leftovers

  it's been a few months now since the release of damn skippy baby , so i've had time to reflect and hear with new ears now that it's something that exists out in the world, and not just primarily in my imagination. when amy passed away in february, 2021 the only thing i could really do that made me feel less awful about the way everything had ended up was working on this project. i knew we had enough material left behind that we could finally finish what had basically been planned as shitting glitter's fourth album way back before our third album was even finished. some of these songs existing in demo form, some posted to our myspace page as a series of holiday-themed tunes, one in the soundtrack of a short indie film, and some that had just been emailed around. here is some behind the scenes 'tea' on each song, for anyone who harbors curiosity about these songs which have taken many years to finally see the light of (streaming) day. microscope this was the mos...

When I was a kid growing up on a farm outside of a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, we had MTV. This portal into all things "cool" and "happening" was my lifeline. One of my favorite bands I discovered on the music network was an Icelandic group called the Sugarcubes, and while their lead singer Bjork eventually became a world-famous superstar as a solo artist, it was the band's adorable keyboard player Magga who I was most obsessed with. I even tried calling her on the phone one time, but unfortunately had chosen the wrong option of the two numbers I received by calling the Icelandic directory assistance. However, years later when the Internet arrived, I was able to somehow track down her email address and surprisingly, she wrote me back! I'm sure I have a copy of her response to my ramblings of teenage obsession printed and saved somewhere but essentially she said that I must have "had good taste for a child, but eventually we all grow up."  N...

It's my 15th Annual Top 10 Songs Countdown here on my otherwise pretty dormant blog! This was a year of huge change for me. The year started with a big focus on my work. Two years of the pandemic, with lots of isolation and uncertainty had taken a toll and it seemed like the time was right to start looking for change. I had a couple of big milestones in this pursuit, traveling to New York City in May to complete a leadership program that had begun just weeks after the initial Covid-19 lockdown. In June I attended a conference in Reno where I told anyone who was listening that I was looking for a new job, and on the last day of the conference I had my first, virtual, interview with a company I was very interested in working for. The day before my birthday, I took an hour-long flight for an in-person interview, and before I got on the plane back home, I was offered the job. By mid-July, I had already moved six hours north of Los Angeles to the state capital, Sacramento, although it w...

For those of you who aren't familiar, Heaven 17 is a British synth-pop group that had success in the early 80's; members included two of the founders of another famous British synth-pop band, The Human League. Those who know me, my love for early 80's new-wave and synth-pop often mistakenly assume that I like any and all bands that fall into this category. Those who know me well know that this is not true! While I've come to appreciate and even like certain parts of their catalogs, bands like Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Soft Cell and New Order just haven't really appealed to me. My relationship with Heaven 17 has been even more complicated. As a lifelong Human League devotee, I have always been aware of Heaven 17, although their music was never as prevalent in the US as songs like "Don't You Want Me," "(Keep Feeling) Fascination," and "Human." In fact, for years, I only knew who Heaven 17 was but hadn't really heard any of thei...

Even though a lot of terrible things happened to a lot of people this year, I personally can't complain too much as I had a good year despite some major heartbreaks. The loss of my aunt Mary, and my collaborator Amy Crosby, were both extremely sad moments this past year. My hometown of Paradise, Kansas, suffered terrible floods in the spring, and then just a couple of weeks ago, catastrophic wildfires that destroyed many peoples' homes and livelihood. My ancestral home, the Stielow/Strecker farmstead, was one of the places decimated by fire. We had just all visited it following the celebration of life for my aunt Mary back in July. Having said all that, I had many great moments this year, if things were different due to the continuing pandemic. I got to spend time with my parents, niece and nephew several times throughout the year, including a great Thanksgiving trip together to Newport Coast. I was able to make it to the 4th annual Paradise Fall Festival to see my uncle Ronnie...