How To Grow Youth Issue 001

H O W T O G R O W Y O U T H

March 01, 2012 Issue 001

March 01, 2012

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the very first issue of How to Grow Youth, a magazine for young adults. I’m Marielle

Argueza, the chief editor and creator of HGY.

For a little background, I’m a literature major and anthropology minor at the University of

California in Santa Cruz. Though I am only a first year, I have for sometime accumulated an

interest in media and its effect on the population. As college made me realize in all its hyper-politics

and media-savvy, I should pick carefully about what I truly care about. And in further depth I

concluded that I should really care about the entire world. But hey I’m one person so, I’d say I care

most about my generation. And to really simplify that statement, I mean I care about you and I and

how we develop as human beings.

Too easily, our generation is swept up in useless ideals, models, and opinions that are not formed

by our own reasoning but by sensationalized scandal, media, or exaggerated opinion. Personally, I

want this magazine to make help you form your own opinion or validate the ones you already had.

This magazine, as serious as it sounds tries to hit the points that young adults should care about. So

yes there will be sensitive political theory, environmental or educational issues thrown in there, but

this magazine is meant to be readable and relatable. Meaning the things that get us by, like music,

art, and fashion, will be tossed in this magazine. And those unsaid personal issues like moving-out

or relationships will be addressed as well.

In short, I want this magazine to help you, the reader, sort out all the thoughts in your head (that

may or may not be yours) and reaffirm/form your own. I hope you enjoy this legendary first

issue! I’m excited for you, you have no idea!

Much Love,

Marielle Argueza

Chief Editior

LETTER TO THE READER: 001

Contact at: [email protected]

MACKENSIE NOELLE LEEK PHOTOGRAPHY

Photo: ©2012 Mackensie Noelle Leek

An Interview with: Arlene Rayas By Marielle Argueza

March 01, 2012

A small scale magazine that’s just starting

off is quite a task of organization when

faced with the questions of who you know,

what you know, and how well you will do.

But then again that’s life in general and

being a young adult, those same questions,

mean a whole lot more. So when mentally

filing who I would interview for the very

first issue I wanted to interview someone

remarkable. I wanted someone I didn’t

know too well but just from the very few

encounters left me intrigued.

Arlene Rayas is nothing short of every

expectation I had for this interview. Arlene

has got quite a talent for acting, but brings a

very realistic point of view to life outside of

her career. She experiences and life like

most middle class Americans. The

difference is she’s just 19 years old and has

a dream she’d love to pursue. With no need

for college, Arlene is set out to do some

great things. For now she resides in the

passivity of Monterey, but has plans for the

future.This is my interview with one

remarkable woman.

MA: I first discovered your acting

abilities in 2009 in Rhyan Sander’s

production of The Effects of Gamma

Rays on Man on the Moon

Marigolds. That was definitely not

supposed to be for a high school

audience. But it was amazing. Where

does that character come from? You

were the straight up crazy-bitch

mother.

AR: Oh my, I know!

MA: I was shaking from your

performance

AR: I don’t know. I mean I do know. A

lot of acting comes from your past

experiences and not just pretending

you’re someone. A lot of my

inspiration from that comes from my

own mother. I mean my mom’s not

an alcoholic or a psycho bitch. But I

think she’s just a very young mom,

like Beatrice was. But living with

such a difficult mom can get really

get to you now and then.

MA: We can all relate.

AR: Yeah we can all relate. But then you

know, in that show—I have an

An Interview with Arlene Rayas by Marielle ArguezA

Mar

epileptic daughter. I have a burn-out

daughter who’s basically just

sleeping with the whole high school.

My father just recently passed away.

And in order to get to that you have

to imagine that happened to you. I’ve

lost an uncle. My sister and I weren’t

very close. I was dealing with my

own demons. You know drugs and

what not. But then again I had a

wonderful director Rhyan Sanders—

I mean Rhyan Hamilton, as he is

known now: Mr. Rhyan Hamilton.

So he really helped me with it

because he kept pushing and

pushing. He knew I was insecure

about my acting.

MA: Oh really?

AR: Oh yeah, incredibly! I feel like

everyone has their insecurities. You

feel like you’re not good at it. And

when people tell you it’s great, you

think it’s so people will get your

hopes up or to make you feel better.

But then you yourself don’t feel like

it. You feel like your shit. You feel

like wow, that’s nothing, it’s just a

high school show. Conservatories

aren’t going to see this shit. It’s

experience and the will to put on a

good show so you won’t disappoint

your director.

MA: Wow. So as an artist how do you feel

when people actually look at your

show? I’ve seen a lot a plays in

modern theater. But I can safely say

that the stuff I see in that theater was

not like your show. So do you take

the critiques as nothing or do you use

them to your advantage?

AR: Oh no. Never. Obviously, I get a lot

of tough criticism. I get a lot of bad

criticism from people who have

more experience in this industry. But

a lot of the times I get a critiques

from people like MPC directors, or

like PacRep, Paper Wing, or people

who have been doing this for years

tell me: “You have something. You

really should pursue it.” So with that

I keep it in the back of my head. So

it’s like okay they told me that. But

then I get people telling me “you talk

to fast!” “You’re awkward on

stage!” Things like “What’s up with

your face?!” Or like “I don’t like

your teeth!” Which is true because I

don’t either, but whatever. You just

have to keep it all balanced. Balance!

Balance! Like everything in the

world Balance! Balance! Balance

when you pee. Balance when you‟re

fucking having sex or something. It‟s

an everyday thing for me. I act

everyday.

MA: Well you do live in your art so…

AR: Exactly! I do.

MA: Speaking of pursing careers and

speaking of the institutions, like

schools that critique you. What about

pursing acting in school? What

makes you different from other

actors who choose to pursue their

dream through institutions and

colleges?

AR: The thing with that is, that I don‟t

come from a family that grew up

with wealth and you know money. A

lot of them are very privileged. And

I don‟t want to say they can buy their

way into school, because obviously

they have to audition to get into the

college of their dreams. But the

money helps a lot. I don‟t have the

money which is why I‟m not even

going into MPC, because I can‟t

even afford MPC with the loans.

Loans are a bitch. They‟re bitches!

In time people don‟t need school, but

it helps. Even for a semester.

MA: Even I would prefer not to have to sit

five hours in class reading some

bullshit essays, but it‟s art I suppose

and you have to chase it somehow.

AR: The thing about art, and acting

school again is one of my pet peeves

is every time you enter a new school

you have to enter from the bottom

again. Levels like “beginner”,

“intermediate”, and “advance.” They

just judge you from how much

knowledge you have academically

you know? And I don‟t think that‟s

fair because you have obviously

talented people that are way better at

acting than the next fucking guy in

Hollywood.

MA: I guess it‟s because those who can‟t

afford college and don‟t believe in

college have to get there on another

path that isn‟t so obvious. So they

want it more. They‟re basically

making up for that lack of a degree.

AR: I mean I‟ll take a class. I have too!

But not here. I‟m actually thinking

about running away to L.A. within

the next months. I could sleep in

hotel restrooms, and ask random

people to let me shower in their

homes. But obviously, if you want to

be a chemical engineer yeah you

have to go to school. But you don‟t

have to go to school for art. Art was

born in the streets! We have street

performers, street singers, street

walkers…I mean PROSTITUTION

IS AN ART! I mean c‟mon?! They

have a gift. I mean who else can

make someone happy and get paid

for it? They make money off their

looks and their skills.

MA: On the subject of money, what are

you doing instead of the traditional

college path? What is your way?

AR: I‟m just trying to get myself known

by the community theater. I know a

lot of people around this town that

can truly help me. But then it comes

down to how proud you are, because

I‟m all for being generous. I‟d do

anything to help someone out. But

when you‟re on the other side of the

spectrum you‟re like „Aw, Shit!‟ I

don‟t want them to pity me.

MR: It‟s like just begging some director to

let you do lights!

AR: Yeah, it‟s exactly what I was telling

you. I‟m selling myself for the

Theater! But no I‟ve been

auditioning everywhere. And I get

call backs. Sometimes you don‟t get

call backs, but that‟s expected. But

we live in Monterey, so that tells you

that much.

MA: Ha! Speaking of bustling cities!

AR: I‟m not trying to be pessimistic but I

keep it real. I keep it really real. But

follow your dreams, you got to get

out of here. They‟ll having the

stepping stones here but if you want

to do something big, get out of your

town.

MA: So with that question, why are you

still grounded here?

AR: I‟m afraid to be disappointed in

myself. By myself. And if you spend

a year here, and a year there you start

to double guess yourself. You‟re like

„What the fuck is wrong with me?!

I‟m giving them everything. I‟m

giving them everything they‟ve been

asking for!” And I‟ve been trying to

leave since I graduated, but even that

feels like forever ago. You‟re lucky

you left. I mean even if you are

forty-five minutes away you’re still

kind of gone.

MA: I guess, but I mean being a college

student you’re not completely free.

You’re better off being out there a

alone, because you’re already

detaching yourself anyways. Being a

away at college still keeps you on a

leash, with your parents, with their

expectations, with your expectations.

AR: And I think that’s why I’m still here.

My family. My family is struggling,

I mean I have—I juggle one to three

jobs a year just to pay rent and get

food because I love them. And I

can’t leave knowing that they’re not

at a good place. So I’m kind of

sacrificing my own dream in order to

kick-start theirs. It sucks, it does.

But I’m losing—well not losing

everything but putting it aside.

MA: Do you think your family then is one

of those balancing acts too? Do you

have to balance them with your own

dreams?

AR: No. They’re not. I mean they can be,

but I want to make sure they’re okay.

MA: So you want to secure them before

you secure yourself?

AR: Oh yea, I mean I’m very

spontaneous. I can leave after this

interview if I wanted and say ‘See ya

guys later! I’m gonna jump on a train

and go to San Francisco.’ I’ll see

how I make money there. I don’t

know how to answer that question

really. Family, money, the fear of

realizing ‘oh shit, maybe this isn’t’

what I should be doing.’ Even

though I feel like it is.

MA: You’ll get there! Which city do you

plan on heading out next? Pick a

city, any city! If you could choose

one and be successful and amazing.

AR: Any city I like?! The actor’s cliché

New York. I’d go there. And if not

L.A. I mean it’s such a groggy little

town—I mean it’s huge, but people

act and get famous. Even really bad

actors, like who’s the one girl

Kristen Stewart?! The Twilight girl.

She can’t fucking act. This is her

face (imitates a blank face). When

she’s sad, happy, or screaming. It’s

blank and she’s dating Robert

Pattinson and he’s hot! So you’ll be

getting postcards from me in L.A. I

guess. Unless of course I end up in

Alabama.

MA: You won’t end up in Alabama! I’m

sure you’ll hate it there. Any parting

words before we finish?

AR: Don’t double guess yourself.

Whoever is reading this don’t double

guess yourself. If people say you

have talent and you’re passionate

about it doubt it. Pursue it! If you

have fucking talent you just have to

fucking go for it! You can do it. I’m

fucking struggling, but I’m going to

do it. People can crush you like an

ant but you got to be like bionic ant

and just not let them crush you.

Again believe in yourself!

Race: Does it exist? So What if it Does? By: Danna Agha

March 01, 2012

“It’s quite sad, I’ll tell you that and unfortunately it matters to this day.”

In case you missed the memo, of course race

exists. If it didn‟t, humans would not exist.

On that note, what kind of race is it exactly?

Is it a race back to the starting line? What‟s

the prize at the end of this so-called human

race? Is there a first, second, and third place?

Take a moment to get comfortable while I

massage your mind with my opinion. Ready?

Okay, me too.

The problem here, yes I‟m going to

call it that from here on out since I‟ve been

faced with it one too many times, is that this

“race” concept is so misinterpreted on most

occasions. I‟m just going to take a radical

guess and assume that most people, meaning

you, associate race and ethnicity in the same

family. Well, if you‟re anything like me, that‟s

absolutely normally if do so. We are human.

We are one race. We are the ones who

decided to group this race into teams (see

what I did there?). Ethnicities stem from the

race concept. After all, it‟s bound to happen;

we‟re only human, right? We have this need

to section things off by categories and labels.

I, being a sardonic college slacker, have this

guilty conscious of sectioning people off into

subgroups upon subgroups until before you

know it, I have created an elaborate scheme of

categorized people when really, I shouldn‟t

have. So . . . don‟t be too surprised that this

problem is all over the place with hush-hush

Take a moment to get comfortable

while I massage your mind with

my opinion. Ready? Okay, me too.

The problem here, yes I’m

going to call it that from here on

out since I’ve been faced with it

one too many times, is that this

“race” concept is so misinterpreted

on most occasions. I’m just going

to take a radical guess and assume

that most people, meaning you,

associate race and ethnicity in the

same family. Well, if you’re

anything like me, that’s absolutely

normally if do so. We are human.

We are one race. We are the ones

who decided to group this race into

teams (see what I did there?).

Ethnicities stem from the race

concept. After all, it’s bound to

happen; we’re only human, right?

We have this need to section things

off by categories and labels. I,

being a sardonic college slacker,

this “race” concept is so misinterpreted on most

occasions. I’m just going to take a radical guess

and assume that most people, meaning you,

associate race and ethnicity in the same family.

Well, if you’re anything like me, that’s


We are one race. We are the ones who decided

to group this race into teams (see what I did

there?). Ethnicities stem from the race concept.

After all, it’s bound to happen; we’re only

human, right? We have this need to section

things off by categories and labels. I, being a

sardonic college slacker, have this guilty

conscious of sectioning people off into



categorized people when really, I shouldn’t

have. So . . . don’t be too surprised that this



know it, I have created an elaborate scheme

of categorized people when really, I shouldn’t



opinions and such.

Hell, growing up I was submerged in

all kinds of people from all backgrounds and

the ever so common “walks of life” metaphor.

Yours truly, being raised in multiple countries

with an avalanche of people coming in and

out of her life, has experienced people from

all over this planet. Race didn’t play such a

major role in it for I only saw people, simply

that. It wasn’t until I was taught about race

and what it meant for us as human beings that

I honestly took a much broader look at the

full human spectrum. It was quite sad, I’ll tell

you that and unfortunately it matters to this

day.

So, maybe I wasn’t too off when I was

asking rhetorical questions early on about the

human race. I’d like to think we are simply

racing back to the starting line and keep

running around this little blue planet trying to

get farther and seem better only to realize that

we’re all going the same pace, at the same

time. In the end, it doesn’t really matter all

that much, or does it?


going to call it that from here

on out since I’ve been faced

with it one too many times, is

opinions and such.

Hell, growing up I was

submerged in all kinds of

people from all

backgrounds and the ever

so common “walks of

life” metaphor. Yours

truly, being raised in

multiple countries with

an avalanche of people

coming in and out of her

life, has experienced

people from all over this

planet. Race didn’t play

such a major role in it for

I only saw people, simply

that. It wasn’t until I

truly, being raised in multiple countries with

an avalanche of people coming in and out of

her life, has experienced people from all

over this planet. Race didn’t play such a



and what it meant for us as human beings

that I honestly took a much broader look at

the full human spectrum. It was quite sad,

I’ll tell you that and unfortunately it matters

to this day.

So, maybe I wasn’t too off when I

was asking rhetorical questions early on

about the human race. I’d like to think we

are simply racing back to the starting line

Above: A picture of the Richard Perry Loving (left) and Mildred Loving (right). The couple was convicted of „interracial marriage‟ which was illegal in Virgina, US in 1959. 1967 the Supreme Court in the US ruled „miscegenation‟ unconstitutional.

So, maybe I wasn’t too off when I was asking

rhetorical questions early on about the human

race. I’d like to think we are simply racing

back to the starting line and keep running

around this little blue planet trying to get

farther and seem better only to realize that


time. In the end, it doesn’t really matter all that

much, or does it?

For more of Danna’s writing go to:

http://lungclam.blogspot.com

FACING THE THRESHOLD

By Nina Driel

March 01, 2012

Leave the car at home, turn down

the heater a couple of degrees

and only buy food that’s grown in

your area; those are just a few

examples of how to protect the

environment. Still, people don’t

seem to use those easy ways of

contributing to save our planet.

The problem is not necessarily

that they don’t care, but people

are ignorant of the fact that

taking care of our environment is

not that hard. It is starting to

become common knowledge yet

the number of people that do

know how to protect the planet is

growing.

So even though people might

know, not much is being done. Why

don’t people take the effort of

going a little further? Why don’t

they incorporate those little

actions into their lives?

University students seem to know

pretty well why this happens.

“You need to get it into your

system, it needs to become a

routine rather than a burden”,

Paula (18, student) observes. “It’s

like a threshold you need to pass;

it seems hard at first, but once

you’re in, you’re in”. Jessy (19,

student) thought about it a little

differently: “It’s all about the

way you were brought up. If your

parents are into it, you will be

too. I mean, you won’t be some

kind of ‘save the environment’-

freak, but I was brought up

splitting the garbage in order to

recycle it, things like that. When

I moved out, I proposed this to

my roommate and she looked at

me like I was crazy. After I

explained it she understood, but

she would never have come up

with it”. A third explanation was

offered to me by Aletta (19,

student) and Joyce (18, student):

“People knowingly keep

themselves from taking the

effort to do something, because

all the results are long-term.

Why would they turn down the

heater so maybe, years from now,

people might be able to take

advantage of it”? This statement

might best explain the problem:

at first, there are too many

“maybes” and “likes” in it.

Second, people can’t see any

results. This is partly because

the only way to conceive a result

is by having everyone contribute.

Most people feel like it wouldn’t

make any difference what they do,

if all the others keep themselves

from helping. They can only see

loss: it will take up their time,

and more importantly, their

money. As many of you might

know, the Dutch are known to be

cheap. I would like to take down

this prejudice, but I’m afraid it

is based on truth. I’m not saying

all people are like that, I’m not

saying it’s taking control of our

lives; but money is important in

many decisions.

But there is good stuff is

happening as well. Jong Ondernemen (young

entrepreneurs) is an education

program in which young adults

(the equivalent of 11th and 12th

graders) are taught about

entrepreneurship. They are

supposed to set up their own

business, in whatever way they

want. Research amongst those

students showed that there is an

increase in the awareness of our

planet. The students base

themselves on the “Triple P”:

People, Profit, and, most

importantly, Planet. The idea is

that they consider those aspects,

which everyone does. But an

increasing amount of people

actually incorporates the

“Planet” part into their business.

And if people can take it into

their business, why wouldn’t they

take it into their lives?

Truth is there is still a lot to be

done. There is a start, however:

awareness is not the problem.

And I understand exactly what

the problem is, because this is

my problem as well; it’s not on

your mind, it takes up time,

money, effort. Like I said before,

money is a big thing, especially

amongst people that are my age:

college students. In Holland,

when you move out, you have to

provide your own food, and you

suddenly have to think about how

much money you spend. So buying

food that might help the

environment is out of the

question. Other things, however,

are easy and even save some

money. And I think that’s why

Dutch people are pretty good at

it. No other country in the world

has a percentage of bike-riding

people as high as the

Netherlands. To most people,

especially young people, a

bicycle is their main form of

transportation, for different

reasons: it’s convenient, cheap,

easy. And no CO2 emission. I also

know I have to pay more for my

gas when I turn on the heater too

much.

So actually, I don’t think there is

a lot to worry about. Let’s at

least support the people that

actually go out of their way to

protect the environment. They

don’t deserve being made fun of

because they care. Be grateful to

the people that decide to ride a

bike instead of driving a car.

Those are the people that provide

a future for the children you

might have, and if not yours,

other people’s. And think about

this: a little effort is never a

bad thing. Maybe you should go

out of your way too every now

and then, and before you know it,

you’re used to doing it. It might

seem like you do it for nothing

but it takes a whole lot of ants

to build a giant anthill. Kill one

and nothing will happen. But kill

them all, and nothing will be

built.

Confused? You shouldn’t be. Why

shouldn’t you look like a badass every

single day this Spring? There’s really is no

good reason, so be bold! Whether where

you live/vacation is warm or still chilly in

Spring, layering classic and old-fashion

textures was never a bad idea.

Boys, instead of classic denims jeans go

for canvas. It’s almost just as sturdy and

gives that same rustic feel as denim.

(Check out Levis ™ for an array of

canvas pants!)

It’s also about time to brave an

embellished leather jacket. Accentuate the

badassery with perfectly placed studs, and

if you’re really bold spikes. (Just make

sure not flying anywhere, you’re sure to

be seen as a huge metal detector

trap…seriously.)

Top it all off with an equally textured

leather belt or some leather boots to

match. Then viola, you look like a badass!

Reclaiming Textures:

A Guide to Canvas for Men

By: Marielle Argueza

Leather and Canvas:

Scarves and Canvas:

Don’t be intimidated! It’s just a scarf.

Though the scarves have had a rep

for accessorizing some interesting (as

in distasteful) looks, with the right

textures, you can play off a scarf just

fine. Plus it’s really quite practical

when you want to keep warm.

If you’re going to wear a scarf decide

whether you want a solid color or a

patterned scarf. If you want to wear

a solid color make sure it’s textured

to make it stand out against the

plainer neutrals when you add a

canvas jacket. If you’re going to wear

a patterned scarf, make sure the

pattern is in neutral-ish colors/

shades. A pattern creates an interesting

focal point just by the repeating shapes, so

there’s no need to busy it up with bright

colors. Again, paired with a solid-colored

canvas jacket this outfit is sure to be

practical and flattering!

Photos: © 2011-2012 Marielle Argueza

The Cinema vs. The Theater By Arlene Rayas

March 01, 2012

Many people have a hard time deciding

what to do on a weekend night; nowadays

you can grab a bite to eat, bar hop etc… but

prior to such “delicate” recreations there

used to be merely two options: Go to the

Movies or watch a Play. There wasn’t much

to choose from. Or so they thought…

Theater has been around since 6 century

BC, starting in Ancient Greece- It was a

type of performance where live actors

entertained the wealthy and poor alike,

growing into a mass business like deal

over time. It can be transcended from

music, to speech, to dance all in one

production. It is one of the oldest forms of

art; right next to the visuals and musical.

As the art migrated to other civilizations,

each made it their own. For example, the

Romans’ made it an art of street

performing. Once hitting the west in the

15-16th

centuries, the infamous commedia

dell'arte and melodrama became fiercely

popular, thus giving the performing artist

a new kind of recognition

performing artist a new kind of recognition.

With the ability to transform themselves into

such a range of characters the Actor became

well known as chameleons, talented and stars;

as opposed to the disgraceful - “hoodlum”,”

Drunk” ,and “vile” (Given the influence of

political protest). But, that’s a different story.

Cinematography revolutionized everything in

the entertainment media; having been

developed for “Motion Pictures”, it focused more

on the movement, lighting and landscape…

moving pictures were something no one had

seen before, silent film overshadowed the art of

live performances. Being more technical and

much more difficult to captivate and very

popular, the motion picture became a

multimillion dollar business. In the movies,

special lenses, technology and long hours were

what differentiated this art from that of the

performing arts. As bizarre as it may seem to

most of us, “The silent era” of film producers

found it impossible to marry sound and image

together. With technology evolving Hollywood

(The birthplace of cinema to some) made the

impossible real with its first “Talkie”- this

opened doors to artists, cinematographers and

audiences all across America.








BC, starting in Ancient Greece- It was a type

of performance where live actors


growing into a mass business like deal over

time. It can be transcended from music, to

speech, to dance all in one production. It is

one of the oldest forms of art; right next to

the visuals and musical. As the art migrated

to other civilizations, each made it their

own. For example, the Romans’ made it an

art of street performing. Once hitting the

west in the 15-16th

centuries, the infamous

commedia dell'arte and melodrama became

fiercely popular, thus giving the

performingpperperforming

There’s a difference in effect seeing something off screen and on screen. Left: Meryl Streep playing Karen in the movie Out of Africa. Right: Meryl Streep playing Mother Courage in the play Mother Courage.

to most of us, “The silent era” of film

producers found it impossible to marry sound

and image together. With technology

evolving Hollywood (The birthplace of cinema

to some) made the impossible real with its

first “Talkie”- this opened doors to artists,

cinematographers and audiences all across

America.

As time went by, Theater and Cinema

became two of the most popularly forms

of Art in the 19th Century.

As time went by, Theater and Cinema became

two of the most popularly forms of Art in the

19th

Century. Many of the great movie actors

have derived from or have gone into the world

of Theater Arts. It’s become a natural motion to

mix both worlds together.

If you enjoy the beauty of an actor speaking up

on stage, while you sit just feet away from

them, you get the feeling of reality; Not

only moving camera shots, but the sense

of truly living the anger, passion,

on stage, while you sit just feet away from them,

you get the feeling of reality; Not only moving

camera shots, but the sense of truly living the

anger, passion, happiness the actor in front of

you is portraying. If you prefer to be in a dimly

lit room, watching explosions, Eating Popcorn or

being spooked by a Hollywood monster… The

Movies are your treat.

There is a very fine line between the differences

of the two, both are equally as enjoyable the, both

classic and you can never go wrong with either

one. So next time you are contemplating on what

to do That evening, check your local weekly…

save the grub and booze for a latter time, and

enjoy an intimate night with the performing

arts- captured on stage, or on a Screen.

Photo: © 2012 Andrew Whitton

What Did you Expect From the

Vaccines? By Vivian Guerra March 01, 2010

The Vaccines is a band that has been part of

the lists of new music published in

magazines and blogs. Their debut album

What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?

has reach the top in the UK charts recently.

But why is this band famous? Here I made a

review of the album which was released in

the 2010.

In general terms the sound of this band

reminds me of 50’s and 60’s rock and roll.

An old, dirty sound sometimes with a

“soft/vintage” touch. The first track is called

“Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)” which

introduces us in a quickly to the basic

sounds of The Vaccines in approximately a

minute. Then we have “If You Wanna”

which continues the line with similar

sounding guitars of the previous song and is

also just as fast, especially in the chorus.

There are hints in the lyrics that it may be

about forgetting or forgiving.

After that, is “A lack Of Understanding”

which introduces us to a sad atmosphere, as

the sound goes according to the lyrics with

this one in a simple way, without major

effects. “Blow It Up” reveals more guitar

distortion. The battery has main role. This

song makes references to being bored or

annoyed, as it says “Trippin’ out is fun on

the weekend/ But you feel as young with a

girlfriend/ I’m bored of trying to deal with

your ego/ Play if off like that and it will

though.”

“Wetsuit” call us to think about us, our

youth and people growing up. “Norgaard”

is reminiscent of “Wreckin’ Bar...” as it has

the same tones. It also correlates to the lyrics

along the lines of going out and describing

situations in a non-serious way, just having

fun. Then we have “Post Break-Up Sex” which

is one of the most famous and relevant songs of

the album, it was the second single of the band

as it the most viewed video on Youtube. It’s

very catchy from the beginning, and as the title

says, the singer asks himself if sex after a break

up could be good for him. No needs of

metaphors, the lyrics say it all.

In this album we can see differences in the way

the singer express his feelings, while “Under

your thumb” moves us to a love song, “All in

White” displaces us on the other side with a

melancholic sound/lyrics that main singer Justin

Young commented that it was about “jealousy

and victimizing yourself…”, also as a fact, this

song is the 4th to be released as a single. I think

“Wolf Pack” is a song that puts an end to the

doubts we may have of The Vaccines sound. As

one of the last songs, it validates the sound the

the Vaccines try to maintain. Finally, “Family

Friend”, a song with two noticeable parts,

closes the album in a steady way. The first part

overall cheery, the second one is a more

melancholic and takes away all the guitars and

battery that is essentially part of most of The

Vaccines songs.

All in all, I think What Did You Expect from

the Vaccines? Is a consistent album, because it

reminds us of the work they put in as a band to

reach their characteristic sound. In terms of

lyrics, they don’t use too many metaphors; they

go straight to the point. This point is important

to some bands and not others, but for the

Vaccine it looks like it really works well

because it makes a connection with the sound

they made which is fresh and “young”. Good

album for a start of a new band. They have

potential to do more. Hope to see an evolution

next album.

DOWNLOAD: What Did You Expect from

the Vaccines on iTunes

Producers: Dan Grech

Label: Columbia

Genre: Indie rock/Post-punk revival

“EL CAMINO” by Vivian CORAL GUERRA

March 01, 2012

Is it easy for a band to get good critiques and

be just as recognized for a new album, right

after huge successes with their previous

album? It’s rare. In this case, The Black Keys

released their new album El Camino shortly

after Brothers, which was the album that

made The Black Keys famous worldwide and

put them in the musical scene in commercial

terms. The album was produced almost within

40 days. The following is a review of what it

sounds like and what we get listening to it. it.

“Lonely Boy” all about what The Black Keys

lyrics and sound consist of: rock and roll,

passionate love/broken hearts, (for example

“But I came to love you anyway/ So you tore

my heart out/ And I don’t mind bleeding/ Any

old time you keep me waiting ”) strong guitar

chords, the impeccable voice of Dan Auerbach

and the super battery of Patrick Carney (Even

though he says that until now he doesn’t know

how to play the battery).

Then there is “Dead and Gone”; following

the Black Keys distinct sound but with a more

memorable chorus :“I’ll go anywhere you

go”. Also “Gold On The Ceiling” give us the

strokes of past albums. In fact, they just

announced that this song would be the second

single and have released the video for it.

Which is what I like about The Black Keys

because they have that characteristic sound

that anyone can hear in a chorus or part of a

song and can say “That’s The Black Keys”.

In my opinion, “Little Black Submarines” is

one of the most outstanding songs of the

album, exceptionally well written, as the

production. With “Money Maker” and

“Run Right Back” shows that the album

does not give any space for confusion, it is

uncomplicated, it’s easy to keep with the beat

in every song, and it doesn’t lose your

attention. In addition, it is said that is difficult

to keep the track of this album if you are only

used to the sound of the previous album








“Brothers”, but the fact is, that it is easier to

comprehend this album.

“Sister” goes to the old rock and roll sound,

and maybe taking some references of the

classics. Also, “Hell Of a Season” presents

the personal subjects of rejection and suffering

as it says “Say you’ll be better/I’ll keep

waiting forever/ You know I do/ Know I do,

oh”. Then it continues to refer to those kind

of problems in “Stop Stop” and “Nova Baby”

(which the starts to sound a littlbe different

than the rest of the album).

In terms of lyrics, “Mind Eraser” presents

that kind of story we have listened in the entire

album, trying to delete everything, even

though he can’t. In terms of sounds, it is

slower, but the rhythm doesn’t go down, it’s

still catchy and the guitar solo goes perfectly

with the song, as in the beginning to the end of

the album.

© 2011 Matt Ellis

This is a band that is not new, but in

every album has something new for their

audience to hear. They reinvented

themselves every time. As always, they

find no need to have a lot integrants, just

a few minds that know how to make

music, and that’s shows in this new

album. Made in quickly, after the “hype”

they had by many music magazine,

proving that they are not a band of a just

a year. That they are a band that always

have more to create. El Camino is that

proof. This is an excellent album from an

excellent band.

DOWNLOAD: El Camino on iTunes

PRODUCERS: The Black Keys and

Dangermouse

GENRE: Garage Rock/Blues Rock

LABEL: Nonesuch

RELEASED: December 6, 2011

© 2011 Danny Clinch

A Musical Chat: The Broken Bicycles By: Marielle Argueza

March 1, 2012

Photo: © Megan Maddux

Straight Out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, The Broken Bicycles aren’t your typical home studio band. The Broken Bicycles consist of Thomas Maddux (mostly uke and banjo), Turkeyes (lead vocals), and Kelsey (bassist and percussion) and have an upbeat sound with hard hitting poetic lyrics. Unlike most home-based artist, the Broken Bicycles have a forceful momentum when it comes getting their music out there. Since 2010 the Broken Bicycles have 4 releases, recorded and mastered mostly by the hands of Thomas himself. They‘re a home-based band minus all the naivety about the music industry all while keeping true to their

talents.

MA: No doubt musicians draw from what

surrounds them. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver came

out of the woods after a break up with a whole

album. What elements of your lives do you guys

draw from the most. There are three band

members so I feel like there’s a lot to draw

from. But your songs seem so honest and

uncomplicated.

Turkeyes: Well I write most of the lyrics.

Thomas: I’ve also written a lot about my exes

in this band as well. She writes a lot about her

relationships with her ex lovers as well as her

present lovers.

Turkeyes: Actually most of the songs are about

current lovers.

Thomas: I guess you just have to write from

what you know.

MA: You guys live in Minnesota. Minneapolis to

be exact. And a lot of your songs are about

nature. How do you guys integrate that with

your music? Do you think where you live also

inspires your music at all?

Thomas: I think so we have a song called

Minneapolis in the Summer available online.

That we wrote about living here year round in

our community and just everyday life in

Minneapolis.

MA: So many small scale artist start on the

internet. It’s the quickest way to communicate

and the best way to put your name out there.

As a group, how much does publicity matter? I

mean you’ve released a bunch albums within a

couple years. What the goal for you guys?

Thomas: I started a band with Turkeyes called El

Faunt & His Travelling Circus. And this band

was suppose to be a more lighthearted feeling

band because our band is this dark brooding

eight piece band. One of the things that we

agreed when we formed Broken Bicycles is to

have an album a year if we were going to get

any distance. So we actually sat down and

wrote seven songs before playing our first

show. I have a recording studio, so we recorded

the songs and we booked our first show in

Spring. We recorded our second album last

winter. Right now we’re actually at a recording

session for our third album along with our

single “Minneapolis in the Summer” we’ve

almost done four releases then. But our goal for

it to just write the music we want to write and

see where the music takes us. Now we have

Kelsey playing bass and she also plays drum and

percussion. She adds a more dynamic sound

and she’s making us a more full feeling band. I

think we kind of just let the music take us

where we’re going. One of the goals we have to

do one release a year. So we can keep hearing

how we’re evolving. For me it’s more fun to see

how the band slowly evolves, more than just

dramatically change in two years.

MA: So I know you guys want to see where the

music takes you but does it really matter how

popular you guys are?

Kelsey: I think it’s equal. Sometimes it’s more

about the music because everything we write is

coming from our heart. And we feel it and we

genuinely feel it. But we also want to market it

towards people who will enjoy and appreciate

just as much as we do.

Thomas: I remember we played a show in a

small bar in Saint Paul, Minnesota. There

weren’t many people there. But when we

played the song “Eternal Slumber” there was

this guy who slowly inched his way to the stage

as both of us were getting off and started to

quote our lyrics “you reside, in the inside of my

eyelids.” And it just struck a chord with him.

Having those interactions and knowing that he

felt that is why we do this. It for that intense

feeling you get when watching shows. That’s

the point with the song we’re writing is so we

connect to people just to kind of say to those

people it’s normal to feel what you feel.

MA: So why is it important for you guys to

record and master your own music? There’s

many popular folk bands like Fleet Foxes and

Mumford Sons who are great and have signed

on with huge labels, but don’t have the same

sound as those artist who do the whole process

themselves. You’ve guys been mastering your

own music for the most part.

Thomas: Well I’ve owned a recording studio

since I was 18 and I’ve always just enjoyed the

recording process. And for my point of view I’m

a multi-instrumentalist, I need a recording

studio just to see what I sound like. I don’t have

people at my house to tell me what I sound like

when I’m sitting around my house at 3 in the

morning when I have that urge to record. So

when you recorded multi-layerd multi-tracks it’s

a learning process over time. It’s one of the

things, where you do it yourself and it works so

we do it a lot. We master it ourselves because

we can. It saves money, we can get our music

out faster, and sell the CD’s cheaper. This album

we’re going to a gentlemen named Jim Mays to

master. He’s master all the other El Faunt & His

Travelling Circus albums. So it’s kind of like a

two for one deal. So we’re going to get

mastered through him so there will be a little

bit of a difference. So it will actually a bit more

layered. Although what we can do here at Old

Fashioned Records, I think we should have him

do it and branch out into the community and

have more artist involved in it.

MA: So do you think this will take away from

anything?

Thomas: I don’t think so. I always have a couple

people listen to it. What will happen is I’ll really

like this banjo line. Subconsciously, I’ll keep

putting it louder into the mix to the point where

it’s abrasively loud because I just love it so

much I have no idea how high it is up there. And

having other people tell me hey you ‘should

probably move that down!’ It’s kind of thing

where you have your friends read your papers.

MA: Nice, so it’s always collaborative. Apart

from your music, what music do you guys listen

to and does it inspire your music in any obvious

way? I mean of course you have your own

sound but do you guys ever draw from other

musicians.

Thomas: I always listen to a lot old Vaudville

type of music. Which I is why I use the ukulele.

Which actually kind of helps with the chord

progressions because it helps with the feeling of

the song. And just a lot of everything else. I’m

listening to a lot of Tallest Man on Earth right

now and a lot of the National.

Turkeyes: The writing process kind of helps that

out. Thomas does the chord progressions and I

choose what lyrics I’ve written to best fit the

feel of the ukulele he’s playing. I write the

melodies right on the spot, so it kind of cuts off

everything I’ve been listening to. It’s divine

inspiration.

Thomas: I like She & Him. They’re adorable.

Kelsey: Mainly, I listen to the radio. I find

inspiration in all music.

Thomas: We’re all Kesha fans and Lady Gaga.

We’ve been listening to a lot of pop music lately

just to see how it evolves.

Turkeyes: We kind of all have our own thing in

music. We like to listen to all types.

Thomas: Yeah, we listen to Bob Dylan, Johnny

Cash, Leonard Cohen. We grew up to Neil

Young! I guess we listen to a lot of music. I think

it’s best to be eclectic with music taste. My iPod

looks more like a record store than one genre of

music. It’s more collective.

MA: So you guys play ukulele. But sometimes

people look at the ukulele and think it’s not an

instrument. How do you guys feel about the

stereotype?

Thomas: I actually used to work at a used

musical instrument store. And we’d get

ukulele’s that were twelve thousand dollars, or

five thousand dollars, or six hundred dollars and

people will walk and say ‘That thing is a toy!

How can it be that expensive?!’ And you kind of

just have to sit down and explain them that it’s

a instrument.

MA: In your opinion what kind of songs make

the uke appealing? And to be taken seriously

instead of a plastic little disposable toy.

Thomas: One of the bands that I listened to in

high school and middle school was Everclear.

And what I really like about them, it happens a

lot in 90’s pop, is you have music that is

exceedingly happy and then lyrics that would

drive your soul to the ground. What I’ve noticed

about Turkey’s lyrics is that they’re more

brooding and dark. But in general, I thought it

would be cool to play the happiest sounding

instrument which is uke and banjo. And so it

kind of counters that stereotype of ukes being

just an instrument to for playing Hawaiian

music about rainbows and sunshine.

MA: On a totally unrelated subject, I want to

ask you guys about anti-piracy bills. I know you

guys are small scale musicians, but not

everyone has a dollar for every song especially

if they have one of those 17,000 song iTunes.

And I actually found you guys existed through

my friend who ripped a song from youtube on

their iTunes. And I felt bad because you guys

are small scale artist. But on one side it’s a good

way to share bits of music. On a bad side you’re

kind of losing some money with every one song

ripped. So how do you guys feel about those

antipiracy bills?

Thomas: This is something I really care about.

One of things I find is I stumble upon a song or a

review of an album where I do find myself

ordering that album. And I will be listening to it.

Piracy and torrents to me are like an

underground radio movement. When I tune

into a radio station and I like the artist, I buy

their album. And in torrents you can find long

playlist of songs people have put together. And

you might not like everything on it but you

might find something you like and end up

buying the album. The kind of backlash is when

you order albums there are these great

packages that people can get. The backlash to

record labels to illegal downloading is that less

people are buying their albums, but those

people who are willing to buy those albums are

spending more money than they would just for

a real tangible thing. But the thing is if people

don’t get to listen to that one song, like back

then when on the radio you could only listen to

the top 50 song, then people will be less likely

to buy that album. But now there’s so much

exposure out there for almost all artist. Like you

said, we write, record, and master our own

music and it would be hard for people in

California or New York to hear us. But with the

internet people know who we are and for

those who really like what we do they’ll buy our

album. I would hate for people to say hey listen

to the Broken Bicycles and hate it and throw it

in the waste basket. Download it. Listen to it.

And if you like it buy it so you have something

tangible and precious. I mean everyone would

love to quite their day jobs and do music full

time but the economy is not that kind of

economy anymore, so you rarely find people

who do what they love to pay the bills. So if you

do hear about us from a ripped song from

Youtube, then go ahead and buy our CD and

that will support us. I am for the availability of

music. I don’t encourage people to download

illegally, but if it gets us recognition and will

lead you to buy our music and share it then it’s

a good thing.

MA: So why haven’t you guys put out a vinyl

yet? I feel like you would be the kind of band to

have one out.

Thomas: I can’t release too many details but

there might be a split 7-inch released in 2012.

But probably because record making has

becoming exceedingly expensive. The cost to

make a compilation six years ago was $2,000 for

a full color vinyl. And now just to get a big thick

150 gram vinyl done it’s close $3,000. Which

gets a little expensive for a band like us. A 7-

inch maybe, but I can’t talk too much about it.

MA: Any words for the readers?

Thomas: Please take time to listen to us online.

It takes 20 seconds.

Listen to The Broken Bicycles on: http://thebrokenbicycles.bandcamp.com

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