Hi buddies,
It’s slow summer here, the garden is abundant, we’re cooking things that barely use the stove, and I’m spending lots of time in the studio — but gently! Summer is a time for softness, for not doing too much, for listening. I hope you’re eating good food and being gentle to yourself.
news and updates:
I spent a week at ACRE Residency up in Wisconsin in late June, and am so grateful for the time outside with new and old friends, and the lovely creative reset that the A/V studio there has offered me the past two years. I made a ton of music, which I’m excited to share.
I have a monthly radio show on Beloved Radio, a Chicago-based online radio station. Broadcasting every fourth Friday from 7-8 CST, Music for __ is a series of mixtapes for specific activities: often contemplative, solo, domestic, cozy. Each mix is recorded through a transistor radio while I do the specified activity, inviting in the additional ambient sounds of life: neighbors, birds, cars, construction, bugs. This format allows for an experience of shared listening, shared time, and even a kind of shared space. Mixes are archived the following Monday, you can hear my latest one (recorded in a field up at ACRE) here.
Early warning: I’m doing sound design for (and performing in) Claire Saxe’s We Missed the Train and Had to Wait at Steppenwolf in August. It’s going to be a beautiful show!
My piece Untitled Radio (futile, fertile) was broadcasted last month on Vienna’s Kunstradio and Wave Farm’s WGXC 90.7 FM (thanks, Jeff Kolar!)
A few live shows:
July 25th: solo, opening for Lomelda: Schubas
July 28th: solo, Kilbourn Park
July 29th: duo with Dan Wyche, Compound Yellow
tiny recommendations:
If you ever need a reminder that there’s no such thing as a small life, or that the small gestures of life are profoundly beautiful, read August 9 - Fog by Kathryn Scanlan.
We’ve been getting into shrubs (the drink, not the plant — although I can imagine becoming a topiary enthusiast later in life). The favorite so far is this citrusy, peppery wonder. Lovely with just sparkling water, but you can add mezcal for a kick.
For those in Chicago dealing with bad air quality, ComEd Marketplace has air purifiers available for heavily discounted prices here. We have two and they’ve made a huge difference in these past weeks.
Also for Chicagoans: did you know that the Adler Planetarium is free for Illinois residents every Wednesday night?
I’m late to the party but The Bear is so good. And the British comedy show Taskmaster has N and I consistently laughing.
Apply to Vashon Artist Residency! I had a wonderful experience there in 2021, and they’ve recently remodeled a studio for music making.
Finally, some important news: Miso has made his favorite hi-hat box into a tube! Good job Mr. Soup:
That’s all for now!
Lia