magazine.net Volume 1, Issue 3 June 2012
FREE take it
FICTION/MUSIC/NON-FICTION/ART/CRAFT
Henry Rollins - Zeus - From East to Exit - Teen Violence - Racoon Wedding
fuss magazine’s1
st
super short, itsy-bitsy micro fiction writing
challenge
In 227 words or less, tell us a story about this picture. It can be as loosely tied to this photo as you want it to be, as long as there’s some sort of connection. We’ll sort through them, pick some of the best and publish them in July’s issue. Deadline for the challenge is June 15th.
Send your stories to
editor@fussmagazine.net
M
ASTHEAD
Volume 1, Issue 3 June 2012
EDITOR, LAYOUT
Dear you, You're holding the third issue of Fuss Magazine in your hands. Right now. At this very minute. And we would like to start off by thanking you for that. Keep those contributions coming! And for all you introverts out there: a head shot is not necessary; give us a shot of your feet. And a pseudonym is just fine; let us know what you need and we’ll work with you.
Lisa Olsen
COPY EDITOR
There's still half a month left to submit to our writing challenge, the details of which are on the opposite page to these words you’re reading right now.
Tim Mathias
MUSIC WRITERS Lisa Olsen Mark Gillis Music Blog: http://ypoiw.blogspot.ca
CONTRIBUTORS Mark Robinson Meaghan Olinski Francie V. Duncan Nicholls Andy McGuire Sasha Chornyy Nigel Strothard FRONT COVER Roger Warren instacanv.as/missesthe90s
Fuss Magazine fussmagazine.net editor@fussmagazine.net
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for rates All work is published with permission of the artist. All rights remain with the creator
For this issue, we tracked down Henry Rollins in a hotel room in Australia. We may have woken him up, but that's another story. He's bringing his spoken word tour to Kitchener on June 11, and you'll find an audio clip from the interview online at fussmagazine.net. Speaking of which, we are continually posting extra interviews and adding new songs with free downloads. Currently, we have the recently-signed Secret Broadcast (their EP release show is June 1 at Maxwell's Music House in Waterloo) and Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs, whose 7" release is on June 13. Like us on Facebook to keep up with all the updates. This issue, you'll find, is a bit heavy on the music. This was not entirely intentional. It seems that the sound of breaking the window's seal after a long winter gives musicians the itch to record, or play. I read once that whatever activity we loved most as children, we find a socially acceptable way to fulfill that need as adults. For instance, kids who loved to play in the dirt (or eat it) grow up to be gardeners and children who loved to play in water are the ones you see obsessively moisturizing their lawns and scrubbing their cars (bylaws be damned). When my burly and furry neighbour holds a shammy in his tattooed hand and polishes his motorbike, I can’t help but picture him as a five-yearold boy playing with trucks in the sandbox. Follow the same logic and it’s a pretty simple guess that most musicians were the ones pulling out the pots and pans and throwing a toddler concert at 6 a.m. I bring this up because, over the years, I've noticed that restlessness and hormones are not the only things bubbling under our skin when spring fever hits; there also seems to be this drive to play. Now, I’m not going to ask you to fight this urge and stay in and work. But maybe, just maybe, you can bring the sketchbook up to the cottage, or the notepad to the park. Is that a yes? -Lisa Olsen, Editor
Advertisements or contributions to this magazine do not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the magazine. Published by Mercey Publishing
Roger Warren
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magazine.net NON-FICTION My Generation Begins to Bury Its Icons, Duncan Nicholls..........5
FICTION Broken, The Old Poetry: Graphic
Lisa Olsen......7 Man, Mark Robinson......8 The Tasaday Community Fund, Andy McGuire.........10 Fiction: The Wait List, Sasha Chornyy.....10
MUSIC/INTERVIEWS Henry Rollins.......12 Zeus....14 The Racoon Wedding......15 From East to Exit.......17 Teen Violence........18
VISUALS Portfolio: Meaghan Olinski.....19
CRAFTY BITS Burn-out candle holders.............24
SHOW LISTINGS, MORE MUSIC, OPEN WRITING CALLS AND CONTESTS, OPEN ART CALLS, FORUM AND MORE Available online at fussmagazine.net (that’s dot net)
Roger Warren
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ON-FICTION
My Generation Begins to Bury Its Icons When I heard that MCA had died, I felt gross. In the few days since then, I have had similar reactions from other people I know. When I saw my friend Nathan, I said, "Did you hear MCA died?" He looked like he'd just eaten something rotten. Today, my student Elgin had the same expression when I asked him about it. They both had this sour shitty look, mouths open, a quick shudder. I am not a big Beastie Boys fan, but something about this has me rattled. Elgin, Nathan and I are all about a decade apart in age, covering a twenty-year span. They aren't big fans of the band either, but we are each serious about music. My friend Allison said - and I'm just stealing this off her Facebook wall - 'RIP Adam Yauch...you played a big role in my formative years'. And, as far as I know, she's not a huge Beasties fan either. But for some reason this loss seems to resonate. I still feel kind of lousy. Licensed to Ill came out when I was in grade 7. There were 3 really killer albums that year - Run-DMC's Raising Hell, U2's The Joshua Tree, and that one (there was also Slippery When Wet, which even then I suspected was largely made of cheese - thank you Elgin for reminding me of Bon Jovi's excellent jaw line and soul-
less music). The Beasties were rude and loud and awesome. They sang about drugs and porn and friendship and sitting around being stupid. My friends learned all the dirtiest parts of their songs, and we chanted them at each other. We thought we were pretty fuckin' tough, and we were learning how to swear and how to kiss girls, and these guys were clearly exactly who we should not be turning to for help with growing up. We loved it. I think I knew enough about music by that point to recognize the drum part the Beasties stole from Led Zeppelin. Sampling felt dangerous, and that band felt out of control it felt like Magellan sailing into uncharted territory, but on a pirate ship, which seemed pretty alright as far as the soundtrack to your adolescence. In the spring of 1987, I got a tape-to-tape boom box that allowed you to record music from one deck to the other. I hadn't been able to afford those 3 albums, but that spring I borrowed them and then made copies. I played those tapes until they spooled out of their plastic shells, the tension shot, the magnetic strips worn out. I had to play Licensed to Ill when my parents were not around around. Within a few years, I'd outgrown Licensed to Ill, and even felt vaguely uncomfortable with how women were treated in their lyrics and videos. Okay, it was also kind of alluring, but mostly I was starting to
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figure out that the girls I liked were not cool with that approach. They were right, and in subsequent years, the Beastie Boys pushed out of their own musical puberty. They got better. They started to say things that they cared about, and they distanced themselves from some of that earlier material. They apologized. They grew beards. I tuned out for awhile, but came back to the band at different points along the way - not loving them, but being glad that they were still out there, being especially grateful for the fuzz bass part and screaming on Sabotage. Today I searched pictures of MCA in his last year or so, and was struck by how old and sick he looked. Cancer, as they say, is a bitch. He had the same haunted look that Levon Helm had before he died. I came late to The Band - really only within the last decade or so. They had always sounded ancient, and I didn't really get it until recently: they did that on purpose, they did that because that's what they loved. After being hit by a few of their songs, I went out and bought Music From Big Pink and The Band on vinyl. I read a few of those biographies about them. I got drunk at a wedding and sang The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down with the house band. I remember some musicians in Guelph singing Acadian Driftwood at a house party. My friend Ted told me about Levon Helm's Midnight Rambles - acoustic concerts at his farm in Woodstock - and Ted booked my band to play an acoustic show at The Tranzac club that was loosely based on that model. When Helm died, I felt a bit sad too - but he was old, and
he had lived a long full life, and this felt like a graceful finish. I didn't make that yecch face in the same way as with MCA. Today, Maurice Sendak died. I loved Where The Wild Things Are best of all the children's books. I was lucky enough to have parents who read to us all the time when my sister and I were kids. I think we had bedtime stories every night until I was about 12 years old. That's a pretty excellent fucking gift. I have given that book to all my young friends, and I dragged my older friends to see the movie when it came out, and I loved that too. I think Sendak understood children, and he understood alienation - both as a child and then as a man whose sexuality his generation would not easily accept. There's a wildness and abandon in all three of these artists' work, and that's part of what draws me to them. There's also the opposite of that - there's a grace and peacefulness. I do feel like we've lost some important things as the artists leave us. And I think this is the real entry into the time of moving out of young adulthood: my generation is starting to lose its cultural reference points. The world feels different, as it always does. I am glad to have been able to recognize and name these losses when they come.***
we want your words, not your face (head shots not required) submission guidelines on page 27
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DUNCAN NICHOLLS
Duncan Nicholls writes fiction and poetry, and served as songwriter and guitarist for The (recently-defunct) Monster Show. He is scheming about his next musical project and is always looking for a drummer. He teaches high school English in Kitchener.
F
ICTION
Broken [broh-kuh n]: Barbara finds it rather annoying that she keeps finding body parts of those she knows. First it was Jeff's hand as she jogged along the railway tracks. Then it was Graham's ear by her car after she parked at the grocery store: she almost stepped on it while she was getting her re-usable grocery bags out of the trunk. Then, it was Mike's ankle lying on the sidewalk one morning when she went to the coffee shop to fight her hangover. And Hailey's head, Evan's eyes, Mark's chest. And who could forget Dan's toenails, floating in her drink at the pub last Sunday. And poor, poor Jason's heart ‌
LISA OLSEN
She finds this to be so irritating because she then has to pick these pieces up and spend the remainder of her day finding the broken bodies. And Barbara would love it if she could stick the parts back where they belong and walk away. But they never quite fit the way they once did.***
With a diploma in journalism, Lisa Olsen has had fiction and non-fiction published in numerous publications. She is also the editor of this here magazine. Nigel Strothard
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The
Old Man The music blares in my ears . . . some unknown song. I'm sitting facing the window, looking out onto the street but not seeing, not thinking. A rush of people, bodies, surges by on the sidewalk, then slows. Another rush appears and then slows. Like waves on the shore. I rest my elbows on the table holding the cup with two hands. I bring the coffee to my lips and take a sip, stare, no thoughts. I take another sip and think about its warmth. So nice on this cold, damp day. Its taste, just enough sweetness. Just the right balance of cream to temper the sharp taste of the coffee. Good. Then I see him. He is there. Appearing from within the moving mass. And then as if the mass has spit him out, not wanted. A being different from the rest. Standing in front of the glass, staring. His lips moving. I become uneasy but quickly realize he is not staring at me but through me, past me. The rush of bodies, not hesitating, but still moving past him, making slight adjustments in direction to navigate around him, past this obstacle. Not caring. His face to the window, staring, one hand on the cold smooth glass. Flat against the glass, fingers moving about as if clawing . . . no . . . caressing the hard surface. I watch - others around him moving quickly. Not touching him. Moving around and past him. He is still, the movement behind him becomes a blur. Nothing touches him. He senses no one else. He is alone in his world. Fingers still caress the glass. Lips move, mouthing unknown words. Eyes flicker with recognition. Mouth forming a slight smile. He leans forward, lips touching the glass
in a kiss, eyes close for an instant, then open. Head pulls back, eyes find the imprint his lips have made on the clean glass. Fingers touch the mark, move over it . . . a smile forms on his lips. The smile disappears, eyes become blank again. All recognition has gone. He turns, moves back into the rush of bodies . . . slowly . . . faster bodies giving no heed, move around him. My eyes follow as he passes. Feet in old shoes shuffle with the mass. I see hair long, unkept, billowing out from under an old hard hat which is covered with all sorts of words, special and meaningful to him. A small bag. Around his neck hangs a pink comb. All his belongings he carries with him. His life within the reach of his arms. Moving further away from the window, the other bodies passing around him, by him, pile up behind him, he disappears within the mass, gone forever. I look back at the glass, see the imprint of his lips. Left on someone unseen to this world . . . now covered with water . . . squeegeed . . . no trace now . . . gone forever. I take another sip and again feel the warmth in my mouth, think, smile at the taste. Just the right amount of sweet and cream.***
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MARK ROBINSON
Mark Robinson is a photographer originally from Palmerston, Ont. Since 1960, he's been photographing everything he can. He enjoys exploring the planet, as well as volunteering abroad.
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zeus
june seven
STARLIGHT 47 KING ST. N. WATERLOO
The Luckyand Tamara Peterson Band
(Featuring gordie johnson)
SAIGON HOOKERS with
Thursday, June 14
Kinky ATTHEJANEBOND 005PRINCESSST.W.WATERLOO
WEDNESDAY JUNE 27
the
Tasaday Community
ANDY MCGUIRE
Fund
The Tasaday were authentic beyond a scintilla of doubt. -Philippine Congressional Investigation, 1987 Tasaday Official Website
There are milder versions of the Cobainian upshot of too much face time in the limelight. Take Lobo, chain-smoking Marlies through a televised interview, relaxed in ADIDAS sweats, loosening sardines that lie snugly immersed in a salty cocktail of preservatives, insisting he once chipped away at a Stone Age pace in a previous life. No doubt Darger would've felt it if tagged with a tranquilizer and tracked on the radar of art types. You see, if his rock were flipped by kids wanting to gawk at a panicking outsider zigzagging, the magnified light certainly would have seized him. What I'd like to see dominate the box office is a doc taking a good look at the meticulously look-alike life of Joseph Wagenbach. Visitors to the unveiled abode entered the doctored interior of a truly believable bio
Andy McGuire's poems have appeared in CV2 and been anthologized in Possessions: The Eldon House Poems (Poetry London). His first chapbook of poems, Sputniks (Baseline Press), was published in Fall 2012. He also writes songs and has released two solo albums, Moult and Body of Work. His most recent music project was a punk record released under the band name Beavers Are Pussies. www.andymcguire.ca
made manifest in a single-story Queen west home; the wrenching feel of the paintings, letters, and relics the real deal, spectators gathered, though Dargerian prosthetics, in reality. No wonder my own thoughts think I get lost in the shadows of what makes tenure in the dreamt annals of actuality. Does that thought count? I'm out of fingers and toes. What do I know? Lobo stuck to his story until the end, then PBS broke the same old news: This program was made possible through the generous support of Viewers Like You.
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Wait List, Sasha Chornyy
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M
USIC/INTERVIEWS
H R LISA OLSEN
ENRY
In the midst of a worldwide tour, Henry Rollins took some time to speak with me from his hotel room in Australia. With topics such as the upcoming American election, revelations on turning 50, and how he has never wanted to have children, he spoke about what else to expect at his spoken word show in Kitchener on June 11. "Basically, I go out into the world for about a year, I collect a bunch of stories and things I've found out and I go onto the stage and I report," he said. Since the last tour in 2010, and like he's been doing for years, Rollins has traveled the world. He calls them "self-induced voyages," driven solely by his curiosity about the world, human behaviour, and cultural differences. The idea is a simple one: he picks out places he's never been to, and, well, he goes there. His drive to understand and observe sparked the release of his first photo-book, Occupants, released last year. He's the first to admit that he's not a professional photographer, nor does he want to be seen as one; they're simply a collection of photos with short captions from his travels from 2003 to 2010. "Basically, I just looked at the photo and wrote about where that photo took me," he said.
OLLINS
era as she's knee-deep in wrappers, food waste, and plastic. He captures a woman peddling on the streets of Indonesia, wearing a Black Flag t-shirt. And he captures a woman working a low-paying job at a globalized American fast food corporation. Surrounded by such devastation, Rollins explained the importance of remaining objective: that If you get too emotionally involved, you're no longer useful as an observer and can't capture the moment properly. "You're also looking at things through a Western filter; you're looking at it through your western value system, where you look at someone and you may even pity them, and they look at you wondering what your problem is because they don't pity themselves, they just get on with things," he said. The former lead of Black Flag has had a long and illustrious career, which includes publishing, writing, acting, comedy, and radio, among others. To call him a high achiever would be an understatement; now in his 50s, Rollins is touring straight through to next year. He’ll then relax by working on a few more books and his television career, tour the world and repeat. "I think if you're doing everything right, life is a series of epiphanies and revelations and discoveries." ***
"The writing is quite angry, I think." And it's easy to see why. With photographs of families eating out of garbage piles, the book may not be the most uplifting. But there seems to be an undertone of hope: in the previously mentioned photograph, he captures the daughter, who looks to be around ten years old, smiling sweetly at the cam-
Listen to audio from the interview at fussmagazine.net
Photo: Heidi May
UPCOMING SHOW JUNE 11 THE CHRYSALIDS THEATRE, KITCHENER
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LISA OLSEN
ZEUS
The band was formed from the almost-lifelong friendship between Nicholson and Mike O'Brien. It's a relationship that Nicholson describes as kindred. They don't finish each other's sentences, but they may finish each other's songs. "I think it's one of those deep-seeded things that translates on stage and through everything we do: the songs we record, the way we
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Photo: Derek Branscombe
They were the back-up band to Jason Collett of Broken Social Scene fame. Then, three years ago, they accidentally made an album. "We didn't realize we were making an album when we made it," said Carlin Nicholson, one of the band's founding members. The backup band had been playing around with a bunch of musician friends. When they accidentally wrote a few melodies, riffs, and rhythms, they realized that maybe, just maybe, they had something. So they took the title of Zeus and released an album. But their new project, Busting Visions, was much more purposeful and calculated. Released on the Arts and Crafts label in March, it's a reflection of having been a band for the past couple of years. The 14-song CD is made up of tracks the band members deliberately conceived while on tour. "The spontaneity of the recordings stayed the same (as the last album) and there were still a lot of guest musicians and friends of ours there ‌ but it was more of a centralized move for the four guys in the band," said Nicholson. The album has a strong '70s feel to it. And that may be because it wasn't processed with a lot of effects. But that influence wasn't entirely intentional. "Subconsciously, if you're making your own albums and you're recording your own songs right from your hands, I think it becomes an accumulation of everything that you've heard that you've liked and you're constantly striving for that," he said. That's not to say that they sat down and purposefully discussed how each song would sound; it's just that they have an idea of what they like and the feelings they evoke. And that feeling includes the romanticism and nostalgia of vinyl; to ensure that these emotions are present even in their mp3s, they run them through vinyl before they're recorded.
arrange songs, how we are in interviews, how we are on the road, behind closed doors, as friends. All of those things are really important to us and we don't take it for granted, but at the same time, we don't think about it all the time," Nicholson said. They no longer play back-up for Jason Collett. But that's a good thing because it means that Zeus is doing well and have grown into their own.***
Get a link for a free Zeus mp3 at fussmagazine.net
UPCOMING SHOW JUNE 7 STARLIGHT, WATERLOO
Submitted photos
Racoon Wedding
LISA OLSEN
The
To support their new full length album, Onondaga, The Racoon Wedding are touring around a few spots in southern Ontario. The band includes former members of The Vermicious Knid and Brantford all-ages music venue owners, Tim Ford and Scott Willson. We caught up with Tim Ford for a Q and A. "In almost every (band) review, they bring up 'drunken.’ It could be our own fault, but it has been described as a band playing in a bar and everyone raising their glasses and singing along. I really like that image: everyone getting together and just having a blast and singing with passion of friendship and music," -Tim Ford Why the misspelling of Raccoon? The pretentious answer is that they spell "raccoon" with one c in Europe, but really we just like things to be a little difficult and different. It tends to backfire on us, though. You have a new record coming out. What's the title? When is the release date? Number of songs? We have a new record that comes out in stores on May 15th. It's called Onondaga, named after one of the Six Nations Native Americans and it's also a small township in Brant county, and has twelve songs.
With all the changes in the music industry lately, how are you going to release it? CD, record, tape, download, etc.? I'm one of the only people who still loves buying CDs. I love going to the record store and picking up the physical copy of something. But we completely understand that not everyone does, so we have it coming out in almost every form we can. You can get it in stores on CD and vinyl (coming out in July) but it will be on iTunes as well. I don't really get the whole cassette re-involvement but if someone wants it on that I'll gladly make them one! Musically, where do you find your inspiration? [Inspiration for] our songs and as a band is directly related to our
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town, Brantford. We draw inspiration from it in everything we do. You kinda need to do everything yourself here because there aren't many avenues here besides that. Necessity, really. As far as the music goes, we all come from different backgrounds. Some of us come from punk, some from jazz, some from country. What direction do you think you're heading in? How is this record different than the last? This record, we did everything ourselves in our own studio we built at home. With the last record we had five days to record it because we paid by the hour. This time, although we didn't have the best equipment, we had the privilege to do whatever we wanted and not worry about anything. We could find different sounds and try different things without looking at our watches. We're focused on writing and recording as many songs as possible now. It's been too long between releases and we have to make up for lost time! musically we're just focused on that, not necessarily what they
sound like. Whatever comes out, we'll put out! Tell me about your best show. Our best shows have always been in really small spaces with too many people. We owned a venue in Brantford called the Ford Plant, and every time we played it was just an amazing party with dancing and laughing. The venue held 120 people, but the last show before we closed had almost 300. It was sweaty and smelly and beautiful. Same idea with the Trepid House in Waterloo, which is essentially a living room. I love the intimacy there. Tell me about your worst show. Honestly, we've never had a show where afterwards we were like, "Damn, that sucked.� We've always had a blast playing, whether it was a huge venue or a kitchen. Sincerely. I know I sounded like a politician answering that but it's completely true. Musically, if you were to sit back and say to yourself, "It doesn't get any better than this," what would that look like? Where
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would you be? We're all huge fans of The Band. My ideal time would be at Big Pink where The Band and Bob Dylan literally just hung out and played music. Just for fun. They'd play music, take a break and go walking in the woods, then come back and write, in my eyes, the best music ever written. We had that at the FP and I guess that's our goal again: to have one space where we can all go and just hang out and play music.***
Get a free The Racoon Wedding mp3 at fussmagazine.net
UPCOMING SHOW JUNE 9 THE PRINCESS CAFE WATERLOO
Submitted photo
From East to Exit Genre: Rock
After releasing a self-titled EP in 2010, Guelph’s From East to Exit are releasing their first full length album, Lowbanks. The band’s emphasis on nostalgia and missed opportunities is still there, but add a dash of upbeat to the mix. We caught up with Jon Charles for a little Q and A.
New Release
LISA OLSEN
Jamie Anderson plays drums Brad Piper plays bass Jon Charles plays guitar and sings the vocals
How did you get started in music? When I was six years old, living in England at the time, my mom took my sister and I to a charity auction in the area at a church. My dad played the guitar and I always wanted one myself, so when my mom left my sister and I alone for a moment to use the bathroom, we bid on a few things, even though she said not to. One of them was a classical acoustic guitar which ended up costing 12 pounds, which is pretty cheap. We also left with a silverware set, I think, and a couple other things my mom wasn't exactly pleased to take home.
When are you releasing your album? What's the title? Where did the title come from? The album comes out June 1st and it's available as a stream in its entirety on our Bandcamp site. Since it's 2012, "the Internet age" I like to call it, people are going to share it anyways, so we decided to let people listen to the whole thing if they want. The title is actually the name of the town on Lake Erie where my parents have a cottage. I've always loved the name Lowbanks and love it down there in general. I wanted to use it as a band name, but when Jamie and I were down there last we drunkenly agreed to use the name for our album. What formats are you releasing it on? We're releasing it as a 12" vinyl record. It's also available as a download. We'll have homemade CDs available as well. The
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download comes free with the vinyl purchase. Where can people pick it up? People can order it online through Bandcamp or get it at our shows, mainly. But the LP should also be available at some record stores such as The Beat Goes On in Guelph and places like Encore Records in Kitchener. Musically, where do you plan to be in five years? We have no idea. I guess wherever life takes us. Hopefully doing something we love.***
Get a free From East to Exit mp3 at fussmagazine.net
Submiited photo
Teen Violence Genre: Surf Pop
Marcus Wanka - vocals, guitar
Teen Violence is Mark Wanka and Geoff Albrecht. The two formed the band in 2010 after a long time of playing in bands around Kitchener-Waterloo. The group has a new 7" that is scheduled to be out in June and they're looking forward to releasing more new music later in 2012. What are some of your musical influences? The Beach Boys and The Beatles are the biggest two, although any band or song we like could definitely influence our writing. Sometimes we'll hear a song in a movie or something and be like, "We should do a song like that!". There are bands that influence our choices in sounds and production as well - The Jesus and Mary Chain being the most prominent right now.
New Release
MARK GILLIS
Geoff Albrecht - guitar, vocals
All of your releases obviously have a very similar sound and feel to them; are there any other sounds or musical avenues that you would be interested in exploring? Definitely. We're in the middle of recording another 7" right now and we're trying a bunch of new things. It's dirtier, less controlled, and heavier. We certainly don't want to limit ourselves in any way to a specific sound. It bothered me in past bands when you had an idea, but it wouldn't jive with the "sound of the band" or whatever, so we made a rule when we started Teen Violence that we'll always just do what we want, regardless of whether it makes sense or not. We just happen to be wrapped up in a 50's/60's
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sound right now. You have a new seven-inch coming out. Where can people buy it? Do you think that there is still value in bands releasing physical copies of their music? You can actually pre-order it right now at uncrossyourarms.bigcartel.com. It's a measly $6 if you purchase it in advance too. Once we have the physical copies, they'll be available at shows as well as the Big Cartel site. If you don't have a record player or don't want the vinyl, you can just get the digital files from teenviolence.bandcamp.com. I think there is some value in putting out physical releases. Vinyl is cool. It's the only format of music we really buy anymore. It's interesting to collect and fun to listen to. I think the only other way a physical release has value is that it proves you're taking your band seriously, which will encourage others to also take you seriously. What are some of your future plans as far as new music, videos and/or shows are concerned? We're hoping to have two 7" records and two videos out by the end of 2012. We spent Easter weekend shooting a video that will hopefully be ready to go mid-May when our first 7" arrives. The second 7" is already well underway, with a treatment in the works for video #2 as well. As long as people keep asking us to play cool shows, we'll keep playing them.***
P
ORTFOLIO
Meaghan Olinski
Photo: Ilia Photography
“Exploring themes of glamour, sexuality and artificiality, my work often involves portraits of beguiling beauties of the silver screen, as well as women's undergarments; items commonly unseen being made public. My work also incorporates animal portraiture with a specific fascination for creatures that have been mounted or preserved with a lifelike appearance. Preservation, predator, praise and prey among women and beast, as well as the natural versus the unnatural, are themes being explored in my work.� Artist Meaghan Olinski was born in Kitchener, Ontario. She
attended the University of Waterloo, graduating in 2007 with an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts Studio Specialization Degree. She currently lives in Waterloo and works in her uptown studio. PREDATOR & PREY EXHIBIT An exhibit by Meaghan Olinski. At the L-Lounge in downtown Kitchener, running from June 1st to the 30th, 2012. The opening reception will be held on June 1st from 810pm. meaghan@meaghanolinski.com
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Untitled (Yvonne), 2010 - Charcoal on Paper - 20” x 24” Meaghan Olinski
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Untitled (Preston’s Buck), 2011 - Charcoal on Paper - 20” x 24” Meaghan Olinski
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Untitled (Donna), 2008 - Charcoal on Paper - 5’ x 7’ Meaghan Olinski
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Untitled (Bedelia on Bearskin Rug), 2010 - Charcoal on Paper - 20� x 24� Meaghan Olinski
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C
RAFTY BITS
The Burn-Out Candle Holder Like, dude, the way those flames flicker, it just reminds me of how fragile life is, you know?
You’ll need: Glass mason jars or jam jars (the less glass detailing the better) Vellum paper, found by sheets or by the roll at Curry's or other arts supply stores Mod Podge or white glue A wide soft haired brush Cheap but not gross smelling incense sticks and some fire An exacto knife or scissors Pencil, measuring tape Tea candles or small candles
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HOW TO MAKE IT
Using the measuring tape, measure the circumference of each jar and the height of the flattest part of your jar (the middle bit where you'd normally find a label). This will give you the exact length and height for your awesome designs. Add an extra half inch in length for overlapping; any access can always be snipped off.
On vellum paper, draw out the dimensions for each jar. I made the mistake of not slightly curving the labels for a flatter fit on the jars but it still looked great so it's your call if you want a perfect fit. Don't cut them out just yet, they're easier to work with still on a larger sheet. Now draw some kind of repetitive or simple design lightly in pencil. You can even go super fancy with lettering but just make sure it'll be simple enough, think like stencil designs for light to show through. Take note: cursive writing can be a headache for this technique! ...but also, don't let that stop you.
This is where you'll need a bit of time. In a well ventilated area or outdoors, light your incense and let a good ember burn. On another area from your labels, slightly push the burning incense through the paper. It'll burn slow but once you've made one hole you can lightly drag the incense like a pencil to make your burned out design. Practice a little on the vellum paper to get the hang of how the vellum burns and how much pressure to use. If you push the incense too hard you'll only break off the ember and wherever it lands on your vellum, it'll begin to mark a burn mark which you don't want. TIP: while you're burning your designs, lightly blow the smoke away from you. This helps keep the ember burning, lessens your inhaling of smoke and if you happen to break off the ember, you can blow it off before it leaves a mark. You may find that the ember burns out a little while burning through the vellum paper so keep that fire utensil nearby! .
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When you're done burning out the designs (how excited are you at this point!) place your burned out designs on a piece of scrap paper and use the soft haired brush to carefully brush off any access ash from the edges. Do this on both sides for a good clean label. It's not a major problem if you accidently rip through the design but be warned it is a little more finicky when placing the label on the jar. Now you can cut out your sweet burn out labels and put aside.
With the wide soft haired brush (clean from ash), apply a light coat of Mod Podge or white glue onto your clean jars where your burn out labels will go. Take your label and lightly place it onto the jar. With clean fingers, tap the label to have it stick to the jar. If you placed it a little off, you can lightly peel up the label and readjust it. Vellum paper is kind of delicate but when it has a bit of moisture to it, it can tear easily if you're not careful. Once your label is placed where you want it, snip off any access label where the ends meet and apply one or two coats of mod podge/white glue over the entire thing. If you find a few wrinkly bits, use the brush and a bit more glue to smooth these out as best you can.
It normally takes a few hours to dry, depending on how much glue you applied. If you went past the labels with glue, you can lightly peel or scratch it off for a cleaner look. Once dry, you can plop in your candles and smile hard at the neato-ness of your crafting. TIP: because you're using a water soluble adhesive like white glue or Mod Podge, don't leave these jars out in the rain! Well, unless you want to make new ones.***
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FRANCIE V.
Francie V is a recent graduate of the Crafts and Design Textile program at Sheridan College and her addiction to making, upcycling and most of all crocheting and natural dying intensified and has only pushed her into a mad love with fine arts and crafts. Having been raised on weekly crafting sessions and the muppet show, Francie has always been creating throughout her life whether it be with words, paper, mixed media and later on with a whole lot of yarn and her pink sewing machine named the Ed Gein Machine. Launching her Sister Valentine etsy shop in the Winter of 2008, you can buy her arts and handmade accessories online or follow her artwork and craftlife through her blog at www.sistervalentine.com.
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