Title Magazine Issue No.6 by Title Magazine

TITLE

NO.6 Sam Green Ruben Brulat Ian Davis Surfer Blood Dieppa Restrepo

TITLE NO.6

Feb/Mar 2010

TITLE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CREATIVE DIRECTOR Catherine Bui ASSOCIATE EDITOR Christopher Nguyen WRITERS Jeanne Le Krystal Miranda Callie Rice Garrett Yim Michelle Nguyen Alex Rajabi Scott D. Mackie

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kari Elam Emily Hsiao Jack Dolan Stephanie Hernandez Alex Regla Derrick Taruc Nuran Alteir CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Belisle Leigh Johnson James Kendall Luke Ramsey Jeff R. Williams Ian Witlen

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NO.6 February/March ART/DESIGN 7

Jake Dow-Smith “You see what you want to see.”

11 Jess Atkinson Jess Atkinson’s quirky and playful crayola-colored plasticine art brings out the kid in you. 17 Ian Davis Besides from wanting to be a professional skateboarder at age 15, Ian Davis has succeeded his dream at being a great painter. 25 Micah Lidberg Artwork as artifacts of explorations. 31 Islands Fold With artists like Matt Furie and Howie Tsui staying over at their house, everyday is an interesting day for Luke Ramsey and Angela Conley. 37 OOOMS Design The Dutch design studio is intent on making you look— and think— twice 43 Sam Green The primitivism of expression. 51 Ruben Brulat Photographer or philosopher? 60 Gallery A focus on Illusration.

MUSIC

FASHION

71 Best Coast Bethany Cosentino moves back to her coast of choice; excitement ensues.

95 Dieppa Restrepo Proving androgyny to be chic, no heel required.

75 Múm Mum makes diaper changing seem easy.

98 Index

77 Former Ghosts So what if things are complicated? 81 J. Tillman With a national tour kicking off, a newly released record, and Fleet Foxes at his side, solo-artist Josh Tillman is surely on his way to great success. 85 Surfer Blood By combining Florida, Youth in Revolt, and a 90’s era throwbackSurfer Blood arrives. 88 Album Reviews

photography

JAKE DOW-SMITH by Nuran Alteir

Jake Dow-Smith’s photography forces you to take a step back, and I mean way back. Photos taken by Smith usually place you far away, giving you a unique perspective and enhancing the difficulty to see the oddity in nature. “A lot of work I enjoy most by others are landscapes, and perhaps that influences me subconsciously,” he said. “Distance often enhances the difficulty in seeing the quirk.” While many of Jake’s photos seem to have various recurring themes, he says that isn’t his intention. “I rarely work with a specific theme in mind,” he says. “However, the same things always interest me and I find that in the way I place the images together, underlying and obvious themes emerge; some intentional and many unintentional. They are understood differently depending on the person looking.” Jake, who was born and raised in London, said his photography doesn’t stop at a single image. “I rarely work with the intention of an image being viewed on its own, but instead surrounded by other work,” he said. The now 22-year-old photographer started out as a graphic design student, but as he got more involved with photography he realized that he preferred making images with his camera. “Back then I saw (photography) as a part of graphic design,” he said. “Then I studied graphic design at college and found myself enjoying photography more.” Graphic design still plays an important role in Jake’s job as a photographer and a curator. He uses it to design books and websites that he has published. “I enjoy designing all the smallest parts of books and the form of a website,” he said. “Having complete control over the environment in the work I create is seen as fundamental to how the work is viewed and understood.” Alongside his own photography, Jake collects photos shot by him and other photographers and creates new bodies of work in books and on websites. He decides what picture goes where depending on how it plays off of others surrounding it. “I often find work I like but keep hold of it for a while until I feel it fits with the work it’s surrounded by,” Jake said. As a curator, Jake founded a Web site called Triangle Triangle (triangletriangle.com) where he shows photography by visionaries from around the world. And what is Triangle Triangle? It’s a project Jake has been working on for years. “I’m really interested taking others’ images and creating new objects from the space they occupy and the way they work amongst each other in my own context,” he explained. Anyone can submit photos for Triangle Triangle by clicking a link at the bottom of the page. Jake chose to call the website Triangle Triangle because he believes that a shape can say little and so much. “You read what you want from a shape, much as you do through the way the images progress on the site,” he said. Specifically, he chose triangle because it’s the strongest shape. “Physically you can’t crush it. It has the greatest rigidity,” he said. “If you add triangles to anything as support it becomes a stronger shape, such as adding a bracing diagonal line to a square to form two triangles.” Not only are Jake’s photographs unique, but the way in which he takes his photographs is even more so. He doesn’t solely depend on a fancy camera to take photographs; Jake said he also uses the camera on his phone. “Some of the work I like the most I’ve taken on my phone,” he said. You can view more of his photos online at hellojake.com.

sculptural illustration

JESS ATKINSON by Jeanne Le

Pressure, fear, excitement, and opportunity are the words that everybody asks. These are the words Jessica Atkinson asked after graduating. She was aiming for something that seemed almost too distant and unknown. Rattled in between studying literature or art, Jessica decided to go to one of Canada’s best academies for design: York University. Being raised in Toronto, a city of low crime rates, clean environment, diversity, and breathtaking architecture, apparently, Jessica undoubtedly had a very hard time living. Sarcasm aside, she was raised in an artistic environment: her mother being a portrait painter, her father a typography professor. Despite the lack of art movements in her hometown, Jessica lived in a creative bubble under her parents’ influence who exposed her to galleries in her adolescent years. At a young age, Jessica frequently visited the Royal Ontario Museum where she would lean very closely into the gold-framed pieces to taunt the curators. Though her younger years were spent working with familiar mediums such as charcoal and graphite, at age 11, Jessica constructed a plasticine model after Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot. Experimenting with plasticine was a revelation for Jessica as she slowly strayed away from the traditional realism she was used to before. Perhaps it was that plasticine has a temporary life span, the morphing of plasticine, or how it can be used over and over countlessly that Jessica is so obsessed with. As she was receiving her Bachelor’s, Jessica rediscovered her fondness for plasticine for its unique quality. Her style, nostalgically quirky and playful, Jessica’s work reveals a refreshing take of perspective in a pristine way. Her irony can be perceived through her pieces such as “Small Talk,” one of the Jessica’s peeves, where the several pieces were dispiritedly titled “Going Nowhere,” “Pointless,” and “All Right”. A quick summery of this almost disheartening, but oh-so-honestly-intriguiging-piece, Jessica replies, “The conversations [small talks] are pleasant on the surface, but when you look closer the smiles are stiff and people are fidgeting (at least I am) and I would describe them as, pointless, obtuse, going nowhere or at best, all right. So then a name was born and the rest just fell together.” Jessica’s unusual arrangement of basic crayola colors and textures are inspired by everyday routines such as staring at the wall or washing her hands. Despite the source of her inspiration sounding so painfully mundane, her artworks prove the contrary, and in fact, leave viewers with a funny and delightful impression. Besides her plasticine work, Jessica has worked with a broad range of other mediums of art such as her conceptual “DIG Magazine”, illustration and sculpture. Not only that, but Jessica will be planning on experimenting with porcelain, cast sculpture, interior design, writing short fiction, and a video. A lot of things on her mind, this guinness prodigy will soon conquer. But first, before all of these things considered, Jessica is currently working on a ‘soft’ black letter typeface, stop motion animation, and baking a loaf of bread. Baking bread is easy though, keeping an eye on her is a little harder, but very worthwhile.

painting

IAN DAVIS by Callie Rice Images courtesy of Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York

If you thought that Arizona State was all about athletics, you’re wrong. Ian Davis started showing his work in galleries as a senior there and his work has only grown since. Though he has no honest interest in academia, or professional training for that matter; his work would preach otherwise. “Before that I was just coasting along in school, making muddy oil paintings.” Born in 1972 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Davis recalls how he always wanted to be an artist, “I never really had a backup plan. Since as long as I can remember I’ve been hearing how difficult it is to be an artist, but aside from being a professional skateboarder when I was 15, I’ve never wanted to do anything else.” Davis, though contented now with the efforts required describes the process of creating his work. Most of the work in an Ian Davis painting is behind the scenes. His inspiration comes from photographs, or images he passes online; though none of which are a replica, but rather a “framework” for his canvas, or in this case- Masonite. His piece “Clients” for example, took roughly a month to create. “How to paint a limousine from every angle required buying a toy limousine, arranging it in every point on a circle and photographing it. All the preparation took awhile. Plus there was some trial and error with the headlights. It took much longer than it looked. That’s a pretty paranoid painting,” explains Davis. Along with the photographic framework, many of his pieces contain a message beyond acrylic. “Comeuppance” is a painting depicting revenge, actually aimed at a specific individual. “It is meant to describe a situation in which those who cause the problem will in turn suffer the consequence. It’s a bit more spiteful than most of my other work, but also cathartic.” My personal favorite, “The Men In Suits” represents the mass “Not the individual, but the collective,” he states. “The sort of cattle-like quality of masses of people. We are all included in that mass, as far as I’m concerned. Of course there is also a formal concern, always. The thing about painting a mass of identically dressed white guys is that to me it’s kind of a scary sight. What could be more destructive than a bunch of white guys? I’m partially kidding, but not really…” In Davis’ opinion, what would make that scarier is if they didn’t believe in global warming. But, that’s a digression for an entirely different day. There’s a lot that inspires Davis, his family, music and other great artists: De Chirico, Magritte, Brugel, Amy Sillman, even George Orwell. “Having a favorite image is tough. It’s like having a favorite song, I’ll say Tower of Babel by Bruegel.” But lately Davis begins, “I’m thinking a lot more about how to get from ‘A’ to ‘B’ without having to paint and repaint and retrace my steps.” His intricate and uniform structures seem painstakingly difficult to culminate, however if anyone has mastered this branch of art and social commentary it is Ian Davis. “The uniformity is built in to my paintings via the subject matter. So much of what happens in the painting is deciding on a certain way to paint something, and then repeating it hundreds of times. I use lots of tape for laying things out and organizing the picture. If you would like to see more of Davis’s complex pieces visit the Kemper Museum in Kansas City to see his displays, opening the end of March.

illustration

MICAH LIDBERG by Derrick Taruc

Micah Lidberg is a shaman. Although the word “spirit” never came up in our conversation, Lidberg, illustrator and artist, is definitely channeling the mysterious ether that is creation. “I think if you tune out of yourself and go with the flow, nature will bubble to the surface.” I imagine Miyazake’s tree spirits from the film Princess Mononoke materializing in Lidberg’s studio, rattling their mask like faces in approval as he draws one of his hyper-kinetic illustrations. I also imagine that when he draws, there’s a lot of grace in his movements. “A lot of people have talked to me about how there’s a lot of internal rhythms [in my work]. That’s another one of those intuitive things—I lay out the work and make a mark, and it’ll either feel right or wrong. It’s sort of like when you’re dancing: You do something, and it’ll either feel right to you or wrong to you.” Judging from his work, Lidberg must cut a fine figure on the dance floor. His illustrations at first seem chaotic—like a break dancer breaking to Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock.” The movements seem to have their own rhythm, ignoring the steady beats pounding away. But stare long enough, and it starts to make sense. Just as in pop locking, the movements in between the beat is as important and interesting as those on them. This great sense of rhythm—to be right on the beat and, just as easily, to break away from it—is Lidberg’s strength. Compositions that could easily devolve into clutter are honed in by a sensitivity that all good artists possess. In Lidberg’s case, this sensitivity is partly due to his keen interest in natural processes. “The most inspiring thing to me is nature and its ability to self organize. I feel like a lot of my work is an homage to that self generating mechanism... I watch a lot, a lot of nature documentaries, and I’m out in nature. I think there is sort of this empirical kind of understanding that you get, and that’s what informs my work and my intuition when I’m drawing what feels natural to me.” This understanding of biological self organization had its start in the Midwest. Lidberg was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1985 and grew up surrounded by fields and forests. “I would trump off into the woods,” he says, when recalling his childhood.

This is where we imagine Lidberg as a long-haired hippie, feather sticking out from his headband, as he steps out into the woods with copious amounts of mushrooms to get lost in order to find himself. As alluring as this scene is, it’s not an accurate picture. Along with this almost mystical reverence to nature is an equal fascination with science and mathematics. It’s less tree hugging and more nerding out. Nature and science fills Lidberg’s geekish need for knowledge—for his quest to understand “this big thing around us.” This further explains Lidberg’s natural instinct for balanced yet seemingly chaotic compositions—if not in actual form, definitely in sentiment. He discerns the presence of geometry in nature and, thus, the balance that is in mathematics and nature easily gets imposed into his work. To him, this knowledge and interest in nature and mathematics and science is part of the objective that informs his art. His own experience of his interests, and how he expresses it, forms the subjective part of it. “A lot of my work—why it has that sort of crazy color palette—is because that is that subjective thing. That’s a large way of how I communicate how I feel about nature, because it creates these altered spaces that, for me, feels strange and scary but really beautiful at the same time. In a lot of ways, that’s how I feel about nature. It’s the most beautiful thing to me, but it’s also the thing that can eat me or starve me. That’s the subjective aspect of my work.” This statement ultimately reveals Lidberg’s work as very personal. As much as they are a document of the world around him, his artwork is very much a document of him. “My artwork is an artifact of the explorations I’m going through. As I learn things, and as I experience things. It’s the footprint that I leave as I have that experience.” Micah Lidberg attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and majored in illustration. He also attended the University of Brighton, England for illustration as well and is represented by Hugo and Marie. He resides in New Jersey, but feels equally at home in Kansas City, Minneapolis, and New York. He is working on a concertina book that depicts the movement through time from the dinosaurs to the evolution of mammals.

pender island, canada

ISLANDS FOLD by Catherine Bui photos by Luke Ramsey Have you ever dreamed of a life where everyday you could make art, go for a hike, eat home cooked organic food, create some more art, watch a movie, play music and then sleep? Only to wake up the next day and live it again? Well, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basically the life Luke Ramsey and Angela Conley live on Pender Island B.C, Canada. Recently engaged, the two run Islands Fold, an artist residency, where they get to make friendships with artists and provide a place where artists are welcomed to stay and enjoy the creative and relaxing atmosphere. I caught a moment with Luke to ask a few questionsâ&#x20AC;Ś

Lets start off with the basics. How old are you? Angela?

I’m 30, Ange is 28.

How did you two meet?

Through high school friends. Who came up with the idea to start an artist residency? What inspired you guys to do so?

Islands Fold was influenced by a residency I had at The MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire in 2005. The original concept we had was about connecting my passion for art and Ange’s passion for food and nutrition. We moved from the city to this remote and beautiful island. It’s a special place to share with residents. What does the name Islands Fold mean?

Pender Island is two islands joined by a bridge. Art is like a bridge connecting us with artists. Each island is like the pages of a zine folding in- coming together. That’s where Islands Fold came from. What exactly do the artists do when they stay at the residence?

We try to offer a lot of freedom for artists. The main goal is for artists to produce work that can be represented, promoted and sold through Islands Fold. Artist will also work on other personal projects while here, or collaborate with myself. Do you live in the same building with the artist?

We do. We offer them their own room and they can work anywhere in the home. You’ve probably experienced many memorable moments when you have had the company of an artist staying at the house, but what would you say has been your favorite moment so far while running Islands Fold?

My favorite moments are when friendships are made, experiences are shared and we all get to learn something new from each other. What is the “mission statement” of Islands Fold?

We are an art farm that harvests collaboration and the promotion of health and well being. Islands Fold isn’t focused on producing a product or outlet for financial gain. It’s goal is to create an experience, and offer a remedy to the term “starving artist” by feeding artists whose hunger we admire and respect. Do you guys plan on continuing the artist residency forever? What do you look forward to do in the future with Islands Fold?

We are currently taking a break from offering residencies, so we can catch up finances, work on existing projects and focus on some goals. We have a long waiting list of artists we want to work with, and it is our desire to keep doing Islands Fold. We eventually want to be able to offer a separate living space and studio for artists to live in. One day, it would be nice to branch out around the globe and encourage other people to offer this kind of an experience.

Who do you and Angela hope to have stay over next?

We’re currently planning to host Seth Neefus and Mark Warren Jacques’ touring Free Life Centre Project this summer. Now lets talk specifically about you. Where did you grow up in? How was your childhood like?

I grew up in England. I had a wonderful childhood with generous parents, and three siblings to play and have fun with...I was always into drawing as a kid, but my parents didn’t push me to make art...They gave me a lot of freedom that I am grateful for, but I definitely had to pursue a career in art on my own ambitions. I never went to school for art, I just traveled for my education. Before Islands Fold, what were you doing?

Working day jobs to pay for traveling. I lived in Taiwan in 2003-04 and when I came home, I started to take art making more seriously. I wanted to do something I loved, and not think about working just for money. Most of your drawings incorporate a lot of details and pattern-like squiggly like things...I’m not very good at describing them, how would you describe them?

I use patterns and details, like a painter uses different colors. I just think of it like organs that make up the insides of a body. Without them, the body wouldn’t be complete.

You draw really witty random illustrations, where do you get ideas for these? Or are they just kinda off the top of your head?

I go from the gut and heart most of the time, and sometimes I go from the mind and ego. For me, if it’s always about me, then it’s selfish and alienating to an audience. If it’s always about “the world” then it looses its soul. For me, it needs both. You seem to be living a very enjoyable life, would you agree?

Yes, I agree. I sometimes feel the weight of the world and feel sympathetic to innocent and helpless people in life who suffer. I ask myself why I get blessed to live this way, and others don’t? Sure, we all have choices and I make mine to live a life of comfort and joy, but sometimes we just get dealt a crappy hand that we have to play with it. Sometimes it’s beyond choices, because babies don’t choose to be born into poverty and struggle. I try my best to appreciate what I have, and realize that thinking about cloudy days when it’s sunny outside isn’t a good thing, but it’s important to be humble and recognize that we’ve got a long way to go to make this world a comfortable and peaceful place for everybody. What do you wish to personally do in 2010/future?

I really want to travel to Eastern Europe, New Zealand and maybe Dubai by 2012. I’d like to try and make a movie this year and play more music. I’m also working on a sci-fi book that’s taking a long time to complete. Maybe I’ll get it done this year.

product design

OOOMS DESIGN by Derrick Taruc Photos courtesy of OOOMS Design

The Museum of Modern Art in New York is wrapping up an exhibition on the Bauhaus, the highly influential yet often misperceived avant-garde school of art—71 years since the museum’s first major survey of the hallowed German institution. Seventy one years is a long time, which begs the question, why now? Maybe because the problems and questions the Bauhaus tackled—over where art, design, and technology intersect and interact—is a theme still being regarded today by designers who are willing to challenge consumer expectations. Dutch design house Studio OOOMS, experiments with those very themes with their seemingly benign products that prod and tickle the senses and the mind. Take the Expect cabinet for example. What at first looks like a conventional exercise in simplicity and utility is underneath, something much more intimate and witty. What at first looks like just another cabinet turns out to be a series of disguised spaces that open any which way but how one would expect. One space opens up like a treasure chest. Another is accessed through a “drawer” that slides to the right throwing the whole design off balance. Another rolls on a pivot joint which shatters the whole linearity of the design. The remaining space is a conventional drawer—a reminder that it’s a cabinet after all. By challenging expectations, OOOMS is forcing the consumer to re-familiarize themselves with the everyday objects around them. What once was familiar has become strange, and through this strangeness, a new relationship develops. “I think its good to have some contrast within a design,” says Guido Ooms, founder of Studio OOOMS that he runs with partner Karin van Lieshout. “If this is in balance, it makes the product more alive. Something unexpected put together will need your attention to be understood. It is fascinating how we tend to ignore all the stuff in our environment that we have experienced before. We become sort of blind and stop experiencing the differences between the things we see and the model we expected.” This emphasis on opening consumers’ eyes is at the heart of all their whimsical products. Their wooden USB stick—their most talked about product yet— is as it states: A data storage drive housed in actual wood. The wood used is handpicked, culled from a forest outside of Eindhoven, where OOOMS is based. The drives are then stuck into holes that have been drilled into the sticks. It’s yet another exercise in contrast; this time pitting the organic with the artificial, the gnarled with the sleek, the vital with the sterile. Imagine a branch sticking out of a MacBook, the very definition of streamlined. It’s bold stuff from someone who wasn’t even sure what design was. “I thought at first I was going to some kind of inventor’s school,” Ooms says about his time at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, from where he graduated in 2000. “Before that I almost didn’t even know of the existence of design.” This naivety allows a fresh approach to design; to discover relationships often forgotten. That, and the fact that when it comes to inspiration, the sources are not what you would typically think of. “I’d rather look at some farmer and how he fixed his house with some windows from an old car,” Ooms says. This idea of the everyday and the practical is another theme that finds its way into their designs. The Glassbulb light is a light bulb made of glass in the shape of a wine glass. When the bulb burns, (after 30,000 hours of use according to OOOMS) the glass can be unscrewed and reused for drinking. Another innovative product, the Solar Birdhouse has a solar panel on its roof which, during the day, charges a small battery. At night, it powers a transparent perch which attracts bugs. This provides an “an easy nighttime snack for the bird.” It’s all part of OOOMS’s goal to bring back life and reestablish our relationship to the everyday designs around us. Industrial design has depersonalized consumption, but to OOOMS (and other Dutch design studios such as Droog and Moooi,) this doesn’t have to be the case. Guido Ooms and Karin van Lieshout are currently in Madagascar looking for ways to cooperate with the local handicraft artisans there.

Rebellious Cabinet

The drawers of this cabinet can never be fully closed. When closing one drawer, the one next to it will open a bit. If you want to open a drawer that is fully closed, you just hit, kick or push the drawer next to it.

Lo-Res Chair

The digital world often forces tradeoffs between two opposing preferences: speed and quality. When working with images, speed often translates to lower resolution, compressing elements to simplified shapes. During this process, it is the computer, compelled by necessity, that makes the decisions about what is taken out and what is left. If we apply this logic to existing products, like here to the sideview of an Eames chair, we see that certain aspects of the product come to the front, while others recede.

Solar Birdhouse

Why would only humans make use of eco-friendly technology? OOOMS designed a birdhouse with a solar panel on itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roof. During the day sunlight feeds the solar panel , charging a small battery inside. At twilight the transparent stick will light up and cast a tiny light on your garden. This light attracts an easy nighttime snack for the bird; all she has to do is stick her beak out of the hole and wait for the buzz.

Bloom! - Lettuce

How come artificial plants donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bloom? OOOMS designed a series of artificial plants which donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look real, but they really bloom! Just spray water on the surface of the plant and within minutes the little lettuce will unfold its leaves gently.

City Hideout

Behold the world unseen. When the stress of city living gets too much, just deploy this contraption, jump inside and close the lid. It looks exactly like a traffic box that is found commonly along streets and sidewalks. It comes complete with vents so you can look out and watch the world go by while you hide and wait for your therapist.

Hair Hats

Do you need a good alternative for wearing fur? Why not wear hats made of 100% human hair. The Hairhats are a statement about the fact that people shave and cut up almost every animal walking around with nice fur, but refuse to adorn human hair.

illustration

SAM GREEN by Garrett Yim

When the common person is asked to define art tangibly, whether it be by a narrowing textbook definition, an example of a piece, or all around approach to creation, most would begin to describe it as having a sort of possession of clarity; a distinct line of sorts for which this art is able to flow across and present itself. While the work of Hackney, London based illustrator, Sam Green, may look like it can be characterized by a meticulous process of planning and thinking due to its high focus on details, especially to that of the realism (and sometimes, deformity) of the human form, this is actually quite the opposite. “I am too impatient to plan things, I work as fast as I can, people think I must be very patient to draw in such detail but I’m not at all, I’m very impulsive and just go with my instincts. I have never liked art that is too contrived or too skilled, which might seem like a contradiction when you see my work, I really appreciate more primitive forms of expression.” Not only instinctually, but without any influence does Sam Green try to press on with his own work. “I think its good to block out external influences and try to evolve on your own and try to come up with original ideas, and then when it feels right seek out things that inspire you. I have always wanted creative independence and hopefully I will gradually achieve this, but it takes a while... I am certainly influenced by peoples attitudes towards creativity more so than the actual work itself.” Primitivism is perhaps a great way to describe the work of Green. Although there is a great sense of craftsmanship in his illustrations, there lies a sort of raw quality in it as well; in one sense, his ability to contort and manipulate the human body. Equally emotive of both feelings of beauty, and even perhaps, suffering, his ‘Untitled’ works are perhaps the best in conveying the human form, as they go beyond the scope of familiarity that we associate with how human beings look,

delving into something deeper, and more haunting. The human forms depict colored shapes almost akin to that of organs and tissue matter, and the decay inside of us that we cannot see. Despite all this, some would take this statement with an ounce of contradiction, as they are perhaps the least ‘realistic’ in comparison to some of his other illustrations. “It feels natural for me to draw the human form, I think there is something direct and obviously familiar with the human body and face, and I find distortion and deconstruction of the human form very strange and powerful to look at.” Perhaps just as noteworthy are not only the human forms themselves, but also the specific people they’re portraying, as can be seen with his illustrations of the movie Wild Zero (a Japanese cult zombie film featuring the band, Guitar Wolf), Snoop Dogg, and singer of the Fall, Mark E. Smith, Green is an avid fan of, and appreciator, of music. “I really like anything that has an unpromising sound and that is different, I’m not sure what is happening at the moment, there seems to be so much talent out there but I still keep going back to musical movements of the 70’s and early 80’s, I love bands like Can, PIL, The Fall, Silver Apples, Stooges, Ramones…” But even with the use of familiar faces, Green’s illustrations are still highly innovative and appealing beyond one’s own personal opinion of the musicians he’s portrayed. Vividly colored or black and white, severely contorted or startling realistic, the images that Sam Green creates span the border, whether walking the line of the beautifully serene or the narrow pathway of the near avant-garde, they all retain an immense sense of individuality. Aspiring artists should take heed of what he has to say: “Don’t let the buggers get you down, keep on keeping on! Relentless force, talent, a dash of politeness and charm are all key.”

photography

RUBEN BRULAT by Callie Rice

“When I share with you. When I wake up and it is snowing. When I hear good music. When there is an accordion playing in the Parisian metro. When I meet a girl that is shy, when I look at her hair in the wind. When she smiles at me, and when I answer with a shy smile. When some rain flirt with faces in a warm day.” This is when photographer Ruben Brulat is undeniably happiest. However, this is barely comparable to the euphoric feeling of “trying to capture Humanity.” Brulat’s distinctive images of the bare skinned photographer himself have attracted the attention of Title. “I don’t think that people are afraid of nudity. I also do not think that my work shows an obvious nudity. A body “Naked” out there, in the snow, a frozen lake or in the middle of an urban area, creates for me only this asexual Human, showing and expressing, our vulnerability, smallness, symbiosis and also beauty.” Capturing these photographs is a unique process. Brulat sets the auto timer on his camera after scouring the area for the perfect location, strips down and runs. What we were surprised to learn is more interesting than the image of a pure body lying in the snow. However, rather the way that body’s mind views the world; meet Ruben Brulat. “Feeling an incredible mix of euphoria and adrenaline, I feel nothing. All the cold or pain is gone like inhibited by the mix of feelings. I feel everything. I settle my body. The time is suspended. I feel at peace.” Brulat explains of his art. The average person, such as myself, would point to Photoshop. Upon learning that he actually performed these “stunts” I was compelled to ask if he had ever run into any sort of trouble in producing his art. The answer? Simply, “No.” It is difficult to understand the premise of his work being any more than shock therapy, looking to be the next big thing in culture slamming. He explains it repeatedly- nearly rehearsed in pleasantries; “putting my body on the shots to create an asexual Human that shows that we can be in symbiosis but also in complete dissociation.” He goes on to discuss photography and inspiration, “First of all, photography is the only place where I feel at my place, where I feel I have a complete freedom. It is certainly a way to isolate myself from Humans because they simply fascinate me. I love looking at them, every move, every detail, every word they say. Then I consider each of those in the society, who they are, what are they doing... But quickly I consider the masses I want to understand why people in groups/ society do that, how, and why they choose this direction.” Brulat’s fascination with humanity is braided throughout his words, often most denoted in the capitalization of the word itself. “They fascinate me, by their complexity that makes their beauty. That is why I will lead my path from the past to now and the future, to study them, try understanding them,

mostly what are they doing, the groups, the societies. Why societies are having a recurrent decision over the History. Why are they scared of death? Many questions are as diverse and complex as Humans are, and their path. Because, for me photography for me is capturing Humanity: expressing happiness, sadness, joy, despair, love, or pain, passion or frustrations; all of the feelings that makes us live.” Brulat has an honest appreciation for the world around him; from the snow he sits on, to those he refers to as “Humans” rather than we, or us. That is until he is asked what he fears most: “We.” His self-proclaimed study of the species delves deeply into the masses- the Humans as a whole, yet the sheer concept holds his greatest fears. “We. Because of all of the hope I have in us. The fact that we can do good and terrible things, the fact that we can imagine, invent and create. The fact that we can ignore, deny, and destroy. The fact that we can hate and abandon. The fact that we can love. The way that we are so different and diverse; I’m afraid because I hope, I really hope that we will never loose those feelings.” Brulat’s entire world revolves around his “subjects” in life, rather than he as the subject in his art. He encompasses this idea of sincerity, vulnerability, and mystique into a frame- all the while what is more interesting to him than his solitary finished product is the interactions that inspired it. Ruben Brulat sees his art as a need, there is no choice given in the matter; only strong convictions he needs to express. “Understanding the other one, that is how I see it, in public or in my life. Another that will be able to understand someone else, from where he comes from, how and why the person behave this way, right now. Understanding that we are living with others, that people are influencing us, unconsciously in bad or in a good way: we consider them. All of us, creating who we are since our birth, those complex personalities that makes us unique. Understanding someone else at this level is entering in his intimacy.” We ask the man who once aspired to be an astronaut, in order to “see the world from far away” to look ahead rather than at those around him, and explain what he wishes for the world. “I wish to see more and more inspiring leaders, not only in politics, people who will be able to bring the Human specie to get new perspectives, and hope. I wish to see more people realize the chance we have, to be in such a great and unique place; that we come from an incredible result of circumstances and from the long evolution. I hope we will realize it in groups, in societies, being able to change things. Being able to continue the long evolution, but I have no doubt about that. I am convinced that Humans are and in the end, or close to the end, good. Finding this force to live, and change things.”

gallery

GALLERY

Illustration

ARIEL ABERG-RIGER 28; New York, USA Materials: Black rolly ball pens (nothing fancy - whatever I

steal from the office), with the occasional Stabilo color felt tip thrown in. You have been to various places around the world, from LA to Barcelona, where would you say has the best art scene?

Barcelona, because I lived there at a time I was just starting to explore and fall in love with art. It has an amazing contemporary art scene - I lived in the Raval which had the CCCB (Center of Contemporary Culture), the MACBA (Barcelona’s Contemporary Art Museum), Ras (this amazing art bookstore/ gallery), and was covered in super rad graffiti. I had tons of time to explore - studying Spanish a few hours a day, but mainly just wandering - looking at art, sitting in cafes, filling piles of sketchbooks. Even though I’ve lived in New York for much longer I sadly haven’t been able to immerse myself in the same way. Most of your illustrations, have witty and clever phrases written next to them. Do you think of these phrases off the top of your head?

Most of the time they’ll just pop into my head as I’m drawing. Or I’ll hear someone say something that I love, and I’ll illustrate it. I’m always finding slips of paper with random sentences stuffed in my pockets.

Are any of the people you draw actual people from real life?

2D versions of them! I mainly draw people from photographs - either things I pull from my google reader, or magazines. If I’m drawing from life it’s usually objects, rather than people. I went to a drink n’ draw life drawing class a little while ago, and loved it. I feel like I should draw from real life more, but I really love drawing from photos. Where is your favorite place to draw?

Since 80% of my drawings are done on my couch, I guess I have to say my couch. I don’t even like my couch that much, but there must be something about it. (Come to think of it, I’m on my couch right now.) What is your favorite dessert?

I’m a dessert fiend, so I’m going to equivocate a bit. Chocolate over vanilla for cakes and cupcakes. Vanilla over chocolate for ice creams and milkshakes. Cookie dough over cooked cookies. Cream cheese frosting is to die. Creme brulee is classic. Malt balls suck. Now I’m hungry. If you could get a lifetime supply of something, what would it be?

Following the dessert talk, I want to say chocolate, but I think I’m going to be a grown-up and go with health.

ELINE VAN DAM 28; Berlin, Germany Materials: Pencil and ink. Your website is www.zeloot.nl, what does Zeloot mean?

Zeloot is Dutch for ‘zealot’ which is a fanatic person, ‘someone who shows zeal’. Though often used for extremists in religion or ethics, I have no moral or religion to offer. I really like the sound and the graphical look of it. Most of the work you do are poster illustrations and covers for bands, what are some bands you have worked with?

I used to organize concerts with a friend under the name ‘Helbaard’ in Den Haag, Netherlands. We had our own silkscreenplace where we would print the posters for next-day-concerts. For me the posters were, besides advertisements, also little tributes to the bands’ music. Bands like No Neck Blues Band, Träd, Gräs och Stenar, The Skaters, Avarus, Yellow Swans... What is you favorite venue in Berlin?

I haven’t been able to visit concerts much since I moved with my freshborn son to Berlin two years ago. Though, a venue named ‘Madame Claude’ seems pretty cool. Many of your drawings deals with intricate details, why do

you like details?

I’ve always been into details from when I was a kid on. Sometimes I wish I could leave them out, make more monumental work. I am always more satisfied when I succeed in making ‘as much’ with ‘as little.’ A talent for graphic design and illustrating is necessary in your work, between designing and drawing which would you say you prefer more? Why?

I don’t like to divide those two. One is depending on the other. Everything is depending on everything; light, color, composition, lettering, linework etc. Sometimes, after spending hours positioning, coloring etc. a shitty drawing becomes something else. My drawings often seem naked without text. (Though I do work as an illustrator sometimes.) Advice for someone who wants to get into poster designing.

Approach venues or bands with music you like and offer your skills. Any plans for the future?

Farming and making children books.

PHUC VAN DANG 38; Horsens, Denmark Materials: Paint, posca and ink. Do you ever find Asian culture influencing your drawings and designs?

Perhaps, it could be in the lines or in the way that I work. But I feel that it is good to mix and create my own expression. My recognizable expression is probably my human-like shapes. The human-like characters are individuals who may bear a primitive mask, and behind the mask there will be something hiding. Is there a reason why you primarily draw with the color black?

I love working with black lines because they provide contrasting expressions. Besides from the usual illustrations on paper you also do them on porcelain, why porcelain?

I feel that the porcelain is pure like a piece of paper. It is also great that I can paint directly on functional things that people can enjoy using every day. Right now I am currently working on porcelain cups with a theme I call Street Bird. I’ll use the animations later to build up a story about my wandering Street Bird look.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

I get inspiration from music, architecture, nature and fashion. Also from conversations with friends and people which paint a poetic picture for me that I use for my drawings later too. What is the art scene in Denmark like?

I live in a small town in Denmark called Horsens. The art scene isn’t really big here but I frequently go to Copenhagen and Barcelona for exhibitions and the art scene there is great. Copenhagen is a nice city where there is a lot of development in architecture, art and design…Barcelona is a city that I often go to view more street art, although many street artists are now moving into galleries because they are not allowed to make art on the streets. But occasionally you can find some on the corners of streets and it’s really nice. The city’s atmosphere is also really nice because of its warmth and beaches. There also is a lot of electronic music events that are interesting to listen and hang out at. Any recommended art books?

I can name many recommended art books but one of my favorites is Michael Kvium. His expression is strong, intense and interesting. Some books about him and his art are: ‘Circus Humanus,’ ‘Michael Kvium Prints 2006,’ ‘Silent Eye,’ and ‘The Ordrupgaard Collection 2007.’

SSIN KIM 23; Seoul, South Korea Materials: Korean color and gold pigment. How would you describe your drawings?

It’s made up of many many dots...

Do you plan out what to draw? Or do you come up with ideas as you go?

I always start with a rough sketch of all the big chunks, the details come as I go. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Nature, for the most part anyway. Ever since I had this spiritual experience of seeing the water from a waterfall in dotted lines, I’ve been painting with dots. I decided to call each one of those dots ‘a transferable energy’and pretty soon I turned other elements in my work such as people, trees, air, and mountains into my own private symbols as they are all transferable energies. My paintings are maps in an essence. Your work is very intricate and patience is necessary, do you ever find yourself tired?

When I am into what I do, I quickly lose sense of time. Then I get weirded out seeing all the dots on the canvas wondering where they came from. Fortunately I don’t get tired too easily

when it comes to working, just as long as I am fed and slept well. Hearty Korean meals (three times a day or more) and a warm bed is all I can ever ask for to make paintings forever. What are some of your favorite musicians/bands to listen to while drawing?

I can’t listen to fast music when I am working because then I rush my dots and they get messy. But as far as my favorite music’s concerned, The Black Skirts (my boyfriend’s band, huge in Korea right now!), Beach House (great bedtime music), lately the xx (my boyfriend likes them so they grew on me) and Karen O’s soundtrack for ‘Where The Wild Things Are.’ Ummm. I don’t know a lot of indie music so I just listen to whatever’s on at the moment. To be completely honest, I’d much rather listen to a sugary Korean teen idol pop group over some indie band almost every time. FM radio’s great too. If you could have a lifetime supply of something, what would it be?

FOOD! I am not talking chocolate bars or fancy pastries. I want ribs, sweet potatoes, pickles, pho noodles, kimchi, sticky rice, honey dew, smoked salmon, king crab and various sea critters, sushi, fried chicken and the list goes on forever. Or just a life time pass to a fancy hotel buffet would do.

music

BEST COAST by Emily Hsiao photo courtesy of Best Coast

It could be the premise of another Zach Braff cinematic masterpiece: Sick of her hometown, a cute and quirky Angeleno musician/former child actor moves to the East Coast for some welcome change. She goes to a hip liberal arts college to pursue Creative Writing, but soon finds herself missing the hell out of California and writing all her assignments about Los Angeles. Realizing that California is where her heart is, she leaves after a semester, moves back home to the Golden State, and launches a new musical project appropriately titled “Best Coast.” Fortunately, there is no need for Natalie Portman’s mediocre performance here—this is the real story of Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino. Bethany moved to New York to attend Eugene Lang College. After a trying semester fraught with homesickness, she said a “Fuck you” to the New York winter and moved back home to Los Angeles. In April 2009, Bethany began her Best Coast project to record and capture pop songs about summer and the sun and all that she loved about California. Followers of the Los Angeles music scene may remember Bethany as one-half of the drone duo Pocahaunted. She quit Pocahaunted when she moved to New York to attend Eugene Lang College; it was difficult to be in a long-distance band and, after two years of Pocahaunted’s experimental sound, she simply didn’t want to play that style of music anymore. “My songwriting roots are in pop music,” Bethany explains, “I was never into noise music or anything like that. I was just in that band because my friend and I were like, ‘let’s start a band!’ and it happened to sound like that.” As a teenager, Bethany wrote and recorded folky singer-songwritery songs as Bethany Sharaya. She stopped that when she got out of her Saddle Creek phase (“This is fuckin’ embarrassing!” she jokingly recalls) and returned to punk music. 50’s and 60’s pop, however, was what she grew up on, continued to enjoy, and after moving back to California, what she tried to take a stab at with Best Coast. The sound is a throwback to pop groups of the 50’s and 60’s, such as The Beach Boys and The Temptations—artists she clung to

while in New York to make her feel better. The songs, too—with titles such as “When I’m With You,” “Make You Mine,” and “Feeling Of Love”—are inspired by the 60’s girl groups’ hankering for songs about boys and puppy love. “When I was writing Bethany Sharayah stuff it was all about boys, too,” she says, “I don’t know why I write about love; I just do. It’s just what comes out, I guess. I’m not as sad as my songs make me seem, I promise.” The head-spinny sandalgaze project also includes her friend Bobb Bruno, the prolific Los Angeles musician/bunny. Bethany will sit down with her guitar to come up with a few chords and figure out a melody. She records these demos onto her computer and sends them to Bobb, telling him the vibe she wants the songs to have. Bobb then helps make the songs sound fuller by adding a second guitar part. The two actually don’t see each other during the songwriting process—they work on their parts separately until it is time to record. They have tried sitting down and working on songs together, but it doesn’t work for them. However they choose to create Best Coast songs, the duo ultimately succeeds in making some sick-ass jams. The debut Best Coast release Where The Boys Are (a sold-out cassette on UK label Blackest Rainbow) has a distinctly lo-fi sound, as it consisted of Bethany’s solo recordings. Subsequent 7” releases included Bobb, and slowly, Best Coast’s material started to sound cleaner. The most recent 7” on Black Iris is the most produced the songs have ever sounded, due to actually recording in a real studio (read: not at Bobb’s house), adding live drums, and getting rid of the drum machine. Best Coast is currently recording its full-length at the Black Iris studio in Silverlake. “Everything is going to be a little more produced-sounding, but we’re not ditching the hazy, lo-fi sound,” she says, “We just had a full studio to our advantage, so why not make it sound better?” She continues, “Recording a record is hard. It’s really hard. It’s time consuming, there’s a lot of scheduling, and it’s hard to match your schedule to the engineer and studio, but the record will definitely be out this year. I’m promising that.” She adds, a second later, “And if it doesn’t, I apologize for that promise.” As Best Coast continues to gain momentum and attention, the project has become a major part of Bethany’s life. Plans are bustling; Best Coast is touring with Vivan Girls in February, going to SXSW in March, working on a European tour in May, and doing another tour once the full-length is out. During the days that Bethany is not Best Coasting, she is a normal 22 year-old girl. She enjoys the simple things in life—her cat Snacks, thrift store shopping, going to the mall (“I live really close to the Glendale Galleria which is like the best mall ever”), Mexican food, recreational marijuana use, watching television, and hanging out with friends. The simple things in life, in a life that is becoming increasingly busy. But wherever Best Coast takes her, Bethany is sure of one thing: “I’ll never move. I’ll never ever ever move again. I won’t. I won’t do it. After living away from California, I just have a better respect for it. I know I’ll never move—that won’t happen.”

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MÚM by Michelle Nguyen photo by James Kendall

When the word ‘quirky’ is mentioned, the first thought to come to mind is Icelandic band Múm (pronounced moom and not intended to mean anything); their stage presence is as innocent as a child dancing in the middle of the busy streets on a hot summer day as they frolic across the stage with instruments in hand. Over eight album releases, EPs and features in compilations, Múm has been working as a collective of musicians tinkering with different sounds together to create something new for over a decade. When asked how their music has developed throughout the years, they responded saying “We don’t develop the music, the years develop the music,” which explains their timeless melodies and consistency to bring us new albums throughout the years. Starting off as a two man band (Gunnar Örn Tynes and Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason), the two were then accompanied a year later by twin sisters Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir—Gyða then left the band soon after to take time to further continue with her education. After Gyða’s leave, Múm has had their share of come-and-go members but the group remains as a large collective of rotating musicians busting out harmonicas, melodicas, xylophones and dance moves on the stage. Múm’s newest album Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know (2009) includes much more vocals than their previous releases, as well as a defined song structures—seemingly giving listeners a brighter atmosphere. Their older single entitled “Green Grass Of Tunnel” is one of their most popular songs, being

the one that justly summarizes the band’s sound aesthetic— dainty, quaint, innocent, as well as ticking electronics. Múm’s eccentric personality as a band shines through not only in their music, but even more so in their official photos; in some photo sessions, the band is pictured jumping in fields, sitting in huts, exploring the wilderness as well as the art scene, and feeding goats. When asking about their default picture on Myspace of the band hanging out with a barrage of docile goats (my personal favorite), the response was introduced by a few chuckles and glances to one another as they told us that the band just wanted to go to the petting zoo to feed some animals on a nice day with clear skies. After watching Múm perform live, it is obvious to say that Iceland produces and nourishes the best musicians of these past decades and Múm is living, moving, and grooving proof. The band is constantly collaborating with and as experimental artists, making different noises out of new technologies and incorporating traditional instruments such as the cello and melodica to bring a familiar sound to the music palette. When the band isn’t tinkering with objects and sounds or touring, they’re busy at home pinning diapers and enjoying the cold weather and beautiful atmosphere that Iceland generously provides. Don’t let their quiet ambient albums fool you, Múm’s music flourishes in detail to harvest the warmest melodies your ears have ever tasted.

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FORMER GHOSTS

by Scott D. Mackie & Emily Hsiao photo by Jeff R. Williams

One of the most exciting bands to emerge on the L.A. indie scene in 2009, Former Ghosts, is a dark electronic-pop band spearheaded by Freddy Ruppert, who formerly performed as This Song Is A Mess But So Am I. The band also includes Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart and Zola Jesus songstress Nika Roza. Though the trio lives in different parts of the country—Freddy in Los Angeles, Jamie in North Carolina, and Nika in Wisconsin, the members of Former Ghosts have managed to collect all their sounds in a concentrated, intensely emotional laceration of a record. The debut album Fleurs was released in October, 2009, by Upset the Rhythm. How would you describe the sound of Former Ghosts?

Gloom with a sense of hope.

Comparisons with Joy Division are inevitable. In my opinion, no other CD more closely captures their aesthetic. My first listen transported me back 25 years to my first encounter with Joy Division. What other bands have been influential?

Well I’m flattered that Fleurs would bring you back to your initial listen of Joy Division. Thank you. Some of the other bands that have been influential on the sound of this record have been of course the early records of OMD. We were also influenced by the very first This Mortal Coil record and its use of reverb. And Kate Bush. I’m also influenced by a lot of current pop music and top 40. I guess I can hope that the record

doesn’t sound “retro” but hopefully a new approach to those sounds that me, Jamie, and Nika all loved. How did Jamie Stewart and Nika Roza come to be involved?

Jamie and I have been friends for a long time now and have always talked about working on a project like this together. We just had always been too busy. The timing of Former Ghosts though seemed to work out. We had plans to do a more straightforward synthpop project together called Agnes of Rome and that fell through. So when I started doing Former Ghosts solo he expressed that he would be interested in being a part of it and of course I wanted him on board as someone that I greatly look up to musically and has been sort of a mentor to me. Nika joined Former Ghosts after I heard Zola Jesus and I asked her to do guest vocals on a song. But after she sent her vocals back I had to ask her to do more. Her voice is amazing. There are clear lines of continuity with This Song is a Mess. Please discuss the connection between the two projects and how you feel you are developing as an artist.

I would say the main differences between the two projects are its approach to song. This Song Is A Mess But So Am I was a lot less structured and more abstract where Former Ghosts places an emphasis on pop and pop song structure but still looks to the use of strange sounds and noisey elements. Thematically they are also very different. This Song Is A Mess

But So Am I was almost entirely completely associated with the passing of my mother from breast cancer and the effects that had on my family after her passing. Which is one of the main reasons I quit doing that project. Please discuss the creative process that led to Fleurs.

The songs on Fleurs were written simultaneously to the constant withering of a romantic relationship. A lot of the time the songs were written because it was the only form of communication between me and this other person. And most of the songs for the record sprung from these early versions. Do you begin with lyrics and then set them to music, or vice versa?

I begin with the music usually with kind of an idea in mind of what I want to say. Did the other members present any initial ideas, or did all the songs originate with you?

A majority of the songs would originate with me and then I would send them to Jamie and Nika who would record their parts and send them back. And then I would piece them together. You play live quite often and your live show is really powerful, despite the fact that you are often the sole performer. How have you managed to convey the power of the record when much of it is sequenced/pre-recorded?

I’m not really sure how to answer this. I’ve been a huge fan of electronic music since high school. So to me, the pre-programmed/sequenced element of “live” electronic music is a given. It isn’t something that I really think about or if people are going to be upset that there are a lot of pre-programmed elements or something. I mean that is just what I am used to when it comes to live electronic music. It sounds cliché or something, but when I play live I am wherever the song is. I’m not really aware of what is going on around me, I’m taken to the where the song is and I just get lost in that. I am interested though in now working out some different arrangements of some of the songs for the live setting. The Halloween show with Jamie at Synchronicity was easily one of the most memorable shows of 2009. Do you plan on playing any shows in the future with the other members?

Thank you! Yes there is a show coming up in Los Angeles where it will be Nika and I in the live set up. And hopefully when schedules work out, Jamie, Nika, and myself can play live together more often. I’m also interested in performing live with some other people who are not necessarily on the recordings just so that I do not feel so alone up there while I’m playing. When I am playing solo I have a hard time playing on any kind of stage because it feels so weird and disconnected to be up there by myself. I would like to not feel that way anymore.

The lyrics and vocals are often full of raw emotion (particularly “Choices”). To what extent are they autobiographical? Are there any songs that are too painful to perform at times?

They are all autobiographical and they are really simple. I think I sometimes get criticized for my lyrics because of how plain and simple and straightforward they are. And that’s fine. It comes from listening to a lot of top 40 pop music where the lyrics are really just out there in the open, easy to understand, and are just saying exactly what is being said. That might not make for “great lyrics” or a great lyricist, but that isn’t what I’m interested in at all. A majority of the songs are painful to play but also the meanings of them sometimes shift due to what is currently going on with my life as opposed to what was exactly going on with my life when I wrote the song. On the last U.S. tour with Jamie it was really hard to end with “This Is My Last Goodbye” every single night for a month straight. Returning to the creative process underlying Fleurs: Do you think the lack of immediacy with the other members, in both writing and recording, may have had some unexpected benefits?

It is possible. It maybe in the end, though, just fed into my insane control freak nature. One good thing about it is that since we were working through the mail we were pushed to work on everything fast – as soon as we got it – and then I basically could only work with the files I received back. So in a way it put limitations on what we could actually do, which I think is a really great thing. Were there any creative disputes, or were they averted because you exercised final control?

I don’t think there were any creative disputes? I mean none that Jamie or Nika have expressed to me directly, hahaha. Will the new CD be created and recorded differently?

It will probably be created and recorded in a similar fashion but hopefully with some sessions of the three of us all in the same room too. That would be great. Do you see Former Ghosts continuing past this next recording? How might it develop?

This is a hard question for me to answer because I really struggle with music making on a daily basis. I have a bad habit of quitting music “forever.” I’ve done that numerous times. I guess we will just see what happens and where my impulse takes me.

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J. TILLMAN by Stephanie Hernandez photos by David Belisle

For fans of facial-haired, Seattle band, Fleet Foxes, the name Josh Tillman doesn’t fall short of recognition. Though mostly known for his drumming in the band, many are not aware that Fleet Foxes is sparingly only a side project for the talented musician. Twenty-nine year old J.Tillman (his solo name) has recently released his sixth album Year in the Kingdom of his five-year career. If that is not enough for the passionate musician, Tillman has also kicked off a national tour, starting out in Boise, Idaho. When asked how he felt about his first tour stop, he explains, “I enjoyed the first show. We left town hours after the responsible leaving time so we kinda ended up just getting there, setting up, sound checking in front of the audience and I just played but it was fun.” For him, running a bit ragged on tour is just another part of being who he is. “I prefer to run pretty ragged. I think that you get better performances. You’re better able to submerge yourself in the experience. Preparation just makes people boring-its very contrary to the whole point of rock and roll” he continues by jokingly stating, “... cause you know, I am so rock n roll.” Apart from that, Tillman doesn’t take part in any ritual to prepare himself for tour. As he puts it, “I just like to put myself in the hands of the universe” showing just how raw and genuine his performances are set. Heads up, if you are planning to attend one of his shows, he tends to yell at his guests, “ Sometimes I yell at audiences. I don’t think people expect me to be so repulsed.” Tillman’s sixth album Year in the Kingdom continues just where Vacilando Territory Blues ended. When asked how Tillman believes this record reflects how he has a grown as a musician since his first album, I Will Return, he claims “I think that some of the themes have a common thread and like I told you some of my world views have changed.” If you take a quick listen to YITK and his other albums, you can easily pick up on how Tillman has progressed his sound, but as Tillman explains, its really up to the listener to determine on how YITK has progressed and has differentiated itself from the rest of the albums. As mentioned before, Josh prefers to run pretty ragged on tour and this applies to his writing process as well. “My writing process is more like using a ouija board or something. I just put my hands on the guitar

and wait for like a trance, wait for it to come to me.” When talking to Josh, I brought up a description of YITK that was made by Spin Magazine , in which they described the record as “a lone wanderer battling solitude with sound.” Right away Tillman could not help but chuckle at the description- “haha yeah, I don’t think of myself that way when I’m like taking the recycling out or whatever or thinking of myself as a lone wonderer (starts laughing) battling solitude with sound. So no, that may be like a way to perceive. Cause when you take records out, you just kinda presenting a fairly like, pre-mediated version of yourself and thats a very isolated presentation that only takes certain factors into account. I’m very honest, what I do means a lot to me & I only do it cause I’m interested in bringing some honest assessment of my experience but at the same time but if i actually went out around the way my records were described by music magazines then I’d be an asshole. Josh Tillman has been influenced my many musicians of modern day and of the past. One of his greatest influences has been the legend, Nick Drake-where as many have described Tillman’s sound and style similar to his. But, Tillman argues they both have different music styles (his being more “rhythmic, minimal sort of mixing”), and his approach to the guitar is completely distinct and as he describes it, “worlds away” from his way of playing. Tillman further continues “he really influenced me. I think that occasionally when you’re in your formative years, you hear artists like Nick Drake where they kinda reinforce your own kind of sensibility and there are certain things and when I first started playing music, it was you know, my music and when you’re young you just kind wonder like, “Can this be a real thing? Like, does this make any sense? Does the approach make any sense?” And then you hear certain records, the ones that kinda validate in some way what you’re doing musically, you think, “Ok, there are people that have gone before me that have pulled this off and maybe I can pull it off too.” And you know, in some level, you can think about it in that way but mostly his music just really moved me.” Tillman further adds that if he were to work with any artist dead or alive, he would pick Ray Davies [The Kinks]. “I would love to just play drums or bongos or anything with that guy.” When I gave in my intake on who I’d personally like to work with, he could not help but laugh and respond to my humorous answer., “Haha me and Charles Manson dueting, I think that would be absolutely terrifying for me and everyone involved. Yeah he’s really good despite the whole homicidal situation (continues laughing).” For Josh Tillman, music have become his love and passion, but that doesn’t mean he is not allowed to have any fun. In fact, Tillman has a very like-able sense of humor. When asked what piece of clothing he is known to constantly wear, Tillman responded, “I don’t wear plaid or flannel anymore. I stopped that years ago, I started to feel like a cartoon character (begins laughing). In photo shoots, I like to wear one really, really ugly piece of clothing and I actually got hate-mail from a few British music magazines for my poor, horrible stylistic choices. I wore (green) Crocs for this one photo shoot. They pretty much hate them everywhere [but] they’re very comfortable.” When asked for a super power and (super) name he’d like to possess, he immediately replies with, “I would be, ‘The Grump’ and my superpower would be ruining anyone’s good time,” good answer for someone who claims to surprisingly yell at his audience and find no enjoyment in “shitty things” as he puts it. As the interview came to an end, I asked Josh for any last words he’d like to make across to his listeners, “Keep dancing,” he concluded. Plain and simpleand that’s who he genuinely is. He is not a troubled nor complicated musician. Listen to his records and you’ll quickly realize it.

music

SURFER BLOOD by Alex Regla photos by Ian Witlen

This past year, music has had its fair share of exciting new bands surface onto many people’s radar. Bands such as: Cymbals eat Guitars, The Drums, Japandroids and The XX, (just to name a few) have all had surprisingly successful albums released in 2009. Now that we have had our first baby steps into 2010, a new group of youngsters are causing quite a ruckus in several music circles have emerged onto the scene. Now, let’s take a quick trip to the “Sunshine State.” You’re totally laid out on the hot moist sands of Palm Beach. The ocean current is collapsing over young and old bodies. A nicely toned tan surfer can be seen in the distance rapidly paddling across a wave to get a group of hot tanned blondes. And as is always in Florida, the vibrant sun is out and smiling. Now picture five young men, each ferociously pummeling away on their instruments, singing and howling in unison, while crammed together in a dorm room at the University of Florida—this is where Surfer Blood resides while recording their debut album Astro Coast. Made up of John Paul Pitts (vocals, guitar), Tyler Schwarz (drums), Thomas Fekete (guitar), Brian Black (bass), and Marcos Marchesani (percussion, keyboards), the group has had quite an exciting start to their music career. The five had met for the first time at an after party for Miami’s “Ultra Festival,” where they discussed music and eventually ended the conversation on the subject of making music together. So when it came down to recording their first LP, the band decided to simply record their album in their dorm room. There are of course the known complications that go into making an album, especially the debut. So I asked Surfer Blood what exactly goes into creating a debut album: “A lot of work. In our case it was a lot of work with no real expectations either, it was a challenge for me to not second-guess the record constantly. It was also really exciting; there were certain songs that just wrote themselves! It’s so rewarding whenever it happens like that. This was the first time I’ve ever recorded a full-length, I knew from the onset that it would be a really involved process. It took a solid six months to track and mix everything and make sure everything was cohesive. I personally think that a record is something that’s never finished, especially when you’re playing the songs live on a regular basis. There’s so much that changes from show to show and so many ideas that come to you much later. A record is only finished

when the people creating it decide it’s ready to be relinquished.” With Astro Coast now complete, the band now began to play more shows then ever before. When their first single off the record “Swim (to reach the end)” hit the web, bloggers and music sites immediately took it to ear. The song began being downloaded at rapid rates, and interest and unexpected attention began swarming the young West Palm Beach natives. Being invited to perform at “The Pitchfork Showpaper Benefit”, the “Quiet Color showcase” and performing an impressive twelve shows at the “CMJ festival” in New York. And embarking on a tour which is almost a gig a night and that will take them to: London, Canada, Texas (SXSW), and Washington. I asked the group if they were “worn out” from all these shows yet, they slyly replied “We have breaks in between our tours; it’s always good to come home and recharge your batteries. We love touring though; it’s the closest thing to being a pirate we have in our society today. Who wouldn’t want to be a pirate?” One thing was for sure; this group of merry men wasn’t in Kansas anymore (or in there case Florida). But what is Surfer Blood’s “sound”? When I asked how they would they describe it, the group replied “I’d call it idiosyncratic pop music. It’s a mix between a lot of traditional elements and a lot of not so traditional elements that work together to create something distinctive. I like to think that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. But there is an almost exciting rawness yet trance to the innocence of their music. With the baby faced J.P Pitts drowning mellow voice soothing almost every adolescent “sour mash” of his years, a 90’s alternative indie-rock throwback with their screeching guitar play, thrown in with great percussion and keyboard work from the eccentric Marcos Marchesani and a bellowing bass line that might be the most crucial part of their sound. Using their subtropical home as a backdrop to their songs, swaying palm trees and a cool coastal breeze flowing between the strum of their guitars, the pelicans chirp with the shake of a tambourine, their sound is original in almost every definition. With their performances at these numerous festivals and their ongoing tour, mixed in with a quite impressive amount of media and fan attention, the band began to face a quick and rather large amount of hype and pressure that comes along with being a successful band. Even though Astro Coast had not yet been released, fans, critics, had already listened and praised the group for an impressive debut and seemed to be asking for more from the youngsters. Astro Coast drawing rather kind comparisons to the old Weezer, Pavement, even indie wonder boys Vampire Weekend. The boys had a definite hit on their hands. But the group seemed to be humble from all of the attention and praise, even began to embrace it, gaining more and more fans with their energetic and passionate live performances. The five young men from West Palm Beach Florida have had quite a start to their music careers, with the amount of attention and fans surrounding them, and the success of their first record. I then finally asked Surfer Blood how they are handling this amount of fans, critical praise, and amount of hype that now follows them, they maturely answered: “We’re taking it one day at a time. People start to expect more and more and you have to face the fact that there are certain people out there who are waiting to pick you apart and tear you down. All you can do is keep working and not let things get in your head. For us its easy to keep perspective, we were driving around playing shows to five people and sleeping in our van just a few short months ago. We slept in our van every other night on the last full U.S. tour we did. We’re just so grateful to be in the position we’re in now and we’re all really excited.”

album reviews

ALBUM REVIEWS by Kari Elam, Jack Dolan, Emily Hsiao, Stephanie Hernandez and Alex Regla

Analogue Transit: Gearheart Worldsound; 2009

“I am the truth, the thing you long to hear. I am analogue, I am analogue;” so opens duo Kwaku Aning and Jeff Shreiner’s formal introduction to the music world – and moreover, magnificently introduces the music landscape for 2010 in a softly spoken but strongly cemented artistic tone. Analogue Transit’s freshman album compiles acoustic and electronic sounds so authentically that it gives a soul to the seemingly synthetic – it gives the machine a mood, and is the heart behind the gears. Raw piano and strings ride along with classically crude industrial effects. As they harmonize with beautifully melancholy vocalizations, the juxtapositions create an atmosphere that reflects the core of the artists – but more importantly, the catalyst for the next decade’s creative identity. Each track adds depth and consistency, but an added facet, to the apropos and ever pervasive album title. Gearheart opens with “Analogue” and journeys through “Blackout Artist,” and “Breathe.” The song “1983” finds its sonic aesthetic in the multilayered mélange of guitar, handclaps, digitally processed dewdrops, and shakers. The “Analogue” mentality: “You won’t see the end of me. The fear, the fear will set you free. I can hear what I can feel,” resonates throughout “1983.” The track title hearkens back to an era on the brink of 1984, but not yet there. It is an artistic reminiscent snapshot of a culture on the cusp of great change, but in a paramount state of genuine creation – because they cannot anticipate what is to come. The album as a whole returns to a time before well-polished, hyper-produced pieces; but though it veers from the modern manifestation of electronic music, it holds fast to the early methods and conveys a unique message. The concept that contemporary music has drifted so far from the core of true human expression – that it no longer holds art at its center – is not new; but rarely do artists properly convey that message through their own work. Gearheart is thorough; it is systematic without being strenuous. It takes its time at a time when no one seems to have anything more than a moment to be inspired, produce, and promote their work. At a time when people look to the stars in US Weekly or Entertainment Weekly to lead the way, Analogue Transit croons spiritually about the stars they followed to escape the darkness that eclipsed electronic music last decade. Analogue Transit is a collision of two worlds, two sounds, two polarities, collaborating to carve a new path from the old route, “The light, the thing you long to see:” it is analogue - they are Analogue.” -Kari Beach House: Teen Dream Sub Pop; 2010

Baltimore based duo, Beach House’s new album, Teen Dream had created quite the music buzz months before the record was officially released. Leaked on the internet back in November, this new “masterpiece” (as many have claimed) will be the “break-out” album for Beach House’s musical career. Characterized by Victoria Legrand’s remarkable vocal chords and the multi-instrumental talent of Alex Scully, this duo have fairly derived from their previous records. In Teen Dream, BH showcases a new form of maturity, consistency, simplicity, and overall sheer quality. Songs such as “Used to Be” and “Walk in the Park” exhibit a pristine type of intimacy between the group and listeners, and Victoria’s vocal confidence beautifully justifies that. “Used to Be” is centered around Victoria’s passionate and prominent vocals, caused by the simple keyboard melody repeated throughout the track. In other tracks, Beach House embellishes a “teenage-dream form of life” (hence the album’s title) with their 80’s inspired synth pop style. Being released on Sub Pop for the first time, a “break-out” debut album in 2010, and an already substantial amount of hype around the album, Beach House cannot fall short of any musical career success this time around. -Stephanie

Brilliant Colors: Introducing Slumberland; 2009

Imagine this: you and your friends have half an hour to kill, and you have the house to yourself. Up to no good, you knuckleheads venture into the garage in search of some “fun times.” Wait, wait—put those paper bags and cans of spray paint back where you found them. Reach instead for the new Brilliant Colors album, and pop that puppy into your boom box; it is the perfect soundtrack to your devil-may-care dance party. The gals of the San Francisco-based noise pop trio certainly pack a powerful punch with their debut album. Introducing is a fast-paced, fierce, and fuzzed out 25-minute assault that is punky but pretty, sassy but sweet. Their songs (which average about 2 minutes each) smack you in the face, but you welcome it. Singer Jess Scott’s lyrics are undecipherable a large part of the time (save for her “oohs,” “ahhs,” and other yelps), but that just adds to their charm. By the end of the record, if you’ve indeed been dancing to Brilliant Colors’ energetic tunes, you would be too spent to do anything else questionable; you would’ve already reached your badass quota for the day. -Emily Fever Ray: Fever Ray Deluxe LP Mute; 2010

Karin Dreijer Andersson, one half of Knife, welcomed 2009 with her first solo effort as Fever Ray. Her eponymous freshman album was ten tracks of minimalist magnificence. Infamous among the media and mainstream for not performing live shows, the close of 2009 was greeted with yet another amazing sonic surprise: Fever Ray Deluxe LP – featuring a second CD of her live show in Lulea. This two-disc set is one part reminder and one part revisitation, with no need for revalidation. Steady and somber with downtempo visceral vibes, Fever Ray Deluxe LP plays like the heartbeat of a dancer in the dark. Fever Ray dwells in the depths of natural tones and electronic effects. Her vocalizations croon, plead, illustrate an individual, and build their environment. The opening track “If I Had a Heart” lives within a cardiac void. Deep cellos play endlessly as heavy heartstrings, while indigenous bass drums subtly keep the beat. Each beat of the drum seemingly pumps lifeblood through the track as she utters, “If I had a heart I would love you; if I had a voice I would sing. After the night wakes up, I’ll see what tomorrow brings.” “When I Grow Up” is the antithesis to the Pussycat Dolls’ 2008 pop anthem; in lieu of style, Fever Ray chooses stark. When Scherzinger grew up: she wanted to be a star, she wanted to be in movies. Andersson wants “to be a forester, run through the moss in high heels… throwing out a boomerang, waiting for it to come back to me… I put my soul in what I do.” Fever Ray’s comprehensive sonic aesthetic resonates so deeply here, as electronic layers create a forest of sound. Reverberations so uncannily natural, they could only be the product of Apple or Aborigines. There is a constant calm within the album, and when the song cries it does so from a place of melancholy, self-awareness, and yet a simultaneous soulful apathy. “Dry and Dusty,” “Concrete Walls,” “Keep the Streets Empty for Me,” come across fresh and brand new when put in perspective of the live show. The second disc adds a certain depth to the studio recording, in its immediate connection with the public. Fever Ray’s seclusion on stage reflects minimalist in the presence of the masses. Whereas the core of her studio production lies within the depths of isolated sounds, reverberating from seemingly nothing; her live show sees that sound finding new depths in their echoes from the audiophilic audience. Fever Ray conveys volumes of visceral. Superficially polar to the likes of La Roux, one cannot help but feel the same sense of splendid isolation and spectacular solitude within both artists works. Where La Roux is the detached cold of a fiery dancefloor, Fever Ray is the sweltering chill of a dark forest – two sides of the same voluminous void. Fever Ray says she “lives between concrete walls, in my arms she was so warm;” however Fever Ray Deluxe LP finds its two-disc tandem as both the concrete walls of the studio, and the arms of the live show – and the listener will no doubt find warmth in both. -Kari

Four Tet: There is Love in You Domino; 2010

Back in the summer of ‘09 I found myself on a street in corner in Bristol talking to Keiran Hebden (better known as legendary producer, Four Tet). I asked him what he was working on and he told me he had nearly finished a new album. Six months later it is finally here. There is Love In You is yet another complete style switch up for Keiran. Still undoubtedly Four Tet and still as brilliant but this time the jazzy drums and guitars that typified classic albums like Rounds and Pause are played down. Instead much more straight repetitive grooves sit underneath hypnotic synth melodies and chopped up vocal samples. Four Tet is constantly moving his sound forward, rarely glancing back. When I asked him for his favorite Four Tet track, he answered, “Always what I’m working on at the moment, I think I’d be worried if it wasn’t”. This album is as worthy new favorite. “Love Cry” is an understated and progressive single, “She Just Likes To Fight” is drenched in soft, sweet guitar melodies. As for the hidden track, who knows what it going on there. Surely not Keiran’s work, or is it? -Jack Jaga Jazzist: One-Armed Bandit Ninja Tune; 2010

Norwegian ten-piece Jaga Jazzist have an incredible ability to combine a huge range of genre’s and influences into one concise and unique sound. Lead by founder and lead composer, Lars Hornveth, the band combines Jazz, Electronica, Rock and nearly everything else effortlessly. The new album, One-Arm Bandit is slightly more chaotic than the earlier albums, which may have been a touch too ambitious. But it is a Pandora’s box full of musical treats, each track takes you on new and unexpected turns through abstract time signatures under floating melodies, over squeaks and bumps. It is a matter of taste as to whether it is too much or not. It fails top their 2001 debut on the Ninja Tune label, A Living Room Hush but Jaga Jazzist are still a band to be revered and their latest release is still light years ahead of most bands efforts. “Book of Glass” rolls along the most smoothly, whilst “Bananfluer Overalt” is the most fascinatingly detailed. -Jack Nana Grizol: Ruth Orange Twin; 2009

Coming out of the independent music hub that is Athens, Georgia and containing members of the Elephant 6 Collective, Nana Grizol could be easily pigeonholed into the “poppy indie folk/rock band with big horns” category. And while it’s true—Nana Grizol does utilize the rich brass instruments in the upbeat songs, there is actually more to the sophomore release Ruth than its home on the Orange Twin label suggests. Ruth is refreshingly varied. The release is all at once a bit folk-punky, straight-up poppy, and rock and roll-y. “Atoms” is a gorgeously stripped down track that features just a finger-picked guitar as accompaniment; “Alice and Gertrude” is an old-timey instrumental track with a plinking piano that sounds like it could be playing from a dusty gramophone. Though there are handclaps and finger snaps amid the precious songs, Nana Grizol is careful to not be gimmicky. Main contributor Theo Hilton’s earnest lyrics about life and love give substance to the songs. Hilton’s vocals are the kind that sometimes veer into that Conor Oberst-esque pleading/quavering territory (which may be a turn-off to some), but they are actually enjoyable and not over the top. Ruth is a warm and unpretentious album, one that makes listeners feel like they are hanging out with the band in the local pizza parlor, just shooting the breeze over a pitcher of beer and a game of pool. Nana Grizol is an example of why the Athens scene rules. -Emily

Sonny & the Sunsets: Tomorrow Is Alright Soft Abuse; 2009

“When I was just a kid they said ‘kid don’t you cry’ . . . I am older now, I say it’s alright. Every tear rolling down is a lesson learned. Are you too old to turn? Are you too young to burn?” These innocent words are the first to roll off Sonny Smith’s tongue for his opening track “Too Young to Burn”. The key phrase in the set is “A lesson learned”. Sonny Smith who is native of San Francisco is a singer/songwriter/playwright/ author has had his share of lessons learned. In the last few years Smith has wandered around every corner of the San Francisco music circuit. Playing piano and adding his musical talent in support of local musicians around San Fran. He even released a few solo albums in which most have to yet to discover. But with his latest music venture Smith recruited several San Fran all-stars to assist him in his latest record, and become his backing band “The Sunsets”. “The Sunsets” are made up of Kelley Stoltz, Tim Cohen (The Fresh and Onlys), Tahlia Harbour (The Dry Spells) and Heidi Alexander (The Sandwitches). Their album Tomorrow is Alright combines Smith’s unmistakenable nact for story telling, and the Sunsets ability to add their own individual styles to back him. Each track off the record has a campfire-esque feel. You can simply visualize the group sneaking out of their cabins and sitting around the crackling fire while Smith spews out humorous tales of “Planet of Women” and “Lovin’ on an Older Gal” while the sunsets jingle their tambourines and join in with a unison hand clap. If this appeals to you, then that’s what most of the record is. Simple chords plucked, finger snapping, and a 50’s style doo-wop. Smith’s original and exciting storytelling adds another dimension to the simplicity of the songs and the record. Tomorrow is Alright stands as a fun west coast pop album by every definition. -Alex Surfer Blood: Astro Coast Kanine; 2010

West Palm Beach Florida: Aligned palm trees swaying and waving, the enriched bright sun shooting off its rays, the cool coastal breeze, and the bikini babes that are on every teen boy’s radar. For four piece natives Surfer Blood, their hometown was the perfect muse and location to make their debut album Astro Coast. The four young men suddenly became an overnight buzz band. With their single “Swim (to reach the end)” floating around numerous blogs and websites, playing twelve shows at New York’s CMJ music festival, Surfer Blood had landed onto the shore. With their very catchy hooks and memorable choruses, sugary Florida pop sound, and raging fuzzy old school “garage” guitars, their songs became fan favorites. So with all their early success, the hype surrounding Astro Coast’s release began to create an impressive amount of pressure on the four young men. But with tracks off the album like a Vampire Weekend-esque “Take it easy” a bona-fide hit “Swim (to reach the end)” and an honest and satisfying album closer in “Catholic Pagans”- The guys can remain lounging on the hot sands of Palm Beach, Eating a slice of pizza, and humming a Beach Boy’s tune. No worries at all. -Alex

fashion

DIEPPA RESTREPO by Krystal Miranda photos by Leigh Johnson

Second only to diamonds in most women’s minds, shoes are the staple piece that we just can’t get enough of. Blistered ankles and sore feet are but a few pains experienced at the price of a perfectly structured heel; but thanks to Andrea and Elisa, this doesn’t always have to be the case. Working together with a somewhat clairvoyant connection, the girls share the notion that beauty doesn’t have to be measured by the platform. Despite their differences, which are made obvious just by the organization of their closets (Andrea admits to being the messy one), the duo’s collaborative efforts prove to work smoothly when it comes to their shoe line, Dieppa Restrepo. A mixture of oxfords and flats, with styles and colors ranging from patent peach to suede brown, merges men’s classic footwear with modern feminism to create an androgynous yet chic collection. These “sexy and cozy” shoes, as personally described on their Facebook, provide the perfect alternative for women seeking comfort, without having to sacrifice style. At a young age, both girls started off with fairly unusual goals. Elisa dreamed of being an actress on the Mickey Mouse Club, and furthered her career as a theatre major at NYU; Andrea had high hopes of being an astronaut, but changed her plans during her teen years and went on to study graphic design at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Their love for “men’s inspired oxfords on girls” brought them together to create a few test pairs, and it just so happened that the perfect place to make them was a men’s shoe factory. “The whole thing kind of happened by accident…After we had the samples made in the men’s shoe factory, the whole androgynous thing came to life.” So while the girls didn’t intend to “sit down, plan and say: ‘Lets create and androgynous line’”, they were long inspired by the classic and simple style, and came together to create Dieppa Restrepo. Andrea Dieppa and Elisa Restrepo manage to take a usually simple style and transform it into something more; chic, charming, and lovely shoes made especially for the everyday woman. This line knows no limits; customers can even create a custom shoe, styled and colored to their liking. With this, no girl should hesitate in adding a pair to their closet. And as for what the future holds for this pair, they both say, can only be a surprise.

INDEX Ariel Aberg-Riger www.figure-1.typepad.com Jess Atkinson www.jessatkinson.ca Best Coast www.bestycoasty.blogspot.com Ruben Brulat www.rubenbrulat.com Ian Davis www.tonkonow.com/davis.html Dieppa Restrepo www.diepparestrepo.com Jake Dow-Smith www.hellojake.com Former Ghosts www.formerghosts.com

Sam Green www.sams-place.net Islands Fold www.islandsfold.com J. Tillman www.myspace.com/jtillman Ssin Kim www.artistssin.com Micah Lidberg www.micahlidberg.com MĂşm www.mumweb.net OOOMS Design www.oooms.nl Surfer Blood www.myspace.com/surferblood

Eline Van Dam www.zeloot.nl Phuc Van Dang www.phucisme.dk