#elijah and dog: MAYBE like. one year. tops. probably less.

[gothamcityneedsme]

how long do you think it took before dean was like. 'am i.... not aging anymore?'

[shmreduplication]

I deleted my post about “how come all the movies about angry women include sexual assault and how come all the movies about hating consumerism are none about women” because....it was making me too angry

So I’ve tried to point the anger in an actionable direction by 1.breaking down the specifics of the angry woman movie that I want to see and 2.expanding the boundaries of what I consider to be an angry woman movie so that it hopefully includes movies that already fucking exist

so:

OK the top “angry at consumerism” movies I know about, and are on the top 10 lists that I’ve googled, are American Psycho and Fight Club, neither of which I’ve seen because they’re too violent.  But I’m p sure the ideal angry woman movie that exists in my head would be equally violent, so I think I’m going to watch American Psycho and Fight Club.  When I was rereading their plots on wikipedia, I realized that, besides for the fact that they’re about men, they fit into the Liz Lemon Genre (well-off white women having a mental break from reality).....gotta think about that more later...................

OK so then I started scrolling thru netflix and watching the trailers for stuff that seemed like they might be about angry women, and looking at the wikipedia summaries of other movies that I know are about women and violence, and this is where I was really able to whittle down what I’m looking for thru eliminating all the stuff I looked at

Misery, America the Beautiful, and I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore have too much of a guy in them.  I’ll probably watch Misery, I’m not going to rewatch AtB (also the woman in that movie is actually a teen) because seeing it once 10 years ago was more than enough, and I did watch “I Don’t...” last night while stoned and it was really close to what i wanted and The Guy is Elijah Wood

My understanding of American Psycho and Fight Club is that their anger is so big that they allow themselves to break free from the confines of polite society and then do a bunch of violence.  Ruth in “I Don’t...” goes thru that but it starts with a montage of everyone walking all over her, which I dont’ think is necessary but I’m sure AP and FC have similar pre-violence montages

I watched I Am Not OK With This this week, it’s also about a teen, and the scene of her covered in blood that’s in the trailer and flash-forwarded to thruout the show is one of the last scenes of the show, which got cancelled.  And her powers are literal instead of metaphorical which imo would’ve been much better.  Also I don’t like watching teen romance shows.  Otherwise it was p good

ok then I started trying to expand my definition but even that was not v fruitful and really only served to help me get more specific about what I don’t want.  Legally Blonde is a revenge story but I don’t even necessarily want a revenge story, and there’s no violence except for the bend+snap.  Ex Machina....well if the robots are actually women then there is sexual assault, and if the women are actually robots then there aren’t any women in the movie.  And then my mom and sister recommended a bunch more movies without really understanding what I want.  Erin Brockovich and Monster are both based-on-true stories, Men and Bodies Bodies Bodies are horror and I don’t want to empathize with the character that bad things are happening to, I want to empathize with the character who is doing the bad things in the movie.  Horror movies aren’t power fantasies.  Maybe I need to rewatch Captain Marvel 

The basics that I want are:

A woman

an incident or incidents that incite her to violence

the incident(s) do not include any sexist mistreatment

a woman doing violence

most bad things that happen to women are actually not a result of them being women, getting cut off in traffic are things that happen to everyone.  John Wick really got it right with the inciting incident being his dog gets killed, that’s universal!  Can you imagine how much less impactful it would be if it was instead a sexist mistreatment that only men experience?  He’d seem a lot less sympathetic if he killed those people for saying he has a small penis.  Why can’t stories about women also be about universal stuff?  Why do they always have to be about being a woman?  Maybe I should watch John Wick

[lucy-268]

New Family Members

A/N – It’s National Cat Day in Canada (August 8, as a start to write this); it’s about cats, I don’t care if I live in the USA (our National Cat Day is October 29, you may see more cats then, too). I received an anonymous request to use the prompt Aw did I hurt your wittle feelings. Thanks to @oofchoices for pre-reading. My masterlist is here.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to PB

Warnings: Mostly cute fluffy, but also animal cruelty

Series/Pairing and characters : Open Heart - Ethan x f!MC (Charley Valentine); Sienna

Word count: 1,172

“I’m glad your boyfriend had to work today. We never get to just hang out anymore.” Sienna linked her arm with Charley’s as they left the diner.

“I’m sorry! I don’t spend enough time at home anymore! I’ll stay there more.”

Sienna laughed. “It’s fine. We’re all busy and we see you at the hospital. Except for Aurora, but she’s always at her hospital, too.”

“I’m glad the two of us have today. And I’m glad you were able to come over here for breakfast. Ethan and I love that diner. He’s lived right across the street from it for five years and never set foot in it until last month, just because I wanted to try it. Now we go once a week for breakfast.”

Sienna smiled at her friend. “You're good for him, you know.” Charley shook her head, about to disagree, when Sienna continued. “He’s good for you, too.”

Charley did agree that that was probably true.

“What other neighborhood gems are here for you to show me?” Sienna asked. “Charley?”

“Did that bag move?”

“Huh?”

Charley rushed into the street, causing a car to slam on its brakes and honk. She grabbed a plastic bag out of the path of the car and hurried back to the sidewalk.

“Did you seriously just run in front of a car to grab a bag? It’s already been run over.”

“No, it was in the center lane, no tire hit it. I saw it move.” Charley knelt down to untie the knot.

“It was probably just the wind.”

Once the bag was open, they found two calico kittens. “Sienna, call Danny’s cousin, Kima, please.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ethan opened the door to his apartment and was greeted by Charley handing him a drink and wrapping him in a hug.

“What happened?”

Charley took a half step back, her arms still around Ethan’s neck. “Why did you think something happened?”

“You are being affectionate.”

Charley tipped her head to the side, she ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “Are you saying I’m not normally affectionate?”

“You’re affectionate, but not normally-” Ethan jerked his head to the right. “What was that?” He pulled away from her and walked to the living room. He saw something dart under the sofa.

“That would be either Honey or Nutmeg.”

Ethan whirled around to face her. “What, pray tell, are  Honey and Nutmeg?” When she looked at the ground, Ethan grasped her chin and lifted her face so she was looking at him. “Explain”

“They’re two calico kittens that I brought home.”

“When did we discuss getting a cat, much less two? This is the most irresponsible thing you could have done! Do you know why Jenner lives with my dad? I don’t have the time to deal with a dog! Do you ever think things through?”

Ethan walked away from her down the hall and she heard the bedroom door slam behind him. Charley sat on the floor and leaned under the sofa. She reached her hand under and called to the kitten she saw. It came to her and she picked it up. The kitten started to purr and snuggled under her chin. Charley pulled the kitten back to see who it was. The darker brown color let her know that it was Nutmeg. “Let’s find your sister.”

Charley walked throughout the apartment looking for Honey. The whole time she was talking to Nutmeg. “Where did your sister go, hmmm? She’s found a good hiding place, didn’t she? I had a cat when I was at home and she liked to hide on top of the refrigerator. I know Honey can’t do that because there isn’t any space here, is there, sweetie.”

After she looked in the laundry room, even climbing on top of the washer to look behind the appliances, Charley gave up. “I guess I need to go beg Ethan for help.”

Nutmeg meowed at her. “Don’t be scared of him. I know he yelled, but it’s me he’s mad at. He’s also a real softy at heart. You and your sister are probably going to live with Sienna. She has lots of roommates. There’s Jackie and Aurora and Elijah. I’m there, too, sometimes. We also have a box turtle, a chinchilla, and a fennec fox. Wherever you live you’ll be very happy.”

Charley hesitated at the bedroom door and got an idea. She opened the linen closet and pulled out a white pillowcase. She opened the bedroom door and thrust her hand holding the pillowcase through the opening. “I have a white flag; I’m surrendering. Can I come in, please?”

“Come in,” Ethan’s voice called quietly.

Charley walked over to the bed, still cuddling a kitten. “We-, I mean I have a problem. I’ve lost a kitten,” she began, crawling onto the bed. Nutmeg and I have been looking for Honey everywhere and…”

Her voice trailed off as Ethan opened his sweater to reveal Honey sound asleep on his chest. Charley leaned against his shoulder and Nutmeg crawled over their arms to see her sister.

“How do you tell them apart?”

“Nutmeg is a darker brown and her nose is part pink and part black. Honey’s brown is a little blonder. Her nose is also all black, since she has black all around her nose.”

Ethan looked at her. “What made you decide to bring home two cats today?”

Charley could tell he wasn’t as mad. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Aw did I hurt your wittle feelings by not talking to you?” She sat up and looked at him. “Someone threw them in the street. Just tied them up in a plastic bag and dropped them in the middle of the road. Sienna and I found them this morning and we took them to Danny’s cousin Kima.”

She reached over to pet Honey. “Sienna and I talked about it. I’m a cat person and wanted a cat. If you don’t want a cat-”

“Or two.” Ethan corrected.

“-or two, we can move them over with my roommates. And if Sienna can’t convince the others, Kima said they wouldn’t have any trouble placing them with a new home.”

“As someone who has never had a cat, what do I need to know? If we’re going to keep them.”

“Really?”

“Maybe. Convince me.”

“Unlike dogs, they don’t need to be walked. If there are two of them,” Charley indicated the two, “they keep each other company.”

“How do they know to use a litter box? I don’t want them going to the bathroom where they aren’t supposed to.”

“Honestly? Sometimes they miss. It’s generally easier to train a kitten to use a litter box. In fact, the mama cat will generally train them if they have access to a box.”

Charley reached over and picked up Honey. “We know they were around at least one person. They didn’t tie themselves in a bag.”

“Cat litter is your responsibility.” Both kittens were on his chest and he scratched both of them. “We’ll try this.”

My tag list  @oofchoices  @openheart12  @jamespotterthefirst  @ohchoices  @catchinglikekeronsene @aylamreads  @nerdydinosaursweets  @eramsey28  @txemrn  @starrystarrytrouble  @queencarb @thegreentwin  @lion-ess24  @caseyvalentineramsey  

@choicesficwriterscreations

[toxoiddiamond]

T H E B A S I C S Given Name: Elijah Anthony Mitchell Nicknames: Eli Age: 25 Birthday: December 7th Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius Birthplace: Seattle, Washington Current Location: Chicago, Illinois Speaks: English, Russian Dominant Hand: Right Education: He dropped out of high school just before his senior year and ran away from home. He’s always intended to get his GED and maybe even go to college, but he keeps talking himself out of it. Occupation: Prostitute~ Although if asked when in polite company, he’ll say he’s in sales. Vehicle: He doesn’t have a car or a license. He does a lot of walking, and occasionally takes the bus. Worldly Possessions: He doesn’t have many possessions, preferring to spend most of his money on necessities and put away the rest in case of an emergency (like if the police start to notice him standing around on street corners and he has to quickly move to a new city). Pet(s): No pets, as much as he would love to have one, since his apartment does not allow them, and his landlord is an asshole who likes to check in without much warning. There is a little stray cat he feeds whenever she shows up on his back porch, though. And maybe picks her up and cuddles her once in a while. And maybe brings her inside if it’s raining. But, you know. No pets.

A P P E A R A N C E Height: About 5’10” Hair: Just long enough to be tousled and messy all the time. Dark brown, shiny, and very soft to the touch. Facial Hair: He has a bit of facial hair, but it’s really just stubble. He usually shaves every other day. Eye Colour: Gray-blue, very striking, especially in the right lighting. Skin Tone: Pale, since he mostly only goes out at night. Clothing: He hasn’t bought new clothes for himself in about three years to be honest, so his clothes are getting pretty worn out. But he still somehow manages to look good, sort of a shabby-chic thing. He has a couple pairs of jeans, several t-shirts, and a couple of jackets that are both far too thin to be functional in Chicago winter weather. Distinguishing Marks: A long, faint scar on the right side of his shoulder/chest from getting attacked/mugged when he was seventeen. He doesn’t like to talk about it, and will change the subject if anyone asks about it. Face Claim: Sebastian Stan Alternative Universe: Hooker AU

H E A L T H Physical Health: It could be better. He spends too many nights out in cold weather with not enough layers to keep him warm (plus the bottoms of his shoes are worn out, so his feet always end up wet and freezing). He also doesn’t get enough to eat, and when he does eat, it’s cheap food that doesn’t have much nutritional value. He gets sick a lot, and even when he’s not sick he kinda just feels like shit, but he pushes himself to go out almost every night anyway, because he needs the money. Physical Abilities/Limitations: He can read insanely fast—it only takes him two or three days to get through a giant book. He can run pretty fast if he needs to, but because of his poor health at the moment, he doesn’t have a lot of endurance. Addictions: None. He is not at all interested in any drugs, since he doesn’t want to completely ruin his life. Alcohol is something he only has in small doses. Allergies: Mild seasonal allergies, nothing major. Mental Health: Not very good, though it could be (and has been) worse. He’s dealt with anxiety and depression for a lot of his life, made worse by the fact that he’s been through a lot of shit. There was a time when he basically lost hope and considered just ending his life. But he decided that wasn’t what his parents would have wanted for him, that they would have wanted him to keep trying no matter how bad things got, and make a better life for himself. So, that’s what he’s trying to do, though it’s still not easy for him.

H I S T O R Y Job History: He took some random odd jobs when he was younger, anything that could get him cash in a hurry. He first traded sex for money around the time he was seventeen, and told himself it was just a one-time thing. But he soon realized it was much easier to make money being a hooker, one thing led to another, and here he is. Fondest Memories: Family trips with his parents when he was younger. All the times his mom came in to volunteer at his school/be a chaperone on field trips (even though at the time, he found it embarrassing). Helping out around the restaurant with his dad (even though they tended to bicker and argue). Worst Experiences: The deaths of both his parents. Being mugged and assaulted. His first sexual experience, which was entirely consensual, but was not good or fun in any way.

C O M M U N I C A T I O N Speech Pace/Style: If he’s not working, he’s pretty soft-spoken, stumbles over his words a lot, and doesn’t talk much, mostly because he doesn’t know what to say a lot of the time. But if he is working, he’s completely the opposite—louder and more confident, a little more pushy and authoritative. He learned the hard way that he has to act like that with his clients, otherwise he’ll be taken advantage of. Accent: American Usual Curse Words: All of them, but especially “fuck” in any of its forms.

P E R S O N A L I T Y, M I N D S E T, A N D B E L I E F S Personality Type: INFJ Sense of Humor: Eli isn’t very funny himself—he’s too serious, and doesn’t think to joke around unless someone else starts it. But it’s very easy to make him laugh. He especially likes silly/goofy humor, and likes to tease people and be teased (as long as it’s not too mean-spirited). Habits: Drumming his fingers on nearby surfaces or biting his lip when he’s nervous. He gestures a lot with his hands when he talks about anything he’s passionate about. He scrunches up his nose when he smiles really big and when he laughs. Fears/Phobias: He still gets a little sick to his stomach whenever he thinks someone may be following him, because of a couple of bad experiences he’s had in the past (one where he was mugged at knifepoint, another where a man sexually assaulted him and Eli barely managed to escape and run away before anything worse happened). As a result, he’s afraid of being followed. He is also afraid of heights; he can be somewhere high up, but wouldn’t want to look out or stand close to the window/over the ledge, etc. Strengths: He is very smart, and has a great memory—ideal for studying, though he doesn’t do as much of that as he’d like. He is also a very empathetic, kind person. As much as he struggles with money, and as little as he has for himself, he is still as generous as he can be to others when he sees someone in need. Taking care of others is something he really likes to do, though he doesn’t have much opportunity to do so. Flaws: Eli tends to be quite a pessimist, always thinking the worst about himself and always thinking the worst will happen. He is also very easily distraught, and tends to make a bigger deal out of things than necessary. Though at the same time, if something really bad does happen, he often won’t tell anyone or ask for help, even if he needs it. Hopes/Desires: He wants to go to school, and would love to eventually find a job as a teacher—although he is open to other possibilities as well. Mostly, he just doesn’t want to be a hooker anymore. Wildest Fantasy: He sometimes daydreams about having a loving husband, lots of dogs and cats, and a big, beautiful house. But sometimes those daydreams make him sad, because he’s convinced himself he’ll probably never have any of those things. Self-Esteem: Definitely could be better. His life hasn’t turned out at all the way he wanted or planned, and he can’t help but feel it’s his own fault, that he’s just a monumental fuck-up. He puts on a confident face, especially in front of clients, but he’s actually very insecure and way too hard on himself. Religion: He doesn’t care about religion, and never has.

R A N D O M Sleeping Position: Usually curled up in a ball on his side. Boxers or Briefs?: Boxer-briefs most of the time, sometimes boxers if he’s just laying around the house. Day or Night?: He honestly prefers daytime, but his job requires him to sleep a lot of the day away. Given the choice, he’d be more of an “early to bed, early to rise” sort of person. Top or Bottom?: With his clients, he’ll do whatever they prefer him to do. But his personal preference is bottom, for sure. Partying or Relaxing?: Relaxing, no contest. He hates parties most of the time.

R E L A T I O N S H I P S Closest Friend: Since moving to Chicago, he has developed something of a friendship with Lucas, his upstairs neighbor. Lucas doesn’t officially know about Eli’s profession, but he does suspect that he’s involved in some sort of shady work—however, Lucas figures that’s not really his business, so he’s never pressed the issue. Relationship History: Eli has never been in a proper relationship, despite the fact that he wants one more than anything. His line of work doesn’t exactly leave much room for any romantic entanglements~ Sexual Partners: Countless. Elijah is very adamant about always practicing safe sex though, and gets tested on a regular basis to make sure he’s all good. Thoughts About Sex: I mean. He’s been sort of jaded thanks to his past/his work. He’s had a lot of less-than-savory experiences, and has a lot of regrets, though he’s also had his share of good experiences. Overall, he doesn’t mind sex. But he doesn’t love it either, and sometimes thinks he could do without it forever and not be any worse off.

P A R E N T S Name(s): Sawyer and Evelyn Mitchell Age(s): His mother died in a car accident when she was 35, and his father died of cancer just four years later, at the age of 41. Occupation(s): His mother was a stay-at-home mom, and loved being able to stay home and take care of the home/take care of her family. His father owned a successful bar/restaurant in Seattle. Quality of Relationship With Their Children: Elijah and his mother were always very close, and he was absolutely devastated when she passed away. He was never as close with his dad, especially after his mom died—but they did love each other, and Eli did his best to help take care of his dad when he got sick, even though it was much too big of a job for him. Living/Deceased: Both deceased, unfortunately.

D A I L Y L I F E Living Arrangements: He lives in a shitty studio apartment in a shady part of town. But as shitty as the place is, Eli is still proud of the fact that he has his own place, an actual apartment instead of a seedy motel room. He’s done his best to make the place feel homey—lots of cheap Goodwill furniture that doesn’t match, a completely crammed bookshelf (along with several stacks of books that didn’t fit on said bookshelf), and tons of blankets to make up for the fact that the place is not well insulated. He keeps the place tidy, and has probably improved the value of it since moving in to be quite honest.

[daggerzine]

Coming in first.....Jeremy Jensen opens up about The Very Most.

I definitely haven’t heard enough of Jeremy Jensen’s music, but what I have heard (under the name The Very Most) I really like. I went over to his Bandcamp page and noticed a plethora of releases so yeah, the dude is prolific. If you’ve listened then you’ll know that Jensen likes melody and I’m assuming he’s got a few Beach Boys and Beatles’ records in his collection. His songs have plenty of hooks but have this dreamy background and for as many songs as the guy’s written over the years he manages to make each one unique.  Some are quite grand while others are quite low-key and simple. We’ve been Facebook friends for quite some time and I enjoy his posts, but wanted to find out more so I shot him some questions and he was more than happy to answer. 

Were you born and raised in Boise? I was born in Roosevelt, Utah, raised in Nampa, Idaho (a suburb of Boise that had about 30,000 people in it when I lived there and now has around 100,000) and have been living in Boise for over 20 years now.

What are some of the best things about Boise? It’s a city I’ve always heard good things about and been very curious about, but have never been there. Boise is a high-desert town on the edge of the largest stretch of forest in the lower 48.  My favorite things about Boise are the Boise River and the surrounding foothills. I’m not a huge outdoor enthusiast, but the river is so nice to walk along. We’ve got miles and miles of trails called the Greenbelt that run right along the river. I also love that Boise has plenty to do as far as an arts and music scene goes, but it’s not such a huge city that commute times are out of hand. It’s also affordable compared to Seattle, Portland, and California, but it is becoming less affordable as we grow, and we’re growing really fast. There’s plenty of good food here too. The schools are good here. It’s a really good place to raise kids. David Lynch loved living here when he was a kid in the late 50s - early 60s. We put an exclamation mark after the word “Library” on the signs for all our libraries. I’m not making that last one up. Also, it’s pronounced “Boy-see”, not “Boy-zee,” and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.

What was the first song you remember hearing that really knocked your socks off? Dog and the Butterfly by Heart. This was probably in 1981 when I was five. It was just so pretty and Ann Wilson has a really great voice. I also loved the LP artwork, which was vaguely Chinese-themed.

Jeremy and the gang

How old were to when you first picked up an instrument? Was it parental pressure ro did you want to do it? I did 5th grade orchestra in school. I played violin for those first couple years and then switched to string bass, which led to electric bass, which led to guitar. I wanted to do it. My dad claims he had a rule in the house that every kid was required to play a musical instrument, but I was unaware of the existence of that rule. Maybe I didn’t need to be.

What was your introduction to the punk/new wave/indie music scene? When was the transition and how did it happen? Well, my mom bought U2’s The Joshua Tree, which I really loved, and which helped me learn of bands like R.E.M. She also enrolled me in the Columbia House CD club, where my first purchases included their album Green. I guess this would have been about 1990. Around ‘91, my friends introduced me to The Violent Femmes and The Smiths, and, like so many others, The Smiths were my platonic ideal of what a band should be. In 1993, I heard Built to Spill on a local college radio show. Their song “Three Years Ago Today” sounded like pop from another planet to me, and it blew me away that a band from Boise was making those sounds. Not only did that experience lead me to K records, which led me to indiepop, which changed my listening habits forever, it also made me believe that I could make good music, even though I was from a podunk town in Idaho. A lot of us Idahoans have inferiority complexes. Built to Spill will always be heroes to me.

Had you been in any bands before The Very Most? Yeah. I led a band called The Yukon and You with my wife and a friend of ours. I was also in a surf-rock band called D.O.L.L. The very first high school band I was in was called Thrush. Later, all three of my kids would get thrush when they were nursing. I’ve also played a lot in my brother Elijah’s bands over the years: Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive (named after the Beat Happening song) and his current project With Child. I’ve played in a few other local bands over the years too. Never a cover band though.

How/when did you form The Very Most? What was the initial inspiration? I started accumulating recording gear around 2000. I guess I wrote a bunch of songs. I don’t remember ever writing them though. I started recording them and when I finally finished an album in ‘03, I needed a band to play them so that I could sell CDs at shows. I actually started playing as The Very Most in ‘02 before the album came out, but the intention was to have a band ready for a record release show. The band started as a duo with my sister Rachael who was living with my wife and I at the time. Over the years, the band has gone through a lot of mutations both in number of members and instruments. We got a drummer, a female singer, a keyboardist. For a while we had a full-time vibraphonist. I think something like 12-15 people have been in the band for at least one show or more. As recently as a year ago I was playing a solo synth-pop set as The Very Most, but now I don’t play live as The Very Most at all.

What are some faraway places that the band has taken you to? What are some favorite foreign cities? Well, we haven’t gone on any really long tours, but we played the UK (including Indietracks) and I’ve played in Glasgow and Dublin three times. Glasgow and Dublin are my favorite cities in the world that I’ve been to. I’m not as fond of huge megalopolises that are basically 50 different cities glommed together (kinda how New York and London are). Glasgow, Dublin, Portland, and, also, Bristol in England kind of have a unified feel to them. (Boise does too.) It’s like the difference between a concept album and a epic White-album-style album. 

How does your songwriting process go? Does it start with a riff from you or something else? It almost always starts with a guitar or keyboard riff. I come up with these little main ideas for songs and record them really quickly in my software. Then I revisit them and decide which ones to flesh out into real songs. The order usually goes like this: riffs, basic tracks, a few ornamental type parts like keyboard leads, writing the lyrics, recording the vocals, and then usually adding a few more ornamental parts and backing vocals.

How active is The Very Most these day? Any upcoming plans? The Very Most is inactive live, but very active in the studio. I’m working on a new album, but haven’t played live for about a year. I think once my album is done and ready to release, I’ll probably get a two or three piece version of The Very Most ready to play a few shows.

Is your label, Coming in Second, still active these days? Not really. Two or so years ago I had some grand plans to get it going again, but we haven’t released much. Just a couple download-only things. There aren’t any plans to release anything else at the moment through that label.

Tell us about your involvement with the band The Hermit Crabs. Well, I think it was 2010. The web label EardrumsPop had this compilation called “Between Two Waves” where the idea was that people from two different bands combine forces to create a new song, hopefully with a new band name. I decided to get in touch with The Hermit Crabs, from Glasgow, Scotland, so we could do that song together. The name of the project was Baffin Island and, in addition to the song for EardrumsPop, we ended up making an EP and a few other songs for compilations. We did it by emailing files to one another. Anyway, that’s how I got to know Mel, the leader of The Hermit Crabs. She came from Glasgow to Boise to record a Hermit Crabs album in 2012. That album, In My Flat, didn’t get released until 2015 though. Since then we’ve done a couple Hermit Crabs tracks together internet-style for the Rose Melberg tribute compilation and also a Matinee Records compilation that hasn’t been released yet.

Any current Boise bands that we need to know about? With Child, Canal Canal, Bruce Robert, Sleepy Seahorse, Central City Music Company, Bonefish Sam and His Orchestra, Idle Chatter.

What are some new bands/records you’ve fallen in love with? THE GOON SAX!! Best new band in quite some time. Unfortunate band name, though. I don’t think we left enough good band names for the next generation. Starry-Eyed Cadet and Space Daze are two really great new-ish bands too. My daughter’s favorite band Boy Pablo is really nice. Kinda like a cross between Prefab Sprout and Mac DeMarco.

What are your top 10 desert island discs? In no particular order: Jonathan Richman - Rockin’ and Romance Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds Some sort of Debussy box set Built to Spill - There’s Nothing Wrong With Love Belle and Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career R.E.M. - Reckoning The Softies - Holiday in Rhode Island The Aislers Set – The Last Match

Any closing comment? Final thoughts? Anything you wanted to mention that I didn’t ask? I just want everyone to wish me luck in making the new The Very Most album. I think it’ll be as good as the other ones. Different, but as good or better. At least I think.

https://theverymost.bandcamp.com/

https://cominginsecond.bandcamp.com/]