A little girl made of clay picks up a hamburger and dances on a dining table. Her family cheers and sings about how they see her, and now touching her dinner is a cause for celebration. This is an early scene in Jack Stauber’s OPAL, his 2020 short film made for adult swim. What makes this short so special is the feeling of oddly rehearsed affection, like a television commercial trying to convince you everything is fine. That uneasy feeling is prevalent through Jack Stauber’s

By 1984, some of the art Keith Haring made in the New York subway stations was disappearing into private hands. “I’d go down and draw in the subway, and two hours later every piece would be gone.” He told journalist David Sheff in a 1989 Rolling Stone interview. Haring had created an audience and subsequently, a market following it underground That problem ran throughout his career. How can one make art available to people when its growing value encourages someone to take it

If you grew up around SoCals punk, hardcore, emo, or any adjacent scene, there's a good chance you’ve heard of or even seen a band play at chain reaction. Chain reaction wasn't some big historic theater. It was a small all ages venue inside of a strip mall on Lincoln Ave. Inside the walls were covered in band shirts and stickers, with a small stage and a crowd close enough to interact with the band For almost 40 years, that little room became one of the most important places

The Fox Theater marquee in Pomona for Rozz Williams: Romeo’s Distress. On August 29th, the Fox Theater in Pomona became the meeting grounds for fans everywhere to celebrate the life and legacy of Rozz Williams. Family, Friends, Fans, artists who have been influenced by him. They all came together for Rozz Williams: Romeo’s Distress, a documentary and live tribute concert paying homage to the art Rozz left for the world. Rozz Williams (Born Roger Alan Painter) was born

For ‌decades it was the same route to becoming a world famous band. write songs, play shows wherever you can, get around to recording a demo, hope the right person hears it, and maybe, someone from a label will give you the time of day. If they will, MAYBE you get as big as Green Day It's been the difference between being a local band and being a “real” band. The labels had the money, the studios, the distribution, the contacts, and most importantly, the power to actually get

Photo courtesy of Gio Fraga There's a difference between hiring musicians to play your songs and having a band. Aaron said Uncle Tims was formed when he stopped hiring other musicians to play his demo's and started changing his songs due to the influence of the other members. Prior to that, Uncle Tims was just Aaron and Sawyer. Sawyer and Aaron met in a loose high school band that Aaron referred to as "film class nerds" and distant acquaintances. Most practices were spent goo

Matt Johnson as Matt and Jay McCarrol as Jay in Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie. No, not that Nirvana; there is no Kurt Cobain, there is no Nevermind, and thanks to a lawyer and the addition of one extra “n”, this is Nirvanna the Band. Matt and Jay; two best friends who have spent nearly twenty years together trying to get a show at the Rivoli in Toronto, Canada by doing anything other than simply asking to play.. While most bands would write and rehearse their music wit

All photos by Charles Dye, courtesy of Acid Bath. When people talk about Acid Bath, the first word that usually comes up is "sludge". It makes sense. Their music is grungy and dirty and sounds like it's being dragged through a Louisiana swamp. But beneath all the screaming, distortion, and tonally dark lyricism is a sound rooted in blues. Acid Bath has never been easy to place inside one genre. Calling them sludge metal explains a portion of their music, but it leaves out som

Shutter drag is seemingly everywhere nowadays. Concert photographers use it to pull light across the performers. Wedding photographers use it to turn the dance floor into bill colorful streaks. Car photographers are using it on headlights and making the car appear faster and more aggressive. I’m no stranger to this technique. I have used shutter drag before, and made photos with it that I genuinely enjoy and will most likely use again. Some moments truly do call for it. The p

Lane McCollum photographed by Landen Doyle With a split EP in the works, Lane McCollum, the driving force behind Pittsburgh emo project Teddy Diary and School yard Sacrifice reflects on a painful breakup, finding refuge in emo, and creating music beyond boundaries Pittsburgh musician Lane McCollum is currently writing songs for an upcoming split EP with his friend Amari Evers, the creator of the solo project Libertalia. This EP is the next step for Teddy Diary, McCollum's dee

CBL is an independent creative brand built around capturing emotions and moments. Photography, film-making, storytelling, music, culture, and the people behind it all who bust their ass to get on the front page. CBL magazine exists for the stories worth telling. The ideas that deserve more than just a few seconds on someone's feed. This isn't about chasing every trend or repeating the same entertainment news you can find everywhere else, CBL was created in an attempt to look