Ups, downs and back-arounds.

I recently reconnected with my old friend and musical mentor Mark G. Cooley. To say he was a major influence on me is putting it mildly. From Sonic Youth to Segovia, the dude primed me for a life in music.

Mark is one of the most humble, talented and gracious individuals I've known in my entire life. Close to the only one!

I fell out of touch with him at least ten years ago, due to geographical distance and personal negligence. In the meantime, he's had gallery installations all over the country, and continues to create and record some mighty fine music. As a matter of fact, it's a lot like the shit I've been listening to over the last few years.

Anyway, I'm gonna hang out with him in a couple of weeks, and we're getting ready to start a long-distance musical collaboration that I'm guessing may be the greatest thing ever put to hard drive. If it goes well, I'm actually gonna push it a lot further than B-town, where I rarely push at all.

So that's cool.

But everything else is a pain in the ass: tracking down photos of bands for the paper (sometimes harder than you can imagine), meeting deadlines, and generally trying to stay above water. I've also been having a hard time getting hold of people who I need to do some basic business with.

But here is here, and now is now.

Someday — and hopefully not too long — we'll be in a different space entirely. Looking forward to that.

Comments

[Molly]

Does your boss know you use your 7d blog to complain about your job?

[casey]

It's not just a complaint, it's a straight-up fact: Reggae bands and promoters never have print-worthy photographs. Yet they all want press, all the time.

Actually, that's pretty much everyone, but most folks who go to the trouble of putting together festivals have the good sense to have their promotional ducks in a row before they start asking for editorial extras.

And yes, I would broadcast that on a megaphone from atop the Unitarian Church bell tower. If that's contentious, I don't really care.

[Molly]

That does sound obnoxious. Is that a Vermont thing or does it happen to music editors universally?

Am I another humble, talented, gracious person you know? I think I used all three of those words to describe what we think of Brooke in her graduation card.

[Jason]

I have both Mark and Cooley in my full name.

Another reggae band is playing in Burlington? You don't need any fucking press for that. The stinkies will catch the stank and flock in droves. Unfortunately the artists will lead them to the outside of their tour buses instead of into a river or off a cliff or something.

Long live the white dread and his daddy's monies!

[casey]

Cooleys are generally good folks.

Molly: Both you and Brooke are humble, talented and gracious people.

And I swear I didn't plagarize your card for this post.

True, I'm nearly out of words. But it ain't THAT bad yet.