Blogs

Thomas Rain Crowe "The Brucciano Poems" (Sunnyoutside, April 29th)

For awhile now I have been fixated on finding the perfect place. The place that feels like the euphoric rush and sudden peace of the first sip of thick black coffee in the morning. It's that calm, the stillness and relaxation that I think I am seeking, but that I never take the time or risk to actually find. It is also that surreal peacefulness and lush richness of life that that the new collection from Thomas Rain Crowe captures. I can clearly see Crowe sitting at the little wooden table in front of the open window absorbing Italy and attempting to capture that feeling. He uses a series of scenes and lives to try and convey his experience in Brucciano, Italy, and does a fantastic job.

Listening:
1. Geographic North: experimental, electronic music out of Atlanta GA. This is the new project from Paul Duncan. Listen to: Open the Wormhole in Your Heart
2. Marcone: This is an extremely hard band to label, but an interesting listen.
3. Racebannon: Joyful Noise is releasing the latest single from this wild Indiana band.

Reading:
1. Hello Clone, I Will Say by Gabe Durham
2. Swarm by Amber Nelson
3. Effigies by Eric Bennett
4. Dogs On A Plane by Todd Dills

This weeks episode is an attempt to study the intricacies of sound. I hope you enjoy it.

Episode Eleven: Beautiful Books

* The Books "Beautiful People"
* J.A. Tyler "Woods 1 - 5"
* Dada Trash Collage "In Season"
* Jac Jemc "Roundabout The Bottom"
* Maxilla Blue "Bendable Boxcars"
* Christopher Cunningham "Three Poems"
* Aleathia Drehmer "The Night Comes Quiet" (previously published in Hobo Camp Review)
* The Deer Tracks "Isbjrnskatten"

The Books "The Way Out" (Temporary Residence Limited, July 20th, 2010)

There are many perks to writing about something you love as much as I love music, and receiving the new album from The Books over two months early is a big one. I've decided to try to give you a track by track account of my thoughts on what will probably be my favorite album of 2010.

"Group Autogenics I"
"Greetings and welcome... welcome to a new beginning" Beginning with samples galore, The Books are back after a five year hiatus from the studio. This first track is a mediation-ready song that attempts to prepare the listener for the journey that is about to begin.

"IDKT"
A brief track, 1:42, that begins the wind-up to the meaty album that is coming. It's a slow build that begins with a cranking sound and ends with almost a full-blown symphony before dropping off into track three.

"I Didn't Know That"

Haunt Me in the Morning by Jim Wittenberg (Graffiti Kolkata Chaps, April 2010)

I received another package from India this week and this time it contained the new chapbook from Jim Wittenberg. The highly streamlined poet was born in Cuba the son of American missionaries. This fact adds both the cross-cultural element and complex internal struggle of the chapbook. What I mean is it is clear that Jim confident in his ability and clear in his expression, but still is able to convey a certain level of guilt or concern about his faith. What he leaves to the reader’s interpretation is what exactly is haunting him each morning.

"confusion is my essence/since the moment of my conception"

Julia Randall "Decoy 1" Color Pencil

Listening:
1. Cullen: Australia's version of Owl City. Listen to: Easily Impressed (Calling In Sick Remix) (mp3)
2. Coma Cinema: More retro sounds, but this time from South Carolina. Listen to: Her Vore (mp3)
3. Luna Is Honey: This LA band mixes everything together and makes it look simple. Listen to: Who Wouldn't (mp3)

Reading:
1. Rooftop Dreams by Hunter Choate
2. Self Defense by Eugenio Volpe

This week we explore a current trend in popular music that I hope every one will enjoy. Several bands right now are regressing back an era in music that was filled with surf, bubble, and harmonies. We look at four of the hundreds of band playing around with this sound.

Episode Ten: Robots in the Shadows
* Cults "Most Wanted"
* Kathryn Regina "Sometimes When On Fire"
* Tim Hall excerpt from Full Of It
* Hollows "Shadows In The Dark"
* J Bradley "The Serial Rapist Sitting Behind You is a Robot"
* Magic Kids "Hey Boy"

The range in form and content of poetry is amazing. Ohio's Michael Ceraolo has found his niche in writing to the blue-collar Midwesterner. He writes about the things he is most passionate about like baseball and Cleveland but is not afraid to lash out at the things he can't stand. In fact some of my favorite poems by Michael are from his series The Book of Corporate Prayer.

Recently, Michael was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): I really enjoyed "Cleveland Scores Early", I feel that there isn't enough poetry out there about baseball. Do you plan to write more about your life as a baseball fan?
Michael Ceraolo (MC): Yes, I do plan on writing more about being a baseball fan.

OA: Do you feel that you are documenting a side of Cleveland that no one else is capturing?

Seattle's Parskid combines fantasy and street art to create his own world filled with vibrant colors and unusual creatures. I've been a fan of his for a while, and when I saw he had two shows opening in the first week of May I thought it would be a great time to interrupt his work flow and bug him with a few questions. He was kind enough to answer them dispute being extremely busy with his solo show opening tomorrow (May 6th) at Seattle's Flatcolor Gallery and the show that opened here in Chicago at Revolution Tattoo.

Orange Alert (OA): You have a solo show opening at Flatcolor Gallery on May 6th, what can you tell us about "Isolated Frontier"?