Legend has it that, in the late 1960s, the Wiggin sisters were pulled out of school by a dad who was under the influence of a fortune teller (and/or looking to get rich quick). Instruments were shoved into their hands in an attempt to mold them into a Walton-style family band called the Shaggs. They... Continue Reading →
Joan Didion. I don't know how it's possible that I don't know more about you, because every time I see part of something you've written, it slaps me around some in a way I find welcoming. It must have been a combination of rebellion and exhaustion: too many assignments, too many unwanted recommendations and feelings... Continue Reading →
Steeped in classic poetry, teenage me automatically wrote about everyday things in high-flung terms. It was the language that felt most available and came most naturally. It never occurred to me NOT to display naked longing, but my indulgences were confined to my imagination or written in controlled forms, which felt safe and dignified. I... Continue Reading →
My holiday project last year was a cover of a song from a seasonal musical that meant a lot to me as a kid. I am really pleased with how that one turned out. I didn’t have any particular ideas for this year… that is, until this past weekend, when a notion started to take... Continue Reading →
I started writing music at around age 12. Inspired by Suzanne Ciani and, yes, the man himself, Yanni (we watched a LOT of PBS music programming), much of my early output were instrumentals. Given these formative influences, my compositions of the time were rather new-agey; but upon revisiting I found a few parts to be... Continue Reading →
Here are three videos I made this weekend. They are all dark cautionary tales, though two are by Poe and rather grandiose, while the third is by me and so relatively unassuming.All of these songs are previously unrecorded, unless you count very rough demos. Two I wrote in high school while in an independent study... Continue Reading →
I read Dune (the first book, which is all this entry is focusing on) when I was twelve or thirteen. I would love to say I stumbled upon it myself, but no, like so many throughout history, I picked up a particular cultural staple because a crush was reading it and I wanted to burrow... Continue Reading →
Here's two more repackaged throwbacks for ya. These are a couple lovesick puppy songs from my higher ed. days, so I decided to release them as companion pieces. The second one, "Cake," I performed for y'all as part of my Wayback Weekends earlier this year. Keep in mind I've been a ravenous poet my whole... Continue Reading →
Over the past week or so, I’ve been repackaging and releasing some vintage material on BandCamp. Here’s a rundown: 1. Catch-22 (single, 2008) I recorded this under the Alexandra Rising moniker in mid-2008. It was shortly before I moved to Charlottesville and put much-needed perspective-enhancing distance between myself and my hometown. Of course it was... Continue Reading →
I think my first exposure to the term "juvenilia" was in a Sylvia Plath anthology (she did the poem "Bitter Strawberries" when she was a kid - and no, I don't think if I were stone cold sober right now I ever would have remembered that). I know some folks are mortified when they revisit... Continue Reading →
The Sold Kingdom 