Kendra: At this point, hip-hop has been ingrained into our culture that it’s apparent in everything we do, from the way we talk to how we dress. For you, though, what was the initial draw to hip-hop and the culture it inspired? 

Kaden Frost: I love the fact that in hip hop, no matter how good your material is, you can continue to improve your craft. It’s become addicting for me to chase growth in the game of hip-hop. It’s something I’ve seen from artists like J. Cole, Kendrick, Eminem, etc., and it’s something I love about the culture of it.

Kendra: So you dropped your first release back in 2020. Had you had plans to get into music that year, or were you more motivated by the aspect of, if not now, when? 

Kaden Frost: I’ve had plans to get into music back when I was 13. I heard a track by Eminem and realized I wanted to do more than just listen to rap. I needed to create my own stuff. Since then, I’ve been making music and working on my craft.

Kendra: How would you say you’ve grown as a songwriter when comparing the material on ‘2020 Graduate’ to “No Season?”

Kaden Frost: A huge amount, I’ve definitely been able to create my own sound more. I feel like my writing skills have grown immensely, and I have more purpose to every line.

Kendra: Which, in “No Season,” you mention fighting off demons. Has music always been what you’ve leaned on when combating hardships in life? 

Kaden Frost: Definitely. Whenever I’m pissed, or things are rough, I almost get excited because I know I’m going to get a good song out of it. Recording is my way of releasing my stress, anger, sadness, etc. It’s therapy for me.

Kendra: You’re out in Salt Lake City, Utah. Not a place that is known right off the bat for hip-hop. How is the local music scene out there? 

Kaden Frost: At first, I thought it was non-existent, but the more I’ve gotten into it, I’ve grown to love the scene out here. Not a ton of rappers, but because of that I’m able to be impacted more by other types of music that has helped me create my own sound. 

Kendra: Time for a side note – this month, we’re asking everyone to contribute a song to our ‘ZO Summer 2023’ playlist. So what summer anthem would you add, and why? 

Kaden Frost: I actually wrote a song the other day that I’m gonna call “Dope World.” I wrote it on the beach to be able to completely catch that summer vibe, and I think the song does a good job with that.

Kendra: Lastly, with “No Season” out now, what else is on the horizon for you at the moment?

Kaden Frost: I got a whole career ahead of me. I’ve got some crazy collabs planned, I’ll be at some big music festivals, and I’ll be going on tour next year. Y’all just gotta follow me and watch the journey because it ain’t ending or slowing down anytime soon.

The post It’s Kaden Frost Season appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Whether they were in Hawaii or stateside, one thing was always for sure when it came to The Moss – they were going to win over anyone who came within earshot with their alt-rock ways, and they have. Sold-out shows left and right for The Moss have made them ones to definitely watch and chart-topping heavy hitters. Their own Tyke James came through to talk about locale changes, fanbases, and more like their latest release, “Insomnia.” 

Kendra: The band kicked off a handful of years ago, but was this the first time each of you had been in a band, or had y’all gotten your feet wet elsewhere before?

Tyke James: Addison and I have been playing together since we were young teenagers in a band that was sort of evolving into The Moss, so I’d say The Moss is the first band he and I have played in. Our drummer Willie drummed in a couple of reggae bands growing up, and Caiden had a high school band with his buddies. But The Moss is really everyone’s first shot at really making it happen as a career.

Kendra: And to go from Hawaii to Utah, that must’ve been a culture shock on a lot of levels. Was the move based on getting somewhere the band could take advantage of touring?

Tyke James: The band was actually dissolving as we’d all moved away from Hawaii. Addison moved to Utah for school, I was mobile living in a van, and it just so happened we started jamming together again and with Willie for the first time. Our first “real” shows ever were out here in Utah in 2019.

Kendra: Which, the fans come out and support when your name is on a bill. Do you have any advice for bands that might be struggling to carve out a dedicated fanbase?

Tyke James: I think the truth is there’s no shortcut to building fans; it’s just to do your best and know that it’s not an easy thing to do. Oh, and don’t have a plan b!!

Kendra: So let’s talk about your 2023 release, ‘Insomnia.’ It reminded me of not only summer but the music that used to be filtered into the likes of Hollister; so still very beachy. Is that those Hawaiian roots coming into play?

Tyke James: It definitely feels natural playing beach music as a lot of us consider Hawaii home. Our biggest reggae fan is definitely Willie though, he’s our drummer and from Arizona!

Kendra: To date, you’ve cracked the top 20 on Alternative Rock Radio, and have been mentioned in some of the biggest music publications and sites, but what are some goals you’ve set in the back of your mind that you’d love to accomplish this year?

Tyke James: The goal as always is to just keep playing bigger and better shows and making sure we’re making every show better than the last. We would love to get out of North America this year and play for some foreign fans!

Kendra: Now it’s time for a side note – with it being almost May, I always think of the end of the school year and all those memories of field trips, parties, and yearbooks. With that, I’d love to know what your fondest end-of-the-school-year memory was?

Tyke James: I didn’t go to much school but I remember after I finished first grade my cousin rented a bouncy house in his front yard and we tipped it over and ate ice cream with all of our friends. That’d probably be my school party highlight.

Kendra: Lastly, with ‘Insomnia’ out now, what else can fans expect as we continue towards summer?

Tyke James: Mainly just more shows for now, I don’t like mentioning anything that’s not set in stone for juju reasons. But we have a lot of shows coming up in a lot of new places!

The post Up Late with The Moss appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: As someone who is a fan of romance and love, were you inspired as a child by the voices of Disney Princesses and whatnot? Or were you always tuned into the radio?

Heather Walton: I do love romance and love. I often listened to the music of Disney when I was little (especially Disney princess songs) as they fit so well with my voice and I enjoyed singing along. However, I was inspired by the music on the radio as well.

Kendra: You hopped on YouTube and started putting out covers a few years ago and like Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber, you were discovered. Were you surprised when that happened?

Heather Walton: I uploaded my first cover, and hours later I was discovered by a Canadian mastering engineer who wanted to work with me and is still one of my biggest supporters today. I wasn’t expecting it to happen after my first upload. At the same time, I’ve been working on music my whole life and was ready, willing, and feeling like it was my moment to finally share my art with a bigger audience.

Kendra: For me, some of the best content on YouTube are the covers artists do. I think growing up during the start of ‘American Idol’ instilled that love of cover songs in me. For you though, what do you believe makes a cover song stand out as something sort of original?

Heather Walton: When I do a cover I make it my own for sure. If I don’t feel a buzz when creating it, I know that no one else will either. So, I work on it until I feel that it’s uniquely me.

Kendra: Now you’re making your own music. Can you tell us more about working with Sonos Music Records and getting your latest, “I Wanna Know” out and about for all to hear?

Heather Walton: Working with Sonos Music Records has been amazing. They respect and take care of their artists. My arranger is top-notch and is a dream to work with. I’m grateful to have a professional team backing me. Love my dream team! I Wanna Know is the song I always wanted to write, and now I have the resources to help me spread the word so that others can enjoy it too.

Kendra: “I Wanna Know” takes me back to a time when these beautiful ballads owned the FM dial. In today’s landscape of music, it’s as though the romance is sort of well…a little nonexistent when you look at artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Jessie Reyez who aren’t shy about telling past partners who’ve scorned them what’s up. Does that make an artist that is filled with so much love and romance feel a little uneasy, or do you see it as a challenge to make these types of songs huge hits once again?

Heather Walton: My personal mission as an artist is to help others feel love, passion, and light. I think artists must share what resonates in their hearts the most. We are all unique and have our own story to tell.

Kendra: Which, when I think of those big ballads, I think of some of your heroes like Whitney, Celine, Mariah, and Christina. With that, we’re going to play a game we often play here and that is Cover, Duet, Tour With. So out of Celine, Mariah, and Christina which would you want to simply cover for fun, duet with in the studio, and which would you hit the road with – and yes, we’re omitting Whitney because she takes the cake in all three categories. After all, she is the Diva of all Divas.

Heather Walton: Whitney really is the ultra diva! I would want to cover Celine, duet with Mariah, and hit the road with Christina.

Kendra: Lastly, it’s getting a little easier with the vaccine rollouts, but it’s still kind of hard to have a definite answer when it comes to future plans given the current state of everything, but as far as what you can control when it comes to your career and creativity – what do you have planned in the coming months for yourself?

Heather Walton: Right now I am composing my EP which will be recorded in Italy this Fall. While I am there we will have a music video shooting as well as photography. In the coming years, I hope to perform on big stages with an orchestra or even smaller events with a string ensemble. I also want to collaborate with some artists like Andrea Bocelli, Hauser (cello), Pia Toscano, David Foster, and Carrie Underwood. A massive dream is to get the opportunity to create art with the incredible Hans Zimmer! Go big or go home. I also want to collaborate with Disney. I am open to so much. With effort, passion, and faith I know the universe will bring exactly what is meant for me.

The post Covering all the Bases with Heather Walton appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Music has always been a passion that’s run deep within the confines of the reality Kristen Beckwith but several years ago she put it all on hold to combat being in a bad place. She notes it was “a dark chunk of life” adding, “Making the choice to seriously pursue music in 2017/2018 was a process! It wasn’t immediate. It was more of a gradual realization that that’s what I was meant to do and what I truly wanted to do for my life.”

Today, Kristen has pushed herself out of the dark place and into the light with the help of her debut, ‘A True Story,’ as well as the adventures that come with being a new mom. We talked about her growth, mental health advocacy, and more with this delightful singer-songwriter.

Kendra: How do you feel you’ve grown as a songwriter from “My Heart Passes Time” to your 2020 debut, ‘A True Story?’

Kristen Beckwith: Oh I feel like I’ve grown so much! The few songs I wrote before I made the switch to pursue music seriously were very different from the songs I eventually wrote for the album. Practice and experience were the driving factors in that area I think! I started writing a lot and performing a lot, and I think that helped me find my groove. I learned how to express myself with my songwriting. It’s something I love to do and am always learning more as I go along!

Kendra: On the album, you have a beautiful song called “Safe Place.” If we were to build a physical safe place inspired by ‘A True Story,’ what would the design aesthetic be?

Kristen Beckwith: It would be cozy! My husband laughs at how often I use the word, “cozy.” I love a cozy setting. To me, it means warm, comfortable, and inviting. A physical “safe place” that matched my song, “Safe Place” might be a log cabin with a fireplace and soft carpet, with big windows, and beautiful artwork of nature on the walls. Of course, it would need to be good food and your favorite people!

Kendra: You’re not shy about talking about mental health and being an advocate, but that hasn’t always been the case for many – especially musicians. Do you feel as if these conversations had always been normalized that we could’ve saved some of history’s best and brightest musicians from eventually leaving this world behind?

Kristen Beckwith: For the most part, I do believe that. Mental health issues can be some of the most incredibly lonely and scary issues to face. And so much of it is perpetuated by fear and shame and feeling alone. So the fact that mental health is much more openly discussed now is amazing and I’m sure life-saving in many cases. At the same time, since it is such a lonely issue, some people still suffer in silence.

Even now when I’m having anxiety or going through something difficult mentally, I don’t always want to reach out. I do because I know I need to. But mental illnesses are sneaky and the thoughts that come with them can convince even the most knowledgeable and otherwise sane people to not reach out and to bear it alone. It’s rough! But absolutely, being open about it has definitely been a helpful step in that area.

Kendra: Are you involved with any mental health organizations right now, or are you looking to partner up in the future?

Kristen Beckwith: I’m not involved in any mental health organizations right now. I would be open to that in the future for sure.

Kendra: Time for a little game we play every so often here – it’s called Cover, Duet, Tour With. It’s pretty easy…when it comes to Joni Mitchell, Sara Bareilles, and Kacey Musgraves…which would you like to cover, duet with, and hit the road with?

Kristen Beckwith: Sara Bareilles! I’m a big fan! I love her music and do cover it often. It would be amazing to duet and tour with her!

Kendra: Lastly, it’s hard to have a definite answer when it comes to future plans given the current state of everything, but as far as what you can control when it comes to your career and creativity – what do you have planned in the coming months for yourself?

Kristen Beckwith: Good question! I actually just had a baby! It’s been amazing and difficult and everything in between. So, along with being a new mom, I am starting to write new music that I plan to release this year. I also plan to release more covers. And in October or November of this year, I will be releasing my first full-length Christmas album. I’m excited to see where this year takes me and my music!

The post Kristen Beckwith: A Cozy Safe Place appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: Music and science, not the most uncommon pair in the world but how did you step into the creative realm?

Iyes Keen: I have always been writing songs and making music in one way or another. When I was younger, it was more about copying other musicians, which is an important part of learning how to become a musician; everyone does it on some level.

As far as actual creativity goes, science started all of that. Until I started looking at the world like a beautiful and complicated puzzle, I had no clue what real creativity felt like. I started writing songs and poems about it pretty early on, which is difficult because I think most people want to hear about love. I find math especially creative. Which is funny, because everyone I know who enjoys math seems to think they’re locked out of the creativity club. They have no clue that they are actually leading it. How would we understand beauty if we didn’t have mathematicians?

Kendra: Have you been able to use things you’ve stored away as a scientist towards your budding career as a musician? Any correlations there?

Iyes Keen: Absolutely and entirely. It spills into everything I do, especially music and poems. My favorite thing to do is to sit somewhere and think of all the little things about the microcosm that also apply to the macrocosm. It is so cool to be able to experience the world unfolding, and connecting over and over again. My favorite so far was when I saw a nucleus gateway, and all I could think about was a black hole.

Kendra: You’re also a fan of science fiction and with a song like “A Walk to Your Planet” I have to ask if aliens finally stuck around once they got to Earth – what venue would you take them to and what artist would you see together to showcase the best our planet has to offer in terms of beauty and art?

Iyes Keen: This will sound super lame, but my favorite venue is the studio. I get much more out of watching people in the creative process and just trying things out and letting their words and sounds surprise them. I am LOVING these quarantine shows, though! Lights and IamIamWhoAmI both did these live YouTube performances and the production level was fantastic. I believe they were both outside, in nature, in the dark with synthesizers and lights and fog….all of that in the middle of nature is so appealing to me. It’s blending my favorite worlds.

Kendra: Maybe you’d take them to a show of yours and listen to “Wait a minuteWait?” In a year where waiting was the ultimate norm, do you feel humans have evolved to have more patience?

Iyes Keen: Yes, and no. It probably depends on a combination of what type of person you are when it comes to coping with change, and what type of person you already were when this all happened. I have a lot of patience, and I expect things to just unfold around me, as they normally do. But I know there is a lot of anxiety because none of us really know when it will end. At some point, we were given one, but now it is just…up in the air.

So I hope we are all learning to be patient. But I also hope we are all taking advantage of this opportunity to grow and become comfortable being alone so that when we get back out into the world, we appreciate physical connection more than ever. I realize that I was FAR too comfortable alone in my room.

Kendra: You’ve got a few singles out now, but are you working towards a full LP soon?

Iyes Keen: Yes, yes, yes! I am working on an album called ‘Molecular Machines.’ It was originally going to be an EP, but just recently I decided I needed more room to tell a story. It is much darker than I anticipated it would be, but it feels right. It is more in line with the kinds of media I seek out myself. I just didn’t know how to make these sounds when I first started producing it, and the vocals especially….learning to mix vocals was torture. Lyrically it is turning into more of a progressive metal vibe. I can hear djenty chuggs in my head when I listen to it, but of course, I’m not really putting any of that down into the songs. It’s kind of like a secret instrument no one other than me will hear. But yeah….it sounds like my favorite movies, and that’s what I wanted. So I am crazy excited about it.

Kendra: Lastly, it’s hard to have a definite answer when it comes to future plans given the current state of everything, but as far as what you can control when it comes to your career and creativity – what do you have planned in the coming months for yourself?

Iyes Keen: Oh, no way, there is ALWAYS room for plans! Three things come to mind here:

– I want to improve on the producing side of all this. Producing is so hard. Especially when you’re writing and recording at the same time. I have tried separating them, but I can’t. They all go hand in hand. I am writing, recording, mixing, etc all at once. Sometimes it overwhelms me, and I lose whatever spark I had in that moment. So I will have to step away for a day and come back.
– Live performance. I haven’t played any live shows since 2010. Even so, I had a band then. I only had to worry about guitar and vocals. I’m not sure how to work out these performances when there is so much to do. Even with like, just live looping alone, it takes god-like powers to make all your loops sync up perfectly. I am working on it, though. I will probably do live shows on Twitch or Instagram at first, then branch out once I’ve grown some real balls.
– Finishing my work! I have the album, finishing my 2nd book of poetry, working on my microscopy, and jumping in and playing around with my friends on their Podcast. It’s called “What’s Yer Weird Story and it is probably exactly what you think!

The post Iyes Keen: The Equation of Sound appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: Being a freelance anything can be a scary and unstable career. Have you always been in this line of work or did you start elsewhere and realize that photography was a better fit for you?

L.M. Sorenson: Definitely can be an irregular and sporadic profession. I try to be good with predicting, earning and saving but like a lot of things, you can only try your best. I also have many years of working in the healthcare/administrative role with our Department of Veterans Medical Centers. There are some similarities and some like skill sets you will use in roles like this as well as photography in working with strangers, people whom you have to create a quick relationship with. I am firm in the fact that I am much more invested in my photography work than anything else I have been involved with.

Kendra: For me, being a freelance writer, I’ve always felt like you have to hustle more than your friends with the typical 9-5. Have you found that to be true? If so, what is your number one hustle tip to aspiring photographers?

L.M. Sorenson: Hustle. No one is going to tell you your next step, there are not a lot of clients that will contact you, guide you, drive you to get a, b, c done. I think it is key to not only work hard to hone your craft but to get good at doing so efficiently.

I have had struggles “getting over things” so to speak, just letting go of small things, focusing on and getting the work done. There is usually a slight separation between your art and the work you are creating for clients; sometimes they are one and the same and that’s the magic right there, but it is very important to enjoy the work along the way regardless.

My advice would be something simple and I think universal for a ton of people. I would say keep engaging with people, not just during shoots, aimless networking at events or liking content arbitrarily but commenting, giving feedback, being honest and sincere. I always find being nice and connecting is always the way to create and keep creative relationships.

Kendra: You deal with a lot of different styles from the wedding/engagement shots to landscapes to live music. Where did you start and how do you choose which avenue to try and master next on your list?

L.M. Sorenson: With choosing what to do next, it isn’t always the straightforward process, it is a constant battle of what has inspired me recently, what do I think I can do better, and absolutely who is paying this month?

I would love to say I go with what moves me and try things as I feel, but what clients are asking, what is available and then sorting out my own projects, my ideas and creating something cool just seems to happen in the in-between.

Kendra: You’ve mentioned that you love to shoot music that moves you. With that, what’s the last song that moved you? Whether it be emotionally or it inspired you to go for something.

L.M. Sorenson: 100%…Photographing something that moves you, something that you enjoy I think amplifies the experience of it, makes your new work, new creations more special and rewarding. I would say I haven’t been moved by a particular song in a while, although I love music and I enjoy a ton of songs from many artists. But I would say I am more inspired by the energy of the concert itself I would say, moved by the passion of the artist. Watching someone create, getting lost in their craft, in the flow, as they say, I think that is incredibly inspiring and that definitely makes me keep creating as well.

Kendra: For you, what’s #1 on your photography bucket list?

L.M. Sorenson: I would love to be involved in the movie, music and entertainment industry more, whether that be a portrait photographer for a publication, on tour or working with musicians and record labels to create cool work. I also think I would thrive in an environment such as a stills photographer on a movie production set.

Kendra: As we head deeper into 2019 and soon into 2020, what do you have planned? More shows, Comic Cons? What’s going on?

L.M. Sorenson: Planned currently, I am working more and more at selling my own art and prints of my work. I am planning on a bunch of events; I am going to work with Salt Lake Comic Convention again here this September! A bunch of concerts, and a lot of shoots such as some BTS dance performances, working more with creative professionals, more headshots, more travel and landscape photography, more everything. I am wanting to get a start on a bunch of special projects as well, I have a whole notebook list full of ideas ready for the right mixture of time and effort.

The post L.M. Sorenson: Moving with the Flash appeared first on ZO Magazine.

“Singing was something I always secretly wanted to do while I was growing up. I was way too scared and insecure to get into though,” says the singer-songwriter. Again, only comfortable in his room, he started to work on his craft in his late teens, “I started locking myself in my room attempting to teach myself how to sing by singing along to the songs I was writing and other songs I was listening to. I was really terrible for quite a while, but I just kept practicing and eventually got the nerve to start singing in front of small groups of people.”

Today Mason Murphy is happy to have made it out of his bedroom, and frankly, so are we. His latest single, “No Apologies,” takes us back to a time when singer-songwriters were legit all the rage. We talked about that, what’s to come from him, and more.

Kendra: We’re both not only introverts but appreciators of Rob Thomas. I am a HUGE Matchbox Twenty fan and was happy to see some love for him from you. Do you toss any MB20 into your performances?

Mason Murphy: It always makes me happy to meet a fellow Matchbox fan. I haven’t performed any of their stuff yet. I would definitely like to try and do a song of theirs justice in the future. They were the first band I became a fan of as a kid and the first concert I ever attended so their music means a lot to me. I also think all of Rob Thomas’s work is super great and massively underrated.

Kendra: I ask because listening to “No Apologies” took me back to the best days of Vh1 when not only Matchbox Twenty was all the rage, but bands like Savage Garden. Singer-songwriters with pure talent. Do you feel like we still have those today in the mainstream other than Ed Sheeran?

Mason Murphy: That was exactly my hope for the song so thank you for saying that! As far as great singer-songwriters in the mainstream, I feel like there are a few others but not many. James Arthur is one that comes to mind. It’s kind of a struggle for singer-songwriters to get their share right now because of the impact that hip hop and electronic music has had over the past decade. However, I think in the near future we’ll start finding our way back into the mix again.

Kendra: Let’s talk more about “No Apologies.” Where were you mentally when you penned that?

Mason Murphy: Mentally I was going through a little bit of a self-discovery phase. Not really anything too crazy, but something I feel like most 20-year-olds go through. Learning how to deal with new, weird anxieties that come from the unknown that the future holds and the pressures of feeling like you need to need to get your life started, even though none of that pressure is actually real.

On the other side of that, I was reflecting back on a relationship I had recently been in that was kind of an emotional roller coaster. It didn’t exactly end in sunshine and rainbows. I wanted the song to tell the story of a situation in the relationship where one person is making the decision to walk away and the other person is trying to do well the exact opposite. The last thing the person trying to stay wants to hear at that moment is the word sorry because what usually comes after that type of apology is a goodbye. Getting the person who’s walking away to stay is their only motive. No matter what has happened and even if it means it won’t last.

I like to write songs all throughout a breakup. However, the ones that usually turn out the best are the ones that come a little while later after I’ve had time to process things and have a more clear mind about what actually happened versus what my feelings think happened.

Kendra: Do you have any plans for releasing more music this year?

Mason Murphy: I do! My goal is to release roughly a song a month for the next little while. I want to gain a more solid fan base and also a more solidified sound before releasing any projects. I also want my first project to really tell a story. Until I feel that story’s ready to tell I’m gonna do what I can to get a lot of singles out there.

Kendra: Any plans to tour in the coming months or are you keeping things local in Salt Lake City?

Mason Murphy: I would love to tour if that becomes a possibility! My hope would be to land a gig as an opening act on another artists tour. That would be a dream at this point and I can only imagine how much fun it would be. In the meantime, I’m planning on doing some cool local shows and a lot of recording.

The post Mason Murphy: Bedroom Antics Turned Public appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Will Terry could’ve kept his lessons to himself, but he was kind enough to share some of the things that have led him to where he is today.

Kendra: Throughout school, you said that you didn’t take to anything but art. When did you realize that wasn’t something that made you less than but was rather a gift that made you unique

Will Terry: I think I’m still coming to this realization. We can never fully forget the painful moments in our past. We can gain perspective on how they fit into who we have become though. I had a friend who majored in illustration alongside me tell me last year, “I thought I went the safe route and thought you took the risky road when I went into graphic design and you started freelance illustration. Now that I’ve been laid off 12 times and had my finances wrecked over and over I can see that your road was the smoother of the two.” Having these conversations over the years has helped me realize working on my own projects has led to the financial stability I’ve enjoyed over the past 7-8 years.

But prior to that, I rode the roller coaster of a freelancer who earns intermittent money with plenty of dry spells. We also had our financial woes during the 2008 housing crash but through that experience I learned that building multiple streams of income built stability. Now I have three major sources that make up my income: Freelance children’s books, selling fan art at comic conventions, and my online school, Society of Visual Storytelling, where we teach people how to illustrate for publishing and animation.

@WillTerry

Kendra: Now you’ve been in art one way or another for over 20 years. You actually got a bit of a more corporate chapter in your life doing advertising. Even though it’s still art based, do you feel there are creative limitations when you work in advertising or editorial?

Will Terry: Absolutely. Advertising clients, in general, don’t respect the artistic process or the artist as the expert THEY chose to deliver what they saw in his/her portfolio. It’s almost always an exercise in anger management – but the money is almost always 4-5 times better than publishing – so choosing to work with them is to understand the game and play along as a means to an end.

Kendra: Your lengthy career also includes illustrating children’s books. You’ve said you love to see their reactions to the drawings. Can you remember the first children’s book that had that effect on you?

Will Terry: It was a book called Urashima Taro. It’s a Japanese fairytale about a boy who stopped some bullies from killing a sea turtle and the gift/curse the turtle gave the boy. It had a profound effect on me. I identified with the turtle right away…and the ending was disturbing yet meaningful. I didn’t realize how much I would care about telling stories later in my life.

Kendra: Do you finish a story before you start to sketch, or do you go page to page with ideas flowing through your mind?

Will Terry: It’s a combination of both. I can’t start reading a new manuscript to writing a story without visual ideas firing in my mind…doubt anyone could. I do try to resist creating visual characters until I fell I fully understand the story. Working too fast can create value that I’m resistant to discard for better ideas later.

@WillTerry

Kendra: I came to know you at LA Comic Con thanks to your LITTLE series. Me and my fiance have three in our bedroom now! Is there a character you haven’t done that you are maybe weary of taking on?

Will Terry: I have a list of characters I’d love to tackle but I’ve learned not to start on one without a solid concept first. Link from Zelda is one such character. It’s interesting. After doing 125 characters and counting I’ve learned that I know it when I hear the idea – or come up with it on my own. I’ve sent lots of friends and family to dinner or given them gift cards on Amazon for a killer idea. The craft of the visual art is what people see first at my booth. So it has to be compelling enough for them to take a second look. The concept is why they end up buying the print or book. Story is king and that’s why authors typically make more money than illustrators. It took me many years to finally understand this.

Kendra: You’re very helpful with your vlogs when it comes to advice. What’s the best advice you’ve gotten in terms of making a career out of art?

Will Terry: My best advice is to create art for yourself. It’s so simple but most artists don’t learn how important this principle is. When you create art for someone else you don’t love it as much – and it shows. That’s why people don’t respond to it. If you create for yourself you will bleed for it. And the people who are just like you will find it – and it will speak to them.

Kendra: What is going on for you come the new year?

Will Terry: I’m working on a few new classes at SVSLearn, working on some new characters for conventions, and starting the sequel to Bonaparte Falls Apart published by Penguin Random House. It was wildly successful during the Halloween season so they are greenlighting the next book! Yay!

Kendra: We are trying to bridge all the artistic realms we represent at ZO. So if you had to make a playlist that represents your art, what five songs would have to be on it?

Will Terry:
“Second Chance” – Peter Bjorn and John
“The Ghost Inside” – Broken Bells
“Grey Day” – Zoot Woman
“Sometimes” – Miami Horror
“6AM” – Fitz And The Tantrums

The post Will Terry’s Illustrative Life appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Not too long ago, last Friday in fact, Westing dropped I Haven’t Been Feeling Myself. A record Matt Mascarenas admits “truthfully is” personal due to certain aspects, which you can read about below. You can also see where he’d hide his heart in true Poe fashion, some nerves and more. Then when you’re done checking that out, make sure to get yourself a copy of the new EP and if you happen to be in the Salt Lake City area – check Westing out at Urban Lounge on May 4.

Kendra: This project started to take shape a couple of years ago. If you were to compare this journey into being a solo artist to a road trip across the US from east to west, what state would you say you were in right now and why?

Matt Mascarenas: I imagine that I’m nearing the Midwest — I’m able to see the progress and still have the excitement to keep going.

Kendra: You also mentioned this was a transition into a post rock sound. Musically, why was that the direction you felt creatively was right for you now?

Matt: This is what comes out naturally. I grew up listening to punk and hardcore and wanted the music I make to have some sense of urgency. With these new songs, I’m able to get aggressive while still keeping them rock songs.

“Hide Your Heart”

Kendra: I Haven’t Been Feeling Myself dropped in mid-April. So then we’ll be able to hear what you’ve been working on. Are you nervous to finally share the music?

Matt: I’m excited to finally release these. I felt more nervous about releasing acoustic songs because it was such a new experience whereas this feels right at home with what I want to be doing.

Kendra: It sounds like you got personal on this record. Do you ever have any reservations about being too personal when writing?

Matt: Truthfully, yes. Not the fact of opening up about some topics, but eventually having a change of heart. I’ve learned to let music become that moment in time rather than a conclusion. I want the songs to be honest and if I do end up having a change of heart down the road, I will write a new song to address it.

Kendra: On a bit of a lighter note, going off “Hide Your Heart,” (which ya’ll can hear on the new album) where in your house would you indeed hide your heart from an intruder?

Matt: I would hide it under the floorboards.

Kendra: Will you be touring with the release of I Haven’t Been Feeling Myself?

Matt: Absolutely. We will be announcing some dates this summer.

Kendra: Lastly, here at ZO we’re all about the arts. With that I wanted to ask you to either draw or submit a piece of art that you feel best represents your sound?

Matt: The album cover was created by Minas Halaj and I connect to it fully.

The post Westing Fails to Hide the Heart, and Gets Personal appeared first on ZO Magazine.

Kendra: Before we start, what made you want to go by the moniker Westing instead of your actual name?

Westing: I guess I never really thought of my name as an option. I’ve started several projects over my time but this was the first that I started on my own.

“Crooked Pictures”

Kendra: For a lot of people 2016 really hasn’t been the best, was this the year you thought of when composing Rough Year?

Westing: Absolutely. The title of this EP was the last thing I came up with. This was an impromptu recording session, so I found myself writing the lyrics the night before any vocal session and didn’t allow myself the time to second guess anything, and the title Rough Year sort of stuck. It wasn’t insinuating any type of defeat, rather acknowledge a year that I hadn’t anticipated.

Kendra: You sing in “Calm Down,” “I can’t be angry anymore.” Was that the point in which you felt you had to turn that rough year around – when you wrote that line?

Westing: Yes it was. I knew that I had to become more focused on creating better opportunities for happiness or I wouldn’t feel any better.

Kendra: With that, was this record more about the therapy it’d be or being creative?

Westing: It absolutely was. I didn’t have plans to make this. I had anticipated being on tour, but then my schedule completely cleared within a few day period, so I booked a couple days at Archive Recordings and gave myself a reason to write. Another therapeutic aspect of this EP was that I had no expectations of what these songs were going to sound like. I originally wrote them as acoustic songs, then changed my mind once we were set up to record. I had no real intention on releasing this until going back into record “I Am Here” a couple months later. It truly did change my perspective and I feel myself again.

“Calm”

Kendra: Four songs deep, were there tracks that didn’t make the cut that we may hear in the future?

Westing: I didn’t have any to cut since I wrote these on the spot. This did motivate me to keep writing. In fact, I just finished recording another record and I’ll have details about that sometime next year.

Kendra: Maybe it’s too soon to be talking about another release but perhaps you’ve got your mind on shows. Will fans be seeing you on stage soon?

Westing: Yes and with a full band. We played our first full band show a few weeks ago and I’m excited to continue on with the loud shows. I’ve got a few solo shows lined up throughout the winter as well.

Kendra: Lastly, what’s to come with 2017 for you?

Westing: New music, a ton more shows, and making it better than this year.

The post Westing’s ‘Rough Year’ appeared first on ZO Magazine.