Kristin Cofer - Design That Kills

Howdy, readers! Meet Hang Jones–a storyteller for the proletariat in the vein of Springsteen and Cash, a wandering troubadour in the vein of Van Zandt and Dylan, a soft-centered scoundrel in the vein of Han Solo. You may already know Hang as Stephen Grillos, frontman for San Francisico outlaw rock’n’roll band, Del Bombers. But now he’s mounted his steel horse with his six-guns at his sides, ready to set forth on a solitary adventure into the territory of the concept album. And this ain’t no tumbleweed of a record—The Ballad of Carlsbad County, set in 1887 New Mexico amidst a three-way battle of the hearts, is classic Americana driven by tales of humankind’s two greatest forces—love and death.

The album and its first conceptual video will be available on October 22 via the Hang Jones website. If you’re in the San Francisco area, be sure to catch Hang playing live on October 1 at El Rio, on October 11 at Café International, and then once again on October 21 at Hotel Utah.

RW:  First off…Hang Jones: one man or a band? Or both?

HJ: When I began writing the album it was a solo project. I had spent over 10 years in a band (Del Bombers), and I really wanted to try music on my own. However, I didn’t want to go by “Stephen Grillos” as there are so many singer/songwriters out there these days. I wanted a name that could be for either an individual or a group. If I am up on stage performing solo people will think I am hang Jones, but if I have the entire band up their, then we must be Hang Jones. It is ambiguous, and that is by design.

While I consider Matt and Mayumi (Matt Cunitz: bass, piano, pump organ. Mayumi Orgino: fiddle, backing vocals) very much a part of the band, they are both very busy with other groups. So live shows will be the group at times, me solo others, and sit in players here and there. Should make each show unique in it’s own way.

All that said, as I get deeper and deeper into the characters of the story, I am digging taking on the identity of the minstrel Hang Jones.

RW: I don’t claim to know much about San Francisco, having only been there once, but my impression of the music scene there has been cultivated from listening to bands like VSS, Pleasure Forever, Vue–bands that I would consider to possess a much flashier and more urban sound and image. With that in mind, I found your music and your image to be quite out of the ordinary. Do you feel like you’re a loner in your local underground music scene? And if so, do you think that has any impact on the music you write considering that it conveys a sense of the old west and the solitary cowboy life?

HJ: I think like any urban center, San Francisco attracts them in all shapes and sizes. And while I wouldn’t say roots music is the dominant scene in San Francisco, it certainly has a long tradition in this city. Since the 60s, San Francisco has been famous for its Bluegrass and Folk artists, and the musicians here are serious about keeping that heritage alive. So thankfully I am not coming out of left field being a San Francisco artist that sings Americana music. As for the solitary sound of the songs, I think a lot of that comes from the fact that I holed up in my apartment for around a year and a half writing this record. For the first time I didn’t have a band to bounce everything off of, although my wife played that role well. Also, I had moved around a lot, and hadn’t been in the SF music scene for a number of years. So yeah, I definitely feel like not many people around here know who the hell I am.

RW: Your songs are sung in first-person and so it seems that you have taken on this character of Jacob Powell (NOTE: Jacob Powell is the bad guy, the hero is William Bishop).. Was that a conscious decision? What made you decide to tell this particular story from the point of view of someone who’s living your lyrics? Why not some omniscient third-person observer?

HJ: I like to think of my role here as the storyteller - like I am traveling back east from the Wild West with tall tales of murder, tragedy, and romance. But you’re right, these songs are all sung in the first person, so that line got blurred somewhere along the road.
I will say that, in writing this album, I became very attached to all these characters. I had some major issues to work through, especially with William. He begins the record getting mixed up in a gunfight and killing someone, then later beats a guy to death, but he is supposed to be the hero of the story. Trying to make him a strong yet sympathetic character took a lot of time to flush out and lead to a really deep understanding of him and his motivations. I guess after going through all that I found it easier to sing the songs from their perspective. I think it makes the songs that more personal, and haunting.

RW: You and I have only conversed briefly and so I know little about you. One thing I do know is that you have lived all over the country. This may also tie in with questions 2 and 3, but do you think your roaming past has allowed you to identify with such ‘western’ characters?

HJ: I think a lot of the fixation with Western characters comes from my upbringing. I’ve always had a fixation with the Wild West. I grew up watching Spaghetti Westerns with my Dad, and have read a bunch of books on the subject. But you’re right, I think moving around a lot has influenced my songwriting greatly. I only lived in Texas for a short time, but it happened early enough in my music career to have a huge impact on my writing style. Two of my biggest heroes came out of Texas (Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt).

Also, as far as traveling around goes, a lot of isolation comes with it. When you spend a lot
of time in strange places where you don’t know a single soul you get in a lot of conversations with yourself. Having a guitar helped keep me from going crazy a lot of the time.

RW: In the ‘Legend’ section of your website, you refer to the songs you’ve just finished as chapters. Do you plan to write your future albums in the same manner, or even as subsequent volumes of this story? Does this make it, in a sense, a ‘concept album’?

HJ: The original plan for release was to have a song and a video for each chapter, so listeners could learn the story as it evolves through a cool visual medium. As an indie artist I quickly learned that would not be possible. I just don’t have the budget. So the Legend page can fill that need.

Also, I was going to release song at a time, but I got so many emails from people that wanted to buy the CD I decided to hurry up already and release it. So the album is coming out next month, and I’ve got two videos finished, but I will continue on with releasing Legends for each song so people can get into the characters and learn more about them. I am also trying to get together the cash to complete the video series, but that will end up being 5 chapters, not 12. So the videos will focus on the William - Caroline - Jacob triangle of love and murder, while the legend and album fills in the back story of those three characters.

RW: Lastly…Han Solo: perhaps the ultimate cowboy?
HJ: I am a huge Star Wars geek, so for my money there is no “perhaps” about it. Han Solo is my biggest hero (sorry Townes). On the surface he is selfish and arrogant, but when the chips are down and you need someone watching your back he’s the best friend a man could have. I wouldn’t leave him alone in a room with my wife though.

all photo and flyer design by lisa marie grillos

More Hang Jones:
http://www.hangjones.com
http://www.myspace.com/hangjones
http://www.youtube.com/hangjones

i am in lust with my new red patent leather steve madden mary janes,
they are dreamy on the eyes and feets-

the talented swiss graphic designer vectortrash posted his final version of Kiki Bomb, it’s gorgeous-

nubby has an upcoming show, black & white graphic insight definitely check out her beautiful black and white collaged pieces- she has a variation of styles and sizes for every taste and budget.

lisa marie was and her rocker man, hang jones, are in nashville, check out her amazing photos here!

an interesting phenomenon in the electronic fashion blog world, lookbook.nu is a self proclaimed, “international social expriment in style inspired by fashion blogs and “what are you wearing today?” forums.”

i can’t believe some people really look that amazing every day AND have time to take an equally incredible photograph. ever wonder why i don’t post photos of myself very often? because i’m so vain about photographs now (except when i play with the macbook photobooth, but that doesn’t count.) they have to look a certain way and have a certain perfection about them, or i just can’t do it- half the time i will post an image of myself and delete it an hour later- (oh the curse of being both an artist and a graphic designer-)

found on oh joy! artist kent rogowksi who “takes ordinary teddy bears have been turned inside out and re-stuffed so each animal’s appearance is created by little intricacies of the manufacturing process.”

i want one! please please! i’ll be a good girl! (promise.)

can’t believe i missed one of my very favorites NICK CAVE and the bad seeds play in san francisco, oh the sadness- but i did enjoy looking at the photos that photographer leila-anne posted of this beautiful and amazing creature.

and for your enjoyment on that note, please click here to enjoy nick cave singing, do you love me?  (do you?)

“We are a lost generation, desperately clinging to anything that feels real, but too afraid to become it ourselves. We are a defeated generation, resigned to the hypocrisy of those before us, who once sang songs of rebellion and now sell them back to us. We are the last generation, a culmination of all previous things, destroyed by the vapidity that surrounds us. The hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture so detached and disconnected that it has stopped giving birth to anything new. ”

From Adbusters, Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization

tonight my fifteen year old brother asked me, “kristin, what are you?” and i said, “i am not anything-” and he said, “then you’re kristin? kristin style?” and i nodded, “yep, a little bit of a lot rolled into one.”

recently i found out my generation is labeled as “Y”- what does that really mean?

i have been curious about scarf tying for months- thank you modcloth, i adore you and your hip, fun pittsburgh ways!

“It’s no secret that scarves are an essential for any well-rounded autumn wardrobe. They’re an easy way to add color while looking put-together and overall fabulous. Finding the perfect scarf to compliment an outfit is easy - styling it to achieve its (and your outfit’s) full potential is no simple task.”

read the full article and see a cute how to video here!

i have had a design crush on graphic designer and artist eduardo recife for years and was pleasantly surprised to see this statement about him in my electronic inbox ,

“The ominously named Misprinted Type foundry has recently released a series of outrageous, incongruous, schizophrenic yet adorable all-caps display fonts. HandMade is the most successful of the lot, but LeKing is pretty awesome, too. Designer Eduardo Recife must have scanned every ornamented alphabet he’s come across, and possibly invented some of his own as well, combining single letters into fonts that immediately define a style. The atmosphere is somewhere in-between dilapidated-mansion melancholic and thrift-store whimsical.”

yum!  i can’t wait to purchase them for myself-

this week i started working for a really fun greeting card company, in which i have been doing research on card design and discovered this designer, float paperie- her typography is stunning!

my clothing designer loves of the moment are bb dakota and ec star. if i could buy everything of theirs from lulus or modcloth, i would be a more fashionable and happy lady.

for the ears, check out miracles of modern science, pop music made by musicians in spacesuits!

“Using mandolin, violin, cello, standup bass, and drums, Miracles of Modern Science create an epic and inventive brand of music that can simultaneously be classified as futuristic pop, antebellum balladry and sea shanty singalong.”

i’ve also been dancing around to the sounds of parisian music makers, thieves like us and yes, my ear candy song of the week is, “shut up and let me go” by the ting tings- it’s so fun and bouncy, an instant car dance hit!

another eyeball treat to check out is the launch of my dear friend vinny’s new art and design website, Mudchicken it is worth a look or a bookmark.

i was in pennsylvania last weekend and was inspired by east coast trees and vintage taxidermy that is so affordable at their antique stores!  also while visiting, i toured the andy warhol museum, and had a delicious lunch and conversation with the man behind their marketing- and while driving all over the green, tree filled, humid state heard nick cave beautifully cover, neil young’s “helpless”-

on the plane i could not put down, vanity fair’s 25th anniversary edition, which features an article about the marilyn monroe files.

this girl is so photography, art, and design inspired- sometimes i wish sleep wasn’t necessary and i could design doll all day and night! dreaming of art and photographing your face-

he designed that beauty from this one…

♥ drooling over new york fashion week images of the new marc by marc jacobs collection-

♥ living the vampire lifestyle, much like the kids in my favorite film, the lost boys, complete with 80s soundtrack- in which i am up until four or five in the morning photo editing, designing- and then sleep until noon or later, work and repeat.

♥ yesterday i photographed my first real agency model at a catalog photo shoot that i was hired to shoot! i am beyond ecstatic and in post production land right now- sharpen, levels, tweak, save as .tif and repeat repeat repeat.

♥ life feels amazing, and there is just so much to create and do, obsessed with designing a photography book from blurb.com

♥ tomorrow i fly east to visit my honeys and the pennsylvania countryside! i look forward to spooky east coast trees, the andy warhol museum, and taking a vacation from real life, california.

♥ came across an amazing english photographer, ren rox by chance. it’s been a while since i’ve been photography inspired and her images are worth an eyeball peak or ten.

♥ still obsessed with LouLou’s gigantic bows, the madonna inn, studying photography lighting, jessica-m’s illustrations, finding the perfect red soled high heels, johnny thunders, and daydreaming about chihuahuas, scarves and pumpkin weather.

deborah. my first muse.

brett. a face from the past that i will always remember.

natalie gordon. her face is a beautiful canvas.

lija. one of my first san francisco friends, i don’t know where she is now.

janice. a woman from the past who supported pursuing passions as your work.

oh how i want to drink delicious blue bottle french press coffee out of this gorgeous pantone black 4c mug!  and good news in life, i got a new fabulous design job that starts soon!

i have decided my fall/winter look is going to be inspired by frilly blouses, gloves, stockings and pencil skirts. how is that different from what i already wear? well, i suppose it is not so much, but i want to look like the above image every day! oh fashion, i love and hate you. i should just design for shoes. can i?

so many items to drool over, i am so looking forward to cooler weather, the san francisco indian summer heat is destroying me! oh to wear coats and opaque stockings again, i can’t wait!

bb dakota is designing some brilliant pieces- look at this beautiful red empire waist jacket and this plaid dress, the vintage inspired designs are gorgeous, i must have it all!

american apparel creates my favorite opaque tights and i am so happy to have a retailer where sheer back seamed pantyhose are easily accessible.

not rated shoes have some really cool new designs, i just purchased these which i can’t wait to wear with colored tights and coats!

i am so happy that gloves are currently popular! last year i purchased these amazing full length leather ones, pictured on me here, taken in new york by burlesque photographer don spiro-

but oh i am dreaming of these material girl gloves from modcloth!

and i cannot stop drolling over lou lou’s panties and huge bows and the feather hair charms from charmschooldesigns over on etsy.

as far as girls to adore, check out these lovelies, all seen from wardrobe_remix and in my flickr favorites- oh nubby, you are my dream design darling

and marie, you don’t know what you do to me with those lips and fishnets- you also got me obsessed with wanting to visit the madonna inn in san luis obispo.

iheartnorwegianwood yu have most adorable hair.

and dear, white-apple, this outfit and photograph is amazing.

to end this fashionable post, some girl porno, men with puppies, or hang jones, my dear lisa marie’s husband, with wilfredo, san francisco artist, lisa congdon’s chihuahua. oh my.