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Opening tonight, just below Slowtrain Music, is a brand new art gallery that is sure to give any local concert goer a feeling of reminiscance.  Signed & Numbered takes the convential poster or flyer and shows it off for the work of art is truly is. Bringing back memories of concerts gone by in the Utah area from both local and national artists. And what better place to be than right below a record store. I got a chance to talk to very talented artists and owner, Leia Bell. As well as snap some photos of the new place before it opens up to the general public. Leia Bell http://www.leiabell.com/
Gavin: Hey Leia, tell us a little about yourself. Leia: I was born and raised in Tennessee with one older brother, and mom and a dad. I moved to Utah about 10 years ago, and now I think of Salt Lake as my home. I have an awesome family of my own now too—3 sons and my better half, Phil. I spend a lot of time designing and printing posters. Gavin: I read a little on your bio, where did the decision come from to move from Tennessee to Utah? Leia: I wanted to try something new, it didn’t matter much to me where. I’d never actually been to Utah, but the guy I was with at the time had friends that moved here for snowboarding and skiing, so it sounded pretty nice. He got a job here and I started my art degree at the U. Gavin: You went to the U for the majority of your artistic classes, what was that like? Leia: At first it was hard because I’d already taken Foundation art classes at the University of Tennessee, but my credits didn’t transfer. It added an extra year to my schooling, but I’m probably a better artist because of it. I didn’t get outstanding grades in drawing because I am not the best at rendering things accurately. I opted for an emphasis in printmaking because I love the process, and it wasn’t as much about being able to draw well.  Gavin: When you got out, you started doing posters for Kilby Court back when it was originally owned by Phil. How did that conversation come about for you to do those? Leia: One of my roommates at the time saw Phil at the Coffee Garden and started chatting him up about Kilby because we’d just gone there for an Art Night organized by Richard Visick (comic book artist who now lives in Seattle). My roommate invited Phil to our house, and when he came over he saw some of my prints on the wall. We talked the whole night and instantly became friends. I wanted to help him out because I loved Kilby, so I offered to make flyers for the shows. I made Xeroxed ones at first, but Phil soon insisted that I screenprint them. He even built me a studio on the street. Gavin: What did the bands at the time think of the work you did for them? Any negative feedback or were they all glad to have some artistic promotion? Leia: I have been very lucky to have never had negative feedback ( knocks on wood). For the first few years I was printing posters I gave all of them away at the shows, to the bands and the fans. I felt like it was a nice gesture for these indie bands to get a souvenir from their show at our little venue, to show our appreciation of them (since we couldn’t always pay them in lots of money). The bands were always very positive and grateful, with no "rock star attitude" (Kilby’s unofficial motto). I sold my first poster in 2003 to Pat Eddington, art teacher at Highland High. He came by Kilby and wanted to buy posters. I tried to give them to him, but he insisted on paying—it was weird for me! It was the first time I thought that maybe I could make a career out of being an artist. The next turning point came soon after that when I attended my first "Flatstock" (semi-annual contemporary rock poster convention) at SXSW in Austin 2003. The authors of the book The Art of Modern Rock were there and they made an offer to buy every poster I brought with me. It was exciting to say the least!  Gavin: What was it like for you when he sold Kilby? Leia: I knew it was time, but it was a bit sad for me… mostly because I’m not sure if our boys will remember it when they’re older. We named our youngest son Oslo Kilby, so maybe one day he’ll ask us where he got his name. Phil had been talking about closing it for a while because he spent so much time working at it, and yet it wasn’t enough money to support a family of five. We were so happy that Will and Lance took over—it needed young, gung Leia: -ho folks with no kids to carry on the legacy. I am just so happy that it didn’t have to shut down all together. I think it is a wonderful, positive thing for Salt Lake City. Gavin: Tell us about Signed & Numbered. Leia: Signed & Numbered is my little poster gallery/store on Broadway. The name refers to the technical term collectors use when talking about a limited edition run of prints. In printmaking, the artist signs their name and then numbers the prints in sequence (1/100, 2/100, etc). This lets a collector know which print they have and how many others there are like it out there. I have met so many amazing artists from all over the world by attending Flatstock conventions and in the online poster community, Gigposters.com, I wanted to bring their work to Salt Lake to get more people excited about attainable art. Many people may not be able to spend money on an original painting, but with posters, one can still own a handmade piece of art that is totally affordable. Along with gig posters and art prints, the store will also features art and music magazines, limited edition stationery, clothing, comics and other handmade collectibles.  Gavin: Just curious, why did you set up in Slowtrain's basement and not set up your own shop? Leia: Phil and I had originally been trying to get our own space on 3rd South, but nothing was available. I knew that was the area of town I wanted to be in, and I love the energy and dynamic of that street. Then when Anna and Chris of Slowtrain offered their basement to us, we realized it would be a perfect fit. Music and Posters go hand-in-hand, so it seemed like a no-brainer for us. Gavin: What's your opinion on the local art scene here in Utah, both good and bad? Leia: Salt Lake has so much potential. I loved seeing what happened with the 337 Project—it made us feel like a big city in terms of cutting edge/underground art. It’s a great time to be an artist because with the internet, you don’t have to be in L.A. or New York showing in a fancy gallery to get your work noticed. This may create more issues though—over saturation. This is already happening with underground music because anyone can create a Myspace account for their band and get "heard" I suppose. It seems like bands are trying new tactics and gimmicks to stand out from the pack. Gavin: Is there anything you believe could be done to improve it? Leia: The mentality of "I bought this in New York" meaning, "it must be better" needs to change. People should be proud of their local art scene and want to own work by local artists.  Gavin: Are there any local artists you recommend people go check out?
Leia: Off the top of my head: Potter Press, Trent Call, Sri Whipple, Cein Watson, Saltgrass Printmakers, Fletcher Booth, Dana Costello, Furturtle Printworks, Erik Dewaal, Lenka Konopasek, Tessa Mecham
Gavin: Touching base on music a little, what's your take on the local scene?
Leia: I think it’s thriving—there are so many bands I can’t keep up!
Gavin: What are some bands you think people should be checking out?
Leia: This is a hard one for me to answer, I don't like to talk much about music… All I know is, almost every time I go over to Kilby and a local band is playing, I like what I hear! I think some of my favorites of the past few years have been TaughtMe, Vile Blue Shades, Redd Tape, The Brobecks and Neon Trees.
Gavin: Aside from the new store, what can we expect from you the rest of the year?
Leia: I have a solo show in West Virginia (of all places) this fall, and a custom toy in another show there that opens May 16th. In July I’ll be Chicago with a booth at the Pitchfork festival, and (at this point) I also plan on having a booth at the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle in September. I might also be doing another show in the U.K. either late this year or early in 2009.
Gavin: Is there anything you'd like to plug while we're here?
Leia: I think you got it covered!
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So for the past couple weeks I was wondering what was up with Gallery Stroll's website. Okay, granted, there's always something wrong with their website. Pages won't load, there's nothing in the Press and Links sections, no one responds to messages, etc. But the past couple weeks they didn't even update their info for May. Until today, which is nice to find out, but is still kind of annoying that the general public had to wait until two days before the Stroll to get info. I realize a good majority of the project is on a volunteer basis, but do they really only have one person running their website? Laura, an open plea, please, find someone to run it more than once every two weeks. In any case, their info is updated, so our calendar listing is too. I'm aiming to cover at least one thing on the Stroll this Friday, but I may be covering two. We'll see what happens.
More internal news, recently I've been helping book some of the musical guests that come play for our newscasts on Saturday mornings. Giving our show more of a local music vibe while giving the state a taste of the underground. It's cool being able to bring that to at least one of our shows. In the past we've had guests like Emme Packer, Wendy Ohlwiler and Johan The Angel. We've got new musical guests over the next couple weeks. First up on May 17th we bring you the sugary-sweet sounds of The Mollies, and then on May 24th we bring in the hip-hop jazz stylings of Scenic Byway (as seen above). As soon as planning gets finished, I'll let you know who's coming around in June. But I got a good idea of who we'll be bringing by...
Coming up this week I'll have an interview with Leia Bell as she opens up her new store "Signed & Numbered", where you can get such wonderful posters like this rare Decemberists flyer from one of their first tours. Plus whatever I do from Gallery Stroll down the road. For you film makers out there, Tower Theater is doing it's 6th Open Mic Night tonight. Plus keep on listening to UtahFM as I have been off and on this week, hearing some old favorites from that other community station, and new voices that look to be keeping the station original. As for me, it's all up in the air and unpredictable, as usual. More good things are on the way.
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Remember community radio? It's back... in net form!
For those of you looking for an alternative to the new KRCL format that was launched last week, your web browser has the answer today. Launching at 9AM this morning, Utah Free Media becomes the state's first internet based community radio station. With an amazing staff and tons of support behind it, the station quickly got its act together in building a studio and getting a format finalized, in what is probably one of the quickest station start-up times I've ever witnessed. Before the launch I got to talk with Patrick Commiskey, one of the first supporters for the station and now one of the DJ's set to start off Monday's inaugural broadcast.
Patrick Commiskey
Gavin: Hey Patrick, tell us a little about yourself.
Patrick: I'm from Ann Arbor, Michigan. My mother's half American Irish, half Italian American. My dad's an Irish American from Peru. I play amateur ice hockey with The Flying Cupcakes, practice marketing with Vanguard Media Group and perform music with the Salt Lake Symphonic Winds. On the side, I take physics at the University.
Gavin: Of all places, why did you come to Utah to do this?
Patrick: I came here because my girlfriend chose Westminster to finish undergrad. That was two years ago. For the first year I found Salt Lake a heart-wrenching and difficult place to live. I went to South America for two months and returned remarkably refreshed. Public radio on the web in Utah is totally brilliant. I'm thankful that we have it here. We're serving a community function. We're a place for people and ideas. We can be as nuanced as we want, because we have a listenership that both loves particular programs as well as the opportunity to expose themselves to tunes they've never heard before. We can be listened to at work, on commutes via the wonderful public access that people have to WiFi, on UTA busses and light rail, and in public spaces like coffee shops, parks and bookstores.
Patrick: Utahn’s don't like the same boring things. They like some unexpectedness in their lives, some liveliness. Some difference. We're not a station where people all sound alike, or where people are jockeying for first prize or most attention. What's the point of that. For crying out loud, that's what many of us have to do at work, or in other aspects of our lives. This is a place to reach out to people, to make authentic connections, and to reach for things that are truly great. Rocking out is rocking out, and spinning great music is just that, and music is music and so forth. But there's a point where what you're doing is actually meaningful that we're all trying to strive for... not just at Utah Free Media, but at other workplaces, and in other peoples' lives. We're just a small part of that, and trying to do something cool and meaningful and fun. Utah is a great place for this enterprise because, frankly, why not. We're got the knowhow, the good spirits, the energy and commitment. Why not make a station that is exactly what we want and make it great?
Gavin: What's your take on the local radio stations in general?
Patrick: You have three, essentially, that I listen to. Four, if you count 570 AM, which airs Coast to Coast with George Noory sometime around midnight. But the three are KRCL, KCPW and KUER. KRCL is the community radio station, okay. It had volunteer DJs, input from community individuals, a local, grassroots liberal talk show. That's the point of public radio - a non-corporate voice, it really is. KCPW has 3 locally-produced shows, all news, all fairly basic, though they have lofty jargon that evokes everyone in the community coming together and grogging under a roof. They say they don't have commercials, but when you give community-supporting businesses well-produced, lengthy on-air mentions, that's pretty much an advertisement. KUER is great – a well-done, university-based community station that goes into the community and does stuff, and has a thoughtful news and talk program. Well done. There is also KBYU, since I'm a classical fan, out of BYU, that does things right and proper. Utah Free Media is just different. And, in so many ways, freed from the various encumberments of traditional radio. We're online, so people can pick and choose. That allows us to be varied to an extent that traditional radio cannot - KRCL and us both acknowledge this. We also don't have as much overhead or advertising concerns.
Gavin: How did you get involved with Utah Free Media?
Patrick: I heard KRCL was reformatting, learned from Brian Kelm that a new station was forming, donated 50 bucks to the cause and said I'd help out. I work with a fantastic designer named Tracy Nguyen. She and I helped form the look of Utah Free Media.
Gavin: What's the general feeling from the staff about the project?
Patrick: The station went from idea to action in about a month. This is a very energized group. We're all very excited to get going.
Gavin: What's your show and what can we expect from it?
Patrick: I run the Cosmo Show, Mondays 6-9pm. You can expect a little bit of music from here and there including classical, which often receives scorn from indie rockers or a sort of "yeah I grew up on that and then I rocked out." Well it's not true. So we're going to hear some good music from all over. I promise you.
Gavin: Will you feature any local acts that fit into your show's program?
Patrick: Absolutely. UtahFM is currently seeking partnerships with local and global labels. We're open to partnership. On the classical end of things it's been a little more difficult. Ben Fales at Tantara Records has been wonderful in getting us some good tunes from BYU, but we're still working on other major local acts like the Utah Symphony & Opera, Cathedral of the Madeline and U of U's music school. I would absolutely love to have on-hand a repertoire of music that Utah could be totally proud-of. Not just the professional acts, but I'm into the community groups as well. We've got a wonderful music culture in Salt Lake and I'd like to take advantage of that and share that culture with our listenership in Utah and the Internet at-large.
Gavin: While we're on the topic, what's your opinion of the local music scene?
Patrick: I'm a buffoon, really. But I enjoyed a guy named Damien at Alchemy Coffee last night. That was fun. And I get out to the Symphony quite often. Their front six rows are totally awesome and $12.50. It's totally absurd that they're not filled with grungy punks. And that's part of what my show's all about. Getting grungy punks over to classical and some of the crusty classical folks over to the grungier or folksier side of things. There's no reason why we can't all get along. I had a wonderful experience two summers ago in Indiana, a sort of which I have never gotten over or experienced since. I was hanging out then with Early Music students at Indiana University, the type working on a masters in harpsichord or baroque bassoon performance. Well they would hang out at a total hippie campfire and sing Woodie Guthrie songs, integrating their own personal music styles into that of the group. There was a bassist who would play amazing, beautiful, bass riffs, and a fiddle player who could sing, next to an operatic soprano, the most beautiful folks songs you'd ever heard while a singer would croon way out from the middle of a river, on a canoe. It's this sort of musical get-together that inspires me in my own playing, and in wanting to share the music of others with my friends.
Gavin: What's your opinion on the new KRCL format?
Patrick: They're doing what they feel is best. I wish them well with their format but we've got our own thing going on. If people want amateurs they'll know where to find them. Amateur's derivative is amator or love. We don't have to sell our appreciation or joy for DJing or spinning out music because it's wrapped up in the package. So. I'll still listen to KRCL when driving in the car because I don't have an iPod. But - you know, if I had an iPod I'd probably just listen to Ira Glass all goddamn day long and not get anything done and become completely and totally infatuated and in love with him and, you know, who knows, I mean. The iPod. It's brilliant.
Gavin: Do you feel KRCL fans will come on board, or stick with what they've got?
Patrick: Independent music is like independent film. People don't care what theater they're at as long as the show is good. (Given that the theater is in keeping with good taste and standards.) So I think the fans of the programs that were on KRCL are still going to love those shows, whether they're on Utah Free Media or wherever else. Utah Free Media has a major advantage over like-ventures in that we already have a wonderful staff and wonderful listenership. And, yes, we feel that folks are going to be interested in the station and interested in our programming. Or else we wouldn't do it. Or we would. And it would rock out regardless.
Gavin: What can we look forward to from you over the rest of the year?
Patrick: Good music. League championship for the Flying Cupcakes. Wonderful performances from the Salt Lake Symphonic Winds. A massive pay increase from Vanguard Media Group.
Gavin: Any predictions for Utah Free Media?
Patrick: Yes. Operation Freedom Media will shock and awe audiences the whole year 'round. We'll be even Freer a year from now.
Gavin: Anything you'd like to plug while we're here?
Patrick: Yes, my workplace. It has afforded me so many opportunities for adventure and learning, while paying me to do so. I feel incredibly grateful that I have a job and that I love (occasionally) what I do. Working with so many talented people, including Utah's fittest executive over 50, is doubly an honor.
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One of the best kept secrets going through the bars and clubs in recent years has been local poker tournaments. Giving people the opportunity to play in an actual competitive environment without wasting time and gas to get to Nevada, all while being able to give local venues a chance to do something else on nights when little is happening. One of the more successful of these tournaments is the Salt Lake Poker Tour. I got a chance to talk to tour owner and operator Chuck Hudgins about having this kind of a competition here in Utah, as well as how the tournament works and it's success to date. I also got to take some photos of the event that was held this past Wednesday at The Woodshed.
Chuck Hudgins
http://www.saltlakepokertour.com
Gavin: Hey Chuck, tell us a little about yourself?
Chuck: I’m an east coast transplant. I moved to Utah about 5 years ago to get my PhD in Philosophy, and hopefully will finish up next year. I have been playing poker for about three years.
Gavin: For those unaware, what is the Salt Lake Poker Tour?
Chuck: Salt Lake Poker Tour is basically a series of weekly tournaments held at local bars. We run free No Limit Texas Hold’em tournaments at Johnny’s on Second, The Woodshed, The Point After, The Cell Block, Oscars and Piper Down (all private clubs for members… of course).
Gavin: How did the idea come about for the Tour, how did it get started and how long has it been going?
Chuck: The tour started at Piper Down several years ago. Originally they would have a couple of tables (meaning twenty or so players in the tournament) once or twice a week. Since then it has grown to 12 tournaments a week with some of the tournaments having as many as 80 players.
Gavin: Now does the tournament play with a pot or with whatever cash is on hand. And why that way?
Chuck: Our tournaments are free to play, so the bars put up the prizes. Since the dealers do not get paid by the bar, the players will usually tip $5 or so. Otherwise, it’s a standard last player standing tournament structure with blinds (the Hold’em version of an ante) being raised every twenty minutes or so.
Gavin: I'm sure you get this all the time... but why Utah? Why not go do this in a state with more relaxed gambling mentality?
Chuck: Actually, the laws in Utah are fairly typical in terms of the sorts of activities that are allowed in bars. People are kind of surprised when I say that, but most states are pretty strict about what you can and cannot do when it comes to gambling like activities, and rightly so. The important thing for us is that we are not offering gambling of any kind because all of our tournaments are free to play. While the concept of gambling has been notoriously difficult to define in a legal context, one thing that is generally agreed upon is that it involves risking something of value. So since there is no buy-in, there is no gambling.
Gavin: Does the negativity some people push onto the game ever bother you?
Chuck: Over the years we have gotten pretty good at keeping things fun for the players. As I see it, having fun is the whole point to begin with. We just want people to come down and play a game with their friends in an atmosphere that is comfortable and enjoyable. If someone goes out of their way to disrupt the game or upset another player, we just send them packing.
Gavin: Have you had any trouble from the city or state over having this kind of tournament?
Chuck: I have never had any trouble from any of the authorities, mostly because I make an ongoing effort to stay within what the laws allow. I understand that they are keeping an eye on us so to speak, but I have nothing to hide.
Gavin: How often do you tour over the city, and do you ever get out of the Salt Lake Valley?
Chuck: We have tournaments just about every day of the week, ranging from downtown Salt Lake to Midvale. And of course we are always looking to expand the tour.
Gavin: Are there any big tournaments, or is it just kept to small private events?
Chuck: We have a points system for our players. The way it works now is, if you finish in the top nine places of any of our tournaments you get points. After a 10 week period, the top 80 players get to compete in a final tournament with a bigger prize payout. Our next big tournament will be this Saturday at The Woodshed. We basically just turn it in to a big party complete with band and fun contests. This time the tournament will have an 80’s theme with prizes for the best 80’s outfits. It’s really just a way for me to say thanks to all of my regular players.
Gavin: What's the reaction been like with the players and crowds who come to watch?
Chuck: Most people are surprised to see a poker tournament in a bar. They usually say something like “Isn’t this illegal?” But then they usually follow that up with “What’s the buy-in?” Then of course we have to explain how everything works and that there is no buy-in. Generally speaking, people get pretty excited about it. The other thing is that people tend not to realize, until they play once or twice, how much fun it is and what a great way it is to socialize in a bar. Most people spend their time in a bar sitting in their booth or table and don’t socialize that much with new people, which is pretty ironic. Playing poker makes it so easy to chat with new people, get to know them and then crack their pocket pair 6-8 off-suit.
Gavin: How have the venues been treating you, and what's their take on having it?
Chuck: The venues have been great to us. The bottom line for them of course is that they want people to have a reason to come to their bar. In that sense, Salt Lake Poker Tour is no different than a band or a karaoke company.
Gavin: Have you ever considered getting bigger sponsorship than just the venues you play at?
Chuck: Sponsorships are tricky for us. A lot of companies are a bit wary of being associated with poker in Utah. While I can understand their reluctance, it’s a bit frustrating. That said, I am always looking for local businesses that might want to get involved and make use of the tour as an advertising opportunity. We have hundreds of players, so it’s a great fit for companies that want to target the local twenty-something crowd.
Gavin: Have you tried to do anything with the college scene, or is the poker community still taking a step back after the issue with Big SLC Poker Club?
Chuck: Not really. I feel much more comfortable with the bar scene and a strictly 21 and up crowd.
Gavin: I also understand you do private parties. How have those been working for you?
Chuck: We do private parties and charitable events. That is basically Chris’ side of the business. Over the last couple of years, for example, we have raised a pretty good chunk of change for the Utah Arts Festival, which is a great cause.
Gavin: What events have you got coming up for people who are interested?
Chuck: We have a dozen weekly tournaments, so the best thing to do is to check out the schedule on our website. Our points system is going to start back up in about a week, so now is a great time to jump in.
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Continuing into part two, we chat it up with Scrapyard Detectives co-creator and Archie Comics artist Bill Galvan. Then we talk to Supernatural Law artist and The Lily Maid creator, Trevor Nielson. Instead of putting up another picture of NightFlight, here’s a drawing Bill did of me if I were a character in the world of Archie.
…I wonder if Midge is single.
Bill Galvan
http://www.billgalvan.com/
Gavin: Hello Bill. First off, tell us a little about yourself.
Bill: I’ve been comics fan since I was about 8 years old. I remember taking a bunch of Marvel books and taping them together- kind of making my own “graphic novel”! When I got a big Superman book as a gift one year, that’s when I really got into comics.
Gavin: How did you get into drawing comics and what were some of your first breaks?
Bill: Back when I was in college, I drew a superhero comic strip called Thunderbird for the school paper. That eventually led to writing and drawing it in comic book form for a local publisher. After the series was over, I got into graphic design, but then got back into comics with the creation of the Scrapyard Detectives in 2003.
Gavin: For those who don't know, what is The Scrapyard Detectives?
Bill: The Scrapyard Detectives is an all-ages comic book that is published by a non-profit organization that teaches kids about the value of teamwork and multicultural diversity. The single issues are given away free to schools and libraries across the country, and are contributed to by some of the top talents in comic books. We also have a graphic novel, collecting all our issues for sale on www.smilesfordiversity.org, with all proceeds going back into the foundation to create more comics.
Gavin: How did the idea come about and eventually make it to publication?
Bill: Dr. Dan Fischer, the president and founder of The Diversity Foundation, wanted to craft a message of acceptance and understanding to kids, so I suggested a comic book. The stories would have mysteries and adventure, but there would also be a moral to the story as well.
Gavin: What do you think of the success it's had so far?
Bill: I’m very proud of what we’ve put together. We are on our fourth issue now, written by DC and Marvel comics writer J.M. DeMatteis.
Gavin: You got Batton Lash to write the origin story of the group. How did that come about?
Bill: Batton came to speak at the SLC library a few years ago, and I was impressed with the way he’s able to blend suspense and humor in his own title, Supernatural Law. I contacted him to write the origin of the Scrapyard Detectives, and he did a great job!
Gavin: You've also worked on Archie Comics. What was that experience like?
Bill: I’ve been drawing and sometimes writing for Archie for almost two years now, and it’s been a great experience. I really like working on characters that are icons like Archie and the gang, and doing stories that are so fun. Especially working on Jughead, he’s my favorite character!
Gavin: Did you find it difficult to keep those kind of iconic characters fresh for this day and age, or is Archie just one of those books that will always keep an audience no matter what?
Bill: The best thing about Archie is that he reflects the times we live in, and there is always an endless stream of things to write and draw about in our society. Teenagers live in a world with constantly changing styles and trends, and so does Archie.
Gavin: What's your take on comics today?
Bill: Artistically, I think that comics have really pushed the envelope with new technology, which allows for more rendered coloring with computer, and also the hand or digitally painted graphic novels as well.
Gavin: Who are some artists you recommend people check out?
Bill: Some of my favorite artists that I look at for inspiration are Curt Swan, Jerry Ordway, Alex Toth, Alex Ross, Ryan Sook and Jaime Hernandez.
Gavin: If you had to make a top 5, what are your most favorite comics to date?
Bill: 1. Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
2. Batman: The Killing Joke
3. Watchmen
4. Kingdom Come
5. The Jughead series
Gavin: What can we look forward to from you over the next year?
Bill: The biggest project I’m currently working on is called Archie: Freshman Year, and it’s a five-issue story that will run in Archie #587-591. Batton Lash is writing the story, and I am penciling it, with Bob Smith inking. It details Archie’s first year in high school, something that has never really been revealed. It’s also drawn in the classic Archie style as well. It will be in comic stores in June.
Gavin: Anything you'd like to plug?
Bill: Look also for Scrapyard Detectives #4, written by JM DeMatteis, which I also pencil. It should be out by the end of summer. We’ve also got a special book coming out as well called Scrapyard Detectives: Secret Case Files, but that one’s kind of a “chase” comic, with a limited release. And The Scrapyard Detectives Collected Cases, Volume One. This special volume collects all three issues of the Scrapyard Detectives in one 106 page graphic novel. As a bonus, it also includes the secret origin of the Scrapyard Detectives! Only $5.00 for schools and libraries! Order at www.smilesfordiversity.org.
Trevor Nielson
Gavin: Hey Trevor. Tell us a little about yourself.
Trevor: My name is Trevor Nielson, and I come from a mythical place called Oregon. Its full of rainbow forests and fields of candy.
Gavin: How did you get into comics and what were some of your first breaks?
Trevor: I had been kicking around comic-cons for a few years when Mimi introduced me to Batton Lash, and he offered to let me work on his book doing backgrounds. Five years later and I’m still kickin’ around cons.
Gavin: For those who don't know about it, what is The Lily Maid?
Trevor: The title comes from the French "La Pucelle Du Lys" which was a nickname for Joan Of Arc. I wanted to do a book that was a little more than a power fantasy and had a more unlikely heroine. Joan was very small and an unknown in her country. So her rise to fame was very unique.
Gavin: How did the idea come about and eventually into its publication now?
Trevor: I was watching an old silent picture about her when the idea to do a book about her hit me. It kinda steamrolled from there. Right now I’m shopping it around to various publishers trying to find someone to share my vision and help publish the book.
Gavin: What do you think of the success it's had so far with readers?
Trevor: The few that have seen the mock up have been surprised at how interesting history really is if you focus on the stories of the people in the situations.
Gavin: What's it like working with Batton Lash?
Trevor: Batton is a hoot! Plus he’s a true pro. He is all about the story and it is amazing how much I have learned about storytelling and good composition by working on his book.
Gavin: How was your time working on Supernatural Law?
Trevor: I loved it and hopefully we can work it out to put out some more books. I would hate to think of a time I couldn’t lend a hand on the book.
Gavin: What's your opinion on comics these days, both good and bad?
Trevor: The good, there is a ton of variety with the advent of web comics and the access to a world wide audience. The bad, there are too many pros that are cookie cutters of each other. And a ton of fans that won’t try anything outside their comfort zone so a lot of great work goes unnoticed. Experiment people... its just comics!
Gavin: Focusing a little more local, what's your opinion on the comic scene in Utah?
Trevor: There are some great local cartoonists; you get Bill Galvin who does Archie and Scrapyard Detectives, and Derek Hunter who does a ton of stuff like Pirates and Lobster Ladd, and J.J. Cano who does Utah Languish. I’d give any one of them a look if you haven’t already.
Gavin: Who are some artists you recommend people check out?
Trevor: Frank Miller is just too cool to pass up. His whole career has been ahead of the curve. Howard Chaykin is a storyteller extraordinaire. Him slumming is better then most peoples cherry work. Lately, I can only gush over Eduardo Risso. If you haven’t seen this guys stuff, you haven’t seen the best in comics.
Gavin: If you had to make a top 5, what are your most favorite comics ever?
Trevor: American Flagg! by Howard Chaykin. Sin City by Frank Miller. Strangers In Paradise by Terry Moore. Hellboy by Mike Mignola. And Cerebus by Dave Sim.
Gavin: What are some of the current comics people should be checking out?
Trevor: 100 Bullets and Fables are the two best books in comics today.
Gavin: What can we look forward to from you down the road?
Trevor: A Joan Of Arc book on your local shelves. Also I am doing a story with George Gladir which will be in print later this summer.
Gavin: Anything you'd like to plug while we're here?
Trevor: Check out my strip The Body Politik and One Shot Presents.
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Free Comic Book Day. The event came and went across the nation, a chance for everyone to snag a bunch of free books and the opportunity to talk to some local comic gurus.
As you already knew, I dropped into NightFlight on State for some pictures on Saturday, and got to talk to most of the artists and writers who were there for the event. Since all the interviews are a tad lengthy, we're going to split this up into two parts this week. Today we start off with local graphic designer and Pirate Club creator Derek Hunter, followed by TMNT writer and Elders Of The RuneStone creator Quinn Johnson.
Derek Hunter
http://www.pirateclub.com/
Gavin: Hey Derek. Tell us a little about yourself.
Derek: Well, I live downtown with my wife and dog and mostly work from home as a graphic designer/storyboard artist for a lot of locally produced films. It's a good job cause there’s a lot of downtime between projects for me to work on comics and other illustration projects.
Gavin: For those who don't know, what is Pirate Club?
Derek: Pirate Club is a story about a small group of kids who shun the mundane video game and TV-filled lifestyle of their peers and search for adventure on the high seas... or series of rivers and creeks as their town's case is. Along the way they run into, and must battle rival clubs and gangs who would impede their efforts in becoming the most dreaded group of 5th graders in all of Sycamore Valley. It's a fun book... but definitely not for all-ages.
Gavin: How did you get into drawing comics for a living?
Derek: Well, I don't actually have the luxury of doing it for a living, but I must admit I enjoy the freedom of doing comics at my own pace and without the watchful eye of an editor... not that my editor is intimidating or anything, she's actually pretty swell.
Gavin: How did Pirate Club come about as an idea and eventually to publication?
Derek: It's funny because I originally didn't even plan on doing much with it beyond drawing a few issues here and there as I saw fit. The idea for the book sprung forth of an atypically exciting adventure in 2001, when my friends and I were all gearing up for the dreaded "adulthood", so we just did a lot of screwing around and being immature. So immature that we even dubbed ourselves the Pirate Club. A couple of weeks after settling into my new job, I decided to draw a comic celebrating the spirit of that summer and issue 1 of Pirate Club was a result. I initially just self published a few hundred copies to sell locally and give to friends, but luckily my buddies pressured me to send it to artists and publishers whose work I admired, and Dan Vado of Slave Labor Graphics quickly responded with an offer to publish. Needless to say, I snatched up the offer!
Gavin: Do you enjoy the cult following that's behind it, or do you wish it had a bigger audience?
Derek: I really do enjoy my fanbase. They are small, but enthusiastic. They've made Pirate Club short films, fan fiction, fan art, and a fan even once made me a treasure chest filled with goodies. It is fun having people care about your work so enthusiastically, but of course it would be nicer to reach a wider audience.
Gavin: A little on publication, do you have an idea of when the next arc for Pirate Club will be coming?
Derek: It's hard to say. I love, love, LOVE Pirate Club and have about 15 issues worth of new material ready to go, but I also feel like I've done that already and need to do some new things. I just finished the first issue of "Lobster Ladd", a story of a boy searching the depths of the abyss for his marine biologist parents who were captured by nefarious sea creatures, each of whom he defeats with the help of a sushi chef eagerly awaiting the spoils of each battle. "Lobster Ladd" debuted at Stumptown Convention in Portland over the last weekend in April. I also have a recurring serial in Image Comics' "Popgun" anthology called Gamma Rae, which is basically a Power Puff Girls style story about a girl ridding the world of monsters so the human population can return from the moon, back to earth.
Gavin: A friend of mine asked about the Manny Golden book, what's the status on that?
Derek: I spent a lot of time co-writing that with a friend, and I got about 60 pages into the art and 120 pages into the script when he pooped out on the project and it really bummed me out not to have him on board, so it's kind of waiting to be worked on. I really like it a lot, and my wife thinks I should finish it, but we'll see. I may release the first 60 pages just to get me movin’ on the next 60.
Gavin: A while ago I read the series was being turned more towards "all-ages" friendly. What's the progress with that?
Derek: It was an idea I toyed with, but ultimately dropped. I developed Lobster Ladd and Gamma Rae as a means to flex my all-ages writing muscles.
Gavin: I was told you did some work with Nickelodeon?
Derek: I actually haven't done anything for them, although I have been introduced to their comics editor many times and still threaten to throw something together periodically.
Gavin: I also understand you did some stuff with Disney. How was that experience?
Derek: I've been doing freelance design work for Disney for about 4 years now, working with the art department on the live action films shot here in Salt Lake. I enjoy it a lot; I get to work with a lot of really fun people.
Gavin: I may be confused with another guy, but I believe you worked on "High School Musical 2." What was that like?
Derek: Yeah, I am actually working on the 3rd one right now and worked on the first one as well. I mostly work from home though, so I can't really say much about the actors, or the set, as I was rarely there.
Gavin: I have two fan questions; I hope you're not offended. First, will we ever see the "death bed" from Skid Marks 2 again?
Derek: I hadn't really thought of it, but it would be fun to try and see the Pirate Club use a bed as a means of destruction, no?
Gavin: Second, is Mike really half ninja half pirate, and if so does it make Mike a traitor to his own causes?
Derek: I think this is something you will see more of as the series picks back up. I don't want to go into it, though.
Gavin: What have you got planned down the road this year?
Derek: Just more comics! I plan on doing 4 more issues of Lobster Ladd before November, hopefully, as well as a new Gamma Rae story for Popgun volume 3. Plus, I am working on putting together an anthology collecting the works of established and aspiring comics creators living along the Wasatch front (hopefully to be released in time for the Alternative Press Expo in November), so anyone reading this who is interested in having a 1-6 page story reviewed for submission, feel free to send me an e-mail! derek@pirateclub.com
Gavin: Is there anything you'd like to plug while we're here?
Derek: Just be sure to check out Popgun Volume 1 from Image Comics for my 15 page Gamma Rae story, and the Issues of Skid Marks and Lobster Ladd available at Night Flight Comics!
Quinn Johnson
http://www.mrwonderfulproductions.com/
Gavin: What's up Quinn. Tell us a little about yourself.
Quinn: Well, I guess it all started back in the cold winter of 1978. It was below zero when I came rushing into the world... Just kidding. I'm a native of Salt Lake City and have lived here most of my life. I lived in Georgia for five years: two years serving a church mission, three years attending the Savannah College of Art and Design, where I graduated with a BFA in Sequential Art, the study of the comics style of storytelling. I currently work as a graphic designer, and do freelance comics and other work. I also really like chili dogs.
Gavin: How did you get into comics and what were some of your first breaks?
Quinn: I don't remember what really started me into comics; I've loved them as long as I can remember. I was always making up my own stories and drawing pictures of superheroes and monsters, so it was always totally my thing. When I discovered the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics from Mirage Studios by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, I was totally hooked. My lifelong love for the Ninja Turtles actually led to my first big break, which was writing the January 2007 issue of the current Tales Of The TMNT series, a total dream come true. Since then, I've been tapped to write a story for the upcoming Scrapyard Detectives anthology and have been self-publishing the Elders Of The RuneStone series, which is starting to take off.
Gavin: For those who don't know, what is Elders Of The RuneStone and how did it get started?
Quinn: Elders Of The RuneStone is a story I've been working on most of my life. It's an epic action-adventure story about five teenagers from vastly different backgrounds and social standings in their high school who accidentally receive superhuman abilities from a glowing "rune stone" and are forced to work together to move forward. As their unlikely friendship grows, they must unravel the mystery of the origin and purpose of their powers while facing some truly scary and powerful new enemies. It's like a cross between “Heroes” and “The Breakfast Club” -- about 50% butt-kicking action and 50% character drama as it gets into the teens' lives and their relationships. There's kung fu, horror, romance, mystery... pretty much anything that's cool.
Gavin: How did the idea of Elders come about and eventually into publication?
Quinn: The initial idea just sort of popped into my head during my 9th grade Physical Science class. I had this mental image of a huge, muscular 12-foot giant (without a nose) dressed in a T-shirt and jeans with a cute teenage girl riding on his back. They'd just busted a hole through the wall of a high school hallway and were looking out through it warily, as if expecting danger. The whole idea of regular teens with the pressures of life on their shoulders, getting superhuman powers and working together...it just struck a chord with me. It's been developing ever since. I did some concept art over the years and finally while at SCAD I started writing out the actual script. While at the school I also met comic artist Robert Atkins (who is currently drawing the Heroes web-comic) and as our friendship grew, he became the official series artist. Over the last few years of work, the series is finally being released on our website. We are also currently shopping around for a publisher to release the story in traditional printed form.
Gavin: What do you think of your success with Elders so far?
Quinn: It's very thrilling! To have something that's so close to you then be highly praised by others...well, it's just way exciting. I have to say that Robert's art, Rick Ketcham's and Joey Stone's inks, and Bob Pedroza's colors give the series a phenomenal look. I am very fortunate to work with such talented and great guys. As the series continues to unfold, I look forward to more great success down the road. (We're actually working on the movie adaptation right now too.)
Gavin: You've worked on Tales Of The TMNT. What was that like?
Quinn: Totally awesome. Like I said, I've always been a huge fan of the Ninja Turtles. Not only do the comics have awesome action and weirdness, but the characters are very engaging. So to be able to write a story that's become part of the official canon is a lifelong dream realized. It was also very cool to work with comics legends Steve Murphy as the series editor and Turtles co-creator Peter Laird, working back and forth with them to revamp and fine-tune the story. They are super cool, down to earth, and of course very talented.
Gavin: Did you feel like you needed to keep close to the original stories, or feel it was more fun to experiment with the characters?
Quinn: Well, I am always one who likes to really draw upon the rich past of the original stories and then add some new aspects to them that are exciting and revelatory. So while I did stay close to the history and tone of the source material, I got to play around a bit and do some things with the characters that I wanted to see. That's one thing that's so great about the Tales Of The TMNT series as opposed to the mainstay Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series -- Mirage Publishing brings in all these outside artists and writers and lets them play around with the Turtles universe, inserting adventures that happened somewhere in the characters' lives, some of them building on or putting a new spin on older stories, some of them all-new stories. It's just a fantastic creative environment that Mirage has really encouraged.
Gavin: What was it like to write for Casey Jones, knowing the kind of audience that character has?
Quinn: Oh man, Casey Jones has always been one of my favorites. He's just such a cool character, like a blue-collar superhero, a normal guy who has the skills and courage to kick some butt while wearing a hockey mask. Because he's kind of a tough, thick-headed everyday-Joe kind of guy, he tends to be stuck in the "comic relief" role. That's not a bad thing, but I wanted to get deeper into his inner self: his nobility, his fears, and his love for his family. Make him more of a multi-faceted, powerful character. I guess that the fans of Casey for the most part wanted the same thing, because I've had more than one say it was their favorite issue of Tales.
Gavin: Who are some writers you recommend people check out in comics today?
Quinn: I'm a big fan of Mike Mignola and his Hellboy and B.P.R.D. series; just the perfect blend of horror, weirdness, humor, and humanity. Jeff Smith's Bone series is incredible -- funny, adventurous, and heartbreaking all at the same time; I'm totally going to share it with my kids some day. Another few that come immediately to mind are Steve Murphy, Jim Lawson, and Tristan Jones, all who are Ninja Turtles alumni. Did I mention that I like Ninja Turtles?
Gavin: What's your opinion on comics today, both good and bad?
Quinn: I think that comics have come a long way, in that the art and storytelling just seem to get better all the time. It's great to live in a time where the comics medium is finally starting to get recognition as a valid art form that can be just as important and powerful and entertaining as the best books and motion pictures. There are incredibly talented people in the comics profession these days, putting out very powerful and amazing material. On the bad side, I also think that in the push for more mature themes in comics, the fun and goodness that gets many kids into comics for the first time often gets lost. There are a lot of comics out there that seem to think that putting in graphic violent and sexual content and profanity automatically makes them "better." Like sleaze for sleaze's sake. Not to say all comics with mature themes are bad, but there's a difference between poignant and degrading.
Gavin: If you had to make a top five, what are your most favorite comics to date?
Quinn: Gosh, that's a hard one. So many great ones to choose from! Personally my favorites are probably Ninja Turtles, Tales Of The TMNT, Hellboy, B.P.R.D., and Batman.
Gavin: What have you got planned ahead this year?
Quinn: Well there's the Scrapyard Detectives story, another Tales Of The TMNT pitch, and of course a lot more Elders Of The RuneStone coming out, plus as mentioned the movie pitch for that! It's an exciting year that's only going to get better!
Gavin: Anything you'd like to plug while we're here?
Quinn: I've plugged my own stuff enough, so check out Robert Atkins' work on the “Heroes” web-comic, as well as his Forgotten Realms work for Devil's Due Publishing.
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In the process of gearing up for Free Comic Book Day, I picked NightFlight this year for us (meaning me) to do coverage of the event. Being one of the longest running comic stores in the entire state (not to mention one of the longest running in the U.S.) NightFlight has constantly maintained a tradition of giving the lonely comic fans of Utah a hallowed ground for a multiverse of books, from Apocalypse to Zatanna and everything in between. I got a chance to talk with Mimi Cruz, owner and all around comic guru of NightFlight, about the upcoming event and a number of other random topics. Mimi Cruz http://www.night-flight.com/
Gavin: Hey Mimi. Tell us a little about yourself.
Mimi: Hi Gavin, I'm a reading junkie and can never find enough time to read all I want. If zombies ever do rise and attack, I'll just hole up in my basement with a crate of candles and read until they discover my location.
Gavin: For those who don't know, how did Night Flight get started?
Mimi: Locally owned and operated, Night Flight Comics opened April 1987 in the Cottonwood Mall and in the fall of 2007 we moved to 6222 South State Street. We opened a sister store February 8th 2003 at the now world famous Salt Lake City Library on 200 East 400 South where we enjoy being a part of the exciting Library Square community. In 2005 we were the proud recipient of the Eisner Award or best store in the world and in 2006 Archie Comics immortalized our store and The City Library in Archie Comics #570.
Gavin: What was it like starting it up back in the mid 80's?
Mimi: Back in the 80's disco was over, Boy George and George Michael were king/queen and comics were still printed on newsprint paper that would age (turn yellow) before your eyes. No one (other than the writers, artists, editors working on the comics) ever knew what was going to arrive each week. No internet to spoil the fun back then. It really was a more innocent time.
Gavin: You've been around for 20+ years, what's that feel like when most shops don't make it past 5?
Mimi: We are usually way too focused on what is going on day to day in our own shops to think about it. However, like any business, be it comic books or widgets, staying in business is hard work and there are never guarantees.
Gavin: After being around for so long, do you feel other local stores are competition or more like friends?
Mimi: We are friends with a lot of stores; competition it isn't a factor because the free market rules. I love being an American!
Gavin: What is your take on the current local comic scene?
Mimi: We love it, more people are discovering the wonderful world of comic book reading--now referred to as 'graphic novels' but it is essentially the same thing. Nothing is more exciting than sharing a story you love with someone new. Plus, there are countless new artists, writers and even comic book news reports (see One Shot Presents on our web site Bulletin Board for video reviews on comic books) being done locally. The talent is amazing and only going to get better!
Gavin: What local artists should people check out?
Mimi: Bill Galvan's Archie Comics, Derek Hunter's Pirate Club, Trevor Nielson's Lily Maid, Ryan Ottley's Invincible, George Stasinos' Big George Comics and Quinn Johnson's RuneStone.
Gavin: You've managed to bring out some exceptional talent over the years to anniversaries and events like this upcoming one. What makes them keep coming all the out to Utah?
Mimi: We are a mecca for long time comic book readers and artists as well as a natural draw for those new to comics. It is what we do best because we love comics.
Gavin: Quick fan question, for those who don't know, what's the story behind Mimi's in Sin City?
 
Mimi: Frank Miller is the greatest mind ever to create comics and if you read his work, you can tell he loves what he does. As a surprise, when he was writing and drawing Sin City: That Yellow B-----d, he named the seedy motel/cafe Hartigan and Nancy run to hide out MIMI'S NIGHT FLIGHT MOTEL & CAFE. When he released the movie, he kept it in the movie and in the map of Sin City found in the director's cut of the DVD package. (One of the few times, I didn't end up on the cutting room floor.) Needless to say, I'm flattered at being immortalized in his work.
Gavin: Local media seems to do a story every now and then on how comics are bad, or that there's shady practices going on. What's your relationship with the media been like over the years?
Mimi: Luckily, we've had positive interactions with all media locally and nationally. When there are reports of comics being bad, honestly, in this world, anything is possible.
Gavin: I covered TROMADANCE this year, but only got a sample of what was going on. How did that go for you guys this year?
Mimi: TROMADANCE 2008 was the best one yet this year. We've got photos in a QuickTime file here. With Jane Jensen's ROCK THIS music from Citizen Toxie. TROMADANCE is a No Fee film fest that screens independent films free to the public. We have worked with founder of TROMA Studios Lloyd Kaufman since 1996 and were on there at the beginning of TROMADANCE. This year we were able to screen four new films at The City Library as well as once again highlight The Best of TROMADANCE shorts from past years. Afterwards we host a welcome reception for Lloyd Kaufman, independent film directors, actors and anyone who wants to meet them inside our store. You can see some of the action on the link above.
Gavin: What's your take on the comic book industry as it stands right now?
Mimi: The competition to work in the comic industry has never been greater. Consequently the comic books being produced have never been better. It sort of feels like another golden age for the comics industry.
Gavin: In your opinion, what are the best current series out there?
Mimi: Easy, I'll give you my favorite ongoing comic books.
1. Bill Willingham's FABLES
2. Dave Sim's GLAMOURPUSS
3. Batton Lash's SUPERNATURAL LAW
4. JONAH HEX
5. THE EXTERMINATORS
6. Terry Moore's ECHO
7. HOUSE OF MYSTERY
8. Eric Powell's THE GOON
9. JOHN CONSTANTINE: HELLBLAZER
10. 30 DAYS OF NIGHTS - all the stories after the first one too.
Gavin: Okay, putting you on the spot. What are your all time top 5 comics?
Mimi: My list would be...
1. SWAMPTHING by Alan Moore
2. SIN CITY by Frank Miller
3. SUPERNATURAL LAW by Batton Lash
4. CEREBUS by Dave Sim
5. PREACHER by Garth Ennis
Gavin: Tell us a little about Free Comic Day and how it got started.
Mimi: The comic book is a unique American art form and one we at Night Flight love to celebrate. Free Comic Book Day is an outreach effort by the whole comic book industry to encourage people to read something new and of course to have some fun!
Gavin: Who will you have on hand for the event and what other stuff will you be doing?
Mimi: We'll have these five artists offering free sketches and autographs from 3:00PM to 6:30PM at our State Street store:
Bill Galvan - Scrapyard Detectives and Archie Comics
Derek Hunter - Pirate Club
Quinn Johnson - Tales of the TMNT and RuneStone
Trevor Nielson - The Lily Maid (The Joan of Arc story)
George Stasinos - Big George Comics
We'll also have lots of free comic books for people to look over and choose from. Our whole staff is pumped for an exciting day of talking comics and giving out free comic books. We are hoping the sighting of The Joker won't dampen the celebration. We advise anyone seeing The Joker to please just smile at him, but not engage him. We have of course notified The Batman of the sighting.
Gavin: What do we have to look forward to the rest of this year from Night Flight?
Mimi: Aside from the usual shenanigans, we'll be hosting artist Phil Yeh at our Library Square store during The Arts Festival in June where he'll conduct two comic work shops at The City Library and paint a mural live in the front of our store during the four day festival. More information about Phil Yeh here.
Gavin: Anything you'd like to plug?
Mimi: Yes, if you are reading this, please stop by either store and pick up a free comic book May 3rd then come back in on Wednesday, May 7th and check out HOUSE OF MYSTERY, it is a moody, spooky book that won't really scare you too bad, but maybe just enough to keep you reading.
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The majority of the community is used to reading the more well-known publications of SLUG, City Weekly, and even the birdcage filler of In This Week. But to the local online community (and more specifically the art community), there’s one magazine that’s been making a name for itself with nothing more than a website and a love for the visual arts. 15 Bytes has been cranking out issues for nearly seven years now on a purely online basis. Showcasing the local art scene in ways that the rest don’t even bother trying to do, all while maintaining an online presence that rivals that of other underground (and even some bigger) publications. I got an opportunity to talk with the magazine’s editor, Shawn Rossiter, about the magazine and his thoughts on other topics. Ironically enough, we found him out on the road at I-80 and 13th East where we did our most recent “fake homeless” story, watching him panhandling with the best of them.
Shawn Rossiter
Gavin: Hey Shawn. Tell us a little about yourself.
Shawn: I’ll be 37 in a couple of weeks, have hair growing in places I wish it wouldn’t and have yet to hold a 9 to 5 job. I have two lovely daughters and a wife who gave them the genes to make that possible. Growing up, I moved around enough (mostly on the East coast) that I don’t have a place to call my hometown. But I’ve been in Utah close to 15 years now. For ten of that I’ve been a professional artist. By which I mean I’ve professed to be an artist, not that I actually have made a decent living at it.
Gavin: For those who don't know, how did 15 Bytes get started and what does it cover?
Shawn: The name is a play off Andy Warhol’s famous quip about everyone in the future getting their 15 minutes of fame. 15 Bytes covers the visual arts in Utah. We published our first edition in September 2001 and for the first four or five years were happy just to be getting an edition out. In the past couple of years things have really begun to take off and if I don’t watch it I may find myself in a 15 Bytes office somewhere working 9 to 5.
Gavin: Who are some of the people you have on staff?
Shawn: Our actual “paid” staff is very minimal. I do most of the work on editing and layout. Geoff Wichert helps with our page 8 (Salt Lake City area) exhibition listings. Steve Coray, who helped get 15 Bytes off the ground, still helps out on occasion. And Laura Durham, at the Utah Arts Council, has been helping as an assistant editor for years.
Shawn: What we rely on, and I think this is the magazine’s strength, is a group of volunteers. All of our writers, photographers and videographers, as well as some who give editorial assistance, work for free. We have some who contribute something almost every month. Others are more hit and miss and some people might write one thing and that’s it. But what we provide them is an open forum to explore ideas about the visual arts. We had about 35 people who provided content last year. The writers get to write about what interests them and I don’t chop up the writing to fit a space or ask them to dumb down their writing to appeal to a “general” audience. And I think this works well because we continue to attract more writers and they are really top notch.
Gavin: Now why is 15 Bytes only online and not a paper print magazine?
Shawn: Money! If we had had to come up with the money and ad revenue for a print publication, not to mention a means of distribution across the entire state, 15 Bytes would have never gotten off the ground. We’d love to have everyone reading 15 Bytes and we try to provide a range of content. But we chose the web because it allows us to afford to be able to address a micro-audience. I think having publications, like the daily or weekly newspapers, is important for the community, but I think its equally important to have places people can go where they can explore topics beyond the level of sound bytes or the one-sentence paragraph.
Gavin: Is it easier to publish online or does it come with it's own challenges?
Shawn: Publishing online definitely has its advantages, though each advantage is a double edged sword. The online publication gives us a great deal of flexibility. A print publication has to have its material ready a great deal in advance, but we can accommodate articles at the last minute – but that means we sometimes get articles at the last minute which can make for some late nights trying to get things ready. We’re not constrained by word count. In most print publications in town you’re lucky to get 800 words in an article on the visual arts. Theoretically, for us there is no limit because it doesn’t cost any extra. But you have to set up your own limitations or things can get out of hand. Just because you can publish 5000 word articles doesn’t mean you should. So most articles are between 800 and 2000 words.
Shawn: And of course publishing online allows you to quickly fix your mistakes. The Tribune recently published an article on myself and 15 Bytes. It appeared one day in the online technology section and then the next on the front page of the Living section. But in the process of moving to a more upscale neighborhood, the article went through some changes. An editor must have gotten a hold of the article and inadvertently switched out a pronoun with the wrong surname. So the second article ended up reading “Lubbers [meaning Ruth Lubbers, but it should have said ‘Rossiter] has had trouble feeding his family . . .” Which is nice, because now when we have our fundraiser I can expect a healthy contribution from Ruth to support my family.
Gavin: Do you feel you're losing some of the audience you could be getting via paper trade, or feel like you're appealing more to a different audience?
Shawn: We’re definitely losing people by not having a paper publication. And with the audience we do have, they might read it more if they had it in their hands. But for every person in Salt Lake who doesn’t read it because it’s not in their local coffee shop, there’s a person in Panguitch or Moab who does read it because it’s online. And no trees are harmed and with no delivery vans our carbon footprint is pretty light. And online we can provide 10 images or more to illustrate an article where in a print publication we would be limited to 1. And of course there are the links. We don’t have to worry about dumbing down our articles. If a reader doesn’t get a certain reference they can quickly Google it or we can provide a hyperlink. We do provide a PDF version for people who want to print the magazine out and read it in their hands, and about 20% of our readers do that from time to time. For a while, we distributed printed out versions to coffee shops and the like but it didn’t seem worth the effort.
Gavin: Why did the magazine decide to cover the art scene? Was it because there was a lack of attention on it, or just because no one else was doing it?
Shawn: When we started publishing I was definitely disappointed in the local coverage of the visual arts. I don’t really blame the papers, though. They are having a hard time staying alive and it’s not like the galleries are taking out large ads, so why should the papers write on the visual arts. And a bunch of paintings hung on a wall is not the type of thing the local news is going to cover. But there are a lot of people out there who got their nice college degrees and enjoy stimulating dialogue. And they have to go to the national magazines, like Art in America and Artforum, to get it. We hopefully provide that type of dialogue, but about a local scene that people can access simply by getting in their car or by bus and going downtown.
Gavin: Do you believe you may expand beyond what you're doing one day or stick primarily to what you've been doing?
Shawn: 15 Bytes will always be about the visual arts scene in Utah. We’re a non-profit and that’s our mission. We won’t expand beyond that because we’d rather mean a lot to a few, than little to many. But within that focus there are plenty of places we can go. We’re adding more audio and video content and are always open to new ideas for articles.
Gavin: Have you always been the main editor? And how would you view the magazine has evolved over the years?
Shawn: Apart from an occasional guest editor who has helped get the thing out while I’ve been traveling, it’s been me. To get an idea of how the magazine has evolved go to our November 2001 edition and then go to our most recent edition. We went from publishing a small, three or four page magazine with maybe ten images every six weeks, to publishing a monthly magazine, ten densely packed pages with sometimes a hundred images or more supplemented by a blog. It has gone from a small, insider audience (I can remember when I recognized the names of most of our subscribers) to a large audience of professional and non-professionals from across the state as well as the country.
Gavin: At what point did you start doing a blog on the main page?
Shawn: The blog started about a year ago. It started out very slow, but now we have about 3 posts a week.
Gavin: Has the blog added to the magazine, or is it more of a benefit to the daily visitors?
Shawn: We started the blog because we found there was a lot of content that either didn’t fit into our monthly publication date or was too small to justify an article in the zine. Stuff would come in to us after we published and I didn’t want to change the whole magazine or it might be a short 300 – 500 word article and so the blog seemed the best spot for it. We were doing a book review every month in the magazine, but now we are trying to do one every week in the zine. In the past six months, our hits are up by about 20% and I think a lot of that has to do with the blog. It keeps people coming back more than once a month. And maybe they only read one or two articles when the edition of 15 Bytes first comes out, but because they keep checking out the blog, they go back and read more of the magazine as well.
Gavin: What's your opinion on the local art scene, both good and bad?
Shawn: Do I have to answer that? I mean, we’re about to start our annual fundraiser . . . Actually, I think the local art scene is exciting. Utah has a unique situation. Because of its Mormon background, it has this identifiable “culture,” something to interact with, or against. At the same time, because of its many attractions, it has tons of transplants. I get bored sometimes when people make too much of the “tension” between these two aspects (I’m Mormon AND a transplant), but I do think it has made for a creative community. Without any statistical information to back up the assertion, I think we have more artists per capita than most places in the country. At the same time, we are a small enough community that we can actually have a dialogue.
Gavin: How does it compare to art scenes from neighboring states, and to the U.S. as a whole?
Shawn: I doubt I’m qualified to address this question. For the size of our population I doubt you’d find something as exciting as what’s going on here. I’ve talked to people in cities with larger art communities that remark on the quality of artists coming out of Utah. There are a lot of Utah artists you rarely see exhibit here, simply because they are sending their work out of state where it can demand higher prices.
Gavin: Is there anything you believe could be done to improve it or make it bigger?
Shawn: Someone could write a big check to 15 Bytes! (Laughs) I do think we as a state could do more to market Utah as an art center. As I mentioned before, we have a lot of artists who sell their work principally out of state, in places like Santa Fe, Scottsdale, New York. In those places a lot of people are traveling there from outside the respective state and purchasing artwork. So, why couldn’t we get them to come here and buy the artwork? They already come for skiing, redrock country or Sundance. We just need to make them aware that our art scene is a bonus. And then Utah gets to pocket the sales tax rather than New Mexico or Arizona.
Gavin: If there's one thing you could change about the magazine today, what would it be?
Shawn: I guess right now I’m a pretty proud parent because there’s not a lot, at least about the finished product, that I feel needs to be changed. I always want to make it bigger, better, bolder, and for the most part every new edition is like that. We are pretty Salt Lake-centric in our coverage, though, and I’d like to change that.
Gavin: What have you got planned for the month of May?
Shawn: We’ve got a packed edition planned but I’ll only mention the articles I already have in – a photographic essay of Kathleen Peterson’s studio space in Spring City, a review of Lenka Konopasek and Charles Uibel’s exhibit at Finch Lane, Tom Alder features Gordon Cope this month, and Ehren Clark reviews the Victorian Art exhibit at BYU; Jay Heuman, from the Salt Lake Art Center, has begun a new feature where he asks three different artists the same question. This month, he asks Ed Bateman, Erik Brunvand and Amy Jorgensen about the online phenomenon Second Life. We’ve got plenty more. It will be out May 6.
Gavin: What can look forward to from 15 Bytes?
Shawn: I don’t know, you (meaning your audience) tell me. We’re community driven and I think the best new things that 15 Bytes will be presenting in the future will be ideas coming from individuals in the community.
Gavin: Anything you'd like to plug while we're here?
Shawn: 15 Bytes, but I think that’s been done pretty well. I encourage everyone to subscribe. It’s free! We send you an email when a new edition of 15 Bytes comes out. They can go here, or on any of the 15 Bytes edition you’ll see a subscribe icon at the top. And I encourage people to comment on our blog. Other than that, if there’s someone that wants to send us that big check (or even a small one) I’ll be happy to accept. I can be reached at editor@artistsofutah.org.
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Keeping you in the loop this week, I took the weekend off to rest after over a month of going almost nonstop on the blog. I know, you're thinking "What's your problem, lazy? It's posted every other day!" That's true. But it gives people who didn't see it the day it was posted a chance to view it at the top. As opposed to other blogs where it just looks like an assembly line of nothingness. Not knocking any specific blogs, but we've all come across a few that just seem like the one person behind it is updating it every ten minutes to let you know how far they've come to finishing off the sandwich they just bought, which you should have known by now because three posts ago they told you they were headed out for a sandwich.  Crap, now I'm hungry for a sandwich. So before I go make one, a quick update for today. The Under The Radar calendar has been updated as much as it can be for the month of May and somewhat into June. A quick glimpse into the future, I'm focusing on Free Comic Book Day coming up this Saturday. For those of you who don't know, you basically go to your local comic book dealer... AND GET FREE COMICS!!! And not your random no-name comics either. Titles like Superman, X-Men, Hellboy, Bongo Comics (Simpsons), Archie, Transformers, plus previews of new books and random giveaways. Most local stores in Salt Lake City and random ones over the rest of the state will be taking part in the event. The ones I am aware of in Utah (who all owe me a plug now) are Black Cat, Dr. Volts, The Black Rose, Far West Comics, Hastur Games, Dragon's Keep, HeeBeeGeeBeez, Phoenix Games, Comics Plus, Red Wolf, and the store I'll be covering it with this year... Night Flight. Expect to see interviews about the event on Friday and Sunday.  Alright, that's about it. Time to make me a sandwich. Updates on how much of it I've eaten will come later.
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Keeping in mild theme of talking to venue owners this week, we make our way back down to Salt Lake City and get a peek into the 21+ venue of The Urban Lounge. Upon entry you realize that the building wasn't originally designed to do anything more than be a mild-western themed restaurant. But don't let the packaging fool you. Urban Lounge has become a hotspot in the downtown area for a number of local acts to come in and play for an older audience, giving hip-hop and rock acts another place to shine, all while still maintaining a bar under the strange and confusing liquor laws our local government has instated. I got a chance to ask co-owner Casey Gill about the venue and other questions. I didn't have a picture of Casey and I would have done a doodle of him just for fun, but I'm a horrible artist. So instead I have pictures of the venue and artists playing.
http://www.myspace.com/theurbanlounge
Gavin: Who are you and tell us a little about yourself?
Casey: I am Casey Gill, 27, a student, studying Social Work and one of the owners of The Urban Lounge.
Gavin: Tell us about Urban Lounge and how it came to be.
Casey: Urban Lounge was my sister's project originally. She wanted to make a lounge type dive-bar where people would come get a drink and relax on the couch with friends. In those days we were open from Noon to 2AM. We had regulars that would come in and play chess and backgammon. We had bands that would play occasionally but it was very different then it is today. I started out doing the books and taking care of all the administrative issues. Later, I would come in after class with all my textbooks and study while working at the door checking ID's and memberships.
Gavin: When did you take over?
Casey: About six months after the opening my sister decided the business wasn't a good fit for her and was going to move to San Francisco. My brother Jared Gill and I decided to buy it and change things up. We wanted to support the local music scene and local artists. Jared knew Mike Sartain from high school and knew he was very involved with the local music scene. We brought Sartain in to do all the booking. With the restaurant next door we can't have bands start until 10pm and since there was no profit staying open during the day we decided to cut the hours to 9pm-2am. Mike really brought the whole thing together. I had no experience with the local scene. In the beginning touring acts would open for local headliners. Now that we work with a lot of nationally recognizable bands they headline and local bands get really excited to open for people they admire. Mike still handles all the booking and he has a vested ownership in the club.
Gavin: When did you decide to become an owner?
Casey: I never really decided, the opportunity just presented itself. Up until a year ago I have always held another job along with Urban, often more than one. I like to stay busy.
Gavin: What were the early days like owning it?
Casey: It was a learn as you go experience. We have great people behind the bar that helped us learn the business. They managed other bars before working at Urban and are still working there today. Dave Combs actually runs the Urban for me now. When I went back to school he stepped up and took over for me. I stop in on a regular basis and he keeps me very well informed. He is much more in touch with the scene, he plays in a couple of different bands, so it makes a lot more sense that he handles things.
Gavin: Have things worked out with booking and working with S&S?
Casey: Most of our acts do come from S&S Productions, which is Will Sartain and Lance Saunders who also own Kilby Court. They are really great at what they do and it's wonderful to work with them. It's great that there is a place where people under 21 can see the same bands that previously you could only see at Urban Lounge. It means a lot less fake ID's for us to look for. I have known Will for several years and Lance since before high school, I have no doubt that Kilby will be a success.
Gavin: Do you feel the 21+ music bars are a dying breed in Utah or making a comeback?
Casey: A 21+ venue has it's ups and downs. There are a lot of amazing bands that people miss because they haven't heard of them yet. I big downside is mid-terms, finals, taxes, and after Christmas. People need to study or just don't have the money to come out. Still, I think there will always be a place for the 21+ venues. People love music.
Gavin: Have the local liquor laws affected you any?
Casey: I think the new liquor laws are ridiculous. They only benefit restaurants and hurt bars. People don't really know that our previous laws weren't much different than other states. There are a few states and some of Canada that have the same or more strict laws than the ones they just changed. Some states still have dry counties. Really, Utah laws have never been that bad until now. I can't really know the impact they will have until next month but I am not looking forward to them. I don't know anyone in the industry that is looking forward to them.
Gavin: What's your take on the local music scene both good and bad?
Casey: We have a lot of really talented local musicians, and a lot that should never leave their garage. While I can usually find some redeeming quality in any band some are like watching a bad movie. You just keep watching and hoping it will get better and it never does. A lot of the employees at Urban are in one or more bands and we know a lot of the local musicians pretty well. Salt Lake has also lost a lot of amazing bands too like Debi Graham, she has one of the strongest voices I've ever heard.
Gavin: If you could make a top five, who do you think are some top local acts to see?
Casey: It's hard for me to pick five top local bands I would probably do better with ten but I'll give it a shot. In no particular order, High Beams, Coyote Hoods, Palamino, Starmy and The Pleasure Thieves. And MindState, I'm a big hip hop fan.
Gavin: Any plans ahead for Urban Lounge, or will you just be sticking to doing what you're doing?
Casey: Well, we are always looking to improve things but music is always going to be what we focus on. I am always open to any suggestions, but I think we have a good thing going right now. We have a great staff, people see amazing live music, and bands have a great venue to play in.
Gavin: Is there anything you'd like to plug?
Casey: Three things. First, bands play for the door money so people should come out and support friends, family, and local musicians. Second, bartenders work for tips so keep that in mind when paying your tab. Third, our website is where you can find out who's playing a month or more in advance.
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