LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER 08

MADEEMIL ERWIN 14 OTIS JAMES 22 TANNER GOODS 32

STYLEKYLE MULLER 46SAM HILL 54

DESIGNJACK SANDERS 66

ADVENTUREON THE ROAD / JEFF HOLT 88ONE ROLL / SCOTT G TOEPFER 102

MUSICJOSHUA BLACK WILKINS 116

RF SUMMER PICK 122

PUBLISHER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR:CHRIS BROWN

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER:GUSTAV SCHMIEGE

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:OTIS JAMES, RYAN FISH & SCOTT G TOEPFER

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS:GUSTAV SCHMIEGE, WILL HOLLAND, RYAN FISH, JEFF HOLT,

SCOTT G TOEPFER, AMY RICHMOND & ALLISTER ANN

© 2013 Refueled Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reprodcution without permission is prohibited.

When I was growing up, Erwin, Tennessee, was the quintessential small Southern town. Life was slowerand everyone knew his or her neighbor. During the summer, we were allowed to roam the town until latein the evening. There was innocence then that is lost in most towns these days, and sadly I feel like minewas the last generation that was able to enjoy the small East Tennessee town that my grandparents andfather had also been raised in. Name your poison - meth or cell phones or whatever - that way of lifeseems lost today.

Maybe I can just chalk it up to naivety, but Erwin - at least the Erwin I knew - was a perfect place to growup. Being such a small town, you couldn’t get away with anything, and there was always someone youcould lean on. It instilled in me a sense of tradition, respect, and responsibility to my neighbor. There wasa sense of trust that everything would be all right because you could expect others to do right by you.These ideals are what drive me to create the products we do. I have a responsibility to the person buyingit to do right by them. Today it’s easy to have such a transactional and impersonal lifestyle that you losethe sense of responsibility to the folks you deal with on a day-to-day basis. As a family and a brand, Leslieand I want to treat folks like our neighbors, expecting that we will see them again and letting them knowthey can depend on us.

When did you begin sewing?

I first sewed in kindergarten. We were given a kit to make ourown Christmas stocking. It included two pieces of felt pre-cut intothe shape of a stocking with yarn and a blunt needle. Wedecorated our stockings and sewed them together. I rememberthinking it was so great that I was able to take these pieces offabric that served no function alone and turn them into a usefulitem that Santa was going to fill with candy.

How did that transfer into what you do today?

Obviously, that idea stuck with me, but I made no effort to pursueit for many years. I was struck with the idea one day when Ideveloped a hole in my jeans. I thought I would try to repair themrather than spending the money to replace them. After patchingmy jeans, my mind started wandering to the possibilities. I couldmake all of my own clothes! In college, I made really crude pursesfor girls as a substitute for mixed tapes. I made a few here andthere when I was inspired, but mainly abstained until Leslieprovoked me to start again. I made a bag or two for her andnever stopped.

We moved to Los Angeles a few years after we met. That’s whereI had my first experience in the commerce side of things. I foundsome leather that had been sitting around since the 70s, boughtan industrial sewing machine, and started to make some smallshoulder bags using found objects. We sold them at a store inVenice Beach and people actually bought them. It was great tosee something I thoroughly enjoyed making being appreciated.

Everything I made was awful, but I was learning how to problemsolve and slowly learning how to source better materials andhardware. When we moved back to Nashville, I talked my wayinto an upholstery job, building and refurbishing custom tour

buses for entertainers. I was being paid to sew all day and tookthe opportunity to fine-tune my sewing skills. I would spend hoursin front of the machine, sewing straight lines, starting andstopping, and practicing curves. Industrial sewing machines havea clutch motor, so it was much like learning to drive a stick shift:It takes a while before you can shift with grace. I was taskedwith covering everything imaginable in leather, which taught meto work with the medium and problem-solve some ridiculoussituations.

The company fell on hard times and I was laid off which gave metime to focus on designing and creating. I knew I was finishedwith upholstery, but I wanted to keep sewing so I focused onmaking bags every chance I had. I still spend my days solvingproblems, but I get to make things I love instead of coving pictureframes in leather.

Leslie, how and where did you and Emil meet? Youboth were making bags as a hobby, right?

Emil and I met through mutual friends in college when we were18. If you had told me that I had just met my future husband,there is no way I would have believed you - and I probably wouldhave cried. We met again at the same friends’ engagement partyalmost ten years ago, and no: he did not woo me with a bag.

Emil has always been the bag maker. If saying, “Hey honey, canyou make this?” qualifies as a bag-making hobby, then yes: we’veboth been making bags for a while. The results of my personalcraftiness are not something that we sell at Emil Erwin: knittedintarsia baby blankets are not really the direction that we’regoing.

You convinced Emil to take the hobby a step further,into making it a family business. Did he need much convincing?

No, but I think it was a relief to Emil that I’m the one who broughtit up first. It’s always scary to take the plunge, but to me, sanityis much more valuable than money.

At first, though, watching Emil work all day and stay up most ofthe night making bags and then doing it again the next day wasinsane. We had a really rough year, and then, all of a sudden,things just seemed to come together in ways that we neverfathomed. I remember we were laying in bed one night, talkingabout what we should do, and we just decided to go for it. Ourreasoning was, what’s the worst that could happen? If we lost thehouse or the cars, who cares? They’re sort of crappy anyway.Our relationship and our children are our most valuableassets. Not too many people take kids to settle debt. It was anopportunity that I’m grateful we took.

Emil, what were some of the first bags you createdlike? What was the inspiration behind them?

Simple and strong. They had a strap and you could hold thingsin them. We try to maintain those same characteristics today.Old military bags were and are a big source of inspiration. I oftenlook at my Swiss Army backpacks and original mail carrierbags and try to think of ways to improve on them. I can’t, though.The materials and construction are second-to-none. They canbe updated and made more practical, but you can’t beat thecraftsmanship.

Matt and Carrie Eddmenson from Imogene + Willie,who were also in the beginning stages of starting theirbrand, took notice of your detailed leatherwork andasked to collaborate. Describe that project.

The project was Imogene + Willie and Emil Erwin for J. Crew.It was our first venture into the world of retail and wholesale.We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! Luckyfor us, Matt and Carrie held our hands and walked us throughthe process. We were thrilled to get to work with them, and itwas surreal to be able to tell people that our products were inJ. Crew. It gave our brand a sense of legitimacy that it reallyneeded. We went into some major debt buying the first Durkoppindustrial machine and all the leather, but we learned so manyvaluable lessons on that project about retail and wholesale …and purchase orders: like, don’t cut out anything until you havea purchase order in hand! When we got the preliminary quanti-ties - which were huge for us - we realized that we didn’t haveenough leather to fill the order, and we couldn’t get more of theexact stuff we used to make the sample. The quantities of leatherwe were buying were so small that we used seconds - in color,not quality! That meant we couldn’t perfectly match what wealready had. We ended up getting something very close, but that

was so stressful. Now we get all of our leather from Horween,and our brown leather is custom.

In 2010, Emil Erwin was awarded Garden & Gunmagazine's "Made in the South" award. Did thataward change the way you looked at the brand?

We entered that contest from the hospital room the day after oursecond daughter was born. It changed everything. Everything.Without that award and the recognition that followed it, wewould still be working out of the garage in our backyard. Wealmost didn’t do it: there were problems with the WiFi at thehospital and we felt the pictures we had weren’t good enough,plus it cost $100 to enter. But it was the best money we everspent. That award changed the way we looked at ourselves as abrand - because for the first time, we realized we were a brand.

Leslie, you inject a feminine point of view into therough-hewn collection. Talk about that vibe andprocess.

The process is fairly simple. It mostly involves me nagging Emilabout making more stuff for the ladies - or rather, anything forthe ladies. Emil has a great eye for the way that things areconstructed and he has the ability to look at something and knowhow to reproduce it. My contribution includes coming up withcolor combinations, and recently has expanded to working onideas for the new women’s collection. I never thought I would bea “designer,” but I guess we all have a little designer in us. I’mjust lucky I can communicate the design to Emil and he cancreate it.

As far as the roughness of the collection, I imagine that willsoften with time. It is derived from learning how to constructluxury items, and a desire to refine everything that we havemade thus far.

The entire Emil Erwin collection is patterned, cut, sewnand assembled in your Nashville studio. How does thathelp shape the product?

Our hand is in everything. We are the product. We don’t havedesigners and we don’t have manufacturers. The designs arebased on what we like and nothing else. We don’t have anyguidelines that we need to follow, and no one but the customerto appease. Since we are making our products in real time, if wesee something that needs to be improved, we improve it. No redtape, no phone calls, no bullshit. So, the product is very personal,and very much derived from what we want to see, and theneeds that we have. The designs have led to some pretty heateddebates in the Congdon household, but I guess that’s just part ofthe process, especially when the lines between work and familyare so blurred. We draw pictures over pancakes, and hold babiesduring meetings. Emil Erwin is our life and our livelihood. Now ifonly we could squeeze a vacation in there somewhere. RF

This bicycle trip in the Summer/Autumn of 2008 wasn't the firstendeavor like this I had undertaken. In June of 2007, barely ayear out of film school, I sold all of my possessions, moved out ofmy apartment in Los Angeles, and rode my single-speed bicycle2000 miles up the west coast to Canada. It became a 2 monthsolo journey ripe with personal challenges, stunning beauty,wonderful people and an abundance of life lessons. I learnedthat nothing was out of reach if I merely applied myself.

Overall, these two journeys laid the foundation for what I amdoing now and how approach each endeavor. The uniquechallenges, charming folks, and endless hours of time alonebrought me a new perspective on life, as well as the confidenceto pursue whatever my heart desired. Without those lessons, Ican't imagine I ever would have come so far with a businessendeavor in which I had absolutely zero experience beforebeginning. Recently I took some time to sit down and outline justhow these intense and rewarding experiences shaped who I amand how that is applied to my work.

SIMPLICITY:

While living in Los Angeles after film school, I converted an old10-speed road bike to a single-speed urban commuter. It was myonly form of transportation while living in L.A., with a dailycommute of roughly 15 miles round-trip. As I began to preparefor my journey up the coast, I realized that I did not havethe funds to upgrade to more gears, nor did I really care to. Themechanical simplicity was preferable, with no shifters orderailleurs to potentially fail or require maintenance. In the end,the mechanical simplicity became far less important than the men-tal advantages that were afforded.

When one only has a single option, one must never need worryabout making the correct selection. Facing a steep incline or ahellacious headwind, I simply pedaled harder. When presentedwith a soaring downhill or a gracious tailwind, I relaxed and usedthe extra energy to focus on the beautiful scenery passing by.Ultimately, this method provided an overwhelming feeling ofsatisfaction and kept me mentally present throughout the journey.Some of my favorite parts of that route were actually the mostphysically demanding ones. For the second journey I upgradedto a 3-speed internally geared setup, because I figured I wouldneed the extra help when crossing the Appalachians and theRockies. I ended up rarely changing gears throughout the 4,000or so miles and crested a 9400-foot pass in the Rocky Mountainsstaying in the same gear as I had used to cross all of SouthDakota.

When starting my business three years ago, I made a strongconscious effort to apply these lessons to every aspect of whatI do, from the design and construction of each item to thepresentation of the final product. I try to source materials thatexude a simple elegance and create products that contain onlyfunctional details. My business plan and approach require alot more work than most, but it allows for the connection andsatisfaction that I seek from all that I do.

CONNECTION:

Before beginning my second bicycle trip around the country, Idecided to attempt to make as many of the items I would carrywith me as possible. I built the front rack on my bike, as well asthe bags that mounted to it, a fannypack for carrying my mostimportant personal effects, two alcohol stoves, and a button-upshirt. Those things I couldn't build or already owned, I sought tounderstand better. I completely disassembled my bicycle, paintedthe frame, and rebuilt the components. Throughout the trip, I wasafforded a strong sense of connection to these possessions uponwhich I relied on a daily basis and felt confident in each's abilityto perform its necessary function as well as my ability to fixany item which failed along the way. After ending my travels Idecided to continue on this path of learning to make or repairthe essential possessions in my life. It was this decision thathelped drive me toward learning tailoring and the art of makingclothing.

In setting up the basics of my business, I realized that I had tofigure out a way to translate that ideal beyond just making itemsfor myself and present a product that conveyed that dedication.That is the reason why we make everything by hand in our studioand work to sell the product directly to consumer. Not everyonehas the time or desire to learn to make ties or caps, but whenpurchasing an Otis James tie or cap, anyone can be sure that Ihave taken the time to not only master the construction of thatitem, but to also understand why each technique or material mustbe used. It wasn't enough for me to make a good-looking product.I had to figure out how to make the most functional and enduringproduct. And if anyone ever has a question about what we make,they can always give us a call or send an email. It becomes moreand more difficult each day, but I still answer every email thatcomes in and try to personally pick up the phone every time itrings.

HUMILITY:

I left Knoxville on that second journey with only $100 dollars tomy name. I had enough food to last about a week and places tostay lined up for four days. Beyond that, everything was left tocircumstance. Most nights I slept outside, under the overhangs ofchurches or in secluded parks. Sometimes I would be invited tosleep inside a church or even in a stranger's home. Less than amonth into the trip, I left New York City with less than $10. Twodays later I was literally picking up pennies along the road tosave up for a bagel so I could have breakfast the next morning.I stopped that night to sleep at a church with only 23 cents in mypocket. There was an AA meeting commencing when I arrived,and a friendly conversation afterward with one of the attendeesended with him giving me $20 out of his wallet. Not because Iasked him for money, but simply because I told him my story andhe felt compelled to help. I was able to buy more than just abagel for breakfast the next morning.

I have been very fortunate recently in the attention that my brandand product has garnered, and I am very grateful to have beengiven such a gift. It has provided opportunities that I never evendreamed of. Still, at the end of each day, each week, eachmonth, I try to remind myself what is truly important in my life-maintaining connection to the wonderful people around me,treating my hardworking, warm-hearted employees as well aspossible, and creating and presenting a product that inspires aweand appreciation and affords me the opportunity to meet andwork with even more wonderful people. This business hasnever been about making money for me; it's about the sharedexperience of creating something greater than one person.

INTEGRITY:

I wanted to bike all the way to California on that second journey,to be able to say I had biked across the entire United States, but4,000 miles into the trip, by the time I reached Santa Fe, NewMexico, I knew in my heart I was done. I needed to stop andmove on to something else. It was a difficult decision to make,but it was the right one. Throughout my journeys I was presentedwith plenty of advice on how to travel, for which I was alwaysgrateful. In the end, I was always able to find a way to sortthrough those recommendations and coercions and find my ownpath for my journey.

Shortly into my jaunt up the west coast I received an email froma good friend he was forwarding from his mother. She wasoffering to buy me a motorbike for my trip so that I wouldn't haveto pedal a bicycle. She said I would still be able to see the sights

and feel the wind in my hair, but without the strain and inherentdanger of traveling by bicycle. I was overwhelmed with gratitudefor the offer and even considered taking her up on it, butultimately decided against it. The point wasn't only to see thesights and move from point A to point B; it was more so about theexperience of powering myself along that path and moving at abicycle's pace through those beautiful surroundings. To moveany other way would have been to forego the integrity of thejourney.

Much of my experience with this business has been very similar.I am constantly receiving advice and recommendations on whereto go, how to grow the business and create more product, as wellas which outlets to pursue. While I am grateful for every bit ofadvice that comes my way, I find myself constantly sortingthrough these words to find what applies to what I believe thisbusiness should be. Sure, we could start manufacturing our tiesand caps and seek distribution through large retail outlets aroundthe world (and there is nothing inherently wrong with that model),but that isn't what I've worked so hard these last four years tocreate. This business is not merely about the final product we offerfor sale; it is about the process that brought that product intobeing. It is the journey that begins in our studio and continues onwith each wearer's experience. The value of what we makecomes not only from the quality of the materials andcraftsmanship that goes into the manufacturing, but also fromthe intense dedication that drives that manufacturing. It's some-thing that I believe cannot be mass produced. It's not an easypath to maintain, but it's the only way I believe in for myself atthe moment. RF

I have an endless amount of similar stories of overwhelming

kindness and compassion I received along the way. Every gesture

was a reminder that the most important aspect of our lives is not

the items with which we surround ourselves, but the people. I

could have worked a little longer and saved more money before

beginning my trip. I could have stayed in hotels or fancy camp-

grounds and had plenty of food, but it would have made for

a soulless and unsatisfying journey. I never would have met

the multitude of warm-hearted, generous people that I did. I

wouldn't have realized how important it is to simply put yourself

out there and realize we don't travel through life alone.

By 2005 Huff was working solo, making leather goods in theback of his retail store on Thurman Street. Mark Perusich, whomHuff met during his tenure at Fuse—a Portland product designfirm—helped craft those earliest bags, and came on as the secondfull-time employee in 2008. And Jevan Lautz, growing up withHuff in Sisters, Ore., joined the company to foster stockists andbusiness relationships, making it a ownership trio. While belts andwallets are made around them, Huff, Perusich, and Lautz blendin while building designs for future products, like a leather knifesheath made from natural leather which I find Perusich hand-sewing and tweaking as I come through the front door.

Huff, who acts as gatekeeper for press and public relations, walksme around the production space. He looks like the timelesslaborer, in an orange woolen plaid shirt, Danner boots withclassic red laces, and jeans with rolled cuffs; his hair is looselyslicked back and his glasses are of the vintage ilk. His arms areoften crossed but he’s cheerfully patient with my questions, andhis tendency to explain leather tanning and design inspiration ingreater-than-necessary detail is hugely disarming. Toward theback of the studio, where fat industrial lights hang overhead andshelves of rolled leather surround us, he sprawls a piece ofleather on a work table and begins tracing outlines for aprototype: a leather briefcase. This case, like every other Tanneritem, is dreamt up to meet an everyday need. From a luggagetag, to a canine collar, to a document folio, to a simple coinpouch, if there’s a need in daily life that can be filled with aleather product chances are it’s been considered by Huff, andthe most viable of those products eventually reach full scaleproduction.

Collaborations come about organically, too. Take the partnershipwith Tellason, for example, which began in 2010 with a roll-uptote made from deadstock canvas Tony Patella, of Tellason, foundin an abandoned factory in San Francisco. The success of thatsmall run of totes led to a current run of wallets made fromTellason’s Cone-Mill denim. Likewise, the Pendleton wool-linedwallets, made for Tanner’s retail store’s grand opening, led tothe recently-released Pendleton x Tanner Goods camp blanket.Most striking of all their collaborations, however, may be a lineof goods—a camera strap, a passport holder, and a wallet—madewith both natural and black leathers combined side-by-side, co-designed with the Ace Hotel; the effect is Chiaroscuro—eye-catch-ingly high contrast between two differing leathers in such closeproximity.

But for those who suffer from collaboration fatigue, solace canbe found in the signature style of Tanner's solo-undertakings.Namely, their heavy use of wrapping leather into forms insteadof sewing. Their cardholder, document folio, sunglass holder, andcoin pouch are all stitchless, relying instead on rivets at crucialstress points for strength—the leather is wrapped to create a formthat is, it seems, all held together by unseen threads. “I think alot of the beauty in design comes from thoughtful ways a piececan be patterned, it's almost a kind of origami,” Huff says as hecuts the leather for the briefcase, which happens to be one ofthose unsewn items, “it's relatively easy to cut a bunch of squarepieces and sew them together and make a bag, but to find a com-pelling way to create a three dimensional shape out of oneleather piece is entirely different.” Apart from looking both thanin product design.

A sewing machine's staccato thump plays like a joyful anthem forthese youthful makers, who each pursue their own craft whenthey’re not at Tanner Goods. Gage Hamilton, cutting straps forbelts, is an illustrator by night; Alex Nugyen, developing Tanner’sonline graphics, creates bow ties from Pendleton wool andcustom Japanese fabric during his weekends; and TaylorAhlmark, with hands darkened from edge-dyeing, makes from-scratch soap and perfumes in his spare time. I overhear themsuggest solutions to problems in one another's side-hustles, anddiscuss ways to collaborate. Through careful hiring selection, Huffand his co-owners have spawned an incubator for tomorrow’scraftsman. Each item is made by hands as dedicated to the art ofcraft as they are, and, in a world where a handmade object ofteninherits a its character from its maker, they’ve sidestepped thestigma of mass production.

Later that day, I finish my journey with a visit to the Tanner Goodsretail store in downtown Portland. Now combined with the Wood-

lands—the clothing-centric men’s retail store that was once aseparate entity—this space showcases Hill-Side handkerchiefs,hats by Norse Projects, and elevated racks of parkas andknitwear. The center table is set with leather goods made fromboth vegetable tanned leathers and Horween’s Chromexcel, thelatter having a tremendous pull-up—the industry term for a burstof color created when folding certain types of leather. In thedisplay window I find a collection of wallets and card holdersthat have been worn in over years by a few loyal patrons. Theedges of the once-plain leather is now blackened and the sidepanels show rich gradients of maple and mahogany. Thepresence of those items, alongside the new items whose cut edgesare not yet worn smooth, makes a customer dream. What mightytrailhead adventures or wild urban nights or crushing work daysmight shape this leather's patina? I can only imagine. But thatability to craft leather goods that conjures dreams is becomingsynonymous with Tanner Goods, one finely designed item at atime. RF

What's the origin of Sam Hill? Why did you decide touse the name?

Growing up my father used the phrase, “What in the Sam Hill’sgoing on?” or “What in the Sam Hill are you doin’.” In my mindSam Hill always seemed like a friendly alternative to a curseword. When I started my business venture, I struggled to findan appropriate name for my brand. After racking my brain formonths, I remembered the saying I heard growing up, anddecided to find out what in the Sam Hill “Sam Hill” meant. Afterdoing a little research, I knew it was the right name. The namehas a long list of derivations and is surrounded by Americanfolklore. One possible origin that I am particularly fond of is thestory of Sam Hill and his mercantile store (late 1800s). Sam Hillowned a store with a variety of goods and a diverse inventory.It became common to say, “What in the Sam Hill is that?” todescribe a unique or peculiar item.

Folks who collect as adults most likely collected as akid. What did you collect when you were younger,and how did it evolve into vintage clothing?

So true. I collected everything as a kid and my room was wall-to-wall with all my treasures, knick-knacks, fossils and knives.My grandfather was the most influential in my quest fortreasures. He piqued my interest in all things old at an earlyage. He was born at the turn of the twentieth century and wasnearly eighty years old when I was born. Not only did he havegreat collections, but also his collections were very old. Everytime I visited it was as though I was on a treasure hunt. Heparticularly enjoyed seeing my excitement about the very sameitems he cherished. He encouraged me to collect coins, stamps,old wooden boxes, hats, bottles and other odds and ends. Ireceived several of my most prized possessions from my grand-father and my interest in antiques and anything old grew fromthere.

I discovered vintage clothing as a teenager, about the sametime I became more aware of clothing, style and popularity. This

is when I visited my first thrift store. Not only were thrift storesamazingly cheap, but I could also get an item that no one elseowned. I hit the jackpot. I loved going through racks and racksof clothes trying to find that one special piece, or discovering acool pair of sunglasses or a bowling ball. I never knew what Imight find at a thrift store, and I kept going back.

Years later I still found myself rummaging through thrift storesevery day (sometimes even on my lunch break) to get a quickfix. I continually found great “stuff” and eventually my familyand friends encouraged me to open my own vintage store. Thriftstores paved the way for my entry into the world of vintageapparel, but finding amazing garments was difficult. Rare andvintage finds were few and far between. To open a store I hadto discover a method for locating quality merchandise on aconsistent basis. Through travel and networking, I madevaluable connections that allowed me to tap into a more reliablepipeline. Once that happened I started Sam Hill. What I findmost interesting about Sam Hill is that it started as a Pop Up,not a storefront. What was the thought process behind thatdecision?

I was introduced to the idea of a pop-up shop while living inNew York City. The fact that the shop was there one dayand gone the next intrigued me. I had to be in the know.Unpredictability keeps people on their toes and it’s fun knowingthe inside scoop. Building a mobile storefront in a completelynew environment, at different locations, requires a tremendousamount of work. While labor intensive, the process is creativelygratifying. Each new spot comes with its own challenges andresults in a new and different aesthetic look and feel. With atraditional brick and mortar there is merely a single location.With a pop up I can literally set up a store in a living room.Probably my main reason for doing pop up shops is that I getto collaborate with different businesses. It’s awesome beingable to meet new people and curate a unique event.

Describe your personal style and how vintage playsinto it.

My personal style is strongly influenced by vintage apparel. Ihave never felt comfortable just selecting any shirt off the rackat a department store. To me, vintage is about individuality andmaking a personal connection with a garment. I like knowingthe history and story behind the clothing I am wearing. Thisknowledge gives me a since of ownership over my personalstyle. If a garment is weathered, worn or shows signs ofmending, those attributes just make the piece more appealingand special to me. It’s an amazing feeling when you can put ona piece of history. My personal style is ever changing andevolving, and I like knowing that I can wake up and take on adifferent look and become anyone I want. Clothing is powerful.

Take us through the curating process for Sam Hill.

There is a checklist I use while buying vintage clothing. Fabric,pattern and color are the first things that catch my eye. The moreI learn and the longer I do this, the faster I can sort throughmassive amounts of garments with a quick glance. Once some-thing grabs my attention, I check for style and age. I usuallystay away from large 70s butterfly collars and western wear(just personal preference). The next step is determining thecondition of the article. If there are too many missing buttons,unsightly stains or extensive mending needs, then I will pass onit. I have to make a quick assessment and decide whether ornot the time invested will yield a high enough return. SometimesI buy a piece that is not necessarily marketable, but still has aquality that is appealing to me. I like the real dirty stuff.

What other vintage, non-clothing items make theirway in to collection?

I guess I end up buying and selling things that I like, andessentially items that I would own, wear or use. I don’t sell any-thing that I wouldn’t wear or have in my home. My inspiration

comes mainly from American fashion and history, so jewelry,woolen blankets, bandanas, knives, sunglasses, dominoes,playing cards, rugs, magazines, baseballs, cigarette lighters,skulls; nothing is really off limits as long as it fits in with the SamHill brand.

Sam Hill has a definite vibe. Describe the look.

There are certain elements in American fashion that transcendtime and will always be considered “classic”. I strive to carryclassic garments and accessories that are just as stylish now aswhen they were constructed. There is wildness and a rugged-ness that I am trying to capture. Being confident in who you areand what you wear is the epitome of cool. I just want to conveyawesomeness and make people feel badass.

Why do you think there has been such a resurgencein not only American made goods but vintage aswell?

Consumers are becoming more intelligent and technology hasmade information more accessible. People are becoming highlysensitive to what they eat, what they drink and what they wear.After years of overproduction, fast fashion and over stimulation,people want something with sustainability. They want to knowthe story behind the garment-where it was made and how.

Every piece of vintage clothing comes with its own memory.When you own that piece you come in contact with another lifeand another time. By wearing it and owning it you arecontinuing the journey through history. It’s something you canbe proud of and confident in. What you put on your bodycarries more power-much more than people realize.

When you find a great vintage piece it speaks to you… almostlike it’s been waiting for you. Once you own it and incorporateit into you life its something that will be treasured. RF

What were you doing before starting Sam Hill?

Before Sam Hill I was a full-time graphic designer. After attending theUniversity of Texas I worked for several different agencies, workedabroad and lived in New York. I love painting and making art so designwas a great way to be creative while earning a living. Although I have apassion for design, it is very difficult for me to sit behind a desk all day.I wanted more adventure in my everyday life and I wanted to workoutside the standard office environment. I needed to create my owncareer identity with a brand I could call my own.

You tend to fill a lot of sketch books with thoughts andideas. Can you explain your creative process?

My sketchbooks do lend themselves to working out a singlethought or an idea. But more often I use the sketchbook to recordthe Adventure as it takes place.

You make drawings, collages and etchings. Let’s talkabout a few of your favorites and the meaning behindthem.

Design Build Adventure occasionally takes me to some remoteparts of Texas for work. When we are out there, I definitely drawthe snakes, the bugs, and the javelinas. We camp on site oftenand I find myself under - the billions of stars visible in the nightsky or sometimes a big bright moon. I became fascinated withthe idea of trying to create a drawing or a collage that might dojustice to the vastness of space, the numbers of stars, the distanceof the moon to the earth. That led to a series 'night sky' drawings

that would take all the black ink from a few pens. This fascinationcame home with me and led to some linoleum cut prints with asimilar outcome. At the end of a long night of printing the laboredlinoleum plate, I had a 'light bulb' moment mixed with laughterwhen I realized that I could simply print a tortilla from my tacodinner to create a print that somehow illustrated wonder of thesolitary moon....

To myself, your build/construction work like your artembody clean, modern lines. Whether a large project,small residential build like fencing or a huge collage,how do they all relate?

It is my hope the work as seen as contemporary (or modern),and I hope simple or pure in many ways – but not “clean”. I thinkin some ways I see the work as dirty or messy in the sense that itbegs for for the patina and richness of experience, time, weather,and adventure. RF

Your work explores and defines more than just design and place. Whatelements inspire you?

I am inspired by the stories and artifacts of those before us who used the materials athand to create, survive, and make sense of the world. Examples: Arrowheads, BuildingMaterials and Techniques, Cowboy Poets, Campfires, Outdoor Showers, and SandlotBaseball.

THE IDEA SEEMED SIMPLE ENOUGH IN THEORY... ONE ROLL OF FILM,EVERY PHOTOGRAPH GETS PUBLISHED. SHOULD BE A SIMPLE ENOUGHTASK FOR THE OPEN-MINDED PHOTOGRAPHER, BUT THEN THERE ISME-SOMEONE WHO LIKES TO SHOOT LOOSELY, AND AUTHOR STRICTLY.SO DECIDING HOW TO SHOOT EXACTLY 1 ROLL OF FILM WENT FROMBEING A FUN EXERCISE INTO A HAUNTING TASK OF PREPARATION,CREATIVE BRAINSTORMING, AND DEFEAT.

NOW I CANNOT AND WILL NOT SPEAK FOR OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS,BUT OUT OF ONE ROLL OF 35MM FILM, I'M OVER THE MOON IF I GET 4IMAGES I'M WILLING TO SHOW ANYONE OTHER THAN MY WIFE. I CANHIDE MY MISTAKES, HIDE MY PROCESS, AND NO ONE IS THE WISERAS LONG AS I PRODUCE AT LEAST ONE IMAGE THAT TELLS THE STORYFOR THE REST. I WILL SHOOT HALF OF A ROLL AND REVISIT IT DAYSOR WEEKS LATER ONLY TO BE SURPRISED BY THE IMAGES LATER ON. IWILL TEST OUT COMPOSITIONS THAT I FEAR, AND I WILL FAIL. I WILLPHOTOGRAPH A TEXTBOOK YET BORING TEXTURE, I WILL PHOTO -GRAPH A WOMAN FROM AN UNFLATTERING ANGLE TO CREATE ANINTERESTING COMPOSITION. SO DOES THE IDEA OF SHOOTING ONLYONE ROLL AND EXPOSING ALL OF THE CONTENTS TO A MAGAZINESOUND LIKE AN EXTREMELY VULNERABLE EXERCISE? YES. BUT, I HADSUCCESSFULLY TURNED AN ITEM AS INCONSEQUENTIAL AS A ROLL OF35MM FILM (THEY ARE LITERALLY STREWN ABOUT MY HOME) INTO ANINSOMNIA-INSTIGATING BRICK WALL.

BY CREATING THIS CONCEPT I HAD FORCED MYSELF TO PLAN A BIT OF ANARRATIVE, THINK OF THE IMAGES THAT MAKE A STORY WITHOUTBEING THE HERO IMAGES, AND PLAY WITH THE IDEA OF HOW EACHFRAME WOULD RELATE TO THE ONE NEXT TO IT ON THE ROLL. EACHIMAGE WOULD HAVE TO RELATE TO ITS PARTNERS AS A WHOLE.

AND THEN IT CAME TO ME...THAT 'ONE ROLL' WAS JUST AS MUCH ABOUTTHE PROCESS AS THE IMAGES, AND JUST AS MUCH ABOUT THE PHOTO-GRAPHER AS MY SUBJECTS.

WHAT MUSIC DID YOU LISTEN TO GROWING UP,AND HOW DID IT SHAPE WHO YOU ARE TODAY?

MY PARENTS HAD SOME OLD RECORDS AND CASSETTES THAT IPLUNDERED AT A PRETTY YOUNG AGE. THE BEATLES ABBY ROADHAS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVORITE ALL TIME RECORDS AS WELL ASNEIL YOUNGS AFTER THE GOLD RUSH. BOTH OF THOSE RECORDSWERE FOUND IN THEIR COLLECTION. I STARTED LISTENINGTO THE VIOLENT FEMMES AROUND 1986 WHEN AN OLDERNEIGHBORHOOD FRIEND MADE ME A CASSETTE. I WAS 8.VIOLENT FEMMES CERTAINLY INFLUENCED ME TO PLAY ACOUSTICGUITAR AND I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED HOW AGGRESSIVE THATMUSIC WAS WHILE USING ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS.

I WAS 13 IN 1991 WHEN THE WORLD OF POPULAR MUSICCHANGED. I HAVE ALWAYS CREDITED THE SEATTLE "GRUNGEALTERNATIVE" GENRE TO SHAPING MY APPROACH TO MUSIC.BANDS LIKE PEARL JAM SPOKE TO ME FOR THE EMOTION ANDDELIVERY OF "LEFT OF CENTER" MUSIC, ALTHOUGH IT QUICKLYBECAME VERY MAINSTREAM, AS WE ALL KNOW.

I SAW WHISKEYTOWN PLAY ON SEPT 29 1997, AND THAT ALSOCHANGED EVERYTHING. BY THAT AFTERNOON, I KNEW IT WASOKAY FOR ME TO WRITE/PLAY/PERFORM "COUNTRY" MUSIC.THOUGH THE TERM "ALTERNATIVE COUNTRY" DIDN'T BECOMEWIDELY USED UNTIL A FEW YEARS LATER AS A POPULAR MUSICGENRE, IT WAS VERY APPARENT TO ME THAT WHAT I HADFORCED MYSELF TO CALL "FOLK" MUSIC HAD INDEED HADANOTHER NAME.

When did you start writing songs? What came first,lyrics or music?

I had starting writing "songs" around 14. Before I played guitar.I didn't like to call them "poems". I started playing guitar a yearlater when I got my first acoustic guitar, a black Alvarez dread-naught. I taught myself to play guitar and started writingmusic/songs immediately. I had a cheat sheet a friend gave mewith the basic open chords on it for guitar, and I still basicallyjust use those chords and a capo now. Once I had got to a pointwhere I could change chords without looking at my handsI stopped looking for new chords and started putting moreattention to songwriting.

I had never wanted to play other peoples songs because it nevermade sense to me. The bands and artists I liked/listened to wrotetheir own, so I wanted to as well. I have never acknowledged"singers" as "artists" if they don't write their own songs, becausemy basic definition of an "artist" is someone who creates some-thing. It had seemed to me early on that "alternative country"was country music sung by the people who actually wrote theirown songs, which is hugely different that what is playing on main-stream country radio.

Your songs tend to speak about America's underbelly.Where does that voice come from?

I have never been drawn to pretty songs. Love songs soundcheap and easy. I have always been more interested in honestythan perfection and "beauty". Songs about rainbows and flowersare simply cheap shots at avoiding the truth about life.

I didn't have a hard life growing up. I wasn't spoiled, but I didn'tdo without either. I was never the popular kid and most of myfriends growing up were older/badder/weirder than me. Notbeing on the school football team meant I didn't like anythingabout that culture and I still don't. My songs aren't for everyone,which is a good thing. You either like me or you don't like me,but at least I am honest to myself and my music. I sleep well atnight.

What inspired the songs for your new album FairWeather?

Fair Weather was mostly written during the summer of 2012.Two songs had already been written (Frankie and TennesseeJunkyard), but everything else was written specifically FOR thisrecord. Though it wasn't intentional.

I had been very busy with photography during the first half of2012 and had begun to lose a lot of sleep. Songs like Westernwere compiled in the middle of the night while watching oldmovies on tv. A lot of the subject matter was written based onolder subjects that I felt I hadn't completely worn out on my otherrecords.

Fair Weather was also the first time I had put more attention tothe craft of songwriting than the (personally) historic honesty of

the songs. At the time I had been in an 10 year relationship, andnone of those songs were about her, so I had to compile otherinspirations and focus on writing BETTER songs that would relate(possibly) to more people.

What's the creative process behind writing a newalbum?

The process is different for everyone, and has been different forme on all of my albums. I had no intention of writing FairWeather, I had originally though I would make a full productionversion of The Girlfriend Sessions, which had come out a yearearlier as a stripped down acoustic record. I wrote I Tremble thenWestern. Then I wrote We All Bleed, then another, then another.By the time I entered the studio, I had 9 new songs that were allimportant enough to make the record. How has coming from East Nashville influenced yoursound and songwriting?

Living in Nashville in general has greatly influenced my music onall aspects. I moved here with wide eyes and open arms in Oct2002. I have only ever lived in East Nashville since living in Ten-nessee, and have always appreciated the amount of talent andinspiration in East Nashville. This is a community of like-mindedpeople that are able to feed off of each other. Unlike Music Row,East nashville is not comprised of one simple genre, and since"alternative music" has a lot less industry rules there is a lot lessrestrictions on what we create here. The amount of greatrock/country/folk/etc is what separates East Nashville from anyother part of town, and the country.

Most of us would agree that the amount of press attention forEast Nashville has been very welcoming. We are proud to livein the neighborhood and take a lot of pride in our local restau-rants, coffee shops, bars, and music venues. The fact that corpo-rate America has yet to infiltrate East Nashville is not an accident.It's not welcome here.

You're also a accomplished photographer. Does yourphotography work influence your songwriter? Or vicevisa?

Thought it is not intentional, my photography does influence mymusic. Many people like to relate the two in terms of style, im-agery, tone, feeling, etc, and though I don't try to mend the twotogether, I can also see the influences.

Through photography I have been able to work with a lot of in-fluential artists, and several of those artists respect my music too,so there is definitely a correlation between creating my visualart, and my audible art.

Being in Nashville, and East Nashville specifically, simply inspireseveryone follow their dreams and create something that definesthemselves. RF

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