The Luna Collective x April Issue by lunacollectivemag

THE LUNA COLLECTIVE

FEATURING

APRIL 2018

JOHNNY GOTH

1 ISSUE II

a note...

I cannot express enough how thankful I am for everyone that supported our first issue of The Luna Collective last month. Sometimes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult when you have a million ideas a minute running in your head without knowing how to bring them to life, but I know this magazine is a step forward. Whatever it is you wanna do - just do it. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be surprise what follows once you put yourself out there.

Much Love To:

xox, Sophie

Ursula Bowling @ursulabowling

Mike Harris @vokesband

Sean Ritchie @vokesband

Trae Budde @vokesband

Jess Kallen @wearemother

Dylan Robin @vokesband

Olivia Boryczewski @oliviaboryczewski

Elliot Lockwood @elliot.lockwood

Campbell Scott @smallforwardmusic

Johnny Castro @johnny_goth

Rounak Maiti

@smallforwardmusic

Shannon Sinwell @shannon.sinwell

Kelly Cruz @wearemother

Christine Meisenhelter

Michael Stevenson

Melody Ector @wearemother

Olivia Morreale @wearemother

Garrett Harney @vokesband

Nikoli Partiyeli @nikoliparty

@wearemother

@smallforwardmusic

Nick Waldram

@smallforwardmusic

TUNES FOR APRIL Johnny Goth - Drowning Katzù Oso - Honeydew Hoops - 4 U MOSSS - Here If You Want (Pale Blue) Small Forward - The Reservoir Peachy! & Reisha - Lover Boy RALPH TV - Taxi Boy

RICEWINE & Brandon Eugene Smith - Dreams / Nightmares

Prefab Sprout - Cars and Girls The Marías - I Like It Yuno - No Going Back VOKES - Expectation Beach House - Dive The Neighbourhood - Nervous COIN - Growing Pains No Vacation - Dræm Girl Feng Suave - By the Poolside The Symposium - Dracula’s Lunch Current Joys - Way out Here Tim Atlas - Unwind Mvzonik - Green Rain Diamond Cafe - ‘Tell Me That You Need Me’ Still Woozy - Cooks TV Girl - Cigarettes out the Window Private Island - Crime The Slaps - Song for a Friend Smooth Ends - Loner HOMESHAKE - Give It to Me Vacations - Relax infinite bisous - The Past Tense

Scan to listen to the Spotify Playlist

3 Photo by Melisa Ulkumen

CONTENTS 12

MOTHER

22 ELLERY KEMNER

SMALL FORWARD

JOHNNY GOTH

CONTENTS

VOKES 8 Soapbox: Black Panther 10 The Munch Club: Sqirl 18 The Comfort Zone 52 Life On Film

8 Arlei / @baasamas

Soapbox: Why Black Panther Is So Important To Black People (& Other Minority Groups) By Charise Marie Love I almost didn’t go – the tickets weren’t reserved, so whatever seat we got, no matter how shitty, was the seat we got. My sister and I rushed through the crowd, making a beeline toward the theater, checking the seat situation. One of the most anticipated movies, not even by Marvel standards, and the closest movie theater to us didn’t offer an option to reserve or choose our own seats online. We walked up and down almost every aisle, only skipping the ones that looked filled or were being reserved by pairs of legs and worn out handbags. We settled for the seats all the way at the bottom, you know, the ones people avoided? We settled for the seats at the end of the aisle, closest to the exit, something we’d learned over the years from my dad – we just hadn’t learned to break that practice. Black Panther was one of the most anticipated movies of 2018, and has been since last Spring, when the black hero cameoed in Captain America: Civil War. Most of the people vowing to see it only seeing it for one purpose – the cast was mostly black. In fact, it was one of the biggest reasons I’d went to go see it. Being black in the media, when I grew up, meant you played a thug, a drug addict, a drug dealer, a comic relief, a gangster, a stripper or prostitute. Women were mistreated and gold diggers, they were in abusive relationships, they were terrible mothers, and black little girls were their drug dealing father’s exchange for their drug debt. Being black and seeing that, didn’t give me a lot of imaginative hope. I had always been creative, always wanted to be famous. I had Disney black kids – mostly stereotyped. On those screens I was the sidekick that got barely any screen time. I was the sassy, big girl who hyped up my white friend. I was the ghetto new girl who everyone was afraid of.

In that theater, for Black Panther, I saw a positive portrayal. Black kids wore T’Challa masks, they had the make up that Shuri had in the promotion posters. Black Panther painted an image of black men that usually isn’t shown -- emotional. T’Challa, a black king and warrior of a third-world country, was not afraid to cry and mourn his father’s death, and was not ashamed to admit defeat when he needed help. He showed fear, sadness, anger, compassion and love. He wasn’t weak, or barbaric. He was not vengeful, or violent. He did not kill when unnecessary. He was not angry all the time. Black Panther portrayed a different layer of black women. Shuri, Princess of Wakanda and the technological leader of the country, was a warrior in science and on the battlefield, with no practice. Shuri protected her brother and was strong. She was smart, strong and funny, at only sixteen. Black Panther opened up the trope that black people can be the genius, the king, the warrior, the princess, the protector. Black Panther has given black youth an image to look forward to. Black Panther has proved that people will go see People of Color as leads. Black Panther proved that movies about minorities succeeding is what people want to see, and movies about minorities succeeding will do well in theaters. Not only is it important for black people to see themselves represented, it is important for white people to support the film and watch it. This shows that no matter the audience, a movie with an all-PoC cast will sell. White people want to see more than just the “regular”. Stop being afraid of diversity, embrace it. It’s important.

THE MUNCH CLUB: SQIRL Feature & Photos by Ariana Pergola

If there is one word to describe Sqirl, it’s “art.” From aesthetic interior design elements, clearly creative customers and the controlled mania of the kitchen to the food that it produces, Sqirl is an artistic oasis in the middle of a somewhat concrete jungle. Give the area around Sqirl a chance though- Silverlake is known for its great cafés, vintage shops and hipsters. After your meal, head up two storefronts to find a flower and gift shop, or head across the street to one of many vintage clothing stores in the area.

Upon arriving at Sqirl, you’ll definitely have to wait at least 15 minutes to place your order (however it’s more likely to be closer to 40 minutes). Fortunately, this gives you plenty of time to scan Sqirl’s extensive menu and be inspired by the dishes that the waiters carry by. You’ll realize quickly that the wait is well worth it. Every menu item has pops of color, and you’ll definitely walk away with a droolworthy Instagram. More importantly, the food tastes just as good as it looks. No dish that I’ve ordered has ever disappointed. 10

What I love most about Sqirl is that this isn’t food you can prepare at home as there are so many elements to each dish. Take the famous Sorrel Pesto Rice bowl for example; Preserved meyer lemon, lactofermented hot sauce and sorrel pesto aren’t exactly easily found at Trader Joe’s and are not particularly easy to recreate. Save yourself the time and take the short trip!

So, for your first trip to Sqirl, what should you order? Sqirl is best known for the Sorrel Pesto Rice, so I would definitely give it a try. The preserved lemon and hot sauce give the dish a bit of an acquired taste, but eating it is sort of a right-ofpassage to the rest of the menu. Next, I recommend the Long-Cooked Chicken & Rice Porridge. The lime, ginger and cilantro perfectly season the dish, making it more delicious than you can imagine. Lastly, I always order the Buckwheat Pancakes. They’re made with buckwheat and cactus flour which gives them a light and fluffy texture, and then are topped with cocoa nib pudding and seasonal fruits. If you’re able to, try one of their many toasts (ricotta, brioche, or French). They’re thick cut pieces of fluffy bread spread with your choice of jam and other topping. Having something sweet to go with the rest of your meal is always a good move at Sqirl. Sqirl is by far the restaurant I frequent most, yet still each time I am awe-struck. The customers’ unique sense of fashion, the orchestrated madness of the kitchen and the presentation and flavor of the food all spike my own creativity. This is definitely a treasure of Los Angeles.

MOTHER Story by Megan Smith Photos by Ursula Bowling

THE ACTUALIZATION of diverse musical backgrounds, eclectic personalities, passionate energy and female power, MOTHER is here and ready to stay. The Los Angeles based fempop band derives its distinct sound from across genres, ranging from jazz to rock. Inspired by other young female musicians such as HAIM, Amy Winehouse, and Grace Potter, MOTHER’s lyric driven songs are truly a mixture of each member’s personality. Their raw sound combined with a self-described “tongue and cheek voice” sets them apart from your typical electronically driven pop band and makes them all the most relatable to audiences. MOTHER, to put it frankly, is the realization of what the girls once thought might not be possible. After performing together at a gig that Melody Ector, the keyboardist, had last spring, MOTHER was born. MOTHER, a name to represent the strong women that they and others are, formed out of mutual respect. “We all respected each other as musicians first,” vocalist Olivia Morreale says of their pre-MOTHER relationship. This made it easier for them to focus on music first, with everyone actively and equally contributing to its creation. After little time, though, the professional respect they shared burgeoned into best friendship. The five girls that make up MOTHER come from both the Jazz and Pop programs at the University of Southern California. Each member of the

group, like their musical background, is different, yet they all coalesce together to create a powerful band to which audiences identify personally. Like The Spice Girls, each member has their own name. Ector, whose handle has been Mother Gay “since forever,” plays keyboard. Morreale, lead vocalist, is Mother Glam because “she’s the hot one.” Jess Kallan, guitarist and animal-lover, is Mother Earth. Known for often throwing shade and wearing sunglasses, Kelly Cruz, drummer, is Mother Shade. And finally, the giant walking heart who doubles as bassist, is Christine Meisenhelter, or Mother Love. In live shows, where they find they truly shine brightest, this is how they introduce themselves. Currently working on their first EP, MOTHER also looks forward to playing at USC’s FemFest. Once their EP is released, they hope to go on an east or west coast tour, selling merch along the way. Collaborating with other artists, and hoping to open for bands like HAIM, Moonchild, and MUNA, are also on their to-do list. Of course, as students, fitting this in with school schedules presents some difficulties. However, with dates already set, this pushes them to get the work done in the limited free time they have. They thrive with plans for the future, and the girls are certainly dedicated to making MOTHER even bigger than it is now. Though no future is certain, being approached by supportive fans telling them that MOTHER’s music resonates, they can tell they’re onto something right.

The message they send through their songs is one of empowerment and positivity. Being a band of entirely females producing dynamic music is meant to embolden both their audiences and them. They comment on what they see. This is amplified by their all-female make-up. For instance, Meisenhelter remarked that “you don’t walk into a venue and say, ‘Oh, look at that boy drummer!’ We don’t want it to be that way.” Morreale added, “In the same way, we don’t want it to be man-hating, like, we like men! They’re on our side. Our vibe is ‘here’s what’s going on.’” Not intentionally nor inherently a political band, their writing mostly expresses injustices they’ve seen and personally felt, like being told “girl, you play like a guy.” What they’re going for in terms of their sound accentuates their lyrics. As a selfdescribed fem-pop band, they strive to make it apparent that they’re “like, out there.” This “out-there” and uplifting feel is apparent at

all stages of MOTHER’s creative process. During rehearsal, they’ve felt a different kind of energy and passion. Kallan noted that “the whole power struggle that comes along with gender is something we don’t even have to think about when we’re playing together.” They treat each other as equals and weirdness from the undermining they’ve felt in the past doesn’t have any place in MOTHER. They pride themselves on not being one person’s band, but five people in a band together. Their creative process emphasizes this. They always arrange together, starting from the barebones of an idea in a voice memo or an old riff to be used as inspiration. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but when it does, it’s a powerful infusion of everyone. Especially in a predominately white and male scene, this feeling of solidarity is something each of them wants to relay through their writing, their aesthetic, and their presence. That personal unity

validates their message even more fully, with their connection to each other tangible to their audiences. Though all serious musicians, they don’t take themselves too seriously and try to keep it simultaneously empowering and silly. “Not saying these aren’t real issues, but no one is gonna cry at a show,” Kallan jokes. Despite the light-heartedness, their feminist music strives to be empowering for other girls. Their fans would agree they do just that. Even just personally, some of the girls never even imagined that being a part of a girl-band was even possible. MOTHER uplifts them and their fans alike. MOTHER is a bad-ass and beautiful mesh of distinct female artists wholeheartedly giving themselves to their music to form an earnest connection with their audiences. Recording is their main priority so they can then work on growth and spreading their music, but they feel that they’ve “grown so much over the past year as musicians and as a band.” With the band’s seniors planning on staying in Los Angeles after their graduation and enthusiastic dedication to the band, this powerhouse group of gals is undoubtedly on the rise. The girls are excited to see what the future has in store for them. MOTHER is one to watch. So, as their hashtags say, thanks mom. Call your mother.

The comfort zone. What even is

it? Is it a social construct that encourages stability? Do you have to leave the comfort zone to grow? Everyone’s comfort zone entails different things and everyone experiences it differently. For some, their comfort zone is essential and staying within their bubble does them just fine. Others seek to escape their comfort zone to expand their horizon and learn more about themself. We asked you to send your art and words about it and this is what you had to say.

Life starts when your comfort zone is broken apart. In the times when we feel most satisfied, we have broken a barrier that could have been redirected towards fear or hatred, but we fail to realize it’s our comfort zone being lengthened and challenged. We all have times when we feel absolutely terrified. We’re afraid of what’s to come and how the things we’ve done will effect it, and we let the fear consume us. This horrid feeling lasts seemingly forever. It’s impossible to deal with and even harder to vocalize, but we’re all still here, and that’s not because of a sudden ease of fear; it’s because of breaking the comfort zone that’s putting a barrier against us all. If we’d all just put a little effort into challenging our fears and taking our comfort zone as a starting line, we’ll all finish strong in the races we think we’d never win. Emma Schoors / Los Angeles

Melisa Ulkumen / Los Angeles

20 Henry Gonzalez / Los Angeles

Family. A Family is the one thing that provides familiarity in my life. They are the people who keep me grounded, my partners-in-crime, and those who let my unapologetic personality shine through. My family is filled with people I would love to come home to, no matter how my day went. In other words, my family is my comfort zone.

Before I know it, I will be submerged in the sea of uncertainty, my comfort zone residing hundreds of miles from my grasp.

But what would happen to me if I left them?

But there’s something funny about being surrounded by the unknown. I know that in the hidden corners of my mind, my family will still be there. There will always be chances for me to return to my comfort zone. It will be up to me to decide whether or not I want to retreat or whether I will continue swimming through new experiences.

During these first two months as an 18-year old, I am faced with one of the hardest decisions of my life: choosing a college to attend. College will make me take a big leap into uncertainty. A really, really, big one. I have never taken such a big step out of my comfort zone before, and it seems scary to start now.

So, I’ll keep swimming. I’ll leave my comfort zone for just a little bit. I’ll embrace the unknown with open arms, transforming it from a dark abyss into a friend. This is my choice, because I know that I’ll grow from it. The unknown won’t tear down my personality: It will add on to the personality that was forged through 18 years in my comfort zone.

I know that I won’t be spending a lot of time with my family during my four years at college. There are a lot of things that I would sacrifice: Netflix binges with my sister, meaningful talks with my mom, and inside jokes with my dad.

I’ll keep swimming because I know that I can always have more Netflix binges, more introspection, and more humor in my life, no matter how unfamiliar the circumstances.

Vaishali Devarakonda / Philadelphia

Shonali Bose / Mumbai

ELLERY KEMNER

A Note From The Arist

My name is Ellery Thomas Kemner. I’m from Naperville, Illinois, but when I moved to Milwaukee I immediately discovered where home was for me. I got into modeling through a backdoor; a friend of mine wanted to practice taking photos, and asked me if I’d model for her. I was nervous, I felt awkward, but for some reason a spark was created. I wanted to create something beautiful. At first, I thought that if I looked beautiful in a photo, I had succeeded. And for a full year, that happiness satisfied me. But as time continued to pass, I became unhappy with what I was making. Whether I was shooting in New York City, the woods in Nashville, or a studio in Milwaukee, I felt like all of my photos looked the same. They didn’t make me happy anymore. I took a short break from modeling and tried to remember what I had been so intrigued by to start... and then it hit me. I had been intrigued by making something beautiful, and my egocentrism had led me to believe that meant I had to look beautiful. I understood the distinction, and sparks began to fly once again. Since that moment, I have seen my purpose in modeling.

Tom Barrett / @wistomsin

My work now is all about making emotion a visible, tangible thing. Emotions don’t have shape, color, or size. What I try to do in my creative work is create those properties. I imagine anywhere from 1-5 emotions that I think pair nicely together, an emotion soup if you will. And I think, what would it taste like? What would it look like? What color is it? What shape is it? What expression would I have if I felt all of them simultaneously? At that point, I reach out to friends and acquaintances in the artistic community, telling them my vision and asking them to work on that project with me. With their ideas added to the table, my vision for the shoot will change. Emotions will be taken out of that soup I created, other emotions will be added in, and now there is more than one cook. Regardless of how silly my analogy to food may seem, I hope that one message comes through clearly: “Beautiful” is not only what something looks like. “Beautiful” is what touches us on an emotional level. My goal in modeling is to help people reach a deeper emotional level. What I find truly beautiful is being in touch with what we feel.

Chase Meadows / @camerachase

Alex Haraus / @alex.haraus

Claire Lindsey / @clairetlindsey

Photographers top to bottom: Zach Thomas / @zachgthomas, Pete Curran / @waddy722, Chris Hinytzke

Nathanial Schmidt / @nathanial_schmidt & James Priceless / @jamespriceless_ (model)

Alex Kanastab and Kaitlyn Luckow / @lykkevisuals

Will Bones / @will_bones

Aditya Negi / @anegyy

Alex Kanastab and Kaitlyn Luckow / @lykkevisuals

Connor Manross / @conntrst

PSYCHEDELIC ROCK YET POP - what does it even mean? It’s that music that combines a multitude of sounds and genres and somehow creates a happy yet sad mood. Small Forward has perfected that sound and is finding their place in the Los Angeles music scene. Consisting of vocalist and guitarist Rounak Maiti, vocalist and guitarist Michael Stevenson, bassist Campbell Scott and drummer Nick Waldram, Small Forward is taking on the music world with a unique yet charming identity and sound. The guys created Small Forward during their time at Occidental College and slowly made the transition to making it into a career. Maiti and Scott previously played together in the band Campus Security and were the predominant campus band at their school. While this enabled the musicians to play at a plethora of campus events and parties, there weren’t really other bands for them to play with or share ideas with. The artists all favored from already being friends as well as having musical backgrounds together, Maiti shares, “The advantage for us was we were first friends before we started playing music together. Since we all hang out together outside of Oxy, it was easy to be doing what we were already doing. So it’s not like we even had to have a discussion of ‘ok we’re committing to this’ it was just natural to keep doing it. Michael and I were making demos and recording a lot of it for a long time just by ourselves, but after a while, we needed to flush out the songs more. I was already in another band with him and Nick so it just worked out really well.”

Small Forward is able to merge elements of psychedelic rock, pop and even aspects of folk to forge their melancholic sound. The band draws from a variety of genres and artists to fuel their psychedelic rock-pop vibe. “I think the pop influence is very strong because we have a tendency to write catchy or more melodic songs so pop is definitely the undercurrent but the predominant sound is obviously a psych and psych rock type of sound.” Maiti explains. Collectively the group listens to everything from BOYO, Current Joys, Mild High Club to more R&B and hiphop artists. This being said, the band doesn’t necessarily listen to many of these artists for direct inspiration, but rather to just take it in and revel in it, Stevenson says, “I think a lot of the stuff we listen to we’re not influenced by. Most of the things I listen to I don’t want to make music like that or I couldn’t even if I tried, but I enjoy listening to them.” When it comes to the visual aspect and aesthetic of the group, the band is still trying to find their precise identity and brand. Fans have often commented that their music gives off a sad yet sunny vibe. The melancholic nature of many of their songs just makes the listener feel some type of way, and it’s often difficult to put into words to describe that precise feeling. The band recently released a series of videos featuring their demo tapes with video clips, including varied 8mm and 16mm film stock footage to really solidify the nostalgic feeling their music gives off. Small Forward knew they wanted to somehow share their demos in a video format and saw it as an opportunity to simply share more content with fans. “We don’t want to be in a

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FORWARD Story by Sophie Gragg Photos by Elliot Lockwood

traditional album cycle. You drop something and then you wait 12 months and then you drop something else.” Stevenson furthers, “I thought it’d be interesting to do especially with trying to connect more with fans. To give insight into the process. So much of how we write music is centered around the idea of a demo. We’re making demos every day so it’d be cool to just put that out. Why hide that?” The band primarily uses a laptop for making their music and enjoy the different aspects of playing their music, whether it be creating it for a demo or playing it at a show. “Making the demo and playing it as a band and recording it and playing it live, I think the fun part for us, is they are all different outlets,” Maiti furthers, “Songs end up sounding really different depending on what context they’re played in.” Though the band considers themselves DIY in terms of making their music, they’re not sure if their music is right for the DIY scene genre-wise. “DIY is definitely cool. I love that it seems like a very loving scene and people seem to know each other which I love. I think musically we’re not really embraced by that scene if that makes sense?” Scott laughs, “I think our aesthetic and our sound is a little too different from that scene. It’s a little rough around the edges and we’re a little pop for it or something like that.”

Earlier in the year, Small Forward played at the 20th-anniversary celebration show alongside Surf Curse, French Vanilla, Moaning, Wild Wing and Post-life at The Smell, one of LA’s more popular DIY music venues. “That was our biggest plunge into the LA DIY scene. It was hard to tell whether that crowd would get into our music,” Stevenson laughs, “but I think it was well received; people enjoyed it.” The band isn’t quite sure who their target scene is as genre blending is more prominent than ever and people listen to such a large variety of music, making it difficult to narrow it down to a specific scene. Though the music scene as a whole is filled with a variety of genres, it can be hard for artists who don’t fit into a specific niche in Los Angeles to find their place. The band has emerged at an interesting time in the music industry with the internet enabling everyone to not only consume mass amounts of music but to also create and release music with limited resources. “I think one thing that’s really weird about the internet is everyone thought it was going to be this great equalizer with the arts in the sense that anybody can put their music out and anybody can listen to it and anyone can become a big star. I think that’s partly true, at the end of the day it still gives power to large streaming services and I don’t think it was the great equalizer everyone thought it would

be.” Scott furthers, “I think it’s weird living in the world directly after streaming has become mainstream. Just because of how do you compete? There’s music everywhere, all the time. It’s really cool because I think people that are into specific genres can find that really easily, which is awesome, but it does make it really hard to stand out.” Small Forward has been one of the many emerging bands to benefit from streaming services, Spotify in particular, as it has given them exposure to audiences they wouldn’t have easy access to otherwise. Thought the band is fortunate to have found success with streaming, they still believe in the importance of music beyond the web. “I think we’ve been lucky where streaming has been fairly kind to us. Given we recorded our album on a USB microphone and just threw it out with no PR. We never imagined our stuff would even get 50,000 plays.” Stevenson shares. The group released their last EP on Forged Artifacts, a record label producing vinyl and casette along side digital releases, and are beginning to find their place in the small but expanding niche. “It seems like people are starting to consolidate these communities of small cassette labels. The giant web of

streaming and Spotify is cool but having your music exist, even just in the Forged Artifacts universe, gives us some identity.” Stevenson continues, “Putting things out on cassette is cool and I think there are smaller cultures that will appreciate the music to a different extent than streaming.” The band recently completed their first tour and are ready to keep putting out music as well as a music video. Scott says, “We have so many demos stacked it’s kinda just about organizing ourselves and figuring out which one we want to come out next, how we wanna release it and how we’re gonna record it.” Maiti furthers, “We’ve done the canon of songs that we work with now, we’ve been playing essentially the same set of music we’ve been playing for more than a year now, but we have a bunch of new songs. We’re looking forward to having something like 12 new songs that are brand new and the old ones are there but we’re moving on to new stuff.” Small Forward expects to put out a music video and a single in the coming months. The psychedelic poprock sound combined with the nostalgic vibe of the band will continue to entice listeners in and meet the charming band behind it all.

JOHNNY GOTH Story by Sophie Gragg Photos by Nikoli Partiyeli

MOODY AND GLOOMY are words that

come to mind when used to describe the music of Johnny Goth. It’s music perfect for those rainy days or late night drives where one just needs to contemplate life. Johnny Goth provides a sound track for those more solemn moods everyone cycles through. The man behind it all, Johnny Castro, overlays his whispery vocals over simple though enduring instrumentals making for an overcast yet dreamy mood. The music of Johnny Goth is somewhat a contradiction as it blends elements of light-spirited dreamy bedroom pop with dark and somber tones. Fans of a variety of genres have found comfort in the dark and enigmatic world that Johnny Goth has grown to create. The formulation of Johnny Goth was rather a simple process of Castro’s artistic development. Castro was playing in a band with some friends for fun and found himself gaining an interest in the production side of the music. This lead to him working on more of his own music and in 2015 Castro eventually decided he might as well try putting out solo work. Castro was hesitant to put his music out under his own name as he wanted to put up a mysterious front. He desired his moniker to tie back to the gloominess of his music and ultimately decided on Johnny Goth. “I wanted something dark or weird. The first release that I had, Gray Sky, felt a little moody, kinda down. The original name that I wanted to go with was Johnny Darko, like the movie, but I saw that there was some

underground English rapper named Johnny Darko, so I was like ‘never mind.’” Castro laughs,“I just went with Johnny Goth because it just felt dark. I wear a lot of black. Johnny Goth just rolled off the tongue better than Johnny Emo.”

release music whenever he feels comfortable doing so rather than feeling obligated to have continuous content. Castro is also able to invest time in his passion for film as well as music without the pressure to only focus on music.

Growing up in the Los Angeles area, Castro recognizes the impact of growing up in such an artistic community and how the culture influenced him as an artist. Do to art being an essential part of the community and identity in LA, Castro finds that “you’re part of it in some way or another so I just kinda try to dabble in everything.” Though Castro has a strong background in music, he is currently attending Woodbury University for film. Upon graduation, Castro is interested in finding a job in the film industry, ideally relating to sound. The musician has applied his film knowledge to his music in small ways, mainly in the editing aspect by adding weird little sounds, intros and outros. Johnny Goth has become a passion project for Castro rather than a full time career, which has enabled him to

Castro listens to a large array of genres and artists for inspiration, particularly Marilyn Manson, Elliot Smith, hits from the 1980s and most of all The Cure. The Cure has played a prominent role in shaping Johnny Goth both musically and aesthetically do to their dark and weird identity they have developed. Castro recognizes the importance of finding an aesthetic that fits with your music to bring it to that next level needed to stand out these days. “I think the aesthetic is half of how you put yourself out there. The music is there but if your image is just not there, it’s not the same.” Castro explains,“It just makes it more interesting if someone has something cool or something different that draws you in about them. I think that’s really important.”

The mysterious front of Johnny Goth has drawn many in and has created a curiosity around the artist. Though on social media, Castro often finds himself hesitate to post and therefore has limited content for fans. Listeners find themselves inquisitive about the mystifying musician and often reach out and ask questions via his Tumblr, ranging from chords of music to the meaning behind lyrics, to which Castro often responds. Castro furthers, “I think the fact that I have nothing out there draws people in more, so they wanna ask stuff. It’s kinda fun to go through and just respond. I also don’t want to ignore everyone, I appreciate that they’re interested in what I’m doing.”

For the production side of Johnny Goth, currently Castro has a small set up in his bedroom where he records and produces everything and maintains a relatively organic process. “I pretty much just like to sit there with a guitar or something and form a mood. I just start with a chunk and spread out from there. Usually, I try to sit down and try to do stuff, if it doesn’t work I’ll just stop and do something else. Other times, I don’t know what brings it on, but I’ll just feel like doing it, so I’ll just do it.” Castro adds, “I’d say a lot of the process is just editing over time. I’ll have something and I’ll come back to it or go to a different song and add something to that, just switch it up. Find what lyrics fit where, so take old lyrics and split them up into two different songs.” Castro hopes to make music videos and apply his film experience to cultivate the right visual aesthetic and mood of Johnny Goth. Visuals are often a key aspect of an artist’s identity and Castro sees how film and music can go hand in hand with one another. A video for “Feels Like We’re Dying” is in the works and is expected to be the perfect introduction into the melancholy world of Johnny Goth. “I wanted it to be a weird first video. Since there’s nothing really out there that I have I want this to be weird and make people think ‘Who is this? What’s going on here?’”

Though Johnny Goth’s most recent album, October, was released only in the fall of last year, the musician recently released an EP, Day Dreams, and already has plans to release more music later in the year. Since Castro has the freedom to release music whenever he likes, he does not have to subscribe to the marketing cycle for an album, and can even just drop music out of the blue like Day Dreams.

When it comes to live shows and the notion of touring, Castro is just recently learning to love playing live. “I prefer recording, but live is a whole different thing. I just haven’t found the correct set up for live, I always have different sounds on my vocals so it’s always hit or miss.” Usually Castro plays shows once or twice a month, which has enabled him to slowly gain a better understanding of his live aspect.

As for how the vibes of his upcoming work compares to that of previous music, Castro says, “I think it’s going back to some of my older stuff, Far Away, more of that kind of upbeat tempo vibe. Almost like a beachy kinda. The next release after that would be more like October, but I want to take it in a different direction, I haven’t really figured it out yet.”

Besides putting out more music and a music video, Johnny Goth will also be releasing vinyls through Mutant League Records this Spring. Given the amount of music and content set to release this year, there is no doubt Johnny Goth will continue to establish his place in the music scene and lure more fans into his enigmatic sphere.

VOKES Story by Sophie Gragg Photos By Elliot Lockwood

EVERY BAND SEEMS to have taken a journey to cultivate the artist they are today. VOKES is no different as they have heavily evolved the past two years to become the group the world listens to now. What started as more of a solo project for Mike Harris in 2016 has expanded into a full band venture consisting of guitarist and vocalist Dylan Robin, keyboardist and vocalist Trae Budde, bassist Sean Richie, and drummer Garrett Harney with vocalist Harris playing guitar and keyboard as well. The band looks to artists like LCD Soundsystem, Mutemath, Queens of the Stone Age, Phoenix, Haywire, Prince, Vulfpeck, Jeff Buckley and Moby, taking in their different creative aspects. As a whole, the band looks to Radiohead the most from both a music and aesthetic standpoint as well as the fact that Radiohead is also a five piece band that pushed the limits of music. For the visual side of VOKES, Harris knew from the beginning that the band had to be much more than just music, “I think it all first came from when I was surfing this website called Behanced, and it’s kinda like what Soundcloud was for music but for visual artists. You’d see all these crazy fonts, posters and videos. I just found this one guy and for some reason at the time, I knew from the very beginning, that for the first song it was crucial to have a good visual part. I think the brand, is coming naturally right now, just because we’re being ourselves.” Harris furthers, “It’s always a

developing thing, our tastes will change and the music will pivot like every different recording a little bit. If we just did the same exact thing every time, people would get bored.” Given the member’s vast array of taste in music, it’s no surprise to see such a large amount of sounds in VOKES’ music. Often been described as “an amalgamation of Funk, R&B/Soul, Pop Rock, Electronica and Alternative Rock”, their music breaks down all the barriers and exemplifies having fun with creating music. Harris attributes the vibes of their music to the early roots of VOKES and his willingness to try something new, “I think the main thing that set VOKES apart early on for me was I had no agenda of what needed to be done or created in any capacity. I just wanted to see what I was capable of and to develop that everyday. Then when the band formed and we started making music together, it was kinda like just trying to be as open as possible and just experimenting and it’s really fun and at the same time, it can be tricky to balance. One week you can be like ‘oh we’re a rock band’ and the next week ‘we’re a funk band’, I think it’s fresh.” VOKES recognizes the multitude of genres in the industry now and believes this has allowed there to be no rules when it comes to music now. Perhaps 10 years ago, a genre-blending band like VOKES would not have been as embraced like they are today.

As opposed to a long-form creative process, the band often spawns new material in a more spontaneously setting. “A typical day would be like Mike coming in with an interesting chord progression that he’s working on and then we’ll literally just jam on it as a band.” Budde explains,“Parts will start materializing and it goes from that to Mike starting to riff a melody that he’s come up with in his head. So we’re kinda constructing songs in the moment as we’re looping it over and over again. Then it’s the whole thing of putting lyrics and fine-tuning the melody and after the fact things.” The band currently has a mostly DIY set up, meaning they have no manager and pretty much do everything, from music to marketing, themselves. Though the band is open to expanding their team, they’re in no rush to find a manager or sign to a label. Budde tells, “There’s something to be said for being able to be like ‘Hey, I wanna release an EP in a month’ and then having to do it. As opposed to once you’re signed to a label there are so many other steps.” VOKES’ organic set up has enabled them to take a more fun approach to the band as well as create a healthy discovery process for them as

artists individually and a group. VOKES recently released their second EP, Delusions, and have already received tremendous positive feedback from fans. Each piece of music from VOKES has had a dominant sound and feel to it, with Delusions being no different emulating an energetic rock vibe.”The first EP I’d say was kinda very R&B, a little minimal, it was my first dive into producing and electronics; it wasn’t just guitar, drums, bass, and singing. The second EP is less about messing with that stuff and more focused on live energy. The songs are all more energetic and they’re really fun to play live. I think it’s just developing from a little more rock and R&B. It continues to change still. We’re making a variety of different material at a very rapid pace and are already looking forward to making the next record.” Harris says. The first single for the EP, “Screens”, centered around the idea of overstimulation with technology and listeners find that to be a major theme on Delusions. “I think for me personally, I was having a lot of overstimulation with technology. Harris says, “The first EP, it felt like it was more about relationships in a way and the second one was more

about being overstimulated by everything that has happened in the last two years. I think in an organic way we pick songs for an EP to usually have some sort of theme, though not really a concept album.” VOKES hopes to play more shows and are even seeing a third EP or album materializing currently. Budde shares, “I think the focus this year, and moving forward after the EP, is just going to be trying to play more and more shows in LA and outside of LA, and just trying to keep growing the fan base and cultivating all the new material.” Harris continues,”We’re just very thankful to be able

to do this, we all work full time and part time out of the band and it’s just been such a journey to figure out our sound and who we are as creative people because everyone that plays in this band is so capable of playing for other people much more established than ourselves. I think having the outlet that we have lately just lets us do it at our own speed”. Given the praise the band has already been met with their latest EP, the band can expect to continue to expand their fan base and find their way in the music industry.

LIFE ON FILM Photos by Damon Amadio, Olivia Boryczewski, Justin Dulay, Sophie Gragg & Melisa Ulkumen

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The Luna Collective is a cultural magazine featuring music, poetry, fashion and more. We want to shine a light on all of the cool people and places we come across. Creativity should always be rewarded.

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THE SQUAD THAT MADE THIS ALL POSSIBLE Founder & Editor in Chief: Sophie Gragg Graphic Designer: Olivia Boryczewski Photographer: Ursula Bowling Photographer: Elliot Lockwood Photographer: Nikoli Partiyeli Writer: Charissa Marie Love Writer: Megan Smith

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