Zine Scene: Be Good or Be Good At It — A Celebration of Zines, Touring, and Community

Every other week, Zine Scene uncovers writers’ and artists’ adventures in the world of independent publishing.  This guest installment comes courtesy of Rad Dad creator Tom Moniz, who was previously profiled here.

I’m not good at a lot of things. I tend to dabble, try something for a minute, then move on to the next one. I also balk at bureaucracy, at jumping through hoops, at following rules. Now, being good is subjective, I admit, but I can say that writing is something that I enjoy. And performing — yes, I can honestly say that there’s something about it that feels better than drugs (and it’s healthier too). And making friends — I like that too.

So whether or not I am good at the aforementioned activities, one thing I know is that I’ve committed to them. That’s why in order to celebrate the recent ninth-annual San Francisco Zine Fest, I concocted the idea to do a zine tour of Northern California. And why not? Zines involve all the things I like to do, that I hope to be good at: writing, or drawing, or even taking photos.  They can involve performance, and they are absolutely meaningless without community.
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The Groove Seeker: Argotec’s Wherewithal

On a weekly basis, The Groove Seeker goes in search of killer grooves across rock, funk, hip hop, soul, electronic music, jazz, fusion, and more.

Argotec: Wherewithal (5/8/2010)

Argotec: “What You Now Know”

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Argotec, the New York-based duo of Alex Argot and Defpotec (Richard Courage), shows an impressive array of influences with its self-released debut record, Wherewithal, cementing elements of drum-and-bass, glitch, electronic, and rock into the realm of hip hop.  The partnership — Argot supplying rhymes and Defpotec handling production — has created a distinct and developed sound, channeling old-school Aesop Rock verses in a cut-and-paste Flying Lotus aesthetic with dash of screamo vocals.  With smart lyrics that demand listeners to think critically about social consciousness, Wherewithal aims to broaden audiences’ horizon both musically and mentally.
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Posters & Packaging: Pinky Blaster

Pinky Blaster: Child Bite album packaging

Shawn Knight, a.k.a. designer and illustrator Pinky Blaster, has created art and music since an early age. Followers of the Detroit music scene may recognize his name – previously of the band New Grenada, Knight now performs in the high-energy punk band Child Bite. The band is notorious for its wide range of instruments, humorous live performances, and its members’ impressive facial hair.

While in high school, Knight began playing in punk and metal bands.  These two genres influenced him heavily while he was growing up; he notes both Black Flag and The Dead Kennedys as significant influences. Knight got his start designing local band fliers and posters, and he continues to use live music as an opportunity to expose his artistic skills — though now at a national level.

Pinky Blaster: Faith No More

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Drummer Trivett Wingo leaves The Sword, tour canceled

In a sudden and unexpected departure, The Sword‘s drummer Trivett Wingo has left the band. Hoping to quash any rumors to the contrary, both sides are reporting that the decision was made amicably. Nevertheless, The Sword has canceled the remainder of its US tour dates, just after canceling a number of European dates.

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Gallery Spotlight: Western Front Society

Vancouver’s Western Front Society was created back in 1973 when eight artists got together, bought a former Knights of Pythias lodge, and renovated it into an alternative art space. Over the years, the multidisciplinary art center has developed an international reputation similar to the way that Vancouver itself has transformed into a cosmopolitan city.

“If you think back to even the early ’90s, Vancouver wasn’t much of a booming town,” Western Front exhibits curator Jesse McKee says.  “But in the past 15 years, it’s kind of come into its own.”
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The Metal Examiner: Circle of Animals’ Destroy the Light

Every Friday, The Metal Examiner delves metal’s endless depths to present the genre’s most important and exciting albums.

Circle of Animals: Destroy the Light (Relapse, 10/12/2010)

Click here to download Circle of Animals’ “Poison the Lamb”

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Producer/multi-instrumentalist Sanford Parker (Minsk, Buried at Sea) and saxophonist Bruce Lamont (Yakuza) have long and assorted ties in and around Chicago, where the two reside and contribute to the city’s vibrant underground.

Parker, in addition to his main gig in Minsk, has produced the likes of Pelican, Rwake, Unearthly Trance, Jai Alai Savant, Lair of the Minotaur, and Nachtmystium, and Lamont, outside of Yakuza, recently finished recording a solo album and regularly plays with other experimental metal and noise outfits (Decayist, Sick Gazelle) as well as improvised-jazz players (Jeff Parker, Ken Vandermark, Dave Rempis).

Each man’s résumé is a mile long, and now the two have come together to pay tribute to Chicago’s late-’80s and early-’90s Wax Trax! industrial scene with their new project, Circle of Animals. A diverse and widely recognizable cast of drummers rounds out the lineup on this release, with names like Dave Witte (Discordance Axis, Municipal Waste), John Herndon (Tortoise), John Merryman (Cephalic Carnage), and Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) lending their talents.
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Moses Supposes: Will mobile radio revive the radio star?

Moses Avalon is one of the nation’s leading music-business consultants and artists’-rights advocates and is the author of a top-selling music business reference, Confessions of a Record Producer. More of his articles can be found at www.mosesavalon.com.

Data plans will likely put a damper on Clear Channel dreams of mobile domination

If video killed the radio star, will smart phones revive him?

Announcements from Clear Channel have forced artists and their teams to seriously evaluate the position that mobile content will play in their ability to expand a fan base.

Clear Channel celebrated with a press release, indicating that they had almost completely sold out their advertising lots for mobile-radio commercial spots, ending a long dry spell for radio-advertising sales.
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Concert Photos: Those Darlins @ Lincoln Hall

Photographer Jon Shaft was on hand to document Those Darlins‘ recent show at Lincoln Hall in Chicago. Openers Turbo Fruits and Velcro Lewis kicked things off before the Darlins took the stage with its raucous brand of country-punk pop.

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World in Stereo: Peña

Each week, World in Stereo examines classic and modern world music while striving for a greater appreciation of other cultures.

Peña: s/t (Secret Stash Records, 10/12/2010)

Peña: “Tarumbero”

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It is one thing to travel and experience world cultures other than your own, but it’s another thing to record and share your findings on an album.  In March of 2010, Cory Wong and Eric Foss of Minneapolis-based independent record label Secret Stash began planning a dream project that sought to discover and examine the roots of Afro-Peruvian music.  Though Secret Stash Records specializes in releasing and cataloging rare grooves from all over the world, this project carves out a different place in the catalog.

Peña — a two-disc CD/DVD collection that comes in an actual secret-stash-esque wooden case — is not a compilation of rediscovered tunes, but instead is a journey through Afro-Peruvian music from a rotating cast of some of the best local musicians in the genre.

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Morrow vs. Hajduch: Mark McGuire’s Living with Yourself

Scott Morrow is ALARM’s music editor. Patrick Hajduch is a very important lawyer. Each week they debate the merits of a different album.

Mark McGuire: Living with Yourself (Editions Mego, 10/12/10)

Mark McGuire: “Clouds Rolling In”

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Hajduch: Living with Yourself is the most recent solo-guitar release of Mark McGuire, who also plays guitar in Emeralds. Much like Emeralds, McGuire’s music spins a gradual yarn over a combination of picked arpeggios and buzzing drones, delayed and looped and layered into a hypnotic tapestry that has become impossible to ignore.
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