Nova Ahead 9

There is something very calming and steadying to me about setting up and breaking down. It dawned on me recently that most of the things I really enjoy involve these processes, and that if you view the world through this lens, maybe it’s a very basic human necessity. When I was a kid, I was into GI Joes, the ¾ size action figures from the ‘80s that corresponded to the cartoon and comic books; ninjas, weirdly outfitted villains, military heroes with a bit more of a personal flair; it doesn’t make a lick of sense looking back on it, but I loved the order of it all. My cousin and I would come up with all kinds of stories that were more akin to soap operas than to battle plans, but really the best part was getting them ready. I kept mine in a paper bag, and would dump them all out, and then one at a time, get their weapons and accessories on, pose them in a combat-ready position, and move on to the next one. Eventually, they’d all be ready to go, prepared for whatever crazy drama was coming, but by then I was finished, so I put them all back in the bag. I always thought that was funny, like more of an anomaly, but now I can see that it was much more indicative of how I would do things in the future. Once I started playing music, there was a similar vibe: set up all of the equipment, make sure it is functioning properly, positioned in the way that is the most visually satisfying, use the equipment, then put everything away: orderly; calming. 

I can’t remember when or how it happened exactly, but around 1994 I began renting a pa system from Fiddler’s Choice, when they were located in downtown Jaffrey. I got a board, two mains, monitors, a snake, cables, mics, and stands, all for an extremely reasonable price; my folks must have signed off on it because I cannot imagine a business would just let a kid take all of that stuff. These connections to process and organization dawned on me while setting up and breaking down the live stream concert we put on last Friday; the exhilaration I feel in running cables and making sure all of the connections are correct is the inhalation, and then wrapping things up, returning the space to how it was when we began, is the exhaling; it’s a completion, it’s how I breathe. So that’s what I do for work, and I feel extremely lucky to derive so much satisfaction from it, and what do you suppose I did on the weekend? Well yesterday, I set up a tent, ran power to it for a television, and broadcast six hours of playoff football, all while building and maintaining a pair of fires: one for warmth and one for cooking. I took it all down in the dark, all the while looking forward to doing it again in the near future. Seems kind of like an unending task, which could seem overwhelming or even pointless, but the fact that there will always be something to set up and something to break down gives me solace especially in the wild times we are living in now.

I know, I know, it’s more weird nostalgia, focused purely on my own experience; but people, I think that there must be something valuable in there. My mistakes and idiosyncrasies are at the very least entertaining, but some may also warn you from, or maybe entice you toward, a journey of discovery, or even a deep dive into strange music. But also, just in writing these I am finding a way into my own brain; sometimes we may not think that there is information within our brains that we are not privy to; I contend that there is. Writing and listening are our best means of digging around inside of ourselves, and then communicating what we find, and those uncovered gems are how we time travel, reaching from coast to coast as easily as touching foreheads. But, I’m rambling. When this comes out we’ll be getting ready to host Jordan Holtz at the space, and next week, Jentri Jollimore and this weird beard who goes by the name Footings will be playing sets and then in conversation after the music. That show will be raising money for Southwestern Community Services’ Senior Energy Assistance Program, so do tune in and donate if you can; the artists will have merch bundles available as well. And since I was so all over the place today, I’m going to leave you with a blast of recommendation fury:

Milton Nascimento - Clube de Esquina Marion Brown - Three for Shepp Karen Dalton - It’s So Hard to Know Who’s Going to Love You the Best Sunn 0))) & Boris - Altar

That ought to keep you busy until next time; thanks for being here.