For more ZapTown coverage of Jascha, check out our live photo recaps:

http://www.zaptownmag.com/2009/10/jascha-radio-radio
http://www.zaptownmag.com/2009/10/the-subjects-jascha

Take a drive down College Avenue from Broad Ripple and you experience the essence of So-Bro fill out almost on what seems to be a daily basis. Empty shells of buildings become more inhabitable and built up as people flock south of the strip to get their urban kicks.

You cross the threshold of 38th Street and the sands of time keep the neighborhoods practically untouched even with what feels like the archeological remnants of something like Dharma Emporium and their alien-like nature symbols still hanging over the front window, at least for now. This area feels like the So-Bro circa 1995 when most of the local bands used to line the Avenue’s homes and the Flat Earth scene was vibrantly alive. It’s an area where the past becomes the future.

Sure these consistently new and improved intersections of the Meridian-Kessler area still relic in the ritual of front porch gatherings; it is the ideal of community that this neighborhood has experienced for decades and continues to bring people together.  Maybe not as noticeable until you get away from the glow of storefront signage and down to a neighborhood like the one I’m talking about, a place where you can find a band like Jascha.

(from left) Nathan Lucas, Jascha, Bryan Unruh, and Jordan Updike.

Step on their porch and you experience the familiar. A couch accompanies some chairs and makes for a great place to have a smoke or sit amongst friends and watch time move by. These are the things small towns are made of. It’s the essence of community that Jascha. incorporates into every fiber of the band. They intermingle real life conversation with band business and a chance to sit back and let it all soak in. This is a band who is completely aware of their Indianapolis surroundings as they take it all in while breathing it out into their music — slowly and with a faint oaken tinge of fine whiskey permeating their sounds.

This is what makes Jascha. click. That front porch energy where you can blow up your amps, grab your instruments and in that rustic moment, it brings people together. It’s this comaradarie that weaves a tight bond between his current and most incredulous line-up yet, featuring drummer Bryan Unruh, guitarist Jordan Updike, bassist Nathan Lucas and Jascha himself.

When you listen to the band perform, your mind tends to wander and explore the vast stretches of Jascha’s storytelling, a craft that has developed since he was five years old. He makes you feel encapsulated within the lost art of expression. Their music has gone from Appalachian haunts to back alley solitude to exploratory indie folk that glows like the carpet of moss in a forest and leading back to the saloon.

But we are right in the middle of a bustling metropolis, and if you pay attention to the construct of the band more intently, you begin to hear the hectic scheduling that make Jascha. who they are. Listening to their music, they make it seem so effortlessly, but the work behind the scenes tell a different story. They have even converted the living room into a makeshift stage to put on the occasional home show.

“We love the house shows,” said Unruh. “It’s an experience you cannot get in a bar. Everyone who comes to a house show is there specifically to see that band. One of the best shows we played was at the house on 46th and College. Everyone is right in front of you and into the music.”

“We try to play as many shows as we can,” continues Updike. “Our goals when we formed the current lineup is that we wanted to get in front of as many people as we could.”

As the band continues to urbanize themselves from the city outward and preach the gospel of Jascha., it does not deter from the grass-roots ethics the band has, and that is to maintain a close connection with not only themselves, but their fans as well.

When they played their record release show to a sold out crowd at Radio Radio for their debut There’s Nothing Like Love For Making You Miserable there was a point when the band removed themselves from the stage and became one with the audience.

“There happened to be a stool nearby and we went out into the audience,” said Updike. “Jascha got up on the stool, and it felt like friends gathering around a campfire.”

That community element to the band began early when Jascha would grab whoever he could find to share the stage with him. Updike recalls, “It really was a community project until last spring.”

More and more opportunities took form and Jascha knew that stability would be the future. Updike had been playing with the band for a while. Jascha scouted Lucas out at one of their shows. Unruh was captured by a Craigslist ad and once the lineup became solid, there was no stopping the band.

“Two weeks after the band started playing together in this context, we began tracking for the debut album,” said Lucas. “It was all very fast moving.”

The tracking was done at Jascha’s house. During this time, someone was moving into the duplex next to him. According to Jascha, they would track the album up until 3 in the morning with no complaints whatsoever from his neighbors.

“I baked them cookies and took them over to them as a sign of goodwill,” said Jascha. “I make some amazing cookies.”

Even though the debut was done in May of 2009, the album did not officially release until October. It was not until they got David Hazel from Beta Male, spending three or four weeks to concentrate on mixing the album, did it fully take shape and become the fixture to what we know Jascha. to be.

After overcoming the issues and learning from their mistakes, they set out to record two EPs, finishing up on the first one this month. The EP has a double title: an A: At The Mouth Of The Well Of The Twisted Serpent and B: Indianapolis: Paris of the Midwest.

“I was doing research on the 2012 phenomena and wrote some songs about it,” explains Jascha about the reasoning behind the double title. “The other songs are about Indianapolis, with one song inspired by the junk man on the corner.”

Instead of pre-planning demos and intense tracking as was done with the first album, this EP was recorded live to tape.

“We felt that the dynamics that are included in our live show was not represented on the debut album, and we wanted to have that feeling there so we decided to record it live in the studio,” he continued.

Even though it took a greater deal of practice, the experience of this EP has meant a lot to the band.

“With this recording, we really felt the brotherhood of making music together,” said Updike. “We still butted heads and disagreed, but we feel like we found the pocket where we can do this and be bigger and better after it’s done.”

“I prefer recording live,” said Unruh. “With the first album we were playing together a lot and getting to know each other and our musical tendencies. With this EP, it felt like we were able to capture the songs better and more true to form.”

An additional perk for the band was having Kate LaMont lend guest vocals on one of the songs, and experience the band will never forget as they claim that her participation took the EP to a brand new level.

The second EP, which will be recorded later this year will feature songs that did not make it on the album. Like the debut, the ideology of the EPs have become an extension to what the band is and the diversity of their craft.

“What is great about this band is that we can cater the set list to the audience or venue and make the songs work to the mood of the show,” said Lucas. “I remember when I first started playing I had pretty bad stage fright. I had to watch the frets at all times. If I got lost I couldn’t jump back in. I would have to wait until I caught another important part of the song. Now I don’t feel as nervous and by loosening up, we can play the same songs differently from night to night.”

The audience is a large part to this, according to Unruh. “If the crowd is really into it that night, we feel the energy. For me I stop thinking about how I am playing and focus more on how much fun we are having.”

“We are so hard on ourselves,” said Updike. “People come up to us after a show and say how great the show was while we would be shitting on ourselves, finding the mistakes that the crowd would not have noticed.”

But when it comes down to it, it goes back to the give and take of the band with the audience and that community-driven openness they have. For them, it only blows the doors wide open as they continue to make their way out of the city and play more and more shows in the Midwest, something they hope to further accomplish as the year progresses.

“I’m excited to play with these guys, and we are looking forward to the journey of where this band will take us,” said Jascha.

And whether it’s down the Avenue or along some country road, Indianapolis will always have a warm spot in this band’s heart.

Some photos taken at Classic Cleaners Tan & Laundry in Broad Ripple. All others taken at The Underground Studio 9 in Irvington: http://www.theunderground9studio.com/index.html

Links:
Grey Granite: http://www.greygranitemusic.com/
Heavy Gun Blog: http://heavygun.blogspot.com/

On February 22nd, Grey Granite and producer J. Brookinz dropped their latest labor of love on Indianapolis. Lust Poisons Pride effectively blends Granite’s distinctive electro/hip-hop/dance music with fresh and ultramodern experimental tracks. The album is a milestone for both Granite and Brookinz, as they continue to think outside the box and strive to present Indianapolis with music and sounds they never fathomed from a local artist.

The paragraphs that follow are a brief background of Granite’s expansive place in our community, a springboard that explores what’s unique and different about his music and why it has taken so many people by surprise.

Songs birthed early in Granite’s career such as “Highper”, “Totally Pop’d”, and “The Bar” helped him establish a reputation for catchy beats, articulate raps, and high energy performances. From the beginning, products of the Granite/Brookinz collaboration leveraged on up-tempo music saturated in elements of electronica, pop, and hip hop.

Under the radar, Granite soon recognized his ability to sniff out cutting edge news in music, arts, and entertainment… often weeks or months before hitting public media. Heavy Gun Blog became the host for this knowledge- a tool through which Granite (and a slew of other contributors) could connect to the people who respected their opinions.

Remarkably, all this still wasn’t enough. Granite and Brookinz, overflowing with creative energy, knew it was time to take their art to a new level. Last month, after more than a year of studio labor, Lust Poisons Pride was finally released to the public. Although the album delivers standard tracks that any Grey Granite fan can immediately embrace, it also experiments with abstract beats, ventures into new vocal territory, and requires a certain amount of effort from the listener for interpretation.

Below, Granite and Brookinz help me break down the components of the album and understand the thought process that built it.

DL: How does a song typically develop and come to life in your partnership?
GG: I come up with an idea based on whatever Brookinz is into at the time and pitch it to him.
JB: And then I shoot it down. (laughs)
GG: He shoots it down, but then comes back at me a month later with a beat or some music. Then I write to that and we record. Brookinz plays with it for a while and comes back to me with it, a lot of the time with something that sounds completely different than the original concept.
JB: We’re control freaks.

Control freaks? Maybe. Perfectionists? Definitely. With Lust Poisons Pride, the two played this back-and-forth game of song tossing for more than a year, but ultimately ended with an album that clocks in at just under 30 minutes. On the surface, it appears that a significant amount of time was invested in a project yielding little content in return. But after a third, fourth, or fifth spin of the record one begins to hear a theme in the songs and listen on a much deeper level.

The opening track, “Off Safety”, instantly meets musical expectations with a likable beat that’s perfect for dancing. That’s appropriate since the voice in the song “came to let go” but then found a kink in the plans when unexpected, undesirable company was already at the party. “I hear lies coming from your way. And you won’t back up. Get the fuck out my face,” Granite demands of the nuisance. He continues, “You know what you did and what you put me through. Just because it has wings, don’t make it an angel. I see you now from a different angle.” Obviously channeling the heartache from this relationship-gone-sour to find the strength to move on, the song closes in declaration: My pain is now my power.

DL: This is some form of a concept album, would you agree?
GG: No. Not at all.
JB: I thought it was.
GG: What’s the concept?
JB: (laughs) I’m waitin’ on you to tell me.
DL: So maybe you’re not trying to tell a specific story through a series of songs, but rather guide the listener through a range of emotions?
GG: (looking at the floor, scratching his head) Yea. It’s like, in talking with a dude he’ll tell me about some shit going on in his life. And I’m like “Damn. This story needs to be told.” The songs aren’t about any one person in particular, but really just feelings we can all connect to.

Track two, “The Road”, continues the hypothetical saga as Lust Poisons Pride considers the realization of an end: I’ve had enough. It’s been way too long. I’m out. I know you know its time to go. I’ve broken all these laws. These walls won’t hold. Glum subject matter aside, the song itself is catchy and holds much potential for a hit single off the album.

“Teenage Song” is a brief, minute-long track that holds more mystery than a Sherlock Holmes novel. Synth-heavy, upbeat music is absent as Granite slows down to sing “I’ve never been here but don’t tell me the way. I’ve got this thing in my heart, telling me to stay.” The ambiguity of the song (we never really find out exactly what or who he’s referring to) leaves much room for interpretation, allowing the listener to create a bond with the artist through whatever similar situation they be me engaged in. The track cuts abruptly- “a cliffhanger which will be answered in a subsequent release,” says Granite.

Six songs into the album the tone changes significantly with two minutes of “Bad Honesty”. The track is raw and stripped down to two simple elements: Brookinz’s one-layer experimental beat that mimics a pounding heart and Granite’s voice delivering an unpleasant message. It is here that the truth is told, distressing as it may be.

I might tell you things that break you down
I might do some things that I know are wrong
I might do some things that cut your skin
I might do some things that hurt you

It trails off into a muffled one-sided conversation, mostly an inaudible Granite who sporadically mumbles the word “sorry”. The song is served in a variation of the spoken word format- full of emotion and dependent on the rhythm to which it is delivered. At this turning point in the album, one finally recognizes the goal of Lust Poisons Pride: to connect with the listener on a profound, expressive level. While mainstream music is only skin deep (and thus, widely appealing), Granite and Brookinz strive to take their fans to another dimension of the musical experience. Granite explains:

“It’s like, with ‘Off Safety,’ I don’t see any art in that. A lot of people were expecting me to go one way; to repeat a specific sound. But that mainstream sound, to me, is like someone trying to claw their way out. ‘Make something that sounds like the radio,’ people say to me. ‘You need to make songs that sound like this.’ But when you make something that sounds like the radio, by the time it gets there, it’s already outdated and old news.”

Standout tracks completing the second half of the album include the daringly sultry “Lay You Down” during which Granite promises, “She can’t compare to you- without a doubt! But I guess she could be you… with the lights out.”; “Villian”, another vocal experiment driven by a pounding gong; and “Date With The Future”, a happily-ever-after conclusion to the emotional roller coaster that is Lust Poisons Pride.

When asked who else had important roles in the creation of the album, Brookinz speaks first, explaining that he wouldn’t be doing work at this level of creativity without Granite. Echoing his musical partner, Granite elaborates on their synergy. “Brookinz has helped me to keep doing what’s new. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be singing instead of just rapping. We like to stay ahead of the curve.”

JB: Push the envelope.
GG: Blaze your own path.
JB: Choose Your Own Adventure, like the books.
GG: What?
JB: Check it out man. You get to a certain point in the story and if you want to go left, you turn to this page. If you want to go right, you turn to a different page.

After a brief session of early 90’s reminiscing about bookmobiles and the Book It reading program (personal pan pizzas and holographic buttons with stickers included), Granite is still shook up over the interactive approach of the Choose Your Own Adventure series. Conversation moves in the direction of bridging the gap between artists and fans.

DL: In a blog entry titled “The 11th Dimension” you declare that “there are so many pivotal moments and important people that play a part in the creation of an album.” The objective of your blog, a separate entity from HeavyGun, is “to allow you [the listener] to walk in and see it all.”
GG: Lust Poisons Pride was released on iTunes with no physical distribution outside of Indianapolis.
JB: Because it’s only been released online, there are no liner notes. Back in the day, you got fold-outs, stories, and pictures when you bought a new record or CD. (pauses) We wanted to get into peoples’ hearts. (pauses again) We wanted to make it like we’re first cousins.

Again, Granite and Brookinz discuss their ultimate desire to connect with their listeners. The Lust Poisons Pride website successfully surpasses this goal by providing the same level of creative insight one would receive with a hard copy of the CD (album artwork, lyrics, credits) and then some (outside feedback, other artists’ interpretation of the album, stories, pictures, and commentary of milestones in the creative process).

In the end, an artist doesn’t make a hit; they create a work of art. Support and conviction are ultimately what will turn that song into a hit. Unfortunately, Lust Poisons Pride has yet to find its way into the hands of believers. Admittedly, it’s unique and avant-garde, but that’s what makes it so amazingly great. Granite cites Brooklyn’s Matt and Kim as an example of musical artists that are an acquired taste. They, along with MGMT and other New York-based experimental rock bands, are not immediately appealing to the average ear. But when placed in the proper environment and exposed to the right level of diversity, it becomes possible to find a niche for almost any kind of music. Perhaps, dare I say, Indianapolis just isn’t ready for the explosive ingenuity of Grey Granite and J. Brookinz.

Before a bigger city with a higher tolerance for abnormal thinking snatches up Lust Poisons Pride and puts these guys on the map, I can only hope that I’m wrong and that Indianapolis opens its eyes and ears to the masterpiece before it.

On April 3rd, 2010, D.A.M.P. (that stands for Design Art Music Production) will be launching its inaugural event for what they call the No Coast Art Series. The event runs from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the McNamara Building in Broad Ripple (1111 E. 61st St., Indianapolis).

"Walking Over Earth" by Wilfred E. Sieg III

Tickets to the event is $10 advance (available at the Luna Music locations and Fat Dans Deli in Broad Ripple) and $15 dollars at the door. That will not only get you into the event, but will also get you two drink tickets as Goose Island will be on site providing drinks. There will also be catering by Fat Dans. Bloomington’s DJ Premier will be whipping out tunes as well as others spinning throughout the evening and into the night. In addition 10% of the door and 10% of each piece sold will go to help Little Red Door Cancer Agency.

Artwork by Michael Arbuckle.

The artists features for April 3rd are as follows:

• William E. Sieg III: Visionary artist and sculputure, Sieg III specializes in the surreal, and has spent years establishing a widely diverse collection of multimedia consisting of paintings, video, sculpture, graphic design, and photography.
• Sam Saib: Son of famous Kurdish-Iraqi singer/poet, Shamal Saib, Indianapolis born artist Sam Saib, his experience comes from his time spent in Baghdad and traveling around Europe. Now capturing the life and essence of Chicago, Saib is now considered as being one of Chicago’s most omnipresent oil painters.
• J. Chin: Chin grew up on the streets of L.A. as it shows in his artistry, his graffiti and B-Boy style.
• Nicole Malcolm: For Malcolm there is no boundaries. Somewhere between serious and fun, realistic to the abstract, there is no challenge Malcolm is afraid of conquering.
• Michael Arbuckle: Peeling back the layers of life, Arbuckle produces montly massive pieces using a canvas on canvas approach to his work.

Artwork by Nicole Malcolm.

Not only is this an unique event for not only the Broad Ripple and Indianapolis community but the art community in general, but this is what will be the beginning of a beautiful ongoing series that both founders Phillip Mark Sosinski and Kurt Pfeiffer hope to become a customary staple to the Broad Ripple landscape.

“We wanted to put on something that brought back the arts scene to Broad Ripple, but why stop there,” said Sosinski. “We have a lot of talented people here and want to bring to life and share that talent with the community.”

Once a month, D.A.M.P. plans to host a Saturday ritual of artists, music, and more. Not being restricted to boundary, they feel that by mixing local with national Midwest talent, they can mix and match themes to the events.

“By encompassing all sorts of mediums, we are not limited to what we can do,” said Sosinski.

What does it take to construct an event of this caliber, and how did something like this originate? Pfeiffer and Sosinski answer these questions and more.

Link and further info and future announcements, visit their site: www.nocoastartshow.com

Art by J. Chin

From your perspective, how did an event like this develop and become reality between the two of you?

Kurt Pfeiffer – It came together very naturally.  Having moved back to Indy from Denver, Colorado, I noticed that there seemed to be a void in the Broad Ripple arts scene, and I wanted to do an event that embraced the arts as well as gave back to the community through benefiting a charity.  I presented the idea to Mark and away things went.

Phillip Mark Sosinski - Yeah, it was a bit surprising on how quickly this event has come together. We were basically just sitting around talking about some of the divisions in Indianapolis between Fountain Square and Mass Ave and up to the Broad Ripple area. Broad Ripple used to be the creative heart of Indy. We thought about how the area used to be in terms of progressive shops, galleries and live music venues. Now it’s mostly associated with sports bars and all the stereotypes that come along with being a ‘bar district.’ We wanted to be able to shine some light on the creative aspects of the community and have Broad Ripple be the host. Once we started hunting for the space and found the McNamara building Kurt and I knew idea was going to become a reality. The space demanded that, it’s a great space and the people at Buckingham Companies completely understood our vision and supported us from day one.

Is this the first event like this you have been involved with? If not, please share your past experiences?

Kurt Pfeiffer - This is the first art event I have done, but I have done event production and promotion for the last four years.  Most have been very successful as I tend to do projects that just aren’t done by others, usually work in the underground music and arts scene which has an extremely loyal base of people involved.

Phillip Mark Sosinski  – This has been my first event of this size and nature. It’s been an incredible learning experience, usually as a photographer I’m on the other side of things like this. It really has made me realize the tremendous amount of work that goes into taking an idea into a reality on this scale.

What does an event like this mean to you personally, as well as for the community you live in?

Kurt Pfeiffer - It is very personal to me as it is a direct reflection of who I am and what I support.  Whether it be the entities involved, the artists that are represented and the audience I target, it comes straight from my heart.  Having a positive impact to the community and scene are paramount to me and my visions.  Always having a charity involved not only gives back but creates coverage for there honorable causes and missions.

Phillip Mark Sosinski  - I echo Kurt’s sentiments, this is a great way to give back. On a personal level my family has directly been affected by cancer, and I really was very excited about the charity Kurt choose to reach out to. That is a hugely motivating factor for me. Also, I know that I don’t have the money to save the world or anything lofty like that. However, I feel if you can contribute to giving back to your community in some small way then maybe it pushes someone else into action for the next thing. Then slowly the domino effect happens. Before you know it your small contribution has bled into someone else’s. Hopefully from that a better community starts to emerge from what was before. I guess that’s the idea, and what I hope happens.

Why turn this into a series instead of a one-off event?

Kurt Pfeiffer – Having this as a running event allows us to create the coverage of many different types of art, as well as allows D.A.M.P. the ability to help numerous charities.

Phillip Mark Sosinski  - It will be nice to have the flexibility to see what directions this can be pushed in as far as different mediums. Also, we can make more of an impact to our community if we can spread the benefits to more than one charitable organization. Variety is the spice of life sorta philosophy .

What should people take from the No-Coast Series?

Kurt Pfeiffer – Hopefully when everything is said and done, the guest will leave with a one-a-kind experience while being exposed to unique art unseen in Indy  all in a positive and special environment.

Phillip Mark Sosinski  – I’d like for people to realize that this region of the country has a lot of really extremely talented artists. There are significant contributions to art and culture being made in the Midwest. Also, we hope that we see lots of smiles knowing that your participation helped your community while having a good time!

With an event of this structure there really is very little boundaries that will limit this. Do you have any guidelines or what you have planned for future events?

Kurt Pfeiffer – The only requirement for the future is that the events are unique and create a positive impact to Indy.

Phillip Mark Sosinski  – That’s exactly what is unique and exciting to this event, No Coast is No boundaries! As corny as that may sound it’s true. We can continue to push the type of events that people want to see and have the flexibility to keep people interested.

Why go beyond the local scene and bring in a more national presence to something like this? How do you feel that will help No Coast? How about the local artists who are participating?

Kurt Pfeiffer – Well I think it is important to create a connection between the arts communities of the Midwest first and foremost.  That is the reason we reached out to various artists from Louisville and Chicago.  I think having them involved creates an event that not only embraces Indy, but the Midwest in general.  Plus it provides the local guests the chance to experience art that they might never have the opportunity to see without “No Coast.”  On the local side we have found that the art community has some excellent representations of unique one of a kind pieces that many might not realize are here.  Really a much better community then I originally thought was here.  Truly a win win situation for all involved!

Phillip Mark Sosinski  – Why not? It’s great to see local artists and we definitely embrace our local community, but lets let everyone know whats going on around here. We think not only will it help us out in Indy, but artists who have down time or maybe don’t have shows in their home cities will have an opportunity to get some exposure to a new market. Perhaps when someone wants to get out of Indy for a weekend they’ll think about that great piece they saw at “No Coast”from a Louisville artists and decide to take a trip there or wherever that may be to check out what’s going on in that city. Everybody gets some love

What do you hope for the future of this event?

Kurt Pfeiffer – The hope is for “No Coast” to keep growing and evolving into a must attend event as well as providing coverage to artists, designers, groups and talents that might not get the exposure in a traditional show.  All the while being a positive and beneficial part of Indianapolis.

Phillip Mark Sosinski  - I hope we continue to discover unknown talent, develop relationships in Indy and throughout the Midwest and do good by giving back to our community. As long as those goals are met, the future is wide open. We think it will be a very interesting and exciting event to look forward to throughout the summer.

The traditionalist viewpoint of society trains us that if you follow a particular path, you will succeed in life. Most people grow up, they go to school and graduate, and then lay out a career path that leads to wealth and happiness. It’s what we have come to expect from others. It’s a formula that has worked for most of us. It’s how we achieve the American Dream.

Foti has achieved the American Dream, only he followed a different path that set him outside the norm. Nonetheless, this is his story, his version of achieving that dream.

Being a tattoo artist is a path that Foti risked to take. It’s a career that fell into place, and once the wheels were turning, he only pushed forward.

“If tattooing was not in my life, I would not feel normal,” he said. “Growing up on the music that I did and the scene I was in, in some weird way tattooing has always been a part of my life.”

A proud fixture of Metamorphosis in Broad Ripple, Foti has been inking people on the strip for 12 years; as many years as the place has been opened. The shop took over Missing Link’s space, and on March 28, 1998, they opened their doors.

But the first time he became interested in tattooing, he knew nothing of the art.

“In early high school, instead of doing the work I was supposed to be doing, I sat around drawing skulls and playing music. I didn’t know drawing skulls would lead to this. Like the music I played, I did not learn by a textbook or was properly trained. Same went for me learning how to tattoo.”

And then something happened. Something that completely changed his perspective on life. During his junior year in high school, he was in a bad car accident that put him in the hospital, sustaining mostly cosmetic injuries and experienced the loss of his girlfriend at the time. She died at the scene of the accident.

“I saw how quickly a person’s life could vanish. It made me think of my own life and the feeling that I was wasting away in school.”

After recovering, Foti quit school and with a $50,000 settlement, he took off to Hollywood as a means of cleansing himself from the trauma of what he experienced and to live in the moment. Even though Foti admits that it is not a good idea to freely give a 17 year old 50 grand, he also admits that his experience was better than any high school education could give him.

When he returned from Hollywood with his bank account drained he sought a job at Karma up near the College Park area. He spent six-to-seven years hanging out, listening to all the latest music, and getting to know the people who regularly frequented the place.
After tiring out from that, he ended up at a computer place running a scanner and what he calls “other nerdy things.”

“This was many years before Office Space came out, but it was really like that. I was doing the same thing every day and tasks that meant nothing to me. It really got to me.”

Before we continue, let’s back up to Foti’s first tattoo. He got it done by Dana Brunson in Cincinnati when he was 18. It’s a lotus flower that is now buried on his arm by one layer of tattoos after another. It took that one for him to want more.

“Once I got the tattoo, I was hooked,” He said. “I was attracted to the mystery of it back then. You went in and you did not ask questions or contemplate the health risks of it. You just walk out with a cool tattoo.”

Working at Karma, he would put back money to take the drive to visit Brunson. If you ask him now how many tattoos he has, he will just point to his arms and legs and say four. The truth is that he has so many he does not remember them as much as he remembers each individual experience.

It got him talking to Brunson and expressing interest in becoming an inker. He picked Brunson’s brain about how he could make it work and how to get a hold of supplies. According to Foti, Brunson took him in and agreed to help under the condition that he does not move to Cincinnati and take people away from his business, half jokingly. Brunson understood the potential in Foti, and knew he would succeed in becoming a great tattoo artist.

Foti sold his Gibson Les Paul and ordered some equipment. He set up a makeshift shop out of his den and began tattooing himself, his friends and whoever else that was interested.

“I had no clue how to do anything. I did a couple myself. I had a friend let me do random shit. It was all trial and error. I know it sounds like a horrible thing to say for something that is permanent, but for 20 bucks and a box of gloves, you have a certain expectation when you walk in.”

There was that initial uncertainty to tattooing but Foti realized from the beginning that you eventually build up confidence and reach your comfort level, so he kept trying, learning not just from his influences but being aware of his own technique as it developed. Now inking is more mechanical and natural where he can focus more on what he is doing and the technique involved.

“You should understand your limitations, but you can’t push yourself and progress unless you take risks,” he said. “Skin does every fucked up thing. It breathes, it moves, it jumps. A mother was here today with her family and a kid bumped the chair. I’ve had every type of person and every situation come before me.”

Doing it himself, he entered the business cold without any guidance to help him along. He ended up getting an apprentice role at Skin Quake, working as their “shop slave.” While the artists spent the day inking, he made the appointments, kept the administrative chores in check, and observed and talked about the art.

Then the Metamorphosis opportunity came along and he took it, never looking back. Now, he tattoos three days a week, averaging three larger pieces in two-to-three hour sessions.

For Foti, it’s the experience that really taps into his soul and enjoying the satisfaction that people get when they see the finished product. Since the MTV generation exposed everyone to the popularity of the tattoo, and modern day programs like L.A. Ink talk about the deep meaning behind it all, Foti is nostalgic for the days that more people would come in to get a tattoo simply for the tattoo.

“Can’t you get something because it simply looks cool? It doesn’t have to have a deep meaning or a reminder of your life. Tattooing is supposed to be cool. Enjoy the experience for yourself.”

Foti deserves the reputation that he has earned. With no misspellings credited to his name and the variety of tattoos he has accomplished, he is very considerate and aware of the permanence of what is going on people’s skin.

“I try to help the customer and tell them what will look good 20 years from now. I think about the future of that tattoo and do as much as I can to make it a lasting piece.”

And every day is a new experience for him. With new ideas and new potential, he is always learning in his environment.

“Even 13 years of doing this, I’m nowhere near my potential.”

When you step into Nathan Monk’s garage, you get the feeling like you are standing in the middle of a constant state of chaos. Either that or you are looking into someone’s mind and experiencing a salvage yard of ideas and possibilities.

Nathan Monk shows off and explains some of the uses for things in his garage studio (Photo by Kim Brown).

Scrap wood lies piled up. Plastic bins and cardboard boxes speckle the floor. A makeshift plexiglass bin is filled with packing peanuts. Old frames look like accent pieces.

When you step into Monk’s studio, the stockpile of things is nothing out of the ordinary for a typical aged garage that isn’t solely used to store a vehicle.

But then you look closer, and you notice the stickers. On the wall you get a glimpse of an octopus-like creature spray painted on the wall with tentacles dripping down. You see pictures glued here and there, there is a collection of paint brushes and spray paint cans, surrounded by paint and colors of various kinds. It’s like turning on the special features portion of a movie and getting a glimpse into all the extra elements that go into his artwork and you can feel the creative process at work.

One of the cabinets in his studio (Photo by Kim Brown).

“It’s kind of amazing to go from being out in your studio making art to having people out in your studio asking about your art,” he said.

You see, the piles of clutter and materials that would be thrown away by many is seen as potential by Monk. His specialty as an artist lies in mixed media and found objects. Sometimes his canvas is a piece of wood or a closet door. Sometimes it is an object he stumbled upon at a thrift shop like 8-track tapes, for example, that went into a piece now on display at Indy Hostel. Titled “ I Like My Music Well Done,” the piece had Monk make two 8-track tapes look like toast coming out of a toaster that is plugged into a speaker.

"I Like My Music Well Done," Variable Size, 2009 (8 Track Tapes, Spraypaint, Shellac, Paper, Toaster, Wood Shelf, Speaker) (Photo courtesy of Nathan Monk).

“When I find these objects, I look at how they fit together and how they look on the wall. That’s where my short attention span comes in to use. I have to constantly work with different things. I don’t want to stay in one form.”

What appears on the surface as an eco-friendly way of recycling materials, it did not start out that way.

“When I first started doing this, it wasn’t that I wanted to be environmentally conscious and green. We lived in an old house in Danville. My mother collects antiques and plates. Dad is a pack rat. I would tease him about the state of his garage, but now I’ve taken up that trait. I like to make use of things. Working with found objects is challenging. When working with a wide amount of material it takes effort to make your work recognizable.”

Nathan Monk surrounded by potential (Photo by Kim Brown)

But now, using things like reclaimed wood or packing supplies is a common practice for his frugal way of thinking. Peer into his kitchen and you see a paper-making kit set up with paper in various stages of production.

“I have all of these old books that I cut out the pictures. What do I do with these old books? I’m trying to be less wasteful these days.”

Different factors go into the construction of a piece. Depending on what material you use for a canvas, you will get different effects along with textures. For Monk, it has been a simple procedure of trial and error. And much of what he creates, he creates simply for what it is. There is no plan or mapped out procedure. For him if a piece works, it works. If it does not, he moves on.

"Blame It On The Compact Disc," 12 x 6.5, 2009 (Cassette Tapes, Cassette Tape Holder, Wood, Glue, Spraypaint, Shellac)(Photo courtesy of Nathan Monk).

“For my collage work, I use wood glue, a lot of wood glue. I am really messy with it, too, because of its texture to the paper. I use shellac for style. I can either use a thin coat and it warms up the painting, or I can really cake it on and it turns completely brown.”

The result is something that sometimes looks as if it came from another planet while others look as if it was expelled from an alternate reality, but every one of his works is an extension of himself. Monk’s pieces can reflect a certain degree of urbanization coming from a fondness for the city and the buildings towering over him, when he would drive into the city and see the Indianapolis skyline from the west. Others deal with a fixation and desire to draw certain elements like his quest for the perfect circle or fascination with tentacles, going back to the octopus on the garage wall, which is a creature that Monk calls a Molaropus. In consists of a molar tooth with tentacles coming out of the roots, designed based on a phobia of losing or breaking his teeth.

The Molaropus creature that Monk painted on the wall in his studio (Photo by Kim Brown).

“I started drawing tentacles at school. We had to draw plants and I took the root of the plant and made them look like tentacles. The usage of squids and octopi tentacles are really big in the design world. You find out that what you do that is original catches on and you have to move on. I was going to stop doing the tentacles, but I realized that I was putting my own spin on it.”

It was the same with bubble wrap. While working for Michaels, he became fascinated with bubble wrap that evolved into using it as a dripping, honeycomb effect.

“One day I was watching HG TV and one of the home makeover shows used bubble wrap as a wall accentuation. A part of me died thinking that what I was doing was one of a kind and original. So now I just focus on coming up with new things and new ways of using those things.”

All of this stemmed from his experience in school, attending the Herron School of Art and Design for several years before dropping out of school and taking a hiatus from art when he found out his wife was pregnant with his son, Jonathan. While he was in school, he was not really concentrating on what he had to do, but realizing what he didn’t want to do.

Monk started out as a photography major and was immediately drawn to taking photos of the mundane: old door knobs, rusty items, things that people would walk by without noticing.

His Michael’s co-worker convinced him to change his major from photography to sculpture. But once he dug deeper into his major, the more he realized the aspects that did not please him, and thus began what he calls his downward spiral at Herron.

“I didn’t take things seriously. My friend and I would get in trouble because we would laugh at everything. There are so many artists out there that their work is not so aesthetically pleasing, so they have to justify it with some kind of deep concepts of the world and that to them justifies the ugly out.”

So what did Monk do? He decided that if you cannot be good in the true definition of an artist, then be different. In art school, there is a lot to be expected of you when all Monk wanted to do was simply paint and create.

"Monophonic Sound Destruction," 23.5 x 29.5, 2009 (Spraypaint, Shellac, Acrylic, Paper, Glue, Cassette Tapes, Carbon Fiber on Cardboard (Framed)) (Photo courtesy of Nathan Monk).

That perspective paid off. Just in the past year, it landed him a slot in 2009’s Oranje event, a showing at the Be Indypendent event at the Arts Garden, the Indy Hostel exhibit and a variety of other events around the city.

Not only that, but his paintings are actually moving as more and more people are showing interest in his work. It’s helped him go from working in what he described as a life-sucking warehouse job to working with this guy who does interior renovation with, you guessed it, recycled material and reclaimed wood.

"33 And A Third City," 22 x 19.5 x 4, 2009 (Wood, Acrylic, Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber, Spraypaint, Shellac, Glue, Record Player Cover)(Photo courtesy of Nathan Monk).

And even though Monk grows increasingly busy doing the very thing that he loves, and he transitions from painting to painting, his garage will continue to maintain that flux of chaos.

“I went back and thought, why do I use these materials,” he said. “It caters to myself as a person and my personality. You can see someone’s artwork and learn what kind of person they are like a gateway into their soul. You look at my paintings and see me.”

About a hundred years ago, the movie theater was a spectacle that went beyond people’s wildest imagination. With a sea of plush red seats and sometimes a balcony that beheld mystique and enchantment that loomed high above, the movie theater was the foundation for a new world that shocked some, mesmerized many and impressed all who entered the dimly lit corridors.

The nickelodeon was the new style, and a night out at the movies was a social celebration of magic and mystery in this new era of celluloid technology. Who knew that by 1915 and a silent feature called Birth Of A Nation would set the film world on fire and give way to what we now know as the feature film.

Fast forward to 2009, we not only take film for granted, but also theaters as multiplexes get bigger and bigger. As the Drive-In continues to fade away, you have to travel for miles and miles into smaller and smaller towns to find a unique theater that sits preserved in the sands of time (The Tivoli in Spencer or The Castle Theater in New Castle are two examples). For Indianapolis, the Alhambra, the Apollo, the Eastwood, and the Irving, to name a few, are all a distant memory.

Unless you search, you will have a hard time embellishing in the traditional essence of the theatrical experience. For the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Randall L. and Marianne W. Tobias Theater (The Toby for short), brings back that ambiance of the true movie-going experience that also expands beyond the capabilities of just showing film.

“It made a lot of sense to have a theater that was connected to the IMA,” said Anne Laker, Assistant Director of Public Programs. “Film and visual art deserves a better contribution in our city, and it was a void we could fill.”

With the success of the IMA’s Summer Nights series and various lectures and performances at the museum, they knew that they could make a bigger contribution to the presentation of the performing arts.

By reaching out to the Indianapolis community through the exploration of art, design, and the natural environment — the main components of the IMA’s mission — The Toby is the perfect vehicle to bring artists, architects, film enthusiasts, multimedia designers and more together under one roof.

“It’s appropriate for the art museum to have that visual experience. We wanted to do it right,” said Laker.

As easy as it sounds, the architectural design and technological construct took a degree of thought and planning to accommodate the many needs this theater would have.

Dominated by blacks, whites, grays and punctuated with greens and reds, careful consideration was made into the look of The Toby. It may not replicate the style of a traditional theater or what we consider today to be the traditional construct, but the outcome is a modernist approach that is cleanly contrasted and readily adaptable to the 600-seat venue. There is an orchestra pit that can be brought up and down depending on if it is needed for a performance. Oversized red plush seats (think of a super-sized bean bag chair) can be brought out to give the room a more relaxed feel. And no matter what, the balcony always presents its soft glow whether peering out into a film or a presentation or discussion on stage. Whichever way you look at it, the basic elements of the theater were kept in mind when bringing this dormant space back to life and into the future.

In addition to design, The Toby’s most valuable asset is the 35-mm film projector that is installed into the theater. The IMA works directly with the studios and distributors like The Criterion Collection to obtain these sometimes expensive reels. Ran by projectionist Eric Grayson, who also works with maintaining and preserving the film, this is a quality you cannot get sitting at home next to the DVD player.

“It does cost more money to obtain and run a 35-mm film, but it is the film that the artists want you to see,” she said. “These are the things that stand out for us and what brings people out to the movies.”

For Laker, she is a fan of preserving these elements.

“For some films we try to show the original cartoon and trailer to the film. When talking about classical film, there is a richness to a presentation like that.”

Before it was The Toby, it was a performing arts theater owned by a local theater company who would do various productions like “Hello Dolly,” for example.  After the theater company left, the facility was left empty for years.

“Chief Designer, David Russick had a vision for the space that was to serve a multi-purpose function from a black tie event to a Rocky Horror-like atmosphere,” she said.

And when it comes down to it, that is what The Toby is all about as the people involved are continuing to experiment while being “thoughtful to the performing arts,” Laker adds.

Just in 2009, the room played host to various events. For Halloween, they presented a viewing of Nosferatu that was accompanied by live music.  Last fall they also played host to a sold out concert and event which included live performances by Asthmatic Kitty artists and a film by Sufjan Stevens.

Beginning the 2010 season, this will be the second year for the Winter Nights series. Like Summer Nights, the museum will focus on a selection of films that will run every Friday night throughout January and February.

“With the success of last year we feel like Winter Nights is something that is as exciting as the Summer Nights. With Summer Nights, it mostly consists of fun films. We try to present a movie that helps you relax and for you to enjoy a summer night under the stars after the work week.”

With Winter Nights, films are more serious, presenting deeper dramas, more thoughtful plots, and expressive content that will lead to further discussion. Laker admits that she has experienced some very interesting discussions inside the museum as a result of these films. It’s a difference between The Goonies or Breaking Away in the summer to Arsenic And Old Lace and The Last Picture Show in the winter.

Speaking of The Last Picture Show, for this series the IMA has invited producer Peter Bogdanovich to The Toby for their showing of Orson Welle’s Touch Of Evil. Bogdanovich was a good friend of Welles, and he will be on stage to offer his insight into the film.

Last year, the IMA partnered with the Indy Chamber Orchestra to provide orchestration with Buster Keaton’s film The General. This season, they will return to accompany the Harold Lloyd film Safety Last.

It’s common for the IMA to partner with various organizations around the city. With museum culture, recent trends of expansion and innovation have led to bigger and bolder experiences for the user . And what a better way than the IMA to use the Toby to help accomplish this through inter-connectivity not just within the museum itself but throughout the city. Just recently, they teamed up with the Scott Chamber Players to do a concert in conjunction with their Sacred Spain exhibition. The Scott Chamber Players did research on pieces of music that represented the Spanish colonies during this time. What came out of it is a distinct enhancement to the museum-going experience and their special exhibit collection.

Beyond film and music, IMA’s Planet Indy looks at design and sustainability and how to bring it all together in the modern world. It’s a way to discuss ideas about “green” living as well as tie in IMA’s long-standing dedication to horticulture values in an artistic environment.

These are just a few things that The Toby is offering. According to Laker, they want to do so much more, but scheduling can be difficult.

We want to discover getting on the circuit for more performing artists,” said Laker. “It is hard because our theater gets booked up. But believe me, we are watching and working with our partners who are constantly sending us ideas and possibilities.”

The future is wide open for a facility like this. Many opportunities exist for constant evolvement and experimentation.

“With events like the Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival or the Indianapolis International Film Festival, we are doing really interesting things at the theater and rising to the challenge,” she said. “We want to bring in more film makers and the people who work in the film industry to give people a better understanding of all the concepts that go into making a film.

“Any given weekend we have something wacky and exciting and interesting within the walls of this theater. Many of our events are very easily obtainable so come and get it and experience what we have to offer.”

Link: http://www.imamuseum.org/toby

Winter Nights 2010 Schedule
All Shows at 7 p.m. - $9 Public/ $5 Members/ $7 students with ID

January 8: The Blue Angel
January 15: Nashville
January 22: Arsenic & Old Lace
January 29: Touch of Evil with special guest Peter Bogdanovich
February 5: The Dirty Dozen
February 12: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
February 19: The Last Picture Show
February 26: Safety Last! with One Week

Stuart Sayger and I are part of a small fraternity of kids who all worked at Comic Carnival in Broad Ripple.  I was among the first lucky squirts who had an opportunity to spend a few days a week sorting books in the greatest comic book store in the state, and by my estimation, Stuart would have been part of the second generation of hired help.  What sets Stuart apart from the rest of us is that Stuart actually managed to break into the comic book industry and earn a living at it in the process.  Not only has Stuart contributed to an impressive body of comic book work, he’s also a noteworthy artist whose work has appeared in multiple gallery shows.  Stuart’s been a fixture in the local comic book scene for most of his life, and the following interview sheds some light on his life in comics.

Links: http://www.stuartsayger.com/

Talk a bit about what first drew you into comic books.  How old were you when you got your first comic, and what was it?  Who was responsible for getting you into comic books?

I’m one of the guys that fell in love with comics very early on and that love never let go. By the time I was 5, I was hooked. I received the 1979 price guide as a Christmas gift when I was 7 years old. I had received two earlier editions used, and I just devoured them as reference, looking at the Don Newton covered price guide and seeing the JSA for the first time. My mind swam wondering who all those characters were. Yes, I knew Hawkman, but the GA Sandman just looked freaky to me!

A 25-cent Amazing Spider-Man #156 May 1976 was my first comic book. I pretty much wanted comics because my sister was getting some of them, and I was jealous. I was nearing 4 years old when that happened. I wasn’t really a Spider Man fan…he never did much for me. Most all of my childhood was spent rejecting the entire Marvel line of characters. I fell for Batman hard. I watched re-runs of the 1966 TV show and thought that it was all straight and serious. Honestly I wanted then and still very much do these days, my heroes to talk like Adam West did.

I got Batman comics new off the racks but the book that really did me in was Detective Comics #477 May-June 1978. Man.. I love that book. It reprints the story “the House that Haunted Batman”.. written by Marv Wolfman and Len Wein, Art by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. This story was everything that I ever wanted a Batman comic to be. I think that there is honestly no over-estimating the impact that Detective #477 had had on my interest in comics and drawing. Here’s the funny thing about that comic, before it was published I had some older Batman comics: a copy of Batman #200 and Detective Comics #403. Right away I responded to the Neal Adams covers. I was well aware that there were images of Batman that looked different than the rest. I was responding to Neal Adams’ work before it really occurred to me that actual people sat at a table and drew these things. When Detective #477 came out, it was the first time that I was exposed to a full Adams story. I was hooked and never looked back!

My father used to sell antique lighting and as a result I went to a lot of flea markets, antique malls, estate sales, etc. There were quite often comic books. I remember seeing the Dragon’s Lair ( comic dealers from ohio ) selling comics at the state fairgrounds when I was very young, at the time new comics were 40 cents. I could very often buy used comics for 10-cent or even a nickel back then. Everyone, and I mean everyone was reading Marvel. X-men were really roaring with John Byrne. Avengers were big too, but I didn’t care about those comics. I had Adams, Kaluta, and Wrightson. I recieved a rather large stack of beaten 12-cent House Of Mystery and House Of Secret comics when I was pretty young.  Those covers were so much better to me than anything marvel was putting out … DC, too!

Comics to me at this age were this giant awesome world that seemed to have no end. I remember one time my father found copies of the Steranko History Of Comics. My parents completely supported my interest in comics. They knew that they were the best way to get me interested in reading, and it worked! The deal then was that if we went to the store I could have a comic book, but I had to agree to read that comic to my mother (parents always have an angle.). So here I am, this li’l kid deep into comics – old comics. I had three price guilds.. My father took me to the then famous Indianapolis Convention Center Comic Convention. I think that I was 7 years old. Man.. I got so excited about that show that I threw up the day before we went, and I threw up again after the show. I would feel a little embarrassed about this, except that I’ve talked to a number of other fans who can recall these strong early comic memories.

What inspired you to start drawing comics and how old were you when you started?  Assuming that, like me, you started drawing at a young age, what were your earliest efforts like?
I started drawing comics right away. Well, I was at least drawing superheroes, a lot of Batman. Strangely I also really liked old Bob Kane Batman comics. My mother took me to the Comic Carnival. The shop used to have the Marvel and DC back issues separated. I went in to the shop and asked for Batman comics. They showed me the new issues on the rack. I said no i want ones that look different and held my thumbs and forefingers up to my chin to make the “squared off” look. My mom said they would know what I was looking for by doing that, and she was right! So I bought the most beaten rags of early 12-cent Batman comics and then very much drew Batman with that face. Now here is the funny thing, my Batman drawings had characters that looked like the Bob Kane comics, but otherwise all took place in the Neal Adams world. There was lots of smoke, full moons, but the bad guys all wore pin-stripped suits! I’ve got some of these still, they are crazy looking. I recall that I had a small spiral bound memo book about the size of a postcard. I filled the book with Batman drawings in 1st grade. I’ts gone now.. but I wish that I still had the drawing of the 1950’s Batmobile jumping a bridge. During this time, I was sleeping over at a friend’s house and attempted to make a full Star Wars comic. He kept wanting to add dinosaurs to the story which I knew weren’t in Star Wars, and that made me very mad. At least there weren’t any Tyrannosaurus.

What impact did working at a comic shop most of your life have on you as a person and as an artist?  How long did you work for Comic Carnival and at what ages?

I worked at Comic Carnival starting in February 1986. I was 13 years old. You know the beginning of the movie Good Fellas when the young Henry Hill wants to work at the cab stand? That’s what it felt like, well, except that instead of blowing up people’s cars I would bag comics and file all day. I typed up a li’l resume and walked in and pretty much asked for a job. The owner later told me that they really weren’t looking to hire anyone, but he thought that anyone who would show that kind of initiative should be given a shot, I worked there throughout Jr. high, high school, and during college breaks. I still help out now and again if someone is sick.. I grew up there. That store is very much a second family. Puberty was a long ways away, and I wanted in there with those comics. I remember unpacking the Dark Knight Returns fresh from the case, Crisis #12 sitting left over on the rack, I put Watchmen #1 on the rack and Elektra Assassin too. Anyone who has ever unpacked a case of Electra Assassin #1 remembers the smell of that book. It was really different than anything else.

I was very lucky to start working there just as the old way of comics was going away. DC had yet to start Superman over with a new #1. Capitol City was distributing comics along with Friendly Franks and others too. Diamond was established but was still kinda an upstart so it seemed. By working in that shop i received a full-time education in comics. Comic Carnival really specialized in old comics back then. I remember one time I did a restock, just checking the boxes in the back room versus the comics that were on the floor and putting out what ever was needed. I remember filing three copies of X-Men # 1 for — are you ready? — $30, $60, and $75 because asking $100 for an X-Men #1 was pretty hard to do as the book would have to be in fine condition. By working there I got to handle comics from all eras.

Yes I saw all the Adams that I wanted, but by being around that much of it all the time I was able to not only see, but learn to tell the difference between Adams inked by Adams on the Spectre versus Adams inked by Giordano in Detective Comics versus Adams inked by Tom Palmer. Life then was just such an education of the history of comics and the history of comic artists (and writers too, but I couldn’t pick up on as much as I was actually working and reading comics was grounds for being fired). For those of you who didn’t get to make it in to Comic Carnival in the 70’s-80’s-90’s, you really missed something. I wore dress pants, leather shoes, and a neck tie every day to work, as did all employees. Back then there was such an effort to make a comic shop look like a “real business” There is a reason why the “comic book guy” on the Simpsons TV show is so popular.

Probably the number one thing I learned at that shop was how to sell comics, how to talk to collectors and understand what they liked and what they didn’t. We really were salesmen then. Everything mattered .. Back then all the customers bought back issues on just about every visit they made to the shop. Grading mattered to collectors that had nothing to do with “investing.” It could be said that I’ve been working in the comics industry since 1986.

Much later, when graduation for college was approaching and I was interested in getting in to comics as an artist, all the things that I had learned about the industry working in that shop would be of value especially when it came to self publishing. Making a comic from scratch is one thing, but how many talented creators also have any idea how to sell the comic they make? I’d been selling comics for 15 years! I like to think that this is why Diamond came to me and expressed interest in selling Shiver In The Dark.

At what point did you start thinking that this was something you really wanted to do professionally (drawing comics, not working at CC)?

I never thought about making comics professionally. One time I said to my good friend and then co-worker, Matt Fisher, that I had a feeling I would be making at least part of my living from comics for the rest of my life. I was 18, he was 14 and God bless him and his wisdom, he said, “God, I hope not!”

You see, I never went to art school. I really wasn’t interested in it. I was more interested in illustration and I didn’t even know that you could go to school for that. In high school, “art class” was really pretty silly and most of the people who I had encountered who were “art students” were creating things that I really wasn’t interested in.

I studied journalism in college at Indiana University. Indiana has a strong journalism school and one reason for this is that they put out a substantial daily paper. I remember walking in to the paper offices and having the editors sigh and say to me “Okay freshman, what do you want to write…news, sports..etc.”… I replied that I didn’t want to write anything, but if they needed any illustrations, I’d like to be the guy. As luck would have it there was an editor in ear shot who butt in and said, “Can you make something right now?”  You see digital photography was not around yet, and they had lost some photos creating a big problem on page two. He said, “I need it in 45 minutes.” So I quickly drew a piece to his specifications. He looked at it and said, “Yeah..yeah — looks good. Can you do more for tomorrow?” So I became the go-to guy for the paper for four years. I wasn’t in art classes with week long deadlines for projects. I was taking other classes and I would come home, on top of my homework I would make spot illustrations that were due the next day. I had to learn to draw fast. I had to learn to draw things i didn’t know how to draw and wasn’t interested in drawing. I had to draw for an editor, not for myself. I had to draw for reproduction — clean-lined, black-and-white, camera-ready art. This is the path to become a comic book artist.

Once I was asked to create a color piece for a magazine cover. It printed very poorly as I made it out of pastels and it didn’t photograph well. The staff was very apologetic. One of them said if you want color over your colors, you should use photoshop. They had a copy of the file, but no one really knew how to do much with it other than resize photos. So I had to dive in and teach myself. One of the pieces that I made was entered in a national journalism contest and came in 2nd. I started thinking that maybe i could do this on a more professional capacity.”

I seem to recall your first professionally published work was for Big Bang Comics.  Is that correct?  How did that come about?  With Big Bang being more of an homage to comics of day’s past (Batman specifically), was this your big opportunity to channel the Neal Adams Batman into your work on a more overt level?

I think that my first nationally published work was indeed in Big Bang Comics. I had put together a group of Batman sample pages and brought them to the Chicago Comicon looking to get reviews or work if possible. I was familiar with the Big Bang line of comics from my time in the Comic Carnival. In the Big Bang universe there is a character named “The Knight Watchman” who seemed to be very much an homage to the Batman comics of the 1940’s. The first Knight Watchman comic was credited as being drawn by Tom King ( a nod to Batman’s creator, Bob Kane).

In this story the Knight Watchman battles a villain who is obsessed with time. The villain is about to get away when the Knight Watchman hurls a pocket watch like a morning star striking the villain in the back of the head. The Knight Watchman quips, “Time wounds all heels.” That was so silly and great. I loved that. Anyway that comic rang in my head when I stumbled upon the Big Bang booth in Chicago. Big Bang’s publisher Gary Carlson was there as were many other Big Bang contributors. I loudly opened the conversation by saying, “Hey!!!.. Where’s Tom King!??!?” Gary got a chuckle and we began to chat about their comics. I approached the conversation merely as a fan, not thinking that this could be a professional opportunity. You see this day was the very first time that I had tried to approach the comic industry for work. I really was only targeting DC comics and didn’t have Big Bang on my mind. But Gary being an opportunist spotted the portfolio under my arm and asked if I was an artist, and if so, if he could see my work. I showed him my pages and narrated the corresponding story to him as he turned the pages. It was so funny, it never occurred to me that he might be interested in my work.

Right out of the blue Gary says that he likes what he sees and that he had been wanting to do a 1970’s type Knight Watchmen story. The samples that I brought were in pencils, and Gary said that if I would ink the pages as the Knight Watchmen, and be willing to  tweak a few things to fit his Knight Watchman character, that he’d like to run the story in his comic. WOW! I was floored! I think that I had been at the convention for about an hour with most of that time being spent standing in line getting my badge and then bumbling around the convention floor trying to find my way, and already I had a bite! Gary was absolutely the first person who had seen my work at the show and he asked me to climb aboard. The funny thing was that I had driven up to the show from college with two of my friends who were trying to break in as writers. When I finally walked away from the Big Bang table I ran in to one of them and said, “I think I just got a gig…!!!” I’ll tell you this, and I mean every word, working in comics has been a blast, an absolute blast but nothing has given me quite the high and buzz as those early days of trying to get in to comics. Making sample pages and walking up to editors looking to get reviews is just electric. Going to a convention and meeting so many editors, one right after another, hoping to get a gig is like asking out 10 girls in 2 hours.  It seems that at some point it enters your head to try to break in to comics. Then you start drawing to really show off what you can do. You get a hotel for the show, rent a car to go to the show, and just really put so much of yourself in to something that you just know nothing about, just trying to make something happen. I’ve never felt so alive…EVER! There are photos of me and my two friends in the hotel room the night before the show putting stamps on self addressed stamped envelopes that we stuffed in to our sample packets. Those times mean so much to me.

Anyway.. I’m off topic. Big Bang and Gary was great for me. I inked copies of the pages so I have versions of my story as both Batman and as the Knight Watchmen. One of the things that made this time so exciting was the sheer fact that my growth curve was off the charts. The pages that I penciled weren’t nearly as strong as the finished inked pages. The more that I worked on them the more that I decided to change. This was a big deal for me. Things that I thought were good months earlier suddenly weren’t up to par. I really felt that I was getting better as an artist. Looking back and comparing the pencils to the inks I can see that I was right. It was about this time that my personal style was changing about halfway through the Knight Watchman inks I started to do a lot more expressive things with my inks. About this time I was really excited by Esteban Maroto’s art. In his work for Warren comics he’s done so many interesting things with negative space. His layouts just knocked down the panel boarders. Nothing could hold is lush page designs.

In comics I came from a background of Adams and Aparo and here was Esteban just running all over them in my head. The surface of how I draw has changed a lot since these days, but the Adams and Aparo influence is still there in the layouts. No way around it!  Once the Knight Watchman story was done Gary asked me if I wanted to do another. I of course agreed, but feeling that my interests were changing and that I had already done a 70’s DC looking book I wanted to do something else. I suggested something more like a Warren comic and he said that he personally liked the work, but didn’t think that it fit with his stable of characters and the other books they were putting out. Gary left the door open, and I’ll tell you, I would love to draw the Knight Watchmen again sometime. I’ll always have fond thoughts of him, but at the time my appatite to try new art techniques was knew no bounds. I knew that I would want to stay focused on my old style.

Your next move was to begin self-publishing Shiver in the Dark.  Did you try to get into the mainstream companies first, or was self-publishing your plan all along?

I pretty much had my sights set on DC comics. I had to go back to college, back to waiting tables and finishing up the work for Big Bang, but I wanted to “reload” for the next year’s con with new samples in evolving style. After the Knight Watchmen I produced more sample pages most aimed at DC comics. There were about 6 I did for the Shadow, 5 of the Creeper, 3 or 4 of ( get this ) The Witching Hour!!! ( I”m crazy) and 5 or so of Daredevil. I went back to Chicago the next year looking to get a review from the editors at DC. I wasn’t able to talk to ANYONE at DC the year before when I got the Knight Watchmen gig. I wanted to, but I was too late. I didn’t know how things worked at conventions. I didn’t think that there would be so many would-be artists in line for a review.  So the second year I went to Chicago to show off my goods I made sure to arrived early. Let me tell you one thing that just about crippled me that year. There were so many people who wanted to get a review from DC that an announcement was made that there would be a raffle, just to have the opportunity to be reviewed. I think that it was stated that about half of the people who came would get a review. Now here I was. I had devoted so much time for this one opportunity that might not even happen!!! But I was lucky, my number was drawn. I was going to get a review, but it was so obvious just how many people who worked very hard, who drove across the country just to have their portfolio glanced at, were going to go home with zero that day. This is why whenever someone asks me if I’ll look at their portfolio I always say yes, even if I’m busy.
So my number had been picked and I get in line for my review. I wait , I wait. And finally I’m going to be the next guy to get a review, and just then the editor gets up and leaves!!!! I’m standing there and the DC people say that another editor is coming. Finally Bob Schreck ( who had just been hired ) sits down. I’m his first guy to review of the day. Nervously I sit and unzip my GIANT portfolio. Now this is a funny thing that I want to point out. Comics are drawn on 11×17 pages in most cases. 11×17 is not a very big portfolio and if you want to work in any other industry at all you buy a bigger portfolio to house paintings, or blueprints, etc. I didn’t know these things and I show up with a full sized portfolio that won’t even fit on the table. Now let me tell you, Bob is a cool guy he said to everyone else,  “See? Size DOES MATTER!” He looked at my book and liked my work. In fact he even asked for samples and my contact info!  “I have no idea who this guy at DC is. And I don’t care. He’s a DC editor and he likes my stuff.” That was really all that I wanted that day. I remember Bob saying, “I like your work, but I don’t  h ave any jobs to offer right now, but I’d like to keep in touch. Send me your next batch of work. Maybe something will come along.” I went over to Marvel and Dark Horse and talked to editors and everyone seemed to like what they saw, but at the same time they all said the same thing, “good work, but I have no jobs to offer right now.”  I was very happy and I foolishly thought that I had made a big impression and that all I had to do was go home and wait for the phone to ring. Of course it never did. I was just young and didn’t’ know how things worked. One review is never going to be enough. Not ever. Still I got tired of people saying, ”good drawings, but no work”.

So all at once it hit me; why was I trying so hard to get in with these other companies? I really don’t need their approval to make comics. I could do it on my own! Besides, my Knight Watchmen experience told me that editors wants your assigned work to match the style of the samples, don’t do anything too creative. He  doesn’t want a lot of reinventing the wheel. This is when I decided to make Shiver in the Dark. Without naming names I also want to states that there was one editor at that convention who looked my may creeper samples which were finished inked pages. I didn’t have photocopies of the pencils used to make the finished inked pages. The editor quickly slapped my portfolio shut and pushed it back to me saying, “You are a new untried artist, and no editor is going to let you both pencil and ink your first job, since I can’t see what your work looks like as one stage separate from the other, these pages are worthless to me!”  No lie!  I walked away from that with a really bad taste in my mouth. That experience said to me that many editors were not looking at artist’s thinking, “How can I get the most out of this guy’s strengths?”, but rather, “How can I bottle neck this guy in to working the same way as everyone else” While still at the show, I decided that I wasn’t coming back with sample pages.. I was coming back with a finished comic that was mine. All mine, the way that I wanted a comic to be.

About two months before the Chicago convention I had broken up with my girl friend of about 31/2 years. I was just out of school and I said to my self, “OK, this is probably the last time that you can really do something crazy free and irresponsible. It’s my life to do what I want to do, to make comics.”

I called my parents and told them that I wanted to move back home rather than pay rent, that I wanted to publish a comic. God bless them they never asked for more explanation than that. I sat in my childhood bedroom with one revolving chair in the middle of the floor, on one side was my drafting table, the other was my computer. I made the first issue of Shiver in the Dark in an area about 6 feet wide. When I went back to Chicago the next year it wasn’t as a fan trying to break in. It was as a publisher with a table and a book. At this time I was a lot more realistic. I thought I’d sell the comics to fans, but also have a really nice presentation piece to give to the publishers. There was a decent number of people who had taken this route in to the industry by this time, but nowhere near as many as we have today. There was NO such thing as “print on demand.”  All the Shiver in the Dark comics were offset printed. To my surprise Shiver in the Dark sold really well. Fans e-mailed me asking for future issues and commissions of my own character!  I received 3 requests for commissions in the first 10 minutes of setting up at my first convention! This was all new to me, but immediately it felt right. I’ll never forget, I decided to make a free 30 second head sketch on the cover of the first issue for anyone who bought a copy. I didn’t advertise this, it was just an on the spot surprise to the fan when I handed them their copy. Saturday during the show I was quickly signing one of my books and looked up to see that there were FOUR people waiting in line to pay me for my book. I was blown away by the warm fan reaction. All the “Thanks, but no thanks” that I’d gotten from editors the year before was GONE! Recall that I had made Witching Hour sample pages the year before. When Shiver in the Dark first came out there were ZERO horror comics being published. Shiver was at least a year before the 30 Days of Night comic. People had responded to my writing, and my art, but also my taste in themes. I was lucky to be a little ahead of the curve, but it was by sheer luck, I was only producing a comic book that I wanted to make. That’s it.

From working in a comic shop I had gotten the idea that working at a major company was the only way to work in this biz. But making Shiver in the Dark was like falling in love for the first time! I really cut loose on that book, I tried so many new visual techniques on that book. I had no idea if any of it would work. I changed my art style from panel to panel, page to page. Whatever the mood of the scene called for is how I drew. It’s really easy to fall in to the trap of drawing what you think other people want, but when you work only for yourself you really get the best results. Shortly after Shiver #1 had come out I looked back at the Knight Watchman and didn’t even recognize my thought process. These were times of change.

What have you learned from the Shiver project in terms of self-publishing, but also as a comic creator?  As an artist, do you find the writing aspects of the comic more of a chore?  How far out do you have the Shiver storyline plotted?  Do you intend to keep that going as a series (honestly), and have you considered collaborating with other writers/artists for future projects?

I really really want to keep shiver going. The honest truth is that I’ve got the next 2 issues plotted out, but the book takes me so much longer to draw than anything else. I think that is because it is my baby. Nothing in my life has been as rewarding as making Shiver in the Dark. I mean that. I remember talking to Erik Larson who was looking the book over at the first Wizard LA convention. I remember him asking me if I had considered getting someone to letter the book. He pointed out some things that I could be doing better with my lettering. I told him that I had considered it, but was not very seriously. I told him that I could probably find someone who could ink the book better. And someone who could probably dialog the book better, and I was sure that someone could make better layouts. Ultimately I could get the best people in the world to work on Shiver in the Dark to the point where there wasn’t anything for me to do at all on the book. I said that Shiver in the Dark may not be the best comic in the world, but it’s the best comic in the world that I can make. I stand by this philosophy and Erik accepted it. Let me just say this…making Shiver in the Dark has taught me so much. I love writing the book, but I never set out to be a writer. That has changed a bit thanks to Shiver. I think about drawing comics differently now that I’ve done some writing. There isn’t an aspect of creating a comic that I don’t’ enjoy. Many creators say things like, “ I don’t to publish. I just want to draw,” or, “I hate having to do promotion,” I LOVE those aspects of making comics…publishing is a blast!!! I miss doing more of it. And let me tell you, it feels so great handing someone a comic you’ve made SINGLE HANDEDLY and saying, I made this from scratch. It’s mine.

I would like to collaborate a bit. Someone once asked me which writer I think I would like to work with most and I couldn’t come up with a name. And then it just hit me — Kevin O’Neil. I like Kevin’s work, but most of all I get the feeling that I could really cut loose and get expressive with my art, that I wouldn’t just be  a stiff illustrating fight sequences. I’m better illustrating if I think the text has something to say. I think that a good writer should have some sort of ax to grind in his writing. Every once in a while he really turns on his audience and attacks them. I like that.

How did the Bionicle work come about?  How did it feel to be working on the most widely distributed comic book in the US?  How was it working for a publisher who arguably knows little about the comics world?

I was asked to try out for the Bionicle job from an editor at DC who had seen my Shiver in the Dark comics… Lego was interested in rebooting the Bionicle comic and wanted something different.. Initially when I was approached about trying out for the book I thought that they were crazy to even think of me… #1..  I don’t draw in a clean style ( which is often how machines and robots are depicted) ..also.. There were no real good example of how I might draw a robot period…  I pretty much thought that trying out for the book would be a waste of time, ONLY because I was sure that my style was so different that I would never be taken seriously… When I sat down to make a bionicle sample I pretty much made a deal with myself… I thought that the only way that Bionicle could be any good is if I believe that it is good. I’ve got to produce art in a style that I like, and I agree with. So I had to figure out a way to make the characters interesting to me…  Years ago when I worked at the Comic Carnival I had a discussion with the then manager regarding who we thought was the best “war artist” in comics… he said Russ Heath ( which is a fine choice!.. I love Russ’s work).. But I countered saying that Joe Kubert was the best… The manager argued that Russ was better in that Russ was very accurate in how he drew the machines in the battle scenes. Russ would draw the correct tanks to be fighting in a certain part of the world, during a certain point of the war…. Kubert would simply draw a generic tank and put either a swastika or an american flag on it so the reader could tell who was whom..  Well, there might indeed be some truth in that argument, but I wasn’t going for it.. I quickly countered by saying that I believe that Kubert drew better looking people and better emotions, and that war was not about machines, but about people and since his people were better, he was better over all… I honestly believe that either Russ or Joe are acceptable answers, but my personal interests lie with Joe’s work. Getting the humanity was more important that the correct number of rivets on a robot became the driving force of how I drew bionicle. .. I decided that I would not draw using a ruler.. That the lines would have variety of weight, that the robots would get dirty, and dented, and that they would live in a world with a lot of dust and smoke. As much “life” as I could force in them was my goal.  When I drew the Bionicles I bent the body parts in ways that more closely matched the movements of the human body… my drawings did things that the toys just couldn’t do.  Lego liked my work, but thought that it might be a bit out there.. So they had a few test groups of kids go over my work.. I tested very high and was offered the job… Alex Bleyaert- the colorist- came along a bit later.. I colored the covers to issue #0 and #1 as well as the poster in issue #0… go back and look at those first 3 images and you’ll see my approach was very different than the rest of the series.

I’d like to hear about your life as a freelance artist.  How did you break into the trading card scene?

I landed the gig to do the DC/ Upperdeck VS cards from meeting an editor at the San Diego comic con. There was a fan who was looking at my work. He seemed to like a lot of it, but bought nothing. He was very nice and asked a lot of questions, I had no idea he was an art director at DC. He finally revealed himself and asked if I wanted to draw some cards for a Green Lantern set!  This all happened before Bionicle came along. I was there promoting Shiver in the Dark and that was it. Shiver in the Dark had been doing pretty well by this time, I was paying all of my bills as a fully time ,self employed comic book artist/ publisher of one title ( which I guess is an accomplishment itself ). But still it seemed that my career had sort of plateaued, and though I was happy with my success. It didn’t feel that good that none of the big companies had shown any interest in offering me any work, that feeling stuck with me for about 3 weeks and I really started to think more and more about what to do about it. Then the phone rang and the VS job was formally offered to me with deadlines, etc. Amazingly the VERY next day I was also approached by Wizard Magazine to draw a big piece for them.

The first VS job was really exciting. I was assigned 4 cards and I had to send them in electronically to my editor. I had made what I thought were pretty good looking images, but I wasn’t the editor, I had no idea what protocol was. For all I knew he was going to hate them all. The worst part was that all I could do was simply upload them to DC comics and wait. I uploaded them and then about 20 minutes later I received an e-mail from another DC editor stating that he had just seen the Green Lantern cards that I had tuned in and that he was working on a Batman related set, and that he wanted me to work on them too!! 20 minutes after I turned in my first DC job I was given my second! Before the first editor even approved the work that I had done!

Lately, it seems like your freelance work dominates your schedule more than anything else.  Do you find that the freelance work stands between you and an ongoing series?  Do you have any plans to return to an ongoing series, or are you content producing the stand alone art pieces?

“Lately” has been a hard concept for me. I drew Bionicle for 2 years and then, Boom, it was over. There was no slowing down. In fact there is really isn’t any “slowing down” in comics at all. You are drawing a book, then you finish it. There really is no way to cut back from 22 pages, it’s zero-to-22 in a second, and then back again. Just about the time that Bionicle was ending I was approached by the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis to do a lot of work for their year-long comic book exhibit. So now I’m taking care of a lot of little things that have been neglected before I take on the next big gig. Right now I’m producing the poster and program art for an original comic art exhibit for the university of Oregon called “Faster than a Speeding Bullet: The Art of the Super Hero!” It’s a 3 foot poster of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman… very cool, fun stuff! But I am looking forward to having another project that’s bigger to sink my teeth into, something that I can really develop as I work on it. It’s great to be knee deep into a project really getting to know the characters and seeing the characters grow as you work on them.

For someone with only a few published comic books under his belt, you have amassed somewhat of a following both on-line, and on the convention circuit.  With somewhat of a built-in audience for your work, how is it that you aren’t doing regular series work for a publisher?
Geez! Way to put me on the spot!! I’m talking with a few editors right now, something might be happening at Wildstorm. The Children’s Museum gig really pulled me away from the “main stream” end of comics for a while. You’re right. I need to get on that!. San Diego is coming up soon, I’ll likely line something up there. Ask me again in July!

Who would win in a fight between Galactus and Batman?

See you did the wrong thing. You asked me about Batman. I love Batman, but I do not see him as he is portrayed in the movies, or really many of the comics today. For me batman is very smart, and compassionate. He has wealth and he understands that it is his wits and financial status allow him to make a difference for the good of all in ways that other people can’t. He becomes Batman because he wants to HELP, not punish. He is NOT driven by vengeance as he knows that no good comes from vengeance. I’ve always put the spin on Batman that he had something terrible happen to him ( his parents die) but that in spite of that he’s been surrounded by only good people who’ve only shown him kindness ( Leslie Tompkins ). Bruce Wayne is grateful for all that he has and wants to help those who have less. He wants to fight the crime because it NOT ruined his life, but merely taken the one thing that has kept his life from being perfect! He dresses like a bat because “criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot.”

I like to think that Batman would first marvel at the sight of Galactus, curious and excited!  Then quickly Batman would come to the conclusion that Galactus is not evil, but merely hungry. I’d like to think that Batman would work to think of a way to quench Galactus’ hunger. to save earth and help the galactic traveler all in one! Thus your answer is. There would be no fight at all. Not what you expected from a guy that draws Batman grinding his teeth all day!

October 2008, Broad Ripple was experiencing a cooler-than-normal weekend as Autumn was speeding through. The sun was peering through leaves set afire by the changing colors while the streets of Broad Ripple were alive with sounds coming out of local bars, back alley parking lots, coffee shops and record stores. It felt like the opening scene in Orson Wells’ Touch Of Evil where music from the bars clashed in the streets with the chattering of people. We were a scene in the truest sense of the word, and we were going to make a difference even if for just one night. Bands toughened up as they put on warm clothes and jackets and took to the outdoors. The audience suffered with them to enjoy set after set of the best in local music. Seeking warm solace in a dark bar and loud music with another band was the only solution until it was time to scatter outside and see another set.

The Broad Ripple Music Festival was in full swing. Walking from street to street and places like Luna to the Monon Coffee Shop’s back parking lot to the Casbah to Spin and beyond, I realized that Broad Ripple’s music scene was the most vibrant it has been in years and on the cuff of getting better and stronger thanks to an event like this. The Broad Ripple Music Fest was a beacon of hope, proof that the local music community could get together and make something of it.

October 17, 2009, the Broad Ripple Music Fest returns and this time the scope of the festival will be bigger and better than seen in the past two years with 20 stages and over 200 local, regional, and national artists performing in and around the Village.

“This celebration is very important to us,” said Daniel Fahrner, organizer of the festival. “We want to do more to show how much these artists mean not just to us but to this scene.”

Daniel Fahrner (Photo by Gary Mead)

This is Fahrner’s first year organizing the music festival. As head of the Transpanther Group (http://transpanthergroup.com/), Fahrner is not shy of experience when it comes to events like this. With the help of the Music Family Tree (http://www.musicalfamilytree.com/) and Small Box (http://www.smallboxweb.com/), Fahrner has been doing everything he can to get as many partners involved and make this year’s festival something that will be talked about for months after.

“We are trying things this year that you wouldn’t expect from previous years,” he said. “We hope this will draw in more people and support,” he said.

The first piece of evidence sprouted up about a month ago and the announcement of the festival’s Kickoff Party at the Vogue, Friday, October 16. He has managed to conjure up a powerful reunion show that resurrects three Indianapolis legends: Mab Lab, The Pieces, and Johnny Socko.

Mab Lab was best known in the early 00’s for their organic Trip Hop and spaced-out Hip Hop grooves, and a sound unheard of compared to what was going on in the city. Never really breaking up in the official sense, the band went on hiatus to do other things.

From the Zero Boys to the Datura Seeds and United States Three, Vess Ruhtenberg has been an essential fixture to Indianapolis and still going strong today with his contributions to the scene. After the United States Three Ruhtenberg went on to become many things, including The Pieces. Although not long lived, The Pieces went to gain local and national attention with their neo-psychedelic indie rock.

The biggest buzz about Friday night is the reunion of Johnny Socko. Best remembered in the ‘90s for their blue-collar ethics, four albums, and thousands of sweaty nights of rock and roll pleasure not to mention funk, punk, metal and whatever else they felt like throwing in, the band returns to their home state and ready to continue right where they left off. Fahrner has secured the return of all five original members for what will be an historic night.

The other improvement Farhner is working on is more variety and more stage space around the Village during the Fest.

“My original idea was to expand music genres and draw from different cultures and areas of the city,” Fahrner said. “We want to create absolutely epic mini-events within the Fest itself.”

Once playing in the band Everythus and the Deadbeats, Fahrner was scheduled to play AthFest in Athens, Georgia one year. When the band went down to this citywide event, he was simply blown away by the scope and support of it all.

“The community aspect to something like this is so important,” he said. “AthFest was a clear celebration of local culture, and I want to bring that here.”

Certain stages will have various themes, featuring an area for Hip Hop and Metal, Tru Nightclub will have a Dance and Electronic music stage, Midwest Emerging Artists will feature a stage at Birdys and Joyful Noise at Local’s Only featuring a variety of the best in local music. In addition, the Fest is not just for 21 and uppers. There will be plenty of all ages areas throughout the day. Northside News, the local record stores like Indy CD & Vinyl, the Monon Coffee Shop, for example, will be ripe with family-friendly events throughout the day and night.

Indy CD And Vinyl has been host to many in-store performances throughout the years (Photo by Gary Mead).

The Alley Cat will be a part of the Fest this year (Photo by Gary Mead).

Unlike last year where each venue and establishment dedicated a portion of the profits to a specific charity, a portion of the entire Fest profits will be donated to Keep Indiana Beautiful. By focusing on one organization, it will create a more focused impact on the city.

“Keep Indiana Beautiful is probably one of the fastest growing non-profits in the state,” he said. “We like what they are doing as an organization and we have a lot of potential to make a bigger splash by focusing on one group instead of multiple ones.”

As Broad Ripple continues to be portrayed as a cultural mecca for the city, that identity gets lost after the sun goes down, and Fahrner is ready to change that.

“This year will be the test. We have the potential for something big in the future. Hopefully next year we will get even more support and more sponsorship to turn the Broad Ripple Music Fest into a cultural phenomena.”

Broad Ripple Avenue (Photo by Gary Mead).

For detailed updates and how to purchase tickets, visit the Broad Ripple Music Fest official site: http://www.broadripplemusicfest.com/.

Check back with ZapTown as we will feature a Festival guide and interviews of a sampling of performers.

John Orr is a man who always has his hands full. As a musician, writer, and actor, his calendar is constantly filled with various engagements and projects. Although Orr has been in the Indianapolis scene for years, life has never been more productive and conducive to his whims, as this is just the beginning for a predominately one-man creative machine.

Recently MC-ing and performing in the first concert of a series he created called La Vida Variety, and an upcoming residency at The Earth House for the 2009 Indy Fringe Festival, this is only the tip of the iceberg for Orr and his alter ego, The Last Domino.

“I always have to have a project to work on,” he said. “People will hear me spout off something and friends can vouch for the fact that I will follow through with what I say. Because of all the potential and people doing great things out there, it’s difficult to say no.”

Musician, writer, actor — Orr is a culmination of the three. Whether its his towering, thin-set frame and spiked hair nestled on top, making him that much taller, or his continued presence in the scene, you do not have to look too hard to find Orr behind a microphone or contributing to something in the city. And his growing popularity does not dilute the fact that Orr is a genuinely nice person.

“A lot of bands already think they are rock stars. Let’s put away the delusions of grandeur.”

As The Last Domino, you will come to understand that there are two sides to the band: one with a full lineup, featuring Matt Foster on bass and Dave Evans on drums. The other, and more dominant side, is a one-man powerhouse who uses loop pedals to build layers of sound and entice you with the illusion of a stage filled with people, when in actuality, it’s a stage filled with instruments.

“When I got into the idea to loop the sound and do it live, I realized it was fun to do improv and build layer upon layer of your own song and watch it come alive before your eyes,” said Orr. “However, I am not really into jamming so I do none of that. When I heard the Mars Volta live CD and they took a song and played it forever, I realized that was not what I wanted to do, so I stay close to how the structure of the recorded songs actually sound.”

Usually strapped behind a red mahogany acoustic guitar with various instruments like a saxophone to one side and percussion on the other, it usually starts with some thumbing on the guitar, followed by a simple non-chord string strumming. Add in a basic guitar rhythm, and he is off to meander through solos, harmonics, bridges, choruses and wherever else his emotions take him.

You cannot blame him for wanting to do it all. He’s been surrounded by music his entire life and immersed in a creative culture since his pre-teen youth, picking up the sax at age 10 and having a friend teach him guitar by the age of 13. Orr was able to quickly pick up musical instruments and learn them quickly, along with the discovery that he also has vocal talent.

Throughout high school and college, Orr spent time in several different bands ranging in various styles.

“I have always been in bands with two songwriters, and there was a degree of pressure to it.”

Between the last band he participated in and The Last Domino, something happened. Orr needed a break and moved to Chicago for a brief period. His outlook was not so good. He was in a position in life where he did not know what to do and did not have his friends close to help support him. Not long after the Chicago move, he went through a mental collapse and eventually checked himself into a stress center.

“It was overwhelming,” he said. “I was afraid that I could not produce what other songwriters could. I got over it with medication.”

After checking himself in, he was diagnosed with depression and social anxiety.

“I always knew there was something not right with me chemically. I would be overtly conscious about everything. I can understand people who are on meds. There are those who say that you are weak if you take meds, and you can get over it without medical aid, but I can relate. I have been on meds since 2005, and I feel like I’m more fortunate than a lot of people. I know people who are still trying different combinations of drugs just to get it right. Luckily, it worked for me on the first try.

“With this, I discovered everything good about myself. I was able to hit the ground running.”

When he moved back to Indianapolis, a friend bought him a guitar, and it gave him a renewed opportunity to explore his own personal creativity. He began with covers of songs and then added in original music, which makes up his first EP Romanticide.

“Romanticide was something I just needed to get out. My first gigs were at Potbelly in Chicago. I played two-to-three shows with nothing but covers. It was the first time playing solo and working with acoustic material. My general mood at the time was a feeling of neuroses.”

That mood played into the ideology of writing about fictitious scenarios and an escape from the self, as well as Orr staying away from what he calls cliche elements like “chics and love.” His music was more about the bottom of the glass and Mark Eitzel-esque meanderings.

Then almost two years later came Seconds, his first full-length.

“Seconds is complete fiction with ideas and ethos based around the characters I’m writing about. There is always a part of me even in a fictional sense. It’s fun to stretch out my acting chops in songs.”

His fictitious values comes from his ability to also be a skilled writer.

“My dad was such a grammar nazi,” he said. “I was in spelling bees, and he would make me read so much in a certain amount of time.”

All of this helped play into his skills as a writer.

“I’m not about what word rhymes with another word. I found my niche when I started writing rhyme schemes and metaphors that adhere to a form that tells a story. I love those musicians who don’t pigeonhole themselves as artists. I still love ‘90s alternative music at heart. The Colour And The Shape by The Foo Fighters or Mellon Collie by Smashing Pumpkins, those are great albums.”

The need to incorporate more personal elements of his life into his songwriting came when writing his most recent release Diamond Days & Firenights, documenting his life from the past four years. For him, it works best when he can write what he wants and not succumb to a certain standard.

“On some subconscious level I do keep it personal where I would hope that people can really relate. One night I met a girl at one of the all ages show. She wanted my autograph. I would not sign it and told her that I’m not famous. But after talking to her, I eventually did sign something for her. Later I became friends with her on Facebook. I found out she was going through the same thing I was going through and my music helped her. It’s something every musician hopes for.”

As Orr recorded all the songs on Diamond Days & Firenights by himself, he brought Evans and Foster together to bring a richer live experience. With this, it brought more power, energy, and emotion to Orr’s music. Plus it gives a degree of malleability for Orr to use both in the studio and on stage. He’s even re-wrote some of his earlier songs to fit into the full band structure and give his earlier tunes greater depth.

It also gives him the opportunity to play a wider range of events from a place like Birdy’s to doing something like La Vida Variety. Orr is a chameleon, and he’s able to transform himself into any situation and adapt and fit in to any act that surrounds him.

“I remember the exact moment I thought of the idea to do a variety show. We played a show in Chicago and had to stay until the last band because the club was in a basement and we couldn’t load up. The promoters ended up booking seven bands, and we had to stick around until 2 a.m. By the time for us to get paid the owner gave us 10 dollars. All the local bands got 100 bucks each.

“Our bassist went home while David and I stayed with a friend. I was seething. I woke up the next day and still felt like crap and was going to shelf Last Domino. But I ended up finding my friend’s copy of The Flaming Lips’ The Fearless Freaks. I watched it for the first time, and it completely rejuvenated me. I called up my friend Phil who is a comedian and said we are going to do a variety show. Then at the Indianapolis Music and Arts Festival, I talked to Paul from Lord of the Yum Yum, and he wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to come out swinging with this first show and pulled out all the stops.”

But with Orr’s recent work, don’t expect him to admit that he has made it and don’t expect him to slow down anytime soon. He’s currently working on an acoustic album and another album with the full band.

“People come up to me all the time and ask if I made it. I haven’t made it. When I’m not making music, I work at a bank. I do this because I love it.”

Check out the band’s website for all of the information relating to Orr and The Last Domino: http://www.thelastdomino.com/index.html

While that is sometimes a good thing, if done properly, it makes one reminisce back to the late ‘80s when the coffee shop scene was booming with strange, eclectic instrumental groups that existed more in the classical sense of multi-instrumentalism. Poets and musicians alike flooded the downtown java joints to pluck out the evening on a rooftop down Ohio Street, or embed themselves in a basement on New Jersey. Musicians grabbed whatever they could fit in a suitcase and acclimated themselves to an environment that allowed them to be creative and diverse without sacrificing the essence of their style.

(Photo by Gary Mead)

For Rod Schindler, he has taken that philosophy to heart with Tonos Triad, keeping things simple and all of his instruments confined to none other than a vintage, baby blue suitcase.

“I didn’t want to tangle with a lot of gear,” Schindler said. “I don’t envy bands that are hauling in amps and big stacks to a gig. We originally wanted to play all acoustic, but you just cannot do that.”

From left: Aaron Ransdell, Rod Schindler, and Yevgeny Baburin (Photo by Gary Mead)

For as diverse as the Noblesville three piece is, their set up is quite simple. Schindler trades off between an accordion, a mandolin, and a melodica. Aaron Ransdell towers above on a double bass, while Yevgeny Baburin effortlessly riffs on a classical guitar, plucking away notes with pieces of ping pong balls cut out and glued to his fingertips, a simple solution to the long fingernail technique that is common with classical guitar playing only without the long fingernails.

“It started with the accordion,” said Schindler. “I got a small one and Aaron bought a cello, then the melodica. Aaron wrote this piece that sounded good with a mandolin, so we introduced that into the mix.”

Rod Schindler (Photo by Gary Mead)

…And about that suitcase? Schindler not only uses it for hauling gear and to display the band’s signage, — handwritten on a cut-out paper bag stretched along the front of the case — but he also converted it into a suitcase drum kit, using the suitcase as a kick drum and a cardboard box as the snare.

“I was really fascinated with the suitcase set up The Eels had on The Eels With Strings’ Live At Town Hall. He was playing this old tanned suitcase and something that looked like a 50-gallon drum. And it sounded good.

“I asked a couple people what they thought I should use as a snare. One day I was talking to my best friend from Wisconsin, who suggested a shoe box. I didn’t use a shoe box, but instead tried a cardboard box. I grabbed a generic USPS box and turned it inside out. I still use the original box to this day.”

A utility mic and some brushes go into creating a laid-back and cool percussive instrument that not only visually identifies the band, but also really adds character to their well-rounded sound. When you see Tonos Triad play, you cannot help but be mesmerized into watching what they do and how they do it.

“Our favorite show is where you can play a room where everyone can sit back, and they want to hear the music,” said Ransdell. “The appeal to this band is that if you don’t like what you are hearing, just wait for a few minutes. It’s still fun to watch people like us play all of these types of instruments.”

Aaron Ransdell (left) and Rod Schindler (Photo by Gary Mead)

After intrigue dissipates, you begin to discover that these people can really play each and every instrument as accomplished musicians with a breath of stylistic diversity rarely seen in a band. From sea shanty to gypsy jazz, waltz rhythm to tango, there is no boundary this band is tied to.

“We would like to say that we are decent song crafters,” said Schindler. “It doesn’t matter what the instrumentation is as long as the song is good. We incorporate a pop element to the songs, a verse-chorus-bridge style with sometimes an outro section or space for some avant-garde experimentation. And even though Yev’s style is completely different while Aaron and I tend to write similar instrumental styles, it works out really well.”

But a band of this caliber was not easy at first.

“The sound was more of a crutch to us at first because we didn’t know what direction to take,” said Ransdell. “It took up to a year to develop enough material to go out and play. During the early gigs, we would play our set list twice.”

“It was tough at first for me,” Baburin added. “It took six-to-eight months to really get comfortable. At first we asked ourselves, ‘Is this good? Does this sound good?’

“We didn’t know if we would watch our own band,” Ransdell continued. “We just practiced our asses off, got out and played coffee shop gigs. We terrorized every coffee shop we could find.”

They played and people came, with numbers increasing and more interest every time.

“Practice hard first then gig is our policy,” said Schindler. “We practice twice a week for two-to-three hours with a gig usually on a Friday or Saturday.”

This strict discipline developed from three people who grew up in the classical tradition of proper music training. For Schindler, he may have spent the last decade jamming with bands, but being a graduate with a music degree from the University of Wisconsin also paved the way for him to teach guitar for the last seven-to-eight years. While at the university, he focused on the technological and recording side of the business. He came to Indianapolis as an intern for Air Born Studio in Zionsville, as well as teaching at Meridian Music.

Between then and now, he worked at the Indianapolis Museum of Art where he met Ransdell.

“When we applied and started working there, we had to give a brief bio of ourselves to co-workers during orientation. When they asked what we did, and I said that I was a musician and was into recording, Aaron had the same response.”

“After Rod talked about what he did, and my turn came to give my bio, I just said: ‘Everything that he said!,’” Ransdell laughed, pointing over to Schindler. “After that we became friends.”

For Ransdell, he was required to take two years of piano instructions in elementary school. By sixth grade, he had the option of picking what he wanted to play.

Aaron Ransdell (Photo by Gary Mead)

“My last name starts with an ‘R,’ and they went down the list in alphabetical order,” he said. “Everyone picked things like saxophone and trumpet. When it came time for me to pick, not much was left, so I chose the tuba.”

The tuba became a part of his lifestyle all the way through high school not knowing it would pay off down the road. On the side, Ransdell picked up the guitar and taught himself how to play.  By 15, he may have been comfortable playing guitar, but he had an ear for the bass. The tuba transitioned to a bass guitar and he never looked back.

“In my mind, you are a bass player,” said Schindler. “You are a bass guy who plays guitar.”

The two spent time at the Wheeler Arts Community in Fountain Square. The manufacturing plant turned art residency was the perfect environment to help tap into their eclectic creativity. With some different art style and artist around every corner, it was a way to gather the gamut of the Indianapolis arts community all under one roof, and a great way to form a band.

Ransdell moved on to work at Meridian Music. One day Baburin came in to get his classical guitar re-strung. The initial conversation did not start out so well.

“You get jaded with all types of people who think they know more than you. Yev came in  to get his guitar re-strung, and the way you have to re-string a classical guitar is difficult, and it just pissed me off. He kept making small talk and asked if I was in a band. I told him no and kept giving him short answers, hoping he would go away. He went over to play some of the guitars on the wall and just tore it up. I immediately thought, ‘This guy really knows his chops!’ When he came back, I asked him if he wanted to be in a band.”

Yevgeny Baburin (Photo by Gary Mead)

Rock and roll was what Baburin started out playing, joining a high school metal band. It was his first taste of the recording experience, recording and releasing an album of his own.

“I had to buy my own album,” joked Baburin.

He went to IUPUI, and learned how to properly play guitar. For a few years he learned classical technique, but exchanged that for a journalism degree while still picking up his guitar on the side.

When he joined Tonos Triad, he was as intrigued as he was skeptical.

“At first, I couldn’t keep up. They definitely had the chops. I thought it was really funky. But the more we played the more it came together, which in turn gave me more confidence in the band.”

Rod Schindler (left) and Yevgeny Baburin (Photo by Gary Mead)

Lots of hours were logged in practice until enough material was collected to make their debut album. With the combined experience and connections they made, it all came together within a weekend as they converted Schindler’s house into a studio. They hired Paddington Productions to come over and set up their gear, using his teaching space for their recording gear and snaked the mics into the living room where the band set up.

“We met Andrew Malott from Paddington,” said Schindler. “We played him our music, and he loved it. They came out to record us at Bitus, which is this open mic-ish kind of gig.  They came out with their high-tech gear and under hostile conditions got a recording of the night.”

“Setting up high-end, fragile equipment is not an easy thing to do, let alone getting a great recorded sound,” said Ransdell.

But they did it, and it began a great relationship between them and the band. A month before the album session, they did a quick and dirty two-track recording. It was a way for them to just spend time getting to know and study the material.

By recording time, everything was recorded live to tape with very little overdubs. Even the overdubs they had to do lined up perfectly without modification.

“It’s just not normal for that to happen,” said Ransdell. “All of that practice paid off.”

The result is a musical journey through style and elegance, from the dimly-lit, flamenco-infused “Solewhole” and the Jobim-esque Brazillian jazz number “Gulro Joint” to some ragtime with a little swing mixed in (“Gypsy Treasures”) and just cool jazz experimentation like on “Three Martinis.”

The key element to any Tonos Triad song is melody. According to Schindler, if you don’t have melody, you don’t have a song, as it is incorporated into all modern music.

“Underneath the accordion and suits, we are really just rockers,” said Schindler. “We like a bag of different stuff.”

And that esprit de corps is something that stands out beyond anything else.  Whether you catch them live at the Castleton Grill one evening as they set the mood for your evening meal, at some intimate event playing outside on dirt, or on a lavish stage opening for someone like Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, you can be certain that they put on a high-quality show no matter what the environment is. Every twist and turn is an experience to be hold as Schindler boasts how they have the most universal audience and experiences.

Aaron Ransdell (Photo by Gary Mead)

“We have to be careful where we play,” Schindler continued. “The reason we fit in a place like that is that we are not singer-songwriters. We don’t sing, we simply let the music speak for yourself.”

Rod Schindler (left) and Yevgeny Baburin (Photo by Gary Mead)

One thing the band does not do much of is improvisation. All of their songs are structured to an extent. Most of their songs are in the five minutes or less category as they have a strict no jamming or extended solo policy.

“I like that we don’t play three songs for an hour and a half,” Ransdell said. “We play more like 20 songs in an hour and a half.”

Whatever the band does or wherever they go, the biggest charge is when they see people become genuinely interested in their music and witness the audience making that connection. It’s why they keep their musical beginnings and the coffee shop days near to them.

“Coffee shops are a great grassroots place because you can sit down and concentrate,” said Schindler. “Something like the Castleton Grill is perfect because you can have a nice meal and check out original music.”

“I think it’s really great that they bring in live music like that,” Ransdell added. “Restaurants usually pipe in Muzak. Who wants to hear Kenny G playing Bobby McFerrin songs during their meal?”

To keep an eye on the band’s upcoming performances, order their music, or simply find out more information about them, you can go to www.tonostriad.com.

From left: Rod Schindler, Aaron Ransdell, and Yevgeny Baburin (Photo by Gary Mead)