TRIP FANTASTIC with some of our favorite people, November 10th, 6-9 pm

Please join us Thursday, November 10th from 6-10 pm, to celebrate the release of TRIP FANTASTIC, a new comic book series by Jason Baxter (U.S.F., the Stranger) and Mac Hamilton, with stunning artwork by New York-based illustrator Derek Charm. All three creators will be on hand for this event and Thursday's party will also be the first time, anywhere, that physical editions of TRIP FANTASTIC #1 will be available for purchase. This ultra-limited first-run consists of thirty hand-numbered editions; there will also be libations, a live DJ set by Self Actualized (Reed Juenger of Beat Connection), strobing projections, and live, on-demand silkscreening of TRIP FANTASTIC t-shirts.

At a time when the average comic book is only twenty pages at four bucks a pop, TRIP FANTASTIC #1 is fairly priced at seven dollars for fifty-two full-color pages and back matter including creator bios, essays, and pin-ups by Casey Catherwood (Witch Gardens), Joey Gantner (Radical Fortress), and others.

HALLOWEEN SCARE TACTICS: TJ Cowgill.

Yeah. How's that for terrifying?

TJ Cowgill, of Book of Black Earth and KING DUDE fame, came in recently, and brought the whole fucking family. That's right. Emily, Pagan, and King TJ at Cairo together. Hanging out with me. What a great day.

This dude is no joke...although all we talked about was channeling his inner Christian Slater... and the origins of the term 'gnarlitude'.
TJ is conquering the world as co-owner/creater of clothing brand ACTUAL PAIN with Emily, who live in their warehouse/castle (tattoos occasionally available!) on the hill.

TJ, you are the truly kingliest dude.

Here are some photos from the day, but check out our Tumblr to see all of them!

"Meanest Danny Zuko"


Receipt to Comics Dungeon on 45th, compliments of USF's Jason Baxter. Thanks, Brah!


The man and his Pagan.


Ahem, jewelry by &c.



The interview...

Which do you prefer, performing a metal set or an acoustic?
I like both equally, for different reasons. The thing I like about acoustic sets? I don't have to lift a thousand pounds of gear, TWICE. The thing about metal? They are loud enough that you can't talk over me.

Where did you grow up and how did those surroundings affect your music/art?
I was born in Kennewick, WA, but when my parents got divorced we moved to Georgetown. I got beat up by black girls every day. There was one other white kid but he was fucked up, so my friends were culturally diverse. We were poor and moved like every six months. I started playing shitty pop-punk music when I was 15, like The Fallouts and Mudhoney, to get chicks. I realized that music sucked, so I quit playing it and started playing heavy metal.

You are a man of many trades, what do you say you do when people ask?
I say I own a clothing company. The stupidest thing you could say is "I'm a fashion designer". I'm a graphic designer and I use the medium of clothing. I don't say I'm a musician, because that is a hobby.

I like the combed-back look, by the way. How would you describe personal your style these days?
A slightly less ugly/disgusting Roy Orbison. OR, Roy Oribson as a vampire. Man, he looks like a child's nightmare.

How do you think Actual Pain's style aesthetic works with Seattle fashion?
Well we aim to change the entire world's taste in graphic tees. Our target audience isn't Seattle. It's a great place to live, and we have a lot of support but there isn't any influence in Seattle. It's something we would be doing with or or without Seattle. It's our home, and it's so supportive. Why not stay in your city? I think if people didn't move to NY and LA, they wouldn't be so shitty. I mean, sometimes I feel like a big fish in a small pond… but thats fucking awesome!

Do you have a motto?
Yes. "Love is the law, love under will" by Aleister Crowley. I believe love is the most important thing, but your will is more important that love.

In retrospect, what has been your favorite career path so far?
Probably making clothes. What I really want to do is get King Dude songs in TV shows, like Breaking Bad and Dexter. That would be a cool way to make money. King Dude is weirdo music, you know? It has to be fun, or I wont do it.

What is the best Halloween costume you've had?
I suck at halloween, I am not very clever really.

What is one natural talent you wish you had?
Oh, man. Probably to be photogenic. I always look like I'm in pain, or like I'm sick, or like I have to take a shit.

Something you always bring with you?
Pagan. Haha.

What is your favorite horror movie?
Probably Dario Argento's Suspiria. It's perfect.

Who is your favorite wordsmith?
I like Robert Frost a lot.

Who kills the undead better? Bruce Campbell or Sarah Michelle Gellar?
That's a tough one. I met Bruce Campbell when I was 10. He signed an Army of Darkness poster. My mom somehow fell off the 6 foot stage and he helped! AND he was dressed like a cowboy. It was fucking awesome. At the time I was so pissed…she totally stole my moment. I'll have to go with Bruce Campbell. I haven't met SMG… YET. But we love Buffy. We watch the shit out of that shit.

Desert island albums?
White Light/White Heat by Velvet Underground and Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie.

What are you listening to right now?
Ela Orleans, from New York. Also Angel Olsen…she sounds like she's 50, but she's actually really young. And a lot of Umberto.

What are you listening to in Seattle?
I love White Coward and Stickers. I really like Tit Pig, too.

Are you a downloader OR record store shopper OR merch buyer?
I'm all three actually. I do all three pretty obsessively. i don't buy cds at all anymore.

Biggest personal fashion inspirations?
roy orison or johnny cash. all black all well all the time. i know its corny but i like it.

If you had to choose 5 things with you to take to a different planet, what would they be?
A bag of cheeseburgers from Dick's, a lot morphine, some kind of gun, some beers, and cigarettes. That's what I would want.


What is your spookiest halloween memory?
There's this haunted house in Georgetown where I grew up and as a kid my Mom would tell us stories about how there was a choking ghost that lived there. Well, one year on Halloween, we went and trick or treated there. A guy that basically looked like an adult version of myself answered the door in a tuxedo and had white sort of gaunt face paint on. He didn't say a word, just opened the door and and gave us candy, and then shut the door. That was pretty spooky.

What other place would you want to live and why?
I want to live in Germany. I don't know why, but think I'm going end up moving.

What was the #1 King Dude international tour highlight?
I really loved playing Prague, and Italy was beautiful. Overall the hospitality was amazing. We are definitely going back.

What is the best part about your job?
That I don't have a boss, but that is also the worst part, because when something is fucked up, its usually my fault. There's no one i can blame it on…except Emily, but she never makes mistakes.

What would you do if you had a hamburger for a hand?
I would definitely eat it. No questions asked. I would eat it right away, too so it wouldn't go bad.

KING DUDE IS PLAYING HTFC TONIGHT, SATURDAY 10/29!
He will be covering The Kinks and Nico. It would be in your best interest to be there.


DO YOU LIVE IN CALIFORNIA AND ARE PINING TO SEE KING DUDE?!
Check out these west coast dates:
November 30th at Elbo Room in SF
December 2nd at Vacation Vinyl in LA
December 4th at Tin Can in SD


I wish all of you the happiest of Halloweens. See you at Healthy Times!

ILYAS AHMED, SEVEN COLORS and A.T. & LOVE, friday october 28th, 7 pm

ILYAS AHMED (haunting ambience, Grouper collaborator)

SEVEN COLORS (moroccan trance with Morgan Henderson and Gust Burns)

A.T. & LOVE (far out psych/disco edits with Tyler Wilcox)

Read the STRANGER preview HERE

"Material Should Engage with the Realm of Light and Shadow"

Last Friday night, we caught up with our pals Taraka and Nimai Larson, aka Brooklyn-based duo Prince Rama, after their show at Neumo's. They had just finished performing a set of transcendental jams from their new album Trust Now, recorded earlier this year in Seattle by Scott Colburn. The sisters were so glammed out in metallic face paint and layers of golden necklaces that we had to snap some quick photos for the Cairo blog.

Where did you get your necklaces?

Nimai: Our grandmother!

Taraka: They're ANCESTRAL!



As it turns out, the metallic costumes are not just beautiful on stage, they're part of Prince Rama's metaphysical master plan as outlined on now-age.org, Taraka Larson's digital manifesto on art, performance and spirituality:

"Now Age aesthetics embrace materials and sounds that exist in a mutually engaged and reciprocal relationship with their environment. An example would be reflective materials that catch the light from their environment and reflect it back into their environment, thus creating a feedback loop and energetic exchange between material (tangible) and space (intangible) as well as a portal between the mundane (real) and the luminous (potential).

MATERIAL SHOULD ENGAGE WITH THE REALM OF LIGHT AND SHADOW."

(Wise words!)

Trust Now is currently available from Paw Tracks Records. Prince Rama also contributed an exclusive track to the Portable Shrines Magic Sound Theatre Vol. I compilation, which is available for purchase through Cairo, where you can also find plenty of materials that engage with the realm of light and shadow.

Little City, Big Giraffe.

Did you notice the giraffe on the cover of City Arts this week?
That's the one and only Sierra Stinson, curator and mastermind behind Vignettes , which Sierra describes as "a one-night exhibition space featuring various artists, that I hold every two weeks in my apartment".
Chances are you have happened upon one of her gallery nights in the Capitol Apartments...the last one I went to featured several pounds of (strawberry?) melting ice cream and about thirty people ousted to the corners of the studio.
In other words, it was fucking COOL.
Sierra is also spearheading the visual arts program for City Arts Festival this year...Happy hour!




Want to see more photos of the lovely Sierra? Take a look at our Tumblr!

What are some of your ideas/inspirations behind Vignettes?
I went to a lot of apartment galleries and pop-up spaces in Glasgow and Berlin. It has been going on all over the nation, but has only become more popular in Seattle recently, with organizations like Free Sheep.

How have you noticed the recession has affected the local artist community? How has it affected Vignettes?
Vignettes is a response to the current climate. No matter what - artists will continue to create and need venues to exhibit. They will just have to find affordable means to do so.

How do you pick artists you choose to feature?
I select them mostly by the people I see around city, through the community, research, studio visits. It began with people I knew, and now it's expanding.

Do you have a favorite local musician?
Yes, Jherek Bishoff and Tiny Vipers.

What are 5 things you always carry with you?
I should (but don't) always carry corkscrew, a camera, a pen, a snack (usually fruit), and various scraps of paper.

What do you wake up to?
Waking Graham up for his job again and again then reading emails.

Do you have a preferred roasterie?
Oh, I don't drink coffee.

Who would star as you in a movie about your life?
Hmm, a total unknown.

Who were you in highschool?
I was a theater major… we did like 4 hours of theater a day. I realized then that I didn't want to be around thespians anymore.

Are you an artist?
Curating is definitely my focus at the moment. Enabling is my medium.

What was your biggest fashion faux pas from childhood?
I wore backwards hats during my tomboy phase.

What current style will you just not accept?
There are probably too many. I just will never get behind Crocs. They should stay in the garden.

Who are 3 people you would invite to dinner?
I would invite Roald Dahl, Jim Henson and Sophie Calle… she is the kind of person that would cook you a meal that was all one color.

What are you most excited about right now?
Being unemployed, StateVPan, City Arts Festival, Walden Three, the unknown and taking a trip to the Grand Canyon this November.

Trying to go to the next Vignettes? Look no further than October 13th, for Mittwit!

Cairo Quickie: OFFSITE!

This Cairo Quickie was taken OFFSITE at the Vita Loft last weekend.

Starring Mr. Casey Catherwood of Witch Gardens and guest starring his, um, football.

Looking for wise words from Casey Catherwood? Maybe something about falling asleep on the job...


Oh hey! Extra special congrats to Witch Gardens for their interview on the Seattle Weekly blog!

Later,
Liv

Silkscreen Workshop next Tuesday, Oct. 11

$45 gets you this great workshop, teaching you the basics of silkscreening shirts and posters + 1 month's worth of 7 day a week access to our studio to create your very own goodies. Stop by or email alchemy.of.time (at) gmail.com to reserve a spot!