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WUNDERHUB END OF SUMMER MIX 2016

1. Good Time - Donnie & Joe Emerson 2. You I'll Be Following - Love 3. Everything Is Blue - The Mad Lads 4. Although The Sun Is Shining - Fleetwood Mac 5. 2e Partie - Belisama 6. Guitar Man - Bread 7. Journey Through The Past - Neil Young  8. Far East Man - George Harrison 9. Let Me Try - MC5 10. Wildman - Ginny Reilly 11. Baby Where You Are - Ted Lucas

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WUNDERHUB SPRING MIX 2016

1. Yeah Yeah - Blackrock 2. Abahambi - Abahambi  3. Life’s Gone Down Low - Lijadu Sisters 4. Afe Ato Yen Bio - De Frank Professionals 5. Allah Wäkbarr - Ofo & The Black Company 6. Chifundo - The Witch 7. Kothbiro - Black Savage 8. Come On Home - Lijadu Sisters

Click the photo to take you to the Dropbox link!

xoxo Les

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1. (Hey There) Big Bag Wolf - The Sham-Ettes 2. Hey Lover - Daughters of Eve 3. Up Down Sue - The Luv’d Ones 4. Nightmare - The Whyte Boots 5. What A Way To Die - The Pleasure Seekers 6. Boy What’ll You Do Then - Denise & Company 7. Bend Me, Shape Me - The Models 8. Outta Reach - She 9. I Dig Love - Asha Puthli 10. Hide & Seek - Feminine Complex 11. You Don’t Love Me - Kim and Grim 12. Simplicity - Ace of Cups 13. Hurtin’ Kind - The Bittersweets 14. Baby, I Dig Love - The What Four 15. Come Back - The Belles 16. He’s Not There Anymore - The Chymes 17. I Don’t Love You No More - The Continental Co-Ets 18. Hey You - Hairem 19. Here I Am In Love Again - The Girls 20. The Girl He Needs - Lydia Marcelle 21. Down Home Girl - The Liverbirds 22. Boy Is Gone - Lyn and The Invaders 23. Gonna Git That Man - The Sanshers 24. Ain’t Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore - The Puppets 25. My Cutie - The Shaggs Download 

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1. Six Days on the Road- The Flying Burrito Brothers 2. It Came Out of the Sky- Creedence Clearwater Revival 3. Lonesome LA Cowboy- New Riders of the Purple Sage 4. Califia Stone Rider- Lee Hazlewood & Suzi Jane Hokom 5. Time of the Season- The Zombies 6. Satori, Part I- Flower Travellin Band 7. Lucifer- Bob Seger System 8. Black Country Rock- David Bowie 9. Hisingen Blues- Graveyard 10. Rocket Reducer No. 62- MC5 11. Motorhead- Hawkwind 12. New Speedway Boogie- The Grateful Dead 13. Love at Psychedelic Velocity- The Human Expression 14. Crack Mountain- Natural Child 15. Powderfinger- Neil Young & Crazy Horse 16. Sunrise (Come My Way)- Buffalo 17. Starlady- Pentagram 18. A House is Not a Motel- Love 19. Lonesome, On’ry and Mean- Waylon Jennings 20. Snake Song- Townes Van Zandt 21. Sway- The Rolling Stones

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1. Gowla - T.K. Ramamoorthy 2. Black Butterfly - Salah Ragab & The Cairo Jazz Band 3. East of The River Nile - Augustus Pablo 4. Jab Andhera Hota Hai - Charanjit Singh 5. Al-Vida - Sohail Rana 6. Kama Sutra - CAN 7. Lake of Fire - Michael Flower 8. Princess (Extended Intro) - Piero Umiliani 9. Venus Principle - Popul Vuh 10. Mamata (Affection) - Ananda Shankar 11. Magrebi - Ahmed Abdul-Malik 12. Jinhe Naaz Hai Hind Par - S. Hazarasingh 13. Tapestry From An Asteroid - Sun Ra 14. Les Femmes - Ju'Hoansi Bushmen 15. Bialero - Sonny Sharrock 16. Witch's Will - Wilburn Burchette 17. Unknown - Don Cherry 18. Tomorrow's Gone - Charlie Megira 19. Arabian Fantasy - Daniel Emmanuel 20. Sol - Laraaji Download

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EXPERIMENTATION WITH IMPERFECTION: DESIGNER HADLEY JOHNSON’S PERSPECTIVE ON COLLECTION “ONLY PERFECT IN AN EMPTY ROOM”

Reposted from TheFlyover.com: Hadley Johnson isn’t just interested in building garments. For this year’s collection, “Only Perfect In An Empty Room,” she’s more inspired by the process of sourcing materials with flawed personality. To her, soiled silks and sun-bleached organza certainly have a past life and story to tell, even before the designer gets her hands on them.

Hadley opened up her small but intimate storefront in 2012, nestled in between Birdies’ and Peggy Noland on 18th St. in Kansas City. Since its inception, Johnson has produced one collection a year, each group of garments sometimes planned out years in advance, with the final assemblage usually taking about a month’s time.

Feminine, and with the most vibrant color I’ve seen from the designer so far, the collection consists of flowy, soiled silk patchwork caftans and fluorescent nylon caged tops. Even a pair of mint green overalls hold a utilitarian quality, but still evoke the ethereal and lightness of spring. For Johnson, history and imperfection are the starting point for inspiration.

LK: Tell me the about the conception of the “Only Perfect In An Empty Room?” What comes first, the name or the work?

HJ: For years, I have been obsessed in how to highlight and make use of the history of garments (as evidenced through stains, tears, frayed edges, etc.) without actually creating them myself. In this way, the reasons for throwing away a garment became my inspiration.  This approach to imbue old cloth with new life comes directly from my own activities; I tend to think of the clothing that I wear as a giant bib. I am the person that has cat hair, nail polish and coffee stains all over my clothing when I am out on a Friday night.  I really love that authenticity.  These were some of the initial ideas of the new work.  After that, other thoughts collage themselves into the planning, thinking and making.  There are of course always secrets embedded into the work that I haven’t learned about yet.

As to the name itself, the process of naming the work scares and excites me each year. I take it very seriously as it speaks for me when I am not there.  Years previously I named the work first or in the middle of the process. This year it was the day before I hung the first part on the rack in my showroom; there is no formula for me.

LK: Tell me more about the materials you used and the color palette you’ve arrived at.

HJ: The color palette is inspired by the movie 3 Women by Robert Altman.  It opened the year I was born and was made by a man from the city I was born.  There are murals painted in abandoned and contained pools by the artist Bodhi Wind in the film.  They have a feeling that they have been damaged/kissed by the sun. I have referenced this color story in past collections but this year the colors and the winding narrative of the story created a larger part of the substance.  The links of the velvet and nylon pieces are part of a spacial thought; the abandoned and the linked.  I enjoy having large space between the visual and the thought.  Direct reference is not interesting to my work/process.  I want you to feel the story, not just listen.

LK: Where do you source your materials generally?

HJ: I am probably one of a very few number of designers who is completely uninspired by textiles for sale.  I generally don’t give a shit about fabric stores. I am interested in the search, not something that is made by the yard in large quantities. In searching, I am able to find truly unique material; material which has been overlooked, disused, discarded, altered; this goes to the history and authenticity of the materials I am making use of in this collection. I don’t want to have access to what hundreds of other designers will have their hands on. This would be like using the same pantones in Photoshop, as opposed to establishing a color swatch myself. Or using ink straight out of the can, or paint straight out of the tube. However, when I do buy textiles I order online from a silk source I have and other places in NYC and LA.

LK: How was designer Debra Smith involved with this collection? How did your relationship form?

HJ: Debra, a friend and neighbor, was in the showroom last year.  I was speaking about looking for soiled, stained, molded, faded silks and Debra is an incredible artist who uses vintage silks in her work.  As we are both makers who use textiles, our studios can become dumping grounds for people getting rid of yardage.  She told me about a curtain she was commissioned to make years back made of silk organza and it had been damaged by the sun.  She still had the piece and offered it to me.  She later realized the vast amount of stained/torn silk pieces she had and shared them. This work’s nucleus is the textiles.

LK: How long did it take you to build this collection?

HJ: After the years of thinking, I give myself 4 weeks to actually construct the pieces.  The first few weeks are full of procrastination, experimentation and dreaming.  Then about a week and a half before my deadline I figure out what I am making, freak out with anxiety and excitement and put my head down to work. This time I made the first 16 pieces of the collection in 12 days with help of my lovely intern Avery Dennison.

LK: When will the second part of the collection become available? Any spoilers on what to expect?

HJ: Top of April, I will have new styles in extended textiles (and PANTS!) and further examination / refinement to the first part.  I am really enjoying myself in my studio so I hope to have about 12 parts throughout the year into fall.

LK: What is your favorite garment in this collection and why?

HJ: I have spent an incredible amount of time living with the textiles this past year and then developing their final result. I think the textiles as a whole are my favorite.  The final pieces have ease and intelligence to them but the foundation of what they became is what I was invested in.

LK: Any other news involving your curated retailers in the store? i.e. Majendie, etc.

HJ: The biggest news on that front is that I am taking a break from curating others in the space. I will continue to carry Majendie Jewelry, as what Erica makes is so complimentary to what I do and I just love her. I have learned much in the past several years as a business owner and creative. A part of that learning is to give the garments full attention in the space. It is first and foremost their home.

Visit Hadley Wed-Saturday 12 to 6

Hadley 122 West 18th Street Kansas City, MO  64108 USA 816.772.6070 www.hadleyannejohnson.com

Instagram: @h_a_d_l_e_y

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RECORD RELEASE: JAMES BUTTON'S "MIDNIGHT SPECTACLE"

"Midnight Spectacle" is the latest full-length release by James Button. A collection of 8 dreamy, hazy psychedelic pop songs for elevating the mind & enjoying life.

James Button turned 30 on Feb. 3rd. But instead of planning a birthday party and opening presents, his idea of a party was releasing his second full-length album "Midnight Spectacle," to the social media masses. You might know his music from a previous moniker CONTINENTS, releasing his first full-length "Land of Plenty" in 2010 and "The Spiriting EP," in 2011 - both on The Record Machine. Visual artist by day and drummer for The Conquerors by night, Button is a one-man-band, writing, performing and producing all of his music in his home studio in KCMO. He refers to himself as a "cosmic feeler" in his Bandcamp artist description and references White Fence, Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees as a source of inspiration for this album. So sit back and groove on "Midnight Spectacle," for some sweet sweet dopamine release! 

On why he released his latest album on his 30th birthday: I had been working on it for almost three years and had two songs that I didn’t end up including but that I kept re-mixing. I was happy with the eight songs that were already finished and just decided to call it good as it was getting closer and closer to my birthday. It felt good. It was like a milestone in my life.

On when he started playing music: I started beating on pans and things when I was around 8 or 9. And then my grandma bought me some really crappy, toy kit when I was 10. And I think I ripped holes in all the drumheads until finally I got a real kit when I was 12. I was never trained really. And then I picked up guitar when I was 17 or 18 and started tinkering with songs. But I probably didn’t start really writing songs until I was like 20, 21 in college down in Florida when I was really bored and didn’t know anyone.

On writing/recording vs. playing live: I love recording and writing songs. I love the process of feeling out where things can go. I always tend to think of myself as a drummer first, so I always begin the writing process with a beat in mind. But the live thing is just a little less rewarding for me. I love playing drums live but trying to sing and play guitar is kind of stressful. I’ve never really reached that point of zen that I do when I play drums. So I kind of shy away from playing live and I’m not the type of person that wants to be in the spotlight in that way.

On changing his name from CONTINENTS to James Button: It’s funny, it’s one of those kind of epic names. It’s a testament to that time period, like 2011-2012. I wanted somethingpsychedelic that didn’t really mean anything in particular but it was just an epic word. And then these other bands came out, like Cults and Guards, and I just grew really tired of it.

So with this album, I was going to go under Jim Button, which is how my friends and everyone really knows me as. But I guess there’s a pop group in Berlin under that name and they just came out with some new video a couple months ago. I Googled it just to make sure and these people have like 14,000 hits on their video. There’s also a Scandinavian cartoon called Jim Button and it has this hilarious theme song. And also, James to me sounds cooler. I’ve always wanted to switch to that name because I think it sounds more distinguished!

Instagram: @buttonforreal

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EARTHY MODERN AT BEAUTIFULLY-CURATED SHOP FUTURE

Featured on TheFlyover.com on November 24, 2014: It’s officially the first freeze of the season as I rush across 18th St in Kansas City toward the Bauer building just a couple weeks ago, noticing my breath in front of me on the way. A man lets me into the foyer and I await Future shop-owner Lane Leavens. She calls and tells me to go through the wood shop and left around the corner and meets me in a small office-sized kitchen, wearing denim overalls and a chic white linen kimono that reaches her suede ankle boots.She then leads me into a naturally lit and freshly painted retail space, with tall exposed ceilings and a nearly 10-ft long wooden table acting as its centerpiece. The raw wood, the minimal interior, and Leavens’ whimsical outfit suddenly makes me feel as if I were somewhere warm and sunny. A brilliant pine prism shelving unit in the corner is stocked full of denim cut-offs and sweaters. A tarot card set sits next to assorted apothecary goods right above them. Handmade racks full of worn-in Levis are hanging by sturdy rope from the rafters and a giant tote sporting a playful boobie print is staring at me from the wall. The alleyway retail space itself has only been open for a short time, but Future has been a long-term process for Leavens, one that has finally become a reality.

WH: Can you describe how the Future brick-and-mortar space came to be?

Lane Leavens: Well, I started the vintage line (Tangled Mane) online in 2012, and setting up pop-up shops every once in awhile for First Fridays or holiday markets. I was becoming frustrated with the vagabond nature of that. I was really craving a space to be able to run the business out of. I was originally just going to have a vintage studio and run the online business out of the studio and take appointments. But then I started adding small batch creators and emerging artists to the mix. And I was also doing more traveling to San Francisco, L.A. and Portland, where I started seeing this kind of “general store” trend.  So I started researching the brands that were popular in those areas.

WH: Why did these small batch creators interest you?

LL: These items are more rare and not mass-produced. And of course I want to support artisans and craftspeople. I have a degree in fine art. I went to California College of the Arts in San Francisco and Eckerd College, a small liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, Florida. I have a degree in fiber arts and studio art, so just being surrounded by that my whole life kind of pointed me in the direction of supporting the small-batch creator. I wanted to bring in artists and crafters from different areas to showcase their work. I’m going to be doing skillshares, workshops and exhibitions every month to help strengthen the local artisanal community in that way.

WH: So what do you have planned first?

LL:I am bringing on a couple different jewelry designers, trunk show style. And there’s also a painter that I’m going to have in soon. Her name is Gaia Nardie-Warner. She’s based out of Chicago. She’s done work in the past influenced by prints and textiles. Her palette is neutral and pastels, so I thought she’d fit well in the space.Can you tell me about how you found the ceramic boobie mugs and cups?Amanda Barr makes those out of Carrboro, North Carolina. I found her online, I think on social media. A blogger did a feature on her. She’s wildly popular.  She runs a super small operation but has become really popular.

WH: And what about this lovely table?

LL: made the table! It was actually a really fun process creating the space and I feel at a loss now that I don’t have any more building to do, because I really loved it! My dad and I built these prism shelves. It was definitely a labor of love and it’s been a really cool process seeing the space develop. When I first signed the lease it was 2012 and I had just started my business. I had just kind of fallen into looking into physical retail spaces. I had heard a rumor that Jeff [Owens] was opening up these alleyway shops and I didn’t know him at the time. There weren’t any walls and these windows weren’t here. I basically signed the lease after seeing it and talking to Jeff for thirty minutes! So I’ve seen the total construction of the entire space. I thought I was going to be opening in 2012 and it’s now almost three years later.

WH: Since you started your online vintage store Tangled Mane in 2012, I’ve seen a sort of paring down of your aesthetic, more of a minimal approach.

LL: Yes, it’s interesting how starting a business really forces you to know who you are and really delve into that and cultivate it. I started out with Tangled Mane thinking it was going to be a completely different business. And also, my style has evolved. I started out way more bohemian. And now I’ve simplified a lot. And I’m already feeling the business evolve and I’ve only been open for a few days!

Future features brands from Cobra Cult Jewelry, Fat + The Moon Apothecary, The Wild Unknown, Sugarhigh + Lovestoned, Tangled Mane Vintage, The Reserve, gravel + gold goods, native line, Fig + Yarrow, Amanda Barr ceramics and Dave Massman wooden utensils.

Instagram: @shopfuture

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MAJENDIE: AN INTERVIEW WITH JEWELRY DESIGNER ERICA VOETSCH

Featured on TheFlyover.com on December 23, 2014: Erica Voestch is a true blue Scorpio when it comes to her work as a goldsmith. She’s passionate, precise, and loves the solitude of her at-home studio in Kansas City, a space she was quick to find me responsible for needing to clean before my arrival.Voetsch was born into the family business, a brick and mortar storefront called Jewelry By Design, located in Prairie Village, Kansas. So naturally, she’s been immersed by adornment her entire life. Equipped with skills passed down from two generations of jewelers, she started her jewelry brand, Majendie. The name pays homage to her grandmother and represents the variety of textures and the unique take on metal adornment that defines her work.

WH: Tell me about your background with making jewelry? It runs in the family, correct?

ERICA VOESTCH: I suppose it’s in my blood.  I’m a second-generation goldsmith, so I’ve been in and around metals studios and master jewelers my whole life.  I started studying the craft when I was 14. I later got my BFA in design and metalsmithing at KU, which then led me to study design with a focus on silver in Finland.  It was in Finland that I started to expand my ideas on what jewelry and adornment could be and started blurring the line between jewelry and accessory.

WH: When did you start building your own jewelry and brand? How long has Majendie been in business?

EV: Majendie has been around since 2012.  It had many different names over the years before I finally settled on the name Majendie, which is my grandmother’s maiden name. She was so beautiful and stylish and so it seemed a fitting name for the wearables I want to make.

WH: Where can you purchase Majendie jewelry? 

EV: How did you connect with Hadley and how long has your jewelry been available there?Right now you can purchase Majendie pieces at Hadley and my family’s jewelry store, Jewelry By Design, in Prairie Village. I also have a new website coming soon.My work has been at Hadley since she opened the shop. It’s such a serendipitous relationship because she’s an incredible garment maker and she really celebrates and supports whatever I dream up for the shop. The showroom is constantly in flux and always curated impeccably.  I think we have a similar design aesthetic: a clean lined, modern minimalism mixed with a little raw, textural grit. Pair a Hadley dress with a Majendie crown, you can’t go wrong!

WH: From unique deerskin crowns to silver hand-dipped gloves, where do you find your inspiration? Any other modern jewelry makers you’re inspired by?

EV: I’m inspired by strong, sexy women who have a point of view.  I’m inspired by individuality and people who honor their own uniqueness. I’m inspired by human hands and people who use them to do great things. That’s who I want to adorn. That’s who makes my work light up.

WH: What has been your most favorite piece you’ve made so far?

EV: Tough question! I think my favorite piece that I’ve made so far would have to be a pair of sterling silver gloves. I created them for an American silversmithing exhibition that I was a part of at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. The curators ended up choosing two of my other pieces and the gloves were ultimately rejected from the exhibition, but I think that ended up giving them a whole new life. Because the gloves were excluded from the exhibition, they became a little less precious or sacred to me than they would have been had they seen their pristine moment behind glass. Since then they have been in photo shoots and music videos and have really allowed me to explore and re-imagine ways to adorn the hand.

WH: What medium do you enjoy working with most?

EV: Silver. It’s a material I’ve worked with my entire life. It’s strong and can withstand the test of time, which to me, gives deep meaning to the material. I love it for all its contradictions. It’s metal, so it’s rigid, but it’s also incredibly malleable. It’s a precious material but it is also very accessible and utilitarian at times. I also love the casting process, which is all about transformation. You go from wax, which is inherently earthy, lowly and impermanent, and you cast it into silver, which is precious, permanent and enduring.  Silver is my #1.

WH: What are you working on now that will be available in our near future?

EV: I’m working on a line of really special bridal accessories that will be out Spring 2015. Lots of modern crowns and veils and beautiful headpieces for women who want to wear something that makes them feel young and sexy and special on their wedding day. I’m really excited about them!

WH: Which of your pieces do you wear the most and why?

EV: Essential statement piece? I love the Thorn necklace.  I wear it all the time because it is subtle and delicate and layers really well with other pieces.  As far as statement pieces go, the deerskin crowns are my fave! They are really fun to wear and come in lots of different styles and colors and really make your outfit pop.

Instagram: @majendiejewelry

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CASEY DOBBINS // THIEBAUD INSPIRED BREAKFAST

Friend and food stylist Casey Dobbins has been styling in Kansas City for nearly five years, working with local and national clients. Here's your breakfast in technicolor, a personal project Dobbins' executed last month with photographer Ryan Hill. Fun fact: the photos remain untouched by Photoshop, aside from the added OJ in the blue glass. 

"In this series I created with Ryan Hill of Studio 8183 I looked to one of my favorite painters, Wayne Thiebaud, for inspiration on how to ride the line between paintings and photography. In Thiebaud's work you can feel a vibrational quality radiating from the rainbow edges of the objects in his paintings. I used embroidery floss to mimic these lines and to create painterly shadows cast by colored light. The result is an illustrative feel to an otherwise incredibly sharp photographic image." 

To see more of Dobbins' work visit her website here and follow her on Instagram @viewfinderizm.

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For your holiday listening pleasure, I've collected some of my favorite tracks from artists I adore, who also happened to put out albums this year.  I present to you a precious mix of tunes that resonated with me during this ever-changing Year of the Horse! TURN IT UP.

1. De Vida Voz - Allah-Las, Worship The Sun 2. Tell Me - Lia Ices, Ices 3. Wolf Gets Red Faced - White Fence, For The Recently Found Innocent 4. The Singer - Ty Segall, Manipulator 5. Submarine - Shy Boys, Shy Boys 6. Lipstick - Ariel Pink, Pom Pom 7. Slippery Slopes - Jenny Lewis, The Voyager 8. Another Life - D'Angelo and The Vanguard, Black Messiah 9. How Can You Really - Foxygen, ...And Star Power 10. Chamber Of Reflections - Mac DeMarco, Salad Days 11. Queen - Perfume Genius, Too Bright 12. Unf**ktheworld - Angel Olsen, Burn Your Fire For No Witness 13. Parade - Kevin Morby, Still Life

Download. 

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THE ANNUAL NUDIE LADIES CALENDAR & A PSYCHEDELIC NEON MASTERPIECE BY FLANNERY CASHILL

At the end of September, I went to visit Flannery Cashill at her work, One More Cup in Waldo. What gravitated me in her direction was a small glimpse of a drawing I saw posted on Instagram, a cartoon rendition of Inner Space Yoga studio here in KC. After some hunting down, I found out this image came from a 3x6 ft. psychedelic cosmic landscape made by Flannery with simply highlighter pens and construction paper. She explained to me that her show, consisting of the poster and various doodles and zine prints from over the years, had been up since the beginning of the month at the coffee shop but would soon be taken down nearing October. She also mentioned that this was probably her first and last art show, so I was more than obliged to be there to document it. Below is a little interview with Flannery along with close-up images from the poster and her most recent 2015 "nudie lady" calendar, an ongoing project she's been handing out to friends and fans for nearly a decade.

WH: Can you tell me a little bit about how the poster originated?

FC: I had pretty much all of it done except that there was a ton of white space, and I thought it looked kind of amateurish. I was thinking of that "Stoned Agin" poster which is the one you see at like Spencer's Gifts. I thought if I made it look like a black light poster, it would all come together magically. 

WH: Did you curate it for the space?

FC: Yeah, for the space. Also, anytime I don't have roommates or my roommates are out of town, I like to work on my dining room table so I can do larger format stuff, whereas usually I don't do anything bigger than a piece of computer paper. I was between roommates and I had the month of August to work on it.

WH: Has anyone offered to buy it?

FC: A couple people have offered to buy it but they're all buddies. I don't know what I would charge for it because I've never really ever done that before. I think I might try to scan it and make color prints. 

WH: When did you start drawing?

FC: I've drawn a long time. I think I only resolved to practice and try to get kind of good at it, or at least actively good at it maybe five years ago. I wouldn't have even thought about it except that my friend reminded me that at some point I announced my intention to get good at drawing. Actually that might have been more like seven years ago. But I've always drawn off and on, just not always efficiently. 

WH: Have you always done something artistic in some capacity?

FC: I write a lot. I'm in an MFA program for writing right now at UMKC. A lot of creative writing. 

WH: How long have you lived in KC?

FC: Born and raised in Kansas City, on and off for about 28 years with a few years elsewhere. I live in Hyde Park and have for about 9 years, which is insane.

WH: What are you reading at the moment?

FC: Donald Barthelme's short stories and a weird book about community radio called Sex and Broadcasting.

WH: What about music?

FC: John Cale's "Fear," over and over, Brian Eno's "Taking Tiger Mountain," Annie Lennox, Joni Mitchell, Scott Walker, Miles Davis and Albert Ayler. 

WH: Who's your favorite artist/illustrator/inspiration right now? FC: Joan Miro, Kadinsky, Erte´, Julio LeParc, Xul Solar and Leonora Carrington.

WH: Tell me about the calendars you make.

FC: For the past nine years I've been making nudie lady calendars. 

WH: What do you do with the calendars? Do you give them to friends?

FC: Yeah, I make a bunch of them and give them to friends but then also to anyone who asks, basically. I've left them a couple places before too. I do consignment with Quimby's, a really neat zine bookstore in Chicago that has a really, really open-ended consignment policy that can make anyone feel good about themselves because they'll sell anything you send them. There's a couple nicer artist bookstores who have actually turned me down, which is always a bummer but Quimby's was always so happy to get anything in the mail. They're always so enthusiastic and nice.

WH: So have you had a long relationship with them then? FC: Relationship would be maybe an overstatement, but they're always super nice to me. I sold them a zine when I was probably 17 and I went in when I was 23 and they had a check for like $7.50 waiting for me. 

Flannery included this information as well: "Here's the link to my weird Etsy store. For what it's worth, most of this I will happily give out for free if you run into me so there is no reason to buy this stuff online if you live in the city (KC). I really like to get mail. I also tend to carry the calendars with me this time of year and am super flattered and excited to be asked for one. I don't have all the images from my FLANTHOLOGY scanned but here are a few in case anyone wants to join my mix tape club."

Here's the link to all of Flannery's pictures/flyers/etc. Here's the link to this year's calendar.

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BRENDAN HANGAUER OF EMPTY MOON TALKS ABOUT HIS UPCOMING TOUR, WORKING WITH PRODUCER JASON QUEVER AND MOVING TO THE GREAT STATE OF CALIFORNIA

Brendan Hangauer, formerly of Lawrence-born band The Fourth of July, moved to Oakland in the previous year to pursue "the golden promise of the Golden State." He's since pushed out a solo album under the name Empty Moon with the help of producer Jason Quever of Papercuts and with vocal assistance by former Fourth of July member,  Adrianne DeLanda, now of Extra Classic. Released on November 4, "The Shark" tells the story of a man moving west and the struggle of transition and homesickness. I happened to run into Brendan by chance earlier this week and we decided to have a little chat: 

WH: Can you tell me about where the name Empty Moon came from?

WH: When did you move to Oakland and what made you decide finally on the trek West? Why Oakland? BH: I moved to Oakland over a year ago. I felt like I really needed a change in my life. I was born in California and I still have a lot of family here. I chose Oakland because I couldn't afford San Francisco and Oakland is way cooler. WH: How did you meet producer Jason Quever? BH: I meet Jason through my friends Adrianne and Alex on New Years Eve at The Chapel. I had been really into his band Papercuts and thought he'd be a great person to work with. We pretty much made plans that night to record together.   WH: Is your single "75 degrees" your favorite on the album? What are some other favorites?  BH: It's hard to pick favorites. My friend Rob said that "75 Degrees" is the best song that I have ever written. My nephew likes "Maureen" the best. My sister-in-law likes "Golden Mean." My older brother likes "The Shark." My younger brother likes "Picking Apples."  Dri likes "Dear Life."  TopCity likes "Far Away."  Jeff McCoy likes "Maureen."  I'd have to say that "75 Degrees" and "Maureen" are my favorite songs on the album. WH: What was it like working with Adrianne again and how long had it been since your last collaboration? BH: Dri sang a little bit on the last Fourth of July album a couple years ago. She is amazing. I love her and her voice. Working with her again was awesome! WH: Who did you seek inspiration from musically while making the album, old and/or modern musicians? BH: I was definitely most inspired by Jason's way of recording the album. He had so many good ideas and played almost every instrument. When I sent him some demos he said it sounded like Silver Jews. I knew we were on the same page. WH: In your opinion, who is making the most progressive and notable music right now i.e. who can you not stop listening to or would dream to work with? BH: Vince Staples. WH: Who are your bandmates? I remember you said something about not knowing one of the members very well, or at all? BH: I am trying to get a band together in every region of the U.S.A.  First is the Midwest.  I have been lucky enough to get great musicians: Kelly Hangauer Eric Dobbins Ross Brown Fritz Hutenson

I had never met Fritz and I am glad that I have now. WH: How did you decide on releasing with High-Dive? Did you have any other options/offers?

BH: Fourth of July put out our last album with Jeff McCoy and High Dive Records. It was a great experience. Jeff is probably the nicest person I have ever met in my life. He cares so much about putting out good music and about the people he works with. Jeff and I worked closely on preparing for my new album. I went into recording knowing it would be released on High Dive. I couldn't be happier about it! WH: What are you most looking forward to on this upcoming tour? BH: I'm looking forward to playing the new songs live. I have a great band and I am just excited to be out on the road!

Tour Dates: Nov. 7th - Kansas City, Mo - Harlings Upstairs Nov. 8th - Lawrence, Ks - Replay Lounge Nov. 11th - Iowa City, IA - The Mill Nov. 12th - Chicago, IL - The Burlington Bar Nov. 13th - Madison, Wi - The Harmony Bar Nov. 14th -  Minneapolis, Mn - 331 Club Nov. 15th - Omaha, Ne - O'leaver's  

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A HOUSE VISIT AND INTERVIEW WITH The Doppelgänger: PHOTOGRAPHER LAUREN THURMAN-KING

Last winter, I started hearing about The Doppelgänger; a mysterious, young and blooming photographer and blogger in the Kansas City area, who also happened to be a master self-portrait taker. With flowing dark long locks and grown out nails, I was convinced in my mind that she stood 6 ft. tall and had to have some kind of eastern european origin.

All within this year and having just turned 21, Lauren-Thurman King is slowly and carefully curating photo work with local Kansas City fashion names like Hadley Johnson, Peregrine Honig, Erica Voetsch of Majendie Jewelry, Chelsea Huff's new lipstick line Noun and the women of Oracle KC. 

So when Lauren answered her door to me last month, I was surprised by three barking dachshunds and a rather petite, smiling young lady eager to show me her home and work space. She took me up the stairs to her room painted grey and black, with a stark white plastic art deco bench in the center of the space, a piece that could have easily been found on the set of Beetlejuice. (She found it at Savers). She then took me into her modestly-sized studio next door which held a clothing rack of 60's and 70's vintage, a tripod and a white wall; a testament to her resourcefulness and budding talent and vision. 

WH: How did you get into photography?

WH: Your work takes on a rather occult and gothic fantasy world. Can you tell me about the origin of your tone?

LTK: Really I’m just in this house and I haven’t gotten to travel anywhere yet, so I just like to make my own little world. And I like creating different looks and transforming myself with makeup. I haven’t been out of Kansas or Missouri since I was around 3.

WH: When did you get interested in nail art and growing out your nails?

LTK: I’ve always been interested in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, so I always loved growing out my hair. Then I noticed how cool it looked to grow out my pinky nail, so I kept growing it out through high school and everyone called me a crack head. It was funny. And then I gradually started growing out a couple more. Then about two years ago, I decided to grow them all out to the same length. I cut my right nails shorter because I’m right-handed and I’d break them all the time. But these ones [left hand] are the probably the longest they’ve ever been.

WH: Where did your camera come from?

LTK: I got a DLSR after a lot of saving. I’ve had the same camera since high school. I used to shoot film all the time, but it’s so expensive to develop now and there aren’t as many places left to develop. 

WH: So do you prefer the convenience of digital for right now?

LTK: I love film. I would shoot it more if I could. If I actually had a doppelgänger, I’d shoot myself constantly. I do a lot of self portraits now, so it’s just easier. 

WH: Speaking of The Doppelgänger, tell me about naming the blog.

LTK: I started a Tumblr about five years ago and I liked the word doppelgänger and it’s also kind of a Twin Peaks reference. I started my current blog in 2011. I initially wanted it to be a fashion blog and then I started doing more beauty stuff and reviewing products. Now it acts more as an outlet for my own personal photography and projects.

WH: Moving forward are you planning on doing more collaborations with local artists and shops, like your shoot with Oracle KC?

LTK: Yeah, I just finished another shoot with Oracle that I need to edit but I like collaborating with people outside of KC too. I have something in the works with an accessories designer in Michigan. We’ve been following each other on Tumblr for awhile and he contacted me about it. I had to make him a 3D visual of my head on my computer to send him, so hopefully it all turns out!

But yes, I’m doing more shoots with other people and I’m not used to shooting them as well as I am shooting myself. My first major self portrait shoot was in 2011. And I shoot myself constantly, but I have to place the camera, shoot, go back, see how I look; it’s exhausting! But I shot Yes You Are! recently and they were a lot of fun. They’re so cute. That was the first time I ever shot a group and they were so easy! I don’t give people a lot of direction because they’ll over think it.

I’m also submitting some photos to my friend Eline online. She has a zine called Doll Hospital. It should be coming out soon. She lives in Belgium. But a lot of people from around the world are submitting stuff. I like that kind of thing. I shot the portraits with mylar paper. I’ve been obsessed with it because I’ve been wanting to shoot it for years. I ordered some online and just shot the reflections. Ira Cohen shot with it in his short film, The Mylar Chamber, in the late 60’s. He shot Jimi Hendrix too.

WH: Are there other photographers you find inspiration from?

LTK: I’m more inspired by movies than I am photography because I like to frame stuff like movies. I like Helmut Newton, Ira Cohen and Nobuyoshi Araki.  But this year, I’ve almost exclusively been watching movies from the 60’s and 70’s, especially from Italy and Japan. I really like Giallo movies, which means yellow, but they’re really cheesy mystery thrillers. There’s always a killer, kind of before slasher movies; like Dario Argento movies: Suspiria and Phenomena. He did Deep Red, that’s one of my favorite Giallo movies. They’re really cheesy but really pretty and colorful. Then I like Shuji Terayama’s Pastoral: To Die in The Country. It’s really, really pretty. I like Pinky Violence movies too. They always have female leads. It’s not just some dude. I don’t care about some dude. But there’s always a delinquent group of girls that go around being violent. Also, the Female Convict Scorpion Jailhouse movies with Meko Kaji. She’s a badass. She was in Lady Snowblood, which Quentin Tarantino totally ripped off making Kill Bill: Vol. I.

To check out Lauren-Thurman King's work, follow her blog here and via Instagram @thedoppelganger. 

(Photos and interview by Leslie Kinsman)

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Q&A // KC native Kevin Morby answers questions about his new record "Still Life," Royals fandom and more

Since parting ways with Woods this past year, former bass player turned singer-songwriter Kevin Morby has taken his solo career by the horns, releasing his first two albums within the last twelve months. Since putting out his first full length "Harlem River" last November, he's been more or less on the road, touring in the U.S. and Europe. Needless to say, the guy's been busy. Morby returned home from Europe to Los Angeles just last week and obliged my request for an interview about the new record and, if for no other reason, to talk about The Royals.

WH: Have you been watching the Royals? What was your most memorable moment so far in the series, whether it be a specific play or a location you were watching at?

KM: To be honest, I haven't followed baseball, or any sports for that matter, in a long time until this year. I got into watching the Thunder after watching Kevin Durants MVP speech, that and because I lived in OKC before KC. A similar thing happened with the Royals. I heard about the wild card game and that they were going to the playoffs, which as you know, is mind blowing, so I started paying attention. I'm kind of a poser in that way, but I grew up obsessed with baseball and I'm so psyched for my hometown! Although I don't follow it closely, I love baseball and I love going to the games. It's so relaxing. I've probably been to one royals game a year for the past five years. 

  The other day my friend Jacob, also from KC, and I watched them win the pennant at a bar in downtown L.A. I hadn't seen Jacob in forever and it was the perfect excuse to meet up. That's when sports can be cool, when they bring people together in a good way. Also, I got back from Europe last week, and when I got off my flight and into Chicago for a layover, the game was on every T.V. It was a nice welcome home.

WH: What would you say are the major distinctions between "Harlem River" and "Still Life," i.e. recording process, overall tone, writing process, place in time?

  KM: "Harlem River" was all recorded live and to tape, meaning, there was me and a band in a live room and we just went at it. Each song only took a couple takes, very Highway 61-style. With "Still Life," we isolated the sound a bit more. A lot of overdubs and you know, just trying to get a "bigger" sound. As far as the tone, both are similar. Both are a little feverish, both needed to come out and quick. 

  I wrote the songs that ended up on "Harlem River" between 2006 and 2013, whereas all the songs on "Still Life" were written mainly in 2013, with the exception of one written in 2012 and one in 2014. "Still Life" is more a document of a year in the life of me, whereas "Harlem River" was a grab bag of different tunes. 

WH: What is your biggest advice for novice guitarists/songwriters?

  KM: My biggest advice for guitar is to go slow . Don't worry about playing quick, which is to say, when you're having trouble with a chord progression, just do it over and over again and as slow as possible. I took guitar lessons when I was in middle school and that's one thing I really took away from it, my teacher making me learn scales and songs super slow. Eventually it becomes muscle memory and you can play at any speed you want.

  For songwriters: just remember the most important rule about song writing is that there are no rules. Lie, cheat, steal, cry, laugh, yell - do whatever comes to you when you're holding that guitar. 

WH: Do you have any memorable Royals memories growing up? Who is your favorite player?

  KM: Yes, two:

  1) I was in 6th grade and watched George Brett's Hall of Fame speech at the old stadium. All I remember is him alluding to the fact that when he got home that day he wanted to be left alone with his wife for "at least an hour" before any press showed up at his house. I remember hearing this and watching all the adults around me laugh and cheer. It was one of those revelations you have as a kid, when you realize all adults have sex.  2) Three years ago my dad and I went to a royals game and my dad insisted, although we had the cheap nose bleed seats, that we go sit in the front row because, as he put it, "a lot of times these people don't even show up." So we sat in the front row for ten minutes, and of course some people came up and said we were in their seats so we hurdled over the seats to the second row. Then the same thing happened, then again and again. Pretty soon we were in like, the 5th row, and everyone was sort of looking at us funny like "who are these jokers?" Anyways, just in that moment, right after we sat down in the 5th row, my dad spilled his giant Pepsi all over me. It went all over the front of me, and, as if everyone wasn't already paying attention to us already, we made quite the commotion. I yelled and shot up out of my seat and my dad wiped me down with napkins. It was a great father/son moment. The picture below is from that day.

  And besides George Brett, I literally couldn't name one other Royals player. 

  WH: Will you be touring through KC with "Still Life?" What are your major stops when you're home? Shopping, food, destinations, whatever?

  KM: Hopefully! I'm sure at some point next year I'll be coming through. When I'm back in KC my favorite places to go are: Blue Koi, Chez Charlie's, and the steam room at the Westin Hotel. 

WH: You've been on the road for most of the year and have to pack light. What are your travel staples for tour?

  KM: I always have my guitar, my duffle bag full of clothes and a Jansport in which you will find: headphones, a note book, a couple of books and my toiletries. Like you said, I pack very, very light. The less stuff I bring, the less stuff I'll lose. The only thing I bring a lot of are shoes. But then I always end up wearing one pair.

WH: What's been your favorite city/show so far with the Still Life tour?

  KM: Favorite city: Porto, Portugal; favorite show: Stockholm, Hamburg and Paris. 

  WH: What is your favorite song on the album? What's your favorite to play live and why?

KM: "Parade" and "All Of My Life," just love 'em.

Still Life Tracklist: 01. The Jester, The Tramp & the Acrobat 02. The Ballad of Arlo Jones 03. Motors Running 04. All Of My Life 05. Drowning 06. Bloodsucker 07. Parade 08. Dancer 09. Amen 10. Our Moon

(Top photo by: Cara Robbins)

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Q&A // A CONVERSATION WITH SAN FRANCISCAN PHOTOGRAPHER BRETT WALKER

Since starting up wunderhub again in the spring, San Franciscan photographer Brett Walker is one of the few artists to hit me up about an interview. Flattered to hear from him, wunderhub being such a tiny little landlocked art blog in the heart of KC, I quickly scanned his website and Instagram for conversation points. So without further ado, here's a rather candid and refreshing interview with Brett: 

WH: You refer to your work as a long term conceptual art project on your Instagram, @brettmakesart. Can you expand on that? 

WH: You have a straight-shooter transparency to your online voice and brand, a kind of refreshing down-to-earth attitude. Is this something that comes naturally or was it learned? What have you gained from it working in the art world?

BW: For the longest time I was trying to find ways to integrate all the different aspects of my life. I think early on I realized that there were parts of me, parts of my life that I couldn’t hide or change and so I wanted to find ways to utilize all these different facets of my being as part of my art practice. An example of this is making coffee, I’ve basically worked as a barista for more or less the last 14 years of my life, with the exception of a year or so here and there. After undergrad, as I was really trying to sort out who I was as an artist and what my art practice looked like, I started competing in barista competitions and participating in a much wider coffee culture. This was something I was doing as an extension of my job, something I had to do so as to pay the bills. Around that same time I started to include those things on my CV, the barista competition stuff anyways. I was just trying to combine everything and find a way to include all parts of life as my practice. I wrote about those experiences in grant and residency applications, and have always included coffee drinking and culture in the actual artworks I’ve made. I learned overtime though that I didn’t have to try and make that happen, that ultimately letting these things unfold and manifest themselves in their own unique way was the best way to really represent who I am and what I do. Part of this though is less of a branding or marketing scheme, but more rooted in a way of navigating through life. I’ve found that using my skills as an artist helped solve problems and understand the world I live in, so things have become “art” in a way, only because the tools I am using to make art are often times the same tools I use to make coffee, or ride my bicycle, or cook bacon or interact with my family or teach or whatever. I want things to come across as being the most transparent and honest examples of what I do and how I do it. I am not particularly interested in making art or taking on some sort of project that doesn’t have a direct correlation to my life. The downside to this though, is that it’s sometimes difficult to present what I do as art, or to convey the specifics of my practice, because so much of it looks like real life. To that extent, I have to always be aware of my motivations and sometimes I need to take things to a different level, to present them more specifically as works of art so as to be heard as such. 

WH: Do you exclusively shoot with film? What is your go-to camera at the moment?

BW: I try not to exclusively do anything, but I do shoot a lot of film these days. I am not particularly interested in the film/digital debate, but I do find that I make some of my better pictures when using film cameras. Mostly I use my Hasselblad, I basically prefer anything that has a large negative. I have tons of cameras, literally, a few different rangefinders and SLR’s, small format digital cameras, view cameras; I shoot a bunch of stuff on my phone. I am really interested in creating bodies of work that are made on a variety of different formats, different aspect ratios, trying to intentionally break the horizontal line. The Hasselblad is actually having some mechanical troubles these days, I need to get it fixed, so I’ve been working with this old Fuji 6x9, it’s a terribly difficult camera to work with. After shooting with the Hasselblad for over 10 years, I was just starting to feel like I was getting a grasp of it, and how to work with it, and then the shutter gave out, so till I get it fixed I am stuck with the Fuji. Maybe it’s a good thing though; take a break from something that was becoming easy. 

WH: Your photos have a modern-day yet surrealistic feel to them, often including yourself in the image with another model. Do these ideas stem in the moment with friends or are they a little more contrived and thought out? 

BW: Its about 50/50 these days, it just depends. I never work with models, almost all the people I make pictures of I have some sort of relationship with, and so to that extent, there’s often times things about our relationship that warrants making a certain kind of image. I’ll have an idea about a picture I want to make with someone and that image is informed by things we’ve done together, different experiences we’ve shared. And then sometimes things just happen and you make a really interesting picture with someone and all you set out to do was drink some coffee and eat some eggs. 

BW: You seem to embrace self portraiture and post the occasional selfie on social media. How do you feel about the selfie, in general? Do you ever have selfie guilt?

WH: I honestly don’t know how I feel about the selfie. On one hand, it’s this vehicle for filling up the world with even more visual junk, however; on the other hand, I believe it empowers people to use photography in ways previously untapped. I believe that at one point in time the camera was a tool used to primarily document existence, however now the camera has the ability to create that existence. Its way more performative, photography is, I find it pretty amusing and also relevant to our current culture of image making. Most of the reasons I make selfies are for pretty self-gratifying reasons and to also make fun of the entire idea of the selfie. I am also someone who has been visually present in almost all of my work for the last 10 plus years, so I’ve kind of been making selfies of some sort for a long while.  I was recently in the Badlands, South Dakota, and we were driving around this dirt road and there were all these buffalos out there, and so I made a buffalo selfie, but when I Instagrammed it and hash tagged it as such, I found there were already people out there who had made a #buffaloselfie. Who would have known?

WH: What was the most significant lesson or skill you learned living in Berkeley and attending UC?

BW: Well I didn’t actually live in Berkeley, only went to school there, and commuted 3-4 days a week across the bay from San Francisco. I am not sure if I can boil it down to a specific thing, it was a pretty incredible experience. I was able to do a bunch of teaching, which was awesome, I took a graduate level class on The Wire with professor Linda Williams, also amazing, and probably one of the more influential experiences I had. I made pancakes on campus multiple times, as part performance, part teaching ritual, once I made them in Sproul plaza, location of the 1964 Free Speech Movement. We stole electricity from inside one of the administrative buildings, running an electric cord out the window to power our electric griddle and immersion blender. We gave away free stacks of pancakes to any passerby who would do a performance for us in exchange. This was for a class I taught. We had people tap dancing and singing songs and doing all sorts of crazy stuff. 

WH: You explain on your website that you make a point to travel or seek outdoor sanctuary at least once a month? Is this a means of maintaining sanity for you? What are the benefits for you personally?

BW: A few years ago I started going on bike tours and little camping trips, just as a way to get outside more often and give my family a break from my insanity. And the more and more I’ve done these activities; the more they’ve become very important to my well-being. We call a lot of that stuff self care around here. Life is pretty hectic throughout the week, working, taking care of my daughter, getting outside and doing something like that really makes me slow down and stop, sit around and do nothing but look at trees. 

WH: Out of curiosity, how have you personally managed to sustain a living for you and your family as an artist and barista/roaster in arguably the most expensive city in the country? You seem to be making it work. Is it pure desire and hustle or a combination of things mixed with some luck?

BW: We were fortunate enough to get a relatively affordable flat in San Francisco almost 6 years ago, which alone has been a huge blessing, as rent is ridiculously expensive in SF right now. We still pay a ton, more than I’ve ever paid for rent, but its manageable. I think after awhile, you just have to decide what kind of life you want to live and then figure out how to make that life work. I want to be an artist, but to do that, you really have to figure out what that means for you, what you are willing to do to make that a reality. I am constantly re inventing my practice, and myself and searching for ways to make what I do as an artist more economically viable. Obviously, if I just sat around hoping some art gallery was going to call me and want to put my pictures on their walls, so I could then in turn sell them, I probably would be out of business by the months end. I do a lot of hustling, trying to put my work out there in the world, and find ways to make the life I want to live actually work for me. You can either work to fund the lifestyle, or live the lifestyle and let it fund the work. 

WH: What is your biggest piece of advice for a green freelance artist or entrepreneur seeking work in their field?

BW: The two things that pop in my head, are firstly, figure out what it is you want to do, it could be anything, but it should be something you love and something that makes you happy and that you see yourself being able to do for a long time, and then you should do that, and do nothing but it for as long and as hard as you can. The second thing is to be assertive, and speak up for yourself, because you already figured out what it is you want to do, you should never do anything that compromises those goals and ideas. Don’t commit to anything, even if its something you seem to want, if it makes you reconsider your previously established goals.

WH: What do you do to keep inspired daily? Any blogs or podcasts you keep up with regularly?

BW: I consume a lot of things; I am always looking and listening, but nothing on a consistent basis. I am honestly too busy to sit and read something every morning. I use Twitter to stay on top of the news and current events and also blogs and things that I like reading and looking at. I’ve always loved the NY Times lens blog, I wish there was an easier way to view it. I stay on top of coffee stuff through my friends at Sprudge, I love Stephen Elliot’s daily Rumpus emails, and Stephen is awesome. Been reading a bunch of books lately, Muir and Abbey, lots of rock and roll biographies, been on a huge 80’s indie/punk rock thing, Black Flag, Henry Rollins, just finished Bob Moulds autobiography and reading Our Band Could Be Your Life now.

For more info and work from Brett, check out his website here and follow him on Instagram @@brettmakesart

[wunderhub-blog]

WUNDERHUB EXCLUSIVE // FIRST SHOT WITH AT HOME TIE DYEING

What you'll need: The kit I purchased provided two bottles with the dye ready to go at the bottom, so all we had to do was add water. One bottle had the main color, a royal blue, and the other held the accent color, which ended up being a little too turquoise for us. We tossed that dye and measured a darker navy blue dye, which I purchased in addition to the kit, into the accent bottle. You'll also need rubber bands, gloves and the soda ash dye fixer.

Dump the soda ash into a painter's bucket to soak the rubber-banded garments in before adding dye from the bottles. Looking back, it would have been helpful to have some clothing pins to help hang, along with some sturdy string. You could also just buy a tarp or plastic painter's sheet for drying. Make sure to use 100% natural fiber garments with this particular dye. There is separate dye designed specifically for nylon and wool garments.

Spiral technique: With my vintage 1985 Royal's t-shirt, I applied the popular spiral technique, where you simply start at a specific point for the spiral to begin, mine being the center, and start pinching the fabric in a circular motion, grabbing the fabric into a little disc or hamburger. Then start rubber-banding to keep its form.

Accordion Folds: I used the Shibori folding technique for my pillowcase and tank top. Fold the garment like an accordion or paper fan and then rubber-band it in 3-4 sections, depending on the size of your fabric.

Circles & Spots: I tried out circles & spots on three different garments. For the circle scarf above, I simply pulled up the fabric and and rubber-banded five different points. I think because it wasn't 100% cotton, the dye bled more easily. To my advantage, it resulted in a really beautiful ombre-styled dye job.

For my basic white tee, I grabbed a large portion of fabric in the dead center, hoping for one big circle orb. I think next time I would use more dye directly around the rubber-banded area for more contrast. 

For my thermal crop-top I was going for a splattered, spotted effect, so I made tiny ties of fabric all around the shirt, up to 10 or 12.

I took a very special garment, a white linen caftan from Hadley Johnson's store, Hadley (located on 18th St. and Wyandotte), and soaked it in dye, rubber-banding a circle in the middle of the garment. It turned out to be my favorite piece of the batch!

For next time: I think I would pay a little more attention to dye distribution, especially if you want a vibrant contrast between your circles and the dye. I'd also consider purchasing varying sizes of rubber bands and experimenting on different garments. It was also suggested to keep your garments rubber-banded and stored in plastic bags for 12 to 24 hours. I only waited 12 hours with mine, so if you're patient enough, maybe wait that extra 24 hours for ultimate saturation!

And one more thing, check the weather report! My garments got rained on just a little bit, which ended up giving them a little pink bleeded tinting. All is well though, it's just tie dye.