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FREE TAKE 2<br />
Local Arts & Entertainment <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
Spring 2011<br />
www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
Support The Scene<br />
Marc Paper Scissor<br />
A BALANCED IDEALIST & ARTIST<br />
Read The Featured Story Inside<br />
This Mag is Alive<br />
Be careful when you hold it<br />
see more on pg 36<br />
Learn to Vote<br />
Who’s Next Gallery<br />
Free Pizza<br />
see Luigi for details on pg 40<br />
FW4S<br />
Free Album<br />
Download<br />
inside<br />
pg 11<br />
SWAN<br />
Support women<br />
Artists Now<br />
CELERY<br />
see pg 59<br />
Also...<br />
The SteamPunk Circus<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong>TV.com<br />
The Glass Artist<br />
Ron English,<br />
Ricky Williams, and Steve-O, read <strong>WeMerge</strong>. They’re inside.<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support a
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com • PickUp<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
Facebook.com/<strong>WeMerge</strong><strong>Magazine</strong><br />
Pg. 2 - Letter from the Editor<br />
Pgs. 2-5 - Marc Paper Scissor (Cover Story)<br />
Pg. 6 - Power Nap<br />
Pg. 7 - From Cardboard to Classrooms<br />
Pg. 8 - Getting Lyrical<br />
Pg. 10 - The BLP Babble<br />
Pg. 11 - Footwork 4 Self Records<br />
Pg. 12 - Teens Merge<br />
Pg. 14 - <strong>WeMerge</strong> Talent<br />
Pg. 15 - O’Malley’s, Grass Root Studios<br />
Pg. 17 - Zachary Knudson, The Glass Artist<br />
Pg. 18 - The Steampunk Circus<br />
Pg. 20 - CD Review - Needless to Say<br />
Pgs. 22-23 - Prison Art<br />
Pgs. 26-27 - Turn off the TV<br />
Pgs. 28-29 - Brent Miller<br />
Pgs. 30-31 - Who’s Next Gallery<br />
Pg. 32 - Angelo Lumas, DMAC Student<br />
Pg. 33 - DMAC<br />
Pg. 34 - <strong>WeMerge</strong> Comedy<br />
Pg. 35 - <strong>WeMerge</strong> Poetry<br />
Pg. 36 - <strong>WeMerge</strong> Events<br />
Pg. 36 - Spoken Soul Festival<br />
Pg. 38 - Show Review<br />
Pg. 39 - Free Pizza<br />
Pg. 42 - Kevro’s Art Bar<br />
Pg. 43 - Fonda Cash’s Teens Who Rock<br />
Pg. 45 - The Monterey Club<br />
Pg. 48 - FAT Village<br />
Pg. 49 - Artwear<br />
Pg. 54 - Dan Hazelton<br />
Pg. 55 - Tattoolapalooza<br />
Pg. 60 - We Asked<br />
Pg. 61 - Graffiti<br />
Just a Side Note:<br />
To the left is an image I decided to<br />
make one night. I’ve never attempted<br />
such an art piece. I’m fluent in photoshop,<br />
but use it more in a graphic design sort<br />
of way. Now the point of this is, if you<br />
put your mind to something you can<br />
accomplish anything. “Ye are gods,” Psalm<br />
82. Meaning we have power to create and<br />
do anything. “The eye is the lamp of the<br />
body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole<br />
body will be full of light,“ Matthew 6:22<br />
I try to live my life like this and run this<br />
magazine in the same light, that and, “Go<br />
Big or Go Home.” This is the reason Renda<br />
and I have made it as far as we have. We<br />
got an idea, did some research, and just<br />
went for it. Same with the picture. Just did<br />
it. Never looked back.<br />
Focus on what you want and make it<br />
happen. Yes, lots of hard work and losing<br />
friends will be involved in your success,<br />
but everything comes at a cost. Even<br />
when you pray, energy you don’t want to<br />
hear you, does. Always the Yin Yang.<br />
Always be prepared for Murphy’s<br />
Law. It wasn’t coined a phrase for<br />
nothing. Taking each day one at a time,<br />
helps to understand the true nature of<br />
this industry. It takes alot of effort and<br />
suffering to accomplish a 64 pg magazine.<br />
Next issue we’re gonna do 80 pgs.<br />
Gotta stick to your mottos.<br />
- Cheers, Dwayne<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> Celebrity Supporters<br />
Celebrity <strong>WeMerge</strong><br />
<strong>Magazine</strong> readers<br />
(L-R): Ron English,<br />
contemporary pop artist;<br />
Ricky Williams, Miami<br />
Dolphins football player;<br />
Steve-O, comedian,<br />
stuntman, jackass.<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
President<br />
Creative Director<br />
Dwayne Adams<br />
info@wemerge.com<br />
Vice President<br />
Chief Editor<br />
Renda Writer<br />
editor@wemerge.com<br />
Contributing Writers: Brian Breslaw, David Citron,<br />
Ashley Lombardo, Matt Beck, Seth Schere, Mickey Steinberg,<br />
Kyle Willis, Elon Meles, Rocksire, Richard Foshee<br />
Graphic Designers: Craig McInnis, Rob Smith, Invi Art<br />
Promotions: Luis Portacio<br />
Official <strong>WeMerge</strong> DJ: DJ Stevie D<br />
Cover Art: Marc Paper Scissor (MarcPaperScissor.com)<br />
Proofreader: Bethany Lee Auchter<br />
Webmaster: Brian Dillingham (Brian@<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com)<br />
Research: Michele Barenfeld, Nicole Esposito<br />
Videography: LeafHouseProductions.com<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> Venues: Kevro’s Art Bar, Stage 84<br />
Copyright©2011-12 <strong>WeMerge</strong>, Inc. All rights reserved to<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong>, Inc. All content included in this magazine: text, graphics,<br />
logos, icons, & images, are the property of <strong>WeMerge</strong>, Inc. and/<br />
or its content suppliers (writers, photographers, illustrators, and<br />
others) and protected by US and international copyright laws. No<br />
content is allowed to be reproduced in whole or in part without<br />
written permission from <strong>WeMerge</strong>, Inc. <strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
contains the opinions and experiences of other people and<br />
the publishers do not necessarily approve, agree with, and/or<br />
condone those opinions or actions. <strong>WeMerge</strong>, Inc. cannot be held<br />
responsible for these opinions or actions. We provide a community<br />
service to our readers. All collaboration or verification of event<br />
postings are the responsibility of the reader prior to relying on<br />
such information for any action that may be taken on their behalf<br />
or on the behalf of others. For all legal issues call our lawyer.<br />
Special Thanks to Michele for her guidance against the cheeze &<br />
continued support in this adventure. Nicci “Bean” Loren for helping<br />
with imagination. All the haters for giving us motivation. Nicole<br />
Esposito for all her support. Karen Fargola - Thanks for the pic. And last<br />
but not least, the Bonus Red Dot for always being an extra free bonus.<br />
WE<br />
.com<br />
WEMERGE ADVERTISING<br />
If you would like to advertise with<br />
us, send an e-mail or give us a call.<br />
We will be happy to send one of<br />
our reps out to meet with you.<br />
Editor@<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
(310) 404-4184 or (561) 305-2070<br />
Promote your business, website, art,<br />
& music to 20,000+ readers in Dade,<br />
Broward, Palm Beach & Martin Counties<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 1
Letter from<br />
the Editor<br />
My name is Renda, and I’m a<br />
workaholic. Having said that,<br />
it feels like now should be the<br />
part where you all say, “Hi Renda,” just like<br />
at a meeting for any other type of addict.<br />
The first step in handling an addiction<br />
is admitting it, and I admit to being a<br />
workaholic.<br />
I am addicted to working, but I also<br />
believe in the saying, “When you do what<br />
you love, you never work a day in your life,”<br />
and I only do the things I love to do. I love publishing this magazine.<br />
I love producing, promoting, and hosting events. I love writing,<br />
recording, and performing poetry. I love pursuing my dream of<br />
performing a poem on The Ellen Degeneres Show (RendaWriter.<br />
com, EllenTV.com). These are my addictions. These are my passions.<br />
I’m addicted to life itself and the opportunity that life gives us all<br />
to pursue our passions, our dreams. But nobody ever said that<br />
pursuing your dreams would be easy. It takes lots of work. That’s<br />
why I’m a workaholic.<br />
In my head, I kind of justify my addiction by saying, “Well what<br />
else am I supposed to do? Just sit around? This is all I know. I’ve<br />
always been this way. I’m just trying to really rock out with this thing<br />
called life, and make the most of it. I want to be everywhere, meet<br />
everyone, and do everything – all for the sake of connecting the arts<br />
community.”<br />
Like with any other addiction, it has taken over my life, affecting<br />
the way I prioritize things and leaving me to neglect things like<br />
personal finance, health, and my relationships with the people in<br />
my life. But in the end, I still somehow label it as a “healthy addiction”<br />
because despite all of the imbalance, I’m just doing what I love, and<br />
that’s because I literally don’t know what else to do. It just feels right.<br />
My point is just to let you know that when you’re addicted to,<br />
obsessed with, or passionate about a dream, you will reach it. So go<br />
for it. This magazine is one of my dreams, and it has just been made<br />
real, for the 11 th time. So I hope you enjoy reading it, and I hope<br />
something in it inspires you. Go rock out with your life.<br />
Be on the lookout for the Summer issue of <strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>,<br />
due out on June 1 st , 2011 . It’s going to be an 80-page monster, the<br />
byproduct of a severe addiction, an immense passion for life, for the<br />
local arts, and for bringing it all together to create a scene.<br />
“Support the scene, or there will be no scene to support.”<br />
Peace,<br />
Renda Writer<br />
Chief Editor<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
2<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
Marc Paper Scissor<br />
A BALANCED IDEALIST AND ARTIST:<br />
COMING OUT OF THE FOREST - By Renda Writer<br />
Whatchu been up to? That’s<br />
what I said to the artist known as<br />
Marc Paper Scissor as I walked<br />
through the doorway of his Delray Beach<br />
apartment and gave him one of those<br />
handshake/hug combos. As a longtime friend of<br />
Marc’s, I meant that in the most casual way, but<br />
as a journalist I also meant it in a very literal way.<br />
Marc was the featured artist in our first<br />
issue, three-and-a-half years ago. Now, eleven<br />
issues later, we are proud to have Marc as our<br />
cover artist and happy to fill you in on what<br />
he’s been up to since 2007. For starters, he<br />
graduated from Florida Atlantic University<br />
in Boca Raton, and landed a job as a music<br />
therapist for children. Additionally, he has also<br />
done several solo art shows and group shows<br />
that have helped him to get his name out. But<br />
beyond the facts and the resume building,<br />
Marc’s deeper answer to the question of what<br />
he’s been up to resonates with the insightful<br />
introspection that commonly comes from this<br />
artist and armchair philosopher.<br />
“I’ve been trying to eliminate my idealism.<br />
Been chewing on reality. I’ve got to pay the<br />
bills, so I’ve been working on turning my<br />
paper… into paper. I’m more focused… more<br />
balanced. I’m getting better at the balancing<br />
act. I’ve been learning to let go of my pieces<br />
too. I’ve been kind of coming out of the forest,<br />
like Buddha Siddhartha. I’m in the city now.”<br />
Much of our conversation relates back to<br />
Buddhist principles and parables, a reminder<br />
that Marc is much more than just a guy who<br />
makes art with colored paper, a pair of scissors,<br />
and a glue stick. He’s a conscious person who<br />
really cares about the world, the people in it,<br />
and what’s going on with it. His ideas on the<br />
deeper things in life have long been reflected<br />
in his artwork, but another thing that he’s been<br />
up to is learning to create pieces with more<br />
simple messages, which are more likely to sell<br />
and to appeal to the masses. Marc explains,<br />
“My early works were very based on politics,<br />
with deep messages, strong messages. Lots<br />
of commentary on the rat race.” Now, Miami<br />
Heat players, animals playing instruments,<br />
and Bob Marley can be found among Marc’s<br />
subjects, but it’s by no means an attempt to sell<br />
out. It’s all just part of the balancing act. These<br />
past few years have taught Marc the value<br />
of balancing his ideals with reality, and he is<br />
actually handling it a lot better than he thinks.<br />
Like most artists, Marc is pretty hard on himself<br />
and admits to never being satisfied, but at the<br />
same time he does allow himself a pat on the<br />
back for some things, like buying a booth and<br />
setting up at music festivals to sell his art.<br />
Setting up at festivals such as Big & Hearty<br />
in Gainesville, Aura Music & Arts Festival<br />
outside of Orlando, and Bear Creek in Live<br />
Oak not only allowed Marc to further connect<br />
with the people, but it helped to further<br />
indoctrinate him into the jam band music<br />
scene, which is definitely where his heart is.<br />
He even had the honor of creating the official<br />
poster for the Aura Music & Art Festival (see<br />
pg 10) and the unofficial poster for Bear Creek,<br />
and while at Big & Hearty, he had a chance to<br />
play with his band, Gypsy Tears.<br />
Marc has also become a mainstay at Miami’s<br />
Wynwood Market for the monthly Art Walk<br />
event, and his involvement in December’s<br />
Multiversal group art show for Art Basel really<br />
catapulted him forward in the arts scene. It was<br />
at this show that we first saw the piece used<br />
for this issue’s cover, which Marc working on<br />
having made into an animated video. Other<br />
videos are on the way, too. One of Marc’s goals<br />
is to document how his art is made, so that<br />
people can really understand and appreciate it<br />
for what it is and the work that goes into it.<br />
Not only has Marc been up to a lot, but there’s<br />
also a lot more to come. In April he will be a<br />
part of a cut paper art show at Harold Golen<br />
Gallery in Miami, and in May his art will be on<br />
display at a Gainesville restaurant called Tasty<br />
Buddha. The Tasty Buddha connection came to<br />
Marc through his brother, Josh, a member of<br />
the Gainesville band, J2K. In speaking of family,<br />
Marc says, “You’ve got to develop a way to look<br />
at yourself from outside of yourself. That’s why<br />
it’s good to have a loving, supportive family to<br />
help you do that. They’re everything to me.”<br />
I remember him mentioning the importance<br />
of family when I interviewed him in ’07. Marc’s<br />
been up to a lot, but obviously one thing hasn’t<br />
changed. He's still got his family's support.t<br />
See more of Marc’s artwork on the following page and at<br />
www.MarcPaperScissor.com. Support the Scene.<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 3
4<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 5
By Brian Breslaw - powernap@wemerge.com<br />
Rap Attack<br />
I was thinking about classic rock the other day and how it can’t be<br />
reproduced because it’s “classic.” Are you with me so far? Then I thought,<br />
“you know what, Hip-Hop needs to be thought of in the same sense.<br />
Sometime around the mid-to-late 70’s, the long hair Rock-n-Roll scene<br />
had kind of run its coarse. I’m not saying that rock died, trust me, I would<br />
never say that. I’m saying that it had stepped aside in order to let other<br />
styles of music evolve and develop. They were all shitty styles of music,<br />
but none-the-less, shit changed...and<br />
white people discovered cocaine and<br />
whatnot. Anyways, back to de rap. By<br />
the way, I have a shit eating grin on my<br />
face because I know the demographic<br />
of this magazine, but I was told I could<br />
say whatever I want here. So let me tell<br />
you about shit hop. And I’ll try and be<br />
fair. Guys, Hip Hop is dead. And if I had<br />
to pick the time of it’s death, I would<br />
say it was the Master P era. How many<br />
rappers are going to tell the same story<br />
over and over again? “Oh, nah man,<br />
this guy is original. He likes girls with<br />
fat asses.”<br />
Current Freelance<br />
Opera Singer For Hire<br />
“Nah yo, this other guy has really been to jail and now he’s out... and he<br />
raps about jail.”<br />
“My boy ova here, he has rims on his personal jet, and he has ice all up<br />
in his grill”<br />
I mean, am I stereotyping too much? No...no I’m not. This is what’s really<br />
going on in hip hop today. But I know this genre isn’t going anywhere.<br />
Probably EVER. Mainly because it’s a money generating maniacal monster<br />
of a machine. Yeah, look up the 50 Cent episode of Cribs on You Tube.<br />
Disgusting. All 50 said was “I’m into havin sex, I ain’t into makin love.”<br />
WTF? I said that 15 years ago. What I wanna know is, what’s the next guy<br />
gonna do or say to help this scene evolve into something more. Where’s<br />
the talent? Who’s not acting like they’re in 8 Mile? At least this year they<br />
stopped saying hay-yerr.<br />
I hate to ruin the ending, but Puffy shot Biggie. t<br />
6<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
From<br />
Cardboard to<br />
Classrooms<br />
by Seth “Brimstone” Schere, info@brimstone127.com<br />
Education has been essential to the growth of Hip-Hop since day one.<br />
Older hip-hoppas (not necessarily old in age, but in dues paid) passed<br />
on foundation moves, styles and skills for younger cats to learn and<br />
develop their own flavas. Every great master was once a student, and I learned<br />
the ropes from people who were masters of their crafts. During the 80’s, I<br />
learned to dance from seasoned B-Boys. In the graff game, I racked paint for<br />
famed writers<br />
“......you can’t learn hip hop who helped<br />
by going to classes, what kind me develop my<br />
of sh*t is this, teaching classes like own style. As an<br />
it’s school. That aint hip hop.” MC, I promoted<br />
Anonymous parties for other<br />
rappers, learned<br />
to make beats and work in a studio. I have countless memories of carrying<br />
crates full of records for DJ’s. These relationships gave me the skills and<br />
knowledge to teach others.<br />
Can Hip-Hop culture only be learned in the streets? Hip Hop is a growing<br />
topic of interest among educators in public schools and universities. When<br />
Hip-Hoppas take it into<br />
classrooms, they reach<br />
youth through the<br />
elements of Hip-Hop<br />
coupled with creative,<br />
life, interpersonal and<br />
critical thinking skills.<br />
Hip-Hop education is a combination of street smarts, book intelligence<br />
and creativity. As Hip-Hop is utilized more as a “means” to teach content in<br />
schools, Hip-Hoppas should be actively involved in shaping how it is used<br />
and taught in order to preserve the authenticity of the culture.<br />
As generations change, we may have to take it further than the streets<br />
to ensure the survival of true Hip-Hop. My generation was outward (in the<br />
streets) and human-interactive; my daughter’s is more reclusive and gadgetoriented.<br />
Although the<br />
realest Hip-Hop remains<br />
“Every great master was<br />
in the streets, classrooms once a student, and I learned the<br />
provide a relatively ropes from people who were<br />
safe, drug-free and masters of their crafts.<br />
structured environment<br />
- Brimstone 127<br />
for youth to learn<br />
about the history, culture and business of Hip-Hop while learning the<br />
other skills and knowledge that they need. Some of the earliest jams were<br />
in schoolyards and auditoriums, so why not take Hip-Hop back to school?<br />
www. Path2hiphop.org t<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> reiterates Brimstone’s<br />
emphasis on education, as it is a consistent theme in this<br />
issue. Brent Miller (pgs 28-29) runs an art school. Fonda Cash<br />
(pg 43) gives vocal lessons. Angelo Lumas (pg 32) is a digital<br />
artist learning his craft at DMAC (pg 33). Theatrics (pg 25) has<br />
makeup classes. Grace Café & Gallery (pg 25) has dance classes.<br />
The tools are all in front of you. Contact these people if you<br />
want to learn. t<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 7
Daysleeper is a band that formed in late<br />
2008 in Miami, FL by Alfred von Blume (Bass,<br />
Lead Vocals) and Emery Cowan (Keyboards, Vocals),<br />
who have collaborated on various musical projects since<br />
1999. The two were later joined by Jackie Ransom (Bass,<br />
Vocals) and Will Roman (Drums). The focus<br />
of this new project is musical simplicity,<br />
distinction, and substance.<br />
Genres describing their music range<br />
from post-punk to ambient to indie<br />
rock. Daysleeper’s influence comes<br />
from a wide range of musicians,<br />
many of whom combine ambient<br />
and minimalist tones with post-punk<br />
sounds. t<br />
DaySleeperBand.com<br />
Getting<br />
Lyrical<br />
By Renda Writer<br />
This is a new section in our magazine where we give you the lyrics to<br />
a stand out verse by a local artist. In this issue, we have a verse from<br />
Newsense, from the Miami funk/hip-hop/jazz band ArtOfficial, taken<br />
from their song, Big City Bright Lights.<br />
And I’m in tune with it<br />
The city’s heart beats slow<br />
I can feel it cause the streets got a concrete pulse<br />
Watch my feet grow roots<br />
I stand so solidly<br />
Buildings keep growing like time lapse photography<br />
Scrape the sky<br />
Scratch heaven’s belly<br />
Come to the city of God and catch seven deadly<br />
Sins, it’s like chaos with electric heat<br />
And dead at night<br />
The city lights give me restless sleep<br />
Pardon me<br />
It’s hard to be<br />
Within arms’ reach<br />
Of where you really think you ought to be<br />
Trying to be at the top<br />
Part of me wants to stop<br />
Curiosity killed the cat<br />
Ignorance ate him alive<br />
So I’m a keep wondering why<br />
Until the day that I die<br />
But I’m staying alive<br />
That’s my echo in these city walls<br />
Ringing forever<br />
Or at least until these buildings fall<br />
ArtOfficialMusic.net<br />
ArtOfficial.Bandcamp.com<br />
Facebook.com/ArtOfficialMusic<br />
8<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
We’re Getting Played<br />
By Rocksire – rocksior@aol.com<br />
Have you ever wondered if music, movies, radio, newspapers, magazines,<br />
sports, religion, politics and war are all somehow connected? Ever<br />
wondered if the heads of major labels, movies studios, sports leagues,<br />
and multimedia corporations were working in unison to make you feel and<br />
think a certain way? To amp you up… or calm you down… drum you up for<br />
war… or turn around and make you like the same people that your country<br />
went to war with just a generation ago. Keep in mind, entertainment was not<br />
meant to only entertain us.<br />
Growing up in the 1980’s, I always thought Russia and China were the<br />
enemies because I watched a lot of Chuck Norris movies. That was towards the<br />
end of the Cold War. Life is as simple as a WWE wrestling match. They can make<br />
the audience buy in to the “heel” (bad guy) or the good guy. A few months later<br />
they can make you believe that the heel is now the good guy, and the good guy<br />
is now to be hated. They can predict our every move because they create how<br />
we feel. We are all the instruments that get played.<br />
Music is one of the most powerful things known to man<br />
because it creates emotion. If they (major labels) can<br />
control music they control your emotions. Turn on<br />
the radio today and you’d never think that millions<br />
of people lost their homes, income, and way of<br />
life. The music in rotation on the radio no longer<br />
reflects the times we live in. It seems they have<br />
phased out anybody with anything<br />
real to say. Now you may think while<br />
reading this article, “It’s me. I have<br />
something real to say.” Let’s see how far<br />
you get when you don’t follow their agenda. t<br />
Grow Radio<br />
By Brian Breslaw - bbreslaw@gmail.com<br />
You don’t even KNOW what’s going on in Gainesville, FL. I’m gonna<br />
tell you. It’s a musical revolution. Since every radio station has<br />
decided to turn it’s back on everyone who gives a sh*t about music,<br />
we turn to commercial-free internet radio. And in the heart of downtown<br />
Gainesville, in what would appear to be a bed and breakfast, lies<br />
Grow Radio. You’ll find over 60 shows to choose from with a set list that’ll<br />
have you dye your hair green or put diamonds on your teeth. And listen to<br />
this.... It’s profit free, and the shows are run by (drum roll)....VOLUNTEERS!!! I<br />
had to grab my 2011 Webster’s Dictionary and look up this word...vol-un-tir.<br />
WHHAAATT?? They’re doing this for free? To me, that’s inspiring. Nobody is<br />
doing that for music today.<br />
I met up with two of Grow Radio’s veterans, Beez and Mr. Bambu. These<br />
boys are 5 years deep in dis shit yo. They can be heard<br />
on The Styrofoam Cup on Tuesdays from 7pm-<br />
8pm and The Bigga Mixx Show on Wednesdays<br />
from 7pm-9pm. Knowing the struggles that an<br />
independent artist goes through to get air play,<br />
they’ll play anything submitted to them. Pretty<br />
sweet, huh? I was also informed that you’ll never<br />
hear the same jam twice. So if you like listening to<br />
Gold Digger every 30 minutes., this is not for you.<br />
You can send your homemade masterpieces to<br />
beezgotti@aol.com, and next time you visit the<br />
internet, be sure to check out GrowRadio.org. t<br />
His Only Outlet was his writing<br />
Jermaine “Maintain” Mitchell was born<br />
on March 13, 1985 and raised in Hollywood,<br />
Florida. The Ranches, as the area where he<br />
lives is affectionately known by the residents,<br />
is where Maintain learned respect and loyalty.<br />
Maintain & Marcus “Ranches Kid” Cooper,<br />
aka Pleasure P., produced Feel The Rush, which<br />
has over 4 million views on YouTube. His passion<br />
for music seemed to be lost while his hunger for<br />
fast money grew.<br />
As everything happens for a reason, his fast<br />
lifestyle came to an abrupt stop. At the age of<br />
nineteen, Maintain was<br />
arrested, then was<br />
incarcerated<br />
for three and<br />
a half years.<br />
While in prison<br />
the respect and<br />
loyalty he learned in The Ranches<br />
was forgotten by his crew. Maintain<br />
spent many nights frustrated with<br />
his life and feeling betrayed by the<br />
snitches in the streets.<br />
The only outlet he had was his<br />
writing.<br />
In 2007, he was given the<br />
opportunity to showcase his<br />
talent with performances at the<br />
Rush, Hypnotize, and Late Night<br />
Special Tours. His first single,<br />
Look At My Ish was produced by<br />
Thunda Tracks and is now available<br />
on iTunes and Rhapsody. His Fresh Out<br />
Vol 2 Mixtape was recently released<br />
and has been circulating throughout<br />
the Southeastern region of the U.S.<br />
www.MaintainHWD.com t<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 9
The BLP<br />
BABBLE<br />
By Matt Beck,<br />
founder of Brotherly Love Productions<br />
matt@brotherlyloveproductions.com<br />
What’s great about Alfred<br />
Phillips is that he has a<br />
story behind every one of<br />
his paintings. For instance,<br />
Armondo in 3 Parts<br />
(pictured) was inspired<br />
after Alfred saw a picture<br />
of Armondo and contacted<br />
him with the idea of using<br />
Located in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale him as a subject for a<br />
painting. It was originally<br />
done as a nude, and then Alfred’s neighbor in FAT Village, artist Francisco<br />
Sheuat, came up with the idea of putting a pair of leather underwear on him.<br />
And it’s not painted on. It’s an actual pair of<br />
custom-made leather underwear that the<br />
canvas itself is “wearing.” Some visitors to<br />
Alfred’s studio have even stuffed dollar bills<br />
into the underwear, adding more substance<br />
to the painting’s ongoing story. Painting it<br />
on 3 canvases was also part of Alfred’s plan<br />
of doing more paintings on multiple smaller<br />
canvases, rather than single large canvases,<br />
because of the ease of transportation.<br />
Being able to easily transport his paintings<br />
is important to Alfred, since once a<br />
year he does a solo show at Art @ 830<br />
(Art830.com) in Key West. When he’s not<br />
exhibiting elsewhere, you can find Alfred<br />
at his FAT Village studio (113 NW 5 th St.,<br />
Ft. Lauderdale), where the monthly Art<br />
Walk on the last Saturday of the month has<br />
been good to him. He has sold at least one<br />
painting at every Art Walk since moving into<br />
FAT Village about a year ago. We suggest<br />
stopping in at Alfred’s studio to see more of<br />
his work and hear the stories behind them.<br />
Be sure to ask him about the painting of<br />
the man with the pig. “Young people really<br />
like my work… some of the edgiest, coolest<br />
looking people. That’s really validating for<br />
me.” Email: alfredstudio@att.net t<br />
MyArtSpace.com/alfred.phillips<br />
OThe month of January is always a busy one for the Sunshine State.<br />
However, this year a dream for many was brought to reality. There’s<br />
an underground movement of interconnected circles throughout<br />
our tropical peninsula converging to produce and support a counterculture<br />
lifestyle for many of the disenchanted individuals of this corrupt digital age.<br />
Much like the efforts of <strong>WeMerge</strong>, Aura Music & Arts Festival was<br />
produced for the people, by the people, with an understanding that if WE<br />
don’t support IT, IT won’t happen. Truly a first of its kind, AURA was completely<br />
staffed by local musicians, promoters, sound engineers and volunteers;<br />
enabling it to very comfortably claim the term “Grassroots Festival.”<br />
To mention ANY of the amazing musicians or visual artists in this brief<br />
synopsis would slight every other one of the countless others who brought<br />
their A-Games... surrendering<br />
their souls to the stage and<br />
emitting their energy to the<br />
ethers.<br />
However, I WOULD like to<br />
take this opportunity to thank<br />
the BLP Fam who sacrificed<br />
their passion for music to<br />
help make it all possible. You<br />
provided the BEST information,<br />
coordinated musician and<br />
artist relations while hustling<br />
their merch, diverted 4,400<br />
gallons of recyclable materials<br />
from the landfill, documented<br />
the event, and provided that<br />
Brotherly Love Vibe. I LOVE each<br />
one of you for it... yeah, you<br />
know who you are.<br />
And to Aura Music<br />
Events, an all-encompassing<br />
CONGRATULATIONS! I have<br />
never before witnessed a sold<br />
out festival and man, what a community feel.<br />
*Note for next year: Dubstep licensing. t<br />
Official 2011 Aura Music & Arts Festival<br />
Poster By: Marc Paper Scissor.com<br />
10<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 11
Teens<br />
merge<br />
by Ashley Lombardo - Ashley@<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
12<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
The most appropriate way<br />
to describe They Cage The<br />
Animals would be to refer to<br />
them as an unlikely, yet astonishingly<br />
integrated, foursome. Laid-back<br />
New Yorker Phil is the lead guitarist,<br />
hardcore–loving Argentinian Joel is<br />
on the drums, quirky Mission is the<br />
vocalist and dual keyboardist, and<br />
charismatic Raffaele is on the bass. They deviate in almost every category, and<br />
although it may be their biggest challenge, it also defines the group and gives them<br />
the flavor needed to blend numerous genres into something with substance. And<br />
with that being said, they have given birth to an aggressive, experimental poppunk/pop-rock<br />
sound. Although their band is based off the ability to compromise,<br />
each member sees their style differently. According to Phil, “<br />
It’s like<br />
pop-punk had a few drinks, and decided<br />
to jump into a mosh pit, and made love<br />
to synths, and recorded beautiful female<br />
vocals over it! It’s like an aggressive melodic harmony between<br />
guitar, bass, drums and vocals, while creating an energetic explosion of beautiful<br />
distortion.” Yet as Mission views it, “We blend a lot of different influences and<br />
get a great sound, but it’s a little hard to describe since you could really still pick<br />
up on those individual styles if you wanted. A bit of a bouncier sound, not so<br />
‘chugga-chugga-chugga I’m-so-hardcore.’ I think that gets monotonous, and<br />
I don’t like boring music.” With influences seated in every corner of the musical<br />
coliseum, the band cites Motion City Soundtrack, Aaron Gillespie, Brand New,<br />
Jimi Hendrix, Rancid, Bloc Party, Regina Spektor, Kurt Cobain, and Jay-Z, as<br />
well as being inspired by traditional art, like Dali, and even tattoos and street art,<br />
like local graffiti. Despite their eclectic backgrounds and variations of style and<br />
preference, they all agree that their differences are in favor of musical and artistic<br />
creation, and they hope those differences can be recognized through their music.<br />
They want to provide a portal into the human experience, and the spectrum of<br />
emotions that come with it. As well as wanting to express their understanding of<br />
humanity, they also include historical and cultural references in their songs, which<br />
illustrate a snapshot into something meaningful to the group. Specifically, their<br />
song Somewhere In West Egg is written about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great<br />
Gatsby and Atlanta 1864 goes back to the burning of Atlanta during the Civil<br />
War. Even their name is a reference, chosen because prominent themes found in<br />
their music, like over coming life’s hardships, are found in the popular novel They<br />
Cage The Animals At Night. Having played at traditional venues, skate parks and<br />
roller rinks, the group has a love for performance and they do not discriminate on<br />
any level. Make sure to check out their debut EP, Subject To Change, which covers<br />
perception, change, loss, longing, love, and more themes left for those to discover<br />
individually. They Cage the Animals can be found on any social networking<br />
website, and they put up no walls between them and their fans. t<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
y Renda Writer<br />
The Nobodies Crew is a crew of definite<br />
“somebodies.” This 8-member B-Boy crew<br />
is a refreshing reminder of the impressive<br />
break dancing subculture from within the<br />
worldwide Hip-Hop culture<br />
that exists right here in South<br />
Florida. One trip to their website,<br />
NobodiesCrew.com, will quickly prove<br />
to any viewer not only how much talent<br />
this crew has (watch their videos), but also<br />
how professional their presentation is. They’ve<br />
got a great logo, management, a cohesive sense of<br />
branding, and even a hotline. Give them a call.<br />
Tell them <strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> sent you. t<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 13
<strong>WeMerge</strong> Talent<br />
This section features artists who have submitted their information to our magazine to be featured. Due to<br />
the high cost of printing we are unable to feature every artist that submits their info. With this section we<br />
can list the artists and their contact info just as it has come to us... unedited... to give at least a small amount<br />
of exposure to create a stir and see if enough people would like to hear more about these talented artists. If<br />
you would like to read more about an artist, send an email to editor@wemergetalent.com and let us know.<br />
Name : Darwing Flores<br />
Stage-Name : Zulu King Image<br />
Category : Hip hop Revolu-shon<br />
South Florida Zulu Nation<br />
Where-Find : www.zulunation.com<br />
Email : zulukingimage@yahoo.com<br />
About-You : I am Zulu King Image president of<br />
the Universal Zulu Nation (Revolu-shon South<br />
Florida chapter). We stand for knowledge, wisdom,<br />
understanding, freedom, justice, equality, peace,<br />
unity, love, respect, work, fun, overcoming the<br />
negative to the positive, economics, mathematics,<br />
science, life, truth, fact, faith & the oneness of God.<br />
Name : Alejandra Montoya<br />
Stage-Name : Ale Montoya<br />
Category : Photographer - Crafter<br />
Where-Find : LittleMargaritaPhotography.com<br />
www.TequilaGorilla.com<br />
Email : LittleMargaritaPhotography@gmail.com<br />
About-You : I’m a full time Graphic Designer for<br />
Corporate america, but I do what I love on the side.<br />
Photography and Crafting,<br />
I hold a monthly photo contest on<br />
facebook.com/TequilaGorilla<br />
I would like to get people more into both =)<br />
Hope to talk to you soon<br />
Ale Montoya<br />
Name : Danielle Veit<br />
Stage-Name : Cupcakes In The Lobby<br />
Category : street art portraitures<br />
Where-Find : cupcakesinthelobby.com,<br />
flickr.com/cupcakesinthelobby, always doing live<br />
paintings!<br />
Email : cupcakesinthelobby@gmail.com<br />
About-You : Cupcakes In The Lobby is a South<br />
Florida artist active in the community for numerous<br />
years. As a portrait artist, Cupcakes In The Lobby<br />
combines whimsical landscape and intricate detail<br />
on the surface of a face. When a subject is picked,<br />
Cupcakes In The Lobby disects each portion<br />
of the face becoming closer and closer to the<br />
subject...possibly a more spiritual interaction than<br />
conversation. She is always bending the line on<br />
what the face can display.<br />
Name : Hannah Mayo<br />
Category : Photography<br />
Where-Find : hannahmayophotography.com and<br />
www.flickr.com/photos/hannahmayo/<br />
Email : hannah@hannahmayophotography.com<br />
About-You : I am a portrait, fine art, and editorial<br />
photographer in Palm Beach. I love working with<br />
artists and musicians to create unique<br />
photographs for their promotional materials.<br />
Name : Stefan Vale<br />
Category : Writer<br />
Where-Find : www.humbertobenitez.com<br />
Email : Stefanvaleonline@yahoo.com<br />
About-You : Published 3 books, 1 screenplay &<br />
many articles on various artistic genres. I would<br />
like to write an exclusive article on local Latin<br />
artist Humbert Benitez for <strong>WeMerge</strong>.<br />
Check out www.HumbertoBenitez.com<br />
Name : Mitch Myers<br />
Stage-Name : Hear Hums<br />
Category : Experimental/Visual<br />
Where-Find : www.myspace.com/hearhums<br />
Email : hearhums@gmail.com<br />
About-You : Hear Hums is an experimental/visual<br />
band started in West Palm Beach, Florida. We will<br />
be a trio up until August when Marcos moves<br />
to New York for school and Kenzie and I (Mitch)<br />
move to Gainesville, Florida to begin work on our<br />
third release. We’ve been playing since Early 2009,<br />
we began making visuals to accompany our live<br />
performance and projecting them as we played.<br />
Instead of stopping between songs we transition<br />
and the visuals do simultaneously as well, synced<br />
with us playing.<br />
Name : Marquis Whaley<br />
Category : Photography<br />
Where-Find : www.wix.com/mwhaley/mw-photo/<br />
Email : marquiswhaley@gmail.com<br />
About-You : I’m a 17 years old photographer. I<br />
attend G-Star SOA where I major in Acting for the<br />
camera, Journalism, and Film and entertainment<br />
business. I’ve been doing Photography for about<br />
Three years now and I have never taken any<br />
classes. I am a person of unusually keen foresight<br />
and I have a creative optimistic mind that I hope<br />
shows in my work.<br />
Name : Gillian Smith<br />
Email : gilliansmth2@aol.com<br />
About-You : HI! I am a self taught painter. I paint<br />
mostly nude women. I had to put a lot of my<br />
painting on hold to go to school. I went to school<br />
to become a nurse, which now I am a RN, however<br />
there are no jobs for new nurses. Fun thing is my<br />
art has been doing better than the nursing thing<br />
so do what you love right! I sell my art local in<br />
Delray mostly by facebook and word of mouth,<br />
some days it pays the rent but it doesnt matter<br />
too much I’ll still be painting. It makes me so<br />
happy:) It is just something that is apart of my<br />
being that I don’t know what I would do without it.<br />
Name : Ty Michael<br />
Email : Info@tymichael.com<br />
My name is Ty Michael. I came across your mag<br />
today while waiting for a blowout at the Fade<br />
Factory. I thought it was awesome.<br />
I’m a photographer and I’ve been wanting to move<br />
into shooting artist for awhile now.<br />
http://www.tymichael.com/<br />
I appreciate your time,<br />
Ty Michael Robitaille<br />
Name : Camile Schneebeli<br />
Category : Pet Portrait Oil Painting<br />
Where-Find : Art Galleries, art shows<br />
Email : artthattouchestheheart@yahoo.com<br />
About-You : I’m a realistic pet portrait oil painter,<br />
I paint from Photos.<br />
Name : Jonas Fleuraime<br />
Stage-Name : JustEvolve<br />
Category : Graphic Design-Typography<br />
Where-Find : behance.net/justevolve<br />
Stage-Name : Good Self<br />
Category : Indie/Acoustic<br />
Where-Find : www.goodself.bandcamp.com<br />
Email : Goodselfband@gmail.com<br />
About-You : I am about to release my debut EP, ”The<br />
Wolf That Brought Us Lava” under the band name<br />
”Good Self”.<br />
I was wondering if there was anyway that I could<br />
combine my cd release with a <strong>WeMerge</strong> event, or<br />
add it in addition to a previous event.<br />
-Michael<br />
Name : John Caignet<br />
Phone : 786 439 5807<br />
Email : joltradio@rocketmail.com<br />
Message : Great to know about an honest magazine<br />
here in South Fla!!! I run an online radio station out<br />
of my apt called jolt radio. I was wondering if we<br />
can meet some time it would be amazing. Please let<br />
me know. Thanks guys<br />
Name : Frank del Real<br />
Email : franciscodelreal@hotmail.com<br />
Message : hey whatsup my name is Frank. In the<br />
Winter 2010 <strong>WeMerge</strong> Who’s Next Gallery you<br />
posted a picture that my older sister drew, Sole del<br />
Real. I just wanted to say that that is the coolest<br />
thing ever! She’s had a pretty rough life and for you<br />
to give her a well deserved chance to be featured is<br />
a blessing. She is honestly a diamond in the rough,<br />
her personality is a people magnet she gets along<br />
with everyone and is super fun to hang out with,<br />
which is hard for some siblings to say. All I’m asking<br />
for is give her a chance and feature her and hear<br />
her story because honestly she’ll blow you away<br />
and bring tons more readers to <strong>WeMerge</strong>. If there<br />
is anything humanly possible I can do to make this<br />
happen I will do it, yes even running around naked<br />
in the mall! She means everything to me and this<br />
feature means everything to her, so please do what<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> stands for and support her and the scene<br />
she’s in, or there won’t be one.Sincerely,frank. :)<br />
(check out page 24) t<br />
Go to <strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
Submit Yourself<br />
14<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 15
<strong>WeMerge</strong> CD Review<br />
MORE DISCS.<br />
LESS MONEY.<br />
By Richard Foshee – Richard@mikimorophoto.com<br />
Exploding from the musical haven of Lake Worth, Everymen describe<br />
themselves as gypsy punkabilly. Hailing from diverse backgrounds, this misfit<br />
band of brothers puts a unique spin on their music, incorporating instruments<br />
typically found in indie bands and classic country: stand-up bass, mandolin,<br />
accordion, washboard, violin and banjo. Combined with a little magic and an<br />
inventive world view, their debut album’s sound is nothing less than original.<br />
It culls from Deep South country, gypsy ballads, bouncy rockabilly, and<br />
rebellious psychobilly. The album’s tracks showcase musical versatility while<br />
maintaining cohesion through elements such as scratchy baritone singing, a<br />
prominent banjo, raspy washboard, and throbbing bass lines accompanied<br />
by deftly written guitar riffs. Although it sounds like it could be a terrible<br />
mash-up, that’s the rub, the album is absolutely delectable. The songs simply<br />
grab you with their eccentric yet straightforward approach. With tales of train<br />
hopping and sleeping from couch to couch, these tracks are quite dour and<br />
discordant, yet their sound will leave you happier than ever. They will make<br />
you dance, sing, and just have a good time.<br />
Stand out tracks are What You See Is<br />
What You Get and Bottle of Tears. To get<br />
the full effect, listen to them online, then<br />
go see them live; the album is the only way<br />
to prepare you for the torrent that is an<br />
Everymen live show. t<br />
Reverbnation.com/everymen<br />
Album Cover Design by Adam Sheetz<br />
BLUE BIKE<br />
MANIA<br />
Taken From the Blue Bike Project Manifesto on Facebook<br />
1-866-538-2482<br />
DUBHUBDISC.COM<br />
INFO@DUBHUBDISC.COM<br />
I was putting out art for anyone to<br />
look at or have in the downtown Fort<br />
Lauderdale area when, as I was driving<br />
on Las Olas Blvd., I saw an old lady’s<br />
bike in front of a “Country Store.” This<br />
gave me the idea to paint bikes one<br />
color and put them out around town.<br />
I went home and went out on the<br />
railroad tracks, where I had seen an<br />
old bike (sort of an English racer type<br />
bike) that would meet my needs. I brought it back to my house and started<br />
to look for a good color in my paint stash. I had just recently been out on a<br />
job painting lines on handicap parking spaces. This seemed like a great color,<br />
as it really glows and is bright, plus I had quite a bit left in the can. That was<br />
it, a done deal and the first Blue Bike was painted, and after drying put out in<br />
front of Rush Street martini bar. The bike started to draw attention and talk<br />
about what it was all about started. The bike was drawing so much attention<br />
that more bikes needed to be “installed.” They started to multiply, and bikes<br />
sprung up in some pretty interesting places. Read<br />
more on Facebook page. Search: Blue Bike.<br />
Now you will start to notice more bikes around town.<br />
Happy Blue Bike hunting. t<br />
16<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
Carved Lighted Glass<br />
Sculptures • Paintings •<br />
Murals • Faux Finish •<br />
Custom Lighted Fixtures<br />
NEW:<br />
“Icons in Glass”<br />
Have your favorite<br />
band or iconic figure<br />
etched in glass<br />
Out on the West end of Coral Springs, a young<br />
artist and entrepreneur named Zachary Knudson<br />
runs his successful glass etching business out of a<br />
storefront studio, a workspace filled with framed original<br />
art from Zac’s portfolio and several glass etchings and<br />
sculptures. In speaking about a recent commission for an<br />
8 foot tall deep glass etching of Elvis Pressley for a fan<br />
of “The King” in Miami, Zac continues with more stories<br />
about the types of<br />
high end clients<br />
that enlist his<br />
creative services,<br />
including a very<br />
wealthy business<br />
tycoon in Davie who had Zac etched an underwater scene<br />
that continued throughout every glass door and window<br />
in his home, over 137 panels of glass, close to 12,000<br />
square feet. To his credit, Zac was also featured on the TV<br />
show, Color Splash Miami, hosted by David Bromstad on<br />
HGTV, and was later commissioned by Bromstad himself<br />
for a job that involved covering the television star’s entire<br />
living room with colored white glass. Despite his<br />
A-list clients, Zac humbly works one-on-one<br />
with all clients and has a “no job too big, no<br />
job too small” kind of attitude, which is why<br />
he invites everyone reading this to stop in for<br />
a free consultation and tour of his studio. See<br />
address below. t<br />
Zac Knudson (2 nd from L),<br />
David Bromstad (3 rd from L)<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 17
18 18 Support the Support Scene or the There Scene Will or Be There No Scene Will Be to No Support Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
<strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 19
<strong>WeMerge</strong> CD Review<br />
By Kyle Willis - Kyle@<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
For over a year now South Florida rock band Needless To Say has<br />
been turning heads and making waves. In their freshman year as a<br />
band NTS took the stage at the 2009 Warped Tour. Although some<br />
might categorize NTS as a Heavy Metal band, the band’s symphonic<br />
arrangements and Julia Formica’s operatic, and at times ethereal, vocals<br />
certainly broaden the appeal of their sound to a much wider audience. NTS<br />
are likely to appeal to those that like harder edged progressive music as well<br />
as art rock bands like October Project. The band is strong instrumentally,<br />
generating significant, at times almost overwhelming, power from guitars,<br />
keyboards and rapidfire percussion yet it is complimented with equally<br />
sweet operatic style vocals. Tracks vary from heavy metal anthem to operatic<br />
ballad demonstrating significant virtuosity and range. The band’s blend<br />
of harder edged metallic rock arrangements with Julie’s stunning vocals is<br />
highly original and has likely led to their swift local scene acclaim.<br />
The album opens on a tenebrous brow, with tracks like Redemption (Take<br />
Me Away), a dark introspective look into the mind of a lost soul, and Carry<br />
Through, which touches on letting go of someone who can’t seem to learn<br />
from their mistakes.<br />
The overall feel of the<br />
disc is that of a band<br />
you always wish was<br />
playing at a local show<br />
or bar when there is,<br />
in fact, a talentless<br />
cover band trying to<br />
fill the shoes of some<br />
drunken predecessor.<br />
The album packs the<br />
right amount of punch,<br />
and I think you’ll agree<br />
that the release of their<br />
5 track EP only serves<br />
to punctuate their<br />
presence in the local scene. These cats aren’t going anywhere. The EP thrusts<br />
the listener into a galloping storm of metal. This album makes a real music<br />
lover want to punch Amy Lee in the face and pour Iron Maiden in their morning<br />
coffee. Right away, one thing is notable: Needless To Say is on the verge of<br />
something really cool here, I recommend you join them. Check out the band’s<br />
Reverbnation page: R everbnation.com/needlesstosayfl t<br />
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-
Prison Art<br />
Written<br />
by Renda Writer<br />
Layout by Dwayne Adams<br />
Illustration by Justin “INVI” Vilonna - INVIart.com - see ad on pg XX<br />
“Art means life. In 1999, I was sentenced to 82 years Another YouTube clip had an inmate serving a six month<br />
in prison. I decided I would not live out my life in their sentence for multiple DUI charges who said, “Maybe<br />
cages. I was determined to self terminate. Then I began art can replace the alcohol for me.” After watching<br />
to paint as never before. I now look forward to every day a few more clips, I took my search to Google, where I<br />
with a passion I never did, even prior to my imprisonment. learned about a talented artist named Roger “Kaliman”<br />
I now live to paint, and cannot wait to pick up my brush Golden who got the nickname of “Kaliman” from Mexican<br />
and see how far I can bring my art that day.”<br />
gang members while in prison. He was named after the<br />
Latin comic book hero who uses martial arts, yoga, and<br />
- Excerpt from piece of prison art seen on YouTube<br />
hypnosis to fight the forces of evil. The Mexican gang<br />
The point of this article is to just sort of bring the bangers taught him art, in exchange for him teaching<br />
topic of prison art to the table for discussion. I’m just them yoga and meditation.<br />
looking to open up a dialogue with our readers and to<br />
We can’t ignore stories like this. They prove how<br />
acknowledge this artistic counterculture as a legitimate<br />
art can connect people in the unlikeliest of ways and<br />
and beautiful section of the world art community, even if<br />
in the unlikeliest of places. Roger’s work can be seen<br />
it is locked up behind bars and cement walls.<br />
and purchased on FineArtAmerica.com. Not only do I<br />
Art is art, no matter what, and inmates like Redhot suggest checking it out, but I also suggest getting lost<br />
Handyman Tony will always find a way to create, even for an hour or two by surfing through the internet for<br />
when all that’s available are prison-issued bars of soap, prison art related content. Doing so will prove to be<br />
or as Tony puts it when talking about the hundreds of entertaining, inspiring, and enlightening, and also a great<br />
soap sculptures he made while incarcerated, “They’re way to understand just how expansive art really is.<br />
all made out of the same stuff that we wash our asses<br />
Art is everywhere, but when it’s in the dark it needs<br />
with.” Check him out on YouTube to hear more from Tony,<br />
someone to shed a spotlight on it, and that’s what I’m<br />
and to check out his art. That’s what I did. I went to<br />
doing here. Consider this an introduction for our readers<br />
YouTube to start my research when I first got the idea<br />
to the genre of “prison art” and an invitation for them to<br />
to write an article about prison art, and soon began to<br />
get more involved with us and our plans for getting more<br />
find all sorts of relevant footage, like an interview with<br />
involved with the prison system. As soon as this issue<br />
an inmate who had actually built an electric guitar out of<br />
drops, I’m heading to the post office to send it out to as<br />
smuggled contraband. He soon became popular with other<br />
many prisons as I can, with the hopes of connecting the<br />
inmates, who started paying him to make them guitars<br />
art and the artists of the outside world with the inmate<br />
like his. He sold one to an inmate who said in a news<br />
artists on the inside that are painting, writing, and sculpting<br />
interview, “Learning to play guitar has been<br />
one of the high points in my life. It’s a<br />
as a means to stay sane and stay alive.<br />
shame I had to do it here, but I also hope to maybe feature the work of a talented<br />
it’s a miracle I did.”<br />
inmate artist in a future issue of <strong>WeMerge</strong><br />
<strong>Magazine</strong>, so this article just may lead<br />
to that. t<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com <strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 23
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We Carry:<br />
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Mention <strong>WeMerge</strong> for Discount<br />
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By Renda Writer<br />
One thing that the artists in this magazine<br />
have in common is that they are all goal<br />
setters. Aside from having talent, what<br />
distinguishes these artists from others is that they<br />
put energy into setting goals, in order to bring<br />
direction to their careers. Brent Miller, our Who’s<br />
Next Gallery Winner for this issue, is quoted in his<br />
bio as saying, “My goal, all along, has been to create<br />
a new concept, something no one else has done or<br />
seen before. And I hope I’ve accomplished that with<br />
this series of paintings, which I call Flowers of the<br />
Mind.”<br />
What do you think? Did Brent reach his goal?<br />
We certainly think so, and with the mountain of<br />
emails that we received from readers who enjoyed<br />
his piece in last issue’s Who’s Next Gallery, it is safe<br />
to say that not only is he doing something that no<br />
one has seen before, but when they do see it – they<br />
definitely like it.<br />
Beyond his obvious talent, what’s great about<br />
Brent is that he also teaches. During a recent<br />
interview at his house he brought up just how rare it<br />
is for artists to find someone of a certain level of talent<br />
that can also teach. I agreed, now seeing Brent as an<br />
even more valuable member of the local arts scene.<br />
I asked him more about how he got started with<br />
teaching and private instruction, and that’s when he<br />
told me about how he met Max Shacknow, of the<br />
Shacknow Museum of Fine Arts (SMOFA.org) in<br />
Plantation, and asked if he could run his Rembrent<br />
Academy of the Arts out of the museum. Not only<br />
did Max, a noted philanthropist in the community,<br />
think this was a great idea, but he also jumped at<br />
the opportunity to give it a charitable spin, telling<br />
Brent that he would take 25% of income generated<br />
from the classes, and then donate it to two charities,<br />
Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital and Women in<br />
Distress. Brent and I continued talking, and while<br />
typing my notes, my imagination drifted toward<br />
Abstract Fusion:<br />
Cubism, Surrealism,<br />
Realism: A little bit of<br />
everything<br />
28<br />
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picturing myself taking a class with Brent. Just as<br />
the imaginary scene in my mind began to fade, I<br />
noticed that Brent had left the room and come<br />
back with a sketch of an egg.<br />
“Once you learn how to draw the egg, everything<br />
else falls into place,” he said. The simplicity of this<br />
statement piqued my interest, and before I knew it<br />
Brent had already given me an impromptu lesson,<br />
where I learned the basics of light and shadowing<br />
and terms like core shadow, cast shadow, mid tone<br />
and reflected light. Very adept and comfortable<br />
with explaining the techniques behind the talent,<br />
I wondered where Brent himself had learned<br />
to paint, and his answer was Larry Gerber<br />
(GerberFineArts.com), who Brent had met at The<br />
Coral Springs Center for the Arts.<br />
Finding Larry, just like finding Max Shacknow,<br />
was probably pretty easy for Brent, because he’s<br />
one of those people that people just kind of<br />
gravitate to. In short, he’s cool. He’s a cool person,<br />
and people like to be around cool people. Brent<br />
has been amassing cool points his whole life,<br />
having spent a length of time as a butler, working<br />
for Donald Trump in New Jersey, catering to<br />
wealthy businessmen and celebrities, arranging<br />
for their helicopter pick-ups and cooking private<br />
meals in their suites. Clearly, Brent is a people<br />
person, and his relationships, coupled with his<br />
talent, will guarantee his success as an artist.<br />
He has also forged a relationship with Dan<br />
Epstein, president of the Artists and Crafters<br />
Association (PeopleWithTalent.org), which<br />
has lead to several show opportunities, and his<br />
relationship with Johnny Valdes of ArtWay 66<br />
Gallery (ArtWay66.com) has made his work<br />
visible in the bustling Coconut Grove arts district.<br />
Selling prints and originals of his art at shows and<br />
galleries has worked well for him, but he is also<br />
looking at new ways of merchandising his art,<br />
like putting it on coffee cups, kitchen trivets, and<br />
mouse pads, in order to make his art functional<br />
and available at a lower price point. Hearing this<br />
made me think to connect him with the folks<br />
at ArtWear (ad on pg 49), who can print art on<br />
any surface. Brent’s got all the right people in his<br />
corner, and that’s why he’s reaching his goals. t<br />
RemBrent.com - Brent@RemBrent.com<br />
“They say that<br />
everything in art has<br />
been done before,<br />
but I disagree.”<br />
Brent Miller, with his dog, Osito<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 29
The Who’s<br />
Next Gallery<br />
Here, in the “Who<br />
from artists we<br />
email us and tell<br />
a free 2-page spread in<br />
have your work shown in<br />
Cary Polkovitz - www.facebook.com/carythehat<br />
Zachary Knudson - www.myglassartist.com<br />
Nikki Copeland - ww.myspace.com/canvascupcake<br />
Carlos Cesar Alves - www.artccalv<br />
Eddie Arroyo -www.eddiearroyo.com<br />
30<br />
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?<br />
’s Next Gallery,” we provide you with some samples<br />
are considering for the next issue. We invite you to<br />
us which artist’s work you like best. The winner gets<br />
the following issue. Also email us if you would like to<br />
the Who’s Next Gallery. t editor@wemerge.com<br />
es.com<br />
Enrico Morales -www.enricomorales.com<br />
Marcelo Holzinger - www.mholzinger.com<br />
Matthew Milone - www.matthewmilone.com<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> -- www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
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31 31
ANGELO<br />
LUMAS<br />
DMAC Who’s Next Gallery Winner<br />
When it comes to art, no matter how much natural talent an artist might have, it never<br />
hurts to get an education to help foster and guide that talent in the right direction.<br />
Digital Media Arts College in Boca Raton is home to hundreds of young artists who are<br />
channeling their talents through the school’s curriculum and preparing for careers in the arts. In our last<br />
issue, we premiered The DMAC Who’s Next Gallery, where we featured digital artwork and photography<br />
from seven DMAC students. We invited our readers to email us with their votes for the artist who should<br />
be featured in this issue. The winner is Angelo Lumas, a talented and goal-oriented artist who clearly<br />
deserved the win. Here’s how he did it.<br />
I’ve never entered in a competition<br />
before. When I saw that my design<br />
was qualified to win a full page in<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>, I set a goal to<br />
help me win. My goal was: ‘ I need<br />
to get 5 votes a day’. No matter<br />
what, I said to myself, ‘Lets get to<br />
work Angelo!’<br />
Facebook.com/alumasgfx<br />
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he creative simplicity of a witty one-line joke is sometimes underappreciated<br />
as an art, so we take this opportunity here to give you some zingers from two of<br />
our favorite local comedians, Kirk Meadows and Nhan Du.<br />
Game shows confuse me. The winner gets a trip. The loser gets luggage.<br />
A friend suggested I meet women on line. So I went to Disney World.<br />
I’m burning the candle at both ends, until I can pay my light bill.<br />
My girlfriend is a runway model. OK, she works at the airport.<br />
I went to a wedding and a funeral. One’s not going to last.<br />
I bit off more of the hand that feeds me than I can chew.<br />
I had an epiphany. Now I know what the word means.<br />
Confession: Those programs on PBS. They were<br />
never sponsored by viewers like me. t<br />
Facebook.com/mdwskirk<br />
I got a tattoo that’s written in Braille. It says,<br />
“Please stop touching me.” It’s a polite tattoo.<br />
I have an anti-social security number.<br />
A hand model… is a glove model, who poses nude.<br />
It’s hard to tell a DJ with chicken pox to stop scratching.<br />
I bought a shrink-resistant T-shirt. And I haven’t met any psychologists.<br />
This girl thinks I’m stalking her, and I know that cause I read it in her diary.<br />
I was on a date with a girl. She asked me,<br />
“How do you make an eggroll?” I said, “Push it.”<br />
I was driving past a mattress store.<br />
There was a big sign that said, “0% Interest.” I thought, “Correct.”<br />
It’s OK to ask a tall person to reach for stuff.<br />
And it’s OK to ask a short person to crawl under stuff.<br />
But it’s never OK to ask a fat person... to crush stuff.<br />
When I was a kid, my dad gave my brother a lucky rabbit’s foot.<br />
And then, he gave me... a lucky 3-legged rabbit.<br />
I went to Butterfly World for the first time.<br />
But I got there way too early. It was just a bunch of caterpillars. t<br />
Facebook.com/catfeet<br />
6 th Borough DJ By Renda Writer<br />
It’s been said that South Florida is New York’s “6 th borough,” because of the massive number of New<br />
Yorkers that live here, and one particular Yankee that we’re glad made the pilgrimage south is none<br />
other than DJ Vinsane. Born in Brooklyn and raised in King’s Park, Vinsane started his career by<br />
booking gigs at venues across Long Island and Manhattan at age 17, and has kept his talents<br />
in high demand ever since. His sets include a mix of House, Party Breaks, Hip-Hop, Mash-Ups,<br />
Electro, Rock, and music from the 80’s and 90’s. Known for his signature song selection skills, DJ<br />
Vinsane is looking to take his show on the road, and he currently holds down a few residencies<br />
here in South Florida, which can be found online. Go check him out next time you’re looking to<br />
make plans to go out. Giving you the info you need in order to meet the artists in this magazine<br />
in person is a big part of the reason why we publish <strong>WeMerge</strong>. We’re here to merge you<br />
with the arts scene, and the cultures, subcultures, and countercultures that surround it. t<br />
Facebook.com/VinsaneNY<br />
Soundcloud.com/DJVinsane<br />
VinsaneNY@Gmail.com<br />
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By Renda Writer<br />
Where hasn’t he performed? Spoken Word Poet, Mr. Wispers has been<br />
honing his craft all over South Florida for the past decade and has<br />
amassed quite a performance resume, one that reads like an all-inclusive<br />
directory of every event and venue for Spoken Word Poetry throughout South<br />
Florida. With two independent CDs to promote, The Passion of Expression and<br />
The Flame Within, Mr. Wispers is wasting no time in making sure that his name is<br />
known and his poetry is heard by everyone. That’s why he’s everywhere. Visit his<br />
Facebook page to find out where he’ll be performing next. t<br />
Bowery Poetry Club – NYC<br />
Cleopatra’s Place – Hollywood<br />
Nakava – Boca Raton<br />
Café Now Art – Hollywood<br />
Peace in Da Hood – Miami<br />
Elks Lodge – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
Miramar Library – Miramar<br />
Off the Trax – Oakland Park<br />
Java D’Lites – Coral Springs<br />
Opened for Brazilian Voices<br />
NuYorican Poets Café – NYC<br />
Tempo Lounge – Hollywood<br />
Top Chef – North Lauderdale<br />
University of Miami – Miami<br />
Carlton Beach Hotel – Miami<br />
Back Pack Giveaway – Miami<br />
Joseph Caleb Center – Miami<br />
Ginger Bay Café – Hollywood<br />
Dave & Buster’s – Hollywood<br />
The Stage – West Palm Beach<br />
The Wallflower Gallery – Miami<br />
The Goddess Store – Hollywood<br />
Starving Artists Café – Bronx, NY<br />
Gaby’s Lounge – Pembroke Pines<br />
Opened for Pretty Rickey – Miami<br />
Mahogany Grille – Miami Gardens<br />
The Coffee District – Delray Beach<br />
LMAO Comedy Show – Hollywood<br />
Mellow Mushroom – Delray Beach<br />
Mega Bite Cyber Café – Hollywood<br />
Women in Distress – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
Grace Café & Gallery – Dania Beach<br />
Nova Southeastern University – Davie<br />
Mello Mondays - Blusters – Hollywood<br />
Delray Idol – Koffeeokee – Delray Beach<br />
BCC – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
Melt Da Mic – Miami<br />
Resta – Delray Beach<br />
MLK Festival – Miami<br />
Dixie Hall – Hollywood<br />
Club Paradise – Naranja<br />
Tuckers Lounge – Miami<br />
Kitchen 305 – Sunny Isles<br />
Art Serve – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
Deco Lounge – Hallandale<br />
The Literary Café – Miami<br />
Sister 2 Sister Tea Party – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
Recovery Got Talent – West Palm Beach<br />
Voicez & Vybez – Troy’s Lounge - Sunrise<br />
Harvesting the Voices – West Palm Beach<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> Wednesdays - Stage 84 – Davie<br />
The Gardens Memorial Park – Boca Raton<br />
Sailboat Bend Artist Lofts – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
15 th Judicial Circuit Court –West Palm Beach<br />
Boynton Beach Family Day – Boynton Beach<br />
New Way Fellowship Church – Miami Gardens<br />
Opened for Trina w/Stop the Violence – Miami<br />
Frederica Wilson’s Victory Party – Miami Gardens<br />
Broward General Medical Center – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
The Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery – Boca Raton<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> Thursdays – Kevro’s Art Bar – Delray Beach<br />
Free Your Mind – Atmosphere Café - West Palm Beach<br />
Broward Center for the Performing Arts – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
Increased Violence in Stressful Times – West Palm Beach<br />
Greater Love Missionary Baptist Church – Miami Gardens<br />
The UnPS.com National Poetry Conference – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
Bigger & Better Fridays – Write Side Poets Café – Lauderhill<br />
Spring Variety Show – Ocean Manor Resort – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
Opened for HBO Special – “I Feel Black” with Devin Robinson<br />
African-American Research Library & Cultural Center – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
The UnPS.com Variety Show – Sea Escape Cruise Ship – Ft. Lauderdale<br />
“A Place Called Home” Church Play – Koinonia Worship Center - Hollywood<br />
LS 1426 Fashion Show – “Fashion Under the Stars” - Crowne Plaza – Hollywood<br />
Bar 13 – NYC<br />
FAU – Boca Raton<br />
Club Play – Miami<br />
Art Buzz – Miramar<br />
Lounge 46 – Miami<br />
Satoro – Hollywood<br />
Facebook.com/MrWispers<br />
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Events<br />
Where the <strong>Magazine</strong> Comes to Life!<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> event Host, Renda Writer<br />
Hosting <strong>WeMerge</strong> Wednesdays @ Stage84<br />
Photo by<br />
Guitarist/Songwriter, Anthony Scott<br />
Performing at <strong>WeMerge</strong> Thursdays @ Kevro’s Art Bar<br />
Photo by SonjuPhotography.com<br />
Artist, Carlos Solano painting live at <strong>WeMerge</strong> Wednesdays @Stage84<br />
Photo by RabidRabbitStudio.com<br />
This section is an open invitation<br />
to all of our readers to come<br />
check out our two regular<br />
events, <strong>WeMerge</strong> Wednesdays<br />
(2 nd Wednesday of every month) at<br />
Stage 84 in Davie and <strong>WeMerge</strong><br />
Thursdays (every Thursday) at<br />
Kevro’s Art Bar in Delray Beach, and<br />
to also check out our periodic special<br />
events. Both <strong>WeMerge</strong><br />
Wednesdays and<br />
Thursdays bring<br />
the communities in<br />
Broward and Palm<br />
Beach Counties<br />
together, creating an<br />
atmosphere and a<br />
scene where artists,<br />
musicians, creative<br />
types, and all kinds<br />
of people hang out<br />
together, networking<br />
and making new<br />
friendships. It’s like the real live<br />
version of the magazine.<br />
Both events feature an open format<br />
Open Mic, special booked featured<br />
performances, live art, and featured<br />
photographers, and are hosted by<br />
Renda Writer, a professional host<br />
and poet with 8 years of experience<br />
hosting and producing Open Mic<br />
nights, special events, showcases, and<br />
charity fundraisers. Artists interested<br />
in being featured at an event should<br />
email Renda - editor@wemerge.com,<br />
or just come out to a show to discuss<br />
bookings in person.<br />
If you’ve seen American Idol, then<br />
you know about Boca Raton singer/<br />
songwriter Brett Loewenstern.<br />
Before leaving for California, he was<br />
a regular at <strong>WeMerge</strong> Thursdays at<br />
Kevro’s Art Bar, singing every week<br />
to a crowd yelling, “Encore! Encore!”<br />
We wish him luck as he continues with<br />
the show, and we’re proud to know<br />
that he got his start at our event.<br />
This event has really developed into<br />
quite a cultural epicenter, with past<br />
live artists including Katie Sottak,<br />
Rei Ramirez, Katya Neptune, Mo<br />
Brenner, and Priscila D’Brito. Kevro’s<br />
Art Bar is also the home of The<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> South Florida<br />
Graffiti Expo, a yearly showcase of<br />
the best local graffiti artists, started in<br />
2008. In 2011 the event will be made<br />
bi-annual, with another edition at<br />
Kevro’s Art Bar in August, as well as<br />
a special Broward edition of the event<br />
at FAT Village in Ft. Lauderdale (see<br />
their ad on pg 48) on May 28 th , with<br />
50,000 square feet of wall space for<br />
artists. Those interested in wall space for<br />
either event should contact Renda ASAP.<br />
Flint & Friends<br />
Performing at <strong>WeMerge</strong> Wednesdays @ Stage84<br />
Photo by<br />
For those interested in combining<br />
a unique microbrew beer experience<br />
to their absorption of the arts, Stage<br />
84, an official Holy Mackerel tap<br />
house, provides the perfect backdrop<br />
of a craft beer venue, mixed with<br />
a New York City lounge, perfectly<br />
complimenting the vibe that our<br />
magazine brings to the venue. Local<br />
artist Carlos Solano, who created<br />
an original piece of art on a recent<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> Wednesday, which is still<br />
hanging up at the venue, had this to<br />
say about his experience participating<br />
in the event, “I love the flavor of Stage<br />
84. It’s the right vibe. The right vibe<br />
for creativity, and keeping people<br />
entertained and involved.” Carlos not<br />
only painted his own original piece<br />
for the show, but he also put out a<br />
canvas and a few colors of paint and<br />
invited the patrons to get down on a<br />
collaborative piece.<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> events are where the<br />
magazine comes to life, where the<br />
actual community comes together,<br />
creating a scene that makes a<br />
magazine like this necessary. We invite<br />
you to come out to our events to be a<br />
part of the scene.<br />
Stage84FL.com<br />
KevroArt.com<br />
36<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
SPOKEN SOUL FESTIVAL 2011 MARCH 25 – 27<br />
Support Women Artists Now!<br />
On its 4th year, Spoken Soul Festival celebrates<br />
the international holiday SWAN Day (Support<br />
Woman Artist Now). The holiday’s founder,<br />
Martha Richards from WomenArts, personally<br />
selected SSF and the production team; Aimee<br />
Novaton, Amy Baez, Deborah Magdalena,<br />
Michelle Massanet, Susan Alvarez and<br />
Veronica Barrios, as one of the top 5 events<br />
in the world that celebrates SWAN Day. This<br />
year is set to blaze with upcoming women<br />
artists on March 25- 27, 2011. Visit www.<br />
SpokenSoulFestival.com for full festival details.<br />
FEATURED ARTISTS<br />
PREVIEW:<br />
POETTIS - POET<br />
Revered for her dynamic freestyling aptitude, Poettis<br />
has shared the stage with some of the best; from gospel<br />
comedian Jonathan Slocomb to neosoul’s sultry duo<br />
Floetry. Her roots in Gospel, R&B, Jazz, and Fusion Folk<br />
rock have enabled her to develop a unique musical spoken<br />
word style. www.MySpace.com/Poettis<br />
Photo credit: www.TerriblyGirly.com<br />
CRYSTAL ALEXANDRA - POET<br />
A Miami native, Crystal’s music fuses together a mixture of<br />
poetry, soul, and hip hop. Influenced by musical artists such as<br />
Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and inspired deeply by authors<br />
like Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison her artistry is<br />
interwoven with soulful melodies and is written always with<br />
the intention to inspire and express her passion and love for<br />
sound. www.MySpace.com/BetweenSpiritAndStone<br />
SANDRA GARCIA-PARDO – FINE ARTIST<br />
Sandra Garcia-Pardo was born in Barranquilla, Colombia,<br />
moved to Argentina to finally realize her dream of getting<br />
a Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree at “Escuela Nacional de Bellas<br />
Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredón,” the most prestigious art school<br />
of Argentina. After graduating as Fine Arts Sculptor, Sandra<br />
Garcia-Pardo came to the United States where she has<br />
exhibited in various galleries all over the country.<br />
www.AandraGarciaArt.com<br />
VALENTINA RAMOS – FINE ARTIST<br />
In her Miami studio, this Venezuelan artist spent countless<br />
happy hours playing with her paints and her Rapidograph<br />
Pens. She enjoys working with different materials, but<br />
black ink is one of the mediums you will always find in<br />
her original prints, paintings and drawings. Her love for<br />
artworks with little intricate details are a signature of her<br />
own drawing style. www.ValentinaDesign.com<br />
SUSAN ALVAREZ - PHOTOGRAPHER<br />
Susan Alvarez, professional stills photographer<br />
specializing in portraits whose photographs and<br />
digitally enhanced artworks are exhibited in private/<br />
public collections in the U.S. and Europe. The<br />
recipient of two grants/fellowships, her life as an<br />
artist began in NYC theatres as an actor and dancer.<br />
Her LA experience includes directing and producing.<br />
Through it all, she has always had a camera at her side. www.SusanAlvarez.net<br />
GEISHAZ - DJ<br />
This online community is devoted to serving as a network<br />
of female artists in the music industry worldwide. It was<br />
inspired by 5 local Miami female DJs: IQ, Kaprah, Lady T,<br />
Laura D and Medley. The objective was to create a global<br />
network of talented female DJs and artists.<br />
www.Geishaz.com<br />
TIFFANY HANAN MADERA - DANCER<br />
Drawing from an extensive technical background in acting,<br />
writing, contemporary and ethnic dance coupled with her<br />
diverse ethnic make-up and global experience, Hanan is<br />
one of the most unique and compelling Middle Eastern<br />
dancers in America today. The Miami Herald describes her<br />
as a dancer that possesses “powerful body and skill”.<br />
www.Hanan4Peace.com<br />
NIKI LOPEZ - PHOTOGRAPHER<br />
Niki is a graphic designer and conceptual visual artist.<br />
Her acrylics and oils are emotional vehicles for the<br />
universal human story. Every artist explores creative or<br />
expressive ideas representing the self. She shares, “we<br />
have a responsibility to bridge the human connection with<br />
the soul, so that we aren’t totally lost to the coldness of<br />
technology.” www.NikiPhotos.com<br />
TERRIBLY GIRLY PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANETTE<br />
VALENTINE - PHOTOGRAPHER<br />
Miami’s own pinup photographer! Specializing in<br />
classic and modern pin-up photo shoots, retro boudoir<br />
photography, burlesque photography, vintage & glamour<br />
photo shoots, couples photography, and fun pin-up parties.<br />
Founder Janette, who was raised on sunshine and café con<br />
leche, pours her own sense of humor and love of kitsch into<br />
her photographic work. www.TerriblyGirly.com<br />
MIGDALIA PACE – FINE ARTIST<br />
Migdalia’s fashion illustration style has been described by<br />
many as powerful, sexy and most recently, “green.” Her new<br />
fashion forward recycled tote bags are unlike any before.<br />
Each bag is designed from reclaimed shirts and fabrics and<br />
features her signature dolls. Since all shirts are recycled, no<br />
2 bags can be identical. www.RecycleMyBag.com<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 37
<strong>WeMerge</strong><br />
Show Review<br />
Written and Photographed<br />
By Elon Meles – elon@<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
The South Florida Local<br />
Soundcheck Showcase returned<br />
to the Culture Room in Ft.<br />
Lauderdale on Dec. 11 with a<br />
talent-laden showcase and roofrattling<br />
concert of drastic rock<br />
proportions. Originally to be<br />
sponsored<br />
by the now<br />
extinct<br />
93 Rock,<br />
a sudden<br />
format<br />
change<br />
forced<br />
them<br />
to back<br />
out<br />
before<br />
the day<br />
of the<br />
show.<br />
But with<br />
the proceeds<br />
benefitting The<br />
University of Miami – Nova<br />
Southeastern University<br />
Center for Autism and Related<br />
Disabilities, the stellar bands<br />
soldiered through and put on a<br />
tremendous show for the rockstarved<br />
fans in attendance. The<br />
roster contained a heavy dose of<br />
mid-90’s inspired alternative rock<br />
from seven of South Florida’s best<br />
hard rock stars in the making.<br />
Kicking off the evening’s<br />
festivities were two wellrespected<br />
local cover bands,<br />
David<br />
Hamilton of<br />
Marvlec.com<br />
Coral Springs based School of<br />
Rock (schoolofrock.com) and Fort<br />
Lauderdale’s own Kamantra,<br />
who recently changed their name<br />
to R’lyeh (facebook.com/ryleh).<br />
They jammed solid sets of classic<br />
rock with a metal twist, mixing in<br />
some harder stuff throughout.<br />
The first group of original<br />
rockers was Coral Springs’<br />
Marvlec (marvlec.com), a fresh<br />
young trio of rockers with an old<br />
soul and brotherly feel. The lead<br />
singer, Dave Hamilton kept the<br />
crowd rapt in his smooth lyrics,<br />
while Scott Dotson and Ben<br />
May jammed on their guitars<br />
while wearing their skivvies, like<br />
Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers.<br />
They earned a new fan in this<br />
guy for one, and the thunderous<br />
applause let me know I wasn’t<br />
alone. These guys are just getting<br />
started. Look out.<br />
Next up was First October<br />
(firstoctober.com), a selfdescribed<br />
power-pop punk band<br />
led by the bodacious Tammy<br />
B. on lead vocals, with Tom<br />
Braga, Greg Smolla and Joey<br />
O. rounding out the talented<br />
quartet. Tammy dazzled the<br />
crowd with her sensual stage<br />
presence, while the rest of crew<br />
blasted out a sound somewhere<br />
in the ballpark of No Doubt on<br />
Red Bull and vodka. While Tammy<br />
delighted the eyes, the music<br />
backing her was a sensory success<br />
to say the very least. More big<br />
things are on the horizon for First<br />
October, and all the bands that<br />
participated in The South Florida<br />
Local Soundcheck Showcase. t<br />
38<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 39
Who loves pizza?<br />
Everyone does. But what do people love even more than pizza?<br />
FREE PIZZA! The Free Pizza compilation CD is a free promotional CD<br />
(1,000 copies) produced by <strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> and Reverse<br />
Polarity Studios that features 21 songs from local musicians<br />
and artists of all genres of music. Come out to our events (see<br />
pg 36) to get yourself a hard copy, or download the entire<br />
album at Reverbnation.com/<strong>WeMerge</strong>.<br />
Download the entire album at<br />
Reverbnation.com/<strong>WeMerge</strong><br />
Be on the<br />
lookout for Free<br />
Pizza, Volume II, to<br />
be released along<br />
with our Summer<br />
issue, on June 1 st ,<br />
2011. Artists can<br />
submit songs for<br />
consideration for<br />
inclusion on the CD<br />
by sending MP3s to<br />
pizza@wemerge.com.<br />
Businesses interested in<br />
having a commercial on<br />
the CD can also email us for<br />
pricing and more info.<br />
This is Luigi.<br />
Free Pizza was duplicated by DUB Hub. See their ad on pg 16, or visit<br />
DUBhubDisc.com.<br />
40<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 41
42<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
Fonda Cash ’ s Artist Development,<br />
Vocal & Performance Training<br />
Fonda Cash<br />
Want to build self-confidence, enhance your talents and take your music<br />
career to the next level? Fonda Cash is the person to help you do all of that<br />
and more. Once you become a student of Fonda’s and are ready to perform<br />
live you can be a part of the Fonda Cash’s Teens Who Rock Show, where<br />
you will be showcased in front of live audiences and get the experience of<br />
performing on a stage. For more advanced students who are ready to be<br />
shopped for a major record deal, she offers song writing lessons and will<br />
help guide you along your path until your goal is reached. Fonda has won<br />
several song competitions for her writing and performances. Her original<br />
songs are getting radio airplay globally and she has placed in the Top 10 on<br />
numerous music charts. To find all the latest info on Fonda and her talented<br />
artists visit www.Facebook.com/FondaCash<br />
www.Reverbnation.com/FondaCash<br />
Fonda Cash 561-308-9406<br />
Meghan Ritmiller<br />
Meghan Ritmiller is beautiful, has a soulful voice and a<br />
dynamic stage presence. She has recently recorded original<br />
music and filmed two music videos which has taken her music<br />
career to the next level. Meghan performs live throughout<br />
South Florida and in addition to maintaining a 4.0 average in<br />
school, she continues to take on new projects and is working<br />
on writing new songs and recently recorded a demo CD.<br />
Her latest project is co-hosting a new teen talk show called<br />
FML (Friends, Music & Life) which airs on Tuesdays at 7pm<br />
on W4CY.com Meghan is currently seeking major record<br />
label and producer interest. She is available for studio, club<br />
work, private parties, and special events. For booking and<br />
more information, contact Carey Ritmiller at 561-307-8899.<br />
www.MeghanRitmiller.com<br />
www.Reverbnation.com/MeghanRitmiller<br />
www.Youtube.com/MeghanRitmiller<br />
Savannah Morgan<br />
Savannah Morgan is a 14 year old talented young artist<br />
with a love for music and performing. Savannah has a<br />
beautiful, unique voice and wonderful stage presence that<br />
really shines every time she takes the stage. Her genres are<br />
Pop/Dance and Country. Savannah’s dream is to some day<br />
be seen, heard and loved by millions of people!<br />
www.MySpace.com/SavannahMelodies<br />
Brandi Lynn Collison<br />
Brandi has been part of Fonda Cash’s Teens Who Rock since<br />
2008. Since her time with Fonda she has started writing her<br />
own songs, recorded several studio tracks and is now learning<br />
how to play the piano. Brandi is seeking music producers to<br />
co-write and collaborate with. She is based out of Wellington,<br />
Florida and is a published author.<br />
To contact Brandi visit<br />
www.MySpace.com/BrandiLynnCollison.<br />
Hannah Mahoney<br />
Hannah Mahoney is a singer/songwriter from Royal Palm<br />
Beach, Florida. She has already recorded her first solo album<br />
which features hits like Luke Bryan, Superstar, Pretty Boy,<br />
Barefoot Princess and more. She is currently getting radio<br />
airplay globally and is number #5 on the Reverbnation<br />
Country Charts. Hannah writes new songs often, enjoys<br />
collaborating with others and is extremely talented. Her<br />
songs are catchy, meaningful and heartfelt. Hannah’s dream<br />
is to become a major country recording artist and tour with<br />
her friend Luke Bryan. She is currently traveling between<br />
Nashville & Florida to promote her music. To contact Hannah<br />
visit www.Facebook.com/HannahMahoney12.<br />
Lexi Luca<br />
Lexi Luca is talented, works hard, is dedicated to her<br />
dream and it shows! Her new original song entitled,<br />
Love You Right, which she co-wrote with Fonda Cash, is<br />
currently getting radio airplay globally and charting in the<br />
top 10. Her second album, I Believe, is set to be released<br />
in the Summer of 2011. She has already landed her own<br />
jewelry line with ImperfectionByDesign.com, which is<br />
set to debut in the late Spring of 2011. While working hard<br />
on her music career and school work she also finds time to<br />
help others and get involved with her community by cohosting<br />
a new teen talk show called FML (Friends, Music &<br />
Life). It airs on Tuesday nights at 7pm on W4CY.com. Lexi<br />
is available for club work, private parties, studio work and<br />
special events. For booking, live performance schedule<br />
and more visit www.Reverbnation.com/LexiLuca<br />
www.Facebook.com/LexiLuca & You Tube.<br />
Management - Theresa Luca - Aug2305@aol.com<br />
mallory Blue<br />
One part country and one part Rock ‘n Roll – Mallory<br />
Blue does it all. This 13-year-old will tell you she’s felt<br />
music deep in her soul since she was three. Mallory has<br />
one strong focus, to make it as a singer, and she believes<br />
working with Fonda Cash is going to make that happen.<br />
Keep an eye out for this beautiful little girl with the great<br />
big voice and watch her grow as a singer, songwriter and<br />
performer. Become Mallory’s friend on Facebook to find out<br />
where she’s performing next, see her live videos, and more.<br />
www.Facebook.com/MalloryBlue1<br />
Nikki Marie<br />
Nikki is a 13-year-old singer new to Fonda Cash’s Teens Who<br />
Rock. She is currently enrolled in the Bert Reynolds Institute<br />
Of Film, where she studies acting and voice over. Nikki’s dream<br />
is to become a successful actress and singer. She loves dancing,<br />
spending time with her friends and outdoor activities. Visit<br />
Nikki Reitano on Facebook to find out more about this artist.<br />
Management: Joanna Reitano (561) 577-5443<br />
Dominique Marie<br />
This is Dominique Marie Miller. She was born in 1995<br />
in Toms River, New Jersey. Dominique has wanted to<br />
become a famous singer since the moment she could<br />
speak. She moved to Florida 7 years ago and recently<br />
started taking vocal and performance lessons with Fonda<br />
Cash to enhance her talent. Dominique loves to sing all<br />
types of music but her favorite is Country/Pop. She is an<br />
actress, singer, performer and very creative. Keep an eye<br />
on Dominique as she grows and watch her become a star.<br />
Visit her on the web to watch her self-produced videos and<br />
more. www.MySpace.com/DominiqueMarieMusic<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 43
44<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
The Monterey Club<br />
is where different cultures live.<br />
A distinct gathering place for<br />
people interested and involved<br />
in vintage car culture, bike<br />
culture, tattoo culture, live<br />
music, and the whole lifestyle.<br />
This is where the scene is.<br />
Support the scene.<br />
More than a bar<br />
and more than a<br />
music venue<br />
No Night is Ever the Same<br />
Check out DJ Sensitive Side every Tuesday<br />
Ft. Lauderdale home of the Saints and Sinners Car Club<br />
Connected to Kreepy Tiki Tattoo and Orange County Choppers<br />
(954) 598-1887<br />
Open 7 Nights a Week, 11am-2am<br />
2608 S Federal Hwy, Ft. Lauderdale, 33316<br />
Next door to the Gold Coast Roller Rink<br />
MySpace.com/MontereyClub - Also on Facebook<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 45
46<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 47
48<br />
48<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
Artwear LLC<br />
521 N.W. 1st Ave<br />
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301<br />
954-916-7351<br />
www.digitalartwear.com<br />
Custom Printing on over 100 exciting products<br />
NO SET UP CHARGES - LOW MINIMUMS<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 49
50<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
FREE ADMISSION<br />
ART SHOW<br />
showing at:<br />
2608 South Federal Highway<br />
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316<br />
Presented by:<br />
SINTHETIC<br />
DESIGNS<br />
©<br />
MARCH 25TH @ 7 PM<br />
Come check out this great art show, filled<br />
with pompadours, bouffants, leather<br />
jackets, hot rods, pin up babes and more!<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 51
Project Audio Inc. is here to provide our clients<br />
with unparalleled service. We utilize our team’s<br />
professional background and experience in the<br />
audio industry to always produce projects of superior<br />
quality. We strive to be the only company that serious<br />
professionals come to when they need the highest<br />
quality audio work.<br />
SERVICES<br />
JASON LIEBMAN<br />
OWNER / ENGINEER<br />
954-675-2435<br />
954-773-9895<br />
Jason@projectaudioinc.com<br />
EQUIPMENT<br />
Pro Tools HD 3<br />
Apogee Converters<br />
Universal Audio<br />
Solid State Logic<br />
Tube Tech<br />
Logic Pro<br />
Reason<br />
Genelecs<br />
ns10’s<br />
Etc.<br />
Recording<br />
Mixing<br />
Mastering<br />
Pre Production<br />
Post Production<br />
5.1 Surround Mixing<br />
Audio Transfers<br />
Jingles<br />
Commercials<br />
Voiceovers<br />
Sound to Picture<br />
Live Sound<br />
On Site Recording<br />
Studio Design<br />
Studio Tech Support<br />
Freelance Engineering<br />
DJ’s & Events<br />
Sound FX<br />
Music<br />
Production<br />
Engineering lessons<br />
52<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
DJ Stevie D The Host<br />
By Renda Writer<br />
Co-Hosts: Jock D, DJ Crash, Kelly V, & Milky the Shape<br />
Sponsored by <strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> & Mob Ink in Boca Raton<br />
“We’re off-the-cuff with the production of the show. We’re having fun with it, and<br />
it seems to be catching on.” In a recent phone conversation, DJ Stevie D says<br />
this of The Future Retro Radio Show, the internet radio show that he hosts<br />
and produces, playing everything from new Mos Def tracks to old school De<br />
La Soul, and James Brown and Funkadelic, mixing it all in with requests,<br />
an interactive chat room, local submitted music, and talk with DJ Stevie D<br />
and his co-hosts, about music, DJ’s, sex, clubs, events and more. Independent<br />
artists can submit music for airplay by sending MP3s to sffmusicinc@gmail.<br />
com. DJ Stevie D will be on the wheels of steel at the Hip-Hop Elements<br />
B-Boy Pro Am event on May 20-22 nd (HipHopElements.com) and will be cosponsoring<br />
the event with his entertainment company, South Florida’s Finest.<br />
More info at Facebook.com/TheDJStevieD.<br />
Stevie D is an official <strong>WeMerge</strong> DJ and the host of our DJ to DJ Interview Series on<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong>TV.com. DJs can submit interview requests to StevieD@<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com<br />
Catch the Future Retro Radio Show Broadcasting Live at Club Boca Mondays - Club Boca, 7000 West Palmetto Park Rd, Boca Raton<br />
Live Party Broadcast, Interviews, Performances, Cypha Lounge in the 2 nd Room, Live Street Art on the patio<br />
E2Project.com is the flagship web presence of E2<br />
Project Inc., a creative directive organization founded and<br />
operated by Emmett “Deuce” Gatson based in South Florida.<br />
This creative journal is a gathering of multimedia<br />
expression that invites an audience of those who<br />
love and appreciate creative works in web + graphic<br />
art, photographic imagery, music and video —a<br />
comprehensive website that targets no age group<br />
or creative faction. Although it may take a level of<br />
experience to understand some of its content, it is neither<br />
esoteric nor enigmatic. All viewers with artistic attraction<br />
and curiosity are invited to discover, comprehend, and<br />
appreciate the works within.<br />
Initially, E2Project.com served as a vehicle for graphic<br />
art and web design, but gradually progressed to other<br />
forms of creative expression. In development are plans<br />
to open the E2 Project store, which will sell<br />
exclusive one-of-a-kind prints, exclusive clothing,<br />
collectibles and select music. “Expect top-quality work in<br />
all mediums showcased on this site, with an urban feel.<br />
And, expect E2 Project to be an ever-changing, ongoing<br />
project,” says Mr. Gatson.<br />
Tap into the energy and<br />
follow the progress of<br />
E2 Project’s journey<br />
as it ventures into<br />
the future of<br />
digital creative.<br />
Visit E2Project.com<br />
often and be sure<br />
to subscribe to<br />
our mailing list or<br />
social networking<br />
sites for<br />
updates.<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 53
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Ringling College of Art and<br />
Design in Sarasota has a<br />
longstanding reputation for sending<br />
some of the brightest and most<br />
talented young artists out into the<br />
world after graduation, and artist and<br />
2005 graduate Matthew Mattox is<br />
definitely no exception to the rule.<br />
Practicing in virtually all mediums,<br />
Matthew’s creativity knows no limits.<br />
Whether he’s creating in the two<br />
dimensional plane or sculpting three<br />
dimensional masterpieces, Mattox is<br />
always attracting attention<br />
with his art.<br />
Facebook.com/MattMattox<br />
MattMattox.com<br />
56<br />
Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com
Has brought you the<br />
following books<br />
Three very compelling looks at the<br />
tragic epidemic that is domestic violence.<br />
Raw, Uncensored, and Unapologetic - REAL.<br />
“Funky Gorilla Fist”<br />
- A novella by Anthony Pepe<br />
reviewed in the 1 st issue of <strong>WeMerge</strong><br />
“Walking from Memory”<br />
- A novel by D. Tori Morgenstein<br />
reviewed in the 6 th issue of <strong>WeMerge</strong><br />
“That Defines the Light”<br />
- A book of poetry by Anthony Pepe &<br />
Tori Morgenstein reviewed in the 7 th<br />
issue of <strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
All Books Now<br />
Available For Purchase:<br />
www.thatdefinesthelight.com<br />
www.myspace.com/funkygorillafist<br />
www.myspace.com/warriorpoets<br />
www.myspace.com/warriorpoetsaloud<br />
www.GhostPostPublishing.com<br />
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Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
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<strong>WeMerge</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - www.<strong>WeMerge</strong>.com Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support 59
What is the<br />
Sly Ones<br />
brand all<br />
about?<br />
Sly Ones is<br />
an urban art<br />
business coming<br />
out of kick-back<br />
South Florida,<br />
created in late<br />
2008. Coming<br />
from our street art roots we started it as<br />
a graffiti crew trying to make a name for<br />
ourselves. Since then we been striving to<br />
plant our name in the minds of society. As<br />
time started to pass we realized we can<br />
expand the crew into a company, a company<br />
which produces unique urban art forms<br />
from all genres of the industry. Now, in 2011<br />
we are a group of clever young ninjas united<br />
to change the game and become one of the<br />
names on top. To make it in this industry you<br />
need to be a Sly One!<br />
Shaun “Kuote” Honekman<br />
Sly Ones Crew<br />
slyonescrew@gmail.com<br />
SlyOnesCrew.com<br />
My company was inspired by one of my favorite<br />
Woody Allen movies named Whatever Works.<br />
Born and raised in New York and other urban<br />
cities, surrounded by words like “Fugetaboutit” I<br />
felt that “Whateva’ Works” was more relevant to my<br />
work. Whateva’ Works caters to both businesses<br />
and independent artists in the entertainment<br />
industry. We customize our services to cater to our<br />
clients’ needs and our core competencies include<br />
event planning, marketing, booking, hosting,<br />
photography, videography, project development<br />
and budget preparation. We do whateva’ it takes<br />
to transform our clients’ vision into reality within<br />
60 60 Support Support the the scene Scene or or there There will Will be Be no No scene Scene to to support Support<br />
What is the Ground<br />
Zero Crew all about?<br />
The Ground Zero Crew<br />
is a B-boy (Break Dancing)<br />
crew that I started in 1996<br />
with chapters in Miami<br />
and Puerto Rico. Since<br />
then the crew has made<br />
an international impact,<br />
putting Miami on the map<br />
by battling all with superior<br />
swag and originality. We have won many world titles<br />
and visited many countries throughout Europe, Asia<br />
and more. Today you can see us perform all over the<br />
greater Miami area, at clubs, events and several other<br />
jams all over the world. In addition to performing,<br />
battling, judging, and competing at jams, we also<br />
produce large scale Hip-Hop events like the world<br />
famous Who Can Roast The Most? series, an event that<br />
endeavored to put Miami and Florida’s top B-Boy/B-<br />
Girl talent vs. the rest of the nation in a grueling<br />
10-round exhibition. GZC is dedicated to the elevation<br />
of the sacred Warrior Dance, originally called B-Boying.<br />
Alejandro “Bebe” Fernandez<br />
Founder/President<br />
info@groundzerocrew.com<br />
GroundZeroCrew.com<br />
Would you like to be featured in the We Asked section of<br />
our next issue? If so, send us a high resolution headshot<br />
and a high resolution version of your company logo.<br />
editor@wemerge.com<br />
What is the Whateva<br />
Works brand all about?<br />
the given budget. Our ultimate goal is to help your<br />
business grow. Our motto is Bringing fresh Flavor<br />
in a Cultural Way to Create Positive Change. We<br />
donate 10% of our fees to charities such as Mission<br />
of Hope for Haiti, Susan G. Komen, as well as<br />
significant resources to the Write Side Poets (youth<br />
poetry program) in Lauderhill, FL. We would love<br />
to work with you and help give back to the programs<br />
of your choice. Peace, Love & Light! 1 Love<br />
Melissa Capo<br />
Founder/Operating Manager<br />
info@whateva-works.com<br />
Whateva-Works.com<br />
NEW<br />
Lighthouse Point<br />
Barbershop Is An<br />
Art Gallery, Too!<br />
By David Citron – www.Advertorials.com<br />
At the new Masterpiece Barbershop in<br />
Lighthouse Point, master barber Lenny<br />
Spano treats his cuts like fine<br />
art, sculpting bald fades, fohawks,<br />
blowouts, and hot lather<br />
shaves in an environment<br />
that includes fine art by<br />
local artists alongside<br />
reproductions of great<br />
masterpieces.<br />
Masterpiece<br />
Barbershop’s<br />
cuts range from<br />
traditional<br />
gentlemen’s<br />
haircuts to trendy<br />
precision cuts, and<br />
women are welcome<br />
too. Amenities<br />
include five antique<br />
barber stations, free<br />
coffee, music, cable<br />
TV, and overstuffed<br />
leather couches. Stone<br />
sculptures, by Lenny’s<br />
father, John Spano, are among<br />
the art on display at the shop, and<br />
several exhibitions by local artists are<br />
planned. At a Boca Raton art show, Lenny<br />
was asked why he combined art and barbering.<br />
“As a kid I loved drawing and wood burning, but I<br />
wanted to be a business owner. Everyone needs a<br />
haircut, so I decided on barber college. Haircutting<br />
is the bread & butter of my business, while art is<br />
for the community.”<br />
A graduate of Florida Barber Academy in<br />
Pompano Beach, Lenny has been a precision<br />
barber for four years and managed a Coconut<br />
Creek shop. Originally from Brooklyn, the Spano<br />
family has lived here seven years. “My brother<br />
Dominick, a recent MBA, is the brains behind our<br />
business plan” says Lenny. “Dom says you should<br />
mention <strong>WeMerge</strong> magazine for $6 off<br />
any haircut.”<br />
Masterpiece Barbershop is in Venetian Isle<br />
Plaza, on the NE Corner of Sample Road and<br />
Federal Highway (3640-6 North Federal Highway,<br />
Lighthouse Point, 33308). For information about<br />
haircuts or displaying art,<br />
call (954) 623-7204 or e-mail<br />
Masterpiece2011@aol.com.<br />
(See ad on pg 47)<br />
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Support the Scene or There Will Be No Scene to Support<br />
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