1

JAN/FEB 09

Houston Lee Andrews Jr.President/Publisherhandrews@glamcon.com

Elizabeth RackEditorerack@glamcon.com

Gordon MeadowsPhotographygmeadows@glamcon.com

Summer EckfordOffice Managerseckford@glamcon.com

Gayle HallowaySales & Marketingghalloway@glamcon.com

Eric PrengerAccount Executiveeprenger@glamcon.com

Michael ThomasSales and Promotionsmthomas@glamcon.com

Robert SimmonsArt Directorrobertesimmons@gmail.com

Contributors Santiago Douglas, McCarton Ackerman, Bob Celestin, Sam Mollison, Louis Davidson

Special Thanks toMike Joynes and Grey80 media, Kevin Richardson, Kevin Black, Jeffrey Sanker, Areka, Kim Taddeo, Lewis Davison, The Andrews Family, PMG, Southern Star, PCDJ

Cover Photo byby Karl Giant

3

We are truly excited to be bringing this new publication to the area for the gay community to showcase local talent, to stay connected through events and interests, and to paint the community as you are: a strong GLBT culture with much to offer the larger community.

On the other end of the spectrum, we figure you want to hear about things that happen outside of our local world and read about exciting personalities who can tell us about life at the top, about fame and fortune and all that glitters. So we at GLAM will be using some of our entertainment industry contacts to bring insider stories to you from the entertainment world, to inject a little glitter into Hampton Roads.

GLAM’s content is filtered through the lenses of music and entertainment and includes regular features about the fine and performing arts, design, fashion, technology and new gear, DJ dance music charts, and perform-er profiles, as well as tips from an entertainment lawyer on how to succeed in the industry.

07 | Going Out11 | Backstage14 | In Design17 | GLAM Gallery20 | On the Record26 | Industry Insiders30 | Local Spotlight33 | Music Business 10134 | Gear Heads38 | Special Feature42 | Love Actually

INSIDEOUT

99% INSPIRATION 100% ENTERTAINMENT

JAN/FEB 09

LETTER FROM THE EDITORDear Readers,We are proud to present our first issue of GLAM, the Gay and Lesbian Alternative Magazine. GLAM is not a response to any lack perceived in the community/ Quite the opposite, in fact. GLAM exists because of the positive effect that the gay com-munity is having on the culture at large, and it is meant to cel-ebrate that effect and the people that are part of this vibrant community.

It is primarily an entertainment magazine, showcasing musi-cal and theater performers, DJs, fine artists, designers, and other inspirational figures both local and national, but we like to think we go beyond the surface to bring our readers beauty, heart and community, or even to open up new creative pos-sibilities to pursue.

For a little history, GLAM began as a fundraiser for the future Gay and Lesbian Alternative Music Conference, a celebration of the positive strides made by GLBTs in the music industry. But it quickly took on a life of its own as everywhere we turned, people from all sectors, gay and straight, were asking to con-tribute. Everyone wanted to be a part of this new gay-oriented publication to help bring it to reality. So GLAM has become something else entirely. It has become something the commu-nity has owned. People are connecting over it, and everyone has something to say.

GLAM premieres with the “Insider’s Issue”. We highlight local talent and show that even as we feature dance music divas like Ultra Nate and musical stage productions from New York, we are first and foremost a local magazine. We look forward to helping the community celebrate its in-siders and unearth more of its fabulous treasures.

In our premiere issue, we find out where all the local per-formers get their glittery garb, profile a favorite gay wa-tering hole, share the stage with local and national DJs, and go behind the scenes of White Party, the legendary gay event that’s anything but a washout—getting the dish straight from the creator’s mouth.

We hope you will receive this magazine as it is intended, a celebration of gay life and culture within (and not outside of) the culture of life in general. It is not a separatist mag-azine, but a way of bringing to the forefront the people, places, and things that we find most inspiring—whether gay or gay-friendly. Our hope is that GLAM will offer a little of that inspiration to everyone. Our mission is to rec-ognize and applaud all deserving individuals—for being themselves in a world where that can sometimes be the hardest thing to be.

To be nobody but yourself in a world that’s doing its best to make you somebody else, is to fight the hardest battle you are ever going to fight. Never stop fighting.- e e cummings

5

JAN/FEB 09

Everyone and anyone gay or straight knows the favorite local watering hole, Klub Ambush. Ambush has been a hangout of ours since 1991, when it dwelled on Virginia Beach Boulevard and we at GLAM remember being worried that someone we knew (straight) might recognize our car. Ha! How things have changed for us all.

GLAM asked Bill (Billy) Gallagher, Manager and part-owner of Ambush, and Tobey Murphy, Manager, if they would give us the real story – of Ambush and themselves—and let us in on what it’s like being members of the “bar elite”. They opened up about growing up, community responsibility and capital “F” Family, and showed the other side of the bar, which is hot because as those of us who have been there know, we’re not allowed to cross that line physically under penalty of injury by Fozzy’s staple gun.

A Little History…Billy worked at the original Ambush on the Boulevard, start-ing as a bartender, and has a 15-year relationship with the club. Tobey has officially been with Ambush – beginning as a waiter – in its current location for about 12 years, “on and off”, he says. “We do have long-term employees here!”

The Interview…GLAM: Billy, you’re now a co-owner of Ambush - how did that happen?

Billy: The other owner, Richard (Rick) Melville, inherit-ed it in 2001 from Dick Ladon. He taught me how to run it and he has been my best friend for a long time. After a few years of running it, he gave me a partnership to it.

GLAM: Tell us about your background and how you came to work in the bar industry.

Billy: By an accident [laughs]. I actually worked at Dan-ny’s place, which was another gay bar at the oceanfront.

GLAM: Which was originally Orange Julius.

Billy: Yeah, a friend of mine begged me to come work there a couple of nights a week waiting tables and ev-erything. I ended up being moved up into bartending a few months before they closed down, and then the last night they were open, I was bartending and Dick and Wayne came down and they were like, “We want you over at The Ambush. So I started about two weeks later.”

GLAM: Wow! And your family has been coming to this bar [Ambush’s current location] since you were a kid?

Billy: Yeah, both of us! It was a redneck bar.

Tobey: It was a neighborhood hole in the wall and I grew up right down the street. Billy grew up right behind the bar. And his father and grandmother would babysit him in there and my grandfather would babysit me there since I can remember, at least since kindergarten.

GLAM: Are you serious?

Tobey: Yeah! He’d pick me up and we had to wait till my cousin got out of school. So it was part of my kindergar-ten far as I can remember.

GLAM: What are the odds you guys would end up work-ing at the bar you grew up in?

Tobey: None…nothing good [laughs]. Just to let you know life goes in circles.

GLAM: That is such a great story – foreshadowing!.

GOING

OUTKlub AmbushBilly & Tobey Set an Example (What Kind They’re Not Sure…)

7

Knowing that, did either of you see yourselves work-ing in the bar industry? Did it influence your path?

Tobey: [laughs] I always saw myself as working. My mother told me a long time ago, “Be prepared to work for the rest of your life.” Never saw myself as a bartender till I started working here. Then I said, “I’m going to be a bartender one day!”

GLAM: What about you, Billy?

Billy: Not that I had any specific plans; I do remem-ber telling one of my best friends that I don’t want to work in the gay bars, I don’t even like going out too much, and where the hell do I end up? [laughs]

Tobey: That’s funny because I wish someone would’ve warned me. Not that things would have changed, but I never realized this is how it is, and I let young peo-ple know when they come in here.

GLAM: In the gay world, it’s somewhat of a status to be working in the bars - do you agree?

Tobey: I believe so, yes.

Billy: Sometimes it’s a double-edged sword.

Tobey: We can’t sneeze in the wind; we can’t let our hair down but so much. Because it’s going to be all over town.

GLAM: Why is that?

Billy: Everybody knows who you are –“I know him, I know him, etc…they’re going to talk about it.

Tobey: I think a lot of it’s gossip. “Did you see what happened to him the other day?” [laughs]

GLAM: So you feel you have to set an example?

Billy: I’d say we’re an example - just not a good one. [laughs]

Tobey: You bought me a belt that says that! It’s true; we get a lot of young kids 18 and up, they’re fresh out of school, you know what I mean? They haven’t been out, they’re still living at home with

their mom and dad. I try to at least talk to them, what’s that old expression? “Do as I say, not as I do.” I talk to them and just let them know how things are. It may seem like high school, but it really isn’t - this is big-boy world.

GLAM: When you first come out, the only real place you can socialize is the bars. Especially when you’re young and you’re walking into a bar and see all these gay people you never knew existed, everyone wants you, etc.

Tobey: [laughs] You’re stepping into a lion’s den.

GLAM: So there is a sense of social responsibility.

Tobey: Correct.

GLAM: Tell us about your community support activities.

Tobey: That’s a weekly thing. Every Wednesday night, we have Naomi Black. The door cover is a dollar and that dol-lar goes to C.A.R.E.

Billy: Community Aids Resources Endeavor, an organiza-tion that is run out of the Virginia Beach Health Depart-ment. Two volunteers run it; it’s very small, but they keep it local to Virginia Beach.

Toby: We also do ACCESS [AIDS Care Center for Educa-tion and Support Services, formerly Full Circle/CANDII]. We do fashion shows at least once a year. ACCESS is based out of Norfolk; they deal with children with HIV or AIDS. It’s become very important for a piece of our fash-ion show to go to ACCESS once a year.

Toby: When we support business, we try to stay in our neighborhood.

GLAM: What do you mean by that?

Billy: Patrons that work in restaurants or retail, we try to stay in the area and help them out and support their busi-nesses.

Tobey: We’ve got to keep it within us if that’s what we can do. You know gay folks, we love retail, we love working in the service industry - we’re all over the place. We can’t keep up. We’re walking through the mall and this person

JAN/FEB 09

works here and this person works there. We just try to support our patrons.

GLAM: That’s really cool!

Tobey: It’s a boost of our local economy.

GLAM: One thing I personally have noticed about The Ambush is that it’s a lot like “Cheers,” the ‘everybody knows your name’ kind of thing! Is that the vibe you’re going for?

Tobey: I would say it was there the minute I walked into The Ambush. It felt like home and I was 19 years old. It’s wonderful and it’s always been like that…for the most part it’s always a ‘sit down and feel welcome’ feel. And that’s a good feeling. GLAM: It always seems like you know everyone’s name.

Billy: You mean, “Hey baby, hey sweetie!” [laughs]

Tobey: It’s hard. I know a lot of names, but for me and my insanity, it’s the way I associate the way they are with their face and a cocktail! I know your face and I know what you drink but I might not know your name – but I’m still going to treat you really good! Unless I have to introduce you to somebody you never knew. [laughs]

GLAM: What is the most challenging aspect of running a nightclub like Ambush?

Tobey: I think I’ll jump in and answer this; running a business, a small business, it’s just like you said. It’s friendly and open, but everyone needs to know still this place is out to make money.

GLAM: Is the trick actually to run it like a business and still be friends with everyone?

Billy: That’s the paradox, separation of church and state.

GLAM: I guess that’s what makes you guys so good at what you do, because we as customers never feel that vibe.

Tobey: Right. It’s like running a business out of your own home, you know what I mean.

It’s like running a business out of your own home.

9

GLAM: Billy you’re not originally from Virginia Beach, right?

Billy: No, I moved here when I was four years old from Florida, but I was born in Pennsylvania.

GLAM: Do either of you have partners currently? If so, how do you balance relationship and the bar lifestyle?

Billy: We just broke up recently.

Tobey: I have to roll with business, I mean when it comes to me and this bar I have to choose the bar - but I never had to be put in that position like Billy has.

Billy: And you see where I’m at. [laughs]

Tobey: Anybody that’s dated me knows I would have laughed my ass off.

Billy: Right…you’re not that cute [laughs]. This is how I pay my bills. [laughs]

GLAM: Any thing new happening with Ambush in 2009?

Tobey: New look!

Billy: Renovations! Fresh look… we’re putting in a whole new dance floor, rebuilding the bar, new carpet, wall painting… a really fresh look.

GLAM: One last question. Do you guys have any advice for those interested in entering the bar industry?

Billy: Don’t do it! [laughs]

Tobey: I’d say get yourself in the door somewhere. Just what I did.

GLAM: How is that done?

Billy: Take every job, whether it is being the janitor or even a waiter, any position, get yourself in there and start working. Let the managers, people who are hiring you, see how you work, and work your way up. ‘Cause you’re probably not going to jump up and get a bar-tending job without the experience; it just doesn’t work that way. You have to prove yourself…to yourself. For more good advice, visit Klub Ambush at 475 South Lynnhaven Road, Virginia Beach.

[Editor’s note: Sorry boys. As this issue went to press, GLAM found out that Billy’s got a new man.]

JAN/FEB 09

11

BEAUTIFUL By McCarton Ackerman

For the cast and crew of The Hustle Chronicles, the proj-ect has been about hustling in every sense of the word.

With a lead actor bowing out on the opening day of the rehearsal, extensive rewrites, and the choreographer assuming one of the main roles, director Alex Bandy and the rest of the cast have been forced to adopt flexible mindsets and bodies as they tackle a production which they all agree is the most physically challenging that they have ever worked on.

“Since I grew up with the hustle and saw it at its best, I really wanted to have the opportunity to share it with others,” said Bandy. “It’s so far away from the tacky dance that everybody thinks it is.”

Starring Larry Piscatelli as Chaci, Zulma Rodiguez as China, and Santiago Douglas as the Mystery Man, The Hustle Chronicles pays homage to both a dance and an era. In addition to prominently displaying the dance, the play also features a love story that incorporates histori-cal factors.

The hustle dance originated in the Bronx during the early 1970s. Starting out at private hooky parties in its primitive stages, the hustle blossomed into a complex combination of multiple dances including swing, ball-room, and cha cha. The Hustle Chronicles covers three of the four stages in the evolvement of the dance includ-ing side to side and the rope.

“It wasn’t as popular of a dance initially because not ev-eryone could do it,” said Bandy. “You had to have rhythm and spin well in order to dance it.”

With the overwhelming success of Saturday Night Fever, legendary producer Merv Griffin created a show based on the movie entitled Thank God It’s Friday and held a dance contest as a promotion. Hustle dancers Floyd Chisholm and Nellie Cotto won the contest with their dance. Shortly after, Dance Fever also had a contest, which Eddie Vega and Lourdes Jones won with their hustle dance.

“Those guys were pioneers,” said Bandy. They exposed the hustle dance to the world.”While dancers like Chisholm and Vega may have ex-

“It’s so far away from the tacky dance that everybody thinks it is.”

HUSTLE

JAN/FEB 09

“If you look at all the dancing shows that are out on television now, not one of them features the hustle,” said Piscatelli.

While Piscatelli cites a need for the hustle to appear on television in order to create interest in the dance again, Bandy does not see this happening in the future.

“They’ll say no because it was derived from the street,” said Bandy. “It’s also a completely different era now. People don’t really know how to dance and today’s youth has a very short attention span. If they can’t do it right away, they won’t even try.”

Despite the odds against the hustle appearing in the mainstream in the near future, the uniqueness of the dance is what has kept it alive for over 40 years. Unlike forms of dance such as the salsa, which feature more traditional gender roles, the hustle features fewer rules on this front and allows the dancers to let loose on the floor.

“I have a salsa background and there’s a little bit more machismo there,” said Rodriguez. “With the hustle, you’ll see straight guys dancing with each other or women leading men. It’s so unlike what people think of it as because of Saturday Night Fever. We have noth-ing against the Hollywood interpretation. That’s just not what it is.”

With an audition process to hire new dancers taking place soon and a main cast that feel confident working with each other, the cast is looking forward to launch-ing the play in March of 2009.

“Dancing is what we did growing up and it’s what we love,” said Rodriguez. “I grew up doing salsa in the streets. That being said, the feeling I get from doing the hustle is unlike anything else I’ve experienced. It’s such a beautiful dance and we’re really excited to show it off to people.”

posed the dance, the popularity of the dance amongst the gay community kept it in the limelight. The major-ity of the top hustle dancers in the world were gay, and the dance was proudly displayed at top nightclubs throughout the country.

“Gay guys made this hot,” said Rodriguez. “It’s a com-pletely different scene. They would say to keep your hands up like you got a manicure. We have a catwalk in the show and it was completely inspired by gay guys.” For Bandy, The Hustle Chronicles has taken on mul-tiple twists and turns. Initially it was conceived as a documentary, but he was unable to find an editor who matched his price and decided to make it a play in-stead. With the actor assuming the role of Eddie Vega failing to turn up on the opening day of rehearsal, the script has undergone extensive rewrites due to the changes in cast. While Douglas is an accomplished actor with credits in films like Girlfight and television shows including The Sopranos, Law and Order and The O.C., he does not have a professional dance back-ground. Rodriguez, a trained dancer in several danc-ing styles, was now forced to assume one of the main roles after initially signing on as choreographer.

“Zulma and I have been helping each other out with this,” said Douglas. “I’ve been helping her with the acting and she’s been working with me on the danc-ing.”

While the breaks have been frustrating, the cast all agree that it has been a blessing in disguise.

“I was getting burned out at one point,” said Rodri-guez. “To go from a choreographer to the head of the show while you’re still conceptualizing things, not to mention teaching on the side, was really difficult.”

Despite the changes to the script, the primary ele-ments that Bandy hoped to express with this project have remained.

“One of the unique things that we wanted to show was the cattiness amongst the girls in the hustle commu-nity and all the cliques taking place. People wouldn’t dance with you because you were too good or weren’t good enough, or they would judge because you were a studio dancer versus a street dancer. It’s really inter-esting.”

Despite the enormous popularity of the hustle during the Disco Era, much of it died out when the disco era vanished. The last time a serious ballroom competition featured the hustle was at London in 1981. While hustle parties still remain in most major cities, the community remains small, if not fiercely devoted.

“We have nothing against the Holly-wood interpretation. That’s just not what it is.”

“Gay guys made this hot.”

13

JAN/FEB 09

GLAM’S In Design column will feature work that inspires in every issue, from interiors to

graphics and everything in between. Our subjects will generally be the designers themselves, either gay or gay-friendly, whose work is significantly impressive and whom we feel our readers will identify with and admire as much as we do.

For our premiere issue, GLAM spoke with Fred DeFiore, a successful gay architect and interior designer in the DC metro area, whose astonishing luxury homes we just had to put on display in our pages. So covet away, and read on to find out what inspires Fred DeFiore and how to get your hands on it!

GLAM: Fred, what inspired you to become a designer?

Fred: I grew up in an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C., where beautiful custom homes were always under construc-tion. Every chance I got, I would ride my bicycle to different job sites and wander through the skeletal frames of these immense homes, imagining what they would look like once they were complete. I would figure out the flow and use of spaces and then envision what finishes would work best: Cherry paneling in the library, an elaborate crystal chande-lier in the 2-story foyer, painted wainscoting in the formal dining room. I could spend hours like this: lost in my own imaginative world.

GLAM: Who and what have been your biggest influences?

Fred: My style is sort of “Classical with a Twist”. I like to de-sign spaces that have a timeless quality, yet function well in our modern times. I love the opportunity to design original items: furniture, area rugs, or millwork, but it will always have a nod toward classical--if only in context of propor-tions. I certainly do not like to get caught up in any momen-tary fads.

GLAM: What is your educational and professional back-ground?

In Design:Why Fred DeFiore is Fabulous

15

Fred: [I graduated in] 1991 [from the] University of Virgin-ia, Charlottesville, VA[with a] B.S. in Architecture, and a minor in Architectural History: Jeffersonian. I took part in the] Study Abroad Program in 1990 and at-tended University of Bath [in] England.

For the majority of this decade, I was the Senior Designer for a high-end residential design/build firm in Northern Virginia. Our clients could personalize every detail, from exterior architectural materials and colors, through to all interior trim, cabinetry, finishes and fixtures, down to the hinges on the doors. Over time, with all the custom cabi-netry and millwork, we had amassed most pieces of equip-ment needed for a fully functioning mill-shop.

In 2006, foreseeing the negative changes coming in the housing market, we decided to move away from the de-sign/build market and launch a new business. We found a perfect property to create our showroom facing the street and yet still have our mill shop out back. We took my most popular kitchen, a classic all-white 1920s farm house look with inset panel doors, and put it into production. Most cli-ents fell [in love with it, and many] would add a few custom elements to make it their own. Some would opt for a fully custom design.

After a year-and-a-half, I had achieved all my goals and decided to go back out on my own. I re-opened DeFiore Designs, a full turn-key operation, specializing in custom millwork and cabinetry for residential interiors. Always [ready] to grow, I am currently looking for an investor so I can expand to include my own full-service mill shop. I plan

to be the best source for custom cabinetry in the Greater Washington, D.C., area, offer[ing] a quality product at competitive rates, [and] in a timely manner with excep-tional customer service!

GLAM: With the featured design, what were you hoping to accomplish?

Fred: Seamless Integration! This addition literally dou-bled the size of the original house. My goal was to make sure the final product looked and felt as if it was a home all built at the same time. Not only does the exterior have to look cohesive, but the interior flow and propor-tions of the new spaces should complement and en-hance the existing ones and create a new and welcom-ing home for the family to enjoy for many years to come.

GLAM: Tell us your favorite part of the creative process?

Fred: To be honest, my favorite moment is the final walk-through with the clients when you hand over the keys to their new home. As we walk from room to room, experi-encing for the first time what we only dreamed of months ago, sometimes over a year earlier. All the details, all the drawings that came first, the many selections that had to be made, now all in their proper place. Words cannot express the joy in your heart at this moment, but I can see it my client’s eyes. I am usually on a natural high for the rest of the week!

GLAM: Do you think being a gay man helps or hinders you as a designer?

“...my favorite moment is the final walk-through with the clients....I am usually on a natural high for the rest of the week!”

JAN/FEB 09

Fred: It definitely helps! For once the stereotypes come in handy. I have actually had one client tell me the rea-son she hired me was “because I was gay and she knew she was in good hands.”

GLAM: How do you decide whom you will work with?

Fred: I really have to click with them and vice versa. We could be working very closely together for up to a year or two, and it’s much better when you have that sort of connection. Also, the scope of the project plays a part. I like to take on projects with an aspect that either is new to me or presents an interesting challenge.

GLAM: What has been your most exciting project and why?

Fred: A $4 million dollar, 10,000 sq. ft. residence in McLean, VA. This house was done on speculation, meaning there was no client. We built it and then put it on the market to sell.

With the current economic climate, it will be a very long time until someone is willing to take that sort of financial risk again. Nonetheless, without someone to cater to, I ultimately became the client. I pretty much had carte blanche to design at will AND on such a scale. Every room, every detail, every wall--even the ceilings--all the millwork and cabinetry were designed, executed and installed. It was such a rewarding expe-rience to create an entire home of this caliber just as I envisioned it.

GLAM: What is your favorite room in this featured proj-ect?

Fred: I would have to say the master bath. It was a challenge to adapt my style—“Classic with a Twist”—into this space. But the end result pleases me beyond belief. First, I love the opportunity to design His and Hers vanities. It gives each of them their own indi-vidual space. By designing them as Plantation Style sideboards, with their heavy turned legs, it gave them an antique furniture feel. Repeating that theme in the design of the mirrors hung above just completed the overall atmosphere. The “twist” comes with the lighting sconces protruding through the glass--function and beauty all-in-one.

The dilemma surfaced again in terms of bathing. As

a focal point, (and almost as a piece of sculpture in the space,) a period ball-and-claw-foot tub was centered in the space. To add to the historic quality, we used elabo-rate plumbing fixtures that came right up out of the floor, as one would have experienced 100 years ago. The modern twist is the glass-enclosed shower with modern features like body sprays and a large “rain head” on the shower faucet.

GLAM: What characteristics are important for anyone becoming a designer?

Fred: Preferably a natural talent or skill and strong pas-sion for design. A good four- or five-year program at a design school goes a long way. “You have to learn the rules before you can break them!”

GLAM: Any tips for our readers looking to remodel or hire a designer?

Fred: The remodeling process can be overwhelming. There are so many products on the market that it can be difficult, sometimes overwhelming, to make decisions. Try to find a designer whose work you admire, [whose] personality you like and who will help interpret your style for your space. Most importantly: Enjoy the pro-cess, it is part of the journey….

“I...actually had one client tell me the reason she hired me was be-cause I was gay and she knew she was in good hands.”

17

The Richard Stravitz Sculpture Gallery

JAN/FEB 09

The Richard Stravitz Sculp-ture Gallery in Virginia Beach features a mix of sculpture and painting ranging from classical still life to contempo-rary abstract paintings. As you walk into the gallery you are immediately surrounded by small and intricate figures on pedestals that fill the gallery’s first floor. More often than not, the warm and inviting face of Mr. Stravitz himself is there to greet you. The cast bronze statues feature athletic figures embracing, golfers, surfers and ballet dancers, and all ex-press the mastery of clay and bronze that only 15 years of devoted artistry can bring.

Along with his own work Mr. Stravitz’s gallery features many talented local artists. One of the most striking artists featured in the gallery is painter Renata Keep. Her work draws great influence from the Impressionist movement, with exaggerated brush strokes and vibrant colors reminiscent of the art of the American Southwest. The images are like mosaics, with their distinctive strokes composed in striking arrangements.

The gallery’s second floor is filled with yet more local paint-ings and sculptures. The main room fairly bursts with classical still life paintings and landscapes that would be at home in a formal dining room, but there are also rooms off to the side displaying more contemporary surprises. Still lifes of Coke cans reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s work can be found loung-ing in one corner while sailboats race through giant paintings in another. There are even Picasso-like sculptures of small strange figures and heads made of what appear to be cast steel or pewter.

Mr. Stravitz is warm and welcoming, and always happy to ex-plain his artistic process to curious parties. The gallery con-tains a vast array of interesting and well-executed original works that appeal to collectors and art enthusiasts alike. Stop by and enjoy the local flavor—no matter what you’re expect-ing, you’re in for a surprise.

19

JAN/FEB 09

21

THE DANCE-POP

DIVA TALKS ABOUT HER

NEW CD, HER CAREER, AND THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC.

GLAM: So, you have a new CD coming out, but what I would like to do is get a little background for our readers on you and your career, a sense of you as a per-son and a performer before we talk about the release.

Ultra: Ok, well lets see…. I started out very young, as a teenager, going to the clubs. I was actually planning on going into…the medical field when I started clubbing here in Baltimore, where I live. I fell in love with the underground house music scene, and kind of accidentally started working with some producers who were good friends of mine, DJ’s who had started their own studio. They called themselves “The Basement Boys” and pretty much worked with anybody and everybody who can swing to any degree. They asked me to come in and maybe write some songs and sing with them. I did that for fun—it wasn’t something that I planned on doing as a career, because I didn’t really see myself being in that kind of atmosphere.

As it turns out, I started writing some

songs and recording them. They were all in my own little style; I had no particular training in songwriting and singing. We came up with a really organic style and sound, which apparently appealed to a lot of people in the dance music genre at that point in time, which was the very late 80s going into the early 90s. I end-ed up signed to WARNER BORTHERS in the U.K. and my first two albums came out internationally. They came out in the U.K. as a domestic. So I was signed to a U.K. label, most of my music coming out internationally and then coming out in the States. Consequently a lot of people knew me overseas before people knew me here in the States.

GLAM: Right, that makes sense.

Ultra: I did two albums on [the label] WA-TER, in transition to [the label] STRICTLY RHYTHM back in 1996. I signed with them and then had the biggest hits of my career in the dance music genre. My sin-gle “Free” was the first one I wrote once I signed with STRICTLY RHYTHM. I ended up doing two albums for STRICTLY: “Sit-uation: Critical” (which followed “Free”) and “Stranger than Fiction”. Then WAR-NER came marching back into my life and bought the label. [laughs] I asked for release from the label because I did not want to be in the WARNER system again. Once I was released, I started my own label, BLUE FIRE RECORDS. I partnered with TOMMY BOY for its releases. I did that two years ago and released “Grime, Silk, Thunder”, my 5th album, which was released in 2007. Now the follow up to that is the Remix album “Alchemy”. GSP reloaded that with the “Sugar Sessions” which is my live DJ set because as the years have gone by and I’ve evolved into a DJ as well as a record label owner, an artist, songwriter and singer.

GLAM: Right, Fantastic. I love that al-bum by the way. The whole “Grime, Silk, Thunder” record is crazy. It reminds me of Grace Jones and the Eurhythmics.

Ultra: Totally! I think I have a lot of influ-ences; just my natural inclination seems to go into those very melancholic kind of moody, quirky places with artists like Annie Lennox. People often put me in that genre, which I take as an absolute compliment.

GLAM: So you started out singing right?

Ultra Nate is best known in the U.S. for her single “Free”, one of

the biggest dance hits of the 1990s, but has had even greater success on the dance scene in Europe. She is a singer, song-writer, DJ, producer, and mother—among other things—and lives in Baltimore, DJing at bi-weekly parties she throws to promote her label, Deep Sugar. This master multi-tasker is not only finding hot new stars to produce for her own label, but is still very much a hot ticket herself. GLAM talked with Ultra Nate recently about her influences, life in the club scene, and her new album out this year. Alchemy: GST Reloaded is a special two-disc set of exclusive remixes from her previous album, Grime, Silk and Thunder, plus music from the Deep Sugar parties mixed by Ultra herself. Read on for the dish on Ultra Nate straight from the diva’s mouth.

“I’m the accidental artist, that’s what I call myself all the time...”

JAN/FEB 09

Ultra: Yes, singing and writing, that was my thing. I’m just all for the business side in the last few years.

GLAM: You’re also producing, aren’t you?

Ultra: I kind of inadvertently started doing that. [laughs] Everything’s very accidental with my whole evolution into the music business. I’m the acci-dental artist, that’s what I call myself all the time, because if you don’t have any training or no one says this is how you do it, I just kind of go by instinct and by feel, and that’s how I learn things, as I do them. So I started producing be-cause I’m a songwriter and I know how I hear the records. Then when I have to translate those ideas into visions to the actual producer I am working with—it has always been a collaborative effort.

I’ve never been one of those artists who people just hand me a piece and that’s it. I’ve always been involved with my record from the ground up. So in all actuality that is production, even if you don’t actually play the piano your-self or push a button on the board for

the engineer; the producer is the ideas person. With saying that, as the years went by, yeah I’ve actually been doing a lot of production, especially with the vocal stuff in terms of the songwriting, arrangement, producing the vocals and all that.

GLAM: So that’s how you evolved from the singer to the DJ to the producer. Now I also noticed listening to your set, it’s pretty strictly house. There’s not a lot of filler in there. Have you ever thought about exploring breaks or any other electro styles?

Ultra: Well, I don’t know. I kind of like to play where I came from, that’s where my heart and soul is. I mean there are definitely other styles of music that appeal to me, but in terms of DJing it, I’m not so sure how that would actu-ally happen. I wouldn’t say no outright because everything is part of the evo-lutionary process so there is always

room for growth. I try to always remain a student of this industry in my art, but at the moment, as what I can still consider myself to be—a young DJ—all points considered, I play from where my soul and where my heart is, and that’s defi-nitely in house.

GLAM: Okay, what would you say was your biggest mistake while learning to DJ?

Ultra: Hmm, I don’t really think I’ve made any mistakes honestly!

[laughs both]

GLAM: Good answer. I know I’ve DJed before and I’ve had a few crashes.

[laughs both]

Ultra: So what? Everybody has had a crash or a train wreck, or picked a song that maybe wasn’t the best song timing-wise. We’ve all had those moments, but the reason I don’t consider it to be a mistake is because I look at all the bad things to be part of the process. I try not to be so uptight about it that I can’t enjoy

“ I play from where my soul and...my heart is, and that’s definitely in house.”

23

JAN/FEB 09

what I’m doing and that I feel the need to be perfect. I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on myself. Obviously, when I play I want the crowd to enjoy the set. Anyway you learn from those bad things and that’s part of the process. So inevita-bly it’s not a mistake necessarily, because it’s a necessary part of growing.

GLAM: Ok I can understand that, that makes sense. Now for the cliché ques-tion—but I really want to know the an-swer to this one myself and I’m sure our readers would be interested. If you were stranded on an island, what would be the 5 records you would have to have?

Ultra: If I was stranded on an island… [laughs]… only five records? Wow. Oh, that’s painful. Hmmm…. That’s just a trag-ic situation; I mean, how can you narrow down your whole scope to five records. How about five albums?

GLAM: All right, five albums.

Ultra: Definitely want Marvin Gaye’s “Hear My Fear” album, because that’s just the most moody, melancholic, bril-liant album on the planet. Hmmm, I would probably want “The Doors”.

GLAM: Wow.

Ultra: Oh, I love Jim Morrison, are you kidding?

GLAM: That’s cool. It’s good to hear a dif-ferent insight on you.

Ultra: I would definitely have to have…let’s see…one Jamie Mega Strip mixed CD from Shelter NY. That’s 3; I would probably need to have Prince’s “Purple Rain”.

GLAM: Yeah, that’s pretty much the re-cord of all time.

Ultra: Let me think, I need something that would definitely make me happy be-cause I would be terribly depressed be-ing stuck on an island. [laughs] I know this is going to sound way corny—the “Saturday Night Diva” soundtrack.

GLAM: I was just listening to that in L.A. and it’s pretty damn good. The DJs were rocking.

Ultra: You can’t help feeling happy lis-tening to Disco.

GLAM: Right. All the songs on there are good. So, what is it like mixing moth-erhood with DJ, producer, singer, and songwriter career? Does it give you more free time to spend with your fam-ily? And do you bring your son with you to the studio or when you’re out producing? How do you juggle all that?

Ultra: Well, definitely it’s tricky. And you have to really have good time manage-ment skills. I try when it’s time to spend time with my son, to shut down the mu-sic industry as much as I possibly can.There are ways to work around it. My son is really musical and he is definite-ly into singing and performing already at the age of three. In my office space in my home— I work out of there a lot, doing my initial writing for demos, just coming up with ideas or working on stuff—when I’m in my office working he, always wants to come in there, and that’s where my DJ equipment is set up because I also do a weekly mixed show in France on a radio station.

So whether I’m making my mixed show or working on some music, he comes in. He wants to play on my turntables, or with my CDJs, or he wants to take my microphone, or my headphones. We have a full-length mirror in that office space, so he performs a lot in there.

GLAM: That dude’s rocking.

Ultra: If I’m in the car and say I have to listen to some mixes or listen to a track from one of my artists—because I have a second label called DEEP SUGAR, which I have 3 artists signed to, and I listen to music all the time to judge it—he’s a good barometer. If he likes something, he wants to hear it over and over again. If he isn’t feeling it, then he’ll be like, let’s move on—“Next song mommy, next song.”

GLAM: That’s really cool. Well since we’re talking about your label, let’s stay on that vibe. Our readers may or may not know about DEEP SUGAR music. Can you tell us a little bit about DEEP SUGAR and what we can expect to hear in 2009?

Ultra: Well the label part of it started as a party solely, which is now five years old. We evolved it into an actual la-bel and STRICTLY RHYTHM backs it. I still have a great relationship with the STRICTLY RHYTHM family, and once they got back up and running last year, the head of the label approached me about backing my label, and now I have 3 artists signed. The first one is SYBOL, who put out a lot of classic R&B dance hits back in the day, like “Don’t Make Me Over” and “Walk on By”. We put out her first single back in June. Cur-

“My natural inclination seems to go into those very melancholic kind of moody, quirky places with artists like Annie Lennox.”

25

rently, our new artist is JADA. Her single is about # 2 on tracksource.com, one of the online sites that are starting to pro-mote it. The third artist signed, her name is LISA MAC; and her single is about to come out in late October. So it’s a lot of work to do to keep a label up.

GLAM: Are these artists R&B or House? What styles of music do they work in?

Ultra: It’s primarily house. I always have a soulful house mix done, but I also do a more progressive house or international sort of mix to appeal to the House Heads internationally. I usually get at least two kinds of mixes done, though the deep, soulful house that appeals to that partic-ular genre’s fans and then a more com-mercial house mix.

I’m so focused on the U.S. because the U.S. is really, really tough. It’s so spread out and it costs so much money to break a record here. The sound that we do is definitely more ingrained in Europe; it’s easier there to build a profile on a record and to promote records and for people to buy them. There is a lot more buying going on in Europe than in the U.S. It’s re-ally tough now to sell records in the U.S.

GLAM: There are a lot of people out there trying to come up as young artists and producers; what kind of advice would you give young producers and DJs who are in this market where everything is digital download, and people aren’t buy-

ing records, like you said?

Ultra: I think that it’s a double-edged sword. You accept the ability that the In-ternet has given the world technology that has enabled people to make these records very inexpensively. The down side of that is that you saturate the mar-ket with so much product that the con-sumer gets innundated and loses inter-est; I think that’s what has happened. I think that the only way to salvage that is that people have to remember that the quality of what people are putting out has to be there.

Now there is so much quantity, but when you start sacrificing the quality that’s when you lose people. You still need to be good at what you do, you still need to bring a certain level of artistry, cre-ativity, and interest into what you are creating. I think the consumer can tell the people who are just trying to make a fast buck these days, and I also think that the consumer is savvy enough to be aware of when people are putting out products because its something they believe in and that people put time, effort, and love into trying to cre-ate something interesting, as opposed to people just throwing some beats and a bass line together and trying to make a fast buck by throwing it out on the In-ternet.

GLAM: We’re very excited about your new CD. You called it SUGAR SESSIONS because it comes from the sets you are doing, right?

Ultra: Exactly, it’s coming from my DEEP SUGAR parties, which are every 2nd Saturday here in Baltimore.

GLAM: Right, so are you going to be doing more of these mixed releases from SUGAR? Is it going to be a trend that we can expect from you?

Ultra: Well I think this situation has kind of been like a filler for TOMMY BOY because a lot of people think that mixed CDs don’t sell anymore. They

do internationally more so than the U.S. What we’ve been finding, my manager and I, is that you can speculate what you think people might be interested in, but you never know till you throw it out there and see. It doesn’t cost us anything be-cause it’s a product that I’ve already paid for. It’s been selling really well, like on iTunes as a complete work. With that said I think that TOMMY BOY is open to mak-ing a SUGAR SESSIONS Volume 2.

GLAM: You should definitely go that route the mixed version is very cool. I like the other albums, but it’s even more fun to listen to. I didn’t know that you DJed till recently.

Ultra: A lot of people don’t and I think that [Sugar Sessions] is great way to in-troduce that.

GLAM: The cover of the ALCHEMY dou-ble CD is hot.

Ultra: Thank you.

GLAM: I’ve seen most of your photos over the years. Looking at the CD singles, who is your stylist, who comes up with the looks? Because you look fantastic!

Ultra: I actually work very closely with the people that are handling my visuals. It’s a give and take; it’s a mixed bag of concepts. It might be some of the ideas I might have had, it might be some ideas the photographer had, or the make-up artist or whomever. That’s part of my process as being a creative person; it’s a give and take. Every record, the visual need to complement, they are part of that whole story. You’ve really got to trust your instincts.

GLAM: Great, that’s fantastic. Before we wrap up, I’m going to ask you the most important question: Now that you’ve evolved into a producer, mother, busi-ness owner, singer, songwriter, and en-tertainer, how do you see yourself? As a woman, do you see yourself as more of a businessperson, mother, singer, DJ or are you creating something new, is this like a metamorphosis for you?

Ultra: I think it’s all of those things. I’m an anomaly. Something ‘other’, I’m not sure what I am at this moment but it’s definite-ly some extra shit!

“…the consumer is savvy enough to be aware of when people are putting out products...they be-lieve in.”

JAN/FEB 09

27

INDUSTRY INSIDER

JAN/FEB 09

The Infamous White Party Palm Springs Turns 20

Prepara-tions have begun for the 20th anniver-sary of the infamous White Party Palm Springs in April 2009, and information about this infamous attraction is set to hit in mid-November. But GLAM want-ed more. So we called up Jeffrey Sank-er, creator of White Party Palm Springs and the “father of the modern gay cir-cuit party” according to the Miami Her-ald. We put together a breakdown of the event and its origins for our read-ers, as well as a little insight into Jeffrey himself and, in the process, dug up a

tantalizing little secret that even we don’t have the answer to. But we got some hints and we’re not above guessing. Are you?

With a top-secret headline performer, scores of international DJs, an all-white dress code, and four steamy nights of gay male-oriented events in the desert landmark of Palm Springs, White Party 20 is going down in style. Superhero style—literally, as that’s the theme for the big bash. The infamous Palm Springs is celebrating its 20th anniversary in April 2009, and preparations are well under way for the biggest party to hit the West Coast in decades.

What it’s all about…White Party Palm Springs has an av-erage of 25,000 hotties, growing from around 500 partygoers the first time around, and, according to Sanker, it’s “one of the top five conventions in Palm Springs.” Our kind of convention. When was the last time you went to a breakout session to hear a beautiful, shirtless, sweaty man spin rhythmic beats on the dance floor?

For the big anniversary, Sanker is go-ing all out. He and his team, consisting of a “handful” (whose hand, Jeffrey?) of year-rounders and about 300 for actual party production, have put together a fabulous fantasy vacation. White Par-

ty 20 will be hosted by the Wyndham Palm Springs and Zoso, and boasts 30 DJs (many international) over the four days of events. “Every DJ I have ever used will be there,” said Sanker. A ma-jor helping of nostalgia for attendees of parties past, no doubt.

White Party has also played host to some major musical acts in the past two decades. Past performers include Boy George, Toni Braxton, Natalie Cole, Christina Aguilera, and J-Lo. Talk about a handful! “We’re opening with a full concert at White Party 20,” said Sanker. “I can’t say who it is, but it’s one of the biggest stars ever to hit [the music busi-ness].” GLAM pried a little more, trying to get the scoop, but the most we could get out of him was that the performer is a “pretty big gay icon”. Sounds intrigu-ing, Jeffrey. We do love a secret. Dam-mit.

The concert will light up the desert on Thursday at 9:00. The party will spin out from there, crawling with bleach-happy Superheroes. Meaning, dress as your favorite—but the white dress code still stands, so you’ll have to be creative. When GLAM asked Jeffrey what he was going as, he laughed: “ I’m my own su-perhero.” We think many White Party-goers would say he is theirs, too.

29

Because the 20th anniversary of such an iconic party is historically significant, Sanker says White Party 20 will be filmed and a documentary will be created about the “making of”, to be released in the summer following the expansive celebration. The results will be on display at GLBT film fests and aired on GLBT televi-sion network Here!. White Party 20 is making history and nobody, least of all Sanker, is going to let the world forget. We’re here and we’re queer—and this party is fabulous.

How it all began…White Party West was created by Jeffrey Sanker, the iconic national promoter, in 1988, and is considered the birth of the “circuit party”. It was quite a delivery. Sanker took a one-night-in-Miami benefit with dancing and cocktails to the fabulously chic heart of the Califor-nia desert and turned it into a white-hot four-day party

White Party Miami, by the way, conceived by Frank Wager as an AIDS fundraiser, is celebrating its 25th an-niversary this month and has grown into a week-long celebration itself. It seems every wants to make this baby last, and it just keeps getting bigger.

Within the larger White Party Palm Springs, there are many, many smaller ones (though not necessarily in scale): Welcome parties, after parties, after hours par-ties, pool parties…afternoon tea parties? Anyone for “sex with an alligator?” You know, the drink. There are no alligators in the desert. Alligator bags, maybe. Jim-my Choos, perhaps? Of course, people have their fe-tishes about those, but we’ll stick with the drink. Shoes aren’t our thing. But to each her own….

Along with its lack of gators as an attractive quality, Palm Springs became the ‘it’ location because the Hol-lywood elite hotspot is, Sanker said, “an oasis in the middle of the desert, two hours from L.A.” He wanted to take people “out of the nightclubs and into a differ-ent setting.” And, he added, “everyone looks good in white.” Especially with a California tan, we might add. Amen!

He chose the area for more esoteric reasons as well. “The desert is a very tranquil, spiritual place, and very gay-friendly. It always has been.” Palm Springs’ last two mayors have been openly gay. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that P.S. still carries the glamour of the silver screen’s heyday in the 40s and 50s. Who doesn’t want to be Ava Gardner in a white gown? Or Ava Gardner’s pool boy in a little white Speedo? Now there’s a super-hero for you. Viva la cabana boy!

Details, detailsWhite Party 20 will take place April 10-13, 2009 in Palm Springs. See GLAM’s travel section, Roam If You Want To, page ___, for details about White Party 20 and the Wyndham Hotel Palm Springs. Find out more about White Party Palm Springs at www.jeffreysanker.com. Get your tickets at www.circuiticket.com.

See, Frommer’s gets it.With over 20,000 gay men dressed in white, the White Party Spring Break at the Palm Springs Convention Center is one of the biggest events on the US party cir-cuit. The Easter weekend celebrations in Palm Springs also feature after-hours events as well as a variety of pool parties and other social gatherings.Source: Frommer’s, the travel resource - www.events.frommers.com

The Other White PartyFrank Wager co-founded the White Party as a fundrais-ing event for the Health Crisis Network. White Party Miami benefits HYPERLINK “http://careresource.org” Care Resource “(the merger of Health Crisis Network and Community Research Initiative)”, and takes place over an entire week.

White Party Miami hosts more than 13 events, includ-ing “a fundraising brunch at the Versace mansion, an exclusive beach party, a New York Times celebrity speaker panel, and the legendary White Party at the Vizcaya Museum and Garden in Miami.” The celebra-tion also includes Cirque Blanc and other women-ori-ented events.

Source: http://gaylife.about.com/od/gayproductrev-iews/fr/whiteparty.htm; http://frontpage.jumponmark-slist.com/events/white_party_miami/2007/index.htm

For more information about White Party Miami, includ-ing the 25th anniversary party taking place November 26-December 1, 2008, go to http://www.whiteparty.orghttp://www.careresource.org

And baby makes three. Vegas, anyone?Last year, Jeffrey Sanker spread the love by expanding into Sin City with White Party Las Vegas. This, too, shall be an annual event that will bring out circuit partygoers in droves. The Vegas version just had its second install-ment in October and the photos are hot. Check them out at www.jeffreysanker.com and start making your plans for next year, in the other desert hotspot.

White Party Palm Springs has an average of 25,000 hotties...

“I’m my own superhero.”

JAN/FEB 09

31

“THERE IS NEVER A DULL MOMENT IN THE GAY COMMUNITY.”

In a dimly lit and smoky room in her Portsmouth home, Nanci Burton works to create extraordinary costumes for local actors, dancers, and performers, especially drag queens. In many ways, she’s a regular citizen of the community—a wife and a mother, a business owner who started working out of her home 20 years ago, President of the Business Owners Association in

Cradock. Now she’s a local celebrity: the designer of choice for the Hampton Roads entertainment business and styling her way into the-ater. GLAM sat down with Nanci at home for a cozy chat about her work to find out what makes the local sparkle queen tick.

GLAM: How long have you been doing this?

Nanci: Twenty years. I started in high school. A girlfriend of mine started go-go dancing, and of course I was curious. She pulled out these little pasty things and I said, ‘I bet I can make these’. So we went to the fabric store and picked out some fabric. She gave me one of her outfits. I used the Virginian-Pilot newspaper to make my first pat-tern and I made her an outfit. Word of mouth spread, and there I sat with my own business. I was chicken to move out on my own—it took 10 years. But I supported my family of four. My husband was sick, and I did the go-go dancers and made a living out of it. It’s better to sew in your home because then you don’t have all of that overhead. Once I got my shop, then I was able to expand.

A [former] Mr. Ambush, Willie, came to get some bottoms from me. Then he told Naomi [Black] to come see me. She was my first drag queen, and Fushia [Deville] is my most faithful drag queen [and] has become a very special friend. I make everything for her. Over the years I have sewn for Henry’s boys, Naomi, Mercedes, Jasmine, Son-dra, KiKi, Jade, Faith, Sydney, Fushia and others. I have also dressed the Mr. Ambush contestants and winners over the years. I designed outfits for Adam and Eve production at club Ambush raising money for AIDS. I also design for body builders and fitness competitions.

“I ENJOY WORKING WITH THE QUEENS BECAUSE I CAN REALLY BE CREATIVE AND TRY NEW IDEAS.”

GLAM: What got you interested in sewing?

Local Spotlight

JAN/FEB 09

Nanci: My grandmother sewed and I watcher her. In school, they had home economics, so I took sewing from 6th through 12th grade. I always got an ‘A’. I made my best girlfriend’s clothes and she got an ‘A’ too. We cheated—she couldn’t sew to save her life!

GLAM: What are your favorite things to design?

Nanci: Challenges: the harder, the crazier, the more I love it because I’m constantly learning with these new chal-lenges. I’ve never done a bustle before and that dress be-hind you is the first one I’ve done. That one is going to be in Wicked [the local musical production at Klub Ambush]. I’m doing the whole cast. It’s a challenge with Wicked be-cause it’s only me sewing.

I’m learning to work with store-bought patterns, whereas before I made all of my own patterns. Now I go to the store and just say, ‘Hey, that’s close,’ and then make adjustments. It saves hours and hours of time.

GLAM: How did you get involved in the production of Wicked?

Nanci: Fushia. I did a few things for her for the last [musical production] they did, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before

Christmas. I’d done a couple outfits for people that were in it and I guess they liked them. So far they have all been really happy with what I’ve brought in to them. They are amazed. But there is something new to learn everyday, if you don’t produce the same item. I was so afraid of non-stretch fabric when Fushia brought it to me the first time, I didn’t know how to act. But now it’s a lot easier because I’ve been doing it for 5-6 years. I was so used to working with spandex. And most people can’t work with spandex, so I have a one-up on them. Everything today is made out of stretch fabric. But I love it. My mother always said to me you’ve got a four-year degree and you’re not even using it. (I did Elementary Ed).

“[FUSHIA]TURNED ME ON TO THE PRODUCTION OF WICKED AND NOW I’M IN THE THEATER.” GLAM: How much would something like this red dress with bustle cost for a customer?

Nanci: Something like that would cost around $300. I’m not Walmart. I’m not the thrift store. I’m one-of-a-kind, unique, and you know you get what you pay for. The ideas just pop into my head as I go. The [outfits] get on the dummys, they need something here or there, and they come out as a whole different outfit. And my screw-ups come out the best.

I have made things years and years ago that are still togeth-er, unless [performers] totally abuse the outfit. A lot of the drag queens, because the economy is so tight, are making their own stuff, but if they have a pageant or a competition where they need something precise, that’s when they come to me. They are always complimented on the perfect fit.

GLAM: Do you do wedding dresses, too?

Nanci: People have asked me, and I tell them to go to Da-vid’s Bridal first because for me to do all that detailing is going to cost them thousands of dollars.

GLAM: What is the best way for people to get in touch with you if they want something made?

Nanci: The way I get business is always word of mouth. [Peo-ple can call me at (757) 558-6322.

GLAM: And what can Hampton Roads look forward to from Nanci in the future?

Nanci: A friend is trying to talk me into competing in Project Runway. We’ll see.”

“A FRIEND IS TRYING TO TALK ME INTO COM-PETING IN PROJECT RUNWAY. WE’LL SEE.”

Good luck, Nanci! GLAM will be watching for you.

33

Here’s the scenario: You’re an artist who feels he or she has some hot music the indus-try—and the world—needs to hear. Problem is, you’ve been

trying for years to get a record deal, but these clueless A&Rs† are showing you no love! Then it hits you – “I’m going to start my own record label and put my own stuff out!” Congratula-tions! You’re about to become an entrepreneur and follow in the footsteps of Jay-Z, Tiesto, 50 Cent and DJ Irene.

So what’s the first step?

Well, since this is the music business, you need to have two (2) things: (1) hot music and (2) a properly established “busi-ness”.

Having hot music should speak for itself. It’s either hot or it’s not! Notice that the above-mentioned examples of music entrepreneurs all happen to be rappers and DJs. There is a reason for that. Hip-Hop and dance/club music are genres that don’t necessarily need mainstream radio to create a “buzz” and sell records. The “Street” (i.e., DJs, mixed tapes, and the Internet) can help drive sales of your record with-out mainstream radio exposure. Other artists (such as R&B or rock) have a bit more difficulty, because radio airplay is usually needed to sell units, and hiring independent radio promoters to get a record on the radio can be very costly. But an independent R&B or rock label can still be accomplished. You just need to be committed to the process.

Getting your business “right” is the next most important thing to consider. There are four (4) types of business entities that you can use to get your record label up and running. You can operate your record label as a: 1) Sole Proprietorship, 2) Partnership, 3) Corporation or 4) Limited Liability Company. With a Sole Proprietorship, the business is run by one person who is also the owner. It is easy to create by going to the local county courthouse and filling out some simple forms such as a “DBA” (“doing business as”) with the fictitious name of your company. The big disadvantage with Sole Proprietorship is that if you get sued and you lose, the judgment creditor can recover against both your business and personal assets (there goes that Jacob* watch!) and that’s not a good look.

A Partnership is an association of two or more people con-ducting business on a continual basis for profit. There is usu-ally a written partnership agreement that outlines the duties and responsibilities of each partner. Big Disadvantage: Each person in the Partnership is responsible and liable for the

business obligations of the Partnership incurred by any of the partners. So if one partner signs a contract to pay a record producer to produce a song and doesn’t - all of the partners are responsible for the payment. If the Partner-ship fails to pay the Producer, he can sue all the partners and if he wins, the personal assets of the partners can be taken, but only after all the partnership assets, if any, have been taken (there goes the Maybach!**). Again, not a good look, especially if your partners are irresponsible.

A Corporation is a better look. A Corporation is a sepa-rate legal entity with a life apart from the people who own and operate it. Using the earlier example, if a Corporation enters into an agreement to pay a record producer and doesn’t, the producer can sue the Corporation, and if the Producer wins, only the assets of the Corporation can be taken but not the personal assets of the individual owners of the Corporation (you get to keep your house!). There are also significant tax advantages to creating a Corpora-tion.

You can incorporate a company by filing an “Article of In-corporation” with the Secretary of State Department in the state where you’ll be doing business (check the Internet for companies that can assist you) or you can retain the services of an attorney to incorporate the company for you.

Finally, a Limited Liability Company (“LLC”) is a business entity that has the elements of a Corporation and a Part-nership. In an LLC, the owners (members) are parties to a contract known as the “Operating Agreement” which outlines the rights, duties and rules of the LLC. As with a Corporation, LLCs provide limited liability and protection of the member’s personal assets while allowing the mem-bers to be treated as a partnership for ownership and tax purposes.

I suggest that you go with either a Corporation or an LLC if you are serious about setting up a record label, and get the advice of an attorney or accountant to help you set one up properly.

For more information, contact:

Robert A. Celestin, Esq.c/o Law Offices of Robert A. Celestin, Esq.250 West 57th Street, Suite 2331New York, NY 10107(212) 262-1103racinfo@nyct.netwww.raclawfirm.com† A&R – Stands for Artists and Repertoire. This is the division of a record label responsible for scouting new artists and developing them. A&Rs

(plural) is short-hand for A&R scouts – the actual people who “discover” an artist.

* Jacob watch – Jacob & Co. is a luxury watch and diamond jewelry house. Their watches are worn by the elite, especially celebrities, and can range in price from about $9,000 to $1M or more.

** Maybach – In case you aren’t quite stinking rich yet (and you aren’t “in the know”), a Maybach is a German luxury automobile made by Maybach-Motorenbau, founded in 1909. Very hot!

Music Business 101

JAN/FEB 09

Look inside today’s hottest nightclubs and you don’t see a DJ booth anymore. You see a VJ booth. At first glance it’s hard to tell the difference. In fact, some VJs use what appears to be an ordinary DJ mixer and vi-nyl to control the audio and video. But factor into the mix the power of a comput-

er and custom software, and ordinary becomes some-thing much more.

Do you remember when MTV used to play videos? When VJs were people like ‘Ricky Rachtman’ and ‘Downtown Julie Brown’, and their job was to announce your favor-ites?

The modern VJ is a completely different animal— much more of a creator rather than an emcee talking over beats. For those who haven’t yet experienced the newest form of club entertainment, VJ stands for Video Jockey, as DJ stands for Disc Jockey. A VJ mixes a variety of video sources together in series to create a flowing ‘mix’ of im-ages throughout the night at larger club events, and can simultaneously mix audio as a traditional DJ would. The video images give the club audience something capti-vating to look at while dancing, which is more fun than staring at the back of the DJ’s head.

Some popular VJs only mix existing video, but under-ground VJs make custom videos synced to underground electronic music and then mix it live. And they don’t stop there. While mixing and scratching, they use a MIDI con-troller to add custom effects, further tweaking the video and audio. The most advanced equipment on the market allows VJs to mix and customize both independently and simultaneously. But even then there are different ways to combine. One VJ might simply mix videos with a video controller, while another uses ‘time coded’ * vinyl re-cords and VJ software to scratch hip hop videos.

New advances in MIDI controllers to control and manip-ulate the audio as well as innovations in VJ software are allowing people to go beyond merely playing consecu-tive videos. Some VJs, using beefed-up computers with high-end aftermarket video cards, are not only scratch-ing and mixing classic and modern video just like au-

Gear Heads

The Modern V

.J. Hint: It’s N

ot Your MTV

Host

by Lewis D

avidson

35

Gear Heads

JAN/FEB 09

dio, but are also making live video mash-ups and remixes, a trend that mirrors the current music style of artists such as Moldover and Girl Talk, with the added dimension of visuals. To illustrate, you can take a classic video of Max Headroom or George Bush for example, and add both audio and video ef-fects, mixing in their images on top of music and other video. By the time you’re done adding layered effects, Max is re-ally Maxxxed out, and Bush is Bushwhacked - all in perfect rhythm and on beat!

Some VJs create their own videos. Falcotronik, a VJ out of Tuc-scon, AZ, pulls off a flawless real time mix in his VJ set using only videos that he makes himself in his live mix. Falcotron-ik enjoys “seeing the crowd’s reaction when [people] who might not have really… paid attention get pull[ed] into the song…when they get into the video.”

Surprisingly enough, much of the high-end video software is coming from the music industry itself, and not directly from the video production software realm as one might assume. A few of these music companies are leading this niche industry with custom VJ software, the most advanced in development. Some of the bigger companies chose the hardware route, prime examples of which were presented at the N.A.M.M. Show* from such prominent DJ companies as Pioneer, Nu-mark, Rane and Vestax.

Whether a VJ favors hardware or a combination of software and a physical (MIDI) controller, the results are the same: awe-inspiring.

Mixing the best hip hop and Top 40 to an all-tranced-out vi-sual mix, or creating a modern mind meld of underground drum and bass mash-ups and 80s-inspired visual anarchy, appeals to audiences because the results feed so well into the “more more faster faster” generation that we have be-come. People love the stimulation.

Leading areas for this “stimulating” VJ phenomenon are NY, LA, London, Tokyo and Paris, but any high-end club in a ma-jor city will have videos on anywhere from one screen to 25. And as far as where the videos happen, their display location can vary. Sometimes the images are on the ceiling, but others prefer a projection screen or multiple screens for effect. Ap-pearance depends on the club budget and/or the personal taste of the VJ or club owner. The possibilities are truly endless. Technological advances and the Internet (which makes it easy for anyone to build a collection of video and visuals) are allowing this art form rooted in raves and underground clubs of the recent past to expand exponentially. Now, using traditional DJ skills and limited only by their own content and imaginations, VJs are pushing the boundaries of modern media and live entertainment. And the best part is, since VJing is still so new, clubbers and fans of the VJ artist can only expect ever-newer and more interesting develop-ments from this ultra-modern art form.

Some of these developments are based on the fact that vid-

eos are not limited to images. They often have text superim-posed, and some VJs may inject ads and drink specials for the bar they work for right into the mix. But the subversive political message is also popular among underground VJs, as with any art form. VJing is not purely commercial sim-ply because of its relationship with technology and video content. Because of its relative newness, it hasn’t been taken over by corporations in the way that many other media, such as MP3s, have.

Though I have presented VJing as a new art form, VJing in clubs is technically not new—at least not in its most basic form. Remember raves? It was the combination of visuals and music that made raves what they were. Back then the setup was pretty simple—little much beyond lasers and lights. Visual effects have come a long way since.

Now video adds a dimension of similarity as well as pro-vokes or inspires its viewers. People are stimulated by see-ing things that we recognize, that make us think, that shock or excite us. But the bottom line is—video is fun, whether it’s placing vials of colored oil and water on a projector or mix-ing custom videos projected through a high optics machine onto a 20-foot screen.

The similarities to earlier visual incarnations go back much further than raves, though. I recently wrote an article about music history in the gold rush era. Now I am delving into the depths of modern music and video. And strange as it sounds, both types of “shows” are based on the same prin-cipal.

Back then it was a piano man and showgirls on a stage. Now, guys and girls are dancing together on the dance floor and the stage, among rare footage, trippy visuals, and classic and modern artists’ music videos alike. It’s almost a collab-orative experience, where the people are part of the show. Despite the upgrades, the principal is the same: good mu-sic, dancing, and drinks make for a party, but eye candy makes for an experience.

Pioneer DJ, whose CD players are in most clubs, recently came out with stand-alone DVD players and dual/combo units as well as mixers that allow a VJ to create with both au-dio and video in ways far beyond what even top DJs do with audio alone. (Pioneer makes a rack mount unit as well as table top DVD players as well as a VJ mixing console with a color screen.) Numark’s IDJ2 is an iPod-based VJ audio and video mixer. Vestax makes a MIDI unit that controls software.

*NAMM Show The NAMM show, or National Association of Music Mer-chants, is the music industry’s annual new product showcase for all the latest and best in audio and video.

37

FYI: VJ Links http://www.softwarevj.com/index.php?ostype Compare and analyze different VJ software on the mar-ket, but before you decide, make sure you know if you want audio handling capabilities, as there is a big differ-ence and few choices on the marketplace.

http://www.dj2ndnature.com/site/home/home.html DJ 2nd Nature uses advanced DVD player “hardware” to mix and scratch his video mixes.

http://www.technorganicrecordings.net/ Falcotronik not only performs as a Video Jockey, he makes his own videos, as well as videos for underground record labels.

And for someone graduating up from Digital DJ to VJ, check out: http://www.serato.com/. They have a hard-ware/software combo with a plug-in that allows you to mix and cut up videos using a DJ mixer and vinyl records. With this option you get the best of both worlds, a tradi-tional DJ mixer, but with the addition of a built in sound card, as well as MIDI control, time code vinyl, and the ability to powerfully mix audio and video all in one tradi-tional hands on kit.

In addition, Numark has popular video, and A/V combos of both software and hardware to suit many multimedia performers needs. http://www.numark.com/en/index.php

Regarding content: VJing is still new, and a large amount of content is not yet readily available on the Internet. Yet fortunately, it’s not yet bastardized by major labels like mp3s are, so with a deep search you will see that a few sites sell it and some dare to allow downloads. With most services, you need to ‘verify’ your hardcore VJ status. Then, once you are approved as a VJ and not an ordinary consumer, they allow you to buy DVD content of mod-ern (top 40) videos. The best service for this is, that I am aware of right now is: www.venuevj.com.

Usually, proof that a DJ is a member of the American Disc Jockey association or verification by the DJ/VJ’s club management is enough to grant access to download this otherwise elusive media. Other specialty websites sell subscriptions to DVDs and downloads of select classic and modern music videos, as well as loops and video pieces to mix into other content and make a custom show. Finally with a powerful enough computer, and a media server and some know how, someone can basically get any movie online, and slice and dice it- into key memora-ble pieces, and use these bits to visually paint pieces into the audio mix, similar to slicing and editing montages, but for a more dynamic or surreal effect.

JAN/FEB 09

In the midst of setbacks and disappoint-ments on the gay marriage front, the

GLBT community still believes in progress and has hope in the future, in the form of Barack Obama and a new, inclu-sive administration committed to real change.

The victories and defeats of election night 2008 created a sense of hope for the future, mixed with a sense of disap-pointment with the present, for the GLBT community. In California, the passing of Proposition 8, defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman, dashed the hopes of many in the GLBT world. A California State Supreme Court decision on May 15, 2008, had ruled that discrimi-nation based upon sexual orientation was unconstitutional and had allowed over 18,000 gay couples to marry. That all stopped on November 5, when marriage licenses were refused to same-sex couples who showed up at L.A. county clerks’ offices to be united.

Ellen DeGeneres, who had donated over $100,000 to de-feat Proposition 8, said that she was “saddened beyond be-lief” by the decision of California voters. Brian Brown, ex-ecutive director of the National Organization for Marriage California, said “Government did not create marriage, and neither politicians nor legislators have the right to rede-fine its basic meaning,” This disappointment was mirrored by thousands of protesters who took to the streets in the cities of San Francisco after the outcome had become ap-parent. In LA and West Hollywood, over a thousand people gathered holding signs that read “We all deserve the free-dom to marry.”

The immediate reaction to the vote was outrage and sad-ness, but people’s emotions quickly turned towards de-termination to fight for change in the future. Actor George Takei, best known for his role as Mr. Sulu on Star Trek, and the first to receive a gay marriage license to his longtime partner (Brad Altman) in West Hollywood, said, “There are going to be heartbreaks, setbacks and sacrifices to be made, but we will soldier on.” These sentiments were re-flected by many in the California GLBT community, where people looked to the Obama victory over centuries of big-otry as a beacon of hope that civil rights could be won for the gay community.

Obama spoke of a woman from Atlanta who, at the age of 106, was born only one generation after the end of slavery. The woman “couldn’t vote for two reasons: because she

was a woman and because of the color of her skin. I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope, the struggle and the prog-ress. At a time when women’s voices were silenced, and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot – ‘Yes, we can’,” Obama said.

Obama’s message of inclusion for all people, “rich, poor, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled,” sent a message of hope for equal rights that will forever be seen as a moment of change in our society. As he said, “What we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomor-row.” From the very beginning, and in all of his speeches in the last week of his long journey, Obama mentioned the inclusion of the gay community, like the inclusion of other minorities, as being essential to our unity as a nation.

From the protesters in California who commented on the progress of the past decade amidst the disappointment of November 4, to the people of Massachusetts who just last year legalized the right to marry for all people regard-less of sexual orientation, there has never been a period of greater hope for the future freedoms of the gay community. Today we can take pride in our nation and hold hope in our hearts that amidst the turmoil of these historic times, as it has come for African Americans, freedom is coming for the GLBT community.

GAY MARRIAGE AND THE NEW

REPUBLIC

39

JAN/FEB 09

41

JAN/FEB 09

Hello Tops and Bottoms, Butches and Lipsticks,

It’s me, your Whopper Diva of Hampton Roads, Fushia DeVille, starting a brand new column in our newest gay, lesbian and trans-gender magazine, G.L.A.M.—soon to be a nationwide syndicate.

This column will focus on life, laughter and (capital “L”) Love, and especially long-term relationships and marriages between gay, lesbian, and transgender couples. In the future, I will find and in-troduce to you inspiring couples that have been able to last longer than just the morning after banter of, “ Hey baby, don’t forget to throw away the rubber on your way out,” or the casual encounter comment (in the morning, or even the middle of the night) once you wake up and see another person in your bed: “What’s your name again?”

I have made it my mission to find couples that have been in it for the long haul and have decided to take the next step. This long-term Love is what I believe is a real future and somehow has been lost in our community. When did it become such a taboo for us to admit that we want to find Love and that we want to find someone to grow old with and then build a secure relationship together? To have that special one to share our dreams about the future, our passion about one another, our beliefs in what may be or could be. Life is supposed to be about Love. To have someone to feel that with, to have Love grow, nurturing and sharing with that one person that believes in you and what you can grow to be in life, is where it’s really supposed to be. You know how it feels to share your laughter with someone that knows how to make you smile and laugh when know one else can, when you’ve had one of those days when you’re ready to just back out and give up, and most of all that true and I do mean true joy in knowing that you are with that one person that loves you unconditionally no matter what life may bring you, through good and bad times.

I want us as a community to find out why it is that there is so little talk about Love? Where did it go? Why is it so taboo to want these

things, to even admit to wanting these things out of your life? My goal is for this column to be made of the real thing: ‘Unconditional Love and Happiness’—what it’s all about, how to achieve it, how to feel it without hesitation and to know it’s possible to have and feel Love, to laugh and smile and be that person for anoth-er, besides them being there for you. I will bring you the pioneers of that magic, of what seems to be almost impossible desire, need and want in our community. These couples have not lost the passion for being in a true relationship or marriage in this day and age, and instead are living their destiny. We, as a community of gays, lesbians and transgenders, don’t need to con-tinue to find Love and happiness to be such a taboo. Instead we should be embracing it as part of our now, our future, our forever.

I feel by our taking this next step in our own evolu-tion, we as a community are standing up and telling the world that we are serious about our Loves, our relationships and our wanting and longing for the right to have same-sex marriages. To have the abil-ity to share our last names, to claim each other on our taxes, to be able to walk down the street holding each other’s hands without fear for our partner’s life, and to be able to have kids without the fear of losing them because of someone’s ignorant feelings that we are wrong for being in Love with one another and wanting to share our lives together for eternity—these things should be what it’s all about for all of us.

And on that note, I am going to wrap this first column up by sharing the first poem my husband ever wrote for me:

Love is attention, affection with no discretion and day by day I live in depression from torn desires with tainted fires my love inspires and never expires. I feel the formation of interpretation with the greatest sen-sation of mind elevation. This love is deep like dreams in a sleep, I fall from the skies from a powerful leap. You are my wind that gives me breath and without the air there is nothing left. You are my light, both day and night, and without your shine there would be no sight. There is no love without a queen so be mine forever because I am your king.

So, till next time my children, love and kisses from your Whopper Diva,

Fushia DeVille

LIVE, LAUGH AND LOVE…

43

JAN/FEB 09

45

JAN/FEB 09

47

JAN/FEB 09