GENES #11 - Andrew Verret (@andrew.gloom)
The GENEs behind Andrew's favorite punk leather jacket.
Introductions
In January 2018, during the last week of my winter break from teaching, I finally mustered up the courage to head out and attempt to take photos of the people in the neighborhood I was living in (east van). I had been observing clothing and subculture trends in the neighborhood for a couple years prior and was always interested in photography, so I figured it could be a fun hobby, but talking to strangers was definitely not something I was used to at the time. To say I was nervous is an understatement. Approaching someone randomly on the street and ask if I could take their photo was way outside the realm of anything I had ever done before. I knew there were people out there dressed in a way that was unique and interesting, but I was unsure of how people would react to me asking them for a photo.
Vancouver, for those of you who are not from here, is generally known as a place where people keep to themselves, especially in their day-to-day travels around the neighborhoods on the streets. Luckily, on that first day, I had a few really good experiences, which fueled me to continue taking photos to this day.
The reason I am starting this GENEs with this story is; Andrew (@andrew.gloom) was one of the first people I asked for a photo. I remember it so clearly. I’ve taken thousands of photos since then and there are a few interactions and portraits, his included, that are etched into my brain.
There was nothing extraordinary about the interaction. I fumbled around my opening line, asking him to move his position on the street, and almost dropping my camera. But, his kindness and openness to stop for a photo gave me the bit of confidence I needed to keep working on my craft. If he had been dismissive, rude, or straight up ignored me, who knows if I would have even continued on taking photos that day or at all.
I recall taking a quick photo and he asked me what the project was about, I don’t remember exactly what he said, but it was something along the lines of “oh, there are tons of cool people here, you’ll get lots of photos”, and then we both went our separate ways. He was definitely observing something similar as I was, since he was likely on his way to work at F as in Frank, a vintage and reworking staple on Main St..
Since that first day, I have continued to run into Andrew during my time walking the streets. I try my hardest not to bug the same people constantly for photos, so I often have to stop myself from asking him for a photo regularly. His style crosses boundaries and genres, and has changed and evolved over the years, all while keeping true to his own tastes, which has been so fun to see and I have been fortunate to photograph him a handful of times.
Although I have been following him on Instagram for a while, and have quick chats with him in the neighborhood, I had never sat down and spent time with him, so I was excited to have this opportunity to hear what creative things he is working on and for him to share the GENEs story of this favorite jacket.
Andrew Gloom
Andrew, originally from White Rock, moved to East Van the same year I took his photo to pursue his creative endeavors of writing and recording music. His taste and capabilities span many influences as I hope to reveal through this piece. He started his music endeavors DJing hip-hop and rap sets and while he had started to find some success opening for bigger acts and getting some unique opportunities, his interests started to shift and he decided to take some time off and work in a different direction. He’s now moved to making 80’s sounding recordings, inspired by his own love for the genre and some clearly nostalgic memories of listening to that type of music growing up with his family. He is currently in control of all aspects of his music, from writing all the way through to recording and production.
His 2023 EP “How to beat the devil” gets a frequent spin on my Spotify as I think he has a unique ability to use the 80’s soundscape to produce vibrant and nostalgic soundscapes while still pushing the genre of the past forward in his own unique way. It also has a very authentic “east van” feel to it, I am not really able to put my finger on it, but like me, Andrew is a huge fan of the culture and vibe of Commercial Drive, and I find his music often hits just right as I do my laps through the neighborhood.
Although he left the DJing behind for a bit, he can still be found playing some nights in the neighborhood at different events, namely at Cardio, a monthly party hosted by local DJ’s at the Biltmore, where again, his musical taste and range can be seen pushing into totally different areas, on this stage, namely House music.
As he was bringing me up to speed about his history and career in music, he was mentioning he is currently in the process of recording a new album and was actually on the way to film a music video in Victoria, both things I am definitely excited to check out soon.
We continued to talk about music, recording programs, and exchanging the names bands and artists that influenced us growing up, when he then finally pulled out his leather jacket.
Andrews Custom Leather Punk Jacket
Andrew smiled as he turned towards his faded canvas bag that was sitting beside us while we drank our coffee. He reached in and pulled out a dark black, studded, leather jacket. It slumped out of his bag and onto his lap and as he turned it over, I kept catching glimpses of different pieces of art done in a light gray, with the space between adorned with iconic studded pattern you’d classically see in a punk scene.
I, by no means, am a punk-jacket aficionado, and would likely never own one myself, but I do believe I know a nice one when I see one. Back in my late teens and early twenties, I went through a bit of a “emo/hardcore/rock” phase, going to small shows and festivals in the St. Catharines scene, as well as attending more “classic rock” gigs with my dad, all of which have their fair share of leather adorned fans. Complimentary to that, through all the photos I’ve taken in East Van and those in the neighborhood who adorn their well used leather, it’s safe to say at this point, I’ve seen a fair amount of studded leather jackets.
As he moved it around to explain the different pieces of art, I immediately could tell this was a custom job and a quality piece. It was heavy, the studs were real metal, and the art was hand painted/drawn. Knowing he had worked at F as in Frank and other clothing retailers in the area, I assumed this was a very lucky vintage find; the punk band names and graphics that were painted on were quite far from the hip-hop, 80’s, and House music we had already been talking about…
Andrew explained:
This was done by a friend, Will, who I met when I was working at F as in Frank back in 2018. He was a frequent customer at the shop and would come in every once in a while to buy leather jackets, and I didn’t really know what he was doing with them. Then, one day when he was in, we got to chatting about them. It turned out, he was originally from California and moved to Vancouver for a time, and he makes these jackets. He pulled up Google at one point and just googled “authentic punk jackets” and pointed out all of the ones he had made. He’s pretty well known in those circles.
With no social media and a very punk DIY ethos, Will produces these jackets and sells them to those in the know. At the time, Andrew asked him for one, Will agreed and when the perfect leather jacket came into the store, Andrew scooped it up, bought the metal and told him the graphics he wanted. Will came back a little while later with this jacket completed. The art is all done by paint pen, sharpie, and black ballpoint, with beautiful accuracy and detail. The branding is all recognizable, but unique, surrounded by meticulously hand punched, heavy-duty, metal studs.
The bands which adorn the jacket are all of Andrews favorite punk bands, again, showing yet another side of his musical repertoire. The jacket includes The Misfits, G.B.H., D.O.A., Discharge, and on the back, Black Flag, with a chain link fence with a hole in it, adapted from a photo Andrew had taken a little while before.
It’s something I can definitely say I will be keeping for the rest of my life.
He told me he only wears it to special occasions, and is wanting to hold onto it as long as he possibly can. He is allowing it to age naturally, not being too gentle or careful when he is wearing it as the wear will add memories and sentiment as it ages, again, something that continues to be a consistent theme in these posts.
As for Will, Andrew hasn’t seen him in years, and assumed he’s back in California somewhere, buying jackets and still making art.
We started to reminisce on our times in mosh-pits, playing music too loud on our headphones at night, exchanging stories of bands we’ve seen and our love for the punk ethos. This jacket embodied many of those elements. Being hand-made by a person who rejects the spotlight, passed on through a passion and mutual respect, hard and heavy on the outside but soft and embracing on the inside.
We laughed about how we also try to pursue our own versions of “rejecting social media and making art for the sake of making art”, like Will. Although we can’t see ourselves getting off these platforms, we will continue to do it our own way, without much thought into who or why anyone is consuming, but rather for the practice of producing, refining, sharing, and growing.
I really try and exercise the practice of making [art] for the sake of making [art]. I know that in terms of my music, I'm going to be doing it for the rest of my life, for sure. There's not going to be a point in time where I'm going to be tired of it. I guess that however it happens, it's going to happen, however it circulates or however it reaches people. It could be 10, 20 years from now, which happens to a lot of artists in all different mediums. At the end of the day, it's just making the most authentic, genuine thing for me right now, however I'm feeling.
We wrapped up our conversation with a few photos and one more tour around the jacket before we both headed our separate ways. I look forward to seeing this jacket in the coming years, slowly gaining stories and sentiment as it continues to be Andrew’s favorite leather jacket.
Conclusions
What has been so amazing about these interviews, is how consistently the items people are choosing represent where they are at currently in life, and usually have some threads into where they have come from, or where they are going. I have to say, I anticipated this type of thing happening, which was the main source of inspiration in starting this writing, but the fact that continues to happen, keeps giving me the motivation to do these interviews and writing. The especially serendipitous aspect of this one being that he obtained the jacket likely a few months after I met him, and we’ve now come full circle to immortalize his jacket through this piece.
The reminder about “making art for marking art”, (as much as I tend to think I live it) is always refreshing. This project (GENEs) has not reached as many people as I thought it would, given my strong, local, following on IG, I assumed I’d be able to reach at least a thousand people every time I post one of these stories, instead, it has become for a much smaller niche of my followers. But that’s really okay.
At the end of the day, I truly am doing this as a reflective and artistic challenge and conversations like this help me see that there are others who are taking on similar endeavors and finding joys and challenges within their artform.
Finally, it has been very fun to sit and chat with people I have run into so many times, but never had the opportunity to really hear their story from their lens, and not what I can garner from following them on IG.
I look forward to running into Andrew again often, and keeping up with whatever musical endeavors he peruses next.
—
I ask every participant to suggest two people who they would want to see featured next on GENEs, one local and one “reach”.
Andrews picks are:
Local: Trey Denzyl (@treydenzyl), owner of Stoxx Vintage, local musician, model, and photographer. “A super talented dude who makes music, takes wicked photos, and has incredible personal style”.
Reach: EYEDRESS (@eyedress), based out of LA. “Somene who I look up to big time as a musiciain/artist and also has great style".
As always, thanks for reading.
I really thought I’d be writing way more this summer; I have a bunch of drafts saved, all almost completed, and a few more interviews lined up, so be sure to stick around!
Great insights into Andrew and this important part of his identity and life, thanks for documenting this! Happy to be part of the niche that reads these posts