SILVIA No. 2 by SILVIA magazine

S I L V I A NO.2

SILVIA

c o n t e n t s

EDITOR’S LETTER

EMMSEA ROY REGINA LEMAIRE COSTA

02 04

STEP ROCKETS

editor’s letter

This past weekend I attended the annual Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival for the second time. There were many things that made the day very memorable, like the way the sun burned red through the smoke from the Yosemite fire and the way the cute guy who sold me hot chocolate at Intermission smiled, both equally hot and eerily beautiful. What really stuck with me though was the play itself, of course — a revised performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream set in 1960s London to The Beatles — and how wonderful all the actors were at portraying each character. Puck was perfectly meddlesome, Helena perfectly neurotic, and so on, altogether being painfully hilarious. Being as young and indecisive as I am, I’m still not one thousand percent sure what I want to do, but I can only hope to be just as good as they were at acting, just as good as Step Rockets are at making music, just as good as Regina LeMaire Costa is at capturing moments. (But I guess even if one weren’t amazing at something, it shouldn’t matter as long as he/she loved to do it — e.g., myself trying to rap.) Anyway, enjoy the issue and don’t forget to check out all the lovely people featured whom I just mentioned. Also, shout out to Joe Curtin who helped a lot with Silvia these past few weeks.

BLANCHE MINOZA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I have no intention of being good when I could be yours instead. 2

Between fucking on hardwood floor and writing bathroom stall love letters, we got a few things right. I quit smoking and you went back to school. I have dreamed of you every night since we met except for the night I had a dream I was flying and Voldemort was trying to murder me, but I’m sure that too was about you somehow; everything is. My English teacher once told me I’m too honest to ever be a good writer, but I don’t want to be good. Fuck good. I want to be explosive. I want to be the picture in your head when your hand is dancing between your legs. I want to be a nuclear disaster, a lethal injection, the loudest thunderstorm anyone’s ever heard. I want to be what destroys everything that ever came before. I want to be the last name you’ll ever scream.

EMMSEA ROY motsmaudits.tumblr.com

regina lemaire costa INTERVIEWED BY JOE CURTIN

When and how did you start becoming interested in photography? “High school. I had been on Flickr for a while but the end of high school was when I really got into it. I was nostalgic, so I started documenting what I didn't want to forget.” Tell us a bit about your life right now. Where are you living? Are you in school? What are you studying? “I'm back to Paris after spending some time in New York. I graduated in filmmaking spring this year. It's a transition being back because New York is truly where I want to be. So I'll be working on that for a while, hopefully not for too long.” Who or what is the biggest source of inspiration for you? Do you have any favorite artists or photographers? “I photograph what I find special, so inspiration comes in all kinds of ways. I'm drawn to documenting life on a daily basis, which is why my photography is mostly candid; it's moments I want to remember. There are so many great artists out there. I feel bad to leave them out, but Gregory Crewdson's work is everything I love. It's mysterious and timeless and visually spectacular and very focused in American life, which is something I'm obsessed with. He shot the cast of Six Feet Under (one of my 

favorite shows) back in the day, and it was perfect. More recently I was mind-blown by Benoît Debie's work on Spring Breakers. The movie gave me a headache but it was so pretty.” Tell us something that no one knows about you - a story, a hidden talent, anything. “I have a weird thing with languages. My first language was Brazilian Portuguese, I started learning French when I moved to Paris as a kid and it became my first language. Then I taught myself English by ferociously watching American television. But to be quite honest my biggest talent is being able to lip-sync Nicki Minaj's ‘Superbass.’” What is your favorite photograph you have ever taken, and why is it significant to you? “There is more than one but in the most recent ones I love this one [on page 4]. It was my first night back in New York this year, and I think it was my first picture after I landed. Cheyenne and Wolfgang and I were hanging and it hit me I had made it to New York again and as corny as it may sound, I felt hopeful. Every time I look at it I feel that all over again.” If there was any one song that could encapsulate your life, what would it be? “‘It's All Over Now, Baby Blue’ by Bob Dylan and ‘Cactus Tree”’by Joni Mitchell. Can I

pick two? I've listened to them during many different times in my life and they're always on point, no matter what's going on.” A time machine somehow appears in your backyard, and you can spend an hour taking photos in any year in any location - what location and what year would you choose? “Tough one. Well, as the New York nut I am, I choose New York in the early 90s. It's not that far but it's far enough not to have social media's constant presence in the picture. Either that or 70s Brazil, so I could meet and photograph my parents as teenagers. There are not enough pictures of them.” What would you say your "place" is in the world of photography. Creating art? Documenting experiences? Capturing emotions? “I don't know about my place in the world of photography, but I photograph because I want to. I want to capture what moves me, regardless of what it represents to other people. People are entitled to labeling it art or not, but in the end it doesn't change anything to me.” What are you the most excited about in your future? “Looking forward to working and going places. Honestly, everything seems like a big blur right now so I have no idea but I'd like to be working a lot and being surrounded by inspiration in all shapes and forms.” 

step rockets b

Minneapolis-based band, Step Rockets, has erupted throughout the music scene with their single â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kisser,â&#x20AC;? merely a brief preview of what they have in store. INTERVIEWED BY BLANCHE MINOZA. PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY STEP ROCKETS.

First and foremost, how did the lot of you come together as a band? Josh Von Mink: Brady and I met in high school at Perpich Center for the Arts in Golden Valley. We played together off and on through college in a band called Vintage Mink until Brady formed Soul Tree with Anthony. I had a few problems to take care of in my life but the guys were there for me with open arms. Once everything straightened out, the three of us began writing music together right around the time we met Johnny. We had all been playing a lot of classic rock kind of stuff but we wanted to hit the refresh button and really push ourselves into a new

realm of challenges and musical endeavors. We started to expand our sound palate beyond the guitar/drum/bass combo into the electronic music world. This change was the catalyst for the vibe the band has today. Brady Lillie: While Josh and I were playing in the Vintage Mink we put together a Rolling Stones tribute show where I met Anthony. He asked me to sub in for his band, A Damno Devine, which we changed to a rock band called Soul Tree. Anthony and I started booking the band and we were playing around a hundred shows a year. We have been doing that for five years and have played well over five hundred shows together. Johnny Synhavsky: I met the guys because they needed a drummer for their cover act, Soul Tree. The experiences and music we shared with each other led us to develop an incredibly strong bond and push ourselves in a new musical direction as an original act. We later discovered that all of four of us

“A favorite childhood memory of mine is my first concert, MC Hammer.” shared a few bills together over five years ago while playing in different bands. Has music always felt like an inevitable path for all of you? What other interests and hobbies do you have? JVM: Absolutely, without a doubt, 110%. All of our friends and family have supported us along the way. It almost feels written in the stars. I can't imagine doing anything other than writing, recording, and performing music. When I need to unplug, I like to exercise, read, and watch movies at home. BL: Yes. I found a guitar in a closet when I was ten years old. I used to write and sing songs for my family and I've been doing that ever since. If for some reason I couldn't play music anymore I would move to the mountains and open a teashop overlooking the ocean. Anthony Schulz: Music has always been a part of my family and it really struck a chord with me personally. I used to want to be a history teacher, but I realized early on that path that I needed more music in life. My hobbies include meditation and watching/collecting movies. JS: Music took over my life at a pretty young age. I have memories of four-year-old Johnny rolling around his family room floor listening to Magical Mystery Tour with my

JS: I came from a family of musicians who exposed me to an incredible amount of music growing up. I have great memories of jamming with my dad when I was in siblings. I always dreamed of grade school – lots of Beatles and playing professionally but it wasn’t a Stones covers with a few of his career path that I forced myself into. original gems to boot. As I got older, I was very lucky to have constant musical outlets Describe each other in three words through my friends and family with or less. which I was able to grow and keep JVM: Brady, tea; John, EDM; my chops up. Last fall, everything Anthony, thinker. fell into place to allow me to quit my BL: Josh, new jams; John, Electric day job and concentrate fully on Forest; Anthony, mind exploration. music. AS: Josh, shoe shine; Brady, Elf of What were some of your favorite music-related memories growing up? What are some of your more recent favorite memories working together? JVM: A favorite childhood memory of mine is my first concert, MC Hammer. I saw him the only time he ever came to Duluth, MN. I loved his music so much as a kid that I had my mom shave steps on the sides of my head. BL: My sister used to work at a local radio station in Minneapolis called "The Point". Through her, I got to meet artists that came in for interviews, including Fastball, which was so awesome. AS: One of my favorite musical memories growing up was singing Christmas songs with my family around the piano. My brother does a mean version of "The Grinch". Recently I've enjoyed our Step Rockets trips to Lyndon Station, WI, where we've performed and hung out with friends.

Gondolin; Johnny, strategical gun jumper. JS: Josh, smooth criminal; Brady, Prince of Tea; Anthony, Stonewall Jackson. What part do you each play when creating new music? How much time do you generally spend working on a song? JVM: We all write and work on music in teams, as a band, and independently. We are all songwriters but when it comes to Step Rockets, we try to cultivate the best material possible. JS: It’s hard to say how much time we spend working on a particular song because the songs are constant works-in-progress that always evolve and take on new identities as we grow as a band.

“I loved his music so much as a kid that I had my mom shave steps on the sides of my head.” 17

Where does your inspiration come from? JVM: Nature, life lessons, other art...the list goes on and on. I've found it's like a muscle, the more you tap into your inspirations, the easier it becomes to access that place where artistic ideas come from. AS: Mathematical truth, everyday events, holism, and superheroes. JS: The rhythm of the body and soul. You seem to identify as a psychedelic, indie, rock/pop (please correct me if I'm wrong) band. What other genres do you think would be fun or interesting try? JVM: We love reggae. We have touches of it in some of our songs. I'm not a big fan of genres; they are kind of getting to be a joke. BL: Everyone likes to have a label on things so they know what they are hearing but at this point all music is melding together. I think music is great if it has elements that challenge you in some aspect. Whether it is the lyrics, production, or delivery, music should have something to make you actually listen instead of washing over in a haze. Surely much joy and excitement come as more and more people listen to and share your

music, but have you also ever felt anxiety or pressure to keep coming up with the next best thing? JVM: Not really, we have a ton of other songs recorded and in the demo process that I love. Of course we want to keep getting better and developing as a band that continually puts out evolving material but “Kisser” is really the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the all of the music we have been working on together. JS: No pressure at all. Artists are artists because we always feel like there’s room to learn and grow. As a band we try to create music that pushes our creativity while expressing who we are at that moment in time. What two artists/bands would Step Rockets be the lovechild of? JVM: Yeasayer and Jimi Hendrix AS: Michael Jackson and Nirvana JS: My Morning Jacket and T. Rex Disregarding the limitations of time and space, where and with whom would you love to perform? JVM: I'd love to go back in time and open for Nirvana and Sonic Youth in Seattle around 1990 before “grunge” was a household term. AS: David Bowie and Trent Reznor on the lunar surface. BL: It would be great to go back and open for Hendrix and hang out before/after the show and talk about sci-fi books he is reading. I'm also a huge fan of Rival Sons. I would love to open up for them in Europe. JS: Santana at Woodstock ’69. Any plans on releasing an EP or even a fulllength album in the near future? JVM: We are interested in both of those things. We have the songs and now it's just a matter of time and resources. Share some wise words to live by. JVM: Never give up. BL: Woody Guthrie said, "Take it easy, but take it." AS: All of us are drops in the same ocean, and each of us are the entire ocean in a drop. JS: Don't rush the beat. 

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