AVOW #22

AVOW #22
$2 Keith Rosson 1615 SE Main St.,
Portland, OR 97214
keithrosson.com
Avow has been around for a long time. I picked this one up the other day when I was on a work-related road trip to Portland and had a few hours to check out Reading Frenzy and Powell’s. This is a collection of stories about Keith’s life. To be honest, this zine started slow for me, I had a hard time getting into it. This wasn’t due to a lack of talent on Keith’s part, I immediately recognized his talent for the written word, but for some reason I couldn’t connect to the first three opening stories. That having been said, there are 12 stories in this zine and from the fourth, “Our Children’s War” on, I was hooked. At times this is a hard zine to read in that it deals with a host of painful issues, foremost of which is the death of his father. It also deals lost love, mortality, substance abuse, and child abuse. Keith’s writing is insightful, engaging, and he has an uncommon knack for bringing the reader into whatever scenario quickly and personally. This is a heavy read that regularly made me uncomfortable, angry, and even happy, often in the same story. But this zine isn’t entirely about the horrors of the real world, case in point is the hilarious story, “Tim Armstrong is Porn” which is quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve ever read in a zine. It explores the insecurities that many of us feel when buying things that may inaccurately stereotype us by the various employees behind the counter. I could relate all too well. This is a fantastic read.

THE MATCH! a Journal of Ethical Anarchism #108

THE MATCH! a Journal of Ethical Anarchism #108
donation (give what you can)
POB 3012
Tucson, AZ 85702
The Match has been around since 1969 unapologetically keeping tabs on elite power, religion, authoritarianism, and all statist laws. I haven’t read the Match in a while, 8 years to be exact. It’s still as beautifully laid-out and informative as I remember it. It is inspirational to know that the Match hasn’t lost its razor’s edge over the years. This issue explores the topics of workplace politics, Islamic apologists: not so fast!, a very scary story about a botched hernia that left the patient impotent (and just how common this has become), and a host of other pertinent issues explored from the perspective of well-informed anarchists.

THE FURY #11

THE FURY #11
Mark Novotny
5413 6th ave
countryside, IL 60525
formerly known as Shazzbut, this is a straight-up hardcore punk zine that I got in the mail in trade. Its old, I think it came out around ’02. Interviews with Soophie Nun Squad, Frontside, and a funny story about dressing up like nerds and going out on the town.

EXTINCTIONS #5

EXTINCTIONS #5 &
POLVO 1-5
$1ppd, prefers trades
Joseph Delgado
2290 Peck Rd
Mohave Valley, AZ 86440
Extinctions is a really beautiful zine. Joseph’s drawings are haunting, moody, and meld seemlessly into his poetry to create thought-provoking and, at times, graphic imagery.

Whereas Extinctions is focused on the personal life of the author, Polvo is more radical and protest-oriented. Like Extinctions, Polvo is also a mix of collage, drawings, and poetry, but has more of a “Fuck you” attitude. The author does not hold back his opinion which appears to be totally fed up with the straight world of Draconian Arizona politics. Intense stuff.

I AM A SILLY BITCH

I AM A SILLY BITCH &
AN UNEDITED MIND
by The Force of Nature
$1ppd rabblemonster@gmail.com
These are two zines that completely explore the author’s every waking thought. He explains at the beginning of An Unedited Mind that, “I promise when I am sitting at this type writer I will write everything that pops into my head. No matter how dark, or evil, or cheesy, or random, or embarrassing it may be” and that is exactly what you get. Most of this consists of thoughts, reflections, and regrets about a past relationship. He doesn’t hold back and lets it all out

I Am a Silly Bitch is also a random collection of stories and thoughts. Topics explored are, Douche Bags (which I thought was hilarious), the idea of being completely honest, drinking, do we really care about the environment, and some interesting stories about the author living in the psychiatric ward of a hospital for a while. These zines are both well written and written on a type writer. They are pretty bare-bone and raw, which I always like.

I’M ONE OF AN ODD FAMILY

I’M ONE OF AN ODD FAMILY #1
meandmyfamily@ymail.com
This is an incredibly sloppy and very odd zine. I liked it a lot. It’s sloppy sloppy sloppy, purposely sloppy and full of sloppy colors and sloppy interviews. The author is young (I’m guessing high school) and is tapped into some pretty interesting music. Most of it appears to be underground hip hop and noise. There’s also an interview with the Brown Panthers and some weird drawings. I liked this zine because it feels kind of subversive and edgy, but looks so goddamn cute.

YOU DON’T GET THERE FROM HERE #13

YOU DON’T GET THERE FROM HERE #13
$2ppd, Carrie McNinch, POB 49403
Los Angeles, CA 90049
One of my favorite things over the past 18 years of reading and writing zines is opening the mailbox to find a new issue of anything that Carrie is involved with. I love her art, her humor, and her ability to be vulnerable and honest about her daily life. She really lets the reader into her world, sometimes that world sucks, sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s embarrassing, and sometimes it’s touching enough to make a big guy like me tear up and cry. This issue primarily deals with the steady decline and heartbreaking loss of her cat Jesse. It also has stories about the ever-present rattlesnakes along her jogging routes, as well as loneliness, booze, and food. If you haven’t seen her comics before, its time.

The RUB @The Iron Horse 3-20

mucho talentia + many funny = The Rub

Darlene rocknroll fanzine

drop me a line at the email address listed here and I'll send you one

"Darlene #4 was apparently five years in the making. Yeah, that much time passed since #3 and I don’t fully understand why because this was SO FREAKING AWESOME. Zines like this one are what first launched my teenage punk-ass into DIY print culture; people professing their love for music and being kind enough to share it with all the other nerds out there in the world.

This guy is clearly obsessed with Rock-N-Roll. Like, OCD status. He also has an enviously extensive knowledge of the genre. His nerdiness regarding the subject and friendly, non-pretentious voice made for a great intro essay about aging rockers, Napalm Death, and the appropriate uses of the prefix “post” and how it relates (or doesn’t) to new music. His writing is the highlight, but he followed it up with some fun interviews: Zeke and Javelina to give an example, and even a brief chat with Andrew WK (huh?).

This was too much fun to read, and as I said before, little gems like this remind me why I love zines so much. So, Mr. Spaghetti, please figure out how to manage your personal life in order to produce Darlene in a more timely manner. I’ll be waiting by the mailbox".-Kelly Dalbeck, Ashcan Magazine


"...Our author Randy also harps on something I also hate, the use of "post" before everything and coins a new term, PSPA post-scenester pseudo-audiencism, which describes the station of the older punk who has moved to a non-urban place, a real job and relies on the internet to hook them up for good music...my favorites are the kooky illustrations and the "Two Questions" interviews, in which Andrew WK fits in. It's a funny zine and a good read, especially for us aging punks" -Mariam Bastani, Maximumrocknroll

"Essentially, Darlene consists of personal recollections and anecdotes from the mind of an obsessed music fan who knows what he likes and doesn't worry about trends and scenes. His writing is pretty engaging and draws you into his little world which appears to consist almost exclusively of drinking, talking rock, and listening to rock....This dude goes above and beyond the written call of duty, to points of near-obsession and you shouldn't be suprised if he ends up telling you that he was the guy on Slayer's DVD with the band's logo carved into his flesh." -Kevin Stewart-Panko: Metal Maniacs

"I've gotta hand it to Randy Spaghetti, Only he could explain the power of Slayer by comparing them to a cute and little (but brutal) songbird called the Loggerhead Shrike and actually get away with it. Darlene has some excellent writing." - Maximumrocknroll

"Within the pages of Darlene No. 3 (2005), Randy Spaghetti expresses undying fealty to Slayer, the Melvins, and cheap booze; with this fourth issue appearing five years later, his loyalties are unchanged. Darlene touts itself as a "Rock-N-Roll Fanzine," straight, no chaser, and fulfills that function admirably. Any fears that a move to the backwoods of Idaho would temper the irreverent wit that compared Slayer's longevity with the feeding patterns of the loggerhead shrike in No. 3 will be quelled by the fourth issue's two-question interviews with the likes of Andrew W.K. ("Party Hard" singer and motivational speaker) and Zeke and a tongue-in-cheek essay on "Post-Scenester Pseudo-Audiencism."' Business as usual, in other words. Randy's writing style is uncluttered and conversational, and his aesthetic is photocopied and hand-drawn, a winning combination. He promises that a fifth issue is nearing completion".—Matthew Moyer, Jacksonville P.L., FL

Jim Harrison

This is a quick sketch I did of Mr. Harrison. A tiny tribute for all of those amazing words.

latest outlaws & vigilantes

This is TOTAL FEST VIII !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Total Fest is 3 nights, 50 bands, a record swap, a bbq, @Missoula, @the Badlander.

I could only attend Saturday, but it was more than enough. I don't think I have the kind of rock-conditioning necessary to survive all three days.

Thanks Josh, Nikki, and everyone else involved. It was amazing....

(pics: Japanther, Glassell Park #3)

Damage Done

Hardcore. Straight up

on the way back to Coeur d'Alene today we stopped in St. Regis Montana to pee (its about half way and i have a very sensitive bladder). As I was walking down the isle the singer for Damage Done walked toward me. I immediately flashed my new Total Fest VIII shirt, fist bumped him, and told him that they ruled.

Sandrider

Although Akimbo wasn't playing this Total Fest, I kept seeing dudes from Akimbo walking around and watching bands. Turns out, two dudes from Akimbo and some other cat are called Sandrider and they as battle as all hell. This was an unexpected gift from the Total Gods and it was goooooooooooood.

Goddammitboyhowdy

punk rock, straight up

Japanther

after they spent five minutes making a goddamn health drink in a blender on stage, Japanther pounced on the Badlander to end the evening in a joyous sweat-and-pabst soaked dance orgy.

El Zombi Gato

Millie trying her best to attract zombies

Git Some

These guys were incredible, they sound exactly as their name implies. The singer, however, was standing in front of me during Helms Alee and kept fist-pumping his hand in my face.

Helms Alee

For me, this was the band of the night. Not-so-subtle ambience combined with acutely reserved brutality.

its a life style

our new band (and I use that term loosely)

sign of the times

I can't say that I didn't see this coming, my beloved Skyscraper is no more. For the past seven years this has been one of my three go-to mags for sweet music knowledge. Every other month I would eagerly snatch up the latest issue and spend the next three evenings alone in my room drinking whiskey and listening to the bands covered online. Your pages have introduced me to so much amazing music and art across the spectrum. For this I am truly greatful.

my glass is raised in your direction.

latest from the sketchpad

hmmm

Mike and.....And

Tim and Dave back together again for Dave's wedding. This was really cool, these guys are as funny as it gets. Hopefully somebody will post the whole performance on youtube.

The DaveErikon

after ten years of dating Dave and Erika are finally getting married. Two passenger vans were rented, two drivers hired, two teams of ten, one referee, ten bars, challenges galore. epic.........

zinEs

From 1994 until roughly 2002 I published Spaghetti Dinner & Dancing fanzine. I was obsessed with it back then and had the time of my life. During that time I got to know all kinds of amazing and gifted people through the mail and through their zines. We shared stories and art and followed bands and causes, all courtesy of the United States Postal Service. It was an incredible time and worthy of my romanticism. We were all in on a big secret that empowered and inspired a movement centered around the anti-consumer philosophy of DIY; do-it-yourself. Our only masters were the postal workers of America.
Unfortunately, I lost touch with most of the people I had been corresponding with due to time and circumstance. In 2002 I moved from my beloved Missoula Montana in search of action and adventure and started guiding hikes professionally. It was a dream job, and along with a new and very serious relationship, my priorities shifted.
It wasn't until I stumbled upon the website, "wemakezines.ning.com" about two months ago and started reconnecting with some of those people that I decided to document it all. So, here is my first installment of some of the incredible zines and zinesters I have come in contact with over the years. Its a small but personally significant sampling. (Bear with me on this, I'm not the most computer savy cat, plus I like to drink and listen to loud music during the evenings when I have time for this....)
Zine culture is still alive and thriving. Obviously the internet changed things a bit, but I think that we are starting to recognize that the things that made fanzines so unique and cool back then are even more important now. The idea of actually holding something in your hand that someone made and reading a type or hand written note along with it.....in the anonymous, cold, and confusing world of today's internet, cut and paste seems high tech.

Firsts

Furia was the first zine I ever got in the mail. It was intensly personal and well written. The Dove was the first zine I ever wrote. It was really bad.

Tatterfrock

Another great everything punk zine. What the hell is TJ up to these days?

fucktooth

Jen Angel. DIY. This was a great zine.

Flipside

Flipside was like the Vince Vaughn to Maximumrocknroll's John Favreau. Both are cool, but Flipside was a bit more hip.

Dishwasher

Like a lot of people who were working dead end jobs and reading Dishwasher fanzine, I kinda always hoped I would run into Pete in some dishpit somewhere. Unfortunately I never did. This is a classic.

Kittums

I bought the first two issues of this zine at a J-Church show from Mikel who was running the band's merch counter back in 1994. It's a zine about her cats Kittums & Jesus. I lost those old issues a long time ago, but still remember how funny and low-tech they were, which is always my favorite kind of zine.

Sic Teen

I don't think Reverened Norb ever put out another issue of Sic Teen. If he did, let me know. I love this zine, the actual zine. Its like having a piece of rock history from someone who knows more about rock history than anyone else. Rev. Norb is a complete rocknroll schitzophrenic, an enigma of the highest order.
The other pic is of an interview I did with him in SD&D #1.
Norb writes a column and does reviews for Razorcake.

Shat Upon

Andy Smetanka is a very talented person. This zine was an early example of that talent. When he stopped publishing Shat Upon, Missoula was left with a serious cultural void. This was a big zine in a small town. After each issue came out there was always a buzz for a few weeks about the content. It was packed with Missoula history, stories, band reviews, interviews, and strange Northwest cultural happenings.
I once wrote an article for Shat Upon about animal scat. Traditionally after an issue came out, Andy would take all the Shat Upon writers out for free beer at Charlie's to say thanks. To this day, I have never had a worse hangover....
Before I left Missoula in 2001 Andy and I spoke on a panel about our experiences as zinesters at the Montana festival of the Book. It was a cool bookend to my Missoula days.
Andy went on to become the Arts Editor at the Missoula Independent. He currently makes stop-action animated movies and music videos. Check his stuff out at nickellbag.com

Maximumrocknroll

To say that MRR is my favorite zine is an understatement. I wouldn't even know what a zine was if it weren't for that fatefull encounter with MRR at a Helena Montana record store in 1990. When I first started thumbing though it at the counter, I had no idea what the hell was going on, it was so sloppy and full of weird bands and people that I had never heard of. But it looked cool and I have always been intrigued by the weird, pissed off, and opinionated of which MRR most definitely is. I picked it up and gave it to a friend of mine who was into punk rock. He tore into it and explained it all to me in a way that my thrash metal and mullet head could understand. It wasn't long before I lost the mullet and was reading MRR every month.
Maximumrocknroll is an institution. It remains the most consistent and relevant punk rock forum in the world. maximurocknroll Pob 460760, San Francisco, CA 94146-0760 (maximumrocknroll.com)

the postcard is from Tim Yohannan about a year before he died.

10 Things Jesus Wants You To Know

This was one of the largest Northwest zines for a long time. It was kind of like the Pacific Northwest's MRR, or Flipside. Based out of Seattle this zine covered this region's bands and punk culture in a way that seemed a bit more personal than some of the other large zines. Although there were a ton of writers, columnists, photographers, and artists involved in the making of it, it always felt like Dan's zine when you read it. Dan Halligan is still very active in the world of zines and Northwest rock. Check out his blog, 10thingszine.blogspot.com Its updated regularly and full of great pictures and stories about northwest punk rock.

Monkeybite

After all these years Grindcore continues to be one of my favorite genres of rock n roll. This zine, which amazingly enough was put out by two monkeys, focused its energy on grindcore and the promotion of all things simian, except non-grind humans. For some strange reason, the visual dichotomy of seeing monkeys and hardcore bands scatttered thoughout every page worked. Very entertaining.