Spare Notes

Matt O'Connor recently started a record label inspired by the need to help trans youth, creating Worry Beads Records' first release, a compilation of 18 different bands called True Names: A Benefit for Trans Youth. We talked about how we can create space to honor and support trans youth, while not only with fundraising, but also through the impact of literature and music. We also talked about lite...

I tracked down David Schellenberg after listening to the new record of his band Tunic, A Harmony of Loss Has Been Sung . Listening to the album was an intense experience and a pleasure for me. I liked listening to this record in my car the best, surrounded by the dark tones, the grief and pain in the lyrics, and the absolutely stunning composition of instruments, dragging me into the depths of thi...

In this interview, I hang out with Ian Kelly, a versatile rapper and storyteller from Oakland, California. We talk about community, the artist's evolution, intentionality, and of course, all of this involves music. As I’ve continued to talk to artists recently, I’ve noticed that there are certain things a few have in common in their growth. It’s part of being intentional and part of letting go. Th...

I recently reviewed Friedman's debut album, New Thing, in Post-Trash magazine. Knowing she had limited time because it was the week of the album's release, I came up with three questions that focused mainly on community and performance. This interview with my OLYMPUS Digital Voice Recorder VN-7200 was recorded over the phone, so it's fuzzy. To me, it feels like one of those voice memos on a Midwes...

In the early 2000s, I lived in Ypsilanti, Michigan, a few blocks away from Mark Paffi. Through friends of friends, I ended up going to these Wednesday night parties Paffi threw, hosting friends in the community. I remember meeting John Gaviglio there, and we were sitting on a couch. We talked about music, and he told me he was in a band named Bear vs. Shark. I was excited when he mentioned that on...