Project Famous Issue 8 - Kay Laurent by Project Famous

GUERRILLA THRIFTER’S FRUGAL FALL FASHION • SON CONTRABANDO

THE WAITING ROOM • Madison’s 48-HOUR FILM PROJECT

Kay Laurent

On Her Way to “Better Days”

008 No.

SEPTEMBER 2013 | projectfamous.com

The artists of

RAW MADISON in En Masse

Editor in Chief JOEY BROYLES

Managing Editor KELLY LAJTER

Ar ts Editor CHRISTY GRACE Fashion Editor ADELINE PECK Music Editor KAREN WHEELOCK Copy Editors DANNY ATWATER ABIGAIL BROWN NICK HOLSTON ANTHONY ARLOTTA

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Contributing Writer s 48-HOUR FILM PROJECT FILMMAKERS ALLAN O’CONNOR OLIVIA CLAIRE Contributing Photographer s Adeline Peck Bradlee Ber tram | BMB Graphics Carla Franco Elizabeth Wadium Jason Ocker Odari Kimani Peter F. Castro Wiliam Randos

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Project Famous, LLC . | PO Box 6292, Madison, WI 53716 Letters to the editor, advertising opportunities, and all other questions, please email info@projectfamous.com

SEPTEMBER 2013

FEATURE Kay Laurent

On Her Way to “Better Days” by Karen Wheelock

Photography by Peter F. Castro

SEPTMEBER 2013

Making a Mint – The Spinning Gyre Editor’s Letter 06

FASHION

Frugal Fall Fashion by Adeline Peck

BEHIND THE SCENES

The 2013 48-Hour Film Project by Kelly Lajter

TAKE THE FIRST STEP

How To Market Yourself by Olivia Claire

MUSIC

the arts

Son Contrabando by Allan O’Connor

The Waiting Room by Jacob Nelson Meet the Artists of RAW by Christy Grace IPG SUBMISSIONS

Paul Christianson

49 53 57

Do you write poetry ? Short stories ? Submit your poetry and short stories here. Project Famous Magazine is searching for artists ready to show their talent to the world! Submit your poems and

short stories to

info@projectfamous.com

Letter from the Editor

Page 6 Make Over The time of change is approaching, as the leaves fade into new colors we bid adieu to summer. Kay Laurent, our cover girl, is no stranger to shedding new colors. Not too long ago, this beautiful woman was singing the national anthem in the studio of Red Dragon TV and now she is singing her own song “Better Days.” Kay is shopping for a band, so if you are looking to play a gig with stunning talent, I recommend Kay Laurent. You may notice we sent our Beauty section out for a well-needed spa treatment just in time for Halloween. Fear not beauty lovers! Good things are just around the corner for all things spooky. Guerrilla Thrifter is truly at her best this month with Frugal Fall Fashion; check that dress out on page 15 – breathtaking. True, we are not in NYC, but Guerrilla Thrifter has something just as fashionable for the fraction of the cost. Revisiting Madison’s 48-Hour Film Project (Behind the Scenes page 17) showing you some of the participating teams from this summer’s chaotic film event. Full lists of the winners and some additional information from several film companies in our Madison area are listed. Olivia Claire debuts her first article giving you some sound advice “How To Market Yourself” in our Take The First Step. Olivia is a go-getter and brings out the best in many of us, including myself. There isn’t a moment where Olivia isn’t busy doing something glorious! I’d like to thank the volunteer staff of Project Famous Magazine who spend countless hours collecting interviews, organizing photo shoots, taking pictures, copy editing, and networking. You make all the difference to our readers. An interesting thing about this magazine: I do a majority of the layout

that consumes many hours of my life. The constant juggle of having a real job, coordinating schedules, being a performer, and running this magazine is not easy. But nothing should ever be easy! This issue was a welcoming change as our Managing Editor, Kelly Lajter helped with layout. When you see Kelly tell her what a lovely job she did with this issue. It’s no secret that a lot of the people we cover in this magazine happen to be our friends or a friend of a friend. However this magazine isn’t just a friend’s magazine. We strive to cover local independent artists and if you know someone who should be in this magazine please don’t be shy. Any independent artist living in Madison should be in this magazine. We want our readers to know about all sorts of artists and there are no boundaries: any art by any independent creative being should be in this magazine. We don’t do reviews; we tell positive human-interest stories and spread awareness about the artist and their journey. Personally, I have found a lot of my “letter from the editor” letters to be very standard and that’s about to change. Obviously if you download the magazine you are looking to read about artists. And as lovely as my monthly summaries can be, I find them to be only half acceptable of an art magazine. I don’t intend to make this my personal journal as my life already overlaps in this magazine: ie Project Famous Films, Project Famous Collective, and my music. But I do want you to get to know me, Joey Broyles, as the independent artist working just as hard as the rest of you. Starting next month if you want to know what you should read about in Project Famous Magazine please check out our table of contents. I believe my job as Editor in Chief is to voice my own creativity and wisdom, so stay tuned for a brand new page 6. Enjoy our beautiful September issue and we’ll see you soon Superstars.

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

FASHION

Fru gal FAL L Fashio n

FROM: Guerrilla Thrifter

BY ADELINE PECK Hello Fashion Friends! Did summer fly by yet again this year? The sadness of summer ending is quickly turned around with the thought of Fall Fashion. And Frugal Fall Fashion at that! I felt inspired to share my favorite three fall looks. Guerrilla Thrifter is sporting fall’s newest “neutral:” red, knee high’s and animal print. Savor fall and all it has to offer. Be inspired by the changing colors. Show a little leg, and by all means rock that animal print! Here’s to confidence in clothing without breaking the bank!

Photography ADELINE PECK Model ADELINE PECK

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Knee High in Paisley

• Black Knee High Socks - Walgreens $0.99

• GAP Paisley Multi-Colored Shorts - Bethezda’s $2.99

• GAP Black Jersey Tee - St. Vinny’s $5.99

• Resin Cat Pin - Esty.com $9.99 9

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Red-y For Fall

• Express Black Pencil Skirt - Goodwill $3.99

• Black Jersey Top - Goodwill $2.99

• Level 99 Red Linen Blazer - Re-Threads $7.99

• Vintage Red and White Espadrilles - Saver’s $11.99

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

FASHION

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Lean Mean Animal Print

• Hearts Taupe Matte Jersey Cut-Out Dress - T.J. Maxx $16.99

• Gold-tone Black Enamel Leopard Cuff Bangle - St. Vinny’s $3.99

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

BEHIND THE SCENES

The 2013 Madison 48-Hour Film Project by Kelly Lajter and Contributing Filmmakers

**The Winners**

The Noize by Firmament Films:

Best Cinematography, Best Directing, Best Graphics, Best Ensemble Acting, Best Film, Audience Favorite Group B

D by Project Famous:

Best Editing, Best Sound Design, Best Use of Genre, Runner Up for Best Film

For Better Or For Worse by Public Image Media:

Best Use of Character, Best Use of Line, Best Writing, Audience Favorite Group A

Rebecca Parmentier for Balance by Madison Media Independent: Best Actress

Kleptos by Filament Games: Best Choreography

Better Off Bread by Nice Melons Films: Best Costumes

Take It From Me by Drywater Productions: Best Musical Score

The Cure by Ai Wisconsin Team 1: Best Special Effects

Sleptomania by Oven Mitt Productions and Nicked by Grey Army: Best Use of Prop [tie]

very year the 48-Hour Film P r o j e c t comes to Madison and challenges local filmmakers to create a film within 48 hours. The competition is one that has very specific rules, regulations and other various specifications that must be considered. On top of the technical specs, films must be within four to seven minutes, each film must include four elements within the film, and here’s the fun part- the genre for each team is not known until one hour before filmmaking can begin.

This means that teams can brainstorm ideas prior to the competition weekend, but the meat and potatoes that go into a screenplay cannot be imagined fully until all of the pieces of the 48-Hour Film Project puzzle can be put together. For all film-

makers, the challenge comes as a welcome guest for this one weekend. This year, 27 teams formed to compete in the project on July 19-21.

The elements necessary to be used in the films were: Prop- Pillow, Character nameSylvia or Sinclair Vandermint, Occupation- Kleptomaniac, and Line- “Forget everything I just said.” Again, all teams had to incorporate these pieces into their film or risk disqualification for awards if the elements were not included. Each city has its own winners, as well as an international winner being chosen from all contending cities.

Madison teams were invited to two screenings- Group A and Group B- at Sundance Cinema the week following the film deadline. Then, a couple weeks later, all teams were invited to the High Noon Saloon

for the award ceremony. No one had any idea who the winners would be until they saw their film screened a potential second time on the High Noon’s projection screen. This was an exciting way to showcase the “Best Of Madison” and after the screenings, the winners were announced.

The following pages will give you a glimpse of the films that were included in the “Best Of,” several of the actual award winners, and even some films that did not win anything, but still deserve an honorable mention in this feature. Being on one of the teams, I am happy to share these with you, and I am thankful to all those teams that shared their experiences with me too. So sit back, relax and enjoy the accounts of 48 of the coolest hours of a very hot weekend.

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

THE TEAMS TEAM NAME

FILM TITLE

Grocery Boy Entertainment

Drywater Productions Maxout Productions Nice Melons Films

GROUP A

GENRE

TEAM LEADER

The Pillow of Ultimate...

Fantasy

Derek Friederich

Better Off Bread

Thriller/Suspense

William Loper

Martial Arts

Chris Lang

Take It From Me

Dead Man's Hand

Drama

Mystery

North Grant Productions

Preeminent Woman

Superhero

Pelican

Birds of a Feather

Crime/Gangster

Public Image Media

For Better Or For Worse

Buddy Film

TBD Studios

Panic

Dark Comedy

Oven Mitt Productions

Project Famous Screening Mad

The Spinning Gyre

TEAM NAME

Sleptomania

Turtle Soup

Making a Mint

FILM TITLE

GROUP B

John Jesudason

Mike Stalsberg

Rick Jacobs

Horror

Ben Wydeven

Mistaken Identity

Tim Brubaker

Gregory Kuper

Clayton Keller

Comedy

Sarah Hesch

GENRE

TEAM LEADER

Ai Wisconsin Team 1

The Cure

Superhero

Filament Games

Kleptos

Comedy

Epic Film Crew

Stephen Pickering

The Girl In the Yellow Dress Drama

Rubin Whitmore

Alex Nelson

Dan White

Firmament Films

The Noize

Mistaken Identity

Chris Moehr

Geoff Lafayette Productions

Sleep Tight

Horror

Geoffrey Lafayette

Friends WithOUT Benefits Grey Army

HISENG COW

Infinity Squared

Madison Media Independent Secondhand Cinema Seven Dutchmen Studio 88 TrezyTV

Z Productions

The Way To A Man's Heart Nicked

Foul Play

Follow Your Heart Balance

Our Brother's Vacation KL3P-2 Hinged

Grandmother Bear Baggage

Romance

Thriller/Suspense Crime/Gangster Dark Comedy Fantasy

Vacation Sci Fi

Buddy Film

Film de Femme Romance

Garrick Hollenbeck Brian Liston

Frances Auld

Brian Kaufman Alex Kudrna

Joey Sabani

Jamison Stokdyk Sam Sorenson Trezy Peebles

Kristopher Zimmerman

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Firmament Films â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Noize â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6 Awards Written by Chris Moehr and T.C. DeWitt

Team Members: Candace Ostler Chad Halvorson Chris Moehr Jon Kline Kris Schulz T.C. DeWitt

Directed by: Kris Schulz & T.C. DeWitt

Screenplay by: Kris Schulz & T.C. DeWitt

Memorable Moment: Some memorable moPhotos courtesy of Firmament Films ments came when we put our editor, Chad Halvorson, in front of the camera to riff as a radio DJ opposite Candace Ostler. They really brought life to those characters. We also had the pleasure of working with Backflip Films, whose graphics and credits treatment really polished off our film.

Troublesome Moment: The most troubling issue occurred when our audio clean-up software changed our sound to the wrong bit rate, making everything run at 95% speed and throwing off the whole film. Fortunately, we were able to solve that problem with time to spare.

Also, while we were preparing to film the stunt with Oliver getting hit by the Prius, two police cars rolled up. Being a 48, most filming is done guerrilla-style, and one of the neighbors in the area we were filming must have gotten a little nervous watching a group of weird strangers with cameras prepare to hit a guy on a kid's bike. The cops were perfectly reasonable. Producer Chris Moehr explained the 48, and they left without another problem.

Total time filming: 20 hours

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Project Famous – D – 4 Awards Written by Ben Wydeven Team Members: Adam Williams Ben Wydeven Bryan Royston Elisabeth Schrimpf Eric Swierczek Erik Witt Evan Parquette Jacob Nelson Jeff Blankenship Joey Broyles Josh Schmoock Karen Wheelock Katrina King Kelly Lajter Lee Colt Nate Bjork Nathan Lowe Nick Holston Sarah Thompson

Directed by: Ben Wydeven

Screenplay by: Joey Broyles

Memorable Moment: When we picked the Horror genre, I knew were going to have a blast. Joey, our writer, secluded himself in a dark room in my basement and wrote most of the film himself. Around 11pm we gathered in my room to go over the script and make changes.

I felt like having a solo writer worked, especially in the case of the horror genre. Joey came up with a great story involving something I’ve never thought I’d do: a woman (in this case, our production manager, Kelly Lajter) in a thong and pasties covered in lots of blood.

One of my favorite memories of that weekend was coming home after shooting the final scene. It was somewhere around 3am on Sunday morning. As I was editing a rough cut of the scene we had just shot, approximately six people slept in my bed, a few of them watching me edit on a dual monitor.

But my absolute favorite moment was when we won Best Editing, Best Sound Design, Best Use of Genre (Horror) and Runner-Up for Best Film. I was sitting next to Joey when Sierra (Shea) said the name of our film (onstage at the High Noon for the awards ceremony). I grabbed Joey’s shoulder and dragged him with me to thestage. The rest is a blur.

Troublesome Moment: We lost an SD card. But even without that, we still got our film edited. There were also some wasp stings at one of our locations. Thankfully, no one was allergic.

Total time filming: 17 hours

Photos courtesy of Ben Wydeven

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Public Image Media – For Better Or For Worse – 4 Awards Written by Greg Kuper

Team Members: Aaron Veach Andrew Tuten Dale Mitchell Greg Kuper Jarrod Crooks Jesse Poole Karissa Simyab Katrina Simyab Kaylyn Statza Maurice Pulley Nate Haban Renada Pulley Wendy Simyab

Directed by: Greg Kuper and Jarrod Crooks

Screenplay by: Greg Kuper, Jarrod Crooks and Katrina Simyab

Memorable Moment: I thought it was funny when Jarrod and Katrina posted photos of themselves as bride and groom on Facebook and a lot of people thought they actually got married.

Troublesome Moment: We were very happy to work with Nate Haban and use his Red Epic Camera. For those of you who don’t know, a Red Epic is a Hollywood-grade camera. It shoots in 5k, which is very nice. Well, 5k footage equals enormous files, which take a lot of time to render and sometimes it lags quite a bit when editing. In addition, the files all had to be converted because our editing software is a little old and didn’t accept Red files. I wish everyone would just use the same file types. It would end a lot of headaches in post.

Total time filming: 9.5 Hours

Photos courtesy of Public Image Media

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Madison Media Independent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Balance â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1 Award Written by Alex Kudrna

Team Members: Alex Kudrna Champ Robinson Dan Phillips Eric Larsen Matt Blackwood Mike Pratski Nathan Clary Nathan Haberkorn Ray Ibsen Rebecca Parmentier Sam Gaudet Sarah Dopf Sean Little Trevor Triggs

Directed by: Alex Kudrna

Screenplay by: Sean Little

Memorable Moment: The best memory during filming is the "reaping" scenes, finding ways for our actress to kill people. All in all it was a great experience to work with an awesome team and see what it is like to put a whole film together in 48 hours. This is the first year that everyone on the team has participated in the event and we will be back next year.

Troublesome Moment: The only trouble we had is at 3pm Sunday afternoon. We found out we were two minutes over the seven-minute time limit and had to cut out those minutes to get us back on time. This was a tedious mistake that should have been watched more closely so we did cut it so close to the end.

Total time filming: 23 hours

***Reflecting on her win as Best Actress*** Written by Rebecca Parmentier

On the first night of the 48 Hour Film Project, I was driving back from Chicago in a thunderstorm, feeling increasingly apprehensive about making it back to Madison to act in Balance. I felt equally split between returning to the positive, nurturing workshop I was leaving in Chicago, and the emotional struggle of exploring such a dark character in a production with uncertain results. I called all my closest family and friends and was gently urged to continue driving and proceed outside of my comfort zone, through the pouring rain, late at night, not even

Photos courtesy of Madison Media Independent

that I had the capability to play the role. When I arrived on scene around 1:30am, I was in an angry mood. I apologetically warned the crew that I was grumpy. They all just smiled and encouraged me to go with it.

During the forty-eight hour period I slept twice, four to five hours each time. Given the intensity of the character and my driving experience the first night, playing the part of Sylvia was shockingly energizing. If Balance was made into a feature film I would like to explore this character more fully and see all the team members get to have their creative visions fleshed out more completely.

My favorite part of filming Balance was fully committing to the character. There is a great power in pretending, a power we all have to convince ourselves that something is true or real. It felt great to channel my emotional energy into the character of Sylvia.

The Spinning Gyre - Making a Mint Written by Sarah Hesch

Team Members: Alissa Kulinski Amy Thorstenson Brandon Grinslade Bri Mueller Carl Burgess Chris Snapp Kyle Austin Marcin Tasz Sarah Hesch Tim Towne

Directed by: Sarah Hesch & Amy Thorstenson

Screenplay by: Sarah Hesch & Amy Thorstenson Memorable Moment: My favorite memories

were filming in the Dream Bank in downtown Madison. We had the whole place to ourselves and the scenes we filmed there were some of my favorites (the "Christmas party" scene and smearing the lipstick on Alissa's face were particularly fun).

Troublesome Moment: At the end of our time at Dream Bank, we had to shoot an exterior shot of a building for the opening of the film. And of course, as we were walking over to the building it started to rain. Not pour, but just sprinkle enough to be seen on film and spot up the lens. We had to cram ourselves and the camera under the tiniest awning known to man and wait for a good fifteen minutes before the rain let up enough for us to get the shot. It was the most difficult thing we ended up shooting all day - a static, silent shot of the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exterior. Total time filming: 9-10 hours

Photos courtesy of The Spinning Gyre

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Nice Melons Films – Better Off Bread – 1 Award Written by Wil Loper

Team Members: Dustee Hardy Josh Heath Wil Loper

Directed by: Wil Loper and Dustee Hardy

Screenplay by: Wil Loper and Dustee Hardy

Memorable Moment: Our best memory was easily shoving Josh Heath’s face deep into a plate full of small curd cottage cheese. This was even more hilarious since Josh is lactose intolerant. Also, hearing gunshots from somewhere within the woods we were shooting added a

wonderful sense of excitement and suspense to our film-shoot.

Troublesome Moment: We shot in the deep woods and made sure to forget to bring any bug spray, so by the end of filming we each had about 892 and a half mosquito bites. It made giving a convincing performance really difficult when a mosquito was draining our blood at the same time. We also forgot the tripod head, so everything had to be handheld. Only having three people total can be very tricky, especially when two are actors and a third needs to play Larry (the giant white monster). Oftentimes one of us is running camera, and one or both actors are holding a light, bounce card, and/or shotgun microphone at once. Total time filming: 6 hours

Photos courtesy of Nice Melon Films

Infinity Squared - Follow Your Heart Written by Brian Kaufman

Team Members: Brian Kaufman David Pederson Elizabeth Wadium Hannah Barry Kimberly Kaufman Mary Betts Matt Korda Meghan Rose Simone LaPierre Trent Mendez Will Seale

Directed by: Brian Kaufman

Screenplay by: Brian Kaufman, Kimberly Kaufman, Mary Betts, Matt Korda and Will Seale, with songs by Meghan Rose

Photos by Elizabeth Wadium

Memorable Moment: Although the producers had heard it earlier in the day, we saved playing the completed song until a bit later in the night (I believe after we had wrapped two locations) so that it would serve as an energy boost to the crew and actors. It really worked. The song is amazingly catchy, and although the content is increasingly dark, the bubbly tone is so much fun!

Similarly, the first time I saw the excellent prop work creating the bloody heart... it was really convincing, even on set where you could walk up and touch it. Simone really came through with the blood effects! There had been talk of contacting a butcher friend for a real cow's heart and when I saw the prop, I thought they'd actually gone through with it!

Troublesome Moment: We started brainstorming ideas at about 8pm. We had some great ideas, but none quite worked. Either they didn't work with the time limitation on the film or they were perhaps a bit too dark, even for a dark comedy. So at 3:00am we were without a script, without even an idea for the script, and we had actors expecting to show up in the morning to shoot. Finally, Matt came up with a simple solution - we can tell a simple story, but we tell it like a bard's tale - in song.

Once we had that framework, the ideas came pretty quickly, and we were able to get down the outline of the story before getting to bed around 4:30am.

Total time filming: 14 Hours

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Photos by Elizabeth Wadium

Photo by William Randos

Oven Mitt Productions - Sleptomania Written by Chris Lang

Team Members: Chris Lang Corey Ferris Darla Courtney Max Wegmann Melissa Donlin Ricardo Rodríguez Ramírez Directed by: Chris Lang

Screenplay by: What really makes the 48 Hour Project fun is the collaboration. Everyone contributed something to the final project.

Memorable Moment: We always love pulling random people off of the street to get them involved in the shoot. Chris was able to hit several people with a pillow, including a pastor, bagpiper, bird handler and busker. That opportunity only comes along once in a lifetime.

Troublesome Moment: This was the smoothest 48 year for us. We had minor technical issues and Chris woke up later Saturday morning than he planned…leading to that infamous realization that we had a day left to work and not much to show for it yet.

Total time filming: 8-10 hours

Drywater Productions - Take It From Me Written by Stephen Pickering Team Members: Aaron Williams Cameron Pickering Frank Purrino Jacob Cullum Jason Johnson Jeremy Heesen Jesica Altmann Jim Lyke Joshua Vincent Phil Cooper Stephen Pickering

Directed by: Stephen Pickering

Screenplay by: Cameron Pickering, Frank Purrino, Jim Lyke and Stephen Pickering

Memorable Moment: An interesting fact is that we didn't actually start filming until nearly 5pm on Saturday due to actor's (and locations) availability... That really hurt us! Then by Sunday morning (about 5am) we were all so delusional that takes were taking three times as long and looking horrible... So we reshot a few shots on Sunday about 1pm.

Troublesome Moment: Well, we lost a card with some of out footage on it which really wasn't good. We also ran into a glitch during final export which required us to re-edit it in the car on the way to Madison which gave us only 5 minutes to spare when we handed it in. That cut it a little close. I also found out several days later that one of the outside scenes we shot was actually in the midst of some kind of poison ivy or something. Thankfully my actors stayed on the path while I walked off the path to get the shots. I ended up going to Urgent Care later in the week with swollen legs and nasty, discolored and blistered legs... Next time I'll make the actors walk off the path while I stay on it. Total time filming: 12 hours

Photos courtesy of Oven Mitt Productions

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

TAKE THE FIRST STEP

Marketing Yourself

by Olivia Claire

his article is dedicated to the reader who has a vision for themselves and their art. How you’re going to get there is not certain, but what is known is your passion, and where you want to see yourself as an artist. If you feel a burn in your chest when you think about performing, painting, singing, composing, designing, sculpting or anything that pulls the inner creative genius out of you and lays it out for all to see… This prose is dedicated to you. You have a vision and you have a gift. So, how do you set the gears in alignment to start the churning of your dream engine? And more importantly, is it going to be worth the energy, the sometimes nervous feelings, the possible failure and potential setbacks? It’s very likely that you have a picture of the “Mountain of Success” in your mind. Bleak,

wispy clouds linger up at the cold shadowy peak, far, far away. There you stand at the bottom, looking up. You steadily, slowly, thoughtfully begin the climb: bruising your knees, going without food and rest for days… alone. Only the higher powers know your struggles, and you keep them to yourself because there’s no one around who can even start to understand the journey you’re on. Stop the film roll please! Let’s add some sunshine, some friends, some good food and a ton of humor. Now that sounds like a party! Each person has their own personal mission and each has their own set of strengths that they bring to the entourage. And it works. No doubt, people will fall and injure themselves, have setbacks, and maybe even cause an avalanche or two, but at least you’ve got some company! What we’re talking about here is realizing that if you want to grow with the gifts you’ve got, it’s going to require involvement

with other people. I’m not saying you have to be a “people person” per se, or even an extrovert. But you have to at least be able to recognize that without other people, there would be nobody to appreciate your work, to promote you to the ever-growing network of successful artists in this world, or even to potentially invest in your art. For you audio learners out there, your homework assignment is to listen to the songs that title each of the below sections. I’ve included them with hope that they can bring you some inspiration, as sometimes words alone aren’t enough to move someone to action. Step 1: “Leave House”- Caribou

As a very first step for someone who’s seriously looking at making their art a big part of their future, I would highly encourage you to get out of your computer chair and go interact with some human beings in the

that fear is to consistently take baby steps in exposing yourself to the very thing that scares you. And if you have been dreaming of sharing your art with the world, first go and get around some other artists. It will make the whole process much more enjoyable and a lot less scary. flesh. Jazz vocalist legend Ella Fitzgerald once said, “It isn’t where you came from, it’s where you’re going that counts.” Check out some groups on meetup.com, go to some music shows, attend some art openings, support a fundraiser in your field of interest… but for goodness sake, leave your home! We all have this thing called a comfort zone. You may have also heard that right outside of your comfort zone are your dreams and aspirations. Many of us find the most comfort at home and it can be very easy to get sucked into the cycle of frustration; you have a great idea, you think about doing it, then you choose “Dancing with the Stars” over real dancing, with real music, sweating real sweat. In the big picture, if you really do expect to be a successful artist, it may eventually involve investment of your time and some money in things like booths at art fairs or showcasing your work at a community fundraiser. But how incredibly daunting is this, if you haven’t even stepped out to be around the people who are doing similar work as you? If you’ve ever taken a psychology class you’ve probably heard of the term “systematic desensitization.” The basic idea is that if you have a fear, one of the ways to get over

Step 2: “Lively Up Yourself”- Bob Marley

Whether we like it or not, every person who we encounter as we journey through life will make an initial judgment about us when we first meet them. After the first impression, we may potentially have the opportunity to change that perception… but what if we’re not given that opportunity? In marketing ourselves and our work, it’s very important to start developing what’s called your “public persona.” Your public persona shouldn’t be a different person than you. In fact quite the opposite; your public persona should be the essence of you. How do you want people to feel when they meet you? How do you want to be remembered? Do you give the impression of yourself that you want to give? Does your appearance match the image you want to portray? Developing our public persona is something that takes work, time, and a lot of love and positive attention to each of us. Your ability to impact people when you first meet them is strongly correlated with selfimage, and having a healthy selfimage is not automatic. Start working things into your daily life that make you feel good. Does spending time with your family or doing some sun salutations really improve your potential for success

in your field of work? I would venture a guess that choosing to go to your Grandma’s 90th birthday party may bring you better karma than opting for a night of binge-drinking. You get the idea.

Step 3: “Give It Away”- Red Hot Chili Peppers

I hope I don’t spoil anyone’s dream here, but when you’re first getting your feet wet in your field of interest, it’s very likely that a lot of the work you do may not immediately put coin in your pocket. Keep your day job, but start getting excited about doing the work of your art. You are planting seeds and seeds can sometimes take a long time to grow. But the more we do the work, the sharper our axe gets and the more valuable our abilities become. Offer your services when opportunity arises, be good for your word and get pumped about the sweat equity you’re building up. And finally, when you see or experience great art that moves you… spread the word. Don’t keep your appreciation to yourself. Follow the Golden Rule and market for others as you would want them to market for you. Quality work deserves to be acknowledged; the more we give, the more we receive.

In winding down, I want to remind the reader that there is no packaged deal for effective marketing in the art world. At the end of the day, it’s the energy and time devoted to customizing and crystallizing your art that is truly the most important factor of all. No tip or recommendation will ever outweigh the birth of a true masterpiece. So keep your pencils sharpened, your banjo strings tuned, your kilns fired up and ready; let’s get out there and make some good art happen!

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Sky Road Fly CD Release at the Inferno Photos by Captured Light and Motion Photography

KAY LAURENT

On Her Way to “Better Days”

by Karen Wheelock

Photography PETER F. CASTRO

itting across from me at a local coffee shop is a small-framed woman with a giant voice, Kay Laurent. I first came to know her when she performed on “Vaudevillains,” and I have been a fan ever since. Karen Wheelock: First of all, what is your background - how did you get started in music? Kay Laurent: I started out in church. I was in a choir – I started attending my church choir probably at the age of thirteen, and that’s where I got my musical background. I was an alto at the time. We traveled a lot. KW: Where did you travel to? KL: To Lakeland, Florida… Key West – we went outside of Miami area – never out of the state when I was living in Miami, though. KW: Is that where you’re from? KL: Yep, born and raised. And I’m of Haitian descent – both of my parents are Haitian. And I speak Creole. KW: So how did that affect the way you grew up? Were you around other people who had similar backgrounds and could also speak Creole? KL: Yeah, where I lived – I lived in North Miami – was pretty populated with a lot of Haitian people. I mean, you know, it’s a big melting pot, but I had a lot of Haitian friends who were born in Miami. It was a community of similar backgrounds. KW: Did your background influence your music at all? KL: I don’t think so… back then, I wasn’t aware of my 37

“Singing has always been a passion of mine and if I was to feed into the negativity, I would not have found the confidence I needed to embark on this journey of achieving my goals to becoming an accomplished singer and songwriter.”

going to college at the time. Things kind of went south for me there and I landed up here with my sister, who already lived here. KW: How long have you been in Madison? KL: About a year and a couple months now. KW: Have you recorded any songs? KL: I’ve recorded one song so far called “Better Days.” KW: What is your writing process?

vocal ability. I actually didn’t realize that I could sing until I was about eleven. For music, it was kind of more from watching old school MTV – that’s how I picked it up.

KL: I come up with a melody and I write to it. Most of my songs are tunes that I come up with off the top of my head, but right now I’m a little more focused on creating a vocal melody to instrumentals.

KW: Ok, cool. So you were in church choir, were you in other choirs at all?

KW: Are these instrumentals by you or someone else?

KL: I was in choir for one semester of my junior year in high school… but mainly, I wasn’t doing anything extracurricular at the time because I was involved in sports. KW: Did you do anything outside of school on your own in terms of singing? KL: No, I was shy… KW: So you kind of realized you could sing, you were in church choir, but then had a little hiatus? KL: Yeah. KW: Did you move up to Madison from Florida? KL: No, I moved to Champagne, IL from Florida. I was there for about two years. I was

KL: Someone else. I find a lot of stuff online. KW: Like a sample? KL: Yeah, I’ll find a sample online… I keep digging and digging until I find something I like. KW: So do you come up with an entire melody and then add lyrics to it? KL: I kind of do it as I go… a lot of times, I’ll come up with a chorus, and then let everything flow. So once I have the chorus down, I can kind of picture what the rest of the song should sound like. KW: What inspires you lyrically? KL: Probably personal experi-

ences, more so relationships, life… you know, certain adversities that I face within myself that I am every day trying to better myself with. KW: Do you find yourself more inspired when you are going through something that is difficult in your life? KL: After the fact, yes. It helps to write about it, or reference it in my writing. KW: I feel that way too. In fact, that’s why I’m having writer’s block right now - I’m happy! KL: (laughs) Yeah, it’s easier to write a sad song than a happy song! Laurent has the ability to

make a sad song catchy. Her song, “Better Days” makes you want to snap your fingers and sing along. Her powerhouse voice commands attention while it tells you that she is gaining confidence. KW: Tell me about “Better Days.” What’s the story behind that? KL: Well the true underlying story is that it’s about my battles with self-acceptance since the age of thirteen. Rejection played a major part of why I felt that way. You know, when people say or do things to make you feel low about yourself, you start to believe it. It ultimately affected my approach to the things I loved doing. Whether it was playing sports or singing in the church choir,

the confidence just wasn’t there. Sometimes you just get so sick and tired of something you’re either going to give up and let people tell you you’re not good enough or you’re going to channel that energy and turn it into something positive and make it work to your advantage – turning all the naysayers into believers. Singing has always been a passion of mine and if I was to feed into the negativity, I would not have found the confidence I needed to embark on this journey of achieving my goals to becoming an accomplished singer and songwriter. KW: Do you feel like you kind of have a weight lifted once you are able to put how you’re feeling into words in a song

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

like that? KL: Yeah, it’s like therapy to me! KW: Good! So, once you finish your songs that you’re currently working on, what do you plan on doing with them? KL: The songs I’m working on right now – I hope to make them into a demo. I have several songs that I’m picking over to decide what I want to present to my listeners to kind of know who I am. I have a demo track that I’m trying to get together to build a portfolio with as well. KW: Do you plan on releasing these online? How do you plan on promoting this? KL: Yep, and I plan on promoting through Facebook, Twitter, ITunes… sites like that. KW: When do you think you will record? KL: I am looking to record

around mid-September. I want to make sure I get my lyrics down and really know how I want it to sound first. I want to be really prepared. KW: Are you planning on performing live anywhere? KL: I hope to. With new songs coming out, I want to get comfortable onstage. KW: Do you want a band to play with you live? KL: Definitely, I’d love to have a band back me up! KW: What are your musical goals? KL: I would definitely like to perform live – I want to have many performances under my belt… I want to be comfortable not only with performing, but with “Kay Laurent.” Eventually, I do want to venture out of Madison… not sure when that would happen though. It’s not just getting up and going – I have a lot of obligations here. I

want more people to be aware of me and the music that I write. KW: I’ve been told that you have the uncanny ability to pick a melody out of thin air and never go out of tune, which is rare for an artist that sings a cappella! KL: (laughs) I guess you can say that it all depends on the mood… most of my melodies come from the shower. I hold onto it until right when I get out of the shower so I can record it. I feel like I can confidently freestyle on a note and figure stuff out while I’m in the shower. KW: How do you record your melodies? On your phone? KL: Yeah, I record on my phone. And then I use that recording to write over it a little bit. I listen to it over and over to see if I can let the juices flow and see what I can get out of that initial melody. That’s where

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

I have the breakdown of what the first verse will be like, and the bridge.

for a little bit, but I would love to venture outside of Madison for a bit. There are no limits.

KW: Cool. So, you were talking about a demo. Do you plan on releasing and EP or full length album after that? What are your plans?

KW: Who are your influences?

KL: I want to complete the demo first, and then start with an EP. I really want people to hear me out and know what I’m all about. I want to be out there, just trying to build it.

KL: Probably Mariah Carey. Growing up, I really loved her… I loved her voice and the music that she made. Groups like Real McCoy… “Another Night” is one of my all-time favorite songs. I liked Aaliyah, too… Beyonce – I admire her. Her hard work just shines through.

KW: When do you plan on finishing your demo?

KW: Who would you say you sound the most like?

KL: Late September, I’d like to get it done. But I’d rather get it done well than have it done specifically at that time.

KL: I haven’t quite figured that out yet! Some people have told me Jazmine Sullivan, a little bit of Amy Winehouse…

KW: Once you are performing, would you want to just perform around in Wisconsin or eventually do a national tour?

KW: Who influences and supports you the most in life?

KL: I think it would be easier to focus on the crowd here first 43

KL: My parents are my number one influence in life… they are big supporters in my life – they are my backbone. I’ve wit-

nessed them go through a lot, but they are still here… they’re alive and kickin’. I don’t know any other individuals that have worked harder than my mom and my dad. My mom doesn’t have an education but she and my dad were able to build a life, pay bills, etc.

As Laurent describes her parents, she starts tearing up. Her respect and love for them is obvious and it seems they fuel her passion in music and in life. Though Laurent says she is still finding herself, I could tell that she is growing as a musician and as an individual. She may seem quiet and reserved to the average person, but once that person listens to “Better Days,” they will soon realize that Laurent has the ability to move mountains with her voice. http://soundcloud.com/kaylauren

http://www.reverbnation.com/kayl auren

Get in touch with

Music Editor : Karen Wheelock karen.wheelock@projectfamous.com

MUSIC

Get Up and Dance With Son Contrabando! by Allan Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor Photography CARLA FRANCO

ith their unique style of Latin fusion, Son Contrabando will get you up and on your feet. The band blends a wide variety of Latin styles such as Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia and Bachata to form a unique urban sound that is rooted in tradition. They are an energetic group who are very passionate about creating music that will appeal to a diverse audience. After visiting with the band, I came away with the feeling that these guys are genuinely down-to-earth people who are excited to share their traditions and music with everyone. Son Contrabando was formed in the summer of 2012 by Carlos Guzman and some friends. The evolution of the band brought the current line-up together in early spring 2013. The band consists of Guzman on guitar/vocals, Francisco Martinez on drums/percussion/vocals, Juan Tomas Martinez on percussion/vocals, Andy Hansen on keys/trumpet/guiro/vocals, Richard Hildner on guitar/vocals and Nick Moran on bass/vocals. Son Contrabando consider themselves to be a Latin fusion band. “Latin fusion maintains a Latin base using different Latin styles but fuses more urban styles such reggae, ska, blues, and jazz,” explains Guz-

When asked why people should man. Together Son Contrabando go to see a show the consensus creates sounds and melodies from was to dance. “A Son Contratheir cultural experiences in Dobando concert is definitely someminican Republic, Peru and thing you want to experience,” Venezuela. Also incorporated in says Guzman. The energy and the music are elements of funk, the vibe of the band creates an atpop, rock, and punk. J.T. Marmosphere that is exciting and entinez confirms, “We like to think ergizing. This is music that will of ourselves as world music.” make you want to get out of your The rhythms are drawn seat and dance! The different from African beats while the harstyles of Latin music allow for monies are created from the mixanyone to find something that ing of their Latin heritage and the Daze they like and even if you don’t Western culture. Each member of know how to dance, you will the band is well-versed in one or quickly catch on to the beats and more styles of Latin music. rhythms. Getting an audience to “When we do a style we like to dance is very special for the give it full respect and authenticband. “It’s my favorite part of ity,” says F. Martinez. Added J.T. being in this band - when the Martinez, “We need to have recrowd is dancing!” exclaims spect for the style of music to be Hansen. able to play it.” They put a lot of effort Lyrically, the band tries to into writing and rehearsing. They be conscientious of and is pascall the group a collective where, sionate about political systems, according to F. Martinez, “Everyhuman rights and equality. In one is free to be creative; there is order to maintain their tradition no one songwriter. It creates a they made a conscious decision more fun and democratic vibe for to sing in Spanish. The name Son the music.” They meticulously Contrabando comes from several go over the parts to figure out ideas, one of which is the fact what will work for the song. It’s that some of their friends, family only after they play the song and and fans are considered “illegal.” gauge the audience’s reaction “There is no question that they know whether it works. these people are part of the new Hildner adds, “When we write generation in this country,” says something and play it for people Hildner. Hansen adds his and they connect to it, that’s a thoughts to the name when he great feeling.” mentions the idea that, “We like You won’t have to look to think that we are smuggling far when searching Madison for a these statements and blends of unique experience; this band will music to bring it to you. Come and join people the party with Son Contrabando. who may Once you start dancing with not know them, they assure that you will what want to come back for more! they are Find more information on these hearing, guys such as photos, videos, but when music and show dates by checkit is exing out their website and friend plained them on Facebook. to them www.soncontrabando.com and they unwww.facebook.com/son.contraderbando. stand.” PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

THE FREQUENCY 121 W. Main Street Madison, WI 53703 Tel: (608) 819-8777

SEPTEMBER SHOWS

9/16 MAJESTIC LIVE presents SCOTT H. BIRAM w/ Black Pistol Fire 8:30 PM, 18+, $10 ADV $12 DOS 9/17 GOOD LUCK VARISTY w/ Let It Happen, Parias Day, Not Made Men 9 PM, 18+, $5 9/18 MAJESTIC LIVE presents BLUETECH 9 PM, 18+, $10

9/19 SPARETIME BLUEGRASS BAND 6 PM, 18+, $5 or 3 cans food for local pantry 9/19 HOOD SMOKE w/ Sepanta, Step Rockets 9 PM, 18+, $8

9/20 MAJESTIC LIVE presents SHIGETO & BEACON “GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL TOUR” w/ Nitemoves 9 PM, 18+, $12

9/21 LAND OF VANDALS w/ Icarus Himself, CONTROL 9 PM, 18+, $5

9/22 MAJESTIC LIVE presents DAVID WAX MUSEUM w/ Bombadil 8 PM, 18+, $10 ADV $12 DOS

9/23 MAJESTIC LIVE presents WAXAHATCHEE w/ Screaming Females, Tenement, Tiny Daggers 9 PM, 18+, $12 9/24 MAJESTIC LIVE presents THEO KATZMAN w/ Catch Kid 7:30 PM, 18+, $8

9/25 MAJESTIC LIVE presents EWERT & THE TWO DRAGONS w/ Trapper Schoepp 9 PM, 18+, $10 9/26 MUSTARD PLUG w/ The 4 A.M., Supervillain Fire Drill, The Moguls 9 PM, 18+, $10

9/27 VGHT’S FALL CARNIVAL (OF SORTS) featuring Venice Gas House Trolley, Los Chechos, Ethereal Groove Inc, Bathtub Spring, Saaz 9 PM, 18+, $7 9/28 MAJESTIC LIVE presents HOUSES w/ Jamaican Queens 9 PM, 18+, $10 adv $12 dos

9/29 MAJESTIC LIVE presents DREW HOLCOMB & THE NEIGHBORS w/ David Ramirez 8 PM, 18+, $12 ADV $15 DOS 9/30 MAJESTIC LIVE presents MEAT PUPPETS w/ Enemy Planes 9 PM, 18+, $15 OCTOBER SHOWS

10/02 MAJESTIC LIVE presents GIRL IN A COMA / HUNTER VALENTINE w/ Krissy Krissy 8:30 PM, 18+, $13 adv $15 dos

10/05 THE FAITH HILLS HAVE EYES w/ Whisky Pig

10/10 MAJESTIC LIVE presents MOONDOGGIES w/ Rose Windows 9 PM, 18+, $12 ADV $14 DOS

10/11 MAJESTIC LIVE presents TEEN DAZE w/ Camp Counselors 9 PM, 18+, $10

10/12 LIVE SOUND CLASS 10 AM, All Ages w/ Parent, $

10/12 DEAL’S GONE BAD w/ The 4 A.M., The Bad Companions 10 PM, 18+, $10

10/16 COMMUNION MADISON featuring: Roadkill Ghost Choir, Willy Mason, 4 On The Floor, The Living Statues, Anna Vogelzang, Yacht Club DJ’s 8 PM, 18+, $12 adv $15 dos

10/17 SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU, BORIS YELTSIN w/ A Great Big Pile Of Leaves, Little Legend 9

Peach Pies Caburlesque Present Red Carpet Raunch Pictured L to R: Liz Baranowicz, Moxie Rhodes, Mizz Lillzz, Greta Thorn, Seth Nayes Photography by RIse Up Lights Photography

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

THE ARTS

Pictured L to R: Jenna Side, Paul Lorentz and Bryan Royston Photo by Jason Ocker

A Backstage Pass to The Waiting Room by Jacob Nelson

The cast of The Waiting Rom - Pictured L to R: Manny Jones, Recey Love, Bryan Royston, Paul Lorentz, Jacob Nelson, Jason Compton and Jenna Side Photo by Jason Ocker

Away from the apparent magic of the stage, be it theatre, dance or music, there is a place where the actors and stagehands gather. They patiently wait to play their part, having made many personal sacrifices just to be there so that the show can go on. This place is aptly referred to as The Waiting Room and is the title of a new play written by Michael Tooher.

I became a member the cast of The Waiting Room, through what I believe was chance, when I first met director Odari Kimani during a casting call for another production. Kimani approached me early on about attending a reading and eventually his own casting call for his directorial debut. Having just moved to

Madison, I was eager to try new creative ventures - to find out what it was like to be a part of the act. What I’ve discovered is a mixed bag, especially after participating in The Waiting Room.

The story of The Waiting Room focused specifically on the goings-on in the union stagehands waiting room, where a young new hire, played by Recey Love, had come into the midst of yet another heavy metal show. Through the course of the evening, the audience witnessed to the trouble of working a concert with thousands of attendees and the annoyance/joy of the steward and house electrician, played by Bryan Royston and Paul Lorentz, that comes with teaching a child who doesn’t comprehend the life he’s

getting himself into – the life of a stagehand.

Having rehearsed the show into the ground so as to make the illusion just right, I can only wonder what it felt like to be in the audience watching the show with fresh eyes. Working behindthe-scenes can make one jaded to the process of theatrics. Rock music played constantly, its volume rising whenever the production manager or the burnt out audio department head, played by Manny Jones (who also served as the actual stage manager for the play) and Jason Compton. Compton’s performance painted the dark world of a stagehand all too well. His routine ponderings, rounded out by the steward and house electrician’s made for an intense show.

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

The entryway into the theatre Photos by Odari Kimani

The three of them sharing stories of days past and all the while knowing how it would all end for them was mesmerizing.

As art often imitates life, the darker themes of The Waiting Room began to parallel my own

life. The commitment to the show and the time it takes from your personal life feels rewarded after a night’s performance. Until that point, you’ve cut yourself off from relationships, you work through the day in a daze from the lack of rest, and damn yourself for not being as grand as you should be for the stage! After the work put into and taking the story of The Waiting Room to heart, I have to

wonder if I’ll be able to see the stage as I once did.

as they walk by. Kimani, Jones and I worked past midnight every night- joking and sharing stories to Odd as it is, my fondest help pass the time. Those shared memory was dedicated to a project moments of labor made me feel I of Kimani’s making a large section was creating something of worth, of the Broom Street Theatre’s wall and I’d like to think we did just appear as a backstage filled with a that. Through it all, it must be noted the life of a stagehand is something that Tooher has actually lived. Everything The Waiting Room conveysthe long hours, lonesome living and passing of old and young stagehands - all for making a rock show happen - are entirely true. Seeing what one has to endure just to bring joy to another, let alone tasting just a small portion of what it means, changes a person. If ignorance to this is better, I do not know, but a respect has been gained beRecey Love cause of it, and I’m thankful to Photo by Jason Ocker have been a part of this producmaddening number of musical tion. (and not so musical) advertiseThe Waiting Room ran ments lit by black light. It took a from August 18th through Sepwhole week- right up to opening tember 7th at the Broom Street night- to collect, print, sort and Theatre. Tooher continues to write tape everything up for display. from his home in Maine. Kimani has uprooted from Madison and The work could be called moved to Chicago. The rest of the futile, because in the end it cast continues to dazzle Madison amounted to many tedious hours and surrounding communities just to have the audience appreciwith their work. ate the illusion for a few moments PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Meet the Artists of RAW: Madison’s En Masse by Christy Grace

Photography Bradlee Bertram | BMB Graphics On the night of Thursday, August 17th, at the High Noon Saloon, RAW: Natural Born Artists rocked Madison’s world, yet again with their August showcase, En Masse. Starting at 7pm, the line to get in extended out of the door and down the sidewalk, full of people ready to be surrounded with artistry of all kinds. From visual art and photography to fashion, comedy, music, and performing art, RAW created an art bubble for guests to enjoy. If you haven’t heard about RAW yet, they are “an independent arts organization, for artists, by artists.” RAW shows are such a unique experience for each guest and can sometimes be an artistic sensory overload. Having been involved in RAW shows as both a guest and an artist, I know that it can sometimes be difficult to have a conversation with the artists while there is a band or the DJ playing. This article is meant to give you a chance to get to know some of the visual artists of RAW: Madison’s En Masse a little better. After connecting with these amazing people and learning more of their history and their goals, I have been inspired. I hope you will be too! Jan Pilon Jan Pilon was born an artist. She recalls, “When I was little, I would paint pictures all night and leave them on the table for my mom; then she wouldn’t

wake me up for school! I went to High School in Sun Prairie and attended the Art Institute of Dallas, where I received a degree in Computer Animation.”

She took all that she learned and applied it to create a job that she could enjoy and that utilized her skills well. She and her brother, Marc Pilon, opened a business called Fancy Paint Jobs, in which she does faux finishes, murals and paintings on recycled glass. Looking at Pilon’s paintings, you can tell that she is especially inspired by nature. “Everything can be beautiful if you look at it with the right eyes.” Her process of painting is different from that of many artists because she does everything in reverse order. When painting on glass, she begins with the lines that will be in the foreground of her image. She says that it is always interesting to see the final result because with layering paint as she does, the look of the end

piece can be unexpected. Pilon’s paintings feature trees, butterflies, landscapes, eyes and many earthy patterns and textures. Some pieces look like granite or marble and show her faux-finishing skills emerging through the art. During the show, Pilon warmly chatted with guests about her process and let them browse through her selection of paintings. Pilon shares, “My RAW experience was fabulous; I have never had that much fun selling art! Everyone involved was great to work with and I am happy to have my name associated with such a wonderful, supportive arts organization.” Connect with Pilon on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fancypaintjobs Rebecca Lemke Rebecca Lemke is in love with painting. It gives her “a sense of peace and creative fluidity.” Her work is abstract and she likes to experiment with color and texture. Lemke explains, “It’s most fun if I can get messy with it and throw new ideas around. I never really have an exact outcome planned; I work with each painting until I feel like it’s complete. I like painting with several different layers; sometimes I mix watercolor and acrylics together. I’ve fallen in love with watercolors in the past year. I’m in a fun place with my art and I get a lot of joy out of making art. I foresee many new

paintings in my future and I bet they’ll all be different from one another, my projects tend to take off in all these different directions.”

The work Lemke brought to the show was full of texture and emotion. Some of her paintings were full of sweeping and smooth lines, while others were gritty with harsh brush strokes or cracking paint. She uses an earthy palette, sometimes highlighted with striking reds or deep blues. You can tell that each piece is an experience in itself, a moment or feeling captured on canvas. Lemke sat next to her art during the show and quietly observed guests looking at the work in which she was showing publicly for the first time. She recounts her experiences with RAW. “When I first checked out RAW: Madison I was immediately inspired and intrigued. I felt like this was an opportunity that I should jump on. I enjoy the gamut of work that’s featured. I personally enjoy that there is a variety of beautiful dark art featured at the show.” She continues, “The fashion shows and music accentuate the experience; it’s kind of a wild time with all the different things going on at the show. RAW is supportive; it’s been a great opportunity for me to work with this group. I heard a lot of com-

pliments about the show and that the energy of the show was uplifting and creative; it’s awesome to have been a part of it. I enjoyed seeing my friends and family being inspired at the show. RAW is very supportive of people who are branching out with their art. Connecting to new people who were inspired by my work really touched me. It was a great night.” You can find Rebecca’s work here: www.rebeccalemke.weebly.com

Soyoung L. Kim Soyoung Kim is a story collector. In her words, “I have been collecting stories ever since I can remember. With the stories I collect, I transform them into new stories, either through my art or through my writing.” Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Kim has plenty of stories to call upon when creating her art. She currently lives in Madison with her husband and three children and spends her free time either writing or making art.

Kim’s art is full of life and layers. She works with a lot of little pieces to create a big picture, either in collage, paper mache or mixed media paintings primarily using watercolor. Some of her work is dreamlike; one piece calls on the imagery of people walking on a path to the

moon with eyeball stars blinking in a vibrant cobalt sky. Another piece shows a grove of trees that have arms and hands in place of their leaves. One of the highlights of her work represented at the RAW show was an installation called “100 Cups of Tea.”

Kim explains, “The installation came about through a desire to recycle my stacks of manuscripts. The tea cups and saucers are made from paper and a simple paste made from flour and water. I wanted to make something beautiful out of something that would be thrown out hopefully this inspires others to take what could be seen as trash and transform it into something else.” After the big night, Kim had grateful thoughts on the whole experience. “For me, showing my work at RAW was another great part of my goal to inhabit public spaces with my art. When I set out to show my installation, I looked specifically at storefronts and spaces that are not normally set aside for art. So the RAW night was another great event for that and I appreciated this. And of course I appreciated meeting other artists.” Check out more of Kim’s work and her blog here: http://madebyslk.squarespace.co m/

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

Lance Berka Lance Berka has been dreaming of being a full-time artist since he was little and he is most certainly on track. He grew up in the “ever-growing tourism community of Wisconsin Dells, and with early influences of selfexpression,” Berka soon became a “traditional artist.” Following the path to make his passion a career, he moved to Madison to get his Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design from Madison Area Technical College. His talent and education landed him a job as designer in the marketing department of one of the area’s premier resorts. Over the last few years, Berka has reconnected with his traditional art background. He uses mainly screen-printing and acrylic paint, commonly creating images of highly detailed birds with abstract drips, swirls and paint streaks.

Berka finds his art to be a place of rest: “It’s very meditative for me. I love to sit down and work and shut my brain off except for the only part that I need to paint and be creative. It makes me very grounded and is a great stress relief.” I asked him about the recurring theme of birds in his paintings and he gladly shared, “I am by no means a bird watcher but do learn some cool facts about them when I paint and do 55

some minor research on a particular bird I am painting. For years I remember being outside on break at work and thinking about how free they were and how they had no worries or bills to worry about. They were free to roam the sky and land at their leisure. The birds really first started as a subject matter to paint just for the sake of painting and it later kinda dawned on me the way I viewed them.” This was Berka’s second time showcasing with RAW and he has attended half a dozen shows as well. Berka indicates, “My experience with RAW: Madison has been great. I love that it gives you a chance to get so many eyeballs on your work. I also like the fact that you meet new like-minded people, which doesn’t always happen for me since I live in a small town. Also people who come to RAW to see a band or fashion show will happen across your work and it might be a happy surprise for them.” See more of Berka’s work plus some pretty cool time-lapse videos of him painting here: www.lanceberka.com

Garrett Brunker Garrett Brunker has been an artist since he was five years old. He has always loved cartoons and comics, so at a young age he declared that he would be a “drawer of cartoons” when he grew up. Since then, he has not looked back. Recently, Brunker graduated from the University of Eau Claire and is ready to continue his quest to become an illustrator and fine artist. Brunker is most inspired by the interactions he has with people in his life so it only makes sense that most of his work is figure heavy. Brunker creates characters with strong facial features and deep shadows that accentuate the unusual shapes he creates.

Using mostly black lines with pops of strong color, he fills areas of his art with detailed patterns, lines and swirls. The result of these techniques is that the viewers are drawn to each work, wanting to look closer and see further into the meaning behind them.

This is the second time that Brunker has shown with RAW. He discusses his new ventures by stating, “My RAW experience was different than the first time I presented my work for RAW. It’s been a learning exercise both times. Each time I have learned something new. Whether it’s how to hang, light, or price my work, this is knowledge that I’ve gained and I will bring it back to the next show. One of the main points I try to get a across with my art is exploration and growth with the material that I use. Most of the images that I am creating at the moment are with a brush and ink. When I have the brush in my hand I try and make different and interesting marks every time. This is what keeps me interested and coming back for more.” You can see more of Brunker’s work here: www.flickr.com/photos/4690240 0@N02 Aaron Brunker Aaron Brunker is an inspired artist. Pulling from life,

music, movies and other forms of art, he notes, “My work is strongly influenced by my life experiences. I work in many different mediums. I find that working in different mediums helps keep my mind open and free to find new techniques to help out my artistic process.” After graduating from the University of Eau Claire with a degree in illustration, Brunker returned to Madison to follow his desire to make art and be part of the Madison art world.

Brunker’s work is full of figures and faces that test conventional proportion. Each character produced by his imagination has extremes of some kind: a long nose, a circle of sharp teeth, a single bulging eye, or a long, textured tongue. Brunker uses hatching in a lot of his illustrations to communicate both texture and shadow. The dark, fast strokes and light, curving lines allow each piece to tell a different story. For RAW shows, Brunker usually plays an integral part of the night as a production assistant, but this time he was able to display his own work. Other than the joy of his creations being viewed, he says his favorite thing “would have to be seeing great art. Whether it’s a gallery, concert, or theater, I love seeing artists do what they love.” View many of Brunker’s

creations here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/698 51965@N07/ and connect with him here: www.facebook.com/AaronBrunkerIllustration. Arden Eckhart Arden Eckhart is a talented sketch artist with a lot of ambition and great ideas. He is also a “paid storyboard artist, having done work for musicians such as Sun Voyage, Karen Wheelock, and Joey Broyles.” Life experiences have fueled the stories he creates, making each character in his drawings have a personality and back-story. Primarily working with colored pencil and sometimes digital media, Eckhart plays with shadow and texture inside simplified, cartoon-esque shapes. Eckhart’s drawings tell stories from his past and current life, and also from his extremely active imagination, mixing playfulness with a dose of dark humor.

This RAW show was the first time Eckhart has shared his work publicly since he showed it at the county fair when he was younger. Needless to say, he was excited about the night. He set his drawings up in a three-fold display and also had a binder full of his work. With the noise and craziness of the show, sometimes it can be difficult to fully explain

your work, so Eckhart admits, “I wish more people had taken more of an interest in my work and wanted to stop and talk about it, whereas most gave it a glance and walked by.” The night was a learning experience for him. He looks to the future, acknowledging that he is open to learning and growing. “It’s clear that I need my own website and a business card to go with it. Most of all I want to clarify to people, that I will draw them anything they want if they tell me. I want to provide a service with my drawing ability.” Eckhart is also grateful for the attention his work did receive, saying, “It makes all the difference that I left that night knowing I made a few people interested and saw them smiling.” You can sometimes find Eckhart’s work gracing the pages of Project Famous Magazine, as a contributing artist. Keep an eye out for his future creativity; this guy dreams big!

With RAW spreading from California to cities across the country and over the world, an environment is created for all kinds of artists to showcase their work together. This inspires collaboration and pushes each artist to a new level. RAW online highlights, “We welcome all genres of art including independent film, fashion, music, visual art, performing art, hairstylists, makeup artists and more. We encourage the creative success of the many visionaries and storytellers of our generation.” Doesn’t that make you want to be a part of the RAW movement? Check out http://www.rawartists.org/ to find more information and to sign up as a RAW artist for RAW’s Encompass on October 17th!

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

ILLUSTRATIONSPHOTOGRAPHYGRAPHICS I P G M O N T H LY S U B M I S S I O N S F R O M L O C A L A R T I S T S

Photography by PAUL CHRISTIANSON

PROJECTFAMOUS.COM | SEPTEMBER 2013

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