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Writer's picturezephaniah chesterfield
Jan 1, 20196 min read

THE STAXX - Creative Space

This is some of the jam equipment we stashed in THE STAXX. It's a small room, but one of the best. Well, they're all the best in their own little ways. But when Slikk keeps suggesting to work in there, then you know it's got a chill vibe and some good qualities. I don't know how familiar you are with The Asylum, our home, but it's an interesting place. It had a bit of a bad history, and then was demolished, and then we kinda brought it back in the middle of some housing projects, but in Limbo (the In-Between or "The Corner" because things that happen there you see out of the corner of your eye) which is between layers of this world. It goes other places as well, but mainly its tuned to the frequency of this world... "your"... world. Plenty of rooms, and folks.. hahahaha... because it's haunted, and each one has it's own little charm and personality. Some are just rooms though, like this one, The Staxx, as we call it.


When we jam out in the cafeteria we'll just roll some of this crap in there. When we're done, we just staxx it back up and put it back in this room. You don't want to leave it in the caf because there's a lot of... "activity" in the cafeteria. If you treasure your equipment, or sanity, and other things, you don't want to leave anything laying around in there. Usually its all in good fun, but again, ghosts who were tortured in an insane asylum... sometimes the jokes get out of hand and people kinda "lose it", and no matter how cool the set is you were working out, it's time to go. You can't have a building that's alive and some rooms haunted, and not have some wacky incidents. All in all though most of the folks have their patterns and routes and times, their triggers and things to calm them down. You learn the system.


Here, in The Staxx? Nothing but peace and quiet. No one comes in here. Well, i mean, we do, of course, but none of the others. It's a nice little getaway. The room two doors down? The whole thing shifts levels and energy and it's actual presence between "reality" (your world), the cartoon world, limbo, purgatory, and who knows where else. I've seen things. You cant just sit on a couch and write, or work out a riff or melody with all of that going on. One second you're hearing a drum track in your head and go to grab a guitar and the next thing you know you're grabbing onto a dolphin dorsal as it helps you get away from a plane crash in the middle of the ocean or something. NOPE. None of that in The Staxx. The most you have to deal with is if you hear a knock now and then, from the floor or the walls, someone in another room telling you to keep it down, or turn it up. It's happened.


As an artist the creative space is more than mental or emotional. Well, for starters, lets break this one thing down. Ok, so there are 3 relationships every conscious being deals with balancing. And it's not the BALANCE of these 3 things, it's the balancING, as in always ongoing, a work in progress. If it was balanced, there would be nothing to do but upset the balance. Ok so, there are three relationships, which are the relationship between (1) You and your self. With that you deal with your likes and fears and dreams and weaknesses, and all of the opposites... you, inside and out. Your hair, your feet, your clothes, your mind... YOU and you alone. The second relationship you're balancing always is the one between (2) You and your world. This is the things outside of your self that are still your self. Your stuff. Your friends and family. Your getaway spots. Extensions of self. And lastly there is (3) You and the world around you. Crap the news spits at you. Things that have nothing to do with you directly, but somehow these pieces of crap find their way in. Not that they're always bad things, sometimes it's some style of music or food or expression artistically that someone you know exposes you to and you can bring it into your world. It fits, it clicks. Sometimes it's just people that come from "out of the blue". In any case, those 3 relationships are the things you're constantly and currently balancing. These things may have some influence on your creative space. Sometimes you get inspiration from them. Other times the inspiration comes form the peace of leaving them behind. But they're there, some kind of way. Especially the first two. The First ONE is all over the walls and everywhere. After all, the creative space is YOURS and reflects you. But the vibe's gotta be right. You can't have just anyone in there, and you can't just be anywhere and create some things. That's why all three have to be balanced. That third relationship could have planted something in your mind or spirit, and it's just bugging you. Even though you're alone in your space, that thing is just messing up the vibration. It's some kinda interfering frequency you can't tune out.... yet.


This place, even though we all have some influence on it, it works. We all know each other well enough to get around whatever we might have to work around. It's a functional space. Which brings up another point, sharing creative space. Atmosphere is a real thing, not just a rapper. The atmosphere of your creative space determines what will be created. If it's a filthy and constricting space, the art reflects that. If it's vibrant and open, room to move and work and grow, that is reflected. So the people you share the space with have to fit your idea of what goes in the space. Some people you can work with you cant work with, dig me? We got lucky here. Everyone's got their little corner. Also, we'll let each other know if we're going in, and if we're in the head-space to have someone else in there with us. That kind of honest communication might bother some folks, but you have to respect it because you'd want that respect when it's your turn. It's great to have these spaces. Folks with no outlet go crazy. Everyone needs that space. When i hear about art programs being taken away from schools and jails it's disturbing. If you remove the vent, the keg is gonna blow from the pressure. Everyone needs that release, and in that, we're all artists. Creative space is more important than religion. Its a spiritual freedom that religion isn't. But what do i know.


Same Kirk Hammett Roland from the picture of Charlie jamming in her space solo? Yes it is. And OH... what is this? Why... Why yes that IS a Fender Rumble 350 with a lava lamp sitting on it... and a Bobby Frost sticker, and Fartbarf, and Insentient, and Gambler's Mark, and MeowMeow's Punk Rock Shop.... and a few other things. Ok, so, that Deftones sticker... that's actually one band we all agree hands down on. Even Tyy with his "if it ain't hip hop it ain't right." Most of those bands we've met or seen in some way or another, and not onstage... like in their element, being people. Had a drink or two with a few. Ran into some by accident going into places like Young's Deli in Philly. A few of them in California. Open mics, dive bars.... a thing about your favorite musician or band or artist is, just like you, THEY'RE a person, with a favorite artist or musician or band... and THAT person is JUST A PERSON. We just deal with expression differently. Hopefully your favorite artist or band (us... it's ok, it can be us) is an artist and not an entertainer. You get waaaaaay better art from artists. Entertainers entertain spirits. That gets creepy. All for a check? Their motive is to drain you? Nah, i'd rather get mine from an artist. Someone who's work (not their job) is to explore and work out issues by expressing things others cant. Not some copycat who says whatever's popular to take your money and leave you stuck.

the Staxx, Room @The Asylum - home of The Zephaniah Chesterfield Project






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