SLAM Magazine - Support Local Arts & Music

ARTICLES:

A TRIBUTE TO THE STAFF OF

SLAM MAGAZINE

Jenifer DeLemont:

While contemplating the state of the local scene with co-

founder Carl Jenkins, Jen decided to bring awareness to

valley culture each month in the form of SLAM Magazine.

Each month, Jen labored tirelessly to gain advertising

to print the magazine while simultaneously going to sho

ws and interviewing local bands for SLAM’s black and

white pages. Beginning with her Element a440 interview in

issue #1, she quickly became one of the magazine’s

biggest contributors. Jen left the magazine shortly after

SLAM’s 1-year anniversary in April 2005 and the magazine hasn’t been the same since.

Sarah Burkard:

Sarah’s devotion to SLAM began with the first issue in February 2005. Sarah made it a staple of her writing to cover the Rave Scene in the valley, and bring attention to the talented local DJ crews and club kids of Arizona. Sarah is a promoter in her own right, bringing such bands as Selfless, SiOP, and Silence of Sound to our attention. And she had an active part in bringing together our successful anniversary show at Cooper’stown this year.

Carl Jenkins:

Carl Jenkins formed Third-Eye Promotions in 2004 to bring awareness to the local music scene. The first successful venture into this mission was the Dark Resolutions show on New Year’s Eve 2004. Such local acts as Makeshift Family, Element a440, DJ Kilsek and more teamed up to deliver a rockin end to The Cajun House venue in Scottsdale. Following the success of the show, Carl had the brilliant idea to start the magazine, which you are now reading. Rough around the edges at first, the magazine quickly gained a talented staff and then SLAM really took off. Now, after almost 2 years, Carl is still roaming the valley, covering as many shows as possible and spreading his love for local music to thousands of readers each month.

Elyse Nardick:

Elyse was one of our first Editors, as well as a dedicated writer who covered underground bands and promoted the Ska Scene in AZ. Elyse’s eye for great writing really shined in SLAM, as she proved month after month that a good editor is needed to polish the content of SLAM before it gets to the public. Elyse’s first article in SLAM was a Q&A with Caustiks’ front man Derek Comley, and her tradition of excellence continued for much of SLAM’s early run.

Conrad Zimmerman:

When Conrad sees apathy in local arts and music, he gets off the couch and does something! Conrad has been behind the scenes of SLAM since the beginning, but truly made his voice heard with his carefully executed rants on everything from valley culture, to beer, to politics in his Letter from the Editor sections. By far one of the most important people to the editing process of SLAM, Mr. Zimmerman has the unpleasant job of deciding what gets printed and what gets scrapped, and he does it with the utmost professionalism. A longtime promoter of the scene, Conrad helps pull off many elaborate shows across town, and still finds time to get this magazine together each month. Keep up to date on Conrad’s latest rants at www.Endorphyne.net.

Chantal Static:

If you haven’t heard of CollectiveUnderground.com, you shouldn’t be reading this magazine. Chantal Static is the uberfan and one of the ultimate promoters of AZ local music. Chantal works her ass off as the backbone of CollectiveUnderground.com, writing a ton of articles and interviews for the site each month. We here at SLAM were lucky enough to get her to publish her work with us since the early days of the second issue. From Abhorrent Morality to Rapid Fire, her body of work for SLAM has been diverse and insightful. You can read more about Chantal in issue 13 of SLAM, where we dedicate a section to her contributions.

Harrison Krell:

Known to his readers for his quick wit and unforgiving reviews of local music, Mr. Krell has been gracing the pages of SLAM since the second issue. One of the few enduring staff writers for SLAM, this mysterious writer has never shown his face to his fans. Perhaps that’s a wise precaution since many of his reviews include sharp but honest jabs to the egos of basement bands around the valley.

David Matteson:

David was there from the beginning, penning the biographical journey of Makeshift Family in issue #1. He quickly gave up the pen for the brush and took over as the designer for every issue of SLAM since. David designed the ad campaigns for SLAM’s 1-Year Anniversary Show, as well as the flyers, ads, and CD covers for a ton of local artists. David is a native Arizonan who has his hand in a vast array of multimedia ventures, including filmmaking, music producing, graphic design, web design, and even video game design. Visit wwwTaperingSleeve.com for more info.

Marian Benton:

Ever since issue #2, Marian has rigorously proofread, taken apart, a re-written most of the content in these hallowed pages. Her excellent editing skills have polished the writings of authors from all over the valley. A student at ASU, with an excellent grasp of English as well as Spanish, Marian has helped promote Latino Theater in AZ with her ongoing coverage of Teatro Caliente in both SLAM and Sonik magazines. But Marian’s real passion is the stars, where she is aiming her degree towards physics and astronomy.

Hayden Blades:

In a time when some felt that SLAM was aimed solely towards putting a positive spin on every local band around, Hayden Blades stepped up and spoke his mind about these artists. His thorough and thought-provoking CD reviews were not just puff-pieces to promote a local band; his reviews examined every aspect of the albums. Covering bands that most of the SLAM staff had never considered, Hayden provided the needed critical eye of a balanced reviewer, and showed no mercy if he disliked a record. Hayden is first and foremost a talented artist, with his work displayed proudly on the cover of issue #10. Check out more of Hayden’s artwork and music at www.HaydenBlades.com.

Gabrielle-Joree Jacomet

Gabrielle is one of SLAM’s youngest writers, starting with us at the age of 16. Gabrielle, a big Shallowpoint fan, first graced SLAM’s pages in issue #5. A fan of local music, and friend of staff writer Sarah Burkard, Gabrielle has been a tremendous force in promoting the local scene in these pages as well as in the venues.

Carla Brown:

Beginning with issue #9 and continuing to present day, Carla Brown has contributed some of the best articles in SLAM’s history. She introduced us to the Sciannas, who are now infamous for their Rock Hottie showcase of live music and dancers. And she recently took over JD’s tradition of reviewing venues each month. Carla Brown is SLAM’s source for information on the valley’s sub-culture.

Sydney Kania:

Sydney tours the valley, creeping in and out of local venues for SLAM Magazine. She brings a unique flavor to her reviews of local haunts and hot spots to these monochrome pages. She has opened our eyes to the underdogs, like Neckbeard’s Soda Bar and The Willow House. A late bloomer to SLAM, Sydney joined up for issue #14 and has been with us since. She is also the youngest writer to ever write for SLAM!

One-Timer’s Club:

Thanks to SLAM’s open-submission policy, the doors to publication have never been easier. Almost every issue of SLAM is thanks to the hard work and talent of our local writers, many of whom have written for us only once. In order of appearance, we give thanks to the following one-timers… Andrew Norris (Black Metal #2), Carrie Smallwood (Tainted #6), Lancer (Rockabilly-A-Go-Go #6), Heidi Jo (Laurie Schneider #7), Scott Vitez (Dub #9), Sarah Sims (Rick Bischoff #10), Robert Pruett (Poetry Slam #12), Kim Naugle (454 review #14), Gail James (I Hate Festival #15), Ashley Nyal (Ikonoklast #15), Jerriann Thacker (Toomstoners #17), Joe Reahprevada (Night of Spirits #18), Winnie Pechenko (Few Random Drunks #18), and a very special thanks to all the mysterious pen-named writers like Johnny Blanco, M.C. McMulligan, Ertyl Syrex, Maximillian J Paddington III, Dinosoar Digby and Colin Cross.

A Special Thanks to our Family at SLAM Magazine:

While it’s nice to acknowledge our writers, who often pull double-duty as photographers, editors and more, we also want to take a moment and thank all of the other contributors to SLAM over the past 18 issues. Some of these devoted supporters include Fred Clanton, Jody Gnant, Rob Meyers, Chesiree Odion, Vincent Slate, Ryan Melloy, Kathy Watson-Johnson, AJ Hunter, Adam Wheeler, Lisa Albinger, Spaz Kitty, Jeff Wise, Max Coffee, Bryan Hughs, Jeff Wise, Quinn Michaels, Mike Mattingly, Modest Proposal, Keegan, Bill Whisenant, Erick “Dub” Weir, David Duane, Dain Quentin Gore, Mattison Shupe, Randall Jahn, David Tabor, Jon Luna, Denise Elfenbein, Laina McWhorter, Stephanie Brown, JJ Snapt, Brandon Shabie, Andrew Weiss, element a440, Selfless, Sixstitch, Joe’s Grotto, Stinkweeds, Leslie of Cooper’stown, Randy Phillips of Sonik Magazine, and Zia Records. Thanks to all who made SLAM possible. Cheers to a bright and successful future for all of you.