Show & tell with Tele Novella

Fashionable blankets, cool vintage cars and time-twisting styles and sounds by Tele Novella; photographed by Julian Neel.

Natalie Ribbons and Jason Chronis of Tele Novella are readying their debut Kill Rock Stars release with Merlynn Belle arriving in early 2021, chocked full of modernist delights with that phonograph-tube bulb shine. The singles like “Words that Stay” entertain decadent dalliances, while "Technicolor Town" finds the duo slipping into the celluloid streams of cinematic consciousness and vaudeville plays of lovers, heroes and villains. Natalie and Jason break through today’s digital doldrums to inhabit a romantic world of art house affections and playhouse escapes into what feels like an alternate dimension (comprised of classic throwback aesthetics). Join the two now as they present the following exclusive curation:

Tele Novella’s Week in Pop

Alisa Gorshenina aka Alice Hualice

Alice Hualice by Jack Davison and Nell Kalonji; courtesy of AnOther Magazine.

I discovered Alice Hualice though the random algorithms of Instagram about two and a half years ago, and she has massively grown in popularity since those days. Alisa is a Russian artist creating inspiring imagery that feels both very old and very new. It's surrealist, I would say, and it feels political at times. I'm extremely inspired by the wearable, interactive pieces she creates and the world she builds with those pieces. Her photographs, installations, costumes and paintings all are part of this tactile and folkloric fantasy of the past, but through a completely refreshing and playful modern gaze. On one hand, it's intricate and handmade. Lots of visual references to laborious craftsmanship and cultural complexity. On the other hand, it feels almost improvisational, with a sort of unfinished-hems-and-loose-seams kind of vibe. I'm not the best at describing art and I honestly don't know the artist's intention with her work, but what I do know is that I am endlessly inspired by this brilliant artist and what she is creating resonates deeply with me.

Pascal Baudar — Preserving Foods, Wild Food Artist

Olive picking with Pascal Baudar; press photo courtesy of Urban Outdoor Skills.

Since the advent of COVID-19, my interest in the culinary world has gone up a notch, particularly in the world of ferments, preserves, and wild harvesting. I don't claim to be especially knowledgeable in this realm as I am a total beginner, but my interest has been steadily growing, and I think that preserving food is an extremely important component in the future of sustainable food and living. It's such an interesting time to explore this because we are only just beginning to rediscover a lot of ancestral knowledge where food-as-medicine is concerned. Homemade vinegars, fermented home grown vegetables, wild-harvested dandelion greens and non-dairy cheeses from amply-available ingredients like acorns are all examples of foods that Pascal Baudar has been making as he shares his processes and techniques. To me, this is very exciting work, not only because it's delicious or sustainable, but also because it is beautiful! This is one of the many areas where food can be art, and it can nourish us in more ways than one.

The Cool Blue Flame radio show on WFMU by "Little Danny"

Little Danny on the ones and twos; press photo appears courtesy of WFMU.

Jason—the only other permanent band member besides myself in Tele Novella—is a record collector and record dealer, and he just has the very best taste, in my opinion. It's pretty seldom that we disagree on what we consider to be "good music" and Jason has introduced me to an endless amount of music that I adore in the nine years we've spent together. One of my favorite sources for exciting forgotten music is a radio show by a good friend of Jason's, Little Danny. He lives in Marfa, TX but hosts the WFMU show (of New York City) remotely. The first time that Jason played this radio show for me was in the wee hours of a long drive on tour, and the whole band was instantly hooked! There's definitely a lot of pretty obscure stuff there as well as quite a stimulating variety, though it all seems to magically fit into this aesthetic soundscape that Danny has carved out. I highly recommend it for practically anyone! On the website, the genre spectrum is described: Postwar Atmospherica. High bop modernism and Afro-latin sounds. Twilight exotica and soundtrack moods, soul stompers and weepers...lonely country, lonelier rock n' roll... it goes on and on with more enticing descriptions. I urge you to listen for yourself!

The Limitations of Analog

From left, Jason & Natalie of Tele Novella; photographed by Julian Neel.

You know that old cliché about artists being inspired by limitations? Well, IT'S FREAKING TRUE. The best advice I have for creatives of any kind is, do NOT give yourself too many options. The fewer the better. I really and truly believe that the path to good ideas will be much shorter the less time you spend deliberating on smaller details. I know some people will read this and strongly disagree, thinking of all of the beautiful options they get to choose from with digital post-production—filters, effects, editing, stuff like that. These options can lead to art-making that just wasn't possible when those tools didn't exist. I can appreciate that there are aspects of having more options that may be beneficial, but the problem is that it's just too much, and it's weighing down the journey.

Creating good ideas is a process that can be boiled down to having a dialogue, be it with yourself, another collaborator or maybe just another person's idea. In that dialogue, a series of decisions are made and the fewer decisions you have to make in that process, the sooner you arrive at your artistic response. I have found that switching to analog technologies have just the right amount of limitations for my own process, and it's been utterly liberating. We've been recording all our music to a Tascam cassette 8-track and taking most of our photos using film photography. What you present is the result that you get, and so you need to sound how you want to sound and look how you want to look going into it—no overwhelming buffet of endless options to alter the sounds and images once they are committed. So, make it sound good now, not later. Be honest, and don't overthink things. Point and shoot! I love it so much.

Sewing and Repairing

In this highly disposable world where we are drowning in fast fashion and crappy everything, it's highly satisfying to make time for honing basic sewing and darning skills to fix your clothes that are worth the effort! I am a big lover of vintage clothing and sell vintage clothes for a living because I love the quality fabrics and construction in older garments. I would rather wear an old 1940s rayon dress with patched armpits and mismatched buttons than a poorly-made synthetic garment from Forever 21 that was put together by underpaid workers. I recently inherited a pretty decent sewing machine and have been getting a bit better using it, but hand-sewing is always great too! I've come to enjoy a sense of pride and appreciation towards my clothing when I patch holes and replace buttons.

Tele Novella's new album Merlynn Belle will be available February 5 from Kill Rock Stars.