Splash Monster

Alex is a self proclaimed trans media whore, taking the ideas of some of his favorite artists, authors, photographers, and cinematographers and vomiting them into a large scale of multimedia visuals and words to tell stories and express his view of the world in a mess of color, obscurity, and often obscene images of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Now with that in mind we take a look at his latest work which exudes with childlike innocence mixed with the nightmarish reality of the human digression through isolation, depression, and heartache.

1. What is Hearts for the Heartless?

Alex: Hearts for the Heartless is my new art/poetry book that explores the human condition and the digression one takes during isolation, depression, and loss. The book does follow one central character not through his eyes but focuses on his thought process instead and in turn we get a better idea of who this person was and what he becomes.

2. What exactly inspired Hearts for the Heartless?

Alex: My inspiration for this project mainly came from blues music and the idea it represents in that if you freely express your feelings even for a moment you can escape the pain of your troubles. It was also a healing process for myself as I continue to deal with my severe anxiety and depression.

3. What do you hope the viewer will take from Hearts for the Heartless?

Alex: I hope that the experience makes them have a feel good feeling just like a blues song moves you from the heart and pushes you to perhaps feel better about yourself I hope to help inspire others to freely express themselves and escape the pain that they may be going through even if its for a moment.

4. Not much has been said until now about your book why did you wait so close to the release date to start talking about it?

Alex: I’ve had a lot of projects going on and I tend to announce a lot of things but I often don’t get around to finishing them because I jump from project to project a lot and wanted to make sure that it was actually going to get done. No one likes an empty promise.

5. When will Hearts for the Heartless be released and how can we get our hands on it?

Alex: I am pushing for a February release date as far as how to get your hands on a copy stay tuned to the Splash Monster website for that, we are working on the details and should know more as February approaches.

6. Anything else you would like to share?

Alex: I would just like to thank the people who stuck by me during this long process and who continue to believe in me and what I’m doing. I would also like to thank all the positive feedback from the fans who are just incredible people.

Music is known for its diverse culture and artistic divulgence into the pure and impure views of our current society and way of life. It defines us as a whole, and is a melodic time capsule to the ideals, feelings, and way of life during that period, and if Los Angeles’ very own Atomafox is any indication of what’s to come, hell… it’s about time!

What started out as two former bandmates from middle school, Rheesa and Brittany, reuniting and jamming out for fun eventually evolved into something more as they began to create their own songs and finally decided to look for a third member. Eddie, the owner or Halloway Studios had suggested that one of his employees audition for the band, Ana who was originally a drummer, traded in the sticks for the bass and fit in naturally with the other girls.

Atomafox’s first song they covered together was “Bruised Violet” by Babes in Toyland. With inspiration and confidence of learning that first song together the girls quickly began creating their own unique and energetic sound. With each girl bringing in their own experiences and musical tastes to the table they eventually developed into the full fledged siren echoing machine we know today.

As humans music is something that moves us, drives us, and inspires us to do something with ourselves and elevates us to new heights and new beginnings. Go to an Atomafox show and you will find all of that and more, With their percussive drum beats that you can feel pounding at your chest, the fast melodic tunes that seem to flow all around you and the sounds of their voices being etched into your brain. You will soon find yourself in a different world that you will never want to leave.

　

　

　

　

　

　
1. Introduce yourselves-

Rheesa - Lead Vocalist & guitarist
Ana - Bass and back up vocals
Brittany - Drums & back up vocals

Short bio on yourself (when did the band start?) etc.

We started our band on February 2012. Brittany and Rheesa had been in a band in middle school and had lost contact over the years. Then they met up again in 2011 and decided to jam out together. It started out as short jam sessions doing cover songs. The more we practiced we started coming up with our own material and decided we needed to add a bass player. At the time we were practicing at Halloway Studios and the owner, Eddie had suggested one of his employees to audition for our band. That's when we met Ana. Originally a drummer, she picked up a bass for the first time and was a natural. That's when Atomafox became whole.

2. Where is Atomafox originally from?

The bassist Ana is from Whittier and Rheesa and Brittany are from Montebello. Let's just say Los Angeles.

3. How did you come up with the name Atomafox?

Rheesa : I was working at a small ramen restaurant at the time we had just started the band. A co worker of mine would talk about her friend's manga series and how she would help her out with it part-time. The manga series was called Stupid Fox, but every time she said it, I heard Stupafox. Amongst a long list of band names we were thinking of, there was Atomic Betty. That name was taken of course. Then I decided to mash together Atomafox. I really liked the way it sounded and that's how we named our band.

4. What influenced you to pick up the guitar? Bass? Drums?

Ana ( Bass ) : The lack of being in a band and I love music. Just as long as I'm a part of a band that I feel comfortable with I would play anything. Since, Atomafox was looking for a bassist it wasn't hard for me to pick it up.

Rheesa ( Guitar ) : The middle school I went to had a guitar class and my friend convinced me to join. I never completed the class, but I also never put the guitar down. I'm passionate about music and had a natural knack for playing guitar. It just stuck with me.

Brittany ( Drums ) : I always knew from age 5 that I always wanted to play drums. Ever since I saw a local band, the drummer inspired me. I always liked to do beats. It was natural for me to pick up the sticks and start jamming.

5. Who or what influences your music?

We all influence each other to make music because we bring in each of our own different genres. Butthole Surfers. Betty Blowtorch. Radiohead. Babes In Toyland. Queens of the Stone Age.

6. What was the first song you sang/learned and how did it make you feel?

As a band, the first song we learned was Bruise Violet from Babes In Toyland. It made us feel inspired to write our own stuff. We knew we wanted an all girl band.

7. How would you describe your music to the people who haven’t heard you before?

Unique and energetic.

8. What influenced you to decide you wanted to pursue music further then just learning an instrument?

We've always seen ourselves on stage performing. To play live and tour attracts us. We're also making music for the right reasons. Not just for fame but because we love and enjoy making music.

9. How do you feel just before a show?

Anxious. Nervous. Excited. Ready to rock out with our fox out.

10. What makes your band different from others? What can people expect from your live performances?

Our style makes us stand out from other bands. We have a lot of energy and people can always expect a lively performance. We interact with the crowd. We're never what people expect.

11. If you can perform with anyone dead or alive who would it be? (Name 3)

1. Nirvana

2. Radiohead

3. CSS

12. Describe the songwriting process for Atomafox.

1. Rheesa writes the guitar.
2. Ana adds her own style with the bass.
3. Brittany blasts the beats.
4. We write the lyrics together.

13. What song do you like to perform the most?

Popoloxy

14. Any bizarre stories that you would like to share that have happened at your live shows?

Nothing really bizarre has happened at one of our shows yet.

15. What was your best show this far and why?

Our last show at D.O.B. Studios. It was intimate. A lot of people were there and they loved our set. We played for a crowd that appreciated and understood our genre. They demanded an encore.

16. Where do you see yourselves a year from now?

Hopefully have a full length album released. Do some local tours. Play more shows.

17. If you had the opportunity to change anything about the music industry what would it be?

It wouldn't be so money oriented. The same music getting signed over and over again. Have variety and Have really talented artists from every part of the world.

18. What are your songs mainly about?

Personal experiences.

19. What has been the biggest challenge for you and the band thus far?

Getting our equipment. Fixing our schedules.

20. Fill in the blanks

A. without music I would be like every other girl....boring.
B. music is my life.
C. my music makes me feel talented.
D. I write songs because it's a natural way of expressing ourselves.
E. Support us because we're definitely different. ( Not just saying that. )
We stand out. We love to perform. We love what we do and what we all bring together.

21. Any other talents that you ladies have and would like to share?
Ana is an audio engineer and photographer.
Rheesa plays piano and is a writer.
Brittany is a MMA fighter. Athletic.

22. Whether you believe in time travel or not is there any future events or projects you would like to mention?

Our EP should be up on itunes by next month. We are currently recording with Johnny Mendoza. We have 7 songs total so far.

David Del Pilar Potes is a black and white film photographer who works on documentary type photographs. Primarily he focuses on people and landscapes. Tonight his focus lands in Los Angeles for his book release party.

For many years David has produced small limited edition zines and in 2001 became one of the founders of a quarterly black and white photography magazine called hamburger eyes. Along side with his magazine he also produces commercial, editorial, and artistic photographs. He has held exhibitions in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York , Miami, and Toronto.

The Book called “The History of the Dodo” will be released at the Family Bookstore in Los Angeles and the event begins at 7:30pm. A catalogue of the exhibition will be available on the night 120 pages bound and limited to only 300 copies. “The History of the Dodo” is a narrative about evolution, extinction, and how we are all going to die.

So if your looking for something to do in Los Angeles tonight we highly recommend you go check this out.

Dreams, by definition is a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep. For the artist Greg “Craola” Simkins it is a wormhole to different worlds and surreal imaginations of the collective body of the human soul. With his solo exhibition shows completely selling out and being featured in numerous group exhibitions “Craola” has become one of the most sought after pop surrealist artist of our time.

“As a kid I drew, I thought everyone did, until I went to school and found out not everyone did what I did”

Greg Simkins was born February 28, 1975 in Torrance California. He was drawing by the age of 3 imitating his favorite cartoons. Growing up he had an overactive imagination that was heavily influenced by books that are often found in his paintings even today such as Watership Down by English author Richard Adams, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

“being a dumb kid from the beach I didn’t grow up around graffiti, so I picked up a can control magazine”

By the age of 18 Greg began doing graffiti under the name “Craola” and hooking up with CBS (city bomb squad). He credits graffiti in helping him with his confidence in creating large body of works as well as contributing to his vigorous work ethic as it helped him to constantly think of what he could do next.


After receiving his Bachelors degree in studio art from CSULB he began working as an illustrator for various clothing companies and eventually landing a spot in the video game company Treyarch/Activison working on Tony Hawk 2x, Spiderman 2, and Ultimate Spiderman.

“you can only do so much working on pixilated snow for 12 hours a day”

By 2005 Simkins finally pursued painting full-time and since then has found much success in his solo and group exhibitions. His work stretches the boundaries of creatures that are hidden within the depths of the sea and above in what is revealed in the clouds. He often captures our dreams and imaginations and weaves them into brilliant colored paintings mirrored before our very eyes.

You can see more of Greg “Craola” Simkins work at IMSCARED.com or simply pay for attention to your dreams.



 

On October 27^th the New Image Gallery in Los Angeles opened it’s doors displaying works by a very talented Mexico city-based artist named Saner. this showing was actually the final act in a cycle of solo exhibitions that Saner has been gradually developing. Each shows main goal was to generate an emotional change within the viewer, guiding them toward a path of rebirth, freedom, and purification. In this final act appropriately named “Catharsis” the spectator now becomes the single most important element that gives life to the exhibition.

“The work that I do has developed bit by bit over the years, from things I experienced when I was little, and from my experience with graffiti on a professional level.” stated Saner.

　

Edgar “Saner” Flores takes much of his influence from Mexican traditions, folklore, and certain attributes from contemporary Mexico. This can be traced back to his early childhood days, often taking trips to Oaxaca, his mothers original birthplace, where many of the peoples traditions and stories caught young Edgars attention and sparked his imagination.

Even though his work is influenced by Mexican culture, tradition, and folklore oddly Saner has stated that he is not really that close to culture because he doesn’t actually practice any of the traditions therefore his work is mainly his own interpretation.

“I cant say it defines how or why I live.”

Saner likes to reinterpret the traditions and overall culture and play with the structures, figures, and imagine it as his own.

Catharsis was a night encased in a psycho magical act of healing complete with installations, performance, paintings, and works on paper. Saner’s show was a collective act of creation, encounter, and confrontation in what he hoped would generate the liberation of you, the viewer.

Catharsis is still viewable until November 24^th at the New Image Gallery 7920 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, Ca, 90046.

With the light shining just on the horizon for one of the biggest video game releases this holiday season. 343 Industries the current creators for the upcoming Halo 4,5,6 trilogy branched out in a new interesting way to promote their game. They launched a web series that leads up to the beginning events of Halo 4.

Fans of the Halo series have been waiting for a cinematic portrayal of their beloved Master Chief for years and have been rubber banded back and fourth as rumors came and went disappearing into obscurity. As news of Halo 4 was announced and the release date drawing ever so closer fans were blown away with another announcement that created even more buzz for the series. Finally after all these years a live action portrayal of Halo was to be released and it would tie in with the Halo 4 game.

Backed by Microsoft and 343 studios “Forward unto Dawn” was Written by the talented Helbing brothers (Spartacus, Mortal Kombat: Legacy) and directed by Stewart Hendler (Pretty Tough, H+). The series was green lit and the twenty-five day long shoot in Vancouver came up with ninety minutes worth of content that would be cut into five webisodes and released every Friday leading up to the release date of Halo 4.

Halo 4: Forward unto Dawn was so well written with a engaging storyline that introduced new lore into the Halo universe. The acting was nothing short of spectacular led by Tom Green a young Australian actor better known for his role as Samuel Liberman in Dance Academy and Anna popplewell known for her role as Susan Pevensie in the Chronicles of Narnia. The visual effects were so gorgeous and rich and the soundtrack was equally as beautiful. This series is diffidently worth a peek.

Halo 4: Forward unto Dawn is a testament to the potential of the new era in which media, art and information is headed. Web series like this are popping up all over the net and giving directors, writers, actors, and many others a chance to get their foot in the door of the entertainment industry and many big companies are taking notice. Welcome to the new era of entertainment.



　

So after months of planning and trying to get things together we here at Splash Monster decided it was time to launch our Blog and Facebook. We are still dealing with the afterbirth of it all and to be a bit honest it’s a bit messy. So give us some time as we settle in here for the next few days as we place more content up that your sure to enjoy!

-Alex