Are You Sure You Dressed For The Weather?

I’m terrible in my wrongness, in my refusal or inability or misguidedness to not let the words poetic or musical slack into the other territory. To quote Short Hand—a poet is not a musician. So I guess I’m saying the opposite too is yep. This cannot be definite (wait for it wait for it) but I can’t help myself. I know poets and I know musicians (sure sure some are both but of two body-deep places their words/songs radiate). I see poets/poems bubbling from a yearning that can’t be relieved ever or for long. Music, man, it tingles and trickles out. (both are great doh doh dom different is all, for me)

Reason one realization—Bro. Stephen is poetic, people. On that new album, Baptist Girls, (HEAR IT HERE) the tingling scratches itself raw, a cloud to huff. A heartbreak, a quivering. But listen close. There it is the yearning that knows itself unquenchable. Yet it goes. The record and its fourteen songs (two-three min range—this seems important) shiver together almost like one long song interrupted by tiny gasps—whose? (FLIP THE RECORD). What makes this record make me break my rule is Bro. Stephen and his self exuding through that soft voice, that steady guitar, those lyrics all a big old hum letting out something unmistakable yet no no you can’t touch it.



Sure sure the music I love most (clangy loud a little sloppy) can explode a body, a person, a voice and be emotion BOOM. Same for this slowcoustic stuff that Bro. Stephen is a part of. But the emotion there, at least as I respond to/see it, exists as a reason to jam that song or a string to pull the parts together. I call this poetic, more importantly I like this Bro. Stephen album lots lots because it is evident how yearning fills this fellow, a loveable searching that overrides whatever is or isn’t happening musically.

GET IT HERE

SO STOKED TO SEE Bro Stephen AT THIS SHOW

RAD THINGS OF OCTOBER

I've been meaning to do a monthly series of things I dug over and over or bought or was given or dig or laughed about or etcetera in the previous month, mainly as a reminder to myself, but I haven't done it (OBVIOUSLY). I'm a week late on the first one, which seems appropriate.


Deep Shit by Stale Champagne
No sucky sad face here. Sure, not as good as Stale Champagne, but daammmmnnnn this album wins the raucous award, dark dark in its clang. I'm sure "The Basement" slithered itself onto my favorite song list so so fast. "I've been livin' in the basement of the world. Sleepin' under a table and worshippin' Satan 'cause of a girl."

Sleeping Bag LP by Sleeping Bag
Took way long to buy this album why? Oh well, wore it out on Bandcamp, HERE LISTEN. Friend said, he mumbles a lot, and yes he does, but it's lovely. They play songs at their own pace and THAT IS SO PERFECT. I like to listen to this in the shower.

Hank by Abraham Smith
I'm stlll figuring out how to talk about this album (something I hope to do in a long essay DO IT soon) but for now, I'll post this video of Abe getting his Hank on (I know I know done that before or twice):


Cowboy Maloney's Electric City by Michael Bible
Here's my Single-Sentence Review. If I ever get my own Vouched Books table, this is one of the first fiction books I'm ordering.

Editing Stoked
We had a busy past month: finishing Volume III (see you in December sucka!), already got a few pieces for Volume IV, assembling our next chapbook (Travis Macdonald's erasure of the Wartime chapter of The 9/11 Commission Report, called "The O Mission Repo: Time"), and accepting our first full-length book for publication (more on this soonsoonsoon). DUH I'M STOKED.

Dating Sara Again
After almost 6 months of being broken up and a few months after our divorce, we decided to try dating again. People say weirdos; we say hey. It's slow and paced and cautious and loving and somehowsafe and FUN. I'm done being an idiot (I hope).

Half Moon Brewery in Kokomo, Indiana
One of our first dates this time around, Sara and I dug this place bunches. MORE THAN OUR WALLETS; too be fair, it's actually priced aightly, four bucks for a pint of beer, 10-15 bucks for an entree. We just drink a lot. Sursly yummy Jack Daniels Steak Marinade and Honey Rye Beerz.

Savage's Ale House
I can't go to Muncie nowadays without checking up on my favorite bar. Fine by me.

A Real Rad Bloomington Trip With My Parents
A two-day trip with my parents and beloved relatives at Oliver Winery, an apple orchard, a drive through the park, Apples To Apples (I WON FOOL), free beer, rad time with my dear cousinpal Darrin, MOTHER BEAR'S, Upland Brewhouse. 'NOUGH SAID:)

The World's Most Dangerous Drug
I can't stop thinking about meth and this documentary didn't help. THANKS NETFLIX.

Season 3 of Parks And Recreation
I don't know when Netflix put this up, but AGAIN THANKS NETFLIX. Burned through it in like a week and I DON'T REGRET IT. I might put my "favorite funny tv shows that I've seen all the seasons of" list as 1) Arrested Development 2) Parks and Rec 3) Seinfeld and 4) The Office. DISCUSS?!

My Job As A First Grade Teacher's Aide
Two and a half months in and I'm like okay okay I could do this another year or two. It's like being the fun goofy uncle; I get to do fun things like PE and field trips and see the neat stuff like learning to read but when the major wacky happens, I just hand them back.