The Presets (comprised of Kim Moyes and Julian Hamilton) have been taking the dance world by storm for several years. Known for hypnotic electronic pop beats, the two boys from Down Under-- Sydney to be exact-- have moved many dance floors with their debut EP in 2003, Blowup, and LP, Beams in 2005, the latter of which attained international acclaim and DJ approval. Their self-produced sophomore album, Apocalypso, released on Modular Records in May of 2008, topped with singles “This Boy's in Love” and “My People.” Who’d guess that the duo originally met during school at Sydney's Conservatorium of Music, cracking the books and notes of Mozart?

Considering their current world tour and recent album release, dreaming of their balmy hometown must happen often. Before their performance at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, psychoPEDIA joined Moyes and Hamilton inside their tour bus, where they discussed all-things-Sydney:

What’s the current music scene like in Sydney?
JH: There have always been great DJs and parties. There are quite a few good indie nights where bands play, and a few great venues; the Oxford Art Factory, where there’s a club and a live venue where bands perform. Another spot that’s really dingy called Club 77.
KM: We’ve played there!
JH: There are a few bands like us in Sydney. Sydney is really known more for a club-place. The pub-rock rock n’ roll thing is pretty there, yet it’s more a suburban thing in the greater Sydney area. Sydney has a huge gay population so there’s a lot more of the club vibe.

Are there popular sex shops in Sydney?
JH: Well, we have Tool Shed!
KM: The sex shops here in New York are fun and cool. Australia is so oppressed, unfortunately. In Australia, there are awful scary places that you don’t want to go into, where it’s run by heroin.
JH: It’s the more dingy, Book Exchange-type places, where you go swap your pornos, are really dirty and seedy.

Is there a big heroin scene there right now?
KM: There was, then the war in Afghanistan killed it. From what I understand, there was a huge heroin problem, then it disappeared suddenly overnight. Ice now has become a problem. They call it crystal meth here in the States. You couldn’t get heroin in Sydney for a while because of the war in Afghanistan, since they produce most of the heroin for Australia. Ice now has slowed down and the overdoses have stopped, but mental illness has gone through the roof.

Any other major controversy?
KM: We have a new Prime Minster right now, Kevin Rudd, who we love to compare to John Howard, who was our last Prime Minster. Rudd is more left leaning and liberal. What happened recently was that an amazing photographer Bill Henson, who shoots a lot of teenage models in these stark, dark, ghostly images just released a photo of a naked 13-year-old girl. It’s beautiful, but the police raided the exhibition and took away all the photos. Kevin Rudd came out publicly and said it was disgusting and the work was horrible. He’s a left-leaning guy, but socially a Christian and a conservative. It’s funny, because the national art galleries in Sydney and Melbourne have had major retrospectives of Bill Henson’s work. In the art world, he’s quite respected.

On a lighter topic, where would you recommend staying in Sydney?
KM: Zerp Tree Hotel. It’s down near The Rocks, which is an area down underneath Sydney Harbor Bridge. The Park Hyatt is really lovely down there, because it has a great view of the Opera House and harbor. Also, Observatory Hotel.
JH: More boutique hotels, The Kirketon and the W. Most of the hotels on the harbor are great.

Best restaurants to check out?
JH: Bondi Icebergs Dining Room and Bar. It’s right on the south side of Bondi Beach, and it looks across Bondi and out to sea. It’s one of the most breathtaking places to have a meal.
KM: We’re so lucky because we’re really multicultural. We can get anything you want, except Mexican! All Mexican food in Australia is crap. We have great Thai, Pakistani and Chinese. There’s a spot called Golden Century, where we can go at 4am. It’s a little bit of a musician haunt too. Often, when bands finish shows, they head down to grab something to eat. During the Olympics in 2000, after a show we’d gone down to get some food and the Hungarian wrestling team was there!

Places to shop?
JH: There’s this great store called Assin and the clothes are stupidly expensive but really cool designer stuff. Ksubi is a clothing label with sort of street-beach vibe. That Beach Boys sort of culture and attitude mixed with street city vibe. Obviously, all the surfing labels are huge too.

What's the most special thing inherent to Sydney?
KM: I don’t think you could find a better beach anywhere in the world than Sydney. To be able to go to these world-class beaches that are so clean and beautiful is just amazing. It’s definitely its high point.
JH: And, of course, The Presets!

~Jessica McMenamin

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Hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, Bowerbirds play a lush mix of folksy, Americana tunes filled with accordion, violin, and acoustic instrumentals that invoke the tranquility of their Appalachian setting. Consisting of native resident Beth Tacular, her partner Phil Moore, and Mark Paulson–- two more recent Iowa imports-– the band has a clear connection to nature, reflected in everything from their lyrics about sounds of the forest to their avian-inspired name, which Tacular adopted after reading about that breed in a children’s encyclopedia.

Having just released their latest album Hymns From A Dark Horse this week (June 17), and on the cusp of embarking on a hectic national tour supporting soul-folk singer friend Bon Iver, psychoPEDIA caught up with the music-making couple of Tacular and Moore, who currently reside in an Airstream trailer in the countryside outside of Raleigh, for a tour of their scenic hometown:

What are the hometown influences behind your newest album?
At the time the songs were written, we were living in the country. I think it has a lot of “space” because of that– a clarity.

Since your music is nature-inspired, what are your favorite outdoor sites?
Umstead Park has a great trail system to walk around, and Lake Johnson. The whole of North Carolina is just trees. Everything’s lush and green here.

Is there a good spot for bird-watching?
Out where we live is wonderful. We see so many different varieties. And the Hollow River is great— you see a lot of bald eagles.

As an earth-loving band, do you have favorite eco-friendly places in town? Piedmont Biofuels Co-op is a great place to get gasoline if you drive a diesel. With restaurants here, since there’s a big farming infrastructure, they get a lot of produce from local sources. At Enoteca Vin, where Mark works, they get a lot of their meat, greens, and other vegetables from local places. There are a few fair-trade, organic coffee places, too— Royal Bean, and Counter Culture. And a street market in Pittsboro called Chatam Marketplace, where 95% percent of the meat is organic and natural.

Best way to keep cool in the North Carolina heat?
Locopops, a new popsicle business started in Durham. It’s a little retail space, painted white with no decoration and a freezer against one wall. They have hundreds of varieties that they make them themselves. Cream-based and vegan ones, flavors like strawberry basil or rosemary chocolate. They also have dog popsicles!

Which shops are best for getting folk instruments like the ones you play? There’s a place called High Strung Music. Fat Sound has great amplifiers, guitars, and old acoustics. But we get our accordions from a guy in Wisconsin.

Favorite local clubs to play?
Bull City Headquarters— a little co-op space with a bicycle repair shop in it. Then there’s Local 506, which has the staple bands that come through, and Cat’s Cradle which houses larger bands.

Since aside from the music, you're also a visual artist, what are your favorite places to display or check out other work?
My favorite gallery is Lump. They bring the most avant-garde or cutting-edge emerging artists, established weird art, or locally progressive art to the Triangle. If I didn’t have it, my idea of art in the public world would’ve been limited to what I saw in magazines. Downtown Raleigh has an Art Walk on the first Friday of the month, where all galleries have an opening. I’ve also shown at Design Box. Wootini in Capitol Hill brings artists from around the country as well as local artists. They even have an area with Japanese toys. And Branch Gallery is fancier, but still has some aesthetically cutting-edge art.

Where do you go to get a dose of outside culture?
The Internationalist Bookstore and Community Center is great, because they have sections on ecology, gender studies, sexuality, and the best magazine selection. The Regulator Bookstore in Durham, and Quail Ridge, which has a classical music section. The Center for Documentary Studies has the International Documentary Film Festival every year-– put on by progressive-minded people to open eyes to an environmental issue or labor issue. And the American Dance Festival happens here.

Best places to get antiques or home furnishings for your nest?
Father & Son Antiques— it’s vintage mid-century stuff. We bought a lot of our furniture there. You can get second-hand things at the same price as a regular store. Beggars & Choosers has some furniture, cheaper than at other antique stores, but it’s good for vintage and antique clothes, neat old jewelry, and household things like pictures frames and fabrics. I get a lot of my clothes there, because they have dresses from the 1910s and 1930s. I just bought a couple of slips from the 1910 at 10 dollars each.

Young female bowerbirds are known for having a penchant for "fancy men." Where are the best places to pick up them up?
Mark in our band is “fancy.” He’s single and needs to be picked up. The Raleigh Times Bar is probably where you’d find them. It’s a cross-over place where hipsters and yuppies go. They seem to bathe. They’re the cleanest men, and put product in their hair. Clean-cut sort of dandies.

Where would you go to do a courtship dance after you’ve found your mate?
Hell has a dance night. And a bar called the Jackpot up the street from Mark’s house– the seedy, dirty, smoky hipster bar in town.

What about your own first date in town?
We went to Reservoir to see the band Caliphone. Afterwards, we went dumpster diving at the PTA Thrift Store. I used to do that because you could find the stuff people didn’t think was good enough to sell. We found My Little Pony figurines and 80s unicorn stickers. I was in the middle of doing a series of paintings about unicorns, so it was meant to be! Then we went to a bar called the Orange County Social Club, with a neat beer garden in the back. We had a couple drinks, then went to Forest Theater— an amphitheatre in Chapel Hill, near the UNC campus. There are hiking trails and woods on one side, and the university on the other. No one goes there at night, so it’s really quiet. We climbed on a big wall where we hung out until 5 in the morning.

Best place to spend an overnight romantic stay?
There’s a B&B that’s an organic goat farm, called Celebrity Dairy. And there’s a nice camping site on the Eno River in the state park, which has a beautiful river and trees.

Favorite thing about Raleigh?
You can walk to everything. And everywhere you go, you run into six people you know.


~Leann Peterson

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Modern music as we know it wouldn't be around without Cincinnati. From James Brown and the Isley Brothers to the Afgham Whigs, it has birthed a shockingly wide array of icons. Bad Veins-- comprised of Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz-- also hail from this musically prolific city, and have popped up loud and clear on the international radar thanks to Alexandra Patsavas of Chop Shop Records and the Target Music Maker award. Capable of swelling orchestrations and ballads that are wise beyond their years, it's hard to comprehend there are only two members, accompanied merely by an antique movie projector on-stage.

While the two are currently in-studio working on their highly anticipated debut album, psychoPEDIA joined Schultz to chat about the city they call home:

Since Cincinnati has a Coney Island, is there a connection with Brooklyn?
It used to be called “Coney Island of the West,” then the name changed to just Coney Island. Sounds sort of shady, I know. Parenthetically, we do have a connection to Brooklyn. We have the Roebling Suspension Bridge that crosses from Cincinnati over to northern Kentucky. This bridge served as the prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge— so you’re welcome, New York City. Theirs is bigger, but then, everything is bigger in NYC.

Could you explain the Cincinnati chili phenomenon?
To be fair, it’s not special unless it’s Skyline Chili. Seriously, that’s all you need to know. Fine— I’ll elaborate. Skyline Chili came to the city back in the 1940s. It was brought to us by a fine Greek gentleman who had the genius to add a little something to the chili— chocolate and cinnamon. You can choose to have coney’s or three-ways (spaghetti, chili, and cheese). There have been days where I’ve eaten at Skyline for lunch, dinner, and then post-bar. Yes, it’s that good.

Best restaurant when someone else is picking up the tab?
Hell— if I’m not paying, I would say The Precinct. However, I’ve heard some amazing things about Jean-Robert at Pigall’s. Ben and I have been to his bistro, and we were more than satisfied.

Good place for brunch?
Melt or Honey in Northside.

Best neighborhood to hang out, grab coffee, or shop?
Northside—they have the best record shop in town as well some of the best restaurants. Plenty of variety and the bars/venues have some of the best shows in Cincinnati.

What about places to catch a gig by an up-and-coming band?
I’ve seen amazing shows everywhere from the Comet all the way up to the Taft Theater. The Southgate House is our indie mainstay venue, whatever that means. Everyone from Stephen Malkmus to Arcade Fire has played there. I remember seeing The Shins play there years ago when Oh, Inverted World came out. There were around 30 to 50 people in a venue that holds over 600. The next time they came, it was sold out. Additionally, the inventor of the Thompson Submachine Gun was born there—so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Favorite place to play yourselves?
Probably The Northside Tavern. I grew up going to loads of punk shows—where you could stand about an inch from the entire band. Northside Tavern is similar—the crowd surrounds you and you can feel the energy in the room the minute you start playing. Larger venues are great, but nothing quite feels like those intimate shows where people are attentive and focused on every aspect of the songs and, ultimately, the performance.

Where do you pick up new music?
Shake It! Records in Northside and Everybody’s Records, just a bit north of the city. Both have amazing selections—you can find anything you want.

What’s your favorite of all the museums the city has to offer?
Undoubtedly, Union Terminal houses our Natural Science and History museums as well as our Omnimax. It used to be a train station back in the 1930s, but has since been converted into an amazing museum. Beyond that, we have the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center—both of which are worth a visit.

Any sights you'd recommend for people visiting the city?
The museums here are great, but we also have King’s Island and Beach Waterpark just north of the city, which appeals to mostly everyone.

Speaking of sights, ever run into Peter Frampton?
Actually, yes. We were backstage together at the Taft Theatre a few years ago for the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. Bootsy Collins was there as well.

What's a little-known fact about Cincinnati?
We have an entire subway system under the city that dates back to the 1920s. The catch, however— it has never been operational. They built a majority of it back before the Depression—even completing the stations. Unfortunately, the money ran out, so it has never run. From what I understand, though, a significant amount of tax money goes into maintaining the subway every year. I suppose this is prudent considering we have giant tunnels under our downtown streets, but it’d be nice to get to use it after 80 years.

~Abbey Braden

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Matt Allen is many things: an international adventurer, fundraiser, and avid concertgoer on a perpetual road trip. Matt’s also an Ice Cream Man, who has made it his mission to give it away for free, of which all he asks in exchange for a popsicle is a smile and a snapshot, which he posts on his website. Operating solely on sponsorship, he can often be found doling out frosty treats backstage at music festivals. As a result, he’s become a favorite with audiences and musicians alike– just ask Jack White, Perry Farrell, or Daft Punk. Three years into his goal of sharing half a million gratis frozen treats, Ice Cream Man now has 100 volunteers worldwide. Now into his third North American tour, he hops from one music festival to another, making time for stops at ice cream socials in children's hospitals along the way.

psychoPEDIA caught up with Ice Cream Man on the road, in the midst of a hail storm in Iowa, heading to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee. Taking place on a 700-acre farm outside Nashville, in the small town of Manchester, this annual summer fest is known for it's laid-back vibe and extensive lineup, not to mention being consistently voted 'Best Festival in North America' by music publications, critics, and audiences alike. With about 60,000 attendees, Bonnaroo becomes Tennessee's third largest city for four days in June. Encompassing all types of music, this year also promises on-site cinema, a comedy club, silent disco, and classic arcade. Here are the Bonnaroo veteran’s tips for surviving four days of camping, music, and dancing:

Which music festivals do you hit each year?
Pretty much all of them. There’s about a five month period where three quarters of the weekends, I’m at a musical festival. Right now I’m on my way to Wakarusa this weekend in Lawrence, Kansas.

Why is Bonnaroo considered the best and most "over-the-top" of them all?
You show up on Thursday, and until Monday morning, you’re in another world. With 60,000 people, it’s like a small town in itself. I consider it the grand-daddy of US festivals, because it’s its own entity. They get a great mix of music, and it’s not like anything else. Once you show up, you don’t have to go anywhere. All you have to do is make it back to your campsite. I love Bonnaroo, but it’s absolutely nuts. The festival doesn’t even close— it’s open 24 hours!

What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you there?
I passed out in the dead center once. I was sitting watching the bands, and all of a sudden, everybody was gone. I was just sitting on a chair in the middle of nowhere, thinking “wow.”

Who are the most anticipated acts for this year?
Having Metallica and Pearl Jam headlining— that’s huge. Personally, I’m looking forward to Henry Butler. Ghostland Observatory is doing a late night set, and those guys are just a blast. I’m sure they’ll bring their laser show and smoke machines. And My Morning Jacket at Bonnaroo is a legendary experience– at no other festival would they play from 1 to 4 in the morning.

Where do people typically crash?
There are over 60,000 people camping within a two mile radius. A lot of them just drive in, pitch their tents, then walk to the festival each day. You can get them at Wal-Mart for pretty cheap, so everyone just picks up a tent or tarp.

The festival is going green this year. Do you know what eco-friendly things they'll be doing?
I know they’re going carbon neutral, which is impressive. Considering a lot of the greening efforts, it’s not just a fad for them. We give away ice cream and will see people go around doing the recycling. It’s the most active recycling I’ve seen at a festival. Bonnaroo has been working for that since day one.

What's your most popular treat among the crowd?
The majority of it goes to production people and stagehands, friends of the bands. This year our main sponsor is Blue Bunny ice cream. We’ll have Champ! cones, and those are always the most popular— everyone loves ice cream covered in chocolate and nuts. And ice cream sandwiches. I’m a big fan of the base items: Pink Panther and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pops. Bomb Pops are good, too, because they’re really refreshing. In hotter weather, you end up giving away more popsicles, and in cooler weather, you give away more ice cream.

Besides with your ice cream, how do festival-goers cure a heatstroke?
With some of the big tents, you can go hide under them. This year there’s going to be a movie tent and a cabaret tent which will be air-conditioned.

Do people check out the country music scene when passing through Nashville?
You have people that are road tripping there who will check out the Grand Ole Opry. I went to Dollywood afterwards in Pigeon Forge once. It’s not like a city festival, though, it’s all very self-contained. Bonnaroo is a yearly destination; there are a lot of people around the country who plan their vacation around it.

What are the best food options?
Once you’re there, you’re stuck with whatever festival food they’re serving. You have to bring your own or find way to weasel food backstage, which isn’t easy to do. Getting a meal ticket is tougher than getting a backstage pass. However, there are these guys that come up from New Orleans and do big cookouts for all the people that are working. They do it the night before the festival starts, and the last night, when everyone’s breaking down the stage. They’ll cook up massive dinners, just good, Creole cooking— crawfish and crab legs. There’s nothing better than stumbling back to your tent, eating crawfish at 4 in the morning.

What’s your advice or warning for first timers?
If there’s any rule of thumb for people going to festivals, don’t do all your drugs or drink all your beer the first day. You’ve got to pace yourself. First thing is water— make sure you drink enough. You spent a lot of money already on tickets, so don’t bitch about the 2 bucks for a bottle, and drink up. You’re camping, so you’re awake at 7 in the morning when the sun hits your tent and it’s a sauna. It’s hard to get rest unless you’ve got a shaded area, so you’ll probably only get 4 hours of sleep for 4 nights in a row.

Is there a last stop you make before packing up to head home?
We get out on Monday morning and clean everything up. Then we get crew to the airport at Nashville. There’s a Cracker Barrel 30 miles from the festival and we always stop there to get breakfast.

What’s the most rewarding aspect about giving out ice cream at Bonnaroo?
People instantly light up. It’s pure, innocent joy. “Did you say free ice cream? That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day!”

~Abbey Braden


First, seventh, & eighth photos, courtesy of Ice Cream Man
Third photo by Fen Branklin via Flickr
Fourth photo, courtesy of Bonnaroo
Fifth photo by Craigowaffles via Flickr
Sixth photo by Seeking Focus via Flickr
Tenth photo by teraleigh via Flickr
Eleventh photo by cutedar via Flickr

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Although the sunny sound of The Explorers Club seems to evoke spending lazy afternoons on the sandy beaches of Orange County, this septet was born and bred from the southern roots of Charleston, South Carolina. The group of well-mannered men who met in college— comprised of Jason, James, Dave, Neil, Stefan, Chris, and newest member Wally (the only anomaly from Florida)— play a blend of feel good, poppy tunes that recall the Beach Boys.

Hot off the release of their debut album, Freedom Wind (on indie-label Dead Oceans), coming just in time for the summer, psychoPEDIA joined singer and originator of the band, Jason, for a tour of the sights and sounds of the band’s hometown— one overflowing with rich southern heritage, including providing the backdrop for stories like Gone with the Wind and Porgy and Bess:

How did the sunny California sound evolve out of South Carolina?
When I was 10 years old, my mom bought me a Beach Boys 20 Greatest Hits cassette for my Walkman. Here in Charleston, we have beaches, and it’s always very hot. People attempt to surf, and we have a lot of really beautiful weather for that kind of activity. It’s not a hard thing to feel like that music is at home.

What’s the most charming quality about your hometown?
Charleston looks like an old European city, right on the water. Savannah [Georgia] is kind of like it, but it’s a rip-off. For modern art and culture, Charleston’s probably not on the cusp, but there’s some cutting-edge stuff going on here. There’s a history in Charleston— one of the first shots of the Revolutionary War was fired here. It’s not just a bunch of hillbillies and trucks!

Did you ever feel pressure to be well-behaved living in a city nicknamed the "Holy City"?
No, I work at a church. That’s the south for ya— the Bible Belt. We have churches everywhere. One reason they call it the “Holy City” is because there’s an ordinance that there are to be no buildings in Charleston higher than the highest church steeple. The original tenants of the city believed that God is bigger than any business.

Would you agree with an etiquette expert that cited Charleston as the "best-mannered" city in the US?
At restaurants, the waiters are always trying to impress you to get your tip. A lot of them get really personal. For a lot of the South, they want you to feel like you’re at home. Almost all of us [in the band] come from parents with really professional backgrounds— preachers, school administrators— so it’s kind of natural.

With such diversity in the population, what are some of the best cultural offerings?
We’ve got a festival going on right now called Piccolo Spilato— world-renowned, with people coming from all over the world to perform and get together. It has lots of opera, theater, live music, dance, and all kinds of art. There’s another one that’s more African, called the Moja Arts Festival.

What’s the most traditional local meal, and which places serve it best?
Shrimp and grits. And we have fried green tomatoes. There’s a place called Charleston’s Cafe, that’s actually catering my wedding coming up. They have really good breakfast. The best traditional place is Jestine's Kitchen— a really down-home, Southern place, and some of the best food you’ll ever have. If you want spend high dollar, there’s Slightly North of Broad (aka SNOB). My favorite local place that’s really good southern food is Cru Café— in an old house that’s been there 100 years or more. It’s a catering company that decided to open a restaurant around the food they were catering. You can sit either a couple of tables toward the back or watch the open kitchen and see how they’re cooking you’re food right in front of you. It’s a blend of newer cuisine with classic Southern stuff. It’s a little pricey, but man it’s good!

Which places transport you back in time for that true Southern experience?
You definitely have to go to Boone Hall Plantation. Downtown Charleston is a time warp– there’s still people taking horse-drawn carriages. Check out Charles Towne Landing, an early settlement of Charleston. You can take little boat tours around Fort Sumter, down to The Battery where they held off the British. It has these Tom Meadow trees everywhere, great colonial and Civil War-era buildings and houses. Even our visitor center is an old train station. Just take a trip out to Fort Sumter or walk around downtown, and you’ll feel the history.

Best places to score local crafts and antiques?
The Charleston City Market— an open-air market with lots of vendors with knicknacks all lined up.

Where does the band like to kick back and relax?
My favorite place for cheap food and good hanging out is this Mexican restaurant in Mount Pleasant called Uno Mas. If we go out to lunch on a Saturday after rehearsal, we go there. A lot of the guys in the band hang out at the Village Tavern where we’re playing our record release party. It’s small, but they have great bands come in all the time.

As a port town, what are the best waterfronts to spend an afternoon?
Waterfront Park is a little park they built right by the water, where you can walk all the way out on a long dock. It’s a great place to take a date. They have swings where you can sit and look out at the beginnings of the ocean. My favorite places to go and look at the ocean are Sullivan’s Island, and the Isle of Palms. Folly Beach is a touristy kind of place, but it’s so fun when there’s no one out there— just seeing the ocean in all its mighty power.

Any cozy inns you recommend to visitors?
There’s one downtown that’s supposed to be the nicest— Ansonborough Inn. If you’re going for more of a touristy flair, there’s a circular hotel, the Charleston-Riverview Holiday Inn that has a restaurant on top where you can look out over the whole city and see the boats in the harbor and the church steeples. I got eat brunch there sometimes after church.

What's the first thing you do when you get home after a tour around the country?
There’s a part of town called Shem creek that has a bunch of restaurants. I take my fiancé there, and we just go walk around. When you’re sitting on the dock, a lot of dolphins and porpoises will poke their heads through and play.

~Leann Peterson


Don't miss The Explorers Club when they hit New York, playing Bowery Ballroom June 7.

Go There:
Jestine's Kitchen, 251 Meeting Street, (843) 722-7224
Uno Mas, 880 Allbritton Blvd, (843) 856-4868


First photo, courtesy of The Explorers Club
Second photo via Panaramio.com
Third photo by oquendo via Flickr
Fourth photo by zoebug via Flickr
Fifth photo by ryanchristopher via Flickr
Sixth photo, courtesy of Cru Cafe
Seventh photo, via AllCharlestonTours.com
Eighth photo via jandb.net
Ninth photo by megnificence via Flickr
Tenth photo by cbrown117 via Flickr

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99 miles from London sits the history-ridden, tourst-laden Bath. Unrivaled in its beauty, the city is home to a Royal Theatre, centuries-old Roman Baths, and The Heavy. Having released their debut LP, Great Vengeance and Furious Fire, back in March, the funk and soul-infused punk rock act has since made a splash in the music industry thanks to a recent North American tour and support from Playboy.

In addition to designing a T-shirt for Playboy’s Rock the Rabbit series, which will be on sale at Colette come June (proceeds benefit Rock the Vote), the mag played host to a few of the band’s stateside shows.

psychoPEDIA spoke with guitarist Dan T. following The Heavy’s return to their hometown. We talked Sally Lunn buns, how to spot a Chav, and Bath’s best-kept secret:

What did you think of the States?
It was absolutely everything I expected and more. In a way it was really hard because it’s such a big place. Nobody told us how big it was. It was really good fun - the hardest thing we’ve done so far as a band purely in terms of crossing that much distance.

What’s Bath like?
A massive museum safari park. It’s a very old town– beautiful place, a Roman city. But there are lots of tourists here. Every summer, that’s the problem, because it’s purely focused on tourists. There’s not a lot career-wise or opportunity-wise, but it’s a beautiful place to die.

How is it to be a musician there?
We probably spend too much time in our bedrooms, because there’s nothing else to do. It’s actually great for us. Because there isn’t a lot to do, you can focus on what you do do. You may get to a certain age and want to move away from London, but being from a place like this allows you to focus on something. We focus on our music. You can move to any big city and get caught up in those things and get a little lost. It’s easy to be who you are in a place like this.

What's better, the Great Bath at the Roman Baths or Thermae Bath Spa?
Well, [Thermae] is a new spa thing that I’ve not visited but I’ve heard it’s very good. I’ve been to the Roman Baths and checked those out. It’s worth visiting. If you come here, you have to go to both, but maybe not in the same day. You’d get a little bathed out and start to wrinkle surely after a while.

Is Bath a big college town?
There’s a university right on the outskirts of Bath-- a lot of students stick to the campus there. It is a great place to come and study; it’s one of the most beautiful places in this part of England. And there’s definitely a slower pace-- that’s generally a Southwest thing. Southwest England is an easier place.

Are the locals pretty laid-back?
No, you’ve got a real mix of complete idiots… it’s a weird place. You’ve got the original Chavs-- the real idiots. There’s a lot of trouble here. A lot of hooliganism, and I’m not referring to football necessarily. But there’s a real drinking culture. There are a lot of old people. If you ever come, check out Oldfield Park. It’s like the Brooklyn of Bath. If you ever see it, you’ll laugh. It’s the combination of the elderly and the young. It’s a huge housing estate with simple red brick cottages.

What’s a Chav typically look like?
Check for the sportswear, and I’ll say no more.

Where do you go drinking in Bath?
Anywhere that’s pretty quiet. It’s nice to chill out a bit when you come back home. I feel like I spend a lot of my time in really loud, hectic environments. There’s a place called The Porter. It’s an English pub in the center of Bath, opposite a studio that we use. There’s a pub that we go to in Midford called The Hope and Anchor. It’s outside of Bath. Things are really expensive in Bath.

What about food?
There’s a chain all across England of noodle bars called Wagamama. It’s noodles and rice, a kind of Thai or Vietnamese; it’s just done really well.

What’s the most picturesque place in Bath?
There’s amazing architecture and astounding streets. The Circus is an incredible circular building. There are the most beautiful townhouses. Nicholas Cage bought a place on The Circus. There’s the Landsdown Crescent and Royal Crescent as well, which overlooks Royal Victoria Park and has stunning views. Nearby there’s also Glastonbury. One of the things I wanted to do when I got back was to get out to the countryside. Glastonbury is pretty incredible. It’s not just a [music] festival.

Have you been to the Theatre Royal?
My girlfriend worked there on the costumes for a bit. They say it’s haunted. There’s quite an angry ghost down there. I don’t think I’ve ever actually been there, but it’s probably worth a visit.

Are Sally Lunn’s buns really that good?
[Laughs] I worked there! Where did you get that? That was one of my first jobs. They serve these buns that are like a brioche. It’s pretty good. That’s one of the really touristy things to do. I ate my fair share. Eating it with jam and cream is just ridiculous. The Welsh rarebit, which is like a really beautiful cheese… you’ve got to eat one of those.

What is Bath's best-kept secret?
Blimey... The Heavy, probably.

~Alisa Gould-Simon


Go There:
The Porter, 2 Miless Buildings, +44 1225 424104
The Hope and Anchor, 38 Jacobs Wells Rd, +44 117 929 2987
Oldfields Hotel
Lansdown Grove Hotel


First & third photos courtesy of The Heavy
Second photo by canongirl1 via Flickr
Fourth photo by John~C via Flickr
Fifth photo by bekra via Flickr
Sixth photo by mjclarkesfvia Flickr
Eighth photo by Phil Romans via Flickr
Ninth photo by Sacred Destinations via Flickr

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The Midwestern metropolis of Detroit not only birthed Motown and Ford Motors; it has helped launch the careers of everyone from MC5, Marvin Gaye, Iggy and the Stooges, and Eminem to the The White Stripes. Music quite literally is in Motor City’s blood. And, while the city has suffered tremendously as a result of its automotive factories folding and widespread drug-related crimes, young creatives breathe new life into Michigan’s capital.

The Silent Years, a melodic indie rock quintet whose upcoming The Globe hits stores in August, is one such example. Considering the seasoned band has drawn comparisons to the likes of Elliott Smith and the Flaming Lips, and whose forthcoming LP boasts producer Chris Coady (of TV on the Radio and Blonde Redhead fame), these Detroit natives appear poised for big things. psychoPEDIA caught up with The Silent Years’ frontman Josh Epstein before the band’s NYC show tonight at the Music Hall of Williamsburg to talk soul food, haunted bookstores, and the Detroit scene:

Rumor has it you met bassist Pat Edwards at a Colorado mime school?
[Laughs] That’s one of those legends we like to perpetuate, so I don’t know if I can confirm or deny that.

Do you still mime?
Yeah, actually I do.

Have you incorporated it into The Silent Years’ live show?
No, but the next thing we will be incorporating onstage is tap-dancing. You know, I saw Stomp thought, “Someone tapping at a rock show would be amazing.” So I’ve been taking lessons. It’s just going to be me. I’m the zaniest of the bunch.

Did you grow up in Detroit?
We were all born and raised in Detroit. It’s much easier to live here when you’re a musician. The first few years you’re in a band, you have no money. Here, it’s much easier to be on tour and be able to afford to keep your house. The cost of living is so much lower than other major cities.

Are there downsides to having a band in Detroit?
It’s more difficult in the sense that in NYC and LA, you can go out to shows every night. There are way more bands, and more bands that you can hang out with. But, in Detroit, we lack a really strong music scene-– it’s very small and a lot of bands don’t tour through here, so it takes a long time to really build up a Detroit fan base.

Is Detroit’s musical legacy a lot to live up to?
I love the fact that Motown started here and MC5 and garage rock, but we’re not really a part of that. In a way, I feel like it’s a blessing that we’ve been able to develop our own thing. In Detroit there aren’t really trends, like, “This band is going to be big for 2 years, then this band is going to be big for 2 years.” People like what they like, and they go see them. We’ve never had to feel like we’re a part of a scene. It took us a long time to get people to pay attention to us here, but it’s been worth it.

How would you describe the local population as a whole?
The people in Detroit are the nicest people in the world. There are a lot of drugs, so there’s a lot of crime – someone breaking into your car or stealing your iPod and selling it for crack. But it’s not violent crime. There are a select few that are actually doing that, but a few bad apples have definitely spoiled the whole bunch. Detroit is at the heart of the recession in the U.S. because of its automotive industry. A lot of people have lost their jobs. There are definitely a lot of people here doing cool things, but whether we’re organized or not, I don’t think so. There’s a disconnect because everyone is so spread out.

What are some of the most culturally interesting areas right now?
Right around Wayne State there are some record shops and coffee shops. There’s also a town called Ferndale just north of Detroit with a very active scene. It used to be the gay part of town. I think it still is. But those areas of every town tend to be the most progressive.

Say you were taking Bishop Allen and The War on Drugs, who you’ll be playing with tonight, out for a nice meal and a night on the town. Where would you go?
Slows, without a question. It’s this BBQ place in Corktown, where the old Tiger Stadium is. Everyone should go there. It’s so good. I tend to get the BBQ brisket and macaroni and cheese, but they’re pretty famous for their ribs. Afterwards, I would say the Magic Stick. It’s this venue that’s always packed. Heading up to Ferndale, there are a lot of fun bars. The one where we hang out the most is called The Emory. On any given night you’ll find someone from the band there, because everyone lives right by it.

Do you frequent any other music venues?
There’s a new one that opened up called The Crofoot that has three different stages. It’s in a suburb called Pontiac. The Silent Years’ favorite place to play is St. Andrews Hall. Essentially, it’s like the Bowery Ballroom, except no tables on the balcony. It’s a really fun place to play.

Where do you go for stellar soul food?
There’s a place called the Turkey Grill and it’s all turkey stuff-- it’s crazy. There’s also a lot of places called Fresh Fish House a.k.a "You Buy It, We Fry It." You can actually use food stamps there – you can’t buy cooked food with food stamps, but you can buy raw food with them. If you can stand eating fish from a place like that it’s really good.

Do you have any daytime haunts?
There’s a bookstore in downtown Detroit called John KK. Some people say the building is haunted, which I would believe. They have these old, rare, crazy books; you can find anything. And there are a lot of coffee places. The one that everyone I know hangs out at is called Café De Marquis in a suburb called Royal Oak. Ferndale, Royal Oak, all the suburbs are really close. It’s this European place with really good coffee that’s always playing techno music, but you can sit outside and ignore the techno.

Where’s a good place for a first-time visitor to sleep?
On my floor.

And if your floor is taken?
In my bed.

~Alisa Gould-Simon

Go There:
Turkey Grill, 8290 Woodward Ave. (313) 872-4624
The Emory, 22700 Woodward Ave. (248) 546-8202

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Yvan Rodic has all the attributes of a budding documentarian. He knows exactly the right places and times to find potential subjects. And the reality he creates never fails to dazzle his dedicated followers. Coming from the beautiful town of Vevey, Switzerland, Ivan has followed in the footsteps of another famous former Vevey resident, Switzerland’s first astronaut Claude Nicollier – except the stars Ivan searches to document walk among us.

As “The Facehunter,” for the past few years, he has been snapping the world’s most beautiful, striking, stylistically appetizing young people and displaying them on his blog. Unsurprisingly, his camera’s prolific output has garnered him an obsessive following, so Yvan is wisely expanding his glamorous photography to the moving image: On May 28th, he brings us ‘The Facehunter Show’ to be aired on MySpaceTV. psychoPEDIA hunted Yvan down on the streets of East London and spoke to him about his worldwide style expeditions and favorite places to relax while not picking off his inspirationally confident young prey:

Having not been educated formally as a photographer, was there any particular documentarian or photographer you looked to for inspiration when you begun as the Facehunter?
Not directly, but I am influenced by a lot by Rineke Dijkstra. I like her style because her portraits are somewhere between the spontaneous snapshot and forced poses. She captures her subject’s expression very simply.

How do you keep ahead of your run-of-the-mill fashion/style bloggers?
I take pictures of interesting people who happen to express who they are through their clothes, but I don’t take pictures of just clothes. I try to create or set up a situation where the person is the star and the clothes are not. It’s about the charisma and character of the person– there lies the style. I could see someone in all designer clothes but they don’t look great. The person is the key, not just the pair of shoes.

If you take someone’s picture because of the character he or she displays, aren’t there times where you think, “I wish I had gotten to know that person more?”
Of course it happens, but every interaction has a different story. I don’t have time to get emotionally involved with every person I photograph. It would be silly. I get to know some people and keep in touch and see them again. There are people who have become my friends after I have photographed them. There is complete fusion between my social life and professional life, but I find it more interesting not to share the individual stories. It’s more radical to have the photographs without words.

Does your TV show fit in with this idea then?
Somehow that will bring a more three-dimensional image of my trips. The most interesting thing is not just the photo, but also the process behind it. Each city I go to, there are all kinds of interactions and meetings. And it will be about that, not just fashion people but also all kinds of people.

What’s your favorite city to find your stars in?
The most exciting is Reykjavik, Iceland. I live in London, and I like it a lot– it has very specific crowd who’s very cool, and then average people who are not so much. But there is almost no mainstream average in Reykjavik. Even a banker will have his own style and clothes. It’s like everyone is a bit creative, and there’s a wildness. It’s surreal because it’s near the Arctic Circle and middle of nowhere. It’s a small city that produces something very strong. I am always excited before I go there.

Is it the best place for parties as well?
No, that would be Moscow. There’s this place called Krysha– it’s on a rooftop. It’s like a billionaire’s underground party. Moscow is the only place I know where there’s an intersection of rich super cool people and underground fashion people, where everyone has good taste.

Where do you always go back to, to eat, hang out and shop?
Moscow, again, at the Denis Simachev Bar–- it’s a bar, a store and a club in one. It’s fantastic. Specifically, for shopping there’s a place in Stockholm, Sweden I like called Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair. It’s not just shoes but a clothing brand. It’s black, minimalist, but quite experimental– very conceptual, and very Swedish.

And to relax?
My best memory was in Reykjavik, going to this public pool in the middle of the morning after a party, where it’s still dark because of their sunlight hours. It has different pools and hot tubs. It’s a traditional place for old men to go and discuss issues and chat like a coffee house, but has something very cozy, healthy and relaxing about it.

Your pictures remind me of a bird spotter’s guide. Do you have any specific rules on how your pictures should be shot, or who you photograph on a particular day?
It’s not that organized. I don’t classify people. It’s a subjective selection. I transform the reality. If I go to the city, I will take a picture of ten people who are amazing. But the large percentage don’t look anything like these people. It’s the same for parties, I have been to some bad parties, taken pictures of four amazing people and then, everyone thinks the party was amazing! It’s deforming reality. I don’t have the potential to document real life-- I just want to share what is more inspiring. It’s the same when I find someone and I don’t just take their picture in that spot, but transport them somewhere to a different setting. I like to be on the edge of fiction and reality.

~Kevin Soar


First photo by Kevin Soar
Third, fourth, & fifth photos by Yvan Rodic
Seventh photo by uknyv via Flickr

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Göteborg, an idyllic port town on the west coast of Sweden, is the second biggest city in the country. At Göteborg's heart is the Gota River, which runs alongside the city's famous opera house and several museums. The current that flows through the city consists of a diverse musical legacy whose influence reaches around the world. The town is home to both death-metal band In Flames and avant-garde electro duo The Knife, and of course, the not-to-be-forgotten '90s pop group Ace of Base. With such a vast Göteborg spectrum of sound, there must be something in the water.

Göteborg is now pulsing loud and clear on the radar thanks to a new crop of talent. The locally-based label/conceptual art project, Sincerely Yours, has launched indulgent Swede-pop acts the The Tough Alliance and Jonas Game into the international stratosphere. And thanks in part to producer Johan Agebjörn and Sally Shapiro, the city recently witnessed the renaissance of Italo Disco. But perhaps the greatest crossover success, belongs to the tender acoustic folk embodied by José Gonzáles, Jens Lekman, and El Perro del Mar.

psychoPEDIA joined Sarah Assbring, of El Perro del Mar, on the eve of her US album release From the Valley to the Stars, to learn more about her hometown:

What is the correct spelling and pronunciation of the town?
Göteborg is the Swedish name and Gothenburg is the English, or international name. A good way to pronounce it the Swedish way would be to use the German author Goethe as guideline but with a j-sound instead of German “g.” And then pronounce borg as you would pronounce Björn Borg, with a “j” on the end and not a German “g.” So kind of like this: Joethe-borj.

While on the subject of names, would you please explain the story behind your project's name?
The story goes like this: just before I started making music on my own, I was in a time of personal crisis and trying to get to grip on myself. I eloped to a Spanish island, where I happened to meet this stray dog. The meeting and the impact of it became the expression “El Perro del Mar”– the dog from the sea– and I¹ve kept it close to my heart ever since, just like I do with my music.

What inspires you about the city’s surroundings?
Göteborg is known for its extreme climate–- wind, rain and fog–- and you tend to wish or dream for something else all the time. So maybe it’s the fantasy for something different than Göteborg that inspires me. A wish to leave or to be somewhere else can be just as strong or even stronger.

What is your favorite venue to play or see a show?
The Concert Hall is the most beautiful venue for sure, especially if you’re into classic or symphonic music.

What are your favorite stores to buy music?
Various second-hand stores such as the old jazz shop, Pennies from Heaven.

Are there any up-and-coming local bands you are excited about now?
There’s this band called Wildbirds and Peacedrums that are totally amazing. It’s a duo– a couple actually– and they’re mindblowing.

What is your favorite restaurant, especially if someone else is paying the bill?
I’m a vegan and it’s kind of difficult to find good vegan places in Göteborg, unfortunately. But there is one which is splendid. It's housed inside an old movie theater called Hagabion and it’s a must if you're into well-cooked vegan food. I'd definitely go there regardless of who's paying.

Favorite museum?
The Göteborg Museum of Art is a typical institute of good classic Nordic art, and it’s a beautiful building with great atmosphere, too.

Being a touring musician, you must have friends all over the world. Where do you take them for the real Göteborg experience when they visit?
I’d take them on a boat trip to see the pretty archipelago just outside the city.

What do you miss most when you are on the road?
My loved ones and my studio.

What is the first thing you do when you arrive home from touring?
Sleep a lot, and spend the afternoons in my kitchen drinking coffee and staring out the window.

What's a Göteborg secret that out-of-towners wouldn't know?
The typical Göteborg person is known to be loud and a bit brute and often, this is mistaken for some kind of rudeness. But they’re actually nice, shy people.

And what should you never do while in Göteborg?
Go to Backaplan, Hisingen. It’s probably one of the world's ugliest shopping areas–- it’s like a giant ugly parking lot.

~Abbey Braden

Catch El Perro Del Mar on tour this summer with fellow Swede, Lykke Li.


First photo, courtesy of El Perro Del Mar
Second photo by Lydia Lou via Flickr
Third photo by radiohuvud via Flickr
Fifth photo via Virtual Tourist
Fourth photo, courtesy of Goteborg Museum of Art
Sixth photo, courtesy of Hagabion
Seventh photo via matnils.blogspot.com
Eighth photo by peterlong via Flickr

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What happens when a trio of boys decide to transport themselves from squeaky Ann Arbor, Michigan to the rough-and-tumble streets of Brooklyn with intentions to just “play music, skateboard, party, and have fun,” is nothing short of awesome. Awesome Color, that is–- the psychedelic garage rock band they subsequently formed. Made up of neon-T-shirt-loving Derek Stanton, Michael Troutman, and Allison Busch, the now Bushwick-based band has toured with the likes of Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth, whose legendary member Thurston Moore even produced their upcoming second full-length release Electric Aborigines on his indie label Ecstatic Peace.

psychoPEDIA caught up with a slightly hungover Awesome Derek one weekend, hot on the trail of their new release, to find out more about how the boys play and pass the time in their hometown of Bushwick:

What's the most awesome thing about your 'hood?
I like to see a little chubby fat kid with his shirt off, hanging in front of a fire hydrant, getting totally sprayed.

Least awesome thing?
I think it’s too expensive, but it’s cheaper than Williamsburg. That’s why people live here. But you see a lot of fights, and the kids are out of control. There’s a lack of respect for life–- litter on the streets, people don’t clean up after their dogs. But I think the buildings are beautiful. You get on a roof, and it makes you feel like you’re in Babylon.

What’s the biggest difference between Michigan and Bushwick?
People speak Spanish in Bushwick–- in the stores, wherever you go. And where I’m from, they speak English. So you think, “I wish I spoke Spanish, that’d be cool.” It’s just really different. And of course, the dirt, graffiti, trash, dog shit.

With such a high concentration of immigrant communities, particularly Puerto Ricans, there must be good ethnic food?
It’s an international feeling, like being deep inside the melting pot. The restaurants are actually pretty bad, though. There’s a good Spanish restaurant on DeKalb and Wyckoff. I go to this place called Bill’s, half Spanish and half American food—they make a good egg and cheese sandwich.

There are so many bands are coming out of Brooklyn these days, but who are the all-stars from Bushwick particularly?
NYSE Hits and the Tall Firs, who bought a house really close to me. Usaisamonster is another one that kicks ass. I think it’s safe to assume most bands live in Bushwick, or Greenpoint, and Williamsburg, depending on how successful they are. That’s how I ended up there. You can easily get a place to practice. There are fewer bitchy, rich white neighbors. You can rent a place and get away with stuff.

Is there a Bushwick-Williamsburg rivalry?
It’s just white kids complaining about shit. A lot of people can’t afford to live in Williamsburg, so they move out to Bushwick. But I bet there’s some hipster kickball team from Bushwick that battles some hipster kickball team from Williamsburg.

Is there anything inspiring about making music where you are than any other part of the city?
I think it’s that the surroundings are a little bit dark and dim. There’s not much you want do outdoors. Once you get out, it’s all concrete. In the summer, it’s all sweating. Not to mention getting harassed. I can’t even say how many times I’ve been hit by eggs. So, you stay inside and focus on music. You’re pretty far away from everything, so it makes you turn inside and get into the practice space. If I lived in California on a nice ranch, I would probably not be making as much music. But it makes you feel like you’re on a mission. You’re living in this shithole for a reason.

What's the best place to kill some time?
There are a lot of good thrift stores that I like to go to, like Office Ops on Knickerbocker Avenue. There’s a really good one on Wyckoff and Myrtle. On the border of Bushwick, the Ridgewood Theater [recently closed] had cheap movies that I went to— it was one of the oldest in the country. Where we usually hang out is on the roof—it’s the Bushwick type of thing to do. In the summer, instead of just wandering around the street because there aren’t many parks—it’s a concrete jungle.

Where can you find Awesome Color hanging out on a Friday night?
Everybody goes to Williamsburg and the city. But if you’re going go out and see a show, there’s Market Hotel and Raven's Den/Silent Barn, which are both rad venues, and some of the best in NYC. They’re not run by assholes, and there’s a little more freedom. You can get away with a lot more in total underground venues. They have regular half-shells. It’s just much more conducive to creativity than some square venue where you have to buy two drinks with a 10 dollar cover. Silent Barn— no rules.

Are there spots to avoid?
It’s generally safe, but you’re just subject to being harassed. For most people, Bushwick would seem super un-safe, and statistically it is too. But you don’t really see what’s going on. And there’s a lot more people getting mugged in Williamsburg, because people have more money there. But avoid walking around at 3 in the morning drunk off your ass, or falling asleep on the train.

~Leann Peterson


Don't miss Awesome Color on May 2 for a CD release show at Glasslands, and May 3 at Market Hotel.
Electric Aborigines releases stateside on April 28.

First photo by Chad Karty
Second photo by mercurialn via Flickr
Third photo by Sagrado Corazon via Flickr
Fourth photo by nikki nicole via Flickr
Fifth photo by Bob Battams
Seventh photo by trisho via Flickr
Eighth photo courtesy of Market Hotel
Ninth photo via NorthJersey.com

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International pop-culture junkies are probably well-aware of the post-Franco cultural movement that swept through Madrid in the late ‘70s and ‘80s. La Movida represented an unusual period of cultural, social, and artistic freedom and experimentation in the city--a time that, for many of its current inhabitants, has long been forgotten.

Not so for promoters, DJs, and general creative collaborators–- Luli Perez, Patricia Matres and Ella Carrero. These three young, culturally-aware women came together to form The Junkettes-– a collective specifically designed to shake up the social shackles of Madrid. With a manifesto that begs for change and calls for “artists, obsessive minds, freaks, and up-all-night believers,” they scoured the globe in search of like-minded fellows and introduced Madrid to such acts as The Horrors and These New Puritans.

Having now relocated to London, their passionate the search lives on while DJing and putting on their own parties, whereby the beautiful trio tend to leave a gaggling posse of broken-hearted artists and musicians in their wake. psychoPEDIA met up with the girls in their Whitechapel abode to discuss the trouble with their city’s creative culture, and their favorite shops, eateries, museums, and hangouts:

Where did you put on your events in Madrid?
LP: We put them on as part of two nights, called “Astoria” and “Nasti Club” that both went on at Nasti. Its pink inside, but it’s a real rough venue– low ceilings, hot, sweating walls. It smells. It’s smoky, and you have to go outside to breathe. The good thing about the clubs, though, is they haven’t all been made over. It’s a very raucous environment.

Where else would you go to see bands?
LP: There isn’t such a culture for watching live music. You go out to dance and get drunk.

Did you succeed in changing this attitude with your events?
LP: I think we changed it a bit, in that people go out more to see small, independent bands, not just big name shows. MySpace helped too, but we definitely contributed.

How far has Madrid gone towards keeping the spirit of La Movida alive?
LP: The collective vision is that things are a bit weird at the moment. It’s not a good thing to be an artist in Madrid. You will be starving, not get a job. It’s not accepted by society, so it’s hard to get people together to do stuff on a creative level.

You want to revive the creative spirit of the city?
LP: Exactly. We wanted to rise up Madrid and make it fun as the capital of a country. Why can’t it be like Berlin or London, where there are a lot of young people doing really cool things? Just because the city has a real retro vision of how arts and music should be. They take their hats off to the foreign artists, but not for their own.

There must be something that inspires you in the city.
LP: There is a place called the Art Triangle that has the Prado Museum in its neo-classical building: the Reina Sofia for contemporary arts, and the Thyssen that is a private collection of art from the 10th century to now. The Triangle has you covered for an “art day,” and there are a lot of galleries around it too, if you still have strength.
PM: They just opened the Fundacion Caja in front of the Prado that has lots of free exhibitions and an amazing “standing garden.”
LP: La Casa Encendida is also a great place for young artists who submit their work and hold their own exhibitions. There are lots of great screenings on the terrace.

On the finest day in the city when the sun is out, what do you do?
PM: There’s a good culture of sitting outside, having tapas, drinking beer, and talk, talk, and talk, and drink, drink, and drink, everywhere in the city. It’s tradition.
LP: Pizzeria Maravillas, is good–- the best pizza in Malasana. Malasana is also great for going to coffee shops. You get there, you have an ice cream, you have a walk, go to the shops.

Your favorite shops there?
PM: Restaurarte is the best. It’s a huge junk shop where they sell everything. Old w