Made july 2014 by MADE Paper

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Issue 15 JUly 2014

News, Makers & Trends of the New South

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Montgomery

MONTGOMERY

PUBLISHER MADE Paper

Issue 15 JUly 2014

EDITORS Brent Rosen, Anna Lowder, Caroline Nabors Rosen, Harvi Sahota CREATIVE DIRECTOR Harvi Sahota DESIGN Matter www.iheartmatter.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Brent Rosen, Caroline Nabors Rosen, Anna Lowder, Andrea Jean, Heather Steen, Tiffany Bell, Will Abner, Johnny Veres, Sam Wootten, Jennifer Kornegay, Scott Steen, Melissa Tsai, Tom Jean, Edwin Marty, Evans Bailey, Tina Hofer Medico, Robert Wool, Will Steineker, Elliot Knight, Mark Bowen, Christian Kerr, Rebecca Seung, David Mowery, Brian Carroll, Blake Rosen, Josh Carples, Katie Lindgren, Natilee McGruder, CarolineTaylor, Skye Borden, Katie Vega, Rachel Fisher, Amy Collins

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Harvi Sahota, Grace Photography, Josh Moates, Jon Kohn, Ryan Muirhead, Luke Lindgren, Thomas Lucas DESIGN CONTRIBUTOR Jay Wilkins

Made is a free, independent newspaper published monthly. Modern design, authentic voices, smart articles and curated events. ISSUE 14 JUNE 2014

DISCLAIMER: Made publishes news and commentary, critique and reporting, offering different views from our community. Our contributors offer a variety of views and perspectives on subjects covered in Made. These views and opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Due to the nature of creative industries and the connections we foster with those around us, contributors may have some personal or professional connection with people, events, or organizations covered in the publication or website. All letters, messages, and emails sent to Made will be treated as intended for publication unless otherwise noted by the author. Letters and emails may be edited for space and content. Made celebrates the rich history of a free press and is proud to continue to strengthen this tradition.

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Column feature: Smith feature: MGM Curb Market feature: Fireworks Food & DRINK music MAKERS travel

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MADE is a collective of citizens celebrating the local, the authentic, and the unique. We are creatives featuring other creatives and the engaging work being produced in our city. We call attention to all fields forging new pathways in expression and innovation. We are makers who love to eat, talk, collaborate, question, party, and laugh, and we want you to take part. Thanks for reading this and supporting the artists, craftsmen, creatives, and active citizens that make a city thrive.

A Lesson for Living: A Tribute to Larry Rosen

CONTENTS © 2014 by Made Paper. Reproduction in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the publisher’s express written approval is prohibited. The publication is free, limit two per reader. Removal of more than two papers from any distribution point constitutes theft. Violators are subject to prosecution under city ordinances.

MADE PAPER 505 Cloverdale Road, Unit 102 Montgomery, Alabama 36106 CALL 334.223.4862 EMAIL editor@madepaper.com

COVER PHOTO: JON KOHN

MADE Columnist Brent Rosen will return next issue.

JULY 2014 • MADEPAPER.COM

MADEPAPER.COM • JULY 2014

WORDS CHANDLER HINES PHOTOS JON KOHN

Talking Fashion, the Garment District, and an Airstream Adventure with by SMITH For many girls, becoming a fashion designer is the ultimate dream. It’s one of those careers that only comes true in the movies or reality TV. Well, sometimes dreams do come true and it has happened to one of the South’s own! Smith Sinrod Diano grew up in Pensacola, FL and graduated from The University of Alabama in 2009 before launching her clothing line, by SMITH. She is one of 7 children (4 of those girls) and some of you probably know of her sister, Holland Williams, from her fabulous photog skills here in Montgomery. The by SMITH collection can be found at Montgomery’s local boutique, Painted Pink on Mulberry, which has been carrying her line since she started it. Supporting a local business like Painted Pink or hue Studio means much more when you get to know some of the designers personally. It’s really neat to know that you are wearing something that a local ‘Bama grad dreamed up in her New York studio and put out there for us to have!

I happen to be one of those girls that is still dreaming of fashion and design so I jumped at the chance to interview Smith on how she got started in the biz and what inspires her. Moving from Florida to Tuscaloosa and then to New York is quite the leap and I wanted some insight on how she got started and is able to maintain a fabulous brand. CC: When did you know you wanted to start a line and design clothes? SSD: I grew up having a sense that I would end up in a creative field. I decided to make a plan to launch the line during my Senior year of college. Once I knew I was going to move forward with the line, I started strategizing my development and angle. My original concept was built around the use of Thai Silk in a contemporary label. The first step was a sourcing trip to Thailand and the rest is history! What inspires your collections? Do you have a personal muse? I am constantly inspired by New York’s Art Deco Architecture that fills the city. I also pull inspiration from my late Great Grandmother’s style- she was “miss put together” and had incredible taste. What kind of girl do you envision wearing the by SMITH collection? The by SMITH girl is the young professional woman in her mid-twenties to late forties, career focused singles, recently married, and fashionable Moms.

around the corner from the factory, I have built a nice work community. The Garment District is small and I see people I know on the streets everyday and that feels comforting. I love coming home to see family, get my grits fix, and take a breath. What is your go-to outfit and personal style on any given day? My personal style is reflected in my collection. I like to mix and match printed pieces in a dressy way if the occasion calls for it and prefer to dress down on a daily basis. During the summer I am usually guilty of wearing a pair of Soho Shorts with a cotton tee and flats. What is next for by Smith? Any big goals or future plans? We have a lot in store coming up, a lot of which I can’t discuss yet. However this summer, we have plans to go on an Airstream Adventure, which is a mobile trunk show concept I came up with. It’s been in the works for a while and finally coming to life! We are hosting 5 events in 5 different cities and are collaborating with local artists & talent in each city. We are creating a block party meets trunk show event in each city. It should be fun! We will have blog featuring each party and our adventures along the way. So tune in- more to come!

Where can these women buy your clothes? In Montgomery, Painted Pink carries the line and has since the very beginning.

Well, that sounds exciting! I’m sure there are a lot of girls that look up to you. What advice would you give them to pursue their dreams? Follow your dreams!! Take criticism with a grain of salteveryone has opinions of how things should be done, sometimes you just have to do your own thing, listen to your gut and pave your own path.

What is it like moving from Alabama to New York? You must have been intimidated at first! When I first moved to New York, I felt very intimated by the aggressive people that fill this city, but now it’s home. Now that I am producing in New York and work right

JULY 2014 • MADEPAPER.COM

NEWLY RENOVATED CURB MARKET EXTERIOR (TOP), CONTRASTED WITH EARLIER CONDITION 06

MADEPAPER.COM • JULY 2014

Montgomery’s Curb Market Revitalization PHOTO JOSH MOATES

WORDS KATIE VEGA

Watermelons! Tomatoes! Snap peas, oh my! Montgomery’s Curb Market, located in downtown Montgomery, has been around almost as long as Montgomery itself. Patrons and farmers have been talking weather (naturally) and food, trading goods, and gathering together in this market setting for nearly TWO CENTURIES. With recent façade and ordinance renovations, the Curb Market is seeing new light and reaching new heights.

And you would think these urban farms, these who get monetary help from the City and use their resources to teach others about the value of growing and eating their own food, would be able to share their harvests with the people of Montgomery. With the grand re-opening of the curb market and EAT South’s active role in the All America City Award just a week after the decision was made, Mayor Todd Strange stepped up to the plate to make this dream a reality. The City helped create a very viable partnership that will benefit so many people.

In the late 1800s, the Montgomery Curb Market began as the City Market, which was located under City Hall. In the early 1900s, the Market moved to the corner of Washington and Lawrence, next to the County Court House. Years later, we are brought to the current location on Madison Avenue, the place where, for decades, local farmers have been selling their produce, canned goods, and cakes.

According to EAT South’s executive director, Denise Greene, a timely conversation between board chair Alexia Borden and Mayor Strange brought the question to the table: why can’t EAT South and others sell produce grown locally in Montgomery farms at the Curb Market?

Recently, the Market underwent a facelift which included a new coat of paint, new wiring, new doors, and a beautiful new pergola in the front where patrons can enjoy freshly purchased produce. But the most important and substantial part of this makeover is not in the form of tangibility. An old and outdated city ordinance disallowed farmers within the city limits of Montgomery to sell their produce at their own city market. And, frankly, that didn’t make any damn sense. When most of us think of farms within the city limits, our brains direct us to EAT South.

“Unfortunately, an outdated ordinance blocked EAT South and other Montgomery farmers from offering their produce at the Montgomery Curb Market. As soon as we discovered this problem, we turned around and found a way to fix it to ensure these quality fruits and vegetables grown in our city will be available at markets in our city for residents of our city. Fresh, local produce like this is an important step as we continue working to build a healthier community—not to mention, it tastes great, too.” – Mayor Todd Strange Thanks to this partnership and citizens who wanted a change, beginning this summer, you will see friendly farmers and staff from

EAT South welcoming curb market enthusiasts to their booth. According to Greene, this means changes to EAT South’s very well-organized crop plans at their farms in downtown Montgomery and in Hampstead, but it is their desire to reach as many people as possible in their mission to educate, act, and transform. Now, the same special, naturally-grown produce their CSA members enjoy weekly and local chefs at Central and True feature in their menus will be available to the citizens of Montgomery. EAT South will also offer resources for sustainable growing and recipes to go along with their weekly offerings from the farm. “The Curb Market is a Montgomery jewel and landmark. We are delighted to have this opportunity to participate alongside such incredible farmers and their families who work so hard to bring fresh food into our homes. Look for our flowers, delicious herbs, arugula, tomatoes, micro-greens, and all the southern bounty we grow at our urban farms. This is just the beginning! Look for other revolutionary new ideas being planted at EAT South such as the upcoming family cooking school.” – Denise Greene

To buy locally grown produce (like Sally Hill’s, who began selling at the Market 77 years ago), visit the Montgomery Curb Market at 1004 Madison Avenue in downtown Montgomery. To learn more about the Market and to see updates, like their Facebook page, Montgomery Curb Market. To learn more about EAT South, visit their website at www.eatsouth.org, like their Facebook page (EAT South), and follow them on Instragram (@eatsouth).

JULY 2014 • MADEPAPER.COM

MADE Paper Explains it All: Fireworks WORDS BRENT ROSEN

The Fourth of July cast includes BBQ, American flag beer cans, shortshorts, and coconut-scented tanning lotion, but those are just the bit players. The true star of every Fourth of July? The fireworks. Municipal fireworks, country club fireworks, sporting event fireworks, backyard fireworks. A Fourth of July without fireworks is Christmas without gifts. You can do it that way, but why? And while we are asking questions, how exactly do fireworks work? I visited TNT Fireworks on the Troy Highway looking for answers. When I asked the gentlemen at the counter how fireworks worked, he looked at me like an asshole, his facial expression saying “you light the fuse and you run away, dumbass.” I rephrased, “I mean, the science behind it? What makes fireworks explode in the air?” That question was met with a blank stare. Then Kayla, the other clerk in the store, interjected, “I don’t know, but those Chinese people that make the fireworks are really smart. We have one that explodes into a smiley face.” After some independent research on the internet, it appears Kayla was on to something. The Chinese don’t just dominate the fireworks market today, they invented fireworks over 1,000 years ago. The first fireworks were designed to scare away spirits, and were little more than gunpowder-stuffed bamboo shoots to be thrown into a fire. The Chinese innovated airborne fireworks next, loading the gun-powder-stuffed bamboo shell into a tube, then creating an explosion at the base of the tube to propel the firework into the air. Once aloft, a second fuse would light the gunpowder in the bamboo shell. Explosive balls known as “stars” were added to the gunpowder

PHOTO MARK DAUBER PROVIDED COURTESY OF THE MONTGOMERY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONVENTION & VISITOR BUREAU

next, and those stars create the visible cascading lights that characterize modern fireworks. In the 1500’s, firework engineers learned that coating the stars with different metals resulted in colorful explosions. Steel makes yellow, barium makes green, copper makes blue, and whatever Strontium is makes red. These make up the primary colors of fireworks, and every other color you see in the sky is created by

some combination of these base metals. Today, a series of tubes linked together with complicated, time-release fuses create the coordinated chaos of the fireworks show. Explosion after explosion, all launched out of mortars strengthened to withstand the shock of repeatedly sending powerful ordinance into the sky. Fireworks technology hasn’t changed over the years so much as it has been multiplied; an ancient Chinese tradition updated for our Michael Bay present.

Peanut Butter, Quaaludes, and Rock & Roll: Celebrating 60 Years of the King WORDS WESLEY TRUE PHOTOS CARTER PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN On July 5, 1954, Elvis came to Memphis to record “That’s All Right” at Sun Studio. The sound was like double-time Hank Williams, familiar, but with a new, sexual beat. On that date, Rock & Roll was born. Soon, Elvis’ talent, combined with his love of peanut butter, sex, and Quaaludes, transformed him from the handsomest bastard to ever drag a guitar out of Mississippi into a bloated, jump-suited icon. This recipe is inspired by Elvis’ love of peanut butter and bananas. It’s up to you to find the sex and the Quaaludes.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE:

1 cup Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips 1/2 cup heavy cream Directions:

Put chocolate chips and cream in pot. Gently heat and whisk until all chocolate melts.

PEANUT BUTTER FILLING FOR TEMPURA: 1 lb cream cheese 1 lb powdered sugar 1 1/2 cups peanut butter Directions:

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar in mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add peanut butter and mix for an additional 5 minutes.

TEMPURA:

2 cups all purpose flour Soda water Salt Utensils Mixing bowl and Fingers Directions:

Add flour and 1/2 tsp salt to mixing bowl. Add a little water and mix with fingers until mixture is a touch lighter than pancake batter. Do not over mix (keep it lumpy). Reserve for later.

CHOCOLATE BANANA ICE CREAM:

1 qt heavy cream 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 cup sugar (divided into ½ cups) 1/4 cup dextrose 12 egg yolks 2 whole eggs 2 whole bananas 1/4 cup banana liqueur Directions:

Put the cream, cocoa powder, dextrose and ½ cup sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. In a bowl, whisk eggs, yolks, banana liqueur and the other ½ cup of sugar. When heavy cream mixture comes to a boil, temper the egg mixture into the cream. When the whole mixture thickens, turn heat off and add the bananas. Using a hand mixer, blend the bananas into the ice cream mixture. When fully incorporated, cool the mixture and put in an ice cream machine. Spin until ice cream sets.

To assemble: Buy an Elvis stencil from R.C. Hagans. Place stencil on plate and dust powdered sugar over it. Dip the balls of peanut butter filling in tempura and fry for 3 minutes in 350 degree oil. Place on plate next to Elvis’s mouth. Drizzle chocolate sauce over top. Scoop ice cream and place by his head. Enjoy. Visit TRUE to find out more. www.truemontgomery.com and @truemontgomery on instagram.

JULY 2014 • MADEPAPER.COM

Gamel (Thrill Jockey) - OOIOO Words BRIAN CARROLL

OOIOO, read like an acronym, is an art-rocking four-piece from Japan that rose to popularity as a fake band in a photo shoot, meaning they had a fan following before all the members could even play instruments. Not at all lost, their most musical member, Yoshimi P-We, is an award-winning drummer for over-the-top Psych band Boredoms and has a flair for leadership, to boot. Yoshimi P-We, or just Yoshimi, as most Americans know her, is famous for battling robots in a popular Flaming Lips ballad. For this album, her band OOIOO follows a simple rule: Each song must feature the style and instruments of the Javanese Gamelan, a music system comprised of gongs, bells, and metallophones. Judging by the results, the group appears to have found their instruments. Who doesn’t like the idea of a gamelan ensemble? Graceful performers are selected to strike a unique set of diverse melodic percussion with one or two hammers. The main section, the gamelan, is a set of bells made from a type of resonous bronze called kerawang. A scrumptuous array of bells are available to the Gamelan percussionist, from elegant bamboo xylophones to hanging tubs of pure iron. Gamelan percussion is often deployed as background music in movies, and it’s often during the spookiest, most surreal scenes of a work, when individuals are held captive or under attack by supernatural forces they can’t understand. While the number of moods possible to achieve with slightly-out-of-tune-bellmusic seems limited, they are a powerful few. When played slow, a listener can feel as though caught in a fog. When played fast, a gamelan ensemble’s gently aggressive spell-binding can leave the listener trapped in a crystallization, caught pondering. It is the music of sleep paralysis, the waking dream, the daymare. So - and this goes without saying - you should always be on the lookout for roving gamelan ensembles.

have come up with are less like traditional songs and more like elaborate musical handshakes. Early portions of the songs are heavy on costume, pagan fire dances, ghoulish statuary, and improv-heavy freak outs, taking a hard-lined inspiration from traditional Javanese music. By each song’s midpoint, however, the band inevitably manages to whip up some warm, funky beat or another and transmutes the Java sound with Western Jazz, Rock, and IDM to truly brilliant climaxes.

These instruments are tuned to feature frequencies, or notes, that are not used in the tonic system Westerners are used to hearing, an idiosyncracy compounded by the highly rhythmic, code-like manner which they are played. Because of the tuning discrepencies, there is a stuffy gentleman’s agreement that Western instruments are not harmonically compatible with the Gamelan, so the fun in this record is listening to someone break that rule.

The album is all color, elbow grease, and humor. OOIOO may have cut its teeth as a group just messing around, but they’re not messing around any more. You’ll either hate this one or love it, but there’s no in-between. Gamel is frequently badass and avant-garde, and is therefore recommended strictly to the adventurous listener. Improv-friendly fans of Roy Budd, Can, Yoko Ono, Battles, Ui, IQU, The Mars Volta, Juana Molina, Tortoise, Deerhoof, Liars, Frank Zappa, Four Tet, Mike Patton, Swans, Boredoms, Sonic Youth, Animal Collective, Bjork, Peaking Lights, Man Man, and Macha will feel right at home.

While listening to Gamel, two odd, marvelous things happened: I wanted to turn off the audacious new record immediately, and when I didn’t, was left wondering how to get my thoughts back into my head. It’s pretty amazing that Gamel - as a concept was attempted and even comes close to succeeding, much less blowing your mind. Though a symbolic union between Earth’s two hemispheres of musical thought is tried frequently, it can be done well, as this truly insane, high-energy album demonstrates.

It’s not the sort of jam you kick in traffic, as it’s completely mad, but if you like falling down rabbit holes and exploring ideas, this is your chew toy, your Sudoku book, your Hellraiser puzzle box. At it’s worst when it’s just Prog Rock, and at its best when it’s got your booty shakin’, Gamel is the damnedest thing: You’ll hate it, endure it, and then an hour will go by, and you’ll really, really want to listen to it again. There’s lots of love in there, sprinkled all around. Gamelan 4-EVA.

Gamel succeeds because what P-We and company

Available on Thrill Jockey.

MADEPAPER.COM • JULY 2014

July 18-27 W.C. Handy Music Festival The Shoals

The 33rd annual W.C. Handy Music Festival is a 10-day celebration inspired by the “Father of the Blues” and the musical heritage of northwest Alabama. Over 200 events are set to take place during the festival including concerts, art exhibits and plays. Expect to hear everything from blues, jazz, gospel and soul to that distinctive Muscle Shoals sound. wchandymusicfestival.org

July 22 Gov’t Mule - 20 Years Strong Tour Sloss Furnace

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $30. For tickets and info visit slossfurnaces.com.

August 1 Phish

Amphitheater at The Wharf

Tickets start at $35. For tickets and info visit amphitheateratthewharf.com.

Instagram: MadePaper Post photos of your July events and tag MadePaper. The more unique the better!

FEATURE FILM

PHOTOs COLUMBIA PICTURES

June 5-August 1 Children’s Matinees

WORDS EVANS BAILEY

This week’s review takes us to the realm of children’s films. The Capri is ramping up its summer weekend midday matinees this month with a selection that includes The Croods, Puss in Boots, the Lorax, Pirates: Band of Misfits, and Madagascar. Having seen precisely zero of these films, and having no children, I took it upon myself as your humble reviewer to take a stab at the only one of these films that remotely interested me based on title alone— Pirates: Band of Misfits, because pirates and misfits are cool. The Croods was dead last. No one wants to know what a Crood is. Anyway, Pirates is the tale of a rag tag band of swashbucklers and their aptly-named Pirate Captain. Voiced by Hugh Grant, ye olde bumbling Captain decides that this will finally be the year where he takes home the coveted pirate of the year award. His grand plan to win the prize through glorious beard maintenance and booty-grabbing (had to) goes slightly askew when his oddball crew stumbles on none other than Charles Darwin and the HMS Beagle en route to the Galapagos Islands (I’m not making this up). Darwin, voiced by David Tennant of Dr. Who fame, convinces the Captain and his crew to take a break from their unsuccessful pirating, and venture to London, where Darwin plans to present the crew’s trusty parrot (actually a dodo bird) to the Royal Academy for a big reward. Claymation hijinks ensue, as does a rousing climax where the evil queen Victoria attempts to claim the dodo for her own culinary purposes. In the end, the vain Pirate Captain learns his lesson, re-earns the trust of his motley crew, and makes a new friend in the father of evolution.

The humo(u)r is deadpan, sharp-witted, and decidedly British. That’s to be expected from filmmakers Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt, who, along with the rest of Aardman Animations, are behind the much-beloved Wallace and Gromit series. Anyone familiar with the series, or Chicken Run or Flushed Away, will quickly recognize their unique claymation style. Gideon Defoe gets screenwriting credits and also authored the source novels. A relative newcomer to filmmaking, Defoe’s jokes did not have me laughing as hard as previous works from Lord and Newitt. Obviously, with Charles Darwin as one of the main characters there are going to be some nods towards his famous theory, but these are tempered nicely with some low-brow “quips” from his mute monkey sidekick that will entertain the lil’ landlubbers. Those who are evolution-averse need not worry that this movie will turn your children into monkey worshippers. There’s no proselytizing here, just a few knowing winks at Darwin’s works for the grownups. The film is a bit uneven. Obviously, the title promises adventures on the high seas, but the film delivers too much pirates and scientists in dreary old London and not enough swashbuckling. Nevertheless, Pirates is probably a lot better than the Croods (based on name alone), and pirates are cool. Take your kids to the early show at 10:00 a.m., or take a break from the pool and catch 1:00 p.m. show on July 31 or August 1.

Catch this film at The Capri, April 12-15. The Capri is located on

Capri Theater 10 a.m. & 1 p.m. The July line-up features favorites like The Lorax, Madagascar, The Pirates! Band of Misfits and Puss in Boots. All seats just $1. capritheatre.org

July 16-August 3 Mary Poppins

Alabama Shakespeare Festival

This summer ASF brings another family spectacular to the stage for the theatre’s $1 million season finale. Disney and Cameron McIntosh’s smash Broadway hit Mary Poppins is coming to town July 16-August 3. Very limited tickets remain and are expected to sell out. For tickets, call the Box Office at 800.841.4273 or visit asf.net.

July 24 Zelda’s 114th Birthday & Gallery Opening

Fitzgerald Museum 11:30 to 1 p.m. The Fitzgerald Museum celebrates Zelda’s 114th birthday with the grand opening of the Zelda Gallery. The Zelda Gallery represents the first room dedicated to showing only Zelda’s paintings - not only at the museum, but worldwide. The gallery will be dedicated to Shawn Sudia-Skeehan of Atlanta who has helped the museum acquire surrogates for the collection. Admission free for guests who arrive between 11:30 and 12:00pm. For info, call 334.2264.4222 or visit fitzgeraldmuseum.net.

July 25-31 The Immigrant Capri Theatre

A film by James Gray. In 1921, unfortunate circumstances drive newly arrived immigrant Ewa into a life of prostitution, and a complex, volatile relationship with two men - her conflicted pimp and his romantic cousin. Starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner. Tickets are $7 for members and $9 for non-members. capritheatre.org

Fairview Avenue. Visit www.capritheatre.org for info.

JULY 2014 • MADEPAPER.COM

Secret Stages Music Festival: Birmingham August 1st & 2nd

Secret Stages is the music festival equivalent of taking your cool friend that knows a ton about music’s iPod and listening to it on “shuffle” for two straight days. Typically, music festivals are built on familiarity; the festival’s line-up is the selling point. Secret Stages is different, billing itself as “Birmingham, Alabama’s Music Discovery Festival.” “People don’t balk at the idea of a film festival,” explained Travis Morgan, one of the founders of Secret Stages, “why would you go and see eight movies in a row you’ve already seen? But people do that at music festivals all the time. They want to see bands they are familiar with.” At Secret Stages, you will see local, regional, and national bands that you’ve never seen before. When Secret Stages was founded in 2011, people struggled with that concept. Now, after four years, Morgan says people are starting to get it. People are excited to say “I saw this band 3 or 4 years ago at Secret Stages, and look at them now.” Sponsors have also come around. Morgan said it was “difficult” to get sponsors the first year, as Secret Stages was “selling an idea people didn’t understand. We were not selling Wilco or the White Stripes, but the bands that might be Wilco or the White Stripes.” After the first year, sponsors like Vulcan Vape realized people actually would pay money to see bands they didn’t know. Lee Bains and the Glory Fires, Shovels and Rope, and St. Paul and the Broken Bones -- who played their first ever show at Secret Stages -- are just

MADEPAPER.COM • JULY 2014

some of the bands who’ve played the festival and gone on to regional and national acclaim. This year, Morgan is particularly excited about the Green Seed, a four-piece hip-hop group from Birmingham, Baghouse, an Athens, GA band that “explores the territory between ambient post rock jazz and full on doomprovisation” featuring Montgomery native Jeff McLeod, and Adia Victoria, who Morgan describes as having a “cool, avant-garde bluesy sound.” Morgan, along with Chuck Leishman, Sam George, and John Poor modeled Secret Stages after the MidPoint Music Festival in Cincinnati, giving the festival its pub-crawl feel. A $25.00 weekend pass provides all access on Friday and Saturday, with venues scattered around 1st and 2nd Avenue North. Patrons can wander from Pale Eddie’s Pour House to Das Haus, to Matthew’s Bar and Grill and then to the outdoor “Miller Lite Main Stage” on Morris Ave, browsing music from the early afternoon until 1:30 in the morning. VIP passes come at the very reasonable price of $75.00, and provide access to all shows as well as a VIP area with complimentary food and drinks. Last year, more than 2,500 people enjoyed Secret Stages and festival organizers predict this year more than 3,000 will attend. In talking with Morgan and Poor, both expressed excitement about the symbiotic relationship developing between Birmingham’s Loft District and Secret Stages. Secret Stages brings thousands of people to this section of downtown Birmingham,

showcasing the revival of a once-uninhabited area. “The new businesses and vibe in downtown Birmingham have helped make Secret Stages a more attractive event. At the same time, Secret Stages has given a lot of people reason to come downtown who might not have otherwise discovered what’s happening down there,” Poor said. “I hear people every year say things like, ‘Wow, I had no idea such and such a place even existed.’” Secret Stages also gives back directly, donating 20% of the festival’s profits to music education through the “Scrollworks” program run by the Metropolitan Youth Orchestras of Central Alabama. Secret Stages is but one example of the grassroots effort that is transforming Birmingham’s downtown. Ten years ago, it seemed crazy to live in or open a small business in downtown Birmingham, but some were willing to take that risk. Now, a thriving downtown has become one of Birmingham’s greatest strengths. Four years ago, it seemed crazy to stage a music festival in downtown Birmingham featuring mainly unknown bands. Now, Secret Stages is part of the Birmingham arts landscape. “When Secret Stages succeeds,” said Morgan, “people are inspired. People see what we’ve done and go out on a limb to try something new. People are taking the risk of trying something different.”

For information, line-up, and tickets for Secret Stages visit www.secretstages.net - @secretstages

PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JOSHUA SHOEMAKER, MARY KATHERINE MORRIS, ROCK IT! PHOTOGRAPHY, MARY KATHERINE MORRIS. ALL OTHERS ARIK SOKOL JULY 2014 • MADEPAPER.COM

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ing and equestrian trails, four flag-

ation destination unparalleled in

ship marinas, an outstanding, private golf course and country club, and a town center - Russell Crossroads - that harkens back to a simpler time, yet provides charming shopping and fine dining opportunities.

Throughout our country’s history,

the town center has served as a community gathering spot – a common meeting ground to shop, to dine and if luck had it, to leave with a few friendships formed. Located in the heart of Russell Lands On Lake Martin, Russell Crossroads perfectly blends these storied traditions with today’s conveniences. For more information, call 256-215-7011 or visit RussellLandsOnLakeMartin.com