Photo by Chase Macri of some Vegetarian Chili I made for New Years

I bought three shirts on Monday, January 2nd. My family—namely my parents, sisters Melody and Katelyn, Aunt and Uncle, and my grandparents on my mother’s side (those on my father’s side are dead)—also bought me various clothing items as Christmas presents this year. Some shirts, a heavier military style jacket in navy, some leather shoes that look like Chuck Taylor’s but aren’t, a ski cap; all of which maintain their original thread count, are as bright as the day they were sewn, and are, most importantly, new.

New clothes have a baptismal affect on me. Their newness is a fresh start, a clean slate and the ability to think of and define myself as someone I was not only moments before. To consider who I am, what I believe and what that means. Are these the clothes of the old me? This cut, this color, this pattern, and this combination is the fashion of the person I want to be. Forget the former things baby, and check out the new sneaks.

Inevitably, when the new year approaches the question of “resolutions” arises. I seldom think very long about my answer to this question and somehow I’m always surprised that it is asked.

“Do you have any new years resolutions?”

I respond, “Hmm, not that I’ve thought of but maybe I could…”

These hip-shot resolutions last about as long as I consider the question. In the past, I’ve tried adding to my schedule some humanitarian volunteer work, playing guitar every day, writing a song-a-week (with lyrics and even singing!), regularly attending morning prayer services, and (that is until lent of recent past) vegetarianism several times and not one of those resolutions ever did stick as a consistent or meaningful part of my life. They were lofty ideals that sounded good at the time but were never motivated by a realization of some existential truth or an emotional, life-changing event. They were pretentious. They were prayers of lead tied to balloons of hot air.

The new clothes are a similar façade. They’re only new for so long, eventually becoming one with the rest of the wardrobe. And the “new me” fades just as the dye in the clothes after a thousand washes. Then I search again for another renewal, a second and third and fiftieth baptism. My problem is these fabric baptisms are the same as my new year’s resolutions: the direction of the change is backwards.

I imagine myself doing all these lofty and righteous things and I like how that person looks on the outside, so I try to make my outside resemble that person. Take on his clothes. Resolve to do what he does. But I don’t consider the cost of believing what he believes. In years past, I tried on vegetarianism because I wanted to lose weight. I wanted to look better, sexier, and more attractive with the rational that eating more veggies would be healthier than the pork and bovine I had enjoyed. That translated into a few days of suffering through meals of salads, cans of green beans and peas, dipping baby carrots into peanut butter before finally binging on a double cheeseburger with bacon. I actually like eating those veggies! But the superficial motivation for restricting my diet was chasing after the wind. As the preacher says, that’s vanity, bro.

My most recent foray into vegetarian living, as is any drastic lifestyle change that is worth a damn, was this time motivated by something more significant than waistline. Modern meat production in this country is anti-Christian. It is unethical, dehumanizing and unsustainable from every means of measurement (social, economic, environmental, psychological, etc., etc., etc.) Without telling the sordid tale here, because other people have already told it better than I could (Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Eating Animals”, the documentary Food, Inc. are two examples), I can no longer look at a hamburger, a strip of bacon, or a chicken breast without wondering if the cow my burger came from lived in a cage in which it couldn’t turn around, or how many antibiotics the pig had taken to combat the rampant disease that spreads from the close proximity the pigs are inventoried, or if the chicken was slaughtered after its legs gave out from the immense weight he was engineered to grow (which assumes the chicken spent much of its life standing to begin with!) I used to put this in my body? This is “food”? And I used to eat these creatures? I can’t avoid thinking about that anymore. I can’t block it out of my mind and ignore it. I cannot, as I paraphrase Foer’s paraphrase of Franz Kafka, “choose to forget.” It isn’t right. These are not the animals slaughtered in The Garden, and weren’t those animals begrudgingly killed to begin with?

We worry so much about the pollution our industry and our cars emit and how it is accelerating climate change in the world, but did you know that animals accounts for more CO2 production as our machines? According to Scientific American “It turns out that producing half a pound of hamburger for someone’s lunch a patty of meat the size of two decks of cards releases as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as driving a 3,000-pound car nearly 10 miles.” All so I can eat a hamburger that costs $1. How is that sustainable? Meat is so easy and normal and commonplace and I imagine many feel it is a basic right but I have no idea where that meat came from, how that animal was treated, who killed it or how it was killed, who processed, packaged, and shipped it to us, and that lack of intentionality, that hip-shot thinking, is literally killing us. I can’t pretend that the problem doesn’t exist anymore. All the excuses I kept were childish and immature. I can’t say no any longer. I’ve changed. I am baptized.

I didn’t resolve to eat vegetarian. I didn’t imagine this different version of myself in these animal-loving clothes or as one who joined PETA, or took part in animal activism; my beliefs were shaken by the truth and a vegetarian is who I am now. It isn’t a phase. It isn’t something I am trying on for size. It isn’t something I’m doing to appear sexier. It’s just the facts. A stream popping up in the desert. A path in the wilderness. Behold, all things are become new.

Now I can look at you in peace; I don’t eat you anymore.
—Franz Kafka, while admiring fish in an aquarium

“Like, an easy starter pack. Why don’t they invest the time and money to make a starter pack?”

David Wolk, owner of Cranky Yellow, the arts and crafts shop that deals primarily in “junk”, think it’s too difficult to start a small business. His shop, as previously reported on this site, had fallen on hard times. After multiple summons to court for failure to report earnings taxes, having their sales tax identification number revoked by the Missouri Department of Revenue, and finally having permission to use their basement for any sort of “assemblies”, Cranky Yellow has decided to close its doors for good.

On September 10th, via the stores Twitter account, Wolk announced the stores closing:

After much tough internal debate I've decided to close the Cranky Yellow space for good. It's devastating but neccassary. Outta here by Nov.

September 10, 2011 1:57 pm via FacebookReplyRetweetFavorite

@crankyyellow

Cranky Yellow

The announcement came on the heels of what seemed like roadblock after roadblock to getting the store’s doors reopened. According to Wolk, the trouble all started back in February. “The first thing was a summons to court over not paying an earnings tax” he said, “which they claimed I had paid in 2008 but I didn’t because I didn’t know what it was when they took me to court over it. But that got taken care of once I started talking about it on Twitter. Actually, they were really helpful. That was actually the only interaction with the city that had ever been helpful.”

At the same time Wolk received a summons for paying earnings tax, the Missouri Department of Revenue revoked the shops sales tax identification number which rendered both his business license, and occupancy permit invalid. Wolk described the process of getting his sales tax number back as a “headache”.

“So the state can pull that number and make it impossible to continue operating,” he said, “I drove out four or five times to meet with them and each time they would find something that wasn’t right and I would have to drive back and get all my paperwork and drive back again. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.”

To make matters worse, while in the midst of clearing up Cranky Yellow’s tax problems, Wolk receives another court summons for not having a commercial dumpster for the shop’s waste. Every business on Cherokee St., where Cranky Yellow was located, is required to provide their own dumpster because the city does not provide trash pickup for small businesses. According to Wolk, many other businesses on Cherokee are turning a blind eye to the ordinance.

“Many other businesses on the street don’t have commercial dumpsters and were like ‘Keep your head down, don’t talk about it so we don’t get in trouble,’” he said. “Which isn’t very helpful.”

If it’s a community-wide problem and everyone is potentially in violation than it seems like something should be done.”

Dustin Newman, co-owner of APOP Records, another shop just down the block from Cranky Yellow, was surprised at the notice that they were in violation of the cities trash laws:

“That was brand new to us. They ended up throwing it out because Tiffany [Minx, co-owner of APOP] lives here and we really don’t use the dumpster for the store. So, we were able to clear it out. But, we had no idea about that. No one ever said anything. I wouldn’t even know where to look for something like that.”

Wolk expressed frustration with how difficult it was to find information too: “That whole experience was awful through the whole trash thing, because the number that went along with that court summons went to an answering machine that no one ever called you back from,” He went on to explain that calling the Citizens’ Service Bureau was a dead-end too and even his local Alderman wouldn’t call him back.

The final nail in the coffin was when the city barred the use of Cranky Yellow’s basement for lack of an occupancy permit. After the basement suffered water damage and mold growth—and considering the amount of money it would take to get the space back into shape—Wolk decided he was done.

He said: “It was one thing after another really. So, I put yellow up on the window and we just started talking behind the scenes just what the plan was. And initially I was going to try to buy a building in St. Louis. So I did a lot of looking at buildings that were for sale and what not. And that ended up going not as well as I wanted it to. Once I found a place I wanted, I couldn’t find the funding in order to buy it. ”

“Because with all the problems in the basement of the space I was at could all be fixed, but I would have to spend a lot of money. Invest a lot of money and time into the basement to get it up to code and that’s kind of futile because I don’t own the space,” he said, “I had enough.”

After dismal turnout for two fundraisers, and getting denied small business loans to open a new space, Wolk closed the shop for good and has been putting all of the leftover goods on the street for free.

He said: “It’s interesting, whenever I put the first giant load on the sidewalk and put the announcement on Facebook and Twitter people came down and took all of it. Literally, took all of it. It would have been totally awesome if people had swarmed the store and bought all of that. Most of that stuff had been sitting in the store for months and months and months, but as soon as it’s free it’s hot.”

Wolk does plan to continue the Cranky Yellow brand. His knick knacks, art projects and good will be available at his website and he hopes one day to reopen a physical store. “I will have to buy a building so I can do it how I want to do it, and be okay with investing everything up to code. If I can find the right space, at the right place and the right time I think it will happen again.”

That time may been sooner than you think, as Wolk and the rest of the crew behind Cranky Yellow are still brainstorming other interesting ways of getting out there beyond just online. “We’ve been talking about doing a Cranky Mobile. Trying to capitalize on the food trucks success. Like, who cares about a food truck, how about a junk truck?”

The Opportunity Gap | Good.is/Hyperakt/University of Phoenix

Astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson is successful. He is the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, host of the PBS program NOVA scienceNOW, and a Research Associate in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. He is also black and, according to a study published in Science magazine, he’s part of an even larger minority than his race would suggest. The problem isn’t unique to the scientific community either as there is a lack of opportunity from the bottom to the top.

An in-depth analysis of the scientific grant data awarded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed Black scientists were 10 percent less likely to receive grant funding than their White counterparts even with the same qualifications, skills, and educational background. Why is that number so much lower? Is this overt racism in the scientific community? If it is or even if it isn’t, how do you increase the amount of Black scientists winning grant money?

According to NPR’s Morning Edition, psychiatrist William Lawson of Howard University has thought a lot about this very issue. He says it’s difficult enough for African-Americans to enter the field of science because “there are many barriers towards reaching that level.” More often than not, he says, “African-American who do get jobs in academia tend to focus on teaching and clinical practice, which they see as serving their communities, instead of research.”

This could be one reason Blacks are not getting the grant money but I think the disparity of opportunity extends much beyond the difficulties of African-Americans to get research grants. The problem begins much before that.

Good.is and Hyperakt in collaboration with the University of Phoenix put together an infographic called “The Opportunity Gap” which shows the disproportionate way opportunity is spread between Hispanic, Black and White peoples. White children are three times less likely to live in poverty and twice as likely to graduate college than their minority peers. How many people make it through a post-graduate degree when they have to work to feed their impoverished family?

Even for Blacks with a degree there is a gap in opportunity. Also speaking to NPR, Raynard Kington, former deputy director of the NIH, says there is plenty of research proving the general public has a bias toward names that sound “black” which, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, doesn’t change even when the applicant has a college degree. The unemployment rate for African-Americans with college degrees is 8.4%, twice what it is for Whites at 4.4%. This ties directly to problems with opportunity.

While Tyson is a leading scientist and successful researcher, even he had a helping hand to get where he is. Son of a sociologist and gerontologist, Tyson had the opportunity to attend a high school which emphasized science learning. While applying to college, Tyson even received a call from Dr. Carl Sagan encouraging him in his passion to study the Universe. Who is lending a helping hand to those without that opportunity? What will bridge the gap?

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There were a multitude of mistakes made during Saturday’s opening preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, but the New York Giants have plenty to feel optimistic about.

The optimism stems from the Giants dominate defensive play early in the game despite not having Osi Umenyiora, their two-time Pro Bowl defensive end. The Giants defense recorded four sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown in the first half.

Two of those sacks were by second-year defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul who disrupted Carolina’s offense and, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the NY Daily News, was “the brightest spot for the Giants in a mostly dreary debut.”

Jimmy Clausen, Jason Pierre-Paul
AP Photo/Chuck Burton

According to NJ.com, the most impressive part of Pierre-Paul’s play is he did it all in the first quarter. “He gave you the speed, he gave you the effort, he gave you the perfect technique on the club move to get a sack and he gave you the power on the bull rush on LB Michael Boley’s interception,” said Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger. “I don’t know what else you could have asked for from Pierre-Paul last night.”

In terms of the defense, Pierre-Paul’s performance was the exception rather than the rule. The Giants secondary gave up plenty of huge plays included two passes from Carolina’s rookie quarterback Cam Newton to tight end Greg Olsen for large gains. Vacchiano noted those plays fell apart due mostly to the Giants’ over-pursuing their targets and missing tackles saying, “they are just way too overaggressive at times.”

The Giants also struggled at special teams. Vacchiano again “I have a list of names of players that missed blocks or tackles, but it reads like a roster and I don’t have that kind of time. Suffice to say the tackling and blocking picked right up where it left off last year.”

Another sign of hope stems from Umenyiora ending his hold out and pledging to return to Giants practice on Monday. Youngmisuk is optimistic about Umenyiora’s return saying “the idea of Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Pierre-Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka all on the field at once should be terrifying for opposing teams.”

More football from Chase Macri

The Pittsburgh Steelers are having a hard time staying out of trouble.

Since quarterback Ben Roethlisburger’s off the field issue last year and running back Rashard Mendenhall’s statements about Osama Bin Laden and the World Trade Center attacks, the Steelers cannot avoid controversy.

Since losing Super Bowl XLV to the Green Bay Packers and the 100 plus days of the NFL lockout, the off season hasn’t been too kind to the organization either.

The Steelers star defensive end James Harrison found himself in the deep end with his comments in Men’s Journal about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and teammates Ben Roethlisburger and Rashard Mendenhall. After calling the commissioner a “crook” and a “devil” as well as an anti-gay slur, according to ESPN the four-time Pro Bowler issued a public apology.

“The interview that I did and the comments that I made about Roger Goodell were inappropriate, at the least,” Harrison said. “They were way out of line, and I was speaking out of anger and frustration at the time. Any comments that I made that offended anyone, I apologize.”

He’s not the only member of the Steel Curtain embroiled in controversy. Veteran wide receiver Hines Ward found himself in trouble with the law after being arrested for driving while under the influence earlier this month. According to ABC News, the reigning “Dancing With the Stars” champion felt “deeply saddened by this incident and apologizes to his fans and the Steelers organization for this distraction” Ward’s lawyer said.

Even without the DUI incident, Hines Ward is currently off the field recovering from thumb surgery and third string receiver Emmanuel Sanders will have a third procedure done to his feet since the end of last season.

The Steelers aren’t the only NFL team with player incidents this off season. Adam “Pacman” Jones of the Cincinnati Bengals was involved in an altercation at a Cincinnati bar that resulted in his arrest.

With the opening of training camp and the start of the NFL calendar year things have been quiet in Pittsburgh the past week, but the off season isn’t quite over yet and trouble has a way of finding the Steelers.

Metal is easy to recognize. At its core, it’s the overly distorted, chunky guitars that sound like a derailed freight train chugging along the concrete. It’s snare hits that sound like exploding firecrackers over a rumbling double bass kick drum. It’s gnarled bass tones that fill the entire frequency spectrum. It’s the pushed vocal technique from harsh singing to aggressive, guttural screams. It’s “angry music.” It’s all these things.

While these examples describe what metal sounds like sometimes, none of them wholly define it. Chunky chugga-chugga guitars? If that’s a requirement then what is Peste Noire? Their guitars resemble indie rock more closely than metal. Aggressive, guttural screams? What about Ronnie James Dio’s gorgeous cleans vocals? To me, metal is a lot like love; it is a feeling. You can’t define it, but you know it when it’s there.

Occasionally, music traditionally defined as a genre other than the metallic one in question will “feel metal”. The Assembly of Light Women’s Choir performed in New York city on June 25th with doom metal duo The Body. Before accompanying the duo, the choir sang a few originals of their own. Despite their lack of distortion and screaming, the choir’s intonations feels like metal (and almost more so than the actual metal band who joined them later in the set.)

The choir’s “oohs” and “ahhs” are beautiful, seeming at first that we’re in the presence of angels of light. However, as the melody becomes darker, it’s revealed these heavenly beings in black robes are actually angels of death. That special feeling is unmistakably present. The feeling of dread; the sound of the grim reaper’s bones echoing off the floor and the shadow of the scythe hanging over head.

The music of The Assembly of Light Women’s Choir more closely resembles Western church hymns and chants than it does the funeral doom metal band with whom they’re sharing the stage. While I recognize the “non-metal” sound of the choir, the feeling is undeniable; the feeling is metal.

If an all female choir can be metal, who’s to say what isn’t?

After years of doing business, the retail art shop that sells kitschy odds and ends as well as curates local, national and international art shows and concerts started receiving court summons and notice after notice from the City of St. Louis. The notices were for back taxes, improper trash disposal and, most recently, a letter disallowing “assemblies” in their multi-use basement for their lack of certificate of occupancy. Wolk expounds “‘Assemblies’ refers to the plethora of independent art exhibitions, musical performances and theater acts we’ve hosted since moving into the space”.

The “cease and desist” letter was the final straw, or in this case notice, that broke Cranky’s back. According to Wolk, “The individuals that illegally ‘assemble’ here represent 35% of our monthly income. An influx of funds that is seriously helpful; without which it will be difficult to meet our monthly expenses!” In light of that loss of income, on July 1st Wolk announced Cranky Yellow was closing its doors for an “indefinite amount of time”.

While a closed shop sounds like death for a retail space, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Wolk and Cranky Yellow. Fans of the shop, local musicians and artists are pledging overwhelming support both financially and emotionally. Even the mayor’s office has been supportive. According to press secretary Kara Bowlin for St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay “All they have to do is get a certificate of occupancy for their basement and then they can use the basement again”. Bowlin went on to add “We’re happy to help.”

The shops closing was posted on Cranky Yellow’s website and the comments section is filled with promises of support to help get the shop back up to code and in compliance with the city. We will see if the support will be enough fuel Wolk’s passion to overcome the roadblocks and reopen. That way he will not be bitter and jaded, just cranky.

Sources:
Benanti, D. (2011, March 16). Cranky Yellow, Cherokee Street Oddity Emporium, Tries to Fight City Hall.
Retrieved from

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2011/03/cranky_yellow_2847_cherokee_street_st_louis_city_hall_mayor_slay_website_hours.php

Wolk, D. (2011, March 3). Small Time Woes… Or Why St. Louis Independents Must Survive.
Retreived from

http://www.crankyyellow.com/2011/03/13/part-one-cranky-yellow/

Benanti, D. (2011, July 5). Cranky Yellow Closes Its Doors — For Now — After Receiving Another Notice from City Hall.
Retrieved from

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2011/07/cranky_yellow_closed_occupancy_mold_assemblies.php

Wolk, D. (2011, July 1). Cranky Stopped.
Retrieved from

http://www.crankyyellow.com/2011/07/01/cranky-stopped/?

What is it about Pittsburg Steelers linebacker James Harrison that gets us so worked up? The Super Bowl champion, Pro-Bowl player has been described as “dirty” to “a hired head-hunter”. Last year, the NFL fined Harrison over $100,000 for illegal hits and one week, after receiving two fines for two un-flagged, legals hits, Harrison threatened to retire. His threat was over what he felt was the “Steelers’ Rule” specifically harassing their physical style of play.

The line from disliking the way a man plays to outright hating his guts was crossed last week when Harrison called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a “devil”, “a crook”, and an anti-gay slur. The ire raised around the media characterized Harrison as unwise to ostentatious and worse. It’s easy to criticize Harrison’s statements, but we’re really only upset because we think he’s a bully.

ESPN correspondent Ashley Fox said Harrison “looks like an idiot.” Another ESPN blogger Dan Graziano said “James Harrison is a fool, obviously, with an unjustified persecution complex and a seemingly insatiable need to convince himself and everyone else that the world is out to get him”. Even fellow NFL players are weighing in on the issue. Chicago Bears safety Chris Harris, who tweeted Wednesday morning: “Man James Harrison is a GOON!”

The vitriol poured onto James Harrison seems out of place compared to ill-advised statements made by other athletes recently. During the 2011 NBA playoffs, Los Angeles Lakers star shooting guard Kobe Bryant was caught on camera shouting an anti-gay slur at one of the referees. Bryant later issued an statement apologizing and was issued a substantial fine of $100,000 by the NBA. Was the public disdain for Bryant lessoned because he isn’t considered a “dirty” player?

What of Harrison’s fellow teammate Rashard Mendenhall? After Osama Bin Laden was killed, Mendenhall responded to the surge of athletes expressing their happiness of his death with the tweet “What kind of person celebrates death? It’s amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We’ve only heard one side…” Mendenhall also went on to say controversial things about not knowing exactly what happened to the World Trade Center towers.

The media and public outcry was substantial but mostly accused Mendenhall of being ignorant and insensitive to those who lost people in the attacks. There weren’t any poles asking whether you “like” or “don’t like” Rashard Mendenhall on ESPN like there is for James Harrison. Is this because Mendenhall just receives hits rather than leveling them?

While James Harrison’s comments were obviously over the line, most people just want to criticize him without really understanding the man. In the Men’s Journal piece, the author, Paul Solotaroff, also talks about Harrison’s childhood problems. Harrison was the youngest of 14 kids. His mother raised him with “love and sternness” and taught him to “always come out swinging if someone bigger pushes you around.”

This attitude, not to step back from a fight from someone bigger, may be why 2010 was one of the best years of James Harrison’s career even with all the fines, dislike from fans, players and the media. It’s what motivates him to succeed. It’s why he hits like he does. And while he may not be the only athlete to say stupid things in the future, the big ole’ bully will surely be the most hated.

Arrington, M. (2008, August 5). The viral video guy gets $1 million in funding. Message posted to http://www.techcrunch.com
Solotaroff, P. (2011, July 13). James Harrison: Confessions of an NFL Hitman. Retrieved from

http://www.mensjournal.com/jamesharrison

Graziano, D. (2011, July 13). Harrison Shows Plaxico Lessons Not Learned. Retrieved from

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/41583/harrison-shows-plaxico-lessons-not-learned

Harris, C. (2011, July 13). Man James Harrison is a GOON! Twitter / ChrisHarrisNFL
Retrieved July 17, 2011 from

Man James Harrison is a GOON!

July 13, 2011 9:08 am via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@ChrisHarrisNFL

Chris Harris

Fox, A. (2011, July 13). James Harrison’s words dull his point.
Retrieved from

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6765621/nfl-james-harrison-reckless-words-dull-point

Schefter, A. (2010, October 25). James Harrison says he might retire.
Retrieved from

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5706748

Reilly, R. (2010, October 20). Don’t get me to the geek.
Retrieved from

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5706465

Klopman, M. Rashard Mendenhall Reacts To Osama Bin Laden’s Death: ‘What Kind Of Person Celebrates Death?’
Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/03/rashard-mendenhall-osama-bin-laden_n_856926.html

ESPN.com news services. Steelers plays rip new rule.
Retrieved from

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6586630

Associated Press. Kobe Bryant fined $100,000 for gay slur.
Retrieved from

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=6347283

I wrote a piece for Eleven in June about the Baltimore based indie rock/shoegaze duo Wye Oak. It went through a couple of edits before arriving at the version that was printed. I don’t like the printed version much, but I’ll eventually scan it for the portfolio. Here’s two different versions of the article, plus the interview I did with Wye Oak’s singer Jenn Wasner.

Jenn Wasner is the guitarist and vocalist for the dynamic Baltimore based slow-burning shoegaze meets some mumbled form of rock and roll duo Wye Oak. Author Frederick Buechner would say she “listens to her life” but she does so using what at first seems contradictory: her iPhone.

“[My iPhone] helps me to be productive and creative almost anywhere.” She says the inspirational muse strikes whenever she pleases and “if I wasn’t willing to use what I have at my disposal to adapt to reality, I would probably never successfully make anything.” The adaptation is obvious in the songwriting on Wye Oak’s latest from Merge Records, Civilian. 10 songs that feel like the onset of conflicting emotions that are still being worked out as each track’s seconds pass. Less like pop songs and more like pregnant moments written by one who’s listening intently to her life. Or at least her iPhone is.

————-

Wye Oak are difficult to categorize. They’re a duo consisting of vocalist and guitarist Jenn Wasner and multi-instrumentalist Andy Stack, who performs as the band’s entire rhythm section by simultaneously playing the drums and bass lines on keyboards.

The band combines spacey indie rock, jangly blues, slow-burning shoegaze into noisy walls of sound. Wasner’s vocals are soulful and soaring yet somehow still remain mumbled. In a lot of ways, Wye Oak aren’t dissimilar from the Baltimore city they hail: vibrant and eclectic yet hazy and difficult to define. Wasner says to them “music is sound. We work hard at constructing a mood and an atmosphere.”

The moods created on the 10 songs that comprise Civilian, Wye Oak’s latest from Merge Records, feel like conflicting emotions that are being actively worked through as each track’s seconds pass. Much like photographs without context yet pregnant with meaning.

————

Me: After reading a few other interviews, you have mentioned your creative process extremely benefiting from the addition of technology: namely your iPhone. I find this revelation very interesting in how contradictory it seems to be on the surface. Most anti-technologists are so because of the accusation that it is inherently distracting; it gets in the way of life; it turns the brain to mush. It seems to have worked the opposite for you at least in terms of songwriting. Do you find that technology freeing in the rest of your life?

Jenn Wasner: Absolutely. In my mind, most objections to innovation or new technological developments are based in fear. For the same reason, I resisted learning how to use my computer to make music for a long time. But now I’m making little electronic compositions constantly when I’m on tour, and it helps me to be productive and creative almost anywhere. The “ideal” situation for writing or recording music almost never presents itself, and if I wasn’t willing to use whatever devices I have at my disposal to adapt to reality, I would probably never successfully make anything.

Me: As a musician and guitarist myself, I tend to listen “music first” while lyrics, through no fault of their own, are almost always an afterthought. Often I’ll memorize the melodies to entire albums but with vowel sounds instead of the words and will have totally different emotional interpretations of songs counter to what the artist intended. Is that also true of your experience? Also, does that inform the choice to forego printing the lyrics in the packaging of Civilian?

Jenn Wasner: I’m so glad you brought this up. I get a lot of grief for not printing my lyrics in the album packaging or posting them online. I think people assume that this means I don’t take them seriously, which couldn’t be less true. I spend a great deal of time and take great care when writing lyrics; often it’s the first part of the song to take shape. Instead, my reasoning for this decision is twofold: first, I believe lyrics are meant to be heard, and not read. Sounds obvious, but it’s true. It’s all about the way the words sound when sung, not how they look on a page or when spoken aloud. Second, the ambiguity of a lyric that is slightly obscured is an effective and evocative weapon in a songwriter’s arsenal. It evokes a certain mood or mystery, and it allows the listener’s brain–either consciously or unconsciously–to fill in the blanks, and draw parallels to their own ideas or experiences. It’s happened to me with a lot of my favorite songs, and often I’ve been disappointed to find out that the original lyrics are different from how I’d imagined them.

Me: Similarly, I feel that asking someone what their lyrics mean is like asking what their tattoos mean. Both lyrics and tattoos are an artistic representation of deeply felt emotions and personal experiences that are usually abstruse (that is, if the writer or the tattooed have any depth). It feels lame to ask their meaning and also strangely personal to explain despite their being on display for anyone to see. Do you like explaining the meaning of your songs or does that make you feel awkward?

Jenn Wasner: Honestly, I can’t stand when people ask. Of course it’s incredibly personal, but also it goes back to my previous answer–it doesn’t matter what they meant to me when I wrote them. The whole point is–what do you think they mean, or what do they mean to you? It’s like cheating, or something…like, you’re missing the point, you know?
Also, It’s really funny that you should make the lyric/tattoo comparison. I got asked about one of my tattoos at the grocery store a few minutes ago…which is always uncomfortable, because I have to choose between being rude, or dropping some deeply personal existential angst on a random stranger while she rings up my groceries.

Me: Along the same lines, you have said before that you tend to write based on varying ideas and feelings and often the lyrics that are set to paper are made to fit certain sounds which, I think, is the biggest argument against defining Wye Oak as a “folk” band of any sort (besides the obvious musical differences). Folk music are stories set to song where the lyrics are priority but being a good storyteller doesn’t necessarily make you a good songwriter. Good music is about how the sound feels and when both the music and lyrics fit and coexist in a way that makes each better than they could be without the other. Would you agree with that and is this the balance Wye Oak attempts?

Jenn Wasner: I couldn’t agree more! I consider my lyrics very carefully, but music is SOUND. Writing songs is totally different from writing poetry or prose. We work hard at constructing a mood and an atmosphere, and lyrics are just one small part of that puzzle. It’s true that one of my favorite parts of the songwriting process is taking two parts– the gibberish vowel and consonant sounds of the melody that I’ve constructed and the idea of what I want to say–and then trying to figure out the words that fit in those blanks and work with both sides of the equation. It’s like a puzzle.

Me: One of my favorite authors is a novelist and pastor named Frederick Buechner who has said the most common and important theme running through his work is the phrase “listen to your life.” He goes on to say: “Pay attention to what happens to you. Pay attention to who you see. Pay attention to what you say, what they say. Pay attention to what the day feels like. Observe. That wonderful phrase, “religious observances,” means, among other things, just what it says. Observe religiously. Observe deeply. Don’t just get through your life, as all of us are inclined to do, on automatic pilot, not much noticing anything.” How important to you is “listening to your life” and how does it affect your songwriting?

Jenn Wasner: OK, this is getting odd. I have a very similar phrase that I use that, in my mind, means almost exactly the same thing. My mantra is: “Living is work”. And, no matter how you choose to say it, it couldn’t be more true! It’s impossible to create without a foundation of experiences that you can draw upon. Accumulating those experiences is an essential part of being a productive, creative person. Thus: living is work + listen to your life= life’s work!

Me: I’ve seen Wye Oak play live a few times (most recently at the Old Rock House in St. Louis, I was with the girl with the bicep tattoo of Maimonides you really liked) and I noticed you play a six-stringer made by Michigan’s finest Reverend Guitars (as well as a Tele). I had a housemate in college who really loved his Reverend but I knew of few else who had ever heard of the company. How did you hear of them and what do you like about yours?

Jenn Wasner: Oh, hi, I remember you and your friend with the awesome tattoo!

I absolutely love my Reverend. I found out about them from a friend who played one. They’re affordable, fun to play and sound amazing–they make their own pickups, and the humbuckers on the Jetstream that I have are loud and really warm. They’re great.

Me: Having seen y’all live I feel confident saying you’ve mastered the un-practicable ability of what I call “tuner banter.” I’ve seen plenty of bands and played in plenty myself that had their shows fly off the rails anytime tuning lasted longer than 5 seconds, and God forbid if alternate tunings where used. Always wanting to learn new ways to play the guitar, I’m curious what different tunings you use? I particularly want to know what “Holy, Holy, Holy” is in if that isn’t taking me too far behind the curtain.

Jenn Wasner: I wrote Holy, Holy– as well as a significant portion of the new record–in this tuning: (low to high) DGDGCD. Pretty standard open tuning, but that “C” throws a wrench in there. I tend to chord on the low end, and use the C and D at the top end as drone notes. Because–when we perform, at least–I have a lot of ground to cover with only one guitar, it’s really important to be able to use all of the strings of the guitar differently. For example, with Holy, Holy, I play the really driving chunky stuff on the lowest three strings, but I can intersperse bursts of sharp dissonance by incorporating all of the strings at once. /nerdery

Me: Civilian has quite a bit of neat effects going on especially with your guitar. I particularly like the delay used on “The Alter” and I’m curious if you’ve attempted that song live given that effect. Do you use many pedals to help beef up the sound given it’s just you and Andy on stage? If so, what is your favorite and why?

Jenn Wasner: Yeah, we play Alter at almost every show. I use a really basic delay setup- just a Boss DD-6. For the guitar solo on Alter I just crank the feedback on a pretty fast delay. I’m actually thinking about incorporating a second delay pedal, but haven’t yet. Which is silly. It’d be nice to have some variety–a really quick slapback delay combined with something a little longer, for example.
My favorite at the moment is probably my good old chorus pedal. Love the chorus pedal.

Me: Aside from my introduction to Baltimore via the Orioles and the Ravens (much to my chagrin when they beat my Giants in Super Bowl XXXV), most of my knowledge of the city is informed by 5 seasons of the greatest television series ever made: the Wire. The show mostly deals with the drug trade, so it is by far not meant to be taken as a snapshot of the entire city, however I do wonder how a native feels about that show being what many outside of the city characterize it to be?

Jenn Wasner: First of all– half of my family is from upstate NY, so I like the Giants, too. Sorry.

I’ve never met a resident of Baltimore City that didn’t love the Wire (assuming they’d seen it, of course). I think the show has helped our city be more open and honest about the difficulties we face, and, in my mind, that can only be an asset. Obviously the world depicted in The Wire is only a very small part of the whole, and I’d be hard pressed to name another major American city that doesn’t face similar struggles to some extent. I’ve watched the show over and over again, and the fact that I recognize the backdrop only makes me connect with it even more.

Me: St. Louis and Baltimore are the only two major US cities that suffer under a tax divide of city and county. At least in St. Louis, “the city” is often thought as much too dangerous for most normal folk but those of us that live in the city know it to be filled with people who are making sincere effort to make the city better through community service, community gardening, opening businesses, restaurants, creating street art and people have been moving back to the city as a result. Is this another way Baltimore is related to St. Louis?

Jenn Wasner: That certainly sounds like a similarity to me. It takes a certain kind of proud, optimistic, hardworking person to thrive under those conditions, and I like to surround myself with people that fit that description. Maybe that’s why I feel so connected to St Louis when I visit.

Me: Lastly, when will y’al come play St. Louis again!?

Jenn Wasner: Of course we’ll be back as soon as we get the opportunity. Probably in the fall!