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New Orleans is a Good City

New Orleans is a good city to cry in, I guess. It’s messed up and overflowing, like I am right now. I don’t like to cry in front of people – or at all – but walking my dog at sunset starts me thinking. Or feeling. Or whatever it is that makes tears flow. And I don’t really see anybody but Hubert, the neighbor with thirteen kids who always waves and tells me that he loves me and god blesses me. Nice things to say to a crying person.

I was amazed that there is still a moon, that snow falls, that birds are still pretty without Vic. ‘Cause they are. Sort of extra pretty, even. But I was right to be amazed. I know that the guy I see through a second story window, pouring cereal for dinner under fluorescent lights, thinks that’s what he’s doing, but I know better. This world is pretend.

People at the funeral told me I’d start talking to him and I have, but really, I never stopped talking to him. I can’t call him anymore, though, so my lips just start moving. Not to give him shit, which is what people said my lips would do. Just to clarify. To replay and articulate, to fix every misunderstanding and explain every confusing thing I ever did or said. I wish I’d spelled everything out on my goddamn forehead when I had the chance, ’cause clarity is everything. But then, so is music and we had plenty of that.

And we still do. Music is still bewitching, even in this pretend world without a Vic in it. And the moon in Athens was blue as it raced across the sky (can Vic move the moon now?), the snow in New England was breathtaking, miraculous, and there are perfect birds everywhere. Everything sparkles.

—

Over the past few months, there have been several wonderful events held in tribute to my late friend Vic Chesnutt. I haven’t been able to bring myself to attend any of them.

I was lucky enough to play a lot of shows with Vic over the years, though, and here are two songs from one of my favorites. That night we sat there, side by side trading songs for a couple of hours that felt like a couple of minutes. With no preparation, Vic decided to play piano. Just because there was one on-stage. What the hell? So, so beautiful.

Mine: Hungry
[audio:https://www.kristinhersh.com/wp-content/uploads/Hungry.mp3]
Vic’s: I’m Through (which he was calling “Pepe Lopez” at that time)
[audio:https://www.kristinhersh.com/wp-content/uploads/I’m Through.mp3]

This was the last time I saw Vic - photo: Chris Owyoung

Welcome…

Welcome to a work in progress. As you can see, we’ve made some significant changes to the site, thanks to Jesse von Doom and Tine Hughes. Over the coming weeks and months, the new site will continue to evolve. Thanks for being here – and stay tuned.

Please note Kristin’s new CASH Music project: a series of acoustic demos for a new Throwing Muses record. More info here.

As most of you know, “Crooked” CDs are imminent. Strange Angels will begin receiving theirs well ahead of the June 11 release date. You may be wondering why we’ve pushed that release date so far into 2010 – well, this is why:

In the UK, we’ve opted to do something very different with the [Read more…] about Welcome…

Milan

More than one night up all night with a song and I sorta lose patience. ‘Cause the kids still get up every morning and the pancakes aren’t gonna make themselves and blinking sandpaper eyelids is distracting, to say the least. Then the song loses patience with me , thinking I’m never gonna get it right, and starts playing louder [Read more…] about Milan

Sunray Venus

The band I started when I was fourteen, Throwing Muses, never broke up. We never suffered “creative differences,” we didn’t get complacent and sucky; we’ve always adored each other and were driven to play good music together. But touring and recording both cost money and don’t always make enough to pay the bills, so eventually, we could no longer afford to work. Happily or sadly, we were at the top of our game when we made the decision to stop.

Songs don’t care how much studio time you can afford, though; they just keep singing themselves at you. And I know a Muses song when I hear it: intricate and dynamic, they’re easy to spot. When one came to me, I would learn it and then put it away. The Muses songs I’ve collected over the years had nowhere to go, so they just sat–on demos, in notebooks, in my head. There are dozens of them. Sometimes, I’d play them solo, but I knew better…they needed to be in the Muses’ hands. I just didn’t believe that was an option.

Now with the help of CASH and my Strange Angels, it looks like the Muses may work again. We’re certainly willing — breathless with anticipation, actually — and the songs are just as vital as I remember them. If this band that never belonged in the music industry could finally make music without the industry, it’d be a real coup. Bernie and Dave are hearing these songs for the first time here, when they’re posted and will be working out their parts long distance, Bernie in Seattle and Dave in Rhode Island. I’m in New Orleans, of course, so we definitely have some details to iron out, but for now, we’re just thrilled to be thrilled again. There’s nothing we love more than working.

This song, “Sunray Venus,” is the first in a series of demos that the band will be hearing, playing along with, tearing apart, etc. We can’t wait to throw it up in the air and let it come crashing back down again, falling into place as the dust settles. We love that.

Even at fourteen, we knew that striving for success in music was inherently tragic, as success in the music industry was, for the most part, ugly and devoid of substance. We still wanted to play for people, though, so we did. Our shows were crazy, magic parties where the listeners played as big a role as the musicians. Music happens between people. We never forgot that.

So here we are again, amazed by the power of listeners, making music happen between us. Thank you.

Love,

Kristin

P.S. — As usual, please share this music — keeping in mind that theses ARE only demos. Repost these songs, use ’em in podcasts or torrent them. Help us tell the story of what’s happening here. This is going to be a more comprehensive project and we need all the help we can get to spread the word. Strange Angel subscriptions will help ensure that the Muses project is brought to fruition.

Find this song and all my recent work, in multiple formats – including lossless, free for download on my CASH Music pages. Information on how you can support the creation and distribution of this music by becoming a subscriber is here.

Mississippi Kite (Master)

Now that my new record, “Crooked,” is recorded, mixed and mastered, we’re re-launching my CASH page, compiling the two series of songs I’ve released via CASHMusic.org, along with lyrics, essays, artwork and stems. If you’re a Strange Angel subscriber, check your subscriber page for more, including details on the release plans for “Crooked” — and check back from time to time, because a few surprises will be showing up in the next couple of weeks, along with some pretty exciting news coming soon. Until then, here’s the first track from the new record fresh from mastering: “Mississippi Kite.”

Love,
Kristin