Summer Fiction Secret Entry

 
The highly anticipated and critically acclaimed Summer Fiction album is now available!






Links:
Summer Fiction Official (newly designed)
Read a 2011 Crenellation interview with Bill Ricchini here.

Goodbye Sun and Sea and Shell

As we near the September equinox, it is time to say goodbye to sun, sea and shell. Time to put down the light reading of your favorite pulp novels you enjoyed at the seashore. But now, right now, if it has eluded you this long, it is the time to pick-up the self-titled album by Summer Fiction. Summer Fiction is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Bill Ricchini who has been writing and self-recording music since the start of the twenty-first century. Summer Fiction is actually his third album, the first two (Ordinary Time and Tonight I Burn Brightly respectively) were recorded under the name Bill Ricchini. 

Like your favorite novel, each Summer Fiction track evolves like a new chapter with a purposeful narrative that intimately reveals itself. To learn more about Bill’s album, read below as he kindly shared a bit of his influences and writing process with me.

xo: This is an amazing album – the kind that you listen to but it takes multiple listens to fully absorb as the songs are so full of tenderly layered instrumentation and vocals. I don’t use the term “tenderly” in the sense of “too precious” but it does run counter to the label of “baroque pop” that I have seen written about your work. So, I’m curious, when recording alone, how do you keep a song from becoming too baroque or excessive? Or, more simply, how do you know “when” you are finished with a song?

BR: Thanks for the compliment. For me, it is hard to separate arrangement from songwriting. I do both roles on my records. I usually have a vision of a song’s arrangement as I write it and then I’ll experiment. For example Chandeliers didn’t always have a harpsichord but that was an experiment that worked. Also the baritone sax line on the chorus is a nice touch. But, in an earlier version, I had a glockenspiel on the fadeout which to me was distracting. I go on instinct. My ears tell me if something isn’t needed. The record is dense but everything is in its right place.

xo: Your vocals are understated yet so emotive and I find the timbre of your voice to be quite hypnotic in this record and in your earlier albums recorded under your given name. Who are some of your favorite vocalists and what have you learned from them?

BR: I like subtle, emotive singers. I don’t usually dig the whole American Idol thing. Favorite singers are Brian Wilson, Chrissie Hynde, early Madonna, Dylan, Julian Casablancas, Lou Reed. Good singers don’t have to be good singers. It is about feeling and vibe and taste.

xo: I love that each song on this album seems to have a story that play like mini-movies in my mind. How do you conceive of the narratives? And, does this album have a conscious continuity lyrically speaking?

BR: I think these things emerge as you go and sometimes you look back and it surprised you. Like the makeup theme on the record. That was a total accident but now I am really into it. I think sequencing songs plays a large role but that comes later. Kind of like the old saying that you don’t write the songs the songs write you. I believe that and when I see a mood developing I go with it and make little tweaks to build a narrative. I will say some of this record was written as a sequence like Kids in Catalina into Carry On. That is no accident.

xo: The video for Chandeliers is amazing with the synchronizations of footage and how the overall feeling works so well together with the music. I understand that it is comprised of clips from the Marco Bellocchio film Fists in the Pocket and was edited by a Canadian designer. How did you come to work with Kevin Chia and how much input did you have in the making of the video? 

BR: Kevin is an old friend and I love his videos. The ones for Best Coast are just brilliant. The vision was really all his I have to say. We discussed some aesthetics and he ran with it.

xo: Would it be correct to say that you have been a part of the DIY music movement for a long time and were you at the helm of all of the engineering and production on this album?

BR: Yes, I’ve produced all of my records. On this one I engineered most of it as well. DIY is just a nice way to say ‘use what you have’. It was born out of necessity and no money really but along the way I learned things I wouldn’t have if I paid someone to do it.

xo: And finally, how do you measure home recording with live performance and what do you find the most challenging with each outlet?

BR: Enjoy both but recording is my real love. I like that you are making something forever. Shows are also great but kind of like building castles in the sand. 

Download a song from the album for free, courtesy of the artist.

Also, check out Kevin Chia’s amazing video.

Oh, Nine

This isn’t by any means a definitive list of what I think is the best of 2009 but these nine of ’09 are definitely among the best that I’ve heard.

One:

Clues – Clues [Constellation]

Clues – Remember Severed Head [mp3]

Two:

Cass McCombs – Catacombs [Domino]

Official video for Dreams Come True Girl (featuring Karen Black) by Cass McCombs [Directed by Aaron B.]

Three:

The Clientele – Bonfires on the Heath [Merge]

The Clientele – I Wonder Who We Are [mp3]

Four:

Girl in a Coma – Trio B.C. [Blackheart Records]

Official video for El Monte by Girl in a Coma [Directed by Jim Mendiola]


Five:

Lee Fields and The Expressions – My World [Truth and Soul Records]

Lee Fields and The Expressions – Love Comes and Goes [mp3]

Six:

Leopold and His Fiction – Ain’t No Surprise [Native Fiction Records]

Leopold and His Fiction performs Broke on Sundance Television

Seven:

Mason Jennings – Blood of Man [Brushfire Records]

Mason Jennings' official music video for "Ain't No Friend of Mine" from his the album Blood Of Man [Produced and directed by Barry Kimm]

Eight:

Richard Swift – The Atlantic Ocean [Secretly Canadian]

Richard Swift – Lady Luck [mp3]

Nine:

Thao - Know Better Learn Faster [Kill Rock Stars]

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster [mp3]

Auditory Prozac

Songs to make you feel good on the insides.

alongwaltz: 10 Great Films

CQ
(2001)
D/W: Roman Coppola



When you’re the son of Francis Ford Coppola, the brother of Sofia Coppola, and the cousin to Jason Schwartzman and Nicolas Cage, and you decide to enter the movie business, there’s bound to be some pressure on you. But when your first feature-length film is a wonderful film like CQ, you can let some of the pressure go.

In Paris 1969, a sci-fi movie is being filmed which takes place in the distant future, the year 2000. Sexy star Agent Dragonfly causes trouble for her director until independent filmmaker Paul (Jeremy Davies) is brought in to complete the film. Paul must struggle to come up with an ending for the movie as he begins to fall for Dragonfly and the line between reality and fiction begins to blur.




SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS
(1964)
D: Nicholas Webster
W: Glenville Mareth



Now some people will try to claim this as one of the worst movies ever made. These are the same people who accuse Ed Wood of being a hack. These are the people who can’t see the forest for the trees. This movie does not contain Oscar-winning acting, groundbreaking special effects, or any tear jerking scenes. But it is a blast. It’s fun!

When Kimar and Momar’s Martian children appear listless and unresponsive to everything their life with the exception of Earth television programs, they investigate and find their children, Bomar and Girmar, especially adore this Earth figure known as Santa Claus. So Kimar and his men come to Earth to kidnap Santa Claus and bring him to their planet to bring Christmas to the Martian children. In search of Santa Claus on Earth, they also kidnap little Billy and his sister Betty. However, upon arrival on Mars, Kimar and Santa face treachery from Kimar’s rival Voldar who seeks to remove Santa from the operation – permanently.

The highlight of the movie is not the comic relief Dropo, but the villainous Voldar. Watch for his great facial expressions and lines. As well as hilarious jokes like:

Hargo: What’s soft and round and you put it on a stick and you toast it in a fire, and it’s green?
Kimar: I don’t know. What?
Hargo: A Martian mellow.




THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD
(1938)
D: Michael Curtiz / William Keighley
W: Norman Reilly Raine / Seton I. Miller



Errol Flynn stars as the eponymous hero in the first sound film version of the Robin Hood legend. With Claude Rains (The Invisible Man) as the scurvy Prince John, the film bursts with action, adventure, comedy, and romance. Robin has some great lines such as:

Lady Marian: Why, you speak treason!
Robin: Fluently.

Errol Flynn is charming and fun to watch and this movie earned its Best Picture Oscar nomination.




HARD CORE LOGO
(1996)
D: Bruce McDonald
W: Noel S. Baker



Legendary Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald took Michael Turner’s book Hard Core Logo and turned into a tremendous rockumentary and possibly the most realistic look ever into the life of a rock and roll band.

Headstones singer Hugh Dillon plays Joe Dick, the singer of Hard Core Logo. Callum Keith Rennie is Billy Tallent, guitar. The band is rounded out by John Oxenberger on bass and Pipefitter on drums. Hard Core Logo was the biggest name on the Canadian punk scene until they broke up. Now they’ve reunited to raise money for an old friend who was shot. As the band gets back together and piles into the van with the documentary crew tagging along to film the reunion, Hard Core Logo start across the country. But it’s not long before old tensions, addictions, infighting, and love and hate bubble up to the surface to finish something which was never properly put to rest.

Dillon performs the music of Hard Core Logo as backed by Vancouver punk band Swamp Baby.




ELECTION
(1999)
D/W: Alexander Payne



Reese Witherspoon is Tracy Flick, the kind of obnoxious, overly ambitious person that anyone who went to high school is familiar with. And she’s running unopposed for student election. Matthew Broderick is Jim McAllister, popular teacher, who is quite put off by Tracy, which inspires him to coach football player Paul Metzler into running against Tracy. Unfortunately for Paul, his bitter sister Tammy Metzler is running against him as well after her lesbian lover leaves her for her older brother.

While the elections heating up and each party trying to outdo each other, Jim also has to deal with the fact that his wife has kicked him out of the house after he cheated on her with her best friend.




PIECES OF APRIL
(2003)
D/W: Peter Hedges



Katie Holmes (yes, that Katie Holmes, believe it or not) delivers an engaging starring performance in Peter Hedge’s Pieces Of April. April Burns is living alone in New York, dating her black boyfriend, and trying to cope with life. It’s Thanksgiving and her family is coming for dinner.

As boyfriend Bobby goes out on an errand, April deals with broken ovens, unpredictable neighbors, and the fear of disappointing her family, a family which consists of her father, brother, sister, grandmother, and a vicious, ill mother who finds every opportunity to belittle her.




THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON
(2005)
D/W: Jeff Feuerzeig



When Jeff Feuerzeig (Half-Japanese: The Band That Would Be King) set out to craft a documentary about the life of indie legend Daniel Johnston, he had no idea what was in store for him. Feuerzeig was one of the first to be privy to a look at the trove of footage Johnston himself had saved over the years. An artist since birth, Johnston recorded his entire life using cameras, video cameras, tape recorders, and his markers. Hours of cassette tapes of songs and conversations and arguments filled his room. Hours upon hours of video footage. Showcasing the life of a genius.

The Devil And Daniel Johnston traces Johnston’s life from his childhood and teenage years in Texas to his life now at the age of 46. The documentary involves everything from home movie footage to MTV recordings to new interviews with Johnston, his family, and his friends and associates. And the story of his life is almost too farfetched to believe. From the time he ran away and joined the circus to his LSD-triggered mental breakdowns, time in and out of metal institutions, playing and performing with the Flaming Lips, Butthole Surfers, and Sonic Youth, and his crushing lifelong unrequited love of the funeral home girl.

If you’re not a fan of his music or art, this film should make you one. And if you are, you must have already seen it and loved it.




BEFORE SUNRISE
(1995)
D/W: Richard Linklater



Before Sunrise is the most romantic movie you’ve (n)ever seen. Linklater’s script is fantastic and Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy invest so much in their characters that you believe every smile, awkward fidget, and look of longing is real.

Hawke is Jesse, an American traveling across Europe trying to forget an ex-girlfriend. Delpy is a French grad student returning home from visiting her grandmother. They meet on a train, start talking, and decide to get off together in Vienna. They spend the night walking around the city, falling in love, all too aware that they only have until sunrise.




AMÉLIE
(2001)
D/W: Jean-Pierre Jeunet



When French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet set down to write The Fabulous Destiny Of Amelie Poulain, he had a handful of movies to his name, including the fourth American Alien movie and the fantasy epic The City Of Lost Children. Written for Emily Watson, Watson had to back out due to her inability to speak French and her prior commitment to Gosford Park. So Jeunet hired Venus Beauty Institute actress Audrey Tautou, and the results were staggering.

Jeunet depicts a pseudo-Paris free from crime, vandalism, and litter, where everyone knows one another, and the slightest action on someone else’s part is enough to change your life for the better. Amélie is a twenty-three year-old girl, hopelessly disconnected from the people around her and the love that she craves. She hides herself away in the simple pleasures of old movies, skipping stones, and taking care of the cat until one day she does a good deed for a stranger and watches how happy it makes him. From that point on, she sets off on a quest to bring happiness to the exterior people in her life, all while pursuing a young man who collects photo booth pictures, works in a porn shop, and plays a ghoul at the funfair.




GHOST WORLD
(2001)
D: Terry Zwigoff
W: Daniel Clowes



Daniel Clowes’ legendary graphic novel Ghost World is adapted for the screen by Clowes and Crumb director Terry Zwigoff. Former child stars Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson star as Enid and Becky, two disillusioned high school graduates forced to confront their futures, pipe dreams, and the strength of their friendship. Steve Buscemi costars as aging record fanatic Seymour and the only adult Enid can relate to.

Ghost World is one of the freshest, most hilarious satires of Middle America and the teenagers, Satanists, art teachers, convenience store workers, and adult porn stores that make up it. A brilliant piece of work.

New life for old books.

BookMooch is a website dedicated to the recycling of old books.

Everyone has books kicking around their residence that they don't necessarily want or need anymore but don't know what to do with. Now you can do something with them - get new books!

BookMooch is free to sign up for and use, and makes use of a simple point system. You open an account and list for everyone else the books you own and are willing to give away. For every book you list, you get a tenth of a point. For every book you send away to someone in your country, you get a point. For every book you send outside the country, you get three points. You then use your points to request books from other users. One point for in the country, two if they're outside your country.

When someone requests a book from you, you decide if you're willing to send it to wherever it is they live. If so, you get their mailing address, go to the post office, drop the book in the mail, and they'll let you know when they get it. In the meantime, you can go shopping.


The selection is vast and wonderful. I've received graphic novels, science fiction, music biographies, Gothic romances, poetry, children's books, and modern literature. The search function is easy to use and, once you start sending off books, the point system is very simple.

http://www.bookmooch.com

Three Little Indies

Over the weekend, as I was laid up writhing in pain, I watched a few films -- one that I had never seen and two that I've seen on so many occasions I can almost recite. (Please note, this isn't going to be a film review -- they are just three movies that I like and I think I relate to in some pathetic and tragic ways).

The first was Chi Girl which I was happy to finally catch. It isn't a typical mockumentary because the "documentary" within the film becomes a character of its own (if that makes sense). The character that it is based around, Heather, is a bit of a dysfunctional mess. I was so reminded of myself in her obsessive-compulsive behavior of checking her watch every 10 minutes and phoning home to pick up her non-existent voice mail (uh, yea, I do that too). The "narrator" character Randy is what I find the most interesting. The way he is simultaneously repelled and attracted to Heather (I find myself being attracted to the most dysfunctional of people and it seems the more of a mess they are, the more attracted I am). Both Heather and Randy have the same stalker qualities and become quite obsessed about non-existent relationships. While it doesn't sound very romantic, I found it to be a very romantic film (at least what qualifies as so in my universe).

So after feeling completely, yet oddly romanticized by Chi Girl I decided to break out two other films that I also relate to on a "girly" level. First is Welcome to the Dollhouse which tells the story of a bullied pre-teen girl in suburbia. Dawn is homely, not popular, emotionally abused by family and sexually harassed by a local boy. Every time I watch this film I feel a great deal of discomfort yet I want to watch how Dawn deals with these situations. She seems very superficial on some levels but you know that her character is built from adversity and that generally makes for a more thinking and interesting person in the end. The banality of suburban living is so aptly portrayed, you feel as if this could have been the home of a family that you visited sometime in your youth.

The last film I watched was Ghost World which I adore even though it is fairly simplistic as a tale of someone who feels like an outsider. I can't help but see a parallel in Enid's strange relationship with Seymour with a relationship I once had (oh, I'm not going to reveal here, heh). I also identify with the way she pushes folks away and then feels slighted when they don't call or concern themselves with her. On another basic level, the whole "becoming yourself" and identity building is so important at that age. Lastly, the whole "truth is stranger than fiction" element is showcased very well (i.e. the crassness of every day living in consumer-oriented America). Like Chi Girl, the main character disappears in the end which is a fantasy I think we all share at some point in our lives (the idea of picking up and leaving and starting new somewhere else, sigh).

Chi Girl (1999; written, directed and 'starred' Heidi Van Lier)
Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995; written and directed by Todd Solondz)
Ghost World (2000; written by and based on comic book by Daniel Clowes; directed by Terry Zwigoff)