Skinnie Magazine Issue 126 - December 2012

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THErundown

Issue126 December2012

FEATURES p.008

AND THE BASS GOES BOOM Steve Akoi Makes A Long Overdue Debut

p.010

ALWAYS ON THE GRIND Paul ‘P-Rod’ Rodruguez Gears Up For Street League

p.013

SMASHING PUMPKINS Same Sound With Some New Faces

p.016

JOHN GOLDSMITH Finds Out Just How Interesting He Really Is

p.018

LIFE IMITATES ART MURS Has Been There And Done That

p.020

SKINNIE GIRLS OF 2012

p.024

BULLETS IN THE CHAMBER Mickey Avalon Is Back And Fully Loaded

p.026

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR Bloc Party Emerges Even Better

p.030

FULLY LOADED AND READY TO FIRE Machine Gun Kelly Takes On The World

p.010

p.033

MASTERS OF CEREMONIES LA Duo Sex Panther Rock The Party, Any-Time

p.037

SKINNIESCENE

p.020

p.018

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Staffletter December 2012 J ISSUE NUmber 126 www.skinniemagazine.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PUBLISHERS Jimmy Clinton and George Giordano ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EDITORIAL Editor-In-Chief Jimmy Clinton Jasen T. Davis, Alex Mendoza, Eric Bonholtzer, Katie Evans, Kristie Bertucci, Patrick Douglas, Lacy Ottenson, Elysia McMahan, MM Zonoozy Contributing Writers

For editorial submissions, email editorial@skinniemagazine.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ART & DESIGN Art department

Morgan Desmond

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PHOTOGRAPHY Michael Vincent, Alan Rivera, Sean Myers, Joanna Miriam, Wil Marques, Damian Tsutsumida, Genevieve Davis, Karen Curley, Harmony Gerber, Edison Graff, Timothy Sheppard, Erik Faiivae, Christian Sosa, Cody Black Tammy Rapp, Todd Scheuerell

Contributing Photographers

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Sales & Marketing Advertising

Marketing Director Jason Zahler Matt Lee, Jose Lanza and Julius Lopez

For all sales inquiries email sales@skinniemagazine.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Administrative House Of Designs Morgan Desmond Angela Jugon Raquel Lopez, Cynthia De Los Santos and Ryan Mercer Webmaster

online editor

Contributing Staff

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FASHION Fashion Director

Michelle Ngo Linh Duong

Fashion Coordinators

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SUBSCRIBERS If the post office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within two years.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER The content in this magazine is for entertainment and intended for mature audiences only. Advertisers are responsible for their ads placed in the magazine. Skinnie Magazine is not responsible for any actions taken by their readers. We may occasionally use images placed in public domain. Sometimes, it is not possible to identify and/or contact the copyright holder, if you claim ownership of something we’ve published, we will gladly make a proper acknowledgement. Skinnie Magazine does not share opinions and/ or views stated by the writers and or photographers. Some of the content published may be of a mature nature; we do not, in any way, condone underage drinking or any other illegal activity. All submissions become property of Skinnie Magazine, be it text, photos, art, etc.

Skinnie Entertainment Magazine All Rights Reserved. 2012

Happy holidays

we’ll see you in the new year! www.skinniemagazine.com skinniemagazine.com

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FEB2012

pulverizing POP culture from the

pickle patch For Steve Aoki, This Never Gets Old By Alex Mendoza

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In these digitally charged days of media consumption, Pop Culture omnivores follow the lead of two figures: the Taste Makers and the Aggregators. Not to be confused with rejected names of your next-door neighbor’s musically challenged garage band, the two factions work in tandem; creating an ever-evolving cycle that features in-depth exposés and previews on what is normally touted as “the next big thing”.

Compared to the humble beginnings of journalism, those with a craving to spread the latest morsel of news – no matter how inane and bland – have the power of the Internet community at their fingertips instead of having to be there first hand, as substantial metropolitan cultures serve as the primary hubs for these denizens of the digital entertainment world.

And amongst the ocean of Taste Makers and Aggregators, Steve Aoki effortlessly navigates both shores to deliver what people truly are attuned to years before they are even aware it actually exists.

“Music is all about connection, and there’s no real better way to connect with people than sharing the music they’re not familiar with, and that’s one thing that’s important to me in the music I listen to - a sense of raw energy that no one else is really picking up on,” Aoki states.

own in other areas outside of the electronic music realm, with some of his earliest bookings including bands such as “!!!”, At the Drive-In, Jimmy Eat World and The Rapture at his Pickle Patch abode, and somehow finding time to meet Rivers Cuomo at a secret show on campus in the process.

These days it is difficult to find something within the electronic music realm that Aoki has not influenced in some way, shape or form. His Dim Mak label (named after his childhood icon, Bruce Lee) has broke bands such as The Bloody Beetroots and Klaxons – just to name a few – but also turned the darker and edgier underpinnings of the electronic music realm as a marketable force to be reckoned with.

Current genre megastars such as Boys Noize, Justice, Ke$ha, Kid Cudi, Lady Gaga, Skrillex also found themselves graced with Aoki’s Midas Touch, as they had their debut US performances at Dim Mak studios - located deep within the heart of Hollywood.

Surprisingly enough, even after all of these years of running a multitude of artists through his own creative filters, or performing at massive festivals such as Ultra and IDentity, Aoki has never released a studio album comprised solely of his own material. But that has changed with his debut studio album outing, “Wonderland”, a whirlwind collection of Aoki’s diabolical electronic charm embedded within the diverse assortment of artists and styles that Aoki has embraced over his successful musical career.

“I am the type of person who thrives on that type of energy, so when I recognize it in a band before anyone does, I want to make sure I share it with as many people as possible. I’ve been that way for as long as I can remember, and seeing them get as amped and excited about the same song is something that never gets old.”

“Every vocalist and producer on the album are all friends of mine, or people I’ve known for quite sometime,” Aoki reflects.

With years of Aoki’s childhood and adolescent experiences fueled by his passion for music, Aoki utilized his knowledge about society and how it functions to his advantage, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and another in Women’s Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“This whole album is very personal to me, because it’s been entirely built on my relationships with them. Some of these people I wasn’t always good friends with, like Rivers Cuomo, but I knew them in some capacity and as we worked together we became better friends over time. And some of these tracks are out of the box for the vocalists, but because these were such personal relationships I was able to get them to do these things that were definitely out of their comfort zone.”

But aside from studying the words of Max Weber, or the deluge of feminist essays detailing the outcry of the mistreated women of the nation, the budding electronic wunderkind was producing his own records and turned his campus apartment into a hit concert venue dubbed as The Pickle Patch.

“I’ve always felt extremely fortunate with the friendships I’ve made and the people I’ve met, and that comes from the earliest years when this whole thing music thing started.

One of the primary reasons I was able to make my music available to a wider audience was due to the friendships I forged across the years. I couldn’t have done this without them, or the people who have always stood by me and supported my music.”

Yet his earliest performances did not involve a tantalizing arrangement of beats, bleeps and blips. Rather, his association as the vocalist with the hardcore punk band This Machine Kills - and later on as one half of Rifoki (the five-song punk song collaboration between The Bloody Beetroots’ Bob Rifo and Steve Aoki) - provided Aoki with exposure to various genres that would shape his trademark ability to dabble with unfamiliar styles.

But the key to Aoki’s appeal lies in his general musical authenticity and sincerity as an individual, as one of the general pitfalls of producing electronically charged tracks is losing a sense of connection amidst the turbulent sea of synthesized timbres and throbbing percussive rhythms.

It’s clear with current mainstream hits established by the familiar cast of pop and electronic producers that this evolving style of electronic music is the ideal sonic palette for this generation - a vast amalgamation of Pop Culture icons, rising indie stars and diverse electronic productions that have delivered EDM to the front of the music mainstream.

Shock and awe moments are delivered in spades, as Aoki features past classics such as “No Beef” and “Turbulence”. But it’s his collaboration with punk legends Die Kruezen and The Exploited in the track, “The Kids Have Their Say” that will definitely turn heads.

The song is an unexpected marriage of electronica, distorted guitar riffs and relentless punk vocals that bring vocal cord abuse into question. It is the ideal representation of Aoki’s rebellious musical spirit, as well as a keen reminder that Newport Beach native is only getting started with his stealth takeover over the electronic scene.

But that’s not all Aoki has in his arsenal, as recent stints within the rap world have provided him with infectious singles, such as his remix of Drake’s “Forever”, that turned the mainstream hip-hop world in his direction.

As such, “Wonderland” features a biblically proportioned collaboration with Kid Cudi and Travis Barker titled “Cudi the Kid”. It employs sparse, melodic soundscapes, fuzzy synth textures and Barker’s merciless drum fills guiding the song towards Dubsteptinged phrases of wobble bass glory.

“Getting Travis Barker and Kid Cudi on one track, even though their both really good friends of mine, and having those two iconic personalities on one song is pretty epic to me. But everyone I worked with is amazing, cause you have people like will.iam, who is a pop genius, and then Rivers Cuomo, who was my fucking hero ever since I was a little kid. It makes this whole experience that much more enriching, because this album is ultimately a summary of who I am as a person and as a musician.”

“One thing that’s benefitted me in making my music is the fact that I live in a place like Los Angeles,” Aoki explains.

Ideally, “Wonderland” is an autobiographical account of the scene that Aoki has helped construct over the past 20 years. Other collaborations with Rivers Cuomo harken back to his roots within the confines of UC Santa Barbara, serving as the aggregator of a scene that was playing to a particular audience.

“Everybody comes here and everybody loves it here. And if they don’t live here, they wish they did, because it’s the type of place that attracts all these producers, stars and so forth. It’s given me the chance to throw all these parties with these guys to get to know them a little better, and of course this place is my home. It has been that way since I was a kid, so obviously that aspect of myself interplays with the way I create and share my music.”

But other musical unions with LMFAO & Nervo, as well Angger Dimas or will.I.am, insist that Aoki recognizes the wave of the Pop Culture future before it even comes to fruition, making him more than a Taste Maker, but a global auteur of all things worth listening to in the sprawling realms of dance, hip-hop, electronica, house, pop, punk and rap - with “Wonderland” serving as the road map towards a musical horizon that thrives upon unpredictable shifts in style and substance.

Where Aoki succeeds further is his ability to sense echoes of these alluring musical vibes in up-and-coming acts; acts that thrive on a musical honesty that is similar to his

Thankfully, Aoki is more than happy to guide us along the way.

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MAY/JUNE2012

Always on the

grind

Paul Rodriguez Comes To Win By Elysia McMahan

4

Paul Rodriguez has always been a street skater. He’s never really left that.

Since acquiring his first $200 paycheck as a kid, P-Rod has been competitively pursuing his dream. It was not the need to take risks or the opportunity to impress girls that initially drew him into skateboarding; it was pure love for the game and an obsession with being the greatest he could possibly be. With the 2012 Street League Championships approaching, a new line of signature clothing emerging with Nike and a daughter that has added more fire to his life, P-Rod is letting it get out of hand, but not in a way that he is opposed to.There’s no such thing as an offseason for him in the pursuit of trying to be the best skateboarder he could possibly be. He is far from being a jack of all trades; he is a master of one.

P-Rod was raised by his mother in a nice little house in the suburbs of Northridge, California, where she let him explore any options he was interested in. If he wanted to do karate, she put him in a karate class. If he wanted to play baseball she put him in little league. She was really good about keeping him normal, planting morals in him when he was very young, and letting him discover his interests and hobbies.

“No matter what I did, even if it was karate, I believed I was going to be the next Bruce Lee and make karate movies, that’s it. If I played baseball I wanted to be Nolan Ryan, the best pitcher, the best baseball player in the world. I dedicated myself to anything I ever tried and for a year or two I did everything really intensely until I got completely obsessed with something else. But skateboarding was the one thing that just felt so interesting. My attention never strayed from it. Before that moment, I was just a kid running around with my friends in the neighborhood,” says Rodriguez.

Even before he learned any tricks, he knew he was going to be a professional skater.

It appears that he is making it a point to never stop until he is living his true reverie.

Let’s face it, he’s been dreaming about where he is currently at since he was 11 years old. But with so much more ambition and desire to go further and do much more in life, he’ll be staying on the rise. “I still feel like I haven’t made it. I still feel like I’m not successful, like I’m still striving for those dreams.”

The upcoming Street League DC Pro Tour fueled by Monster Energy will provide P-Rod with the proper platform to showcase his competitive drive against the absolute best skateboarders in the world. Street League is part of serial entrepreneur, Rob Dyrdek’s, ever-growing empire. It is a national tour of the world’s top street skateboarders. Dyrdek has created a place for these guys to shine in a straightforward, clear format that plays out much like a conventional sports game.

This year highlights a new scoring potential amidst expanded custom street plazas and the occasion to see new competitors on the roster. With more prize money within grasp and added terrain underfoot, Skaters will compete for more than $1.6 million across four events. The final moments of this competition can often times be magical. “I’m not tryin’ to sound cocky but I believe I have the abilities to be an opponent of all these guys. I’ve earned my spot to compete with the best of them.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going there to try to win,” says P-Rod. He trusts that it’s going to be great because it’s a competition ran by skateboarders.

In this contest environment, with all the adrenaline and energy emitted from the crowd and his fellow friends, you can expect him to implement some innovative techniques on the course. “I’m excited! Sometimes you do something you’ve never done before just off the sheer strength and momentum of the excitement in the air. You just go for something big,” explains P-Rod. The course will allow him to undertake new tricks and incorporate inventive moves. The variety of the Street League course allows a lot of room for adjustments on the fly. It’s not like basketball or baseball where you already know what the setup is going to look like. A week or two before the contest takes place, competitors are emailed a rendering of the course so that they can have an idea of what they’re going into but it isn’t accurate enough to tell how big or small an obstacle is off of a drawing. “I always keep certain tricks in mind before arriving but allow myself a loose plan in order to make alterations when certain dimensions are not how I imagined them. You may come

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up to an obstacle that works perfect for you or you may approach a course that you feel intimidated by but that’s what keeps it exciting!”

Fortunately, P-Rod doesn’t have to choose to compete in Street League over the X-Games. Aside from the fact that Street League is finished with ESPN and Street League will now be sanctioning the X-Games, P-Rod is a huge supporter of Street League because of Rob Dyrdek. In addition to the two of them being friends for over ten years, Dyrdek has a vision that P-Rod believes in. “I trust that he truly has skate boarding’s best interests in mind. I believe in Rob and will always support what he’s doing. He is a visionary, turning his dreams into a reality. I have respect for him as a skater and respect for his mind. It’s an immense blessing that I’ve been able to be around this guy since I was 15 years old. I mean, I grew up watching Rob skateboard and learning from him. Everything he always talked about – he is now living.” It truly can be inspiring and motivating to see someone you know pave the way and create their dreams right before your eyes. So, why don’t these guys that seem to have already achieved their ultimate dreams just kick back and relax? As P-Rod puts it, “For whatever reason, I have a lot of dreams and goals. It never ends.

You can go up and up the ladder and find that prime area but no matter what, no matter how much you accomplish, chasing your dreams is fun. It’s the process.”

Professional athletes don’t always have the luxury of being sponsored by one of the world’s top benefactors. As for P-Rod, he has the amazing opportunity of being one of Nike’s few Signature Athletes. He is currently going on his sixth signature shoe, as well as establishing an entire line of clothing. Although Paul has never really thought of himself as a fashionista, now that this prospect has fallen into his lap, he’s working on evolving it into something really incredible. “I’m very pleased and blessed to be a Nike Signature Athlete. I hope people will enjoy wearing the clothing I am designing.

I get to design jeans, pants and shirts just the way I want them. My line of clothing can be found anywhere Nike SB is sold.”

Nike wasn’t even in the skate realm when P-Rod began skating. So, when they started building a team and asked for him – it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that couldn’t be missed. “It’s really amazing that they recognized me and I was on their radar. It’s such an honor and I still slap myself all the time. No one tells you that you have to get up to skate at 9am,” says P-Rod. “It was insane. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t grown up owning a pair of Nike’s. Somehow, some way everyone has had them. For something that has been such a big part of your life and they are finally calling you is so surreal. It didn’t even sink in until a while after.” We can only imagine that while this was all happening how much of a daze anyone would be in, especially when their first pair of shoes were baby Jordan’s! “To actually see a sample of my own shoe, that’s when it finally hit me. When I saw my name on a show with a swoosh I almost cried. I remember feeling lumps in my throat and tears of joy. It was such a beautiful feeling. It’s really something. I’m truly blessed.”

For many prospective skaters, just being able to ride for nice little skateboard shoe company or skateboard brand would be like conquering the world. No one ever expects to get a phone call from some folks over at Nike offering them a deal. “I can’t believe it’s been this long since I’ve been with them! 8 years and counting! They treat me so well as a rider.They’re mentality as a company has always been to strive for perfection, just as I am.We are continually progressing and improving.They have also inspired me to align with that mentality,” mentions P-Rod. Collaborating with them definitely wasn’t something he saw happening early on in his skate life. It was beyond his foresight or anything that he believed would be made possible through skateboarding.

Back in his early days of touring with Nike, from 04-07, you know, before the recession hit, there were unlimited budgets. Imagine that! “We had room service, parties in our rooms, drinks, anything! It was u-n-l-i-m-i-t-e-d!” says P-Rod laughing.

“No one said a word. Not a care in the world. We were busy being young and taking advantage of, as Kanye West would say, ‘The Good Life.’ There’s not even one specific moment I can describe to you. From Brazil to Australia to China we were pampered! Budgets are typically really tight and we’d be staying at the Holiday Inn with only a bit of per diem. So, when we got to live like a true star, a real athlete, that was a taste of something exclusive.”

Every moment is very special when you’re young, healthy and in your physical prime. And that is something to not take for granted. “Looking back over all the years I have been riding, what stands out the most were the early years before I was even a sponsored boarder. It was just me running around with my friends. It was pure passion. We were not tainted by anything. I would watch skate videos all day, every day. I didn’t even watch any other television programs during that period of time; everything was skate related. Thinking back on those days when we’d be in front of the house waxing the curb are the most nostalgic. I had no idea where my passion would take me. Of course, I fell asleep at night dreaming about it but if I would have known then that I’d be sitting here years later with a signature shoe, being interviewed by magazines, I honestly would have shat myself.” To be able to reflect and see now where his passion has taken him is very remarkable. Those times are sincerely special, particularly because they were so pure and he had no idea what kind of journey he was about to embark upon. What hasn’t this guy gotten into? P-Rod is currently transitioning into creating a great acting career for himself. Right now, he’s just getting his feet wet and can’t give away too many details, but he is doing a small role in an independent film slated to be released in the near future. “I hope to be a proper actor one of these days. Not just some dude who plays a skateboarder. I want to be successful at something else I enjoy, even if my heart is in skateboarding. I’m taking some acting classes and starting at the ground level to learn about the craft. Right now, it’s just for fun.”

Paul Rodriguez even has his own private skate warehouse in Canoga Park, California. This project was a collaboration between Nike SB, Target and CA Skateparks. Sized at about 9,000 sq. ft. the park features a hybrid of Skatelite wood material and concrete with a mini ramp, small bowl/hip, hubba legdges and a raised stage area. With daytime equivalent lighting arrangements for filming, his facility is certain to produce some stunning video footage of the world’s finest shredding. It’s no surprise that this warehouse came out of the frustration of wanting to skate every day and get the maximum amount of hours in on a board. This is also where he has the chance to test his sample shoes in order to make sure his designs don’t get out too early. “Now we don’t have to worry about getting kicked out. We never used to have the luxury of practicing in peace to get down a trick. In the past, we may have had to drive around LA all day to find a premium spot,” explains P-Rod. With pictures on the walls framing his close friends, old couches that came from his mom’s house growing up and skaters like Jeremy Rogers and Terry Kennedy tearing it up on a daily basis, this is definitely the place to come and constantly train. “There’s usually a ton of pressure with the title of a professional boarder.

No matter where we go, kids are expecting crazy tricks. If I ever go to a public skate park, kids expect us to just entertain them.”

If you’ve ever found yourself on that path of working towards achieving your ultimate goal and need some advice, P-Rod is unquestionably someone worth taking advice from. “If you have a dream and you stick to it and work hard enough and believe in yourself, you can absolutely reach it. Do not ever let anyone twist their idea of what your life should be like upon you. When you have that burning passion within, it makes no difference what other people say.

All you have to do is believe in you. That’s all that matters. Don’t let anyone push their agenda on your one and only chance at this life. If you do, you’re going to grow up and realize you can’t get those years back.”

Skateboarding will always have that rebellious street mentality attached to it and the professionals in this industry must always do their best to prove the naysayers wrong. Even if the cynics may chink their armor, in this game, you can’t let them break your stamina. At this point in P-Rod’s career he seems stronger and more determined than ever. To put it lightly, he’s just trying to be a pro skateboarder for as long as physically possible and plans to keep steady at a high level for at least another 9 to 10 years. It’s all about balance.

He finds the time to incorporate family into his hectic schedule, spending time with his number one priority, his daughter, Heaven, and his obsessive love for skateboarding. For a boarder, P-Rod is a well-rounded individual. Doing his best to not take a perspective on others but instead focusing on staying true to himself. “I just skate and enjoy the act of skateboarding. I don’t think about the politics. I can’t stand it anymore. I don’t even think about what’s cool or not. Some people are going to love what I’m doing and others are going to hate on it. At the end of the day, it makes no difference to me. Others should do exactly the same. Fuck what anyone says.” With sponsors he never dreamed he would have, the opportunity to travel places he never thought he could venture and the privilege to take care of his family – we’d say he’s living the dream.

And remember: you can’t be focused on your dreams if you’re too busy worrying about someone else’s. You focus on you, they’ll focus on them. This kind of life is more than just about a love for skateboarding - it’s a lifestyle.

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OCT/NOV2012

Billy Corgan - back with

smashing pumpkins

By Patrick Douglas

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For four-plus years, The Smashing Pumpkins were retired, gone from the ranks of alternative rock and saddled with a legacy that included an ending that was somewhat rotted. Frontman Billy Corgan took his football and went home, leaving the rest of his bandmates to figure out a future without his genius.

Corgan dabbled in a solo effort and formed an alternate band dubbed Zwan.

The problem for fans? It all ended up sounding like various levels of Smashing Pumpkins and for good reason.

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After thinking things over, Corgan ultimately decided to resurrect the Pumpkins with some different faces but the same, familiar mission statement.

Corgan is a smart dude and knew from the beginning that continuing the band without former contributors like guitarist James Iha and bassist Darcy Wretzky would be met with criticism. Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was originally on board with what Corgan described as “chapter two” in the Pumpkins legacy, but like the rest of the original co-conspirators, he’s gone now, too.

“The fur flies when you talk about the old band and for a lot of reasons. There’s a lot of different opinion,” said Corgan. “I do get people where they don’t wanna acknowledge it. I’m actually kind of okay with that. Some people, their attachment to a band is an image and some people’s attachments (are linked to) the way certain musicians play. If they wanna be fans of one era and not another, that’s okay. My job is to continue to write really high level songs and produce them in a way that puts the band always in a contemporary frame of reference. As long as I do that, I think we’re totally fine and we’ll go up and down just like any other business does.

“The key is; we’re still in business. That’s how I look at it,” he continued. “How many artistic franchises are still worth anything after 20 years in a contemporary way? There are plenty that are worth something in a sentimental way, which is like blood from a stone, but the fact that the band remains a credible artistic enterprise at this point, that’s something that’s pretty incredible.”

In 2000, the business was crumbling to the ground behind band infighting and a farewell tour that was put together despite the fact that the components of the machine were on the edge of a wicked meltdown.

“Then it was very much how to exit gracefully in my mind which was very different because the relationships in the band were so broken down,” recalled Corgan of those last few shows. “At that point, it’s like a bad marriage where it becomes more about the bad marriage than enjoying a meal together.

My mindset was how do we bring this to a close with some dignity which I tried but still wasn’t totally capable of doing. Bringing it back was more about, can we pick back up the artistic mantle and carry that forward, regardless of who’s in the group and I think that’s the difference between chapter one and chapter two.”

“Chapter one was a story that played out and could’ve only played out that way because of the personalities involved,” he said.“Chapter two is more about me inserting an artistic integrity upon the operation and basically finding the people that can be consistent in that and are dedicated to that.”

Just like in the late ‘80s, when the Pumpkins were first conceived, Corgan looked around at the music industry in the early 2000s and saw a need for something original, something not so paint-by-numbers.

the band and artistic meaning is upheld. I’m really proud of that because, I think, at the end of the day that’s where the band’s real legacy lies. Not in a song or within an album.”

Corgan’s new teammates include drummer Mike Byrne, guitarist Jeff Schroeder and bassist Nicole Fiorentino. With a new, fresh group of musicians ready to inspire and create with Corgan, he began working on what could be his most complex project to date. “Teargarden by Kaleidyscope,” is a concept album that the Pumpkins began releasing online in EP-sized sections back in May of 2010.

After Vol.’s 1-3 were released, Corgan decided to put together the recently released album, “Oceania” as part of the project. The passionate frontman calls “Oceania,” “an album within an album.”

“The reason I was attracted to the project is because I wanted to show an artistic progression in sequence,” said Corgan of “Teargarden.” “It hasn’t necessarily worked out exactly how I would’ve hoped but I think it’s given people a sense that there was a journey. If I’d just gone away for two years and worked really hard and made a really good album, I don’t think it’s the same as if I’d put some stuff out, warts and all.”

“In many quarters, we were highly criticized because we weren’t playing the game of scrubbed up, ProTools perfection,” he said. “All I was trying to do was get back to making music that I felt really good about and in my eyes didn’t have any compromise in it and that led to making better decisions on something like ‘Teargarden,’ as opposed to working from a place of fear and thinking if we don’t make a really good album, we’re fucked. It was more just about rebuilding an internal integrity of the band so that they could make an album like ‘Oceania.’”

The ironic thing about the reincarnation of the Pumpkins is that Corgan has been more willing to share the creative burden than he was during the classic lineup days. Fiorentino’s contributions stand out on the new record as the appearance of a funky and turned up bass line is evident on many of the songs.

“Nicole plays everything on the album,” said Corgan. “It’s the first time anybody’s played bass on the albums. I’m not saying I played bass on every song on every album but basically I was the bass player on the albums. She’s such a major contributor and it’s such a thrill to work with her. She has no musical training, kind of like myself. Doesn’t even know scales or anything. Just intuitive playing. I think (she) really added to the depth and dimensions of the song and I’m proud to work with her.”

Surprisingly, Corgan notes that many Pumpkins fans who were there throughout the ‘90s, dropped out of interest in the band and are just now coming back to the group thanks to the enthusiasm of younger fans.

“We’ve actually lost a lot of our old fans because we refused to be a greatest hits type of band,” said Corgan. “What’s happened, which has been difficult but really rewarding is, we’ve built a new, younger fanbase and the younger fanbase through their enthusiasm and technology, it’s a little like flies to honey.

Some of the older fans are now coming back around that have had no interest because they see something happening.Whenever there’s something going on, it’s the car crash effect. People slow down and pay attention.

“What I do feel loyal to is we created a particular vision together for what Smashing Pumpkins represented in opposition or in relation to a known music world, which in the late ‘80s was sort of predictable,” Corgan said. “I feel responsible to continue on that legacy of artistic attrition or innovation because I see that core strength of what makes this band unique.”

Corgan is a big picture sort of guy and realizes there are always going to be ups and downs when it comes to exposing his creative vision to the masses.

All he asks is that the standard template associated with the band always stays consistent.

“It’s almost a football game with the Pumpkins,” he added. “You can discuss a lot of X’s and O’s and maybe you should’ve run this play and it would’ve been better if so and so was on the team. At the end of the day, it’s more about the franchise and what the franchise represents. We play a certain brand of football and I’m really proud and I’m still carrying that on and I ask that of the band members and I ask that of anybody who works with us – that the legacy of

“Walt Disney has been dead since 1966, but there were people that carried on the Disney legacy because they believe in it,” he said. “I’m not saying I’m so grandiose that I want the Pumpkins to continue after I die, but I’d like to think with the inherent vision of the band from an integrity point of view (we) consistently move forward to a different era and that’s the point I’ve been trying to make.”

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skinniemagazine.com 15

The Right pitch

man

JUNE/JULY2012

Jonathan Goldsmith Is The Most Interesting Man in The World Words by Patrick Douglas

4

Jonathan Goldsmith might be the most recognizable man on television. His face is broadcast dozens of times a day on just about every channel on TV. People recite quotes from his fictitious tale everywhere from the office to bars to church to school. He’s the most interesting man in the world, or at least that’s the praise his character receives in the immensely popular Dos Equis ads.

Turns out Goldsmith might actually be worthy of the title in his real life. He’s acted in hundreds of television shows, has shared the screen with some of the most influential people in Hollywood history, has climbed mountains, sailed the seas and even saved a life or two. He’s adored by children and elderly alike, even if people are too young or old to drink the beer he’s representing.

“The demographics are incredible,” said Goldsmith. “I was sitting at this little Mexican place in L.A. where my wife would go for a quiet breakfast and a fella comes over and my wife says, ‘Yes,’ and he says, ‘You know I was asking my son yesterday, who’s seven, what he wanted to be when he grows up, he says ‘I wanna be the most interesting man in the world.’’ Two weeks later, we’re on a bus in Manhattan and an old gentleman’s getting off the bus and does a double take, sees me and comes over and taps me on the shoulder with his cane. It’s not often at 73, I’m called Sonny. But he says ‘Sonny, when I come back, I wanna be you.’ That

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pleases the hell out of me. It gets better for me every single day. I just had pictures taken with the president of the United States.”

Goldsmith’s ridiculously long resume includes acting gigs on “Perry Mason,” the original “Star Trek,” “Bonanza,” “Gunsmoke,” “Streets of San Francisco,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Rockford Files,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “CHiPs,” “Dynasty,” “St. Elsewhere,” “T.J. Hooker,” “Knots Landing,” “The A-Team,” “Knight Rider,” “MacGyver,” “Dallas,” and “Magnum P.I.,” and that’s just naming a few. He played alongside a young Clint Eastwood in “Hang ‘Em High,” was ironically shot by John Wayne between the eyes in, “The Shootist,” and fought alongside Burt Lancaster in “Go Tell The Spartans,” the latter of which earned Goldsmith Oscar-worthy praise by a writer for the New York City News.

Yet through all the Hollywood experiences and accolades, it’s his role as the fantastic salt-and-pepper-bearded adventurer in the Dos Equis commercials that gets him chased by fans wherever he goes. It’s an honor that Goldsmith cherishes, even though he admits living in his new home in Vermont is a little more easy-going than being chased around L.A. by beer commercial fans.

“I wish it had come 40 years ago but it didn’t. It’s a little bittersweet in a way,”

explained Goldsmith. “I was a journeyman actor. It could’ve happened for me years ago but it didn’t but at least it did happen. There are so many people that are very talented and major contributors and they quit. I once knew a guy with the Hollywood Reporter, his name was Vernon Scott and he was at the gym every day. He was one of the regulars. He said ‘Kid, you’ve got a lot of talent but that’s not enough.You’ve gotta outlast the bastards.’ There was a lot to that. There were some rough times.”

Goldsmith was part of golden age of Westerns, acting in numerous episodes of “Gunsmoke,” and “Bonanza,” and playing bit parts in a handful of major Hollywood westerns. During that time, he was known as Jonathan Lippe and being from New York, had little experience doing things people did in the old west.

“It was kind of rough on my ass because New York guys don’t spend too much time on horses,” he said with a laugh. “I fell off more fuckin’ horses than I could possibly tell you (but) it was a wonderful time. It was a golden age of television.

‘Gunsmoke,’ I did like 15 or 16 of them. I did so many of them and they liked me, thank god, that they said ‘Gee, we’d love to use you but you’re too recognizable.’

They went out and dyed my hair blond and put me in a three-part show called ‘Gold Train.’ I really lived to regret it, too. Here I was stuck with this … flaming blond hair. I looked like a real flamer. I met some of the best guys. Michael Landon was one of my favorites.”

Goldsmith’s career was taking an interesting direction when he realized there was a recurring theme to his characters – they all seemed to die one way or another.

“The Hollywood Reporter wrote an article about me, ‘Dying for a Living.’ I got killed all the time and it depressed the shit out of my father,” he said. “I was taken out in a buck board, drowned on ‘Streets of San Francisco,’ hung by Joseph Cotton, machine gunned, poisoned, ice picked to death. I mostly played bad guys and people ask me all the time, ‘How come?’ and I think it’s because I didn’t look like a bad guy.

I didn’t tip off the story. I certainly had enough stuff to call upon inside of me and apparently did well playing a bad guy.”

Ninety-five percent of his acting experience came prior to the ‘90s when he suddenly decided to bid adieu to Hollywood and start his own business.

“I made a living all my life as an actor until 1989 things started to slow down. My hair got grayer and I wasn’t getting the leading roles anymore and I said, ‘Screw it.

I’m tired of not being the right height, not being good looking enough, too good looking,’ all the bullshit that goes into casting and image and all of that crap. I got out,” he said, pausing to light his pipe. “I had such a lifetime of being told ‘No,’ or ‘Almost,’ or ‘If.’ I couldn’t play a fuckin’ monkey in ‘Planet of the Apes,’ and they wanted me to but my eyes were the wrong color. I just had enough.”

In his time away from the acting business, Goldsmith traveled the world and called home a boat docked off the coast of California.Years before his fictional character in the Dos Equis commercials “bowled overhand,” or “arm-wrestled Fidel Castro,” Goldsmith was living a life the Dos Equis man might be envious of.

“I’ve been fortunate enough in two different circumstances to save two lives. I’ve been a mountain hiker. I’ve traveled all through the Caribbean on my sailboat. I’ve lived on and off sailboats for 35/36 years,” he said. “Been caught in some pretty bad storms. I’ve been in the back country in Mexico and throughout the Caribbean as well as in the Sierras. Climbed some mountains. Mount Whitney, which at the time

was the highest mountain, they thought, in the lower 48, outside of Alaska’s Mount McKinley. That was an easy hike but on that hike, we saved a guy’s life who was lost in a snow storm.”

Forward years later and Goldsmith found himself looking for acting gigs again, this time leaning towards commercials. The rest, as they say, is history.

“I went out almost seven years ago on a cattle call for a commercial and all I knew was they were looking for an actor that had improvisational skills,” he recalled. “I went down, there must have been 500 people at this open, what we call a cattlecall. I said ‘Jesus.’ My agent, who’s now my wife, I said ‘She’s making a ridiculous mistake,’ because everybody else looked like Juan Valdez, the coffee guy in the great commercial campaign. They were looking for a Latino. I went in and was loose as a goose because I didn’t think I had a chance, whatsoever. My car was parked illegally and at four o’clock they were gonna tow it and I get a huge fine. I started this stream of bullshit. Fidel Castro heard that I was a famous lover and a chess player and we met in a cave in Monte Graso, I don’t even know if there is a Monte Graso.

I just kept spinning this wild ass tale and they let me go on and on and I’d hear some laughter. They went on a worldwide search. All of the domestic Meccas for commercial casting. New York, Chicago, Dallas and also Buenos Aires and Mexico City.They didn’t get the Latino they wanted, they got a Jew from New York and that most people are convinced is a Latino.”

When it came down to three actors, Goldsmith was about to get passed over once again because his beard was too gray. “They said ‘We really like him, but we’re thinking of going a little bit younger.’ My wife said ‘How can you have the most interesting person in the world who doesn’t have life experience which takes time?’ They called back 15 minutes later and we screen tested. You can’t. You’ve gotta live a life to have a life,” he said.

Goldsmith is also a philanthropist, having devoted the past 55 years to helping abused children and is part of www.freearts.org.

“Since I was 18, I’ve been involved with handicapped and kids at risk.That’s perhaps the very best thing. I’m frequently asked on red carpets, ‘What’s the best thing about a celebrity status,’ and I say ‘Just to call attention to the things that are really important to you.’ I never had that platform before,” he said. “I used to go out into the streets in a clown costume and face paint kids for a buck or two to call attention to child abuse. I joined an organization almost 40 years ago called Free Arts for Abused Children. All volunteers, some big name people. We would go into institutions where kids were under lock and key protection from their own parents. That’s an important part of my life.”

Sure, there are talks to turn the Dos Equis guy into film or television character and it would undoubtedly be more successful than the Geico cavemen and their bomb of a show. As cool as it would be to see him show up in the next “Anchorman,” as Ron Burgandy’s long-lost dad, now is not the time, says Goldsmith. “(There’s) lots of discussions but it’s not time now. It’s just not time,” he said. “The run gets better and better and the numbers go up and up. That can come later.

Dos Equis, very wisely, wants to keep this campaign as it is. We’ve had book deals thrown at us and a major company wanted to do a feature film. Right now, we don’t have to do that. There’ll be time for that later, I think. I hope. It’s a funny business.

Sometimes when it’s over, it’s over. It’s a hell of a run and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. It’s just opened a world for me that was always closed.”

skinniemagazine.com 17

FEB2012

building a better

rocketship Murs Looks To The Future With Promise

By Ramon Gonzales and Images by Jeff Farsai jefffarsaiphotography.com

4

Not that job isn’t loaded with some hefty perks, but there are few experiences as nerve-racking as the couple of minutes prior to an interview with someone you have only known in song. It must be said that more often then not, expectations fall short. Be it because of a publicist’s programmed responses the artist had memorized, the shitty questions the unprepared journalist pushed in the conversation, or just a general lack of enthusiasm all around. Conventional interviews aside, a conversation with Murs proved fruitful in that pages upon pages notes have been shifted through to get here – a very simplistic, albeit definitive conclusion – Murs just might be the finest example of hip hop culture walking.

Obviously that kind of statement is susceptible to a healthy amount of scrutiny, but the real assertion is this. After some two decades of traveling the world, penning some of the genre’s most intelligent lyrics, churning out dozens of releases both as a solo artist and as a member of a collective – Murs has remained the kind of artist that might go the rest of his career without having his sincerity called into question.

His ability to drop a track with the likes of radio mainstays like Snoop Dog, only to come back and release collaborative efforts with cult sensations like Sicc Jacken or Terrace Martin prove that. His ability to craft a steadfast reputation among the “backpackers” that shit on hip hop music for selling out was contrasted with a major label deal that met some groans, but no dismissal. For fans of Murs, the answer to the clichéd question of whether hip-hop is dead is simple, and he’ll be the first to own up to it.

“As long as I’m alive, it’s alive.”

What becomes much more apparent in exploring Murs’ contribution to the art form is just how delicate of a balancing act his craft has been. “For me, hearing ‘Streets Iz A Mutha’ from Kurupt and listening to Mack 10 and DJ Quik that was my soundtrack. It was very obvious that if you weren’t from California you wouldn’t understand the music. Maybe that was what drew me to it so much. It was describing the places I knew, the people I knew.” Growing up in Southern California in the 90’ s, Gangster Rap left an indelible impression not only on the music, but fashioned much of the rest of world’s perception of what West Coast rap music was. It was the Impalas, the 40 Ozs., the house shoes, drive-bys, and throwing up your set – and while Murs was tuning in, there was a disconnect.

“I have friends in every neighborhood in Southern California. Lynwood, Covina, Mid-City, the Valley. I’m way more gangsta then people know. But for me I had a responsibility to accentuate the positive… I sound LA. I was telling stories that were West Coast-Centric.”

It was the same potent blend of environmental awareness and intelligent savvy that resulted in a sound that was in deed LA, but more so would become unequivocally Murs. As an indispensible member of the Living Legends crew, Murs, along with Scarub, Eligh, Aesop, and The Grouch have become some of the more prominent names to emerge from the camp. Arguably, Murs really struck gold when he teamed up with production’s true 9th Wonder (pun intended) to drop Murs 3:16 on an unsuspecting audience in dire need of something new. It’s a milestone Murs acknowledged even as he prepared to drop his most recent effort, Love and Rockets, Vol.1 The Transformation.

“People liked 3:16 so much. As an artist you never want to make the same thing you just got done making, but it was impossible to think about why people liked 3:16 so much. There was something very core about it. For this record we kind of locked ourselves away in upstate New York. And I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder and that was put right back into the record. Putting that L.A. core into this record was very similar to what we did with 3:16.”

Despite holding onto his West Coast roots, for The Transformation, Murs had to do a healthy among of letting go just the same.After spending some time on a major label, Love and Rockets Vol. 1 happened on the heels of a partnership that Murs explained

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took all of “15 minutes” to shake hands on.

Meeting with mogul Dame Dash, Murs admits, allowed him to focus on the product, not the pitch. “It was a 15 minute conversation. Six months later, we had a record and tour ready to go. The thing about Dame is that he never micromanaged the process. He made sure we were surrounded by talented, artistic people and he let us go to work. Dame’s drive is in making something succeed and doing fresh shit.”

Having long been championed as the poster child of indie hip –hop, the partnership allowed Murs to shake the weight of a major label deal and return to the kind of hustle that really earned him such respect among not only his peers, but even those outside of the genre. Notorious for spending sizable portions of the calendar year on the road, Murs was back at it with this record and a renewed vigor that seemed apparent not only on record, but in disposition completely.

‘You know, these rappers that are still living that life have groupies that 30 plus years old. No one wants to see a 30-year-old plus groupie. No one wants to see someone trying to swag out when they are over 30. And on the other side of that, you got rappers talking about ‘bitch, bitch, bitch’ but they have been married for years. For me now, I’m not on some rap shit anymore. I got married.We adopted kids, I cut my hair, I am involved with charities. I did all that shit. I popped bottles. I was the only black dude in Hyde before Hyde was the spot. But no one is telling people about growing up, about real life, about experience. Love and Rockets was very much the transformation for me.”

Prior to Murs, rappers weren’t selling merch and creating a brand. Prior to Murs, rappers weren’t putting in thousands of touring miles – at least not in passenger vans they drove themselves. Prior to Murs, rappers weren’t interested in taking on cultural divides and doing the Vans Warped Tour – it wasn’t the safe bet. Before skinny jeans and skate culture became infatuated with hip-hop music, Murs was on his skateboard in 03’. When festivals started looking towards rap mainstays to help anchor their headlining spots, Murs went and created his own festival.While the lane is open for emerging artists like Odd Future, Dom Kennedy, Kendrick Lamar and, Casey Veggies, Murs has undoubtedly walked that path first. So how important has Murs been to hip-hop music – the evidence is plain as day.

As for Murs and where he stands when he acknowledges what his career has been thus far, the future is the same as it ever was.“At the end of the day a pimp is always a pimp.

Angry indie rappers are always going be angry indie rappers but as for me? I wanna sell 5 million records and have my music reach as many people as humanly possible on planet Earth – but I want to make sure I do it on my own terms.”

Maybe I was wrong.

Murs might not be the finest example of hip-hop; he might just be the finest example period.

skinniemagazine.com 19

skinniegirlS

FEB 2012 Alaina Gonzalez

Oct/Nov 2012 Brittney Esquire

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skinniegirlS

JULY/AUG 2012 Nazanin Mandi

MARCH 2012 Jenna Bentley

Photographer Michael Vincent

skinniemagazine.com 21

skinniegirlS

MARCH 2012 Jennifer Irene Gonzalez

JULY/JULY 2012 Lora Leigh

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skinniegirlS APRIL 2012 Autumn Brockman

MAY/JUNE 2012 Maribel LaLanne

skinniemagazine.com 23

MARCH2012

A MIllion and one

loaded stories Mickey Avalon’s Story Continues By Rob LeDonne

Photos by Michael Vincent

4

Before Lady Gaga tried to shock audiences every time she took the stage, before Ke$ha played up her ‘I want to have fun and forget about everyone else’ image for her glossy pop productions, and even before LMFAO started rapping about highly-sexualized party themes, there was Mickey Avalon, a Los Angeles based rapper known just as much for his raw, catchy songs as his (truly) hardcore background.

Avalon, unlike those other aforementioned names, is not the product of some media conglomerate or publicist that added equal parts bad boy and party monster which resulted in some manufactured musician designed specifically to rake in the cash and be as real as plastic tree. Avalon is, for better or for worse, legitimate: he’s been to the edge and back and has a million and one stories to go along with it, perhaps the most interesting is how a drug addicted prostitute turned into one of the music’s breakout artists whose tracks had to be on everyone’s iPods, then slowly disappeared, only to start to roar back to the forefront again in full force in support of his second album in six long years.

Ardent and even passive fans of Avalon know his full background like the back of their hands, but for those looking for a refresher course, here is Mickey Avalon 101: born in 1975 to a mother who dealt marijuana and a heroin addict father, Avalon followed in his parent’s footsteps, both dealing and smoking, and before he knew it he was dabbling in heroin himself. What followed was a full blown addiction, as well as a deep exploration of his Jewish faith (Avalon’s real name is Yeshe Perl).

A lot of material for songs were generated in these early days, but Avalon explains that now that it’s all slipping further into the past, he’s done exploring it. Noting that there aren’t any lines he won’t cross, “A lot of things I really don’t feel talking about anymore, especially if it feels distant. Most of the stuff from the first record, that was a long time ago and it’d be kind of irrelevant to rap about the same shit again. So I try to tell different stories.”

Avalon’s father was finally loosening the grips of addiction when he was leaving an AA meeting and was hit by a drunk driver, later succumbing to his injuries. Avalon in his late teens, and by now married, left Los Angeles and moved to Portland to figure out a new life and have a baby, but times got darker instead. Insert tales of part-time prostitution, extreme poverty and hardcore drug use here, as well as the classic scene of Avalon returning to his home of Los Angeles, determined to clean himself up once again. It was then he got very close with his mother, grandmother (a Holocaust survivor), and sister, the latter of who would tragically die of an overdose herself and truly kickstart Avalon cleaning himself up and diving headfirst into the music industry. “If I had to choose a favorite song from my first album, it’d be ‘Friends and Lovers,’” Avalon says now, perhaps because it’s also the most personal. The chorus goes: “All of my friends and lovers are dead; Some from cheap narcotics and others from lead.”

It was during these bleak times that Avalon met former model, turned MTV VJ, turned actor Simon Rex; Rex started dipping his toes into the world of music and Avalon did as well and what followed was a quick ascension to the top of the scene, first getting featured on a variety of tracks and then being a part of the rap group the Dyslexic Speedreeders. Soon after, Avalon released tracks of his own; his signature tunes, “Jane Fonda,” (“One, two, three, four, Get your booty on the dance floor”), and “My Dick” (a hidden track which is basically a compilation of dick jokes), are decidedly fun fare that turned into instant club hits and had a brigade of young adults sharing them, just at the dawn of the powers of the Internet, as if his music was some closely guarded and dirty secret. That secret came out in November 2006 when his self-titled album was released by MySpace Records and Interscope/Shoot To Kill.

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The name Mickey Avalon was on the lips of every music aficionado, MySpacer, and music blogger, so why’d it take so long for a follow-up? Referring to his success at the time, Avalon explains: “at the beginning it all happened pretty quick, but then it kind of dragged on. I was ready for my next record right away and then label stuff and shit like that got in the way, so its taken a long time.” Since,Avalon has switched from MySpace to Suburban Noise Records, whose roster includes the likes of Unwritten Law (more on them later) and Saigon.

Since 2006, however, he now has to navigate through a loss of momentum and a changed music industry. Avalon thinks that “right now, pop music is more for like 12 year-old girls,” and taking a quick look at the chart there’s no debating that sentiment. Now, he and his team have been working in overdrive to put Avalon’s name back on the lips of every music aficionado once again, including kicking off a tour that will take him clear across the United States, Australia, and back, doing a ton of press, and engaging directly with his quarter million fans on Facebook (Myspace is so 2006). “You’re timeless and I will fuck you before I die” eloquently wrote one of his fans on his wall, which includes a variety of words of affection mixed with requests for tour stops. Another posted: “Get the fuck back the the Bay, you asshole.

Last time I showed up for one of your shows, you didn’t. So as far as I’m concerned you owe me!,” to which Avalon lovingly responded: “Showed up for the last 3 three shows in the last year so don’t know where you were!” It’s this back and forth that makes Avalon endearing to his fans, a legion of people that love him for his “take me as I am attitude” as well as the belief that they (those with rough and tumble backgrounds), can get some glory someday like him. To say he’s like Oprah Winfrey would sound like a stretch, but when you realize it’s just a different demographic, it somehow makes sense.

“I’m ready to keep going, first putting this record out, then another out next year and back to a regular schedule. Even though it’s taken a long time, this is pretty much a follow-up to my last record,” explains Avalon concerning Loaded, which is finally getting its release on April 24. “I think it’s a perfect record; it’s a second chapter.

There’s really something for everyone on it. As there should be, since Avalon has been generating material for the past five years for it, writing whenever he can. “A lot of times songs will come to me when I’m driving around or something. Other times you have to be in the studio and you kind of just have to do it right then, you can’t wait for inspiration to come. It could really go either way.”

Loaded also features some guest appearances, including Scott Russo from Suburban Noise label-mates Unwritten Law, whose track, “Girlfriend” has a reggae vibe. “I met Scott at Cisco Adler’s house, who does a lot of music with me. They were doing some stuff together, and we wound up working on a few things together as well. I’m glad the song came out good.” Another track, “On The Ave.”, sounds like a Velvet Underground song, which is no surprise considering “this album definitely had a Velvet Underground influence, along with Iggy Pop and the Rolling Stones.”

Only time will tell if Avalon’s Loaded will be accepted with as much keen interest as his first album, and become an online smash; until then he’ll have his countless stories, numerous fans, and sheer passion for music to fall back on. As Avalon raps in “Friends and Lovers”: “What to do when your luck is through, Whether you come from the slums or live in Malibu, Seen runnin’ down the avenue, Mickey Avalon with an attitude.”

MickeyAvalon.com

JULY/AUG2012

bloc party Limelight is Fleeting Words by m.m. zonoozy

4

“When you have this wonderful opportunity to make music for a living, you don’t want to stop because you never know when that’s going to be taken away from you,” explains Bloc Party’s Matt Tong. For bands, that want sometimes clouds the bigger picture – it drives backstage brawls with siblings. It takes a special kind of maturity to step away and refuse to force creativity. Even more so, it takes a particularly authentic group of musicians to do it with grace, and reconcile several years later to create their purest album to date. In fact, it takes a Bloc Party.

With the release of their aptly titled fourth album, “Four,” the British indie band has reformed with a proper purpose of wiping the entire slate clean to start from garage. Their first new album in four years has no synthesizers and very little programming distort the band’s rawest sound to date. The group has shed any sort of hybrid electro-whatever label, and it couldn’t be more refreshing.

Coincidentally, “Four” is rather confusing in its stylistic spectrum. So He Begins to Lie and 3X3 open the album rather aggressively, and make quite the “this is not our last album” statement. Alternatively, tracks like Real Talk and Day Four take front man Kele’s bridges to the soprano and strike quite a different chord. V.A.L.I.S. is almost poppy with its hooky background sing-along. Coliseum is post-punk revival, and Healing is visceral. We’re Not Good People almost scares me. On paper, this album should not work. From one song to the next, you might as well be listening to two separate block parties – one in your basement and one in a park.

Yet the overarching lo-fi aesthetic pulls everything together nicely. So many bands say they are creating something stripped down, few do it. But Bloc Party does it nuanced and well. Occasionally you’ll hear some strings here and there, and at times some backup vocals creep in, but that’s really it. Otherwise, it’s just Kele, Russell, Gordon, and Matt.

Now, in “Four,” the friends are reeling what had slipped away years ago. As Tong recalls pre-hiatus, “In a sense, the band had sort of gotten away from all of us. It had become this separate entity that we at times didn’t really understand the nature of.”

Understandably, it’s easy to lose control of a ship hurling full-speed ahead.

“A couple of the members wanted to carry on and go straight into a fourth album,” recalls Tong. “In hindsight, I think that may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back – the donkey’s back, rather.”

And after approximately seven years of touring, it seemed only appropriate to take a breather. “We were just exhausted, and I think sometimes it’s hard to see the bigger picture . . . I thought it would be a really good time to pause, and to reflect.”

Although that sounds delightfully flowery, time to reflect comes at a high price. It’s not just leaving money on the table; it’s a risk of inundating a fan base, or the entire industry.

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“People grow tired and weary as a group being around each other at all times,” Tong insists. “I thought it would be a good time to stop.”

And so they did. Bloc Party pseudo announced an indefinite hiatus in 2009. Since, the various members revived their personal projects, some other bands and some families. “There have been babies, breakdowns, tantrums and hospitalizations,” Okereke explains. “Gordon had a baby, Russell joined Ash, Matt built a studio in his basement with his bare hands and I moved to New York to finish a book that I had been writing for the last 3 years.”

This all came with a question mark in every sentence written about Bloc Party and their future. Okereke himself deliberately took a “year without music” upon arriving in New York. With him he brought four records: Led Zeppelin’s “4,” the Deftones “White Pony,” Nicki Minaj’s mix tape “Beam Me Up Scotty,” and “Al Green’s Greatest Hits.” Apparently, that was enough.

But four years is a long time to be away from your significant others. Towards the end of 2011, the Brits seemed to come to a meeting of the minds and started turning the wheels of a comeback. Each came back with his own reason - all requiring a collective effort.

“I was really worried that when I came to the age of 60 and my children would be like, “What was it like being in the band?’ and I would be grumbling and complaining.

For me it was about reclaiming the lust that we all had when we started out.

For Okereke, it was an opportunity to rediscover his musical passion. After initially meeting to discuss the possibility of the new record, Okereke established his longing for playing in a band again. “With this record we have to move forward,” Okereke explains, “we have to challenge ourselves by not relying on ProTools or the invisible grid that seems to be mapping out all of popular music these days.”

Coming off their third album, “Intimacy,” Bloc Party had transitioned into the indieelectronic space, and Okereke even more so with his solo effort, “The Boxer.” Both were successful, but maybe a bit forced. The new effort is a step back in the right direction - a leap towards authenticity.

The future for the indie quartet seems optimistic, more natural, more patient.

Perhaps Tong was right all along: the years off may have been a necessary break for a band of brothers.“It’s sort of the happiest we’ve been as a group of people on tour,” notes Tong. “I think the years we’ve had off helped.”

More importantly, the four are not afraid to step away from the band from time to time to figure themselves out. And thankfully, we don’t have to worry when they do. Simply put (by Tong himself), “Bloc Party is a band vainly trying to grow old gracefully.”

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APRIL2012

full

clip

Machine Gun Kelly Is Armed And Dangerous Words by Patrick Douglas

4

Egocentrism isn’t necessarily an abnormal trait when it comes to hip hop artists.

When you spend all your time conveying a message by yourself and for yourself, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to worry too much about what others think of you.

Richard Colson Baker is now known as Machine Gun Kelly after being given the nickname for his rapid-fire display of lyrics six years ago. “Obviously, I earned it,” he says. He has already conquered the industry and taken his vision to heights unseen by other wordsmiths who have climbed the ranks before him, at least in his own mind. He’ll tell you that he doesn’t care about the future or where his music is presented on TV or radio because he’s living for right now and right now is a stage surrounded by adoring fans. He doesn’t worry about how many records he’ll sell when his debut finally comes out because he’s already crowned himself the greatest of all-time. Forget having to forge a name for himself, the future is whack and he’ll fill in the blanks later.

“Dude, I’m just living for the day. There is no goal. I just make music and we just enjoy every day, dude. Motherfuckers die every fucking day and they were probably thinking about the future too much and forgot what was going on in the present,” he said. “I’m not thinking of this shit while I’m on tour. I’m not out here thinking of what my album sales are gonna be or what the strategy was. I don’t give a fuck. I’m on a bus trying to focus on the next kids I’m about to see and make sure they get the best show they’ve ever fucking seen in their life. Because all I fucking know is this bus could roll the fuck over and that’d be it. I’m just trying to enjoy the fact for those two seconds while the bus is rolling thinking about how good of a day I had before. I don’t think about the future. I don’t give a fuck.”

Having just released an EP to tease fans, MGK’s official Bad Boy/Interscope Records debut, “Lace Up,” is due this summer and the rapper calls it, “one of the greatest albums done in hip-hop.” The EP, “Half Naked & Almost Famous,” was curiously released in March even though the debut is slated to be released a few months later. The delay on the full-length doesn’t bother MGK because, as he puts it, his job is done and delays are out of his hands. “I’m on top of my job so my shit’s been done. I wrote my album before I was even signed. No one’s gonna hold my message back. You’ve got me fucked up with some suits. Some motherfuckin’ suits and ties aren’t gonna put a hold to ‘Lace Up,’ or anything that I’ve got coming out,” he said aggressively.

The ride has come at MGK pretty quickly. It was just last year that he was discovered and signed by Diddy after spending a few years struggling to balance life and hip hop. It was a tough life for the 21-year-old growing up, living in nearly a dozen

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different places (including Egypt and Kuwait) and dealing with a broken home and disturbing school life. “My mom ditched on me at an early age when I was like nine,” recalled MGK. “My dad was so depressed over that shit that he just stayed in bed for probably the first three years of the divorce, so as a 10-, 11-, 12-year-old I was raising myself. After that me and him just had beef with each other because he was never there during those years so we just kind of never really reconciled so he was never really that much a part of my life outside of when I came home.

He was physically there but he was never emotionally there for me. I don’t know.

Everything. I was getting locked up when I was young. Suspended, failing classes. It’s like the typical American youth fuck up story that describes me. Getting jumped all the fucking time. I had a big mouth. Writing checks my ass couldn’t cash.”

When asked about his early love for hip hop, MGK simply says, “I didn’t choose it.

It chose me.” Dealing with so many difficult situations, he found himself turning to lyrics as a way of coping with some heavy shit. “It’s amazing but it’s also rare because to go back and dig that deep but also you don’t wanna keep being repetitive,” said MGK of writing the perfect lyric. “You wanna talk about new things that are going on and sometimes life is great but on a lot of my best records, life is shitty, so I’ve gotta wait for some bad shit to happen. I write very few songs but the songs I do write have very deep meanings to them and they last forever. Even though I have fewer songs than a lot more artists, they’re more powerful than others. I really just treasure ‘em, dude. I don’t have a choice. When you have those rare records and shit, and they come at the perfect time, you kind of have to hold on to ‘em and wait for the right time and let ‘em go.”

His single, “Invincible,” co-starred Ester Dean on vocals and was featured in a Verizon ad played just about every commercial break during the NFL season. In the commercial a guy strolls through an imploding city reminiscent of the one in “Inception,” as he obliviously listens to MGK on his phone. It’s part of the times in which we live. Gone are music videos, replaced by spots on commercials or tabbed as entrance music for wrestlers (“Invincible” was also used by wrestler John Cena). Despite it being a common way in which to display your music, MGK can’t be bothered with such trivial things. “I don’t even give a fuck how that shit is out, motherfucker. I’m here for the music. I’m not here to get on commercials and shit like that. I never asked for that shit,” he said. “Yeah, it feels awesome but I’m not in this shit to get fucking sponsors and all that shit. I don’t give a fuck about that.When that shit happens on its own, it’s beautiful but if it’s like I’m begging for it, that’s just whack, which I’m not.”

Currently submersed in a wicked 90 cities in 99 days tour with Tech9, MGK is learning how to cope with the road as he goes and does a variety of things to

loosen up before a gig. “We always say a prayer. If I can have sex before I go onstage, that’s ideal. Fucking whatever, dude. It doesn’t matter. Shots. Jack off, whatever. Just whatever’s random. Every day is different.

I try to sober up, really. That’s the biggest thing with me,” he said. “I’m a really heavy drinker and a heavy smoker so that’s just not gonna fly on a 90-city tour. I’m not in a group either so it’s not like if my voice goes out, I have other people to hold me down.

If my voice goes out, I’m the center of what goes on onstage. Fucking my people up.”

His “people” and most passionate of fans are part of the Lace Up Movement but MGK isn’t about promoting it. If you’re a part of it, you get it. If you’re not, take a hike. “I’m not talking about the Lace Up Movement,” he said. “There’s no point, dude. Why would I talk about something that you can’t put in words? Words can’t describe how beautiful that movement is. My movement and Tech’s movement, it’s like two colts coming together.They seem to mesh really well and it’s like fucking mosh pits, boobs, tits, all that shit. Two of hip hops best performers in my opinion, on one stage.”

Some might call MGK an egomaniacal asshole. It doesn’t matter because, in his mind, he’s already conquered you.

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100% of the

time

LA EDM Duo Sex Panther Set The Pace By Ramon Gonzales Images by Tomas Muscionico september2012

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4

A chance meeting and a desire to kick things in the ass would be the best way to describe the genesis of this story. For Ryan Fontana and Aaron Cool, the passion for dance music would become the foundation of Sex Panther – giving it the reach out and touch someone element, was something the tag team brought to the table themselves. And it has paid off handsomely.

Bummed with the role of knob turner and button pusher, the duo turn the role DJ on it’s proverbial head and has gone from regional sensation to one of the most sought after brands in EDM. Crafting their own brand of energized dance music, doused in lots of alcohol and plenty of T&A, Sex Panther has become synonymous with a raucous party – and that is the way they intended it.Anchoring the one and only GHOSTBAR Day Club beginning in the fall at The Palms in Las Vegas, it’s plain to see that even in a place like Sin City, ain’t no party like a Sex Panther party.

Take us back a bit. Tell us about how the duo started, back when Sex Panther was still Sex Kitty. Garage sessions? House parties?

How did this all begin?

This whole thing started after a chance encounter at Guitar Center. I (Ryan) had landed a gig at the side room of the Avalon Hollywood through our homies at Gotta Dance Dirty. They asked if I could play on CDJs and I said of course, even though I had never played on them before. For the next couple of days leading up to the gig, I would spend four to five hours a day at Guitar Center learning on their floor models. People actually thought I worked there. Kids would come up and ask me questions and I would help them out with gear and stuff. Anyway, Aaron came rolling through with some friends and we started talking. Talked music for a bit, had a broment, exchanged numbers and told him I’d slip him some drink tickets if he was around during my slot at the Avalon. I didn’t hear from him or see him again for at least three months, then one late, late night at the Avalon, we bumped into each other on the smoking patio. We had this moment of “Hey, I know you somehow”, and we sat there for a second until it finally clicked. We agreed to hang out that week and have a little jam sesh. That’s all it ever was, simply casual without any real intention of being in a duo.

The first spark actually came when I was asked to play the Louis Vuitton annual holiday party… I had no gear, so I asked Aaron if I could use his, and in exchange he could come with me to the party and play a little bit as well. This was the first time that we ever stood behind the decks together in public, and it was actually the first time that I realized how well we could work together. I trusted his taste and his technical ability to the fullest. It was after that night that I decided to try and make this work. I scheduled a photoshoot and assembled a press kit and sent it out to every one I knew.

The name Sex Panther actually came to me randomly… I was looking to rebrand my solo name at the time, and when I told my girlfriend I wanted to change it to Sex Panther, she said “No! You can’t do that! All the girls are going to want to have sex with you!” I knew then that it was a hit.

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You guys really cut your teeth with Southern California residencies...what was your first one and how stoked were you guys?

Our first gig actually came as a surprise. After sending out our press kit to all the promoters in Hollywood, no one was biting. We didn’t hear anything for months.

However, on a glorious Friday afternoon, I got a phone call from Brandon, a friend who promotes in Hollywood. “I need you to play Supperclub tonight.” Apparently, the headliner from Australia missed their flight and the opener got bumped up to the headlining spot. The club needed somebody to fill the opening spot immediately. Our press kit just so happened to be on the desk… “Sex Panther?

That sounds interesting…”

House music has obviously become the soundtrack for the party.

What is your take on the evolution of the genre and the purists that say new DJs are confusing 4x4 dance music with “true” house music?

They’re right. I feel like it is more dance music than it is house music. With the recent explosion, genres and sub genres can get lumped into one. For instance, house music has become the blanket term used to describe all types of “four on the floor” genres of electronic music, including electro house, progressive house, nu disco, and even techno to some people. However, House Music at its core is actually a specific type of electronic music that is all about the groove, soul, and drums. Dance music, on the other hand, is all about energy. That’s what we do best.

Considering house music has become so popular, do you fear the genre will ever get too saturated? Played out?

Definitely. Everything does. It’s just the natural evolution of music and popularity.

New genres start in the underground, as a way of doing something different than the rest. People latch on and it gains popularity, all the way till the point in which it becomes mainstream. The saturation with dance music however, seems to be unlike any other genre bubble in the past.Any one, at any age, can download some music production software and samples and learn to produce their own music.

They can assemble mixes of their favorite songs using computer software, and put it all on a DJ fan page on Facebook. It is no longer a challenge to become a dj because all you need to do is upload some pictures, give yourself a clever name, and ask your friends to like your page.This has super-saturated the market, almost to the point of it being a joke. However, we believe it only helps the cream rise to the top. The truly talented will always get noticed, almost more rapidly in contrast to the less talented. Look at the prodigies we have seen rise due to the ease of entry coupled with true, raw talent… Madeon, Alesso, Porter Robinson.

Between the champagne spray and the other onstage antics, was

crowd interaction something you guys deliberately emphasized or was that something that just happened organically? DJs aren’t exactly known for being so intimate with the crowd...

We went to countless shows and would watch the DJ stand up there and turn knobs.We were always front and center at every show, and although we had fun, we knew it could be way better.

At every show, we make it a point to point-out people in the crowd, acknowledge their existence, and their contribution to the party! I’ll get on the mic and give a shout out to the party people dancing their asses off in the front, the baller dropping 10k on bottles of Ace of Spades, and even the old guy rocking an oversized cowboy hat and an undersized speedo at the Palms Pool. It’s all about the party that we create together. I tell everybody, “It’s a lot like sex, it’s only as good as you wanna make it.” When the crowd is into it, we’re into it, and the place goes off!

You guys are anchoring the GhostBar Day Club residency.

Partying during the daytime is a tough draw but you guys pack it out. How do you do it? What do you need to do to make a party crack while the sun is still out in Sin City?

Luckily for us, people in Vegas want to party no matter what time of day it is.

We are also lucky enough to be working with such a rad marketing team like the N9ne Group. Combining these two factors with a loyal fan base, and a killer venue and it all just works out.

As DJs you guys seem to be on the cusp of becoming the next house hold name - any of this surreal to you guys? Between living out of suitcases and hopping flights across the country, does any of this make you ever step back and go, “whoa.”

(Laughs) Yeah, definitely. It’s funny because it has all happened so fast that everything starts to seem normal. If that makes sense. At first, we were wide eyed at every new thing that was put in front of us, from Hollywood mega clubs packed with girls, to free bottles and limos, and VIP everything. But just like anything else, if you are exposed to any stimulus enough, you start to get used to it.You become desensitized.

Sometimes it’s easy to take things for granted… but then we bring friends out with us and see their reactions, and you realize how lucky you truly are. It’s almost like working at Disneyland and taking your kid with you, because you work at the happiest place on Earth, it all seems normal, until you get to see the joy in their eyes. It’s like you are experiencing it again for the first time.

We wake up everyday and still can’t believe it’s all real. www.SexPantherDJS.com | www.N9neGroup.com

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SKINNIEScene

BassJackers@Yost Theater

INDEX

LOS ANGELES

LAS VEGAS

ORANGE COUNTY

SAN DIEGO

INLAND EMPIRE

p.038 Weekly Club Listings

p.040 Weekly Club Listings

p.042 Weekly Club Listings

p.046 Weekly Club Listings

p.050 Weekly Club Listings

Calendar Club Pictures

Calendar Club Pictures

Calendar Club Pictures

Calendar Club Pictures

Calendar Doggie Spa Corona

To Receive Updates on Skinnie Scene Club Listings or To Submit Your Events, E-mail: Update@skinniemagazine.com to be Added to Our Weekly Skinnie E-blasts.

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Los angelesSkinniescene

Photos Courtesy of Jeremy Wassink of Eventvibe.com

LA CALENDAR

12/13 OneRepublic @ Hollywood Palladium

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium

Cosmic Gate @ Palladium

12/21 Joe Rogan @ The Wiltern 12/22 The Vandals Annual Christmas Formal @ House of Blues 12/23 Far East Movement @ Playhouse 12/27 Reverend Horton Heat @ Fonda Theatre

12/28 Gabriel Iglesias @ STAPLES Center 12/29 Erykah Badu @Club Nokia 12/30 Cake @ The Wiltern 12/31 Kevin Hart NYE @ STAPLES Center

12/31 NYE L.A. 2013 @ Proud Bird

1/19 Pennywise @ Hollywood Palladium

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Las VegasSkinniescene

Photos Courtesy of 9Group

LV CALENDAR

12/18 Jim Breuer @ South Point Casino

Sweatin’ to the 80’s @ GBDC

Sweatin’ to the 80’s @ GBDC

Sweatin’ to the 80’s @ GBDC

Sweatin’ to the 80’s @ GBDC

Sweatin’ to the 80’s @ GBDC

Sweatin’ to the 80’s @ GBDC

Sweatin’ to the 80’s @ GBDC

Sweatin’ to the 80’s @ GBDC

Sweatin’ to the 80’s @ GBDC

Sweatin’ to the 80’s @ GBDC

12/21 End of the World Party @ Moon 12/22 Greatest Holiday Party Ever @ GBDC 12/22 Post Apocalypse Survivors Party @ The Bunkhouse 12/23 Charlie Borwn Holiday Party @ Ghostbar

12/28 Kelly Rowland @ Rain 12/23 Manufactured Superstars @ XS Nightclub 12/24 EC Twins @ Marquee 12/26 Jerry Seignfeld @ Caesars Palace 12/28-31 NYE 2013 Weekend @ Palms

12/30 The Black Keys @ The Joint

12/29 David Spade @ Venetian 01/11 Daniel Tosh @ Mirage

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Las Vegas | Skinniescene

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Skinnie magazine’s 10th anniversary party @

ghostbar day club, the palms

Photos by Alan Rivera

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Orange countySkinniescene

Photos Courtesy of Taylor Layne

OC CALENDAR

12/22 Murder City Devils @ Constellation Room

CASSETTE @ Yost

DAFT PUNK’D @ Yost

LAZERTAG @ Yost

GOGOS @ YOST

PENDULUM @ Yost

R3HAB @ Yost

TOMMY TRASH @ Yost

TRITONAL @ Yost

ZEDD @ Yost

GOGOS @ Yost

12/14 LA Riots @ Yost Theater 12/21 Sullen’s Post-Apocalyptic Christmas Party @ On the Rocks 12/22 DJ Kevin Scot @ Heat Ultra Lounge

12/27 Murs @ House of Blues Anaheim 12/22 Kotton Mouth Kings @ Grove of Anaheim 12/28 Sebasian Maniscalco @ Irvine Improv 12/29 Reverend Horton Heat @ House of Blues Anaheim 12/31 NYE Masquerade 2013 @ Yost Theater

12/31 NYE 2013 @ Heat Ultra Lounge

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Orange countySkinniescene

Vans Warped tour

@ The GREat park of irvine

Photos by Jen Reightley

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san diegoSkinniescene

Photos by Jeremy Wassink of Eventvibe.com

SD CALENDAR

12/21 End of the World Party 2012 @ Brick by Brick

Tiesto @ Valley View Casino

Tiesto @ Valley View Casino

Tiesto @ Valley View Casino

Tiesto @ Valley View Casino

Tiesto @ Valley View Casino

Tiesto @ Valley View Casino

Tiesto @ Valley View Casino

Tiesto @ Valley View Casino

Tiesto @ Valley View Casino

Tiesto @ Valley View Casino

12/20 2012 Poinsettia Bowl @ Qualcomm Stadium 12/23 A Cash’d Out Christmas @ Belly Up Tavern 12/27 Lee DeWyze @ Anthology

12/27 Zeds Dead @ House of Blues 12/31 NYE 2013 @ Hard Rock Hotel 12/31 NYE w/ Pop Vinyl @ Pala Casino 12/13 NYE Block Party 2013 @ House of Blues

01/19 Vans Warped Tour 2013@ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

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inland empireSkinniescene

IE CALENDAR Hip Affordable Pet Spa grand Opening in Corona:

Doggie Spa Corona 12/21 Hit-Boy @ The Glass House 12/21 Ending is the Beginning: Mitch Lucker Memorial Show @ Fox Theatre Pomona 12/22 Mistletoe & Mischief Christmas Bash @ Luna

11/08 L.A. Guns @ Marquee 15

12/29 Club Whiskey @ Marquee 15 12/31 NYE 2013 @ Pachanga 12/31 NYE 2013 Masquerade Ball @ Embassy Suites Ontario 1/10 Carlos Mencia @ Ontario Improv

01/17 Mike Epps @ San Manuel

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Surprise @ LUNA

Spicy Latinas @ LUNA

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