Writer's Corner

Christopher Cunningham

We have now experienced forty years of hip-hop culture, we are a full generation removed from the beat generation, and both are being taught to our young writers. We have rappers publishing poetry (Saul Williams), we have newly discovered and repackaged ramblings from Kerouac being published all the time, and we have access to hundreds, if not thousands, of literary journals and small publishers with the click of the mouse. It has never been so easy and at the same time so difficult to have your voice heard. In my mind, there is only one thing that can set a poet, a true poet, apart from the mass of "writers" releasing work all over the internet, passion for the craft. Atlanta poet, Christopher Cunningham, oozes that passion from every part of his body. He is both concerned about and conscious of the impending future of poetry, and he is doing everything he can to preserve the true and simple nature the poem itself.

This past week Christopher released his seventh chapbook, "Flowers in the Shadow if the Storm", and took some time out to discuss with us the current state of poetry.

Orange Alert (OA): In a recent post on the blog "Upright Against The Savage Heavens" you wrote this in regards to the "poem" in general: "does it touch on the depth and tragedy of the human condition in a way that hasn't been said a hundred times already? does it use language in a clean simple way to reveal larger, more difficult-to-explain truths? is it honest, free of ego? or should it stay on your myspace page diary/blog? or better yet, unwritten?"... In your opinion what is the current state of poetry and what additional advice do you have the young poets?
Christopher Cunningham (CC): well, it seems to me that poetry today is a broken wine bottle in the hands of hacks, a hip-hop teenager with a slant-rhyme Kerouac tongue, myspace blog entries steeped in bullshit and fake-tough prosaic word-masturbation, a sad factory worker with no hope, no magic and no gamble writing vicarious amusing anecdotes about people they can't be, fold and staple manifestations of a fading work ethic and the last gasp of imagination. poetry today is a world of ivory tower tenures, incestuous publishing houses, big-box corporations, obscurity on vast shelves and MFA workshopped safe experimentation with acceptable language. it is wacky colored cardstock and cheap paper, it is careless and it has no readers. it is the metaphor, adrift in a sea of ten second online mags printing everyone who submits, drowning slowly.

but fortunately, crawling on its bloating corpse, are a few writers and publishers who refuse to sink into the depths. there are some who believe that poetry is in fact the truest expression of the human essence, that the tool of metaphor is still best for understanding and putting into words that which is impossible to say otherwise, believe poetry is a mysterious force that when done well has the power to help us endure and illuminate some portion of our dark lives. I tell you, plenty of people love to suck the holiness out of the artform, will casually piss on the magic of creation (a manifestation of the fake tough-guy attitude that only matters to small press poets; it is a fun romantic notion, but it is a delusional position, like the "outlaw poet" that works in a library or reads at Borders Open Mic Nights), but I shit directly upon that attitude. I don't trot poetry out as religion, but as I don't care to revise my work, I am lazy and don't believe in "crafting a poem, " I just generally improvise directly at the typewriter so I cannot possibly tell you where the words come from, and to me, that is a thing of wonder. I could give a shit if your job is hard, if your wife is a bitch or if she isn't, if you drink too much or party too much or your kids are your shining goddamn joy or whatever you want to write about; what I want to know is this: are you writing a poem that tears away a veil, reveals some larger human truth, speaks to the human being beyond your narrow worldview? is it honest? or should you buy a notebook at the dollar store and keep that crap to yourself? when the lines pour out just right, and the right words land on the page, effortlessly, is that not magical?

anyway, there are some out there keeping the words alive and burning, is all I'm trying to say, and my advice to young writers (I'm old as f**k at 37) is to read the great books that have already been written, seek out and read the writers who are getting it down today for real, and lastly, support, with CASH, those publications you enjoy/submit to and buy a chapbook from a small press poet. I think it is important to try and discover your own "voice" which will inevitably be an amalgamation of various influences distillied into your own experience and way of saying it. and don't mistake simple language for simplicity of thought: remember sometimes the haiku can be most profound. it's all about the right word.

OA: Who are some of your biggest literary influences?
CC: my biggest literary influence is Miles Davis. the space he leaves between notes, his insistence on a kind of spontaneous perfection, the way he would not look back to his older work as he moved forward with a vision of musical progress, the tremendous scope of his vast improvisation, all set deep examples for me in my approach to writing. for me the act of writing is a process of reflection and then explosion, a way in, and the poems are the result. as far as writers who moved me, I'd say T.S. Eliot, Fante, Hemingway, HST, Kesey, Carver, anyone who said it clearly and cleanly with honesty and style.

OA: What book do you own that you treasurer/read more then any other?
CC: I mostly have tattered copies of all the books I've read, but as far as a specific title that made a marked difference in my life, I'd say either Ask The Dust by Fante or whichever volume I have that contains T.S. Eliot's The Hollow Men.


OA: Tell us a little about your new chapbook "Flowers in the Shadow of the Storm".
CC: my new book Flowers is my first trade paperback, a perfect-bound wonder of a book printed by hand by David McNamara at sunnyoutside, he letterpressed the cover and designed/printed the guts then I hand-painted each cover, all variations on the lightning strike theme. most of the poems were written directly for the book, I think David cut some hundred poems down to the final thirty. the book is kind of a "poetic concept album" dealing with the storm as metaphor. I think it is amazing, and the poems don't suck too badly, I hope.

OA: Looking back at some of your previous chapbooks (18 Blue Collar Abstractions, Animal Life, etc), you seem to give a lot of attention to the presentation of your poetry. How important is that to you and your work?
CC: a book is a totality of expression, in my view. the whole thing should be a poem. that's why I like to go the extra mile and make my books something more than just your average piece of shit chapbook done as cheaply as possible. I want the book to be something I'm proud of all the way around. and it isn't hard or prohibitively expensive, but nobody is doing it. everyone is so f**king "satisfied" with mediocrity in our brown wasteland of a society, and it is reflected in the work of our "artists." I say it doesn't have to be that way, hell, an average press run in the indy world is what, 100-300 copies? 500? how difficult to paint a few, to choose a bit better paper, to care? I know it's much cooler to be apathetic and not give a f**k, man, to be "all, like, whatever and shit" but not me, kids: I care about stuff.

OA: What's next for Christopher Cunningham?
CC: right now? some wine.

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite kind of coffee, and where is your favorite coffee place?
CC: Iced americano from Aurora Coffee, an independent shop here in Atlanta, served by Tommy (from The Selmanaires) or Mathis (from Noot D' Noot). black coffee saves lives.

OA: What type of music do your enjoy listening to currently? Who are some of your all-time favorites?
CC: Right now, see the two bands above, I highly recommend Noot D'Noot (check out their myspace page). all time, I am an old Deadhead and I also love Calexico, Los Lobos, Dr. John, christ, the list is huge, Bob Dylan, Medeski Martin Wood, Talking Heads, on and on.

For more information on Christopher Cunningham and to read some of work visit his website. You can also find him on the blog Upright Against the Savage Heavens, and to order your copy of his new book go here. There are also copies left of his previous book, "and still the night left to go" availble at Bottle of Smoke Press.

Artist of The Week

"Grim and Gristle"

Beth Tacular

The enchanted world of a four year old, learning and absorbing the colorful array of art, nature, people, and places, every moment is a new experience and everything seems new and ancient all at the same time. The eyes of a four year old are light-hearted, but every bit as understanding and compassionate as those of a 40 year old. The ability to utilize those moments and experiences to create another world or to transport your creative abilities into another time while filtering in you experiences as an adult is an incredible gift, but one of many possessed by North Carolina native Beth Tacular.

I say one of many because Beth makes all sort of things, from web pages and graphic design with The Internest Collective to owl-related products with Owlfits to beautiful music with Phil Moore as Bowerbirds. She many outlets for her artistic abilities and some of her work is currently been shown at Wootini Gallery in a show called "Backwoods Golden Gigantic" through June 10 in Chapel Hill, NC.

With all of this going on Beth was still able to answer a few of our questions on her art and the art world in general.

Orange Alert (OA): How would you define your styling of painting?
Beth Tacular (BT): I would describe my style as the magical-realistic visions of a prophetic four year old shaman living 4,000 years ago, in what is now northern Portugal.

When I'm painting, I think most of the time I'm trying to create something that feels like some sort of mixture between ancient human culture and things I loved as a small child. I think that's why everything ends up a little cuter than I imagined it would be initially. Like when I'm trying to make something very noble and serious, it ends up having little red and white polka-dot mushrooms in it, or those kinds of mountains that always have snow on the top. Thematically, I think a lot about how human civilizations are destroying so much life on Earth, and I'm pretty taken with the beauty of that life that's being wiped out, so I create pictures of animals re-taking the Earth, or humans unintentionally harming plants and animals. I'm also obsessed with learning about the evolutionary origins of humans, so my style lately is getting a little more archetypal and ancient-influenced. Visually, I like to play with depth versus flatness, patterns and symmetry.

"Rise! Flying Bird People"

OA: Who are some of your biggest influences artistically?
BT: In terms of visual inspiration, I think I draw from a lot of different sources. I'm really into ancient human cultures, and also contemporary ones in which people are still living in harmony with the environment around them, so I like to look at the art they produce to get ideas for what art means to them, and what sorts of symbols they use. I also like to look at art magazines, like the now defunct magazine called "The Drama," which featured a lot of really amazing artists, like my friends Allyson Mellberg and Jeremy Taylor, as well as Saelee Oh and Souther Salazar. I found this magazine at one point, and I felt like I had found a lot of artists who seemed like the types of people I'd like to be friends with - people who seem to see the world a lot like I do. I also love looking at children's books, which I read obsessively as a child. I don't spend much time reading them now, actually, but I try to reproduce the same kind of imagery, or recreate the same feeling that I had as a child looking at the pictures in children's books, in my art now.
I'm also very inspired and influenced by the ideas and styles of non-visual artists: writers like Virginia Woolf, Gary Snyder, Derrick Jensen; the movies of Michel Gondry and that old stop-motion animated movie about Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer; and music by artists like Bjork and Joanna Newsom. All these people have an amazing ability to draw you into a really magical world that they have created, with a high level of detail describing that world, and a lot of beautiful imagery. They also keep in their personalities and artwork a lot of the power that children have to see the world as it is, and to appreciate really wonderful things. I want to make art like they do.

But I think probably my biggest influence these days, and maybe always, artistically, is my mother, who is an artist and art teacher. When I was little, we spent a ridiculous amount of time making art and crafts together. We didn't have very much money, so we made everything, canned our own vegetables, made our own Halloween costumes, made all our own Christmas tree ornaments and gifts for friends, a lot of our own clothes, tablecloths, and things like that. I was in awe as a child of my mom's really good senses of color, texture and pattern. She can also draw and paint realistically, and she is the first one who taught me to draw.

In the Spring, we used to paint eggs with acrylic paints, and she used to make these amazing patterns. I think she was influenced artistically by going to art school in the early seventies, and she grew up with a Puerto Rican mother, who was from a family of artists. My grandmother's house had a lot of amazing art and other crazy stuff all over the place - lots of color and light, and there was a mixture of Spanish and native Puerto Rican art, along with kitschy things from the 50s, like those little ceramic big-eyed kids sitting on a toilet with some sort of not very funny joke written on it. Or a lot of those snow globes, and African masks on the wall, and collector's plates. Thinking about all this, I think I was actually very influenced by my grandmother's house, as well as my other grandmother's house, which was decorated very modern, with a lot of Japanese art and furniture mixed in. They were these polar opposites in terms of decorating style and personality, and I think, as the two matriarchs in my life, they worked their way into my own personality as these two opposing forces of simplicity and space versus overboard eccentricity and craziness.

OA: What is the story behind your reoccurring "Mungry" character?
BT: The first time I drew Mungry, I had this idea that I didn't really think out, but it more came to me as an image, of this hairy, primal human character, who would represent humanity as a whole right now, and who could act out the different ways we are interacting with the rest of Nature. She is usually very hungry (thus the name Mungry - short for "I'm hungry."), probably spiritually and physically hungry, and she goes around eating whatever she can find, usually birds' nests and trees. Nests and trees are some of the things I find most beautiful, and they are homes to birds and other animals, and we are wiping them out like crazy with our new construction, highways, and boring, terrible things like Wal-marts, malls, factory farms, and prisons.

Even though I am really, really deeply angry and frustrated with our civilized human culture and it's inherent destructiveness, I still look at the people who comprise the culture and I think they are very beautiful, and they (including myself) don't mean to be ruining everything the way we are. We just want to find love in our lives, and love other people, and love our lives, and connect with others, but we are so confused by being brought up in what's really an abusive environment. We think, "Oh, I need a house where I can feel safe from the world, where my children can play in a backyard," and we build a house that's way too big, far apart from our neighbors, and then we use pesticides and fertilizers to make our lawns and flower gardens perfect looking, and we buy products that are tested on animals, and we keep participating in a society and paying taxes that fund wars for oil and criminal justice systems that are totally unjust.

"Mungry finds Hidden Treasure"

I think a lot of people these days feel confused and hopeless, or angry, or in denial, but we still have a lot of moments of happiness, and there's still a lot of beauty. So Mungry is all of us. I have also painted some Mungry-like people, including recently Mungry's boyfriend. I spent a long time working on what their faces would look like, because I wanted them to be lovable, but also kind of ugly and cute at the same time.

OA: Do you listen to music while you create? Who are some of your favorite artists to listen to while creating and in general?
BT: I like to listen to people like Mamadou Diabate, Joanna Newsom, Bjork, Ticonderoga, Cat Power, and the Postal Service while I'm making art. I actually haven't been able to control what music I listen to while making art, for about a year, because I travelled for seven months around the country last year, and now I live in an Airstream trailer in the woods, with no electricity. So during my travels, I made art outside or in coffee shops, and now I sit at a little table in the Airstream, or in a tent outside, and I just listen to the sounds of birds, small mammals and insects around me.

I also like to sing while I paint, and I like to sing songs of artists whose songs I know the words to, or practice singing the songs I sing in the band I play in, Bowerbirds, or make up little songs about the painting I'm making, or about my ancestors. But that can get distracting. It's best to sing while filling in big areas with texture.

OA: In the last few years there has been a huge increase in the acceptance of illustrators into the art community and galleries. Where do you think the illustrator fits into the art scene, and why has the popularity grown?
BT: That's a good question. I'm still not sure how I feel about the art scene and the world of art collecting and galleries. I like the idea of all of it - illustration, art, being fluid. I think that art *is* illustration, but the ideas behind the art - what you are illustrating - are your own ideas, instead of the ideas of a client. I think my art is sort of illustrative-looking, and I got a hard time from a professor once for that, because he thought it wasn't "fine art," but I don't see why there has to be an imaginary line drawn between illustration and art. I'm glad illustrators are making art that they show in galleries, and that gallery artists make album covers.

I think what's happening with art is sort of like punk rock music or early hip hop, and how those musicians were uninterested with working within the regular music world, where there was a lot of money and corporate politics involved. I think people are looking for ways to make art more accessible, meaning more affordable, for people with less money, like me or my friends, who are mostly other artists. People are doing print-making and make other affordable things, like crafts, tee shirts and posters, and galleries are popping up that have "merch" sections for the artists whose work they show. A lot of this stuff is really cool art, and I think people are doing this because they are politically not into the status quo of the U.S. government, for example, or aspects of the system that excludes art and ideas that are seen as too radical.

I think a lot of illustrators are people who were influenced by show posters growing up, or comics, or other uncommercial sources. I think people who have progressive or radical politics, and whose main artistic talent is visual art, are finding that there isn't really a place for them to exist in this culture and make a living. Musicians have indie music, filmmakers have independent film venues, but people can come to a music show or go see a movie for $8, but you can't buy much art for that much, at least not in most galleries. So I guess artists are doing posters and things like that, and people are opening less snooty galleries to show this sort of work - places like Lump Gallery in Raleigh, or Cinders in Brooklyn, or Motel in Portland. But I think the merging of the art and illustration worlds is still in flux, and it will be interesting to see what happens.

OA: What's next for Beth Tacular?
BT: Well, I just had a couple shows in galleries, and Bowerbirds just released a full length album and did a mini-tour. I have a lot more time on my hands all of a sudden, and it feels like I have a lot of freedom to decide what to do next. One thing I'm doing is reconstructing a little, old tobacco barn on the land near my Airstream, to live in. I haven't been really able to make any three dimensional art out in the Airstream, because of lack of space, so we (my partner, Phil, and I) are building a little log cabin with a loft to live in, over the summer. The Airstream will be our new practice space, maybe, or something like that. We will also probably tour some with the band. I want to visit independent galleries and shops around North America and maybe Europe, if we tour there, to see what people are making in other places.

Then, this late summer and fall, I really want to get a solar panel so I can use my sewing machine and start making more sculpture with fabric, and then I want to start experimenting a little with my paintings and drawings. I have some ideas. I also bought a lot of vintage yarn, and I want to do something with that. I also want to start making prints. We'll see how soon I can actually make any of this happen.

"Tree with Ancestors"

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
BT: I hardly ever drink real coffee anymore, because I'm really sensitive to caffeine, and it makes me crazy, but sometimes I do. I like tea a lot. I like to drink coffee outside. If I'm going to drink coffee, I'll have an iced Americano. There's a little cafe called Caffe Driade in Chapel Hill that has a magical back patio, which I like to visit. I'm typing this from the Open Eye cafe in Chapel Hill, which I also like. And I like Cup a Joe in Raleigh.

My favorite coffee shop ever was this place in London, UK, whose name I have forgotten, that was a multi-use space, I think run by some sort of collective, that had food and coffee and wine and other things, and lots of mirrors, where you could sit all day. They also did workshops and skill-shares there. I frequented this place when I was in a phase of really enjoying vices of different kinds, so I would order a cappuccino, a scone with clotted cream, and smoke cigarettes while sketching and writing bad poetry. But I still feel fondness for this cafe.

OA: What is your favorite gallery that you have been shown in and in general?
My favorite gallery is Lump gallery in Raleigh, NC. I never showed there, but I was a part of team lump, the artists' collective associated with the gallery, for a while, so I showed with them in different places around the country.

I guess my favorite gallery I have shown in is Giant Robot San Francisco.

OA: I enjoyed your piece that appeared in the booklet for "Hymns for a Dark Horse", how else does this aspect of your life carry over into your music career?
BT: Thank you! I have also made posters for our shows, the album art for our other album, "Danger at Sea", and the backgrounds for the Bowerbirds.org and Burlytime.com (our record label) web sites. I think also that Phil, who started Bowerbirds, believed I would be able to contribute musically to his band, because he had seen my art, and he felt we shared a similar aesthetic and creative personality.


Also, when I describe how I think something needs to sound, I tend to use visual (or maybe they are tactile) words, like "more prickly," "less pointy," or "silkier." And, I'm the one in the band who does the most reading and thinking about political and environmental issues, so the ideas that inform my art also end up influencing the content of Bowerbirds songs.

But it goes both ways. Once we started singing about birds and the ocean a lot, I started painting more and more birds and oceans. And getting into expressing myself musically has really made me feel more free with my visual art self. It just feels more natural to do more than one thing.

For more information on Beth Tacular please visit her website or her myspace page.

New Release Tuesday

Music:
1. Satellite Party - Ultra Payload (Supergroup Supreme!) (mp3)
2. Cary Brothers - Who Are You (mp3)

You can stream the Satellite Party album over at the Spinner.

DVD:
Art Brut - Talking to Kids
Les Claypool - Fancy
Hannibal Rising

Political Bio of the Week

Ron Paul, Presidential Candidate for 2008. Here's a guy that has come out of nowhere basically and won some support. I've been following this guy since 2000, and he doesn't show up too much in any media or any congressional articles. Since the debates, he's gain a lot more attention and is the most supported Presidential Candidate on the Internet even though I've heard a lot of people call his ideas and stances non-sense and ludacrious. I will say this though, you can tell where he stands on issues. There is a lot of info on what he thinks.



Favors:

Banning partial birth abortions
Ending preferential treatment by race in college admissions
Banning gay adoptions
Constitutional amendment for school prayer
Protecting the pledge of allegiance
Abolishing the federal Medicare entitlement, leave it to the states
Establishing tax-exempt Medical Savings Accounts
Allowing reimportation of prescription drugs
Reducing tax payments on Social Security benefits
Raising 401(k) limits & making pension plans more portable
Vouchers for private & parochial schools
Abolish the federal Department of Education
Funding for alternative sentencing vs. more prisons
Phaseout of the death tax
Ending capital gains & inheritance tax
Eliminating the "Marriage Penalty"
Tax cuts for small businesses
Making the Bush tax cuts permanent
More immigrant visas for skilled workers
Extending Immigrant Residency rules
Reporting Illegal Aliens who receive hospital treatment
Ending economic protectionism: letting the dairy compacts expire
Withdrawing from the World Trade Organization
Continuing intelligence gathering without civil oversight
Ending draft registration, all volunteers
Providing missile defense
Banning foreign aid to oil-producers who restrict production
Repealing the gas tax
New oil refineries
Legalizing industrial hemp
Legalize medical marijuana
Abolishing federal welfare; leave it to the states


Opposes

No federal funding on abortion
Human embryonic stem cell research
$84M in grants for black and Hispanic colleges
Constitutional ban on same-sex marriages
School prayer during War on Terror
Constitutional amendment prohibiting flag desecration
Strengthening the social security lockbox
Allowing vouchers in DC schools
Death penalty
More prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crimes
Decreasing the gun waiting period from 3 days to 1
Prohibiting suing gunmakers & sellers for gun misuse
Restrictions on import/export; but maintain sovereignty
'Fast track' authority for trade agreements
Permanent, normal trade relations with China
Free trade agreements
Using war on terror to curtain civil liberties
Patriot Act and War in Iraq
Making the Patriot Act permanent
Military agressiveness weakens our national defense
$266B Defense appropriations bill
Emergency $78B for War in Iraq and Afghanistan
Banning soft money and issue ads
Campaign finance reform banning soft money contributions
Restricting independant grassroots political committees
Iraq War and path toward Iran War
Foreign aid is usually more harmful than helpful
$15.2B for foreign operations
$156M to IMF for 3rd world debt reduction
Reforming the UN by restricting US funding
Declaring Iraq War part of War on Terror with no exit date
Kyoto Protocol
Raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels
Prohibiting oil drilling & development in ANWR
Subjecting federal employees to random drug tests
Military border patrols to battle drugs and terrorism
Responsible fatherhood via faith-based organizations
Treating religious organizations equally for tax breaks

Monday Morning Mix

I'm an currently out of town and not able to load up all of the wonderful mp3's that I normally do for my mix of the week, but I was able to find incredible mix from my favorite Dj, Z-Trip. Enjoy!

Z-Trip - live in LA (Recorded on the Scratch Tour Summer of 2003).

Coffee Talk

Tolerance

What does it mean to be tolerant? Growing up we are told to be tolerant of others, that we need to accept their beliefs and difference. There is an entire generation (Y or millennial) now that believes tolerance means each persons belief is equal to mine. You see that type of tolerance works for issue like race and gender, but it does not work the way for belief and ideologies. It may seem strange now to think about having to tolerate another race because comes so naturally. Each race is equal and really tolerance isn't the right word, it should be considered deserved equality. The act of tolerating is taking something that you naturally reject and building up a resistance to the effects it may have or your body or mind. This does not mean you now accept this as good or true, but merely have found a way to co-exist.

When talking about belief or religion we want to be talking about the truth. There can only be one truth, and that is fundamental to all religion. Where tolerance comes in is when we are able to co-exist with people who believe differently then we do. We do not need to accept their beliefs, but we need to accept them as humans and accept their right to believe. There is a pretty big difference, what is true for you needs to be for all.

How do you define tolerance? In your opinion is there a difference between tolerance and acceptance? Talk amongst yourselves..

Orange Alert's Music Minute

1. Los Angeles quintet The Little Ones will release Lovers Who Uncover, a new digital-only EP in the US on June 5 which will feature one brand new track, a radio edit of "Lovers Who Uncover" from their Sing Song mini-album, and four remixes by Crystal Castles, Stereolab, CSS and Radio Clit. The band will also unveil a new video for "Lovers Who Uncover."

2. Yep Roc and Los Straitjackets are running a contest through June 18th. Get a printable mask (or download the mask, just right click the link ans save) and decorate your very own paper mask, or if you have a real Mexican wrestling mask slip that one on and then send us a photo or video of you in your mask, going about your daily duties. (Please don't wear it to the bank or on your late-night burrito run to the Stab 'n' Go.) Yep Roc and Los Straitjackets will pick a winner based on the quality of your mask decoration and the inventiveness of your photo. The winner will receive a hand silk-screened Los Straitjackets/Iguanas tour poster signed by members of Los Straitjackets, a signed acoustic guitar used by the band on tour, as well as a copy of Los Straitjackets' latest Yep Roc release, Rock en Espanol! Don't wait! Print the mask now! Then send your photo or video to http://www.yeproc.com/contests@yeproc.com?subject=Livin (please include the subject line: "Livin' Los Straitjackets").

3. Lollapalooza additions: There have several bands added to the Lollapalooza line-up recently, unfortunately none of them are very well unknown or good for that matter. Bright spots: Cage the Elephant and The Postmarks. This coincides with Pitchfork Fest announcing their full line, with several additions: Cadence Weapon, Cool Kids, Brightblack Morning Light, Voxtrot, and more.

4. Dan Deacon launches his lengthy Spring / Summer tour tonight in Greensboro, NC. A vision came to Dan one night of being joined by an angelic choir at the end of his set each night for a rousing, spiritual version of his anthem "Wham City" from his recently released Spiderman of the Rings - a musical tribute to his place of dwelling and to the Baltimore music community he is a part of. This is where YOU come in - Dan Deacon is inviting you to come and be his choir. Dan envisioned a co-ed choir, so all you have to do is be one of the first four males or first four females in your city to e-mail dandeaconchoir@gmail.com and YOU will become a member of the Dan Deacon Wham City choir! (please put the name of your city and your gender in the subject line of the e-mail to make things easier for Dan). Dan collaborated with Baltimore artist Stefani Levin to make eight beautiful blue and yellow Wham City choir robes which you'll get to wear, and Dan will provide you with lyric sheets. If you want to practice and prepare, the song "Wham City" is posted on Dan Deacon's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/dandeacon so you can start singing along.




5. Lollapalooza Band of the Week: The Postmarks
Heartbreakingly beautiful music from Miami, FL, The Postmarks are one of the newest additions to the Lolla line-up, but by far one of the most attractive. Lead singer Tim (yes I said Tim) Yehezkely, has to be one of the best looking women in music, but she also has the soft and intimate voice to back it up. The Postmarks debut album just released three months ago, but they already receive a large amount of praise for their hit single " Goodbye"(mp3). Also check out: Goodbye (Tahiti 80 Remix) (mp3) and My Little Heart (mp3)

The Watch List

Music:
1. Wooden Nickle - The music of this Portland band slowly creeps up on you in the middle of the night, and then it crawls into your ear and makes a nest. They are currently in the studio working on a new LP.
2. Nicholas Colas - France is home to this amazing electro-folk musician.
3. Cage the Elephant - Raw energy straight from Kentucky, these boys were recently added to the Lollapalooza line-up and they are going to turn some heads!

Reading:
1. "Friends from Cincinnati" by Patrick Sommerville - THE2NDHAND Installment 24 was released this week and it features a wonderful story by Chicago writer Patrick Sommerville.
2. "Death by Veganism" by Nina Planck - This is an Op-Ed piece written in response to the recent and tragic death of a 6 week old baby of vegan parents. I agree that an uneducated vegan parent can be dangerous, but I do not agree her argument in general.
3. Fader Issue #46 - This is their annual Icon/Photo issue and the lead focus is on Jerry Garcia, but don't let that discourage from reading the rest of this great issue. You can download it for free here.

Wishing:
1. "Flowers in The Shadow of the Storm" by Christopher Cunningham - This handmade, letterpressed, perfect-bound, hand-painted chapbook from Sunnyoutside Press was released on May 24th. There are only 100 copies being printed so act now. $18
2. Mr. Bean Pez - Back in 2003, the Pez Euro division released a Mr. Bean set of 4 pez dispensers. The set is now discontinued, but can be purchased on ebay. $9 each
3. Ragad #3 - This issue was just released (5/21) and features new work from Spencer Dew and Richard Grayson. Order your copy today by sending your payment to: Nick Ostdick/6112 Meyer Rd/Marengo, IL 60152. $2

Getting:
1. Coroflot Magazine Issue #1 - This will be a bi-monthly publication featuring the members of Coroflot and based around a specific theme. Download the issue here for free.
2. 800zine - This two page zine fun and original and free. Check it out!

Watching:
1. Lets take it way back watch MSTRKRFT - Street Justice, and then tell me what year it is.
2. The new video from Dan Deacon "The Crystal Cat", I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like this video.
3. The hit song of the summer should be the new single from Justice - "D.A.N.C.E.", check it out:

Saturday Morning Cartoon

This morning while you enjoy your bowl of Crazy Cow cereal, watch this animated video from the great Cut Chemist.



Spat

Band of the Week

Bowerbirds

"When I wake, I wake by the brook, to an untamed thunder, and the northern flicker flash about as the soup in the sky grows thicker." from Human Hands

I have been awaiting this North Carolina bands "debut" for many months. It was back in January that I first heard Bur Oak and In Our Talons, and I was blown away. Their sound is so intimate and natural, it simple flows from your speakers into the soil and back out and up to the sun. All acoustic, "Hymns for a Dark Horse" peacefully rolls down hills and through brooks, but never feels overly earth loving or hippie-like. This album is based on the belief that our world and our resources are limited, and it is that same scarcity that they relate to the possibilities of love.

Indicative of the music they make, Bowerbirds were born of unequal parts conflict and sweetness. Phil Moore and Mark Paulson had moved east from Iowa to form a band. Phil met Beth Tacular—a collected and published painter—while they worked together in a grocery store. Beth’s marriage was failing, and she saw something special in Phil . Not long before their band collapsed on tour somewhere in Alabama, Phil and Beth moved in together . They painted pictures and wrote songs and sang them. They started Bowerbirds and asked Mark to join them whenever possible.

The release of "Hymns for a Dark Horse" on July 10th will mark the inaugural release from North Carolina's Burly Time Records. The songs on the album have been recording with added instrumentation, so if you have the previously released mp3's you should seriously buy the album. They are also selling an EP at the their shows and on their myspace page entitled "Danger at Sea" with the original versions of In our Talons and Bur Oak and several other songs.

In Our Talons (mp3)

Dark Horse (mp3)

Hymns for a Dark Horse
Hooves/In Our Talons/Human Hands/Dark Horse/Bur Oak/My Oldest Memory/The Marbled Godwit/Slow Down/The Ticonderoga/Olive Hearts

For more information on Bowerbirds check our their website or vistit their myspace page.

(artwork by Beth Tacular)

Writer's Corner

Zachary C. Bush

The writer does not write because he or she wants to be published, the writer gets published because he or she is focused on writing. All too often a writer can get caught up in the need to get published, and lose sight of why they started down the path of a writer originally. Publication is secondary to the actual process of writing and should be treated as such. This week's writer, Zachary C. Bush, is only 23, but he fully understands what it means to be a writer, how getting published fits in and why rejection is vital to craft.

Orange Alert (OA): Who are some of your biggest literary influences?
Zachary C. Bush (ZCB): Wow, that’s a rather large question to answer! My literary influences seem to fall into a rather wide range. The author’s that I am into are kind of all over the place and my taste has changed a good bit over the years. I consider myself relatively well read for twenty-three. But, I would have to say that my favorite poets are Baudelaire (especially the prose of Paris Spleen), Rimbaud (Season in Hell, Illuminations, and Drunken Boat), most all of Samuel Beckett’s work, Wallace Stevens, García Lorca, Ezra Pound (Cantos), Sharon Olds, C.K. Williams, and a contemporary poet and friend Louis E. Bourgeois.
In regards to prose, I would have to say that my influences are Denis Johnson (Jesus’ Son), Arthur Nersesian (Manhattan Loverboy ,The F*ck Up, Suicide Casanova), William S. Burroughs (everything), Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho and Less Than Zero), Homer (Odyssey), Howard Zinn’s nonfiction works, and William T. Vollmann is one of the greatest writer’s of fiction and nonfiction prose.

OA: "Harvey Jones" is such a powerful story. What was the motivation behind that piece?
ZCB: Well, since I am primarily a poet, and get the most attention and publication over that genre, I am always pleasantly surprised and excited when my fiction gets attention. I write some flash fiction from time to time and most of these stories are much shorter than “Harvey Jones.” I believe I have had four or five pieces out there in places like Word Riot, Thieves Jargon, and Eloquent Stories.

You know, I am really surprised at the feedback I have gotten over “Harvey Jones” from the editor’s at Word Riot and other various readers. People really like the piece! I can’t say that I dislike the story but it is odd because I am not sure if it is one of my best pieces. If you liked it then you might want to check out “Rapture” in the January archive of WR. I am, however, very grateful for the responses that I have gotten in response to “Harvey Jones.” Most of my poetry and prose tends to be highly nonfiction in many ways, but I can assure you in the case of “Harvey Jones” it is not that case. My grandfather was not in the KKK. I never knew him, but heard he was a great man and farmer.

As I was saying at some point, I feel that the best writing has to do with universalizing personal experience in a way where it is not “emotional vomiting,” or diary-like writing, unless, of course, that is your specific purpose. However, in the case of “Harvey Jones,” (which was one of the first fiction pieces that I wrote last summer) it is pretty simple. I wanted to play off the racial issues that existed in the Deep South, and still do in a slightly more subtle way. Really, I wanted to write a very elementary story from the perspective of a young boy, naïve in a lot of ways, who witnesses an event that is emotionally complex to him.

In most of my work (poetry and prose), you might pick up on how simplistic my style of writing is. I do this on purpose! Sure, I know a few literary punches and tricks, and I do slip them into my pieces, but I believe that the best writing is straightforward and edgy to a great extent. From what I have seen, this “straightforward” technique of writing seems to be the hardest way for people to write and succeed with because our minds and egos (as artists) constantly beg of us to overcompensate and try to show off everything we know all at once, but by doing that we tend to write abstract works just for the sake of trying to be abstract. This usually fails the writer in the early stages of his or her career, because they are not sure of their own purpose. Keep it simple and you will be surprised, after many drafts, how much people appreciate your work.

OA: Do you listen to music while you write? Who are some of your favorite musicians to listen to while writing and in general?
ZCB: I used to listen to music when I wrote and still do from time to time. I really enjoy the hypnotic rattle of my typewriter keys. I have a 1940’s Royal typewriter and it makes beautiful music when I am productive. I will say that when I do write with music, it tends to fade into the background. This is especially true when I get deeper and deeper into the piece I am working on that day.

That being said, I listen to music throughout the day. I am a bit of an old man when it comes to taste, because I firmly believe there a whole lot of crap, for lack of a better word, being commercialized and played on the radio and TV. I won’t go into that any further because I might come across a bit harsh or prematurely senile.

I listen to bands like Interpol, Sparklehorse, Radiohead, R.E.M., Mercury Rev, Built to Spill, and Ween, I love those guys! Also, if you have never heard the Lost Highway soundtrack--I would highly recommend that album to listen to while writing. I tend to listen to music more when I am submitting my work. I don’t know why, maybe to either pump myself up or calm myself down and assist in straightening-out my racing thoughts.

OA: What book do you own that you treasurer/read more then any other?
ZCB: I treasure all of my books! I am a bit obsessive and compulsive when it comes to searching for and collecting them. I can’t pass a dusty used bookstore without leaving with a handful of books and an empty wallet.

The top three books that I treasure the most, for personal reasons are, History of American Socialisms, a complete collection of George Orwell’s Essays, and an 1882 edition of Poe’s Selected Poetry that I hold together with a thick rubber-band. I think I bought that Poe book for three dollars in the back of an old used-furniture store down here in South Georgia.

I am also a huge fan of my friends/writing peers’ poetry and prose at Georgia Southern University. We have some really fantastic young writers down here in Statesboro! There is great collaboration and healthy competition. The environment keeps me on my toes!

OA: How long did you have to submit your work before you got published? What advice do you have for young writers just starting to submit their work?
ZCB: These are two interesting questions since I am a “young writer!” I will try my best to answer this as best as possible. Well, I consider myself to be inching up the infinitely tall grease-pole of the literary world. I piddled around with some poetry in high school, really shitty poetry I might add but never really became much of a dedicated writer because of personal/health issues until about two years ago. This dedication that I now have for my writing has grown to an incredible level over the past year or so.

I started out blindly submitting bulks of poetry to various journals and I probably got around two hundred rejections in the first six to nine months. Last spring and summer was when I started to get a few small publications. At first, these publications were at the local level and then through my University’s literary journal. Last fall, I began to quickly be recognized in nationally-distributed print and online journals. They started accepting my more recent work left and right. Now it would seem as if my ratio of acceptances to rejections has improved quite a bit, though I still get some rejections. Today I am not so blind or random in where I send my work. These realizations or whatever you might call it comes through getting your work out there and putting your neck on the line. I don’t try to get published just to be published, though it does help cure the blues. What I am trying to say is that I respect the places that publish my work, enjoy the other writers featured, and their editors. If I don’t have that respect for a certain journal then I won’t waste both my time and theirs.

In regards to advice, I feel funny giving any. As I said, I am still finding my way around the literary world. All I can do is share a bit of my experience up until this point.


Here are a few things on my mind: if you consider yourself to be a writer then write everyday, no excuses, make time! Our growth as writers is much more important than how quickly we do or don’t get published; there is plenty of time for that, no matter what your age. We shouldn’t get caught up in the supposed “tiers” of literary journals because a lot of times the small independent presses and literary underground publishes the best writers out there--think of the Beat poets of the late 1940s, 50s, and 60s-- Ginsberg’s Howl was published by City Lights of San Francisco which is an independent press.

We can’t get too discouraged about rejection slips, they’re going to happen from time to time, no matter who you are, and we can’t take it personal because that is the nature of the publishing world. Respected literary journals tend to want to see the best of the best, the best you might have to offer, so we have to keep moving forward no matter what the circumstances may be. There is a home for every piece! I found that the poems and stories that I submitted in the beginning were nowhere near as great as I thought them to be. Hindsight is always 20/20 though. Rejections, in my opinion, have only made me write more frequently and with more veracity and tenacity. My best work tends to come when I can put a chip on my shoulder.

I believe that creating works and doing this at a consistent clip is much more important than the recognition that will come in as our work evolves over time. Again, the recognition is great though! I have found that with writing and publishing (in general) it tends to be a whole lot of high-high’s and low-low’s. Whether we are getting published or rejected frequently--we should never rest on our haunches or pout too long. I am always working on my next piece or revising old ones. If one place doesn’t take my submission then I send it back out to another place. I am pretty ambitious, determined, and bull-headed when it comes to my work.

OA: What's next for Zachary C. Bush (i.e. Publications, readings, etc.)?
ZCB: I am constantly looking and working towards the future, maybe I am weird that way. I don’t really care. A friend of mine just told me to take myself less seriously and lighten up! So, I am working on that concept too, trying to have more fun in all aspects of my life, and of course in regards to my writing. It has really been a year of loss of love and death of friends, and so I am trying to continue to take advantage of every minute that I am alive. But as far as writing goes, I just had a few poems that came out in a late spring ’07 issue of Locust Magazine. I have some more work forthcoming in Right Hand Pointing, Cerebral Catalyst, and Word Riot. I also would assume that I will have more work to come this fall.

I would like to use this opportunity to mention that my first chapbook of poetry, Outside the Halfway House, is forthcoming in early June of this year. My chap will contain twenty-five poems and is being published, as we speak, by Scintillating Publications of Burlington, VT.

The chap will be sold in a few independent bookstores in Chicago, Statesboro, Oxford, Mississippi, and at the publisher’s website: http://www.freewebs.com/scintillatingpublications/titlesnowavailable.htm

At the moment, I am reading a lot of books and compiling new poetry. Joseph Veronneau (writer, friend, and poetry publisher) and I are working on a co-authored book of flash fiction stories that we should put out through Scintillating Publications sometime early next year (2008). I am also in the process of completing my undergraduate degree and getting ready to move to NYC this winter to live and continue to write. I am starting to look into a few graduate school writing programs in the City as well. My goal is to produce a few more chaps of poetry, and continue to work on a large collection of poems for, hopefully, my first book in a couple of years.

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite kind of coffee, and where is your favorite coffee place?
ZCB: I am a caffeine and nicotine addict! I prefer my coffee black, but I do branch out from time to time and take Vanilla Latte’s with three to four shots of Espresso. My favorite coffee shops are local venues, no matter where I am, because I have a strong displeasure towards large corporations.

OA: What was the last great book you have read?
ZCB: Within the past few weeks, I have really gotten into William T. Vollmann’s work. I am rather blown away by the range of subject matter that he writes about. I just took a week’s long vacation and read 13 Stories and 13 Epitaphs, Whores for Gloria, and Europe Central. I am about to start some of Vollmann’s nonfiction works, specifically, Rising Up Rising Down.

Thank you so much for your interest in my work and giving me this opportunity to rant for a while. Now, go out and buy my chapbook this summer!

Zachary C. Bush, 23, is a writer of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and magazine features. He lives in Statesboro, Georgia, while finishing his undergraduate degree in Creative Writing. He has worked as a magazine editor. Over the past nine months his work has appeared in over a dozen literary journals including, VOX, Chronogram, R-KV-R-Y, edifice wrecked, Word Riot, Underground Voices, High Altitude Poetry, Cerebral Catalyst, Mastodon Dentist, Locust, Noneuclidean Café, Strangeroad.com, Eloquent Stories, and Thieves Jargon. He has more work forthcoming in Right Hand Pointing, Cerebral Catalyst, Word Riot, and R-KV-R-Y. His first chapbook of poetry, Outside the Halfway House, is forthcoming in early June through Scintillating Publications of Burlington, VT. He is working on a co-authored book-length collection of flash fiction with writer and chapbook publisher Joseph Veronneau that should be due out early next year through Scintillating Publications.

For more infomation on Zachary C. Bush visit his myspace page or contact him directly here.

Artist's of the Week

"A Moment of Infinite Enviroments"

acrylic on canvas

12" x 10"

2007

Chris Pew

When someone sets out to explore "space and the creation and expansion of the universe" the tool that they typically reach for is the telescope. It is through the lens of the telescope and extensive research that scientists have been able to form theories on how our universe works, and what lies beyond what we can see with our eyes. Once they are formed, many of these theories are utilized to explain the intricate workings of space, time, and nature. It's these same theories that have inspired, Oakland based artist, Chris Pew to paint incredibly intricate, multi-dimensional paintings. In the artist statement on his website he explains it like this, "My inspiration for my creations come from the world of science, specifically the sciences relating to space and the creation and expansion of the universe." He uses his art to explore the hypothetical nature of the theories and the conditions in which they exist.

Chris is currently in the middle of a two person show with Paul Urich at The Receiver Gallery in San Francisco (May 12th through June 1st), but he was able to take some time out to answer a few of our questions.

Orange Alert (OA): Your art combines two fields that typically don't come together, Art and Science, how would you explain the relationship between the two? How did Scientific Theory come to play such a major role in your creative output?
Chris Pew (CP): Well actually I'd say that science and art actually do come together quite often. There are a lot of artists out there who often combine both fields in their work. It also seems like a lot of artists are increasingly making works that are getting more complex and involve a lot of math and or engineering. As far as how "science" has become a central part of my work pretty much boils down to how scientists come up with theories. For the most part these theories can not be proven or are many years away from being proven and I simply like to create my vision of these theories.

The Scope of Spatial Extent

acrylic and pen on paper

16" x 14"

2007

OA: Who are some of your biggest influences artistically?
CP: Well for my work it really is the science stuff, however being a designer and a curator I do look at a lot of interesting stuff throughout the day and I'm sure bits a pieces of other peoples work wind up being influential. The other aspect of this is that since I do look at a ton of art my mind is usually pretty clouded at the end of the day, so when I begin to work on my own stuff I really do try to forget about what I've seen and focus on creating something original.

OA: What is your typically starting point for a new piece and how long does it take you to complete that piece?
CP: The general process typically begins by coming up with some scientific principal or theory to base things on, and then build upon that towards a direction to base the imagery on. Then I create a pretty loose layout for an image in photoshop, print it out, and hang on the wall. From there, depending on the surface, I'll start on a background and continue to build up surfaces till completion. This process takes about a week for medium sized painting or about 3-4 days for a good sized drawing.

"Detection of the Unfeasible"

acrylic on canvas

28" x 22"

2007

OA: How has your outlook on the art community, in the Bay Area and in general, changed now that you are a curator, and not simply an artist?
CP: Its changed a lot. Being on both sides is actually pretty hard cause I'm always looking out for the artist, yet at the same time I have to be business like for the gallery. Luckily there hasn't been to many instances where the two have clashed. The art community though in San Francisco really strong, there's lots of creative folks here.

OA: Do you listen to music while you create? Who are some of your favorite artists to listen to while painting and in general?
CP: Pretty much always listening to music. Currently I'm addicted to mp3 music blogs, which is good and bad. Good because there's lots of new music to listen to, bad cause I cant remember what the hell I've been listening to cause there's so many names and I usually have the settings to shuffle.

OA: What's next for Chris Pew?
CP: I have show at Receiver Gallery May 12th, then a little break, and then focus on shows outside of San Francisco.

"Axis in Array"
acrylic and pen on paper

16" x 14"

2007

Bonus Questions:

OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
CP: My favorite coffee right now is El Injerto bourbon coffee, its really really good, and my favorite coffee spot is my house.

OA: What was the most unusual job that you have held while supporting your art habit?
CP: Though not very unusual I have had the same job for over ten years at a design firm, which right now seems like a very long time.

For more information on Chris Pew please visit his website.

New Release Tuesday

Music:
1. The National - The Boxer (Go to thenationalboxer.com to watch videos related to each song) (mp3)
2. Battles - Mirrored (mp3)
3. Dog Day - Night Group (mp3)
4. Shapes & Sizes - Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner (stream the album here)
5. White Rabbits - Fort Nightly (mp3)
6. Stars - Do You Trust Your Friends? (mp3)
7. Parts & Labor - Mapmaker (mp3)
8. We are the Fury - Venus
9. Benni Hemm Hemm - Kajak (mp3)
10. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Not Worth Fighting
11. Ulrich Schauss - Quicksand Memory Ep
12. Voxtrot - Voxtrot
13. Wheat - Everyday I Said a Prayer for Kathy and Made a One Inch Square
14. The Bravery - The Sun and The Moon (mp3)
15. Hot Chip - Dj Kicks
16. Delorean - Transatlantic KK
17. The Maccabees - Colour It In

You can also stream the entire album from Battles, The National, Voxtrot, The Bravery, Hot Chip and The Maccabees over at Spinner.

DVD:
Witch - Witch (J Mascis of Dino Jr is the drummer for Witch. I am not sure if this is the same DVD the was released by Blueberry Honey back in January)
Letters from Imo Jima
Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley
Epic Movie
Apocalypto

Monday Morning Mix

If you are hungry, you may enjoy this week's mix. The theme is food, but I tried to make some interesting menu selections: Chocolate Windchimes (The Narrator), Big Milk (Dan Deacon), Ribs (Page France), Dinosaur Eggs (Scout Niblett), and more. The mix is called "Eating Dinosaur Eggs", and I'm not sure what the figure in Colin's picture trying to eat, but I thought it could be a Dinosaur egg.

Artwork: "Today & Yesterday" by Colin Johnson

Political Talk

As a new addition to the site we will have a "Coffee Talk" dedicated specifically to politics. This week we will replace the normal "Coffee Talk," but next week we will do both.

This weeks discussion is great for our first ever 'Political Talk' and was based on this article on Politico.com about the 'Fairness Doctrine.' To summarize, the article talks about the old FCC regulation that required all political opinion on the airwaves be balanced out with an equal amount of time for the opposing viewpoint. This was because there were only 3 networks at the time that controlled all of the airwaves. The claim is that this regulation was not necessary once cable and many viewpoints came into the television network and thus Ronald Reagan helped to remove this in 1987. Thereafter, the airwaves were free to the marketplace. Since the networks put mostly liberal ideas on television, conservative views took over the radio airwaves.

What makes this interesting is the politics behind the bill that is currently in the House and the Senate to re-instate this doctrine. In theory, it should work that if you have a liberal or conservative view, you would need to balance it out with the opposing viewpoint.

The bills are supported by an Independant (Sen. Bernard Sanders-VT) and a Democrat (Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich-OH) in Democratically controlled Congress. In an article written by Steve Rendell called "The Fairness Doctrine : How We Lost it and Why We Need it Back", Steve mentions just like Derek Hunter did in his article that the main reason it needs to be brought back is claims by the liberals that there is no off-set to the obviously conservative radiowaves.

Our questions are, what do you think about a regulation by the FCC to control and "create balance" in viewpoints? How much do you think the radiowaves are influenced by the television airwaves? How do the ideas and opinions presented on the television affect the ideas and the opinions presented on the radiowaves?

Talk amongst yourselves. Please!

Orange Alert's Music Minute

1. Internet Radio Update - On May 11th the Senate introduced a version of a bill that has already been gaining support in the House of Representative (63 sponsors and growing). The Senate bill was introduced by Senator Wyden and Senator Brownback. Here is the press release, and they are asking that you contact your senators and visit Save Net Radio.org.

2. Are you one for strange covers? Do you enjoy the one hit wonders Peter, Bjorn & John? Well this very strange Bluegrass cover of "Young Folks" was recently sent to me, check it out: Dawn Landes & WST Bluegrass Band - Young Folks (mp3). If you really like that, then there is clearly something wrong with you, but you can also check out the video.

3. Icelandic orchestral pop outfit Benni Hemm Hemm has announced its first ever tour of the US which will take place this July, launching at NYC's Mercury Lounge on July 5 and wrapping up on July 27 at Philly's Johnny Brenda's. The band, which is led by Benedikt Hermann Hermannsson contains anywhere from eleven to seventeen members, depending on who is available. The band's sophomore release, Kajak, was recorded with an eleven-piece band and will be released on May 22 on the Morr Music label. Check out: Snjórjljóssnjór (mp3)

4. Arcsin - Way back in February of 2005 Brooklyn producer, Arcsin, released his debut on Def Jux entitled "Resonant Murk Tactics". His beats are filled with electro synths and are epic to say the least. Now two years later a lost album that was allegedly recorded shortly after his debut is going to be released on Paramau Records. The album is entitled "Wrath of Man" and you can check out some of the sounds at Arcsin's myspace page.

5. Lollapalooza Band of the Week: Ghostland Observatory

The band I am most excited to see at Lollapalooza this year has to be the Austin, TX duo of Aaron Behrens and Thomas Turner called Ghostland Observatory. From what I hear, their shows are filled with energy and passion and truly something that should not be missed. This duo has released two albums on Trashy Moped Recordings, 2006 "Paparazzi Lightning" and 2005 "delete.delete.i.eat.meat". If you are excited about Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem, then don't miss Ghostland Observatory! Check Out: Move with your Lover (mp3) and Sad Sad City (mp3)

The Watch List

Listening:
1. Ear Pwr - This North Carolina duo are currently recording their debut album for FrequeNC Records.
2. Ohbijou - Toronto is home to this delicate, but amazing band. Check out: Steep (mp3)
3. The Dedicated Beatheads - German turntablism, that's right German, but it is still tight! The recently released their album "Sound Convention Vol. 1", and they are tearing up the wax. Check out a little sample: (mp3)

Reading:
1. Friend or Faux by Oliver Roy - This is a fascinating article of the pro-American stance of the President-elected of France, Nicholas Sarkozy.
2. Cubby Blue - Last week I posted a link to Palehose 7, so it thought it only fair to mention the Cubs comic website. Unlike the actual teams this year, this strip is not as good as the Palehose, but it is still pretty funny.
3. "Surviving" by Jason Jordan - Verbsap recently put out their summer collection it includes several great pieces including something new from Nick Ostdick, but I love this story by Jason Jordan.

Wishing:
1. Fleet Street Scandal: A Collection by Kevin Dart & Chris Turnham - This is a great collection of prints. $25
2. The Books - Payall DVD - Thirteen full-length music videos, plus four bonus videos. $15

Getting:
1. "You are Beautiful" Stickers - Get your free stickers today!

Watching:
1. D7TV - Get your daily news with a little bit of an edge.
2. I don't know what it is about Best Fwends, they are simply just plain fun:

Saturday Morning Cartoon

This morning, while you enjoy a nice bowl of Sir. Grapefellow, watch this animated video from the Fujiya & Miyagi.





Ankle Injuries

Band of the Week

One Little Plane

The internet has allowed the music enthusiast and the independent musician to connect in a way that had never been possible before it's creation. For the musician, it allows them an opportunity to share their music with the world without the hassle of labels and promoters. They may not reach as many people as they would like, but the internet provides them a platform to be heard nonetheless.

Personally, I love going through myspace and clicking on friends of friends of musicians just to hear something new. Many times I just nod and move on, but there are occasions that something truly exceptional begins to flow from my speakers. This was the case with Kathryn Bint a.k.a. One Little Plane. I was looking into the latest EP from Scout Niblett, and I saw the picture you see above, and I was compelled to click it. I was immediately drawn to the softness of Kathryn's voice, but as I listened deeper I began really appreciate her lyrics and instrumentation. I wanted more information, I wanted to hear more then just those three amazing songs on her myspace player. I contacted One Little Plane that night, and this is the result.

Orange Alert (OA): What is the story behind the name One Little Plane?
Kathryn Bint (KB): When I was a kid I used to watch this old Disney cartoon from the 1940’s called Saludos Amigos. There was a story about a baby plane that I used to love. For some reason the image always stuck with me. I like little things.

OA: Who are some of your biggest influences musically?
KB: I tend listen to a wide variety of music, anything from Joanna Newsom to Nelly Furtado. But the ones I have always turned to over the years to hear something from, to listen to are Joni Mitchell, Bjork, and Will Oldham.

OA: Have you been approached by any records label? What is your plan for your music?
KB: I have had some really lovely feedback from other musicians which has been really wonderful. My plan so far is to just keep writing and to start playing more live shows. I think at the moment the most exciting thing for me is learning how to write and finish a song. Watching something grow from a little seed into something that flowers is magic and such hard work. It totally kicks my butt.

OA: How has the internet affected you as a musician? What do you think the future holds for the music industry as it relates to record sales and file sharing?
KB: I think the internet is amazing because it gives you an immediate platform to be heard from. It bypasses pressing a record or going to listen to it live and reaches people in a way that was impossible a few years ago. It’s like instant gratification, but in the long run I don’t think it sounds or feels as nice as actually having a record with artwork and putting it on at home. It’s the same as books for me. I like to have and to hold. As for the future of the music industry, its hard to say… I think I’m more concerned with the future of music.

OA: If you could cover any one song, which song would it be and why?
KB: The Book of Love by The Magnetic Fields because it is a perfectly proportioned love song.

OA: What is next for One Little Plane (shows, albums, etc.)?
KB: What’s next for me is playing the Homefires IV festival in London (Sunday, June 3rd). I get to play alongside people that I really admire which feels very special and totally terrifying. As for albums, I have one finished and hope to put it out next year.

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
KB: Coffee…. No, it makes me crazy! I try to stay away from caffeine. I had a mind altering experience in Greece drinking very strong ice coffee and its safe to say that I am totally banned now. But I do like going to coffee shops. My favourite one is Caffe Driade in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It has so many trees….

OA: What is more important lyrics, instrumentation, or they are both equally important?
KB: When I first started to really listen to songs, I think words always came first for me. But then as I learned how to play, the music became just as important. I think the two go hand in hand, but I will say.. I can still totally fall for a cheesy hit with bad synth sounds if the melody and lyrics are just right.

OA: What was the last great book you have read?
KB: Looking for Alaska by John Green.

Kathryn Bint is originally from Chicago, and relocated to London in 2003. She has been playing and recording as One Little Plane for the last two years. For more information and to hear more of her incredible sound please visit her myspace page.