I 've been running into Kara in the street a lot lately, which is great, I like Kara. One time I helped her with a crossword puzzle, that's a great role for me. And then she DJ'ed a dance party at the shiatsu clinic and emotionally it was like half Koyaanisqatsi half Ginuwine. Last time I saw her was when Dave's band Solar Metal Heron played-- they're a cool band in a kosmische vein, and they named themselves after this exact lawn ornament, which you can find at BJ's Wholesale:

Having a sculpture that you bring to the gig is a great style, especially if the band plays zone music-- it's nice to zone out on something that's in between you and the performer (I mean literally in between but I guess also figuratively). I talked Dave into getting rotating plinths for the herons (they have 2 of them) and Dave tried to promote me to manager. I gracefully deflected.

Anyway riffing with Kara at the gig, and going to more gigs in general lately, got me thinking about this short story I wrote for her last year. My total guess is that this was going to be a zine or something, probably she sent this prompt out to a couple people, and maybe only I responded?? If this is still in the works or the dream fizzled, either way it's no problem. I said OK in the Spirit of Yes, with no requirements and no demands.

It's a short one this week, here goes.

Echo Group At Garg Complex

Something funny about underground music in the post-covid scene is that shows start pretty much on time, rather than like, hours after the time on the flyer. Used to be if the flyer said 8 that meant 10:30, and if it said 9 that meant midnight. But now, I don't know, the common practices got severed-- it was long enough without shows that all of a sudden 8:30 show meant doors open at 7:30 and people hang out, then in between 8:30 and 9 you can expect the mix tape to fade out and the first act to rip. When Echo Group played Garg Complex it was a 7:30 show, which is a little unusual, but when I got there at 7:15 I couldn't believe it, they were playing their last song. People were chanting, shirts were torn, someone brought out a birthday cake and sat in it. They must've started at quarter of 7?? Then all the lights go on and they kick everyone out! We're standing in the parking lot, puzzled in the pleasant light of the actual sun for, I don't know, 10 minutes, then the doors open and we go back in. Everything's cleaned up, the Group has put on fresh shirts. Markie starts playing, doing his tape stuff. Georgie's band was after that, good set, then Diatom. I'm starting to tender my farewells but then I see Echo Group moving their amps back to the stage. They do a long set, slow to build, then nutso. We're chanting, shirts get torn, I actually leave and come back in. Someone brings out a perfectly fine birthday cake (didn't catch the name on the cake) and someone else sits on it. Lights on and we file out into actual darkness this time.

links / misc

• The subscription drive I'm doing is going great so far, thank you everyone!!! I'm at 35% of my unstated goal. I'm going to be sending out welcome packs to all paid subscribers this Friday, with stickers, a 3D replica of the castle, and Feast Society membership cards. Membership cards!!!! You're probably thinking that you could just make your own membership card, but you can't-- these have a holographic security layer, produced by laser. The science is too tight!!! Sign up now: [link].

  Oh, and thank you to all Latin scholars on the timeline for so far holding your tongue about the spurious acrostic legend on the new Feast Society landing page. It translates to "Unity of Form, Delight in the Horizons of Heaven, Eternal Youth". Or at least, that's my intent. If you can correct this in such a way that it still spells out "FUJICHIA", please log in.

• Kara's name says "2022.12" after it because that's the month I entered her name into my phone. I do that with everyone so I don't accidentally text the old number. Shoutout to the person with my old phone number, who I'm told is "very rude", but if they're getting an iota of the weird shit people send me (case in point), then I'm sympathetic.
• No links for Solar Metal Heron (band) but Dave's old band URDOG got the reissue treatment a couple years ago: [urdog.bandcamp.com]. Also no link for the HEXMORB releases he's on ("ACID OVER" cd-r and "RED LIGHTS IN THE REFLECTIVE CAVE 1"). Bring back HEXMORB!!!! Paging Kim Guillotine... Paging Dribble Dutch...

Archives of previous posts is here, in the coat room: [coatroom]

To sign up to get these posts in your email for free, click here: [substack]

To write me a nice message, use the contacts page: [link]

To leave a little donation to help in the maintance of this castle, OR to simply hear the sound of a large bell, which is good luck, visit the temple area: [link]

As always, if you're bugging out or need a respite from endlessly scrolling the feed, you are welcome to hang out in the castle as long as you want. :)