Kalmia

I am in fucking tears.
Just visited some friends in Oklahoma City who made me aware of this sculpture affectionately referred to as the “OKC Cock Ring.”
How the fuck this made it through an approval process, I have no idea. But it did make me laugh harder than I have in weeks.

Tomorrow is the last Bandcamp Friday of the year, during which they waiver all of the sales to the artists. Consider supporting the bands and artists who have made your top 10 this year, especially smaller acts. It's so important.

Reminder that Bandcamp Friday is tomorrow. Please consider purchasing the Heavy for the Hollers compilation and/or the debut EP. All funds for both are going to great causes and all fees will be cut. Links on @threnodistofficial.bsky.social

It really can't be stated enough how the AI craze is rooted deeply in utter vitriolic disrespect for the working class. Like I've seen multiple cases of this tech being marketed directly on sticking it to us filthy poors who want things like "benefits" and "fair pay for our labor"

This is why we will always try to promote our work on Ampwall before we do any other platform. Ampwall genuinely cares about the artists. @subvertallmedia.com is a musician himself.

Ampwall is quite literally by artists, for artists. It's not only the ethical choice, but it's so easy to use!

Seeing significantly more people wearing masks this holiday season. Smart. Viral infections surge during this time of year due to travel and more time spent indoors. Wearing a masks means avoiding illness and therefore more valuable time spent with loved ones.

Release @frankhath.bsky.social from containment!

He's not a spam account, just a funny little guy who sings for the band Hath. He likes to meme a lil - who doesn't?

F R E E

H I M

@support.bsky.team

The true champion of soda.

My weekend reading was The Collapsing Frontier by Jonathan Lethem.

Great book that I got in a monthly subscription from PM Press. I wasn't familiar with his work prior to it, but I'm definitely going to pick up some more of his stuff going forward.

The photo shows a copy of a book titled The Collapsing Frontier by the author Jonathan Lethem.

Tonight's reading.

This is shaping up to be one I'm going to knock out in an evening since it's only 155 pages.

It's the first of Lethem's books I've ever read, having got it in my monthly PM Press subscription, but most definitely it's not going to be the last one.

YouTube video by Kalmah - Topic Hook The Monster (US Edition)

youtu.be/pVuSMym-j2Q

After running Kalmah's discography, I'll never understand how they never took off like Insomnium or Children of Bodom. They've got elements fans of both should like, and I feel like they've been a lot more consistent over time.

Seeing this song live in 2019 was so damn heavy.

Yeah - I am having a similar experience sitting here and writing it. Deep breath and keep on moving on haha. Gonna be an intense vocal session for me when tracking rolls around, I'm sure.

Yeah, I'm likely to take a break from the grief category myself after this one. Allowing myself to process some things properly and get it onto paper is good, but it is exhausting to write.

I am once again listening to Spectrum by the illustrious, genre-bending black metal band @amiintrouble.bsky.social

Y'all need to pick this album up the instant it comes out next year on Jan 3rd. It's titanic in every sense of the word.

It's chilly and grey outside, so once again it's time for Pale Folklore by Agalloch.

Then again, it's always time for Agalloch.

Writing lyrics about deep grief is something I'm not used to.

It's not like fantastical themes or political topics where I can find the words and be mostly satisfied.

For this I can still find words, but then they change. Then they change again and again. As if my words will never be enough.

Use the term “touch grass” to indicate that someone needs to seek out reality, use the term “touch moss” to indicate that they need to seek out ancient forest magic beyond their mortal comprehension.

Make art that you think is fuckin sick as hell. Make the shit you never thought you could that you always wanted to see. Beat your insecurity to death and fight to become your own favorite artist.

Doing a discography run of Kalmah over the next few days.

I got obsessed with The Black Waltz when it came out, and Swampsong was also in heavy rotation. I want to check out what all I missed, since everything I've ever heard from them even in passing was killer.

Like I do whenever the first prolonged rainy and cold period of the year comes along, I'm listening to Epoch by Fen.

I'm not sure where this became a personal tradition of mine, it just... did. The record just feels right for a rainy day in that transitory time between autumn and winter.

So we've done the "top 5 albums in your teens."

What are three to five of the first records you remember buying with your own money?

The ones I for sure remember were:

1. Character by Dark Tranquillity
2. Superunknown by Soundgarden
3. Century Child by Nightwish
4. Discovery by Daft Punk

SF Bay area crowd -
come watch John bring the riffs on December 1st!

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing him play earlier this year for Fire At The Plantation House's album release show and it was electric.

ampwall.com/a/fatph

I love San Francisco. It either has no rain for 10 months, or all your year's worth of rain in a week.

We've got it all when it comes to seasons, too.

You can have:

Winter
Fake Spring
Winter II
Exactly one week and three days of Real Spring™️.
Summer
Autumn?
Summer II: The Revenge
Winter Thrice

Y'all should give @bombaygasoline.bsky.social a follow. They're an excellent band from Asheville NC who were on the Heavy for the Hollers compilation.

They're also super nice people!

Top 5 albums I loved in my teens?

1. Character by Dark Tranquillity (also one of the first records I bought with my own money)
2. Viva Emptiness by Katatonia
3. Above The Weeping World by Insomnium
4. Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath
5. The Black Halo by Kamelot

I still love these albums, too.

Yeah, hahaha. We go to most gigs together since the venn diagram of both our music tastes is a single circle.

Heavy for the Hollers - Liminal Dread Productions Heavy for the Hollers - Liminal Dread Productions, a 56 track split

Heavy for the Hollers has raised close to 800 dollars and I hope we can continue to grow that number in the coming weeks!

Thanks again to everyone who has donated or been involved. You're amazing - all of you.

ampwall.com/a/threnodist...

liminaldreadproductions.bandcamp.com/album/heavy-...

My 2024 gigs were

Agalloch, Dawnbringer, John Haughm (solo), Fire At The Plantation House (x2 coming up), Spectral Wound, Hulder, Aridus, Opeth, Tribulation

I didn't get out much this year.

Fixed it