The Innocence Mission: IMAGE Essay + the VHS Tape We Sent the Band
My latest essay, “The Flowering Dark,” is now available to read on IMAGE Journal’s “Good Letters” blog. Read it here. The essay looks at Lent through the lens of the Innocence Mission’s Birds of My Neighborhood LP, or at least how this record impacted a solemn season of my own life. At the end of...
Download CTJ’s Free 35-Song Anthology: “Source Materials & Sorcerer Materials”
DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM HERE, OR USE THE WIDGET ON THE SIDEBAR! A hearty thanks to the following people for inspiring me to assemble this musical madness: Ben Chlapek, for making a mix of only my songs for his friends a few months back, even if it meant they might all (Gasp!) unfriend him on Facebook....
An Open Letter to Everett True: 5 Songs from the Boy Who Listened to “Nerdvana”
Dear Everett, I grew up in an alternate dimension where Nirvana didn’t exist. (That’s the introductory hook that’s supposed to make you want to read this, of course, since you are arguably the universe’s foremost authority on Kurt Cobain and Co.) Now for something less striking (although I will return to this alternate dimension blather...
Mark Van Dyk (Virtual 7″): “My Stupid Heart” FREE MP3
My cousin Mark Van Dyk is releasing a virtual 7″ on my site today, although he does not know it. I am just releasing it for him, stealing it out from underneath him like a true record company mogul. It’s called “My Stupid Heart,” and it’s a lovely, wintry song. The best thing I have...
“A Light Goes On”: A FREE Holiday Art + Music Compilation for the Naughty & Nice
My friend Sam Billen has orchestrated yet another fantastic holiday project this year. It’s called “A Light Goes On,” and it is a synthesis of art and music that pairs musicians’ Christmas songs with visuals that likewise celebrate the festive season. It features works by the ever whimsical and wonderful Half-Handed Cloud, Japan’s The Tenniscoats,...
Christmas Chrome: Audio of CTJ & His Sister Alyssa at Ages 6 and 2, Respectively
If you really follow my blog (I don’t, but you might), you’ll know I ran this exactly a year ago today. But I figure a rerun is acceptable on occasions such as these, when new parenthood has left my eyes bloodshot, my brain beleaguered, my hair prematurely gray. I exaggerate: Baby Evie is a delight....
There is a (Christmas) Light That Never Goes Out (i.e. If Morrissey Were Santa Claus)
Lawrence’s own Mr. Sam Billen, whose excellent music can be downloaded here (some for free, some for next to nothing), is spearheading a project for the 2011 holiday season. He has invited me and Kansas City boy wonder Danny J. Gibson both to create art for it, and I have agreed to do so, even...
Rubblebucket Tours for “Omega La La” LP, Sings Omega Lullabye for Evie
I was already off work this week, attempting to help the wife keep our almost 3-week-old daughter from sabotaging sanity and sleep alike, but it was Rubblebucket that really made my week. It’s one thing to take perverse joy in the knowledge that your coworkers are handling all the “TPS reports” without you, and another...
Now at Prime Parents Club: CTJ’s Retrospective Review of Let’s Active’s “Cypress”
My retrospective review of Let’s Active’s Cypress – one of my favorite records of all time – is available for reading at the Prime Parents Club Web site. I also had the supreme privilege of interviewing band frontman Mitch Easter this past week, and the dialog that resulted is here. We discuss the meaning of...
International DJG Day Coverage: Enough Content to Capsize the Continent
I hereby declare today to be International DJG (Danny J. Gibson) Day. If you are concerned that this day might somehow overshadow some other holiday no one celebrates, you are free to file a complaint with your Congressman. Go ahead, really. Because nothing is going to stop today from being International DJG Day. Tonight is Danny’s gallery...
(im)PRESS(ed?) for DJG’s Album/Exhibit
This is a big week for Danny J. Gibson. His show opens Friday in Kansas City, the two of us are going to be on NPR’s Kansas City affiliate, KCUR, and a feature on Danny is going to appear in The Pitch. It’s a mass media feeding frenzy, and Danny and I are the...
Now at Prime Parents Club: CTJ’s Review of Stephin Merritt’s “Obscurities” LP
Fresh out of my brain’s oven is my Prime Parent Club review of Stephin Merritt’s new B-sides compilation, Obscurities. Here’s an excerpt, and if you like what you read, click here to read the whole dad-blasted thing. I promise it’s fun! Stephin Merritt has a way of clinging to my brainstem as though it’s a...
A Radio Broadcast Featuring CTJ & DJG (Right-Click & Save Target)
Follow Me and Give Me Reason to Issue a Restraining Order