Images + Full Text and Interview
Full Text
Scarlet was a painter, and Jerome played guitar. September 4th 2021, Scarlet and Jerome first met. Young people new to Vancouver. They wandered commercial Broadway, alone in the night, listening to Crystal Castles, sharing with each other the faintest glimpses of their dreams of organizing a place for friends to share art. Unaware of their future of fighting to organize creative spaces. Unaware they will find each other again in music and friendship.
In the years since first meeting, Jerome and Scarlet have gone their separate ways, fighting to create the DIY communities they want to be a part of.
Scarlet founded Backpocket Art Collective and hardstyle rave collective Ghost, with Rex; a talented hardstyle DJ, while also following her own creative aspirations as a painter. Through Backpocket Art fairs, jewelry makers, fashion designers, painters and everything in between are able to make connections and make a little bit of money for their art. Artists and volunteers such as Cremains, Crystal, Magda Baker and Eli have found their place within the Backpocket Community.
Through Ghost raves, local hardstyle DJs are given the opportunity to perform and people are able to come together to enjoy music and dance with friends. ANGEL-CANNON, EtOH, AVANNI, BYSTANDER, BINKY, BERMUDA, TEENOBLE, EVIDENCEDOLL, DJ VIOLIT, DOROLO are now playing at Ghost don’t miss out.
Scarlet recalls setting up the first Backpocket art fair completely on her own. She personally funds all of her events through her full time job.
Instagram-famous star builds queer art fair in Vancouver. Backpocket and Ghost are complete representations of Scarlet. In aesthetic, of outlandish attitude, face tattoos and gothbrat persona; assimilating into a wonderful clutterfunk of joyous creatures sharing art. Scarlet’s devotion to ensuring her space is a safe place where people are respectful and kind to each other transcends among everyone present at Backpocket and Ghost.
Respect and safety are most important to Scarlet. She spends one-on-one time with every artist before including them in her events, to ensure that they have the right intentions. She takes extensive effort to make her events a place where people respect each other. However, Scarlet can only do so much. In the past month, Backpocket has ended. In this interview process, Scarlet told stories of her art being plagiarized, DIY venues allowing predatory or aggressive figures into her shows, and not having proper harm reduction services. She now focuses most of her energy on Ghost raves, but with connection to Jerome, across the underground landscape of local art — there is hope for a new beginning.
Jerome is the mysterious figure behind UBC Cry Club, leads the band M01E, and has produced films such as “Lighthead” and “M.S.M.F.” with Kit Baronas, as well as “We are DIY” (with myself.)
Through Cry Club, castaway spirits are able to find each other among the noise of everyday life. Alone one night, Jerome began playing his guitar in the Fraser River Parkade. Over time a community of moths began circling Jerome. A group of likeminded bandits, looking to play the drums, guitar, or bang together random computer parts, come together in this ceremony of noise and friendship. I met Jerome in the parking garage. I had just moved to Vancouver. We became friends as I hit an empty water jug on the ground. The same water jug, Scarlet and Jerome found together, all those years ago. To me, this water jug represents Jerome’s intentions of making music accessible for everyone, and how people can find friendship in just about anything.
Jerome’s band, M01E, is an extension of Cry Club’s ethos of accessibility and sharing. Jerome follows the simplistic aesthetics of grunge music before him, allowing everyone to grasp and even learn the songs he is playing. The content of his songs reflect his unique and pure outlook on the world. His anger towards the Chinese government, social media and luxury condos, are felt in songs “Look Alive,” “People Aren’t People,” and “Luxury Condos.” The punching thuds of abrasive noise and hostile singing are a total change of character for the usually shy and sweet Jerome. His love for music and sharing is felt through songs like “Our World,” “Losing Meaning” and “Make Space.” At every show, he puts a microphone in the crowd, and invites people on stage to become part of the band. Jerome is motivated to break the barrier between audience and stage, and show that music is possible for everyone.
Mysterious Chinese Anarchist Hippy builds a parking garage noise fest in Vancouver. Cry Club and M01E are complete representations of Jerome. In aesthetic; enigmatic, and bizarre vagabond, manifesting into the mysterious lore of the parking garage parade. In morals, Jerome’s personality is one of acceptance and listening. It is felt through every movement of Cry Club and M01E.
Accessibility and expression are most important for Jerome. He listens to the screams, the guitar riffs and drum rhythms of curious creative people. He listens to the humanity, the secrets and experience of those around him, digesting everything into his all accepting outlook of this world.
I am grateful to be friends with both Scarlet and Jerome. My first impression of Scarlet was that she was a brat, an overconfident obnoxious figure, drowning in ramblings of wide-eyed dreams. When I got to know her as a friend, I understood that she speaks with purpose. Scarlet has the voice to insist on creating a respectful community, a safe place with harm reduction services. By calling out our faults, she has the voice to make us the best we can be.
My first impression of Jerome was that he was perma-fried, one of those hippies who took too much acid and was glazed over searching for meaning in every moment. When I got to know him as a friend, I understood how absolutely accepting and present he is. He listens. Jerome has the heart to ensure everyone is heard and included. He has the heart to grow art communities. Cry Club is growing as well, expanding beyond the parking garage, to 648 Kingsway and Arrieta Art Studio.
Facilitating a conversation between these two figures is a break in the cliquey nature of Vancouver underground art. Scarlet and Jerome’s connection across opposite communities demonstrates, on a larger scale, how the next generation of DIY organizers need to work together to keep these spaces alive. Scarlet prioritizes respect, and Jerome acceptance. For local art to continue, both are necessary. Through their conversation, I hope to learn how artists can work together to create safe, fun places for people to hang out with their friends and share art.
A Conversation With Scarlet and Jerome:
Willow: What emotions motivated you to take on the responsibility of DIY organizing?
Scarlet: Covid hit and I got really depressed and wanted to die — then I did almost actually die — and I was like, I have done nothing with my life. I’m such a loser. How can I give back, because there is no point in living just [for oneself.]
Jerome: I was very unfulfilled, and I don’t believe I was happy. I think I was just a very unhappy individual, all bottled up inside and just ready to explode.
W: How did you meet?
S: I-I have no fucking idea how I met Jerome, I’m gonna be straight up with you. I don’t know if I met Jerome at a show, or on tinder or on instragram, or on the bus stop. Like I have no fucking idea I couldn’t wrap my brain around it if I tried.
J: Scarlet reached out to me on instagram, and was very kind. She had very kind words to say to me, about the EP I had just put out, and invited me to hang out ..I got to meet their cats Charming and Spooky, who were super chill. I could clearly tell Scarlet was a creative spirit, an artist. It was Scarlet’s drawings which I witnessed first, and later they were quite an awesome painter.
S: Jerome told me about his idea for Cry Club. All I remember is like getting a water jug and hanging out in the rain and Jerome filming me and me being really shy, but like, fucking with it, you know.
J: Scarlet was sharing ideas with me and trying to find space to throw an event. I think it’s funny we didn’t hang out so much… but somehow, we got to show each other glimpses of how we would like the world to be.
W: Scarlet, why did you start Backpocket Art and Ghost Raves?
S: I wanted to create a safe space with love, community, and if you make some extra money…great, you know? Half the time I don’t make money, but I meet people. It’s about meeting people and connecting…like I have everything written down for how to handle harm reduction, all the core values of Backpocket. Community to me is helping people without expecting anything in return.
W: Jerome, why did you start Cry Club and M01E?
J: I think what I want to do is to offer a service that I think would really benefit people’s mental health, especially for young people that are confused and overstimulated and lonely. I was feeling that way, and I know I’m not the only one. Music is a tool that helps us to connect with one another, ever since the beginning of time.
W: What do you hope for the future of DIY organizing in Vancouver?
S: I just think we need better harm reduction in the scene.
W: Scarlet, what do you hope to inspire in readers of this interview, or of DIY art communities in general?
S: Community is about doing shit without expecting anything in return, because you want to see everyone succeed. That’s why Ghost works. If you love art you should be doing art just to do art, not for money. Vancouver isn’t known for art, that’s why I tried to bring some shit here, because like, we don’t have it, we need it, people are dying out here without it. But I was doing that [Backpocket] and I was taken advantage of. Respect people’s effort, respect what people are doing, respect yourself and your own art.
W: Jerome, what do you hope to inspire in readers of this interview, or of DIY art communities in general?
J: I think outside of music I just want to contribute to maybe bringing people together. Instead of being intimidated by one-another, because [we might] feel like we’re in different worlds, different cliques. The idea of cliques is just in people’s heads, there’s no such thing. If folks come [to shows] with the mentality that they’re just there to take the service and not expect to give back then they should go somewhere else. We want to encourage people not to be afraid to give.
W: Jerome, how do you feel about the person Scarlet is today?
S: You met me before it all, when I was just nannying and shit. I was like, green. But no, when Jerome met me, I was a lot different. I was like, a lot gentler and softer.
J: I think Scarlet has been a really inspiring figure for me, and is pushing me forward. I’m happy that Backpocket has ended in a way — now knowing just how [hard] it really was, and because I want Scarlet to focus more on themselves, because they deserve so much.
W: Scarlet, how do you feel about the person Jerome is today?
S: I’m really proud of Jerome. Seeing him perform, talking to the crowd. I’m not good at talking to people, like, nicely. I’m really proud of him because not a lot of people supported him from the beginning and he still fucking did it —screaming in a parkade is like so random — I have a lot of respect for Jerome. The fact that he even wants to make music with me, I’m just like dude, you’re so good, I don’t deserve this.
W: Tell me more about your new band Hospital Visit
S: Hospital Visit well, because there’s no harm reduction at these events, the chances of having to go to the hospital if you OD at them is pretty high… I’m always the one that’s harm reduction, I’m like trained and I know how to do it.”
J: Hospital Visit I think essentially, is having a good fucking time with someone that I love and respect. I’m just here to have a good time and to make some sick music with my homie.
If an outspoken, mystical wizard of a painter, creating art fairs and raves, can come together in friendship and organization with an illusive guitarist, generating noise in a parade of angsty anti-punks; we can all come together to grow and improve DIY spaces. Scarlet calls for respect, she calls for us to do better. The next generation of DIY spaces need to ensure the safety of their events by having proper security protocols, people with harm reduction training, and putting absolute energy into looking after the people present in the space. Jerome calls for acceptance, for us to come together. The next generation of DIY spaces need to break beyond the cliques, exclusivity and played out, boring “scene” mentality. Scarlet and Jerome show it is possible to create a safe place to share and enjoy art with friends.
Keep up with Ghost events @g_h_o_s_t_0_3. And with Cry Club and M01E shows through @ubccryclub, @mys01doutreverie. Hospital Visit is set to play their first show at the Red Gate late August, don’t miss out!