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THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 110

Greetings, citizens. I trust you are hanging in there during these uncertain times. I know I am. By a thin thread. Some good stuff on the horizon but a lot of question marks still remaining. Just buy me a drink and ask me about my book project sometime.

Thanks for the notes and comments last week about the newsletter. It's been fun for me to dig into the contemporary film scene even on the small scale that I am. The land of independent filmmakers and distributors is, in no small way, much richer and diverse than the stuff playing at the multiplex down the street from me. I hope that you agree.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 109

I hope you all have been enjoying these newsletters and its shift to coverage new film releases. As I said a bit ago, my plan is to do other film pieces and longer essays, but that will be a little later down the line. Need to get some work in the rearview mirror first. That said, if you have suggestions of things you'd like me to cover or have questions, etc., reply to this email and let me know.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 108

Out of Exile (dir. Kyle Kauwika Harris)

With few exceptions, the people responsible for Out In Exile, the new crime drama that hits select theater and VOD servers today, work to the very edges of their abilities as actors and filmmakers. It's the kind of effort that never quite spills over into greatness but never collapses into disarray either. This movie bends but somehow doesn't break. 

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 107

Hello, friends. After a lengthy hiatus, this newsletter has returned. And as I mentioned at the end of last month, the focus of each edition is going to shift. With writing about music and musicians consuming much of my time, I'm switching tracks to concentrate on reviews of new / newly released films. I truly love writing about cinema and don't get it to do it nearly enough. Rather than bug the publications of the world for low paying work writing reviews, I'll do it on my own. I hope that you get something out of it each week.

My intention is to follow the lead of newsletters like The Reveal and balance out reviews with longer pieces, including a continuation of Deeper Into Movies, my occasional series of essays on musical artists who have made films. Previous installments have looked at the work of Madonna, Anthony Newley, and Frank Sinatra. Tip of the iceberg, really.

Hello, all. Remember me? I'm the one who had a newsletter. And still do, technically. I just haven't posted a new one in ages.

There's no one reason why I put a pause on this. Some of it is to do with me stepping up my sideline work as a re-seller of used records and music ephemera. Between stocking things at the two Portland stores where I have tables and doing live sales on Whatnot and other online efforts, it takes up a lot of time and energy. As does the upkeep and work I do around the house.

Mostly, I've felt the fire to express myself in writing diminish greatly. I'm not pitching as much and not doing a lot on my own. Even my efforts to get my book going have been paltry at best.

The reason I send this out today is that I'm starting to feel that something is stoking those fires again. Some urge that I knew would never really go away but I was sure it was going to stay at a dull simmer rather than a boil. But the heat has been cranked up and bubbles are forming on the surface of my mind. I have ideas again and a need to get them out. Full credit for that goes to folks like Greil Marcus and Michaelangelo Matos and the other folks whose newsletters I subscribe to. Reading their work has kept nudging up the internal temperature, as it were.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 106

After learning that I was going to close up shop on my radio show, a well-meaning friend texted me to ask, "Will you still be checking out new music...?"

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 104

Hello, and welcome back to the land of my newsletter. I trust that you are all well. Me... I'm running about 65% battery life this morning. We'll see if the day recharges or depletes me.

About halfway through the first of three performances that Chicago agitrock trio Shellac played here in Portland, bassist Bob Weston filled the time that his cohort Steve Albini needed to tune his guitar by doing what he always does: fielding questions from the audience. And, as ever, both questions and answers were equal parts sincere and goofy. "Can you recommend a band from the last couple of years that you like?" asked one skinny white male. "Well, I always say ELO is a good choice," replied Weston. "What does God look like?" asked another. Weston pointed to drummer Todd Trainer.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 105

Hey there. Remember me? I'm still here. It's just been a while since I've last done anything here but it's not without reason. Been a busy stretch with work stuff and record sales stuff and family stuff and, you know, stuff. I honestly thought I'd sent out a missive more recently than this, but... nope.

Anyway, a quick update on things over here. I'm going to be taking the next month off from the newslettering. I need to get some stuff rolling for The Big Project™ and some other family responsibilities and whatnot. So I need some time. But I'll be coming back strong in September, believe that. I hope you'll stick with me.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 104

Feels like I'm constantly running to catch up these days. A touch behind on work responsibilities. Never really able to keep up with what needs to be done around the house. I don't know how anyone is able to keep up with the busy schedules that we all seem to have nipping at our heels.

That is the primary reason why this newsletter is coming to you a bit late in the day. I had a review of Nathan Fielder's new series The Rehearsal (brilliant, btw) to get done. Records to price. Stuff to mail. People to look after. And still things are piled up and unfinished around the house and my life. Mercy me.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 103

Good day, friends. I come to you from my parents' kitchen where I'm spending a little time and dropping off the Jr. Exec. for an extended visit. I've slept on a horribly uncomfortable camp bed that may have permanently damaged my back and had a long dream where The Majority Report host Sam Seder tried to help me suss out whether I should quit writing or not. (He voted yes, the monster.) The coffee here is subpar. Their animals are loud and obnoxious. God bless America.

If you're reading this, you are a premium subscriber. As always, can't thank you enough for your support. And your support of the National Network of Abortion Funds where all of your subscription fees will be funneled to from now until at least the end of 2022 (or the legalization of abortion nationwide, but I ain't holding my breath on that.) If you have yet to fill out this Google survey to get yourself in the running to win one of the monthly prize packages of physical media that I put together for the premium folks, please do so. Success / satisfaction rate with these prize packages has been 100% so far.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 102

Up early in the morning. Don't ask why. Or do ask. It's fine either way. Been up early and in bed early for the last little while as I hit the Goodwill bins in search of resellable treasures. Today, though, I'm gearing up for a doctor's appointment and watching the first stage of the Tour de France. Have I ever sounded whiter? Probably.

Spent a quick couple of days in Los Angeles this week for a work trip that I can't talk about yet. Was able to spend some money at Amoeba Hollywood's new locale and catch a flick at the New Beverly Cinema. Not a bad jaunt at all.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 101

Sigh.

It sure feels like there are more bad days than good anymore. To the point that I wonder if this newsletter is worth the time and trouble when I could be expending my energy elsewhere. And wondering if anyone is even reading this when there's far more important shit to worry about. To be honest, I worry about all of the above all the time, but it feels far more acute now. I had such plans for this edition too, like a bunch of reviews and some other fun things. The wind has been taken right out of my sails.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 100

Switching up the schedule of publication in part because I had to (busy week last week) and to honor what is the 100th edition of the newsletter. It's been an erratic and enlightening, but fun ride putting this together week after week. I still strive to stay on top of it more than I have been, to get consistent in scheduling and content. But, you know, I'm human. And I'm not really getting paid to do this, a few premium subscriptions notwithstanding.

To honor the milestone, I'm bringing back an interview format that I have long loved doing, about which more below. And, I'll be choosing one of the regular subscribers to get a prize package of physical media chosen by me. This is something I do every month for the premium folks, but I'm going to expand it to all y'all as a thank you for reading and supporting this little endeavor. I'll reach out to the winner in a day or two and announce who it is in this Friday's newsletter. (If you'd like to be exempted from this, let me know.)

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL 099

Greeting, premium subscribers. I hope the day has treated you well. Been a fine one over here. Found some gems while thrifting today. Got confirmation of a quick work trip to L.A. toward the end of the month. Feeling pretty healthy and not so fatigued after our COVID month. Work is going fine. All seems okay right now. Here's hoping it stays that way for a stretch.

As you know, one benefit of being a paid subscriber is that you get the chance to win a prize package of physical media chosen by myself, sometimes with some crucial assists from artists and record labels that are friendly to me. They're pretty sweet gifts. Just ask any of the folks who have won them so far. All that is to say that it's time for choose a new recipient of a Voice of Energy gift pack. This month, the lucky so-and-so is Holly H. Oh mercy am I excited to get this stuff out to you, Holly. I hope you feel the same way when it arrives.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOLUME 098

How are you all doing? Things are pretty fucking awful out there in the world right now and I know I'm having my own issues grappling with it all. Are you coping okay? How are you managing to get by?

On this grey Friday afternoon, I'm sitting here at home while a nice young Irishman attempts to fix our thermostat. Myself and my family are finally through with our COVID infections and back to nearly 100%. Got to see the restoration of Bronco Bullfrog and David Cronenberg's latest back-to-back over the past two evenings. Both are highly recommended, though you'd do well to read some reviews of the latter before diving in. The opening sequence is unnerving to say the least. Work has slowed down for me, but that is very much on purpose. There are big projects on the horizon that need more of my attention. I did get a chance to take a swing at Pistol, the new Danny Boyle-helmed series about the Sex Pistols. I liked it far more than most of the reviewers I know. And I spoke with Dawn McCarthy of Faun Fables, a favorite artist of mine who is playing here in Portland tonight. I can't attend sadly.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 097

Greetings, friendly faces of the Internet. Hope you are being kept in good stead. We are at the tail end of the household COVID infection journey (first the Jr. Exec.; then me; then the missus) and trying our damnedest to stay mentally afloat during this shit storm of bad news spewing at us all. How are you getting through it all?

We have a few new paid subscribers, to whom I say, "Hello, and thank you for your support." If you have yet to do so, please fill out this little survey. One of the perks of being a premium subscriber is that I pick one of y'all every month to receive a prize package. I do my best to cater it your particular likes and interests. I think if you were to ask any of the recipients of said gifts, they'll tell you that they are pretty darn sweet. And, as I will keep mentioning, the money I receive for paid subscriptions will, until the end of 2022, all be going to the National Network of Abortion Funds, the nonprofit that helps women in need of abortion services. Their work is going to be more necessary than ever in the coming months.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 096

Sitting on my couch, wondering if I have COVID. That's what's going on right now. My son had it, and had it bad over last weekend and beyond. But all the rapid tests that my wife and I have taken have come back negative. Even though I feel like utter garbage right now. How's that work? All that is to say, I'm a little foggy right now so please excuse any typos or fuck ups in this week's newsletter. I'm also getting a proper PCR test tomorrow. I'll let you know how that goes.

As I've been mentioning regularly, I'd love to get some more premium subscribers in the mix. It's only a $5 a month commitment. You'll get extra newsletters. You'll be in the running for a monthly prize giveaway. And through 2022, I'll be donating all the money from your subscriptions to the National Network of Abortion Funds. Funny story about all this: Looking through the back end of the service who handles all these transactions to see exactly how much money would be donated every month and I found out that they haven't been transferring any money to my bank account for at least six months now. Good news is I sorted it out and better news is that NNAF will be getting a nice chunk of money here in a few days.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 095

Greetings, supporters and subscribers. Back again after a small hiatus. Missing last week was necessary as a way to clear off some work and deal with some stuff here at home so I could take a short vacation to the coast for my 47th birthday, which passed this past Friday. The trip was nicely rejuvenating, but when we got home yesterday, the madness returned. COVID caught up to our household. At the moment, only the Jr. Exec. is suffering the ill effects and the rapid tests myself and the missus took came back negative. We'll see if that's the case on Tuesday. I hope so as I'm on the hook to see Bauhaus that night.

My trip away also coincided with the first Megalith show, which, by all accounts, went very well. That me very excited for our next steps. At the moment, all I can announce is our next show, happening on July 21st at No Fun, a fantastic bar here in Portland. Details are here. There will be much more to talk about soon enough.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 094

Funny story: After a long week of doing some grunt work for a local record label (moving boxes around, counting inventory) and then spending my evenings working on writing work, I was feeling pretty ahead of the game and confident as, on Thursday night, I spent a few hours transcribing a roughly recorded interview with my guest today, Sussan Deyhim, and getting this week's newsletter together. Everything was all set. I was ready to schedule it and noticed that the time zone was wrong. The only way to fix it was to click on this link to go to my settings. I did so and then went back to my newsletter draft. But I hadn't saved my previous work. So 2/3 of my newsletter was gone, never to be retrieved. Upsetting? To say the least. And as it was late in the evening, I wasn't about to head back and start over. So I held off until this morning - Saturday the 7th - to head back to the drawing board. Did I turn autosave on? Reader, you know that I did.

As you already know, there is a premium subscription option for this newsletter. For $5 a month, you get an extra newsletter each week with some recommendations of stuff to read and watch and a free download or two. Once a month, I pick a lucky person to get a prize package of physical media, chosen by me and catered to the winner's particular tastes. With the attacks on women that are about to get even worse in the coming months, I've decided that from now until the end of this year, all the money I get from premium subscribers will be donated to National Network of Abortion Funds, a nonprofit that, as their website explains, "builds power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice." Their work is going to be more necessary than ever in the months and years to come. So if you have been considering becoming a premium subscriber, hopefully that's the incentive to finally do so.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 093

The day was going well. Rough at first but things had been on the upswing throughout the afternoon and evening. Then, heading into the homestretch, as I was set to head home after helping my son get his broken laptop looked at, my wife sent me this message about her night: "Busy but mostly shaken by the Supreme Court news." I didn't even need to look at the news to know exactly what she meant. Everything's been shit since then and I don't think it's going to get any better until I can take to the streets tomorrow. Because of that, I'm going to keep this as short and sweet as I can so I can get back to self-medicating and looking up the time and place of the nearest protest.

First, it's a little past time to announce the winner of our monthly prize package for premium subscribers. The lucky so-and-so this time around is Patrick B. I've got just the stuff for you, my friend. Thank you for your ongoing support.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 092

Someday things will slow down and I won't be so busy. Someday. But for now, it's been another hectic week of writing, meetings, and other assorted distractions. But as I'm dedicated to getting this out every week, I wanted to make sure this was in your inboxes today... even if it is a little later than I intended.

News from this desk is continued movement on the Megalith project, and some other big potential ventures that are very exciting even if it means having to shut the door on this newsletter for a while. I'll share what I can when I feel comfortable doing so. Just rest assured that it's all positive stuff.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 091

Coming at you a day later than intended, but with good reason. Had a busy weekend and a busy day yesterday. All good things. Got to finally see one of my favorite Portland bands Pond perform live. Saw the marvelous Everything Everywhere All At Once. Bought a metric ton of records from various sources (some for resale / some for keeps - if you want further details, just holler). And over the weekend made quick headway on a potentially BIG project that I promise to tell you about when the time is right.

But I haven't forgotten about you. I'm still here. And I give to you the usual good stuff. Some film suggestions. Some stuff to read. A fun download. Enjoy.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 090

Greetings, friends. I come to you from my living room couch, delirious with exhaustion and with a weird flare up of tinnitus that has me fighting back fears of a brain tumor. As for the tired, you can blame the assignment to cover the opening night of Deftones' North American tour that had me working until 1 am and then back up at 6 am to finish the review. And you can blame the busy, slightly frenetic week that I've had. Which is also the reason why there's no reviews in this week's newsletter, as I had not any time to really dig into new music or new visual stuff.

A spot of news: my friend Andrew Neerman and I are starting up a little venture here in Portland called Megalith. You may know Andrew from his time running the record shop Beacon Sound and his current time running the label of the same name that has released amazing work by Dolphin Midwives, Lau Nau, and others. For a while since the pandemic brought the final iteration of his store to a close, we had been talking about finding a space where we could join forces and host small events. Concerts, film screenings, reading groups, etc. We are still in the process of finding that physical location to do such things, but while we do, we're going to setting up some shows around town, starting on May 13 (my birthday), with the release event for the Sontag Shogun / Lau Nau collaboration Valo Siroutuu to be held at Turn Turn Turn. Got some other stuff cooking as well, but that's our first step forward. I'll have more information on that show soon, but I wanted to plant that in your brains in hopes of getting some of you to attend.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 089

Good Monday to you, my premium crew. I'm currently watching a rare April snowfall go down while listening to Twin Mirror, the wonderful album by Texas artist CC Sorensen. It's been a fun and busy time since I spoke to you last. Went against all my well-intentioned resolutions and bought a ton of books at a library sale in Eugene as well as a stack of records from a few different sources recently. Some of the vinyl I'm keeping; others I'm selling. (If you want a list of the stuff I'm parting with, let me know.) Saw a pair of fine shows that I'll be talking about in some detail over at Oregon Arts Watch soon. And I had to deal with IG follower getting het up about me playfully making fun of the boneheaded lyrics Anthony Kiedis wrote for the new RHCP album. Ain't life grand?

Have some more recommendations for you this week that I think you will enjoy, as well as a free download of radio mix by one of the preeminent electronic artists of the last 30 years. Dive on in.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 088

Good afternoon / evening to you, my lovely subscribers. I hope this finds you well. I'm currently feeling a little itchy and overwhelmed with the pile of overdue work I have to get through and an inbox that never seems to stay quiet.

But, as one of my favorite Basehead songs reminds me, consider the positives, man, consider the positives. My week has included seeing an incredible set by Superchunk, spending 20 minutes on the phone with Lyrics Born, and finding an autographed copy of Bobby Hart's memoir at a library book sale. Kentaji Brown Jackson was confirmed. And it's the start of another baseball season. As long as I stay away from the other headlines in the world, things feel pretty okay. There's other stuff I want to share but am holding off on until it is confirmed.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 087

Said no to work for the first time in a long time. It's something I'm trying to get better at doing. I'm really good at taking on too much out of this impulsive feeling that if I stop working for a second, I cease to exist. And I'm very good at procrastinating. Which means my deadlines wind up stacking up on top of one another and I wind up freaking out. Getting too old for that shit. Plus with a fairly big project on the horizon, I need to be cautious with my time and energy. Hopefully will have more news about that soon.

Some recommendations and some free music below. I hope you make good use of them.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 086

Happy Friday to you all. Coming to you from my couch, with a purring cat by my side and Urgh! A Music War playing on the TV (right now it's my least favorite segment - the Surf Punks performance at the Whiskey).

If you follow me on Instagram, you're already heard this, so apologies for repeating this. But what minor name I made for myself as a writer here in Portland came via a blog I ran called Experimental Portland that covered, well, the experimental music community in Portland. One aspect of that site that readers appreciated most was a calendar of interesting experimental / new music performances happening in the area. I was reminded of how helpful that was when I posted a shot from the Fennesz performance at Holocene earlier this week and received multiple comments from folks who were unaware that the show was even happening. In tandem with my frustration at the lack of music coverage happening here, I decided to resurrect that concert calendar in the form of a Google doc. Bookmark that, use it, and let me know if there's shows I should include on it. I might expand it to include some editorial content, but that's for the future when I have more time and energy.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 085

Hello, my wonderful premium subscribing crew. I hope you are doing well on this fine Monday. I'm listening to a neighbor dog whining and whimpering nearby and wondering if I should intervene.

As it is the end of the calendar month, it is time to award one of you wonderful people with a prize package of music, etc., chosen by yours truly, as a thank you for your support of this humble endeavor. Can I get a drum roll made up entirely of the sound of an a-list movie star slapping a comedian for telling a joke on stage at the Oscars?

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 084

Happy Friday to you all. Gearing up to be a beautiful day outside here in Portland. Hope the same is true where you are at.

Let's talk briefly about getting older. It's happening to all of us. My 47th birthday is coming up fast, and I can feel the midlife crisis coming in and out of focus in my brain. It's not a fun feeling to be panicked about the latter half of my life, but what has kept me feeling positive about it is the bunch of shows I went to recently. It has been an interesting run of concerts by artists who are older than I am — some by just a few years, others by a wide margin. But watching Jon King of Gang of Four shudder around the stage at Revolution Hall or Russell Mael dance his little jig and continue to hit the high notes at the Crystal Ballroom or Jawbox's J Robbins throw the full force of his body into each second of their set at the Showbox or Terry Chambers remain nimble and powerful behind a drum kit at the Triple Door reminded me that there's a way to get old that doesn't involve slowing down and spinning one's wheels. I'm wholly inspired to keep creating and keep searching for fresh inspiration around every bend in the road. Do I sound schmaltzy? Then I sound schmaltzy.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 083

Been a weird few days since you last heard from me. Mostly good! Had a nice weekend in Seattle where I covered the kick off of Jawbreaker's U.S. tour for SPIN, and then got to watch an original member of XTC play two hours' worth of XTC songs. Did some record shopping. Saw The Trip in 16mm. But as I was on my way home, I get an email from my buddy Joshua letting me know that Blake Schwarzenbach, the frontman for Jawbreaker, read my SPIN review, hated it, and took some time during their first show in Portland to gripe about it. I'm grateful he didn't call me out by name. What a weird thing for a guy in his mid-50s to get bent out of shape about. I thought I gave a pretty reasonable, balanced take on the gig. Read it and tell me if you feel different.

This also led me to a question I put to you: what band would you like to see reunite for a gig / tour? Think of bands that could actually get back together — all the members are still alive, etc. I say: Siouxsie and the Banshees. My brother suggested Spacemen 3. You?

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 082

Greetings and salutations, my people. I'm in your inboxes once more with a fresh edition of the newsletter. Today, I'm coming to you from an adorable ADU in Seattle where I'm posted up for the weekend to see a couple of concerts. One for work; the other just for me. I don't recall if any of you live here in this fine city, but if you do, hit me up and maybe we can get coffee or hit some record shops while I'm here.

Particularly excited to share this edition with you as it features an interview with one of my favorite sound artists Retribution Body. As I've gotten older and grumpier, my interest in new music has become this stubborn pursuit for sounds that challenge me or completely upend any and all expectations. I don't mind hearing an artist's influences in their work so long as they are deconstructing them or refashioning them in surprising ways. Retribution Body's work does all that and wraps me up in a tight sonic bear hug that I want to linger in for hours.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 081

Greetings, premium crew. Hope you are feeling well on this Monday afternoon. Me... I'm okay. On the one hand, my anxiety has been kicking into high gear of late. On the other, I got to see Sparks last night and this morning found a Japanese 45 promoting a film called King Drummer. Take the good, take the band, cat's in the cradle, silver spoon, the moon... all that.

You'll find some recommendations and some new music to download below. Feel free to share this with friends and family. Anyone you think might be on board with getting regular missives from me.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 080

Broke my streak last week when I didn't publish a new edition of the newsletter. As I said on Twitter, work had painted me into a corner and there were some other issues happening here at the house that needed my attention. Plus I had to make sure Bob Odenkirk pointed at my brother at least once. Important stuff.

Now that I'm back, it's time to once again harangue you about becoming a premium subscriber. It only costs you $5 a month but the benefits... oh the benefits make that amount worth it and then some. In addition to getting some fine recommendations of films / TV to watch and articles to read, I offer up a free download of some interesting music each week. A bit ago it was a collection of experimental music from China. And more recently it was live recordings of Hüsker Dü, Iggy Pop (w/ Bowie on keys), and Patti Smith. This coming Monday: Talking Heads, live in Chicago 1978. If that weren't enough, I also give away free stuff to one lucky subscriber each month — a package of goodness catered to their tastes and interests. What does that look like? Check this. Ain't that worth at least the cost of a large fancy coffee drink every month? I should say so. Click here if you want to get it on the fun.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 079

Greetings, premium subscribers. You're looking lovely today. I'm once again at the kitchen table in my Cannibal Corpse t-shirt and glad I'm not driving around in the rain. It's brutal out there.

You hopefully saw an email come through from the newsletter's other address (ofenergythevoice - at - gmail) asking you to fill out a Google Form as I've reached enough premium subscribers to institute my plan to send free physical media out to one of you lucky folks every month. I'm still waiting on responses from some of you, so please check your spam folder to make sure you got the message. If not, hit me back here and I'll share a link to the form with you.

With that, I'd like to congratulate Missi H for winning the drawing this month! I have some sweet stuff to send your way which I will do this week.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 078

Greetings, all. I hope you are doing as well as you can be today. I'm sitting at my kitchen table right now with both the current geopolitical situation in Asia and Europe weighing heavily on my mind while also being heartened by listening to Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson accept the nomination to be on the Supreme Court. Feels frivolous to be writing anything about the arts in the midst of all this, but hopefully this will provide you some small measure of relief in the chaos of modern life. (Also didn't plan on how prescient my choice of subject matter would be when I decided to write about the one film Frank Sinatra directed during his life.)

Before we get started... a small rant. I'm not sure how it is where you live, but for us Portlanders, news coverage of the local arts scene — and more specifically the music scene — has been dismal over the last few years. Our paper of record The Oregonian gave up on it years ago, with an editor there balking at the idea of reviewing concerts because, as he said, "why would I want to read about an event I didn't go to." As the pandemic ripped through the newsrooms of our two alt-weeklies, the situation grew even worse. The Mercury touches on bits here and there, but not nearly as deeply and widely as they once did. Willamette Week's coverage has been reduced to a weekly column from a writer in San Francisco about records you should listen to. Vortex has been reduced to an aggregation of live concert photos.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 077

This past Saturday night, as a group of protestors in my hometown were set to march in solidarity with Amir Locke, a young Black man who was murdered by Minneapolis police earlier this month, someone opened fire on the Portland activists, killing one and injuring five others. An online fundraiser has been set up to defray the medical and funeral expenses for these brave citizens. If you are able, please consider giving.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 076

Greetings, friends. Looking outside at a beautiful Friday and looking forward to a three-day weekend. How are you holding up?

Been another mother of a week with stressful deadlines and procrastination clashing in my brain, and my desire to do about 10 different things at once pulling me in various directions. I came out of it all okay, though, and some work got done. I previewed the PDX Jazz Festival, which kicked off last night, via an interview with Nicholas Salas-Harris, the festival's booker, and a feature on The Cookers, a supergroup of old school musicians that includes Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, and Eddie Henderson.

THE VOICE OF ENERGY VOL. 075

Greetings, my premium subscribing lovelies. Still recovering from a bit of a weird weekend. The good news is that I got a sweet tape recorder I found during my thrift store hunting working finally and it is sitting on my desk right now playing Bitchin Bajas' Switched On Ra cassette as I type this. I also got my home office organized, which has provided a marvelous boost to my mental health.

As ever, I have some suggestions below of some media to spend your dwindling free time with. I got a nice comment from one of you wonderful subscribers about how much they appreciate the downloads. I think they're going to be quite pleased with the selection I've chosen for you this week. Read on, friends, read on.

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Good day to you, dear subscribers. I hope you are doing well. I'm sitting in my home office looking at lovely winter weather through my window and listening to a home recorded cassette I found today of "Song's + Memories of Yester Years" recorded by Ron Blackburn Sr. in 1991 using harmonica, Yamaha organ, Omnichord, and accordion. It is a chintzy little treasure.

Today you'll find my attempt to grease the wheels of this concert ticket giveaway I've been speaking of these past two weeks by way of an interview with two of the members of Old Time Relijun. If you and a friend would like to see the band play a rare show in Portland on February 17 at Holocene, let me know! I have two tickets to giveaway and I'd love to give them away to one of you. Read the interview first. I loved every moment of our winding and fearless and funny conversation.

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Good Monday to you, lovely premium subscribers. You're looking well. I'm writing this near the end of an unexpectedly busy weekend. But a positive one all around. Some good stuff on the horizon, friends. I hope I can tell you about them soon.

Below you'll find some another batch of suggestions of stuff to read and watch and a little download that will hopefully scratch an itch for the punk fans among you.

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Sure feels like a Friday.

Apologies for not getting this out yesterday. The week was beset with challenges and rescheduled interviews and hard deadlines and slight dips in my mental strength. To be able to get everything done while still meeting my determination to get a newsletter out every week, I had to push this one day.

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Hello once again, friends. I hope this finds you well today. I'm still reeling a bit that the first month of the year is just about over, and the news that the leader of Black Country, New Road decided to leave the group thus canceling their upcoming U.S. tour. Reading his statement on the matter, it's clear that his mental health was at stake, so overshadowing my disappointment is my relief at knowing he took the right step to take care of himself rather than letting the pressure of living up to the hype and noise surrounding his group. I hope he finds his center and decides to make more music in the future. And I'm curious to hear what the rest of the group gets up to without him.

Once again I come to you with some suggestions of visual entertainment to stream, articles to read, and a bit of music to listen to in the form of a download.

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Allow me the indulgence of adding to the chorus of folks praising Neil Young for walking the walk as his music was removed from Spotify in protest to its continued decision to prop up misinformation font Joe Rogan. In one open letter, Young forced Spotify to show its hands and offer up the proof of how little they actually care about the artists who the purport to love and support. If you love music and the people that make it and can still swallow having a Spotify account knowing a) how little they pay musicians per stream, b) that Daniel Ek has invested some of his mega-earnings in the business of making machinery to kill people, and c) that the company is fine with putting people's lives at risk through Rogan's anti-science bullshit... you may be subscribing to the wrong newsletter.

As promised, I'm kicking off a new regular feature here where I look at the movies made by people best known as musical artists. It's long been a fascination of mine as it feels like the kind of side hustle that only a person who has performed in front of millions of people around the world would think to take on. If you can hold an arena full of fans in the palm of your hands, why not try to do the same with a film crew? The movies these musicians make are, with some exceptions, multi-million dollar boondoggles — ego strokes that fizzle out at the box office and leave a blotch on their permanent records.

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Hello, premium subscribers. Coming to you, once again, from my neighborhood tire store as I wait for the car to get serviced. The smell of vulcanized rubber is giving me a headache but at least they're showing the Australian Open on the TV rather than political programming or Rachael Ray.

Plodding along as usual with nothing terribly exciting to report. Have finished two books on the way to my 40 for 2022 goal. The latest was Phil Freeman's Ugly Beauty, which I will be reviewing for this newsletter on Friday. Spoiler alert: it ain't good. DJed last night and decided, for once and for all, that I'm going to stop doing that work unless it's a gig I can't say no to for money reasons or because I'm spinning in between artists at a great show. My general experience of playing records at bars is: no one gives a shit. Unless they're your friends, the barflys couldn't care less about what's on the PA. And the money ain't great. Is this what maturity looks like?

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Good day to you, dear subscribers. Another grey wet winter's day here in Portland. The Voice of Energy is here, slopping through the muck once again.

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The COVID scare lockdown we undertook this week after the kid was exposed has been lifted. Meaning I can get out into the world again. Do I want to though? Kind of. Will I be able to do anything considering all the shows I had tickets to/plans on seeing that have been cancelled over the past week? Doubtful. Am I concerned? Every moment of every day.

The last live event I was able to attend was Tool's tour kickoff in Eugene, OR, which I covered for Heavy Consequence. It was my first time seeing the band since I caught them performing to complete indifference here in Portland as opening act for Rollins Band back in 1992. As you'd expect, and as I hint at in the piece, people were far more cavalier about wearing masks than I would have liked. My reference to it being a potential superspreader event was edited out of my review.

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Greetings, friends. I come to you on day three of our self-imposed COVID lockdown. The kid was exposed to someone who had contracted the virus at school last week. Rather than take any chances, no matter how mostly fine we're all feeling, we quarantined ourselves for a few days. It's not as though I have anything I'm missing necessarily. All the concerts I've wanted to go to have been postponed or cancelled due to the omicron spread. Besides there's a new season of All Creatures Great and Small to catch up with.

Just as I was putting this edition of the newsletter together, I learned of the death of Madlaina Peer, a legend of the Swiss punk scene and one-third of the fantastic combo ONETWOTHREE, which released its debut album last year. I am honored that she was willing to answer some questions about the development of this project and her musical history for this newsletter. Click here if you'd like to revisit that conversation. She will be missed.

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Gonna keep this short and sweet this week as it's already late as I write this and exhaustion is setting in. Gonna have a busy start to the week as well. I wanted to make sure and get this done for you, my lovelies. Then I can go to bed.

Once again, this edition is only going out to paid subscribers and, once again, I'm giving you a little something extra. As you'll see in the To Hear entry, there's a download link. That will get you the full audio of the compilation I wrote about. That will be happening on the regular. Free up some hard drive space for this and future freebies. This is music you'll want to hold on to. Trust me.

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Hello once again, my lovely subscribers. Welcome to the first edition of The Voice of Energy for 2022.

I say "first," but those of you lucky paid subscribers already received a missive from me earlier this week with some free music in it and more words from me. If you don't want to miss out on future exclusives, etc., sign up for premium subscription. It ain't much money and it helps pay for my Pocky habit.

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Hello and happy new year to my lovely group of paid subscribers. Thank you for your ongoing support of my work as we slide into 2022. Below you'll find some recommendations of visual and recorded art, and some fine journalistic work, to enjoy. And the first paid subscriber exclusive! (By the way, if I have yet to get you a code to the music that Patricia Wolf offered up as an incentive for your paid subscription, let me know. I fell behind on that.)

Been thinking a lot about silence lately. In part because I'm starting to see a small wave of cancellations in the local concert calendar and worried what that means for the rest of the year. But also thinking about how powerful it is when used in film and TV, two forms of media that seem to demand a constant stream of sound whether that's ambient noise or incidental music or dialogue. When everything drops out, it's so disorienting and often beautiful. That happens occasionally through the running time of one of my film suggestions below, The Inheritance, but I notice it every time I rewatch A Charlie Brown Christmas. There's a three second (or so) moment of pure silence right after Linus gives his soliloquy on the birth of Christ ("Lights, please") and right before he drops the devastating line, "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." No matter your stand on the reason for the season, there's no denying how much that silence adds to the impact of the moment. Or consider one of the most powerful moments at the end of series two of The Office when Tim finally lays his heart on the line to Dawn but decides to turn off the lapel mic he's been wearing for the documentary film crew. Again, it trebles the power of that final blow when he turns the microphone back on: "She said no, by the way." As obnoxious as I continue to find Ricky Gervais these days, some small part of me will always love him for that choice.