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You’re reading the seventh edition of Variety Act Miami—welcome! I’m your compère, Natalie Guevara, and I’m fresh off a family trip to Montana. Big Sky Country certainly has its magnificent wonders, among them the celebrated huckleberry (the girl blueberry wishes she could be)—which, in true Cuban-American style, I’ve brought back in compote form to enjoy with some toast and queso crema in the mornings.
Before we get into today’s spotlight, I want to acknowledge that it’s a heavy time for Miami and the South Florida community. My thoughts are with anyone impacted by the Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, especially the families; I know firsthand that this tragedy hits close to home for many of us. What more can I say except that my heart is with you and your loved ones. I’m praying for miracles. Thank you to our first responders, volunteers, and everyone who has stepped up to provide a small bit of comfort and care to anyone hurting right now. I want to shout out some local organizations helping with relief efforts—if you’re reading this and are able to spare some cash, they could use your donations: Neighbors 4 Neighbors’ Surfside Building Collapse Victim Fund; The Shul of Bal Harbour’s Central Emergency Fund; and Support Surfside. Again, thank you to everyone and anyone doing what they can to support those who need it.
I think this week, more than any other, has highlighted that community is one of the most important things we have. A raison d’être for this very newsletter is to celebrate champions of community right here in Miami. In that spirit, I want to introduce today’s newsletter stars: Lillian Banderas and Steve Saiz, the imaginations and bright lights behind Dale Zine.
Dale (pronounced Pitbull-style) is at once a brick-and-mortar storefront and independent printer & publisher based in Downtown Miami that specializes in, you guessed it, zines; a vibrant cultural space that hosts pop-up events and all-ages zine workshops (‘sup, Dale Kids); and a creative platform that boasts collaborations with the likes of FriendsWithYou, Legowelt, Ahol Sniffs Glue, and Michelle Weinberg, among other creative royalty.
The Dale Zine project was first established in 2009 and it’s safe to say it has since scaled independent publishing heights, casting a colorful presence at a myriad of art activations and fairs presented by local and international organizations, from the Knight Foundation to Printed Matter. Dale Zine’s creations are stocked from Tokyo to Los Angeles to Beijing, but it’s fundamentally Miami in its essence. In fact, Lillian and Steve recently—as in last weekend—celebrated the grand opening of Dale Zine’s playful new shop at 79 SE 1st Street in Downtown Miami with festivities galore that included Haute Tension, Rick Moon, and Max Ferro.
I was drawn to Lillian and Steve’s mission to democratize art through the medium of the zine, and even more so to their perspective that absolutely anyone is capable of creating something great, weird, profound, and special. As Olivia Perez, our mutual friend and the person responsible for turning me on to Dale Zine, puts it:
I think what makes Lillian and Steve amazing Miami people is their heart. They’re constantly supporting the community, but more importantly I think they make events that are fun for everyone—not just a core group of people. Dale Zine is an inviting space when they do their events. Dale is more of a community.
Without further ado, let’s get to know Lillian and Steve (and their iconic dog Billy, too) and brush up on their Miami favorites.
MEET LILLIAN BANDERAS & STEVE SAIZ OF DALE ZINE.
On the one book (or zine!) they’d conduct bibliomancy with if they each had to choose:
Lillian: Billy Zine 1... First zine Steve made for me, consisting of pictures I texted him in chronological order of when I first found my dog Billy to eventually becoming his mom.
Steve: Any Hamburger Eyes zine. Each page and photograph tells a really profound story.
On how they push through and transcend the more mundane aspects of operating a brick and mortar:
Lillian: The mundane evaporates once the doors open.
Steve: Ha, don’t get me started. The most mundane part of this long journey has been finishing all of the repairs in our shop. Floors, electrical work, painting. Getting Internet service, oddly, has taken forever… Inventory and packing orders is very satisfying for me, though.
On their top piece of advice for finding and building community in Miami compared to other cities where they’ve lived:
Lillian: GO OUT! Drag your feet to that show, go see that movie, catch that gallery opening. You might start going alone, but before you know it you’ll be meeting your new friends there. Miami is so incredible at socializing; I have made all my best friends here because of going out to bars that played music that I was into and going to art shows. In other cities there’s so much to do culturally, but it’s hard to connect with anyone there. I have never felt lonely in Miami.
Steve: I think in Miami we're in a vacuum where an art scene obviously isn't as big as New York or L.A., but I've always seen that as a positive in some ways. Here, I've always felt like more of an individual—it’s a place where you can set your own path. In other, bigger cities, I feel like there are a plethora of cultural things to do every day, but here you really have to seek it out and carve out your “scene.” As far as making friends, I definitely feel like people are warmer here than in L.A. when it comes to art scenes and connecting.
On their cultural diets:
Lillian: I’ve been revisiting everything that I adored as a teen: Full-album listening to Stereolab, watching Reality Bites, and reading Wikipedia entries for dead artists.
Steve: I’m constantly going back to old zines in our home collection, like Sniffin’ Glue, for example. So ahead of its time! I’m always listening to records at home; I’m currently in a jazz wormhole.
On what they’re each up to at 4 pm on a Thursday:
Lillian: I’m probably on set adjusting sunglasses on a dog celebrity, texting Steve happy hour options.
Steve: Working our day jobs, trying to make it to happy hour on time along with our dog Billy. He enjoys Monty’s in the Grove.
On where they each find themselves at 10 pm on a Saturday:
Lillian: I’m either at a dive bar or in bed watching a documentary... there’s no in-between.
Steve: I’m out with Lillian and Billy or at home working on a design project.
On the most memorable moment at one of their Dale Kids workshops:
Lillian: I think it’s always seeing how much more the projects inspire the parents than the kids.
Steve: I remember one time a kid made a character called Fart Man! He was having trouble concentrating on the task we had laid out for the workshop... until he came up with this character, so we let him run with it. At the end of the workshop, he had done a whole comic book on the great Fart Man!
LILLIAN & STEVE’S MIAMI FAVORITES.
Miami anthem (current or classic!):
Lillian: Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.”(Ed. note: The song famously begins, “Holly came from Miami, F.L.A. / Hitchhiked her way across the U.S.A.”)
Steve: Anything that Donzii, Haute Tension, Psychic Mirrors, and Terrestrial Funk release. So much talent in Miami!
Restaurants & bars:
Lillian: Over/Under; Minty Z; 7 Seas.
Steve: Over/Under; Boia De; 7 Seas; Barracuda’s.
Cafés, diners, bakeries, & ventanitas:
Lillian: House of Per’La and Papito’s Cafe.
Steve: Papito’s, right next to us at the new Dale Zine shop!
Cultural centers:
Lillian: The HistoryMiami Museum and the Main Library in Downtown Miami are a MUST.
Steve: The de la Cruz Collection; The North Beach Bandshell; Coral Gables Art Cinema; Andrew skate shop in Downtown Miami.
The Great Outdoors:
Lillian: Kayaking in the Grove; snorkeling in the Keys; taking Billy to Key Biscayne.
Steve: Crandon Park in Key Biscayne.
Miami childhood staple:
Lillian: I only have high school memories here, so it’s The Falls mall and Chili Pepper shows.
Steve: Croquetas; Miami bass; Khoury League baseball; Image Comics; heavy metal and horror films (thanks, Dad).
The recommendation you’ll always give to a first-time Miami visitor:
Lillian: Go straight to the Keys.
Steve: Coral Castle; the Venetian Pool; the Everglades... there’s so much!
THANKS, LILLIAN & STEVE!
Follow Dale Zine at @dale_zine to keep up with Lillian and Steve’s generous creativity and browse the shop’s latest releases, community events, and workshops.
Until the next issue, please take good care and, if you can, support Surfside. Un gran abrazo!