RVA #22 FALL 2015 by RVA MAGAZINE

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

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RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

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10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

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RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

RVA #22 FALL 2015 2005-2015:10 YEARS OF RVA WWW.RVAMAG.COM R. Anthony Harris + Jeremy Parker FOUNDERS Inkwell Ventures PUBLISHER John Reinhold PRESIDENT Drew Necci EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Brad Kutner, Amy David RVAMAG.COM & GAYRVA.COM Tits Mcghee CREATIVE DIRECTOR Drew Snyder ASST. DESIGNER John Reinhold, Alyse Whitcomb, Kari Grose ADVERTISING Taylor Womack ADVERTISING ASST. WRITERS Drew Necci, Shannon Cleary, Doug Nunnally, Kyle Shearin, John Reinhold, Cody Endres, Tim Wellington, Angie Huckstep, Becky Ingram, Mickeal Broth, Ryan Kent PHOTOGRAPHY Jake Cunningham, Patrick Biedrycki, Dennis Williford, BCMusic1st INTERNS Trina Zongker, Taneasha White, Matthew Chaney, Matthew S. Sporn e: hello@rvamag.com GENERAL INFORMATION e: andrew@rvamag.com EDITORIAL INFORMATION e: hello@rvamag.com DISTRIBUTION ADVERTISING p: 804.214.6350 e: john@rvamag.com e: advertising@rvamag.com SUBMISSION POLICY RVA Magazine welcomes submissions but cannot be held responsible for unsolicited material. Send all submissions to hello@rvamag.com. All submissions become property of Inkwell Design LLC. The entire content is a copyright of Inkwell Design LLC and cannot be reproduced in whole or in part without written authorization of the publisher. ONLINE Every issue of RVA Magazine can be viewed in its entirety anytime at rvamag.com/magazine. SOCIAL facebook.com/rvamag twitter.com/@rvamag instagram/rvamag rvamag.tumblr.com SUBSCRIPTION Log onto rvamag.com/magazine to have RVA Magazine sent to your home or office.

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

DISTRIBUTION Thank you to our distribution partner BioRide / bioriderva.com HEADS UP! The advertising and articles appearing within this publication reflect the opinion and attitudes of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the publisher or editors. Reproduction in whole or part without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. RVA Magazine is published quarterly. Images are subject to being altered from their original format. All material within this magazine is protected. RVA Magazine is a registered trademark of Inkwell Ventures.

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WEST END NIssan Of Richmond, Su Casa, Mekong, Taboo, The Answer, Guitar Center

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DON’T SLEEP Follow us @RVAmag Top: Bike launch at GwarBQ @dirtydirtkid Middle Left: Lauryn Hill at Richmond Jazz Festival Bottom Left: @fromdaclubhouse selfie from the Richmond Folk Festival Middle Right: UCI Bike Race @clifford007 Bottom Right: @thattallchick birthday pileup Opposite Page Top: GwarBQ @dirtydirtkid Opposite Page Bottom Bottom Left: #hitchhikers Bottom Middle: DJ Mass FX at Vintage Bottom Right: #latenightcreepers @casualthinker If you would like your photo work featured in the Don’t Sleep section -- tag us on Instagram @rvamag

RVA RVA MAGAZINE MAGAZINE 2222 || FALL FALL 2015 2015

1010 years years of of RVA RVA Magazine Magazine 2005-2015 2005-2015

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RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

RVA On Tap

THE LATEST IN Richmond BREW NEWS CHECK RVAMAG.com/rvaontap for your daily pint

Original Gravity Ready to Test Their Mettle with New Brewpub

Apocalypse’s Current Offerings Are Just The Beginning

Original Gravity has been a go-to destination for home brewers of both beer and wine in the Richmond area for some time now. It follows that the people that run a home brewing supply shop know a thing or two about brewing — now they have set out to prove that, with Final Gravity Brewing Company. As of now, Final Gravity is serving up beers adjacent to the Original Gravity shop, with a diverse slate of offerings. Current on-tap options range from more mild styles, such as their Amber Ale and Extra Special Bitter, to those for more adventurous palates, like a violet-flavored Saison and a bourbon barrelaged version of their Stout. Growler fills are available for most of their current line of brews.

Forest, Virginia’s Apocalypse Ale Works has built up a modest, but formidable reputation outside of their hometown with canned offerings like their Honey Wheat Ale, Golden Censer, and Hoppocalypse, a hoppy Imperial Red, as well as some impressive keg-only beers such as Winter Snack, a rich, spiced Stout. Later this year, the Richmond area should see even more of Apocalypse’s wifeowned, husband-brewed beer. Future canned beers include a chocolate Stout, an ESB, and a Belgian-style Blonde Ale. Coming in 22 ounce bottles is a Belgian-style Dubbel, an award-winning Strong Scottish Ale, a fusion of their chocolate stout and Winter Snack, and a Double Alt Beer (Doppel Sticke), which is a collaboration with Devil’s Backbone.

Legend Continues Urban Legend Series with “The Bleeding Nun” Our friends at Legend Brewing have a few new brews just in time for the holidays. They continue their Urban Legend series with The Bleeding Nun, a habanero-spiced oatmeal stout that should have a nice kick for those dark beer lovers. As we get closer to winter, they’ll put out their Belgian Winter White Ale, a great winter warmer using a classic Belgian yeast strain, lightly spiced. Finally, we can expect to see the popular Chocolate Porter make a return for our cold winter nights. 18 18

Hardywood’s Days Are Just Packed The last few months of this year will feature a bevy of releases from the popular brewery. In October: The rum-barrel aged variant of their spiced, Wallonian-style Farmhouse Pumpkin Ale launches on the third. A yetto-be-unveiled fourth anniversary beer will be premiered on the 24th, and the massive apple brandy barrel-aged Trickery Imperial Milk Stout will appear on Halloween. In November: The beloved Gingerbread Stout launches on the seventh. RPG IPA, a black IPA made in tribute to the Richmond-based rock band, returns on the fourteenth. December holds two Gingerbread Stout variants: the bourbon barrel-aged version comes out on the fifth, and the coffee-infused Christmas Morning on the nineteenth.

Castleburg Brewery Joins an Already Packed Scott’s Addition Hardywood is about to have a new neighbor — Castleburg Brewery and Taproom is set to open just down the road from one of Richmond’s most beloved breweries. Hopefully opening near the end of the year, Castleburg will be a nano brewery, making “beers brewed to style.” So, barrel-aged and fruited beers will be somewhat of a rarity, unless the style calls for such a thing. Though there is not much of a thematic link style-wise, names like “Watchman’s Wit” and “White Knight” (an IPA) suggest a fondness for the medieval era, and possibly beer-related history as well.

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015 RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

TRIPLE CROSSING co-owners Jeremy Wirtes & Adam Worcester Interview by John Reinhold

Triple Crossing is a brewery located on Foushee St in the heart of downtown Richmond, VA. This locally-owned establishment boasts a 7bbl brew system and a tasting room featuring a rotating selection of their homemade craft brews. We caught up with co-owners Jeremy Wirtes and Adam Worcester to get the scoop on how Triple Crossing started and what they’ve been up to. How did the idea of Triple Crossing come about? Adam: The name came from the triple crossing down in Shockoe Bottom. We have a picture of it on the wall, of the three trains crossing back in the 20’s. It’s a unique thing, the only [place] in North America where that happens. It’s this Richmond landmark and not a lot of people know about it. We thought it’d be a neat idea to name a Richmond Brewery after that. [Co-owner] Scott [Jones] and I are Richmond natives and Jeremy has lived in Richmond for several years. Jeremy: It also worked out that there are three of us. Someone else had to point that out to us; accidentally on purpose, we did that. Adam: Jeremy and I have homebrewed together for a couple years now. We talked about starting a brewery, got some ideas from some other beer companies, places out west. A lot of places at the time weren’t brewing the styles of beers we were interested in doing. We always knew the types of beers we like were available here, they just weren’t brewed here.

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015 10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

Jeremy: Anybody can make a hoppy beer, but on the local side of things, it wasn’t really happening, so it was what we wanted to do. Our focus is definitely hoppy beers of all kinds. Adam: People come in and go, “Do you have anything that’s not an IPA?” We’re like, “What for?” Jeremy: Everything from pale ales--which is what they were called in my day, not IPAs. The whole hoppy gamut, from pale ales to IPA, double IPA, to blonde barley wine, we brew in here. We won a medal at the Virginia Craft Brewers Fest, and it’s our worst selling beer of all time. People ask if we’ll do that beer again and we’re like, “Nope.” It took forever to sell--and we won the silver medal. I don’t know if people were ready for what exactly it was, because a lot of the beer people in town, including other owners, would tell us that this is really interesting and really cool, [but] it wouldn’t sell. Tell me a little bit more about your beers that are most popular, starting with Falcon Smash.

our main one. Element 79, which is our everyman’s beer, everybody’s beer. It’s a 4.5% summer ale. Adam: That was our entry-level beer, when we were new to the craft scene. We recently started using Clarityfirm, a whitelapse product, and it removes gluten from the beer. Jeremy: Gluten’s still there, but it reduces it. It’s under the 30 parts per billion required to make something gluten free. We cannot call it that, nor will we; but it’s gluten reduced-let’s call it that to be safe. We’d like to get that one nice and clear, just a 4.5% English summer ale, which is a vehicle for me to play with hops also. Any special releases going on in October? Adam: We teamed up with the Poe Museum and got a local artist, Abigail Larson, to do a design for us, so she did that and she’s done another one. Black Cat IPA. It’s an imperial red. Jeremy: Yeah, it’s a big double red--it’s like 9%, really heavy. We just love that style because when it’s fresh, they’re bitingly hoppy, but when they have age to them, even if the hops drop, it becomes more of a maltbased beer. Adam: Demon Days--that’s the one we’re launching this week--is a hoppy red ale, sort of a smaller counterpart to that other beer. That’s one of my favorite beers we’ve done, but compared to some of our other hoppy beers, it’s not done great. Jeremy: Yeah, beers like that aren’t really “in” right now, but we love them. They’re everything craft beer can be. Adam: That’s something nice about our size-we can brew beers that we want. It’s only seven barrels, so nothing sits around too long.

Adam: You could call [Falcon Smash] our flagship IPA. We do a lot of different IPAs, but Falcon Smash is what we’re best known for, primarily because it’s the only one we distribute. We tend to brew it 2-3 times per month, so we usually have it on draft. We don’t right now because we sold out of it last weekend. Jeremy: It’s really a foundation for the way I like to make beer. It’s really basic and simple, but it’s really process driven. A 100% pale ale malt, some sugar, and expressive yeast strain, usually of English origin--which we’re constantly fooling around with. Adam: Every week I’m like, “Which yeast did you use this time?” And I have no idea. Jeremy: We’re really hop and yeast driven in www.triplecrossingbeer.com here. Other popular beers [include] Nectar Knife, one of our double IPAs. We’ve done 3 different double IPAs lately, but that’s

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PLAYLIST TRACKS WORTH LISTENING TO

Titus Andronicus, “No Future Part IV: No Future Triumphant” The Most Lamentable Tragedy, Merge

The 21st century rock musical has taken several different twists and turns. Titus Andronicus’s latest addition to the form is their most ambitious effort to date, and that says a lot of a band already esteemed for their glowing ambition. This track opens the album by blending the sounds of past efforts, setting the stage for the selfloathing that awaits, and offering another installment of the band’s ongoing No Future saga. --Shannon Cleary

Bully, “I Remember” Feels Like, Startime/Columbia

This 110-second blast of rage kicks off Tennessee punk band Bully’s debut album with a roar, and tattoos itself on your brain pan by way of loud guitars and screamed lyrics from frontwoman Alicia Bognanno. Recorded by legendary producer Steve Albini, this raw tale of a jilted lover is over way too quickly to fully satisfy on first listen, but there’s an easy remedy for that--play it again. And again, and again, and again. --Tim Wellington

Tender Defender, “Hello Dirt” as-yet-untitled mini-LP, Dead Broke

Rising from the ashes of Latterman, this New York punk band’s debut single is exactly what punk music should be in 2015: a bold, political statement masquerading as a gritty pop song. The song starts off unassuming with a standard punk intro, albeit with added vigor, and then bashes you over the head with abrasive lyrics just as you get comfortable. It doesn’t stop there, as the political nature slowly unravels and the band begins to subtly sneak in discordant screams that accentuate the jarring point effortlessly. --Doug Nunnally

Dope Body, “Old Grey”

Kunk, Drag City

For a band like Baltimore’s Dope Body, sounds that are accidents for more traditional rock bands are the integral nuts and bolts of a song. “Old Grey” features consistent feedback that almost acts as percussion, crushingly distorted bass, and some sort of over-modulated guitar or keyboard creating a cartoonish wobbling sound. Until the drums and vocals come in, the song comes across as a strange collage of unrelated elements--so much so that when things coalesce, it’s almost shocking that it works. Even without lyrics like “I’m living in a trashcan,” the song would sound filthy and deranged, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. --Cody Endres

Gnarwhal, “Babes R Babes”

Shinerboy, Flannel Gurl/Exploding In Sound

Nashville’s Gnarwhal would sound incredibly impressive even if all that noise wasn’t being churned out by only two members. Fans of Hella, Crom-Tech, and Lightning Bolt are going to want to pay attention to what this maniacal duo have to offer on their latest album. “Babes R Babes” is the highly memorable centerpiece, in which a succession of intense, headbang-inspiring riffs building to a mid-song crescendo full of wild screaming and some truly dazzling drum-kit acrobatics. --Drew Necci 20 20

STUDIO NEWS Those Manic Seas have endured quite the odyssey in bringing their first full-length to fruition, but with the first single, “Outlier,” hitting the internet recently, and a release date set for the start of 2016, it looks like the wait is almost over. It took longer due to disagreements with the North Carolina label who originally planned to release the album--conflicts over sound ultimately resulted in the band buying their masters back from their label and deciding to release the album themselves. Recording for the album has been primarily done at the band’s home studio, with some assistance from John Morand at Sound Of Music, and after an improbable exchange of private messages on Instagram yielded positive results, Darren King of New Orleans band Mutemath will be coming in to mix half of the album. Look for the finished product to hit the RVA streets soon after the new year. The band known as Clair Morgan, which is fronted by the man known as Clair Morgan, have also been hard at work for quite a while on their next album, the long-awaited followup to lovely debut No Notes. After a successful Kickstarter campaign funded the band’s multiple sessions at legendary DC studio Inner Ear, they spent a significant part of the year laying down overdubs and taking care of the mixing. The finished product caught the ear of RVA’s own Egghunt Records, who’ve signed Clair Morgan (the band and the person) for the release of New Lions And The Not Goodnight. Egghunt’s jubilance about the signing shines through in their official statement: “When we heard the tracks to the new album it became abundantly clear that Clair Morgan’s next full length will most certainly be a contender for top Richmond, Virginia album of 2016!” Meanwhile, out in a shady suburban neighborhood west of the city, Jellowstone studios carries on quietly with its insanely productive studio. The latest release is from The Charles Owens Trio, a jazz combo led by saxophonist Charles Owens and featuring bassist Andrew Randazzo and drummer Devonne Harris (aka DJ Harrison) of Butcher Brown. Owens calls the new record, the result of a day-long session in the front room at Jellowstone studios last February, “beautiful, swinging, and raw.” The album, A Day With Us, will be out on Jellowstone Records on November 14, with physical release handled by their partners at Ropeadope. Mark your calendars for the official album release show, happening Tuesday, Nov. 10 at Capital Ale House!

RVA RVAMAGAZINE MAGAZINE2222| FALL | FALL2015 2015

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RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

ANT the SYMBOL Interview by Drew Necci Photos by BCMusic1st

When we first featured Ant The Symbol in RVA Magazine nearly five years ago, he was still known as Just Plain Ant. As one of the founders of the Just Plain Sounds hip hop collective, he was a young producer on the rise with a posse of talented collaborators backing him up. A lot of things have happened to Anthony Gillison since those days; some good, some bad, all inspiring to his highly productive muse. These days, Just Plain Sounds is defunct and Ant The Symbol is going it alone, but the spring 2015 release of The King Of Nothing, his first full-length since the end of JPS, gave him a new lease on life. Since then, he’s stayed busy--remastering and reissuing older work, cranking out EPs and beat tapes, putting together beats for his next album, and delving into new projects featuring live instrumentation, multimedia production, and… maybe even film? One thing’s for sure--Ant The Symbol has a lot going on. We sat down with him a few weeks ago to get the details. When you started producing, who were your inspirations? Usually everybody has this long list of inspirations but I had exactly three that got me to start producing. They were J-Dilla, 9th Wonder, and RJD2. J-Dilla’s just like, how soulful his stuff was. 9th Wonder came from listening to Little Brother’s The Listening, which is an incredible album. Hearing how his production was also very soulful, but he ended up putting together this very funny story, with very good lyrics. Not to say J-Dilla wasn’t an amazing producer--he was! He’s one of the best. But something about The Listening just hit me a certain way, where I was like “This is what a producer should be doing!” RJD2, it was his versatility. Everybody else’s first album they heard by him was Deadringer-mine was Since We Last Spoke. He did all this amazing rock-influenced stuff [on that album]. It still had soul influence in there, but the versatility of it was amazing.

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

You became Ant The Symbol after JPS split I’m thinking about music that I’m gonna up. What was the inspiration behind the make. Music is my paradise. If something’s bothering me, if somebody’s nagging me, name Ant The Symbol? if there’s something in my life that’s really I was just listening to Prince one day, trying fucking with my head, I can remove myself to figure out what my next move would be. from that situation via music. So I can’t I was [thinking], “Prince up and left Warner really help but be productive. Bros because they weren’t doing him right. He was like, ‘I’m not even gonna be a name, Right, so getting back to you thinking Just I’m gonna be a symbol.’ But I can’t draw, Plain Ant Is Gone would be your last album... so I can’t be a symbol.” If somebody asked I can’t see you walking away from it. me what my name was and I drew them a picture, they’d go, “So your name is stupid I can’t see me walking away from it either. Everybody has those moments where they little scribble-line.” [laughs] feel apprehensive about what they do. I’m But you do have that ant logo you’ve been no different. I see different people around me that are getting all this praise, and using. sometimes I feel like I’m in the same place Yeah, I was lucky. Mike Gregoire, the I was 8 years ago. It can get frustrating. founder of BlocSonic, the label I release But at the end of the day, there’s no way in music through sometimes, was like, “I hell you’re going to be able to pull yourself actually have a logo for you.” He sent it to away from something if you’re passionate me, and I was blown away by it. Every album about it. I’m definitely passionate about that I’ve released so far, I don’t even put my it! I remember when I first heard “Bonita name on it. My name’s not on any of the Applebum” by A Tribe Called Quest when covers, it’s just the logo. So at the end of the I was four years old, and feeling a certain day, it kind of did end up like [Prince]--that way about it. I’m not trying to do this for a career. I’m not gonna do what’s popular at symbol is everywhere. the time, because everybody else is into it. What happened with the end of JPS, anyway? I’ll dabble in it, because I think trends are interesting. I was in advertising in college, I felt like everything with JPS was becoming so of course, seeing how to sell something really dissonant, and everybody was to somebody is another part of me. But I’m starting to clash with each other--too not gonna remove myself from what I know. many disagreements, people were starting I’m gonna do it my way. I’m gonna go ahead to leave, and it was starting to cramp my and say it--most other rappers out here are creativity. So I did a whole bunch at one doing it because it’ll get them money. It’ll time. I released what was supposed to be get them attention. It’ll get them respect. my album The Talented Mr. Thunderknuckles. I don’t care about money--I have a 9 to 5 A lot of that did not [get finished], but I did for that. I don’t care about attention--I’m have 8 tracks. I got really frustrated one really introverted. And respect is something day, and dropped it as Just Plain Ant Is Gone. you shouldn’t have to try for. If you’re a I didn’t even announce it, I just put it up on respectable person, you’ll get respect. So the internet. I was almost positive that was having to try to get those three things is no gonna be my very last album, because things concern of mine. had just not panned out. And this wasn’t the first time things hadn’t panned out. At the Tell me about the first three EPs you released end of the day, I just needed that change. I as Ant The Symbol: I’m Not Them, Act needed to find that person I became as Ant Natural, and Go It Alone. The Symbol. That independence has given That was a really dark point in my life. That everything a whole different feel. was right when JPS split up and I had just I feel like you’re a really productive guy. If become Ant The Symbol. A whole bunch of you go home and you don’t have anything to crazy stuff was happening in my personal life at the time, which just made me shut do, you’re thinking about making beats. everybody out. I call that trilogy the Isolation Even when I have things to do, I’m thinking Trilogy, because that’s what I did--I isolated about making beats. [laughs] Like at my myself. I didn’t really come out of that desk at work, I’m listening to bullshit these isolation until the beginning of this year. But customers tell me. When they’re yelling at that point I was able to perfectly express at me about medications they can’t get, how that isolation and, yes, depression felt. 25

I’m Not Them was me removing the facade that everything was all good, struggling with how dark what was underneath that facade was, and being liberated by removing that facade. Act Natural was very electronic and kind of techno, and that’s for a very good reason. I’ve never been a club person, I’ve never liked crowds, I’ve never liked a whole bunch of people dancing and running into me and stuff. But I tried it that summer, just to perhaps dig myself out of a funk. Maybe something different was necessary. But it ended up making me feel even more suffocated, even more tense. It ended up resulting in me going even deeper into isolation. And then Go It Alone was just like... I need space. Let me be, and I’ll be back a better person. I think that Go It Alone was the perfect segue into The King Of Nothing. Go It Alone was isolation to find understanding. The King Of Nothing was the manifestation of that understanding. What was your motivation to do that album? When I came out of that period of deep depression, I felt better--I felt like the king of something. But what was I the king of? I’m not the king of anything, I just feel renewed, and like nobody could bring me down from where I’ve gotten. 26

I feel like this is a dark interview, by the way. [laughs] Because my life is not, “We’re gonna get bottles of Hennessy and pour it over bitches and shit”--taking pictures on Instagram at a bar with two bottles of Patron. I don’t even drink Patron, man. I just go and sit in the house, watch a movie and drink a beer or something.

You’ve also done a bunch of reissues lately.

Yeah. I just finished the beats for it this week. The album should be out midwinter. Some people I’ve never worked with before, some of the usual suspects.

Absolutely. I feel like at one time I was releasing too much. I’m trying to be more careful with that nowadays, because I want people to be able to grasp and absorb

Yeah, I did a reissue of [albumtitle] and put it up on Spotify. I’m really glad that I’ve kept working with Ableton, because I finally got everything to sound the way I want it to. That’s why I’m doing these reissues. I’m sitting here listening to these things, thinking, “Wow, I really did not have mixing King Of Nothing is the first real album under down the way that I want to.” And now that the name Ant The Symbol. [It’s] me in I do, and I hear the way they sound with this new transformed version of myself. I my knowledge now, I want people to hear was able to be like, “This is the sound I’m this exactly the way I wanted it to be heard, going for, and I’m not willing to bargain it with the prowess that I’ve gained. I’ve got for anything. I know people that’ll be down three or four more that I’ve done that I with it, I’m going to get them to help me haven’t released yet, but I’m thinking about bring this sound together.” And it did come releasing. They’re all instrumental projects, together exactly the way I wanted it to. but I definitely want to get these things reI didn’t have to water anything down. The released with the proper sonic appreciation King Of Nothing is the start to optimism. they deserve. It’s the start of turning the understanding into being grateful for the darkness. That’s On a mental and emotional level, do you feel where the next album, Clockwise, comes in. like the coming out of the darkness that King Of Nothing represented might be a renewal Is that something you’re putting together of your career that has inspired you to go back to this old stuff and try and rework it? now?

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

everything. Every little release that I do has a purpose, and I want anybody that’s a fan of my music to see that purpose, to feel that emotion I’m putting out there. I feel like I have a lot more clear thoughts that I want to put out there, and people would definitely be able to relate, especially if they listen to the albums in sequence. I know I’m not the only one that’s going through the things that I’ve gone through.

it. Reggie Pace and I talked about making something happen, [and] soon he and I are gonna talk about making this thing come together. Get a bunch of singers, get a bunch of different instruments--there are so many people around here who play different instruments, [and] I definitely want my favorite instrumentalists in the city on it. This is the album that I want to define me. I have no idea when this one’s gonna come out, but it’s something I want to do diligently. I want people to go, “Wow, he’s way more than we thought he was before” when they listen to it.

them. So that’s gonna be a main thing until I get this multi-genre project going.

Beyond that, there’ve been hints that you’re looking at branching out into live instrumentation. What’s going on with that?

Also, with this being a multimedia thing, I want to get a camera, start doing short films. Film is something I’ve always been really interested in. I want to start that by the time I turn 30. That’ll give me time to save up some money, get it going. There’s not a single album I’ve made that I haven’t come up with an image in my head for the entire thing. I wanted to do a short film for I’m Not Them. It never came to fruition, because you have all these ideas that you’re just not ready for. That’s the struggle of [I’m also] starting... not necessarily a label, being a young artist. I was so hungry. I’ve but a production/distribution/multimedia heard people say that hunger can be a gift company called Five Leaf Media. The and a curse; you end up starting all these premiere release off of that label will be ideas and not going through with them. Graphic Antics, a collaboration between Now I’m just trying to go back and do those Graphic Melee and myself. He’ll be rhyming things. on the whole thing, I’ll produce the whole thing. It’s insane. It’s not relaxed, it’s not antthesymbol.bandcamp.com

I’ve been working on different demos, just composing them myself. You never know how creative you are until you set the mind to do something completely out of your comfort zone. I have 15 demos right now, [and] all 15 of them sound different. It’s amazing! I just need the time to work on

contemplative--I didn’t make the beats wanting to be some kind of conscious deep-minded thing, I just wanted to make something completely out there for him to just spazz on lyrically. It’s really fast paced, it’s really loud, and it’s amazing. I’m also working with several different artists on the beginning stages of albums I’ll produce for

So what is coming up next? I have Clockwise coming out in the winter from Blocsonic. It’s the calm after the storm. It’s really laid back. You wouldn’t ride down the street with the windows down letting the bass pump. It’s relaxing to listen to. It’s definitely a winter album.

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

RVARVA MAGAZINE MAGAZINE 21 | 22Summer | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

Hot DOLPHIN By Shannon Cleary Photos by Jake Cunningham

It’s an obnoxiously hot night in the city of Richmond, but the weather doesn’t prevent the city’s inhabitants from coming together to celebrate the local music scene. An eclectic bill at Strange Matter has drawn a large, boisterous crowd that spills out the door. Brief Lives have just wrapped up; smoke breaks in front of the venue are accompanied by excited conversations, reflecting the growing anticipation for the next band to take the stage. The heralded group, Hot Dolphin, have created a reputation for themselves through exuberant and intense performances unlike anything else in Richmond today. When Hot Dolphin truly slays it, it’s practically a religious experience.

Hot Dolphin played their first show in 2012. The audience was eager to see their debut performance and the band didn’t disappoint. Their set featured a nice balance of new material and staples from the yesteryears of The Color Kittens. Hot Dolphin began performing regularly around town over the next few months. “When we started the band, we were discovering that it was a bit difficult to get shows around town. This led to us agreeing to play the majority of shows that were offered to us,” Hancock says. “Playing out that much helped us figure out our sound pretty quickly,” Falen adds. “For me, that’s always the fun part of being in a band that is starting practically from scratch. The trial and error of figuring out in a live room.”

As Hot Dolphin became a more seasoned band, Falen and Hancock were becoming one of the strongest rhythm sections in town. Their choice in varying rhythms and clever fills would certainly challenge the local music community. Barrow’s penchant for noisy garage rock and howling into the pick-ups of his guitar during particular songs Hot Dolphin started as most bands do in helped contribute to the band’s frantic live this city. After the breakup of their previous performances--as did the lack of breaks band, The Color Kittens, guitarist Robert between songs, never giving audiences a Barrow and bassist Alison Hancock were chance to catch their breath. performing as the duo Tyrannosaurus Awesome. Despite the fun nature of the And then there’s Lindsey Spurrier. Anytime guitar/drum duo, they felt a lingering Hot Dolphin comes up in conversation, desire to do something louder, and began Spurrier’s performances are mentioned discussing options for how to make that quickly. Her onstage antics, which often happen. “Robert and I were leaning towards involved venturing into the audience midwanting to get a bigger sound, and it was just performance to ramp up the energy, set the something that the two of us [by ourselves] bar high. As frontwoman, Spurrier becomes wouldn’t be able to pull off,” Hancock says. the possessed ringleader that completes The two were quick to find Texas transplant the Hot Dolphin equation, ensuring fun Tim Falen, who’d moved here with desert- is had by all and guaranteeing a rapidly psych band The Diamond Center, for whom growing base of fans who eagerly attend as he played a standup drum kit. “Robert and many Hot Dolphin shows as they can. Alison wondered if I’d be down for starting a band,” Falen says. “My only requirement The band set out to record debut EP was that I could play drums sitting down.” Hotter Dolphiner in early 2013. Outside of his musical commitments, Falen has The trio began rehearsing songs Barrow and seasoned recording chops, which led to him Hancock had originally worked on as a duo. engineering recordings of bands all across At this point, they were still not certain as town and made it easy for him to record to what direction the band was going to this first official set of songs by the band. take. This is where singer Lindsey Spurrier The release, featuring fan favorites like “In came in. “Tim and I had just moved in Between” and “Lady Werewolf,” showcases together and he would mention how he was the band’s garage rock sensibilities, and off to play music with Robert and Alison,” its lo-fi quality suits the group. Hotter she relates. “My initial reaction was, ‘Tim is Dolphiner was released on cassette by Bad going off to play music with two of my best Grrrl Records, a label featuring an eclectic friends--I just want to be there.’ Eventually, number of Richmond acts such as Fat Spirit, I was invited to come hang out, and it slowly Tungs, White Laces, and The Milkstains, became an opportunity to be in a band with among others. The label was founded by some of my favorite people.” 30

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

Tungs’ Ben Miller, who would later be joined on staff by Falen, who helped engineer the recordings and assist in cassette manufacturing. Soon after releasing Hotter Dolphiner, the band was approached by North Carolina label Negative Fun Records about releasing a single on the label. “I was playing with Hoax Hunters at the time, and [that band] was in talks with Negative Fun about releasing a full-length with them,” Falen says. “[Negative Fun owner] Chris Defusco started checking out a few other bands in town, and was pretty excited about working with us.” The single, which was eventually released as part of Negative Fun’s 2014 Singles Club series (also featuring an EP by RVA’s own Positive No), would feature two new songs, “Bodysnatcher” and “Paint Dry,” and an old Color Kittens tune entitled “Cat Sweaters.” “We have moved away from playing a lot of the Color Kittens songs that [originally] stuck around in our set, but ‘Cat Sweaters’ has always been a blast to play,” Hancock says. The band’s assocation with Negative Fun not only resulted in an EP and increased regional attenion, but even led to them making an appearance at last year’s Hopscotch Festival as part of a daytime label showcase. Things were looking bright for the group until Barrow announced to the group that he was planning on departing. This put a lot of things on hold. “When Robert told us that he was planning on leaving Hot Dolphin, we were supportive of the decision and started to think of what the continuation of the band would be,” Spurrier adds. It wouldn’t be easy to replace Barrow. His unbridled energy on stage and creative approach to songwriting certainly helped in shaping the Hot Dolphin sound. Thankfully, a short search led the band to a fairly obvious choice replacement, drawn from their close-knit network within the Richmond music scene. Ben Miller was obviously a fan of the group from the get go--after all, he’d released their first EP. “I remember seeing early shows of the band and really liking it. It seemed like they quickly came into their own,” Miller says. “It came up that they were going to need a guitarist, and I was immediately interested.” Miller’s first show with the band happened early in 2015 and the dynamic of the group changed in a fascinating way. “Robert and Ben have two really different approaches to playing guitar, and they both fit with the Hot Dolphin sound,” explains 32

Falen. “With Ben, we found that he engaged us to really start writing a bunch of new material. That was exciting to all of us.” Their latest material definitely represents a new approach for the band. “Whenever you are writing together and you have four unique perspectives [on] what music appeals to them, there is always going to be a crazy mix of ideas at play,” Hancock says. “It’s inevitably going to make some songs a bit stranger than others, but I don’t think Hot Dolphin has ever really been an easy band to pinpoint,” Falen adds. “You are looking at four people that come from a bunch of different scenes, whether that’s pop-punk or metal or hardcore, and finding the balance between all of those genres.” As the band grows used to their new lineup, Spurrier sees a shift in the band. “We played a show with Screaming Females a few months back, and Marissa [Paternoster] even mentioned that a lot of our songs seemed to come from a darker place.” “In the past, [we had] songs that Robert or I would bring in, and they would be pretty figured out up to that point,” Hancock says. “With these new songs, we are figuring them out from scratch.” In spite of all the upheaval, though, Hot Dolphin remains a band driven by strength and confidence. “I think the last year for the band has been a challenge and a lot of our new songs reflect that,” Spurrier says. “It got to a point where for me personally, I wasn’t as concerned about how people would react to the songs. I wanted to make sure we were still having fun as a band and that the songs we were working on were the songs that we wanted to be writing.” “That’s always been the weird nature of the band,” Falen adds. “It feels like we could be running full speed ahead and possibly on the brink of self-imploding. Part of that energy is what drives the band to still be a band though.” “We’re also getting older and just trying to figure out what our expectations as a band are,” Hancock chimes in. “Do we want to be touring? When we get around to making a full-length, what are our goals for that? It’s what you can expect when you have been a band for a while.” Despite looking ahead with uncertain eyes, Hot Dolphin have always thrived in these sorts of circumstances. “Even if we are all coming from different places, we are all still drawn to this project, and that enthusiasm is what keeps us afloat,” Hancock says. “The songs that we have done in this band are RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

easily some of my favorite that I have been a part of,” Falen adds. “I have no clue what the future holds for this band, outside of us working on this new material and seeing where it leads for us next,” Spurrier says. “If it were to all end tomorrow, I think we would all say that we are grateful that people took a second to be a part of this thing.” Throughout their existence, Hot Dolphin has remained a band best explained through their live performances. Every Hot Dolphin fan has their own unique experience of being blown away while watching them play. Their overwhelming performances have made them one of the most beloved bands to appear on the local scene over the past couple of years. They are a band to dance to. They are a band to drink to. They are a band many strive to equal. But in the end, there’s only one Hot Dolphin, and Richmond’s music scene is better for having them in it. www.facebook.com/hotdolphinband 10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

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RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

Ben White, Benjah Photography

RICHMOND MURAL PROJECT 2015

Interviews by R. Anthony Harris | Intro by Drew Necci

This summer saw the return of the Richmond Mural Project for its fourth annual installment of amazing new public art pieces around the city. The new murals created by the project this summer brings the total amount of walls painted by worldrenowned artists under the auspices of the RMP to somewhere around 75. This year’s contributors included creators from all over the world, including Singapore’s Clog Two and Inkten, Berlin’s James Bullough, New York’s Jerkface, and for the first time, an artist hailing from within the Richmond city limits: Nils Westergard. We had the opportunity to speak to many of the muralists during their RVA visits, and without further ado, we here present some memorable excerpts from several of those chats, as well as full interviews with D*Face and Nils Westergard. Thank you to Shane Pomajambo of the Art Whino family, this project wouldn’t be possible without you. Thank you VCU, VMFA, Altria, Sabai and Richmond City for its support. Thank you to the artists - MOYA, Jerkface, Nils, Inkten, Clog Two, Caraotes, Taylor White, Onur Dinc, James Bullough, Evoca1, D*Face and Steve of Rebel Alliance. Thank you to our volunteers this year and everyone who came out to support the project - thank you so much! So proud to be a part of making this happen. - Tony 36

Caratoes Hong Kong 1814 E Main Street

Clog Two & Inkten Singapore 2007 W Broad St 2922 Park Ave 600 N Sheppard Street 2400 W Main Street

D*Face England 180 N 7th Street

Evoca1 Dominican Republic 727 W Clay Street

James Bullogh Germany 620 N Lombardy

Jerkface New York, NY 801 West Clay St. 807 West Clay 1613 W Main St 301 S Pine Street

Nils Westergard RIchmond, VA 1533 Floyd Ave 312 Goshen St

Onur DINC Switzerland 1601 W Main Street

Taylor White North Carolina 19 South Belmont Ave 100 S Addison St Full listing at rvamurals.com Photos from #RMP2015 #RichmondMuralProject @ArtWhino + @RVAmag RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

Ben White, Benjah Photography

clog two singapore

You and InkTen are in a relationship. Did that start before you got into murals? Did you get into it together? How did that work?

“... It was always conflicting. But I learned how to give and take. She’s more graphic futurism with abstract works, and I’m more dramatic with my paintings. ...”

Both of us started off eleven years ago. I met Ink at a graffiti competition. I was a judge and she was a competitor. She didn’t win, but we both stayed in contact with each other. Five years ago we got together and got engaged, and we have been doing murals together as a collaborative work [ever since], but our collaboration gives [the appearance of] the I’m asking you more about your relationship right now because you’re the only painters I work of a single artist. know who are partnered up with somebody like Oh wow, so she was very supportive when you that. Do you ever conflict at all with ideas? Do you go back and forth with what was easy and transitioned to doing murals. what wasn’t? Yeah, she’s the one who encouraged me to stop working and “do what you love,” putting At first it wasn’t. There was a lot of back 200% into my work instead of 60% into my and forth with this idea and that idea. It was always conflicting. But I learned how to give work. and take. She’s more graphic futurism with Was she doing murals before you were doing abstract works, and I’m more dramatic with my paintings. From there we tried to evolve. It murals? was a difficult process to find our vision and Yes, she has been doing murals for the past the ideas beyond that, but we were not scared eleven years. She stopped for a while to go of trying new stuff. to school and now she is a graphic designer. We met again about five years ago and started @clog_two @inkten doing murals together. 10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

James Bullough berlin, germany

Let’s talk about the style you’ve developed. A lot of people can do realism; when did you start thinking about breaking up the image and sliding it around? I think every artist--and I’ve talked to a lot--[finds themselves on] a journey to try and find your style. It’s like being a writer. Everyone can write stuff, but you want have a signature style. Everyone wants to have their own voice, but you also don’t want to try and come up with some gimmick that’ll make you different. You just have to work and work, and maybe you’ll stumble on something, [or] you’ll naturally develop something that people will recognize in your work. For me I was working for a couple years with another artist in Berlin. We would do portraiture, but I would do one part and he would do the other part. I had unmasked a few of these drawings that were super realistic portraits with little bits missing--because those pieces, he would fill in later. But then I started to really dig the way they looked, these portraits with missing parts, so I started exploring that in my own work and doing a whole series of girls with little pieces missing. I still dig that, and I still do that every once in a while. 38

“...I started to really dig the way they looked, these portraits with missing parts, so I started exploring that in my own work and doing a whole series of girls with little pieces missing. I still dig that, and I still do that every once in a while. But then I got the idea-instead of removing parts, what if I just moved them? So I began sliding and shifting parts of the portrait...”

But then I got the idea--instead of removing parts, what if I just moved them? So I began sliding and shifting parts of the portrait. It was one of those lightbulb moments; I did it s couple times and I was like, “Yo, this is dope.” So I started playing with it. It seems like it would be easy to just take it like a puzzle and move some pieces around, but it’s a lot more difficult than that, because you can move a portrait around ten different ways and nine of them could look terrible. Then you hit one, and you’re like, “Ooh, that’s nice.” The wall I did here in Richmond is by far the most complex [of] anything I’ve ever done in studio or for the public. Because of the size and scale and the location of the wall, I wanted to go crazy. I dissected and distorted this image so much that it was a real challenge, even looking at my photo reference, trying to figure out where I painting in the image. But when you step back and cross the street and look at it, it all makes sense. Which is what I was going for. @james_bullough

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

Ben White, Benjah Photography

“... The youngest boys served as drummers & served very important roles during the Civil War. In the noise and confusion of battle, it was often impossible to hear the officers’ orders, so each order was given a series of drumbeats to represent it. Both soldiers and drummers had to learn which drumroll meant “meet here” ,“attack now”, “retreat” and all the other commands of battlefield and camp...” taylor white north carolina

In your work, there’s a lot of tension. Some physical body parts, but it seems more like a mental struggle put on a wall. Yeah, I think that does make sense. I like the idea of playing with movement, finding that tension point, and then stretching those as much as possible. It’s a play with the personal struggle and the spiritual struggle, the finding of the self. The struggle against the narratives that we tell ourselves. It can just be a matter of “When I said that thing to that guy, this is what he was thinking.” And you build up this whole idea about what just happened, when from that other person’s perspective, it’s completely not accurate. Then you go through your whole life being like, “I’m not the type of person who would do a mural like that. It would be so cool to do that but that’s not who I am.” Well, who says? The author of the story you just told yourself. I think it’s a large part, the torturous part, of the human condition, where [we] get defined by the narratives [we create for ourselves]. I like to play with that. I think the ropes thing that I’ve been doing lately [is] honestly just [that] I like the way the movement flows through them, but they can [also] be a metaphor for self conflict.

EVOCA1

dominican republic

In his own words: Soooo this was the most difficult and the most interesting mural I have done to date for the #richmondmuralproject Thank you @evoca1 for the memories. Thank you Laura and Randy as well. “Glory” | Civil War Union drummer boy. Painted in Richmond, VA located at 727 W. Clay Street Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America during the majority of the Civil War. The Civil War is sometimes called “The Boys’ War,” because so many soldiers who fought were still in their teens. The rule in the Union Army was that soldiers had to be 18 to join, but many younger boys answered “I’m over 18, sir,” when the recruiter asked. The youngest boys served as drummers & served very important roles during the Civil I see that. I imagine you looking through your War. In the noise and confusion of battle, it was often impossible to hear the officers’ orders, so stuff like keeping a journal. Like a trail of each order was given a series of drumbeats to represent it. Both soldiers and drummers had to thoughts you left all over the world. learn which drumroll meant “meet here” ,“attack now”, “retreat” and all the other commands of battlefield and camp. When the drummer boys weren’t needed for sounding calls, they walked Yeah, it’s great. I try to break those stories around the battlefield looking for the wounded and brought them to medical care. In 1865 open. Nothing is true. You can’t say, “This is the city finally fell to Union forces. Confederate troops were ordered to evacuate, destroying the work that I do, and this is who I am.” “I bridges and burning supplies they could not carry, with large portions of the city destroyed by can’t, I won’t, I shouldn’t…” All of that stuff fires set during the evacuation. The retreat of the Confederate soldiers marked the beginning of that rattles through your head sometimes the end of slavery. Lincoln’s ‘Emancipation Proclamation” became effective in ALL states. The when you’re afraid. proclamation declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.” @taylurk @evoca1 10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

James Bullough berlin, germany

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

D*FACE Interview by R. Anthony Harris | Story by Becky Ingram

“My older daughter said, ‘Daddy, if you’re famous, why do people not stop and take photos of you in the street? If you’re famous, why is it if you come to a restaurant, there are no people with cameras, like a true paparazzi star?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m not really famous. But then when you get into the art world, I’m fairly well-known in the street-art world. That’s why there’s people who want to get things signed… and that’s why nobody really knows who I am when I walk around the streets. It’s perfect.’” London graffiti artist D*Face (a twist on the word “deface”) is said to be the modernday, angst-filled Roy Lichtenstein with a more perverse artistic style. He crosses boundaries with his work to challenge American commodification, political tactics, and relationship tension. His artistic style is viewed as both aesthetically pleasing and humorous, but has a message that requires one to think in an analytical way about society and what it truly has to offer. We’re lucky to have had him in the city for the Richmond Mural Project.

stickers, whatever. The mural movement is not connected to that. Historically, murals were painted before graffiti and street art, so you can just say it’s a resurgence of something that has already existed.” “I don’t really think the muralists shouldn’t have done street art--I don’t think there should be any rules to most things,” he continued. “They come in from different angles and they’ve got a different game as well. People are coming in from a fine art background, or a portfolio illustrative background, but that’s cool. They’re bringing something up. It’s not what I do, but they’re making something interesting in the street that I’d like to see. So I think there is a place for the murals, in that respect. It’s art. There is no particular right or wrong.”

D*Face gained recognition soon after the public began to recognize the work of infamous street artist Banksy, at a moment in which street art was seen as a fashionable new movement of untraditional art. After D*Face’s first solo gallery show in 2006, his recognition took him While he was in town, D*Face told us about by surprise. “Banksy was kickin’ up a storm his street-art journey and his views on the then,” said D*Face. “For me, 2006 was still the progressive mural movement. “A lot of people early days--[not] so much in the enthusiasm who do murals have no connection to street or the interest, but it was definitely the early art and have never done anything illegal at days in people buying. People would come to all,” said D*Face. “Street art, to me, has its the shows and dig the work, but they wouldn’t roots in painting illegally. Painting, posting buy the canvases. They were still viewing it as 10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

something that was a fad; something that was in the spray paint store, and they’re like, ‘Do interesting, something that was like graffiti, you want to do a show here?’” but they didn’t see it as having a real art value. So when I did my show in 2006, I took a risk.” This early experience with showing his work in a gallery left D*Face with some less than “I remember literally having hung all the show positive feelings about art galleries in general. and being exhausted and being like, ‘Well, I’m “It was a group show. This was the first time going to go get something to eat and get a that I’ve been in a show, and I didn’t really like beer’ and I walked up the road,” he continued. what I was doing,” he explained. “I didn’t like “As I came back with my food, there were a the work that I was getting into; it was very bunch of people waiting outside. I was like, directly related to the work I was doing in the ‘What are they queuing up for? That’s fucking street. There wasn’t anything clever about weird.’ There are a couple stores there, so I it--it was characters on canvases, and it just was wondering if there was a training release felt wrong. For me, at that time, I didn’t see or something at a store. I said to someone, my work as art in a gallery environment. I felt ‘What are you queuing up for?’ And he said, like when you put it in a gallery environment it ‘Oh, it’s the D*Face Show.’ He obviously didn’t changes the context of it, and as such, it was know who I was at that point because I was unsuccessful.” very secretive about my anonymity. But I was like, ‘Alright!’ and I walked off. I was like, ‘This He went on to explain why he didn’t feel that his “traditional graffiti mentality” worked is fucking nuts.’” in a gallery context. “The reason why I’ve It’s no doubt that D*Face’s art has recognizable always tried to keep myself separate from elements of eerie pop art, but there is more the galleries is because I feel like a gallery to his dysfunctional characters than meets should exist on its own merits, be able to the eye. “It’s about romance,” he said. “You perform and do its own thing, without having can look at the paintings and think they’re a its attachment always seem upon myself,” he physical representation of death, or you can continued. “I didn’t want people to be like, ‘Oh, look at them and think they’re a massive, it’s D*Face’s gallery,’ ‘It’s a street art gallery,’ horrible representation of someone not being because I didn’t want it to just show street art. around. That person may be physically gone, I wanted to be able to show every genre of art but they also might be around but not part that we felt was applicable to what we’re into of your life. So as in, ‘you’re dead to me,’ but in the gallery.” you’re not actually physically dead, you’re just not part of my life. You can read them that way In the last decade, the prevalence of social as well, but they are predominantly about love, media has made D*Face’s murals more romance, bad relationships, exciting moments conspicuous than ever before. “People in relationships, and basically the human don’t know where it is, for the most part,” nature of struggling to figure out what you’re said D*Face. “So really, the picture is more trying to do when someone else isn’t there. It’s important than the physicality of the location. a thing that everyone can relate to--even a kid For me, it was always about location, because you wanted people to see it. So when people relates to romance.” were putting stuff up on the street illegally, you His entrance into the world of street art didn’t would pick the spot that had high visibility. I necessarily stem from such lofty artistic still have that mentality. I want more people to ambitions, though. “For me, street art was just see it. I don’t want to paint in the back street, I a way of putting stuff out in the street, and a want to paint in the high street. The bigger the release from boredom,” said D*Face. “That’s wall, the better. The bigger the poster I put up, the running reason why I did it. If someone the better.” would have said to me, ‘Don’t do that, you can’t paint a building,’ I would have gone D*Face’s largest mural to date, painted on the and painted the building, but those options facade of the Garcia Lorca Secondary School weren’t there. So I found my own ways and for the Maus Malaga Urban Art Event in means to get my work out into the public. I Malaga, Spain, has shown him what extreme would never want to come into it differently heights and extreme art can conquer when because I enjoy those early years probably the combined. “After that wall, I said I was never most of any of my years--because they were going to paint a wall bigger than this ever completely innocent. There was no beginning again. It’s massive,” said D*Face. “I don’t love heights. I’m not particularly comfortable and no end.” being up high, and when you’re up that high, Earlier in his career, D*Face hung around a you feel particularly vulnerable. It was also in spray paint shop in Barcelona, using the shop’s Spain, where things are done a Spanish way, outside walls as a canvas. It was through this which isn’t necessarily the safest of ways. But work that he attracted notice initially. “I’ve it was a certain nervousness in the beginning gone to Barcelona a lot, painting and putting of that mural, starting on that mural. You have posters up,” he said. “It had a big street-art to get your sea legs very quickly.” scene really early on. I’ve had a gallery come 42

“The thing is, you do get used to it,” continued D*Face. “Once you’ve got a technique and you’re going to paint, you walk in and you’re like ‘Let’s get it done.’ We got that done in four days. It was pretty crazy considering how big it is. In terms of doing another wall that’s bigger than that, it would have to be the right wall. I’ve been offered a wall in Brazil that’s taller than that. I always talk about height, because I’ve painted a bigger wall in terms of what would be square footage, but height is what counts for me. It’s a test of your manhood. It shows how big your balls are when you’re going up that high.” Although he’s been offered a massive wall in Brazil for a collaboration piece with another artist of his choice, D*Face feels it isn’t something he needs to do in order to feel accomplished. “I don’t know if I want to challenge myself to paint that,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s about painting bigger murals; I’m not sure that’s the answer, or where I want to go with my work anyway. The thing I really enjoy is small extensions. When we went to Vegas last year, I got a bunch of little stencils and put them around. I had more fun doing that than I did painting the mural. They were little hidden treasures, and to me, that’s the origins of what I was doing. The origin of street art was those little surprises, those little things to make someone’s day. And I’m not saying that a big mural doesn’t do that, but I’m just saying that doing 20 little stencils around the city, for me, was an exciting and interesting way of getting my work back into more of the public domain. It may be that less people see them, but maybe [they] matter more to the people that see them.” D*Face is always looking down new avenues to channel his creativity and keep things interesting. Aside from traveling around the world to paint murals and creating new pieces for his standalone clothing line, Rebel’s Alliance, he’s been curious to see how his work would translate into film. “I would want you to watch the film and be like, ‘That’s not what I expected, but it’s totally a D*Face film,’” he said. “I would want it to have no connection to street art, nothing to do with murals. I’m not interested in that at all. I want it to be a film, with a scriptwriter and a narrative that connects my paintings. I want that connection to be there, I want people to understand the synergy behind where I come from, but I’d like someone to watch it who has no idea of what I’ve done ever, has no idea of the paintings, but can still enjoy it and vibe off it. What it’s going to look like, and how I’m going to do it, is a totally different story.” Stay tuned. @dface_official

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

NILS WESTERGARD Interview by R. Anthony Harris

Nils Westergard is proud to be the first homegrown Richmond Mural Project artist. A VCU graduate, Westergard got his degree in film, but soon gained fame as a muralist, traveling extensively in Europe and leaving behind unique, colorful murals everywhere from England and France to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. Here in the US, he’s participated in the Painted Desert Project and painted several notable murals around his home city of RVA, even before getting involved in the RMP. And of course, we can’t forget that he directed Nickelus F’s unforgettable video for “GotDamnMurdah.” While his Belgian lineage and plentiful work in Europe has led many to mistakenly assume that he’s from overseas, he’s proud to represent Richmond VA wherever he goes. We caught up with Nils during the Richmond Mural Project and discussed hip hop, street art vs. muralism, and the internet’s role in modern street art culture, among many other things. How’d you get involved in the mural project? I’ve known Shane since I was 16. Shane sold the first painting I ever sold. I contacted him originally, but for the first two years I was overseas. The first year [of the mural project], Roa was painting behind my house and I’d followed him forever. I was hanging out with all those guys for the week, and thought I could do this. I started painting [murals] after that, went to Australia and Europe. This year, [Shane] wanted me to participate, so I planned my Euro-trip to end early so I could come back for this. You’ve seen the project develop; how do you feel about the murals? I do most of my work overseas, and when I travel, people ask where I’m from. I say Richmond, and they say, “The girl in the jar!” People know it for that within the scene, and the fact that people can say they know Richmond from the paintings they’ve seen online is crazy. It’s a big deal for Richmond; these murals stick out and they’re all over the place. People who live here are only starting to recognize it, but internationally within the scene it’s getting really known for that. Instagram plays a big role in that. Sure, Instagram, facebook, blogosphere, the internet… The fact of the matter is that 90 10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

% of the people who care about the work are looking at it online as opposed to in person. I had a conversation with a guy once, and he was taking a picture of a piece as he was working on it. He said, “The vast majority of people who are looking at this are going to be looking at it online, so I want to see what it looks like on my phone.” It seems like you deal a lot with injustice and isolation. It’s almost as if you emasculate the people depicted, take the power away from them. Why deal with these subjects? When I started, I was doing a lot of stencils, and I was really focused on police and military stuff, authority figures. I got in trouble when I was younger for some graffiti shit. They wanted to put me in jail until I was 21, and I was like 14. I couldn’t believe this was the reality, that they would consider putting a 14 year old in jail for seven years. That was insane, super scary for a 14 year old. So I was incredibly afraid of police, but also angry about it, and I’d been painting that [imagery] for years. When I hit the first Euro [mural] trip I was tired of being angry, but also, it’s harder to get people to let you paint cops beating some woman up on their wall. People aren’t really down with that, with a few exceptions. So I needed a different wealth of images and I had tons of pictures of my friends. My friends are really important to my life, so this was perfect. I could just show up, look at all my pictures, see what I can use, and go at it. I came back [from Europe], and that stuff was starting to feel a bit saccharine. It had served its purpose. I felt like I knew what I was doing and wanted to approach something else. And now it’s kind of confusing. Every two weeks I feel like painting different images, but it’s all coming from the same place. I’m trying to invoke a mood of some sort. For a while I was heavily focused on women. I was afraid of police, and then I became afraid of women. I had gone through some rough shit in different relationships; it was a sentiment I heard a lot from dudes my age. Now I have a girlfriend who’s excellent. I started off painting her; didn’t know her at all, she was just a model. She just represented this female other, someone I would usually have these thoughts and feelings about, and now I’m dating her and it’s totally different. And so that focus is shifting. The work is definitely dark, and I don’t think I’m a dark dude. If anything, I think I’m a very happy dude, but maybe that’s because I can let all the darkness out with these images. I’m trying to make you feel something, looking at it. If I could put it into words, I probably would’ve been a writer. But you can get these subtle emotions out of an image that you can’t get out of anything else. 43

What happens if there’s no angst? There’s always gonna be some sort of emotion to convey. If that becomes super positive and super uplifting, then that’s what I do. Recently it’s been a lot of positive imagery--quite literally, people looking up and looking beyond. It’s also getting a bit surreal; Dan With Two Heads, Kyle With Two Faces, stuff like that. My grandfather painted. He was a big optical illusion guy in the 60s in Belgium--not that I’m playing off of that, but looking at the work of his contemporaries. What can you do with an image? If you want to just paint reality, then do that, but how can you distort that and still make it look real? How does that make you feel? Stuff like that. I’m exploring, I don’t have a set thing that I’m doing right now.

spite of VCU. You had to reserve a studio, and what I ended up doing was getting the janitor to let me in past midnight. You can’t smoke in buildings, but we had him smoking. It wasn’t really weed, but we had him smoking blunts inside a VCU building. No way that could’ve gone on. Later, the department saw it and said, “I love it, it’s great.” But they were just ignoring that I’d broken all the rules to do it. It was fun, [but] I wouldn’t make the same video today.

I’ve been trying to do a painting of Nick, for the project, but I’ve been getting a lot of flack for it. Feedback is rough; people [are] sensitive still. People said it was too thuggish; I can kind of vibe that so I made it super positive, and they were still saying he looks kind of thuggish. This is a really positive image! I literally removed his neck tattoos, You graduated from VCU--how did your it’s just a happy smiling black guy looking up, schooling help you? and people were like, “He looks like a thug.” But I’m still trying to make it. I started with the intention of doing painting and printmaking, [the] combined field. VCU Are you and Nick making another video soon? is super restrictive with freshman about graffiti--don’t let you use spray paint, period. He reached out to me two weeks ago about Just fine art painting classes. After a couple that. I haven’t done film since my thesis, months, I realized, “This is really gonna suck, and that was such a bitch that I was done. I and make me hate painting.” So I went into focused on painting, but now I kind of want film, because I had an interest, and had never to again. I really want to do animation, but picked up a camera before. In retrospect, I it’s not something you can really dabble in, think that helped a lot..One, because I could because a month of animation work is like ten get really burned out on painting, and I could seconds of your film. And film is expensive; I focus on film for the school year. And I’d get don’t have the equipment I used to get when I burnt out from the school year, and focus on was in school. I’ve got a pretty crappy camera painting for the summer. That kept me fresh. and I don’t have Premiere [editing software]. A lot of other people get super jaded by the I’d have to buy it or pirate it or something. time they get out of school. And two, film It’s a whole other world to think about, and I helped me understand the image a lot more. want to, but it’s when I have the time or when You can look at a painting and nothing about I can afford it. I live off painting full time now, a painting can happen by accident, because and I barely make rent doing it. If I can get the person painting it had to paint it. But stuff film work that will pay that’s great. I love Nick gets stylized, people get really abstract with but I don’t think he can pay me enough that’s it; with film there’s only so much you can do. it’s worth my time. So I have to find the time myself to do it. When you watch a movie, nothing is an accident. It helps you understand when D*Face brought up a point, that there’s a you’re setting a scene; why did this director difference between street art and muralists. put this person here? Why does it look like this? I think a lot of the inspiration for stuff I came out of graffiti, personally. I really I do comes from films. I think more than like the Robin Hood aspect of the street art anything films influence what I do. I have graffiti thing. And I don’t just do murals. I still folders of screen caps I take when I watch really enjoy doing wheat pastes, I still really stuff; it helps me understand how the image like tagging--there’s no question about that. plays into stuff. Now I interpret paintings and Here they’ll cut your balls off for it; elsewhere, all sorts of other art as if it were a movie. I there’s nothing better. I can’t say I represent think that helped a lot. [that] aspect of murals, [but] I know a lot of people who just do murals or studio work. You did a really good video for Nickelus F People I look up to; Gaia, or Roa. That dude [is] a muralist; he never fucked with anything (“GotDamnMurdah”). else. He does studio work because he has to live--and I get that, that’s muralism. People That was the first thing I did in film school. want to connect it and say it’s graffiti because they use spray paint, but at a certain point, How was that process? it’s just not. And it’s gotten to that point. You I feel like everything I did at VCU, I did in can’t call that this anymore. 44

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

Do you have any end game to it all? Or are you just doing it and seeing where it goes? I’d like to continue living off of it, that’s really nice. I can do that now, because Richmond is a cheap place. It’s still a month to month thing, but that’s kind of exciting. Down the road? I don’t know, ideally I’d like to paint. I have a map of the world, and I have razorblades over everywhere I’ve painted, and I want that to be able to hold itself up with the razorblades. I’d like to paint all over the place. I’d love to be able to say I’ve painted on every continent. But for right now, the sun never sets on my murals. I’ve got shit in Australia, Europe, the States. And that’s crazy. I think about it a couple of times a month, like what time is it right now… it’s 3 AM in Australia? Some dude is probably pissing on a picture of one of my friends. Drunk, wondering, “Who is this guy?” That’s amusing to me. But as far as an endgame? No, I don’t know where I want to end up. I love Amsterdam. My mom’s side of the family is from Belgium; I have a EU passport. I’d love to be able to move there and support myself there, but I love Richmond. I want to continue supporting myself with this and pushing myself What’s next for you? Looking into talking to a lady in San Antonio, looking to create some stuff in Texas. I’ve got stuff in Wisconsin, but basically nothing in the middle of the US. I’m trying to expand more in the US. I’ve painted all over Europe and have very little Stateside. Since I’m here for the summer for the first time in like three years, I’m trying to get a lot of work up in Richmond. So, trying to find people to let me paint their garage, get a lot of small pieces up in every neighborhood. I wanna be king of Richmond, basically. I want to have a lot of stuff in Richmond. It’s difficult here; I faced more problems getting work up in the past month here than I faced in the past two years working around other places. I guess because people are more entitled if they own a wall, or they’re more conservative in what they want. But it’s worth the fight. I want to put on for Richmond. Saying I’m from Richmond and then all my work is in Amsterdam is a very different thing. People keep referring to me as this Dutch guy. They think of me as an Amsterdam-based artist. People will call me and invite me to paint and say, “I’ll get you a flight from Amsterdam,” and I’m like “I live in America, I’m from Virginia.” I want people to understand I’m from here, because I like this place. This is very important to who I’ve become. I wouldn’t have done this if I wasn’t here. @nilrva 10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

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RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

“...Sleep on people’s couches and go out every day. Ride trains and film videos. Hopefully just keep traveling, keep skating, keep churning out boards and keep churning out videos...”

TRENT HAZELWOOD Interview by R. Anthony Harris | Photos by Dennis Williford

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

For almost a decade, local pro Trent Hazelwood has been grinding the city streets After a year of trying to catch up with him -we finally got a chance to ask him, what’s up? How did you get involved with skating? Well, I’ve been skateboarding ever since I was probably ten years old, and got seriously into it at like 13-14. I never really like expected to do anything with it, but then when I started driving, I started filming videos, taking photos, and stuff like that, getting my first bit of exposure. It’s just been going from there. Did you grow up watching all the early 80s Bones Brigade videos? Was that what got you into it, or did you start skating and then get into all that later? I definitely found out about it later, but one of the first people i ever filmed with, my friend Cameron, had every early VHS skate video, like Search For Animal Chin and [the] H Street [videos]. That’s what we were always into. I’ll even still go back and watch H Street’s Hokus Pokus and see what kind of music they were listening to then, or see what kind of shit they were doing. So you’ve been in Richmond your whole life? Born and raised. I was born in the west end, and grew up around Mechanicsville. I’ve done a lot of traveling but I always come back here. What would you say the skate scene here in Richmond is like? It’s definitely changed a lot over the years. When i was growing up there was always something going on, like a contest or a new video, and it seemed like everyone was connected and knew everybody. Now it seems there’s new kids coming into town, whether it be for VCU or just for the art or music scene, so now it’s a little bit cliquey, but it’s still running strong. Everyone’s got their own thing going and it’s cool. Do you think it’s hard to get noticed here in Richmond? You’re not in one of the bigger cities but I know there’s a good skate scene here. We’re not far from VA Beach and between here and there, there’s a pretty solid amount of people who are skating. A lot of companies know the area, and Gilbert Crockett put it on the map. People definitely know Richmond has a little skate scene going on underneath. But I would say it’s harder to get noticed. When I first started getting hooked up, I was on a company 10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

called 1031, and it was the first time I flew on a plane--I flew to Chicago when I was 19. I rode for 1031 for five years; [it was] started by this guy Kristian Svitak, who was a pro skater for this company called Black Label that was huge in the 90’s. Now he’s just kind of getting older, and he wanted to do something different, so he put it on the back burner for now. But as soon as 1031 was over, the next day I was on Shipyard. I hit up Hank [Fauerbach], and [told him] 1031’s on hiatus, and if he wanted to do anything, I was down. He was like, “I’m down. I already have a graphic in mind.” So it was a quick turnover.

What did your parents think when you just quit your job and left to go skateboarding?

Yeah. It sucks nowadays; your reputation is based on what you have out on the internet. Even if you’re not in magazines or anything like that, that’s what people look at: instagram and websites. They just want to see the newest video clip or the newest project that people are working on. I used to post things, and say like, “shameless selfpromotion” or whatever, but this is what people are doing. You have to post photos of your boards, or new videos. You have to keep your name relevant. I met [Hank] in real life countless times before that, and he would always be like, “Nah man, don’t ever be like ‘shameless’ about it. I wish people that rode for me would post more shit! I’ve gotta sell these boards, and people need to know what’s out there.” He started his company out of Richmond and he has some of the best graphics out today. And he’s already picked up this one dude, Ben Hatchell, who’s this contest killer. He just won this huge Vans contest two days ago.

Yeah. It started to take a turn into me thinking how will I…

My mom was kind of bummed out on it, but my dad’s always thought it was cool that I just do whatever I want to do. My mom’s come around now. I mean, school and work will always be there. You can always have a job, you can always take classes, but you’ve got a window of how long your body can handle skateboarding, so you’ve gotta do what you can while you can.

I’m sure you always understood it as something of a business, but what was it like going pro? You’ve always done it for So how did he find you, do you think? The fun, but now it’s become a little bit of your videos you were putting out? job.

Pay rent! Yeah. I started thinking of it like that--how will I make money off of skateboarding? I was involved with CCS mail order catalog, and involved with some weird people for the sake of getting money out of it. But then as time went on, I stopped caring about making money and started doing whatever I want to do--staying stoked on coming out with a new video. I’ve got another new video my homie’s making, I’m more stoked on that than a lot of the videos I’ve put out for the sake of content. I’m all about staying true to what I think is cool. Right now I think Shipyard has the sickest graphics out, and I’m planning on being with them until further notice. I’m sure you’ve gotta consider your own integrity. Not pimp yourself out too much, but just enough to get it out.

When you were skating as a kid, did you have any ideas that you wanted to go pro? When did it start clicking for you that Yeah. I went out to California for like a people were paying attention, and maybe month, just couch surfed for a while. I thought about staying out there and being you could do something with it? broke, trying to sell out to whoever I can When I was a kid I’d dream about things and get picked up by somebody. But at like that. It was some kind of daydream the end of the day I’d rather just be back scenario, but when I got older me and my in Richmond; work part-time and skate the buddy DJ Williford came out with this video rest of the time. Just put out videos and do called Toxic Turdz, and it was the best video my thing. part I’d ever made at that point. I sent it to Kristian Svitak, and I knew about his So that’s your normal day-to-day now? Just company, but he called me on the phone find a good place to skate and do tricks? the next day and was like, “I’m stoked on Have fun and get a little crazy? I’ve hung your video. I want to start sending you out with you before... stuff.” Then one day he called me and was like, “We’re going on this cross country Yeah. [laughs] I’m 23, and I just want to trip--you should really be on it. I know you have a good time. Keep filming videos, have a job and shit, but you should really keep stringing along whatever it is, this come.” I called up Best Buy that day and little skateboarding career thing that I quit my job. I withdrew from all my classes have, for as long as I can. and left, was just in a van for a month or so. 49

What does it mean to be pro in the scene? Back in the 80’s it used to be as simple as signing up for a pro contest and checking pro on the little sign up sheet. Then it got turned into, you have to get on this pro founded company, and they need to deem you worthy, kind of thing. That’s essentially what I ended up doing. I was on 1031 for like five years; I was on there just as a kid getting flowed free stuff. I ended up coming out with three different board models. Since then, I got a new board out on a new company. If anybody is down to get behind me and they want to put my name on something, I’m not going to say no.

Speaking about Richmond specifically, what jokes about Mad Dog and Cisco and cheap do you think needs to happen here for the wine. Just ridiculous shit; bum wine. It’s scene to grow bigger? a joke, but at the same time the gnarliest stuff is going to be in the video. We got It is growing and there are good things this kid Ryan Mickelson, who moved here happening. We got 28th St turned into from Florida [and] nobody knows; [he] an actual skate park, and there’s the is murdering all the spots. We have guys [Richmond Area Skateboard Alliance] from Woodbridge: Ian Mondragon. This project to renovate the Texas Beach other kid from southside, Colby Hayes; skatepark. so all those things are good, Eric Valladares, all these random kids. DJ is and as long as VCU continues to buy up fueling the fire under them, just like “This is the whole city, we’ll have more students your time to shine, man! You gotta put out coming. I don’t know. It would be really a good part.” It’s going to be a good video. cool if we didn’t live in such a judgemental I’m standing by too--I’ve put a handful of world where a lot of people weren’t cast video parts together in my time, and I’m out of what’s cool and what’s not. there too, to light a fire under them. My buddy DJ Williford [and I] are putting You’re 23 and you’re almost an elder in this out a new video called Bum Wine--all the game. hijinks and the B-roll and stuff is all just

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

Mainly for the area. Just because when I was a teenager, I was out skating every contest. Like, Dominion [would] host a contest at the YMCA park, which isn’t even there anymore, in southside in Manchester. There’d be contests in Pole Green skate park near Mechanicsville, and that’s hardly there anymore. Half of it’s gone, they tore it out. We’re in a transitional time, but people are always going to continue to skate and put out videos, whether or not there’s contests or good parks around. In ten years the skate scene will have changed into something we can’t even imagine. People are going to be like, “Dude, in 2015 things were way different than now.”

Since I quit school, I went back to school. I’ll probably graduate in the next year or so. Probably when I’m done I’ll go back to traveling and going all over the place. The majority of the good stuff we film is when we go out to New York and stay there for a week. Sleep on people’s couches and go out every day. Ride trains and film videos. Hopefully just keep traveling, keep skating, keep churning out boards and keep churning out videos. Do you think you’ll ever get on the business side of skateboarding?

Someone’s gotta do it here in Richmond and do it right, you know? For right now I’m completely backing Shipyard. Hank’s got a really good operation going on--he’s already done big collabs with other pros like Darren Navarrette and Jeff Grosso, who was a huge pro in the 80s. Just the fact that he’s got awesome artists like Mickael Broth and Barf doing good ass graphics for him, this shit can only get bigger and bigger. I feel like you’re pretty stoked on being here right now.

Maybe one day. DJ jokes every day about starting a company or doing something, Yeah, no complaints, man. Carefree. What are you working on for the rest of the and I’m sure that somewhere along the line I’ll get involved with it. But only time will www.facebook.com/trent.hazelwood year? Do you have any plans? tell. 10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

JACK LAWRENCE

Interview by Angie Huckstep | Photos by Patrick Biedrycki

Jack Lawrence has been a painter, portraitist, wizard, and guru of taste and spark here in Richmond since the early 90’s. Jack and I sat down a few weeks after And Suddenly Everything Was New Again, his joint gallery show with sculpture artist and studio-mate Julie Elkins, opened in May at the Eric Schindler Gallery. His large and small format oil paintings dotted the gallery with intimate narratives within surreal environments. During our conversation, Jack unabashedly discussed the three distinct periods of his career: 1997-2002, characterized by fine art, historic references, and what he calls “framework preciousness”; 2002-2010, an obsessive period of commissioned portraits and drawings; and 2010 to the present, which was marked by changes in style, process, and iconography. However, it would be a shame to restrict his oeuvre to a timeline; our conversation represents a wider-ranging meditation on Jack’s personal relationship with the painting medium. We started by discussing the conception of the Schindler show. Jack: I had a show back in 2002 at Orange Door Gallery, and most of the work I was doing had gloss references to different eras of painting. It involved a lot of research, set building and casting “actors,” and I was doing it all on a shoestring budget. I work from photographs that I wind up spending an inordinate amount of time setting up, building these huge sets. I built a barn set and deck replica out in the backyard of my friend’s house. There were nine models on one of the paintings. I did this one shoot that had to be done right in the middle of winter, so I had to find a kerosene heat cannon since most of the models were half naked. It was absolute chaos. It was great, but you get to the end of it and you get postpartum depression. It takes forever for me to paint anything. I had to do all this in a year, and got really burned out. Then I got caught in a trap of doing portraits. It took eight years of me doing those until I finally realized that, unless I’m making paintings that really mean something to me, it’s like extracting teeth. I had obsessive-compulsived my technique into some sort of impossible-to-manage machine. A painting that would normally take me months now took years. The large-scale portraits were killers, because I have a bad habit of putting really complicated atmospheric elements in them without thinking about how long it will take to paint. There was one full-length portrait of a dude standing in front of a backdrop of crinkled tinfoil. Another giant portrait I had [showed] three kids playing in a swamp in the woods. It’s one thing to paint a forest from the outside in--painting it from the inside out is lunacy. When I tried making drawings, I 54

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

had the same obsessiveness. At the end of the day I lost money on anything I did. Jack’s large paintings evoke film stills, or screen shots from a Google Glass lens. Such trademark attention to detail bolsters the realism and authenticity of these works, but also recreates the time issues he experienced with his earlier style. Could you give us an example of how you procure or happen across your subject matter? One time I was driving to NY. I go into one of the bathrooms on the NJ turnpike, and there’s this tall, attractive black dude. I notice him right away standing at a bank of urinals, and I know something’s up. He’s looking back over at me, and there’s only a couple other people in there. I say to myself, “Jack, don’t even look this guy’s way, just do your business and get out of here.” I’m five urinals down from him doing my thing, and of course when I glance over he’s looking right at me, not even pissing, dick in his hand. And it’s then that you wish you had a camera in your eyeballs. It was such an obvious moment where I could tell he was a total hustler, you know? I can’t get messed up with this [laughs]. He was definitely looking at me and showing off. I knew instantly that I had to paint this. I spent months driving around looking for the perfect bank of urinals to make the reference photo. I needed lots of glossy white tile everywhere and at least a bank of five well-lit and maintained urinals. I drove around to all these rest stops along I-95 and I couldn’t find anything to use. So finally, I’m in a work truck driving up to Edison, NJ. It was one particular rest stop--I think the same one. I had to go in and somehow have a camera, somehow get it just in the right position, photograph the urinals... I had to wait for the perfect moment in the 10 minute time frame we were stopped. This one time, it was absolutely perfect, and it only took me a second to do, but of course I never made this painting. That in itself was such a pain in the ass. That is a case in point for why this shit takes forever. Given all of these limitations, Jack was driven to quit painting out of exhaustion. Needing a break (and a steady income), he took a commercial truck-driving job. Little did he know, this transitional period would come to influence his style and the fundamental concepts he explored with the work presented at Schindler Gallery. Can you elaborate on this diversion from painting? It was great! Driving a truck, delivering furniture with a bunch of knuckleheads… [laughs] The dudes were awesome--a totally different set of people than I normally hang out with, but we all grew really close. Talking shit, and the shenanigans you get into out 10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

Pipe Bomb

“...considering chaos in terms of process—when I’m shooting a scene, neither one of these people have met each other. It’s so thrilling to get total strangers in on the high-pressure lunacy of getting this thing knocked out, have them be in this totally fake, set up environment, having to get naked and deal with each other. There’s so much magic just in that one moment...” of boredom. It was a chance to get out of whatever rut I was in. After a couple years of that, though, it was time to paint again. I have this pile of images saved up from the last 20 years--all the stuff I love to look at. They wind up popping up throughout my work. It was so much easier for me to grab one of those images to take with me on the road, where I could bring a little painting set-up, sit in a hotel room, and not give a damn. These small works freed me up to be a lot more loose; deciding what in the painting was important--what needed detail and what didn’t.

Would you say that driving saved your painting career? Yeah, totally! Because I had to re-learn how to paint, and in doing that, just to be able to dash something off where I didn’t have to worry about it paying the rent. One of the great things about using these clippings for the paintings is I don’t have to go out and find people, or deal with meeting new people. I always wanted my paintings to move more towards some sort of visual place that I wasn’t getting to, and all of these images that I collected were more or less an exploded diagram of the inside of my brain. So in a way it was re-teaching me how to see or put together a scene.

Did any of the stories that you heard from your driving friends influence situations that you thought about as subject matter for you paintings? Oh yeah. One of the series I was working on to try and get into this last show was called Faded. It was going to be small, intimate little paintings of people getting lit and watching TV in the dark. You get back to the hotel at the end of the night, and all you want to do is crack a 6-pack open. Everyone is exhausted, watching anything but the news, because it was terrible. In 2010 there were no jobs, the economy was tanking, so much sadness [laughs]. And that’s when you get the stories. After you are about RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

Are You Experienced?

way to becoming a man. Somehow I always question that, since a lot of the times the paintings would end up involving some sort of moral dilemma, or potential physical harm. I don’t think I really knew how to paint women And Suddenly Everything was New Again into that. Like a [male] writer trying to write included three of the large, filmic scenes, and four for a female character. Recently it’s just sort small-format clipping paintings. This collection of filtered in. I feel like I have some sort of adds a number of new elements to Jack’s oeuvre. believable voice. Besides relaxing his style and departing from classical informants, he also began to include I also got rid of my old lighting, brought in more ambient and natural lighting. A lot of that female players in his narratives. came from hotel rooms, watching these dudes Jack: For the longest time I had this question of looking at their cellphones. what masculinity was, going back to decisions-the decisions that young men make on their five beers deep, the dude you’re sitting next to is going to tell some heart-wrenching story. It was going to be a reflection of what was going on at the time, at least between us.

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

In his work, Jack puts a contemporary spin on classical devices--the labor involved, his pictorial realism and dramatic compositions--cueing viewers to absorb the image and its message. Classical art portrays its characters through hyperreality to validate ideology—visual truth performing a telling of absolutes. Jack shifts this focus from guiding a common moral agenda to showing how idiosyncratic life events shape personal perspective. He catches his players in the heat of life-changing moments, hinting at their impending impact. Jack sees decision-making as the perpetuator of life’s progress. Jack: The moment a decision is made, or the moment an urge is encountered and can’t be 57

resisted--it’s probably the most important thing that pops up in the work. By the time the decision is made, it’s just an endgame that plays out. When you get to the actual violence and sex, it’s boring. Even the most benign situations—like the spit painting, Are You Experienced. It’s such a teenage way of one-upmanship. I don’t think anyone gets over that sort of competitiveness. When you’re young, you never predict what is going to hard-wire you for life. Your brains aren’t formed yet, and something, especially sexually, that happens when you’re young sticks with you. In the painting I can’t tell whether [the subjects] are brother and sister, or just friends. I specifically wanted the girl to have the power in that painting, because it totally opens windows. But just imagine-the rest of your life, you have a kink on being pinned! I can’t tell you how many people came up to me during the show and said, “Oh yeah, I’ve lived this.” I mean, a lot of people. And that’s what I’m looking for: something that seems so incidental, but becomes ingrained in the rest of your life. In the pipe bomb painting, they’re probably not old enough yet to really grasp the consequences of what they’re doing. In that one moment, I painted her completely falling in love with this guy—it completes this sort of fantasy. That’s a dangerous moment because they are two young, attractive kids with the world on a string who are engaging in something that’s really not a good idea. The emotional power behind finding love in that moment is probably going to create an even bigger problem for them later on, when you know something like that has to escalate. Decision-making themes grace all of Jack’s paintings, but his later work moves subtly toward a play on the hyperreality he establishes in earlier works. Instead of just celebrating situational reality, the Schindler paintings tap into the surreality imbued in these same types of moments. The large compositions enable viewers to take a three-fold approach to the work: the reaction to the scene as an outsider, the response to the scene as a bystander within the setting, and self-identification with the players in the moment. Jack gently draws his viewers out of their own reality by supplying them with multiple viewpoints to decode. His clipping series takes his approach outside a moment in linear time, dividing the new work from his older large-scale pieces. These paintings showcase visual information that’s often repressed in the larger paintings, behaving like magnifying glasses held to the minutiae of past works and emphasizing the way Jack holds unseen elements in equal esteem to his players. Isolated on their own canvases, the taped clippings present environment as its own entity, emphasizing its role as a catalyst affecting our decisions. 58

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

How did you select the images that went together for each composition? How does this series round out the themes carried in the large series? I wind up collaging these images every now and again because there is a total, beautiful spark of life found in simple juxtaposition. There’s never a set of images that I put together with a preconceived notion of what I’m going to get. But I like that the marriage that rises from it is so pure, if you get the right images that magically relate to each other. They weren’t supposed to be trompe l’oeil, really, but I like the tape marks. They’re there as sort of a Mondrian compositional element; also, it’s a cheap and quick way to show the images are appropriated. I pulled them from magazines and whatnot. It is not a story. It doesn’t involve the complication of actors. It’s nothing but intuition. I just kind of turn my brain off and move stuff around until [I] feel the pulse of it starting to beat. That’s when it gets exciting. How would you say chaos presents itself in your work? I like the magic of purity. Like if something is just purely evil or sexual, or a pure sweetness or darkness. Usually a lot of purity comes out of chaos. But considering chaos in terms of process—when I’m shooting a scene, neither one of these people have met each other. It’s so thrilling to get total strangers in on the highpressure lunacy of getting this thing knocked out, have them be in this totally fake, set up environment, having to get naked and deal with each other. There’s so much magic just in that one moment. That’s what makes it so exciting. By the time you make the painting, it’s more of a record of the moment. So, what are you going to do next? I was planning on getting a camera and making these documentaries about decision making and art called “Adventures in Art.” It’s fascinating because you get down to the tiniest, micro-metered decisions--and there is comedy in that. Each episode is about the death of an idea, because I have on paper what I think are these really ingenious sculpturerelated ideas, and I think, “Oh, that’s going to be great.” Then the more I start thinking about details, the more the idea just has to be put down like a half run-over dog. It devolves into this vortex of unexpected quicksand. If I’m going through all the hassle to create sets and props, sculpt some kind of visual narrative to tell a story, and know that [I’m not] going to make any money, then I may as well make movies. facebook.com/jack.lawrence

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

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RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

Getting someone drunk or high so they can’t give clear consent is

SEXUAL ASSAULT .

When you see a

rEd fLAg

in your friend’s relationship, say something.

RECORD Reviews

Author & Punisher Melk En Honing (Housecore)

Tristan Shone’s one-man project is a genuinely compelling mix of industrial music and doom metal that doesn’t incorporate traditional rock instrumentation. Rather, Shone makes his own vocal-altering masks, and other “drone machines.” While some tracks include new vocal nuances, the dub-influenced songs and balladic moments of previous albums are missing, resulting in a release that drags. (CE)

The Diamond Center

Crystals From The Brass Empire (Funny Not Funny/ Egghunt/Steady Sounds)

I’m sure I’m not the only Diamond Center fan overjoyed to have this LP--finally, a full-length document of what we’ve been hearing live from this band for years. Their hazy, lysergic psych sound captures that late-60s stoned California desert sound better than anything this side of early Mazzy Star. Put it on and bliss out. (AN)

Natasha Leggero Live at Bimbo’s (Comedy Central)

After years spent crafting her outstanding brand of comedy, Live at Bimbo’s is Natasha Leggero at her fiercest. Offering clever critiques of youth culture, the digital age, Tinder and Martin Lawrence, Leggero proves why she has dominated the world of comedy in 2015. This is a must listen for longtime fans and those who may be joining the party late. (SC)

Clever Girl

Czarface

The Devil Wears Prada

(Brick) Wu-Tang alumni Inspectah Deck plus Army of the Pharaohs subgroup Esoteric & 7L comprise the lineup for this lyrically dense, supervillain-flavored hip-hop romp. Deck and Eso’s tag-teaming flows keep things fun and funny, with 7L laying down some fairly traditional hip-hop beats, replete with old movie and cartoon samples. Fittingly, MF DOOM makes an appearance. (CE)

TWDP continues to excel in the concentrated EP format, as they return to the formula that made their 2010 Zombie EP so celebrated amongst their fans. Here, they explore the ambitious subject matter with a much more spacious take on the genre that features just as many bold tonal developments as it does true headbanging moments. (DN)

HeCTA

L’Orange & Kool Keith

Nineteen years between full-lengths is a long time. Failure’s sound is rooted in 90’s alt rock, and this album’s ambient segues call back to 1996’s Fantastic Planet, providing a bit of an easter egg for old fans. Heart sounds sharp, but not overproduced. It also has accessible hooks, but a running time that makes it more for dedicated fans. (CE)

Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner is back with this new, exciting group that seamlessly continues the soul of Lambchop while exploring a new sonic plane. While the music screams house from the get-go, there’s ton of other melodic ideas to discover as you sign yourself to Wagner’s curated musical diet, however errant it may be. (DN)

Kool Keith’s fascination with old-school sci-fi, along with his bizarre word choice, unique sense of humor and distinct flow have established him as one of hip-hop’s biggest weirdos over the years. While not as exuberant as his earlier material, Time? finds Keith continuing his interstellar journey, with L’Orange providing, dreamy, kooky, boom bapflavored accompaniment. (CE)

Lobo Marino

Manatree

Mutoid Man

After a series of travel recordings, Lobo Marino returns with a proper full-length. We Hear The Ocean is a guideline for embracing the world and its sounds and making them into a smorgasbord of impressive compositions. They continue to amaze with each release; We Hear The Ocean is no different, with tracks like “Hari Om” and “Though The Others Pass You.” (SC)

After years of playing everywhere in town, Richmond’s favorite math-meets-indie band finally releases their debut record, and it doesn’t disappoint by any means. Song after song perfectly showcases the band’s innate talent for finding and creating melodies across any genre and demonstrates their stunning musical maturity for a band still fresh out of high school. (DN)

Shelf Life

(clevergirlrva.bandcamp.com) Some aggressive, emotionally-driven pop-punk here from a band that features multiple members of This Is Your Life, and picks up where that band and fellow sadly departed RVA pop-punkers Hold Tight left off. Heartfelt lyrics and catchy choruses sit overtop of chunky, powerful riffs and speedy drumming. Sure to inspire. (AN)

Failure

The Heart is a Monster (INresidence)

We Hear The Ocean (Bad Friend)

Every Hero Needs a Villain

The Diet (Merge)

Manatree (Egghunt)

Space EP (Rise)

Time? Astonishing! (Mello Music Group)

Bleeder (Sargent House)

Bleeder is the sound of three supremely skilled friends having an absolute blast: frenetic, yet exact musicianship is exhibited all over the album. The band mixes thunderous punk/metal with near-prog shredding in a way that doesn’t feel overly indulgent or jarring. A mix of harsh vocals, Steve Brodsky’s signature Cave In croon, and heavy metal falsetto keep things fresh and exciting. (CE) RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

Shannon Cleary (SC), Cody Endres (CE), Andrew Necci (AN), Doug Nunnally (DN)

PWR BTTM

Jeremy D. Simmons

Some amazing melodic punk/alt-rock from a duo with impressive songwriting chops. Tunes like “Dairy Queen” and the title track make a strong impression with simultaneous resemblances to Weezer, Green Day, and the arch math-pop-isms of No Knife. A delightful album--unabashedly queer lyrics (like a less pornographic Pansy Division) only sweeten the pot. (AN)

Jeremy D. Simmons is one of the strongest musicians in town. On his debut solo album, he evokes a sonic piecemeal of sorts and the results are stellar. Pie In The Sky is the result of years crafting a musical identity beyond reimagining of influence. Simmons stands out as a unique voice in a city with a wealth of them. (SC)

A double album is an ambitious undertaking for any artist, especially for his or her label debut. That Staples has managed to complete such a project with minimal bloat is pretty amazing. ’06 charts a course to the rapper’s early teens, with Vinnie Stapes exhibiting plenty of personality, and a relaxed, yet agile flow to accompany the dark, imaginative production. (CE)

This mini release, their first outside of a collection of demos, is the best representation of RVA’s Stay In. In just two songs, Stay In reveal their penchant for emo jams from the past and show exactly how they could quickly win the hearts of fans of the genre. “Being Nice” is catchy, infectious pop gold. (SC)

Telekinesis

Titfield Thunderbolt

Titus Andronicus

The Aussie pysch rockers’ third record is a stunning musical statement which delivers on its lofty ambitions and places the band in music’s true upper echelon. The album starts off strong with perhaps the best opening tracks in recent memory and continues as the overall sound continually modulates and evolves, rending you aurally stunned for 50 minutes. (DN)

As Michael Benjamin Lerner struggled to find inspiration for his fourth album, he looked to the past in the form of vintage synthesizers to help him expand and further his now-formulaic approach to songwriting. The result is a record full of familiar yet fresh musical ideas and sharp, evocative lyrics worth anyone’s time. (DN)

This double 7-inch EP is a bizarre and entertaining dispatch from the RVA underground circa 1970. Collecting the catchy “Born On The Wrong Planet” single and a few free-jazz/noise jams--all recorded live at RVA venues--it documents the endearing weirdness of this Beefheart/Zappa-damaged sextet, and contains a fascinating liner-note history lesson. (AN)

Toxic Moxie

Wavves x Cloud Nothings

Ugly Cherries (Father/Daughter)

Tame Impala Currents (Interscope)

Episode VI

(toxicmoxie.bandcamp.com)

After two invigorating EPs, it comes as no surprise that the concluding chapter of Toxic Moxie’s sonic trilogy would be just as fantastic. With songs like “A Simulation” and “86 Reality,” it’s remarkable to see how quickly this band has developed a unique spin on crusty glam rock. This release is a strong contender for best Richmond music of 2015. (SC)

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

Pie In The Sky (Low Blow)

Ad Infinitum (Merge)

No Life For Me (Ghost Ramp)

This collaboration had been talked about for months, but its release was still a great surprise for an already stacked year. It’s hard to compare it to either band’s normal output, but it clearly excels at expertly combining the chaos of Nathan Williams with the melodic ear of Dylan Baldi into a package tailor-made for any garage fan. (DN)

Vince Staples

Summertime ’06 (ARTium/Def Jam)

Titfield Thunderbolt (Steady Sounds)

Stay In

Come Home Sidney, Kids Miss You (stayin.bandcamp.com)

The Most Lamentable Tragedy (Merge)

Titus Andronicus have a reputation for melodrama, and this 29-song, 93-minute, five-act rock opera, complete with intermission, will do nothing to change that. Musically, it’s Clash/Against Mestyle classic melodic punk, only with strong Springsteen influences, resulting in several lengthy, highly orchestrated epics. A tasty treat for fans and newcomers alike. (AN)

Windhand

Chelsea Wolfe

Windhand’s third album continues down the heavy, spooky path they’ve carved previously. No half-hour epics on this one, but the relatively more concise doom metal tunes here still feature crushing grooves, leavened by the dark, ethereal beauty of Dorthia Cottrell’s vocals. Overall it’s excellent--did you expect any less? (AN)

Fittingly titled, this is Wolfe’s darkest, heaviest release yet. This album more fully explores the kind of music hinted at in her previous albums: dense drone atmospherics accompanied by borderline metal guitars and impactful drumming (electronic and acoustic) provide the backdrop to the radiant, yet forlorn singing Wolfe has become known for. Dreary folk tunes are interspersed throughout the harrowing descent. (CE)

Grief’s Infernal Flower (Relapse)

Abyss (Sargent House)

LARRY GLOVER

I used to call him Gary Lover and I’d have built him a pyramid. He’d been my best friend since November even though we’d been pals for the better part of a decade. You can learn a lot about a person over the course of 8 years. I watched this grown man stop an oscillating fan with his tongue. Heard him do his Rob Halford banshee call many a night which usually led to us being asked to leave Sticky Rice. An air raid siren letting us know it was time to go. Sometimes we’d sit in his car and listen to Jeff Buckley over and over. Silent. Then we’d sing Hallelujah together. Laugh at how stupid we looked. Lots of laughs. That’s when you know you had a good friend. Lots of us felt that way about him. Could see that smile from an airplane. It was Grand Canyon big. Everest big. The telltale sign of a good time about to hit us like a Tsunami. In 8 years as friends we’d always wanted to play music together but it just didn’t happen until his last winter, and Larry was an exceptional drummer and composer. Loved being in the pocket. Notched his belt by playing with Inertia, Orange Eye, PW Long, Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls, the Lucky Stiffs, and lastly Dragonlady. Hell of a skater too. Anyone would be impressed watching a 45 year old man do a tail grab in a Panera uniform and work boots on his lunch break. Then he was gone. Taken from us. And when things like this happen, we all age from it. It slows all of us down. We walk with limps now. Can’t see as clearly. Lean against the wall when we piss. And it’ll be like this forever. The sun shines the same. Dogs shit the same. Atmosphere still rotates with the earth the same. But it’s all different. At least it is for me. His family. His friends. And God’s drunk somewhere with the phone off the hook, saying goodbye to the world as he figures, one by one, how to do us all in. - Ryan Kent

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

Pookie Freeze

It is with sadness and honor that Greg Smith’s friends and family bid him farewell. Also known as Pookie Freeze, he was a people person and treated his friends with sincerity, love, kindness, and generosity. These qualities led his friends to feel like he was their closest brother. Greg also had a fierce creative streak that brightened and unified his community. Whether he was assisting his husband and love of his life, Scott, in the illusion of Zoe Vuitton with a new performance piece, or if he was hosting kandi making parties to create and trade colorful jewelry with a new generation of club kids, he was always an active participant in celebrating unity. Being a man of solidarity, he advocated his values. Pookie declared the rave culture credo, PLUR and Kabbalistic teachings as his political views on his online profile, “Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. Love your neighbor as yourself, all the rest is commentary. Now go and learn!” The same sentiments are reflected in his favorite quote, a message he deeply wished to share: We Are All One: Every human being has within him- or herself a spark of the Creator that binds each and every person into one totality. This understanding informs us of the spiritual precept that every human being must be treated with dignity at all times, under any circumstances. Rest well, Pookie; thank you for representing Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. The light you gave your friends and family still shines within us. You will be missed.

I10will years never of RVA forget Magazine vegas 2005-2015 Mike. - tony

MIcheal ramey Michael, goddam dude. I’ve tried to start writing this thing over and over, but all I really want to do is talk to you one more time. Ten more times. A thousand more times.

I want to sit around the campfire talking about music and tattoos and how stoked we are on so many things. I want you to explain how all pop music is the same and how a tattoo is forever, but it doesn’t fucking matter anyway. I want to go back to that time we got lunch and talked about suicide and you were able to make me see that it might just be selfish to expect someone to live with unending pain and self doubt. You were able to make that pain, that daily, crippling pain into something I could understand. You were able to convince me that when the time came to make that decision, you were doing it consciously.. with years of consideration and thought. Well, honestly all I want to do is go back and tell you to shut the fuck up. I want to tell you how wrong you are and remind you how many people love you.. how many people will be utterly devastated by your decision. But that’s not possible. You made a choice and now we all live with it. I tell myself I’m fine with it. You did what you had to do, and found some relief from the sleepless nights and creeping discomfort. And deep down I do believe that. There’s nothing all of us ever wanted more for you than to feel comfortable and loved. But it doesn’t really make it any easier. I still want you to be here.. Busting out laughing when Greg says some dumb shit for the 10 millionth time. Listening to shitty emo with Brently. Talking serious with Brionna (because she’s good at that). Looking truly happy when Beth called to say she was getting off work and coming over. Calling me up on your day off and convincing me that we should go drink beers down at the river.

It never clicked until you were gone that you were the first friend I made after going to jail. I was pretty fucked at the time.. probably more so than I even realized. But you were something else.. something completely disconnected from the shit storm that my life had been thrown into. You were just a dude who knew about basement shows and bikes and innocence and.. well, Sparks (lots of Sparks). You were a dude I wanted to hang out with just to have a good time. You were my gateway into who I would become. You were far more than I ever told you.. and so much more than you believed yourself to be. I want to end this in some happy way.. Mainly because I feel like that’s how these things are supposed to go. Like I should joke you about unapologetically loving the fucking Gin Blossoms or painting your toenails. But honestly I’m fucking bummed. I’m bummed that you’re not going to call me anymore on your days off. Or that Chance can’t fall asleep on you ever again. Or that you’re not going the be around to give out the greatest fucking hugs and, “I love you”’s ever. That’s a lot less love in this world and that just sucks. The only time I’ve felt like things were right since you’ve been gone was when Beth said she could feel you at Staycation Island. She said it was the first time she could feel you since you left. And she’s right. You’re always going to be there. And everywhere else you felt at home. You’re always going to live in your friends’ hearts and on the skin of thousands of people who are lucky enough to wear your work. You’ll always be with us. And in my heart, you’ll always be giving me the best hug I’ve ever been lucky enough to get. I love you, Mickael Broth

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015

VISUAL ARTS CENTER OF RICHMOND’S

CRAFT + DESIGN SHOW 60 CRAFT ARTISTS + 2 DAYS OF SHOPPING + BEER + WINE

November 21 + 22, 2015 Science Museum of Virginia • visarts.org

10 years of RVA Magazine 2005-2015

RVA MAGAZINE 22 | FALL 2015