When Characters Get ANGRY!

One of the trickiest things to deal with sometimes is the strong emotions of a character. It's easy to get their words out in these situations, but harder to relay their actions. The problem is that writing is a controlled medium, and having to express uncontrolled rage can be difficult within the confines of language. 

I'm dealing with a lot of this in the manuscript I'm currently working on. Tensions run high in the story and I find myself consistently tangled in the frustrations of my characters. And though I do have ways of showing these feelings that I've developed over the years, I try my best not to revert to old habits that simply say things that I've already said. 

The art of anger is subtle, despite the action being very primal.

The Walking Dead

With the return of The Walking Dead, television has gotten a lot better over the past month. We are now four episodes into the world after the fall of the gang's potential prison paradise and the shocking half-season conclusion. I have to admit, I was a little miffed by the first episode last month which followed Rick and Carl as they left the ruins of the prison. Though I enjoyed the depth and care their changing relationship was given, I couldn't help thinking it didn't need to be an entire episode. Then we were given episodes which followed other characters, and the scope of this new chapter began to take shape for me. 

While the last two half-seasons have been focused on advancing the bigger plot leading to a major climax, we're now building again on something new. And though the larger storyline hasn't been advanced much in these last four episodes, there have been hints of something important to come. In the meantime, we've been getting wonderful episodes showing how the characters have grown and changed. We see Carl becoming stubborn and independent, Rick adjusting to failure, and we've seen Michonne's venerable side. Most recently we got to see the most in depth portrait of Daryl yet to be seen, something that was sorely needed after being a badly neglected character in the first half of this season. 

The show's ability to explore many different ways of storytelling has always been one the aspects that make it one of the best shows on television. It's a show that is not afraid to take chances, and because of that, avoids the formulaic dullness that plagues so much of the airwaves. Once again, I can't wait to see what happens next.

Weekend Music Roundup

This week I was a bit all over the place in my musical taste. There were a couple of new releases that I felt compelled to check out, as well as some bootlegs that caught my eye. The range of styles spans the spectrum, leaving the Roundup with no definitive feel this time around. One thing I did notice was as the seasons are beginning to change, I'm moving more and more into spring music, which includes more sunshine within its soundscapes. Perhaps my favorite album of the week is the one that comes from a parallel universe. Not only is the music fantastic, but the story attached to it has occupied a good portion of my imagination over the past several days. Enjoy.

Guided by Voices - Motivational Jumpsuit: After taking a long hiatus in the middle of the last decade, the kings of lo-fi have been busier than ever lately. Released this past month, this is their fourth album in the past two years. Unlike the previous ones, this album took a listen or two to grow on me. At first it seemed a little flat, but it just took a minute for the garage chaos to sink in. As with most of their albums this is a collection of very short songs that flow into each other to create a singular trip. Perhaps not as good as some of their more recent work, but still quite worthwhile.  "Child Activist," "Jupiter Spin," and "Zero Elasticity" are the songs that really stand out to me. 

The Myrrors - Burning Circles in the Sky: This 2008 debut from Phoenix based psychedelic rock band came recommended to me by my cousin, and rightfully so. It's fantastically ethereal, harkening back to '60s post-Barrett era Pink Floyd, but also contemporary psych rock bands such as Dead Meadow. The compositions ramble into sonic soundscapes, especially on the stellar 16 minute closer "Mother of All Living." This is that perfect album to help make the transition from winter to spring music and I've been loving it. 

Lana Del Rey - Young Like Me: The other week, this bootleg showed up online featuring mostly unreleased acoustic songs. It's unclear when these date from, but there is an obvious demo feel to them, with the exception of the great upbeat "C-Note 1.0," "Heavy Hitter," and a version of "Diet Mountain Dew." And though I love the produced style of her last album, it's nice to hear her voice on these sparse tracks. There's a vulnerability to her voice that is striking, and moving. They sound like quiet bedroom recordings that were probably never intended to be heard, but most of them are quite good.  "You, Mister," "Junky Pride," and "Move" are wonderful.

The Beatles - Everyday Chemistry: This artifact was brought to Earth in 2009 by a man claiming to have traveled to a parallel universe where The Beatles never broke up, and continued recording music. He successfully smuggled this mythical Fab Four album back with him. These 11 songs essential amount to a a mash-up compiled from solo work by the former Beatles. But they are mixed together to create such a keen melody and sound that they not only feel like new songs, but actually like Beatles songs. It's not impossible to believe this could have been an album recorded by the Beatles in the mid-70s. Had they not broken up, those bits and pieces that ended up in solo work, would have found an outlet somewhere. This is an incredibly fun album and I've been addicted to it all week. "Talking to Myself," "Saturday Night," and "Days Like These" are simply brilliant.

Bear Hands - Distraction: It's been four years since the Brooklyn indie band's debut and they finally returned with a new record last month. Their sound is very NYC indie rock with twang guitar and driving rhythm section that keeps things going. The problem with them is that they still haven't figured out a way to stand out from the dozens of bands doing the same sort of thing. There's moments where they show potential to break out, like on "Bad Friend," but the album never fully develops into anything terribly special.

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Shady Grove: Recorded in 1969, this is the second album from the San Fran psychedelic rock band. Having always been a fan of the late '60s rock scene of that city, this was one of those bands that was noticeably missing from my catalog until I picked this up on vinyl a few weeks ago. Like Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead, there is a heavy drug influence to their warped interpretation of folk into psych rock. It's a little uneven, but there are moments that seem to warrant their inclusion in the movement. They are most comparable to H.P. Lovercraft in my opinion, though they take a more drifting approach to their songs, like in the wonderful "Flute Song," or a southern country influence on songs like "3 or 4 Feet From Home." A nice addition for any fans of the genre.

Curren$y - The Drive in Theatre: In the last 11 years, the New Orleans rapper has released 39 albums though only a few have been official releases, the rest have been online mix-tapes available free of charge. This new mix-tape showed up two weeks ago under his alias Spitta Andretti. Throughout the album, snippets of The Godfather trilogy show up, though the songs don't take a particularly gangster feel. As with most of his music, he talks about the things that interest him, from making money, to driving fast cars, and smoking lots of weed. Unlike some other hip-hop artists who try to push their music, or attempt to keep up with trends, Curren$y seems content with sticking to the game he plays so well. Laid back beats and his clever flow keep everything moving at a nice pace, but it does feel as though we've heard all of this from him before. "Fo," "The Usual Suspects," and "Godfather 4" are the true stand out tracks on here. Not essential if you have a good amount of his work already, but if you don't, you'll certainly enjoy this.

The Call of the Wolf

Several years ago I outlined a project that went unfinished. Over the past few months I've found myself thinking about it again and this week I finally pulled out the sample chapters I'd written way back when and read through them. Though I didn't particularly care for the tone, or some of the character's mannerisms, I thought there was still quite a bit of potential in the project. 

Yesterday I began the process of re-imagining this story of a young boy who encounters a wolf on the night of a full moon, later to discover he's been cursed to become a werewolf. The story revolves around the conspiracy he and his best friend uncover in a town plagued by werewolves. There seems to be very few werewolf themed books geared toward 5th grade boys, who in my opinion are the prime audience for such tales. In the coming months I hope to finish a draft, working on it between working on a novel. It just feels like the right time for me to get moving...now I just hope I don't stall in process.

Super Fan Mail

The other day I received a fan letter from a boy in Germany who had read The Supertwins. As far as I can remember, it's the first piece of fan mail I've ever gotten based on my beginning reader series published by Scholastic in the early half of the last decade. It's actually one of my favorite projects that I've done and the letter brightened my day. Here's what he had to say:

My favorite part is definitely when he assumes that I was perhaps seven years old when I wrote the books. I'm not sure if I should take it as a slight, seeing as how no seven year old holds the same mastery of the English language as I. Or perhaps I should take it as a compliment that my imagination can be compared to that of a child. I choose to take the second choice. Thanks Isaiah!

Weekend Music Roundup

After taking a break from newish albums last week, I got back on the bandwagon and listened to a few new releases over the past several days. I've also been going through my latest vinyl bounty and have some older classics to throw into the mix. It's mostly a folkish blues kind of week with lots more snow and rain to damper the spirits. With the warm weather rolling in this weekend, perhaps I will make the jump to more upbeat sounds in the coming days, but until then, you'll have put up with my somber choices. Enjoy.

Noah Gundersen - Ledges: Released two weeks ago, this is the first full length album from the Seattle singer songwriter, and already one of my favorite releases of the year. This is a folk album with a country twinge. It sounds like an album Ryan Adams would make if he made a scaled back acoustic album. There is also a sadness to it that reminds me of Jason Molina's work. This is one of those albums that makes me excited about new acts as already I can envision years of wonderful music from Noah. "Poor Man's Son," "Separator," and "Cigarettes" are among my favorite tracks, though there really aren't any that I don't like.

The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - A Child's Guide to Good & Evil: During its four years of existence, the L.A. psychedelic band released five albums between '66-'69. Despite the title of this 1968 album stating it's Vol. 3, it is really the fourth, and wildly considered the best. I've had digital copy of this album for years but finally picked up a vinyl edition in Texas. I read someone describe them as "The Flaming Lips in '60s" and it seemed like a fair analogy. They have the same blend of weirdness and melody that makes the album a unique experience. It's one of those records that you need to be in the mood for, but when that happens, there's nothing quite like it. A bit uneven at times, but still high quality. "A Child of a Few Hours is Burning to Death" is the one truly outstanding track, and perhaps the best and most graphic anti-Vietnam song ever recorded. 

Robert Ellis - The Lights from the Chemical Plant: The second album from Robert Ellis was released two weeks ago. His sound has a country folk feel with a nod to 70's rock. His songs are straight forward and very well done. These are traditional country tales of lonely life that have a musically modern feel, somewhat like My Morning Jacket though less grandiosity. "Good Intentions," "Houston," "Only Lies," and a wonderful cover of Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years" are stand out tracks on a solid album.

Groundhogs - Blues Obituary: Twenty years ago, I bought this on CD and it blew my mind. At the time, I was just getting into the British Blues and this cover was impossible to ignore. I instantly connected to this 1969 album, and still love it, which is why I picked up the re-released vinyl. The Groundhogs take the blues style developed by John Mayall and add a darker layer to it. In that way, they are really the pre-cursor to bands like Black Sabbath, which did the same thing and made it heavier. Tony McPhee is one of the unsung guitar greats, and his vocals are perfect for hard rock blues. Seven songs on pure brilliance, I've been enjoying this all over again this past week. 

T. Hardy Morris - Audition Tapes: Released last summer, this is the debut solo album from the singer of Dead Confederate. I've been a fan of the Athens, GA band since their first album and was eager to give this a listen. Stripped of the band's dynamic, Morris delivers an eerily beautiful album heavily influenced by the sound of Neil Young. He has a similar wonderful warble to his voice and a twangy guitar style that gives it that Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere vibe.  "OK Corral" and "Lucky" are my favorites.

Roky Erickson & The Aliens - The Evil One: My love affair with all things Roky began with this album over a decade ago. Originally released in 1980, I found a rare copy of one of the re-released CDs back in the turn of the century. It was only the second Roky album I'd heard and it began an endless acquisition of his work. During my trip to Austin, I came across the wonderful deluxe 180gram vinyl reissue that came out last year and had to pick it up. In addition to the complete 15 tracks (some versions have less) it includes a 20 page booklet and two-headed dog etching on the Side 4. This is one of my favorite albums of all time. Every song is a masterpiece of hard psychedelic rock, highlighted by "Bloody Hammer," "Night of the Vampire," "Cold Night for Alligators," and "Stand for the Fire Demon." If you don't have this record in your collection, you must go out and acquire it now.

Fecal Matter - Illiteracy Will Prevail: Given that Kurt's birthday was this week, it seemed like a must that I include this recent vinyl purchase on the list. Fecal Matter was Kurt's pre-Nirvana band with Dale Crover and Buzz Osborne from The Melvins. They recorded this demo in 1985 to submit to the labels, and nothing much happened. This has been floating around digitally for years, and some songs even showed up on the box set released years ago, but to find the complete demo on vinyl was still a thrill. Though it's raw and a bit messy, there is something remarkably entertaining about it. "Downer" and "Spank Thru" would later become Nirvana songs, and parts of "Laminated Effect" would later be reworked into "Even in His Youth." There are also some rare songs that are wonderful examples of Kurt's humor and insight into culture such as "Bambi Slaughter" and "Buffy's Pregnant." A perfect record for collectors and fans of early American punk underground.

Come As You Are

Today would've been Kurt Cobain's 47th Birthday had he not passed away twenty years ago. Even after all that time has gone by, I still find myself mesmerized by the music he left behind. No matter how many times I've heard each song, they always sound current and raw. Sometimes I like to imagine what the music he would have recorded would sound like today. Nirvana was in a period of change when he died, his last songs were taking off in a new direction, and I'm sure he would have continued to push his creative energies in interesting ways. 

As I get older, I find myself feeling the loss of people more intimately than I did when I was younger. Perhaps it's because I'm growing closer to the inevitable myself, or maybe it's simply because I've experienced more of life and realize how difficult it can be and the loss of anyone who brings comfort to those difficulties is more magnified. On some level I've always understood why Kurt took his own life, but understanding doesn't mean I don't wish there had been another outcome. Hopefully he was able to find peace in rest, and wherever his spirit is now, I'm wishing him a Happy Birthday.