INsite Extra - The Swellers

Happy Birthday to The Swellers

Flint, MI-based rockers The Swellers may be one of the longest overnight successes in the punk rock world. Together for eight years today (June 24, 2010), the band turned in three albums – self-released and on tiny labels – before the rest of the world finally took notice. Punk labels across the country took interest in the band, but Florida-based Fueled By Ramen (home to Fall Out Boy and Paramore) finally snapped up the band last year. Frontman Nick Diener spoke recently about the band, and thier new record. If you're headed to the Van's Warped Tour on July 1 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, be sure to catch their set.

You guys were courted by quite a few folks. What made you decide to sign with Fueled By Ramen?
Of all of the labels we were talking to, Fueled By Ramen was the place that felt the most like home. They also presented a plan that allows them to grow with us with every record, which is really important to us. The FBR crew are some of our greatest friends now.

Most people think rap or classic rock when they think Michigan. Is there a decent punk rock scene in Flint?
Believe it or not, we were actually one of Flint's only punk rock bands when we started. It was mostly metal or Indie music. Out toward Detroit more and more punk bands were emerging so we found a nice nook recently. Flint is definitely home to some amazing musicians, though.

Did you guys think about calling it quits when Lance (Nelson) and Garrett (Burgett) quit the band?
We have never thought of calling it quits. Our ex band members were replaced in a matter of minutes, days before big tours were about to begin. We never stop.





Did bringing in Anto (Boros) and Ryan (Collins) change the band dynamics at all?
We are definitely tighter musically and as friends with Ryan and Anto in the band. We finally have guys with us (Jonathan and I) that want to tour and play music as much as we do. It's a great feeling.

What can you tell me about the new record?
The new record is finally showing the world what I've intended to show for seven years now. The right mixture of 90s radio rock and punk rock that we love to play. The songs are written by real people on real instruments, about real people.

You guys have been touring for a while now and now you're on the Warped Tour. Does it ever get old?
Touring never gets old for me. Always new places and people. Beats working 9 to 5. Tour is a 24/7 job when you're out on the road!

What's your best tour story?
Our best tour stories are pretty much documented in our tour videos. Those can be found on YouTube, usually on the Fueled By Ramen channel. Hilarious stuff…

Sculpture in Glass - Bill Meek

Sculpture in Glass

The Mesmerizing art of Bill Meek

By Jo Anna Ordóñez

Driving the through the hill country this time of year is always an adventure and a discovery at every turn. Sparkling, formed and fractured pieces of glass hanging in the trees caught my eye as I drove through Wimberley and found the studio of Glass artist Bill Meek. Meek Studio and Gallery showcases the many works that Bill has created and his most recent works including trees, angels, tables and sculptural pieces that are not only amazing to look at but beautiful in their form.

Meek is a self-taught artist who over 30 years ago began putting his ideas together in fascinating ways and today his work is featured in galleries throughout Texas and the World. “I’m a carpenter and glass artists, so my tools are those of a carpenter, chisels, hammers, glue and more” said Bill. I was amazed at how beautiful each piece was in that it was a puzzle of many different pieces all placed just right to create a gorgeous work.

I found a small butterfly and Bill added, “my work focuses on the beauty and fragile aspects of life, those things we sometimes take for granted”.

Bill had the opportunity to travel the world and now calls Wimberley, Texas home with his wife Valerie. It seems he was always drawn to sculptures and knew that one day he would grow up to become a sculptor. “I’ve always made a living creating with my hands and work most days and into the night,” said Bill. He began his artistic career as a woodworker who tried to incorporate different ideas into his pieces. In the early 1980’s he moved to Houston and began working on with glass etchings and installations. Soon his love of three dimensional and sculptural pieces took over and he started experimenting with broken glass to create one of a kind pieces.

Bill is a glass artist that works in cold glass, not blown glass. He works the glass, grinds, carves, shapes and polishes it until it fits his vision for the work he is creating. “I try to develop my own methods and style so that my look is distinctly my own” adds Bill. This gives Meek the freedom to create very large pieces. His work is in very high demand right now and some of his larger installations include a large glass and steel mobile towering above the lobby of the Wells Fargo Building in Houston and installations at the George Bush Presidential Library.

Bill said, “I am self-taught and have been blessed with having mentors who believed in, inspired, and challenged me. Over the decades, many of them have passed away and I find myself becoming a mentor to others through volunteering in the non profit Arts From The Heart organization in my hometown of Wimberley.”

Bills work can be found at Gallery on the Square (Wimberley, Texas) and at Artworks (Austin). You can visit Bill Meek at his studio and gallery on Ranch Road 12, two miles north of the Wimberley Square. For more information, call 512-847-6768 or visit www.meekgallery.com .

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JoAnna Ordóñez is a local glass artisan and owner of Vidriosa Glassworks. Her work can be found at The Lucky Lizard (412 East 6th Street), Things She Adores (2306 E. Cesar Chavez, Suite 101), The Oasis Gift Shop (Comanche Lane) The Old Mill Store (Wimberley Square) and Local Art Shows. Visit her online at www.4coolglass.com.

INsite Style - May

Les Gens du Voyage
PHOTOGRAPHY: EDWARD VEROSKY
STYLIST: STEPHANIE FRAIDE
MODEL: CARRIE HINER-BERRY
WARDROBE: downSTAIRS Apparel, Austin



INsite Extras:



CATHERINE NICOLE EARRINGS
TURQUOISE BURST, $88
MOROCCAN STAR, $40








WRAP DRESS:
VBN'S SPRING '10 WRAP DRESS in WAVE, $80
FEATHER EARRINGS by ZARAH, $60





WHITE TEE VARIATION:
JEDIAH WHITE TEE - $36. RISING STARLET BLACK DENIM, $75.
b.e. STRANGE Buddah Necklace, $30. LONG KEY W/PYRITE, $60





JUMPSUIT:
COIN 1804 JUMPSUIT, $80. BELT, STYLISTS OWN
DREAMS JEWELRY NECKLACES VIRGIN MARY MULTI CHARM, $50. LONG KEY W/PYRITE, $60








DREAMS JEWELRY NECKLACE
VIRGIN MARY MULTI CHARM, $50
LONG KEY W/PYRITE, $60
b.e. STRANGE VIAL PENDANT, $30

Bonus Video:

INsite Extra - OK Go

BULLET THE BLUE SKY

After 5 years of touring, OK Go returns with a great new album

By John B. Moore
Regardless of your musical tastes, you’ve almost certainly heard of OK Go. There’s no way you could have lived through the ‘90s without escaping their incredibly infectious pop songs and videos. The video for their 2006 single “A Million Way” – complete with choreographed dance moves – practically put YouTube on the map. By August 2006, the video had become the most downloaded music video ever, with over 9 million downloads.

After years spent on the road the band finally found the time to work on a new album, Of The Blue Colour of The Sky, which is finally being released five years after their last record hit the shelves. Singer/guitarist Damian Kulash spoke with us recently about the delay of the new record, their work on helping rebuild New Orleans and life on the road.




Tell me a little bit about the origins of the album title?
The title of our new album Of The Blue Colour of The Sky comes from a book written in 1876 by General AJ Pleasonton called The Influence of the Blue Ray of Sunlight and of The Blue Colour of the Sky. General Pleasonton believed that the color blue had healing powers and could cure the world. He got a patent on the color blue and for three years convinced the world over of his theories. The American Journal of Science debunked his theory a few years later because it just wasn't true. But, General Pleasonton went to his death bed believing that he could help save the world. He wanted so badly to believe in something that could help mankind. His beautifully sad and poetic story spoke to us, so we decided to name our record after his book.


They songs sound is just as catchier as previous releases, but the themes seem a bit heavier. What inspired that?
Of The Blue Colour of The Sky is probably the most direct and melancholic record we've ever made both lyrically and thematically. The inspiration behind the heaviness comes from the fact that we were all going through tough times both personally, and also on a global level. This record is about trying to find hope in what feels like hopeless situations.


Were you worried at all that the lyrical content would get lost in the catchy vibe of the songs?
The great thing about music is that it is Ok to mix happy and sad elements. Pop songs are generally only three and half minutes or less, so a lot has to be conveyed in a short amount of time. Some of my favorite music mixes melancholic lyrics with happy music i.e. The Pixies, The Smiths, The Cure. It was never a concern of mine that the content would get lost in the music, it was my hope that we could address interesting things about life in a way that seemed both meaningful, thought provoking, exciting, happy or sad, and sometimes all these things at the same time.


You took your time working on this record. Why the wait so long to release another full length?
The wait was not on purpose. We toured for two and half years on our second record Oh No, and we needed sometime once we got home to get our heads together, figure out what we wanted to sound like, and record. We would have liked to have put this record out much sooner, but sometimes this is just how things work out. We hope to have our next record out a lot sooner. We have a lot of material that didn't make it onto our latest record, and we are itching to get to it.


Do you have a favorite song on this record?
I go through weeks where I favor different songs off the record. This week I am favoring “Needing/Getting and Back From Kathmandu”. Last week it was “All Is Not Lost” and “Skyscrapers”. It's tough to pick a favorite. That's like asking to pick a favorite child.




Having been on the road for a few years straight, are you dreading getting back on the tour cycle again?
I love the hour a day when we get to play for people. What I dread is the monotony of the other twenty three hours when we are traveling, setting up for the show, taking down the show, traveling, setting up for the show, taking down the show, traveling etc... Often our schedule is so busy that most of what we see going around the world are dirty clubs and hotel rooms. It is also hard to be away from your loved ones for so long. I wish I could transport my friends, family, and girlfriend to every show because I miss them a lot. But I do feel extremely lucky to be able to do the things that I love doing for a living. I'm very thankful indeed.


What has changed the most for the band since going from a small club Chicago band to being that group everyone has heard of?
Mostly what has changed for us is that our schedule is busier. As far as I can tell no one has really changed as a person. We're a little bit older and wiser now, but in general we are still just trying make things and share them with people - Same as we did when we lived in Chicago.


You obviously got a lot of attention for your videos. But do you ever regret that maybe they overshadowed the music?
I am proud of both our videos and our music. If the video is someone's gateway into the world of OKGO then I think that is great. I am aware of the fact that not all fifty million people who have viewed our video are OKGO fans; that's Ok. The good news for us is that a small percentage of those fifty million people have decided to delve further into the world of OKGO; buy our records, come to our shows, and generally pay attention to what we do. We will continue to go on and make records and videos, and hopefully people will continue to tune for what's next. And, some of the people that do continue to follow us, I'd venture to say, probably first heard of us through our video, and well, hey, I think that's fine.


You guys have devoted a lot of time and energy to helping Hurricane Katrina victims (the EP, raising money, etc.). What was it about that incident that inspired the band to give so much time and energy towards rebuilding?
New Orleans is the most unique music community in the world. It is common to see a father teaching his son how to play trumpet on the stoop, or a bunch of guys just playing music in the streets in New Orleans. The Future Of Music Coalition and Air Traffic Control, both organizations who help connect musicians to social action, invited us down to New Orleans to see firsthand the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and the civil engineering SNAFU's that caused the levies to break.

It is heartbreaking to see so many neighborhoods destroyed by the floods. A lot of musicians and culture bearers from New Orleans legendary music and art community lost their homes and were displaced around the country. We thought a good way to help and make a difference was to record an EP with the New Orleans’ horn funk orchestra Bonerama to raise money and help bring these displaced musicians and artists back home to New Orleans. The initial proceeds went to buying a home for New Orleans’ soul legend Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, who was displaced in Houston. Now that he's home, proceeds continue to be used, through an organization called Sweet Home New Orleans, for other musicians who still need help raising money to get themselves back home and settled in New Orleans.