February 15, 2005

KirkSmith.net -- Issue #8

Issue #8: Elucidate, desegregate, try not to hate, love your mate . . .

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IN THIS ISSUE:
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1. Upcoming Shows
2. Walk Home
3. Spring Tour
4. Mailing Party
5. Mi Casa in the Rearview Mirror
6. Some Other Stuff

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1. UPCOMING SHOWS
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Two shows in Austin this weekend. They're both fundraisers (which doesn't mean they're expensive - it just means that we don't get paid). The early show, at CLUB DEVILLE, features a collection of artists and is detailed in the SOME OTHER STUFF section of this letter. The later event, where Kirk will play a full set of 12 songs, is at THE VORTEX. Here we go.

VORTEX Repertory Company Presents:

THE DARK GODDESS BALL

Join us for an evening of magic and mayhem, beauty and fantasy, costumes, decadence, and dancing at the Dark Goddess Ball. Enjoy fine food and drink, a blazing bonfire, wandering troubadours, fire dancing, tarot readings and a polaroid photo or two with your favorite goddess. All proceeds benefit The VORTEX.

In additional to Kirk, you'll also hear music by Belleview Jubilee, Jo Beth Henderson, and DJ Chet Polo.

Enjoy a wild evening of Goddesses in the gorgeous new Café (nice work Henry), out in The Yard, and in the Theatre as well. If you haven't been by the VORTEX in a while, or ever, this is a great time to visit.

WHEN:
Saturday, February 19, 2005 9pm-2am

WHERE:
The VORTEX, 2307 Manor Road
(1/2 mile East of I-35, between Chestnut and Maple)
Austin, TX 78722     On bus route #20
Free Parking. Air-conditioning. Wheelchair accessible.

RESERVATIONS:
512-478-LAVA (5282)

ADMISSION:
$20 advance, $25 at gate, $10 starving artists
Tickets available at The VORTEX Box Office (512 478 LAVA)

General Admission. Limited Seating. Advanced reservations recommended.

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2. WALK HOME
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OK gang, finally there is a recording of "Walk Home"! Kirk solo on guitar, singing with a single mic, just like you hear it live -- spare and totally uncluttered.

Lyric Sample -

If you and I decide to walk home
Let's take the long road
I'd love to wind beside you
I love to watch you go
And if you get done before me
Just wait outside in the dark
I'll be behind you making sparks

This tune also contains the memorable line "Look for me in the dark, you'll know me by my flaming parts." Hmmmm. In this case, that heat refers to the devil. "Walk Home" was written for Kirk's play, LUCIFA. Oh, and it's "wind" with a long i -- like the long and winding road, as opposed to blowin' in the wind.

Despite it's longtime status as the keystone of Kirk's live set, "Walk Home" appears on exactly zero records. Enjoy.

Click this link to download: www.kirksmith.net/mpthree/Kirk%20Smith%20-%20walk%20home%203.mp3

Click here to read LUCIFA: http://www.kirksmith.net/theater_works_complete.shtml

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3. SPRING TOUR
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Speaking of Home, Kirk will be leaving again in late March to revisit that bastion of Liberalism, the Northeastern United States, where everyone has a Masters Degree, drives a Volvo, drinks polysyllabic yet moderately caffeinated beverages that used to be called coffee, and looks down on folks from so-called red states, like Kansas.

Now some of you may not realize that Kirk is actually from Kansas. In fact quite a lot of his dear family remain there in spite of it being "wrecked, racked and practically gutted by Wal-Mart, ConAgra, relentlessly pro-business millionaires and their minions, namely backlash, right-wing, religious wackos who, for God knows what reason, continually hustle them into office. Seriously man, it's a good place, and I'm glad I grew up there and all that, but things are way out of balance. It's scary. Like Afghanistan kind of scary. Like there are people there dedicating their whole lives to things they won't talk about in public. There is scheming and planning and training going on 24/7. Believe me. There's a woman right now in a suburb outside of Wichita knitting a list that you hope your name's not on."

Whoa fella. Have you been reading non-fiction again, or was that an allusion to Dickens? Literature? Revolution? Thomas Frank's new book? LIBERAL!

Back to the tour. We'll send out confirmed dates soon. For those of you with friends and family in the North East who you think might be sympathetic to the cause -- or maybe they just like music -- please encourage them to attend a show.

West Coast Dates this Summer. We promise.

To those offended by the above tirade, our apologies. He was just kidding.

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4. MAILING PARTY
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There seems to be a theme emerging here. Let's say a group of like-minded individuals with something in common, perhaps even something they were truly passionate about, decide to get together in order to accomplish this thing that they couldn't do alone. One sets out a strategy, and they all meet later, perhaps even in a private home, to discuss the strategy, divide up the tasks, and further the cause through their combined effort. Would that be plotting? The seeds of a revolution perhaps? Nah. It's a mailing party!

But what, you may wonder, are we mailing? We're mailing propaganda and products to promote our agenda, of course. And our agenda, as if you didn't already know, is Kirk. So we'll send CDs, Bios, and One-sheets to press and radio, mainly European, in order to announce the arrival of SUDDENLY BRIGHT OUT, which is being released in Europe on May 15th.

It's an international conspiracy then? Umm Hmm. Of sorts. If you'd like to join, we'd love to have you. We'll even feed you - in exchange for a few hours work, and some good old-fashioned COMRADERIE. Drop us a line: info@kirksmith.net

For those of you outside the epicenter, code name: Austin, we have plenty for you to do as well. If you think you've got what it takes, that address is: info@kirksmith.net

Tell 'em Jacques sent ya.

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5. MI CASA IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR
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Many of you read about the installment of "Mi Casa Es Su Teatro" that Kirk hosted a couple of weeks ago, and we understand that several of you even attended. For those of you that couldn't make it, let's just say that it was, "more fun than a bloodthirsty mob in a city full of lamp posts".

So we've convinced Kirk, conditionally at least, to do it again. The date is Saturday March 12th. So if you're in town, won't you please come?

We'll send a reminder with all the details a week or so prior to the event. What are the conditions under which Kirk will or will not agree to the show? Kirk will agree to do the show on the condition that he is not a dumbass. Which, we would argue, is not the same thing as being a Democrat. Disagree? info@kirksmith.net We dare you.

Here is the . . . Marquis . . . as it read for the last event:

"Kirk Smith Plays His Backyard"
Lunch is served late. This green grass is soft. Blankets for everyone, somewhere in my yard. The tree was out here flying, so I left it in the sky. Wouldn't mind some children here, I filled the kite and downed my power lines.

Saturday March. 12th, 2005
2:30 - 3:30PM
Kirk's Backyard
Austin, TX
$3 includes a blanket, food and drink.

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6. SOME OTHER STUFF
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This is the other "upcoming show" that we mentioned.

Refraction Arts Project presents…

CELEBRITY CRUSH III

As Valentine's Day slithers away from us, what better time for CELEBRITY CRUSH III: that popular annual love-fest in which local writers, artists, musicians and dancers turn their celebrity crushes into crazy art.

This year, CELEBRITY CRUSH invades Club DeVille (9th and Red River) on Feb 18 & 19th at 8pm, so you can indulge in your favorite love-gone-wrong consolatory beverage while others bare their souls (or whatever) for your enjoyment.

Previous Celebrity Crush festivities have included a puppet Michael Stipe and an interpretive dance in honor of Bjork -- so this year, all bets are off.

Tickets are $8, at the door. We can accept cash and checks only, but if you would like to make a donation to Refraction Arts, you may use your credit card to do so on line at www.refractionarts.org.

Get more information at 512.927.1118 or at www.refractionarts.org

WHO:
Refraction Arts Project presents

WHAT:
Celebrity Crush III

WHEN:
Friday & Saturday, February 18 & 19, 8pm

WHERE:
Club DeVille, 900 Red River

TICKETS:
$8 at the door

INFORMATION:
512.927.111:
www.refractionarts.org
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As ever, SUDDENLY BRIGHT OUT is available at Waterloo Records and Cheapo Disks in Austin, and of course you’ll find it all day and all of the night at http://cdbaby.com/cd/kirksmith

And while you're there, won't you make a note to return soon and review the record? Please speak your mind: http://cdbaby.com/review/kirksmith

Thank you.

Love,
Your Friends at KirkSmith.net