Deitra Magazine: Issue 13

TA M A R A S T Y E R editor@deitramag.com

DEITRA MAGAZINE STAFF ASSISTANT EDITOR / PHOTOGRAPHER CHARLES GOODIN BEAUTY EDITOR KRISTEN LENTZ FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHER MATT LOVELAND PHOTOGRAPHER LESLIE TUCKER ISSUE 13 CONTRIBUTORS FASHION STYLIST MAKEUP ARTIST MAKEUP ARTIST MAKEUP ARTIST

LACOMA JEFFERSON-BASS ASHLEY COIN CORYN DIONE CLARK JESSICA JANEAN

DEITRA RUNWAY BEAUTY DIRECTOR FASHION DIRECTOR FASHION STYLIST WARDROBE MANAGER WARDROBE ASSISTANT MAKEUP LEAD MODEL COORDINATOR ACCESSORIES DESIGNER ASSISTANT TO THE EDITOR PROMOTIONS

KRISTEN LENTZ LACOMA JEFFERSON-BASS TINA MCLEAN LESLIE TUCKER CAT RINALDI ASHLEY COIN MEGAN LEMON AJ BLANTON ELISABETH SYKES BECCA DOSS

DEITRA PRODUCTIONS PRODUCTION MANAGER PRODUCTION LEAD PRODUCTION ASSISTANT PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

ROBERT PIPER CHARLES GOODIN MATT LOVELAND BECCA DOSS

RUNWAY STYLISTS KASI SCOTT-BEDELL CORYN DIONE CLARK KORRISSA DENNY SARAH RAE NICHOLE GAROUTTE JAIMIE SANDERS BROOK SCHACHER SAVANNA VANZYVERDEN

Deitra Magazine is published by Deitra LLC. COPYRIGHT 2017. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

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World-traveling photographer local to the four-state area, specializing in model, boudoir, wedding, maternity, birth & newborn photography.

Mandie Dawson Owner 417-316-0497 www.momentsbymandie.com MomentsbyMandiePhotography@gmail.com momentsbymandiephotography

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JENNIFER VAUGHN IS A skilled seamstress who does all kinds of alterations and mending. “I can make everything from leggings to wedding dresses,” says Vaughn, “and I like to do men’s suits and vests, too.”

This photo, modeled by Alexis Clark and Morgan Spilmen, features a wedding ceremony dress and reception dress in one (left), as well as a feminine lace romper (right), both designed by Vaughn. “The white one has a full tulle skirt with a sequin long sleeve bodice, and the skirt comes off to reveal the top is actually a short dress,” she explains. “The ivory romper has an A-line skirt and the fabric feature 3D flowers.”

Vaughn is currenlty working on her tableau display which will be featured at the Springfield Art Museum’s 99x: Gilded Coast Glamour event, alongside many area artists, designers and trendsetters. She is always accepting new clients and projects, and can be reached via phone, email or social media.

Jennifer Vaughn Owner 417-236-2262 gweniverv@gmail.com SewItAllByJ

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funk tank EVERYWHERE YOU GO IN the 417, people have been talking about Funk Tank. Ten-piece bands are a rare sight anywhere, but it’s their original dance music that has everyone abuzz. We sat down with “the Tank” to learn more.

Deitra Mag: First of all, congratulations on winning the video contest!

Funk Tank: Thank you! For any of your readers who missed it, we won a fan voting contest on Facebook and now the guys over at Video Dudes are making us a free music video.

It’s put a real spring in our step!

DM: Since your band showed up on the scene, a lot of people have been talking about funk music.

What exactly is Funk?

FT: Funk arose from 1960s R&B. It’s similar, but funk bands often groove on the same chords for a whole song and keep it interesting by weaving together varying rhythmic patterns.

DM: How did you get into this style?

FT: For several of us, this was the music we grew up on! Earth Wind & Fire, Chaka Khan, Prince… we could go on and on. Some of us found funk through horn-heavy ensembles like marching band or jazz band.

Q: So, you all come from formal music?

FT: In some respects yes. Everyone in Funk Tank has a background in band, choir or orchestra. But some of the folks in our band are also veterans of the local music scene, and their training has been just as valuable.

DM: What do you learn by working that you don’t learn in formal classes?

FT: A lot of the music business side. Academic music emphasizes performance, which is great, but we also have to manage our calendars, make good decisions with promoters and venues, advertise for our shows.

There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work in a band of our size before we even get to writing and rehearsing!

DM: And you write all original music?

FT: That’s correct. We definitely enjoy other people’s songs, and because of that, all of us are deeply interested in adding something to the dialogue of popular music. We’re actually in the recording studio this week!

Custom color with durable, scorch resistant surfaces (up to 500 degrees). You can make your design dreams a reality for a third of the price of granite with Surfaces by Becca.

Becca Doss Owner 417-257-3574 beccadoss@hotmail.com surfacesbybecca

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DM: So as popular music goes, I see that you’ve met some popular touring bands?

FT: Definitely! We got to open for Afroman earlier this year – so much fun. We’re doing another Springfield show with Groovement later this year, and we’re also doing our first weekend festival this September at MoLov3, down near Joplin.

DM: So, when can we see you play?

FT: Catch us August 19th at the Outland Ballroom; we’ll be there with Kinky Cabaret supporting Naughty Professor. The following weekend on August 25th we’re at Lindberg’s for the Queen City Shout Music Festival, so come on down to C-Street and help fight poverty and homelessness! DM Funk Tank performs Saturday, August 19th at Outland Ballroom, Friday August 25th at Lindberg’s Tavern and Saturday, September 8th at MoLov3 Festival. Funk Tank is Ben Bicklein (drums), Andrew Clark (saxophone), Cassidy Clingan (vocals), Marcus Handy (vocals), Devin Hughes (percussion), Derek Minich (trombone), Jerod Owen (bass), Eric Schrantz (trumpet), Dan Weinhaus (guitar/ vocals), Ryan Woodhouse (keyboard/sax).

Find them online at facebook.com/funktankmusic.

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MODEL AND ENTREPRENEUR Emma Elliott graciously allowed Deitra to use her vintage clothing collection for two different fashion spreads in this issue: “Beauty & Decay” and “The Art of Despair.” Her vast collection lent a sophisticated and haunting vibe to the spreads in this issue. Here, Elliott answers our questions about her unique pieces and her life-long passion for vintage fashion.

Deitra Mag: What started your love for vintage clothing?

Emma Elliott: Since I was a toddler all I ever wanted to wear was dresses. The girlier the better, which usually meant a lot of bows, and frills. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up so my mom and sister and I would thrift shop a lot, and I always gravitated towards the older styles, just because of how feminine they were!

DM: How did you come across these pieces?

EE: The fur coat is a family heirloom from my great aunt, and the rest of the pieces were bought at various flea markets, estate sales and online.

DM: How long did it take you to build your vintage clothing collection?

DM: How do you spot a great vintage piece?

EE: I’ve been collecting vintage clothing for about 7 years.

EE: At this point I’ve got a pretty good eye for one of a kind vintage pieces, but I always try to do some research before making a big purchase to get a little history on the piece.

DM: How do you imagine this clothing should be incorporated into modern wardrobes?

DM: What piece of vintage clothing do you wish you had?

EE: I like to incorporate at least one vintage piece into my outfit daily, that way I am always rocking a one-of-a-kind look. It can be as simple as wrapping a 1960’s scarf in my hair, a pair of 1940’s gloves, or something more glamorous like a 1920’s beaded dress paired with my favorite heels! The good thing about mixing your current wardrobe with vintage is that you can stay on trend, but still look unique!

One of the many shift dresses designed by Mary Quant that Twiggy modeled in the 1960’s!

Preferably one with an exaggerated collar. Ooh! Or the 1960’s pink Lilli Ann coat with fur trim.

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DM: What was your favorite part about being featured in this issue of Deitra?

EE: Getting to model with my best friend, Cassandra Lamb in Joplin! The skeleton photoshoot was really fun too because I got to showcase my beautiful vintage pieces in a really unique and artistic way. I like to think about where all of these clothes have been, and the set up that we had for the skeleton shoot really did them the justice they deserved.

deitra c Beauty Editor / Beauty Director

“Deitra means allowing myself and others to creatively express a new side of each of us, to explore or expand on new ideas and reach the community in fun ways.”

FAVORITE ISSUE 13 MOMENT: It’s always a tough part to choose a favorite. The Joplin photo shoot (page 20) was fun because I got to work with wonderful girls I hadn’t worked much with at the time, to find different ways of styling hair in abandoned places, and most of all because it’s my hometown area. The “Skeleton’s Warming Themselves” shoot (page 36) was also fun because I got to help create full images from top to bottom, whereas, I’m typically just hair and sometimes makeup. I love constantly being pushed out of the box!

FAVORITE ARCADE GAME: As a kid, I remember going to the laundry mat with my dad, and always getting to play Pac-Man. Even on the Atari, I played a ton of that, Space Invaders and Quigley.

kristen

Facebook: Kristen At Salon Plus Instagram: @k_stylist_lentz

Feature Photographer / Production Assistant “The opportunities I’ve gotten through Deitra have been awesome.

Nowadays I’m recognized for being a featured photographer for Deitra, but there’s so much more. Not only have I gotten to work with some of the area’s finest models, musicians and artists, I’ve grown a great connection with them to a point where I’m glad to call many of them my friends. It has given me great opportunities for growth, and I can’t thank Deitra enough for providing me a platform to express myself as an artist.

It has been so much fun being with Deitra for nearly five years and I cannot wait to see what other opportunities await us!”

FAVORITE ISSUE 13 MOMENT: While dirtying up skulls with Charles was fun (page 36), my favorite part was doing the Joplin photo shoot (page 20). It was a blast trying out an idea I had been wanting to do for a while. We were working in dilapidated buildings, no electricity and risking possible trespassing charges. It was definitely one of the most exciting Deitra projects! And that day couldn’t have ended better - beer and pizza at Blackthorn’s with Emma and Cass still looking glamorous from shooting all day!

FAVORITE RECORD ON VINYL: I’d have to say Greatest Stories Live by Harry Chapin, released in 1976. Chapin’s music is a special connection between me and my dad. There have been plenty of times he and I have sung every song on that album, word for word, note for note.

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Facebook: Matt Loveland Photography Instagram: @the_old_soul

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Assistant Editor / Photographer / Production Lead “Deitra is what happens when a bunch of ultra-creative people who have been forced to appease the aggressively mediocre tastes of the public at large finally get a chance to let their abilities off the leash. It’s basically Lord of the Flies minus the tragic, calamitous ending (we hope).”

FAVORITE ISSUE 13 MOMENT: My favorite part was using a bag of mud from Matt Loveland’s yard to age the skulls for the skeletons shoot (page 36). Literally anyone outside of Deitra would have assumed we were performing some sort of arcane voodoo ritual, but for us it was just another day at the office.

FAVORITE ARTIST: Aside from James Ensor, whose opus inspired the skeleton shoot, my favorite painter is probably Van Gogh. I know it sounds cliche, but I’ve always gotten a sense of quiet desperation from his work that appeals to the darker parts of my psyche.

charles

Facebook: Charles Goodin Instagram: @charles.goodin SnapChat: charles.goodin Twitter: @CharlesDGoodin

Photographer / Wardrobe Manager “Deitra has been a wonderful creative outlet as well as a learning experience for me. Deitra has given me opportunities to work in fields that I never thought I’d work in, for example, I’ve been helping with coordinating their fashion shows. Not only is Deitra THE source for art, music and fashion in the 417 area, Deitra is also a family who loves and supports each other in everyone’s creative endeavors.”

FAVORITE ISSUE 13 MOMENT: The best part for me was helping to introduce Deitra to my friend Dorian Dolore and having my photography featured (page 82).

FAVORITE RECORD ON VINYL: Without a doubt, the Type O Negative vinyl box set from Roadrunner Records.

Facebook: Leslie Tucker - Photography Instagram: @lezlijean

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IN LIGHT OF THE fact that I’ve never been interviewed in my own magazine, I asked the Deitra Crew to send some questions my way.

Noting that we have a running list of “Things Heard at Deitra,” involving many unsavory excerpts from the louche world behind the scenes of Deitra photo shoots and fashion shows, I shouldn’t be surprised by the questions I received. True to the spirit of our wisecracking, often lecherous and entertainingly macabre team, what accumulated in my inbox were questions that would make your mama blush. And since my own sweet mother will be reading this, what follows are the few questions that made the Editor’s Cut. Perhaps we will release the unabridged version at a later time...

desk have to be organized or I can’t even think straight. You know what they say: “Clean desk, clean mind.” Is that right? Often times I work in silence, but when I do listen to music, I love Spotify or iTunes. I usually listen to whatever playlist I’m putting together for the runway show, or I listen to the local artists I’m writing about in the mag. Most of this particular issue was designed and written while listening to Band of Horses. Infinite Arms and Everything All The Time are two of my favorite albums for zoning in on work. I work alone and completely immerse myself in the process of putting each page together, hour by hour looking more and more like Gollum staring at a computer screen. And then when it’s all buttoned up and perfected, I cry. I sob like a maniac from sheer joy and exhaustion.

Deitra Crew: What is different about this issue of Deitra?

TS: This question made me laugh. Though thinking back about that time in my life is no laughing matter. The anguish I felt knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my life and not knowing how to begin was brutal. I remember going through several names attempting to encompass my vision. Perhaps a French word would embody all of the creativity and passion I wanted to express. But nothing really hit the mark until one day it finally came to me. Deitra is a nickname that my father always called me when I was growing up. He doesn’t know why to this day, but it finally dawned on me that, though I wanted to create an outlet for fellow underdog creatives, this magazine was really about me. Deitra represents that agonized part of me that is an unrecognized artist. I grew up in a music family, my dad and brother both accomplished musicians and all of us singers. My parents met at a concert in the 70s where my dad was on stage at a gig. My mom was in the crowd, checking out that long-haired guitar dude. And the rest is history.

They’ve been together 41 years and raised two over-achieving tortured artists. Once I landed on the name Deitra, I somehow stopped fretting about the “right” way to start a magazine, and I just went for it. It’s all about breaking the rules and carving a new path.

Tamara Styer: This is definitely the biggest issue we’ve ever done. We also got to feature more fashion than ever, an amazing collection of vintage gowns as well as a local up-and-coming designer.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about point of view, and how to stay true to my own vision for Deitra while combining that with the visions of other people working on the magazine with me. I can say from experience that it’s easy to step on each other’s toes. However, this issue in particular shows a great deal of continuity, and that with the largest scale collaborations we’ve ever done. There’s a great deal of respect and admiration that goes into working together on this magazine, and that kind of work environment is what I have always strived for. As the magazine grows, and as my team gets stronger, I have seen exponential changes in the pages of the magazine and the demeanor of our time working together. I’m working with the best team I’ve ever had, and their creativity and masterful skills are apparent. This is definitely our sexiest and most grown-up issue yet.

DC: Do you have any rituals when working on the magazine?

While designing and writing previous issues, I would usually pour up a glass of wine (i.e. two bottles or so) and settle into my Captain’s Chair, which is what I call my amazingly comfortable leather office chair. For this issue, I replaced my beloved vino with lots and lots of French press coffee. Another idiosyncrasy: I have to have clean surroundings to be able to focus. Especially my office and

DC: What is your favorite part of working on an issue?

TS: I love every aspect of putting together an issue, but I might love photo shoots the most. The process of coming up with an idea in my mind and then turning it into a reality is addictive. In this issue, each photographer brought their own unique vision, so it was challenging and motivating to make all of their ideas come to life, both in the planning stages and while designing the pages of the magazine.

DC: Before Deitra was born, what were some names that were considered for the magazine?

DC: What do you do in your time off?

I love to cook! I love to garden! I love anything that has to do with water. In my new hometown of Branson, Missouri, we have a beautiful lake called Table Rock, and I love swimming, kayaking and dreaming about boating! Another one of my favorite things to do on a day off is to drive around and explore the many unseen places in the Ozarks. I also love challenging my body, and this year I’ve taken up tennis. My boyfriend (also a long-haired dude) and I play late at night like a couple of vampires dressed in all black, of course. It has been the best way to get my mind off of editing after a long day in the office. And I always, without fail, end my night - that’s early morning for most folks - with a searing hot bath accompanied by some form of streaming TV. DC: Feeling superstitious about this issue?

Indeed. We’ve been calling this one Lucky #13. I can feel some good juju in the air. This entire process of growing the magazine has been surrounded by extreme positivity, support and love. I can’t thank my Deitra Crew enough, as well as our contributors for this issue and the countless people who help put together our Deitra Fashion Shows and the always amazing Issue Release Parties. I couldn’t be more grateful for the people who consistently breathe into my dream. (Commence sobbing now.)

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FASHION DESIGNER JOSEPH PYATT is making a name for himself in the arts scene of Springfield, Missouri. He’s the first independent designer Deitra Magazine has showcased on our runway. His fashion label Lavelles is smart and confident - the right combination of sexy and feminine that every woman wants to feel when she wears any garment.

At just 21 years old, Pyatt is thoughtfully mature in his design, every piece painted with his poignant point of view. The posterchild for the up-and-coming creative professionals of the new generation, he is a pleasure to work with both professionally and personally. The gowns Pyatt designed for this shoot were planned out months in advance - as well as the hair and makeup, as he also creates the most gorgeous updos - and that work ethic continued throughout the photo shoot where Pyatt displayed his ability to direct, style and fully communicate his vision. Deitra Mag got the chance to talk with Pyatt about how he got his start in fashion design, his creative rituals and where he plans on taking his career.

Deitra Mag: What started your love for your fashion?

Joseph Pyatt: My grandma Wilma. She taught me how to sew and my dreams began to flourish after that. She taught me everything I know from simple hand sewing to the basics of machine sewing. Also my high school art teacher inspired me to become a designer because she pushed me out of my comfort zone. She is the first person who I believe saw my true potential. When I sew, I feel like a piece of my grandmother lives on through me.

DM: Who influences you to design?

JP: Sherri Hill, Dior, Hayley Paige and Leanne Marshall.

DM: What is your first memory of designing? Or what is the first thing you designed?

JP: I remember designing a simple dress for my sister in high school. It was the ugliest thing, looking back now, and she wore it to school. I was mortified.

DM: What is your design process?

JP: I guess I really don’t have a design process; it just really comes to me. My mind to my product is really all I do.

DM: What is your point of view as a designer?

JP: To always make my models feel beautiful and confident in my creation.

DM: Who do you imagine is the woman you’re designing for? What does she do and where is she going?

JP: A confident woman who is not afraid to show off a little skin.

Either a party or a formal dance/event.

DM: What is your ultimate goal for your label, Lavelles?

JP: My ultimate goal would be to someday open my own custom shop for evening and special occasion gowns, and make it into a company with multiple employees.

DM: How do your friends and family show their support?

JP: One of the big reasons I do what I do, is because of the support of my family, friends and amazing hometown. Everybody is always so amazing and proud of the things I create, and that gives me a sense of accomplishment. They are my biggest fans!

DM: What personal challenges have you faced while pursuing your dream of becoming a designer?

DM: Do you have any rituals before you design something?

JP: To get where I am today I have overcome the challenge of my anxiety, which hindered my opportunities to display my pieces and take full pride of what I have created. My anxiety has also limited me on the way I make a piece. For instance, I would try to make a piece more conservative if I was afraid to offend anyone.

JP: I mostly sew at night because that is when I believe myself to be creative. I have to find my zone, so I listen to music and become more inspired.

DM: How did you overcome your anxiety, and how do you think artists such as yourself should approach being their authentic self instead of pandering to the views of others?

DM: What kind of music do you listen to while you’re designing?

JP: Overcoming my anxiety is still a work in progress, but I’ve come a long way thanks to support from my friends and family. I’ve come to notice that you decide the outcome of your art, you can create something never seen before but you have to apply 100% of your individuality into it!

JP: I go from fun and upbeat music to sad love songs whatever I feel like listing to that day. I listen to Jon Bellion’s album, The Human Condition, Selena Gomez, Sia... I love Sia, her voice is so raw and different.

DM: What was your inspiration behind this collection?

JP: Simplicity and movement. The touch and feel of the fabric has a lot to do with the design and outcome of the piece. Also Leanne Marshall (winner of Season 5 Project Runway) was a major influence to the newest pieces I have created.

DM: What was your favorite part about being featured in this issue of Deitra?

JP: The experience of checking a major accomplishment and opportunity off my bucket list.

Follow Joseph Pyatt on Instagram @JosephPyatt and see his latest designs at @Lavelles_Design.

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THIS YEAR’S 99 TIMES event at the Springfield Art Museum will be a night of opulence and glamour. Guests will indulge in food, drinks and music, while enjoying art tableau displays created by several local artists, fashion designers and more. It’s an event that you won’t want to miss, acting as an outreach to the local art community as well as a fundraiser to help the art museum do what it does best.

The Springfield Art Museum will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2018. This important staple in the local arts scene has been collecting art for almost 100 years. One of the concerns they have is how to preserve and care for this work into the next 100 years and make sure it’s available to audiences in the next generation. Part of that plan is implemented through conservation and preservation work.

“The idea for this event sprung out of that,” says Development and Marketing Coordinator Joshua Best. “If we do this event 99 times, we are caring for the collection for the next 99 years. And it’s also what makes it so interesting because the party theme is always intimately tied to an object at the museum. Something that has a life and a history, but also an educational purpose, and so by supporting this event, people are actually supporting our exhibitions, they’re supporting our educational programs. It’s one night of revelry, but it has a lasting impact on our visitors for years to come.”

Set for September 30, the 99x: Gilded Coast Glamour event will be a costumed evening inspired

by Luminist painter John Frederick Kensett and the glamour of Gilded Age Newport. As guests eat, drink and dance the night away, they will encounter illuminated coastal murals and enter living art tableaus featuring modern takes on the historic interiors of Newport’s radiant mansions.

The annual 99 Times event is both an answer to the museum’s funding needs as well as a much needed outreach to the local arts scene and the previously untapped younger generation.

Joshua Best started working at Springfield Art Museum in December of 2015. Before that, he did museum and arts fundraising work for years in both Chicago and New York City. He then left that world and went back to school to get his Masters in teaching.

“I’m actually one credit away from doing it,” he says. “I don’t even know that I’ll finish now because

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this position opened up and the stars aligned.”

In 2014, Museum Director Nick Nelson wanted to gain the attention of a younger, contemporary audience. With that in mind, they came up with the first version of the 99 Times party, which was a fashion show.

“I think it was a big challenge because this was a brand new initiative for the museum in 2014,” says Best. “They carried it off and it was really successful in the fact that it got younger people into the museum. It got people into the museum who had never been here before and got them excited about something that the museum was doing. And that traditionally hasn’t been the case. The museum has been kind of like a guarded jewel box.

The following year, the museum put its efforts into finding someone who could market the museum to a more targeted audience, and bring a new generation into the fold through new and relevant ideas. The stars aligned indeed when they found Best.

“I love my job,” says Best. “I actually do! Obviously New York City was a lot different. It’s a different pace and scale and scope of work, but at the same time I was never a decision maker. I was always an assistant or something like that. Here, I get to set the direction for our marketing and our fundraising efforts, and there really is no substitute for [that]. This is a completely different gig. And I love it.”

What Best is doing for the museum and the arts community is precisely what local artists have been craving for years, and his initiatives have the potential to positively impact and unite the Springfield arts scene as a whole.

The 99 Times event, for one, brings people together who might not have before been in the same room.

With Best at the helm, along with a small planning committee, he came up with the concept for last year’s event, entitled 99x: Bohemian Belle. Instead of a fashion show, Best set out to do something different and more befitting with the aesthetic of the art museum. That year, they focused on the restoration of the Museum’s collection of Rose O’Neill’s paintings and illustrations. Along with his committee, Best came up with the idea of inviting local artists, fashion designers, magazine editors and other trendy creatives to design their own tableaus and display them throughout the museum for guests to mingle and enjoy during the event. Traditionally, a tableau is a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history, and to encourage variety, Best encouraged the artists to learn about and become inspired by O’Neill’s life and incredible body of work.

Rose O’Neill, if you don’t know, was quite the lady.

She was a local resident of Branson, Missouri for much of her life, and was most known in the area for creating the Kewpie Doll. But O’Neill was so much more than that. She was a huge part of the women’s suffrage movement in the 1920’s, and her art aided advertising efforts to bring women’s rights into the limelight. Her paintings ranged from the sweet images of Kewpie characters to darker illustrations of masculine asexual creatures she called “Sweet Monsters.” These paintings in particular are both chilling and deeply emotional, often depicting these dark figures entwined in a sensual embrace with a voluptuous femme. The intricate layers O’Neill revealed both as an artist and as a true bohemienne set the stage for quite the wide array of creativity displayed at the Bohemian Belle event.

Each tableau was like stepping inside one of Rose O’Neill’s paintings or a moment from her intriguing life.

It was both visually interesting and a grand time. Guests of all ages, donned in creative bohemian attire, formed a diverse crowd rarely seen before in the Springfield Art Museum. They enjoyed the food and beverage, the music and even entered the tableaus to get their selfies taken. The event was a success, and brought in a great amount of local young creative professionals who previously had never even set foot inside the museum.

“To actually see it happening on the evening, and

see everyone show up in costume, actually doing the things that we planned out, it really just brought the party to life,” says Best. “It really made the party a reflection of who was there. It wasn’t a pre-packaged party and people didn’t just come and then leave. It was what it was because of the people who showed up.”

99x: Bohemian Belle was a fashionable event that got the community excited. The idea of reaching out to local fashion designers and other artists who might not have been recognized before was the key to the event’s success. It’s a testament to Best’s initiative to utilize local artists, tastemakers and trendsetters.

“We’re starting to speak to a different audience,” he says. “That’s something that’s really exciting for us.

We’re very keen to how can we attract more of it, and that’s why we did reach out to an editorial eye - people who were working in multiple disciplines - and tried to show a broad spectrum of the different kind of stylists that are working and living in the area. That helps crystallize the theme, but I also think that it helps us speak to a wide range of people and engage people.

Someone may not care about fashion design, but they may have really liked the theatrical aspect, or someone might be really into the photography aspect of it. So there’s something for everyone in every little world.”

This year’s event will raise funds to restore the

glow to noted Luminist painter John Frederick Kensett’s Shore Landscape, Newport, which was acquired by the Museum in 1949. Kensett was an influential member of the Hudson River School and a founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kensett’s trademark clear light and serene surfaces celebrate transcendental qualities of nature, and are associated with Luminism.

Luminist landscapes were popular in the mid 1800’s, and were characterized by effects of light in landscapes, through using aerial perspective, and concealing visible brushstrokes. Luminist landscapes emphasize tranquility, and often depict calm, reflective water and a soft, hazy sky. Kensett’s Shore Landscape, Newport was literally a shining example of this recently repopularized painting style.

But these days, the painting is lackluster, to say the least. The 99 Times event will ensure that this important piece is brought back to life by bringing it “back to light.”

“The painting we’re working to conserve was painted in the 1860’s,” says Best. “It was a very traditional seascape. There’s not a ton about it that’s energizing until you look at who the artist was who created it. He was one of the founders of one of the most popular museums in the world. He was painting in a style that is incredibly popular right now

with the use of light. And beyond that, we’re looking at ways that Kensett’s work can then inspire what current artists are doing through these tableaus that will be produced.”

One of those means of inspiration is to introduce each tableau artist to the history of Newport, Rhode Island at the time Kensett painted his luminous seascape. Not only was the original painting itself aglow with lustrous whimsy, the town of Newport was the luxurious seaside playground of the notably affluent families such as the Vanderbilts, the Astors and the Rockefellers. This age of lavish parties and astoundingly rich socialites brings in an exciting new idea for this year’s event. In addition to Kensett’s seascape, the tableau artists will also gain inspiration from Newport’s grand Gilded Age mansions.

“The amount of wealth and opulence that existed there was just unparalleled,” says Best. “We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to give the artists a more focused assignment this year and give them a particular interior or exterior to motivate them and inspire their interpretation?’ For example, the Cloud Ballroom from Rosecliff Mansion. But they’re using that cloud mural to inspire their fashion design. So while it is a more concrete example, it still allows for a lot of interpretation and a lot of creativity.”

Another addition to this year’s event will be local

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muralists, also drawing inspiration from the Kensett painting.

“What I’d like to see happen this year is that we really energize the community about local artists and really give them a showcase for what they’re doing,” says Best. “We also want to invite people into the art museum and let them know that this place is for them, and there’s a way for them to make connections with what we’re doing, and a way to become involved. This region has a very distinct regional art community; it’s very traditional in a lot of instances. And then there’s a completely different art scene happening as well.

Museums across the country are struggling with this relevance issue: How to stay relevant and let people know that you’re not this tomb, but you’re actually reflecting what’s going on in your art community and what’s happening locally. And this is a great way we can bridge those two worlds.”

Joshua Best is making things happen at the Springfield Art Museum that the local art community has been craving for years, but he insists that his fellow colleagues, collaborators and committee members are the ones who deserve all the praise.

“I would really like to give a shout out to the organizing committee for this year. Last year we did it with about five committee members. This year we have 25. So we have a lot more hands on deck, and we have a lot more people involved in making decisions, which I think people will see reflected in the event. It’s a lot more collaborative, and we’ve been able to integrate a lot more

different elements.

The 99x: Gilded Coast Glamour event will be held on September 30, and tickets go on sale August 1 for just $25. This event would not be possible without the support of the generosity of local area businesses. This year’s presenting sponsor is Esterly, Schneider & Associates, Inc. “They do wonderful work for the museum,” says Best, “and they’re a great supporter of this event.”

Also sponsoring this year are Kaye Foster-Gibson and Family, Penmac Staffing and several other local businesses, including Acacia Spa and Deitra Magazine, of course! Food and beverages during the Private Sponsor Hour from 6:00pm - 7:00pm will be provided by O’Reilly Hospitality Management, Houlihan’s and Macadoodles. Sponsors will also enjoy music by solo singer/ songwriter extraordinaire Randall Shreve during this time. General admission is from 7:00pm - 9:00pm with local food catering, spirits, wine and craft beer provided by Mother’s Brewing Company and music by Randall Shreve and local indie-pop duo LUX. Guests are encouraged to get inspired by the indulgent socialite parties of 1860’s Newport and arrive in opulent style!

The muralists featured at the event will include some well-known artists in the local community, including Blake Willis Tiggemann, Marian Chamberlain and Will Knauer, to name a few. Tableau stylists will include some return artists from last year, such as Heather Kane, Jennifer Vaughn and yours truly, as well as some exciting new artists this year!

I am personally honored to have been asked to be a tableau stylist for the second year in a row at 99 Times. With the big event coming up on September 30, not only is it time for me to begin designing my tableau inspired by this year’s Gilded Coast Glamour theme, but it’s also time for me to start shopping for that smashing dress I’ll be donning to the soirée! Join me, the Deitra Crew and all of the other fantastic creatives who will be attending in style! And be sure to show us your outfit by using #giltglam in your posts!

There’s still time to become a sponsor for this grand event! Head to sgfmuseum.org and click on “Events” to learn more.

LUX

“THE ROMANS AND THE Greeks believed the Muse and the Genius were these otherworldly things — these spirits,” Jake Rogers tells me between long pulls on the straw of his iced coffee. “It wasn’t until the Renaissance that the Genius became the man.

And when the man became the Genius, I think that’s where it all went wrong.”

X

It’s a strangely emphatic statement coming from the male half of local indie pop duo LUX, someone whose boyish introversion often has him playing the quiet yin to the more vocal yang of his female bandmate, Ivy Schulte. But, sitting at Springfield’s Bistro Market as the sun sets on a whirlwind day for pair of musical luminaries, Rogers unabashedly takes on the professorial tone one might expect from someone possessed of his round-frame glasses and snappy vocabulary.

He’s referring, of course, to the ancient Roman view of Genius as a sort of guardian angel — an instance of divinity separate from the man it followed, but tied to him — and the Muses as holy personifications of the arts.

“I still believe there’s a weird spirit that flows through me every time I write something that’s supposed to be written.

It all sounds crazy, but it’s honestly kind of freeing for me to be like, ‘I didn’t write that song,’” he says as his eyes shift nervously from mine to his rapidly-emptying cup. “And that’s kind of how I look at most of my favorite songs I did. I didn’t write that, something else did.”

If he were any other front man for any other band, an admission like that might smack of faux humility, but there is no room for insincerity in the land of LUX. Rogers and Schulte are too busy bleeding from their beating sleeves to concern themselves with pretense.

The degree to which effortless authenticity defines LUX’s work became clear to me hours before my coffee shop rendezvous with Rogers. On the opposite side of downtown, in the heart of Springfield’s brewery district, I tagged along as the dynamic duo recorded a promotional interview for their latest music video, a classically choreographed homage to their mournful ballad, “The Way I Loved You.” At once hauntingly beautiful and painfully honest, the song recounts the conflicted emotions of a jilted lover caught between the memories of an erstwhile romance and the urge to move on to something better. Like most of the other songs on their debut LP, PAX, it’s a deeply personal track for both artists, although for decidedly different reasons.

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“I think, especially with ‘The Way I Love You,’ I would say there’s definitely two different emotions in the song, and I think you can feel that in the way it pulls back and forth,” Schulte explains beneath the bright lights at the downtown production house Locke + Stache. She’s speaking with Josh Pfaff, co-owner of the videography firm and the man responsible for the concept, direction and editing of the video, which will be available online June 20.

In it, a pair of ballet dancers perform an interpretation of the song’s vacillating tones amid a stark, empty warehouse — a performance that so closely mirrors the emotions of the song, it would be easy to assume it was choreographed specifically for that purpose. In reality, Pfaff says, nothing could be further from the truth: the dancers, both just 16 years old, have been practicing it for years as part of their work with a traditional dance troupe.

As soon as he heard the song, he was immediately inspired to combine the two.

“I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, what a dynamic,’” he explains while showing Schulte and Rogers clips of the dancers on stage juxtaposed with their performance in the video.

Pfaff was so moved by the way the seemingly disparate elements complemented each other, he shot the video in just one day using a warehouse space in Joplin. His team built four sets in which the lighting — several frames made of high-end Quasar Science bulbs — also serves as the only visible element aside from the dancers. From there, he said only minor adjustments were made to the choreography so that it could be performed within the confines of the sets.

“Those kids — they’d done that piece so many times, they knew exactly what to do. But it was interesting seeing them adapt it to that song,” he explains.

“Coming from a cinematic point, I wanted to have the best visuals … I wanted big moves and also be able to show the passion these two kids have at sixteen.”

Fans will decide for themselves whether or not Pfaff accomplished his goal, but an early hint as to the likely response can be found in Schulte’s initial reaction to the video’s first cut.

“I had to pull over and cry,” she recalls. “I was driving down the road, which is not very safe, but I was like, ‘What is this?’ So I clicked on it, and I started watching it, and I was like, ‘Oh God.’ So, I had to pull over to this place called Pineapple Whip and I started crying in the parking lot.”

“Which is not the first time you’ve done that,” Rogers quickly points out, the lilt of his voice bringing levity to what might otherwise be a tense conversation.

The gambit works, and an irrepressible smile spreads across Schulte’s lips.

“It’s what I do,” she says. “#WhatIDo. Cry at Pineapple Whip.”

If “The Way I Loved You” is a tale of two conflicting emotions, the remainder of PAX is perhaps best described as an audible therapy session for two friends who feel the same emotion stemming from separate experiences. For Schulte, it’s the result of a lengthy tale involving, among other things, a dishonest lover, unannounced sexual fluidity and at least one window shattered by a bloody fist. Meanwhile, Rogers — who, at 20 years old, is more than a decade younger than his bandmate — views his art as a sort of bittersweet farewell to the childhood he left behind when he entered the world of showbusiness (when he isn’t performing with LUX, he works as a professional songwriter, and also nurtures his own solo project).

“I had to let go of a lot of things that kind of defined my high school days or my youth, whatever that means,” he says. “In a lot of ways I felt like I was being forced into this new thing that I knew nothing about — a new world, really. Also, a new environment, new people, new everything.

When I went away I realized a lot of things that were bad about what was back home.”

Throughout both experiences, and despite living nearly six hours apart from each other, the bandmates transcended their songwriting relationship, ultimately fulfilling roles that were equal parts confidante and therapist. As one might expect, that closeness enabled them to write more profoundly about each other’s struggles, which in turn further strengthened their friendship.

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“He knows everything about my story. He knows my heart and soul, and he knows all the shit that I went through,” Schulte says. “And it’s good to be able to share that with a human and trust them and be able to formulate cool words with that person.”

It’s a relationship Schulte couldn’t have imagined going into her first meeting with Rogers, an encounter she organized through mutual friends after he made his debut on America’s Got Talent at age 14. Initially afraid she was going to “ruin him,” she quickly discovered he wasn’t as naive as she might have thought — and he became even less so over the course of the next several years, while the two worked their way through a series of bandmates who ultimately didn’t pan out.

Finally, on a late night trip home from a 2012 gig in Tulsa, they decided to go it alone, and LUX was born.

“We fired everyone but us, and here we are,” Rogers says in a way that suggests the process was less heartwrenching than one might imagine.

“And we made tracks of all of you. Sorry friends!” Schulte jokes, before assuring me, “They know.”

The words have barely escaped her lips and Rogers is already summoning his biting sense of irony for a closing bon mot. It arrives in the form of an ironic growl: “You know who you are!”

All jokes aside, it’s clear LUX’s current arrangement harbors no ill will toward the ghosts of co-performers past. The same cannot be said for the events that inspired many of the album’s lyrics, which Schulte describe as “pretty dark, with a lot of 80s flair.”

Tracks like “Abstract” and “Vanity” drive her point home in terms of both style and substance.

In the first, verses are dedicated to comparing the grim reality of knowing something intimately with the idealized appearance it holds from afar. The second explores the pain of disappointment with its mournful reminder that, “anyone can hold their arms open, make a promise broken.”

Then there’s “My Skin, My Body,” a more substantive meditation on the absence of attention that was once awarded in heaps before being unceremoniously taken away. “Can’t you hear my heart? It’s beating, my skin and my body’s reeling too,” the pair lament in the duet. “Can’t you hear my thoughts? They’re screaming, my skin and my body calls for you.”

Along the way, listeners get to experience a spectrum of related emotions, including the sinking realization that the object of one’s affection has moved on (“Good Times”), misgivings about their own efforts to move on (“Faded”), and, at long last, the realization that nothing will ever be the same — or, as the pair admit in the classic ballad “Calloused Heart,” “In the day I’m a whole soul, in the night I’m a lost one, too.”

Together, the tracks achieve a sort of collective catharsis that veers carefully away from the self-indulgent malaise typical to such oeuvres, something Rogers credits to the recent and raw nature of the events that inspired them.

“We both had a lot to process in our own lives, and even though they were different things, we didn’t really write it from a reflective point of view. We kind of wrote it while we were in it and trying to process different things going on in our lives,” he explains. “It’s like if you were to write a diary, but most people just kind of close the book and put it away. But that was my diary right there and then, and here it is, still fresh and alive today.”

While the album’s dose of heartbreak and woe may well be alive in one sense, it cannot be confused or conflated with the present-day lives of the man and woman who created it. As we speak, Schulte is weeks away from marrying the love of her life, and when he isn’t putting together tracks for his solo project, Rogers is making an effort to reconnect with the youthful freedom he sacrificed by beginning his career so young.

Careful listeners can even find a sense of their recovery in the album itself. Case in point: the surprisingly hopeful imagery outlined in the indie rock-tinged chorus of “Fire in the Forest,” in which Schulte and Rogers seem to offer themselves affirmation that, “What you need’s in front of you, not gonna find it in the dark … What you need’s inside of you, leave the old ghost behind.”

Both are quick to dismiss the track as a one-off attempt to force themselves into writing something positive, but considering the happier, healthier futures that seem to be ahead of them, it’s not hard to imagine it as a hint of things to come. So, is LUX about to shed its penchant for unpacking the pain and suffering inherent to being human, or will their art remain unchanged by the shifting sands that form the days of their lives?

As with any question of existential proportion, the answer may well be both. Rogers insists that “you don’t have to suffer to be an artist,” and believes he and Schulte can mine past heartbreaks for future tracks without having to endure them in the present.

And although Schulte admits the duo has written an as-yet unreleased love song, she is hesitant to suggest that it paints a complete picture of the group as they stand today.

“I don’t know if I have it in me to write twelve love songs,” she says. “I’m not heartbroken anymore, which is great. I’m not angry anymore. But there are still things I need to write, I think, about it. Even from this side. It will be from a different perspective. A healthier perspective.”

Find out more about LUX, purchase their new album and find links to their social media at tunesbylux.com.

dorian

dolore

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DM: What are some of your favorite artists?

OWNER OF WINTERSOUND STUDIOS, producer, songwriter and musician in multiple bands, Dorian Dolore has his finger on the pulse of the St. Louis metal scene.

Photographer Leslie Tucker of Deitra Mag got the chance to catch up with her friend and fellow hardcore music lover to chat about his songwriting process, current career and being original in today’s independent-driven music industry.

Deitra Mag: What projects are you working on right now?

What’s new in your world?

Dorian Dolore: Right now I have several projects that I am working on with people both in the States and internationally.

I am working with an extremely talented singer from Australia right now on a project that we are building together. I don’t want to say too much before anything is out, but this is the band I have always wanted to start.

DM: What inspired you to do what you do?

DD: A lot of my friends in junior high played in pop-punk bands.

I had always loved music but never learned how to play an instrument. One day it just clicked to me that I could do the same thing. When I was 13 I bought my first guitar and started taking lessons.

DM: What is the inspiration behind your style of music?

DD: I would say that all of the music that I listened to in my early teenage years was the biggest inspiration in what I write.

I grew up listening to nu-metal. This was around the time that bands like Slipknot were becoming very popular and it was all over the radio and movies. I gravitated towards that sound because I loved what bands like Rammstein, Static X, Coal Chamber, Dope and Korn were all doing. It was simplistic, yet incredibly heavy. You didn’t need to have complicated guitar solos or technical playing styles; all you needed was a heavily D-tuned guitar and a mean attitude.

DM: When writing songs, what is your intention?

DD: I don’t set out to write a song with a specific meaning in mind. I usually just have a certain mood that I’d like to translate into a song idea and I plug in the guitar and hit record.

DD: The first CD I ever got was Sehnsucht

by Rammstein. I was seven at the time and I loved it immediately; they are and always have been my number one favorite.

I really also love HIM, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Orgy, Children of Bodom, Nightwish, Lord of the Lost, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Emmure, Fit For a King, Ozzy, Guns N’ Roses, Pantera, etc.

DM: What is your musical background and claim to fame?

DD: I’ve played for quite a few different bands over the last few years and been to many different places as a result of this. I moved to Chicago when I was 18 and had my own band for a short while. Not long after, I did my very first U.S. tour playing bass for Fashion Bomb; as well as two festival shows in Finland. Fashion Bomb has always been a very fun experience because Acid, Val and myself are all very much alike. We have a unique vibe and energy that just comes out when we are on stage. Around the same time that I joined Fashion Bomb, Nikk Dibbs from Dope and myself were involved with a new project called Pretty In Purgatory which is going to be doing a lot this next year. I moved out to L.A. when I was 20 and had joined Psyclon Nine and stayed with them for two years. After Psyclon Nine I had the opportunity to join Stitched Up Heart and go on the road for several months and do several U.S. tours. That was definitely one of my favorite moments in my career.

After Stitched Up Heart, I moved back to St. Louis and decided to focus more on producing and songwriting.

DM: What gear are you currently using in the studio?

DD: I use Ableton 9 for recording. For me, it has always been an extremely solid program to work with. I use quite a few Joey Sturgis plugins for guitar and mixing purposes and I use native instruments software for all of my synth, cinematic and guitar sounds.

84 DM: What’s it like performing on stage?

DD: I’ve always thought of it as an adrenaline rush that is even better than sex.

DM: Do you have any crazy tour stories or have any strange experiences with people or fans at shows?

DD: One word... Texas... (laughs).

DM: What do you love most about performing or recording music?

DD: The availability to be creative in a multitude of ways without compromise.

DM: What’s your outlook on the record industry today?

DD: It’s something that is always changing. More and more people (myself included) are producing music on their own without having to go to big studios to record. Labels and management can always be somewhat of a controversial topic in the music industry. As long as everyone is transparent and whoever is backing you is supporting you 110% of the way, you’re good.

DM: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free?

DD: Online music sharing is just something that artists are going to have to understand. We don’t make our money off of records or songs. The majority of the money comes from touring and people buying your merch. I don’t think that I’d give an entire album out for free but when a band is first starting out, giving out a few songs for free is a great way to market yourself.

DM: Everyone starts somewhere, what advice can you give to new and upcoming bands?

DD: Be professional. Have a kickass product. Believe in what you do. Never let anyone try to change you.

DM: Anything you would like share about upcoming shows, tours or albums?

DD: I can’t say too much, but look out for Pretty In Purgatory! I think that people are really going to enjoy what we have coming up in the next few months.

DM: What’s the next year look like for you?

DD: Writing, writing and more writing - and hopefully some touring come early 2018.

Follow Dorian Dolore on Instagram @DorianDolore and on Facebook as Wintersound Studios.

sea of trees kids and chemicals

FROM CULT FAVORITE ELECRTO-POP duo Kids and Chemicals comes this dreamy, alternative rock tune that is one of the most inspired tracks we’ve heard this season. Transcendent in its delivery, “Sea of Trees” has brought the band’s sound to a new level. The band’s new single and accompanying music video have gained coverage from publications like clrvynt.com and New Noise Magazine, and coupled with the release of a full-length album entitled After Life, this might be Kids and Chemicals’ most anticipated project yet.

Siblings from Springfield, Missouri, Patrick and Liz Carney have been churning out solid records for the past six years.

Their 2011 self-titled debut established their dark synth sound with an electronic-heavy record that showcased the duo’s standout songwriting and unique live performances.

The live experience is unforgettable, and their underground fan base nears on obsession. Liz is stunningly modelesque, and on stage she appears completely in her own world, ushering concert-goers into an altered state of mind, her voice resonating like a bell over beat-driven electronic tracks. She reminds us of the confessional alternative singer/songwriters of the 90s: imagine if Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos or Fiona Apple were making music in the IDM genre. Liz Carney embodies that kind of star quality and a vocal expertise to match.

Patrick exudes his own entrancing stage presence, hovering over his electronic devices as his body moves to the music they are creating together. Their live performance is an energetic experience unlike anything else in the Springfield music scene. The addition of Blake Mixon on drums and Jason Nunn on bass brings a whole new dimension to their sound, both on stage and in the studio.

Their self-titled debut album delivered a 10-track LP of energetic songs ranging from bright rhythmic beats to trance-inducing sonic textures, Liz’s voice complimenting every change in mood like a machine.

In 2014, Kids and Chemicals released a five-track EP entitled Pale Horse that only deepened our fixation of their haunting rage-synth sound. Inspired by an apocalyptic theme, the duo wrote the entirety of Pale Horse with the end of the world in mind. While the subject might be dark, their sophisticated and ambient sound was most prevalent. Songs like “Fog” and “Mountains of the Dead” were dreamy and otherworldly, while “War Machine” was a pulse-driven, blood churning EDM track, accentuated by Liz’s voice ripping into savage screams through the chorus.

With the release of their new single, “Sea of Trees,” we get a glimpse into an even more refined sound from Kids and Chemicals. The song brings in an atmospheric rock element that we haven’t heard before from the band. Featuring heavy alt guitar and a slight Celtic tint a la The Cranberries, “Sea of Trees” is an indie rock nonpareil.

This track is both memorable and meaningful, telling the story of two girls in love. When one dies, the other wants to follow, and she contemplates suicide so she can be with her lover again.

“Patrick wrote this one,” says Liz. “It’s part of a whole story we wrote for the album. A few years ago, Patrick and I found out about that crazy forest in Japan where people go to off themselves, and that’s where Patrick got the name for the song.”

Liz is referring to the Aokigahara, also known as the Suicide Forest or Sea of Trees. It’s an eerily quiet and thick forest full of twisting trees thriving on 12 square miles of hardened lava that makes compasses go haywire and sightseers easily lost. Though most people who visit this mysterious forest are not there to check out the famous ice caves and rare glimpses of Mount Fuji. Many people who wander into the dense forest don’t plan on ever coming back out. The Aokigahara is the chosen resting place for over 100 suicides every year, and is rumored to be riddled with bones and malicious ghosts that lure woeful visitors to their self-inflicted demise.

Though it’s a subject matter that can merit hours of internet research, the idea behind Kids and Chemicals’ song is ultimately the classic tale of star-crossed lovers. It deals with the

emotions of utter despair and sentimentality that come with the loss of a loved one. And who among us wouldn’t long to join our most beloved in the afterlife if we could? “I can’t hide my tears anymore / There are too many to hide.”

“This song is based on an idea I kind of halfway believe about the afterlife,” says Patrick. “It’s [the idea that] when you die you will sort of share consciousness with all the other people who have died, and especially people you were close to. So when you and your loved ones all die you will all become aware of each other’s earthly secrets and misdeeds. This song is about a girl who is about to commit suicide to be with her dead lover, but she is worried that her lover won’t want her in the afterlife once all the bad things the girl has done are revealed to her.”

89 It has to do with the innate human fear that once we die and join our loved ones in the afterlife, all our deepest, darkest secrets will be revealed. But in this case, the young woman cannot bear to live without her love and chooses to risk revealing her secrets in return for being with her lover again. “All my secrets will come out / My bones kept all my secrets until now / All the lies I told will leave my body with my soul.”

Whether or not we believe in life after death, this song certainly tells a romantic story, and is only part five of a seven-song saga on the full length album, After Life.

“This song is way more rock, and way more traditionally structured than our previous stuff,” says Patrick. “We’re releasing our next track from our upcoming album on June 22, and we’ll be releasing the full album, After Life, in August.”

The music video for “Sea of Trees” is a visually stunning compliment to this ambient track, evoking

the depth and meaning behind the song, while breathing a whimsical romance into the beautiful story. Produced by Mason Mercer, the video is a compelling addition to the project.

“He’s a super talented dude,” says Patrick of Mercer. “He came up with the whole concept for the video and we were just along for the ride. It was super easy and fun; he did all the work!”

“Sea of Trees” is a polished release that has set the stage for what could be the most mainstream record we’ve heard from Kids and Chemicals. Staying true to their electronic roots is paramount, but the addition of alternative grunge guitars and a steady rock beat will only prove to bring in more fanatics of their distinct sound and cool vibe. We can expect that every song they churn out will tell a story with as much depth and reverie as this one. “My thoughts are of you in the Springtime / when the crocuses bloom / I sit down in the rain and open my veins / and wane away with the moon.”

valerie june

VALERIE JUNE PERFORMED AT the Outland Ballroom in Springfield, Missouri a few years ago. From the moment she took the stage, I was in love!

Her twangy, vintage voice, her cool demeanor and sexy Medusa style, her unique take on rowdy shuffle blues and modern roots folk - everything about her spoke to my very soul, and I immediately went home and downloaded every song I could find. Bringing a sultry sophistication to the grimy blues of the South, June’s music is both provocative and transcendent.

After years of performing and releasing solo albums on her own, Valerie June headed from Tennessee to Brooklyn where she met Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. It was the break she needed to get her music and star-power into the limelight. Together with Auerbach, June released her 2013 breakout album, Pushin’ Against a Stone, she has received nationwide fanfare and turned even more heads in the music industry.

Pushin’ Against a Stone became an overnight hit, with foot-stomping swamp blues tracks like “Workin’ Woman’s Blues,” the smooth blend of jazzy doo-wop in “The Hour,” and my personal favorite, “Wanna Be On Your Mind.”

The catchy blues-soul of this tune gets me singing along every time I hear it.

Her latest album entitled The Order of Time showcases a decade’s-worth of songwriting and a deep pool of personal philosophical reflection.

“Time is the ruler of Earth’s rhythm,” June explains in her bio. “Our daily lives revolve around it. Our hearts beat along to its song. If we let it, it can be a powerful guide to turning our greatest hopes and dreams into realities.”

If time is what she needed to get her music noticed, it has worked like a charm. The Order of Time embodies the new wave of the blues-jazz-pop genre. Opening track, “Long Lonely Road” sets the landscape of the record perfectly. With a slow-burn feel and moody, melodic electric guitar licks, this

track could be the opening title to a pensive Hollywood movie. “Love You Once Made” is both traditional country and slow shuffle-blues, while the gritty dive-bar rock tune “Shakedown” boasts background vocals by Norah Jones, who happens to be June’s close friend. Just when I thought she couldn’t be any cooler.

Valerie June evokes a strong and personal vision of Southern music through blending folk, blues, jazz and roots. Her records are both intriguing and comforting, producing an ultimately listenable experience through and through. With thoughtful lyrics and smart arrangements, each song is a rare gem encased in the eclectic sound that is unique to Valerie June’s artistry.

Find all of Valerie June’s music on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube and valeriejune.com.

josh heinrichs JOSH HEINRICHS IS SPRINGFIELD Missouri’s very own breakout star, consistently topping the world-wide Reggae charts alongside icons like the father of Reggae music, Bob Marley.

Heinrichs has a long musical career behind him, having founded one of the first widely received Reggae bands in the Midwest. He wrote and recorded five albums with his former band, Jah Roots out of Springfield, Missouri, touring extensively and building a die-hard live music and social media following.

Known as the founders of Springfield Reggae, Jah Roots fans in Heinrichs’ hometown remain passionately reminiscent about the legacy of the former band to this day. And though some may still harbor a nostalgic resentment about the loss of their favorite local band, there’s no denying his skyrocket to success after Heinrichs left Jah Roots in 2009 to pursue a solo career.

Heinrichs has since released 8 projects, all ringing in as Top 10 debuting albums. He has also produced Top 10 releases for other artists on his

label, GanJah Records, such as SkillinJah, 77 Jefferson and another Springfield native, Lance Sitton. In 2016 Heinrichs’s fourth studio album “Good Vibes” officially debuted at #1 on the Billboard, iTunes and Amazon Reggae Charts.

Heinrichs is no stranger to rubbing elbows with the greatest Reggae artists of our time. He has toured the U.S. extensively and performed sold-out stages alongside artists like Iration, Fortunate Youth, The Green, SOJA, Slightly Stoopid, as well as Ziggy, Stephen and Damian Marley.

In 2016, Heinrichs released The Best Yet, an album title that we couldn’t have put better ourselves. In keeping with a long traditional message in Reggae music, Heinrichs preaches the need for the national legalization of marijuana. Within the laid-back groove of “One Love,” guest artist SkillinJah and Heinrichs deliver the revelation that “Ganja is the healing of the Nation.” Followed up with “Love Is The Answer,” Heinrichs drives his determination home: “Well, it’s been said over and over again / That ganja never really hurt no man / And it’s been told time and time before / That ganja really, really is the cure / For the pressure, for cancer, for any kind of thing it is the answer / For love and peace / For every positive thing to live in harmony / I say love is the answer.”

The next track, “Good Vibes,” has a slow, seductive groove that smoothly blends R&B with roots Reggae, Heinrichs’s trademark falsetto voice dancing effortlessly over the mellow beat. Other tracks like “These Days” bring in an acoustic vibe with a subtle hip-hop undertone. With 19 tracks on this record, Heinrichs delivers something for every music lover.

Always looking toward the positive and light side of life, Josh Heinrichs is working to manifest change through his music - a tradition that carries on from the birth of Reggae music through today.

Find The Best Yet and more music by Josh Heinrichs on Spotify, iTunes. and joshheinrichs.com.

wee rock

records A FEW MONTHS BACK, Wee Rock Records sent us some vinyl records to review in the mag. Time to buy a record player, we said, and headed out to choose our cool new music-listening apparatus.

We popped the first vinyl into our new vintage-inspired record player - 12X12: A Springfield Missouri Compilation, presented on a hunter green and wine purple split-color twelve inch vinyl. We suddenly felt more hip and relevant when we heard the smooth crackle of that classic sound which some people say is the only way to listen to good music.

12X12 features twelve songs by twelve local bands, with exclusive tracks by local Springfield, Missouri favorites like Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Gigantic, Paddlefish, Suzi Trash, Clawhammer, C-Rex, Introvert Party and more.

Each copy is unique with a random drawing or words from one of the bands featured on the record.

The Cum Bats open up the record with the first track, “Coporrobber,” a throwback psychedelic garage grunge track fit for punk rock lovers and hipster house-party goers alike. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (or as we locals conveniently like to call them, SSLYBY) brings in an optimistic indie pop with the second track, “What Were We Thinking.” Less than two minutes long each, these tracks lay the way for the twangy guitars and dreamy vocals of surfer rock tune “Saturday Evening Girls” by The Beltniks, followed by Cole Ray’s Buddy Hollyesque micro song “Teach Me.” The truth is, some folks in the indie punk community can achieve more in a few turns of a chorus than the average 10-minute rock anthem. These tweet-level tunes are just right for this compilation trouvaille.

Next up, Gigantic brings in their locally renowned hardcore punk rock sound with - ehem - “Eau D’Twat.” Yes, you read that right. And following this dirtybasement thrasher is the longest track on the record, “Gidim” by Wizard Solstice - a self proclaimed Psychedelic Doom Metal band that smacks of early Alice In Chains combined with the slow riffs of modern stoner metal bands like The Sword.

There’s a lot more cool songs on this local music anthology. But you’ll have to track it down and give it a listen for yourself. Wait a sec, the Paddlfish track just came on, and we turned up the volume.

This alternative rock tune entitled “Am I An Artist,” brings us back to the laid back vibe of our favorite 90s bands.

Clawhammer follows up with a swampy folk banjo tune entitled “Dry County,” succeeded by the irreverent track “Mansplain,” by female fronted punk band C-Rex (that’s short for Clitoris Rex, if you want to know).

Continuing the neopunk leitmotif, Suzi Trash brings in a thrasher track entitled “I Need A Cigarette,” followed by “Won’t Go Far (My Car)” by indie rock & rollers Introvert Party. And to end it all, the showstopper, a pirate themed metal track by Weedemon entitled “Black Sails.”

There. We’ve spoiled it all for you. But seriously, you want this record in your ever-growing and vast collection. (How many times have you visited Stick It In Your Ear this week?) It’s a testament to the Springfield music scene and something that will become a collector’s item for any local music lover.

When you purchase 12x12: A Springfield Missouri Compilation, you’ll also get unlimited streaming of the record via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Get this bad boy on vinyl, CD or digital streaming at weerockrecords.bandcamp.com.

Much thanks to Wee Rock Records for this one-of-a-kind compilation of local music, and for ushering Deitra into the cool-kid-approved vinyl listening experience. Our vinyl record obsession now ensues.

on vinyl

THIS INDIE ROCK RECORD by Springfield, Missouri rock & roll band Thee Fine Lines brings back the vibe of English rockers like The Kinks. Track one, entitled “Take What You Can,” is a concise opening statement that immediately showcases the band’s penchant for twangy power chords and the raw guitar sound of songs like the epochal Kinks tune, “You Really Got Me.” The band’s eighth recorded project released on Bandcamp, Splittin’ Time is produced by Wee Rock Records, and is the perfect example of an album with a clear point of view and continuity throughout. Every song is brimming with fuzzy riffs laid under smart vocals and catchy melody hooks that will make you want to crank up the volume. With its conscious use of distortion and feedback, Splittin’ Time taps into garage punkrock, but its soul is pure 60s Rock-N-Roll wrapped in a modern hipster package. Coming from a band that is known to produce multiple projects a year, Splittin’ Time is a consistent and affecting effort by Thee Fine Lines. Find their entire discography online at theefinelines.bandcamp.com and find their last three albums on iTunes.

to get your music reviewed in deitra, send your files to editor@deitramag.com.

SHAUN MUNDAY’S SELF-TITLED debut solo album is a tribute to oldschool blues singers accompanied by Munday’s exquisite acoustic songwriting using only one instrument. He is a bass aficionado, making the guitar sing rhythmically as if it were three instruments in one.

Likened to the technical finger-picking style of the one true bass god Victor Wooten, Munday offers the addition of a rich R&B voice that could stand on its own. This album features only Munday and his bass, but will have you grooving wherever you are listening to it.

“Remember my name” is a slow funk ballad dedicated to a former lover, boasting fluid bass grooves and Munday’s velvety smooth vocals peppered with passionate raspy growls. “Just Can’t Lose” shows off Munday’s expert grasp of the bass with funk-face inducing grooves and lightening fast bass licks. “The Last Goodbye” mellows out with velvety crooning harmonies and a classic laid-back soulful vibe.

Munday’s command of his voice is undeniable, weaving smooth velvet and rasping soul with precision and intention.

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“Stay” brings us into the pop realm with more lyrics lamenting love lost, and a hook that’ll stick with you for days.

Track number 9 is a funky and soulful rendition of spiritual hymn “Wade In the Water,” opening with an acrobatic bass intro, and ending accompaniment by a gospel choir.

The album wraps up with a live version of, “Remember My Name,” showcasing his ability to capture a live audience with only the command of his instrument and the passionate expression of his voice.

According to his bio, Shaun Munday is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA where he studied and performed with some of the greatest artists and educators in the industry including John Mayer and Esperanza Spalding, just to name a few.

He’s shared the stage with Corinne Bailey Rae, Andra Day and reggae royalty Aston Barrett and The Wailers. Anyone who has shared the stage with Bob Marley’s band gets more points in our book. You can often catch him performing live around Springfield, and the show is worth tracking down. Find out about his upcoming shows by following him on Facebook and on Instagram @ shaun_munday.

This guy’s talent and charisma is off the charts, and the album is pure sexy soul. You don’t just want this album. You need this album.

Get the Shaun Munday album at shaunmunday.com, iTunes and Spotify.

rally

root TO BE A STANDOUT singer-songwriter, you’ve got to possess something out of the ordinary. Every man with an acoustic guitar and a decent ear for melody can call themselves an artist. But once in a while you hear something unique come out of a sea of John Mayer wannabes.

With Rally Root, our ears have struck gold. Mitchell Austin Kilpatrick heads up this new acoustic pop project with vocals that swim up into that ever-evasive, pitch-perfect falsetto that even Adam Levine would be proud of. His debut five-song EP Radicle boasts everything from chilled out love songs and energetic acoustic guitar riffs laid underneath Kilpatrick’s sweet, smooth vocals.

Recently relocated from Springfield, Missouri to Nashville, Kilpatrick set out to start his solo career with this project as his brainchild. According to his bio, the name Rally Root was inspired by the roots of the Aspen tree, which grow together to make a single organism that spreads for miles. This root connection represents Kilpatrick’s belief that together mankind can affect change that is much bigger than any one person.

“I have found my meaning in learning to love the artistic process, in all of its triumphs and frustrations,” says Kilpatrick.

“In fact, Radicle EP is the manifestation and materialization of my relationship with the artistic process. That being said, the metaphoric seed is just beginning to sprout, and there is much frustratingly beautiful growing to be done.”

Radicle EP is the perfect record when you’re ready for some easy-listening tunes with catchy choruses you can sing along to. Not only is Kilpatrick’s voice super clean and soulful, but his music could be on the radio paired up with guys like Ed Sheeran, Jason Mraz or the great John Mayer. Blending acoustic rhythms and sensitive-guy vibes, Kilpatrick is a ladykiller crooning thoughtful lyrics and moving melodies.

“Yes I Do” is a showcase of Kilpatrick’s pure vocal abilities, lightly picking his guitar in the beginning of the tune, and ending in a pleasing orchestral arrangement. “Feel” moves into the melodic pop realm, followed by the more upbeat “Time To Go,” with lyrics that paint the picture of taking off on the open road and leaving behind the daily grind.

“Patience” is an acoustic ballad oozing with heartache and aspiration. The opposing emotions depict the story of chasing his dream: “I’m far from home, but look how far I’ve come.”

“For the Record” showcases the raspier side of Kilpatrick’s voice in this anthem infused with stylistic nods toward folk.

All in all, Radicle EP is full of crowd-pleasing melodies, and is sure to become a favorite in your collection. Giving us just a small dose of his songwriting and vocal ability, Kilpatrick leaves us wanting to hear more.

Find Radicle EP at rallyroot.bandcamp.com and on iTunes.

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