FLOATED MAGAZINE ISSUE 7 : simplebooklet.com

As many individuals know cannabis is a naturally growing plant which has developed itself into a multi purpose tool for the everyday American citizen Cannabis offers two variations itself a male and a female counterpart The male plant does not produce buds so the properties of the plant are used for industrial purposes either woven into a fiber or extracted for food The female plant which produces buds or flowers is used for medicinal and recreational use its bud when broken down into its primary substances consists of tetrahydrocannabinol THC and cannabidiol CBD Each one provides a different effect on the body however cannabidiol has absolutely no psychoactive effects meaning the drug can be applied or taken in large continuous amounts without substantial harm to your body s mental or physical functions Each of these substances popularity has rapidly increased since the introduction of recreational and medical dispensaries in states across our nation New York which has decriminalized the possession of marijuana and legalized the sale of CBD products is home to many organizations and companies who sell cannabis products In doing so they strive to educate the community on its vast array of applications so that the plant can become a more welcoming source to better human health and living Roc City Cannabis and Hemp it Up are two companies spearheading the movement in the Greater Rochester area and both companies spoke with us to share an in depth look into their contributions and knowledge on the growing cannabis industry Roc ing the Cannabis Industry Words by Collin Van Bork Photography by Krit Upra People get upset when they do not feel the psychoactive effects but really they re overlooking all the other benefits like relaxation and the neurological effects Peter Cartella the founder and majority owner of Roc City Cannabis LTD is a lifelong canna connoisseur with a strong passion for the canna culture lifestyle and the derivative products cannabis can provide He explains that only a few days ago he stumbled upon some papers while moving which dated back to his seventh grade class The most notable paper in this stack was an assignment asking what ten items he would want to have with him if he was stranded on an island He responded in an upbeat tone that it would be a bag of one hundred hemp seeds Specifically hemp Recalling this event during our interview sparked a realization in him that this was one of the smartest things that I said in my cheeky years because now knowing what you could do if you were stranded with a bag of hemp seeds there are so many things that you could have done with it Claudia Tapore the second owner of Roc City Cannabis is also a lifelong cannabis lover who enjoys plants and their healing properties These two individuals started Roc City Cannabis in December of 2018 specifically focusing on the hemp flower Their reason for focusing on the full flower is because as Tapore states CBD as an extract is still in a really gray area in the eyes of the federal government whereas hemp on a federal level is legalized Cartella feared that at the start of the legal movement especially in Colorado that oil and concentrates would kill the flower industry However he soon realized that although both of these methods carry CBD smoking flower has proven to be a much more enjoyable and sociable experience Hemp It Up co owned and founded by David Brickman and his wife Patricia Sunwoo carry all things hemp with a mission to promote environmental sustainability through the use of their hemp by products Both of the owners have a deep passion for activism which inspired them to open up a CBD based business that would replace the harmful products on the market today Brickman explains that the store sells a lot of the spectrum of cannabis such as food fabrics CBD extracts and nearly every other topical or ingestible CBD product known to man Brickman and his associates are highly educated in the scientific and applicable uses of hemp and cannabis providing customers with a deep understanding of each product s nutritional and medicinal benefits Not only is the staff knowledgeable but they are also passionate about delivering hemp products to the Rochester community that will help support eco friendly lifestyles

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In order to educate the community about these often misrepresented products both businesses actively work to debunk common misconceptions surrounding hemp and CBD Cartella and Tapore from Roc City Cannabis explain that many individuals question the effectiveness of CBD and become confused when they do not experience a psychoactive effect after smoking their product Cartella responds to this complaint by making a simple comparison stating that the way that I can explain it to people is that it s like smoking a cigarette You re aware that there are neurological effects happening to your body but you can still do any dangerous activity such as driving exercising etc while smoking it Many people assume that there are effects that impair the brain s function when ingesting CBD or hemp based products because of inhaling the plant s bud which would typically contain trichomes THC Cartella explains that although you may feel the effects neurologically or physically for that matter it does not correlate to the psychoactive substance normally grown in a cannabis plant that gets a user high Tapore continues this dialogue by noting that many CBD users lose a great deal of the plant s benefits by brushing off the non psychoactive effects associated with a THCbased plant claiming that people get upset when they do not feel the psychoactive effects but really they re overlooking all the other benefits like relaxation and the neurological effects Ingesting or using CBD in any way isn t supposed to make a user feel elevated or high rather its duty is to relax the body by reducing inflammation muscle tension cancer related symptoms and small neurological strains like a headache or migraine In terms of health concerns Brickman of Hemp It Up is passionate about ensuring that his customers are buying products which promote healthy and safe CBD consumption He warns that there are no regulations by the FDA for CBD products allowing companies to sneak in other substances that may be harmful to the user However Hemp It Up has their own restrictions of their CBD only purchasing from industries that lab test in house As a way to emphasize the importance of this practice Brickman states that users should be aware of companies that implement lab testing and be sure that they are purchasing products from highly reputable stores Both Hemp It Up and Roc City Cannabis have bright plans for the future with intentions of expansion and continued education on CBD and hemp based products in the Rochester community Tapore from Roc City Cannabis expresses the idea of starting a CBD lounge where individuals can grab a local IPA and enjoy CBD products In her words she describes it as a space like a coffee shop with very limited alcohol selection mainly from local distilleries Brickman seeks future regulations of CBD products by the FDA and general improvements on services such as allowing customers to purchase with credit cards as opposed to the cash only system which is imposed on CBD merchants at this time As an alternative culture magazine we are beyond excited to support the continued growth of the Rochester canna community and wish both Roc City Cannabis and Hemp It Up their best as they work to educate and remove the stigma surrounding CBD and hemp based products in the flower city

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The Rochester Brainery has become a powerhouse for brainstorming and learning and has spun into a high demand frenzy of sharing networking and learning for the city From its inception in 2012 to its current standing in the community the Brainery has experienced nothing but consistent innovation and tremendous growth Danielle Raymo the owner and operator of the establishment is supported by several phenomenal staff members Raymo has worked in marketing for some time and at one point in her career spent her talents in Brooklyn New York It was there when she became inspired by the idea of letting the community teach each other for everyone s benefit Businesses would share information and teach others in a non salesy way community members would network and make friendships along the way these are the experiences and skills that she would strive to bring to Rochester Raymo began putting together a business plan for the Rochester Brainery in May 2012 Figuring out how to make this idea sustainable was one of the crucial parts of the process One of the first steps was applying for loans which also meant scoping out a venue and its logistical costs for upkeep all details that Raymo had not even begun to consider In this search for a space she came across a spot in the Village Gate and started to talk with the late owner Gary Stern She fell in love with the location that Gary had to offer and truthfully Stern s flexibility with their timeline and his enthusiasm for the project is what encouraged Raymo to continue working hard to be able to acquire it The Brainery was able to open up their doors in March 2013 officially Presently there are a whopping sixty classes to choose from per month an organized way to do a lot Raymo believes She tells us that the reason so many events and workshops are offered is because the Brainery wants to be accessible to people from various walks of life and act as a community hub whether the space is being used to promote a business run an event or teach a course Some of the more successful fan favorite workshops include improv which has been happening once a month since the start of the Brainery Brush calligraphy has also become quite popular with 16 18 students per class First timers are in attendance all the time however coming back to the workshop for some set aside time to practice skills is a common occurrence There are no limits on how many classes you can attend and it s a great resource that s happily provided The best part of the workshops is that they re low pressure there are no tests and no homework just learning and experimenting Sometimes the people you meet there are people you d never have the chance to collaborate with if you hadn t attended the class and that s one of the coolest things about the place according to Raymo One thing that she particularly enjoys watching unfold is when instructors go to each other s workshops and decide that their skills are so similar that they d like to collaborate by combining their workshops and teaching together A recent example of that would be the shibori dye and macram workshop It received such positive feedback that it will be happening again in August but this time with macram and kokedama it s being referred to as a boho textile takeover After having such great reception from the community the Brainery eventually outgrew their space in the Village Gate While the business is experiencing extensive growth at this time Raymo tells us that there have been some challenges along the way Initially the workshop idea was a tricky concept to communicate and share with the community Many thought that the Brainery was a tutoring space or art gallery There was not a solid comprehension of their unique brand of varied courses in the beginning but once it was effectively communicated the Brainery grew ten fold By June of 2016 they were heading for their new location by the outskirts of the Neighborhood of the Arts In this new space there is much more room to accommodate students and function in multiple ways for the community One fantastic piece about the Brainery is that there are usually only classes during the evening which means that businesses can utilize the space for meetings during the day time In terms of what we can expect from the Brainery in the future Raymo tells us that we can plan to see more upgrades to the space When they had first moved to NOTA they designed the layout of the rooms based on what they had at the old location and on their budget at the time Frequent patrons can look forward to a much larger sign outside of the building upgrades to the rooms general upgrades to the lighting situation and other finer details While the exterior may change we can expect the same enthusiasm and zeal for the workshops provided and a continuation of the exciting quest to add new classes daily

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Metamorphosizing the Craft Tabitha Coiro s Evolving Journey into the Tattoo Industry Words by Caroline Rhoads Photography by Krit Upra Tabitha Coiro is a perfect example of following your dreams despite your hesitations Setbacks could have prevented her from tattooing but her persistence paid off Tabitha remembers being interested in tattooing throughout high school but brushed the idea aside thinking it was an unrealistic career move In order to stay connected to art and hopefully land a sustainable career Tabitha pursued graphic design at Monroe Community College in Rochester New York During her first year as a student Tabitha became an apprentice at a tattoo parlor while continuing to work and attend school Apprentices generally work for free at a tattoo shop building their art portfolio and working towards a better understanding of the craft Her apprenticeship continued until she graduated and began tattooing full time Tabitha is currently tattooing at Art Affliction Tattoo Studio in Greece New York where she is in the midst of her second year of tattooing full time Tabitha spoke highly of her hardworking and talented fellow artists She especially admires shop owner Tom Sherman who has been tattooing for over twenty years and whom she apprenticed under when she began at Art Affliction Tabitha currently enjoys tattooing her incredibly charming Studio Ghibli tattoos flowers animals and much more She is looking forward to tattooing bigger pieces laughing with us that she would love to do a back piece but hasn t yet explaining that she loves giant tattoos that flatter the contours of someone s body She hasn t nailed down her favorite style of tattooing yet but describes her range of style from bold and bright to dark and creepy and she s always working toward finding a style I like Her Instagram reflects this featuring a bubbly bright heart with soot sprites but also a dainty girl with a floating skull for a head One of Tabitha s strongest convictions is that her style is entirely her own When asked about tattoos she s not comfortable doing she answered when a client expects me to copy someone else s tattoo She feels it is important to find an artist you feel comfortable with present them with the subject matter you d like then allow your artist to translate that into a tattoo Tabitha is determined to transform her client s ideas into fresh original work The biggest lesson Tabitha has had to learn and one many young professionals face was choosing to leave the tattoo shop where she first began apprenticing She had just started tattooing full time which meant she was finally getting paid to do what she loved Despite that she was unhappy with where she was tattooing Tabitha wanted to leave in the hope that the next place was better but the reality of leaving weighed heavily on her Leaving meant she may have to start back at an apprenticeship making little to no money Tattoo studios each have their own standards for allowing a person to tattoo and sometimes moving shops sets an artist back forcing them to prove that they can draw and tattoo and more importantly that they are willing to dedicate the time and hard work to the shop and craft Many young professionals face the same struggle as Tabitha Do you owe anything especially your time to the place that gave you your first opportunity Is it worth taking a financial risk to be happier somewhere else As Tabitha shows it is ultimately most important to do what makes you happy and seek out opportunities that will help you grow Tabitha decided to take the risk and calls it the most important move I ve made in my short career While misconceptions still surround tattoos Tabitha feels that people are on their way to being more accepting and statistics support her optimism A survey conducted in 2008 by Pew Research shows that 29 of people believed there to be a link between having tattoos and being involved in

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deviant behavior That same study conducted in 2012 showed the percentage falling to 24 Society is seeing tattoos in popular culture and on the people they know more frequently however there are still no laws in place protecting people with tattoos from workplace discrimination or wrongful termination Many major corporations still address covering tattoos in their work appropriate dress codes This remains a hurdle for intelligent hardworking people who happen to have ink It makes me want to do a really good job and make it something their parents might like Tabitha still occasionally encounters a hesitant or disapproving parent accompanying their child to the studio expressing that a lot of clients tell me that their mom is going to be mad at them She said some parents aren t afraid to express their opinion while she works In New York State anyone over the age of eighteen can be tattooed without parental consent so while this may seem intimidating Tabitha knows the most important thing is to respect her client and make them happy She puts a positive spin on anxious parents saying it makes me want to do a really good job and make it something their parents might like Evil Hearted You album release show Now that she has had two years of experience we asked Tabitha if there was any advice she d give someone hoping to tattoo and she responded by stating that simply it would be to work hard She keeps a list of important things she has learned thus far showing her commitment to constantly improving and challenging herself Tabitha plans to remain at Art Affliction continuing to grow and improve her art She plans to give people deals on designs I want to tattoo in order to build her portfolio and challenge herself When she s not tattooing Tabitha enjoys cooking skating exploring Rochester and taking time for herself by indulging in self care You can view her work on Instagram stab_itha where she features her latest work and her flash book of pieces she would like to do and on the studio s website artafflictionstudio com Maybe your first piece or your next addition will be a Tabitha Coiro original Friday May 17th Bug Jar 9pm 7

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Kaiser Solzie Pulling Back the Mask and Promoting Honesty in Musicianship Words by Christopher Snyder Photography by Evan McClellan James Jackson a k a Kaiser Solzie is a punk influenced street musician from Rochester New York Since 2010 he has been traveling around the country performing just about anywhere homemade sets basement shows street corners and even Warped tour His music finds its way home in all of these spaces not only because of his lightweight simplistic acoustic setup but because his sound lands on a diverse ground The punk influence in Kaiser s music is immediately discernable but between the lines one cannot help but find a person The strength and the class that binds his musical project together is leavened by a vulnerability that draws from his experience as a member of the houseless community in the chapters of his life leading into his musical career In between Warped Tours I was chronically homeless I had always been homeless but I never really paid attention to it He went on to describe how a serendipitous connection with an associate in social services helped get him off the street As a means of giving back he assumed the role of an advocate helping others in the community to get off the street as well As a proud Rochester native Kaiser waxed about his love of the city and his desire to be remembered as one of those guys who wanted to make Rochester better The motivation for me is really just seeing people succeed A lot of people have debated what my next moves are in this city and I m kind of committed to it At least when I m seventy years old I want to be remembered as one of those George Eastman guys that tried to help Rochester We asked Kaiser about the association of musicians with addiction He acknowledged the connection and alluded to the romanticization that surrounds the image of the hardcore creative who works themselves into a stupor that results in impressive records To Kaiser this image obscures the real human experience of fighting addiction that he himself has experienced on the road along with many in his circles He remarked on how the tendency for creative individuals to stay up late places them at a heightened risk of addiction During our interview Kaiser explained that he had gone sober as a means to clear his head He points out that there is another side to this issue expressing the increasing visibility of sober musicians putting out top shelf work The punk scene is often associated with indulgence and these artists serve to embody a refreshing counter narrative He went on to point out how the relationship between the musician and society at large influences our perception of who is and is not vulnerable to addiction We tend to pin addictions onto musicians because it is so out in the open but we don t talk about the professor who is on opiates because of a back injury Kaiser s message to musicians who are looking to work on their mental health is to drop the curtain and let everyone see what they are going through We live in a generation where we know what s under the mask People don t want to put themselves out there The hardest part of being an artist is putting yourself out there In popular consciousness there is a connection made between the life of a musician and the life of a person without a home A certain roughness is prescribed to both modes of living that goes beyond the simple trope of the starving artist The life of the traveling musician is tied to that of the homeless in that they are marked by exposure The homeless person by virtue of their position in society is exposed not only to the physical realities of scarcity and brutality but also an emotional vulnerability which our society levies on those who are perceived to be on thin economic margins While the musician is never necessarily so precarious their experience too is marked by exposure as Kaiser points out in our interview In order to produce truly authentic art the artist must make themselves vulnerable to the critical eye We often speak of the need for artists to be genuine yet we do not take time to give thought to the cognitive and emotional load that it demands Kaiser Solzie serves as a walking embodiment of the intersection of these two paths His performances leave an impression of lightness and subtle motivation that permeates both his work in the community and his artistic project Punk is a catalyst for making this kind of statement because to many punk music channels the feeling of being outside of the mainstream to lack that feeling of guaranteed insulation that many take for granted Punks are left with only the knowledge of their isolation and the desire to seek out those who understand them to form a community of their own Near the beginning of our interview Kaiser mentions how punk rock was like a family to him a community that took him in when he felt like an outcast in his city Despite certain aspects of the punk scene being absorbed by the mainstream Kaiser affirmed that the core of that community which makes punk great is still intact even as it changes its look telling us that you can see fifty year old guys taking their nephews to shows Kaiser left our interview with a question of his own He would like to know how Bob Dylan survived everybody He outlived Elvis Presley Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings and still performs Consider taking some time to ponder that question and think about the artists and creatives in your life We live in a generation where we know what s under the mask people don t want to put themselves out there The hardest part of being an artist is putting yourself out there

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The heart of the DIY music scene in Rochester can be characterized by bands like The Sugargliders Formerly a duo based in Irondequoit New York the founding members Roxy Elahi guitar vocals and Alison Lindsey banjo vocals melodica first met in high school and connected on musical interests before graduating and moving apart for a couple years It was in college where the two began to create music together starting off by playing cover songs at open mics at Boulder Coffee Co in Rochester They had fun with it and worked on gauging their musical style in the live setting as well as coming up with a plethora of different band names to use every week After writing a collection of originals the two eventually branched out to venues like the Spirit Room and the Bug Jar It was there that Zach Cohan guitar and professional stage banterer and Ryan Yarmel bass guitar noticed the duo s personal lyricism and atmospheric instrumentation The duo gained two members settled on a name and now The Sugargliders are a full quartet that are making noise locally process and work hard to get their music out to more people in the live setting The Sugargliders are eager to discuss many of their favorite moments in their past performances and mention how supportive the bands are of the community members artistic endeavors Bands will come out to each other s shows and will help share content promote upcoming gigs and connect audiences across the Rochester area The band has a folk rock sound reminiscent of Mountain Man with throwback blues nuances similar to Leadbelly Their lyrics reflect mainly on lived experience keeping their focal points relatable but personal Before experimenting with original material every Wednesday night the duo of Roxy and Allison would practice playing live covering a handful of songs to get their own material prepped to play live According to the band the Rochester scene was very welcoming making the idea of performing much less daunting The duo tells us that one of the first original songs the two played live was about Alison s experience with her grandmother s sudden death in a car accident After learning that her passing was caused by the actions of a drunk driver Alison knew that she wanted to do something to bring awareness to the dangers of drunk driving in her grandmother s memoriam Her songwriting gave her this vehicle and performing with friends gave her a platform Alison and Roxy tell us that opening up to so many people can be scary and stage fright of epic proportions is a major hurdle for a lot of performers Luckily the Rochester scene is receptive and welcoming Above all The Sugargliders are consistently working to ensure that their musical journey is fun filled and lighthearted Often drinking seltzer throughout their band practices each member discussed the moment that they realized this carbonated water was pure gold The band gets together on Sunday mornings to rehearse and mention that they value keeping the rehearsals loose and upbeat but still focused on the music This folk power group are filled with a contagious joy and an invested interest in keeping things happy which elicits a sense of empowerment which they hope to convey to their audience The group makes certain to keep their art personal and collectively remedial Their heartfelt joking with one another offers a great insight into the Rochester DIY scene at large It s an accepting community that drives one another to excel at their art Be on the lookout for their next album Steal Your Heart While it doesn t have a set release date in the interview The Sugargliders hinted at the possibility of making it a Summer Solstice release mid June The group seems adamant on making this happen showing their ability to set goals and foster the right conditions for the release The new album is poised to be ethereal and dreamy Until then you can find them on Facebook and SoundCloud to keep up with their future events and single releases Despite their unique sound and fitting scene the group has found challenges while navigating as a band Even with the musicians helping each other out Roxy mentions that it s tough to promote and get people out to shows Understanding that this plight is common among independent musicians The Sugargliders are still optimistic about the Apart from live shows the band is also in the process of recording an album While recording started in December it has been put on the backburner while the members focus on school Despite these engagements the band is not detered from continuing on even though personal growth and responsibilties may sometimes become a first priority The road bumps only add to the resilience that the group has built up over the past years and they work to convert this adversity into contemplative and engaging music Their lyrics benefit from a personal touch and it will be exciting to hear the release with the contributions of the two newer members to the outfit

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MAKING A PAC T WITH SLOTHRUST Leah Wellbaum Kyle Bann and Will Gorin hit the stage in Rochester New York at the Bug Jar on February 9th Rochestarians braved the freezing windy weather to see one of their favorite indie rock bands Slothrust Heavy guitar riffs and drums began to fill the room as fans squealed in delight Leah began to sing I just want you to love me but I m not sure you got it in you You re boring into my body you re boring me with your stories the lyrics to Rotten Pumpkin drifted out of the speakers The audience swayed in time Earlier that night I had to suppress my fangirling and calm down to interview the band in the ancient green room at the Bug Jar I began the conversation by talking to them about their latest release The Pact which was much different from any of their previous albums as Leah focused more on her role as a vocalist I thought it would be cool to have a more dynamic stage show I love to play guitar and love to play instruments and didn t really expect doing shows where I wasn t playing an instrument for part of the set but it s been really satisfying and kind of opened up the style of performance that we do In the past we ve had to make records fairly quickly Our goal with them was to capture the most compelling performance in each of the songs On this record we had the opportunity to spend more time in the studio and we really got to utilize the studio as its own instrument and dig Words by Hillary Bosy Photography by Krit Upra into different textures and experiment with different arrangements We didn t worry about what it would be like to recreate the songs live We decided we would take on that challenge afterwards For those of you who are unfamiliar with Leah Wellbaum her sound is unique and combines elements of 90s grunge with soft set R B undertones I was curious as to what musicians Leah listens to and is inspired by which compelled me to ask her Leah thought for a minute and then emphatically responded Well growing up I definitely listened to a lot of musical theatre also R B for sure To namedrop a few people Fiona Apple is someone I have always looked up to Lauryn Hill I was just listening to her earlier today and John Cameron Mitchell as playing Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch In addition to their album The Pact the band also released a companion video game

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titled The Slothrust Trail which can be found on their website Will excitedly explained the inspiration behind this idea telling us that originally we were talking about making a Slothrust board game and we realized we have no idea how to possibly make a board game and it seemed a little too involved but we realized we live in the 21st century and probably know someone who can code So we decided to do a video game version of it We all grew up in elementary school in the 90s and all definitely remembered playing the old school Oregon Trail game on the computer in whatever class it was We realized tour life is strikingly similar to trying to get from A to B and trying to surviving without getting scurvy So we made a little video game for everyone In real life Slothrust has been able to survive several tours without contracting scurvy Their favorite places to visit are New Orleans Louisiana and Louisville Kentucky Kyle s face lit up as he spoke about these locations telling us that New Orleans is always my favorite city to go to on tour We are actually going there in a couple of days I d love to go to Frenchman Street in New Orleans there s great clubs over there and there s always killer bands at every club on that block Leah added Another city I love to go to is Louisville Kentucky It s always really awesome there This time when we played Louisville Kentucky we helped orchestrate a wedding proposal It was a wild time The band has a huge tour lined up for the rest of spring into summer including appearances at three different festivals Slothrust s lineup at the Bug Jar was a beautiful mix between slow fast sad angry and empowering tunes They threw in a grungy cover of Marcy Playground s Sex and Candy and the crowd eagerly devoured it throwing up rock n roll hands and head banging Strangely enough this was the band s first appearance in Rochester Surprised by the turnout and the audience engagement Leah announced We will be back They finished the show with an encore Wrapping up my interview with Slothrust I asked if there was anything they would like to say to their fans Kyle immediately responded Be nice to each other

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Could you introduce yourself and describe the inspirations behind POP ROC My name is Jason Hilton and I m one of the partners at Pop Roc Before starting the business I went down to the office every day in a suit and tie My employees were all my age and like minded and we d read and talk about comics and what we would see on WWE the night before Once an hour we would leave and get a coffee or a monster energy drink So because of the way that technology is today we decided that we could work from a coffee shop which made us think why don t we open a place for people like us My partner Colin who was a part of WWE doesn t drink coffee but he really likes monsters and I thought why isn t there a place like a coffee shop that isn t a coffee shop All these ideas started rolling around and it would have been the size of a football field if we had it my way It was going to have stages and a little theatre and there would be a reading room and a video game room and this large idea came out of this thought And then of course thinking about how much this would all cost reality set in and we had to boil it down What makes your business unique The biggest thing that makes us unique is the experience When you re walking in you re going to hear vibrant fun music Typically some digi music or some 80s pop or 90s pop it s something that invokes a feeling of positivity We have bottled Saturday morning There s TV on and there s cereal and there s just this vibe that today is going to be a really cool day What products do you offer at POP ROC We carry a whole line of comic books Marvel DC Image whether it be mainstream or alternative brands which is pretty unique for a place like a coffee shop We do carry coffee which is provided by Fifth Frame a fantastic single origin roaster Then we have Canaltown who have been in Rochester for thirty years and we re the only coffee shop in town who carries Death Wish the strongest coffee in the world At Pop Roc we believe that sometimes people just want to go out have fun and eat sugar So we have our caffeinated alternatives which include our selection of mocktails We take monster energy drinks and we mix them up with other wild ingredients like Sprite or Swedish Fish or even gummy worms We re also doing a lot of fun things with cereal and at this point we have about twenty five different kinds We mix them with things like cookie dough chocolate chips pop rocs nerds or cotton candy Then we can take any of those combos for cereals and turn them into milkshakes Can t choose just one combination We also offer cereal floats so if you want to try a couple we ll do a flight of three and we ll put those into cups as opposed to bowls Since you offer such a diverse set of products how did you form bonds with businesses both locally and nationally In terms of comics for example there are really only so many publishers out there so you kind of have to grab at everything If I was to pretend that I knew what my guests were interested in before I came in the door and chose only a select amount of brands to work with we would lose a lot of business I learned that I have my preferences in comic brands but I don t know who is going to be attracted to the place So we re not selling too much of one brand In terms of the local vendors you would be surprised in the way that they pick themselves When we first approached Fifth Frame they were really open to collaboration We told them that we weren t huge coffee people so we asked them if they could explain the brewing process to us as if we weren t big coffee people We aren t necessarily a coffee shop we are a comic book collectible caffeine place and it just so happens that coffee is a part of that So we wanted to be as knowledgable on the topic as possible but it s also not our main offering On our second or third day somebody broke into our place and stole an iPad that I had just purchased for the business When Fifth Frame learned about this they immediately came to our rescue and gave us a new iPad and it was just one of those moments where we knew that we were pairing with the right people Now on the cereal there s really no existing cereal distributor Of course you can get the Cheerios and the Frosted Flakes but to get the fun stuff that we carry has been a challenge I think we re in the cereal renaissance right now there s a pop tart cereal sour patch kid cereal oreo bites cereal so where do you get all these Much like my days of collecting toys you kind of have to go into every place possible and check behind every aisle to find the perfect flavor

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What are your hopes for what the community will get out of POP ROC There are three main things that I hope that the Rochester community will get out of our space and the first would have to be a sense of inclusiveness We want everybody to feel comfortable in our place whether you re a kid or an adult which can be kind of difficult sometimes in these really big comic shops We want families that move into the area to see downtown filled with unique locations rather than seeing the typical coffee shops the typical comic shops or the typical bars that keep popping up Downtown Rochester is the heart of our city and if the heart isn t beating right nothing else is going to grow I know that we re a small place in downtown but our goal at Pop Roc is ultimately to spark something that makes people think we don t have to open up a bar that serves chicken wings maybe we could just serve cereal have some fun and not only be successful but also have a good impact on the people living in the area Secondarily if you look in the media right now a person who s into comics is seen as this super geeky individual who can t communicate in public properly and looks a certain way and we want to break all of these stereotypes down Our business is not just a place where you leave your kids and your spouse in the car to get your comic book and run out and it s also not restricted to the realm of comicons where you go to a convention center and you stay there all day but then you leave We want to break this down and say guys if you think people who are into comic books are geeks you are sorely mistaken These superhero movies that are fully based on comic book characters are making hundreds of billions of dollars but for some reason comic book fans are still being treated as outcasts or dorks Lastly we want to be fun We want people to know that it s okay to have fun Everything s so serious everyone s talking about politics and we don t do any of that here The biggest argument you re going to get involved in here is whether Hulk is stronger than Superman It s not that we re pretending that these bigger problems don t exist they just exist outside that door which you will be coming in and coming out of but for right now at this moment let s eat some cereal and have fun What are POP ROC s plans for the future We re definitely looking at expanding Right now we are starting to grow out of our spot and it s all thanks to the wonderful community that we have here in Rochester We have been getting at least one five star review a day and people are coming from all over the place to check us out Another big focus for us right now is an initiative called Super City I ve put a together a board of directors for this project full of inspiring local people like Shawn Dunwoody Jeremy Bagley and a bunch of other fantastic individuals that we re calling the Superboard We re looking to create a festival very much like the Fringe Festival or Jazz Fest but for fans of comics and pop culture So it will look almost like a comic convention but it will be spread out throughout Downtown Rochester We ll shut down streets have comic books over in one area and collectibles in another area There will be endless amounts of pop culture and comic related stuff We re not very interested in having it be sponsored by big corporations so we re bringing in owners of businesses locally who love the idea and are tired of the same old same old We re looking at a date around August 24th and ultimately we re hoping that it will grow and expand as much as the Fringe Festival and Jazz Fest have which are phenomenal additions to our area The San Diego Comicon which is the biggest in the world right now brings over onehundred million dollars to the city but San Diego can t shut down an alleyway We are uniquely positioned to be able to shut down Rochester and do what we do best and we think we can be a major player in that area On top of that we would love to have people come to Rochester all year round to experience pop culture in a different way than they can anywhere else in the world www roccitycannabisltd com Instagram roccitycannabis Facebook roccitycanna Members Receive 15 Off Doing what we canna until we canna do better Photo by Kind Bud Photos

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Jesse Amesmith Turning Dedication and Practice into an Endless Garden of Creativity Jesse Amesmith Musician Songwriter Artist Yogi She bubbles over with compassion and creative energy But her optimism is hard won She s faced so many challenges head on with the help of her creative undertakings If I were to tell myself ten years ago where I am right now Jesse ponders Me ten years ago thought my life was over I had to move back to Rochester from Chicago I had this whole other life I didn t live in my body There was a disconnect So when I started doing yoga it was exciting toremember I had a body I started practicing all the time Little did Jesse know that making the move back to her hometown would lead her on the path to all she has accomplished to date yoga instructor and co owner of a studio a singer and musician in two bands CD Rom and Green Dreams a collage artist and a photographer Jesse went to Chicago in 2006 to study art She found that she needed a physical outlet to offset academic life One of my friends was like Go to a class Go to a step class Go to a swim class Go to a yoga class So I went to a yoga class And I instantly knew Oh I can do this Prior to taking up yoga Jesse wasn t really into fitness I didn t live in my body There was a disconnect So when I started doing yoga it was exciting to remember I had a body I started practicing all the time Words by Paula Cummings Photography by Amber Doerr She found a studio that she considered her yoga home in Chicago a place where a variety of classes were offered every day of the week It was hard to find a comparable yoga community in the more conservative city of Rochester where the established studios were either proponents of the traditional practice or pushing the fitness aspects She found the best fit at the time in Tru Yoga a small studio that was still in its early days Not long after she took the course to become a yoga instructor herself When she started teaching she found that there were a lot of stereotypes about yoga that created barriers to engaging in the practice When I started teaching what I learned in class and from the people in my life is that a lot of people have misconceived ideas about their bodies and what they could or couldn t and should or shouldn t do with them Like Oh I can t do yoga because I m not flexible or I m not comfortable moving in front of other people Jesse says I was curious about if it was the presentation When you only see a certain kind of person doing yoga you assume that that s the type of person it s for Jesse sought a way to break down those barriers so that more people would feel welcome to discover the joys of yoga A more body positive approach I tried branching out just with the idea that yoga is for everybody Jesse and her mom Julie opened their own studio YogaVibe Their business philosophy is simple We re not in the business of telling anyone there s anything they need to fix but instead there s a whole lot of you to get to know better YogaVibe offers a variety of classes to fit diverse needs so that everyone can feel safe and welcome to explore yoga from Curvy Yoga to Queer and Trans from Restorative to Heavy Metal There are so many ways to enjoy this physical and meditative practice Jesse was first drawn to the Hatha Vinyasa style of yoga I was very active and all about the movement Then I found out there was so much more Over time other types of practice sparked her curiosity She just completed training to teach restorative yoga It s the idea that we fully support our bodies so that our nervous system can get a chance to actually rest I also practice acro yoga acrobatic style work with a partner If you ever did an airplane as a kid with someone s belly on your feet it s like that for grownups Acro yoga is so much fun People can adapt yoga techniques to meet their needs and

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have fun doing it The yoga journey leads to improved mental and physical wellness Sometimes we forget that health is a flexed state rather than a destination Jesse continues There isn t a right way to be healthy If you feel good that s the best thing you can work for When I started playing guitar again about ten years ago it was because yoga taught me what practice really does for you For a while it felt like those were two different worlds Another thing that has changed as a result of learning to appreciate mindful practice is Jesse s approach to making music Long before she discovered yoga Jesse was exploring music as a creative outlet She started on saxophone in fourth grade and moved up to writing songs on guitar by the time she was twelve That was my first love about music songwriting I took a break from music when I went to Chicago interestingly enough Jesse reflected And around that time the movement and body stuff took a bigger role in my life When I started playing guitar again about ten years ago it was because yoga taught me what practice really does for you For a while it felt like those were two different worlds Before practicing yoga she wrote songs a lot differently As a young adult she was contemplating the world around her and her place in it At the time she felt like each song had to have a purpose or meaning When you re young you re self conscious about who you are in the first place I was self conscious Is this punk enough Am I punk enough Am I one of the guys Do I want to be one of the guys Is there room for women in this scene Why are there only white people at this show All of this came up Now I just want to write because I feel it I m back to being 12 years old and using my mom s guitar and writing really embarrassing songs I want to write what I want to write doing it for myself And if other people like it that s awesome Luckily they do But if I wrote a big fat stinker but I loved it I think that would be enough Jesse writes and performs in two bands now Green Dreams and CD Rom Green Dreams is the psychedelic punk band she started with her husband Trevor where she s on vocals and guitar And CD Rom is a 6 piece synth pop outfit without guitars Just singing in a band is challenging in ways I feel like my guitar becomes my armor It gives me something to do while I m up there CD Rom was about learning how to be up on stage without that barrier to be vulnerable on stage In CD Rom I m more interested in the performance aspect of it whereas in Green Dreams I m getting up there and playing my songs It s a whole different space I just want to write because I feel it I m back to being 12 years old and using my mom s guitar and writing really embarrassing songs I want to write what I want to write doing it for myself And if other people like it that s awesome Luckily they do But If I wrote a big fat stinker but I loved it I think that would be enough

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Jesse just started picking up the sax again Here s this thing I did as a kid that turns out affected my entire life as a musician The way it comes back it s ingrained To go from playing by ear in a punk band to playing the sax again and reading music I feel like I unlocked a door in my brain Jesse also appreciates the underground music community that lives off the beaten path from punk houses to bookstore basements Jesse has seen a lot of venues come and go and noticed how each one shaped the type of music that gets heard and the kind of people who get to hear it Music has helped Jesse to overcome challenges in her life For example inserting mindfulness in crafting lyrics has helped her grow her interpersonal communication skills One of the things I like most about the DIY scene in Rochester right now is that alternative venues pop up It s cool to see people pushing the envelope and making music outside of a bar scene It s nice to see a push towards events that are focused on the music In addition to yoga and music Jesse pours her creative energies into creating art She s preparing to exhibit her collages this summer She s writing a good witch workbook And she s considering turning her hobby of portrait and event photography into a business I m a verbal processor and music has helped me As a verbal processor sometimes the first thing I say isn t what I think or feel it s the first thing that came out Music has helped me with that a lot Not what do you want to say how do you want to say it While ten years ago she was reticent to move back to Rochester from Chicago she loves the local community with all its idiosyncrasies There s a sense of community and people showing up for each other My favorite part is not just playing music for my friends but playing for people who are my friends because of music I think Rochester has a lot of that I used to think it would run out Like you only get this much creative juice It s not that at all Jesse says The more time you give to your practice your craft your art the more it gives back It seeds itself it s like a garden I used to think it would run out Like you only get this much creative juice It s not that at all The more time you give to your practice your craft your art the more it gives back It seeds itself it s like a garden

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Anamon lists the local classic rock radio station WCMF as their main influence while initially developing their sound but the band ensures us that they ve listened to way too much stuff for way too long to pinpoint anything specifically Their Bandcamp page tags the genres Americana western outlaw punk garage punk and indie rock which is a solid adaptation of the wide ranges of sound Anamon come up with in their tunes Purple Green and Yellow takes listeners on a grand journey of sounds that refuse to be pigeonholed by any single genre or standard Tracks like Outsider and Queen of Fools feature dreamy Western influenced instrumentation whereas Exactly What I Like And Iron Bill host groovy beats and rhythms accompanied by choruses that will immediately have you humming along upon first listen Their songs You Cry and In 3 are straight up urgent rockers with the latter ending in a chaotic crescendo accompanied by an impressive saxophone solo The album includes somber tracks such as Willow and Magician which gradually build up and end abruptly The lines from the former and final song on the album eerily state laid to rest below the willow and we weep for the things that we cannot keep which forces listeners to confront difficult emotions amongst songs that have generally feel good tones Anamon s music like life presents a wide gamut of feelings that you do not have the option of taking in or pushing away It s a wild but unquestionably redeeming ride Anamon took a different process when recording Purple Green and Yellow in comparison to their first album as they allowed themselves three days to record as opposed to a single fourteen hour recording session Like many local artists most of us are busy and broke simultaneously so making things as fast as possible is a relatively standard protocol Anamon explains to me that in those forty two hours there was a lot of shitty coffee cigarettes yelling hugging Bloody Marias headaches stomach aches catnaps frustration and sweet relief If this sounds unpleasant to you don t worry they ensured me that they would do it again The lyrical themes of the record tend to deal with loneliness the first track of Purple Green and Yellow explains feeling uncomfortable at a corner store loss heartache places of self doubt and confidence Emily states that their lyrics come from my head and my heart Sometimes those are places of confidence or doubt or discovery or confusion but I m always honest and I think people feel it Anamon explains that their feelings of motivation as artists often come from playing with each other and being inspired by the communal aspect of jamming on a weekly basis Showcasing their artistic flair the band shares the happiness and joy that comes along with creatively expressing oneself in an undeniably poetic way Standing in front of a speaker cabinet feeling the air move from the sheer magnitude of it Feeling the heat from the stage lights looking over Our music is powerful and being able to share that power with everyone in the room is something very special and seeing my friends sweating and playing their asses off Seeing a room of bobbing silhouettes An audience that is singing along to the lyrics with an exuberant smile Their description of the power of live music is beautiful and I don t doubt that their music creates the impact which they describe Anamon reminds us that playing music fulfills two creative roles that of performing live and connecting to others but also of creating in solitude and getting in touch with oneself noting that both are important for fulfillment Anamon has a busy summer scheduled They plan to play some shows in June which haven t been announced yet and are recording new material with their friend Kevin Bloom in Burlington Vermont Anamon openly and confidently explain the empowerment that creating music has provided for them expressing that our music is powerful and being able to share that power with everyone in the room is something very special Do yourself a favor and make sure to be a part of that room

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Building a Career and Promoting Mental Health Awareness in the Social Media Age with Maggie Lindemann Words by Jared Curtis Photography by Erica Maclean Maggie Lindemann is an LA based pop singersongwriter who has been active in the music scene for quite a while now She first began posting videos of her music publically on Instagram and other social media platforms Now she s fresh from a release of a brand new single Friends Go and a recent tour with Sabrina Carpenter Throughout her career Lindemann has been an advocate for mental health and has found a creative outlet for it in her songs When speaking on her 2018 single Would I she explains that during the writing process for it she was going through a hard time dealing with a lot of personal things having a hard time growing up in the industry Growing up in general is hard The way that Lindemann proceeds through all of her song processes is representative of this Discussing her own experiences with mental health in her adolescence Lindemann expresses that when I was first struggling with mental health there weren t a lot of people talking about it I was in high school and it felt like the people around me just didn t get me at all and I felt really alone Now that I have this platform it s nice to look back on that and to talk about my experiences and what I ve gone through because I know that a lot of people still go through that It s important because I don t want anyone to ever feel like they re alone or that no one gets them because that s a big thing with depression As a way to cope with her mental health Lindemann finds comfort in both the people in her life and music in its many forms I m really lucky that I get to live with my best friend He helps me a lot when I m having a bad day and he ll come to me with some funny news or just say something funny and just having friends around helps a lot Another thing is music I love music playing my guitar or filming a cover or writing or even singing one of my old songs anything with music helps a lot Even if the song itself absolutely sucks I ll write out my feelings and what I m going through at that moment and it just helps to put it on paper and put it into words and just get it out One of the things that has been important to her throughout her songwriting process is her favorite artists that also serve as her biggest influences I listen to a lot of Lana Del Rey Lil Peep X Billie Eilish and Jake Bugg is a big one Whenever I m sad his music makes me feel calm and mellowed out and I don t feel those sad feelings anymore Being a young artist who has gained notoriety through her social media has allowed Lindemann to gain a lot of learning in her personal and professional process With songwriting I was just always hard on myself For a while I just wouldn t want to go into sessions because I just felt like I was not good enough and I was embarrassed by what I had to say and I didn t want anyone to judge me or think I was crazy or think I was weird or something So I would feel nervous I m a shy person and once I m out of my shell I m fine but at first I m quiet which has been hard for me being in the industry because everyone s really outgoing And you can t be shy you have to be honest So that s been hard for me and being really hard on myself and going with my gut and doing what I feel is right

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Words by Emmarae Stein Art by Olivia Konys onto the charts with their emblematic and empowering single Trampoline the Washington D C based trio SHAED bring a funky and fresh twist to the radio pop scene Comprised of vocalist Chelsea Lee and multiinstrumentalists Max and Spencer Ernst the twin brothers can often be seen jumping from guitar and bass to synthesizers and keyboards throughout their set effortlessly supporting Chelsea s undisturbed and highly polished melodies Starting out as separate artists the trio were first introduced to each other at the 930 Club in D C where the Ernst brothers were opening up for a show with their former band The Walking Sticks The three made an immediate connection after their introduction and as Chelsea puts it We instantly fell in love with each other and became best friends While the newly acquainted companions often collaborated both on and off stage the trio waited to start a project together until 2016 with the creation of SHAED Connected by blood and marriage Chelsea and Spencer tied the knot in 2018 and continue to live with Max creating music together each and every day The camaraderie of the three bandmates is vibrantly apparent throughout their performances as the group openly recalls fond stories and memories to their audience In a deeply personal on stage moment at SHAED s show at the Rec Room in Buffalo Chelsea showcased this emotional clarity and honesty by sharing the backstory behind the self titled track off of their latest EP Melt Describing the creative dissonance that she has experienced in her personal life Chelsea offered a graceful explanation to pair with an enchanting execution of the single singing the lyrics Now you re beggin me to smile but I can t fake Thought the point was to create If you re looking to get into an indie pop project that is genuinely invested in giving back to their fans SHAED should be number one on your list or at least very close to the top Sitting at the merch table for over half an hour after the show ended Chelsea s dedication to her audience translates seamlessly from her on stage interactions to her off stage conversations with her fans When the crowd became a bit rowdy and tried to take selfies with her on stage the vocalist simply smiled and started to pose for the pictures keeping the positive energy alive for her listeners As spring slowly falls into place excitement begins to build for the indie pop trio who dub the season as a time of inspiration and personal growth Before SHAED began their set at the Rec Room Chelsea sat down with us to discuss her vision of the perfect spring extravaganza a proper way to bring in the change of weather and celebrate the planet s rejuvenation Touching on the importance of an appropriate soundtrack for this hypothetical event Chelsea tells us that easy R B would be a really solid spring vibe citing some of her favorite artists including Her Xavier Omar Karma and Summer Walker If you were invited to this elite and exclusive event you could expect to see Chelsea donning colorful purple pants with a bright white t shirt dancing around with her closest friends and the VIP guest her idol and inspiration P NK The setting of the party would be shrouded in paper lanterns and streamers as Chelsea recalls that whenever someone has a birthday which is the same day for Max and Spencer because we all live together the house will be absolutely covered in them Noting the twin s competitive sides Chelsea explains that there would be an intense game of cornhole going on outside between the two as she would hang back and play shuffleboard to watch from afar While the trio attempts to stick to a strict pescetarian diet Chelsea points out that the three of them could be seen eating tacos and enchiladas with grilled chicken on an off day lounging at the extravaganza and taking in the scenery at their favorite location the Outer Banks in North Carolina If you re interested in partying with SHAED this spring keep updated on their active tour schedule in May and June and be sure to bring a dish of enchiladas to pass

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CARPOOL RESILIENCE THROUGH MUSIC Words by Nala Ward Photography by Dylan McCallum Often times to relax Blake Weissinger and Chris Colasanto of Carpool would spend hours cruising around their neighborhood They almost always took the same routes and began to be suspicious when they thought people were starting to watch them That suspicion grew into a belief that everyone around them was a cop from minivans and Priuses to ladies on the sidewalks with little dogs and lopsided haircuts It is stories like these and genuine exploratory life experiences that shaped this band into who they are now and the music that they love to create From overcoming depression to writing music for stories they don t want to forget Carpool proclaims that bad luck is constant you just gotta eat that shit Colasanto and Weissinger have been friends since the ninth grade meeting at Gates Chili high school on the late bus Weissinger had been jamming to the band Fight Start and Colasanto recognized it Weissinger had never met anyone else who had heard of the British band before and so an instant friendship was created at that moment A couple of years down the road Tommy came along showing up at another chill night at Stoph s house Weissinger on drums at that time and Colasanto Stoph were messing around on their instruments when Tommy Eckerson decided to join along on bass and the rest was history In 2014 the trio started their first musical endeavor together titled Eyes Wide Shut for which Colasanto had written an entire album At the height of their career they opened for the band Nothing and shortly after that became inactive We weren t really poppin yet says Weissinger Individually they each had different things going on that led them to disband Sticking together for a few shows and an album they definitely got some much needed experience for their growth as musicians that would be useful to them as they began Carpool Colasanto does most of the writing for the band in terms of lyrics and to him the music and the writing is a big part of staying positive and feeling encouraged Dealing with issues that come with substance abuse being productive in both writing music and actively creating gave him the push that he needed to keep going Although the lyrics have dark undertones and difficult stories behind them the honesty in their writing has proved therapeutic I know it sounds corny and lame but hardships are constant You just have to try the see the glass as half full and have fun and look at the positives Colasanto says Weissinger continues the thought in reference to their musical endeavors saying it s a great escape We ve been so involved in music that we can t imagine life without it Especially when people like it in different cities it changes our whole perspective It means everything

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from whatever you re dealing with Without Carpool I d be more depressed Going to shows and stuff it really brings you up Eckerson adds on to this sentiment explaining that we ve been so involved in music that we can t imagine life without it Especially when people like it in different cities it changes our whole perspective It means everything Making music is expensive which is why any support from fans is highly appreciated by Carpool From equipment and merch to touring and traveling expenses the numbers add up Additionally the local scene can be an economic roller coaster of emotions at times One night you can be playing to a sold out crowd and another night you can play to just a couple heads Colasanto says Despite the successes with their latest album I Think Everyone s A Cop and in touring and performing life still gets dark and difficult but Carpool does their best to keep their heads up For Eckerson keeping busy and occupied with something positive is essential in keeping out of the dark places in the mind and the anxieties of the current political climate something that he is very emotionally invested in surprising even to his bandmates For Weissinger just being prepared and having a plan when the storms in life occur is a good way to get ahead and stay positive Bad luck is constant you ve just gotta eat that shit Even with the challenges that come with being a DIYband in the local scene that same music scene is what brings them up The closeness of the people involved in the Rochester music scene is a huge part of what makes staying active and pursuing music worthwhile The music scene starts with Tim Avery You can t talk about the Rochester music scene without talking about Tim Avery Tim Adam Kramer everyone at Vineyard Community Space and Bug Jar says Weissinger Coming from a background of promoters selling you tickets and you having to sell them the DIY community refreshingly just cuts through that They re more so looking out for all the bands than themselves and they re really honest with you the whole time Honestly going to shows and seeing other local bands people they ve befriended performing and doing well is encouraging and inspiring to Carpool California Cousins Del Paxton Taking Meds Such Gold and other local bands have influenced their music as well as their stage presence Lily Grave and California Cousins drummers Noel Richards and Juan Ortiz Jr sometimes fill in during Carpool s sets It s that kind of love and support that keeps the band going and that energizes those involved in the scene The music scene starts with Tim Avery You can t talk about the Rochester music scene without talking about Tim Avery Being so involved with local musicians producing a record and touring as much as Carpool has doesn t come without collecting a ton of outrageous stories and mishaps There are a few stories that they can t talk about on the record but they were giddy about sharing a night where they accidentally went into a strip club that they thought was a bar while on tour with Lily Grave The worst part about it all was when Colasanto decided to eat tacos from their taco bar and paid for it with forty five minutes of diarrhea Other happy accidents include being unintentionally double booked with a venue s S M night The band tells us that it was a definite bummer to play to a small crowd but proved to be a fun event after the fact One night on their way to play a show at the Bug Jar their vehicle was hit by a drunk driver Despite this accident they were still able to make it to that show and honestly it just speaks to the band s dedication and resilience Carpool s music is genuine and relatable and their presence in the music scene is encouraging and irreplaceable Recording sessions and new music are on the horizon for them which excites many fans from Rochester and beyond These upcoming musical pursuits show us that Carpool s important contributions to our local DIY scene will only grow and continue over the upcoming months

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The Art of Katboocha Ancient Fermentation with a Modern Twist Words by Emmarae Stein Photography by Amber Doerr If you re keeping up with the food and beverage scene it s more than likely that you have had the chance to try a taste of kombucha the fizzy and flavorful microbial rich tea based drink which has become a staple in the diet of many health conscious individuals As a self proclaimed microbial enthusiast Katarina Schwarz the owner of Rochester s own kombucha brewery Katboocha explains that her obsession with the drink began as she turned towards consuming foods that were filled with microorganisms I was really leaning towards eating foods that were still alive foods that had microbials on them which was anything from kombucha to yogurt to kimchi But also fresh farmed fruits and such that are directly from the earth and do not have preservatives on them After experiencing a number of health issues which led to the diagnosis of a stomach disorder her doctor explained that the leading cause of many gut imbalances in young individuals lead back to stress Schwarz began researching her Every organism has its own way of survival of the fittest and with kombucha it is alive so it s trying to make sure that it stays healthy condition and she quickly learned that one of the better things you can do for your gut in this situation is to replenish it with microorganisms because those can turn your gut back into a healthy functioning organ Diving into a range of holistic solutions to regulate one s digestive system Schwarz became captivated with homebrewing kombucha and after experimenting with a myriad of flavors and tea combinations she expresses that the kombucha was completely filling up my kitchen and I was having to give it away to people While she was satisfied with her two unique and innovative jobs at Fuego Coffee Roasters and WXXI Public Radio

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Schwarz knew that these places did not offer the platform that she needed for her career to take off After this realization she decided to quit both jobs and turn her homebrewing passion into a full time reality In January of 2018 Katboocha officially opened up for business and has been distributing Rochester s most beloved selections of the specialty drink across the city for over a year If you were to take all the microorganisms out of your body and put them out onto the table they would be the size of your liver Kombucha has only recently entered the pop culture spotlight in the United States However Schwarz explains that the drink has been recorded for its use in Eastern medicine as far back as 220 B C E There are a number of stories which detail the drink s assimilation into Chinese society including one tale which refers to an individual named Dr Kombu who would prescribe kombucha as a curing tea In Mandarin the word for tea is cha and many individuals claim that the doctor s name combined with this term gave it the moniker that it holds to this day However Schwarz is careful to assert that this is only one of the many stories told about this ancient beverage as some people swear by its origins in Eastern Europe Kombucha is traditionally known as a simple tea based fermentation and in countries such as Japan Schwarz explains that their conception of the drink is entirely different than the beverage that we consume in the United States What we consider to be kombucha in the United States is basically a fizzy tea based beverage which has health benefits and I m using air quotes here because you don t want to make any claims but we do know that tea is good for you and we do know that when you consume microorganisms regularly they have a beneficial effect So in the United States we consider it as a drink which is low in sugar and carbs and then people mix them with a lot of fun flavors But traditionally in Japan there s kombu the type of seaweed that they harvest and it kind of looks like matcha It s so vast and this is one of the sticking points of our business because kombucha hasn t really been defined Schwarz touches on the difficulties that the industry has faced in holding down a definition for the beverage and cites a lawsuit between Kombucha Brewers International and the popular tea brand Yogi who recently came under fire for labeling one of their tea bags as kombucha tea Shaking her head over the matter Schwarz tells us that even if there were living organisms in the tea they would be killed off instantaneously when the bag became immersed into the hot water removing the element which defines kombucha as a product Misconceptions such as the one above are common in the industry and as this specialty drink reveals itself to the public the lack of education surrounding the beverage has become a bit of a roadblock for Schwarz as she tries to get new individuals to taste her product The young business owner has heard several concerns surrounding the properties of kombucha from customers fearing that it was a mushroom to wary consumers worried about its ability to grow mold and make them sick However Schwarz urges us that these are all common myths which can be easily debunked People think that it s a mushroom and it is not It has yeast in it so it s definitely related to the fungi world but it isn t necessarily a mushroom It doesn t spore or that kind of thing and most importantly it s not going to kill you and I go over this in my classes too it s more the opposite Kombucha is antimicrobial so it inhibits mold and it prevents bad bacteria from growing So infectious bacteria and that kind of thing can not live in kombucha so when people ask if you can get sick off of it I tell them that it s really not possible It s essential to remember that kombucha is composed of living organisms and the microbials inside of it will fight to survive and ward off any external dangers during the brewing process such as pests mold and dust As we continued to chat at Schwarz s well established brewery the kombucha artisan briefly detailed her brewing process claiming that it s super simple all you need is tea sugar culture and time She begins by making a sweet tea adds around ten percent of inoculate a bit of the last brew and then places in an optional addition called the SCOBY which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast Schwarz informs us that many individuals often think that SCOBY is only the floating mat which can be viewed during the brewing process when in actuality SCOBY is the entirety of the drink itself The mat itself which is floating around in the jar is basically when the bacteria and yeast come together and hold hands Every organism has its own way of survival of the fittest and with kombucha it is alive so it s trying to make sure that it stays healthy the mat is its way of preventing something from entering which could contaminate it While Schwarz assures us that she also protects the brews by placing fabric on top of them she describes the matting as a natural process this is what happened in nature before we came along and put a cloth on the top The best part of being a business owner is getting to work around all of your other business owner idols By introducing this microbially rich beverage into one s diet Schwarz enthusiastically claims that these optimal microorganisms can help to offset a number of these bad microorganisms that you have accumulated throughout your life Maybe you lived in an apartment in New York City for the first twenty years of your life and you have never lived on a farm or anything Out of no choice of your own you are microbially disadvantaged compared to those who grew up around wilderness because they have all that microbial diversity around them While she is sympathetic to those who may be uneasy about trying her product she assures her consumers that these microorganisms live both in and around us and their positive impact on our bodies expands much further than the inside of our gut As scientists begin to explore these strange organisms Schwarz tells us that many experts are now beginning to call them the hidden organ If you were to take all the microorganisms out of your body and put them out onto the table they would be the size of your liver They re so integral in how we re not only digesting food but also about our mood our anxiety or if we re depressed or not They re even linking imbalances in gut microbials to autism anything behavioral can be linked back to your gut Schwarz s excitement for the health related benefits of her product extends to her bubbly and upbeat emotions towards the small business community in Rochester as she joyfully exclaims that being an entrepreneur in this city is so exciting because people really want to do things with you Making a quick ascent to the top of Rochester s most beloved local businesses in her short year of distribution Schwarz tells us that she couldn t have made it to where she is without the endless support of other female business owners in the city The best part of being a business owner is getting to work around all of your other business owner idols like Andrea from the Red Fern She has been so important and helpful and awesome When they first opened they had the one kombucha tap for Aqua Vitae and she put in another kombucha line just to support me Eat Me Ice Cream has also been there since the beginning We started off by doing First Fridays together and because of that kombucha floats are exclusively served with Eat Me Ice Cream As the sun begins to emerge from beneath the hazy clouds there could not be a better moment to start restoring your microbiome by indulging in a sip of one of Katboocha s crisp and delightful beverages Currently serving up her refreshing products at a diverse set of locations including Balsam Bagels Compass Cycling and Rohrbach Brewing Schwarz has a plan to set off the microbial based revolution in the Rochester area one keg of kombucha at a time Be sure to keep an eye out for her seasonal brew Strawberry Cacao as it hits the market this summer and take a glance at her website for a full list of where you can sample her products

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If you re looking for a group of spirited creatives to collaborate with or you re interested in a youthful art gallery experience look no further than UUU Art Collective located on State Street in Rochester NY Founders KC Sullivan Zac Lijewski Dylan Niver have dedicated the past five years to creating a collaborative unique art experience free of the traditionally stiff awkward stigma that comes with visiting an art gallery While the co founders got the project off of the ground the team to get UUU Art Collective up and running includes a wide range of individuals including Brad Young who specializes in graphic design and painting Erica Jae whose focus is photography and Angela Nelson the content curator for the collective UUU Art collective exhibits Cultural Conversations Words by Caroline Rhoads Photography by Krit Upra On top of operating UUU Sullivan Niver and Lijewski are musicians who often collaborate with one another They began UUU as a way to start helping the homies in the art industry noticing that Rochester lacked an exhibition and retail space for local emerging artists As they explored this untapped market they realized that there are a lot of fundamental structures that need to exist for artists to get their work out there Emerging artists needed more support than just a space to show off their work and the UUU team put in nearly half a decade of conservated effort to ensure that they could provide everything an artist might need in one location to appropriately showcase their work Lijewski tells us that they began collaborating with anyone who was willing to dive in and people who would stand behind their vision The core mission of UUU is to initiate encounters for cultural conversations by supporting an artist s growth promoting accessibility and long term sustainable investments in the arts and by collaborating with individuals and organizations to expand outreach and link communities together The team felt that the only way they could push their mission forward was through collaboration They called the start up very DIY promoting their message through pop up parties that exhibited local talents Fortunately people really grabbed on to UUU s mission and partnerships began to emerge Every collaboration opens up the opportunity for cultural collaborations and conversations to occur We re having one right now Sullivan tells us Putting a group of people together who have all had unique experiences creates a unique type of cooperation whether we realize it at the moment or not While no one has had the same life experience UUU feels that their young aesthetic serves as an icebreaker to reach out to other young artists They believe that young artists want a company that is ready to embrace their creativity without hesitation and everyone at UUU can relate to that desire To connect with artists and establish these important relationships UUU approaches creatives as people first and foremost finding out what new projects they re working on and excited about and connecting with them before trying to make what could be perceived as a business pitch The team thoroughly researches an artist then connects with them and assures them that they can relate to the ups and downs of being an artist Laying the groundwork in this way establishes trust between UUU and new artists The group felt that there as a lack of transparency and assurance in the art world and that many institutions are out to take advantage of artists especially those that are fresh to the industry and eager to take any opportunities they can We want what is best for the artist Jae tells us They work on nonexclusive contracts to allow artists to explore other options while their work is featured at UUU and they provide advice and guidance to their clients throughout the process of featuring their work The team is constantly having conversations with one another about the process and how they can best support artists Young tells us that artists all have certain ways in which they can create conversation whether that is through their artistic medium or at shows where conversations can occur most naturally A show initiates a cultural conversation when an artist is producing artwork people talk about the artwork and those dialogues are cultural conversations Sullivan explains that these conversations happen behind the scenes and at shows but they can continue at home as well When a client brings art into their home they re bringing back a story

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an intimate moment experienced by the artist that has been translated into their work Art is a visual statement that could say this is what you stand for and believe in Art in any form is an expression of feeling whether you are the one creating it or you are the one displaying it These conversations also start between artists that interact through UUU The team told us that their work has been recognized by other artists and is being used to help artists promote one another We employ an artist to use another artist s work to promote a third artist Lijewski says conjuring an image of a magnificent artistic circle of life This open dialogue has led to opportunities for everyone at UUU and has helped them all be grounded in the belief that their individualities cannot be starved that for creativity to flourish they must support and promote each other The gallery is already making an impact on the art community in Rochester They partner with a lot of Rochester area artists but they also believe in bringing artists in from outside of Rochester to help local artists expand their networks They feel that the Rochester art community cannot get bigger on its own and it needs the interest and support of people outside of the city to grow As a non traditional gallery UUU is open to allow anything to happen with their space Erica teased us with the idea of movie nights in the gallery and future talks of creating Airbnb experiences We want a place for creatives to enjoy the space in different forms Jae says The team agreed it would be vital for them as they grow to understand what the community wants from the space They lauded Maker Studio formerly in downtown Rochester for doing just that When they noticed that their art was more sought out than their cafe they leaned more heavily into their creativity and saw success in doing so They re excited to see what others will use the space for pondering the idea of university students utilizing it for art critiques and workshops Just as UUU strives to create relationships with artists they hope to do the same with those who seek to purchase artwork from the gallery calling every exchange situational UUU plans to make the art buying process simple and personalized to promote relationships and conversations With direct sales and shipping from their website flexible payment plans for pieces you cannot live without and personalization in the items they ship they are well on their way to making art accessible not only to emerging artists but beginner collectors as well The successes of UUU have not come without challenges and learning experiences They were tasked with transforming their physical space which had been vacant for years until they occupied it We had to make up a lot of money to get this place renovated they said Without taking out a single loan the team was able to upgrade the vacant space into the gorgeous gallery it is today The team also had to figure out social media for business and vlogging to promote the gallery tasks that seem simple to millennials but change dramatically when used as a marketing tool They also had to learn how to sell art one of the core components of the business however the hurdles they have overcome have only helped the business All the hard work that went into getting this place set up gave us all these systems to eventually run the company In the future UUU looks forward to continuing collaborations with local businesses like Locals Only The Riot Room and the Sibley Building They can decorate a commercial space or a living room as long as clients and businesses are innovative and hungry and are committed to expanding the arts They hope to create a fresh cutting edge experience that reflects their youthfulness and changes the way we view art galleries On both a business level and a personal level the team is always looking for new opportunities that prove to be sustainable while continuing to do what works best for UUU The team closed by telling each other that they love UUU guys They were energetic and wildly funny If their last words with us are any indication of how bonded and committed the team is to one another and the gallery you should be on the lookout in the future for many successes from UUU Art Collective

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FLOATED MAGAZINE ISSUE 7

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