The early 2000s fascinates R. Flex, from the hip-hop dominated charts to the idyllic harmonies of pop groups. Everything about the 2000s inspired their latest EP, Flex With Benefits.

Artists like Craig David and Daniel Bedingfield really spoke to them during their preteen years, while Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey’s advocacy for the LGBT community meant something more than words. Creating this EP not only showcases their love for the late 90s/early 00s, but reminds them of just how much their music is influenced by that time.

“The world was going to end in a blaze of technological meltdowns and yet pop/R&B music was so electronic,” they said. “While I wasn’t hyperfocused on remaking Y2K music, it’s wild that in 2020 we had a similar worry of a world meltdown. It makes sense that I became nostalgic for a time before the Pandemmy. I just can’t put my finger on why it was the music of Janet Jackson, Craig David, Daniel Bedingfield, Mariah Carey, N*Sync, Blackstreet, Dream and Destiny’s Child that called back to me. Perhaps it’s because I was just focused on making songs that made me feel good. Perhaps it’s because I felt haunted by the world meltdown of the 2000s.”

The final tracklisting - “Too Late”, “4U”, “Know Where”, “La La Land”, “DNA” and “Inhale” - all follow a theme of innocence. Following their debut EP, In & Out, they wanted to share songs that brought a more celebratory, liberating feeling.

“I wanted to queer the narrative of life after assault and show there can be reclamation of one’s self and it can be fun,” they said. “Aside from ‘Inhale’, which finds me in a different incapacitating position, the other songs strike a cheerful tone that I hope cheers up my fans.”

One of the tracks, “Too Late”, was originally meant for DESIIRE, who sent R. Flex a beat and asked them to write the verses. The first verse was written in half an hour; the second verse a few weeks later. When DESIIRE decided to go in a different direction on his album, he gave the song to R. Flex and they ended up collaborating on the final version along with Tafari Anthony.

What surprised R. Flex most about this EP was the significant growth they noticed in their vocal abilities. Each song challenged them in a different way, and required developments to their vocal range that they hadn’t tried before.

The inspirations of the 2000s led R. Flex to a musical space that let him embrace everything he loved growing up. These songs represent an authenticity that he hadn’t fully embraced before, and hopes that listeners find a way to embrace it within themselves.

“I hope listeners take away the message to be authentically you,” they said. “If you’re queer, be that. If you’re nonbinary, embrace that. Gender constructs deny a lot of BIPOC of their own gender constructions and we are so much more than the binaries. We always have been. So, listen to the voice within, trust it and follow it. It is your freedom. I hope fat folks feel sexy listening to my music. I hope they feel confident. I hope they live within every inch of their sexy confidence.”

Photo courtesy of Dana Gorab

I know some people say that you should hold your feelings inside and some don’t want grown men to cry, but as a music lover and a musician myself, I tend to love the shows where I connect with the artist. Where I feel that the song is written for me or about me. I can truly say that I have been very emotional on many occasions at shows but there are a couple of very special moments that I tend to go back to when I want to remember a really strong, sad but also empowering moment.

In this case there was a very small show for a school for pop/rock/funk artists called Kulturama. Young adults were performing and there was a lot of talent in that room. The thing is that I know that one of the singers, a very young female singer, had cancer, and it was terminal. She did not have much time left but with the support of her friends and with heavy medication she had pushed herself to be a part of this final show. 

For Jane N’ The Jungle vocalist and songwriter Jordan White, it isn’t about what the song means specifically to her.

For their latest EP, Ocean Creatures, the majority of the two-year creation process involved a 30-minute stream of consciousness writing session. There was always an underlying story that inspired the song, but White did not personally unpack its meaning until well after the song was completed.

“I try to disconnect when I'm writing,” she said. “For me, as a writer, I always try to go for a perspective that's different. I always try to challenge myself and you can't overthink what your instinct is telling you to write in the moment. I'm not a very emotive person so I think that's what I do - write songs just because it's therapeutic.”

White believes that the writer writes the song but the listener owns it. Listening to a song without context gives the listener the ability to create their own vision and place themselves in the song, or dissect it in a way that relates to them.

“It is frustrating nowadays where now I'm conscious about every little thing and the people that always ask about every little lyric. I try to flip that switch off because it really will hurt your creativity when you're worried about the end result.”

What she is willing to share is the exploration of sound that they incorporated into Ocean Creatures. From pop rock (“Animal”) to glam rock (“Ain’t No Other Way”), they wanted to dabble in the different areas of the rock genre to find what best fit their current tone.

After sitting with the songs of Ocean Creatures for nearly two years, White sees how it has become a stepping stone to where they are headed with their next EP. They found a sound that they feel best represents this next chapter in their careers, and have learned a new method to the songwriting process.

“I think that's really special, but I also have been challenged to open up as an artist and explore different stories that attach to the songs,” White said. “This is where I'm really struggling because there's darker, deeper doors that have to open.”

She compares Ocean Creatures to splashing paint on a wall, whereas the music that is coming next involves paint brushes and canvases. Their focus is on heavier, grungier rock sounds with more intricately thought out lyrics.

In 2022, the pop punk landscape has been dominated by emotionally raw music. Montreal-based SUCKERPUNCH! are massive fans of the current scene, but also nostalgic for the light-hearted, party vibe that 2000s pop punk gave off.

With that mix of their favorite aspects of the genre, their latest single, “Nightcalls”, was born. The song was written during the 2021 lockdown, where they were feeling tired of being isolated in their homes and looking to escape the grim reality of the outside world. They were longing for live shows, mosh pits and the sounds of audiences singing along, and wanted a song that best represented all of that.

“We gravitated towards writing a really high energy song about partying,” lead vocalist Fred Thuot said. “Lyrically we thought it would be interesting to tackle the highs and lows of casual relationships. Some people are irresistible to you and succumbing to them can lead to the highest highs but also the lowest lows.”

Thuot went on to say that “Nightcalls” best represents what SUCKERPUNCH! is all about.

“It’s upbeat and in your face,” he said. “It has a nostalgic vibe with a modern production flair. The lyrics tell a story while keeping it tongue-in-cheek.”

They live by the motto “Make Pop Punk Fun Again” and intend for “Nightcalls” to become synonymous with fun for their listeners. They want it added to pop punk summer playlists and played on those bright, sunny days.

“Music represents who you are in a moment in time, and we hope that we can be the soundtrack of wild times and crazy highjinx for 2022,” Thuot said.

“Nightcalls” is the perfect soundtrack for a sweet summer day, giving listeners a raw and feisty taste of punky vigor. Coloring outside the lines, SUCKERPUNCH! continue to feed fans an unapologetic, pop-fused branch of rock.

The metaphor “preaching to the choir” kept finding its way back to Emarosa vocalist Bradley Scott. Other times, he was stuck on “throwing stones at glass houses”. A mix of both best describes their latest single, “Preach”.

The last three years as a band have been eye opening on a personal and professional level. They can’t deny that this growth served as formative years for them, and put into perspective how quickly everything can be taken away.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure that there was going to be a new era of music,” Scott said. “Thankfully, [lead guitarist ER White] has been by my side for almost a decade and wouldn’t have it. A lot changed in the last three years; I think most importantly this has all become fun again. For a very, very long time it wasn’t fun. It was a rat race, it was a competition, it was a mountain and everything was about the next step instead of enjoying the view. I’m thankful that with life experiences, age, loved ones and a more mature perspective on things, I've found that joy again. I’d like to think that will translate to growth in our new album.”

“Preach” had its chorus rewritten three different times before being added to the list of songs that wouldn’t make the album. Scott said he couldn’t get it to the place he wanted it to be, so he walked away from it for a bit before bringing it into a writing session with a friend. Once they figured out a concept that brought its execution to life, Scott presented it to producer Courtney Ballard and helped give the song a whole new light.

“It was almost a farewell letter, and somewhere in the middle, it turned into this powerful, defiant anthem,” Scott said.

Scott reveals that this wasn’t his original choice for their first single in three years, but that they have a few more on the way and everyone’s first choice will be shared soon.

“Three years is a long time to be away, but I’ve listened to our new album many times over and this band is better than it has (in my opinion) ever been,” he said. “You always hope people like your music, it’s a given. I hope they come in with open ears and minds.”

Family-owned and operated since 1974, Record Stop began as a small chain of record stores on Long Island in New York. With over four decades of introducing Long Islanders to rarefied music, Record Stop opened a new vinyl haven in downtown Charleston, S.C., just steps from the Charleston Music Hall.

Owner Bruce Berg met Charleston native and musician Jay Van Raalte when they were working at the local guitar shop that once let Berg sell records out of. He had been trying to convince them for years to play an acoustic show in the store, but Van Raalte didn’t want to be a rock band with little to no experience in acoustic performances.

They didn’t want to go for the obvious song choices, such as “Origami Stars”, which already has a mostly acoustic feel. Instead, they took the time to map out how they wanted the arrangements to sound and which songs they wanted to perform.

“It was really thinking about how we can build something together and trade off and be playful about it, and I'm really stoked with how that turned out,” they said. “When you listen to the songs, and especially when you watch the video, you can tell how much of a band we are; that we know each other, that we're playing off of each other, that there's this playfulness and comradery.”

Record Stop Sessions is comprised of four songs: three from Van Raalte’s debut EP, Linearity, and one song from their upcoming full-length. The day of recording, they set up amongst the shelves of Record Stop and brought along pieces of themselves to place as hidden nods to their favorite things. In between boxes of 45s and LED string lights are some of their favorite records and one very important purple stuffed dinosaur.

They played to a crowd mostly made up of Record Stop shoppers, opting for a casual opportunity for record lovers to hear some live music. They filmed the session from two angles as well as audio recorded the entire production to be used for the album. They also did everything entirely in-house, from setup and production to mixing, mastering and film editing.

“This is a really exposed, vulnerable format that doesn't work very well if not everybody's on the same page,” they said. “Getting to do this and then coming home and listening to the tape and watching the videos and seeing the results of how we actually pulled it off… everybody was a team player and we did it together. It was just really exciting and special to capture that moment.”

Photo courtesy of Dana Gorab

It has to be said upfront: I cried at all David Bowie concerts I was lucky enough to witness, and I was fortunate enough to attend quite a few of them. The first was in 1987 on the rather ill-fated Glass Spider Tour. By that time I had been an avid fan for four years, ever since my sister bought the album Let’s Dance, which got me hooked from the scratchy guitar intro of the opening song, “Modern Love”. I was still a child back then, but immediately knew that Bowie was the gate to something bigger. So I started digging into his back catalogue and also the oeuvre of his friends and collaborators he would always be keen to mention in interviews to boost their exposure: Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. Through them, I got into the disciples of this Sacred Triangle such as Psychedelic Furs, Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen and ABC. It’s fair to say that without Bowie I would possibly be listening to Top 40 radio and wasting away in some dull office job.

When the man announced he would be touring the better part of 1987 after four years off the road, the excitement was enormous. We got tickets for the show on July 1 at Vienna’s Prater Stadion, and in the weeks before the show, anticipation would build to an almost unbearable extent. Come the day of the concert, and you’d find me by the gates as early as 10:30 in the morning. It was probably the hottest day of the year, and my skinny 14-year-old self struggled not to faint until the doors finally opened at 17:00. From then on, another two hours to go until the forgettable local support band and another four until Bowie’s grand entrance.

And suddenly there he was, abseiling from the stage top - remember, the tour was called Glass Spider for a reason, with the stage resembling a giant spider - and I couldn’t hold back the tears. There he finally was, the man I had been idolizing since I was 10, live on stage right in front of me. He looked a bit ludicrous in the red suit and this awful mullet-cum-quiff haircut, but who cares! It was Bowie for Christ’s sake! I remember I managed to recompose myself after the first thrust of emotions, but tears would roll again during “All The Madmen”, “Heroes” and “Absolute Beginners”. I vividly remember so many details from this show it’s ridiculous. Though it’s fair to say the album Never Let Me Down and the Glass Spider Tour were not Bowie’s most glorious moments, I’ll forever cherish the memories of that night.

I would see Bowie many more times and in much better artistic shape. The Sound+Vision greatest hits tour, Tin Machine - yes, I really love this band - Outside and Earthling tours in the 90s, Heathen and Reality tours in the 00s… Bowie always put his heart into the performance, whether it was in a small club or in a huge stadium. Of course, the most Bowie-related tears I shed was on January 10, 2016, when he unexpectedly shuffled off this mortal coil. The memories of our first in-person encounter on July 1, 1987 remain.

For best-selling novelist Ibi Zoboi, her writing journey began during her adolescence.

She kept her stories to herself, jotting them down on the blank pages of notebooks left over from the school year. She didn’t read many books herself - the culture of borrowing and returning books in a classroom or library either did not exist yet or did not exist in her struggling community - but instead immersed herself in magazines, which were more accessible and cheaper to buy.

It was easy for Zoboi to fall in love with writing. Poetry first, then journalism. Her poetry became short stories. Those short stories became novels. Whatever she was writing, she knew she wanted the audience to fall into the young adult category.

“I decided to write for young people simply because I love speculative fiction,” she said. “I thought I could try my hand at fantasy and sci-fi, and those were the first stories that I started to write.”

Her latest novel, Okoye to the People, finds the Dora Milaje General going on her first trip to America with King T’Chaka. She has been tasked with joining other African leaders as a special envoy to the World Humanitarian Aid Council, but is thrown into conflict when she finds herself in a New York neighborhood that is struggling with gentrification.

As she gets to know the young people of Brownsville, Okoye uncovers the truth about the plans of a manipulative real-estate mogul pulling all the strings - and how far-reaching those secret plans really are. Caught between fulfilling her duty to her country and listening to her own heart urging her to stand up for Brownsville, Okoye must determine the type of Dora Milaje - and woman - she wants to be.

Zoboi found herself really connecting to the story of the Dora Milaje, who were based on the Dahomey, an all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa. As an immigrant of Haiti, she loved reading about and seeing photos of these women who learned how to protect their children and their villages.

She also immersed herself in the Black Panther comics, learning as much as she could about the Dora Milaje and Okoye.

“There’s a lot of gaps in the story and history of the Dora Milaje, so I had to rely on what’s already there,” Zoboi said. “Every time somebody writes about the Dora Milaje, they create a little something new. I had to rely on who she is as a character; as a character she’s fiercely loyal, so this book is about her loyalty versus her heart and her needing to help the kids that need it most.”

Okoye may or may not be the one who saves the day at the end of the novel, giving the reader the chance to question who they are as heroes and how they can create and affect change. Sure, there are superheroes, but what about everyday heroes?

Creating the story for Okoye to the People reminded Zoboi of a Rudine Sims Bishop quote that she tries to live by in her storytelling:

“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of a larger human experience. Reading, then, becomes a means of self-affirmation, and readers often seek their mirrors in books.”

The young adults who read her novels may not feel seen or may not see themselves, so Zoboi hopes her books help them find that window, mirror or sliding glass door.

View the full photo gallery here.

From a green screen-covered basement to the stage of Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova bring the chaotic energy of their World of Wonder web series UNHhhh to a live audience with Trixie and Katya Live!

Trixie and Katya Live! Is a combination of pre-filmed skits and onstage banter that show the RuPaul’s Drag Race alum - including season six contestant Kelly Mantle, playing their manager, Sandy - as they prepare for the show. They switch viewpoints from stage performances of rhythmic gymnastics and lip-synched power ballads to backstage quips of several dazzling costume changes and relaxation techniques.

The show is sponsored by fictional Swedish fintech company Klarma, who in just four easy installments goes from innocent sponsor to threatening higher power. The advertisements sprinkled within the show get more and more threatening, and manager Sandy sports a new injury each time she appears on stage, claiming she was attacked by their people.

Except for her first appearance, when she came out with a neck brace and without hesitation blamed Will Smith for the injury. The widely-discussed Oscars altercation between Smith and Chris Rock happened just 24 hours before their Chicago performance, and both Trixie and Katya hilariously broke character as neither were expecting that response.

Along the way, the duo begin to clash over who has the better work ethic.

“If I wanted to micromanage you, I’d help you tuck,” Trixie says to Katya before intermission.

When they return, after a foreshadowing Klarma ad and musical number from Sandy, Katya gives a Tedxxx talk on the subject of being constantly interrupted. Using examples from various episodes of UNHhhh, the talk is (naturally) interrupted by Trixie who gives her own Tedxxx talk on always being right.

After they are both kidnapped by Klarma and Trixie concedes to their terms and conditions, the two put their anger aside to join forces and defeat the company-turned-cult.

The chance to see the chemistry of UNHhhh in a live setting, bloopers and all, fully elevates the experience of watching two friends bring out the best in each other. Audiences have taken joy in watching these two queens go from competitors to allies and feel a sense of togetherness with people they have never met before. Trixie and Katya Live! brings that sense of togetherness one step forward and gives their audience the chance to see that spark in person.

This review was sponsored by Klarma. Please don’t come for us.