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!" e lcome to the Autumn 2012 issue. Fall is one of my favourite issues to prepare because its full with new promise, new clothes and of course new music. This fall we will see the release of many of our favourite acts of 2007-9 release new material, such as The xx, Mumford and Sons, The Vaccines and Grizzly Bear. When planning this issue I wanted to capture the feeling of ‘new and rebirth’, a shedding of the summer skin into something new and refreshed for the upcoming cooler seasons. Inside you’ll find great interviews, photography and will leave inspired and refreshed. I also wanted thank all of you readers who take time out of your day to read, buy or download XO. So If you are reading this via ipad/kindle, a physical copy in your hand, or your browser, thank you. Happy Autumn everyone! Stay fearless!
Le’Keisha Sims Editor in Chief XO Magazine
CONTRIBUTORS Moeima Dukuly Taj Ragland Nancy Liu Thom Popejoy
MASTHEAD
E D I TO R I N C H E I F Le’Keisha Sims FA S H I O N D I R E C TO R Rachel V. Holland P H O TO G R A P H Y Jesse Rhodus Photography LCB STUDIOS Patrick Walter Christin Gilbert Ellena Deely
FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS, THEMES AND EDITORIAL QUESTTIONS EMAIL OUR FASHION DIRECTOR RACHEL AT RACHEL@XOMAGAZINEONLINE.COM FOR ALL OTHER QUESTIONS EMAIL EDITOR@XOMAGAZINEONLINE.COM XO MAGAZINE IS PRINTED ON DEMAND VIA MAGCLOUD & LULU. ALL CONTRIBUTORS CONTAIN SOLE COPYRIGHT TO THEIR WORK, FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR MATERIAL PLEASE CONTACT THEM DIRECTLY OR EMAIL US AT INFOXOMAG@GMAIL.COM L I K E U S O N FAC E B O O K WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/XOMAGAZINE FOLLOW US ON T WIT TER Twitter.com/xomagonline Twitter.com/kthefashionista Twitter.com/RachelVHolland Twitter.com/Futureplansss FOR INTERNSHIP, WRITER/EDITOR OPENINGS EMAIL LE’KEISHA AT EDITOR@XOMAGAZINEONLINE.COM
EXITMUSIC by LCB STUDIOS AUGUST 2012 NYC
AW 12
THE MODERN SPACE AGE: This season designers were inspired by celestial beings, time travel, space exploration and mythical interglatic stories. Big shoulders, metallics, unconventional materials and stagering heels were all over the runways. Our favourites were Balenciaga, Chanel and Alexander McQueen
TRIPPED OUT PRINTS
In recent seasons designers have been OBESSED with prints, usually reserved for spring designers have crossed over big bright and often, trippy prints over into the AW season. This season they were mixed and matched, blocked (think colour blocking but with prints rather than colour) and done in black and white. Our favourites were Prada, Erdem, Rag & Bone and Prabal Gurung. -
PURPLE RAIN While designers might not have been directly inspired by Prince’s 1980s film, they certainly had a major crush on the violet hue. Purple was everywhere, in every shade from violet to plum. Our favourite’s include Balenciaga, Gucci,Lanvin, and Chanel.
H O L LY F U LT T O N XO MAGAZINE TALKS WITH HOLLY FUL- TON TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HER SS 13 COLLEC- TION, WHAT INSPIRES HER AND WHERE SHE HOPES TO TAKE HER BRAND IN THE FUTURE.
WORDS RACHEL HOLLAND
What are your main influences for this next season? (SS13) LA and Will.i.am. I went there and I met him. Briefly but long enough to become fascinated. Is there anywhere you’ve visited that it’s inspired by or any people that influenced the collection? What can we expect from your new SS13 collection? Its fresh, At least it feels like that to me, I love this collection, its jampacked with all my favourite things and I’ve loved every minute of the design and make process. Expect colour, accessories galore, multi media fabrications and a touch of tongue in cheek for good measure. Who is your biggest role model in your life and work and why? I admire a lot of designers-I love the way Christopher Kane runs his business and the fondness people have for him, in life I’d say probably either Joan Collins or my mum. Joan because she lived the ultimate glamour lifestyle and never regrets a thing, her book ‘My Secrets’ says it all; my mum because she lives a selfless life, always doing for others and putting them before herself. I owe a lot
being a good person rather than my work but I guess work wise, just as someone who said something unique and personal to them at a certain point in the cycle of fashion. What are your thoughts on the fashion scene at the moment, is there anything that you would change?
to her. Where did you train and how did you find this experience? Would you recommend this route to budding design students? Edinburgh for my BA, RCA for my MA. I loved my days at college, particularly my time at the RCA. I found my style there and was lucky enough to be part of a stellar year. Those were very happy days and I made some of my best friends there. I don’t think an MA is right for everyone but if you feel you have something more to work through after college, its perfect. It can lead you to all sorts of avenues. What would you most like to be remembered for when people look back at your work? I’d like to be remembered as
I wouldn’t change it at all. Theres a healthy scene in London which I love being a part of; it’s very open to ideas and innovations, there’s always room for everyone under the umbrella of London fashion and thats what I love. How would you define the style your line exemplifies? Graphic. Strong silhouette, strong visuals and a strong aesthetic. It represents graphic contemporary womenswear with a unique signature. What are your favorite fabrics to work with and why? Silk. It’s nice to wear, takes print well and gives vibrant colour. What more could you ask for? Where do you hope to take your label, are there any future plans or projects that we should know about? I’d ideally like to take it to Barbados so I can design on a beach for the rest of my days but in reality I want to expand my team, consolidate my
womenswear before focusing on other projects and establish a line with longevity which will still be here in years to come. What kind or woman wears your clothing? A person who likes colour, fun and enjoys a strong aesthetic. And also likes things that are a tad tongue in cheek. Where can readers find out more about you and your work? On my website, www.hollyfulton.com, my twitter for a more personal insight, @STUDIO_ FULTON, my facebook page for up to date news, Instagram for shots straight from the heart of the action or my tumblr. Or they can hang out in Hackney and play spot the designer.
PREVIEW // VIBES WINTER 2012
COMING SOON Photos by PRETTYSICKLY
www.iamvibes.co.uk
CORRIE NEILSEN XO MAGAZINE CATCHES UP WITH CORRIE NEILSEN TO CHAT ABOUT HER UPCOMING SS13 COLLECTION, WHAT INSPIRES HER, QUANITY VS. QUALITY AND WHATS NEXT FOR 2012 What are your main influences for this next season? (SS13) Flowers and plants. Is there anywhere you’ve visited that it’s inspired by or any people that influenced the collection? The Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. What can we expect from your new SS13 collection? Bold sculpture and complex engineering, and also effortless, but detailed tailoring. Who is your biggest role model in your life and work and why?
WORDS RACHEL HOLLAND
“I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE QUALI- TY. I WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO TREAT FASHION WITH MORE REVERENCE AS OPPOSED TO
What are your favorite fabrics to work with and why?
SOMETHING TO PURCHASE, WEAR, THEN THROW AWAY.”
Breaking design boundaries and reviv- I like to work with silk, wool, Duching quality, craftsmanship and beauty esse satin and cotton. I really enjoy working with metal-infused silks as on the catwalk. they lend to the sculptural aspect of my design. 6. What are your thoughts on the fashion scene at the moment, is there anything that you would change?
I think the mentality of quantity of quality has altered fashion for the My father. He is a sculptor and planted the creative seed in me. He’s worse. I would like to see more qualialso my biggest supporter. He’ll be ty. I would like people to treat fashion at my SS13 show this season (over with more reverence as opposed to from America) and I can’t tell you something to purchase, wear, then throw away. how happy I am.
Where do you hope to take your label, are there any future plans or projects that we should know about? I would like to see my label be a great commercial success on a global scale and would eventually like to move into menswear and perhaps fragrance.
Where did you train and how did you find this experience? Would you recommend this route to bud- How would you define the style your What kind or woman wears your line exemplifies? ding design students? clothing? Luxury, timeless, sculptural, beautiful. I trained at Central St Martins, The Corrie Nielsen woman has a earning a First Class BA Honours strong sense of style and is confident degree in Fashion Design Womenswithin her own identity. She expects wear (one of only 4 in my class). I high quality, original craftsmanship later went on to work at Vivienne and custom tailoring and is preWestwood and in men’s tailoring. pared to pay for exceptional beauty. It’s important to get real studio experience, to understand how the Where can readers find out more business works and to understand about you and your work? how to run a business. What would you most like to be remembered for when people look back at your work?
www.corrienielsencom Facebook: http://www.facebook. com/CorrieNielsenLtd Twitter: @CorrieNielsen
XO LISTEN AUTUMN 2012
XO MAGAZINE IS ON 8tracks!
Follow XO Magazine on www.8tracks.com to stream all of our mixes including our Autumn 2012 mix featuring songs by all the artists in this issue.
PHOTOGRAPHY LCB STUDIOS HAIR ANTHONY PAYNE MAKEUP JULIET JANE
SPARKS OF LIGHT CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES JANET ZHENG NORMA ISHAK JENNIFER BARRACK
RETOUCHING PONÉT RETOUCHING
I
f a picture can speak a thousand words, music surely implies a thousand feelings. Within a song lies a means of escape, a gateway to a world of your choosing. Exitmusic, the Brooklyn duo comprised of husband and wife, Devon Church and Aleksa Palladino, believe heartily in musical transportation. Relishing in what they call, “sound design” – the couple weave together tracks they feel best translate a range of emotional depth and feeling. The title of their latest album, Passage resounds as flawless in keeping with their quest for musical/emotional translation. Within 10 tracks, Exitmusic takes you on a voyage encouraging listeners to explore their own emotional sensations and boundaries. “One sound can really influence an entire song.” says Palladino, “…solid song structure…that’s really telling the story matched with sounds that also tell the story.” Ethereal and boundless, Exitmusic’s sound is derived from many different influences regardless of the background. As producers and songwriters, the duo focuses on techniques they can make the best use of, unafraid to take risks and holding nothing else in sight except an end product that best translates their musical progress. Church says, “For a long time we were – well at least I was really rigid about new music…I would think there was something inherently better than the classics - but I’m trying to break out of that.” Palladino, born and raised in New York and a working actress as well as a musician, is known best for her role as Angela Darmody, in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. She recognizes the significant similarities in the creation of music and the portrayal of a character. “I approach of those things from the same place, which is trying to make a… human metaphor… an actual reality for something -- whether you’re in a song or in a scene. I feel like they’re very similar – for me the main difference is that for music I’m writing my own reality. When you’re an actor, you’re trying to bring someone else’s vision to life, that’s a very different thing.”. “Especially being a woman,” she
continues to say, “because so many writers and directors are male – so it’s like you’re a woman from a man’s perspective a lot of the time. It’s nice to write for myself – and the way I see women being.” Exitmusic have toured extensively as of late from everywhere from the Midwest , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Devon’s home country, Canada, and have a headlining tour well on the way. In terms of favored locations, they enjoy their time in the Netherlands the most. Having seen an array of landscapes and an equally eclectic flow of listeners and concert attendees, the team prepares for their tour and focuses on providing a 360 degree experience of those who come and see them play, that is equally as visually impactful as well as musical. And what of their visual and style aesthetic? Working on such an acclaimed series like Boardwalk, Palladino worked with Emmy nominated costume designers and thoroughly appreciated the sartorial glamour of the Roaring Twenties but was glad to be out of character – “all the wool undergarments, were really itchy and smelly. The Twenties was beautiful…but I like things that are a more body-conscious, something with a waist line. ….I really love things that are a mix of something very classic and something very modern…. You start learning what you like.” Interestingly enough, Palladino doesn’t have a deep interest in fashion but has a love for the couture for more extravagant affairs, the sole designer holding her interest being, Elie Saab. “[His work is] SO gorgeous. I mean I couldn’t play a show in that –but an award show for sure.” As for their personal style they both keep it simple. But aren’t “shoppers”. “We know what we like, we’re just too lazy to find it!” says the two, having started work with stylist Trey Knight. All in all, Devon and Aleksa seem privy to the idea of the journey and remain untied to an outcome, touched by all that leave impression and as their name suggests, making sure to leave behind a memorable exit that resonates through the mind and soul.
HAIM
Meet Haim the sister trio (and one guy) from the San Fernando valley who are currently shaking up LA and the blogosphere with their indie rock / Rnb tunes. Fresh off the release of their debut EP we catch up ZLWK WKH JLUOV WR ÀQG RXW D OLWWOH PRUH EDFNVWRU\ DQG whats next!
INTERVIEW Nancy Liu
What made you all decide to go into the music business? And why as a sister trio? We never really thought about doing anything else! we always had music in our lives, and were always in bands growing up. But when it came down to it, we always had the most fun playing together as a trio. Is it difficult to work with your sisters? Is it ever difficult to get along? Nice try. we’re best friends. The only thing we fight about is borrowing clothes What are your musical influences? LA Radio I know your parents were both very passionate about music so did their tastes influence yours? Our mom and dad have very different taste in music, but they both had an immense impact on our love of music. My mom loves Joni Mitchell and Bonnie Rait and my dad loves Funkadelic and The Talking Heads. What was it like to be in your family band when you were younger (Rockinhaim)? It was the best lesson in songwriting. We learned a lot about what makes a good pop song. Outside of music, what are your other passions in life? Other then music, we truly love cooking and nail art. You’re all still very young. Where do you hope to be in 5 or 10 years? Still making records! You guys are currently working on your debut album can you tell us a little about it and what fans can expect? it’s only gonna get better...
DRY THE RIVER WORDS & INTERVIEW LE’KEISHA SIMS
You guys are now back in the UK, doing festivals and headline shows now that more people have heard your music and know who you are has there been a huge difference at the shows? Yes the shows are more rewarding now that people are more familiar with the music. I think the audiences get more out of it and that means we do.. it feels less like we’re trying to win people over these days and more like a celebration of the songs... What are somethings that you can’t tour without? There are a lot of long drives, especially in the US, and if I didn’t have an iPod full of podcasts I think I’d go mad or my brain would just dissipate into nothing. We also tour a hard-case full of condiments. Theres nothing worse than arriving at a venue and there being no pickle or chutney.
T
here’s something to be said about a band that can bring a huge sound without raging electric guitar, dizzing vocals and a crass adtitude. That’s the first thing that drew us to Dry the River. There album Shallow Bed is full of both soft and athemic tunes all tied in with poetic lyrism, often dealing with love, lost and desperation. We chat with the band who just finished their first US tour, about their album, sound and their nonstop touring. You guys have recently just wrapped up a tour in the US what was that like? We just did a little run playing some festivals and some shows with Alabama Shakes, and it was awesome. That band is so nice to hang out with.. they’re very chilled out. we are about to head back out there to do our first headline tour, so we’re excited about that. we love driving across the states in our RV!
You guys come from a more hardcore rock background, how do you think that has translated to dry the river? I must say that we really enjoyed the blending of epic arrangements and strings contrast to the more lighter elements. Yes our previous bands were all heavier. I think it comes across in certain parts of our live show and not so much on record. We initially tried to restrain the urge to make a lot of noise but have started to embrace that a little more at gigs now, because its more fun for us and less boring for the audience. I think the album is perhaps more palatable - we made the songs sound grand and epic using orchestration and lots of harmony and extra instrumentation, rather than guitar distortion. Shallow bed came out in March, and really stood out to us! When working on the album lyrics wise
did you take a different approach to writing than say writing for a more aggressive hardcore sound? Peter has always written lyrics separately to writing music. I’ve always thought that the words are more like prose than verbalisations of melodies. so the actual process is the same in that respect. the style has changed slightly. but only slightly - he still draws influence from his studies of anthropology and certain areas of science as well as playing with religious and ancient fable imagery.. What’s next in 2012 for you guys? Will you be releasing another single or video? We are continuing to tour right up to the end of the year. there may be another single, but we’ll be playing first in Spain with Los Campesinos , then heading out on our own tour of the U.S, coming back for our UK tour in October/November then heading out to Europe. What has been the highlight for you guys thus far? We had a great show at Reading festival this year. thousands more people than we expected, and a really cool vibe in the tent. It was nice to have been playing abroad a lot and then come home and have so many people there with us. we enjoyed our US tours aswell, with Bowerbirds and with Alabama Shakes. we can’t wait to go out there again.
NERVO
WORDS TAJ RAGLAND
Mim and Liv Nervo are very busy at the moment. The triple threat girls (they write, sing and produce their own music.) who go by Nervo, are on a multi-continent tour, hopping from festival to stadium dropping their own unique techno-infuse d pop sound. I recently spoke to the two who were in Cannes at the time playing shows and prepping collaborations with Armin Van Burren and AfroJack, “Its so beautiful here,” Liv says about their French beach locale “this doesn’t even feel like work, were so grateful.” The girls have been making music for ages and doing production work for the likes of The PussyCat Dolls, David Guetta and Miley Cyrus, but the two recently hit it big after going solo and opening for Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj on the Femme Fatale Tour. Expect a lot from the Nervo girls in the very near future, on top of the aforementioned collaborations the two are in the process of recording their debut album, which according to the girls is gonna be “crazy” and “one big non-stop party!”. “Lately, our entire life is one big party, were actually recovering from a huge party last night, it’s become our routine: Sleep all day, party all night, but we don’t mind, I actually think we work better at night, ” Mim says, “We may have been Vampires in our past life.”
DO YOU CHEW?
WORDS & INTERVIEW BY THOM POPEJOY
CHEW LIPS America, meet English electro-pop duet Chew-Lips. Their new single ‘Hurricane’ oozes sexy elegance dressed in a Miami Vice pastel jacket over a shiny leotard with leg warmers thrown in for that undeniably 80’s inspired ‘Flashdance’ look. It’s a fairly good indicator of what to expect from a band recently bumped up to the heady stratosphere of indie band gone house hold name with a shiny new deal on Sony records to prove it. Boasting a strong work ethic, Chew Lips are certainly no slouches. With a new long-player in the bag (their as yet un-named second album in two years about to drop in January ‘13) stylish and self confessed poetry nut/Chew’s front woman, Tigs found time to chat to yours truly outside her gym in south London pre workout minus the Spandex. -----------------------------------------------------------------------Hey Tigs, XO has gleaned info that states you ran a marathon recently. Are you a fitness fanatic? Um no, I ran a 10K which is something very different. I am a fan of running though. Usain Bolt winning that 100 Meter Olympic gold looked far too easy, he makes it look like he’s jogging! Please tell us about your new album. Are you nervous or excited? I am excited. Its actually been finished for a couple of months now so it seems like a really long time to wait before its released in January. Being signed to a major means everything takes longer. I’m really pleased with the record though. We tried to make it really polished and definitely upped the song writing aspect. I think its loads better than our first one. I loved ‘Unicorn’ but this one represents progress, a big change but it’s still us. Now that both singles, ‘Do You Chew’ and ‘Hurricane’ are online do you ever take a sneaky peak at the magazine reviews and sound cloud comments? No I find it unbearable. I think James does though. As far as I’m concerned we’ve worked really hard on it, it’s done and now it’s out there. You either read every review or none at all. It is great when you play songs live for the first time and the crowd react to certain tunes. That’s the best type of review.
We love the ‘Hurricane’ video. Is the visual element of making music videos a big influence on the way you write music and lyrics?
From your pictures and videos one might expect that you are both fashion conscious, maybe even fashion champions. Is this true?
In a very biased way I’d say James and me have good tastes in movies, books and music. We have a big interest in cultural phenomena. We want things to look and sound good, referencing the things we’re into. We can’t take credit for the video though. We worked with this awesome girl, Georgia Hudson, she’s gonna be hugely successful. She was a joy to work with. We want everything we do to be beautiful. I have to say, though, I only like one percent of music videos we see, including our own. We’ve definitely made a few bad ones. We aim for our videos to have clear narratives like lyrics.
I love fashion; I like looking up to my own standards. Its not the be all and end all but how you look plays a big part in releasing pop music. The music comes first. I live in Shoreditch (hipster London locale) so I’m surrounded by it. We both like good clothes.
Can you name-check some of the inspirations behind Chew Lip’s music? Well to begin with our name is a reference from a Brendan Behan book called ‘Borstal Boy.’ I’m ashamed to say I haven’t read it. At the moment I am reading David Foster Wallis. I think he’s the best writer ever and I don’t say that lightly. I’m really into 1920’s-50’s American authors. Google ‘This is Water.’ It’s fucking beautiful. Lyrically I’ve always wanted to write more than ‘I’m breaking up with my boyfriend’ music. When I was 20 I wanted to be a writer or a poet, I had a poem published once. My poems turned into songs when a friend from EMI encouraged me to combine my singing and writing. A year later I had a solo record deal. I think we’re influenced by everything we see and hear no matter how much we don’t want to be sometimes.
What’s the relationship status between Chew Lips and America? ‘In a relationship!’ ha. It’s at the beginning. We’ve been on five dates, we might have slept together, you know. There’s the promise of something more but it’s all very fragile. We’ve been there a few times but we loved it. South-by-South West in 2010 was one of the highlights of our career, probably of our lives too. We got really wild and played five shows. A month later we went back to play in New York and that was rad. We will be back next year promoting the new album. So between ‘Hurricane’ and the album are you just extensively touring? I should hope so. We’ve just got back from China and Russia and we’re off to Kuala lumpur and Singapore next. Seeing the world is the best part of being in a band. After that we’re back in the studio writing new songs again. We’re keeping busy, always something to do.
DEAP VALLY
PHOTOGRAPHY JESSE ASHTON RHODUS WWW.JESSEASHTON.COM MAKEUP CAMBRIA SERRANO HAIR NATASHA SCHER WARDROBE ALLYSUN DUTRA FOR KITTINHAWK
M
eet Deap Vally, the best friend duo Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards who are about to blow up due to their hard, loud rock and roll tunes. Having just signed a deal with Island records nearly days ago, its safe to say these girls are on a roll. Their debut single ‘Make my Own Money’ is a mix up of Led Zepplin head bandging mixed with Destiny’s Child “Independent Woman pt. 1” vibe. Their “really groovy, organic rock ‘n’ roll,” as Troy calls it, is what caught our eye. The perfect juxaposition of hard and soft, they’ll flaunt their womanliness yet rock out, stay out and rage like just as well as the boys. “We feel like we can be womanly, proud of our sexiness and sexuality, and provocative—and still rock as hard as a man,” They are current playing various festivals including Reading, Leeds and Maxwell’s as well as supporting the Vaccines on select dates on their UK tour.
DEAD SARA
WORDS & INTERVIEW LE’KEISHA SIMS
DEAD SARA have been heralded as the band to
‘Ressurect Rock and Roll’, “Wave the flag for girl power ‘ and over all put on a good show. Those are hard expectations to live up too, but I knew these guys were special the first time I saw them live, honestly I had no clue who they were, what they were about and what kind of music they played. All boredom & doubt was obliterated when the first few chords of ‘Weatherman’ started playing and lead vocalist Emily starting singing. Loud, confident and a breath of fresh air is how I would describe Dead Sara, here I catch up with Emily to find out where they got their start, their album and their upcoming tours!
The first time I had ever saw/hear of you guys was at Edgefest 22 (and since then been obsessed with your album!) and you guys put on a heck of a show, this year ZDV NLQG RI WKH ÀUVW WLPH \RX JX\V GLG DQ\ major touring how did you prepare? Do you guys plan out your show, or go with the vibes of the crowd? :H MXVW SOD\ DQG WKHQ ÀJXUH WKH ZKROH WRXU thing day by day. We’ve gotten a hang of it now and have lots of fun. As far as the show set list goes, it depends on how much time we have to play. We tend to change up the set due to keeping ourselves out of boredom... Your self titled debut album came out a couple of months ago can you tell us what
kind of inspired the record and the recording process? How did the lyrics come about? It all happened pretty fast. Once the guys started rehearsing is when we (not knowingly) started writing a record. Not after we had like 12 songs written we were like, “we have enough for an album!â€?. Everything was new and exciting, so, I’d say that was inspiring. You guys actually bounced around various major labels and indie labels before decidLQJ WR ODXQFK \RXU RZQ GLG \RX Ă€QG D UHDO freedom and sense of relief in releasing your music yourselves and not compromising? Were there any challenges?
7KHUH GHÀQLWHO\ LV D VHQVH RI IUHHGRP GRLQJ LW RQ our own. The challenge to it is doing it ourselves really, there is no one picking up the pieces or anyone else responsible for any of it. But I like that. It’s a way to be closer with fans without a via. $QG MXVW DV D EDQG ZLWK RXU ÀUVW UHFRUG RXW LW MXVW makes more sense, therefore we created Pocket Kid Records. You guys have done a ton of shows this year, (Chevelle, The Used, Warped) - do you guys have any favourite memories so far? For me they are made up of moments. There are WKRVH ÁDVKHV \RX JHW ZLWK D EXUVW RI H[FLWHPHQW with the reality that things are exactly where they’re supposed to be. Lots of favorite memories!
You’re also doing a cruise show with Korn can you tell us more about that?
Well it’s a cruise and we get to play a couple shows for over an hour or so...that’s about all I know. Haa. I get the sense that there will be lots of partying! Have you guys discovered any new bands while on tour with so may various musicians? Oh absolutely. Some we’ve heard of some before and others we had the pleasure of getting to know such as Stepdad, Every time I die, Polar Bear Club, Four Year Strong, etc. The list goes on and on. The Warped tour is something else I got to say. So many bands you spend so much time with its starts to feel like a family almost. So much fun. Whats next for you guys? Well we have The Offspring and Neon Trees tour coming up Sept., then some U.K. dates sometime after that. So, we are gonna be busy on the road till the end of the year promoting this record!
CONOR MAYNARD WORDS MOEIMA DUKULY
A
mericans generally have a way of relating to others by using forms of comparison and association. Enter Conor Maynard, the UK’s newest boy wonder, who can’t seem to shake the dreaded B word – not that one -- one guess: it has six letters, and rhymes (kinda) with fever. When we spoke with Maynard, he was in Minneapolis, Minnesota doing the first of many appearances he had scheduled in the US, for promotion. Truly, Maynard has just started his career-- having released his first album, Contrast, in late July along with two previously released singles, Vegas Girl and Can’t Say No that have done astoundingly well and have claimed peak position on UK and International Billboard charts, not to mention the millions of Youtube views on his channel. Only 19, and well on his way to stardom, Maynard is well spoken, incredibly polite and oh-so-articulate. Maynard started with humble beginnings, homemade makeshift studios and doing covers of established musicians and posting them on Youtube. “It was kind of a
budget recording studio…” Maynard laughs, “Through trial and error, you know, I started getting better and better with microphones and such…out of nowhere it [Youtube] just started really blowing up.” It wasn’t long before those same musicians, like Ne-Yo reached out to sign on the new talent as well, after Maynard’s cover of Ne-Yo’s Beautiful Monster reached a million views. Maynard has all the makings of a pop star, incredible good looks, a devilish smile, the voice (and face of an angel) and now an army of frighteningly loyal fans, who are aptly called Mayniacs, ready to defend his honor. Not to mention, a style and confidence that is reflective of the things he loves – especially his fan-made bracelets, which he cherishes, dearly. With an upcoming tour though the United Kingdom from late October to mid November, Conor Maynard is intent on staying on top and leaving all comparisons in his rearview.
SHIRLEY YU
D
edicated readers might remember the name Shirley Yu from the first issue of XO Magazine. When we first met her she was young, fresh faced and ready to get into the world of photography. Now just a few short years later she’s taking the fashion industry by storm, shooting for cilents such as U Magazine, TheOnes2watch, Vanity Teen, and FORD models to name a few. We catch up with Shirley to see what inspires her, how she got her start and what she’s currently working on.
ALL PHOTOS SHIRLEY YU
I started my career in 2010, and I got into photography by doing some agency testing. Maybe I would describe my photography style as fashion portraiture with a mix of spirit and moodiness. Some of my inspiration comes from some classic photographers like Richard Avedon but also from some contemporary photographers like Kai Z Feng. Some of it also comes from life, movies, books, the places I go, the things I see, the people I meet and the I do fashion work because it allows me town I live in. to collaborate with so many people. I take more time to plan things out now. I used to set up editorials in two weeks and work with only 1-2 agencies on casting for it. Now, I probably take more than a month to think about those and with casting, I try to consider every option. Also, now I do a lot more studio work even though the bulk of my work is still on-location.
Lately I’ve found that I love playing around with lighting as opposed to always using natural light. It depends on who I’m shooting but I like to play artists like Daft Punk, The Strokes, The Arctic Monkeys, Nirvana, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey, and PNKYSWR.
High school was a giant pain to plan things around. I will be shooting more now that I am in college, because I don’t have an everyday class schedule anymore and I’m not a photo major, in case you’re wondering. My goals are to graduate college as an educated well-rounded individual, and then possibly live in Paris for a while.
So far, I have four editorial projects in the works to be shot in the next two months. One of the exciting ones coming up is a huge (21 pages, I think) editorial coming out in October for ODDA Magazine Issue #3,
www.photobyshirley.com
“NOTHING IS ENTITLED TO US. EVERYTHING WE OWN AND EVERYTHING WE HAVE ACHIEVED IN A LIFETIME CAN BE TAKEN AWAY IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. NOT JUST OUR DREAMS AND OUR JOBS, BUT OUR LIVES AND THE PEOPLE WE LOVE. WE CAN’T SEE INTO THE FUTURE, WE CAN’T CONTROL EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN OUR LIVES. WE CAN ONLY CONTROL HOW WE TREAT OTHERS AND WHO WE ARE BY BEING HONEST, COMPASSIONATE AND HARD WORKING INDIVIDUALS.”
JESSE RHODUS
M
eet Jesse Rhodus, photographer at Jesse Rhodus Photography. He’s one of our regular contributors, and has been behind some of our favourite shoots including our November 2011 issue’s cover featuring funny lady Stevie Ryan! Not only a fashion photographer, Jesse shoots for the entertainment industry, informal and formal portraits and always bring fun and creativity to any project. Here we catch up with him on his inspirations, upcoming projects and how he approaches each shoot.
ALL PHOTOS : JESSE RHODUS PHOTGRAPHY
When did you start your career and how did you get into photography? As the child of two opera singers, I was immersed in the arts from a very young age. I remember being 8 years old and watching an instructional video that came along with the new camera my dad had purchased, studying it, and instantly dreaming of all the ways I could create really beautiful images with my RZQ WR\ FDPHUD P\ VLVWHUV ZHUH P\ ÀUVW models. In high school I had my entire room
wallpapered in the designer ads from the pages of my favorite fashion magazines and would dress up my friends for shoots inspired by them. It wasn’t until about 2003 or so that I discovered the wonderful opportunity in photography to both do what I love to do and have a business that I can run myself and feel really proud of. How would you describe your style? I aspire to make art that everyone can
appreciate and that has a feeling of movement, energy, and life. My light-hearted nature often gives my style a feeling of whimsy and a sense of humor. I approach every shoot in the same way in that I have one object: capture something beautiful. You have a very tight knit team in which you collaborate with. How did you all meet? My team is made possible by the incredible staff at Hairroin Salon in Hollywood owned by my very talented friend Janine Jarman. I love my team (Makeup- Noel Nichols, Cambria Serrano; Hair- Luis Payne, Sarah Merrie; Wardrobe- Jana Lee-Aaby, Tony Elliott) as we all understand how to work in an atmosphere that is both fun and professional, and can easily collaborate artistically to create really beautiful
images; it makes work more like play. What is your favorite shoot for XO to date? Shooting for XO has been a dream. It’s always really fun to get to work with various industry professionals, including models, actors, dancers, and musicians. I think shooting Stevie Ryan for her cover and feature has been my favorite XO shoot to date as it was not only a fun/funny day, but Stevie’s not too hard on the eyes either. I love getting to work with my friends! Where do you get your inspiration? Inspiration comes from various places for me, including things like movies, music, dance, architecture, fashion, color, and people, but mostly from simple occurrences in daily life. I love beauty and adore glamour. I have an afÀQLW\ IRU KLVWRU\ DQG WKLQJV RI WKH SDVW ZKLFK often causes my style to reference the look and feel of another time and place. Tell us about your blog and how that came
about. My boyfriend, Tony, and I share a lot; the same birthday, shoes, clothes, tastes, and love of bow ties! For the longest time, we both felt we had a lot to stay but weren’t sure what the best medium would be for our thoughts and rants. We considered a style blog EXW IHOW LW ZDV WRR VSHFLÀF ZH WKRXJKW DERXW ZULWLQJ about cooking, but we decided we didn’t actually have THAT much to say. Finally we discovered our niche: it seemed to us that most people we knew loved the gentle guidance or advice of a stylish gay man, and what better way of spreading our tastes to a mass audience than through a blog. Thus, we developed TheBowtieBoys. com, featuring a daily menu of posts on everything from recipes and art to fashion and movies. We try to make the content interesting and informative while always remaining clever and fun to read. What is on your photo shoot playlist? My playlist for a photo shoot is highly affected by the nature of the shoot and feel we are trying to create… though we’ve been rocking out to a lot “Spice Girls Radio” on Pandora lately. Can you tell us about any upcoming projects? I’ve recently had the privilege of photographing some really gorgeous and talented ladies, including promotional images for VH1’s Stevie TV Season 2, singer Jess Delgado’s new album cover, and singer/choreographer Gina Starbuck’s new EP cover art. Future goals? In everything I do, I am constantly aspiring to be better than I am and to do more than I’ve done before; my photography work is no different. Some of my goals for the near future include developing new work relationships with commercial fashion and beauty companies and working with magazines more regularly on editorial features.
www.jesseashton.com
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