Flesh & Bone Vol. 24

FLESH & BONE

in the pursuit of artistic passion

vol 24

GEORGINA TAYLOR - HOUSEHOLD - DARREN PEARSON - MICHAEL ALM

W W W. F L E S H B O N E M A G A Z I N E . C O M Al l ri ghts reser v e d. No pa r ts o f th i s pu bl i c a ti o n m a y be rep roduced i n wh o l e o r i n pa r t wi th o u t pe r m i s s i o n from the pub l i sh e r. T h e v i e ws ex pre sse d i n t h i s pub l i cati on do n o t re f l e c t F l e sh & B o n e a n d i t ’s s t a f f but retai n to the i r re spe c t i v e c o n tr i bu to r s.

F I N D U S ON

Fa c e b o o k f a c e b o o k . c o m / f l e s h a n d b o n e m a g a z i n e Tw i t te r t w i t te r. c o m / f l e s h a n d b o n e m a g I n s t a g ra m @ f l e s h b o n e m a g a z i n e

SU BMI SSI ON S & AD VE RTI SI N G

fleshbonemagazine@gmail.com

FLESH & BONE M A G A Z I N E

V O L . 2 4

F l e sh & B o n e M agazin e is a bi-m on th ly c re ativ e ar ts p u b l i c a t i o n p ro d u c e d by ar tists wh o are c on stan tly i n sp i re d b y o t h e r ar tists. O u r goal is to sh are an d i n t ro d u c e o t h e r p e ople wh o are in te re ste d in ar t or i n t h e p u rs u i t o f ar t to oth e r c re ativ e in div idu als.

E a c h i ssu e h i g h l igh ts ar tists of an y ar tistic m e diu m , wh o t h e y a re , wh at th e y do, an d th e ir v ie w poin ts on t h e c o n si s te n t l y growin g ar tistic m ov e m e n t. ______________________________________________________ FOUNDER & EDITOR

BRANDYNN L POPE

COPY EDITOR

DONALD KIMBER

DESIGN & LAYOUT

BRANDYNN L POPE

COVER PHOTO

DARIA LAPTO

WRITING TEAM

ASHLEY ATLUS DONALD KIMBER JAMES LIAM WARD

PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM

ASHLEY ATLUS BRANDYNN L POPE BRITTNEY TAMBEAU

YOU CAN PURCHASE YOUR PHYSICAL COPY HERE

March & April LETTER FROM THE EDITOR I know I had to write “March & April” but how much better does “April & March” sound? It had me so stirred that I had to write about it in the first line of this letter. Oops.

Working and living with artists every day of my adult life has taught me to always be a little on edge when it comes to being on time or having any sense of organization. I know a part of it is my own personal anxiety disorders but it is very rare that I come across a brilliant artist who has a one hundred and ten percent perfectly scheduled life. By no means should they, either. The reason I bring this up is because I was so pleasantly surprised by all of the artists who gave in their final responses for this volume!

This is the largest volume of Flesh & Bone to date and we really do hope to keep the content as active in the future making sure to share artists of all mediums as well as keeping up with different stories. Like these artists we as a publication are constantly changing and inspired to do and find new things for you guys, the readers, and we thank you kindly for taking the time to think of us and read through out publication.

BRANDYNN

BRANDYNN L. POPE FOUNDER / EDITOR

Consistently inspired by every one and every visual that passes by, Brandynn decided to create a magazine that shows off the little bits of beautiful inside of an often chaotic world. She has her Bachelors in Design & Photography and uses it to consistently push for more photographic work, often working with musicians and occupying every waking moment she can spare. Besides horror movies, Pokémon and wood burning, her job is her greatest interest, allowing it to finance her addiction for tea and coffee.

DONALD KIMBER

COPY EDITOR / WRITER

Finding his greatest passion in poetry, Donald is working towards his Masters in Literature. He is a beautiful and critical writer with experiences in the most desolate of locations as well as the busier of cities. When Donald isn’t writing or working towards his Masters he is busy playing video games or hanging out with his cats, enjoying the simple experiences of life.

JAMES LIAM WARD WRITER

James describes himself as a twenty-one year old nerd who obsesses over things such as Pokémon, and 1980s era horror movies. His primary obsession, though, is music. Listening to music, creating music, he loves it all, but ever since joining Flesh & Bone Magazine he has also found a new love for critiquing it. He respects all artists and genres, regardless of if his thoughts are critical and often not always the most “respectful” and tries to approach every project with an open mind. Typically, he will find himself gravitating towards the unique, the macabre, and the “totally whacked out” – while also still bumping the Beibs when no one else is around.

ASHLEY ATLUS PHOTOGRAPHER

Ashley is a storyteller who uses photography, video, text and code in order to bring her story to life. She has a deep passion for photography, specifically in live music where she waits for that perfect decisive moment in order to capture the mood of the event. It was at the Medill School of Journalism of Northwestern University where she received her Masters Degree in journalism and now finds herself photographing and writing for Flesh & Bone Magazine.

BRITTNEY TAMBEAU PHOTOGRAPHER

Fun loving and food loving, Brittney is an experienced photographer and graphic designer from the East Coast. She has found a way to mend together her love for music and adventure with her talents in photography.

Now she is a part of the Flesh & Bone team documenting the moments of other artists and sharing the true experience of an event through her photographs.

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IN THIS ISSUE 08

The Photo Journal

12

Revisited: Angela Smyth

66

Release Charts

66

Albums In Review

Brandynn L. Pope

James Liam Ward & Brandynn L. Pope

James Liam Ward

GA L L E R I E S & R E VI E WS 16

Billy Talent

18

Panic! At The Disco

20

Pierce The Veil

Photographs | Brandynn L Pope Gallery | Brittney Tambeau

Review & Photographs | Brandynn L Pope

A R T I C LE S 22

Time King

24

Lore Illustrations

30

Tribe Society

32

Michael Alm

38

Ezig Pamir

44

Darren Pearson

50 Household

Interview & Photographs | Brandynn L Pope

54

Georgina Taylor

60

Daria Lapto

MODEL J E S S I C A R E G E H R

THE

GAMBLE PHOTOGRAPHER B R A N D Y N N L P O P E

An gela Smy t h REVISITED

We first featured Angela Smyth on the cover of Volume Six. We are now able to welcome her back and catch up with her and see her progress as an artist eighteen volumes later. At the time we originally spoke with her he was still working hard on her Bachelors of Fine Arts and since then she has graduated and has continued the journey on her own time.

What were your main artistic priorities over the last two years?

Staying motivated, and inspired. Two years ago, I expected inspiration to fall from the sky. I learned you can’t stop making work. I had a fear of making mediocre or bad art. Mediocre, good, or amazing, you should just keep making. And I don’t mean living and breathing art. I mean on the days I wasn’t feeling it, and felt the hardest to be motivated, were the days I needed to put up a fight, push back. I think for me, it’s important not to wait for ideas to hit you, sometimes they do, and it’s wonderful. Though most often, you need to go to them, even if it takes awhile.

Another priority was getting to a point where I could truly feel myself in my work. I could connect, and really talk to my work like it were someone in the room. Having a creative outlet is so important to me, and being able to unload myself into something, that couldn’t possibly be weighed down by anything I’m feeling, is such a good feeling. Not that I wasn’t connected to any of my previous practices, I feel that what I’m doing now is a new and different connection. Every part of it is me, and now I can’t imagine myself without it.

I’ve hit a point where I don’t worry about whether people will like what I make. I don’t do it for money, fame, or “success”. I’m basically the worst entrepreneur. I’m just happy to have an outlet and something that makes me feel good.

When we first reached out to you your tag was the “Nostalgic Artist.” Since then you have taken the name “Comrade and Kin.” What was the reason for this shift and how do you feel like this has changed the work that you have produced?

I took that name since, at the time, I was in my third year of school and was making a lot of installations based on nostalgia and melancholy. I thought at the time that it was the direction I wanted to go. Then when I started making work that was more flora and fauna themed, and decided I wanted to start an online business, I went with Comrade & Kin. Believe it or not, I just dropped Comrade & Kin. Since my practice has really solidified and become more cohesive, I want no more names other than my own.

I’m happy with my work, so keeping it simple with my name having more of a focus is more important to me now.

How has your work changed stylistically?

What do you feel that you still approach the same way?

Is there any specific work that you have become more critical of as you have matured as an artist?

My work has really simplified itself. All of the themes and ideas I had before are all still there, but they’ve grown and changed and been cut down. I guess minimalism is what was missing. I love simplicity, and I just needed a way to take big ideas and convey them in the simplest way possible.

I can’t think of anything specifically. I’ve definitely grown in the way I see art as a whole, and my critical thinking has improved greatly. I can approach work, whether it’s my own or others, and see much more than I would have 5 years ago.

It’s kind of funny, I was always afraid of using black in my work. I found it too harsh. So a lot of my early printmaking work has almost no black. My last year was the opposite; I flipped and started using nothing but black. Just recently, I actually just started testing out some bronze and gold color, which may sneak into my pieces from time to time. But now I couldn’t see my pieces in any other colors, only on occasion.

This is because the narrative is what I want to focus on. Keeping the imagery simple, but not the concept.

Almost all of this is because of school. I think some imagine art school as a step-by-step guide, and you go from being able to paint flowers to painting a forest. It’s not just in improving skill, but challenging the way you see. You’re able to go from seeing one side of something to ten sides. Plus you start to see limits less. The more knowledge you consume, the more you’re able to see.

How has your love for the materials as well as your incorporation of animals evolved?

My printmaking has evolved from basically having my nose in a rulebook, to doing anything I want.

Printmaking has such a wide range of styles and methods, and when you’re learning the basics, it’s easy to get lost in what’s proper. There are still areas that are process sensitive, but there’s more room for flexibility and play. Once you learn what’s traditional, you can then start to play around.

I love heavy process, so it’s the perfect medium for me. I have people all the time asking me “why go to all this trouble, when you could just use a machine and cut down your time”. I don’t make work because it’s efficient. I absolutely could whip out a design and print it off right at home, and I’m not at all discrediting digital artists who use this process. I do it because I love getting my hands dirty. I love the grittiness of putting my own physical self into something.

That’s for me, not anyone else. I get happiness and satisfaction from that, and that’s all that matters.

When I started incorporating animals, I had no reason or concept. So from that point until now, I’ve constantly re-visited that. In no way am I at the point where I have the complete final answer, and maybe I never will, but I’m closer. This curiousness helps any artist continue to make work. All I know is that I’ve always felt such a deep connection to the natural world, and I don’t think I’ll ever not make about it.

My animals back then were traditional, familiar ones, but there was no connection between them and myself. I then started to use them as characters, and they took on a more anthropomorphic look.

My most recent work started to appear in my last semester, when I was having mental health issues.

I started using these characters to approach this topic, in a subtle almost masked way. I simply use nature as a way of showing that connection between humans and the natural world. There can be damage and destruction much like what we all go through, but there’s also rebirth, and growth, and renewal.

Sometimes we’re a forest fire, and then we have to go back to clean up the mess.

B I LLY TA L EN T

BRANDYNN L POPE

T HE DI RT Y N I L

BRANDYNN L POPE

PA N IC ! AT T HE DISCO B R I T T N E Y TA M B E A U

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P ie rc e T h e Ve i l FEBRUARY 22ND. MACEWAN HALL. By noon there were already seven kids waiting in line ready for the show to begin.

They would be waiting an additional six hours before the doors would open and even then the first band, Crown the Empire, wouldn’t start playing until seven sharp. But who could blame these kids for their excitement? Only one other time had Pierce the Veil come through Canada and that had been two years prior.

It also had not been a headlining tour. Now the band had an opportunity to play more songs to a crowd of people who were there specifically just to see them.

I remember walking down the line at 6:30PM seeing that it was still healthy in size. There was no way that it would die down by the time the first band would hit the stage, though the staff certainly tried their best.

Front and center, staring up at the stage was a girl with a semirolled piece of poster paper that had written “Thank You -Calgary” and on the side asking for a drum stick. She was not the only one who made signs for the show, nor was she the only one with ripe enthusiasm for all of the artists that were going to perform. Taking

the stage first was Crown the Empire performing six songs for the crowd, amped up with just as much enthusiasm. It was the first night of the Canadian leg of the tour that they were able to use the blown up astronauts and vocalist Andy Velasquez made sure to give one of them a high five during their set.

Following them was Falling in Reverse. Right off the bat, vocalist, Ronnie Raddke came to the center of the stage and demanded the attention from the audience. He made large gestures, jumping on the front monitor, and often gyrating across the stage.

They totalled at eleven songs from their discography including their first ever single, “The Drug in Me is You” and their newest tracks such as, “Fashionably Late.”

Both of the openers served to pump up the crowd for Pierce the Veil. The crowd packed themselves together as soon as a giant white sheet covered the stage. Once the projections started rolling in the crowd started screaming and cheering in anticipation.

Everyone watched the animation, the count down and roared once the curtain dropped and the band kicked off into their first song, “Dive In.” Being that this was their first headlining tour across Canada the band was able to add a little bit of every album in their set, surprising everyone with “Bulletproof Love” where

they brought a fan up onto the stage. The girl was surprisingly cool, calm, and collected (at least on the surface) and lightly sang along to the band’s ballad.

While the band also highlighted some of the best parts of their newest record, Misadventures, they also included an old track “Stay Away From My Friends” in acoustic. This tour was the first time that the band had decided that they were going to play it in their set and everyone sang along in a holy chorus. Keeping with the older tracks they even played the single, “Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides” from their first full length.

While “Hold On Till May” was going to be the ‘last’ track, it would not be a Pierce the Veil show unless they played “King For A Day.” At the chant for an encore they jumped into the Misadventures track, “Circles,” before jumping into the aggressive, “King For A Day.” This left the crowd excited, still wanting more in such a short set list. There was no denying, though, that they touched base on some of their best live tracks and there was not a fan in the crowd that looked disappointed with the set.

Tim e K i n g

W E B S I T E - FA C E B O O K - M U S I C Time King is a group composed of 5 dudes who are very passionate about creating, and very big on having a lot of fun while doing it. We come from a foundational musical relationship between Shayne (guitar, vocals) and Brandon (guitar) that spanned 2000 miles across the country. We definitely approach making music and art from the perspective of fans and consumers of that same art. We come from a variety of professional backgrounds within the field of music and we collectively share a very diverse set of musical interests, all of which shows in what we do. Ultimately, we very much wish to meaningfully contribute to the existing artistic “conversation” and leave something that inspires others in the way we’ve been inspired by past contributions.

Tell us a little bit about The 1955 Collection. What was the decision process in comprising the collection with four EPS rather than diving right into a full-length album?

Is there anything that you tend to stray away from while writing music? What do you find is the key motivator, as well as inspiration, when it comes to writing something new?

The 1955 Collection is a way for us to accomplish a few goals that we’ve arrived at as a band. We were interested in creating a format for releasing smaller (and more frequent) pockets of music that could also gather into a single whole. We also wanted to find a way to more closely explore a number of different elements of our sound under one roof. Finally, we wanted to take a song-centric approach, where we can take plenty of time to let each song speak for itself while also telling somewhat of a larger story.

I don’t think we necessarily purposefully stray from anything, but I guess we do have a good sense of ideas that nail the type of sound or aesthetic we’re going for at a given time versus the ones that don’t.

The key musical motivator is definitely the vibe, in that ideas really need to feel good for us to get inspired to keep moving with them. Since we do indulge in the geekier side of music, its safe to say that musical innovation tends to be a driving force as well - that is, we tend to get pumped when we come up with a hip set of chord changes that we haven’t used yet, haha.

Are there any themes that you want to present in your music? Do the four different EPs focus on different sorts of themes?

The four EPs are definitely distinct in their aesthetic (musical, lyrical, visual) and thematic elements, yet all conceptually tied to compose the “collection” as a whole. On the whole, we’re into letting the music and releases speak for themselves. But to sum it all up, the whole collection explores different facets of selfreflection, each of which is simultaneously realized in a tangible way.

How important are the visuals when it comes to your “brand” as a band as well as what you produce in music videos or album artwork? What sorts of things are you looking to symbolize and represent?

This is a funny question, because we talk all the time about how our real “bread and butter” is our music and our live show, and how that’s really where our “product” operates. Yet, we’re pretty picky about visuals, and anything and everything else that there is to be picky about, haha. Though, whereas music we have the formal language to lean on in order to identify precisely what it is that we go for, when it comes to our visual elements we go more based off of that intuitive “viby-ness” mentioned earlier. Our visuals are usually one of two things: something that just feels right without trying too hard and “nails” what we’re looking for in some abstract way, or something that meticulously captures and represents the themes of the song or album that is being portrayed.

Previous to what you had done before in 2012, how do you feel the music has matured? What accomplishments have you had since forming together as a band?

The music has matured a ton, so much so that we hardly count our first EP in 2012 as a true Time King release, haha. That was really a group of songs that came from the initial collaborations between Shayne and Brandon, even including songs that the both had written separately a few years prior. Everything on Suprœ (2015) and on this new body of music we are currently releasing is more indicative of the 5-way collaboration between the band. The evolution of our sound has been somewhat natural, in that it’s a continual identifying and honing of the aspects we feel make us unique, yet without trying to think about anything TOO intently and instead just letting the growth happen naturally.

How have you found that living in a place like Long Island, New York has affected What sort of experiences are you hoping your artistry? What impact has living in that an audience will get out of listening to the state of New York had on your musical your music both live as well as recorded? experience?

Being that 4 out of 5 of us grew up on LI, and presently all 5 of us live on LI (well, technically one of us just recently made a nest that crosses the Queens border… shame on him, naw jk it’s all good), there’s definitely an implicit “Long Island”-ness to what we do, particularly down to our musical sound. We’re inevitably products of the LI-rock lineage that came before us, though we like to pretend that we’re doing something new and different, hahah. Being close to New York City broadens your musical experience I think, as you have access to a number of “scenes.”

And that being said, we actively participate (as fans, and some of us as gigging musicians) in prevalent NYC musical scenes separate from our own, like the jazz, hip-hop, and R&B scenes.

We want people to take something positive away from our music, whether it’s something musically or conceptually concept that engages them or makes them think about something in a new and productive way, or it’s just something that makes them feel good and provides an outlet for having a good time.

Finally, what’s the story behind the name Time King? As well as how did the formation come to have the five of you present?

It’s based off of a character in an educational children’s novel who boldly teaches young budding toddlers the important lesson of being punctual.

As young adults, only 1 or 2 of us are any good at showing up on time.

S H O P - FA C E B O O K - I N S TA G R A M

Hi! I’m Lore, the person behind Lore.illustration. I enjoy being creative and creating art: that’s why I decided to be an illustrator.

Two years ago I started taking illustrating more seriously. I started posting on my Instagram page a picture of my art almost every day.

It was a slow process, but my followers started growing gradually.

I opened an Etsy Shop because people started asking me if they could buy my illustrations, and right now I’m proud to be a freelance illustrator who works from home!

I loved the idea of drawing for a living, and now this is possible thanks to all the people supporting me and encouraging me to keep working on my art. I still have a long journey in front of me, a lot of work to do and a dream to fulfill. But I learned that I can only get there working hard and never giving up.

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Do you have a formal education in your illustrative craft? How did you come to fall in love with what you are doing now?

I have a degree in Fine Arts, from Universitat Politecnica in Valencia, Spain. I always liked to draw but I never imagined that I could do it for a living. It was also a difficult choice, since I like to be creative in many ways, as in photography or concept art.

But in the last year of university I decided to do illustration as a way of art. I fell in love with illustration seeing the work of other illustrators.

Most of your work revolves around working with animals. What is it about working with these sorts of characters that you are so drawn to?

I feel very impressed and inspired by nature and animals. I can’t believe how many different species of animals with different colors, forms, textures and sizes there are on this planet!

I think I discovered my love for the ocean when I was making a whale commission. I just enjoyed it so much! Since then I felt drawn to keep painting ocean species for my personal projects. I can spend days just searching for reference pictures online.

The ocean and the deep seas scares me and at the same time I feel drawn to it. It’s a strange feeling.

What materials do you find that you cannot live without in order to create your work?

At what point were you introduced to the tools and what is it about them that you find so helpful in using?

A 2B or 4B mechanical pencil, my Winsor and Newton Watercolors and more recently, watercolor pencils.

I was introduced to watercolors in my first years of university, but only for a short period of time. I felt the need to experiment more with them, so I kept practicing and trying different methods, until I felt comfortable enough with them.

When working in something as unpredictable as watercolour is there any particular look or outcome that you hope to see happen in the images?

I used to be very stressed about the outcome of my illustrations, will they look good enough or beautiful?

It still happens, but now I just learned that it’s better to enjoy the process than to get lost in it.

For example If I’m painting a whale, I’ll let the watercolours flow with the water. I think it gives magic to the illustration since you can’t control 100% the result. But If I’m painting an animal with fur, I’ll use the watercolour pencils to make it look like fur.

Anyway, I like to give a second look to my illustrations, that’s why I try to wait until the next day to see if there is something more to add that I missed.

Compared to when you first started illustrating what is one thing that you look back at in pride for becoming better at?

Confidence.

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What are some projects that you want to work on in the future?

I will keep doing personal projects of different animals. Posters and individual prints of them.

Maybe bears? And of course more fish and marine animals!

Where would you like to see your artwork being put in to use in the future? Is there a specific goal that you want to achieve artistically?

It would make me really happy if somehow my animal illustrations helped endangered species, like penguins.

I would love to do an exhibition with my ocean themed illustrations. Or publish a book!

Tr i be S o c i e t y W E B S I T E - FA C E B O O K - M U S I C

We are Tribe Society, a band of good friends that have been adventuring and touring the past few years bringing our music to the people. Individually we are all producers but collectively we get behind and represent our instruments: flute, guitar, drums and keys.

Since starting up in 2015 how much music have you guys produced as a group? How do you find that the writing and recording process handles together?

We try to stay as content heavy as we can. In the two years we’ve been a band we’ve released more than 30 songs, 2 music videos and other visual content.

For you, what does it mean to be a part of the Tribe Society?

Well we consider our fans to be part of the Tribe Society. It isn’t about what your skin color is or where you are from it is about love and coming together to enjoy the music together. If you dig our music you are part of the tribe and all are welcome!

Being from a state like New York, how do you feel the local music scene has had an impact on your experience as a band?

We rarely go out to shows, we geek out in our home studios all day so we couldn’t tell you whether or not there is or isn’t a great local scene. We are however inspired by the street culture, people watching, skateboarding, food, and general scenery that New York brings.

In a heavily social media based world how do you find yourselves presenting yourself in an online presence? What sort of things do you find yourselves showing off on top of the music that you produce?

We feel the most important thing to remember with social media is to be the honest you. It can be easy to post the cute cat memes or whatever bullshit is popular at the moment but that isn’t why our fans follow us, our fans follow us to be part of our journey.

We like to hang with our fans after shows and we want to continue that hang with them through the eyes of social media. Just as much as we like to show our lives we are always asking our fans opinions on things which we think lets them know how much we care about them.

When writing things out are there any themes that you like to stick to presenting to your fans? Is there something that you all are specifically passionate about sharing as a common theme?

Some of the themes that unintentionally tend to reoccur are the struggles we’ve gone through as a band to keep pushing forward, staying inspired and making music. It’s been quite a journey, and although it hasn’t always been easy, the goal is and always will be giving the best and most inspired music we can to our fans.

With something as unique as bringing a wind instrument into your sound do you find that it has off-handedly grasped more What kind of experience do you want attention? How do you like to bring this people to have had after leaving or instrument into place with everything else? experiencing one of your shows?

The flute is definitely an attention grabber that sets us apart from all the other amazing music that is currently happening. After performing a show we will have tons of fans coming up to us letting us know how awesome it is for them to see a flute in a rock band and how they didn’t know the flute could be so cool. What they don’t know is that it took us years of experimenting in the studio and trying different arrangements to make the flute shine in a way that they would end up saying these things.

When people come to our shows we want them to put on hold whatever is going on in their life and be free with us and just let it go. That’s what we do as a band on stage and we want that energy to transfer to our fans. Lets all be free and enjoy our time together.

TAKE ME WITH YOU

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Michael A l m W E B S I T E - FA C E B O O K

My name is Michael Alm, I’m a Seattle based sculptor. My work is focused on the study of animal anatomy, and the dynamics of animal movement. Most of the pieces are built in layers starting with a wooden armature, which is covered with thin bands of veneer to form muscle fiber, and finally a top layer of wood shavings as fur or more veneer as feathers. Each layer partially covers the form, revealing the substructure within the piece.

Biology, natural history, and the age of exploration are all major themes in my work. I spend a lot of time researching animal physiology, visiting natural history museums, and reading biographies of naturalists who have expanded this field. I consider myself as much a researcher as an artist. My ultimate goal is to inspire interest in the creatures that I represent and give them a voice in a time where conservation is more important than ever.

I received a BFA in sculpture from Washington University in St Louis in 2006, and have spent the last 10 years building my studio practice in the Pacific North West. I’ve been honored to show my work in a number of well respected galleries in the region including, Roq La Rue Gallery, Modern Eden Gallery, Hellion, and The Stephanie Chefas Project. There are many new works on the horizon, including an upcoming solo show at Ghost Gallery this May, called “Skin, Muscle, and Bone.”

What is it about the anatomy of animals that you are so inspired by? At what point did you decide that you wanted to take your deep interest in biology and natural history and develop it into an art form?

In all honesty, that’s a hard question to answer. Those themes have been a focus for me as far back as I can remember. I know that going to the Field Museum in Chicago when I was 8 was a formative experience.

Being able to stand right next to the exotic species of the world, was eye opening. I had loads of animal books growing up, and as I got older, I started reading science magazines and journals. At one point I was hoping to study biology in college, but I wasn’t strong enough academically to pull that off.

I think the first piece that hit on these themes most directly was call “Urban Plight: The Migration of the Greater American Bluebird.”

I cast a bunch of large glossy-glazed ceramic birds with big heads and stubby wings. They had steel legs, so they were pretty resilient and could be posed easily. My dad and I drove those birds, from Kansas City, south, across the Mexican boarder. I photographed these flightless birds migrating south for the winter on foot, along the highways of America. When I got back to college, I wrote a fake National Geographic article about them, page layout and all, including my photos. Then steamed off the covers of 20 current Nat Geo Magazines, inserted my article, re-bound them, and distributed them to doctors’ offices in the area. My brother even dropped one off in the lobby of the Nat Geo headquarters in DC.

What kind of themes do you find yourself venturing into when you are diving into your work? Are there any particular narratives that you tend to enjoy illustrating over others?

When you first went into your Bachelors of Art did you have a clear vision of the sort of work that you wanted to achieve or was it something that had a clearer development as you moved forward?

I had some ideas, but it certainly wasn’t clear. I was split between print making and sculpture. I loved pen and ink drawing and the process of printing, but sculpture offered me a lot of freedom to experiment with different tools and mediums. I had a phase where I worked in Steel, and another where I was making large scale ceramic pieces.

I even did a big installation with cast glass. I didn’t settle on wood until I moved to Seattle. It was mostly because I worked in wood shops, and had access to the materials, and tools.

That said many of the same themes, conservation, and the study of movement, were very present in my undergrad.

Lately, I’ve been going trough a bunch of vintage “How to Draw Animals” books. I can’t get enough of them.

There’s one by a Disney storyboard artist who worked on Bambi. His book has this illustration of a ball bouncing off the ground, next to a horse bouncing off the ground.

It is amazing! You can tell that man was at the top of his game when he drew that.

I don’t really think my work is particularly narrative, but I have been trying to focus on illustrating animal anatomy in increasingly dynamic and interesting ways. As my skills with the medium increase, I feel like I can push the limits of what’s possible even further. I want my sculptures to look strong and fragile at the same time; the tension of muscles, and tendons being stretched to their limit, so much so that you can see through the form.

As I push myself to make more challenging pieces, I’m hopefully getting closer to making a horse bounce off the floor like a rubber ball. (So, to speak.)

Is there a medium within your sculptures that you prefer over others?

Wood, has definitely held my interest for a while now.

I enjoy its versatility, the characteristics of different species, and the warmth it has when it’s finished. More specifically, wood veneers have changed my practice pretty dramatically. I taught a wood sculpture class at a local art school, and one student came in with a box full of scrap veneers. They’re amazing to work with. They’re bendable, translucent, and you can cut them with a knife.

I soak them and stretch them over forms, and when they dry, they take that shape permanently. I use them for muscle fiber, feathers, and ear forms. They’re also used for my “Veneer drawings,” where I cut, stack, and glue them onto panels. They form these low relief illustrations that I really enjoy.

How long does it typically take you to finish a project? What sort of steps do you need to take within your process?

My pieces can take anywhere from a couple days, to multiple months to complete. And there are definitely some processes that used to take me days that I’m now able to complete in hours. Experimenting with different glues and finishes has sped things up a lot, and I’m toying with the idea of laser cutting veneer parts like feathers and scales, so I can batch them out more readily. When you spend hours doing repetitive tasks, its no surprise that your mind figures out ways to speed things up.

I think the thing that surprises people the most about my process is that I cut my sculptures apart and rebuild them though out the build. I’ll cut off heads if the grain direction is making it hard for me to carve. I’ll remove legs if they are in the way, and glue them back on in the end.

It’s important not to let your first plan for a piece govern everything that comes after it.

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With your time spent working with different mediums what sorts of mistakes have you made and what great lessons have you learned?

Mistakes happen in all my pieces, and I’ve learned a lot from them.

The reason I cut apart my sculptures is because in the past I’ve had to because a fragile bit snaps off or I glued something on backwards.

I feel like my work is a grand experiment. I rarely repeat a process exactly the same way as before. This helps to hold my interest, and I think it make for a more dynamic body of work. Mistakes and failures are a huge part of making things.

Are there any new projects that you have in What are some of your own personal favourite the works or a direction that you are excited to discoveries while studying biology for your be taking? work?

Yeah! I’m having a solo show here in Seattle at Ghost Gallery in May. I have a ton of new pieces in the works for it, and I can’t wait to share them with people. I’m posting all the progress on my instagram page. The theme of the show is “Skin, Muscle, and Bone” and it’ll feature wallmounted sculptures that illustrate layered anatomy. I’m also incorporating some of my veneer drawings into the 3D pieces, which are turning out really nice.

I find that going back to biology grounds me and provides a lot of new points to start from. In Seattle, we have a small Natural History Museum called The Burke Museum.

When I stall creatively, I go there, and spend time in the back with the Mammals collection. Most research institutions like the Burke consider artists researchers, and as a result they let them into the back rooms to study.

The head of the department knows me and my work well enough now, that he can ask me what I’m interested in this month and he’ll bring out a bunch of specimens that relate to that subject. One day, I just said “Ungulates” (AKA hoofed mammals). He pulled out about 15 skulls starting from a small goat and ending with a massive elk.

Every case in the room had some antlered mammal on it. It was pretty incredible. Every time I go to the Burke it’s like a shot of creative adrenaline, sometimes it’ll take me months before I need to go back because it gives me so much inspiration.

Ezgi Pa mi r

S H O P - I N S TA G R A M

I identify myself more as a designer than an artist – no matter what people say! My day job is working behind the camera as an art director, which forces me to master new skills, create new designs and develop new perspectives everyday. I wear different hats throughout the day - a labourer when I build new structures, a painter when I decorate, and an architect when I design the set. There is a lot of on the job learning and you have to have a hands-on approach. I’ve implemented this to my personal life as well and feel very lucky to consider myself both a designer and an artist. I think I have struck a great balance between the two and feel complete because of it.

Do you have a formal background working A lot of your work seems to have a heavy in the arts or was it something that you focus on art history as well as animals. taught to yourself?

Would you say that these two things are a large part of your inspiration? What else I haven’t had any artistic training until I was 22 but has drawn you towards the style that you have been inclined to paint and draw since I was a have take on as an artist? kid. I was working towards becoming an engineer since high school and studied IT engineering for a couple of years in one of the top universities in Turkey. I was fortunate enough to realize that this was not a good fit for me early on, so I decided to pursue art and design as the focus of my life, not just a hobby. Despite all everyone was saying, I dropped out of my engineering degree and was admitted to the arts academy in Istanbul and graduated as valedictorian. My life would have been a nightmare had I not made this decision!

I’ve always been inspired by animals as we lived at a farmhouse for the majority of my teenage years and I’ve been surrounded by nature for the better part of my earlier life. Even if I’ve been living in a metropolitan area for years I can still draw whichever animal I want off the top of my head without doing any background research. I guess the impact of spending your childhood in nature doesn’t wear off that easily! I’ve also been to numerous museums across several cities in Europe and Turkey but I can tell you that my interest in art history has peaked during my studies when I made my education the centerpiece of my life. Living in Turkey also has its advantages, it definitely is the biggest inspiration out there. It’s a melting pot for multiple cultures, religions and ethnicities where the moment you step outside and breathe the air in Istanbul it makes it easy for one to get inspired.

You have worked in multiple mediums for your illustration but is there one that you find that you are the most passionate towards?

First thing I invested my money in, the moment I had some, was a digital drawing pad. I was so keen that I learned how to use all the different applications very quickly and within one year I was able to perfect my technique – it was very cool! However when my PC broke down one day I had to go back to drawing by hand and that’s when I realized that the feeling of creating art manually is irreplaceable. It took a while for me to discover embroidery after that. Drawing and painting will always have a special place in my heart but I found a longer lasting technique with a broader reach in embroidery.

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Your embroideries really stand out from other artists with how they break the two-dimensional barrier that artists often struggle with. How did you first come to decide to feature additional materials to the thread? When and why do you find that this is an important use in your work?

This wasn’t something I planned to do initially. I have been working on women portraits for a while and have created a line of illustrations with women with scarves. When I first picked up the thread and the needle, first thing that came to mind was one of the older drawings I had. My colleagues at the movie set couldn’t understand why I was using my breaks to work on embroidery and they thought that it was so passÊ. When I described what I had in mind and that I wanted to add a scarf on the embroidery no one really understood why I was so excited! I had to create it to see it with my own eyes and I must say, I was not disappointed. I was so happy with the end product that I decided to create all my embroideries in three dimensions. This is a very important feature to use in embroidery that is considered to be out of fashion. It revives a monotonous and forgotten artwork.

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With the amount of layers your different work tends to have how long does it typically take for you to finish a project?

What do you always have to take into consideration as you are planning out your art work? What sort of hinderances or problems do you find yourself running into at times?

My art may take anywhere between 10 days to several months, it is completely dependent on the size and revisions I choose to make (and how I feel at the moment!). Often times I remove the thread and re-do in a different way. Sometimes I change my mind about the subject and undertake a huge revision, and sometimes I throw the work away and start from scratch. There is no real planning, as I said, what I create is more about how it makes me feel at the moment. Many people think what I do is very simple and that anyone can do it easily. Many people have little respect for the effort that goes into the creation of a piece and this is probably the main hindrance in my profession. Because of this, people tend to not be willing to pay for the effort that goes in it. This pushes me to continuously work in movie or TV sets to make a living and I can’t always focus on what I like doing the most. I would say overworking and exhaustion are some of the largest problems I face, it can be very draining in the long run.

What do you find that your art focuses on more than anything? Are there any themes that you tend to lean towards?

I tend to decide on the go and draw or create whatever I please at that specific moment. I am definitely affected by everything surrounding my life like everyone else, which usually is reflected in the details of my work. However I don’t have a tendency to focus on a specific theme, I choose to create art that clears my mind and makes me happy.

Are there any projects that you are currently excited about or working on?

I’m looking to work with an art gallery soon and have been working on a unique and untested line.

Hopefully the pieces will turn out as expected.

Where would you want to see your artwork being used in the future?

I would be honored to be part of a museum in the future with larger and more unique pieces.

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Dar r e n P e ar s o n “DARIUS TWIN”

W E B S I T E - I N S TA G R A M

“ My name is Darren Pearson, I was born in San Diego,

California. I currently live in Los Angeles, CA and make and sell a light device called ‘Night-Writer’ that works like a marker, with this tool I make light-art sculptures and drawings wherever I travel. I’ve been doing long exposure light photography since 2007, in the process I’ve created several series of images, a few animated videos, and some media for brands such as Apple, Honda, and Reebok. ”

When you originally found interest in photography did you anticipate that your focus would remain heavily on longexposure light photography?

I didn’t know where my interest in photography would lead me, but I’m happy to find a focus with long-exposure light photography. I think it’s one of the most creative and active forms of photography and I enjoy the mysteries and explorations to it ...

Feels like a progression in art and media.

During your investigation with this sort of photography did you ever have the battle with yourself of trying to do everything all in one shot versus using post-production in photoshop? Under what circumstance do you typically use post-production?

When did the idea of the Night Writer come to you? What important aspects did you want to bring to this light pen that other light sources didn’t have for you?

Back in 2011 I was on a shoot for Reebok with another light-artist who goes by ‘Twin Cities Yes and no. At the end of the day, the image either Brightest’ (TCB). His name is Dana Maltby. At the works or it doesn’t. Sometimes it requires post and time I was using key-chain lights to draw with, but sometimes it does not - I believe it’s up to the artist TCB had all these cool handmade tools he had and what they want to say with that particular image. taped and wired together - I thought it was really cool! After shooting, Dana hooked me up with one For me, I rely on post production to get certain shots of his light-pens because he thought it fit my style of that could not be obtained otherwise - like my lightillustrating. He had given me the first legit light-pen. art with the Milkyway Galaxy in the background - I combine two images together, one long exposure I ended up using that tool for years until it broke and for the art (high F-stop, low ISO) for the foreground I had to fix it. After fixing it several times over I began and another (low F-stop, High ISO) image for the making my own shapes for the light-pen, which background. This is important to me for the look of resulted in ‘Night-Writer’ over time. First I started a particular image and it’s a method of capturing with making wood shapes, then I began using reality in a creative way. ceramics and finally, by pouring plastic in molds so I could replicate and start selling them to people like I don’t like to rely on post-production, but I will me that were also interested in a light-pen to draw use it when necessary - I don’t add in things that with. Around this time I had gotten some emails from aren’t there but I’ll do my part to make sure that the people asking me what I was using to draw with image looks professional - color corrections, clarity, and rather than explain, ‘A wired and taped together highlights, shadows, contrast adjustments are used battery, LED and switch’, I just decided to start to bring out more information from the RAW file. offering handmade lights for sale on my website.

I’ve personally made over 300 of them since I first started making them about a year and a half ago.

They’re about as niche as you can get but they serve several important purposes that other lights do not [such as] an ergonomic feel (left or right-handed design), precision switch for quick (on/off) light-lines, and a protruding tip that makes the light visible even from a 90 degree tilt toward the lens of the camera.

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Do you find that you want to be a story teller with your images and that is the purpose of the drawings in that certain environment? What sort of emotion do you like to show off with a lot of your work?

Yes, I want to create scenes with my work, to tell stories that relate to the environment and captures the spirit(s) of a place. I think humor is important, but also other emotions that relate to humanity and just a sense of “awe” that can tend to make us feel small and insignificant. [It’s] a context for our existence in relation to time.

What do you often look for while scouting locations? Do you find that you’re looking for a location that is specific to a project or that the location inspires the project’s idea?

I looks for places that tell stories. I think it’s mostly the location that inspires what is created within it.

I often sketch out many ideas before visiting an area, just to throw them all out when I get there ...

Sometimes I keep a few. It depends on so many variables like wind, weather, temperature, mostly environmental conditions that dictate what is possible.

What are you most critical of when you are doing your drawings?

My focus, it depends on how complicated the work is, but the best work usually requires an intense focus on building out the drawing, what colors to use, how to light the scene, and spacial control.

Has there ever been a time where you had been in some kind of danger when in the different environments creating an image?

Yeah, there are wild animals out and about at night.

I’ve had some run-ins with Rattlesnakes, Bears, and Mountain Lions ... Most of them don’t want anything to do with you (maybe Mountain Lions ... Don’t Run! They chase.) I’d rather not surprise them, or have them surprise me. [It] has not happened yet, hopefully never, but I keep my tripod handy and wield it like a club just in case.

Outside of working in drawing light are there any other sort of artistic ventures that you enjoy pursuing?

Sure, graphic design, drawing with pen and paper, filmmaking, and I guess you could say sculpting. I like creating and developing ideas.

H ou s e h ol d

W E B S I T E - FA C E B O O K - I N S TA G R A M Forming together in Minneapolis, MA, Household has been taking the music scene by storm since 2013. Since the release of their first EP, With Or Without, they have been touring non-stop with the backing of Blood & Ink Records. In 2015 the band released a their first official full-length, Time Spent and now are gearing up for their split with Infinite Me to be released on May 5th as a tour with the band. It seems that little breaks will be had for the band who, as of writing this, is on tour with Everyone Leaves, and will be direct support to A Lot Like Birds at the beginning of May until early June. Although working hard and constantly busy we were able to catch up with vocalist, Josh Gilbert to discuss their progression and their trajectory in the coming month.

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Since your release of With or Without there has been a change of musicality as well as some subject content. What do you feel is the greatest influence behind this change? Do you feel like any newer music will have as significant of a change or will it remain in a similar realm to what was released on Time Spent?

We’ve changed quite a bit musically and that shift was initially because of my vocal issues. After a 2 month tour in 2015, I found out that I had vocal nodules while visiting a vocal instructor in New York!

Basically, we had written the entire next record, but with this news, were forced to re-write and re-work everything! Quite a feat I’d say. But after a few weeks of adjusting the songs to accommodate my new sound, we left for the studio. Time Spent was created as such. And yes, our newer direction musically is quite different from that of Time Spent.

As I learn to use my voice properly, we’ve found that heading towards a more rock-based sound is what will work best for the longevity of our career!

Many songs of yours have undertones of spiritual believe, or direct references to speaking to God. Do you find that this subject is the main theme that you explore or are there other themes that you explore more or just as often?

I’d say we write based on the topics of life that we’re experience and personal beliefs is certainly brought into the spectrum of things we think and write about. As we grow as artists, i can see us exploreing other avenues of life and a vast array of different subjects. Really, there are no rules here, just trying to express what’s going on inside I suppose.

When it comes to visuals and you consistently have some notes of nostalgia. For example your music video for “Purpose” used the setting of a house that you all used to live in and with your music video “Sway” all of you are actively painting on a canvas much like the one you drape over your merch table. Do you find that these nostalgic ventures are on purpose? Is there a specific visual you want to have as a group?

I think it’s as simple and choosing to design our art in phases. With or Without had it’s own aesthetic which gave us merch and music video ideas in the same way that the tarp in Time Spent is inspired by the artwork. It’s all just a movement of artistic ideas and expression.

Many have noted that you all have been a part of some “crazy” or “wild” antics. Are there any stories of the wilder things that you guys have done you would be willing to share?

Haha, why not make tour great?! Being on the road is exciting, especially when you decide to make the most of it. We’re just crazy because most of us were homeschooled and thus not probably socially educated [winks]. One time on tour we found, what had to of been, 30 Little Ceaser Pizzas in the garbage. And after eating our tour fill, we decided to have a pizza war with the band we were on tour with. I just remember spiraling an entire pizza through the window into another bands van. Lots of fun!

Although originally based in Minnesota, many of you are more spread out. How has this affected all of you as a band?

How do you communicate with each other in regards to the band from the distance?

Does the frequency of tour often help?

Although most of us live in different states, we are together often enough with touring that we’re for the most part on the same page. Obviously getting everyone together for tour and writing can be a bit tricky, not to mention expensive, but we all enjoy our homes on the tour off season.

Are there any specific reason why you do not slip in as many tracks from your EP as you use the songs from the full length?

Are there any tracks that you feel will stay within your setlist over time?

I think we’re changing enough to call for new sets each tour. And I guess the reason behind that is the challenge it is for me to perform the more aggressive tracks live vocally. It just seems best to pursue our new direction with our live shows as well.

What is something that you all value as a group over anything else? What do you think is the common goal behind the movement of Household?

You have been working new songs into your set list. Are there more that people should be expecting from you any time soon?

Uhhh, Adventure’s in odyssey, White Collar, Spikeball and friendship.

Split release with our friends in Infinite Me! Comes out May 5th, 2017. [We are] very excited!

Ge orgi na Tay l o r W E B S I T E / S H O P - I N S TA G R A M

A South African-born illustrator with a taste for the natural, antiquated and uncanny preferring watercolour and oil mediums. Never without a sketchbook, a collector of curiosities.

Do you have any formal education in the arts or was it something that you decided to venture into on your own? Do you have any other forms of educational background?

I went into an art college for my last two years of secondary schooling which gave me a really great foundation for university, where I studied for five years in jewellery design and manufacture.

Being both a jeweller as well as an illustrator, how do you feel these two mediums interact with one another? Do you often combine them into one piece?

I definitely drew on my art background while I was studying as I delved into narrative jewellery, which covered the use of imagery such as the lover’s eye.

Although I rarely work in metals these days, this curiosity in anatomy and biology has trickled into my illustrations.

When it come to your illustrations how did you come to your current style and choice of mediums? What are some vital tools and materials that you use that you could not be without?

I never received any conventional watercolour training, but my mother gave me a pocket Winsor and Newton watercolour set with a single brush when I went abroad after school. I always perceived watercolour as an antiquated medium (picture old women painting landscapes with a cat at their feet) but it became my only outlet and I gradually grew to love using it in my own way.

My essentials are still W&N watercolours, a Moleskine sketchbook, white gouache and a very fine clutch pencil and brushes.

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Is there anything that inspired the naturalistic imagery that you produce along with the palette that you use? When you create something more surreal how does this image come to be?

I forage for interesting forms wherever I am, typically natural, whether that might be fresh roadkill, old flowers from a bemused florist or just something I picked up on a walk or saw in the garden. Old entomological and botanical books also play a big role in my work.

My surreal images are mostly organic and come into being as I draw but I do love to explore the tension between attraction and repulsion. These illustrations are often my favorite as our perceptions are skewed when an object is taken out of context.

How much preparation do you put into your different pieces and how much time do you feel like it takes to work on one project, roughly?

This is difficult for me to even estimate as I’m constantly divided between at least five illustrations.

Of course, it varies according to size and detail, but typically an A4 may take about a day, although I have spent close to a month on a single piece before.

Most of my own work doesn’t take much preparation as it’s usually what’s already floating around in my head and grows from there. I have shelves lined with reference books and my audio books keep me stimulated too.

What sort of themes do you like to follow and integrate into your art work?

Natural science dominates my illustrations in the forms of entomology, anatomy, botany and ornithology. I’m greatly inspired by the old children’s stories I was read to by my grandmother, such as Struwwelpeter and Snugglepot & Cuddlepie.

Since you create such delicate or intimate work do you often find that you end up collecting a lot of work that is of similar nature? Is there something of yours that you own that consistently brings you some form of inspiration?

My studio closely resembles a cabinet of curiosities with a collection of bones, beetles, religious and cultural icons and taxidermy. The walls are covered in propaganda posters, portraits of Frida, postcards and other imagery I’ve collected throughout the years, but of course, there’s always space for natural history illustrations. Beyond this, I own a large collection of carnivorous plants, two goldfish and a Boston Terrier, named Flynn.

How would you like to see your art work being used in the future or even in the long run?

Illustrating a children’s book would be incredible but for now, some of my work goes into textile design.

Otherwise, I paint just for the love of it.

D a ria L a pt o S H O P - FA C E B O O K - I N S TA G R A M

Do you have any formal training in the What kinds of materials are your mustarts? How did you first start your artistic have in order to build your creatures? journey?

Recently you have been playing around with a new clay. What is the importance I started making dolls when I was 19. It just of the different clay types that you are happened so that I wanted to have a figurine of using? a Moomin, a character by Tove Jansson, and my friend suggested that we make it ourselves. And I fell in love with sculpting. Moomins have very genle and soft shapes and I enjoyed working with clay to achieve those shapes. A bit later I tried combining clay and faux furs to make dolls.

Since then mixed mdia dolls have been my main passion. I’ve never had any artistic training.

Sometimes I regret it but mostly I just have fun exploring techniques by myself

My main materials are clay and various textiles.

For the past several years I’ve been working with La Doll clay which is air-dry and now I’m trying to learn to work with oven-bake modeling clays, Fimo in particular. La Doll is an amazing material but it’s not very ductile, you have to work quick so that it doesn’t get hard, you can put some water to soften it but there’s a risk it gets mushy. And it’s more fragile compared to oven-bake clays.

Fimo is rather solid and it allows me to make dolls more detailed. It’s also firmer and it’s harder to polish it after baking. Now that I use Fimo I see that my new dolls’ve started to look different from old ones in many ways. I hope that as I practice my sculpting skills are going to get better and my dolls will be more elaborated.

When you first go out to make one of your creatures how do you start the process? How much planning goes into a character before the creation?

How long does it normally take you to complete a project?

Your descriptions of your different creatures offer a narrative to see a little more inside of the idea of that creature.

Do you find that you like to make up backstories for these creatures? What is the importance of personifying them?

I practically don’t have any planning before starting a doll. I just feel like making some sort of a creature and I sculpt its face and limbs and in the process I’m listening to my intuition only, it rarely fails. As a doll is getting its shapes and colors I can see its character closer and I’m adding the details that were meant to be there. I like to think that all ideas already exist somewhere and my job is to be a good transmitter and pull them out of this somewhere, be careful and kind with them and thus give them material form.

One small creature takes around 3 days to be completed.

I guess descriptions are more of a rarity than a rule for my dolls. Stories have always been my big love and I enjoy to see how language works, I studied linguistic for 5 years but when it comes to telling my dolls’ stories I feel like no words can properly convey what I what to say. Partly it’s because the process of dollmaking is very intimate to me, while a doll is being created a feel too much and I think too much and by the moment it’s finished I’m all emptied and quiet.

I know that people like to read stories and I’m happy when I can tell a good one about my work, but mostly I hope that my images can tell stories by themselves and appeal to each viewer personally without using words.

What inspires you to create the unique characters that you do? Is there anything that you are particularly fascinated by that typically overlaps into your creations?

My biggest inspiration is fauna and myths around it. There are so many animals created by nature and to me they’re almost like aliens – weirdly shaped and colored, with a whole unknown world in and around them. No wonder that human culture is full of stories about strange creatures like unicorns, werewolves or jackalopes. It’s important to see beyond and explore ourselves as humans surrounded by other living souls that are so different from us.

How would you like to see your creatures being used in the future? What is the ultimate goal for you and your artistry?

Originally I started to make dolls because it gave me a feeling of security. World is often chaotic and unexplainable and it is nice to have something friendly to grab on to. I hope that when people bring my work to their homes they can share this feeling. I want let them know that it’s okay to be confused and to feel out of place. I love to think that my dolls become talismans for their people, something that can be associated with lust for wonders as well as with home and safety.

Albums In Review C HARTS _________ TOP ALBUM RELEASES 1. Pure Comedy Father John Misty 2. ALL AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ Joey Bada$$ 3. Heartless Pallbearer 4. Drunk Thundercat 5. Packs Your Old Droog TOP SINGLE RELEASES 1. “The Heart Pt. 4” Kendrick Lamar 2. “Chanel” Frank Ocean 3. “Third of May / Odaigahara” Fleet Foxes 4. “3WW” Alt-J 5. “Calendar Days” Knuckle Puck TOP MUSIC VIDEO RELEASES 1. Halsey “Now or Never” Sing J Lee & Halsey 2. The Menzingers “After the Party” Kyle Thrash & W. Ian Ross 3. Tigerwine “Spit” Thomas Helvenstine 4. Russ “Exposed” Edgar Esteves 5. Like Pacific “22A” YeahFilms

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7.6

BORN OF OSIRIS

The Eternal Reign

Sumerian Records 24.02.17

Ten years ago, when I was about eleven or twelve years old, American deathcore act Born of Osiris released their debut EP The New Reign. This was one of the first extreme metal records I was exposed to and I have somewhat fond memories scouring Nexopia and listening to the technical onslaught this band delivered.

So it was a pleasant surprise to find out Born of Osiris would be re-releasing their debut with a new mix and even a new track under the name The Eternal Reign.

The Eternal Reign is what I imagine Born of Osiris always wanted The New Reign to sound like, and it is interesting to note the changes, or lack thereof, that appear. From what I can recall, almost all of the arrangements and melodies have stayed the same, and it’s really only the production that has been kicked up a notch. The guitars sound more enveloping, the drums are punchier, and the reworked synthesizers sound great too. Ten years later, “Empires Erased” is still by far my favorite song on this record. To my delight, the tight grooves, awesomely melodic lead guitar riffs and of course the cheesy synth break are all still present. The new clean vocals are a nice touch but I do find the mixing choices on this track and others to be a bit strange.

For example there are a few moments where the rhythm guitars are significantly louder than the lead guitars, unfortunately smothering some great melodies.

While I find synthesizers and metalcore to be a consistently cheesy combination, the synths on “Abstract Art” and “Open Arms to Damnation” actually add some interesting textures to breakdowns that would otherwise be quite boring. The track “Bow Down” is literally nothing but chugs and a wicked guitar solo; a level of

songwriting that I would crucify in 2017, but seeing as this track was written ten years ago … I’ll allow it. The Eternal Reign was a very nostalgic listen for me, and although I wish the additional new song were a bit more memorable, it closes out the project fine enough. This record is dense, fast and progressive, making the performances come off as a little robotic; but when a band is writing technical deathcore, these criticisms do come with the territory.

BEST TRACK: “Empires Erased” WORST TRACK: “The Takeover”

6.8

CAN’T SWIM

Fail You Again

Pure Noise Records 10.03.17

Can’t Swim are a recently formed New Jersey based rock band signed to Pure Noise Records. Their first EP wasn’t anything I was dying to return to, but I thought Chris LoPorto’s gruff vocal delivery certainly gave the band a unique edge. This is incredibly important considering there is a literal ocean of generic pop punk bands with just as many generic vocalists.

On Fail You Again, I believe Can’t Swim is having issues deciding on what kind of band they want to be. They are clearly influenced by contemporary pop-punk, emo, and post-hardcore, but instead of blending these genres into their songs, the band chooses to hop from one style to the next with each track. This results in some good ideas presented within each song, but rarely does the band come together with a tune that is completely awesome overall. For example the bouncy verses on “$50,000,000” are great, but the groaning chorus falls completely flat for me. The lead single “We Wont Sleep”

has these lovely melancholic verses, but again my issue is with the chorus; the gang vocals are far too sugary sweet to fit well with Chris’ delivery or the other passages within the song.

There are however plenty of instances towards middle of the record where LoPorto’s vocals complement the songs underneath him quite nicely. The low-key delivery on “Quitting” suits the quiet beginning perfectly, and I like how the vocals and instrumentation both build in intensity simultaneously towards the end of the track. The best vocal performance on Fail You Again is definitely on the track “Hey Amy”. I love how pained and honest the vocals sound on these verses; this is a song where the instrumentation, the gravelly vocals and the songwriting all come together near perfectly. This is the sound that I would love to hear Can’t Swim pursue on future projects.

“Stranger” has arguably the best chorus on the record, and sounds to me in the same vain as “Hey Amy”; there’s plenty of melody and energy, but also a potent sadness in the lyrics. The gang vocals on “One-Shot” are much more appropriate for the band’s sound compared to “We Won’t Sleep”, and “Kid” takes a more effective approach to the pop-punk sound that I think the band toys with unsuccessfully at the beginning of Fail You Again. “Molly’s Desk” sees the band experimenting with some pretty gratuitous breakdowns in between these drum-rolling, tension filled verses. While this song might get your average poppunk homie in the pit swinging his arms every which way, I don’t find the half-time passages to be too exciting.

Can’t Swim have come through with a very solid debut on Fail You Again, and although I think the record starts off quite rocky, the quality picks up in the middle and remains solid until the end of the record. This band certainly has a leg up on most of the other pop-punk groups out right now, and they have plenty of potential to be realized. In order to make a great record, I think the band needs to clearly identify their sound moving forward, because while there is plenty of material that works on Fail You Again, there is just as much material that comes off as awkward.

BEST TRACK: “Hey Amy” WORST TRACK: “What’s Your Big Idea”

On top of pretending to be Jamaican, Drake has now adopted influences from the rapidly growing UK hip-hop scene, while featuring prominent grime artists Giggs and Skepta. Drake has received a lot of flak for this but I don’t really have a problem with the man’s identity crises as long he continues to put on solid artists that deserve attention.

7.1 DRAKE

More Life

OVO Sound, YME 18.03.17

Toronto rapper Drake has delivered another eighty minutes of material on his latest project More Life. The gimmick behind this project is that it isn’t an album, and it isn’t a mixtape either, it is a playlist. As a result of this, Drake and his producers can sort of get away with releasing a lackluster project seeing as it isn’t really an “Album”, even though it is.

The tracks on More Life flow together like an album, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Drake recorded these songs in the same headspace or even over the same timeframe as he recorded his 2016 LP Views. Ironically, I find More Life to be a superior listening experience than Views overall, but both projects suffer for the same reason – they’re just too god damn long.

More Life opens with a gratuitous Hiatus Kaiyote sample before transitioning quickly into a refreshingly aggressive and bass-heavy beat. Drake hasn’t started a project with this much energy since his mixtape If You’re Reading This, It’s too Late, and maintains the hype on the second track “No Long Talk”. This is the kind of track I love hearing Drake on; Murda and CuBeatz’ production is hard-hitting and the verses are energetic and entertaining. Hot off of two straight bangers, the project progresses into the track “Passionfruit”, a tropical, melancholy and laid-back tune with a great sung performance from Drake. The transition between the two tracks is quite jarring, but forgivable considering how much I enjoy both of them. Beyond this point, Drake really beats the listener over the head with the skeletal, dancehall vibe that showed up on his last record. Songs such as “Get It Together” hold my attention because the production has a little more going on and the vocal features do a good job, but the other dancehall tracks are far too uneventful to be enjoyable for me.

One thing I really enjoyed about If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late was Drake’s absence on “Wednesday Night Interlude”, a track that was produced and performed entirely by PARTYNEXTDOOR. Drake reprises this idea on More Life, by giving UK artists Sampha and Skepta their own respective tracks. Sampha’s beautifully soulful voice and Skepta’s impressive flow would both outshine Drake had he appeared on either of the tracks with them, so I think it was a clever choice to leave the tracks as effective 6God palate cleansers.

Murda and CuBeatz’ second production credit on More Life is “Portland”, a track whose personality is undeniably fun with its rubbery sub-bass and goofy flute sample, but I found Quavo’s hook to be a little underwhelming. Having officially reached the halfway point of the project, the songs and features become more hit and miss for me. Young Thug’s performance on “Sacrifices” as well as Drake and Kanye West’s duet on “Glow” are both great, but 2Chainz’ performance on the former of the two tracks is incredibly forgettable and Drake’s six minute track with PARTYNEXTDOOR is completely lifeless.

Drake has clearly refused to acknowledge the, very reasonable, complaint that his projects are too long, but I have to commend him on putting out another eighty minutes of material with none of it being that bad this time around. While I don’t think there are any terrible moments on More Life, as there was on Views, there are plenty of boring and unnecessary moments. Without having a solid concept tying these tracks together, More Life gets bogged down with its hefty slew of filler tracks, but at the same time I don’t believe that this is a project you’re supposed to sit down and listen to all the way through.

The main goal of More Life was to be something that can be thrown on in the background, a playlist with a good variety of tracks and very little offensive material. In that respect, I think this project was a success.

BEST TRACK: “No Long Talk” WORST TRACK: “Since Way Back”

on Divide that I can enjoy, but I’d much rather see Ed Sheeran perform this album solo than actually sit down and listen to it.

BEST TRACK: “Dive” WORST TRACK: “Shape Of You”

5.4

ED SHEERAN

Divide

Asylum Records, Atlantic Records 03.03.17

Ed Sheeran is an English singer/ songwriter on his third mathematically themed studio album. I’ve always loved that Ed was essentially a one-man show during live performances, but his recordings never really resonated with me. This is also the case on Sheeran’s new album Divide, which showcases a few compelling moments amongst a sea of sickeningly sweet pop tunes.

Divide opens with a great acoustic riff, and sees Ed Sheeran actually rapping about his fame and recent personal life on these verses. The man definitely has some good flow, but I think the sung hook makes the track way too cheesy for me. I found the lead singles “Castle on the Hill” and “Shape of You” to be pretty unbearable, especially because the lyrics on the latter really creep me out. It does not matter if this song was originally written for Rihanna, I do not want to think about this leprechaun getting down with anyone. Interestingly enough, I think “Dive” is the best song on this record and it is sandwiched right between these two singles; the dramatic yet skeletal ¾ beat leaves room for Ed to deliver his most passionate and exciting vocal performance on the whole record. “Perfect” also rides a pleasant ¾ groove, and the lyrics on this track and ‘Happier” are actually kind of cute. The lyrics on “New Man” about some typical douchebag with a bleached asshole and tribal tattoos are also pretty hilarious. I like the incorporation of traditional Celtic instrumentation underneath “Galway Girl”, but still everything sounds too sweet and poppy for me to fully enjoy.

To me, this album is like eating a bowl of skittles doused in mountain dew and sprinkled with icing sugar. My soul isn’t so black that I don’t enjoy “What Do I Know?” or “Supermarket Flowers”, but there is simply too much of one thing on Divide and that one thing is just not for me. There are a couple of tracks

8.0 GUEST ROOMS Put Me Together

Self-Released 28.02.17

Guest Rooms is an ambient pop/alternative project masterminded by singer and multiinstrumentalist, Mason Parva. Over the course of a few years, Mason recruited a number of musicians as well as sound engineer Nick Peterson to create a record that is detailed, well structured and sonically breathtaking.

The songs on Put Me Together are easy to get lost in; the instrumentation is shy but powerful, the melodies are melancholic yet uplifting. The slow burning title-track is a stunning six-minute piece driven by pianos and light percussion. I love the melody holding this track together, as well as the gorgeous horns and woodwinds that effectively reinforce and accent throughout.

Mason’s vocal performance and lyrics are quite moving, and I love his harmonies that pop in halfway through the track. The instrumentation on the lead single “With Me” is perhaps the most explosive on Put Me Together, showcasing a stellar guitar performance that really steals the show for me. The instrumental layering on this track is masterful, but the descending vocal melody on the hook does get a bit old for me by the end of the track. I am completely enamored with “Dickson”, which serves as an instrumental palate cleanser in the middle of the record. The bass guitar sounds fantastic and the additional keyboards that show up add a very blissful quality to the track. “Dickson” is surprisingly fleshed out considering its length, and I cant help but compare it to the only other short song “Duval”, which by comparison serves little purpose other than an effective mood-setter.

I really enjoy the metaphorical lyrics behind “Asleep at the Wheel”, as well as the ambient vocal manipulations layered throughout. A lot of these tracks feel like emotional exorcisms for Mason and I appreciate the indirectness and symbolism in his lyrics. I love a lot of this record, but there was one moment in particular that really resonated with me. The lyrics “The morning after, lying in my bed / I called my mother, she listened as I wept” are truly heartbreaking and paint an all-too real picture in my head, since I know both Mason and his mother personally. “Holy Saturday” does a fantastic job of closing out this project, and although the final line “Will I ever be the same again?” doesn’t leave the listener with much closure, I am personally left with a feeling of hope. Not many artists put this much care and detail into an extended play, but the effort certainly pays off here. Put Me Together will be one of the strongest, well structured, and most compelling EPs released this year, and I sincerely hope an album isn’t too far behind.

BEST TRACK: “Put Me Together” WORST TRACK: “Duval”

4.5

NORTHLANE

MESMER

UNFD 24.03.17

Mesmer is the fourth studio album from Australian rock band Northlane, and the second record to feature recruited vocalist Marcus Bridge. I was skeptical that the band would be able to bounce back following the departure of Adrian Fitipaldes in 2014, but Northlane’s success seems to have done nothing but blossomed. This may have been a result of a change in the band’s sound; shifting from dizzying, progressive riffs and tempos to more accessible grooves and structures on their 2015 album Node. This change has clearly carried over onto Mesmer, resulting in Northlane’s blandest and most repetitive record to date.

My biggest issue with Mesmer is its lack of variety; almost every track just mid-tempo hard rock tune with decent

sounding instruments. Unfortunately the intricate yet melodic riffing, creative drum-work, and engaging songwriting that I enjoyed so much on Northlane’s first couple of records do not turn up much on Mesmer. I would absolutely be okay with this direction if the band was delivering well-written, groovy tunes but they aren’t. The riffs, the grooves, and particularly the singing are all just okay. “Citizen” and “Veridian” are decent enough, because they’re the only tracks that I can recall any sort of memorable chorus or hook. I also enjoy the track “Zero-One”, whose more progressive nature calls back to the band’s older sound while working in some psychedelic electronic production.

I was hoping this would be the album where Northlane really hit their stride with Marcus and delivered material that matched the quality of their older records while still pushing their sound into new territory. Instead Mesmer came off as lazy, uninspired and above all else, boring.

BEST TRACK: “Zero-One” WORST TRACK: “Solar”

8.4

POWER TRIP

Nightmare Logic

Southern Lord 24.02.17

them, making it sound like the band is playing straight out of the depths of Hell.

Much of the lyrics on Nightmare Logic revolve around death and particularly execution; reminding me fondly of my favorite Metallica record. I see that Power Trip has consciously avoided the electric chair as a song topic, but the riffs and especially the solo on “Waiting Around To Die” sound right out of the Ride The Lighting playbook. I honestly don’t mind the blatant homage to 80’s era thrash considering the band’s electrifying performances certainly do the sound justice. The halftime section on the self-titled track is definitely a contender for riff of the year, and the wall of wailing guitars that comes in right after gives off some wicked Slayer vibes. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Power Trip live before, and I bet the blistering speed of “Firing Squad” will make it the band’s new dedicated circle pit jam.

One thing I didn’t expect from this album was the utilization of ominous sounding synthesizers, which do a fantastic job of setting the mood on a couple of these tracks. The guitar solos on Nightmare Logic are for the most part quite effective, but never get too flashy, and this is something that can be said about the band’s playing in general.

Power Trip certainly has nothing to prove with regards to their technical ability, and instead focuses on consistent and catchy songwriting. “Swing of the Axe” is almost rudimentary in its riffs and structure, but that doesn’t stop it from being a great song. Nightmare Logic is a total barnburner front to back, and while Power Trip isn’t exactly treading new ground, they did a fantastic job of reminding us why old-school thrash was so fun and exciting.

BEST TRACK: “Nightmare Logic” WORST TRACK: “Ruination”

I love listening to music that pushes limits, defies genres, and challenges the listener, but I still think artists can create awesome music without doing any of those things. This is exactly what Texan thrash metal band Power Trip accomplishes with their sophomore LP Nightmare Logic. On this short but sweet new album, Power Trip honors the nuances of traditional thrash metal while delivering a sound that is exciting, well written, and worthy of all the headbangs.

The performances on Nightmare Logic are air tight, but not so cleanly produced that these songs sound sterile; there is still plenty of blood, guts and gore flying in every direction on the eight tracks the band delivers. Riley Gale’s screams have a cavernous reverb on

8.2

REMO DRIVE

Greatest Hits

Self-Released 16.03.17

Greatest Hits is the ironically titled debut from Minnesota pop-punk trio Remo

Drive. I have been disappointed with so much of the music coming out of this genre lately that I was pretty blown away by the energetic performances, engaging songwriting and catchy hooks that Remo Drive consistently deliver on this record.

All three instruments on this album sound great; the drums are crisp, the bass is prominent and the guitars have a uniquely fuzzy tone for the genre. The recording comes off quite a bit more minimalistic and raw than your average pop-punk band, and Jack Shirley’s production does a great job of making each instrument shine. Erik Paulson’s melodies are consistently catchy even if they have the typical emo whine to them, and the man does a great job carrying this album vocally, considering I can’t find a single harmony on Greatest Hits. As is standard with emo music, much of the lyrics are charmingly or hilariously self-deprecating, one of my favorite lines being “All my friends are growing up / I eat shit daily”.

With all of this in mind, the band clearly has the ability to make good music, but it is the creative songwriting that really made me love this album. There are a ton of instrumental sections on Greatest Hits that feel very ‘in the moment’ and add some much needed dynamics to these songs, like the whacky ending to “Hunting For Sport”. The unorthodox lead single “Yer Killing Me” starts off like any other pop-punk tune, but the band descends into a fantastic instrumental piece ninety seconds in that ends off with some surprisingly beautiful tremolopicked acoustic guitars. “Summertime” is one of the slower tracks and isn’t nearly as exciting as a result, but I still think the melody and lyrics on the hook are great. The gang vocals on “Eat Shit” add some great melodic layers to an already awesome track, and the falsetto vocals on the closer are certainly unique if nothing else. I can only assume the gnarly shots of feedback on “Trying To Fool U” were Jack Shirley’s doing, and the band’s double-time return to the hook towards the end of this track seriously satisfies the pop punk kid within me.

In my eyes, this band is a breath of fresh air in the pop-punk/emo scene. Tracks like “Crash Test Rating” and “Eat Shit” are some of the best pop punk I’ve heard in years and are getting a lot of buzz in the underground rock scene. This is a stellar debut and because I can’t imagine Remo Drive will remain unsigned, I eagerly look forward to what the band will do next.

BEST TRACK: “Eat Shit” WORST TRACK: “Summertime”

69

FLESH & BONE in the pursuit of artistic passion

FIN