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I just unfriended a handful of accounts that have been idle a long time, and/or don't comment on my LJ basically ever. If you're one of those people and you're still active, reading, and interested, please let me know. |
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Some of you know I am a huge Baroness fan. I was lucky enough to write and publish a piece on their music, in the context of southern geography, history and culture, and in the context of a new musical movement in the South: In recent years, as the country has been divided into “red states” and “blue states”, this part of the nation has only gotten redder. The alienation of southern Democrats gave rise to a parallel movement: the Christian right, driven by the spreading of evangelical megachurches, particularly by Southern Baptists. Its quarterbacks include Viginia’s Pat Robertson and Georgia’s Newt Gingrich. Even some of the South’s music rebels have grown conservative; Skynyrd is slated to play this year’s GOP convention. Link to full article: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/tools/f |
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I've been listening to some new music this week, mainly John Fruscinate's The Empyrean and Locrian's The Clearing & The Final Epoch. John Frusciante is probably best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers (1988 to to 1993 and 1999 to 2009). I didn't get into the Chili Peppers until the late 1980s, so for me John was "my" RCHP guitarist -- not Hillel Slovak -- in the same way Jason Newsted was "my" Metallica bassist, not Cliff Burton. (RIP). John has done solo work for a long time, but I love how out-there and psychedelic The Empyrean -- released in 2009 -- is. This is one of its songs, "Unreachable," which builds from a slow, sleepy groove to something massively fuzzy and otherworldly and gorgeous: Locrian's music is psychedelic, too -- sort of. It's very bleak, atmospheric, unsettling stuff. Years ago I tried to like Coil because friends of mine did, but I could never get a toehold in it. Locrian's avant-garde-ness is much more approachable. I love the whole new album, coming out later this summer, for how beautiful, meticulous, and engrossing it is. It's like the soundtrack to a survival-horror film. Check them out in this song, "Chalk Point," and watch the slow pans through what is apparently an abandoned shopping mall: |
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I have poems in two new books, out recently: Impact: An Anthology of Short Memoirs Cradle Songs: An Anthology of Poems on Motherhood I also -- no kidding -- published a calendar of poetry written from penis spam. And, I don't think I mentioned this here, but I recently published a longform article on Middle-Eastern/North-African metal musicians being arrested and persecuted for alleged "Satanism." The piece was in PopMatters. I have another piece coming up in PopMatters this month. I've been writing a bit for Invisible Oranges, the SF Weekly, and Poynter, all very different gigs, all very satisfying. |
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In December, I mentioned I've been reading lots of books on the Kindle app on my Droid. That hasn't slackened, so I thought I'd share what I've read since my last update: "A Storm of Swords," George RR Martin "A Feast for Crows," GRRM "A Dance with Dragons," GRRM "Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions," Guy Kawasaki (I only got about halfway through it) "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," Mark Haddon "Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women" (essays) "Oryx and Crake," Margaret Atwood "The Year of the Flood," Margaret Atwood "The Fault in Our Stars," John Green "Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son," Anne Lamott and Sam Lamott "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail," Cheryl Strayed "The Snow Child," Eowyn Ivey "Bossypants," Tina Fey "Falling Uphill," Wendy Nelson Tokunaga "What They Do in the Dark," Amanda Coe "Kepler's Dream," Juliet Bell "I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression," Erma Bombeck "The Leftovers," Tom Perrotta (reading this and oddly not getting into it that much) If you'd like my thoughts on any of these, please comment! |
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There's been so much great music lately. I thought I'd share great heaps of it with you all at once, because who doesn't like to be deluged and overwhelmed, right? First there's Pallbearer. Their debut album, Sorrow & Extinction, is a gorgeous slab of prettified doom metal. Think Black Sabbath dragged into the mysterious woods of the American South. Here's the opening track: Then there's the trancelike Horseback, whose new album, Half Blood, came out in May. I interviewed Jenks Miller about the album for Invisible Oranges; the album is a real Campbellian trip. Stream the whole thing on Bandcamp: http://horseback.bandcamp.com/ Or check out the opening track, "Mithras": I just started listening to Wymond Miles, who's the partner of a mama friend of mine. His music is in a folk-psychedelic vein, very relaxing and beautiful but a bit ominous. Here he is on Bandcamp: http://wymond.bandcamp.com/album/ea And here's "Hidden Things Are Asking You To Find Them" on YouTube: I have been a longtime fan of Andrew Douglas Rothbard, a reclusive San Francisco musician, for many years. His first album was more folk-psychedelic. His newest, Frequensequer, which came out last summer, is much more electronic: guitars, vocals and other sounds are processed through the computer to create layered, complex compositions and rhythms. Very creative. I love it. Alas, his new stuff isn't on YouTube, but you can stream the whole album on Bandcamp: http://music.andrewdouglasrothbard.com/ (I especially like the songs "Ntaq" and "Ubergang"). Last but not least, Baroness have a new album on the way, and their new single debuted yesterday. It's a fun, heavy, aggressive slab of metal/indie-rock. Very singable. Enjoy: Let me know what you liked & didn't like! |
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For a long time, I resisted Alcest. I heard they were a black metal band, and I don't like black metal. But last weekend, something about them -- maybe I'd heard their name just one too many times -- made me curious. So I wandered over to Youtube, and this was the first song that came up. Turns out they used to be black metal; now they're this gorgeous, atmospheric, otherworldly stuff with some metal mixed in. To say I fell in love would be an understatement. You know that horrible feeling you get when you're really into a band and you find out they played a live show in a town near you a week or so ago? That's happened to me so many times, and it's always a huge bummer. Not this time; while poking around for information about Alcest this week, I discovered that they were playing in San Francisco on Saturday night. Tonight. An early show, ending at 8pm, which was perfect because I'd already done one late night this week (Havok/Krisiun/Death Angel/Sepultura on Wednesday). I could go and still be back in time for Laurel's bedtime. So I went. They played a small club, the Elbo Room. The opening bands were semi-forgettable. But I was able to stand right up at the front of the stage and watch Alcest perform a 70-minute set. It was gorgeous.
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I made these for Laurel's preschool today and they were a big hit. Ingredients: 2 T ground flax seeds, mixed with 6 T boiling water 1 1/3 cups (187 grams) gluten-free flour (I used King Arthur's multi-purpose blend) 1 1/3 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/3 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup organic sugar 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed 1 1/3 cups grated carrot scant 1/2 cup raisins scant 1/2 cup walnuts, broken into smaller pieces 2/3 cup vegetable oil 1 1/3 teaspoons vanilla 2/3 cup applesauce Directions: Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper liners. Boil water. Put 2 T ground flax seeds in a bowl, and mix with 6 T boiling water. Let stand for a few minutes. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, then add in both sugars. Shred or grate the carrots, then add them, along with the raisins and walnuts to the flour mixture; toss well to combine. Add in the flax goop, oil, vanilla, and applesauce. Stir JUST until combined well. Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin tins filling almost three-quarters full. Bake for about 30-45 minutes, or until muffins are firm and beginning to form a crust on top, and a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean. Cool completely. Makes 12. |
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 (Adapted from a few recipes, plus the marshmallows were my own touch.) Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used Kinnikinnick's) 1/2 stick + 1T unsalted butter 6-7 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese at room temperature ½ cup sweetened condensed milk ½ cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¼ cup cornstarch 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 pint light sour cream 12 or so regular-size marshmallows Directions: Grind the graham crackers in a food processor until they're even-sized crumbs. Melt the butter and mix it into the crumbs. Pour the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and press into the bottom to form an even layer. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 300F. Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt, either in the microwave or a double-boiler. Set aside. Using an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream cheese, condensed milk, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, and vanilla until smooth. Do not overbeat. Blend in melted chocolate and sour cream. Pour the batter over the graham-cracker layer. Bake for one hour. Let cake cool for 2-3 hours, then cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Just before serving, toast the marshmallows over a stove flame and arrange in a ring around the edge of the cake (or set them on the cake and toast them with a small kitchen blowtorch). Feeds 12. |
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 (adapted from a recipe from "Luscious Chocolate Desserts" by Lori Longbotham) Ingredients: 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder 1/2 cup boiling water 350 grams flour (I used King Arthur's gluten-free multi-purpose blend) 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 t salt 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature 1 3/4 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup applesauce 1 1/3 cups whole-milk yogurt (I used Strauss) Directions: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F. Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans (2 inches tall). Whisk together the cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large, deep bowl until well blended; the mixture will be dry. Add in the applesauce. Reduce speed to low and beat in the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt, until blended. Add the cocoa mixture and blend well. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans and turn out when cool.* Serves 8-10. Cupcakes: Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Makes 28-30. * I've never made a full cake with this in gluten-free form, just small cakes and cupcakes. I suspect a large cake might need some xanthan gum or flax seed to help it hold together better. I'd try 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or a tablespoon of flax seed. The cupcakes and small cakes were fine without it, but might have risen more "rounded" with some added. |
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