?
Hinson: Um, I don’t know, James. Party liquor I guess. That’s one of my favorite things in the world. Drinking, chasing women, shooting my gun, the guitar and singing. I don’t sleep a whole lot. I look at each day and night as a blessing. We never know how long we’re going to be around.
FEED Finally - we have to ask this. The last time we interviewed you, I’d neglected :
to ask you this and I’ve been kicking myself ever since. When you aren’t doing your work as Hinson, you will play guitar with actor Billy Bob Thornton’s group, The Boxmasters. Since 2009, there has been an interview that has kind of gone viral, wherein the band is interviewed by CBC www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 19
Radio’s program Q, and Billy kinda loses his temper with the host for having mentioned Thornton’s work as an actor. What was the real story there? Was Billy faking it? Hinson (laughing): You’ve seen the video, right? You’ve seen the video. If you’ve seen the video, notice that I didn’t say one word ... It was all I could do not to laugh. I was just trying to keep a straight face. As far as Billy Bob goes … well … he is an award winning actor. Do you see the irony there? I probably got the biggest mouth in the whole room and I never opened it, just so as not to laugh. Billy is a good boy, he really is. Me and him have been friends since 2000. Buddies. I play on a few of his records. He is a great music lover. If you watch that video again - watch me and you’ll see I am looking at the floor. I am about to burst out laughing.
FEED: So, did you guys host squirm?
go in with the plan to make the
Hinson: Naw, naw. Hell naw. There wasn’t nothing planned about it. That was what was so damn funny ...
20 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
The Missing Years of Ethan Hanson 22 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
Fayetteville singer/ set to release first n material in 2 years
Fayetteville singer/songwriter set to release first new material in 2 years Story by Rachel “Riot” Schaaf, with photography by Raul Rubiera Jr.
E
than Hanson has never had a job. Instead, the Fayetteville native has done what few artists are able to, and cite ‘musician’ as his only occupation — ever. Hanson, 22, was raised on music. His mother, Kerstin Hanson, is a folk singer and songwriter. Growing up, music was a way of life around the Hanson household, with Kerstin regularly having band mates and musicians over. Before he was even ten, Hanson already had a healthy interest in the blues, and his musical tastes have expanded as he has grown. His current style, which he describes as “singer/songwriter pop” is heavily influenced by Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, John Mayer and Jason Mraz. Hanson has been performing in public since he was little, but his “break”, at least in Fayetteville, came when he was 17 and opened for Jojo in front of 7,000 people at the Dogwood Festival. Hanson has been a staple in the Fayetteville music scene for years, playing regular shows at restaurants and bars all over town and making home recordings for his work. Listeners haven’t heard anything new in the past few years, but all of that will change on January 3, 2012 when he releases his self-titled, full-length album on his own label, Hanson and Webster Entertainment Group. So where has Hanson been the past few years? “I spent a lot of time creatively figuring out what I wanted to do for a bigger release, trying to get that whole image right. I was still really involved and playing shows a lot and traveling a lot,” Hanson says. “The new album is really versatile. There’s going to be a lot of different styles. Each song is pretty much its own entity. There’s a song that’s very reggae and one that leans more towards bluegrass and country and straight up rock. There are some laid-back ballads; it’s all over the board.” Ethan has spent four days a week for months at K House Recording, a studio in Raleigh owned by Mark McKee. All of the songs on the new album were co-written with McKee, and Hanson says when he first went to the studio last December, the main focus was on his song-writing. “We spent probably our first 10 days just writing, we wrote about 20 songs, just trying to think of the next words, throwing things out www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 23
“Ethan is a solid musician with soulful vocals and stellar guitar work. His music keeps you feeling good and keeps you moving, – Smallwood says
there like paint on the wall, it’s like a push and pull,” he says. “Learning how to write really catchy hooks is something I’ve been working on while writing this album.” A large portion of his new material are songs such as “Say What You Say” and “Play for Keeps,” which are written about his girlfriend, Kelly Floyd. Hanson met Floyd at a show he was playing several years ago in Lumberton. When Hanson talks about her, his face lights up. She is a front-row staple at all of his shows. Floyd isn’t the only one cheering him on. Erik Smallwood, a friend of Hanson’s and fellow singer/songwriter from Fayetteville is looking forward to Hanson’s upcoming album release. “Ethan is a solid musician with soulful vocals and stellar guitar work. His music keeps you feeling good and keeps you moving,” Smallwood says. “He’s just a great guy. I’m so excited about this album.” Hanson, like his music, is easy-going, with a peaceful, slightly hippie-vibe. When not playing music, he collects crystals, hangs out with his close-knit group of friends, plays hackey-sack and reads books about past lives and consciousness. He says the things most important to him are his family and selfimprovement. “I work on not being too caught up in what other people think, which can be hard when you’re onstage. I’m just doing my thing and knowing that I’m doing the best I can,” Hanson says. “In America especially, we get so wrapped up in our to-do lists and all the relationships we have that we sometimes forget about our own well-being and the person we are without all that other stuff.” After the album release in January, Hanson will embark on a 25-city East Coast tour, playing clubs and visiting radio stations for interviews and to hopefully get some play from DJ’s he meets. “We want to build a grassroots type of following all along the east coast. Hopefully I’ll be doing some bigger shows,” he says.
Photo by Janet Davis
Action
Figures
North Carolina artist Adam Walls explains the appeal of interactive art. Story by James Johnson.
Words like “burly,” “hulking” and “lumbering” come to mind when shaking hands with Adam Walls. The man is the furthest thing from the delicate, dainty and pale faced French fellow one might imagine when skimming over his impressive resume. One look at Walls’ portfolio of towering sculptures however will lay to rest any mental images one might be holding onto involving a fragile hipster. Walls is in the business of making toys for giants. Interactive sculptures that beg to be played with and analyzed. Since 2007, Walls has taught art at UNCP. He received his MFA in Sculpture from Winthrop University in 2005 and his BA in Art Education from Limestone College in 1996. His work has been exhibited nationally. At the moment Walls has six different works moving across four states for various shows, and is in the midst of trying to get a contemporary sculpture park built somewhere in the Carolinas.
Photo by Emily Kelley
Photo by Adam Walls Photo by Adam Walls
FEED: How did you discover your interest in art? ADAM WALLS: I have always been able to draw well, but when I took my first painting class in undergrad school, I realized that I was spending as much as eight hours at a time in the painting studio. That is when I discovered just how important artistic self expression is to me. I didn’t find my voice until years later when I was with friends at an art opening in Charlotte, NC. I had no interest at all in the work that was on display, so I went to kill some time in what seemed to be the artist’s 28 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
break room. While I was there, I saw a G.I.JOE lunchbox that reminded me of how much I loved the incredible escapist fantasies of Saturday morning cartoons … Before that chance encounter with a 1980s lunchbox my work had been pretty formal with some personal matters popping up at times. Looking at those printed metal panels of a JOE with a jet pack, a JOE on what was surely a supersonic motorcycle, and groups of JOES hanging out with ninjas beside a happily waving tank commander, I realized that I had to find a way to share my love for this escapist fantasy.
FEED: regularly has
Your work an interactive element to it. Does art that is designed simply to be looked at bore you?
Photo by Emily Kelley
FEED: You seem to be extremely gifted in all mediums
WALLS: I get pretty bored with standard portrait stuff. If it doesn’t show some emotion, then I look for technical skill or strong formal elements in an art item. Most of the time if a piece is well crafted I can appreciate it, but I’ve seen a few things that bore me, or just flat out wreck my nerves. The worst thing I’ve been noticing recently has been a series of small scale bronze figurative pieces that are popping up at fire departments and occasionally police stations. These works are meant to honor real heroes, but when I see a four foot tall bronze statue of a fireman sitting on a tiny concrete pad, I get really upset. I understand that budget restraints don’t always allow the construction of gigantic larger than life dioramas of our national heroes, but the miniatures just don’t have the power that is needed … I wish that more institutions would consider contemporary sculpture as a solution for such problems. In most cases, you’ll find that a skilled modern sculptor can create a really powerful piece of contemporary art from nontraditional materials that conveys powerful emotions in such a way that we could show real honor to our heroes for a smaller price-tag than a 4’ bronze mini ever could.
FEED:
of art, yet you mostly focus on You’ve served as a working with sculptures. What teacher for many years. Do you is it about sculptures that get the same satisfaction out of satisfies you most as an artist? teaching as you do in creating? WALLS: I’m still at a point in my life where I love physically engaging my work and the more physical the work, the greater I feel the connection to the work. Also, with some of the larger pieces, I have the opportunity to become part of the work in a real sense as I build areas in my sculpture that I can crawl into, or interact with in some other way.
WALLS: When I see my students succeed I feel more pride than I can describe to you. The first time one of my student’s sculptures show in the same exhibition as one of mine, I was certainly more proud of hers than I was of my own. I often feel like my students are my children and following my students careers is like watching my children grow up. Seeing www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 29
their success is a true wonder.
FEED: How long does it generally take you to complete a sculpture? WALLS: When I really have the time to tear into a project, I can knock out one a month, but sometimes it takes a lot longer if it’s a lot of fabrication. Plus, if it’s while I’m teaching then it stretches that time out quite a bit. Most people don’t consider that when they see one of my more heavily fabricated pieces that just popped up over night. What they are really seeing is several months of my life and all the sweat and struggle that went into it, since I do all of my own fabrication and I’m just one guy.
FEED: Do you have to be in a certain frame of mind to create? Do you require
some kind of inspiration, or message to convey? WALLS: I have a lifetime of inspiration to draw from, but what I do need is time to get my tolls set up and not have to worry about having to be somewhere in an hour. That’s what makes being a full time professor and a full time sculptor such a tough thing, but I couldn’t imagine giving up on either one.
FEED: Sculpting is not a cheap art. Are there ideas floating around in your
head that can’t be done simply because of the expense of making them happen? WALLS: That is so very true. I hate compromise, but looking at things realistically, I have to face compromise everyday. Money, space and time restraints are always a challenge.
FEED: If someone wants to see your work in person, where can they go? WALLS: Locally I have work in the downtown plaza in Raleigh, NC, at the North Charleston River Front Park in Charleston, SC, at the Rocky Mount Art Center in Rocky Mount, NC, on campus at UNC-Pembroke in Pembroke, NC, and at the Craven Arts Center in New Bern, NC. They can see more that’s a little further out on my website, www.sculpturebyadamwalls.com
30 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
Lookout for our Sweet Jack Deal
Starting November 14th
Catch Our Radio Promos Nov. 14-15
Scan on Nov. 14th
32 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
The
Up:
Set
Das Racist
We catch up with alternative hip hop trio Das Racist, who are on tour promoting their highly anticipated new L.P., Relax. Story by James Johnson. Photography by Tony Murnahan.
D
as Racist was supposed to be a joke, right? Even now, with the group not being able to muster a burp that doesn’t attract critical acclaim, it is still unclear as to whether the forked tongued Brooklyn, NY based rap trio have ever been taking their rise to fame seriously. The proof of the group’s commitment may be at hand with the release of their first commercial LP, titled Relax, as well as the start of their first national tour. Sh*t just got real. How was it that the group that had first gained public notice by unleashing upon the Internets an ode to fast food consumerism entitled “Combination Pizza Hut & Taco Bell” in 2008, would come to be named as one of Spin Magazine’s 50 Acts to Watch at SXSW, or by MTV’s Iggy as “one of the 25 best new bands in the world?” Or have their debut album peak at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers chart? “(‘Combination Pizza Hut & Taco Bell) was successful in that it racked up 2 million Youtube views and it allowed us to do everything afterwards,” said group hype man Dap, aka Ashok Kondabolu. “It is nice coming from a position of low expectations. I hardly hear about that now-o-days. There was no real money made off the song.” Dap, along with group MCs Heems (Himanshu Suri) and Kool A.D. (Victor Vazquez) have built their musical catalogue around their shared twisted sense of humor and love of obscure pop culture references. The group’s name was inspired by their combined love of racially insensitive humor. www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 33
“There was a lot of that growing up … Ultimately, I did grow up in a neighborhood where there was a lot of Indian kids. There were some white kids who would be calling you Gandhi. There was a Haitian kid, a Puerto Rican kid, but I just hung out with my two Indian cousins,” noted Heems, who like Dap is of Indian descent. “Racism became an issue when I started going to college and hanging out with mostly white kids for the first time. White wealth. Even growing up in New York I wasn’t that knowledgeable.”
Their ability to find inspiration in even the most uncomfortable situations may be one reason the group has proven to be so relentlessly prolific, having released both their 2010 mixtapes, Shut Up, Dude, as well as Sit Down, Man, mere months apart.
34 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
“A lot of people we know make music. Our friends are like, engineers and we’ll hang out in the studio, so we’re like, lets just make music cause that is where we’re hanging out anyway,” explained Dap. “When we get in the studio, we want to create something and not just fool around. There is a process.” Currently the group is, for the very first time, getting settled into the life of touring artists. “I am anticipating being very tired of sitting in a van with a bunch of men,” joked Dap. “I am going to fight with other people who are in the band with me because someone lost some sun glasses that I got... But yeah, I am very much looking forward to it. I want to know what it is like to drive around. I want to know what kind of freak I am going to be at thee end of that.”
www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 35
1. Wilco - The Whole Love Wilco’s inaugural release through their own dBpm Records, represents the Chicago stalwarts most adventurous, expansive work in over seven years.
2. Real Estate - Days The breezy sophomore release from New Jersey’s Real Estate. Replete with lovely harmonies and melancholic strums, Days is perfect Autumn listening.
3.
Feist - Metals
Feist follows her 2007 breakthrough with another batch of catchy, indie-pop tunes; the inevitable soundtrack for every commercial you’ll see over the next few months.
4. Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire After a three-year hiatus, county troubadour Ryan Adams returns with an introspective new record that recalls the singer’s 2001 masterwork, Heartbreaker.
5. M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming M83 inflate their signature synth-scapes to stadium sizes on their excellent new double album, which features some of the French group’s most crowd-pleasing compositions to date.
6. Lou Reed / Metallica - Lulu An unlikely collaboration between the underground elder statesman and the heavy metal mainstays; Lulu isn’t what one would traditionally describe as “good music.” But, in the tradition of Reed’s 1975 album of guitar feedback Metal Machine Music, it’s a polarizing work that must be experienced at least once. www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 37
Game Review
DEAD Island
Story by Ken Yarbrough
E
arlier this year at E3 2011, I had the opportunity to play Dead Island. While I was keeping my eyes on this title prior to E3, after, it became my most anticipated title of the year. As is the case with many titles prerelease, the end product was something not entirely expected. Dead Island, developed by Techland (Call of Juarez, Nail’d), and published by Deep Silver, has been a largely polarizing game. It seems many reviewers have been especially harsh on some of the pre-patch glitches that have been present, and there are quite a few gamers that were expecting something different. With that in mind, I decided to take a different approach to my review below. Earlier this year, the now infamous ReverseTrailer for Dead Island was released. For those that haven’t seen it, you should take a look. It’s a brilliantly crafted trailer, which creates a certain kind of emotional response. That said, 38 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
you should not assume that the trailer is in any way indicative of the gameplay. This has been the first piece of the puzzle to why the game has been so polarizing. Gamers and reviewers that have seen the trailer have assumed that Dead Island was to be some sort of emotionally resonant zombie title. That’s a pretty lofty expectation. So what IS Dead Island? Dead Island is a large, open-world, FPM (First Person Melee) game with Borderlands-esque RPG elements. Wow that’s a mouthful. A lot of people have compared Dead Island to its other zombie counterparts: Left4Dead, and Dead Rising. These are simply poor comparisons. At no point during my time with Dead Island did I ever feel like I was playing anything resembling either of those games. Graphically Dead Island is a little hitand-miss, with a lot more hit than miss. The environments–especially the Resort and
Jungle areas–are absolutely gorgeous. The environments are beautifully crafted, and are so well done that they truly instill a sense of immersion not found in many other games. The true stars of the show, however, are the many different zombies themselves. With a multi-layer damage system that shows exactly what damage you’ve done to the zombies; they are truly hideous, but in a great way. They realistically lurch towards you, and you can almost smell the rotting flesh falling off their bones. The NPCs in the game–as well as your player character and co-op partners–don’t fare as well. While they are rendered well enough, the animations for NPCs and players alike are very stiff. The story is one of the areas that the game has become so divisive. With the ReverseTrailer insinuating some sort of emotional connection, I feel like many people have forgotten that at the end of the day, this IS a zombie title. As such the game does feature the same old zombie trope that has existed for years. This isn’t an insult to the writers, as there is a very specific formula that can be used for any zombie title, game, and movie alike. There is a group of survivors, stranded somewhere the military cannot readily help them. There are four main characters which are extremely stereotypical (The African-American rapper, the Asian who excels at bladed weapons, etc). There is a zombie outbreak, which has been caused by either: A) scientific experimentation, B) mutated natural virus, C) government bio-weapon, or D) an alien parasite. It’s a plot formula that’s been followed for as long as I can remember, and there’s no reason to change it now. Knocking a zombie game for its story just seems a little silly, though. Upon choosing your character you wake
up in your hotel room, only to find that the hotel itself is empty. After a few moments a mysterious voice begins to lead you through the hotel via the PA system. After narrowly escaping an early rush of zombies, your character is knocked unconscious and awakes again surrounded by other survivors in a small hut on the beach. This is where your game begins, and you have your first opportunity to kill some of the flesh-eaters. Once past this introductory section you are given mostly free reign to go as you want and do as you please. There are tons of survivors scattered across the resort, and many of them will give you quests to complete for them. Most of the quests are very simplistic in nature. Fetch quests definitely abound throughout, though I never found myself bored of completing quests. There is a primary questline that will progress you through the story as well. At a certain point the questline
will take you away from the resort, and into the second area of the game: the City of Moresby. There are literally hundreds of weapons at your disposal (as well as weapons mods): from simple boat oars and kitchen knives to katanas and assault rifles. While there are firearms in the game, unless you are playing as Purna, don’t expect this to be a first-person shooter. www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 39
So what IS Dead Island? Dead Island is a large, open-world, FPM (First Person Melee) game with Borderlands-esque RPG elements. The game’s focus is clearly on melee combat, and it does it very well. The one single thing that needs to be mentioned is the City of Moresby. Encompassing nearly all of Act 2, this area
40 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
of the game is an absolute tragedy. I’ve put roughly six playthroughs of the game in and still can’t quite nail down what’s wrong with this area. It features smaller outdoor areas, with less room to maneuver, as well as an exponential increase in difficulty. It also features three different indoor areas which are even smaller. Through many hours of co-op play, the only time I encountered any slowdown or lag at all was during the city. My game froze many times while doing nothing but walking through the area. The later acts are actually easier than this one, so it isn’t a complaint about progressive difficulty, I just don’t feel the area was designed very well. It didn’t even feel like a chore playing through it…it was worse. One of my co-op partners nearly stopped playing Dead Island altogether because of the city. If there is one message I want to send to the developers, it’s that this area was a colossal failure. The rest of this game is utterly amazing, but the city fails on nearly every level. Overall, I found Dead Island to be gamechanging. The game offers the same basic gameplay as Borderlands (leveling system, coop) but in my opinion does it better. Looting has never been more fun. Modifying my weapons to do insanely impossible things is refreshing and exciting. Killing zombies has never been as satisfying as it is in Dead Island.
There is some stiff competition this year for Game of the Year: a new Elder Scrolls game, two military shooter franchises vying for first, and even a new Assassins C r e e d . However, I truly feel that Dead Island should at least be mentioned in any conversation about GOTY. This is a phenomenal game through and through (minus “The City”), and is a testament to the hard work of a relatively small development team. Read full review at GamingTruth.com (it is quite long).
4/5
BOOK REVIEW
The
Leftovers Story by Tasina Ducheneaux
Photo courtesy of Josh Reynolds, The Los Angeles Times
Y
ou’re sitting there one day and all of a sudden people start disappearing all around you. Your children, your best friend, your waitress, some guy on the street – all just gone. The Rapture, just as described in the Bible, has appeared to have finally happened and you didn’t get to go. So now what? Tom Perrotta explores this scenario in his latest work. “The Leftovers” follows characters from a somewhat average American city as they try to understand and deal with the bizarre event that has led to the disappearance of so many people. Many believe that the Rapture really did occur and it is time for everyone to start living better lives. An entire industry of cults springs up in the wake of the event – some of them legitimate, some of them fronts for charlatans and con men, some of them murderous and insane.
Interestingly, many Christians in the novel do not believe the event was The Rapture – because they didn’t get to go. One former preacher makes it his life’s work to expose the sins of those who did disappear to prove that they were not worthy to be called home to Jesus and thus the event was not really the Rapture. But for most people the event is yet another thing to survive. Meals need to be cooked, government needs to run, children need to be nurtured and educated, the missing need to be mourned … life goes on. The vast majority are content to 42 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
leave the philosophizing to others and just continue with their existence, trying to find happiness and fulfillment wherever they may. What’s interesting about this work is that it is one that examines what happens AFTER a big climactic event. We all read books and see movies where the big earth shattering event occurs, the hero saves the day, the damsel in distress is rescued … but now what? Who cleans up afterward? What happens to all the people affected by the big event? Where do we go from here? Not many works bother to examine the consequences of a major happening. Readers familiar with Perrotta’s other books and movie adaptations (Election and Little Children being the most noteworthy) will be happy to note that he is still one of contemporary literature’s keenest eyes and biting commentators on modern society. He is not afraid to examine not just the grand heroics and depths of depravity in his characters, but also the small victories and petty, self-serving acts in all of us, set against the backdrop of quintessential America. This is a quiet work of examination of both self and culture that encourages the reader to do their own inner examination. 5/5.
FEED on Film Each month the FEED will be participating in a project we’re calling FEED on FILM. Obviously, it is fairly self explanatory but we’ve got word quotas to meet, so allow us to explain anyway.
FEED on FILM features a video of a different area artist performing - no special effects, no special mics, no camera tricks, just an artist and their art. This month we’re featuring knob twisting rockers Oulipo.
44 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
The
Lobby
SCAN HERE FOR VIDEO Films of November 2011 At some point market analysts must have determined that after a heavy turkey dinner, we Americans like to keep our movies light and fluffy, as this month appears to be rife with comedies, of the silly variety. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing when those comedies include such potential gut busters as A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas (at this point we’re only watching these movies for NPH), and Tower Heist, which has about a 50/50 chance of being terrible... which are pretty good odds by Hollywood comedy standards. But what has us all a tizzy is The Muppets, starring Jason Segel - and, we’re guessing a frog made of green felt. My Week with Marilyn, Tower Heist, A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas, J Edgar, Immortals, Jack and Jill, The Descendants, Happy Feet 2, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, Arthur Christmas, Hugo Cabret, The Muppets.
www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 45
Music Schedule Dates may be subject to change. Each month we scour the Internet for shows and events in our area, but we just know we’re missing something. Shoot an email to our editor, James@FayettevilleFEED.com and set us straight. We trust that the information we have is accurate when we publish it but anything can change. Be certain to call the venue before making any long treks. - FEED
The Black Cat Lounge 2918 Fort Bragg Rd Fayetteville, NC, (910)-339-4654 Nov 2, 8 p.m. Stevie Tombstone (Folk) The Bullfrog Nov 4, 9 p.m. The Tremors (Rock) Three Bad Jacks (Rock) Nov 5, 8 p.m. Biggy Stardust and his Wretched Hive (Rock) Blood Red River (Rock) A Tin Djinn (Alternative) Nov 11, 8 p.m. Hub City Stompers (Reggae)
Patriot BATTLE SCARRED SAINTS (Alternative) Southern Hostility (Rock)
Nov 12, 9 p.m. Michael Daughtry (Singer Song...)
Nov 17, 8 p.m. The Swaggerin’ Growlers (Rock)
Nov 18, 8 p.m. Keep It Heavy METAL FEST. Fall River Massacre
Nov 25, 8 p.m. PHILLIP ROEBUCK
(Metal)
Filthy Still (Country) Dirt vs. Dust (Rock)
Nov. 19, 6 p.m. Ethan Hanson (Pop)
Nov 26, 9 p.m. Danny Kay and The Nightlifers
Nov 22, 6 p.m. Fayetteville’s BEST OPEN MIC/JAM
The Rock Shop Music Hall 128 S King St, Fayetteville, NC (910)-321-ROCK
Nov 23, 6 p.m. $1 NIGHT. Live music/ Dj, Free ...
(Alternative)
Nov 2, 6 p.m. $1 NIGHT. Live music/ Dj, Free ...
Phuket Underwater (Metal)
Nov 25, 6 p.m. 80’s PARTY w/ live band GROOVETOWN GrooveTown Band (Dance)
Nov 5, 6 p.m. The Nose Riders
Nov 26, 6 p.m. Tonic Immobility (Rock) Driven Revelus (Rock)
Nov 8, 6 p.m. Fayetteville’s BEST OPEN MIC/JAM
Nov 29 6 p.m. Fayetteville’s BEST OPEN MIC/JAM
Nov 9, 8 p.m. $1 NIGHT. Live music/ Dj, Free ...
Nov 30, 8 p.m. $1 NIGHT. Live music/ Dj, Free ...
Nov 11, 8 p.m. Dirty Kin (Rock)
The Cats Cradle 300 E. Main Street, Carrboro, NC. (919)-967-9053
Nov 3, 6 p.m. EkoTren (Metal)
Nov 18, 9 p.m. The Virgo 9 (Rock) The Bastages (Rock)
Nov 12, 6 p.m. Unknown Hinson the bo-stevens (Country)
Nov 19, 8 p.m. JASON AND THE PUNKNECKS
Nov 15, 6 p.m. Fayetteville’s BEST OPEN MIC/JAM
Izzy Cox (Blues)
Nov 16, 6 p.m. $1 NIGHT! Live music/
(Alternative)
Dj, Free ... JOLLY (Rock)
46 | FEED Magazine | November 2011
Nov 2, 8 p.m. Scratch Acid Nov 3, 8 p.m. Rasputina (Rock) The Wilderness of Manitoba Nov 3, 8:30 p.m. Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds (R&B/Soul)
Nov 4, 7 p.m. Matt Hires Rachel Platten (Pop) Alexander and The Grapes Nov 4, 8 p.m. Fitz & The Tantrums Walk The Moon (Pop) Nov 5, 9:30 p.m. Immortal Technique (Hip Hop)
Killer Mike (Hip Hop) Nov 6, 7 p.m. Trombone Shorty” & Or...rokkuramu Nov 8, 8 p.m. Hayes Carll Caitlin Rose Nov 8, 8 p.m. Girl In A Coma (Rock) The Coathangers Nov 8, 9 p.m. The Glands Nov 11, 6 p.m. Saves the Day Bayside I Am the Avalanche Transit Nov 11, 8 p.m. Sea and Cake Nov 12, 8 p.m. The Fling Floating Action Nov 12, 9 p.m. Bombadil (Folk) Jason Kutchma The Future Kings of Nowhere (Alternative) Nov 13, 7 p.m. Tinariwen (Rock) Sophie Hunger (Folk) Nov 14, 7 p.m. Architecture in Helsinki Dom (Rock) Lo-Fi-Fnk
Nov 15, 8 p.m. Phantogram EXITMUSIC
Ed Schrader’s Music Beat Lonnie Walker
Nov 11, 8:30 p.m. The Sea and Cake Brokeback
(Rock)
Nov 16, 9:30 p.m. Breakestra (Other)
Local 506 506 West Franklin St. Chapel Hill, NC (919)-942-5506
Nov 12, 9 p.m. The Fling (Rock) Floating Action (Rock)
Nov 5, 8 p.m. Organos (Folk)
Nov 17, 2:30 p.m. Manchester Orchestra (Rock) White Denim (Blues) The Dear Hunter (Rock) Nov 18, 8:30 p.m. Neil Diamond Allstars Dave Spencer (Rock) Nov 19, 8 p.m. Yo Mamas Big Fat Booty Band (Rock) Nov 22, 8 p.m. Maria Taylor dead fingers The Grenadines Nov 24, 8 p.m. The Swang Brothers (Country)
Nov 25, 8 p.m. Jon Shain (Folk) Greg Humphreys (Folk) Mark Simonsen Stu Cole Tom Maxwell Nov 27, 8 p.m. Future Islands
Nov 1, 9 p.m. The Lumineers (Rock) Nov 2, 9 p.m. Ocean Grove Band (Pop)
Voxhaul Broadcast (Rock)
ROBERT SCHWARTZMAN Nov 3, 8:30 p.m. Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds (R&B/Soul) The Dirty Birds Nov 4, 9:30 p.m. Melt Banana Nov 6, 9 p.m. Mister Heavenly Mr. Dream Nov 8, 9 p.m. Girl In A Coma (Rock) The Coathangers Brothers of Brazil (Rock) Nov 9, 9:30 p.m. Cloud Nothing
Nov 14, 9:30 p.m. Ganglians Nov 16, 9:30 p.m. KING KHAN & BLOODSHOT BILL Nov 17, 10 p.m. Big Daddy Love (Other) Nov 22, 8:30 p.m. Maria Taylor Dead Fingers The Grenadines Nov 25, 9:30 p.m. 500 Miles To Memphis (Alternative)
The Pinhook, 117 W Main St, Durham, NC, (919)-667-1100 Nov 3, 9 p.m. Shenandoah Davis (Pop) Animal Alphabet (Alternative)
Rainbow Nerd
Crystal Antlers Old Bricks
Nov 19, 10 p.m. Onward, Soldiers (Rock) Jack the Radio (Alternative)
Nov 23, 9 p.m. Honeychile (Rock) The Bloodroots Barter (Folk)
Nov 26, 9 p.m. The Gonzo Symphonic Presents: (Alternative) Storm Front MOTORCO MUSIC HALL 723 Rigsbee Ave, Durham, NC, (919)-901-0875 Nov 2, 7 p.m. Alexis Babini (Pop) Pretty Bombs (Rock) Elway Almost People Nov 4, 8 p.m. Yo Mamas Big Fat
Nov 4, 9:30 p.m. Free Electric State
www.The FayettevilleFEED.com | 47
R E E D - L A L L I E R C H E V R O L E T I N F A Y E T T E V I L L E
Drive in the moment...
and enjoy the endless possibilities along the road to what’s next. The unplanned stops and the impulsive scenic routes–they’re waiting for you. Plus, enter our Sonic Adventure and you may just
WIN A NEW CHEVY SONIC!
Join the
A high-tech, mobile phone, treasure hunt to
Win a New Chevy Sonic!
Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 @ Festival Park Registration: 9:00am Kickoff:10:00am Game: 10:00am Awards: 1:00pm
www.ChevySonicAdventure.com
4500 RAEFORD ROAD, FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28304 ONE MILE WEST OF THE ALL AMERICAN FREEWAY
910-446-1206 • www.reedlallier.com