Kaylene Peoples – Page 3 – Agenda Magazine Archives

Apollonia Kotero – What Has She Done Lately?

Apollonia Kotero – What Has She Done Lately?

I am not sure how many of you remember the actress/singer Apollonia Kotero. She starred in the oscar-winning movie Purple Rain back in 1984, and had a hit single “Sex Shooter” from her group Apollonia 6. She has appeared in television shows, including Night Rider, Chips, Falcon Crest, and Fantasy Island. She was in the films Back to Back, Black Magic Woman, and Ministry of Vengeance, just to name a few. Her duet with Prince, “Take Me with You,” on the Purple Rain soundtrack ended up becoming her biggest hit to date. But what has Patricia Apollonia Kotero done lately?

Last season I was seated next to her at fashion designer Joseph Domingo’s runway show at Fashion Week and was introduced to the beautifully, well-preserved Apollonia. Having seen Purple Rain—I own the sound track—I was very much aware of who Apollonia was. As we chatted before the show, she expressed her like for Joseph Domingo’s designs, as well as mentioning a few other designers she liked. I thought it would be a great idea to shoot her for Agenda Magazine. She agreed, and we had an informal interview, where I learned so much more about this very talented and impassioned woman.

Apollonia, would you mind sharing with our readers what you are up to these days?

I am excited to be attending AFI Woman’s Workshop for directing. Maya Angelou, my idol, has taken the class. I was in AFI in the early 90s. I went through a divorce and lost my focus. So I fell out of school back then.

You have a production company now?

Yes, it’s called Kotero Entertainment. It’s a multi-media production company. I have several lawyers, an agent, and we represent everything from art directors to directors to actors, actresses. . .and I have a little girl who is only 12 and sings like Billie Holiday. We develop scripts.

What led you to develop the company?

There are so many talented people out there without guidance. And I just know what it was like when I was growing up, and how difficult it was for me being a woman/minority. Many times you don’t know anybody and you’re not related to anybody and it’s really tough. It started off as a mentorship, and it became a full fledged company.

Was it a difficult thing to start?

Not really, I put my mind to it. I always believe in what Shakespeare said, “The company makes the feast,” with the right group of people. You have to be selective, trust the right people, trust [in] their ingenuity, talent, and their integrity.

You had mentioned earlier there have been a lot of things printed. . .some were true some weren’t. Then you mentioned about some of the struggles as a Latina coming up in this industry. I would love to hear a little bit about that, and how you overcame it.

It’s something that I think is pretty universal, being Latina, being first generation. It also goes with the African-American actress—the ghetto gangster, the Latina maid, housekeeper, prostitute. Those are the difficult things I think we all face in this industry. Having to drive from the South Bay to auditions in my car that was falling apart. . .I was driving 5 days a week for casting and auditions; [and I heard things like] well. . . “They went for the all-American girl,” or “You’re not tall enough, or “You don’t really look Latin.” It was really tough, but I was never discouraged. I have the fear of God in me. And my family [encouraged me]. You realize that you’re not the only one going through that, especially for me in the early 80s. Now you have a plethora of different versatile actors from all over the world. There are more Latin shows like Ugly Betty, produced by Salma Hayek, who I adore. It goes on. But it’s taken so many years. When I was cast in the film with Prince, it was just a mysterious woman. I don’t think I’ve really played a Latina. Out of all the parts I played in TV and film, the only time I got to play Latin with a Latin accent was just a few years ago on Air America with Lorenzo Llamas.

So you’re saying the face of the industry has changed a lot since the early 80s when you had first gotten involved.

Absolutely. You look at people before that, I don’t remember anybody Latin when I was auditioning before except Ricardo Maltaban and Eric Estrada. I can’t remember someone I looked up to other than the old school stars like Dolores Del Río, Rachel Welch, Freddie Prinz, and Desi Arnaz. But there was nobody out there [who] I [could emulate]. They were older women, not the young hot Latina.

Going back to AFI, is the reason you decided to become a director?which is a huge thing?to maybe help steer Latin-based movies to open the doors for some other actors?

For me, when you start looking at an actor in another extension, the writer becomes the director, the actor becomes the writer/director. It’s always in the same industry. It’s all interconnected. There’s a real chemistry when you write a script. And then you see so many actors/writers who’ve become directors. . . for me, there are only 7 percent of women directing. When you look from Julie Taymor to Penny Marshall, there are just a few. One of the first Latin female directors back in the 40s was Ida Lupino. It took Selma Heyak 10 years to get that movie [ Frida ] shot. She never let go of Frida Kahlo. She was ambitious, and she’d run you over if you didn’t listen.

As far as directing, I’d like to direct all varieties, whether it’s a music video or a comedy piece. It doesn’t have to be a Latino-type story. I was born in Southern California. I live in Hawaii, and I surf (she laughs). So it could be about anything as long as I have a passion for the words on the paper.

Tell me about the jewelry line you’re designing.

I am designing a line of Jewelry with Steven Zale, geared toward ladies of elegance. If you can’t afford to go to Harry Winston, I can provide a great piece of jewelry, which is just as beautiful and just as well-made a design. I’ll have a rings and little pink diamonds that are affordable—jewelry couture. I think you can really tell a lot about a lady by the jewelry that she wears, or doesn’t wear.

What are the price points on some of the pieces?

We really haven’t discussed it, but I want to make sure that it’s something that is affordable. We could do a variety of different pieces at different prices.

This is fine jewelry, then?

Yes. It’s real.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I am also [involved with] a movie called the ” Winged Man,” I am helping them as a supporter. [As a supporter I mean that] I’m doing whatever I can to help them out, and I have donated to their cause. It’s a 15-minute short, directed by Marya Mazor, written by Jose´ Rivera; and Anna Ortiz from Ugly Betty is in it.

Apollonia Kotero is heavily involved in Project Angel Food LA, Nosotros, Women in Film, Los Angeles Mission, LULAC, The Violence Intervention Program Los Angeles, and The Wall of Las Memorias. To learn more about Apollonia, visit her websitewww.myspace.com/apolloniakotero.

By Kaylene Peoples

Elina Katsioula-Beall of DeWitt Designer Kitchens – Making the World Better One Kitchen at a Time

Elina Katsioula-Beall is the head of DeWitt Designer Kitchens in Studio City. Elina is a native of Athens, Greece, and has lived in Los Angeles for over twenty years. She is a multi-talented design professional with over 20 years of experience in design. Awarded a Master’s Degree from Yale in Set Design, she launched a career in TV, film, theater and live shows, receiving numerous theatrical awards and three Emmy nominations. She was the Art Director for the Academy Awards three times, and she has worked with countless celebrities. Katsioula-Beall won awards as a kitchen and bathroom professional. She recently won awards for two of her designs at the National Kitchen & Bath Association Design Contest, and an additional two as a co-designer with DeWitt.

Elina Katsioula-Beall is a certified kitchen designer and brings her classical Greek heritage and her set design experience to kitchen design. Elina received a Bachelor’s Degree in Art and Painting from the Athens Polytechnic Institute. And in the same way she designs spaces for characters of theatrical plays and films.

What made you decide that you wanted to get into design?

I have been in art all my life. I was drawing since I was two years old. I picked up a pencil and never let it go down again. At that point, being a native of Greece, I was very inspired by the antiquities there. I had a parallel career as an art director in television and film and also did some stage shows and several variety shows. I was the art director for the Oscars on three different occasions, also Kennedy Center Honors, American Music Awards, and theme designs stemming from Saudi Arabian Royal weddings to stage shows for Richard Wirick.

How long have you been actually designing kitchens?

I have been working by my husband DeWitt’s side for the past 19 years, along with my art direction career, but I have been designing kitchens exclusively only for the past 5 years in this showroom.

I saw some of your kitchens on covers of some major design magazines. They are beautiful, diverse…and they look extremely functional. Can you tell me what sets you apart from other kitchen designers?

We are trying to address the client’s personality. We go beyond custom. You’re not only designing for their style (entertainment style, cooking style, and shopping style), but beyond that you’re also designing their space. Our space is something that projects our mental space. And we have to get into our client’s personality in order to understand exactly what they want, who they are, and design for who they are in the same way I have designed for characters in a film, for television or theater. So when you see a set, you know exactly that this set can be only part of the life of that character in the same way the kitchen that I design should reflect my client’s individuality.

Along those same lines, if that kitchen reflects who they are, as well as being designed to endure time, it becomes a classic. A trend is something that is great today, but then it is gone tomorrow. The great challenge for designers today is to design something classic which means [creating something that is] enduringly beautiful. Twenty years from now it still speaks of its time, but doesn’t look outdated.

Let me give you a scenario. My husband likes to cook, but we’re both really busy people. I don’t have time to cook; I live on the microwave. The only time we really use our kitchen is when we are entertaining, and I have very discerning taste. What would you say to me to make me want to hire you as my kitchen designer?

The very first thing that I would like you to do is pull some pages out of magazines that have something that speaks to you. It can be images, kitchens…something very inspirational. And that’s an image that we both start with. Then, I will ask you everything about your lifestyle, both you and your husband, either jointly or separately, like what is your height; are you left or right-handed; your habits around the kitchen; shopping style;entertainment style; cooking style; how many members in your family; what would you prefer to have; and what are your storage needs? You will start to see how many aspects there are in the kitchen, and how many things you have to look at once I design. I have to make the space absolutely functional for you. Form should follow function. It’s the soul of an axiom. We have to break down your needs and address all of your wishes. At the end of my survey, we have your wish list.

If you tell me you have to see the stars in your kitchen, then I need to know that. I once had a request to have copperware in the kitchen so when the sun sets, it will reflect on the copperware. It can be anything you want. It can address all your emotional or practical needs. But that’s how I would design a kitchen for you.

That’s a whole other way of thinking. It’s very different from an IKEA or Home Depot kitchen, because with them there’s a template.

We don’t do quickie-cutter kitchens. There is something to be said about mass-production that addresses all needs; but as an artist, I would like to go beyond that and transcend the ordinary. I really want to tap into the extraordinary, and the only way I can do that is to connect with my client on a very intimate level in your mind and in your head so I know exactly what your wish is. And this is going to translate through my filter and become creatively your space. So when your friends and family come and see your kitchen for the first time, they will say, “You can only be in this kitchen. I cannot imagine you anywhere else!” And that is my biggest reward.

I don’t realize what goes into certain things, and this is very insightful. Obviously, having worked in film and television, doing custom, themed designs, and just the extent of your artistic ability…that’s obviously what makes you who you are as a designer today.

Absolutely! You have to take all those design forms and filter them through your creativity, and find the object that really makes you feel that you serve the community, mankind, or fellow human beings. I used to chuckle that I would love to make the world better one kitchen at a time.

Have you ever had a client that you just could not satisfy?

Yes. There are those clients. It starts with the individual. I believe an unhappy person will never be a happy client. I had a client once who asked, “Will my friends turn green with envy?” She was doing the kitchen for her friends, not herself. There are people you cannot satisfy no matter what, but the client is always right? At some point I’ll find the one place where they will be happy?

Have there been any obstacles in doing kitchen design?

I think for a true creator there should be no obstacles.

Highest High

When we photographed the last bunch of kitchens, I saw them come to light with very good photography. And I saw the beauty in the detail. They were on magazine covers. Eventually we won awards. We won 5 national awards in 2007 for excellence in kitchen and bath design. It was good to have the work rewarded, and it was great to work with individuals who said we gave them a kitchen they didn’t even know they wanted. And that felt good.

Lowest Low

When the client doesn’t understand the type of work we do. They put us at the same level as the local custom cabinetmakers because they do not know what goes into designing a kitchen well. They think it’s a bunch of cabinetry and appliances, you throw in a stove top, and it’s done. It’s not. It’s an organic functional place.

Recently I introduced Gestalt design. It’s a little bit like a melody, where it transcends the combination of materials. It’s not just cabinetry, countertops, and appliances. It’s an entire wholesome, organic thing. The sum total becomes its own entity. It aims to become the expression of the client’s mental space, because the space of the kitchen that I will create will shape in turn the client. This is my design philosophy.

To learn more about DeWitt Designer Kitchens, visit their website atwww.dewittdesignerkitchens.com.

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples

The Ebb and Flow of Lauren Wood – A Multifaceted and Multi-talented Creator of Beautiful Music

Lauren Wood is a world-renowned songwriter, recording artist, musician, producer, and voice-over artist. She is best known for her hit song “Fallen,” which was featured in the movie/soundtrack Pretty Woman, and sold over 17 million copies. She is also known for her top 3 hit duet with Michael McDonald, “Please Don’t Leave,” released through Warner Brothers Records. She wrote and had songs recorded by Gladys Knight, Phillip Bailey, Cher, Johnny Mathis, Rita Coolidge, Warren Hill, Leo Sayer, Billy Preston, just to name a few. Lauren’s songs have been played in Police Academy, “Days of Our Lives,” and “That’s Life.” And yes, that was Lauren’s voice you heard singing the lead on the television show “Just Shoot Me.” She has also recorded voice-over and music for animations, including Rugrats,The Tigger Movie, and Little Mermaid II, among others.

“What will strike you most about Wood’s music is her sultry, sexy voice, but if you get past that, you will find subtly crafted tunes of immense sophistication and insight.” – John Schoenberg, The Album Network –

I visited Lauren in her home in Laurel Canyon. It mirrored the talented, somewhat quirky, off-beat artist. Her house was colorful and took me back to the fifties and sixties as soon as I entered. There was a vintage mannequin in one corner of the living room, vinyl album jackets neatly placed in a rack against a wall, musicalinstruments posing as decoration, and a vintage egg-shaped chair sitting right smack in the middle of the living room. I was greeted by one of Bad Art Records’ staff members, and served a special coffee brew before our interview commenced. It was obvious that Lauren is as meticulous and passionate about her surroundings as she is about her music.

“I have a little kid’s attitude. I am very playful andI live in a house that looks like Peewee’s playhouse. I’ve never had a real job. I guess you could say I am the true Indie artist.”

How did you get involved in music?

I noticed that as much as I loved art, I never enjoyed actually doing the art. I feel like my house is all art, but I’m happiest when the art is all done and I can live in the art.

What’s your background?

When I was a little kid, music affected me on the deepest level. I was mesmerized by George Gershwin. My parents used to play show tunes all the time, and I was in love with Richard Rogers and his work with Rogers and Hammerstein.

Did you always know you could sing?

I have found a style and it’s something that has evolved for years. I’ve had to work really hard [at singing]. There are some people who can wake up in the morning and sing really great, but I have to work at it.

Tell me about some of your successes.

I have been making records since 1968. I was in a band called Rebecca and the Sunnybrook Farmers, and then the band dwindled down into the three of us and we became Chunky, Novi, and Ernie. We signed with Warner Brothers Records because we wanted to have a hit record, and because at the time, all my favorite artists were on that label. I [later] got the song “Fallen” on the Pretty Womansoundtrack, which changed my life. Bless Richard and Julia for their tremendous charisma.

How long have you been independent?

My first Indie record was called Lauren Wood 1999. It has “Fallen” on it too, as well as the Pretty Woman mix, and now my newest record is called Love, Death and Customer Service.

What is your process for writing a song?

I can’t go into a room and say, “I’m going to write from 10:00 a.m. to noon today.” I just have to wait for the muse to hit me. I just start to feel this little energy bubbling underneath. A lot of times I’ll be noodling on the keyboard and I’ll play a wrong chord and I’ll think that’s weird and beautiful. What’s the next weird and beautiful chord I can play next to that? What’s the prettiest melody I can write after that? I love to write melodies that aren’t in the chord. A lot of times I’ll write my lyrics while I am driving in the car.

So it’s a natural process for you.

Yes, and I can’t force it.

Have you had any obstacles in your career?

Back when I first started, before I hit the “ageism” thing in pop music, I was hitting the “woman” thing. I used to have problems with people if they did not let me be free. Back then it wasn’t a given like it is today that women could be a producer. That used to be a problem. The producers that let me have more input, I’d do good work. I’m known mostly for my ballads, and my music has to ebb and flow.

You mentioned that it took a year to master your new recordLove, Death and Customer Service ?

I worked on it for 5 years. We’d mix for a week, go back and remix. I finally created this lovely album. When you master, in order to make it louder, it goes through this compressor and it pulled the air and vibrato out of my vocal and it took out the soft lilt out of it too, bringing it all up; and it sounded like a big dead fish. Before, when I mastered, it only took a day. This time it took a year. I mastered each song and each section separately, and we experimented over and over again, and it literally took about a year.

Highest High

Other than when I get emails from people who write “Fallen” has gotten them through an illness, I had 2 experiences while touring in Malaysia. I had caught a cold and was very sick in Malaysia. I started to lose my voice and I was performing at one of the clubs there. Well, I walked into the building with my band, and the people at the club threw a spotlight on me. And everybody asked me to sing “Fallen.” The band started to play, and people were all standing on the tables and mouthing the words to “Fallen.” This was on the other side of the earth, and this little song that just came through me had affected all these people. The other thing that was so fun in Malaysia was that we put in my contract that I could kiss a baby elephant. So they closed the zoo and let me have a private tour. I got to hold a baby orangutan, and I got to kiss a baby elephant. My music brought me to these animals around the world. I was taught at an early age by my father to love and respect animals, so it was deeply ingrained in me by the time I went to Malaysia. It meant a lot.

Lowest Low

I’m trying to get my record on radio. Back when I started doing music, you could hear Tony Bennett, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, The Doors, Joni Mitchell…on the same radio station. But these days, corporations have taken over the airwaves. The stations are so overly analyzed and formatted that it’s killing radio. It’s not artistic like it used to be. I have a really hard time trying to get my stuff on the radio because I am not a person who easily fits into any one format. I love hybrid music, so it’s really hard. Record companies used to be so artistic. But now record companies are so formatted. Everybody wants to recreate the next clone of somebody that’s already happened before. In the past, you got signed because nobody else sounded like you.

What about Internet radio?

This record is on radio, but it’s not easy.

What’s been your process trying to get it on?

I make calls myself. When I was on Warner Brothers, they asked me to call the radio programmers and thank them for playing my records, and I did. So I [already] know a lot of radio programmers.

What advice would you give an Indie artist who is trying to make it in this business?

Be yourself. Be an artist. Be the best you can be. Work really hard. Don’t have an attitude. Be humble. Life is tough enough to have to deal with people who are not nice.

To learn more about Lauren Wood, visit her website atwww.laurenwood.com.

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples

Odalys Nanin of MACHA Theatre Company – Building Social, Cultural, and Artistic Bridges

Odalys Nanin is the founder and producing artistic director of MACHA Theatre and Films. She has appeared in soap operas, series, T.V. commercials, and at least 30 theatre productions in New York and Los Angeles. Nanin has a stellar reputation for writing, directing, and producing theatre in Los Angeles. She has also received three Drama-Logue Theatre Awards for direction, performance, and production of Vargas Llosa’s “La Chunga.” “Skin of Honey” is the fifth play she has written, and she produced it in 2007. Her other plays are “Love-Struck” (1997), “Garbo’s Cuban Lover” (2001), “The Nun and the Countess” (2003), and “Beyond Love” (2005).

Tell me about MACHA Theatre Company and how you acquired it.

MACHA Theatre is a landmark which used to be a dealership for Mercedes Benz. It was renovated for theater, and for 32-35 years Shakespeare plays were produced there. Inside the theatre is a mini version of the Globe Playhouse in London. The owner recently passed away, and destiny called me somehow. I had just done a play here two years ago that had been very successful. And twenty years ago I did a play for the owner. I played Jessica in The Merchant of Venice. I [discovered] that he [the owner] had passed away, and it was up for rent, and I went for it.

You are also an actress?

Yes, I’m a writer; I direct, produce, and I perform. [Last] September we did “Skin of Honey”. I did my first political play. [It was] a love story set in 1961 [about] two lovers torn apart during the invasion in Cuba. This was my sixth play. I wrote it and co-directed it with Alejandra Flores . I love to write Romantic comedies, but that was the first time that I tackled a [political issue]. I threw the love story in it.

I created a gallery wall, a screening room called Garbo’s Screening room for anyone who wants to come in and do a documentary or a short.

Do you rent the theatre outside of your own productions?

When I am not producing my plays, I rent it to other productions coming in. I pick all the work. I want it to be very good and cutting edge and have a message.

How long do the plays run?

A play runs 6-8 weeks, Thursdays through Sundays.

So you’ve written six plays?

I wrote six plays. They will be produced by Bi-lingual Press in Arizona next year as a textbook. I have been producing theatre since 1992. I did a few plays in North Hollywood, including “Garbo’s Cuban Lover,” which also won an award, and it was rated as one of the best 10 plays by the Advocate Magazine. I eventually adapted it to the screen. Eventually it will become a movie.

What goes into producing a play?

First you have to have an idea. I have to be driven by that idea. It comes to me and I can’t stop thinking about it, so I have to write about it. It usually takes me about two weeks to a month to write about it. Then, you do a stage reading of it, rewrite and set it for production for the following year, cast it, and rehearse it.

As a producer are you required to know everybody’s job, too?

Yes, I have to know about the lights and sound, and I create and pick the songs that go into the play. I cast the play…about sixty percent of it is casting it correctly. What’s interesting about the plays is I started “Skin of Honey in 1996”. Last year we were talking about teenagers and Cuba, and I remembered the scene I had written in 1991. The play almost tells you when it should be written. So never throw out anything that you write.

Do you feel that having been an actress has also helped you as a producer?

Oh, absolutely! The reason I became a writer/director/producer is because I was an actress. You know as an actress you go out on auditions and sometimes you audition for parts that you’re not very attracted to. It got to a point that I really wanted to implement my talent into the right roles…and so by writing them, you actually create the roles you want to play. And that’s what I did. You have to put your craft into something that you really love.

Highest High

I have to mention that I also do short films. My first one was based on a story that my father told me a long time ago. He made me a promise before coming out to the United States. He said that I was going to have my own little car to drive on the streets. I had forgotten about that. Twenty years go by, and I write a short film about it. It’s my first short film. I had no budget, but I got 25 people to volunteer for a three-day shoot: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The first shoot was at a park, and we had to be there at 7:30 in the morning…and I was driving up the road hoping they were there. They were all there–just volunteers who were there because they liked the story. The day I finished the story, it was in the can. I had those reels…and I was driving in my car…and all of a sudden I started to hysterically cry and hysterically laugh. It was the highest height that I could’ve reached–that I had accomplished that.

What was the film called?

It was called “Only One Suitcase”. Just the thrill of these people showing up and working really hard to make it all happen was great.

Lowest Low

Not having enough money is a low. I like my productions to have high production qualities. With the play “Beyond Love”, I didn’t have enough money for the set. It was bare bones. It looked fine, but I knew I wasn’t doing it the way that I wanted. I know it’s not a big deal for people coming to the theater, but when you put so much into it and you know it could be better, but you don’t have the means…that’s a real low.

Is there anything you’d like to add to create more theatre patrons?

Create more women writers. I am trying to put together a workshop for teenagers that can not only write as an ensemble, but perform the piece and showcase it, exposing the young up-and-coming actresses to the theater. I think exposing as many youngsters to this world would make a big difference in their grown-up years.

What does MACHA stand for?

MACHA means moheres (women) advancing culture, history, and art. We were formed in 2000 because we did not have a place or a way to express ourselves and have a voice. It is a group of women who are committed to bringing about plays about women that people don’t really know about.

To learn more about MACHA Theatre Company, visit the website atwww.machatheatre.org.

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples

Gina Villalobos – Country Rock Has a New Queen

Gina Villalobos – Country Rock Has a New Queen

Gina Villalobos has performed on countless stages throughout the world. Her songs appear simple, but don’t let that fool you. There are far-reaching meanings hidden behind her lyrics. Her voice borders on tough, yet tender, at times. And after a few listens, you can’t help but read between the lines. As a live performer, she is a treat—there is a polished difference between her actual recordings, but that is all. I appreciate a good raw live performance, and I appreciate a well engineered recording. Gina delivers both with her arsenal of CDs: Miles Away, Rock ‘n’ Roll Pony, Beg From Me, etc..

Gina garners a growing cult following in both the UK and the US for her grass-roots rock-influenced songs. And her privileged audiences enjoy a transcending experience when given the gift of seeing her perform live. As quoted from Harp Magazine, “Villalobos has the restlessness of the most moving country music, but she combines it with a rock spirit that’s always forthright and never forced….” — Jason Gross. And from Americana UK, “This is country rock at its most melodic, subtle and heart broken…a perfect summer driving record.” — David Cowling.

Gina Villalobos is a breath of fresh air when it comes to entertaining an audience and still remaining true to her music. I felt the intensity and passion this singer/songwriter/guitar player meticulously places in her music. I was not forced to feel when I listened to her perform. Instead, I became empathic. Her lyrics took me on a journey of truth throughout her very soul. Her lyrics are bold, seductive, sad, happy, and sarcastic at times. My neighbor, who is a huge fan of her music, introduced me to Gina’s music by inviting me to a performance one night. And she and her ensemble, consisting of a cellist, two guitar players, bass player, drummer, and slide guitarist, blew me away. Lucky for me, I had the pleasure of interviewing Gina before that mind-blowing set.

Gina, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself.

I’m a solo artist who usually performs with a band. Tonight I will be performing with a cellist, pedal steel player, drummer, bass player, and two guitarists, the second guitar played by me. The style—I blend rock, country, and pop (My songs are in the pop format). I get called Americana, and I get that I am the female Neil Young. I get compared to Ryan Adams and Lucinda Williams a lot.

What do you write about?

When I’m writing I’m emoting. I play my guitar, come up with a melody and some lyrics. I am writing about eight or ten songs that are works in progress, I don’t know what they’re really about until they’re finished. Usually when I look back, it’s personal stuff and experiences and feelings. I have two solo records out. I’m thirty-seven, and I’ve been doing this for seventeen years. There are probably about eight or nine CDs I‘ve done. I don’t even know.

Where can we find your music?

In the record stores across the nation. Online is always a good place, like iTUNES.

What inspired you to become a performer and a singer/songwriter?

It’s my mom’s fault. I grew up here in Southern California in the late 70s. It was a community full of artists, actors, songwriters, etc. So it was normal for me to be around that. I never really decided to do this. It was more of a self-realization of this is who I am.

Some musicians have struggled through a series of day jobs to finally come to the point of knowing this is what their life should be. Have you always been lucky enough to be at this point your whole adult life?

I’ve always done music. When I was twenty-one, I started doing music and touring bands. The first band was pretty successful. They’re not always that successful, so I did have to do a day job sometimes. But music has always been my main focus in my adult life.

Highest Moment

I think a high point for me would have been my first tour overseas. It was a big deal for me. I was in the UK. Another high point was two years later and I was still touring (Laughs). I couldn’t believe it!

Lowest Point

When I lost the vision in my right eye during the recording session of my first CD. It was an accident. I was doing a day job. My CD hadn’t been released. It was the CD that gave me that big international breakthrough. That was a hard time. But I can see out of my other eye, and it just really gives [me] an appreciation for life. But it was a very big low.

Is there any advice you’d like to give to an aspiring Indie musician?

The most important thing I think a writer and artist should have is just a real sense of doing their art for themselves and no one else, and just work at their own craft. When I write, if I think someone’s going to hear the song, I am really writing for somebody else. And the song sounds like crap. Just stay true and do it for yourself.

Email address: ponyvillalobos@aol.com. To learn more about Gina Villalobos visit her website at www.ginavillalobos.com.

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples

Coalition of Independent Music (The Future of Music) – Is This the Answer for the Indie Artist?

Interview with Justin Jouvenal – Communications Director

Most independent artists struggle with getting exposure like radio airplay, mass distrrbution, etc. And unless they are signed to a big label, rarely do the masses hear about them at all. Sure, with MySpace and CD Baby and the plethora of digital distributors like iTUNES, the playing field hasn’t capsized, and these musicians do have their small fan base. But will the playing field for Indie artists ever rival that of the signed artist on a major label? Will the Madonnas and Beyonces of the independent world ever reach the fame they so justly deserve?

Annie De Franco and Prince are the only independents that come to mind. They are the rare few who have superceded the norm. De Franco burst onto the music scene and exemplified nonconformity; Prince used to be with a major label and is now an Indie artist. They both sell a lot of CDs and concert tickets—not the norm for the Indie artist. So, it was very refreshing to speak with a representative (Justin Jouvenal) from a foundation (The Future of Music) that is interested in helping those “underdogs” of music.

How did the Coalition of Independent Music / Future of Music get started?

The future of music was started seven years ago by Jenny Toomey (executive director), and Michael Bracy (policy director). Jenny Toomey ran a record label back in the 90s, called Cold Machine records, which was based in Washington, D.C. They produced many of the Indie rock bands in the area, and she came out of that experience, wanting to tackle issues that affected independent musicians and local artists. She got together with Michael Bracy and Kristin Thomson (deputy executive director). She also ran Cold Machine in 2000, and they decided to form the Future of Music Coalition to focus on music, technology, and policy issues, things catering to the interest of independent musicians. There wasn’t really a voice out there that represented independent musicians on policies and technology issues, so they sort of wanted to step up, and the Future of Music Coalition became that.

What year was this?

This was in 2000, when the group was actually formed.

They wanted to focus on some issues that the independent musician goes through? What are some of those issues?

Radio consolidation is a big issue for independent artists. For many years, independent artists have been virtually banned from the air waves. Unless you are a hugely successful band signed to a major label with a lot of financial backing, it’s really hard to get play on the air waves. So one of the major issues worked on was payola—one of the reasons that you don’t hear a lot of independent artist on the air.

Explain what “payola” is?

Record labels paying radio stations to play their music. We were instrumental… and the FCC investigation of Clear Channel, as well as a number of other big broadcasters over the last several years… This culminated in a settlement earlier this year. Clear Channel and the other broadcasters agreed to play more independent music and put in place some rules that would basically end payola.

Yes, that was a big deal.

Yeah, that was one of our major issues. You know, we also worked on getting to interact with [the radio stations]—that is one of our major campaigns right now. Other than that, it’s musicians and record labels coming together to support net neutrality.

I am not familiar with net neutrality.

What’s great is that the Internet is an open entryway. Anyone could just log on, and if you’re a small band, you could post your songs. If you’re a small record label, you could post your band’s albums. The big telecoms want to change the way the Internet is structured. They set up what we call a “fast lane” on the Internet, and they want to charge website concept providers to have their website downloaded faster. So if you are able to afford these fees, you will have a website that downloads fast. If you’re not able to afford these fees, then there is a fear that they’re going to be so high that independent musicians and independent labels and music download services like CD Baby won’t be able to afford the fees. These record labels and bands will be relegated to the slow lane on the Internet. The major labels and services like iTUNES would join faster speeds. This is a big fight that is going on right now. Supporters of net neutrality are really across the board for groups like moveon.org, and as far to the right as the Christian Coalition. There are a lot of groups that are really worried about that. So far, the campaign launched in May, and we’ve had 511 bands sign up, 143 record labels, and hundreds and hundreds of fans have agreed to be part of the coalition.

As part of the coalition, are there petitions, or are they just speaking out and boycotting?

Well, right now we do have a petition that people can sign. We’re pushing the FCC to enact rules making net neutrality the rule of the Internet. We’re also pushing Congress to enact Legislation. We have a website which is our main organizing tool: futureofmusic.org/rockthenet. This is where bands can sign up. One of the interesting features allows them to sign up for the campaign, and when they play a show, there is a map on the homepage where bands could list their shows. So if you look at it, there’s a picture of the United States and hundreds of push pins [in the map] where supporters of net neutrality are playing shows all across the country. Some of our founding supporters are REM, Pearl Jam, Death Cap for Cutie, Sarah Laughton, The Donnas, and the Kronos Quartet. We have artists that come from a wide spectrum and the music industry supporting our campaign.

I guess the desired effect is to just speak out to the point where it would stop whoever’s in charge. And who specifically is in charge of trying to do away with net neutrality anyway?

It’s the big telecom companies: Verizon. Comcast, etc. They’ve been talking about this for a long time, and they see a big payday there if they act as traffic cops. All they really do right now is deliver the Internet to your house. They are basically in charge of setting up all the pipes through which all the Internet content streams to various people. They realized that they could make a lot of money if they set themselves up as the traffic cops of the Internet. They would control how people access a website. They could charge websites and set up a toll booth that controls how people access websites; and by creating this whole move, they could charge websites for faster download speeds.

What’s so great about the Internet is that it is open, democratic, and anyone could log on, from the smallest blogger to the hugest media empire like FOX, and post their content and have anyone across the Internet access that content equally fast. That is the great principle of the Internet—one of the greatest democratic (creative) institutions going.

I see what some of your immediate goals are, like payola and Clear Channel, that is huge, and net neutrality needs to be preserved; but with indie musicians, do you think that at some point the playing field will ever be level?

That is our hope. That is the work that we engage in everyday. We had some great successes like the payola settlement, which we won. We feel like the music Industry plan towards the biggest players were chipping away at that. If we keep working at it, we could definitely welcome the playing fields for indie musicians, smaller artists, and local artists. I guess it is a question of time and effort before we make these changes. Basically, what I want to do is make the music industry more equitable for indie artists. We want them to be able to afford a middle class living. We want indie artists to pay a mortgage on a house, to be able to get health insurance. It’s putting in place the structures that will allow indie artists to survive … and arrive.

With the coalition do you have special advice or tips for indie artists, on how they could get their music played on the radio stations?

It is still in the early stages, but Clear Channel and several of the other major broadcasters have agreed to play 4200 hours of independent and local music. Right now, the broadcasters are in the process of setting up a process that would allow the artists to submit their music for airplay. Right now that process is just getting off the ground. Check back on a couple months or so.

How does the organization get their funding? Is it mostly through donations?

We get funding mostly through grants from the foundation. We get a small number of donations each year from individuals and musicians.

I am actually an indie musician, so for me, it’s of huge interest. This is great news, and I know you guys have been around for a few years, but I don’t think that the average indie musician really knows about it yet.

Yeah, well that is the struggle we have with our organization—just getting the word out is difficult.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

One of the other major programs that we have right now is called HINT (Health Insurance Navigation Tool). We conducted a survey in 2001of hundreds of musicians and asked how many of them had health insurance?” Nearly half of the musicians we surveyed didn’t have any health insurance. So we built this program where musicians call in and set up an appointment to talk to musicians who are health insurance specialists and give them advice on how to get health insurance, and what kind of policy would be best for them. We don’t sell any kind of health insurance. It’s strictly funded through grants. We could help artists get to the point where they find health insurance; and it is a really tricky subject, and not many people really understand the ins and outs of it: futureofmusic.org/hint.

For more information about Future of Music, visit their website:www.futureofmusic.com.

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples

Gina Villalobos’ Miles Away

Gina Villalobos’ Miles Away

Slide guitars, consistent drum beats, raw emotions. These three elements encompass Miles Away, Gina Villalobos’ newest release. Gina has a knack for extracting her listener’s emotions with her lyrics in each one of the 10 tracks. Excellently recorded, Miles Away executes flawless performances from her personnel: Kevin Haaland (slide guitar), Ted Russell Kamp (bass), J’Anna Jacoby (violin), Ben Pringle (organ), and Joshua Grange (pedal steel). Villalobos’ vocal style is reminiscent of Kim Carnes, with a vocal and songwriting familiarity of that of Melissa Etheridge.

Miles Away is soulful country rock defined by the slide guitar, the light “twang” in Villalobos’ voice, and the strumming of acoustic guitar. However, some pop elements do stand out, evidenced by the catchy hooks and clever refrains. Gina does a unique version of Barry Gibb’s “If I Can’t Have You,” giving it a more country feel—very different from that of its original disco version sung by Yvonne Elliman.

The title track, “Miles Away,” is the perfect opening. The upbeat tune elicits optimism with its rock beat and major, predictable chord progressions, typically found in the genre. However, certain lyrics, like “One more time I’m falling off the sidelines,” “Buries me live,” or “I can’t hurt anymore,” indicate a true contrast from its happy delivery. Gina’s clever metaphors, like “heart on a kickstand,” create a masterpiece of hurt, vulnerability, and reflection. Other tracks, like “Somewhere to Lay down” and “Let’s Fall Apart,” deliver an openness and a clear yearning by this introspective songwriter.

Miles Away covers a wide range of emotions with melodies and arrangements that are simple but not sophomoric, an indicative quality of country rock. If it’s too complicated, we miss the meaning. This is where the complexity of the album shines through. It is clean, has effortless lyrics, as well as straight-ahead, no-nonsense music, coupled with loads of reflection, unconventional veracity, and tantamount talent, unrivaled by notable country rock artists. Once again, Gina Villalobos has proven she can hold her own!

To learn more about Gina Villalobos visit her website atwww.ginavillalobos.com.

CD reviewed by Kaylene Peoples

Tatty Devine – The British Duo of Fashion Accessory Design

Tatty Devine – The British Duo of Fashion Accessory Design

Tatty Devine was created in 1999. It is a unique and quirky accessory line. Rosie Wolfenden and Harriet Vine are the brains behind the successful jewelry designs. The company is based in Great Britain, and the two designers have no formal training as jewelers. Harriet and Rose met at Chelsea School of Art back in 1996. They had planned to become artists, but Harriet found some leather samples on the way home from the pub one night. She proceeded to make some leather cuffs. She and Rosie sold them at Portabello and Spitalfields markets—and Tatty Devine was born.

Harvey Nichols bought their accessories, then Browns, Focus, and Vogue Magazine took notice. Tatty Devine premiered their first official collection at London Fashion Week Spring, 2001. They have since shown their collection at Paris Fashion Week, and showcased in Berlin and New York, as well as having over 100 retail outlets worldwide.

I interviewed the British pair on their recent jaunt to LA and was thrilled to be given my own private showing of Tatty Devine’s collection.

“We express ourselves in everything we make. When we were in college, we did paintings—it’s all about the idea, and we were incubated in this conceptual cocoon. When we left college, we just hung out together, and all of our ideas and esthetics were really similar—we just started makingstuff.” —Harriet Vine and Rosie Wolfenden—

Harriet – It was just a series of fabulous events that just snowballed. You know, Rose was working at a vintage shop, and a woman from Vogue came in, and was just like, “Oh my gosh, I love that thing that you’re wearing. I really need it for my Millennium shot.” Then Rose had the audacity to say, “I made it myself. It’s from my company.” You know, so that was on Friday, and on Monday, we took to her … our …. It hadn’t existed on Friday!

Rosie – We made our collection on that weekend to take to Vogue. So we were just messing around having a really fun summer after college, visiting all the markets.

Harriet – We had no real desire to be fashion designers. We just wanted to be artists, to get studios, public views, and hang out with other artists. I guess if I had been a fashion student, I would have been really shy; but because I just didn’t really care, I admitted I made it myself.

Oh yeah, because you don’t have a reason to be afraid because you don’t really know what you’re doing anyway (laughs).

Harriet walked by a furniture store one night. They had thrown out all their leather sample booklets of every color, texture, and print—14 bins worth. Harriet dragged them all home; they were perfect size twenty centimeters by twenty centimeters, which is the size of your wrist. We had ostrich skin and purple; we had snakeskin and blue; zebra skin and pink. Harriet just cut them up into wristbands.

Harriet – It was just before the whole eighties thing.

Rosie – So we took it to a market store, and everyone [loved them]. They sold for 5 and 10 pounds each.

They were just flying off the racks.

At first actually, people asked, “What is this? What do you do with it?” We told them theywere wristbands. It took a little while, but within a month there were three other stands selling the same thing, but they could only afford to buy white leather.

See that is a good thing. When someone is copying you, that is the highest possible compliment. That is when you say, “O.K., I am doing something right.” Tell me about your designs.

We’re kind of fascinated with history and fossils and dinosaurs. Apart from that, we really like the way the dinosaur necklace is made up of about 70 pieces. And each one is a bone from the dinosaur. They’re individually drilled, and we put our beads on individually. Sometimes we have to get them special order. Whenever I wear this [necklace], everyone is [in awe]. In London, people save up so they can buy it because they love it so much. We must have sold about 600 of these now.

It’s called the dinosaur necklace?

Yeah. That’s my favorite. Everything we care to make is in limited edition quantities. Welaser everything that gets mass made. We couldn’t make thousands of anything.

Do you have letters of authenticity with your jewelry?

Well, that’s a really good idea because they do that in Singapore and Japan.

I’m sure they’ve got collector’s value. Down the line it could be worth something.

In Britain we don’t have to do it because everyone knows. Until recently they’d come to our shop and they’d watch the jewelry getting made. But I think letters of authenticity would be a very nice touch.

What are the materials you used to make these?

[In addition to other things], we used acrylic because it gives us the freedom to be very literal in our designs. We use [a variety of] wood, leather, solid silver, and Swarzsky Crystals. Then we create the drawings in the computer, which later goes into a [special] machine, which cuts out our drawings. It’s really nice. It’s like cookie cutters.

But it’s taken awhile to come up with such a smooth process, right? A lot of trial and error?

At first it was leather cuffs and then we moved on to hand cut leather shapes, and then we’d sew crystals on things. It’s like writing a Christmas list.

You’re actually setting a trend. And you guys really know how to market yourself. Do you think that has something to do with your success?

Up until a year ago, we were answering the phones. We were writing the press releases, trying to organize everything. My God, we nearly went mad. We’re finding liberation and now we’ve got 10 employees.

Tell me your highest high as jewelry designers.

When we got into Fashion Week, it was big. Every day something new comes along. I like that initial time of going to Vogue Magazine. That was quite amazing. It seems so crazy. We were like just two Indie kids—we were only 21..

What did your parents think about all this?

Rosie – My mum asked me what was I going to do when I finish college. [My parents] were a bit scared, because my parents were both self-employed and Harriet’s parents were always doing projects. Both of our parents are entrepreneurs. It never occurred to me to have a desk job. Not that I’d come into any money or anything, but I always thought I’d find my way.

Have you ever had any disappointments?

Not really. The biggest downer we had was when we participated in the Designers and Agents Show—it’s a trade show. We did it and it was great. And then we applied to do it again and we weren‘t accepted, which is annoying because we wanted to come over here. It wasn’t quite right. Because there’s nothing else quite like it. It’s really hard.

What advice would you give an aspiring entrepreneur?

You have to have a belief in yourself and have some interesting stuff. It’s not good enough just wanting to make jewelry. You’ve got to be interesting and have a lot of cool stuff, and have original ideas. Because it’s so dull seeing something that’s copied. Seeing something original really does just make my heart skip a beat. It’s lovely. And I think that’s what’s really important with our designs—they were just so fresh. You’ve really got to have faith in yourself, have no fear, and be prepared not to have any money for a while. We started with absolutely nothing. We started at zero, and months later we [earned] 200 pounds. And then we bought some more leather and then we sold it … and then we had 400 pounds. We never had a proper job, so we didn’t know what money was.

You didn’t know what to charge?

You really must be prepared for the fact that it takes a long time before you can really have a life. You just make jewelry all the time. You have to be prepared to work really hard; but to enjoy working really hard, have passion. And just like having initiative, I guess.

You guys are hard wired for business. I think it’s just in you. You’re artists, but you’re hardwired to be entrepreneurs, leaders.

I think entrepreneurship is a really creative thing. There’s business and then there’s being an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is the creative side of business. Because business really is creative. You can manipulate and point it to any direction you want.

To learn more about Tatty Devine and their collections, visitwww.tattydevine.com.

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples

Merrell McGuinness Handbags – Making the Functional Handbag Fashionable

Merrell McGuinness Handbags – Making the Functional Handbag Fashionable

“I was working in a 9-5, and the only bags they had to carry were in black. They were so unattractive. All the beautiful designer bags that I loved were either too short, not wide enough, or didn’t have enough pockets.”
—Merrell McGuinness—

Handbag designer Merrell McGuinness received her inspiration in fashion from her mother’s (Marilyn Hubbard) vintage collection. Ever since Merrell was a child, she insisited on expressing her own personal style. At age 3, she wore fur-trimmed beige leather boots to preschool—not at all uncharasteristic of the years that followed. Both women’s (Merrell and her mother) creative backgrounds and love of all things beautiful was the impetus of Merrell’s intuitive designs. Once she started designing her handbags, word spread quickly by word of mouth, and orders flooded in. Merrell, while holding down a full-time job, and maintaining a growing business, realized the need for a functional bag that still expressed a personal style. She succeeded in creating a leather handbag system that had style, comfort, and functionality, clearly meeting the needs of a busy woman’s lifestyle. Since its inception, Merrell Handbags have been featured in Lucky Magazine, Atlanta Peach, Splendora, Daily Candy, AOL: Style List, Chip Chick, Fashion Newspaper, WWD, and more…

Your focus was to make handbags more functional for women?

I was working in corporate America, and I never really had a way to channel it. With designing handbags, I never really had a background in it, but felt like I studied them from a consumer standpoint. I was working in a 9-5, so to say, and the only bags they had to carry were in black. They were so unattractive, and so the idea came … all the beautiful designer bags that I love were either too short, not wide enough, or not enough pockets, so I did a lot of things [that had not been done before.]

What were some of those things?

Our signature layered piping in the front. That was inspired when I was outside in the country with the symmetry and the lines in the country. Two layers of piping is not ground breaking, but the way it is laid out is kind of unique. Some of the pockets on the front, we even had to take the pockets off some of the bags because it was too mystical to the pockets and it wasn’t feeling right. Our “Sarah Clutch“… that’s definitely unique. The “Margaret” bag has a very functional wallet inside the bag.

How long have you been designing bags?

It’s been a three-year research process trying to figure out how I wanted to make them, and last spring was our first season.

How has it been going since you’ve been selling your bags?

It’s gone so well. People respond to it and say, “It’s a great idea! I love the detail.”

I think you really accomplished what it is you set out to do. Because I just opened the box and I thought the bag was beautiful…like the choice of leather, the coloring … there’s a lot of texture, and the look of it.

Thank you, for spring we went with a very neutral color pallet, and for fall we went with a much darker color pallet. We have 44 stores that are listed online, and one that’s in California (La Jolla). People can definitely buy it online.

What direction do you see your bags going in for this [fall] season?

We have the “Raquel” and the “Eloise” design, and they are inspired by vintage bags from the 60s. But they also have the 40s feel to them. I was just keeping it a clean line, simple, but interesting shape.

Sounds like you had a pretty good job before. Was it a struggle for you to quit your job?

I am doing handbags full time, and it wasn’t a hard decision. I have a habit of biting off more than I can chew. Once we really got into full swing, I realized that I never really liked being in a cubicle. It was really challenging, but great. My husband asked me when [my designs]were going to make a profit. It’s been very interesting. I’ve taken a lot of risks, but I have also seen a lot rewards.

Where do you see Merrell Bags in five years?

Well, I see Neiman … the whole 9 yards … expanding through wholesale channels.

To learn more about Merrell Handbags, visit the website:www.merrellbags.com.

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples

Raechel Cunningham – Aesthetician / spa owner – NY

The Beauty Agenda
Aesthetician and Spa Owner, Raechel Cunningham of New York Laser

Raechel Cunningham is a licensed aesthetician and the director at New York Laser & Aesthetics, located in the center of Manhattan. Raechel is a highly motivated aesthetician with extensive knowledge in the Skin Care industry. She is a graduate of Florida College of Natural Health, where she received an A.S. in Natural Health and obtained courses in both Aesthetics and Massage Therapy. Raechel has extensive experience in various Laser Treatments such as IPL, Laser Hair Removal, Laser Vascular Treatments, and Photo Facials. Raechel’s non-laser experience includes facial treatments, microdermabrasions, enzyme and acid peels, pre-/post-operative skin care, hair removal, camouflage make-up, anatomy and physiology, and nutrition of the skin.

“New York Laser & Aesthetics is a skin spa. We provide skin care solutions to our clients that serve to aid in the promotion and preservation of a healthy, beautiful skin appearance by using well-researched skin care products and treatments. Since not all skin care treatments work the same on people, we offer our clients an assortment of the most up-to-date skincare practices for the best possible results. “

—Raechel Cunningham—

Tell me about your spa.

We’re right off 5th Avenue, next to the Plaza. And when you walk into the spa, you’re greeted like you’re in a home/waiting room with a nice couch, flat screen TV, and music playing. We wanted to create a very comforting environment. We sell skin care products here with our organic skin care products called Imminent. I like to combine laser treatment with organic skincare.

What kind of laser treatments do you provide?

Laser hair removal (FDA approved machine); we also do photo facials for sun damage, hyper pigmentation due to hormones or the sun; we do skin tightening, and one of my fortes is laser vascular therapy.

What does laser skin tightening entail?

You come in and show us the areas that are bothering you. I come up with these things called vector points. The laser’s going to focus on tightening. The laser puts out an infrared heat source, which heats up collagen on the dermal layer. Collagen is lying on the surface under your skin in little coils. This treatment creates those coils to tighten up, and it almost kills them; but you’re not having any burns on the surface of your skin. You have nothing that looks like you had anything that was done. In 3-4 weeks when the dead collagen cells reach the surface, they come off; and your body senses that you have a wound, so it starts promoting new collagen at a very quick rate. After the second treatment, you really start to see results and a fifty percent improvement. So someone who’s not ready for plastic surgery, if you have a lot of fatty tissues under the skin like somebody’s neck or jaw line, skin tightening isn’t going to work as well as it would with somebody with hanging or crappy skin. When somebody also has spider veins, the laser also targets the spider veins, like legs, red vessels on their face, nose, cheeks….

Do you know what causes spider veins?

It’s basically a lot of pressure on the legs. And the veins that are responsible for moving the blood along have so much pressure that they start forming all these little veins that help search for new channels so they can handle the pressure more effectively. Sometimes we treat the veins, and they might come back in other areas. Somebody would probably need to see a doctor if that happened.

The treatments last for how long?

With the vein treatments, if they go away and your body doesn’t produce more veins, it can be permanent; or they may come back in the same area. It just depends on once we close those little channels, your veins still have those pressures, so it may form new ones. People get great results here. People we did a year ago still don’t have new veins. It can last for quite a few years. The same thing with all the hyper pigmentation, all the treatments I do here take a few treatments; but once they’re gone, the only way they’ll come back is if you’re doing things to cause them to return.

Laser hair removal, is it a better method than electrolysis?

It is a better method, but whether you’re doing electrolysis or whether you’re doing laser hair removal, there are three phases of hair growth. These are things as a consumer you wouldn’t know. It’s very easy to misunderstand or get talked into buying something. So what I’m trying to do is explain that there’s the one phase of hair growth. It’s called antegin and that’s when the actual hair is attached to the pila. That’s what develops the hair. So when you do electrology or laser or anything that delivers heat into the pore, it has to conduct to the follicle so that it damages it, [keeping it] from making any new hair. You’re only in this phase for a short period of time. You can be receiving the treatment, your hair may fall out, but you’re still going to have hair grow in. So that’s why with laser hair removal, we try to promote it in packages of six. That’ll give me enough time to get all the hairs that are in that “right” phase. With laser you can do a larger surface area in quicker amounts of time and you’re not risking inserting a needle and probing into a hair follicle, putting too much heat in that follicle and creating a dark spot—I see it happen a lot. I also went to school for electrology so I am very familiar with how that works, and I definitely think laser hair removal is a better way to go.

In your professional opinion, is the laser hair removal actually permanent?

It is permanent, but if I did it to you and you were in that phase of antegin, which is the growth phase, your hair’s going to fall out and not grow for a month; and then it’s going to start to grow. So it is permanent, but you have to have the right amount of treatments.

How long have you been doing this?

I’ve been doing this for over eleven years. 1996, I started doing manicures and pedicures. I was working in a spa where they gave facials, and I was interested, so I went to school to learn that. And I had been a licensed aesthetician for almost eight years. I am originally from Florida. I’ve been working for a dermatologist most of my career, so I have a lot of experience in corrective skin care. I moved to NY about a year and a half ago. I worked for a large laser company chain. I decided to quit and work for a plastic surgeon who was really adamant about being partners with me and opening up a spa. So I pretty much did, and here I am. I have a partner who owns the place, and I pretty much run it and have a small share of the business myself. I was very lucky. It’s not like a regular spa. I wanted to run it like a doctor’s office, so far as the treatments that I offer, but still very relaxing, like you’re at somebody’s home. I have two rooms: a laser room where I do all the treatments (looks like a doctor’s office), clean and sterile; the other room is where I do all my facials. It’s very personable here.

What are your prices?

Titan Skin Tightening, full face $1,100;Laser Spider Vein Treatment, 30 minutes $400; Laser Hair Removal, Brazilian, $340 per treatment;Cranberry Pomegranate Treatment, $250.

Of all the skin care treatments that claim to do what the laser treatments do, you chose the laser. Why is this the better way to do it?

I chose laser because of all the treatments that I do, the laser is more aggressive (hair removal). It’s kind of a tool of the future. There’s no other tool that lets you do hair removal in a timely manner. I feel like laser is going to be very popular in the future, more so than it is now. As long as you have an FDA approved machine, and you’re trained on it, I think it’s safe as long as the user is licensed and educated in the laser.

Have you ever had a client where there was nothing corrective you could do?

On my level, I have had clients on an aesthetic and cosmetic level where I couldn’t help them. I refer them to a plastic surgeon on staff. I have a dermatologist I refer to.

So in other words, you’re a skin care specialist, not a magician. Any tips you’d like to give to your average female on taking care of her skin?

I reference to laser. If anybody’s contemplating doing laser, they should really do their homework and make sure that where they go is licensed, the people are licensed, and that they have an FDA approved laser to prevent burns or things that could happen that they don’t want to happen. And maintaining at home with a good skin care line that’s good for their skin.

What about acne? Is there a laser that can help that?

There are certain treatments that are called LED lights. They come in different colors. The blue LED light helps to kill the bacteria that’s responsible for causing acne. It’s a temporary treatment. How I handle acne here would be a series of chemical peels and then a laser treatment called laser genesis. It helps kill the bacteria as well.

Can any age do this?

I usually start treating kids from 12-13. I do a mild chemical peel or laser treatment. Hair removal, I like to do it starting from age 16 and up. Do your homework, make sure whoever you go to is really licensed and knowledgeable. I’ve seen a lot of burns and bad things happen to people, and I don’t want that to be something people think about when they think of laser.

You said earlier that you see laser as the treatment of the future. Not that you’re a psychic, but in five years where do you think laser might be?

The technology will be much more advanced. Currently, the FDA regulates how deep the wave lengths go into the skin. I think in the future, maybe the lasers will be able to penetrate a little bit more. I also think that they will be regulated a lot more. Some states are not regulated, and anybody can do them. I think it will be something that will be taken more seriously, but I definitely think the effects of laser will keep improving.

To learn more about New York Laser, visit www.nylaskin.com for before and after shots. If you’re in the New York area, make an appointment with Raechel Cunningham, Director of Operations:

New York Laser & Aesthetics
21 W. 58th Street #1C/D
New York, NY 10019
212-753-SKIN
www.nylaskin.com

Interviewed by Kaylene Peoples