In certain circles, the word “unique” might be the subject of a hearty late-night debate over a pint in a dark pub somewhere. Some people do perhaps use the word too loosely while still others are so stingy as to only use it when describing the sun. But whichever side of the camp you’re on, you still may want to check out Unique LA, the biggest 2-day independent design show in the country, whether it fulfills the strictest definition of its namesake or not.

With more than 250 vendors setting out to sell everything from upcycled glassware to Bolivian Rose salt, there’s no question you’ll find something you’ll love at Unique LA. There’s also no question you’ll be benefiting the local economy, boosting the profits of talented local artists and supporting the Heal the Bay Foundation. Sure, you can argue about the use of the word “unique,” but you can’t argue with all of that.


What’s in a name, after all? In this case? Not much, we say. Not much.


Highlights of the event include:

-Eating at the "Truck Stop" featuring the Grilled Cheese Truck, Naan Stop, Great Balls on Wheels and The Flying Pig among others

-Complimentary beer and wine garden by Black Star Beer and The Naked Grape Wine.

-Every half-hour, the Urban Craft Center will feature free workshops needlefelting adorable mini toadstools and cupcakes, and the Craft and Folk Art Museum will guide people through creating a brooch or headpiece out of recycled fabrics (there will be fabric available or you can bring your own!).


-A free ticket to the OC Fair with every admission (while supplies last)

-Getting your portrait taken (with outlandish props, of course!) in the free photo booth

-Enjoying ocean breezes and people-watching in the historic venue, the Barker Hangar, (usually reserved for film shoots and private invite-only parties) former home to DC3's in the 1960's and Howard Hughes' private plane in the 1970's. 


For more information, visit:
http://uniquela.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/uniquela
http://www.facebook.com/groups/38407350131

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About the Author

Jessyca is an L.A.-based editor for Demand Media who moonlights as a freelance writer with a focus on beauty and fashion writing. She has written for Back Stage magazine and Beverly Hills [213] magazine, among other regional publications. Dewey spends her free time reading InStyle, volunteering with the foster kids organization Peace4Kids, making and enjoying great food, and hanging out with her wee dog Webster.
Follow her on Twitter: @jessycadewey

Outspoken rockstar drummer Phil Varone discusses his comedy tour, politics and immortalizing his penis with the "phildo"

THE Phil Varone, who's had sex with thousands of women while playing drums for Saigon Kick and Skid Row,  takes some time with Disarray Magazine to talk sex tapes, his epic “game,” and politics...yeah, this interview is that fucking good. Oh, and this is most definitely FOR ADULTS ONLY. I figured the f-bomb right off the block illustrated that point, but I just had to say it to be sure. Kids, Republicans, and conservative Christians, you might want to pass on this one. Just sayin’.

Disarray: So, The Secret Sex Stash released July 5th? You also have the website for the Stash, which comes with updates and exclusive content, what can viewers get as a member of the site that they can’t get with the hard copy DVD?

Phil: The actual DVD itself has five scenes on it with five different girls. The website features seven and we have already updated it, but we’ll have new scenes and content and we’re still in the process of getting it all built. We’ll have things like tour updates, schedules, and first look stuff on trailers and other things. Initially though, as for scenes like on the sex tape, we’ll be adding around two hours of new scenes and content.


Disarray: How did the idea for putting together the site and doing the video come together? Did you approach Vivid or vice versa?

Phil: Well, after I did Playgirl I was trying to figure out what to do next. I had the comedy show that I do, the background in music, and of course the reality show. It seemed to be the next direction to go. I mean, being in Hollywood and having been on a reality show, then you should be doing a sex tape next. So, I approached Vivid because obviously, me being a male, the sex tape thing is not like Paris Hilton or anyone like that. So, it has to be appealing for people to buy the DVD or go to the website and so the angle was the rock and roll end of it, with the girls and my lifestyle. I’ve slept with my girls, being in bands, so those are the things that you see. This is my life, the real things that happen, and I did all the shooting myself with my handheld camera. It’s not like porn sets with make-up people and things like that. These are actually girls that I sleep with that come over and have fun with me, and this is only different because I actually shoot them. It just so happened that these girls wanted to be on the DVD. So that is what we [Vivid and I] agreed would be the angle to go for, something different that might stand out from what else Vivid has. It’s either the girl celebrities and just like one scene, if you wanna call it that, where mine would be multiple girls and kind of follow my lifestyle.


Disarray: Well, let’s talk about this “Sex, Stand-up, and Rock n Roll” show. Is this like a variety show or what can people expect from one of these shows?

Phil: The concept for the show is a mix of music, comedy, and variety acts. There is the adult side, and that comes in the form of giving away gift bags full of adult toys and stuff like that. We usually have an adult star come out on stage to give those away and we play games with the audience; it’s is very about audience participation at the show. I came up with the idea after doing stand-up at the Improv here in L.A. It was then that I decided that we needed something different than the average comedy show - than just a bunch of featured comics. Although it is funny, I think that if you’re gonna by a ticket for something, you need to be entertained. Since I come from the music side of things, and that I was the only “rockstar” comedian, if you wanna say that, then I decided to just blend them together. It has become a pretty good gig here in L.A., and it has taken a good four years here in L.A. to get the right formula so that it is going to work and now I think it is ready to hit the road. What is cool is that at the end of the show, we are able to close with a concert, and I play drums with the all woman house band that we have, and we have a real rockstar singer on vocals. My last show here I had Leif Garrett and Matt Kramer. It really is just good fun like a ninety minute show with a little bit of everything. A “one-stop shock” as I like to say.

Disarray: Well I have to ask, you claim to have been with 3,000 women. Is there anyone or anything that stands out on that long list of conquests?

Phil: It’s funny, because after so many years everything becomes a blur. You can ask all the rockstars that have slept with so many girls if they can pinpoint certain things. I had dated a supermodel way back when and she was fun. Those mother-daughter teams or sisters together, that was always fun. When you achieved those kinds of things, you definitely remember them. Unfortunately, when you’re on the road going from town to town you see so many girls they kind of become a blur, so it takes something special to really stand out. It is usually just those milestones that stick with you, really, like seven girls at one time, stuff like that.

Disarray: So like those sex bucket list moments, those stand out to you.

Phil: Yeah, the “stories.” Anything I can tell the band about is gotta be one of those things.

Disarray: Well, since we’re here already, you are engaged to be married. You are also in an open relationship. Is there any advice for the men or women out there wanting to approach their spouse or significant other with fantasies or about being with other people?

Phil: Well, I wanna say that it is not one-sided. She sleeps with other men as well. We’re swingers, to use the 70’s term, but it is pretty much what everybody knows. We’re in a lifestyle. We play with couples; sex together with other people or alone. It’s a lifestyle, it’s not like you sit down with your girlfriend and say “hey, by the way, I need you to do this [with me].” So, in the beginning, when her and I first met I explained that I can love just one person, but that sleeping with other people for me is just a normal thing. I think that most couples would love to have it that way. Most marriages end because of cheating and infidelity and all that other fun stuff, so in our case we eliminate that side of it. The core relationship is very strong because we do have a lot of trust. When you’re in a relationship where you are with other people, then you have to have that trust. Then there is the honesty, because we tell each other everything we’re doing. We don’t hide the fact that we’re having sex with other people. So many people go the extra mile to hide these affairs away from Facebook and everything else because today, we are just so exposed. So I gave her the rundown of things, and she wasn’t in the lifestyle when we met, however it was something she wanted to explore. So she did, and now she really loves it. So, I don’t know how you would go about convincing a girl to do it if she wasn’t already interested in it. However, that is the way to do things in a relationship, with honesty and let people explain what type of relationship you’re looking for and be honest up front and don’t feed her a bunch of bullshit just to get in her pants. That’s what guys do, is feed women bullshit and anything they can, and now this girl is like, “What the hell are we doing here?” I think it is just easier to be honest. And also, maybe most importantly, is that a lot of guys who aren’t in the lifestyle and like thinking about having sex with other girls -- is that your girl is going to have sex with other guys! I think that is what they forget. I think you have to be mentally ready, and that it is something you will enjoy seeing, is that another man will have your girl. I think that is missed in the big picture. Oh, and for the record: the fact that we can have sex with a lot of people, doesn’t mean that we do. That’s the great thing about it. I can have sex with a girl every day if I want to, but I don’t. It’s funny, because it’s when you are given permission to do something that you don’t really want to do it.

Disarray: It kind of takes the taboo out of the taboo.

Phil: Exactly. Most people do stuff because of the taboo of it. It’s the excitement of possibly getting caught or whatever it is. I mean, I had a friend come over today. I called my fiancée, and asked if she minded if so-and-so comes over and she tells me it’s fine. If she had told me she kind of minded today then I would have said no problem.

Disarray: Your relationship to sex has been labeled an addiction. From the reality show to just the mainstream feeling about open relationships and sex, do you feel your relationship to sex is an addiction? Do we too quickly slap that label on something that is frowned upon in the mainstream?

Phil: I don’t really think of myself as a sex addict. Did I go on the show? Yes I did, but they were casting for the show and my agent called me up and asked if I’d slept with a lot of women, I said yes I did. There are a lot of reasons you go on television and usually the addiction is the last one in your brain to get on television and get paid. Quite frankly, I was curious. I was curious to see if I in fact was this sex addict. I wanted to learn. I am a person who learns and likes to read up on stuff. I think the show did a real disservice to an actual sex addiction, because the show itself focused on drama instead of the actual addiction end of it and the education of it. We were given great lectures and knowledge. That was given to us. These days, people don’t identify sex as an addiction. First off, everyone has sex every day. So, how can that be an addiction if that is something we do? Same thing as being morbidly obese. I weigh 160 pounds and I eat every day, but what is the difference between me and those morbidly obese people? You know what I mean? So, you have to do everything in moderation, across the board, and it is not so cut and dry as drug addiction. When you have a problem with Cocaine, the only way to take care of it is to stop. If you’re an alcoholic, you can’t drink. But if you’re a sex addict, you have to figure out a way to have sex still, but then you need to learn about the unhealthy side of it. Those are the things the show didn’t show and I think that did a great disservice to sex addiction.

Then, there is the fact that all these idiot Hollywood stars like Jesse James and Tiger Woods and all these other assholes are talking about addiction and sex rehab just because they got caught fucking other women is ridiculous. Ya know, they are ball-less assholes that got caught cheating on their wives. Be a fucking man, and fucking fess up. You cheated on your wife - that is what you did. That doesn’t make you a sex addict, that just makes you someone who cheated on their wife. So that is the problem, when people just go to the sex addictions and things because they can’t admit that they just simply fucked up, that also discredits an actual addiction.

Disarray: It’s like the Anthony Weiner thing. He talked about going to seek help. For what, though?

Phil: Yeah, he sent pictures of his dick to a girl. Yeah, like every other man in the fucking United States? I mean, you’ve got to be realistic. There are real people out here that have an addiction. I do believe that sex addiction exists. Some people would argue with me on this, but until you get in to those meetings and hear those stories, you can’t just dismiss them. You’ve got to be a little fucking smarter than that. Most people’s ignorance is simply a lack of education towards the subject. If they were really to sit down and understand that a guy who is sitting on the internet 24-hours a day, loses his job, spending all his money on hookers, loses his wife and kids, getting shot at by pimps, getting diseases, spending all their savings...those issues are serious issues and are linked to an addiction just like gambling and just like eating or drugs, or alcohol. Anything that disrupts your life, and hurts it, can be categorized as an addiction across the board.

Disarray: So do you feel like a pro or an amateur now, in this industry? Is this something that you want to continue or is this sex tape just another arrow in Phil Varone’s quiver?

Phil: I just think of it as a bucket list thing. I’m not looking to be a porn star. I have no desire to start shooting polished scenes in regular porn. I just wanted to have a little fun and do a celeb tape. If it warrants continuing to do personal scenes like this then I think I can oblige with personal footage; I have tons of it. As far as getting in to the porn industry flat out, I have no desire to do that at all. I don’t have a problem with porn stars at all. I think it is a great profession if that’s what you wanna do. This is just part of the big picture for me. My main focus, my main goal, is the “Sex, Stand-up, and Rock n Roll” show and I think doing the celebrity sex tape is very relevant to that show. It all ties in together. It’s all part of my bio in a sense.


Disarray: Do you think with all your “expertise” that the porn industry and kink has made it to the mainstream where it is a bit more embraced as a reality that isn’t going away? As a journalist I see these puritanical ideals and moral standards held up and then in L.A. next weekend we have an expo center full of adult stars. Can these two things continue to exist simultaneously?

Phil: I don’t think people will ever get comfortable with porn. It still has that stigmatism of being something bad. I think the word “porn” is such a strong word. It is kinda derogatory. The idea of it is negative, but everyone watches porn, but people don’t want to admit it. There is nothing dirty about sex. I lived in Sweden and at one o’clock in the morning there are adult movies on. They don’t look at it as dirty as America does. I think America just gets hung up on it because people hide behind religion and try to be what they’re not. I think religious people are the biggest hypocrites in the world because these idiots are the first people to be bashing gay this and gay that, and they are the first ones getting their dick sucked in the men’s room. To me that is very hypocritical and you’re full of shit. So, just like that, if you show me one politician that says they’ve never seen porn or visited a hooker, I’ll show you a fucking liar. Politically, people come out against stuff just to save their ass. They have no heart and no feelings. The human being is a very flawed and imperfect creature. As far as I’m concerned the human being should be wiped out and to get a do-over, because whatever has happened over time has created this monster that is pathetic and embarrassing. It all ties in.

Here you have Michelle Bachman who is a laughing stock, who is about as intelligent as a rock, with her gay husband. Her gay husband, who claims he’s not gay, claims he can pray the gay out of people...and these people are running for President!? That is unreal to me. I can’t believe that you have a woman who wants to become president and make porn illegal, she’s got this gay husband who claims he’s not gay, with a facility where people can get the gay prayed out of them which has been reported on as mental and physical abuse that is illegal. This is something they claim they can do, and this guy [Marcus Bachman] is so closeted it is scary. And let me say, I have the utmost respect for someone’s sexuality. I’m not homophobic at all. I have tons of friends that are gay or bisexual, I don’t care about that shit. What I come out against is hypocrites. If you’re gonna say, then fuckin’ own it.

Politicians are the biggest, most pathetic, laughing stocks, and they are embarrassing. If you’re traveling the world, you will see how fucking embarrassing it is to be American. I am so proud to be an American and this government is making us a laughing stock, and it’s sad. It even comes back to the porn issue, or whatever you want to call it, where people are trying to find something wrong with it or call it bad. Porn has been around a long time, long before we came along. Think about the Romans with orgies and sexual freedom long before people even thought about Christ and all the bullshit. Let’s call it for what it is. If you wanna get all religious and that works for you then so be it. But come right out and starting to talk shit about [porn],that is where I have a problem with it. I live my life a certain way, and I don’t push it on anyone else, but it works for me. Michelle Bachmann, (laughs) I can get elected before Michelle Bachmann. It is a waste of energy to even listen to this dunce talk. Her and Sarah Palin, it is so fuckin’ sad. It’s embarrassing because the Republicans have zero fucking candidates, and I find it so outrageous that these two idiots are campaigning. So, back to the question, (laughs) I get side tracked, I think the adult industry is more mainstream, however there is still that stigmatism that keeps it more taboo than anything else. Then I see these people that show up to these conventions and want to meet these adult stars, then obviously there are people that are buying this stuff. It is a billion dollar industry. Yes, DVD sales might be down, but with the internet technology I think the industry is going strong.

Disarray: With sex, is there any line in your mind between sex and the romanticized idea of making love?

Phil: Yeah, I think with my fiancée it is very intimate. That’s because we love each other, and we’re very intimate. When we say “intimate” we know each other’s secrets, we have a family together, and a life together. So that comes across when we have sex because we are in love with each other. It is going to be a bit different than just meeting someone in a bar and fucking them in the bathroom. I think there is a tremendous difference between love-making, to use your term, and just fucking. Do me and my fiancée fuck? Oh, hell yeah. If she comes home after getting laid then I’ll throw her on the couch and pound her. There is no love in that, we’re just playing out our fantasies. Then when we have our time together and we have intimate sex, it is of course very deep, and very passionate. It is very different than sex with someone you just met, or with couples, or whatever.

Disarray: We can’t all be rockstars like Phil Varone, but when a guy is trying to close the deal at the bar with a girl, do you have any advice or wisdom for our readers?

Phil: I have zero game. Let me just tell you that right now. Without my band I can’t get laid for shit. I have my fiancée do it for me. (laughs) I have zero advice. I don’t even talk to girls at bars. I know that sounds funny, but I’m so used to literally coming off stage and then I don’t have to say anything. It is up to them at that point to figure me out when you’re in a band. A quick story, I think is funny and can explain it. We are at a bar in L.A., me and my fiancée. I have a fetish for redheads, and there is a freckled redhead a few feet down the bar, and I tell my fiancée that I have to have her, “can you please get her for me?” She looks at me and says, “you go over and get her,” but I can’t so there is just no way this is going to work for me. At that moment this other guy comes in who is actually my fiancée’s guy she has sex with. He is just a great looking guy. Kind of looks like a model, he’s from Austria with the accent and everything and he is fearless. So I pull him over and ask him to please get that redhead for me. He went right over and got her. So it takes no time and he calls me over, I say hello, and an hour later she and I were fucking. So, clearly I have no game. My advice to guys out there at bars would be to get the hot model from Austria to get a girl for ya, or your fiancée, because that’s what worked for me.

Disarray: Having toured the world, what country or maybe city has the hottest women to you?

Phil: As far as most beautiful people, women especially, is Sweden. Singapore had some really beautiful women because of a mix of Australian and Asian, so just a beautiful blend of cultures. Sweden, pound for pound, has some of the most beautiful people. Everyone, men and women, they are just gorgeous. I don’t know what they put in the water, but it’s unbelievable. With the women, you can just walk down the street and break your neck from looking at all the women. As far as the United States is concerned, there are beautiful women all over the place. Texas has some pretty decent women, Dallas especially, but for the most part the U.S. is just loaded with pretty girls. Just remember, it is really whatever your taste is. I’m not one for the glamorous look. I like what I call the “sleepers.” The one’s you don’t really see coming and they are just the most gorgeous ones. The normal, girl next door type, and they are everywhere if you know where to look. I think that every city has an abundance of them.

Disarray: So what is coming up for Phil? Where can we see ya?

Phil: I will be at Exxxotica. I am definitely doing something with Vivid and we might even try to get a version of the “Sex, Stand-up, and Rock n Roll” show going, too. Don’t know my actual schedule yet. It’s at the end of August, though, I know that for sure.

Disarray: Anything else you’re working on?

Phil: We are taking the “Sex, Stand-up, and Rock n Roll” show on tour. Also going to do a deal for a replica of my penis called the “Phildo,” which will be coming out in January. I’m also in the middle of writing a book as well. I just like to take it as it comes, and I don’t get too wrapped up in scheduling that far out. Just looking forward to getting out there. Just looking forward to getting the show on tour, that is really the main goal right now. Check out Philvarone.com where you can buy my movie, autographed, also have autographed Playgirls. I am on Facebook, of course, facebook/thephilvarone, and Twitter/thephilvarone. I am out there so you can easily get a hold of me.

Huge thanks to Phil Varone for taking some time and chatting with Disarraymagazine.com. He was candid, fun, and interesting doesn’t quite suffice as an adjective for this interview. If this doesn’t quite slake your thirst for adult content then feel free to check out his sex tape at his website and you could always just attend ADULTCON July 29, 30, 31 at the L.A. Convention Center. VIP passes are $50 and general admission is just $35 now. Oh, and I’ll see ya there Sunday the 31st. I’ll be the guy with a stupid grin on his face blushing like an idiot unable to make eye contact with anyone; you can’t miss me.

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About the Author

Wesley Bauman, author of Doggy Paddling in the Deep End, is a writer/photojournalist originally from Oregon who makes his home in Ventura, CA. He's contributed to the VCReporter and maintains an active blog (http://projectpoppycock.com/) where he writes on political and social satire regularly. Follow Wesley on Twitter @myownfalseidol

The creators of the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride are back and introducing their latest scare fest, the “Ghost Ship.” The attraction is considered the only haunted attraction in the country that sets sail into the dark, open ocean at night for a 75 minute ride of horror. Offering three floors of pure interactive entertainment, the psych ward themed ship will consist of 1. top deck where brave souls will face an “execution experience,” 2. a middle floor where patrons can escape the madness and grab cocktails set in a 1930’s ballroom and 3. the gut of the ship, where horror fanatics can experience and witness the psych therapy treatment area, which will consist of Electro Shock, Hydrotherapy and Sleep Disorder Rehabilitation.

If you're still not convinced, the ride's disclaimer reads:

"The Ghost Ship is not recommended for children under 12 years of age. It is a high scare, high startle content experience. The Ghost Ship is not recommended for people with heart or back problems, pregnant women, people prone to seizures or anyone who has an affliction that is made worse by fear, anxiety or flashing lights. Also, this ride is not recommended for anyone with health issues that can be made worse or aggravated by riding this ride. RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK."

The Ghost Ship opens October 14th and tickets are on sale now.

The ship will depart from Newport Beach and offers three voyage times.

Voyage 1: 6:30pm-7:45pm - $59
Voyage 2: 8:15pm-9:30pm - $59
Voyage 3: 10:00pm-11:15pm - $59


The Ghost Ship will depart from the address below:

2901 W. Coast Hwy
Newport Beach, CA 92633

Having attended the Haunted Hayride last year, we can safely warn that this next event is not for the faint of heart. You will get scared, and if that's your thing, you will LOVE this attraction.

For more information, visit:
http://www.ghostship.com
http://www.facebook.com/Ghost-Ship
http://www.twitter.com/Ghostshipoc

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About the Author

Formerly an editor and writer at Citysearch, The Examiner, LA Youth Newspaper and proofreader at The Los Angeles Daily News, Christy Buena decided to start Disarray Magazine because she missed writing what she wanted. From hiring writers, to contacting publicists and making assignments, Christy is responsible for the editorial strategy of Disarray Magazine.

Questions, comments or suggestions? Contact Christy@disarraymagazine.com

With summer time comes festivals and fairs and we wanted to let you know about the upcoming 18th Annual Los Feliz Village Street Fair, which will take place on Sunday, July 24th on Hollywood Blvd. between Vermont Ave. and Hillhurst Ave. The event is FREE to the public between 11am-10pm and will offer fun for both adults and children. The fair will feature a variety of foods from village restaurants, live entertainment, concerts, beer and wine gardens, arts and crafts, fashion shows and an eco-friendly showcase.

For kids, there will be carnival rides, games, moon bounces, storytellers and more.

Chris Serrano, President of the Los Feliz Village Business Improvement District, said, “We are excited about bringing the street fair back to the community this year! We have seen an influx of new businesses pop up on Hollywood Boulevard in the past couple years so to celebrate that & because they are the newest members to the LFVBID, we thought Hollywood Blvd. would be the perfect venue to bring back our village fair!”

The annual fair, which has been on hiatus for the past two years, is making its comeback this weekend. So, if you’re wondering why Hollywood Blvd. is shut down and you can’t get through Vermont Ave and Hillhurst Ave., you might as well pull over, park and attend the fair.

For more information, visit:
www.LosFelizStreetFair.com
http://www.facebook.com/LosFelizStreetFair
http://twitter.com/#!/LosFelizFaire

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About the Author

Formerly an editor and writer at Citysearch, The Examiner, LA Youth Newspaper and proofreader at The Los Angeles Daily News, Christy Buena decided to start Disarray Magazine because she missed writing what she wanted. From hiring writers, to contacting publicists and making assignments, Christy is responsible for the editorial strategy of Disarray Magazine.

Questions, comments or suggestions? Contact Christy@disarraymagazine.com

Long-time rockers Incubus, sold out the Santa Barbara Bowl on July 15th, proving that they are just as popular now as they were during the height of their mainstream career, which took off in 1999 with the album, Make Yourself. The band took their audience on a musical journey Friday night, performing 19 songs from their older albums including, Make Yourself, Morning View, A Crow Left of the Murder and Light Grenades. The night would not have been complete without songs from their latest album titled, If Not Now, When? Long-time fans definitely got their money's worth as the concert provided something for everyone. Whether a fan of their older stuff or a fan of just their radio-friendly hits, attendees got to experience it all.




8:30pm Incubus have yet to take the stage. Fans patiently wait and purchase copious amounts of booze on the floor below.

8:45pm The lights dimmed for 3 minutes before members of the band appeared on stage. "Megalomaniac" was the first song performed. As soon as the crowd heard the first song, they scrambled their way to their seats while managing to avoid spilling their beer. Half way between the song, not an empty seat was located at the crowded venue. A clear sign that audience members were "feeling" the music, fans sang along to every song with their hands in the air. Taking fans down memory lane, they performed two popular radio hits, “Wish You Were Here” and “Pardon Me.”



Similar to almost any concert, the smell of marijuana filled the air. After performing fan favorites, the band played older songs circa 1990’s and early 2000’s including three songs from their newly released album, If Not Now, When? Almost all songs performed were from various eras of Incubus' musical career.

For instance, the majority of the songs were off of their 1999 album, Make Yourself. They also performed songs off of Morning View from 2001, A Crow Left of the Murder from 2003, and Light Grenades from 2005.


It's not too late to catch Incubus live and in action. Check them out as they tour the world in support of their latest album, If Not Now, When?.

Incubus 2011 Tour Dates:
07/23 – Kuala Lumpur, MY @ Stadium Negara
07/26 – Jakarta, ID @ Istora Senayan
07/28 – Manila, PH @ Araneta Coliseum
07/30 – Niigata Prefecture, JP @ Fuji Rock
07/31 – Jisan Valley, KR @ Jisan Valley Rock Festival
08/05 – Honolulu, HI @ Kaka’ako Waterfront Park
08/17 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
08/19 – Kansas City, KS @ Livestrong Sporting Park
08/20 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Verizon Wireless Ampitheater
08/21 – Chicago, IL @ Charer One Pavilion
08/23 – Indianaplis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
08/24 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/26 – Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavillion at Nautica
08/27 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
08/28 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Ampitheater
08/30 – Columbus, OH @ Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
08/31 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
09/01 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
09/03 – Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach Theater
09/04 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
09/07 – Hartford, CT @ Mohegan Sun
09/09 – Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
09/10 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
09/11 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
09/13 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Virginia Beach Amphitheatre
09/16 – Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Ampitheater
09/17 – Alpharetta, GA @ Verizon Wireless at Encore Park
09/18 – Tampa, FL @ 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
09/20 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park
09/29 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion
09/30 – The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
10/01 – Austin, TX @ The Backyard
10/05 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theater
10/07 – Hollywood, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
10/08 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
10/09 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Ampitheater



For full coverage, see the slide show below courtesy of Nicole Lemberg:

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About the Author

Nicole Lemberg is a teen concert photographer, reviewer, and band interviewer. She runs her own website Soundcheck411.com and her work has been published on numerous music related sites. In her free time Nicole goes to concerts and hangs out with friends.

WHAT: OFFICIAL CAR-MAGEDDON.COM KICK-OFF PARTY

Celebrate and commiserate the 405 Shutdown on the Westside at the OFFICIAL Car-Mageddon.com kick-off party on Friday, July 15 at Wokcano Santa Monica. Festivities begin at 5PM and music and drink specials will go all night. The Car-Mageddon.com team will be on-site with a live Twitter station and official Car-Mageddon.com t-shirts for sale.

Wokcano drink specials include a $3.00 "Flat Tire" Beers, $5.00 "Traffic Jam" Shots and $7.00 "Car" Jack & Cokes. Happy Hour will take place 5PM-7PM.Music provided by DJ Hapa.


Guests are encouraged to dress in "405 Freeway" attire (ie. Construction Hats, Street Signs, Bridges, Surface Streets, Maps, Bumpers, Exhaust Pipes, Traffic Jams, etc). There will be a costume contest for the most creative and will winner will receive a custom-made beach cruiser from Sole Bicycles.

Dinner Reservations are available by calling Wokcano at 310-458-3080. Group & Table Reservations Available by calling 310-497-6324.

WHO: Car-Mageddon.com and Spin PR


WHERE: Wokcano Santa Monica, 1413 5th Street (at Santa Monica Blvd)
 Friday, July 15, 2011 5PM-2AM

ADMISSION: Admission is FREE before 9PM and $5 after. A portion of all proceeds to go the GO-Campaign, a local charity benefiting vulnerable children across the world. www.gocampaign.org

OTHER: (21+) VIP/Bottle Table Reservations available by calling 310.497.6324

ABOUT CAR-MAGEDDON.COM

www.Car-Mageddon.com is a complete 405 Shutdown Survival Guide with up-to-the-minute information about The 405 shutdown, news and traffic updates that encourages local businesses to offer specials and discounts throughout the weekend of July 15th -17th. Car-Mageddon.com provides a Map with listings all of the specials, parties and discounts being offered by local businesses throughout the weekend. Its mission is to provide information, foster a sense of calm, promote local festivities and put a positive spin on an otherwise ominous occasion. A portion of the proceeds will benefit GO Campaign www.gocampaign.org, a Santa Monica-based nonprofit that supports vulnerable children around the world.

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About the Author

Formerly an editor and writer at Citysearch, The Examiner, LA Youth Newspaper and proofreader at The Los Angeles Daily News, Christy Buena decided to start Disarray Magazine because she missed writing what she wanted. From hiring writers, to contacting publicists and making assignments, Christy is responsible for the editorial strategy of Disarray Magazine.

Questions, comments or suggestions? Contact Christy@disarraymagazine.com

Kill3rCombo was in attendance at the Anime Expo last week debuting Elsword, a side-scrolling, manga-inspired multiplayer online game, which is free to play. At the Kill3rCombo booth, which was equipped with booth babes, Jetson-like tables and gamers on laptops, CEO and Founder Ben Colayco told us that two new characters would be introduced to Elsword later this year.


If you’re unfamiliar with the game, Elsword takes users on a journey with various maps, quests and storylines through dungeons. Currently, users can select between three runes slaying characters: Rena, Aisha and the obvious Elsword. With hours of online gameplay, there’s the option to purchase objects in the game that benefit a player’s user experience. Additionally, for those who want to battle it out 1-on-1, that mode is available too, Colayco said.


Aside from Elsword, we were able to get a sneak peek at Fighters Club, an action packed fighter game, which was reminiscent of 90’s arcade style franchises.

For more information about Elsword or to start playing online, visit:
http://www.elswordonline.com/

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About the Author

Formerly an editor and writer at Citysearch, The Examiner, LA Youth Newspaper and proofreader at The Los Angeles Daily News, Christy Buena decided to start Disarray Magazine because she missed writing what she wanted. From hiring writers, to contacting publicists and making assignments, Christy is responsible for the editorial strategy of Disarray Magazine.

Questions, comments or suggestions? Contact Christy@disarraymagazine.com

The Cultured Wasteland Trunk Show was a vintage haven for the discerning fashionista, simply because online vintage shops came to life--literally. The event was comprised of vendors that sold trendy, pre-loved clothing, some of which included: Hardcouture, Joellenlove’s Closet Shop, and Vagabond Youth. World Class Youth, a company that hosts and produces community service events based on fashion, held the Trunk Show last weekend on July 2nd.

Photo credit: Joellenlove's Closet Shop

Photo credit: Joellenlove's Closet Shop

(HardCouture's Kristine Lopez) Photo credit: Joellenlove's Closet Shop

Analyssa Benedict, CEO and founder of World Class Youth, noticed the seeming-so everlasting vintage clothing trend, which is typically found at online shops and at high-end vintage boutiques in Los Angeles. She wanted to make it convenient for those who are unable to pay for shipping and want to save a little gas money by holding the event in Bellflower at the cute and cozy Angel City Cafe.

“I’m thinking, you know, a lot of customers wanna see this stuff in person,” Benedict said. “So why not have a little event and have these vendors all come and sell from their online stores?”

When first walking into the venue, we noticed that music was playing at a high, groove-able volume, yet tolerable enough to talk over without shouting. We found Analyssa, dressed in a chic feathered cape and a leopard dress, greeting customers behind a table covered in leopard cloth. Tickets for the event were $4, and a portion of the proceeds go to the Red Cross.

Photo credit: Joellenlove's Closet Shop

We first stopped by Joellenlove’s Closet Shop, which sold many designer vintage pieces, including Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Jacobs. Joellen, the owner, finds many of her clothes from vintage boutiques, thrift stores, and estate sales. T-shirts for her band, Asian Girls Luv It!, were also sold in-person for her fans as they were selling at a high demand online. She shared a booth with Hardcouture and Cayliek.

Get this: they even had a $2 bin filled with vintage goodies.

Photo credit: Joellenlove's Closet Shop

Vagabond Youth’s booth had clothing that ranged from the 1960’s to the 1970’s, and, for those “I love high-waisted anything” fans, they also had DIY high waisted jean shorts. They were studded, cut-off, destroyed--you name it. The slogan for their shorts line is “Get high. Waisted.” Clever, right?

Patrick, a customer who purchased a cardigan and a leather jacket, thought that the event met his expectations. “It’s pretty awesome. Sexy people, nice dressers everywhere,” he said.

Yeah, there definitely were “nice dressers everywhere.” Girls in floppy hats, maxi dresses and skirts, high waisted shorts, piled accessories, and heels were seen all around the room.

Thought you missed out? Round two of the Trunk Show will be held at the same place on July 30, from 10am to 3pm.

World Class Youth will also be having a fashion show on August 23rd to help raise awareness on human trafficking, and some of the designers on the lineup will include Lisa Michelle and Daisy Gonzalez.

“Each month, we have a new charity,” said Andrea Trejo, PR director for World Class Youth. “We’re trying to get back with what we love to do, and that is working with fashion.”

For more information, make sure to visit: 
http://joellenlove.blogspot.com/

http://shopjoellenlove.tumblr.com/

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About the Author

Mory Men is currently studying Literary Journalism and Digital Arts at the University of California, Irvine. She produced the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network’s “Changing Lives” series and blogged for UCI’s Fashion Interest Group. Aside from writing and website designing,she enjoys going to concerts, shopping, and reading fashion blogs.

An impromptu interview with illScarlet, Toronto’s own reggae-infused punk band.

Disarray Mag: We have two members of illScarlett. Who are we talking to?

illScarlett: Alex and Swav.

DM: So, I see you guys have had many stints on the tour, but you got your first break in 2004. Tell us about that unlikely event came about.

illScarlet: Yeah, it was the 2004 Toronto Warped Tour date. We basically just rented a van, got all our gear, and drove to the venue. We just went up, set up outside near the line, just to sell some CD’s and promote ourselves. Kevin Lyman saw us playing and he invited us back to play at his BBQ that night, he needed a band to play, and we just got lucky. He just happened to be walking by at the right time and saw us. From there he gave us a few dates the next year, and then again in ’06 for two weeks, and then in ’07 we did some Canadian dates, and now we are here, finally on the whole thing.

DM: You guys are from Canada, Toronto basically, do you get to tour in the US often?

illScarlett: Yeah, we do a lot of Canada. We’ve done a really cool tour with Pepper, in the states, and we just did another tour with Big D and The Kids Table along the East Coast. So there is that, but mostly just the Warped Tour, yeah.

DM: What is the difference in touring up in Canada than down here in the states?

illScarlett: Well, we’re much more established back home with songs on the radio and all. It is a little different here. No one really knows us, but I’ve found the American fans super welcoming and appreciative. There’s lots of ya! (laughs) There are a lot more places to play as opposed to Canada where we play 15 shows across the whole country and here we could do 15 shows in just one or two states. I mean, California, you could do a full tour just here, by itself.

DM: Being here is quite a change from Toronto. How do you like the West Coast, California vibe?

illScarlett: We love California. We made our last two records here in Los Angeles. We feel very much at home here. People here are super chill, super nice, and polite. Oh God, the food. The food in California is unbelievable. I don’t know, it feels like where we’re from, because we’re from the suburbs, so California definitely has a suburban feel to it. I love the suburbs, so I’m very much at home.

DM: What are we working on now then?

illScarlett: We just finished writing our next album. The fourth, I think. I don’t know, they all run together. We were planning on recording and doing it in June, but because of Warped Tour and scheduling conflicts we’ve pushed it back to September so we’re gonna be working with David Kahn on the new album. It’s gonna be due out February or March of next year.

DM: For those down here in the states that don’t know, what kind of sound is illScarlett? Fill in the blank: If you love _________, you’ll love illScarlett.

illScarlett: If you like Sublime, Dirty Heads, or Pepper, you’ll definitely like illScarlett.

DM: Talking about some of your tracks, “Too Late” is written for the person trying to call you up for a booty call, but they’re too late. Then you’ve also got “Heaters” which comments a bit on only the appearance of the freedoms we seem to hold so dear in the western world. Are you chiding America a bit, or is this Canada included?

illScarlett: Yeah, it’w western freedoms in general. Sure, we’re a lot freer than a lot of other countries, but it’s still a freedom that the system uses to their benefit. I don’t wanna get too deep.

DM: So, we’re talking about like the construct we believe is real...

illScarlett: It’s like the Matrix, yeah. (laughs)

DM: Also, a previous album was called “1up,” inspired by Super Mario Bros.? So we’ve got politics, booty calls, and video games?

illScarlett: Yeah, that’s pretty much us. Throw in a joint and a bottle of tequila, and you’ve pretty much got us right there.

DM: So that’s pretty much how you make a band? Video games, booze, and ex-girlfriends.

illScarlett: Yeah, that’s probably the best quote I’ve heard in a while. “How to start a band...” (laughs) Your girlfriend breaks up with you, because you’re on the road, doing “bad things...” (laughs)

DM: Yeah. is there a difficulty with keeping a main squeeze back home? I mean, how many months a year are you touring? Do you guys have a girl waiting back home?

illScarlett: (Alex) Not me, that’s for sure. (Swav) I do, yeah. I’m engaged to be married.
So, Suave is off the market, yeah. Yeah, we tour about eight months a year. We’ve slowed down a bit recently, with writing and focusing on the new record, But when we’re full speed it is eight months a year on the road.

DM: Is there any idea then when you’ll be back in the LA area? When can we get to see you next?

illScarlett: I think we’re are planning a little follow-up tour to the Warped Tour. Maybe in the fall. It’s not totally decide right now, but late fall to early winter, I guess.

To be the first to know about the possible date in the greater LA area go to illScarlett.com for all your Canadian reggae/punk needs. They will fill your Yankee brains with all you can handle. Check these guys out. I am not a huge fan of straight reggae tunes, but the punk kind of vibe they add to their music has got me after I got a free copy of “20 tracks, five bucks, that’s ill” from them. There are some seriously good tracks on that thing. Thanks to illScarlett for bearing with me through an impromptu interview after hearing a great story about discovering a 1/4 of green goodness in a van. These guys are not posing.

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About the Author

Wesley Bauman, author of Doggy Paddling in the Deep End, is a writer/photojournalist originally from Oregon who makes his home in Ventura, CA. He's contributed to the VCReporter and maintains an active blog (http://projectpoppycock.com/) where he writes on political and social satire regularly. Follow Wesley on Twitter @myownfalseidol

Grieves and Budo sit down with DisarrayMagazine.com to discuss Warped Tour, the pressure of releasing their first album under the Rhymesayer family umbrella, and fuckin’ mix tapes.

Disarray Mag: “Together/Apart,” the new album, released right before jumping onto the Warped Tour, right?

Grieves: Like three days before. Yeah, it’s been crazy.

DM: Everything on the album seems pretty personal. Do you rap to tell other people’s stories, your stories, or a little of both?

Grieves: Everything I talk about is personally related to my life, you know, like what I’ve experienced. I can’t really make shit up, but I touch on subjects that I’m familiar with. A lot of the stuff manifests itself in the record.

DM: The division of responsibilities? Is it just beats (Budo) and lyrics (Grieves)? We saw you on the guitar today, but I’ve seen you play a trumpet in the past, too.

Budo: Yeah, I usually play the trumpet, too. I bought a new skateboard in El Paso and two hours later it went on an excursion across a K Mart parking lot and I fucking fell on my face, busted my lip open, so I can’t play the trumpet right now.

Grieves: I make some of the music, too. I made a couple of the beats on “Together/Apart.” Same on “88 Keys [and counting],” and on “Irreversible” I did most of them.

Budo: Even on the beats that I make, or the ones we make together, it is a collaborative process. It is very much a process of writing songs together and there is no prescribed formula by which we go about. It’s not like I sit down and make a beat and send it to him and he writes a rap. It’s very much, especially on this last record, it was a very multi-faceted approach. We didn’t limit ourselves to one particular method of making music. So, some of the songs were ones that we would go in to the studio, sit down, and literally craft together from silence to a full song. Then, some of them were skeletons of beats that I sent over to him and he would write a little bit to ‘em, send ‘em back, and then we would go in to the studio and add parts together. Some of them, like “On The Rocks,” in particular, and some others like “Sunny Side of Hell,” and other tracks, that’s all him. It’s very much, whatever works. We kind of, I think, function very well by not limiting ourselves to one particular way of doing it, because that gets stale, I think.

Photo credit: Wesley Bauman

DM: So with that, are there songs you’ve been banking to get on an album eventually, or is it just start fresh with a clean slate on this record?

Grieves: Yeah, “Heartbreak Hotel” was made before “Irreversible.” Yeah, I just couldn’t ever do it. I couldn’t sing it. I had it produced. I had it written, but I just couldn’t execute it. So I waited until I could, because I love the song so much, and I waited until I could execute that song the way I wanted it, which was more recently after learning how to sing a little more.

Budo: Same with “Greedy Bitch” on “88 Keys.” That had been around for a little while. That was probably the same session that “Heartbreak Hotel” came from, right?

Grieves: Nah, I think that was one of the first songs I wrote after I got off the Atmosphere tour. Yeah, it was the first song I wrote when I got off that tour. That’s in that same batch when I wrote “Bloody Poetry.” So, yeah, there’s another older song as well.

DM: So these weren’t songs sitting around getting dusty, but it was something you shelved and then this time around you thought, “Let’s see if we can get these done right.”

Grieves: Yeah, we recreated these songs. Well, Heartbreak stayed the same, but “Bloody Poetry” was originally over a different beat. The beat ended up getting used by a different rapper so I canned the song. Then Budo took the a cappella off of it and made a completely different beat, a completely different feel, and then we fell in love with the song again. It is way better than it originally was. I love that song now.

DM: So what brought you from Colorado to Seattle?

Grieves: The need of change, man. I had to get the fuck out of there. I love that place, but I didn’t see myself going anywhere. I don’t mean career-wise, I mean life-wise. I needed to leave, I was too familiar with everything and everyone, and not in a good way. So I just had to get out.

DM: So how long before you moved down to California after that?

Grieves: In 2008 I moved down to San Diego. Then in ‘09-’10 I moved to New York, and now I’m back in Seattle.

DM: Does that city resonate with you, Seattle or New York, San Diego, or is that no matter what city you’re in you’ll still be you?

Grieves: Those rainy days might have something to do with it [the music].

Budo: What’s interesting, this record, if you really want to identify a region that it came from, it was a New York record. We were both in New York, I was there for about two years and he was there for a year and a half, and that was the period of time that the album took shape. He moved back to Seattle about a year ago, now.

Photo credit: Wesley Bauman

DM: Now with getting on Rhymesayers, is that seal of approval for you? A gold star, if you will?

Grieves: Oh, hell yeah. I don’t know, it’s a hell of an accomplishment, I’ll tell you that much. No one is doing it like those guys are. So, the fact that they want to put their logo on your record is a big fuckin’ deal to me, at least. I live it that world, I looked up to those guys, and I still do. Those guys on the label, those are my fuckin’ idols, man.

DM: So with signing with them was there a little added pressure with “Together/Apart” being you Rhymesayers debut album?

Grieves: Yeah, this is our debut album on Rhymesayer, we wanna do good. I don’t know, at the same time there wasn’t that much pressure because they wouldn’t have picked us up if what we were doing didn’t make any sense. So, it’s not like they are like, “look, you need to change your sound, and change everything about you, and make this record or you’re fucked.” Pretty much it was like, “keep doing what you’re doing. We really like it. We’re just gonna make it bigger.”

Budo: They took a very hands off approach. They gave us a lot of space to make this record and that was really valuable in terms of the creative process because I don’t think we felt like it was this iron fist breathing down waiting for the moment of perfection. Ya know, and when we turned the record in it was definitely received well. They’ve been so warm to us from accepting the record to just treating us like family. It has been incredible; they’re family. So there is a lack of pressure.

Grieves: Yeah, we got direction on some stuff, there were just some songs that didn’t make the cut...and we made a lot of songs.

DM: So will there be a “Together/Apart B-Sides” in the future for the fans?

Grieves: Maybe, but we would never call it a B-Side, because I feel like that is a shitty way to get more money out of fans.

Budo: Yeah, but I think there are certain songs that are part of the process in getting to write a song, and there is no reason to release those.

Grieves: There is the ‘clearing the pipes’ song. You know, you haven’t made a song in a while. Sometimes that song is phenomenal because everything just explodes.

Budo: Then the times where it sucks. It’s terrible, and I think to release that would be doing your fans a disservice. It would really be underselling your brand. You only have so many chances to get people’s attention, and if you waste those chances on mediocrity, then you’re fucked.

Grieves: There is no point in selling...crap. Just because we can and we just put our names on it.

Budo: There are people that do that. There is a definite desire for a constant stream of stuff. People want free mix tapes and free downloads every month and there is a certain section of the industry for which that is how you stay relevant with this constant stream. That is cool. That is definitely a lane that works for some people, but what we’re trying to do is to make albums and music that have a lasting impact on us and on our fans. The way you do that is by taking your time and being patient with the process.

Grieves: And you can look at it two ways, or just anyway you want, but it’s like you can make less and have really good songs accessible, or put every song you make out there and clog the market. People will know who you are, because your songs are everywhere, but maybe only four of them are good. I would rather have less music out and have all of them be really good songs instead of having a shitload of songs and people are sayin’, “he’s got a lot of shit out, but I like four or five of them.” I wouldn’t want to be that guy. I take pride in going to the studio and letting a song age. You sit with a song for a month or so, you hear it and want to change some things about, or rewrite verses or something like that. I’m all about letting a song age and grow up to become what it is before I show it to the public. We do on the fly songs, and it’s fun for a certain purpose, but I wouldn’t want to build my career off of that because I’m all about making good music. I want you to hear my songs and say, “Damn, that dude sat down and made a legitimate record,” instead of “Out of the eighty songs he released this year, I like this one.”

Budo: Because that’s the music we grew up on. It was put together, crafted. Albums, man. Albums. I love albums. I love albums that stand out as grand works of art. That’s the fuckin’ coolest thing about music to me is these big works. Not to say that we have approached that scale of grand works, but I think this album is something that has a life of it’s own. It’s this world of a lot of emotions and a lot of different textures and sounds and things that you can’t put together in a week.

Grieves: And that’s our shit. That our trademark. Because in a world of mix tapes and stuff like that, fuck a mix tape. If I hear one more dude rapping over “Black and Yellow” on a fuckin’ mix tape with him superimposed with a city in the background, I’m gonna fuckin’ slap myself. It drives me crazy. I just don’t get it. I never got the mix tape thing. I understand the concept I don’t get why it is popular. “You don’t have a mix tape? Why don’t you have a mix tape out?” Suck my fuckin’ dick. I have three fully crafted albums out of my own music.

DM: So, do you guys, and I hate to use a qualitative term like this, “best” album so far?

Grieves: Yeah, this is our most well-rounded and crafted album.

DM: Glad you said, because this is an incredible album.

Budo: Thank you. I think it is the pride we feel in this album surpasses everything we’ve felt before.

Photo credit: Wesley Bauman

DM: Do you guys feel at home here on the Warped Tour? I know you guys have a great bus, sharing it and touring with friends like MC Lars and Weerd Science and all them, but out there on stage or with other bands, do you feel comfortable or at home here?

Grieves: Ya know what, at the end of the day when we are all out here on our buses, grabbing shit from underneath the bays and we’re running in to each other at the catering line, we’re all doing the same thing. We’re all artists out here and we’re all trying to make a living, and we’re trying to expose our art to people. I don’t feel any different from the guys in Winds of Plague who I got to meet on this tour. They are some of the heaviest, hardcore, most metal-ass dudes, and they are the shit. They are are cool-ass dudes. I mean, I am working on a song with one of those guys. I feel like there are a lot of like-minded people on the tour and people will probably get confused because of what it looks like on stage versus what you are when you are sitting on this bus, ya know. Your music is a certain projection and then you as a person is a little different, especially when you’ve got a whole band of different people up there. It’s great. I’m lovin’ the people I’m meetin’ out here.

DM: You guys are running the whole length of the tour. What is coming up after the tour for you?

Grieves: Full national.

DM: Headlining?

Grieves: Yep.

DM: Any ideas of who might be running on that with you.

Grieves: No.

Budo: Yes, but we can’t say.

DM: OK, I had to ask or my editor would kill me. With all the girls you write about, have you ever gotten the angry call or the vicious text after performing or releasing a song on an album?

Grieves: Fuck ‘em. Fuckin’ dumbass broad showed up to my record release party and was like, “you put on a really good show. I had to leave during some of the songs.” I was like, “fuckin’ stay away then.” Shouldn’t have been here anyways, asshole.

DM: So, I just did a piece on Atmosphere, Rhymesayers founders, and they are around 40 now, still touring and releasing incredible albums. Are you still gonna be out there at 40 jumping around and rapping?

Grieves: If my fans let me. If my fans follow me all the way to the end, I’ll fuckin’ take it there.

DM: So the goal here isn’t to kick back in ten years, own your own label, and just put down the mic?

Budo: Well, Sean [Slug of Atmosphere], they’re not on the road like they were on the road, but they’re still on the fuckin’ road, ya know. I think they are a great example of a band that is able to find a balance to transition in to being middle-aged dudes with families, wives, kids, dogs, homes, and all that stuff, but they’re still touring enough that they are in front of their fans a couple times a year. That’s a cool balance.

Grieves: And what Sean does supports Rhymesayers. All his hard work, all his effort, all that touring that he does is for Rhymesayers. He is opening that up. I’m sure he knows he can’t do it forever.

Budo: He probably doesn’t want to do it forever.

Grieves: Rhymesayers is another one of his kids, ya know? He is working his ass off for it right now, and he has been for the last 12 years. He’s been grinding his ass off. So, that’s why being a part of Rhymesayers is an honor, because I feel like he let me in the family. That is this thing he has been building for so long, and he let us be a part of that.

Photo credit: Wesley Bauman

DM: That is the thing for me, as a fan, is that they call it a “family.”

Grieves: It is. You know everybody there. Everyone is super close.

Budo: Yeah. You [Grieves] were sayin’ this the other day. Rhymesayers has built itself on this model of providing access where they are treating fans like family, and that is something you don’t find anywhere else in the music industry. It’s a lot, that’s a big fuckin’ family, ya know?

Grieves: Well, that’s why they’re still standing. A lot of people are fallin’ right now and Rhymesayers is only getting bigger. With all that said, with this record, that is why we wanted to hit it fuckin’ hard. Because I don’t want to slow roll. With everything that is happening with Rhymesayers, I wanted to smack that fucker right out of the park. I did it the best that I could and I only wanna do it better on the next one. That’s a sense of pressure on the next one. Not in a bad way. I grew up listening to these guys. They gave me an opportunity, so I’m not gonna sluff it off. It’s not like I made it because I’m on Rhymesayers. I’ve got so much more to do, and every swing I take is gonna be a fuckin’ hit; it has to be.

DM: With the crazy music industry, do you think people are ready in the Top 40 for a Grieves track? You guys charted Top 100, but is that a goal you set?

Grieves: It’s not a goal.

Budo: It happens “because.” I repeat what you’ve said time and time again [Grieves], but it is because it is comfort music. It is music that comforts us and provides comfort for other people. That means a lot of different things in a lot of different types of songs, but if the byproduct of that is that it gains widespread success, which I firmly believe it has the potential to do, that’s awesome.

Grieves: And why the hell not? Not to be gloating or anything. Forget me, let’s put it in the hands of Atmosphere. To see Atmosphere chart in the Top 40, puts faith in me that people are still buying good music. It doesn’t have to be so cosmetic like everything is in the Top 40 and you don’t have to have these fuckin’ major bosses behind you twisting and turning the machine to force other people to like you. The fact that there is that many people to make an independent act like Atmosphere be on the Top 40, or us, or Brother Ali, or anyone on that label, that’s fuckin’ amazing. That puts faith in me that not all of this has gone to shit. It’s a different age, a different time, charting on the Billboard now is a lot different than what it was. You chart with a lot lower numbers than what you used to because people have your record already. Most of the time even before it comes out, people got your fuckin’ record. So, it’s different, but if you can gain that exposure and if other people can see you doing that for yourself and they actually start listening to you, I think that is important.

Budo: The number one record for the last two weeks in the country has been Bon Iver’s newest record, which is on an independent label with major distribution, but that’s a left field, odd ball record to be in that spot.

DM: Yeah, like with Mumford & Sons sticking around the charts, right behind Gaga.

Grieves: And that is awesome. That has got to keep happening and maybe that will shift a little bit or even out. You get enough of that and it’s like the cool kid table at lunch, and you just start slidin’ them down the bench a little bit.

Photo credit: Wesley Bauman

DM: Now one last question, since we’ve touched on it. “Indie” vs. “mainstream.” Is that just a moot point now in todays’ digital music landscape?

Grieves: Independent and mainstream is not what the music is. I feel like a lot of “independent rap fans” think there is a particular sound.

DM: That’s how I feel, too. I have heard that phrase “independent sound” and it’s not a sound, just business.

Budo: Yeah, like what the fuck does that mean?

Grieves: Go on YouTube. It is nothing but people arguing about how L’il Wayne and Souja Boy are fuckin’ assholes and white rappers versus black rappers, and it’s fuckin’ insane, man.

Budo: It’s those cosmetic categorizations that really have nothing to do with the music.

Grieves: Underground versus “overground” or whatever the fuck it is.

Budo: People think that way. I understand that you need to understand things relationally. I mean, the world is fuckin’ huge. There is 8 million kinds of cereal, 300 kinds of bottled water, 70 kinds of sunscreen, and you need to be able to compartmentalize shit to be able to function, or if you start considering all the options your brain is gonna explode. So, you need those boxes, but there is a point where the boxes are useful so you can part through the static, but there is also a point where those boxes start to become like walls towards actually forming your own opinion about something. I think the reason people state that indie music is better than mainstream or that white rappers are better than black rappers, or whatever the fuck they’re saying, is because they need definition, or they’re not thinking, whether or not they want to.

Grieves: That shit is kinda frustrating. You see people argue over it and it’s like A: I don’t want the negativity surrounding what I do anyway. I don’t like to draw a line in any sand on anything. We had a video on MTV, and I see people go, “this is bullshit. We liked him until he had a video on MTV.” Well, here’s the thing, brother, MTV played my video and you don’t like me anymore? Would you like that song if it wasn’t on MTV? It’s like, if you like that music, why can’t somebody else like it, too? And why is it a bad thing that MTV is playing the music that you like? You hate MTV for playing the shit that you hate, but you would like them if you played the music you like, but when they play the music that you like, you hate that guy now.

Budo: That’s frustrating, because people have been doing that since the dawn of time and that’s just the way it is.

Grieves: I used to look at the underground thing like this: People, even with our record, it sounds really good, we spent fuckin’ $20,000 in the studio on this record and it sounds like it, and people are like, “sounds like he is giving up his underground roots.” You know what that shit is? My “underground roots” are when I didn’t have any fucking money and I was recording in my goddamned closet on a $20 microphone. That’s what you like!?

DM: (laughs) You like low production quality? Well, I guess that’s why you have a 100 mix tapes laying around.

Thanks so much to Grieves and Budo for giving us such a candid conversation on their tour bus. Check out the new album, people. Seriously, I am going to say it since I haven’t read it anywhere else: this might be the biggest Grammy snub if these two don’t get a nomination. Last year that title belonged to Dessa and her album, but these two have put out an album deserving of a Rhymesayers logo of approval. It was a great interview, and if you want to hear the music they are talking about on “Together/Apart” then check out Rhymesayers.com, or go to iTunes, or Youtube, or your local record store to buy it all legit-like. Either way, you’re going to want to follow @grievesmusic on Twitter and like him on Facebook along with the Rhymesayers label for all tour info and links to all the cool shit they put out by all those incredible artists. Catch Grieves and Budo on your local Warped Tour stop all summer as they will be ready and willing to rock your damned face right off your head and you’ll thank them for it at their merch tent, too. They will sign anything, ladies.

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About the Author

Wesley Bauman, author of Doggy Paddling in the Deep End, is a writer/photojournalist originally from Oregon who makes his home in Ventura, CA. He's contributed to the VCReporter and maintains an active blog (http://projectpoppycock.com/) where he writes on political and social satire regularly. Follow Wesley on Twitter @myownfalseidol