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During the primary season, this o the first debate’s done. Hillary, by prospect seemed a kind of joke. Cultural almost all accounts, won in a walk. critics burnished their imagined street At times she actually appeared to cred by stating the obvious: Donald enjoy herself — a performance that said Trump was turning politics into a new more about her so-called “stamina” form of reality TV. Fans cheered when than it did about what might actually he bragged about his wealth, made fun make her happy. of fellow candidates, attacked ethnic The Donald played himself: boorish, minorities, Muslims, women, and our breathtakingly uninformed and failing, allies. Gaping journalists sounded like as usual, to distinguish Gen. Custer, wondering the difference between where all those angry “winning” and actually Americans came from. having to govern. No one seemed No one seemed to If you think this believe Trump could get assures a Clinton victo believe Trump this far. tory in November, think could get this far. Meanwhile, Hillary again. Early polling Clinton was steamrolling suggests that while she her way to the Demomay have done herself cratic nomination, a a favor in this first conprocess as seemingly inevitable as it was frontation with Trump, their race is still joyless. This has turned out to be a major too close to call. We could wake up on problem for Clinton — and for the rest of the morning of November 9 in a country us, as well. where Donald Trump is President-elect.
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DAVID HOPPE DHOPPE@NUVO.NET David Hoppe has been writing columns for NUVO since the mid-1990s. Find him online at NUVO.net/Voices.
Although the very idea must offend the know-it-alls in charge of the Democratic Party, it turns out Hillary Clinton is not universally liked. There are reasons for this, including (but not limited to) her indulgent affinity for militaryindustrial power, and the ponderously self-serving way she has of rationalizing howling gaffes, like her support for the Iraq War or her failure to appreciate the conflicts-of-interest presented by the Clinton Foundation. But as damaging as these things may be for Hillary, they are worse for us because they make her someone that even a sociopathic blowhard like Donald
Trump might manage to beat. This is a real threat — and we better take it seriously. No, that doesn’t mean voting for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein. Anyone who does that isn’t voting for principle; they’re voting against Clinton, which, under the circumstances, is the same as voting for Trump. People, myself included, have reason to be frustrated with government. Sometimes you’d like to start over. But electing Trump won’t do that. It will, instead, guarantee a Supreme Court religious zealots like Mike Pence and Ted Cruz can celebrate. This will almost certainly stamp out social progressivism for another generation — while encouraging delusional attempts, a la Brexit, to make America white again. You might think this can’t happen. It’s too late. But what’s not too late is for all those angry white Americans to try and make it happen, doing incalculable damage to all of us in the process. That’s why I’ll be voting for Clinton in November. I’m hoping against hope you will, too. n
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Albert Running Wolf Ortiz (left) shows his Native American pride during the protest at the site of the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.
MNI WICONI: WATER IS LIFE
argue that it would affect their water. They say an oil spill would permanently contaminate the reservation’s water supply and that construction of the pipeline would desecrate sacred sites where many of their ancestors are buried if the Water protectors versus the Dakota Access Pipeline pipeline goes through. In a lawsuit filed against the federal government, the Tribe wrote that it is BY L O R I LO VE L Y concerned “with impacts to the habitat ners, owned by Kelcy Warren, multiEDITORS@NUVO . N ET of wildlife species such as piping plovers, billionaire and Dallas-based financial least tern, Dakota skipper and pallid backer of the project, promise it will e drove 20 hours to get there, haulsturgeon, among others. The Tribe has a bring millions of dollars to local econoing about $1,000 worth of donations mies and create 8,000-12,000 construcparticular concern for bald eagles, which ̶ coats, tents and supplies — to disremain federally protected and play a tion jobs. tribute to the approximately 3,500 water significant role in the Tribe’s culture, and The pipeline would run just a half protectors gathered at the Standing which would be adversely affected by the mile from the Standing Rock reservaRock Reservation who have mounted proposed pipeline. The Tribe is greatly tion, which straddles the North and opposition to the proposed Dakota concerned with the possibility of oil South Dakota border. It would run unAccess Pipeline projected to stretch spills and leaks from the pipeline should der Lake Oahe and the Missouri River, from North Dakota to Illinois. it be constructed and operated, particuthe major natural water supply, and “I had a spiritual call to go,” explains larly into waters that are of considerable through sacred areas that aren’t official Albert Running Wolf Ortiz, director of the parts of the reservation. economic, religious and cultural imporAmerican Indian Movement Chapter of tance to the Tribe.” Indiana and Kentucky. “When I looked at “If the pipeline goes my grandchildren, I knew I had to go.” under the Missouri River and bursts, Cannonball, The Standing Rock Sioux say N.D., will be a dead zone,” THE PIPELINE AND construction of the pipeline would Ortiz states. “There will ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS no drinking water; desecrate sacred sites where many of be The Dakota Access Pipeline Project is you can’t boil it out, you an approximately 1,170-mile, 30-inchcan’t grow anything. It will their ancestors are buried. diameter crude oil pipeline that is affect the whole environexpected to transport 470,000-570,000 ment. This oil is from tar barrels of oil each day from the Bakken sands; it’s dirty. The reserand Three Forks production areas in vation will be a dead zone in 30 minutes. The Standing Rock Sioux view the North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois, where it That’s their only supply of water.” water and ancestral lands as sacred would link with other existing pipelines. Three federal agencies opposed the entities. Although the pipeline would The $3.7 billion pipeline is already pipeline: The Environmental Protection be built just beyond tribal borders, they half-completed. Energy Transfer Part-
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Agency, the Department of the Interior and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation all stated that the USACE did not do an adequate Environmental Impact Statement, particularly with regard to drinking water, before approving the route — a route that was changed from the original configuration of the pipeline 10 miles upstream of the more heavily populated state capital of Bismarck before it was moved to one half mile outside of the reservation’s official boundary. According to the Bismarck Tribune, one reason that route was rejected was due to its proximity to the city’s water supply.
PLAYING DIRTY It was after the lawsuit was filed that Energy Transfer Inc., in partnership with the Enbridge Corporation and Marathon Oil, bulldozed a two-mile, 150-foot-wide path through the land being contested in Federal Court. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe claims that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to fully satisfy the National Historic Preservation Act, various environmental statutes and its trust responsibility to the Tribe in approving several sections of the process. They, along with attorneys from Earthjustice, filed an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order “to prevent further destruction of the tribe’s sacred sites by Dakota Access Pipeline” on Sept. 4. S E E , WA TER IS L IF E, O N PA GE 08
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A few days later, the USACE agreed to the tribe’s motion for a temporary restraining order in regard to additional work on the pipeline within 20 miles of Lake Oahu in North Dakota until the court ruled on the suit. However, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg allowed work to continue west of Highway 1806 because he believed the USACE lacked jurisdiction on private land. “On Labor Day weekend the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal council sent a letter to the EPA about a line of digging two miles away from sacred burial sites,” Ortiz recounts. “They halted construction Saturday, but they hopscotched over those two miles and dug up our ancestors. They did it on purpose. They destroyed the grounds so there would be nothing here.” ABC News reported that Dakota Access Pipeline and Energy Transfer Partners used bulldozers on burial sites one day after the Standing Rock Sioux filed court papers identifying them as sacred sites. “I surveyed this land and we confirmed multiple graves and specific prayer sites,” said Tim Mentz, the Standing Rock Sioux’s former tribal historic preservation officer, in a tribal press release. “Portions, and possibly complete sites, have been taken out entirely.”
THE GATHERING “What’s happening is a travesty,” Ortiz reflects. It’s why he felt he had to go in person. “I had considered sending money, but … supporting Native rights is a family thing,” he says. Ortiz insists he is not a leader, but, rather, a servant of the people. A Kiowa, he was inspired to activism by his grandfather, who was at the Occupation of Alcatraz in 1969-71. That’s why he went.
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So did members of 250 Native American nations (out of 566 federally recognized tribes, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs). “It’s the biggest gathering since Custer,” Ortiz observes. In a symbolic moment, the seven council fires of the Sioux Tribe came together for the first time since the Sioux defeated Custer at the Battle of the Greasy Grass, known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The gathering is the largest, most diverse tribal action since that victory in 1876. “There are leaders from Hawaii, Ecuador, the Philippines, Alaska, South America, Australia, New Zealand … ” Ortiz lists. “There are Aztecs and Mayans. They stand with us.” Calling themselves water protectors (as opposed to protestors), these activists put their lives on the line, going to the digging site and chaining themselves to equipment, chanting the Lakota battle cry: “Mni wiconi” — water is life. “We come from water,” Ortiz notes. “Protecting water and sacred land is important.” He says indigenous peoples make up 4 percent of the population of the world, but protect 80 percent of the environment. Though Ortiz went without a thought of violence or trouble, violence has periodically erupted. On Sept. 3, private security guards with attack dogs confronted a group of 500 protesters, some of whom were chained to bulldozers. The tribe says at least 30 people were pepper-sprayed and two individuals were injured from dog bites. Authorities say some protesters are armed with hatchets and knives. Energy Transfer Partners has sued several protesters, claiming they threatened and intimidated company-hired contractors who were working at the site. Worried about escalating violence in reaction to upcoming legal rulings, North
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It’s a good thing Mike Pence has experience with Twitter tirades (thank you Mike Delph!) because Donald Trump took to social media to air his frustrations with everything following his first televised presidential debate with Hillary Clinton. His comments about 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado, conspiracy theories regarding Google, Bill Clinton’s former indiscretions and “made up lies” from the media were all fodder for his late night/early morning rants.
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Dakota’s governor called on the state’s National Guard, while the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association, made up of tribal leaders in the Dakotas and Nebraska to defend tribal rights, asked U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to send federal monitors to the site.
THE RULING Judge Boasberg denied the Tribe’s request to temporarily block construction of the DAPL. ABC News reported that he concluded that there was not enough evidence to support the argument that building the pipeline would harm the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and that he disagreed with the lawsuit’s contention that the USACE erred by granting permits for the pipeline. While the federal court ruled against the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in a surprising move, three federal agencies blocked the pipeline at Lake Oahe, pending a thorough review and reconsideration of the process. The U.S. Justice Department responded to the ruling by announcing steps to protect Lake Oahe for the time being, and the Departments of Justice and the Interior and the Army announced that the Corps will at least temporarily halt authorization for construction of the pipeline around Lake Oahe while it reviews its decisions regarding the large reservoir. The government requested that Dakota Access, the Texas-based company building the pipeline, voluntarily pause construction within 20 miles of Lake Oahe.
THE FUTURE Ortiz was in Cannonball, N.D., when the ruling was announced. “The Department of Justice and the Obama administration shut down the pipeline.
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Everyone wanted to know the truth right away.” It was a welcome reprieve after disappointing silence from the president who once sat with tribal leaders at Standing Rock. At his final Tribal Nations Conference, President Obama addressed leaders of more than 560 Native American tribes, unveiling initiatives aimed at upholding Native American sovereignty, such as a requirement that federal agencies consider Native American treaty rights in decision-making on natural resource projects like the DAPL. For now, it’s a waiting game “for the EPA to go in and do an environmental study,” Ortiz says. Whatever the outcome of that, there will be no compromise, he adds. “They have to stop or it will be another Wounded Knee.” After dropping off supplies and getting a little sleep, Ortiz returned home. But even to be there for just a while was spiritual, he says. “I was there when they brought out Red Cloud’s pipe and shared with everyone; it hasn’t been out in 150 years. Mary Spotted Bear brought the flag from Custer.” If the pipeline goes through, he’ll go back. “I worry about losing my job, but nothing is going to stop me. My life is for my people. We have warriors ready to put their lives on the line. I prepared my family: if I get the call, I may not come back. It’s a sad, lonely life to pick up the pipe for my people.” n
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Sean Patton, one of the many killer stand up comedians at Crossroads.
AT THE CROSSROADS OF COMEDY Crossroads Comedy Festival is a perennial comedy bulb that brightens the local landscape. HARLAN KELLY ARTS@NUVO.NET
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rossroads Comedy festival is here this weekend to dish out a healthy mix of improv, stand-up, podcasting and an LGBTQ Musical Comedy Showcase. The fall comedy festival is taking place the October 7 – 9, and will make your weekend full of laughter and jokes you wish you’d thought of. The festival is also a fundraiser for INDYPROV, a nonprofit organization that also gives back the community. INDYPROV provides educational workshops, raises money for other local organizations, and, yes, they provide comedy shows to Indianapolis. Crossroads Comedy Festival also helps the community by bringing in national and international acts to Indiana to bring new voices into our community and provide a platform for all types of Indiana comedy. Here’s a few of the featured performers.
in the Midwest, lived in Bloomington while attending Indiana University and is now based in Los Angeles, Calif. Towers’ work is sharp-tongued and energetic. Towers’ jokes are the comebacks everyone wishes they had for that one cousin who says problematic things on the internet even though they are a good person deep down. Towers’ tightly written jokes allow him to both deliver a scalding critique of growing up in the Midwest while also affectionately engaging with it.
Sean Patton Originally from New Orleans, comedian Sean Patton is the meat and potatoes of comedy — his standup is something you could use to base your comedic diet. You might know him from Comedy Central, Conan, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Inside Amy Schumer. You know, all those shows that everyone loves and talks about a lot. Your dad might even recognize a few of those shows. The point is, Sean Patton is an extremely accomplished veteran comedian who’s relatable, warm and feels like he’s an old college buddy telling stories at a wedding, except he’s way more coherent and much, much funnier.
History Under the Influence
Zach Noe Towers
If the idea of a high school history teacher drunk explaining the American Revolution is at all appealing, imagine that coupled with highly trained (and sober) improvisers attempting to keep up the tale. RIYL: drinking, history, or the show Drunk History.
Zach Noe Towers is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer who grew up
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THE DUMB NONSENSE THAT’S SO WORTH IT The Toronto-based podcast and live comedy show, That’s How I Remember It, returns to Crossroads.
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The That’s How I Remember It crew.
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o you remember that one part in that one part of that one movie? Yeah, me neither. Luckily, there is That’s How I Remember It. The podcast-turned-live-show is comprised of four Toronto-based improvisers, Michael Mongiardi, John Richardson, Sharjil Rasool and Raul Delgado, who are good friends as much as they are good improvisers. Michael Mongiardi, one of the members who founded the podcast in 2013, answered a few question about the group’s growth and their transition from podcast to live show. This will be the group’s second year performing at Crossroads Comedy Festival.
NUVO: Your show sounds like you all are having a great time when you do it. MONGIARDI: Yeah, and that’s kind of the feedback we get a lot. We all were very close friends before we even started this idea. So I think people like how our friendship comes through, and it’s very light and fun and it’s just friends messing with each other. And I think that’s fun to listen to. NUVO: How do you feel the show is different if it’s in front of a live audience or if it’s solely a podcast? MONGIARDI: It’s definitely different. It’s a different feel. I think we all prefer the live audience because you get that instant feedback. If you’re doing something
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that’s funny you get laughter from the audience and then you know, “Oh, that’s what they like, so do more of that or do more stuff like that,” and just having people there and recording it, it’s cool because that exact event was recorded forever and you can hear it later and you can hear the laughs and it feels more real! NUVO: Do you think the dynamic between the four of you is different when you are doing it live versus when you do the show as a podcast? MONGIARDI: Yeah, it’s different. It’s even more high-energy when it’s in front of an audience. ‘Cause often when we record it we’re sitting down in seats and John adds in sound effects later, but when we’re
doing it live the sound effects are being added live. We have a sound guy now, which is a new thing we’ve added in the last six months. We have a guy who does sound effects for us so he surprises us with little things. If someone is holding a gun, for example, then if he hits the gunshot button on his keyboard then we have to deal with the fact that the gun just went off. So instead of us deciding that that happens, it’s reversed when we’re doing it live. He call the shots a lot of the times. No pun intended. NUVO: That’s really fun. So that’s like having a whole other member to the group. MONGIARDI: Yeah, it’s really fun and we’re bringing him to Indy, which we’re really
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excited about. It’s going to be our first festival with him. NUVO: What about the specific form of podcasting do you enjoy?
guests on each other’s shows and share ads on each other’s podcasts and it’s kind of like a little mini community. NUVO: Do you have a favorite type of movie to imitate? Like when you hear from the audience you think “Alright. Here we go. I’m ready.”
MONGIARDI: You can listen to it at anytime at your own pace. And anyone can listen to it. If we had a show in Toronto MONGIARDI: We love '80s movies. I think and people came out to see it, the audiit’s because they are just so rich with ence would have however many people tropes. You know the classic '80s ski and they would see the show and then movie or the '80s buddy cop it’s gone forever and no one movie or whatever. The ever see it again. But [our '80s were a time when the show is] online, from back genres were very clearly to the first episode, which “I think we defined, and there’s just we recorded three years so much to make fun of ago, someone somewhere all prefer the there and to play with. in the world in some city Also, John and I both grew in Europe could just find live audience up in the '80s. The other this podcast somehow because you two are younger. and listen to something we recorded years ago. So get that instant NUVO: Is that a thing you that’s kind of cool. We get run into every once in a emails all the time from feedback.” while where you realized all over the world and it’s the younger guys don’t always really fun and exget this? citing. It’s just like, “Wow. they are listening to our MONGIARDI: Sometimes dumb nonsense.” yeah, but surprisingly not. Especially with Raul, NUVO: That’s got to feel he’s the youngest, but he good. must have just been raised by a television because he’s seen every movMONGIARDI: It feels great and ie and his reference level is the same as it’s really unique. Both John and mine and he’s 12 years younger than me. myself have always been podcast fans. I don’t know how it happens. I think he And there weren’t a lot of people in the might be a robot. But Sharjil, his knowlcomedy community here doing it. We edge is much less, and that’s always fun thought it’s such a cool medium and it’s because when something comes up, it’s not even new anymore. It’s pretty much always a joke that he doesn’t know the in the zeitgeist now. But no one here was movie. And it kind of adds to the fun [of doing it so we wanted to start doing it the show] because we have one guy who and hopefully start it with a couple more is clueless a lot of the time. people from the community and get a podcast thing going and now there are a bunch more and it’s fun. And now we’re
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Chicago improv legends Messing and Mason will bring their combined show to Indy.
LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYS Chicago improv powerhouses Susan Messing and Rachael Mason just keep winning.
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usan Messing and Rachael Mason are two masters of improv. But master implies someone sitting at the top of a mountain holding an ancient scroll or some villain in an '80s movie who wears too much leather. Regardless, Susan and Rachael have mastered the art of having fun with each other, no matter what. And that ability came through hard work. Together they form the improv group The Boys. And each member is deeply rooted in the Chicago improv scene. Rachael is currently the head of
Advanced Improvisation at The Second City and Susan is a founding member of Chicago’s infamous Annoyance Theatre and is currently a teacher at iO Chicago, The Annoyance Theatre, The Second City, and is an adjunct instructor for DePaul University. The point is, they are not messing around. Well ... they’re messing around, but they are the best at it. They are pros at making a mess on stage for us all to enjoy. And before they grace the Crossroads Comedy Festival with their skills they gave us a peek at their relationship with their craft and each other. NUVO: Have you all ever done comedy in Indiana before?
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MASON: I toured with The Second City for five years and I have done many, many shows in Indiana and Indianapolis MESSING: I have been stopped by Indiana. Does that count? NUVO: You all travel a lot for comedy. Do you feel like being new places affects your improv or does it feel the same everywhere? MESSING: It does not feel the same everywhere. It depends on how much they know longform improvisation. Sometimes it feels like we are introducing it and sometimes we are already preaching to the converted.
NUVO: Which one do you like more? MESSING: It’s really not about more or less. Certainly it’s easier to bring the show in when the audience is completely ready for longform improv. But simply, it’s just us making sure to protect content at the top of it through our intro so that they would understand more of what we’re doing. MASON: We talk about going to Europe and not trying to lean on our American reference level. I feel like you do adjust a little bit from everywhere you go but you always play to the top of your intelligence. NUVO: Is there something nice about
that? Being able to get outside cultures where improv is super prominent and being able to show people this for the first time? MESSING: It’s exciting to introduce people to longform who haven’t seen it. But I have to say it’s easier to deal with an audience who has already dealt [with improv] just so you don’t have to repeat the same information. But it’s not something we begrudge the audience; it’s our job to explain to them what they are about to see. NUVO: You’re both veterans of improv. What about it rather than other forms of comedy has stuck with you? What has led to making this your main thing?
MASON: In a big group, they can make the shape of the airplane while you’re the pilot, but Susan and I like to bring the airplane with us. We don’t have that third person to edit [the scene]. So we can determine our own pace and we very much jive with each other on pace. MESSING: We probably teach more than we perform NUVO: What is special about getting to teach in such an advanced fashion alongside performing regularly? MESSING: I teach for very selfish reasons. Because when I walk my talk I rock. But when I don’t it’s as if I started thirty minutes ago. And it’s great to be reminded that this art is always evolving and we get to be in the forefront of that.
MASON: I think it’s that anything you want can happen and frequently will is truly exciting. Susan and I have been performing together for a long time, but it’s different every time, and that “Although I enjoy is genuinely thrilling. MESSING: Although I enjoy sketch and stand-up and sitcoms, my absolutely passion is improvisational comedy because of the nature of flying without a net. NUVO: What makes that no-net crash-and-burn risk appealing?
sketch and stand up and sitcoms, my absolutely passion is improvisational comedy because of the nature of flying without a net.”
— Susan Messing
MASON: I think there is a net. It’s your scene partner. Yes, there’s no net as in there’s no script, but Susan is my net and I’m her net. There’s tremendous risk in that we don’t know what’s going to happen, but we can’t wait to see what happens MESSING: Yeah! We’re very excited about it. NUVO: You have both been in a few groups; what specifically about each other, about The Boys is appealing?
MESSING: My favorite thing about playing with Rachael is when I hate everyone I still love her. And that is the truth. MASON: When I hate everything and everything is terrible and the world is on fire, Susan makes me laugh until I have to turn upstage and put my face into my elbow. MESSING: It is true. That has happened NUVO: Is doing two-person improv more freeing or more limiting that doing improv with a larger group of people? MESSING: It’s more luxurious. You really get to slow down and taste your food. I love playing with a large group of people but I’m probably happiest when I’m playing with Rachael
MASON: I also teach for selfish reasons. I like watching someone get an abstract concept like “funny” or “heightening.” Watching someone “get it” totally turns me on. NUVO: How much do you all consider the audience when you perform?
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MASON: Ultimately the show is for them. We’re not trying to do alienatekill-yourself-prov. We are genuinely thrilled to be performing for the people we are performing for.
MESSING: I actually don’t perform for the audience. I perform to play for Rachael. And if they are as tickled as I am that I get to play with Rachael then so be it. But I don’t play to them as if their laughter is my affirmation. MASON: There’s a difference between performing to the height of your intelligence and pandering to your audience. MESSING: We always have a great time. And when an audience isn’t laughing it doesn’t mean they aren’t fascinated. And when they finally laugh it provides a release of tension. So I’m perfectly fine sitting with an uncomfortable moment for a minute. But the consequence is always comedy, but for me it’s not the goal. MASON: One of my favorite noises is “eww” or *gasp*. NUVO: Is that ever a challenge for you, Rachael, knowing that Susan has a little bit more of that mentality? MESSING: No! We’re very complementary. MASON: We’re incredibly complementary. It doesn’t matter even what our personal intentions are. When we’re on stage together we have more fun than anyone else so we win. n NUVO // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // 10 .05.16 - 10.12.16 // COVER STORY 15
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THE TARGET: GUNS IN AMERICAN LIFE
Unloaded is iMOCA’s last Fountain Square Exhibit
NELSON MANDELA: THE ARTIST
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In 2002, after his term as South African president had ended, Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) started to create drawings and lithographs based on his time as a prisoner of Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. Sat., Oct. 8 will be your last chance to see this inspired work in Indianapolis, there is also a First Friday opening starting at 6 p.m. While imprisoned on the island, Mandela was forced to quarry limestone seven hours a day, nearly every day, for 12 years. His lithographs are based on photographs of various parts of the Robben Island prison complex that he had commissioned; the courtyard, the guard tower, his cell. The lithographs are paired with these black and white photographs. They are also juxtaposed with essays in his own handwriting about the challenges that he — and his fellow prisoners — faced every day. The most striking thing about this exhibition is the contrast between the colorful lithographs and the photos. The black and white photographs emphasize the bleakness of the prison, but his memories are transformative. In the lithographs this translates into a sparing but lush use of color against plain white paper. This is particularly true in “The Courtyard,” of which he writes, “The image shows the harsh reality that reminds me of our sacrifice and endurance, the use of more cheerful colors in this sketch is my way of presenting how we feel today.” It’s also worth remarking on the spare and nimble line work: The lines that he uses to portray the fences or concertina wire around the guard tower, or to outline the prison courtyard where he attempted to grow tomatoes. These lines seem to stretch and unravel fluidly across the pages as if born from his own handwriting. In fact, his writing and his art blend together seamlessly here whether the works consist of original drawings, lithographs, or simple sketches. Consider his “sketch series” that are simple drawings of one small hand embraced by a larger hand above the handwritten word “Freedom.” The future is addressed in this work, the handing off of the struggle for social and racial justice from one generation to another. “Even if age makes us wiser guides, [it is] the youth that reminds us of love, of trust, and of the value of life,” he writes. — DAN GROSSMAN Long-Sharp Gallery through Oct. 8
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f you follow the news, you might recall various “Come and Take it” rallies supporting open carry laws. In one particular rally — in San Antonio, Texas — the participants carried their weapons openly despite a local ordinance banning the practice. A photograph of this rally by New York City-based Nina Berman is part of Unloaded, an exhibition featuring 19 artists (with a wide variety of media) exploring issue of guns and gun ownership in America. Unloaded will open at both iMOCA at the Murphy and iMOCA CityWay on Friday, Oct. 7. In Berman’s photo, you see a young Caucasian couple. The woman is dressed like Wonder Woman and the man is dressed like Captain America (that is, if Captain American wore flag-patterned briefs outside his tights). Both are carrying assault rifles. A work by Vanessa German entitled “Pistol Unwhipped” explores the psychological effects of packing heat. In this mixed media sculpture, you see a Black doll with a toy gun balanced on its head. “I think about the way people change when they get guns in their hands, the way that they change when they just have a gun in their lives,” says the Pittsburgh, PA-based German, who is African-American. “I know
Joshua Bienko, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, used the film The Killers as his inspiration for “Zwuernica.” This mixed media work features imagery borrowed from Picasso’s monumental anti-war painting “Guernica.” These images are painted over a film still picturing Kutcher packing heat. According to Bienko “Zwuernica” addresses the question, “Exactly what is the responsibility of the artist to address these things and what is our power to do so anyway?” This question was certainly on the mind of Pittsburgh-based curator “I wanted to turn closer to home Susanne Slavick when she assembled this exhibition. where I really see the plague of guns “My work for a long in our society as another kind of war.” time as an individual artist — and not as a curator — — SUSANNE SLAVICK has been concerned with violence and for a long time it was about war,” says Slavick. “And for a long people who drive around with guns. It time I did a lot of work about the aftermath makes them feel different. They talk about of war. And I curated a show. And I edited feeling an extra sense of power, an extra a book: It was called Out of Rubble. It was sense of confidence in themselves and in about the aftermath of war and the viotheir lives.” lence. And while that project was concludThe title of the piece is a play on the term ing, I just felt like I wanted to turn closer to “pistol whipped,” but only in part. It also home where I really see the plague of guns alludes to romance. in our society as another kind of war on
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Mel Chin’s “Cross for the Ungiven”
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UNLOADED
W H E N : O C T . 7 – N O V . 19 WHERE: IMOCA AT THE MURPHY WHEN: OCT. 7 – DEC 31 WHERE: IMOCA CITYWAY
the domestic front that causes enormous suffering.” Artist Vanessa German will be highlighting battles on the domestic front as well. Her Pittsburgh community of Homewood has seen its share of suffering caused by gun violence. German is trying to make the area better by turning a house she owns into an art center. This house won’t be accessible at Unloaded, of course, but knowing about it might give exhibition patrons a window on her practice as both a visual and performing artist. It’s called ARThouse. “It is a house that I took a wall out of so that I had a little bit larger gallery area and it’s filled with all kinds of art supplies, from glass mosaic supplies, clay, watercolor, fabric, beads,” says German, who clearly sees her role and responsibility as an artist as a socially engaged one. “Anybody can come in and make art. So it’s like their own space; they can work on whatever they want to work on.” n
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THE WRITERS’ PODCAST THAT GOES BEYOND WRITING
Downtown Writers Jam podcast is more like a therapy session than a writing tutorial
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BY REBECCA B E R F A NG E R ARTS@NUVO . N ET
ocal writer and Ball State journalism professor Brad King didn’t start the Downtown Writers Jam podcast just to talk with writers and storytellers about their latest projects they are looking to promote. Instead, the podcast is meant to be more like the WTF with Marc Maron podcast or Charlie Rose on PBS, in the sense that he wants to interview the writers about their backstories, particularly “why they made the terrible decision to become a writer,” he says. “I didn’t want it to be traditional journalism,” says King, noting the questions he asks are more like what a therapist might ask. Questions like: “Where are you from?” “what did your mom do?” and “what did your dad do?” He adds that he has had guests tell him after a recording session that the show did feel like therapy as they talked about what ultimately shaped their life stories and careers as writers. Also unlike his work as a traditional journalist — King has written for Wired in San Francisco and was senior web producer and editor for MIT’s Technology Review in Cambridge, Mass. — he doesn’t do much research before his interviews. While this is
PHOTO BY JOEY SMITH
Brad King interviews Frankie Bolda for the Downtown Writers Jam podcast at Indy Reads Books.
show. Lockwood is herself a published local playwright who is working on her master’s degree. She is also developing Geeky Press-hosted events where local theater groups will do readings of works by local playwrights at New Day Meadery. “I like working on the podcast because I get to hear from many different people in a very in-depth way about why they write,” she says. makes it easy to see writing as “It was much more personal and “It a community of people. It makes about the process, not the organic than ‘tell me about your writing product. And that to me, personally, makes me want to keep writing.’” — CASEY ROSS writing.” Lockwood has brought in local writers and those in town for various festivals, speakers’ series or, recently, not something he would recommend to his the 2016 IndyFringe Festival. When the students or other journalists, “I want to be podcast rebooted this summer after an introduced to the writer like the audience,” 18-month hiatus, IndyFringe writers and he says. storytellers, including Casey Ross, who has Elise Lockwood — who runs the Geeky her own production company in IndiaPress with King — finds the subjects for the napolis, Catalyst Repertory (formerly CRP) 18 BOOKS // 10.05.16 - 10.12.16 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO
and Les Kurkendaal, a Los Angeles-based comedic storyteller who has done several fringe festival seasons around the world, were featured. Ross, who is currently working on an adaptation of Coriolanus for Bard Fest that opens mid-October, has produced original plays and adaptations around Indianapolis and has done IndyFringe shows several times, says her appearance on the podcast was mostly about her personal background. Ross spoke in depth about her childhood with strict grandparents and her early acting experiences, and why she saw herself as a “nerd” who was making her own comic books from a young age. Even though she opened up about her personal experiences, the podcast interview was not quite what she expected when she agreed to participate. “It was much more personal and organic than ‘tell me about your writing, or your project ...’ It was a unique approach to an arts podcast,” says Ross. Kurkendaal, who was in Indianapolis to
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perform Terror on the High Seas for 2016 IndyFringe in August, says he had a similar experience. “It seemed like he didn’t overresearch but all of his questions were good because he actually really was inquisitive and took the time to get me talking,” says Kurkendaal. Kurkendaal spoke on the podcast about moving around a lot when he was growing up, what it was like to get into an acting program against his parents’ wishes, and other challenges that, while sometimes painful at the time, have ultimately shaped him and his craft. “That’s stuff I never talk about,” says Kurkendaal. “I definitely think it was the most honest interview I’ve ever had.” n
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FILM EVENTS
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Alien October 7-8, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. each day. In space, no one can hear you scream. Essentially a haunted house thriller set amid the stars, Alien is a masterpiece. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Sigourney Weaver as one of the most iconic heroines in film history, this is a must-see movie. And the best way to see it is on the big screen. Check it out this weekend at the Historic Artcraft Theatre, which is listed on the Indiana State Register of Historic Places. Alien is still just as terrifying today as it was almost 40 years ago. Movies don’t get much better than this. The Historic Artcraft Theatre, 57 N. Main St. (Franklin), $5 adult, $4 senior/student, $3 kids 12 and under, historicartcrafttheatre.org Orgasm Inc. Oct. 7, 7 p.m. This eye-opening documentary reveals “a drug company’s fevered development race to get the first FDA-approved Viagra for women on the market.” The film is screening as part of the program, “Critique – Resist – Transform: Feminist Scholar Activism and New View Campaign,” a conference held at IU, Oct. 6-8. This screening is sponsored by New View Campaign: Challenging the Medicalization of Sex; the Kinsey Institute; the School of Public Health; the Center for Sexual Health Promotion; the Department of Gender Studies; and IU Cinema. Director Elizabeth Canner is scheduled to attend the screening. IU Cinema, 1213 E. 7th St. (Bloomington), FREE but ticketed, cinema.indiana.edu SUBMITTED PHOTO
Dark Carnival Shorts Retrospective October 8, 3 p.m. Formerly known as the Diabolique International Film Festival, the Dark Carnival Film Festival is closing out its decade in Bloomington this weekend with a collection of the best short horror films for the last nine years of the fest. As IU Cinema states, this “variety of creepy, funny and bloody flicks will have you chuckling right before you cover your eyes.” The program includes 15 scary and surreal short films.
A WAR THAT’S NOT OVER
If you’re a Braveheart fan who’s not a racist, have I got a movie for you!
IU Cinema, 1213 E. 7th St. (Bloomington), FREE but ticketed, cinema.indiana.edu
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sked my initial reaction to The Birth of a Nation, writer-director Nate Parker’s film based on the August 21, 1831 slave uprising led by Nat Turner, I acknowledged being moved by the film, but noted that the early portion of the story seemed a bit over-familiar. I was glad to have a few days to mull
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REVIEW
THE BIRTH OF A NATION (2016)
SHOWING: THURSDAY IN WIDE RELEASE RATED: R, e
over what I’d seen before writing about it. The next day I got a call from someone else who had attended the screening.
During the discussion, my friend referred to “the nice slave owner” and I exploded, “There were no ‘nice’ slave holders. They paid money to take kidnapped human beings and force them at gunpoint to do their work. They stole lives. They were vile, every single one of them. There were no ‘nice’ slave holders!” My friend wasn’t excusing any of the slave holders, of course. She was merely making reference to a slave holder who
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You will meet an exceptionally foul man played by Jackie Earle Haley, who ends up wrestling Turner over a knife in one particularly rousing scene. Haley’s character is made up, as is the fight. The rebellion was quickly squashed, and many Black human beings, who were not involved, were killed by white human beings. Slavery continued for three more decades, but Turner’s actions destroyed (at least for a while) any false sense of complacency and reminded slaveholders that the people they forced to do their bidding were kidnapped and held prisoner. END SPOILERS. Parker’s film offers no resolution. It is about the birth of a nation, and that birth is still in progress (over 185 years of labor?? For Pete’s sake, somebody get America some ice chips!). Nate Parker is a big fan of Braveheart, so much so that he thanks Mel Gibson in Birth’s closing credits. I just thought of the perfect quote to use on the Rotten Tomatoes website. Here it is: If I expect a lot of people will be stirred you’re a Braveheart fan who’s not a racist, have I up by The Birth of a Nation, in part got a movie for you! It’s more than just a because it appears the goddamned wisecrack. Parker’s love of Braveheat shows throughwar isn’t really over yet. out the film, from its fixation on physical suffering to its well-choreographed fight scenes. Some of the imagery during Is Parker’s movie accurate? SPOILERS the rebellion is particularly evocative. ABOUND: The real Nat Turner (played Parker is very good as Turner, capturing by Parker) considered himself a prophet. We see that in the film version. When the his needs, his heartaches and his faraway “prophet” gaze. Is that an indicarebellion happens, Parker’s followers kill tor of the Lord or a psychotic episode? a number of slave holders (we see that) along with their wives, mothers and chil- Your call. The Birth of a Nation may be a blend dren (we don’t see that). A slaveholder of indie sensibilities and Hollywood is beheaded (we see that and it really imagery, but it works. There’s something freaked out some of the sneak preview happening here ... n audience members). was less verbally abusive than his neighbors. Didn’t matter, though; my switch had been flipped. I expect a lot of people will be stirred up by The Birth of a Nation, in part because it appears the goddamned war isn’t really over yet. It’s late 2016 and a substantial number of Americans have been throwing a tantrum for eight years because they don’t like the color of the President’s skin. One of the current presidential candidates has been courting white supremacists while claiming he isn’t racist. And there is controversy from coast to coast because some citizens have the nerve to say that Black Lives Matter. The first movie titled The Birth of a Nation -D.W. Griffin’s 1915 epic-presented the post-Civil War days in such an inflammatory fashion that it reinvigorated the Ku Klux Klan. Good on you, Nate Parker, for taking the title and flipping it around.
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WHO IS JT LEROY?
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The story— and fallout — of an author and a pen name that took on a life of its own
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BY SAM WATERMEIER SWATER@NUVO.NET
ablo Picasso once said, “Art is a lie that brings us nearer to the truth.” Author: The JT LeRoy Story chronicles writer Laura Albert’s commitment to fleshing out this character — an “avatar” under which she published strikingly raw, personal works of fiction in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Jeremiah “Terminator” LeRoy was an accident — a person that came out of Albert when she started talking to a counselor over the phone. The teenage son of a truck-stop prostitute, JT embodies Albert’s trauma. Like him, she experienced sexual abuse as a child and found herself estranged from her promiscuous mother (whose many sexual partners molested Albert). The film depicts Albert as depressed and uncomfortable with her appearance, part of the reason she felt more comfortable expressing herself as JT. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed drifter, JT is glamorous and iconic in a grungy, underground sort of way — like an Andy Warhol painting brought to life. Albert ultimately made him even more real by recruiting her sister-in-law, Savannah Knoop, to pose as JT in public, sporting a blonde wig and sunglasses. She hypnotized everyone around her, as if casting a spell. Once Savannah came into the mix, JT grew into a red carpet star, swirling in a circle of celebrities and rubbing shoulders with Gus Van Sant, Courtney Love, Billy Corgan … the list goes on. We hear intimate phone calls with them in which Albert pulls back the curtain
REVIEW
AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY
SHOWING: AT KEYSTONE ART CINEMA A L S O S H O W I N G A T I U C I N E M A, 1213 E. 7T H S T. (B L O O M I N G T O N), O C T. 7 (9:30 P.M.) A N D O C T. 15 (7 P.M.), $6 F O R T H E P U B L I C, $3 F O R S T UD E N T S, C I N E M A.I N D I A N A.E D U RATED: R, w
on her creation of JT. It’s an exhilarating peek at a private world, giving us goosebumps as we eavesdrop on gossip and the pain behind it all. Writer-director Jeff Feuerzeig maintains the pace of a con-game thriller as he explores Albert’s preservation of JT’s existence and the eventual revelation of the truth in the press. Unfortunately, we don’t hear much from the other players in this long con. But that’s probably because the film isn’t really about the puzzle pieces in the elaborate “hoax” — a word Albert refuses to use in describing the JT phenomenon. It’s not about all of the illusionists who made him seem real; it’s about how he really does exist deep in Albert’s soul. When Albert sat down to write years ago, JT’s blood pumped through her veins and erupted from her pen. She felt his soul coming out on paper. So, who’s to say he isn’t part of her? Author: The JT LeRoy Story is a testament to the magic of art and how it can make a fantasy feel achingly real. It’s also a reflection of today’s world — a place in which the seemingly rigid definition of personal identity is being molded by more open minds. n
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INDY CHEFS PILGRIMAGE TO NYC
OCTOBER BEER RELEASES AROUND THE CITY
Four Indiana chefs are heading to the James Beard House
PHOTO BY AUDRA STERNBERG
A few of the offerings from the Old National Centre pop-up meal.
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B Y CA VA N M c G INSIE CMCGINSIE@N U VO . N ET
or the second time within a year, a group of Indianapolis chefs are making their way to New York City to prepare a meal for the James Beard House. The James Beard House is owned and operated by the James Beard Foundation, which annually gives out awards to restaurants, chefs, restaurateurs and many other aspects of the cuisine world, and holds in its hands the possibility to put any of them in the spotlight. This is another step toward putting Indiana chefs in that spotlight. R.J. Wall, who heads up the supper club series Chefs’ Night Off, hand picked the four chefs that will represent
“You know, I understand this isn’t going to get us a James Beard Award or anything like that. But I see it as an opportunity to get the chefs out to New York and to enjoy themselves and to see new things and see what chefs are doing in New York.” — R.J. WALL, FOUNDER OF CHEFS’ NIGHT OFF our state during the dinner which will take place December 2. Wall, who has worked closely with nearly every chef in the city, chose Abbi Merriss of Bluebeard, Craig Baker of The Local, Bent Rail Brewery and Plow & Anchor, Alan
Sternberg of Cerulean and Pat Niebling from Three Floyds in Munster. “There were people, you know chefs, that I still wanted to get out to New York and share with the people at James Beard,” Wall tells me when I ask why he
Ash&Elm releases Autumntide Pumpkin Cider! made with real pumpkin, cooked with baking spices like cinnamon and cloves and the perfect cider to sip around a bonfire on a crisp night. Autumntide is available in the tasting room. Oaken Barrel reports: “We have a brand new seasonal beer on tap. It is Belgian Farmhouse Ale, and it is the first time we brewed such ale. Originated from Northern France, it is a well-rounded malty beer with a subtle spiciness from European hops and yeast. Our lead brewer Sara Galloway suggests squeezing a lemon wedge into the beer. At 6.5% ABV, it’s the perfect beer for a chilly autumn evening.” Salt Creek Brewery has new seasonals on tap including Märzen Oktoberfest Lager and Pilsner Lager. Mad Anthony reports: “Last year’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale aged for a year in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels. This annual treat is the perfect blend of crazy pumpkin pie and bourbon, served in a brandy snifter.” Upland Brewing Company is starting the fall season off with the release of Harvest Ale. “The epitome of freshness, beginning with locally malted grains and featuring hops that have been picked within 24 hours of use.” Harvest Ale pours golden amber with an aroma of extremely fresh, citrusy hops. The freshness of the hops creates a flavorful resin that is balanced by the sweetness of the malts. The finish is clean, being dry-hopped with Citra at the end of fermentation leaves a mild bitterness. TwoDEEP brewed Oktoberfest Märzen back in May with 100% Noble hops for a pleasant and mildly spicy herbal bitterness, and it ferments and matures over the summer. It is naturally clear with autumn’s classic copper hue, medium-bodied with an upfront sweet breadiness and rich malt character. Half Moon reports: “The Oktoberfest is here to celebrate this year’s harvest. This Bavarian-style Märzenbier is full-bodied, rich, malty-sweet and copper colored.” Bloomington Brewing is featuring Oktoberfest, 10-Speed Hoppy Wheat, Persimmon Ale and Barrel-aged Ruby Bloom Amber Ale. Broad Ripple Brewpub released: Tangerine Nice Weiss Ale, which delivers a refreshing alternative to pumpkin beer. Oktoberfest is brewed with a rich, balanced malt and hop profile that provides a crisp, clean finish. Silent Lucidity is a Bohemian pilsner that has a floral and herbal hop profile with a nice crisp, clean finish. FLIX Brewhouse beers recently sampled: 10 Day Scottish Ale brings out malty, dark, sweet malted barley flavors and closes clean, and Umbra Chocostout captures a big toasty smooth cocoa mouthfeel for a great finishing-the-day pint. Triton Brewing Company is tapping Gingerbread Brown sweet, spicy, earthy brown ale on October 27 from 3-10 p.m. — RITA KOHN
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Two of Indy’s chefs going to New York December 2, Craig Baker (left) and Abbi Merriss (right)
“You know, I understand this isn’t going to get us a James Beard Award or anything like that. But I see it as an opportunity to get the chefs out to New York and to enjoy themselves and to see new things and see what “I know it’s not an award or anything, but chefs are doing in New York. Plus, it is kind of hallowed ground and a place they get to cook at the James Beard in my industry’s history. It’s like visiting House, which is the White House. You don’t have to do it awesome.” is awesome, to be American but it’s exciting when you notIt only for these chefs, but also for do.” you and me and — ALAN STERNBERG, HEAD CHEF AT CERULEAN everyone in this city and state. It allows us to easily recognize the high-caliber chefs in our state; a Chefs’ Night Off at The Golden in Fort major example of this is Pat Niebling Wayne which highlighted four more from Three Floyds. The name Three Indiana chefs; Wall spends much of his Floyds is synonymous with great beer, time promoting the chefs around the especially since the Munster-based city. “Many of them were the people I brewery has been named the “best felt I had been forced to leave out last brewery in the world” multiple times. time and there is just so much talent Most beer drinkers will quickly order an that needs to be shared out there. chose these four chefs. “I really think they’re all fully equipped to cook at the James Beard House and to represent Indiana.” He is on his way home from a
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Alpha King, Zombie Dust, Gumballhead or one of their many beer offerings off any menu they happen to show up on. What most people don’t realize is that the trip to Munster is well worth it to simply get a taste of the food on the menu. In all honesty it’s hard to say which is better, the food or the beer; it’s easy to say having them together is divine. As Wall says, “When people think Three Floyds they automatically think of beer. Nobody ever talks about the food at Three Floyds. Their food program is outstanding and it deserves to be seen as its own thing, its own entity.” With his inclusion of Niebling, it may be seen that way soon. Recently the four chefs came together in the parking lot of the Old National Centre to create a preview meal for anyone lucky enough to show up and get a taste. Alan Sternberg created a shawarma-styled cauliflower for the event; when I reached to him via email he explained his choice and what it was like working with the three other chefs. “Honestly we kind of took a loose theme and ran with it [at Old National Centre]. I’m taking the entree in New York so I figured I would take a veg dish.
“With all the other things I’ve done this year it always seems pretty easy to work with other chefs. I try to walk into it with the mindset that we’ll all see things differently and each situation is unique. It’s been really rewarding to get input and hear other chefs’ ideas about something I might view one way and they view another. Overall I’d say it’s really been productive.” Sternberg is hosting a James Beard Foundation dinner at his restaurant on October 17, but he views this trip as something entirely separate. “I’ve been wanting to go to the Beard House for a long time,” he tells me. “I set some goals for myself when I was 23-ish and that was one of them. I know it’s not an award or anything, but it is kind of hallowed ground and a place in my industry’s history. It’s like visiting the White House. You don’t have to do it to be American but it’s exciting when you do.” For Sternberg and the other Indiana chefs it is an incredible opportunity to further their personal skills, to learn what is happening in New York’s food scene and to share everything going on in Indianapolis’ food scene. But, they
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Alan Sternberg chats with Indy Star writer Liz Biro at the Old National Centre.
PHOTO BY AUDRA STERNBERG
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are looking at it with a realistic mindset. According to Sternberg, “I don’t know if it means anything, but it’s fun to get outside of our state. I think a lot of the time we cheerlead from here and say why doesn’t this person or that person come to Indy, but I don’t think the outside knows who the players are. “That’s one of the reasons I really enjoy doing dinners and events away from here is to meet new people and make friends. I’m doing a dinner in Detroit next year because I met a chef up there at a fundraiser last year. I guess, it’s important because it’s an opportunity for us to grow our networks and establish friends in other cities. “I don’t think anyone is expecting to go to New York and show them something completely new. It’s New York after all. If we can go, put on a great meal, share ourselves and our story a little bit, then that’s enough. If we can make some friends and pick up some inspiration from eating or staging, that’s tangible experiences that we can come home with and help grow our city more.” And that is truly what this is about, what it stands to accomplish for our city. As Wall explains, it is a way for
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us to grow and see our full potential in the years to come. “We’ve got a ton of talent in this city!” he says. “Are we Charlotte or Nashville? No, we aren’t, but we’re heading that way. We may be five to eight years off from it, but we have to mature, grow and cultivate what we have and I think we’re doing that. I think Indianapolis is going to look very different in ten years when it comes to food.” Much like it did a year ago, this dinner will help remind people in high places that Indiana chefs are pushing and working to make this city a dining destination. As Sternberg points out, dinners like this allow chefs like Merriss, Baker, Niebling and himself the opportunity to further themselves. “I’ve been blessed to have so many great opportunities the last couple of years and I’ve grown immeasurably because of it. Things like going to the Beard awards, traveling, eating, staging, doing pop-ups and working with great friends has really helped keep my energy level high and for me to grow a lot in such a short time.” This, in turn, allows them to further the level and quality of food being made in our city. n
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SUBMITTED PHOTOS
• Rodney Stepp in the studio (left) • Rapture group photo (dressed in white) • Teenage Rodney Stepp playing with The Diplomatics • The Diplomatics group photo
STEPP BY STEPP COMBING THROUGH RODNEY STEPP’S TREASURE TROVE OF RECORDS
PHOTO BY JOEY SMITH
R 28 COVER STORY // 10.05.16 - 10.12.16 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO
BY KYLE LONG • KLONG@NUVO.NET
odney Stepp has achieved greatness over and over again throughout his long career in music. Stepp turned professional at age 13 as a member of the legendary Indianapolis funk band The Diplomatics. In the ’70s Stepp toured the world as a member of the iconic soul group The Spinners. In the ’90s, Stepp opened a successful recording studio and composed award-winning commercial jingles for local and national clients. Stepp’s many contributions to arts and culture have been recognized by both the city of Indianapolis and the United States Congress. At age 64 Stepp remains an active participant in the local music scene, playing frequent gigs as a member of the rock band Flying Toasters and crafting funky smooth jazz with his own Steppin’ Out Band.
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PHOTO BY JOEY SMITH
Without question, Rodney Stepp is an important and widely respected figure in Indianapolis music. But some of his greatest moments as a musician and songwriter remain unheard and completely unknown to the majority of his colleagues and fans. Enter The Stepp Treasures, a new series of archival releases. The first volume of The Stepp Treasures was issued in April of 2016 and features a grab bag of unreleased ’90s era demos cut in the new jack swing style. Future volumes will feature material from his work in gospel music and selections from his many songwriting collaborations with Joon Walker. The Stepp Treasures series will culminate with the first ever release of two never-before-heard albums by Stepp’s late ’70s Midwest funk supergroup Rapture. From 1978 to 1981, Rapture was a force to be reckoned with in Indianapolis music, wowing audiences with their dynamic live performances and superbly written original material. They were a band poised on the brink of artistic greatness and stardom when personal disagreements caused the group to disintegrate from within. Stepp and I sat for two long-ranging interviews about his body of work. During our first conversation, he told me Rapture was “probably one of the top five groups in the U.S. that never made it.” After he played me a few tracks from Rapture’s two aborted LPs, I’m inclined to agree. Rapture’s music recalls the best moments from soul superstars like Earth, Wind and Fire and Parliament-Funkadelic. Almost 40 years after the original sessions were recorded, Stepp is understandably excited to finally share Rapture’s music with the public. The release of the Rapture LPs closes the book on a long mystery, too. The Rapture sessions were assumed lost for nearly two decades, until the tapes mysteriously appeared on Stepp’s front porch, packed inside an unmarked box. To this day Stepp has no idea how the tapes arrived there, or who left them. In this Q&A, Stepp will tell the tale of Rapture’s rise and fall for the first time as we examine his incredible legacy in music.
the name. We still performed as The Diplomats, but the recording came out as The Diplomatics. NUVO: How did you get this band together at 12 years old and what kind of venues were you playing? I can’t imagine you were playing nightclubs at age 12.
Rodney Stepp in the studio on piano, early Diplomatics group shots
THE ATTUCKS YEARS NUVO: Attucks is famous for the dozens of great musicians the school has produced. That was partially cultivated by Russell Brown, who was one of the great music educators there. Was he still part of the music program when you attended Attucks?
STEPP: Oh, yes! He couldn’t keep me
out of the music room. [laughs] Russell would be like, “Okay Rodney, you know you got to go to class!” I graduated in 1969. I was part of the Marching Tigers. Boy, that band! Attucks’ marching band was something. Not only musically, but performancewise. And Mr. Brown ... what can you say, man? Just the best. A caring teacher and educator, and that’s the way most of the teachers at Attucks were. They were all loving and caring people and they wanted the kids to excel. NUVO: Did you grew up around the Avenue neighborhood?
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
STEPP: Actually I grew up on Brooks
Street. You’ll probably notice that my publishing company and in fact my first recording studio was called Brooks Street Music. That was in tribute to the hood, so to speak. I was actually a block and a half from Attucks. The back of the Attucks football field was on Brooks Street, and that’s where the Fall Creek YMCA was. That was a historical part of Indianapolis. I was blessed to be a part of that neighborhood.
NUVO: You started as a musician at a young age. You were part of a funk group called The Diplomatics. Am I right that you were 13 years old when you started with that band?
STEPP: Actually, we started when we were 12 years old. They say when you get your first paycheck you turn professional, and, well, we got our first paycheck when I was 13. We started as The Diplomats, but we had to record as The Diplomatics because we couldn’t license The Diplomats name. There was a group in Washington D.C. that had already trademarked that name. So when we came out with that first recording “Hum Bug,” which was on Herb Miller’s Lamp Records label, we added the “ics” to
STEPP: We were. We were extremely blessed. First of all, we all lived in the neighborhood. All the musicians, except for one, was from the neighborhood. We started practicing in our garages. We’d go from our guitarist’s garage, Jerry Miller on 1233 Fall Creek to be exact, to my garage at 1235 Brooks Street. Then, in the winter, we’d sometimes rehearse at the drummer’s house. I tell you man, it was just a beautiful thing for it to happen in the neighborhood like that. What branched us out was a group of four young men called Designated Productions: Guy Russell, Fred Thompson, Rudy Smith and Bo Ramsey. Those four guys were very instrumental in not only cultivating our career, but growing us up. They taught us a lot about the music industry. As a matter of fact, Rudy was the cousin of Billy Henderson from The Spinners. Designated used to drive us, pick us up and take us to the gigs. Our parents trusted them. We were playing clubs like the 20 Grand, The Pink Poodle, we played all the Masonic halls and lodges. All this was between the ages of 13 and 15. But we were chaperoned and they would not let us mingle with the crowd. You come out onstage and entertain, then you’re back to the dressing room. [laughs] Of course, I have to admit we were young men and we’d sneak out of the dressing room here and there to get a peek at what these adults were doing. NUVO: Had The Jackson 5 hit by that point? Was there some hope The Diplomatics would follow in their wake?
STEPP: They had hit and a lot of people
compared us to The Jackson 5. We were a complete band where everybody played an instrument and sang. We did choreography with our instruments. We were a unique group. We had the uniforms and outfits. We’d go to the Army and Navy surplus store and buy the big white bell bottoms. Then we’d go to Harry Levinson’s or somewhere and get the glitter-type shirts. The Designated would do all of that for us. Then as we progressed they started having our outfits tailor-made, as we were making more and more money. That band should have made it. We just felt like Motown went to Gary first! [laughs] S E E , STEPP, O N PA GE 30
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STEPP: We morphed. We added some
S TEP P , F R O M P A GE 2 9
NUVO: That’s a good way to put it. You mentioned earlier that The Diplomatics’ sole 45 release was recorded for Herb Miller’s Lamp Records label. Whenever I’m trying to explain to people what Lamp was all about, I always say it was kind of like Indy’s version of Motown. Of course, Lamp never got that big, but it was the main place where local R&B, soul and funk talent would go to get their music released during the late ’60s. What was it like working with Herb Miller?
STEPP: It was a great experience. Herb
was a pioneer. He was a fireman, that was his day gig. But he was motivated by music. I remember the first time that The Diplomats played behind The Vanguards. ... That was another thing, we played behind a lot of groups like Henry and Josephine, The Sentimentals, The Roulettes, Alan King and The Pearls, There were all kinds of groups here back then. We were one of the bands of choice to play behind these people. I know we’ll get into this later, but that’s how we got discovered at such a young age by The Spinners, The Dells, The O’Jays and a whole lot of other groups. We had a chance to play behind all of those groups through Designated Productions. We recorded our song “Hum Bug” for Lamp at Ohmit Recording Studio. I think it was just a four track studio at the time. We recorded live. That was our first time recording in a studio, and of course I’ll never forget that experience to this day. I thank Herb for sending us down the right path. NUVO: Am I correct that The Diplomatics eventually morphed into Jazzie Cazzie and The Seven Sounds, or were those two completely different groups? SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Top to bottom: • Muhammad Ali and Etta James in Zaire • Little Richard and Rodney Stepp
• Don King and George Foreman in Zaire • James Brown in Zaire • Rodney Stepp visiting children in Zaire 30 COVER STORY // 10.05.16 - 10.12.16 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO
new members, a bigger horn section. At one time we had a five-piece horn section in Jazzie Cazzie. That was the last version of the The Diplomats band and it was out of sight. NUVO: Why the name change?
STEPP: Well, we were having problems
with our name. Every time we got ready to make a record, somebody would file some injunction. Even against The Diplomatics. They started calling me Jazzie Cazzie, I think it was Lonnie Williams, the guitar player, who started it. Lonnie started calling me Jazzie Cazzie and the next thing you know somebody said, “Let’s call ourselves Jazzie Cazzie and The Seven Sounds.” But guess what? When we got ready to record we couldn’t use Seven Sounds. NUVO: It was already taken?
STEPP: It was already taken because
of Harvey Scales and The Seven Sounds. We couldn’t use Seven Sounds! (laughs) We were like “Oh my God, let’s just call it Jazzie Cazzie and The Eight Sounds!” That’s what we did and that’s why the record of “Young Girl” and “Soul City” says The Eight Sounds. NUVO: In 2003 the California label Stones Throw reissued The Diplomatics “Hum Bug.” That reissue brought your music to a new generation of listeners and gave the music its widest distribution thus far. Original copies of those records you made in high school are in demand by collectors all over the world. The Jazzie Cazzie 45 has sold for nearly $1,000 on the collectors’ market. How do you feel about the Stones Throw reissue and the continued interest in those records?
STEPP: At first it was kind of unbelievable. I was like, “Why do you want that?” But then I read up on Stones Throw and saw their largest market was overseas. Having had the opportunity to go overseas, especially in Europe, I know they love R&B and Black music. They just love it. So I could kind of understand how all these records that may have only been known locally could go overseas and blow up. I was like what the heck, what do we have to lose. If people can listen to something we did almost 50 years ago, go for it. I love it!
THE SPINNERS During the mid-1970s Rodney Stepp embarked on what remains likely the most significant chapter in his music career, a four year stint as keyboardist for international soul superstars The
Spinners. Stepp traveled around the world performing with The Spinners, even appearing at the legendary Zaire 74 concert in Kinshasa, Zaire as part of the build-up to Muhammad Ali’s infamous “Rumble in the Jungle” match against George Foreman. Stepp’s contributions to The Spinners’ sound earned him major notoriety in the music industry, but his desire to explore his own musical impulses eventually led Stepp back to his Indianapolis home. NUVO: We’ve talked about the legendary Spinners from Detroit, Michigan who recorded timeless soul music classics like “I’ll Be Around,” “It’s A Shame,” “Rubberband Man,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” and so many other great hits. The Spinners were a big part of your life. You were The Spinners’ keyboardist and assistant music director for several years. Take us from playing in Indianapolis with The Diplomatics and Jazzie Cazzie to joining one of the biggest soul music groups in history.
STEPP: I was in school and I laid out for a semester. When I laid out I got a notice from the draft board of the U.S. Army. I left in April and did a 21-month stint for the army. The timing was perfect. I got out in January of ’74 and as soon as I got out I registered back to school at IUPUI and I got a job at Indiana Bell. And two weeks after I got out of the Army I got a call to go audition with The Spinners. I went to Detroit. My cousin Bill Simmons who is a member of Midnight Star drove me there as a matter of fact. We drove to Detroit and I auditioned for my “second father” Maurice King who was The Spinners’ musical conductor. Here again, I have to talk about my education at Attucks and Russell Brown. Reading music paid off. Maurice King put a chart in front of me and I read that chart like nothing. He walked out of the room and I’m thinking, “Uh-oh, I’m not going to get this gig.” But he came back in the room and gave me another piece of music. He was like, “You’ve memorized this. They gave you this.” So he gave me this real hard piece. I’ll never forget it, it was called “Fascinating Rhythm.” It was something The Spinners opened up with. I looked at it and started playing. Mr. King looked at me and said, “So, you want this job?” The rest was history. I learned so much from Maurice King. He taught me how to direct, I just became his right hand man so to speak. When he wasn’t there, I became the man. I would’ve never been able to see the world the way I saw it if it hadn’t have been for The Spinners.
NUVO: Speaking of seeing the world: You played with The Spinners in Zaire in 1974 as part of the festivities surrounding Muhammad Ali’s Rumble in the Jungle fight.
STEPP: Yes, that is true. Two movies were produced from that, When We Were Kings and also Soul Power. I’m in both movies! [laughs] NUVO: And you played that concert alongside Bill Withers and many other extraordinary artists. What was that experience like?
STEPP: Oh man, the Jazz Crusaders, Bill Withers, Sister Sledge and Ben E. King. It was phenomenal. That has to be the top of all the major concerts I’ve had the chance to do. Zaire? Nothing compares. From the problems we had getting out of New York on the planes because of James Brown — he wanted to take everything but the kitchen sink on those cargo planes and they were telling him it was too much weight. I think we were grounded almost 16 hours before our flights left New York. But once we got there, oh man, the people. I remember we took a bunch of footballs and soccer balls with us. The Spinners band, we were socialites. We went out into the villages and I remember there was a grass hut. We have bars, right? Well, this grass hut was a bar where they sold beer and wine and whatever. There were some kids that came along so we started throwing footballs with them. They didn’t even know what a football was. To see the poverty, it made me realize there are a lot of things in the world we take for granted. All of those things made us better people and made us appreciate our art and why we were doing it. We started becoming very humble young men at an early age and the travels did that to us. From Japan to the Philippines, there’s hardly a place I haven’t been and it was all because of our music. This little snotty-nosed kid from Crispus Attucks High School. Who would’ve ever thought? NUVO: Was that an easy transition for you? It seems like you went straight from playing around Indy with your high school friends to touring the world with The Spinners.
STEPP: The transition for me came rela-
tively easy, because it was in my blood. I was an entertainer. I’m not going to say there weren’t times in the beginning where I was nervous at first. My second gig with The Spinners was at Madison Square Garden. Ashford & Simpson were the headliners and it was Graham Central Station’s debut. That was their first gig, period. Being a Sly fan I was out there watching everything. That was my
second gig with The Spinners and from there it only got better. NUVO: Is there a particular track you recorded with The Spinners where they really shined a light on your talents?
STEPP: Oh yeah, “Mighty
Love” from the 1975 live album. I’ll never forget that concert at Cherry Hill, New Jersey in the Latin Casino. That’s where my solos actually started. They told us we were recording a live album and Philippé said to me “Rod, you know how you doodle around every once in a while? Go on ahead and go for it.” He didn’t say anything about it to Thom Bell or anyone else. Me and Philippé just started cutting loose. What can I say? That solo put me on a new level in the industry. I started getting phone calls to play clavinet or organ on this or that record. I played sessions with the Motown writer Eddie Holland, Fred Wesley from James Brown’s band and a whole lot of others. NUVO: Your talent also started attracting attention from other major soul acts. I understand you were offered a position as keyboardist for The Jacksons.
STEPP: In 1976, The Spinners were
playing the Painters Mill Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. It was a theatre in the round. The Jacksons were following us. The Spinners had just broken Tom Jones’ attendance record for seven straight days playing two shows a night. The Jacksons came to our final show there on a Saturday night. They were starting their engagement that next Monday at the venue. They happened to see me, and they had been looking for a Black musician who kind of fit in with their style. At the time I was a slender young man, with big hair. They asked me to stay over and I met the family and their musical director. He told me, “Man, you’d be perfect for this.” We talked about a week later and they made me an offer. I took that offer back to my group The Spinners. The sad part of this time period is that this is when The Jacksons were being sued by Motown. The Jacksons were leaving Motown and Jermaine wanted to leave the group because he was married to
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Stepp in front of a residence; Stepp posing in from of Billy Preston’s Rolls Royce
Berry Gordy’s daughter Hazel. The Spinners’ entourage kind of talked me out of going. The Jacksons made me a great offer and I was ready for the challenge. But Thom Bell and the production team behind The Spinners started offering more writing opportunities and they made me all these promises. “We’re going to take a good look at you and start using you more,” and blah, blah. They made it make sense to stay. “If you go with The Jacksons you’ll have to prove yourself all over again.” About a year later I’m saying to myself, “You dummy!” Especially knowing the person I was, I was the guy that ate, slept, lived and breathed music. Knowing the kind of workaholic Michael was, I think it would’ve only been a matter of time before the chemistry would’ve connected and maybe I would’ve been in there on the ground floor. You know I turned that opportunity down to stay with The Spinners, but I ended up leaving The Spinners two years later. I was disillusioned. Nothing they promised happened.
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ST EPP, F R O M PAGE 31
NUVO: Was your desire to start writing more and producing what inspired you to leave the Spinners and form Rapture?
STEPP: That helped, but Rapture was
inevitable. Rapture was destined to be. I never saw myself as just a backup musician for this group or that group. I always felt my time would come. What really made me leave The Spinners was when Philippé Wynne left. I’ll never forget his last gig at the Circle Star Theatre on New Year’s Eve of 1976. On January 1 of 1977 he was no longer part of the group. But I was blessed. I was with The Spinners during the best years of their career. That period between 1974 and 1978 was really hot, and I was there for that. You know, the Grammy awards, the big venues, the festivals with 100,000 people, Zaire, Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, hosting The Midnight Special, appearing on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, on all the major talk shows — everything. I could go on and on.
RAPTURE As Stepp’s time with The Spinners came to an end, he began focusing all of his creative energy and resources into his
own group, Rapture. Featuring some of the greatest soul players in the Midwest scene, Rapture appeared to be destined for music stardom until internal issues collapsed the band’s dreams. Here, for the first time, Stepp gives an inside account on the rise and fall of Rapture. NUVO: Was Rapture an Indianapolisbased band?
STEPP: It was an Indianapolis-based
band, but by way of Chicago. I had a good friend in Chicago at the time named Alfonzo Surrett who had been working with Curtis Mayfield and Al Hudson. Alfonzo and I had always said we wanted to do something together. So we started messing around and I started putting together the musicians I wanted to be with. So it was me and Rodney Vorhis who played bass with me in The Diplomats and The Spinners, and we added Lonnie Williams, Greg Russell who played for After 7, and Harry Eaton who’d been with Betty Wright. My people were handpicked. My horn section was Jay Majors who’d been with The Diplomats on trombone, Herman Walker who was with Amnesty, and then a guy named Michael Jones out of Cincinnati who got turned on to us by Midnight Star. We had a singer by the name of Tony Hayes that had a falsetto that was out of sight. That brother was just bad. And Lonnie Williams, I used to tell people that Lonnie was Prince before I knew Prince. That’s how phenomenal this guy was. NUVO: Am I correct that Rapture started as a recording project, not a live band?
STEPP: Rapture started as a studio project. Alfonzo Surrett and I decided we needed to get some music out. We said, “We’re songwriters, that’s us.” We started putting things together piecemeal. On the first session, the horn section and string section came from the Chicago symphony. We came in with our rhythm section and did the vocals. A guy by the name of Jesus Wayne in Chicago wrote a lot of the SUBMITTED PHOTOS
Rapture Live
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arrangements. That’s how we started. But, eventually, I said, “I want to play.” That’s when we started getting the horn section and that’s how Rapture was born. Of course pressure started mounting because we were rehearsing and recording, rehearsing and recording, but not playing a lot because I was always gone with The Spinners. When I’d come back to Indy after touring six months with The Spinners, the guys in Rapture would start putting pressure on me. “Man, what you gonna do? Are you gonna come play with us, or are you gonna stay with The Spinners?” That’s when the pressure started coming. So I tried to do them both. I’m trying to keep my meal ticket and then invest that money into Rapture. But there came a time when I had to make a choice, so I made the choice to leave The Spinners because I could see their ship was sinking. NUVO: So what happened after you made these initial recordings in Chicago?
STEPP: We were playing a lot of show-
cases. Do you remember when Earth, Wind and Fire did that Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie? We were the band that played at the New York premiere party for the movie. They showcased us there. We were killing audiences everywhere we played. The group was a total success. People could not believe the sound and musicianship of Rapture. We were so complete. We were not afraid to play our original music. We felt like we had good material and people would start requesting our original material when we’d play. We had a song we started closing our shows with. It was an original called “The Message.” It was written by our trumpet player Herman Walker. We started closing our shows with that song, and at home here especially, we’d see tears in people’s eyes. We’re performing this last song of the night and they’re listening to the words. They’re not dancing, they’re holding hands. It was unreal. One thing I can say about that group is that we took chances. We moved to New York and lived with 12 people on the fourth floor of a bungalow. Twelve of us there struggling in New York. We were playing in Connecticut and Jersey. Eventually we were picked up by Earth, Wind and Fire’s production company and they had us go out to L.A. NUVO: Rapture made a second series of recordings while the group was in L.A., correct?
STEPP: Some of that was recorded in California and some here in Indianapolis before we left for California. NUVO: What was the rationale behind this second batch of recordings? For whatever reason the tapes you made in Chicago hadn’t scored Rapture a record deal. Were you thinking you might have more success if you changed up the sound?
STEPP: No, the first batch of recordings
were different because it was basically session players. It wasn’t a group at that time. It was more like a studio thing. We didn’t have that identifiable group sound. So that second batch of recordings really captured Rapture as a band. That’s who we were, that mixture of P-Funk, Earth, Wind and Fire and Kool and The Gang all mixed together. But basically we got shelved. Really I can’t even say we were shelved because we were never signed. But we were on the verge of being signed, and that’s when all heck broke out. The group broke up in L.A. NUVO: So what exactly went wrong in California for Rapture?
STEPP: Frustration. It’s hard to tell a
group of hungry musicians to just be patient. Frustration led to disagreements, which led to disappointments. There were a lot of decisions made in Los Angeles that I honestly believe every member of Rapture will never forget. You know when you’re right there on the edge of making it? We were right there. We could taste it, smell it, touch it and see it. We were on our way and we let a dispute get out of hand and it caused a major breakup within the group. My heart was broken and I said, “Let’s go on back home to Indianapolis and see what happens.” But the group just wasn’t the same. That was the first time in my life that I thought I was done with music forever. NUVO: That’s understandable. You’d left a very successful gig with The Spinners and invested everything you had into Rapture.
STEPP: Right. The demise of Rapture
affected many of my future decisions. I vowed that I would never play in a band again. I was done. Then around 1983 my cousin Bill Simmons, who was in Midnight Star, calls me and says, “Hey, Rod, we got Babyface, we got L.A. Reid. We’re putting together a group called The Deele and we’d like for you to be the keyboard player.” [long pause] I immediately said no! There was no thought, and no reaction. I was done. I
LISTEN TO RARE STEPP TRACKS ON WFYI
PHOTO BY JOEY SMITH
Rodney Stepp in the studio
was working at the post office at the time carrying mail. It was just a bad time for me. It’s not that I wanted to say no. I just couldn’t stand another disappointment. NUVO: I get the feeling that you regard the music you recorded with Rapture as sort of the magnum opus of your career as an artist.
STEPP: That’s hard to say because I feel
like I have so much left in me. I would put it a little differently: maybe some of the greatest songs I ever wrote were never heard. Now because of technology we can give them to the people. Maybe it’s an older format, but it’s about the quality of the lyrics, and the melodies. But I want to feel that my best work is yet to come. [sighs] You know, it’s sad but sweet, man. I feel deep down in my heart that God doesn’t make any mistakes and I have to accept everything that has happened. But Rapture was supposed to make it. It truly was. Rapture was probably one of the top five groups in the U.S. that never made it. We were unsung. NUVO: Does it bother you that one of the highest points of your music career has remained completely unknown to the public?
STEPP: Honestly it doesn’t, and it never
has. Now is my opportunity to let people know. It’s like anything man, I’ve had a good run. I’ve had a good season. If I walked away from it today I have no regrets. None whatsoever. NUVO: To add some major intrigue to this story, I understand the Rapture tapes were assumed to be lost for many years until they unexpectedly
came back into your life.
STEPP: That’s right, and I don’t know who had them. Maybe it was a band member, or the family of a band member. But I had no idea where the tapes were, especially the stuff we recorded in Chicago. I went out to my porch one day to get the mail and there was this box. It had all kinds of Rapture tapes in it. There were cassette tapes, reel-to-reel tapes, two inch reels and the whole nine yards. We’ve tried to digitize everything and get it back together for The Stepp Treasures release. There’s maybe only two or three songs where the tape is so oxidized that the music is gone. So, now I have all this music. And I feel like before my life is over, whether you want to or not you’re going to get a chance to hear it. I’m going to give you the opportunity to hear it, buy it or throw it away. [laughs] Whatever you want to do with it.
POST-RAPTURE Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. After recovering from the deep disappointment of Rapture’s breakup, Stepp eventually returned to making music. He also became more active behind the scenes, opening a successful recording studio, producing and composing award winning jingles for advertisements. NUVO: You began getting more involved behind the scenes in music during the ’90s, correct?
Starting this October, the radio edition of Cultural Manifesto will begin airing twice weekly on 90.1 WFYI Public Radio: Wednesday evenings at 9, with an encore presentation Saturday nights at 10 p.m. Tune in this week for a full hour of music and conversation with Rodney Stepp. I’ll be sharing tracks from Stepp’s work with The Spinners, The Diplomatics, and Jazzie Cazzie. I’ll also be featuring the world premiere broadcast of music from Rodney Stepp’s unreleased Rapture tapes. The unreleased Rapture tapes reveal a band that excelled in every aspect of their art. Don’t miss the first ever broadcast of Rapture’s music on the radio edition of Cultural Manifesto airing October 5 at 9 p.m. and October 8 at 10 p.m. on 90.1 WFYI Public Radio.
STEPP: In 1991 I opened my first studio.
We were a hot success very quickly because we were creative. We came up with different stuff. Instead of your normal little jingle, we came up with your hit song jingle that people would hear and start singing. The Indiana and Kentucky Lottery were two of our original clients. Then came Hardees, Eli Lilly, the Pacers, ESPN — you name it. We were doing stuff everywhere. We wrote the theme song for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. We got on the fast track very quickly. NUVO: Mr. Stepp, you’ve maintained a successful career in music through six decades of activity. Any advice you’d want to share with young artists looking to devote their lives to this craft?
STEPP: Be passionate about what you do.
That sums it up. You’ve got to love it, live it, eat it, breathe it. If you don’t have a passion for this, if it’s about everything but the love for the music, then something is wrong. n Special thanks to Patricia Reese Maryam for making this interview possible.
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Alice Through the Looking Glass Ceiling Saturday at Grove Haus honors music scene’s women
BY A MY F O X WO R T H Y MUSIC@NUVO . N ET
atie Josway had no shortage of things on her plate this summer. She was finishing school, studying for (and eventually passing) the licensing exam to become a massage therapist and recording two albums with two different bands whilst preparing two new band members for shows. In the midst of all of this, she decided to try and bring all of the women involved in the Indianapolis arts scene together for a project called Women of Indianapolis Arts. Josway says her main goal initially was simply to encourage other women to form the kind of friendships she had been so grateful for, and also to see what kind of work other women were creating in our scene. “Being treated differently as an artist because you’re a women was something we all had in common,” she says. “I needed to try and understand the scope of this phenomenon and whether or not it persisted across all artistic disciplines.” In August, Josway formed Women of Indianapolis Arts (WOIA), a community that started as an idea for a group photo of women artists in Indianapolis. “Everything just snowballed,” Josway said. “I realized I had met so many women artists of all disciplines and backgrounds, really incredible people. It became such a large group of people that I could really connect with and I wanted a group photo. A historical women in art photo that would show the wide network of women who collectively have a unique quality in what they do. The photo then turned into an idea for a giant showcase and a website that will show photos and link to the artists’ work and provide a place to organize and continue creative discussion.” Josway worked with the Indiana Historical Society in organizing a donation of the group photo for inclusion in the IHS' archives. “The arts are the voice of a generation and define the people in it,” Josway says. “When women are left out, we’re only seeing a fraction of the truth and missing an important perspective. That is concerning, and people should care.”
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Katie Josway LIVE
ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS CEILING
WHEN: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 4 P.M. WHERE: GROVE HAUS, 1001 HOSBROOK ST. TICKETS: $7 DONATION REQUESTED, ALL-AGES
The BBC noted in 2012 that fewer than 5 percent of record producers and sound engineers are women. On the 2015 Billboard Power 100 list, only 15 of the 127 music execs included were women — and none were in the top 10. “We want to engage men in the conversation too,” Josway says. “We wanted them to also know how important they are to our scene and show how rare and inclusive it really is. There isn’t a lot of ‘boys club’ stuff going on in the Indy art and music scene. I have always been treated as an equal by the men in our scene and I feel included and supported here.” On October 8, WOIA will host Alice Through the Looking Glass Ceiling at the Grove Haus. The event will feature women-identifying artists and vendors of all disciplines and genres. All ages are welcome; the group did not want to exclude younger artists or artists who are mothers from participating in the event and being able to show their work.
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A requested donation of $7 will help fund future events and pay for the website supporting the women artists of Indianapolis. Josway notes that many people came together to make Saturday's event happen in a big way in a short time. Emily Kelm is creating the WOIA website and Carrie Ortwein at Grove Haus volunteered the space. Cathy Hurt from Girls Rock Indianapolis and Sara Boutwell from Regeneration Indy will speak. Josway herself will be speaking about the group and its story; Lola Lavacious will speak about feminism and burlesque, with a short performance to follow. There will be a kids’ art area and seven bands performing at the event, including There Are Ghosts, Gypsy Moonshine, Eliot Bigger, Hex Mundi, Mina & The Wonderous Flying Machine, Sheeza and Like Smoke. Tatiana Rebelle will perform spoken word. Stephanie Renner, the drummer for the band Hex Mundi, will be performing at the showcase. Renner is an artist with a space at Pattern Workshop on Mass Avenue, where she works on an apparel line called Sele Apparel (pronounced SEAL), and does custom design work and printing as well. “In the last month, I have been getting back into my roots of relief printmak-
ing,” Renner says. “My work tends to deal with origins of life, esoteric imagery, symbols and natural patterns/phenomena. I actually just finished designing album artwork for Katie Josway’s band, Gypsy Moonshine. They are going to be releasing that soon.” Pamela O'Brien is originally from New Orleans and only recently became involved in the local art scene. O’Brien feels that being involved in WOIA and the planning of the event has been a rewarding thing for her. “I've lived in Indy for nine years,” O'Brien says. “I moved here from New Orleans two years after Katrina. I've been involved with the local arts scene only this past year, and have found it exciting and very encouraging. My art is best described as impressionist/abstract. I became involved in the arts scene in February of this year when a friend who was the project manager of the Before I Die Festival encouraged me to submit my Katrina trilogy to the Stutz Artists Association for their exhibit Can We Talk? It was the first time I had ever submitted any of my art for public exhibition, and I was, of course, a little nervous. Would people like it? Would they see anything in my work, and perhaps more importantly, would they gain any understanding of the Katrina experience that people from New Orleans had? I was thrilled to find that they did, and I got a lot of encouragement to keep painting.” Although her work will not be featured at the event at Grove Haus this time, O'Brien has been involved in the planning of the event and believes that her work will be featured in the next event, which has yet to be planned. When asked what she wanted people to take away from this event Josway said, “I want them to leave knowing how many talented women there are in Indianapolis. That in itself indirectly addresses the gender inequality issue. “We want to plant a seed so people start thinking and questioning their instincts on how they perceive certain art. Would you feel differently if a man created this song, or this painting, or delivered this spoken word? How we value and draw conclusions; that is the only way things will ever change.” n
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Animal Collective, Wednesday at Old National Centre
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WEDNESDAY POP Animal Collective, Eric Copeland 8 p.m. Ubiquitous college radio kings Animal Collective aren’t making “My Girls”-esque earworms anymore, but the experimental pop stars are still honestly weird AF. Their newest Painting With is the 10th album from the Baltimore popsters, with a guest appearance from John Cale. Egyptian Room at Old National Centre, 502 N. New Jersey St., $25, all-ages Tony Lucca, Alex Dezen, Christian Lopez, The Hi-Fi, 21+ BYOV, Lola’s Bowl and Bistro, all-ages The Family Jam, The Mousetrap, 21+
newish album Terms of My Surrender (out in 2014 on New West Records). This is also an acoustic concert, so expect some storytelling and a laid-back vibe. Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., (Bloomington) Lil’ Ed and The Blues Imperials, Slippery Noodle, Inn, 21+ Swear and Shake, Lauren Shera, The Hi-Fi, 21+ TAUK, Deluxe at Old National Centre, all-ages Naptown Stomp, Grove Haus, all-ages
FRIDAY Night Moves with Action Jackson and DJ Megatone, Metro, 21+ The Avalons, Theater at the Fort, all-ages
Blues Jam, Main Event, 21+
Brandon Wilson’s Sailing Through Cities Release, Thirsty Scholar, all-ages
THURSDAY
Bassel and The Supernaturals, The Hi-Fi, 21+
RETURNS
Flashback Friday: Vallures, Sugar Moon Rabbit, Shake Ups, Radio Radio, 21+
Blues Jam, Slippery Noodle, 21+
An Acoustic Evening with John Hiatt 8 p.m. Last time Hiatt was in these parts, he was trading quips with Lyle Lovett. He returns to Bloomington with
Lateralus, Jin-XS, The Vogue, 21+ A Jazz-ful Weekend: First Fridays at Indy Reads Books, Indy Reads Books, all-ages First Friday, Joyful Noise, all-ages
Cryptic Hymn, Summon The Destroyer, State Street Pub, 21+
Alice Through The Looking Glass Ceiling, Grove Haus, all-ages
SUNDAY
MONDAY
The Witching Hour, Kuma’s Corner, all-ages
Minute Details, Mardi Belle, Human Lights, The Sinking Ship II, all-ages
Dynamite, Mass Ave Pub, 21+
Sweet Release, General Public Collective, all-ages
Rob and Dave’s 15-year Anniversary, Melody Inn, 21+
SATURDAY FESTS Woofstock 2 p.m. JoJo is playing this dog music festival. For people in Indianapolis, this is basically like that episode of Parks and Rec where Eagleton had Michael Buble on retainer. Seriously, JoJo is the perfect pop artist to serenade a legion of mutts and we hope this festival is the best-attended event that happens all weekend. We love Woofstock. When NUVO interviewed JoJo in 2015, she said she loves performing at all-ages venues like Nickel Plate District Amphitheater, “I do think all-ages venues are great because I think sometimes kids feel, ‘Oh, I get left out’ or ‘Oh, I don’t get to do cool things with older people.’ So I know that when I was a kid, I definitely wanted to go to shows and was bummed out when I wasn’t able to. On the other side, I really like 21+ venues, because people are feeling it, they’re warmed up, they’re loose, they have drinks in their system and we’re able to talk shit a little bit more. I have little cousins, so when I see children the office I do feel like I have a responsibility to be a little more appropriate because I do like to talk shit.”
Real Talk, White Rabbit Cabaret, 21+ Sadie Robertson, Murat Theatre at Old National Centre, all-ages
Love Jones The Musical, Murat Theatre at Old National Centre, all-ages
The Willis Clan, Franklin Performing Arts Center, all-ages
The Ballroom Thieves, Maggie Koerner, The Hi-Fi, 21+
Chicago Farmer, Shelby County Sinners, Bigfoot Yancey, Radio Radio, 21+
Beats Antique, Too Many Zooz, Thriftworks, The Vogue, 21+
ZOSO: Led Zeppelin Tribute, The Bluebird (Bloomington), 21+ Joel Levi, Sale Joseph, Cameron Moore, The Hi-Fi, 21+ Dance Night, The Vogue, 21+ Soup Stew Chili and Brew Festival, Madison Indiana, all-ages
Latin Jazz Ensemble, Buskirk-Chumley Theater (Bloomington), all-ages Soul Bus with Paul Holdman, Kona Jack’s, 21+ Free Jazz Jam Mondays, The Chatterbox, 21+
TUESDAY
Gosh Pith, Dream Chief, The Bishop (Bloomington), 18-
Tyrone Wells “Cover to Cover,” The Hi-FI, 21+
Industry Sundaze, Tin Roof, 21+
Take That! Tuesday, Coaches, 21+
Sunday Night Bluegrass Jams, Mousetrap, 21+
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SAVAGELOVE
VULVA VA VOOM lows use and I’m inclined to give it a A question on your favorite topic, Dan. pass, saying “vagina” when you mean Just kidding, it’s a question about my “vulva” makes scientists like Dr. Hervagina. I’m having a problem with the benick rather teste. (Sad fact: Teste is not microbiome of my vulva and vagina. I’ve the singular form of testes.) Now back to been going to my gyno for the last six your vulva and vagina, VULVA … months for recurrent bacterial vaginosis Dr. Herbenick recommends seeing a and yeast infections. She shrugs, gives “true vulvovaginal health expert” (TVHE) me a script, the symptoms go away for about your problem, VULVA, and your a week or so, then they come back. I gynecologist presumably qualifies as a understand the infections are likely due TVHE ... right? to an imbalance in my vaginal pH, but “Not necessarily,” said Dr. Herbenick. I don’t know what to do to fix this. I’ve used probiotic suppositories to boost the “Gynecologists know far more about vaginal and vulvar health issues than amount of lactobacillus and these help more than anything else, but the problem remains. I also wear cotton, loose-fitting undies and practice good hyA question on your favorite topic, giene and never douche Dan. Just kidding, it’s a question or use anything scented. The problem started about my vagina. when I stopped using condoms with my partner, but it’s not an STI. We’ve both been tested. most health care providers, but many There’s tons of sites online talking about gynecologists haven’t received deep-dive this problem, but no one has a solution (pun not intended) specialized training that I’ve found. How the hell can women in difficult-to-treat vulvovaginal health with this problem fix their pH?! Thanks a conditions. And if they have, it was likely ton if you read this far, and thanks a million tons if you or one of your experts has when they were in med school — so years ago. They might not be up to date any ideas to help. in the latest research, since not all doc— VEXED UND LACKING VAGINAL ANSWERS tors go to vulvovaginal-specific conferences.” DAN SAVAGE: “I love that she used the Is there a fix for that problem? word ‘vulva,’” said Dr. Debby Herbenick, “Yes! If everyone lobbied for their doca research scientist at Indiana University, tors to go to events like the annual a sexual health educator at the Kinsey conference of the International Society Institute and the author of Read My Lips: for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease A Complete Guide to the Vagina and (ISSVD),” said Dr. Herbenick, “we would Vulva and numerous other books. “Most live in a country with millions more people have no idea what that even is!” happy, healthy, sex-interested women I know what that is! (Full disclosure: I and others with vaginas and vulvas, too, know what that is now. I didn’t know like trans men.” what that was when I started writing this As for your particular problem — a tough column.) The vulva is (the vulva are?) the case of bacterial vaginosis — Dr. Herexternal genitalia of the female — the benick, who isn’t a medical doctor but labia, the clit, the vaginal opening, some qualifies as a TVHE, had some thoughts. other bits and pieces. (Fun fact: Vulva is “There are many different forms of bacLatin for wrapper.) The vagina, aka “the terial vaginosis (BV) and different kinds muscular tube,” runs from the vulva to of yeast infections,” said Dr. Herbenick. the uterus. (Fun fact: Vagina is Latin for “These different kinds respond well to the sheath of a sword.) People tend to different kinds of treatment, which is use “vagina” when referring to a woman’s one reason home yeast meds don’t work junk generally, and while meaning fol36 VOICES // 10.05.16 - 10.12.16 // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // NUVO
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well for many women. And all too often, health care providers don’t have sufficient training to make fine-tuned diagnoses and end up treating the wrong thing. But if VULVA’s recurrences are frequent, I think it’s a wise idea for her to see a true specialist.” A TVHE is likelier to pinpoint the problem. Even so, Dr. Herbenick warns that it may take more than one visit with a TVHE to solve the problem. “I don’t want to over-promise, since BV remains a challenging diagnosis and often does come back at some point,” said Dr. Herbenick. “There’s no onesize-fits-all approach to BV, which is also why I think VULVA is best off meeting with a health care provider who lives and breathes vaginal health issues. The ISSVD is full of health care providers like that — they’re the Sherlock Holmes of vaginas and vulvas, none of this ‘shrug and here’s a script’ business. VULVA can check out ISSVD.org for more information.” I have a question about biking and female genitalia. I’m a woman in my forties, and I love biking! My husband and I often go for long rides on the weekend. Unfortunately, this makes various parts of my crotch sore, especially the clitoris. Certain bike seats are better, but none eliminate the soreness. Two years ago, we had a baby, which not only made my crotch more prone to soreness but
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would adore BRITCHES’s baby, too!),” said Dr. Herbenick, “so I appreciate being asked to chime in on this question. That said, there’s not a ton of research on female genital health in connection with cycling.” There’s far more research on men and cycling, due to the risks of bike-seatrelated erectile dysfunction specifically and our society’s tendency to prioritize boners generally. “The few studies that have been conducted on women and cycling — generally cisgender women as far as I can tell — found that cutout seats are linked with a higher risk of genital symptoms, as are handlebars that are lower than the saddle,” said Dr. Herbenick. “So broader saddles and higher handlebars may be the way to go. Some of the research notes higher rates of genital symptoms among people who go on longer rides, spending hours in the saddle.” To decrease your risk of un-fun genital “I love biking, I love vulvas and I love babies.” symptoms, BRITCHES, Dr. Her– DR. DEBBY HERBENICK benick recommends mixing it up. “Go biking some weekmakes it a lot less likely that we’ll have ends and try other activities on other sex except on weekends, often after biking. The sore clit makes sex more painful, weekends — maybe hiking or swimming? You might also take Dan’s ‘fuck but it also increases sensitivity, so the whole thing can be an alternating experi- first’ Valentine’s Day advice and apply it to your weekend rides. And if you’re ence of “Ow!” and “Wow!” Am I causing prone to post-intercourse semen leakage my clit any permanent damage by the (and, really, who isn’t?) use a condom or biking and/or the post-bike poking? Any have him come elsewhere pre-ride so suggestions for decreasing crotch soreyou don’t have the semen seepage issue ness? to contend with on a long ride. I hope — BIKE-RELATED INJURY TO CLIT; this helps!” HELP EASE SORENESS
DAN SAVAGE: “I love biking, I love vulvas and I love babies (mine, and I’m sure I
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MECHANICS WANTED! Work at home. Need tools & experience. Full or Part-time. 317-903-2418. Downtown Boutique Real Estate office seeks administrative assistant. Full time with flexible schedule. Email resume to kate@flockrealty.com. No calls please!
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ARIES (March 21-April 19): At a recent party, a guy I hardly know questioned my authenticity. “You seem to have had an easy life,” he jabbed. “I bet you haven’t suffered enough to be a truly passionate person.” I didn’t choose to engage him, but mused to myself, “Not enough suffering? What about the time I got shot? My divorce? My five-year-long illness? The manager of my rock band getting killed in a helicopter crash?” But after that initial reaction, my thoughts turned to the adventures that have stoked my passion without causing pain, like the birth of my daughter, getting remarried to the woman I divorced, and performing my music for excited audiences. I bring this up, Aries, because I suspect that you, too, will soon have experiences that refine and deepen your passion through pleasure rather than hardship. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It’s the Frank and Focused Feedback Phase, Taurus -- prime time to solicit insight about how you’re doing. Here are four suggestions to get you started. 1. Ask a person who loves and respects you to speak the compassionate truth about what’s most important for you to learn. 2. Consult a trustworthy advisor who can help motivate you to do the crucial thing you’ve been postponing. 3. Have an imaginary conversation with the person you were a year ago. Encourage the Old You to be honest about how the New You could summon more excellence in pursuing your essential goals. 4. Say this prayer to your favorite tree or animal or meadow: “Show me what I need to do in order to feel more joy.” GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Many of my readers regard me as being exceptionally creative. Over the years, they have sent countless emails praising me for my original approach to problem-solving and art-making. But I suspect that I wasn’t born with a greater talent for creativity than anyone else. I’ve simply placed a high value on developing it, and have worked harder to access it than most people. With that in mind, I invite you to tap more deeply into your own mother lode of innovative, imaginative energy. The cosmic trends favor it. Your hormones are nudging you in that direction. What projects could use a jolt of primal brilliance? What areas of your life need a boost of ingenuity? CANCER (June 21-July 22): Love wants more of you. Love longs for you to give everything you have and receive everything you need. Love is conspiring to bring you beautiful truths and poignant teases, sweet dispensations and confounding mysteries, exacting blessings and riddles that will take your entire life to solve. But here are some crucial questions: Are you truly ready for such intense engagement? Are you willing to do what’s necessary to live at a higher and deeper level? Would you know how to work with such extravagant treasure and wild responsibility? The coming weeks will be prime time to explore the answers to these questions. I’m not sure what your answers will be. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Each of us contains a multiplicity of selves. You may often feel like there’s just one of you rumbling around inside your psyche, but it’s closer to the truth to say that you’re a community of various characters whose agendas sometimes overlap and sometimes conflict. For example, the needy part of you that craves love isn’t always on the same wavelength as the ambitious part of you that seeks power. That’s why it’s a good idea to periodically organize summit meetings where all of your selves can gather and negotiate. Now is one of those times: a favorable moment to foster harmony among your inner voices and to mobilize them to work together in service of common goals. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Pike’s Peak is a 14,115-foot mountain in Colorado. It’s not a simple task to trek to the top. Unless you’re well-trained, you might experience altitude sickness. Wicked thunderstorms are a regular occurrence during the summer. Snow falls yearround. But back in 1929, an adventurer named Bill
Williams decided the task of hiking to the summit wasn’t tough enough. He sought a more demanding challenge. Wearing kneepads, he spent 21 days crawling along as he used his nose to push a peanut all the way up. I advise you to avoid making him your role model in the coming weeks, Virgo. Just climb the mountain. Don’t try to push a peanut up there with your nose, too. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “It isn’t normal to know what we want,” said psychologist Abraham Maslow. “It is a rare and difficult psychological achievement.” He wasn’t referring to the question of what you want for dinner or the new shoes you plan to buy. He was talking about big, long-term yearnings: what you hope to be when you grow up, the qualities you look for in your best allies, the feelings you’d love to feel in abundance every day of your life. Now here’s the good news, Libra: The next ten months should bring you the best chance ever to figure out exactly what you want the most. And it all starts now. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Practitioners of the Ayurvedic medical tradition tout the healing power of regular self-massage. Creativity expert Julia Cameron recommends that you periodically go out on dates with yourself. Taoist author Mantak Chia advises you to visualize sending smiles and good wishes to your kidneys, lungs, liver, heart, and other organs. He says that these acts of kindness bolster your vigor. The coming weeks will be an especially favorable time to attend to measures like these, Scorpio. I hope you will also be imaginative as you give yourself extra gifts and compliments and praise. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The coming weeks will be one of the best times ever for wrestling with God or tussling with Fate or grappling with karma. Why do I say that? Because you’re likely to emerge triumphant! That’s right, you lucky, plucky contender. More than I’ve seen in a long time, you have the potential to draw on the crafty power and unruly wisdom and resilient compassion you would need to be an unambiguous winner. A winner of what? You tell me. What dilemma would you most like to resolve? What test would you most like to ace? At what game would you most like to be victorious? Now is the time. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Are you grunting and sweating as you struggle to preserve and maintain the gains of the past? Or are you smooth and cagey as you maneuver your way towards the rewards of the future? I’m rooting for you to put the emphasis on the second option. Paradoxically, that will be the best way to accomplish the first option. It will also ensure that your motivations are primarily rooted in love and enthusiasm rather than worry and stress. And that will enable you to succeed at the second option. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Do you believe that you are mostly just a product of social conditioning and your genetic make-up? Or are you willing to entertain a different hypothesis: that you are a primal force of nature on an unpredictable journey? That you are capable of rising above your apparent limitations and expressing aspects of yourself that might have been unimaginable when you were younger? I believe the coming weeks will be a favorable time to play around with this vision. Your knack for transcendence is peaking. So are your powers to escape the past and exceed limited expectations. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In one of your nightly dreams, Robin Hood may team up with Peter Pan to steal unused treasure from a greedy monster — and then turn the booty over to you. Or maybe you’ll meet a talking hedgehog and singing fox who will cast a spell to heal and revive one of your wounded fantasies. It’s also conceivable that you will recover a magic seed that had been lost or forgotten, and attract the help of a fairy godmother or godfather to help you ripen it.
Homework: What is the best gift you could give your best ally right now? Testify at FreeWillAstrology.com. NUVO // 100% SUSTAINABLE / RECYCLED PAPER // 10.05.16 - 10.12.16 // CLASSIFIEDS 39
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