interm ission
freja beha james
etta
pierre hardy is very french in taste
psychin the south land the binges the entrance band golden animals the growlers RTX
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ind ho ld
på forsiden 11 Freje Beha - Kærlighed til Etta James 20 Pierre Hardy - Very french in taste 28 Psychin the south land - meet five weird Los Angeles bands
portrætter 4 6 8 20
Christian Brylle - Model Emma Leth - Skuespiller Hayes Peebles - Musiker Pierre Hardy - Skoenes herre
passion 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18
My playlist Jacob Brown - Salem Whenussleep Freja Beha - Etta James Obsession Jesper Hentze - Jakker Daniel Magnussen - Bøger Maria Leonhardt - Sko Marie Fisker - Guitarer Magnus Berger - Guitarer
musik og kunst
faste sider
24 Banks Violette 28 Psychin the south land 29 The Binges - ‘Rock rewind’ 30 The Entrance Band - ‘Dark days’ 32 The Growlers - ‘Growling seas’
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Velkommen Outro - When you’re finished changing, you’re finished
velkommen
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ndelig har vi skabt det magasin, vi har talt om længe, og som vi har savnet på den danske magasinscene. Et magasin som vil handle om ´vores´ København og de mænd og kvinder fra bl.a. New York, London og Paris, som inspirerer os indenfor mode, kunst, film og musik. Vores 1st issue fylder 44 sider og er produceret i København, New York og Paris siden april. I interviewet med den franske designer Pierre Hardy prøver vi bl.a. at finde ud af, om vi nogensinde vil se ham designe briller, som vi er mange, der har efterspurgt. Magnus Berger, redaktør på The Last Magazine fra New York, poserer i vores obsession feature med et udvalg af sine yndlingsguitarer, som han har samlet på fra han var ung teenager i Sverige.
Intermissions moderedaktør Jesper Hentze deler sin obsession med nøje udvalgte jakker fra Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane. Vi har desuden skudt første del af vores ongoing Kbh portrætserie, som inkluderer både ansigter fra den nye generation og nogle af de mere etablerede kunstnere, designere og musikere. Vi har også nået at komme omkring 5 musikstudier i LA og skyde nogle af de mest cool indiebands. Ellers kan du læse om NY kunstner Banks Violette, sommerens dufte, 3 unge fund som vi tror på indenfor musik, foto og film samt fotograf Luke Irons, der tager en sidste afsked med modellen Randy Johnston, som døde på tragisk vis sidste efterår. Daniel Magnussen
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chris
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stian brylle Alder: 24 Beskæftigelse: Model bor New York, NY Hvorfor ny: “The land of opportunities...” Det er en by, der aldrig sover Kunne ikke leve uden: frihed til... Favorit fiktiv figur: Dorian Gray Favorit karakter af kød og blod: Som karakter, Jack Nicholson Mest inspirerende person(er): Penn, Avedon, Newton, Bailey, Lindbergh Mest inspirerende sted: Paris Det bedste ved københavn: Familie og venner Titelsang: “I’ve got the world on a string” - Frank Sinatra Yndlingsplade: Singles collection: The London Years - The Rolling Stones Indbegrebet af god stil: Jeg kan ikke opsummere eller definere ‘god stil’, dette er personligt. Stil er et billede, vi alle lever igennem, man kan lade sig influere af mange forskellige medier såsom musik, film, kunst og mode. Men hellere være sig selv og omfavne diverse referencer.
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Alder: 19 Virke: Jeg vil bestræbe mig på at skabe film, som jeg selv elsker. Vigtig bedrift: Min vigtigste bedrift ser jeg stadig frem til. Værste mareridt: Jeg elsker at drømme og have mareridt, det gode ved dem er jo, at man vågner igen og er tilbage i virkeligheden. I den virkelige verden ville mit værste mareridt nok være, at verden gik under. Enghave plads eller den lille havfrue: Enghave Plads. Vi bor på Sønderboulevard, og jeg er vokset op på Vesterbro og har en kæmpe kærlighed til Istedgade og alt, hvad der hører til. Græd sidst: Jeg vågnede af, at det tordnede, og jeg var apropos drømme midt i en rigtig god én. Jeg var så forvirret, at jeg begyndte at græde, og sagde til Anders, at jeg havde en fornemmelse af, at vi alle skulle dø. Lykkelig når: Jeg spiser min kærestes hjemmelavede tartar. Når jeg besøger min far i sit sommerhus. Når mine katte sover under dynen med os om natten. Jeg er et meget lykkeligt ungt menneske, da jeg har været god til at få mit liv præcis, som jeg vil have det. Stort set. Det har selvfølgelig også sine konsekvenser at flytte hjemmefra som 16-årig. Mest skræmmende person: Morderen i filmen “Profondo Rosso” af Dario Argento fra 1975. Det bedste ved københavn: Alt. Jeg kender mange, der flygter til London, Paris eller Berlin. Men jeg elsker det her. Jeg kan godt lide at gå ture på Vestre Kirkegård, det er helt absurd smukt, det er Københavns største kirkegård, og den ligger 5 minutters gang fra vores lejlighed. Jeg kan godt lide at holde påskefrokoster der og slappe af med de døde.
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hayes peebles Alder: 17 Beskæftigelse: Studerende/musiker bor New York, NY Igangværende projekt: Indspilningen af en selvproduceret LP Karrieremål: At dele min musik med så mange mennesker som muligt Inspirationskilder: Pablo Honey, Sam Cooke, Sun Giant EP, Jack Kerouac Det bedste ved new york: Alt kan ske Største bedrift: Sker ude i fremtiden Helte: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Odysseus
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Barndomshelte: Wolverine, Marthin Luther King Jr., Bruce Springsteen Favoritsted for live optræden: The Rockwood Music Hall Yndlingsguitar: Min akustiske Seagull Rejser aldrig uden: iPod, en bog, en ekstra t-shirt Sidst læst: Er i gang med One Hundred Years of Solitude, og elsker den indtil videre Værste mareridt: En tilbagevendende drøm om en tysk poltergeist Afhængig af: At rejse, mad fra dineren, fremmede sprog.
my play list
Visse spillelister er værd at lytte til. Intermission har fået fingrene i fire styks, der både er eklektiske og kompetente i forhold til genrer og perioder. Få indblik i et par tunge NY-redaktørers inspirationskilder og læs, hvad der kan få en cool cat som Freja Beha på dansegulvet.
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jacob brown 1. salem Whenusleep 2. salem Water 3. adiam dymott Pizza 4. the sounds Home is Where Your Heart Is 5. phoenix 1901 6. deerhunter Famous Last Words 7. peter bjorn & john Blue Period Picasso 8. chris garneau No More Pirates 9. salem Redlights 10. hayes peebles At Ease
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freja beha 1. etta james Fool That I Am 2. yeah yeah yeahs Dull Life 3. yeah yeah yeahs Runaway 4. depeche mode Little Soul 5. bob dylan Lay Lady Lay 6. jimi hendrix Bold As Love 7. jeff buckley Calling You 8. joe cocker With a Little Help From my Friends 9. johnny cash Hurt 10. ella fitzgerald Someone to Watch Over Me
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obsessions
De fleste folk pĂĽ denne jord har en lille samler gemt i sig. Her er fem, der tĂĽler dagens lys. Samlingerne er garneret med de ord, ejermĂŚndene knyttede til deres kĂŚre ting.
jakker
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jesper hentze
esper Hentze er moderedaktør på Intermission. Det kom ikke som nogen stor overraskelse, da han afslørede en gedigen samling af luksuriøse jakker. Dette er, hvad Jesper havde at sige om dem: “Her et lille udvalg af nogle af mine jakker. Jeg har samlet på dem i omkring fire år. Ud af de viste jakker er min favorit læderjakken fra Dior Homme med de fire lommer. Jeg synes, den er tidløs. Jeg går altid med jeans til mine jakker eller blazere. For tiden er der ingen designere, der kan lave det, jeg ønsker inden for herremode, men jeg har dog øje på en læderjakke fra Balmain.”
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1: Artist jason schmidt 2: V Best stephen gan 3: Berlinhedi slimane 4: Bold and Beautiful ezra petronio 5: In the American West richard avedon 6: Balenciaga Parisfabien baron 7: Selected Works ezra petronio/suzanne koller
bøger
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daniel magnussen
aniel Magnussen er magasinets Creative Director, fordi han har et godt øje. Dette øje finder glæde i bøger og magasiner med visuel og grafisk kvalitet, hvorfor Daniel i en snes år har samlet på den slags. Her følger nogen af dem, der har gjort størst indtryk. “Jeg begyndte for alvor at samle på fotobøger for 7 år siden efter mit første besøg i New York. Favoritforlaget har altid været Steidl, som har arbejdet sammen med nogle af mine yndlingsfotografer og -grafikere som Inez Van Lamsweerde/Vinoodh Matadin, Jason Schmidt, Hedi Slimane og Ezra Petronio etc. Her har jeg samlet nogle af favoritterne”
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aria ejer modeforretningen Paristexas, som københavnere med god smag elsker og respekterer. Her er der nøje selekteret i, hvad der hænger på stængerne. Indehaveren selv har et dybt kærlighedsforhold til sko. “Mine første sko i samlingen var et par Chanel-støvler til 10.000 kroner. For knap 11 år siden markerede netop dette køb starten på en seriøs addiction. Jeg kan tydeligt huske, da jeg gik ud af butikken med en gigantisk Chanel pose i hånden og var helt høj, fordi jeg aldrig havde ejet noget så extravagant. Det er svært at sige, hvilket par, jeg værdsætter mest, men mine nittebesatte bikerboots fra en af Number (N)ine’s tidlige kollektioner står højt på listen. De er de perfekte bikerboots uden sammenligning. Bonuseffekten er, at når man går, så sætter de aftryk på jorden med et hjerte og en tåre, jeg håber, de holder evigt. Jeg vil også altid elske mine tårnhøje og umuligt smukke ankelstøvler fra Haider Ackerman. De er smukke, og man får fantastiske ben, når de er på. Beten er bare, at man ikke rigtig kan gå i dem. Jeg havde dem på til fest engang, hvor jeg endte med ikke at kunne bevæge mig for smerte. I skam gik jeg ud på toilettet for at kravle ud af vinduet, løbe hjem i bare fødder, skifte sko og vende tilbage til festen. Derfor står de nu på reolen og ser fine ud. Mine drømmesko er de der pokkers Balenciaga plateau harness ankelstøvler fra en ældre kollektion, som er umulige at finde. De har stået som fast søgning på min Ebay profil i årevis uden held. Jeg har vurderet en kopimodel i desperation, men det går ikke med en støvle som den. Det er originalen eller intet. Jeg har Olsen-søstrene mistænkt for at have opkøbt dem alle.”
sko
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maria leonhardt
guitarer marie fisker
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arie Fisker har udgivet et meget rost debutalbum i 2009. Hun har en solid og udsøgt samling af guitarer, som ikke bare pynter, men bruges. Hver guitar har sin helt egen lyd og historie. Hun fandt fem særlige frem til Intermission. En
håndfuld seksstrengede med patina og anekdoter støbt i træet. “Min kœreste købte min første guitar. Han gav mig den i fødselsdagsgave, da jeg fyldte 24. Jeg havde kigget på en del forskellige, men faldt pladask for denne akustiske swing-jazzguitar fra 50’erne. Dengang jeg fik min første guitar, var jeg så glad for den, at den stod i sovevœrelset de 2 første måneder, mens jeg sov. Indtil jeg vågnede om morgenen og kunne tage den med ind i stuen igen. Aldrig har jeg oplevet at blive så opslugt af en ting. Nu har jeg dog fået et mere fornuftigt forhold til den. Jeg bliver ved med at købe guitarer, fordi jeg efterhånden har brug for flere måder at udtrykke min lyd på. Jeg er ikke guitar-samler, fordi de skal hœnge på vœggen, men fordi jeg har fundet glœden i at kunne give musikken forskellige nuancer ved forskellige stemninger. Når finanskrisen er ovre, skal jeg nok have en EKO 500 3V guitar fra 60’erne. Mama mia, den er så smuk og klassisk oldschool i lyden, hvis man kan finde en i god stand. Min yndlingsguitar er den Harmony, jeg altid spiller på live. Den er meget levende i lyden og med en mørk og varm klang. Det er en amerikansk ‘postordre-guitar’ fra 50’erne, den mest almindelige guitar for sin tid i Amerika. De blev nœrmest spyttet ud varme fra samlebåndet, men jeg elsker den.”
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guitarer magnus berger
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agnus Berger is the editor and creative director of the NYbased Last Magazine. One among many obsessions is his guitar collection. Here he has chosen some of his favorites from his private collection. His passionate stories about his
guitars surely is intriguing reading. “There are many things I love about vintage guitars besides just playing them. I like the idea of something handcrafted and patinated by time and previous owners. Guitars needs to be played to remain it’s tone, especially hollow body instruments. It’s sad when you see collectors who don’t play. I started to play when I was about twelve. After a few inherited or borrowed instruments I got my own. My first electric guitar was a similar “Chiquita” mini guitar that Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) plays in the beginning of “Back to the future”, when he standing in front of the giant amp in Dr Brown’s lab and literarily gets blown away. Come to think of it, The guitar he plays when he is performing at his parents “The enchantment under the sea” dance, is very similar to my Gibson ES-330. All though I’m pretty sure his was a 335. My Gibson ES-330 from 1964 is my favorite of any guitar I have ever played. It’s essentially a jazz guitar, but it just has an amazing tone if you crank it, such a rich sound whether you play with distortion or keeping it clean. John Lennon use to play the budget version called Epiphone casino. I guess that worked out just fine too. Eddie Van Halen made me go crazy with custom made guitars with Floyd Rose tremolo in my early teens until I just finally had it with all that crap and got the most basic guitar of them all. The Telecaster is the choice of a lot blues and rock players who just wants the basic, no frills. It’s been played by all the legends. Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead has one, Bruce Springsteen made it even more iconic on the Born To Run cover. Then of course it’s Keith Richards, the anti guitar hero. He’s just all Rock’n Roll. He is the reason I bought my black Fender Telecaster from 1978. I was in music school and I just had it with all technical stuff we were playing. I got into Keith who had realized that less is more, also in music. It’s heavy as hell but it’s the most basic, cool piece of Rock’n Roll you will ever need. I remember this footage when Keith is hitting an attacking fan in the head on stage during a show. Damn, that must have hurt... Another great piece is the Gibson EB-1 bass which was very popular in the seventies mainly by reggae and afro-beat musicians. The Guild all black acoustic just reminds me of Jonny Cash, can’t think of a better excuse. My Harmony acoustic, I bought for $75 at the flea market. It’s so beat up it barely holds together but it has an amazing tone. Sounds like Django Reinhardt. Well… maybe if he would play it.”
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pierre hardy
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have fallen in love with Pierre Hardy, several times. These are not the words of a “shoe person,” either; I have always been far more likely to swoon at a building or an artwork than at a stiletto. Perhaps that’s precisely this veteran designer’s appeal – he has created for Dior, Hermès, Balenciaga and others with a sensibility that channels a distinctly Parisian neo-classicism through a thoroughly avantgarde sensibility, to make shoes that are about as far from pretentious as they are from just casual. And Pierre Hardy is kind to his admirers: his recession-friendly sandals have graced Gap stores for a couple years now, his own bespectacled likeness the retailer’s billboard advertisements. His newest store opened at Paris’ Palais Bourbon last February; the 110m2 architectural vision in dark lacquered parquet now houses Hardy’s namesake line of men’s and women’s footwear and bags, in a quiet oasis in the heart of the 7th arrondissement.
define myself as very French in taste, in a way. victoria camblin: So you started your career at And that is very different from Italian taste, for christian dior, in the 80s. but at what point in your life did you really start with the shoes? How does one instance, which I love, but I am just not able to do it. It’s another sensibility, which is also differget into that? ent from the American way, and so on. So yes, pierre hardy: When I was a fine arts stuyou’re right, I would say I have a very French apdent, in Paris, it was like a hobby for me – it was proach to things. never my plan, like the job that I wanted to do, vb: But what do you think it is that makes it so to be a “shoe designer.” I just wanted to draw, French? Or rather, what makes French style French to paint, to do sculpture… to do art, basically. I never thought about fashion, it was about applied style? ph: First of all, when I’m in France I don’t arts. necessarily see this “French style” of clothes on So how did you make the transition from the “beaux the street everywhere. I know that there is a hisarts” to shoe design? tory of this culture of fashion and couture and ph: It was just by chance—a friend of mine, who was a designer and worked in fashion, style, and there always has been. But to be frank, I don’t see so much of it every day. Still, I think had been asked to help this shoe designer, and part of the quality of this French taste is that it’s she said, “Why don’t you go? You like to draw always a mix, a balance of something quite classhoes.” So I thought I would try. I did this assissic and that’s supposed to be a little bit loose or tant job for a while, but it was just a student job negligée… – I never thought that it could be a career. In this vb: Classicism with one added element of surprise? period I was very involved in painting and draw ph: It’s never everything matching everying and things like anatomy, art history. This was else. It’s less just for fun. I would define myself as very French in thing pure than straight vb: That background taste, in a way. And that is very different up classicism. Mayreally comes out in be that’s the interest your shoe designs from Italian taste, for instance, which I of this look—it’s today, though. What’s sophisticated but distinctive about them love, but I am just not able to do it. not stiff. is not just that they’re vb: Perhaps when beautiful or chic, it’s people think of Parisian style, they think of the womabout something in the quality of the craftsmanship, en—of that gracefully aging woman wearing Chanel of the materials… flats on her way to the market… [laughter] But what ph: Well, I’m not so involved in researchabout French men? ing new materials or new effects or whatever. I’m ph: It’s about how the clothes come more interested in how to put them together. I’m together, this sort of mixture of high classicism not crazy about strange or very modern materiand low, worn pieces—you can wonder why Serge als—becauhe has in his mind. When I’m working Gainsbourg for example is an icon for being for Hermès it’s totally, totally different — beelegant when he was much more shabby than cause I’m working for a big, old, classic French anything else. He was just wearing old pin-stripe brand with a big collection, men’s and women’s, jackets and old Levi’s and a very simple shoe, with a traditional and a level of quality that is… white, used. His elegance was more about an what it is. Each time there are different rules, on invention of character, and when he was doing many many different levels. It’s never the same it, he was the only one doing it. Maybe that’s the job. At all. French taste as well—to mix clothes in a way that vb: Let’s talk about the Pierre Hardy label… builds a new character. ph: Well I’m now working on a second vb: You have a huge repertoire and have designed shop in Paris. And maybe that sounds very normal—he has a shoe brand, he opens a shop—but for so many different labels… ph: Well I try not to do so many! But I the shop is very special. It’s lse with the shoe think it’s because I’m living from the inside, and it doesn’t work so well. It doesn’t work with the on the inside I’m always trying not to do the body, it doesn’t work in the process of fabricasame thing, to repeat it again and again. Betion. In the end, I’m always working with quite cause basically what I love—and what everybody classical materials—basically, it’s all about loves in style—is always more or less the same. leather. After that, what interests me is to give It’s always about avoiding repeating the same new shape, new image, new volume, but using thing over and over again and finding what you those basics. vb: Of course, you’re known for your classic look, but love with new shapes… so it’s interesting that you say that I’m working with a big range of shoes it’s also somehow quite avant-garde—and very few because I don’t have this feeling at all! vb: Well people would disagree with the description of your you’ve engaged all different kinds of registers, work as very “French.” too—there are the major fashion houses like ph: Yes! That’s very interesting—I would
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Balenciaga and Hermès, there’s the Pierre Hardy line, and then, the Gap. And I’m wondering how you negotiate these transitions, from fashion house to high street for instance. ph: It’s just part of the job each time. It’s like an actor taking on different characters. When I’m working on my own collection, it’s like a one-man show—I’m on stage alone. When I’m working with different designers, I always try to play with my partner—of course I’ll do it my way, but I always try to understand what the different rules are, who the people I’m working with are. And it’s very different; you have to adapt. When I’m working with Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, it’s a very close collaboration, because we’ve known each other for such a long time. It’s very easy for us to communicate, and to reach what we really want. Because in this case, for example, I’m just trying to achieve what he has in his mind. When I’m working for Hermès it’s totally, totally different — because I’m working for a big, old, classic French brand with a big collection, men’s and women’s, with a traditional and a level of quality that is… what it is. Each time there are different rules, on many many different levels. It’s never the same job. At all. vb: Let’s talk about the Pierre Hardy label… ph: Well I’m now working on a second shop in Paris. And maybe that sounds very normal—he has a shoe brand, he opens a shop—but the shop is very special. It’s like a house. It’s a little piece of space that looks like the world I’m trying to create, basically. The thing about space is that it’s not only a question of mood, it’s like an idea. Of course, in the end, it’s never exactly what you’ve dreamt about—never exactly. But it’s trying to find an equivalent of what I’m doing in the shoe collection and translate it into space, color, furniture, and so on. vb: Do you have a general interest in architecture? Your shoes have an architectural quality. ph: It’s true, I think I prefer space and volume to decoration, ornamentation… my tastes lean more towards a constructive feeling. But I think that what I love in fashion is that these projects are short-term. I don’t think that I would be able to work on such long projects as architecture does, which take years and years to realize. So I try to channel this interest in what you call “architecture” but on a different scale.
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vb: It’s the best of both worlds—the instant turnover of fashion, the exploration of space of architecture… Where will the store be? ph: On the left bank, in Paris. The location of my first shop, at the Palais Royal—for me it’s one of the most beautiful places in Paris. Because it’s inside and outside. It’s not a street, it’s not a courtyard, it’s not a garden, it’s everything together, but quite protected from the rest of the city. It’s in the center, yet there’s no noise… so it’s very unique in a sense. And the place where I’m now planning my second shop is also on a square, and once again it’s like a little center all by itself. And I love this feeling—there are many places like this in Paris. vb: You have your own signature style in photos— as a designer yourself, how do you approach other designers, how do you craft your personal look? ph: Of course, I buy other designers—I buy Balenciaga, I buy Margela, I buy Jil Sander… also a lot of casual things, like Levi’s, a lot of sneakers, too. So it’s very mixed, and always quite simple, and quite coherent. Taste is what I’m doing, actually. vb: What about your glasses? ph: The relationship to glasses is a little like the relationship to shoes—because it’s something you have to wear. So I think there are two conditions: it’s either the mask you wear to become someone else, and it becomes a part of your character, or you try to wear something that doesn’t disturb the general organization of your face or your appearance. It’s like shoes: you can chose your shoes to make a big statement—very obviously heavy, bright, or whatever. Or you can choose a shoe that’s very discreet—just a finishing of your silhouette, that disappears, is almost non-existing. So for me the glasses should be there very normally: for me it’s not an accessory; it sits as part of your face. vb: Would you ever consider designing eyewear? ph: Actually, no, I’m not sure I’d want to. Doing glasses puts you into a system. It has to be distributed, manufactured… it’s a big big business, you know? If I were to do it, I would have to reconsider it from a very different point of view. A bit more exclusive, or more luxurious, maybe. vb: Any other unrealized projects you might one day want to go into, other than eyewear? ph: There are lots of unrealized projects! The question for me is not so much, “do I want to go there?” It’s more, “Am I able to go there?”
banks violette
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e B
anks Violette er en kunstner, der leverer kommentarer til vor samtid med tyngde og ikonisk gennemslagskraft. Banks Violettes kunst er ikke let forgængelig og skal sjældent forstås som et enkeltstående værk. Den Ny-baserede skulptør, tegner og maler griber om vor sociale samtid med sort pensel og voldstemaer. Hans opvækst i Ithaca ansporede en hang til det uskønne og makabre og formede hans kunstsprog. I Banks møder man en kunstner med en uomtvistelig fortælleevne. Med evner der når langt ud over New Yorks scene, rammer hans kunst os københavnske bysbørn, dér hvor den skal.
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psychin the south land Los Angeles is weird. You don’t have to be here to know it either. It’s common knowledge: the whole damn city is a psychedelic freakshow. It’s natural that these five Angelino bands are all weird in one way or another. Whether they’re fronted by tiny, thrashing Japanese sisters, or they have holed up in the desert or by the beach, or they’repreoccupied with death or sports, Los Angeles is home. Let’s get weird.
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the binges ‘rock rewind’
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here came a point in time, maybe about 15 or so, when you realized that classic rock radio is what it is: a cheesy blend of stoner anthems and MOR balladry. You needed to branch out and find some new jams, so you discovered obscure indie bands and dance music. Then, when you hit your late 20s, you came full circle and stopped caring what everyone else thought and you dusted off that copy of Bad Company’s 10 From 6 that you listened to while smoking out for the first time in the back of your buddy’s Nissan Altima. That’s what the Binges are, essentially—the musical manifestation of a second time around. “It’s about being comfortable and at peace with yourself and enjoying what you enjoy,” says Binges drummer Travis Smith with laid back California twang. And when you get right down to it, we all enjoy a little of that good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll from time to time. And yet, the Binges aren’t your prototypical rock band; Smith and frontman Dylan Squatcho are flanked by the Okai sisters—guitarist Mayuko and bassist Tsuzumi—making for an uncommon dynamic. “They just showed up from Tokyo in 1999,” says Smith. “They were playing knuckle-cracking piano in Japan, [but] they’re diehard for ’70s rock ‘n’ roll: Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, AC/DC.” On a whim, Mayuko auditioned for guitar when her boyfriend was called in to try out, and won the part over him. Tsuzumi joined a short while after that. With their major label sound and idiosyncratic look, A&R reps quickly came on to the band, but it was right as the industry was nosediving, and all their offers started to die down or stretch on. So, after waiting on empty promises for years, The Binges decided to self-release their long-shelved debut album this fall. “It [was] only available at Amoeba [Records] in Hollywood, on consignment, which sounds pathetic…” says Smith. But again comes the idea that sometimes you need a second chance to really get a hold of something, and there’s no doubt this record will propel the Binges back into the rock stratosphere.
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the entrance band ‘dark days’
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We have met dark days,” wrote Lestar Bangs in his brilliant exegesis of Black Sabbath in 1972. “People will do almost anything to escape from the pall.” War was still raging in Viet Nam, and the heavy doom of Sabbath’s early records hung in the air like a death knell, yet was deeply moralistic, mused Bangs. Guy Blakeslee, the frontman for modern day doom-psyche trio, the Entrance Band, felt something akin to that approach during the writing of Prayer of Death, an album of cabal of Sabbath-like dirges mostly centered on the prognostication of death. “I tried to have it have a positive spin: don’t take life for granted, because death is inevitable,” says Blakeslee, his voice crackling with passion over the phone. “Every day the news was about all the stuff around it, but underlying it there were many deaths—you talk about war, you’re really talking about people killing each other. It’s a crass overgeneralization, but people weren’t talking about it like that.” All this stems from Blakeslee’s first incarnation of the band, known then as simply Entrance, which was Blakeslee, a six-string and a set of bluesy songs. “I didn’t want to be from this time period. And it was a practical decision to not have it be too dependent on other people,” says Blakeslee. “It goes back to old school American music. A lot of the gospel and blues singers, they were not only preaching biblical morality, but the idea that everyone’s going to die.” Adding multi-talented bassist Paz Lenchantin and drummer Derek James gave Blakeslee the gravitas to cut his history lesson with some slightly more contemporary influences. “I feel like what we’re doing now is trying to bring it back into a new sound that includes all the things I was always into,” he says. The Entrance Band of today takes the Charley Patton and Robert Johnson influence, a bandwide reverence for hardcore punk, a little bit of love for Tom Petty, and a healthy dose of the ghosts of Laurel Canyon circa 1968, and sloshes it all around to create a druggy concoction, albeit an optimistic one. “The new record has themes that are blatantly positive, about love and political action,” says Blakeslee. “We have a song called ‘MLK,’ paying tribute to what he was about. There may not be a leader like him, but we need to try and live by his example and make sure his works were not in vain.” With this kind of positive songwriting, perhaps dark days and prayers of death may soon give way to exaltations of living and blue skies.
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the growlers ‘growling seas’
As the surf off the coast of Orange County sweeps the beach, a sunny romanticism sets in. This allows for a warm feeling of relaxation specific to the beachfront properties of the earth.
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We’ve all just been learning this whole process,” says Brooks Nielsen, frontman of the Growlers, in a lassez-faire drawl typical to his locale. “No one in the band is in any way really amazing [musically]—if we need a keyboard player, instead of an actual classic pianist, we get a guy who hasn’t played before, because he’s a cool kid.” It translates into a similarly ramshackle live show. “You just can’t have expectations,” laughs Nielsen. “That thing broke, [guitarist] Matt [Taylor]’s amp drank beer. I forgot this, someone messed up on that.” That isn’t to say the Growlers play music that’s amateurish; it’s more just elemental, of the sand and wind and sun. “A lot of the music I like is really basic,” says Nielsen. “The dumbed down aspect, more rootsy stuff, rather than the new gnarly shredders.” To keep it simple, the Growlers have carved themselves an enclave on the beach, fully fitted with a recording studio. “We’ve been really introverted,” Nielsen explains. “Not that we want to be hibernating—we record, mix, silkscreen, package CDs, do music videos all ourselves—the last one I made really ghetto.” Between the five of them—bassist Scott Montoya, keyboard player Miles Patterson and drummer Brian Stewart fill out the band—and despite their lackadaisical attitudes, they tend to get a lot done. Lately, Growlers have been putting together songs and packaging them as “couples,” a series of EPs leading up to their sophomore album, which is full of mid-tempo anthems that feel like the beach bonfire. But don’t call them psychedelic: “We always kind of joked around about ‘psych’ music,” says Nielsen. “It’s just kind of funny—the new Britney Spears song is psychedelic to me. I like psychedelics, but we don’t consider our music psych.” No matter what you call it, Growlers are keeping it simple, keeping it real and expecting the unexpected.
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when you’re finished changing, you’re finished
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umber (N)ine lukker og slukker. Intermission følger til dørs. Number (N)ines sidste kollektion A Closed Feeling kommer i butikkerne til efteråret, derefter lukker det legendariske mærke ned. Et lige så stort tab for modeverdenen som Hedi Slimanes exit fra Dior Homme. Number (N)ine formåede at skabe sig en position indenfor herremoden som ingen kunne måle sig med. De klare referencer til fortidens ikoner gjorde at kollektionerne skilte sig ud og skabte en magi omkring mærket. Blandt andet er kollektionen her på siden inspireret af Gus Van Sants film My Own Private Idaho. Der var historier bag kollektionerne, hvilket gjorde dem mindeværdige og gjorde at de ikke blot forsvandt i glemslen. En gennemgående inspiration for designeren bag, Takahiro Miyashita, var hans fascination af Amerika og han brugte landets ikoner som musikerne Axl Rose, Kurt Cobain og Johnny Cash til at opbygge et univers omkring. Selvom referencerne var utrolig nøjagtige blev det ikke utroværdigt, for gennem alle kollektioner kunne man fornemme at der var et klart aftryk af Number (N)ine. Mærket har formået at opretholde en mystik omkring sig ved ikke at overeksponere sig selv eller på nogen måde gå en kommerciel vej. Hans butikker er aldrig placeret åbenlyse steder, men gemt på obskure steder i storbyer som Tokyo og New York. Number (N)ine var ikke kun et ledende mærke i Japan, men tværtimod i hele verden. Det var kreativitet, inspiration og gennemført god stil. Number (N)ine vil blive savnet og er et stort tab for modeverdenen. Redaktionen
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