IONMAGAZINE

FREE#54

4ION

Editor’s Letter A new hope.

Meet The Staff Finally we give you all the information you need to stalk and murder your favourite ION

employee.

Of The Month Movies about crazy French tightrope walkers, video games that star Prince, money saving

fashion tips and a cat named Water.

ION the Street Watch yourself!

Horoscopes Comedian Adam Pateman is this first of Ought Nine to offer up his own special and life

affirming version of the horoscopes for your reading pleasure.

Cartoons

Millburn It’s kind of like Obey. Except instead of Andre the Giant and Obama, you get owls and the

designer’s face.

People Don’t Dance No More... Fashion editorial shot by Andre Pinces and styled by Vanessa Leigh

Camilla d’Errico In Ought Nine, wearing a cephalopod as a hat will be all the rage.

Vantage Art Projects It’s about time you took those posters you got from Blockbuster for free off your

walls and at least pretend to be a little more sophisticated.

.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart Oddly enthusiastic about you pirating their album.

Ladyhawke Introverted Kiwi by day. Radiant disco princess on Modular by night!

The Band Name Book Bootsauce are on page 177.

Album Reviews

Poster Art: Lil Tuffy There must be something in the poutine that makes people from Montreal great at

making rock posters.

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ART

FASHION

MUSIC

Volume 7 Number 1 Issue 54

ABOUT THE ION MOBILE GUIDE

This year ION is introducing a fun new mobile component that will helpenhance your experience with the magazine. Keep your eyes peeled for the IONMobile Flag on pages where there is further mobile content available.

For music related mobile content simply text IONMUSIC to 82442. You’llimmediately receive a text back with a link to a mobile website. If yourphone is compatible with iTunes, you’ll be able to preview and purchase allthe music featured in the current issue of ION. In future issues we’ll startrecommending a few choice tracks you should consider purchasing.

For fashion related mobile content text IONFASHION to 82442. For this you’llbe directed to a website that lists where you can purchase all the clothingfeatured in the current issue. To make it easy for you, there will be GoogleMap links for all the stores.

Some of our advertisements will also feature mobile content. In this issueyou can text BENSHERMAN to 82442. You’ll then be directed to a website whereyou can enter to win a fabulous Ben Sherman Mod chair.

This is still all really new for us so expect a lot of exciting new mobilefeatures to be added in the future. And apologies in advance, we don’t planon accommodating people who still only own a pager.

ION MOBILE

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ABOUT OUR COVERPERSONALITYCIRCLESQUARE

Cover Credits Photographer: Brenndan Laird. Photographer’s Assistant: Ronnie Abelada. Styling: Toyo Tsuchiya. Makeup: Jenny Kanavaros [Judy Inc} Circlesquare is wearing blue cardigan with coloured piping [Modern Amusement from Holt Renfrew], and a yellow button-up shirt [Paul Smith from Holt Renfrew.]

On our cover this month is Circlesquare. Currently a resident of Berlin by way of Vancouver, he made

time for us while in town shooting a music video for his latest album Songs About Dancing and

Drugs. He certainly knows about dancing. Circlesquare produces ethereal electronic soundscapes

that are enjoyed on dancefloors around the world and he’s also been known to DJ the occasional

ION party. As for drugs? Well he knows about that too. Not only an accomplished musician,

Circlesquare lives a dual life as Jeremy Shaw, an extremely successful and subversive artist. One

of his more noteworthy stunts involved drugging his friends with DMT, a powerful hallucinogen your

brain releases when you’re born and when you die, then recording the results for an 8-monitor

installation. This has been shown in major art centres around the world (he offers this tip if you’re

wondering where you can purchase DMT from, “Drug dealers.”). 2009 is going to be a busy year for

Circlesquare as he’ll be touring the eastcoast, Europe and Japan. On the gallery side of things, he’ll

be taking part in a year-long public poster project for the Olympics which resurrects old imagery

from Expo 86.

Publisher/Fashion Director Vanessa Leigh vanessa@ionmagazine.ca

Editor in Chief Michael Mann editor@ionmagazine.ca

Creative Director Danny Fazio danny@ionmagazine.ca

Art Director Tyler Quarles tyler@ionmagazine.ca

Music Editor Trevor Risk trevor@ionmagazine.ca

Fashion Editor Toyo Tsuchiya toyo@ionmagazine.ca

Designer Leslie Ma leslie@ionmagazine.ca

Copy Editor Steven Evans

Editorial Interns Samantha Langdorf, Patricia Matos

Office Manager Natasha Neale natasha@ionmagazine.ca

Advertising Paul Ellis paul@ionmagazine.ca

Jenny Goodman jenny@ionmagazine.ca

Writers Troy Sebastian Alden, Nojan Aminosharei, Bix Brecht, Gloria Chik, Stefana Fratila, Hayz Fisher,

Shallom Johnson, Sharon Ko, Samantha Langdorf, Danielle Munro, Adam Pateman, Kellen Powell,

Natalie Vermeer Photographers and Artists Ronnie Abelada, Toby Marie Bannister, Jenny Kanavaros,

Hubert Kang, Kalen Knauf, Kris Krüg, Brenndan Laird, Kate McLaren, Natahsa Ndlovu, Rebecca Padgett,

Mahsa Pazhouh, Andre Pinces, Jessica Steblyk

ION is printed 10 times a year by the ION Publishing Group. No parts of ION Magazine may be

reproduced in any form by any means without prior written consent from the publisher. ION welcomes

submissions but accepts no responsibility for the return of unsolicited materials.

All content © Copyright ION Magazine 2009

Hey PR people, publicists, brand managers and label friends, send us stuff. High-resolution jpegs are

nifty and all, but they’re no substitute for the real thing. Clothing, liquor, PS3s, CDs, vinyl, DVDs, video

games, and an iPhone can be sent to the address below.

New Address

#303, 505 Hamilton Street. Vancouver, BC, Canada. V6B 2R1

Office 604.696.9466 Fax: 604.696.9411 feedback@ionmagazine.ca

www.applebottoms.com

Songs About Dancing And Drugs is out now and is reviewed on page 44 in this issue. [www.songsaboutdancinganddrugs.com]

IONMAGAZINE

www.applebottoms.com

8ION

First issue of the most exciting year for ION

yet! We have some awesome new staff.

We have an awesome new look. We have

an awesome new office. We have some

awesome new mobile technology that’ll

enhance your experience with the magazine.

Guess how this year is going to be for us?

However all is not well in the world

today. To paraphrase economists, “2009 is

going to fucking suck.” For good measure,

I’ll throw in a quote from a friend of mine

about the problems the world is facing as

well, “I fear for the likes of a lot of people

once Peak Oil, food riots and hand-to-hand

street combat finally arrive. Not sure how

you dance, snort and Facebook your way out

of that one.”

I’ve dismissed my paranoid friend’s

rants for years. However, he is starting to

make sense as it would seem the world is

gradually taking a step closer to becoming

one of my all-time favourite movies, The

Road Warrior. My advice for coping with

these difficult economic times is to learn

some new skills. Not useless ones like being

really really good at marketing or knowing

a lot about various laws. Learn to make

fire, set a broken bone or which berries are

poisonous and which are delicious. These

will all be useful skills to have when we have

to burn all our money to keep warm at night

and we’re reduced to an economy based on

the bartering of skills and useful goods.

I for one welcome a return to a system

of bartering. “You take this arrow out of my

arm and cauterize the wound. In return, I

will build you a device that can turn your

urine into fresh drinking water.” That’s

makes a lot more sense to me than trading

money for stock in a company.

Armed with this knowledge, and coping

with an office move over the holidays, we

put a bulk lot of a thousand promo CDs that

no staff member wanted on Craigslist. We

didn’t want it taking up space at our lovely

new office and no one would pay money for

all this dreck (stores can’t seem to sell CDs

and we wouldn’t fare much better). So the

catch was we stated we were only after

interesting trades.

We got about 50 responses in a week.

The offers ranged from the creative “I will

come into the office, and let everyone draw

additional stuff on my arm tattoos. That’s

right. Imagine making the dead Asian snake

lady on my arm saying ‘IM A STUPID,’” to

the extremely depressing: “I had to leave

an abusive husband who I am now in court

divorcing. This whole thing has crushed me.

I feel old. I feel broken… I cannot offer you

much as a trade because most of my stuff

is tied up in court, so I can offer you… two

empty fish bowls that are of no use to me

because I keep buying companion fish and

they keep dying.”

In the end we accepted the generous

offer of a three-litre bottle of Jack Daniels

and two really creepy paintings, as getting

really drunk and enjoying some art is a great

way to take your mind off the economic

turmoil (see the paintings on page 14 and

15). So fill up a shopping cart full of guns,

water, gasoline, canned food and gold, then

head for your bunker in the hills to ride it

out. No matter how fucked the world gets

you will still be able to get drunk so long

as you’re resourceful. Unless we’re reduced

to eating each other. If that happens, I’d

recommend staying sober.

MICHAELMANN

Hungry or Broke by Toby Marie Bannister

EDITOR’S LETTER

10ION

MEET THE 2009 TEAM

[01] Vanessa Leigh— Publisher

[02] Trevor Risk— Music Editor

[03] Toyo Tsuchiya—Fashion Editor

[04] Leslie Ma— Designer

[05] Paul Ellis— Advertising

[01] [02] [03]

[04] [05]

CONTRIBUTORS

ION 11

Photography: Kris Krüg [staticphotography.com]

[06] Tyler Quarles— Art Director

[08] Michael Mann— Editor-in-Chief

[09] Kris Krüg—Online Editor

[10] Natasha Neale—Office Manager

[11] Danny Fazio— Creative Director

[MIA] Jenny Goodman— Advertising

[07]

[09]

[08]

[10] [11]

12ION

The prize this month hums its way into your heart courtesy of

Wrighteous Designs (www.wrighteousdesigns.com). These eclectic

and gorgeous hand-crafted rosaries are made from Swarovski

crystals and glass beads custom made to your liking. All come

with a double-sided religious center, a mini bible locket and the

world’s smallest harmonica in the key of C. No two rosaries are

alike just like you. So hop, skip and jump your way into Sunday

mass and drop to your knees. The world’s holiest accessory has

arrived. To enter text IONTHEPRIZE to 82442

or go to www.ionmagazine.ca

Wrighteous Designs

Photo

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. Styl

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ION THE PRIZE

TEXT “IONTHEPRIZE” TO 82442ION MOBILE

HAVE YOUHEARD?

is the one stop shop for the

latest trends, all under one roof.

February 17–19, 2009 — 9am-6pm | Las Vegas Convention Center — C5 Entrance Register now at www.pooltradeshow.com

14ION

[1] We Have A New Address Hello people who send us creepy letters and promotional companies

that send us crappy CDs. Over the holidays ION has relocated to a lovely new office in a charmingly

cruddy area of town. Our new address is Suite 303, 505 Hamilton Street. Vancouver, BC V6B 2R1 .

Update your mailing list and send us office-warming gifts. Nothing under $100 in value please.

[2] Tough Economic Times Tips Have you heard the economy is in the shitter? It is apparently. 2009

is all about saving money wherever you can. Every month we’ll give you some great and fashionable

ways to save money as you’re probably about to lose your job. Our first tip of 2009 is to rock a

flask of delicious liquor with you wherever you go. Your friends may mock you hitting a flask but

they’ll have one the following week because not only is it an awesome look, this will help you save

money in two ways. Firstly, you’ll be spending less money on booze. Secondly, it will keep you out

of nightclubs that charge the most for alcohol when your flask is empty because they have metal

detectors. You could always use a leather tear-shaped bota bag, but those are tough to hide in your

pocket. [3] DVD—Sukiyaki Western Django Takashi Miike is insane. Not just for the content of his

films and that he never takes off his sunglasses, but also for the ridiculous rate at which he cranks

them. By the time you’ve finished reading this magazine, Miike will have already made three new

movies. Sukiyaki is Miike’s take on the Spaghetti Western genre (however they’re called Macaroni

Westerns in Japan, seriously). Watch a bunch of way too pretty Japanese cowboys who don’t

speak English attempt to deliver all their lines in English between over-the-top sword and gunplay.

There’s even a fun cameo from Quentin Tarantino. If you’re a real keener, you should rent the

original Django before viewing. Watch out for the surprise in the coffin. [4] ART SHOW—The Love

Letters Show There are going to be a lot of pissed-off former lovers come this February, The Love

Letters Show will be presented by grace-gallery at 1898 Main street in Vancouver in conjunction

with Queen & Shaw, a newly opened gallery in Toronto at 107 Shaw Street. The show will consist

of love letters that have been squirreled away in shoe boxes for years. The end result of this show

will likely be you drunkenly looking up all your exes on Facebook and friending them. Don’t do it!

www.grace-gallery.com www.queenandshaw.com [5] GAME—Prince of Persia The Prince is back.

Rich with gold and riding a donkey in the desert, a sandstorm blows him into a canyon. There he

unwittingly stumbles into a battle of good versus evil where he has to heal a tree of life. Didn’t

all this happen on a Peter Gabriel album? Jump, hop, climb, swing and stab your way through

exquisite landscapes in a massive open world. The Prince has a new look this time round as the

[1]

[5][4]

[2] [3]

We Have A New Address Tough Economic Times Tips [DVD] Sukiyaki Western Django [Art Show] The Love Letters Show [Game] Prince of Persia

OF THE MONTH

ION 15

game uses a fun new illustrative art style. He also has a new magical girlfriend named Elika who

saves your ass with magic when your ass inevitably falls into a pit. One of the best games of 2008.

[6] DVD—Man On Wire Impossible, entirely. Inspiring, without a doubt. 2008 documentary Man on

the Wire directed by James Marsh outlines the artistic display of high wire rope walker Philippe

Petit’s passionate dream to walk on a high-wire strung between the two World Trade center tow-

ers. Filled with the gumption of a criminal about to perform a legendary bank heist, Petit gathers

together a team of friends, family and misfits that are inspired by the challenge. Through various

successful attempts at rigging high wires to structures around the world and meticulous observa-

tion of the WTC inside and out, the team perfects the strategy of their ultimate day of imaginative

fruition. Witnessed by unsuspecting bystanders in the WTC and on the busy morning streets of NYC

on August 7, 1974, this single act of defiance and art changed lives around the world for planting

the seed that once in awhile, the impossible can happen. [7] PET—Water He will steal your soul,

your heart and your ankles all in one fell swoop. This kitten is a relentless snacker and attacker,

yet was caught here in a vulnerable act of relaxation. Perhaps it’s because his name is Water (the

vet thinks it is Walter, which is more ridiculous) or perhaps it’s because three seconds after this

picture was taken he threw an upside down peace sign at the camera. Whatever it may be, this

kitty rocks. We smell a LOLcat post in the near future for this frisky feline. Send pictures of your

cute critters to pet@ionmagazine.ca to have them immortalized in print. [8] I Am Unlimited Marc

Ecko is at the forefront of promoting soical activism through the arts. The company is utilizing Marc

Ecko Watches as a platform to showcase individuals and projects from around the world that are

personally changing the lives of global communities. These individuals will be highlighted in 30-

second viral commercials with the tagline “I AM UNLIMITED.” Ecko distributors will be encouraged

to highlight activists and artists from their areas for future “I AM UNLIMITED” video spots. The

entirety of these video presentations will be shown in Spain in 2009. The first installment in the

series features the Canadian social activist Gavin Sheppard and his organization The Remix Project,

which encourages youths to get involved in urban arts. [www.marceckotime.ca]

[www.theremixproject.blogspot.com]

[2][8]

[2] [6] [7]

[DVD] Man On Wire [PET] Water I Am Unlimited

16ION

‘WATCH’ YOURSELF

Watches are no longer time pieces, but key staples of your outfit. We’ve noticed the trend on the street is to have a big, colourful, conceptual watch on your wrist.

Here are some watches we think you should add to your wrist and if you need the time, check your cell phone. [1] The Elite - Marc Ecko [2] The Deavaux - Nixon

[3] Skull by Marc - Marc Jacobs [4] Star Performer - Tokyo Flash [5] Neon Plasteramic Collection - Toy Watch [6] The Tribella - Nixon [7] Rosewood - Vestal

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

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ION THE STREET

CLIENT: DOSEJOB NAME: Paris DOCKET #: P08-0829AD #: DO3604PUB: ION MagazineAD SPACE: col x lines

OUTPUT SCALE: NoneFONTS: Apex

TRIM: 8” x 8”SAFETY: NoneBLEED: 8.25” x 8.25”INSERTION DATE: NonePPI: 300

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Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Studio WHIP:Volumes:Studio WHIP:DOSE:P08-0829_Celebrity_Art_Print:DO3604_Paris_ION.indd

chew them up.spit them out.

DO3604_Paris_ION.indd 1 8/18/08 11:35:35 AM

18ION

Who said that Canada doesn’t have an emerging streetwear

offering? Millburn by Owen Milburn is set to change that

notion. Owen brings garments to life with hand printed

graphics, paint-splattered effects, vibrant colours, an

abundance of personality… oh, and an owl.

Owen’s background stems from the hip-hop scene

in Victoria. He went on to study Interactive Art at Simon

Fraser University in Vancouver. There he pushed his creative

boundaries, focusing largely on installation and new media

art. His talents are evident in his new media art works, most

recently as part of an installation for Evan Biddell’s after-

party at L’Oreal Fashion Week.

After launching the short-lived but fashion-forward

clothing line A.D.D., Owen relocated to Toronto. Being the

entrepreneurial soul, he rebranded his designs in a rather

ironic way – this line had no name, but instead boasted a

stenciled image of his face as the logo. Owen launched this

project in the best way he saw possible – out of Kensington

Market, a community known to foster and grow local talent

organically. Renting space in the front yard of a Kensington

shop one summer, he made stenciled t-shirts with paint rollers

and a propane heater. Owen was a portable artist, carrying

his business home in a backpack when he was done.

His current line in the making, Millburn, is geared to

launch in Spring/Summer 2009. With it, he intermingles

urban culture and Canadiana themes like wildlife imagery and

First Nations influences. The line incorporates organic fibres

as well as environmentally friendly paints and dyes, keeping

in tune with the sustainable clothing movement. There’s a

touch of Owen in each item of clothing as they are hand

stenciled with love.

So what is it about Toronto that appealed to this

young designer and what is it that keeps him there?

“There’s something unapologetic about Toronto that I like.

I think Toronto’s fashion sense is really underrated, but it’s

interesting. Local stores are really open to supporting local

designers and I’ve seen some good success with boutiques in

Toronto.” A strong work ethic blended with a creative mind

is sure to see Owen Milburn to great successes – watch out

world, here comes the owl.

[Look out for the launch of the new line at www.millburn.ca]

STENCILS AND STYLEWords: Gloria Chik Photography: Natasha Ndlovu Styling: Toyo Tsuchiya

MILLBURN

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People Don’t Dance No MoreThey Just StaNd There Like ThisPHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDRE PINCES [NOBASURA]STYLING BY VANESSA LEIGHStyling Assistant: Mahsa Pazhouh. Hair and Makeup: Jessica Steblyk [Judy Inc.]Models: Robyn and Bronwyn [Richard’s]

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TEXT “IONFASHION” TO 82442ION MOBILE

28ION

Camilla d’Errico is an art factory. This

girl’s got an output like Andy, minus the

minions. Think wide-eyed girls in futuristic

cephalopod headgear, instead of Ms.

Monroe and Campbell’s soup. This prolific

Vancouver-based artist spends practically

every moment of every day creating, or

thinking about creating. Her body of work

spans many genres and mediums, and

has taken the form of video games, anime,

comic books, graphic novels, fine art, vinyl

and plushie toys, clothing, handbags and

anything else that she can get her hands on.

She and her older sister/manager AdaPia

make a formidable team, combining their

talents to make the most of each other’s

strengths. Camilla credits AdaPia with

helping ease the load, managing her many

projects and organizing her time, taking on

the business aspects of her ever-expanding

art empire.

After many years of taking every job that

came her way - paid or not - Camilla has

reached that enviable point in a successful

artist’s career where she can pick and choose

which projects she takes on. “If I ever did

a 9-5 job it would destroy me,” she says

with a sigh, when I ask how it feels to be

making a living from her art. It turns out that

- through a combination of hard work, luck

and stubbornness - Camilla has always found

some way of working in a creative field. And,

like many whose lives lead down imaginative

paths, she thrives on variety, treating each

aspect of her artistic practice as a new

adventure. Working in a variety of mediums

and genres serves as one of her many tools

for overcoming artists’ block. As a last resort,

she browses through photography magazines,

looking for striking visuals that just might

inspire her current work or send her spiralling

off in a new direction.

FACTORY GIRLThe Artwork of Camilla d’Errico

Words: Shallom Johnson Photography: Kris Krüg

ART

ION 29

30ION

AdaPia is not the only d’Errico sister to

be involved - all three of Camilla’s sisters

are the inspirations for The POOKS, a new

set of cute little characters who could

very well be the next Hello Kitty. Named

Poe, Kamel, Bean and Gawn-o, each one

is based on a sister’s unique personality.

As well there is a fourth “unofficial” sister,

opera singer Morgan Strickland, who’s

been an essential part of the d’Errico

family since they were kids. Camilla is

also collaborating with younger sister

Bianca on one of her “passion projects,”

Tanpopo, a unique graphic novel series

that takes advantage of what Camilla

sees as a huge opportunity for innovation

– merging two genres that typically don’t

mix - classical literature and comics.

Written by her sister and illustrated by

Camilla, Volume I was based on Faust and

Volume II will draw inspiration from The

Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

As is to be expected, Camilla has

always loved “drawing, doodling and

watching TV, especially cartoons.” Her

journey into the comic book world got

a kick-start back in 1998, when she

attended Comic Con International. “Most

people never find that thing that clicks,”

she says with a grin, “and that clicked

for me.” While attending Emily Carr she

worked for a small press company called

Committed Comics and found various

commercial illustration gigs. As always,

gaining experience outside of school

makes a world of difference - since then,

her career in comic books has taken off

and shows no signs of slowing down.

In 2004 she began development on a

six-issue manga series called Camilla

d’Errico’s BURN, a project that (like almost

all of her work) is multifaceted. Officially

launched at the 2008 Emerald City Comic

Con, BURN is slated for publishing in

2009 as a graphic novel, with publisher

Arcana Studio currently negotiating for

the series to be further developed into

an animation, a motion picture and a

video game. Her first collaboration

with Hellboy writer Joshua Dysart came

in 2007 for a two-part miniseries called

Avril Lavigne’s Make5 Wishes. She is again

collaborating with Dysart to develop

a graphic novel series based on her

signature Helmetgirls characters. “Joshua

has created a beautiful world, inspired by

what I wanted my girls to be,” she says.

An epic story set in a post-apocalyptic

world, this series is poetic and elegant

while also dirty, grimy and full of strange

technology. The two are meeting again in

New York in February to continue work

on the series. Camilla says that she feels

“truly honoured” that her artwork has been

able to “inspire and excite a writer like

Dysart who has been in the industry for

so long.” In addition to her work with

comics and video games, a large part of

Camilla’s current artistic practice falls

under the umbrella of Pop Surrealism,

a rapidly growing art movement which

is gaining acceptance in the fine arts

community at large. Her doorway into the

LA market and into fine arts in general

came as somewhat of a surprise. She

credits collector-turned-art-rep David

Freeman as providing the springboard

that launched this aspect of her career. A

phone call out of the blue led to a three-

hour conversation about the gallery scene,

which in turn led to her first ever solo

show at Gallery 1988 in San Francisco

that completely sold out before opening

night. Since then, the growth of this

genre has widened her fanbase. Feedback

from new audiences ranges from “pure

enjoyment” to some rather strange and

twisted interpretations, and often helps

Camilla to see her own work in a new

light. When asked for a “weird fan story,”

she tells of a guy who frequents comic

conventions asking his favourite artists to

add to his erotic “chocolate and fairies”

black book. “Some artists go crazy,” she

says, “A lot of the artwork is so explicit,

it’s shocking!” When he first approached,

black book in hand, Camilla was “terrified”

– but eventually she succumbed, adding

her own page into his fantasy fairy world.

Looking forward, Camilla will continue

the trend of bringing Pop Surrealists to

new audiences, and will be walking in

good company. She joins contemporaries

Ron English, Lori Early and Sas

Christian in having landed permanent

representation by Opera Gallery, one of

the most prestigious galleries in the world.

With branches in Singapore, Hong Kong

and Dubai, as well as closer to home in

New York and London, Opera juxtaposes

classic and contemporary works by artists

from many different periods in one space,

encouraging fans of more traditional art

forms to see the value in a genre that

they may have previously discounted.

Having finished off 2008 with a

showing at Art Basel and her “last

Vancouver show for a while” at El Kartel,

2009 will be a year of transitions, as she

settles into her new representation at

Opera. Along with a March show at Gallery

1988, she is planning a “final, goodbye

show” at LA’s Thinkspace Gallery before

she moves on to tackle the international

art scene. Also upcoming, she will be

included in numerous art books, notably

the 4th edition of Grafuck by Gallery

Nucleus, as well as Thinkspace’s Untitled

Love Project - in which her artwork is

accompanied by some cheeky answers to

a shockingly personal questionnaire about

love and relationships.

Camilla is also excited about the

upcoming launch of her own art book,

which will include fan favourites as well as

some never before seen works - sketches

from works in development, video games

and movies - that give old and new fans a

true look behind the scenes at her artistic

process, past and present. She’s traveled

a long and eventful road since that first

day at ComiCon, and she is nowhere

close to slowing down. As we sit drinking

coffee and talking about what lies

ahead, Camilla’s whole being practically

sparkles with excitement. With seemingly

boundless energy and a strong family

support system, it won’t be long before

this cheerful, charming artist wins over

the rest of the world.

The Artwork of Camilla d’ErricoART

ION 31

“If I ever did a 9-5 job it would destroy me”

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34ION

THE ART-VANTAGEVantage Art Projects

Words: Samantha Langdorf

During my first year of university my dorm room

looked like an Ikea catalogue photo, complete

with the framed print of Vincent Van Gogh’s

“Café Terrace at Night.” At three feet by four

feet, it was the largest and most impressive

piece of “art” I had ever owned, and I figured it

would give my dorm mates the impression that

I was arty. Thankfully, my tastes have evolved

since then and that Van Gogh print now lives

in my parents’ basement. However, despite the

fact that my interest in art has grown over the

years my knowledge is still fairly limited.

The art world can be a difficult place to

navigate, for both artists and art lovers alike.

There are lots of people who love art and who

are interested in collecting it. There are also lots

of people who make art and are interested in

selling it, but sometimes it can be hard for these

two groups of people to come together and do

business. Sherri Kajiwara and Jennifer Mawby

were concerned about this and decided to

create a way to increase the exchange between

artists and art lovers. In October of 2008, they

launched Vantage Art Projects with the motto

that “art is an essential service.”

“I believe that within the art world there

are two groups of people, content providers

and infrastructure providers,” says Jen. “And

if you’re not creating art, or providing content,

then it’s your role to provide the infrastructure

that’s necessary for the art world to grow.”

Vantage has a unique approach to providing

this infrastructure within the art world. Its

online presence serves as a forum where

emerging artists can showcase their work and

establish contacts, while art lovers can discover

new artists and begin building a collection of

affordable pieces. Twice a month, Vantage’s

“Fresh Picks” releases a limited edition fine

art print series available in three sizes which

range in price from $45 to $1,450. The website

also features artist bios as well as links to their

online portfolios.

“Our goal for the ‘Fresh Picks’ series was

to provide something that was immediately

accessible, but still met fine art standards,”

says Sherri.

The desire for accessibility is definitely

a driving factor behind all of Vantage’s

goals. After many years of working in the

fine art gallery world, both Sherri and Jen

acknowledge how exclusive it can be. “In the

Redbeard Rides a House Grave of Green and Yellow by Sandra Lopuch and Ben Edmiston

ART

ION 35

end, it’s a luxury retail business,” says Sherri.

“You have to sell expensive art in order to

keep the doors open.”

Sherri and Jen envision Vantage as a way

of rethinking the gallery experience. “We want

it to be accessible, but in the right way,” Sherri

explains. “We’re not dumbing down art, we’re

just figuring out a way to offer high-quality

pieces that are still affordable.”

One of the ways in which this is

accomplished is through their printing method.

All of the “Fresh Picks” editions are printed on

archival paper by a fine art printer. It’s a digital,

print-on-demand process that eliminates

the need for storage of excess prints. It also

reduces the financial risk that artists often take

on when making prints of their work.

As Vantage continues to grow, Sherri and

Jen see many opportunities for reducing the

financial gaps, as well as the educational gaps,

that exist within the art world. “We want to

make it easier for people to collect art,” Sherri

says. “It’s not unrealistic for people to spend

thousands of dollars on their homes, but then

decorate the walls with ten dollar posters. For

a lot of people I think this has more to do

with a lack of education rather than a lack

of interest.”

For now, Vantage remains in its introductory

phase but there are many plans for future

growth. Sherri and Jen are currently working

on developing the Art Press, which is the

publishing division of Vantage. Art Press books

will serve as exhibitions in print, and they will

showcase the work of new artists. In addition

to publishing the work of artists within the

Vantage network, there will also be open calls

for submissions through the website.

While Vantage is unique to Canada, there

are a number of similar international models,

such as Visionaire and Jen Bekman’s 20x200,

which have experienced noteworthy success

in the last year. Considering that Vantage

is only four months old, Sherri and Jen are

excited to see how Vantage will grow during

the next year, and they anticipate that it is

going to be a busy one.

[www.vantageartprojects.com]

Meander by Angela Grossmann Phone Home at Midnight by Mark De Long

36ION

“Good bands will find a way to make it

work,” says an excited Kip Berman on the

telephone from his self-proclaimed “dirty”

home in Brooklyn. Kip is the kind of young

man you would dream about as a teenager

in the Nineties who would swoop into your

town with his collection of Sonic Youth

cassettes and his love of all things precious.

His band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

is the kind of band you wished existed your

entire life, and he feels the same.

“I don’t ever want to be that guy in a

band who loves his music too much but I’m

probably like, the world’s biggest Pains of

Being Pure at Heart fan. If I wasn’t in this

band, this would be the band that I love.

This is the band that I would have loved

in high school when I was sitting around

with my friends (and we were sort of goth)

sitting in all night diners and talking about

anarchy all the time. This would have been

the band that I was totally in love with.

So it’s really cool to hear people respond

really positively. But I don’t want to say

how much I love my guitar sound because

I don’t want to be like that guy from the

Killers who got in trouble for saying that he

made the greatest album of all time.”

But it’s quite possible that he did. He

found a way to make it work. Drums heavy

on the fills, bass guitar that drives with

straight time, pretty keyboard pads, pretty

girl keyboard player, male/female vocals,

a guitar sound that’s a simple, punchy

Fender Jaguar referencing early jangle pop

from the UK (but with more definition) and

perfectly placed mini-solos. To a select

few, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart DID

make the greatest album of all time, and

Kip Berman knows who these people are.

“We started as kind of a joke, and we

played our first show at this warehouse

GROWING PAINSThe Pains Of Being Pure At

HeartWords: Trevor Risk Photography: Toby Marie Bannister

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MUSIC

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38ION

party and this dude who was a little older

came to it and he used to work A&R at

Elektra and he walked up afterwards and

was like ‘So.... do you guys wanna get

famous?’ and we were like ‘To twelve

people, yeah!’ and he was like ‘Then have

fun!’ and chuckled to himself. Our only goal

was, and still is, to be really important to

a few people. Given the choice between

being kind of well liked by a lot of people

or really loved by a couple of people we

always choose the couple because that

relationship is so special to me.”

“We’re a pop band and we write pop

songs,” our hero continues, “and even

though it’s easy to cite influences that we

have and different bands that we like a lot

(and that’s totally valid), you have to point

out that at it’s core it’s just pop music and

it’s not like this super heavy and elaborate

shoegaze stuff. I mean we rip off really

early My Bloody Valentine rather than later

My Bloody Valentine. What do all these

Brooklyn bands have in common? Well,

they all sound different but they all draw

on similar inspirations and we all have

similar record collections at home but they

kind of take it in different places. We don’t

really sound like Black Tambourine, but

we like Black Tambourine a lot so I can’t

help but think that there’s got to be some

element of their music in ours.”

Which of course makes it no surprise

that Mike Schulman, the drummer of Black

Tambourine and co-founder of Slumberland

Records gobbled up The Pains of Being

Pure at Heart pretty damn quickly. “It’s

really cool because other bands on the

label are bands we’re fans of, so it actually

feels like the label means something.

Slumberland has its own aesthetic, it’s

really strongly associated with a type of

music. Mike Schulman, who some people

refer to just as Mike Slumberland, is really

great. We’ll say ‘Can we do a seven inch

from the album?’ and he’s like ‘Yeah...’

‘Can we put it on blue vinyl?’ and he’s

like ‘Yeah.’ ‘Can we do another one on

red vinyl... like blue and red???’ and he’s

like ‘YEAH!’ He’s really supportive and he’s

really excited about us and he’s not sitting

there and trying to cut every corner.”

Good bands may always find a way to

make it work, but that may involve finding

an audience outside their home base. The

Pains of Being Pure at Heart have found

open arms of joy amongst the populations

of the UK and Sweden (not unlike

Canadian acts Martha and the Muffins

and Danko Jones respectively). Listen to

Kip Berman’s band and it will take only

a few moments to realize why. Fresh off

tours of both countries, Kip explains the

journey. “Sweden is such a bizarrely

alternate universe for pop music. Like, it’s

actually popular. The music we make is the

music there that normal people listen to

and not just what weird dirty people listen

to. It’s culturally receptive to The Pains of

Being Pure at Heart. It’s really cool that

there’s a place on earth where cool kids

in clubs go out dancing to Orange Juice

instead of Justice. Literally you’d go to a

club and everyone there is like 19 and cool

and amazing looking and totally stylish and

they’re dancing to like Orange Juice or

something like that. Not like what people

would dance to in Vancouver or New York.

The biggest show we’ve ever played was

in Stockholm. We’ve never played in front

of that many people before. It’s really

shocking to go halfway around the world

and find more of your fans than you would

20 minutes from your house. It’s really cool

how the internet allows people to find out

about stuff and helps bands that obviously

don’t have the resources to go out and tour

the world. It’s wonderful that people can

hear our music without having to special

order us or write us and ask us to make

a tape of it or something. Metallica gives

a hard time to people with the idea of

downloading music for free and depriving

musicians of whatever, but it’s totally the

opposite for a band like us. It enables such

a wider audience of people to enjoy us and

pass along the music to their friends. It’s

been really helpful to us that people even

care enough about us to leak our album.

One of my friends when we were over in

England was like ‘Your album leaked’ and I

was like ‘Coool!’ Someone cares enough to

actually leak our album!”

You heard the man. Get it, rip it, share

it, and love it with all your...er... heart.

[Catch The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

February 12th in Toronto at Neutral and

February 13th in Montreal at Il Motore and

then soundtrack your St. Valentine’s Day

with their self titled debut album out now

on Slumberland Records]

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ION 39

40ION

Pip Brown is sitting in her hotel room in

Melbourne, waiting for another call. Today the

girl known as Ladyhawke is more like Rapunzel.

She waits for the phone to ring, and for a voice

to appear on the other end of the line, from

the other end of the world, and for it to ask

the same questions that until months ago, the

bashful singer had grappled to answer.

When Pip released her self-titled debut al-

bum, in September, she lit up the music in-

dustry’s radar. The more she was labeled The

One to Watch, the more she became the one

to talk to.

Her music, bombastic 80s-inspired pop,

has the confidence of a rock chick and the

playfulness of a pop princess. It’s this duality

that earned her the attention of both Courtney

Love and Kylie Minogue after the release of

“Paris is Burning,” a forceful dance single

that Pip wrote after a romp through the Paris

nightlife.

The dramatic synthesizers, the dance

beats, the catchy guitar hooks – all of which

she records by herself before enlisting the help

of a band for live appearances – betray Pip’s

meek personal manner. In person, she speaks

softly – and a little adorably – in her native

New Zealand accent. She punctuates her an-

swers with the occasional nervous chuckle,

which makes you feel like maybe she’s tell-

ing you a secret.

But when Pip laughs lightly, it’s not coquett-

ish. When she hesitates or struggles before an

answer, she’s not being demure. Pip is just shy

– genuinely, painfully shy. In September, she

revealed to The Guardian that she had recent-

ly been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome,

an autism spectrum disorder. It was a reve-

lation that helped her understand her lifelong

awkwardness.

And at first her awkwardness may look

like a hipster affectation. It makes her look like

she’s scowling in every press photo, or des-

ultorily slouching in every music video. But

in person, it’s surprisingly endearing, precise-

ly because it isn’t a belabored affectation, but

a normal and relatable reaction to her sudden

rise from obscurity.

A self-declared introvert, Pip, 27, says she’s

been waiting years to build the “air of confi-

dence” needed to be pop artist. Luckily, She is

nothing if not patient.

When Pip was eight years old, she would

play her mother’s old Beatles record on a bro-

ken record player, spinning the record patiently

with her finger to play her favourite songs over

and over. After her stepfather, a drum teach-

er at her school, introduced her to the drums

when she was 11, Pip started taking lessons.

From there, Pip says, “I played in a grun-

ge band, I played in a garage rock band, and I

played in a hardcore band.”

As part of the hard rock band Two Lane

Blacktop, Pip caught the attention of Nick

Littlemore, an Australian music producer and

one half of both the dance music duo Pnau,

and the electronic music duo Empire of the Sun.

When her band broke up two days prior to

a gig at South By Southwest, Pip made the un-

characteristically impulsive decision to relocate

from Wellington, New Zealand to Melbourne.

“There’s only one thing in my life that will

make me move, and that’s music,” says Pip,

who admits to being otherwise homey and un-

adventurous. “It was just something that I felt

needed to be done.”

Once Nick heard that Pip had come to

Australia, he asked her to join him in Sydney

for a pet project he called Teenager. Just as

she is today with the press attention she re-

ceives, Pip was flummoxed that Nick had even

heard of her. Flattered, she agreed to join

Nick’s project, and the two played together

from two years, the timid Pip alongside the ec-

centric and captivating Nick.

But for those two years, Pip furtively devel-

oped her own work.

“Teenager was Nick’s project, his baby,

and I felt like I wasn’t doing what I wanted to

do, which was my own music,” says Pip, who

avoided pitching her new songs for Teenager.

“I didn’t want them to be Nick’s, I wanted them

to be mine.”

When she did play her solo songs for Nick,

he encouraged her to develop them, and helped

her record a demo. Slowly, starting in 2005, Pip

started developing her work under the moniker

Ladyhawke, after the 1985 fantasy film.

“It’s not like I was inspired by the mov-

ie, I just thought the name was really cool,”

Pip laughs, adding, “I wanted to have a name

that sounded empowered and a little bit, I don’t

know, magical.”

In 2005, Pip was compelled to island hop

once more, moving to London, where her mu-

sic was getting more attention than it was in

Australia.

“But that’s changed now,” she says, with

her album topping at #16 in Australia and #47

in the UK.

Reviewers in both hemispheres have sung

her praises and compared her to Eighties

chart-toppers like Pat Benatar, Kim Wilde, and

Cyndi Lauper, although the last one, says Pip,

bemuses her.

“I love Cyndi Lauper’s music and I think

she’s great, but I can honestly say I can’t see

the similarity.” With a chuckle, she adds, “And

that’s the one that everyone quotes!”

So who would she want to be com-

pared to?

“I don’t see any reason other than I really

admire her, but I’d say Patti Smith.” With her

blonde mop of hair, and penchant for boy’s

clothes, Pip’s pick doesn’t come as much of

a surprise. Neither is it a surprise that the

timid Pip would admire the commanding

Godmother of Punk.

“If there’s anyone I’d love to be

like, it’s her.” She adds with a chirp,

“So, uh, yeah.”

SHE’S SO UNUSUALLADYHAWKE

Words: Nojan Aminosharei Illustration: Kate McLaren [www.kate-mclaren.com]

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42ION

THE NAME GAMEThe Band Name Book

Words: Kellen Powell Illustration: Calen Knauf

The Band Name Book by Noel Hudson is

exactly what it sounds like. The book breaks

its self up into several categories like,

“animals” or “death stuff”* and then lists

the bands that the author found relevant in

that category with a short blurb. I found that

if I scanned for a band I wanted to know

more about I’d usually see something I

wanted to know about before finding what

I was originally looking for. From there I’d

generally see something else funny and once

I exhausted one train of thought it was easy

to move onto another one.

The book advertises on Amazon as being

a reference book where you can have the

origins of every band at your fingertips. After

spending some time with it however, it’s

clear that Noel would rather regale you with

the thousands of stupid and often hilarious

names of bands you’ve never heard of, than

actually give you any substantial history

on the ones you know. Although I was

disappointed when bands I wanted to know

about were missing, to the book’s credit,

there was usually something amusing listed

alphabetically where “Pop Will Eat Itself” or

“Atari Teenage Riot” should have been

Although it’s disappointing and frustrating

to see that your favourite bands have been

missed, it’s also really clear that the author

doesn’t care. He’s way more psyched about

“Fake Shark Real Zombie” or “Crack Horse”

(because Crack Horse sounds like “crack

whores”) than he is about writing music

history. So maybe the best way of describing

the book accurately would be to say what it

isn’t, and it isn’t one of those Rolling Stone

compilation books or a companion to rock

documentaries. It’s not using band names

as an excuse to talk about the bands, it’s

actually about band names.

There is an art to band names that I

never fully appreciated until I spent time

with this book. The author is a Canadian who

takes pride in having been in weirdly named

bands since he was 16, and is arguably

more enthusiastic about band names than

he is about music. A lot of the bands listed

will probably never be heard from in any

significant pop culture capacity, but certainly

deserve to have their names go on record.

The Band Name Book is available for

about twenty bucks after shipping on

Amazon and if you’re the kind of person who

likes to read the local music papers when

you’re visiting other cities, or you spend time

browsing MySpace for new bands and are

generally amused by indie music scenes

and music culture this book will be a good

thing to have kicking around. It’s nice to pick

up while you transit or to browse while you

eat your cereal or take shits or when and

wherever it is you do your casual reading

(you’re probably there right now reading this

magazine!).

[*ION stole the book back from me before I

finished writing this article so this probably isn’t an

actual category but you get the idea.]

MUSIC

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[1] Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion Domino By now you’ve probably read half a dozen 331 –

1,009 word reviews about this record. Including those very accurate word counts, I want to be specific.

Beginning with the cover art: its intensity will have you tripping balls from any distance (computer screen

or otherwise). The thumping bass will break the plates on your walls and the teeth in your mouth. My

friend hallucinated while listening to this record, although his notion of hallucinations is slightly askew,

you might also! On “My Girls,” Animal Collective responds to Madonna’s truthful reasoning that “we are

living in a material world.” This response is creating poppy pop with reflective lyrics like “I don’t mean

to seem like I care about material things… I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls.” Cute!

Now that Panda Bear has a family, it is interesting to hear a remarkably produced, more mature, yet still

experimental record. This is the one for 2009. And you knew that. So, things to do: attend a listening

party, strike up a situation in which you dance with a certain someone and smile and say, “I like this

song…” Then, buy a record player and the vinyl because it will, I promise, take you on at least one

unforgettable trip. 5/5 - Stefana Fratila

[2] Circlesquare Songs About Dancing and Drugs Boompa I’ve never liked dancing and I’m finished with

drugs, but Circlesquare’s Songs About Dancing and Drugs is tempting me to do both. They’ve encouraged

me down this dark path with the addition of guitarist Trevor Lawson and drummer Dale Butterfield. The

duo pulls Circlesquare away from the electronic lockstep of previous releases taking the album toward a

humanized avalanche of sound. This shines through on songs like “Dancers” and “Hey You Guys.” Guitar

parts start awkwardly, building toward something you’re not quite sure of, until it all comes together with

that single missing snare hit. Jeremy Shaw’s coolly detached vocals ride the edge of mechanical goose-

stepping and human emotion, with the tendency toward the emotional in songs like “Timely” and “Music

for Satellites.” While listening I kept finding myself singing along with Jeremy’s nah nahs and doot doos,

so much so that I was soon singing along without even knowing the words. Circlesquare has convinced

me to start snorting ones and zeros and grinding with guitar feedback.

4/5 -Troy Sebastian Alden

[3] Cut Off Your Hands You And I Universal Cut Off Your Hands’ debut album You and I is boring. This is the

first album I have had trouble reviewing because it’s just so… middling? Usually I can find something

either outstandingly good or bad to write about, but not so in this case. This album is fine for what it is;

an example of how, in a post-everything culture, it’s okay to reach back 20 years, pick out an already

bland style of music and bland it down some more so as to not appear retro. Lead singer Nick Johnston

sometimes sounds like he’s channeling Rick Astley, sometimes Robert Smith, but mostly he’s channeling

straight formulaic whatever-the-hell kind of music this is. Okay, seriously, I am listening to the album right

now as I type this and it just really inspires no response whatsoever and that might be all you need to

know about Cut Off Your Hands. 1/5 -Bix Brecht

[4] Faunts Feel.Love.Thinking.Of Friendly Fire Recordings There are advantages to being a band in Edmon-

ton, Alberta. You don’t get pigeonholed with your sound, you get to be remixed by Cadence Weapon (if

you’re lucky/any good) and you get to sound like the bleak winters (the sound of a bleak winter being

the only advantage to living through a bleak winter). Faunts’ third album doesn’t sound like anywhere

though and that’s what its first hook is. Taking shoegaze to a weird contemporary place is difficult, and

sometimes Feel.Love.Thinking.Of misses, but the record eventually finds a perfect place to live; somewhere

between an overcast November day and a poignant scene in a Darren Aronofsky feature. The more

adventurous listener will put it on for a late evening lovemaking session, and the casual listener can at

the very least appreciate the wide production. Add in that the standout track “It Hurts Me All The Time”

sounds like a perfect amalgam of a Lilys song, a Sega Genesis game and the Eric’s Trip tune “Happens

[1] [2] [3] [4]

44ION

REVIEWS

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Animal Collective [Merriweather Post Pavilion] Circlesquare [Songs About Dancing and Drugs] Cut Off Your Hands [You And I] Faunts [Feel.Love.Thinking.Of]

MUSIC

All the Time” and you’re left with an album that hits, misses, but comes out the of tunnel with a trophy

in hand. 3/5 -Trevor Risk

[5] Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy Universal Axl Rose kept the world waiting sixteen whole years for

the follow-up to Use Your Illusion I/II. Considering it took Guns N’ Roses my entire lifespan to create

this mindfully-titled record, I was expecting something a little better. Although when the 45-second intro

of actors and actresses ‘excitedly speaking about nothing’ came on, I wasn’t really that surprised. For

weeks, my friend told me how pumped his customers were about the anticipated release, answering

the phone with “Welcome to the Jungle! Guns N’ Roses out on November 23rd!” At that point, I didn’t

know very much about them (except that they existed). I actually told someone I was reviewing Guns

N’ Moses... a reference to my Civilization homework, right? No? Well, I ultimately asked myself “Who

is going to buy this?” and I realized it could only be two particular groups of people: those guys with

‘cahraaazy’ belt buckles and the parents of those teenagers that make out at steamy house parties (all

the time). Just like those parties you don’t go to anymore (but remember vividly because of their cheap

strobe lighting that got to your head), that’s what Chinese Democracy feels like. 0/5 - Stefana Fratila

[6] Love is All A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night What’s Your Rupture? It’s not hard to smile, you don’t

even need an excuse most of the time. Well, if you bought stock in Circuit City or you work (worked)

for GM or you’re getting generally fucked by the world you might. Or maybe you’re just not a very happy

person. Hey, some people aren’t. You might take drugs to make you think that you’re happy, but they don’t

work. Just a side effect to mask a symptom. You’re really better off removing all of the stuff in your life

that makes you unhappy like hate and violence and money and greed and Stephen Harper. Then what?

Then you’re just an empty shell that used to be filled with shitty shit. Now you need LOVE... and that will

make you smile for sure. Now if Poly Steyrene’s voice didn’t make me want to stick sharp pencils in my

ears I would compare Love is All to Xray Spex, but the sax is the only real similarity. Oh well, I’m going

to compare them anyways. The Xray Spex make me hurt (in a good way) some of the time, Love is All

makes me not hurt (in a better way) all of the time. 5/5 Hayz Fisher

[7] Mr. Oizo Lambs Anger Ed Banger I can’t stop listening to this album… Mr. Oizo is electronic club

music for people who like their electronic club music goofy and weird. The only problem with his discog-

raphy up until this point was that there weren’t enough solid dance songs or party anthems. Even though

Mr. Oizo pretty much conquered mainstream dancefloors on his first try when he released “Flat Beat” 10

years ago, he never really followed it up with any other bangers (unless you count “Stunt” which is a little

too intense for most parties.) But now we have Lamb’s Anger and it’s filled to the brim with the dumbest,

silliest rave anthems and party jams imaginable. Dear Mr. Oizo, “Bruce Willis is Dead” is so awesome that I

forgive you for producing Uffie. My only fear is that I’ve preached the greatness of this album in print, when

it was supposed to be some sort of treat designed especially for my brain. This is my favourite collection

of Oizo’s work so far and I hope he keeps going in this direction. 5/5 Kellen Powell

[8] A.C. Newman Get Guilty Last Gang Records It’s hard to find fault in a Carl Newman-styled pop song. He

knows just what to do to make a song catchy and somehow, I always feel inspired when I listen. It also

helps that I feel like I’m listening to a new New Pornographers record. The album starts off with “There

are Maybe Ten or Twelve”, a similar song to the Peter Bjorn and John Writer’s Block album opener. Make

of that what you will! As you listen, you will subconsciously add kazoo on “The Heartbreak Rides”, start

chopstick coffee table drumming on “Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer” and “la la la la” along on “Submarines

of Stockholm.” Just sayin. I adore the closer, “You All of My Days and All of My Days Off,” as it confirms

that a clever title can prove a song wonderful too. Like Miranda July having a short film entitled “Are You

the Favourite Person of Anybody?” - obviously it’s going to be precious. Or, at the very least, perfect to

write on a mixtape tracklisting for someone you love. 4.5/5 -Natalie Vermeer

[7] [2][5] [6] [8]

ION 45

Guns N’ Roses [Chinese Democracy] Love is All [A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night] Mr. Oizo [Lambs Anger] A.C. Newman [Get Guilty]

46ION

Holy moly we’ve found such a gem in

Lil Tuffy this issue. Montreal has a

reputation (mostly due to Leonard Cohen

stories) of being more stylish than the rest

of the country and we will now solidify

that idea. If there were a Billboard chart

for poster artistry, Lil Tuffy would be

the equivalent of Rumours. “My style is

something that is constantly changing.

I don’t want to make the same thing

over and over again so I am constantly

experimenting. But there are some common

elements in the bulk of my work. A lot of

my work focuses on what you can’t see by

utilizing negative space and placing only a

portion of an image on the poster. I usually

work with a very limited palette.” Be certain

to check out http://lil-tuffy.com for more

graphic perfection.

LIL TUFFY

LIL TUFFY

POSTER ART

ION 47

PISCeS: Everything is about to go batshit

crazy, Pisces. Tomorrow morning, a section

of your torso will be missing and gravity will

have no effect on your body between 3:30 and

5pm. This week you will witness the seas part

and there on the exposed ocean floor will be

the original cast members of Saved By The

Bell nude and on fire. A ghost will appear in a

saucepan and convince you to join a pyramid

scheme, and Louis Riel will arm wrestle Cap’n

Crunch in your bathtub. Get a disposable

camera.

TAURUS: Everything you do is flawless and

brings us all toward a social Utopia that will

end world hunger and obliterate awkward

situations where you have to introduce

someone to a person who’s name you can’t

remember. All the other signs are shit. Gemini

is a sell-out, Sagittarius smells his fingers on

the bus and Cancer keeps burning erasers in

the attic with his “friends”. You rule, Taurus.

This is not a biased reading, I promise.

SAgITTARIUS: There has got to be a reason

why your inner thighs smell like mushroom

soup, Sagittarius. It’s time to go to a clinic.

And if liquid that you don’t recognize comes

out of your body , it’s never a positive thing.

Get a job with health benefits or stop only

eating food that comes from gas stations.

ARIeS: Remember when you would

flirtatiously chase someone you liked around

the schoolyard, and the pain you felt when

they didn’t reciprocate the flirtation, and

instead screamed and told on you? It wasn’t

because they thought you were ugly. It’s

because they were eight years old. And you

were 26. But you ARE ugly. And you will die

alone.

geMINI: Yelling “Bingo!” is only appropriate

in one place and under one circumstance. You

are confusing everyone at the bank. Although

I can see how you could mistake “B44” with

the triplet boy band, I do not understand why

every time you see a picture of Fred Savage

you punch the nearest person and take your

clothes off before singing “Eye of The Tiger.”

You are an enigma.

VIRgO: The tables of road rage will turn this

week when you accidentally jerk the steering

wheel and end up in a TGIFridays full of

schizophrenics who will think you are a time

traveler who wants to steal their hair. They

will be much more hostile than you when you

deliberately rear-ended a car because it had

a bumper sticker that read “My honour roll

student entitles me to boast publicly.”

LeO: Don’t listen to that meth dealer. There

are better ways to motivate yourself to clean

your house. Put on some upbeat music

and dance while you mop, or smoke a few

crack rocks and cast away your worries of

cleanliness and replace them with manic

motor skills and crippling paranoia.

CAPRICORN: Stop wearing ironic T-shirts,

tight pants, vintage pump-up high tops and

neck bandanas. You are wearing a uniform

for pretentiousness. And quit collecting black

velvet paintings and rare vinyl records before

going to coffee shops with your fake friends to

make loud belittling comments on how they

should watch indie films that you like. No one

likes you anymore. You are an empty husk of

self-congratulation.

LIbRA: Here are some life tips, Libra: 1)

Cheese tastes great with wine, but cheese

does not taste great in wine. 2) If you run out

of clean plates, simply turn them upside down

and pretend it’s a pedestal for your meal.

There is nothing wrong with being creative.

Go ahead and eat Ravioli out of the can with

a hair comb. You can do what you want,

because you are an independent woman.

SCORPIO: Drinking “the hair of the dog that

bit you” only works for hangovers. Don’t take

this literally. It does not cure rabies if you were

actually bitten by a dog and then drink it’s fur.

However, drinking a double Jack and Coke at

11 in the morning will also not cure the fact

that you are an alcoholic.

AqUARIUS: Hey Aquarius, it’s me, Adam. Why

haven’t you replied to any of my messages on

Friendster? Have you found a new socially

unifying website? And why don’t I see you on

ICQ anymore? Get back to me and hopefully

we can hang out in a chat room or share song

files on Napster. Also, please send help. I am

somehow trapped in 2002.

CANCeR: I will tell you exactly why you have

crabs. It’s not because that’s your astrological

animal. It’s because your astrological symbol

is a sideways 69. And that sexual position is

what caused this. Any time you get pubic

lice from someone’s face, you know they are

trouble. I already talked to Sagittarius. We’ve

made an appointment at the clinic.

Adam Pateman is a comedian based in

Vancouver. For more articles, videos, art,

and upcoming show info, go to

www.adampateman.com.

HOROSCOPESTHIS MONTH: ADAM PATEMAN

48ION

DINOSAUR COMICS BY RYAN NORTH www.qwANTz.COM

COMICS