Gus Dapperton Illuminates Webster Hall

Written by Felicia DiSalvo

As the suspenseful beat of “Verdigris” by Gus Dapperton began to play, a fully packed Webster Hall thundered under the jumping feet of hundreds of anticipating fans. The floor shook as these eager, inspired, and unique personalities awaited the beloved songs that give them an outlet to be themselves. At least, that is how I interpreted the energy around me. Gus Dapperton has created a fanbase filled with extremely individualistic souls. These fans—seen sporting bold and unusual clothing, accessories, and makeup looks—include artists of many different mediums and people who aren’t afraid to dream, gathering as a crowd to celebrate their inspiration at this historic East Village music venue.

Following the release of Gus Dapperton’s debut album, Where Polly People Go To Read, his fall tour of the United States has been one of the biggest of his career, featuring sold out venues across the country.  The photographs I have taken and included here capture a segment of this tour experience. November  10th, 2019 at Webster Hall.

Gus Dapperton, born Brendan Rice, is an indie/bedroom pop artist from Warwick, New York. He is inspired by “heartache and world class cinema,” as he said in an i-D Magazine interview. These themes are displayed through Dapperton’s music, drawing in fans that are thrilled to connect his lyrics to their experiences. 

Known for his colorfully dyed bowl cut hairstyle and daring fashion style, both inspired by his childhood, he creates an image that defines Gus Dapperton. Taking his stage name and developing his personal style enabled him to grow in his creativity and be himself.  He alludes to his process of becoming himself in an interview with HYPESAGE! on YouTube, claiming it is necessary for his own survival.  He says, “In order to survive I need to be myself. I would spontaneously combust from all the emotions built up inside of me; all of the feelings that I release through a creative outlet.”

In the midst of such a crowd of ambitious listeners and being in front of Dapperton, his band, and a myriad of songs charged with fantastical lyrics felt like being in another world. I have always described my experience of listening to his music as entering a world strange and new, yet so familiar.  Seeing this concert come alive just affirmed how true this experience is.  Dapperton showcases playful lyrics that work towards the personal and relative human experience, with a whimsical and unique flair, for an other-worldly feel to his music.

The pre-chorus and chorus of Prune, You Talk Funny highlight the playful word choice of his lyrics.  They read:

And I would tread upon flowerbeds to stare and stop.

A hominid t’was blossoming from soot and sod.

Prune,

Eating all my food.

Well you’re like the bum

Who begged and pegged me up all wrong.

I’ve got no two cents,

No sense at all.

The instruments Dapperton uses also contributes to this scene, including a synthesizer and a Fender electric guitar with effects such as or similar to chorus, reverb, and delay.  These instruments create a bright, dreamy feel that complement Gus Dapperton’s unconventional singing voice. Dapperton often layers vocals and creates echo effects, further adding to this dream-like feel. 

Gus Dapperton’s music videos evoke the same feeling through their polished production style.  Despite bedroom pop music videos often opting for a more lo-fi and moody theme, Dapperton follows more of a traditional theme.  They incorporate heavy emphasis on styling and having an original storyline. For example, the music video for “World Class Cinema,” directed by Matthew Dillon Cohen, was about Gus Dapperton’s desire to be a movie star.  It featured recreations of iconic movie tropes seen a dream of his after passing out. Creating a video based around this concept evoke the feeling of fantasy. Similarly, the photo and video editing style featured in Jess Farran’s direction of “Coax & Botany” takes on a fantastical mood through the use of muted colors and less obvious camera angles.

Such a sense of unity and Gus Dapperton’s genuine love for making music brought myself and hundreds of his fans together before this Webster Hall stage. This tour has been such a pivotal stage in his career, and I cannot see Gus Dapperton slowing down anytime soon.

“In order to survive I need to be myself. I would spontaneously combust from all the emotions built up inside of me; all of the feelings that I release through a creative outlet.”

Soaring Through The Library

Written by Jason Galak

Every Baruch College student knows that the place to be during their scheduled three-hour gap is the William and Anita Newman library. The library is where students of Baruch have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge in a quiet setting especially during midterm and finals week. For a building that is an automatic go-to for students, the goal is to make it as presentable as possible for the educational experience. Baruch College’s Sidney Mishkin Gallery presents the monumental work of Charlie Kaplan, Soaring, to the Newman Library. This has brought the library of Baruch a sense of art and creativity in addition to their critically acclaimed business setting.

William and Anita Newman Library Information and Technology Building

Charlie Kaplan has various pieces of artwork featured at Baruch College. However, this is only the continuation of the success that Kaplan has achieved in the art of sculpting. He began by devoting his time to welding, blacksmithing, and working with clay, prior to being introduced to marble. It was in Pietrasanta, Italy where he developed his knowledge of the wide variety of marble, as well as sharpening his skills in bronze casting. Kaplan’s journey to sculpting began with his profound interest in working with traditional hand tools. This led to his first creation being made from an old piece of abandoned Douglas Fir with a set of brand-new chisels. Following his retirement from his family’s business in 2006, Kaplan has now fully devoted his heart and soul to sculpting. To this day, he has several works featured in both the United States and in Pietrasanta, Italy.

What is particularly unique about Kaplan’s sculptures is the attention to craft, detail, rhythm, and form. He takes his time to “listen to the stone.” Kaplan emphasizes, “The process is sort of like a dance.” First, he begins with a rock rather than a cube of marble. He smooths out the area and makes it into a pleasant curve that works for him. Then, he enlarges it to bring it all together in the end. Kaplan expresses his happiness more in the actual process than the finished product. 

“The process is sort of like a dance.”

One of Kaplan’s newer works, Soaring, has recently been placed in the Newman Library of Baruch right by the staircase on the second floor. The centerpiece is made out of Bianco Puro Carrara Marble. “Bianco Puro” translates from Italian to English “pure white.” The sculpture portrays a staggering one hundred eight inches of pure white marble “soaring” into the air, hence the name “Soaring.” This compliments the five generously large floors we have within the library. The gaps and openings of the sculpture allow the students to analyze the mathematical and international complications of the work itself. Although Charlie Kaplan isn’t there to explain the deeper meaning behind the creation of the sculpture, students proceed to view the sculpture from all angles with curiosity. 

It is not every day that we get an artist with such skill and precision to showcase his work at Baruch. Charlie Kaplan has several artworks at Baruch College’s Mishkin Gallery located at 135 E. 22nd Street in Manhattan. Students can now take their time to analyze the beauty and structure of Charlie Kaplan’s monumental work prior to soaring up the stairs to get their studying done. 

Kyrah Brown

Written by Kenny Fremer

Photo taken by Brandon Paillere

Kyrah Brown is an instantly warm, kind person. She’s a senior studying political science and economics at Baruch, but as a creative writer spends a lot of her free time creating characters and stories via long, personal poems.

Her writing explores the many forces — relationships, events, and people — that have a large impact on her life. She usually starts with an emotion, then figures out how to best fictionalize that feeling. “I’ve always written pretty much everything - it’s harder to express things verbally, I end up getting tongue tied.” At the same time, she stresses the importance of keeping certain parts of her life to herself — hence a tendency toward fiction rather than direct stories from her life.

On the topic of her own work, Kyrah expresses her poetic pride and notes that her pieces are often lengthy and descriptive. “The depth that I’m able to express on the paper - it amazes me every time.” She explains that the writing may at first seem dark but there's plenty of light to be found in the untangling of emotions, issues, and thoughts in order to best reflect upon the intricacies of life.

As both an Encounters staff member and frequent poet, some of her work has been published in the magazine for the world to see. She explains, sharing her work can be a pretty terrifying process: “When they’re reading it, I wonder how they’re gonna react - because every poem comes from some element of my life.”

At the same time, however, she hopes that her readers can relate to whatever dissatisfaction or problem with which the poem is grappling; especially young women, who may relate to the poem “Her Growth.” This particular poem contains many elements regarding finding your own place in the world, regardless of the obstacles or people holding you back. Like the subject of the poem itself, Kyrah is constantly creating, growing, and carving out her own creative space in the world.

Benjamin Wallin

WRITTEN BY KYRAH BROWN

PHOTO BY BRANDON PAILLERE

Benjamin Wallin is a writer, film critic, and the current editor of the Arts and Style section for The Ticker. He first discovered that fiction writing could be used as an outlet of personal enjoyment in his senior year of high school when he had to take AP English. Some of his favorite writers are Kurt Vonnegut, Daniel Handler, and Italio Calvino. His new outlook on writing sparked motivation and he entered Baruch College ready to purse a double major in English and Journalism.

Ben’s love of film and cinematic critique pushed him to create a film club his freshman year. Though the club did not draw the momentum that he had hoped, his interest in film and writing did not stop there. His determination in finding an outlet to express his interests brought him to The Ticker. There he began writing film reviews, which allowed him to gain more exposure to the film industry, a new culture, and a new-found perspective.

Ben worked his way up to become an editor where he now covers not just film reviews, but the wider scope of the arts world and beyond. One of his most memorable pieces was an investigative article on a Baruch professor whose tweet may have been seen in a negative light by students. Now, as the Arts & Style editor, his job is to encourage and push other writers to step out of their comfort zones and write what readers need to hear.

As a graduating senior, Ben plans to pursue greater opportunities and write professionally, making note that his days of writing for free are over. His challenge, as is of most writers, is to continue finding originality and new ways to portray different stories. Little by little, Ben is building up his writing profile to develop and be able to adapt to different writing scenarios in his career. Along with The Ticker, Ben has a blog called Auteurial Intent (auteurialintent.com), and periodically writes for Refract Magazine. Wherever his future writing endeavors take him, Ben knows that he always wants his writing pieces to convey meaning and entertainment for his readers.

William Lin

WRITTEN BY SOFIA GHASEMI

PHOTO BY SARAH MISKIN

William Lin is a Chinese-American artist and designer who likes to express the practicality that art can possess. He is currently the president of the Gender, Love and Sexuality Spectrum, a community for LGBTQ+ members and allies. Aside from his responsibilities, he also creates graphics for the organization, as well as designs his own business cards, fashion designs, and logos.

William has always had a passion for sketching. “My first memory when I was a kid was myself drawing,” he explains. Having gained inspiration from his mother, a seamstress, William set out to learn the basics of fashion design and soon began creating fashion pieces himself. Drawing inspiration from fashion icons such as Alexander McQueen, William designed his own dresses and has developed numerous sketch designs.

William is a firm believer that art can be both practical and appreciated. He enjoys the nuances of graphic design and the creativity and problem solving that goes with it. “Art can be versatile,” he states, “art can be for appreciation, entertainment, or practicality.” In the future, William wishes to become a creative director for a firm or agency and is determined to find his place in the graphic design world.

During his freshman year at Baruch, William recalled missing a sense of community. He originally planned to transfer to the Fashion Institute of Technology before finding his niche within Baruch after joining G.L.A.S.S. He understood the stigma of being LGBTQ in the workplace and wanted to help foster a safe haven within Baruch where everyone felt welcomed. “I wanted to build a community where everyone is connected. I wanted a sense of family,” he explains. Now a senior, William hopes that G.L.A.S.S. will continue to flourish after he graduates this coming year.

This feature is part of a series of editorials curated by Encounters Magazine that correspond with a theme for the month. This month’s theme is LGBTQ+ History and will feature creators within Baruch that identify with and empower the LGBTQ+ community.

Joshua Castillo

WRITTEN BY BIANCA NITTA MONTEIRO

PHOTO BY MITCHELL KIM

Joshua Castillo, or Cast, is a Dominican Bronx/Jersey-based creator. His work spans wide and is based deeply in his emotions and his ability to express them. As a performer, a rapper, a writer, and a filmmaker, Josh has surrendered himself to the act of expression, his creative attention grounded in his writing.

“I keep journals in shoe boxes dating from the past eight years of just stories, poems, raps, songs — everything,” he explains. “It’s not therapeutic. Most people will say that’s a way to get out your emotions, but it really isn’t therapeutic for me. It’s like I have to do it at this point. It’s like taking a shit. Or breathing. Or just brushing your teeth — writing, it’s just another thing I do.”

Josh, who first started using Cast when he was 15, uses the alter ego as one of many ways to channel his creative energy. Acting as his own opposite, he’s able to not only flex his creative muscles but indulge in variety of personalities that heighten his work’s impact. His process is erratic and often stems from words or rhymes that he suddenly finds catchy. With this little context, he dives into creating entire worlds for them. “Sometimes it’s just a word. I’ll fall in love with a word,” he reminiscences. As an artist, he explains, “We’re all addicts.”

Josh, who is also the chair of the arts committee within Baruch’s Undergraduate Student Government, dedicates himself to the artistic community on campus in order to voice their needs and work toward creating more artistic spaces. He explains that despite the college’s focus in business, the arts within Baruch thrive and grow bigger each year. “I do think there’s a Renaissance. It’s on it’s way, and it’s happening really quickly.”

Josh is a creator and student at Baruch College majoring in Marketing. His work can be found on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Music, and more.

Brandon Paillere

WRITTEN BY BIANCA NITTA MONTEIRO

PHOTOS TAKEN BY BIANCA NITTA MONTEIRO

PHOTOS EDITED BY BRANDON PAILLERE

Brandon Paillere is a portrait and fashion photographer based in New York City. As an Afro-Latino, Brandon navigates both his work and personal life in careful strides. His work displays meticulous thought, with much of it focused into the fine details that compose its sum.

As a Haitian and Guatemalan man, his identity growing up was often skewed to either black or Latino. “People have tried to convince me that I’m not black,” he explains, rather than face the complexity of his identity. “Whenever I was in a black group I was black, whenever I was in a Latino group I was Latino.” This tension leaked deeply into how he composed himself. Noticing that his duality contrasted to others not only in cultural identity but through creative thought, Brandon made it a point to lean deeply into differences.

As a creator, Brandon challenges those around him to battle the status quo — to him, mediocrity has never been an option. Instead, his work demonstrates a keen understanding of dynamic composition. His sights are often drawn to projects that require him to extend the limits of his creativity. In photography, this pushes him to champion inclusivity and sharply contrast his work from the oversaturated, white-dominant community around him, as well as from those who do not push their work.

In the long term, Brandon hopes for representation to open new gateways, allowing for more refreshing thought. “I want to challenge people’s mentalities and change the way people create,” he explains, “I want people to start being intentional with what they’re saying to the world.” Currently, Brandon is working on a short film series. He also hopes to move forward with strictly POC-driven projects in order to strengthen the impact of strong POC work and heighten the community’s sensitivity to new and valuable perspectives.

Brandon is the creative director of Encounters Magazine and is a senior at Baruch College. His work can be found on his Instagram or on his website www.brandonpaillere.com.

Victoria Merlino

WRITTEN BY MAYA YEGOROVA

PHOTO BY BRANDON PAILLERE

Victoria Merlino is a writer whose works emphasize character and style over plot. She focuses on poetry, explaining that her poems are often letters because they convey things she wants to say to people that she can’t say to them in real life.

Victoria was an active reader as a child and wrote her first story, inspired by Eragon, in elementary school. Before college, her writing showed an attempt to focus the reader into her work’s imagery. Now, her writing focuses more closely around particular feelings or moments.

Victoria’s themes are personal, as her goal is to connect with people and to express her emotions in a positive way. She is the Managing Editor of The Ticker, and her journalism experience strongly influenced her writing to become more refined.

Going forward, her goal is to create a young adult novel. Victoria is pursuing a double major in English and journalism with a specialization in creative writing and works at Pippin Properties, a literary agency in Midtown.

Jennifer Hernandez

WRITTEN BY BIANCA NITTA MONTEIRO

PHOTO BY BRANDON PAILLERE

Jennifer Hernandez is the founder of Granny Vintage Shop, an online shop where she sells a wide variety of expressive jewelry, designed herself. Here she sports her own “Mix & Match” earrings that bear bold lines depicting two non-identical golden faces in a Picasso-esque fashion.

Much like “Mix & Match,” several of Jenn’s pieces reflect loose and expressive lines, like “Aphrodite” and one of her first and most popular pieces “Sappho.” Inspired by her love of nudity and the Greek poet Sappho, the earring was designed with bold wires welded into a relaxed contour body, meant to resemble Sappho.

Starting just this spring, Jenn has already released several different designs of necklaces, earrings, and rings. Jenn’s main inspirations for creating jewelry are tied closely with her own desire to sport unique jewelry and to connect with her own image. Her newer pieces change pace with an increased use of imagery implemented through more dimensional forms such as gold-lined seashell pendants, mini scissor earrings, and adjustable rings that snugly “hug” the finger.

As a first-generation Mexican American woman, Jenn has found her heritage to be a double-edged sword. While she has found measurable success in her business, watching her base steadily grow, the concern of stability within the business took root in her family’s support. Professionally, Jenn also feels that she often must work harder than those around her to ensure that her voice is heard and that she’s taken seriously. She nonetheless finds motivation from this same drawback, pushing through any obstacles in her path, making sure that she leaves behind no regrets.

A student at Baruch, Jenn’s work can be found on her Instagram as well as on grannyvintageshop.com.

Allison Seaman

Written by bianca nitta montiero

photo by brandon paillere

Allison Seaman is an artist whose latest works feature delicate and intricate color that dot luminescent shades. Her piece “Flibba Flubba” shows her intuitive knowledge of color and the application of improvised color schemes that bring her vivid subject matter to life.

Allison began her journey with art from childhood, focusing much of her effort there. In high school, she further solidified her interest in art, developing concrete pieces that would ultimately secure her involvement. In college, however, her creative process matured, thrusting much of her work into a careful practice of self-development, rather than creating for outside influence. This transformation was born alongside a change in career paths, transitioning from an interest in arts administration into psychology — specifically art therapy.

A sophomore at Baruch, Allison’s work can be found on her Instagram @allisonjunes as well as in the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 editions of Encounters Magazine.