Written By: Emily Ballaine

If the pistol wasn’t pointing at my head I’d kill her. But I can’t let them know. If I let them know there will no longer be a pistol pointing at my head but instead a pistol handle in the back of my head, a glob of blood on those perfectly shined shoes, and my face in the dirt, breathing deep that wet earth smell, so deep it is all I can smell, all that I know, not the rust of blood or the fume of polish or the burn of gunpowder. Wet earth. So I can’t let them know. Continue reading →

Written By: Kat Collins

If The Horrors and The Vines had a lovechild, it might look something like Florence, Italy -based group The Vickers. Their newest album “Ghosts” captures dreamy psychedelic vibes that flow with on-point percussion to subsequently start a dance party inside an effects pedal. Continue reading →

Written By: Emily Ballaine

A pristine wilderness. An environmental disaster zone. Both phrases describe the mysterious Area X that is the centerpiece of Jeff Vandermeer’s excellent new novel Annihilation, a psychological thriller that rejects the notion that a story must either be science fiction or literary fiction.

While the first expedition into Area X returned with tales of an unspoiled landscape free of human contamination, the succeeding expeditions all ended in suicide, murder, or disease. It is with this contradictory history of death and beauty hovering in the background that we are introduced to the members of the eleventh expedition, known only by their respective occupations: a psychologist, a surveyor, an anthropologist, and our narrator, a biologist. Annihilation deals as much with each character’s competing feelings of revulsion and fascination with Area X as it does with the complicated group dynamic that arises when one is unable to detect the other member’s real motivations. Continue reading →

Written By: Skyler Warren

A comfortable, calming feeling can be achieved while sitting at the beach at night and watching the moon reflect off the waves. San Francisco’s Void Boys capture that feeling in their recent release, Starfish Single.

A mix of pop-punk, surf-rock and a little grunge are heard throughout the two track single released on March 14th through Pretty Penny Records. Coming out of San Francisco, the sound is refreshing because it doesn’t stick to the weird, noisy, pseudo-psychedelic garage-rock that the city’s music community has become known for in the last decade. Instead, Void Boys reaches back to a different part of the early 2000s, the more alternative rock side. Linear song structure and a dynamic that is easy to follow for the listener takes control of the album. Each part of each song allows enough time for foot tapping. Their songs are catchy and well structured, while not coming off as too jumpy. Continue reading →

Written By: Jordannah Elizabeth The Louise Log is a very clever and funny web series that has returned for a 3rd season after a myriad of changes. The creator of the series, Anne Flournoy spoke about the evolution of the cast, and how the show had to go through a metamorphosis of sorts after experiencing the high of completing a successful crowd funding campaign that earned the show $22,000 to produce the new season:

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Written By: Hunter Stroope

Cussing sweet memories into a viral state. Plaguing the love of the earth with an idea of selfish unity. Is it just one? Or separate ones? Lets get it together and find out.

Two loves, intermingle and strangle one another with fervor and skin. “Keep it quiet. I cant here my own heart beat,” they repeat to one another. Tasting the life-giving venom of one another’s salvation glands, it goes in right and speaks its piece, rocking in unison to the earthquake, and wondering on what other earth could this time be so perfect… Continue reading →

Written By: Jordannah Elizabeth

It’s quite important that we take a look inside the minds and processes of the independent music industry’s most innovative minds. After all, a part of what Publik / Private does is works to find career opportunities for musicians. 

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Written By: Lauren Espina

For her debut EP, Amatus channels her weathered soul into a fiery amalgam of trip-hop, pop and neo soul. With a history littered with violence but also colored with creation, she has risen out of the South Side of Chicago as an artist who can truly call herself alternative. Leaving pre-constructed molds of female artists behind, she cultivated the ruins and inspirations of her life into her own soul sound, with her smokey vocals at the forefront of every tune. Continue reading →

Written By: Jordannah Elizabeth

Gemini Wired is a musician who is using her influence and artistic gifts to confront bullying, which is an issue that has become and epidemic in our current youth culture. Her new song and music video, What Now tackles the issue head on. We spoke with Gemini Wired about her music, passion and why she has chosen to become an advocate as well as an artist. Continue reading →

Written By: Hunter Stroope

Married to the nature, she was born, Alice Ramploma and appeared careless, yet still uncertain of what to make of her day, she would stay afloat in thought.

Today was fair, the weather admitted the path towards most all activities, and her mind had a firm grasp, and body a firm construction, capable of fulfilling most anything. A spotted lark flew by and had shown the way to an opening through overhanging branches she’d never seen. Continue reading →