Graphic created by Hard Pass Creative

On her birthday, July 1, in 2016, Katherine Forbes purchased the domain for Designing The Row. Originally, the site was used as a blog to document her career in artist management. She would share the analytics she was tracking or the types of marketing emails she was sending. The more she did for artists, the more she realized that the most critical piece of marketing was a fully developed website.

10 years later, her services are now an internationally trusted Squarespace design agency and educational platform across many industries.

She had spent years working in artist management, loving certain aspects and stressing over others. It all led back to the website, and if she didn’t have control over the website or if the website was not in decent working order, there was only so much she could do. She refers to a website as the home base. Social media is for sharing, while a website is for the actual business. Anyone selling a service or a product should have an easily accessible platform, and she quickly learned that many artists were lacking this crucial aspect.

A series of events led to the inception of Designing The Row. First, her boss at DS Management announced her retirement. Then she landed an interview that, on paper, was her dream job. There was something she couldn’t quite put her finger on during the interview, but she knew it wasn’t meant to be. She had something much bigger to plan instead.

“It was that moment that I [knew] I was going to do this my way,” she said. “I didn’t want my creativity to be controlled by people and old processes and systems.”

A few months after purchasing the domain, she created the Music Biz Besties Facebook group. She was looking for a place to share ideas beyond her happy hour group in Nashville, and thought that surely others would want a space to do the same. If everyone invited one or two people into the group, maybe a total of 10-15 people would be interested. By the end of the week, 200 people would join.

2017 was when she officially made the transition into web design, with the intention of staying within the music industry. As she brought her ideas up to other people, they shared their opinions that she should offer her services beyond music. She enjoyed the simplicity of creating an artist’s website, but found that she also loved the challenge of creating for businesses and organizations.

Despite branching outside of the music industry for web design, music remains her first love for a multitude of reasons. She has played piano since she was 7 years old, majoring in piano performance as well as music technology. Her background in coding actually came from her studies at Virginia Tech, learning it during a time where custom coding was considered lavish.

“At the end of the day, piano is always what I come back to,” she said. “That’s why I came to Nashville. That’s why I was in artist management. It all comes back to music for me.”

At a time where creative fields are threatened with the unwelcome advances of artificial intelligence, Forbes found a positive aspect that has driven her business forward in a way she was not expecting. Over the last few months, her services have been recommended by way of AI chatbots and introduced her to nearly a dozen new clients.

However, she stands by the idea that in order to succeed, all one needs is to have one person that believes in them. For her, it was her piano professor. She gave Forbes a difficult piece of music to memorize in just four months, knowing that she had the skills to do it. It was also her boss at DS Management, who emailed her established contact list to inform them that Forbes was starting her own business. Sending that email helped her build a portfolio of high profile clients, and that impressive portfolio is what search engines recommend when asking chatbots for website designers.

“Whether it’s believing in yourself or just leaning into that one person that believes in you, it can really get you far,” she said.

Designing the Row is known and sought out for its clean, simple design style that prioritizes usability and messaging over trends. Katherine Forbes believes websites should be an asset that grows alongside brands and businesses, and her goal is to empower clients with clarity, confidence and ownership to make that a reality.

Graphic created by Hard Pass Creative

For so many metal artists in western Massachusetts, the 13th Floor Music Lounge was where they got to watch a dream turn into a reality.

Brian Westbrook, member of Lich King and owner of PDP Productions, had booked multiple shows at the Florence venue thanks to Promotorhead Entertainment’s John Gulow. They watched other mainstays shutter their doors, leaving a big enough space for them to grow their own ideas. The more Westbrook and Gulow got to know each other, the more they discussed just how doable their own festival could be.

“I had the sound, he had the booking,” Westbrook said. “All we needed was the space to do it.”

That space ended up being the backyard of Westbrook’s parents. Westbrook’s father had always supported his interest in music, whether it was driving the van to early gigs or bankrolling the first PA system. His mother was equally supportive, but father and son thought there was no way she would be willing to turn part of her property into a weekend of frivolous entertainment. Turns out, she was the one who suggested it.

This year, RPM Fest celebrates its 10th festival.

Getting the metal music community into the idea of what would ultimately become RPM Fest was the easiest part. One minute they were being pitched the idea, the next they were clearing out brush and making space for pitching tents. Goblet and Western Massacre, who both played the inaugural year, recall those days fondly.

“There was a lot of grassroots work to get the festival and the grounds for Brian Westbrook's backyard,” Goblet guitarist Nick Saldarini said. “We had to clear land, build stages… we got in on the ground floor. We kept showing up to help, and eventually they just asked us if we wanted to play, which is what our hope was.”

“Everybody that we knew and worked with already were now focused on this new thing that sounded awesome,” Western Massacre drummer Jeff Greene said. “We got involved in work days and volunteer shifts; I’m pretty sure everybody in the band at some point was there the first year clearing the grounds. We were very ingrained in this scene and all the people that were involved were some of our favorite people in our area, so naturally we have to do whatever we can do.”

Goblet was supporting their debut EP, Spring Thaw, the first year of the festival. Lead vocalist Jesse Pause recalls being incredibly nervous as it was his first time singing in a band. The metal community, however, was more supportive than he had anticipated.

Since then, the thrash metal band has been one of the most anticipated acts to play RPM Fest as they have played every single year. Their onstage antics have included Pause performing a burnout on his Harley, popping out of a coffin in the middle of the pit, launching t-shirts out of a hairspray-fueled cannon and making a sandwich mid-performance. It has turned into a running joke of whether or not the next year’s antics will be the one that gets them banned from the festival.

Greene and Western Massacre guitarist Kyle Leary love sharing the sandwich story, calling it diabolical. Never in all their years of seeing live music had they seen a fully grown man demonstrate the task of building a bologna sandwich mid-song. Each time Pause lifted up an ingredient, the crowd got louder. At the end of the song, an audience member grabbed it and took a bite. They had everyone in the palm of their hands.

Leary will also never forget opening for King Parrot during the first year of the festival. After their set, lead vocalist Matthew Young grabbed him as they were packing up their gear and ran right off the stage with him. He swears he was coughing up woodchips for days.

For the first few years of RPM Fest, they tried to fly under the radar. There was only so much they could do in the Westbrook’s backyard, and by the third year, they had clearly outgrown the space. The more their friend group grew, and the more word-of-mouth took over, the more people expressed interest in attending.

To this day, word-of-mouth is the premier way they promote the show. They have put some stock into advertising and an online presence, but physical flyering by way of street teams has been their biggest asset.

After using Kickstarter to fund the first year of RPM Fest, they discussed what they wanted affordability to look like moving forward. As creatives who have been on both sides of the scene, it was of utmost importance that anyone attending the festival did not feel like they were being overcharged. Adding a variety of side entertainment was one of the ways they wanted to give back to ticketholders.

What might come as a surprise is the amount of labor done voluntarily. While artists such as Goblet or Western Massacre offered their hands in exchange for a spot on the lineup the first year, others have offered their services in hospitality or marketing in exchange for vendor or sponsorship opportunities.

“We’re lucky to have a lot of people that care enough about the fest and want it to grow and thrive that are willing to help us out on that end,” Westbrook said. It’s really cool to see.”

Venue and crowd size aren’t the only changes over the last 10 festivals. Some changes were gradual, like the number of portable restrooms or the level of production. Some changes were sharper, such as booking High on Fire for this year’s music lineup. For Westbrook, every year feels a bit more like a real festival.

It doesn’t hit until just before festival weekend. As they’re starting to put up tents, that’s when he starts to realize that it’s finally coming together once again. Once everyone shows up, hundreds of tents among the trees full of people he loves and cares about, that’s when he feels the most proud.

Being one of the spearheads behind the festival, Westbrook has learned so much about where his limits lay and how important it is to know when to ask for help. He looks back on the first year of the festival, wondering how on Earth he was able to run audio for the main stage on top of everything else on his plate. Production and management has become his focus, leaving aspects such as press and sponsorship opportunities to their own department coordinators. By learning his personal limits and giving himself permission to ask for help, he has watched others thrive in their roles and make RPM Fest the best version of itself.

Westbrook and Gulow have certainly left their mark on the festival and all that gather for it. Goblet and Western Massacre discussed in depth just how much they are continually impressed by everything RPM Fest has accomplished. Because they were able to watch this festival be built from the ground up, they have an unbelievable amount of respect for everyone involved.

“Whether we're playing or not, which I hope we get to play every year going forward for the rest of eternity, I will be there,” Saldarini said. “It's come such a long way, and they've done such a good job with it, so we're very pleased that we were able to get in on the ground floor and see it come to be what it is today.”

Western Massacre credits Westbrook for their second album, The Fractured Atlas, as he saved it from ending up on a hard drive in the trash. He gave them the motivation to reassess their unfinished demos and help bring to life an album that they are still supremely proud of.

“We have endless amounts of love and respect for everything they’ve done for and achieved at RPM Fest,” Greene said. “[Westbrook and Gulow] are two of the most capable dudes I’ve ever known. They plan and execute on a level that doesn’t even make sense to my brain.”

The current iteration of the festival is straight off a page of Mad Libs. Throughout the weekend festival goers can watch a metal performance, root for a professional wrestler, perform karaoke, attend metal yoga, play drag bingo or go trick-or-treating. Local vendors sell artwork, custom leather or instruments. Fire breathers, face painters, welders… Creatives of all types gather for this weekend. There is something for everybody, and Greene suggested planning in advance to make sure you get the most out of the weekend.

“If you're a first-timer there, maybe that can be a little intimidating, but we're open arms to everybody who could possibly show up to RPM Fest,” Saldarini said.

Both bands also mentioned just how much the festival feels like a family reunion. The last time Western Massacre played, it was still in the Westbrook’s backyard. They have attended every festival since then, but this year they get to reunite with artists they haven’t shared the stage with in years, including their friends in Goblet.

Something that everyone interviewed for this piece can agree on: even if you hate camping, learn to pitch a tent and come to RPM Fest. They cannot recommend enough how valuable it is to experience the festival in its entirety. Check out as many bands as possible, lounge in the ultraviolet tent, support local artists, admire the scenery and make new friends.

Also, don’t forget to shower. Goblet helped build those showers, and they want you to think of them while you’re in there.

Tickets for RPM Fest are available here.

Graphic created by Hard Pass Creative

When Featurette was gearing up to release their first album a decade ago, the identity of Featurette Girl was formed. With 10 years to ruminate on the logic behind creating a character, Lexie Jay finds herself looking back at someone who experienced too much trauma to understand her own identity.

With the release of CRAVE, it was not yet clear that Jay had trouble being herself. Creating an alter ego of sorts let her dissociate away from herself enough so that she didn’t have to be anyone other than Featurette Girl.

“It’s quite obvious to me now I had a lot of trouble with gender in general,” she said. “I had trouble taking compliments. I had trouble being in my own skin.”

A year after their debut album, they released “Bang” and “Upside Down”. While neither song was her favorite piece of art, it was the continuation of the story of Featurette Girl. Jay and Jon Fedorsen introduced that era to an online publication that not only wanted to share their story, but would continue to do so.

Hi, it’s me.

The more that Jay created music, the more she found a way back to herself. The more she poured her personal tales into lyrics, the more Featurette Girl started to fade away.

Although Marc Koecher was always a part of Featurette’s creative process, once he officially became a member of the band was when the character disappeared. Turning the duo into a trio was a relief for Jay as it was no longer just her ideas and her vision. It was all of them having a voice.

In the song “EXIT” from their latest release, MULTISTATE, as Koecher and Fedorsen play “the angriest shit they’ve ever played” and Jay is about to scream the final bridge, the idea of Featurette girl is gone completely. Despite the heavy personal ties Jay has to the lyrics, she knows it is not just her song. It is her voice on the behalf of something bigger than her.

“It’s not me, it’s us,” she said. “We’re this three-headed monster and it’s not even about me.”

She understands that she is the face of the band. Although that is a completely separate tangent about a need for a new Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, she is just beginning to understand where and how the story began. She is more comfortable with her femininity than she has ever been, and has realized that even the music that wasn’t her favorite was her way of taking a left turn to know she was right.

“The problem I had with ‘girl’ is that I was just trying to get away from that idea,” she said. “Now I’m actively transcending that in a way where I don’t even need her anymore. I’m doing ‘us’ and ‘us’ is other people who are on my wavelength. I can reclaim myself because I wasn’t safe, but now I’m not only safe because I have ammo but also I’m powerful and I did that.”

Five interviews and two guest blogs later, the partnership between Featurette and Black is the New AP Style is much more than an impersonal email interview from 2017. We can agree that the thing about people like us is we can’t be stopped. Not in a way where we want to be stopped, but we don’t know how to stop, so we continue writing songs and articles and spending more than an hour on the phone because we are far beyond Featurette Girl.

Jay is no longer the freshly-graduated-from-opera-school young adult that had no idea how to sing into a microphone. She is no longer confused about what a band can or cannot look like. Between her and Fedorsen and Koecher, they feel unstoppable. Triangles are the strongest shape, after all.

I can very vividly remember the moment I wanted to start writing/making music. It was the summer of 2003. I was sitting in my parent’s basement looking up blink-182 guitar tabs on the family computer, because back then there was only one computer per household. I remember thinking, “These songs aren’t that hard to play. I could probably write music like this.” So… yeah, a little naive when it came to songwriting.

Fast forward a few years and the shine of learning other people's songs had started to wear off, so I started writing my own riffs. Not quite “songs” yet, but it was a start. I started my first band when I was 16, and continued playing in too many local bands until I was about 24. All ranging from indie rock to pop punk to southern hardcore.

I took a break from music at that time and tried working “real” jobs. They suck tho. I got back into writing and performing in 2019 with a band called Nicolas Rage. They had just signed with a small American label, which was my first time making music with a budget. That didn’t suck. We released an EP, then COVID hit and the band slowly fizzled out.

I had once again become disenchanted with music, but in a different sense. I didn’t like making music when someone else had majority ownership and a lot of input on the creative. I felt like I was probably done with releasing music and performing live. I kept writing though; I learned how to produce tracks, figured out how to engineer my own sessions and went down the rabbit hole of learning to mix music. I’d hoped I could turn some of those newfound skills into some sort of income. Turns out art is easy to hate when you only think of it monetarily.

Once again I was at a stalemate. I needed a creative outlet but wanted to feel free enough to create without expectations. Without caring if I could monetize it. Without it needing to fit within a certain genre.

This all led to me quarantining in a hotel during COVID. I started writing again, but this time it was purely for fun. Well, that, and to stay sane. My writing style had changed over the years of experimenting with different genres, and I finally had enough of a technical skill set to start putting the ideas together. This gave me the freedom to experiment with writing lyrics; something I had always left to the vocalists of the bands I was in. It’s become a source of self-reflection and a way to analyze how I interpret the world.

Now I’m happy to say I make music because I want to.

Peace out, bitches.

- Mark Wojcicki, Songwriter/Producer

My dad passed away when I was just a kid. I would look at photos of him playing guitar and my mom would tell me stories about what it was like to watch him perform live on stage. I know that I am drawn to music for this reason. As a way to connect with this man I have almost no memory of.

For years I thought if I immersed myself deeply enough in music I might uncover some secrets and understand him better. But as I got older I realized I was doing the equivalent of learning a new language in hopes of having a conversation with someone who was no longer there. No matter how fluent I became it would always be a one-sided conversation.

That realization, while painful, sparked something in me. If music couldn't bring me closer to him then I would need to find another reason to keep playing. So I made friends with other people that spoke the same language.

The moment I knew I wanted to create music was the first time I played music with a group of friends that wasn’t a cover song. It was garbage. We were young. But it didn’t matter. Exploring this shared language had unexpectedly taught us how to connect with someone in the present.

One of my greatest joys has always been the moment where an artist clicks for me. After several attempts of not understanding them, something shifts. A lyric lands differently. A chord progression sweeps you off your feet and you fall in love with their unique way of expressing themselves. Their music, lyrics, videos, album production, art, style, etc. All of it. It begins to feel like magic. There's a connection there too, albeit on a different level. One that transcends distance and time. But it only moves in one direction.

I still struggle with this obsession over the past. Hell. That’s what all my lyrics are about. But those high school jam sessions in my buddy’s basement helped to shape this skill for me. I write to reflect, but I perform to grab hold of the present. If only for a moment. Maybe that’s what he did too.

- Keenan Gregory, Songwriter/Vocalist

Griffin Museum of Science and Industry © 2026 MARVEL

In issue 15 of Marvel Comic’s Amazing Fantasy, Peter Parker gains remarkable abilities from a radioactive spider and must deal with the need of becoming a friendly, neighborhood superhero while balancing the pressures of being an everyday teenager. For with great power, there must also come great responsibility.

Since its publication in 1962, Spider-Man would go on to become one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes. Comic books, television shows, feature films, video games, theme park rides… and a traveling exhibition currently at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing - The Exhibition features original artwork by its legendary creators, rare comic books and behind-the-scenes looks at how the Spider-Verse has transformed in the last six decades. Artifacts include a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, rare notes and corrections from Stan Lee, concept sketches, unique merchandise and movie props.

Stepping into the exhibition feels as though one is stepping into the pages of a comic book. Bright, colorful pages come to life as guests walk through the timeline of the character. Interactive components provide in-depth storylines. Tricks of the light catch spider webs cascading down a wall. Two dimensional villains lurk around corners. The placement of each and every artifact is meticulously thought out.

For Griffin Museum of Science and Industry Head Curator Dr. Voula Saridakis, Spider-Man was part of her Saturday morning cartoon lineup. Welcoming the traveling exhibition curated by others into the museum’s space was important work that brought forth an exciting challenge.

“With so many artifacts, media and story beats, the challenge was to create a clear, engaging narrative that helps visitors move through the exhibition in a way that feels cohesive, meaningful and engaging,” she said.

Exhibiting the full arc of the character was rewarding in more ways than one. For starters, Dr. Saridakis personally got to educate herself on how expansive the Spider-Verse has become. She said it was genuinely fun to learn about the hundreds of new Spider-Man characters and see how each one adds something different to the overall story. She was also surprised to learn how collaborative the Spider-Verse has always been. While the character may be primarily associated with Stan Lee, the exhibition really highlights how many creatives - from early comic illustrators to today’s filmmakers and animators - shaped Spider-Man.

“At a certain point, you can see it register with guests that they’re not just looking at a single character, but at something that’s been evolving and staying relevant for decades,” she said. “Seeing original comic art alongside film costumes and life-size character figures creates this layered experience where people connect with Spider-Man in their own way, and then you start to see those connections shared across generations, which is very special.”

Since its opening in May 2025, more than 350,000 guests have already visited Marvel’s Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing - The Exhibition. Superfans have dove into the evolution, movie lovers have seen up-close looks of the iconic suits and guests of all ages have tried their hand at drawing one of the most popular superheroes.

“One of the most rewarding aspects was creating an experience that truly feels multigenerational,” Dr. Saridakis said. “Spider-Man dates back to the early 1960s, and yet he continues to capture the imagination of audiences today. Bringing together materials that resonate with visitors who grew up with the original comics together with those who know him through recent films and the Spider-Verse created an exhibition where different generations could connect through a single superhero.”

Tickets for Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing - The Exhibition are available here.

Graphic created by Hard Pass Creative

 
When Luke Eisner and Gus Ross returned to Eisner’s Midwest roots to perform at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wis. in 2018, their electronic-turned-alternative duo, VOILÀ, had just three singles to their name. “Lately”, “Hundredth Second Chance” and “Stand Tall” were the beginning of a new chapter for both of them.

It was also the beginning of our own chapter.

We met again a year later; same time, same place. This time around, there was so much to talk about. An upcoming debut EP, Déjà Vu. A song placement for upcoming film Tall Girl, which Eisner starred as romantic lead Stig Mohlin. Their set later that evening, opening for Walk The Moon.

After last seeing each other at Summerfest in 2019, we reunited in the apartment above Reggies Rock Club last fall, where later that evening a sold-out audience would experience The Magic Word Tour. In between signing posters for the VIP meet and greet, Eisner and Ross reminisced on all that happened to get them to this exact moment.

While their college experience wasn’t necessarily impactful on the future of VOILÀ, it was where the duo met and began to understand the importance of meeting the right people.

“What school does very well is it puts a bunch of people that are all interested in the same thing together,” Eisner said. “I noticed the things I learned from school are the friendships that I’ve taken out of it. I think not only is it a wonderful network but I feel like it’s a network of people you had experiences with that end up being the real lessons. I think college is a really great place for that.”

They worked their way up to where music could be their full-time job, which can be incredibly difficult as an independent artist. However, they always encourage others beginning their own journey to learn how to create themselves. The amount of artists that have to rely on producers or writers or executives to push them in a certain direction, Ross said, limit their output by doing so. By starting their careers as producers, they quickly realized that the only people they wanted to rely on was each other.

“It was the inception,” Ross said. “It was the spark that lit the fire. I think that if you ignore that spark, good luck. You’ve got to keep that one thing that works and just rinse and repeat.”

An aspect of their music that they find incredibly important is collaboration. Yes, the two of them collaborate to make the best music possible. What they have the privilege to do as independent artists is also find likeminded artists to perform with. Against The Current’s Chrissy Costanza and Sleeping with Siren’s Kellin Quinn are prime examples of pitching their music to artists they look up to and getting a satisfying end result.

Eisner meeting Quinn was by pure chance, running into each other in New York and staying in touch until the right song came along. The Sleeping with Sirens LP, With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear was a prominent album in his life, and it became a surreal moment to create music together. The same goes for the songs created with Constanza, which gave them the opportunity to tell stories from a female perspective. It was a challenge they wanted to dive headfirst into.

“Through producing our own music, we have the opportunity to send a bunch of songs to a bunch of people and see interest in different markets or different teams and then go with who we think is the best fit,” Ross said. “[‘Caught It’] was a shot in the sky and then she happened to be a fan and it was a perfect storm.”

Another collaboration, “PAPERROUTE” with WesGhost on their 2025 album, The Last Laugh, gave them a different take on the marketability of music. As an independent artist, it isn’t just about writing and recording a song. It’s about grasping the business side as well.

“It’s a different perspective on music that I think is quite refreshing to the purists out there,” Ross said. “It can be a bit intimidating. To me, it’s really inspiring because when you meet people at the show you realize every single, tiny piece of visibility is worth it because they’re finding their best mate in a night.”

Eisner compares their collaborations to building a house. Him and Ross may be excellent electricians, but they need carpenters and plumbers in order to fully complete the build. When they finally get to open the house to the public, that’s when they know it has become a home.

What might surprise fans is that the duo does not hang out in a traditional friend capacity. It’s not that they don’t love each other, but doing something as simple as sitting on the couch and watching a game together is not their idea of a good time. Any moment they can be together, they want to make music.

“There is a high when you craft a song,” Eisner said. “Hanging out with Gus is my dealer of that high. I’ve never felt anything like it. You get goosebumps over your whole body when that song clicks. I literally love doing the one thing that puts everything in place. It makes the entire world make sense.”

All these years later, their process is still the same. They know what works for them musically and they use that to their advantage. They love a deadline. They find their creativity is best built under pressure, and that the same creativity comes from being the true definition of a duo.

Midway through the interview, Eisner’s mother, Denise, walked into the room and was introduced. Before heading back downstairs, we stopped to talk about how proud she is of both of them, and how the people in their corner are the nicest people you’ll ever meet.

That includes their fan base, who have travelled far and wide to catch a performance. Eisner really believes that the stars aligned to find such kindhearted people who connect with their music. Every night of The Magic Word Tour, they watched audience members respect one another in a way that makes the experience all the more enjoyable. That night in Chicago, in a room that Eisner spent time in as an audience member, was now full of people waiting to see him. Ross keeps thinking that surely people bought tickets to the wrong show. They agree that they are still in a pinch-me state of mind.

Going from DJ sets to live instruments was a major change, and Ross admitted that when we saw each other in 2019, they did not know how to perform. He promised that night’s show was completely different, and they did not disappoint.

Getting to see them perfect their craft and be a small part of their story is just as magical as their music. There is no misdirection when it comes to VOILÀ. Instead, there is absolute drive, an unbreakable bond and a discography unlike any other.