WARNING-LONG POST AHEAD!
Sometimes, when you HAVE to write to industry people to try and get them to come see your little show, you have fun with it.
Only the Good Die Weird/Rock vs The Victory Culture
Hi (name withheld),
My name is J.T. Martin. I am the singer/flautist for the band Chasca. I believe Ray Flowers has tried to hustle you into coming out to one of our shows in the past. You may remember Ray from his work with the americana band, Slow Train. Now he is working for us. He’s a real humdinger-that Ray; a rare combination of coiled bravado and unctuous charm. We’re glad to have him hustling on our behalf. He believes, and I concur, that were you to come to a Chasca show you would find yourself livid with enthusiasm for the project. At the very least, you would be entertained; potentially to the very threshold of delight. So, with great elan, I would like to extend to you a very personal invitation to the Chasca CD release show at The Mohawk on Thursday, June 25th. We play at midnight.
Now, it could be that we aren’t-won’t-and never will be your “thing.” I can dig that. We all labor under the close-grained and sometimes harsh vagaries of, “personal taste.” That said; I would presume, here, to appeal to your sense of adventure and encourage you to “roll the bones” with respect to attending the show on June 25th. Even if you were to find our act charmless and remain unmoved by our brio, I think it would give you tremendous joy-at the deepest level-to observe the capacity of rock-n-roll to generate both cheeky passion and perfect spiritual laughter at the basement levels of the 21st century music industry.
I so appreciate you taking the time to read these gibbering sentiments. And I hate to lay this kind of self-serving hustle on you. However, I’m afraid that’s the nature of the dance for those of us unlucky enough to have to feed on the margins of the victory culture. And I wouldn’t be doing my job-in the most superstential use of the term-if I didn’t at least try and make a connection with you. So, again, thanks for your forbearance here.
In closing, if you do decide to attend the Chasca show on June 25th at The Mohawk, please let me know and I will put you on the guest list with vigorous relish. These are weird days indeed, (name withheld). Sometimes it makes me weep to think that the Wal*Mart tyranny of the age may indeed be absolute. These are weird days and yet it’s no world for the weird any longer. And in a world where only the weird are truly free, we need all the kinky radiance we can get. That’s why it’s a good thing, no matter what the outcome of this communication is, that you and I have encountered each other here-at the human level- where for a brief moment the world is not filtered, ‘through a glass darkly.’ For a brief moment, the machinery of our industry is a little less loud.
Much Respect,
J.T. Martin & Chasca