The Stranger, Seattle's Only Newspaper: Line Out: Right Now

If You're Around Pike and 10th-ish

Emily Nokes — Sat, 04 May 2013 22:02:22 -0700

Go find this neat Eastern European-flavored street band! They're delightful. And an off-shoot of the Anti-Fascist Marching Band. So I've been told.

This band takes requests!

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Seattle Rock Lotto at the Crocodile!

Emily Nokes — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 14:02:06 -0800

My bandmate, the very excellent drummer Lelah Maupin, is participating in the Seattle Rock Lottery tonight! (Megan already posted the gist of this awesome idea, here.) Way to go Lelah!

Lelah Maupin
"These are my bandmate's names. I drew them out of a straw cowboy hat."

Lelah's currently in a practice space in SoDo with her new bandmates for the day: Scott Johnson, Chris Brokaw, Jon Wooster, and Derek Fudesco. They met up for the first time at 10am this morning and will be performing as a band tonight at the Crocodile! I called her during a break. She's very hungover.

So, do you have a band name yet?
Not yet. We were talking about Walmart for a name. I'm pushing for Walmart. There was also talk of Shitty Phone Recording. Shitty Phone Recording, the band. We all bonded about how you have to record shitty phone recordings of songs during practice sometimes.
How are the songs going?
Good. The first thing I had to do was 3/4. Slow serious waltz beat. I'm so bad at slow waltz beat. But the first song sounds good, I'm comfortable in my waltz now. We have a section of the song we can't stop calling "mind fuck" and "second mind fuck."
How many songs do you have to do tonight?
We have to play three to five songs. I think we're all underachievers leaning on three. There's a limit of one cover. We might not do a cover. Wait, "Call me Maybe." Maybe.
Whose practice space are you at?
John's. It's right across from the giant Starbucks building. With the looming lady.
Who plays what?
Scott is playing guitar and maybe some keys. Derek is playing bass. John is playing bass. Chris is playing guitar and melodica. There are two melodicas here actually, we got two melodicas somehow.
And two bass players. Nice.
I keep thinking it's a battle of the bands, and I'm like, are we gonna win? But it's a benefit. Now we're just competing with each other.
Anything else you want to say?
So far it's really fun! And funny! Let me put you on speaker phone.
[All I can hear is wooing. And I think someone says, "It's gonna be crazyyyyy!!!" Then more wooing and some instrument plunking.]
Okay! Have a great show!

Go see Walmart / Shitty Phone Recording (or whatever they decide on) tonight, along with four other single-serving bands! Crocodile, 10pm, $10-15, 21+

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One Direction Stick-On Nails in the Walgreens Bargain Aisle

Emily Nokes — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:26:57 -0800

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Run, don't walk to your Stone Way Walgreens for the deal of a lifetime.

Anna Minard
Last chance.

Hot tip courtesy Anna Minard.

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DJ/Happy Hour featuring THEESatisfaction

Emily Nokes — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:18:14 -0800

Want something cool to do in the next half hour? 'Course you do.

Head over to Moe Bar and catch wicked DJ sets by Lacey Swain (Sub Pop), Ruben Mendez (Hardly Art), and THEESatisfaction (WOO!!!). Ruben will kick things off at 6:45, and there is a rumor of "free stuff" being there as well.

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Record Store Relevance on KUOW Right NOW

Mike Nipper — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:30:28 -0800

Tune in to 94.9FM to hear The Conversation if you give a shit about record stores. It's streaming online HERE! Also they want folks with opinions and stories to call in/email... tell 'em whatcha think!

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An Interview With Health Problems

Brittnie Fuller — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 12:20:19 -0800

In this week's Underage column, I say you should go see new Seattle band Health Problems right now. I sat down with them recently at their incredibly hangoutable chillzone/practice space at Crybaby Studios and asked them a few questions as they passed around a mason jar larger than my head full of coffee.

You're not from around here, are you?
Ian Kurtis Crist (howls): None of us are from the Northwest. I guess I'm from the North Northwest. I'm from Alaska, so. And he's from...
Dan Shaw (bass): I'm from Massachusetts, and I moved out here two years ago for graduate school.
David Dempsey (drums): Me too, I moved out here exactly two years ago.
Dan: But I didn't know you guys... Ian does a solo project called Bat, and I had seen one of his performances in a basement at a house show in the U-District. His performance was pretty nuts and I just thought 'I need to start a band with this guy.'
Ian: We used to have a different drummer, Zach. [Health Problems] started when Zach and Dan were jamming and then I showed up, it was super nonchalant. They had a recording of what our song "Homophobic Father" is now. It was just bass and drums, but it was like, "you're here, you wanna add anything to this?"

How did your name happen?
Ian: Here, let me show you. [hands me an empty bottle of Old Rasputin] This is beer. Look at the last two words on that label [Surgeon General's Warning]. This band started very drunk. Dan is very clearheaded and has no issues with substance and things, but Zach and I struggle with alcohol, and we were incredibly drunk at that period of our lives, and the music sounded drunk.
Dan: At one of our first practices, we said "this band sounds like beer." We were sitting around practice drinking beer and kinda looked at the label and were like "this is everywhere!" It's a good name, you can interpret it all kinds of ways. There's personal health problems, societal heath problems...
Ian: Everyone has health problems. Everyone can relate to it.

So you met in Seattle?
Dan: Yeah this was in March this past year, so we've only known each other since then.
Ian: I moved here a little over two years ago, when I was seventeen. I was in a couple bands around here... [Which bands were you in?] The biggest one really was this project called Get Mean. It was more of a "friend thing", not like a serious project that I wanted to carry out. And then Bat, but I came up with that in Olympia, because I lived there for three months before I moved here.

How do you like Olympia?
Ian: I fucking love it. I didn't move here by choice, I ran out of money and couldn't find a job. It's really hard to find a job there...
Dan: I feel like there's a lot of Olympia respect or worship going on in this band. I'm the only one who hasn't lived there.

What have you released? Just a split with Pores?
Ian: Yeah, that's the only release right now. That was the last thing that we did with the old line-up... [Dan] left while it was being mixed and Zach left shortly after that... and that was the end of Zach.
Dan: I had my wedding midsummer and Zach was one of the groomsmen at my wedding, and I flew out there and flew back but he hopped freight trains across the country, and it took him a long time to get back here. Months. That's why we had to make a decision of how we were gonna move on. We wanna be a full-time band, dependably doing this.

When did this new line-up form?
David: In September.
Ian: Zach was gone and is gone a lot around the country, so it became a variable. So we kinda had the intention of well, when he's not here, at least David will know the shit. He showed up when we came up with the name.

Let's talk about your influences.
Dan: I always say Lungfish is my favorite band. And then Fugazi is always a favorite of mine. And then yeah Joy Division... And since we started the band, Ian has shown me a lot of bands that could potentially influence us, and I've gotten really excited about Pissed Jeans, No Trend, Flipper...
Ian: Essentially it would be the 80's. I like hardcore punk and stuff that came around in the 80's, but specifically anti-hardcore, just the sarcastic, noisy, fucked-up drunk music, but I also fucking love corny ass 80's like Duran Duran and Genesis and shit like that, and then I really like gothic rock and death rock out of the 80's like Christian Death and Bauhaus. And then a little 90's you know, sprinkled over the top.
David: I listen to a lot of drum and bass and breakcore, and that's completely electronic. It's weird, but that's a huge influence.

How do you feel about David Yow?
Ian: I love the Jesus Lizard. That's one of my favorite bands. That dude is badass, too. He is like 40 or 50 now and is still taking his shirt off...
Dan: I have a friend who when asked what Health Problems sounds like, he just says "Jesus Lizard". That's an oversimplification, that's not really true, but if I don't feel like having a long conversation...
Ian: I hear that the most of what we sound like.
Dan: We do wanna record with Steve Albini someday.

Are you planning on recording soon?
Ian: The idea is hopefully this month. Right now we have a lot of material, and so we've been planning on just going in and recording all of it, and then out of that will probably come an album and a few singles. I would hope that we would potentially have something come 2013 in January or February. I would like to do a full-length.

You've talked about your music being sarcastic. Where does that come from?
Ian: A lot within what I would consider the attitude of the music, like in our song "Androgeny". It's this really driving, macho, testosterone-fueled, crazy powerful punk song but the whole meaning behind it is questioning your gender and questioning your sexuality. So it's kinda like where all the dudes would come out and mosh, and then the lyrics are like "Man or woman/ What do you see in me/ Androgeny". I like when I write lyrics or write anything to kinda be sarcastic and slap myself in the face with what I'm saying to just kind of make a joke out of myself.
Dan: I think we're forced to live in a lot of complete absurdity. There's a lot in life, that it's just important to highlight the absurdity of...
Ian: There's a definite lyrical vibe of talking about the mundane with everyday, and the systematic ideal of family life and life of like 9-5 job and your 25 year mortgage plan and mom and dad's 3 or 4 bedroom suburban home and going to work. Just mundane bullshit. It's almost mocking that but speaking about it from a first-person perspective. One of these songs that we don't play much anymore is just like "We oughta get married and squeeze out a coupla kids/ Love our lives and careers just like our parents did." Just kind of a sarcastic take on that every day life you're supposed to live. Like go to college, get a degree, get a job, get married, have children, retire, and do nothing with your life.
Dan: I think that attitude is important when performing. Since we have this sarcastic front, this kinda weird attitude, if shit gets fucked up at a show, it's sorta like we're safe to fail.
Ian: I think we feel best after shows when people are awkwarded out, rather than... yeah, if people are into it and stuff, that's cool, but when we hear about people feeling really awkward or super weird, it's fulfilling. We want to make people feel uncomfortable.

If you were an animal, which one would you be and how would you live your animal life?
Dan: I would be a combination of a monkey and an octopus. An octopus has rudimentary problem-solving abilities, but then it dwells at the bottom of the ocean with eight arms. If it had the opposable thumbs of a monkey and the ability to scream and traverse the trees, it would be terrifying, everyone would respect it.
Ian: You would be an utmost respected animal.
Dan: I would spend my life just gliding through the trees shrieking at other creatures, then die of old age happily.
Ian: I would be a moose and I would spend my time grazing and thinking and shedding my antlers and spending time with my moose family. I grew up with moose in Alaska a lot, they were in my front yard, they were on the highway, everywhere. Everyone is like "moose are fucking stupid, they graze like cows and do nothing." But to me, witnessing a moose is kind of like a wise fool who thinks a lot, who just slowly goes through life smelling all the roses and experiencing things and I think slowly being happy by going through life and enjoying each bit of grass and bark that it munches on and losing its antlers and spending time with its family. A moose mother is insane— you can't go around the moose cubs— because it's so protective, so there's this whole other side of the moose. It's a very calm, reclusive individual, it's very happy and nice, but you fuck with the cubs and that shit comes out. It gets real and it will stomp the shit out of you. I would probably live my life being thoughtful and then I would probably die of old age, and doing not very many things, probably overthinking.
David: A platypus/mountain goat hybrid. A platypus because you have the best of both worlds— you can swim on water and go on land at the same time. You look fucking insane— you have these poisoned barbs at the end of your heels. And mountain goats for kind of the same reason [nods to Ian] except I would live in the deep bogs. I would just lurk. Almost like, do you ever look at deep sea beasts? They don't look like they belong at all. They look like aliens.

Ian, how many Flipper patches do you own?
Four. [laughs] I really like Flipper.

Health Problems playing the second half of "Boy Problems" & "Homophobic Father" at Chop Suey 12/05:

Health Problems play tonight at the Josephine with Freak Heat Waves (BC), Thousand Statues and Slashed Tires. Go see them right now.

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CAT ON A LEASH!

Emily Nokes — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 12:35:59 -0800

Roo and Felix and a gallon of water. And a banana.

Shut it down. Hold the phone. I walked past Vita and spotted Felix the cat, calmly sitting in his owner Roo's lap BEING SWEET AS CAN BE ON A LEASH! He looked right at me, meowed, and CONTINUED TO BE SO SWEET. I don't think he cares one bit about being on a leash. A PINK LEASH.

I have so much to do right now, but now my whole day has been blasted by ultimate cuteness. I will only think about Felix. Sorry everyone, the music section of the Stranger will not be running next week, only a giant picture of this cat.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

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Sub Pop Donates $25,000 to Washington United for Marriage

Emily Nokes — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:36:36 -0700

Kerri Harrop
So very great!

Local label Sub Pop donated $25,000 to Washington United for Marriage today. That is so fucking cool.

It's getting down to the wire, friends. Hopefully by now you've received your ballot and filled in the APPROVE bubble for R-74 (and, you know, avoided voting for Jesus). BUT THERE'S MORE YOU CAN DO TO HELP! Washington United for Marriage has a match in place until midnight tonight, which DOUBLES all donations. If you can donate, you should.

While we're on the subject, Music for Marriage Equality project manager, Kerri Harrop, just received an anonymous donation of $7,500 from a local musician and his wife on her fundraiser page. The majority of donations to MME have been made by Seattle DJs, band members, and bar owners—way to go music community! Click here to donate—there is a $20,000 goal in place, and it's currently just $2,000 shy.

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Boe Oddisey at Do-Over

Trent Moorman — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 18:08:58 -0700

T. Moorman

This is Boe Oddisey of The Boe Oddisey Scarf Dance and Art Company. Boe was basking and doling to the J Rocc, Dam-Funk, Nosaj Thing, and Supreme La Rock of the Decibel Do-Over in the sun at the Broadway Performance Hall Plaza. Boe came to Seattle from Bremerton in 1971. He says, “Celebrate and seize the day.” Boe gives out hugs, and art, and is available for private parties. I love Boe. He’s a beautiful addition to our city. He says, “All fan mail welcomed at PMB B40, 1463 E. Republican St, Seattle, WA, 98102. Exotic and/or all age scarf dancing, comedy, abstract, acrylic painting, massage for you. Clean, sober, tobacco free, vegan option on life. Just do it. The time is now. We are here.”

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Hot Hot Friday Night Line Out Giveaway!

Anna Minard — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:09:44 -0700

This is the inaugural edition of the "Fuck, It's Late, We're Bored, Everybody Left in the Office Donate One Thing to This Pile" Line Out trivia contest! This goes out to you, people who work late on Fridays (we're sorry!) and people who read Line Out on the weekend (that's dedication!).

Trivia Question: What song did Negative Approach's John Brannon sing at karaoke in New Orleans last June?

One lucky winner will receive:

KELLY O
FREE! FREE! FREE! Enter now!

· A signed* copy of Wilson Phillips's newest album, Dedicated!
· One Caffé Vita gift card with "like, a dollar" on it!
· One WINNING Lucky Kelly O™ Scratch ticket (value: $1)!
· A McDonald's Monopoly sticker thing for a FREE medium fries!
· A coupon for a free 7-Eleven brand bag of chips!

Leave your answer and/or dumb jokes in the comments! Winner will be chosen at random and notified in the comments, and can pick up the prize package at our offices. IT'S FRIDAY! HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND! GOOD NIGHT!

*by "Dave Coulier"

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Portland-ing? MusicfestNW is Happening!

Emily Nokes — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 17:47:47 -0700

If you find yourself in Portland this weekend, or are there now, head over to Musicfest NW! Great bands! Tax free!

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Mountainss Invade the Capitol Hill Block Party (In Their Underpants!)

Megan Seling — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 21:35:31 -0700

Just minutes ago Seattle band Mountainss rolled up outside one of the Block Party exits on 11th Ave and confused/shocked/entertained/enthralled onlookers with their maze of experimental/nutso/math rock. A small circle of people grew into dozens, then maybe hundreds? Or at least a hundred. Bubbles were blown, beach balls were thrown, and jaws were dropped.

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A Crazy Motherfucker Named Ice Cube

David Schmader — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:37:27 -0700

Born on this day in 1969.

UPDATE: A crucial recent entry into the Ice Cube canon, to which I was alerted by commenter Cosby.

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Line Out Will Return at 11 am

Grant Brissey — Wed, 30 May 2012 08:59:52 -0700

In the meantime, you could go check out the brand new music section, which contains Charles Mudede's 10 Worst Songs About Africa and Africans, or maybe Dave Segal's 10 Best Songs to Go With Being Stoned, or all of our Sasquatch coverage from last weekend.

Also Today/Tonight in Music: Benefit for a New PA at Cairo, with the Numbs, Naomi Punk, The Mellennials, Half Gift & Stephanie

Grant Brissey — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:09:20 -0700

The Numbs is Seattle resident Jeff Johnson, formerly one half of the defunct "junk-funk" duo U, who's got a tape forthcoming on Couple Skate Records. Johnson will open tomorrow's thing, which is a benefit to get the venue a new PA, and will also feature Naomi Punk (who have a punishingly gorgeous record out on Couple Skate as well), The Mellennials,* Half Gift, and Stephanie. This is a BBQ thing, so I don't really know when it starts, but today is the last day it's supposed to be sunny for a while, and if you tell me you don't need som jams and BBQ before the shit weather comes again, I KNOW YOU'RE FUCKING LYING.

* Could not be located on internet.

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Stream Deadkill's New 7" Now Before It's Released on May 22; See Deadkill at Barboza Tomorrow Night

Grant Brissey — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:17:13 -0700

Deadkill, Grenades, Battle Stations, Strap Straps

(Barboza) Deadkill are the latest to offer a recording on Nik Christofferson's Good to Die label. (Wait five minutes and the man will surely have snatched up yet another promising hard/heavy outfit from this city or, do I venture to guess, Portland?) Deadkill feature Absolute Monarchs drummer Mike Stubz on guitar, and they specialize in finding one or two jagged riffs per song and then suturing them into your brain. Add to that some brawny drums and Bryan Krieger running around in his underwear and screaming a bunch of shit, and you've got yourself one giant beer blast of a record-release show. GRANT BRISSEY

The seven-inch is out May 22, available on Good to Die Records and in finer Seattle record stores, and, I imagine, tomorrow night at Barboza.

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Line Out Will Return at 11 am

Grant Brissey — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:11:07 -0700

In the meantime, you should go check out this stuff, cause we worked really hard on it and we think it's pretty good.

Midnight Haiku

Sarah Galvin — Sun, 06 May 2012 02:16:16 -0700

I learned from a web site how to make a disposable razor from common household items. If I made my own razor, I would shave every hair off my body. When I do something, I do it until everyone is bald. In an age when everyone instantly knows how to do everything, do you want me to do what everyone does? Do you want it done fast, or do you want it done until you’re completely hairless?

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Midnight Haiku

Sarah Galvin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:14:00 -0700

This is the perfect album to make out to until the slaughterhouse noises, the balloons squeaking, and the William Shatner monologue. Because this is the only album anyone owns, passion is always bittersweet.

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Additional Radiohead Tickets Released

Grant Brissey — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:08:56 -0700

Get 'em here while they last.

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THEESatisfaction's awE naturalE Drops Today

Grant Brissey — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:43:57 -0700

UPDATE: Stream the whole album here while you read.

Read nine writers on it here.

Extended Vacation

Erin Resso — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:06:24 -0700

Vancouver, BC producer Laberge could not have chosen a better day to release Extended Vacation, an 8 track "mini-album" that is as mood enhancing as this sudden dose of Vitamin D that Seattle is collectively high on right now.

Extended Vacation Mini-Album by laberge

Let's all bob our heads at our desks and count down to the weekend together, shall we?

Extended Vacation can be purchased at Laberge's Bandcamp.

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Don't Talk to the Cops! Talk About the Cops With Steve Scher on KUOW

Grant Brissey — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:24:26 -0800

My Philosophy columnist, Don't Talk to the Cops! hype man, and general hell raiser Larry Mizell and Seattle singer Choklate Moore are about to talk about issues in the SPD while Steve Scher bumbles over his words and alternates that with asking follow-up questions that were already answered with the first answer. Tune in right over here to hear the magic.

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Barry Adamson Guests on KEXP Right Now!

Dave Segal — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:12:29 -0800

DJ El Toro (Stranger freelancer Kurt B. Reighley) is hosting Barry Adamson on KEXP right now. Tune in at 90.3 FM or at kexp.org and hear our Kurt interview the phenomenal bassist/composer who's played with Magazine and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, among others. Adamson will also be playing songs off his new album, I Will Set You Free.

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Midnight Haiku

Sarah Galvin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:45:10 -0800

Am I the way I'm supposed to be, lying on top of you naked, eating a barbecue sandwich?

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Is Roots Reggae Still Viable in 2012?

Grant Brissey — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:18:03 -0800

Join in the debate here.

Is Your Venue/Bar Gonna Wuss Out and Close Tonight or Stay Open and Party?

Grant Brissey — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:28:49 -0800

We've received a few event cancellations here at the Stranger bunker (weak), but if you read snow right, it actually means "Party!" Lots of people don't have to go to work today, and many won't have to go tomorrow. Still more are phoning it in from home, and eventually everyone's going to crave some actual human interaction that doesn't require an internet connection. That's where you come in, providers of social lubricants like booze and music. For one, you can join the inebriates of the Stranger editorial department for gin "tasting" at Liberty tonight. Chime in if you're not going to be a wuss and forge on with the good times tonight, or if you know your favorite joint will be open.

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Second Jeff Mangum Show Added for Tuesday, April 17

Grant Brissey — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:00:34 -0800

As predicted, this just in: Just a heads up, we are about to send out a release announcing a 2nd Jeff Mangum date at The Moore, on Tues, 4/17. Tickets will go on sale to the public today at 12pm...so in 2 minutes! :)

Get 'em here.

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Eleven:Eleven 11/11/11

Trent Moorman — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:11:11 -0800

Eyes connect to the brain by nerves. Brain to heart by veins
Sounds to ears by feet on stairs. Smells to nose through memory
Ions. Old wood. Candles just out

Your breath breathes centuries

A match in the dream is struck. The movement stirs up dust on a sill
The particles float and spread

One particle of dust is different, and ventures the four corners of the room
Its float has a movement all its own

It’s 1889, inside the room of a mental asylum in Saint-Remy, France. A painter
Named Vincent paints, it's what he does. Untitled stars in the night
He hallucinates. It's the glycoside taken for his epilepsy mixing
With the absinthium he drinks. The particle of dust lands in a fresh wet yellow
Star on his canvas. That's what it does. The yellow hardens
And the particle of dust becomes encased in the paint

One hundred twenty one years later, a woman named Eleven is standing
In front of the painting at a gallery in New York. Elements have withered
The paint down over time and the particle of dust becomes free
From the canvas it’s been trapped in

From the painting, the dust floats again

It goes out into the new air until it lands in a fold of Eleven’s sweater
Eleven is also is a painter, who’s never had a piece shown in public. Inspired
From the gallery, she goes home and paints. Then eats salmon.
It’s what she does. As she’s eating, the particle of dust floats out
From her sweater, lands on her fish, and is consumed

Eleven hallucinates, then goes back to her canvas, and paints an X-ray
Of her chest that was taken because a scalpel had been left there
When she had open-heart surgery. She calls the painting The Knife in My Heart
Amber in hue, with the silhouette of the scalpel melding into the shape of a shark

The Knife in My Heart goes on to hang in that same gallery in New York
Next to the Van Gogh, along with a collection she paints of other people’s
Forgotten, sewn in, X-rayed surgery tools melding into the shape of things:
Tweezers into a dragonfly’s wing, a bone-chisel into an M16 assault rifle
Forceps into a willow tree. The knife in her heart brings Eleven immeasurable
Wealth and happiness, that’s what it does

From one canvas-night-century breath to the next
Dust floats and non-jagged lines intertwine
Coloring in the creatures of occurrence such as this

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SBTRKT Plays Live on KEXP @ 3 PM

Dave Segal — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:53:19 -0700

London-based, post-dubstep soul man SBTRKT performs live on KEXP at 3 pm on Kevin Cole's Afternoon Show. Tune in here or at 90.3 FM on the radio dial. Later tonight, SBTRKT does another set at Neptune Theatre. Rumors abound that Shabazz Palaces might make a cameo appearance.

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