2015 — The Monarch Review — Page 7
Vinyl Revival
Wednesday, July 1, 2015 15:20 — 0 Comments
Below is a story that appeared in Alaska Beyond magazine in July 2015 Seattle resident Chris Darrell, also known as DJ absoluteMadman at area nightclubs, finds a certain Zen quality to the process of playing a vinyl record. There is taking the album out of the sleeve, cleaning it, placing it on the turntable and gently dropping the needle. He maintains that the mechanics of the operation put him at ease. “Listening to records calms me down,” he says. “My mom recently came by and dropped off a bunch of old records she picked up at an antique store, and […]
Pure Ups EP Release at Blue Moon
Wednesday, July 1, 2015 15:00 — 0 Comments
As their name suggests, Pure Ups incline to a sunny sound. Couch surf drums and aquatic bass lines evoke summer’s cold beer and lakeside daydreams. Cooing back-up vocals and shimmer-shatter guitars buoy Hedin’s slacker happy lyrics, which are lazy and urgent by turns, and full of amorous appeal and wistful knowing. But for all the love and longing that glows and shines here, there’s a sense of submerged melancholy, a kind of shadowy undercurrent from which these songs emerge so brightly. The light feels earned by darkness. All Flowing by Pure Ups Pure Ups release their new EP All Flowing at the […]
Meet Tim Tracey
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 11:16 — 0 Comments
“This is the second time I’ve ever been interviewed,†Tim Tracey tells me before going into a story about driving with friends around the U.S. post college. A local news station interviewed him about landing their van, which had to be abandoned, into a giant puddle. I’m sitting in the living room of Tim’s modest Greenwood home. Above us is a large banner that reads, “Great With Child But Longing For Stewed Prunes.†The floors are unswept – to be expected since Tim and his wife, Malka, recently had a baby, Bertram Boaz Buckwheat Tracey. Malka bounces the infant on […]
College and Beyond with Jamil Suleman
Wednesday, June 24, 2015 10:47 — 1 Comment
Jamil Suleman recently released a song lambasting the American college experience – how, despite having an impeccable academic record, he himself still had amazing trouble finding enough work to pay the bills. Jamil is bright fellow with a butter voice and an eye on social change. We had the chance to chat with the man about his inspiration for the tune and what he might say to a young person on the come up. What was the moment when you thought you had to write and record this song? I’d graduated college back in ‘07, and since then was in […]
Summer Jams with Adam Prairie
Tuesday, June 23, 2015 11:50 — 0 Comments
The Hoot Hoots have a lot of things planned for the summer – from a July 3rd Birthday Show at Connor Byrne to a set at Timber! I wanted to chat with Hoot Hoots frontman Adam Prairie to see what the band has in store for its fans.Â
Two Poems – Johnnie Lee Walters Jr. aka “Stackwell”
Monday, June 22, 2015 13:13 — 2 Comments
I Just Want 2 Be Remembered Time passes, making it hard Not 2 think of what could’ve been/ & as many have left my side… I can’t help but think of what would’ve been/ I Regret…But then, God shows me situations worse/ Making any Self-Pity Only work in reverse/ My “Experiance” Has become my Blessing and a Curse/ From Learning what NOT 2 do, Mostly by… Doing it ALL 1st/ & I’m HAPPY 2 be alive, But when my time comes for Passing/ I hope I’m Remembered 4 how I Gave without asking…/ Remembered 4 Laughing, sometimes 2 keep from […]
A Chat with STACKEDD’s Ma’Chell Duma LaVassar
Thursday, June 18, 2015 10:34 — 0 Comments
STACKEDD magazine is a new Seattle publication focusing on the triumphs of female-identifying persons, places and things. They are also in the midst of a fundraiser in the hopes of putting out a print version of their publication.  We had the chance to chat with “Editrix-In-Chief” Ma’Chell Duma LaVassar to talk about the magazine’s origin and who they want their audience to be.  Who was there and when was the moment STACKEDD was born? What was the aim at that second and inspiration? The idea for STACKEDD was born one afternoon over many tequila sodas at Horses Cut Shop (which would […]
A Moment with David Pierre-Louis
Tuesday, June 16, 2015 12:50 — 0 Comments
On June 25th, the historic Neptune Theater, as part of their Nights at the Neptune, will premier Kenbe Fem, a documentary about Seattle club owner David Pierre-Louis’s rebuilding efforts in his native home, Haiti, in the wake of the 2010 devastating earthquake that killed an estimated 250,000 people. The showing will include live music by Naomi Wachira and Black Stax. I had a chance to talk briefly with the film’s principle figure, who aims to create a thriving community center on his mother’s property in Haiti as a functioning institution and a symbol of what dedication and hard work can mean […]
DEFILING BATHSHEBA – Caleb Powell
Monday, June 15, 2015 11:21 — 0 Comments
“…But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.†Samuel II: Chapter 11 – Verse 27 Summer, 1985, I read the Bible, smoked pot, and discovered the tale of David. I also committed adultery. Love trumped the letter of the law. I finished high school that June. After a celebration, trashed on hard liquor and pot, I drove my parents’ 1977 Ford LTD station wagon into the trunk of a hemlock at the top of a cliff. Either the Lord or the tree saved my life. The damages: a broken arm, severe concussion, and a deep crimson scar that […]
Tinder Is Really Awkward When We Can’t All Be Humans Safely – Maggie MK Hess
Friday, June 12, 2015 12:21 — 0 Comments
This culture of violence against women that the world has been rocking for the last couple of millennia has a lot of downsides.
The answer isn't poetry, but rather language
- Richard Kenney
