#nathan knudsen

[sinceileftyoublog]

James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg Interview: Poise, Levity, and Easygoingness

Photo Credit: James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg

BY JORDAN MAINZER

All Gist (Paradise of Bachelors), the third album of guitar duets from exploratory, thoughtful players James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg, sounds like what it is: two longtime friends and collaborators playing together, equal parts casual and focused. Since their 2015 album Ambsace, each has been busy, separately and together. Elkington's released three solo albums, played as part of Eleventh Dream Day, Brokeback, and Jeff Tweedy's live band, and recorded with Steve Gunn, Nap Eyes, and many more. Salsburg's dropped a bevy of albums and has played on records by Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Shirley Collins, and others. Meanwhile, the two have come together on four records by Salsburg's partner Joan Shelley, and Elkington produced Salsburg's Psalms, his 2021 album of arrangements of Hebrew psalms. Their duo records, however, are born of the most natural collaboration, each bringing to the table melodies they think--perhaps know--the other will respond to, combining them, and being open to feedback or changing gears entirely.

All Gist, specifically, carries the distinct quality of the Chicago winter during which it was recorded: You can picture Elkington and Salsburg sitting around the kitchen table, each culling from their vast repertoires and tendencies, creating something to warm their bodies and hearts and perk their heads and ears, unaware of any blusters outside. The songs are reflective of their shared artistic interests and inspirations, and they're rounded out by the presence of musical contemporaries with whom each has fostered relationships over the years. Opener "Death Wishes to Kill", which takes its title from T.F. Powys' Unclay, sports lilting guitar melodies that offer an affable sway, along with Wanees Zarour's violin solo. The minimal "Explanation Point" bounces along a groove that sounds bigger than it is, almost gestalt, as Jean Cook's strings and Anna Jacobson's brass shimmer. Moments of percussion come from other instruments like hand drums ("Long in the Tooth Again"), along with Wednesday Knudsen's woodwinds ("Nicest Distinction"), or as part of the sheer tactility of guitar scrapes and textures. The self-reflexive "Numb Limbs" gets its title from the physical aftereffects of playing a song that took forever to come together; you feel the spritely guitar picking and breakneck tempo in your own fingers.

Of course, All Gist has a few interpolations, namely a gentle, quiet, start-stopping version of Howard Skempton's "Well, Well, Cornelius" and a taut, concise combination of two traditional Breton dance tunes in "Rule Bretagne". Easily, the most unexpected song on the album is a version of Neneh Cherry's classic late 80s jam "Buffalo Stance". Oscillating and slowed down to an expanse, one guitarist plays Cherry's lyrical line, the other the song's instrumental melody, making something both recognizable and nostalgic as well as emblematic of the duo's adventurous nature. That combination, indeed, is the gist of Elkington and Salsburg.

Earlier this month, both guitarists answered some questions over email about All Gist, their creative process, covering songs, and their sometimes-overlapping, oft-diverging taste in art. Read their responses below, edited for clarity.

Photo Credit: Joan Shelley

Since I Left You: Why was it time again to make an album together? James Elkington: We’d been talking about it since we made the last one, but the truth is that we’ve both just been too busy. I started making solo records again after the last one, plus I got to produce one for Nathan, and we both help out with Joan Shelley’s records, so it never felt like we weren’t working together anyway. We were just working on projects in a different way. I think that Nathan and I both think there’s something about the duo’s music that is different from the other things we do, so we were keen to get back to it at some point. Fortunately for us, we got an invitation to play at a guitar festival in Chicago, and we used that as an excuse to start working on new material. I should also mention that our wives kept bugging us to do it again.

SILY: How was your collaboration on All Gist unique as compared to your other records together, and how was it similar? JE: We hadn’t played together like this for something like 7 years, so I was interested to see if we could even do it. But our writing together was as quick and easy as it ever was, and in that sense, it was really similar to how we worked before. Nathan has always worked with longer forms than me, but this time, I wanted to follow his lead a bit more in terms of writing longer pieces with less changes and more textures. We weren’t concerned this time with being able to play all of this stuff live, so we left more space for orchestration and overdubs. Nathan Salsburg: We’ve each lived through a world of experiences in the past ten years, musical and otherwise. Now that we’re each squarely into our middle age, I think the poise, levity, and easygoingness that should be attendant on this period of life show up in the music at [the] pitch they didn’t in the past.

SILY: Was there a lot of improvisation in the process of combining the different instrumental motifs you each brought to the recording session? JE: Because we don’t have a great deal of time to work together, we find things go much quicker if we come up with rough musical sketches by ourselves and then present them to the other. Nothing is ever written in stone, and the level of trust is very high. Anything Nathan suggests for one of my ideas is going to improve it. Both of us are more concerned with coming up with something that sounds cohesive and keeping the ball rolling than having any personal agenda for how this thing should be, and we always leave enough space for us to be surprised by what we end up with. I rarely have any idea what Nathan is playing, but I like how it sounds when it’s finished. We did experiment with recording something completely improvised and liked the results, but it sounded like a different record, so we didn’t use it. Maybe that’ll be the next one.

SILY: How or at what point in making each song do you determine whether it needs more musical accompaniment, from other instruments and/or players? JE: That’s a good question, and I’m not sure I have an answer, but the plan seems to be to write a piece that can stand by itself for the two guitars, record that to our satisfaction (which is nearly always the first take we can manage that has all the right parts), then start throwing other instruments at it to see what sticks. Most of that approach is me in my studio adding things and then taking them off again. There are certain pieces where, as were writing them, we can hear that a solo instrument would sound great in a certain part. Wannees Zarour’s solo in "Death Wishes To Kill" was like that. There are songs, like "All Gist Could Be Yours", where for a repeating chord sequence to have the effect we’re going for, its going to need a lot of support from other instruments, and we talked about that as we were writing it.

Cover art by Chris Fallon

SILY: Do you have a backlog of other people's songs you think might be fun or fulfilling to cover or reimagine as a guitar duet? What makes a song fit for a cover from your two artistic voices? JE: Well, I’m a little concerned that there’s a potential novelty aspect to our doing a lot of covers, but maybe it's okay. We certainly didn’t go out of our way to think of any for this record. Nathan suggested "Buffalo Stance" early on just because he loved the song and all the parts. I was resistant at first, just because I thought there wasn’t enough there for us to work with harmonically, but there’s so much good stuff going on with the synths and the bassline in that tune that it became more a process of picking and choosing what aspects of the song we wanted to shine a light on, at what time. Our Smiths cover from the last record is like that, too. It switches from the guitar line to the vocal depending on where we’re at or what seems to be most important, so I suppose we have a system for doing this. I think the only criteria we have for picking a song is whether one of us really really likes it and the other one can get their head around it.

SILY: "Death Wishes To Kill" takes its title from a T.F. Powys novel you both read. Do the two of you tend to recommend books, films, albums, etc. to each other a lot? Do you ever find you're about to recommend the same thing to one another? JE: I was going to write that we don’t have a huge amount of overlap, but I’m remembering going to his house when we hadn’t known each other long and being confronted with what appeared to be a wall of my own books. Its not as if we like exactly the same things, but there are some writers and records that we both like that NO-ONE else I can think of likes, so when Nathan suggests a book, I usually get to it pretty quickly. I think Nathan was reading the Powys novel, Unclay, and sent me a screen shot of one of the passages in the book with the caption "this is for you" underneath. He also sent me a link to an Australian liquor store commercial from the early 90’s because he knew it would make me laugh for a day and a half, and it did. NS: I remember we made common cause over Max Beerbohm not long after we met—Zuleika Dobson, maybe—but yeah, we each have some preoccupations that the other couldn’t give much of a shit about. Like, I can’t say mid-century British horror movies do a whole lot for me. I’m remembering when Jim spent the better part of an hour trying to explain the appeal of U.S. Maple, and I can’t say he succeeded. And Jim couldn’t care less about rural American string-bands of the late 1920s. But when we have an overlap—Unclay, say, or the totally under-appreciated Yorkshire singer-songwriter Jake Thackray, or Alan Partridge—and yes, these overlapping things do tend to all be English—it’s always stuff we’re super, super jazzed about.

SILY: Can you tell me about the cover art for All Gist? NS: The artist’s name is Chris Fallon, an old friend of mine from when I lived in New York City 20+ years ago. He’s a phenomenal painter, and I love his figures, his palette, and the scenes/settings that he dreams up. I asked him to create a portrait of us, and this is what he did. He’s never met Jim and hasn’t seen me in quite a few years, but I feel like he nailed something of Jim’s and my dynamic, equal parts earnest, bizarre, silly.

[dustedmagazine]

James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg — All Gist (Paradise of Bachelors)

In this third album of guitar duets, James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg perform a complicated sort of dance, their separate instruments executing, light and agile motifs, sometimes in concord, other times slightly out of sync. The melody refracts through their separate interpretations, so that you often feel like you’re hearing it from multiple angles or doubled with an echo. Though some of the songs have a twinge of melancholy, most of them explode with joy. Their two instruments chase each other like dogs at happy play.

Elkington and Salsburg pick up their musical conversation after a long hiatus. Ambsace, their last collaboration, came out in 2015. But like the best reunions, this one is free of awkwardness. They treat each other with warmth and respect throughout. The guitars tangle but never step on one another, each player leaving space for the other.

The pair also makes judicious use of other talent to bolster and deepen their sound. The opener “Death Wishes to Kill” gets a firm grounding from Nick Macri’s acoustic bass; he lends a steadiness to this playful tag in thumps that resonate and mark time without staking too prominent a place for themselves in the sonic mix. But even more striking is the wild skirl of violin that Wanees Zarour adds, wheeling around the guitar line in a throaty emotional timbre. Zarour played on the last Elkington/Salsburg disc. He is a Palestinian-American multi-instrumentalist and academic who teaches at the University of Chicago.

“Nicest Distinction” shows how the foundation that Elkington and Salsburg lay down can be opened up and expanded.  It begins in stately ritual, a madrigal with a little blues introduced in the way the phrases end with a vibrating bent notes.  It’s just the two of them for a good long while, one strumming splayed chords, the other picking a melodic path in and among the meditations. Yet this long piece kicks into a gallop towards the end, with wild tom-tom fill and woodwinds played by Wednesday Knudsen.

All Gist will likely be lumped into the folk category, being acoustic and not quite modern. Still there is really only one actual folk tune on it, the mortality-shaded frolic of “Rule Bretagne,” based, per the title, on the music of seagoing France. Well, maybe not. “Explanation Point” digs pretty deep into country blues, the notes sliding and tumbling down a sunlight rambling path. Here, as elsewhere, melodic lines zing off each other then carom back for a moment of concord.

But really, the most interesting cuts veer the furthest from conventional folk. “Well, Well Cornelius,” originally written for piano by the British composer Howard Skelton, offers a radiant procession of chords framed by the regular architecture of picking. It is serene and unhurried and really quite beautiful. So, is “Buffalo Stance” a Neneh Cherry song you might remember for its pop-locking hip hop beat and strobe lit video. These artists distill it down to melody—a tune you might not have focused on the original, very different version—and transform the cut into a gentle, bucolic ramble. Ironically, in the video, Neneh introduces her song with an aside of “how melodic” which feels like sarcasm, but these two guitarists heard it there all along. Just lovely.

Jennifer Kelly

[spectral-honey]

@bibimimii HH okay idk why but i tried to save the post with your ask abt the vid essays to drafts so i could make sure the links worked right and tumblr OBLITERATED it i cant find it anywhere ;~; BUT i luckily had written down my video essay recs elsewhere so! i have them but i have no idea what comments i originally meant to pair with them i am so sorry

i tried to choose favorites but i am just very bad at that so i have like a long list of recommendations and then i chose like a few top ones from said list so here are the “favs”:

Understanding Kingdom Hearts (and every other story)

Man in Cave

The Rise And Fall of Frenemies

Abortion vs. infanticide: is there a moral difference?

I Emailed My Doctor 133 Times: The Crisis In the British Healthcare System

i also split the rest of this into interesting or fun ones and ones that deal more with politics for ease of interaction

Fun/interesting ones:

Evermore: The Theme Park That Wasn’t by Jenny Nicholson

How ARCANE Writes Woman by schnee

Our conception of love is messed up. by oliSUNvia

Queerbaiting Celebrities: An Overanalysis by Alexander Avila

The Modeling Industry: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by Mina Le

Small Quick Ordinary Look at The Umbrella Academy by Quinn Curio

The Rise And Fall of Frenemies - Trisha and Ethan’s Impossible Podcast | TRO by The Right Opinion

TempleOS | Down the Rabbit Hole by Fredrik Knudsen

Furries | Down the Rabbit Hole by Fredrik Knudsen

What The Internet did To Undertale by Super Eyepatch Wolf

What IS Nathan Fielder? by Super Eyepatch Wolf

‘00s Bisexual Chic by verilybitchie

Your city is full of fake buildings, here’s why by Answer in Progress

Envy | ContraPoints by ContraPoints

A masterclass in gaslighting - i wanna marry harry by Jordan Theresa

The Craziest Moments In Brony History by Izzzyzzz

Understanding Kingdom Hearts (and every other story) | Unraveled by Polygon (Brian David Gilbert)

Man in Cave by Internet Historian

The Cost of Concordia by Internet Historian

The Supernatural Finale Aired, And Tumblr Exploded by Sarah Z

and the more political ones:

How Social Media Changes Your Mind by verilybitchie

Aborting the sun: the facts, the feels, and the action | Khadija Mbowe by Khadija Mbowe

Abortion vs. infanticide: is there a moral difference? by oliSUNvia

The Problem With “Google is Free” Activism by Rowan Ellis

I Emailed My Doctor 133 Times: The Crisis In the British Healthcare System by Philosophy Tube

also i think any trigger warnings are either self evident from the topic of the videos or are mentioned by the creators of the videos but i am always here

[jazzytrait]

Hi! Can i ask 18 for the music game? Thanks 🙂

Song #18 is World Spins Madly On by The Weepies. So, I made Nathan Knudsen with the sole purpose of having existential depression. Poor guy 🥲

Ask for a sim to be made based on a song!

[sodascherrycola]

Instagram Intros (Alexei & Anneliese’s Kids)

Nikolai Alexei Smirnoff

DOB: September 27th 1978 Age: 42 years old Hometown: Krasnoyarsk, Russia S/O: Nicole Peterson Kids: Heidi and Everett Best Friend(s): Daniil Knudsen Aesthetic: The typical older brother, always wanted to be successful, and absolutely idolized Alexei and wanted to be just like him. He was a daddy's boy through and through and very protective of his younger siblings.

Wes Mikhail Smirnoff

DOB: July 19th 1980 Age: 40 years old Hometown: Krasnoyarsk, Russia S/O: Sofia Gonzalez Kids: Matteo Best Friend(s): Grigory Rakitić and Maksimilian Safin Aesthetic: He was the party animal out of all his siblings. He did suffer from the pressures of being manly and tried to prove to everyone that his is a man, which caused many dangerous stunts to show off to his friends. He was very close to his mother and was always a mama's boy, though his mother did worry about him, he did eventually settle down.

Anastasia Louisa Smirnoff

DOB: January 11th 1984 Age: 36 years old Hometown: Krasnoyarsk, Russia S/O: Thomas Ethenburg Kids: Jackson, Prescott, and Dmitri Best Friend(s): Irina Mosolov and Mira Baladin Aesthetic: Very clean pinterest look, loves to travel and lives like some sort of russian supermodel. Always seems put together during the day, and always going out with friends at night. Learned her secret breakfast hangover cure from her mother.

Ivan Venedict Smirnoff

DOB: December 14th 1987 Age: 33 years old Hometown: Krasnoyarsk, Russia S/O: Kelly Williams Kids: Nathan, Emmeline, Torrance, and Olivia Best Friend(s): Thomas Minsky Aesthetic: He is a very talented writer and wanted to become a crime journalist when he was young. His parents encouraged this and he would go around is small neighbourhood and interview anything he could. When he was 18 he moved to New York City where he met his now wife and became a reporter for the New York Times.

Ella Viktoria Smirnoff

DOB: August 28th 1990 Age: 30 years old Hometown: Dyer, Indiana S/O: Nicholas Griffin Kids: None Best Friend(s): Melina Gorbachev and Lukas Pasternak Aesthetic: She is the fun aunt all of her nieces and nephews you absolutely adore. She is also Alexei’s favourite considering it is his youngest daughter and the two have always had a natural bond. When she was little she used to follow her dad around everywhere, watch cartoons with him, and put on his glasses and pretend to be him.

Sacha Warner Smirnoff

DOB: February 19th 1997 Age: 23 years old Hometown: Dyer, Indiana S/O: Haylie Burger Kids: None Best Friend(s): James West, Riley Coley, Micah Brown, and Isabella Meyers Aesthetic: Youngest and also the only Gen Z in his family. He was also the only one in his family to not speak Russian, including his German mother. He knows a couple words and phases here or there, and only whips them out when he’s trying to be a flirt. He only ever heard the phases being told to his mother by his father, not knowing what they meant he would go up to girls and try it on them, it always made his mom blush and practically fall into his папа’s arms. He got suspended for inappropriate talk.

[collinthenychudson]

Day 23: EMD SDP45

Info from Wikipedia

The SDP45 is a six-axle, C-C, 3,600-horsepower (2,680 kW) diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois. It was a passenger-hauling version of the SD45 on a stretched locomotive frame with an extended, squared-off long hood at the rear, aft of the radiators, giving space for a steam generator for passenger train heating. This steam generator placement followed the pattern set by the SDP35 and SDP40. The Southern Pacific Railroad ordered their ten on May 9, 1966 with the units being placed in service between May 24 and July 26, 1967, initially on the City of San Francisco between Oakland and Ogden, and eventually used system-wide. As built, each unit carried 2,500 US gallons (9,500 l; 2,100 imp gal) of fuel and 3,000 US gallons (11,000 l; 2,500 imp gal) of steam generator water in a partitioned underframe tank. The steam generator was a Vapor Model OK-4740. SP's units had Pyle National Gyralights on the leading end, came with Nathan P-3 horns, and cost $317,156 each (SP's straight SD45's from the same period cost $290,788 each). Ordered with 62:15 gearing with the overspeed set at 72 mph (116 km/h), the gearing was changed to 60:17 (overspeed at 83 mph or 134 km/h) during 1968–1969. All except 3201 and 3207 would eventually be re-geared back to 62:15 once they entered commuter service. After Amtrak took over long-distance routes in 1971, various units were leased to Amtrak for West Coast service (primarily on the Coast Starlight) until Amtrak purchased their SDP40F locomotives, while the rest were used in freight service and on Company specials. Beginning in 1973 the SDP45s were used for commuter service on the San Francisco Peninsula Commute, replacing the Fairbanks-Morse Train Masters. SP's commuter service was demanding work and the locomotives required electrical modification to meet those demands. A "Passenger Start" switch was installed inside the cab electrical cabinet; in the "COMM" position the units were held in Parallel, in the "FRT/PASS" position normal transition was made. They stayed on the commute route (often working in freight service on weekends) until 1985 when Caltrain equipment arrived, and they were placed into freight service until their retirement, initially working out of Roseville, then in local and hauler service in the Los Angeles Basin. All were retired between 1986 (3208) and 1990 (3204) and sold for scrap. The Great Northern Railway purchased eight SDP45s in 1967 to replace F-units on the Empire Builder. Normally paired back-to-back, they were also used singly leading F-units. These joined six smaller SDP40 locomotives ordered in 1966 for the Western Star. After the startup of Amtrak in 1971, Great Northern Railway successor Burlington Northern Railroad converted all fourteen SDP locomotives to freight service. The Erie Lackawanna Railroad ordered 14 SD45Ms in 1969 and 1970. Intended for freight service, these units had standard (angled) long hood ends, the extra space aft of the radiators had concrete ballast. Their longer frames permitted a larger fuel tank which gave the locomotives a greater range between fuel stops. One Burlington Northern Railroad SDP45 (photo of BN 6599, closeup of HT-BB truck) was retrofitted with an articulated four-axle truck by EMD in 1983-84, converting it to an A1A-B+B wheel arrangement. The middle traction motor in the lead truck was removed and placed in the rear truck. The rear truck, called the HT-BB, for High Traction B+B arrangement, was tested successfully but advances in traction motors obviated the need for four axle trucks. This testing was not related to the development of the HTCR three-axle radial truck first seen under EMD SD60s and SD60MACs, and made standard on the early SD70 series. Southern Pacific Railroad 8691-8696 were SD40M-3 rebuilds done by Morrison-Knudsen. They were ex-EL 3654, 3668, 3666, 3665, 3662 and 3659. It is this group that most surviving SDP45s belong to. Erie Lackawanna Railroad 3639, later Conrail 6670, was listed as being preserved at the Virginia Museum of Transportation, although the museum's collection list does not show it. In August 2018, Youngstown Steel Heritage announced their intention to purchase 3639 and move it to their museum, with the goal of restoring it to operating condition, and eventually back to its original number and paint scheme. In September 2018, the group announced that they had successfully purchased the locomotive.

Models and Route by: Jointed Rail, Trainz-Forge, Auran, and Download Station

[webercreative]

Redding Trail Alliance Executive Director Nathan Knudsen talks about bringing together government agencies, private resources and outdoors enthusiasts to string together, renew and build anew trails that mean so much to the lifestyle and tourism economy of the region.

Click HERE or click the image below to hear the interview on Scorecard Scribblings, my YouTube channel, which first aired Wednesday night, January 8,  2019 with the on KCNR 1460 in Shasta County, California. You can also learn more at reddingtrailalliance.org. He also talks about why we won’t be hiking the falls trails at Whiskeytown anytime soon (so quit blaming the folks at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area!)

Here are some pics from a couple of work days in 2019 that I took part in – I look forward to volunteering again in 2020.

An alliance to heal and build trails in Northern California: interview with Nathan Knudsen Redding Trail Alliance Executive Director Nathan Knudsen talks about bringing together government agencies, private resources and outdoors enthusiasts to string together, renew and build anew trails that mean so much to the lifestyle and tourism economy of the region.

[politicsprose]

Gaithersburg’s Literary Spring Fling

If it’s May, it must be time for the Gaithersburg Book Festival!

The annual celebration has become a literary highlight of spring in our region, bringing scores of authors to a park-like setting in the historic center of Gaithersburg to talk about their works and sign books. And that’s only part of the action. The festival, which takes place this year on Saturday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., also will feature musical performances, writing workshops on everything from college admissions essays to the art of mysteries, and lots of fun programming for kids in a Children’s Village.

Food trucks will abound, and for a second year the Brew and Vine Café by Dawson’s Market will serve craft beer and local wine in addition to coffee and gourmet snacks.

Started in 2010, the festival was conceived by Jud Ashman, then a Gaithersburg council member and now the city’s mayor. Today, a committee of city staff and volunteers produces the event, and funding comes from an assortment of sponsors. Attendance is free, and P&P is proud to be serving for the sixth year as the festival’s official bookseller.

As in previous years, the list of participating authors is expansive and impressive. Among the accomplished writers will be: Sidney Blumenthal, Eleanor Brown, Jennifer Close, Peter Cozzens, Alex George, Laura Lippman, Beth Macy, Joan Nathan, Mark Shriver, J. Courtney Sullivan, David Swinson, and Neely Tucker.

Other noteworthy authors include: Jessica B. Harris, an expert in African food and its movement into American cuisine (she curated the popular cafeteria of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture); and Jack Viertel, a Broadway producer and artistic director of New York City Center’s Encore! series (he’ll be in conversation with Montgomery County’s own Jason Loewith, Olney Theatre’s artistic director).

P&P staff won’t just be selling books at the festival but also will be involved with events. Mark Laframboise, our chief book buyer, will converse with Dominic Smith and Eleanor Brown about “female reawakening novels,” and Liz Hottel, P&P’s events director, will speak with Nathan Hill about his debut novel The Nix and moderate a panel with Jami Attenberg and Jade Chang about “modern families searching for meaning.”

This year features a particularly strong lineup of writers of books for children and young adults. Participants include: Doreen Cronin, Kimberly Willis Holt, Michelle Knudsen, Tom Lichtenheld, Meg Medina, Dave Roman, and Carol Weston.

To find out more about what’s planned for the day, visit www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org.

— Brad and Lissa

[northamericanreview]

Compare>Covet>Detest by Nathan Leslie

I was scrolling around the internet today, looking for articles about envy and writers—long story—when I came across a web posting with the following title: “Do You Ever Feel Jealous of Other Writers?” What a stupid, stupid question. Writers are jealous of other writers always, all the time. Except the proper word here, I may point out, is “envious”—in that I’m not dating other writers and jealous of the time they are spending together. I’m envious of the publications they land, the publishers who publish them, the prizes they win, the agents who represent them, and of the lives that they lead. Is this comprehensive enough?

Also, lest you think I’m some kind of freak, I would contend that all writers are envious all the time. We covet. We compare. We detest. We are constantly insecure and then fret that nobody will ever read a word that we wrote again. Often they don’t.The good news is that they never really did. All those book sales were just coffee-table fodder.

Of course, in the age of social media we compare>covet>detest much more readily. The success of others is up in our collective grills all the time. Here is Johnny Peartree signing his National Book Award nominated collection of short stories, When the Moon Becometh the Sun, at your favorite fancy bookstore—the one where all the cool people go, the one where you take your friends to impress them that your city also has culture (even if this is the very last bookstore in the area and it is propped up by a trust fund from a retired hedge fund douchebag who, when he was nineteen, liked the class on the Lost Generation he took with the cool pot-smoking professor who taught class outside and sat cross-legged).

But Johnny Peartree just keeps smiling with that elegant I-have-a-monogrammed-handkerchief-in-my-pocket glint. His hardback books featuring a silvery image of an iguana climbing a palm tree in stark relief all come equipped with a sticker looking like a cartoon sun with little pointy isosceles triangles, creating interesting angles and pleasant associations leading back to Madeline L’Engel and whatnot when you experienced the “magic” of reading in your bunk bed with your flashlight when you were supposed to be sleeping. He flips his hair, which is, of course, perfect—coifed and curly and amber and brown and blonde all at the same time. He has a tasteful little beard with sexy salt-and-pepper flecks of middle-aged gray, except the gray isn’t gray—it’s classy metallic, matching his single earring and his gargantuan wedding ring that is the size of a plum. Of course, he wears it on his pinky. That’s how he got the six-figure book deal.

Let’s talk about you. You are a very good writer, sometimes even an excellent writer. However, you write too much. You don’t proofread as much as you should/could. You lack discipline and should hire an editor before you submit your shit.  Also, you are a rank amateur at social media promotion. You don’t selfie. You tolerate Facebook but don’t like to put your latest concerns in front of everyone all the time. Instead, you hole away believing that the work will eventually speak for itself. Look at Emily Dickinson, you tell yourself. Emily Dickinson wasn’t appreciated in her lifetime and look at her now. But when asked for other examples, you balk. The Emily Dickinson fallacy this is.

However, you have had some measure of success. You have published a lot of books, even if they are published by the "Orange Asparagus Press" out of Heltkoben, Minnesota. “Who else have they published?” Your writer friends want to know. Lief Knudsen, you say. Lief Knudsen is also the publisher of Orange Asparagus Press and he’s eighty seven—though he claims his daughter has some interest in taking over the press if his health fails. “Welcome to the Orange Asparagus Family,” he wrote in his last e-mail from an AOL account that frequently fails. He encouraged you to promote your books through newsletters and by talking to your local librarian.

They are not Knopf books but Orange Asparagus Press does offer a thirty-five dollar advance, five free books (minus the shipping costs) and two and a half percent on all royalties before taxes—and minus the shipping charges. The covers don’t look bad exactly, but they don’t look good. Your last book featured an apple with a smiling worm wriggling out of it. You don’t believe the cover artist used clip art, but perhaps some (minimally) advanced version of it.  The back-cover material featured blurbs. They are the same blurbs really that you used from the previous two books. One day back in 1999 you spent some time e-mailing, then, well-known authors begging for blurbs for your upcoming novel. So the blurbs are a little dusty and reference the novel which the previous publisher never published because the publisher, a nice lady by the name of Audrey Heller, decided the publishing gambit wasn’t for her and pulled the plug on "Cockroach Books" and moved to Italy to become a flower farmer. Or maybe it was Serbia. You still haven’t published that “gritty” novel—The Day of the Dirty Goat. Nobody wants it.

You think of Audrey Heller and her muddy life in Europe as you click through more high-definition pics of Johnny Peartree and his agent and his publicist sipping champagne and eating chocolate covered strawberries at the National Book Award ceremony. Look, there’s Toni Morrison. And look, there’s Ian McEwan—you didn’t know the Brits even attended such events.  And who could that be but Jonathan Franzen. The shrimp cocktail glistens. The tower of $75/pound smoked Gouda looks so perfect it seems somehow molded. The prime rib on each perfect little white plate.

You, on the other hand, have never, ever won a writing prize. Not in high school, college, graduate school, for any tiny dipshit magazine. Not for any large magazine. You could even orally pleasure the judge for a writing prize and still find a way to lose it, you are positive. You are not the prize-winning kind. You are the put-your-nose-to-the-grindstone type and hope someone sees the value of your grit. You pin affirmative/inspiring quotes all over your writing studio. Your writing studio is not a separate, Waldonesque (but heated) building set back in the woods with the sprites and the friendly foxes. Your writing studio is a tiny eight by six room across from the highly frequented hall bathroom, sans sprites.

What you need to do, you know, is to stop comparing. You need to cut off the social media pipeline and just be yourself, world be damned.  But it is so difficult when the world—the success—is right there in front of you and isn’t that what you are after? You mull over the idea of writing up a nasty review of When the Moon Becometh the Sun on Goodreads (under a fake name) just to feel better about yourself and bring Mr. Peartree back down to Earth just a bit. Except you know that Mr. Peartree probably retains enough self-confidence that he ignores such trifles and anyway he has people for that. Handlers. You once had an assistant who helped you for a summer—she was a student intern and you didn’t tell her ahead of time that part of her internship would be helping you advance your career. Except, did it?

When you make your nightly preparations you kneel down in front of your bed and beg for the secret sauce (at least internally you do). How did Johnny Peartree do it? What is it about his preposterous plots and lyrical sentences and pseudo-magical realism (talking salt shakers—really?) that is so utterly compelling? Did his best friend at Cornell start up a literary agency and he was lucky enough to get in early? Did he sleep with the right person multiple times? Did he win them with obscure multisyllabic words? Whatever his secret is, you will follow suit. And you will do so happily. What is the trick? What is it?

Nathan Leslie’s ten books of fiction include Three Men, Root and Shoot, Sibs and Drivers. He is also the author of The Tall Tale of Tommy Twice, a novel, and the poetry collection Night Sweat and his work has appeared in hundreds of literary magazines including Boulevard, Shenandoah, North American Review, and Cimarron Review. Nathan was series editor for Best of the Web anthology 2008 and 2009 (Dzanc Books) and edited fiction for Pedestal Magazine for many years. He also served as interviews editor at Prick of the Spindle and he writes a monthly music column for Atticus Review. His work appeared in Best Small Fictions 2016 and in 2018 his work was just published in Flash! A flash fiction anthology published by Norton and edited by John Dufresne. Check him out on Twitter and Facebook as well as at www.nathanleslie.net. He is the co-founder and host of the monthly Reston Readings series and he teaches at NOVA in Northern Virginia.

Christian Blaza is an illustrator based in New Jersey. Christian graduated Montclair State University in May 2015. Along with receiving a BFA in Animation/Illustration, he was awarded Excellence in Illustration by the Department of Art & Design for the class of 2015. Now a member of Society of Illustrators and Society of Philippine American Artist, he works as a freelance illustrator for publications like the North American Review. Interested in editorial and fantasy illustrations.

[theknudsencasa-blog]

big woods, small adventure.

This past weekend was an idyllic insight to what autumn means to the Knudsen casa. It’s been raining 50% of the time the last few days, with cloudy skies and low temperatures settling in Friday and not vacating until mid-afternoon today. To set the mood indoors accordingly, I’ve been burning candles with the lights down low, the fireplace glimmering a slow flicker with its gentle click-click-click patter filling my ears, indicating it’s still functioning after a summer without use. Nate and Kunu napped away the afternoon on Sunday, and I spent the day sitting at the computer desk working on some freelance work as we prepared for yet another busy week before a long Labor Day weekend.

The fact that it is already basically September and I’m writing my first blog post of the year isn’t lost on me. From relatives to coworkers to friends, I’ve received a few comments - some intrigued, some snide, all from a place of genuine interest - indicating people miss my posts. It’s heartwarming and frustrating all at the same time, and while there’s been no shortage of material to write about, the wheels just haven’t been clicking for me the past few months.

Since my last blog posting, a lot has been buzzing at the Knudsen casa and beyond. To catch you up to speed, here’s what you missed:

I celebrated the new year with wonderful people and was actually able to stay up until 3AM, much to my ancient and decrepit body’s surprise

Donald Trump took office and my Twitter feed lost its mind

I was offered a transition to full-time from part-time at my workplace

I intimately high-fived Matt Damon and subsequently got gangrene after not washing my hand for four months (half of this is a lie – and not the more fantastical half, either)

Nate and I were both sick for a combined total of two months straight

I drove an unwilling but supportive Nathan through a blizzard to see Brendon Urie live – for free

I went back to Las Vegas and experienced a real What Happens in Vegas moment by getting escorted out of a swim resort after getting way too drunk at 2 in the afternoon (sorry, workplace that thought hiring me as a full-time representative of their company was a good idea)

I lost 20 pounds (but kept my gigantic calves in the process)

Nate passed his Principles & Practices of Engineering exam after a few hard weeks of studying

I raised $300 to help animals in the greater Twin Cities area and found my true calling in life

Nate and I visited Wisconsin and actually had a good time, probably because there was cheese and beer involved as well as terrific company

We finally landscaped our yard in front and truly became part of the north-facing neighborhood by including hostas in our foliage

I accomplished my first animal foster situation by bringing home a stray kitten and caring for him before finding him a loving home with my little sis, Kara

We stained our deck and experienced three straight days of rain afterward, because we are really good at adulting and homeowning

… among other things.

There’s not much justification for me to explain about the lack of posts aside from I just didn’t want to do it. Honestly. My whole life, I’ve been the kind of person who gets so wound up and overwhelmed by something minimal, I’ll react one of two ways: either I will go all out and do way more than I need to to compensate for feeling so overwhelmed (trip/PTO planning, employment searches, meal planning) OR I will give up on all things entirely and just let it die a sudden death (thank you cards, filling photo frames with pictures of people I actually care about instead of weird candid black-and-white shots of people I don’t know, blog posts, calling to schedule my car an oil change oh goodness I’m over 2,000 miles over and I should really make that call).

HOWEVER, here for your reading pleasure is the ULTIMATE JUSTIFICATION PARAGRAPH(s), commence: I actually started a blog post about our California trip in March when the weather started getting nicer, but I left the draft to rot in my composer due to lack of interest. The post, titled “my life as a California raisin” because I literally don’t know anything about California except for the fact that animated dancing raisins from the 80s use its namesake, apparently?, was intentionally left alone as an act of defiance; I had a lot of people nicely asking when my next blog post was coming out, and I went through one of those teenage angsty “I DON’T HAVE TO BE WHO ANYBODY ELSE WANTS ME TO BE! IT’S MY BLOG AND I’LL DO WHAT I WANT!” phases and just turned off my computer and left it. I also was a little nervous, because we didn’t really take any photos of our California trip, and I didn’t have clear documentation of much of anything – especially the event everybody wanted to hear about most, when Matt Damon and I fell in love while simultaneously touching hands for a split second in a television studio.

We also didn’t do anything monstrous or overly awe-inspiring in Cali – or at least nothing physical like the struggle of hiking Angels Landing, which I’ve been told was one of my better entries – but it was a solid, long, well-deserved vacation for both of us. A mixture of relaxation, crashing on futons owned by long-distance friends, and enjoying happy hour drinks (priority), our California trip was a great way to begin our adventures in 2017. I, however, am not going to document it – just because honestly, I don’t remember half of what we did now. It was nearly seven months ago (oh my GOD!) and we have other things to get through, like the awesome nature of the last two camping trips Nate and I took as well as whatever else I want, because this is my blog and you can’t tell me what to do! So if you came here looking for that, I guess I have disappointed you once again and I am not sorry.

One thing I do remember, however, was the true starting point of our summer this year: our first camping trip, accomplished in May. We enjoyed some time in Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park near Faribault, a brand new state park for us, mixing car camping with delicious downtown dinners to make a really delightful weekend away.

NERSTRAND-BIG WOODS STATE PARK MAY 12-14

Friday – Day 0.5 I left work around 4:30 on Friday to meet Nate at the North Star Park and Ride in Elk River, our meeting destination that only made sense as we needed to drop off a car before venturing south. We left his pickup and jumped in the Kia, beginning our travels to Northfield for some grub before arriving in the park. Our plan was to go to The Tavern, because they seemed to have a wide variety of 21 Day Fix-approved food, and my hopes were high to get a salad instead of a salt-coma inducing gut bomb of a burger, because I’d been doing very well on my portion-controlled diet plan as of late and had even planned out all the camp food for the weekend to be fix-approved.

However, after stopping at the Cabelas in Rogers, my hunger had quickly escalated for greasy, delicious, artery-clogging food, and I threw my healthy eating plans aside to order a Spin Dip burger and fries because I have never had much self control. I also added a tall Angry Orchard to my bill for good measure, as I’m definitely the kind of person who is all or nothing, y’know?

After inhaling most of my meal in less than 10 minutes because I am an animal, Nate looked at me very concerned across the table as I instantly puffed up to the size of Violet Beauregarde and turned roughly the same color. My body was turning on me real quick and we finished our beers, leaving as speedily as possible so I could lay flat in the car and hug my pillow whilst moaning on our way to Nerstrand-Big Woods SP.

The drive from Northfield to NBW was about 20 minutes, just enough time for me to stretch out my oversized belly and Nate to lay out our game plan. We would get to the park and utilize the remaining light of the day to set-up our sleeping situation and snuggle in for the night. Then, we’d go to bed and wake up at our leisure, making a prime breakfast before a morning of hiking and an afternoon of paddling on the Cannon River.

Just a little before bed tent selfie! You can see up the corner, we like to tie our lantern to the top of the tent, much like recessed lighting.

After I snapped that selfie, I quickly passed out, and the day was done.

Saturday – Day 1 The next morning had a bit of a chill to it when I woke up, but hints of warm summer day lingered in the breeze, waiting for the sun to peek out from behind the clouds. As I lounged in the warmth of the sleeping bags Nate was already out of the tent, sipping some steaming caramel hot cocoa and setting up his hammock. Once I put on some warmer clothes, I left the tent to help aid with breakfast.

Our set-up. I am getting breakfast ready.

As you can see from our campsite photo there, our tent is huge! If you follow along really closely with any of our adventures, you may note the tent you’ve seen us use before is small and orange. This Coleman tent was my parents’ hand-me-down and it’s our car camping tent. Because it’s so large, it doesn’t work well when it comes to backpacking, but car camping.. that’s another story.

First and foremost, I love car camping. It’s easy, it’s safe, and most importantly, you have SO MANY FOOD POSSIBILITIES. Let’s be real, over half the fun of camping is the food. Right?! But when you’re backpacking it, you have limited options due to not being able to keep food cold, as well as spacing issues. And sometimes it really sucks when you just want to down a ton of food after a grueling hike, and all you have is a Clif bar.

WELL, when we went to Big Woods, we did not have that problem.

For once I planned most of the trip’s meals, trying to stay to my 21 Day Fix portions and planning method as best as I could. I tried to make protein a priority throughout the day, as well as including hard veggies that could take a beating on the trail for snacks, and we ended up with this for breakfast. Eggs with cheese and salsa and lil smokies. What a way to start the day, right?!

After our power breakfast, which I do have to say was a bit more filling than a donut, we tidied up our campsite and set off on the trails. Nate and I were both excited to explore Big Woods for a few reasons. One, it was our first camping trip of the year, and we were eager to dust off our hiking boots and stretch our legs in the woods; and two, it was blooming season! We got to the park a week or so too late for the really intense flowering period, but still caught many beautiful insights to the season’s change. Neither of us had really been to a park that so prominently featured flowers as a “must see”, so we were intent on grabbing some prime photos on our trip. Luckily, the day delivered.

We first ventured down the Hidden Falls Trail on the east side of the park. We’d talked to the park ranger in the visitor center right away, asking for tips, and had been informed that most of the trails on the south end were downtrodden with mud as a result of the intense rain they’d had the week prior. The north end of the park was more or less the same. But the central portions of the park were where the flowers were blooming anyway, and he recommended we hit that up before anything else. So we did.

Endangered dwarf trout lily on the Hidden Falls Trail, found exclusively in Minnesota (known as “endemic”).

I’m actually not very experienced when it comes to flower photography, so I’m not kidding when I tell you I was a little unnerved at the thought of getting good shots for a blog or our own personal use. I’m the same way whenever I try photographing something severely beautiful. I always convince myself I’m not quite good enough at it and when I get home my photos will be crap and it’ll be like I didn’t even go. Sort of like FOMO, but PTSD style? Luckily, I like how this batch turned out.

One of my favorite shots of the day. This flower is bloodroot, if I’m not mistaken.

However, aside from spring flowers, there’s a lot of reason to go visit Nerstrand Big Woods. How about, for instance, the big woods?

Along each of the trails we did throughout the weekend, we were both in awe of the trees. They were so easy to get lost in! We absolutely loved it. Canopies lined the paths and engulfed you, covering you just enough that you felt like a part of the nature that surrounded you, but not enough that you felt cut off from civilization/on the verge of living with wolves.

Nate, reading every sign on every path. As you can imagine, going to museums with him is really fun.

Once we finished the first loop of the Hidden Falls Trail, we decided to go for loop two. After all, we absolutely needed to, or so we’d been told. There was a waterfall to see!

While the waterfall at NBWSP isn’t big, especially compared to those on the North Shore (see ya this fall!), it was still a sight to behold. With all the fresh green on the trees, the gushing water was truly spectacular! By the time we reached the falls, the park was hopping. Many families were taking photos in front of the falls, and kids were playing in the cool water, throwing rocks. We backed away from the falls at first, entering further back into the river that flowed from them. I crossed some rocks and we both took some center of the river shots before admiring the other beauty around us.

Once we took a seat on the rocks just outside of the waterfall, Nate and I watched countless people come in and admire the falls, breaking open our pack to snack on veggies and trail mix. I remember we were both very happy and content. 

Once we stood up and had prepared to move on, we decided to take a few final photos by the falls before heading out on our way. We had more of the day to get through, anyway: we wanted to finish up the trail systems relatively quickly to make it to Cannon Falls to canoe down the river  on time.

We did not leave, however, until I skirted the waterfall and stood right in the middle of it like a super nerd. P.S., if you’re wondering? YES, this was exceptionally cold on my toes.

Then we continued on our merry way.

We made our way back to the campsite quickly, but still took the time to pause and look at flowers, too. We encountered a naturalist along the path and he took his time explaining the flowers to us, telling us what to hunt for and pointing out examples of each thing with careful consideration. In case you haven’t, please talk to your local naturalist when you go to a state park. Generally, they are awesome, and they know their stuff.

Also along our path, we discovered this: one of the weirdest tree formations I’ve ever seen.

This little fellow is called jack-in-the-pulpit! They are truly beautiful (and quite hard to spot).

Once we made it back to our camp, we gathered our belongings, tidied our tent, and left to drive to Cannon Falls. We had decided to work our arms a little by canoeing down the Cannon River, since I mean who really loves leg day, anyway?

Yeah, that’s my husband. I guess he has a tendency of looking sort of like a hippie when we’re on the water if this photo speaks any truth at all.

Our trip down the river was relatively unremarkable. If I remember correctly, we went about six miles, and it went very quickly. The trees along the river were starting to fill, but there wasn’t much wildlife, so the paddle was primarily us (me) floating and eating. We did encounter some people who were swinging into the river via two old, ratchety-looking ropes, and they tried hard to convince us to join them. We both politely declined and watched them as we continued to float down the way.

Once finished with our paddle, we were escorted back on a bus, which picked up a handful of other people at the same time. I tried to make friends with a dog on the way back and by the time we had reached the vehicle, I was so grief-stricken by the fact that we didn’t have a dog Nate took me out for ice cream from a vintage, drive-up diner and I annihilated a shake like it was absolutely nobody’s business.

We arrived back at our campsite in Nerstrand Big Woods in the early afternoon. We’d gotten out of bed quite early that morning in anticipation of a big day and now found ourselves at camp with a lot of time on our hands. Before cooking, we both settled in - Nate in his hammock and me at the picnic table - for some naps and reading time.

Before long, however, the hunger started creeping in. It was probably because we knew what our meal was going to be: steak and potato foil packets.

We seasoned our packets - steak, onion, red peppers, and red potatoes - with montreal steak seasoning and garlic powder. Then, we put them in the fire to roast!

The finished product.

After we ate, Nate was stuffed, but I was severely upset. I didn’t bring s’mores stuff - remember, I had packed only food that was 21 Day Fix approved because I foolishly thought I could make it a whole weekend at camp without S’MORES!!!! - and began whining for dessert almost instantly. Luckily, I did know my self control would be relatively bad, so we did have a delicious dessert - camp style.

First, I cut into two bananas (peel on) just enough we could use it as a boat. We stuffed peanut butter and dark chocolate chips into the crevices, then wrapped them in foil and put them on the fire.

The end result was delicious! A warm, gooey, delectable - albeit slightly healthy - version of camp dessert.

The rest of the night we huddled in next to the fire and watched the light dwindle. Once the sun went down, we reflected on our day before going to shower and wash some of the dirt off of our tired bodies. We then retreated into the tent and fell asleep to the sound of coyotes howling in the distance.

Sunday – Day 2 Early on in the morning we awoke and ate some food: eggs and leftover steak/onions/peppers. Feeling replenished, we quickly tore down the tent and vacated the campsite, ready for the next person to take our spot and enjoy the tranquility of the big woods.

After moving our vehicle, we decided to go an additional few miles on the trails to the south of the park before heading home. We didn’t have a timeline to adhere to but knew we wanted to get out of the park before afternoon as to get home at a decent time. We also had to drive back to Elk River and grab the vehicles, which was a little out of the way and added onto our journey time.

On the trails, the sun rose up high, and we both began to sweat. It seemed like summer was here!  But we still enjoyed some spring blooms as we made our way into the wetter portions of the park.

The further south we got into the park, we realized we were hiking quite a bit more than we had anticipated. Turns out, we’d incorrectly navigated the skiing trails, and had ended up walking directly past our turn-around point. At that time we both decided, me in quite a frustrated manner, that we would be putting on a few more miles than anticipated. As we continued along, however, I tried to focus in and take more photos, alleviating the stress I felt.

We both decided to look for an orange flower to keep us busy. Spoiler: Nate won.

Me, in what I hope is my secondary element. I would venture to guess my primary element is on the couch under a fluffy blanket watching Parks and Recreation or The Office whilst eating cheez-its. #balance?

As we made our way back up the far side of NBW, Nate asked very sweetly if we could take the Prairie Trail, as he wanted to see some wide open spaces after being caught in masses of trees for longer than expected. I, if you’ll recall, absolutely despise the plains, and was outwardly frustrated with this development. I reluctantly agreed and we went on our way to the Prairie Trail.

The trail ended up being probably half a mile longer than marked, and I absolutely gave up and sat on a bench once we reached what looked like the end. Nate, however, continued venturing up the sloped prairie to snap some photos. I do have to admit, he got some nice pictures. But I was pretty done with everything by that time and I just wanted some substantial food.

After we left the Prairie Trail we walked as quickly as possible back to the car. By the time we reached it and parked near the visitor center, the picnic area was packed and cars lined the driveways twofold. Springtime is always when Nerstrand peaks in its visitor count, and it’s because of the beautiful views like we saw - including but not limited to flowers and huge, towering trees.

Once we left the park, we drove through Faribault to fuel up, and then were on our merry way. We stopped in Elk River to get some good old-fashioned ice cream and then drove the remaining 50 miles home, to a happy Kunu bean and a warm, comfortable bed.

And so our first camping weekend of the year was complete.

[azizdosmetov]

the CHAMBER from GMUNK on Vimeo.

Part of The Connected Series by Samsung. To view more of The Connected Series visit: connected-series.tumblr.com

Synopsis: Upon entering an omniscient technological device known as “The Chamber,” a man is presented with multiple projections of himself — from his past memories, to his own digital avatars, and beyond. As he plunged into the unconscious waters of his own mind, he confronts the power of technology to re-pattern the way he sees himself, allowing him to relive the past and embellish the present. Within this condensed temporal space, technology evolves even further, making the connections of the future all the more powerful as the line between reality and virtual reality begins to blur.

Full Case Study: work.gmunk.com/The-Chamber

The Chamber - Credit List

Written & Directed by: GMUNK Managing Director - Live Action: Oliver Fuselier Managing Partner - Digital: Dustin Callif Executive Producer - Live Action: Robert Helphand Producer: Geno Imbriale Production Supervisor: Jessica Clark Assistant Production Supervisor: Devin Johnston 1st Assistant Director: Nathan McCoy 2nd Assistant Director: Bob Riley VTR: Dylan Defelicis

Director of Photography: Joe Picard 1st Assistant Camera: Bob Smathers Underwater Camera Operator: Bob Settlemire 2nd Assistant Camera: Sherri Miranda DIT: Bobby Maruvada Camera Utility: Magnus Persson

Gaffer: Shane Salyards BB Electric: Gary Soloko Electric: Mike Ursetta Electric: Reid Anderson

Key Grip: Johnny Ziello Grip: JayJay Jaramillo Grip: Han Cholo Grip: Cyle Huff

Principal Male: Victor Mazzone Principal Female: Jessica Blackmore Principal Boy: Austin Dean Wardrobe Stylist: Danielle RaPue Hair/Makeup: Vera Steimberg

Production Design: VT PRO Design Design Director: Michael Fullman Lead Designer / Animator: Michael Rigley Production Assistant: Sergio Valencia LED Tape Install: Barry Bradshaw

Post Production: Glassworks London VFX Supervisor: James MacLachlan Colorist: Matt Hare Editor: Bradley G Munkowitz Music by: Keith Ruggiero

Post Production: SpyPost VFX Artists: Ben Hawkins, Todd Gill

Art Department: Arne Knudsen Typography Design: Rowan Ogden Title Animation: Peter Clark

Writers: Bradley G Munkowitz, Taylor Van Arsdale Primary Reference: Bruno Dayan, Brendon Burton Secondary Reference: Christian Boltanski, Aaron Draper

Process Film Editor: Sam Cividanis Process Photographers: Diani Sutherland, Jeff Lee Process Music by: PILOTPRIEST

Production Assistant (Office): Anneke Barrie Production Assistant (Cam/Prod): Trey Butler Production Assistant: Crystal Katancharoen Production Assistant: Jesse Barba Production Assistant: Cody Ross

Gang Boss: Tony Wood Locations: Doug Disanti Site Rep: Kyle Hollinger Studio Teacher: Randy Hoffman Lifeguard: Wes Hatfield Scuba Diver: Chris Poppajon Scuba Diver: Janes Clyde Craft Service: Danny Crowley Air Courier: Bellair Camera: The Camera House Casting: ASG Casting Crafty: McCrafty’s Dolly: JL Fisher Electric Equipment: Bronco Lighting Extras: ACT Inc. Generator: Camerama Grip Equipment: Camerama Insurance: Aon/Albert G. Ruben Messenger Service: Harry’s Run Payroll: CAPS Universal Permit: Film LA Production Supplies: Camerama Shipping: Fedex Water Truck: Agua Dulce Trucking (Prod/Cam): Quixote VTR: Lucky Jackson Walkies: Camerama Extras: Per Act Inc. Special Thanks: Erich Joiner, Pyrotechnico, Matrix Visual

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume Five, Number 8

Graham Dunning and his mechanical techno rig

Our occasional survey of records we might have missed continues with a late July edition of Dust. This time around, our hot and hazy listening spanned localities and genres from Norwegian folk to Black Dirt jam to Swedish dream pop to Ohio noise-electronics, Kashmiri war metal and well beyond, with the usual stop-over in Chicago for free-improv jazz. Writers included Bill Meyer, Justin Cober-Lake, Ian Mathers, Jennifer Kelly, Jonathan Shaw, Andrew Forell and Nate Knaebel. Stay cool.

Erlend Apneseth Trio with Frode Haltli — Salika, Molika CD (Hubro)

Salika, Molika by Erlend Apneseth Trio

This project unites two musicians who have set themselves the task of reconciling contemporary means with Norwegian folk music materials in the 21st century. Erlend Apneseth plays Hardanger fiddle, a violin variant with sympathetic strings that give it a striking resonance; his trio includes a drummer with a feel for Norway’s pre-rock popular dance grooves and an acoustic guitarist who doubles on sampler and other electronics. Frode Haltli is an accordionist who has shuttled between the worlds of folk and free improvisation. Their collaboration scrambles lucid memory, which is represented by archival field recordings of folk songs and dances, with a mildly feverish dream of a trip through ambient textures that somehow detours every now and then through beats that’d earn you an extra beer if you played them in a Nordic country dance hall. The field recordings exert a gravity that counteracts the lightness of the spacy passages, and Haltli tucks his virtuoso command of the squeezebox into hiding spots, ripe for discovery.

Bill Meyer

 Hans Chew & Garcia Peoples — NATCH 10: Hans Chew & Garcia Peoples (Black Dirt Studio)

NATCH 10 - Hans Chew & Garcia Peoples by Hans Chew & Garcia Peoples

After a few years off, Jason Meagher's Black Dirt Studio has resumed its NATCH series of releases, with volume nine (ignoring the prefatory release) coming from Wednesday Knudsen and Willie Lane in June, and the latest pairing Hans Chew and Garcia Peoples. The series offers artists the freedom to collaborate however they please to create freely available releases. Chew and Garcia Peoples make for an ideal match on paper, and the actual pairing pays off.  

Garcia Peoples started their cosmic psych just last year, with two albums out in short order. Pianist Chew has been putting in his time for longer, taking his roots-of-rock and Southern rock sound into increasingly spacey places, turning more and more toward a jam sensibility without sacrificing his songwriting. His Open Sea started taking hints from Traffic, so it's no surprise that this release includes a Dave Mason cover, “Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave.” Chew fits effortlessly into Garcia Peoples' jams for a couple tracks, and they meet him in his bluesy-ness for “No Time.” In the middle we have the acidic meditation of “All Boredoms Entertained,” the hinge between the two more rocking segments. The partnership works best when everybody takes off, and the 10-minute opener “Hourglass” burns as hot on record as it would at a festival.

Justin Cober-Lake

 Death & Vanilla — Are You a Dreamer? (Fire)

Are You A Dreamer? By Death & Vanilla

On their third album, this trio from Malmö, Sweden show a devotion to making the most gossamer strain of dream pop without ever losing sight of a knack for peppily compelling song structures. Two of those four earlier albums may have been live soundtracks for movies, but none of these eight deceptively sharply-written songs fade into the background for a second. Singer Marleen Nilsson may be swathed in gauzy atmospherics throughout, but whether on the swooning opener “A Flaw in the Iris,” the foreboding thrum of “Mercier” or the orchestral surges of “Nothing Is Real,” she effortlessly commands center stage here. The music deserves the obvious comparisons to Stereolab and early Broadcast, but Death & Vanilla manage to put their own spin on the influences they share with those earlier acts, and the result is a good reminder that there more than enough room on that territory for multiple bands.

Ian Mathers

 Graham Dunning — Tentation LP (White Denim)

Walk Tentation down on the turntable without foreknowledge of who made it or how it was made, and you’re likely to think that you’re hearing a bit of in sync but off-kilter techno. It sounds like some lost Kompakt release got shaken up and dubbed out with a bag half full of Lego pieces. But the truth is stranger than that. Graham Dunning plays a real time mechanical techno with a homemade, eternally changeable set-up that can simultaneously play a stack of records whilst affording him the means to fuck with individual sounds. True to his techno ambitions, this stuff bumps in ways the kids won’t question. But his willingness to get hung up on a sound and play with it, and then play with it a bit more, mark him as an experimenter with a feline sense of play. “Do I put a bit more reverb on this bit of echo,” one can imagine him musing, “or do I just knock it under this bump in the rug?”

Bill Meyer

  Erin Durant — Islands (Keeled Scales)

Islands by Erin Durant

Erin Durant has a lovely, old-fashioned country voice, flute-y with vibrato at the top-end, rich with emotive sustenance in the mid and lower ranges. It’s the kind of voice that careers are built on, yet Ms. Durant, born in New Orleans now living in Brooklyn, refuses to take the easy road of relying on in-born talents. She brings into complication, depth and contradiction into her songs with a sharp, modern writer’s pen and an idiosyncratic cast of supporting musicians. Her crew on Islands is headed by TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone and includes percussion-centric composer Otto Hauser, the boundary pushing pedal steel artist Jon Catfish DeLorme, at least once on harmonica, the eccentric folk singer Kath Bloom, and a large ensemble of brass and reeds. So when on opener “Rising Sun,” she playfully dabs at the Animals’ blues-rock chestnut (verses begin with the phrase “There is a house in New Orleans”), it’s within a precise lattice of country guitar, of multi-tonal percussion, of flickering bits of flute and woozy surges of trombone and trumpet. It lighter and more delicately structured than the song it references, yet built out elaborately with complex layers of instruments. The title cut, likewise, lifts off in airy weightlessness from the gospel chords of piano, as tied to tradition as it needs to be for resonance, yet fundamentally self-determined. There is nothing lovelier than Durant’s massed, multi-voiced choruses here, but the prettiness isn’t everything, far from it.

Jennifer Kelly

 Four Letter Words — Pinch Point (Amalgam Music)

Pinch Point by Four Letter Words

The Chicago-based trio Four Letter Words comes full circle on its second album. Pianist Matt Piet, tenor saxophonist Jake Wark and drummer Bill Harris first convened to play a night of trios at the venue Constellation, but then pursued an investigation of written material before returning to spontaneous music making for this nicely packaged, short run disc. You can get a lot out of this music by focusing on Harris’ inventiveness and humility, or Wark’s angular impetuousness or Piet’s astonishing capacity to pick the best ideas of a half century of jazz practice and put them in just the right places. But you might get more from listening to how the trio collectively imagines musical environments, realizes them, and then pushes off to the next idea at just the right moment to leave you wishing they’d stayed a little longer.

Bill Meyer

  Jake Xerxes Fussell — Out of Sight (Paradise of Bachelors)

Guitarist Jake Xerxes Fussell has a knack for curating old music, but his first two albums were more than simple collections of reworked folk music. His sharp playing and intelligent production (give William Tyler some credit here) have turned old tunes into something a little more vibrant. For Out of Sight, he adds a proper band to his presentation, and the presence of Nathan Bowles on drums is worth noting, even if that sympatico artist largely keeps in the background. In expanding his lineup, Fussell also expands his sound; he no longer just mines particular folk traditions, but instead he inserts himself into a larger Americana conversation. 

The move, intentionally or not, puts more of Fussell himself into the album, to its benefit. If anything held back his previous releases, it was this sense at the edges of the sound that Fussell had tied his own hands, his traditionalism tending toward that curator impulse. The songs on Out of Sight come from a variety of places (though if you plotted most of them on a Seeger-Lomax axis, it would make sense), but they're put into Fussell's current vision. “Three Ravens” builds a broad frame for a singular meditation, the sort of moment his work has hinted at without maintaining. Fussell sounds like he's deep in tradition, but committed to pushing it forward in his own way know, and it's a wonderful step for a gifted artist.

Justin Cober-Lake

 Halshug — Drøm (Southern Lord)

Drøm by Halshug

“Kæmper Imod,” the first track on Halshug’s new LP Drøm, could easily fit onto the second side of Black Flag’s The First Four Years, which chronicles the singles and EPs the Flag released during Dez Cadena’s tenure as front man. The Danish hardcore band hits all the necessary notes, channeling Greg Ginn’s ugly guitar tone and the vicious, overdriven quality of Southern Cali hardcore, c. 1981. The song might be a love letter, but the first side of Drøm doesn’t move far beyond the established sounds of a style now nearly 40 years old. On second side of the record, Halshug does some more varied stuff. “Tænk På Dig Selv” shifts in and out of competing rhythms and makes a winning ruckus. Most interesting are the industrial racket of “02.47” and the extended instrumental “Illusion,” which moves from hard rocking groove, to thunderously exuberant crusty riffing, to arcing drone, and then back again. It’s a hugely fun, sonically engaging song, which makes you wish Halshug would ditch the Hermosa Beach vibe that dominates much of the record.          

Jonathan Shaw

 DJ HARAM — Grace (Hyperdub)

Grace by dj haram

Philly based producer DJ Haram (Zubeyda Muzeyyen) builds the tracks on her Hyperdub debut Grace on darbuka rhythms in homage to her Middle Eastern roots. The album also reflects her involvement in the experimental scene as a DJ and half of noise/rap duo 700 Bliss (with Moor Mother). Over the delicate percussion she layers flutes, big slabs of synth, heavier beats and disruptive stabs of noise. “Candle Light (700 Bliss Remix)” introduces vocals with an impressionistic poetic rap over a purely percussive backing. There is an urgency here driven by the restless, relentless rhythms which makes Grace is a disquieting and claustrophic listening experience. Fans of Muslimgauze and Badawi will find much to admire. DJ Haram uses a limited palette to full and focused effect building atmosphere and impressively drawing a line between middle eastern and western electronic music.

Andrew Forell

 Tim Hecker — Anoyo (Kranky)

Anoyo by Tim Hecker

Tim Hecker may make music that envelops the listener with beatless, thickly textured sound, but don’t call it ambient. For while ambient music holds at least the possibility that you can get lost in its drift, Hecker likes to short-circuit comfort. Soft sounds turn grainy, plush clouds disappear and if you catch him in concert you’ll feel the music as much as you hear it because it’s that loud. Anoyo is a companion to last year’s Kanoyo, and like its predecessor originated with some collaborative sessions between Hecker and an ensemble of gagaku (Japanese traditional ceremonial) musicians. He mixes their sounds up with warped and reversed strings and squelchy synthetic bass, and shapes the resulting amalgam into aural vignettes that are less extravagantly mobile than the tracks on Kanoyo but equally dislocating as national traditions and diverse equipment collections swirl and meet on uncommon ground.

Bill Meyer

 Kapala — Termination Apex (Dunkelheit Produktionen)

Termination Apex by KAPALA

By its very nature, war metal is retrograde stuff. The fact that the bands most strongly associated with the subgenre (Proclamation and — yes, seriously — Bestial Warlust) hailed from nations that haven’t experienced much by way of war-related trauma for decades doesn’t help. Does it make a difference that Kapala live and record in Kolkata, and that India and Pakistan have effectively been at war in Kashmir since Partition, and have been in a U.N.-mediated ceasefire (sort of) since 1965? And that both nations are nuclear powers? And that India is led by a fiery Hindu nationalist? And that the cover art for Termination Apex features a stylized mushroom cloud? Yikes. Aesthetically, war metal has its appeal. It features simplistic riffing, technical primitivism and hammering percussion, all taken to sonic extremes. But its romanticization of industrially scaled destruction and nihilism is repugnant and culturally corrosive. Kapala will attract some attention just through exoticism — metal from India? Sure, I’ll check it out. But a reactionary artwork is a reactionary artwork, wherever it comes from.

Jonathan Shaw

 Khaki Blazer—Optikk (Hausu Mountain)

Optikk by Khaki Blazer

“Mothafucker ain’t nobody playing grooves in 13. You can’t get paid for playing grooves in 13. Ain’t nobody gonna shake their booty. That’s why you’re fucking broke,” observes an uncredited voice in the spikily difficult “4/4,” a typically intricate rhythmic concoction of electronic squeaks, blurts and rattles for this Kent, Ohio-based outfit. Pat Modugno who heads up Khaki Blazer, as well as Mothcock and Fairchild Tapes, constructs giddy, multilayered rhythms. In “Conga Line” sampled, altered voices do battle with rackety bursts of drumming and urgent, antic whistle of a melody. The parts work every which way, throwing elbows, stepping on toes, in furious conflict that somehow resolves itself into slinky rhythm. Whether in four, in six, in seven or in thirteen, Khaki Blazer cuts never take the easy way, but they are grooves all the same.

Jennifer Kelly

 Lambchop — This (Is What I Wanted to Tell You) (City Slang/Merge)

Fourteen albums in and Nashville’s increasingly sui generis Lambchop, led as always by Kurt Wagner, is doing something that feels unusual, at least for them. 2016’s digitally-enhanced FLOTUS was a sprawling statement of a record, and given the restlessness that led to the processing Lambchop used there it wouldn’t be a surprise if their new record went off in a totally new direction. Instead the focused, somewhat more straightforward This (Is What I Wanted to Tell You) could almost be a hefty postscript to FLOTUS. It doesn’t boast anything with the majesty of the two ten-plus minute tracks on the previous album, but all the songs here sound even more comfortable in their own hybrid skins, and as always Wagner is in fine lyrical form. It remains to be seen if this constitutes as Lambchop settling down, but if so it’s in a richer and more bracing way than most bands half their age can manage.  

Ian Mathers  

 Régis Renouard Larivière — Contrée (Recollection GRM)

Régis Renouard Larrivière was born in 1959. But if Discogs is a reliable reporter, despite having been involved in music as a student, instructor, and composer of musique concrete, this is only his second album. Presumably his works are intended more for the multi-speaker listening environments available to the Groupe de Recherches Musicales; certainly it’s not hard to imagine this LP’s three pieces caroming from speaker to speaker, elevating the listener into a mind-altered state induced more by unfamiliarity than sensate distortion. The way they leap off the vinyl of this 45-rpm LP is a trip in itself. No substance, prescribed or otherwise scored, will get you where this stuff takes you. Even when a sound seems familiar — there’s some identifiable drumming amidst the synthetic twitter and boom — it behaves in ways that are unconcerned with the laws of music. Despite its unnatural sound content, Larivière’s music moves more like some force of nature. “Esquive,” for example, evokes leaves in an updraft, circling and dispersing. Like those leaves, each sound has tactile identity that invites you to deal with his compositions at the atomic as well as meteorological level. Strap in, enjoy the ride.

Bill Meyer

  Gabriele Mitelli / Rob Mazurek — Star Splitter (Clean Feed)

The recurrent astronomical imagery in Rob Mazurek's music makes this much clear; his horizons are farther off than most. A restless multi-media artist (his work includes sound and light installations, painting, and composed and improvised music performed with various brass and electronic instruments in the company of musicians from at least three continents), he nonetheless has certain modes that he revisits. In Gabriele Mitelli, he has found an astute companion to follow him into the realm of ritual. In 2018, the two men stepped into the Mediterranean and blew their horns in the direction of the African refugees trying to cross the sea in untrustworthy vessels. No one showed up while they played, but the energy they projected took wind and you can still get a taste of it on Youtube. On Star Splitter, which was recorded on dry land in Florence, they add electronics, voices, and unidentified objects to their brass (Mitelli: cornet, soprano sax, alto flugelhorn; Mazurek: piccolo trumpet) to stir up four sonic maelstroms in celebration of planets from our solar system. Direct our ears in their direction and see how far your own horizons recede.

Bill Meyer

  Tony Molina—Songs from San Mateo County (Smoking Room/650 Records)

Songs From San Mateo County by Tony Molina

Tony Molina is a master of concision. No sooner have his songs stated their killer riff or indelible melody than they’re over, and damned if you wouldn’t like to hear them again. His blistery guitar and way with tunefulness evokes Teenaged Fanclub, and here, on a collection of unreleased and unfinished material from 2009 to 2015, it becomes clear that he doesn’t have to work that hard to hit that sweet spot. The odds and sods are as fetching as anything on his last three albums. Sure he plays fast and loose with some baroque guitar licks on “Intro” and “Been Here Before,” and maybe that’s a little bit off center for power pop genre. But he weaves them in, at least in “Been Here Before” in a way that reinforces the doomed romantic vibe. He rocks a little harder than usual, too, on cuts like “Hard to Know,” with a sidewinding guitar break worthy of Brian May in his prime, but as usual, any hint of rock star excess is limited: the cut is less than a minute long. “Separate Ways” layers sublime dream pop hooks over an incendiary racket, like J. Mascis stepped in to a Raspberries session. The whole collection is so catchy and so satisfying that you have to wonder what else Molina has languishing in his hard drive. Let the songs out, man. We can always use more of these.

Jennifer Kelly

 Mark Morgan — Department of Heraldry (Open Mouth)

The rise and fall of the guitar in popular and critical esteem relates directly to the fact that a lot of people play the thing, and a lot of them sound like lesser imitations of someone doing something that you never wanted to hear done with the thing. If this is your problem with the guitar, Mark Morgan is not part of your problem. The former member of Sightings makes a case for the instrument as a vehicle for creative sound manipulation that cannot be refuted by lazy reference to the dozens of records in your collection, or memory, or once-clicked, never closed browser pages. This music sounds like it is being chewed and digested during the passage from his amplifier to your eardrum. Molars indent twangs, incisors gnash chunks of fuzz, and acids strip off the crusty coating and lay bare the jagged bones of sounds that you really, really shouldn’t be swallowing, but that you really need to hear.

Bill Meyer

Private Anarchy — Central Planning (Round Bale)

Central Planning by Private Anarchy

Titular intimations of both anarchy and planning suggest internal tension that is born out by the music on this album, which is the inaugural vinyl release by hitherto cassette-oriented Round Bale Recordings. Private Anarchy has a bit of an identity crisis; shall one emulate the petulant, gotta get this off my chest delivery of David Thomas c. 1979 or the twangy stride that the Fall hit around the same time? Since the combo is really one man who is acquainted enough with the 21st century to put a laptop computer on the LP’s cover, Clay Kolbinger has taken the time to figure out how to do both at once. The admittedly derivative sounds are well executed, with enough apprehension to suggest that he is similarly motivated by a discomfort that cannot be assuaged.

Bill Meyer

  Rodent Kontrol — Live (Fuzzy Warbles Casettes)

Rodent Kontrol Live (FW13) by Fuzzy Warbles Cassettes

Delivering post-Meatmen teenage punk knuckleheadedness at its explosively deranged best, the short-lived Ann Arbor high-school band Rodent Kontrol played this impromptu live set on the University of Michigan's WCBN in 1987 following a performance by the Laughing Hyenas. The latter were one of the toughest acts to follow, but Rodent Kontrol's calamitous, search-and-destroy assault is so gleefully unhinged, and full of the kind of ill-defined yet apoplectic animosity that can only be mustered by the young and the reckless, they truly give Brannon and co. a run for their money. While Live is on the one hand an amusing artifact, it is on the other a true gem of a release in our current era of archival overabundance. Make no mistake, this is rough, sloppy, perhaps offensive stuff, and Rodent Kontrol didn't break any new ground musically or aesthetically. But the nearly sublime agitation exuded by these guys here is truly something to behold, creating a genuinely unnerving sense that something very bad about is about to happen, and when it does it will feel absolutely good. If that's not the point of this kind of thing, I don't know what is. In addition to the 1987 live performance, this cassette release (also available as a download) adds a 2012 reunion show featuring a slightly tighter, slightly more "mature" version of the band, but certainly no less nihilistic. 

Nate Knaebel

 Sail into Night — Distill (self released)

In the three years since this Dubai-based Pakistani duo’s very promising debut, it feels like if anything they’ve pared down their already elementally satisfying, nocturnal variety of post-punk slowcore to its simple, direct, powerful essence. Zara Mahmood’s harmonium, Nabil Qizilbash’s guitar, a drum machine and their vocals continue to be enough to generate surprisingly heavy music; although you’d be hard pressed to fit the music stylistically anywhere in the heavy metal realm, emotionally and tonally it exists somewhere between the “stonegaze” of a band like True Widow and the stark grandeur of early Low. From the chiming “Lighthouse” to the closing grind of “Apart,” Distill packs a lot of dark energy into a compact 30-minute run time.  

Ian Mathers

  The Schramms—Omnidirectional (Bar/None)

You might know Dave Schramm as an original member of Yo La Tengo or for his guitar work for a whole slew of artists ranging from The Replacements to Freedy Johnston. You might even remember a string of clever, understated country-pop albums from the early 1990s through the turn of this century under the nom de guerre The Schramms — though it’s been a long time. But this seventh Schramms album, the first since 2000, will take you right back to all that’s wonderful about Dave Schramm: quiet intelligence, unshowy but impressive skills, an alchemical way of slipping abrasive rock sounds into soft pop melodies, quality over flash, but still a bit of flash. Take, for instance, the way that “Faith is a Dusty Word” opens up from a rambling piano ballad into swoon-y Pet Sounds-worthy vocal counterpoints, or how contemplative “New England” blossoms from wispy indie pop into a bitter sweet rock anthem, a la American Music Club. Schramm plays with long-time drummer Ron Metz (their partnership dates back to the 1970s Ohio cult band The Human Switchboard) and bassist Al Greller, an original Schramm, so it’s all very burned in, with the easy, unstruggled-for precision of people know what will happen next. Subdued, well-thought-out guitar pop is definitely not the flavor of the month these days, but who cares about fashion when it’s this good?

Jennifer Kelly

 Slow Summits — Languid Belles (Hundreds and Thousands Records)

Slow Summits come jangling out of Linköping, Sweden like the keychain on a building supervisor’s belt. Their debut EP Languid Belles presents four tracks of perfectly rendered, chiming and literate indie pop. The foursome of Anders Nyberg (vocals, rhythm guitar), Karl Sunnermalm (lead guitar, harmonica, keyboards, glockenspiel), Mattias Holmqvist Larsson(bass, keyboards, percussion) and Fredrik Svensson (Drums) enlists Amelia Fletcher (Tender Trap, Talulah Gosh, Heavenly) on backing vocals on two tracks. If these guys worship at the altar of Postcard-era Scotland their songs pay more than just homage to Orange Juice, The Pastels and international contemporaries The Go-Betweens, Beat Happening and Felt. Sunny melodies and kindly sarcastic lyrics driven by a tight and swinging rhythm section hit every serotonin and dopamine center of the musical brain. Slow Summits are the latest Scandinavian band to keep on your radar; Languid Belles is irresistible and will leave you “simply thrilled honey”  

Andrew Forell   

 The Way Ahead — Bells, Ghosts and other Saints (Clean Feed)

Peel back one layer of the Scandinavian jazz scene and you’ll find another layer. If you’ve spent much time paying attention to Cortex, Friends & Neighbors or Paal Nilssen-Love’s Large Unit, you’ll recognize most of the members of this horn-heavy, piano-free octet. André Rolighten (tenor saxophone, clarinet) and Tollef Østvang (drums) write the tunes, and as you’d surmise from a band that finds three ways to pay homage to Albert Ayler in the album name, those tunes owe a lot to his ecstatic/anguished sentimentality. But they aren’t locked into Ayler’s modes; there are also passages that have a distinctly European brass band feel, and some brusque, almost boppish moments. The band might seem ironically named if you take the title literally; this music is rooted in the 1960s, a time before most of the band’s members were born But if you recognize that name comes from an Archie Shepp session with a similar line-up, their sincerity comes into focus. These guys are just trying to blow some life into music much like the stuff that first made them want to play the kind of jazz they’re playing, and they’ve got the wind power to do it.

Bill Meyer

[willridgard]

Danny Cowley should manage Ipswich Town, maybe even this summer!

Wouldn’t it have been good to look inside the Ipswich Town dressing room at half-time against Lincoln City?

As they often do when they televise potential ‘giantkilling’ FA Cup games, the BBC had cameras inside non-league Lincoln’s camp, but not Ipswich’s.

Why is that? I’m sure viewers would have been more interested to hear what Mick McCarthy had to say to his players after a totally inept first-half performance.

Sadly for Ipswich, the second half was even worse, and they lost 1-0 thanks to Nathan Arnold’s last-gasp winner.

Ipswich defended for 90 minutes, appeared to have no game plan, and were well-beaten. All against a team three leagues lower than them.

I wonder if Town’s owner, Marcus Evans, watched that game? And when can we expect the Delia Smith-esque ‘where are you?’ rallying cry to supporters.

Defeat to Lincoln was inevitable, and I’ll hold up my hands and admit that I predicted a 3-0 win for the National League side beforehand.

Hefty striker Matt Rhead battered the Town defence - and Tom Lawrence aside, looked more effective than anyone Ipswich could offer.

I liked watching Lincoln, I liked watching Rhead, and I particularly liked watching former Braintree Town boss Danny Cowley.

Cowley was managing in the Essex Senior League (four steps of non-league below Lincoln) nine years ago, now look at him, leading his table-topping team to a deserved win over Championship Ipswich.

Cowley has worked miracles wherever he has been, and I particularly liked his class and composure in the celebrations when Lincoln got that injury-time winner.

His post-match talk to his players in the dressing room, captured by Lincoln City cameras was most enjoyable to watch (I wonder what McCarthy’s was like).

In my opinion, Cowley is destined for big things in the Football League very soon, his success and rise through the leagues is no surprise to me, and is someone I believe Ipswich should take a gamble on at some point. Maybe even this summer!

I watch a lot of non-league football, and I have to say that, in the higher levels of the grassroots game, I consistently see more talent there than I do when I go through some of Ipswich’s squad.

Some of Ipswich’s players do not know how easy they have it, and I can assure you that no non-league player I have seen has ever received treatment for getting hit in the face by the ball, unlike Town defender Jonas Knudsen against Lincoln. Not many wear gloves like Leon Best either.

I was at Victory Road, home of Leiston FC, on the Tuesday Lincoln beat Ipswich, a non-league team playing in the Ryman Premier Division (two leagues below The Imps).

They won 4-0, to take their goal tally to 19 in four 2017 games, a young lad by the name of Byron Lawrence scored a great goal and received the man-of-the-match accolade, and it was refreshing to see that the first long ball in the game didn’t come until the fifth minute.

It took less than five seconds for Ipswich skipper Luke Chambers to pump one up towards Best’s gloves at Sincil Bank.

In charge of Leiston is Glenn Driver - another bright up-and-coming manager who has got the team playing some very attacking and entertaining football. A trip to Victory Road really is great value for money (£10 admission for adults, under 16s go free).

And Leiston are just one example of a very good local non-league team in the region that would welcome more support. #JustSaying.

Photo credit: Archant/East Anglian Daily Times.

[itsworn]

Making the Scene: Traditional Hot Rods & Customs Steal the Show at the 2017 Detroit Autorama

Forgetting for the moment that Motown reached a record high of 70 degrees F on the opening day this year, the Detroit Autorama has been the hot rodder’s oasis amid the snow and usually bitter cold of Motown’s notorious winters for 65 years.

The Michigan Hot Rod Association (MHRA) hosted the very successful inaugural event in 1953 and quickly handed the show’s reigns to Don Ridler, a local promoter. The Autorama mushroomed over the next few years, and ticket sales supported MHRA’s quest to build Michigan’s first official, sanctioned dragstrip.

After Don Ridler’s death, a memorial award was created in his honor, and the first one was bestowed in 1964 to Al Bergler’s AA/C race car, dubbed More Aggravation. In the ensuing years, the Ridler award grew into one of the hot rodding world’s most prestigious trophies, ranking with the Grand National Roadster Show’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award. It is awarded only to vehicles that debut at the Detroit Autorama, which guarantees a fresh show every year, with the latest creations from industry legends and up-and-comers alike.

Anyone who’s tracked the Ridler award and the batch of finalists known as the Great 8 over the past few years knows that today’s contenders are cost-be-damned rolling sculptures. They’re gorgeous, inspiring, and flawless. They just don’t have much in common with traditional hot rods. Well, mostly.

There were a couple of surprisingly traditional entries under the bright lights this year, including Great 8 finalists Ted and Colleen Hubbard’s ’30 Ford and—not surprisingly—a Deuce Tudor from George Poteet. The Ridler award was bestowed on a ’33 Ford-based custom rod built by Steve’s Auto Restoration for Marcy and Buddy Jordan.

While the Ridler contenders represent the upper echelon of project car spending, the rest of the vehicles on display convey decidedly more down-to-earth approaches to personalization and performance. It is the quintessential blue-collar city, after all, and that’s reflected in most of the hot rods under the lights.

The Detroit Autorama is definitely a bucket list event. And for those who slog through dark, cold, and slushy winters, it’s a warm respite providing a glimpse of the warm-weather car season that’s not too far away.

By the way, MHRA got their track. The pavement was laid, the timing tower erected, and the venue, which would be called Motor City Dragway, finally opened for time trials in 1957. MHRA board member Bob Larivee was tasked with managing the strip, which was located in rural New Baltimore, northeast of Detroit. In 1959, he founded Promotions, Inc. to promote car shows, which lead to the formation of the International Show Car Association (ISCA) by 1963.

The Motor City Dragway track succumbed to suburban sprawl in 1978, but its roots were in the Autorama that continues to thrive.

Former Ridler winners Ted and Colleen Hubbard were contending again in 2017 with their neo-traditional ’30 Ford five-window dubbed Afterthought. It is a stunner, built on aftermarket, modified ’32-style framerails featuring handmade cross members and custom, scratch-machined wishbones. The blown, Ardun hemi-headed flathead adds to the car’s carefully crafted “as cast” color/appearance theme.

The A-bone artisans at West Virginia’s Hilton Hot Rods gave Ralph and Linda Miller’s ’30 Tudor their characteristically spot-on stance. The chopped body (with a ’32 firewall) rests on a ’32 Ford frame that also houses a Ross Racing Engines–built early Hemi, trimmed with a 4-71 huffer, a quartet of Ford 94-series carbs, and a Vertex mag. Sixteen-inch chromed steelies complete the period-perfect look.

Jeff Knudsen’s true barn-find ’36 Ford Club Cabriolet was found in western Michigan, and the only thing he’s done to it is lower it and add rear fender skirts. It was last repainted probably sometime in the early 1960s, and its original engine was changed to a later flathead, too. “No more changes or updates,” Knudsen told us. “It’s done.”

John Cassiol painstakingly restored and maintains Jim Oddy’s ’48 Austin-based AA Gasser, from locating the same type of Fiat seats used originally to replicating the old Sapphire Mist paint. Power comes from a blown, gas-sipping 392 Hemi. Buffalo-based Oddy found the car on Grand Island, New York, south of Niagara Falls, quickly built a race car out of it, and became one of the East Coast’s fiercest competitors. The car makes appearances regularly at nostalgia drag events.

Don “The Egyptian” Boeke’s ’55 Lincoln Nadine is chopped, shaved, frenched … you name it. It also remains Lincoln-powered. The pearl-yellow paint job features darker fogged highlights around the edges and is complemented by yellow-and-white upholstery. The roof is a very pale yellow with intricate cobwebbing that must have taken ages and a bottomless reserve of patience to complete.

The nose-up attitude of Kevin Doolittle’s straight-axle ’29 Ford pickup D/Gas tribute is remarkable for its attention to detail and the fact that it’s Ford powered. A balanced, blueprinted, and tunnel-rammed 289 helps light off the pie-crust cheater slicks via a 3.90-geared 9-inch axle. The authentic 23-karat gold-leaf graphics were handled by Dick Briggs, while Hillside Hot Rods did the truck’s body and chassis fabrication.

Chris and Donna Schlaff’s Brookville-bodied Deuce highboy makes a big statement with understated and timeless style. The luscious black roadster complemented with red guts sports a BopTop removable convertible top that stows in the trunk. It also runs a Chevy 348 and rolls on polished, 15-inch Real Rodders “small kidney beans” wheels.

Ed Roth would be proud of how Frtiz Schenck’s Baja Bandeeto channels the whimsy of his imagination. Illustrator Jimmy Smith penned the design, and Schenck took it from there. He made and painted the one-off, hand-formed fiberglass body, with a Plexiglas canopy, which rests on a scratch-built chassis that’s home to a VW 1600 engine. The bubble-topped interior is trimmed in white “Big Foot fur,” natch.

Mark “Topes” Thompson hawks his hot rod art out of an old, home-built ’55 Pontiac Starchief-based camper. Its crap-tastic execution belies a surprisingly warm and period-appointed cabin. Check out the artist’s work by searching Topes Art on Facebook.

Designer Brook Stevens, who designed the original Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, also conceived this radically altered ’41 Chevy coupe, which was originally commissioned by an Oscar Mayer exec in 1959. Dan, Don, and Janet Tonielli are the current caretakers, after rescuing it from a barn. Look closely and you’ll the see its long nose, low-slung proportional influence in one of Stevens’ later design projects, the ’62 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk.

The ElDorodder ’32 Ford Tudor was a show car built in the 1950s by Bill White, who was the president of the ElDorodders car club. It wasn’t quite finished when it was shown in 1959 at Darryl Starbird’s show in Wichita, Kansas. White died later that year, and the car went into storage. Vern Gray purchased the still-unfinished hot rod in 2015 and saw it through to its natural, period conclusion. That’s a 390 Cadillac mill between the fenders.

The story on Tommy Wahl’s barn-find T-bucket is that the owner/builder passed on a long, long time ago, and the car simply sat. His widow finally decided to sell it, and Wahl caught wind of it via a Craigslist ad. It is reportedly as-built from the late 1950s, including the ’57-vintage 283 small-block.

The legendary, 89-years-young Gene Winfield held class in Detroit, demonstrating top-chopping on a ’50 Ford.

Silver Cloud was another time-worn show car at the Autorama. Originally built by Doug Mattox in Texas, the ’60 Edsel Ranger was fitted with ’64 Chrysler headlamps, layer upon layer of silver metalflake lacquer, a 331 Hemi, chromed chassis components, and a thoroughly customized, Thunderbird-based interior. The car was even featured in a 1966 edition of 1001 Custom Car Ideas.

In 1953, Chevrolet built the Corvette in Flint, Michigan, and that’s also where the Tini Home camper was built. Weighing only 1,400 pounds and stretching a mere 14.6 feet in length, it’s indeed a diminutive domicile on wheels. And forget about the original engine and trans. This thing is packing its original stove, furnace, and icebox.

With all the black and suede hot rods out there, Rudy Duperron’s ’34 Ford three-window is refreshing for its classic, flame-licked red exterior. It’s a simple yet effective presentation powered by a simple yet effective small-block Chevy.

We didn’t get too much data on Nathan Stewart’s Y-block-powered ’31 Ford coupe but liked what we saw, from the channeled body and Deuce grille to the pinstriped steelies. The louvered visor was matched with a louvered deck lid, too.

There’s a school of thought that a 6-71 blower on a flathead is aesthetically unpleasing and overkill for performance, but it’s hard to argue with the effect of this one on a prepped 8BA. It helps that the huffed flattie is nestled in a vintage ’59 Chassis Research K88 dragster.

Bill Kellogg’s ’glass-bodied Willys was built to suggest a barn-find Gasser, including coating the exterior with 3M spray tack and blowing dust onto it for a permanent patina. The engine is a blown, Isky-cammed 392 Hemi backed by a Turbo 400 that sends torque to a 4.56-geared, spool-equipped 9-inch axle.

Metal-shaping supplier Fournier Enterprises, which also hosts metalworking classes, was on hand demonstrating its products. We happened by when one of its experts took time for more personal instruction for a couple of next-generation enthusiasts. We’ll be looking for their builds in about 20 years.

Chris Evans’ sharp Blue Bayou roadster (BLUBYU reads the license plate) was an AMBR contender at the Grand National Roadster Show last year. It’s an all-steel car powered by a ’54 331 Hemi built with a mix of traditional and contemporary speed parts, like the “Strombergs” on the engine that are actually EFI throttle bodies.

The ’59 Ranchero’s long, low lines make a surprisingly strong foundation for a mild custom, especially when it’s hugging the concrete like Kyle Raetz’s. The 3-inch lowering is complemented by the contrasting color scheme that visually lengthens the Rancho. Note the ’59 Cadillac taillights, too. Under the hood is the original 292 Y-Block.

An Edelbrock aluminum intake draws fuel and air through a sextet of Holley/Ford 94-series carbs to feed the small-block Chevy powering Patrick Hampton’s ’30 Model A.

The post Making the Scene: Traditional Hot Rods & Customs Steal the Show at the 2017 Detroit Autorama appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/making-scene-traditional-hot-rods-customs-steal-show-2017-detroit-autorama/ via IFTTT

[hihaho]

the CHAMBER from GMUNK on Vimeo.

Part of The Connected Series by Samsung. To view more of The Connected Series visit: connected-series.tumblr.com

Synopsis: Upon entering an omniscient technological device known as “The Chamber,” a man is presented with multiple projections of himself — from his past memories, to his own digital avatars, and beyond. As he plunged into the unconscious waters of his own mind, he confronts the power of technology to re-pattern the way he sees himself, allowing him to relive the past and embellish the present. Within this condensed temporal space, technology evolves even further, making the connections of the future all the more powerful as the line between reality and virtual reality begins to blur.

Full Case Study: work.gmunk.com/The-Chamber

The Chamber - Credit List

Written & Directed by: GMUNK Managing Director - Live Action: Oliver Fuselier Managing Partner - Digital: Dustin Callif Executive Producer - Live Action: Robert Helphand Producer: Geno Imbriale Production Supervisor: Jessica Clark Assistant Production Supervisor: Devin Johnston 1st Assistant Director: Nathan McCoy 2nd Assistant Director: Bob Riley VTR: Dylan Defelicis

Director of Photography: Joe Picard 1st Assistant Camera: Bob Smathers Underwater Camera Operator: Bob Settlemire 2nd Assistant Camera: Sherri Miranda DIT: Bobby Maruvada Camera Utility: Magnus Persson

Gaffer: Shane Salyards BB Electric: Gary Soloko Electric: Mike Ursetta Electric: Reid Anderson

Key Grip: Johnny Ziello Grip: JayJay Jaramillo Grip: Han Cholo Grip: Cyle Huff

Principal Male: Victor Mazzone Principal Female: Jessica Blackmore Principal Boy: Austin Dean Wardrobe Stylist: Danielle RaPue Hair/Makeup: Vera Steimberg

Production Design: VT PRO Design Design Director: Michael Fullman Lead Designer / Animator: Michael Rigley Production Assistant: Sergio Valencia LED Tape Install: Barry Bradshaw

Post Production: Glassworks London VFX Supervisor: James MacLachlan Colorist: Matt Hare Editor: Bradley G Munkowitz Music by: Keith Ruggiero

Post Production: SpyPost VFX Artists: Ben Hawkins, Todd Gill

Art Department: Arne Knudsen Typography Design: Rowan Ogden Title Animation: Peter Clark

Writers: Bradley G Munkowitz, Taylor Van Arsdale Primary Reference: Bruno Dayan, Brendon Burton Secondary Reference: Christian Boltanski, Aaron Draper

Process Film Editor: Sam Cividanis Process Photographers: Diani Sutherland, Jeff Lee Process Music by: PILOTPRIEST

Production Assistant (Office): Anneke Barrie Production Assistant (Cam/Prod): Trey Butler Production Assistant: Crystal Katancharoen Production Assistant: Jesse Barba Production Assistant: Cody Ross

Gang Boss: Tony Wood Locations: Doug Disanti Site Rep: Kyle Hollinger Studio Teacher: Randy Hoffman Lifeguard: Wes Hatfield Scuba Diver: Chris Poppajon Scuba Diver: Janes Clyde Craft Service: Danny Crowley Air Courier: Bellair Camera: The Camera House Casting: ASG Casting Crafty: McCrafty’s Dolly: JL Fisher Electric Equipment: Bronco Lighting Extras: ACT Inc. Generator: Camerama Grip Equipment: Camerama Insurance: Aon/Albert G. Ruben Messenger Service: Harry’s Run Payroll: CAPS Universal Permit: Film LA Production Supplies: Camerama Shipping: Fedex Water Truck: Agua Dulce Trucking (Prod/Cam): Quixote VTR: Lucky Jackson Walkies: Camerama Extras: Per Act Inc. Special Thanks: Erich Joiner, Pyrotechnico, Matrix Visual

[siouxempirepodcast]

The White Wall Sessions Upcoming Shows

The White Wall Sessions showcases local, regional and national music acts performing original acoustic, americana, bluegrass, folk and blues in a laid back, intimate setting. The White Wall Sessions is recorded in a small studio in Sioux Falls, SD.

From it’s inception, the show was intended to be a visual and audio experience that takes the viewer a bit further into each performance. The program is recorded in full 1080p HD and utilizes state of the art production and post production equipment. Every song is tracked live and completely remixed.

We take an artistic, documentary-like visual feel to each song, which gives the viewer a personal, introspective look at each musician and song. The songs are intended to be offered to the viewer as a moment in time. A moment in time we felt needed to be captured.

We take a  look into the music of people who are passionate, dedicated and who are committed to their art.

The White Wall Sessions airs on Keloland TV Saturday nights at 10:30 CT,  immediately following the local news, and again at 2 am . (9:30 & 1:30 MT)

You can also go watch the performancesl.

weeknight shows start flexibly at 6:00pm, doors at 5:45pm

weekend shows start flexibly at 2:00pm, doors 1:45pm

sessions are $5 at the door unless otherwise noted

the last stop studios are located at 2121 E. 10th St in Sioux Falls

Week 12 

Air Date: 3.12.17

Laura Joy 

Dan DiMonte 

Grifters and Schills 

Week 13

Air Date: 3.19.17

Chris Holm 

Lewis Knudsen  

Charles Ellsworth

Week 14

Air Date: 3.26.17

Bernie King 

Red Leaves

Skin Of Our Teeth

Week 15

Air Date: 4.2.17

Michael Howard

Clearwings

Missing Letters

Week 16 

Air Date: 4.9.17

Brian Hoffman 

Dead Pigeons

The Darning Hearts

Week 17

Air Date: 4.16.17

Charlie Parr

Condor

Pistol Whipping Party Penguins

Week 18

Air Date: 4.23.17

Nathan Kalish 

Ginstrings

Druthers

Week 19

Air Date: 4.30.17

Sofia Talvik

Violet

The Tinder Box

Week 20

Air Date: 5.7.17

Ruben 

Roman Ships

Professor Louie 

Week 21

Air Date: 5.14.17

Angie Hosh 

Clementine 

Boots

Week 22

Air Date: 5.21.17

Soulcrate

Meriwether Raindelay 

Dead Man Winter

Week 23

Air Date: 5.28.17

Bridgette Ann Boen

Ghostcat

Dusty Heart

Week 24

Air Date: 6.4.17

King Of The Tramps 

Tin Can Gin 

Grifters and Schills 

Week 25

Air Date: 6.11.17

J Jeffery Messerole

Hailey Steele

Maiden Dixie

Week 26

Air Date: 6.18.17

Kick

Eliza Blue 

Mat D 

Week 27

Air Date: 6.25.17

Elsa Rae 

The Heavy Set

Undlin And Wolfe

Week 28 

Air Date: 7.2.17

Jami Lynn

Doug Collins

Von Stomper

Week 29 

Air Date: 7.9.17

Dead Horses

The Two Tracks

Burlap Wolf King

Week 30

Air Date: 7.16.17

Bottle Rockets

Crazy Neighbors

Marshell Crenshaw

Week 31

Air Date: 7.23.17

Bernie King 

Erik Koskinen

Unnotables

Week 32

Air Date: 7.30.17

Michael Howard

Red Leaves

Pistol Whipping Party Penguins

Week 33

Air Date: 8.6.17

Charlie Parr

Ginstrings

Missing Letters

Week 34

Air Date: 8.13.17

Nathan Kalish

Dead Pigeons

Skin Of Our Teeth

Week 35

Air Date: 8.20.17

Ruben

Condor

Druthers

Week 36

Air Date: 8.27.17

Brian Hoffman

Violet

The Darning Hearts

The post The White Wall Sessions Upcoming Shows appeared first on TheSiouxEmpire.com.

from The White Wall Sessions Upcoming Shows