al isu Au V di View some of “S Nexus audio editor- o u n the AP art s Stone Irvin reviews e t C class’ best S Heavy Mojo, and u p William VanDerK- work, along e r n with a re- o loot tells us how to v a ” view of the update the sound b 2 o y 6 D book Bringing y system in our cars. l a n n E o d s m n Down the House. e m n ru t s o t R Atlan e ta ’s Art teacher John Brand- M n horst explains how and u 1why to live life outside the box. Senior Brandon s i c t Sheats discusses the real problems that plague 8downtown Atlanta. s rie ge a n e Nexus10 takes a M look at five local artists. From up-and- coming ex-Grady rappers Cramer’s Corner makes a return with the low to a well-established blues 2down on hurricanes and re band, Atlanta’s music scene cyclones. Don’t miss the tu has something for all tastes. hottest events in the u month of November. o C 0 The fashion c o m m u n - ity comes 1t o g e t h e r with the Fashion Cares event to raise $375,000 for AIDS and 6Breast Cancer research. Cover art by Forrest Aguar, Erik Belgum, Carson Hale and Robert Nonemaker. nexus Special thanks to Mr. Brandhorst and his Volume 2 Issue 1 drawing class. October-November 2005 Contributing Writers see Vincent Martinez- Art (Fashion) Teacher From Martinez teaches five fashion classes at Grady. He believes that dressing hip comes The from knowing who you are, not from the designer brands that you wear– though it helps. Staff Brandon Sheats- Senior This is Nexus’ third issue. Our greatest concern last year Brandon, the slacker, has only one goal: to get continues to be our concern now, a lack of voluntary sub- out of high school as fast as possible. He doesn’t missions. Nexus was founded so that all students at Grady care what value school has to anyone else, he could be a part of it. Being a sister publication to The just needs to go to Yale. Maybe Reed. After Southerner, we don’t have the manpower to create a well- taking a year off, to write, of course. written, timely publication on our own. Nexus is designed William VanDerKloot- Senior to be an outlet for the students (and teachers and parents) Willam, after being forced under a desk of Grady to write about subjects that aren’t in The South- and held at gunpoint for more than erner. Nexus is a place for you to tell us about that obscure three hours, used a variety of kung- band that’s really good, or to put forth an issue that really nu techniques, learned from a fellow matters to you. Grady student, to disarm his assailants. We have struggled to get non-Southerner students to Asa Beal- Junior submit writing, and we have yet to succeed in our goal The Catholic Church better hope it doesn’t of becoming a true outlet for all Grady students. One of ever get stuck with a Pope Tex, Jed, or Billy the main reasons for starting Nexus was to bridge the gap because with the problems they’ve already between magnet and non-magnet students. Where else got I’m not sure they could recover from a at Grady can you describe a great album, review a little blow like that. known, low-budget movie or tell about some cool gadget Nathaniel Reuter- Senior you just got for your birthday. Nate Reuter is currently a senior at Geogia If you want to write something but don’t have any ideas, Sate University High School. He takes a come and talk to (or email) Mr. Winter or any of the editors, grueling three classes a week and has a and we’ll be glad to give you an idea. As you flip through fruitful career as a Chinese food delivery this issue, notice all the different subjects that are covered boy. Music is relatively important to him. by our writers. Any album, any movie, any topic that you Chelsea Cook- Senior care about and want to express is welcome. Nothing is “Nickelodeon recently announced off-limits. that they will begin airing SpongeBob We are struggling to become a true nexus on campus. Squarepants in China. Now Chinese workers can see what the hell they’ve This magazine cannot exist without support of the Grady been making all of this time.” -SNL community. We also would like submissions from people that are not students or faculty from Grady. Our readers in John Brandhorst- Art Teacher the greater community are more than welcome to submit. Brandhorst ironically spends much of his You would add another view, other than that of an educa- time building boxes when he is not trying tor or a student. To those of you who haven’t submitted, to break out of them. He is actually only 23 please consider making this magazine truly a product of years old and doesn’t really care what that yellowing birth certificate says. Grady’s student body and community. Nexus: a publication of The Southerner Volume 2 Issue 1 Staff: Lee Allen, Jessica Baer, Jeffrey Advertising: Nexus is a non-profit Submissions: Nexus is a submission- Carpenter, Alastair Carter-Boff, Stone organization that relies on advertising based publication that relies on your Irvin, Sam Johnson, Madeleine Webb. to generate revenue to cover printing submissions for its content. Nexus Managing Editor: Micah Weiss and maintenance costs. Nexus is read accepts submissions for all of its Print Staff: by approximately 1,500 people and is sections and features (submissions Alvin Hambick, Harlon Heard, Michael a great way to publicize your business. may be edited for length or content). Jackson, Adlai McClure, Charlotte To advertise with Nexus, contact Dave Submission forms are located in the Napper, Benjamin Shaw Winter at [email protected]. Southerner room, or can be obtained Founding Editors: Harrison Martin Nexus is a bimonthly publication of: from Mr. Winter. For more information, and Micah Weiss Henry W. Grady High School or to turn a submission in, please Adviser: Dave Winter 929 Charles Allen Drive NE contact Mr. Winter or any member of Design Editor: Alex Daniels Atlanta, GA 30309 the staff at [email protected]. audio Heavy Mojo provides innovative sound in age ruled by mediocrity When I first heard about Heavy Mojo, dead punk era, and R&B has lost the I immediately thought of a bad ‘80s soul present in its earliest singers. Heavy hair band. As I logged onto a site to Mojo has combined hip hop, rock, and hear their debut album, It Is What It Is, funk into a flawed but different sound. feelings of dread mounted until I finally I feel that hip hop has a tendency to worked up the courage to push play. I produce a high level of music that is was surprised to find that Heavy Mojo lyrically uninspiring. Few stars rap about is not a bad ‘80s rip-off; instead they anything other than how rich they are, are an interesting group that brings or they merely imitate lyrical legends. together the genres of hip-hop, funk Rock ‘n’ roll today has a similar problem and rock. with a focus on how crazy and hardcore While blending the three styles is it can be. Punk rock in particular focuses certainly ambitious, the group has on a narrow sound that imitates bands managed to make it’s music and from the ‘80s. I hope one day they sound pretty good. The band’s music figure out that you can’t be successful Noel St. John is all about the old-school sound. Many by trying to recreate someone else’s of Heavy Mojo’s songs deal directly music. with the bland and uninspired music This growing stagnation has had me industry, which manufactures cookie- worried about music’s future. In my life cutter thugs such as 50 Cent. Instead I haven’t heard a single piece of music of relying on an image, Heavy Mojo that showed that our generation might written change of pace; Heavy Mojo delivers it’s lyrics, and talent right to produce a group as powerful as The delivers consistently good music in an your waiting eardrums. Beatles. Heavy Mojo and a small group ever-changing style. Throughout history, music’s evolution of artists working to combine and Heavy Mojo has given me hope for has relied heavily on the combination recreate their genres have given me a the wayward music industry. Perhaps of different genres and the contribution little hope that music will recover from the money-grubbing producers will be of many different cultures. The music this disgusting lapse in originality. pushed to the wayside or change their business, however, is stuck in a rut. In The quality I most like about Heavy wicked ways, changing the industry for recent years, hip-hop, rock ‘n’ roll and Mojo is it’s diversity of sound. One the better. Maybe, just maybe, Heavy R&B have begun to focus only on their track may be an all-out bass blasting Mojo will find a place in American music own scenes, and stagnation has left the rush, while the next could be a slow, history, as the band that changed while industries in their respective dilemmas.