Paint the Town Orange

May 22nd, 2008 - Bowery Ballroom, NY - Laura Veirs w/ Liam Finn

Images and review by Dominck Mastrangelo

Last Thursday was the fourth time I've seen Laura Veirs live. In four years she's gone from supporting singer-songwriters such as John Vanderslice to headlining venues like the Bowery Ballroom. On this particular Thursday and on this particular tour, Veirs was/is solo. Her backing band "The Saltbreakers" or "the bearded men" as Veirs referred to them were sitting this one out. A solo Veirs performance is so much different than one with her band. Gone are the accessorized suits and dresses and the full band treatment that give such shape to her lush and literate songs painted in aqua and sea-foam green.

A sparse set-up with just an acoustic guitar and a banjo, an appreciative Veirs proved that even solo she could layer and add depth to her songs. On the set opener "Pink Light" from last year's excellent Saltbreakers Veirs layered loops of guitar and vocals building the song up as she repeated the songs final line "In the fading of the constellations, I am growing strong" over the wall of sound. And if one were to shut their eyes, surely they would have thought at least two, maybe three, other folks were on stage with her.

Veirs posts best of tour lists on her site and the packed Bowery crowd made the list early for their enthusiastic applause following her songs. The crowd then proved worthy backup singers on "Rialto" without any coaxing from Veirs as she sang "Now they're standing on the beach. In a wild colored wind..." and the crowd responding "Standing on the beach" and "Wild colored wind" after the respective lines. It's one of those serendipitous moments where you know the crowd and the artist are feeding off each other.

Mixed in among the beautiful "Magnetized" and "Nightingale," Veirs also played a couple songs off her tour-only e.p., Two Beer Veirs - a cover of Elizabeth Cotten's "Freight Train" and "Spike Drive Blues" by Mississippi John Hurt.

The best moments, however, were the two most unexpected. Halfway through the set Veirs used her drum machine and the loop pedal to produce a not so subliminal message. "Let's see if you catch it," she said as she began chanting "O-ba-ma, O-ba-ma." As the crowd laughed and clapped she sang the praises of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee - "Isn't he handsome? Isn't he intelligent?" - over the loop.

And when she performs solo certain songs get left off the setlist. One of those is "Galaxies" from 2005's Year of Meteors. But for the encore Veirs brought out opener Liam Finn (who's drumming during his set was alarming in its ferociousness) and Eliza-Jane Barnes who accompanied Finn during his set. The version of Galaxies they produced was a stunning, in-your-face contrast to the fairly laid back set that had come before, yet was everything you could want in a crowd-pleasing encore and the perfect way to end the show.

For more images from this show and all the shows we have covered visit our flickr page.

Special Announcement

Orange Alert Press is proud to offically announce its first release, Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine by Ben Tanzer.

From the author of Lucky Man (Manx Media, 2007) comes a story of relationships and all of the unspoken confusions of life.

"In this follow up to "Lucky Man", Tanzer further demonstrates his remarkable skill in capturing the zeitgeist of micro-eras in recent decades, seemingly drawing on a combination of observation, memory and an intuitive understanding of situational layers in his storytelling." ~ Amy Guth (author of Three Fallen Women)

Excerpt:

Geoff is awake, Jen’s left leg is thrown across him, her hair is across his pillow, her breath is lightly brushing against his ear, and he thinks that he should enjoy this, wallow in it, and hold on to it as best he can, because something will go wrong, something has to go wrong, it always does. Jen will decide that he’s not a good listener, or that he is emotionally distant, sloppy, or cheap. Maybe she won’t like his politics or his taste in music. Or maybe, he won’t say the right things or buy the right things. He will push too much or too little. He will forget an important date or insult her mother. He will get mad because she messed-up the laundry or forgot to set the alarm... Geoff wonders whether to say something to Jen about all this when she awakes, but can’t imagine where to start, he barely knows her. Instead, Geoff decides to roll with it as long as he can.

************************************************************

Jen lies there not asleep, but feigning unconsciousness, feeling Geoff’s heartbeat against her temple, adjusting herself to his chest as it rises and falls. This is good she thinks and she doesn’t remotely regret sleeping with him on the first date. She knows Gracie would be very unhappy with her, and not just because of the sex itself, though that wouldn’t make her happy, but the idea that she would give it up so soon.

What does Geoff have to work for now? Why would he want to stay long enough to get to know her, and appreciate her, and come to understand why they might have found a touch of magic while walking home the night before, a mere physiological reaction, that was as easy as anything else, requiring no work, but the right light, the right person, hopped-up emotions and just a touch of chemistry and light conversation? This can’t be good can it?



Cover by Michael Paige Glover * Design & Layout by Szostek Design * 178 pages * ISBN: 0-9817481-0-4/978-0-9817481-0-8 * $14

Pub date: August 2008

Details on the release event to follow!

The Watch List

Listening:
1. Coconut Coolouts: Pizza loving Seattle party rockers play a hybrid Hawaiian party surf rock. Listen to: (Please Don't Break me out of) Party Jail (mp3)
2. Egon's Unicat - There music straight forward pshyco rock, but their lead singer, Sean Patrick, is a show stopper. Jumping on tables, swinging a lead pipe, doing the splits... insane!
3. Bakers at Dawn: Marcus Sjoland is a Swedish musician who creates beautiful music. Bakers at Dawn wants his music to sound either like a cold rock wrapped up in a warm blanket, or a warm blanket wrapped around a cold rock. Listen to: Hopeful (mp3)

Reading:
1. "My New Cage" by Nathan Tyree: This is what fills my days... Nathan nailed it!
2. "An Afternoon in Late Winter" by Corey Mesler: The fear of life and change and voices that tell you the you have to be something.
3. "A Life Distilled" by Meg House: How would you want your obituary to read?
4. "Oranges" by Tamara T. Linse: The adventures of youth.
5. "Thursday Treat" by Nick Volkert: Nick is not only a wonderful painter and the designer of the OA banner, but he also creates very funny comics.
6. "A Perfect Day for Canned Tuna" by Liliana V. Blum: The story of the housewife.
7. "Happy Birthday to Me" by Kim Chinquee: This is the first story published by the new lit journal Bear Creek Feed.

Wishing:
1. Kendra Steiner Editions #99: Aleathia Drehmer (that's right it is her first chapbook!) Thickets of Mayapple: Letters for Edward $4

2. Marching Unabashed Into The Weeping, Searing Sun... by Hosho McCreesh: The latest from Hosho and Bottle of Smoke. The Hard Cover is sold out, but there were 100 paperbacks printed. $6
3. The New Layman's Almanac by Jacob McArthur Mooney: Wonderfully designed, this collection of poems is the creative debut from this Thieves Jargon editor. $10.17
4. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Poetry by Tao Lin: Tao's latest book is a collection of poems, you can read the first 7 pages here. Don't forget to purchase your promotional sticker. $11.51/20 for $12

Getting:
1. Radius - Hoodicide mix: "Like 25 minutes of dopeness. A little beat bouillabaise, if you will. This is an exclusive mix Ra did for the 'Neighborhood Suicide' listening party a few weeks back... only souped up and extended now!!! Serious headnodding beats from the vaults and a few you might recognize.... Enjoy it kids and check out the new album." You can download it here!
2. The Roaring Nineties - This collection from the cllct crew up until now was only available to purchased. However, I was just sent this link to download the entire mix. It features covers of 90's songs including (Fu-gee-la, Waterdalls, Lovefool, and Suck my Kiss) here is .rar file!

Watching:
1. This Ivy League "London Bridges"
2. Illuminea's live video ep
3. Robot Girlfriend Roundtable in four parts: Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, Pt. 4
4. Jill Summers "Wayside Flowers"

Paint the Town Orange

May 17th, 2008 - Glasslands Gallery, Brooklyn - FM Belfast

Band of the Week

One for the Team

What people enjoy about pop music is, for the most part, that it exsists to make them smile. You play it at parties, you bop your head along in the car, alone or with friends music fills your life and brings a joyful escape. You ride the sounds away from work, problems, life, and dance all night. So how does a musician or someone heavily invovled in the industry escape? Well in the case of One For The Team's, Ian Anderson he decided to start another band in order to let loose and dance around.

Forming in 2006, at the time Ian was already in a band (Aneuretical), running a music label (Afternoon Records), and running a blog (MFR). The band immediatly recorded its debut album Good Boys Don't Make Noise, and now two years later the bands returns with Build It Up (Militia Group). The music on Good Boys... was a fun and energectic guitar-driven collection of song touching on love and life. Since its release, Ian has started a PR company (Vitriol Promotions) and has written a book (Here Come The Regulars, to be published by Ferrar-Strauss in 2009). Oh, did I mention he is only 23?

One for the Team recently embarked on a massive tour, but Ian Anderson and Grace Fiddler were kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): One for the Team recently signed to The Militia Group, leaving Afternoon Records. What prompted this move? What does Militia offer that Afternoon might not or is this more of a separation of duties type of move?
Ian Anderson (IA): We left Afternoon because it just felt like the right time. Obviously, we've been a part of the AR community since we started and are very invested in it and all of the people involved, so it would have to be a pretty special label with some great people working together to motivate us to move. Militia Group has a lot of resources that we didn't have at Afternoon, but most importantly, it provided the opportunity for me to let the workload shift. AR is my passion and I love working for the bands on my label, as a result, sometimes I neglected my duties as the main band guy for the Team, which isn't cool. Having TMG involved is simply wonderful because we have a whole group of people helping out and caring about the project as much as we do.

OA: Your sophomore album, Build it Up, with be released in August. How will this album compare to Good Boys Don't Make Noise?
IA: Build It Up will be out on August 19 and we're really excited about it. It is a very different record than "Good Boys" and I've honestly been having a hard time describing it to people who've asked about it. When I recorded "Good Boys," we weren't really a band yet. It was more of an outlet for Elliot, John and I to get out our giggles and write some pop songs. Plus, most of what you hear on that record is actually just me goofing off on a Saturday night when I was bored – it wasn't really a group effort. Not to mention that we made that record in January 2006 and I just feel like a completely different person now than I did then.

The biggest difference on this record in my opinion, however, is that One for the Team is now complete. With Grace and Bill, we've finally achieved the perfect familial-bonded atomic-orbiter balance that is really satisfying as musicians. Plus, Bill has like 17 solos on this record, which are all just huge, and Grace and I only sing a handful of words without each other. The thing that I think is so cool about the record is that I wrote "Build It Up" mostly in my bedroom on acoustic guitar, which resulted in some pretty soft and gentle songs, because I'm a soft and gentle guy. However, the band likes to rock, a lot, so we turned those songs into loud, sunshiny pop jams heavy on the riffage. That transformation was a process that allowed everyone to build upon the original ideas with their own, because of this, I think these songs reached a maturation level that was not evident on "Good Boys."

Beyond having everybody contributing, another big difference is that with "Good Boys" I was still learning how to write pop songs. Granted, I am STILL learning, and you never really stop learning, but with this record, I am more confident with what ended up on it.
Grace Fiddler (GF): The difference is that I am on it. Haha. Kidding, that's obviously not the only difference, just the one most apparent to myself.

OA: 180 tour dates! Do you enjoy touring? Aside from Minnesota, what city do you look forward to playing this summer?
IA: We do like to tour. Maybe me a bit more than everyone else because I'm a little cracked, but we're planning on being in a van from August to January! We have a lot of cities that we like, but a couple of my personal favorites are St. Louis, Denver and Eau Claire.
GF: Being in a van that much and on the road so much is incredibly intimidating and exhilarating. I have played so few shows outside of Minnesota that I can count them on my fingers. So I'm going from that to the on the road no skool no rulezz lifestyle. Hopefully I will enjoy it. Aaaah!

OA: You seem to be a busy man with the label, the pr company (Vitriol), the band, the incredible blog, and you have been involved in the outlets from an early age on. When did you know that you would want to play such pivotal role in Minnesota music and in the music industry in general?
IA: It never was a conscious decision and I'm not sure pivotal role is the right way to put it. I am fortunate to be a part of strong musical community and I take pride in making an effort to help that community grow and have fun. I really like to work hard and I have a lot of fun working with music, so goes well hand-in-hand.
GF: What he said. I too do not know how I manage to run Ian's label, blog, PR company or life without letting out the secret that I actually am Ian Anderson.

OA: As a blogger and a label owner, what are your thoughts on the effectiveness of new media as it relates to records sales?
IA: New media is by far the single best and most effective way to sell records for independent labels and artists. No question.

OA: Does the "hype" translate to sales, concert attendance, etc.?
IA: In my personal experience, hype translates into attendance and more illegal downloads. Sales, not so much. But that can be rationalized if people keep coming out to shows.

OA: What's next for Ian Anderson and One For The Team?
IA: Total world domination and we're trying to get Phantom Planet, Tilly and the Wall and Justin Timberlake to take us on tour with them. Keep making records, keep touring. And I'm coming out with a book next year called "Here Come the Regulars" (Ferrar-Strauss). And watching a lot of "Spain: On the Road Again" with Maria Batalli and Gweneth Paltrow.
GF: Ian stole that PBS TV show from me just now. He only wrote that because I was reading about Mario Batali online. Jeez Louise he didn't even spell Batali right!

Listen to: Best Supporting Actor (mp3)

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee, and where is your favorite coffee spot?
IA: No coffee for me, I am a crazy insomniac.
GF: Medium dark roast to go, no room for cream.

OA: I don't think you have time to read, but what was the last great book you have read?
IA: I'm working on a Benjamin Franklin biography, written by that one CNN correspondent and, since we're about to head out on tour, I'm about to revisit Emerson's Essays, specifically his thoughts on self-reliance.
GF: I just finished Julia Child's autobiography. I read the whole book in her voice.

May 23 2008 6:00P Bela Dubby - All Ages Cleveland, Ohio
May 24 2008 8:00P Tammany Hall - 18+ Worcester, Massachusetts
May 25 2008 5:00P Sound Fix - (Special All Ages Acoustic Show) Brooklyn, New York
May 26 2008 8:00P Trash Bar - 21+ Brooklyn, New York
May 27 2008 8:00P Rehab (formerly Club Midway) - 18+ New York, New York
May 28 2008 6:00P Modern Formations - All Ages Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
May 29 2008 8:00P Beat Kitchen - 17+ Chicago, Illinois
May 30 2008 8:00P High Noon w/French Kicks, Frightened Rabbit Madison, Wisconsin
Jun 2 2008 8:00P The Record Bar w/French Kicks, Frightened Rabbit - 18+ Kansas City, Missouri
Jun 3 2008 8:00P Blue Fugue - All Ages Columbia, Missouri
Jun 4 2008 6:00P Box Awesome - All Ages Lincoln, Nebraska
Jun 5 2008 6:00P Vaudeville Mews - All Ages Des Moines, Iowa
Jun 6 2008 8:00P Castle Hooks w/We All Have Hooks For Hands - All Ages Vermillion, South Dakota
Jun 7 2008 6:00P The Nestor - 21+ Fargo, North Dakota
Jun 24 2008 4:00P Eclipse Records w/Headlights, Now, Now Every Children - All Ages St. Paul, Minnesota
Jul 23 2008 8:00P July 23 -August 13: West Coast Tour Seattle, Washington
Aug 19 2008 6:00A "Build It Up" out on The Militia Group universe-wide Everywhere, Minnesota

For more information on One For The Team please visit their website.

Reader Meet Author

David McNamara

Where would the writer be without the publisher and printer? Standing on a street corner, shouting from rooftops, posting poems on myspace? The independent publisher is a dedicated soul, not concerned with wealth, but concern for the advancement of the written word. He/She fantasizes about the weight and texture of paper and dreams about fonts. Cherishing that perfect cover and seeking out the next great voice. Ok, that may be a bit of an oversell, but David McNamara has honestly put his heart, soul, and money into making sunnyoutside one of the finest independent presses in the country.

Originally conceived as a literary journal in November of 2000, sunnyoutside wasn't officially launched as an imprint until 2004. Since that time they have produced 29 books and broadsides. Some paperback and some saddle-stitched, but all crafted with care and respect to the words, thoughts, and ideas inside.

Recently, David was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): In 2004 you made the move from on-line journal to small press, what factors prompted this move? Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
David McNamara (DM): The other day I was actually thinking about this, and thought how I wished we jumped into books sooner. But the truth is that everything I had printed earlier was done offset and things had changed so quickly with digital printing that it was probably good that I took the time to survey the landscape a bit. Also it was a lot of fun to do the broadsheets and little pieces and to work with the people those involved—for example, it was great to work with John Sweet again (we had done a split chap published by Crimson Leer Press years earlier) and to work with justin.barrett while he was still writing, and projects with Jason Heroux, Nathan Graziano, William Taylor Jr., and Michael Kriesel all led to bigger things, and through the Heroux broadsheet I met and worked with Bill Roberts of Bottle of Smoke Press, which was fantastic in itself.

So when you consider all of that, no, I don’t think I there are any grounds for complaint.

OA: Is there a certain quality that you look for in a manuscript? How many submissions do you receive in a month?
DM: There’s not a checklist of things I look for in a manuscript, but generally I prefer crafted work that has an extra dimension to it. But at the same time it has to be concise and efficient with its words. If it’s narrative work, it has to have depth beyond a journal entry or stream of consciousness. But definitely work that isn’t totally obscure—an ideal hybrid of emotive and cerebral. The work has to be poignant.

Since we don’t read unsolicited submissions, there aren’t too many new submissions coming in during the average month. I probably have a look at about two new submissions a month while juggling up to a half-dozen manuscripts through editorial.

OA: Is there someone out there that you would love to see involved with Sunnyoutside Press?
DM: I’m pretty lucky to have the stable of authors we currently have at sunnyoutside, so I’m mostly just glad to have the opportunity to work with those individuals. But there’s always the larger-than-life names that I’ve always been fond of—Charles Simic, Donald Hall, Billy Collins—that I’d love to have a chance to work with. I’ve always wanted to publish something by Bill Maher, too, and maybe someone like P.J. O’Rourke. Non-fiction writers like Bill Bryson, Lawrence Millman, Tim Cahill. But all those people are probably under contract somewhere even if they were to take a sniff at a wee little press like sunnyoutside.

OA: Your books come in many different sizes and shapes, with varying types of paper and cover images. How important is the appearance of chapbook? What role do you play in that process?
DM: The appearance is essential. It’s why sunnyoutside exists. The old saying is that the typeface is the clothes you dress your words in, and I think that’s certainly true. Taking it further, Bruce Rogers, arguably the greatest book designer who ever lived, stressed the importance of looking at the book as a whole—the measure, leading, the font’s x-height and point size, margins, trim size, are all interdependent variables. If you change one, you have to go back and look at everything else.

I try to approach the art and typeface and paper in the same way, too. Nothing goes to print without a hard copy proof to make sure there’s a balance to the eye. Or at least I hope that’s the end result.

We’re admittedly a bit low-brow by Rogers’s standards, but, then again, he also said that he designed one-hundred books before he got it right. Hopefully I’m on the right path.

As for my role, I have done the text layout for all of our books and have done the covers for all but one—the wonderful cover of the first impression of Rumors of Electricity by Richard Krech was done by Kseniya Thomas—and have commissioned most of the art specifically for a title.

OA: What are your thoughts on print-on-demand vs. offset printing?
DM: Offset printing is still superior to digital printing, although first I think you have to clarify what it’s being compared to—some printers still define print-on-demand as a thousand books or less while the more contemporary usage is to mean one at a time, as the orders come in. As for the latter, most of the work I’ve seen has been less than impressive, although I think that’s more a case of the company’s business model than the technological capabilities. But some digital printing is very, very close to offset quality, at least with k/k text. The pre-press work is also a major variable—I’ve seen different books that have come off the same press that look vastly different in quality.

OA: What's next for David McNamara and Sunnyoutside Press?
DM: Well, we hope to have distribution by the end of the year, and possibly even much sooner, which will hopefully be a massive step. I’ve recently been asked to be on the advisory board of the Western New York Book Arts Collaborative, which is in an exciting stage of its history—they’re on the verge of buying a building in downtown Buffalo in which to set up offices and workshops. We’re just trying to stay busy and keep improving and growing.

As for books, I’m quite excited with the list of forthcoming titles. We should have works by the following all out by the end of the year, with some much sooner: Noel Sloboda, Taylor Altman, Hosho McCreesh, Andrew Taylor, William Taylor Jr., Brian McGettrick, Alan Catlin, and Michael Kriesel. And we’ve just signed our first contract for a non-fiction book—a collection of essays by Curtis Smith.

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot? Is there different between Seattle and Buffalo as far as coffee is concerned?
DM: Most definitely—I’m a half-pot-a-day drinker. I probably prefer Indonesian Sumatra the most, although I’ve been particularly fond of an organic Nicaraguan lately, which I’m drinking now. My favorite micro-roaster is probably your very own Intelligentsia, who also did the roasting for my favorite coffee shop in the Boston area, Diesel Café. I’m also quite fond of George Howell’s Terroir, who is the roaster for my other favorite café in Somerville, True Grounds.

There’s actually a pretty big difference in coffee between Seattle and Buffalo, on multiple levels. It sounds cliché, but it was actually pretty hard to get a bad cup of coffee in Seattle. Seattle also has a thriving economy, so you had multiple spots in the same area to choose from, all of which were open relatively late. Same in Somerville—Diesel is open to midnight, if I recall. Here in Buffalo the one true local coffee shop near me closes at 6 p.m. every day. There’s a regional chain that’s decent enough, although none of the locations are convenient; a sweets shop that has excellent espresso that’s open until later; and a wonderful greasy spoon on our block that’s open until 9 p.m., but there’s not much else for independent coffee shops. It’s pretty much Starbucks, Tim Hortons, or Dunkin Donuts beyond those. But we’re relatively new here, so I’m sure there are gems we’ve yet to discover, too.

OA: What type of music do you listen to? Who are a few of your current favorites?
DM: I have as hard a time describing the music I like as I do what I look for in a manuscript, I suppose. I like a pretty wide range, although I suppose the core of it would be called independent, although I’m not really sure that’s a useful qualifier.

Some of my all-time favorites, in no particular order: Charles Mingus, Shellac, McClusky, The Clash, PJ Harvey, The Murder City Devils, Smog, Superchunk, Modest Mouse, Hayden, Fugazi, Sleater-Kinney, Archers of Loaf, Mule, Built to Spill, DJ Shadow, Jesus Lizard, June of 44, Mule, Poster Children, Rye Coalition, Railroad Jerk, Tom Waits, Pavement, Jets to Brazil.

For more on David McNamara and sunnyoutside visit their website and buy their books!

Paint the Town Orange

May 18th, 2008: Bowery Ballroom - New York, New York - Black Kids

Images by Dominick Mastrangelo

Artist of the Week

@->- (Rose) 2008 Letter Press Print

Rachel E. Foster

There has always been an artful nature behind the way humans choose to translate the sounds they make into a visual form. The alphabet, no matter the language, is the connection of symbol and sound, and it is a beautiful sight. It is the artist's job to take the symbols and images of the world and filter them through their eye, mind, and hand. In a similar fashion, the writer takes these symbols and sounds and combines them in such a way as to explain their thoughts and experiences. It is symbols that tie all art forms together, and ties the artist to the world.

Chicago artist Rachel E. Foster utilizes symbols, specifically letters, to make little artistic statements. At times humorous and at times thought provoking, her work ranges from found playing cards, to a cut-up Bible passages, to ghosts, to blessed dots. Regardless of the statement, her work is always through provoking and extremely clever. What to us is a figure of speech takes on a whole new meaning in Rachel's hand. A graduate of Columbia College, Rachael's work has been shown in several local galleries, but last year she had the honor of traveling to Tokyo and working with the Machida City Museum.

Recently, Rachel was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

"The Name Game" 2008 Letter Press Print

Orange Alert (OA): How would you describe your work?
Rachel E. Foster (RF): I think that all art concerns itself with trying to find a way to show the unseen. Most artists apply that mantra a little more abstractly than me. I’m a literal kinda girl so I literally like to take something intangible and make it tangible.

OA: First of all let me tell you that of what I have seen of your work "99 Problems" is my favorite piece. Why that song and that lyric?
RF: I’m glad you like it. I picked that lyric simply because I thought it would be funny surrounded by a nice, floral border. I want to learn to embroider so I can make a series of gangsta rap lyrics embroidered on pillows.

"Perish Like The Word" 2008 Letter Press Print

OA: I also enjoy your emoticons series. This seems to be a common them in some of your work, modern media and communication in the context of an ancient medium. Is that where emoticons is coming from?
RF: I’m attracted to language because it is some thing that is both seen and unseen. You can diagram it, analyze it, record it, etc. While at the same time its constantly flowing, changing, and growing. The emoticons amuse me because you’re taking some pretty complex ideas, like love, and reducing it to its simplest form.

OA: Your scientific proof of Karma is a fascinating study. Attitude affects outcome, and not outcome affecting attitude. Why gambling, though?
RF: To give a monetary value to the idea of karma. It becomes pretty mathematical, one week of shitty behavior costs X amount of money. Plus, I think most people don’t care about things unless it effects their wallets.

OA: Last year you spent some time in Tokyo. Did your time there influence your work in any way?
RF: Japanese culture is one of the most amazing things I have witnessed. There’s simplicity, a desire for connection, and humility to everything they do. In my more optimistic moments, I like to think of my work as containing some of these things.
I strive to make Asian art even though in no way does my work physically resemble Asian art.

OA: What's next for Rachel E. Foster?
RF: Oh man, I don’t know. (Smiley emoticon). Hopefully grad school.

"Flipping The Bird" 2008

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
RF: Years ago I worked at a coffee shop and I ended drinking so much espresso that when I wasn’t in the bathroom, I was running around like a coke-head….. I’m not much of a coffee drinker anymore.

OA: What type of music do you listen to? Who are a few of your favorite right now?
RF: I like all kinds of music. I have a playlist on my IPOD called “Sensitive White Guys with Guitars” which I’ve been listening to a lot. Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens, etc.

For more information on Rachel E. Foster please visit her website.

Paint the Town Orange

May 16th: Piano's - New York City, NY - Cotton Jones Basket Ride

Images and Review by Dominick Mastrangelo

Bands go on hiatus all the time. Members have side projects, other sounds and interests they want to explore. Sometimes what was once working no longer is, sometimes they outgrow their sound; they mature. I don't need to list off examples because they are everywhere. Sometimes the band gets back together and sometimes they don't. The biggest fear, as a fan of the shelved project, is what will the new project sound like? And it always eases the transition when the new stuff is just as good or better than what came before. So it goes for Michael Nau and his new band the Cotton Jones Basket Ride. Nau indefinitely shelved his more famous band, Page France, and has been focusing on his new band for about a year.




Gone is the wide-eyed, dreamy folk/pop and in are darker, dustier sounds. Nau's voice is lower and less plaintive since we last heard him. And the songs, well, they are good - real good. And tucked into the small performance space in the back of Piano's in the Lower East Side on Friday, among a list of six completely different sounding bands (and no real headliner), Nau and Co. got to work well after midnight spreading the good word of the CJBR. Because the other part of starting over is that not only are you cultivating a new sound and direction but a new fan base as well.




Those who were there to see the band or had drifted in from the loud music and even louder chatter of the bar out front were treated to something special. Songs off the new Archery EP were well represented; "Chewing Gum" and "Midnight Monday and a Telescope" (mp3) were moody, bluesy numbers that crept along Doors-esque keyboards supplied by Whitney McGraw (also a member of Page France) and shuffling drums with a hypnotic guitar melody. Nau also tacked on a bit of Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" onto one song eliciting a smattering of applause among those who picked up on it.




"Gone The Bells," the one song that momentarily shed the film noir canvas the band was creating, also happened to be the best. Bouncing along an airy organ and bass line the song swayed as well as any ballad you would hear off of say, Wilco's Summerteeth. (And there was swaying.) The lovely vocal duet between Nau and McGraw as they sang "I was looking for your heart, through the flowers in the park" was moving in a way that doesn't fully come across when you listen to the song on their MySpace page a couple dozen times.



With EPs and a full length ahead there is plenty to be excited about and to look forward to from Cotton Jones. The least of which is the knowledge that with most of these releases, there will most likely be some touring to support. Best get on the ride now while there's still room.

Tues May 20 - Norfolk, VA - The Boot
Wed May 21 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
Thurs May 22 - Charlotte, NC - The Milestone
Fri May 23 - Charleston, SC - The Village Tavern
Sat May 24 - Athens, GA - Caledonia Lounge
Mon May 26 - Lexington, KY - The Dame
Tues May 27 - Nashville, TN - The End
Wed May 28 - Cincinnati, OH - Southgate House
Fri May 30 - Charlottesville, VA - Tea Bazaar
Sat May 31 - Fredericksburg, VA - The 3rd Floord
Wed Jun 11 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place
Thur Jun 12 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
Fri Jun 13 - Bloomington, IN - Bear's Place
Sat Jun 14 - Champaign, IL - Mike N Molly's
Sun Jun 15 - St. Louis, MO - Bluebird
Mon Jun 16 - Lawrence, KS - The Replay Lounge
Tue Jun 17 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
Wed Jun 18 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium
Thur Jun 19 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry
Fri Jun 20 - Iowa City, IA - The Picador
Sat Jun 21 - Dekalb, IL - The House Cafe w/ Venna
Sun Jun 22 - Madison, WI - Cafe Montmartre
Mon Jun 23 - Chicago, IL - Schuba's w/ Brendan Losch
Tue Jun 24 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
Wed Jun 25 - Detroit, MI - Alvin's
Thur Jun 26 - Toronto, ONT - Silver Dollar
Fri Jun 27 - London, ONT - London Music Club
Sat Jun 28 - Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox

New Release Tuesday

Music:

Scarlett Johansson - Anywhere I Lay My Head (stream)

Collections of Colonies of Bees - Six Guitars (one-sided vinyl release)

Indian Jewelry - Free Gold! Listen to: Temporary Famine Ship (mp3)

Islands - Arm's Way

Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us Listen to: My Only Offer (mp3)

The Dresden Dolls - No, Virginia...

Explorers Club - Freedom Wind

Windsor for Derby - How We Lost

E for Explosion - The Heartbeat

DVD:

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets

Strange Wilderness

Castanets - Tendrils

Paint the Town Orange

May 15th, 2008: Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY - Los Campesinos w/ Murder Mystery
Review and Images by Dominck Mastrangelo

Time Out New York suggested last week that Los Campesinos! add a few more exclamation points to their name to fully convey the Welsh band's high-energy, punk/pop sound. Yet in the wake of their performance last Thursday at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, I suggest this slight adjustment - LOS CAMPESINOS!!!!!

The seven-piece outfit from Cardiff burned through their hour-long set like Wayne Rooney on a breakaway, clear on goal. The quietest moment of the set was the final minute of their first song, "Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats." Lead singer Gareth, likely knowing this, took the opportunity to sit down, cross legged, back to the crowd. From that point on there was little time to catch your breath. The rambunctious "Death To Los Campesinos!" with Gareth and Alexandra trading lines and finishing each others sentences chased the equally upbeat "Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s)" (mp3) with it's pretty chorus delivered by Alexandra.

And on it went until the slow build up of the much anticipated dance/punk-pop anthem "You! Me! Dancing!" (or, perhaps, YOU! ME! DANCING!) that had the packed crowd clapping rhythmically all the way through the two-minute intro as guitars and violin and drums crescendo to the simple guitar hook before whole band exploded again. This was followed by dancing and the crowd singing along in full voice "It's You! It's Me! And there's Dancing!" as well as to the line "If there's one thing I can never confess, is that I can't dance a single step." You can now add Los Campesinos! to that rare list of bands that in concert you are guaranteed to have a lot of fun; a shortlist that contains bands such as the Flaming Lips and Decemberists.

Opening were New York band, Murder Mystery, and I would personally find it troubling if one wasn't caught up in the pure joy the band exudes during it's set. Smiles were abundant during their 40-minute set and with plenty of snappy, rock songs in the vein of Magnetic Fields or For Sale-era Beatles and even a dash of the Strokes for good measure, it's easy to see why. Jaunty rockers like "Huggin'" with it's shuffling beat and sharp guitar work and the under-two minute "What My Baby Said" took you back to a time when bands were sharp enough to say everything that needed to be said in less than three minutes. And there was hardly a moment when drummer Laura Coleman wasn't swinging her head back and forth or up and down in mannerisms alarmingly similar to a certain drummer in a rather famous British band. Oh and of course she was smiling out from behind her kit the entire time. Though most of the material came from their new record Are You Ready for the Heartache Cause Here it Comes, the band did work in a new song, "Apple," and then closed with Heartache's synth-induced "Love Astronaut" (mp3) Let's add them to the shortlist too.

Murder Mystery was recently featured over at Daytrotter... read and download here.

Los Campesinos will be in Chicago @ the Empty Bottle on May 26th and 27th. For all of their upcoming tour dates visit their myspace page.

The Orange Spotlight

K.M Dersley & Adrian Manning Next Exit: Six (Kendra Steiner Editions #80)

"Walking through the mist/of centuries of curing,/it clings to the clothes/and invades the lungs/ coughing with the effort of it all" from Craster, Northumberland

If it weren't for Morrissey, Faulty Towers, and that English Lit class in college I would know nothing about England, and I still know nothing about England. Reading through Next Exit: Six, the pictures Dersley and Manning paint are so vivid, fulfilling the childhood whims and fantasy of what English life might be like. Images of herons, tea, century old churches, and harbours filled with fishermen. Images of Suffolk, Yorkshire, and Essex, there is no need to have a starting point, the details are supplied and the history implied. Overall this is a collection about change in a country that seemingly hasn't changed in centuries.

The beauty of the Next Exit series is that the poems stand alone without the ownership of the poet. Each poem speaks to its given town and not its creator. The point is not to decipher who wrote what, but to experience a small slice of where these two writers come from.

Next Exit: Six is the 80th release from Kendra Steiner Editions. It was printed in a run of 59 copies, and I am holding copy #20. There are a very limited number of copies remaining so contact Bill Shute today.

Cotton Jones Basket Ride The Archery EP (May 13th, 2008)

"This EP is basically an off-topic brainstorm, written/recorded during a needed break from recording the full length. Whitney and I recorded it in the home studio, using one microphone running into an old 8 track tape machine for each individual track pass." ~ Michael Nau on The Archery Ep

With summer approaching the kids begin to fantasize about pools, water balloons, and vacation, but the adults dream of something different. Summer nights just beyond dusk, the grill still smoldering, the beer still cold, the stars just beginning to appear, and streets reaching a calmness and quite. Sitting in lawn chairs on the patio and the speakers are blowing a hazy soundtrack through the chilled relief from the heat of the sun. The sounds that should be coming through your speakers in the upcoming summer nights are those of Cotton Jones Basket Ride.

The latest project for two members of the indie-folk band Page France, Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw, Cotton Jones is a plotting drift through vast pages of psychedelia. The dusty rhythms and contemplative lyrics bend and reach through nostalgia and into a whole new level of relaxed rock. Recalling The Doors, Dylan, and more, this is a culmination of influence and inspiration. The Archery Ep will be followed by a full-length release hopefully in fall called Paranoid Cocoon.

Chewing Gum/Silver Piano Man/Blues From a Nest/Lords of Columbia St./Midnight Monday and a telescope (mp3)/I Don't Suppose

Orange Alert's Music Minute

"The Prairie Spies, were, once upon a time, called the Sharks. They formed in order to play a single show at Ronny's in February 2006. It was great fun - the bar's proprietor even roasted a pig! - and they decided to keep playing shows around the city. Three practice spaces later, they finally released their first EP, Bridget Quits, in October 2007. Since Bridget really had left the band, they decided to change their name to the Prairie Spies. They hunkered down in the basement of the house that three of them live in and recorded Surplus Enjoyment. It sounded better, but a lot stranger. They're quite proud of it and hope you enjoy it - even more than you should!"

Surplus Enjoyment was released on Friday (May 16th) on Comptroller Records. It is a fine addition to the already impressive catalog for this tremendous Chicago label.

Listen to: Murder, She Said (mp3)

On June 10th, Afternoon Records will release twenty-four year old Haley Bonar's fourth studio album. Big Star is an intimate album that packs a lot of power and truth. Haley embarks on a tour with Hayden in June.

6/03 - Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom *
6/04 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott *
6/05 - New York, NY @ Knitting Factory *
6/06 - Brooklyn, NY @ Southpaw *
6/07 - Philadelphia, PA @ North Star *
6/08 - Arlington, VA @ Iota *
6/10 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 *
6/12 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater (CD Release Show)
6/13 - Apple Valley, MN @ The Minnesota Zoo ^
6/17 - Tucson, AZ @ Plush
6/18 - San Diego, CA @The Casbah *
6/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour *
6/21 - San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord *
6/23 - Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre *
6/24 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern *
6/27 - Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center *
6/28 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas *
6/29 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Bag *

* = w/Hayden
^ = w/Amos Lee

Listen to: Big Star (mp3)

Known for their live performances, Iowa's The Poison Control Center hit the road in May.

5/18 – Iowa City, IA@ Yacht Club **
5/19 – Lincoln, NE@ Box Awesome **
5/20 – Omaha, NE@ Waiting Room **
5/21 – Denver, CO@ Benders Tavern *
5/22 – Salt Lake City, UT@ Kilby Court *
5/23 – Nampa, ID @Flying M Coffeegarage
5/24 – Portland, OR@ Towne Lounge
5/26 – Missoula, MT@ Badlander
5/27 – Bozeman, MT@ Filling Station
5/30 – Minneapolis, MN@ Nomad Pub
5/31 – Des Moines, IA@ Vaudeville Mews
** w/Heavenly States and Head of Femur
* w/Heavenly States

This July the wild antics will only continue as the Poison Control Center release the Make Love a Star EP featuring 4 stellar b-sides.

Listen to: Make Love a Star (mp3)

Mates of State have announced more dates in support of Re-Arrange Us, the duo’s fifth full-length album, due May 20th via Barsuk Records. Adding to the previously-announced May gigs, and a collection of summer festival appearances, Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel will take their show on the road throughout the Midwest, and up and down both coasts in June and July.

05-16 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
05-22 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
05-24 Bend, OR - Les Schwab Amphitheater
05-25 Sasquatch Festival - Washington Gorge Amphitheater
05-28 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
06-06 Lawrence, KS - Wakarusa Music Festival
06-07 Omaha, NE – The Slowdown
06-08 St. Louis, MO – The Bluebird
06-10 Oklahoma City, OK – Bricktown Ballroom
06-11 Dallas, TX – Granada Theatre
06-13 Austin, TX – Emo’s Alternative Lounge
06-14 Little Rock, AR – Rev Room
06-15 Memphis, TN – Hi-Tone
06-17 Newport, KY – Southgate House
06-18 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Small’s Theatre
06-21 Philadelphia, PA – Popped! Festival
07-25 Pemberton, BC - Pemberton Festival
08-01 Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza Grant Park
08-08 Liberty State Park, NJ - All Points West Festival
09-26 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival

Listen to: My Only Offer (mp3)

cllct.com Musician of the Week: Dustin & The Furniture

It was last November when I first discovered Dustin's music, and with each new song I hear I am more and more impressed with this bedroom musician. It's that perfect blend of lo-fi electronics, acoustic guitar, and deep emotional vocals. Releasing six albums in the last three years (some split albums with other musicians), Dustin has perfected the DIY release. His covers are incredibly artistic and the quality is great. His latest release, In the Snow, is a "break-up" album written over the summer of 2007.

Recently touring Germany and the UK with Real Live Tigers, Dustin's music is fun and heartbreaking all in the same breath.

Listen to: No Secrets (mp3)

The Watch List

Listening:
1. The Atomica Project: One of the most beautiful projects to come out of Chicago in a long time. They remind me a lot of Everything But The Girl, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Hopefully there will be much more to come on Wade Alin and vocalist Lauren Cheatham. Listen to: Gravity (mp3)
2. This Ivy League: Billed as one of the best pop groups of 2008! Listen to: The Richest Kids (mp3)
3. Sumkid: On the count three, one, two, three.... Chuck Norris on Drugs (mp3)

Reading:
1. "Where I Live" by Jill Summers: The best pure storyteller in Chicago.
2. "Telepathy (for D.A. Levy)" by Bradley Mason Hamlin: Incredible pace and imagery
3. "What Disappearing Tastes Like" by Andy Bailey: Sights and thoughts while jogging.
4. "The Coffin Makers of Ghana" by Matt Rager: What would you like to be buried in?
5. "The Greyhound" by Chad Halliday: A story about life and addiction.
6. "Phelp's Grove" by Colin Bassett: I read this story. I drank more coffee.
7. "Scrape" by Utahna Faith: "Eat it or I'll Shoot"... oh yeah!

Wishing:
1. Speakerdog Says Get Out & Play PowerBook GelaSkin by Ben The Illustrator
2. Obama Spoke Cards: I want these not to put in bicycle spokes, but to remember how cheesy and comercial this election has been. $1

Getting:
1. Iniciativa Colectiva Issue 10: Still the best pdf art zine around!
2. Revolution Art Issue 12: Art, Music, Modeling (?), Advertising (at least they're honest), and Design.
3. MP3 Goodies: Amplive - Of Montreal vs MGMT (mp3), Poison Control Center - Make Love a Star (mp3)

Watching:
1. Interview with John Gall that deals with publishing and cover design.
2. Mike Doughty: "Fort Hood" (Here is the youtube link)
3. The Dollar Store Reading Series returns! The Hideout May 23rd @ 7:00pm $1

Band of the Week

The Box Social

"Get Going"

That phrase, Get Going, is filled with such urgency, action, energy it makes you want to move. It also implies that you have somewhere to get to, like your life had purpose and you just have to go there. Like it is time to accomplish something, now go... get going! Madison's The Box Social have that same feeling. Their music moves with a purpose, demanding movement, action, dancing, singing, living. Honest pop tones with clever lyrics, Get Going, is fast-paced rock album with out fail.

Formed in 2001, The Box Social, has gone through several changes over the years, but one constant has been the voice of Nick Junkunc. Releasing a couple of CD-R's, they signed with No Karma Records in 2005 and released the Blown to Bits Ep in a limited run of 1,000. Then touring and changing, evolving, recording, in 2007 the released their first official full-length Get Going. In the process Nick has grown as a songwriter and musician.

Recently, Nick was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): I read that you took your name from a Simpsons episode. Is that
true? Are you still a Simpson's fan?
Nick Junkunc (NJ): Yes, that's true. A lot of bands seem to get their name from The Simpsons, and I'm not entirely sure how they manage to accidentally come up with all of these rock band monikers. Regardless, it's a show that I've been following since my earliest childhood and something that I am still a big fan of. There have been a lot of sub-par seasons in the last ten years but I think that the show makes up for that with its classic aura and characters that you actually care about. The show has heart, which is a lot more than can be said for some new age garbage like Family Guy.

OA: Having formed in 2001, going through a few line-up changes, and learning the ropes in a great underground scene, do you think the sound of the band today is better then it has ever been? What is one thing you have learned about music in the last seven years?
NJ: I can say without a doubt that the sound of the band today is better than it has ever been. We've finally come to strike a balance between all of our major musical interests and have our body of work still sound like a cohesive grouping of material. Some people may prefer the more hard-edged consistency of the Blown To Bits EP, but I feel that the diversity of the tracks presented on Get Going incorporates all of those elements and then some. We still get heavy and dirty because we still love that kind of music, but I feel that allowing your repertoire to be open to expansion, evolution, and exploration is a more reliable way to lengthen your band's shelf life. It's important to turn your musical roto-tiller every so often to keep things fresh and exciting.

If there's one thing I've learned about music in the last seven years, it's that being in a band isn't all fun and games. On the contrary, it's very rarely the pure clowning that the rock and roll myth would lead you to believe. There's a lot of bullshit to sift through in every aspect of your existence, be it playing shows, booking a tour, recording an album, or even dealing with childish scene politics. It's tough. You have to really enjoy the music you're making in order for it to be worth it at the end of the day. Also, a word of caution to anybody reading this who thinks they may fancy themselves taking a stab at the glamorous indie rock fantasy lifestyle: prepare to be broke.

OA: What is The Box Social live experience like?
NJ: You'd honestly have to ask someone else, because I simply have no idea what the experience is like for an observer. When I'm performing, I'm pretty much completely in my own head space. However, I can tell you that we at least try to make our live shows lighthearted, honest, and full of energy. We also occasionally try to play well.

OA: Your latest album was released by No Karma (the same label that released you debut ep) and Bright Ideas. In fact, this was the first release by Bright Ideas, and I can't find any info on them. What can you tell us about Bright Ideas, and what has your experience been like
with No Karma?
NJ: Bright Ideas is a label founded and run by The Box Social for the purposes of releasing and promoting our own music. Someday it may be fun to expand and incorporate other bands, but for the time being it's just not economically possible. No Karma still does the distribution for us though, so that's why their logo is also on the back of the record. They were the sole label support for the Blown To Bits EP, but they opted not to fund Get Going due to their own financial situation. To make a long story short, we needed to figure out a way to put the record out ourselves - enter Bright Ideas.

Our experience with No Karma was always a positive one. Indie labels these days seem to be little more than a cool kids club or a bush league loan sharking enterprise, rarely taking the time and effort to actually push the bands that they represent. This was never the case with No Karma, which seems to be saying a lot in this day and age.

OA: I love to cover design on Get Going. In your opinion, how important is cover art in this an mp3 era?
NJ: Thank you, I think it's great as well. Anybody looking for anything similar can contact the artist for more information: siebers@wisc.edu

Call me old-fashioned, but I always take a lot of pride in the physical product of a finished record. I've always taken a strong liking to album art, so much to the point where it can affect my experience with the music in the most extreme of cases. I also have an art background and will be receiving my BFA in December from UW Madison, so it's something that's very important to me. If someone is going to take the initiative to spend their hard-earned money on our album, I want it to be a quality product that can stand up to any other major label release with an expensive design firm backing them up. I also feel that not too many people put much thought into their artwork these days, so well-designed packaging really stands out. It's always something that I will take very seriously.

OA: What's next for Nick Junkunc and The Box Social?
NJ: For the time being we are focusing on graduating from college and writing our next album (tentatively to be recorded in early 2009). We've been writing a ton of material that will most definitely amount to being a great record. We're all very confident in the new material we've been producing. The plan is to hit the road hard as soon as it is released - we're all very excited for 2009, since it's the first time we will all be able to commit to this band full time.

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is
your favorite coffee spot?
NJ: No coffee for me. Beer, please.

OA: What was the last great book you read?
NJ: Jurassic Park. Sorry, I'm not much of a reader. I'm working on fixing that.


Ginger Ale/Easy Does It/Big It (mp3)/Coming Around/Why Oh Why/Galoshes/KC MO/Hot Damn! (mp3)/Pay Attention/A New Low/Happy Little Mistake

For more information on The Box Social please visit their website.

Reader Meet Author

Brian Fugett

When do you know that an idea or a project is so much more then you could have ever imagined? When starting out you feel like you are doing something that you would enjoy, but only hope that others may feel the same. Regardless of quantity of viewers you move forward with only quality in mind and the hope that you might be reaching someone. One day you turn around and realize that not only you have been successful, but you have created a recognizable brand. The question then becomes, what do you do next? How far can this creative space reach?

Brian Fugett, editor/publisher of Zygote in My Coffee, was faced with these questions several years ago and his answers have been quite successful. Taking Zygote from just another on-line lit journal to an edgy journal, a quality small press, and much more has been a noble mission. However, Brian is always looking ahead, amazed of where he has been, but confident of his place in the future.

Recently, Brian was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): I've heard the history of Zygote, what are your thoughts on the current state of the zine? Where would you like to see it go next?
Brian Fugett (BF): To be honest, I am truly astonished by the success of Zygote in my Coffee. When I first started publishing the online-mag back on New Years Eve 2003, I never imagined it would evolve into the beast it is today. I initially felt that interest from the general public would peter-out after about a year or so and that Zygote would fold like so many other small press lit-zines had in the past. But it didn’t happen that way. Interest, readership and submissions kept growing exponentially since day one. After the first 2 years, it occurred to me that I might be on to something really unique with Zygote, so I felt obligated to keep this sucker alive and growing. I am proud to say we have managed to publish 106 online issues as well as a total of ‘9’ print books under our Tainted Coffee Press label in the span of just a little over 4 years. And you know, I gotta give a lot of credit to my co-editors Karl Koweski and Aleathia Drehmer as well as my wife Allison Wentland (the very 1st co-editor I ever had), as Zygote in my Coffee wouldn’t be where it is today without their help. Naturally, I’d like to see Zygote thrive both online and in print for at least another 5-10 years! Hell, who am I kidding, I’d like to see Zygote become the 21st Century’s equivalent of Black Sparrow Press. I know those are some big shoes to fill, but you gotta aim high, right? Otherwise, what’s the point?

OA: I've heard you are looking to produce a video project. Given your knowledge and experience in film it does seem like a logical next step. Is there anything brewing on that front, maybe Tainted Films?
BF: HAHA! You’ve been doing your homework on me, haven’t you? Tainted Films? That sounds awesome! Maybe if subscriptions to Zygote in my Coffee increase by like 150% and I receive backing from Harvey Weinstein then I might have the budget to start a full-fledged movie production company. But in the meantime, yes I am looking to produce some short, very LOW-budget video projects to be featured on Zygote in my Coffee. I