The Arson Years - The Rochester Insomniac

It’s hard to define Rochester in a simple sentence. It’s a city that has one of the highest death per
capita rate in New York, yet was rated 3rd in Forbes
“Best Places to Raise a Family”. It’s a place where
great artwork occupies sames the same location as
abject poverty. So many layers to this city, so much lost
possibilities yet so much potential.
That is why I won’t try to define Rochester in
one sentence. It takes years just get a glimpse of how
beautifully run down, amazingly ugly, and simply awe
inspiring this city truly is.
The Rochester Insomniac is a bi-monthly magazine and website dedicated to showing the local art,
culture, and music that most take for granted. This
issue contains a hefty dose of sex, drugs, and Pokemon
Go. We talk with Buffalo’s On The Cinder, as well as
local comedian Malcolm Whitfield. Will Carroll from
Nation Teenset Outsider exploring the world of getting
laid while playing Pokemon. We teach you everything
from how to cook a steak to how to start a drug war. It
has been an interesting ride, see you next issue.
Cheers,
Insomniac Staff
Grease Creepers at Star Alley. Photo By Ricky Rotten
On The Cider
The Arson Years
Rotten Review: Grease Creepers
Songs Bartenders Hate
Deppressive Dusty: We Are Home.
Album Reviews
Local Calendar
Horoscopes
Boozey: Beer Candied Bacon
Talking with: Malcolm Whitefield
Highlife for Lowlifes: Grilled Dinner with Chimichurri
LATFO: Life of Travelers
Never Do This: Drug War
4
8
Contact Us
Staff
10
Joseph Palmateer
Editor in Chief
11
Damion Mack
Staff Writer
14
Ricky Rotten
Staff Writer
15
Brett Mavity
Staff Writer
18
20
Erin Scorse
Contributor
21
Juda Nevadomski
Contributor
22
Dusty Medler
Contributor
24
Will Carroll
National Teenset Outsider
26
28
Phone
585-216-5399
Email
Therochesterinsomniac@
gmail.com
Mail
287A Pearl St
Rochester NY 14607
If you would like to
advetise contact therochesterinsomniac@gmail.
com for a media kit.
On The Cinder is a 3-piece punk rock band based out of Buffalo, NY. With everything
from melodic harmonies, to ripping guitar and bass leads, to guttural screams, and a
collection of influences that range from the Descendents to A Wilhelm Scream, they
tread the line between punk rock and melodic hardcore. We met up with the trio to
talk about touring, The Queers, and starting a band.
For those who don’t know you guys describe your
band.
Tyler Rzemek: That’s not true we are a lot of fun. We are a
hard core punk band ish.
Mike Jacobs: fuck. its weird. we are goofy guys who play serious
music. Jason: Hardcore parkour-ish.
Tyler: melodic hardcore parkour. Jason Wright: Maybe we are serious guys who like to be serious
on the outside. i don’t know. just constipated mostly.
How did you guys get started?
Mike: We are not that much fun.
Tyler: Mike and I were in the Steakouts which was a ska band.
5
We moved in together all of our previous
bands kind of fizzled out. Jason: they were all seven piece ska
bands. so we oped for the more concise version of a three piece punk band. How long have you guys been a
band?
Mike: almost four years. We started in
2012.
Tyler: we did our first show in 2013.
How was your last tour?
Mike: We did a two month tour. Started
in April and ended the first week of June.
Tyler: We did the northeast into the south
and the southwest. We did Montreal in
Canada. How was that?
Tyler: Amazing. Montreal was one of the
6
best shows we have ever played.
Mike: We are going back at the end of
September.
Tyler: We have a future tour planned we
are doing every weekend in September. Any good stories to come out of
tour?
Jason; Our van, Vanny Diveto, has seen
a lot of miles. We have drinking a lot of
beers in a lot of different Walmart parking lots and various other parking lots.
Tyler: There is that time i blacked out in
Pensacola, Florida. Jason: This girl drew an entire paragraph
on his arm while he was passed out.
Tyler: I got a fake sleeve that night. I also
rode my skateboard through their house. Mike: Most of our stories start with “So
we drank too much that night”. We got to
go shower up, do our laundry, and eat
at Joe Queer’s house of The Queers. We
opened up for him in Rochester and he
told us to hit him up whenever we were in
Atlanta. So we did. He made us lunch, did
our laundry. He took care of us.
Tyler: We listened to a bunch of music
and he showed us his studio.
Mike: He is not as much of a curmudgeon as he appears to be.
Mike: Don’t break up. Don’t do it.
What’s next?
Mike: Our vinyl for ‘Fight Against Ourselves’ is almost out with Between The
Days Records
Jason: We have about ten dates in September and about sixteen to seventeen
dates in February along with a bunch of
local dates.
Tyler: Very incredibly nice. Any advice for people who are just
starting a band?
Tyler: If you have more than eight songs
you can go on tour.
Jason: Do or die. either you are going all
in or you don’t go at all.
Tyler: We used to tour in a Subaru Station Wagon. We did that for a year and
then Jason ponied up for a tour van.
7
We we know how you guys got together.
How are you guys going to break up?
Mike: I don’t think we will.
Jason: Drive the van into the water. It is
not that amphibious.
Mike: Do it until you can’t do it anymore.
Then do it some more.
Joseph Palmateer
The Arson Years
Main and Gibbs Street April 13th 1909
A look back at the time Rochester
almost burnt itself to the ground
for money.
spent more time fighting each
other than any fires.
When the fire alarm
went off, it was a footrace
Cities in the 1900’s
Rochester didn’t have to see which brigade got there
were horrendous infernos wait- just one memorable fire. It had first. Brigades would often try
to barricade the opposition’s
ing to happen. Wood was the
five years of memorable fires
route. Blocking potential fire
building material of choice. You that disrupted every facet of
fighters from the fire instead
could find barns of hay in most the city. From 1905 to 1909
of fighting the fire itself. There
backyards. Coal furnaces and
Rochester was living in The
was a professional fire organikerosene lamps produced the
Arson Years. These fires were
zation trained and equipped
population’s heat and light.
not accidents or the result of
by the city. That force was still
What little electrical there was poor city planning. Greed,
was precarious even by the
corruption, and a chance to get small and had not emerged
times standards. It didn’t take rich quick almost reduced our into a significant solution yet.
So chances were the people
much for a fire to devastate a
city to ash.
keeping your home from burnwhole city. Think the infamous
ing to the ground were at best
cow that kicked over the lamp
In the 1850’s, Roch“rowdy and ineffective”.
causing the Great Chicago Fire. ester was ‘on par’ with the
Even the “normal” rate of
rest of the nation as far as fire
The city government
fires back in 1900 would be a
safety. Problem was ‘par for
national crisis by today’s stan- the course’ back then was com- was spinning its wheels trying to keep up with emerging
dards. So for a fire to go down plete fucking anarchy. Volunin the history books it had to
teer fire brigades served as the safety laws. The city’s current
law was rudimentary at best
be monumental.
main line of defense. Firemen
8
and enforced by a single fire
marshal. The majority of the
marshal’s day consisted of
going door to door checking
chimneys. The true enforcers of fire code were insurance
companies. Having something
to lose, they enacted their
own laws and sent their own
inspectors. If a single building was not up to the insurance agency’s code the entire
neighborhood would receive
a pink slip. These pink slips
signified a temporary 25-35%
increases in insurance costs for
the entire district. Every time
there was a fire, the insurance company would issue a
pink slip to the neighborhood.
Forcing a neighborhood to deal
with financial burdens along
with fire damages. Fear of financial
lose and fear of the insurance
companies motivated the city
to take action. Pushing for
renovation the city constructed
six cisterns and installed two
independent water systems. The official fire organization
expanded out to six districts
pushing out the volunteer
forces. The City of Rochester
equipped each district with
the best gear available. (Which
at the time was horse drawn
steam hoses, but hey progress.) A bell tower was even
constructed to alarm the city
of potential fires. By 1900 the
city was well on its way to being safe. That is until February
26th 1904, when the Sibley
Building caught fire.
to try. So one insurance payout companies had to play the
marked the beginning of Roch- settlement. Hundreds of fires
ester’s journey through hell.
went unsolved every year.
boring details the lawsuit
failed and the policy remained
intact. The insurance company
showed that they were paying
Buildings began going The constant pressure out as much money as they
up in flames across Rochester from insurance companies
were taking in. If Rochester
overnight. In 1905 there was
forced the city to take drastic
wanted to burn itself to the
560 fires across the city. It was measures. In 1908, A new po- ground so be it. Higher insurimpossible to call all the fires
lice commissioner, backed by
ance rates were just ‘cost of doaccidents. The Fee Brothers
insurance companies, began
ing business’. Extinguished by
building managed to burn
a citywide crackdown. Officers police crack downs, financial
down next to the river, in a
began a dragnet across the city burden, and lack of incentive
snow storm, ten degrees below bringing in anyone suspected
the arson stopped.
zero. All the American Brewof committing arson. After the
ery’s barns happened to burn first night they brought in over Five years, four thoudown at the same time across
a hundred suspects. A pack
sand fires, and eighteen miltown. One furniture store had
of matches or loitering was an
lion dollars in property damstacked it’s merchandise, 200
excuse to arrest someone for
age. The Arson Years were over.
chairs, around the furnace.
arson. Critics of the dragnet
The fire rates settled down
The pile was then dosed in
claimed the police were using
to normal, even safe, levels.
alcohol and lit with a torch.
it as an excuse to round up
Five years of fighting countInvestigators found house wives ‘undesirables’. Local groups
less infernos per day made our
setting fire to their homes
claimed the city was punishing firefighters exceptional. It also
The fire started
attempting to claim furniture
all residents for ‘a few arsonhelps that these fires were accinext door in Rochester’s Dry
insurance. Some fires were
ists’. Still arrests continued as dental, not constructed. Future
Goods warehouse. An electrical obvious arson, gas soaked rags fires climbed from 918 to 964
years would see the numbers
fuse in a elevator blew ignitand alcohol barrels, but not for a year.
of fires in Rochester fall under
ing drapery. This fire spread
profit and random. It seemed
the national average.
to the dry goods themselves.
like the citizens of Rochester
On April 13th 1909,
Both buildings had recently
just began to enjoy burning
Rochester experienced it’s
The Arson Years give
filled their stockrooms with
shit to the ground.
worst fire to date. A small fire us a snap shot of Rochester
the spring’s supply of goods.
that began in the Old Seden
almost one hundred years
This allowed the fire to rage
This trend of arson
Building on Main became a
ago. It shows a the local poputhrough the warehouse to the
for fun and profit showed little half mile square inferno. 60
lation becoming so sick of the
Sibley Building. In forty hours sign of stopping. The total
MPH winds swept the flames
system that it burnt itself to
the fire managed to take out
fires rose from 680 to 980
north east expanding into 64
the ground for a quick buck. It
Main st. from Clinton to St.
per year by 1907. In 1908 the
heavy populated buildings. It
portrays a government backPaul and Division.
city retired the bell tower that
took the help of Buffalo and
ing a monopolistic company
alerted the city to fire. The
Syracuse’s fire departments to and resorting to police violence
As usual the insurconstant ringing had damput out the blaze. Train cars
to solve problems. It shows an
ance companies issued a pink
aged the structure of the entire of firefighters and equipment
time when countless lives,
slip to the neighborhood. But
tower. With almost three major flooded into the city. When the buildings, and history went up
this accident was a little diffires a day the city found itself fire died thousands of onlook- in smoke. After five years of
ferent. Sibley had an insurin an everlasting hell fire.
ers cheered.
fire, greed, corruption, and
ance policy on the building
chaos the city had two things.
and the spring supply of dry
The city govern
The disaster was the
Higher insurance rates and a
goods. The settlement amount- ment was shook from this
final straw for the insurance
pile of ashes. ed to roughly three million in
epidemic. The shiny brand new companies. In the last five
Joseph Palmateer
today’s dollars. The amount
fire department found itself
years the insurance company
was unheard of and publicized stretched thin. Construction
had paid out over six million in
in local papers the following
on more modern fire systems
today’s dollars to fire damweek.
could was not fast enough to
age. The Seden Fire began at
quell the flames. Police had
11am by 5pm the company had
The public now
no way of finding would-be
passed a new insurance policy.
became aware that there was
arsonists. This was not an
The companies would no lonquick money in property fires. criminal organization or a lone ger pay fire damage settleWhats better is that the money arsonist but a trend of average ments and all insurance rates
came from the exact companies property owners starting fires
doubled overnight.
who were screwing them in the at random. People were getting
first place. It was revenge and a away with it as well. If no solid A lengthy legal battle
get rich quick scheme wrapped evidence linking the culprit to
over whether the insurance
into one matchbox. It was too
the fire, there no charges. No
companies’ new policy was
perfect for Rochesterians not
charges meant that insurance
legal ensued. To spare some
9
Grease Creepers at Star Alley. Photo By Ricky Rotten
What do you get when you take three of the scene’s heavy hitters and put them together in a psycho-billy, horror
induced, Rock n’ Roll band from the dead? I’ll tell you what you get: pure bliss. Grease Creepers are one of the coolest bands to
come out of the scene lately. With only playing a hand full of shows and not being together very long, they already have a decent
sized repertoire to there disposal. With every song just as good as the the last one, I don’t think these guys know how to write a
bad tune. Tommy, aka Fat Dead Elvis, brings a haunting old school rockabilly sound with this vocals and fast strumming catchy
guitar riffs. But by no means is he the only spectacle in this band. Collin, or Wolf Nards, dishes out some perfect drumming for
the style, even offering vocals on a couple tracks. But what would the Grease Creepers be without Ryan, or Sid Malicious and his
beautiful stand up bass? Delivering some of the coolest sounds and looking fucking awesome at the same time, making this band
visually enchanting, especially if you consider they all dress in skeleton makeup. This band is at the top of a must see list.
The Grease Creepers have a unique sound. If you fused old rock and roll Rockabilly and Punk rock and threw it in a
blender filled with horror movies, blood and Halloween decorations, the outcome would be The Grease Creepers. They are as
fun to watch as they are to listen to. Seeing them on stage for the first time I was in awe. When you watch them play you will find
yourself saying “damn I really wish I could be in this band.” they put a lot of work into their stage show. With props, make up
and a chilling intro song, its like watching a really awesomely shitty B horror flick, and its great!
Looks aside, this band is super talented musically. Everything is so tight and well preformed. They compose each song
to sound different from the last but just as good. Its like a haunted house where every turn there is something scarier ready to
come at you. They don’t have much recorded yet, but with how hard these boys work I’m sure we can expect something in the
near future. Believe me I’ll be the first one to get myself a copy of a grease creepers record. With no end in sight, and the music
scene a fresh faced horror movie teen, The creepers will have no problem slashing through and leaving a trail of blood and gore
behind them as they take over. One of the best things about them is that the Grease Creepers can virtually fit on almost any bill,
so there is never an excuse to miss them play. And just because they only recently have awoken from the depths of hell and now
walk among us, doesn’t mean anything, they are coolest band to form in Rochester as of late, and if I were you I’d catch them
play as soon as you can. So go get creepy with the Grease Creepers.
Ricky Rotten
10
Nickleback’s “Rockstar”: Not
only is this song overplayed
and annoying, the person who
chooses this song to play with
their hard earned dollar does not
want to be a rockstar. Chances
are, this person has no musical
ability or talent and at best the
pinnacle of his dreams is to be
the drug dealer based out of the
closest strip joint.
Tom Jones’ any song: It’s not
funny, it’s not cute; it is torture. Unless you are a pleasantly
plump older women wearing
sequins you cannot convince me
that you genuinely had a craving
to hear Tom Jones while drink
beer.
Foreigner’s “Dirty White Boy”:
Yes, I know Lou Gramm was in
Foreigner. I know Lou Gramm is
from Rochester. Of course I know
he’ so-and-so’s cousin: of course
he is, he’s an Italian-American
from Rochester, NY, he’s everybody’s cousin. I don’t know
what a dirty white boy is exactly,
but I’d rather not hear about it
anymore.
It’s nearly common knowledge that there are a lot of
things bartenders hate. There is etiquette that they expect everyone to adhere to and places for everything that they use. Those
can be minor inconveniences though, when compared to the
requisite jukebox.
The Obscure Song That You
Want Everybody to Pay Close
Attention To: This could be a
great song, but in a bar, we hate
it. Nobody knows it, which is fine,
but the the person playing this
song insists that everyone quiet
down and wants the bartender to
contemplate the lyrics. We don’t
have time for this and now we
have to keep the guys who were
asked to quiet down from beating
the jukebox master up.
Jukeboxes allow customers, (the idiotic masses of the
general population) to pick songs and force everyone in the bar to
listen to their choices. And then that guy, (the guy who jammed
the last of his money into the jukebox) leaves and another guy
comes in and plays the same damn song. For the bartender there
is no escape. This results in songs bartenders hate:
The next time you take your two bucks up to the jukebox at your favorite bar, choose carefully. Take into consideration how many times a day the bartender may have heard that
song, don’t use the jukebox to force your tastes on everyone.
Choose something that fits the mood of the crowd and your bartender may give you points (maybe even buy you a drink) if you
ask what they want to hear.
Honorable Mentions:
“Shook Me All Night”- AC/DC
“Crazy Bitch”- Buckcherry
“I Wanna Rock N Roll All
Night”- KISS
“Brown Eyed Girl”- Van Morison
Erin Scorse
11
I’ve been looking for that place
people call home for as long as I can
remember. I’ve always dreamt of being
comfortable in one place. I moved around
my entire childhood from one school to
another. I always thought I would end up
somewhere and have an ‘Aha’ moment
and know that I was ‘Home’. see them again. That’s where I learned
that it was irresponsible and terrifying to
make a home within another person. I’ll
never get that room of my home back. It’s
been sold as a condo to someone I once
loved. My other home is celebrating their
first year of marriage 3,000 miles away
and I love them dearly. It could be a fluke of my upbringing but I have assumed that all definitions of home mean a physical place. A
town. A city. A state. A mountain range. A
cave. Somewhere I could see with my own
two eyes. As I watch myself slip through
all of these little towns and try to find my
home I’m realizing that you can’t ever
truly see a home. Home to me seems to be
some type of feeling. Those people are what make me
extremely comfortable. I have this sick
addiction to leaving anything that makes
me feel comfortable. It becomes a sense
of complacency and complacency doesn’t
feed my innate need to grow as a person.
If comfort sets in I immediately hear an
alarm going off. I take the first train out
of town. I find the first plane ticket to
nowhere in particular. I used to look for that elusive
idea called home within other people.
Someone I felt comfortable and confident
around. Someone that I could curl my
worries and my anxiety to and be calmed
by their presence. I’ve made my home in
a few peoples hearts and it’s terrifying to
leave that responsibility on a person. Not
only terrifying but completely irresponsible I’ve later figured out. The aftermath of doing that is
a sense of being lost and on a search for
something indescribably confusing and
indeterminate. Like I’ve said, I made the
mistake of calling people home. People
change, circumstances get more complex,
we make decisions we are unsure are
right or wrong, and often times end up
losing people important to us. We are all
fallible and I am no excuse to that rule.
The more people you call home the more
you start to lose your sense of self-identity
and confidence. Those people become
your rock and then you toss the rock into
the water and sometimes never find them
again. One more room in your home is
gone.
I don’t find the, “Home is where
the heart is,” phrase to be true anymore.
I’ve left my heart all over the place and
I constantly struggle to identify where
my home is. One of my homes is running
around the country and I am unlikely to
Although we all lose touch with
people and places we are always left with
one thing in particular. We are stuck with
ourselves day in and day out. I know this
isn’t revolutionary or anything but no one
gave me the clue that home is where you
are right now. People and places almost
always change, life takes them on a different courses, or we end up making a long
stream of bad decisions. With all the changes I can’t
always control I have never realized that I
can be my own home. I don’t need someone to fill in the spaces of my heart that
have been chipped away over the years.
I am still right here. Someone probably
notable coined the phrase, “You’ve got to
build your own home before you let other
people in.” Sometimes you need to take
some time out for some repair too. We have all had that landlord
who let their property fall into complete
disrepair. Leaking roofs, bad water heaters, broken A/C units, absurdly drafty
windows, shitty paint jobs, and so much
more. Don’t be like that landlord. Take
care of yourself. Rebuild once in a while. No one can be perfect. We all
have our flaws that make us the rad
people that we are. We just aren’t reminded that we are enough and we can
get through this life so long as we can
become our own homes. Dusty Medler
14
Harmonika Lewinski
‘Head Hancho’
The horrendous, stupendous Kings of Trash are back with a bombardment of booty shaking shanties. “Head Hancho’ is the latest release from the tune slinging outlaws Harmonika Lewinski.
Dropped this July, the album is the seventh in the band’s long line of work following up the ‘Naked
Brunch’ EP from 2015. ‘Head Hancho’ is eleven songs of surf rock psychedelia. Think the soundtrack of
‘Blue Hawaii’ on LSD. But instead of Presley you had Jon Waters and instead of Hawaii the setting was
Jupiter.
Harmonika Lewinski’s sound shakes and shimmy its way from greasy garage to dirty disco. The
album’s energy alone is enough to cause Tarantism. Reverb drenched electric guitar crashes over you in a
waves invoking piranha like frenzy. Its lo-fi better than butter goodness that will turn you on.
In true analog fashion, the full length was recorded on a primitive Tascam 1/2” Reel to Reel
machine. As your doctor I suggest you go to your local record store to pick up a copy. The whole album
is available on cassette but if you do not want to wait you can download on Bandcamp. After, go to your
friendly neighborhood drug dealer. Grab as much molly and acid as humanly possible. Ingest both and
candy flip while listening to the album from start to finish. Sanity? Where Harmonika Lewinski is about
to take you, you don’t need sanity.
Song To Listen To: The Slug. Total Yuppies
Pleasantries
Dadstache Records
If there was a soundtrack for that limbo period between college and real life it would be Total
Yuppies. Total Yuppies mixed the upbeat sound of 50’s soc hop music with darker 90’s alternative lyrics.
The resulting noise epitomizes wasted mornings, drunken afternoons, and surreal nights. The band is
post-hangover, pre-responsibilities garage music. Every album they sell should come with cheap shades,
a 16oz, and leftover pizza. Released this July, ‘Pleasantries’ is the band’s second release off of Dadstache records. The
album is short, only six songs, but is a quick burst of fineness. The chorus of the first song ‘Dreaming’
sets the mood for the whole album “Now I only drink on the weekends...”. The album caries a sanguine
energy through out.
Even the last song ‘This is Going To Work’ sounds as if it should be playing during the climax of a Sundance film. There is no way you can be in a funk while listening to Total Yupppies. There sound is too
joyful, to care free, and too enchanting for that. the musics positivity will make you feel happy whether
you want to or not.
Go get this album. Then go to a garage (it doesn’t have to be yours,) grab a lawn chair crack, a
beer and listen to this album. Those damn Yuppies will not dissapiont. Song to Listen to: Our Waitress for President.
Pleistocene
Spears
Casual Punks
Like a bible belt midwife, Pleistocene and been cranking out musical offspring, producing five
albums in three years. ‘Spear’ is the band’s latest release off of the Casual Punks label that debuted August 2016. If you have been waiting in baited breath since thier last release, you will not be disappionted.
‘Spear’ is a mind expanding dose of the sludgy rock goodness you have come to expect from this band.
Founders Katie Preston and Erick Perrine enlisted Grammy-Winning engineer Stephen Roessner for drums. Matt Werts throws his bass lines into the equation. The final piece of the puzzle was the
addition of Cammy Enaharo, with vocal and Omnichord back up. The five formed like Voltron into a
fuzzy Rock and Roll dinosaur.
Pleistocene is a roller coaster of a listening experience that is hard to pin down. Bubbly pop like
overtones while still thrashing. Old School Rock and Roll infused with something strange. Low groovey
bass lines paired with an upbeat tempo. Solar flairs of space punk rear up from time to time within each
songs. Each song will keep you guessing while also keeping your head bopping.
Which ever influence these artists choose to embrace be sure that its going to elevate to new
heights. Their instrumentals are a mythical bird called forth from a lo-fi dreamland. The band is a five
piece of musical savants that play drenched out jams that make you moan ‘Yeah’..
Song To Listen To: Dolmades
13
Secret Pizza
Nothing Needs To Happen
Dadstache Records
I have been awaiting this full length ever since hearing Secret Pizza preform for the first time.
Secret Pizza has blasting its special brand of noisy indie rock for a few years. Their previous release, a
self titled EP had been one of my favorites. Played to death as soon as I had gotten my hands on it. So
after long last Secret Pizza released its full length ‘Nothing Needs To Happen’ this June.
Secret Pizza is noisy indie with a garage rock clang. Giana Caliolo and Phil Shaws chaotic vocals
weave together in a perfect fashion. Thrown in with Tim Avery and Matt Dewaters fuzzy instrumentals
that wrap over you like a warm blanket. All the ingredients combine to create a powerhouse shoe-gaze
sound that fills rooms. This album was recorded live by Rochester’s own Stephen Roessner at Calibrated Recording.
Recording the album live catches the momentum Secret Pizza builds up while preforming. The album
feels like a set, each song builds up on the last keeping the energy high from first song to the last. Beware
listening to this in public with headphones. Half way through listening you will get caught up and loose
track of what you are doing. By ‘Shower Song’ you are visibly jamming out to yourself. ‘Nothing Needs To Happen’ is available of Secret Pizza’s Bandcamp. You can also snag this release in vinyl or cassette form at Dadstache Records. There is a limited edition coke clear vinyl available.
I usually don’t get caught up in record collecting but it looks fucking rad. Song to listen to: Shower Song
Lucky 33
Look Mah, We Did It
The Syracuse skate punk band, Lucky 33, has called Rochester a second home for years. Although Lucky 33 is always partying and preforming it has been a while since we have seen a release from
the band. It might have something to do with the aforementioned partying and preforming. ‘Look Mah,
We Did It!’ is the first album fans have seen since the self titled release in 2012. Four years was well
worth the wait for this five song explosion of punk.
Have you ever found yourself caught up in a band the first time you watched them preform?
Drawn up to the front of the stage chanting along to lyrics you do not know with a crowd of strangers. Just
forming guttural pitches mimicking the audience around you. That is the effect Lucky 33’s music has on
you. It is loud, fun, party music pure and simple. Old school punk with and indie overcoat, Lucky
33’s songs are so catchy they are infectious. Filthy hooks and double time with sergeant roll call like
drums. Hup one two three for go! Feel good 90’s style skate punk to move around to. This EP will force
you to throw an arm around the person next to you and start chugging a beer in pure bliss. The perfect
mid summer release good for road trips or drinking at your neighborhood dive. Song To Listen To: Breakfast
Wyatt Coin
Beer Soaked, Folk Infused Punk Rock
Raise a glass to Wyatt Coin’s latest album ‘Beer Soaked, Folk Infused Punk Rock ‘. Or a more appropriate mason jar. Chanting folk punk with an Americana kick. The music will make you thirsty and craving
a smoke. Its down and dirty, have a good time, punk rock with all the good parts of country music. Folk
gone rouge. A live album of punk rock shanties sung at the Stumblin’ Inn in Elba NY on a warm July
evening. Jordan Schilling ,Dewar Richbar, and Lael Dylag have created something beer soaked and
beautiful. Beer Soaked, Folk Infused, Punk Rock is set of nine absolute knock outs. Which is ironic
because one of the heaviest songs is ‘Lights Out! Kill The Noise!’ But I digress...
I am glad Wyatt Coin recorded a live second album. The band has a soulfulness to it that gets lost with
over polishing. The band has a superior version of Cow Punk. Jordan Schilling’s guttural vocals sound
like he has been chewing on gravel. It is perfect for folk punk. It is the sound of Doc Martins and pitchforks. Sitting on a tractor with an acoustic guitar covered in ‘Food Not Bombs’ and ‘Don’t Tread on Me’
stickers. This is an album you will be chanting the rest of the summer. Song to listen to: Gruff Speaking Work Slackers
14
Brat’ Ya
Call Me EP
Admirable Trait Records
Straight out of Buffalo label, Admirable Trait Records, comes something from a lost generation. Brat’ Ya is the brainchild Alek Ogadzhanov, a Azerbaijani producer turned Buffalo-transplant. His
dazzling synth pop debut ‘Call Me’ made it’s appearance late last July.
There is something spectacular in the retro vibes this album puts out. Alek’s sublime vocals
intertwine with synthesizer and heavy club beats. This is not the modern club music we are all sick of
hearing. This reminiscent of 1980’s leather pants, dancing with Pablo Escobar until 4am club music. The good stuff, loaded with subliminal messages and brain washing agents. Even the cover to this release is so soaked in retro goodness that it will make you vomit. The
neon colors are approaching seizure inducing levels. Random shapes and gradients make it appear ripped
right off a childhood trapper keeper. A perfect designed cover that hints at what is in store when you
throw this EP on.
The five song EP is chock full of enchanting tracks that will have you dreaming neon dreams.
Brat’ Ya’s style is refreshing as much as it is upbeat. Synth pop is not for everyone but ‘Call Me’ is so
sweet it is irresistible. Listening to this music is like scoring a few grams of ecstasy and heading out to
party on a Saturday night. The melodies beg you to have a good time, take a chance, and give a stranger
your number.
Song to listen to: Dreams
Maybird
Turning into Water
30th Century Records
Maybird is a team of talented musicians combining a vast talent, knowledge, and influence to
create something hard to pin down. Calling it Psychedelic pop is a simple cop out. Used when you don’t
want to dig too far into the labyrinth of sound and concepts employed in each song. Anytime a band
sounds a little tinny bit like the Beatles’ Revolver album it gets labeled in the psychedelic pop. Is Maybird
music a trip? Yes. Is it also poppy? Also check. But their sound carries a Americana folk undertow that
makes their sound their own.
Their is just something about there music that you cant put your finger on. Which is what you
expect from a line up like the one in Maybird. If asked to find the musical geniuses in the city, these are
the guys you would line up ‘Usual Suspects’ style. Members of this band have been a slew of killers over
the years. Thunder Body, Md Woods, Auld Lang Syne, My Plastic Sun, the Josh Netsky Band, Moho Collective, Poetry for Thieves. The list goes on like that for miles. I suspect they are creating this beautiful music without even trying too hard. Casually jamming
out mountainous psychedelic hits every band practice. Blowing out our eardrums and our imaginations
with every song and having a lot of fun doing it.
The ‘Turning Into Water’ EP, released by 30th Century Records, is the first release we have
seen from Maybird in three years. The band’s previous release ‘Down & Under’ could even be seen
as more of Josh Netsky Band’s last album more than Maybird’s first. The albums’ sounds are worlds
apart and ‘Turning Into Water’ seems to be a more accurate representation of what the band is doing
now. What they are doing now is fabricating masterful and trippy music that will leave you in a pleasant
trance for the rest of the day. Song to listen to: Maybird
Danger Troll
Live at Monty’s Krown
What better place for a Danger Troll’s live album than Monty’s Krown? A beautiful grimy
venue for a beautiful grimy band. Danger Troll is a petal to the metal experience. It is the soundtrack of
fast motorcycles, cheap booze, and even cheaper women. When you pregame before a show, Danger Troll
should be playing. When you are doing a line on a toilet at a 4am after party you hope Danger Troll is
pounding through the speakers behind you. At Sunrise, when you are hiding, blurry eyed, behind cheap
sunglasses, this album should be playing softly in the background. Danger Troll is heavy electronic blues
rock that will leave you with a buzz.
15
It is the music you want to fall in love and be killed to. Danger Troll is a shot of adrenaline and
a mule kick to the teeth wrapped in a guitar solo. Roaring vocals backed by bluesy breaks downs and
bone shattering drums.
And what a better place to host this Cthulhu of chaos then the pantheon of punk rock that is
Monty’s Krown. This grainy recording seemed to capture the mood of the Krown. Every snap and sizzle
of the songs brings on flashback of local brews and brick walls. This album serves as a time capsule of
one hell of a party to future generations of denim clad rockers.
Song To Listen To: Mister Bonefinger
Pawner
Broken Switches
After two years of gracing stages around Rochester, Pawner has released ‘Broken Switches’.
Their debut album comes at you from all sides. Released This July ‘Broken Switches’ is punk with a prog
rock twist. You can almost taste the angst.
The album starts off rapid and rambunctious with ‘Oblivion’. Aidan Synder’s vocals add an
addictive snarl to the already fueled lyrics. ‘Spread So Thin’ and ‘Paperweight’ keep up the electric pace
getting your blood boiling. ‘Incomplete’ marks the change of pace in the album with a brilliant ballad.
This song is a long power ballad straight out of 1976. Complete with a killer guitar solo at the end to finish it off.
After ‘Incomplete’ the songs takes a drony tone. The songs get slower, the drums heavier, the
vocals become a howl. ‘Get Me Out’ and ‘All Out In The Open’ have forlorn lyrics. “All Out IN The
Open’ is almost morose. A compelling ending to a compelling album. As a while the album resembles the
masks of drama and comedy. Staring off high energy and upbeat and ending in despair. The rock trio
has created a outstanding debut album. It was well worth the two year wait.
Song to listen to: Incomplete
16
READ
MORE
AT
THE
ROCHESTER
INSOMNIAC
.COM
NEW
EVERY
DAY
The Emersons at Firehouse Saloon
Diet Cig, Free Cake
For Every Creature,
Howlo, Full Body @
Bug Jar
27
Avis, Tart Vandelay @ Bug Jar
Cloud Ship @ Boulder
Coffee
Doro @ Montage Music
Hall
25Milan to Minsk, 26
20
Something Big @ Flour
City Station
19
Daisy Head @ Boulder
Coffee
Periodic Table of
Elephants, Ryan
Sutherland, S.E.Kelton
@ Bug Jar
18
Punks Picnic
Martin Barre
Band @ Lovin Cup
13
12
11
06
Tweed and Mike and
Dave’s Amporium @
Flour City Station
05
Mac Sabbath,
Clownvis Presley,
Anchorage Nebraska
@ Montage Music Hall
04
15
28
21
Cattle Decapitation,
Eternal Sleep @ Montage Music Hall
29
Danger Troll,
Periodic Table of Elephants, Total Yuppies,
Project Magnificient @
Bug Jar
CBH Fall Party Rustic
Radio, Nerds in Denial @ The California
Brew Haus
30
23
Rustic Radio @ Firehouse Saloon
24
17Clusterfunk @
King Buffalo, The
Meddlesome Meddlesome Meddlesome
Bells, Leus Zeus @
Bug Jar
10
Flour City Station
Extended Family, The
Goods, Tyler Pearce
Being As An Ocean,
Project @ Flour City
Sparrows, Life BarStation
rier, What Ocean? @
Bug Jar
16
09
Dangerbyrd,
People
Can BE More
The Push: Tim Tones, Awesome,
Subtle
M Dot Coop @ Bug Jar Words, Echohead,
TBA @ Bug Jar
22
Big D and The Kids
of String @
Table, Burn It Up, So Sultans
Abilene’s
Last Year @ Bug Jar
14
08
Woody Pines @
Abilene’s
@ Three Heads
Brewing
02Sisters of Murphy 03
Homunculus,
Sun Ghost, Hive
Mister
F,
FunktationGrease
Creepers, BufHead, House Majority, al Flow @ Flour City
falo
Sex
Change, KaiTotal Yuppies, What Station
ser
Solzie
@ Firehouse
Ocean @ Bug Jar
Saloon
07
Tim Tones, M Dot
Coop @ Bug Jar
01
September SHOWs
OCTOBER SHOWS
1
Attic 39’s Annual October Bonanza @ The California Brew Haus
Aqueous @ Flour City Station
2
Orental, Wyatt Coin, Grease Creepers, The Cage Kings @ Bug Jar
The future is a dark, desolate place. Until
now...
Nercronomicon @ Montage Music Hall
4
Aries (March 21-April 19) – You will find
yourself at the mercy of some particularly
sadistic debt collectors.
Holiday Mountain, TBA @ Bug Jar
Finish Ticket. Run River North, Irontom @ Montage Music Hall
Taurus (April 20-May 20) – A one legged
homeless man will begin to call your
porch home.
5
Caustic Casanova, TBA @ Bug Jar
Gemini (May21 – June 20) – You will be
hit by a car outside the A.B.V.I. You will
not see it coming.
The Mowglis. Colony House, Dreamers @ Montage Music Hall
6
Cancer (June 21 – July 22) – Avoid yellow
plaid jackets and avocados.
The Push: Tim Tones, M Dot Coop @ Bug Jar
Leo (July 23 – August 22) – Just because
you are unique does not mean you are
useful.
7
The Lobby Presents @ Bug Jar
Virgo (August 23 – September 22)- Are
you wondering if it is time to take that
next big step in a relationship? The answer is no.
Midge Ure @ Montage Music Hall
8
Anklepants, Tumul, Lesionread, Vinton Surf @ Bug Jar
Libra (September 23 – October 22) –
Breathe in. Fuck it. Breathe out. Repeat.
9
Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) –
This week your beer will always be flat
and your shoes will always be damp.
Sunstained, Trench, Eyes Wide Shut @ Bug Jar
Dope @ Montage Music Hall
Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)
– The chicken crossed the road to escape
the morbid pointlessness of life. I suggest
you do the same.
11
Jacuzzi Boys, Total Yuppies, TBA @ Bug Jar
Marbin @ Flour City Station
Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)You will get a song stuck in your head.
The lyrics will be wrong.
12
Ugly Sun, White Woods, Wisdom Kids @ Bug Jar
Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)Wednesdays are now bring your roadkill
to work day.
13
The Push: Tim Tones, M Dot Coop @ Bug Jar
Pisces (February 19 – March 20) – You
will find your next business partner at
the neighborhood OTB.
Igor and The Red Elvises
14
Slingshot Dakota, Kississippi, Oh Manitou, Madeleine Mcqueen & The Breeze @ Bug Jar
Au5 @ Montage Music Hall
20
Boozey: Beer Candied Bacon
What could go wrong with beer and bacon? This month we combine two of
everyone’s favorite cooking ingredients. Candied bacon seems like a useless
recipe to have until you start eating it. Once made it is easy to store and can
be put on everything. Make the best bacon cheeseburger you will ever of had.
Eat it by itself. Crumble it up and put it on everything from ice cream to mac
and cheese. Candied Bacon is a simple recipe to have in your back pocket
when you want to look like a genius. Its easy, stress free, and delicious, which
is why I used Rochestafarian for this recipe.
An original from Three Heads Brewing the Rochestafarian is perfect for candied bacon. It is a light earth tasting beer that tastes like a light ale and cooks
down like a stout. It also has a beautiful red color to it which makes the final
product look fucking cool.
Ingredients
2 lbs of thick cut bacon
1 cup of brown sugar
½ cup of Rochestafarian Wee Heavy Ale
I suggest going down an visiting McCann’s Local Meats and getting some real
thick cut bacon for this recipe. This recipe is a pretty simple and straight
forward one. The only way to crew this recipe up is to rush or use shit ingredients. Don’t be that guy. Spend the extra couple bucks to get fresh thick cut
bacon. It will be cartoonishly delicious.
Directions
1. Whisk together the beer and brown sugar until all the sugar dissolves and
the beer stops to foam. The mixture should have the look and consistency of
maple syrup. Add more beer or brown sugar until you get the syrup thickness
down.
2. Marinade the bacon. The bacon should marinade for at least ten hours.
Overnight should do the trick. If you want to keep it longer this is one of those
time when it is only going to help. Again the key to this recipe is to take your
time. We are using Rochestafarian Ale here. Smoke a joint, crack open a few
of those, and relax.
3. Preheat the oven to 350. Place a wire rack in a baking sheet. Be sure to line
the baking sheet with aluminum foil. The drippings from the bacon and syrup
are pretty brutal and a bitch to clean. Line the wire rack with the bacon,
overlapping if need be.
4. Cook the bacon for ten minutes. Once the timer goes off flip the bacon over,
coat the top with the syrup and place back in the oven. Repeat this process
over and over again until the syrup runs out or the bacon becomes super
crispy. Again, no need to rush this recipe. Cook, coat, repeat. This recipe is based on a dish that won Yelp’s Mac Attack competition at Three
Heads Brewing. The winning reciepe was served up by Marshall St Bar and Grill.
If you would like Marshall St to cater your next event call Kelly at 585-325-2191.
Joseph Palmateer
MAlCOLM
WHITFIELD
Malcolm Whitfield is a ridiculously funny comedian with an energetic delivery. He also seems to have his hands in just
about everything, preforming multiple open mics a week, competing in Rochester’s Funniest man competition, co hosting a show on WAYO. The list goes on and on. We talked to Malcolm about getting into comedy, learning how to drive (or
not), and getting into different styles comedy.
when we were sixteen. I figured we never go anywhere different so what the fuck do I need a license for? So I guess
that is the end game. is get on the road and get paid for it. I
have Greyhounded to a couple shows. It is a process.
What got you into comedy?
My brother started doing comedy before me and I knew I
was funnier than him. I have a twin brother, he started
doing comedy when we were 18 and came up with a lot of
the guys at the time. I would write a couple of his jokes
now and then and make him buy them from me. When I
came back to Rochester after school I said “screw it why
not start?”. You do it once and then you are hooked. I keep
[preforming] it because I get cocky with it. I know I can do
better than what I am doing now.
What was your first time on stage like?
It was the first and last time I was nervous on stage. I
know how cocky that sounds. It was in Syracuse at a place
called Funk n’ Waffles. I had just come from a job interview so I was wearing a tie, I remember that. I did shitty
because everyone does shitty their first time on stage. It
wasn’t much of a crowd. It was a mixed mic so I went up
after some emo kid sang ‘All Time Low’. I did that and
I was hooked. I started doing improv comedy before that
so it is not like I hadn’t been on stage. I had been doing
improv for eight years before then. A couple of people from
my improv troupe were there. People knock improv comedy a lot just because when it is bad it is horrible. Even
when it is OK it is not fun to watch. But we were good, we
did some stuff for the Del Close Marathon. Ultimately
I like stand up more because it is a lot more selfish and
I can rely on myself. I have done sketch before and in
college I wrote for this Onion style paper in Syracuse. In
retrospect the stuff I did was very shitty, but I try and get
my hands into every style of comedy. Stand up if the only
Have you been on tour?
I have been mainly places in New York. The farthest I have
ever gone is Tampa Florida. My brother is in the military
and I went to visit him. I won some contest over there. I
kind of lucked out being there. The goal is to be a road
comic. I would love to do that. You kind of need a driver’s
license to do that. Cant drive, I am too scared, I am bad at
driving. You never had a drivers license?
Nope. Never had a license. It is not for lack of trying either.
I failed the road test a couple times. My brother got his
22
thing that has really stuck.
Are you still in an improv troupe?
I am not in a troupe now. I do a improv radio show for
WAYO, that’s as much as I do now. It is a lot of fun, which
is great for me. I do it with Andrea Springer and Zach
Slavny. We have a good time riffing and playing it off with
each other. If there is a meet up or a comedy jam I will
still hit those up. It has mainly been stand up lately.
Whats your writing processes like?
I think of something and voice notes it into my phone, then
hope I can decipher it later. I have a shitty karaoke microphone in my apartment. If i think of something I will pick
that up and test it out on nobody. Usually I have seven
notebooks of random sprawling that look like a serial killer. Recently I compressed those seven notebooks into one.
I came up with about fifty jokes out of seven notebooks
full of bullshit. I dont trust all fifty jokes, and maybe use
a only handful. I still write as much as I can but you have
to take a break and do stuff that’s not comedy so you
can still write jokes. Everyone hits a slump where nothing
works and you have to take a breath and take a soul quest.
I know a lot of guys that just excel at writing jokes. Personally half of my comedy comes from the physicality of me
being on stage and how I say certain things not just the
writing.
What is a talent you don’t have and wish you did?
I can’t do a cartwheel or ride a bike without touching the
handle bars. That is something I am very jaded about. I
can’t fight, I don’t like confrontation. I don’t have any
real skills. I went to art school and dropped out of that.
So comedy is all I got. I am not very good at math, my tax
skills suck. My credit is really shot. I accidentally signed
up for a credit card once. Comedy is my only real saving
grace because when I feel like I am useless at everything
it is the one thing I know I am good at. Any actual skill
though? That is where I draw the line.
What are you working towards next?
I have been doing a lot of material and getting video and
photos up. Mainly what I want to work towards is traveling.
I think it is time for me to break out of Rochester. Hopefully by this time next year I will be struggling to make
it somewhere else. Struggling in Rochester is one thing. I
want to be struggling at a place where I can preform every
night. I want to tell jokes in as many places as I can.
Joseph Palmateer
23
There are few things more primal than food cooked over fire outdoors.
Across time and culture cooking this way
has been with us all from the very start.
Every culture has their own technique,
their own traditions and history with fire
cooking. Even here by modern standards
in America it varies from region to region,
state to state, town to town. But at its
burning heart it’s all the same meeting
of flame and food, and almost always
tribal. It might be a family dinner, or a
back yard BBQ, a block party or a festival
but food cooked over flame brings people
together, as a tribe, as a community,
large or small. I think there is an inherent beauty in that.
One of the most unexpected joys
I have discovered in the past few years
after becoming a homeowner is seasonal
grilling on my backyard deck. It’s become
my summer kitchen. I had a grill when I
was living in an apartment from my late
teens through my twenties, but it’s not really the same as having such a space and
set up at your own home. I have a large
deck on the side of my city home right
off the kitchen that overlooks and opens
to the back gardens. The usual patio
furniture, umbrellas and a hammock can
be found, but it’s the grill that is the real
center of what makes it special. I grill
almost every nice night from late spring
to early fall, more or less abandoning my
stove and oven in those months.
This meal can be made with any
combination of meat and vegetable, tied
together with the chimichurri. I firmly
believe chimichurri will shortly become
absorbed into the mainstream American culinary language. It will become
synonymous with grilling and the flavor
of our summers in time. Chimichurri has
its origins in Argentina but has increasingly made its way to the global food
pallet, not unlike Mexican salsa did years
ago. As any google search can tell you,
there are many different incarnations of
Chimichurri, but this version is something
I have spent a few months working on.
It’s basic, easy and goes with just about
anything you want to cook on the grill.
Its best made using a food processor, but
you can make it using a stone mortar and
pestle.
You will need:
One large bunch of fresh Italian flat
parsley
One half bunch of fresh cilantro
One half onion (red is best)
One half cup olive oil (more to taste)
One third cup red wine vinegar (more to
taste)
5-6 cloves peeled garlic
Cayenne pepper (powder)
Cumin (powder)
Salt & Pepper
Start by thoroughly cleaning the
parsley and cilantro, remove the stems
and roughly chop the leaves. Remove the
base of the garlic and roughly chop. Peel,
remove the base and roughly chop the
onion half. Place the chopped ingredients
in a food processor and pulse until a
paste begins to form. Add in the oil and
vinegar and process until you have the
desired texture, ideally not too thick and
not too thin, adding more oil or vinegar
as needed.
Empty the food processor into a
mixing bowl and mix in the salt, pepper,
cumin and cayenne pepper to taste. You
want a bold garlic and herb flavor with
a little heat, but not overpowering. Allow
finished sauce to rest at room temperature at least one hour before serving so
the flavors can marry. Keeps well several
days in the fridge, but always use at room
temperature.
You will need:
Steak (pictured is an Angus strip)
Zucchini
Portabella Mushroom (cleaned, stem
removed)
Tomato
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Remove the steak from any packaging, pat dry with paper towel, lightly
tenderize, cover both sides with a light
dusting of kosher or sea salt and place on
a wire rack in your refrigerator uncovered
to dry overnight. Allow steak to return to
room temperature before cooking.
Preheat grill to high. Rub all the
sides of the streak with a light amount of
olive oil and black pepper. Cut tomato in
half, lightly oil the cut side and season
with salt and pepper. Put a drop of oil
in the center of the mushroom, season
with salt and pepper. Cut off the ends of
the Zucchini, cut in half lengthwise then
cut three strips 3/4th though each half,
lightly oil the cut side and season with salt
and pepper.
Place the vegetables on one side
of the grill in the order of cooking time
they require, in this case it would be Zucchini first, mushroom second, tomato last.
When the vegetables are nearly ready,
place the steak on the other half of the
grill and sear both sides, reduce grill
heat to medium (if using gas) and cook to
desired temperature. Allow steak to rest 5
min before serving.
Plate the meat and vegetables and generously spoon the chimichurri over the
steak. Pairs well with grilled bread.
J.Nevadomski (also known as Juda) is an accomplished musician, artist, art director and gallery curator from Rochester. He has recorded with musicians from all
over the world for his project “The Fragile Path” (which he heads and produces)
and is a veteran artist who’s paintings have been featured in galleries, newspapers and exhibitions throughout the Rochester area. In 2012 he was the “artist
guest of honor” at RocCon: Rochester’s Anime, Sci-Fi and comic book convention. He is on the board of directors for Flower City Comic Con (FC3) serving as
art director and appearing as a guest artist. He is a resident curator for the art
gallery at Bread & Water Theatre, lives in the Park Ave area of Rochester, keeps a
yearly urban vegetable garden and regularly cooks and hosts dinner parties for
friends and colleagues.
25
Eventually, I want to leave the country.
I’ve been through every state but Alaska.
It just gets old, you know? There are too
many fucking crazy people out there in
the streets. I’m definitely going to keep
traveling, I just want to not have to eat
out of fucking trash cans or ask people
for money. I like being independent. Right
now, I want stability. What was the scariest/most enjoyable instance of being on the road? Tough call. I made the rule, “no open
containers on the fly” for a reason. And
most enjoyable? Sex.
Did you busk or homebum ?
I busk. Did you pick up any work on the
road? The term oogle used to be used as a
hurtful word, you wouldn’t call your
friends oogle, and originally used to
basically say “hey that person is really
shitty” as years went by the word, as some
do, lost its meaning as a hateful term and
was replaced as an almost term of endearment. Travelers, hobos, feral, oogle and
the like have been all over this country
and have seen and done and lived life
more than you or I could ever imagine,
this is just one instance of a good friend
that passed through town in 2015.
State your full name.
I go by “ian”. Like E.N. The “i” is silent.
I can’t take you seriously if you introduce
yourself with a fake name. I’m not calling
you “dog shit” or “pixie dust”. Forget it.
Or the weirdest thing is when someone
uses a different name that’s equally as
normal as their real name. Thats mental. Tags and monikers, though..it can be
whatever. Oh, or unless you have a felony
warrant out for your arrest. That’s a good
exception for using a fake name.
When/why did you start traveling? I’m sick of answering these two questions.
Next.
Did you prefer trains or thumbing or did
you have a preferred method of travel? Its not like im retired. It all depends on
where your at and what your trying to do.
Where are you trying to go? Do you have
a budget? Who are you with? Weigh your
options. For me it’s all about efficiency.
Taking the path of least resistance. One
time I scored a free plane ticket from
Denver to NYC. As far as methods of
transportation I like freight trains, boats,
and motorcycles.
How long did you travel/can you
see yourself doing it again or
are you comfortable with being
housed up? Mostly, I’ve been living out of a backpack
since I was 16. I’m 23. The last 3 months
or so I’ve been trying to do the pay rent
thing. I might not make next months..
so yeah, I’ll probably end up in a train
yard or something before too long. On the
flipside, if I can keep screenprinting and
land this bar job I just applied for.. I’m
going to hold it down as long as possible.
26
You bet. When you hop freight looking for
work (you have to actully work). Thats
called a hobo. I’m one of the last of a dying breed. Other than that I try and do a
lot of volunteer work to keep my self busy
like bicycle co- ops or the local foodnotbombs. Stuff like that. One year I helped
the beehive design collective set up for
the black fly ball. That was cool. Maine
rocks!
How did you end up where you are
now and state where you are and
how you got there? I got tired of doing masonry out in the
Midwest. I was actually at the top of the
bible belt and really that’s what I got sick
of. So, I hit the rails. After a few weeks
of fucking off, a hailstorm forced me into
the southwest desert. I found work right
off route 66 and been here ever since.
While this term, oogle and it’s acronym
LATFO, are basically used to describe
friends, road dogs and family members
(family in this sense not necessarily
meaning blood relatives) it’s root was
originally a hateful one. It’s good to know
that as time passes hate can be lost and
a word that was once used as a slur of
sorts can now be used as an almost loving
term. Take a chance, never give up hope
and travel everywhere.
Bret Mavity
27
Hello boys and girls once again I am here to talk to
you about things that you should never do, and since we have
spoken so much about drugs, drug trafficking drugs, selling
drugs, and drug production as the things you should never do,
it only seemed right things come full circle and we address the
war on drugs. I’m speaking not just to the layman, but also to
the future world leaders that could be reading this right now.
So much commerce revolves around drugs and drug use that it
would seem a war on drugs would be the exact opposite of what
you would want if you ran a country. That is unless of course
those that ran the government were simultaneously benefiting
from drug use, treatment, criminal prosecution, and production. You see prior to the industrial revolution corporations
influence in the government hadn’t reached the level of being
able to control policy. The railroads led to a swell in commerce.
Suddenly industry leaders had influence. After all that is what
money buys in this world, the power to influence millions.
Power ,unfortunately, give birth to greed and corruption. I
don’t know what you do with your free time, or if you or anyone
you know is apart of something like that. That’s your personal
business. However if you were, starting a drug war would probably be right up your alley. It will most likely lead to distrust
for the government and unrest among the populace so you should
NEVER, EVER, DO THIS! if insist on not heading my advice
though, fine. Following the blueprint of the good old red, white,
and blue, here is how you start a drug war.
If we want to get this thing right we have to go back
before the time of the drug war. You see there was a time once
when all drugs were legal. I guess legal because no one in charge
really thought of the best way to get a long term monetary
benefit from them at that point. I mean opium was very popular
after the Civil War. Cocaine came into the forefront around the
1880s. Coke was popular. It was used in health drinks and was
common in many snake oil remedies of the time. The thing is
as these homemade remedies begin to spread, the government
and big corporations noticed the addictive properties of these
dime store concoctions. Opium and cocaine addiction in the late
1900s had reached, at that point in time, epic proportions. The
drugs that were being used in what were once seen as natural
remedies became crutches to people that couldn’t get off of
them.
In 1914 the Harrison Act was passed. it was the first
federal drug policy in the history of our great country. The real
start of the drug war. It restricted the sale of cocaine heroin and
marijuana. the act itself targeted physicians who we’re prescribing the drugs to addicts on maintenance programs. These
guys were making money hand over fist. That’s just what your
regime will need. maintenance programs and drug rehabs. It is
a tough process to kick a drug addiction, and the right policies
could make it particularly expensive. Its no secret that since the
industrial revolution most government systems in place around
the world began to operate less like officers of the people and
29
more like corporations. Our government needed to eradicate the
small time competitors in order for their big business buddies to
take over the marketplace. The Harris Act did just that. more
than 5,000 physicians and pharmacist were convicted, jailed, or
fined in 1919 alone. the drug use in this time period led to the
creation of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930 headed by
Harry, Jay, and Slinger. All the pieces were in the right place.
What came next was a series of policies that established a cycle
of self destruction for drug addicts with politicians and corporations set to reap the profits.
by President Nixon. The truth is the drug war had already
started years before. We were all unaware of this fact so by this
point we had already lost. That’s right, we the people lost,
and it happened 50 years ago. Once the rehabilitation act was
in place and the money started rolling in for the pharmaceutical companies, and we were doomed. All subsequent acts and
legislature was all to feed the beast and keep the ball rolling.
Tricky Dick’s Drug war declaration has kept this cocaine laced
snowball rolling for half a century.
Nixon believed that to combat the drug problem in
America we needed a new all out offensive which led to the 1973
creation of the drug enforcement agency. their initial mission
was to intercept and thwart drug trafficking through Mexico.
A big bad enemy was created. One we had to fight with all our
might. That’s how it’s done you put a face on the demon that
you have created to hide your true intentions. Now that you have
your populace cowering in fear of the drug Menace. You slip in
like the hero promising to eradicate the drug scourge. Thanks to
the rise of lobbyist politicians form alliances with drug companies that will create medicines to treat
those addicted, for the right price of
course.
The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 made cannabis officially illegal. Blocking growth and use of cannabis in this
country was key to the drug war initiative. Hemp posed a
huge threat across many major industries. Health-care, paper,
textile, and even fuel. Every major player in these markets would
take a hit if hemp were to producers were allowed to thrive.
The Boggs Act of 1951 introduced mandatory sentencing for drug convictions. The harsher penalties for use and
distributions of class a narcotics caused exponential growth in
the American prison complex. Cannabis was considered a gateway drug
which led into harder drugs use and
distribution. Not always true but given
time the classification would make it
so, and now that you have labeled and
identify your Market while simultaneously destroying your competitors you
then can create a market of your own.
In the 80s president Reagan instituted even harsher drug policies. The
prison industry along with the abuse
treatment industry once again began
to boom. Once again, under the guise
of wanting to help they further embed
the cycle of drug addiction into our
culture. Addicts went to clinics and
just traded one addiction for another.
The funny thing is that if you fast
forward to the present day the policies
haven’t changed much. The advent of
the internet has lead an increase in
societal awareness, but is it too little
too late? The whole thing seems to
have spiraled out of control, or has it?
The propaganda of the 1940s
and 50s was used to sensationalize
drug use. The general population was
split into two separate factions. Those
that believed in the hysterics and were
scared of the terror widespread drug
use would cause, and those that just
didn’t believe in the insane claims
made by the powers that be. Much of
the country was still in a rural state
and careful manipulation of the media made this large section of
the society easy to control.
Whether legal or illegal drugs makes mountains of
money. That fact cannot be denied. The greed that lies behind
the decaying facade of the American judicial system cannot be
hidden anymore. The policies are is place. The war is on, and
who can be sure about where to begin when it comes to stopping
it. That’s not what I’m here for though. I’m here to tell you how
to start the war, and if you follow the tried and true method of
the united state government you’ll do just fine. Now, even though
we all seem to be pretty much screwed while the politicians and
corporations make off like bandits, I still must say. To you potential corporate bigwigs and you future politicians around the
world, YOU SHOULD NEVER, EVER, EVER DO THIS! I’m
serious please don’t.
The narcotic addiction Rehabilitation Act of 1966
marked the start of the drug abuse treatment industry. It
specified that narcotic addiction was a mental illness. Much like
alcoholism drug addiction is a disease. Although alcohol use was
still, and is still considered recreational, illegal drug use is still
a crime. The nature of our society and our national sentiment
made both of these formats profitable. On one hand legal alcoholism and alcohol use induces profits due to taxation, abuse
treatment, and production regulations. On the other illicit drug
use feeds the economy through seizure of all profits and properties owned by dealers, abuse treatment for addicts, and jobs for
the whole judiciary system to boot.
The War on Drugs was first officially declared in 1971
Damion Mack
30