By Sophia Lucente, Staff Writer

Welcome to Greensboro – where art is not only born but is systematically, creatively dispersed by news-worthy forces of good. One such force is Amplifier, our city’s newest source for cultural reporting whose Volume II, Issue 1 release Friday night at the Blind Tiger drew hundreds of local art patrons.

Amplifier was founded in April 2013 by UNCG English alumnus Jen Hasty. Her vision was to establish a locally-fueled, completely accessible puplication that would present the reader with Gate City goings-on – and that is exactly what she has achieved. The majority of past issues’ content have been oriented towards the performing and visual arts. The ‘zine is interview-heavy, pulling diverse voices from the community that summarize progress in businesses and creative ventures alike.

The folks at Amplifier never fail to deliver nights of pure rock ‘n’ roll. Friday’s show opened with Philly-based punk rockers Damn Frank at 8:15 sharp – a last-minute addition as substitution for a local group that had cancelled. Someday Rumble, hailing from Boone, followed with a certain thoughtful grunginess evident on their newest EP. Greenboro-based indie outfit Other Minds were up next, slowing the tempo to something more ethereal.

The evening progressed with Ivadell, American Americans and Hot Basic, representing Columbia, SC, Wilmington and Winston-Salem, respectively. The magazine’s newest issue was proudly displayed front-and-center on the merch table, and attendees were encouraged to flip through its pages and read interviews with several of the bands featured on Friday night.

As one might guess, it takes an immense amount of work to run a magazine like Amplifier; its pages may be few, but it is lovingly assembled. The sheer number of people coming and going, making friends and reuinting with the old illustrated the thriving community ties that ‘zine maintenance requires.

“Running a magazine – even locally – is incredibly time consuming,” said Spencer Weisner, one of Amplifier’s regular writers. Enthusiasm, he stressed, is key to consistently putting out engaging and relevant content.

“Jen is the brains behind everything,” he added. “I didn’t write anything for this particular issue. I’d say I was more of a decision-maker. Jen would say, ‘Does this look good to you?’ and I would say, ‘Yes.’”

The magazine’s most important development as of late is its website, located at http://www.amplifiergso.com. Readers can visit the site to browse past issues, converse with others on open community forums, learn about upcoming shows and order beautifully-designed merchandise.