Jake Cramer of Morris Choice Entertainment is attempting to raise awareness around suicide prevention with his first ever benefit show Scream out the Silence. All proceeds from the show – featuring local acts Honeybabe, The Idiot Kids, ZZvava and DJ Raphy – will go to Six Feet Over, a Michigan-based non-profit that is devoted to preventing and assisting in the aftermath of suicide.
“Suicide is something that no one really talks about it. If someone dies, nobody talks about it. If someone is feeling suicidal, they don’t talk about it,” says Cramer. “The whole idea was like, if we’re trying to bring awareness to people, we need to put it in people’s face. I figured the best way to do that is by booking loud bands.” Although Cramer focused on “louder” bands for this show, it isn’t simply a roster of noise-rock artists. Honeybabe self describes its fuzzy surf-rock as “psychrockjazzpunk” and is a stark comparison to The Idiot Kids melding My Chemical Romance and Metallica. Meanwhile, ZZvava sits in between the two with ’60s inspired classic rock ‘n’ roll.
Cramer’s hope is that the event will not only raise money for Six Feet Over, but also encourage conversations about mental health and suicide to aid in prevention and healing. “I lost my cousin and best friend back in 2015 to suicide. I was just crushed. When it happened, I had this huge pain in me for a long time,” says Cramer. “Since my cousin’s passing, I’ve always wanted to do something for suicide awareness and prevent people from feeling the way I felt.”
Scream Out The Silence will be held on January 19th at The Old Miami on Cass Avenue. Out-of-towners can also make a donation directly to Six Feet Over.
It’s a new year, folks. As festival season gears up with Coachella and Bonnaroo lineup announcements, it’s time to dance through the rest of winter with eyes focused on the spring! “Best Life” is a light-hearted romp made for a feel-good movie soundtrack.
You may have heard Spencer Ludwig’s music before; as the original trumpeter for Capital Cities, Ludwig seems to excel at crafting deliciously sweet pop music. He’s also played with Foster the People, Fitz and the Tantrums, and St Lucia, an experience he says helped him figure out what audiences respond to best. His tunes have been featured in Target, Herbal Essences, and Royal Caribbean campaigns; your niece may have even introduced you to his first single “Diggy,” featured on Just Dance 18.
“Best Life” picks up where “Diggy” leaves off, employing every EDM trick in the book: a trumpet, falsetto, a deep voice repeating the name of the song… and yet, it’s rather charming earworm effect. Its hook could easily be featured in an ABC sitcom or a Maybelline commercial. On the track, the trumpet comes off a bit canned; however YouTube videos of Ludwig reveal an accomplished trumpeter and performer, so the stiff aftertaste of the recorded trumpet is sure to loosen up live.
But don’t overthink it, folks. It’s a new year, so leave your cynical self in 2018. Enjoy the cheese.
Ohio-native rapper Cing Curt first drew attention in 2016 with studio album Perspective and has since grown into a staple creative in the Cincinnati hip hop scene and a promising up-and-coming artist. This past year he released two new albums, Advantage Point and Problematic. We met up with the prolific artist to discuss where the inspiration for his latest project came from, and he dishes some details on new singles, videos and shows coming up this year. Check out our video interview, as well as the video for his latest single, “Overnight,” below.
Sundance Kidd shreds on guitar, bass, and the mic. Ze never misses a note on guitar and seems to automatically learn any song by ear. You may have seen them in a whole slew of Brooklyn’s rock bands as of late, such as Gesserit and Darkwing. Ze has also made numerous guest pop-up guest appearances singing in bands like Whiner, Halloween cover sets, Lost Boy ?, and Gustaf. You’re just as likely to see Sundance Kidd behind the camera, capturing the many action-packed moments in a live set: musicians carrying each other on their shoulders, diving off stage, rolling around through beer drenched cables, or perfectly posing for press shots. This past fall, Sundance Kidd hosted a photography show at Two Boots Pizza Williamsburg, displaying some of these raucous photographs in order to raise money for The Russel Efros Foundation to support cinematography and photography students at SVA. In their spare time, Sundance Kidd has another passion: cats. Though ze isn’t currently a pet parent, ze gets their feline fix in caring for fellow Brooklyn musicians’ cats. I present to you Brooklyn’s Rock N’ Roll Catsitter.
AF: What was your first favorite band?
SK: Led Zeppelin. They were my first tattoo as well.
SK: When I was 13. My dad showed me a documentary about Jimmy Page and I told him I wanted to play like that. It’s funny because I played classical guitar until I 16 and bought my own electric guitar and amp. It was Korean Gibson Les Paul knockoff. But my dad helped me buy the amp which was an Orange Crush FX Amplifer that still works and has lived with me in every apartment I’ve called home. So that’s 12 years of me practicing on the same amp – wow!
Sundance Kidd’s first rock set-up.
AF: What was your first instrument?
SK: Cello! I played in my elementary school orchestra into freshman year of high school.
AF: Where did you grow up, and did you have any pets?
SK: I grew up in North New Jersey, twenty minutes from Penn Station. I always had pets. My parents were really into Chihuahuas so that’s all we had growing up. We always had multiple pets in the house at all times. I think the most dogs we had at the same time was five. Not to mention we also had other animals as well. We had Zebra Finches (Jagger, Keith, Watts, and Beep), a black cat (Styx), and my mom had this fantasy of owning horses so we had two of those (Brenden, and Cinnabar). They were very expensive pets and you could probably write an entire separate article about me being the clichè “weird horse girl” growing up.
AF: What was your first pet’s name?
SK: My first dog that was mine and bonded to me was a short-haired chihuahua named Chloe. She was 18 years old when she died and I got her when I was three.
AF: How did you get into photography?
SK: I always was interested in photography from an early age. I had a Polaroid camera when I was young child and I always have and still take so many photos on my phone where ever I go. I have a pretty crappy memory overall so I think for me photography became so important because it reminds me of things I’ve done. I can always look back at the photos I’ve taken and it jump starts my memory and takes me back to that moment.
Photograph of Lost Boy ? by Sundance Kidd
AF: Did you start off as a visual or musical artist?
SK: I think they happened at the same time. I didn’t start playing in bands until I’d say 2014/15 so pretty late in life. I didn’t start challenging myself with photography until this past year though. I think I was waiting for the right time for me to feel confident enough to show everyone my work and music.
AF: What brought you to Brooklyn?
SK: A fresh start, an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and find a sense of purpose and belonging.
AF: How did you get involved in the Brooklyn music scene?
SK: The first friend I made in Brooklyn who encouraged me to go out and meet his friends was Rich Gold of Darkwing. His friend Luke played in a project called Wolf Diamond and for about six months I was switching playing bass and drums with the three of them. That’s also how I met Lyzi Wakefield who is the brilliant mind behind Gesserit. I definitely consider her and the rest of the band my favorite people in our music community. Other than that, I’ve been friends with the members of What Moon Things, Whiner, and Smøck before I moved here. So having familiar faces around me along with the new was very comforting.
Gesserit playing at one of Our Wicked Lady’s Thursdays For The Cause Events (Photo credit: Caspar Jacobs).
AF: Can you give us a run-down of your musical projects in New York?
SK: Currently, my main dedication and primary project is Gesserit. I’ve filled in on bass and drums in other projects in Brooklyn like HARMS, Wolf Diamond, and High Waisted. I occasionally write music with my other people but it’s never a solidified unit that goes out and plays shows or records. I’m very open to the idea of playing in a second project. I’m just very particular on who I play music with. For me it’s definitely a certain chemistry that has to be present with the other players and it’s never personal. It’s just an instinct.
AF: You recently recorded in Georgia with Gesserit. What was that like?
SK: It was an incredible experience working with Drew Vanderberg (who has worked with Toro Y Moi, Of Montreal, Ra Ra Riot, and Mothers). He is one of the kindest people I ever met and extremely encouraging and patient to work with. We went together as band for about two weeks to record in the middle of nowhere in a very old Church called The Portico Study Center . To be honest, it’s long hours spending every day doing take after take. The experience overall was very rewarding and I really felt like I bonded with Lyzi, Tarra and José. It taught me a lot of self discipline as an artist and allowed me to focus on the music as well as myself without the distractions of my normal daily life in New York. Also, Drew owns two beautiful fur babies named Tallulah and Sweetpea. Sweetpea is a very special cat who has a tail that’s the size of her body. She is extremely playful and very cuddly!
Lazer Beam, daughter to Lyzi Wakefield of Gesserit and long-time pal of Sundance Kidd.
AF: One of your cat clients is Lyzi Wakefield’s kitty Lazer. What is she like?
SK: Cat Clients isn’t the word I’d use to describe the people I catsit for. They’re all very wonderful friends of mine who trust me enough to take care of their fur children while they’re away. I love animals so much and many people know how well I treat them. It’s a real privilege to be asked to take care of someone’s babies. Lazer Beam is a furry angel brought down here to Earth to protect and love Lyzi. She is such a wonderfully charming lady who loves to be cuddled and sweetly talked to. Lazer Beam is an older cat and loves to lounge in her usual window spot and is very particular about her nap times. I love Lazer because of how expressive she is. Lazer Beam loves to smile!
Sundance Kidd enjoys some cuddles with Lazer Beam.
AF: Has a (non-human) animal ever been the subject of your art, either visual, musical, or cinematic?
SK: I’ve taken some really great pet photos of my dad’s dogs and the cats I meet throughout my life.
AF: What is your favorite song about (non-human) animals?
SK: “Ozma” by Shannon and the Clams. You think it’s a love song because you can’t really hear the words she singing, but then you listen closer and you realize she’s singing about missing her deceased bulldog, and then you get even more emotional.
AF: What is your spirit animal?
SK: People have told me I’m very puppy-like, but I don’t think I’m energetic or friendly. Personally, I think I’m a baby harp seal. I am very cute, a little chubby, a prankster, curious, and I love being stationary and lounging around (I do ten things at once most of the time so when I do get a moment to myself I love to be lazy).
AF: If you were a cat, where would you sleep? And would you be a back snoozer or more of a loaf-kitty or crescent sleeper?
SK: I would sleep cuddled up with my person because I love cuddles. I think I would be a crescent sleeper. I like to take up the entire bed and all the space to myself!
AF: You also cat-sit for Jess from High Waisted. What is her kitty friend like?
SK: Baby Burger is forever a youthful kitten! She is extremely affectionate and very vocal. She is a very good listener and usually will talk back to you. She loves to be held and cuddled which is why she is my favorite cat to sit for. She also is a total HAM for photos and poses for you!
Baby Burger, daughter to Jessica Louise Dye of High Waisted, and little buddy of Sundance Kidd.Sundance Kidd and Baby Burger.
AF: Any other feline friends to note?
SK: The Kirch Kittens whose mommy is Natalie of Sharkmuffin [and author of this column] and daddy is Davey of Lost Boy ?…
The Kirch Kittens (Photos by Natalie Kirch)
… Sweetpea, whose daddy is Drew (our Gesserit producer)…
Sweet PeaSundance Kidd embracing Sweet Pea.
…Poopy whose mommies are Tine (of Gustaf) and Helena…
Sundance Kidd and Poopy (Photo by Tine Hill)
… Also, not a cat but I love her – Harriet whose mommies are Angela (of Gustaf) and Marisa.
AF: You are clearly an animal lover. Why haven’t you adopted a kitty of your own in Brooklyn?
SK: Because my landlord wants a ridiculous amount of money for a pet fee. But next apartment will definitely be pet friendly.
Sundance Kidd probably crying because their landlord won’t allow pets.
AF: Share one of your funniest tour stories.
SK: The final day of recording in Athens, Georgia I felt so satisfied playing that final take I went and canoed like five miles down a river and just cried out of bliss.
Sundance Kidd’s Georgia canoe ride.
AF: You just performed with Gustaf at The Haybaby Cat Farm on New Year’s Eve and Our Wicked Lady. When can we see you perform next?
AF: Any other shows, concerts, or releases we should look out for in 2019?
SK: I’m just stoked to see my friends doing what they love live and always discovering new music while making friends! However there are some bands (also my friends) who I’d particularly love to give a shout out to because of how much they’ve done for me this past year – these bands have either asked me to take photos of them, booked shows with me, played countless shows, and overall be consistently wonderful friends: Sharkmuffin, Gustaf, HARMS, What Moon Things, pecas, Smock, Shadow Year, Looms, Whiner, Dead Tooth, Cindy Cane, High Waisted, THICK, Half-Wet , and Nice Knife.
sleater-kinney and st. vincent, hollywood, ca, jan 2019. photograph by jonny cournoyer
New Year, New Music
By Lindsey Rhoades
Sleater-Kinney is in the Studio… Producing an Album with St. Vincent
If this tweet didn’t warm your riot grrl heart, we don’t know what will. Though details are scant (no official release date, no title, no tracklist, no leaked audio) Sleater-Kinney announced via Twitter that St. Vincent mastermind Annie Clark is producing their next record, the follow-up to their return-from-a-decade-long-hiatus-instant-classic No Cities To Love, released in 2015. The tweet came with a photo so amazing we thought we were dreaming: four of our favorite female musicians sitting at a mixing board, their expressions saying only one thing: Y’all are not even ready for this amazingness. Though it’s officially become our most anticipated release of the new year, other artists aren’t slouching – keep reading below for the veritable onslaught of recently released jams. But first…
Woodstock Will Return in 2019… Can it Compete With New Festival Lineups?
Break out the patchouli – Woodstock is coming back for its 50th anniversary. The original founder, Michael Lang, announced Wednesday that he’s planning to book multi-generational artists with an activist bent for a weekend-long festival in August at a racetrack called Watkins Glen; meanwhile, another Woodstock Anniversary fest helmed by LiveNation at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (the original site of the 1969 gathering) was already in the works. No artists or ticket prices for either fest have been announced, but our heads already ache at the thought of sorting out nightmare radius clauses.
Woodstock, of course, has already had some disastrous anniversaries – most recently Woodstock ’99, which ended in rapes, rioting, and violence. But perhaps the bigger challenge than putting that memory behind them will be simply competing for audience numbers in an over-saturated festival market. Coachella announced its lineup, including headliners Childish Gambino, Tame Impala, and Ariana Grande, onm January 2. This week, Bonnaroo announced they’d also be hosting Childish Gambino as a headliner, along with Post Malone and multiple sets from jam band stalwarts Phish (this prompted Forbes to beg the question: Why isn’t Cardi B’s billing higher?). New York’s own Governors Ball has once again invited The Strokes (who have played the fest before but not headlined), as well as Florence + The Machine and Lil Wayne to play their top spots, with Tyler, The Creator, Nas, Sza, Brockhampton and more rounding out the bill. And though it’s not strictly a festival in the same sense as those mentioned above, SXSW has begun hyping the first handful of buzzworthy acts who’ll play showcases all over Austin in March, including Amanda Palmer, Swervedriver, Ecko, The Beths, and Wyclef Jean.
That New New
Kehlani has a new song featuring Ty Dolla $ign; “Nights Like This” will appear on a mixtape due in February, which is itself a precursor to a new album due sometime this year.
Girlpool have a new album coming out February 1st, and have shared the title track, “What Chaos Is Imaginary.”
Ex Hex is finally releasing a follow-up to 2014’s Rips, called It’s Real (out March 22 via Merge). Their first single is “Cosmic Cave.”
Sharon Van Etten will release her first album in five years, Remind Me Tomorrow, on January 18. This week, she shared a video for “Seventeen,” after previously sharing “Comeback Kid” and the absolutely stunning “Jupiter 4.”
Mineral are releasing new music for the first time in 20 years, including this video for “Your Body Is The World.” The song appears (alongside “Aurora“) on a limited-edition 10” that comes with a hardcover book commemorating the Austin band’s 25th anniversary.
Beirut release Gallipoli on February 1; Game of Thrones actor Ian Beattie plays a kind of klutzy knight in the video for “Landslide.”
Pedro the Lion shared “Quietest Friend,” a companion video to “Yellow Bike.” Both singles appear on the group’s first record in over a decade, Phoenix, which you can stream now in full via NPR.
Priests have announced a new album, The Seduction of Kansas, and shared its title track. The LP comes out April 5 and they’re doing a huge tour around it.
FIDLAR ironically manages to Skype in their entire LA crew in a video for “By Myself,” from their forthcoming LP Almost Free (out January 25 on Mom + Pop).
Cherry Glazerr shares “Wasted Nun” from Stuffed & Ready, out February 1 via Secretly Canadian.
Deerhunter released the third single, “Plains,” from Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared? but Bradford Cox is worried no one will listen to the record in its entirety when it comes out January 18.
Also releasing an album on January 18, experimental rock duo Buke & Gase premiered the title track from Scholars.
End Notes
Attention Brooklyn! Early aughts rap-rock one-hit-wonders Crazy Town are inexplicably playing Sunnyvale on February 23rd. Sorta wondering if it’ll just be one forty-five minute set of “Butterfly” played over and over.
If you’ve got kids, or have simply interacted with one in the last year, you’ve probably had “Baby Shark” stuck in your head at some point. But this week made it official – every toddler’s number one jam appeared for the first time on Billboard’s Hot 100, making it one of the few children’s songs to do so.
A documentary on Lifetime called Surviving R. Kelly aired the first week of January, and with it has come some new hope for victims seeking justice. The doc has prompted a kidnapping investigation in Georgia, more victims have come forward, and Phoenix, Lady Gaga, and Chance the Rapper have all recently released statements apologizing for working with R. Kelly in the past. Chance recently appeared on Sesame Street and admitted in an Instagram recap that he saved someone’s life by pulling them from a burning car last April, so we think his karma may be in the clear.
In a rare interview, Frank Ocean shared his very respectable skincare routine (and some other stuff) with GQ.
Risqué rap sensation CupcakKe (real name Elizabeth Harris) made some worrisome allusions to suicide on social media, prompting her hospitalization – but she seems to be on the mend, having released a single on Friday called “Squidward Nose.”
Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was a big winner at the Golden Globes last Sunday, taking home Best Picture and Best Actor for Rami Malek’s portrayal of Freddie Mercury – all in spite of its negative critical reception. Honors for Best Song went to Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga duet “Shallow,” from A Star Is Born.
ONLY NOISE explores music fandom with poignant personal essays that examine the ways we’re shaped by our chosen soundtrack. This week, Phoebe Smolin recalls how justifying tears for an idol she’d never known helped her end an abusive relationship.
David Bowie was, at age 12, the first person (Starman? Twisted angel? Rock and Roll Fairy Dust Creature?) who taught me how to hang onto myself. Growing up a strange cross between a hippie and a punk kid in Los Angeles, at the intersection of worlds that were often in conflict with each other, Bowie’s glittery shamelessness became my unrelenting ally. As I navigated how to jump through the fiery hoops that came with being a weird kid in a city with teeth, he was there, singing me along. When I started guitar lessons at 13, I spent a year learning how to play the entire Ziggy Stardust album. “Changes” was the first song I ever played in front of an audience. “Oh You Pretty Things” was my alarm clock for all of high school, holding my hand when I didn’t want to face any other kind of music. “Rebel Rebel” and its life-giving melody got me on my feet after I got rejected from 11 colleges on the same day and eventually decided to move back east to study Ethnomusicology at the only school that accepted me (it was amazing). Pin Ups was on a loop when I moved to Chile during college. Diamond Dogs kept me joyful when my first label job revealed the evils of the music industry all too quickly. And my warped vinyl of Aladdin Sane was there the night he died, spinning as I cried into my wine glass, hollering love has left you dreamless into the mirror at a 25-year-old girl who didn’t yet understand how far away from herself she’d grown.
For three years I had been living in the palm of a Monster’s hand – a person who ate my love for breakfast. His name was Dylan.* It probably still is. On January 10, 2016, I had already grown used to waking up in tears next to someone who forced me to the edge of the bed, I’d learned to dig for the affection in every ‘you’re incompetent’ and ‘shut up,’ I’d stopped playing music because he told me I couldn’t, I’d thrown my go-go boots away. All of the weirdness that defined and guided me (and that Bowie taught me was okay) was tucked away, and my defenses had taught me to redefine pain as love. It seems severe, but, as I later learned (thank you, therapy), a standard part of this cycle makes all of that severity feel very normal.
The day Bowie died was the first genuinely beautiful day I’d had in a long time. Dylan had gone back to his home country (though kept me at a close grip despite the ocean between us) and I did something that he would have hated: spent the day with two of his friends (who were, of course, also mine, but only when I had permission). For hours on end these boys and I ran around Disneyland sneaking joints behind roller coasters, blissfully staring at exaggerated notions of America’s imagination, having laugh attacks on the Indiana Jones ride, perfectly soft pretzels, and periodic group hugs that felt as if we were hanging on for dear life. It was the first day we had alone without him. We were allowed to love each other openly, finally. I had no idea our last hug that day would be a goodbye that would last years. I had no idea that moments later my heart would be broken. I had no idea that hours later, I’d realize it’d been broken for much longer.
I was on the 405 smiling (a rare occurrence on the 405), giddy from the day’s adventures. My phone was dead, and I turned on the radio to facilitate a traffic dance party as I drove toward the tacos I was craving. Instead, I heard one minute of a song before KCRW’s Dan Wilcox interrupted it with tears in his throat: “I… I don’t know how to tell you this- but David Bowie has died.”
I felt my hands shake, swatted at the stars in my eyes, and pulled to the shoulder because the mere act of driving stopped making sense. Mortality is never clearer than when you’re on the 405 between Anaheim and Los Angeles beginning to process the death of someone you forgot was human. I sat there, flipping through the stations hoping it wasn’t real. It was. Starman was gone.
I pulled myself together and raced home, stumbled into my apartment, and put on the Aladdin Sane vinyl that I shamefully hadn’t listened to in ages, cracked a bottle of cheap Trader Joe’s red wine, slipped on a glittery jumpsuit, lathered on lipstick, and threw a farewell party.
After calling my mom, I called Dylan. At that point, I didn’t yet understand that he was a monster; I loved him, deeply. He was my – well, I never really knew what to call him. He’d repeatedly tell me he’d ‘never be my boyfriend’ – usually when I tried to grab his hand in the car or kiss him in public. We showed all the signs of a relationship – we slept in the same bed nearly every night, he hated the thought of me with anyone else, I made dinners after work and we went to movies. I was his when he wanted me. But he was never actually mine.
I felt like I needed to call him, because if he loved me like I’d always wanted him to, he’d understand that my world had just been shattered. At that point it had been nearly three years of that blurry hopefulness – maybe this time would be different, maybe this time he’d see me.
It was the early morning where he was and I woke him up. “Hello?” he answered with that morning voice everyone knows.
“Sorry to call so early I just needed to talk to you about something,” I blurted.
“Ok, what?” he asked, emotionless.
“David Bowie died. I can’t really believe it.” I said, still teary-eyed.
There was a long silence before he responded, “This isn’t about you. I can’t believe you’re making this about you. How could you be so selfish? You didn’t even know him. You disgust me.”
My immediate reaction to the last three years of that was always to say “You’re right, what was I thinking? I’m an idiot.” But this time I hung up the phone (still in tears), saying nothing, and let my head spin as it needed to. I felt angry for the first time in years; how dare he? With no doubt in my mind, I flipped the record and started writing. This IS about me. This is about songs that have held me and healed me through my entire life, a person whose art made me feel less alone, a starman who told me that weird was okay – that it was essential. I never knew Bowie. I always knew Bowie. He somehow knew me, in a way that Dylan never would.
I wrote furiously on my apartment floor and, as I was beginning the grieving process for this glittery hero of mine, I also began another sort of grieving process. A spell began to break. I remembered my first kiss with Dylan, which wasn’t romantic. It was at my best friend’s birthday party, very quick, and ended with him scolding me for not having done it sooner and promptly leaving and walking a dramatic mile back to his downtown apartment – something he never let me forget. I remembered the first night we spent together, in a fort my roommate and I built in the living room. and how the first thing he said the next day was “That could have been so much better.” I remembered the ways he criticized my work and eventually convinced me to stay home from certain professional gatherings because there supposedly was no point in me being there. I remembered how he made me sneak out of his apartment when his brother was visiting so his family wouldn’t realize I existed. I remembered the girl in New York who he kissed while looking me in the eye. I remembered how he called me stupid. I remember feeling like a distraction and adapting to being hidden. I remembered how I cried every day. I remembered having to fight for eye contact and intimacy. I remembered that one time he started yelling when we tried to play guitar together because I messed up the chords. I felt the weight of being a secret for three years. I felt my bruises. I understood in that moment it had never been right. That this wasn’t love. That I was hurting. I heard myself screaming, as if all of my weird pieces that I’d locked away broke through their chains. And there was Bowie, wailing through my crappy speakers: ‘‘Watch that man! Oh honey, watch that man, he talks like a jerk but he could eat you with a fork and a spoon.’’
Looking back on it, my personal funeral for David Bowie was exactly what it should have been. There I was, covered in glitter, dressed up and in tears, crying for the person who taught me to see (and not fear) myself. After three years of muzzling her, I welcomed her back. Even in death, Bowie was saving my life. That night was the beginning of a four-month process of finally freeing myself from the Monster who swallowed me. That’s not to say that everything immediately got better – it actually got worse for a while. In ridding myself of that person, it also became apparent that my whole world was built around him, and with him went everything. But then it did start to get better (in a very nonlinear way; healing from this stuff is a process that is literally forever, and I need constant reminders to be patient with myself). June of that year was the last time I spoke to him. I’m dressing up in glitter again, I’m working my ass off for all of the things the Monster told me I’d never be able to do, I’m singing from the rooftops when I need to and letting love in again. I’m hanging onto myself – for dear life this time.
Bowie’s been gone for three years now, and I still miss him constantly. The day he died, he revived a part of me that I thought was gone forever – and, in that way, he’ll never really be gone. Your idols will teach you just as they’ll hurt you when they leave. They’ll open doors and point mirrors in your face as if to scream remember who you are whenever you choose to listen to them. You might never know them. But you always have. You know their songs, their songs will tie everything together in ways as natural as sunlight. Cry for them when they leave. Love them for helping you. Question them. Let them go.
When watching Hannah Zale and Carly Gibson, the dynamic duo at the front of Atlanta indie rock outfit The Pussywillows, perform on stage, it’s easy to get lost in the effortless synchronicity presented. They are perfect complements to one another, standing toe to toe and side by side, pushing — and encouraging — each other.
Offstage, they’re equally complimentary, full of exuberance, passion, and creativity. Hannah is lightning in a bottle, captivating the crowd with her dramatic mystique. Carly is equal parts intense and laid-back; quieter, but commanding and electrifying as she makes playing guitar look like something she was born to do (and trust us — she was).
The two women are committed to their music, performing together as The Pussywillows and in stand-alone projects as Zale, Carly Gibson, and Gibson Wilbanks. In the middle of their eternally busy schedules, Hannah and Carly sat down with Audiofemme to talk music and their otherworldly connection.
AF: Individually, you’re both incredibly talented performers, musicians, and songwriters; what made you decide to band together and form The Pussywillows?
CG: Thank you so much for the kind words and inviting us share our story! It’s funny how things organically happen. Hannah and I never thought about it much; we immediately started singing and writing together after we met. It felt like it created itself, with no question or hesitation. We were both strongly drawn to each other’s energy and our vocal tones happened to blend effortlessly.
From the very beginning, we’ve been riding on the same emotional life roller coaster, mirroring each other in our own fashion. Our lives seem to move in tandem and it’s one the most beautiful and healthy relationships to be a part of. My weaknesses are her strengths and my strengths are her weaknesses; together, our polarity conducts some kind of unique power source that’s cathartically satisfying.
HZ: Well, dang. Thank you so much.I don’t think becoming a band was really a choice we made or something that we talked about at the beginning. We wrote together instantly and easily so we kept doing it. A lot of our connection came from being in the same place in our personal timelines and dealing with a lot of the same struggles. We still struggle and heal in tandem somehow. Carly makes me a better musician and person and that’s how I know we are onto something.
AF: How did performing as solo artists prepare you for working together as a unit?
HZ:I think our different backgrounds as solo artists are one of our greatest strengths as a band. While I was performing in Broadway musicals and reading books about artist management, Carly was already playing out gigs and soloing on guitar better than the boys.
We try to bring our experiences together to create a dramatic, energetic rock show that makes you feel something. We are yin and yang and let each other be completely who we are. We both felt like we were missing something playing alone that we have found in each other.
CG: We definitely had polar opposite backgrounds. In a nutshell, I’m from a weird hippie family full of musicians, and Hannah is from a musical theater-loving, Jewish doctor family. I was ignoring my homework and playing out in rock bands in high school while she was getting straight A’s and slaying Broadway musicals.
We grew up marinating in very different kinds of genres, but our common thread is ’90s music. The moody, chick-rock stuff is our jam, and was the vibe that inspired the songwriter within each of us to be born.
We strangely complement each other perfectly. Though we are opposites in a lot of ways, we share a soul connection that allows us to be on the same page, pretty much all the time. We catch ourselves harmonizing lines without meaning to and we often finish each other’s sentences with the same inflections and gestures. There is a whole lot of unconditional love and respect that we have for one another that’s the foundation to what we are as a unit.
AF: What’s been the hardest moment for you, and, on the other hand, what’s been the proudest?
CG: Our hardest time was going through a nightmare studio experience where we wasted a whole lot of our time and money on a debut EP we could never use. We were able to pick ourselves back up, as a team, without blaming or taking it out on each other.
I think our proudest moment yet has been able to finally define and refine our sound as a band; to be able to get to the essence of our vision and belief in who we are as artists. We get to create our own world that people seem to really dig stepping into with us. Packing out rooms with a hyped audience screaming “PUSSYPOWER” feels super satisfying, every time.
We’re proud to be women playing rock n’ roll that’s for everyone. We aim to take back the word that has been so harshly demoralized and connotated with “weakness.” We believe in a balance and respect of feminine/masculine energy that resides in all of us. Being able to tap into our individual truth and power without shame or judgement is what we strive for every day, and we hope to encourage our audience and fans to do the same.
AF: Your sound is self-described as “Tarantino feminism.” What inspires the music?
HZ: Our music has that same neo-noir quality; it can be dark and has a sometimes sinister, shadowy feeling. We like to tell bold stories featuring strong female characters based on real events and people in our lives. We aren’t afraid to be a little cheeky and impolite. Tarantino doesn’t believe in linear timelines and neither do we; we live and write for the past and future at the same time. We want our music to be consumed, analyzed and enjoyed equally, not cause we are a “girl band.”
AF: Who has inspired you the most in your individual careers, and as The Pussywillows?
CG: Having a musical family was the most influential part for me. Music was constantly around and supported, which I am so very grateful for. My parents played in groups all throughout my childhood, and we went to a lot of concerts and festivals. Music has always been the coolest thing in the world to me and looked like the most fun way to express [myself]. I started playing guitar at twelve years old, largely because I wanted to be able to connect and communicate with my dad and brother on a deeper level, to fit in and jam with “the guys” and have stuff to talk about. My brother showed me some live AC/CD footage for the first time and after seeing Angus Young play, I thought to myself, “THAT’S what I want to do. That crazy, sweaty little man is having the time of his life. I want to feel that.”
It was mixture of artists like Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, Grace Potter, Pat Benatar, Led Zeppelin, Heart, Joni Mitchell, Michelle Branch, Alanis Morrisette, Norah Jones, The Black Crows, Indigo Girls, and many others that inspired me to create music of my own. It all lead up to meeting – and eventually being mentored by – one of my local heroes, singer/songwriter/guitarist Caroline Aiken, who so kindly helped show me the ropes and gave me a platform to be heard in the Atlanta music scene. Caroline has also generously mentored Hannah and me as a duet to help tighten and refine our intricate harmonies, as well as giving us opportunities to share the stage with her.
Our sound is a melting pot. We naturally like to be diverse and dynamic by having a spectrum of feels, from light, heavy, to funky. Our biggest influences are Heart, Grace Potter, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, First Aid Kit, Indigo Girls, Jack White, and of course ’90s icons like Meredith Brooks, Alanis, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, TLC, and more.
HZ: I take a lot of inspiration from ’90s female singer-songwriters like Alanis Morisette, Jewel, Fiona Apple, Sarah McLachlan, Lauryn Hill, and Gwen Stefani. I also am extremely inspired by larger than life performers like Freddy Mercury, David Bowie, and St. Vincent.
Together, as The Pussywillows, we look to Black Sabbath, Tegan and Sara, The Runaways, Zeppelin, First Aid Kit, Jack White and lots more!
Photo Credit: Ed Lee
AF: You’re fixtures in the Atlanta music scene. How have the city and the creative scene impacted you and your careers?
HZ: We adore playing music in the ATL! The scene here is exploding with talent. Depending on the neighborhood, I get to practice my jazz chops or write an R&B hook or headbang to live metal karaoke. Over the last couple years, we have formed this inner circle of players, producers, engineers, writers, dancers, venues, and filmmakers that have helped us take our art to the next level. These professionals are true friends who challenge us to dig deep and never give up on our goals.
AF: What are your plans for 2019?
HZ: Girl, you know we have big plans for 2019! We are putting out a 5-song EP this spring, along with music video shorts for every song. We are playing hometown shows and touring! We are also going to be in the studio working on more new pussylicious music. We are pushing ourselves to do what feels good and leave the rest behind.
He may wear slippers and a robe to his shows, but this Cincinnati artist is hardly staying comfortable. In fact, he’s busier than ever. Producer and rapper Devin Burgess adopted the laid-back ensemble after doing over 70 shows in 2016 and, deserving a break, jokingly declared he’d be retiring. Although he’s kept up his comfy wardrobe, Devin didn’t rest for long. 2018 brought the release of his album Trash, the launch of his new podcast, shooting the music video for “Bounce Back,” and preparing for new music, videos and shows in 2019. Right now, Devin is in the planning stages of new videos for Trash songs “Glimpse” and “Prosper,” will soon be jetting off on tour in California and is about to undertake an ambitious producing project. He found a spare moment to chat with Audiofemme for Playing Cincy; read on below.
AF: What are you most excited to work on in 2019?
DB: I’m literally sitting on like two bodies of work right now—I just have to finish them. I produce as well, so I’m gonna start producing for people [more]. I have this idea of—you know how Wendy’s has a Four For Four? That’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna take four artists, and make four EPs, that have four songs on them. It’s just a way for me to be hands-on with peoples’ music. A way for my fanbase and the artists’ fanbase to kind of mesh together.
AF: How long have you been producing?
DB: That’s how I got into making music. I started making beats in 2010. I wanted to be like a DJ. That’s my first love, production, but all of that equipment can be relatively expensive and in 2010 I was like 16. I didn’t really have a job, so I couldn’t really afford a lot of it and one of my homies was like, ‘You should rap,’ so I rapped. I spit a verse for him, and he was like, ‘That was dope.’ I’ve been rapping ever since.
AF: So do you think 2019 will be heavier on the rapping or producing?
DB: We’ll see! I’ve been telling people that I’m not into rapping right now. All of my creative energy has been going into production. I’m an engineer as well, so I mix and master for other people. I don’t really have the time or the mental capacity to rap right now. I just put out an album out with 15 tracks. After I put out Trash I felt, like, empty. So I’m trying to find another way to get inspired, another angle to approach with rapping.
Devin Burgess performing at The Comet in Cincinnati. Photo by @oussmane_.x
AF: Could you see yourself releasing another solo project in 2019?
DB: Only time will tell. With all of this producing for other people, I still want to keep my momentum going. 2018 [was] one of the biggest years I’ve had and I’m very aware of people’s short attention spans. You drop something and it’s cool for two months, but after that, they’ll forget about it. So I’ve got to still find a way to put my name in people’s mouths, whether it’s through production or engineering. I’m finding other ways to be creative.
AF: Tell me about Trash.
DB: After this year, I had this whole ‘I’m Retired’ campaign going on, which is why I’m in a robe right now—I’m in my pajamas, I’m comfortable everywhere I go. With that was going to come a body of work called I’m Retired. I wasn’t going to really retire, it was just that in 2016 I did like 75+ shows and I dropped like five to seven bodies of work, so I was like, I’m burnt the f*ck out. So it was a joke, but then it turned into a body of work.
Then the year progressed, I was doing so many things and I still didn’t have this body of work done. I was making all of these other songs in between me doing I’m Retired that weren’t necessarily tied to any body of work. I’d call [them] my throwaway songs, hence where the name Trash came from. I didn’t necessarily seek out to have a message because as I was making these tracks, they weren’t supposed to be one body of work. When I was making them, they were either part of other projects I wanted to do and I scrapped them and essentially I took my best 15 songs and put them together as a cohesive project.
AF:All together, it sounds like a cohesive record. But you’re saying, conceptually, it started out scattered.
DB: Yeah, for sure, it was all over the place. That was one of the things I was afraid of, it sounding like I threw it all together. I definitely tried my best to make sure it didn’t sound that way. Transitioning and making sure the songs flow is very important to me. I am a body-of-work-type of artist. I’m not really huge on singles, I drop bodies of work.
AF: So what were some of the connecting themes that brought these songs together?
DB: I talk about love a lot, the different parts of love. Being in love, trying to get over a love. I wrote “Drive” when I was in a relationship and I tried to write it from the perspective of my girlfriend. I tried to take myself out of myself—I think that’s what the theme is, self-refection. “Glimpse” is definitely a favorite of mine, and “Bounce Back” for sure.
AF: And you mentioned you have lots of shows coming up this year?
DB: Yes, the plan is to travel as much as possible. I’ve done a show in every venue in Cincinnati. I’ve been going out to Columbus a lot, but I’m trying to go out to Chicago, New York, eventually. I’m going to LA with Patterns of Chaos in January. My idea is to go to a different city every other weekend. Travel is definitely in my future and a lot more shows.
AF:Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
DB: Jay-Z is my favorite rapper of all time. I’m very influenced by Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse is like my afterlife wife. Directors inspire me, like Quentin Tarantino.
AF: What do you think makes the Cincy hip hop scene unique?
DB: The Midwest is a melting pot of sounds and genres, so I don’t run into people sounding the same. I really appreciate the diversity that exists. And the love in the city.
I’m all about gaining insight from altered states of consciousness. But I’m also all about putting your body through as little duress as possible. So, I’m always interested in learning new ways to expand my mind without substances. After achieving altered states through hypnosis, breathwork, and ecstatic dance, I thought I’d look into binaural beats — songs also known as “digital drugs” that claim to produce highs, insights, and even hallucinations.
Binaural beats, which you can purchase online or listen to on Youtube, work (or claim to work) by presenting different tones at slightly different frequencies to each ear at different intervals, creating a “neurophysiological beat pattern,” explains James Giordano, professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center. The brain stem will bring these two patterns together and activate certain higher areas in your auditory cortex. Allegedly, this activation of brain networks can in turn produce distinct psychological states or sensory experiences in some people. Some digital drugs, for example, aim to elevate the listener’s mood by producing serotonin and/or dopamine.
I’m sorry to say, however, that I did not experience any drug-like effects. In fact, I felt no change in mood. I experienced more of an uplift after I got bored and put on Ariana Grande. The “Hands Free Orgasm 2” song, however, did give me a surge of endorphins via its comments, which included “don’t play this out loud. My dad started to ovulate and a house spider sprinted toward him and launched itself up his arsehole” and “after shitting out a coconut at 29:45 I realized that this video is in fact an ancient alien trick of the illuminati to control our brains.”
Giordano was not surprised by the lack of effect the songs had on me. While binaural beats could work in theory, the science is “really sketchy,” he says. Specifically, the assumption that songs can change someone’s state of mind by evoking certain brain states is based on a logical fallacy. While certain moods are correlated with certain EEG activity, that doesn’t necessarily mean that creating this EEG activity will produce these moods, says Giordano.
Still, some people swear that they’ve experienced binaural beats’ intended effects. Limited research has found changes in memory, creativity, attention, and mood in people who listened to binaural beats. There was one report of kids in Oklahoma whose teacher thought they were drunk or high when they were actually listening to digital drugs.
One reason this might be happening is that music inherently has the potential to affect the listener’s mood. “We know what we think is creepy, happy-sounding, or sad music,” says Giordano. “So the idea that sounds can create or evoke a brain state is real. When people say this makes them feel this way or that way, there’s no reason to doubt that, just as there’s no reason to doubt when someone says ‘when I listen to Led Zeppelin, I feel a particular way.’” Another possibility is that people affected by binaural beats are experiencing the placebo effect. “There are neurological states that come as a consequence of suggestibility,” says Giordano.
However, he adds, “Is there any evidence to suggest this type of stuff will produce a hallucinogenic high the way you’d see with a psychedelic, an active high the way you’d see with cocaine, or an emotional high like you’d see with cannabinoids? There isn’t.”
This raises an interesting question: should kids be able to use digital drugs? Even though the evidence of their effects isn’t clear, Giordano believes that since kids and teens are very suggestible, they may be more susceptible to binaural beats’ effects, whether they’re coming from the power of suggestion or something more.
The bottom line is that “there needs to be more research,” he says. “We need to take these experiences seriously and examine all the conditions and factors that go into these experiences, and until we do that, we need to side on the side of scientific skepticism and say, it’s unlikely that the mechanisms in these claims are occurring, but maybe something’s going on and we need to examine that in greater detail.”
In California’s Bay Area, where I grew up, a single adult movie ticket costs $13.25. In Columbus Ohio, where I currently live, a single adult movie ticket (with my student discount) costs $3. On Tuesdays, popcorn is free. The independent theater I frequent is walking distance from my house. So, since moving to Ohio for graduate school, I’ve been watching a lot more movies.
We all know that the making of movies is political, and that who and what we see on screen is political too. But lately I’ve been thinking about what I’ve taken away from the movies I’ve seen this year, and especially, what I’ve continued to hold on to; the things I hold tell me what I’ve learned and am learning. In 2018, it turns out, what stuck with me was not characters, or dialogue, or scene, but soundtracks.
The music of movies gets lost sometimes, glazed over by the Oscars, and ignored by the Grammy’s, but this year it seems that so many movies hinged on their music. A Star is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, Black Panther–movies which held songwriters, songs, and soundtracks close to their core thrived. This blossoming is something that I held on to through the year, turning the possibilities of my favorite soundtracks until they resembled something worth folding into myself, and keeping to grow. The year was long, and, at least in Columbus, cold as hell, but it was also frequently punctuated by joy and by learning.
JANUARY: CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
It is newly 2019 and people are calling to BURN THE TRASH FIRE THAT WAS 2018. Last year, people called for burning 2017 too. Which will burn hotter? I’m not sure. Recently, my old selves have come to roost in me again, and I’ve decided to lean in to the cyclical nature of being alive, at least for a while. It feels right to be listening to knowledge already had, instead of always forging ahead, alone. Call Me by Your Name, which came out early last year, counted, I think, on the return of nostalgia which often comes during a period of great political upheaval. Whom is the nostalgia for? In the case of Call Me by Your Name, the question didn’t matter to its makers–the film’s drenched colors, quiet tension, and warm, bare scenes of ’80s Italy were familiar because they are canonized markers of familiarity; we recognize sweet sadness in these things the way that, when man runs towards woman in a movie, our hearts soar as they recognize a coming kiss. So when I went from watching Call Me by Your Name into the bright rest of the year, my ears rung with the movie’s recall of dancing, heavy with concealed emotion, and, more specifically with “Love My Way” by the Psychedelic Furs.
“Love My Way,” one of many ’80s throwbacks and inspired tracks on the Call Me by Your Name soundtrack, led me to the music I played on repeat for the rest of the year. I’m back on my ’80s alt bullshit, I told people in January, and February, and March, and any other time someone asked me what I was listening to this year. The siren’s call of ’80s nostalgia could be seen, as many critics of Call Me by Your Name saw it, as an escape from the barrage of evils done by the United States’ government, but I’m holding on to it as a turn towards strength. The ’80s, too, was a violent and volatile time–as every period in the white supremacist colonial project of the U.S. is. ’80s queerness rarely looked like sun-soaked Italian summers; more frequently, it looked like makeshift hospitals to care for those made victim to President Reagan’s policies regarding the AIDS epidemic, like the continued care provided to young trans youth by Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera at S.T.A.R. house, and like the creation of ACT-UP, which Johnson later joined.
This is not to say that the soundtrack to Call Me by Your Name is inherently radical–it isn’t. But in the saccharine return to early-synths and dancing melodies holds a call I think we can’t ignore: towards learning from those who came before us.
JULY: SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
After flying back to California in early July, I saw Sorry to Bother You on a date at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco, only a few miles away from where the film was shot in Oakland, California. The Roxie is one of several small, independent theaters in SF still housed in its original Victorian walls, beautiful and scary; the building itself one of the remnant, haunted teeth of earlier settler-colonial narratives, narratives which resonate around the present-day Roxie in the sounds of construction and drunken slurs spit on the sidewalk. Sorry to Bother You is a film about this legacy of displacement and more; the film exposes the absurd violence of capitalism and its terrifying intersection with racism. It’s also a film about Oakland–Boots Riley, the film’s director, has been leading East Bay band The Coup for years, and collaborated with another Bay Area musician, Tuneyards, for Sorry to Bother You’s score.
Sorry to Bother You was a long time coming by the time it debuted last year–the name of the movie can be traced back to a 2012 album by Riley’s band. And so, when the film started playing in the Bay last summer, it felt celebratory–friends told me about friends who were in the movie, or about places they knew that scenes had been filmed. Celebratory might not be an adjective initially ascribed to anti-capitalist art like Sorry to Bother You, but I think that joy in life and collaboration is integral to believe in liberation. The Coup’s music, as well as Sorry to Bother You’s animated humor, embraces that. Riley has said that, for the final soundtrack, he wanted The Coup’s songs to sound like they fit within the social landscape of the movie–to sound as though they really would be blasted in the car late at night, or played at a party. This vibrancy is at the core of what is, in my opinion, most successful about Sorry to Bother You: the movie, and its music, are urgent but not unreal, calls to action rooted in depictions of relationships which are built day by day.
OCTOBER: HALLOWEEN
John Carpenter created an entirely new score 2018’s Halloween, marking the first time he’s worked directly on the series since 1982. The result is, imho, a banger. The 2018 soundtrack takes copious references from the original score, but the production is sleeker, more taut–it sounds like, as synths have developed in the forty years since Halloween’s original debut, Carpenter was able to collect the tools he needed to settle the score into his vision. So even as the music creaks and skitters, its theme, which keeps the same gripping 5/4 refrain, is fizzy enough to be danced to. Halloween invented dark wave! my friends and I joked after watching the movie–sliding into our car from the theater, immediately turning on the score and blasting it.
I listened to the Halloween theme so many times this year that it showed up on my Spotify “most played” list in December–and, honestly, I’m not even embarrassed. I like the campy tropes of Halloween; in them I find a dark refuge from the cutting edge of the world outside theater curtains. While many took the return of Halloween this year to be a timely reference to the horrors of sexual assault, mirroring the #metoo movement, I’m not convinced that the series has evolved much beyond the gore and suspense it sprang from initially–and that’s what draws me in. Giddy in the theater, I took pleasure in bouncing along to the thrum of the movie’s theme, while I watched Michael Myers advance upon the world of the film. It was fun to see Laurie Strode build up a fortress of revenge, and fun to see her get it.
But most of all, it is fun to take my own revenge on the violence of the world–from Michael Myers to my own assaulter–by dancing on the beat of their soundtrack to giddy murder. It is fun to steal Halloween from the killing sprees of men, and bring it into parties I throw with my friends, into rides in my roommate’s car, and into the circles of care I strive to weave around me.
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The circularity of movies is oft-discussed; the re-makes, serialized action films, and adaptations which cram our theaters critiqued for being built solely for profit. But there is something to be said about going back to go forward. The myth of independence encourages us all to forge ahead without considering the work that has been done before, but doing so, I’ve found, just leaves each of us more vulnerable than we would be when armed with collective knowledge. Movie soundtracks, I’d argue, are deliciously interdependent: strung between narrative, image, symbol, and the popular imagination. In 2018, I tangled myself in soundtracks when I was feeling most alone; when I needed a nudge to re-invest in the lives of those around me. Perhaps this pattern of music-driven blockbusters will end in 2019 (though I suspect that’s not the case). I will still gather the elaborate reminder of continuity and context which soundtracks give me.
Since hitting her stride with 2014’s Bury Me at Makeout Creek and its critically acclaimed follow-up Puberty 2 (2016), Mitski’s audience has tended to project onto her as a symbol of their sadness, a microphone of sad-girl feelings. But Mitski does not want to be remembered this way, a position she asserted clearly this year with her much-lauded album Be The Cowboy. The songs here are largely fictional, more like a short story collection than they are a memoir. When Mitski discusses what “Be The Cowboy” means, as a phrase, she talks about adopting the swagger of the American Western as her own. The cowboy is one of many characters that Mitski embodies in the live performances of her breakout record, and she uses performance itself to elevate their meanings at every turn.
The Be The Cowboy tour is the first tour where Mitski isn’t playing an instrument consistently during the show. Instead, the show involves a dance piece, where Mitski sings and performs choreography by Monica Mirabile. It is a choreography conscious of its own performance: both natural and premeditated. It begins with something as simple as the pantomime of holding a cigarette and taking a drag as she’s singing “I Don’t Smoke,” from Bury Me At Makeout Creek, but by the time she sings “If you need to be mean, be mean to me / I can take it and put it inside of me,” she’s throwing something invisible across the stage, perhaps the lyrics’ “trinkets in your room.” Over the course of the show, the dance evolves: a seduction for “Me and My Husband,” a baby bird desperate to fly at the top of “I Will.” On “Drunk Walk Home,” Mitski The Performer interrupts the choreography’s drunken hands to curtsy: “I wore this dress for you.”
To the audience, the Performer’s function is to entertain. The Performer is someone the audience takes for granted; it is demanding, exhausting, to be the Performer. At the December 1st Brooklyn Steel show, the set began with “Remember My Name.” For the duration of the song, she is completely still. In its lyrics, Mitski confesses: “I gave too much of my heart tonight,” and asks her audience (real or imagined) to provide some love she can “save till tomorrow’s show.” It is a plea for the audience to remember there is a person behind the songs.
Performance on Be The Cowboy is the show you put on for others – whether it’s literal nightly performances as a touring musician, the catharsis in embodying someone else, or even a faked smile flashed for someone whose presence you can’t stand. In an interview with Paper Mag, Mitski talks about writing songs from the perspective of fictional people, rather than strict autobiographical experiences: “I find using a character or using a narrative that didn’t happen to you is better equipped in telling your story and expressing your feelings than what actually happened in your life.” Be The Cowboy is full of fictional characters, each played by Mitski with the confidence of the aforementioned cowboy. As she plays the characters, she explores the role of performance in their lives, and her own.
photo by Bao Ngo
“Me and My Husband” begins with a heavy sigh. “Me and my husband, we are doing better,” the speaker insists, but the tense chord movement states otherwise. The idea of “sticking together” is not romanticized–it’s just an inevitability. She goes on to call herself “The idiot with the painted face / in the corner, taking up space.” The word “painted” evokes not just the character’s makeup, but a strained, vague smile worn like a mask. Though the song is short, each verse adds instruments–a keyboard, brass, heavier bass, building tension. What she’s saying is one thing, but what she means is in the progression; on the last repetition of “So I bet all I have on that furrowed brow,” the brass climbs chromatically.
Mitski sings again about being an object on “Washing Machine Heart.” It’s never “object” in the way “objectified” hints at sexualization. It’s something sadder and more everyday–being something of function to another person, and losing yourself in that process. Rhythmic synths bang like the aforementioned appliance, strings sound otherworldly. Here, she’s a receptacle for dirty shoes, or maybe the other half’s emotional crutch. Again the movement of the vocals and strings betray a tension that is only hinted at in the lyrics (“I know who you pretend I am”).
For Mitski, that kind of awareness (and any pretense that it doesn’t exist) creates a rift, one she spends the duration of Be The Cowboy exploring, her last frontier on the way to becoming whole and loved. Loneliness sometimes feels like the record’s most obvious motif – on “Lonesome Love” Mitski spends “an hour on my makeup to prove something,” while “Nobody” even opens with the line “My god, I’m so lonely.” Its rhythms are easy to dance to, though – at her shows, each audience member enjoys it as though trapped in their own personal disco, a club where people go to exorcise their loneliness by being out somewhere, but only dance alone.
Listeners take songs into their heart and project their own feelings, interpretations, personality on them. But the narrative that runs counter to this is one of someone learning to love themselves, as on explosive single “Geyser.” It grows from small synth sounds to something grand, profound, Mitski telling herself “I will be the one you need / I just can’t be without you.” The video, also choreographed by Monica Mirabile, sees Mitski chasing after her own outstretched hand on a darkened beach. She stumbles and crawls, ending the video digging through the sand.
When you’ve become an object, or a function, for another person (or the audience), the only person you can rely on is yourself. Though it can be liberating to ride into town on a horse and leave no trace, it can also be exhausting to act like someone you’re not. Beneath the sand in “Geyser,” beneath the facade of the cowboy, the wife, the elderly couple, is Mitski, telling stories that ring true, no matter the character who tells them.
It’s been a long time since music videos have aired on television, but as the popularity of YouTube soars among a generation who doesn’t even remember what MTV used to be, artists are now approaching the medium with a new creative fervor. As you’ll note from this list, by and large we’re seeing women and people of color taking advantage of visuals set to their work as a means of bridging cultural gaps, making grand political statements, and finding more immediate ways to relate to their audiences. The following picks re-examine everything from female sexuality to black identity to gun violence, and while many of these songs stand on their own, it is the videos that take their messages to the next level, adding new layers of meaning and, in a time when we are seemingly inundated with media to consume, forcing viewers to truly pay attention.
Childish Gambino – “This Is America”
In an intense four minutes and a single long take, this eerie, graphic video sums up the atrocities of systemic racism and gun violence in American society. Donald Glover – who has made a name for himself as an actor as well as via his rap moniker Childish Gambino – weaves a narrative that’s hard to ignore, using traditional African dances and minstrel expressions meant to entertain and critique the viewer’s gaze all at once. This may have been the most important video of the year, forcing people to have hard-to-stomach conversations and analyze the subtext of the clip, all over a catchy trap-influenced song that hit the Billboard charts despite its radical content.
Tierra Whack – Whack World
Whack World is surely the best depiction of the millennial mind in motion. Tierra Whack was first recognized for her “Mumbo Jumbo” video, and immediately doubled down to create this fifteen-minute “visual album.” Her quirky aesthetic is set to an eclectic flow, and poignant lyrics make her a singular force in the hip-hop sphere and put her on the map. The video follows Whack through a variety of different worlds, each one surreal and bizarre, but simultaneously illuminating a feeling and emotional landscape the lyrics work to connect with. Mimicking the lightning pace of our scrolling, tumbling, social media comsumption, Whack World managed to get everyone’s attention, even in a time when attention spans seem to be growing smaller.
Janelle Monáe – “Django Jane”
Janelle Monáe had a phenomenal 2018. Coming out to her fans and community, releasing a major hit album, going on a global tour, and sharing vulnerable, introspective work that was followed by critical praise, Monáe has pretty much been living the dream. While all the videos from this year’s Dirty Computer album cycle are praiseworthy in their own right – we’ll never get the vagina pants from “PYNK” out of our minds – “Django Jane” is a nod to her hip-hop predecessors. Hearkening back to the heyday of Biggie Smalls and Lil’ Kim, the video has the feel of a ’90s-era rap video. This time around, it’s Monáe who sits squarely on the throne of her Queendom.
Blood Orange – “Charcoal Baby”
Five of the tracks on Blood Orange’s new album Negro Swan start off with the voice of writer and activist Janet Mock. Her voice weaves a line through the album that carries small doses of wisdom into the songs themselves, seeming spontaneous, but too polished to not have been chosen on purpose. “Charcoal Baby,” one of the first videos released from Dev Hynes’ phenomenal concept album, starts with Mock talking about the concept of family: “I think of family as community. Just show up as you are without judgement, without ridicule, without fear or violence… We get to choose our families, we are not limited by biology.” The words are a perfect segue into the video, a split-screen depiction of two different families mirroring very similar lives. It’s a thoughtful, positive meditation on black identity, and what it feels like to be at home and at peace with those you choose to surround yourself with.
Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA – “All The Stars”
Linked to one of this year’s most enthralling and groundbreaking films, Black Panther, the video for “All The Stars” creates an equally beautiful backdrop for the soundtrack’s lead single. Both Kendrick Lamar and SZA have proven to be unstoppable forces in the musical world, capping off a very successful 2017 with this early 2018 release. Cinematic in its own right, this video plays almost like a short film, its rich visual cues a nod to diasporic African culture, through a lens of cosmic chaos. The video was not released without controversy, though – British-Liberian artist Lina Iris Viktor accused the Black Panther team of copyright infringement, claiming that the gold patternwork that appears roughly three minutes into the clip looks suspiciously like her Constellations paintings; the official lawsuit was settled just last week.
King Princess – “Pussy Is God”
King Princess is the queer idol we’ve all been waiting for, and if “Pussy is God,” then we can all thank pussy that she’s finally arrived. Though she released her five-song EP Make My Bed before she had even turned 20, Mikaela Straus has a top-notch team behind her insuring her success, including producer Mark Ronson, who signed her his Zelig Records imprint, and her creative director, Clare Gillen, who has consistently done a fantastic job styling the up-and-coming artist’s cheeky, ironic, and stylistically iconic videos. “Pussy Is God” is a fun ’90s throwback to what any of us might have done in our bedrooms as adolescents had we been given green screen technology, but it is Straus’s dreamy stare and unabashed celebration of her queerness that makes it so essential.
Sudan Archives – “Nont For Sale”
Watching a Sudan Archives video is often times like falling into another world – and make no mistake, that world that belongs to the Los Angeles-based violinist/vocalist at the helm of this project, Brittney Parks. Self-directed with help from Ross Harris, Parks put out Sink, her second EP for Stones Throw, this year, and its lead single is an ode to unapologetic existence: “This is my light, don’t block the sun/This is my seat, can’t you tell?/This is my time don’t waste it up/This is my land, not for sale.” Still, the video is a welcoming melange of vivid hues and surrealistic impressions of Black culture, always portrayed with parks at the center of the narrative – just where she wants to be. Luckily, she’s invited us along for the ride.
Nao – “Make It Out Alive”
Nao’s latest album Saturn is all about the Saturn return – that period in a person’s late twenties that signifies astrologically-driven upheaval. “Make It Out Alive” is a song geared towards the strength and conviction it takes to steer through this tumultuous time and find yourself on the other side, for better or worse, and begin to rebuild everything from the rubble. That bleakness is reflected in the song’s video, with its desolate landscapes, dilapidated lots, and the anxiety and anticipation of being stuck in a nondescript waiting room. But the song’s lyrics – and Nao’s lilting falsetto – are bracing. The singer takes stock of her preparedness for the fight, and her resolve is her best weapon. If there’s ever a time we needed a song that helps us keep going when the going is tough, 2018 was it.
Okay Kaya – “IUD”
Singer-songwriter Kaya Wilkins created an ongoing narrative in a series of videos she released earlier this year with filmmaker Adinah Dancyger. Both “IUD” and “Dance Like U” tell the story of a woman who has created an alter ego out of her trauma. While the latter sees her come to a resolution with the doppelgänger, “IUD” hinges on tensions – Kaya either ignores the alter ego or engages with it in a kind of defenseless way – watching it from a distance, dragging it around in her wake. These videos were a perfect introduction to the Norwegian-born artists, whose brand of pop favors both minimalism and biting wit on her debut album Both.
Alice Phoebe Lou – “Something Holy”
Berlin street musician turned independent European musical sensation recently released her first single “Something Holy” from her upcoming album, Paper Castles. The frayed edges of her busker’s past have been cleaned up as she polishes her sound, and allows her lyrics to shine through like never before. “Something Holy” is a song about feminine sexuality, and being treated like a holy being – a theme we saw cropping up this year in the mainstream thanks to artists like Ariana Grande. But these lyrics speak to her desire to be held, not lusted over, the sumptuous visuals bursting with random blips of animation, pastoral vignettes, romantic candlelight and often Phoebe Alice Lou’s challenging gaze, daring us to follow her on her sensual journey.
With a rapidly growing music school and a successful music career of her own, calling Sydney Eloise busy would be an understatement. Many Atlanta residents know her as the frontwoman of ’60s-infused indie pop group Sydney Eloise & The Palms, but she’s also founder at Little Treblemakers, Atlanta’s most colorful and innovative music school for children. With an aesthetic that can best be described in one word – sunshine – Sydney’s ability to guide children through their initial immersion into the world of melody and chord progression is rivaled only by her bright smile and infectious love for music. Her immediate connection with her students is obvious as they perform at their showcases, playing simple melodies or writing songs of their own.
Despite her hectic schedule, Sydney took the time to sit down with Audiofemme to discuss all things musical and magical in the new year. Read on for more about Atlanta’s favorite girl-boss and the world she’s created.
AF: You’ve done it all: written, recorded, and toured as Sydney Eloise & The Palms, taught at a Montessori school, and opened a children’s music academy. What’s been the most challenging aspect, and — on the flip side — what’s been your proudest moment?
SE: It’s been a journey, and I’ve enjoyed every phase and lesson that led me to this moment. I needed to tour and record just as much as I needed to teach full-time as a Montessori assistant. In those moments, I didn’t realize I was setting myself up for what’s next, or that I was mastering skills that would lead to me start my own business. I mostly felt a little lost as to what my path was. I love working with young children – their pure optimism and honesty are virtues we need more of in today’s world – and, as a songwriter and musician, I decided to see if I could apply my style of teaching with music education.
The challenge was taking a leap of faith and opening Little Treblemakers without a clue as to how this small business would evolve, if at all. I had no clue what I was doing, but I knew it was what I needed. I had a few students and no other source of income, so I buckled down and worked my tail off learning all I could about growing a business. I experimented with lesson plans and teaching materials and called upon my mentors and other teachers for guidance until I found my style and method. I am so proud to say LTM, at only (officially) a year and a half old, has a full roster with a waiting list, along with plans to expand by adding more teachers in the New Year. I am so amazed at the rapid growth of LTM, I’m just trying to keep up!
AF: How did growing up in a musical and entrepreneurial family help you lay the foundation for the life you’d end up building?
SE: We are our environment, and as a child, you absorb so much: what you hear, see, and experience really shapes your story. I was very fortunate to have two entrepreneurial parents who were also musicians. I watched my parents record music in their home studio, I saw my mother open a Montessori School in our house, and my father start his own construction company. He also built a website that was totally before its time, called Music Makers. It connected musicians together to share original music and helped them form bands in their area. When you grow up observing that you can create anything you want, the idea of working for yourself doesn’t seem so scary or far-fetched. If you put in the time, work your butt off, and are willing to make sacrifices and be scared, you will reap the rewards of following your dreams.
AF: Who or what has been the greatest inspiration for you? What keeps you going on the bad days?
SE: There are days where I feel totally overwhelmed with the business and how fast it is growing. I catch myself saying things like, “What am I doing? I don’t know how to run a business!” In those moments, I research and educate myself on subjects I still need to master. I talk to my friends and I call mentors who have been where I am, and I am reminded that no one really knows how to do this, and there is no secret manual to success. You just solve tiny problems every day until the big problems are smaller, and then you tackle those. My days are never bad! I get to work with incredibly adorable and talented little humans every day, and they make me smile and laugh!
AF: What’s it like to encourage and inspire the next generation of musicians? Which musicians inspired you as a child?
SE: It’s so magical to watch these kids bloom before my eyes! It’s incredible how quickly they can master concepts and grow their skills. To see my first-year students master chord changes and simple melodies, to my second- and third-year students writing original pieces or picking out groovy songs to perform, I am always in awe. I remember as a kid spending hours and hours looking up chord charts to Beatles songs, learning to play Joni Mitchell’s “Yellow Taxi” and Alanis Morissette’s “Hand In My Pocket,” so it’s really cool to have students who are interested in an array of musicians, from Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Sheryl Crow to Taylor Swift. We all start somewhere, and oftentimes the things we learn early on remain very powerful later in our lives.
AF: Do you think you’ll return to writing and performing, or do you think that opening and running Little Treblemakers is where you’re meant to be?
SE: I am always writing, because that is just who I am. I do miss performing and recording very much, and plan on diving back into that world very soon! I am right where I am meant to be though, and opening Little Treblemakers has given me even more purpose and reflection into the type of art I want to make and share with the world. Music is powerful and I want to contribute in a thoughtful way.
AF: How has the Atlanta creative scene impacted you, as a musician and as an entrepreneur? Why do you think it’s become such a refuge for creative types?
SE: Growing up in the city definitely helped me cultivate exploring ways to express myself. It’s the creative types that tend to build the culture of a city, and Atlanta does a wonderful job championing that. We have so much going on, from start-ups, visual artists, musicians, to film. It’s all booming right now, and it’s very cool to be a part of it.
Keep up with Sydney on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along with Little Treblemakers as it continues to grow and shape the next generation of musicians!
Audley takes in a performance at his residency last month. Photos by David Chimusoro.
It’s been a banner year for Cincinnati hip-hop artist Audley, who kicked off 2018 with the release of his debut studio album Pink in January and just finished up a month-long residency at Cincinnati’s The Comet. The weekly shows were named The Love and Light Series, which he says was inspired by the musicians he’s met and lessons he’s learned this year. Though he reps impressive rap skills with an energetic flow, what really shines on Pink are his buttery smooth R&B vocals—it’s no surprise that he names Childish Gambino as a musical influence. Here, Audley reflects on The Love and Light Series, how he manifests success through positivity and uplifting others around him, and gives us a sneak peek of what he’s bringing to 2019.
AF: How did your Love and Light Series go?
A: I honestly don’t even know where to begin! It was probably the biggest accomplishment I’ve ever done in my life. There was a lot of talent in one room every Thursday, just really good music bringing the community together. It felt like the perfect way to tip our hat to 2018, just one big celebration, and then MOTR Pub was absolutely nuts. TRIIIBE came up and did a guest performance out of nowhere and just slammed it down. It was everything I hoped for. I almost didn’t even do it.
AF: Really? Why not?
A: It’s just a huge commitment. If I wanted to do it, I wanted to do it right. So I told everyone I had too much going on at work, I had too much going on in my personal life, I just didn’t have time to do this and they’re like, ‘If there’s any time for you to do this, it’s right now.’ So I literally booked the whole series in four days and made it happen.
AF: What drew you to the Love and Light theme?
A: This year has been positivity-driven. I met Jess Lamb and The Factory last year at the CEAs [Cincinnati Entertainment Awards] and their message is very self-empowering, very spiritual. They’re just very much a beacon of light to tell you everything is gonna be okay. Their mantra is you’re beautiful, you’re powerful, you can make it. I was in a really rough spot when I met Jess and it really got me through the year, so the mantra has always been be a light, spread light, spread love.
AF: So based on the experience, would you do a residency like that again?
A: Something like it. I like the idea of a recurring event, just because it builds an audience and garners excitement. Would I do it every Tuesday for a month? Probably not. Would I pick a bigger venue and do it quarterly and do blow outs? Potentially. I’m looking into what that could be. Each venue has its pros, but it has its huge cons also.
AF: Your album Pinkcame out in January. Do you have a favorite song off the record?
A: I’d have to say my favorite song is “Sleep Alone.” That is like the best songwriting I’ve ever done. The melody, the progression from small to big from verse one to verse three, the beat is a banger—Devin Burgess produced it, he’s super talented. That song is just really pretty and I wrote it right before “Awaken, My Love!”came out, [Childish] Gambino’s record, and it just reaffirmed Pink for me. It was like, if he’s gonna dive into this beautiful funkadelic vibe, I can do the same. So I’d say “Sleep Alone” is probably my favorite. Obviously the bop of the record is “Game Over;” everyone loves that song. Honestly when I wrote it I didn’t know it was gonna be the song and then out of nowhere it had four times the streams as the other tracks, so it was like this one’s it, I guess.
AF: I love the R&B feels. Would you say Childish Gambino is a big influence on you?
A: Oh yeah, later Gambino. Because The Internetand on really spoke to me. I love his writing, [on] 30 Rock, and Community. He’s so funny and even his stand up is great, to the point where when I saw he was trying to make music I was like, dude, stay in your lane, because to me his music wasn’t as good as his writing. Now that I think of it, that’s such an ignorant perspective. He did a freestyle over Drake’s “Pound Cake” and it was amazing and I fell in love with him watching that.
808s & Heartbreakby Kanye West is my favorite album of all time. It’s the most vulnerable he’s ever been on a record, the best melodies he’s ever written, and I love 808 drums. André 3000 was the first rapper to show me that you can flex with class. He literally would be in a suit, but you’d still be intimidated. There’s such an elegance and fluidity to his flow, but that was his flex, and that was during the time of G-Unit and The Game. It was like these people that were really stunting on people, and I was like I wanna be like that guy.
AF: Looking into next year, what can fans expect?
A: Next year fans can expect definitely a new record. I think I’ll be able to make one relatively quickly. I can’t promise that it’s going to be [themed around] a color, which likes breaks my heart to even say, but I’ve learned and grown and have shifted my perspective so much this year that “colors” is such a single-faceted through-line. There’s textures, there’s emotions, there’s literal artifacts that symbolize things. I love the idea of owning a color because you get to own a world through a hue, but I think I’m ready to do something bigger. I’m ready to make a bigger world.
AF: You said you’re looking to collaborate more. Does the collectivity and openness of the Cincinnati hip-hop scene make that a little easier?
A: I would say a year and a half ago, it wasn’t like this. Everyone was so worried about putting themselves on that people didn’t understand that when you help someone else out, you get to elevate together. They thought that there was this finite amount of energy in a box and they thought people were taking their shovels and they were like, well, if I give him some then I don’t get some. Energy is infinite and the more that people have the more that people can grow off of each other’s energy. We’re all playing the same game. We’re all in the same scene; we all have the same obstacles. If you are trying to pull someone down to your level, that’s the same amount of time you could’ve used to elevate yourself to theirs. That’s why Love and Light was so important because we drove home every single Tuesday [that] you have to spread love, you have to be a light, even in your darkest of times. That’s when you need to shine your brightest because other people may need that light, too.
AF: That’s beautiful. Anything else you’d like to say to your fans?
A: I can promise that I will be doing a lot more shows out of town next year, and as of right now I’m working on the 2019 game plan. But I know that whatever I do, I’m going to curate something really special for this city, whether that’s a monthly or quarterly something—it’s gonna be Love and Light on steroids.
Below is our list of the Hardest Working DIY Touring bands of 2018 keeping the DIY dream alive! We asked each band about their favorite moments, what they have learned, and/or are most proud of from this past year.
photo credit: @zb_images
North By North (Chicago, IL)
212 shows
I caught North By North at a Women that Rock showcase at Knitting Factory and couldn’t believe that they have been on the road for the past 10 months and have played 446 shows in total since January 2017. They snuck under my radar for last year’s list, so I’m happy to have them kick off this year’s Hardest Working DIY Touring Bands list!
“The main thing we’ve learned is that waiting around for a big opportunity generally isn’t worth it. It seems that it’s better to take charge of the shows that you’re booking – by seeking out other talented bands both in your hometown and in other markets, and by putting together and curating the best events you possibly can. Basically, no one else is going to make it happen for you – you have to create your own opportunities, otherwise you’ll be stuck waiting around for a long time.
It’s just the two of us, and we each put in over 60 hours/week between booking, writing, rehearsing, performing, and marketing, so it’s definitely a lot of work. But we’re constantly seeing the benefits of this as we continue growing our fanbase and name recognition around the country, and it feels really good knowing that it’s because of the hard work that we’ve put in. That being said, we have made solid friends and connections over the past two years who have helped us out and who continue to help us out, but it generally takes a couple times coming through each city before that can happen. People need to see that you’re putting in the work – assembling good lineups, getting good venues attached, and inserting yourselves into the local scene – before they’re really willing to go out on a limb for you.
Basically, DIY is a lot of work, but we’ve found that it’s more than worth it. See you all in 2019!”
Photo by: Rachel Zyzda
Stuyedeyed (Brooklyn, NY) 107 shows
This year I’ve been lucky enough to share bills with New York’s loudest psych/garage band Stuyedeyed in Nashville, Austin, Saratoga Springs and Brooklyn. At our show in Rockaway Beach they had to leave right after their set to play another show at a brewery down the street (and we moved the whole party there). Even after all that, I still can’t confidently spell their band name, but it looks like they are quickly teaching the rest of America how to pronounce it.
“Favorite show had to have been Chicago at Empty Bottle. Playing on the floor, in the round, was something so special to us. We set up as if we were in a rehearsal with everyone surrounding us, as if they were listening in on a conversation. It made it that much more personal. Because that’s what it’s all about, connectivity. Breaking that wall and having everyone be a part of the show is empowering not only for us or the audience, but for the songs themselves. Break that wall. Destroy the idea of putting the artist on a pedestal with your other idols. With this show, and tour, it felt like complete vulnerability. No one is cooler than the other, no one is more important than the next. We’re right there on the floor with you watching you as much as you are watching us. It took us a few years of shows to figure out that this is our most efficient way to exist in the world we are creating and continuously redefining.”
Photo by: CJ Harvey
Glove (Tampa, FL)
82 shows
Glove have only been a band for one year and already have seven tours under their belt. They played New York so many times that I thought they were a Brooklyn band at first. You can catch their new wave garage jam sound in Brooklyn again at Baby’s All Right on February 3rd!
“Jeez, ridiculous things happen to us constantly but we definitely had every band’s worst nightmare happen to us this year… On our way to LA from San Antonio we broke down in the middle of nowhere Texas off I-10. From a 45 minute tow-truck ride to a mechanic shop in Iran, Texas, where we thought Rod got abducted by one of the mechanics there (they went missing for an hour), to breaking down again and sleeping on the side of the road that night. We did end up getting a brand new radiator from really nice folks at a mechanic shop that had miniature donkeys to hang out with and Bud Light to drink. Made it to LA just in the nick of time for our show. Throughout all the shenanigans we laughed everything off and stayed determined to make it to the show and not let the series of mishaps get us down.”
Thelma and The Sleaze (Nashville, TN)
80 Shows
My first experience seeing TATS was at Hotel Vegas at SXSW 2016 and I fell in love with LG’s stage presence. After the set I got a taco and nervously gave her my band’s sticker while fawning over her authentic, hilarious and sexy rock ‘n’ roll attitude. You can experience it for yourself on her new podcast, Queen of Shit Mountain.
“Thanks to our fans for making this year another success. Kansas City is a hard nut to crack and keep cracked. The best breakfast in America is at Lucky’s Cafe in Cleveland Ohio.”
Mouton (Arkansas) 80-ish shows
Pete Mouton has been touring his jangly alternative tunes around the U.S. all year. He has a wonderful sense of humor despite the year’s rough rides and will be able to turn the ups and downs into more great feeling lo-fi tracks. Hopefully he will make it back to NYC soon!
“My friend Sharp, who I wrote “Real Boy” for, lent me Great Jones Street by Don Delillo and there’s a line that goes, “There’s nothing more boring than a well traveled person.” I’ll give the quick and dirty.
2018 was a long year. I played 80 something shows, most of them with somebody else’s guitar because mine was stolen at a house show in February. That same month in Carbondale, IL, we woke up in house that was on fire. In April, Parquet Courts offered me molly in Oklahoma. Later that night, I stayed in, like, one of the five motel rooms I would stay in all year. In May, we found our dear friends Hayden and Dylan on a farm in Ragtown, Arkansas, but we had a show in Memphis that night, so after deliberating on whether or not to actually cancel our show, we decided to book it to Memphis. We weren’t five minutes down this dirt road when the venue calls saying that the show’s canceled. So we whipped one back for Ragtown and had a day off on a farm in East Arkansas with our buds. Let it be known that I put Dylan Earl on on his back, not once, but twice that night. Like a week later we were in Brooklyn for Northside, which was my first time New York. I can’t afford to look at that shit on a map.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have spent almost a quarter of my year in and out of a Toyota minivan with some of the funniest and most brilliant musicians I know. It wouldn’t have been possible or half as fun without my incredibly talented band: Daniel Orndorff, Cole Simmons, Matt Jemes, and also Bennett Jones, who recently passed. His relentless humor and knack for making his friends and strangers laugh left a tremendous impact on me; especially in the short time that we spent waking up on each other in deflating air mattresses and making each other laugh to tears in cities and on highways across the country. Tell your friends you love them.”
Lola Tried (Austin, TX)
71 Shows
Singer/Songwriter Lauren Burton started Lola Tried in Austin in 2015 and have toured nationally in support of their EP Popscicle Queen, opening for bands like Speedy Ortiz, A Giant Dog, and Tera Melos.
“Our favorite show on our most recent [tour] definitely had to be Baton Rouge, as we played a beautiful venue called the Spanish Moon with some very good friends of ours, Particle Devotion. The crowd was fantastic and all of the bands on the bill were so great.
Things we’ve learned on tour/as a band this year: I think the most valuable thing that tour teaches you is learning to play to any kind of room. Tour is incredibly humbling, because you go into it with expectations that definitely get swept away when you leave your hometown. You never know what you’re walking into when you get to a venue in a different city, so just constantly reminding yourself that this is a learning experience, and teaching yourself how to work a room and play the best show you’ve ever played – even if it was in front of five people, even if you didn’t sleep the night before, even if someone ate the burrito you’d been saving to eat at the venue. You learn to toss away whatever happened that day, and you learn how to perform as a team in any kind of space. I also really enjoy exploring how other bands, bookers, and promoters function in their respective scenes in different cities as it brings a completely different perspective to the table. Tour is work, tour is smelly, tour is exhausting, but it’s the most fulfilling thing in the world.
Also, another tidbit of advice: Don’t eat hot fried chicken in Nashville an hour before you play.”
photo by Jeanette D Moses
Top Nachos (New Paltz, NY)
70 Shows
Top Nachos are embarking on a west coast tour this upcoming year with our previous hard touring band Lola Tried. They played about 70 shows this year despite both their members playing in four other very active bands: Teenage Halloween, Schmave, Winnebago Vacation, and Dolly Spartans!
“We played a bunch of amazing shows! The highlights have to be our newpalspalooza show (a fest we put on in New Paltz) with Bethlehem Steel and Yazan, Punk Island, our LP release show at Snug’s in New Paltz, and most recently nachofest, which was the final show at our house venue NACHOHOUSE.
The funniest/strangest thing that happened to us this year was witnessing a Bud Light Lime butt chug after our show at the house we played at in Charlotte, NC. Weirdest place we played was a kitchen in Savannah, GA. People were standing on the cabinets, the fridge, any available surface.
This was our most active year as a band for sure! We went on several tours, a wild amount of weekenders, played with some amazing bands like Speedy Ortiz and Rozwell Kid, released music on vinyl for the first time ever (in any project we’ve been in) and released our first full length albums DANK SIDE OF THE MOON. Learned a lot, laughed a lot, smoked a lot.”
photo by CoolDad
The RocknRoll HiFives (New Jersey)
51 Shows
Can you imagine growing up and your family vacations double as rock ‘n’ roll tours? That’s the life of New Jersey’s RocknRoll HiFives, who released a vinyl on Little Dickman Records this year and toured Japan for the first time. They brought CoolDad along with them, who was nicknamed Grandpa while they were in Japan.
“This entire RocknRoll HiFives experience has not followed the normal band dynamics because we are a family (mom, dad, daughter, son) that tours, records and writes while managing all that comes with family life. Our rock ‘n’ roll story is different than most. We had so many stand out performances this year it’s really hard to pick one. Every show in Japan was amazing, playing on the Todd-o-Phonic Todd radio show WFMU was legendary, opening for Rye Coalition at the White Eagle Hall 1st Anniversary show was an honor, a last minute invite to open for a sold-out Snail Mail show was tons of fun and how could we not mention our very first television appearance on the super funny The Special Without Brett Davis show!
If we were forced to pick one show though, it would have to be opening for the legendary band the Tweezers in Tokyo, Japan. The show was incredible, and even more incredible was having them at the front of the stage with fists flying while we rocked and then having them greet us with an after party at the Poor Cow with a standing ovation in our honor. 2018 is going to be a hard one to beat!
We learned that what works best for us as a touring family is to turn our tours into Tourcations. When we are on tour we try to play 3-4 days in a row and then have a few days off to enjoy the road (national parks, traipsing through cities, visiting friends). We found that this keeps us balanced in that we have equal amounts of rock and fun while making the most of being a family on tour. (By the way, we learned that too many days off isn’t good either. Balance here is key to our happiness!)”
Toward Space (Richmond, VA)
50 Shows
David Patton and Seyla Hossaini, the founding members of bluesy power pop band Toward Space, met when they were 11 years old and have been living the rock ‘n’ roll dream ever since. This past September they released their full length Gently With A Chainsaw, met God, and traveled the country with their newfound voodoo magic.
“We met God in Tuscon, AZ. He owns a bar with a built-in sex dungeon, and we watched him eat a raw egg. We stayed in a hippy house in San Francisco where David tripped on shrooms in a tiny basement full of candles and Santa Muerte statues, and in New Orleans we hung out with voodoo practitioners who warned us about the smell of blood in the streets before we went out to the strip club. On tour we learned that I could easily become addicted to gambling, that Ben isn’t going to leave the band no matter how much David and I fight, and that it’s extremely important to keep in mind that you will be constipated for days if you eat a pizza every night.” – Seyla Hossaini
photo by Chloe Krenz
Lunch Duchess (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
32 Shows
Lunch Duchess have been using their time on tour in 2018 to refine their grunge-pop songs for their debut full length, which will be out in the summer of 2019! They also released a single called “Ride or Die” this past summer.
“What I learned on tour in 2018 – if you and your bandmates are fun people who love each other, you can pretty much get through anything together.”
Honorable Mention: The following bands also appeared on 2017’s Hardest Working DIY Touring Bands List, and while we wanted to shout out some fresh faces, we gotta hand it to bands that would’ve made the list this year based on sheer numbers alone.
photo credit: Kirsten Kay Thoen
A Deer A Horse (Brooklyn, NY)
107 shows
“Our favorite tour moment of 2018 was probably playing Berserker V in Michigan. This was our first time ever playing a metal festival, and since we’re a band that slides between genres, we were kind of anxious about playing on the same lineup as the dude from Pantera. It went over better than we could have hoped for, and it felt amazing to be accepted by all these metal fanatics. Plus we got to see mindblowing performances by Negative Approach, Child Bite, and Bloodiest, which was just so much fun.”
Vanessa Silberman (Los Angeles, CA) 79 shows
“My favorite moment (which I feel lucky I have had a few) has probably been when I have played some very small towns / markets around the U.S. and had a couple fans come out who follow me who I hadn’t met before. A lot of them have said that what I have been doing has been inspiring them to do their music or go for their dream. I think that is so unbelievably cool. It means so much to hear that from fans and people – like I’m fulfilling my purpose, getting them to say to themselves ‘hey, she’s doing it, I can do that too’ when they see me out there doing it. I truly want to change peoples lives in a positive way – so that’s cool.”
After 121 shows touring and at home this year with my five projects – Sharkmuffin, Gustaf, Gesserit, Kino Kimino, and Ex-Girlfriends (RIP) – here are my picks for the best DIY promoters, collectives and venues of 2018! We chatted with everyone about their favorite shows, stories, and overall reflections on what they’ve accomplished and are most proud of from 2018.
“I’ve been super lucky to work with too many bands to pick a favorite, but the Queen of the Scene Northside Festival showcase was insane this summer. I was fortunate enough to do three cross-country tours in 2018. I was able check out a lot of places that I have never been and also a lot of places that I have been. For that I am super grateful.
My favorite part about booking is curating shows. It’s easy to just throw shows together but they work better when you put some thought into it. The most challenging part is finding the time to put some thought into it.” – Tom Lescovich, Cindy Cane Productions
“With a lack of venues in Downtown Jersey City, I first started booking shows at 58 Gallery from 2008 to 2013. The space was a former glass workshop with a garage, a front room gallery and back room that we outfitted with an insanely heavy ‘portable’ stage, intermittent heating and a sometimes fickle bathroom. Things expanded for me by booking outdoor festival and events in Jersey City. Most notably for me has been the annual Ghost of Uncle Joe’s Halloween fundraiser in a Historic Cemetery. Finally, in 2018, FM – a 70’s themed restaurant – was transformed, and for the first time in my JC booking career, I was working at a legitimate venue. The upside is not having to pack everything into a Toyota Prius; the downside is telling someone to not get too crazy.” – Anthony “Dancing Tony” Susco
Electric Church
Austin, TX
“We started the Electric Church in 2014 in East Austin. Our greatest achievement so far has been creating a space where an up-and-coming music scene in Austin can develop. Over time we have seen a revival in a DIY culture that has resurfaced and brought with it new music and given bands opportunities to flourish that traditional venues would not have. We also curate open jams with different themes and leave it open to all to come and experiment musically and meet other like-minded types. From this we have seen bands form and people come together. We also have created a music festival we co-host with Sahara Lounge (another Eastside venue) called Saturnalia Music Festival. 2018 was our second year with the fest so watching it all come together has been pretty awesome for us. Same goes for our light shows and artists. [Our resident artist] Fez [Moreno] has been able to find other light show artists and has created a small community around it.” – Electric Church’s founders
King Pizza Records
Brooklyn, NY
“2018 was totally bonkers – between Pizzafest 5 and The Psychic Luau 3, we kept ourselves busy with festivals but there was so much community, killer riffs, and dancing it’s kind of tough to take it all in. At the Glass Slipper release show, a bunch of his buds picked up Dave (the frontman) and crowdsurfed him. The look on his face of both horror and excitement is definitely burned into my mind.
Stay tuned in 2019 for the new Daddies tape release show on 1/12.” – Greg Hanson of King Pizza
First Schoolhouse show Downtown Boys, Warm Bodies, Ebony Tusks – Aug. 21, 2017. Photo by Fally Afani of I Heart Local Music
Petri Productions
Lawrence, KS
“I recently graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS with a degree in African American Studies. I was raised by KU’s college radio station KJHK, our local record store Love Garden, and our beloved Replay Lounge. All of which I worked at for multiple years throughout college. Inspired and motivated by Lawrence’s already thriving music scene I wanted to grow something that was my own. With a few trials and errors I began my own booking and production company, Petri Productions. I booked under Sheridan James, Replay Lounge, for my first year as well as booking house shows and acoustic sets in coffee shops. I quickly learned all-ages, accessible venues weren’t much of an option in our community. I’ve booked over 90 shows since moving to Lawrence and continue to book in multiple venues though I am the primary talent buyer and booking agent at the Schoolhouse, a DIY all-ages venue as far North of town as one can go.
The very first show at the Schoolhouse was on August 21, 2017, the day the Solar Eclipse passed our very path in Lawrence, KS. Paul DeGeorge of Wonder Fair pitched the idea that we host an all ages event with Downtown Boys in this old schoolhouse North of town. After that show and creating a relationship with the owner, Jennifer Roth, the magic hasn’t really seemed to stop since then. We’ve hosted over 15 all-ages shows in the last year at the Schoolhouse including Girlpool, Palm, Screaming Females, Chastity Belt, Lala Lala,Waxahatchee, Anna St. Louis, Diet Cig, and more.
flyer by Grace
This year Petri’s events were included in 33 Reasons Why Kansas City is a Great Place to Be Right Now in KC’s The Pitch, ‘Best of 2018′ magazine with an article [that called us an’ ‘all ages paradise‘.
SOLD OUT: Diet Cig, The Spook School, Great Grandpa, LK Ultra Feb. 5th, 2018 Photo by Anna Selle of Playlistplay
All of the shows hold their own beauty and individuality but a show that I think shifted our community into a new phase in our scene was the Diet Cig, Spook School, Great Grandpa, and LK Ultra show February of this year. It was Petri Productions’ first-ever sold out show and excitingly enough it sold out in advance. LK Ultra is a queer indigenous fronted group formed from Lawrence’s Girl’s Rock chapter. To experience this new, fresh, inclusive energy was something our community was longing for.
The Schoolhouse’s capacity is 150 when inside and 250 when the shows are outside. The small space and its location create an intimate environment for both the artists and the audience. The venue is a little oasis that takes everyone away from it all for a moment. It’s on the outskirts of town, secluding it from the rest of the Lawrence. There’s a huge yard with a fire pit, you can hear the trains go by, and see so many stars. The space really does create dreamlike experiences.
Because of the DIY nature of the project we bring our own PA and tear it down before and after every show. We’ve recently been raising money for an in-house PA that will help harvest more stability for our venue. We’ve recently acquired a group a volunteers and our goal is to become a non-profit in 2019. The Schoolhouse is beginning to host Queer DJ nights and Drag Shows, with the help of Mylan Jones and Riley Corcoran. It’s really amazing to see how the space is evolving as more community members get involved. Lawrence is a college town in Kansas so it’s really important to have a space people feel safe to be themselves as well as see a varieties representation being celebrated. Having a stage and a setting for those who are disenfranchised is very valuable to a supportive and thriving community.
Photo of Paige Batson on the left receiving a birthday cake at the One Year Show on August 23rd, 2018 with Paul Cherry, ACBs, Dreamgirl, and Fullbloods
The momentum that’s been created is electrifying. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for or where I was going so it’s pretty wild to be here. To me putting on a show feels like cooking a meal. It takes so much time, energy, and a kitchen of hands. Petri’s kitchen is: Jennifer Roth, owner of the Schoolhouse; Paul DeGeorge, sound and inspiration; Kelly Corcoran, support and logistics; Louis Wigen-Toccalino, Decade pop up bar and hospitality; Katie Harpstrite, event hand and Vast Yoga; Grace Chin, flyer art; and Shelby Bettles, event hand and hospitality. It takes months and tons of energy to grow the garden, plan the ‘meal,’ invite the guests, and host the party. It can take roughly six months to plan a three to four hour experience, just like it can take hours to prep a meal and ten minutes to devour it. Together our team creates a moment we hope people will cherish and hold onto for the rest of their lives.
I’m extremely lucky and privileged to live where I do at the time that I do. Without the team Lawrence has brought together these events wouldn’t be happening. Lawrence is magical place that harvests a supportive and daring community. I couldn’t wish for a better environment to raise this project in. I’m so grateful and thankful for the opportunities I have been presented.
I hope the Schoolhouse is still hosting all-ages shows 20 years from now, that’s the real dream.” – Paige Batson
Photo credit Hayden Remick
Paper Scissors Media Philadelphia, PA
“2018 was a truly incredible year for Paper Scissors Media. Most importantly, it was the year at that our record label goodhowareyou records truly came to life. We have 14 artists in our family (Secret Nudist Friends, Blushed, Trash Boy, Overwinter, Kelsey Cork and the Swigs, Puppy Angst, Broke Body, yeenar, Madam West, Busy Bee Project, Rebecca Zimmerman, Honeytiger, and too dogs) and we couldn’t be more proud of everyone’s teamwork and collective effort. We are so proud to have a record label dedicated to a diverse array of artists largely composed of non cis-males, and with a strong connection to the Philly queer community.
Our home-base venue Tralfamadore hosted over 70 shows, and in total we booked over 100 shows in Philadelphia alone this year as well as many in other cities. This year was the year of teamwork. I can’t say enough about the efforts of Deb Gilmore, Dan Baggarly, and Missy Pidgeon, and it would be truly impossible to individually think all of the dedicated artists, spaces, and supporters who keep our DIY family alive.
I’m so proud of the fact that we have now hosted four music festivals, two this year: a reoccurring festival called Good How Are You Fest in the Spring, and Great How’ve You Been Fest in the Fall. I am so proud and honored to be able to make music in the city of Philadelphia and to know so many wonderful people around the country who go out of their way to make shows happen and to accommodate artists and treat them with love and respect. I hope people continue to support Paper Scissors Media and I encourage everyone to check out goodhowareyou records!!” – Matty Klauser of Paper Scissors Media
“The highlight of 2018 for PLAG was expanding on our workshops. In 2017, we noticed a lack of accessible education for artists, particularly independent artists, and started presenting free artist-facing educational workshops featuring womxn, femme, and nonbinary speakers. This year, we’ve really built on that foundation. While we continued having more ‘traditional’ moderated panels on various aspects of the music business, we also hosted our first hands-on, interactive workshops. These have included topics like producing with Ableton, an introduction to modular synths, how to build your pedal board, producing with Native Instruments Maschines, and a bunch of others, and partnerships with Ableton, Make Noise, Earthquaker Devices, Native Instruments, Lil Miquela, and IO Music Academy. It’s been a rewarding year watching developing artists learn how to take the reins of their own careers and we can’t wait to keep building on that throughout 2019. We have some really fun things in the works.” – Katrina Bleckley of PLAG
“At the time of writing this, our YouTube channel has uploaded 3,728 videos of (mostly local) bands playing throughout Minneapolis and St Paul from 2011 until now. Each year we have steadily increased our coverage and output. We’ve been going through a lot of changes in the past few years here in Minneapolis. As the city has grown and become more gentrified, we’ve lost numerous important venues along the way – the Triple Rock, Grumpy’s downtown, Reverie, Secret Service, Licorice Beach, various house show spaces. We’ve had many notable bands part ways over the last handful of years, such as Burn Fetish, Tony Peachka, Animal Lover, Wretch, Naïve Sense, Karate Break, Mrs., Murder Shoes, Disasteratti, Brain Tumors… and so many more. We’ve also tragically had some beloved local musicians passing away before their time.
The initial purpose of UnderCurrentMPLS’s genesis – to capture, document, and promote local underground music – has felt especially valuable considering all of this loss and change the local music scene has experienced. There are plenty of bands who never even had a chance to record anything officially, outside of our live videos, and it feels good to offer bands those memories while doing what we enjoy.
But, it’s not all doom and gloom! Some really great new venues have been opening up: Mortimers, Moon Palace Books etc… and collectively, Minneapolis bands are like a Hydra – when you cut off one head, multiple heads grow back in its place. Excellent new bands are always forming out of the ashes of the old bands. New Primals, Tongue Party, Witch Watch, Citric Dummies, Scrunchies, IV, Death of a Ladies’ Man, Tulip, Conscripts… all feature members of the above listed bands that had dismantled. So, on the flip side of the coin, along with helping preserve the memory of what has come and gone, it also feels really special to be able to be there, documenting those newly formed venues and bands all from the beginning.” – UnderCurrentMPLS
Women That Rock
Brooklyn, NY
“We’ve seen an incredible community of badass femmes building around Women That Rock this year. Our debut ‘Women That Rock Presents’ concert event in April 2018 at Knitting Factory Brooklyn was a major highlight – we brought four amazing femme-fronted bands and a female DJ together on one bill for a special night of music. We also had an amazing summer showcase at Brooklyn Bazaar with a stacked lineup: GYMSHORTS, Sharkmuffin, MONTE, Sister Munch, Lady Bits and Strange Parts. The night also featured almost 20 Brooklyn-based femme vendors. We threw an awesome PRIDE party in June at Coney Island Baby, which featured a bill of four queer femme-fronted acts and a queer lady DJ. Most recently, we celebrated again at The Knit with a special concert event featuring headliners Starbenders alongside Scarlet Sails, Astra the 22s and Natalie Claro.
It’s been an incredible experience creating this platform to spotlight womxn in music – creating a safe, celebratory, inclusive space for womxn to perform, be heard and be recognized for their art without the obstacles that misogyny and gender roles present for womxn in the music world. It’s been amazing watching the platform come to life and seeing how people respond to what Women That Rock is doing – artists & music fans alike seem to have a real hunger for this femme-focused initiative.
(Band: GYMSHORTS, Show: GIG LIKE A GYRL @ Brooklyn Bazaar, Photographer: Kate Hoos)
We’ve heard so many incredible stories from femme musicians we’ve worked with over the last year about how appreciated Women That Rock is and how necessary the space is that we’re creating. We’ve heard stories from womxn about the discomfort of being the only woman on most show lineups, being spoken down to or dismissed by venue staff, sound guys and dude-bands. Stories about the struggle to have their art be appreciated without feeling judged based on appearance. A great example of this was a story told by Brooklyn rock band MONTE’s front woman Caitlin Montclare, who described many instances of showing up at a venue with her guitar on her back and being immediately assumed to be the ‘merch girl’ or a girlfriend of one of the band members, rather than the musician herself. As if just because she’s female, she must be the merch girl – as if the guitar she’s carrying must be someone else’s. As if because she’s female, she must be just a ‘girl helping the band’.
We’re working hard to create a celebratory and safe space that will hopefully help combat those types of negative experiences, help break down some of the negative gender stereotypes, and make women feel more secure, confident & appreciated. We have a lot of exciting initiatives in the works for 2019 and we can’t wait to see what the new year brings!” – Andie of Women That Rock
“I’ve handled a portion (some years a large portion) of an all ages triplex of music venues called The Outland Complex here in Springfield, Missouri. Sometimes I set up house shows too though haven’t lived at a house that did shows in about four years. Since I work directly for the business what I book is a wide swath, some of which I don’t enjoy but know other folks in the community will enjoy! My primary goal has been to both offer Springfield as a well-paying and friendly spot to book when touring down south or up north through the Midwest. It’s a strategic stop on any tour but has not always been hospitable to smaller touring acts (especially ones that fall under niche/more challenging genre types) which is mostly what I focus on.
This year there were many shows I loved but there really isn’t a singular show that takes the cake or a moment that overshadows the others any of the years I’ve been doing this. My favorite thing is seeing people of all ages attending shows at a bar that wouldn’t have likely hosted them before (large in part to the ownership). Compared to previous years I really scaled back for health reasons. Up until this year I was booking on average 10 to 20 shows a month, some months much more. I’d like to let anyone else know that has been doing this for a hot minute that it’s okay to take a breather and focus on your mental and physical health. In the coming year I already have some shows I’m really excited to put on and hope to build up a team of folks that hopefully take on the torch once I move elsewhere or get too tired to do this all the time. That’s how college towns work right?” – Seth Goodwin
We have officially entered the holi-daze time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, so let’s review all the beautiful-to-bizarre Christmas music released last week.
Spider-Man released a Christmas album. The Flaming Lips covered David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s Christmas Medley. Mac DeMarco collaborated with Kirin J. Callinan and covered Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song;” it appears on a benefit comp featuring Alex Cameron, Weyes Blood and more. Mariah Carey broke the all-time single-day streaming record on Christmas Eve with her 1994 Christmas original “All I Want For Christmas is You” (it was streamed almost 11 million times).
The New New
A few artists have released new music not focused on the holidays as well! Unknown Mortal Orchestra released a 19 minute instrumental track titled “SB-06.” Cardi B released a music video for her latest track “Money.” Ty Segall released his sixth full length of the year with a new band, The C.I.A., featuring his wife Denee Segall on lead vocals.
End Notes
New York City will be renaming streets after Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan and Woodie Guthrie.
Nicki Minaj was cast as a voice actor in Angry Birds 2.
Ozzy Osbourne will continue to tour after his farewell tour named ‘No More Tours 2.’
Drunk on $2 strawberry margaritas during my very first visit to Cubbyhole, my 19-year-old self and a friend struck up a conversation with two women who led with, “Aww, how cute, two straight girls at the gay bar!” We looked at each other, confused. She was quick to correct them about her sexuality, while I, on the other hand, kept quiet, thinking they were right. Who was I trying to fool by being here? I’ve been “mistaken” for straight just about every time I’ve been there, for that matter. And what right did I have to be upset? To those who saw me everyday, I was straight, and was too scared to convince them otherwise.
Fast forward to sometime in early September of this year. After getting “mistaken” for straight in a casual conversation by a gay friend, I couldn’t let it go. At 2am, in an act of subconscious (and delusionally tired) defiance, I chopped my hair below my shoulders – as if a drastic change in my appearance would make people finally believe me when I say I’m queer. I thought back to an interview I’d read in which Héloïse Letissier, who fronts Christine and the Queens, described the epiphany she had upon cutting her hair: “I felt like, ‘This is how I want to exist.’” My drunk ass almost cried when someone in the bathroom at a Rina Sawayama show complimented my new ‘do for the first time; knowing that a large part of Sawayama’s fan base is queer, I found comfort in being seen.
Rarely did I consciously think about openly queer women in entertainment in the past. When I recall queer artists that I listened to growing up, I admit that David Bowie or Freddie Mercury – not women – come to mind first. Whether it’s the media at fault or my own ignorance, I was somehow never consciously aware of women’s queerness. From Fergie and Lady Gaga in my youth, and then, as I got older, The xx, Tegan and Sara, and Sleater-Kinney, I often didn’t know some of my most beloved female artists were queer until after the fact. I later clocked many hours over the years Googling “[insert artist] queer,” intrigued by female androgyny by way of Annie Lennox, and for selfish reasons, hoping to find that Debbie Harry might be into women. This was all prior to the realization that my “girl crushes” were born of genuine attraction. Maybe it took so long because I had few truly visible artists to help me understand that loving another woman was real and valid.
I remember when I first started telling my best friends that there was a slight chance that I could maybe be bisexual, and being met with the classic “it’s probably just a phase.” It made me curl in on myself, backtrack, and call myself “fluid” instead. “Fluid” was my safety net to go back to living as a straight cis female, since I wasn’t committed to a label.
But “fluid” was never the whole truth.
I’ve known for a long time that I’m bisexual, but 2018 marks my first year of unapologetic out-ness. Sexuality is a journey, and labeling oneself isn’t pertinent to having a queer identity. Fluidity perfectly encapsulates how many other people define their own sexuality. For me, though, calling myself “bisexual” out loud lifts a weight off my shoulders. I owe this newfound confidence to queer female artists, from SOPHIE to Janelle Monáe, who are unapologetically themselves.
2017 and 2018 saw a jump for queer females in the mainstream beyond “I Kissed a Girl” or “Cool for the Summer,” where being queer is synonymous with experimental sexual deviance (not to discredit Demi Lovato’s own bisexuality). Kissing girls was once taboo, “just something that we wanna try.” Songs like Sawayama’s “Cherry” operate in the same realm of queerness being new and different. However, rather than eroticizing it, Sawayama crafts a sweet, sparkling anthem that illustrates an awakening; it’s less about the missed connection and more about what it taught her about herself. “Now I wanna love myself/It’s not that us is guaranteed/’Cause inside I’m still the same me with no ID” reminds me of being 19 and becoming infatuated with a stranger at a party as we talked and smoked cigarettes and got dollar slice pizza, though I never got her name. Still, I can’t will myself to forget the moment she told me she likes girls and with ease, I told her I do too. It had nothing to do with my attraction to her. It was the first time I had ever come out, and she has no idea how significant that moment was for me. She was the first person with whom I was living my truth.
Today, there’s Kehlani in the mainstream crooning, “I like my girls just like I like my honey/Sweet/A little selfish.” These lyrics effectively normalize women loving women in a way I’d never understood before. By way of Kehlani, I also discovered Disney-girl-turned-“Lesbian Jesus” Hayley Kiyoko this year when Kehlani appeared on “What I Need.” Kiyoko candidly sings, “I only want a girl who ain’t afraid to love me.” I could never imagine hearing that on the radio growing up. Kiyoko was recently awarded the Rising Star Award at Billboard Women in Music, presented to her by bisexual pop singer Lauren Jauregui. “Nobody wants to be brave,” Kiyoko confesses in her acceptance speech, through tears. “We’re all terrified. I’m very grateful for my fans…I found my purpose in life, and the ability to embrace my truth.”
Women have shown me what it’s like to go from grappling with your truth to embracing it. Asserting herself beyond myriad production credits, SOPHIE’s debut album Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides is a disarming nine tracks of simultaneous chaos and vulnerability. There’s a challenge from SOPHIE to listen to this record without the preconceived notion of what pop music – and furthermore, people – should be. “Without my genes or my blood/With no name and with no type of story/Where do I live?” she asks on “Immaterial,” giving herself the answer: “I could be anything I want.”
The album is powerful enough to have turned the heads of traditionally closed-minded Grammy committee. She and singer-songwriter Teddy Geiger (who co-wrote the Shawn Mendes single “In My Blood”) have become the first Grammy-nominated transgender women for Best Dance/Electronic Album and Song of the Year, respectively.
They, and artists like the genderqueer and pansexual Letissier, haven’t been blurring the lines of gender in music so much as beginning the process of erasing them. The first time I saw Christine and the Queens live in 2016, I had given little to no thought to the nuance and fluidity of gender expression. When she returned this past year, it appeared that she had invented a masculine persona along with her new record, Chris. The more I indulged in the record, it became apparent that rather than stripping herself of femininity, she had adapted traditionally masculine themes – eroticism, power, dominance – to dispel the pre-existing notion of softness that womanhood was supposed to be.
I came across King Princess through Mark Ronson, when she became the first official signed artist on his label, Zelig Records, releasing her first single “1950” earlier this year. In addition to paying tribute to a decade when women could exclusively be queer in private, she plays with religion and divinity in a way that calls out to the once-ardent Catholic still living inside me. “Tell me why my gods look like you,” she whines, “and tell me why it’s wrong.” The idea is not lost on songs like “Holy” and “Pussy Is God,” which not only put women, but queer women, at the center of worship. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, King Princess calls it “extremely fucked up and fun…being the antithesis of a belief system.”
“Fun” never would’ve been the word I’d use to describe the intersection of being a self-proclaimed Jesus lover while attempting to repress this sinful secret the way I repress Catholicism now. While I’ve never been homophobic and I’ve tried to be an ally to others, I was adamant that homosexuality wasn’t a possibility for me. But now I find the layers of irony so absurd it’s funny. For me, queerness was directly associated with eroticism, in turn lacing this part of my identity with sin. Coupled with my warped notions of feminism (in my teenage years, I called myself anti-feminist), it’s all rooted in self-hatred.
Then I heard this verse:
“Searching for someone to fix my drive
Text message, God up in the sky
Oh, if you love me, won’t you please reply?
Oh, can’t you see that it’s only me, your dirty computer?”
It made me wonder if Janelle Monáe had somehow gotten inside my head and heard these conversations I was having with God to fix whatever the hell was going on inside me. Her music has been lush with futuristic and science fiction imagery via Cindi Mayweather, her android alter ego. The juxtaposition of real life with a surreal world allows raw emotion to take the forefront. It’s the same question I’ve been asking myself this whole time that I’ve been fighting the truth: what is wrong with my programming as a human that I’m so inherently broken and flawed?
Janelle Monáe intended “to really celebrate those that I felt needed to be celebrated most, those in marginalized communities” with Dirty Computer. Those communities include not only the LGBTQIA community, but women and people of color as well – and these are all intersections I identify with. It’s the things about myself that I’ve been conditioned to believe are defects, dirty. Deconstructing the android on Dirty Computer gives insight to our very coding as people, the root of this “other” that terrifies people in 2018 as much as ever.
What a weird time, in 2018, to have finally found relief through leaning into that exact fear. This whole time, I’ve been internalizing it, using it against myself, so much that even when I first began exploring the possibility of being queer, I accepted without argument that I wasn’t queer enough to be valid. Compared to the first time I called myself “bisexual” out loud circa 2014, when I say it today, it no longer leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There’s still an adrenaline rush, but it comes from excitement. Because for the first 23 years of my life, I was never being my honest self.
But now, I finally believe that I deserve to live my truth. And so do you.
Check out Ysabella’s ever-growing CHEERS QUEERS playlist on Spotify, as well as the rest of our year-end coverage.
Here we are again! As the new year approaches, it’s time to look back and take stock of the albums and singles that defined this moment in music history. 2018 was an eclectic year, to say the least, and there are a lot of new names on the list: Tirzah, Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy, Noname, King Princess, and Kali Uchis all had phenomenal debuts this year, not to mention the inimitable Cardi B, who made good on the promise of last year’s smash hit “Bodak Yellow” with Invasion of Privacy in April. There were established artists who still managed to surprise us, whether in the form of unearthed Prince demos, The Arctic Monkeys’ loungey sci-fi concept album, Tim Hecker introducing us to ancient Japanese court music, Dev Hynes making his most personal Blood Orange record yet, or Lil Wayne finally dropping Tha Carter V. And then there are those artists who fall somewhere in between, their ascendant careers a thrill to watch as 2018 saw them finally hit their stride. US Girls. Yves Tumor. serpentwithfeet. And perhaps most spectacularly, Mitski and Janelle Monáe.
As each of our writers (and editors, too) created their own mini-lists, those were two names that kept cropping up, and there’s no doubt you’ve seen them on just about every year-end list on the interwebs. If there’s any chance you haven’t heard Be The Cowboy or Dirty Computer, by all means, fire up that Spotify Premium post haste. But the recommendations here are as diverse as our writers themselves, so we hope you’ll take time to explore some of the lesser-known, hardly hyped artists we’ve highlighted, too – and keep your eyes peeled for more year-end coverage as we cruise in to 2019.
EDITOR LISTS
Marianne White (Executive Director)
Top 10 Albums:
1) boygenuis – boygenius
2) Soccer Mommy – Clean
3) Nenah Cherry – Broken Politics
4) Mitski – Be the Cowboy
5) serpentwithfeet – soil
6) CupcakKE – Ephorize
7) Blood Orange – Negro Swan
8) Autechre – NTS Sessions 1-4
9) Snail Mail – Lush
10) Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy Top 5 Singles:
1) Let’s Eat Grandma – “Hot Pink”
2) Jon Hopkins – “Emerald Rush”
3) The Internet – “Look What You Started”
4) Cardi B, Bad Bunny, J Balvin – “I Like It”
5) boygenius – “Bite The Hand”
Lindsey Rhoades (Editor-in-Chief)
Top 10 Albums:
1) Low – Double Negative
2) US Girls – In A Poem Unlimited
3) Madeline Kenney – Perfect Shapes
4) Yves Tumor – Safe In The Hands of Love
5) DJ Koze – Knock Knock
6) Caroline Rose – Loner
7) Tim Hecker – Konoyo
8) Virginia Wing – Ecstatic Arrow
9) Frigs – Basic Behaviour
10) bedbug – i’ll count to heaven in years without seasons Top 10 Singles:
1) Janelle Monáe – “Make Me Feel”
2) Loma – “Black Willow”
3) The Breeders – “All Nerve”
4) SOPHIE – “Is It Cold In The Water?”
5) Jonathan Wilson – “Loving You”
6) Empath – “The Eye”
7) Sibile Attar – “Paloma”
8) Jono Ma & Dreems – “Can’t Stop My Dreaming (Of You)”
9) Shopping – “Discover”
10) Ed Schrader’s Music Beat – “Dunce”
Mandy Brownholtz (Social Media)
Top 5 Albums:
1) Miserable – Lover Boy/Dog Days
2) Snail Mail – Lush
3) Mitski – Be The Cowboy
4) Teyana Taylor – K.T.S.E.
5) Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer Top 3 Singles:
1) Nothing – “Blue Line Baby”
2) Hinds – “The Club”
3) Mitski – “Nobody”
Lauren Zambri (Events)
Top 5 Albums:
1) Amen Dunes – Freedom
2) US Girls – In A Poem Unlimited
3) Beach House – 7
4) Iceage – Beyondless
5) Tirzah – Devotion Top 5 Singles:
1) Jenny Hval – “Spells”
2) US Girls – “Velvet 4 Sale”
3) Yves Tumor – “Licking An Orchid”
4) Amen Dunes – “Believe”
5) Low – “Always Trying to Work it Out”
Top 5 Albums:
1) Alice Ivy – I’m Dreaming
2) Sudan Archives – Sink
3) Marlon Williams – Make Way For Love
4) Earth Girl Helen Brown – Venus
5) Rüfüs Du Sol – Solace Top 3 Singles:
1) Rhye – “Taste”
2) Alice Ivy – “Chasing Stars”
3) Sudan Archives – “Nont For Sale”
Top 5 Albums:
1) DRINKS – Hippo Lite
2) Shannon & the Clams – Onion
3) Lost Boy ? – Paranoid Fiction
4) Prince – Piano & a Microphone 1983
5) Sloppy Jane – Willow Top 3 Singles:
1) Public Practice – “Fate/Glory”
2) The Nude Party – “Chevrolet Van”
3) Big Bliss – “Surface”
Top 10 Releases Out of the Brooklyn DIY Scene (in Chronological Order):
1) THICK — Would You Rather? (Self-Released)
2) BODEGA — Endless Scroll (What’s Your Rupture?)
3) Baked — II (Exploding In Sound)
4) Pecas — After Dark (Broken Circles)
5) Big Bliss – At Middle Distance (Exit Stencil Recordings)
6) Kevin Hairs — Freak In The Streets (GP Stripes)
7) PILL – Soft Hell (Mexican Summer)
8) Stove – ‘s Favorite Friend (Exploding In Sound)
9) Lost Boy ? – Paranoid Fiction (Little Dickman Records/ Rich Moms)
10) Janet LaBelle – I Only See You (Loantaka Records)
Top 5 Albums:
1) The Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
2) The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
3) Charles Bradley – Black Velvet
4) Brandi Carlile – By The Way, I Forgive You
5) Jack White – Boarding House Reach Top 3 Singles:
1) The Raconteurs – “Now That You’re Gone”
2) Mac Miller – “2009”
3) Dead Naked Hippies – “Rare”
Top 5 Albums:
1) Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
2) Lil Wayne – Tha Carter V
3) J. Cole – KOD
4) Preme – Light of Day
5) Jazz Cartier – Fleurever Top 3 Singles:
1) Lil Wayne feat. Reginae Carter – “Famous”
2) Cardi B – “Thru Your Phone”
3) J. Cole – “Brackets”
Desdemona Dallas
Top 5 Albums:
1) Noname – Room 25
2) Flatbush Zombies – Vacation In Hell
3) Mountain Man – Magic Ship
4) Lucy Dacus – Historian
5) Nao – Saturn Top 3 Singles:
1) Janelle Monáe – “Make Me Feel”
2) Twin Shadow – “Saturdays”
3) Sudan Archives – “Nont For Sale”
Erin Rose O’Brien
Top 5 Albums:
1) Mitski — Be The Cowboy
2) Antarctigo Vespucci — Love in the Time of E-mail
3) Car Seat Headrest — Twin Fantasy
4) Soccer Mommy — Clean
5) Janelle Monáe — Dirty Computer Top 3 Singles:
1) Bad Moves — “Cool Generator”
2) The Beths — “Future Me Hates Me”
3) Miya Folick — “Stop Talking”
Ysabella Monton
Top 5 Albums:
1) Mitski – Be The Cowboy
2) Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer
3) Brockhampton – Iridescence
4) Soccer Mommy – Clean
5) Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy Top 3 Singles:
1) King Princess – “1950”
2) Childish Gambino – “This is America”
3) Pusha T – “If You Know You Know”
Experimental art-punk band saajtak takes the most enticing aspects of free improvisation, opera, electronic and jazz music and melds them to create complex sonic narratives. The Detroit-based group – made up of Alex Koi (vocals), Simon Alexander-Adams (electronic artist), Jon Taylor (drums), and Ben Willis (bass) – prove to be just as compelling live as they are in their lush recordings. All virtuoso musicians in their own right, each band member lends their distinct musical style to the collective sound of gorgeous chaos. The band demonstrates their fluid improvisation and seamless transitions in this live video of their song “Spokes.”
Koi’s undulating vocals deliver weighted metaphors, creating a call and response between her and guest saxophonist Marcus Elliot. Koi’s voice serves as a compass for listeners, guiding them between bouts of stream-of-consciousness and smooth, calculated melodies. The directional nature of the song is appropriate, considering Koi says the song is a loose metaphor for a roadmap. “From a lyrical perspective, ‘Spokes’ is about getting lost in the chaos of everyday life to the point of becoming disconnected from yourself, other people, and particularly nature,” says Koi. “It explores the process of rediscovering connection through a walk in the woods.”
Sonically, the song shapeshifts and transforms throughout its lifespan, like watching a timelapse of a tadpole reaching its full form. Its meandering nature is likely due to saajtak’s fluid songwriting method. “I think ‘Spokes’ is pretty emblematic of our writing process,” says Willis. “I seem to remember Simon coming in with the initial groove idea, and then we played and improvised with it in rehearsal and in performance for months as we discovered other sections.” The group’s creative process doesn’t end after one burst of improvisation, however, but spans over months where the song is workshopped and analyzed, especially in this case. “’Spokes’ is probably our most complex song,” says Alexander-Adams, “and being so episodic in form, definitely came together slowly in sections before it reached its current state.”
Instead of one person having autonomy over the final structure of the song, saajtak works as a completely equal unit, each member creating their own piece of the puzzle. “It’s one of the great benefits and challenges of this band,” says Taylor. “Rather than one person writing the material and directing everyone’s individual roles, we all contribute in real time, but also have to be open to compromise and deconstructing our ideas in order to serve the bigger picture.” The result leads to episodic arrangements like “Spokes,” which feels like a natural marriage of stimulating segments telling a small piece of a larger story. The song comes from a 2017 EP of the same name; you can check that out, along with the the band’s latest EP,Hectic, via their bandcamp. Lyrics for “Spokes” are below.
Eulogies of compromise, how can one say goodbye when she’s walking out alone?
Wasted devotionals, way too emotional.
Dot in a box trynna push out and resurvey itself.
I’m flying highest tie the wools around me.
Farce, c’mon and out and pull me down to warm soil.
I’m falling. (Falls, falls, falls down) When I get up the first thing I hear is, “Time Will Pass Us Just Right Not Late This Quarter”. Whipping around, who made that sound?, but no one lingers. Not a whispers. Still, I’m lulled toward the forward of the woods.
My ring of marcasite shines in the sun like all my freckles, speckled cartography. My lungs breathe easy here, hung upside down trees. I don’t choose a spot, the spot it chooses me to find its tilted home, homey little alcove. I will the wind, I will the wind. The breeze, to find me out – Guide me from outside in. I will the wind, I will the wind, I will the wind.
So you’re divine? You think you can stand alone forever? Refine and repeat, refine and repeat. Desperately annulled, refusing the change Refusing the nuance to clear the pathway.
My ring of marcasite shines in the sun like all my freckles, speckled cartography. My lungs breathe easy here, hung upside down trees. I don’t choose a spot, the spot it chooses me to find its tilted home, homey little alcove. I will the wind, I will the wind. The breeze, to find me out – Guide me from outside in. I will the wind, I will the wind, I will the wind.
I’m first. I can only imagine I’m first.
Surprise! It’s every moment of your life. God spoke to you in a birch tree bark.
Take all of me. Well I’m sure I am offering it to you. Take my lips I want to lose them, take my arms I’ll never use them.
Surprise! It’s every moment of your life. God spoke to you in a birch tree bark but you weren’t there.
When The Howling Tongues hit you, you know it. Atlanta’s brazen sons of rock ’n roll — Davey Rockett, Nick Magliochetti, Brandon Witcher, Thomas Wainright, and Tylor James — are best known for their signature garage rock-inspired records and over-the-top, bombastic performances, and made their name in the darkest, grimiest rock clubs around the country before taking the stage with Bon Jovi at State Farm Arena in May 2018. After spending most of the last decade wearing out the roads and leaving fans dazed and confused, the quintet is back and better than ever with a series of singles preceding their newest recording project.
Audiofemme caught up with lead guitarist and producer Nick Magliochetti and drummer Tylor James for the premiere of their newest single, “Daily Dose.” They’re gearing up their last show of the year, The Howling Tongues “It’s Not A Christmas Money Grab” Show at The Earl on December 20th. Read on and get ready to party with rock’s most devoted disciples.
AF: You’ve been together for over seven years, and friends even longer than that. What’s your secret to longevity?
NM: The fact that we were friends for so long before really set us up to be able to communicate more openly. We live together and do a lot of things together, when a lot of bands don’t go that far with their relationships. We’ve kinda just been rooted in that for so long, it’s become second nature.
AF: What’s been the biggest change within the group since you started?
NM: I think the biggest change has been streaming and availability of music. The modern DIY scene had just kind of started when we were starting out as a band. We were selling a ton of CDs in the beginning. Now with Spotify and Apple Music and others, our big sellers are vinyl and other merch items. I think Spotify is a tool that artists can use nowadays to promote themselves.
TJ: And sometimes we can charge money to go play somewhere.
AF: How do you keep the creativity flowing and evolving? Do you ever feel musically stagnant, and if so, how do you get beyond it and keep creating?
NM: We try not to put ourselves into a box when we’re in the studio, but more into a situation where a song can come out. Whether someone writes a part on an instrument that they’re not used to, or has a strange idea for a song lyric or title, that’s the stuff that’s inspiring. Having lots of options and infinite time is the real killer of creativity.
TJ: And you’ve just gotta keep listening. Everyone’s gonna get stagnant once in a while, but that can be limited by constantly seeking inspiration, whether it’s music or otherwise.
AF: “Daily Dose,” and your last single, “Fever Dream,” are a step away from the sound you trademarked in 2016 with Boo Hiss. What new sounds and techniques are inspiring you guys for these latest songs, and how important to you is it to maintain The Howling Tongues’ sound?
NM: With Boo Hiss, we wanted to be more bold and daring and take some chances. We’re all about creating moments in songs and on stage, so this is really us taking that ideology and diving even further into it. We’re always trying to push ourselves and continue to make the kind of music we love. We are always pushing the studio to the limits, using different equipment and things that might be unique. Sometimes the stuff that’s broken or almost broken can be inspiring and create a really cool moment in the track. I think we did some of that with these latest singles.
TJ: I don’t know if I could cite one sound or technique specifically, but we try to never be afraid to just play around with shit in the studio until we stumble into something we enjoy playing and hearing back. The Howling Tongues’ sound is free to change as we change; we’re not Aerosmith.
AF: How has the creative process changed for you guys?
NM: Since we have our own studio, it’s good for us to put a little pressure on ourselves and create deadlines. If we don’t do that, then we sit on stuff for a long time, which is easy to do that because of infinite studio time. If you limit that, it forces you to make decisions and that usually leads to some pretty cool stuff happening.
AF: What’s been the proudest moment for you as a group over the last seven years?
NM: Every time we release something new is a proud moment for all of us. That’s what gets us most excited. We want to keep making music that people can turn up really loud and get lost in it for a moment. That’s what gets us going.
AF: How has the Atlanta music scene impacted you as a band? What’s your favorite part of the music scene here?
NM: The Atlanta scene has been amazing. We have seen so many bands come and go in seven years of being a part of the scene. Plus it’s so diverse in Atlanta. There are a lot of bands with their own unique sound, and that creates interesting shows here in Atlanta.
TJ: There are so many different and fun places to play, and some good promoters in the city that are willing to give a young band a shot.
AF: What inspired “Daily Dose?” What was the writing process like?
NM: I wrote the main riff on a bass guitar and wouldn’t stop playing it until the rest of the band joined in. It developed into this really funny jam and it kind of has this Jekyll and Hyde thing going on with the verses and the choruses being one and the end being a faster different feel.
AF: What’s your goal, moving forward? You’ve already toured the country, opened for Bon Jovi, and released an EP and two full-length LPs. What’s next?
NM: I think for us it’s always going to be to keep creating and pushing ourselves to be a face for rock ’n roll music. If we can inspire someone to pick up a guitar or drumsticks, then it’s all worth it for us.
TJ: I want to get a big corporate sponsorship, like Olive Garden or something.
Brooklyn punk quartet Shybaby add a personal touch to everything they do – and their raw, DIY aesthetic makes their live shows a must-see. That’s why we’ve invited them to play our AudioFemme Holiday Party alongside Grim Streaker and PC Worship. It happens tonight at Alphaville in Bushwick, but to get the festivities started early, we’re pleased to premiere the video for Shybaby’s newest track, “When You Were Here.”
The song and its accompanying video are both scrappy affairs, with a hint of glam thrown in for good measure. Dueling vocalsists Grace Eire and Tess Moreland howl back and forth over the raucous drumming of Charlie McGrath and the roiling bass of Ben Hansen. The clip itself takes on YouTube makeup tutorials, envisioned by writer/producer/videographer and friend of the band Molly Mary O’Brien. “[She] reached out with this idea and I was like, yeah! She wanted to mess with the whole beauty blogger thing, just with no mirrors and no plan,” explains Eire. Of course, it’s no simple feat to apply glitter and lipstick without the aid of a reflective surface, so the results are a mixed bag. “It was super fun!” Eire says. “The best part is how pretty Ben and Charlie are.”
No idea what look they’ll cop for the show tonight, but our party is a don’t miss! Check out Shybaby’s video below, and we’ll see you at Alphaville!
Patterns of Chaos is a Cincinnati hip hop trio creating positive and sometimes head-banging hip-hop emphasizing heavily conscious messages about to bless your life. Cellist and rapper Christoph “Toph” Sassmannshaus, producer Alexander “Stallitix” Stallings and rapper Jay Hill met at Off Tha Block Mondays, a collaborative hip-hop showcase that Stallitix launched at The Mockbee. The group has had a busy year, releasing their latest album Freedom in June and brand new single “Sleep Paralysis” last week. Right now, they’re gearing up for some big things in 2019, including a monthly residency at Revel OTR Urban Winery, a collaborative studio networking effort they’ve named the Nervous System and another full-length project. Here, get to know the guys, their album and what to expect next year.
AF: So the single that you just released, “Sleep Paralysis,” came about really organically; can you tell me more about that?
T: We all record at my house—I have a studio set up where everything can be recorded constantly all the time. [Alex] was making a beat, I was making a bass line, Jay was writing a rap and then Gabi (Ladi Tajo) just started singing and we were like, ‘Get in front of the microphone!’ So she got in front of the microphone and jammed for like ten minutes.
J: I actually wrote like the first eight bars of that verse before that night. It was about self-preservation, but in a healthy way, as in trying not to waste myself. It’s basically like what sleep paralysis feels like—you’re just watching it unfold.
A: It’s a smooth song, but it has a very cryptic theme to it. I think sleep paralysis is something anybody over the age of 18 has dealt with, and like figuring out what it is to be an adult. Feeling like you’ve got to make an impact on the world, but also loving thyself.
AF: Your album Freedom came out this year – what were some of your inspirations going into the album and what were some of the messages you were trying to convey?
A: We’re different people, but we have similar stories. I think our approach was we were trying to speak a story to people in high school, where you have all these different friends—there’s the nerd, the gamer, the cool one—but in that same breath you still feel alone. Our second song, “Amorphous,” came from how you can fit into all these constructs and yet nobody can put you in a box. And then also dealing with problems of the past that keep coming up, like racism.
J: Systematic oppression—we were born into this war that we have no choice but to participate in and it’s already my kid’s problem—and I don’t have kids! And I think it’s really weird how a lot of the world’s issues are based on millennials and they try to blame us for things that we’re not even old enough to influence because that’s just not how the government works. Watching this all happen again, after they told us these exact issues were solved when we were young—it’s kind of a shock. Being told you can do anything, you can be anything, and then accessing the Internet like, ‘These motherfuckers lied to me!’ More than anything, I feel angry. Feeling like we shouldn’t have had to worry about it—thought it was dead gone and forgotten.
AF: That theme definitely shines through the song “MMM.” Do you guys each have a favorite song off the record?
A: “Free Your Body Your Mind” because I get to push more buttons.
T: My favorites are probably “Amorphous” because of Gabi and “32 Love” because I like bars.
AF: Toph, when did you learn how to play the cello?
T: I’ve been classically trained and I’ve been playing classical music for most of my life. About two years ago I was going to shows while I was in music school and seeing these really experimental acts and one day I saw somebody make loops and somebody else rap over it and my mind was blown. I was like, ‘I want to do that!’ So I got an electric cello and a looper pedal and I started making beats.
Credit: Patterns of Chaos
AF: Very cool. Where did the idea for the monologue at the end of “Let’s Talk Freedom” come from?
T: It’s kind of our thing to have a little break where Alex can talk because I get to talk, Jay gets to talk, so it gives him the floor. And he used to do spoken word.
A: Yeah, back in Sacramento I was part of a youth [poetry] slam team, Brave New Voices. When I came out here I started making beats and stuff like that; they’re trying to get me back into it.
AF: You should! It adds a unique texture. Who are some of your musical influences?
J: Kanye, but also Das Racist is my favorite group ever. Rage Against the Machine. Utada Hikaru, she’s a Japanese singer. I like her music, it’s healing.
AF: Who are some artists you’d love to collaborate with?
T: “Weird Al” Yankovic [laughs]. We’ve been trying to collab with every Cincinnati artist.
Credit: Patterns of Chaos
AF: You guys have a single in the works. What else is coming up?
T: We have a bunch of unreleased music in the works.
AF: Are you looking at releasing a full project in 2019?
T: Yeah, we’re looking at a full project and we’ve got some music videos coming out.
A: And we’re doing a few shows in California in January in San Francisco, L.A. and Sacramento.
AF: Cool! So what can fans expect from you guys next year in terms of shows out here?
T: Costumes!
J: We’re gonna make the shows a bit more showman-like.
AF: Matching costumes? Maybe capes?
T: I don’t see why we couldn’t do capes.
J: Picture The Incredibles on stage.
A: No capes!
T: It’s two against one, so we’re gonna come out with capes [laughing].
J: We’re gonna up the showmanship while maintaining the rawness of the music. Just a little sugar to go with the medicine, without decreasing the potency of what we are trying to say.
Jan Terri is the original DIY music queen. Although she started off as a drummer, Jan quickly began a prolific career in songwriting. Her tracks come in a variety of genres: rock, jazz, pop, country. Jan’s music also spans across a wide range of emotions, from the sentimental “Losing You,” to her funky Halloween number “Get Down Goblin,” to the angry rock ballad “Skyrockets.” Before the internet broke, Jan was filming video after video on VHS; by the time YouTube was created, Jan was already a legend.
Jan brings JoJo to meet Santa for the first time! (All photos courtesy of Jan Terri)
The first time I corresponded with Jan Terri was several years ago, when I asked her if she wanted to play a show with my band Sharkmuffin while we were touring the west coast. She wasn’t playing out at the time, but we ended up having a long chat in which her famous sense of humor came out. I learned about a few of Jan’s favorite things, such as “the 3 c’s: corgis, cognac, and corndogs.” Jan jokes that she used to be 5’9” but that she lost her height in a slot machine (a joke I plan on stealing). Although she enjoys California, where she currently resides, she’s an east-coaster at heart and prefers the hotdogs, pizza, and cheesesteaks of the east to the tacos and burritos of the west. She is looking forward to seeing the new Mary Poppins movie this holiday season.
Jan and The Ghost of Christmas Past: The Late, Great Denny
Jan’s dog Denny made some appearances in her music videos and I was sad to hear Denny passed away in the spring. However, I was happy to see Jan adopted a new furbaby named JoJo. Jan is currently working on a musical tribute to her late buddy, Denny, and plans on donating the proceeds to The Vanderpump Dog Foundation. A friend of Jan’s is also compiling a biography of Jan’s life. Hopefully, Jan will be doing a book tour through our parts in the near future!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Ng1HbOAKs
AF: How did you get into music?
JT: Well, my grandfather was a musician and he used to play drums on Tin Pan Alley and he used to go around the neighborhood teaching the kids to play drums. And my dad played sax, so at 8 years old, I tried to play the sax. But I couldn’t play the sax very well, and I liked playing the drums, so that was my first instrument.
AF: When did you start writing your own music?
JT: Probably right around 10 years old. I wrote a song for the LA Thunderbirds. They were a roller-skating team. And I liked John Wayne, so I wrote a song for him called “Big Jack.”
AF: And what was your first song called?
JT: “Never Gonna Get Ya Off My Mind (Even If You Want A Divorce)”
AF: So, you said you write your own melodies and lyrics for your music, and then you have someone else write the guitar parts for you?
JT: I used to take it to the studio. I would have the music in my head and they would write it how I described it. It’s sort of like taking a letter to the secretary, and then the secretary takes what you wrote and types it up. So that’s how they’re done.
AF: I noticed in a lot of your music videos, you have some of the same people featured. Are those friends of yours or did you hire them as actors?
JT: I used to get my nails and hair done by them and they wanted to be in the videos, so I started letting them go in the videos. Then they were complaining, “There are too many videos, we don’t want to be in them anymore!” And then when I stopped having them in videos they were screaming, “We want to be in more videos!” I live in California now and they are back in Chicago though so I don’t even see them anymore.
AF: Does the same person film most of your music videos?
JT: My friend Mike did a lot of them. He’s an orthopedic pediatrician now so he doesn’t have time anymore. He just did it on the side.
AF: You grew up in Chicago. Did you have any pets growing up?
JT: Yeah, I had pets. I had doggies. And I used to ride a horse in Michigan. My family is from the east coast. My accent is South Philly, South Jersey, Brooklyn (not the Bronx), and a splash of Boston. And in Philadelphia, I prefer Pat’s steak sandwiches versus Gino’s. You know, those two across the street from each other.
Jan Horsing Around
AF: Denny (RIP) starred in some of your old music videos. When did you adopt Denny?
JT: Me and my mom were living in an apartment and just before we were going to move into a condo, somebody had seen Denny in a newspaper. So I called the lady and she brought Denny over and my mom loved Denny, so we got Denny. Then the lady was supposed to come the next week but that was around Hurricane Katrina, so we know his birthday was somewhere around that time, we just don’t know the exact date. My friend’s birthday is January 5th so he always said “that’s our birthday”—his and Denny’s. That’s when we would celebrate.
Love at first sight: Jan and Denny
AF: Did Denny have a favorite song of yours that he would perk up to when you played?
JT: No, he liked all the music. He loved baseball. He loved The Cubs. When we came out to California, he loved The Dodgers. And he loved politics. You know that old commercial “When Jay Hutton Talks, Everybody Listens”?Well, when the President talked, he was right by the bed by the TV set.
AF: When did you adopt JoJo?
JT: I just got JoJo in March. Denny died on March 15th; the same day as my dad’s birthday, and I got JoJo that Saturday. So, it would have been around March 23rd. And then the next day he had to go to the vet to get snip-snipped so I could take him home that Monday.
JoJo all dressed up and ready for cuddles!
AF: And you said JoJo is two years old?
JT: Yeah. I got him when he was two years old. And if you go on Amazon.com they have the doggy DNA test now. I swabbed his mouth, cut a little piece of his hair, put it in the envelope, and sent it in. Within two weeks, they sent it back in to tell me what he is. And he is Havanese, Shih Tzu, Schnauzer, Poodle, and Cocker-Spaniel.
AF: He’s very cute. What’s his personality like?
Cute little JoJo
JT: Oh, he’s very nice. He’s trained as a service dog so he knows when my blood sugar is kinda high so I can check on it. And he got to see Santa.
AF: Do you have an organization that you could recommend that you adopt from?
JT: Well, I have to go back to the studio to finish “Denny’s Song” and that money will be going to Lisa Vanderpump for her rescue dogs through the The Vanderpump Dog Foundation. Because my dog Denny loved Lisa Vanderpump. He got to meet her at one of her rescue dog day events in LA and while he was there he had his shades on and they took pictures of him. Denny wound up with 5 minutes of fame in Vanderpump Rules.
Denny and Jan meet Lisa Vanderpump at a fundraiser event for rescue dogs
AF: Well, he also found fame through your music videos. Denny’s death was mourned nationwide.
JT: Also in Chicago he was on Channel 50. It was on a green screen and it said “Denny from Chicago likes…” and being Havanese, he was Cuban, so he loved Judge Milian. He loved her. Especially when she spoke Spanish. He would sit there right at the TV like “yeah yeah yeah yeah!” Yes, I am going to try to run in 2024 for President.
AF: And are you going to have JoJo on your campaign team?
JoJo and Jan ready for some rays
JT: Of course JoJo will be on the campaign. Yup.
AF: Does JoJo have the same political flare as Denny did?
Jan and JoJo in the Holiday Spirit
JT: JoJo could care less about politics. JoJo could care less about baseball. JoJo could care less about TV. He’ll watch a little TV, but he’s not like Denny. Denny was your political dog. And he loved Beverly Hills. I don’t know why anyone loves Beverly Hills, but he did. His favorite store was Connor Mayes. It’s a jewelry store.
Mr. Hollywood checks out the Beverly Hills bling-bling
AF: What did he like to get there?
JT: I don’t know. He just liked walking around the store, looking at the bling-bling.
AF: He was fancy. I remember his outfit in the “Skyrockets” music video.
JT: Yeah, that was his birthday present. He got a Hollywood t-shirt. His was cool. It was black and pink. But his favorite color was blue. This guy JoJo’s got a suit, and I’m taking Denny’s tuxedo photo and making a picture collage with the 2 of them next to each other.
AF: Are there any upcoming songs, videos, or shows we should keep an eye out for?
JT: As soon as I can get back into the studio to do the lyrics and singing for Denny’s tribute song, then that will be out. My friend in Chicago is also working on my biography, so I am not sure when that will be released. But it’s coming along.
Denny’s last New Year’s Eve Celebration
AF: Will you be swinging through the east coast on your book tour?
JT: Oh, heck yeah! I’m gonna get my steak sandwich and get my pizza and get my hot dog with mustard and French fries on top. California doesn’t make good pizza.
AF: Are your songs autobiographical or are they written for a persona or character?
Jan Terri for President in 2024
JT: They’re a character. I am a character. Through the IRS, I’m listed as a character. And I’ve written the first song about the IRS. No one writes songs about the IRS.
AF: Any advice you can give artists trying to pursue a career in music?
JT: Just that when you go into the studio, you’re going to hear a lot of “no, no, no.” Just ignore that “no, no, no.” That’s what they did to me. Cause I was going in as a songwriter and brought them Baby Blues. There was some jazz, some country, some rock. Each song on the album was for a different market. They said I couldn’t do that. So, I said “well, I’m not with you guys.” I can do what I want. It’s not because we’re women. It’s because the record industry has different rules and mentality. Sometimes they try to say you’re too young. You know, when I first started out they said “you’re too young to go in the country direction” then later they said “you’re too old now.” Now they want people that they can make more into a Justin Bieber type or Ariana Grande. They pick a style and then they want cookie cutter artists. But not everyone likes that type of music. I write songs to make people feel good. Maybe one song will be sort of hip-hop. Maybe it will be a rock number. Maybe it will be a country number. I want a little of something for everyone. I try to write songs so that everybody can come to my shows and have a good time and forget about the bad stuff for a while. I try to see if we can keep the cost down for my shows. It’s ridiculous what some of these stars charge to see them perform. The whole idea is for people to like the music and have the chance to enjoy it. I’ve had a couple people tell me they get bullied in school and then they come home and listen to my music and it makes them feel better, which I thought was pretty nice. A lot of people say “you know, if you don’t win a Grammy or you don’t win an Oscar, you’re nothing.” It’s not true. There’s a lot of good musicians out there who don’t do political stuff. We were just watching Wendy Williams and Ice Cube never won one of those. If you’re being nice to people, who cares about it?
Ticket Giveaways
Each week Audiofemme gives away a set of tickets to our featured shows in NYC! Scroll down to enter for the following shindigs.
