Tag: music

  • Notes From AVL Fest 2024

    Notes From AVL Fest 2024

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    • What This Could Be – September 27

      It was the week of crushing rains. Something like 8 inches has fallen over the last 24 hours with more on the way. The trash guys still picked up this week, only to leave the bins with the lid open. By the time I retrieved the can it was half full of water – probably…

    • Other Ways of Doing Business

      As of this writing, in September 2024, I feel as though I join the ranks of the burnt out. I hit this weird spot where I was running a business, but I didn’t really create much. I might be shooting myself in the foot, but I’m not sure I want my sole creations of the…

    • Creative Environments

      “What we can do is construct an environment that nurtures trusting and respectful relationships and unleashes everyone’s creativity. If we get that right, the result is a vibrant community where talented people are loyal to one another and their collective work, everyone feels that they are part of something extraordinary, and their passion and accomplishments…

    Since we attended in 2023, we had option to buy early tickets for $50 for the weekend – worth buying no matter what the case. I don’t recall much about the 2023 lineup other than it bounced between soaking rains and insufferable heat.

  • The Explosion and a Persistent Challenge of Discovery and Appreciation.

    The Explosion and a Persistent Challenge of Discovery and Appreciation.

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    • What This Could Be – September 27

      It was the week of crushing rains. Something like 8 inches has fallen over the last 24 hours with more on the way. The trash guys still picked up this week, only to leave the bins with the lid open. By the time I retrieved the can it was half full of water – probably…

    • Other Ways of Doing Business

      As of this writing, in September 2024, I feel as though I join the ranks of the burnt out. I hit this weird spot where I was running a business, but I didn’t really create much. I might be shooting myself in the foot, but I’m not sure I want my sole creations of the…

    • Creative Environments

      “What we can do is construct an environment that nurtures trusting and respectful relationships and unleashes everyone’s creativity. If we get that right, the result is a vibrant community where talented people are loyal to one another and their collective work, everyone feels that they are part of something extraordinary, and their passion and accomplishments…

    Artists tend to not stop making things, even if the thing you remember them making isn’t around anymore.


  • Murder by Death with J. Roddy Walston

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    • What This Could Be – September 27

      It was the week of crushing rains. Something like 8 inches has fallen over the last 24 hours with more on the way. The trash guys still picked up this week, only to leave the bins with the lid open. By the time I retrieved the can it was half full of water – probably…

    • Other Ways of Doing Business

      As of this writing, in September 2024, I feel as though I join the ranks of the burnt out. I hit this weird spot where I was running a business, but I didn’t really create much. I might be shooting myself in the foot, but I’m not sure I want my sole creations of the…

    • Creative Environments

      “What we can do is construct an environment that nurtures trusting and respectful relationships and unleashes everyone’s creativity. If we get that right, the result is a vibrant community where talented people are loyal to one another and their collective work, everyone feels that they are part of something extraordinary, and their passion and accomplishments…

    Thoughts and such from the June 7th, 2024 show at The Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC. What does it take for a musician to make a decent living in this always-streaming, algorithm sucking, Ticketmaster-gutting world we live in? For one, they ask for money. “I don’t have any merch,” Walston says. He’s on stage, alone,…


  • The West Was Always Queer

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    • What This Could Be – September 27

      It was the week of crushing rains. Something like 8 inches has fallen over the last 24 hours with more on the way. The trash guys still picked up this week, only to leave the bins with the lid open. By the time I retrieved the can it was half full of water – probably…

    • Other Ways of Doing Business

      As of this writing, in September 2024, I feel as though I join the ranks of the burnt out. I hit this weird spot where I was running a business, but I didn’t really create much. I might be shooting myself in the foot, but I’m not sure I want my sole creations of the…

    • Creative Environments

      “What we can do is construct an environment that nurtures trusting and respectful relationships and unleashes everyone’s creativity. If we get that right, the result is a vibrant community where talented people are loyal to one another and their collective work, everyone feels that they are part of something extraordinary, and their passion and accomplishments…

    I’ll be straight with you, it was a lively scene. For those of you who may not yet know, Orville Peck is a bit of a hero in the LGBTQ community. He plays country western music, takes the stage in leather pants, an undershirt, and his trademark mask under a cowboy hat. The rest of…


  • You Should Own Everything on your #SpotifyWrapped

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    • What This Could Be – September 27

      It was the week of crushing rains. Something like 8 inches has fallen over the last 24 hours with more on the way. The trash guys still picked up this week, only to leave the bins with the lid open. By the time I retrieved the can it was half full of water – probably…

    • Other Ways of Doing Business

      As of this writing, in September 2024, I feel as though I join the ranks of the burnt out. I hit this weird spot where I was running a business, but I didn’t really create much. I might be shooting myself in the foot, but I’m not sure I want my sole creations of the…

    • Creative Environments

      “What we can do is construct an environment that nurtures trusting and respectful relationships and unleashes everyone’s creativity. If we get that right, the result is a vibrant community where talented people are loyal to one another and their collective work, everyone feels that they are part of something extraordinary, and their passion and accomplishments…

    $30K paid for the physical recording. But that’s not counting the years of writing that went into it. Every song you hear is someone’s effort, it is someone’s art. When you buy an album, you’re buying a work of art.


  • From Mistakes to Style #1

    • Phases of Disaster

      I’ve seen this graphic all over the damn place. The general ideal is “behavioral health of communities during disasters.” The graph was adopted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – a federal organization – and published in by the Washington State Department of Health in April 2020. You know, those early pandemic…

    • Creativity In An Age of Crisis

      Theory: tragedy inspires the greatest art. E.g. Picasso’s Guernica Hurricane Helene has brought all kinds of trouble to the region – not just Asheville, but the counties and states surrounding it. Since the hurricane hit a week ago and the devastation continues to unfold, I’ve found it nearly impossible to create anything. It got me…

    • Notes on Disasters.

      Even when it’s not right outside your window, it consumes all of your mental bandwidth. The hurricane, the aftermath, the entire region that is suffering. This is the kind of thing that sets people back ten or twenty years. You hear the stories, but now you know. This feels different, more sinister. In grade school…

    • After The Storm

      I’m collecting links for the print-on-demand stores for artists around Asheville/ Buncombe County/ Western North Carolina to share and promote. The goal is to support the local artists who were so heavily impacted without burdening them with order fulfillment. When I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll wander around the Marquee in the River Arts district. It is a…

    • What This Could Be – September 27

      It was the week of crushing rains. Something like 8 inches has fallen over the last 24 hours with more on the way. The trash guys still picked up this week, only to leave the bins with the lid open. By the time I retrieved the can it was half full of water – probably…

    • Other Ways of Doing Business

      As of this writing, in September 2024, I feel as though I join the ranks of the burnt out. I hit this weird spot where I was running a business, but I didn’t really create much. I might be shooting myself in the foot, but I’m not sure I want my sole creations of the…

    • Creative Environments

      “What we can do is construct an environment that nurtures trusting and respectful relationships and unleashes everyone’s creativity. If we get that right, the result is a vibrant community where talented people are loyal to one another and their collective work, everyone feels that they are part of something extraordinary, and their passion and accomplishments…

    “A mistake repeated more than once is a decision.” Pablo Coelho “Once is a mistake. Twice is an idea. Three times is style.” Miles Davis At least, I think it was Miles who said that. Maybe it was someone else, maybe it was no one else, at the very least I hope it wasn’t someone…