Everyone possesses the ability to be artistically creative within several mediums yet not everyone succeeds at it. Sonny Kay is the exception, the anomaly.  At an early age, Sonny realized he had artistic potential within music and art. As an adult, his talent and keen sense of self-awareness has helped him run a successful record label, Gold Standard Laboratories, for over a decade. Presently, Sonny finds himself re-incarnated working full-time as a visual and graphic design artist. The imagery he presents can often be interpreted as unconventional but the quality of his work is second to none. He is best known for designing album covers for bands such as The Mars Volta, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, Le Butcherettes, amongst many others. I recently caught up with him on his day off to talk about the rise of GSL and his emergence as a visual artist.

How did Gold Standard Lab get started?

In the early 90’s I was living in Boulder, CO. I had been in a hand full of bands, punk and hardcore bands. There were a lot of bands in Boulder at the time, but not very much in terms of record labels. As my own bands toured, eventually we got known outside of the state. We started putting out records on labels and other places. That was cool and it was something I’m really grateful for, but I really wanted to run my own record label. I felt the urge to put out records. It just seemed like fun. I started putting out local bands in Boulder that weren’t necessarily touring or getting known outside of Colorado but to me were cool and were my friends. I wanted to do something that was inspired by cool labels at the time in California that were putting out all kinds of weird stuff. I always envisioned it as something that was not just a punk or hardcore label. Even tho my bands fit that narrow category, I wanted to put out stuff that was more eclectic than that.

What punk and hardcore bands were you in?

The first band I was in that toured was called Zavalas. We put out a couple of 7”s and toured around the southwest. That was followed by a band called Angel Hair. That was the first band I played here (El Paso) in 1994. We were on tour with Rancid and J Church. After that, I was in a band called The VSS. So many other things happened as a result of me being in that group; meeting people along the way or meeting other bands and, at the time, being unknowingly influential on people. After that I took a break for a few years and concentrated on doing the label. I was asked to join a band in 2003 which was a bunch of friends of mine from other old bands, all around my age, who had started this new thing. That was called Year Future. That lasted for about 3 years. I did another band called Optional Body for a year. Unfortunately, we never played a show or anything. That was the last band I was in that really did anything. I think its possible but I don’t anticipate being in another band anytime soon.

How did you get started with art and design? Was it something you were always doing?

When I was a kid I would draw a lot. My parents recognized I had a natural ability for it. My parents were pretty hands-off. They left my sisters and I to our own thing. I was enrolled in drawing classes when I was a kid but it was not anything serious or heavy duty. When it came to school there wasn’t a lot of pressure to be good at anything, other than to just do good in school. When it came to art, it was on me to do it or not do it. I never really developed any kind of serious discipline about it. By the time I got to college I was easily distracted, way more into music, bands, touring and putting on shows more than making art. Art seemed like the obvious thing I should be doing. I majored in painting and drawing and then switched to print making, screen printing, and lithography. I would do the most minimal amount of work required. I was more interested in managing the club on campus and putting on shows than I was doing art.

When GSL stopped operating, I imagine you were at a crossroads. Was that the moment you decided to pursue graphic design full-time?

Yes. I had already started developing my skills as a designer during the course of running the record label for all those years; having to constantly develop print ads, web content, and designing stuff for my own bands. There was always something that needed to be designed. The label always had a little bit of a smart ass kind of attitude to it. That kind of crept up in the art in some sense, that sort of tongue-in-cheek or wise ass attitude dictated the way the art went. By the time we decided to stop doing the label in 2007 I was pretty adept to Photoshop. I definitely felt ready to, if not turn into a professional artist, if not make the jump to being able to sustain myself, at least be able to approach art more seriously and with more purpose I ever had before without any kind of distraction, without an obligation to something else that took president. Stopping the label was the first step in embracing the idea of being a working artist.

What projects did you work on after the label?

Fortunately, by then I had already been working with Omar (Rodriguez-Lopez) and The Mars Volta for about 6 years. He was beginning to put out a steady stream of solo releases. It was one of those things, by accident it coincided with one happening with the other. The first few of his releases coincided with me jumping off with this whole idea. From the very get go I had the privilege of being at the right place at the right time.  As I grew and figured out what I was doing with this format, how I wanted to express myself, what kind of topics I wanted to deal with, I got to figure all that out in the course of his records. In hind sight, its an amazing opportunity and something I sometimes feel if I really dwell on it, or smoke enough weed or something, I’ll feel really overwhelmed by the fact that there are more than a few pieces I feel I let go prematurely. There are a few things I wish I could take back. Its a little difficult knowing how visible these things are sometimes. On the other hand, all I ever wanted to do when I was a kid was make record covers. The thing that excited me about that, other than the thrill of experiencing the art myself, was the idea of connecting with a lot of people.

I was browsing your website and much of the imagery presented can be interpreted in many ways. Can you tell me about your work?

I have a tendency to get into a comfort zone with stuff and exhaust that area and it’s difficult for me to shake myself up. It’s been interesting working with Omar. His opinion of my work is much more neutral than my own. He can see it for what it is sometimes in the way that I can’t. I definitely credit him for insisting that I break out of these comfort zones from time to time and completely abandon all of my current ways of thinking and approaching things. Just purely as exercise, do a few things that are completely different. Sort of, having more of an agenda without having an agenda, if that makes any sense; trying to break open the possibilities of design and conceptual stuff by simplifying the whole process.

What would be an example of that?

For example, that record Xenophanes. Its a bright nonsensical collage. In my opinion, very stream of conscience, just throw a bunch of stuff together and figure out how it works kind of thing. Which, its not that I hadn’t done those things in the past, it’s just that  I didn’t really gravitate towards doing stuff that way. I tend to conceptualize a single idea or I might envision a scene in my mind or something I’m trying to suggest in a visual way of doing that. I don’t utilize collage for collages sake very often. Doing something like that in a way was difficult to let go. I look at it now and it still seems really controlled and purposeful, but at the same time, in just a completely different way than anything that had come before it. That’s just one example. This kind of thing between he and I tends to function on all sorts of little subtle ways.

I consider him a really excellent collaborator because he is really diverse and constantly pushing himself and pushing everybody else. I feel like I’m constantly trying to avoid repetition on any one thing. Some of the things are bizarre but not everything I do is my own choosing. When it comes to stuff with Omar, there are things that have come out for him in particular that I wouldn’t necessarily design myself or design for anybody else. There has been things that he has insisted on or images that he’s liked along the way. Those have have been an odd thing to explain sometimes because he is willing to take a lot of risks visually.

I, personally, couldn’t be more happy to be part of this. I look back now and think about my motivation to putting out records in the first place, or why I even got into punk and hardcore, its wanting to be part of something. I still feel that way and it still feels good. Especially when its something that touches people and is constantly changing. For me, thats what keeps it exciting.

www.sonnykay.com

www.facebook.com/sonnykay

TEXT: ALEX DURAN @jam_bi

Related posts:

1. SOULDIES: A FUNK, SOUL, AND ROCK N’ ROLL EXPERIENCE
2. The Lost and Found Presents: The Paul Collins Interview
3. Enslaved

Tuvimos la oportunidad de entrevistar a Manuel Valtierra leyenda viviente de la música en Juárez y en México, miembro original de Los Seven Teens, banda Juarense que puso en alto la música y el twist que se hacía en Cd. Juárez en la década de los 60’s, creadores de canciones famosas como: Nena Loca, Recuerdos de Ipacarai, Los Seven Teens vivieron el éxito en la Ciudad de México y tuvieron oportunidad de compartir escenarios con lo mejor de el ámbito musical y artístico de esa época dorada de México,  la entrevista se llevó a cabo entre fotos antiguas, discos LP, alguno que otro video en You Tube y música de Los Seven Teens de fondo y esto fue lo que tuvimos oportunidad de platicar con él.

¿Porque Los Seven Teens?

Éramos siete jóvenes, siete chavos, todos teníamos diecisiete o dieciocho años.

¿Platíquenos acerca de Cuco Valtierra?

Don Cuco Valtierra era el papá de Cuco Valtierra Jr. que estaba en México. Y Cuco Valtierra Jr., fue el que nos llevó para allá, porque él estaba grabando para discos Musart en la Ciudad de México

¿Quién formo el grupo Los Seven Teens?

El grupo se inició a finales del 59, lo formó Marino Ríos, que ahora es doctor y vive en El Paso.  Desde chavos éramos amigos, nos juntábamos para jugar beisbol en El Parque Borunda y cuando nos conocimos yo empezaba a tocar el sax con la Orquesta de Don Cuco Valtierra, que era mi tío, un día estábamos tocando en el Hotel San Antonio y llego Marino a la fiesta y me dice: “Mira vamos a hacer un grupo de rock, ya tengo los guitarristas”, todos eran puros chavos de lana. Rafa Moreno Chávez, ahora es licenciado, Chiquis Ramírez el del bajo, me dijo “nomas nos falta el baterista, el cantante y tú. En eso llego de Los Angeles Carlitos Molinar el baterista que andaba de vacaciones y su tía le había regalado una batería. Lo fuimos a buscar y dijo que estaba puesto. Después se unió Jorge Arriaga, el cantante, y empezamos a ensayar ahí en la casa de Marino. En esos días vino Cuco Valtierra hijo de vacaciones, vino del D.F. a ver a su papá y le dijimos del grupo: “oye pues estamos armando un grupo” “luego, luego, yo los meto a grabar” nos dijo. Y se regreso a Ciudad de México, por mientras nosotros a ensayar y ensayar, no esperamos los tres meses, después de un mes tocamos en una tardeada aquí por la colonia Hidalgo, y con lo que salió de la tardeada;  dijimos ¡amonos!, Creo que en ese entonces costaba 180 pesos el pasaje algo así, en los Conozca a México Primero, que eran los Transportes Chihuahuenses. “ !Pues vámonos a la brava!, solo comimos pan de blanco con salchichón, queso y una soda, llegamos a México y le caímos a Cuco, a mi primo: “oye pues ya llegamos” “¿qué están haciendo aquí?” Nos pregunto “Pues ya venimos” “Están locos, si ni siquiera he hablado con el estudio”, llegamos en domingo y nos pregunto ¿ya comieron?” “No.” Pues de volada, se porto bien suave aquel, que en paz descanse, se fueron a traer carnitas para cenar y después nos dijo; “haber ármense, vamos a tocar, a ver cómo andan”, llevábamos todo fusilado de Chubby Checker,  de Hank Ballard de lo que sonaba en el 59, íbamos calientitos con el twist, le gusto el ritmo de la batería, el ritmo de la batería era tan diferente a como lo tocaban en México, porque estaban Los Rebeldes del Rock que tocaban bien suave, grandes amigos míos, yo jale con ellos, trabajé con los Rebeldes como un año, pero no  le daban al twist, tenían rolas de twist pero no tenían el sabor o el ritmo que teníamos nosotros y pues le gusto mucho a Cuco, y nos dijo “déjenme ver mañana, se fue y después nos hablo: “Vénganse de volada, tráiganse todo”, después llegamos a la disquera Musart, y ya había periodistas ahí, nos tomaron fotos y todo, salimos en el periódico El Universal, siete humildes músicos provincianos, Siete humildes músicos tocando el twist a la perfección, estaban los Teen Tops en su momento también, pero ni uno le daba al twist, si había muchos grupos que lo tocaban, pero no sonaba. Cuando llegamos a México traíamos la rola de Recuerdos de Ipacarai. Esa rola nos la dio un locutor El Sordo, Arturo Luján, estaba en la XEP, cuando la XEP estaba aquí en la 16, enseguida del cine Variedades, nos dice: “ahí les tengo una canción” y con esa llegamos a México, fue un tiro, esa rola”.
¿Cuántos discos oficiales tienen y cuáles son?

Pues hicimos cuatro long plays, pero de rolas éxitos fueron como cuatro, pero todas fueron separadas en sencillos. Aquí fueron dos, Recuerdos de Ipacarai y Solo Porque Dices. Después vino Nena Loca, pero si fueron éxitos, aquí si funcionaron mucho. Hasta la fecha ponen mucho  la de Nena Loca y Recuerdos de Ipacarai. Llegamos con esta canción a Ciudad de México y luego nos empezaron a grabar, pero no creas que nos pusieron cabina, nos grabaron así al aventón, pero no nos gusto, grabamos como treinta canciones en un día, estaban muy emocionados: “oye pues el twist, que suave el twist”, luego nos metieron a trabajar a un cabaret llamado El Social, de los mejores cabarets en México, cuando llegamos estaban tocando Los Panchos, Chucho Martínez Gil; un cantante de boleros, Lucerito Bárcenas, una de flamenco llamada Lola Flores, puros personajes y nosotros… ahora sí que provincianos totalmente.

Nosotros abríamos en El Carrusel, que era lo máximo en ese momento, llenos espantosos, ahí no cabías, no podías ni caminar, te parabas a bailar y aunque la chava te aventara…tenías que bailar pegadito.

¿Podría decirme los nombres de los integrantes de Los Seven Teens?

Jorge Arriaga cantante, en el bajo estaba Salvador Ramírez, Chiquis en la guitarra, requinto Arturo Salas, después de Chiquis entro Nino Saláis un bajista fregonsote, Carlitos Molinar en la batería, Beto en el sax, yo en el sax también, ¿quién me falta?, Ah pues estuvo Mario Domínguez, que en paz descanse, el duro muy poco con el grupo y Jorge Arriaga que era la estrella del grupo.

¿Cómo era la escena musical en los 60s?

Era lo máximo, el ambiente estaba brutal, donde quiera que fueras había ambiente, había lugares a lo loco y todos los lugares estaban siempre llenos, una cosa fabulosa, aquí estábamos en La Taberna del Rey. Fue en el año del 63, el ambiente estaba en todos lados, la avenida Juárez estaba a todo.

¿Siempre se llamaron Los Seven Teens?, ¿porque también les decían los Reyes del Twist?

Nos pusieron en México Los Reyes del Twist, porque íbamos calientitos con el twist. Nos pusieron así porque tocábamos el twist como les gustaba.
¿Entre las anécdotas que me contaron supe que ustedes salieron en una película?

Hicimos como cuatro, pero de extras. Se llamó Vivir de Sueños y El Gángster con Angélica María y Arturo de Córdova, Un Playboy en Acapulco con Manuel López Ochoa, La chica yeyé…. Sor yeyé, salíamos de extras tocando música.

¿En que año dejo de tocar la alineación original?

Como en el 64, Beto siguió con otro grupo, pero ya no fue lo mismo. Ese era el grupo bueno, ese era el grupazo.

¿Qué edad tenía usted cuando pasó todo esto?

¿Pues que tenía? Como diecinueve creo, a esa edad probé por primera vez la cerveza, imagínate la cerveza fría en el vaso sudado y todo el lugar a reventar, no cabía la gente, no dejaban entrar a nadie. Y otra cosa, tenias que ir de corbata, todo era muy formal, ya después adentro todos se la quitaban.

¿Cuántos años tiene usted en este momento?

Sesenta y nueve años, ya nos están cobrando todo lo que nos fiaron. En ese entonces uno andaba como trompo zumbador, sírvanle, sírvanle y andábamos enteritos. Salías de un lugar y te encontrabas cuates donde fueras, ibas a otro lugar, y lo mismo, “sírvanles, sírvanles”. Pero no como ahora que a los grupos les pagan con cerveza, antes si cobrábamos, siempre se cobro. Ahora no, eso es una vergüenza  hombre, pagar con cerveza, ¿qué es eso? Pero es que antes había amor por la música, ahora no, ya lo agarran de hobby.

Había muchos grupos buenos. Juárez fue de mucho músico muy bueno, y de orquestas también, había muchas orquestas en todos lados. Fiesta que había, era con orquesta. Y era de todos los días hasta las siete de la mañana con los lugares a reventar. Luego ya vino La Posada del Márquez, El Afro, allá para la carretera.

En su carrera musical trabajo con diversos artistas y músicos, platíqueme con quienes.

Con Marco Antonio Muñiz, Imelda Miller, Manolo Muñoz, Alberto Vázquez, con Enrique Guzmán hicimos discos, Silvia Pinal, con Angélica María. No pues con toda la artisteada. Grupos de rock como Los Locos del Ritmo, con María Félix, con el Indio Fernández, pues esa gente. Pedro Vargas, andábamos con todos los artistas de ese momento, Paco Malgesto, con José Alfredo Jiménez había pachangas cada quince días. Beto mi primo se hizo compadre de José Alfredo y Amalia Mendoza “La Tariácuri”.

¿Tocaban junto a todos estos artistas?

Era una época muy bonita, pero ni cuenta nos dábamos porque estábamos chavos y ellos ya eran unos grandes personajes; La Vitola, Tin-Tan, Borolas, Clavillazo, Javier Solís, Clavillazo nos seguía mucho y llegaba siempre que estábamos tocando, nos llevaba una botella de ron Potrero. También conocimos Pablo Beltrán Ruiz, inolvidable todo eso. También tuvimos la oportunidad de trabajar en casi todos los hoteles de la república, en Tampico, Mérida, Guadalajara, Manzanillo.

¿Salieron fuera de México en alguna gira?

Fuimos a Los Ángeles, San Francisco, todo lo que es California, con Vicente Fernández, con Luis Aguilar, Los Xochimilcas, íbamos en giras a toda la república Mexicana con las giras de la Corona extra, llegábamos a tocar a un pueblo o ciudad y apenas terminábamos de tocar cuando ya estabas guardando las chivas y ya estaba el otro grupo y vámonos para la otra ciudad…corriendo, fue muy bonito todo eso.

Ya por último ¿algo que quiera  comentar Don Manuel?

Pues un saludo a mis amigos músicos que quedamos todavía, mis compas de todos los tiempos. Un saludo a toda la bola de músicos y que viva el rock.

La plática siguió hasta entrada la tarde, con anécdotas de todo tipo, podríamos llenar páginas y páginas con la historia de Don Manuel Vatierra y Los Seven Teens, pero lo más importante sigue siendo su música y su legado que aún subsiste en la memoria de miles de Juarenses y que gracias a lo que escuchamos ahora de Los Seven Teens podemos formarnos un panorama de su música, por lo pronto la música ahí está, recuerdo de una gran época y testigo para las generaciones futuras.

Related posts:

1. CON LA LIBERTAD DE SENTIR
2. Las Amigas De Nadie
3. Sonidero Sound System | Reggae auténtico de frontera

The finds at House Mouse Records used to be so much sweeter. Not that they aren’t sweet anymore, but there was a time when there was so much untapped territory in the huge warehouse of vinyl overload. I remember I could always count on finding gold buried deep in the stacks and stacks of countless and random records.  My trips to House Mouse were always on the agenda for the weekend. The pile of the goods at the end of the day were always well worth the hours and hours of digging past the substantial amount of Christmas and Nat King Cole records. On one of my many adventures of rummaging through the sea of endless wax I found Kraftwerk’s 1978 masterpiece The Man-Machine for $5 on clear red vinyl. It was one of those good days.

The first record I found that day was a Rick James Super Freak single that was also on red vinyl. I decided to ask the House Mouse owner Pat how much she would sell the record for. Pat replied with “Oh no, I don’t sell the colored ones”. So I put the record back and continued searching the place as Julio Iglesias blasted in the in house stereo. Then I came across the Kraftwerk record The Man-Machine and to my surprise, the vinyl was also colored. It was a nice clear red that looked like a giant piece of candy. I wanted to bite it, but I didn’t. I put the record back in the sleeve and crossed my fingers that maybe she could sell me the record. I stashed it somewhere in between the rest of the records I had picked out that day and handed them over to her so she can give me a price on each of the records. As she was going through each one and taking the records out of the sleeve to take a look at the vinyl itself, I began to panic. I started to think of things to tell her to show her I really wanted it. Pat had a hard time getting the record out of the sleeve and just decided to sell it to me anyway. Peace out!

The Man-Machine came out in May of 1978 and is Kraftwerk’s 7th studio album recorded at the bands own Kling Klang studios. The famous album cover adorned in black, white and red was inspired by Russian artist El Lissitzky and the Suprematism movement. By this time German electro pioneers Kraftwerk have already mastered kraut-rock and were paving the way for the synth-driven 80s with its futuristic sound. Was The Man-Machine ahead of its time or was it right on time? Without this record, it’s hard to see bands like Depeche Mode, A Guy Called Gerald or New Order ever coming to life. The album still has the touches of the experimental beginnings of Kraftwerk, but the stoner long hair is way gone and the band now are integrating more electronic arrangements. Their mechanical approach and science fiction templates sees Kraftwerk immersed in this futuristic world seen visually in such films as Metropolis from 1927. The six minute opener The Robots is a proper introduction to the sound of the entire album with the focus centered primarily on drum beats and synthesizers. The sexy sophisticated sounds of The Model steers the listener to the dance floor where its infectious beats elevate the experience. Unlike many of Kraftwerk’s musical peers of the 70’s, you won’t find any guitar solos or exaggerated vocal straining. The album is a modest and minimal piece of music perfection.

The Man-Machine is like the Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers, an album stuck in the middle of an era of the band’s peak moments of creativity. Integrating computer technology with danceable beats, Kraftwerk were giving birth to electronic music along with early pioneers of the same robot blood The Silver Apples and Bruce Haack. With a simple and minimal approach, these primitive stages of electronic music would lay the groundwork for the future of music itself.

Text by: Daniel Salas

Related posts:

1. THE LOST AND FOUND | LOS APSON | NO HAY AMOR | 1965
2. I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW I’M FOUND… 3 YEARS OF THE LOST AND FOUND
3. It’s Atomic | New Record Spot in El Paso

It’s not easy growing up in a military family; that kind of lifestyle exposes you to change as you constantly move from base to base and city to city. Local contemporary visual artist and designer Mitsu Overstreet’s adolescence is filled with these memories.

Born in Okinawa, Japan and raised in Northern California and El Paso, TX, Mitsu was exposed to a variety of cultures that helped shape his perception on life and art. He kept an open mind; his creativity was nurtured and positively reinforced during his time in school. These experiences allowed him to bloom and transcend artistic lines, boundaries and cultures.

How did you first become involved in creating art?

I always had an interest in drawing. All through grade school I was the kid drawing things for all of the other kids , and eventually teachers as well. In high school I met other artists and a great teacher, Eva Kutscheid. She gave me creative experiences which led to building confidence in myself to take on the direction of art school. It really changed my life.

How did you first become involved in street art, mural art and graphic design? Are there any other forms of art that you create?

My family was stationed in Hawaii and I was attending middle school there. Graffiti art was getting popular there and the school commissioned an aerosol artist to install a mural there. I was completely blown away by it. I began to meet other kids interested in drawing art and we’d bring black books to school and draw.

Who were some of the artists you admired during that time? Why?

As a kid I didn’t really know of many famous artists, but I was really influenced by animations and sci-fi movies. I remember being inspired by Star Wars, Spiderman, Godzilla, Gatchaman and Robotech. Later in my years, I became influenced by skateboard art, punk rock imagery and album art, as well as graffiti. That drove me to look to graphic design, illustration and murals.

In art school I was exposed to lots of artistic influences through my art history classes and was inspired by art movements like Dadaism, Impressionism, Surrealism and design movements like Art Deco, Art Noveau—it’s always growing and developing. I’m really into Japanese art right now. It’s really interesting how these movements and styles spread throughout the world.

Tell me a little about the art you create? What influences it? What inspires you?

Primarily, I consider myself a graphic designer and public artist, but I’ve been exploring more fine art approaches and I’ve been more reclusive about my personal creative works. It’s been more about research for me now; I really want to tap into what really drives my energy. I look back on the ideas presented in the recent public works and I’m seeing a deeper connection with myself and where my creativity may come from. I do know that at the heart of it, is nature and my connection to it: it’s this beautiful desert we live in. There is so much beauty in how we live and manipulate it, whether we do it consciously or not. I’m really interested in how its energy affects how I create things on a subconscious level and the play between our world and it. I also am connecting to buddhism with my work. I grew up in a buddhist family and recently I’ve been making connections to my art that really give meaning to that part of my life.

When did you realize you were good at it? When did you start taking it seriously?

I think being good at something is just a result of really loving to do it. I’ve always received validation in art through social interaction with it. School primarily was the area where I gained the most confidence and things life events such as entrance into art school, support from other artists and winning commissions have pushed my understanding of what I do to the next level.

How or what has been your contribution to the art scene? What are you most proud of?

Right now, my public art has been the most important work to me. I think that the scale and what they do as art have really changed who I am as an artist. After completing 3 large projects and how they came together, I can now see my work and what I do differently. They have a deeper meaning to me and hopefully can guide my next works to a place that validate this new perspective.

What are some of the major projects you have led or been a part of?

The most recent and the largest art installation I’ve ever designed is in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which was unveiled on April 22, 2014 (Earth Day)—700 ft wide x 35 ft tall and entitled Journey. It is located on Boardwalk Hall along the world famous boardwalk. It’s a printed mural created digitally and installed with weatherproof vinyl mesh and aluminum panels. This was a really meaningful project to me that celebrated life. The subject matter is about the nature surrounding Atlantic City. Its concept was to help diversify the image of Atlantic City and to create the idea that there is more to the city than just the casinos. It also helped take a space that was mostly considered dilapidated and placeless, and change it to a focal point along the boardwalk experience. The building is a staging area for Boardwalk Hall, a historic convention center that hosts things like the Miss America Pageant. It was a project that finalized a series of installations for a transformative public art exhibition entitled ARTLANTIC, and I’m honored to be apart of.

In July of 2013, a terrazzo floor design I was commissioned to do for the El Paso International Airport was inaugurated. This project was designed for the 10,000 sq. ft baggage claim area and is the largest permanent installation I’ve designed. It’s designed to take the opportunity of using the waiting time the community has while their baggage is being delivered from their flight. It’s a collaborative project that utilizes captured quotes from people all over the region who used the airport. They were collected digitally on a website via mobile devices and curated to be engraved on to metal disk plaques embedded in the floor. Placed along a stylized image of the Rio Grande River, people experiencing the project could walk along the space and read all the quotes that described what people loved about the area and their favorite memories.

Are there any projects you are currently working on?

There is a new wing being built at the El Paso International Airport where I’ve been asked to design another terrazzo floor. I’m really grateful and excited to be brought back and be apart of it. This particular installation will be based on what was done in the baggage claim area, but this time I’ll be collaborating with 2 award winning poets from El Paso—Bobby Byrd and Sasha Pimentel—whom each wrote poetry that will be embedded into the floor design. There is another beautiful hanging installation done by another public art team out of Houston that will share the space with the floor. I believe that the project will be open to the public in early 2016.

mitsuoverstreet.com

Text: Alex Durán | Photos: Courtesy of Mitsu Overstreet, Christ Chavez, and Jonathan Percy

Related posts:

1. Border Lines
2. VIENTO CALLEJERO: TRAVERSING CULTURAL BOUNDARIES
3. EL PASO INK MASTER | Myker Yrrobali | Sun City Tattoo

Manuel Calderon formed the three-member band, The Chamanas, back in 2013. Motivation to form the band came from Austin-based musician, David Garza, and that would guide Calderon’s next moves. Gathering familiar individuals throughout the El Paso/Juarez music scene, Hector Carreon and Amalia Mondragó would eventually join him.

Doing the majority of their recording at Manuel’s own studio Comanche Sound and also at Sonic Ranch, where both Manuel and Hector had worked, the trio has released 3 songs, just played SXSW and have a debut album slated for release in May.

Fusion asked The Chamanas a few questions.

What’s the bands preference with production in their work? 

We are still discovering that. In our case we self produce, but there is a great benefit in having a producer with a different perspective.  All the songs are produced and recorded in a similar manner, but they also have different personalities to them.  Some of them are born from a drum machine, and some start out sounding like a ranchera song.

How has the band’s sound been solidified since 2013?

The band has developed a unique sound throughout the time we have been playing together; we just make sure we bring out each other’s strengths. It also helps that we all get along extremely well. We just have the same type of humor and taste in music, such as old Mexicano genres—corridor, rancheras, cumbias etc.

I was on your Twitter account; it looks as if it just got started, would you say the band is still considered “new” throughout the local scene?

As musicians, we have been in the local scene for many years, individually, in various groups, but the band would be considered new.  The Twitter account we just started using.  You can also find the group on Vevo, Youtube, Facebook, Bandcamp, Spotify, and Instagram.

Who did the artwork for “Dulce Mal” and was there any input from the band beforehand?

Our friend, Hector (Reez) Ruiz from Juarez—who now established himself as an artist in Mexico City—gladly took our suggestions and came up with some amazing ideas, which we used for “Dulce Mal.”

You played SXSW this year, how was that?

It was very inspiring. We came back full of ideas for new sounds and approaches towards the stage. We were very well received and plan to go back. We were able to network and meet very helpful people who pushed our single “Dulce Mal” onto the Latin American indie playlist on Spotify.

How is the band familiar with David Garza?

We met him at Sonic Ranch, and have been privileged to work with him in various projects. He’s an incredibly inspirational person in our lives and has been great supporter of the band from the beginning. He actually motivated me to start the band back in 2013.

What was the process of recording those 3 songs?

“Dulce Mal” was partly recorded at Sonic Ranch, Comanche Sound and at our homes in Juarez and El Paso. The song was born in a Mexico City trip last year.

For “Regalo de Reyes” we were able to go to Mexico City and collaborate with Luis Humberto Navejas from the rock band Enjambre.  We did pre-production tracking at the Hotel in Mexico City, and the rest of production in Comanche Sound. We had our friend Emily Booher record some cellos as well.

“Te Juro Que Te Amo” was recorded entirely at Comanche Sound.

TEXT: AARON BEDOYA | PHOTOS: SAUL TORRES

Related posts:

1. Great Shapes | Single Release Party
2. The Golden Trees
3. Check This Out! New Local Band to Look Out For—Gorilla Deathbox

The Lost and Found

Paralisis soft cialis Permanente

El Acto LP—1982

Txt: Daniel Salas.

The death of Dictator Francisco Franco in 1975 brought an end of decades  of oppression and the birth of freedom of expression for the people of Spain. The transitional period that followed saw the counterculture run wild.

“La Movida Madrileña” (Madrilenian Scene) was an artistic movement that took place after the heavy political weight was lifted in Madrid but also expanded to neighboring cites Vigo, Barcelona and Bilbao. The counterculture erupted and Madrid was injected with a surge of creativity that was bottled up for many years—painters, architects, graffiti artist, poets, film makers and many musicians flourished in their new found freedom.

Artists of all trades were collaborating together—painters would do art work for album sleeves for the bands, and bands would be in films. Film Director Pedro Almodovar’s film Pepi, Luci, Bom Y Otras Chicas Del Monton (1980) showed how far the hedonistic freedom of this time period was going—pushing the limits of everything.

Just like Manchester in the 80s, Madrid and its progressive art and music movement was also getting recognition and acknowledged by the media. Radio and TV were heavy supporters of the buzzing music scene; shows like La Bola De Cristal (a goth-y kids TV show I’m still trying to figure out, aired from 1984 to 1988) hosted by Alaska (of la Movida favorites new-wavers Alaska y los Pegamoides) and La Edad De Oro (ran from 1983 to 1985) would talk about the significance of the movement of the post-Franco Regime as well as host many of the surging bands coming out of Madrid and several other cities of Spain.

The music scene was influenced by what was popping off in the underground; groups like the Sex Pistols, Joy Division and Siouxie from the UK and the Ramones and New York Dolls from the US were the template for the punk, post-punk and new-wave that would make up the core sound of La Movida Madrileña—Kaka De Luxe, Alaska y Los Pegamoides, Radio Futura, Los Nikis, Nacha Pop, Los Secretos, Los Monaguillosh, Gabinete Caliari, La Mode, Decima Victima, Glutamato Ye-Ye, Aviador Dro, Los Zombies as well as and many others.

Goth legends of Madrid, Paralisis Permanente, were at the center of the Movida, credited as pioneers of the post-punk movement in Madrid and also in many of its neighboring cities.

The band’s career (from 1981 to 1983) came to a halt when lead singer Eduardo Benavente lost his short life of 20 years in a car accident while traveling with other members of the band. Their only releases (while active) were 1 single, 2 EPs and their sole LP, El Acto.

The album is balanced by fast paced punk paranoia with darker Goth dreariness. “Adictos de la Lujuria” opens the album with a rainstorm (literally) properly setting the mood before going head first into a bloody pool of razor sharp guitar distortion and ghostly synths. The gloomy tones of Bauhaus and the Cure are reflected on songs like “El Acto” with its slow paced evilness and cynical lyrics.

The band also take a shot at some covers—“Quiero Ser Tu Perro” (The Stooge’s ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’) and Bowie’s “Heroes” sung in Spanish with altered lyrics are given a new life and surge with frenetic anxiety.

Benavente’s doom and gloom lyrics were both strange and powerful at such a young age tackling themes of loneliness and yes, death; his voice still sounding very youthful and anxious like he was just getting started. After Paralisis Permanente and rest of the Movida took charge of the artistic front, the flood gates were open. Frozen in time are the images and sounds of one the great artist of the Movida Madrileña.

Related posts:

1. The Lost and Found | Darkthrone
2. THE LOST AND FOUND | THE ZEROS | DON’T PUSH ME AROUND | 1980
3. The Lost and Found | Morrissey Kill Uncle

Early Bird tickets on-sale now, artist lineup coming soon

EMBARGOED UNTIL Wednesday, January 27th  at 7:00am MST

Neon Desert Music Festival (NDMF) will return to downtown El Paso on Memorial Day Weekend, May 28th and 29th, 2016. The weekend is a fan favorite filled with music, art, food and fun. 2-day Early Bird tickets are $89 and now on sale only on

www.neondesertmusicfestival.com. These Early Bird, discounted tickets are limited, so fans are encouraged to buy early.

The 2016 festival will once again take place in the heart of El Paso’s historic downtown district, utilizing

Cleveland Square Park and encompassing major streets including Oregon, Mesa and Franklin.

Since launching in 2011, more than 105,000 fans have attended NDMF to see performances by Kaskade, J. Cole, MGMT, Wiz Khalifa, Passion Pit, Zedd, Cypress Hill, Calle 13, Moby, Method Man & Redman, Molotov, Ghostland Observatory, Capital Cities, Martin Solveig, A-Trak, Best Coast, and many more groundbreaking acts. In 2016, more than 30 artists are expected to perform during the two-day fest including leading rock, electronic, Latin, indie, and hip-hop acts. Local food and merchandise along with live art exhibits will bring the spirit of El Paso to life, the inspiration that has driven NDMF since day one.

And thanks to the incredible support of the El Paso community, NDMF has been able to donate more than $45,000 to city and community organizations, with hopes of another healthy donation following the 2016 event.

Stay tuned for the announcements and news including the full roster of 2016 NMDF artists this spring by following NDMF online:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/neondesert

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/neondesert

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ndmf

For press inquiries please contact Zach Paul at: zach@splendidsunproductions.com

Related posts:

1. Quintuple the FUN at Neon Desert Music Fest 2015! 
2. Neon Desert Music Festival 2014 | Guide and Info
3. 8 Reasons To Check Out Neon Desert Music Festival 2014

The team at Nequim Pinup & Boudoir Photography is on a crusade to elucidate some very steamy topics, namely the practices within the realm of kink. The group has taken on the mission of opening a forum in which not only to discuss BDSM  ideas and practices, but to demonstrate these activities as well. Kinkology is a series of workshops that kicks off Saturday, January 30 at the Nequim studio, 7100 Gateway East.

Back in October, Nequim owner Frank Villasana along with Creative Director Sabine Green designed and hosted Taboo, an event that discussed and demonstrated different aspects of BDSM. Several members of the local kink community participated in Taboo. As Green explains, Kinkology was simply the logical, natural progression of Taboo:

“Taboo brought awareness to a whole lot of people about what was going on. That there’s a little bit of kink in everyone and that it’s okay to talk about it because there are other people out there who understand. Taboo’s mission statement was to free El Paso and bring those things in the sensual world, that were hidden, to the surface. Frank and I ended up with this “Aha” moment, this realization that there was a need for advocacy and validity in the kink community. We decided Taboo couldn’t be the one and only thing we did. Out of that was born Kinkology.”

The goal of Kinkology is two-pronged:  the promotion of validation and safety within the kink and  BDSM contexts. Along with discussing alternative erotic practices, such as bondage, fire play, flogging, etc., demonstration of proper techniques and discussion of consent and power exchange are on an equal footing. As Villasana explains, Kinkology  is a platform from which to teach and learn about various aspects of alternative lifestyles and activities:

“If people aren’t given  the opportunity to talk about a mature subject like sex and the different lifestyles that you’re able to explore, people are going to go out and do it anyway, and likely get hurt. When you bring it out to light, you’re removing the taboo, and the danger. What we’re trying to do with Kinkology is open up the doors and lines of communication about sex, sex education, and letting people know ‘Look, it’s out there and we want to show you what it is, and allow you to explore it and ask questions and see it for yourself in a very safe, neutral environment.’”

To that end Kinkology is open to the general public. Each workshop will be led by a qualified instructor. To kick things off, professional dominatrix Mistress Ruby (who you all read about in Fusion # 87!) will give a class in manners training. Elements of the workshop include a history of manners, the social aspect of what respect and manners portray about us as individuals, as well as the particulars of manners as a facet within a BDSM setting.

On February 20^th, professional dominatrix Ishara Rose, Sarah Heartsong, who holds degrees in Social Work and communications, and two other panelists who are pending confirmation, will lead a discussion titled “Negotiating Power Exchange.”

“We wanted to get the power exchange and communication class in as soon as possible in the year because that’s the basis, the foundation, of everything in the kink world,” Green said. “It’s all about communication: clear boundaries; boundary setting; negotiation; who’s got the power and when is that power over.”

As mentioned, within the context of BDSM, ideally consent is the basis from which all kinky activities spring. The most basic definition of consent is the permission given for certain acts to take place.

“Something the class in February is going to touch on a little bit is the different types of relationships you can enter into within the kink community.” Green said.

A focal point of BDSM relationships, power exchange is the giving or receiving of authority to or from someone else within a sensual, sexual, or erotic encounter. Thus, the importance and necessity of a power exchange workshop is immense.

A shibari workshop is scheduled for March12th. (Shibari is the ancient Japanese art of knot tying and rope bondage). Local shibari expert, DK Lthrmn, will lead the class.

April and May will feature a local submissive demonstrating two different types of BDSM activities. Orli will be bottoming (on the receiving end)  of the flogging demonstration she is doing along with her master, Robert. She will also bottom for the fire play class the following month with partner William.

As of now, Green says the June through September workshops are pending, partly because the process of finding instructors is complex and time consuming:

“I’m putting the word out for instructors very carefully because I want my clients to be 100% safe. The potentials are all going through an interview process. I’m using my resources within the kink community to find out what their [potential instructor’s] reputation is; if the instructor has a reputation of being a jerk or flake or an abuser, they won’t get a contract.”

The Nequim crew is campaigning to create discussion and dialog about kink in the hopes of normalizing it and incorporating it into the status quo. With the swell of popularity of books and films such as 50 Shades of Grey, Hollywood and society at large are abuzz with the naughty dalliances of BDSM activities. However, as Green and Villasana explain, the books are merely a superficial glance at an immense topic.

“With 50 Shades becoming a really popular genre and really breaking open kink as a household word, all of these people have decided ‘Oh yeah that’s what I want; that’s where I’m curious.’ But the more popular it becomes, the more unsafe it can become,” Green says.

Villasana adds:

“We’re  [the Nequim team] not in the lifestyle. We’re just trying to create a safe space for people who might be because of the huge impact that 50 Shades of Grey has had. It’s just mind boggling how many people are going to be taken advantage of and end up in the hands of somebody unsafe; so I want to save as many people as possible. That’s the hero in me coming out!”

Throughout the year the team at Nequim is providing plenty of opportunities to explore the various realms of BDSM and kink. The Kinkology workshops are designed to address the needs and interests of the vanilla crowd, newcomers to the world of kink, and veterans of the lifestyle.Get your kink on!

All Kinkology classes are about three hours long.

Tickets $25/ each + surcharge

Tickets available at kinkology.eventbrite.com

The world of femme domme: Manners Training: Saturday, January 30 4—7 p.m.

@ Nequim Pin-Up & Boudoir Photography Studio, 7100 Gateway Blvd East, Lower Level

http://www.nequimphoto.com/

facebook.com/Nequim-Photo

915-307-2945

Related posts:

1. Let’s Talk About Sex
2. Ascension Of The Amazon Goddess
3. THE BARBED WIRE OPEN MIC SERIES

Fusion Magazine had the opportunity to interview the great new-wave  pioneer Gary Numan before his set at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX. We asked him about his thoughts on being a major influence to acts like Nine Inch Nails, The Foo Fighters and others. He also spoke to us about his introduction to the electric guitar, his first contract, as well as his friendship with guitarist Robin Finck.

What’s your first memory of music?

Hank Marvin & the Shadows whenI was about 4; it was on a TV show I can’t remember the name for. I remember he had an electric guitar and that’s what got me into the whole thing. I actually got into the technology rather than the music, and I was fascinated by electric guitars and the buttons. I think that’s why I’ve gravitated toward electronic music eventually.

What does music mean to you?

It’s my whole life, really. It’s everything that I do. I’ve been doing it as a hobby ‘til I was about 18, 19. When I was a little kid, I was making up tunes when I was really little. I was still a junior in school. Since ’78 I got my first contract and I’ve been doing it as a career ever since. It’s all I’ve ever known, really, in one level or another. Yeah so it is, literally, my life.

You’ve managed to stay relevant for about 4 decades now and of course you’ve influenced bands like Nine Inch Nails most significantly, which I’m a huge fan of; Foo Fighters, Marilyn Manson, and various DJs have remixed a lot of your songs. What do you attribute your success to?

Difficult to say. I’ve come at it from a non-musical direction. I’m not particularly skilled as a player. I can do alright with lots of different things; I’m not particularly good at anything. My thing has always been, my interest in music has always been sound.  I’m interested in the sounds they make, the atmosphere of the song. My melodies are simple. There’s nothing overly complicated about anything that I’ve ever done. But I don’t know. It’s difficult to know. I guess you would have to speak to the various people that say that I have influenced them to find out exactly what it was. Some people when they’re influenced by something they take it all, they just do their version of what you do. Other people it’s like a spark, it just ignites something in them. And I think I’ve probably been that to all these people. You know people like Trent [Reznor], and other people. These are very talented people. To them I would be a spark, a tiny little thing, an idea from a song or an album or something, and they would run with it and do something of their own. Something uniquely, or different than what I was doing. Other people would just copy it, you know? Like do their version of what I was doing. That happened a lot in the beginning. But I honestly couldn’t say what thing it is. You know, hopefully, there are lots of different things. For some people it would be the sound, for some people it would be melody, the lyrics; I really don’t know. To be really honest, I don’t really care. I’m just glad that people think that. People acknowledge it and, say, people who do cover versions and samples of my stuff, a lot, still. I’m just really grateful, man, for everything that has happened. I don’t make music, I don’t make any album and then sit back and think someone  is going to say that’s an influential record.x I’ve never done that. I remember when I was making the earliest stuff that a lot of people talk about now, I was struggling. I was in there struggling. You know, pulling my hair out just trying to get it right. I wasn’t sitting there thinking I was some kind of genius or a pioneer in music. I was terrified. I had few days to do it, not much equipment, no money and it was all frantic and hectic and just trying to do the best you could with very limited resources, and it was no feeling whatsoever that I was doing anything special. History makes it special, if you’re lucky, and  if you’re unlucky, it doesn’t. Just the way it is. I do it because I love it. I love doing it. I love the event of it now and I bet I’ll still love it 20 years from now if I’m still alive.

You recently released an album. Is the recording process different now than, let’s say 1979 when you released your first album?

Yeah. ’78 was my first album. Yeah it was very different. You know, no computers then, very limited technology. My first two albums were done on a 16-track, wasn’t even 24-track. So it was far more basic than it is now. Nothing like it is now. Now it’s all done in computers and ProTools and software and plugins. There’s very little hardware involved at all in terms of synthesizers anymore. Now everything that I do is software. It’s a very, very different animal, but they’re doing exactly the same job. You perform something in the studio, you record it, you mess about with it, put it all together, put it out. It’s the same job, just different tools. A bit like a Model T Ford and a Rolls Royce, I guess.

Robin Finck contributed guitars to that album?

Some, yes.

What was that experience like?

Well, Robin and his wife Bianca are probably our closest friends when me and my wife moved to Los Angeles in 2012. We knew Robin from before, from when I was working with Nine Inch Nails, and  so we just sort of met up when we arrived here. We just got really close. When I was making the Splinter album, half of it was done before I got here and I finished the second half of it once I got moved in to Los Angeles. Robin was coming around at the time; I wouldn’t have dared to ask him. It’s just like, “you’re one of the best players in the world,” and I got my own, Steve, who’s a guitar player. But then one day Robin just offered and said that he’d like to do something on it. I was blown away by that. I gave him 5 songs that were pretty much done. He went away with them. Came back with a world full of ideas for them and it was all brilliant. It was great man, it was great. He’s a very cool player. Very, very lovely person. Easy to work with. Great fun to be around, all the time. What he did was great combined with what my own English guitar player had done. He’d already done some of the best work he’d ever done. The two of them together just really helped make the album special.

TEXT & PHOTO: Alex Durán

Related posts:

1. GOING THE DISTANCE — CAKE INTERVIEW
2. Deafheaven: An Overwhelming Sound Experience
3. Lulacruza: Altering Sound and Conciousness

Interesting things are happening on the other side of the world in New Zealand. There are various fields in which the Kiwi’s have innovated; architecture, art, theater and especially music, to mention a few. The distance between continents have served as an incubator, keeping residents away from immediate influences, thus giving birth to a new generation of artists with attractive and diverse concepts. This is the case of Ruban Nielson, vocalist and founder of the band Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

At first glance it may seem the band is in their early beginnings. The fact is they have 2 previous albums in existence. Thanks to their latest album Multi -Love, UMO have gained huge notoriety and the album could be considered a modern classic.

Their sound progression has been gradual starting with their first self-titled album, followed by their second production simply named II, and presently with the sound we hear in Multi-Love—a hypnotic and hallucinogenic style which is highly addictive (I realized this after listening to the album for a week nonstop).

Nielson’s unusual voice style blends with synthesizers, delays and rhythms that sound futuristic and ahead of its time, such so that it’s been labeled “hallucinogen-funk” by music critics. Perhaps the influence of Nielson’s father and famous jazz trumpeter Chris Nielson (which recorded all the trumpets in the album), may have also been key to the very particular sound in Multi -Love.

Not everything in UMO is about their sound, the lyrics are also a critical part in the bands approach; songs often expressing emotional disorders such as issues of love, like in the song “So Good at Being Trouble.” “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone” talks about compulsive disorder and “From the Sun”—a song about depression with devastating lines, such as: “isolation can put a gun in our hand.” Other compositions touch on subjects like polyamorous relationships, which Nielson has recently experienced, hence the idea for the name of their latest album Multi -Love.

Lately, artists like Chaz Bundick from the band Toro y Moi, are realizing the genius in UMO and are covering their songs like Multi-Love (you can find the video in YouTube).

Nowadays the band resides in Portland, Oregon and are currently preparing for the Multi-Love Tour in which they will be paying us a visit February 5th at The Lowbrow Palace in El Paso, Texas.

UMO’s evolution is a long chain of small unexplained events, and are clearly a band worth following.

Text: Rafael A. Revilla

Photo: UMO

Related posts:

1. ‘TIS THE SEASON TO ROCK – TRANSIBERIAN ORCHESTRA LIVE IN LAS CRUCES
2. Shaun Lopez Talks Crosses †††
3. EL PASO ROCK | REVIEW OF NEW MUSIC FROM LOCAL ARTISTS

Atenas Campbell es licenciada en Diseño Gráfico y tiene una maestría en Estudios Procesos Creativos en Arte por la UACJ, su nombre es asociado con el Collectivo Jellyfish, del cual forma parte actualmente, pero el mundo de Atenas es un poco más extenso, está lleno de osos, pájaros, zorros, conejos y mapaches (aunque dice estar en proceso de incluir personas en sus creaciones gráficas). Sus procesos incluyen ilustraciones elaboradas a mano y digitales, teniendo colores y texturas con una cierta calidez y detalle que las hacen descartar y sobresalir del papel.

“Trato de encontrar un equilibrio entre la parte práctica de la creación gráfica y la cuestión teórica, y actualmente aspiro a un doctorado en Psicología Social, que aunque pareciera que no tiene mucho que ver con mis estudios anteriores, intento especializarme en el creador gráfico como individuo inmerso en una sociedad y cómo éste influye en los procesos creativos como la elaboración, la difusión y la venta de su obra.”

Como parte del Colectivo Jellyfish ha participado en diferentes actividades como exposiciones, elaboración de murales, impartición de talleres, gestión de festivales artísticos y culturales, y un cortometraje en 3D. Atenas dice amar el proceso creativo en colaboración aunque también siente un gusto por trabajar de forma individual (su novio Pilo también es su compañero de trabajo en Jellyfish). Actualmente dice sentir una admiración por el trabajo de artistas como el Etam Cru, Miss Van y Ericailcane, aunque dice estar encantada por movimientos artísticos de cientos de años atrás como el Barroco y el Pre-rafaelismo.

“El trabajar con Jellyfish durante tanto tiempo me ha ayudado a darme cuenta de los pros y contras que tiene el trabajo en colaboración. Pero sí puedo decir que el trabajar con mis compañeros es una de las cosas que más experiencia y buenos momentos me ha dado en el ámbito creativo.”

www.behance.net/atenascampbell

www.facebook.com/cutesillyreal

www.instagram.com/atenascampbell_jfc

Texto: Rafael A. Revilla Romero

Related posts:

1. FUSION GALLERY | MONICA LOYA
2. FUSION GALLERY: Edgar Platas/Hiperrealismo Azul
3. FUSION GALLERY: LORENA MONDRAGÓN

Joseph Valenzuela and Beto Longoria introduced beer enthusiasts to The Hoppy Monk, El Paso’s first craft beer pub, 4 years ago. Their unique concept set in motion a craft beer movement that was seriously lacking in El Paso. Since then, these young entrepreneurs have been culturing and educating our palettes to a variety of national and international breweries. Their pub has been a success and in 2013 they announced they were opening a second location in San Antonio, TX. Their anniversary took place this past November 2015 and we had the opportunity to speak with Valenzuela and Longoria during their festivity.

What is the concept of the Hoppy Monk?

Valenzuela: The concept is that it’s a collaboration of several ideas that we’ve seen throughout all of our travels. Whether it’s in the US, in Mexico, in Brazil, and certainly in Europe, we obviously really enjoy Belgian beer, and we have some good memories of when we went to Belgium together. America has an amazing craft beer scene right now, so, we wanted to incorporate the American craft beer culture along with all the other beer cultures that we’ve seen throughout our travels.

How many different craft beers do you offer?

Longoria: Well, we have 99 on tap on our wall; 30% of those rotate. The selection varies throughout the year, depending on the season, depending on what we can get our hands on. There’s a lot of specialty, limited release that these guys put out and, I mean, I can’t give you like a set number, but there’s a lot of variety that actually keeps our customers happy and coming back. Every time you come to the Hoppy Monk, there’s always going to be something new for you.

I see you have many delicacies on your food menu such as IPA Korean fried chicken wings, porchetta, traditional moules frites, and my favorite Blue Fox burger. Can you elaborate on your food choices?

Longoria: First and foremost, our kitchen size is a lot bigger here. We are very limited in El Paso. Another thing is the purveyors. There are more local farmers that we can reach out to, and better quality ingredients. Unfortunately, we don’t have that option in El Paso, but right now we are still trying to play with the menu. Chef Emil and Sous Chef Daniel are very excited to have items like duck on our menu, we’re incorporating pork belly, or porketta, which actually came about through our travels both in Italy and Vancouver. But everything, pretty much, is because of the size of our kitchen. Unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury in El Paso.

Valenzuela: So, some of the differences that we have in El Paso: we have our rabbit tacos, and over here our chefs wanted to go with duck carnitas tacos. We don’t just wanna be a chain and have the same items, we wanna have some differences in our menu.

Longoria: We’re heavily influenced by Belgium, I’ve said it before. I’ve always wanted Belgian steamed mussels with traditional pommes frites, and we have a station dedicated to that here. It’s awesome.

You also have craft spirits. Tell me a little bit about your craft spirits.

Longoria: Well, we’re still learning, I’m very new at it. Ranger Creek, that was actually one of our days in training, they have what they call a brewstillery. They showed us the brewing process, some of these guys were already familiar with it. But just seeing how they distill their whiskey was, you know, pretty awesome. We are trying to use true, local, Texas distilleries or even some of these around the United States. So that’s been a challenge because it requires a lot of research. And in trying to figure out who exactly owns these companies, are they truly made where the bottle is saying that it’s distilled?

Valenzuela: Well the exciting thing about a place like Ranger Creek is that it is the first and the only brewstillery in Texas. Its said that craft spirits are where craft beer was in the early 90s. Once again we are just introducing ourselves, trying to educate ourselves on the craft spirit moment because there are some really cool people doing some very exciting things on the craft spirits side. So it’s just a whole other hobby, if you will.

Why open Hoppy Monk in San Antonio instead of a second location in El Paso?

Valenzuela: There’s a combination of factors. We decided to come to San Antonio and not do another location in East El Paso, and I’m sure Beto will completely agree with this, it’s that El Paso already has the Hoppy Monk. If you add another one I feel that it loses some of the essence, the homeliness of the existing location in El Paso. It’s like a home for us, so to have a second home, I mean, a lot of people have a vacation home, but we wanted it to be The Hoppy Monk in El Paso. There is that one, and with San Antonio—well it’s the 7^th largest city in the United States; it’s about to purchase some more land to become the 5^th largest city in the US. Logistically speaking, we can get a direct flight from El Paso to San Antonio. We were both familiar with the area with myself having lived in Austin and coming down here to visit every once in a while. His brother living here in San Antonio for several years. We had already been to San Antonio a few times to check out the scene. We didn’t feel there was anything like what we wanted to create. When you take all those factors, when you put them all together, San Antonio felt like the right choice, the smart choice. I would have to say after it’s all said and done, there’s no other city that we would rather be in at this moment.

What challenges did you confront building a new location from the ground-up?

Valenzuela: There were obstacles all along the way but it was something that we tried preparing for; it was something that Beto and I had discussed. I remember the time we spoke to each other and he said, “There are going to be a lot of obstacles, but somehow, someway we’ll overcome that.” There were contractor issues like there normally are in a ground-up project. There were financing issues, and things of that sort, but we knew there was a way, we just had to find that way. The nice part about not moving into a place that we had to completely remodel, was that we went to interview several different architects and talk to them about what we wanted to create. Ultimately, we found some architect that we felt really understood what it was that we wanted to create, so not being limited by what was already existing like in El Paso. We really were able to put together different elements we liked, again, from our travels.

Would you ever consider opening your own brewery?

Valenzuela: The answer to that is never say never. If we ran into the right person, if the timing was right, if the capital is there, it certainly would be something that we would explore. I wouldn’t say that it’s something in our 5 year plan, but things never go as planned so , who knows? If the opportunity is right, I would at least talk about the possibility of doing a brewery or even a distillery; it just all depends on a lot of factors.

Longoria: We’ve talked about it in the past, but like I said, the opportunity has never really been there, and the Hoppy Monk is still growing, it’s in the beginning stages and we have a lot of work to do. So… but it’d be cool.

www.thehoppymonk.com

TXT & PHOTO: Alex Durán

Related posts:

1. THE HOPPY MONK | TAPPING KEGS, INTERESTS AND POTENTIAL
2. The Hoppy Monk Celebrates Oktoberfest
3. Mark Farina Returns To Hoppy Monk

(In order to protect the identity of the subject interviewed for this story, no names have been used. The subject will be referred to as “Mr. X.”)

When it comes to Mr. X’s sexual preference, one line from the Jane’s Addiction song “Ted, Just Admit It” sums it up perfectly—sex is violent!

Violence is a prime ingredient in the sexual gratification of Mr. X. I’m not talking your vanilla-friendly slap me, spank me pull my hair violence, violence as in bound, gagged, bent over, flogged, slapped, etc. The urge to be beaten and bound goes hand-in-hand with getting off for Mr. X. He is a sexual submissive (sub) who consensually gives up control for an agreed upon period of time to a dominant partner (referred to as a Dom or Master). Being a gay man, the dominant partner is ideally a male.

He is one of thousands of willing participants involved in BDSM practices (BDSM stands for Bondage and Discipline/ Dominance and Submission/ Sado-Masochism). It’s difficult to put a precise number on the amount of Americans getting kinky in the bedroom, as study statistics range from 5 to 50 percent. However, even 5 percent of the population is a pretty hefty amount.

When Mr. X decides to “play” with a partner, he relinquishes all control. This is referred to as a “total power exchange” (TPE), a staple of many BDSM relationships, whereby the Dom has complete authority over the sub. Of course, there exist varying degrees of TPE. Some BDSM folks live this principle 24/7 and are termed “lifestylers.” Some only adhere to this standard for as long as the “scene” lasts.

Although he is what is termed a “switch”, or a person who can serve in either the dominant or submissive role, he prefers the submissive role. For him the element of pain and the relinquishing of control help enervate a sexual fantasy and achieve an end goal.

Another release is achieved when Mr. X undergoes sexual torture and humiliation that is very much aligned with some of the psychology associated with submissive behavior. Literature suggests this preference helps relieve some of the pressure associated with being a responsible, driven, “Type A” person in daily life. A seemingly paradoxical effect happens in that he is liberated and empowered by giving up control. He explains:

“Those who are in control of their lives by day need to give control away by night. I’m a successful person—I own my own business, I take care of things; so my daytime, or my outward persona, is a dominant situation. In order to be complete, I need a submissive, let-go outlet, and this is it. Doctors, lawyers, business men—they make the best submissives in the whole wide world, trust.”

In an article posted on the Psychology Today website, there is evidence of “subcortical circuits for both dominance and submission connected to the pleasure centers of the brain.” The article went further in explaining that the acts of BDSM are “cooperative and mutually gratifying” for the people involved.

Subspace is another huge component in the desire to engage in painful activities within a BDSM scenario. It is the euphoria experienced due to the release of endorphins and epinephrine in response to the intense pain and pleasure centers triggered within the brain when someone is being whipped, slapped, and so on.

“When that kind of stuff happens to me—the pain, the torture—that’s where I go, to that subspace,” Mr. X says. “I go to another place; it’s really not something I can describe.”

Mr. X discovered his predilection for BDSM practices a long time ago.

“I’ve been in the BDSM community for over 30 some odd years now. I used to play with magic, you know, Houdini, escape artist type magic, and I studied the rope stuff and learned it. One time I had someone tie me up and leave. I learned how to get myself out of the ropes. I started to like how it felt and I started to find it that it was a sexual release.”

Until recently, Mr. X was involved in a BDSM relationship with a semi-closeted gay man in Las Cruces. Because of his position within the community, said gentleman could not be forthright about his sexual orientation, and less so his sexual preferences. Mr. X has named him Mr. Las Cruces. He recounts his adventures:

“I would drive to Las Cruces once a week to submit to this gentleman. He would take care of me in more ways than one. As soon as I would pull into his driveway, I would strip naked in my van because I was not allowed to enter his house with clothes on. When I’d enter the house he’d have a pile of laundry waiting for me. Sometimes he wouldn’t be home when I’d get there and I’d tie myself up and wait for him to come home and continue the torture. He was very good at making me feel everything that was happening, and I’m a pain sub from hell. I’m a pain pig; I thrive on it, which is really scary!”

When asked what pleasure he derived from this arrangement he explains: “I’m making him happy, and that’s the ultimate—to make your dom happy; if they’re not happy, you’re not happy. I submitted to anything in order to make him happy.”

Consent and limits are 2 main components of a BDSM situation. Those limits, however, are different for everyone and subject to change at any time. Limits are what you are willing to consent to in play or serving. Mr. X admonishes any sub to expand his perspective on limits:

“If you’re a true submissive you need to try and surpass the boundaries you’ve set  to make the person in charge happy. Say you don’t like something, but he wants you to try it—you got to at least give it a shot. If you don’t like it and he sees that it’s not really working, he usually won’t pursue it.”

Because of his religion, Mr. X keeps the gay and BDSM facets of his life under wraps. This quasi-double life is replete with stress, and could be creating a vicious cycle fueled by emotions that demand release in the form of pain, which may or may not be coupled with sex.

Mr. Las Cruces passed away suddenly more than a year ago, leaving Mr. X with no steady partner. Because of the secret aspects of his life, he says it’s been difficult to find people to play with; therefore, he’s had to get creative. He’s been doing some online webcam subbing to serve as an outlet.

“I put myself on camera, online, and let people tell me what to do. It’s not the best thing in the world, but I can get off and get my jollies taken care of. It’s just not physical because the other person’s watching me on the camera, maybe from the other side of the world.”

For Mr. X the pleasure of receiving pain is not only exhilarating, but also a necessary component in making him a complete human being. Nothing beats a kinky dalliance served up with a robust dose of suffering!

Text: Denise Nelson Prieto

Related posts:

1. Ascension Of The Amazon Goddess
2. EL PASO INK MASTER | Daniel Santiesteban | House of Pain Tattoo
3. NEQUIM TO HOST SERIES OF KINK CLASSES

Undocumented Freedom is a documentary film series about what it feels like to be an undocumented immigrant in the U.S. Our story follows Beto – a 27 year old man who is brought to the U.S. illegally as a child as his family flees human trafficking . He is deported at the age of 19 for a non-violent drug offense, but he runs back across the desert to be reunited with his family. After nearly a decade of living in the shadows of the law, he seeks help with a federal attorney from New York who is ready to fight for his case… and of 11 million more immigrants… This is his journey towards a legal status in the United States.

Undocumented Freedom es una serie de documentales sobre lo que se siente ser un migrante indocumentado en los Estados Unidos. Nuestra historia sigue a Beto – un joven de 27 años que es llevado a los Estados Unidos mientras su familia huye del tráfico de humanos. Él es deportado a México a los 19 años a causa de una ofensa legal, pero el decide correr a través del desierto para reunirse con su familia en Arizona. Después de una década de vivir en las sombras de la ley, él busca ayuda con una abogada federal en Nueva York que está lista para pelear por su caso… Y el de 11 millones de migrantes más. Este es su recorrido hacia un estatus legal en los Estados Unidos.

-12 de Febrero, 11 hrs:

Visita al laboratorio 3042. Praderas del sol.

Sesión de preguntas y respuestas con la directora Laura Bustillos.

-13 de Febrero, 13 hrs:
 Juárez Contemporary Gallery, calle 20 Noviembre 4305. 
Sesión de preguntas y respuestas con la directora Laura Bustillos.

Undocumented Freedom Trailer – Episode 1 from Laura Bustillos on Vimeo

http://www.undocumentedfreedom.org/

Foro de Diálogo Cultural Tranfronterizo
www.facebook.com/FDCTransfronterizo

Community Garden “Huerto 854”
www.facebook.com/pages/Huerto-854/1459934430999837

Pecha Kucha
www.pechakucha.org/cities/juarez

Related posts:

1. VOLKSWAGEN GEMS | FUSION TV
2. Javiera Mena (Chile)
3. NEON DESERT MUSIC FESTIVAL 2013 | PHOTO GALLERY

An art agitator wandered through Tucson, Albuquerque and El Paso poking, annoying and commissioning local talent to create large prints—and found gold in our desert.

The artists delivered the kind of prints that want to “get out of the studio” and be shared—such as Cimi Alvarado‘s vivid “Esto es un Rio,” depicting 6 men crossing the Rio Grande on a raft. Martin Quintanilla‘s “El Ultimo Taco” jolts us with 13 individuals disguised in Mexican wrestling masks, dining in a familiar scene. Nani Chacon entices with a beautiful young woman in front of Navajo motifs in her piece titled with symbols “+++.” All 30 prints will shine on the ground floor of the El Paso Museum of Art, from January 31st to May 22nd. Almost half of the prints (14) come from artists in the El Paso area, including those working in 2 collectives from Ciudad Juárez.

In 2013, Tucson crashed the Chalk the Block festival in downtown El Paso (where printmakers have been showcasing their art in pop-up galleries for several years, like those run by DOArt and the Maintain Collective) when Krrrl the agitator brought random prints in as the “YayBig Southwest” pop-up gallery. The next year, YayBig copied the Horned Toad Print Exchange (of El Paso) and both print exchanges exhibited the small framed works together in a Chalk the Block pop-up gallery.

Aching to crank it up a couple of notches, Krrrl approached the Maintain Collective pop-up and proposed making a carpeta (print portfolio in Spanish) of large, colorful works, with the impact of psychedelic posters and Chicano prints that could be seen and appreciated from across the room, as if they were paintings.

Just after conception, the carpeta project followed in the wake of the “Estampas de la Raza—Contemporary Mexican American Prints from the Romo Collection” exhibition. Harriett and Ricardo Romo collected many prints from Self-Help Graphics and Modern Multiples of Los Angeles, and the Serie Project of Austin. Self-Help and Serie make co-editions of 50 prints splitting them evenly with the artists, so the Desert Triangle offered the same deal  and paid for the production costs at a studio suitable to each artist. There was no theme (though abstract images were discouraged), and artists were paid an extra fee to sweeten the deal.

While Proper Printshop of El Paso pulled many of the prints, over a third of the prints were produced in Mexico. Taller 75 Grados, in Mexico City, silk screened 10 editions and they will come for a live print demonstration during the reception on April 14th.

Manny Guerra traveled to La Ceiba Gráfica near Xalapa, Veracruz, to produce his lithographic masterpiece. Francisco Delgado went to Oaxaca, currently a printmaking paradise, to create his relief print edition at Taller Libre. The rest of the prints were produced at various studios in the Southwest, such New Grounds Print Workshop in Albuquerque, the Tucson Community Printshop and the Gloo Factory in Tucson.

The prints of Zeke Peña and Krrrl have been enhanced with augmented reality, by “Augment El Paso,” to bring the media into the 21st century. When a visitor passes his or her cell phone in front of the print, new elements show up on the screen, interacting with the printed image (after downloading the appropriate app, of course).

Hopefully this exhibition will encourage artists to make and show more prints, keeping the momentum going in the Southwest. As a stretch goal, Krrrl will agitate for 30 more prints before the exhibition closes on May 22nd. Artists ambitions do not have to get lost in our desert.

Desert Triangle Print Carpeta Exhibition at EPMA is from January 31st to May 22^nd. Special reception on April 14^th.

El Paso Museum of Art 

One Arts Festival Plaza

El Paso, TX. 79901

Museum admission: Free to the public

The Museum is regularly open to the public from:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday: 9 am – 5 pm

Thursday: 9 am – 9 pm

Sunday: 12 noon – 5 pm

Closed Mondays and most major holidays.

Printmakers:

Tucson cluster:

Pavel Acevedo (Riverside, CA)

Cristina Cardenas

Mark Christian

Michael Contreras

Gonzalo Espinosa

Rudy Flores

Joe Marshall

Lauren Moran

Ruben Urrea Moreno

Martin Quintanilla

Tanya Rich

Rogo

Mykl Well

Albuquerque cluster:

Nani Chacon

Krrrl

Henry Morales

El Paso cluster:

Jesus “Cimi” Alvarado

Chris Bardey (Las Cruces)

Francisco Delgado

Manuel Guerra

Jellyfish Colectivo (Ciudad Juárez)

Los Dos

Raul Monarrez

Victor Muheddine

Tino Ortega

Zeke Peña

Matthew Poe

Tim Razo

Federico Villalba

Yorch (Ciudad Juárez)

Print is not dead!

Text: Karl Whitaker, aka Krrrl the art agitator.

Photo: Federico Villalba

DesertTriangle.blogspot.com /p/the-prints.html

yaybigsouthwest.blogspot.com /p/prints.html

yaybigprintexchange.blogspot.com /p/delivered-prints.html

Related posts:

1. PRINT IS NOT DEAD! | ISSUE #60 | AT THE PRINT SHOP | SNEAK PEEK
2. La Banda Juarense L.I.G.R.E en el Neon Desert 2012
3. Fusion Gallery: Make Shift by Los Dos

Si hay una palabra justa y necesaria para describir Maw es felino. Podemos hablar de las canciones, del concepto, del sonido… sin embargo siempre regresaremos a hablar de gatos.

Maw es el nombre de una agrupación de 4 jóvenes músicos de la ciudad de Chihuahua. A pesar de tener poco de haber nacido como banda, tienen un concepto bastante sólido respaldado por una actitud fuerte, sonido grunge-gaze y buenas vibras. Elías y Juan Pablo son las voces que a la vez se encargan de las guitarras. Cecy es quien se ocupa de las notas graves y Daniel de las percusiones.

“Queríamos tocar shoegaze, así que empezamos a tocar shoegaze” me comenta Elías, uno de los guitarristas, como si querer las cosas fuera lo único necesario para empezar a hacerlas, mientras el resto de los integrantes asienten con la cabeza. Luego de haber lanzado su EP homónimo en internet, ya empiezan a sonar en varios rincones del mundo tanto de habla hispana como anglosajona.

Padre Nuestro es la canción que inaugura el EP. Habla del sol y la mortalidad. El ritmo lento crea una sensación de peso haciendo referencia al momento en el que el alma está a punto de abandonar el cuerpo.

No sé qué pedo con mi alma, habla de ese momento en el que te encuentras con alguien que no conoces, pero al mirar en sus ojos hay una conexión instantánea. No volverán a hablar, sólo tienen ese instante que acaba prontamente, como dice la letra “No voy a soltarte, el final se acerca”.

Varios íconos, como el título de la canción 666, son una irónica muestra de su inconformismo ante el fanatismo religioso.

Una canción puede prolongarse hasta que el alma lo crea necesario o puede terminar rápidamente, pero siempre están llenas de colores y texturas que pasean por ritmos constantes y pegajosos. Las suaves armonías vocales al fondo hacen contraste con el sonido crudo de la voz de Elías y Juan Pablo entre la distorsión de las guitarras. Complementando el sonido, sus presentaciones en vivo siempre van acompañadas por proyecciones psicodélicas reflejadas en un gran gato tridimensional. Vaya forma de honrar a los felinos.

Dentro de sus planes para el 2015 se encuentra grabar un LP y hacer varios videos para seguir compartiendo su música.

Es notorio que entre sus influencias se encuentra My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, The Pixies y por supuesto Nirvana. Son algunas de las cosas que unen a 4 personas tan diferentes, sin dejar a un lado, por supuesto, su gusto por los gatos.

“Luego luego llegamos a donde cabemos”, es la frase que se quedó grabada en mi mente luego de platicar con ellos. Pueden tener gustos muy diferentes, carreras distintas, unos ser muy serios y otros totalmente extrovertidos, pero el sonido los mantiene unidos.

Para escucharlos su EP está disponible en Bandcamp, sin embargo en Facebook están actualizadas las fechas de sus próximas presentaciones y así no tener pretexto para no ir a escucharlos desde maullar hasta rugir.

www.facebook.com/mawgaze
www.bandcamp.com/mawgaze

Texto: Belem García

Fotografía: Nubia Abish

Related posts:

1. Sonido Landon-Especial VL13 Camino al Vive Latino 201
2. Planetas Internos: El Viaje Astral de Et
3. Röstone | Amplificadores que llegan hasta el 11

Fusion Mag invites you and a friend to see Unknown Mortal Orchestra for FREE!! “Like” and “share” this post for a chance to win a pair of tickets. Winner announced at BEER O’clock.

Share and Win!!

#PRINTISNOTDEAD

Related posts:

1. Unknown Mortal Orchestra
2. 5 FREE (OR ALMOST FREE) AMAZING NEW DIGITAL RECORDS THAT YOU PROBABLY HAVE NOT HEARD
3. Festival Nrmal 2012

El Paso and Las Cruces in the 60’s and early 70’s produced some of its rarest and most sought after records. Artist locally caught on early that we were all alone geographically, with no major labels or industry people to sign and promote the talent, in a national or international fashion. Thus, the DIY approach was the way to go, and there were tons of local labels that sprouted, documenting the desert sounds of west Texas.

There was plenty of local labels, to me there’s what I call the big 4—Steve Crosno had Frogdeath with its mainly surf and soul groups, Bobby Fuller had Exeter Records with some of El Paso’s most sought after rock & roll and garage, Coronado Records had garage and soul , and Suemi Records with psych and soul. All the labels produced some of the most top notch sounds of El Paso/Las Cruces of the 60’s and 70’s.

Down in the west Side of El Paso on Lindberg St off of Doniphan, was the legendary Suemi Records recording studio. This is where many super rare El Paso records were produced—The Sojourners, The Embers and one of their biggest records, the I Love You Gorgo compilation which included Truth, The Intruders and Lode Star. Suemi Records started in the 60s and went on into the 70s. Its most sought after record was a small pressing of Lou Pride’s northern soul stomper, Im Com’un Home in the Morn’un.

Pride was born in Chicago, IL. After his stint in the United States Army, he married and settled in El Paso TX. He and his wife performed as a duo in El Paso before he decided to perform solo. He connected with the Suemi label and cut a few records.

What makes Im Com’un Home in the Morn’un is all its individual elements—the bass and drums are charging along like crazy train in the middle of the night backed with that northern soul beat, then the horns come in blaring full of energy. Its undeniable charge is enough to get your feet tapping or like the northern soul kids, go crazy on the dance floor. On top of the up-charged track is a smooth layer of Pride’s vocal. The b-side I’m Not Thru Lov’un You is a great bluesy/soul song, smooth and complementary of the flipside, but the a-side far overshadows in popularity. What makes this record so rare is that it was pressed by a small label, and only so little were made. This little record out of El Paso was a huge hit in the UK’s northern soul scene.

How did this record make it across the Atlantic and into the sweaty northern soul scene in the 70’s? If you didn’t know, in the UK in the late 60’s and into the 70’s there was the northern soul craze; all night dance parties that went on into the morning. It was the predecessor to raves and modern dance culture. The music was soul, but they called it “northern” soul because it’s what was happening in the north of England. The djs were vinyl obsessives that were always out looking for the best and rarest soul records. The BBC documentary Northern Soul: Living For the Weekend talks about the competitiveness of the djs always digging looking for the next stomper, at times traveling to the United States to stock up.

Im Com’un Home in the Morn’un is at the top of the most sought after records out of El Paso because it’s a crazy good song, and also thanks to the northern soul scene recognizing it as that, digging it out of the piles of obscurity and giving it the shine it deserves. It comes in at #77 on the top 100 northern soul songs of all time, and if your’e lucky enough to find one here locally, it is a great listening experience.

Text: Daniel Salas

Related posts:

1. I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW I’M FOUND… 3 YEARS OF THE LOST AND FOUND
2. THE LOST AND FOUND | LONG JOHN HUNTER | EL PASO ROCK | MIDNIGHT STROLL 7″ | 1961
3. THE LOST AND FOUND | STEVE CROSNO DAY | JULY 9TH 1967 | RECORDED LIVE AT THE EL PASO COLISEUM | DOUBLE LP

A galaxy far, far away comes to the world’s largest classic film festival when the original Star Wars trilogy shows at the El Paso Community Foundation’s Plaza Classic Film Festival this summer.

The ninth annual Plaza Classic Film Festival, which runs August 4-14, will bring Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princes Leia to the Plaza Theatre’s big screen with showings of Star Wars (1977), officially titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and the sequels Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983).

It is the first time all three of director-creator George Lucas’ original Star Wars titles will be shown at the Plaza Classic Film Festival, which had two sell-out shows of the first Star Wars movie in 2009.

“The El Paso Community Foundation and Plaza Classic Film Festival have worked every year to try to bring Star Wars back. This is the culmination of a lot of effort. The Force must be strong this year,” said Eric Pearson, President and CEO of the El Paso Community Foundation.

Tickets for the Star Wars movies will go on sale in early July with the rest of this year’s 90-movie Plaza Classic lineup. More titles will be announced later. Festival Passes — which include admission to all ticketed movies, an express admission lane and access to special events — are available for $200 at plazaclassic.com or by calling 915-533-4020.

Related posts:

1. Cinema in the Sun City: Plaza Classic Film Festival
2. STAR WARS: Fusion Awakens!! Fusion Magazine #87 is HERE!
3. SCI-FI STAR: AN INTERVIEW W/ TONY AMENDOLA