FLESH & BONE In pursuit of art and music VOL. 13
FLESH & BONE In pursuit of art and music
THE TEA M FOUNDER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Brandynn L. Pope
COPY EDITOR
Donald Kimber
DESIGN & LAYOUT
Brandynn L. Pope
COVER DESIGN
Morgan Fraser
COVER PHOTO
Philip Kanwischer
ILLUSTRATOR
Jason Lambidis
WRITING TEAM
Sara Almlah Ashley Houston Donald Kimber Brandynn L. Pope Cale Zebedee
PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM
Courtney Cook Christina Kelley Clare Kim Rickie Miller Brandynn L. Pope Brittney Tambeau
INQUIRIES & SUBMISSIONS
fleshbonemagazine@gmail.com
WEBSITE
fleshbonemagazine.com
/fleshandbonemagazine
F EATURES 06 08
POLL QUESTION STAFF STORY
Story & Photography | Sara Almlah
00 ALBUM REVIEWS 00 PLAYLIST
MU S IC 12 MazzFest
Review & Photographs | Brandynn L. Pope
16
Old Towns
Interview & Photograph | Cale Zebedee
20 MADUS
Interview | Brandynn L. Pope
22
The Maine
Interview & Photographs | Ashley Houston
AR T 26
Jennifer Riggs
36
Ricardo Bouyett
44
Philip Kanwischer
Interview | Brandynn L. Pope Interview | Brandynn L. Pope
22
Interview | Brandynn L. Pope
44
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POLL QUESTION: Is social media still helping artists? Originally, artists were able to use media outlets such as MySpace or DeviantArt to reach out to people. They could share music and art work, connect with fans, and embrace parts of the world that they previously were unable to. Now with outlets such as Facebook and Twitter there’s a saturation in the market. People are still able to share band pages and post music but with continuous restrictions added to the mix, are they actually still helping artists?
please do not reproduce Jason’s work without his personal consent
Yes 88% Yes. Although it’s easy to get sucked into the void of over-thinking all the stats or strategies, and constantly comparing yourself to other people’s projects; There has never been a time on earth (as far as we know) with a tool as powerful as the internet’s connectivity. We’ve only been on one tour, we’re virtually nobody, but we’ve had people from Australia, the UK, Canada, and parts of the US we’ve never been to reach out and tell us they dig the tunes. So awesome! (MADUS) I honestly believe that if used properly it can aid for people to keep track of your band. If you are a person interested in finding new bands then yes it can also help. But overall nothing is going to beat going out and networking in person (CALE)
No 12% While social media has its benefits, unless you have the money to invest into advertisements it’s difficult, and almost pointless. I find more musicians using things like BandCamp or SoundCloud and just leaving it there for people rather than making Facebook, Twitter or a Tumblr account. For many visual artists, they work by networking with people and getting out of the house and attending events. I believe this is the only effective way to make any impact with art of any variety. (JAC)
New York State Of Mind: Long Island, NY
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ew York, New York. The home of making dreams come true, the city that never sleeps, but what people don’t know – it’s the neighbor to a beautiful, natured-filled Long Island. I’m lucky to have been able to grow up there and explore everything it has to offer. Eventually, I was able to find my passion here. Long Island has everything – the city-like area, villages, get-a-ways, farms, the country. . . it is so diverse. You rarely need to go on vacation. We have such a wide range of activities and things to occupy us so you’ll never have to leave. I always found myself attracted to the city-like areas. I loved where there’s action going on. I found myself at local shows twice a week. Enjoying the energy the crowd brings, learning about artists of all mediums, and being able to find places where you can start to branch out and find yourself in situations that help you develop a passion you never knew existed. Constantly, I’d find myself at a venue called the Paramount in Huntington, NY. Located by the South Shore of Long Island. 5 minute from the oh-sowonderful train that we call the LIRR, you can walk for 20 minutes or hitch a taxi to ten bucks. It’s located right in the smack middle of ‘town’. The venue attracts bands, solo-artists, local talent, comedians, etc. If you can bring in a crowd, you can perform at Paramount. A few years back, I saved up and bought myself my first camera. I applied as press for the first time at the Paramount for a band called Karmin – and I got in. Taking photos and seeing the backstage area of the venue intrigued me. I spoke with an entertainment manager, whom takes care of planning tours and events, to which he gave me a quick summary of what he does. I knew from then I wanted to be involved. I liked talking to the artists, I liked learning where
they came from, it drew me in how they started with nothing and now they have nearly everything they could have dreamed of. Food. One of the greatest treasures in life. I found myself driving nearly two hours to the north fork of the island, just for cider donuts and apple pie. Out in Cutchogue, LI – a mom’n’pop town, they have farm stands galore. My friends and I road trip out there to get some of the best homemade churned ice cream you could get. On the nicer days, we’ll head to the Nautical Mile which is a strip of restaurants on the water, we’ll get the classic Long Island fish bowl, and what ever food that will suit our needs that day. When I need a home-away-from home, I go to a little private beach in Port Jefferson. It’s a city surrounded by water and has a boardwalk, restaurants, boutiques, theaters, etc. We drive up some secret/rocky alley way and park our car and take a walk to the shore. It’s nice to take a break from the crazy life style. Taking a few hours to focus on yourself and enjoy your surrounding is some of the most emotionally relaxing things you could do for yourself. Manhattan is nearly a 45 minute ride. Sometimes, I’ll grab a friend of mine and just hop on the LIRR with no destination. You will always find something to do in the big apple, but it’s just not long island. To me it doesn’t have that ‘home-y’ feeling that a city should have. Overall, being able to grow up in one of the most spoken about cities in the world has been a blast. I’m blessed to be able to call this diverse (crazy) place my home.
MazzFest May 30th, 2015
FACEBOOK - INSTAGRAM - TWITTER
Take Heart - Coldfront - Aura Amore - The Blue - Breakbeat Castaway - Cold Lungs - Cookin’ With Grandma - Colour In The Clouds - Depths Of Hatred - EXITS - Floorboards - The Graceful - Hollow Between The Hills - Loyalist - Plaguebringer - My Home The Catacombs - Sons Of Sirens - Southpaw - Stepping Stone Take The Throne - Why, Marilyn - Year Over Year
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MUSIC
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s summer stirs all of its main events come into place. Music festivals such as Riot Fest or Warped Tour get added to the season long todo list. Since 2009 many music loving Canadians gear up at the end of May for the day-long music festival known as MazzFest. Hosted in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, MazzFest brings the Canadian music scene together in the center of the country. It has become an important annual event to the local music scene across Canada, drawing in people, and sharing music that they might not of been exposed to previously. Bands get to show off what they have been working on within a twenty five minute set to a large group of other musicians as well as fans and potential fans. This year the festival has gone under a bit of a makeover compared to previous years. This makeover brings great promise for the future of MazzFest, and restructuring a future for these local artists. First, it started with the venue. Previously, the festival had been set up at Saskatoon’s O’Bryan’s, stage to performers such as Aaron Carter and Snoopdog. Now, the location has changed to Louis, a bar that allows 16+ to come inside to enjoy the music. That change has enabled a third stage in a new location, running
alongside the Main Stage and the Side stage. This third stage is a loft, open up to many bands that require a lot of movement and floor interaction with the crowd. Another change to the festival included the structure of the line-up. MazzFest has seen bands such as Expire, Being As An Ocean and Liferuiner on their Main Stage, drawing in crowds of people who have often looked over the lush scene that Canada has to offer. This year, MazzFest is specifically highlighting the local scene. More than anything, creator, Vince Geiger, has made comments on the event being a community. This is a family. Now it is time for the younger members of the family to find some recognition. This change has not made MazzFest any less successful. Regardless of the band age Geiger clearly brought together multiple artists of great talent and potential. MazzFest has never been about how many big names you can list off of the bill, rather it has been about coming together as a community involved in music.
Old Towns At a small basement house show packed full of people shoulder to shoulder, folk punk singer/songwriter Robbie Shirriff, who is best known as Old Towns strikes the chords on his guitar and starts singing. For Shirriff, part one of his tour for his current EP ‘Northey Sessions�, with tour mates Twin Towns is coming to a close. I was among attendance and caught up with Robbie for a chat about what he considers his better years. FACEBOOK - BANDCAMP
Photograph: James Bak
Photograph: Cale Zebedee
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ow at age Twenty-three, Saskatchewan born Robbie Shirriff, vividly remembers attending his first show at eleven: a bill consisting of A Last Goodbye, A Ghost Cried Murder, Far From Ruin, and Edmontonbased group Ten Second Epic. Now a folk-punk singer and songwriter based out of Edmonton Alberta, Shirriff was unaccustomed at his tender age of elven to the sounds outside of common media, such as Much Music or the radio. This experience flipped a switch, changed his perspective, “I immediately got into the sounds of each band, setting the tone of punk rock for me. Ever since, I have viewed shows as my primary form of entertainment and opportunity to discover music.” This spark ultimately led to Shirriff learning several instruments, including bagpipes, bass, guitar and then finally finding his voice with the formation of Old Towns. “Old Towns started as a creative outlet for my hangovers, as I maneuvered through my late teens in an effort to find a home” but after graduating high school he began thinking that playing in a band could be an ideal career. and at age 17, embarked on his first tour. In 2013, at age twenty-one, Old Towns début a four-song cassette tape dubbed, Better Years was released. Touring ensued, and during this time additional members where added into the fold, which led to the full band recording 2014’s Leaving Songs. This album took the group across the country, with highlight like the 420 Festival in Vancouver and Pouzza Festival in Montreal. Upon returning home from tour, Shirriff began working on new material, but with Old Towns being a continually
revolving door of musicians, Shirriff shifted the focus to working alone as an acoustic artist, “I’ve always been playing solo at the same time as performing with a full band, and I often still play with a few extra musicians. I definitely enjoy playing with friends and musicians, but have more freedom for touring and out of town shows if I’m performing solo.” April of this year, Old Towns released Northey Sessions, a four-song EP that was recorded live-off-the-floor in Shirriff’s living room in January. This album, engineered by Jesse Northey, aims to properly show off Old Towns as an acoustic act. Two songs from Better Years where rehashed as well as two brand new original tracks. Jordan Belanger was even recruited for banjo and guitar on three of the tracks. Next, a tour to support the record in May took him through British Columbia and all the way out to Toronto. Shirriff stresses the importance of touring because it allows him not only to travel and have new experiences, but also to catch up with meaningful friendships he’s established over the years and cities. When asked what the bright future might hold for him, he responded that writing and recording a full-length record will be tentatively released sometime in 2016, and that hopefully overseas touring will find him new experiences.
MADUS Out of Los Angeles comes the rock group MADUS. Once known as Tangent Transmission, the band has performed at legendary local venues such as The Whisky A Go Go, The Key Club, and the Troubadour. In their time together they have also been able to achieve such things as having their tracks featured on several films and television shows: famously, NCIS: LA. Despite all of their accomplishments, the guys in MADUS still maintain a level-headed and humble attitude towards the music community. FACEBOOK - INSTAGRAM - TWITTER
The beginning of Madus was actually that of the end of another project. In order to become the band that they now are they started transitioning themselves, starting with their name. Vocalist Dugan Cruz playfully recalls the time that they referred to themselves as Tangent Transmission: “it was a nightmare trying to tell it to people in loud clubs and venues.” As Tangent Transmission they were still performing enough to catch some attention as a band, but there was something that still needed to change. Cruz reflected how name Tangent Transmissions left them with “pretentious” undertones. Not only that, but in comparison to their name Madus, it was far more difficult to create a logo that was as aesthetically pleasing. Madus has a symmetrical design to it, and came from a place of empathy. “Once upon a time I was stuck in a rut of manic depression, and Sam’s mom being the cool lady she is, lent me a book by Carlos Castaneda titled ‘The Wheel of Time.’ It was a pretty epic collage of shamanistic existentialism, and it really helped me out of the rut I was in.” For
those unfamiliar with the writings, it touches base on a spiritual leader by the name of don Juan Matus and his teachings of the universe. Cruz stated that, “Whether or not this person actually existed is still up for debate. The depth of his teachings is not. Long story short, we knew we needed a new band name, so I changed the T to a D, and voila. Madus.” Along with names such as Bruce Springstein, Green Day, and Rise Against, Madus has added its name to the list of bands who have worked with Keith Armstrong. “Recording with Keith was amazing. He’s the coolest, chillest guy to work with. I’ve usually already got my brain running at a million miles an hour with all kinds of violent neurosis; so having a super-grounded, knowledgeable, and approachable dude to help keep everything glued together is really comforting.” Working with an engineer as skilled and well known as Keith Armstrong has certainly given Madus a leg up on their recorded tracks. Each one is creatively taken care of according to
its own unique nature, Dugan states: “I remember him sitting at the console while tracking guitar for ‘You Could Never Feel,’ and us being in the middle of some joke, and then he paused. We had already dialed in a cool sound that was all tinny and weird, and then he got up and left, only came back with a paper-towel roll. He then used that as a kinda sonic mic-sheath to help make the sound extra weird. Little things like that really showcased his creativity and ability to connect with an artist’s songs. We learned a lot from him about gear, food, and understanding that there is no right way to be an artist.” Experiencing the local scene is one of the finest ways of showing off the artistry of music, and each scene has something unique to offer and share with the people who are willing to be involved with it. With a quick browse through Madus’s social media, you might notice the prominent statement: “support local music.” The world of the local music scene differs so greatly from the radio stations, especially in the kind and variety of music available.
When asked about the dynamic of local music Cruz stated: “anything you hear on the radio, or that gets advertised to you is something that has been packaged and processed for the masses’ consumption. You can definitely find some great stuff that way, but to get a glimpse into what the city is really saying, you have to go check out local club’s calendars and see what they’ve got scheduled. Sometimes you’ll see it’s a lot of the same trend getting force-fed to you, and other times you find these people that speak to you, and you don’t feel as alone. You feel like you’re really connecting with the other goof-balls in your city.” With the release of the music video for their track “All The Way” some almost sensed cynicism towards the music industry. Lately in the news you hear horror stories with musicians and their label. Someone always seems to be in the wrong. While this is a pressing
issue within music, Madus took the opportunity to look at the other side of it all: the consumer. “I feel when you devalue an art form like that it’s a lot easier to sell products without and substance,” Cruz comments, “I feel there just isn’t the same kind of time and money to invest in developing an act into something with a little more depth. It feels like the winning ticket is to make music that resonates on the lowest common denominator.” When asked about the content of his music video, Cruz commented that, “even if you only have one mediocre song, but that mediocre song speaks to 700 music that attempts to talk something more than shallow-love, ego-boosting, parting, or making money, but I don’t think the investors and string-pullers are willing to take that risk. As creative as the music-industry has become with making money, they can’t hold up a candle to Hollywood.” The transparent nature of popular music
hasn’t fazed Madus, if anything it drives them to create their creative fixture of music. With “All The Way” being their first single off of their upcoming EP, it goes to show that regardless of the sugary radio hits, Madus are willing to put something out that displays the raw passion of music. Cruz expresses “after a buncha the usual blood, sweat, and tears we’ve found ourselves here: wanting nothing more than the continued ambition to express ourselves in a way that no platform other than a band could provide.”
The Maine When I ask people if they’ve heard of The Maine the response I usually get sounds a lot like this: “I love them! I used to listen to them in high school!” Usually fans had started listening to the band during the Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop era and never listened to the tracks what would follow. When they broke away from their record label in 2011 to release Pioneer, the band embarked on a journey of self-discovery, experimenting with their sound and straying from the pop-rock genre that established them. The divergent sound continued while writing Forever Halloween, which is the band’s darkest and most rustic sound to date. On March 31, The Maine released their fifth studio album, American Candy. The upbeat go-lucky melodies in this album are a sweet treat to longtime listeners, who embarked on a journey with the band four years ago and have finally returned home. It seems to be homage to the band’s pop-rock roots with a lighthearted message, groovy tunes, and a plethora of catchy one-liners that originally got the listeners to become fans. In light of their new album, we were able to catch up with their drummer, Pat Kirch. FACEBOOK - INSTAGRAM - TWITTER
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How as the American Candy tour been going so far? Have there been any major surprises with this tour? It has been great! The crowds have been so energetic and have been singing all the new songs already. Usually it takes a little longer for everyone to get to know the music but this has been really great.
American Candy has taken the band’s sound and made it a tad more poppy and upbeat; how do you think the overall acceptance of this has been by the fans? From what I can tell everyone is excited about the album and enjoys it. We never want to make the same album twice so I think our fans knew that it was not going to be Forever Halloween part 2.
What does American Candy represent for you guys? To me American Candy is the start of something new. I think we had been going down a path from the first album and growing with each album to reach Forever Halloween and I think we took that path as far as we could have. This album is the start of a new path; we will see where it takes us!
The past three albums you guys released (Pioneer, Forever Halloween and American Candy) the albums art work is sort of similar. Was this a coincidence or is there a reason behind it? We have had Dirk Mai shoot all of our album covers since Black and White and I think that his look and style is probably the reason for that. We love what he can capture with photos and love that we have a friend that can help our vision come to life.
How did the recording process go while you guys were at Joshua Tree? We brought in a truck full of gear and built a studio in a house. It was a pretty loose work flow, we would work until as late as we wanted and didn’t have to worry about being too loud because we were so secluded. This was the first time that we have recorded an album only on our gear so I think that made us feel like we could try whatever we wanted. At most studios there is kind of an awkward thing where you don’t want to touch the gear too much because you might break something. We tracked all the drums in the room where the indoor pool was which gives the album a sound that is different than anything we have done before.
Going along with Joshua Tree, after blacking out on social media and secluding yourself, would you want to continue recording in this environment? It is too early to know what we will do next, we could live broadcast the entire recording process next time or go hide away without internet for a year. It really just depends on what we feel will make a better album in the end. It was nice to be able to shut down that part of my mind and only focus on the music while we made American Candy and I think that focus can be heard on the album. It is short and to the point.
Talking about your live shows, is there one song that you guys feel is most important and you play every tour or think about playing every tour? We try and change it up as much as possible. We have a song called “Ice Cave” that somehow makes it into the set on every tour for at least a few shows no matter what we say. It just feels so good to play!
Is there anywhere in the world that you guys haven’t played yet, but hope one day you will? We really want to visit Japan! I am hoping that happens soon.
If you could tell your past selfsomething you know now, what would it be? Everything is going to work out no matter what happens. Keep working hard and you will be ok.
ART
Jennifer Riggs Thread Honey
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My name is Jenn. I’m a 24yearold graphic designer currently living in Indianapolis with my husband and overweight cat. I’m a selfdescribed Golden Girl stuck in a twenty-something body who loves podcasts, going on hikes and trashy reality TV.
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THREADHONEYDESIGN.COM
What originally got you into grabbing a needle and thread to create these works? Ever since I can remember I’ve been very into crafts and making things with my hands. I was always the kid in school who took macaroni necklaces a little too seriously. My grandma taught me how to crossstitch when I was six, but because the design patterns that she gave me didn’t interest me, I didn’t take a lot of interest in it. It wasn’t until I was studying design in college that I realized I could use a needle and thread to create textile art that I wanted to make without any rules or kits from the store. Once I started doing embroidery everything clicked and I developed a passion that allows me to do it every day without getting tired of it.
Lately social media such as pinterest and tumblr are filled work different kinds of cross stitching and embroidery. What’s it like to see this being use with youth? I love knowing that this art form, despite being around for thousands of years, can still be reinvented in new ways. While my grandma has never stitched something that says, “That Shit Cray,” when I do it is indicative of the world we live in today and the way that we can embrace traditions of our ancestors but bring them into 2015.
Do you find yourself referencing any particular themes within your work? Is there something that you always enjoy showing off more than others? I get the most requests to do embroidery pieces with phrases from TV shows and song lyrics. I enjoy making these, but I get really excited to stitch things with a lot of texture and colors. I’m in the process of doing a series of iconic female portraits, like Marie Antoinette [as seen on page 32] and Dolly Parton. I love to see them come to life through the stitches.
What is your process like? Typically, how long does it take to get thefinished product that you want? I get a lot of inspiration from things around me. After I get an idea, I’ll usually make a rough sketch in my notebook to figure out what elements I want to include in my design. From there I take the design into Adobe Illustrator where I finalize the design, determine spacing, and play around with colors to get an idea of how the embroidery will look when it is finished. Once I start actually stitching, the amount of time can vary – sometimes an hour, sometimes five or six, depending on how intricate the design is. I listen to a lot of podcasts and watch documentaries as I stitch to keep my mind busy and get into the zone. Once I’m there I don’t need to think about what my hands are doing; they start to go and it feels effortless.
“Pop culture meets grandma’s favorite pastime” can be read on your etsy, and on your instagram you state that you are handstitched embroidery for the 90s child. Would you say you are mostly influenced by the time of the 90s? What are your favorite pieces of pop culture, as well as what aspect of pop culture do you find most interesting? With the advent of the Internet in the 90s, I have been lucky enough to have grown up with a global society where you could communicate with people anywhere in the world and share ideas. I think that’s what I find most interesting about pop culture: people in Indiana and people in Brazil can be obsessed with goofy things like the left shark from the Superbowl or debating whether a dress is black and blue or white and gold. I think people that grew up with this phenomenon have a tendency to not take things too seriously and request things like gangster rap lyrics on pink floral fabric. The 90s were also a great time because I grew up watching X-Files and reading Eerie, Indiana books. I was really into the idea that the world was more strange and interesting than my parents wanted me to know. I love stitching evil eyes and crystals, occult pieces that remind me of how mysterious the world around us can be if we allow ourselves to look at it that way.
“Thread The Rainbow” Series
On one of your pieces you played around with fabric paint. Is there any other alternative process that you are interested in trying out? Embroidery is such a beautiful tradition because of the way it allows you to mix mediums. I’ve stitched on sweatshirts, tank tops, pillow cases, necklaces and there is so much more that I want to do. It’s sometimes hard to find a balance between keeping up with orders from clients and allowing myself to try new things because there’s no limit on what can be done. In the next few weeks I am going to do a series of wall hangings that I’m going to watercolor by hand and then embroider on top of so I’m really looking forward to that.
You’ve studied Visual Arts, and it greatly shows in how your instagram images use complimentary elements to the embroidery. Has there ever been a time where you’ve wanted
to put the computer based practice and the embroidery practice together? I’m constantly integrating my design with the art training I received in school. After sketching out an initial idea I almost always finalize my designs in Illustrator. It helps me to figure out color schemes and composition layout. It also helps me to keep an organized file of the designs I have because they are all saved if I ever need to pull them up. There’s a designer named Briar Mark who stitched some beautiful embroidered typography pieces that say “I could have done this on my Mac.” It perfectly represents my feelings toward embroidery. Since I do all of my designs on the computer I could just print them and hang them on my wall and be done with it. But when I’m sitting down with a thread and needle in my hands, spending hours to make something textile, it makes it seem more special. It’s not just an image on my computer screen.
ART
Ricardo Bouyett “I’m Ricardo Bouyett, I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and my family moved to the states early on in my childhood. Growing up I always had an interest in stories and constructing bizarre narratives in my head that allowed me to pretend I was someone else. I was highly involved with music, and trained as a classical singer for many years all the while obsessing over movies. A lot of my adolescence was spent repressing my sexual identity and being taught that I was worth nothing due to just that. I also had issues with my body and being able to love myself wholly. Coming into photography, I was really just looking to distract myself from dealing with these problems. In 2014 I was raped by someone I thought I could trust and that put a heavy toll on my relationship with my body and my self, so I turned to my art for solstice. I think it was then that my purpose within my work became clear. Allowing for dialogue about supporting one another and understanding that healing is achievable for those who undergo similar if not more grave situations possible.” FACEBOOK - WEBSITE - INSTAGRAM
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rt has a way of making the tragic into something beautiful. For Ricardo Bouyett, his form of art making became the conversation for himself and the trauma that was introduced in his life. All the techniques that he uses to created these visions he has taught himself to do. Two years ago he started the with his journey as a photographer in his freshman year at Northern Illinois University. Then he attended Columbia College Chicago in order to get a degree in photography. There is where he was able to learn more in ethics, history, and printing methods. Before all else, Bouyett is a story teller. Each of his images, whether on their own or in a series have an element to them that develop a narrative for you to understand. Thinking through his process of story telling, Bouyett playfully ponders how “You also find yourself having the weirdest conversations with yourself walking down a highway holding a fake tree and baby powder about whether or not to be nude for the photo.” Though this is one of the silly examples of his narrative process he too has mentioned that it brings you to a place of great spirituality within yourself. He recalled a time specifically, “one day back when I lived in Chicago, I took the entire day off to go adventuring along the north shore, and spending that time by myself allowed me the time and peace i needed to know how to move forward in my life, be it socially an academically.” Scrolling through his work you’ll see variations of those where he is his own subject, and those where he has other people to work with. All of them are consistent with their airy feeling. Any of his images just scream “Ricardo
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Bouyett.” Possibly, one of the most distinctive parts of his work is his ability to merge the photographic medium with digital processing. When asked about his techniques in developing the process that worked for him, he stated “I approach the end result image as if it were nothing and the digital photograph as the foundation and the textures and colour and paint strokes as my tools that create the narrative. This addition I feel fully embodies the construction of fallacy and depreciation that exists within my own mind.” While you do see a great deal of work put into his creation, Bouyett is still successful in creating images that are more minimalistic, further saying “It’s not about what I’m adding or taking away but what I am making. Is it effective in communicating what I need it to communicate? I strive for yes.” Originally, he jumped right into a 365 project which he “naively thought was exclusively self-portraiture.” Working with yourself as the only person in the room you are forced to quietly work inside of your head, review pose and lighting and often it is a slower process, “there’s no dialogue,
there’s just feeling. That to me is more of a spiritual moment where as photographing others is more of a collaborative moment. Where you connect with others in the spirit of making something wonderful and larger than yourselves. Which in it of itself is an equally amazing experience. Because you also need to know not to take yourself too seriously and enjoy the process with everyone on the team.” While he has a lot of popular self-portraiture, Ricardo has proved his ability to work with other people not only in stills but also in larger production, film processes. Most recently, his film “Lionheart,” has been brought together and shared by Bouyett. “Lionheart” is a short film that settles around forty minutes that started
developing two years ago. The project works as an accumulation of what Bouyett states as “self-referential stories” that follows the delusions of a character by the name of Travis, a surrogate character for Bouyett. The film touches on subjects such as domestic abuse, rape, homophobia, transphobia, and the hardship of love. Ultimately, it is psychologically driven and star LGBT identifying characters to “break my surrealist norm with their hyperreal narratives of bravery, loss, and tragedy.” The project came in increments, starting out as a selfportrait project that enabled Bouyett to study the relationship within himself “and then after some time I changed it to be about things outside of myself that I couldn’t control.” After screening another film of his, “Amant.” Bouyett came to understand what he really
wanted “Lionheart” to be. For one, it had to be a bigger production,one that “celebrated and destroyed [his] body of work all at once.” The bigger production called for a lot of preparation. For nearly two months he worked on getting the script together, sent it off to his editor, Lindsey Borgna, and dived into the process of gathering a crew and cast. “Being my first time ever doing this, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I was determined and dedicated and needed to find people who were just as passionate. Lindsey was a natural fit as she had always been supportive of my work but also an excellent revisionist and the perect person to help me bring this project to life. I also enlisted them help from my friend, Shanna Clark, who played the role of casting director, production designer, and set photographer. From there we held auditions, found our cast and headed straight into gathering a crew. In comes our wonderful line producer, Danielle Fink, who organized the production in its entirety from talent detail to production schedule. I later launched a kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the film so we could get the equipment, transportation, props, and costumes necessary or the film. We successfully reached and surpassed our goal of $1850. Once we had the green light to go ahead we began test shooting, location scouting, and setting up for our April production dates. Production itself was a humbling and amazing experience and we truly had a once-in-a-lifetime team of beautiful
4 you can watch “Lionheart” here.
people. I wrote more on the experience in my blog. I will say, that depending on the twenty other people for a project you’re so attached to can be extremely difficult and taxing. At least half of the original cast dropped out of the project last minute, and if it weren’t for the benevolence of our understudies, we wouldn’t have been able to make the film. All in all, it was a rewarding and life changing experience that required a lot of patience but also allowed the chance to grow and fully come to terms with my past.” It’s safe to say that a lot of artists are trying to come to terms with a part of themselves and constantly revisit it within their work. It is a part of what makes art so beautiful: the visual empathy. Ricardo Bouyett has laid everything out for everyone to see. He has grown up through his art, going so far to say that he has learned more in his story telling process about himself than any classroom, or anywhere else, could. Compared to when he first started he has created work that go straight for the message and in his words “carries a larger narrative weight than it did when I first started. Before I never knew why I was making what I was making other than I had to make
it. Now I make work for catharsis and to open up the conversation about LGBT youth struggling with abuse of many kids.” With the deep, heavier, messages that he has embedded in his work there is no doubt of how successful he will be in creating conversation in something that is getting more and more friction than ever before. Bouyett states “as far as themes go, I’m hoping to dive into sexuality more and am actually in the process of developing future short films that cover the struggles I’ve dealt with my homosexuality.” Now with the taste of working in film growing, Bouyett is working more towards it while still working in his still-frame mediums. His passion is growing and with how hard he is working there is no doubt that he will be a name you’ll want to remember. When asked on his vision of the future he stated “ideally, I’d hope to see my work in exhibition spaces and galleries in major cities like New York, Chicago, and LA. I also hope to brand out and work in the film industry and who knows, maybe work on a film or twenty.”
Philip Kanwischer I am born and raised in Calgary but have been fortunate enough to travel all around the world. My practice photographically is rooted in wildlife, capturing precious moments of a wide variety of species. As a part of post production, I then edit these images often using compositing to subvert the context of an animal in space and raise issues of conservation and the human – animal dynamic. I work collaboratively with my girlfriend and fellow artist, Chloe Kinsella. Having her support and creative perspective has really elevated my work over the past couple years as I have come into my own. I use her form as a symbol of human presence and vulnerability in a number of my pieces. As well as support from my upbringing in an artistic household and current life of travelling and creating has made for a very artistically fulfilling experience thus far.
PHILIPKANWISCHER.COM
A large portion of your work makes a comment on the environment. Would you say this is a purposeful effort, or a subconscious action? What themes do you wish to pursue with your art? When I first started photography it was all about the environment I was not sure why, I just knew I liked being outside. Over the years I have experimented in many different fields but I always come back to the outdoors. Ive realized now that my art functions as means for environmental conservation, a commentary on human influence and animal ethics. My passion for animals and exploring the wild has lead me to my latest body of work which challenges the concepts of habitat destruction and domestication of animals. Attempting to subvert the idea of control in my images.
What has driven you to pursue all the different mediums that you do? What is the most attractive medium and what is it that brings so much interest for you? I have always had a drive to make things and this has manifested in many mediums: airbrushing, drawing, painting, photography, and woodworking are all in my repertoire. My primary focus right now is on photography and woodworking. Photography has the ability to get me outdoors and capture a part of the wild without having a negative impact on it. Elevating the concept of hobbyist photography to the fine art realm loaded with a message. Plus its something I love to do and am classically trained in. Woodworking on the other hand flexes my physical muscles, working with my hands and having the satisfaction of tactilely building. I am in the process of combining these two media, creating beautifully jointed wooden sculptures to house my photographs.
What project are you currently working on that you are particularly excited about? As I mentioned above, I am in the midst of an on-going project that combines woodworking and photography. Designing and hand carving a gear system with mechanical movements, housed within a wooden frame, creating a kinetic sculpture that quite literally brings motion to the photographs mounted in front. Its quite complicated and the idea is always evolving, but I am getting very close to resolution. It feels good to transcend different dimensions with my projects and bring movement and lighting in a very direct way into my sculptures and images.
What would you say is the main difference from your work when you first started taking art seriously to the point you are at now? I just liked art before and was focussed on technical aspects more than anything. But now I know exactly what I am doing and why I am doing it. I have created my own style, niche and expectations for myself and the main thing is being accountable to yourself, not doing things just because you’re supposed to.
What was the most rewarding part about attending post-secondary school? As well, what was the biggest draw-back? The most rewarding part in going to ACAD was gaining the knowledge to now be able to make anything happen with the use of photoshop. I had great instruction in this area specifically and it really carries over into the work I am doing now. Post-secondary surrounded me with somewhat like minded people and gave me reason and incentive to experiment with my craft. There was no real draw-back I was still doing what I wanted to do, which was take photographs.
How would you like to have your art seen by people in the future? What would you want them to take away from your images? For me each image is a triumph of hard work, patience and critical thinking. I want people to see my photographs as pieces of fine art and take the time to really look. Not be dismissed as ‘straight photography’, there are conceptual underpinnings in every work. I love my photographs themselves but when I get them matted and framed is when it all really comes together, manifesting a digital image is so different than viewing it on the screen. If people take away a sense of wonder and are challenged by the very complex humananimal relationship then I have succeeded. As I have said I play with compositing, taking animals out of their natural context and I pride myself on doing this quite convincingly. Even if its a sense of being disturbed I love to challenge the viewer and have them question how the animals got into that scenario – further prompting a discussion on what the imagery and symbolism is commenting on. Conservation.
ALBUM REVIEWS BoyMeetsWorld ALBUM: Become Someone RELEASE: 06/16/15
STAND OUT: “So In What”
AUTHOR: Brandynn L. Pope
Before all else, I was drawn to BoyMeetsWorld for its revival of music I used to listen to in 2006, or saw on the 2009 Warped Tour. I thought that music like this was lost until having the privilege of listening to Become Someone. Each song has a feel-good attitude, even with lyrics that have a cry of distress . . . classic pop punk. First, the album draws you in with its upbeat sounds before you can actually look deeper into the lyrics. All the songs work together, expressing similar themes of angst: figuring out your place in the world, realizing where you stand with different people, and the emotional confrontation that comes with it all, etc. In addition to the main tracks of the album, there
In Search Of Signals ALBUM: Empty Oceans RELEASE: 05/10/15
STAND OUT: “Empty Oceans” AUTHOR: Cale Zebedee
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Empty Oceans, the sophomore EP by Calgary group, In Search of Signals, shows that as a collective they have endured strife that has allowed them a rebirth since their formation in 2011. In Search of Signals has gone through numerous personal changes as many bands tend to, yet the current combination of vocalist Andy MacDonald, guitarists Levi Bulloch and Stephen Jones, bassist Cody Kilpatrick, and drummer/recording engineer Justin St. Onge seems to be their strongest one. The group
8 is also an acoustic version of “So In What.” When artists include acoustic tracks I’m always a little skeptical of what it brings to the table as apposed to what it already shares with the original. To my surprise, my first time listening through the whole song it registered as a completely different song. The only real difference is how the lyrics are sung, bringing a whole new meaning to their words. With an album title such as Become Someone, BoyMeetsWorld fully embraces the times in a person’s life when they come to terms with themselves, relearning and rethinking.
8.5 recorded their album at St. Onge’s home studio dubbed ‘Sky Anchor Studios’, which allowed the group to take the proper time to bring their album to fruition. The album has a very dark, heavy-set tone, especially the title track “Empty Oceans.” Other tracks like “Second Nature” and “Emergence” show the brute heaviness of the group, but at the same time combine as much melody as possible. Empty Oceans shows that the group has finally dialed in the sound they’ve been searching for.
I The Mighty ALBUM: Connector RELEASE: 06/02/15
STAND OUT: “The Frame I: Betrayal In The Watchtower” AUTHOR: Brandynn L. Pope
The draw with I The Mighty is how they are able to create songs that hold strength not only in the vocalists talents, or even in the lyrical content, but to harmonize all the instruments together. There’s a complexity with every element that they create for each individual track and since their first EP, Hearts & Spades, they have only progressed this. Opening into their album, “An Epilogue As A Prologue” creates such a delicate contrast with their often aggressive sound. It was a short, thoughtful, and twinkly track to bring it all together. It’s because of this start that I was surprised with their following track “Lady Of Death” bursting through. One track I had found myself anticipating since first seeing the track listing for Connector was “Friends”ft. Max Bemis of Say Anything. The idea of I The Mighty featuring an artist as talented and vocally iconic as Bemis peaked my curiosity over anything else. It being released before the full album streamed and was released I was a little surprised by how different its approach was compared to previous releases from the band. That being said, the track is able to successfully use Bemis’s style and integrate it with I The Mighty’s front man, Brent Walsh. Together they create a powerful sound, and the track itself is one that stands out on the album. Possibly one of the most hyped songs was the final “frame.” Since their EP, Karma Never Sleeps, I The Mighty has been releasing parts of The Frame. Finally we have descended down to “The
9 Frame I: Betrayal In The Watchtower.” Once the song comes to an end and revisit the lines that once read “they already took her from us” in parts II and III of The Frame, yet altered to a hopeful “we won’t let them take you from us.” This is the part of the album that leaves you with chills. After a few listens to the album, I came to realize that everything was indeed, connected. The first track fits as the prologue, using the lines “we wait for a miracle once again” in both the first and final track. It works as this huge, interconnected system between their previous releases, and even as an opening track that is reflective to the end, just as the title had suggested. The beginning was the end, just as the end of the album was the beginning of their story The Frame. As a whole, I The Mighty has created a fantastic full, sophomore album that displays are greater level of maturity than previous. There’s so much honest emotion directed into each individual narrative of a song. While parts of it drift away from previous work that they have done, it is a great example of what growing up while remaining in the same vessel looks like. I have a difficult time believing that anyone who enjoyed Satori would not enjoy the majority that Connector has to offer.
Twenty One Pilots ALBUM: Blurryface RELEASE: 05/19/15
STAND OUT: “Doubt”
AUTHOR: Heather Vermeulen
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Though I agree with the sparse few criticism that the hype for Twenty One Pilots is a bit over-rated, their sophmore album, Blurryface, is one that I will constantly be going back too. I did not find the second album from this dynamic duo to contain as many heart stopping moments as their previous offering, Vessels, but it still sticks out as an album not to be missed. The songs that do stand out, do so with enough strength to carry the rest of the album. “The Judge” swings you in with the iconic ukulele,
7 while “Goner” almost disappears, before coming back to grab you and shake you by the shoulders. Alone, the marketing for this album was genius and will not be forgotten. As usual, there is something for everyone who suffers from mental illness to find solace in within the work. Personally, I find that enough to keep me hooked and waiting for more.
ALBUM RELEASES S la v e s T h e D a r kn e ss F lo r e n c e + T h e M a c h in e I The Mighty F o u r Ye a r S t r o n g This Century Matt Skiba & the Sekrets Ye a r O v e r Ye a r
06/06 06/09 06/09 06/09 06/09 06/09 06/16 06/16 06/16 06/16 06/16 06/16 06/16 06/23 06/23 06/30 06/30 06/30
Ar e You Satis fied? Las t Of Our Kind How Big How Blue H o w B e a u tifu l Connector F o u r Ye a r S t r o n g Soul Sucker KUTS ... I’ve Accepted All The Things I Can’t Change, An Ever Changing Perspective Drones Sad is the New Black Beneath The Skin They Killed Us Ones And Zeroes The Original High Become Someone Ed Helms Grand Romantic N e i l Yo u n g Yo u n g e r D r e a m s Dopamine Dark Before Dawn Infidel Being As An Ocean Heavy Love REDEFINED[D]
07/07 07/10 07/17 07/17
Coma Ecliptic Bully Anything That Moves Thresholds
Between The Buried And Me H i g h Te n s i o n Bobaflex Midwayer
06/01 06/01 06/02 06/02 06/02 06/02 06/02 06/02
From Another Planet Muse Backslashes And Bad Ideas Of Monsters And Men Will Currie & The Country Frend Yo u n g G u n s Adam Lambert BoyMeetsWorld Ed Helms Nate Ruess N e i l Yo u n g Our Last Night Third Eye Blind Breaking Benjamin Infidel Being As An Ocean Man Overboard Strains
PLAYLIST _____
Here are some suggested tracks brought to you by the staff.
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A D SO e T ain IE D he M T
TY
IE
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N lie AI har AG C U (ft. YO lifa E ha SE iz K W
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h)
A Y e F R nc O ER Da TH B vin EA AW a D R eG ST anc D
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Kid Don’t Let Like The Used To 4 The Colour In The Clouds Hopes 4 High Kodaline A Witch 4 Annie’s LVL UP
4 Nerve The Story So Far Want You 4 INick Tangorra
4 Friends I The Mighty (ft. Max Bemis) Blue//Rooftop Red 4 Belmont Year Over Year Oceans (We Are Drowning) 4 Through Why, Marilyn / Colour In The Clouds Me Out 4 Bail All Time Low
4 Haymaker The Honest Heart Collective click on the 4 buttons + images to play the song!
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In pursuit of art and music Do you want to join our team? You can contact us at fleshbonemagazine@gmail.com with your application.