W27 November 2019

FIT

W27

Volume 54

NOVEMBER 2019

Issue 2

November 2019

the music issue

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2

MASTHEAD

Mason Auman President & Editor-in-Chief

W27

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Lola Cornillon Vice President & Managing Editor

EDITORS Erin Tucker Yajie Niu

ART Mary Helen Guastello Art Director Lara de la Torre Director of Photo Steven Molina Contreras Deputy of Photo Ava Grindley Ariana Paino Dawn Bauer Sara Ricci Designers

CONTRIBUTORS Alyssa Lomando Astro Zhang Yu Ava Gridley Bill Bryant Brittany Evans Charlotte Spaid Elizabeth Scott Emilia Smithies Emma Kegel Gill Mitreuter Joffre Contreras Kelvin Chuchuca Laila Stevens Lara de la Torre Lauren Breuer Lauren Camerer Lauryn Reeves Lizzie Munro Lola Cornillon Lydia Sant Matthew Stewart Noah Fecks Olivia McDowell Seraina Boner Sonia Betesh Tommy Williams Yajie Niu

Not until we began discussing the prospect of a music themed issue have I seen our office light up with such unadulterated and infectious excitement.

Frankly, it made me wonder why we didn’t get here sooner.

I learned a lesson about writing some time ago, and it’s one that I’m sure is resounding throughout scholastic writing courses nationwide at this very moment. The quality of any person’s writing will reach its zenith when that person is writing about something they find interesting and compelling. In this way, the work is informed, detailed, researched and expressed in a careful manner which can be difficult to replicate. W27’s Music Issue is a totem to this idea. And, it’s the product of a group of students planting themselves firmly in the fertile soil of a subject that captivates them, and adding to the existing canon of music-musings with their own distinct voices. I couldn’t be more thrilled to present this issue of W27, cultivated and executed by a team of young minds intent on being heard. Now, let’s hear them.

Sincerely,

Mason Auman Editor-in-Chief, W27

Ellen Davidson Alexandra Mann Faculty Editorial Advisors Professor Albert Romano Faculty Advertising Advisor

W27 Newspaper

COVER SHOOT:

@W27 Newspaper

Steven Molina Contreras, Photograher Karolin Buttler, Creative Direction

www.w27newspaper.org @W27 Newspaper

www.issuu.com/w27newspaper

FIT

NOVEMBER 2019

Contents THE MUSIC ISSUE

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Behind the Cover

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College Democrats Conference Inside the Airpods of an FIT Student

The Open Mic Night

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Hidden Talents

Vinyl Bars: The New Wave of Listneing to Music and Drinking

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Introducing Producer, Peter Ferrantelli

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Music Meets Material

Hidden Live Houses in NYC that You Can Absolutely Not Miss

Electric Mass

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The Gallery: Rolling Loud

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Boys from the Internet, Bob Bdylan, Big Poppa

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Record Collections

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Lil Peep’s Mother Sues Management Team Over

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How Streaming is Killing Modern Music

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A Conversation with Gill Mitreuter: Music, Image-Making and Synesthesia

Interview with Silver Spehere: Exploring the Pop Universe

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Kpop’s Inclusion in US Music Culture

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Brooklyn Music Scene

W27 is PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER. PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING. A FIT STUDENT ASSOCIATION PUBLICATION.

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With Ethereality and Grit, Just Kids Should Be Read Just Once AI for Marketing at FIT

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Jazz Clubs in NYC

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Humble and Kind

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BEHIND THE COVER

W27

the music issue

BY STEVEN MOLINA CONTRERAS

PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVEN MOLINA CONTRERAS CREATIVE DIRECTION: KAROLIN BUTTLER PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: WILL PIPPIN FEATURING TAMARA SIMONNE

Music is a thread that traces through all of our stories taking place on 27th street. We are constantly plugged into the different sounds and voices that push us to get through our hectic days on and off campus. With that idea in mind, myself and co-cover designer Karo Buttler knew we had an opportunity to find and create the voice of an issue that reflects the different shapes that music takes at FIT. Our objective was to find a student who could inspire us with their musical abilities and energize the cover that you see today. Tamara Simonne, our cover feature, is a writer, singer and performer – originally from La Paz, Bolivia. She considers herself a physical experimental performer who celebrates “naked hearts.” She has also lived in Colombia and Argentina and is currently diving back into her Afro-Punk Latino roots. We first encountered her work through Instagram, @tropicofsaints, and immediately were entranced by her personality. We asked her to write a bit about herself, so that our FIT community could take a closer look at someone who is part of our talented musical community.

PHOTO COURTESY STEVEN MOLINA CONTRERAS

“Reborn a curator of thoughts, I am a brushless painter of ideas. A mimic of wit and a mother to characters as artifice. I am concerned with individual freedom, the ever changing and eternal things we experience. I want to make people swear on their love for life. I want them to get passionately involved with the love for pleasure, promises, nature and intellect. I want to interact with art in every matter; whether it’d be strange or natural, art means many different things to me and I want to help others questions their own interpretations of it. In the words of Charles B. “Style is the answer to everything. A fresh way to approach a dull or dangerous thing. To do a dull thing with style is preferable to doing a dangerous thing without it. To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art.” - Tamara Simonne

FIT

NOVEMBER 2019

PHOTO COURTESY STEVEN MOLINA CONTRERAS

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W27

The Open Mic Night

Share your story, any way you can.

PHOTOS BY LAILA STEVENS

BY LYDIA SANT

A dusty amber glow encompasses a well-worn stage. In the center, the king of this sacred moment, a lonely microphone. Through its screen is breathed subjective, lowly, vulnerable art. Here many a starving student has stood, ready to share what plenty they have. This friends, is the scene of the open mic. Freely share a story, come one and come all.

And now a brief vignette; ten-year-old me sitting near the sliding glass door of our one-bedroom condo, writing a novel. I vowed to complete eleven pages daily, which seemed to me a perfect number. From there, I left many stories unfinished, dropped deep under colored pencil sketches or hidden in the files of my old computer. Guilt nagged at my gut. It seemed I was half-hearted in my endeavors, never having the wherewithal to complete a full idea. After blindly poking around on our upright piano, my father sat me down and showed me how to make a C major chord. “Here, place your fingers this way”. This tender lesson in all its simplicity became a touchpoint in the arch of my literary career. A new story-form wooed mesongwriting. Songwriting was a story that could exist unfinished. It could make one want and yet satisfy completely. Melody and lyricism flowed afresh through my fingers.

“The open mic was a vessel, & each player a message.”

Any songwriter could give a litany of reasons for their participation in this ritual; it’s intrinsic, they might say, “It flows out of me like breath itself.” My heart would be content to sit with a melody for hours, hunched over the piano excavating words and weaving them with music.

Amid my ferocious digging, my family suggested I share my art with others. The thought of singing in front of people made my blood run cold. Performing wasn’t something that resonated with me.

Cabaret, theatre, felt contrary to how I saw myself.

One late summer evening, my dad dragged me to an open mic, one he performed at in his younger years. It wasn’t performing he said, it was just sharing.

Herein lies the weighty purpose of the open mic.

Share. Not to perform, not to dictate meaning or memorize. Give and let your ideas become someone another man’s. That thought enveloped my heart as I approached the ragged stage, ready to embark on my first act of playing my songs. My brain felt fuzzy. The clinks of tall glasses chimed in my eardrums. Then, all at once, the beating of my heart was all I could feel. I began to play. Sharing a song is to impart one’s inner thoughts, secret plans in the form of musical prose, to an audience who will take the music any way they please. The act of sharing is silently agreeing to release control of what you made, allowing it to mean something different to someone else. With this control relinquished, I felt free. The fifteen people in the local dive cheered with all sincerity, for they were in the same boat, our mutual musical confessions had brought us together.

Why is it that humans want to share their art with others? A bizarre illustration; A man has a barrel of apples. This man is not capable of eating all the fruit on his own. He keeps it to myself, and the fruit rots, it’s flavor gone. I share this bounty, it unburdens me and serves another. This example cannot encompass the euphoria experienced by sharing your verbal bounty with others. By giving we receive comfort in being heard, and hopefully by extension- we’re understood. Sharing is the first step in kinship with one another.

The first open mic night I attended in New York City brought forth a different aura than my local hometown haunt. The metro had no mercy and I arrived twenty minutes late, missing the signup sheet. The host scanned me up and down and scoffed, “Fifty-fifty chance you’ll be able to play.”

Jaded and diverse, sat deep in the haunches of the village, people of all ages and styles took the hallowed stage with feverish passion. Crude jokes were told, unutterable words and phrases that cannot be unheard. Songs with questionable lyrics were howled to skittish backtracks sampled from various 90’s hip hop icons. A man with a drawn-on mustache towered over me in a cobalt blue suit and asked me if I wanted to join his “label”. I politely declined. Somehow, my stay at this joint edged on the fourth hour. I had seen humor and horror, people of the wrong mind playing songs that had harsh, uncouth edges that fell flat.

Finally, the host announced I was on deck.

Before me, an old man rose from the back of the room. He meandered towards the stage, his guitar an evident appendage, “I wrote a song for my dad, and then my mom got upset- so I wrote her a song too. Here it is.” he said wistfully. His meek smile stretched over his strings, and although his name escapes me, his heart was laid bare as he told his story. He loved his mother, and she loved him. His message was his own, yet I could find a semblance of my own experience in the lyrics. My throat caught a little. He reminded me of the line from Joni Mitchell’s tune For Free; “And I play if you have the money, or if you’re a friend to me, but the one man band, by the quick lunch stand. He was playing real good for free.” He tells his tale for free, and it, in turn, frees him.

During the fifth hour of my stay at this open night, I followed the humble players act with my own. I played alright- only one song- they ran out of time. Fleeing the darkness of the establishment, I walked in solitude along the sunken streets of the West Village. The open mic was the vessel, and each player a message. Bring your words, your written and rhythmic, and sing so someone else may do the same. And so the circle continues, thank you, oh humble open mic. ■

FIT

Vinyl Bars:

NOVEMBER 2019

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The New Wave of Listening to Music and Drinking

BY ALYSSA LOMANDO Vinyl bars were first founded in Japan during the 50’s. NYC has been executing and creating their own spin of vinyl-record bars where people can come to chill, listen to music and drink.

Tokyo Record Bar Greenwich Village 127 Macdougal St, New York, NY 10012 A blue-haired young woman wearing 2-inch platform boots walks down a short flight of stairs.

The bar captures moodiness with its dim-lighted small-spaced underground. Upon the corner of the bar counter, lies a vinyl player that serenades the room with Lou Reed’s Sweet Jane. Cherry blossoms dress-up the subterranean ceiling.

This experience could be enjoyed at night, with reservations for seating - $50 a person, includes a tasting of their sake - like Fuji Apple or Honeydew.

Sweet music fills in the background. The Tokyo-record bar distinctly chooses not to mimic how Japan infamously crafts their record bars, but instead - a New York City vinyl bar with a twist of Tokyo.

PHOTO COURTESY LIZZIE MUNRO BierWax 556 Vanderbilt Ave., Prospect Heights Brooklyn Vintage signs hang from the wall- ghostbusters, graffitied pedestrian signs and some classic 45’s.

On the wall behind the bar is a library of 6 enormous bookshelves of vinyls- about 5,000, with the albums Ironman by Ghostfacs Killah, and Business as Usual by Men at Work on display.

At the end of the wooden bar, the founder and owner, Chris Maestro, talked about his influences growing up from Metallica transforming into Hip Hop, “there’s a drumset in the basement and every month, we’ll all get together and jam.” His passion for beer and vinyl makes this vinyl bar one of the bests in all of NYC.

Gold Star Beer Counter 176 Underhill Ave., Prospect Heights Brooklyn

PHOTO COURTESY NOAH FECKS THE VNYL East Village 100 Third Ave This themed 1970’s ambient, rock-n-roll nightclub has the vibe that Groupie and artist, Pamela Anderson, might’ve liked decades ago.

The main bar is stacked with two black-bowtie professional mixologists. In a classic place like this, you should skip the beer and order their modern cocktail called, The VNYL is Liit, made up of Belvedere vodka, New Amsterdam gin, Bacardi black rum, Jagermeister, Lunazul, lime, and coke. A middle-aged crowd occupies the vintage space - men in business suits, women in dresses. The venue consists of three floors filled with velvet couches and pink neon lights, which create a dreamy forcefield. The DJ spun the record - I Feel Love by the late legendary Donna Summers with a remix of his own. David, 36, a patron at the bar claimed, “it’s a time capsule here.”

Chicken Jazz: Turntable LP Bar & Karaoke Midtown 34-36 W 32nd St 5th Floor The restaurant’s cozy 50’s-Korean vibe, instantly ensues a nostalgia of I Love Lucy and the sound of real-time blues. Recycled turntables that no longer work, function as wallpaper instead of paint, with a modern circular chandelier lighting the room faintly.

A-tisket, A-tasket by Ella Fitzgerald sang on the great surround sound speaker. Decorated with BB King vibes and posters of all the greats playing the blues with saxophones, an upright right bass, and mint Gibson guitars. Above the bar area, the glasses hang in an arranged fashion. Just upward of the glasses, dusty library shelves carry an impressive collection of vinyls.

You can order matcha, tea, or Koreon-styled pancakes while sitting at the bar or spacious tables.

Jay, 28, head bartender has worked there over a yearhe values the vintage feel of jazz. His amicable auraslicked back hair with his dark black dress shirt shows seriousness but he cracks a full-fledged grin while he talks about one of his favorite musicians- Charlie Parker. He points out at a poster, “He’s not my favorite, favorite but one of them. It’s hard to choose one.”

The Age of Consent by New Order spun on the turntable. This bar grasped onto a homesweet-urban-home laidback feeling, as tiny succulents sat above the taps and hanging plants levitated below the trim of the venue.

The barback lit up pillar candles and board games like Yahtzee, Scrabble and even a Ouiji board, creating a moody hangout for everyone to relax in. Each tap is marked with a gift tag of what it’s called, while a vintage espresso machine that could be mistaken as a sewing machine, sits next to empty glasses.

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W27

Hidden Live Houses in NYC that You Absolutely Cannot Miss

BY YAJIE NIU

Live House, a term translated from Japanese, refers to a small music venue that specializes in underground music genres such as Rock, Blues, or Folk. NYC has its own rich live house culture, famous live houses such as CBGB witnessed the rise of world known bands as well as the rich history of underground music in New York from the 1970s to early 2000s. Unlike large venues such as Playstation Theater, live houses are more friendly to alocal bands. They create an intimate space for musicians and fans to play music, socialize and make friendships. Whether if you’re an emerging artist looking for a venue to kick off your career, or just an avid fan of music, these live houses listed in this article are gems in the city which absolutely cannot be missed.

1. Arlene’s Grocery Address: 95 Stanton St, New York, NY 10002 Located in the LES, Arlene’s Grocery is an old school venue known for supporting local musicians.

Arlene’s Grocery was originally a bodega but was converted into a live house in 1995 as one of the first live houses in the area. The ground floor has a bar and seating area, the stage is located on the basement level, which also contains a smaller bar.

Celebrity artists such as Lana del Rey performed at Arlene’s Grocery in the 2000s. Compared to the fancy music clubs that popped up later on in the area, Arlene’s Grocery stays true to its intention of nurturing emerging artists, providing fans a genuine show experience. For an affordable price you can see amazing local bands as well as bands out of town, yet the sound effect is decent most of the time despite how small the venue is. Aside from booking shows, Arlene’s Grocery hosts their own monthly music event called F*Bomb, NYC’s longest running Rock n Roll party over the past thirteen years.

2. Saint Vitus Address: 1120 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 If you’re a metalhead, Saint Vitus is probably considered paradise in the city. Hidden behind an ordinary black door is this Speakeasy styled live house, with an industrial interior and a beautiful mahogany bar. Since 2011, Saint Vitus has hosted one of a kind intimate shows for some of the most prestigious bands in the world such as Nirvana, Megadeth, Carcass and Anthrax. Yes, Saint Vitus only produces metal shows, they’ve acted as ground zero for NYC’s metal music community.

One other thing Saint Vitus is known for is the beer selection, most beers released by metal bands can be found there. Some bands would also choose Saint Vitus as the event space for their beer release parties where members of the band would sometimes make an appearance. Although I’ve never been to any, my friend said Dave Mustaine once poured him beer at Saint Vitus.

PHOTO COURTESY BY YAJIE NIU

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NOVEMBER 2019

3. Knitting Factory Address: 361 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

6. Webster Hall Studio Address: 125 E 11th St, New York, NY 10003

Love to dance? Make a trip to Knitting Factory.

Knitting Factory partners with GBH Events every weekend to host “Decade Parties,” featuring DJs that play music ranging from 70s rock to 00s emo, most of the events are free so you can dance the night away without breaking the bank. Knitting factory mainly features electronic music, but welcomes experimental, rock and pop music as well, targeting a relatively young audience. Knitting Factory also entertains the audience with events like poetry reading, performance art and stand-up comedy, featuring experimental artists. Compared to the previously mentioned live houses, Knitting Factory was established a lot earlier, grew to expand to other States and even had a radio show and record label in 1990.

Another good live house in Manhattan, Webster Hall was constructed in the 1880s, however it wasn’t until 1992 that it started to be used for nightlife and concerts. Webster Halls is recognized to be the first modern night club in NYC. Webster Hall is composed of three spaces: The Grand Ballroom, the Merlin Room and the Studio. The one I want to talk about is the Webster Hall Studio.

The studio has the capacity of 500 people, the stage is almost tiny, but it allows audience to see bands up close and interact with band members. The environment vaguely resembles the environment of CBGB, the show experience in the studio can bring you back to the New York underground music scene in the 80s which adds a dash of nostalgia. Usually after live shows, the studio space would immediately be cleared out and converted to a nightclub afterwards. Webster Hall closed in 2017, but has now made a comeback, although there isn’t going to be nightclub fun allowed in the studio anymore.

4. Brooklyn Bazaar Address: 150 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222 This live house doubles as an intimate event space when there are no shows, the three different floors can allow multiple events to happen at the same time. The vibe indoors is chill and cheerful.

According to a yelper, Brooklyn Bazaar is “a cool place where all the hipsters come out to eat, drink, play and shop.” Brooklyn Bazaar hosts one of the largest oddity markets in NYC every year at the end of September, as well as karaoke nights and dining experiences.

Brooklyn Bazaar is a great location for different artists in general to host their events, they welcome every form of art. Local bands love Brooklyn Bazaar, it’s located in a trendy neighborhood and charges inexpensively for bookings, more important, all ages are granted access. The things that can be improved are the poor ventilation system and unsanitary floors that staff don’t bother to clean.

Unfortunately, Brooklyn Bazaar is closing soon due to rent increase, so make it to an event when you still can!

5. Blackthorn 51 Address: 80-12 51st Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373 Blackthorn 51 is one of the more traditional spaces for alternative music shows, possibly the best live house in Queens. As a result, a couple of semi well-known bands would pick Blackthorn as their performance venue, which attracts huge crowds and gives a chance for local bands to open for them. Blackthorn features music on the heavier side: metal, core, punk…The quality of sound and stage effect is almost as good as a large music venue, but more friendly. Blackthorn has existed in the area for decades, the same staff still run it, they are nice people who try to satisfy every band’s needs in any way they can. There’s a backyard area that’s sometimes open for summer and functions as a merch vending space when too many bands are playing.

My first local show experience was carried out at Blackthorn as well.

A little tip: if you’re driving, eat at the close by Nevada diner so you can have access to free parking during the show. You may even bump into band members there, it’s known as a routine to dine at Nevada diner in after shows.

7. Lucky 13 Saloon Address: 644 Sackett St, Brooklyn, NY 11217 Like Saint Vitus, Lucky 13 also only hosts metal shows, however compared to the dark vibe of Saint Vitus, Lucky 13’s environment is energetic and upbeat, even a little bit trashy. Opened since 2003, Lucky 13 was the very first metal bar to grace Brooklyn. Lucky 13 is open to local bands for booking a show, if you want a break from music, there are go-go dancers by the bar as well. During holidays such as Halloween, Lucky 13 hosts costume parties which are a lot of fun to attend. Lucky 13 is also a to-go spot for NYC metalheads to socialize and party.

Lucky 13 is close to Barclays Center, so usually when a concert at Barclays Center is finished, some of the audience would shift over to Lucky 13 for an afterparty.

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THE MUSIC ISSUE

W27 PHOTOS COURTESY TOMMY WILLIAMS

Rolling Loud

Sophomores Tommy Williams’ and Olivia McDowell’s photography from the NYC music festival, Rolling Loud.

PHOTOS COURTESY OLIVIA MCDOWELL

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NOVEMBER 2019

Record Collection

BY CHARLOTTE SPAID

PHOTO COURTESY CHARLOTTE SPAID Ever since I was very young, I have listened to an abundance of music. It’s something deeply integrated into my life. I started collecting records about five years ago, it first started by discovering my parents’ old record collection. There’s something so powerful about tangible art, being able to connect with others through it, being able to hold it in your hands and keep it. That’s why I have a record collection. I love being able to pick up some of my favorite albums and put them on, each bringing me warm memories, hopefully for decades to come.

These are some records that I can’t live without, and some great records that are a staple in many collections. In no particular order.

Led Zepplin: IV

The Alabama Shakes: Sound & Color

Another classic album, Going to California is such a jam. I would give anything to go back in time to see this album performed.

One of my favorite Jazz albums, nothing else like it. Brittany Howard has a stunning voice.

Tennis: Yours Conditionally

Nick Drake: Pink Moon A stunning album that feels like home.

Husband and wife power duo, this album was written out at sea. A retro 70’s tune.

Patti Smith: Horses

Phoebe Bridgers: Stranger in the Alps

Patti Smith is a powerful woman and a wonderful poet, I am a huge fan of her books and music.

She’s an emo meme queen, but plays music that makes your soul cry.

Phoebe has the voice of an angel.

Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland Have you ever wanted to rock out? This is it. Jimi is one of the most legendary.

Bon Iver: 22, A Million Jeff Buckley: Grace Jeff Buckley, son to Tim Buckley. Jeff is truly a legend. This album means a lot to me. It holds some Jazz/90’s rock chords and a great cover of Hallelujah. My words do it no justice, give it a listen.

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon One of the most classic records of all time. An initial feeling I have while listening to this album is falling through space.

Julien Baker: Sprained Ankle A heart-wrenching album that hits you in the chest, Julien Bakers emboss words into our emotions. Rejoice is one of my all-time favorite songs.

Another heart-wrenching album. A record mixed with synth and ballads that hits your emotions.

Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes An album that brings me back to nature, and driving through the mountains with friends.

Innocence Mission: Green Bus A heavenly album that soothes your soul.

Fleetwood Mac: Rumours I a

love great

Blaring record

Dreams, to dance

such to.

Boygenius: Boygenius A girl-power group of musicians and friends making music. Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. This album is empowering and timeless.

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W27

“

I think that we all have a tendency to feel a bit lost and unsteady due to all the noise that envelops us-

PHOTO COURTESY BY LAUREN CAMERER

-and, music is one of the few things that can really keep us grounded.

”

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NOVEMBER 2019

How Streaming is Killing Modern Music

BY LAUREN CAMERER

A

few months ago, I was going through the motions of my daily routine, which involved sifting through some recent articles from The New York Times. My sifting came to a screeching halt when I saw the feature piece about Neil Young’s “Lonely Quest to Save Music”

by David Samuels. The article was about his take on how lowquality streaming is hurting our songs and our brains. This piece inspired me to delve deeper into how sound quality really affects me. As a lover of music, I listen mainly to both vinyl and streaming on Spotify. Other than just the overall beautiful smoky tones and faint crackles of listening to a vinyl LP (fully analog and lossless, that is), I couldn’t really tell the sound quality difference between that and through a digital streaming site.

This frustration lead me through a new quest of trying to develop an ear for high vs. low sound quality and how this affects our overall listening experience and connection to music. Another article from National Public Radio goes into depth on “How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?”

This piece discusses the struggle to distinguish between what is the highest-quality digital audio, which is an Uncompressed WAV, to the lowest that is 128kbps (which is less than the standard of an MP3 file). The article includes a quiz to test if you can hear the difference, which is fascinating to see how extremely difficult it can be to notice.

The compression of music and the wave of easy listening that has overcome us through the years is changing the way we listen and digest audio—and I’m not sure if it’s for the better. So, let me start off with a given on why new music has lost its magic in comparison to

vinyl; streaming has no tangibility facets. There’s something to be said about getting a new record and listening to it for hours as you look over the album artwork and sleeve notes, trying to immerse yourself fully in the artist’s words and emotions. When I think of my records, I think ‘investment’ simply because, at the end of the day, I like to physically hold all of my favorite albums and feel comfort in knowing that if the next streaming site comes along and runs Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora out of business, my music will still be easy to get to and my collection won’t be lost.

But then again, I have been told that I’m a very nostalgic person and not everyone can relate to my hoarding preferences.

Streaming has the advantage of having almost all of the music available, while making it easy to listen on the go, to find new favorite artists, and to create custom playlists for any mood you’re in. But these “benefits” also take so much away from listeners.

Having heaps of music available at all times has personally affected my listening habits, from walking down the street with earbuds in, drowning out the sound of the real world, to making song skipping so incredibly easy for me to use (and overuse).

That being said, skip rates are something that we, as listeners, control which are being used as one of the main sources of change in modern music. In the first 30 seconds of streaming a song, artists are not getting royalties for the music (i.e. they’re not getting their hard-earned cash). So, let me break this down: 24.14% of us skip within the first 5 seconds of a song, 35.05% skip within the first 30 seconds, and so on! For this reason, artists are now trying to sell us on sticking around for at least more

than 30 seconds of their songs so they can get rightfully paid for their work. This short attention span of listeners is making artists grasp for our interest right off the bat. Take “ME!” by Taylor Swift and Brendon Urie for example; the song jumps from intro, verse, bridge, and chorus all in about 35 seconds. On top of this, songs are getting shorter and shorter, catering to our hyperactiveness.

To combat this, we as listeners would have to really engage in our favorite albums. The changes that music has undergone through the decades is only a testament to our fast track lifestyles and a need for constant stimulation. I think that we all have a tendency to feel a bit lost and unsteady due to all the noise that envelops us, and music is one of the few things that can really keep us grounded.

I read that vinyl sales went from under one million dollars to more than 8 million this year in just the US alone, and that gives me a lot of hope for the future of music.

Perhaps knowing the very real cost of our streaming habits can be the push for us to actively listen like modern music depends on it.

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INTERVIEW WITH SILVER SPHERE: TRAJECTORY INTO THE POP UNIVERSE

BY AVA GRIDLEY

PHOTO COURTESY OF HUMAN RESOURCES RECORDS

Silversphere is an up and coming musician who recently released her first EP, yikes! and has amassed millions of streams on her singles. She has booked an opening spot for artist Omar Apollo on his upcoming tour Speed of Sound, who has over 1.7 monthly listeners on Spotify. She has gained almost 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and has also toplined for artists like Flume. I sat down with Silver to discuss her trajectory into the pop universe, touring, and the struggles of being a smaller artist and a woman in the music industry.

Ava Gridley: So tell me, where does Silversphere come from, and why did you decide to go by that?

Silversphere: Well I went by Silver when I was in highschool, which I think I got from some reality TV show.

As a new artist, I realized that if someone tried to Google me, my name was most likely too generic to find on the internet. I changed it to Silversphere, because I had already started creating this world around my music persona and had labelled it as that.

AG: For those who aren’t familiar with your music, what can they expect to hear off of the EP? SS: It’s mostly a mixture of a bunch of different pop influences. I don’t feel that my music fits into a specific genre, but if I had to label it I would probably say experimental pop. I listen to basically every single genre of music which is why my songs don’t fit into a specific box. I write a lot from my life experiences and things that I notice happening around me.

AG: I know you go on tour very soon with Omar Apollo. Are you excited for that?

SS: Yeah! I’m so lucky that both my label and Omar wanted me on this tour. I’m excited to be able to perform for people who have never heard my music and hopefully gain some new fans. I’m also happy to be able to play so many live shows because it’s something I haven’t really got the chance to do before. I also can’t wait to travel, because although it’s just in the U.S., a lot of the places I’m playing I’ve never been before.

AG: Sounds fun! Do you have any shows coming up here in New York?

SS: Yes, I love playing New York. The Omar Apollo tour comes to New York December 12 at Brooklyn Steel.

AG: If you could play any place in the world where would it be?

SS: I really want to play Lollapalooza or Boston calling because I love festivals and I’ve gone to those so many times as a fan, and think it would be cool to be able to go as a musician.

Paris would also be really cool.

AG: How do you find being a smaller artist and being with a label?

SS: I’m with an independent label Human Resources, which is nice, but they do have a lot of artists. It’s definitely opened my eyes to how the industry works a lot more. Before I was signed with them, I didn’t realize that they were strategies to releasing music. It’s nice because they know how to promote my music to reach more people, but I also have to go about putting my music out in the way that the industry wants me to. For example, I had to postpone releasing my EP multiple times, and so the majority of the songs that are on it are already a year old.

AG: So do you have a favorite song off of the EP, or are you too disconnected from them at this point?

SS: My favorite song is “boys r dumb! duh!” because it’s the most recent one I’ve made so I feel the most connected to it. It feels great to finally have the EP out after waiting for so long, and I’m happy to be creating new music.

AG: How did you get your start in music?

SS: I always wrote songs when I was younger. When I was a senior in high school I made a song with a producer in my hometown and it suddenly started getting plays. My current manager found that demo on soundcloud and started helping me start to create more music and get in the industry.

AG: Would you say it is hard to gain traction in the industry as a smaller artist?

SS: Definitely. Especially if you don’t have an idea about the industry and how to promote yourself. I’m really

lucky that Spotify has continued to put my songs on their playlists, that helped a lot. It’s hard to get your start as an artist, but once you are past that point and have somewhat of a following, you continue gaining traction in the industry a lot quicker. I feel like I just hit that point, especially getting verified. Now I’m gaining more fans at a quicker speed, and it feels great for the projects I put so much work into, to be getting played more and receiving such positive feedback.

AG: Do you get pressured to change your sound by producers or your managers?

SS: Yes and no. No one has ever looked at me and told me I can’t make something. But sometimes I have to fight to make the kind of pop that I’m making, because the people in the industry sometimes try to force me to have a more mainstream sound or try to market me as that because they know it’s more likely to be successful.

It’s hard to explain, but the process of making music in LA seems to be more focused on how to make money. I prefer being in New York, because it’s a lot more genuine and focused on artistry rather than this pop machine.

AG: How is it being a woman in the music industry? Are there pressures there?

SS: Being a woman in the industry honestly sucks. This job is so dominated by men and has been for all of history. It’s created this environment where without even realizing it, the men don’t take the female musicians ideas as seriously, even if they’ve accomplished really big things. I’ll be in these sessions and men will disregard what I have to say about my music and how I want it to sound, yet I just wrote Flume’s new single that has millions of

streams. You have to fight ten times as hard to be taken seriously and you’re constantly surrounded by men trying to put words in your mouth. They’ll try to either do it for me, or try to take credit for things that I’ve done on my own. It’s a known part of the industry that woman’s ideas aren’t taken as seriously and that we aren’t being credited for everything w e do and accomplish.

But it’s also taught me to stand up for myself and acknowledge the things that I’ve done, because I know that others won’t.

AG: Do you feel pressure as a woman in the industry to look a certain way?

SS: Part of my job is to be looked at, and in a way judged, with music videos and being on camera and on stage and even on Instagram. Recently I’ve been trying to remind myself that body positivity is important and I don’t have to look a certain way, but definitely it’s still in the back of my mind that the traditional “pop star” looks a certain way. It’s stressful to try and look the way you think people want you to, but I try to not let it get to me because I know that times are changing and people don’t care as much about this absolute perfection. I just try to focus on my music and know that at the end of the day, that’s what is most important.

AG: When can we expect new music?

SS: Soon. I’ve been in sessions everyday for the past two weeks, and I’m working on the second EP right now.

AG: Is there anything else you want to say?

SS: Thank you for having me, make sure to stream yikes! on Apple Music or Spotify, and if you can come see me play in December! ■

FIT

THE MUSIC ISSUE

Kpop’s Inclusion in U.S. Music Culture

ALBUM COVER COURTESY OF RCA RECORDS

ALBUM COVER COURTESY OF BIG HIT ENTERTAINMENT

ALBUM COVER COURTESY OF UMG

NOVEMBER 2019

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BY LAURYN REEVES In the past two years, Korean pop music has become more mainstream in the American/western music market. Things kicked off when boy group BTS performed their hit ‘DNA’ on the American Music Awards stage in 2017.

The same stage where they accepted the award for Favorite Social Artist the following year. Since then, there’s been a major rise in popularity for BTS and other K-pop groups alike. From musical appearances on daytime and late night talk shows, to collaborations with top western artists, the demand for K-pop has been higher than ever. However, it begs the question, is this inclusion a good or a bad thing?

In the recent months, K-pop groups have been collaborating with western artists and producing their own English songs. These collaborations seem to have sparked a rise in the mainstream popularity of these groups, making them much more accessible to the American public. Like other collaborations, there tends to be a crossover of fans which in turn creates bigger fan bases for the respective artists involved.

This integration has allowed the US music market to become more diverse; Latin music and artists have become very mainstream as well and it is always great to see different representations of music and language. After all, music is universal and it brings people together.

Idol groups BTS, GOT7, NCT 127, MONSTA X, ATEEZ, and SUPER M are receiving a lot of recognition for their talents and good looks but it goes without saying: they’re all boy groups. In just a few short years since this K-pop boom, the most notable girlgroup- to the majority- is BLACKPINK. In April this year, the 4-member girl group made their US debut on the Coachella Stage. They have since had their share of talk show appearances in the same way as the boy groups but the exposure of girl groups abruptly stopped with them. One argument would be the managing strategy for these groups.

BTS, GOT7, MONSTA X, and ATEEZ are under American music labels as well as their home companies. They have more leverage in the American market because of this. Whenever they come to America to promote their comebacks, they have no problem whatsoever, in fact, it is more beneficial to them. This isn’t the case for many girl groups, who are only signed under their home company or other East Asian companies. Even in South Korea and other Asian countries, there is a stark difference in popularity between boy and girl groups. This is due in part to the majority of the demographic of this genre being girls and women. Don’t be mistaken, girl groups are well loved both in South Korea and internationally, it is just unfortunately, girl groups are not as accessible in the US market.

But why is that? Why are these male kpop groups more successful in the west than female groups? One possible reason, which many fans have concluded is the demographic of this genre and

their weird sexual obsession with these male idols. Any talk show that a kpop boy group has been on in the past two years, the question of their relationship statuses gets crowds roaring. This appeals to fans because it gives them the idea of the attainability of these menmost likely because they are now on their continent for a few days. It is an uncomfortable instance to say the least and unfortunately for these artists, too common in the conversations with them.

While BTS was the first modern K-pop group to breakthrough into the western music market, they’re definitely not the first to do so. In the 1960s, the Touth-korean Trio, The Kim Sisters made their mark as the first Korean music group to achieve success in the American music market. And we can’t talk about K-pop in the west without mentioning the 2012 hit “Gangnam Style” by Psy. He can be considered the pioneer for solo Korean artists in the west but the biggest appeal of these groups, is the fact that there are multiple people and this gives fans choice which is the standard marketing strategy for musical groups anyways. Before the mainstream inclusion of K-pop, the music genre was already popular in America. Fans from all across the country have already poured hundreds, if not thousands of dollars into these groups- and subsequently their companies- myself included. These companies really know how to drain your finances with their talented, pretty idols.

It is possible that the already huge international population of fans made it easier for K-pop to become more accessible in America. Well, a lot of idols have given credit to their fans for their US successes, haha you’re welcome.

As a fan of some of these groups that are thriving in the US music market, it’s always exciting to see the exposure and appreciation they receive, but I must admit, it always throws me for a loop hearing their music on the radio or seeing them on Ellen. Some fans prefer for their idols to be only for them and dislike the US exposure, but the inclusion is great in many aspects. The US music market becomes more diverse, these k-pop idols get to broaden their fan bases and gain popularity, and obviously, money. The music industry is fueled by money. The more exposure these idols get, the more money for them and their home companies as well as the American companies they’re signed under. So while it’s fantastic to see this genre of music break into such a competitive market, it’s also heavily profit based. It’s honestly hard to tell if that’s a good or bad thing. It depends on the intentions of the artists and their companies. I personally have no qualms about dropping coin on a concert ticket or an album if it means I get more access to the musical artists I’m interested in. It just means I get to waste more money since my favorite groups come to America more often!

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THE MUSIC ISSUE

W27

Brooklyn Music Scene

BY CHARLOTTE SPAID

I

t seems as though everyone moves to Brooklyn, and as controversial as it sounds, it’s almost painfully true. Brooklyn just seems like “the cool place to be,” over Manhattan any day. The music scene used to be all the rage in Manhattan, now it feels like I can’t even see a show in Manhattan for $20 or less. The underground music scene, the DIY artists, and the indie and alternative goers, have all migrated to Brooklyn.

Most of the iconic Manhattan venues have closed down, like Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s, and sadly many more. This is one of the many reasons the music scene moved to Brooklyn; Manhattan became too expensive. Brooklyn is a slightly more affordable place for musicians to live and to play.

Venues like Baby’s All Right, Rough Trade, Brooklyn Steel and the Music Hall of Williamsburg have all become some of Brooklyn’s most popular spots.

Seeing live music is one of my favorite things to do, and I’ve seen a whole lot of shows. That being said, the greatest shows I have ever seen have been in Brooklyn. A couple of weeks ago, I decided last minute to see the band Peaer play a show at Elsewhere, and it was wonderful, bangin’ show. Brooklyn houses

some of the most intimate, emotional, and transformative shows - small spaces make for an intimate space. Some famous venues, although slightly larger, carry amazing shows and artists as well, like Brooklyn Steel or Rough Trade. The Brooklyn Steel in particular holds some of my favorite shows that I have seen. Last year I saw Boygenuis (Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus). The concert was about four hours long, and had an audience that was so gripped to the artists performing, and in a trance.

It’s spaces like that the artists really connect to their audience.

Recently, we had a house show in our Williamsburg apartment. It was a small and beautiful space, filled with our friends - old and new. Everyone was connected to each other somehow. My roommate Kathryn Brooks played, along with Kyle Duke, D.D. Island, and Soren Bryce.

Some of the musicians were touring together and stopped in Brooklyn, others lived here.

The room was full of people, all connected to each other through the music. It was so cool to me to watch my living room come to life with these artists.

A warm and intimate space, everyone was pulled into the music and each other. I have to say it was one of the best music experiences I have ever had.

It’s shows like this that mean a lot to me and make music all that much more. I have seen many shows, listened to many records; music truly is something that connects my friends and I. It is the wholesome artists, who care about their music and their people - that make Brooklyn the best spot for concerts. I’m not quite sure what about Brooklyn pulls us all together, but the community here is thriving. There are many wonderful people to meet and see, and many shows to go to.

FIT

NOVEMBER 2019

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I’m not quite sure what about Brooklyn pulls us all together, but the community here is thriving.

PHOTO COURTESY GILL MITREUTER

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THE MUSIC ISSUE

COLLEGE DEMOCRATS CONFERENCE

BY KELVIN CHUCHUCA PHOTO BY KELVIN CHUCHUCA The last few years seem almost inconceivable, at least when considering our country’s politics, so it comes as no surprise that there has been a surge in activism and participation in politics for our generation, in the interest of creating and inspiring change. The College Democrats at FIT has served as a beacon for many individuals seeking to participate in politics as well as educating their fellow students in the political processes of our country.

The club is run by President, Alexandra Berlingieri and Vice President, Ashley Nargentino. When asked about her hopes this coming year in regard to the direction in which the club is headed, she responded: “Our primary goal for the club is to encourage everyone on campus to become socially, civically and politically engaged, and most importantly, to vote.

We are coming up on a presidential election next year and are currently living in one of the most consequential times in our nation’s history. As students, we have a unique opportunity and a moral duty to make a difference in our community and to strive to become more informed, empathetic and active participants of our democracy. We hope that, as a club, we will be able to spark positive change and demonstrate the importance of playing a role in making a difference. From the time we began attending the club last year, we’ve noticed that little by little, more of our community members are becoming interested in what’s been happening. We aim to do whatever we can to sustain that engagement and excitement in our fellow community members over our remaining time in College Democrats at FIT and as FIT students.”

The club is also a resource for many students who moved from what is referred to as “red states/counties,” meaning areas that are dominated by Republicans or conservative individuals. These students come to the club in order to express political beliefs that otherwise would’ve been disregarded or largely ignored.This is the case with student Becca LaFalce, who says: “Being passionately liberal and growing up in Georgia was a difficult experience that made me afraid of having a political voice but eventually solidified my personal morals and positions. In the deep south, the Republican majority drowns out the voice of the Democrats. I have been ridiculed for being “weak and hyper-emotional,” for standing up to gun violence, and for defending those of every gender and sexuality. I am proud of my southern roots, but the intense and aggressive political scene made me scared to fully express my beliefs as a Democrat. Moving to New York was a huge change of pace; most people felt like me and agreed with my passion for progression. I immediately joined the College Democrats and was instantly welcomed by people who accepted my views without judgment. The other members let me express opinions that I would have otherwise withheld in fear of being mocked or forcefully challenged.

This wonderful experience led me to realize that everyone, no matter what, deserves a safe space to exist and thrive in comfort. Joining the College Democrats allowed me to be authentically myself, and I will continue to be involved for as long as possible.”

The club meets every Tuesdays from 1-2pm in room A643. ■

INSIDE THE AIRPODS OF AN FIT STUDENT

BY ELIZABETH SCOTT Nicole Seper

Rita Watanabe

To me, music is a beautiful thing that brings people together. It also gives me an outlet to relieve my stress because I just get lost in the lyrics just like how a book lover can get lost in the words A song that I think represents me well would be “Sweetener”

by Ariana Grande because I’m a very positive and bubbly person and that song is about someone who brings light to a dark situation. I’m not always the biggest fan of popular music but I always have the radio on so the song I hear nonstop is “Señorita”.

It’s a pretty solid track but I’m more of a throwback kind of music lover so anything current in music today isn’t my cup of tea. (besides a few)I think NY musicians have some very genuine talent whether it comes into singing or playing instruments. A lot of them really have a strong passion for music, which you can tell by just hearing them. I’ve been singing for almost a decade, and I still love it the same so I’m so lucky that FIT provides a group like Skyliners so that I can share my voice with other people in a very enjoyable way. Everyone is super friendly here and I felt like I fit in very quickly because all of us share a common hobby. As much as it would be cool to be somebody like Miley Cyrus or Lady GaGa I don’t think I’m in a position for music to be my entire life. I don’t have any particular artists that I would recommend but I have quite a few albums, My Everything by Ariana Grande, Goodbye Lullaby by Avril Lavigne, Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay, Joanne by Lady Gaga, Loud by Rihanna, and 1000 forms of Fear by Sia.

To me, music is an art of sound which provides sense of healing, expression of ideas and emotions.

It gives energy and the elements of rhythm and harmony. I associate myself with the song I’m so tired… by Lauv and Troye Sivan because the vibe of the lyrics sound like me and it’s relatable. When I’m under the weather or feeling gloomy, this is my “to listen song” all the time. I feel that pop music gets me going. It’s something I listen to every day and there’s a lot of variety to choose from, so it makes it more fun. The most popular song I hear nowadays would be Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish, but nowadays I also listen to throwback songs like Let it go by James Bay, and some 80s music. I’m don’t know much in terms of NY musicians, but I really like Lady Gaga especially the song Shallow. I think the musicians in the streets are very talented, and for many of them, performing in the streets or at the subway platform can be life changing. Not only it will make people’s day better by playing music, but It’s really cool for those who want a kick-starter in music. Although I haven’t performed in concerts at FIT just yet, I am continuing to learn music at FIT because music has been my passion which I cannot stop doing.

And yes, with my passion for fashion, as a member in The Skyliners, I think it is a great way to merge them together for me. I’ve been in a concert band for nearly 8 years through highschool, and singing at Skyliners reduces stress. I like the song Dream A Little Dream by Ella & Louis from the 90s. It sounds very elegant and beautiful at the same time. This was also used in Marc Jacobs’ SS20 for NYFW!

Vice President Ashley Nargentino on left and President Alexandra Barlingieri on right, outside of FIT

Izzy Diaz Music means a lot to me. I pretty much grew up my whole life with music. Listening to music helps me get through a lot of things and motivate me to do better.One song that pretty that associates with me/ characterizes myself is a song called “answer: love yourself” by bts which is a pretty known kpop group. this song talks about how one should always love yourself and you should put yourself before others.

Despite the song being in Korean, this song means a lot to me in many ways.I think the popular song people hear is “all star” by smash Mouth. I think it’s because it was used as a meme and everyone pretty much knows the lyrics to that song. If you asked someone if they knew that song they probably would know it. I enjoy listening to pop music and I think it fits my personality when I listen to some pop songs!

I enjoy listening to NY musicians! I really don’t have a favorite but I listen to pretty much to all of them!

My opinions on musicians on the street is that they’re incredibly talented, coming from someone who loves to sing, I really hope they become famous because you always start small but if you notice by someone in the music industry, that person would definitely have a bright future ahead! As a singer in FIT, I haven’t done concerts since it’s my first year but the reason why I wanted to continue to do music is because it’s something that I would never let go. Music is something that I enjoy during my free time and when I was in 4th grade, I played the clarinet up to my last year in high school. I felt like I did belong at FIT because I met so many friends that also have the same interests as me and I’m not sure if I would continue doing music after FIT but I really hope I do!I’ve been trying to get people into kpop since it’s becoming big and I do recommend a lot but if I had to recommend some kpop boy/ girl groups it would be bts, ateez, seventeen, blackpink, everglow and g-idle. The talent is absolutely unbelievable and I enjoy it very much. ■

FIT

NOVEMBER 2019

19

Hidden Talents

BY KELVIN CHUCHUCA As a fellow musician, I ventured out to find fellow FIT students who are musically talented, either traditionally trained or self taught. Alisha is a freshman in the photography department who was traditionally trained in playing the piano. I had the pleasure to sit down and interview her about her talent and the importance of music in her life, as well as the lack of amenities that FIT has in encouraging the continuation of her talent.

Kevin Chuchuca: Thank you for sitting down with me, so tell me Alisha, what got you started in music ?

Alisa: My father is a self-taught pianist who has never had the interest to learn any music theory, but he instilled in me at a very young age that music is an important part of life. He bought me a miniature Barbie piano when I was a small toddler and discovered I was playing it all day. My older brother, as well, played multiple instruments so my family converted one of our family rooms into a music room with a piano, multiple guitars, a drum set and more. At the age of three, he hired a piano teacher for me. For about seven years, I hated it since my teacher only had me play basic scales and classical music, which I was not interested in. Then, when I was older, he let me play the music that I listened to normally and eventually I started singing with the piano which made me start to love the sessions.

KC: Do you aspire to perform professionally or has this been more of a hobby?

A: Playing the piano has always been a hobby for me, but in more of a therapeutic sense. It’s helped me keep my mind off stressful situations and escape into another world. At the moment, I don’t have a piano where I’m residing, so once in a while, I’ll go to a piano store and sit and play. I sang in elementary and high school in choir and even the county chorus which all branched off my love for the piano.

KC: What has been your biggest struggle in learning an instrument and what advice do you have for any potential FIT students who feel too intimidated when picking up an instrument for the first time?

A: The most stressful thing was definitely when my muscles didn’t have the ability to play what I wanted. I’ve always had small hands, which is very difficult to play with. The best advice I could give is to be aware of what your body can handle and to not push it too hard. Especially not to place too much pressure on yourself when you want to play a certain piece.

Also, music theory is challenging to learn so be patient and take your time. And as always, practice makes perfect. The more

PHOTO BY KELVIN CHUCHUCA you play, the more comfortable you are with a certain fragment of a song. Take it measure by measure and don’t run if you can’t walk. In my experience, if I’m having trouble with a song, I’ll repeat each measure hundreds of times until my hands understand it.

KC: Is there a certain song you like to perform or prefer over other genres ?

A: I usually listen to alternative indie music such as Bon Iver and Daughter. I like artists who strive for empathy rather than fame. Musicians who want you to know how they feel through showing you in a form of melody and lyrics. At the same time, all different genres are intertwined and draw inspiration from each other.

For example, I find many similarities in the musical formulas between some rock artists and some rappers. Everyone takes bits and pieces from others. Especially since sampling in music has become so popular. You can hear older jazz in modern electronic dance music nowadays. I never try to keep a closed mind with genres. I’ll find myself listening to Sam Cooke in the morning and then Tame Impala in the afternoon. It just depend on how you are feeling and what speaks to you personally.

KC: As you may know, FIT lacks a music department, is this something you wish would change and if so what would you like to see provided ?

A: I would for sure love to see a music department at FIT. It’s a form of art, you see. Where most think of an art as a visual form, there’s a reason why singers and musicians are called artists. If there was an official music room with rentable instruments, I feel as if students would appreciate it. Especially at an art school

where music influences a lot of people’s work. I know for me, music has inspired a good portion of my photography.

KC: Has music played an important part in your life or profession?

A: Music has largely impacted both my life and my profession. For me, piano has always been a sort of rock, something that can never be taken away from me.

My love for it will never falter. My taste, too, changes with each milestone in my life. When I was a pre-teen, I listened to a lot of hard rock but as i grew older and gained more experience, it adjusted with me. In my art, it has impacted how I want emotions to be portrayed and how I envision my subject as a whole. Music can bring up feelings that are hard to replicate and that’s what I strive for in my photography. I want people to sense how I’m feeling through my work. Especially since I’ve had a tough time in my life trying to get people to understand me, it’s another way for people to grasp my emotions.

KC: And as a final question, what’s your favorite song in general and why?

A: My favorite song of all time would definitely have to be Mozart’s Piano Concerto 23 in A Minor, especially the movement Adagio. It’s one of his most intimate pieces and it makes me cry every time I listen to it. It’s so delicate but powerful and pensive. He lays all his talent in this song and that’s why I’m so moved by it. It’s still one of my favorite pieces to play and also one of the most difficult which makes me want to perform it even more. ■

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W27

Introducing Producer, Peter Ferrantelli

BY STEVEN MOLINA CONTRERAS

Student, designer & producer, Peter Ferrantelli, is working to set himself apart by creating music tracks that are emotionally resonant to him and his listeners. His pieces are as diverse as his musical influences, at times dark & mellow, and other times vibrant & pure. I first encountered his tracks in an unlikely setting; a night class that I took to fill up my schedule. I couldn’t have known that it would introduce me to someone who’s style & musical intonation would intrigue me so much.

I got the chance to speak with Peter about his influences, creative outlets, current projects and musical styles that define the current moment.

PF: About 800 saved. I can’t tell you how many I’ve lost from the program crashing.

SMC: How many of those are completed?

Steven Molina Contreras: How did you get started in producing/composing music?

Peter Ferrantelli: I would say as a kid, I had headphones in all the time. Everywhere I went I was listening to music and then at one point, I decided I wanted to learn how to make my own. So, I looked up ‘how to make beats?’ online and discovered FL studio. I downloaded it and all I remember was not being able to figure anything out. So, for about two years, it was just on my desktop. Now, every chance I get I’ll make something.

SMC: How old where you when you really began that?

PF: I was 14 when I first downloaded FL Studio, but I didn’t start using it heavily until I was about 16.

SMC: Did you have any PHOTO COURTESY STEVEN MOLINA CONTRERAS musical background before that? Or did you go into it knowing what you liked to make?

PF: Around 500-600 are probably finished, and the PF: I used to play the violin. I was in the band all rest are just ideas. When I say ideas, it could be a throughout middle school and my freshman year drum loop, chords or even a just a sound I like. I of high school. But in high school, I got distracted save things that I think have potential to be better and didn’t feel like continuing. Now, I wish I conthan how I’m feeling in the moment because sometinued playing because I could’ve sampled myself. times I’ll be making something that sounds good, but it just isn’t how I’m feeling so I like to move on.

SMC: So, you stopped playing and focused more on producing?

SMC: Are they all just for your collection, or have you created pieces for other people to rap or perPF: Yeah. Once I stopped playing the violin I form over? started producing because I still loved music. It became something that all I had to do was be PF: When I started producing, I’d say that it was ‘in my room’ and no one had to know about it. just for my friends and I to vibe to. Then I met Rush and we instantly started making tracks. He’s such SMC: Do you remember how to read music? Or do a dope individual. He grew up in Nigeria, lived in you find the beat and sound by listening? Is there Japan, now in New York; I’m trying to help him like music theory involved or is it more by feeling? tell his story. We have a bunch of tracks together that’ll be on a project we are dropping soon.

PF: When I played the violin, I could read music, but now it’s all by ear. I focus on what sounds right to me.

SMC: Does music heavily influence your major?

Your designs?

SMC: How many tracks have you made so far?

PF: Music plays a big part in my life in general. For example, if I’m designing, music is playing, if I’m sewing, music is playing. A lot of the time, when my creative process begins, I need to find the right music to fit the vibe. Last semester, I worked a collection titled ‘Is this me?’ Which was heavily influenced by a track I made. The biggest inspiration for this collection was isolation and thoughts if the path I’m headed is really for me. Throughout that process, playing the music over and over again helped me answer that question.

SMC: Who are some of your favorite producers and artists?

PF: This question is really hard for me because I have so many. But if I had to choose one, I’d say Bon Iver. I probably play at least one of their tracks daily for the past 6 years. Recently, I’ve been listening the Blood Bank EP again and its better than the first time I heard it.

SMC: I totally see that influence!

When I first listened to your tracks, I thought it had a great atmospheric sound, like a Bon Iver track.

PF: Some of my other favorite artist are James Blake, James Vincent McMorrow, Ben Howard, Corbin & King Krule. They are what I want to sound like when I start recording my tracks. Someone else that really inspires me is Gonjasufi. Jay-Z sampled him on “Nickels and Dimes” in 2010, on Magna Carta and since then I’ve fallen in love with his music. His voice is haunting, with vintage drums and dark melodies. The artists I need to mention because they changed my life are Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, Jay-Z and Kanye. There isn’t a song or project by them that I don’t love.

SMC: Now, going back to you, have you found a music community at FIT? PF: FIT doesn’t have a big music community that I know of, but I have some homies that produce and record.

SMC: Do you think that’s something FIT could use or could benefit from?

PF: Definitely. We need to collaborate. I want to find people who would sound right on my beats. I mean of course I could look online, but this would be better.

SMC: In closing, who are you as a producer? What do you want to do with your music?

PF: Trying to find myself. As an artist, I want to experiment with new ideas, and new sounds. As a producer, I want to use my music to get me to where I have to be in my life. I know it will get me into the room with the people I need to be around, it will put me in the conversation. My ultimate goal as a designer, producer, artist and creative is to help redesign our future.

You can connect with Peter Ferrantelli on Instagram at @peterferrantelli and listen to a project he’s produced at soundcloud.com/rerumfuture/ sets/half-moon-drive

FIT

NOVEMBER 2019

21

MUSIC MEETS MATERIAL

BY SONIA BETESH

In the fashion world, many designers work tirelessly to invent a personal, identifiable style. Fashion functions as representation: it allows the viewer an image, although not picture-perfect, of its designer.

In the music world, artists use their lyrics and rhythm as a vehicle to define them. However, when words cannot do them justice, artists turn to fashion to express themselves. One can argue that the intertwining of music and fashion is a tale as old as time, but the first societal imitation of an artist’s fashion began with The Beatles. In the 1960s, John Lennon’s round wire-frame glasses and “mop top” hair screamed European chic, and Americans were on board with it. The non-conventional generation also gravitated towards reggae legend Bob Marley, responsible for “military style” in fashion. Marley’s signature look featured an M-65 jacket, his dreadlocks swept up in a beret. His style encompassed the famous fashion theme of contradiction: wearing military clothing to promote peace.

Women’s fashion in the 1960s exhibited a different appeal. Diana Ross, lead singer of The Supremes, influenced the masses with her “maximalism” style. Ross set the fashion trend for big hair, big jewelry, and dramatic makeup. Following Diana Ross, Cher’s style in the 1960s and 70s featured jeweled and midriff-baring outfits.

The 1980s were a pivotal point for music and fashion: Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love pioneered the “modern grunge” trend, featuring worn flannels, faded denim, and

torn stockings. Kobain’s style redefined grunge fashion. Madonna, the “Queen of Pop,” was welldeserving of her crown in the fashion world.

Her style, titled “disheveled chic,” inspired the trends of religious jewelry, oversized hair bows, and lace gloves. Whereas some criticized her look, Madonna saw an opportunity to change fashion: a look so bad, that it’s good.

Although the title of “influencer” was seen as a compliment, the music world began to get tired of it. Always behind the scenes of trends, artists no longer wanted to stand in the shadows of the design world. It wasn’t soon before artists left behind the title of fashion “influencer,” and exchanged it for the ultimate title of fashion “designer.”

One of the first artists to resign from their “fashion influencer” positions was Wu Tang Clan in 1996. They produced their own fashion brand, titled, “Wu Wear,” and sold polos, sweat suits, and graphic t-shirts. The Staten Island-located Wu Wear store profited over a million dollars a year, and countless artists followed their lead.

In 1998, P. Diddy decided that if Wu Tang Clan could create a fashion brand, so can he—and better. His fashion line, titled “Sean John,” shocked customers when it grew to over 1,200 Macy’s locations in just two years, and had sales of over $200 million. In 2004, P. Diddy was named The Council of Fashion Designers of America Menswear “Designer of the Year.”

Jay Z released his brand, Rocawear, in 1999, and it quickly expanded to include kids, eyewear, fragrance, and many other categories. It became one of the biggest fashion labels created by an

artist, and had annual sales of over $700 million.

In 2010, Jessica Simpson stepped her foot into the fashion industry with her “Jessica Simpson” fashion line. Simpson proved her expertise when, in just ten years, the fashion line had passed the one billion dollar mark.

2011 became the age of the rappers in fashion: Drake started “OVO” and opened brick-and-mortar locations in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto. In 2012, Lil Wayne created his fashion brand “Trukfit,” and, in 2014, A$AP Mob created “Vlone.”

In 2015, Kanye West became the epitome of music and fashion. His streetwear brand, “YZY,” transformed the fashion world, bringing streetwear to the forefront of New York Fashion Week. West’s YZY collection remains one of the most influential brands of all time, kicking fashion staples like Balmain to the bottom of Lyst’s 2019 “Hottest Brands” list. His sneakers, “Yeezys,” have been named GQ’s “The Most Influential Sneaker.” Last year, West stated that the Yeezys sold 400,000 pairs of shoes in just 4 hours—the only item matching those statistics being the iPhone.

Following West’s journey into the design world, Beyoncé created Ivy Park, Rihanna created Savage x Fenty, and Justin Bieber created Drew House. No longer are artists settling with just music—their desire to change society is much larger than that. We live in a generation where the cultural elements of music and fashion work collectively to create identity: this is the new generation of tunes and fashion—this is where music meets material.

Electric Mass

I am looking at, running towards, a sprawling field lit by rippling neon lights.

Everything in miniature from my high vantage point, I see figures gyrating, jumping with every new flash of light - a live stop-motion animation.

I am looking at these figures getting larger as I race towards them.

My brother and his friends close at my side whooping, laughing.

Finally I am seeing, I am hearing what was making these miniatures move so manically and finally, I am joining in.

I see my brother, David, smiling so hard it looks like his face is going to tear at its seams.

I see myself from above, swaying, swinging to the music that makes me think of God. I see a sea of people;

WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY LARA DE LA TORRE how is it that, without any type of rehearsal, we are all moving at the same time, in the same way?

I see the vaulting ceiling of the cavernous tent we are in and think of all the churches and cathedrals I have visited in Europe.

I see the DJ, the deacon directing this service, and he is just as high as the rest of us. ■

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W27

Boys from The Internet, Bob Dylan, and Big Poppa

BY LOLA CORNILLON

PHOTO COURTESY MEDIUM.COM In deciding what I would write for this month’s Music Issue, I had a lot of conflicting ideas – and mainly was plagued with writer’s block. I love music as much as the next gal, in fact probably a lot more than some (gals). I love oldies, like Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, and Tom Petty. Nicki Minaj’s “Queen (Deluxe)” is a phenomenal album, and Maggie Rogers is the best performer I have ever seen live. I’ve somehow fallen down a huge Broadway hole lately, and can’t stop listening to Dear Evan Hansen. I listened to Silk by Alice Wolf on repeat for an entire day when Trump was elected, Macy Gray feels like my mom and summers at Elvis Perkins’ house, and Frank Sinatra’s “Moon River” reminds me of a boy I used to date.

In fact, many songs remind me of people.

For better or for worse, songs that may live out in my head as “mine,” and are very clearly not only for my keeping, now exist as reminders of alternative universes, close realities, and no good/very good people.

An idea sparked in my head after I went on a date with a boy from the internet this past weekend. I try to avoid dates with boys from the internet, as they tend to cause my back pain to flare up and the little man who controls my anxiety to arrive. The date went well – we spoke about Bob Dylan and had a strong connection over other musicians we loved. He said that Bob Dylan doesn’t perform as well lately, that his singing is muffled and he doesn’t play any of his old music. That disappointed me, but then again, like my original claim – boys from the internet only spark back pain, so

I’d like to think his shows are still good.

This internet boy had very good taste in music. He showed me an artist I’d never heard of, and said he was seeing her in concert – he said he “may cry at the show,” which I thought was both endearing and cute that he was going to her show alone, and was perhaps going to cry. I cry at so many concerts. I told him he should listen to this other band, one that I happened to have learned of via another ex-internet boy. I shared my usual brag that my mom’s best-friend was David Bowie’s makeup artist. We talked about that time Whitney came to Prospect Park, how Tame Impala and Animal Collective are just as good live.

I told him that Blood Orange was the opener when my brother and I saw Florence and the Machine in the Spring, that I’ve been listening to a lot of Mitski lately, and my favorite song is Wildflowers by Tom Petty.

He who may or may not have cried at the concert is not exactly my point of focus, but it is the idea that we sometimes lose these songs that we “give away” when we share them with people we spend time with/date/sleep with. Thinking this way, I asked a few of my friends if they had any songs that serve as constant reminders of those people. I was given an extensive list, with a range of Tribe Called Quest (all), Hello by Adele to Cigarettes After Sex, and Big Poppa by Biggie. The greatest takeaway I got from the list is that I am fairly sure when Big Poppa and Adele exist in the same list – you should just move on and listen to their music anyway.

I’ve always been particularly concerned with the idea that sharing your stories and

experiences with others will change the way in which those moments live in your head – because you’ve exposed the narrative to outside influences and potential disturbances. That the magic of the very event has the potential to tarnish as soon as it becomes a little “less yours.” Ultimately, songs are meant to evoke emotion and promote some type of reaction - and they are not yours. So in the same school of thought, songs cannot be ruined by nogood-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-internetboys (throwing in a Holes reference here).

Alternatively, songs have the potential to serve as reminders of the soft and warm things. I’m reminded of my father every-time I hear Last Kiss by Pearl Jam, American Boy and that one Demi Lovato song. Wilco feels like that shirt Alison wore in high-school and how we skipped in the parking lot. The Shins are Max, and Lady Gaga’s “Joanne” is Mike and Sophomore year. Amy Winehouse is my mom; every-time a song is played and she goes, “I miss her,” as if they were friends. Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones are Mary Helen, Joe Hagan and Tivoli.

I didn’t know what I was going to write, and I honestly have little idea where I have gone with this, but I think the point here is: we do not have to let anyone change the meaning of something powerful to us as soon as we share it with them (songs are not only ours), and they can represent anything and everything - and music will always be pretty damn great. ■

FIT

NOVEMBER 2019

23

Lil Peep’s Mother Sues Management Team Over Wrongful Death

BY MATTHEW STEWART Rap star Lil Peep’s mother, Liza Womack, has claimed in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, that his management company, First Access Entertainment, supplied him with illegal drugs and controlled substances while on tour. Womack alleges that Lil Peep’s managers brushed off his mental and physical health on tour, and “pushed him on to stage after stage, in city after city, plying and propping him up,” utilizing Xanax and Ketamine.

This explosive case is one of the first cases where the music industry has been blamed for an artist’s death, and it has the potential to change how drugs are seen and treated in the industry.

In Lil Peep’s early days in Los Angeles, he was living in what would be called a “trap house,” described as a “squat on skid row” in a Guardian interview with his would-be manager, Sarah Stennett.

Stennett recalls their relationship in an interview with The Guardian - “We both knew we were going to work together, but for the next three or four weeks he led us on a sort of dance – he’d disappear, pop up to do some underground show, and disappear again.

He was testing me, but I never gave up. Eventually we tracked him down and he said, ‘Let’s make it happen, let’s work together.’ “ First Access Entertainment then signed the 19-year-old rapper into a three-year contract.

Lil Peep, whose real name was Gustav Åhr, was an emo rap pioneer. Lil Peep was described by some as “his generation’s Kurt Cobain.” He grew up in Long Island, and his sound was like no other. His music career started when he began releasing songs on the music streaming platform, SoundCloud, in 2016. He dropped out of high school at 17, and once he got traction in his career, he moved to Los Angeles.

In terms of particular incidents, Stennett is accused of texting the artist, “I’m about to land at JFK. I have one 2m x and 4 x .25,” referring to Xanax.

She is also accused of having gifted him a bottle of pills at a group dinner in 2016. In an article by Rolling Stone in March, Sarah Stennett refuted the claims, saying that she had never given him any drug, that she was only attempting to comfort Lil Peep by offering him pills that she had no intention of actually giving him..

“I wasn’t there,” Stennett told Rolling Stone. “Anybody who takes drugs makes a decision to take a risk.”

ILLUSTRATION BY JOFFRE CONTRERAS

Belinda Mercer, a manager who was also in a sexual relationship with Lil Peep, was a main defendant in the lawsuit.

During the night Lil Peep died, the suit alleges that Mercer knew of his dangerous state. “He looked alarmingly unwell, but rather than seeking help or contacting authorities, Mercer instead elected to run a personal errand.”

Mackned, the opening act for Lil Peep’s tour, told Rolling Stone, “Belinda, she’s sort of a pimp. She stored us in keeping with medication. We had been like her hoes. We had been fucking ketamine hoes.”

Liza Womack acknowledges that Lil Peep had at least somewhat of a role in his own death, but all of the other evidence proves that his surroundings would not have made matters any better. Lil Peep is painted as an impressionable young musician with little experience in the industry, who was exploited by his managing company, the suit claims. This being said, he had a history of talking about abusing drugs, and was known for doing mass amounts of cocaine and xanax. He wrote songs about the dark parts of life, and his experience with depression. In his songs, “Better Off (Dying),” and “Life is Beautiful,” he poetically talks about his life-ending thoughts and how he feels life is like a non-stop series of terrible events. Some say he spoke his own death into existence, as if he knew he would die at a young age.

Liza Womack described his drug usage as self medication, to heal his depression, but it ended up doing the opposite. The defendants and Liza Womack have said that Lil Peep had a history of refusing psychiatric treatment for depression. First Access Entertainment said in a statement released in early October, “Unfortunately, in spite of our best efforts, he was an adult who made his own decisions and opted to follow a different, more destructive path. While First Access is deeply saddened by Lil Peep’s untimely death, we will not hesitate to defend ourselves against this groundless and offensive lawsuit.”

Lil Peep rose to fame very quickly, and shared his creativity and art through fashion - walking in Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, and in music, where he had a Top 40 album, pioneering an entirely new genre. His life ended at only 21, but his legacy will live on forever.

The lawsuit has only recently been filed, and has no guarantee of going to court, but even just filing this lawsuit shines a light on the darker side of the music industry. Some criticize Womack for opening the wound of Lil Peep’s death, while others believe that this is a situation where the music industry is at fault, and should be held accountable.

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W27

THE MUSIC ISSUE

A CONVERSATION WITH

GILL MITREUTER:

MUSIC, IMAGE-MAKING, AND SYNESTHESIA

BY LARA DE LA TORRE Lara de la Torre: Do you remember when you first experienced synesthesia?

Gill Mitreuter: I remember when I found out that not everybody had it…previously, I had thought it was something that everyone experienced. Growing up, my mom would hold me and we would dance to this one Cheryl Crow song, Soak Up the Sun, and I would always see it as a cornflower blue, like the Crayola crayon color.

I would tell her this and she would be like, “Oh, that’s so cute!” Whenever I’d make observations like this, no one would ever actually converse off of it with me. I Googled, ‘what is seeing music?’ and the search showed stuff like ‘concerts’ or ‘see your favorite band live,’ so when I tried searching ‘colors as songs,’ synesthesia finally came up.

LD: Could you describe what it’s like to have synesthesia?

GM: I can’t speak for everybody because it’s different for every synesthete, but I’m currently studying myself, and the different types of synesthesia out there to see what exactly I have. As of right now, I think it’s associative - where I associate the sounds I’m hearing with a specific color. For example, I’m doing a lot of Blondie work right now and her voice will be a really neon, glowing, piercing blue, but then if a drum beat interrupts her, the color could completely shift. Usually when I zone out, I’m more aware of the experience - it’s as if your peripheral vision has a sheen of color over it.

LD: Not sure if it actually works like this (genetically), but do you know if anyone in your family experiences it, as well?

GM: I don’t think so, it’s not a gene thing...well, actually, you know, maybe it could be! Some studies show that it happens in more women than men, which is interesting because I have definitely met more female synesthetes than male. When you’re born, all of your senses are connected, and then as you grow up and begin to learn things, they separate into different pathways - the 5 senses. For some people, these pathways don’t entirely form, and some senses will come together and meld into one, which is how synesthesia happens.

real. So, ultimately, I decided to go with that for the project and he just really encourage me to continue. I was never expecting that to happen, so creds to Sean, honestly.

LD: Any genres/songs in particular that get you seeing the most?

GM: It comes in waves - if there’s an artist I haven’t listened to in a while, if I discover someone new, I might listen to them for three weeks, or a month or a year, and then it just becomes a part of my life. Like a lot of other people, I definitely associate specific songs with certain parts of my life. I did a whole sensory installation as part of my AAS show last year about This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) by Talking Heads, because I was going through this relationship and there was this song that we both new but never actually acknowledged that we both knew it. Then when the relationship ended, it was really rough for me, and the song seemed to be a really good summary of everything. I photographed the colors of it, made a science diagram of a folded-out record album, bought and painted styrofoam balls with the same colors as the images so people could have a tactile experience, as well. I just really wanted an audience to get a feel for everything. I don’t know how I’m going to do taste yet, but I will figure that out.

LD: What do you think the colors you see are/represent? The emotions you’re feeling while listening to that particular music, products of the environment you’re in at the time?

lighting-wise, and I was scared to try anything else, so I avoided it for a while. I see two parts of my life right now: the fine art, synesthesia life where the work is in galleries and I’m able to grants to apply for scientific research on it, but at the same time, the other alternate life that I dream of is going on tour with a rock band. I’ve always wanted to do that, but then I also want to shoot album covers so I feel like one day it’ll all overlap but for now, I feel like this is where my life is going to take me.

GM: Well, it all depends on the music I’m listening to at the time, because the tone of how I’m feeling will definitely affect how I hear it for the first time; how I experience it. Definitely also if I’m in a room full of people - sensory overload gets to me a lot.

The experience gets clustered - I won’t beable to focus on it, so it just remains in the background.

But if I’m alone and I have headphones in, that’s the most pure experience. Aside from that, what I see with a certain song will generally remain the same no matter how many times I listen to it.

LD: Anything exciting coming up for you that we should be on the lookout for? Galleries, music videos, etc.?

LD: What made you want to capture/share this personal experience?

GM: I never tried capturing it before I had Professor Sean Hemmerle for the first time, the Spring semester of my freshman year. We had to photograph something personal to us, and at the time, I had this Ikea light bulb thing in my dorm room.

I was listening to music, my roommate was gone, all the lights were off. I just started to take photos with this light, the music still on, my camera on a tripod at a low shutter speed, and I realized that the images I was taking were looking really similar to what I was seeing. That’s what I love about photography - it can make what only you see, feel

SELF PORTRAIT BY GILL MITREUTER

PHOTO BY GILL MITREUTER LD: Where do you hope to take this project? Or is it just one, single synesthesia project?

GM: Well, when I first did it, I thought it was just going to be one isolated project - I shot Dead Crush by alt-J. But then I ended up wanting to keep it going; at first my approach was really basic,

GM: I actually have an upcoming show here at FIT in the new gallery on the second floor of the D building; it opens Friday, November 8th and is up for two weeks. I’m currently finishing up the work that is going to be shown: a deadpan series of portraits of NYC artists with synesthesia along with handwritten questionnaires about their experiences.

FIT

NOVEMBER 2019

25

With Ethereality and Grit, Just Kids Should Be Read Just Once

W

ith the ethereality of a poet and the grit of a rock junkie from the 70’s, Patti Smith’s Just Kids offers each reader an intimate experience on the streets of Manhattan in the days of a bustling Chelsea Hotel. With a name that was horrendously under-known but 4 years ago, Patti Smith has become the one whose words lay open in the laps of teenagers and elderly (and everyone in-between), on morning-commutes to work. But, what about this book offers such an experience? Beyond that, can we lean into the reasons why society has elevated this book?

Her story is the same as ours at the text’s beginning: with a hunger for more than her South Jersey home and root system, Smith takes her empty bank account and barely-there-closet, and rides a bus to New York City. With the desire in hand to make a name for herself, and create an individuality of the art she inherently has always created, we move through space and time with her to the streets of New York. With an apparent romanticization of a slew of well known poets (from Blake to Baudelaire, Rimbaud and so many others) she plants her feet in the environment of the city, with only the expectation of survival.

The book tumbles from one section to the next, taking us in and out of dive-bars in the deepest part of the city that have since disappeared, been demolished, or turned into a new set of NYU dorms. She has no real friends, no relations, and relies on chance to provide the roof over her

head and the food on her plate. And chance shows up in a fitting way - by offering her the provision of a bookstore job. This job provides far beyond simple monetary income. For it is through the doors of this bookstore that Robert Mappelthorpe stumbles in July of 1967, and the rest is, by many measures of the phrase, history.

While I harbor deep resentment towards the way this book has trivialized a very niche era of music in the Manhattan scene, the way Smith curates each chapter (with sweeping prose and tender anecdotes) allows an immersive understanding of the way the artist’s community in Manhattan existed. Readers come face to face with the likes of Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin, and Jimmy Hendrix among others.

Through each telling portion of the text, and each exchange that occurs in the back of a poorly-lit bar, Smith elicits a hunger for times past and an ache for artistry to be what it once was.

The one caveat of the text is in regards to romanticization. Smith has a profound way of orchestrating each scene in a positive manner – yet another sign of her mastery of the english language. But, one must be aware that in the process of this, she emphasizes a creator’s depression and the toxicity of infatuation in a way that ultimately needs a reality check.

The same way F. Scott had Zelda Fitzgerald and Pablo Picasso had Marie-Therese Walter, Smith and Mappelthorpe develop the seemingly symbiotic relationship of artist and

muse, storyteller and story. And as the book begins to twist and dive in dizzy circles around their stories, we become painfully aware of the fact that beyond artistand-muse, they are each others idols.

Elevated to a point that it nearly hurts to strain one’s neck upwards to where Smith has placed Mappelthorpe, and vice-versa, there is little to no reality grounding the emotions of this obsessive pairing. Perhaps merely due to the fact that she is poet and musician, Smith canvases the sweeping nature of an artist’s affection, creating an elusive and authoritative story of love and lust set to the background music of New York City.

In closing, I will say that the story of Just Kids is an important one, especially as art-students in this buzzing city. It is, by many measures of the word, a missing link between eras: the untold and unseen story of a precious and developmental time in both the Manhattan and music scene. It is an unfolding type of story, of innocent kids sacrificing time and energy for the sake of art. But in this, a reader must be watchful, for as Smith uti-

PHOTO COURTESY BRITTANY EVANS

BY BRITTANY EVANS

lizes anecdotes and metaphorical references, as she drags us through squalor and riches, she immerses us in a mindset and space that trivializes and romanticizes a negative lifestyle.

Read Just Kids, just once. But don reality checks at every corner. Be transported by each penned phrase, but know that the pen she writes from is rose-colored by nostalgia and by missing times past. Be careful in the desire to have what she has: it’s not all fun and games when you’re living out of it. And know, that while what we see as a reader is but a broad-stroke things absorbed in each day-to-day moment of the Mappelthorpe-Smith relationship. ■

AI For Marketing at FIT

BY MASON AUMAN On Wednesday, October 29th, in the Katie Murphy Amphitheatre at FIT, the AMC department sponsored an event featuring Michael Trapani – an individual who leads the marketing team at IBM Watson, now “Acoustic” – who spoke about the development, introduction and application of artificial intelligence technology for the purpose of marketing. But before Trapani launched into a compelling framework-setting story about Margaret Hamilton and her colossal mountain of code that guided Apollo 11 to the moon, Professor Romano provided us with an introduction.

According to Professor Romano, the term “AI,” used as shorthand for “artificial intelligence,” was coined as early as 1955. In 1997, AI became a central focus of discourse when a computer, made by what would become IBM Watson, defeated the world chess champion in a chess match.

Fast-forwarding even further – Professor Romano noted

that Google has announced its quantum computer, with computing capabilities that surpass anything that existed until today. Google’s announcement was followed by IBM Watson, claiming that it can make one even more powerful. But while this corporate technological arms race is waged, Professor Romano has proffered a number of ways that AI can be used as a teaching tool. It can, for instance, be utilized to automate essay grading. But, while this would seemingly be a convenience to those doing the grading, I have to wonder, as a writer, how it would impact the interpretation and resonance of a human student’s written work? AI could, furthermore, improve teaching via its tutoring capabilities – and it could augment marketing by leveraging consumer data to participate consumer behavior and map out ideal customer journeys.

Once Michael Trapani took the stage, a surface-level and

simplified – as described by himself – but fascinating conversation about AI took shape.

Trapani opened, after detailing how Margaret Hamilton’s code not only made the moon landing possible, but saved it from disaster mid-mission, with the statement: “Mobile isn’t killing desktop, it’s killing all our free time.” His intent here, was to introduce the idea that brands no longer compete with each other – they compete for their potential consumers’ free time. The Met, for example, isn’t competing with the Guggenheim.

It’s competing with Netflix, for the brain-space and time of a populace that only has a finite amount of each.

But, because technological applications like Netflix, or any of the others found on our array of devices, must work perfectly, as Trapani puts it, a billion times a day, a mound of unruly and gangly data has amassed – he says that 90% of the world’s data has been made in the last 12

months. In order to best understand how AI can prepare this data and allow marketers to employ it to great effect, we needed to be taken through a bit of a crash course. Some basic and simplified groundwork about the nature of AI was laid down, including AI’s two distinct iterations, one that we use every day and one that has yet to manifest. Narrow AI is the type that can do one task exceptionally – we see this used in Tesla vehicles, as well as Siri on iPhone or Amazon Alexa. The other type is called General AI, and it’s a technology that – presently – only exists in science fiction.

General AI is an ilk of intelligence that accurately mimics human intelligence, and Trapani says we are 50 to 100 years away from it becoming possible, though there are people working on it every day.

While General AI can’t help us now, Narrow AI is more than equipped to aide in marketers’ pursuit of parlaying data to promote and sell products.

AI is currently being used to predict the best offers for customers, determine engagement channels, identify ideal customer journeys and – importantly – detect anomalies in technological systems. PayPal uses this feature to flag instances of struggle when attempting to use the application, allowing the company to assess the issue quickly and efficiently implement a solution. So far, it’s saved them three million dollars in three months Trapani concluded the evening by imploring attendants to spend the free time that AI’s capabilities affords them to make a difference in their fields and in the world – to be more strategic, more creative and to try something new. ■

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THE MUSIC ISSUE

W27

JAZZ CLUBS IN NYC

BY ALYSSA LOMANDO

PHOTO COURTESY SERAINA BONER

Jazz was born in New Orleans nearly a century ago. Since then, New York City has grown into a jazz haven for musicians, artists and music-lovers. Here are some affordable jazz clubs in Manhattan to get a taste of how the genre is constantly evolving, to see new artists to emerge and for your blues to float away.

55 Bar, 55 Christopher St. West Village If a dive bar and a jazz club conceived a baby, 55 Bar would be born. Since 1919, the neighbourly bar invites admirers of any subgenre of jazz. Their diverse selection of talented performers makes them one of the best live authentic Jazz bars in the city. Greats like Miles Davis and Mike Stern have performed on the modest (tiny) stage.

Decorated with white Christmas lights around the cozy perimeter with intimate coffee tables for seating. There’s no underlying dress code, come as you are.

With no cover fee for early shows, their 10 p.m. show requires a $10 cover with a relatively cheap two drink minimum. If you want a solid view of the musicians, grab a seat twenty minutes earlier than the set.

With a $5 dollar entry - you’ll be stamped on your hand with a blue-inked black cat and ready to walk into the spacious underground West Village hangout.

Inside rests a grand piano, with its black and ivory keys that face the church pews ridden with graffiti and signatures, and seats for you to enjoy a cocktail, which feels like a religious experience.

You’ll hear any genre, from jazz, latin, classical and world music - they don’t discriminate, whether its rhythmic mallet touches on the drummer’s cymbal accompanied by a man bending his Stratocaster Fender or melodic bongo bangs.

The crowd usually consists of young college students and adults. If you’re with friends play pool for $7 dollars an hour. Ping pong is an option, if that’s more your forte. Plan to come early for a less crowded experience, and don’t hurry out - Fat Cat closes at 5 a.m.

Terra Blues, 149 Bleecker St. Greenwich Village This modern-day blues saloon embodies the classic elements of jazz: good booze and great music.

LED lights glow the back of the joint, with an oldfashioned red velvet curtain that grazes the back of the stage. Although the crowd is predominantly middle-aged, everyone comes together for the music. Bartenders are attentive, while the bar itself gives a laid-back, dim lit ambience.

Bring some friends and try their eclectic, plentiful selection of whiskies. Sit at the bar if you plan to chat - near the stage is bound to keep you speechless, in awe of talent. They offer nightly shows at 7 p.m., 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. The cover is $20 during the weekends and the drinks are standard NYC prices.

Smalls, 183 W 10th St. Greenwich Village Ironically named Smalls, the club captures something bigger - a social scene in which jazz is flourishing. The vibes radiate the prohibition period, adorned by burnt red brick and cobble stone that surrounds the noisy crowd. Avant garde, passionate musicians, push the ideals of traditional jazz

and jam in their own way at Smalls.

With great praise, comes great crowds. The cover is $20, and it’s advised to come about thirty minutes early to ensure you’ll get it.

Sets range from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., 10:30 to 1 a.m., and a late night set from 1 a.m. till 4 a.m.

The Iridium, 1650 Broadway Midtown The Iridium relocated from 63rd and 8th, to its current location, 51st St. and Broadway - neighboring the Stardust Diner, although the unfathomable talent and energy has contained to remain the same.

Les Paul in the late 90’s would play on Monday nights. Chet Atkins, ZZ Top, and Paul McCartney all visited the Iridiums legendary stage. This musical landmark doubles not only as a bar, but instead, a rock and roll, jazz and blues venue - inviting both the likes of legendary talents, as well as younger, undiscovered artists to have a platform.

With a stocked-up bar, the wine list is essentially endless; with cocktails like the Macy Gray Margarita or the Sammy Davis Sidecar, which consists of Brandy, Cointreau and lemon juice. Aside from that, there’s an assortment of entrees like coconut shrimp, empanadas, grilled skirt steak.

Jules Bistro, 65 St. Marks Pl. East Village

PHOTO COURTESY ASTRO ZHANG YU

Fat Cat, 75 Christopher St. West Village

If you’ve walked around St. Marks, you’ve most likely passed by Jules Bistro. The unique take on jumpy-jazz and French cuisine is a place not to be overlooked. What seems to be innocent during the daylight with its delicious brunch menu ( I recommend the Croque Monsieur: ham and swiss cheese gratiné on brioche with béchamel and greens. Of course, paired with bottomless mimosas), turns into a seemingly speakeasy when the sun sets into the night.

The groovy music, lively atmosphere, and $5 cover during the weekend gives merit to overlooking the relatively expensive food and drinks. Whether it’s classically-trained jazz vocalists, soulful singers, composerts, guitarists, pianists or soft-spoken jazz sultry goodness, their 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. sets are sure to jam-pack the Bistro’s occupancy.

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HUMBLE AND KIND Ozzie Melendez. A soulful artist that is dedicated to his passion for music.

Do you ever wonder if a song is DJ’d or played by actual people? Ozzie Melendez is a session musician known worldwide to everyone in the music industry. What is a session musician you may ask? Well, they are freelance musicians hired to play on recording sessions with any artist - which is quite amazing, if you ask me.

Let’s rewind to see the events that led him to where he is today. Ozzie grew up on Long Island, New York, raised by his parents who had lived in Puerto Rico previous to his childhood. He was brought up always surrounded by Latin music, so he has always had this built-in love for authentic, soulful musicianship. Ozzie started playing music when he was in 3rd grade, which was the point in time where he had to pick an instrument to play in elementary school - he chose the trombone.

No one in his family history had ever played music before, so he introduced music from a whole new perspective. Ozzie started to practice, and his parents were very adamant about encouraging him to do so. Every day after school, he would have to practice, otherwise he was not allowed to go out. Throughout the years, Ozzie began to really fall in love with his instrument, and eventually, chose to study the art of music in school.

Ozzie attended the Berklee School of Music, during which he started a band known by the name of The Kash Band. He and his band members decided to leave school early to tour in Canada. After the tour, the band broke up, once returning to New York. At that time, Ozzie started another band, that currently goes by the name of the Funk Filharmonik.

Prior to starting his own band, he played for a few other bands as well. He started playing in a wedding band, and met the guys that would soon help him start his own. Their names are Alex Stuart and Lee Finkelstein. Working together, Ozzie was introduced to a few musicians that would soon become members of the Funk Filharmonik. Ozzie started this band at the age of 23 in the year 1981. His band played for many weddings, and during the wedding season, sometimes they would play “five weddings every weekend,” and in the month of December, they played every night.

I was very curious how Ozzie successfully started his own band, and I got the chance to speak with Ozzie about this, he said, “It was a different world back then.” Years back, the passion was more prevalent, more prioritized than “other things.” If you tried to get a band together in today’s day in age, it is more difficult.

Dedication is a big factor in music, which is clearly what Ozzie values the most. People often don’t think that their dreams are achievable, which tends to be a main problem with starting a band, or “making it” in the music industry, in general.

In the 90’s, Ozzie was consistently playing, landing himself on numerous pop and Latin records. He continued playing, and his name began to get around. Soon after, Ozzie was called to be a sub for Marc Anthony’s trombone player. When he played for Marc, he liked Ozzie so much that he continued to sub for him more frequently. Marc Anthony eventually asked Ozzie to play for him full time because he was relieving his original trombone player. Ozzie’s naturally loyal and professional demeanor

provoked him to ask for the original trombone player’s permission, not wanting to seem like he was stabbing him in the back. When Ozzie spoke to the original player, and he said that he would not mind, because he knew that he was not going to be playing for Marc much longer. So, Ozzie took the offer, and now plays as Mark Anthony’s permanent trombone player.

After speaking with Ozzie, he identified a clear path for all aspiring musicians. Many musicians today criticize themselves because although they love music, they either started too late in life, or are not as talented as the next person in their eyes, but people start at all different levels. Ozzie has lots of principles he lives by, and one of his main ones is that the thing that gets you places is working hard, being driven and not being influenced by the negative connotations of society. You do not have to grow up rich or poor to make it in the music industry. The extremes that people believe in are not realistic. You must know what you want, and put forth all the effort to get there.

Ozzie also has strict values when it comes to being the best you can be. Practicing every day is the main key to success. You cannot just expect to know everything and push yourself into the midst of it all. Knowledge is power, and knowing your strengths and weaknesses are what make a great musician. Working on the skills that need to be developed, is what puts you above most.

Ozzie is an incredible musician, who practices every day for at least one hour. He told me that it keeps your chops in shape. Chops is a term used to describe a musician’s level of technique in regard to their ability to execute music physically or on a particular musical instrument.

“If someone calls you randomly, you always have to be ready. Your first impression matters so much. If your goal is to be remembered, you must be prepared, you must deliver, and you must play at a top level.”

Playing for bands and getting “jobs” as a musician, you are notified every two to three months in advance so you can plan accordingly.

In Ozzie’s position, the longest he’ll be away is ten days, and then he returns for two weeks.

When it comes to “keeping your chops up,” he says, it is difficult because most of the time you’re in a hotel, which deters your mind from the creativity of soloing. Despite this challenge, Ozzie’s work has him on the top of everyone’s “must work with list.”

Earlier and more soulful music existed before the 2000s. Ozzie said, “Musicianship is so different. It used to be harder to play, written better, and arranged better. Now, all music sounds the same, it’s all computerized. (This is the reason he started his own band, because no one played the correct style of the music that Ozzie enjoys so much - Reggaetón/Latino music). DJ’s can’t arrange music, and oftentimes they hire someone to play on a record/ song, meanwhile the producer doesn’t even know what he/she wants. It is not soulful

PHOTO COURTESY BILL BRYANT

BY LAUREN BREUER

anymore. Back then, music was harmoniously arranged, and listening to music, you knew it was a specific artist because there were so many different styles.”

Knowing a little about Ozzie Melendez, does any of this make you wonder if his dreams changed as he grew older? Ozzie has wanted to be a session musician since he was a little as a boy in the 5th grade. His dream was “For a big artist of the day to find me and become a session musician.” He always wanted to be the guy they called, and all of his hard work and dedication has gotten him there. His passion, loyalty, and fun-loving personality has landed him in his dreams.

I asked Ozzie if he was on a podium and could talk to the whole world, what his advice would be. He said: “Be nice,” which was followed by a slight chuckle with the thought of it being “corny,” because it can be an overplayed phrase, but when you actually put forth the meaning, it goes a long way.

People tend to look past what could be, and automatically jump right to the surface and make their judgements. Ozzie is the most humble, famous man you will ever meet. He does not act like he is above anybody else, but he has worked extremely hard, and for that reason, his status is well-respected. He is a truly kindhearted, caring and supportive person.

Ozzie’s consistent encouragement provokes me to continue chasing my own dreams, and his love for making others happy shines through the door each time I see him. People often assume that being kind makes you vulnerable for others to walk all over you, but Ozzie proves how that is not true. Being kind exists in every industry, and the ones that stay true to that, like Ozzie Melendez, are the ones that deserve the greatest success.

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