our m i s s i on Thread is just a tool. It’s nothing special, and it can’t do much on its own. But oh boy what it can accomplish when paired up with the right material and a little creativity. This little project is a humble attempt to explore our city and its peoples. Finding those interesting materials that make up our communities, that creativity which provokes, instigates, and inspires. We want to tie it all together and see what happens. We want to ask around and see what’s up. If something is happening that people should know about, we want to make sure they do If something isn’t happening that should be, we want to help make it happen We want most of all to hear from you! What are you up to? What are you seeing? What are you doing? What are you thinking? What is life like out there, and how can we all share in it? Help give us a chance to tie it all
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together, and let’s see what can happen.
c on t ac t t h et h r ead s fl d @ g m ai l c om
On l i n e
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facebook.com/thethreadsfld thethread-springfield.tumblr.com
Come to a meeting! Sundays at two, email us for location.
1 ‐ Mission 3 ‐ Springfield Makers: Longweirdword 5 ‐ Real Food Revolition: Homegrown Foods' Amanda Millsap Owen 7 ‐ Calendar 9 ‐ How a Punk Rock Attitude Can Save The Day 11 ‐ What Springfield Wants for Xmas 12 ‐ Off The Clock with the Lunch Lady: Vegan Pie Crust 13 ‐ ThingstoRemember: A Comic 14 ‐ Local Zine Review: Neghead 14.5 ‐ How to Support The Thread!
Team Members brie
cassie jahni paul
thom
chris joonyper trae
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Springfield Makers: Longweirdword When I arrive at the “Longweirdhouse” most of the band is in the basement. Paul meets me at the door and leads me down a thin set of stairs into the tight concrete room. A simple and ragged decor belie the well thought out intentions of this space, one corner serves for a stage, the stairs dump you right in front of it. In the opposite corner a podium with a surprisingly legit PA control board sits, just waiting. Everything else is a dancefloor. Trae and Tim are talking over the deconstructed sprawl of their equipment. Money comes up, recording this winter, putting together a tour, they seem most excited about adding a new member to the group, “running keyboard instead of bass” Trae says. “I feel like it doesn’t always need it (bass) and synth and keyboard can make up for the low end when we need it and then do completly other stuff.” Anyone who has seen or heard Longweirdword can imagine the nuance and grooviness a keyboard might add to their deft layers of guitar and pounding drums. Trae mentions the latest addition to Tim’s set too, and he pulls out a snare four times thicker than your average. Tim tells me it gives it a “deep, rich, denser” sound, “like a kick drum almost”. “You can feel it in your chest when he hits it” Trae concludes. 3 In their brief career
Longweirdword has become a Springfield fixture, playing a consistent schedule of shows in traditional and not-so-traditional venues all over town, and leading the charge for the not-so-traditional by hosting a slew of house shows. These house shows have grown, in number and attendance, out of the space left empty by the closing of the OBEC earlier this year. A community venue project every member of the band was a part of. The thoughtfulness and intention of which is still evident in the band’s attitude and approach to their music. As we move upstairs to talk more they make it clear that every effort has been made to sculpt Longweird’s sound into something equal parts accessible and experimental, equal parts bare direct feeling and precise musicianship, something that can provoke and evolve with an audience reaction without seeming compromised. This focus builds on values of communal culture, and has allowed the band to reach across demographics and make instant fans out of disparate audiences all over town. Paul describes the music as an attempt to create a comfortable space for the audience, a sound they can let themselves go into, and it makes each show a unique exchange
between the band explaining the importance of recent artist and their driven projects in encouraging new audience. performers, a trend carried on by the “I feel burgeoning house show circuit. like we’ve created “I like to be on the same an environment level as people,” Trae says when I ask the that opens people difference between house shows and up,” Trae says, venues. They tell me house shows have only “they feel much recently become something sustainable. more accepted in that moment.” “It’s much more interwoven,” Trae adds, “its Their success with Springfield crowds has given us the ability to have that close knit been encouraging for the band, and has relationship with different houses, we played helped them define the direction of their a show and there was a band from san diego music. As they look to take the show on the and the cops showed up, so we were like road they seem excited for the chance to let’s move it to another house, so we moved share the experience with new audiences, it here and got to complete the show. In the and continue the process of renewing and past that would never have happened.” Tim redefining what their music means. At the tells me the neighbors are regulars at their same time they are planning to record this house, and everyone agrees their corner of winter, taking time off from performing to the phelps grove neighborhood is a solidify their songs and put out an album they conducive environment. can take on tour with them. The house show drive seems to be fueled at “I’ve played shows in other least in part by an interest in music presented bands in the past,” Trae says, “and being for and by the bands and their social circles, able to say here’s us and being able to give an attempt, at least in Longweirdword’s them an album helps.” As they begin opinion, connect directly with the audience. planning the tour and look towards creating “We’re not trying to piss that album the band sees the next few anyone off,” Paul says regarding noise months as time for refinement, “practising the complaints, “we’re just trying to be kids and feeling of it,” Paul says, “being able to bring have a good time.” whatever feeling and emotion we want in that As Longweirdword continues to evolve and moment (of recording).” “We will know every build on what they’ve done and hope to do as beat to play exactly when it needs to be a band, they also continue to put energy into played to get that feeling,” Tim adds. developing what they’ve encouraged and And as they plan to share their music abroad continue to love about the Springfield music the band seems equally excited about the scene. They just want to have a good time, state of the local scene. “So many bands but its a good time everyone can share in . 4 started out of the OBEC,” Paul says,
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GLO Center Annual Meeting (2pm) First Sunday 12/1 Open Mic (7pm @ Big Mo Potluck (5-6pm @ The Old Glass Place, 521 E. St. 12/1 Open Mic (9pm @ The Fl Louis St) 12/3 Open Mic (1 0pm @ Dubli 12/229 Tuesday Night Game Night (7pm @ Games, Wednesday) Comics, etc...every tuesday) 12/2 MSU Grand Chorus prese 12/418 Thursday Night Game Night (7pm @ Celebration Concert.(7:30-9:00 Metagames Unlimited...every thursday) Hall) 12/9 City Council Meeting (6:30 @ City Hall...second 12/6 Winter Cuddle ( 7pm @ B and fourth monday each month) bugsounds@gmail.com for dire 12/10 Humanist Group (6:30-8pm @Unitarian 12/7 Drury Christmas Vespers Universalist) Stone Chapel tickets required) 12/17 Library Game Night (5:30-7pm @ Mother's) 12/11 Springfield Music Acoust 12/18 Tapas & Topics: Creations and Collections in the Springfield Music every 2nd an Ozarks (6-8pm @ Springfield Art Museum $5) 12/16 Queen City Ukulele Club 12/27 Kirtan Divine Singing and Potluck (5-8pm @ Music) Circle in The Square) 12/21 Operazzi (5-7pm @ The 12/28 Monthly Vegan Potluck ($1 , 6-7pm @ Unitarian music cabaret open mic night.) Universalist, bring copy of any recipes) 12/2
Fes t i vi t i es
12/57 Winterfest (music and
art 5-1 0pm @ Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts) 12/13 Downtown Springfield Christmas Parade (2pm @ Park Central Square) 12/13 Conservatory of the Ozarks Christmas Show (6pm @ Clara Thompson Recital Hall) 12/21 RockBottom Film Festival (2pm @ Rock Bottom Studios in Branson)
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D on ' t M i s
The Normal Heart – A Look Back to 12/119 (weekdays 8-5 @ MSU's Me
Using archival materials preserved in looks back at the controversy surroun department's 1 989 production of "The on the early years of the AIDS epidem visitors will see photographs, media c the hundreds of letters, both for and a President Marshall Gordon.
m
omma’s...every Monday) Flea...every Monday) in's Pass...every
sent their “Holiday 0 @ Juanita K Hammons
Bug Sounds contact rections or more info) s Concert (3 & 6pm at the ) stic Jam (6-8pm @ nd 4th tuesday) b (6:30-8pm@ Springfield
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12/3 Teen
and Young Adult Writing Group (6:30pm @ The Creamery Arts Center...every wednesday) 12/5 Gregory Benne: Construction Studies (Paper) (7-1 0pm @ Arts & Letters) 12/89 Auditions for The Tempest (6:30pm @ Springfield Contemp. Theater contact# 41 7-831 8001 ) 12/13 Beautiful Losers Film Screening (1 pm @ The Moxie 4 Free!) 12/17 Bookmarx Book Club: Bad Feminist (7pm @ Bookmarx) 12/18 Mo Poetry Slam (7-1 0pm @ Skinny Improv Theatre...every third thursday) B ei n g
12/3 Yoga
on the Farm (7:30am @ Urban Roots Farm...every wednesday) 12/5 Sacred World Dance and Drumming (7:30-9pm @ Circle on the Square...every friday) 12/627 Sitting & Walking Meditation (every saturday 9-1 0:30am @ Dinh Quang Buddhist Temple) s s Even t 12/7 Yoga (every sunday 2:1 5-3:1 5pm @ Unitarian o 1989 Universalist) eyer Library room 306) n Special Collections, this exhibit WH AT S G OI N G ON ? nding the SMSU theater l et us kn ow ! e Normal Heart". A work focused mic. Among the items on display, coverage, petitions and many of against, that were sent to SMSU
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A Punk rock attitude can save the day only can't do without you, but I by Paul Nix
need your help and you need to There is a lot of hope in the air, especially if help me! you decide to be the one doing their best to Though there is something quite pull it out of the sky and down to earth. enlightening, I think, about all this Hope seems to be the after burn of faith nonsense, it's uncannily simple. Yes, I said itself. If anything can be rooted in faith than I it, it's easy, simple, does not have to be would “hope” that it would have a solid difficult at all. What I understood is that foundation to build upon. everyone really does want to help and save Working with my community has led me to the world but they also just want to chill out see that there actually is a community; with there friends while it burns. Everyone before I was not aware only because I wants to put themselves selflessly out there wasn't making myself a part. My life was every once in a while, it gives you the warm simple, daily, machine clock work. I realized feeling in your gut that says, “cool, I know I I did not want to be so wound up in myself did something good and kind for everyone.” and decided to stick my foot out, searching In my experience the universe has a way of for ground to land on. I found hope, which hooking you up right after that point of led me to the faith. Faith in our community, understanding. So all I want you to think faith in our world. about is nurturing that small, warm feeling in It really is our world. Is it not? your gut because let me tell you, that's all If you came to the existential responsibility I we need to save the world! felt I had, then you would feel like your How do we do it though, how do we put it purpose and your duty is to save the whole into action? Well first things first, this in your world and put it back in the order that we hand is the perfect example of what I'm want it to assume. No matter how many talking about. The Thread was created by times it would falter, we would just take all people that truly want to help the community four corners and hoist it back up in the air to and help others and give back, but we also something higher. could not ignore our own dreams, I do really feel this responsibility, wholeaspirations and goals that we have already hardheartedly, the realization that I came to set for ourselves and we were in pursuit to is that it does not have to be difficult. What accomplish. We understood that if we all was coming to my mind all the time was, helped, even just a little bit, neither of these “I'm just one person, I can't do it all”. Yes, things that we held important had to be there is some truth to that but being apt to sacrificed, in fact in the grand schemes of adjusting my perceptions according to my things they are “two peas in a pod”, they world outlook, I understood something compliment each other! Usually the zine is crucial. It is also your responsibility! I not created simply. Everyone is responsible for
a page, if someone can't pull something off catch is that we are all going to do one of to write or to show for their page, we simply the “Mile runs/walks” that happen all the request for them to take up slack time around here. Instead we are going to somewhere else on the other end. Once we hangout, drink wine and beer from one end have all the pages done, we rotate on who of Springfield to the show itself, with our takes the responsibility of piecing the whole whole community is going to pick up trash finished work together. So each person has (while throwing away our beer cans/bottles their due responsibility every month but this of course) the whole way there and throw it responsibility is not some monstrous task to all away, wash ourselves off in giant endure, it is simple, just help out with a sprinklers and dance all night! small piece and that is all. Almost more than With the few people who would have to give enough! their time to clean up after the night is over, Now take the same idea that we have with we would have the cleanest town in this zine and start applying it to goals and Missouri and we would lead in a practical things you wish to see happen in your enlightening way towards making the world community, things that will benefit the a better place, without having to feel the whole. There are over 9 billion people in the weight of the whole world on our shoulders. world, if two billion of those people decided That is just an idea that could bloom into so to have a small percentage of there lives' much more! work put towards their community, to Keep it in your mind and let it “simply” making the world a better place. In my mind, manifest itself. we would do away with substantial Don't forget to do the most important thing problems within a matter of months. Yes, about all of this. Understand that you take that includes poverty, starvation, kids with up weight and area in this universe and do broken homes, up to all the political mumbo not ever feel guilty about reading a book jumbo that everyone can't get enough of that you want to read, or resting when your arguing about. So make saving the world tired, don't feel like you have to let the world the simplest thing you could ever think of pull you away for any reason. and maybe that idea will be second nature Always find the times for yourself to be to us, maybe how we live our lives and happy with yourself. decide to have a good time, could not only benefit yourselves or your direct community That is where I leave you! but even the whole world. Imagine if all the college kids, all the party goers and Merry Christmas friends! everyone who goes out to a show decided every 3 months or so to organize a huge music festival with local bands and artists 10 that they themselves wanted to see. The
What Does Springfield Want for Xmas? Don't be afraid to think about what you want! It is easy to get caught up in bringing anticonsumerist ferver to the holidays, black friday and nearly two months of christmas music and decorations can be nauseating, but as winter sets in and the new year stands just around the corner take this holiday season to really think about what you want! What does it mean to want? What motivates your wants? You're not selfish or petty, you're a human being! Ask for something you really want this year!
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