RARWRITER PUBLISHING GROUP PRESENTS

CREATIVE CULTURE JOURNAL

at www.RARWRITER.com      

--------------------"The best source on the web for what's real in arts and entertainment" ---------------------------

Volume 1-2016

MUSIC    BOOKS    FINE ARTS   FILM   THE WORLD

ARTIST NEWS    THIS EDITION   ABOUT   MUSIC   MUSIC REVIEWS  BOOKS  CINEMA   FASHION   FINE ARTS  FEATURES   SERIES  MEDIA  ESSAY  RESOURCES  WRITTEN ARTS POETRY  CONTACT  ARCHIVES  MUSIC LINKS

                                 

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Use this link to add your email address to the RARWRITER Publishing Group mailing list for updates on activities associated with the Creative Culture and Revolution Culture journals, and other RARWRITER Publishing Group interests.

 

ABOUT RAR: For those of you new to this site, "RAR" is Rick Alan Rice, the publisher of the RARWRITER Publishing Group websites. Use this link to visit the RAR music page, which features original music compositions and other.

Use this link to visit Rick Alan Rice's publications page, which features excerpts from novels and other.

RARADIO

(Click here)

Currently on RARadio:

"On to the Next One" by Jacqueline Van Bierk

"I See You Tiger" by Via Tania

"Lost the Plot" by Amoureux"

Bright Eyes, Black Soul" by The Lovers Key

"Cool Thing" by Sassparilla

"These Halls I Dwell" by Michael Butler

"St. Francis"by Tom Russell & Gretchen Peters, performance by Gretchen Peters and Barry Walsh; 

"Who Do You Love?"by Elizabeth Kay; 

"Rebirth"by Caterpillars; 

"Monica's Frock" by Signel-Z; 

"Natural Disasters" by Corey Landis; 

"1,000 Leather Tassels" by The Blank Tapes; 

"We Are All Stone" and "Those Machines" by Outer Minds; 

"Another Dream" by MMOSS; "Susannah" by Woolen Kits; 

Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and other dead celebrities / news by A SECRET PARTY;

"I Miss the Day" by My Secret Island,  

"Carriers of Light" by Brendan James;

"The Last Time" by Model Stranger;

"Last Call" by Jay;

"Darkness" by Leonard Cohen; 

"Sweetbread" by Simian Mobile Disco and "Keep You" fromActress off the Chronicle movie soundtrack; 

"Goodbye to Love" from October Dawn; 

Trouble in Mind 2011 label sampler; 

Black Box Revelation Live on Minnesota Public Radio;

Apteka "Striking Violet"; 

Mikal Cronin's "Apathy" and "Get Along";

Dana deChaby's progressive rock

 

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Rick Alan Rice (RAR) Literature Page

ATWOOD - "A Toiler's Weird Odyssey of Deliverance" -AVAILABLE NOW FOR KINDLE (INCLUDING KINDLE COMPUTER APPS) FROM AMAZON.COM. Use this link.

CCJ Publisher Rick Alan Rice dissects the building of America in a trilogy of novels collectively calledATWOOD. Book One explores the development of the American West through the lens of public policy, land planning, municipal development, and governance as it played out in one of the new counties of Kansas in the latter half of the 19th Century. The novel focuses on the religious and cultural traditions that imbued the American Midwest with a special character that continues to have a profound effect on American politics to this day. Book One creates an understanding about America's cultural foundations that is further explored in books two and three that further trace the historical-cultural-spiritual development of one isolated county on the Great Plains that stands as an icon in the development of a certain brand of American character. That's the serious stuff viewed from high altitude. The story itself gets down and dirty with the supernatural, which in ATWOOD - A Toiler's Weird Odyssey of Deliveranceis the outfall of misfires in human interactions, from the monumental to the sublime. The book features the epic poem "The Toiler" as well as artwork by New Mexico artist Richard Padilla.

Elmore Leonard Meets Larry McMurtry

Western Crime Novel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am offering another novel through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing service. Cooksin is the story of a criminal syndicate that sets its sights on a ranching/farming community in Weld County, Colorado, 1950. The perpetrators of the criminal enterprise steal farm equipment, slaughter cattle, and rob the personal property of individuals whose assets have been inventoried in advance and distributed through a vast system of illegal commerce.

It is a ripping good yarn, filled with suspense and intrigue. This was designed intentionally to pay homage to the type of creative works being produced in 1950, when the story is set. Richard Padilla has done his usually brilliant work in capturing the look and feel of a certain type of crime fiction being produced in that era. The whole thing has the feel of those black & white films you see on Turner Movie Classics, and the writing will remind you a little of Elmore Leonard, whose earliest works were westerns. Use this link.

 

EXPLORE THE KINDLE BOOK LIBRARY

If you have not explored the books available from Amazon.com's Kindle Publishing division you would do yourself a favor to do so. You will find classic literature there, as well as tons of privately published books of every kind. A lot of it is awful, like a lot of traditionally published books are awful, but some are truly classics. You can get the entire collection of Shakespeare's works for two bucks.

You do not need to buy a Kindle to take advantage of this low-cost library. Use this link to go to an Amazon.com page from which you can download for free a Kindle App for your computer, tablet, or phone.

Amazon is the largest, but far from the only digital publisher. You can find similar treasure troves atNOOK Press (the Barnes & Noble site), Lulu, and others.


 

 

FEATURED ARTIST 

Ancient Warfare

 

Lexington, Kentucky's Echo Wilcox delivers her hypnotic art project, The Pale Horse

 

 

By RAR


Ancient Warfare is the brainchild of Echo Wilcox, who in 2010 approached Shangri-La Productions with a demo CD. She was attending Savannah College of Art and Design, at the time, studying photography and motion graphics. Shangri-La was producer/engineer Duane Lundy's business and he and Wilcox were friends. He worked with her to produce an albums worth of material, and over the last five years Wilcox' demo project has blossomed into a band.

Wilcox lives in Lexington, Kentucky, though she grew up in Georgia and California, and she is a little spooky in a way that you see a lot in female songwriters these days. Listening to her recordings sounds a lot like listening to those of another songwriter we have covered a lot on this site: Angie Mattson, now known as Angie Gail as part of the hit band In the Valley Below. Wilcox is one of those "thinkers" your mother warned you about, who may lead you to think about things you'd be best advised to avoid; the laden aspects of being human. Her saving grace is that she does a lot of it quite beautifully, using composition and instrumentation in ways that might make you look around to make sure there's no one sneaking up from behind. This feels a part of the whole concept of "Ancient Warfare", a cohesive conjuring of elemental powers. Wilcox' publicist puts it this way: "The Pale Horse lures the listener into a golden dreamscape only to darkly demand resolution to the inescapable, universal plagues of love and death. This apocalyptic thread running throughout reminds us that everything good and true can end; the wild beauty of a crashing wave will inevitably become the succumbing regress of the tide. Such polarizing themes are pervasive throughout the record; expansive skies versus one small soul, our eternal quest for answers versus a relieved embrace of cyclical, unavoidable truths. The resulting sound is of a gothic renaissance breed, evoking images of tribal eccentricity and dramatic decay..."

Before leaving you with the impression that Ancient Warfare is some kind of a Druidic exercise, you should also know that there is a lot of Chrissie Hynde in Wilcox. She has a very similar tone, range and attitude, especially on "Gunsmoke", the third track on The Pale Horse LP, released in August (2015). (Use this link to listen to "Gunsmoke" on SoundCloud.) Wilcox is joined by multi-instrumentalist Emily Hagihara (Chico Fellini, Jim James and solo work), classically trained violinist Rachael Yanarella (Oh My Me), and bassist Derek Rhineheimer (Oh My Me). It is a strong album, refreshingly focused on authentic expression versus market engineering. I don't know what outlet would ever play this stuff, but if one existed I'd listen to it.

Echo Wilcox was kind enough to put up with a CCJ questionnaire, and she provided thoughtful responses.

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In previous interviews the members of your band have listed P.J. Harvey, Chrissie Hynde, Aimee Mann, and Patti Smith as influences. Those are all really strong personalities, and smart minds. How have these people impacted the vision you have for Ancient Warfare?

Our attraction to these artists' work lies in the way in which they deliver - their stage presence, the attitude of their music, the character of their vocals...they have been around for a long time and for good reason. Their personalities are very present - live and on record - they are able to connect. Ultimately we are making music for ourselves - we want to make the best music we can make, and that means putting in a lot of time and work to get there. And hopefully we have the ability to connect with people in the way that these artists have connected with us.

What is Lexington, Kentucky like for you as musicians? Is that a scene that somehow naturally spawned your particular brand of music? Or is Ancient Warfare the odd product to come out of what that scene typically has to offer?

While Lexington is not typically thought of as having a large music scene, there is an incredible amount of talent to be found here. We are a close-knit and devoted group of friends and colleagues, and feel fortunate for it. Partly due to the small size of our downtown, getting a large crowd to come to a show can be difficult and sometimes frustrating. However, even in a small crowd one can look around and notice that half of those in attendance are fellow musicians. The amount of support and love we have for each other and our music is almost beyond belief. Lexington is most likely not a town you can be “found” in, but it is place where you can find your sound.

Our music is not typical to this town. We strive to be creative in the structure of our songs and accompanying instrumental composition.

Lexington doesn’t necessarily have a recurrent sound; you can find everything from an exciting roots-y folk style band, to a more experimental electronic soundscape project or a more straight-up rock and roll show on any given night. We’re lucky to be surrounded by the inspiring new music this city has to offer.

Are you inclined to using themes in your songwriting? If so, which are your favorites?

I tend to fixate over the the idea of holding onto the past and typically look at songs as a sort of capsule for a particular moment in time, similar to the affect a photo has. Anything from the anxiety of the unknown, bliss of a new love, reminiscing a childhood daydream or questioning our very fate -- its more or less a state of consciousness being tapped into and brought to the surface through the music.

Your sound is very clean. Can you describe how you go about constructing your music and what qualities you strive to achieve in composition and production?

It’s a pretty organic process. Usually I bring a rough draft or outline to the table and then we just sort of dive in. I never feel like a song is entirely finished and because of this we constantly tweak, rearrange, add and subtract. There are always ways to adapt and make it better or perhaps it’s just a restless mind not knowing when to quit.

Do you work with a producer(s)?

Yes, we recorded The Pale Horse here in Lexington with Duane Lundy of Shangri-la Productions. He added a really unique touch to the record and pushed the envelope in both a visual and textural direction.

Is your music easy to put across in a live setting? Are there challenges there? What types of venues work best for you?

Live, we have a dynamically layered sound that contrasts both delicate and heavy moments. The record is pretty dense and we try and replicate this as much as possible. Given we are a four-piece, we do come across some variances live vs. off the record. On-stage, we tend to be a bit more free, taking on various roles including several vocal layers and different combinations of pedals. We see it less as a challenge and more of an outlet to creating new and interesting adaptations to the songs.

As far as venues go, we enjoy playing in both intimate and non-traditional settings where we are up close with the audience as well as a more full setup on stage.

How committed are you to this musician lifestyle? Do you see yourself doing this when you are 60 years old?

I can’t imagine a life that does not involve music in some way. Music has the ability to stop the noise of one’s surroundings - distractions, inner thoughts, whatever, and hold one solely there in that moment.

I’ve always felt most satisfied when I’m playing music - not in terms of ability, but simply the feeling of playing music. So yes, I imagine music will still very much remain an important part of my life when I am 60.

Do you think of yourself as an "artist", or do you even think in those terms? If you do, what defines "art" to you? What do you aspire to achieve that would allow you feel that you have achieved "artistry". (Note: I wouldn't ask the question if your music didn't sound to me like "art" on some level.)

Honestly, I don’t look at it in those terms. What we do up there on stage I consider to be art, but labeling myself as an “artist” is not something that I want to personally claim.

I believe you now have a male band member. When you were an all-girl group, did this create any hurdles to overcome in marketing yourselves? Do people, for instance, assume that an all-girl group is part of an LBGT thing?

With so many wonderful and far-reaching female centered bands playing and touring these days we have had no need to fight off a typecast, even though there may still be some inaccurate assumptions that all-girl bands play cute or poppy music. Our gender and/or sexual orientation has absolutely nothing to do with how we market ourself as a band. We are females and we play music. Period. (And our periods come once a month).

What do you feel are your strongest assets as a band?

We are a hard-working group. We keep a regular rehearsal schedule and our practices tend to be long - we arrange and fine-tune new songs and further the development of our pre-existing material. Many of the songs are not “done” once they’ve been recorded - they continue to go through different changes. The reason for this is not only to keep things fresh, but also to find the best translations of these songs in a live setting.

 

 

 

 

 


   
 

 

 

"Ancient Warfare were once the girls who smoked behind the high school gym. They were from distant shores; they spoke in code. They borrowed your brotherʼs Velvets records and talked about bands you wanted to know. They werenʼt going to stay too long. They buried themselves in drones of words and found guitars, mapping an intimate apocalypse along the way." - from their Noisy Ghost press kit

 

Ancient Warfare is currently touring Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and other state.

Ancient Warfare on Facebook

   

 

 

  ARTIST NEWS    THIS EDITION   ABOUT   MUSIC   MUSIC REVIEWS  BOOKS  CINEMA   FASHION   FINE ARTS  FEATURES   SERIES  MEDIA  ESSAY  RESOURCES  WRITTEN ARTS POETRY  CONTACT  ARCHIVES  MUSIC LINKS

Copyright © November, 2018 Rick Alan Rice (RARWRITER)