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lukin08 · 4 years

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Spring Blossoming

Here is my piece from the Kristanna Calendar Zine. Please go and check out everyone’s work if you have a chance. It’s all great!

Modern AU

Rating: G

Words: 3154

He met her in the spring on a cold day no one would ever assume was actually spring if not for the date on the calendar. He glanced up and cursed the grey ski as heavy flakes fell around him creating a muddy slush on the street. Ignoring the dampness that was creeping into his work boots, Kristoff stomped into the hardware store for yet another emergency run for supplies.

Grumbling at the prices, Kristoff shoved the receipt in his jacket pocket and stepped back outside. A run to the big box store would have saved him money, but it was all the way across town and traffic with all the snow it would have taken the whole morning to get there and back. The unexpected snow had changed all their work plans on the house, setting them back at least two days. What was important now was making up for as much lost time with other work that wasn’t impacted by the weather.

There were times he hated how much the weather dictated his life. Especially since he and Sven had broken off on their own. Building custom homes had a rhythm to them… when you broke ground, when you moved inside; it all had to be timed out just right. Summer he was in his element, hoisting joists into place, building frameworks, up on roofs. Summer kept him busy. Fall was invigorating; the rush to finish last minute outdoor projects as the cool air hit his lungs was enough to keep him going through the long weeks. Winter was his solitude, with more solo projects with a move to the indoors once the roofing and siding had been completed. He liked winter and what he was able to accomplish. But spring… spring was unpredictable. It delayed his plans and caused constant upheaval and adjusting which all led to costing him unnecessary money. The whole season could disappear as far as he was concerned.

Kristoff caught the laughter a split second before the ice cold sting hit the left side of his head. Broken chunks of slushy snow slid down his face, under his collar, causing him to shiver as it trickled down his shoulder. To his right two boys scurried away from him as fast as they could. He pinched his brow and closed his eyes a moment before looking in the direction from where the snowball came.

She was standing there with an embarrassed smile, lifting her hand and offering a small wave. “Sorry,” she said meekly. “I was having a snowball fight with the boys and I guess we got a little carried away.” She shrugged and smiled again.

“You think?”

He barely had time to set the scowl on his face before she was over to him, apologizing again. She was a mess of red hair, topped off with the fluffiest hat Kristoff had ever seen, using her scarf to wipe away the remaining snow while she rambled on about how her aim was usually right on, but she hadn’t seen him.

“There,” she said, brushing a flake off from the front of his jacket then stepping back. “As good as new.”

She looked up at him with a bright smile and he found himself returning it with his own grin and not remembering what he possibly could have been so annoyed about.

Sven was waiting for him as soon as Kristoff pulled on to the site asking what took him so long. They made quick work of unloading the supplies and sorting them out.

Sven held out his hand to Kristoff. “Let me have the receipt and I’ll put it in the folder with the rest of them for the week.”

Kristoff reached into his pocket and pulled it out along with a small cube.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Sven shrugged and turned away. Kristoff held up the small rectangle wrapped in wax paper. “Its national caramel day,” Anna said to him with another grin before they parted. Anna, she had told him her name before exchanging numbers with him. Kristoff removed the paper around caramel, thinking for a brief second how it was odd there was a caramel day and someone would actually know about it. He popped the sweet in his mouth, knowing he wouldn’t be waiting very long to contact her.

-----

He learned to see the world differently that spring. Anna altered his perception of it quickly. He wouldn’t admit anything changed; only that it was nice to have her positive outlook around. When he caught himself whistling or taking a little longer than necessary to smile and say thank you, he explained it away that it was simply because he was in a good mood

The truth was Kristoff was happier than he could remember being in a long time. He liked how Anna challenged and kept him on his toes. He was even starting to grow accustomed to her quirks and eccentricities.

“So,” Kristoff started one early morning. They were sitting on the tailgate of his truck, Anna swinging her legs freely off the end. “You got up early to come all the way over to the jobsite to bring me donuts?”

“Yes, its donut day,” Anna said completely serious. “These are for you and the crew.”

“There are a lot of chocolate ones in here.”

“Okay, they’re for me too. You know chocolate is my favorite.”

“I think anyone who knows you longer than five minutes is aware of that. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why?”

“Why what?” Anna responded half distracted as she searched over the selection of donuts for the perfect one.

“Why all the days?”

“You didn’t enjoy them?”

“I didn’t say that. Picnic day was nice and I didn’t even know there was a mini golf day…or a donut day. I guess I’m just curious why you like them so much.”

“Oh….” Anna put her donut down and wrung her hands in her lap. “It’s silly really, I know. I should stop with them.”

“Hey.” Kristoff took Anna’s hand in his. “It’s not silly. Tell me. I want to know.”

Anna took a deep breath. “When I was growing up there were so many days where it was just…nothing. They blended together and it could be so lonely sometimes. But most of these days are fun and yes, sometimes a little silly. I like that it’s a way I can make someone smile…a way to turn an ordinary Friday…”

“Into donut day?”

“Exactly. Can I show you something?”

Kristoff nodded and watched as Anna pulled out a leather bound date book from her purse.

“I don’t look up the days all the time, but when I do and find something I like, I try to do it and then I write down the memory in here on the date. See?” She flipped through the pages where there were notes from earlier in the year. “Now I get to add what I did today with you.”

“Wait, wait a second. Go back to the other page. What does it say about mini golf day?”

Anna flipped the page back and pointed. “That I won.”

“More like cheated.”

“Do you see what’s written under it? ‘Kristoff has not accepted his defeat’ It’s still true today.”

Kristoff chuckled then pulled Anna closer to him, hugging her around the waist. “I guess we’ll agree to disagree on that one. Thank you for sharing that with me. I, umm…” He cleared his throat. “Would be up to doing any of the days you wanted to do with me. Within reason,” he added quickly.

Anna’s face lit up. “You would?”

“Yeah. Sounds like fun. Does there happen to be any beer days?”

She leaned closer to Kristoff. “Several. But you know what days are better?”

“What?”

“Kissing day.”

“Intriguing.”

“Both National and International. There’s one coming up soon.”

“Then we should practice. Don’t want to mess that one up.”

“No we don’t.”

He dipped his head down to meet her lips for the sweetest kiss with her.

He vowed that day to find as many ways as he could to help fill up Anna’s book. His next opportunity came two days later when it just so happened to be chocolate ice cream day. Anna was giddy holding her cone as he told her. He decided then that he’d try to surprise her with days he could find that were chocolate related. His first opportunity came when he made her homemade cookies for chocolate chip day. By the time he sent her chocolates to her work for chocolate day, he had become an expert at finding ways to make her smile and fill up her date book.

-----

He told her he loved her the next spring.

For a long time, he didn’t have the words to put to the swirl of emotions running though him. It was overwhelming. He felt like he couldn’t breathe sometimes when he was around her. By the end of the year he pinpointed those feelings. By spring he was wracking his brain trying to figure out the perfect way to tell her. He was in love with her. He had no doubt. But the timing and the right setting always seemed to elude him.

Then one day Anna pulled onto his job site unannounced in the early afternoon and declared it was time for him to leave. She waited impatiently while he came down from the roof, tapping her toe on the gravel until he finally made it over to her.

“You’re a little over dressed for a work site.”

Anna ignored him and reached for his hand. “It’s leave the office early day, so let’s go.”

“What?” Kristoff didn’t budge. He was used to this by now, but he wasn’t going to make it easy for her. He folded his arms at her to feign seriousness. “But I don’t have an office,” Kristoff answered in a teasing tone.

“What do you call this?” Anna threw her arms out and twisted around, nearly tripping as she moved. “This is where you work. It’s your office!”

“No, it’s not.”

“Then your truck is.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Ok fine. But I have an office and I left early and now I need you to come with me.”

“Babe, I don’t…” Kristoff turned back to the house. “I don’t know if I can go. What’s the rush anyway?”

“What is the point of leaving the office early if you don’t do something with the time?”

“Ok, but maybe if you told me about this earlier.”

“That defeats the whole concept! Now let’s go before we waste any more time.”

“Yeah, but we have the whole crew here and…”

Sven, walked out to them, already hearing the conversation. “Go. I have it handled. We don’t need you. In fact you’ve been useless to us since lunch. Anna, thank you for taking him off my hands.”

Anna let out a triumphant whoop then grabbed his hand and pulled him in the direction of her car before he could give any objection.

“We’ll take my car and swing back and get your truck later.”

“So, what do you have planned? Because I know you’re up to something.”

“Well, yesterday was go barefoot day, so I’m thinking picnic over at the park. We may be a day late, but it still counts.”

“Let me guess. You have everything in the car already.”

“Of course. It’s so nice out. How could we not go?” Anna patted his chest. She took a step away, but slipped on the gravel.

Kristoff caught her and pulled her back to a standing position. “Anna, I love you, but you know you have to be careful out here. You’re going to give me a heart attack one day.”

He moved towards the car, but her hand caught his. Kristoff stopped, looking down at their hands and then up to her face. Her head was tilted; eyes narrow like she was trying to make sense of something.

“What did you say?”

“To be careful.”

“Before that.”

His heart started beating out of his chest when it dawned on him what he blurted out. “That…I love you?”

“Do you mean that?”

It was the last place he ever thought he’d tell her, but it was out there now. No going back. “Yes, I love you.”

Anna jumped into his arms before he knew what happened. She answered him back with a kiss full of passion he had never known before her.

-----

He followed her in the spring. The first time she showed it to him was in March. Anna gave him directions until they finally turned into a wooded lane that winded up to a clearing full of daffodils in their early spring glory.

“So this is it?” Kristoff asked, putting the truck in park.

“This is it.”

He could tell Anna was nervous. She chewed at her bottom lip anytime there was silence while he drove.

“Hey.” Anna turned and looked at him. “Check under the seat.”

She gave him an inquisitive look, then reached below her and pulled out a package.

“Happy Oreo day.”

Kristoff couldn’t stop from cracking a smile when Anna started laughing. He had gotten her again. She opened the package, took a couple cookies for herself and handed several to Kristoff. “For the walk,” she said.

Anna guided Kristoff up the small hill, telling him all about the property until they reached the top.

“So what do you think?”

Kristoff scanned the land. “I-“

“It’s okay if you don’t like it,” Anna said nervously. “I know you and Sven said I could help scout for property. Please be honest with me if it doesn’t work or if there are problems I should have been aware of. I thought the price was reasonable and the area is flat to build on. But tell me, if that view isn’t to die for.”

“Would you buy it?”

Kristoff’s question took Anna by surprise. “I…what?”

“If it was a property for a house for you, would you buy it?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“I need to talk to Sven, but I don’t think he’s going to have any objections. The view alone would sell the property before anyone walked inside the house.”

“So, you like it?”

“I love it.”

Sven was an easy sell on the property and within the month, they broke ground on their latest build. Kristoff asked Anna what she thought of the design of the house when the first layouts came in. She gave him her ideas and he found himself making changes based on a lot of her suggestions. It became a routine for them, Kristoff asking Anna for her opinions on materials for the exterior and then inside as they moved to the interior work.

It was late one night when Kristoff and Sven were discussing tile for the kitchen floor. Kristoff’s first instinct was to call Anna and ask for her opinion. It hit him at the countless times he had made these decisions on his own, yet he felt compelled to ask Anna what she wanted. Everywhere he looked had her influence. There wasn’t a major decision he had made without consulting her.

That’s when it dawned on him. Perhaps he had been building this home for Anna all along.

-----

He asked her to marry him in the spring. After almost three years together, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he wanted to. Kristoff had made his decision that night in the house and talked to Sven about the possibility of him purchasing it. Sven had no issues. He only requested Kristoff make up his mind before April, when the house would hit the market.

It took longer than Kristoff expected to come up with a plan. He wanted it to be perfect for her, to be something unique to them. Then he remembered it by chance. He saw it last year when he was scrolling through national days in March to find something for Anna. A quick check on his phone confirmed the date.

They walked hand in hand on the first day of spring, up the driveway instead of a hill this time, Anna pointing out all the changes outside since she had been to the house last. The warmth of the afternoon sun hit his face; so opposite from the day they met.

Anna gasped when they got in front of the house. “Kris, are these original from the property? They are gorgeous!”

Kristoff nodded. He had some of the daffodils dug up and replanted before they broke ground. “I thought you’d like them.”

They went into the house. Anna marveled at everything, going through the rooms, talking a mile a minute about what she would do with each area of the house.

“I saved the best for last,” Kristoff told her as he opened up the back door to a deck that overlooked the view they both gazed at almost a year before.

Anna took Kristoff’s hand. “Imagine someone will get this view every day.”

“You know, it could be us if that’s what you want.”

“Don’t joke about that. This is everything I ever wanted. I’m going to be sad to see it go…” Anna stopped abruptly, lost in thought for a minute before looking up at Kristoff. “Wait. Why did you say that?”

“Do me a favor and check your phone and tell me what National Day it is.”

“Kris, I…”

“Humor me.”

Anna took out her phone and scrolled to the date. She stepped towards the railing as she looked through it. “It’s ravioli day. Ha-ha. Oh, wait. There’s more if I scroll down let me-“

He knew she had seen it when her hand flew to her mouth. “Its National Proposal Day,” she said barely above a whisper. Anna turned around agonizing slow, not daring to look over at Kristoff until she was facing him. He was waiting for her on one knee, ring held out to her. Then he took a deep breath, and gave her all the love he knew how to when he asked her to marry him.

They stayed out there for a long time embraced and holding onto the moment as long as possible. Anna held out her hand again, admiring the ring.

“You really got me this time. How did I not know it was proposal day?”

“I was kind of banking on you not knowing.”

“Well, it worked. And the house? It’s really ours?”

“If you want it to be.”

Anna leaned forward, placed her chin on Kristoff’s chest and grinned. “I do.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Their lips met again, holding each other tight knowing whatever lay ahead, they would face head on together.

Kristoff never liked spring. Then he met Anna on a snowy day in April and his life and view of the season changed forever.

#Kristanna calendar zine #Kristanna #edin what did you write #Kristoff #Anna #Kristoff Bjorgman #modern AU

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antiquatedfuture · 4 years

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Zine Care Packages (Antiquated Future Spring Newsletter)

What a challenging time. Things have felt pretty bleak and I debated about whether to send this spring newsletter a lot, but friends convinced me we're all in need of good news. If nothing else, I want to say two things: 1) We'll still be shipping orders (with plenty of hand-washing and sanitizing) several times a week. 2) While we always appreciate and need your financial support, we'd also like to offer the resources we have to any of you who are having a hard time.

In short: We're offering free zines (and tapes and books) to anyone who's currently struggling financially, mentally, or physically right now. No need to tell us details, just email and say "I'd like a package," and we'll send one your way. Let it be a surprise or make a list of what you'd like and we'll send you what we can. Feel free to spread the word to your friends and community through our Facebook or Twitter posts. It's not much, admittedly, but hopefully it's something.

In more general distro news: we have a few more calendars & planners in stock (and very very on sale), we’ve been restocking things as much as we can, and we accidentally left up our temporary store-wide cassette sale (that also includes a decent handful of LPs and CDs) as well as our zine sale on select titles. We also just posted a newsletter from the record label side of Antiquated Future. We're currently lending some small financial assistance to Portland writer Martha Grover as she recovers from a brain surgery by selling a fundraiser pack of her Somnambulist zine. And if you're in the Portland area, we're helping do porch deliveries of food, baby supplies, and various resources. Please reach out if you'd like one or you know someone in need.

NEW ZINES Antonia- A rare, almost-sublime zine about place, memory, and lost history. About the ways things change and stay the same. About how the place you're from shapes who you become. About growing up in a small Midwestern town without a zip code, a place not on most maps. ($5) Behind the Zines #9: A Zine About Zines- The latest issue of newest best zine about zines around. Within: the evolution of DIY comics culture, zine-fest history, imagined zines, One Punk's Guide to collaborative zines, a history of that one Crimethinc poster, The Most Unwanted Zine, confessions of a sex-zine zinester. Contributions from our own Gina Sarti, as well as John Porcellino and so many others. ($3) Brainscan #34: A Dabbler's Week of DIY Witchery- In the wake of the controversy surrounding a recent viral article about spending a week "becoming a witch," Alex considers what her guide to a witchcraft practice would look like. The results are a day-by-day guide to trying out her particular variety of secular witchcraft (that she lovingly refers to as "DIY witchery"). ($4)

Caboose #12: Jury Duty- A personal story of serving as a juror on a medical malpractice suit. As usual, Liz Mason's playful, endlessly curious take on the world makes this a ride worth taking. A peek into the court system through the eyes of this long-running zine-star. ($4) Clock Tower Nine #15- One of our favorite Seattle zines is back with tales from the record store counter, long walks in various locales, dangerous doppelgängers, and 8-track tapes. As Clock Tower Nine ringleader Danny Noonan describes it in the introduction: "This fanzine is like a bunch of people sitting around a fire in late fall, all taking turns telling a story." ($3) Cometbus #59: Post-Mortem- How does Cometbus, after 38 years as a zine, just get better and better? It's a mystery, but it does. Issue 59 is a deep dive into both death and longevity in the underground. In short: what does sustainability look like in counterculture? This question takes Aaron on a journey from the Epitaph Records and Thrasher magazine offices to hanging out at a punk-owned vegan donut shop and a tamale stand at the farmer's market with Allison Wolfe (of Bratmobile). ($5)

Doris #23- A back-issue fave from one of the best zines ever. Long personal stories that look both outward and inward in surprising ways. ($2) Doris #26- Shy-punk-girl comics, social ecology, the cynical hour, a grandpa who built malls, hammer and nail history, and more. ($2) Eulalia #3- Two issues of the art zine Eulalia in one. Grief and romance, hand-in-hand. Gorgeously designed! Letterpress-printed covers. Each issue is bound with a special do-si-do binding, so each half can be read separately. ($10) Fluke Fanzine #17- Since 1991, Fluke has been creating great variety zines covering all realms of punk and underground culture. Graphic novelist Nate Powell, skateboard magazine historians, Maximum Rocknroll, R.E.M., '90s women-led punk, the Soophie Nun Squad family tree, more. ($3)

Forever & Everything #5- Comics on parenting, depression, coffee, therapy, alcohol, Willie Nelson, Charlie Brown, and living in New Orleans. ($5) Good Days Gone Cold Days- A photography zine/art zine made while living and working in "a house without heat, without doorknobs, and without much insulation or electricity to speak of" for a late fall in western Pennsylvania. Comes with homemade bookmark, building permit, and banjo tab. ($12) Keep Loving, Keep Fighting #8- A reprint of this 2008 issue of Keep Loving, Keep Fighting. Forty pages of feeling at home in New Orleans, communication between friends, death, visiting Montreal, and moving away. ($5)

Learning Good Consent- An essential compilation zine about consent. From personal stories to worksheets, approaches, definitions, resources, and beyond, Learning Good Consent is here to help us all feel more comfortable and be more respectful. ($4)

Little Leagues #1- The companion comics scrapbook to Simon Moreton's epic Minor Leagues series. Prose, comics and photos about being in Japan, making chutney, experiencing autumn. ($3) Little Leagues #2- Comics about being in the snow. Drawings and photos of spring. A fold-out cover with facts about lesser-spotted dogfish. ($3) Our Lady of Near Death Experiences- Jodi Darby writes about becoming a cross-country truck driver as a 23-year-old woman in the mid 1990s. A mini-memoir told in vignettes, Our Lady is a twisted love song to the road in all its complexities. A gorgeous reprint of this zine classic from 1998. (And we have the last few copies before it goes out of print!) ($10)

The Paruretic #1: The Story of a Guy Who's Pee Shy- The first issue of one of our favorite new zine series. The Paruretic tells what the intricacies and complexities of life with parusesis, the social phobia of being pee shy. Illuminating, accessible, and worth reading every issue. ($2)

The Paruretic #2: The Story of a Guy Who's Pee Shy (College)- In this issue, Mark recalls figuring out the debilitating effects of his bladder issues when he goes to college and, for the first time, navigates living in dorms, drinking at college-town bars, and hooking-up. ($3)

The Paruretic #3: The Story of a Guy Who's Pee Shy (Vacation)- In this issue: searching out acceptable bathrooms while on the road, not urinating for ten hours while in the air, and a bathroom-by-bathroom diary of experiences. ($3) The Paruretic #4: The Story of a Guy Who's Pee Shy (The Search for Help)- In this issue, Mark reaches out, looking for help, and is met with a less-than-sympathetic medical system. Within: clueless medical professionals, almost losing a job over a urinalysis, and finally finding someone who understands. ($3) The Paruretic #5: The Story of a Guy Who's Pee Shy (Dating)- The dating issue covers how Mark handled (or avoided handling) dating in high school and college. It's a chronicle of, as Mark says, "how my shy bladder has driven every part of my love life." ($3)

Somnambulist Zine Pack Fundraiser- For the past 17 years, Portland memoirist and illustrator Martha Grover has been publishing Somnambulist zine, an expansive and playful look at the world at large (and easily one of the best zines running today). This pack includes all nine in-print issues of Somnambulist (a $40 value for $25!). All proceeds go straight to Martha's brain surgery recovery fund. Help a great writer, get nine amazing zines. ($25) Somnambulist #33: How to Survive the Portland Winter- A fun how-to guide from Portland-born writer Martha Grover. Within: dealing with all the rain, taking care of your mental health, venturing out, staying in, eating soup (with recipes!), and the truth about umbrellas. Illustrated by Liz Yerby. ($5)

Somnambulist #34: The Starfish- A single, long-form essay about Martha's journey through Cushing's disease and Addison's disease, and the lingering tumor she's chosen to not demonize or see as something separate. The Starfish is a surprising and exciting meditation on what it means to be in a body. ($3) Surely, They'll Tear it Down- A short zine letter about gender, race, identity, and not-knowing from the author of Fixer Eraser and We, the Drowned. ($2) Tattoo Punk Fanzine, Issue 3- A jam-packed new issue of Tattoo Punk, the fanzine about tattoos, punks, and tattooed punks. Edited by Ben Trogdon of everyone's favorite artsy punk paper, Nuts! ($15) Valentines Every Day- Weirdo anytime-valentines from zine-seller extraordinaire, Julie Wade. Funny, bizarre, off-kilter, occasionally unsettling. The perfect gift for that especially-odd someone. ($6) What Happened- A dreamy comic from UK artist Simon Moreton. Set in a '90s boyhood of meadows, sci-fi VHS tapes, MTV, crushes, first kisses. ($5)

NEW BOOKS & MISCELLANY The Collected Plays by Portland Preschoolers- In short: One of our favorite little books around! A modern classic, even. Five years of collected plays written by Portland, Oregon preschoolers. Hilarious, invariably bizarre, oddly brilliant, sometimes surprisingly profound. Perfect for putting out on the coffee table, reading aloud to friends, impromptu group performances. ($10) Four-Year Depression- A book about figuring out how to love your family in the Trump era. From Billy McCall of Proof I Exist and Behind the Zines. ($10) Zine Game- A long-time favorite in the zine community, now in a fancy, professionally-made version accessible to all game lovers. Playing like a cross between canasta and Magic: The Gathering, Zine Game is all about building your own zines. A really fun time with tons of possibilities. ($16)

NEW MUSIC & SPOKEN WORD Alice Notley "Live in Seattle"- An LP of one of the most adored living poets. Alice Notley pushes boundaries, and it's an absolute joy to hear her reading her work. (LP + digital download) ($16.95) Annelyse Gelman & Jason Grier "About Repulsion"- A collaboration between poet Annelyse Gelman and sound artist Jason Grier. About Repulsion mixes songs, sampled poems, textural walls, beats, noise, to create this EP of one-of-a-kind soundscapes. (LP + digital download) ($16.95) Eileen Myles "Aloha / Irish Trees"- The legendary poet Eileen Myles, on vinyl for the first time. Aloha/Irish Trees features nearly an hour of Myles live in the studio, reading past and present poems. Intimate, playful, raw. (LP + digital download) ($16.95)

Harmony Holiday "The Black Saint and the Sinnerman"- Harmony Holiday's record of poems and sound collage. Adventurous and accessible, twisting cultural images into something surprising, political, socially aware. In conversation with Charles Mingus’ classic 1963 album The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. (LP + digital download) ($16.95) Rae Armantrout "Conflation"- Fifty-four surprising and gloriously unique poems from Rae Armantrout, a Pulitzer-winning poet of great gifts. (LP + digital download) ($16.95) Susan Howe & Nathaniel Mackey "Stray: A Graphic Tone"- Made in collaboration with Shannon Ebner, Stray: A Graphic Tone juxtaposes historic and recent material from poets Susan Howe and Nathaniel Mackey. An adventurous LP of spoken word delights. (LP + digital download) ($16.95)

Stay well, take care of each other as much as possible. Xo, Antiquated Future

#zine distro #new zines #zines #chapbooks #spoken word #vinyl #new lps #new books #care packages #zine care packages #free zines #portland

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dearsleyart · 3 years

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different forms of zines and publications

I set out in this project to explore forms of multimedia but also a more 'traditional' word and image appproach to storytelling. In this i meant thing ssuch as storybooks and picture books that we most commonly associate with 'storytelling' as well as verbally storytelling which i am exploring in my audio. This idea of using written word and image creation has evolved into these zines which ironically are actually quite an alternative form of distributing information and stories, i wouldn't consider them typically traditional.

In my exploration of zines i have been focussing on the youthful, anarchic, rebellious feeling they have associated to them , harking back to eras of social change and roit aesthetic that popularised them. these are typically cut and stick method of zine making, very bedroom DIY vibe and then mass produced. this style came from the necessity to spread a word and gain momentum to movements that required widely dispersed information. the fact that photocopiers were becoming more popular at the same time meant that this was the most accessible, cheap way to self publish and share information - in the days before we could share a post or weblink. The link between the evolutions of our technology and the ways we disperse information are undeniable and i think i'd like to research this more - are zines becoming archaic when we have something like instagram posts that are essentially digital zines?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/19/style/instagram-activism-graphics-zines.html [Artists, activists and academics are publishing mini-guides on Instagram — swipe-through galleries of text and visuals that help people find local businesses to support and fund community fridges; learn about mutual aid efforts in their neighborhood and the global effects of climate change; locate Black healers and wellness spaces; and nourishthemselves, among other things.Though these guides are digital, they borrow from the analog art of zine making. “Zines, you know, it’s a democratic way to share information,” said Barbara Calderón, 32, an intersectional artist and librarian and a founder of Colectiva Cósmica, an art collective that hosts art workshops, publishes zines and organizes within creative communities. “The zine has always been about providing access.”For several creators of these posts, aesthetics are just one design consideration.

Haleema Bharoocha, 21, a volunteer for @southasians4blacklives, an account that aims to educate South Asians about anti-Blackness and explore South Asian identity, said she often considers ways to include alternative text and image descriptions in her designs and posts. “I always think about those kinds of things as I’m developing graphics and content, just to make it as easy as possible for people to digest,” she said. Such methods resemble the way that zine makers, like those in the riot grrrl movement of the 1990s, built networks through D.I.Y. publishing. “The emergence of zine history and the way that we understand it now is really thanks to the riot grrrl movement who were writing down their words, their experiences, their images and sharing it with the community,” said Catherine Feliz, 28, an interdisciplinary artist and a founder of Abuela Taught Me, a pop-up botanica. Feliz said that “proto-zines,” educational and activist-minded pamphlets that preceded the ’90s heyday of zine making, could be seen as a precursor to today’s digital mini-guides, and that such documents should be archived“So much of what is shared and distributed is information and content that isn’t published anywhere else,” Feliz said. “Because it just wasn’t allowed, or we didn’t have access, because all of the things that silence and that erase our voices and our experiences.” A proto-zine made in the 1960s by the Black Panther Party and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, for example, was reprinted in a recent issue of The Comics Journal, with an introduction by Aaron Dixon, a civil rights activist and former captain of the Black Panther Party’s Seattle chapter. The pamphlet was a comic that explained the responsibilities of a sheriff and other public officials, aimed at informing Black voters of their ability to effect change.] As a species we've been telling stories since our creation in different ways. From cavemen using spit and pigment to stencil their hands onto walls telling visual stories of hunts and life, to then learning how to speak and stories becoming tradition passed through generations around campfires, to learning to write to put those stories down on papaer so we wouldn't forget them. Back in the 1400's when William Caxton brought over the printing press, this caused a similar link to technology changing the ways we distributed and told stories. Before the printing press was invented, usually the only literate people would have been monks who wrote down every word by hand creating these huge volumes of history that was passed down by word of mouth.

Their spelling and language differed from scribe to scribe but when the printing press cam eover the period of Standardisation begun. Everyone had to decide on a 'correct' way of spelling things so that words would be mass produced through the printing press and everyone would recognise what the word was and what it meant by its spelling.

Because of the evolution of a piece of technology, our ways of distrbuting stories adn using language was forced to change and i think this is evident within zine making and how we tell stories now. our attention spans are much shorter so sitting down to listen to someones story feels more intimate than it would have thousands of years ago - we have an obligation and duty to show we are listening and commit to that person we are listening to. Reading a physcial book or publication feels different to reading a story on social media etc.

Going back to what i was saying about the vibe of cut and stick DIY zine making, i've been looking at more varied versions of publication too. I think this broadens my perceptions of how to tell stories still in a written word and picture combination, and its really interesting seeing the different aesthetics that have now evolved from that same idea of an easy to create and distribute physical publication.

GOOD PRESShttps://goodpress.co.uk/writing-zines Super eye opening seeing so many different ways of publication that still capture the essence of a short sharp publication in a zine style. The aesthetics vary so much and i has no idea written word could feature so heavily and still somehow be art in its own way. I think sometimes in acting you can be scared of the pauses ina piece of text, scared of the silences and you try to rush them or hide them and it makes your performance worse and in a similar way i think with publications i am scared to leave blanks, to leave space around words or images and give them room to settle on a page and breathe. i think my initia exploration of one style of zine is that the cut and stick style is a bit chaotic - it captures tht need to spread the word about something with a sense of urgency and vigour, but seeing these publications a lot of them are much calmer nad much more still - maybe this would fit more cohesively with the tone of my audio interviews?

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kingparchment · 3 years

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From Brixton, With Love

By Nemar Parchment

Published by The Tenth Zine

Many viewed Brixton as a spec of dirt to be ignored on the map of London—muddied with unscrupulous characters. When letting people know you were from Brixton, their faces would often scrunch up like a used piece of paper, their aversion to the area caused a physical reaction they could not control. It was defined by outsiders as a dangerous area riddled with crime and poverty. If you ever had the misfortune of visiting, grasping onto all personal belongings and avoiding eye contact were necessary to ensure your safety.

Growing up in the south London district allowed me to see past its bad reputation and truly bear witness to the beauty that resided within. Brixton was a beautiful place illuminated by rich Caribbean culture. A true sense of community lived within the residents, while the sweet scent of hard dough bread wafted out of First Choice Bakers and filled street corners. It was a flamboyant area with one of a kind characters where self-expression and individuality were celebrated. The place where my love for fashion was conceived.

As a young boy I would spend hours getting lost in fashion books inside the rust coloured cocoon of Brixton Library. Books and papers laid scattered across the table where I resided in the back of the building sitting on a miserably uncomfortable black seat. Still, I would sit and read book after book after book, until my body paid the price. I began sketching my own designs and using them as a vessel to tell my own stories. Drawings of extravagant ruffles and oversized lapels represented my flamboyant nature.Bright yellows and greens became an expression of my Jamaican heritage. I felt free getting lost in the limitless realm of fashion; it felt natural, innate. I made a subtle pact with myself to forge my way into the industry, not knowing it would be a journey that the young boy consumed in the fashion books never had the courage to foresee.

You see, the imagination is a wonderful thing that allows you to create realms that have yet to take form in reality. Despite this as a child, I found it hard to dream of a reality outside the sand coloured blocks that made up my Brixton Hill estate. I never saw full thighs, broad shoulders, round stomachs or rich mahogany skin while trawling through those fashion books. As a person who possesses all of these underrepresented characteristics and is a signed model, five years into my career, it feels like a fairytale no-one was brave enough to write. Gracing the pages of fashion magazines, appearing in TV commercials and having my face plastered on large billboards has done more than just filled me with joy. It has given a voice and visibility to a demographic of people that are often forgotten in fashion. In many ways, looking back, my presence as a person with a large body who viewed himself as beautiful was needed at that particular moment in fashion to respond to the call for change in the industry. This call would harken a new generation of shoppers and scrollers to buy into the belief that the fashion industry had become a more accepting and tolerant space.

Even though a shift in representation created an exterior that appeared more welcoming, internally navigating the industry as a big bodied black man has not been the easiest feat. My 4B crown has often been met with hairstylists poking and prodding at it like a suspicious package, nervous to touch it, and brushing waves backwards against the grain. For makeup artists, my rich hazel skin would cause panic.Face beaters rifled through bags trying to find a colour to match my tone, often to no avail, sometimes bringing out face paint sets or telling me that my skin was “great” and did not need anything as their brushes caressed the faces of white models. For the wardrobe stylist, my body triggered a loss of interest which caused them to direct their attention to the smaller models. My sparse clothing options would hang lonely and isolated against the rail of bountiful “straight size” garments. Often, I’d be asked to cram my body into clothing that was not my size, and those experiences are echoed by my model peers.

In spite of this, being able to tell my story, and the story of an overlooked group of people through my work reminds me of the Brixton characters that inspired my love for fashion. Brixton was full of unique personalities with senses of style to match. People from Brixton played by their own rules and used clothes and style as a roadmap to tell the stories of their culture, thoughts, and beliefs. My mother was one of the greatest storytellers.

As parents flooded through the ocean blue gates of my Church of England school, “Your mum is so cool” would often resound through whispers quietly cascading through the air. Oak trees stretched towards the sky and casted shadows over the playground as I walked like a little king drowning in my indigo blue school jumper toward my mother. It was typical for me to walk myself home, so to see her was a shift in scene and a glorious one at that; golden light fit for a queen filled the playground.Her long locs cascaded past her shoulders—a show of her strength. Her wrists were adorned in layers of glistening gold bangles etched with swirls of paisley, and her fingers were engulfed in precious stone rings—an expression of her honest spirit.

There she stood—a rebellious African Queen residing in the body of a young Black woman born to Jamaican parents in post-Windrush London. There I was —taking it all in. The emotional quality of the stories that her clothing told came together so seamlessly. She was the storyteller, with a deep emerald cape swept across her body and stacks of gold bracelets resting on the bend of the wrist. I was the student, with a crumpled school book bag, and soot-coloured trousers with loose tattered hems which were an inexpensive fix for my recent growth spurt. How I wished I had the same pen to tell my own stories and express myself the way I wanted.

My mother was not the only storyteller I knew. On my Brixton Hill estate we had “Pops,” the resident elder, fountain of wisdom, and occasional disciplinarian. He had high cheekbones, rich onyx skin, and a wool trilby often sat upon his head concealing his short, tight curls. He would tip his hat ever so slightly when greeting you, inadvertently letting you know he was a man of tradition. He donned an authoritative blazer in a bleak, closely woven fabric that made it clear he was a figure to be respected. His hard bottom shoes were always in pristine condition and freshly polished.

The Brixton Dancehall Queen Pinky from the early aughts also had a pungent sense of style. She would weave together elaborate tales detailing the culture behind Dancehall music using only the colour pink. Her pink wigs, over-embellished jewellery, and pink mini skirts were all nods to the dancehall culture and the empowering sense of self-representation it promotes. After school my best friend and I would walk through the colourful Brixton streets with our ties loosened and blazers off feeling free from the shackles of our dull school uniform. We thundered down to Brixton Market to buy the latest Dutty Fridaze or Passa Passa DVDs, hoping to get a glimpse of what pink concoction Pinky had chosen to adorn her body in. It was an event that never failed to disappoint. Whether it was her rose coloured finger waves, her bright pink bantu knots, her orchid colour cowboy boots, or her hot pink shorts, she exemplified what it meant to be fearless and unapologetically yourself.

No place on earth has illuminated my soul, fed my mind, and left an everlasting impression on me in the way that Brixton has. My fellow Brixtonians taught me lessons about being proud of who you are by constantly celebrating our distinctions. Its vibrant streets and colourful characters created a unique space unlike any other. The people that have resided there over the years bestowed upon me life lessons and exposed me to experiences that have made me the person I am today. To the South London gem, thank you!

#brixton #london #creativewriting #essay #thetenth #black writers #black creatives #model #model of color

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jpolish-writes-queer-ya-fantasy · 7 years

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5 Things to do while Writing Your First Novel

Over on my tumblr, the wonderful invisible-galaxies asked:

"What are you best tips for writing a book? I just started writing one, so I would love some advice."

Well, my dear. Feel free to follow up here with more specific questions about your own writing process, but my first instincts (after mulling this question over since you sent it in) are as follows:

1. Congratulate yourself -- yes, already.

We're so ingrained to only celebrate ourselves, congratulate ourselves, when we have a finished product; when we have something polished and pretty and glossy; when we have something complete, and when we have extra money in our pockets from it.

But you have decided to write a book. You have started writing a book. You have, in other words, started creating something that will let you unleash an entire world onto the page, onto the screen; you have decided to bring life to an entire universe.

That deserves celebration; you deserve celebration. Because you've made a brave decision, a brave start; and because if you don't pause to celebrate yourself along the way, the journey's more likely to be overly self-loathing and lonely.

2. Write about... your writing.

Do you know what kind of novel writer you are?

Maybe you can sit down and bang out the first draft of a short story or a school essay or a project report for work, one shot, start to finish. It's linear and it's chronologically-oriented and sure, it needs editing, but it has a beginning, middle, and an end, right away.

Awesome! But that might not be the kind of novel writer you are.

Let yourself experiment -- let yourself write whatever scenes or character sketches are coming to your mind, even if you're not sure where they fit into your overall narrative. Because maybe you'll write a lot of your novel out of order (I sure did), and then have to stitch it back together/rewrite to iron things out. There's nothing wrong with that!

There's also nothing wrong with those of us who outline endlessly before even writing down the first chapter, or whose brains just work in order, getting each scene to flow into the next linearly, from the start.

Whatever your process is, let yourself discover it. Write about yourself as a writer. Ask yourself:

How do I tend to develop my characters into living, breathing people?

For me, does plot tend to come first? Characters? How do they feed off of each other?

Do I have to know everything about a scene before I write it?

Etc. Knowing these things about yourself as a writer can be such a huge help.

3. Share what you can, if Tip 2 indicates it would be helpful (and maybe try it anyway).

Grab a glass of iced tea and swing your legs off the fire escape with a friend, and talk things through with them.

Last summer, I don't know how many hours I spent in the ocean with one of my best friends, floating over waves and exchanging our novel ideas, bits and pieces of information and revelations about singing dragons, teenage superheroes, detention centers, and zine writers. I can't ever describe how central that was to my process.

These conversations weren't just conversations. When I went away to speak at conferences or to see friends, I would print his novel drafts and bring them with me, reading on the bus well past the point of motion sickness (because his writing is just that brilliant). And he would do the same for me.

Writing communities -- even if they're small -- are absolutely invaluable. Sometimes, we can find them online; sometimes, we can find them in school; sometimes, we can find them at free writing workshops in our communities.

We tend to think of writing as a solitary process, and that's so true, but it can also be a recipe for unhelpful ruminating: a lot of us need idea bouncing buddies, cheerleaders, and critique partners who will be honest but gentle when something just isn't working.

So maybe it's just me, but I can't write without the people I love, and I love the people I write with. Period.

4. Map it out.

Even if you're not a planner -- even if you write scene-by-randomly-ordered scene -- keeping yourself organized can help so, so much. I always keep documents of notes on my character descriptions, their likes and dislikes, their relationships with each other.

I have lists of "twenty personal things that readers will never know about x character."

I have fan fictions of my own characters where -- since I'm writing fantasy -- I place them in today's world, without magic, in a given situation, and learn more about them through how they'd react.

I have little maps of when this happens, when that happens. As x is happening to y character, why is a happening to b character? How does this all affect c character and d plotline? (Index cards or post-its and colored pens are super helpful for this sort of thing.)

I have drawings -- and my students will be the first to snort, here, because I cannot draw to save my life -- mapping out where different things in my book happen, and when.

I didn't do most of these things while I was initially drafting; I did most of them while I was editing and rewriting. If any of these things sound helpful, though, don't be me: try to do these kinds of exercises and explorations with yourself while you're drafting, because I know how much more streamlined and generative my process would have been, sooner, if I had.

5. Read, Read, Read, Read. Oh yeah, and write.

What genre are you writing? Young adult fantasy? Adult contemporary? Middle grade historical fiction? If you don't know, that's okay -- find out! Book research is fun. (And let me know if yall want a post about different genres, or have questions about them.)

And then, read. Read it all. All the things your library has in your genre, and all the things your library has out of your genre. I count watching certain television -- really well-written stuff, and even not-so-well-written stuff -- as reading when I'm preparing to write, because great images and stories can inspire me, and terrible images and stories can also inspire me (to make something better, to never have that kind of plot hole, to never kill the lesbian).

I know sometimes when we're writing, it's hard for us to read.

We want to keep our own voice, and we want to be, quite frankly, not intimidated by what's out there. But part of the journey you're beginning -- writing your own book -- is trying to rewire the competition-thinking that makes us intimidated into the collaborative-thinking that makes us inspired by others' beautiful work. It can be hard, and might even take longer than it does to draft your book -- but it's a worth-while process to start off on.

And, of course, while you're reading... write. It's okay if it's out of order, and it's okay if it's outlined down to the finest detail. Just... write.

If you're the kind of person that likes internal deadlines, set them. If you need an accountability buddy to help make sure you stay on track, get one.

And when you accomplish a mini-goal -- like answering a series of deep questions about your main character or finishing that first chapter and moving onto the second or finishing that random scene that doesn't fit in the plot yet but hey, you wrote it -- reward yourself!

Because -- and now we're looping up to Tip 1 again -- you are on an awesome journey, and you deserve to treat yourself awesomely.

#weekly writing tip #write tip of the week #starting a book #writing process

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electricdazemag · 7 years

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Hello, I’m Sorry: Interview

by Tasha Bielaga

The sadboy party rock genre you’ve been missing is finally found, thank god. Seattle based indie pop/trash band Hello, I’m Sorry has been stirring up the Washington DIY scene for a little over 2 years. Songs like Good’s Not Great feature that panning of guitar lines between speakers, you know, the one’s that make your brain feel like it’s spinning when you listen to it with headphones. Vocalist Seth Little, drummer Paul Rhoads, and bassist Cam Richardson all live in Bellingham, WA, where their daily antics are filled with schoolwork and pestering their guitarist Alexander Henness, who lives south of Seattle, to come work on music. The band’s fuzz pop feels reminiscent of warm summer nights full of friends and basement gigs. It’s the embodiment of what goes on in most youth’s heads, set to a tune you can dance, or mosh, to. We talk about saying goodbye to Seth’s beloved 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the best cassettes printed to date, and their janky mic set ups, the epitome of DIY.

Electric Daze: How do you balance making music, working, and going to school?

Paul: School is the only reason I live in Bellingham actually, I’m from California. As much as I would love to just do music 100%, I’m paying a lot of money in tuition and I know what I’m studying, so a lot of my life is based around school. I always make time for music on the weekends though.

Seth: Music is the funnest thing for me, it’s what I enjoy doing the most. But, I am paying a lot of money to be here and should probably be putting more work into school. Whenever I have down time I always try to write something or be productive with my music.

Alex: I think it’s definitely worth it to find a good balance between everything. Since I drive up here all the time to play shows and hang with these guys, music is the most important thing that I want to spend my time doing when I’m not working.

ED: What was the first DIY house show you played that really pushed you to get into this scene?

Seth: We played the Karate Church in Bellingham with Roar Shack back in February of last year! It’s this church that, I don’t want to say renovated because it just looks like half of it got torn down on one side, but you know. There’s this basement part that has a dirt floor. That was definitely the first show where I was like “this is tight, this is such a cool DIY scene”

ED: You guys have obviously played a lot of different shows, from bars to house to dirt floor basements. What makes you want to keep pursuing the house show scene vs. a different approach?

It’s sweatier, they’re more fun! I’m a huge fan of the DIY scene. All the music we’ve recorded has been on laptops, and the DIY part just seems like people are always there more for the music. It’s a lot more intimate.

Are there any songs you particularly like to play live?

Bodies, Sleep by the Phone, Little Plan. People go wild to those. We played a house show with the band Cruise, and it got really crazy really fast. Somebody spilled FOUR LOKO on Alexander’s pedal board, SO sticky man. And then I was worried for the foundation of the house, I felt like I had to be a dad about it you know like “Yo! Let’s be safe out there!” and then give a thumbs up and play the next song.

You do so much releasing on cassettes, which is super tight! I saw there was a mini zine that came with one of them, what was the inspiration for that?

Our good friend Mimi Jaffe actually did those! She also did the cover art for Consolation Party, she’s one of my favorite artists in Bellingham. She did a page for each song and I printed them for the cassettes.

How was working on the Z-Tapes cassette compilation? How’d you get in on that and why’d you pick that song to cover?

Filip from Z-Tapes hit me up and originally wanted to put out some of our tapes, but he had a lot back ordered. I ended up putting ours out ourselves. Anyway, he asked if we wanted to cover a theme song to be included on this cover compilation, and I thought that was tight so we did. I originally wanted to do (Theme from) The Monkees, but it was taken. So I really dug deep and found this mini 70’s tv series that used a Sex Pistol’s cover of Eddie Cochran’s Somethin’ Else, and I thought ehh that technically works, so we covered it!

What’s your favorite cassette that you own?

Alex: There’s this rapper on Stone Throw Records named Koreatown Oddity, and he made a mixtape that’s him rapping from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air's perspective with these really late 90’s beats on it. It’s a 1/100 copy.

Seth: I’m really into The Replacements, but I’m not huge on the album “Don’t Tell A Soul”, but that album has a song titled “Asking Me Lies” that is Paul Westerberg’s attempt at a pop song and it’s SO awful and amazing at the same time, especially on cassette, so that’s my favorite right now.

Paul: When I was a little kid I had a cassette of The Lovin’ Spoonful that I used to listen to in the car, that’s probably my favorite.

ED: You guys did a west coast tour back in August. How do you feel the cities music scenes vary?

Well LA was hands down the best city we played it. They were very receptive to new music that they probably hadn’t heard before. We ended up meeting with mutual friends in most cities, which made the whole tour very cohesive, and not vary a lot surprisingly.

ED: Do you have a wild story from your tour?

OH! We bought a new car! This tour was very very DIY, we didn’t even rent a van. We had Paul’s 2009 Scion xB Box Car, that he just loves, and Seth’s 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. On the way back up it was so cramped in the jeep, the engine light was flashing, and the gauges would go all the way up and then all the way back down, and we’re just thinking something’s wrong, something is terribly wrong. So we pulled over on the side off the road in Weed, California, and Seth found a dealership that would trade straight across. We get a 1999 Volvo cross country, and that car, was the worst car, in the entire world. It had a coolant leak, so we pulled over every 45 min from northern CA to Seattle, WA, to pour coolant in. At one point one of the covers for the headlights just flew straight off while we driving, and there was a huge semi truck that had exploded, so the drive just took forever. We got into bed at 7am the next day.

ED: You guys have accomplished so many cool things in 2016, like playing with Together Pangea, playing EMP Sound Off, and more recently you played with TV Girl. What goals do you hope to accomplish this year?

Playing with bands that we really like is always a goal of ours. We also really want to play a festival this year. We’d love to do, you know, like, Coachella, hahaha. Touring again and more shows! We have to figure out how our summer’s going to look individually and then work around that.

ED: Good’s Not Great has 20,000 views on YouTube, and 107.7 has been spinning it lately, which is so cool. Were you expecting that song to kinda be your single and the one people listed to the most?

Seth: Honestly, no. When I recorded it, I recorded all the instrumentals and I was super hyped on it. Then I recorded the vocals and it just sounded fucking awful, I was like this song is the worst thing I’ve ever made in my entire life. I remember going “holy fuck, these vocals suck, I forgot that I can’t sing” and I was super depressed for like two days. And then I went in and redid the vocals and went “alright these are better, this song is passable now”.

ED: Do you have a specific writing process? I know you do a lot of half done demos, what’s the process for that like?

Seth: Yeah! I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a total tool, but recording for me is part of my writing process. I normally have a half baked idea and I go in, record it and work with it. I send a lot of small ideas to the rest of the guys and they’ll give me feedback on whether I should continue it or not, and that’s what drives my song writing.

ED: Do you do most of the song writing yourself then?

Seth: Yeah, I do almost all of the writing and recording. We always rework the song live though, and sometimes they end up having a completely different energy which I’m a huge fan of. What I’m trying to new with the new album is make demos and then play them and work through them as a band, and then re-record them to match what we do as a band.

ED: What’s your mic set up like? I know small bands always have the coolest (shittiest) mics.

Seth: The jankiest for sure! I have two mics that I use for recording, one’s a Sennheiser condenser mic, and I think the other is an Audio Technica that I use for vocals and drums, sometimes everything. Sometimes when we practice, I take a 1950’s ribbon mic and run it through a solid state 80’s fender amp with chorus on it for a while, because I didn’t have an amp that could take the xlr input. That was probably the jankiest situation.

Paul: Sometimes when I’d use a vocal mic, we’d string it over the rafters in the basement because we didn’t have another mic stand. So it would just kinda dangle in front of my face.

ED: How do you guys feel about music videos? Any plans to do some soon?

We’re doing a live recording of our set today with Bellingham Sound Check actually! That’ll be nice to have a video of how our songs sound live vs. what Seth records. As far as our own music videos, we’d like to do one for Good’s Not Great. We like to sit around and talk about what would be a cool video for each song.

ED: Is anyone a different kind of artist? Obviously you’re all musicians but is anyone acquainted with other forms of art?

Seth: I am definitely NOT.

Alex: I play soccer, and I think Soccer’s an art.

Paul: Well I’m in a jazz band! Which is still music, but a different kind.

Cam: I have a friend who lives in Texas who asks me for beats that he can rap over. So I send him some terrible beats to rap over.

ED: Would you ever make beats for Hello, I’m Sorry, maybe less lofi more terrible rap? If you had to cover a rap song, what would it be?

I feel like we could rap. We could cover Gangsta Gangsta, or definitely Rap Snitch Knishes. Maybe Mathematics by Mos Def but it would be hard. We could take a stab at it though! We’ll make a bad demo and follow up.

photo by Emma Hatwell

Connect with Hello, I’m Sorry on Instagram at @hello.imsorry and on Facebook here.

You can listen to their music on bandcamp at helloimsorry.bancamp.com and on Spotify here.

The cassette with the mini zine can be found here, and the ZTapes compilation here!

This is the first installment of features on Seattle based bands. Check back here soon to read the rest!

Check out Tasha’s work for the magazine here.

#tashabielaga #interviews #washingtondiy #hello im sorry #helloimsorry

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