The JellyVision Show will be featuring SNAP. on Monday, January 19. This Northern Virginia-based podcast is dedicated to interviewing "creative entrepreneurs and odd balls," as written on their website. The show features artists, musicians, comedians, and now magazine writers.

With this episode, you'll get an inside look on the author of SNAP., Michelle Goldchain. She will give insight on how she creates her own writing opportunities, how she uses creative journalism to build a brand, and the importance of having one's own personal website.

Be sure to follow along with the episode on Monday with live tweets from The JellyVision Show Twitter here. You can also check out previous episodes of The JellyVision Show on their website as well.

UPDATE: Listen to the episode here.

When you think, “art scene,” Fairfax may not be the first location that comes to mind, but soon enough it will be. Already, there are a number of art galleries that have opened up over the past few years, including Olly Olly, Artbot Gallery and Epicure Café. The arts community is growing so fast that you shouldn’t be surprised if you find artwork on the sidewalks. Since August 2013, residents, visitors and tourists who may not know any better have been able to find artwork to take home without a price tag and without any questions in public areas of Fairfax.

The artwork is placed anywhere — on benches, in parks, outside restaurants, here, there and anywhere. It’s all part of the global “Free Art” movement, called Free Art Friday. The movement expanded to Fairfax thanks to mixed media collage artist Jessica Kallista.
To learn more about Free Art Friday NoVA, check out the Facebook page here. To see more of Jessica Kallista’s artwork, go to her website here.

Photo via Killer E.S.P.'s Facebook

After a long day at work with an even longer commute ahead of you, it’s good to know that there are places where you can stop, rest and have a slice of pie or a scoop of home-made gelato with no judgment or formality.

Killer E.S.P. is an Alexandria, Va.-based coffee and tea shop with an owner that aims to skip the stuffiness of a typical ma’am or sir shop and instead moves forward to helping its customers explore new and unfamiliar options.

Owner Robert Shelton trains his staff in unconventional ways, teaching them to never say the words, “ma’am,” or “sir,” and to never, ever say “enjoy.”

“It’s such a cliché, cheesy term,” Shelton explained.
When Shelton opened up Killer E.S.P. in July 2011, he wanted to open “something different down there that wasn’t pretentious.”

If you’re curious about the name, there’s no real story about it. It’s just another example of Shelton wanting to be different.

“I wanted something that was kind of weird ... I kind of wanted something that smacked people in the face a little bit,” Shelton said, adding, “’Steve’s Coffee Shop’ or ‘Coffee Joint,’ I didn’t want to do anything like that.”

Shelton lived in southern California for more than a decade and wanted to “bring a slice of that feel back here, just laid-back and
relaxed.”

Shelton added, “Everybody’s hustling in D.C. or Arlington. I just want to have a little place where people can just chill the hell out.”

To complement the chill attitude is a chill atmosphere with funky artwork hanging on the walls alongside license plates from California and Virginia. On one wall, a mural features Dali elephants and a flying spaghetti monster.

Above a refrigerator filled with pies, a sign reads, “Stuff your pie hole.” It’s a good mood kind of place with a quirky edge.

See Benjamin Daniels on the stage at Comedy Open Mics at Jammin' Java the last Sunday of every month at 2 p.m. and Epicure Café every other Wednesday at 8:30 p.m..

Julia Hale, otherwise known as Den-Mate, has an electro-musical style that is dark, whimsical, and constantly changing. SNAP. was able to catch up with her at her first headlining performance at the art exhibition opening of "Fallen" at Epicure Café in Fairfax. In an exclusive interview, she gives exclusive details on her upcoming album and what it’s like to work in an industry that doesn’t take too kindly to solo female artists.

Q: You were formerly known as Julia Hale. What caused the change?

Den-Mate: I wanted something a little bit more interesting. Julia Hale can sound kind of plain Jane, and I kind of want to keep that a secret of how I came up with it, but it means a great deal to me, and hopefully, in the future, I can shed a little more light on what it means.

Q: In an interview with Graveyard Collective, you say that you got it from an article about a Hungarian collective.

Den-Mate: I made that up on the spot for the person because the person was very irrelevant, but Den-Mate, I don’t believe that’s how you say it, but it is in a Hungarian language. It derived from that.

Q: Your sound has changed over the years from more acoustic to more electronic. Can you give more insight into how and why?

Den-Mate: Growing up, I think I started making music when I was probably 14, and I’ve always had a very diverse sound. I grew up in a very musical family, so I don’t know. I get very bored with making the same type of music, and I think it’s very good to be diverse, but honestly, what it comes down to are materialistic things that I’ve been able to be exposed to. Like, at first, I only had a guitar. I didn’t have a synth. I didn’t have an amp. I didn’t have any of these things, so all I could do was work with the guitar, and I guess as I collected these instruments, that’s when the Den-Mate sound started. So, once I was able to get my synth and start working with programs, that’s when Den-Mate kind of started.

Q: When did Den-Mate begin?

Den-Mate: Den-Mate started just one year ago. I released my first album last September, but honestly, it’s not an album so much as to a collection of my first electronic projects.

Q: What kind of message do you try to communicate through your music?

Den-Mate: The message I want to send with my music is that I live in my head a lot, and I feel like I’m able to – I don’t know – kind of let people into my world.

Q: Could you describe your world?

Den-Mate: It’s very ethereal. Spacey in a good way. I constantly feel like I’m kind of in the ether, not very in reality. I live in a dream basically.

Q: So, why were you interested in playing today at Epicure Café?

Den-Mate: I love playing at Epicure. I love the people who work here, and I also loved the artists who are being presented tonight, but it’s a great place where I can play whatever I want and just kind of get lost into whatever I’m doing. It’s a very laid-back environment. I like being able to play diverse things here. You’ll see me playing a full electronic set where it’s just the sampler, and the synth, and me dancing around, but then other songs it’ll just be me and the guitar. It’s really great to have that diverse sense here because I can’t do that in a club. If everyone’s dancing around, and I stop and play just the guitar, people are going to think that’ s lame.

Q: Could you list the musical instruments you play?

Den-Mate: I have my Dan Electro guitar. I’m currently using – and don’t laugh – I’m using an iPad as my sampler, and a Micro Korg synth, and I don’t have it with me, but I have a DL-4 delay pedal, and then just a little chorus pedal. So, I’m always all over the place. That’s one thing people will know about me. I’m never doing the same thing. I’m always in a different place.

Q: Are there any additional instruments you want to delve into?

Den-Mate: Well, a lot of songs that will be on my new album, I’ve tampered with a lot of kid toys like I have a small toy accordion that I’ve been working with for the new album. I have a dulcimer that I’ve been sampling, which is kind of interesting because you don’t hear those very often. I do play bass. I just sadly have not been able to do that in live performances. But yeah, that’s about it.

Q: So, when should your new album be expected to come out?

Den-Mate: Hopefully, this next March.

Q: Is there a certain kind of message you’re doing for this new album?

Den-Mate: This album is very much evolved. I’m very much finding my sound through this one. Like, I said the first album was more of a collection of my first electronic pieces. So, you’re definitely going to be more mature in a sense, maybe a little bit more serious, more professional because they’re all made in my bedroom. They’re all bedroom recordings, and I want to kind of keep that sound, though because I think at least from what I’ve gotten people kind of enjoy the home-made sound. So, home-made, but still kind of professional. I don’t know how that’ll work. [Laughs]

Q: What are your goals for the future?

Den-Mate: Definitely playing more live performances in the Metropolitan area. It is more difficult being a female musician. I’ve actually found a lot of – I wouldn’t say discrimination – but a lot of the bigger clubs, it’s definitely not seen as serious, which is really surprising to me, but it happens, but I’m definitely not stopping. It just makes me want to push harder to find some more places to play.

Q: Could you elaborate more about the discrimination or how hard it is to be a female musician?

Den-Mate: I guess discrimination isn’t the right word, but let’s say I wanted to play in Richmond and Arlington, and I think they’re kind of worried that because I do do it all myself that – you know, it’s not a full band. I think they just don’t really know what to look for, and that makes them a little ill at ease to book me. I may not seem reliable because they’re, like, ‘What is this girl going to do?’ but hopefully, in the future, it’ll get a little bit better, but in all honesty, it happens with a lot of female musicians to where – I don’t know if you’re familiar with Grimes – but it happens to her all the time, and she’s talked a lot about how we’re not really looked at as serious. Like, this was probably the first time that I’ve done headlining. It’s always been other people, which is fine. It may be because I’m super new as well, but it’ll get there.

"Sometimes, you have to break away everything that is decaying, and totally deconstruct it and totally break it down to find what is really at the heart and what is really at the soul of creativity," said Jessica Kallista, one of the founding members of The Bunnyman Bridge Collective.

The emphasis on change within the exhibition is meant to juxtapose the change within the season. It's meant to match one's mental states, according to Javier Padilla, one of the artists within the exhibition as well as one of the founding members of The Bunnyman Bridge Collective.

The Collective is a Fairfax-based group of artists and art movement. In the About section of their Facebook page, it says, "We seek to disrupt the surrender to homogeneity of manicured lawns and living rooms decorated with art that does nothing more than match the sofa."

In other words, they're looking to do something different and get noticed while doing it. Forget art that looks like a copy of a copy of a copy. And forget the stereotype that all of art is in the city and only the city.

With exhibitions like, "Fallen," The Bunnyman Bridge Collective is challenging the communities they're in and promoting artists that are as weird, or wild or unique as possible. They're proving that there is art in suburbia, and that art movements are not solely located in New York or California — but can also be found in Fairfax, Virginia.

The eight artists in the exhibition include Lina Alattar, David Barr, Alex Beck, Michael Brown, Abner De Jesus, Javier Padilla, Kathy Turner and Asad ULTRA Walker. The musical headlining act for the event was electronic-indie musician, Den-Mate.

For the coming year, there are plans to expand The Bunnyman Bridge Collective with artists as well as exhibitions in other art galleries. There are also plans to create a space specifically for the Collective to showcase their artworks. For their next exhibition, expect, "Divine," with vivid colors, ornate calligraphy and the focus on "the rebirth of everything," says Padilla.

The opening was on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Epicure Cafe. The exhibition will continue until Dec. 5. Check out the exhibition at 11104 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA.

Jon: Originally, the band name was Paper Airplanes and had been for about two years. I had wanted to start a solo project with the idea of bringing in outside artists to play on the songs. Kinda like “using them,” so I thought of the name YUM. which stood for You Use Me. When the Drummer of Paper Airplanes was replaced, we decided to rename the band and use the “YUM” idea without it standing for anything. The band was now YUM.

Jon: I have been writing my own songs and performing for years, but always in the mindset of “Someday, I will play in a band with these tunes.” I started a band called Herd of Birds with our current drummer, Nate Read, years ago, along with two other close friends. Eventually, that band fell apart, and so I had to start over yet again. Without giving up, I went to open mic’s week after week and eventually started playing music with Collin [Rosenbluth], the former lead guitarist of Paper Airplanes and YUM. He was playing drums. Then we found a drummer, and Collin took the place of lead guitar. We got a bassist, he was kicked out and then found Kyle [Smith]. He was the one. About half a year later, Collin left the band, and now recently our good friend Rob[ert Mays] has taken his place to what is now YUM.

Jon: Like most song writers I write my songs about personal experiences. Take “Day Drinking” for example. The songs all about  the classic “broke up with a girl, and now I just want to drink at the bar.” “So Far” is about holding onto life and loving it for what it is. Most of the songs are personal, so I like to use a lot of metaphors and phrases that in some twisted way mean something to me. I try to also write in a way that hopefully the things I’m thinking about people can relate to in their own lives. Instead of saying exactly what I mean or being literal with my words, I like to find phrases that could have broader meanings.

Jon: I think the main point I want to get across is that even though times can be shitty or sometimes you might feel alone, things will get better, but you have to try! One can’t just sit around hoping for things to get better. You have to make things get better. Put effort into your own life and enrich others’ lives as well.

Jon: We offer free music right now ‘cause we want to share our sound and get people interested in us. Most don’t realize that hard work is put into art, whether it’s painting, graphic design, and especially music. Everyone wants to get paid for the hard work they do. We do too. That doesn’t go to say that we don’t want to share our music. We appreciate every sale we make on merch and tickets. It’s the fans that really makes us. Without them, what’s the point of playing music? There is nothing better than playing music for people who enjoy the music you make. 

Jon: With our new guitarist, the songs are getting a makeover. More polished and tighter. We are looking forward to playing out our new improved sound. We have some shows coming up that we are excited about too.

BadWolf Brewing Company opened up last year, and already they’re making a big difference within the community. The family-owned Manassas brewery is giving back by donating all of the proceeds from their crafted beer, Cody’s Brew, to the Cody’s Crew Foundation.

The Cody’s Crew Foundation was started by Mickey and Diane Johnson to raise funds for neuroblastoma research after the loss of their son. Cody was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroblastoma on his second birthday and “battled the beast until March 6, 2009,” as written on the Cody’s Crew Foundation website.

Founder of BadWolf Brewing Company Jeremy Meyers described Mickey as a regular customer at BadWolf Brewing Company. After Mickey asked if the business would be interested in a donation to the Foundation, Jeremy and Mickey then decided that maybe there was a better option.

Meyers said, “We decided that it would be nice to donate some money, but I thought it would be more meaningful to do something a little bit bigger to raise more awareness and actually produce some more funds.”

Within a week, the first batch of Cody’s Brew sold out. Meyers estimates that around $1,000 to $1,500 has been raised already.

"We definitely plan to keep contributing and partnering with Cody’s Crew," Meyers said. He later added that with the anticipatory added second location of BadWolf Brewing Company in 2015, that there is hope to distribute bottled craft beer, including Cody's Brew.

Aarodynamics: I got started as a musician I guess around age ... I want to say 8 or 9. Whenever we played the recorders in elementary school. But I played viola and tried to play sax, but it hurt my braces, so I took up guitar in 5th grade. I think it was a decent choice. My tastes have dabbled a lot.

Aarodynamics: It's all styles really. Well, no. That's not true. Maybe, improvised funktronihop? I am working on incorporating more styles of music and stuff.

Aarodynamics: Because your butt ISN'T safe, Michelle. No one's is. And we're just warning people what they're getting themselves into by participating in the jams.

Aarodynamics: Continuing to tour, grow the brand, make awesome new music, invest in some new technologies that allow me to get better sound quality and routing features. I just added a drummer, PJ Lemmon, to my permanent lineup. It has freed up a considerable amount of room for me to get more melodic than my solo set.

Aarodynamics: Anyone can get slutty. A guitarist onstage performing an extravagant solo is getting slutty. A basketball player juking two dudes to the bottom of the key is getting slutty. A pastry chef creating a masterpiece of chocolate and dough is getting slutty. My music requires a certain level of maturity to fully enjoy. Obviously not everyone is comfortable with that level of satire, and some people find it entertaining for the wrong reasons. But in the same vein as Stephen Colbert, sometimes knowing you're wrong is more fun than being right. My female fans actually all really like the whole thing. It's entertaining and unexpected, and — at least to a certain crowd — empowering. This kind of music has been mainstream since I was born. They played “Get Low” at my 7th grade dances. Pop music today objectifies women and men constantly with less and less subtle innuendo, whereas my sluttery is well-documented and makes no attempt to conceal the fact that I am terrible, and that's why people love me.

Crispy, tangy, and a little spicy! Delicious!

No amount of Photoshop will make this mush look as delicious as it tasted.