Artist of the Week

Geoffrey Todd Smith

Life is filled with details, and each detail no matter how small takes time. As details and time builds the entirety of a project or a life is amassed. You don't always realize that you move in a particular pattern or that you travel in a similar route each day, but there comes a day when you turn around and reflect on what these details have created. To view the mass of your life can be overwhelming or it can be beautiful, you may feel dizzy or you may feel satisfied. I imagine it depends on the choices you make, the lines you draw, the friends you chose. This is how I view the work of Chicago artist Geoffrey Todd Smith.

Working with gel pens, Geoffrey creates intricate patterns and designs. The details that he collects and goes over and repeats are numerous, and as they build colors begin to blend and shift. There is certain amount of history and change and movement contained in these pieces. Every angle is a different story, a different set of details in the collective work of Geoffrey Todd Smith.

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


Orange Alert (OA): How would you describe your work?
Geoffrey Todd Smith (GTS): They’re beautiful, elaborate and hand made representations of my visual experiences. Everything that has ever caught my eye has been filtered through me and released back into these images. I don’t try to make them look like anything specific. I look at them closely during their creation and afterward to recall their influences. They are intense. It’s exciting and challenging to make them.

OA: How much planning goes into creating one of your pieces? Are they sketched first?
GTS: They are never really planned. I think about a mood or energy I want for a drawing and I imagine what I want the image to look like. As the work develops I respond to choices I’ve made in the process and this always begins to transform the original thoughts. I am very flexible and pretty willing to take chances. No sketches.

OA: Using gel pens as opposed to paint does that limit your choice of colors? What are some ways you work around a limited palette (i.e. light/dark or pale/bold)?
GTS: It is important for me to set up limitations while making these drawings. The gel pens are just part of that. I also use gouache but I never mix my paint. The only mixing is an optical blending of the colors by the viewer. It is all based on the relationship between several colors. Their value, color and whether or not they are shiny or matte is ultimately what creates the vibration.

OA: Your work seems like it would very time intensive, how long does a typical piece take and when do you know it is complete?
GTS: The longest it has taken me is about 240 hours on one image. That one was kinda big. The small ones are usually between 20 and 60 hours. It really depends on how elaborate I want to make them and how much I drank the night before. Even the mildest hangovers make for painful days. I also have to take a lot of breaks. If I don’t I have a hard time driving when I leave the studio. My depth perception gets all fucked up with some of the color combinations.

OA: What are your thoughts on the art scene here in Chicago? (opportunities, individuals, organizations, etc)
GTS: I just read this interview with Scott Anderson on the Fecal Face website. I thought it was really generous and thoughtful. He made a comment at the end of it that suggested young artists think about their commitment before they embark on this difficult lifestyle of being an artist. People got so pissed off. I thought it was really appropriate in relation to your Chicago question. It is really fucking hard to be an artist and Chicago has a pretty limited number of galleries. It takes a lot of time to develop your work and establish relationships. Chicago can be a great place to do that if you are patient. I was really lucky to get to show my work at Western Exhibitions and I am grateful that the gallerist, Scott Speh is so dedicated and professional. I have had some other experiences that were anything but professional. Western Exhibitions is one of my favorite galleries and it was awesome to be invited to be a part of it.

OA: What's next for Geoffrey Todd Smith?
GTS: I have a couple group shows at the end of the summer. One is in Las Vegas at a new place called Main Gallery and another is in San Francisco. The one in San Francisco is at Fecal Face’s gallery and is curated by Ryan Christian. It features myself, Scott Anderson, Frank Magnotta, Michael “Tuffy” Rea, Neil Whitacre and a couple more.

In the fall I have a solo show at Main Gallery (same as above) titled, You Looked Me Up To Look Me Up & Down. The gallery director, Andreana, befriended me on Myspace a few months ago. I suggested that since we are now friends I should probably have a show at her gallery. She agreed.





Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
GTS: Yep. I like coffee. I am not too picky. Sorry that couldn’t be a bit more interesting.

OA: Do you listen to music while you create? Who are a few of your current favorites?
GTS: Today I listened to Xiu Xiu, Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Brightblack Morning Light, Lightning Bolt, Jens Lekman and the Microphones. I listen to cd’s from start to finish. I don’t have an Ipod.

For more information and more pieces by Geoffrey Todd Smith visit Western Exhibitions.

Paint the Town Orange

May 8th, 2008 - Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY - El Perro Del Mar/Lykke Li/Anna Ternheim
Review and Images by Dominick Mastrangelo

There's always an awkward moment during a show when you realize that the support act was really the better act. For me, this happened about three songs into El Perro Del Mar's set at the sold out Bowery Ballroom last Thursday. A half an hour hadn't passed since Lykke Li left the stage and I and the people around me toward the front of the ballroom knew it. Perhaps it was the pre-show buzz, perhaps we weren't expecting Lykke Li to come out with a stage presence so commanding and fully formed or perhaps EPDM's Sarah Assbring was just a little off her game.

But one thing was very clear, Lykke Li is the real deal. Mixing her new US Little Bit EP with her Swedish full-length release Youth Novels, Lykke Li brought hand claps, bull horns, disco and a host of other goodies to get everyone dancing. Or as much as a room full of hipsters will allow themselves to dance. Opening, perfectly enough, with the song "Dance Dance Dance" (mp3) she strutted across the stage, threw her head back, leaned on the mic stand as the rhythmic drumming echoed across the ballroom and she sang "When I'm shaking my hips, look for the swing, the words are written in the air."

"I'm good, I'm gone" with it's creeping piano and her breathy delivery as she crouched over as if passing trade secrets to those in the front row and "Little Bit" with a heavier bass line than the recorded version perpetuated the feel-good atmosphere. She also proved she could slow it down with the ballad "Tonight." She pushed every bit of emotion into the repeated chorus, "Won't you let me go, let me go tonight."

Assbring slipped onstage with her acoustic guitar to begin her set with a couple of solo numbers before the rest of her band joined her. The songs, many off the new record From The Valley To The Stars, were solidly performed, but in concert you need emotion and you need a connection with the audience. Unfortunately, there wasn't much of that going in either direction. Assbring's expressionless face placed a somber tone on the set, which is frustrating when much of her sound is taken from the 60's R&B girl groups. The sleepy "How Did We Forget" slowly shuffled along. It wasn't until the poppy "Somebody's Baby" that the set sprang to life. That was followed by Lykke Li joining EPDM for a couple of songs including a haunting version of "Inner Island." And after Lykke Li left the stage Assbring led her band, acoustically at first, into the excellent "God Knows."

But the highlight of the show was the encore. With both bands taking the stage Assbring and Lykke Li performed in perfect girl group tandem a sped up version of Wendy Rene's "After Laughter (Come Tears)" each taking turns on lead vocals before falling back into formation for the chorus.

Fellow Swede, Anna Ternheim, opened with hushed, beautiful, confessional songs that hearkened to Beth Orton (You Mean Nothing to Me Anymore) as well as slipping in a great version of David Bowie's "China Girl." Her new album, Halfway to Fivepoints was just released in the US a couple weeks back. "The Swedish are taking over," she announced a couple songs into her set.

Remaining Tour Dates:

May 14 - Red Room - Vancouver, British Columbia

May 15 - Triple Door, Seattle, WA

May 16 - Doug Fir - Portland, OR

May 18 - Bimbo's - San Francisco, CA

May 19 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA

New Release Tuesday

Music:

Cotton Jones Basket Ride - The Archery Ep Listen to: Midnight Monday and a Telescope (mp3)

The Black Angels - Directions to See a Ghost

Bellrays - Hard Sweet And Sticky

Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Dj Yoda - Fabriclive 39

Dosh - Wolves & Wishes Listen to: If you want to, You Have to (mp3)

Duffy - Rockferry

Tobias Froberg - Turn Heads

Essie Jain - Inbetween

Local H - 12 Angry Moths

The Presets - Apocalypso

Wars of 1812 - Status Quo Ante Bellum Listen to: Radios Unsigned (mp3)

We Are Scientists - Brian Thrust Mastery

DVD:

The Great Debaters

Mad Money

Untraceable

The Orange Spotlight

Richard Krech In Chambers : The Bodhisattva of the Public Defender's Office (Sunnyoutside Press, February 2008)

"The jury not only deliberating my client's fate this time, but their own as well: will they too be guilty of murder?" from "Premeditated Deliberated & Intentional"

I have always had a mild fascination with the legal system and the idea of justice. In the fact that everyone is presumed innocence until proven guilty, and how lives stand waiting for the facts to build in one direction of the other. The position of the defense attorney is noble, and at times morally challenging. To defend someone who is clearly guilty of a violent crime must be trying, and in Richard Krech's latest chapbook, In Chambers, he writes inventive poems about life in and around the court room.

"The advocate strides into the hell-worlds of the steel bars, of the squeezing tongues and hungry ghosts."


A Bodhisattva is a being that is so enlightened that they refuse Nirvana in order stay and fight for others to achieve Nirvana. Some texts refer to this person as a "Buddha in training". To think of an attorney as a person who is forgoing their own happiness to fight for the happiness and freedom of others is, for me at least, a marvelous revelation. The poems in this collection paint that exact picture, it is a battle but there is a constant hope that justice will outweigh evil, and that the truth of fact and evidence will serve its purpose.

Arms Kids Aflame (Melodic Records, June 30th, 2008)

Todd Goldstein plays guitar for an indie-pop band called Harlem Shakes. For most that would be enough, but not for this Brooklyn-based musician. Since 2004 he has been sneaking away and recording lo-fi bedroom pop and self-releasing colorful eps filled complex lyrics and ukulele strums. In late 2006, Todd singed to the UK label Melodic Records, and now we are on the verge receiving his full-length debut album, Kids Aflame.

The first time I heard the song "Kids Aflame" it was in fall of last year and I immediately was fascinated by its sound. Distant yet warm, the words rolling pure and free over gentle strummed ukulele. It echoed on until its end and left me wanting more. I then found a version of "Whirring", and was pleasantly surprised by the upbeat guitar. The contrast was sharpe, but still Todd's vocals were smooth and inviting. Todd has a gift for melody and has crafted a honest album filled ghostly ballads.

Sabretooth Typist/Whirring (mp3)/Construction/Kids Aflame/Tiger Tamer (mp3)/Sad, Sad, Sad/ Shitty Little Disco/The Frozen Lake/Fall/John the Escalator/Eyeball/Pocket/Ana M

Orange Alert's Music Minute

Tigers with limbs holding hearts and kicking snakes... what else could that be but the new cover from Sunny Day Sets Fire's debut album Summer Place (IAMSOUND, July 8th). The craziness of the cover might be a reflection of the band eclectic background. Combining Italy, Hong Kong, UK, Canada can be a complex cocktail. The album will be released on July 8th, but the label decide to release digital version to itunes and emusic this past week to avoid the dreaded leak.

Listen to: Brainless (mp3)

As you may have heard, Black Kids have recently signed with Columbia Records. Here's the deal: Black Kids have signed to Columbia (where they join MGMT, the Gossip, Ting Tings, and more) for North America, and Almost Gold for the rest of the world. Their full-length album, Partie Traumatic, will be released in North America July 22nd, and the rest of the world, July 7th. Black Kids are currently on tour with Cut Copy, dates below.

May 5 - Omaha, NE at Waiting Room*
May 6 - Minneapolis, MN at 7th Street Entry*
May 7 - Chicago, IL at The Abbey Pub*
May 8 - Detroit, MI at Magic Stick*
May 9 - Toronto, ON at Lees Palace*
May 12 - Boston, MA at Paradise*
May 13 - Brooklyn, NY at Studio B*
May 15 - Washington, DC at Black Cat*
May 16 - Philadelphia, PA at Pure*
May 17 - Baltimore, MD at Sonar*
May 18 - New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom
*with Cut Copy

Black Francis (aka Frank Black) is back with a new seven song, mini-LP entitled Svn Fngrs, available now from Cooking Vinyl Records. It is not only is this a new release from a indie rock legend, but it is the orangest cover I've seen so far this year and that counts for a lot in my book.

Black Francis with Stone Temple Pilots

6/24/08 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
6/25/08 - Tucson, AZ - Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre
6/27/08 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
6/28/08 - Woodlands, TX - Woodlands Pavilion
6/29/08 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Live
7/2/08 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
7/4/08 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest

Listen to: The Seus (Infadels Remix) (mp3)

A band that needs no introduction, but a cover that may need some explanation. They have a legacy, a brilliant catalog of music, and a new album Red Carpet Massacre (itunes) (Epic Records).

Watch the video for "Nite-Runner"

DURAN DURAN TOUR DATES
May 6 - Dodge Theatre - Phoenix, AZ
May 8 - Valley View - San Diego, CA
May 9 - The Joint - Las Vegas, NV
May 10 - The Joint - Las Vegas, NV
May 12 - Wells Fargo Theatre - Denver, CO
May 14 - Rosemont Theatre - Chicago, IL
May 15 - Masonic Temple Theatre - Detroit, MI
May 16 - Summit City - Whitesburg, KY
May 17 - Chastain Park Amphitheater - Atlanta, GA
May 18 - UCF Arena - Orlando, FL
May 19 - Mizner Park Amphitheatre - Boca Raton, FL
May 21 - Koka Booth Amphitheatre - Raleigh, NC
May 22 - Mann Center for the Performing Arts - Philadelphia, PA
May 24 - Atlantis - Paradise Island (Bahamas)
May 27 - Merriweather Post Pavilion - Columbia, MD
May 28 - Agganis Arena - Boston, MA
May 30 - Central Park Summerstage - New York City, NY
May 31 - Central Park Summerstage - New York City, NY

cllct.com Musician of the Week: Patrick Ripoll

Here is a new weekly feature for you, each week I am going to select a different member of the excellent community over at cllct.com. I am starting with Patrick Ripoll, not only because I enjoy and respect his music, but because he handed me a hard copy of Praise The Lord several weeks ago.

Patrick is a man of many talents, on Praise the Lord he flexes his punk-folk scream n' strum, but on Disorient he twists the knobs and layers the samples and mashes the tracks. He is a punk-folk-DJ! A person who is down for sampling Dinosaur Jr. is cool in my book.

Listen to: The Big Furry Monster (mp3)

Back to Praise the Lord, the album opens with a shouting trash can banging near Public Image Limited sing/chant. I stand shocked, but smiling. The album is mostly acoustic, but not at all laid back. Patrick strum aggressively while he asks all of the questions that most people wonder on a daily basis... "What wrong with me?", "Why don't I fit in?", "Why won't she smile at me?", etc. The highlight of album for is the personal track "Generation". "I ain't no friend with no Kimya Dawson replacement"... classic!

Listen to: Generation (mp3)

The Peel Back: Squirrel Nut Zippers "The Inevitable" (Fontana Mammoth, 1995)

In my life I have gone through many different musical phases. When I was younger they each had their own distinct period in time, and now I draw on each of them fondly. There was heavy metal, hip hop, Christian rock, alternative, punk, electronica, industrial, grunge, swing, jazz, and many more. There was one time when I only wanted to watch Swing Kids and listen to Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday/Cab Calloway, Mel Torme (I shook the man's hand once), and Squirrel Nut Zippers.

The Inevitable only validated my obsession. If anyone ever questioned my interest "If it's good enough for Granddad, then it's good enough for me" was my reply. This was new swing, I no longer was only listening to music that 40+ years old. I wanted a zoot suit, a pocket watch, I wanted to be hep to the jive. I ignored anything that was not jazz for at least three years. One calm Chicago night I ventured out to the Park West to finally experience this Hot band in person. Gorilla suits, mardi gras bead, and swing dancing filled the classy club as I (wishing I could swing) watched in amazement. Half way through the show band stopped to introduce each other, and the words "our special guest tonight right here from Chicago... Andrew Bird on Violin" still ring in my ear. Magical!

Lovers Lane/Danny Diamond/I've Found a New Baby (mp3)/Anything But Love/Good Enough For Granddad (mp3)/Wished for You/La Grippe/Lugubrious Whing Whang/Club Limbo/Wash Jones/You're Drivin' Me Crazy/Plenty More

The Watch List

Listening:
1. Alan Wilkis: Babies Dream Big, the latest album from Brooklyn musician Alan Wilkis, was sent to me electronically this past week and I can not stop signing it. Alan walks the thin line between pure cheese and electro greatness. '80's synth with '70's funk and souls, Alan knows how to craft a fine tune. Listen to: It's Been Great (mp3)
2. Clair: On June 3rd, Brooklyn based band Clair will release a full length a filled beautifully pop melodies, rich female vocals, and sparse piano driven tracks. The Long Road is not to be missed! Listen to: Every Day (I Walk Over, I Walk On) (mp3)
3. Company of Thieves: Chicago is home to this quartet led by Genevieve Schaltz. Their latest release is called Ordinary Riches. Listen to: Oscar Wilde (mp3)

Reading:
1. "The Platypus Pt. 2" by Zach Plague: This is the second installment previewing the forthcoming novel from Zach Plague to be published by Featherproof Books August 1st.
2. "Star's Jar" by Kate Beauford: This is a long one, but worth it.
3. "In the Restaurant" by Bradley Sands: I don't know where this restaurant is, but I want to go. 4. "Surviving The Art of Futurism" by Sarah Mattson-Fishman: Fleshy Parts!
5. "The Horror and The Hero" by Kevin Shamel: "Crows in my coffee"... great line.
6. "T-Bone Licker" by Match Ryan: Disgusting, yet funny.
7. "The Process of Decay" by Michele McDonnald: Big Zygotey thoughts next week on OA... Go Michele!

Wishing:
1. The Green Flash: A flash fiction literary magazine published quarterly out of Chicago, Illinois. They publish stories told in 1,000 words or fewer that are wildly visual, immediately engaging, and fully complete. They will be having a reading on May 21st. That's a Wednesday night, 9pm, at Town Hall Pub (3340 N Halsted).
2. Elbis, the book: Hand crafted by Mulele Jarvis In addition to giclee print sequences, each book contains individually hand-painted art. Each book is unique; no two books are identical. Very limited edition of 20 books. 16 X 11 cm, 198 cm unfolded, 3000 Yen
3. Wallet 2.0: Wallet 2.0 is made out of very soft silicone, available in 5 colors and comes with a patent pending system of refill sheets that allow you to be really organized (at least in your wallet). Think of the refill sheets as a manila folder in your wallet, giving you immediate access to the item you are looking for. $35

Getting:
1. Echo Nest: Newly launched (May 8th) for all of the fans of the RIYL reviews (of which I am not) and for those who google "sounds like .... M.Ward, etc.". Echo will recommend up to 15 similiar artist for each that you put on your profile.
2. RMP/WTWDAOA Interview Series: Have you ever been a featured writer/artist/musician on What to Wear During an Orange Alert? RMP has teamed up with Orange Alert in bringing Rural Messengers Press contributors' interviews to print, we are offering a free copy to anyone who has been featured on the Orange. Contact RMP (mailto:rmpress@gmail.com) for your copy.

Watching:
1. James Eric (OA's honorary videographer) chronic cataloger of a things indie and musical in Chicago has sent me four videos from the show at South Union Arts this past week. My favorite is Emperor X (watch) (not because I'm in it either), also included Porches (watch), CT Ballentine (watch), and of course Real Live Tigers (watch).
2. "Drink Paint" by Willie Smith: Gives a whole new meaning to "taste the rainbow".
3. Megafaun "Lazy Suicide" and Interview... Greatest electro-gospel-folk band ever! (and no that is not Seth Rogan singing lead)

Band of the Week

Evan Voytas

There are many names for it, escape, retreat, getaway, splitting the seam of reality and sliding in between. Whatever you prefer the principle is the same, to move away from the craziness of life to focus on what you love the most. That is what 24 year old Pennsylvania musician Evan Voytas did. Somehow finding himself on tour playing lead guitar and singing back-up for teen-pop phenom Teddy Geiger, he felt burned and needed the solitude of a rural farmhouse to figure out what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it.

The result is a debut ep, Introducing Evan Voytas, filled with lush indie pop. What is unique about this ep is the gritty electronics sets him a part from traditional pop music. It really is a pleasing mixture of both '60's pop sensibilities and modern electro bubbles and glitches. Evan plans to return to tour with Teddy Geiger, but for now he is reveling in and talking about what he has created.

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

Orange Alert (OA): Well traveled at 24, how have the various locations you have lived in affected your music? Do you pick up a new sound in each state?
Evan Voytas (EV): New Mexico has probably had the most influence on my music. I didn't work on music at all when I lived there, but the music sounded different after I left. That place feels so big.

I think maybe the spirit that has kept me moving around affects the music. I like exploring and adventures.

OA: You have a strong background in Jazz composition, do you apply this knowledge when composing pop songs?
EV: It does come through, but maybe not in the most obvious ways. I used to be pretty absorbed in atonal harmony. In New York I would hang out in my apartment, drinking tea and singing atonal melodies from books written by Scandinavian dudes. I think the fact that I got so involved in dissonance made me eventually have a reaction against it. Now the music I write has very simple melodies. I really fell in love with simplicity.

I learned a lot from spending so much time improvising. It made me comfortable with the idea of letting my mind go to a place where it can stream new ideas, and I just get out of the way and let that happen. I think of my music as documents of that specific experience.

OA: Teddy Geiger... How did you come to play with a teen pop star? What was that experience like?
EV: It's been wonderful. Pretty confusing, but great. I had about a week left in college, and a friend of a friend said, "Want to go on the road with a teen pop star?" and I said, "OK." I thought it would be an interesting summer job, but we ended up being on the road for almost 3 years! Teddy and I became best friends, bonding over all the bizarre things that were happening around us. Musically we somehow had a lot in common, despite our very different backgrounds. Playing those shows has been so much fun. Teddy's fans have been awesome and really supportive.

OA: What was it that attracted you to the farmhouse in Pennsylvania? Do you feel it play a role the actual recorded sound of the ep?
EV: I was tired of the city. I needed something that would feel a little more like "real life" to counteract the world of teen pop.

It probably did play a role in the sound of the ep. I recorded the song "Everything is Fine," when the sun was coming up one morning, and you can actually hear birds singing in the background.

OA: You have said you plan to tour this summer. What is the hardest part of putting together an independent tour? What cities do you plan to hit?
EV: This is the first time I've really dealt with booking shows, so that's been an early challenge. I guess I'll discover all the pitfalls as I go along.

I'm playing 2 solo electric shows, May 16th at Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn, and May 20th at the Fire in Philadelphia. After that, I'll be touring with Teddy's band in June and July, then hopefully more solo shows in late July and August.

OA: What's next for Evan Voytas?
EV: I have a lot of new music that I'm excited about. I can't wait to put together a full-length album.

Listen to: The Yellow World of '83 (mp3) and We'd Be Good Together (mp3)

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
EV: When I'm at home, I drink coffee all day. I like strong black coffee. When I'm in New York I like to go to Oslo in Williamsburg, friendly folks over there.

OA: What was the last great book you have read?
EV: "Concerning the Spiritual in Art" by Wassily Kandinsky

For more information on Evan Voytas please visit his website, and to order a copy of the album go here.

Reader Meet Author

C. Robin Madigan

My first encounter with C. Robin Madigan went as follows; "I'm not attempting to "blow" any minds and I hope you like it". He introduced himself as fan of Blake Butler, and proceeded to tell me what year each of his instruments were made. You see, Mr. Madigan is a grad student on the verge of the illusive MFA in writing, but it seems that his passion is DIY music. Since that initial e-mail back in February, he has sent me a new mp3 every few weeks. He loves to talk about his music, but down plays his writing. So I decided to investigate his writing for myself. I found "Tape Hiss" in Storyglossia, "You'll Die" in Elimae, and "The Mess You Made in Us" in SmokeLong Quarterly, and I enjoyed them all.

Everyone has a dream, everyone secretly slaves away at a something they love, late at night when no one is looking. These are the dreams that keep us going, and fuel our days and nights. I rarely talk about my job, but I could spend hours discussing arts and culture or talking about publishing books. I look forward to receiving songs from Conor, not just because they sound great, but because of the honest excitement behind them.

When Orange Pulp was released, C. Robin Madigan, was the only contributor who hadn’t been previously featured on Orange Alert. So here is my attempt to fill in the details and share the words and sounds of C. Robin Madigan.

Orange Alert (OA): In May you will receive your MFA, what do you plan to do with it?
C. Robin Madigan (CM): Write novels and sell novels and stories I've written.

OA: The first chapter of your novel, Alo, Bunny, was recently published in Cutthroat. What can you tell us about your novel?
CM: I hope I achieved mastery of conventions needed to support my prose. I wrote sentences with my own rhythm; syntax I know, and collected parts of a world I know as a Being in a world. I hope, as well, to show how much respect I have for writers who influenced me as I first read. I can't sum up the story or try to hold it for you to let you see. I think I've done that well with the work.

OA: Do you feel a writer needs community or network to gain audience? Writing, itself, is a solitary art, but publishing is a completely different world.
CM: It's best to send your work to places you love to read when trying to find an audience. An astounded reader will go to her loved ones and whisper, "hey, does this startle you as well?" thus readership via adoration builds.

I know nothing about publishing. It happens and feels ephemeral, like it may not happen again, time and again. I don't know writing as a solitary art. I have many voices, and they're quite loud.
OA: You are not only a writer, but also a musician. What lead you to start recording music?
CM: My mum heard me bellow, singing at six or seven years old, in the shower. She had me to a boy's choir and music became serious. I sang three days a week.
I'd just turned sixteen when I bought a tape machine. Initially I just made noise and harmonized it with my voice, as many voices as I could possibly ping-pong. From then until college's end I recorded on that damn piece of junk. I needed a penny to jam the record button so it'd work after my band had worn it through.

After college Brian and I threw a bunch of money together and spent it all at Mercenary Audio, in Boston. Now we record everyday, no matter what it's required—noise; sound pieces; fake interviews; tet-a-tet, monologue, yells, yammers; insect footsteps recorded high-gain; country; western; prog; scape; lounge; techno; screamo; bebop; jazzfunk, horn blats through a fender reverb tank, hits on the old heater, bottles, scraping teeth, silent wonton flex affront a Telefunken mic, everyday things.

OA: Do you approach writing lyrics differently than short stories or poems?
CM: Short stories and poems go through hundreds of drafts, even more for a novel. The Mess You Made In Us, a Miniature in SmokeLong Quarterly, went through about fifty, and it's two hundred forty-five words. The New York Tyrant pieces drafted more than even that, and they're shorter. This interview: six hundred sixty-nine words.
Lyrics come in the moment I scream, sing, whisper, or drool them out. I write them down and fix a tense issue or ordering, but then I'm done. I don't really think lyrics need to have meaning or rhyme. Just get some nouns verbing and play good bass.

OA: What's next for C. Robin Madigan?
CM: To accept volatile life—It's been a few years now where I've let my limitations become static. I'm urgent to produce work.

Listen to: Beg For More (mp3) and Every Minute (With You) (mp3) and Don't Dream For Us (mp3)

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
CM: Casteel Coffee has the only roast master I'll buy from, and I pull shots all day at my parent's and brother's houses. Best meal: 4 shots espresso, two fuji apples quartered, and a bit of almond butter.

OA: It is clear what type of music you like to play, but what type of music do you listen to and who are a few of your favorites?
CM: Patsy Cline(medium soft), Dusty Springfield(loud), Nick Lowe and The Zombies(louder), Mahler (really, very loud).

For more information on C. Robin Madigan you can visit his website.

The Orange Spotlight

Cllct.com Artists: 21 Love Songs: A Tribute to The Magnetic Fields (March 10th, 2008)

I have decided that when listening to a tribute album it is better to not know a great deal about the source material. Personally, (I am ashamed to admit) I have never given a good listen to The Magnetic Fields, so when I picked up a handmade, photocopied, cd-r version of cllct.com's tribute I knew more about the artists on the disc (i.e. Tinyfolk, James Eric, redbear., Secret Owl Society, Porches) then I did about Magnetic Fields. Which may make my opinion a little unique in reviewing this album.

Overall, the tone of the album is somber, but the eclectic feel of the 21 different musicians involved keeps thing moving. This album speaks for not only the ever growing folk movement, but also the hard working independent musician involved in cllct.com. Founded by a man that goes by Secret Owl Society, cllct is home to hundreds (174 to be exact) of independent musicians sharing their music and ideas. Together they have released 259 albums to date, and they are all available to be downloaded for free, including this one.

Back to 21 Love Songs, there is everything from tiny folk song (not to be confused with Tinyfolk's song) to electronic infused to rock to ghetto rap (ok, maybe not ghetto rap) to James Eric (the main man behind this project) pumping up the reverb and twisting a few knobs. The highlight for me comes in the middle of the album, tracks 8 through 15, with the gentle glitch of Manipulator Alligator being the pinnacle.

Listen to: Living in an Abandoned Firehouse With You by Manipulator Alligator (mp3)

To download 21 Love Song visit cllct.com, and while you are there check out all of the other quality releases.


Adrian Manning: Wide Asleep, Fast Awake (Kendra Steiner Editions #98, May 2008)


"I'm a vacation in winter/cold and brooding/meet me somewhere/give me a ride/we surely can't fail"

05:40... the alarm sounds in this distance, I tell myself it is a school bell or maybe broken laughter... I dance and fall, arms heavy, reaching for the magically button that will make it all stop. 05:50... children play in doorways, falling and fawning, petals and scrapped knees. 06:00... I smell the stream and feel the slow release of pure black liquid into a collecting pool in glass pot. Finally, the dream is over.


For me, Wide Asleep, Fast Awake, takes place in the space between initial waking and the official end of intermittent dreams. Starting at 05:32 and ending at 09:30, the collection follows the life of the sounds you hear when trying to sleep, specifically a girl walkng outside an open window. When the dream ends... reality is always hard to handle, abrupt and unforgiving.


This is Volume 33 in the Sound Library Series from Kendra Steiner Editions, and it was inspired by Sonic Youth. The cover photo was taken by Aleathia Drehmer. There were only 73 copies printed and I am holding #18, so order yours today!

New Release Tuesday

Music:

Radius - Neighborhood Suicide Listen to: Logan Square (Rent's Due) (mp3)

Sinkane - Color Voice
Tim Fite - Fair Ain't Fair

Four Tet - Ringer

The Long Blondes - Couples

Lykke Li - Little Bit Ep Listen to: Dance Dance Dance (mp3)

Matmos - Supreme Balloon Listen to: Rainbow Flag (mp3) (stream)

Meho Plaza - Meho Plaza Listen to: The Beach (mp3) (stream)

65DAYSOFSTATIC - The Distant and Mechanised Glow of East European Dance Parties
Animal Collective - Water Curses

No Age - Nouns (stream)

Prolyphic & Reanimator - Ugly Truth

The Republic Tigers - Keep Color (stream)

Russian Circles - Station (stream)

Mr. Gnome - Deliver This Creature (steam)

Wolftron - Flesh & Fears (album art by Andy Kehoe)

Neil Diamond - Home Before Dark

DVD:
First Sunday
Over Her Dead Body
P.S. I Love You

Paint the Town Orange

May 3rd, 2008 - South Union Arts - Chicago, IL - CT Ballentine, Emperior X, Real Live Tigers, Paul Baribeau, and Porches

Making the trek alone, I ventured into the city to a venue that I had heard of but never been to. Arriving a half hour early I found friend and musician James Eric standing in an empty parking lot of an old fenced in church. As we enter I remember there had been an art show here the night before, and I hoped the work would still be on display. The show had featured work from many Chicago artists that I had been looking at to feature on the site like Ferrari Sheppard, M?rk Flores, Dense, Stetch185, and even a familiar face like Joey Potts. The pieces were diverse and amazing, and from the frequent appearance of sold stickers, it was also successful.

The show started an hour late, but the crowd of fifty or so devoted folk fans did not seems to mind (even if the church did not have heat on a 40 degree May night in Chicago). First up was one half of Chicago's Cup N' String (The "Cup" half I imagine) a man many of you will recognize from his wildly creative writings published in THE2NDHAND, CT Ballentine. With painted guitar and strapped-on harmonica, CT pleased the crowd with tales of truck stops and love, dirt roads and revolutions. Dylanesque seemed to be thrown about and I couldn't disagree.

Listen to: I'll Be Fine (mp3)

Running down the center isle of the church demanding the audience to clap, the madman C. R. Matheny (a.k.a. Emperor X) of Brooklyn launches his set with energy. Armed with a $30 guitar and an amp circa 1970, Emperor X spun stories of another universe while singing into an echoing mic at times and without mic in the center of the crowd at times. I was completely blown away by not only his passion and ability to control the crowd, but the depth and quality of his songs.

Listen to: Spieltier (mp3)

Real Live Tigers took the stage, shy and unassuming, only four days back from a very sucessful tour oversea and a little under the weather. He begin his set on an electric guitar performing a special request, a local classic, "Bruises" (the same song the James Eric closed his set with just one month ago). Then switching to acoustic, his somber voice echoed through the catherdal in a near hymn-like fashion. Performing several songs from last years, This is Sometimes a Riverbed, but also mixing in a few new tracks Tony'serformance was memerizing and meditative. One of the new tracks that made me smile was a peppy (yes, peppy) song called "Leave A Map".

"F*** what you've heard their still self-absorb/nothing happened when those towers fell/and all those days we spent in city streets/with night sticks at our backs/weren't enough to change their minds/when they had a plan/but don't let this world break your heart." Biting, witty, perfectly stated!

Listen to: Leave a Map (mp3)

Paul Baribeau came across as casual, almost unprepared, but the moment he opened his mouth to sing you knew why he was there. Paul sang songs that would run straight at your deepest memory of youth and greatest fear of adulthood at the same time. His song rushed forward with a sense of hope. A tangible that is sitting on slope a hilltop waiting to be touched, but you never quite reach it. Singing several song from last year's Grand Ledge (Plan-it X Records), but also playing a few older songs upon requests. He go the crowd moving and transitioned nicely into the next act Porches.

Listen to: Ten Things (mp3)

The final act of the night was Ben Horowitz (a.k.a. Porches) accompanied by CT Ballentine on banjo. Ben began by inviting the crowd to sit warmly around the stage, he then sat down and began to sing about women going to purchase pills at the drug store and progressed through an eclectic set that included an aborted Dead Kennedy's song. The perfect end to a great night of art and independent folk tunes.

Listen to: Goin' Federal (mp3)

Most of the bands mentioned in this review are consistently on tour so please check their myspace pages. They maybe headed your way tomorrow.

Orange Alert's Music Minute

Finnish artist Laura Naukkarinen (a.k.a Lau Nau) sings dreamy folk tales that explore the farthest reaches of sonic imagination. Her debut album Kuutarha (on Chicago's Locust Music, 2005) was delicate and exotic, but on her sophomore release Nukkuu (Finnish for Sleeps) there is a new found warmth. Recording in the off hours, hiding away in the attic or empty den while her newborn son slept, Laura found the love of a child inspirational and dreamlike. Her sound follow suit as she weaves found sound and hazy electronic around her soft Finnish lyrics.

Nukkuu will be released on May 13th on Chicago's Locust Music, and would be a fine addition to any collection containing Dead Can Dance, El Perro Del Mar, or John Cage.

Listen to: Lue Kartalta (mp3)

Speaking of delicate and breathy, the time has come to see Lykke Li and El Perro Del Mar live in concert! Come on you know you want to:

May 6 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA
May 7 - Joe's Pub - New York, NY
May 8 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
May 9 - Middle East - Boston, MA
May 10 - Lambi - Montreal, Quebec
May 11 - Mod Club - Toronto, Ontario
May 12 - Schuba's - Chicago, IL
May 14 - Red Room - Vancouver, British Columbia
May 15 - Triple Door, Seattle, WA
May 16 - Dough Fir - Portland, OR
May 18 - Bimbo's - San Francisco, CA
May 19 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA

Listen to: El Perro Del Mar - Glory to the World (mp3) and Lykke Li - Dance, Dance, Dance (mp3)

Brendan Losch update:

At the beginning of the year I mention that Chicago's Brendan Losch was attempting to record a song a week for an entire year. Well, he has stuck to his plan thus far, and he also just released his second full-length album, Until We Meet Again.

He will also be appearing on June 23rd at Schuba's with Cotton Jones Basket Ride. Oh, and don't forget to check out frequently updated music blog, Count Me Out. It is one of the best music blogs in Chicago!

Listen to: We Wish We Knew (mp3)

Believe it or not I had actually fallen out of love with music for a few years. I believe it was between 1998 and 2003. It wasn't really out of love, but I did look a way for awhile. One of sounds that brought my back what of Her Space Holiday. 2003 marked the release of The Young Machines and my love affair with the music of Marc Bianchi.

Just announced this past month was the release date of his new album xoxo, panda and the new kid revival and a free concert her in Chicago at the Empty Bottle on May 5th (that's tomorrow night!!).

This is from Marc's myspace blog post:

"two and a half years in the making, the album is a far departure from previous hsh releases. no samples, no electronics, just a pile of instruments and a never ending will to create. "xoxo, panda and the new kid revival" was recorded partially in marc’s "no more good ideas" home studio, and partially at john vanderslice’s "tiny telephone studios" with the wonderful tim mooney. there are also guest appearances on the album by caitlin love, kenneth holland, and hanni el khatib."

"These Modern Socks are making sci-fi geeks everywhere cool again. For example, their sophomore release "Picking a Lock at the Speed of Light" is a concept album about taking a girl to space. And not since the sexual of tension of Han Solo and Princess Leia in The Empire Strikes Back has space travel sounded so good."

Not only does These Modern Socks take a girl into space they nearly take their listeners along with. Filling the speakers with funky glitch and electro-bubbles, what is folk-pop are heart suddenly fizzes with delight.

Listen to: Where I Came From (mp3)

Paint the Town Orange

April 26th, 2008 - Museum of Modern Arthur - Brooklyn, NYC - Joseph Arthur
Images by Dominick Mastrangelo


Joseph Arthur is releasing an EP a month between March and June. This is from ep number 2, Crazy Rain. Listen to: Nothin 2 Hide (mp3)

For more information on Joseph Arthur please visit his website.

The Watch List

Listening:
1. The Winter Sounds: This Georgia band released their debut album last year, and will be on the road all summber long.
2. Presto: This young producer from Culver City, CA has a new dropping on June 18th on Concrete Grooves Records.
3. Good Old War: Recently signed to Sargent House, Gold Old War are currently recording their latest album. Listen to: Coney Island (mp3)

Reading:
1. decomP May 2008: Featuring work by Jason Fisk, Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, Andrew Hall, Bradley Sands, Alicia Adams, Andy Henion, and Jim Fuess.
2. "Night Driving" by CL Bledsoe: Dead deers and tire irons.
3. "Interview with Spencer Dew" by Aleathia Drehmer: Two of my favorite writers having a conversation.
4. "Kettle!" by kek-w: A giant howling kettle in the center of city.
5. "Teen Heaven" by Jose Garibaldi: I've been trying to get more into comics and graphic novels. I though I would start with a friend.
6. "Mr. Ballet" by Lauren Spohrer: Mr. Ballet has Jazz Feet!
7. "Two Poems" by Chris Major: These are from the April Issue of Word Riot. I just received an e-mail from Chris with more concrete/visual poems. You can download his free Echap Concrete and Calligram here.

Wishing:
1. The Bird Machine: Local prints from Jay Ryan
2. The Coffee Collective: This is Danish coffee and their slogan is "Ready to be Cupped".

Getting:
1. Etel Magazine Issue #3: Art, Design and Music come together in this zine out of Mexico.
2. Protus Mag Issue #4: This is Dustin Parker's project and one of the greatest art zines around.

Watching:
1. Tapes n' Tapes: "Hang'em All"
2. These New Puritan: "Elvis"

3. Santogold: "L.E.S. Artiste"
4. Hot Robot Girlfriend the Video!

Band of the Week

Sinkane

When does inspiration come to you? Are you listening? How do you know when you have discovered something? Laying in bed, exhausted after a complex day, your mind pulses and spins with thought as you decompress. Suddenly a phase appears or an image or a sound, you pause but continue to try and sleep. Yet it appears again maybe a little brighter or stronger or more flushed out, and in that moment have to choose whether or not you will get up and preserve this flash or fall asleep oblivious. To create you must be in tune with your mind and body, and they both must be focused and alert at all times.

This is what happened to Ahmed Gallab (a.k.a. Sinkane) one night, and ultimately this brief moment of inspiration resulted in his debut ep Color Voice. However, to go from that little spark to the completion of a album takes a lot of hard work. Especially when you play most of the instrument yourself. Sinkane is a multi-instrumentalist who has combined drums, drone, feedback, horn, reverse guitar, and more to create a ep that new jazz masterpiece. He learned the ropes playing in basements and backyards on DIY tours playing drums in hardcore bands. It is also this background that allowed Ahmed to recently fill in for Caribou's injured drummer. Color Voice is an ever-building journey filled with complex rhythms and well placed horns.

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

Orange Alert (OA): Color Voice has the sound and feel of an improvised piece much like '70's era Miles Davis. Was this originally written as a 30 minute piece with four movements or did it evolve into what it is today? How long it take to record, seeing that you played most of the parts yourself?
Ahmed Gallab (AG): I wrote the backing drone track late one night last summer. I had come home after seeing some friends and was completely sleep deprived. I was in limbo between a state of consciousness and unconsciousness.

Initially, I was just going to release Color Voice as that backing track by itself but as I would listen to it I would find different things to add onto the track. Slowly I started to look at that thing at four different angles. I started working around the drone. It was like this tangible ghost that wouldn't move and I had to figure out how to create around it. Those angles soon became the four songs.

It didn't take very long to record it, actually. I work very quickly when I am inspired. Mark Himmel (who engineered and helped produce the record) was a big help. He made it easy for me to let my ideas flow seamlessly. Being in a studio can be very overwhelming when you're playing all the instruments. Mark was very patient with me and that was very important.

OA: There were 500 picture discs and 500 180 gram white vinyl records pressed of Color Voice. In your opinion, why has vinyl remained such a viable format? Is it sound quality, size, nostalgia, collectablilty?
AG: I think people miss having something that they can call their own. Something physical. Something tangible. A solid piece of art. cd's are so disposable. it's so easy to throw a cd in the back seat of your car and forget about it. everything about vinyl is great. album art is so much more beautiful on vinyl, sound quality is better because you have to really take good care of your records. I feel so much more connected to records because I feel like I have a beautiful piece of work in my position. it's hard to connect with cds like that.

OA: It is not fully apparent on Color Voice, but you also have an interest in hip hop, having worked with both with Blueprint (Soul Position) and Dj Abilities (Eyedea & Abilities). Are there any other hip hop projects in the works? What brought you together with these guys from Ryhmesayer?
AG: We all met at a show Blueprint hosted in Columbus a couple of years ago. I was playing that show with a project that I have with my friend Evan called Pompeii, This Morning. I love hip hop. I'm so drawn to it because it's so different from what I do. it's such a binary music. everything is either on or off. What's interesting about it, though, is how people can find dynamics within that and really create some great music. I'm absolutely inspired by both Abilities and Blueprint. I've learned so much from them. Abilities and I locked ourselves in a room for a week with our friend Felix and played music every day for 10 hrs straight. It was incredible. That'll manifest into something soon, hopefully.

OA: You recently were faced with the honor and challenge of filling in for the injured Brad Weber of Caribou. Of all the bands you could of filled in for, Caribou has some very complex drum patterns. What was that experience like?
AG: Playing in Caribou has been one of the great experiences of my life. I love that band so much. In fact, the only reason we know each other is because I gave Dan my record at one of his shows last October. The drum patterns are pretty complicated. Luckily I've ripped him off so many times that some of the parts were familiar. I've learned a lot from these guys. They are painfully professional and goofy at the same time. I was afraid that I would come on this tour and run into some serious characters but it's the complete opposite. We all fart out loud in the van and we're so close now that I can tell who farted just by the smell. Dan's farts are pretty wild: really woody with some hazelnut notes. Mine on the other hand are just absolutely spicy. I kind of like them but I doubt you would.

OA: You left Sudan at age 6, have you gone back since? Do you feel your time there has influenced your music in anyway?
AG: I usually go back to Sudan every 1-2 years for at least one month. I never really embraced my heritage until I graduated high school and went back to visit. Every visit prior to that I took for granted. I was young and didn't realize who I was and felt like hanging out with my friends was more important than my family.

Recently, my culture and heritage has heavily influenced my music. You'll hear that on my new record.

OA: What's next for Ahmed Gallab and Sinkane?
AG: I really want to see a blue whale. I mean seriously. I want to go on a cruise and see a blue whale. It'd also be kind of tight if i could somehow get video taped of me playing a white flying V guitar on top of a blue whale while it's swimming on the water surface.

Color Voice (The CD is out now, Picture Disc and Vinyl to be released May 6th)

Thick Device/Color Voice (mp3)/Autobahn/Drumps

For more information on Sinkane please visit his website or blog and to purchase Color Voice go to Emergency Umbrella Records.

Reader Meet Author

Steven Lee Beeber

We have all had that night or series of nights when you look at the clock and know it is 2:00am and you have to be up in four hours. You close the laptop, force your head to the pillow, close your eyes, and.... explosions, fires, every thought you've ever had rushes to the surface and begins to swirl. You open your eyes and stare at the glowing red numbers as they blur and run together as if profane. You roll on to your other side and flip the pillow, but still nothing. You have left too much unfinished or have too much happening the next day. Maybe you just found you are going to be on live television in a week. Whatever it may be, sleep is being avoided and dreams are not happening.

Mine is usually a self-induced sleeplessness, but whatever your reason for not sleeping, Boston writer Steven Lee Beeber has compiled a collection for you. Pulling together fiction, essays, comics, poetry, and even found text, this is truly the ideal reader for the sleepless. Steven Lee Beeber is also the author The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk, and a fellow caffeine addict. Who better to study insomnia then a caffeine addict?

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

Orange Alert (OA): You latest project is called, Awake!: A Reader for the Sleepless, what can you tell us about this project?
Steven Lee Beeber (SB): “AWAKE!” is my homage to the Olympic sport I call sleeplessness. It’s about the only event trial in which I might place, and I believe it signifies an active mind, a caring heart and a serious imbalance of serotonin, dopamine or some other multisyllabic catch-all of the moment. While I love to have those extra nighttime hours to catch-up on my reading, bill-paying and blood-pressure-raising over the WMDs multiplying just out of sight, I also seriously believe that there is something very interesting about insomnia, especially for artists, writers and other creative (read “disturbed”) sorts. After all, scientists are increasingly finding that we HAVE to dream, even if we don’t always have to sleep. As a result, when we stay awake over long periods of time, our dreams intrude on our waking hours to varying degrees. That’s why you can catch glimpses of what appear to be ghosts or other optical illusions when you’ve gone without sleeping for too long (not to mention when you’ve gone without not huffing paint fumes over an extended period of time, but that’s another story). In other words, sleeplessness allows us greater access to our subconscious. That’s why I think artistic (read “pretentious MFA/Mother Fucking Artiste”) sorts are so prone to bouts of insomnia. They’re looking for a portal to their dream states. Either that or they’re just feeling guilty about not having real jobs.

OA: How did you select the writers and artists that would be involved?
SB: You mean aside from paying back favors and eliciting promises of future publications for myself? Let’s see, if I remember correctly I wanted to find a selection of artists from a variety of genres. As you’ll notice, the anthology includes poets, writers, painters, photographers, comics, creators of commix, picker-uppers of found objects, punks, bloggers and even a Suicide Girl or two. The point was to show how insomnia is interpreted across the board – and how it affects artists of all media. It also allowed me to not have to decide who to include or exclude. I’m extremely indecisive. It’s one of the reasons I can’t get to sleep. Or at least, I think it is.

OA: I love the concept of blending different genres (i.e. poetry, fiction, comics, art, etc). It is almost like this is a scrapbook of someone who has insomnia, and collects various pieces while not sleeping. Why did you draw from so many sources for this collection?
SB: Uh oh, I think I answered this one above. Even worse, I like your interpretation better than mine! Thanks a lot, pal!! Now I’ve got something else to worry about as I lie awake sleepless tonight! But seriously (ahem), you touch on something else that I wanted to mention about the anthology. It’s set up to evoke the experience of insomnia. That’s why it’s divided up into days of the week, with each one set off by a painting from a series on the subject (see Robin Palanker, “Sleep Won’t Come,”) While these paintings couldn’t be printed in color due to cost, they still give you an idea of the gradually more surreal state that occurs as sleeplessness stretches out over days and days. There’s also the up and down feeling of straight essay, psychotic story, spastic poetry and then crystalline-clear-adrenalized observation. And back again. Hell, I’m explaining it badly. Tell your readers to just go out and get a copy. Then they’ll see what I mean (and I’ll maybe make a few sells).

OA: Soft Skull is a quality small press, what has your experience been like working with Soft Skull?
SB: Fabulous! Amazing!! Rockingly righteous!!! Seriously, I’m not even exaggerating! I really love those guys. Soft Skull Head (as in Soft Skull Leader, not as in Puddin’ Head!) Richard Nash is a human dynamo, a true believer and a truly great humanitarian. He really gets what books are all about and what they can be and he backs projects more because he believes in and loves them than because he thinks they’re going to make big bucks (though I’m sure, like me, he wouldn’t mind that happening. I mean, if Britney Spears can retire on her output* why shouldn’t he/me?) I’d also like to give a shout out to Anne Horowitz who has not only done her best in slapping press releases upside the heads of sometimes uncomprehending journalists, but has also schlepped books far and wide, actually showing up at one of my readings with a stack tall enough almost to engulf her.

(*Hey, stop picking on Britney!!)

OA: You recently took this book on a big time tour featuring musicians, actors, writers, etc. How far is too far in the promotion of a book?
SB: I’m not sure. Some seemed to think when I started biting off the heads of bats and chickens that might have been a bit too much, but I’m still considering staging a stadium-sized reading/healing session in which thousands upon thousands of my tired legions read simultaneously in silence in hopes of conjuring up some good sleepy mojo. Either that or I’m going to get proud sponsor of our Boston event, P.B.R (“Insomnia? Fuck that!! Pabst! Blue!! Ribbon!!!”) to shell out some more bucks so we can continue to take this show on the road. Can’t you just see it? A never-ending book tour in which Dead-Tired-Heads follow our lurching caravan in search of solace and comfort? I can. But then again, I haven’t slept for days, so I’m probably not thinking too clearly.

OA: What's next for Steven Lee Beeber?
SB: Coffee, Ambien, Xanax and a speedball cocktail. After that, I plan to finish my novel about a grad student exploring the work of a little known writer who he considers more representative of his era than some of its bigger names. That writer? A certain Steven Lee Beeber. The name of the book? “About the Author.” Hmmm, let’s see … I’m also compiling another anthology, this one on “first punk experiences.” If anyone has any cool tales, feel free to contact me at my website: http://www.jewpunk.com/ (click on my name at the bottom of the page or write beeber@jewpunk.com). One final thing you should know. I’m seriously considering writing about Jews of the South. I’m both a native Atlantan (born, bred and fled) and a Heeb, so I have some experience in the schizophrenic nature of this subject. The only real question is, will I be able to take it on so soon after tackling the Jewish origins of punk? When I return from Germany—where the translated version of “The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB’s”—is being released in October, I’ll let you know if I can take yet another bizarre contradiction in my worldview. Right now, however, I need a nap. RIP!

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
SB: Yes, I say. Yeees, yeeeessss. Coffee is extremely near and dear to me. In fact, if I were going to observe any sort of religion (other than writing) it would be whatever it was that the Aztecs used to practice. After all, they not only worshipped the coffee bean, they also showed how you could use its cousin to make cocaine. Now, their whole thing with human sacrifice seems a little extreme, especially considering it focused on virgins. But don’t get me started on that. … Oh yes, favorite type of coffee? 1369 Blend. And favorite spot? The 1369 Coffeehouse in Inman Square in Cambridge, MA, where I spend far too much time tapping in my computer and downing countless refills while others glare at me for a place to sit. Ah, how I suffer for my art.

OA: We all know you are a fan of punk rock. What is it about punk that initially drew you in? Is it more about aesthetic than sound? All-time best punk band?
SB: Ah, good question. Aesthetics vs. sound. By that I think you mean what we in the rock world would call context vs. content. Let me answer that by telling you the two things that first drew me into punk. When I was a teen, I remember watching a Saturday Night Live episode in which punk progenitor Patti Smith yelped out a version of “Gloria” while beating out the letters (G L O-R I-A) on her chest. Later, on one of my first visits to New York, I sat myself down in the NY Public Library listening room and put the Buzzcocks album “A Different Kind of Tension” on the turntable. Great title. Greater cover art. But what was really amazing was the sound. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” I remember mouthing under the headphones, going on like that that for so long that I started to get odd stares from the homeless guy sacked out next to me. By the time I took off the headphones and heard the silence ringing all around, I knew I was on my way to a new frontier. Unfortunately, a few years later after a night of a bit too much punkish behavior, I forced the needle of my stereo to stay in place at the end of that album as I all but kissed the vinyl, passed out. The next morning when I woke up to find the return arm banging against my skull, I saw that the grooves at the end of the record had been literally shaved away. Now that’s punk! … Oh, best all time punk band? The Buzzcocks? The Ramones? Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band? I really can’t decide. They’re all great. Maybe Alvin and the Chipmunks?

For information on Steven Lee Beeber please visit jewpunk.com and to order a copy of Awake! visit soft skull press.