unk One’s art embraces the surreal and the abnormal. For example, his most recent collection of skateboard decks features famous boarders as ghostly lime green zombies. Oftentimes he uses these dark images to convey political or social messages. Despite the dark motifs, the man behind the work is surprisingly light-hearted. Is there a disconnect? Munk One says no.

“I think of myself as well rounded with many different interests including expressing a wide range of emotions from dark to light and everything in between,” Munk One says. “I don’t think you can express true feelings of sadness and without knowing what love and happiness is. I personally tend to walk the line of those extremes.”

Born in San Diego, California, Munk One later moved to a small town in Northern California, and finally to L.A., where he currently resides. His art coincides with an explosion of creativity in Los Angeles, where artists like Shepard Fairey, Revok, David Choe, and Mister Cartoon all use the city as a platform for new creative art forms. As Munk One established roots in California, most of his art training was self-taught. He attributes his success to his own hard work.

“I’ve spent a lot of time just practicing and non-stop working through trial and error to figure out what works best for me as an artist,” says Munk One. “I also read tons of books and ask questions whenever and wherever I can. Fortunately, I’ve met some great people along the way have helped push me along as well.”

Now, as an emerging artist in L.A., Munk One showcases his work in a variety of formats: fashion, film prints, band posters, skateboard decks, and fine art. Each medium, says Munk One, maintains its own benefits.

“Whereas there is one fine art painting, which makes it more valuable and precious, a tee shirt is more accessible and impermanent,” Munk One explains.

Munk One gained popularity in 2008 for his Barack Obama election poster. He often uses his art and his talent in support of political or social causes. Recently, he displayed poster and sticker designs at Manifest Equality, a show in L.A. in support of gay marriage and the LGBT community in general.

“There are so many issues in the world that artists can help bring to public knowledge to help push along the evolution of a better more conscious and accepting world,” says Munk One. “One of the most difficult things for me as an artist is balance out my work while [being] true to myself and pushing the limits of myself and my society.”

Using his art to promote and donate to charities also allows Munk One to support certain causes. His print design for Inglourious Basterds benefited recent victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Perhaps the greatest definition for Munk One’s work would be acceptance of the abnormal. Munk One explains that his art, in a way, is a rebellion against aspects of his childhood.

“I think as a child, religion played a large part in censoring vast amounts of images and ideas and feelings,” Munk One explains. “Maybe I am still just rebelling against that whole concept.”

However, Munk One wishes to use his rebellion as a method of promoting acceptance and understanding.

“People can have all sorts of reactions to my work. Hopefully they will be moved to think about why they react that way.”

Story by: Nicolet Corliss

22nd, the Shoreline Amphitheatre was instantly packed with hip-hop lovers who have been awaiting the performances of the “all-star” lineup.
The tour aimed to revive the golden age of hip-hop, with a particular emphasis on the year 1993. That year, classic albums including Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle, A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders and the Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang were released, and all performed at the Rock the Bells Tour.
During the afternoon, Lauryn Hill exhibited a performance that was unexpected. As she opened with her extended rock version of “Lost One” the crowd, expecting her to perform her classic music that emphasized her poetic verses and soulful vocals, did not seem to catch her groove. But, as she performed her Fugees tracks, including “Ready or Not” and ended with “Doo-Wop (That Thing)”, Lauryn Hill eventually moved the crowd and left the stage with respect.
The tour had a festival-like vibe because so many things were going on at once. People had the choice of going to two stages. The “paid-dues” stage that highlighted upcoming MC’s that included Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa. And the main stage that consisted of legendary artists: some were eating food or getting drinks from the stands outside, others were just grooving to the music, and the rest were most likely “smoking good” or taking naps by the lawn.
Snoop Dogg’s set was a perfect way to end the long day because it was a laid-back performance that even included a large picnic table covered with 40 ozs., with Nate Dogg and with Warren G just chillin’ on stage. Along with performing his album, Doggystyle, he also included “Regulators” in his performance. By the end of the night, although getting out of the packed lots was a bit frustrating, the twelve hour stay, from 11am-11pm, was filled with good company and memorable performances which ended the night with the satisfaction of the crowd’s hip-hop munchies.

By Jenn Kim

beats. Vibrating bodies. Continuous movement. Endless energy.

The desire for this dynamic and vibrant environment gave rise to the now popular genre, electronic dance music. In the late 1980s “house” music, a style of electronic dance music began flourishing throughout the United States, especially in Chicago. Now roughly 25 years later the craving for this genre has infiltrated the minds and souls of a number of individuals including the aspiring DJ Charlie F. Meyer III, aka Crunch Theory, who has agreed to share his take on this growing culture.

Charlie grew up in Los Angeles, CA where he experienced diverse lifestyles, music, and cultures. Yet it was not until he entered the college scene that he truly became mesmerized by the art of djiing. As he admits, at first developing songs was very technical and a very intense process, but with time and experience he explains, “ I realized, this is up to me I need to stop looking at the BPM and start using my ear and that’s when I started fully falling in love with djing because just actually closing your eyes and being able to do whatever you want with putting two or three songs together and discipline yourself and training your ear to actually being able to beat match accurately without any visual aids is something that I value a lot”. In essence, djing takes a good ear and trusting your instincts to successfully blending songs in a seamless fashion.

However, Charlie as well as other djs face many issues, one of which are the controversial questions that linger in the minds of those skeptical people: Is djing really that difficult? Should it really be praised and recognized as highly as it is today? Charlie expresses that the art of djing is much more complex then it appears. For example, those who do utilize digital mixers are expected to use much more technical methods. Yet others, like himself, prefer to create their own beats and songs in order to better express the “feel” and energy they wish to convey. As Charlie states “When I create my own songs my own tracks its truly expressing myself. It’s like a little piece of my brain is spit out into a beat or into like a drop or a track”. Like any other art forms, djing is a means of self-expression.

Yet there is much more to djing then just expression. Thus the next questions of those who remain skeptics would most likely entail: What is djing about? Why has it become such an acclaimed culture and genre that seems to be taking over the music world? It’s all about the energy, the spirit, the power. “The ultimate goal is that they feel good and they feel happy but for others who are listening carefully to what you are putting down its kind of a more intellectualized thing, it’s like your passing on a message and it’s a positive message and not everyone will hear it but it’s there and it’s for people who are listening hard enough”. In essence it is a global phenomenon that is injecting energy into our very world, free for interpretation for all those who are willing to listen and participate. It is something that is happening here and now calling for all to come and enjoy.

But as for now, dedication and perseverance are highly required characteristics to keep this electronic culture expanding. As Charlie advices to other aspiring djs and “house” listeners in his last remarks, “Never stop not even for a moment, invest yourself every day there is always a question of how much you’re willing to sacrifice your personal style, sometimes you have to compromise your style to survive and you just have to keep your head up”.

Join this djing culture and experience it for yourself!
Check out DJ Crunch Theory and RockPaperThizzles (a collaboration with Justin Spagg) on Facebook and on MySpace

By Marcela Villegas Castañón