Sleepy Burrito Dispatches Volume 1, Issue 1
Greetings my beloved little worms,
Before you dig in, please listen to this short welcome message from my grandmother.
Isn’t she a peach?
I thought it would be good to write. There are always things happening in my life and we don’t get to sit down across from one another often enough. Perhaps a dispatch of this sort will give us both a little something to chew on until we see one another next and can sit and visit a while. I don’t anticipate many to read this, but in any event, here’s what I’ve been up to. I hope you enjoy yourself.
Regarding The Child
You might remember that we had a baby back in March.
There are a thousand clichés about having children; “It’s the best thing in the world” is probably the most boring. “Your life completely changes after they’re born” is another tired one. “The days are long, but the years are short” is slightly more poetic, but I have heard it so many times that its utterance inspires an urge to gouge out my eyes with a baby bottle nipple.
My experience has been that none of these articulate what happens in the slightest. Perhaps the sheer overwhelm of the thing is what drives folks to use such clichés because they simply can’t find the words. I don’t blame anyone for using them, really. Parents are entirely underslept and are just trying to survive. We shouldn’t expect people to transcend anything in such a state.
All that to say, I don’t have any real update for you on this front other than we’re alive, we’re doing what people have to do to keep a baby alive, and we’re navigating it the best we can. It is both mundane and wonderful, a strange combination of delight and frustration.
On another related note, since little Hollis can’t consent to his photo being plastered all over the internet (and because there are so many creeps online), we haven’t been sharing any images of his face on social media. If you’ve received this communique, know us personally, and want to see some photos, just shoot me an email and I’ll share some with you.
I’ll leave this topic with an audio clip of Hollis snoring. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Regarding The Writing
The Spirit Of Winter Moves This Way
I’m pleased to say that I have a full length book of poetry for which I am beginning to explore publication options. It is a collection of about 30 poems titled “The Spirit Of Winter Moves This Way” and features work from the last 10 years of my life. I am also thrilled to share that the venerable poet from Amarillo, Wes Reeves, has agreed to write a forward for the book.
I will certainly keep you posted about its progress and will share purchase links as soon as they’re available.
The Expansive Night
Another writing project that I am pleased to share is a bit smaller, but something I think you’ll love. Shortly after Hollis was born, I began writing poems in the late hours when I’d be awake after feeding him a bottle. It was a wonderful way to process my experience as a new father. As I would share some of these online, my friend (and wonderful author) Blythe Robison suggested that I compile them into a short chapbook.
I instantly loved this idea and decided to litter the pages with sketches as well. The chapbook is called “The Expansive Night” and will feature the poems I’ve written in the two months since Hollis arrived and some drawings I’ve created in the same time period. I am currently working on the layout so that I can print them. This project will be self published. Again, I will let you know when these are available for purchase and get one mailed to you directly from me.
Regarding The Music
Shifting Again
You may have seen that I recently released a single called Shifting Again. It is an instrumental piece I wrote on guitar in the summer months of 2023. At the time, Sierra and I had resigned to the notion that we probably weren’t going to be able to have a baby. After several years, we just didn’t think it was going to happen for us so we began changing our expectations. We sat with disappointment, a sense of lost longing, and worked to see what other experience was on the horizon for our relationship and life together.
I began writing this music as an expression of that emotional landscape, but no matter how many times I sat down with it, I couldn’t quite finish the piece. I would change this or that, but nothing felt right. Then, in July right before I left for a road trip to New Mexico, we found out that Sierra was pregnant. We felt skeptical that this could be real, but joyful. I had a few thousand miles of solo driving to contemplate the fact that our expectations were shifting again.
And, as these things sometimes do, the piece itself began to change as I played through it with new perspective. The final composition you’ll hear when you listen came together pretty quickly and it felt as finished as a piece of music can.
I hope you enjoy it. Perhaps it will reveal for you something that is shifting in your own life, even for a second or third time.
It is available to purchase from my Bandcamp page and available for streaming on pretty much every conceivable platform. Check to see if your favorite streaming platform is available via this link.
Canyon, Nocturne
Another exciting thing to share with you is that my dearest friend and lifelong collaborator, Jacob Combs, and I have begun work on the third installment of our triptych piece about Palo Duro Canyon. You’ll remember the previous two works we did together, Canyon, Illuminant and Red River War, which are well worth reading about and listening to. The third and final piece will be called Canyon, Nocturne.
Conceptually, this piece of music will imagine the canyon dreaming of its own creation as it was formed in the Pleistocene. It should be sufficiently weird and what we’ve already created sounds quite beautiful. I’ll keep you posted when it comes out. These things cannot be rushed.
The Fifth Annual John Prine Night
In case you live under a rock, John Prine Night is an annual gathering at The French Co. Grocer in Marathon, TX to celebrate the life, music, and spirit of John Prine. This event is not affiliated with the Prine family, although we’d more than welcome them all any time. Hosted by Sam Stavinoha, the owner and proprietor of The French Co. Grocer, and emceed by me, the event occurs each October on the weekend nearest to Prine’s birthday (October 10). We feature delicious and made-to-order food, libations, performance art, music, and surprises that delight the senses.
Alta Magazine did a very nice article about our little event back in March and it’s worth a read.
Join us October 12, 2024 for our 5th annual celebration of the saintly and hot-dog loving Mr. John Prine. We’ve even got the great Taylor Rushing (check out his stellar poster work) creating something unique for this year’s event.
Desert Creatures
I’ve been drawing a number of desert creatures when I feel compelled to sketch. People seem to like them. Here they are for your enjoyment.
ATEOTD
I’ve always got something cooking and I genuinely hope you connect with some of it. If you are curious about any of my work, please don’t hesitate to ask me about it. I love talking with folks about the things they’re most interested in. It’s always a good learning experience.
That’s all for now. May your summer begin with delicious thunderstorms and popsicles.
-M