A good friend recently said the Columbus punk scene was not abrasive enough.

I agreed. Must of us have it too easy. Every night there’s something going on, rent is cheap, jobs are (relatively) plentiful. Hell, even the flat terrain provides few challenges if you’re on a bike.

So under that context, maybe that’s why Slave Labia Issue One had the softness of a pipe bomb stuffed with rusty nails and used heroin needles.

What I loved most was the artwork. Comprised by the band that shares the same name, the zine is short (five, 8.5-by-10-inch pages folded in half) but feminist photocopied bliss. The high-contrast and hilarious graphics make for a quick but interesting read.

Now for the bad. It wasn’t the content but the means their messages were conveyed.

Self-publishing is a great avenue for critique (one that’s been lacking in Columbus punk since the end of the CSBYS magazine), and there’s nothing wrong with calling out someone in our community if you feel they deserve it. Still, using full names and mentioning illegal activities should be off limits in publication.

I know, I know, I know … things like jobs are lame and we shouldn’t worry about society’s repercussions when we make a zine, but last time I checked everyone works a job. If you’re one of the few that doesn’t, and you don’t have to worry about getting fired … then I’m jealous.

The other problem I had with the zine is again calling someone out by their full name.  This time it’s a critique of an online conversation. I’m not saying the ideas are invalid and should be dismissed, but this exchange was private and that confidentiality should be respected. If I’m wrong, and it was an open conversation on something like a message board or Facebook, then fuck it, publish it everywhere.

This review might come off as negative, but I loved the zine. I’m looking forward to issue two especially if the delivery of these ideas can be (slightly) refined.

Columbus punk needs an unexpected attack that knocks us silly at least every other month. That’s not only how fast I’m guessing another issue will be made, but how long it takes for us to remove all that shrapnel.

January birthdays in Ohio need all the help they can get as evident by the three “surprise” parties I went to in one week! Like most gatherings at Ville Villekulla, there was music from Propagandhi, Mariah Carey and Sheryl Crow, but instead of an iPod DJ they were covered by Tight Bros who featured a special guest.

… and, miraculously, the JZA managed to stay fresh.

Once in a great while wasting time on Facebook will pay off by leading to a great photo site … Alexis Ellers Photography.

In one of my entry-level photo classes I remember a discussion about a photo book by Walker Evans that focused on signs. I thought it was lame but maybe it rubbed off.

And now a break from the regularly-scheduled vacation photos …