OUT NOW. “Howling at the Moons of Saturn” – a spoken-word collection featuring original music by an all-world contingent of composers and musicians.
Huge thanks to everyone who played a part during the seven or so years it took to complete this project.
Theresa Calpotura
John Vanderslice
Jules Leyhe
Robert Shelton
Carly Bond
Andrew Dixon
Ryan Ross Smith
Crystal Pascucci
Mark Clifford
James Riotto
Jason Slota
Danielle Goldsmith
Jacob Winik
Cover art: Aimee Stevland Design
What happens when an entrepreneurial descendent of Count Dracula decides to operate his castle as a vacation rental property? Find out in my new short story “The Thirst,” now available in “Monsterthology 3,” an all-new anthology featuring classic horror monsters.
Available now from Zombie Works Publications in paperback and on Kindle.
Happy Halloween.
A car in the distance – on a gravel road. A cow. A rooster. A dog barks. Birds chirp. And I think back to yesterday at twilight, when hundreds of chicks clamored for food in the trees by the dining hall. Hungry. And alive.
The embers from last night’s fire still smolder in the firepit outside my room, where late-night revelers performed musical gems while sharing the last 10 cans of beer in the world. I exaggerate, but that’s how it felt when I learned the bar was closed for the night. Like the world ended and I missed out on my chance to stock up on reposado.
No, I wouldn’t do well in the zombie apocalypse.
Staring out at the lake, I feel the sting of smoke in my eyes. My clothes smell of char. And my beanie reeks like it fell into a bin of campfire ash.
I’m ready for breakfast, but I want to finish these notes first. What’ll I eat anyway? A bowl of fruit. A handful of raisins. Five sausages rolling around my plate like severed fingers. Now I’m thinking about and humming St. Vincent’s song “Severed Crossed Fingers.” I love that title. But we all know I have a dark streak, don’t we?
Anyway, back to breakfast. I wonder if we’ll be joined today by the army of kids. With their troop leader hollering on her megaphone.
“Raccoon girls, your turn for breakfast.”
“Squirrel boys, you’re up next.”
I never attended camp as a child, though there was that time on a high-school trip when I dropped acid in Yosemite. Somehow, I got locked out of my cabin and found myself wandering on a snow-covered path that transformed into a river of talking snakes – all under the shadows of El Capitan and Half Dome. Eagle Peak and Cathedral Rock.
Do you think Ansel Adams ever dropped acid while capturing his masterpieces?
A shooting star darts through the morning sky. Or a comet. Or an intercontinental ballistic missile. I’d like to reach out and catch it. I’d also like to sing and dance in the sea of Tranquility. And to use one of Saturn’s rings as an interstellar hula-hoop.
Here’s a bit of trivia I learned recently; Saturn has 146 moons!
Speaking of Saturn’s moons, come a little closer and I’ll let you in on a secret. I’m releasing a new spoken-word collection soon called “Howling at the Moons of Saturn” that features a group of amazing musical collaborators. Sssshhh, that’s just between us for now. More coming soon, but I hope you’ll give it a listen.
I spin the ring on my finger, remembering when we said “til death do us part” under City Hall’s Beaux-Arts dome. Near the Elvis groom and the others sharing their nuptial vows. We’re not dead yet, I think, but you’re working in Europe for a few weeks, while I’m humming about severed fingers, lamenting a missed a tequila run, and musing on the way of the world at a songwriting camp somewhere on the road between Yosemite and Fresno.
Somewhere in a Valley called Wonder.
Many thanks to the 12th Ó Bhéal International Poetry-Film Competition for selecting “How Much Filipino” for their Winter Warmer Poetry Festival. All films will be screened at Nano Nagle Place in Cork, Ireland and streamed online (Nov. 24, 2024).
Judges selected 30 films for the festival from 174 submissions received from 144 filmmakers in 29 countries.
Super-huge thanks to author Maria Victoria Yujuico for focusing on “How Much Filipino” for her Positively Filipino Magazine article on contemporary Filipino artists and historical memory.
Working on this short film has been a true labor of love.
I couldn’t have done it without Rae Steinwand’s animation and an original score composed and performed by Theresa Calpotura.
This film is now heading out to festivals around the world.
Let’s see how it does.
I’m very honored and humbled for “The Missing Book” to be an official selection at the MALDITO FESTIVAL DE VIDEOPOESÍA to be held November 15 at the Teatro Circo in Albacete, Spain.
For those unable to travel to Albacete, “The Missing Book” will also be shown online as part of the festival starting November 16.
Thanks to the Poetry in Motion Film Festival for naming my short film “The Missing Book” as an official selection in this year’s event. Poetry in Motion” is Colorado’s Premier International Poetry film festival.
A man came to me in my dream. He held a sharpened No. 2 pencil in one hand and a spiral notebook in the other. I didn’t catch his name, but he was interested in knowing about my new album. So, we sat at a marble table atop the Eiffel Tower (remember, this is a dream) and he asked some questions. I’ll call him the Interviewer.
Interviewer: You’ve been writing and recording original music for a few years now. What made you switch to cover tunes?
GR: I love writing and recording original songs. That said, I played for many years in a cover band called StationWagon, and I got to thinking recently about going into the studio and recording some of my favorite songs by artists I admire. I didn’t want to make note-for-note recordings of these songs, so I came up with the concept of a songwriter playing the songs in a dream.
Interviewer: For your earlier albums, you worked with a band, but this album presents a more stripped-down approach. Talk about that.
GR: I’ve known Jules Leyhe for a few years. He’s a fantastic guitar player and all-around great guy. As I thought more about this album’s dream concept, and as I played more with Jules, I realized it would be cool for just the two of us to make this album. Performing as a duo (me on acoustic guitar and Jules on electric) allows us to present these songs in a unique way. Towards the end of the project, we brought in Elisa Wendell to add her amazing vocals on some of the songs.
Interviewer: How did you meet Jules?
GR: Let’s see. It was right before the COVID-19 lockdown, during that time when some businesses were shutting down and some weren’t yet (but they’d probably be closing soon). I’d scheduled a recording session at Tiny Telephone with another guitarist. As it turned out, that guitarist couldn’t make it. Fearing it might be a long, long time before I’d get into the studio again, I scrambled to find another guitarist and that led me to Jules. We did that session and a few others over the years. And we became friends along the way. So it all worked out.
Interviewer: How did you decide on the songs?
GR: Now that the album is finished, I’m surprised that I didn’t struggle more to choose the songs. I love so many different songs (and so many different types of songs), and I have so many favorite artists. But these songs came together very quickly—like they were meant to be on this album together. “Isn’t It a Pity” is the only song that I added later in the process. I knew I wanted to cover a George Harrison song, but I wasn’t sure which one. Then I heard Jules playing slide guitar on “Isn’t It a Pity” and knew it would fit right in.
Interviewer: What was the process like for making this album? Did you rehearse the material or just show up at the studio and have at it?
GR: When I was sure about the song list, I wrote a creative brief that I shared with Jules and Audio Engineer Danielle Goldsmith. Jules and I met a handful of times to run through the songs. A couple months before recording, I had an opportunity to work for a month from northern Spain. I didn’t want to forget my tunes, so I asked the guy we rented our house from if he could find a guitar that I could borrow. Now, whenever I think about this album, I’ll recall the month I spent playing a loaner guitar in a beach house in Galicia. Not a bad way to practice.
Interviewer: You also included two original tracks on the album?
GR: That’s right. “The Dream” is an improvised instrumental that sets up album’s concept. I then end the album with the “The Dream Returns,” which features sounds that Danielle or I have recorded over the years. Like seagulls on Ocean Beach and kettle drums and various analog tape manipulations. Danielle is great at weaving these types of pieces together into a compelling soundscape.
Interviewer: Congratulations on the album. How do like the view from the Eiffel Tower?
GR: Thank you. It’s amazing up here. All I need now is an Aperol Spritz.
“I’ll Cover You in My Dreams” is available from Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes, and other services.
Learn more about:
Jules Leyhe: here
Danielle Goldsmith: here
Here’s a trailer for a short film I’ve been working on for quite some time – like my whole life if you think about it. I plan on sending the film out to festivals and other places soon. Wish me luck.
Very special thanks to:
Theresa Calpotura – original score
Rae Steinwand – animation
Jacob Winik – mastering
