INSPIRER MAGAZINE APRIL 2012
Quran burnings
KONY2012: the man in the video
post graduation blues
your daily outfit guide
+
Reading Leeds Festivals
i n te r v i e w w i t h s i m p l e p l a n ’s
pierre bouvier
big bad wolf / america says bye to AOL / tom falcone
table of contents just a few of the articles you’ll catch in this issue!
music music photographer tom falcone interview with pierre bouvier reading & leeds festival
14 22 28
news joseph kony Quran burnings america says bye to AOL
30 34 38
fashion big bad wolf your daily outfit guide
48 54
culture post graduation blues
72
album reviews
Soul Music Vol. 1 by Jeff Hershey & The Heartbeats
Happy To You by Miike Snow
Jeff Hershey & The Heartbeats’ Soul Music Vol. 1 was released in 2011. This is the first studio album from the group.
Miike Snow is a Swedish-pop band made up of Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, and Andrew Wyatt. Since their start in 2007, Miike Snow has played on Lollapalooza, Coachella, Bonnaroo, and more, and has appeared on soundtracks of Crazy, Stupid, Love, 90210, Chuck, Jersey Shore, and more.
As depicted from the album name, Jeff Hershey & The Heartbeats create wonderful soul music. Each track on this album provides listeners with feel-good soul music. In an era where more and more music is ‘perfected’ with auto tune, Jeff Hershey’s natural, crisp music provides a refreshing escape from auto tune to pure talent. The lovely use of percussion, brass, and guitar carries on throughout the whole album. “Knock You Down” and “Wearin’ Me Out” are especially catchy. Step out of your comfort zone and give Jeff Hershey & The Heartbeats a try. OVERALL RATING: 4/5
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Happy To You has an almost psychedelic feel to it. Every track gives off a relaxed feeling by their easy-going beats. “Devil’s Work” provides a great balance of piano and vocals with an inspirational beat. “Paddling Out” is full of funky beats to dance to. When I close my eyes and listen to this album, I can perfectly imagine it being played in a trendy club. Miike Snow deserves more attention in the US. Listen to Happy To You and you will be pleasantly surprised. OVERALL RATING: 3.5/5
by: nicolette tabor
Start the Revolution Without Me by Kaiser Chiefs
Sounds From Nowheresville by The Ting Tings
Kaiser Chiefs re-released their 2011 album The Future Is Medieval under the name Start the Revolution Without Me in the US on March 6th, 2012. The track listing was majorly updated.
Sounds From Nowheresville is the second studio album from The Ting Tings. The English duo are most famous for their wildly popular and catchy single “That’s Not My Name” and have attempted to extend their success with their new album.
Filled with upbeat and unique tracks, Start the Revolution Without Me is quite the interesting album. “Things Change” sounds similar to a song that could be performed by David Bowie. This album sounds strangely similar to something The Black Keys would produce. The songs seem to repeat throughout the album but nonetheless are pleasant to listen to. If you’re a fan of indie music then you would enjoy this album. OVERALL RATING: 4/5
The Ting Tings have been called indie pop, dance-punk, and New Wave, and this album can fit under all of those categories. It is a little disappointing, though. The tracks are slightly repetitive and boring. “Give It Back” is my favorite track because of the different dynamics between two vocals and interesting percussion used. OVERALL RATING: 3/5
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BEHIND THE SCENES
INTERVIEW WITH
KRISTINA GROSSMANN by: heather hawke
Do you have a passion for music? Is it your dream to work in the music industry? Does being the lifeblood of the record business interest you? Have you ever heard a truly magical song that before the song is even over you are already telling all of your friends about it? Well maybe working in A&R at a record label is the perfect job for you! Kristina Grossmann will give you a behind the scenes glimpse into her job as A&R Manager for Universal Republic Records and also A&R for NBC’s The Voice.
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Tell us a little about yourself. How long have you been working at Universal? What’s your current job title? Have you had any other titles since you started? I have been working at Universal Republic for almost 4 years now. I was very lucky to land the job right out of college. My current job title is A&R Manager. I was hired as an A&R Assistant, then became an A&R Coordinator. Onwards and upwards! How did you know you wanted to work in the music industry? Honestly, it is the only career that made sense to me. Music has always been a release for me, something I could always fall back on no matter what I was feeling. The more and more I learned about the industry the more and more I wanted to become a part of it and help create music that helps people get through the highs and lows of their lives. What also excites me is the fact that music is timeless… a project that I am working on now can be heard by someone a hundred years from now, well after I am gone. How many people can say that? How did you get into the music industry? What classes/degree did you take to get ahead in this field? Is it true that it’s all about who you know? The more I learned about the industry, the more I wanted to get involved. I wanted to be behind the scenes. In my younger years, I 10 | inspirer magazine
became heavily involved in street teams for local bands and went to hundreds of shows. I played clarinet from 4th or 5th grade until my junior year in college. In college I was very into booking… I was concert chair at the college I spent freshman year at, and then at Northeastern, where I transferred to my sophomore year. At Northeastern I took the standard core classes – theory, music industry 1 + 2, HT 1-4 – as well as music marketing, music entrepreneurship, the record industry, artist management… Man, I’m having a hard time remembering all of them now! The contacts you make and more importantly maintain in this industry is a HUGE part of this industry. It’s not everything – you need to have a passion, drive and solid work ethic. A hard worker who has a vast web of contacts is priceless. What exactly are an A+R’s (artist and repertoire) person’s duties? Those of us who work in A&R are
the life blood of the record business. We discover and develop talent, oversee the creation of albums, and support the marketing and promotion of the artists and their recordings. A&R people often specialize in particular genres of music. My career has thus far focused on alternative/rock music of various types, though I have also worked in the urban/hip-hop, pop, dance, and country genres as well. There are innumerable decisions I make and creative input I have in guiding the typical artist from contract singing to album release and then in follow through to make sure we are selling as many albums as we can. A&R people are very similar to managers – in the sense that we get involved in (almost) every aspect of the artists career. What is the process of “signing a band”? What do you look for before signing them? If we hear a demo that has potential, the first step is arranging an inperson meeting or showcase so that
we can evaluate whether or not he or she should be signed. We need to learn what kind of album the artist is interested in making and whether or not the artist is committed to making the album a commercial success. We may have the artist showcase for the executives in the company or even produce new demo recordings to help us really asses the artist’s potential. While a well-produced demo is nice, it’s not everything. When listening to music, I am listening for hidden potential in an unfinished product because it’s VERY rare that something comes to us ready to be released without any sort of revision or development. Once we decide that we want to sign the artist, our business affairs department will start contract negotiations with the artists lawyer. What inspires you when working in this very stressful/high energy industry? At the end of the day, it’s very simple: the music is what inspires me and keeps me going. Nothing compares to the feeling you get when you first hear a truly magical track. Currently the second season of The Voice is airing, did you think it would be as big as it is? What’s the process of finding the talent? I actually didn’t think Season 1 would be as big as it was, and to grow as quickly as it did! I had a feeling Season 2 was going to be well received after how well the first season did. I remember when we were casting for Season 1 and I had to have very
lengthy conversations with everyone I spoke to about the show, describing how it worked… now a days, I can barely finish saying “the Voice” before people are like “Oh! I love that show!!” As I understand, you started Rock for Health as a school assignment. Can you tell us more about it? Is it still going? I did! I started RFH the fall semester of my senior year (07 – 08) at Northeastern during Professor Strasser’s Music Entrepreneurship class. I’ve always been one to want to fix things and make an impact on
I was on Warped Tour with Bayside, I came down with a terrible case of strep throat. I was taken to the ER and brought into a room where the doctor kept telling me “this and that” will save me money. He didn’t even test me for strep because it “saves money.” The second I said that I have insurance, everything changed and I received the proper care. It’s disgusting. I think that was the deciding moment that I felt the need to take a stand and represent my peers. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to dedicate much time to it lately because of how busy I am at UMG. I hope to find some time in the next few years to take it
“Nothing compares to the feeling you get when you first hear a truly magical track” the world in some way or another. I hated hearing news on bands that were canceling tours due to sickness, or even bands breaking up because they are so in debt with hospital bills that they just can’t go on. People in bands, crew members, etc are all stereotyped based on the way that they look. I have tattoos and piercings, but I have health care. Many health care professionals automatically assume that people like “us” are uninsured. I can’t tell you how many times I have been denied proper care because of the way that I look! In the summer of 2007 when
off the back burner and really get things going again. I’m very proud of all that I was able to do with it so far!
Now, more than ever, music is ever-changing. What do you think is one genre of music that you hope will never go out of style? What genre of music do you hope will? My heart rests in rock music. Rock will never die! To answer the second part of your question – while there are genres of music that I don’t like, I respect them all. I don’t think I inspirer magazine | 11
can call myself a true music fan if I told you I wanted a genre to “die”. There is a place for everything! Who do you think changed the music industry? Why? Great question! It’s impossible to just pick one person… there are so many people – artists, managers, executives… - who have changed the industry in such a powerful way (good and/or bad!) I have to go with the first thing that popped into my mind when reading this question: Nirvana. Nirvana was the right band at the right time. They had the right sound at the perfect time. Time is such a gigantic piece of the equation to success and at the same time such an impossible thing to obtain. When Kurt died, a vacuum was created…. Everyone wanted to be the next ones to fill it and though everyone tried to use the formula, no one got it right. However – through all of this stemmed so many other genres and styles of music. Rock and alternative music was never the same after the grunge era. ‘Nevermind’ changed music. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” changed music. A chain of events was set off that forever changed the landscape of music. What’s the biggest surprise about working in this field? Was it what you thought it would be like? Hmm… I wouldn’t say I was surprised by anything, as I’m the type of person who sometimes is overly prepared, but I guess you can say it’s 12 | inspirer magazine been a little disheartening at times to
see some of the rumors of the industry become true or unfold right before your eyes. For the most part though – yes… It is what I thought it would be like. (Just A LOT more work that I have ever imagined!!) Is there a moment that sticks out in your head that made you realize that this is the perfect job for you? I can’t say there was that sort of “ah ha!” moment that I can pinpoint… Music has just always been in my blood. I can’t imagine working in any other industry. What’s the best and worst part about working in the music industry? Oh dear… I’m not sure I can disclose all of that! Honestly though – I would hate to have one thing I say here sway someone from pursuing their dream to work in music because they didn’t understand what I was saying or they took my tone/ words out of context. But I will say this… the best part about working in the music industry is well… working with music! Especially in A&R – I truly love being so close to the artists during what is sometimes the most intimate display of their feelings and emotions. It’s unlike any other field in the world. If someone was interested in being an A+R person/wanted to work at a record label; what education/ experience would you tell them to get? Does one need a college degree to be in A+R? You know, I’m sure you can find
your way into this industry without a college degree, but it’s definitely getting harder. A lot of places won’t even take interns unless they are getting college credit. You don’t need to necessarily have a degree in music, but I would very much recommend at least having a degree. One of the biggest things that has helped me in A&R was actually the years I spent playing Clarinet in grade school and all the way up into my college years. That made me develop an ear. I can read music and more importantly – I can speak the language. If you don’t play an instrument and don’t take any music classes – general business courses I think would be very beneficial. At the end of the day, this is a people business! Lastly, what albums are currently on heavy rotation? Muse – entire catalog! (Always), Foo Fighters – entire catalog! (Always), Gotye – Making Mirrors, Alex Clare – The Lateness Of The Hour, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Soundtrack – it’s the perfect morning soundtrack… and a few other secrets that I can’t disclose of as of yet!
interview with photographer
tom falcone
by: selma rakovićc
After consuming stockpiles of burritos, getting into a rear-end car collision and partying hard at SXSW for days, photographer Tom Falcone took the time out of his busy life to video chat with me on Skype while relaxing in the Texas weather the day before he was scheduled to fly home from the festival. Falcone, an entertainment photographer known for his work with All Time Low, Mayday Parade, Anarbor and We Are The In Crowd, stems from a neighborhood of New York City and has developed roots in the Boston, Massachusetts area where he attends college and offers photography classes to hopeful photographers. At just 20 years old, Falcone has achieved incredible feats including the creation of a successful photography brand, being featured in Alternative Press Magazine, and touring with enormous festivals like Warped Tour and Bamboozle. Whether you’ve seen him flash his charming smile to fans and photographers at venues, or you’ve worn your favorite All Time Low 14 | inspirer magazine
sweatshirt that bears his live photo of the band, you know you’re intrigued by his talent and easygoing character. I signed on to Skype expecting a brief interview about roots and influences, but I signed off an hour later with newfound appreciation for the photographer’s lighthearted spirit, musical past and taste in childhood TV shows. Continue reading for a portion of the transcript of the interview conducted on March 19th, 2012, and check out the Inspirer website for the full text in a couple of days.
for like a week. I’m from New York. I grew up between New York City and Poughkeepsie, which is Westchester. Poughkeepsie is a big music scene, and New York is obviously really fucking big. There was also a time in my life when I’d make my parents drive me to New Jersey all the time, like, ‘Mom! Drive me to Jersey, I wanna meet all these local bands!’ I thought I was super cool, and all this shit. And then I got really well known in the New Jersey scene, and that’s how things kind of got started. New Jersey treated me really well, and then I grew more in the Poughkeepsie scene because it was closer. And then I started driving, and my first actual gig was when I was turning 17 when Glamour Kills hit me up. I shot 9 bands Why don’t you go ahead and in 2 days, all promos, including All Time introduce yourself to our Low, We The Kings, The Cab, Every readers, where you come from, what Avenue, The Audition, etc. etc. I put out you do? that work, and things kind of kicked off Cool, cool. Tom Falcone. Entertainment from there. photographer, touring photographer, I’ve been doing it professionally since I was So, you’re currently busy on South 16, I’ve been getting paid since I was 16 By South West. Tell me how it’s been, years old. I’m 20. I turn 21 in October. who you’ve been seeing, what have My first tour was when I was 16, kind of you been doing other than getting into got me into things. I did it for like $300 car accidents and eating burritos.
Oh, man. So, I got here on Friday night. I met everyone, like the team, that I’m working with- it’s a big company called Band Page, and there’s 500,000 artists who are represented by this company, like Linkin Park, Beyonce, Jay-Z. So, South By was kind of just a big event process, as in I tried to settle down. I probably know Austin, Texas more than I know Boston right now. Yeah, it’s really great. The first few days were interactive days which, there was not that much music, but there was managers, labels, anyone you could think of. That’s a big marketing scheme, just being yourself, you know. It’s really good to show someone who has a higher up on you who you actually are. They want to hire people who they actually trust and not just some random photographer or some random videographer, you know. So yeah, it’s been great. I saw a bunch of bands that were fucking incredible. One of my favourite bands, obviously, The
Dangerous Summer. Literally, my favourite band. I saw them, I saw We Are The In Crowd, I saw The Early November for the first time ever and Ace actually recognized me and was like ‘Dude! Why are you here?’ It’s been like two years, and we caught up for a bit because he’s a huge inspiration to me. I grew up listening to him, and yeah. Bad Rabbits, Breathe Carolina, I ran into the Such Gold guys, and just a bunch of people I’ve known, which is really great.
think that you could work for us for the first two weeks?’ and I guess he heard through the grapevines, and they actually used one of my pictures on the hoodie. They didn’t think that it was going to do so well, but they’ve actually been selling it for the last 6 tours making bank off it. I think that’s a really cool accomplishment because they’re the biggest band in the scene and I get people and my friends every day calling and being like ‘Dude, I saw some girl around campus with your sweatshirt on!’ and I’m like What would you say is your biggest ‘Oh god, that’s so embarrassing.’ and accomplishment? he’s like ‘No, dude, that’s so cool, what Oh man. I would just say being young. the fuck?’ I don’t know. I think that’s I love being young. Photo wise... I think a really good accomplishment. I was it was really cool, another networking shocked by it. thing, I got asked to go out on tour with It’s just a live picture, black and white. I Mayday Parade, and they were going out love that one, it’s a great shot. with All Time Low last summer, and I don’t know how All Time Low’s maager Who do you look up to? You said hit me up, but I got an e-mail from him you’ve had the support of your family one day, and he was like ‘Oh, do you and friends, but who is your
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inspiration? My friends. My family. My mom thinks I’m insane. She cries all the time, like ‘what the fuck, come home!’ Her birthday is actually tomorrow. I wasn’t supposed to be home for it, but I’m flying up to New York City tomorrow, and she’s picking me up at the airport... Yeah, my family. My friends. My best friends from home. I’m really close with them. They’ve seen me rise, and they’re really supportive. Photography-wise, I’d say Mike Lerner, Gage Young, Joe Perry, Adam Elmakias. Yeah. Adam’s a great dude, we chat all the time. Joe’s a really good friend of mine. I just kind of keep good friends and people I meet close to me, and I love looking at their work because I know they’re doing the same thing. It’s really inspirational, it’s fun. So, you’ve seen a bunch of bands live, a bunch of shows. Who do you think has changed the music scene? I think that dubstep is a huge genre right now, obviously. I think that’s a big step for the music industry. That is a big game changer right now. It’s all technology, you don’t really need to do it live, and you just do it from a laptop, and it’s weird. At South By, at BandPage’s venue, we had like Porter Robinson play, I know a bunch of my friends saw Skrillex, and just, I don’t know. I’m not really into that kind of stuff, it’s pretty weird. I just don’t consider it music, it’s just beats and not organic. I’m all about, like, the band Anarbor, for example. They play straight up, no back tracks. Straight guitars, bass, and drums. That’s all they need to play. If you gave them no pedals or anything, they can play. I know it for a fact. There’s bands out there, though, that play backtracks. There was a band I saw the other day who lip synched. I’m not gonna say names, but I went to a tour, and this band’s backtracks were messing up. It was weird. I just respect a lot of bands who play straight up.
and it’s really grown on me because I never thought, I honestly had no idea I’d be in Texas right now 4 years ago, or maybe even a year or two ago. There was a point of my career when I got like one gig, and I thought I was hot shit like ‘damn, I just got paid.’ It became more of a stressful thing in that I thought things would just fall together just because I got a bunch of gigs, but photography is an art. It’s my job, it’s my career. I haven’t had a job since, like, summer of 2009. Yeah, I’ve been living off my own money and just working really hard at it, and I never want to get another job. I’ve never worked retail, I’ve never done coffee shops. I don’t know, I just don’t want to do it. I’m so stuck in this now that I just want to make it work, and I’m working my ass off to do it. It’s paying off, you know.
“
need to go out as soon as possible and that’s a big selling point for me. I’m really quick at doing that. Editing and sitting down is one of my favourite parts. Another favourite is photo shoots. The traveling aspect. Meeting new people. Trying to fall in love. Meeting girls, falling in love. [laughs] yeah. Of course. So, tell me, what’s your dream lineup to shoot? I really want to do rap artists and those gigs. I’ve been saying this a lot in interviews. I really want to push myself to artists, like one main artist like Drake, Wiz Khalifa, Chiddy Bang, or something. That’s what I really want to do. I think it’s fun, it’s a whole other thing. The people, the crowds, the energy. There’s so much going on with artists
my biggest accomplishment is being young. i love being young
Yeah, one job you don’t want to have is my summer job which is refereeing little children playing basketball at a camp. [laughs] Yeah, that’s rough.
”
compared to bands. And with artists, you focus more on just them rather than like 5 people in a band. I’ve shot Mayday Parade, and there were days where I took 100 pictures of Derek, the singer, and the next day someone would be like ‘Dude, What is your favourite part of the you didn’t take any pictures of me!’ and photography job? I’m like ‘give me some slack.’ It’d be I’m really good at getting the images cool to just focus on one person. Not out there. Today I woke up at 10 in the that I don’t like doing bands, I just think morning, I edited pictures, I got them out I’d get more out of it with one on one before a deadline. I think that’s really content the whole time.” good for photographers and videographers is to get your work out quick So now we have some fan questions. because people want to see it. Say I What’s your favourite childhood shoot a show and some girl is like ‘Oh, I What does photography mean to you? show? wanna see pictures from the Ohio date!’ Photography. It started off as a hobby, Oh, man. I love The O.C. The O.C. is or something, they don’t want to wait still one of my favourite shows. I have 7 years to see those pictures. They’re 16 | inspirer magazine all 4 seasons on DVD, and I actually gonna forget about it, so these pictures
re-watched them recently, just because I love it so much. It’s not really childhood, so, I would say, Hey Arnold, I was a big, big Hey Arnold fan. All the time. Another big one was Saved By The Bell. Okay, do you play any instruments? Oh, god. No one knows this. [laughs] I used to play drums. I was actually kind of good at them, and then I started getting into photography. That’s kind of what made the two and two come together because I was like, ‘Hey, what can I do with these cool pictures with my mom’s camera and the drums that I play?’ and I had a band for a little bit, and I also sang. I know, don’t listen to my voice right now, but I sang when I was like 16 or 17. I was actually showing somebody last night the band I played for, they were just rough demos, and they were like ‘Dude, this sucks.’ [laughs] So, yeah, I used to play drums. I spent so much money on my cymbals, drum kits, and heads, and this, and that. I actually just gave my drum set away to
a friend. My parents’ friends’ little girl. She’s like 7, and every time we go over there for family dinners or whenever I’m home, I’m like ‘Paige, show me what you got!’ and she fucking rips them. She has like a double bass pedal I gave her, and I’m just like ‘oh my god.’ This little girl, it’s so much fun. Yeah, I used to play drums. I love the drums. I can’t play guitar. I’ve had so many people try to teach me to play guitar. Ugh. Rough. Really fucking rough.
Funny story, I’ve never read any Harry Potter books, I’ve never seen any of the movies, and I’ve never played any video games, and the day that We Are The In Crowd and I shot the Best Intentions CD cover, me, Tay, Rob, and Mike’s little brother Will all went to see Harry Potter, the last, uh, the last movie, part 2. The only person who knew what was going on was Tay, and she was like ‘SHUT UP EVERYONE’ and me and Mike were like ‘pfft, fuck this.’ The graphics were really cool, but I had no idea what was I play guitar. Let’s start a band. going on. It was the midnight showing You know it. I actually know like one too. It was packed. There were people in song. I know the Kelly Clarkson ‘Since costumes, all intense, meanwhile, we’re U Been Gone’ song because it’s like one showing up like 10 of us like ‘okay, here chord. And I know a Brand New song. we go.’ It was a really funny day. It was And it’s like 2 chords all the time. I’m a even funnier because that day, you can bad multi-tasker with my hands. see on the cover of the CD that Tay has a Harry Potter costume on that I shot in Okay, so for some reason, I get this front of the billboard thing. So funny. question a lot, but... Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or The Hunger How about Star Wars? Games? inspirer magazine | 17 Harry Potter? No, Lord of the Rings.
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Still Lord of the Rings. I’ve never watched Star Wars either. I’m not that big of a nerd. [laughs] Alright, last question. What’s your favourite piece of equipment? I don’t know. I really like my lenses. I think my lenses are the best thing besides all of my lighting gear... Oh, oh, oh! Okay. My favourite piece of equipment, this is the best thing. I have a bunch of light stands for photo shoots and I bring them on planes, on the tour bus, and I have like a 6 and a half foot tall golf case and it looks like a trombone case and it has a hard shell. I put my soft boxes in there, my octaboxes, and like, my strobes if it’s a quick show. It’s literally so big, and I’ve gotten the most ridiculous responses to it. I got asked if it was a dildo case, a trombone case, if there were dead bodies in there. It’s funny as hell, but it travels with me a lot. I wonder what people think when I carry it. It’s all black, it has ridges and stickers, and you roll it and people get so mad. I’m in airports and I’m rolling it across the airport and there’s people who are trying to rush and walk around you, and you don’t know how to turn it because there’s only two wheels, so people are like ‘WHAT THE FUCK, GET OUT THE WAY!’ I brought it to New York City a bunch of times, and dude, New York City, the worst place to bring that thing. But yeah, that’s my most entertaining piece of gear. Alright, so do you have anything to say to the fans as we wrap this lengthy interview up? Rock and roll! [laughs] No, just check out my work, my website, my Twitter. I’m pretty funny on Twitter. Yeah, support it. And if anyone’s gonna be coming to any shows or anything, say hi. I’ll probably be on the road this summer, I don’t know what I’m doing yet, but it’s gonna be so much fun. So everyone should come say hi because I talk to a lot of people and it’s nice to get to know everyone.
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5
ALBUMS
THAT CHANGED MY LIFE by: morgan young
Music has the power and the potential to do many things. It can inspire, evict emotions of all sorts, make you feel like someone else gets it. I believe that music is the most powerful force we have been given. Between chantging minds and saving lives, it can be the saving grace you’re looking for--if you let it. Finding music that has the potential to be this powerful is easy if you just listen to the lyrics.
FIXED AT ZERO VERSAEMERGE (FUELED BY RAMEN)
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An album that holds a plethora of messages--finding your way and defeating lonely feelings included. If there’s one way to save a life, I strongly believe that it’s through this album. Not only does the record as a whole sound like something that would play in a UFO with a rocker kick, but the lyrics raise goosebumps within seconds. Each track on this album holds a message--guaranteeing you’ll find the exact words that you need to hear. Feeling lost? Put down? Out of the ordinary? Utterly alone? Like you could give up at any moment? Pop this album into your CD player, listen to what the lyrics have to say and never have these fears again. It would be impossible to ever feel alone or like you don’t belong after hearing the words sung brilliantly by Sierra Kusterbeck. Trust me when I say, it can save your life. Favorite lyric: “I can’t fall asleep but I sure can dream.”
SOMEWHERE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RIVER BETWEEN VEGA AND ALTAIR LA DISPUTE (NO SLEEP RECORDS) Bad break-ups happen. ally. If there’s one album You find someone who that will get you through changes your life. He/ the worst of the worst, she makes you feel like it’s this one. With lyrics you’ll never have to be written about a truly alone again. They have heartbreaking divorce, you thinking that they’re vocalist Jordan Dreyer the only one for you, lets listeners in comFavorite lyric: “I wasn’t happy. I until it all takes a drastic pletely and tells the harsh reality that love can, wasn’t happy where I was. What turn and you find youris life without a purpose? What is self crying over someone and will, bring. It goes who never existed, refurther than this, though. purpose without love?” It makes you realize that
there is actually someone better out there--you just have to drop the fears and let him/her find you. Speaking from personal experience, this album can get you through your worst heart broken days, realizing you’re better off and stronger than you ever were with that ex-lover.
METRO STATION METRO STATION (COLUMBIA/RED INK) This album isn’t one because of lyrics or the first band I saw countless times in the way it changed some way of thinking, popular venues in Hollywood and the but rather for sentimental reasons. Metro band that made me realize how badly I Station’s first, and only, full-length album desired to be a part of the music indusis literally the reason why I am where I try. To put it simply, if Metro Station (no am in my life currently. It was the first matter how you view their music) never album I really got into, which lead to existed, there’s no way of knowing that I me attending my first real concert. They would be nearly as close to accomplishwere the first band that I was really into, ing my dreams as I am now. Favorite lyric: “I could drive and you could sleep, while the radio collides to the sound of our heartbeats.” GIVE UP THE POSTAL SERVICE (SUB POP RECORDS) Talk about an album that can, and may, be the best record of all time. Who knew a side project could be the change I needed in order to discover what good music really sounds like? Between quirky beats and soothing vocals, I’m convinced that Ben Gibbard can do no wrong. Using metaphors and lyrical talent to their ability, I would be surprised if this album doesn’t get you wanting to sing along in an instant. Lyrics, though mostly about the concept of love, can be related to countless different situations. This album will pull you out of your lowest of slumps, coming out feeling on top with a smile on your face. For me, this album makes me want to dance while taking over the world at the same time. Favorite lyric: “I’ll be the photograph that plays your favorite albums back as you’re lying there, drifting off to sleep.”
COMMIT THIS TO MEMORY MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK (EPITAPH RECORDS) Positivity at it’s finest, clearly depicted throughout this entire record. It takes negative situations and puts the best turns on them--making it clear for us all to see the better side of things. This album is all about enjoying the finer things in life, as well as those things less appreciated. Maybe it didn’t change my life, but it definitely changed my way of thinking about countless situations. If there’s ever a point in my life where I’m feeling down about a situation that isn’t necessarily life changing, and can’t bring myself fully out of it, this album definitely pulls me up the rest of the way. Favorite lyric: “Hooray for the madness, we are better by design. Let’s hope we never have to say goodbye.”
inspirer magazine | 21
interview with simp One incredible thing about Simple Plan, a rare
‘Get Your Heart On!’ featuring guest vocals from Rivers
nal band lineup. Since the bands formation, in 1999, the
(All Time Low), and rapper K’naan.
commodity of sorts, is that they still have the entire origi- Cuomo (Weezer), Natasha Bedingfield, Alex Gaskarth members always have been Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals), Although ‘Get Your Heart On!’ is full of contagious pop
Jeff Stinco (lead guitar), Sébastien Lefebvre (rhythm gui- punk anthems, one of the most outstanding tracks is ‘This
tar, backing vocals), David Desrosiers (bass guitar, back- Song Saved My Life.’ The lyrics in the song are based ing vocals) and Chuck Comeau (drums and percussion). entirely off of fans answers via Twitter in response to the
After their debut pure pop punk hit album, ‘No Pads, No question Chuck Comeau’s asked, “We decided to write a Helmets...Just Balls’ (2002), Simple Plan went in a dif-
song about you guys…Can you tell me how our
ferent direction and focused more on deeper and more
music has made you feel through the years?” They
Not Getting Any... ‘(2004), and ‘Simple Plan’ (2008). In
music can have in one’s life and also, somehow, pay
mature lyrical themes with the next two albums, ‘Still wanted to capture the sentiment and emotional power 2011, Simple Plan went back to their pop punk roots with 22 | inspirer magazine
homage to those fans.
Besides touring worldwide and recording albums, Simple
ple plan’s front man by: heather hawke
Plan has also started their own Foundation, in 2005, as a and they also just teamed up with Sher-Wood Hockey and
way to try to give something back to the community and Pro Hockey Life for a limited edition Simple Plan hockey make a difference. The foundation is there to try and help stick, all the proceeds from sales will be used to help youth out young people and families who are going through
in need.
tragic events like cancer, or any other sickness, and also In fall of 2011, Simple Plan headlined the U.S. Get Your
help with teen problems such as suicide, poverty, and Heart On Tour with supporting acts The Cab, Marianas
drug addiction. Their focus is to try and show them that Trench and Forever The Sickest Kids. At the time of this when things get bad, it’s so that better things can come interview Simple Plan was currently wrapping up their along. After the March 11th, 2011 Japan earthquake and
February 2012 Canadian tour with All Time Low,
tsunami Simple Plan made a total donation of $15,000 Marianas Trench and These Kids Wear Crowns. Currently,
(including the money made with their Japan relief t-shirt) they are out on a 2 month Spring Europe tour with We The
to help Japan Relief Effort. Two of their recent fundraisers Kings. Then on June 1st Simple Plan will head down to were; their concert with The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM), where they raised more than $300,000,
Australia for a, short but sweet, 10 day tour.
inspirer magazine | 23
How’s the Canadian tour going so far?
It’s going great! We’re in Kitchener, Ontario and tour’s
been amazing had some huge shows. For us on the stage
side we’ve had probably our biggest production ever, so it’s
been really interesting to play these shows and have all these screens behind us, all these bells and whistles and stuff coming out, and all this production value so it’s definitely been fun.
You guys are celebrating the 10 years since your first
single “I’m Just A Kid” was released. How does it feel to know you made it this far?
It’s pretty crazy you know, the record came out in March
2002 so it’ll soon be 10 years that that came out and “I’m
Just A Kid” came out as a single around this time ten years
ago. It’s definitely, definitely crazy because we were shooting a video and putting out this record so long ago and all the adventures started it’s definitely been a crazy ride and looking
back it would have been impossible to foresee all the things
we’ve gone through and to foresee all of the places we would go to, and get all of these amazing fans around the world and do all these amazing things, and all these crazy adventures.
It’s definitely interesting to take a look back and to appreciate it all at once.
How does it feel to know you still have those same fans around?
That’s really one of the greatest parts. I know we have a lot of fans that have liked us since the first album, and also the
fun thing is too we have a lot of fans that didn’t know us back then, great balance of people who’ve been sticking around
and loving the band since the get go and we have some new
younger fans that are always coming to the concerts now. I’m sure we have some fans that maybe have moved on or something but it’s great to see all the people you know front row people that have been there forever and that we recognize
when we see them because we’ve seen them so many times.
It’s definitely been a great feeling for a band to be able to do this for so long and still be around and still be relevant.
Off of your latest album (Get Your Heart On) you did a song dedicated to all your fans called “This Song Saved
My Life”, did you ever have a band change your life that much?
There’s some bands when I was younger that, when I was growing up, what they did was they gave me an identity.
When I was in high school and everyone’s kinda looking to find out who they are and what represents them and for me
when I was in between the age of 12-18 I was really into a
serious song vs. a pop punk anthem?
punk rock bands like Lagwagon, Strung Out, Ten Foot Pole,
scribes who we are. We like to have a good time, be tongue
lot of music, I started listening to a lot of Southern California Face to Face, Rancid, and Green Day and all that kinda stuff. To me, that was a big part of who I was, it was the stickers
I put on my skateboard, it was the attitude that I had, it was where I would go to see concerts, it was really a big part of shaping my youth and sorta the way I dressed and all that
stuff. It affected me in a very big way and going to see those
shows and kinda feeling like there’s other people like me out
there it really gave me a purpose and, obviously, being where I am today, it’s something that stuck with me.
To me, that’s kind of what shapes our band. It kind of deand cheek and not too seriously and have fun, and then
there’s the other side of us that knows to be serious when it’s time to be serious. There’s certain things in life that happen that can be difficult moments and I think everyone’s got to
go through them; you can have a good time in your life but
once in a while you got to face the reality. It’s obvious when
you come up with an idea for a song whether it’s going to be something you feel should be more fun and upbeat or more serious, so that’s just how we go with it.
What was it like to have Mark Hoppus from Blink 182
I want to go back to the very beginning right now. In the
your first studio album?
according to plan? And do you think I’m wasting my time
sing on one of your very first singles (I’d Do Anything) on That was really amazing! When the first album came out
and we started touring and we started getting really busy it became so crazy so fast. We had so much going on and we were always traveling we never really had a chance to of-
ficially thank Mark; even though we saw him at a bunch of shows and we played shows with them and all that. It took
till about 2 years ago when we did another show with them
and we hadn’t seen them in years and years and we actually, finally, made a plaque for him. We had a thank you plaque we made for him, with all of our cd’s and all of the logos
with his name on it and sorta something he could hang up on his wall, in the studio, or something. Because we real-
ize it was such a big impact on our expositor to begin with.
When we first came out Blink 182 was so huge and because he was singing on it there was so much more attention we
got because of it and I think it really opened the doors for us to kinda show our music to the world and it was such a big, huge, thing for him to do and we really appreciate it. And
now we finally came around to giving him an official, real, thank you.
You have some very incredibly powerful songs that have
a deep meaning to and then you have these amazing contagious pop punk anthems. How do you decide to write
song “Perfect” you have the lyrics “Did I grow up
doing things I wanna do?” Were you parents the reasoning around the lyrics?
That was definitely a letter to our parents at the time, for sure.
Any parent that has a child that says ‘I’m going to quit school and put all my efforts and energy into this little band that I
play in” I think that every parent at that stage will probably be a little bit terrified about hearing that. Our parents have
definitely have always supported us and been there for us but at the same time there’s been those discussions at the din-
ner table like ”you guys are wasting your time” “you really
should be thinking about something that’s a little more safe and that you can count on” and stuff like that. It was a big
struggle between those two things, they want to support us and they want to love us but deep down they are afraid of
failure. When someone starts a band there’s not a very good chance of you becoming successful at it, just with the odds. That was just us responding to their fear.
One of the many popular reasons of the album title “Still Not Getting Any...” was because you guys were still not getting any respect or good reviews. On the song “Welcome To My Life” there are the lyrics “To be kicked, when you’re down, To feel like you’ve been pushed
around” did you write that from your perspective of not
inspirer magazine | 25
getting any respect, or some other reason?
have a team come over and set it all up and it was like a big
a band that the music industry really embraces as much as the
wireless network somewhere at a Starbucks coffee shop. As
That definitely goes in there for sure. We’ve never really been fans do. Our fans have always been there for us and we’re not that new hipster band that creates music that’s like listened
to by all the “cool people” and the “cool clubs” and all that
stuff, we just do what we do. We might not be reinventing the wheel but I think that in a lot of ways we’re making music
that people can really relate to and people really enjoy. It’s
exactly what that’s about, doing your own thing and some-
times you can get criticized, you’re not always going to get everyone supporting you and it’s not easy and getting that
feeling of just hitting a wall all the time it can be very difficult. That’s definitely a song that represents that emotion.
I heard a rumor that you might be releasing a dvd and EP this year? Any truth in that?
Yeah! I can’t really confirm that’s it going to be actually this
year but we’re definitely working on it. We’re making it right
now, and we have tons of songs that we haven’t used over the years that are super good, really good and valid and I think
that would be great and our fans would love them, the idea is to put some of that together. Right now on the tour we have
a guy doing a lot of video stuff that we’re not putting on our
website because we’re trying to make an effort to keep some stuff for something that we can make a little more special
than just a 5 minute vlog. We’re working on that right now,
we got a bunch of projects going on, it’s definitely something the fans can look forward to. I think it’s realistic to think that it would come out this year.
When you guys go on tour with bands that have only been together for a couple years do you see a difference on how
forming a band now and forming a band 10 years ago has
deal. Now, anyone can do a webchat from their laptop, on a
far as getting signed, it was a different time. Everything that has to do with budget wise; our record label had probably
twice the amount of employs as it has now, our budgets for
our video were at least double if not triple, and records were selling. It was definitely a different time, but I think everything evolves and everything changes, people are adapting
and bands are becoming a different type of animal than they used to be before. There’s less developing it’s more about singles on the radio, or it’s more about creating a really
strong viral buzz. You have a song that maybe didn’t take a
bunch of record labels to push it but suddenly it’s on a video or something and everyone is hearing about it and the next thing you know it’s the biggest thing in the world. So it’s
much quicker but there might be less chance for longevity
unless you really really keep pushing, but I think there’s also a lot more material out there. There’s a lot of bands, a lot of
artists, it’s become a lot easier to create music it’s become a
lot easier to produce music; you can easier make a record that most people would think sound good as another one. You can make it on your laptop and it could compare up to records
made in professional studios. It’s definitely, extremely dif-
ferent. It’s more about touring, it’s more about connecting,
it’s more about creating songs that really stand out from the
rest. I don’t know what is better. I don’t know if it is better. Is it better or was it better before? It’s very difficult to say, but I guess were all sort of adapting, and evolving with it. And
there’s no turning back anyways, so it’s like someone like if they want to go back and live in the 60’s it’s never going to happen.
changed?
You can listen to the full audio version of the interview right
was barely any interaction online between bands and fans
pierre-bouvier)
Yeah, I think so for sure. When we first started the band there there wasn’t Facebook pages and there wasn’t Twitter and
there wasn’t all this stuff; it wasn’t as easy to set up a web
chat. Webchats were super complicated to set up, you had to
26 | inspirer magazine
here (http://soundcloud.com/heatherhwk/sets/interview-with-
inspirer magazine | 27
reading and leeds festival / 2012
by: kory woodard
If you live in the United Kingdom, then you
because the Reading site could not deal with the
must know all about the Reading and Leeds
demand. Then, the bands would play the Reading site on
Festical that happens every year. If you aren’t
Friday and Saturday and then play the Leeds site on Sunday
located in the UK, then here’s what you are
and Monday. However, in 2001 it was changed to the way it
missing: every year on the August Bank Holi-
is now, where the lineup of Reading play Leeds the following
day weekend there are two music festivals that
day, and the bands from the Leeds’ opening day play Reading
last from Friday through Sunday. Each year
on the final day.
the line up never ceases to amaze, and this
The tickets for this festival, August 24-26, 2012, are already
year was no different.
on sale. Make sure you get yours soon!
This year the leading headliners are The Cure, Kasabian, and the Foo Fighters, but that won’t be the only bands you’ll see rocking out that weekend. The lineup list is dotted with hit bands like Paramore, The Shins, The Black Keys, Foster the People, and many more. The Reading Festival, which started in 1961, kicked off this annual tradition in the United Kingdom after
did you know? There’s a popular tradition called “bottling” at these festivals where fans can force performers off stage by throwing plastic
similar events were being held in America (Wood-
bottles and cans at them! In 2003, popular
stock was definitely one of these!). However, the
band Good Charlotte stopped their set 20
festival did not start out where it is today. For sev-
minutes short and encouraged the crowd to
eral years after it first began the festival was moved around and the name was changed many times. It was in 1971 that the festival finally found itself in Reading and has seen stayed in the same place.
throw bottles after the count of three because the trio was being pelted by bottles throughout their set.
It was in 1999 the Leeds Festival was added on
inspirer magazine | 29
by: lauren gamez
JOSEPH KONY Joseph Kony is a Ugandan guerrilla group leader, head of the Lord’s Resistance Army known as the LRA. Kony proclaims himself as the spokesperson of God and a spirit medium, which the group believes can represent itself in many manifestations.
30 | inspirer magazine
“
66,00
An estimated children became soldiers and two million people have been internally displaced since 1986.
The LRA is a syncretic mix of mysticism, Acholi nationalism, and Christian fundamentalism, claiming to be establishing a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments. He ordered the abduction of children to become child soldiers, and child-sex slaves. An estimated 66,000 children became soldiers and two million people have been internally displaced since 1986. When abducting the children, Kony and his army often killed their family and neighbors, leaving the innocent children with the little choice but to fight for him. Starting in the mid 1990s, the LRA was strengthened by military support from Sudan’s government, which was retaliating against Ugandan government support for rebels in what would become South Sudan. Sudan withdrew its support for the LRA not long after the ICC issued a warrant for Kony’s arrest.
”
The Ugandan military has attempted to kill Kony throughout the insurgency. In Uganda’s latest attempt to track down Kony, former LRA combatants have been enlisted to search remote areas of the Central African Republic, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo where he was seen last. After the attacks of September 11th, the United States declared the LRA a terrorist group. On August 28, 2008, the United States Treasury Department placed Kony on its list of “Specially Designated Global Terrorists”. As of right now, Joseph Kony is the most wanted criminal in the world. Kony received a surge of attention in March 2012 when a thirty-minute documentary, Kony 2012 by filmmaker Jason Russell for the campaign/ organization group Invisible Children Inc. was released.
inspirer magazine | 31
“
The film was to call attention to Kony’s action and make him famous for not what he has done but his
arrest”
The main purpose of the production was to draw attention to Kony in an effort to increase the United States involvement on the disturbing issue. The documentary was released on Youtube and Vimeo, bringing in millions of views in a matter of a few days. It was a huge outpour of support from Facebook users, filling up most of everyone’s newsfeed. The film was to call attention to Kony’s action and make him famous for not what he has done but his arrest. The more awareness that gets spread all around the world makes the arrest slightly easier. The Invisible Children Inc. put together an action kit that people can purchase that includes a t-shirt, two bracelets, posters, stickers, and more so on April 20th, everyone can “Cover the Night”. “Cover the Night” is the night where those who purchased posters and/or the action kit go out in their city and post posters and stick stickers everywhere they can. That way, people who have never heard about Kony will now be surrounded by “Stop Kony 2012” and make them interested in researching about it.
32 | inspirer magazine
QURAN BURNINGS IN AFGHANISTAN: WHERE CULTURES DIVERGE U.S. personnel.
by: brandon krampert
“We want peace, not violence, not war. Afghan’s are tired of war and killing each other . . .The protests today were small because the protests over the last few days did nothing but kill and injure Afghans,” said Elyas, 23. Taken from an interview conducted by John Wendle of Times Magazine in response to protests in Afghanistan over the Quran burnings and it seemed to be the attitude of most Afghans interviewed by TIME.
act was at Bagram, it was unintentional and Americans and ISAF soldiers do not Aljazeera reported that two stand for this.” soldiers were killed when an ”individual wearing an Most Afghans are angry but are really Afghan army uniform” reacting more towards the Quran burning, opened fire on them at a rather than sympathizing with the IEOA. military base in Khogyani, A recent international discussion concernin eastern Nargarhar Proving this dispute, what really is the true ince. Also, in Kabul, the repercussions of this, concerning the trust Capital, within the Ministry and relations between Afghanistan and of Interior, four American the western world and what could this military officers/advisors mean for NATO’s plans to start pulling were shot and killed by out from the country and handing respontwo Afghans. Allegedly, an sibility to the Afghan Security Forces in extremist group, the Islamic 2014? Whenever Marines urinating on Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban), claimed dead Afghans and the Afghan murder the responsibility for it. other week surely contributes to this. In an attempt to clarify what the Ameri- OBAMA APOLOGIZES AND VIOLENCE CALMS cans and NATO are there for, their In efforts, of calming the disruptions of mission, and to encourage the troops, at a military base in Khogyani, John Allen, the Afghan/American relations, U.S. president, Obama sent a letter to president Commander of the International SecuKarzai to apologize for the preceding rity Assistance Force and U.S. forces in event of the protests that was received a Afghanistan said aloud to the troops present at the base:
There was much tension between the Afghans and NATO and their allies because of accusations made on February twenty first, of Quran’s being burned by American officials. As a result, protests of fervor had engulfed the country of Afghanistan and ended in violence. As many as thirty Afghani deaths were reported within the days of the protests and some U.S. soldiers were killed as well, as many as six
“We’re here for our friends. We’re here for our partners. We’re here for the Afghan people . . . Now is how we show the Afghan people that as bad as that
PROTESTS OVER THE QURAN BURNINGS
34 | inspirer magazine
violent, so-so things are calming down.” THE STORY AT BAGRAM AIRBASE
als from prisons and they had orders to dispose of them.” FACTORS OF THE QURAN BURNING PROBLEM
If that is the case, why wouldn’t NATO and the U.S. have measures to prevent What really hapthis kind of problem? The American’s pened that caused and the west have been in Afghanistan these protests to for about ten years. Especially, since there occur? Reports has been a quite a few situations in the show that Qurans past with Quran burnings making it in and other religious the international news. Therefore, it has literature were con- had dire consequences with trust between fiscated at Parwan cultures and if things like this keep hapDetention Facilpening, it really could undermine what ity which adjoins the west is trying to do in Afghanistan. Bagram Airbase couple days after the burning took place: and were ordered to be disposed of, they In a teleconference from Kabul with reporters at the Pentagon, German “I wish to express my deep regret for the allegedly contained extremist messages Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson, the reported incident. . .I extend to you and and military personnel suspected that the Afghan people my detainees spokesman for the ISAF, commented on the situation, “The training of forces sincere apologies. . . were The error was inadexchang- before their deployment and their trainvertent. . . I assure you ing mes- ing on deployment, regulated by the that we will take the sages by troop-contributing nations, but they all appropriate steps to making involve standards of cultural standards.” avoid any recurrence, symbols He stressed it very much, ”We have . . to include holding in texts. . regulations that very clearly deal with predeployment training and cultural accountable those Within a awareness.” Jacobson suggested that the responsible.” Reuters perpetrating element in the Quran burnAfter days of protest, blog, ings was something else, ”Somewhere President Barack Obama the violence and upjournalist in the chain of command or right down roar settled down. Military spokesman Hamid Shalizi, based in Afghanistan, in- to the personnel who has given the order characterized the situation well as he terviewed some of the Afghan workers at to dispose of this material, somebody spoke to reporters in Kabul, stating: the base that witnessed the Qurans being did not recognize the importance and burned at the disposal center there, which the nature of the importance, which right “I’d be less than honest if I didn’t say that things are tense here in Kabul. They led to the event getting out to the public. from the beginning should have led to the involvement of cultural advisors.” certainly are. But I will tell you that it’s A witness Sayed Jamil, 22, was with getting calmer here. On Saturday, we other workers at the disposal center when JOINT INVESTIGATION AT A CLOSE In the midst of three investigations had 24 protests. A majority of thema woman and two men, wearing U.S. being announced, the joint Afghan/ not a majority, but a great number of military uniforms, appeared in a truck them were violent. Yesterday, only nine piled with the religious literature, “I was NATO investigation has come to a close near the start of March. An ofprotests, and they were not throughout ready to shed blood and kill them or be the country. There was four in the north, killed.” The Afghan workers confronted ficial tied to the investigation stated four in the east, and only one out west. the U.S. military personnel, ”We told the that at least six U.S. soldiers would be called for disciplinary review in the Today, there was only three protests, driver they were all religious materials and only two of those three were about and asked why they were burning them. final report. Some news reports show that the 6 include military “leaders” the Quran issue. One was about land The Americans said they were materiand an Afghan-American Interpreter. disputes. And none of the three were
“We’re here for our friends. We’re here for our partners. We’re here for the Afghan people.” -
inspirer magazine | 35
Journey Inside Einstein’s Mind by: sandra kasper
“knowledge is not about hiding. it’s about openness.” 36 | inspirer magazine
One of the ever so common answers to the hypothetical question of “If you could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would it be?” remains Albert Einstein. On March 19, the Huffington Post reported that the entire Albert Einstein Archive is to be posted online by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. While neither dinner nor actual conversation are an option, the publication of Einstein’s archives will give readers a first-hand glimpse into the mind and musings of the legendary genius. According to the Huffington Post, all 80,000 items from the Einstein collection have been cataloged and enhanced with cross referencing technology. So, what exactly does this mean? Internet users will be able to peruse high resolution copies of Einstein’s work as if they were reading one of his actual notebooks. While one might assume that his archives would merely contain overwhelming subject matter such as his theory of relativity and the equation E=MC2, the archives contain much more. The archives include a numerous amount of documents that delve into Einstein’s personal life: post cards, love letters, and fan mail. These documents are truly the most priceless because they humanize the man that
we have all hailed a brilliant enigma. Also included are the journals of Einstein, which reveal his opinions on a variety of issues ranging from African-American rights to the Arab-Jewish conflict. Menachem Ben Sasson, president of the Hebrew University, said of deciding to share the archives with the public: “Knowledge is not about hiding. It’s about openness.” The president’s statement truly honors all that Einstein himself treasured. And now, the treasure of his work will be shared with the world. One of the most widely known statements that Albert Einstein ever made was: “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of the mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” Well, Mr. Einstein, we will honor your wishes and never stop questioning. However, due to the availability of your life’s work, we are sure that we will have a few less questions.
inspirer magazine | 37
If you are between the ages of 18-29, the acronym AIM probably triggers a few memories. You undoubtedly reflect on the years of late ate night group chats with friends about the juiciest gossip, chatting with a middle school crush, or the creative rush you felt when trying to create a new screen name. While this messaging system is undeniably a thing of the past, it is something that resonates with a very specific demographic of teens and young adults today. For us, AIM exists in the very back folds of our minds as our first days of independence, selfexpression, and web usage. AOL Instant Messenger, though, is much more than that, having pioneered the social networking world that we know and love today. In the midst of Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter (to name a few) we may be quick to forget the site that started it all. But like all good things, AIM is now coming to an end following the cut of more than 75% of the AIM development department at AOL last week. With more cuts to come, it is safe to say that the days of the messaging service are over.
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This certainly may be the end of a technological era. Though AIM generates $50 million in revenue for its parent company, the New York Times reports that over half of that must be put right back into the sustainability of this service. And while people are still, in a sense, using AIM, there has been an overwhelming shift to newer sites that provide the same thing. Almost everyone is familiar to the builtin instant messaging services provided Facebook and Gmail, and it is these sites, along with rampant changes in site popularity, that make AIM obsolete. It is more imperative than ever for companies like AOL to stay afloat and relevant in an everchanging world. The company saw AIM as an obstacle preventing them from being able to successfully compete with the slew of other technological innovators, especially in Silicon Valley. AOL seems to be justifying this move strictly in terms of financial gain. To stay on their toes, the company has to create ideas that will earn them more profit than it costs to maintain them.
The company hopes to generate more than $20 million in revenue per year with the elimination of this program. When asked about the layoffs, an anonymous spokeswoman said, “we are making some strategic but very difficult changes to better align our resources with key areas of growth for us as a company. We remain committed to our presence in Silicon Valley and driving innovation in consumer products and mobile.â€? The U.S. has seen the rise and fall of a multitude of technologies from passĂŠ blog sites to the creation of e-books and tablets, and AIM is not exempt from these changing times. And while we will obviously rise from this change unscathed and without much sorrow, it is certainly sad to think that within a few months our once beloved messaging system will forever a thing of the past.
After 14 long years, Warped Tour will return to the United Kingdom in November of this year. Want to know what bands will be playing? Check back at Inspirer.Nu, and we’ll keep you up to date!
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If massacres are inevitable in a war, responsibility for the actions of troops as well as their mission is being reevaluated.
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U.S soldier opened fire and shot to death 16 Afghans while they were asleep in their homes, Afghan and NATO officials said last week. The incident, which has been described by US officials as “isolated” and “inexplicable” has fueled Anti-American sentiments in Afghanistan especially after a Quran-burning incident by US personnel that took place last month. The unidentified solider turned himself in after returning to his base. According to the Associated Press, the serviceman also set 11 of the bodies on fire. And while NATO and US officials continue to reiterate the individual nature of the shooting, responsibility for the attack is being demanded by Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai. “The people of Afghanistan want full reports and clarity on the incident’s details from the United States of America,” Karzai said. But while all wars bring out the repugnant side of humanity, concern that the US army is deploying soldiers who are psychologically unfit for battle has been voiced after the recent shooting. “What we do know is that he had been injured in an accident while deployed to Iraq in 2010. Despite being diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, he was found fit for duty,” wrote Eric Zillmer professor of neuropsychology at Drexel University. And while Zillmer dismisses brain trauma as an explanation for the shootings, the nature of the events of this past year raises the question of the psychological toll of long wars. The massacre in Panjwai, that killed 16, nine of them children, follows the eruptions of killings and protests in response to US troops burning of the Quran as well as the exposure of a video showing US marines urinating on dead Afghan corpses. As the war drags on, more outrageous acts of violence have emerged and not just from US personnel. British soldiers are
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currently on trial for filming their abuse of Afghan children. Massacres of this nature are not unique to the war in Afghanistan. The US left Iraq with several bloody massacres on its hands. Massacres are inevitable in war, as they are unfortunate byproducts of the very nature of foreign occupations. “War, of course, is always stressful,” Zillmer writes, “history has many examples. And the war in Afghanistan is no exception.” It’s no secret that the war in Afghanistan is hugely unpopular. In Britain 55% want troops withdrawn immediately, while in the US, 60% believe the war hasn’t been worth fighting. These numbers continue to rise when tension grows after events like this only increase between troops and the Afghan people. “Afghanistan, by any standard, is a tough terrain with complex politics and even more complex culture. The mental, emotional and physical burden on our troops is formidable,” writes Zillmer. Grounds need to be tread on lightly in the wake of these recent events. If massacres are inevitable in a war, responsibility for the actions of troops as well as their mission is being reevaluated. “We will hold any perpetrator who is responsible for this violence fully accountable under the law” U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta assured Karzai, “I am fully committed to ensuring that our cooperation continues.” Tensions continue to be dispelled by officials, but psychological tensions among troops remain. “The Pentagon should also emphasize an important nontechnological component in its military training: the need to include a better understanding of cross-cultural challenges,” Zillmer said.
MASSACRES A Psychological Toll of War by: lubna safi
very -ing
P
interest, which was founded by Ben Silbermann in 2009, has quickly become one of the most frequented sites in the realm of social media. Although the site entered into open beta mode in March 2010, Pinterest’s user traffic surged in late 2011. The site’s following continues to grow at a rapid rate in 2012.
S
o, what is Pinterest? Pinterest is Virtual Pinboard, which allows users to organize and share content found on the web. Pinterest suggests using the site for the following tasks: to redecorate your home, to plan a wedding,to find your style, to save your inspirations, and to save your recipes. The site’s mission is to connect everyone in the world through the “things” they find interesting. most interesting aspects of Pinterest O neis theof the ease at which its users are captured into a
time warp of pinning and browsing other users’ pins. According to Mashable.com, Pinterest users spend an average of 98 minutes on the site per month, third only to Tumblr (2.5 hours) and Facebook (7 hours).
F
lowtown in partnership with Column Five have created the following infographic to examine why Pinterest is so addictive:
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Iranian/ Israeli Conflict: Preemptive Strike
“We have the president of the United States addressing the most powerful lobbying group in the world, AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), that continues− They’ve pushed us into war with Iraq, and they’re trying to push us into a war with Iran. We’re saying, free Palestine. We’re saying, negotiate in free− for peace in Palestine, peace with Iran. We need to stop. We need to get nuclear power out− nuclear weapons out of the Middle East. That includes Israel,” announced Los Angeles resident, Ty Barry, a participant of the protests led by the group Occupy AIPAC outside of the AIPAC conference in Washington. On March 4th, Sunday, where Obama made an address. Earlier this month of March, there has been much talk of military plans against Iran between Israel and the United States and has been expressed in the media. There have been accusations about Iran as a ‘supposed’ nuclear threat and a threat to Israel’s security. On Obama’s Sunday address, he signified his sentiment to this situation,” I have said that when it comes to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, I will take no options off the table, and I mean what I say. That includes all elements of American power: a political effort aimed at isolating Iran, a diplomatic effort to 44 | inspirer magazine
sustain our coalition and ensure that the Iranian program is monitored, an economic effort that imposes crippling sanctions, and yes, a military effort to be prepared for any contingency. ” In an interview, a professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University and author, Rashid Khalidi, made a reflection in response to Obama’s implications, the probability of Iran’s desire to obtain nuclear weapons: “ …Given that there’s no evidence that the Iranians have a nuclear weapons program. That’s the unanimous opinion of the intelligence community, by the way, not just the American. So, the president was pushing back on those issues, even though he did give a bit of ground. “ Obama, in his address also discussed how to further achieve diplomacy and dissuade AIPAC from a military option currently, “ Moving forward, I would ask that we all remember the weightiness of these issues, the stakes involved for Israel, for America, and for the world”, he said, “ Already there is too much loose talk of war. Over the last few weeks, such talk has only benefitted the Iran government, by driving up the price of oil, which they depend on to fund their nuclear program. For the sake of Israel’s security, America’s security, and the peace and security of
the world. Now is not the time for bluster. Now is the time to let our increased pressure sink in and to sustain the broad international coalition we have built. ”
On Tuesday, March 6th, Netanyahu made an address to AIPAC as well. His statements seemed to exemplify the opposite of Obama’s address. He said, “We waited for diplomacy to work; we’ve waited for sanctions to work; none of us can afford to wait much longer.”
The following day, Israeli prime minister, Netanyahu and Obama met for talks concerning foreign policy: Such as peace negotiations for He continued to reiterate his persistence for a Palestine and the question of Iran that has gotten military strike against Iran, although Iran denies much speculation regarding their nuclear program. that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons and says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.
“... there’s no evidence that the Iranians have a nuclear weapon program ...”
What is the likelihood of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons? London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies makes an annual assessment of military capabilities and defence economics of about 171 countries. In this years issue of Military Balance that was released this month, showed that Iran’s military expenditures was among the lowest in the inspirer magazine | 45
region and a mere fraction of the U.S. On the other hand, Jonathon Ariel from the Israel News Agency wrote an article on the allegations of evidence from U.S. military sources on Iran building nuclear weapons and the call for a ‘preemptive’ strike. Robert Wood, head of U.S. mission to the International Atomic Energy Agency commented on this story, “I don’t want to get into, you know, intelligence issues or anything like that, but certainly there have been reports out there that Iran has been so-called ‘sanitizing’ the Parchin site. That would be− If that’s really happening, that’s of great concern to us, and I think it kind of makes sense why Iran denied access and was very concerned about providing access to the agency. SO, I don’t know what’s going on there at Parchin, but the reports are very disturbing.” Hopefully, this conflict will not result to a replication of a similar magnitude, like in 1981, whenever Israel perpetrated an air strike and destroyed a nuclear reactor that was under construction in Iraq because Israel suspected that it was for nuclear weapons. An airstrike could potentially make it more probable for Iran to make nuclear weapons as a means for self-defense. However, it appears that these plans might be postponed for some time. The Obama administration reportedly offered Israel military arms in exchange for delaying an attack on Iran until next year. According to a Reuters report, an Israeli official confirmed that Israel has made a request for bunker-busting bombs and long-range refueling planes from the United States. Does this story still have relevance? 46 | inspirer magazine
Despite the fact, that it has been postponed for now, Israel has intent and diligence towards imposing an air strike against Iran. We should go back to Jonathon’s proposal for an preemptive strike. But would an airstrike on Iran be a preemptive strike? Should we question the legality of it under international law? Noam Chomsky, professor of linguistics and philosophy at MIT, surely has. Chomsky wrote a piece for the New York Syndicate in the beginning of the month, argued that if the plans were carried through, it would once again(referring to the 2003 war in Iraq) be a violation of the U.N. charter, the foundation of international law. The inconsistency, at the core, is the legality of this air strike. There has been no evidence brought forth that Iran has inflicted an armed attack on a U.N. member. Therefore, the U.S. or Israel has no legal grounds to do so, pertaining to international law. It is described in the U.N. Charter article 51: “ Nothing in the present charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a member of the U.N. … “ Moreover, China and Russia are in disapproval of U.S. policy on Iran, as well as India, which stated it would not comply with U.S. sanctions and increase trade with Iran. Turkey took a similar stance as well.
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interview with di First off, I’d like to know: what are some of your inspirations when creating a collection? Usually I am inspired by the flow of the emotions that I experience before creating the collection. And usually our collections try to say about something that is interesting for us at that moment, of something specific, I hope we don’t have meaningless collections and we’ll never have such ones. When we create a collection, we watch movies that are somehow connected to the topic and subjects of the collection, we read articles and listen to music. I think, music is on of the key points and one of the most inspiring things while creating a collection. It gives a lot of new ideas and makes imagination flow. Also, we can be inspired by a set of new fabrics purchased for the collection. And of course people we met in our life are inspiring, sometimes it is some particular person, and sometimes it’s
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a collection of the characters of my life. Do you have any specific muses, perhaps ever since you started? No, I don’t have some specific muses. Its always something different, what or who inspires most of all. I started to create some fashion things from the very childhood, and I even did not realized how I came to this. Nobody in my family was engaged in fashion projects or stuff like that. But there is a story my mom told me – when she was pregnant, she sewed some dresses for herself, though she had never done it before, so maybe it was put in my soul and nature even before birth. Are there certain stories hidden behind any of your garments?
ima domanoff by: lillie allen Behind the clothes there is always a story - the story of its creation. Emotions and feelings that guide us when it comes to life. Even an ordinary top is innuendo. By clothes we can not tell everything about a person, we can give some hints about experiences and feelings, but what it reveals is the consumer of his own and gives it a place in his life.
tion styles, I can’t explain why its like that now and what does it depend on. Probably its just my nowadays mood. I just like to experiment with the style.
And lastly, what is it that inspires you to be great, and be in such a position as the designer of a recognized label? How does your personal style influence your image of a I am inspired by my work, inspired by my surroundings woman’s silhouette (either when sketching or actually and the people around me. And sometimes it’s hard, but making garment)? you get up in the morning and realize that in your life you It used to be that my personal style differed from the style do the right thing. You do what you have to. And coming of my collections because it probably had a different feeling home at midnight, very tired because of the intense schedinside. But I always mentally try on clothes I create for my- ule and hectic days, you are thankful to God that you have self and try to imagine how a person walks and what he is a really happy life. God has blessed me to make in my life making in it, if its convenient, how does it feel to have it on. what I really love and what I am really inspired by and I And now my style has become more similar to my collecam very thankful for that.
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BIG BAD WOLF FOR INSPIRER
by lena petersson malevitis
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Aimee, 28, Graphic Designer and Margaret, 35, Researcher in Mathematics Education decided to create the brand BIGBADWOLF. The principle? Dyed and customized original shorts. Torn, studded, cut, colored shorts THEY made basic to the current fashion. All are unique and makes you want to collect them. Inspirer.nu got the chance to speak with the designers behind the brand. Who are your favorite designers? Ragged Priest, We are handsome, Evil Twin, Cassette society Which were your favorite pieces in your recent collection? Aimee: Coral Shorties with Crosses on the back & The Light Blue fade with studded back (The one used in the photoshoot) - It’s always hard to pick, but the ones with the loudest personality seem to grab me the most. Marguerite: I love the look of the back pocket, ripped down, with solid studding underneath. They really add to the vintage look for me, where they seem that they have had a whole other life before this new owner. I love making up stories about where they have been before and any little wear mark on them only adds to the excitement of the story! Your inspirations? 90’s grunge, outdoor festivals and the thought of owning something unique that is a clever mix of old and new. How to define your universe? Our universe is our little ‘sweat shop’ at the moment! It is such a lovely place to be....with denim bunting, ceramic animals, vintage shop signs, an antique dresser – we have surrounded ourselves with quirky little things that make us happy and it is a place to go to where the work is enjoyable. What are some of your favorite materials to work with? We really try to work with 100% natural fibres and we love the idea that we turn discarded items from a little corner in Australia into fashionable items that are bought all over the world! .....of course we can’t ever go past studs.... it is our modern version of bedazzling! find their creations on their website http://www.etsy.com/shop/shopbigbadwolf or on facebook http://www.facebook.com/bigbadwolflabel
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interview with Abel Prasad by: Jourdan Saseen ​In the fashion industry, Australia is known to be one of the most successful markets in the world. To be one of the most successful, you have to have the right recipe. Abel Prasad is one of the key ingredients to the Australian fashion market. From owning The Old Scholar, being partnered with Guide Dogs SA.NT, and owning a percentage of the distribution rights of 28BLACK, Abel Prasad is in a little bit of everything‌
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To begin, tell us a little about yourself? Born in 1987 I am the youngest of five. I have four older sisters who are a lot more smarter than I am. I was brought up by my mother a doctor in one of South Australias’ poorest areas. My mother strongly believes that charity begins at home and that we should try and better ourselves and the people around us.The values I have learnt and continue to learn are because of her. I went to one of Adelaide’s most exclusive all boys school St Peters College located in the heart of the City. Here I learnt how to deal with many issues, which at times grounded me and made me the business owner I am today. I went to Bond University for a short period and then Monash University studying law commerce. Currently I have two businesses under my belt. The Old Scholar Online Clothing and Old Scholar Distribution. How did the Old Scholar begin? I wanted to start a business that supported young designers. A platform for them to launch their hopes and desires. The business world is the hardest world to be in. I have failed as much as I succeeded and I wanted to help others succeed rather than fail. Is the Old Scholar strictly an online store? For now the Old Scholar is an online store. We are thinking about opening a few stores around Australia and Asia. By focusing on an online market place we are enabled to keep our prices which in turn enables us to regularly update stock and increase the amount of designers we have on our website. What made you decide to start shipping orders internationally? The international market loves Australian Designers and anything to do with Australia. Perhaps its our eye to detail or our quality standards. If we can share a little bit of Australia to the rest of the world. Why Not! I saw that you have many brands that you sell, how did you choose those brands? Do you limit the number of brands you sell? No we encourage young designers to submit their clothing to us for us to sell on their behalf. Where did the name The Old Scholar come from? A Scholar is someone who is learned. Thus an Old Scholar is an older person who has learnt numerous things. I believe we continue to learn no matter how old you are. The idea behind the name is that we have a wide variety of staff who come from all different areas of fashion. Thus my team are all learned and we want to share our knowledge with the rest of the world. I saw that you sell energy drinks, why did you decide to
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incorporate that into your website? I own a percentage of the distribution rights of this company. Our drink is a premium energy drink that has been seen at numerous fashion shows around Australia. It was only sensible to add this drink to our site. I saw that a percentage of sales goes towards Guide Dogs SA.NT, how did you get involved with that? I was watching a tv documentary with my godson who didn’t understand how a dog could help people see. I tried to explain to him and he still didn’t understand. I did some research and realized the expense to raising a guide dog and I wanted to help. My mother always believed that charity starts at home. Adelaide is my home so if I can give a little maybe I could start making a difference.
What is your goal with the Old Scholar? I want to be the only Australia online store shipping Australian young designers overseas. I want to ensure that we encourage the rest of the world to buy Australian. The Australian fashion market is unique and has so many different aspects to it. We should be encouraging these young designers to show what they have. How will I get there… if international buyers see the potential of our clients.
on the side? I am a keen rugby follower and tennis player. I like just heading out of a sunny day and going for a long walk. Where do you get inspiration from? My mother is my inspiration. Mothers are the only ones who truly love us unconditionally. I can’t believe that women in her mid 50s can still look like a 30 year old after having five kids and the stress of a boy like me in the house hold.
Would you consider yourself more of a creative person, business oriented person, or both? If you could give any advice to people aspiring to be in the A bit of both. I like getting into the ideas but at the same time I fashion world, what would that piece of advice be? do need to level myself out and think about the business side. Business isn’t easy and there will be hundreds of people trying to pull you down. Don’t take it to heart because at the end Do you have any other hobbies or side jobs you like to do of the day they are only thinking it should have been me.
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Your Daily OutďŹ t Guide For The Week Day 1
Day 2
Day 5
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Day 3
by: yuka chiba
Day 4
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MOHCINE
fotm
FASHIONISTO OF THE MONTH INTERVIEW BY KELLY BAYSINGER
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Inspirer : How would you describe your personal style? Mohcine: My style is a mix of a lot of different things; Fun, dandy, colourful, edgy and it speaks to my personality. I’m always a very happy and enthusiastic person, not to mention some down times, and my looks and style shows that. They reflect my mood and inspiration at that given time, but mostly they are an extension of who I am as a person in reality. I:Where do you get the inspiration for your style? M: I get a lot of inspirations from various runway shows, magazines, movies, and books. Random people on the street also inspired me. Their good and I: Do you have specific favorite places to shop at? bad fashion choices are usually very appealing to me. M: Of course! I’m a big fan of APRIL77, ZARA, H&M, CHEAP MONDAY, PULL&BEAR, TOPMAN, AMERICAN APPAREL, ASOS, VANS... I: Any up and coming trends you are looking forward to? M:Yes I’m still following the trends and latest finds in fashion, but I also try to document myself to find my own style and why not be the pioneer of new trends and inspire the fashion victims
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I: What are three items in your closet you couldn’t live without? M: hahaa! I think I cannot live without my Leather pants from APRIL77 & my brown Sweater from PULL&BEAR and finally my lover Metallic Converse I: Any fashion trends you are glad to be gone? M: I am only inspired by trends that I love and not because they are most followed, the style that I mostly like is Alexander Mqueen, Marc Jacob ... I: Have you always been interested in fashion? M: Yes, always and I always knew I wanted to work in this business and was absolutely determined to do so one day.
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INSPIRER.nu meets AU JOUR LE JOUR
“Au jour le jour” is a young -but already successful brand- born thanks to the friendship between Mirko Fontana and Diego Marquez. A year ago they walked the runway as finalist of “Who is on Next” competition. Ever since, they had an instant success. Always mentioned on Vogue.it –who continuously support their work- , Au jour le Jour during the latest fashion week has been chosen by important personalities to attend the shows driving street style photographers crazy! How did you meet each other? Mirko and Diego: We met each other in Milan, a big city full of several stimuli and opportunities and we like it very much How did you arrive to the competition “Who is on Next?” Mirko and Diego: After 3 seasons we had been chosen between different upcoming brands. All of this was for us a big honor and an important window to spread our work.
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by: Giulia Brandimarti
Your collections always have a retrò taste often inspired by the 1960’s. What do you like about fashion in that era? Mirko and Diego: We love fashion that comes from the past because it always provides ideas, shapes or interesting colors. What we like, we reinterpreted and revisited it with a modern and personal key, also because each our piece born with the ambition to be timeless. What does “Au jour le jour” mean? Mirko and Diego: It means “day by day”, but in reality it’s a state of mind, it’s a way to interpret fashion and the own personal style with irony and following the every day’s mood. You have decided to promote and spread your brand only through the 2.0 world, in others words through the web. Has it been efficacious so far? Mirko and Diego: The web represents the faster and the powerful media right now and so every day is a fight to leave own sign in a universe crowded of offers, but definitely it works! You attended, as finalists of “Who is on Next”, in Rome Fashion Week “AltaRoma”. What did you think about it? Do you consider historical haute couture brands walk the runway appropriate? Mirko and Diego: It’s important to protect the “old”
brands, but it would be important at the same time to bring back to Rome the big maison that chose the haute couture fashion week in Paris, so in this way Rome would have an international allure again. During the months when you were working on your next F/W collection. Can you tell me about the anticipation on the concept? Mirko and Diego: The next F/W collection presents two different women with a strong soul, careful to the fabrics, to the colors, to the embroidery and to the details that always define “Au Jour Le Jour”. What advice can you give out to the youth taking the path of fashion? Mirko and Diego: We think that is very important to have a good project to realize and pursue it with excitement, strength, will and poise… everything can happen. What is the dream or next step you want to reach? Mirko and Diego: Our dream is to improve our brand trying to reach more women possible worldwide!
Thanks to: Luana Lupacchini and May agency. Check out their spring/summer and pre-fall collection on the next pages!
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M&K With Mina & Katusha becoming an official line in 2008 they have came through with great success. These Aussie babes have caught the eye of many people internationally and where able to show their collection in New York, London, and New Orleans. We want to know what mastermind is behind these unique, striking designs and I got the chance to ask them a few questions. BY ANAROSA TROTTA
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ow did Mina & Katusha start and how did you guys come up with the name of your line? It started by accident really. We met one another through Sarina doing work experience for Katya in her textile agency. We saw a fabric that we liked and thought it would make great maxi dresses. We decided to make the maxi dresses and just sell a small run of them and decided that with our different educations in the fashion industry we would make great partners. We came up with a name… told some friends… and the rest is history… except for we never ended up making the maxi dresses we talked about, and still have the fabric 4 years later! Mina & Katusha are what our families called us when we were young. Sarina = Mina and Katya = Katusha Where are you guys located? We have just set up a new office in Brunswick St, Fitzroy. Above our new boutique called Gusto & Elan, which is all about supporting and promoting exciting and fresh labels How would you describe your style set? Feminine, versatile, clean lines with innovative design elements When it comes to style, what kind of people is Mina & Katusha’s clothing aimed for? Girls that like to make subtle statement with what they wear, the collections work together to create a style or Mina & Katusha is easily mixed and matched with other items in your wardrobe, The Mina & Katusha customer likes to have fun and play with their clothing. The double take dress in the current Winter 2012 ‘Encounter’ has removable back panels that can be worn with leather or print details, as the does the metaphor dress with its interchangeable sleeves.
What would be your dream collaboration, and with who? Too hard to answer, the thought of collaborating with artists, graphic designers, film producers, other designers, photographers is soo exciting that we cannot pick just one. Explain the style of the designers behind Mina & Katusha and how it mixes in with your line. We have the complete opposite body shapes and dress for it. So with each collection we accommodate for both. Sarina likes waist lines, vintage tailoring and loose flowing fabrics whereas Katya prefers straight, tight and tailored
“We came up with a name, told some friends, and the rest is history… except for we never ended up making the maxi dresses we talked about, and still have the fabric 4 years later!” How can people find your line? Our website contains all the information and also our blog :www.minaandkatusha.com.au, www.facebook.com/minakatusha. and www.twitter. com/minaandkatusha Future Goals for Mina & Katusha? To be one of the celebrated Australian labels
What influences do you have to make your line what it What age group is your line aimed for? is today? Each collection draws on influences from all sorts of 20-35, but we don’t like to put a number on it. Our cussources, from fabric to colour, to styling. Our digital tomer is a fashion customer, doesnt matter the age. prints that we have been creating for 2 seasons now influence our designs and vice versa the collections can lead us in the direction of our prints.
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Girls that like to make subtle statement with what they wear, the collections work together to create a style or Mina & Katusha is easily mixed and matched with other items in your wardrobe, The Mina & Katusha customer likes to have fun and play with their clothing
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“This is the first day of the rest of your life”…If this sounds familiar, you're probably a new graduate. It’s familiar because year after year every other college dean on the roster has consistently recited this at countless graduations. While of course, always reinforcing the “fact” that you are the most unique and talented graduating class that he has ever encountered in all of his monotonous and thrilling years as an educator. Maybe he was confused or misquoted. Have you seen the news lately? Ever heard of a recession? What he should have said was “fasten your checkbooks and tighten your wads. Welcome, graduating class, to the descending economy!” We are currently experiencing what some may consider to be a semi-apocalyptic depression. In 2011 the umeployment rate was up to 9%. And that was DOWN from the rate in 2010. Even the employed are taking hits. Hours are being cut and benefits are disappearing while the cost of health care continues to increase. The real world is a frightening and unapologetic place for a green new grad. Diplomas don't pay bills, jobs do. And desperate times call for desperate measures. Finance majors are cutting grass. Business majors are bagging your groceries. English majors are slinging beers to sorority girls and
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post graduation blues by: hannah westmoreland
momma's boys in their college home town because they can't afford to leave. Those that can't even afford to stay have made the unfortunate walk of shame back into their parents' guest room to hide under their blankie and eat PB&J's until the dog days are over. This isn't exactly an acurate portrayal of the promising future professors are painting in the minds of our youth.Graduates have been cramming countless hours to earn a degree, only to be tossed into a turbulent job market and a crashing economy. Jobs are scarce and paychecks are low. Though mininally encouraging, there is good news. There is light at the end of the tunnel. The unemployment rate is decreasing, slowly but surely. Jobs are available and more are coming. They won't be dream jobs. They won't be glamorous. Some are hardly worth bragging about but the point is that they do exist and that there is hope. So, get off the couch- employment won't be found sitting on a sofa watching Grey's Anatomy and adding up the balance of student loans. Opportunity doesn't actually knock on doors. It takes time, endless effort, multiple interviews and multiple rejections but one day the hard work will pay off. Keep that head up and learn from the experience. That's the thing about post graduation life- the final bell may have sounded but the learning never stops. Learn to take every day with a grain of salt. Learn to compromise the line between fantasy and reality, take what you can get and understand that every little possiblity can turn into one big opportunity.
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THE HUNGER GAMES |
by: lauren laveria
The international best-selling novel has finally come to the big screen, and a numerous amount of die-hard fans have become completely overwhelmed by their own excitement for the film. Long lines of people were camping outside of the movie theater itself, having bought tickets weeks, and perhaps even months, ahead of time just in order to snag themselves the best seat they could possibly get. Screaming fans surrounded every corner, as well as some extreme cases where the fans dressed up as certain characters from within the movie.
the movie, however, were rather off, due to the way the camera man used to film the movie. After that though, the movie was certainly a film that dragged and involved the audience. After watching the movie for 30 minutes, it felt as if one could feel themselves being pulled into the movie themselves, and become part of the action. Though specific details and certain situations were left out of the movie from the book, the movie still managed to capture the audience’s attention and bring forth the power of film.
The movie itself was quite a success. Having been written by the author of the novel itself, the movie certainly lived up to the fans expectations. The first 10 minutes of
The second Hunger Games movie will be released at the end of 2013, and is a movie that all fans will certainly be looking forward to.
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in this issue Cover photo : Chapman Baehle 9, 10, 11 : Aubento, Jered Scott, Kristina Grossmann 14 - 19 : Tom Falcone 22, 27 : Matt Vogel 24 : Chapman Baehle 28 : http://www.readingfestival.com/ 30-33 : STUART PRICE/AFP/Getty Images 34 : http://publicintelligence.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/quran-protests-9.jpg | http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_606w/WashingtonPost/Content/Blogs/blogpost/Images/2012-03-04T190154Z_01_WAS721_RTRIDSP_3_USA.jpg?uuid=WuQ5_GaEeGi8kaOgZ8ndw 36 : http://www.quotecollection.com/author-images/albert-einstein-3.jpg 45 : http://6.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Pinterest-Flowtown.png 47 : http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/06/hamas-no-military-aid-for-iran | http://www.nogtec.com/headlines/cold-war-with-iran-heats-up-across-mideast/ 75 : http://screenrant.com/hunger-games-movie-books-facts-kofi-160434/ Images for fashion articles were provided by designers and models themselves.
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