auxiliary magazine

Today is the last date of Combichrist’s Demons on Tour; this stretch also featuring Julien-K, Aesthetic Perfection, and Dismantled.  Last weekend the whole Auxiliary crew had the chance to see the tour in Buffalo, NY.

Ryan of Julien-K

I can honestly say that every band put on a very solid performance.  There was no waiting through painful opening bands this night.  Dismantled started the night, followed by Aesthetic Perfection, then Julien-K, and ending the night Combichrist.  And there was no waiting through “guy standing behind laptop pressing buttons”.  Each act was a full band, live drums, and energetic performances.

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Combichrist is the brain child and creative baby of Andy LaPlegua, first known here in the States for another of his bands, Icon of Coil.  Andy took time away from that project to create Combichrist’s Kiss the Blade, first released in 2003.  What started out as an exploration of harsh beats and noise has morphed over the course of six years into an aggro/electro industrial project producing four albums and five EPs, as well as a number of remixes.

In the studio, LaPlegua writes and produces the material for Combichrist alone.  When he takes the show on the road the whole project not only comes to life but explodes into full being.  The project has manifested as an exciting and energetic stage act, winding the audience into a frenzied, throbbing hoard bent on losing themselves in the beat.  This kind of high-octane live presentation feeds back into LaPlegua’s studio work for the next Combichrist release, creating a cycle that has an infinitely building momentum.

With live percussion and a commanding stage presence, they pound through each show with fanatical energy, setting this act apart from the sea of contemporary acts that just occupy stage space as their laptops play.  Combichrist seems that they would happily stomp those automatons to dust in their quest to deliver a unforgettable show.  The experience of their live performance in not to by missed and certainly won’t be forgotten by those who’ve lived through it.

Their most current tour adventure, “Demons On Tour”, started off in North America with Black Light Burns before they split off and engaged a European leg.  We caught up with LaPlegua and the current tour line-up, Joe Letz, Z_Marr, and Trevor Friedrich in Toronto just before their show at the Opera House, where they were gracious enough to take the time to meet with us.

photography Jennifer Link
interview Aaron Andrews
Combichrist Live
Andy LaPlegua
Trevor Friedrich
Joe Letz
z_marr

It looks like you’ve got a long tour ahead, US then Europe; do you enjoy being on tour?

Andy - Yes and no.

What do you specifically enjoy, what don’t you enjoy?

Andy – Nah I mean I enjoy being on tour; it’s rough, but it’s cool. It’s what we do, I guess. It’s rougher to not be on tour.
Z_Marr – Never a dull moment.

Is it the variety that entertains you?

Andy – It is just the life on the road, living in a bus, being on the road all the time; that’s basically what I do. When-ever I am at home it’s really weird.
Joey – It’s really hard to do this, it’s fun, but it’s really hard. And once you get home, you are always like, ‘I needed to be home.’ Then after a couple days you are like ‘what the hell am I doing? I got to get on the road.’
Z_Marr – There is this weird decompression period where I run around trying to find things to do and there is nothing. You wake up and you’re like, ‘fuck I missed sound check.’

read the full interview in the April 09 Issue

Graphic.  Modern.  Retro.  Swimwear gets a revamp with three designers showcasing the versatility of this summertime staple.  Pick a flavor.

featuring fashions by Lolita Girl Clothing, Poko Pano, Insight, Iron Fist, and more.

photographer : Kat Bret
fashion stylist : Numi Prasarn
makeup artist : Bennet Green
hair stylist : Kristin Jackson
models : Dori Bot and Scarlett Dancer

view the full editorial in the June 09 Issue

Dirwood [who DJed at our June Issue Release Party] shares his latest musical discovery in this artist spotlight.

It’s a fact that I spend way too much time on the internet.  Most of this time is pointless wandering, but as the saying goes, even a blind nut finds a squirrel every now and then (or something like that).  So my latest find is this duo called Pomplamoose who have been recording together since the middle of the summer of 2008.

The duo consists of Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn who consider Pomplamoose an indie rock band, but their songs also incorporate jazz, funk, soul, and many other styles. When playing by himself Jack’s music has an experimental flavor to it while Nataly’s solo stuff is much more conservative, but when these two combine forces they balance each other out to a perfect blend of both worlds.

The coolest thing is that not only do they give you quality music, but if you keep up to date with their YouTube page each song comes with it’s own video.  These “VideoSongs”, which the group has coined as a new medium, are edited in a way that is slightly reminiscent of what Lasse Gjertsen did a few years back with his “Hyperactive” and “Amateur” videos.

My favorite song by them is still the one that started it all, “Pas Encore”.  With its groovy bassline and super smooth French vocals it is a great way to start the day.  Also, check out “Beat the Horse” and “Hail Mary”.  Their music is available on itunes and also on their myspace page and you can find their video page on YouTube.

- Darren M. Orlowski

We sent Jennifer Serchia out to explore Northside Festival in Brooklyn, New York organized by The L Magazine.

Considering the perpetual rain this summer, there is no denying June gloom is here, or as my pal Tom calls it, “April hangover”.  Although, it is discouraging having summer on hold, I’ve got to say a good alternative to partying outside is partying INSIDE, as demonstrated by the Northside Festival in Williamsburg this past weekend.  Northside took advantage of the grey weather by utilizing neighborhood bars, restaurants, and galleries to host myriad musical performances (and we all know music, eating, and drinking doesn’t go out of season).  Lists of bands were curated for and assigned venues to perform in so concert-goers could choose their own itinerary, sort of like a musical scavenger hunt.  The cost was $35 for a badge that allowed access into any show hipsters could scurry to in time, an economical approach to concert-viewing.  It was also an ingenious way to promote local businesses and introduce new places to anyone interested.

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an interview with Ronan Harris of VNV Nation

Mike, music editor of Auxiliary Magazine, had the chance to chat with Ronan via phone as VNV Nation prepares for the release of a new album and the start of their North American tour.

Where are you right now?

I’m in Hamburg, Germany.  I’ve been up since early this morning, coordinating the upload of the master, which has been fun.

Are you almost done?

It’s out of my hands.  I just have to get some European side of stuff taken care of.  From now on it’s just the interviews, sales sheets, press info, and getting journalists access to all the songs on iPool and all that kind of fun stuff.

How long did it take you to record the album Of Faith Power & Glory?

Well it’s kind of a hard thing to judge because, other then the month before the album is finished, it’s kind of on and off.  It’s basically an ever-going process within the same studio.  I’ll work on a song up to a certain point and then I’ll leave it and go off and work on something else.  I never really have full days to dedicate to the songs; I just build it up and let it build as it goes.  When it comes to the last month you say, ‘right, let’s begin now.’  You start to pick out the songs you are going to work on.  We pick out 13 in hopes that 10 will live.  And basically you start fleshing out the production.  There were four intensive weeks and the last two were the most intense of my musical career.

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The June Issue release party was this past weekend in Buffalo, NY.  It was a great success and tons of fun, thanks to everyone that made it out!  The first part of the night was fashion, with a Lip Service fashion show organized by Vanity Kills (writer for both Auxiliary Magazine and Lip Service’s Webzine) and myself, featuring models from the Lip Service obsessed web community Lippy Addicts.  Lip Service is a staple of alternative fashion, they are one of the most well known brands, and they’ve been designing clothes since 1985!  The fashion show featured both new Lip Service looks from their spring and summer collections and classic Lip Service looks, or “holy grails” as Lippy Addicts likes to call them, from past collections.

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When researching the article “My Label is the Internet” for our April09 issue, Alex had the chance to talk with several people directly involved with netlabels.

An interview with Ray from Ekoplex

Ekoplex is Ray Vincent, a multifaceted psychedelic trance producer from Toronto, Canada.  Ekoplex releases music through the netlabel Ektoplazm.

What brought your project, Ekoplex to Ektoplazm?

I’ve actually known Alexander for a long time now and have worked together on other stuff.  He has always been supportive of my music and the psytrance community here in Toronto.

Also I really wanted this album to be handled right.  Sometimes labels can sit on projects forever and in the end can be a disappointment of how everything went.  With Ektoplazm, I knew that Alexander cared as much about this as I did and things would be handled right.  Plus the exposure artists get through Ektoplazm is incredible. Read the rest of this entry »

Print copies of the June Issue of Auxiliary Magazine are now available for purchase online!  They are $15 and available through MagCloud at www.magcloud.com.  Simply follow the link the MagCloud’s site, add the issue to your shopping cart, follow the easy steps to buy your issue, get it delivered to your home, and take with you to read on your couch, in bed, on the train, at a coffee shop, on the beach, by a pool, or wherever!  As always Auxiliary Magazine is available online and in print, so you can still read the issue for free online.

Pick one…
BUY A PRINT COPY
READ FOR FREE ONLINE

June 6th @ Club W, Buffalo, NY

Come out and join us tomorrow night as we celebrate the release of the fourth issue of Auxiliary Magazine!  There will be a fashion show featuring Lip Service brought to you by Vanity Kills (writer for Auxiliary and Lip Service) and the web community Lippy Addicts.  Lovely ladies will be walking the runway in the newest Lip Service styles and Lip Service “classics” from their own personal wardrobes.  Lip Service, “the original cult”, is one of the most well established alternative clothing lines.  Based out of LA, they have been designing clothes since 1985 and are available throughout the US in clothing boutiques and chain stores like Hot Topic and Urban Outfitters.  Fashion show is at 10:30, but get there early and receive a free Lip Service calendar.

In addition to great fashion, Auxiliary will be bringing you great music.  Dirwood, a Buffalo native, is back in town from LA for an exclusive set.  In addition the Oracle (one half of Dharma Lab), Darago (Auxiliary, Netwerk23), and DJ Leah (WBNY) will be playing.

Hope to see you there!

for more info visit… www.auxiliarymagazine.com/events