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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Brooklyn Based Experimental Hardcore Punk Band, Fake Leather, Releases Demo  Tuesday, May 14th https://soundcloud.com/fakelthr

In our first introduction to the Brooklyn based, experimental punk band Fake Leather, we get six gritty tracks that harness and reflect the feelings of anger, frustration, and disillusionment that so many of us experience in today’s world.

 The demo’s opening track, Numb World, has a heavy hitting heartbeat of 808 drums which is then topped with a sound bite from Gregg Araki’s 1992 film The Living End. Much like Araki’s classic queer film, Numb World embraces a nihilistic outlook that is a result of being constantly worn down by the conservative and traditional powers at be. 

“Gregg Araki is easily one of my biggest influences in life. The characters in his films were the first queer characters in film and tv that I could whole heartedly relate to. His work has inspired me as an artist since the moment I saw his first film. I feel like the attitude and outlook displayed in The Living End pairs seamlessly with the message of these Fake Leather songs, so I knew we had to tie the film into this album somehow.” -Christos

The next track up, Shame, takes a more straight forward hardcore punk approach musically while also including distorted melodic vocals. Lyrically, the song title pretty much covers the subject matter, but the concepts of shame and stigma are explored in a way that considers how it affects our mental health on a daily basis.

“The lyrics on Shame epitomize the emotions of being trapped, isolated, and feeling like you’re failing when you’re putting everything you have into what fulfills you personally”-Corey

Fake Leather displays bright, clean, and eccentric visuals contrasted by their angry, gritty, and nihilistic music, which catches your mind off guard but also draws you in out of curiosity. This demo is sure to be appreciated by any fan of punk music, classic or modern. Based on what this group has put together for their demo, we eagerly await what they will put together for their debut studio album.

STREAM & DOWNLOAD Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fakelthr Bandcamp: https://fakeleather.bandcamp.com

CONTACT & FOLLOW Please contact FakeLTHR@gmail.com for any inquires. Twitter: https://twitter.com/fakelthr/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/fakelthr SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fakelthr  BandCamp: fakeleather.bandcamp.com

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Stose - One in a Million (Prod. by Corey Bennett)

After a three-year hiatus, Stose is back with an unexpected and hypnotic new sound. The new single, “One In A Million” provides a more downtempo sound that is a noticeable shift from his 2015 rap-rock album, Civil Disobedience. With lyrics like "sanity's escaping me, society's erasing me”, the song touches on issues of instability and isolation in a way that is familiar but refined.

Teaming back up with long-time collaborator Corey Bennett, who was the sole producer on Civil Disobedience, the pair continue to push genre boundaries on “One In A Million” by blending blues-style guitar riffs with electronic hip-hop drums to create a vibe that is dark and mesmerizing.

Coming from a punk/hardcore background, it is always interesting to see how Stose implements his queer punk persona into his constantly evolving sound. "One in a Million" is a fresh and creative track that is a necessary addition to your current playlists, while we wait to see what he comes up with next.

ARTIST STATEMENT: "I consider it a sort of internal conversation between confidence and doubt... One side is the braggadocio and arrogance of accomplishment, the other is anxiety and struggle to find motivation to achieve goals.."

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Website: www.StoseOfficial.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/stose Instagram: www.instagram.com/stose

SONG LINKS iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1439803312?ls=1&app=itunes Apple Music: http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1439803312 Spotify: spotify:album:5UJWS56pwVdi23RLdKZ8T4 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/stose/one-in-a-million

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While the picture only displays the surface level changes, this post is really about the internal changes I’ve experienced over the last six months. The picture on the left was taken at a time when I was lost and depressed, covering up my emotions with booze and other things. I didn’t care about what I was eating, I wasn’t exercising, I wasn’t inspired, I had no drive, and I wasn’t creating. I also had no plans for my future and I wasn’t concerned with making any. The picture on the right was taken recently, after four months of sobriety, daily meditation and yoga, drinking more water, being more strict about what food I put in my body (most of the time 🤷‍♂️), and cutting stress out of my life as much as possible. When I left Virginia, I was basically running away. I came out to most of my friends after I boarded a train to NYC, because I was too scared to face it head on and wait around to see what the end result would be. My foundation was unstable and I went on to build a skyscraper atop it. Last year that building crumbled and left me scrambling to pick up the pieces. It is now that I realize I must return the focus to my foundation and make sure that it is rock solid before I continue to rebuild. I realized recently that I have never truly loved myself, but the last four months have really began to change that and I couldn’t be more happy and optimistic about my current trajectory. I’ve always been brutally honest with my life and my struggles because I know that there are people out there that can relate. It feels good to be reminded that we’re not alone in this world every once and a while. No matter how dark times may get, you can always bounce back. You just have to focus on the people you love and the places that make you innately happy. ❤️

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🐃 (at Lake Nakuru National Park)

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Celebrating my birthday in Kenya!

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Forever mood.

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Hanging out on the coast of Kenya.

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🌦 (at Nairobi, Kenya)

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🕸

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A heathen at Hell’s Gate (at Hell's Gate National Park)

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Disposable Summer II

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🥃

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Disposable Summe

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Health Update

It's been almost three months since I posted about my struggles with recovering from multiple herniated and bulging disks in my back, so I wanted to update everyone on where I am at now with my recovery. Just about four months ago I decided to take matters into my own hands and not rely on doctors or painkillers to help ease the pain I am in every single day. While I am certainly still making progress, it can also be discouraging at times just slow of a process it is. Since my last update, I did go see a musculoskeletal doctor just to try and help me get a better understanding of exactly which muscles, on top of the herniated disks, were causing me the most pain. Two of my herniated disks are located on my thoracic, while the other one is located at the lowest part of my lumbar. Even though other doctors have told me that these shouldn't be causing me pain, I know that that is not the case. In addition to the pain of the herniated disks, I also have an almost constant pain, sometimes sharp pain, in the lower right side of my back. I went to the doctor to try and see if I could figure out what muscle this was that was causing me so much pain, and he seemed to believe it was my iliopsoas muscle. I had never heard of this muscle before this appointment, but after doing some research, it does seem to cover all the areas I am feeling the sharp pains in. The doctor did also quickly show me a couple of stretches that should help, so I've been trying to incorporate those into my workouts. Additionally, I am still trying to do yoga and Pilates twice a week to help with core strength and relieving muscle tension. Right now I feel the weakest in my lower back and lower abdominals, so those are the areas I am trying to focus on. I have noticed that when I do lower back and lower abdominal strengthening exercises, it almost immediately relieves some of the pain, even though the pain slowly creeps back, I think if I keep targeting these areas I will continue to improve upon my condition. Like I said, it can certainly be discouraging that I can't fix these issues and relieve my pain immediately, but I know if I give up it's only going to get worse. So I am not going to let these discouraging thoughts hold me back like I have in the past, I am now determined not to let this debilitate me any longer, mentally or physically. Additionally, if anyone has any suggestions for good lower back and lower abdominal strengthening exercises, let me know! I'm always open to trying new ones.

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PRIDE HEROES vol. 2

◾️PRIDE HEROES◾️  〰Martin Sorrondeguy〰

Martin Sorrondeguy, also known as Martin Crudo, is one person on this list who undoubtedly impacted my life in a major way. Additionally, I'm sure he also impacted the lives of many other confused, queer punk kids like myself, as well as straight and queer Latinx kids trying to find themselves. Sorrondeguy was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and raised in Chicago, Illinois. In 1991, with Sorrondeguy on vocals, the punk band Los Crudos was formed. He sang almost exclusively in Spanish while vocalizing many issues facing Spanish-speaking immigrants in the US. In 1997 Sorrondeguy appeared in Scott Treleaven's documentary film "Queercore: A Punk-U-Mentary" where he spoke about being gay in the hardcore punk scene. After Los Crudos broke up, Sorrondeguy formed the band Limp Wrist in the 2000's, a radical queer punk band that challenged the heteronormativity in the punk scene. As I tried to find my way while growing up in the Virginia punk scene, Limp Wrist was the unapologetically radical queer band that I needed in my life, a band that made me feel like I wasn't alone. Punk was known for being a very open-minded scene, and for the most part it was, but the scene itself did have a very macho exterior that could be intimidating. I agree with Sorrondeguy when he states that the macho exterior is due to the fact that "you have to fight a lot, and always be ready for battle." But it was through the radically queer aggressive words of Sorrondeguy that I learned I could be punk AND gay and still be ready to fight someone that called me a faggot or spit on me as I walked through this world. He knew kids like me had to fight our way through the streets while trying to discover ourselves, so he fought for us to have our space in the scene. I didn't know any queer people growing up, and I could not identify with the very few I saw on TV. I was lost and confused, but Sorrondeguy helped me find my way, and I will never forget that. I will end with a quote of Sorrondeguy's that epitomizes the true spirt of punk rock, ‘I like punk too and I like to suck dick – that’s who I am – and I don’t give a fuck if you don't like it.'

WATCH: Sorrondeguy Interview #1 / Sorrondeguy Interview #2 LISTEN: Limp Wrist / Los Crudos READ: Martin Sorrondeguy on the Queer Rebellion of Latinx Punk

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PRIDE HEROES

In honor of Pride month, especially since our president is trying to erase it, I am going to be highlighting queer advocates who have inspired me and who I believe have had a positive impact on our community and the world. I will be posting them throughout the month of June, in no particular order, as part of a series I am calling "PRIDE HEROES".  First up...

◾️PRIDE HEROES◾️     〰Vito Russo〰

Vito Russo was an activist, film historian, and most notably, the author of the book The Celluloid Closet. Russo was one of the first people to recognize the importance of how LGBT people were portrayed in the mainstream media and fight tirelessly for more accurate representations of our community. Russo's concerns led him to co-found the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Russo sadly died of AIDS-related complications in 1990, but his legacy still lives on. In 1996 his work was brought to television in the HBO documentary film, "The Celluloid Closet", co-executive produced and narrated by Lily Tomlin. Additionally, in 2011 a documentary film about the life of Russo, called "Vito", premiered at the New York Film Festival and was released on HBO the following year. WATCH: "Vito" or "The Celluloid Closet" READ: "The Celluloid Closet"

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After not being able to properly work out for several years now, due to multiple injuries causing chronic back pain, I am finally starting to get back in shape.

 Last year an MRI revealed that I had two herniated and three bulging disks on my spine. After countless doctor visits that only led me to dead ends and no pain relief, I finally realized I had to do this on my own and took matters into my own hands. Because of my injuries, I haven’t been able to go right back to my old workout plan which included some of my favorite exercises such as deadlifts and squats, doing those now causes a feeling like my spine is going to break. Instead, a friend of mine with similar issues suggest that I try Pilates and yoga, I have been doing both on a semi-regular basis now and I have noticed that I am starting to slowly regain some mobility in my back. I am still in pain on a daily basis and I’ve definitely got a long way to go, but I feel like I’m finally on the right path to getting better and that feels really good. At this point I don’t really care if I have the “perfect body” or not, I just want to get back in shape so I can feel control over my body again and not have to experience pain every single day. I don’t know why I had the urge to share this now, but with all the things that can go wrong with our bodies, I know someone can relate. Pain killers are not a solution, determination and perseverance is. 💪🏽✌🏽