As usual, we’ll be doing reversed covers. Shout out to Adam Forrester with Grape Design LLC for designing this new issue from front to back. This one was rough. We had a couple of writers’ computers act up on them/crash entirely. So I had to write the cover story on Hammerlord myself, which kinda pushed me to the limit as far as writing is concerned. I think I ended up writing eight stories, including the editor’s note, in this issue. We just went to print today. I’ll hopefully be able to sign off on a proof tomorrow at the printing office we go through, and then it should take about seven days for all 1000 copies to be printed. So we’re looking at about July 29th before you can get your hands on the new issue…possibly a bit earlier.

Here’s the editor’s note:

NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW

If you’re going to do something, there’s no better way to do it than to just do it, hence, the new feel/size/look Demencha Magazine. Our graphic designer, Adam Forrester (grapedesignllc.com), told me at one point that there’s “no better time than the present.” And I think he hit the nail on the head with that, as it relates to the improvements we‘ve made with our print publication.

If you’ve shown support for Demencha over the past couple of years since we restarted back in July of 2008, you’ll surely notice that we’ve gone with more of a “real magazine” format this time around and from here on out. Not to say that we don’t still retain a lot of indie-zine traits, but hopefully you didn’t choke on your coffee or liquor when you picked this up. This issue also marks our initial pursuit of covering local band/rock styles that the greater Kansas City music collective has to offer, whereas before we were covering almost exclusively local hip hop and DJ acts. As a part business decision, part creative decision, we hope this move will help further expand our readership.

Back in May, I had the pleasure of covering an event at the Riot Room for demencha.com, the Local Artist Overthrow, a three-night-long band extravaganza featuring blistering performances from the likes of Thieves, Cowboy Indian Bear, The Noise FM, and about 30 other bands. As far as I can remember, it was the first time I’d attended a band show in about two years, whose names weren’t Hearts of Darkness or Dredg. I will continue to open myself up to local bands, all in the name of keeping the magazine fresh and to keep my own tastes evolving. Thieves particularly blew my mind at this show, and I think anyone who’s into electronic music would agree if they were to put themselves out on the line as well.

At the Local Artist Overthrow, I learned just how similar the band crowds and hip hop crowds are in KC. Though their specific demographics are quite different, their reaction to local live music shares a common suspiciousness. Call it the “Show-Me State” philosophy. I was expecting more of a thrash-fest, but most of the people in the crowd were very attentive, staring straight ahead with an almost critical look in their eyes, from the opening acts to the headliners.

We hope that you will look at our magazine with the same kind of guarded wariness, in order for us to know what further, future changes we should make to the print version of Demencha. Good or bad, if you’ve got something to say, there’s no better time than now.

If you would like to advertise with Demencha, contribute articles, photography or artwork, please contact:

Chris Mills
Demencha Magazine
Editor-in-Chief
http://www.demencha.com
demenchamag@hotmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/demenchamagazine
http://www.twitter.com/demenchamag

Here’s some music that got us through this new and improved issue:

Cherry Tree Parade – Perfectly Polyphonic
Nesto The Owner – “Man In My City”
Anthony Rother – “When The Sun Goes Down”
Kutty Slitz & Leonard Dstroy – “Pain”
Intuition & Verbs – “Touch The Moon”
Drop The Lime – “Set Me Free” (Reso Remix)
LC – Umove mixtape 035 (umove.net)
Alicia Keys – “Unthinkable” Remix (feat. Drake)
Norrit – “You Were Just Callin” & “Nobody Baby”
DR+ – DOANDROIDSDREAMOFELECTRICLOVERS
DJ B-Stee – “That’s The Way”
Slum Village feat. Colin Munroe – “Faster”

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