ALT CITIZEN ISSUE 02 by Kirsten Pincket

E D I TO R ’ S L E T T E R

ALT CITIZEN is a blog and quarterly zine steeped in contemporary magic. It’s the rough cut mixtape that brings people together at a party and the dance they share. It’s a celebration -- of talent and life and love. It’s the poetry that coalesces out of dedication, creation, and collaboration. It’s the second glance you’ve been meaning to take. It’s the transmission of good vibes into a crazy world and what inevitably returns.

The internet has proven to be a weird, sometimes isolating, sometimes totally welcoming place. But let’s be real, some of the finer things in life are enjoyed without a wifi connection. Take, for instance, ALT CITIZEN’s Summer Issue – our second issue ever – which is meant to live and mosey around with you, wherever you may be. When it comes to making a zine, we love sharing the next wave, right alongside some familiar faces, as well as shedding light on some of our favorite artists’ side projects and endeavors. So, keep this issue handy, and know that if you’re ever in need of more, we’re always poking around on the Internet, sharing our favorite art, music, movies, and so much more just for you.

CONTRIBUTORS FOUNDING EDITOR IN CHIEF | NASA HADIZADEH DESIGNER | KIRSTEN PINCKET

TA B L E OF CONTENTS

PHOTO EDITOR | CHERYL GEORGETTE ARENT MUSIC EDITOR | ALEX MARTINEZ FEATURES EDITOR | JUSTIN DAVIS STAFF WRITERS ALEX MARTINEZ JUSTIN DAVIS SANDY CHUNG STEPH KOYFMAN NICOLE WOSZCZYNA JUSTIN OWLETT TIMOTHY WHITE EVA BANDUROWSKI SHEA GARNER PHOTOGRAPHERS CHERYL GEORGETTE ARENT JACKIE LEE WALTER WLODARCZYK CONTRIBUTING STYLIST | PHIL GOMEZ INTERN | OLIVIA WATKINS SPECIAL THANKS | KUSH MALIK

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DAN CROLL SINGER, SONGWRITER | LIVERPOOL PHOTOGRAPHED BY JACKIE LEE INTERVIEW BY EVA BANDUROWSKI

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INTERVIEW: DAN CROLL

During CMJ Music Festival last year I drunkenly popped over to Mercury Lounge to see Dan Croll, as an envious friend had recommended that I make the time to go to his show. I googled him, saw that he was indeed English, tall, and handsome and began to walk over with a girl friend slurring how cuuuute he was the whole way there. How foolish. I was instantly won over during the show and began to listen to his EPs and their respective remixes (one such remix was with Baardsen for “From Nowhere” featured on GTA V, which was the first track I heard). Hailing from Straffordshire, England, Dan Croll received the Songwriter of the Year award at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and got the chance to have a one-on-one with Sir Paul McCartney. His success from Liverpool and beyond inspires the idea that the Beatles have not monopolized the talent coming out of the city. It’s no secret, then, that Croll’s music shines through his talent as a songwriter. Having toured with the likes of Bastille and Imagine Dragons, Croll has made a name for himself as the bridge between Vampire Weekend and Beck, among many other impressive comparisons. We’re excited to see what Dan Croll has in store, and we were thrilled to host him at our office. Do you have a favorite place you like to go when you’re in the states? NY and LA — those shows have been the best received shows. In LA we managed to sell out the Troubadour last time and that was a massive thing for me. Such a historic venue and to sell it out was great. And then we played Glasslands twice here, which was incredibly fun, and we get to play Bowery Ballroom this time so it’s great. You recorded with Ladysmith Black Mambazo — how very Paul Simon. [laughs] Yeah, very Paul Simon. Loved it. We spent like a week with them. But it was quite a tough because two days before we were about to go out Nelson Mandela passed away, and that nearly cancelled the whole trip because they had been invited to attend the funeral. Thankfully they put aside three days. So yeah, we hung out with them for a few days and PAGE 8

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INTERVIEW: DAN CROLL

and recorded three songs. Two of mine that they did an interpretation of, and I did a cover of one of their songs. I know that you get compared to Paul Simon and the Beatles all the time. Is there someone that you’ve always been pumped to be compared to — someone that you find you’re most compatible with musically? I suppose Paul Simon. I think it is quite an obvious influence, he’s been huge for me. I love the Beach Boys, love the Zombies, love Burt Bacharach, James Taylor, and a lot of that. I think it’s always good. There’s never really been a bad one, so far. I do really enjoy people — I think a few don’t like being compared to other artists — but I enjoy it. If you haven’t heard of that person it’s like oh [and] go and listen to them. It’s really cool when you’ve found someone else who’s now become an influence. So what are you listening to now? I listen to a lot of metal — that was another part of my upbringing but that didn’t quite make it in. There are a few things. There’s a Swedish metal band called Meshuggah that I’m obsessed with. I’ve been Shazaming a lot recently. I’ve been doing a lot of single songs, making a Shazam playlist. There was a song that was on the radio whilst we were driving to a wildlife reserve, while we were in Africa, that was called “Easy to Love” by Busie. Incredible South African house track. There was another one last night, Broken Bells’ “Holding on for Life.” Incredible song. I just do that — Shazam it and put it in a playlist. But albumwise, been listening to the new Aluna George album. The production on that is great.

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B E V E R LY B A N D | B R O O K LY N

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHERYL GEORGETTE ARENT INTERVIEW BY ALEX MARTINEZ

INTERVIEW: BEVERLY

Beverly is a brainchild of Frankie Rose (she of the solo, Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls, and Crystal Stilts fame) and Drew Citron (she of Avan Lava fame). The band’s debut, Careers, is a collaboration that doesn’t feel like one. Drew and Frankie seem to sync their sound together so well that anyone without knowledge of Beverly’s backstory would probably assume Beverly was a solo artist and not a duo. That seems to be the point for the two artists behind the band, though when we interviewed Drew about the band and their album, she obviously didn’t take herself — or the band — too seriously. Maybe we should all follow suit. More below. Where does the name Beverly come from? Is that a sort of alter ego to you both? Beverly kicks around outside the 7-11 and doesn’t talk to the other kids. Why call the album Careers? It’s serious and also completely not, like Beverly. Drew, when we interviewed you with Avan Lava you mentioned that Mary J. Blige was an influence of yours. Does that still count with Beverly? Or just with life in general? Why? ‘Cause she’s just Mary. I love her. Queen Latifah, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu. These are general life influencers for me because they are all badasses. You won’t ever hear me sing like them in Beverly, although I do in the shower. Both of you are skilled multi-instrumentalists. How old were you when you started playing? What advice do you have for someone in their early 20s that’s just starting out playing? I started playing piano when I was a little kid and learned guitar from my dad in middle school. I guess my advice would be to pick some songs you like and learn tabs, which is what I did. I had to figure out barre chords if I wanted to play along with my 311 CD. PAGE 14

INTERVIEW: BEVERLY

In an interview, Frankie called people under 25 fetuses (in regards to touring and being in bands). Do you agree? What advice would you give to young bands? I have some friends that are younger than me who have been touring longer than I have, and that seems hard. I didn’t know myself very well before the age of 25, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted. So I think touring would have been stressful and very booze-soaked in a detrimental way. My advice would be to keep the touring booze-sprinkled, and not booze-soaked... Your Twitter bio just says “Duchess.” Which I thought was great! How can everyone find their inner duchess? Pilates. Just kidding, Soul Cycle.

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MAXO

M U S I C I A N | B R O O K LY N

When we were rounding out the final lineup for our spring showcase at Brooklyn Night Bazaar last March, the guys in Anamanaguchi recommended Maxo. Like them, Maxo comes from the land of chiptune, and while his sound may be heavily electronic and computerized (think: Super Nintendo meets free jazz), it doesn’t fail to wake up some childlike wonder inside us. Now fast forward to a few months after our epic party (remember that crowdsurfer with the skateboard?) and Maxo has garnered attention from CMJ as one of their favorite discoveries, with tastemaker Ryan Hemsworth dubbing June “the month of Maxo.” Naturally, ALT CITIZEN wanted to get in on the Maxo lovefest, so Pete Berkman, songwriter and guitar player for Anamanaguchi, interviewed him for us (via g-chat).

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHERYL GEORGETTE ARENT INTERVIEW BY PETER BERKMAN

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INTERVIEW: MAXO

PETE: It sounds like jazz has a big influence in your music alongside the aesthetic of video games, what is... *the story of maxo*... how far do these influences go (if they are truly there) and where do they come from if so? MAXO: Awesome question! I grew up around a lot of jazz/fusion and prog rock recordings. My dad is a multi-disciplined musician, and always had a nice supply of cool music to listen to, so I’ve always been about the jazziness! Even when I discovered “rock music” in middle school, I always maintained a steady interest in jazz harmony and composition! The other (probably most obvious) influence for me has been video game music as a whole. Before exploring on my own, I used to play video games with my cousin. That opened me to a huge new musical world that kept me inspired for years to come! To this day I still nerd out over video game music, and it makes me really happy to be able to merge that nerdiness with all of my other forms of nerdiness, especially in the music I write! P: What are the more exciting aspects of it for you? harmony / rhythm? what is the shiiiit where/how did you train ‘your craft’ also?? M: I’m a huge harmony and rhythm nerd! I’m usually the first to yelp/ woo when I hear a sweet chord change or catch a cool rhythmic gesture. Any aspect of music that feeds these obsessions (which can really be all aspects) is enough to interest me! That’s a pretty vague answer, but I could literally go on for hours getting into the specifics hehe... In terms of how I hone my craft, I just spend a lot of time listening and writing! Private lessons helped me a good amount starting off, but I can definitely say that I learn better / more efficiently on my own at this point! Sometimes I’ll try and transcribe a tune I really enjoy, or even cover it! You can definitely learn a ton from trying to emulate music you love! P: Truuue n_n so to speak to yr ‘level music’ series a bit ‘gettin deep’: what makes a song level music?? PAGE 20

M: Well, this is actually pretty straightforward. I created Level Music because I wanted to write video game music with all these awesome 16bit-era samples I’d come into possession of, but I didn’t have any video games to write for. Level Music is just a creative outlet for my interest in capturing a vibe / scenario paired with my obsession with video game music. It gives me the perfect space to write in the styles of some of my favorite VGM composers, while providing me the technical limitations to help keep me motivated and prolific! P: Hell yeahhh :) what’re some of your top snes/n64 soundtracks? M: I have so many favorites.. it’s very hard to choose! I think I’ll just name a few of my favorite video game composers, most if not all of which you can find through a little youtube searching! :3 To name just a few: Kazumi Totaka (Yoshi’s Story, Mario Paint, Luigi’s Mansion...), Jun Ishikawa and Hirokazu Ando (frequent Kirby composers), Go Ichinose PAGE 21

INTERVIEW: MAXO

(frequent Pokémon composer), Soyo Oka (SimCity, Super Mario Kart, Pilotwings), Naofumi Hataya (assorted Sega games), Tim & Geoff Follin (tons of games), Jun Chikuma (Bomberman games), Motoaki Takenouchi (several ‘90s games), and finally a recent favorite, Jake Kaufman (goes by ‘virt’ and has done several fantastic soundtracks recently including Mighty Switch Force 1+2, and Double Dragon Neon). I’m always posting YouTube videos of video game tunes, so whoever I haven’t named here will probably rear their head in my social media outlets soon!

releasing it! The crazy part is that not a month before that happened, I didn’t have a smartphone and was debating on whether or not I should get an Instagram in the first place! Funny what a 13 second video can do in the world of social media! I’m glad you dig it! PC Music just churns out quality material at all times, so it feels really amazing to be a part of their catalog!

P: How’d you get involved with PC Music? they’re putting out my favorite stuff recently and “Snow Other” is sooo tight! :)

M: It all depends! It differs from day to day really...some days you’re in the mood for a good ice level, other days you could rock a forest level! It’s a little more challenging than that now though. I try not to repeat types of levels too much, but at just over 100 tunes in the series (not counting Level Music Purchase), I’ve found that I’ve had to get a lot more specific lately! In the alphabet series of Level Music volumes, sometimes I’ll dedicate a release to a certain genre of game! Level Music C (and the upcoming Level Music T) are ‘puzzle game’ themed levels, while Level Music P (and the upcoming Level Music G) are ‘sports game’ themed levels! Generally the better the idea of the level I have, the more vivid it is to me, and the more vivid it is, the easier it is for me to write something that captures it! Sometimes I veer a little offcourse during the writing process, but by the end, the mediums usually fit together better in my head!

M: Interestingly enough, Tielsie (excellent musician and friend) showed A.G. Cook from PC Music a snippet of Snow Other that I’d posted on my instagram during the writing process, and then A.G. contacted me about

P: What are some of your favorite level settings to write for? how vivid are the pictures you get?

P: What do you find appealing about soundfonts and those sounds? What makes you pick one games string sound over the other? M: I guess that depends too! Using soundfonts is definitely the closest I can get to writing in the style of a certain game, but over time I just grew to love using 16bit sounds in general. They’re very simple and sampled, so I don’t feel compelled to spend a ton of time bogged down on effects + sound processing! The same instruments can vary greatly from game to game and even more greatly from system to system. For example the strings sound for Kirby’s Dream Land 3 is very different than the strings sound for Secret of Mana. So while I might use the KD3 Strings for a thicker backdrop, or even to outline a melody, I might use the SoM string sound for a melody, since it’s a little more expressive! PAGE 22

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MA YO U N G IC

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHERYL GEORGETTE ARENT

INTERVIEW BY ALEX MARTINEZ

B A N D | N E W YO R K C I T Y

Brooklyn’s Young Magic (Melati Malay and Isaac Emmanuel) just released Breathing Statues. The album is a collection of songs that truly allow the band to live up to their name in terms of ‘magic.’ At times while listening I was transported to another realm of thought and imagination, boundless creativity, and complete disregard of self. Which sounds like a lot of hocus pocus, I know, but Young Magic doesn’t even seem to want to take credit for casting the spell — the magic itself has always been there, we just haven’t been looking hard enough. Or as they put it themselves, “It’s a fabric very much a part of this world too. It’s more that we don’t have our feelers out often enough to sense it all the time.”

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INTERVIEW: YOUNG MAGIC

You seem to be heavily involved in the creation of the artwork for your albums. Do you think artists have a responsibility to be?

much a part of this world too. It’s more that we don’t have our feelers out often enough to sense it all the time.

We collaborate with our friend Leif Podhajsky, which is nice because he always finishes our sentences (and often begins them). The visual side has always been an extension of themes we seem to come across simultaneously… we notice some things are better said in shape and some which are better said in sound and we sway between the two constantly.

Since you seem to be world travelers, what are three must-have albums during travel?

How do you think being a band based in Brooklyn but hailing from places completely different to the US shapes your perspective on being in a band in the Brooklyn scene?

Mariah - Utakata No Hibi Dorothy Ashby - The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby Mahmoud Ahmed - Jegol Naw Betwa

Locales are important on some level but ultimately Brooklyn feels like a trillion universes compressed into one. It doesn’t feel like any one scene but all kinds of groups continuously weaving into each other. It keeps things interesting. Its difficult to decipher the origins of perspective, but I’d say growing up in Jakarta for 11 years may have influenced a sense of gratitude. You recorded Melt all over the world. Does this apply to Breathing Statues too? How do those places influence your sound? Do you actively try to get the sound of places in your music or does that happen as a happy accident? It was recorded much in the same way, except this time we weren’t travelling independently but as a pair — finding little windows between tours where we could visit new places and record. I guess you could say we are actively trying to find a spontaneous accident, but it’s kind of a concentrated process. The act of travel is inherently a song — something resembling generative music. We’re usually trying to find and manipulate sounds that are interesting to us, or a feeling that doesn’t immediately seem to be too imbedded in our own rational, waking realities. It’s a quality described as “otherworldly” but I think that description, although nice, is kind of off target. It’s a fabric very PAGE 26

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SAMANTHA URBANI Samantha Urbani, the creator of and vocal enchanter behind Brooklyn’s equal parts sultry and poppy Friends, wears many hats. She’s a musician, visual artist, and frequent collaborator with Dev Hynes AKA Blood Orange. If you’re not familiar with her, that’s her on the stage in the charming, Gia Coppola directed video for Blood Orange’s “You’re Not Good Enough.” She’s impossibly and effortlessly cool, and we knew we had to have her be our muse for this issue. It’s undeniable that her cool and sunny spirit encapsulates the essence of ALT CITIZEN. Gaze into her crystal ball and you may find more questions than answers, but then again isn’t that what makes life more interesting?

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHERYL GEORGETTE ARENT HAIR BY GLORIA ESPINOZA MUA BY ROBERT REYES SAMANTHA WEARS JEWELRY BY RITTUALS

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MEMORIA

DIRECTED BY N I N A L J E T I & V L A D I M I R D E F O N T E N AY PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHERYL GEORGETTE ARENT INTERVIEW BY NICOLE WOSZCZYNA

Nina Ljeti and Vladimir de Fontenay might not be household names just yet, but it’s quite safe to assume that it shouldn’t be too much longer until they’ve made a serious mark on the film world. After collaborating on various projects in the last few years (and just hanging out at cool bars in the Lower East Side together), the filmmakers learned to combine their individual perspectives and create emotionally charged material. They were approached by James Franco to co-direct Memoria, a feature film based on his book California Childhood, starring Franco himself, Sam Dillon (AKA the boy from Arcade Fire’s/Spike Jonze’s ‘Scenes From The Suburbs’) and Keith Stanfield (aka the awesome actor whose performance in Short Term 12 probably made you cry), among other young talents. It’s currently in its post-production phase, so keep your eyes peeled for updates on its release. Although they’re both in the midst of various projects, the duo set some time aside to have a little chat with us and answer our questions about music, teen angst, and of course, Memoria.

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INTERVIEW: “MEMORIA” DIRECTORS

How did you two meet? And how did you get involved with the project? NINA: We met when Vlad was working on a performance piece called Collage that I acted in and co-wrote with James Franco. After that, Vlad asked me to be in his short film, Mobile Homes. Then, when James (Franco) asked me to write and direct Memoria, I really felt that I wanted to co-create it with a fellow artist, and Vlad was the obvious choice for many reasons. VLAD: Nina and I met on Collage, a performance piece she was doing with James three years ago. I was a camera operator for a few shows on the project. It was a really bizarre encounter but we got along. I asked Nina to be in my short film Mobile Homes and couple of months later, after making other small projects and mainly hanging out at Max and Fish down below her apartment in the LES, she asked me to work with her on the adaptation of James’ short stories. What was your experience like working as co-directors? Did you both have a similar vision on how to tell the story? N: Yeah. We were both working on the film from the beginning, so our vision was very similar. Directing with Vlad was easier than I expected it to be because he’s very respectful and understanding, and as excited about the process as I am. V: Nina and I spent so much time with the material, writing, sharing our experiences growing up, our tastes in film, photography, music, books... that when preproduction started we really had a similar film in mind I think. Nina and I are so different, which I believe is an incredible strength when it comes to telling a story. It forces you to look at the other side of things, explore different points of views, and so we tried to take advantage of our different perspectives as much as possible in the writing and on set. Having two sets of hands and eyes on this particular project also turned out to be extremely helpful, and time saving given the limitations we had in terms of schedule and budget. PAGE 40

Teen angst is kind of a universal theme, but is it difficult to direct a depiction of someone else’s experiences? Did you have to channel your inner suburban-California-teenage selves? N: Yah. I had to channel my life as a punk teen growing up in Windsor, Canada (which Stephen Colbert calls the ‘asshole of the world.’) There are a few characters in the story that are a reflection of the kids I knew growing up. That made it easier for me to write about them, for sure. V: I grew up in Paris, and moved to Italy when I was 18. I only came to the US several years later. So there wasn’t much inner suburban-California-teenage self in me to channel! A lot of it for me was to go back to my memories of being a teenager. I realized how unique and universal some of the feelings you go through are, and I basically started writing from there. The rest is research and observation really. PAGE 41

INTERVIEW: “MEMORIA” DIRECTORS

In general I find it stimulating to write from a place that is slightly removed from your reality to project freely your experiences and emotions to it.

come with being a young adult. They are common feelings for everyone, but for our characters, they are dealt with in (sometimes) impractical or dramatic ways. I dealt with my angst by listening to punk rock, drinking, and hanging out at skate parks with my friends. Our characters are doing the same thing in our film, which is rad. But they are also taking it a step further.

The stories upon which Memoria is based seem to be very personal to Franco. What was it about Memoria that you related to? N: Memoria is a really personal story for Franco. It was interesting watching him work on set because he was emotionally affected by the work. I found that really touching. For me, personally, it was the hopelessness and confusion and anger that I felt as a teenager. All of our characters are dealing with the feelings that

V: In some ways I could really relate to the experience of our lead character (which can be a little frightening at times – ahh), the character James knew and wrote about. As a teenager I remember having such a hard time being myself around my friends and family. You feel extremely lonely because it seems like no one can connect with you or understand how serious what you’re experiencing is. It’s like everyone you know has been through it but denies you the right to give it the weight it deserves. What was your creative process in terms of research and preparation? N: We spent a lot of time re-watching Larry Clark and Harmony Korine films, particularly Kids, Wassup Rockers, and Gummo. We were very inspired by Gus Van Sant’s Elephant. We referred to that film a lot when we were planning our shot list and when we were doing rewrites on the script. V: A lot of our creative process involved remembering what we were like at that age. How we used to feel about certain things. We also rewatched tons of films. Mostly the films we love which dealt with adolescence and fucked up teens (Elephant, Fish Tank, Water Lillies but also Zero de conduite, Fat Girl, Dogtooth, Mysterious Skin...). We spent time looking at photographs from Ed Templeton (Teenage Kissers) and Nick Haymes’ book, Gabe made on Gabe Nevins (the young actor in Paranoid Park who ended up living on the streets in LA). We also spent a lot of time casting at skateparks and strange parties during the prep in LA. We saw that Cole Alexander from the Black Lips was one of the first people casted for the film. Can you tell us what the casting process was like? PAGE 43

INTERVIEW: “MEMORIA” DIRECTORS

N: Basically, I met him at The Cha Cha Lounge in Los Angeles one night, and he had expressed to me that he wanted to be an actor. I kind of looked him up and down once and realized that he would be perfect for the part of Dickey Ferriante (the drug dealer) in our film, so I asked him on the spot if he’d like to meet with me and Vlad to discuss the role further.

Keith (Stanfield) and Cole’s music, which I like a lot. I love the idea that our cast brings its musicality and taste to the film, and to get influenced by it in return. But I can pretty much listen to any kind of music really. On my iPhone you’ll find Beach House, Lil Wayne, Charles Aznavour, the Black Lips, Daniel Johnston (that Nina recently made me discover) and some French bands I’m working with. And they’re probably all in the same playlist!

Cole is so rad, I can’t say that enough. He was so stoked to be a part of our film, and so kind. I really respect him as a musician and a performer. He is just as thrilling to watch on screen as he is when he’s playing with the Black Lips. I can’t wait to work with him again. V: Nina met with him and had the great intuition that he’d be perfect for the part of Dickey. We met and I liked his personality right away. And I believed he’d be super convincing. We were really stoked to have him. He’s so natural, and soulful. He brings a lot of authenticity to the film, and somehow grounds the experience of these kids to reality. Cole invited us to a Black lips show in NY a few weeks ago, but I showed up at the wrong concert hall :) What are you guys currently listening to? Who are some of the artists that will be featured on the soundtrack? N: Currently I’m listening to Together Pangea, the Black Lips, and Liphemra. Together Pangea’s new album Badillac is so dope. They actually let us use their house for a scene in our movie too, so I’m really grateful for that. Liphemra is really great, too. She’s a good friend of mine from Los Angeles, and she was also an extra in our party scene haha.

What do you hope people will take away from the film? N: I’d like people to see something of themselves in the film, or if not, to appreciate the experience of watching these kids grow up and deal with these adolescent issues. V: I hope they’ll be filled with conflicting emotions, reflecting on all those moments that make them both relieved and nostalgic not to be a teen anymore What are your directorial plans, post-Memoria? N: I am currently developing my second feature — an original script that I am very excited about. It’s called Things You Missed (While You Were Gone). V: I am currently at work on a feature script inspired by my short film Mobile Homes, which I hope to be directing this winter.

We’re still deciding what artists we want featured on the soundtrack. We haven’t made any moves yet, but we’re definitely exploring some of our friends bands. Burger Records actually gave us a bunch of pins to use for our film, so it would be cool if we could use some Burger artists. V: Bo (Mitchell), one of our actors introduced me to Future Islands, and I’ve been listening to their new album. I’ve also been listening to PAGE 44

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BLUFFING B A N D | B R O O K LY N

BLUFFING is a scrappy Brooklyn outfit that delivers quick, charming fistfuls of indie pop with a twist of punk. Their debut album, Sugar Coated Pills of Wisdom, was released on PaperCup Music this past April, and it’s a swift and dizzying introduction to the noisy quartet. Made up of equal parts distortion, carefree energy, and delicious pop hooks, BLUFFING’s 10-song, 17-minute frenzy continues to generate some well-deserved buzzed. In sticking with brevity, we’ve compiled a few key questions to get a better feel for this raucous bunch. They don’t want to waste our time, and we don’t want to waste yours, so check out our little chat about forming the band, their writing process, and playing the local circuit in Brooklyn.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHERYL GEORGETTE ARENT INTERVIEW BY JUSTIN DAVIS

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INTERVIEW: “MEMORIA” DIRECTORS

BLUFFING started a drums-and-guitar duo and later evolved into a quartet to round out the sound. Can you tell me how you two (Olivia and Jon) met? And what’s the story behind the band name? We met at a show that one of Jon’s older projects, Banzai, was playing at Brooklyn Lyceum in 2008 and we’ve been friends ever since. In March of 2012, we decided to join forces and write music together. It’s been great so far because we’re pretty much always on the same page about our goals. The name BLUFFING comes from the song “Bluffing Game” by a band called 50 Million (whose songwriter now plays in Shellshag). People must mention this all the time, but I’ve seen on your Facebook and your label’s Bandcamp that BLUFFING focuses on crafting songs that are no longer than two minutes. Are these strict parameters something you’re going to work with indefinitely, or is this just a concept you’re tinkering with for now? It was more of a songwriting challenge that we toyed with in the beginning and less of a gimmick. We consciously make the songs so short because the idea is that the listener will want to hear the song over and over again, but if either of us felt that a song should be longer it wouldn’t be an issue. It also happens that most of the music we were influenced by for this album are mostly short pop and / or punk influenced songs. With that in mind, what’s your songwriting process like? Can you guys intuitively feel that two-minute mark or do you have to write, record, and scale back? How does all of that impact your live shows? We both write our own songs and then come together and share what we’ve done. Since we can have really different songwriting styles, Jon writes all the lead guitar lines so that there is some sort of common denominator between the two voices. We both end songs when we feel that they should be over, so it’s definitely more intuitive. Our live shows usually end up being high energy, awkward and fun because our set is so short. Most of our set is sometimes just devoted to the two of us deciding PAGE 48

what to play, but we’ve been pretty good about writing set lists lately, so we’re getting much better at staying below the 20 minute mark. What’s your favorite venue to play at in Brooklyn? We were both really lucky to grow up within the DIY music community in Brooklyn, so it’s really difficult to say. Each one can have such a different vibe that makes them really fun in their own way. Probably our top three, in no particular order, would be Death By Audio, Silent Barn and Shea Stadium. All three venues are really devoted to ensuring a good time. R.I.P. Big Snow Buffalo Lodge, Emet, Market Hotel, 285 Kent & the Olive Garden. PAGE 49

Heard you have a tour coming up! Where are you going? And with who? What was one of your most memorable shows on your SXSW tour? We do! It’s with our good friends Big Neck Police and we’re doing a loop down through the south to Northern Florida and then up to Massachusetts and back home. Everything’s starting to come together nicely, so we’re really excited. All of SXSW was pretty amazing because we got to tour with our buddies Heeney and The Gradients (in an 11-seater van commandeered by the great Maverick Imman), as well as hang out with our homies in Slonk Donkerson and other band / label friends ranging from Black Bell to Exploding in Sound to Texas is Funny to Community / Chinquapin Records. The most insane and memorable show we played was Black Bell’s daylong showcase, at the Sailor Jerry tent at The Gypsy Lounge.

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SHOOTERS A N E X H I B I T I O N BY H A R M O N Y KO R I N E ARTICLE BY TIMOTHY WHITE

In the days before the Internet, those dark, Blockbuster Video days, Harmony Korine wrote his first movie. It may not have been the first great teen movie, but it was raw. In 1995, teens couldn’t simply watch Kids (you had to be 18 to rent it), so most were forced to watch it through a friend — you know, the one with the artsy parents who treated you more like an adult than a kid. Your friend, who already awkwardly watched it with said parents, was uninterested in seeing it again (having been scarred by watching two kids barebacking it on screen while his parents stared at him and asked “How it made him feel”) and simply lends you the film. It changes your life. It then makes the rounds of your social circle until it finds itself in the home of the friend with the overbearing parents, who immediately find the film, panic, and begin calling everyone else’s parents under the guise of protecting your innocent minds. Now you can’t go to your friend’s house with the “cool” parents and you’re forced to smoke pot out on the street, like a criminal. But it’s too late — you’ve already seen it and you’re different. Everything is justifiable now, as long as you don’t get AIDS. Since his debut effort with Kids, Korine has made several films and a bunch of art that makes you feel as if you’re crawling through an endless black corridor outfitted with peep holes, allowing you a glimpse into the mind of a creative genius but still feeling like some voyeur sneaking around in the bushes with a pair of binoculars. He rarely leaves you feeling like you’re on stable ground, and his book A Crack Up at the Race Riots, described by Korine as, “The great American choose your own adventure story,” was no different. It is a strange and scattered book that leaves you unsettled as you read suicide notes with a space left at the bottom for your, or anyone’s, own signature.

BLUE CHECKER, 2014 OIL ON CANVAS

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102 X 84 INCHES (259.1 X 213.4 CM)

MUSINGS: HARMONY KORINE

But it wasn’t until 2012’s Spring Breakers that Korine broke into Hollywood’s “Mainstream Club.” And like anyone else who has ever been given membership, his work is being molded into something without his consent (a la Spring Breakers 2). Bad news? Nope. Why? Spring Breakers was a colorful snapshot into America’s Spring Break culture, a wonderful look into the corruption of Hollywood’s previously uncorrupted young starlets. So, with the job done and nothing left to add, better that Korine not waste his time working on its sequel. He’s got more important work to do now; he’s been recognized for the artist he is, and he has the chance to show his raw, honest, unique films and art to the eyes of audiences bigger than he’s had at any other point in his career. And on his terms. I don’t really know what that will mean, but I’m tired of people telling me “Captain America is a great, smart, movie.” It is an unfortunate, seemingly unpunishable offense, when an indie artist gets his work co-opted by a giant company, whether it is Korine with Spring Breakers 2 or Urban Outfitters stealing patterns.

Giant companies habitually jack everyone they can, and they always will. But you cannot quit. Once you create something, it’s gone, dissolving into the ether of our world, and all we can do is hope that it sticks, hope that people see it, hope that is does something to them, hope that your next creation is does even more, goes even farther, and on and on, until you get so ingrained in the minds of the people that your work has touched that no company could ever pry the gum off the bottom of the table that is you. Hopefully by then, you’ve got some walking around money. Recently, I caught Korine’s latest exhibition, “Shooters,” while it was on exhibition at the Gagosian gallery on 72nd and Park Ave. At first I had trouble figuring out why he chose a gallery on the Upper East Side, considering that Korine and his art are seemingly synonymous with Downtown, both culturally and aesthetically. Then we asked a gallery attendant how much his pieces were going for and were informed that they were already sold, leaving their prices a mystery. Every piece felt like a stereogram, as you were left bobbing in front of it, waiting to tip over and fall into some void. As with his other art and films, it has this DIY feel and inescapable loneliness. Whenever I look at any of his work, reread his book, or watch one of his films, I’m always drawn to the detachment he seems to have from it. The sort of detachment that only an insider can have. Almost like, “Here’s this beautiful thing, it’s not mine anymore, you’re welcome.”

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HANNIBAL BURESS C O M E D I A N | B R O O K LY N INTERVIEW BY ALEX MARTINEZ

Comedian Hannibal Buress has been kicking around the comedy scene for what seems like ever now. He started off in his hometown of Chicago before moving to New York and landing a gig as an SNL writer. Though anyone would consider writing for SNL an “I MADE IT” moment, enough to declare a comfortable settling for their future, Buress has had stints basically everywhere. Unsurprising, as comedians are notorious hustlers. He’s appeared on episodes of 30 Rock, Louie, the Eric Andre show, and so many more. Most recently Buress had a bigger role in Neighbors. Add to all that his three stand up specials, his recurring (and most notable) role on Comedy Central’s Broad City, and his hosting gig at the Knitting Factory’s comedy night and you could call Hannibal Buress the hustling King of Comedy. We recently spoke to him on the phone about all this and more. Lincoln on Broad City is this charming, grown ass man of a dentist. What’s your favorite part of playing that character? The writers on the show are all great. The episode where we are all able to chill at Grand Central was cool. Usually you’re just there catching a train or grabbing some food. It really is a New York institution.

Tell me about Unemployable. It was pretty ballsy to just tell Twitter that the show had been picked up before it was actually picked up. I believe in putting things out there. I just put out these positive vibes and people responded to it. It’s somewhere in between what I was doing on 30 Rock and playing a dentist. For the pilot I worked on a farm and in a restaurant kitchen. On Live from Chicago you have a joke about going to a Riff Raff show in Canada. Are you an actual Riff Raff fan? I like that “Rookie of the Year” song. He’s a social media master! You also make a joke about penguin meat and on your first special you talk about wanting to kick penguins. What’s your problem with birds? I don’t have a problem with birds. That pigeon thing was just a joke about how they walk around so entitled. The penguin thing is just — you want what you can’t have. And I want some penguin meat, you know?

Do you think Lincoln and Ilana will be more official in season two? I heard Lincoln dies [laughs]. PAGE 56

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MUSINGS

W H E N T H E ‘ B R O O K LY N L O O K ’ R E A C H E S I T S S AT U R AT I O N P O I N T

Look, I – the owner of graphic whale pillowcases and an Edison bulb cord lamp – would be lying if I said I didn’t like all of those things. I’d be part of the problem if that’s what this was. Those of us who live here know that even if every new comfort food outpost brings a small amount of vindication to the New York Times Styles section, you can’t begin to define a big, diverse community by the interior design preferences of people who drink $14 cocktails. Before the Brooklyn aesthetic took on a life of its own, it started out as an extension of the DIY spirit that attracted so many entrepreneurs to our borough in the first place.

WRITTEN BY STEPH KOYFMAN

You know what I think of whenever I’m barhopping in Brooklyn? This old Russian comedy (known in English as The Irony of Fate, or With Good Steam!), which lampoons the uniformity of Soviet-era architecture by making it impossible for the characters to know where they are – be it in the right airport, their home town, or even their own apartment. It’s a dangerous game, quaffing Moscow Mule after Hobo Julep. Filament bulbs were never meant to serve as street lamps. How can you expect your compass to work when there’s all that magnetic interference from Hot Bird’s industrial-chic trimmings? Is your batch small, or is your small batch? What slab of reclaimed wood will serve as your guidepost? Far from being Brezhnev’s Russia, but much with the same results, Brooklyn is the (artisanal, single-origin) free market response to the tastes of its constituents. All the restaurants look the same because all the moneys want to go into the same tastefully weathered money holes, and the knowledge of this only further perpetuates the total takeover of rustic twee. There’s a handful of consultants guiding business owners to a handful of suppliers who build farmhouse tables with iron pipes for legs. And on any given Saturday, you can expect to walk into any number of neighborhood brunch joints and more or less go down the list: – Exposed brick – Mason jars – Artisanal bulbs exempt from the incandescent bulb ban – preferably housed inside a mason jar – Tin ceilings – Rugged wood tables – Mid-century modern (**MCM**) barstools – People jamming out to poached eggs and New Order PAGE 58

But when the tipping point comes – and there’s always a tipping point – where in the great big world of commercial design will our changing income distribution take us? Surely the great glass condo proliferation is a possible indication. It’s “Brooklyn,” but with a massive wealth injection: the real estate developer’s interpretation of creative cool. Perhaps the less cynical answer to all of this is that many of the people who flocked here for a piece of the small business pie are actually having a great go at it: “Makeshift DIY becomes profitable, gets fancy facelift.” A couple things that sound about right: it’s a combination of these things and more, and it’s a process that’s probably well underway. Where will you be when raw-edge tables become the nail in the coffin for the woefully unhip?

GUILLAUME MORISSETTE WRITER | MONTREAL

Alt Lit authors Guillaume Morissette and Ashley Opheim are good friends. They both live in Montreal, where they co-curate the reading series This Is Happening Whether You Like It Or Not. Guillaume’s first novel, New Tab, was published in April by Vehicule Press. It’s a book that’s deeply funny, smart, and relatable. Set in Montreal, it centers around a 26-year-old videogame designer who decides to reset his life, in the process self-destructing at work and in other aspects of his life. In the past, Guillaume’s work has been featured in publications like Dazed & Confused, Little Brother Magazine, Vice, Pop Serial and many more.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY WALTER WLODARCZYK INTERVIEW BY ASHLEY OPHEIM

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INTERVIEW: GUILLAUME MORISSETTE

I felt pretty inspired watching you dump those Japanese cookies all over your head during our photo session. What was the last thing that inspired you?

Most of the reviews for New Tab have been really positive so far, but some of them contain, like, blanket generational statements, like “these characters are trapped by their lifestyles” or something, which I don’t think is true.

I don’t know, I find it hard to point to a single thing. After I finished New Tab, I felt insanely uninspired for a while, like I couldn’t write or even come up with something good to tweet. And I was unemployed, so it was like, “Shit, how do normal people spend their days if they’re not writing all the time? Should I go outside? Is that where they are? Outside?” I couldn’t remember. Then I gave up. I stopped, like, trying to create stuff and reloaded on life experiences and did unproductive things like watching fifty episodes of an anime about baseball. Doing “nothing” for a while really helped me feel inspired again. Also, all of sudden, I felt like I wanted a rival, like the main character in the anime about baseball. I feel like that’s a common thing for writers to experience. Like post-traumatic stress disorder, but post-traumatic first novel disorder. That sounds medically accurate to me. How would you describe New Tab to someone who’s never heard of it? New Tab is semi-autobiographical, so it takes place in Montreal in 2010. The main character has a full-time job in videogames, but he’s lost interest in it and he’s preparing himself mentally to quit and move on to something else. At the same time, he moves into this new apartment that’s well-located and has access to a giant backyard that they’re using to run a DIY backyard cinema and throw parties semi-illegally. There’s stuff in the book about self-reinvention, ambiguous relationships, Facebook, videogames, etc. Do you consider yourself part of a distracted generation? I remember one of the earliest reviews of New Tab used generalizations about our generation to describe the book. I remember you being opposed to that… PAGE 62

Do you feel trapped by your lifestyle? I don’t know. I honestly feel that book people and authors are way more trapped by their lifestyles than twenty-somethings who use Facebook and party a lot. Is there something about New Tab that hasn’t been brought up in press or other interviews that you want to talk about? I feel like I want to talk about the backyard cinema with you. What was the name of the backyard cinema in real life again? Cinequanon. You can still find articles about it online or, like, photos of us setting the screen on fire at the last screening. In the book, I changed the name of the cinema to Cinedrome, because everyone else was getting a pseudonym anyway. The only name I didn’t change was our landlord’s. I tried to come up with a better name than Pierre for him, but Pierre just seemed so perfect. I couldn’t resist. I remember seeing Facebook events for your screenings pop up every week and always meaning to come but never actually coming. You guys were selling beer but the movies themselves were free, which is of course something that drew people. You came to a few parties that we threw, at least. Do you remember when we first met, how we ended up hanging out during a party in Ronaldo’s empty room? I vividly remember hanging out in Ronaldo’s room, although I think I PAGE 63

INTERVIEW: GUILLAUME MORISSETTE

I thought it was your room at the time. There was like nothing in there but a bed, it seemed. We sat on the floor and I feel like we instantly became good friends. I remember at first having a really hard time following your long trains of thought, and it took me awhile to become accustomed to you speaking. I am laughing at the train of thought thing. At first when reading the book I thought it was going to be about our friendship. I remember tearing through it in like two days trying to figure out who the characters were and if I was in there anywhere. I wish I could read the book objectively somehow. Can you talk a bit about the male-female friendship present in New Tab? Sure. The main friendship in the book is between Thomas, the protagonist, and Shannon, who’s more extroverted than him and parties a lot. They both use self-destruction as a form of self-discovery, but in different ways, I think. New Tab is set in 2010, so we didn’t know each other that well then, but several people have asked me if Shannon was based on you. Shannon is too catty to be me. I would write you way differently. A character based on you would be stoked about, like, planets and holograms and sequoia trees or something. Overall, I still feel like Thomas and Shannon’s relationship is one of the most successful aspects of New Tab. I grew up around women, and for whatever reason it seems proportionately easier for me as an adult to have female rather than male friends. I do have guy friends, but it feels like they’ve endeared themselves to me more than I really tried to befriend them. Male friendships are often competition-driven, which I don’t really like, probably because I spent my childhood losing all the time at videogames and board PAGE 65

INTERVIEW: GUILLAUME MORISSETTE

games to my two older sisters. I feel like my brain still thinks that competition equals failure, so it doesn’t even see the point of trying. The other thing from New Tab is that I feel like the male-female friendship between Thomas and Shannon comes across as so much more satisfying and reliable than the ambiguous relationship between Thomas and Romy. I like that scene near the end where Thomas and Shannon are talking about sex dreams and how they can’t be attracted to one another and it just seems, like, a perfectly normal conversation for them. Do you remember that scene?

from anyone, and my roommates were often broke, so it was always a mental, like, wrestling match to ask them for stuff when they’re my friends and I don’t want them to be struggling with money.

“I am less worried about us. We’re not romantically interested in each other. That makes us invincible.” That part? Yeah, exactly. That part. I really loved how you decided to include the electricity bill as a subplot. It kind of feels like everyone I know in Montreal has at one time or another had an outstanding electricity bill, if not currently. At one time my apartment owed like $3,000 to Hydro. It was really depressing. People move around so much here, so it was the same thing with what happened to your place.

Speaking of struggling with money, I feel like you were just living off of green tea, rice and cereal while you were writing this book. Protein bars, too. After I quit my full-time job, I didn’t really have any steady source of income for about two years. I “freelanced” for a while, but then that was really just another way of saying “70% unemployed.” During that period, I finished my degree and wrote this book and retaught myself how to never buy anything. I have a source of income now for the first time in a while, and buying anything feels really amazing. A few weeks ago, I bought a bottle of Kombucha for $4 and I just felt like an out-of-control millionaire or something. Tell me a secret. I lost my virginity in a funeral home. Really?

What ever happened to your $3,000 bill? I forget.

Yeah.

I lived with like 10 different roommates during the span of our outstanding bill, so it was really confusing and stressful. I ended up hunting down old roommates and getting them to pay me what they owed by harassing them non-stop via Facebook and Gmail. My ex-boyfriend and I payed the majority of the bill. One asshole named François still owes me like $400. He ignored all my attempts to contact him, but most of the others were good about it.

What was the last dream you had that you remember?

Yeah, I was horrible at being “the person in charge,” so we ended up in situations like that. Part of the problem was that I have weird issues with asking things from people, like I basically don’t like asking anything PAGE 66

Something about hanging out with my cat alone in a desert area, and her being the prey of rattlesnakes and stuff. When I woke up, I just felt the need to check up on her and make sure she was okay. She was sleeping in the living room and I started petting her really hard and she just looked at me, like, “What the hell are you doing?” In my head, I was, like, nursing her dream injuries or something. Last question: Can you channel your inner gypsy and tell me what’s going to happen to you in the next year? PAGE 67

INTERVIEW: GUILLAUME MORISSETTE

I think the next year is going to be a year of high-level confusion and inner turmoil for me. Overall, I feel like I need to be less rational and maybe 10% weirder at all times. I am hoping I can travel a little, like I’ll be doing festivals in the fall and stuff, and that travelling can help me find clarity. Long term, I have no idea what I’ll be doing professionally, and I am hoping I can find some non-hopeless form of employment that’s in sync with my writer identity, as opposed to some job that I get in spite of it. I started writing another book, but I am not satisfied with the general direction of it right now, and it needs to be stronger/longer than New Tab, because I don’t want to publish another book just for the sake of doing another book. I feel a lot of pressure to challenge myself to do “better,” without having any idea of what I actually mean by “better.” I’d also love to run a DIY space again, use my skills to collaborate with other people and do a project in another medium, like a videogame or something.

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KIM SIELBECK I L L U S T R A T O R | B R O O K LY N

Kim Sielbeck’s lush and vibrant illustrations have found their way onto album covers and have been recognized by acclaimed arts outlets like American Illustration and the Society of Illustrators, among others. When she’s not working on pieces for 21st Amendment Brewery or Bustin Skateboards, the Brooklyn artist can be found playing surf rock at area boat clubs and sailing down the Hudson River. Before kicking off a long weekend at Governor’s Ball, we caught up with her on Friday to find out more about the inspirations behind her playful paintings.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHERYL GEORGETTE ARENT INTERVIEW BY SHEA GARNER ILLUSTRATION BY KIM SIELBECK #STYLEDBYPHIL

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INTERBIEW: KIM SIELBECK

You designed the cover art for Japanther’s latest Instant Money Magic. How did you get involved with that and what was the inspiration behind it?

We’re playing a Summer Solstice show at the North Brooklyn Boat Club in a couple of weeks, which is pretty much a dream gig for me. I get to incorporate boats and music! We’re also playing on the next episode of TV Party on July 1, which our friend Nick got us involved with. It’s going to be a great summer for Puppies.

I’ve been friends with Matt and Ian for a long time. They surround themselves with really creative and interesting people, and some of my best friends (and band) have come from that group. Ian asked me to design a pattern for a hat they were doing. His exact (and only) art direction was, “Some bright green, brown, yellow, and red. A taco that has green hot sauce. Playful Japanther letters.” From there I ran with it, and they liked it so much it became the album cover. Many of your pieces incorporate pop culture references. What about it inspires you? I like making art that everyone can relate to and appreciate. This stems from being a textile designer, where everything has to be somewhat commercial if you want it to sell. Pop culture has that quality to it, too, so I think it just makes sense. Your work can focus a lot on location – was that a product of traveling a lot when you were younger? Definitely. Growing up in a Coast Guard household, I moved about 16 times in my first 18 years. We lived in some amazing places: Alaska, Hawaii, California. Everywhere we lived was by the ocean, and I’m a water sign. As a result, mountains, palm trees, and water play a huge part in my work nowadays.

We heard you’re part of a sailing community in NYC. Do you have any sailing plans this summer? Yes! I started taking classes at the Manhattan Yacht Club (I know, sounds fancy) in September and fell in love with it. Seeing the city from a sailboat made me fall in love with New York all over again, and I’ve bet some amazing people. This summer, a few of us are sailing from Newport, RI to Martha’s Vineyard, and I’m also learning how to race sailboats at the club. What are some albums / movies / etc. you go back to when you need inspiration for your art? It’s always changing. Talking Heads are pretty consistent in my playlist, so are the Pixies and the Shangri-Las. The nice thing about this day and age is that music is so available, so some days I’m into Motown and some days I’m into Trap music and some days I’m into Surf music. I love Wes Anderson movies, particularly Life Aquatic. And a trip to MoMA or the Met will most definitely inspire me.

Tell us about your band Puppies! What’s next? Puppies are the top dogs! Matt from Japanther taught us our first song 3 years ago, and we’ve evolved into a bonafide surfy/girlpop/60s-garage band! Practicing a few times a week and playing guitar and singing into a mic is a total complement to being an illustrator. PAGE 74

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HOROSCOPES

ARIES

1,2,3, ready, set — welcome home, we’ve been expecting you — is what you thought you heard. But does it matter what was really said? Who cares. Your Song: “Dreams (Gigamesh Edit)” by Fleetwood Mac

TAURUS

HOROSCOPES

The fault is in our caffeination. Your beating heart shouldn’t be beating so fast, at least not under artificial pretense. But don’t stop! Memory and boredom shouldn’t be overlapping. These lazy-hazy-crazy days aren’t meant to be just that. Your Song: “Heartbeat (GRIZ remix)” by Childish Gambino

WRITTEN BY SANDY CHUNG

GEMINI

That slow burn you’ve been waiting for has been with you all along. Two hours all along. The secret to ultimate good vibrations is to have your plumber on speed dial. Then, and only then, can you take it easy. Your Song: “Nice and Slow” by Max Frost

CANCER

Hey, provocateur. Hold up. Unless it’s on a Monday, when unprovoked excitement is urgently needed. Your Song: “Dipshits” by Cam’ron and A-Trak

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HOROSCOPES

SAGITTARIUS

LEO

Traditional isolation is beyond your reach at this point in time. Put on some tracks, eat some cake, and curl up to the interweb. Once the postal worker comes to check on your life status, time to get back in the swing of things.

Your Song: “My Silver Lining” by First Aid Kit

Your Song: “Still Sane” by Lorde

VIRGO

Who’s that cute one making eye contact with you over in the corner? Discern. Wait — there’s been no blinking for 30 seconds. OK, make a beeline for the exit. Grab the half-filled bottle on your way out.

The most important piece of advice you will receive this month is to top it off. That’s right, you heard correctly. No regrets. Emphasis to everything and nothing in particular.

What’s seeking professional fulfillment without some good ‘ole fashioned narcissism to keep you in check — life disruptions usually provide for some excitement, just don’t wait around for what you think are expected end results. DIY. Your Song: “They Come in Gold” by Shabazz Palaces

CAPRICORN

Your Song: “Your Love Is Killing Me” by Sharon Van Etten

AQUARIUS

LIBRA

We’re very excited to announce your departure. Insert your own entrance. Mark your calendars for 33 days, 20 hours, 46 minutes, and three seconds from when you finish reading this. Your Song: “Instant Disassembly” by Parquet Courts

Are you receptive? Yea you are! Problem solve this: What’s loneliness mixed with unsuppressed humor? Fat deck of stories plus unwarranted judgment you can squash, is what. Your Song: “Lonely Richard” by Amen Dunes

PISCES

SCORPIO

Capitalize! Close your eyes and let your finger decide. You chose the blind monkey emoticon? That’s you then. Tomorrow’s another day, another technology dependent day. Your Song: “Capitol” by Trust PAGE 78

Find your odyssey. Which may very well just mean getting seasick riding that dumb ferry back from Governors Island. Nah, just kidding — you’ll make your own summer quest, role reversal circa 2013. Your Song: “Man Overboard” by Seasick Mama

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JULY 1: BECK @ CENTRAL PARK SUMMERSTAGE 7PM ($59.50) He’s Beck. You know him. You love him. You’ve maybe had sex to one of his songs during your (and his) “white boy funk” phase. Which ever form of his multifaceted abilities you enjoy, checking him out under the stars at the Central Park Summerstage just sounds like good old fashioned fun. JULY 16: CAMERA OBSCURA, LAURA CANTRELL @ MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG 8PM ($25) Camera Obscura feel like one of the last true twee pop stalwarts left in the game. They are still here pumping out great tunes, so get your fix at MHOW, and think about how weird you were 10 years ago.

UPCOMING SHOWS J U LY – S E P T E M B E R | N E W Y O R K C I T Y

JULY 23: NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL, CIRCULATORY SYSTEM @ PROSPECT PARK BANDSHELL 6PM ($45) Catch Jeff Mangum & crew before their return tour (someday) ends. Make sure you get there early enough to hear one of Elephant 6’s most underrated geniuses, and former Olivia Tremor Control member Will Cullen Hart with his current project, Circulatory System. (RIP Bill Doss for all time). JULY 24: BAND OF HORSES @ THE CAPITOL THEATER 7PM ($35) While Band of Horses hasn’t put out a decent studio album since 2007’s Cease to Begin, they can still put on a great live show. Having just recently released their stripped down live album Acoustic at the Ryman, concertgoers can expect some mellow vibes from these bearded Seattle bros. JULY 26: THE ANTLERS @ WEBSTER HALL 7PM ($20) These Brooklyn boys grace Webster Hall on what will surely be the positive vibes of the release of their new album in June. Don’t be afraid to get a little emotional. That falsetto brings out the feels in all of us. AUG 6: THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA @ IRVING PLAZA 7PM ($25) Millions of peaches, peaches for me. Millions of peaches, peaches for, well, 25 bucks. But that’s not too much to ask for a little ’90s nostalgia. Look out! AUG 7: TEMPLES, HERE WE GO MAGIC, SPIRES @ PIER 84 6PM (FREE!!) These English psych-rockers recently released their rip-roaring debut, Sun Structures, and have been touring in support of the album ever since. Catch their hazy set with New York’s own Here We Go Magic and don’t you D.A.R.E. think otherwise.

WRITTEN BY JUSTIN OWLETT SHEA GARNER ALEX MARTINEZ

AUG 9: ST. VINCENT, SAN FERMIN @ PROSPECT PARK BANDSHELL 7:30PM (FREE!!) Mourn the culmination of BRIC’s Celebrate Brooklyn concert series and welcome the dog days of summer with your favorite indie crush Annie Clark AKA St. Vincent! The art rock space goddess will likely be playing material from her excellent self-titled LP PAGE 80

UPCOMING SHOWS

AUG 14: TWIN PEAKS @ BABY’S ALL RIGHT 8PM ($12) There’s a lot of expectation when your band shares the same name as David Lynch’s acclaimed television series, and Chicago’s Twin Peaks must understand that. Expect them to bring their brand of twinkling bar rock to Baby’s All Right but don’t expect an appearance from Dale Cooper or Laura Palmer – they’re still stuck in Washington state.

SEPT 12: SYLVAN ESSO @ BOWERY BALLROOM 8PM ($15) We already mentioned how interesting and genre bending Sylvan Esso are, so why not catch them with an expanded set time at the Bowery? If you missed them open for tUne-yArDs (see above) than you better not miss your chance this time.

AUGUST 16: BLOOD ORANGE, MOSES SUMNEY, SEAN NICHOLAS SAVAGE @ CENTRAL PARK SUMMERSTAGE 7PM (FREE!!) This is a free show. It’s Blood Orange. What else needs to be said. Moses Sumney and Sean Nicholas Savage too? Damn. Why are you still here? Go get a spot in Central Park and just stay there until the show starts.

SEPT 17: HOW TO DRESS WELL @ IRVING PLAZA 7PM ($18) Tom Krell brings his unique brand of R&B to Irving Plaza. He recently released a mix tape where he covered such artists as Taking Back Sunday and Angel Olsen, so be prepared for some surprises. Either way, a night of reverence and awe will be had by all.

AUG 19: BASEMENT, PITY SEX, SUPERHEAVEN, OVLOV @ WEBSTER HALL 8PM ($13) I’m pretty sure Basement and Pity Sex should combine to create the supergroup known as Basement Pity Sex. They could play the basement of Webster Hall for a good chuckle. For now, catch them independently along with Superheaven and Ovlov. That is what we call a stacked lineup.

SEPT 17: ISLANDS, TEEN @ BABY’S ALL RIGHT 8PM ($16) We’ve been loving TEEN for a while now, and now that they’ve embraced their R&B influences head-on we love them even more. Catch them tonight at Baby’s All right opening up for the equally as interesting Islands.

AUG 22: ARCADE FIRE @ BARCLAYS CENTER 8PM ($30) Look, I know you know who Arcade Fire are. How can you not. Their latest album has some serious Caribbean vibes going on, so you may get the rare and unique chance to shake your ass at an Arcade Fire show. Who would want to miss that. AUG 29: JOANNA GRUESOME, BIG UPS @ SOUTH STREET SEAPORT 7PM (FREE!!) Joanna Gruesome, they of the great band name. Big Ups, they of the self styled “punctual punk” movement. These two great tastes come together for a free (!) show at the South Street Seaport. Let’s face it, you really don’t have an excuse not to go. SEPT 4: MR. TWIN SISTER @ BABY’S ALL RIGHT 8PM ($12) The recently named Twin Sister (that’s MR. Twin Sister to you) will be gracing New York with a show right before Labor Day. You shouldn’t have to labor that much to have a good time (I’ll show myself out). SEPT 6: SPECIAL GUESTS, EVIAN CHRIST (DJ SET), SOPHIE, FOREST SWORDS @ MOMA PS1 3PM ($18) Mix up an afternoon of exploring modern art with sets from these exciting new producers live at the MoMA. Had enough of Damien Hirst’s bullshit? Some trip hop from UK beatmakers Evian Christ and Forest Swords can remedy the pain.

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SEPT 18: SAM SMITH @ UNITED PALACE THEATER 8PM ($35.50) The man behind the beautiful and heart-wrenching “Stay With Me” is playing a suitable venue that will allow his voice to soar as much as he damn well feels it should, and as much as we deserve to hear it. SEPT 19: THE REPLACEMENTS, THE HOLD STEADY, DEER TICK @ FOREST HILLS STADIUM 6PM ($59.50) We don’t recommend too many stadium shows but, c’mon, the Replacements are the de facto godfathers of alternative/indie rock. Plus, there will be plenty of people watching as older fans and younger generations mingle. Some sort of beer soaked chaos should ensue. SEPT 23-27: LAURIE ANDERSON, THE KRONOS QUARTET @ BAM 8PM ($20) Laurie Anderson is a God Damn New York staple, and if you aren’t sure who she is, now is your chance to get acquainted. (She was also married to the late Lou Reed, and you can’t really get a bigger co-sign in the NY art scene than that). She appears along with Kronos Quartet, which makes for quite a night of avant-garde experimentation. SEPT 25: MO @ WEBSTER HALL 7:30PM ($21) MO may be a relatively new artist, but she’s got the skills to be as big a pop star as any of her Scandinavian counterparts. If you want to say you saw her before she was SUPER HUGE then get your ass to Webster Hall on September 25th.

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M A DE I N BRO O K LYN