The first big DIY show I went to changed my life. That might sound cliché, but its only because DIY shows so often have the power to change lives. All-ages DIY shows can make us think about the ways we’ve been living from a perspective that’s different from what we’ve been taught.

Shows can carve out safer spaces for folks who otherwise have to spend every day in an environment that is hostile to them, or provide a less judgmental and accessible space for folks who simply struggle with socialization. They can, too, be lighter -- a place to . . .

When Ray Brown was 14, he started a series in the Washington, D.C. area called “Bethesda Youth Shows,” aiming to combine talented teen bands with established mainstays in the D.C. music scene. He booked eight shows in a local government conference room, though ultimately the series was squashed when someone found a band sticker in the building’s lobby. Now 16 years old, Ray attends Catholic School in D.C. He has lived in Bethesda, Maryland his entire life and started playing in his band The Black Sparks since 2008. (The Black Sparks have a new single premiering in this issue’s mixtape, too.) I talked to Ray about his reasons for starting BYS . . .

“brown girl brown girl/ turn ya shit down/ you know America don’t wanna hear ya sound”

It was late Halloween night when the long-awaited album . . .

Hi! I'm Milo. I’m a 16-year-old boy and I really dig makeup. As an industry, makeup is evil. Makeup as a concept and an artistic medium, however, has the ability to empower and express in a unique way. The look I'm showing you today is "murderous 60's schoolteacher."

1. Here are the ~products~ I use for this look. Some of this stuff is from the dollar store and some is from Sephora. With makeup, brands don't really matter that much.

2. I like to start by applying translucent primer to my entire face. I dab it on with my fingers and then rub it in. You don't need a lot! If you use too much, your makeup will just slide off. Primer moisturizes your face and gives the rest of your makeup something to stick to! I'm using one from Elf, it was $6 and TBH it's the cheapest one I can find. You could also use a liquid foundation but I think this works . . .

Marcel Foley lives in Santa Cruz, California. He is 14 years old, homeschooled, and makes cool ambient music. He also has his own music blog, Marcel’s Music Journal. He uses this blog as a forum to post album, concert, and festival reviews as well as music news articles and interviews. I learned about Marcel when I saw his interview with Ty Segall on Youtube, which led me down a rabbit hole to all his other work. Marcel has interviewed a diverse array of artists including GZA, James Williamson, and Adam Green. I was very impressed and also fairly jealous that somebody so young had managed to talk to so many of my favorite artists. I decided to get in touch with him to ask him about his work.

J: To start things off, could you tell me a little bit about what led to you deciding to make your own music blog?

M: Well I’ve always been one for writing, it’s always been a big passion of mine. I’ve also always loved music so I figured I might as well put them together and express my thoughts and opinions on music and talk to other people about it as well. The blog has been really cool because I love writing, it’s one of my favorite things to do. Even when I’m not writing for the blog I do it because it’s just great exercise for me. I kind of bounced around for a while with different hobbies and things I might want to do and nothing really lasted, but once I finally discovered music and writing I realized that this was what I wanted to do in the long run, its sort of my passion.

J: When you first started the blog you weren’t doing interviews yet, how did you start the blog and how did it grow?

M: It was just a sort of small project at first, I was writing really short reviews and just writing some little insights on new releases. I don’t think it really took off until I really started publishing regular reviews and planning to do interviews. I can’t really remember what gave me the inspiration to start interviewing people but I guess since I . . .