I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: STUYVESANT-Jihad Me at Hello (2010).

Stuyvesant (one of the hardest band names to spell) is an amalgam of the defunct New Jersey bands Footstone and Friends, Romans, Countrymen.  And so, as you might expect if you know these other bands, they play noisy rock with a healthy dose of pop.

The opener, “Bi-Polar Bears” is a great example of their punky pop (complete with an unexpected horn section).  The second track, “Tape Hiss” sounds like Footstone (Ralphie’s voice is very distinct here) although the “do-do-do” harmonies are something new to the sound.

There’s more surprise from a major break in “Ode to Bish” which features a “waka jawacka” guitar and a horn solo.  “Liars Poker” also features some cool bass vocal harmonies (something of a rare treat in rock music).

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the slow opening of “Broken Red Wing.”  I was pleasantly surprised that after the slow opening, it did not jump quickly into a song that sounded like the rest on the disc.  Guitars kick in but they are not the same crunchy style.  The track shows an unexpected diversity on the disc.

While I have enjoyed both the Footstone and FRC releases, I think this conflation of the two makes for the best overall package.  It’s a great EP, and I’m looking forward to the full length.  This EP is available for free.  That’s right, for free.  So even if you hate it, you can still download it for free.  In any format, and then you can burn it to a CD, in the format that music is meant to be enjoyed.

[READ: September 8, 2010] “The Landlord”

Wells Tower is another 20 Under 40.  I’ve enjoyed the few short stories(although I haven’t read his collection yet) and the non-fiction he’s written for Outside magazine.

This story feels like an excerpt from a longer piece because there are a lot of different characters who seem like there’s more to them.

The main character is the landlord, Mr Pruitt.  He owns a lot of properties, but in the current market he has had to sell a number of them.  And, of course, his tenants are paying him less and less frequently.  As the story opens we meet one of those tenants, Armando Colón, who is three months overdue.  Armando has a solution to his problem which he presents to Mr Pruitt.  When Armando leaves, Mr Pruitt’s worker, Todd Toole mocks him for letting people fuck him over.

Toole is something of a degenerate, and he can’t get employment with anyone else because no one wants to put up with his nasty attitude.  Mr Pruitt puts up with him because he actually does good work and he can pay him poorly (it’s an unspoken bargain).  Pruitt is sending Todd and Jason (a new, young assistant) off to a property to make it look sellable.

Meanwhile, Pruitt’s daughter Connie has arrived to stay with him for a time.  She is an artist and is creating things to comment on the current climate.  (I really enjoyed the introduction of her character and Pruitt’s inability to describe her work).  Connie takes up a pretty sizable portion of the story (which is why I assume it’s an excerpt from a longer piece).

And then finally, there is the payoff from the opening of the story.  Although it feels like there is a lot left unsettled.

Towers’ writing is very good. He writes evocatively (and humorously) and really sets up a situation very well.  This piece doesn’t have the punch of some of his other pieces, but again, I assume more is to come. Of course, if this is not an excerpt, it’s lacking in real finality.

His Q&A is available here (he doesn’t reveal if this is an excerpt, although he says he is working on a novel).  And, if you Google Wells Tower, you will find about one hundred other interviews with him.