Back from the Stygian Depths
NX LONELY HEARTS
Hey friends,
This morning I woke up to an excellent newsletter from my friend John Schork. His writing was a dive into the 1995 cult-classic movie Hackers and a meditation on the failure of technology in once-promised futures. It reminded me that I: a) love reading my friends' & respected folks' thoughts in a longer form than social media allows, and b) have my own newsletter with an audience of friends, to which I should likely pay some attention.
Let me catch up you on the big news:
THE HELLFISH ARE BACK
YEAH THAT'S RIGHT!
For the first time since March 2020, I am able to co-host new radio episodes of THE HELLFISH with my favorite DJ in the world, El Muntz. We've overcome geographical distance and a host of technical problems to FINALLY be able to bring you new episodes of a program we are calling RADIO FREE HELLFISH. We are grateful to AM 420 KRFH for hosting our show, and we are ecstatic to be freed from the prudish constraints of terrestrial radio and the draconian FCC. In short, expect to hear lots of swear words in addition to our masterful blend of music and hilarious conversational meanderings.
EPISODE 1 
THE HELLFISH // Back from the Dead
ALIAH SHEFFIELD // "EARTH IS GHETTO"
BARBARA LEWIS // "HELLO STRANGER"
BERNARD WRIGHT // "HABOGLABOTRIBIN'"
KANYE WEST // "LATE"
PUSHA T // "DREAMIN OF THE PAST"
BILLY BOYO // "ONE SPLIFF A DAY"
DOOMSTARKS // "VICTORY LAPS"
ANT BANKS // "4 THA HUSTLAS [FT. T00 $SHORT, 2PAC, MC BREED, OTIS & SHUG]"
BETTY DAVIS // "YOUR MAMA WANTS YOU BACK"
LEE 'SCRATCH' PERRY // "THE LONGER WAY"
MADLIB // "THE NEW NORMAL"
MISSY "MISDEMEANOR" ELLIOTT // "SOCK IT 2 ME" (FEATURING DA BRAT)
THE CLASSICS // GOT TO BE COOL
THUNDERCAT // "FUNNY THING"
TONY ALLEN // "ELEWON PO [AKA TOO MANY PRISONERS]"
PUBLIC ENEMY // "CAN'T TRUSS IT"
EPISODE 2 
THE HELLFISH // DEAD SIGNALS
BLACK SHEEP // "THE CHOICE IS YOURS"
THE ISLEY BROTHERS // "FIGHT THE POWER"
PUBLIC ENEMY // "FIGHT THE POWER"
SONIC YOUTH // "KOOL THING [FT. CHUCK D]"
VIKTOR VAUGHN // "LET ME WATCH [FT. APANI B]"
CAMP LO // "PARK JOINT"
WAILING SOULS // "FIREHOUSE ROCK"
JOHN HOLT // "POLICE IN HELICOPTER"
WYNNE // "NATURE HEALS [PROD. SPINITCH]
CURREN$Y & THE ALCHEMIST // "THE TONIGHT SHOW"
UNEXPLAINED AERIAL PHENOMENON // "SNAKES [FT. CHESTER WATSON]"
LADY OF RAGE // "AFRO PUFFS (G-FUNK VERSION0 [FT. SNOOP DOGG]"
ARETHA FRANKLIN // "THINK"
BETTE DAVIS // "ANTI-LOVE SONG"
CHAKA KHAN // "A WOMAN IN A MAN'S WORLD"
DIGABLE PLANETS // "FEMME FATALE"
JANET JACKSON // "CONTROL"
JENNIFER LARA // "YOU'RE NO GOOD"
SYLFORD WALKER // "CHANT DOWN BABYLON"
LINVAL THOMPSON // "DREAD ARE THE CONTROLLER"
LESLEY GORE // "YOU DON'T OWN ME"
PSALM ONE // "BEAT THE DRUM [FT. DJ DQ]"
SCREAMING FEMALES // "END OF MY BLOODLINE (REMIX) [FT. SAMMUS & MOOR MOTHER]"
SOLANGE // "MAD [FT. LIL WAYNE]"
LAURYN HILL // "TO ZION"
A LITTLE SNEAK PEAK AT EPISODE 3 
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NEW LOGO ALERT 
One of my favorite graphic artists in the world, Casso Dinero, turned my dream into a reality with this logo.
I got so excited about it, I had custom 45 adapters made at this place in Europe.
Also got some sweet slipmats made up. Muntz & I have been brainstorming HELLFISH merch like crazy.
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DJ MIXES
I've been slacking on the mixes lately, having only posted one to my Mixcloud profile this calendar year. I made it back in January, when American Christofascists were attacking books in schools & public libraries, burning and banning them.
Mixcloud is switching over to a model more dependent on subscriptions from creators, which means I need to pay up to continue using the service. That will allow me to host more than 10 shows in my profile, and to take advantage of sweet features like unlimited hi-quality audio uploads and live-streaming with proper artist compensation and no threat of takedowns. I'm still considering my options, but for the most part I've really liked Mixcloud and it seems like a no-brainer to subscribe and use it more frequently.
the empty library
SIDE ONE
Qeese tha Gr8 // "Must Be Close"
The Silvertones // "When Knotty Come"
Kaytranada // "Intimidated [ft. H.E.R.]"
The Alchemist // "6 Five Heartbeats [ft. Vince Staples]"
Sir Nai // "Lunar Beam"
Yebba // "Louie Bag [ft. Smino"
Pink Siifu // "BACK’!"
Mach-Hommy // "Labou"
Tierra Whack // "Stand Up"
Richard Marks // "I’m With You Love"
SIDE TWO
Dijon // "Scratching"
RKHTY // "Lost One"
MIKE // "In My World"
Iame x Tapewürm // "Satyricon (Zeb’s Mix) [ft. Milc & Old Grape God]"
Earl Sweatshirt // "2010"
Claud Six & Apato // "Grocery Aisle"
Joan As Police Woman x Tony Allen x Dave Okumu // "Take Me To Your Leader"
Boldy James & The Alchemist // "No Laughing Matter"
Drakeo the Ruler // "Gorillas n Nuns"
Carroll Thompson // "Simply In Love"
Willie Nelson // "It’s Not Supposed To Be That Way"
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LIVE GIGS
My favorite personal DJ development of the year is the increasing frequency I've been playing music at Up North Surf Club. It's a hybrid beer bar & surf shop that opened on Killingsworth Ave. roughly the same time we moved to Portland in 2016. One of the earliest signs we were in the right place came after a miserable rainy day in November, post-Trump election. Ronda and I had been dejectedly walking the kids and the dog in the neighborhood, and as we walked by the shop, we noticed a gathering of people that included kids, dogs, and beer. I've been hooked on the spot since that first grateful pint, when the girls escaped the stroller & baby carrier, the dog was tied off to a picnic table, and my wife & I could sit down to have a proper rest.
The Up North in 2019.
I was finally able to set up a DJ night there back in March, and I've since been back to play records for a beer release event, for Halloween, and for private parties. The vibe there is IMMACULATE, with a friendly and laid-back audience that tips well and is very welcoming of new music that fits with my style. For my part, I've been trying to play a mix of music that isn't traditional surf music, with a bunch of white dudes playing endless liquid guitar lines.
DJ'ing lately has been great, as I've been challenged in lots of different dimensions. My favorite thing about Up North (and lots of my gigs lately) is that I'm providing my own sound system, which allows for lots of possible configurations based on the size of the room, the audience, and the purpose. Once in October I DJ'ed a set without a turntable, which is something I had never done before.
We hosted a block party in May as a fundraiser for the PTSA at the kids' school. Had to secure a weatherproof tent at the last possible moment.
Teaching the next generation of bemasked/beglassesed DJs at Either/Or this summer.
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EPHEMERA
My homie John Schork talked quite a bit in his aforementioned letter about transitions in social media, and I am definitely feeling the weird loss of my community from platforms that have made troubling changes.
In the spirit of sharing things I like to read, here are some newsletters I love:
Eric Isaacson from Mississippi writes a FINE letter; you gotta go to their website, scroll to the very bottom, and enter your e-mail address tho, it lives in your inbox, not online.
Tess Lynch writes LA Weather and she often nails my thoughts at the intersection of parenting and climate doom.
Katie Heidl writes BASKETBALL FEELINGS which offers the most humane, hilarious, and insightful
Dada Drummer Almanach by Damon Krukowski is a deep favorite, as the drummer for Galaxie 500 and Damon & Naomi devotes time to how we listen to music, how live music has been deeply affected by COVID, and how the streaming music economy is leaving musicians in the dust. He's been instrumental in my examination of my own ethics when it comes to how to be a music fan.
I don't typically get too hyped for podcasts, but I was very excited this year for Fresh Off the Spaceship, hosted by Larry Mizell, Jr. and Douglas Martin of KEXP. Meant as a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Black Constellation collective in Seattle, it tells the story of musicians and community whose paths intersected with Ish Butler of Shabazz Palaces.
Finally, I've been spending a bunch of time lately in my own head thinking about the nature of sound as we hear it, and the lengths folks will go to achieve some sort of idealized sonic perfection. First, there was this article written by Geoff Edgers in the Washington Post about audiophiles, the expensive gear they chase, and the futility of trying to find the "perfect" sound. It reinforced negative biases I have in regards to fancy stereo folks, namely that they care more about arguing and spending money on gear than they actually care about music.
The second article came from one of my favorite music writers of the last 20 years, Sasha Frere Jones. Evocatively titled Corner Club Cathedral Cocoon, it starts with the author's recent obsession with jazz kissas in Japan where customers sit and enjoy beverages and jazz records on super fancy sound systems, in relative quiet. This one has stayed with me for weeks.
Jos & Junk Brown, goofin' around in Glacier
Surf Missoula
My babies, in their natural summer habitat.
Got to work with & meet some super talented folks in Portland on a scripted video project put together by my old friend Ryan Feigh. L to R in this picture you have Me, Claud Six, Brill, blangblanglang, Sir Nai, Mat Randol, with YoungShirtMayne down in front. It was a crazy assembly of wits and skills, and I was in stitches trying to not break character for hours.
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Live Music: show at Speck's Records on Nov. 26th. Featuring AWESOME Portland artists Old Grape God, Kevin Nagel, Luvjonez, Kokio, and Omie, and hosted by Spinitch. I'll say that catching Omari Jazz's set at Speck's in October was a highlight of the year for me, with incredible sound and a super friendly audience. Always all-ages, always free.
Listening to: Milc & Televangel // Neutral Milc Motel
This fantastic review by Respect My Region's Taylor Hart provides a catchup on Portland rapper Milc and his most recent collaboration with producer Televangel.
Reading: The Despair of Monkeys and Other Trifles, Françoise Hardy's memoir.
So very French!
Watching: Still wrestling with the ethics of watching the World Cup in Qatar, still not caving in to Comcast to be able to watch local sports (Blazers, Mariners), and enjoying the fuck outta Reservation Dogs on FX.
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Until the next time, hopefully sooner than the last time,
DJ MR. MOM
North Portland, OR
November 22, 2022