St Louis Sinner July 2012

July - 2012

THE SINFUL PHOTOGRAPHY OF TINA D

BURNOUTS & BLACK OPS Man is not only born with a fire in his belly and heart, but his soul, too, which drives him to not only survive but succeed in this rat race we call life. Too often, though, this fire becomes so intense it melts a part of his sanity like mere wax, causing a total physical and emotional collapse.

Psychologists call this brain fart a burnout. And when one becomes an independent publisher, it only magnifies the chances of suffering this mental beating, that crushing blow from behind we never see coming – or perhaps close our eyes to.

Maybe the indy publisher’s no different than the frog that will leap from boiling water but never leap from the water that is slowly heated to boiling. Maybe it’s a mental defect some of us are born with, or maybe one we acquire over years of self torture. Psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North have categorized the ‘Burnout” process into 12 phases as a guide to question one’s sanity. Feeling the heat rise around me, I thought I’d climb out of the warming water long enough to take a self inventory myself.

One of the twelve signs of a burnout is “The Compulsion to Prove Oneself.” For most of indy publishers, there is a constant battle to prove oneself worthy amongst one’s many corporate media competitors. It can be enough to not only cause a burnout, but madness, too. The compulsion to prove oneself causes the second and third signs of burnout, “Working Harder” and Negleting One’s Needs”. In some cases of indy publishing, working harder can mean working with less consumption of alcohol, which leads to working later and later into the night, neglecting the body’s need for food and sleep – and our alcoholic thirst. This physically affects the indy publisher, more so the next day when he or she clocks in for the Master at his or her miserable slave labor position.

The next signs to worry about are “Denial of Emerging Problems” and “Withdrawal”. Denial is said to make most people aggressive and sarcastic, which leads to withdrawal from society. The stress of indy publishing can certainly make one aggressive and sarcastic, and reclusive as well. But it’s the last phases of burnout that should cause concern, “Depression” and “Burnout Syndrome”. This is when one suffers a sense of exhaustion and hopelessness that becomes overwhelming, which leads to a total physical and emotional collapse. This is when Psychologists Freudenberger and North believe some people become suicidal. For the indy publisher, though, mental and physical exhaustion are just par for the course. It either toughens your heart and soul, or destroys it one.

There’s still a few aspects of Indy publishing that Psychologists Freudenberger and North are unfamiliar with, some that are certain to

cause high amounts of stress and exhaustion – Black Ops. Just like the CIA and Big Business, Indy Publishing demands a bit of covert operations and propaganda from time to time. It can be creating the illusion of a paper war between two publications. Sometimes it can be as simple as blowing up your publication in the eyes of your readers and potential advertisers with exaggerated print numbers and readership. And it can even be spreading rumors of splitting your publication in two to make it appear more financially sound than it actually is. It’s always a gamble, running blindly down the dark path to nowhere, hoping Lady Luck will save your ass from falling down or being eaten alive by wild animals. And sometimes when you run wildly down dark paths you just step on a rattlesnake and get bit. Then you better have a flask of bourbon in your back pocket and the grit to suck the poison out and keep running – that, or have a fucking burnout one and slit your wrist.

Of course, the indy publisher has other stress factors to consider too, and none are more severe than developing and maintaining a budget. We all know money makes the world go round and round, but it also makes the press spin paper and spit ink. Without a budget, you’re not an indy publisher – unless the “indy publication” you’re Editor in Chief of is the A&E spin-off from a corporate newspaper. If so, that’s not indy publishing, regardless of how you like to spin it.

BUDGETS & CHEAP BOURBON Building a budget is a tough battle for the true indy publisher to wage against corporate papers.

For one, the indy publisher is outnumbered tento-one in not only sales, but editing, graphics, and interns to name a few. The indy publisher doesn’t really stand a chance, and that’s why there are so few out there. But the one to blame for the knife hanging in the gut isn’t the corporate competitors and their armies of sales reps, but the local consumer and fan of the indy publication who seldom supports the advertisers of the indy publication. It’s not the idea of becoming a regular of every advertiser or attending every show found within, but grasping how important it is to check out those advertisers and let them know why you stopped in. It makes a world of difference for the independent publication – especially in maintaining a sound budget that will support growth.

Jesus Christ, man! Just thinking about all this shit is enough to make someone have a burnout – or at least slam a few drinks. And on the budget of an indy publisher, you can bet it will be cheap bourbon, not Wild Turkey, soothing your soul!

And that, my dear reader, is another tale of fear and publishing in two cities...

WRITERS, RANTERS, OPINIONISTS & OTHER ALL-OUT FREAKS: Mark Taylor-Canfield Paul Blow Saab Lofton Malice Henry Nicolle Kimberly Peters Emily Eufinger

The Surley Gourmand Guitar Doug Rajkhet Dirzhud-Rashid Kendra Holliday Tina D

Publisher: Chuck Foster Layout: Terri Daniels Seattle Operations manager: Guitar Doug Cover Art: Tina D Cover Model: Rebecca Terry

The Sinner is a group of contributing writers. Their opinions, rants and ideas do not necessarily reflect the views of The Sinner itself.

The Sinner encourages contributions from its readers but retains the right to edit material due to content or length of submission.

FOR ADVERTISING OR SUBMISSION INFORMATION, CONTACT US AT CHUCK@THESEATTLESINNER.COM. SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS THE 25TH OF EVERY MONTH.

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ESSAY | What Is There Left To Say

by Henry Nicolle

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y essays for The Sinner began five years ago when the Editor published excerpts from a newsletter by Ron Branson, founder of Judicial Accountability Initiative Law. The project goes by the acronymic appellation, "J.A.I.L. 4 Judges". The excerpt was my letter to Ron describing my arrest and jailing, naked in the "Penalty-Box" of the Ventura County Jail.. "The Politics of a Burnt-Out License Plate Light".

It was a burnt out license plate light which attracted the attention of a rookie female Ventura City Police Department officer.

I refused to sign a property receipt at the jail until I had an opportunity to see the on-duty magistrate (the law in California) or speak with counsel of my choice (also California law).

The law has no dignity among those who cloak their ambitions under it in America, in our time. So I spent the night and morning naked and taunted by Ventura City Police, Ventura County Sheriff's deputies and a couple California Highway Patrol officers. The peep-hole would open, eyeballs would peer in and note the fat, old man seated naked, leaning against the pale green vinyl-coated wall of an 8 X 10 foot cell equipped only with a barred drain for sanitation and washdown effluent. Next was always, "Who do you have in the Penalty Box?" The repeated and unchanging answer was, "That's Henry Nicolle, one of those 'Liberty People'." The next question, always, "What's he in there for?" Always answered, "Burnt out license plate light." This reply always brought an audible gasp, (Yes, really.) and an exclamation generally "What? Why didn't you give him O.R.?" ("O.R." means release on "Own Recognizance after promising to appear at a future date.) The Jailer's reply was "He won't take it without seeing the magistrate or his lawyer.". The visitor would answer, "Oh. Those Liberty People are all crazy, anyway."

The experience was not pleasant or necessary. All of it was illegal in California as performed and in violation of American principles for self-governing and offensive to our terms for the existence of the institutions these people serve as defined by the Constitution for California and by the Constitution for the United States of America.

On the other hand, it was an experience planned ahead of time and well-executed as planned from the moment of the red and blue lights coming on, to the final "Guilty!" statement of the Presiding Judge of the three judge appeals panel of the Superior Court of California in Ventura County. The judge's final words, were, "Mr. Nicolle, just where do you think a common citizen has any standing to bring impeachment charges against a judge?" I had filed just such a request with the Senate of California, the

SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS written by Saab Lofton “On Earth, there is no poverty, no crime, no war.

You look out the window of Starfleet Headquarters and you see paradise.” – Commander Sisko, from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, The Maquis, Part II ...and how exactly did the Human race achieve such a utopian state of affairs? Well, according to the 1996 movie, Star Trek: First Contact... “[Proof of intelligent, extraterrestrial life] unites Humanity in a way no one ever thought possible when they realize they’re not alone in the universe.

Poverty, disease, war – they’ll all be gone within the next fifty years.” – Counselor Troi ... but it’s NOT, I repeat, NOT as simple as alien intervention – as Sisko once said in a subsequent episode of Deep Space Nine (entitled Rules of Engagement): “We don’t put civilians at risk or even potentially at risk to save ourselves. Sometimes, that means we lose the battle and sometimes our lives, but if you can’t make that choice, then you can’t wear that uniform.”

A genuine concern for Human life is what accounts for how there’s no poverty or atrocities on Gene Roddenberry’s future Earth – a concern for life that’s obviously lacking in reality...

“Seven Afghan children perished Sunday in a U.S.-led bombing attack on Al Qaeda fighters hiding in a mosque... A spokesman for the NATO

forces apologized for killing the children... The safeguarding of the innocent is not only a legal and ethical imperative; it is also a basic requirement of a counterinsurgency strategy to deprive the enemy of popular support... The failure of American forces to take the utmost care to avoid harming Afghan civilians is making a difficult mission even harder to accomplish.” – The New York Times, June 21st, 2007 As the biggest newspaper on the planet put it, a basic requirement of strategy is to avoid harming civilians. Therefore, the next time someone gets on my case about using pop cultural metaphors, I’m going to hurt their feelings, to say the least.

Professor Noam Chomsky wrote that, “social action must be animated by a vision of a future society,” and he’s absolutely correct.

Star Trek inspired the cell phone, but that’s technological progress – what We the People need is more SOCIOLOGICAL progress (a LOT more), which can in fact come from works for fiction. Here are three out of MANY examples of this: 1) As I explained during a speech of mine given in Seattle’s Westlake Plaza on Indigenous Day, 2011, John T. Williams (a Native American victim of police violence) would still be alive if the pig who shot him had been limited to NON-lethal weaponry

originators of all impeachment proceedings.

I had chosen this venue and process to illustrate and prove some very important points which affect the inherent Rights, Liberty, Property and Self-Determination of Every Citizen of California, and by direct inference, every Citizen of our society.

Point 1. Our State and Country are no longer self-governed. We are ruled by a political class, expressed via the governing/ruling population of "government people".

Point 2. When the policies of power and revenue are challenged, our Constitutions and law are trumped by "policies". We have become a nation ruled by men, not laws.

Point 3. Our policy-makers, law-making representatives and officials have only contempt for our principles of inherent individual Rights, Liberty and Self-Determination. The evidence of this fact is their creation of classes of "law" which on their face betray our Rights and defy our explicit protections of our Constitutions. Beginning with "Infractions" (civil offenses with criminal penalties) and extending to the very latest at this writing, Presidential Fiat, orders with no authority, no documentation and no jurisdiction, yet enforced with abuse of delegated power.

Point 4. There is no effective, objective recourse for these disturbing realities available at our command. All of the civilized processes we established have been rendered moot by our rulers' policies and abuses of power. Voting has become a totally corrupted and useless process through the corruption of the illusionary "two-party-system" and the physical rigging of most elections in America. The judiciary and the legislatures of the States and Federal government are complicit and facilitating in the processes and practices of corruption of our principles and methods.

Point 5. We are left with two options. Submit or fight. These are complicated options with many levels of potential implementation.

In five years, we have lost every remaining pretense by government to recognize individual Rights, Liberty, Property and Self-Determination. Each attempted "success" in defense of Rights and Liberty is achieved at the expense of complete ruin of the individual seeking redress within the “system”.

Have you chosen to submit or to fight? Ask me.

– and the BEST: the ONLY way to promote NONlethal tactics is to point out how our culture’s most famous/popular icons are NON-lethal...

BRUCE WAYNE: No. I’m no executioner.

THE LEAGUE OF SHADOWS: Your compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share.

BRUCE WAYNE: That’s why it’s so important. It separates us from them... I will go back to Gotham and I will fight men like this, but I will not become an executioner.

– from the 2005 movie, Batman Begins This goes for Sean Bell, Oscar Grant, Amadou Diallo, Timothy Stansbury Junior, Trayvon Martin and countless others.

2) Every October in Oregon, there’s an event called Wonder Woman Day – drawings of the superheroine are sold at an auction and all the money raised is donated to battered women’s shelters... I’ve been a proud part of this since 2010.

3) In the fall of 1987 – after starring in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace – Christopher Reeve went to Chile, where C.I.A.-appointed dictator Augusto Pinochet had sentenced 77 actors, directors and playwrights to death unless they left the country by a certain date. According to author Walter Oleksy, “their crime was having criticized [Pinochet’s] regime in their theatrical works.” With his good looks, white-skin privilege and the household name recognition success blessed him with, Reeve literally stood between those 77 artists and armed government troops at a protest. The very next

day, Pinochet cancelled the execution order – knowing full well if anything happened to the man who portrayed Superman, that’d have been his fascist ass on a platter (In fact, a cartoon that ran in a newspaper back then showed Pinochet being carried by the collar with the caption, “Where will you take him, Superman?”). Afterwards, Reeve was given the Obie Prize and two awards for bravery from the Walter Briehl Human Rights Foundation – a group that works with torture victims. In addition, Reeve received the Grand Cross of the Bernardo O’Higgins Order; the highest Chilean distinction for foreigners. ...imaginary characters saving the lives of real people... Sadly, all too many assume I’m supposedly living in a fantasy world, but those who’re claiming such a thing ain’t worried about my sanity – they’re afraid of being expected to take superheroes seriously. Why? Because it’s quicker, easier and more seductive to be cynical/apathetic, but superheroes are symbols of hope who strive for ideals, which is harder to do than playing video games or obsessing over celebrity scandals.

A solution to a problem is a solution to a problem – so by IGNORANTLY/ ARROGANTLY turning your nose up at a solution (“Eww, superheroes are for kids!”), you condemn Humanity to continually suffer from a problem.

A Declaration of Independence From Wall Street On Independence Day 2012 Occupy Wall Street activists from all around the country gathered in Philadelphia near Independence Hall to plan the future of the movement. Occupy Philly sent out a call for support for this convergence and 107 local occupy groups responded with endorsements. Folks from every region of the nation attended the convention to meet and discuss the current issues facing the occupy movement: global austerity measures, mass arrests and intentional harassment by police and local government officials, lack of corporate news media coverage, challenges in creating coalitions, and reforming with our corrupt financial and electoral systems.

Free buses and occupy caravans left the West Coast on June 11th from Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Events were scheduled from June 30th to July 5th, including workshops, speakers, marches and a lengthy “visioning process”.

I had participated in some of the conference calls with ONG organizers and I also reported on the gathering for alternative news media. My participation in the gathering included writing a document entitled, “Declaration of Independence From Wall Street”.

Since the national media tried to ignore the Philadelphia Occupy National Gathering, journalists and activists like myself went to document the events and try to provide some rational analysis. As with previous occupy conventions, a virtual news media black out has left many Americans wondering whether the movement still exists. Most of the corporate news media has declared the death of the movement, citing as proof its unwillingness to involve itself in party politics. Because of this, the US media is trying to convince the public that the Occupy Wall Street movement can not sustain its current popular influence on our society.

But if there are no activist encampments in 2012 it is clearly the result of heavy-handed tactics by local and state police departments last fall. Fewer people are now willing to risk arrest or injury while attending occupy protests. Despite the peaceful nature of the movement, law enforcement agencies and government officials have used physical force and so-called “less lethal” weapons on the demonstrators in order to break up their camps and their organizing efforts. The nation-wide police crackdowns on occupy camps have given the US a bad reputation in the eyes of the world.

To put things into perspective, let us consider the following recent news stories: 1) The US is now ranked as 47th in the world when it comes to of freedom of the press! The US was ranked 20th in the last Reporters Without Borders survey - dropping behind 27 other nations in the last few years.

2) The US is now ranked 88th out of 158 nations on the Global Peace Index. America is considered more militaristic and less secure than 87 other countries.

3) Moody’s just downgraded their ratings on 15 global banks, including JP Morgan/Chase.

4) UN envoys have criticized the police crackdowns on occupy activists.

Last December two representatives from the United Nations delivered a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. After receiving no response from the US government, the letter was released to the public during the UN Human Rights Council meeting last month.

Frank La Rue and Maina Kiai asked the US State Department to “explain the behavior of police departments that violently disbanded some Occupy protests last fall”. They suggest that the use of excessive force “could have been related to [the protesters’] dissenting views, criticisms of economic policies, and their legitimate work in the defense of human rights and funda-

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written by Mark Taylor-Canfield • Conducted secret meetings with government officials to draft legislation and regulatory statutes • Attacked the rights of labor to organize and form unions • Benefited financially from one trillion dollars in government-backed student loans, while contributing to the privatization of our schools and lobbying for cuts in funding for public education, resulting in increased tuition • Ruined locally owned businesses by monopolizing the marketplace • Produced and marketed unhealthy food and forced genetically modified organisms upon an unsuspecting public • Used their influence on local and federal governments to avoid paying their fair share of the national tax burden and debt relief • Falsified records and committed securities fraud

photo by Paul Sparkes

mental freedoms.”

The envoys call on the US government to follow its own Constitution and to honor its international obligations to “take all necessary measures to guarantee that the rights and freedoms of all peaceful protesters be respected.”

La Rue and Kiai refer specifically to actions taken against occupiers by police in New York, Seattle, Denver, Los Angeles, Oakland, Davis, and Philadelphia. In their letter, they state: “crowd control techniques used to manage and disperse these assemblies might have been intended to insert fear and intimidation on protesters throughout the country.”

The State Dept now says it will refer the UN envoys’ complaints to the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

Meeting under these circumstances, the occupy activists in Philadelphia have proven that the movement is alive and well in America despite this official political repression. The OWS protests began against banksters on Wall Street and that has remained the main focus of their marches, occupations and rallies.

It is in this spirit that I wrote and subsequently introduced the following document at the Occupy National Gathering on July 4th, 2012:

ing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute corporate despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such institutions, and to provide new guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of the people of the world; and such is now the necessity which inspires them to alter their former financial systems and economic policies. The history of the present corporate global empire is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over the people and their governments.

To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. Multinational corporations and Wall Street financiers have:

Declaration of Independence From Wall Street When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for people to dissolve the economic and political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature entitle them, a decent respect for the opinions of the world community requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

That to secure these rights, institutions are established among the people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of economic policy becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish these policies, and to create new systems, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that economic systems long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly experience has shown that people are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolish-

• Attempted to privatize and monopolize our public healthcare systems and our public airwaves • Allowed the degradation of the national industrial and transportation infrastructure • Polluted, degraded and devastated the natural environment motivated solely by irresponsible greed • Condoned and facilitated violations of the US Constitution by cooperating with government agencies who were seeking access to private communications and personal information

• Accepted public bailouts and subsequently refused to establish necessary reforms

• Profited financially from the establishment of police state policies and violations of the Bill of Rights’ protections on freedom of speech, privacy, and due process of law including extra-judicial drone assassinations of US citizens under the provisions of the “War on Terror” regime, mass covert surveillance of the population, mandatory airport body searches, suppression of alternative media sources, and militarization of local law enforcement agencies resulting in mass arrests, the use of so-called “less-lethal” weaponry by police during protests, and the systematic harassment and intimidation of activists

• Invested trillions of dollars in high risk derivatives and speculative finance and trading schemes, putting the US and entire world economy at risk

• Weakened the Fourth Estate through mass commercialization and corporate consolidation of the media, resulting in a loss of press freedom

• Protected the interests of the wealthiest members of our society while enforcing austerity measures on the poor and middle class, including cuts to funding for vital social services, public healthcare, education and transportation

• Encouraged and financed the military/industrial/ prison complex by financing, promoting and profiting from foreign military interventions which have resulted in massive death and destruction, and by lobbying for increased jail sentences for drug offenders while financing, constructing and managing private prisons

• Falsely claimed to have the same rights as individual human beings

• Supported and promoted destructive international trade agreements which undermine democracy and violate the sovereignty of the people • Taken away our homes • Devalued our pension funds • Contributed to the writing of federal and local government regulations in a manner which favors corporate profit and endangers the health, safety and welfare of the people • Controlled our electoral system through unlimited funding of political campaigns • Dominated our financial system and economic policies, resulting in the outsourcing of jobs, high unemployment, lower wages, cuts to health, dental and pension benefits for workers and widespread suffering and impoverishment for the people • Conspired with the Federal Reserve to print and distribute currency without public oversight

We, therefore, the people, do solemnly publish and declare, that we are, and of right ought to be free and independent from corporate domination and control of our economy, our government and our electoral system; that we are absolved from all allegiance to the corrupt bankers on Wall Street, and that all political connection between them and the government of the United States of America, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that we as free and independent states, have full power to protect the rights of the people, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish trade, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do without influence, intervention or interference from corporate interests.

And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on our solidarity with people all around the world who are struggling against tyranny to establish peace and freedom, we pledge to each other our mutual aid, assistance and support.

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StoptheDrugWar.org GEORGIA PUTS WELFARE DRUG TESTING ON HOLD

by Phillip Smith Georgia’s new welfare drug testing law was supposed to go into effect July 1, but that didn’t happen. According to a spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal (R), the governor still supports the law, but will hold off on implementation until a legal challenge against a similar bill next door in Florida is resolved.

The Florida law took effect last July, but was blocked by a federal judge in October. That case is expected to go before the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

Civil rights and civil liberties groups in Georgia said when the law was passed they would challenge it as soon as it is implemented. But they may not have to if the federal courts strike down the Florida law.

The federal courts have generally taken a dim view of random, suspicionless drug testing. They consider drug testing a search under the meaning of the Fourth Amendment and have carved out only limited exceptions to the general prohibition against warrantless drug testing. Those exceptions include public safety-sensitive positions (airline pilots, truck drivers), law enforcement personnel engaged in antidrug work, and high school students involved in athletics or extracurricular activities.

“The governor feels confident that the law in Florida, and therefore in Georgia, will be upheld,” spokesman Brian Robinson told the Associated Press. “We plan to move forward on this as soon as we can, but we’re willing to wait a little bit longer on the federal courts. There’s just no need in us hopping in.”

Under the Georgia law, the state Department of Human Services is mandated to create a drug testing program for welfare applicants at their own expense. Those who pass the test would be reimbursed, but those who don’t would not only not be reimbursed, they would be ineligible to receive benefits for one month. A second positive test would result in a three-month ban, while a third positive test would result in one year of ineligibility.

Any applicant who fails a drug test must first pass another drug test before benefits would be reinstated. The department would have to provide people who fail the drug test with a list of drug treatment providers, but the state would not pay for drug treatment for them.

Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) told the AP Deal should have voiced his concerns about the law when it was being debated.

“During the debate, we talked about the viability of the law based on the Florida case,” said Fort, who opposed the measure and was among the parties vowing legal action against the law. “It would’ve been appropriate for him at that time to have injected that point, but he’s waiting until after he signed it, until it’s about to be implemented.

He chose not to say anything about it.”

Ford said that if the law is upheld, it would set a dangerous precedent.

“The question is, if you’re poor and need assistance, do you forfeit your constitutional rights or not?” he said.

“I think that’s dangerous. If it’s poor people today, it could be other people tomorrow.”

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION BREAKS 60% IN COLORADO POLL

by Phillip Smith In November, voters in Colorado will decide whether to approve Amendment 64, a state-wide ballot initiative to end marijuana prohibition and regulate marijuana like alcohol. A new Rasmussen poll released Monday suggests the initiative could be well on the way to victory.

In its June 6 survey of likely voters, Rasmussen found support for marijuana legalization at 61%. More strikingly, only 27% opposed legalization, with 12% undecided. Respondents were asked whether they supported “legalizing marijuana and regulating it in a way similar to the way alcohol and tobacco cigarettes are regulated today.”

The conventional wisdom among initiative watchers is that initiatives need to be polling at 60% or above at the beginning of the campaign to have a chance of winning. Veteran observers note that opponents of an initiative are always able to peel away some support with negative campaigning late in the game.

But in Colorado, not only is support for pot legalization strong, it is trending upward. A December 2011 Public Policy Polling survey had support at 49%, with 40% saying it should remain illegal.

Marijuana legalization also had more support than either major party presidential candidate. Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney garnered 45% support.

How the politics of marijuana in Colorado will affect the presidential race there remains to be seen.

Rasmussen conducted phone interviews with 500 likely Colorado voters. The poll’s margin of error is +/4.5%.

Blue Ribbon Boys photos courtesy Mike Enigh

June 16th 2012 2-Bit Saloon, Seattle

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Rock U Festival or Rock University Festival is an all-ages event lasting twelve hours that is dedicated to promoting unity in the St. Louis rock-n-roll community. The event will feature three stages of rock music simultaneously with over 40 bands/artists ranging from Rock, Hard Rock, Alternative, Punk, Metal, Rap/Rock, Acoustic and Electronic for example. The festival’s attendees and artists alike will range in various age groups, ethnicities, back rounds, belief systems and lifestyles, not to mention genres of rock. The goal is to try to bring together all of the different genres of rock while also have performing the “next generation” of bands that will be making a future impact, up and coming bands and veterans of the St. Louis music scene! The event takes place from 2pm to 2am on Saturday, July 28th at Atomic Cowboy. The venue is located on 4140 Manchester in the “Grove” district.

And this year, Rock U Fest is giving back to the community by supporting Play It Forward, as proceeds for this years event will go to this non-for-profit. P.I.F. donates musical instruments and helps fund our struggling music departments in the city schools of Saint Louis, Missouri.

For more info check out: www.rockufest.com www.atomiccowboystl.com

Sinful Nights with TINA D This Soil Is Diseased Davey Suicide Wednesday 13 Studio Seven June 8, 2012

After having to cancel his Seattle stop in January due to dangerous weather conditions on the pass, Wednesday 13 returned to Seattle's Studio 7 on 6/8/12. With the rescheduled show Studio 7 put out a search, via facebook status messages, over the course of a few weeks to give opportunities to local bands to open for the Murderdolls frontman's solo project.

Among those local bands were The Kamikazies, which kicked off the night on a good note. I've had the pleasure of watching this band progress from their early, humble beginnings to now, and can say hands down that this was one of their better performances to date – you can definitely see and hear the growth musically. And right before the national acts made their way to the stage, Seattle's This Soil Is Diseased hit the stage and were extremely well received. Blown away by their Metal meets Rock meets Punk meets Electronica, Industrial sound, It was like Slayer and Rob Zombie had a Electronic ear-gasmic love child. That's meant to be a huge compliment, hopefully it comes out that way. They are A MUST see live local band!!!!! And the night just kept getting better and better, the energy was amazing. Next was California rockers Davey Suicide who were outstanding, a heavy, gritty dirty-rock with heart and soul at its best. I personally hope that all of you check out their music online and see them next time they come through town. And then the man of the hour, Wednesday 13! I've seen him numerous times and he was on fire this night.

Feeding off the energy of the crowd and keeping the momentum of a great night of music going, he put on one of the best performances I have seen of him. He played not only classic favorites amongst his fans like "197666", "I Love to Say Fuck" & "Bad Things" but also more tracks that don't get played live all the time like "Curse of Me" & "All American Massacre". He played a few tracks from his newest release Calling All Corpses as well. This was a show! Where every band just went up there and gave it all they had and left it on the stage.

2 Bit Saloon’s 2yr Anniversary Party

The 2 Bit Saloon, the venue that is the heart & soul of the Ballard neighborhood, celebrated it’s 2yr anniversary this May. And it celebrated it’s birthday in style!!! They kicked things off early with a customer appreciation BBQ! Customer’s got to enjoy free food and had the chance to win drink specials by bobbing for apples, which proved to be highly entertaining to watch! Then came an AMAZING line up of bands, including The Band-Droidz from New York who shared their bluesy brand of rock n’ roll that fit right in with our scene! Then came Piston Ready, which features 2 staff members of the 2 Bit! And last but definitely not least, long time local favorites, Zero Down!! Be sure to check all of these bands out on facebook or reverbnation!

On The Scene& Heard With Malice Scene of Irony Photo by Rabid Rabbit

SATURDAY JULY 14th Bachaco; Dubcar @ The Victory Lounge 433 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle 21+, 9pm, $7

J

une was a GREAT month for shows! Sadly I missed more than I attended, but something was happening all over the place every weekend! Hot Rod Walt & The Psycho Devilles were here recently at The Crack Fox...but it was on a Thursday – couldn't make it. I hate it when real life gets in the way of my social calendar. All my friends went and said they had a BLAST!!! The Living Deads came back, also to the Crack Fox, earlier in the month – once again, I couldn't make it out because of work. We missed Butcher Holler and a new band (for me) Money For Guns, but they're playing again at Lemmon's on Aug 11 (I'm asking for a day shift now!) – they recently played The Duck Room, but I had to miss that one, too.

Enough of my whining about the cool shows I missed. I did get to see Scene Of Irony TWICE this month; once at Lemmon’s, where we always, always, always, have a fabulous time scarfing down their AMAZING pizza, and downing massive quantities of beer. Mah Girlz came out to party with us, and we ran into another friend of ours, Chris Davis (Ockum's Razor), doing his part to support the local scene. It's cool to see the local guys all out supporting each other's bands, especially when so much is happening on the scene at once and there's not always a packed house. We were a small but mighty crowd, however small in number. The Shidiots from Nebraska played their guts out as if it were standing room only. Punk to the core, "It might not be a big crowd, but we are On Tour, Dammit!" I was happy to contribute funds for their road trip by buying their CD, and they gave me a few buttons, too. Fun guys, hope they draw bigger crowds on down the road. Scene Of Irony was well worth waiting around for, and they never disappoint with their stage shows. Punk like Punk was meant to be. Recently returned from yet another tour of the UK, this band is a Sinner Favorite, and should be yours too.

The following weekend, we heard about an impromptu show at the Firebird where Scene Of Irony opened for The Dead Celebrities. Ronnie James comes home every now and again to play guitar for them, and Micke Flotran of Dirty King plays bass in this band as Ludwig VanZant. The Firebird is a really cool place for shows. The owners, Mike, works the door and his wife, Jaime, serves drinks with a quick joke and a smile. They make you feel right at home.

You'll be glad to know the Ladies Bathroom is artfully done and very clean, more than just a one holer. Matte black walls make it hard to be scribbled upon by drunken taggers (GROW UP people, scrawling tacky sayings on bathroom walls is juvenile!) and an enormous hot pink fleur-de-lis graces one wall, making a great backdrop for photos – and all the hardware on the stalls is done up in the same shade of pink. The only draw back to the place is the booths have such high backs, that you have to get up on your knees to see over the top of the booths facing the stage. I feel like a little kid peeking over our booth at the family restaurant. All it needs is shorter backs to the booths, wouldn't change anything else! The booths in the back keep you isolated from the kids on the dance floor, and there's a lamp on the table that gives enough light that I can read my notes today, a couple days later. Halleluia! And they’re quiet enough that you can have a conversation and cozy enough to meet your neighboring revellers and share a drink. I was tickled to find they serve Angry Orchard hard apple cider, it only takes a couple of those to get looped.

Scene of Irony played Motorhead's "Ace Of Spades", to my utter delight, and a couple of Misfits tunes, as well as my favorite "Creepy Crawlin", and their own song about playing a Misfits’ song. I love the energy this band has, even though I've heard these songs a lot, they don't get old and tired – Moe doesn't let that happen. We're always looking forward to the next show!

It had been years since I'd seen The Dead Celebrities. The last time was at The High Pointe when they opened for The Trip Daddys with Drummer #5...and that was a lonnng, lonnng time ago. I forgot how much fun these guys have on stage. I also didn't know Micke Flotron was in this band, so he and Ronnie "Elvis" James go waaaay back. (side note, back in the early days, Ronnie, Micke, & Jamey Almond of Butcher Holler & Trip Daddys, were all in SkunkbudZ, 3 bass players, no guitars-can you imagine?) A lot of fun songs, and they don't take themselves too seriously. They played some of my favorite songs, "Xray Eyes" ("I just want to see you in your underpants"), "No...

You Suck", and "Sweet love Song", a riot. They also played some Misfits too, "Where Eagles Dare." I took home their CD, so I'll be vastly amused til they play again, probably many months from now.

We were having such a good time, I don't remember all the songs, my paparazzi was tanked, the last few pics are sideways and blurry, but I do remember it was Something To Write Home About....How I Spent The Month Of June;) In other news, The Reebs have called it a day. Vocalist Brian Russell is moving back to Tulsa where he spent his formative years to form a new project Max Bet & The Red Screens that will be playing Oklahoma casinos. The rest of the guys will soon be back on the scene in other bands too. I'm glad I got to see their last show, and I'm still diggin' their first CD, Butt Sweat and Tears. It ranks up there with stuff I'll never get tired of listening to. Hats off to all of you, good luck! You'll be missed!

SUNDAY JULY 15th 2bit Saloon and Local Chaos Presents: REGGAE/ SKA SHOWCASE Bachaco (Miami); Dubsic; Yahtzee (Gig Harbor) @ 2bit Saloon 4818 17th Avenue NW in Ballard 21+, 9pm, $5 MONDAY JULY 16th Bachaco; Sour Scream And Salsa; Duniven @ The Funhouse 206 5th Ave N in Seattle 21+, 9pm, $5, $1 Beers All Night!

WEDNESDAY JULY 18th Saint Christopher; Mean Street Meanie; Chris Rutledge; Gradie Wallen @ Tony V’s Garage 1712 Hewitt Ave in Everett 21+, 9pm, $5 SATURDAY JULY 21st Shell Corporation (LA); The Mighty Fine (CA); Dukich; The Aimlows + Guest @ 2bit Saloon 4818 17th Avenue NW in Ballard 21+, 9pm, $7 TUESDAY JULY 24th The Bangalores; The Aimlows; Starskate; Bigger Than Mountains; Jonny Nothings @ The Funhouse 206 5th Ave N in Seattle 21+, 9pm, $5 WEDNESDAY JULY 25th Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays; Highlight Bomb; Chump Change; Know Nothingz @ The Funhouse 206 5th Ave N in Seattle 21+, 9pm, $5

SATURDAY JULY 28th Witchburn; The Saints Of Damnation; Buttafuko; Blue Ribbon Boys; This Soil Is Diseased; Plus The Premier Of Girls Girls Girls Burlesque!

Hosted By Marie Voodoo @ The Funhouse 206 5th Ave N in Seattle 21+, doors @ 8pm, show @ 8:30pm, $7 MONDAY JULY 30th Against the Grain; The Horrids (Illinois); Supernothing; On The Ground @ The Funhouse 206 5th Ave N in Seattle 21+, 9:30pm, $5, $1 beers all night WEDNESDAY AUGUST 1st The Johnson Creek Stranglers; Gradie Wallen; Chris Rutledge; Paul Diamond Blow; Violent Expulsion @ The Funhouse 206 5th Ave N in Seattle 21+, 9pm, $6 SATURDAY AUGUST 11th El Corazon, KGRG’s Zorch Radio and Local Chaos Present: The Phenomenauts; Prima Donna; Moral Crux; Bottlenose Koffins (Record Release Show); The Hooten Hallers @ El Corazon 109 Eastlake Ave in Seattle ALL AGES/ Bar with ID, 7pm, $10 adv or $12 dos SUNDAY AUGUST 12th The Hooten Hallers (MO); The Limit Club (AZ); Junkyard Amy Lee; The Mean Street Meanie @ 2bit Saloon 4818 17th Avenue NW in Ballard 21+, 9pm, $7 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 15th Tater Famine (Bluegrass Folk Punk); Mean Street Meanie; Bigger Than Mountains + Guests @ 2bit Saloon 4818 17th Avenue NW in Ballard 21+, 9pm, $6

Stayed tuned for a lot more tasty shows to be announced soon including SEATTLE SKA FEST, CHAOSPALOOZA and SEATTLE PSYCHOBILLY BRAWL! Thanks for the support. Hope to see you at a show soon. www.facebook.com/local.chaos.greg • www.twitter.com/localchaosshows • www.localchaosproductions.com

See ya On The Scene, Somewhere Soon! Malice

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www.facebook.com/seattlesinner * www.facebook.com/saintlouissinner

Without Mother Fucking Order

With our air conditioner out of service until Sunday morning and the temperature cooling off to the high 90s, it was time to get out of the house. We began looking for somewhere to go, preferably a rock-n-roll show with a little bite. And there’s no better place to start looking for that kind of feel than The Crack Fox. The line up for this blistering evening included Sinner favorites SVK and The Leftovers, but the one band that has eluded us numerous times over the year, Without Mother Fucking Order, was the one we wanted to catch above all others.

As The Leftovers left the stage folks began to yawn, myself included. The heat was certainly a factor as was the strong pours from The Fox Staff, but the crowd had jut experienced two of St. Louis’ most exciting live acts. People had been on their feet with drinks in hand for over two hours. The night and heat were slowly catching up with each of us, but as the temperature continued to cool outside it was only minutes away from rising inside The Crack Fox. I had heard the brutal tales about Without Mother Fucking Order’s live shows before coming out, but in this heat could anyone really expect them to put it all on the line for such a worn-looking crowd? The answer is: Hell, Fuckin’ Yeah!

These hellcats are nothing less than disturbed, as is their dedicated fan base who attends shows to simply beat the shit out of the lead singer, literally. Ho holds barred, either. Anything goes, including punches to the face, kicks to the gut, chairs over the back and even a cheese grater to the head! That’s right. A cheese grater to the head. And beyond the brutal side show, Without Mother Fucking Order rocks the crowd with some solid punk tunes too! Hunt them down on FB for future shows!

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8th Annual Psychobilly Brawl 8th Annual Pyschobilly Brawl was a night not to be missed, one of those shows you had to experience for yourself. The night kicked off with acts like Mean Street Meanie & Repo Men. Angie & the Carwrecks were suppose to be celebrating their CD release but their CDs weren't ready, so be sure to keep an eye for their new album. Old favorites of Psychobilly Brawl Hard Money Saints & James Hunnicutt captivated the audience. The Sawyer Family warmed up the stage greatly as everyone prepared for the real treat and highlight of the evening, the kings of American psychobilly, Los Gatos Locos. The venue was near sold out, and the crowd went wild when Los Gatos Locos hit the stage. How will Local Chaos top such a successful psychobilly brawl?

Guess you'll have to find out next year!

Tina D Photography 5/12/12 at The Funhouse

The Chop Tops Graceland 5, Danny B Harvey & Danny B. Harvey 6/27/12 at El Corazon - Tina D Photography Filling in for a last minute cancellation local Elvis Tribute rockers The Graceland 5 (featuring Knuck of Dragstrip Riot on Guitar) saved the day opening up the show and putting smiles on the crowds faces doing The King’s hit justice with their own twist to them. Also performing was Danny B Harvey of the famed all-star band The Head Cat who gave a delightful performance and who was accompanied by a lovely young lady by the name of Necrofoxx on vocals and drums. She was like a female version of Harvey’s Head Cat band-mate Slim Jim Phantom, or so she reminded me very much of him. Harvey and Necrofoxx were a fun and talented duet!. And then Rockabilly kings from Santa Cruz, The Chop Tops, who always bring a level of excitement to the stage, gave a great performance as always.

Graceland 5

Danny B Harvey

UP ALL NIGHT....

Collection

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St Louis, MO

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If you missed Contamination this year, you really missed out on an amazing St. Louis event.

The weekend event featured a haunted house, pool parties, live music, celebrities, and plenty of horror and sci-fi enthusiasts. Look for it to come again next year...

Raising Hell With Guitar Doug “Nick is a natural front man, and also a total goof onstage...

He always buys us rounds of shots too, that’s one of the main reasons we keep him around.”

The Downstrokes are Nick Benitez-vocals, Ricky Dynamite-bass, Josh Dale-guitar, and Ike “Quit” Rivelle on drums.

Josh Dale founded the band in 2009 and explains, “I wanted to start a fun, crazy, catchy punk band” and that is exactly what the Downstrokes are. They have been my ace in the hole for a couple years now, for an issue where I needed a newer band the readers might not know, but probably should. Truthfully, if you have never heard of The Downstrokes, you are once again totally out of the loop. Not a place you want to be…

The Downstrokes are well known in the clubs, but still unknown enough to the Seattle music press to be considered underground and edgy. I almost hate to cover the group, because they are one of the few good local bands who are still not totally over-exposed by the media, bookers and photographers. For whatever reason, once I cover a band, certain media types rehash the story over and over, to the point where why I originally like the band in the first place, goes totally out the window.

But, aside from shutting down my column, I guess there is no choice but to keep writing and bringing the cool bands out of the shadows. If the rest of the media ruins the band, that’s the way it goes.

There are only so many stories, radio interviews and pictures the public can stomach, before they turn on the band and start throwing the terms “sellouts” and “posers” around. The band may as well break-up at that point.

The original Downstrokes line-up included musicians who have been on my beat as a writer for years, including Tony Switchblade of Pain Cocktail on drums (a band founded by the late Slats) and Ricky Dynamite of The Greatest Hits on bass.

Tony has left the group and is now replaced by Ike “Quit” Rivelle. Front man Nick Benitez, who is a newcomer to the Seattle punk scene, hams it up on stage with over-the-top antics, while Josh holds down guitar, playing as a drummer turned guitarist, focusing more on rhythm than flashy leads.

The Downstrokes play on bills with other bands many would consider “the core” of what is popular at the clubs these days, at least with a certain sub-genre of the music scene. That subgenre being the 20-something Seattle punk fans.

If the Downstrokes are playing a show, odds are the entire line-up is going to be good and by no coincidence most of the bands on the bill were covered first in my column. The reason is, there is literally a core group of only maybe 100-200 people responsible for 90% of the punk bands and music being performed in Seattle. These guys are part of that group.

Some call them a clique, but I call them “the people actually creating something interesting”.

As a music journalist, once you know who these people are, the columns write themselves and it becomes like following sports teams, where players are sold and traded. Once you’ve covered the bulk of these musicians, you find yourself covering various incarnations of the same bands with the same couple hundred people in the bands. I covered Josh when he was in The Wrecked Chords on drums and will probably end up covering him in something else down the road. It’s the nature of what I do and the nature of what they do. A symbiotic relationship of sorts.

The Down Strokes are one of dozens of bands around Seattle whose members don’t care if they live in a rehearsal space, a van, couch surf, or sleep in someone’s closet. If they are able to play in a band and create music, that’s all they care about. In other words, they suffer the hardships for all the right reasons. They essentially live the lifestyle and do nothing else but churn out new music, bands and side projects, year in and year out. It’s not as glamorous as is sounds, as I have learned over the years writing this column.

Josh tells me the band is now in the stage of “taking the group to the next level” and they have recently

been working their asses off in the studio. They just finished recording with Johnny Sangster, who is the go to man for many of the bands I’ve covered. Many producers are over-hyped in this town, but for whatever reason Johnny falls through the cracks and deserves more recognition than he gets. In fact, his name comes up all the time when I am working with the younger bands on these stories. Josh talks about what it’s like working with him in the interview below.

Let’s take a look at what Josh has to tell us about the group and the bands time in the studio with Johnny Sangster. To hear the bands recordings and find show

dates check out reverbnation.com/thedownstrokes I understand you just recorded with Johnny Sangster at Avast studios. How did it go?

Working with Johnny was awesome. I’m a fan of lots of stuff he’s engineered/produced before. He’s got a ton of great album credits to his name. He was patient and super comfortable to work with, but if he thought you could do a better take he’d be honest about it. He really did a great job capturing our live energy by having all the musicians in the same room. We actually got a majority of the tracks laid down in two or three takes.

Everything turned out great, despite me having the flu! We were blown away when he was done mixing.

To top it off, Avast is a really nice, good sized studio.

The even have a full kitchen, espresso machine and dining room.

Tell us about the drummer you recently added, Ike Rivelle.

Our original drummer Tony “Switchblade” Bennet was a great guy and we had a few great years playing with him, but things just didn’t work out. Our singer Nick knew a guy named Ike Rivelle, from local piano/drum duo Swingset Showdown. We tried Ike out a few months ago, found out he’s a really solid drummer, and got him in. I immediately named him “Ike Quit” because I thought it was a good punk rock name, but we hope he doesn’t. He definitely brings an overall tightness to the band, and gives the band more of a structure.

What can we expect from the band in the coming months?

Well right now we got some shows booked for the summer in Seattle, and I’m in the middle of booking our first West coast tour for late August. Trying to make it all the way to San Diego, and we know some people up and down the coast so it’s sure to be fun. We are trying to get some fun merchandise ready like Down strokes 40 ounce cozies, bottle openers, and I dunno, Down Strokes panties? Maybe we won’t do the panties thing, I know our singer Nick will end up wearing them onstage. We found out cassettes are cheap to have made professionally so we might sell those with a download code.

CDs are kinda boring, we might not even bother having them professionally made. We really want to put out a 7 inch on vinyl, but that’s expensive so we might have to wait on that.

People seem to really like your singer Nick and his over the top antics on stage. What is he like to work with?

Nick is a natural front man, and also a total goof onstage. Actually spends a lot of our sets dancing shirtless and beer covered in the crowd. He definitely helps make our shows rowdy and fun. The guy really can sing though, the antics are just a bonus.

He always buys us rounds of shots too, that’s one of the main reasons we keep him around.

What local bands are you personally into?

Personal favorites are The Badlands, Blue Ribbon Boys, The Piniellas, Shit Gets Smashed, The Tripwires, Zeke, Shy Ones, Briefs, Cute Lepers. I really miss High Class Wreckage and Neon Nights. It’s a shame they broke up. Also I like Mean Jeans. I still count them even though they’re from Portland.

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Sledgeback songs were originally written for my old band C.A.F.B..

In Jávorszky Béla Szilárd and Sebők János’ 2006 book, Magyarock 2, the two authors credit vocalist Gabor Hun Szakacsi’s previous band, C.A.F.B., as “an important piece of the early 1990’s Hungarian punk and hardcore scene.” Today, though, Szakacsi is making headlines with his Seattle band Sledgeback, which was formed in 2004 after he left Hungary and C.A.F.B for the U.S. Sledgeback’s debut album, People’s Choice, was released by Silver Records in 2004, as was their second album, Perception Becomes Reality, in 2006, but the band’s quick rise to fame and success hasn’t been an easy ride for Szakacsi. The vocalist first had to learn English, then round up a band from scratch, which went through numerous member changes for five years before stabilizing in 2009 with former Himsa drummer Tim Mullen, War Babies bass player Shawn Trotter, and their off-and-on guitarist Guy Lacey who recently became a father.

Sledgeback is no stranger of the international press. In the past seven years the group has been interviewed by almost every punk zine around the globe, including Sleazegrinder, Punk United, and Neo-Zine to name a few. One listen to any of their releases and it quickly becomes understandable. These guys are a punk powerhouse, a sledgehammer smashing audiences with gritty vocals and blistering tempos. Often compared to the likes of Social Distortion and The Ramones, these punks separate themselves from others with sharp song writing and edgy riffs. The band released 7 Years Like A Broken Record in April 2012, a 16 song compilation that contains some unreleased material and remastered versions of past releases. It is a must have for any punk fan. With that noted, I asked Gabor Hun to answer a few questions about the band, the new release, and his thoughts on being compared to the great Mike Ness.

With you coming from Hungary, how different is the Punk scene here in America compared to your homeland, such as in support, participation (at shows), acceptance, popularity, etc.?

Well. I remember throughout the 90’s Hungary had a great punk scene with many awesome bands. But because of the language most of these bands only became known around the Central European area where many people speak Hungarian. Just like German or Czech punk bands we wrote songs about our issues in our language. You have to sing in English to break out and be heard around the world. The shows and people are actually very similar to America. Hungarians are very opened and easily accept “different” things which made it easy for us after the 1990 regime change. How-

ever, I know it from older people, it was very dangerous before the Regime change or the fall of the Berlin Wall.

I know some bands and musicians got jailed in the 1980’s just because their songs were “not accepted” by the government. But luckily that is the past.

After C.A.F.B. broke up you came to the States.

What brought about that decision and how difficult was it to form a band for you as a newcomer?

I had some serious reasons to leave and I had a chance which probably saved my life. We got into the “mainstream” of alternative rock in Hungary too fast and I was too young to handle the pressure the right way. After the 1997 C.A.F.B. album’s “success” I started partying like never before which soon turned into heroin addiction. I was able to get partially clean in a month and left for Seattle in June 1999 with my ex-girlfriend.

I know that if I stayed in Hungary I would be dead by now as my best friend and band mate Mike who died struggling with heroin.

I came to America with the guitar I still use today and a bag of clothes. Because I did not speak English at all I had a very hard time finding people to play music with. It took me years to start Sledgeback just because of the language barrier. Being from Central Europe I had to prove myself sometimes to people which never bothered me.

I read on the band’s site that you had to gain a better grasp of English to complete many of the songs you had written before leaving C.A.F.B. How difficult was that for you?

I had to learn English from guys I worked with because I haven’t had any time or extra money to take lessons from a real teacher. So I had all those songs written but I had to wait years to be able to write the lyrics the way I wanted to. You can imagine how frustrating it was writing those songs but unable to say what I meant with them.

Even after Sledgeback started and we toured I had hard moments with band mates because of the way I speak. Look, it’s not easy when your friend tells you that You sound like an a**hole but you just wanted to be straight forward in a conversation. It’s still hard for me. I am not trying to blame my mistakes on my English and my accent but more than a few times people misunderstood me which killed friendships too.

Some songs we play with Sledgeback had Hungarian lyrics or words at some point because when I have an idea I still use my native language to try to bring the meaning to the surface.

Sometimes it works well. Also some of the 2004

Sledgeback has had numerous reviews in several press outlets around the globe. I noticed many compared the band’s sound, if not yours, to the SoCal sounds of Mike Ness and Social D, and to other industry greats like The Ramones and Rancid. What do you think of that comparison?

I think it is not exactly a bad thing to be compared to bands like the ones you mentioned, but in the same time I am not entirely happy with that. Look, it’s really hard to come up with something new in this musical genre. The same chords have been played by thousands of bands around the globe. On the other hand I tell you honestly I did not listen to Social D. before I came to the USA but I played the same way, sang the same words in Hungarian and lived a life probably similar to Mike Ness in his early days. Other than my voice, which I can’t change, these reasons are more than enough for some critics to draw comparisons or straight up call us a band heavily influenced by these type of California bands. Punk rock is not limited to one place, never has been, and there are countless bands who actually are purposely copying these big artists. Sledgeback doesn’t. For instance, I listened to UK Subs, BuzzCocks, Discharge, 4-Skins, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, or the German “Wizo” a lot more often and a lot earlier than Rancid. Luckily I had the chance to play with some of these bands back in Europe which actually means a lot to me. With all that said I do listen and like Social D. and Rancid. They are classics without a question.

Let me ask about “7 Years Like A Broken Record”.

What makes this new release different than one’s past, more tasty for those with a punk appetite?

Well this is a retrospective album that contains 16 songs. Some unreleased, some remastered versions.

It basically covers our work from 2004 to 2011. It really shows what Sledgeback was all about musically in its first 7 years. The CD came out by German labels, SNPunx and New Music Distribution.

I also have to ask about the band’s cover art. Do you use the same artist each time, and are you guys a part of the design or its creation?

We have had the same artist O.Shaul Rummel since the start. Each time I laid out an idea for him what we wanted he was able to come up with the right art. We also wanted to make sure to keep the style. As we are moving ahead we may bring in some other hands like we did for “7 years like a broken record” where we had a Slovenian artist Antonin Krizanic work alongside O.Shaul Rummel. Actually Antonin draw a part of the 1993 C.A.F.B. album too back in Hungary so we have like a 20 year relationship there.

To wrap this gig up, any last words or thoughts for our readers?

I hope the ones I did hurt knowingly or without realizing it will give another chance for friendship. I would do the same. Love you all.

photos by Ricky Sherman

On Saturday, June 23rd PBR gathered a handful of the areas best musical acts, a 1/2 pike skate ramp from No Coast Skate Shop, a flatbed trailer, and some of the sexiest gals from PT’s Sports bar in Sauget, IL to put on BANDS, BOARDS & BABES! Assembled in the parking lot of PT’s, this show had a taste of everything musical, including The Scam, Fuck Off And Dies, Midwest Avengers, Bug Chaser, Violations, Overdosed, Draculahead, and even Spark 1 Duh! And the skateboarders kicked it all day long too, making the day one to remember.

The only question left on the minds of attendees was, when’s the next one, PBR Dave? Well, if I know Dave as well as I think I do, I guarantee it won’t be long!

T

ina D grew up in the small farming town of Eltopia, WA, which she says means “Hell to Pay”. That’s not a joke, either, she adds. She remembers that she never really fit in there, that she stood out like a sore thumb. She loves Eltopia, though, but says there isn’t exactly too many tattooed rocker chicks, let alone photographers there, like herself. Tina moved to Seattle four years ago, and it’s amazing how quickly she has emerged on the local photography scene.

For the past year she’s been a regular contributor to The Sinner, but her feature here has little to do with that. What landed her here was our front cover contest last year, where her work was one of the finalists. So we saved her for July, requesting something with an American flag. And we couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. With that said, I sat her down to talk about her photography and the cover shoot...

When did you first develop an interest in photograph?

I always joke with people and say, "I was practically born with a camera in my hand", and to be more serious and less joking that's not far from the truth. Because as long as I can remember I always had a fascination with cameras, be in front of them, playing with them. My mom would have to hide her 35mm when she would put a new role of film in it because I would just grab at it and sometimes run off with it.

Marie Voodoo I had lots fascinations as a child, a big imagination and lots of creativity and my parents nurtured all those creative admirations I had; especially when it came to things like photography, writing, painting, acting and music. Because I think they could tell even at that age that, that's what I was meant to do.

Any formal education or training?

Up until I was 22 I didn't have much extra time to peruse any extra training and higher education in general because I spent all of my high school years and the beginning of my early adulthood taking care of my disabled mother until she passed. That’s actually how I came to live in Seattle, she ended up in the hospital, and I stayed because I had an amazing support system of friends.

As far as formal education or training, I was fortunate that during my high school years my journalism teacher saw a lot of promise in me and taught me a lot and would let me borrow his SLR camera to shoot school events, but most of my time there was spent shooting video and writing for the newspaper. He strongly encouraged me through the years that I needed to pursue photojournalism & journalism in college and as a career. I've also been fortunate enough to cross paths with many peers and fellow photographers that I would consider to be like mentors to me in that they teach me little tidbits here and there. Would I love more formal training? Yes you bet, our brains never stop learning. So it doesn't hurt to further your knowledge of something that you already know so much about.

Model: Rebecca Terry

The Sinful Photography of Tina D

I'm curious, what's your poison when it comes to cameras?

Like the whole Cannon vs Nikon debate? or Film vs Digital? All those debates are utterly tiresome in my opinion. A camera is a camera. Yes we all have our preferences, but in the end for me the camera picks you even if you think you pick the camera.

I can't describe it. My current camera and my last one that I literally cried when it quit were both the same way... I tested dozens of cameras with the qualities I wanted and THEN BAM within one test shot I knew it was my camera. There was some unspoken connection and I know that sounds weird. But I guess that's what makes me more of an artistic photographer. But to answer all the age old debates..... Sony (but if I have to choose in the war, Cannon), Film and Digital are both amazing but I really prefer Digital, I've grown so adjusted to it. I do want to dabble some more in film though cause I miss the days of having to wait to see what I got, it was like Christmas! I’ve had such a colorful variety of different kinds of cameras in my lifetime. But hand me a camera, I’ll tell you a story with a few zillion photographs.

Let's talk about the cover for July. Can you tell me about that shoot, the model, shooting, editing?

The cover for July was very simple. Once I knew I was doing July it came together fast, I knew exactly who I wanted and what I wanted to do. And I couldn’t have asked for a better model than Rebecca Terry. She is so insanely beautiful inside and out and extremely talented in so many aspects and she is also a dear friend of mine. Not only is she an amazing model who is always on spot with getting her shots and always professional but she is also a very amazing vocalist who’s done a few shows already around the Seattle scene. Rebecca is such a natural beauty that editing the shots wasn’t too much of a challenge, I didn’t want to disguise either of our talents with too much editing. The great thing about this shoot too is we communicated through the editing process, saying, ‘hey this is what I want and this is what I do” and we harmonized and melted our ideas. I wish all shoots could be so harmonious!! Also for July, as far as my new works on the other side of my photography, I got to shoot Wednesday 13 which I was so excited about!

Your work is extremely diverse, covering numerous genres of photography, such as your live entertainment works. Which do you prefer, and why?

I love it all to be honest…I just love taking photos. I literally carry my camera everywhere! It’s an extension of my arm. But my bread and butter, my heart and soul is my live music/entertainment photography that I’ve been doing since I was a teen. It was local bands like Better Off Naked, Hip Young Gunslingers, Go Like Hell, Fall From Grace, Atomic Outlaws, The Jet City Fix, Dreadful Children, and On The Last Day (the list is endless) that made those early years of my music photography amazing for me, and really inspired me. I’m honored that a lot of those people I still know & still get to photograph to this day. And It’s been a journey to watch them thrive with their music.

On your FB page I noticed a folder for Nino Chaos. Who is this character?

I totally laughed reading this question. Oh Nino! Nino Chaos is one of my most favorite photography subjects. He is the mascot for Local Chaos Productions as well as its heart & soul. Nino is my best friend & local promoter, Greg Chaos' lovable pit-bull. Sweetest dog you'll ever meet.

What's next for you in 2012?

A LOT! My year is far from being done, I’m so busy. I just got done speaking in June at Little Ben Production’s Industry night where I was the first female guest speaker, that was exciting I would love to do something like that again. I have a huge show July 28th at The Funhouse that I’m promoting and also hosting. It’s Witchburn, The Saints Of Damnation, Buttafuko, The Blue Ribbon Boys, This Soil Is Diseased, and also the premier of Girls Girls Girls Burlesque. And also it’s the debut of my onstage alias Marie Voodoo. I am also working on co-producing a festival that I can’t fully talk about yet with a friend of mine but it’s gonna be big and I am very excited about the idea and hoping it turns into an annual festival. I am also gonna hopefully be putting out a book of my writing that I’ve been working on, you can usually catch me at the occasional spoken word night performing my poetry. But what comes first is my photography! That is my number one passion and I hope to be doing a bunch more shoots, and working on some ideas I’ve had stocked away for a long time. So much more in store!

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Go Like Hell

And last, where can readers find more of your works or reach you?

You can find me on Facebook, that mostly is the best place to reach me: www.facebook.com/TinaDPhotography. I’m Also on Model Mayhem, #1756600. I submit photos to The Sinner monthly, so my work can be seen here on a regular basis. And also they can reach me at donleytina@ hotmail.com. Or catch me at a show! I invite everyone to come out and see me on July 28th at The Funhouse and say hi!

www.facebook.com/seattlesinner * www.facebook.com/saintlouissinner

THE ST LOUIS

SINNER

St Louis Pride 2012

Presents

THE END OF THE WORLD.... PART II The Last Show You Will Ever See Alive!

LIVE MUSIC ART SHOW BURLESQUE FREAK SHOW

FRIDAY DEC 21ST

2 0 1 2 Follow us on Facebook for updates facebook.com/ saintlouissinner

How could The Sinner not have someone at Pride capturing the floats and fans for us? That wouldn’t be very sinnerish, would it? A big thanks to Gina Simon for her endless coverage... and for suffering blistered feet for a week afterwards!

MAD ART GALLERY 2727 S. 12th Street, St. Louis, MO

Gina Simon Photography

KICKER’S CORNER 6201 S. Broadway

Words by Emily Eufinger Photos by Phil Stucker

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nter this place with the understanding that you will almost certainly regret pretty much everything you do in here. Realize that, reconcile it within yourself, be at peace with it; maybe turn your phone off to avoid sending embarrassing drunken text messages, draft a few morning-after apologies (“I’m deeply sorry for grabbing your butt and repeatedly shouting that you have a juicy ‘ba-donk-a-donk’; I did not realize that the large hairy gentleman sitting next to you was your husband.”), and get your ass down to Kickers because it’s gonna be one hell of a party.

You will eat too much; you will drink too much; you will sing too loudly and off-key to classic bluegrass songs blasting from the jukebox. You will go home feeling like you will either puke or explode; you will wake up feeling like you were crapped off a cliff by an evil night creature; but when bits and pieces of the night start flickering across your memory, you’ll recall that you loved every second of it, and won’t be able to wait to go back.

Kicker’s Corner is the kind of place where you don’t need to be afraid to unbutton your pants after eating… since there’s a fair chance that half the people in the bar don’t even have buttons on their pants, let alone utilize them.

Choppers have the run of this stretch of Broadway—a constant, soothing rumble for a digestive aid. And the food—handmade, cheap—is not what you’d expect from a hole-in-the-wall on South Broadway.

Most any night of the week Kicker’s offers specials on their already low-priced goods. Monday’s special is a large variety of $2 fun beers from the cooler behind the

bar; Tuesday’s is $5.50 pizza with $1.75 toppings.

Wednesday nights they offer an $8.50 sirloin special with two sides. The steak is well seasoned, topped with garlic butter and fresh shoestring fried onions—not the bilge that comes from a can in the dry goods aisle at Shop n’ Save. The fries are hand cut and exceptional; the bread comes warm, soft and crisp, soaked in a light glaze of garlic butter.

And the nachos… good lord the nachos. Kicker’s should announce the presence of these things with trumpets before they ever enter the dining room, then parade them out of the kitchen on a forklift, with an entourage of flipping acrobats and belly dancers just shakin’ it. This leviathan is the Mount Kilimanjaro of all nachos: it comes on a full-sized pizza pan. It’s like somebody in the kitchen got bored and just kept throwing shit on top. This dish was taylor-made for the Hulk—radioactive green jalapeños and all.

Any normal person would look at this and think, “Look, I can share with all my friends!” or, “I can’t even finish a quarter of this, so I’ll have leftovers for the rest of the week!” But this plate of nachos didn’t land in front of a normal person. This plate landed in front of a Sinner, who only thought one thing: “Challenge … accepted.” And that behemoth was destroyed, brought down not by the rage of a gamma-radiated green monster, but by a hundred and twenty pounds of glorious feminine gluttony.

To mount your own expedition up the slopes of Nacho Mountain, or to learn about their other specials, head down to 6201 South Broadway, or check them out at www.facebook.com/kickers.corner.

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www.facebook.com/seattlesinner * www.facebook.com/saintlouissinner

Solitary Refinement

By Single In The City

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ontinuing on my journey of singlehood in our somewhat noble city, I have decided after being in LTR after LTR to stay single for now.

My adventures, mishaps, triumphs and life’s observations are chronicled here in the forthcoming column. This is a work of fact, fiction and frivolity…purely for entertainment purposes, not guidance. I have embarked upon expanding my social network through both Social networking sites and just getting out more. Shamelessly flirting with both sexes more for the fun of it rather than in hopes of finding a date. Turning on the charm and cranking up my sex appeal tenfold in search of a fun time and maybe a date or two…

After a week of casual messaging this guy I met on FaceTwit asked me out to dinner. We had a decent meal and good conversation, he seemed mostly interested in my body. He was also quite a bit younger, not to mention he went to pay and his credit card did not go through. (I can hear sad trombone playing in my head). So I paid for most of the evening, which I am used to paying for myself anyway, but he did not even bother to say thank you. I feel manners is fast becoming a lost art with the new generation since it seems things are just given to them and expected.

Then he leaned in and kissed me (unexpectedly and without asking) and said he was just dying to get that “out of the way”, really? He said it as if I was an item on a to-do list….hmmm. Then after knowing he has no funds available, he suggested going out for a drink and having the $10 whiskey which I paid for, um, yeah……(then I heard sad trombone playing for me) I began to see him not so much as potential dating material but more like a possum trying to get as many scraps as he could before running back to his sewer. An “L” on the forehead comes to mind now.

On a crusade to try new experiences and break out of my comfort zone…. My adventures take me to the clothing-optional activities department, where (much) older men are eager to friend me and have me in the sidecar. Trying to love myself “as-is” as a 30-something, less-than-perfect, but able-bodied gal can sometimes be tricky

when smaller, younger, more-hardbodied or bigger breasted women seem to get noticed first.

Luckily I have an advantage over most of them, I have one hell of a sense of style and a sense of confidence. Getting naked at a clothing-optional event is like taking the plunge and jumping into a cold shower, it can be a bit of a shock at first if you don’t make up your mind to just do it before hand and take a deep breath. After, it feels exhilarating and liberating and you realize it’s not so bad, it’s all in your mindset. After the first time I took the plunge, I felt my self-confidence grow from a place deep within. The kind of real confidence where compliments from others could not even begin to accomplish the same effect.

I went to a “C/O” (clothing optional) party and brought a friend for moral support and because I thought it would be good for them too.

It was a classy soiree and I tried to look my best.

I saw several people there who I know from the clothed, everyday life. It didn’t seem weird to see them naked either, it seemed natural. No big deal, after all, we are all born in this skin. It ended up a fun and hot night.

After leaving the party we went to a bar, there I ended up conversing with an old friend I had not seen in a while. An hour later, we left the bar and went back to my house and talked. Talking at some point turned into touching and that turned into heavy petting and making out. I enjoyed myself, perhaps a little too much. I was quite surprised that things turned out the way they did that night, because it had been an option I had never considered with this person. Perhaps it could happen again and perhaps not. I am still trying to stay single despite the sleeper hit of the season.

So that concludes my journey for this month.

Next month includes more clothing optional activities, some outdoors meetups with new people and several nights out with the girls….if this is my current dating pool, I will take spaghetti.

For hecklings, gripes or other mindless witty banter please email solitary.refinement.stl@ gmail.com

This, I Shamelessly Tell You Why are white men (in Seattle), so angry, Transhappy at Fremont Solstice Parade and more in the ‘james chronicles’

by James Stansberry

On Pride Sunday, after I’d gone to the farmer’s market and was still a little high from the post-glow I get every year after hanging out with the lovely females (and my female to male ‘bruthas’, and many, many supporters of the march with fluid gender), I had need to visit my local Trader Joes. There, in front of my fave store since my move last year, was what I’ve come to think of as a sort of phenomenon, that of the ‘angry, older white guy’. He seems to have many incarnations, and in Seattle, it seems his numbers are increasing, or maybe I just run into them more, particularly since there are a couple in my building I’ve unfortunately come to the notice of, since my move.

Guess my dressing in ‘boi’ clothes most of the time, then ‘girling up’, on that rare occasion when this is simply easier, for various reasons, only serves to rile up their already wounded and subluxated souls.

My astrologer partner says they’re part of the by-gone ‘Piscean’ era, that time from about 1930 to 1940, it would seem. Or let’s say the era that glorified men going to war as a thing ‘real men’ just did and didn’t question (unlike now, when everyone questions the folly of war and its huge cost in society). I also think I see this more than some folks, because being on the journey to be more ‘james’, I’m often watching what sis-men do, ‘cause then I get informed on a little of what helps to make me a more believable man in public. True, I’d never want to emulate these old curmudgeons, and when I do have to interact with them, whether in my building, or on the street, I usually am not happy after the chance meeting. In fact, I’d say, sometimes I go out of my way to avoid these folks (something, I’m sure, that adds to their brewing anger/frustration). C’est la vie, I say.

These guys aren’t anything special to me, so why in hell do I have to put up with their lack of social skills? It doesn’t help that, since I’m not taking any kind of male enhancing hormones, I still look female, and to these guys (at least the ones in Seattle, the older ones in particular), female seems to equate to enemy.

Thus their most virulent outbursts seem to go toward women, especially women who have stopped being women as they see them, and are now independently moving in their own journeys.

I think the situation between men and women in general in Seattle is a dicey one. Women here (straight, white ones anyway, particularly older ones), act like they’d rather have sex with their books or I-Pads than with any of these guys (and heck, I can’t really blame them), and others act like they simply put men in the category of child or enemy. So there’s a lot

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of floating friction, always ready to explode, and unfortunately, not being on either side of the male/female dichotomy, but in the middle, the gray area of being Trans, I get glares from women who think I should pick their side and hate men too, or I get crap from snarly, older, beat up white guys who think I’m denying them something. Either way, leaving my apartment is always a gamble, with me wondering, will I have to beat the crap out of some guy because he’s invaded my space just a bit too much, or will I have some Blonde chick act like she doesn’t see me and try to run over me in the crosswalk, even if it IS my light. Not fun stuff, and honestly, as things fall apart more economically, I’m not expecting it to get better.

Still, there are the small miracles. Like getting flirted with by this very bodaciously sweet ‘puddin’ (you know, the kind of women Vogue thinks are fat, but I think are hot?) at the Fremont Solstice Parade, and getting to use the men’s restroom at PCC at that same fair, with the assistance of one of the employees, who made sure it was a safe situation for me. Felt good, even if there were some very uncertain, and even a few downright steely glares from a few of the women in the other line. Sweetie and I laughed happily the rest of the evening, and after the movie we saw at the newly revamped Metro Theater (now Sundance Cinemas, complete with a lame slideshow, instead of ‘commercials’ and a constipated looking Robert Redford as part of that same slideshow) I used the men’s restroom there too. I thought, as long as I’ve gone to such great pains to dress the part, why not use the appropriate facilities? Happy to report things went well on this front, this time.

Oh yes, and we’re further along with my satanic cable company, with part of our services off to catch up the bill, and the hope that once caught up, we can kick these assholes out of our lives, or at least mostly.

Stay tuned.

Then there’s the wicked parking ‘plot’ we live with, that has poor sweetie having to move the car two or three times, if we get together during the week, because apparently the city has decided that those of us who didn’t cause the shortfall of money should still make it up by having to buy stickers to park. These stickers, on our budget are yet another burden, and so far we just haven’t been able to get out from under enough to afford them, thus the sleep denying moving the car to avoid traffic tickets. Sucks, to be sure, and goes to show that yes, even in ‘liberal’ Seattle, the one per cent is still in control of who wins and who loses, financially As for the ‘older, angry white man’, I guess they’ll just have to try and find a way to fit in, or one would hope, at least stop being these surly, muttering figures that ‘decorate’ the landscape with unpleasantness. For me, I’ll just keep being me, and like on Pride Sunday, smile to myself, glad me and sweetie continue to do healthy practices that pretty much assure neither one of us will ever turn into ‘old duffers’ like these guys and hope these guys someday get a clue.

This, I shamelessly tell you..

www.facebook.com/seattlesinner * www.facebook.com/saintlouissinner

Think Outside The Cage with Kendra Holliday of The Beautiful Kind

What Is A Sex Surrogate?

Dear Kendra, How can I be a better lover if I don’t currently have someone I can practice with? I haven’t touched another person in eight months. Why did my last two girlfriends say I was terrible in bed? How do I please a woman?

I’ve learned my moves from watching porn - my parents sure as heck didn’t talk to me about sex. Am I good at eating pussy?

How can I last longer? Is my dick big enough? I lack confidence and social skills. How do I fix my mojo? ~Just Another Guy Dear Just Another Guy, Have you ever heard of a sex surrogate? A sex surrogate, also called a surrogate partner, is a person who helps others overcome social and sexual issues through hands on intimacy.

Most surrogates are mature white females in their 40s and beyond. They resemble the average women you’d see in the grocery store shopping for cottage cheese and dollar rolls.

You don’t have to be gorgeous in order to be a good sex surrogate—looks are the least important factor when it comes to helping others overcome their issues. Empathy, an open attitude toward sex, and excellent communication skills are more crucial than a swimsuit model body.

Who can benefit from the services of a sex surrogate?

The bulk of individuals who utilize a sex surrogate are single men interested in women, though partnered men and women can be helped as well. All kinds of issues can be addressed. Here are some examples: • Those suffering from Erectile Dysfunction (ED) • Men plagued with Premature Ejaculation • Adult virgins who want to take the next step in claiming their sexuality • Those who are socially awkward (I’ve encountered a lot of men with Asperger’s Syndrome) • Men who have a penis size complex that inhibits them from enjoying sex (Thanks a lot, porn.)

• People who have been affected by a traumatic past experience • Those who feel shame or anxiety about an unconventional fetish or desire What’s the difference between a sex surrogate and a prostitute?

A prostitute’s role it so provide sexual

gratification and entertainment to an individual they may never see again. A sex surrogate has a very different purpose. The goal of helping someone overcome an issue may not even involve intercourse or orgasm. The surrogate meets with the client for several sessions, building trust and intimacy. A surrogate/client’s relationship typically lasts about four to six months.

The majority of what a surrogate does is educate, communicate, and facilitate healing.

That this can bridge into physical touch and actual demonstration is what sets it apart from traditional sex therapy. Sex surrogacy is legal because it is considered therapy. There aren’t really any laws in place regarding the profession, so it is open to interpretation.

What does a sex surrogate do?

“Surrogate partner” = “substitute partner.” The exercises employed during a surrogate session center around issues such as trust, touch, intimacy, relaxation, communication, eye contact, nudity, body image, and social skills. Sessions include talking, body exploration and learning about the human anatomy, massage, roleplay, and employing techniques such as sensate focus, or relaxed touching. Sessions may also include oral sex and intercourse. Safe sex practices are mandatory.

Like other therapist/client relationships, it’s common for a client to become attached to the surrogate, so it’s important to keep it professional and set up boundaries, expectations, and goals ahead of time. The aim is to take the skills learned with the surrogate and successfully transfer them to a genuine dating/romantic relationship.

kendra@thebeautifulkind.com www.thebeautifulkind.com Got a sex, relationship, BDSM or fetish related question? Ask your local sexpert, Kendra Holliday, Writer & Editor of The Beautiful Kind, and Co-Founder of Sex Positive St. Louis.

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