#96: Tip Your Muses
Remember to thank those who inspire you. Reflection on a poetry open mic + new music for your listening pleasure.
Currently listening to: Stone In Focus by Aphex Twin
Hello, friend.
When you think of a muse, who or what comes to mind?
Muse: a person, force, or state of mind that serves as an inspiration for creative endeavors.
When I married Christine, I inscribed her wedding band with the words “Forever my muse” to remind her that she will always be the foremost inspiration in my world. When I look at her, I see a multiverse of possibility and the inexplicable, indescribable beauty of our shared existence, which I feel compelled to attempt to describe in my search for some sort of halfway-satisfying explanation as to why we are here.
Christine has been the inspiration for much of my creative work, but especially my poetry and music. Last September, I shared a poem that I wrote several years ago—Moonlight Bounce, I called it. It’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever written. I even recorded a demo of it. If you missed it, you can check it out below.
Last night, I recited Moonlight Bounce at a literary open mic night in front of a packed room of other poets. It was my first time really performing spoken word like this in front of a crowd.
As I took the low stage, my palms were coated in sweat. I introduced myself and my book, then got a cheer for being a first-time reader and a new resident of the town where this event was taking place. I squinted in the spotlights—I’m not sure whether it’s cruel or kind the way stage lighting turns most of the audience into silhouettes. My voice quivering slightly, I began.
And then I was thanking the crowd and shouting out Christine amid the applause. It happened so fast. As I walked back through the crowd to our spot in the audience, a few people shared kind words of encouragement as I passed them. Breath filled my lungs, the weight of public performance now removed from my chest.
I took a moment between speakers to think back on all the poets who had stood up there before me. When I had arrived at the event a couple hours earlier, I was actually the first person to sign up to speak… on the “if there’s time” list. The basket of entries was already full. The room was far more populated than I had anticipated.
I had spent the next couple of hours before my turn—which was far from guaranteed—trying my best to listen and process everyone else’s work. It was like going last for a school presentation, when your mind can’t help but wander back to your own words and how you might say them, how you might get up there and introduce yourself, how people might react.
Along the way, though, I was able to deeply enjoy hearing from all the other readers. There were short poems and long poems. Some had strict rhymes and meter, while others were more free-flowing and prose-like. Some read from books they had published, while others read off of their phones or notebooks. One or two recited from memory, like I wound up doing. It was an incredibly moving night.
At the end of the event, one of the organizers reminded everyone: “Tip your baristas!” (This was at a great local coffee shop.) I exchanged words and books with a few folks. Someone actually paid me for one of my books. I was invited to a weekly poetry circle on Tuesdays. I met a couple of fellow Democratic Socialists who I’d be seeing again in a different context next week.
This sudden community was stoking something within me—an urge to write more poetry—which had already been gaining fuel over the last week or two. Maybe it was this now hometown of mine, with it’s classic American Main Street that hosts tens of small businesses, many of which frequently hold free events like this open mic. I have never really lived centrally in a small town like this—one with such an emphasis on community, art, and shared belonging.
As Christine and I left the shop and ambled up the street to our hilltop home, I thought of the organizers words. Please, tip your baristas, those reliable accomplices who lovingly pour a heart of half-and-half into your latte or steep a pot of green tea to get you through whatever it is your going through—the morning slog, the sleepy afternoon, or the title bout against a blank page.
My mind went to my muse walking beside me. The girl who supported me in venturing down the hill to read my words in public, who was the reason I was able to be vulnerable around strangers, who is the only reason much of my creative work exists as it does.
It is now the next morning, 8 AM, and I just finished making pancakes on the griddle, including a half-dozen with chocolate chips and one with Mickey Mouse ears. I sprinkled powdered sugar over the buttered discs of golden dough, then served them to my muse with a cup of cold brew.
Tip your muses, friend.
The Living Music List
Hello again, friend. I hope you enjoyed today’s reflection—and I hope you can find muses in your life. Remember, they don’t need to be a person, and they can come from within you. Whatever or whoever they are, thank them, nurture them, and you will be rewarded.
Now, let’s tune into some new music that is sure to inspire us.
Happy listening.
Wildwood Trail Soundwalk by Chad Crouch (album / field recordings, contemporary classical) [Independent]
It’s easy to see nature as maximalist—it’s everything around us, right? But this newsletter was founded on the idea of listening for the little things in the noise, the hum, buzz, and hiss. It seems to me that Chad Crouch is a master of this minimalist approach, walking the trails in his home state of Oregon and hearing the soft elements of the environment around him. The whistling birdsong, the subtle blow of the wind, the rustling of leaves. All of nature in bloom, but quietly, peacefully, leaving plenty of space. Crouch placed his recordings of this environment into conversation with classical-inspired instrumental music—smooth woodwinds, washes of electronic textures, processed guitars. It’s an entire 12-part harmonic suite in G major, and all 41 minutes flow past you like a calm creek teeming with life just below the surface.
P.S. You can hear more lovely soundwalks and read his reflections about them on his Substack, Soundwalk.
Of Modern Poetry by Andy Stermer (album / electroacoustic, drone) [Independent]
Pairing perfectly with last night’s poetry read is this record of cinematic ambient works by Miami-based artist Andy Stermer. I’m a believer in the proper timing of things, so I love that I finally caught up on my emails after the open mic to discover this debut album from Stermer which is, in a way, far from a debut—he has spent the last decade composing ambient music for a podcast called Interesting People Reading Poetry in which his works form the backdrop for poetry readings. Here on Of Modern Poetry, he shares 7 compositions inspired by 7 iconic poems from writers like Walt Whitman, Arthur Rimbaud, and Rainer Maria Rilke. I can’t wait to dig into past episodes of the podcast and sit with this album as I write more of my own stanzas.
Aunque llegue la mañana · Refracted by Various Artists (album / electronic, drone) [Noray Records]
A year ago, I mentioned how much I enjoyed Raúl Cantizano & David Cordero’s collaborative record, Aunque llegue la mañana. Cantizano’s flamenco guitar intertwined beautifully with Cordero’s spacey, textural electronics. Now, Cordero has invited some wonderful ambient artists to reimagine that record in their own unique ways. On Refracted, artists like Ian Hawgood, Rhucle, zake, and Warmth mold the original 11 tracks into new webs of ambient sound, taking care to keep the essence of the originals somewhat intact. It makes for a really fascinating experience listening to both the original album and Refracted, comparing all of the intricate novelties and differences. And what a lineup of modern ambient composers to have grouped together on one record!
Beyond our World by Fringo (single / space, contemporary classical) [Independent]
Keep all channels open. This is a lesson I’ve learned over the 2+ years of writing this newsletter, because great music can come from anywhere (it reminds me of “Anyone can cook!” from Ratatouille). I rarely use Reddit these days, but every once in a while, I’ll pop on there and see someone from r/ambientmusic has found my account in an old thread and DM’d me to share their work. I’m grateful that this artist, Fringo, took the step to do so, because I love how wistful and emotive this single is. With this help of its planetary cover art, it conjures up the feeling of a scene in a space opera, perhaps a love finally acknowledged or a moment of bitter loss after a heroic sacrifice. I’m reminded a bit of Vangelis’s BLADE RUNNER score when the chimes come in. I look forward to following along with Fringo’s work as it climbs through the atmosphere into the future.
On the Levee by Jaco Jaco (album / psych pop) [Independent]
As soon as I clicked play on this album, I was reminded of Unknown Mortal Orchestra (huge compliment in my world). Jacob Theriot, the Philly-based musician who plays here as Jaco Jaco, has a breathy, cooing voice that bears an uncanny similarity to UMO’s Ruban Nielson. However, this immediate comparison should not detract from the quality or uniqueness of this Jaco Jaco record. Theriot and his co-producer Chad Copelin have delivered a funky psych pop sound that is crisp, buttery, and frequently goosebump-inducing. Will almost surely be on repeat for me in the coming weeks.
Dream Beach by Cloudchord (album / surf rock) [Nettwerk]
Why pigeonhole yourself into one genre when you can play whatever you want? That’s clearly what multi-instrumentalist (but guitar specialist) Derek VanScoten thinks! While VanScoten primarily wades in the vibey waters of surf rock and chillhop, this new double-disc album proves his tastes are wide-ranging (if still sunny and tropical most of the time). The opener is a dance track sampling the late blues artist Reverend Gary Davis. There’s also flavors of flamenco, funk, and, yes, groovy chillhop. Fans of Khruangbin will find something to love on many of the instrumental tracks with their effortless approaches to melody through guitar licks, steady beats, and airy background vocals. There’s even a Nirvana cover (All Apologies). Dive into Dream Beach this weekend and enjoy the sun (if it’s not covered up by the smoke of these Canadian wildfires for my fellow North American friends).
All the Shine is Gone by Babbling April (EP / indie rock) [Independent]
I wish you could see the face I made as I banged my head along to the fast-paced opener of this EP from Washington, D.C. via L.A. outfit Babbling April. I also wish you could then see the face I made as I heard the second track come in much softer. The DIY bedroom production of these indie rock tracks, whether tender and yearning (Just Come Over) or driving and gritty (All the Shine Is Gone), makes these raw songs hit so much harder. There’s a lot of modern indie rock out there that’s become so clean and shiny—it’s nice to hear a band that sounds like a group of friends you’d hear playing to a bar of 20 people in your hometown. Ironically, Dave New, one half of Babbling April’s core duo along with Vivienne Machi, is from Maryland like me. Would love to catch this group at a small show in the near future!
Music List Reminders: Bandcamp links provided first when available—if an album is not on Bandcamp, then YouTube or other preview links are provided. List format: Title by Artist (release type / approximate genre or subgenres) [Label].
That’s all for this week’s issue. Thank you for reading. Until next time.
Your friend,
Melted Form
Read the previous issue of The Living Music List:
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Thanks for listening and thoughtfully including Wildwood Trail Soundwalk in the list, Spencer. And good on you for getting up in front of folks and sharing your poem!