Aaron Pfenning is a musician who splits his time between Colorado Springs and New York City. He co-founded the band Chairlift and currently records music under the name Rewards. TJ Neathery: Looking through your “resume,” I see that you’ve toured and collaborated with We are Scientists, MGMT, Blood Orange, Solange, The Killers, Phoenix… So as an artist, and coming from a creative writing background because most creative writers are more individualistic than a band where you have to work with three or five other people – how do you see that coming through in your life as an artist?... Read More

Kate Perdoni is a musician, TV producer, and influencer in the Colorado Springs art community. Her band, Spirettes is made up of herself (guitar/vocals), Kellie Palmblad, Emily Gould, Lisa Show and Desi Garcia. When I first set up this interview, I planned to talk to Kate Perdoni about her band, Spirettes, an all-female rock lineup owning a sound that exists between atmospheric alternative and noise rock. Bands like The Breeders, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, and Sleater Kinney come to mind. If you enjoy those bands, you’ll dig Spirettes. I do, and so I was excited for my conversation with Perdoni.... Read More

Aaron Noble Brown is a singer-songwriter based in Colorado Springs. “Everybody is somebody,” Aaron Brown says. I pause. By this point we’re halfway through the interview, and I’m pleased to realize I’ve just found my hook. I’ve just been shown the “heart” of the interview, the fundamental nugget of truth that ties the conversation together. But let’s rewind a bit. The interview begins with a question about being a musician in Colorado Springs. Brown says it’s hard to be a complete individualist in Colorado Springs. “You as one person can do so much,” Brown says, “but it’s... Read More

Langdon Foss is a graphic novel illustrator who works from his studio in Old Colorado City, CO. Langdon Foss is a guy with ideas. He’s a conversationalist. He makes me an espresso and I settle into the sofa. Our “interview,” which I’ve cut down quite a bit, creeps over the hour mark. It doesn’t drag. We just enjoy letting the conversation go where it leads. Independent. Individual. These describe both Foss and the ideas we toss back and forth. Foss claims that he’s never worked for a company that’s required him to attend a staff retreat. In fact, he’s spent much of his artistic... Read More

Chris Alvarez is a painter and art instructor based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Chris Alvarez meets me at the door to Second Floor Studios in Old Colorado City. He greets me warmly before leading me upstairs to his studio. The studio is full of… everything. There’s a guitar on the wall. Books. Easels and coffee cups. A spider skeleton hangs from a makeshift chandelier. Not to mention the five-foot canvas that dominates the space. A jazz record plays over the stereo, but, surprisingly, I feel right at home. I start by asking Alvarez about a quotation from an interview he did awhile back.... Read More

Luis Gonzales is a dancer, break dancer, and martial arts tricker in Colorado Springs. He performs and teaches classes. Note: Martial arts tricking is a relatively new sport that combines acrobatics and martial arts moves into a solo performance routine. How do you define an artist? I like to say that the best artists are the ones who draw inspiration from the past in order to innovate for the future. And Luis Gonzalez Jr. does exactly that through his athletic performance arts. Latin dancing. Breakdancing. Martial arts tricking. These are, as Gonzalez describes, the three pillars of his art. “What... Read More

Elizabeth Johnston practices photography and fashion design in the Colorado Springs area. Elizabeth Johnston grew up in a large, Midwestern family with a conservative bent. While she enjoyed her childhood overall, she was restricted when it came to art, clothing, and style. So naturally, she grew to love all things design and fashion. Talking with her now, all I can think is, “Well, of course.” Johnston lights up when she talks about modeling. “I come alive in a whole other way. I feel like when I’m walking down in something fun, and in particular doing the catwalk walk – I don’t know... Read More

Matt Mead is a visual storyteller and filmmaker in Colorado Springs What are the similarities between the LA film industry and a small, Christian college tucked away in rural Pennsylvania? “Very little,” you might say. But Matt Mead has experienced both settings. And now he lives in Colorado Springs, which is home to a melting pot of cultural perspectives. The city supports a large military presence. It’s known for its conservative, evangelical population. And as a city in Colorado, it also hosts a large, liberal contingent. Because Colorado Springs is growing in terms of both population... Read More

Will Patrick is a jazz guitarist and recording artist living in Colorado Springs. I first hear Will Patrick play guitar at The Perk Downtown. The longer I watch, the more I think to myself, “He reminds me of Bob Dylan.” After the show, I introduce myself. Then I head home. And yet, in a haunting way, I can’t shake the thought of Dylan. The Dylan touch doesn’t come from Patrick’s looks, though the resemblance is obviously there. Nor is it exactly in his cool demeanor. It’s just that here’s this musician from Orlando, FL playing jazz guitar in Colorado; he’s just old enough to drink;... Read More

Sam Suksiri is the creator of the hilarious “Traffic Therapy” sketch podcast I want a guy like Sam Suksiri to write my jokes. When I meet Suksiri, he’s sitting at a table in a smart, gray blazer, sipping a cold brew coffee. In an artist’s way, his hair’s not exactly combed. He’s sociable, and we soon get to talking. He studied television writing in grad school. That was until a professor pulled him aside and said something along the lines of, “It seems like you’re here to write comedy. This is a TV screenwriting program, and you might end up a little disappointed.” So Suksiri... Read More