Sunday, October 25, 2009


Autumn is my favorite time of year in Boston. New England is beautiful when the leaves are changing colors. I love to go outside and stand under a brightly colored tree, lean way back, and look up through the tree branches. Especially at night, when the street light is illuminating the leaves. These are some trees in my neighborhood:



I went Apple Picking this weekend. It's a traditional New England Autumn activity. The orchards around Boston are full of all sorts of apples. They sell empty bags at a fixed price, and then you wander the orchards, and fill up the bag with apples to take home. You can taste test a bit too while walking around. My friend and I had fun comparing all the different types of apples. Some are sweet and juicy, some are tart, and some are mild with a grainy texture.

A lot of the apples had already fallen off the trees, and were piled up on the ground all over the orchard. Many had rolled down a hill into a pond, and I took a cool photo of apples floating amongst lily pads. I'd never seen that before:


So now I have a bag of apples to eat my way through. Tonight I made an apple pie. The crust was the hardest part to make properly, but it came out delicious. It's a traditional New England Autumn food. If you are interested in trying to bake one, there is a good recipe here: http://www.myhomecooking.net/apple-pie/


But in the meantime, I'll happily share a piece with you right here! Enjoy! :)

Monday, October 19, 2009



Behind The Lyrics of my track with Damien.S called, "Love Letters":

An Idea is Born:

I had the idea for "Love Letters" when I read about a devastating forest fire that started when a woman burned a love letter in a small fire pit. I didn't know more details about the story, and I wondered why the woman would have burned that letter.

I figured maybe it was a letter from an ex lover, and if so, she probably just intended it to vanish into the flames, so she could symbolize that she had moved on from her heartache. But then the fire rapidly moved through an entire forest and became international news.

I imagined that the smoke in the fire was a sign of the intensity of that love she was trying to burn away; like a smoke signal she was sending out to the world.

There's much power in the written word, and people put so much emotion into letters and emails. We're always trying to figure out ways to communicate with each other, and figure out what our own hearts are telling us. In this particular case, the forest fire was an extremely unfortunate, but fantastical symbol of a love that burns out of control, consuming everything in its path.

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Time and Place:

I wrote "Love Letters" on a trip to Athens Greece. I was visiting in January, which isn't peak tourist season, and the streets were pretty empty. Without a lot of people around me wearing modern clothes to place me in modern times, I could let my imagination run away, and feel as if I might possibly be walking around in ancient Greece.

I imagine that people have always had the same longings, fears, and needs for attachment over the eons. I bet, for example, that even in Ancient Greece, women found themselves wanting someone that they knew they shouldn't, and suffering the consequences for it.

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Line by Line:

The lyrics in "Love Letters" feel quite dense to me. Every line is full of layers of feeling, and I'm sure the song speaks differently to each listener. I don't want to break it down line by line because I want to leave the song to the listener's imagination, but I will speak a bit about a few of the lines.

"Sleeping alone in separate rooms, praying for courage to crawl back to you"

Who hasn't had a fight with their lover where both people decide to sleep separately, and then lay awake wishing they could mend the damage caused by the argument?

"Lost in the fog of the oracles breath, a whispered prediction of time I have left"

I like to imagine my future being prophesized in the foggy breath of an oracle. Is that prediction valid or is it as flimsy as a whisp of smoke that goes where the wind blows it? Or is it strong enough of a breath to blow out a fire?

"Starved for attention, a lover's affection, just a passing glance"

I think everyone is hungry for love and acceptance, and we fill our need for that in many ways. Sometimes we do crazy things for attention.

Lastly, I'll give you the definition of 'Effigy':
1. a representation or image, esp. sculptured, as on a monument.
2. a crude representation of someone disliked, used for purposes of ridicule.


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Damien.S feat Marcie Joy- Love Letters
(Infrasonic Recordings):

The crystal balls spinning in the card house tonight
Love letters burn smoke signals take flight
We’re sleeping alone in separate rooms
I’m praying for courage to crawl back to you

I’m lost in the fog of the oracle’s breath
A whispered prediction of time I have left
Our egos are dancing around the flame
Wild eyed effigies passing the blame

We’re speaking in code and we’re walking the line
And we are forever falling behind
Starved for attention, a lovers affection
Just a passing glance

Your honesty’s too much, to digest in all one night
So please excuse me while I wash it down with a glass of cheap wine
See, I’m in love with shadows, cast upon a void
And I’m indebted to a wanted man who set out to destroy

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Thank you!

Marcie

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Honkfest

This weekend I took a break from EDM, and attended a street festival called, "Honkfest. At first, when my friend invited me to go, I was sure he said we were going to 'Punkfest'. So I was surprised to show up and find a festival of radical and activist marching bands! There was also a hoop troupe, puppeteers, visual artists, and organizations that promote transportation alternatives and environmental and social justice, such as Bikes Not Bombs.

My favorite group at the festival was the "What Cheer Brigade", (www.whatcheerbrigade.com). They mixed up fun, danceable party music with a hardcore edgy appearance. I don't condone smoking, but I had to laugh when I saw that the trombone player was actually smoking a cigarette in between playing his horn!

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It was a great community event, with people of all ages dancing in the streets to a music style we don't get to hear live very often. As an Artist, who spends much of my time listening to music produced electronically, it was refreshing to hear music made without any electricity at all.

It was nice also to see people of all ages sharing a joint outdoor music festival. The weather was gorgeous, and the smell of autumn was in the air.

In any case, Honk Bands aren't my favorite music style, but I enjoyed seeing talented people make music in a way I've not seen before. I don't think the music would have come across as well without the visual of seeing the instruments played live. It was the musicians visual enthusiasm that really made an impact on me. Sometimes I forget how important music has always been to fostering community spirit and connectivity.

I wish I had seen bands like that when I was growing up. As a kid, I never realized the tuba could be played while wearing a silly costume, and dancing around the streets! Maybe I would have been inspired to play a horn instrument as well as singing!