TWO KILLER SHOWS THIS WEEKEND MUNCIE PPL

Village Green Records always does stellar back-to-school show, this year no different, this Friday, Support The Troopz returning to yell profanities into the fun sky, No Coast stomping some solid punk rock into the lawn, other bands like Thunders and Pravada showing Muncie the SUP, I'm gonna be there, you better be tooooooo!

Then, Be Here Now on Sunday, three buds in their new band, rad former bassist of The Bonesetters, Ryan Rader, Scales cool guy Dave Mcdermand, and my little pal Derek Hurt, in this new band, Wine Teeth, jams I've never heard, THEIR FIRST SHOW PPL, but I'm betting it's gonna be great!, also some other bands, but Wine Teeth! is the wuzzup for me.

MY NEXT THREE WEEKENDS AND YOU SHOULD JOIN ME

GET THIS

Day 10 — Someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to

Hey People I Know From Local Shows,

Brainstorming ideas for these letters, I jotted down names beside each day, first thought kind of things, and most are unanimous or short, but then, this one was like: Kyle, Frank, Zack, Heather, Lacie. These people are you, People I Know From Local Shows. And it continues: Stephen, Ashley, Erik, Keaton, Derek, Tulo, Mike, Kyle, Dave, Annie, CJ, Ben….

It’s not easy to write a letter to someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to. It’s even harder when it’s to three dozen people you know from loud bars and garage shows.

But, it’s also super hard for me not to write this letter, if that makes any sense, because on one level, you have impacted me in some way, with your music, and/or even just your company of being there. It’s like In The Face Of War says, “We've all been drawn together by one common theme, by one common need.” It’s that connection that brings me back, even to see a band I’ve seen fifty times, or when I feel too out of place or something.

I’ve basically grown up with you, in a weird, I-know-you-like-your-name-and-the-bands-you-shout-the-loudest-to kind of way. Many of you met me when I was a chubby, pale 14/15 year old with spike bracelets and Dickies pants. Part of it might be an appreciation of the fact that you even talked to me then.

It’s not that I want to be best budz or party animals together, but it’s a curiosity I think of wanting to know more about how you live and the thoughts your head holds. It’s also jealousy, obviously. Many of you are pals and have inside jokes and go drink on each other couches, and sometimes, it feels like that might be nice. Also, most of you are cool musicians or knowledgeable music people, and I’m not.

I’m not even saying you’d like me now, or that I’d like you in those other situations, but I can’t help but think, it might be nice to try.

Tyler

TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY

I played five games of basketball, including a game-winning three and a game-winning assist. YES YES CONFIDENCE.

I did a lengthy real-time interview with the wonderful Ryan Ridge for Smalldoggies about his American Homes project. YES YES GOOD WRITERS.

I took the Christmas Chapbook and the Writers Community Chapbook to the printer. Friday is pick-up day. YES YES EXCITING.

I went to a women's basketball game with Tyler Fields. YES YES NEW PAL.

Tyler cut my hair (pic below). YES YES FRESH.

I ordered tickets for Cody, Tyler, Sara, and I for the Stay Young Fest on December 11. YES YES LOCAL MUSIC.

I am gonna sleep now and that'll be good. YES YES SNOOZETIME.

LEMON BARS IN THE FRIDGE

Tonight's show will rule, like Bonesetters playin' some jams, like Support the Troopz offending everyone, like Everything Now! with their cool exclamation point.

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AHHHHHH BLOOF BOOKS IS INVADING MUNCIE! THANK HEAVENS!

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WOAHHHHHHHHH I'M INVADING VOUCHED BOOKS! THANK ME!

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This week has been one for the books, whatever that means, I'd love to talk to you about it because I'M THE MOST SELF-CENTERED PERSON YOU'VE EVER MET, whatever that means.

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DANG

Life Goes Into Words

This weekend is going to be cool. Friday: Savage's with Sara and Jeremy; Osteoferocious and CaddyWhompus at VGR! Saturday: Disc golf in the morning; Family Reunion at night. Sunday: Big 4th of July show at VGR, featuring Cowboy Angels, Timbre, and Small Wonders, amongst others.

My pals in The Bonesetters are playing an awesome show on July 12th.

My dear friend Elysia Smith has a nice piece up at Elimae. I was privileged enough to see a few drafts of this, and really this final is something coooool. I'm proud of my friend.

Collagist contributor and my Facebook friend, Sandy Longhorn, has a poem at Glass: A Journal of Poetry. Look at that ending!

Speaking of cool poems by people I know, Mark Neely, my professor and fellow Muncie Disc Golf player, has a cool one at Juked. I'm super looking forward to my classes with him this Fall: The Broken Plate class and "Collages, Remixes and Readymades: Experiments in Creative Writing."

Speaking of disc golf, how did it take me this long to find this awesome dg essay by the killer Ander Monson?

Speaking of disc golf again, I'm not doing so hot lately.

Speaking of hot, here is a picture of my wife.

This Is Why We Don't Have Nice Things

Last Friday, my cousin Brittney, my sister-in-law Rachel, and my wife Sara went with me to the Rodeo Ruby Love release show for their new CD, "This Is Why We Don't Have Nice Things."

4 local favorites playing = no duds (read: hot and sweaty room not worth it for a boring band)

Sara and I were talking, being reminded of a conversation with our pal Frank, about Zack Melton's songwriting skills. Here is his output (from my memory, probably missing something):
Away With Vega: 2 split vinyls, A Baby Boy Sleeps full length, Get Serious Now! EP, Recovery full length, A Year At Home EP, various demos
Solo: The End of the World EP
Rodeo Ruby Love: You're Love Has Made Everything Beautiful full length, Honest to God EP, What Loneliness Can Do To You EP, Vs. The Great American Cities full length, (now!) This Is Why We Don't Have Nice Things

Like this music or not, this "resume" is legit for a young dude doing it his own way (with the help of Crossroads of America; don't get me started AGAIN on how killer they are).

A personal aside:
For me, Zack Melton has been a friend, sure, but more often, he has been a monumental artistic influence on me. Always, I have had this intense love for (good) art made by people I know. Some of my favorite albums, like Recovery, have been made by my friends. Some of my favorite writing, like Jeremy Bauer's Good Gravity, have been written by people I know. A big thing I respect about Zack is his ability to keep producing great songs even as his interests, bands, and surroundings change (read: grow up). Take for instance this cd: several of these songs are greatly inspired by books or books on tape that Zack listened to during the writing of these songs. I'm just impressed by how he can write a song like "Repetition, Repetition" for Away With Vega (metaphorical, angsty-ish), then later "No, Seriously" (contemplative, questioning) for Vega, then move to stuff like on "Your Love..." for Rodeo (like every song features the word "love") and now this admittingly-poppy album that still has serious songwriting chops (see: Josephine; man, this song wails).

Clarification: I'm not discounting, in any way whatsoever, the wonderful abilities of Zack's bandmates (and some of my friends as well) in Rodeo Ruby Love and Away With Vega. Like Frank, who we all know how much I admire. And just watch Dave's stokedness in Rodeo, holding that ukelele like a precious child he wants to make happy.

Really, this post is meant to celebrate this new album as a whole, which I was admittedly unsure about.

Let's do it:

You like pretty packages? Man, this album art is beautiful.

You like words? Check out these lyrics:

"Please don't shower, I want your stench covering my body's every inch"- Josephine
"Let's talk a while about your weaknesses and how the lines begin to blur and how there's something wrong in each of us. Love is gonna take some work"- Black Sunday
"The worst thing you can do is fall in love. Stay indoors with me and read a book. Or maybe if it's nice, we'll go outside and ride our bikes. The worst thing that you can do...I try to resist, but it's no use. Oh, everyday, it's true. I fall in love."- Secrets

You like girls? Annie Cheek's voice glows so hard in this album. Also, there is Josephine, Elizabeth, Kimery popping their girly names up in these songs.

Tired of guitars, drums, and bass fishing? Try ukelele, try xylophone, try keyboard, try Rodeo.

You like to shred? Kyle brings it seriously several times here.

You like to sing along? COME ON, COME ON!

You like to hear these songs live? Go to a Rodeo show near you!

Seriously, I hope Rodeo makes it through their 3 month tour around AMERICA! so they can come back and sing with me and write songs that are this much fun and make my wife smile and make my dad say, "This is alright." Things are good here.