It is undeniable that we live in uncertain and troubled times, a period of which this pandemic we’re struggling through is but the latest and perhaps most evident aspect. Life is increasingly complicated and burdens seem to get harder and harder to carry with each passing year, so the need to seek solace and to take refuge in things that you know you can count on becomes more and more urgent. Well, dear friend, put down those burdens for a little while, because Monolord have got your back. Ever since 2013, when the dormant power of the Monolord became too much for a simple boogie rock band called Marulk – featuring a certain Thomas V Jäger and Esben Willems respectively on guitars/vocals and drums already – to contain, that this Swedish trio’s almost endearingly relentless dedication to The Riff has been something you can count on, almost as sure as the sun that rises every morning above your head. Thomas and Esben joined bassist Mika Häkki, and ever since then they have been compelled by the power of the riff, with no time for any frills like line-up changes or inane experimentations just for the sake of it. Theirs is a higher calling, a purer statement of intentions. After all, their bandname is “a paraphrase of an unspeakable name of an unspeakable entity that not even we dare to mention,” as Esben explains. And if you don’t like that description, Thomas has another suggestion: “make one up, and it is true!"

On the corner of Main Street in Stephenville, Texas, sits ‘Slim Pickins Outfitters', the first Black- owned outdoor outfitter shop in the Country. Owned by Jahmicah Dawes and his wife, Heather, the shop has become a staple in the community that represents fellowship, allyship, and outfitting friends for their next adventure. Like most small businesses, Covid-19 put more stress on their business and mental health than anticipated. But through it all, they continue to tell a story of hope and reconciliation, of community, and of friendship in an America that desperately needs to hear it.

When 1980s hardcore kids frequent an old school Italian barber shop in their Washington D.C. neighborhood, legends and bonds that will last a lifetime are formed. Filmmakers Joe Tropea and Robert A. Emmons Jr. bring us his story, FUGAZI'S BARBER.

During the Syrian civil war, Yarmouk, a district of Damascus, where thousands of Palestinians are refugees, was the site of fierce fighting. LITTLE PALESTINE: DIARY OF A SIEGE is a filmed diary that follows the fate of civilians during the brutal siege imposed by the Syrian regime following these battles. Yarmouk-born filmmaker Abdallah Al-Khatib composes a love song to a place that resists the atrocities of war with dignity.