on behalf of our friend
I swear I’ll be kind
try my best to be tidy (like he was)
and drink Lucky like it’s goin’ outta style
on behalf of our friend
I’m gonna live without fear
help out when I’m able (and then some)
and make the most of my years
P R O S E
Dear Sweet Readers,
Greetings from the cozy couch at my Brother’s house where in between words and the occasional tired sigh, (it’s good for you I’ve learned), I’m sporadically checking the baby cam watching my sweet nephew sleep. The winds blew in the cool air today, it’s only a little after seven and the darkness has arrived. The days have been warm but it may be time to turn the heat on this week. Fall is definitely here, and yes I’m a little late on this newsletter. But I’m reminded of that great phrase spoken from the mouth of the wise and honourable Gandalf, “A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.”
So here I am, arriving to you in your inbox, precisely when I am meant to be. The update? Cast free, playing guitar again (oh the joy), working a bit and tending to my daily yoga and creative practices. Pain is vibrant, and comes and goes, but there is a pretty good tool belt round my waist that helps when those moments arise.
The day my blue well-autographed cast came off, my dear friend Spencer and I celebrated tits out with Prosecco and a picnic for a day at Hanlan’s Beach - a historic queer and clothing-optional paradise on the east side of the Toronto islands. It was perfect, the water calm, amazing temperature, good neighbours and not too crowded. I will never forget this day, because it is also the day I found out a very good friend of mine had passed away suddenly. “I am sorry to be the one to tell you this…” said my dear friend way across the other side of the country in Bamfield, BC - a little town I called home for a few yers. And a little town I am still “welcome home”'‘d to when I return.
I’m grateful I was not working that week for the waves of deep sadness that knocked my off my feet were unlike anything I have ever experienced before. And even now, tearing as I write this, I know though maybe smaller and smaller over time, those waves will never go away. I’ve heard when we lose people suddenly, it’s because the spirit world needs more good ones up there. I reached out to friends who were able to talk to me about their own experiences and perspectives on death. We have to. I’m grateful I had the time to process and just be sad. It felt so disorienting to be in two places at once - my body here in the great city, my head and heart at the edge of turtle island in a village by the sea.
I also believe, that when someone passes, and they meant a lot to us, or influenced us, or we simply loved them - it is our solemn duty as the living to carry on their outstanding qualities. Take the torch so to speak. My dear Justin, we miss you so much. I swear to you I shall live on with kindness, with my best helping hands, and as a safe harbour for others - and always an excellent cook. Your tidiness is something I’ll need to work harder to emulate.
on behalf of our friend, all of my love x.
S H O W S + S O N G S
11.20.24 | Drom Taberna, Toronto
12.01.24 | The Tranzac, Toronto
As the days get colder and the nights get long…
M U S I C
F E A T U R E D F R I E N D
Marek Tyler
Where are you?
Currently driving home just past Lloydminster, Saskatoon back to Edmonton after playing and presenting at the Break Out West conference.
What'd you have for breakfast?
Oh Nelly, the hotel classic - fruit, yogurt, couple of boiled eggs with salt, some sort of pastry treat, and multiple cups of coffee
What are you up to today?
This morning I hung out at my sister's house celebrating my niece's birthday, had lunch with my mom, and now I am driving back home. Listening to the play-by-play of an Oilers pre-season game.
What in your life are you most grateful for right now?
My 23 -year relationship with my wife, support from my family and Community, and my job to play music, and that I am able to walk the dogs
What have you got on the go artistically at the moment?
ASKO: Just released a debut album on Dine Alone Records. It took 4 years to get to today. It all started during the pandemic. As a drummer, my job was to hang out with my friends in the basement and help write and arrange songs. Now that we couldn't do that, I didn't know what to do. Earlier, my manager at the time recommended that I document my mom's protocols in contemporary Art. Specifically how we culturally work, create, collaborate, and share our art. Art. My mom recommended we listen to some archive recordings of my great-great-grandfather. We needed extra help translating because the language, the Cree he spoke, was high-Cree. A version of Cree that is not really spoken anymore. We've translated some of what he had said, identified some of the teachings, and I created songs based on those as offerings back to him. We documented the entire process. We are sharing what we learned, as a presentation of findings, but it just happens to be electronic forward, with a lot of drums and a low end interactive visual show.
Wayfinding: We just finished mixing and mastering our debut full length. In that band is Ryan Beattie (Himalayan Bear, Frog Eyes, Ashley Shadow, Kathryn Calder), Matthew Cardinal (nêhiyawak), Cassia Hardy (Wares). Pretty excited about that album. It sounds luscious due to long-time collaboratorating producer, Colin Stewart (The Creative Hive).
Orange Shirt: Collaborated on a orange shirt designed with the mighty and amazing Joi T. Arcand. She is a leading contemporary nêhiyaw (Cree) artist. Her work has been celebrated from the National Art gallery, the Edmonton public Library to the Banff center of the Arts. All of the proceeds from the T-shirt sale go to the the nêhiyawak language experience
Radio: I have radio show on CKUA, hear it Alberta. It is a creative space for me to curate an hour of listening to indigenous music from around the world. There's other radio stuff but there's something about ckua's Community Vibe. I really like it.
If I passed you an instrument, what song would you play us right now?/
I'm working on my family's round dance songs right now so I would try and play you one of those I guess. Mostly straight songs or songs that don't have lyrics but are based entirely on Melody. Yeah, something like that.
What's been on repeat on your record player/streamer/tape deck/CD player/ et al.?
I have been listening to Leikelli47, little simz, Beyoncé and Nick Cave' newest, oh.... and Joe Rainey
If we want to find your work, where can we go?
All the links you could ever need are HERE
G O O D O C E A N N E W S
Octopuses work together with fish to hunt – and the way they share decisions is surprisingly complex
The fish were responsible for exploring the environment and deciding where to move, while the octopus would decide if and when to move. Interestingly, controlled experiments showed the octopuses were guided by social information provided by the fishes.
S A S S T R O L O G Y
with Bonbon DiSpencer
Here are three words to ponder this month, dearest zodiac readers.
Libra: Luxuriate. Meditate. Alleviate.
Scorpio: Sensuality. Ambiguity. Subtlety.
Sagittarius: Mischievousness. Ridiculousness. Wickedness.
Capricorn: Organize. Synthesize. Recognize.
Aquarius: Photosynthesis. Metamorphosis. Hypothesize.
Pisces: Procreate. Abdicate. Relocate.
Aries: Supersize. Capitalize. Rationalize.
Taurus: Grounding. Binging. Singing.
Gemini: Examine. Fashion. Passion.
Cancer: Wallow. Follow. Swallow.
Leo: Stretch. Fetch. Sketch.
Virgo: Grow. Flow. Sow.
Stay tuned in & turned on
and tell your people you love them
x.o.
Love
S.O.