Archive for the ‘The Cover Story’ Category

FAN DEATH: PSYCHIC HEARTS HEAL

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Fan Death is bringing disco back. Having gained recognition from Perez Hilton and Diplo, the duo is now working on spreading their dark disco music worldwide. In an intimate interview we unveil Dandi and Marta as people, not just stage performers. The duo recently visited the place where Frida Kahlo, one of their female idols, used to hang out in Mexico City, and in our exclusive photo shoot shot by Wayne Webb, we feature the duo as Kahlo but with a gothic twist.

Interview: Mish Way
Photography: Wayne Webb
Styling: Gillian Damborg

I get a text from Dandi, one half of the dynamic disco duo Fan Death, five minutes before our scheduled shoot. She has had an emotional day and her face is puffy. We’ve been warned. But when Dandi finally walks in, rain soaked and sullen, I surprise her with a mini-bottle of Fireball—her favorite cinnamon whiskey. She smiles at the bottle and lets out an infectious laugh. “After this week, I really need this!”

After this year, the members of Fan Death, Dandilion Wind Opaine (formerly of industrial-punk duo Dandi Wind) and Marta Jaciubek-McKeever (formerly of Girl Nobody and currently of E.S.L), could use a bath tub of cinnamon whiskey. In the last twelve months, Fan Death has toured throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Russia, conceptualized and produced three new music videos, two of which landed them some major attention on gossip site, Perez Hilton and finally gotten the go-ahead to record their full length album on Last Gang Records in North America and Mercury in the UK. Luckily, the ladies of Fan Death thrive in these sorts of chaotic circumstances.

Dandi and Marta, who have been performing as Fan Death (named after the South Korean urban legend that says a fan left on overnight can kill those inside) for about two years are gaining attention for the elegant balance they strike between electronic pop (“Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode,” according to Fan Death.) and golden disco glam—effortless female vocals protecting a swarm of ear-pleasing, mid-tempo strings and twinkling keys. With two 12-inches, adoring love from superstar trend-setter Diplo, and a DJ Erol Alkan remix (Erol added his touch to Fan Death’s track, “Veronica’s Veil” and the song blew up) under their glittering belts, the ladies of Fan Death are working harder than ever to keep the praise alive. This month they embark on a European tour with New York’s latest new wave sensation, Vampire Weekend, and another Fan Death video will premiere upon their return to their hometown, Vancouver BC, Canada, in March. A video, Dandi says, has been brewing in her mind for years, long before Fan Death existed. Hence, the emotional day. The puffy face. “After the forty hours of shooting. I had the most bizarre emotional experience. Like a shedding of the skin. It was very strange,” Dandi says.

As Dandi and Marta get their hair done—and drink whiskey to calm their spark—I sit with them to talk about making music videos, eating animals (no veggies or buns), not knowing who Prince is, Grace Jones, psychic healing, touring and how Courtney Love once saved Dandi’s life.

You’ve been doing more directing. Why do you like making music videos?

Dandi: I’m a very visual person and I like exploring that with film and animation. Today, the best way to promote your music is by making videos and it is fun. That’s why we make so many videos. And for me, it’s kind of obsessive. I just can’t stop.

I like the guy who spins the plates in your Reunited video. The guy who plays Prince.

Dandi: I found that guy on Craigslist. He used to be in Cirque du Soleil. His name is Mr. Fantastic. He is from Kenya. He has all kinds of circus talents. He jumps through rings of fire.

Marta: Remember he didn’t want to be in the video as Prince, he wanted to play himself. He was all angry like, “Who’s this Prince guy?”

Dandi: [Laughs] I had to loan him “Purple Rain.”

Marta: I got to play Courtney Love in one part.

I never would picture her as one of your idols.

Dandi: It’s a weird story. When I was seventeen I met Courtney Love at the airport. I had never been on a plane before and I was on my way to Brazil, all by myself. I had a panic attack because I had no idea you had to go through customs and security. I was shaking, crying, asking people where my gate was. I finally just huddled in the corner. Then, Courtney Love spotted me and she walked over. I was completely star struck. She asked me what was wrong and I told her I couldn’t find my gate. Then she screamed so loud, “Somebody fucking help this girl! She needs help!” Her outfit was insane. She was wearing like, a thong and a scarf.

Of course she was. Courtney rules. You guys are constantly touring. How does this make you feel?

Dandi: Sometimes I really hate it. It can be amazing because you get to see so many countries and cities, but it’s just so fast. It’s weird when you come off tour because when you are traveling everyone treats you really well, especially in Europe. Then, you come home and you go back to the basement and it feels, you know, lonely. [Laughs] I get a crazy come down from tour.

Marta: Tell the story of the last time we were in Venice!

Dandi: When we were in Venice we were supposed to play an outdoor party and they said they would feed us. They had a barbecue set up where they were cooking full animals. We were starving because we had been traveling and we were so excited to eat. Then, they plunk down this massive tray of meat, just meat! Grisly, fatty, meaty-meat! No vegetables. They didn’t even give us cutlery. We had to use our hands like Vikings!

Marta: Not even a bun! The whole time on tour Dandi kept saying, “Wait until we get to Venice. The food is so amazing!” [Laughs]

Did you both grow up in musical atmospheres?

Dandi: Not really, although my dad did play acoustic guitar. I grew up North in B.C. in between two small towns, in the forest, in a cabin. A tiny, tiny cabin. We grew our own vegetables and my dad hunted. We’d eat like grouse and wild chickens and stuff.

So, you could have been a vegetable farmer.

Dandi: If I hadn’t had left right before I was a teenager who knows what would have become of me. [Laughs]

Marta: I grew up in Poland and moved to Canada when I was twelve. At four I started playing piano. I’m classically trained. My grandpa was self-trained accordion player. My dad was a healer.

A healer?

Marta: Yeah. He healed this girl back in Poland who had fallen ill. No one knew what was wrong with her. She and I were born on the same day, an hour apart. My dad sat with her for a whole summer while she was sick and suddenly, she got better. He taught me some stuff when I was little.

Are you also psychic?

Marta: No, but I have a lot of powerful friends who are psychic and heal. Like, “Hey dude, what’s in store for me? I don’t know, let me just check your guides.” [Laughs] “Your guides say you should not be drinking your tap water.” Actually, that did happen, too much metal in my tap water. Thanks guides. [Laughs]

I used to be way into witchcraft when I was a kid, but then my Christian friend got me in trouble.

Dandi: We should play Ouija.

Marta: Oh my god! I’ve never done it! That is the one thing that kind of freaks me out.

Ouija is awesome. Okay, if you could live in any city in any time period where would you live and why?

Dandi: Maybe this is cliché but I think it would have been pretty cool to live in New York around 1973. I would love to have seen Times Square during that period, the old porno theaters and see the live sex shows. Experience that seedy vibe. There was so much amazing music and film during that time. [Fan Death] is very inspired by that time period.

Marta: I think I’d want to live in Berlin in the 1920s or Mexico City. The first time we went to Mexico was to film “Veronica’s Veil,” which was in Puerto Vallarta and a totally amazing experience. Then, we went to Mexico City and I fell in love. We went to places where Frida Kahlo used to hang out. Mexico City must have been incredible during its heyday.


Who is your fashion icon?

Dandi: I don’t have one single fashion icon. Maybe because I am a Gemini, I dress completely different every day. I really like the pimps and prostitutes of the mid-1970s. They were so classy and eccentric. It wasn’t tacky. The 70s were such a beautiful era.

What about musical muses or people who inspire you?

Marta: Nina Simone. Grace Jones! Grace Jones, I’ve always found her-

Dandi: Out of this world, man!

Marta: Yeah, because come on, what the hell? Same with Nina Simone. What the hell? Amazing. I’m kind of obsessed with black women vocalists. I think black women just embody sexuality a lot more comfortably than white women. It was really apparent to me when I lived in New York. Maybe there is just something about our culture that makes us feel weird in our little bodies.

Do you feel weird in your body?

Marta: I think performing has helped me get over any insecurities I might have had because with performing you get to dress up and channel something bigger than yourself. But every day life is different. I mean, I feel awkward a lot of the time. I actually have to consciously meditate and work through it. I grew up Catholic, so I harbored a lot of guilt and shame about sexuality and my body.

Dandi, do you feel the same?

Dandi: No, not the same, but I think everyone has hang-ups about themselves. I am very tiny. So much smaller than the average woman, but I am still a woman and I am comfortable with myself. It’s hard being a performer, doing photo shoots and stuff because you are always forced to think about your body and your image. I’m used to it now.

Why do you think it’s important for girls to have strong female role models in music?

Dandi: I’m thinking about when I was younger, I first found Siouxsie Sioux when I was fifteen. I read an interview where she talked about her icon, Kate Bush. At the time, Kate Bush wasn’t very popular in North America, I had to search for her stuff but when I found it, she changed my life. I think it’s important for women to have access to all kinds of icons. Growing up I had Madonna and Janet Jackson records, but none of it really spoke to me until Kate Bush. I think that right now is a hard time for girls. I don’t know who their icons could be? Lady Gaga? Girls today have like, what? Five choices?

Do you ever think about building yourself in an iconic way?

Dandi: I know that it is really hard to break through to young people. Fan Death is still new. I can’t imagine something that big right now. I’d be happy connecting to fifty kids.

Marta: It’s funny because my dad… okay, well I’m 5′4 and I weigh, like, a lot [laughs] and he said, “I’m really proud of you because I think that you are changing the image of what it means to be a woman.” This meant a lot to me. I really do feel like with [Dandi's] body type, she is so athletic, small and strong and me, well I look like I was born to harvest wheat. I’m burly! I think if anything I would have loved to have seen my body type growing up, especially in contrast with someone like Dandi. I grew up watching 90210 and I remember my first boyfriend was in love with Tori Spelling.

She was the worst one.

Marta: Yes, but she was also the skinniest one! So I grew up thinking that is what men want and it totally distorted my conception of my body should be like. So yeah, I hope that if we get to that stage we can set an example that let’s girls know that it is okay to be the way you are. I’d like to think that we live in a world where people can do what they want with there bodies, but on the other hand, why can’t we exist in a society that accepts the natural progress of our bodies?

When you perform are you conscious of your gender?

Dandi: When I performed in Dandi Wind I was not conscious of my gender. Actually, Marta was the first person to tell me that I was sexual on stage. I always just thought that I was asexual or just filled with aggression. With Fan Death it is much more feminine, slower, elegant. Marta would come to my shows and she would tell me that she would see people feeling uncomfortable because of my performance. Then, I’d have girls come up to me and say things like “I had to cover my boyfriends eyes when you were dancing!” I had no idea. But with Fan Death, it is much more glamorous and conscious, of course. I look at Marta and I riff off of her energy.

What would you be doing if you didn’t have music in your life?

Dandi: Obviously if I didn’t have music I would keep doing film, video, animation and sculpture. Music is not my number one form of art. I always say that I have not especially great at one thing, I try to do it all.

Marta: Dandi is an amazing sculpture! Her whole apartment is filled with these beautiful clay heads she has made. [Laughs] But if I wasn’t doing music, I’d also probably get really bummed out, then go try some acting.  I’d also have a million babies. I think right now I am plugging my baby hole with music. I would also have an aroma therapy farm. Grow lavender, heal people.

For now, you can just heal people with disco.

Photography: Wayne Webb
Art Direction and Styling: Gillian Damborg
Clothing: Caitlin Butcher design, Mono, and Stylists own
Assistant: Caitlin Butcher
Hair & Makeup: Solana Rompré

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Posted in Current Issue, Features, The Cover Story | 6 Comments »

Florence and The Machine

Monday, December 14th, 2009

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We gave Florence a disposable camera in LA, to take pictures of herself on tour. That one got stolen from her dressing room. So we gave her another one and she took these amazing photos in France.

Tired from a photo shoot that has taken up much of her day, Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine is having dinner with her boyfriend. This past year has been a big one for Florence. She signed to Island Records, released her debut album Lungs (July 6 in the UK October 20 in the US), won the Critics Choice award at the Brits (past winners include Adele), sold out shows all over North America (including the Bowery Ballroom in New York), and appeared on trendy shows like MTV’s short-lived It’s On Alexa Chung. It’s been a whirlwind of touring, press and interviews–everyone wants a piece of her. Florence is now, however, at home, cooking—sort of. “I don’t really cook. I sort of assemble.” It’s not that she can’t cook, she just in her words, doesn’t have the attention span.

With Florence’s powerful voice and lyrics ranging from cheeky–‘A kiss with a fist is better than none’– to darkly disconcerting–‘get your filthy fingers out of my pie’– Florence of Florence and the Machine is a magnetic frontwoman. And with her unique sound, Florence is creating a league of her own.

Right now, Florence seems a little distracted. Throughout the interview she tries to both answer questions and goof around with her boyfriend–a search for balance that will no doubt be a constant refrain during next few year’s of the up-and-comer’s life. Between answers she’s telling him to stop jumping on her or querying how many pancakes (or as she calls them flapjacks) he’s really going to eat. He seems to make her happy though. She giggles during most of her interactions with him.

Growing up in Camberwell, London, Florence comes from somewhat of an artistic bloodline. Her grandmother, Colin Welch, was a former deputy editor of The Daily Telegraph and her mother Evelyn Welch, is a Professor of Renaissance Studies and Academic Dean for Arts at Queen Mary, and was good friends with Andy Warhol—they partied together at Studio 54. Florence on the other hand, dropped out of art school to pursue music. Her father works in advertising and drove Florence around in a camper van when she was first touring. To Florence, her mother is the realist, her father is the dreamer. Florence is left, in her words, “Dreaming in reality.”

But growing up, in the Kingdom that produced pop starlets as Lily Allen, Adele and Amy Winehouse, was far from normal for Florence. When she was a teen her parents divorced. Her mother later married the next-door neighbor and the two families moved in together, which meant six teens, that already knew one another, under one roof. Needless to say there were issues. ‘Everyone sort of thought their family’s way of doing things was better and each family felt like their traditions of family were being stomped on by the other,’ Florence says. ‘We became sort of household enemies.’ As a teen, she was also very experimental and partied a lot. ‘Maybe growing up in London in general has helped me be more street wise, but then again, I never know where I am.’

Although, she’s seemed to have found herself in music. And by now, most that know of Florence, know that she was “discovered” by hauling Mairead Nash, half of the popular DJ duo Queens of Noize, and now her manager, into the bathroom to sing her an Etta James song (Florence points out Mairead came willingly). Florence wanted it badly and now it’s the opposite. People want her. Not just her boyfriend, who was probably happy once we finished up this interview.

Did you cook?

I don’t think I’ve ever really cooked anything. I can make fish.

Fish isn’t easy to make.

I can kind of handle fish and I can make sauce and things. I don’t really have the attention span, if I’m hungry I wanna eat.

I know you recently sold out The Bowery Ballroom in New York. Do you spend a lot of time in the US?

Well I have an American passport, so I can but I don’t spend as much time as I’d like. But I am back and forth probably once or twice a year, but more now that I’m touring.

Bringing your now manager into the bathroom and singing her Etta James, Something’s Got a Hold on Me, set you career off. Did you have any idea at that moment what that move would later do for you?

No, not at all. I was really just chancing it. I didn’t think it would amount to anything.

Had you pulled anything like that before?

Not really. I’d just been singing all the time. I’d been singing at like my friends club nights and at parties and with improvised bands and at open mics. I guess I’d always been singing, I just hadn’t really found the right vehicle for it, I suppose.

Do you think British female musicians are cheekier than musicians from say North America?

I guess we’ve got this grand tradition of sort of English eccentrics. Over there you’ve got artists like Lady Gaga you’ve got some really out-there artists. I’m not ever trying to be deliberately cheeky, I think I maybe haven’t been molded in a particular way. I think maybe we’ve been given more leeway. Maybe we get away with things more.

Do you like to go out a lot?

I love to. When I have the time. Right now I have so much to do, my partying quota has gone down so much, it’s terrible I gotta get back out there. I’m totally off the scene.

What’s your idea of a good night out?

A lot of dancing. I like a house party and fancy dress, a big fan of fancy dress, like dress up, costume parties.

Is there a kind of music you like to dance to?

My musical tastes are very different. I’m into all kinds of things. Dance, Soul just everything and anything if it kind of gets me going.

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I read that you partied a lot when you were a teen, what led you in that direction?

Just growing up in London I was looking for new experiences. I was a quite the experimental kid, I had a lot of free reign. And wanting to experience different things.

Do you think as a teen these experiences helped you grow up quicker?

Maybe growing up in London in general has helped me be more street wise, but then again, I never know where I am. My boyfriend moved here he comes form Bedfordshire and he knows more about the streets of London than I do and I’ve lived here my whole life. Living in London doesn’t say anything about my directional skills. I guess growing up in London I did grow up quicker, I’m not sure how much wiser it’s made me.

What are some of the most important influences your mother and grandmother have had on you?

I had my American family and I had my English family and my English grandmother was very interested in me performing and singing and she’d cry every time she came to see me in a school play and would always make me sing at Christmases. I actually sang at her funeral and I actually sang at my other grandmother’s funeral. My mother is a lecturer and going to see her lectures is like going to see someone perform it’s really interesting to see the kind of character she becomes when she lectures. When you give a lecture you have to really command the audience and you have to keep everyone entertained.

Do you think some of your stage presence came from your mother?

I guess in the sense of having to command a crowd’s attention for a period of time and to bring them into a different world, it’s similar. My mother managed to give an hour lecture going about a pair of Renaissance gloves. And keep everyone entertained and that is no small feat. My art has much more bells and whistles involved so perhaps that’s where it comes from.

Your mother used to go to Studio 54 with Andy Warhol. Did she tell you crazy stories about that?

She actually keeps very quiet about all that. She was always more interested with the Renaissance than she was about Studio 54. It’s always my godmother who tells me stuff. She tells me she went out to New York to see my mother and my father, I think when they’d first been married and my godmother tells me they were queuing for Studio 54 and there was this massive queue and then all of sudden someone came out to the front of the queue and started calling my mothers name and waving her and they got waved in and my godmother realized the person that had waved them in was Andy Warhol. But my mom doesn’t really talk about it at all. I don’t think she really cares that much.

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Posted in Back Issue, Features, Issue 6, The Cover Story | 7 Comments »

Sandy Miranda of Fucked Up

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

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Not only a talented bass player, Sandy Miranda is also a skilled photographer. All the pictures that accompany this article are a curated set of unseen photos taken by Sandy herself.

Intro by: Becca Monahan
Interview by: Hana May

Sandy Miranda has always had “that wandering spirit.” As a child, she sometimes found herself wandering by the freeway, much to the surprise of the cops that had to escort her home to an even more surprised mother. Now she wanders professionally, as “Mustard Gas,” her personality as bassist for hardcore band Fucked Up, touring globally. Not surprisingly, a life of mobility has taught Sandy to pack light, and what she carries is revealing, but perhaps even more revealing is what she leaves behind: She carries travel-sized toiletries; she carries a hairdryer; she does not carry makeup; she carries and adds to her collection of vintage dresses, a look she adopted to compliment her figure; for a while, as she began to commit to a more polished aesthetic that included previously unheard of daily showers, she carried a flatiron for her hair, but she now leaves it behind. In an explanation that perhaps perfectly encapsulates the hazards presented to a performer and, perhaps more touchingly, the hazards facing any young woman anywhere, Sandy explains the abandoned hair straightener: ‘I felt weird, especially pulling it out in front of the guys. You don‚Äôt want others to see the making of you, you just want to sort of appear.’

No one said evolution was easy; this is especially true for Fucked Up, as the band was not intended for longevity. Rather, it was brought together by Mike, 10,000 Marbles, to release a single album as ‘the most destructive band…a band that would just not work together.’ (After all, their name is considered unprintable by journalism’s standard, The New York Times, refer to them as ****** **.) This is the crisis faced by any movement that designed itself as a suicide mission against the audience, against art, and against itself: You must evolve or else disperse in the ruins of your own destruction (like Dada, the anti-art movement that lay the foundations for surrealism but could not be sustained for more than a decade). 30-plus albums later, Fucked Up has blossomed rather than destruct–their hardcore sound now flirts with shoegaze; their bassist wears dresses; they stay in hotels with beds. Maybe this is the story of any adolescent–initial anger and destructiveness that gave way to more measured, more considered, and ultimately more indpendent young people. Maybe that young woman talented musician, who has found herself increasingly happy and, by her own admission, ‘normal,’ but hasn’t given up wandering yet. Maybe it’s time to let her do the talking.

Thank you for doing this especially when you’re on vacation.

Damian gets all the attention so it’s not too often I get interviewed. I appreciate it.

I’m sure it must be a fight for who speaks when you guys get interviewed.

I’m like, “You take it, I’m just going to hang out over here in the corner.” [Laughs.]

[Laughs.] You all have nicknames and yours is mustard gas. Where did it come from?

To be honest I can’t remember the origins of my nickname. [Laughs.] Damian said I came up with it but I have no recollection. I think it was all accidental. There‚Äôs a long tradition in punk to have a pseudonym, a superego of your own, which I liked. I liked the separation of one version of myself, which I have with my family and friends and work and one of this alternative life of mine.

Whose nickname is your favorite?

I like them all for different reasons. There‚Äôs “10,000 Marbles,” which is Mike‚Äôs. Josh is “Concentration Camp.” He‚Äôs Jewish, which was a little too offensive so he changed it to “Gulag” which is also mildly offensive, but that‚Äôs him. He can call himself whatever he likes. There‚Äôs Damian, who is “Pink Eyes,” which has a pretty gross origin– it comes from a porn movies but he‚Äôs not a porn type guy. He used to work in an underground video store and they had some interesting B movie porn. Jonah, “Mr. Jo.” I guess my favorite is probably “10,000 marbles,” no reason why, I just like that there are numbers and letters in it maybe. It‚Äôs really all just randomness that makes it fun for me.

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You’re probably the best-looking guitarist to have a pumpkin on your head while playing. Where did this idea come from?

We had always wanted to do a fun Halloween show. So about four years ago we decided to do one and we just wanted to be ridiculous but also uniform, but we didn’t want to go a traditional costume route. I think it was Josh’s idea to put pumpkins on our heads and it worked. It just hurts a little cause the stem was poking us on our head.

You needed some padding in there. You didn’t think it through.

Yeah I needed some. I did like three songs with it on. Mike was able to do a full set, which was 45 minutes at the time. Looking back at that footage it was fun and I can’t believe it was four years ago and since then we’ve done shows every Halloween and they’ve become a thing in Toronto.

Being a girl in an all guy group do you often get talked into doing crazy things that maybe you wouldn’t normally do?

I’m actually a pretty silly gal and the guys are also kind of silly—I’d say not as much as me.

Oh! You’re influencing them?

Yeah, I just kind of roll with the punches so I have no qualms about poking fun at myself. Often I’ll be the first one to do it. I’m also pretty agreeable too; I don’t like to cause ripples in the band because at the end of the day you need to work with these people all the time. I go along with it unless I feel like they’re ridiculing me and then I’ll say something. But for the most part we all can laugh at ourselves.

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I know you always play in a dress or a skirt, is this fashion or function?

It’s a bit of both but its funny growing up I was a bit of a tomboy and I always wore pants up until I guess I was 21 or 22. Then I transitioned to skirts—I’m not sure if it was ‘cause I started working an office job, maybe that influenced me. But I know being a girl of size it was kind of difficult buying pants that would fit me right and I just didn’t like how they looked on me and I’m curvy, so I figured a dress would just work better with my body type.

Yeah, show it off.

Yeah. So I figured they were more flattering for my physique. In Toronto there are a lot of cool vintage shops and [through] touring I’ve been able to come across some great shops. You can just have more fun with dresses.

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Posted in Back Issue, Features, Issue 5, The Cover Story | 5 Comments »

Leaders of the Pack: The Leading Ladies of Streetwear Unveiled

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

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illustrations by: Gillian Damborg

Playing poker requires finesse, restraint, foresight, and, in the immortal words of Kenny Rogers, knowing when to hold em, fold em, and precisely when to walk away. Considering that, this month’s cover ladies are veritable card sharks. They bet on themselves, went all in, and came out on top of the deck.

Streetwear—if that’s what you want to call it, as many in the industry are beginning to disassociate themselves from the term—has exploded in the last five years. Brands that emerged out of tiny studio apartments with a few graphic tees are now multifaceted businesses—their gear reaching bare backs around the world. The men’s game exploded quickly but the women’s side of the industry was slower to realize. Initially neglected, ladies were left with the option of buying men’s tees and sneakers in small sizes and lacked an established community to call their own. Then suddenly, women’s brands started popping up, carving a place for women in streetwear.

Granted, today there are still more men‚Äôs brands, but the female labels represent the best of the best. As Leah from Married to the Mob says, ‚ÄòThe men‚Äôs brands mostly (not all, but a lot!) look the same, but the female lines have their own look and feel. Pretty dope.‚Äô This sentiment is echoed by Hellz Bellz founder and head designer, Lanie, who points out that her line is far more than merely a complement to menswear, noting, ‚ÄòWe’re not just the sister counterparts to the men‚Äôs streetwear brands. We’re now able to stand on our own and become forces to be reckoned with.‚Äô

The four women of our cover are most certainly forces to be reckoned with. Each has blazed a trail and filled a void in different aspects of the culture they have come to dominate. Hearty presents, queens of the street fashion pack.

First up is legendary graffiti artist Claw Money, who has been bombing the streets for decades with her iconic paw with three claws. She was around when women were a rare breed in graf, and now also owns a clothing and accessories line.

Not only does our second feature femme run Married to the Mob, one of the biggest women’s streetwear lines, Leah McSweeney, also orchestrates a forum for women to speak their mind through the MOB Blog. ‘I grew up in NYC most my life. I drank 40s at the cube, went to Wash Square Park after clubs to continue the party, shopped on Lafeyette in 1995—this is where the “streetwear” culture grew from.’

Lanie Alabanza-Barcena, is the founder and creator of the other titan of women‚Äôs street clothing–Hellz Bellz. ‚ÄòI grew up in the culture. It’s not something that I was fascinated by and jumped on the “streetwear” bandwagon,‚Äô Lanie says.

Finally, on the retail side of things, Sarah from colette, buys for and operates one of the biggest streetwear boutiques in the industry. Her Paris store is a unique combination of skate shop, gallery, bookstore, and couture house. She consistently sets the mark for innovative, exclusive collaborations.

But pimpin’ ain’t easy. Not to mention the recession sucks. On the upside, the times have forced people to be more creative and flushed out brands that were coasting. Despite this, these ladies are still beating the house. All having been successful with their own unique personalities, not caring what others thought—their attitude’s are inspiring. ‘Do you!’ So the saying goes. These ladies did them, but in turn did something for all of us.

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Posted in Back Issue, Features, Issue 4, The Cover Story | 14 Comments »

Indie Rock Idol Emily Haines

Monday, June 1st, 2009

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Photos: Gillian Hurd

The idols of indie rock feel the often arbitrary backlash of their success quicker and harder than in any genre. Few people have felt this more than Emily Haines, the leading lady of New Wave/indie rock marvel band Metric and member of expansive Montreal collective Broken Social Scene. Miss Haines is probably one of the most professional women in indie music–a powerhouse, strong, determined, educated, with talent to boot. But we hate what we love. So despite the fact that Emily has enjoyed continued success since the 2003 release of Metric’s Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, she’s been dismissed as, ‘just some synth player‚’ or a Blondie knock-off. Not one to shy away from criticism (however reactionary) Emily got to work. And if she set people straight with her solo album, Knives Don’t Have Your Back, she’s knocking them over with the release of Metric’s newest release, Fantasies.

Emily has always played music her way. Exclusively. In high school, at Toronto’s Etobicoke School of the Arts, Emily’s teachers adjusted the curriculum for her when she refused to play anyone’s songs but her own. Not much has changed, it seems, as Emily still owns every song with her vivacious stage presence and teasing child’s voice.

Emily calls us from her cell phone in Spain, while she’s on vacation, her time away from doing things like interviews, press and promotion. All categories we kind of fit in to. Unwittingly proving she is serious about her career and cares about her fans, we chop it up about the f-word (feminism, silly), fashion as language, how to manage heartbreak and her open relationship with Metric. She’s also a good sport about our word association game, which she refers to as somewhat of an inkblot test. (Yes, we are trying to figure you out!) We at hearty propose a last minute change to the chorus of Metric’s new single Sick Muse: everybody, everybody just want to fall in love with Emily! Hearty sure has, and you will too.

You’re revered for your stage presence. Is this something that came naturally to you? Or something you had to work on?

It’s a process like anything else. My goal as a musician is to be honest; I feel like that’s the point. I was always very shy about getting up in front of people, and Metric had very many reserved and inhibited concerts in our early days. I just treated it like I would treat the development of anything in my writing, ‚ÄòWhat is it that I‚Äôm afraid of and how do I overcome it?‚Äô And that‚Äôs been the process and that‚Äôs where I‚Äôm at. I still look for those places of weakness and I try to expose them before anybody else does.

From a young age you always knew you were going to make music, but if you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

Honestly, it’s like a hypothetical that I almost can’t answer. I’d probably have like five kids or something. There’s nothing else professionally that was ever going to be an option for me.

How would you describe this generation of women?

That’s an interesting question because I‚Äôve talked a lot about it with my mom and with my friends. I think we‚Äôre lucky and we know that we‚Äôre lucky. I‚Äôm sometimes concerned about the next generation coming up‚Äîthe feeling that feminism has gone so far that now it‚Äôs a symbol of freedom that you‚Äôre pole dancing for your boyfriend. Perhaps it‚Äôs gone a bit far and the irony has become reality. But I feel as though our generation has been able to enjoy genuine equality, like social equality with our friends–at least that‚Äôs in my world. There isn‚Äôt really a gender divide in our generation, but there are ideological and social divides between people. Now all we‚Äôve got to do is make it that it‚Äôs equal pay for women and we‚Äôre all good.

Yeah, exactly.

Equal pay for women and no one can get a job anyways.

Yeah, everyone is getting paid zero. As a role model for women, would you call yourself a feminist on any level?

I wouldn’t say that I’m not a feminist. It’s a bit of an academic term that I don’t really relate to and it’s probably not the fault of the women that this word has this association but it just seems to be associated with anger and I feel as though my views on women aren’t any different than the views of my male friends.

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Who are females that you’ve looked up to throughout your life up to or respect?

It was very much how I was brought up to not differentiate all the time between things that were for women and things that were for men. It was kind of my sense that everything was open, so I have to say a lot of my role models were not necessarily women. Musically, I remember Sinead O‚ÄôConnor made a huge impact on me when she put out The Lion and the Cobra–it really impressed me and amazed me that someone could be part of main stream culture and be such an incredible writer and have such a bold appearance and represent such bigger things. Even though it feels like her life in the public eye completely destroyed that spirit for whatever reason. Musically, I definitely looked up to her when I felt like other girls were looking up to Madonna. I didn’t look up to Madonna. It‚Äôs not for me.

Do you read a lot? What’s something you’ve read recently that has had an impact on you?

I do. I have times when I really sink into certain books and times when I’m occupied with other things. Recently, I’ve been reading Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine. That’s a pretty heavy read. I wouldn’t recommend the Electric Shock section while you’re on an airplane—it’s kind of a claustrophobic literary experience but it’s actually an incredible book. She’s somebody I really look up to and would mention as a representative of our generation of women and feminists. I’ve never really heard her make a massive case for feminism but everything in her actions is proof of the capability of women to compete intellectually and be preeminent in their field. But it’s not as though she had to do that and she’s not allowed to wear lipstick because she’s writing a book, or be happily married because she’s a hard-hitting journalist. I definitely would say if she can go in our role model category, that would be great.

What is your advice for heartbreak?

Think about something else. Every minute that you think about something other than that, it’s a step in the right direction. Works for me.

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Vivian Girls: Cool Dude Attitude

Monday, May 4th, 2009

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Our most recent recruit, the incomparable Mish Way, plays in a killer band called White Lung. She had a chance to sit down and chat with the girls before they all hit the stage.

By: Mish Way
Whoever said “nice guys finish last” hadn’t spent enough time with the Brooklyn-based Vivian Girls. Not only have Cassie Ramone (guitar/vocals), Kickball Katy (bass/vocals) and Ali Koehler (drums/vocals) managed to generate a whirlwind of buzz around their 1960s girl group-inspired, lo-fi punk music, they are probably the most genuinely nice, new-fame rock stars you‚Äôll ever meet.

In a matter of months, the Vivian Girls have toured through Europe and North America, released five home-job seven inches and a wildly successful LP, all the while, receiving epic praise from critics all across the globe. Constantly in motion, constantly on tour, constantly in the spotlight, it’s a miracle that these three twenty-something skids were keeping it all together.

Sprawled out in the dark, dirty staircase of the back of the club we were all playing, I sat down to chat with the girls about their new album, bad kisses, Germs burns (late 1970s L.A punk band, The Germs, rite of passage completed by putting cigarette to skin) and their self-proclaimed ‘cool dude attitudes.’ After the first recording of our conversation malfunctioned, not only were Katy, Cassie and Ali able to fix the Garage Band glitch, but they were more than happy to do the whole thing over. Hey Vivian Girls, you really do have cool dude attitudes.

Mish: There’s been a huge craze recently surrounding bands from that Brooklyn/Williamsburg, as a band that is based in Brooklyn how has this affected you?

Cassie: It’s cool because there is a really good community there and a lot of great bands like The Beets, Cause Commotion and Stupid Party. It’s fun to be involved in something so collective.

Mish: Do you think that Brooklyn makes the band or the bands make Brooklyn?

Ali: I think it’s more that people who are into the arts tend to move to New York, then everyone is in the same spot.

Mish: There’s not too many all-girl groups, do you think being all girls plays in your favor or against you?

Katy: We try not to think about it.

Cassie: I think it’s worked both for and against us.

Katy: We understand it, you know? We’re not naive about it.

Cassie: Ideally, they [the media] would be like, ‘Oh there is a band of three people’, but you know, no big deal.

Mish: I think it’s one of those things you just have to be aware of and not stress over. I know you just got out of the studio. How was recording the new album?

Katy: It was really fun! We took a week and went to Costa Mesa, California – which is in the O.C – and we hung out with this guy, Mike at the Distillery, which is where Black Lips recorded ‘Let it Bloom’ and we loved that record and sound, so we booked time there. A lot of In The Red bands have recorded there and the Distillery was a great match for us.

Cassie: And Mike is also the coolest dude ever.

Mish: Why is he so cool?

Katy: Hmm, can you describe a legend in a minute?

Cassie: He lives off a diet of beer and burritos, he has a wacky sense of humor and he has this whole studio which he built that only makes sense to him. Yet, all his records sounds amazing.

Mish: Are you guys friends or business first?

Ali, Katy, Cassie: Friends first!

Mish: How much do you love touring?

Cassie: So much! Right now, we are planning a world tour which will include: the full U.S, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Puerto Rico in two months.

Mish: That is crazy! Which country are you most excited to play in?

Katy: Australia.

Ali: Puerto Rico, because my boyfriend lives there.

Cassie: Hawaii. I don’t think bands play there very often and plus, it will be a tropical vacation.

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Mish: I heard one of you has a Germs Burn. How did that happen?

Katy: Cassie and I have them!

Cassie: I ran into my friend Johnny outside of a show in Brooklyn and I was like, ‚ÄòWhat’s new?‚Äô and he goes, ‚ÄòOh I saw the Germs last week and I got a Germs burn.‚Äô He actually asked Pat Smear first, but Smear denied him, so he asked Lorna Doom she gave him one. It was when the Germs were touring with Shane West. I was so psyched on his Germs burn, so I asked him for one and he burned me.

Mish: Did it hurt?

Cassie: Yeah, but I was really drunk so it wasn’t so bad.

Katy: Then Cassie burned me, and I burned a couple people including Cole from Ariel Pinks Haunted Graffiti.

Mish: Germs burn, pass it on.

Cassie: Yeah, it’s a chain! You got to keep it in the chain.

Mish: And I heard you guys all got matching tattoos this tour that say ‘Cool Dude Attitude’. Do tell.

Katy: We have Cool Dude Attitudes. That’s why we got them.

Cassie: Plus, it was one of the only tattoos that Mark, our tour manager, wanted to get and it was important that he wanted to get it, since it’s his first tattoo.

Ali: The cactus was originally supposed to have sun-glasses, but I’m glad we scratched that idea.

Katy: Yeah, we have enough cool dude attitude that we don’t need sunglasses.

Vivian Girls self-titled LP is now available through Mauled by Tigers Records and In the Red Records. For tour dates check www.myspace.com/viviangirlsnyc

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RYE RYE

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

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by: Hana May
photos: Kenza
design: Gillian Hurd

It’s Saturday night, 11pm, Montreal, Canada and Rye Rye is supposed to be on stage in the next few hours. Problem is she’s stuck in Chicago. As the anticipatory crowd waits to hear songs like ‘Shake it to the Ground’ and ‘Wassup, Wassup,’ Rye Rye finally makes it on to stage at 1:45am. Immediately the crowd starts snapping pictures, which will end up all over their Facebook profiles and personal blogs the first thing next morning. Bragging rights: ‘I was at the Rye Rye show last night.’


Backstage after the show the lady who, moments ago, had 100-plus eyes trained on her, is sitting in a chair alone with a backpack on and one bystander comments she looks like a young schoolgirl. Even though Rye Rye’s been entertaining large crowds since she was 16, she comes across a bit shy one-on-one. It’s surprising, considering this timorous teen has an awful lot to brag about.


Rye Rye is the first artist signed to N.E.E.T., the new label founded by indie-sensation-turned-household-name M.I.A. Already she’s toured the globe from Australia to Denmark and has performed with big artists like Pharrell—whom she may be on the road with this May, as her debut album Go! Pop! Bang! hits stores. Rye Rye, now 18, hails from Baltimore, and bears the distinctive accent of her hometown. When we catch up with her a couple weeks later, she warms up as the conversation goes on. We chat about her brightly colored fashion style, transitioning from MAD Decent to N.E.E.T., the celebrity crush she dedicated a track to on her forthcoming album, and what’s coming up next for the young lady that already seems to be well on her way.


Because Rye Rye believes that women today don’t have to exploit themselves to be successful and because she represents real girls who aren’t afraid to be different, she wasn’t just the best choice for The Cover Story of hearty’s premiere issue–she was the only choice. Meet Rye Rye.

What influences your fashion style?

M.I.A., Santogold, that’s basically it. When I got into this style and the patterns and stuff it was because of being on the road with M.I.A. and she was always like styling me for the shows.

Would you say that you’ve taken your own approach to it?

Yeah, ‘cause she wear more like baggy clothing and I like wearing tight clothing that fit me, so like that’s the difference.

You started performing at 16, how do you think you had the confidence to do that at such a young age?

I think I was already into it ‘cause I was dancing since I was 8 years old and performing in front of crowds already from when I was like 8, so I was already a little experienced. But when I got in front of a whole bunch of people, I was still shy but I ended up being able to handle it as I kept touring, like coming out for my set and then staying out on stage for the rest of M.I.A.s set, like I kind of got used to it.

How does it feel being the first artist signed to M.I.A’s NEET?

It’s amazing because I think it’s really cool being M.IA.’s protégé ‘cause its like she’s different, she’s not afraid to be herself. And then I’m from a different place too but never got noticed and I’m not afraid to be myself. And like MIA she just tries to make the impossible, possible so I think it’s cool ‘cause I think she works hard because if she got interest in something, she will push for it a hundred percent.

How was the transition from leaving MAD Decent to go to NEET?

Um, it was kind of like crazy ‘cause it was like a whole bunch of drama, it’s something like M.I.A. always say ‘oh you just like me and Diplo’s child, [laughs] like both our child.’ It was crazy because it was a lot of fighting over me going on but like I wasn’t really signed to MAD DECENT, I was just like working with him but it was crazy because you know M.I.A. and Diplo had a personal relations and I always became a part of that, which ain’t fair because I don’t have issues with their personal life.

Are you and Diplo still cool though?

Yeah, we don’t talk as much as we used to though. I talk to him sometimes but he kind of gets angry at M.I.A. cause of our whole new relationship and whatever, so that’s just childish things.

What’s the next musical release we can expect from you?

My first single is going to be Bangin’ which just got posted up on my MySpace and the next single is going to be Rock Off, Shake Off. And the album is supposed to be released May the 5h.

If you could pick any artists to collaborate with who would they be?

Lil’ Wayne or Michael Jackson. I didn’t really push to work with Lil’ Wayne for this album, but I think it would be cool.

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What’s your relationship like with M.I.A. is it mostly business or are you guys friends?

Yeah it’s more a friendship than business. It’s business when its stuff like dealing with the project etcetera ‘cause its like a whole bunch of craziness but most of the time it’s more likely we friends, like when we toured it was about business but most of the time we laughed and did crazy stuff and kicked it on the side more than we like talk personal business. So like we friends, I would say she’s like a mother, a big sister, a best friend, she play all those positions.

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