Continue reading “Arcata Sessions: Good-bye William McKinley”
Tag: California
The Pyramid by Sarama Sun Teague is a fictional narrative which was adapted for a live audience performance by Lucius Robinson at Dell’Arte International – School of Physical Theatre.
So there’s this Pyramid in my backyard I started building back in ’92. Built it thinking that if shit goes down New Year’s Eve 1999, and aliens throw some thunder bolts and set the whole world on fire, this Pyramid might save my life. But after I built it, I kinda forgot about it. Never put anything in it other than a case of beer. New Year’s ‘99 came and I spent it at some party in some kid’s basement, my Pyramid lonely and abandoned. Same thing my ex-wife would tell me eighteen years later: I built the marriage and then abandoned her in it. That’s what she called it—I call it paying bills—but I digress. (Man… back in ’92 though, the idea of marriage had never even took a flying shit on my horizon. I was a free man, and my eyeline stretched from here to the edge of the world.)
So I built the Pyramid and forgot all about it until the other night when I ran out of alcohol. Doesn’t happen much, but my check to the cable company bounced, which made some other shit go deficit, and the proverbial fountain ran the fuck dry. No TV and no booze. Damn. It’s enough to make a man a dull boy. But then I remembered: “Oh there’s a case of beer in the Pyramid that’s about—mmm—twenty-one years old right now!” Twenty-one was about how old I was when I built the Pyramid, you know. I was always a sharp hand with laying cement and knocking together boards, and I crafted this Pyramid like a veritable fucking temple. Couldn’t really tell you where the idea for it came from; it was like a dream I had. A message to get ready for 1999.
Continue reading “The Pyramid by Sarama Sun Teague”
Skulrot is San Fernando Valley Punk, an effervescent trio with a diverse catalog of original music. The bags of bones known as Skulrot include John “Red Ruff” Reddick (Guitar/ Vox), Paul Winter DesCombes,(Percussion) and Sanford (Bass/Vox). From graveyards to pubs, and beyond they rock out with an array of original music and cache of covers by the likes of The Ramones, the Misfits, the Exploited, Mud Honey and more.
Continue reading “Artist Profile: Skulrot — Punk Rock, Rhythm and Grunge from the San Fernando Valley”
#CaliforniaLove | #GoldenState
January 20, 2017, one Donald J. Trump took into office as the President of the United States of America. In the 60+ days that he has been in oval office he has disrupted airports across the United States with his positions on immigration; has threatened (and failed) to revamp the Healthcare system established by his predecessor, and has filled his presidential cabinet with Wall Street’s finest. With less than 1400 days left in office, what else is in store for the citizens of the United States? Watching Trump’s executive process from the golden state of California, some 2000 miles away from Washington D.C, is still a little unsettling– even as his executive orders, and nominations crash and burn.
The first month was, a baltering tango danced to the tune of “Xenophobia in b minor.” Mr. President and his dance partner-in-grime, VP Mike Pence, ended up tangoing with The American Civil Liberties Union, and citizens across the United States as the administration signed an executive order which would have called for a halt on all “refugee admissions for 120 days,” as well as a stop to all “refugee and non-refugee entries from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Syria for 90 days.” Yes, national security, is important however, the order itself was crude, as it targeted migration from countries that have a dense Muslim population. The order was deemed unconstitutional, but still disrupted the lives of migrant people during the order’s short lifespan.
History is not without a sense of remembering given that 2017 marks the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, a presidential order which also disproportionately disrupted the lives and livelihood of thousands of individuals. Locally, the commemoration of the Eorder was marked with the opening of “Instructions to All Persons: Reflections on Executive Order 9066,” at the Japanese American National Museum. The parallels to today’s cultural climate are uncanny, and serve as a historical reminder of what unchecked xenophobic legislation can produce. People will often refer to the Nazi death camps when speaking about the horrors of war, however, the United States has its own horror stories– including Jim Crow laws, more than a century of slavery, and an ongoing fight for indigenous sovereignty at Standing Rock to Arizona and sea to shining sea.
Listen online: https://t.co/cm3jXeCDDC#WaterProtectorshttps://t.co/KGSbrUPEsE
— MRDLA (@MichaelRayDLA) April 2, 2017
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Amidst the headlines, it appears that some Californians have taken a stance in opposition to the current administration: Santa Monica joined a coalition of cities in a collective effort to pursue legal action against the modern xenophobic travel ban, while Los Angeles residents continue to gather and exercise their right to assemble peacefully. At the state level Congressman Ted W. Lieu has stated that “President Trump doesn’t understand or doesn’t care that we need to act on climate now” and that he opposes the rollback of the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations, including regulations on carbon emissions. With the 6th largest economy in the world, Californians are flexing their social, political, economic and cultural values; standing in support of diversity, ecology, and empowered citizens.
From California with Love,
Michael Ray
More by Michael Ray
★ Santa Monica Mirror ★ Westside L.A. Today ★ Brentwood News ★
★ Century City Westwood News ★ Bonoboville ★
More by Michael Ray
★ Santa Monica Mirror ★ Westside L.A. Today ★ Brentwood News ★
★ Century City Westwood News ★ Bonoboville ★
Kaleidoscope Soup 