Hi yall,
I’m back here it is: Newsletter #3. I finished the second book of Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea series, The Tombs of Atuan, rapt in headphones under a blazing winter sunset. I loved the first one but the second was a truly exquisite gift, a well told story of transitions and changes in my favorite kind of metaphors; wizards, sorcery, St. Elmo’s fire, dark magic, caves, and a journey across a wild crashing ocean. I am in a transitional phase of my own, summoning my personal St. Elmo’s fire as I feel along the walls for the cave entrance.
We have been taking an extended break from Little Mazarn music dept. since our last shows and recording session in early December. It’s somewhat intentional, somewhat due to the slowness of the season. I am excited to have some gigs coming up though.
As if you were not tired of hearing it, I am still trying to figure out how to Be without social media because I haven’t deleted it from my life just yet. Only my phone and my eyes. But I am still creating posts and loading them into a scheduler so my presence rolls on without my Presence if that makes sense. I am thinking it’s weird and potentially against the reasons that I chose to quit but it’s my current approach? One of my neighbors makes gigantic signs about the latest conspiracies he is into and puts them on the front of his house. People are getting their ideas out there without it. Can I?
Meanwhile, I screenprinted some new merch for a winter tour that never came to be. I loved our 2022 Little Mazarn sweatshirts with the Sky Horse design by Eva Claycomb. I tried to order more sweatshirts last year and found that they have tripled in price (!) so I have been collecting them at thrift stores. Slow going, because I’m picky- they gotta be soft and the good kind of thrashed.
It’s been about a year of searching and I finally have enough to print my own little batch. 2024 is the year of getting down with the Slowness so it seemed fitting to draw a snail for the design. My friends burned me a screen at the print shop (even though it is possible to burn screens diy at home, I’m glad to skip that step, thanks Dan and Robert)
Y’all get first dibs on the sweatshirts this time, LOOKIE HERE :))))))
Songs have been coming to me in my dreams more than ever before. I have been trying to document them, I just kind of sing them into my phone half awake. I often don’t remember doing it. I think it’s from doing more intuitive practices lately, trying to meditate, improvise, free write, etc. It’s a bounteous harvest of the subconscious. I also think, as I deepen the practice of writing, that it is absolutely human to dream and think in song and it feels like a reconnection to something old that has been within me but maybe I’m perpetually in the forgetting and remembering.
A couple of dream songs (cringe so good), this is a real window into my mind:
One of my dream songs made it into the studio last December. It is called The Gate. Felt Out helped us bring it to life. I wrote it in a state of half sleep/half awakeness by dictating the words into my notes app.
You can keep up with my doings here including:
-February 6 (tonight!) and February 15th our first 2 shows of the year will both be at Ballroom in Austin with
+ Alexalone and Large Brush Collection + Skateland-SXSW I convinced my record label friends Dear Life Records to come to crew up this year! Be on the lookout for (official!) hijinks with them as well as another Lyrics as Poetry gathering and a diy show at our print shop with some say Leland and more legendary acts. I’m can’t wait to take Frank and Michael to Barton Springs and stuff them with tacos, love them so!
-March 27 my ambient music project Precious Gems releases our first album at Hotel Vegas with Heavy Meddo
-April 4th we open at a very special show at the 04 Center in Austin with the legendary Laura Gibson. This is going to be a big night at an unfamiliar place but I am hoping it will be just right. I saw Iris Dement there last year and it was basically one of the best nights of my life.
-April 19-27 we hit the road with Lou Turner. We will be back in the southeast, more on that later but check our website for details and to start planning your route to come see us OBVIOUSLY ;)
Sincerely,
Lindsey
Wait…what? Your ambient music project Precious Gems? How did I not know about this? Listening now. ❤️
And, I really like the 04 Center. I bought a ticket to that show the second I saw it on the calendar. Yay!