Searching for Jan Faust

In 1971, Dover Publications published a book of 101 new pen drawings by Jan Faust in The Underground Sketchbook. The drawings were surreal and satirical, clearly influenced by the counterculture of the time. I’ve been a fan of the book for a number of years, but I could find very little online about this talented artist. Recently, I tracked down a phone number for Mr. Faust, so I gave him a call. He now lives in Pennsylvania and was happy to answer a few questions about his art. The drawings featured in The Underground Sketchbook were originally pen and ink pieces Mr. Faust used in his portfolio when first becoming an illustrator. His stark black and white style was influenced by old prints, and artists like Albrecht Dürer, a 15th century printmaker whose style was gothic in nature. Mr. Faust also told me that he collected and was inspired by early Mad Magazines. The humor of the magazines, which was starting in his childhood years, can be seen in his outrageous illustrations.  

Fans of The Underground Sketchbook have wondered for years why Dover didn’t produce a second book. When I asked Mr. Faust about this, he said it was pretty much out of his hands. He did have enough material for a second volume, but Dover chose instead to release the first book as a stand-alone. Mr. Faust also had been doing a lot of illustration work at the time. After 1971, Mr. Faust did magazine and newspaper illustration and advertising and even did editorial drawings and theatre reviews for The Village Voice. When The Voice decided to produce a full comics section, he created the comic strip “Metamorphosis,” which appeared alongside master cartoonist Jules Feiffer’s comics. He had a gallery handle his work in New York and became an instructor at Parsons School of Design. When he moved to New Orleans for a time, a second gallery handled his material, and he continued to produce work that was much different than the drawings in his book. By this time, the satirical element had left his art as he focussed on more formal concerns.

These days, Mr. Faust is still drawing every day. At a certain point, he stopped showing and selling art professionally. The work that he produces now is more abstract and not satirical or symbolic. He still works in pen and ink, but the process of drawing and the satisfaction he gets from that process is his main concern. He enjoys using interesting things in his life to influence his art. 

Interview With Dan Faughnder of Sledding With Tigers

Sledding With Tigers is San Diego’s premier folk punk band. It is the project of singer-songwriter Dan Faughnder, owner of the world’s most radiant beard.

JH: Tell me a little bit about your band, Sledding With Tigers.

DF: It’s like my baby, but a baby that I share with a bunch of different people, and occasionally forget about and neglect, but still love all the same. 

JH: Who was your biggest inspiration in San Diego growing up?

DF: My first favorite San Diego band was a noisy-pop band called Lanterns, and I saw them on tour with Weatherbox in Stockton. This was when Brian (Weatherbox) was playing solo sets, and it was cool to see a little piece of home in San Diego. Danny from Jehovah’s Fitness played every cool show I ever went to in San Diego, it seemed like, so I always looked up to him. AND GREG PROUT. THAT MAN IS AN ANGEL, and he’s also the reason I  spent so much time at the Che. 

JH:What is your song writing process like?

DF: I mostly just yell lyrics at myself in the car and then try really hard to make them work with a Ukulele or Guitar. Then most of the arrangements come together in the recording process. That’s when Sam, Brandon, Ben, Ted and I add all the cool silly stuff that make it more than just some annoying dude with an acoustic guitar. 

JH: What’s your musical background?

DF: I started playing the saxophone in 5th grade, but quit because it was too heavy. Then, I started playing classical percussion in 6th grade and continued until I went to college to pursue a music degree. While I was in college, I slowly learned how to hate the music I was playing, so I picked up a guitar to help relearn to love it again.

JH: What is the coolest thing that has happened to you while with Sledding With Tigers?

DF: Anytime a room full of people sing my songs back to me. We’ve also been able to play shows with most of my favorite bands in the world, and I feel very lucky.

JH: Tell me about your involvement with the Che Cafe.

DF: Right now, I’m slowly transitioning out, but I’ve spent the better part of the last three years as a core member/volunteer at the Che. I booked shows, ran sound, and helped with general upkeep. It’s one of the most important parts of my life, and it’s recent struggles have been heartbreaking. 

JH: Describe who you were in high school in one word.

DF: Band-Nerd

JH: How did you discover folk punk?

DF: My friend, Erich Beckmann, posted a video of Paul Baribeau on Myspace. Blame him

JH: What was it like recording your latest album?

DF: SAME AS IT EVER WAS.

JH: What can we expect to hear from Sledding With Tigers soon?

DF: Space Jam.

JH :Final Question: Describe your dream concert.

DF: Spraynard, Modern Baseball, Bruce Springsteen, Mandarin Dynasty, Iji, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Paul Baribeau, KIDS., The Frights. ALL MY FRIENDS HANGING OUT.

Interview with AJ Peacox of Weatherbox

AJ Peacox is a San Diego multi-instrumentalist, playing with several different bands including Weatherbox, Future Crooks, Days of Light Gravity, and more. 

JH: What projects do you have going on right now?

AP: Right now I'm playing bass in Weatherbox and Future Crooks as well as recording an EP with my personal project Days of Light Gravity.

JH: What is your song writing process like?

AP: I have this weird theory that all the songs I'm gonna write exist already in an otherworldly ether, and when I write I'm just pulling them into our plane of existence. I mean, I don't really believe that but it's a fun way to think about it. When we add a little guitar part last minute in the studio it's as if that was always supposed to be part of the song.

JH: What’s your musical background?

AP: When I was in 8th grade I read "Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock Teenagers and Emo" by Andy Greenwald and it introduced me to all the bands I still listen to today like Dashboard Confessional, Saves The Day, and Jimmy Eat World. From there I picked up on all the other punk and emo bands that go along with those bands. I really owe that book everything.

JH: How did you get hooked up with Weatherbox?

AP: My friend Griffin was playing drums in the band and they needed a bass player for their tour with the Front Bottoms in 2013. I've been playing with the band ever since and stoked about it!

JH: What are your biggest musical influences?

AP: Saves The Day is my favorite band of all time. Most of my songs are just ripping off them, Brand New, Jets to Brazil, and bands like that. I'm also really influenced by Japanese punk bands like The Pillows, Dradnats, and K-on.

JH: You are involved with a lot of bands/projects. How do you manage to keep them all straight?

AP: I basically spend all my time working on one band or the other. I'm really lucky that I'm able to fill my week with Future Crooks practice, a Weatherbox show, and then recording with Days of Light Gravity with very little overlap. Playing with these bands is all I want to do, so everything else in life comes second.

JH: How did you get into playing music in the first place?

AP: My family is very musical, so it was just an inevitability that I'd learn an instrument. I started on sax, but then when everything in the world turned to a vapid chasm of shit and terror (middle school), bass guitar came into my life and it saved me.

JH: When you aren’t playing music, what are you doing?

AP: Watching anime or listening to podcasts (usually on long drives to LA or SD to play music).

JH: What’s the coolest or weirdest thing that has happened to you on tour?

AP: The last Box tour was pretty much the weirdest thing that ever happened. The coolest thing was staying at Manchester Orchestra's studio for a couple days and hearing Cope way before it came out.

Interview with Jordan Krimston of Big Bad Buffalo

JH: What projects are you involved in right now?

JK: Ah, too many to name / too many without names. Big Bad Buffalo, Traffic Bear and Dawayne Neptune are the projects I've been playing shows with though. 

JH: Tell us more about your band,  Big Bad Buffalo. 

JK: We’ve been together for 3 years now (woah) and we just got a blogspot. bigbadbuffalo.blogspot.com

JH: What has been your biggest inspiration musically? 

JK: I think what drives me more than anything is knowing what I DONT want to sound like. I don't really know what I want to sound like, but I definitely know what I want to avoid sounding like. 

JH: What’s the craziest thing that has ever happened to you during a show? 

JK: We played an instrumental show at a temple one time and our set got cut short to make room for a last-minute rave that was taking place at the temple. That was weird. 

JH: How has your age been an advantage or disadvantage in the scene? 

JK: Advantage: people are always amazed that somebody under 21 can pick up an instrument, no matter how good you are.

Disadvantage: people often include your age when describing you or your band; age shouldn't matter. 

Disadvantage: didn't get to see drive like Jehu when we opened for them at casbah (but we heard em). 

Disadvantage: people try to take advantage of you (not really a disadvantage but definitely a nuisance). 

Disadvantage: people don't take you seriously and can act condescending. 

JH: Not only are you a big part of the scene musically,  you are also a promoter. What shows have you put together and what got you into them? 

JK: I’ve helped put together a lot of shows these past couple years- my favorites would probably be Bummerfest, Burger Revolution, Yamfest and the Weatherbox/Future Crooks/Big Bad Buffalo/Kids show. Usually somebody else has the idea and then I help out. Ex: Yamfest was Steve (from The Bridge)'s idea, you had the Burger idea and the Weatherbox show was Brian (from Weatherbox)'s idea. Bummerfest had been in the works for awhile though, the timing just never aligned until recently. The reason I started booking my own shows is because I like having that creative control y’know? Usually when I book a show I try to make sure things are very laid back. No pay to play or whatever the fuck. I'll still make sure that all the bands get paid if enough people come though. Another cool thing about booking shows is that you can kind of merge scenes and intersect cliques with one another. 

JH: What advice would you give a young musician just starting out? 

JK: Don’t put restrictions on yourself but don't sound like shit either... 

JH: What would be your dream concert?

JK: I actually had a dream that Bummerfest went terribly. Nobody showed up and all the bands were mad and Big Bad Buffalo’s set was really sloppy. So I guess that was literally my dream concert.