"This Day, Anything Goes..."

Happy Hallowe'en and Merry Samhain y'all. Be sure to get into loads of trouble.

Happy Birthday, Ursula K. LeGuin!

Last week, my favorite Gorgeous Lady of Writing turned 80.

Her work is brilliant, and a chance purchase of "A Wizard of Earthsea" at a used book shop when I was in 4th grade had a major impact on wee Jeremy's early development, and still manages to influence and inspire me. Every few years or so I reread the Earthsea Cycle or Always Coming Home and I'm amazed that every single time the experience is fresh. The Earthsea Cycle in particular, though written for "middle readers," feels like it grows up along with me and that I can come back to it again and again, with my lived experience enriching each subsequent read.

There are very few writers that I can think of who are able to address issues of race, class, or gender with a smattering of cultural anthropology and Taoism thrown in to boot in such a subtle way, especially in a science fictional or fantastical framework. Besides, she is a woman of impeccable integrity and wit.

Seriously, words can't adequately express how fond I am of this lady. Now go and read The Left Hand of Darkness already!

"We Do Our Part" at Envoy Enterprises

I have work in a one-day show curated by my friend John that opens at Envoy on Thursday. There are some rad artists in the show and it should be a good time.

Here are the details:

"Please join us Thursday, October 22 at Envoy Enterprises for the
reception of "We Do Our Part"

"We Do Our Part" features eight young New York City based artists
working in a variety of mediums. The first in a multi-part exhibition
focusing on the cyclical nature of history and society, this portion
examines a collapsing of culture and forgotten histories. The title,
originally used as a slogan during FDR's National Recovery
Administration, indicts the artists and viewers as accomplices in
failure while also referencing the possibilities of rebuilding
communities.

Gallery hours are 12pm-8pm, Reception is from 6pm-8pm. DJ's
Jibberish & Clubmoss will be downstairs at Home Sweet Home with drink
specials till 9.

Afterparty at Lit Lounge, 11pm - 93 2nd Ave btw 5th and 6th streets."

NYC peeps, I hope to see you there!

Ed Arnaud

I've known Ed for a while now, from back when we used to fight crime together in Tucson. He knocked my socks off with his stories and amazing photographs from punk shows in the early 80's that I would have killed to have been at:

Black Flag:

Circle Jerks:

JFA:

You can see more of Ed's concert photos here: www.edarnaud.com

My War

"Bonfire" at Uppercase Gallery

I have a piece in a bonfire themed show at Uppercase Gallery in Calgary, Canada. It's a great show (well, the bits of it I've see online at any rate--Calgary is a bit too far for me to travel to right now) and the theme is close to my heart.

From the gallery press release:
"What makes a bonfire blaze bright in the night sky? Where does its power to captivate, mesmerize and unify come from? Towering flames, chants and folk songs, flying ash, crackling wood, secret pagan rituals and seasonal rites of passage, the pungent scent of burning embers and melting marshmallows; the secret allure of the bonfire is in its sensory experience. Across history and culture, bonfires have offered diverse communities a unique ceremonial experience of open air fire. This fall, UPPERCASE gallery celebrates the tradition, lore, and enigmatic beauty of bonfires in an exhibition of visual art."

The show is up until at least the end of October. If you happen to find yourself near Calgary, please stop by.
The gallery is located in the upper level of Art Central, on the corner of 7th Ave SW and Centre St in downtown Calgary.


My piece from the show is also being featured in Issue Three of Uppercase Journal. It's a beautiful magazine, and I'm very happy to have been included. You can find out more (including a preview of the entire issue) here: http://www.uppercasegallery.ca/

Into Infinite Obscurity

...as played on harp by a guy with a foot fetish. Genius.

Svartkonst "Folk/Low-Key"

I just received the second issue of Svartkonst from Sweden, themed around the idea of "folk/low-key." It features some great art, including new work by Brian Willmont, Logan Caldbeck, and Anne Guro Larsmon, and has some work by me in it as well. This is the first publication that my work has been featured in, and it couldn't have been a more positive experience. Many thanks to Robin Westrin.

You can see more here: http://www.svartkonst.net

Stella Natura

I just got back last Monday from the Stella Natura festival outside of Nevada City and I'm only now feeling like I've somewhat recovered.

I still haven't fully processed the experience--It was an incredible and intense weekend, made all the more surreal by the severe sleep deprivation due to travel and work in the week prior.

The setting itself was beautiful and bizarre--the grounds themselves seemed to be a Girls' Summer Camp, with a small creek and waterfalls in the woods around the site itself.

The whole thing felt like some sort of Hessian version of Summer camp, with hiking and swimming during the day, and winding horn, ritual drumming and blackened noise echoing through the woods by night.

The performances themselves ran the full spectrum, from Black Metal to Folk to Ritual Ambient and every point in between and were (for the most part) absolutely incredible.

Ruhr Hunter was the main reason I decided to attend--Stella Natura marked Ruhr Hunter's first performance in the 15 years it has existed, and it was beyond description.

Chet and I have corresponded a bit over the last couple of years, and it was a pleasure to finally meet he and Rachel in the flesh.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Chet was planning on Ruhr Hunter becoming nearly completely an acoustic project, and if this performance was any indication, I can hardly wait to hear what is to come. Much respect to their craft.

Fauna's performance is the one that people will remember the most, I'm sure. It was the usual Fauna ritual (or so I am told--I hadn't seen them prior to this), with the addition of members of CoRE suspended from the trees surrounding the amphitheater. It was incredibly intense (the one word that seemed to be on everyone's lips after) and the sound was amazing. To be honest, though, the whole flesh-hook/suspension thing was a bit of a distraction for me, giving a slightly theatrical edge to an otherwise deeply affecting performance.

Halo Manash from Finland were the biggest and most pleasant surprise, performing twice during the festival. As the first performers on Friday, they set the tone for the rest of the weekend. They were the final performance in the outdoor amphitheater on Saturday night, with an unhurried set that was the absolute highlight of the weekend. Strangely, there was a lot of synchronicity with this performance and the work that I've been making lately, and I feel like I came away from it understanding my own work better. For want of a better term, it was a magickal experience.

I took very, very few photographs during the performances. Out of respect to the intentional space the performers were building, flash photography was prohibited (funnily enough, I was blamed during Fauna's set for someone else's flash. oh well...), and mostly I just wanted to be present in the moment, not worrying about image-making.

To give a sense of the performance space itself, here are a handful of the photographs I did take:

Halo Manash:

Velnias:

Fauna:

It was fantastic getting to spend a weekend in the woods with old friends, meeting new ones, and connecting with friends previously known only via the internet. Many thanks to Adam and Joshua for organizing this festival (not to mention helping me sort out my travel issues in advance). Perhaps we'll all meet again next year...