Rubin Recommends

(Part of The Weekly Check In series)

Joel is awesome because he let me sell ads for his amazing magazine, The Drama (and he’s awesome in general.) He makes some great stuff and I love to see what he’s doing. So check him out.

Keep up with his work at http://www.thisisforest.com

RR: What are you currently working on or just finished that you’re excited about?

Speasmaker: I just finished a complete re-design of Anthem magazine, which should be coming out within a week of me typing this! It’s definitely the most exciting thing I’ve ever done, and I really look forward to hearing what people think about it. It’s a huge step forward for the magazine, not only visually, but also in terms of context and editorial.

A few friends and I (Zach Gibson and Justin Van Hoy) just finished an event called Simple Pleasures, at Studio Number One. With hopes of it becoming a recurring event, the first one was focused on independent publishing and zine-making. We had a bunch of people come sell their wares, held a panel discussion inside Subliminal Projects, had DJ’s throughout the day, and basically just had a great time. In the future we hope to do more Simple Pleasures events, each focused on different ideas and mediums.

I’ve also been doing a Small Books series, just little handmade books of things and stuff. I really enjoy doing it, and I’m going to be releasing some special editions with other people hopefully by the end of this year.

RR: Where have you traveled so far this month?

Speasmaker: Well, right before this summer I moved all the way to LA from Richmond, VA (drove across the country!). It’s been a huge change, but I’m really enjoying it. Except for the fact that you moved away within a few months of me getting here.

RR: What’s your favorite music right now?

Speaskmaker: I really like that new Wolf Parade record and the new Brendan Canning record. I’m a little late getting into The Dodos, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, and Lykke Li, but love it. And Phil (Mount Eerie) consistently puts out the most amazing objects, that just happen to include great music as well.

RR: Best food you’ve had in your neighborhood lately or while you were traveling?

Speaksmaker: Found this tiny Cuban spot near where I live in Atwater Village that’s pretty great, and I meet my buddy Justin pretty much every few days for lunch at EAT on Los Feliz.

RR: Anything Else You Want To Mention?

Speasmaker: What is real?