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C O N TE N T Note from the Editor: Elemental Exposure 6 Local Shop Highlight: Pon Pon 10 The Mad Alchemist Liquid Lite Show: Jesus Sons at Globe Hall 22 A FLORA || FAUNA Feature: Welcome to Denver, Goldmine Vintage 28 Off the Record: Twist and Shout 38 Editor’s Opinion: The End of a Legend 42
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2
Listen to this issue’s podcast, hear the playlist and see additional film at: www.florafaunazine.com Collaborate with us! Follow FLORA || FAUNA on Instagram: __flora_fauna__ Like us on Facebook: @florafaunamag JOIN THE TEAM. We meet once a month! © All rights reserved. FLORA || FAUNA is a Denver based zine publication highlighting local artists, entrepreneurs, businesses and the like. All material in FLORA || FAUNA may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the consent of FLORA || FAUNA Editor-in-Chief Carlee Henderson. Inquiries: hello@florafaunazine.com www.florafaunazine.com
A P R ON S \ \ \ K N I F E R O L LS \ \ \ BAG S
WWW.VALENTICHGOODS.COM @VALENTICHGOODS
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR. EXPOSURE noun /ikˈspōZHər/ 1. 1.2
to experience something to come into contact with something
2.
the revelation of an identity or fact, especially one that is concealed or likely to arouse disapproval.
I didn’t grow up with rock and roll. I wasn’t exposed until my early 20s, and even then it took time to really understand its monumental history. Only until I went to art school did I slow down and take the time to really listen. And when I did, it changed my life.
As time went on, my mind started to shift toward thinking in the avant-garde. So I took the same approach and exposed myself like a sponge to rock and roll icons the same way I did art. Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, The Doors, Stevie Nicks... These artists greatly influenced the daily life, fashion, attitudes and languages in a way few other social developments have equalled.
Studying art history was an eye opening introduction because the degree itself coincided with music, fashion, and culture of every day life preserved in influential moments in time.
I’d heard many of their hits on the radio but was never taught the depth of Lou Reed’s lyrics, sat and listened to a record of Jim Morrison’s bizarre poetry, or brooded over a break-up to a Gram Parsons album. As I started reading and indulging in this new found obsession, I yearned for moments past such as when Bob Dylan told everyone in Warhol’s Factory to shove it or when The Stones’ released their album Sticky Fingers and the coked out ecstasy that ensued thereafter.
My first course in art school was Modern Art. For each lecture, we discussed either a new genre or a specific artist. They were my first rock stars, or what Andy Warhol would coin, superstars. These were people that pushed the envelope and died for their voice to be heard. They questioned the bourgeoisie and cultural ideals in the art realm which varied greatly throughout the 20th century.
I was transfixed with learning as much as I could about how influential ‘60s and ‘70s music was to American and European history.
It wasn’t just the medium, museums, or big cities. It was the idealized lifestyle and recognition. The name and prestige. The parties, events, and cultural upheaval. The existential grit and need for self expression. The in-between moments and the final outcomes of incredible works of art.
Even knowing that vinyl was religion, the term rockstar didn’t just come from the music. It came as a package. The lifestyle of the musicians; their thoughts and beliefs, their fashion sense, their private lives.
Pollock, Krasner, Duchamp, Picasso, Van Gogh ... All of these artists reigned in my mind as masters of the universe because they lived creating freely and exposed themselves unapologetically.
It was a revelation because even though they were rock gods among the masses, they were still just as fucked up as the rest of us.
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Self-portrait, “Exposure” 2014
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Growing up, I never stepped foot in a thrift store or vintage boutique. It just wasn’t a stop my family made when it came to clothes. It was also during the worst time in fashion history ... the early 2000s. The decade of mass produced conformity. Mindless consumerism at its scariest. Of all times when vintage and having your own sense of style could’ve saved so many. Now, I feel I would’ve fallen in love with music and fashion either way, whether it was at 12 years old or in my mid 20s. I also realized that the past doesn’t influence or inspire everyone in the same way. I was to learn when I did, how I did, as it came. (Sorry, Mom.) That no matter the exposure, the strive for self-awareness and authenticity is ever present. Denver’s in a unique position because even though it’s one of the newest, most expanding cities in the country, the underground scene is acquiring vintage clothes, buying antique furniture, and digging for old vinyl records to adorn their lifestyles. Why? I believe much of Denver has been inspired to make old new again. With fashion, music, and interior design, people are looking to the past to find inspiration from the most sought after moments and reclaim them anew. They’re looking to invest in quality over quantity and trying to avoid fast fashion. This holds true to home decor and music, too. I admire the great lengths of appreciation so many people have taken to express and stand by their passions, to live and create freely. The feature, Welcome to Denver, Goldmine Vintage, (p.28) highlights husband and wife owners Joan Jones and Tom Bottenberg’s highly successful vintage clothing boutique. After running their business for a decade in Boulder, they moved to Denver earlier this year with a bigger space and a wider array of vintage offerings for their clientele. We met to talk shop and play dress up.
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Pon Pon in the RiNo District is a small art bar that always has the best records playing in their ambient space, complete with antique furnishings and a connected gallery space for quaint yet noteworthy exhibitions. I sat down with one of their bartenders, Brian Buck, a member of the local Denver band High Plains Honky to talk about the underground music scene and vintage fashion’s influence on stage performance. (p.10) The exposure to rock and roll has impacted my life greatly as an artist. I welcome the sounds and styles of the past to help define my future and believe in the power of quality over quantity; well made clothes, good music, art that makes you think. I take away life lessons from lyrics of the past, of love and loss, growth and spirituality. Clockwise: Jim Morrison written lyrics for Riders on the Storm; Gram Pasons in a custom Nudie Cohn suit; An Andy Warhol designed Velvet Underground + Nico vinyl record; Stevie Nicks performing live, 1976
FLORA || FAUNA’s objective is the same. To reflect on the special moments of the past to seek out the most authentic and real, raw and unique seers and doers of Denver that represent the growth of a city in flux. Here’s to the avant-garde.
Carlee
Editor-in-Chief
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A F LO R A | | FAU N A O R I G I N A L
LOCAL
SHOP
HIGHLIGHT
OWNERS: ERIC CORRIGAN & PAUL GARCIA
ADDRESS: 2528 WALNUT ST; RiNo DISTRICT
INSTAGRAM: @PONPONBAR PHOTOGRAPHY & INTERVIEW: CARLEE HENDERSON
It’s not easy to find.
And that’s the point.
When big names roll through town for shows, they find themselves having a drink here (Oh hey, J. Tillman) until 3a.m. Nestled in the RiNo District, Pon Pon is a small art bar that’s always spinning vinyl and not taking requests. It also has a small gallery connected to the bar for various exhibitions. When you walk in, you find yourself at the end of a long hallway that opens up into the bar area. It’s dark and ambient, yet comfortable. Adorned with art and vinyl on the walls, the aesthetic is that of a badass grandpa’s man cave. And that grandpa had seen some shit. The bar is stocked and well thought out. It offers fine whiskey, tequila and.... Labatt Blue. Wait, what. A rare treat out here in craft beer land. Order two Labatt, one then choose from a plethora modern seating arrangements thinking about how much you
for each hand, of mid-century to relax on while hate your job.
Or, meander through the gallery space double fisting and invest in some badass local art because, community. //
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F L O R A || F A U N A Interviews Name: Brian Buck Age: 33 years old Bartender: Pon Pon Band: High Plains Honky
What kind of music is High Plains Honky?
I feel a lot of inspiration of the ‘60s and ‘70s is going on the last few years here... Everyone you just listed are classics and icons of the past. How do you feel about Denver’s underground music scene?
We play Southern California meets Flying Burrito Brothers ‘70s country western. Love Gram Parsons and the Rolling Stones.
How long have you been playing in the music scene here in Denver?
I think it’s gotten a lot better! When I moved here and I started playing with my bandmate John Paul, we set out to do something we saw no one was covering. No one was saying, “Hey, country can be cool,” or that it can be culturally modern in how we live... that we’re accepting and we’re hippies and we do drugs and we do all these things not what people think of when they think of conservative country. Since then, I feel that has really taken off and people have finally embraced the idea. It took a while.
3 years.
Aside from that, the influences of other things like psychedelic first wave and ‘70s rock. But really every style of music is well represented in Denver currently.
Your band High Plains Honky’s style is unique but you can see your love for country icons in your songs. When we started doing this we didn’t know anyone else in the same music scene/ style. Then I met Casey James Prestwood and he said, “Well what the fuck, where are you guys coming from? I didn’t know there’s other people into this.” So he started inviting us to Gram Jam and...
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Brian. Fucking. Buck., 2017
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Did you say Gram Jam?
Do you perform with clothing that’s inspired by or made in the music eras you love?
Yeah we’ve done it 3 years in a row and this will be the 4th. We play with the last remaining members of Gram Parson’s band. That’s why when I met the cats from Last of the Easy Riders (a local southwestern psych band), I thought, ‘Whoa, you guys have a genuine interest in this style of music that I want to get you guys shows and show you the ropes in Denver,’ because after so many years of feeling like I was doing that type of music I was thought, ‘Oh there’s more, even?‘
I have a few pieces I really love. I was given a Nudie tie by my friend Casey James Prestwood that was made for me as a Christmas gift, covered in rhinestones. I was so flattered because that’s the same brand (Nudie Cohn) that made our idols like the Flying Burrito Brothers’ suits. I tend to wear a lot of clothing I wear on a day to day basis, but sometimes as a band, we’ll say, “Everybody wear 100% denim and snap shirts.” It varies how we’re feeling. Sometimes these kids that all wear cowboy hats and their western shirts and boots look like they’re wearing a fucking costume.
Being a performer, how do you translate your personal style? Do you think vintage clothing well represents your music and personal fashion taste?
Where do you find inspiration?
As far as fashion, I love denim and classic pieces like bell bottoms, well fitted simple items of clothing that are classic and that will never go out of style. I love Goldmine Vintage for what they do, but unfortunately for me, being 6’6” and being built like I am, not a lot of vintage clothes fit me.
I grew up and taught myself to play a lot of Delta Blues stuff. I play guitar but I played mandolin for a while and grew up learning piano... I get my inspiration a lot from my friend John Paul. I can come to him with any idea or song and we hash it out. We co-write music together. I also get a lot of inspiration from my friend Rae Hostallero - that’s probably one of the only people that can challenge me every day with new music that I don’t know. We trade songs daily and it comes into my way of writing. //
So occasionally I’ll buy something but usually it’s about finding pieces or designers or things that are being currently made that fit into the way I choose to look.
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GLOBE HALL PRESENTS
THE
MAD ALCHEMIST
LIQUID LITE SHOW LIVE!
JESUS SONS DREAM PHASES
REALLY GOOD BAD BOY CLUB
8 PM - 2 AM ON STAGE V I S U A L
--
ON VINYL
E X P E R I E N C E
Editorial + P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y C A R L E E H E N D E R S O N
Dream Phases Live, 2017
It’s 10:30 PM and I’m on my way to Globe Hall alone. This dive bar is known for two things: an excellent venue of live music and badass barbecue. The show I was attending was called The Mad Alchemist Liquid Lite Show, with Jesus Sons. The west coast band from LA were inspired greatly by The Velvet Underground, THE east coast band from NYC. Jesus Sons named themselves after Lou Reed’s song, Heroin, and are heavily influenced by ‘60s and ‘70s rock and country twang. The reason I was so excited to go wasn’t because of the band. To be frank, I’d never heard of them before. It was the fact that a group of people were paying homage to the ‘60s in a way I’d always wanted to experience: a liquid lite show in tribute to the Exploding Plastic Inevitable series. I met my friend Mitch Mitchum, lead singer of Last of the Easy Riders, at the venue who had opened the show that night with his friends Really Good Bad Boy Club. What started out as just a lite show in my mind ended with a huge appreciation for Jesus Sons and their heavy influences of The Velvet Underground’s east coast grit, Rolling Stones blues rock, and country western twang. These guys were fucking great and put on a hell of a show. Party.
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Clockwise: Dream Phases performing; Overhead projectors used during liquid lite show; Jesus Sons performing; Scenes from an EPI event in New York City.
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Andy Warhol was always an artist I admired greatly because of many underlying reasons that no other artists had. He influences my work still. He was a man of observation and curiosity. A curator of the every day. His biggest accomplishment was The Factory not just because of what came out of it (art, film, drama...) but what he built by reputation. By simply letting people have free reign in a space to use purely for creative use, and to document it. He himself didn’t believe he was special, but what was happening around him was.
The ‘60s was a decade of social r evolution in pop culture and was also considered the Psychedelic Era because of the commonly initiated drug influence. These shows ran parallel with the experimentation of using psychedelics such as LSD, mescaline (found in peyote) and mushrooms for both the musicians and the audience to enhance the mind-altering experiences during the highly visual events such as the EPI. Dream Phases and Jesus Sons made it happen in Denver that night with thanks to Mad Alchemy analog liquid light show. //
During the height of Andy Warhol’s career in the ‘60s, he started a project no artist or collective had done before. He collaborated with The Velvet Underground + Nico for a series of shows called the Exploding Plastic Inevitable during 1966 and 1967.
Check them out. www.madalchemy.net
The project was an over-sensory visual experience that bordered as a cultural experiment, something Warhol was known to do as an artist, influencer and public figure in the Pop Art Era. He combined The Velvet Underground’s live performances with a psychedelic light show using stroboscopes, slides and his own film projections onstage, on the walls, even on the ceiling.
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Clockwise: Jesus Sons peforming; The Velvet Underground + Nico with A ndy Warhol; The Velvet Underground performing at an EPI event in New York City.
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A F LO R A | | FAU N A F E A T U R E
w e lc o m e to d e n v e r
GOLDMINE V I N TAG E Husband and wife owners Tom Bottenberg and Joan Jones have us all red hot over their exciting move to the Mile High earlier this year, more specifically to the infamous fashion strip that is Broadway. The vintage boutique offers men’s and women’s clothing, accessories, shoes and even vinyl from previous decades. Not to mention their new location is bigger and better than ever. We spent a Saturday afternoon fawning over their collection. And yes, that’s a guitar strap we used as a belt. What’s up.
Interivew and Photography by Carlee Henderson Styled by Grace Wood Model Natalie Taylor
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What’s Goldmine Vintage all about? Goldmine is a vintage clothing boutique that carries clothing and accessories from past decades. It is a carefully curated collection from the Victorian Era through the mid ‘90s. We travel across the U.S. searching and buying pieces to bring to our customers. Each piece is hand selected for style, quality and uniqueness. By buying vintage, customers are helping the environment by recycling as well as preserving history. How did you decide on the name? We wanted it to reflect where we lived, a name that would make you think of Colorado, as well as what you might find shopping our racks. We liked the play on words. We love hearing customers say, “It literally is a Gold Mine in here”. What are your inspirations for the store? We wanted to create a unique shopping experience for our customers. We chose the red and gold color scheme to give the store energy, but also be inviting. The walls are filled with vintage artwork and clothing we have collected. Every corner has something that catches your eye. We want customers to enjoy the space.
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How did you get into this kind of business and love for vintage? We’ve been in the vintage clothing business for many years. Before relocating to Colorado, we worked in vintage in Seattle. We wanted to open our own shop and decided Colorado was where we wanted to be. We have always been in love with things from the past- music, cinema, clothing was part of that. Vintage clothing is history. It’s interesting to imagine who originally owned the pieces and what their lives were like during that time. How do you choose the pieces you want to sell in your store? We carry a wide array of styles, so there is something for everyone. We look at current fashion trends and find the vintage versions of them as well as finding the timeless classics. We try to find the best pieces from every decade. Quality and uniqueness is also a priority when picking pieces to buy.
Why the move from Boulder to Denver? We had 10 amazing years in Boulder, we love that city and the great people we met. Our lease was up for renewal and as an independent business the market for rent and taxes just became too high. We had seen many other businesses leave or close in our area and there were many empty storefronts near us. We had already been living in Denver the last five years, we purchased a house here and had been commuting. We just decided we wanted to have our store in the city we lived in. We are so excited to be in Denver! How and when did you decide to open your own business? We decided after many years of working for others, we wanted to open our own vintage store and fill it with pieces that we loved. We moved to Colorado and opened Goldmine in 2007 and have been in business for over ten years.
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Who are some of your fashion muses? Currently, we would say our staff. Everyone that works here has such an amazing sense of style. They love vintage clothing and to see the way they mix decades with modern pieces really shows how relevant vintage is. What do you wish you see more of on a daily basis regarding street style? More vintage pieces, of course. We love seeing the mixing of vintage and modern pieces together. Hoping to see less fast fashion and more shopping of recycled goods. There are so many amazing pieces of clothing that already exist and are waiting for a new life. What accessories do you love to add to your wardrobe? Jewelry! Vintage jewelry is amazing and Tom loves hats. Fall and Winter are great seasons because you get to layer. Sweaters, coats, scarves, hats..
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What advice would you give to someone who is new to the realm of buying vintage for their wardrobe? Our advice would be not to get overwhelmed when shopping for vintage. Having a store full of one of a kind pieces, the colors and patterns can be intimidating. We try to keep our space organized and arranged by style and decade to help. Do not be afraid to try things on! You never know how something will truly look without trying it on. Sometimes it might look interesting on the hanger and then mesmerizing on your body. Also, avoid looking at the sizing info on a vintage label. Modern sizing is completely different than vintage sizing. You might miss out on a great piece because you thought it was the wrong size. We measure our garments and put modern sizing on our tags to help. Ask for help. Vintage stores have employees that are knowledgeable and might know of the perfect item for you. Where do you see your business in the next five years? Still going strong in Denver! We love having a brick and mortar location. We have talked about the possibility of adding an online boutique down the road, but we love having a place where customers can come in and try items on and enjoy the experience of shopping. There is something lost when buying online. With vintage especially, you need to see the pieces, touch the fabrics, try pieces on. //
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F LO R A | | FAU N A
OFF THE RECORD...
Denver’s home of vinyl, Twist and Shout resides on East Colfax and offers way, WAY more than just records. The enormous space is a mecca for all things music, film and art. The red walls barely peak through the hundreds of framed works of art and posters. T-shirts, too. T-shirts, people. Cassettes and CDs are offered next to vinyl and sound equipment for sale. This is the kind of local shop to get lost in for a solid hour. A reliable source for hard to find records, new releases, or unique copies. //
Photography by Carlee Henderson
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Location: 2508 E Colfax Ave. Monday - Saturday: 10AM - 9PM Sunday: 10AM - 6PM www.twistandshout.com
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Thank you for American Girl. Your legacy lives on forever. 1950 - 2017 www.florafaunazine.com