Revelry

Washed Memoir Episode VI: A Séance

In this…the mid-season finale of Washed Memoir in Real Time…I present for your consideration—what might be the most epic feat in music, literature, dance, film, science, the digital arts, or any of their sub-genres—the first official video from Miter. As a special bonus for all of my paid subscribers, you will receive everything that everyone else gets. I apologize that you paid for this…but also, thank you. It would be cool if more people paid for a subscription, but really—why would you? Is there any compelling reason if I’m giving away the hits for free? What if a portion of the hits go behind a pay-wall and the lesser material goes out for free?

HITS ARE FOR CLOSERS. AMBIENT TRACKS ARE FOR FREE SUBSCRIBERS.

Just kidding. Here’s another Absolute Hit for the people from Miter:

Revelry 

It's on me, 
it's light.

I want to battle thee
incessantly. 
Dramatically. 

Don't try to settle me
with atrophy and archery. 

I want a REVELRY. 

I want to worship thee
financially,
with austerity. 

Come hear my elegy 
with scaffolding,
mysteriously,
I want a REVELRY.

This cold light is on you. 
It's on me. 

I want a REVELRY.

Art Corner

This song is about pining for the ghosts of rock and roll past. The theme of this piece may most eloquently fit within the tongue in cheek theme of this publication: Washed Memoir in Real Time. At 43 with 3 kids, the days of playing in groups, getting in the van—or having to occasionally schedule practice with people—may be behind me. At least these things become more difficult. One goal is to maintain an artistic practice as I age. Additionally, I don’t believe in age-restrictions related to how people want to participate in the arts. In fact, I believe that a healthy democracy includes a high percentage of citizens who are engaged with and participate in the arts and creativity. The more people that are empowered to do what they love and earn an income by doing what they love, the better.

More to the point of the song, “washed” can be short hand for “washed-up” or “getting older”. However, it can also mean a cleansing. I’m trying to write and compose as it relates to my current life but we seem to increase our attachment to nostalgia as we age. The diary of the present serves as data for the memoir of the future, but why not read the memoir as it happens? We may only be prepared to discuss the present from our current perspectives and perhaps history is myth.

The gritty, somewhat psychedelic sound in this song is influenced by bands such as Guided by Voices and Neutral Milk Hotel with some flashes of post-punk dance rock like The Rapture and Gang of Four. You know, what the kids call the “indie sleaze revival”. I’m actually not sure what “indie sleaze” refers to other than the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Strokes are popular again? I refuse to investigate. Isn’t sleaze always a part of the music industry and what exactly do we mean by sleaze? The term seems a little problematic. Does it mean drug-induced or sex-induced or both? Right, never mind, I’m backing away from the sleaze comparisons. Compare me to the nice boys of rock, like Paul (Stanley, not McCartney or Westerberg). I’m sure there is a long-form essay with academic citations to explain sleaze in pop culture…but is that really necessary?

Overall, the song and lyrics are about restlessness and an unwillingness to go quietly or assume a particular role. It is about rebellion of the teenage variety, the political variety and the toddler variety. There’s likely a connection between these various rebellious spirits that come and go at different times in our lives along a sadness when the spirit extinguishes. The song and lyrics are both short and poppy, so we don’t have to expand on the meaning of every line. TL;DR: it is about wanting a visceral life. “Revelry” fits with the themes of this Substack musical odyssey as it explores the common ground between opposing ideas. In this case, I would qualify the yin and yang of the song as excess and moderation.

Turning to nostalgia and memorabilia, the time I’m referring to is the mid-to-late 2000’s in Denver. These were glorious times. I’ll save the full recounting for a chapter in my official memoir but I’m thinking of late nights dancing at Lipgloss, playing live shows with Everything Absent or Distorted and Le Divorce and going through a series of challenges, typical of the late 20s/early 30s variety.

The video concept is simple: SHADOW DANCING. Plus some found footage from the internet archive looking at creative commons material featuring early animators.

The concept for the video came while mixing the song and seeing my shadow while moving to the beat. The camera shot is literally from the web camera that I use for work; and the space is the space where I sit for maybe 10 hours a day on weekdays. The shadow-dancing-self is a metaphor for the rebellious spirit that lies dormant most days, and for many of us, dies as we grow older.

Think of the video as a séance to resurrect the spirit of rock and roll past.

The painting in the background is by the brilliant and talented Robin Louise Schaefer.

Gear Corner

I wrote this song on an acoustic guitar, which was nice, because I haven’t written something on guitar in a minute. This recording features my trusty Gretsch Penguin parlor acoustic. I have a fantasy about one day playing an all acoustic version of the song in an arena with only my voice and a guitar while the audience belts along every word. Part of what keeps me going with this work are these types of fantasies—which I know are improbable—but they feel nice. I could start playing live, but for now, I prefer the arena fantasy to the reality of the club. I enjoyed creating this typical western pop song structure (verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus) and then subverting that structure through production choices. The intro and the vocals on the verses use a heavy, long, ping-pong stereo delay effect (native to Ableton Live). It confuses things a little, but that is what I’m trying to do—confuse you. The choruses have a straight forward repeating line that takes away the stereo effect and hopefully drives the message home. The acoustic guitar and vocals were recorded via a condenser microphone that I’ve had from the start: a Presonus M7. It’s kind of a piece of shit compared to what professional studios and many others use for a condenser microphone, but I think it really brings out the sleaze.

LABELABEL Shareholder Update

I’m sorry to report that the company is struggling. Not a single signing so far. Maybe I need to clarify my intentions. LABELABEL may seem like a scam, but it is more of a ploy. The ploy is an altruistic one to build solidarity through music creation. But, I understand if you are weary or put-off by the proposition. I still have faith in your abilities and I’ll do my best to save the company.

Your pal,

RS