Why This Video is Amazing

There is so much that can be said about this video.

First, Scott Avett is awkward on stage when he doesn't have an instrument. Going along with that, I always forget this song doesn't feature a guitar until I see it performed live. I also wish my hair looked like Scott's. So perfectly disheveled.

The Avetts have a tendency of giving me exactly what I need to hear when I need to hear it (See: 'Why That Was What I Needed to Hear'). This was another one of those times. "I And Love And You" has had special meaning to me as of late. We're not going to go into why; that is all you really need to know. The boys could have performed one of their new songs, which is what I expected. But they didn't. They went with this. An amazing song. A beautiful song. A song about abandoning your family. It's hard to tell someone you love them in general; even harder when you're leaving them--and hurting them in the process. This is one of a few songs as of late that has held special meaning with me. "Some Nights" by fun., "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men, Mumford and Sons' "Ghosts That We Knew" being some others. "Murder in the City" will, of course, always hold a special place in my heart.

Never neglect to tell someone you love them. If you have the chance, take it. If you don't have the chance, do it anyway. Because sometimes it ends up being too late.

Why The Columbus Poetry Scene Is The Best

For the last few weeks I have been going regularly to the Writer’s Block Poetry open mic, and I am very glad I have.  Each week is totally different from the last.  Sure, you see a lot of the same poets, but there are new ones every week and there are new poems every too, and all so very different.  I’ve heard so many great poems these last few weeks and it makes me proud to be a part of it all.

A few weeks back, four weeks ago, I think it was, I went by myself, unable to find anyone else to go with, which was okay.  We had four virgins new to the mic that night and actually started with one—Erik.  Erik blew me away.  He was incredible.  Never would have guessed this was his first time on the mic.  He read a poem about his Viking/Norwegian heritage that involved references to the fallopian tube and conference calls.  Erik has been back ever since and he’s awesome every time.  There was a slam that night too and I considering participating—it would have been by first slam—but decided against it, not really feeling that prepared.  I opted for the open mic instead and read something a little different; I’d tell you what it’s called, but it still remains untitled and I forget the lame title I gave it the other night in order to submit it to a publication.  It got pretty good acceptance from the crowd (though they were upset when I said it didn’t have any f-bombs and demanded I insert one).  Hanif really liked it, which was a huge ego boost because honestly, he’s probably my favourite poet out of all of them; his work never fails to amaze me and has been pretty influential on me.  I was actually finally able to attend his open mic, Pen & Palette, the following night, having a free Thursday night for a change.  Pen & Palette is a totally different atmosphere, but still an awesome night.  Hanif is a really great host and he gave me a pretty fantastic introduction, accusing me of cussing out children at the Columbus Arts Festival; Scott Woods actually gave me a similar introduction the night before, but Hanif took it to a whole other level.  I read the same untitled poem that I read the night before, which again received a good response.  At Pen & Palette you’re allowed to read more than one poem though, so I also read “You Can Be Superman” which is the very first poem I read at Writer’s Block a little over a year ago.  Although I’ve only read it twice, I have it memorized, so I read it entirely for memory; this was a first.  I wasn’t at all nervous about it, which surprised me, and don’t recall any errors.  Hopefully soon (maybe next week?) I can get back to Pen & Palette.

Last week was another slam at Writer’s Block and I decided to participate this time.  I was a little leery at first, especially knowing I was competing against people on the Nationals team, people whose work I really admire, but my friend Sarah from high school, who has been coming along with me and has started reading herself, basically forced me to do it.  It was a good decision though.  I really enjoyed doing it.  I drew 5^th when we drew numbers for our order, I was 5^th after the 1^st, and finished 5^th out of 7^th overall with (I believe) a 53.2 out of a possible 60.  Considering Vernell Bristow scored a perfect 30 the second round, I think I did quite alright for my first time.  The first round I read “You Can Be Superman” as it is a very strong poem about a boy killing himself after dealing with too much verbal abuse from his dad, and as I said before, it’s the only piece I have memorized.  For the second round I read the Justin Bieber poem, and boy did I get hell for that.  The crowd participation was great, but I’m pretty sure I got booed at one point in time, though I know it was all in good fun—besides, I was comparing the Biebs to Freddie Mercury, so I probably deserved it.  I was told I did a “swell job” though by my new friend Jacob, so I’ll take it.  I’m definitely looking forward to doing more slams in the future.

I am very grateful that I have found this poetic haven in Columbus.  Every week is something new and a guaranteed great time.  It has given me a great outlet and something new to look forward to every week.  I’ve been pretty sporadic about going until now and now I really want to be there every week and start going to more events and being more involved.  Everyone involved has been so welcoming and has really made me feel a part of something and for that, I want to say thanks.  Since I’ve started doing this, the quality of my work has definitely improved and I think I’ve really started to find my style.  It’s kind of funny because like I said, Hanif is probably one of my favourite poets out there and I definitely draw some influence and inspiration from not just his writing, but his performances as well and I look up to him as a writer.  But he’s fairly new to this too, despite heading to Nationals next week, and he’s out there saying this same kind of stuff I’m saying.  Hanif, Vernell, Izetta, Scott, Ed, Alexis, Louise, so many great poets out there, so many great people out there.  And that’s just a few of them.  But they all deserve so much more credit than they get.  The Columbus poetry scene has easily made a difference in my life, and I’m barely even in it.  I mentioned my new buddy Jacob—he’s young, just about to start his last year of high school.  He came out to Writer’s Block a couple weeks ago for the first time and read a poem and it was really good.  He was back the following week, the week of the slam, and he read another great one to start off the show.  I asked him after the show if he’d be interested in having something published in Some Weird Sin and I think I made his day by asking him that.  From what he’s shared with me, he’s a very talented young man and we’ve stayed up to the late hours a few times now talking about writing, both mine and his.  I’m very glad he came to Writer’s Block because not only have I made a new friend and get to publish the writing of a great writer (his first publication, mind you), but also because he’s going to be able to hone his skills so much more and he is going to get so much better than he already is by being around such amazing writers and hearing their work and being able to share his work with them.  It makes me really excited for the future.

An Interview with RJ Breisacher

If you recall, I posted a while back about a guy from Toledo whom I met on Twitter named RJ Breisacher (See: “Why I’m Starting a New Project”).  RJ is an Army veteran having served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  While on tour, he vowed that when he got out of the Army he was going to visit at thirty Major League ballparks in one summer.  That summer was this summer.  Starting with Detroit’s Comerica Park on Opening Day in April and ending with Comerica Park on June 15th, RJ travelled all across the US, going from coast to coast.  Along the way he met some great people and watched some great baseball.  But more importantly though, he fulfilled a dream and did something few people thought he would ever actually do.  I have mad respect for RJ and am super proud of him for his accomplishment.  One of these days I’m going to do the same thing as him.  Until then, you’ll find me in Cleveland.

RJ and I both intend to immortalize his journey.  He already has in one way with his blog, Baseball Dreamin’, but he also intends to write a book about the trip.  I too intend to write a book based on his trip, although a fictionalized account.  I came up with the idea a while back (Again, see: “Why I’m Starting a New Project”), but have had little time or motivation to work on it since.  I’ve got some pretty good ideas in mind now though after doing this e-mail interview with him.  Hopefully soon he and I can go to a ball game or to Cedar Point and sit down and have a talk about his trip, his time in the Army, his love for baseball, and get some more ideas and get this project rolling.  We would really like to be able to chill out sometime in the Indians Social Suite before the season is out.  If things work out, maybe he and I can market our books together and share the profit to establish a non-profit to aid soldiers wanting to accomplish life-long dreams.

There is some quality stuff in all of RJ’s answers, but what really struck me is when he discussed talking about doing this trip while he was serving overseas in the Army.  Basically, RJ said thinking about this trip and talking about this trip was how he coped and that discussing goals for when you get back home is how a lot of soldiers keep themselves going.  That’s actually something you see in the media a lot—war movies and whatnot.  A group of soldiers in their bunk or at dinner talking about going to Disney World when they get back or how they’re going to marry their girl.  It’s in almost every war movie you watch, but you never really think about how important those conversations and those thoughts are to the real soldiers serving for our country.

1. You just completed an amazing journey from ballpark to ballpark. How long has this been in the making? In other words, when did you decide you were doing it and how long did it take to actually bring it to fruition? Did you spend a lot of time planning everything out or did wing it and go with the flow?

This trip was a lifetime in the making but I realized it about a year ago.  I was deployed to Iraq in 2008-2009 and again to Afghanistan in 2010-2011.  When we are deployed we talk about the things we want to do when we get home.  Grand things to make sure we get the most out of life while we have the opportunity.  We came home from Iraq and few people went on to do the things that they said they had wanted to do. 

When I was overseas in Afghanistan we started the "when I get home" talks once again.  I set out to actually go through with something big and hopefully inspire other people to chase their dreams as well.  I decided I would visit all 30 Major League Baseball Parks.  I didn't know where to start so I did a simple Google search for baseball parks and found http://www.ballparkchasers.com/.  I joined right away and received help from the creator of the website Craig Landgren and several people from the ballpark chaser community.  I wrote and emailed every Major League team and the offices of MLB.  I got a lot of free tickets, gear, and parking passes.  As soon as the schedule came out in late 2011 I planned my route during my downtime in Afghanistan.  All in all it was nearly a year’s worth of planning and two months of executing it. 

   

 2. Is there anything about this trip that you found to be especially stressful? To contrast, what would you say was the most enjoyable?

The most stressful part about my trip was watching my bank account getting smaller and smaller.  I was also stressed by the fact that I know I should of been writing for my blog but I was usually tired and just wanted to get the most out of my experiences.  I asked my friend Chuck Booth author of "The Fastest 30" how he found the time to write on his many journeys to all 30 parks.  He told me that he is a novelist and I should focus on the trip and worry about the writing later.  I found that to be excellent advice and didn't focus much on my writing the second half of the trip.  I do plan to finish up my blog entries and write a book about my experiences as well.  

It's really difficult to pin point just one experience that was most enjoyable.  The whole trip was absolutely amazing.  I think the most enjoyable things for me were discovering new cities, seeing the joy on little kids faces as the try to take in everything in a giant ballpark, seeing thousands of people enjoying the game I love in complete safety, and seeing our beautiful country.

3. I know there are a lot of people out there who would love to be able to do exactly what you did—myself included—though unfortunately, I’m sure very few will ever actually be able to do it. What advice could you give to the rest of us who would like to follow in your footsteps? Is there anything you know now that you wish you had known before you started? If (or when) you do this again, is there anything you would do differently?

My advice to anybody that wants to do a trip like mine or anything in general is to just go for it.  It was incredibly gratifying to do something very little people had faith I would actually do.  Advice that I have for a trip like this plan it out but don't plan everything.  I would of saved a lot of money if I planned my every stop for the night and where I would eat.  I had my schedule of games but everything else was up to me.  I got to see a lot of family and friends across the country that I decided to see a few days prior.  I also got to see amazing American tourist attractions like the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore because I had a few extra days and decided to go.  I believe if I was tied down to certain hotels in certain areas I would not of been able to see so much of America as I did.

If (Hopefully when) I do this trip again I will try to spend more time discovering each city.  I could save a ton of money by using http://www.couchsurfing.org/ for a place to stay and have somebody show me around their town.  I would love to do the trip again using social media to enhance the experience.  I believe that social media will change baseball for the fan and I want to be in the front of that.  One idea that was given to me is tag along with a team for at least one game at each away park the visit and blog, tweet, and facebook about what it is like to be a fan of the visiting team in the city and if you are an opposing fan in that city what you should do.  If I got to choose the team that would be with I would choose the Cleveland Indians. 

4. This is an obvious question, but which ballpark would say is best? Now slightly different question, but which ballpark do you think you had the best overall experience at? Which park or team do you think had the best fan base?

I can't decide which park is my favorite.  My obvious favorite is Comerica Park because I'm a Tigers fan and can't shed my bias.  Take Comerica park out of the equation and I have a tie for my top spot.  Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and AT&T Park in San Francisco.  Kauffman was shocking to me that it was so awesome.  The fountains in the outfield, the fans, the staff, the food, and the park for kids make this a wonderful ballpark experience.  AT&T park is undoubtedly set in the most beautiful location for parks.  It's right on the bay and looks like something from a picture.  If you are ever out there take a walk around the park before you go in and you will be amazed. 

I had my best ballpark experience at Progressive Field in Cleveland.  I got extremely lucky and was discovered by the writers from http://www.didthetribewinlastnight.com/.  They did a story on me several weeks before I arrived in Cleveland and another after the game.  They took me to lunch at Melt bar and Grill, which has been featured on Man VS Food, and it was AMAZING.  After lunch we went to the game and I was on the field for batting practice.  I got to meet Masterson, Manny Acta, Sandy Alomar Jr., amongst many others.  When batting practice was over I walked around the stadium and saw Heritage Park.  I then made my way to the Social Media Suite.  This is a suite that the Cleveland Indians give to a fan every game and they get a 1st class experience.  The best thing about that game was I forged a great relationship with the writers from http://www.didthetribewinlastnight.com/ and the Cleveland Indians communication department.  So much so that after my trip I went back out there for a Tweet Up and had another amazing experience. 

I think the best fan bases are the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Anaheim Angels, and the Detroit Tigers. 

5. Going along with the last question, which city was your favorite?

There are too many amazing cities in the United States to say that one is better than the other.  If I moved to anywhere in the country I would choose between theses six cities: Nashville, Houston, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, and Minneapolis.  I had my most fun on the trip when I was in Minneapolis.  It was an extremely clean, green city.  I have to young men that I coached in high school wrestling that live out there now and they took me out.  The night life in Minneapolis was a ton of fun.

6. I’m sure you met a lot of awesome people throughout all of this. Who would you say was the most interesting person you met?

The most interesting person I met was a woman in Los Angeles named Emma.  I found her by posting on the Dodgers website and she offered to show me around Dodger Stadium.  When I got to the park she showed me around a little bit and I got to know her once we were in our seats.  She is an amazing woman.  Emma has had season tickets to the Dodgers for 14 years I believe and it seemed like I was with a celebrity.  She knew everybody.  Fans and employees alike came up to her the entire game and talked with her about whatever.  Larry King is the most famous Dodgers fan but Emma is the Dodgers fan. 

7. I know one goal of this trip was to have as many crazy adventures as possible. Were you successful? What were some of your favorite crazy adventures?

One of my goals was to achieve some crazy adventures.  A few weeks into my trip I decided that I would like to pick up a hitchhiker.  We've all heard crazy stories about hitchhikers and I wanted to see if I could get a crazy story as well.  I did pick up a hitchhiker and it was everything I had hoped it would be and so much more.  It's a long story so I'll just share the link here http://baseballdreamin.blogspot.com/2012/05/hitchhiker-mike.html

8. Let’s talk about the Army. You were stationed in Afghanistan before doing this trip. What let you there? In other words, how did you end up in the Army? What is your current rank and status in the Army and what has being in the Army meant for you?

I was in high school when 9-11 happened.  My great-grandfather gave his life in WW2 and my dad served in the Air force in the late 70's early 80's.  I guess I just always had a sense that I needed to serve my country as well.  But the simplest answer to that question is I don't have a clue.  I got a flyer in the mail one day called a number and a few years later I was sweating in Iraq.  I'm a bit of free spirit and if I get an idea I just go through with it.

I got out of the Army in Feb of 2012 with the rank of Sergeant.  Being in the Army meant the world to me.  It shaped me into the man I am today and I will draw on my experiences in the military for the rest of my life.  I am proud of what we accomplished in Iraq and Afghanistan even if the main stream media doesn't exactly show it for what it is. 

 

9. If you could, please describe a normal “Day In the Life of RJ in Afghanistan”—where you stationed, what did you do, etc etc. Are there any days or events in particular that stand out for you?

I can't give you a description of my daily routine.  I can tell you I worked in a detainment facility located at Bagram Airfield.  We were in charge of the care, custody, and control of detainees.  We worked long hours and it was an intensely stressful mission.  In my down time I like to talk to my friends and family back home. 

One day that stands out is the day that seal team six killed Osama Bin Laden.  I worked nights and I was eating breakfast chow when they came on the Armed Forces Network when they came on and said Osama was killed.  In a crowded chow hall everybody fell silent and was glued to the tiny TV's.  After a few moments everybody started to cheer.  It was a surreal moment, certainly one I will never forget.  Of all the places to get news like that, Afghanistan was probably the best. 

10. When you were in the Army, did you talk about wanting to do this trip? If so, what did people say—that you were crazy? Is there anyone who doubted you who has now seen you prove them wrong?

Once I decided that this was something that I wanted to do I talked about it all the time.  When you're over there life's a lot easier when you have something you can grab ahold of in your mind and escape from where you're at when the time is appropriate.  Most people thought it was a really cool idea but I think that most people figured I wouldn't go through with that.  I actually had a younger soldier in my squad say that there was no way I was going to do this and I kept that in mind the entire trip.  I'm the type of person where I don't like to be told no.  If you tell me I can't do something I will do whatever it takes to prove you wrong!

11. So now that you’re all done with this trip, what’s next? Do you think you’ll try to do it again—maybe at a faster pace?

Now that I'm done I will be catching up on my blog.  http://baseballdreamin.blogspot.com/ I will also be writing a book about my experiences on the road and the amazing time I had at each park.  I would love to do this trip again and I have been thinking nonstop on how I could make that happen.  A faster pace has been discussed.

Follow RJ on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BaseballDreamin

Check out his blog: http://baseballdreamin.blogspot.com/

So I Started a Literary Magazine

If you’ve been following this blog, then you know that I’ve been trying to get published for quite some time to no avail (not counting publication in my alma mater’s lit mag).  I finally decided to take matters into my own hands: if no one else will publish it, then I will.  I had actually talked about starting a lit mag a while back, even discussing it with a friend from England, but the idea was tabled as we were unsure we could make such a commitment.  I also wasn’t sure how I would do it.  Not long ago Scott Woods posted a chapbook, free for all to download, using Google Docs.  That was when I figured out how I could do it—design it in word, save it as a PDF, and host on Google Docs, making it available for everyone to download for free.  Free is how it should be—I’m not looking to make money out of this.

The goal is to attract younger writers and other inexperienced or budding writers who simply wish to have their name in writing, rather than veterans just looking for a quick buck or more bragging rights.  I’ve spent a lot of time trying to get myself published, so I know how hard it can be, and it is especially rough when you’re young and trying so hard, not realizing how difficult of a journey it will be.  People don’t seem to understand just how difficult getting published is, especially without an agent (getting one of those is just as difficult).  I’m not saying I intend to publish everyone who submits—unfortunately there has to be a line drawn somewhere (and it has to be good)—but I definitely intend to publish as many good, young writers who have had countless rejections as possible.  In fact, I am actually asking everyone who submits to include the approximate amount of rejections they receive.  Rejections are a badge of honour—every writer will tell you that.  If you can push through 100 or more rejections until can get published, then you can do anything.  That’s a lot of very impersonal rejections.  A lot of “this just isn’t the right fit for us” (that’s literally what they say, and that’s all they say).  They don’t get into any specifics and they generally won’t flat out tell you it’s a terrible piece.  Instead they give you the most broad, general statement possible, which just stings.  The worst ones are the ones where you’ve sent an excerpt of a novel and they respond with “Sorry, but it just didn’t pull me in like I thought/hoped”.  That hurts.  They all hurt.  But keep onto that—use it to motivate you.  If you can keep pushing through all those rejections until you finally break through, then you can do anything.  The literature game is a hard one to break into, especially poetry.  But if it’s what you want to do, then keep trying.  I’m here to make it easier on you.

Not long after I got the blog, Twitter, and Facebook page up and running, I received my first submission from a girl in college in Indiana.  I was able to get Kate Nash (yes, that Kate Nash) to retweet the lit mag and that brought in a few followers; that is how this young lady found us.  She sent three poems.  They were good poems.  I was surprised by the fact that she said she hadn’t been writing for very long, having only really just discovered the art of poetry recently while taking a poetry class.  I’m glad she discovered it.  She’s pretty talented.  I think I made her day when I told her I really liked them and wanted to publish all three at some point in time since she was our first submission.  I further made her day by asking her if we could include her as a featured writer on the lit mag’s blog, again since she was the first to submit.  Basically this means I’ll do an e-mail interview with her and post it on the blog along with whatever else she would like.  I sent her the questions the other day and am now waiting on her answers; I’m really anticipating them.  She now has four poetry-based things to include on her resume or CV: three publications and one achievements/award.  I’m a little proud of her and I’m sure she is too.  I’m really glad she happened to be on Twitter when Kate Nash retweeted Some Weird Sin.  Keep an eye on that blog for her interview.

Here are the links so you can check everything out.

Blog: http://someweirdsin27.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/someweirdsin27

Facebook: http://facebook.com/someweirdsin27

Why That Was What I Needed to Hear

The Avett Brothers were just on Conan and they sang the most beautiful rendition of “Murder in the City” I have ever heard.  I almost missed it, going with my standard 2-hour block of Fraiser reruns on the Hallmark Channel (they bleep out every cuss word but ‘damn’—no joke), but remembered at 11:44PM, flipping over to TBS just in time to catch the last bit of Conan’s interview with some chick on that new version of Dallas (the only reason it’s doing well is because the people who watched the original Dallas are mostly still alive and have no American Idol to watch in the summer).  When Conan introduced the band, he was holding a vinyl version of the EP, Gleam II, one of the Avetts’ older albums, which I’m listening to on repeat right now (when I say repeat, what I mean is that when it finishes I just hit play again because I don’t know how to turn on repeat on Windows Media Player).  I love that album, but was a little confused.  I was expecting something off their new yet-to-be-released album (can’t wait!) or at least I And Love And You.  The album is more or more less just Scott and Seth too.  Conan said they were going to play “Murder in the City”.  I was excited, but confused.  Almost always this song is played by either just the two brothers or by Scott himself.  This though, this was the whole band.  Scott, Seth, Bob, Joe, and the new drummer guy, Jacob on trombone.  What came out was probably one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard.

It was all acoustic—Scott and Seth hunkered around a resonator mic in the middle of the stage with other mics strategically placed to pick up all the instruments.  Joe Kwon was on the far left with his cello, beside him Bob Crawford and his upright bass, and in the back right corner was Jacob Edwards, not on a drum kit but blowing on a trombone.  I wasn’t sure how they would adapt the song to the full band, but they did extremely well—well enough to the point where I almost wish they did it this way every time.  Joe’s cello work was immaculate and almost the driving effort behind the song—it basically left me speechless.  The surprising addition of the trombone was a nice subtle touch.  The only thing I thought that could improve was the vocals—I didn’t think Scott had quite the same power behind his voice as usual, though this could be because of the extra instruments and also because I’ve seen so many videos of him singing it solo, where there is much emphasis on his voice.  Also, I noticed Scott’s hair seemed much fluffier and dull rather than greasy and shiny, which I felt was unusual.

The first time I ever actually listed to “Murder in the City”, as in actually paid attention to the lyrics and the music and everything, I teared up a little.  I think had my mom not been sitting beside me, I probably would have during their performance on Conan.  I’m not ashamed to admit that.  It is a very powerful song and not the first song to make me feel that way.  I was driving through town and it came on shuffle.  I had to listen to it a second time just to make sure I actually heard what I heard.  I had to make sure I played it for my best friend, my little brother.  He loved it, and it became one of his favourites.  I don’t know how many times we’ve listened to that song.  We might not be blood-related and not have the same last name, but that song still means a lot to us.  I think it’s a song that everyone should listen to at least once in their lives.  This is the kind of song that changes peoples’ lives.  When you’ve written a song like that, that’s when you can retire.  But the Avett Brothers aren’t retiring anytime soon—they’re just going to write more songs like that.

When we went to the Avett Brothers’ show a couple weeks back we were really hoping to hear “Murder in the City”, but they didn’t play it.  Every time the condenser mic came out, we got excited in anticipation.  But the song never came.  Obviously, we were pretty bummed.  A couple days later, Joe tweeted the set list, which included “Murder in the City”.  I had to tweet back informing him that they didn’t play it.  He surprised me when he replied and said there are always alterations every night.  I tweeted back and told him it was unfortunate it had to be that song because the meaning it holds for my best friend and me.  He didn’t tweet back, though I didn’t really expect him to.  I know it’s crazy, but I’d like to think they sang that song for us.  It was an odd choice for a late night TV show—a slower song, or “dreary” as my mom described it—with bold, emotional lyrics.  And like I said, not a song intended for the entire band.  But for whatever reason, it was what they chose.  It’s because they knew that’s what I needed to hear.  I send my best friend a text telling him to turn on TBS and I hope he got it and was able to turn on TBS and hear it too because I think he needed to hear that song too—to remind us both of some things of which we need reminding.  Though we’re not actually related, we’re still brothers, and that’s a bond that is never broken.  Family is always there, no matter what, and no one and no force can change that.  Brotherhood is forever, whether by blood, marriage, fraternity.  Don’t ever forget that.  Sometimes there are bumps in the road, but everything will settle in the end.  In time, all will be well.  If you have a brother, find him and give him a hug.  Same for your sister, your mother, you father, your son or daughter.  You never know how long you’re going to have them.  Hug them and don’t let them go.  Last summer when the Avett Brothers were in Columbus we wanted to go and found tickets on Craigslist from a lady in Springfield whose brother had passed away recently.  I had said in the ad I wanted to take my little brother to his first concert.  Her email was brief, but it almost had me in tears.  She knows what this song is about; she was knows what I’m saying here.  It’s inevitable that you’ll have some kind of argument with a family member—most likely a sibling—throughout your life.  But in the end, it’s all petty.  Don’t ever let anything tarnish a relationship that is meant to be unbreakable.

Why I Can't Wait Until They Come Back to Ohio

We finally got to see the Avett Brothers.  Live, in concert.  And it was amazing.  Easily one of the best shows I have ever seen.  I simply cannot wait until they are back in Ohio so I can see them again, especially with Bob Crawford back on the stage, who was absent from the show; I’m assuming he was tending to his ailing daughter.  We send good thoughts to the Crawford family.

The show was at Fraze Pavilion in Kettering.  Neither one of us had been there before (I was accompanied by my best friend, as I’m sure you can assume), but we both want to go back, which the usher guaranteed us would happen.  It was an incredible venue.  Immaculate.  Very big and open, but still quaint and cozy and familiar.  Very few bad seats in the house.  We had pretty great seats—7^th row just right of center.  The seats just got in the way though because no one sat—save for the “older” couple behind us—for the entire duration of the show.  It was an “Evening With the Avett Brothers”, so no opening act—just a solid two hours of glorious, high-energy “punk-grass”.

After the show we had a lot of people who had been to multiple Avett Brothers shows telling us that it was a terrible show and one of the worst they had been to.  One girl even went as far as saying “sorry” it was our first “Avetts experience”.  I’m not sorry.  I’m sorry they had an awful time watching their favourite band.  I’m sorry all they could focus on was that they played “weird” songs and that Bob Crawford wasn’t on stage and was replaced with some other guy with no stage presence (they didn’t seem to care that Bob’s daughter is sick and that he does occasionally miss shows to be with her).  The only time I had heard such complaints before was after seeing Bob Dylan at the Nutter Center in Dayton (we later found out it was his 2000^th show of his never-ending tour—super awesome), though those people (myself included) appreciated the fact that they were seeing a superstar, no matter how shot his voice is and respected that he never repeats a set list and therefore does end up playing some less-popular songs.  The vast majority of the comments about the show left us both rather frustrated, angered that these “fans” would try to ruin such an amazing experience for us.  Shame on them.  Seriously—don’t go to a show if you’re going to complain about it.  Don’t talk to other people if you’re just going to try to ruin the show for them.  That is not how a true fan acts.  Be glad you got to see your favourite band.  I for one had no complaints other than that they didn’t sing three of my favourite songs: “Colorshow” (duh), “Distraction #74” (can’t really do this one without Bob), and “Murder in the City” (this was on the set list, but was axed for some reason), which holds certain sentimental value for my best friend and me.  There were quite a few songs we didn’t know, but they played all of the classics as well.  I think we both got goosebumps when they started playing “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise”, especially after the huge cheers for the lines of “And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected/If you’re loved by someone, you’re never rejected/Decide what to be and go be it.”  The whole evening was just so surreal—couldn’t believe I was finally seeing them after watching so many live videos on YouTube and the Live Vol. 3 DVD.  You can feel the energy in the videos and it is even more amazing when you’re actually there.  Never before have such a stage presence.  I’ve seen some pretty high-energy acts, such as Foxy Shazam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but that’s pretty hard and loud music… this is acoustic.  No one out there can rock a cello quite like Joe Kwon, not even Gretta Cohn, the former cellist for Omaha indie rock band, Cursive (they were actually my first ever concert—awesome show).  And never before have I seen someone smile and laugh on stage quite as much as Seth Avett, which is awesome because he has the kind of smile that can make the saddest of hermits smile with joy.  Seth and I made eye contact at one point, and I don’t really want to admit this, but it was kind of a magical moment.  That said, Trenton had the same experience with Scott.  Neither brother did too much screaming, but Scott and Seth both were so intense in their singing and hit some ridiculous notes, which I know I could never hit, not without extracting certain body parts anyway.

One thing that I loved about this show was the eclectic crowd.  I know it was going to be a diverse crow, just like both times I saw Dylan, but I wasn’t expecting the huge amount of kids, some as young as 3 or 4 years old.  The crowd seemed to range from about 3 to 63.  These kids weren’t just there because their parents wanted to go either as many of them were wearing Avett Brothers t-shirts, which means they had probably been to at least one show before.  Seeing all those kids gave me faith in humanity—there are real kids out there who like real good music and not that auto-tuned Top 100 pop music.  There was a kid behind us who was about 15, maybe 16, and was there by himself, which we thought was pretty cool.  We probably would have talked to him, given him some friendly banter over his White Sox t-shirt, but he didn’t come to his seat until shortly before the show and bolted right after.  There was this little kid though, maybe 4 or 5 year old, who was super awesome.  He was a die-hard fan, you could tell.  He so badly wanted to meet the band and get their autographs on his Crackerfarm-designed poster (I wanted to buy one, but was running out of cash).  We waited an hour and a half after the show to try to meet the guys, which I guess they love to do and will make sure they talk to everyone who waits, but eventually gave up after hearing they were somehow already on the bus and asleep (they were playing at Bonnaroo the next afternoon, so I understand).  That little boy was still there with his mom when we left at 12:15.  I know he got the drummer’s autograph and guest guitarist David Mayfield’s.  I would like to think he got Scott’s, Seth’s, and Joe’s as well.  I’d like to think that little boy got to jam with the band.

We were a little frustrated that we didn’t get to meet the Avett Brothers, mostly just because we waited so long.  We understood though that they had to get to Tennessee.  It was frustrating though, listening to the non-fans who were dissing the show tell us about how they had met the band so many times before and that Scott and Seth will stay out until 1am making sure they talk to everyone who has waited; it actually reminded me a lot of when I met Kate Nash.  It was aggravating knowing that these unappreciative fans who just spent the last ten minutes complaining about the show got to meet them, but not us who had just seen them for the first time and absolutely adore their music and everything about them.  We did get some fun people watching though and met a couple cute girls, who we couldn’t decide if they were of age or not (I thought so, despite the pink U21 wrist band, though he thought closer to his young age).  While perusing the sidewalk we also met a young man named Sam Salazar (his real name, seriously) who was waiting to give his band’s latest EP to the Avetts.  He said he does it every time, which we thought was pretty cool and hoped that the Avetts actually listened to the discs and liked them.  His band is called Wheels and they’re actually very good.  I looked them up the next day and you should too, just click here.

I think we’re both already looking forward to seeing the Avett Brothers again.  Dylan is the only artist I’ve seen more than once so far, not counting local bands and I want to see him again (I’m also not counting Foxy Shazam here either though I’ve seen them 2 or 3 times because they were still a local band when I saw them, having not yet been featured in Super Bowl promos and silly cable awards shows).  The Avetts said they love coming to Ohio, which shows seeing as how they were in three different Ohio cities this spring, as well as several other nearby out-of-state cities (such as Detroit), so I know it won’t be difficult to see them again.  And next time, we will meet them and we’ll be sure to leave an impression.  Hopefully one day we can jam, I just have to remember to bring my harmonica.

Why I Wasn't Nervous

I don’t get nervous.  Not about the kinds of things you would think I’d get nervous about anyway.  I get nervous about interactions with people—like when you send that deep text message and you’re not sure how the other person will respond.  I don’t get nervous about new and exciting things though, like going on an adventure.  I wasn’t nervous when I did my study abroad in London.  I wasn’t nervous about going to college or transferring to a new one.  I don’t get nervous when I’m front of people, whether it’s in front of a class for a presentation or on a stage.  The only time I ever got nervous when meeting one-on-one with someone was when I’d have conferences with one of my history professors who is a top-notch lawyer listed in the Who’s Who and recipient of some kind of award from the ACLU.  I might get a few butterflies before I get on stage, but I don’t get nervous.  I feel comfortable on the stage with a mic in front of my face and a crowd seated before me on a slightly lower plane.  It is an exhilarating experience to read a poem, to perform, on stage in front of a crowd.  It builds confidence, to say the least, especially when the crowd gets behind you and cheers you on.  You thrive on their applause—it fuels you.  My on-stage experience is limited, but I love it and wish to continue it and gain more experience.

The Columbus Arts Festival was my first featured set.  Prior to that I had only performed at open mics and during the aforementioned radio interview (see previous post).  I had twenty minutes to fill.  It seemed a little nerve-wracking, but I couldn’t have been calmer.  I erred a few times, but all in all I thought I did really well, especially considering it was a first time (though hopefully not the last), but I’ll let you be judge of that by watching the video below.  My set list was pretty solid after some last-minute changes—I wrote a new poem the night before at like 1:30AM while in bed that I felt I had to include about my cousin with Cystic Fibrosis who I knew would be in attendance.  She loved the poem and so did her dad (he’s actually my first cousin, so she’s technically something like my second cousin?)—he gave me a big hug after the set.  There wasn’t a huge amount of people in the seats—maybe 20 or 30—but a lot of people stopped as they walked by.  The Word Is Art Stage was in a primo spot, right at a main entrance to the festival.  As I was on stage I noticed a lot of people stopped to listen.  That felt good.  I saw a few people snap photos.  Afterwards a guy collecting petitions told me he got yelled at a couple times because he stopped to listen to me rather than collect more signatures; naturally, I signed it.

Doing the Arts Festival was awesome and made me really want to try even harder with my poetry and get more involved in the slam scene.  I’ve noticed I’m getting better at memorizing my poems as well, which is a huge plus.  The whole thing was a total success and I’m very proud of it all.  Only thing that would’ve made it better is if my brother and best friend had been able to make it. 

Before I leave you with the video of my set, I want to give a big shout out to Scott Woods and Ed Plunkett.  They both did an amazing job with the Word Is Art Stage and are a huge part of the Columbus poetry scene.  They have both done a lot to support me.  Scott always has a great introduction for me at the Writers Block Poetry open mic and Ed had a fantastic intro for me at the Arts Festival.

Set List:

Beliebers Anonymous (Confessions of a Music Snob)

Pink’s Hot Dogs and Foul Balls

No Child Deserves to Die

Purple Roses for Lahna

For Jamey

The Sacrificial Rite

Welcome to the Midwest

You Can Be Superman

Radio Interview and Set List

I’ve uploaded the audio of my radio interview to YouTube so everyone outside of the station’s very small range can listen to it (which is pretty much everyone who wants to listen to it).  If you’d like, you can listen to it below.  There is a reading around the 14-minute mark.

I think I’ve decided on a set-list, though I still need to decide an order.  I’ve chosen the following poems:

1.       Belieber’s Anonymous: A Music Snob’s Confession

2.       Welcome to the Midwest

3.       For Jamey

4.       Don’t Ever Give Up

5.       No Child Deserves to Die

6.       Pink’s Hot Dogs and Foul Balls

7.       You Could Be Superman

8.       Sometimes You Don’t Have To Be A Doctor To Save a Life

And on deck is The Sacrificial Rite.