rickyleepotts.com | a voice of rhythm, reason, & reality

The other night I went to see my first burlesque show. I had no idea what to expect, past the photos and videos I had seen online, and was excited to see what a burlesque show was all about. I have been trying to get an interview with Katie, the founder of Angel Burlesque, and she said I needed to see a show before we could do the interview. So Sheryl and I got tickets, and headed downtown to the Old National Centre for Angel Burlesque at Deluxe. Deluxe is in the basement of the Old National Centre, and was the perfect room for a show like this.

We got downtown a little early, so we decided to grab a drink at Old Point Tavern. Since I work for Live Nation part-time, we parked at the Old National Centre and walked over to OPT. The parking lot was empty at 8:30, and with doors opening at 9 I was a little surprised. But when we got back shortly after doors had opened, I quickly realized it was nearly sold out. The room was packed with people. There were so many tables down there I could barely get out to use the restroom.

My tickets were at will call, so I walked across the lobby and grabbed our tickets. Since I work so many shows in that building, I had to stop and talk to a few people I knew. When we got downstairs, I ran into another friend that I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was great catching up, and we ended up sitting with him.

Introducing Angel Burlesque

At 9:30, the lights went down and Jeff Angel took the stage. Jeff is married to Katie. Belle Breeze joined him and they started introducing the evening and telling jokes. They would tell jokes all night long… some not safe for work. But they were hilarious. Jeff was a riot, and I loved watching his facial expressions as she talked. After they welcomed everyone, Jeff went over the rules. They had a few rules for the evening, to protect the audience as well as the dancers on stage.

The first rule was in regards to photography. There was to be absolutely no flash photography. Jeff explained that some of the dancers wore high heels, and that the flash would throw off the rhythm. Makes sense. But then he started talking about regular photography… and that was okay. It was actually encouraged.

Then Jeff talked about “hooting and hollering”. It was allowed… it was mandatory. He said that the “more you yell, the better they dance”. And he was right. Throughout the evening, the louder people yelled the more entertaining the performance got. After the rules presentation, they introduced the first performer.

Penguin’s Lament with Jada Bella

Like I said, I had no idea what to expect. But this number was awesome. Out of the gate, the entire troupe was on stage dancing around like… like penguins. It was cute, and before I knew it Jada was taking her clothes off!

Before you get excited, this is not a strip club or anything. It is VERY tasteful. There were a few dancers that showed more than others, but it was never uncomfortable. The focus of Angel Burlesque is on the art, not the nudity. It is never about the nudity. The hosts would joke about it from time to time, but that was more to keep the audience at ease.

Speaking of the audience, it was a packed house. The show was at Deluxe, and the room isn’t very big. It’s a perfect setting for a show like this, but they crammed a ton of tables and chairs in there, and if you wanted to use the restroom or grab another drink you had to fight your way out. But the room was full.

Other Acts Include

After Jada came Patsyy Blue Ribbon. I just love their names. From Patsy Blue Ribbon to Red Hot Annie, all of these performers had names that pretty much fit the performance. There is one guy in the group… his name is Rod Tollhouse. It’s a long story, and I know Rod personally… but it’s not safe for work for me to tell you where the name came from. Needless to say, his part of the evening was entertaining.

Some of the other performers included:

• Desda Mae Q Mona
• Bastet
• Pepper Mills
• Tessa Von Twinkle
• Dominique de Beaute
• *Cristian Riquelme (he is actually dating Pepper Mills)
• Layla Seduisant
• Red Hot Annie (from Chicago)
• Sugar Lee
• Belle Breeze (performed and hosted)
• Rod Tollhouse
• Desda Moana
• Katie Angel (founding member of Angel Burlesque)

The music was fun too. Some of the songs were pop songs, with a twist. But most of them seemed to have been created for the individual performances. Some of my favorite songs included Some Night in Alaska, Rumor Has It, Puttin’ On The Ritz, Funky Fans, Sooner or Later, Pink and Art-Tease-T.

Speaking of Red Hot Annie

Red Hot Annie is not from Indianapolis. She is actually from Chicago. She came down for this performance. She is actually one of the top 50 burlesque dancers in the country, and does live events, teaches belly dance classes, and even emcees and hosts corporate events. She’s a tall drink of water, and has some red hair… I guess that’s where the “red hot” comes from!

I actually had the chance to talk to Red Hot Annie after the performance. When all was said and done, all of the dancers came out and were shaking hands and dishing out hugs left and right. Annie walked by, and I introduced myself to her before we left. She was very nice, and it seemed like she has found her fit in this space. I was glad I got the chance to meet her.

Curtain Call

The show didn’t start until 9:30, and it was late by the time things wrapped up. But it didn’t seem like the show went on too long. Having a break in the middle was nice. When it was all over, Jeff came back on stage and talked about their SuperBra XLVI. SuperBra is an Open-Bra Event held at Crackers Comedy Club and will take place on January 30^th, 2012 at 8:30.

Not familiar with the open-bra format? It’s sort of like an open mic night where the audience can get involved. Imagine that… coming to a burlesque show and getting your chance to show the world what you’re made of. Some of the girls in the current Angel Burlesque lineup were discovered during an open-bra night. If you think you have what it takes, give it a try. You might be surprised with how well you can shake it!

Tell Us What You Think!

Before the show was over, Jeff and Belle told us about a comment card that was on the table. I grabbed one, and while I didn’t fill it out, I wanted to look at it when I got home. They asked for input, including:

• How was the performance?
• How was the sound and lighting?
• How were your seats?
• How was the service?
• How did you hear about this event?
• Any recommendations?

I am sure they use this for data collection, but if I was a performer, I would want to know what the audience thought of the production. That’s the only way you are going to get better.

The show was incredible. I didn’t have any expectations when I went in… and I left energetic and excited to have seen my first show. It won’t be my last. I had a chance after the show to chat with Katie Angel, and we will be scheduling an interview very soon. I can’t wait to learn more about the show, the dancers, and more!

Have you ever been to a burlesque show? If so, what did you think?

Click here to “like” Angel Burlesque on Facebook.

Click here to follow Angel Burlesque on Twitter.

Click here to watch Angel Burlesque on YouTube.

*Cristian Riquelme is actually in a band. They performed Swamp Rock for the crowd. Live music didn’t really fit the theme of the evening, but it was a nice chance to use the restroom and grab another drink. They played two songs, so I was still able to catch most of their energetic performance.

Oh boy… where do I even begin to describe this guy. Well, he lives in Arizona. That, and he is always wet. Not from the rain (it never rains in the desert) but because he is always on some exotic vacation scuba diving all over the world. My favorite cousin Chris introduced me to him, and when she told me that he was an underwater photographer, I just had to learn more. I just got my certification a year ago, and I have no interest in taking photos… but when you see what this guy has done, you will see the attraction. I haven’t been diving with him yet, but I have a feeling we will be soon. We have become fast friends, and if all else fails, we can talk about one the dives he has been on. He has been on over 1,000 dives! At any rate, I can’t wait to get wet with this guy! It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to the man behind SCUBAREWS and All Wet Portraits, Ron Watkins. (What a cool name… All Wet Portraits. I love it!)

You are a scuba diver… know that diving will be a HUGE focus of this interview! Let’s start at the beginning; how long have you been diving?

My dad first took me diving in Lake Mead, Nevada in the summer of 1983. He had learned to dive while in the Navy during the Korean War on the USS Oriskany. That summer we dove several times in Lake Mead and even though the visibility wasn’t great, I was hooked. Later that summer we went over to California and did some beach dives near La Jolla and there was much more to see.

Surely you are certified. What certification(s) do you have?

I actually wasn’t certified in 1983 when I first dove. My dad and his friends weren’t either, but back then the certification process wasn’t well established and if you knew a buddy with an air compressor, you could get your tanks filed. My dad just took me in our pool and showed me the basics of breathing compressed air and told me to never ascend faster than your bubbles. He was always with me when I dove and we never went deeper than 40 foot. Actually when he started diving, there were no recreational diving certifications and so he never did get certified.

After graduating from college, where I didn’t dive because I was broke, I took a tip to Jamaica in 1992 and went diving again after taking a brief resort course. The waters of the Caribbean were the best I had ever seen and quickly I got hooked on diving again. So in 1993, I took PADI open water classes from a friend in Phoenix and I did my open water dives in San Carlos, Mexico.

After a few years of diving, I got my first 35mm underwater camera, which I quickly traded in for a more advanced model that allowed me to control aperture underwater and had different lenses that could be changed underwater.  I used it on a few dives and had moderate success with it, but struggled to consistently take good pictures. So I signed up for a PADI underwater photography class on a Great Barrier Reef 7 day live-aboard trip. My instructor was an Israeli name Uzi and he would teach classes on the boat, then dive with me and assist underwater. Once back on the boat, we would process the slide film and view it on a light table and he would critique and provide feedback on how to improve my images. That instant feedback was great and I quickly mastered the basics of that camera and drastically improved my images. In fact, I entered a shark image from that trip in the Seaspace 2000 international underwater photo contest and took first prize. My prize was a trip to Roatan, Honduras where I got my PADI advanced open water certification.

Do you teach others how to dive? I was certified at Indy MPH Watersports, and the guy that taught me had a day job and taught lessons in the evening.

I never got my instructor certification, so I don’t teach scuba diving. I do enjoy informally teaching others underwater photography on live-aboard dive trips. If someone is interested, I am always willing to share tips and lessons learned over the years diving. I meet a lot of people on dive boats with new cameras and they do not know the basics of photography so mostly shoot in automatic mode which will not consistently deliver quality images. So I help them use the manual settings on their camera and provide them photo tips. Over the years, I learned a lot from other more skilled photographers, so I am just trying to pass that on.

You have been diving a long time… how many dives have you been on?

Good question… I actually stopped logging dives at about 600 dives because I found my photography to be a better log book. My dive computer also stores each dive in it so that is another record in case anyone needed to see what my dive profile was for a given dive in the event of an emergency. I typically will take a picture of the dive map that the dive master draws as a reminder of the site and then tag my images with the location of the dive. When I am on a dive trip on a live-aboard, I am typically diving 3-5 times a day so on a 10 day trip, I can really get a lot of dives in. I do try to keep a dive journal during the trip that I make note of unique experiences or conditions as well as the conditions of the operator and boat. I will then typically write up a trip report and share it on my website so that others can see what to expect if they are planning a trip. I now typically put my trip reports on my blog (http://www.ronwatkinsphotography.blogspot.com/)  and then create a new gallery on my website.

Your tank, in some of the photos I have seen of you, says “NITROX” on the side. What’s that mean? Does that require a different certification?

If you are going to be doing a lot of repetitive dives for several days in a row (like on a live-aboard), NITROX is a certification you will definitely want to get for a number of reasons. NITROX or enriched air NITROX is a mixture that contains a higher percentage of oxygen and lower percentage of nitrogen. A standard air filled tank is around 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen and as you know from your certification, nitrogen absorption into your blood stream is what limits your bottom time. So, by increasing the oxygen to 32-36%, you reduce the amount of nitrogen you absorb and therefore can increase your bottom time significantly. You also reduce the risk of decompression sickness and you can decrease your surface intervals so you can spend more time in the water. There are also side effects associated with the nitrogen, like feeling lethargic that you minimize. But there is a risk to diving on NITROX and that is oxygen toxicity, which can kill you. To avoid this, you have to know the maximum depth allowable for the percent oxygen you are using. When you take the NITROX certification classes, they teach you all about this and you also use a special dive computer that you can program your percent oxygen in to.

What’s the best dive you have ever done? Is it even possible to pick?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get and the most difficult to answer. It really depends. The easy answer is Indonesia, but that is like saying my favorite state is the United States because Indonesia is about the same size and is an archipelago made up of thousands of islands. Indonesia has incredible biodiversity and the remote regions are pristine. Not only the diving, but the people and culture are phenomenal. Some areas can be challenging though for diving and photography, but if I could only go one place and dive there the rest of my life, it would be Indonesia. I would live in Bali and use it for my base camp for diving expeditions because it has good diving; the nicest people and is a beautiful island.  Some of the places I have been in Indonesia include Bunaken, Lembeh, Wakatobi, Komodo, Flores, Alor, and Raja Ampat. All together, I have spent over 4 months there.

Besides Indonesia, here are a few of my other favorites… For wreck diving, Truk Lagoon in Micronesia has hundreds of sunken WWII Japanese ships and planes. The soft coral and people of Fiji are also hard to beat. Venture out into some of the 300+ islands and find fantastic diving. Hawaii is my favorite US diving. Cozumel is my favorite in Mexico and the Cayman Islands my favorite in the Caribbean.

That’s a lot of dives… have you ever run out of air?

Can you define “run out”? Technically I have never run out of air or I wouldn’t be doing this interview! I have had a few occasions where my primary tank of air ran low and I had to share my buddies air all the way up to the surface. You know, buddy breathing. I am usually really good about monitoring my air, but on occasion, I get so in to my photography, that I allow my air to get lower than recommended. Buddy breathing works fine, but when I am diving with other photographers (the worst kind of dive buddy, me included) or when I dive alone, there isn’t always a buddy nearby. On one dive, my dive buddy and I separated early on in the dive and I found myself at 40 foot with only 250 psi (supposed to surface with at least 500 psi). I saw another diver in the distance, but couldn’t get his attention, so I had to decide to either do a controlled ascent on the air I had or swim after him which would use up air quicker. I swam for him and finally caught him with the take near empty and he quickly gave me his primary air hose and he switched to his back up. We did our 3 minute safety stop at 20 foot and surfaced together.

The other time that was a closer call was on a recent photography dive trip in the cold waters of California where I had not dove in 20+ years.  I found myself separated from my dive buddy photographer after a few minutes into the dive but since I was in only 50 foot of water, I decided to continue on with the dive and photograph. I was breathing more air than usual because of the chilly waters and slight current. I was focused on a colorful nudibranh when I tried to breath in and felt resistance. I immediately looked at my gauge and it read empty. I didn’t panic though. I looked around and saw no one, so I slowly ascended remembering what my dad had taught me about never go faster than your bubbles. I had to skip the safety stop, but I was on NITROX in shallow water for only 50 minutes, so I was fine. I actually had to manually inflate my BC because there was not enough air to inflate it and surface swim on my back to the boat. I was very fortunate and that close call reminded me that safety has to come first.

Do you own all of your own equipment?

I went on one trip to La Paz Mexico in the early 90s after getting certified without my own equipment, and the rental equipment was so unsafe and I almost drown. When I returned home, I bought all of my own equipment. But times have changed and the rental equipment at diving resorts and on live a-boards is often better than what I have. It can be expensive to buy and maintain your own gear, so unless you dive more than 10 days a year, I would seriously consider just renting. It is also a major hassle traveling with all of that extra weight and paying those baggage fees.

You travel all over the world diving… your job also helps that, but still. Does the cost of diving in say, Micronesia differ from diving in the Bahamas?

Dive travel can be very expensive… from the airfare, to the dive boat and the accommodations. Most liveaboards cost between $300-400 dollars per day but you will typically get the most dives in on one. I especially like this option because my camera equipment is safely stored on the boat and there is usually ample space to service it.  So for me, unless there are great land attractions, I try to do a live-aboard because that is my best value to maximize the bottom time and have the most time for photography.

For land based destinations, I think Cozumel and Roatan are two of the best values in the Caribbean and you can usually get low cost airfares. Cozumel has inexpensive hotels, great food for much less than in the US and good dive operators for reasonable price. I do however use a dive guide in Cozumel named Jeremy who owns Living Underwater because he is the best and worth the extra money. His boat, the Jewfish, has a custom made rinse tank that fits my camera exactly because he used it to design the tank. Now that is service!

I typically will do all of my own trip planning to save money, but do have a few travel agents who specialize in dive travel to remote places. I always first try to use my airline frequent flier points if possible,and plan ahead. Many of the southeast Asia destinations like Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines are cheap once you get there, but the flights can be expensive.

As you have mentioned, you do more than dive. You are a professional underwater photographer. What prompted you to start taking pictures down there?

I have always like photography, but really got seriously into it when I took up diving and wanted to capture the beauty I was experiencing and share it with others. Particularly my dad, who can no longer dive, is still able to experience my underwater adventures through my photography. I have also been able to use photography to increase awareness on just how fragile the underwater ecosystem and how we are destroying it. I have given several photography presentations and done photo essays and use them as forums to educate people on the dangers facing the oceans and the creatures that call it home. I am now on my 5th camera setup and it is a really addictive activity.

I have seen sharks, dolphins, sea lions… Do you prefer to shoot any one kind of creature over another? Do you plan the dive for that specific shot?

I go through phases. I shot sharks a lot and planned all of my trips to sharky waters for several years. They are incredible creatures and I am always trying to get that majestic image that shows the beauty of a shark in contrast to the perception of them being man eaters.

I free dove with dolphins in the Bahamas and that was one of favorite shoots ever. I was able to get some great shots of them feeding on squid at night. I was in the water for about three hours with them well after midnight until a large tiger shark showed up and spoiled the party. Sea lions are very playful and fun to shoot because they are like puppy dogs underwater. I also like to shoot macro and capture all of the amazing little critters like pygmy seahorses, squid, crabs, shrimp, anmonefish and eels.

As far as planning the dive for a specific shot, I always try to do that, but sometimes you just get lucky and see something that you never expected.  Then, you hope you can capture a great image. I enjoy researching the marine life of the area before I go. That way I can know what rare species are in the area, their habitat and behaviors. I am also a bit of a history buff, and love to read about the ship wrecks and how they came to their final resting spot. Several years back, I dove in Truk Lagoon in Micronesia, which is considered the wreck diving capitol of the world. It was the site of a major allied offensive during World War II called Operation Hail Storm. There are over 50 Japanese ships and 100 airplanes in the area that you can dive. Seeing these wrecks with their deck guns pointed upward, military artifacts scatter around and the crew’s living quarters was very moving and better than anything I could have read in a history book or seen in a museum.

It’s not just animals you shoot… tell me about All Wet Portraits.

All Wet Portraits presented a new challenge in underwater photography… photographing children underwater. It is so much fun for me and the kids. I use different backdrops, lighting, and even costumes for the kids. It allows me to be very creative in a controlled environment (a pool) and experiment with different techniques.  It also allows me to do photography when at home in Arizona. I have partnered with several swim clubs and also do private shoots on location at pools.  These images are a lot of fun and can be seen on my website www.allwetportraits.com. If you have young children and want to get their picture taken underwater, let me know! I have photographed babies as young as 6 months old.

What’s the deepest you have ever been?

I only dive as deep as I have to in order to get the photo and to date that was 145 foot. There was a Japanese transport ship with tanks strapped on the deck that I had to photograph. It was a quick 15 minute bottom time and then several safety stops at different depths. Not exactly a fun dive, but the tanks were really cool. Usually most of what I shoot is in less than 60 foot, and I prefer shallow water so that I can use the ambient light along with my strobe light.

You are originally from Las Vegas. I LOVE Vegas, but I am not sure I could live there. Do you miss living in Sin City?

Not at all! It was a neat place to grow up in the 80s, when the mob still ran the town and crime was organized. Now, crime is out of control and there are some really bad parts of town. You can get a really cheap house there, but I could never live there again. Usually after 3-4 days, I am ready to escape the strip and head home.

Do you ever exhibit your work? I could totally see a fish on the wall at my local coffee shop!

I use to exhibit my work a lot and participate in several juried art shows a year, but I don’t have the time to do that now. I do have some art in a local coffee shop and a permanent exhibit of 9 prints at the Peoria Library in the kid’s book section.  My main exhibit now is in my home and online.

I have only been on a few dives, but I LOVE it. Do you get the same thrill 1,000+ dives in that you did when you first started?

I do get excited every time I dive and feel fortunate to be able to do so. I must admit that I do get less excited when I am diving in the Caribbean after diving so much in SE Asia because there is a lot less marine biodiversity.

Tell me more about the Sonoran Arts League.

The Sonoran Art League (SAL) is a wonderful group of talented artists of all kinds. SAL allowed me to not only network with other artist and learn more about the business of art. The SAL Hidden in the Hills Studio tour is one of my favorite events each year. I participated 3 years in a row and unlike the typical tent art show, you get to see the artist demonstrating their art and spend more quality time with the artist in a relaxed setting. For me, it is difficult to demonstrate my art at the tour, but I do have all of my underwater photography equipment on display and enjoy explaining the process to interested people. I encourage everyone to come out and the tour which is held the weekend before and after Thanksgiving each year.

Does diving get easier the more you do it?

It does come very natural to me know and I rarely consciously focus on breathing. Buoyancy is also something that improves with experience and the less weight that you wear (new divers are typically over-weighted). I have a mental checklist that I go through before each dive with my gear and camera equipment. If I haven’t been diving for several months, it usually take the first dive for me to get back in my groove, but then after that, I really feel at home.

You have done a few liveaboards. What’s that experience like? Take me through a week on a boat.

Eat, dive, sleep and repeat pretty much sums it up. Most the boats I have been on hold between 10-16 divers and are really nice inside and out. You get your own cabin and usually your own bathroom. On low end boats, like in California, you may just sleep in bunks and share a couple of bathrooms. Food is great and plentiful, the service excellent and the dive setup really easy. They usually wake you up shortly after dawn and you have a light bite and then dive. When you get out of the water, you sit your tank in a designated spot and put away your gear under your seat.  They fill the tanks and everything is ready for the next dive, which is after a full breakfast. You repeat this and dive about 3-5 times each day. If you don’t do a dive, you can relax, read a book, nap or work on pictures and camera equipment. The boat may move a little bit throughout the day and so you will dive different spots. At night is usually when they make the major moves. They also usually have land tours to local villages or sites. It is a diver’s paradise and will spoil you.

Have you ever been bit?

I once got bit by an anemone fish (Nemo) when I was too close to her eggs. They have really sharp teeth and it did draw blood. I have suffered a couple of severe jellyfish stings on my neck that really hurt. I also got a hickey from a stingray in the Caymans.

Your work is SO good. Have you ever won any awards for your photography?

Thanks Ricky. Glad you like it. I won The Digital Shootout two years in a row in Bonaire and Little Cayman and have also won awards in several international photography competitions over the years. I also won the photography category in the Cave Creek Film & Arts Festival 2 years in a row and the second year won the people’s choice award. The prizes for these contest include cash, some really nice dive trips and dive/camera equipment. The latest underwater photography competition that I have entered has over $82,000 in prizes!

You are currently living in Scottsdale… that’s the desert. There is no water! If you get the itch, where do you typically go to dive?

Besides pools, I have only been to Fossil Creek, which is about 2 hours north of Phoenix. There I photographed the native fish and scenery and wrote an article that was published in the Arizona Wildlife Views magazine.

When I was learning how to dive, the instructor always said before we got into the water, “Let’s get wet.” I say that EVERY time I get ready to jump in. Do you have any rituals before you jump in?

No cool sayings like that, but I like it! On the liveaboards, they usually say, “the pool is open” and you are free to dive. I always double-check my camera seal so that it doesn’t leak.

What’s the coldest water you have ever dove in?

This trip to the Channel islands just his last October for the Southern California digital shootout. Water was a chilly 63, which the locals said was warm. Screw that… I prefer the warm water, but the diving is California is really good and I will be going back soon.

Speaking of getting wet, what’s your preferred entry method? I prefer the giant stride!

Me too. Back rolls are okay though.  I always have to swim back to the boat after jumping in and get my camera though.

You are all over the place… how many stamps are on your passport?

When I was living in Singapore, I filled up all of the pages on my second passport and had to get additional pages. I haven’t counted recently, but my current passport is getting full again. I also have Visa’s for China and Indonesia in there as well.

When you take photos, do you post them as is, or do you take them into Photoshop and clean them up?

Some of colors you see underwater are like no other color you have ever seen before. However, the deeper you go, the darker it is and the more color you lose to the naked eye. But when you add light with a flashlight or the strobes on my camera it brings back the true colors. I am sometimes asked by people viewing one of my exhibits if I enhance or change the color of the marine life in the image. This is often because when they have seen that fish of turtle while snorkeling or in an aquarium, it appeared with less color or a different shade of color. I currently use an SLR digital camera for my photography and shoot all of my images in a RAW digital negative format. Like the earlier slide film that I worked with, RAW files have to be post processed in a “digital” dark room environment using software instead of chemicals. Most of the adjustments made to the image are the same types of adjustments that were made in a traditional darkroom. The goal of my fine art photography is to represent the subject as close to its true colors as possible and allow nature’s palette to shine through. I do not manipulate any of my images by adding elements that were not in the picture.

Do you ever shoot on dry land?

I do and love it. My favorite subject is wildlife and have gotten some of those images published as well. On a recent trip to Canada, I photographed black bears for three days in the wild. I was able to get pretty close to them and captured some awesome shots. Another fun trip was when I took snowmobiles into Yellowstone National Park in the winter. I got some nice images of bighorn sheep, bison, elk, deer and a bald eagle all with a winter wonderland backdrop.

We talked about your scuba gear, but what about your camera gear? I bet you have some pretty high-end cameras and lenses. What all are you shooting with?

My equipment is pretty high end, but not the highest end. I have been shooting with my Nikon D300 DSLR camera in a Sea & Sea housing for the last 3 years and feel really comfortable with it. I use two Sea & Sea 250 strobes and a focus light. On land it weighs about 22 pounds, but under water with some floats it is almost neutral buoyant. Depending on the type of lens you have on the camera, you have a different port on the housing. This means you have to commit to shooting macro or wide angle for the entire dive.

It is definitely not the camera that makes the photographer though. I have been out shot by some camera setups a lot less than mine. There are so many factors that go into a good image. On a recent trip to La Paz, a friend with a point and shoot Canon G12 got a lot better whale shark photo than the one I got and it was her first time diving with that camera. So all it takes to take good images is to be a good diver with excellent buoyancy, have a quality camera that you know how to use, a good eye for composition and lighting, and a little luck never hurts.

There are so many places to dive… but what’s next? Where is the next dive? Are there any places that you have never been but want to visit?

First where I want to go still! Maldives, South Africa for the Sardine run and possible Alaska if I can brave the cold.  My next trip this April is to a new place and I am very excited about that trip – Papua New Guinea! I will be on a 10 day live-aboard dive trip and can’t wait. I also hope to explore some the local tribes that live there and get some nice land photographs. And I want to “get wet” with Mr. Ricky Lee Potts in the near future. Maybe we could get some cool images of you underwater that you can share with your followers!

We have been talking about scuba diving and photographs all day… but what else do you like to do? What other hobbies do you have?

I really enjoy flyfishing and hiking. Actually anything outdoors I love. I like golf, but I am just a hacker and enjoy being outside. I also love to travel and experience new places, culture and food.

Speaking of golf… diving is like golf… something you can do forever. Do you see yourself diving your way into retirement?

Absolutely! My dad was able to dive pretty late in life, but had to stop after he damaged his ear drum. I have been diving with people in their 80s before. So as long as I am healthy enough, I will dive!

Man, I feel like I could ask you questions all day. This has been fun… we need to go diving soon! In all of the interviews that I do, I always give the artist last word. Go.

Life is short so make the most of it. I have been fortunate to pursue my passions and experience some wonderful places in my life. Another one of my passions is preserving the ocean and all of its inhabitants. I also use my art to increase awareness of the reefs and marine life. The oceans support a diverse and important marine ecosystem which humans depend on. Over the years I have been diving, I have witnessed the deterioration of reefs, decreased fish populations and the decimating practice of shark finning. I hope that by people seeing my images, they will take more of an interest in the conservation of this fragile natural resource. Shark finning kills tens of thousands of sharks every year and is senseless. Please do not support any establishment that serves shark fin soup. Thanks for this interview Ricky and I look forward to getting wet with you soon!

While we were in Nassau, Bahamas, we spent a lot of time at Atlantis. We didn’t stay at Atlantis, but at the Comfort Suites Paradise Island. We didn’t need to stay at the resort to get access, as that was included in our stay at Comfort Suites. Folks who do stay at Atlantis need to purchase a wristband every day for access to the pools, beaches, and water park. All we had to do was show our room key for access every day. The wristbands for those staying at the resort were $79 a day. (That’s actually the low season rate. The pass normally sells for $129.)

There is a lot more here than pools and the beach. There are tons of places to see fish. There are eight marine habitats here, each providing a unique experience.

Reef Lagoon
If you want to see some nurse sharks, head over to the Reef Lagoon. It’s not really near anything, actually close to the beach, but here you can see countless nurse sharks in their natural habitat.

Speaking of their natural habitat, in many of these marine habitats you will see a lot of algae. That’s on purpose. They control all of this to make the animal feel at home. From the rocks down below to the water temperature, all of this is controlled by the staff at Atlantis. When hanging out at the Reef Lagoon, take note of the sharks resting on the bottom. If you pay close attention, you can see them breathing. It’s pretty cool to see these massive sharks up close and personal.

Hibiscus Lagoon
Turtles! I love turtles, especially green sea turtles. These turtles are actually endangered, but a handful roam freely here at the Hibiscus Lagoon. You can get a good view of these turtles right outside the Beach Tower. If you go later in the day, you might see more of these green sea turtles. They just swim around and are fun to watch.

Recycling is a big thing on Paradise Island. Especially at Atlantis, you will see several places to recycle plastic cups and bags. Plastic bags are actually what is taking a toll on these green sea turtles. These turtles will see a plastic bag, mistake it for a jellyfish, and eat it. If there was ever a reason to recycle, let the turtles be it.

Seagrapes Lagoon
Being a diver means lots of coral reef. That’s what you’ll find here at Seagrapes Lagoon. This is natural Bahamian Corliss reef, where countless fish reside. Did you know that 25% of all marine life can be found in and around a coral reef? Reefs harbor some of the most endangered species on the planet.

Here at the Seagrapes Lagoon, you can see queen angelfish, rock beauty (the rock beauty is actually three colors; quite pretty) and several species of wrasse. While diving, Ryan and I had the chance to see several different coral reefs. We saw everything from angelfish to giant grouper. To see more fish in their natural habitat like this, and being able to focus on the reef was an experience.

Stingray Lagoon
There must be something with lagoons here on Paradise Island. All of these habitats are called that! Anyway, the stingray lagoon is awesome. Not only is it loaded with stingrays, they also feed them Tuesday through Sunday. (The feedings are at 2:00 PM.)

The stingrays in here are southern stingrays and a few cownose rays. Both of these can be fed by hand, and are relatively safe to be swimming around inches from you. All of the rays at Atlantis still have their barb (or stinger) but never really use them. These are used as a defense mechanism. Perhaps that’s why the aquatic team must be present for the feedings!

Predator Lagoon
This is one of my favorite lagoons at Atlantis. There are actually two places to view this lagoon. There is a suspension bridge over the lagoon, where you can get a great aerial shot of the fish. The fish… And the sharks! Man, I love sharks. In this lagoon you can see a hammerhead shark!

If you want a closer look at these fish, head below to the tunnel. Down here you can see Goliath grouper (these things are HUGE), smalltooth sawfish (they are massive too), blacknose sharks, and Caribbean reef sharks. We saw plenty of the reef sharks on our dives.

The coolest part of this lagoon is the sheer size of these fish. From the grouper to the sharks, they are huge and swim around with grace. It’s truly a magical thing to see such massive and equally impressive fish swimming past your face. The glass is thick though… You’re safe.

The Dig & Ruins Lagoon
This lagoon is sweet too. Every time we got a wristband we saw this lagoon. There is also a restaurant here where you can eat beside the fish. The restaurant was closed while we were there, though. This is also just inside the hotel, near the lobby and the casino.

There are plenty of fish to see in here. In this lagoon watch zebra sharks, bowmouth guitarfish (what a cool name), grunts, jacks and the infamous Manta ray. This ray is huge. When Sheryl first saw it, she thought it had two heads. She’s right though… Well, it looks like it has two heads. It’s just a huge ray, and is really cool to look at. The Dig is pretty sweet too. We actually found our way into there after hours. Not sure we were supposed to be in there, but the fish were impressive. We saw a seahorse, some lobster (in their natural habitat, not on our plates), some starfish, and lionfish. Those are extremely dangerous, but behind glass are so pretty. I actually dove with those in Aruba last December. The Dig offers tours where you can look a little deeper into the lost city of Atlantis.

Other fish featured in The Dig include:

• Piranha
• Jellyfish
• Clownfish
• Moray eel
• Polyps
• Bonefish
• French angelfish

As you can see, The Dig is an impressive collection of fish. There are also several other areas focused on the lost city, but since we didn’t pay for the tour we didn’t see or learn much about them. Regardless, starrng a piranha in the face is pretty cool!

Royal Stingray Lagoon & Spotted Eagle Ray Lagoon
This is similar to the other ray lagoon, but here you have a couple of different types of ray. The spotted eagle ray is huge, and is fun to watch swim around. I like it when their fins come above the surface; it looks as if the are waving at you. There are also some blacktip reef sharks in here. But they don’t compare to the spotted ray.

Water’s Edge Lagoon
This lagoon is small, but impressive due to the schools of ray that swim around here. When we first saw this lagoon, we noticed a couple of rays swimming together. Before we knew it, there were dozens of them flapping around in the water below. There are a few sharks in here as well. Nothing too exciting, but there are a couple Blacknose sharks in there. You do end up seeing this lagoon several times, depending on how you walk back to your hotel. Our hotel was on the far side of the resort, so we saw this lagoon three or four times a day.

As you can see, there are tons of fish here at Atlantis. Each lagoon is unique, and features a collection of fish you might never see in the wild. It makes walking from the hotel to the beach and back an enjoyable experience. The sharks are still my favorites!

Escaping the clutches of Hurricane Irene, Electric Zoo 2011 emerged this Labor Day Weekend in full force, with 85,000 attendees from 102 countries and 51 states, enjoying beats from the world’s best electronic dance music artists over three sun-drenched days on Randall’s Island Park in New York City.

More than 100 DJs and live acts provided the finest techno, trance, house, dubstep, electro and indie dance music across four stages. From iconic headliners Tiësto, David Guetta and Armin van Buuren along with Moby, John Digweed and Richie Hawtin, to newer talents like SBTRKT, Porter Robinson, 12th Planet, Michael Woods and Arty, Electric Zoo celebrated America’s exploding obsession with dance music. Skrillex’s epic stage dive, Tiësto’s confetti shower, thousands singing along to David Guetta’s tunes, an appearance by Snoop Dogg’s DJ alter-ego DJ Snoopadelic, and Armin van Buuren’s closing set complete with fireworks are just a few notable moments from what’s now established as one of the premiere electronic music festivals in the world.

To top off its stellar lineup, Electric Zoo went next level with spectacular visuals, from the Hilltop Arena’s massive custom-designed concave LED wall and the Red Bull Riverside’s mixed media playback cubes to Gizem Bacaz’s meditative Garden of EZ with Kate Raudenbush’s laser-cut steel Braindrop. Not to mention the dust-free tents, plethora of organic food choices, and no lines at the festival entrance, thanks to RFID wristband technology.

Made Event, helmed by Mike Bindra and Laura De Palma, working with a team of industry leaders, is committed to excellence in the programming, promotion, and production of electronic dance music events. They stand at the vanguard of their field due to the world-renowned caliber of entertainment and expert production values they bring into a variety of distinctive and innovative venues. In 2009, Made Event launched the inaugural Electric Zoo and was nominated for “Promoter of the Year” by URB magazine and “Best Music Event” and “Best Event Promoter” by the International Dance Music Awards for the best of 2010. With over 25 years of combined experience, and over 400 successful events produced in New York City and Miami, Made Event continues to set the bar for quality electronic music events.

Photo Credit: Bennett Sell-Kline for ElectricZooFestival.com

This year, Electric Zoo is offering payment plans… these payment plans let you pay for your passes in installments. Please note that the last day to order these tickets via layaway is July 1. You know you want to go to Electric Zoo but you don’t have all the money for a pass available right now.

New in 2011, Electric Zoo fans have the option to purchase their pass on a payment plan. Layaway options are available when ordering online or by calling 888-512-SHOW (7469). There are two different payment plan options:

• 50% Down: This plan allows you to pay 50% of your order total plus service fees now, with the remaining 50% automatically deducted from your card on August 1, 2011.
• 30% Down + Equal Payments: This plan allows you to pay 30% of your order total plus service fees now, with the remaining balance automatically deducted in equal payments on July 1st and August 1st, 2011.

Check out the full details here.

Let’s Clear the Air: Dust Reduction Efforts for 2011

When Electric Zoo opened up last year, on Saturday September 4 at 11:00 AM, the Randall’s Island Park lawn was lush, long, and seemingly healthy. But the dancing and frolicking of 25,000 pairs of feet coupled with the unusually dry summer took a toll, and by the end of the day, the grass had been trampled and a lot of dirt had been kicked up into the air. When the wind gusted – especially around the Sunday School Grove, but in other parts of the festival grounds too – the dust was downright obnoxious. Many of you, understandably, have expressed concerns about this. We hear you, and we’ve been working on measures to address this problem in 2011. We’re serious about doing everything we can to minimize the dust, so we can ALL breathe easy and focus on what we love – the music!

Here’s a list of things we’ve put in place to reduce the dust:

• Flooring will be used in all of the tents. This means that where all that dancing is going on, the grass will be protected and dirt won’t be kicked up.
• Dirt service roads will be covered with flooring. As our crew travels in golf carts and other vehicles to get from place to place around the perimeter of the festival grounds, there will be far less dirt stirred up.
• Making use of existing pavement for high traffic areas, including the area directly in front of the main stage. The main stage will be moved back this year in order to create more space. This will mean that a large area directly in front of the main stage will now be situated on pavement rather than grass. So when you “tear up the dancefloor” in front of the main stage, you’ll no longer be tearing up grass and kicking up dirt at the same time

We’ve also hired lawn specialists to consult with and work with our friends at Randall’s Island Park to improve on the maintenance of the field and to get it as healthy as possible before Electric Zoo. At their recommendation, we have also taken these measures:

• Installed additional irrigation in early Spring
• Lawn aeration
• Reseeding, fertilizing and adding gypsum

Stay tuned for more lineup announcements!

With thirty-three artists already announced, Made Event is proud to release over forty more acts to the lineup of this year’s Electric Zoo Festival taking place from Friday, September 2 to Sunday, September 4 on Randall’s Island Park in New York City. The critically acclaimed and fan-adored festival is now spread across three days and four stages, headlined by electronic music superstars – Tiësto, David Guetta and Armin van Buuren. (We had the chance to see Armin perform at last year’s Electric Zoo. Nothing compares to seeing the world’s biggest DJ perform to thousands of screaming dancing fans.)

Here are the new additions:

Friday

Main Stage: AN21 & Max Vangeli.

Hilltop Arena: Felguk, Gareth Emery, Markus Schulz and Robbie Rivera.

Carl Cox & Friends Take Over Sunday School: Joris Voorn & Nic Fanciulli B2B and Victor Calderone.

Red Bull Music Academy Riverside: Bart B More, Busy P, Feed Me, SebastiAn.

Saturday

Main Stage: Sub Focus.

Hilltop Arena: Andy Moor, Dirty South, Joachim Garraud, Mat Zo, Sean Tyas & Simon Patterson B2B, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano.

Sunday School Grove: Carl Craig, Chris Liebing, James Holden and Steve Bug.

Red Bull Music Academy Riverside: 12th Planet, Beardyman, Kid Sister, Porter Robinson, Tommy Lee & DJ Aero.

Sunday

Hilltop Arena: Big Gigantic, Carte Blanche, Fake Blood, Excision & Datsik, Jack Beats and MiMOSA.

Sunday School Grove: Gui Boratto, Guy Gerber, Ida Engberg and Nicolas Jaar LIVE.

Red Bull Music Academy Riverside: Arty, EDX, Hardwell, Kyau & Albert and Mark Knight.

New in 2011, Electric Zoo fans have the option to purchase tickets on payment plans. Layaway options are available when ordering online, or by calling 888-512-7469. The last date to order via layaway is July 1, 2011.

How have I never heard of these guys before? I honestly don’t know who introduced me to this band, perhaps it was my friends in Loo Abby, but I am so glad that someone finally showed me who these guys are. After just hearing one tune I was beyond impressed. They have an almost jam band base, and some of the most well written lyrics I have ever heard. I mean, he talked about “the box with the boom”… who does that? Who does that and gets away with it? Man, this is some good stuff. It’s good enough that I asked them to be on the bill for the next rickyleepotts.com presents six bands for six bucks. I had the chance to meet the man behind the curtain, as well as one of his band mates. The conversation was great, and the interview was absolutely effortless. It is my pleasure to introduce you to my new favorite band, Jeremy Johnson & The Bleeding Keys.

Where in the world did you come up with a name like that?

We labored over the name forever. I didn’t want to be just Jeremy Johnson, like every other cliché band. For some degree it was a good marketing move. I wanted it to be a band. The Bleeding Keys was something I thought when starting to toy with an actual band name. We weren’t sold on it immediately. I liked it because it’s a journal in my life. Everything I have gone through, at some pout… bleeding keys are an outlet. I bleed music. That was the thought process behind it. It’s an outpouring of what I see around me. There is so much depth with it, too.

One thing I have been conscience about is not to write music that is hollow. For me, personally, I have never been able to write on something I don’t believe in or have truly experience.

So are the keys really bleeding?

(Laughs) We are incorporating more keys into the show, but we have made a lose association with the keys on the sax.

How long have you guys been performing?

How long would you say? I would say started practicing about a year and a half ago. We have probably been playing out for about nine months. We are still emerging. I think that’s what so encouraging for us too. We have had tons of setbacks. But every place that we play they want us to come back. It’s really encouraging.

You guys are considered a jam band. What actually makes a band a jam band?

Did we classify ourselves as that? I guess I would classify us as that. When we look to categorize ourselves, we don’t meet the mold of anything. We are like Ben Harper. He spans the genres. He can’t really be classified. He is a mixture of a lot of different things. Everyone loves to say that we can’t be classified. Blues, folk rock, indie rock. Some even have a bluegrass sound.

Alaska? It’s cold in Alaska! What made you move that far north?

Job opportunities. School debt was mounting and I didn’t have anything lined up. It was a no brainer. I had to sell my wife, but I left her an out. She said, “Lets do it.” She’s got wanderlust, like me. That’s when I started writing lyrics. I started writing like two years after I graduated from college. I was there for four years. It was cold, rough, and the job was horrible. It truly sucked the life out of me. (Laughs) Moved back to Oregon, which was hit even worse than here. Bend, Oregon; a retirement community.

You guys have some sweet professional photos. Who did those shots?

They are really a patchwork of people. Most of those are from Lisa Walker. She was an old drummer’s girlfriend. Still is.

Who does all of the songwriting?

I do. I started writing and playing eight years ago now. I didn’t continue my story, but we then decided to move here. We met in college out in Seattle. I then fell into these guys. A brother of a neighbor recommended playing with these guys. Matt hasn’t been playing the bass long. Maybe six years.

Where do you get inspiration for a new tune?

Life. For sure. I get it from news and personal experience. If I was Lady Gaga, or Fergie, it was, “I was looking at a straw.”

I dare you to describe your genre in one word.

Man, that’s a tough one. Can you help me out here? It’s not like Modest Mouse, or something. It’s unclassifiable. I will just leave it alone…

Who are some of your biggest influences, in both life and in music?

Oh man, in music… Ben Harper. That’s who I really started listening to when I started getting into music. Don’t as much anymore, but I really respect him as musician. He really is unclassifiable, as we said before. And he sings about something meaningful, always.

I like, recently, Mumford & Sons. They are unbelievable. They are the same kind of genre, I guess you could say, even though it’s not he same sound. Something meaningful. You can tell there is something real behind it.

Where are you guys originally from?

Muncie. Way up there. I don’t tell anyone that though. Bass player is from Pendleton. Born and raised. Electric guitar player too. Our new drummer is from Indy as well. Fortville maybe. I am from Oregon.

What’s the biggest crowd you have ever played for?

Man, The Regatta for us, as a band, about 2,000. Somewhere around there. Loo Abby played there too.

The smallest?

A coffee shop! As a band, Birdy’s Bar & Grill the second time. There was an ice storm; I bet you there were… not many people. Single digits. We had ten people there. Twenty max. No one wanted to drive. We were just using it as a practice for us. It was in the middle of losing our drummer and we had a fill in that night.

What’s the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?

We are just so smooth. (Laughs) Have we even had any real embarrassing moments? I am sure there will be many to come.

What’s the best concert you have ever been to?

Wow. Well, I would have to say the Sasquatch Festival at The Gorge. It’s my favorite venue ever. It was Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and The Wallflowers. NeedToBreathe is something special. I saw them at The Vogue Theatre, and we were there, down front.

I have told my guys that my only dream is to play at The Gorge for more than ten people. We have even talked about a weeklong mini tour in Oregon. We can get shows in Alaska.

You use the words “bleeding keys” in one of your songs. It’s actually called that. Tell me more about the meaning behind the bleeding keys.

For that song, I would say almost an outpouring of anger. In that song I sing toward injustice. Especially toward kids. I used to read the news, and it was always bad news. It was my outlet. Bleeding music. That’s where the concept came from. It’s my compassion, my anger, my passion… everything through the music.

You guys are working on an EP. Tell me about the process and the ambitions with that release.

The process, which the rest of my band was a part of unfortunately, it was a slow process. It was bit of a cross-promotional project. It was both of us fitting it in between life and work. He used studio musicians, which was nice, and they were very good. It’s new to me, so I learned the entire process for the entire time. It’s amazing how many steps there are in the process. I am not real type A. It dragged on because of that reason. But alas, it was just sent off last week!

It was pretty quick, the actual recording. I actually love it. That’s what I really like about it. It gives it more depth and variety. That’s what I would like to develop into. Adding those elements.

In your opinion, how has the Internet changed the current state of the music industry?

Oh man, its made it much more independent. Much more self-promotional. And possible to be self promoting. Going through the old traditional venues, trying to be discovered has fallen by the wayside. A lot of people are promoting themselves. I would say that would be the biggest thing. Being able to get your info out there without other people to pay.

We have not tapped into that like we should have. We are not on Twitter. We want to get better. There are some things we are saving up for. For instance, a video camera. We need to get some videos online. As we are rolling around, it will all follow. There was no reason to promote ourselves when we were not out playing.

Do you guys have jobs outside of music?

Unfortunately. (Laughs) I have two kids to support. I have had about a million people tell us we need a manager. All very much committed and dedicated to it.

Where do you guys practice?

At our bass player’s house in Pendleton. He has an upstairs room, drum kit that stays in there. That’s a plus for the drummer. We have some decent speakers; it’s a nice little setup. We have ears and monitors run through those. For a house, it’s pretty good.

I see you guys are on Facebook, but you just said that you’re not on Twitter.

Not on Twitter. What’s Twitter? (Laughs) We will be on there soon. John is going to Tweet daily… hourly…

What’s a typical Friday night look like for you?

For me, if it’s not a show, it’s being at home with my kids and wife.  I have mellowed out a lot. You have to. We still like going out, playing shows, because that’s when it is time to get out. I am pretty boring, honestly.

Tell me more about OurStage.

John perused that avenue first. It was an accident. I found it through John Mayer. We started entering contests. One of the contests was to open for Hanson or John Mayer. They did a contest for every city, but you could only sign up for cities around you. We played top ten in eleven different cities. We found out later that we had no resume, which we didn’t. We were just starting. No shows to show. It was a no brainer. All we had was one song. It’s reassuring, but still.

What’s City Rouse? By the way, I love that design. Tell me more!

There is a guy that I grew up with; a natural artist… he is a great artist. Man, that guy is unreal. Anyway, it was the name of our first EP. It was four songs out of a home recording studio. It was a way to get in the door to get in. Whatever we do, it has some sort of significance behind it.

What are you drinking on stage?

Mostly water. Alcohol affects my scene. I have to wait until after the show to have a beer. Sometimes I like to drink beer through the sax; we’d dance a little more.

Do you guys ever play outside of Indianapolis?

Since we are just getting back into it again, we want to play at The Bluebird down in Bloomington. We would love to play some places in Chicago and Kentucky. We were barely in it long enough to start branching out. We are selective, and we don’t want to be a bar band that’s in the background for people that are there to listen to. We want people to be there to listen to us on purpose.

What would you be doing if you were not performing?

Writing music.

Tell me more about Tammy Lin and your relationship with her and her organization.

We played a show at a warehouse in Muncie. It was packed. It was basically to promote Christian bands in Muncie. They wanted us to get on board initially. The venue was a testing ground for starting to promote shows. She wasn’t affiliated with that, but she lived upstairs and owned the building.

She heard us, didn’t come down and listen to the bands, but she said she came down when we started to play. She contacted us; went through three different people. She is motivated. Very motivated; gets what she wants. She wanted us involved with Eldenware. They provide an outlet to at-risk youths. They make their own clothing and donate the proceeds, and getting them plugged into music programs. They kind of mentor them through the outlet instead of leaving them to the streets. It’s still in the startup phase. She actually married a guy through the process.

She paid for a demo of one of our tracks. She wanted to get people together from all walks of life. Somehow she met a black guy from Muncie. He’s still helping outreach kids. He collaborated with us. He’s actually a poet. She wants to use this in a rollout to investors. The concept of the song; she felt captured. She is just a really motivated person.

Now she lives in New York and is trying to launch it from there. She is random like that. She used to call and talk for two hours in the middle of the night. She is up all hours of the night always doing something.

Beltauer Records recorded Legacy of Chains. How did you discover that record label and what made you decide to work with them?

We went to this church in Anderson, and we met the bass player. He’s in his mid 50s, and now lives somewhere else. He heard my stuff and believed in me, had faith in me. He wanted to record in his studio. He wanted to cross promote. He helped me out big time. We covered the Disc Makers cost. He’s a good producer and has good input.

I know Jon McLaughlin has been through there. He has some really good studio musicians to work with. Just fit it in every Monday. I would go there and record for a little bit. He did me a huge favor. Donated a lot of time and had a lot of faith in me. As a result, I will have a CD in my hands very soon.

Where do you see yourselves in five years?

At The Gorge. I have learned that if you don’t get thick skin quick, if you take every show or every piece of criticism, you will never make it. No one who ever made it had a full show every time they played. If we really believe in ourselves, and are really motivated we can meet that goal.

What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?

Someone that left a good legacy, as a band. Something positive, even though not everything is positive. Something of meaning. To contribute to society rather than to contribute to the problems. It’s for the next generation. Also for having fun at live shows, and selfish motives at time. It’s exciting to play in front of people.

I always let the artist get the last word. Go.

Thanks to anyone who supports us. Thanks to anyone who gives us a chance. We don’t think we are anything special, but we can’t be anything without our fans. We think we have something different. We want people to come out and experience it themselves. We are confident that you will like it and we hope to see you out there.

Good rock and roll is hard to come by. When I first heard these guys, I just knew I had to meet them. Not only do they produce some incredible tunes, with great lyrics to match, they also are doing it for the right reason. If you just look at them, you would never think that God is a major influence for them. Not sure I would classify their music as Christian rock, but it’s close. Just look at a band like Outer Sanctum. Those guys are just about as hard as this band, and they are classified as Christian rock. Either way, the guys in this band are not only incredible talented with all of their respective instruments, they are also just really nice guys. I had the chance to sit down with them a couple of weeks ago, and am extremely excited to introduce you to Protest For Pluto.

So I just have to know where you guys came up with the name.

That’s a question we hear quite a bit. How did we come up with the name? Our first name was Feedback. It was real generic. My dad would come home every day with a list full of names. We eventually just looked through the list, and found a name. Our fans just called PFP.

Did you know that Pluto is no longer a planet?

We are really upset about that. I don’t lose sleep every night, but it’s a little frustrating. It does make me mad. Now what is it?

It’s really frustrating. They demoted it to a moon. A space rock maybe? It’s just a big space rock. Speaking of space, Space Jam was a good movie. I used to have a toy of the “green one”. I don’t think they had names.

So you guys are “Christian metal/rock”. How can you be a Christian band AND a metal band?

See, I would almost call it hard rock rather than metal. People ask us about that all the time. Growing up, in a Christian home, Christian heavy metal didn’t exist. There are so many Christian hard rock bands our there. Red was just on Conan and Leno. Skillet is doing really well. The genre is really on the up rise. We are in it to connect with fans, to make good music, and to spread God’s kingdom with our music. We play hard rock music with Christian lyrics. There is no such thing as Christian music… its just Christian lyrics.

Hard rock music with Christian lyrics is the best way to describe it. We hope that we rock hard enough and have a fun enough stage show, that people who are not aware of Christ, that people still dig it. People expect us to be some weird gospel band. Some people can only be reached through certain channels. Some people might not like pop music; they need to hear the lyrics to know what they are about.

It’s not our job to change lives. We are just lucky to be God’s vessels to allow Him to change lives.

Who writes all of the lyrics?

Our lead singer writes all of the lyrics. Sometimes we set down and write lyrics together. That’s something I would like to do more often. Its fun to have the band’s input. When it comes to the music, we all write that together.

Someone will have a riff, bring it to practice, and keep “cutting the fat” until it’s a decent track. It’s a “learn piece of music” if you will.

All of you guys have nicknames. What’s that all about?

We all got them in weird ways. I am Shred. I worked at an automotive shop for a while. For some reason started calling me shred. It’s the long hair.

(Adam) I used to have a flattop for like five years. I went to a vocational school, for auto mechanics and our teacher gave us all nicknames. One guy would try to fix everything with a hammer… they called him ding. I’m serious; it’s a terrible nickname. That teacher just stated called me Sarge. Just picked out the flat top and started calling me that.

(Jarob) I whip my hair around like the Muppets. Do you remember the show Super Group? Sarge then started calling me a “savage animal”. Then Animal.

(TJ) I made mine stick. Jarob randomly called me Texas Two Step, and since I didn’t have one, it stuck. I was the only one without one. It was hard to find a nickname for me. He said that, I laughed so hard, and guys I am made it stick. I drove it into the ground and it eventually stuck. They all call me Texas or Two Step.

Our other member, we call him Sludge. He has a beard, dreadlocks… kind of sludgy. That’s a good adjective for him. It’s usually untrimmed.

Where are you guys based?

New Castle, Indiana. Or Middletown, Indiana. We all went to Shenandoah high school. We usually tell folks where New Castle is. We hardly ever play there, its just where we are.

Do you have jobs outside of music?

Oh yeah! Boy do we. I am a full time student at Anderson University. Three of us work at Buffalo Wild Wings. Our band manager also works there, as a manager. He runs our lives. He helps get shifts covered when we have a show. We get the days off we need. We have one that just go to high school. Great people work for it.

So you are from New Castle. Does that mean you guys like to drink New Castle beer?

I like it. I don’t drink it all the time. I think it’s a good beer. Some of us have never had it, but I have seen the bottle caps. I used to drink it in LA; it’s pretty good.

Speaking of beer, what are you drinking on stage?

Water. Warm water. (Laughs) Some of us like it cold, but mostly warm. Maybe room temperature. Hopefully the room is not like 90 degrees.

I have not had the chance to see you guys perform yet. What can someone expect from seeing you guys live?

For us, to give it our all. We have worked really hard, we have heard a lot, and want a great live show. We are a new school rock band. We believe in the old school vibe of rock and roll. We go as crazy as we can in that forty-five minutes.

We want to get the crowd on their feet. I believe that we bring real high energy to the stage. We do it because we want to. It’s more fun if you give it your all. You can’t help it; it just happens. I might bite the head off of a dove next week. That’s what’s next!

How do you think the Internet has changed the current state of the music industry?

It’s nuts. It’s all about a networking via social media now. If you are a band, and don’t have a Facebook, that’s just hard. That’s how people; even MySpace is becoming obsolete. Online music… you can buy one song, not the album. It’s getting harder for bands to sell physical copies. If someone likes one song, they can go online and get that one song. It’s a blessing… and a curse for bands that are trying to produce and sell a whole record.

That’s something we are trying to do with this new album. It’s going to be on iTunes and CD Baby. We are not sure that works yet. It could be a really big help.

What’s a typical Friday night look like for you?

Usually, if not playing, we most likely have a gig Saturday. Usually Friday we spend rehearsing for the show. Maybe recording. The weekend is always band time. Maybe watching a movie on Friday night. We always make a trip t a certain gas station, get some candy. We love having candy and watching movies together. We love hanging out. Sometimes practice on Saturday, pack up, and head out.

That’s actually pretty typical. Practice and a movie.

What’s the biggest crowd you have ever played for?

3,000 maybe. Break the Grey; he goes to school in a certain county and does these assemblies. He has a big concert and it’s a big Christian revival. We were introduced to the event years ago, and he had us open for him once. We played at the New Castle Fieldhouse for like 3,000 people.

The smallest?

Oh, I got this one. Our smallest crowd was in a back yard. A preacher who runs a funeral home asked us to do the show. He was willing to pay us a lot of money to play for his youth group. We come to find out that there were five kids and a few adults. They all sat there in the grass… we played on their porch. It was very small, and we were playing next to a wooden swing. It was so weird!

One of us was wearing gym shorts.

Who are some of your biggest influences?

This will take a lot of time! Our biggest influence is God. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without Him. He gives us grace and talent to do this.

In regards to music, we enjoy KISS; classic rock. Then I got into hair metal. We love music and good music is… good music. Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, AC/DC… Avenge Sevenfold. They are fantastic and talented. The Beatles are also one of our favorite bands. Eric Karr, from KISS, the second KISS drummer, was really good.

Disciple, a Christian hard rock band, is another big one. They are good guys and good role models. Their stage presence… we want to model ourselves after that. The first band that got some of us into rock and roll was Def Leppard. Between those two, and Avenge Sevenfold.

Tell me a little bit more about Call Before You Dig.

We were on a walk one day, and at the time we were trying to figure a name for the album. I was talking with God, and I wanted to come up with some good names. I thought of a couple, went to tie my shoe… it was on a green electrical box. It said, “Call Before You Dig”. I put it down in my phone and told the guys. Everyone liked it.

The meaning behind it, for us, is before we play a show, or even before a meal, we all pray and we pray for a good show, good sound, and stuff like that. We call Him before we go digging.

We worked on this album for a very long time now. It’s going to be a lot heavier than our first one. That one was classic rock; pretty straightforward. We have been working on this one for years. We are really proud of the songs. My dad has been calling it Chinese Democracy. With that album, they finally did it, but it was fourteen years in the making. The mixing starts soon, and we are looking for a late spring release.

What’s the best concert you have ever been to?

Oh man, that’s hard! Not sure we could all agree on one. I would have to say KISS. TSO was awesome. They are amazing. I would highly recommend seeing them. It’s fun if you are into music, into staging. The lighting and the stage show… its some of the best. But KISS or Disciple. It was the original KISS.

Boston was great; all the music sounded like CD. But the last Disciple show was amazing. So either KISS or Disciple.

Josh, you and Jarob are brothers. Does that ever get in the way of producing great music?

We see pretty eye to eye on everything. It helps. We have been playing together for years. We started off, and we were both playing at the same time… and we just jammed together. Our whole band is really tight and if something is a little off… all I have to do it look at him and he knows. It’s pretty cool. We only get in fights about stupid stuff; usually have nothing to do with the band.

Do you ever just use the acronym PFP?

Oh yes. I am trying to decide which is more common, PFP or Protest For Pluto. PFP might be more common. It’s just a lot easier to say. Usually when I say PFP, they say, “What?” They say it really fast. PFP works. If sounds really good as a chant, too. PFP! PFP! PFP!

You guys ever travel outside of Indiana for a show?

Yeah, we have played in Chicago. We have played down in Kentucky. Ohio. Michigan. We mainly play in the Midwest. We are planning a tour this summer. We are working with a booking agent and hopefully get us out there on the road this summer. We are really pumped about that.

You have some pretty sweet photos online. Who does all of your professional photography?

Lisa Hillman. She is actually my girlfriend’s mom. She just started taking photos of us years ago. She makes it to every show, and takes really professional shots. She works with other bands she takes photos of a lot of groups. Her main focus is on us though! She really loves doing it.

Our manager devotes a lot of time for us. They really believe in what they do. It’s awesome to have that support. Mark is always staying up late and helping us out. He’s not a WISE guy, but he’s a wise man. He always looks tired.

Do you ever forget the words to your own songs?

Occasionally, it’s happened. Usually not on stage. Sometimes at practice I will forget the word sometimes. It has not happened live for a long time. You feel really stupid if you do! Even if some of the new people notice if we do that. I try not to do that!

What’s the story with the graveyard? Was that just a cool setting for you or is there a deeper meaning?

It was based around “call before you dig” You know… Dig. Shovels. Grave. Death. Well, death has nothing to do with it. We are very blessed.

Who is your #1 fan?

Zach Shepherd. He has been with us for years. He is the unofficial sixth member. He is giving out autographs now. People want HIS autograph. He has been a great fan. He really gets the crowd going. We even ask his input on writing songs. We care about his feedback. He doesn’t play music; but he likes us and he will be honest with us.

Our parents have put a lot of stock in us too. We don’t deserve it; we are not helping them out. We don’t deserve that at all. They really have a lot of faith in us. They are our biggest fans.

Outer Sanctum recently appeared on a rickyleepotts.com presents six bands for six bucks bill. How do you know those guys? I see you are friends with them on Facebook.

We played with them on a radio show over at WJCF Radio. It’s called The Freak Show; they play Christian rock and play the heavier stuff at night. They play our stuff, and Outer Sanctum stuff as well. They had a big show to celebrate The Freak Show , and we all played. They are just really nice guys. Good Christian guys to be around.

I see some tattoos in there. Who has the most?

Chase has the most. He does his own now. Got a gun and is going crazy. I bet he has ten by now.

You guys are all over the place. You are on Facebook, MySpace, ReverbNation. How do you guys keep all that stuff straight?

Lisa Hillman is our marketing manager. She doesn’t handle Facebook, the band does. Mark handles the ReverbNation. She does our website too. We are pretty excited about it. We have a newsletter you can sign up for. It’s pretty cool!

What’s the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you on stage?

I think the worst is when stuff comes unplugged. I have seen guitars and microphones coming unplugged. Broken strings and stuff like that. Maybe the most embarrassing is when Jarob throws out sticks. In the beginning he thought you had to really fling the sticks pretty hard. He is throwing these sticks. He threw a stick really hard. It hit a kid. It was really scary.

Broken strings were an issue for a while. Nothing too crazy, though. God’s been really good to us in that regard.

Where do you see yourselves in five years?

That’s a tough one. I just hope that we are praising God… if we are as big as a Nickelback… just doing what we do now.

God’s behind things and we are going really well. I think in five years we will be doing this, and will be on a grander scale. We just want to grow, whether in five years or not. I still want to be doing this in five years. The amount that we have grown… we have played with a couple of national acts… traveled to other states. In the last year we have grown a lot.

What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?

That we were just… playing on stage, people love us, and that people just have to go see us perform. Talk to people. We want to be known for just good Christian guys that just like to have a good time and play a rock and roll show.

We want to entertain, reach some people, and bring the word of Christ to everyone. We want to be remembered for being fun, fun to watch, and just guys who gave it all to God. God is always first, but it nice to hear people say, “You are awesome musicians.”

I always let the artist get the last word. Go.

I hope that you check us out. We love meeting new people. We love playing everywhere we can.  We hope that everyone looks into getting our new album too. Call Before You Dig was a long process. We have some shows coming up, check out our website… and if you have not seen the movie The Goonies… watch The Goonies. It’s a fantastic movie!

If we come to your area, please check us out our live show. It is really exciting, and we talk to everyone after we play. If you want to talk to us we will talk to you. Make sure to email us, add us on Facebook… not even as the band, but as friends. On our website we have our personal emails. If you want to talk… have prayer requests. We will get back to you. We want to be friends with everyone.

The boat simply could not sink. That is what people believed as they boarded the Titanic. The ship was to take passengers from Southampton to New York City. She left port on her maiden voyage with 3,547 passengers and 860 crewmembers aboard. The boat set sail on April 10^th, 1912. The ship never made it to New York City. The boat would strike an iceberg and sink to the bottom of the ocean on April 15^th, 1912.

When the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic set sail back in 1912, everyone on board was excited for the journey ahead. The ship was in pristine shape, and was led by Captain Edward J. Smith. Captain Smith was actually set to retire, but was convinced to take the Titanic on her maiden voyage.

Rather than sit here and tell you about the ship, her voyage, and the historic fate of the boat, I wanted to talk to you about the artifact exhibition that was on display at the Indiana State Museum. It was the official artifact exhibition and was on display at the state museum from September 25^th through January 16^th, 2011.

I had the chance to go see the exhibition first hand, and was blown away with the number of artifacts on display and the story that was told as I made my way through the exhibition. I have always been impressed with the way the Indiana State Museum is able to tell a story by the way they display their exhibitions. This was no exception, and it was quite possibly the best exhibit I have seen to date.

The exhibition had over 240 artifacts on display and literally told a story as you traveled from one room to the next. This is the largest collection of Titanic artifacts on display anywhere in the world.

The first room had a few artifacts in it, including some thermometers. This might not seem like a cool artifact at first, but these thermometers still had the mercury intact. Each artifact that has been removed from the debris field is collected and restored separately. These delicate thermometers are over 100 years old, and are sitting here as if they had never been touched.

The Titanic sits over two and half miles below the surface of the ocean. For a recovery mission to take place, it takes nearly two hours to get to the wreck site. Being that far under water, the water pressure is 6,000 pounds per square inch. Because of that, artifacts are literally suffering constant deterioration. It is said that the entire ship itself will disappear due to corrosion within the next fifty years.

Larger Than Life Images on Display

One thing that interested me about the exhibition was the collection of photographs. There were tons of photos on display, some showing the ship being built, others showing passengers just having a good time on board. The images are creepy, to say the least, and the folks at Premier Exhibitions have done a great job preserving these memories to showcase to the world.

The ship was built at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast. She weighed in at 46,328 tons and had a top speed of about 23 knots. To walk through the exhibition and see photos of this ship being built was a great way to appreciate the sheer size of this thing. One of the images on display showed a few of the workers hammering away on the outside of the ship. The hull was built from thousands of one-inch thick steel plates that were secured to the frame of the boat with steel rivets. A few of these rivets were even on display. It is estimated that over three million rivets were used to hold this ship together.

First & Third Class Accommodations

Some of the coolest parts of this exhibition were the room re-creations they had on display. While walking through the exhibit, the first room you come to is a complete re-creation of first class accommodations. Not only did they have the room setup with tables, chairs, beds, and even wallpaper from the time period, they had actors on hand to explain the rooms. There was an older lady and her daughter, and she explained how the first class passengers were treated.

At the time, it would cost you roughly $2,500 to set sail on the Titanic as a first class passenger. To give you an idea of just how expensive that was, it would cost you around $40,000 today. It wasn’t cheap. But with those accommodations you not only had the best possible service imaginable, you got your very own bathroom. That was a big deal back then as second and third class passengers had to share bathrooms with more than one family.

When we got to the room that showcased the third class accommodations, I was shocked at the size of the room. From what the guide said, second class was not much different than first, but third class was all down below the deck. When I saw the room, the first thing that came to mind was a college dorm room. There were four beds to a room, and could hold families of six if need be. There were families that sucked it up and dealt with the small quarters to make it to the USA.

Put a Cork in It

Back then, when the Titanic set sail, beer and wine bottles were not capped as they are today. Corks were used for all bottles. On display they had a handful of wine and beer bottles, some with the corks still intact. As a matter of fact, some of them not only had the corks intact, they still had the liquid inside. Imagine being able to go over two miles to the bottom of the ocean, nearly one hundred years since the ship sank, and recover unopened bottles of wine and beer. They are just cool to look at if nothing else!

Freezing Cold in Here

After seeing all of the accommodations and checking out some more artifacts, you enter a room a little colder than the last. This room was to showcase the actual sinking of the ship. In one corner there was an actual iceberg. The Titanic hit an iceberg, which tore a huge hole in the side of the ship, and you could actually touch an iceberg to see what one feels like.

Another cool thing on display in this room was a tub of water. The water was set to the same temperature it was the night the ship sank. It was cold! I did my open water certification dives in cold water, but this was insane! Seeing as how the ship hit an iceberg, you can imagine how chilly this water was. It was so cold that if you jumped in, you would die within minutes without protection. (Check out an episode of Whale Wars on the Animal Planet. The water they are in is just as cold! Thanks to the Atlantic Ocean I suppose.)

The Before & After Photos

In the same room as the iceberg, there were three large photos on the wall taken at the actual wreck site. One of these images was of a bench. The photo was taken at the wreck site, where there is no light what so ever. The room we were in was dark too, so the creepy feeling I had before was back. But the cool thing about the photos (three in total) was that the actual artifacts were also there. So the bench that you are staring at on the bottom of the ocean was sitting there in the museum for all of us to see.

There was also a stack of dishes that were literally buried in the sand on the bottom of the ocean floor. They were recovered and on display just as they were found.

Did you know that Premier Exhibition, in conjunction with RMS Titanic, Inc. is the only company in the world allowed to visit and to recover artifacts from the debris field? They have been to the wreck eight times, with plans for more dives soon. Also note that no one, not even the RMS Titanic, Inc. is allowed to go onto the ship itself. This is considered an underwater grave and also serves as a sign of respect for the lives lost on that chilly morning.

Did You Make It?

When you first enter the exhibition, you are handed a boarding pass. On the back of the boarding pass is some detailed information about an actual passenger on the RMS Titanic. As you go through, you can’t help but think about that passenger. You learn your name, your class, and who you were with on the boat. This really comes into play in the last room of the exhibition.

When you enter the last room, on one wall is a huge dossier of the entire list of passengers on the ship. It breaks it down by class and those who survived versus those who perished. You can literally walk over and see if you survived or died the night the ship sank. It’s a creepy, yet heartwarming touch to the exhibition. It makes you feel for those lives lost, and the closest thing I could compare it to would be those affected by the attack on the twin towers on 9/11.

The exhibition is making its way around from city to city, state to state, and country to country. The exhibition strives to tell a new story each time it goes on display, and the artifacts literally change with each and every stop along the way. This exhibition at the Indiana State Museum was the largest collection of artifacts every brought together at once, and was the first time the Titanic ever stopped by the Hoosier state.

I am sure you have seen the blockbuster film featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, but nothing comes close to seeing these artifacts up close and personal. Until you have seen this exhibition you have not experienced the Titanic. The last survivor of the shipwreck passed away in 2009 and while there might not be anyone left on earth that remembers that dreadful night, the artifacts continue to live on. I am honored that I was able to take part in this exhibit, and I look forward to learning more about the ship as time goes by.

Please take a moment of silence for all of the men, women, and children that lost their lives that night.

Expeditions to recover Titanic artifacts have been a collaborative effort between RMS Titanic, Inc.; The French Oceanographic Institute; and the Moscow-based P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology. These expeditions have been conducted at the Titanic’s wreck site, located 963 miles northeast of New York and 453 miles southeast of the Newfoundland coastline, during the summers of 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2004.

Nautile and MIR submersibles are used for the recovery in Expeditions 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1998; these machines are equipped with mechanical arms capable of scooping, grasping, and recovering the artifacts, which are then either collected in sampling baskets, or placed in lifting baskets. The crew compartment of each submersible accommodates three people – a pilot, a co-pilot, and an observer – who each have a one-foot-thick plastic porthole between themselves and the depths. Both submersibles have the capabilities of operating and deploying a remote-controlled vehicle (RCV) on a 110-foot tether which is then flown inside the wreck to record images.

In the 2004 Expedition, the Remora 6000 Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) was used for the recovery of objects. This ROV was controlled from the surface via ROV pilots.

It takes over two and a half hours to reach the Titanic wreck site. Each dive lasts about twelve to fifteen hours with an additional two hours to ascend to the surface. Each recovered artifact must then undergo conservation following carefully designed processes to remove rust and salt deposits from each object.

Pulling Items from the Deep

Once an artifact leaves the water and is exposed to the air, it must undergo an immediate stabilization process to prevent further deterioration. When recovered from salt water, artifacts are cleaned with a soft brush and placed in foam-lined tubs of fresh water. Once received at the conservation laboratory, contaminating surface salts are removed from each artifact. After a period of six months to two years, artifacts can be conserved using treatments that are compatible with each artifact’s construction materials.

For instance, metal objects are placed in a desalination bath and undergo the first steps of electrolysis, a process that removes negative ions and salt from the artifact. Electrolysis is now being used to remove salts from paper, leather, and wood as well. These materials also receive treatments of chemical agents and fungicides that remove rust and fungus from them.

Artifacts made of paper are first freeze-dried to remove water and are then cleaned with specialized vacuums and hand tools to remove dirt and debris. Leather artifacts are soaked or injected with a water-soluble wax which replaces voids previously filled by water and debris. Artifacts are displayed in specially designed cases where temperature, relative humidity and light levels can be controlled, protecting the artifacts from these three agents of deterioration. The artifacts displayed have been conserved and are continuously monitored and maintained so that they can be shown in the Exhibition as well as preserved for the future.