Bellingham becomes Irrelevant

Prophet-style, that is.

Irrelevant Prophets, that banging face of truth, are going to be playing a show this Wednesday, and we want you there, shaking what your mother gave you.

We are the sole hip-hop act in a hard rock/metal show, so we're going on first. We'd like you to hear what we have to say, THEN get your head pounded in with 100 pounds of moving air.

Some sources say FREE SHOW, others $3, but either way, cheap date. This, a ten spot and a kiss might get you in her knickers.

Fantasia Espresso
Wednesday, March 19th
7pm sharp!

Irrelevant Prophets
Lung Panther
Ghost Dad
Into the Storm

Definitions: Thatched

Thatched (adj, noun):

1. An effective, homemade repair. "Bobby pins and electrical tape? That's thatched."
   
2. Chemically altered, as in plugging a hole where the rain gets in. "Irving, obtain the vial. We shall grok the contents by getting terribly thatched."
   
3. In reference to a person, a fixer. "Get James. He's thatch."
   

another day of de

My coworker takes
little pink capsules
gobbling by the handful
the cakepastepack from her kitty
like a grooming monkey
picking its mate

The monotony of filling
icecube tray text boxes
lifting names from pamphlets
wrapping them in electric ubiquity

I earn keep misreading
veiny ink on the forms

So today, you are Grizwial Custudio,
outdoorsman and janitor,

And you will be Elony Pritchard,
lonely housewife in an empty studio
raising your kids and voice in fear

You, Meep Masterson III,
from a long, proud line
of onomonopoetic masters
hailing from Dollar Street, Mabton
fallen into ruined drink now

I know I've filled out similar
forms, hastily dashing information

Somewhere, there's a better me
with scribbled signature bones
holding a job squarely and money
in his pockets and thoughts instead

Of naming and packing
these fantastical appellations
in little white boxes

My coworker is behind me again
closing that container in hollow gulps

Another job of mindless levering.

While on the subject

Some time ago, in a little town called Seattle, a band put together a press packet (several, in fact) and sent it off to that last bastion of independent music known as KEXP.

They had hope, determination, and years of craftiness on their side, but still they were fighting against artists with cred, ubiquity, and fame.

Well, damned if KEXP didn't add that scrappy little band, whom we might now reveal to be our heroes The End Times, into rotation and then play us a few times.

If you'd like to hear us there more, click here to make that a reality.

Commercial

So, for most of you, this will be of little interest, but in the off chance you want to spend money on something we offer for free (well, the stream anyway. These are high quality mp3s we're talking about here) on our page, we've finally made that possible. Take a gander at our Myspace sponsored band store and tremble in your high-backed chairs with the sheer heat of commerce:



In other End Times related news, we played a nice, tight set at Le Voyeur in our capitol city a little over a week ago, resulting in some new fans among the fine Olympians who made it all the way into the back to witness and a handful of artfully lit shots like this one here:



Swank, right? And since I'm talking about music and good times, Hey Marseilles rendered another stellar performance at High Dive in Fremont the other day. Some new songs made their way into the set and a few older ones were carefully rejiggered to expose some fascinating melodies. They're playing the 13th at the Tractor, and I could not be happier about the fact that they're slowly conquering larger stage strongholds with bags full of doorknobs and beauty.



I should mention that Phil, pianist and accordian player for the Marseilles men (i.e. that guy in the middle up there), serves time in another band you might have heard of: Man Down Medic. They took 3rd overall at EMP Soundoff! yesterday, a feat I'd call righteous if it wasn't so blatantly obvious they deserved 1st. Hannah: The audience clamored for New Faces; what could you as judge, or we as a culture, do but give it to them?

Stand against the wall and let me grab a pencil.

This hit the presses earlier today, and while slightly contentious, should come as no surprise to anyone, really:

Beginning on March 24, 2008, Radio Liberation will air KEXP-produced programming Monday through Friday on Radio New York 91.5 FM. The programming will feature a three-hour drive-time eclectic music show followed by three simulcast hours of The Morning Show with John Richards, a nightly world music show and a weekly music variety show hosted by KEXP DJ and senior director of programming Kevin Cole.

People who are shocked probably haven't noticed the funding trend at the station: greater and larger donations are coming out of state, with significant contributions and recognition coming from the terribly hard to impress NYC. It's just like that teen movie where the poor ostracized outsider is recognized for his/her talent/looks/plot contrivance by the cool crowd, and then he/she has to re-evaluate how much they liked being uncool and hot/talented/a McGuffin versus how much they like being cool. You know the one.

Maybe it's a taboo subject to discuss market cache when it comes to non-profit member-supported organization, but to ignore the part that money and a role as taste-maker play in its eventual success is to simply ignore all the moves KEXP has made since it was KCMU. They've curried favor and asked for money for years (three times a year; the next pledge drive is in two weeks) to expand their listenership, and there's a limit to what terrestrial broadcast stations can do. So they took it to the web, where it took off exactly like it should. KEXP runs a tight, perfectly-soundtracked ship. Their programming is original, riddled with grooves and supremely listenable.

Now, they've seen the extent of the web (and ignorant, regressive copyright laws like the DMCA probably limited that horizon faster than anyone planned) and are re-establishing themselves as a tangible piece of entertainment. For New York residents, KEXP no longer floats in the clouds, it's a thing that exists in a time and place on an actual station. It's the next logical step: not a change in programming, but a packaging of it, a commoditization.

They've moved out of WMFU territory and into branding. And, hey, I've already got the mug.

We are better than flowers.

Please be advised that on Valentine's Day 2008, The End Times will celebrate this most precious of Hallmark holidays with a performance at Seattle, Washington's legendary Blue Moon Tavern. We have prepared a unique program of romantic/heartbreak songs to satisfy lovers, the lovelorn and everyone in between.

THE BLUE MOON
712 NE 45TH ST.
SEATTLE, WA 98105
2.14.2008

The End Times open the show early, so meet us by 9:00pm and then stay to enjoy Zoe Muth and Sazerac and Derby.

For our friends who find themselves alone on this grim Thursday, please don't despair. Rely on your memories of past loves and revel in your fantasies of future entanglements -- these are always more potent than reality. No condition is permanent, and that special person is probably already standing right next to you. Stop your search, and you shall find.

To those who are already happily paired off, don't take your partner for granted, for life is unpredictable and usually cruel to those who know true love. Treasure the embrace.

And for those who treat love like a joke, who callously use the hearts of their fellows as fuel for ego and pride, who deliberately disguise their lust to gain entry and steal from purer souls -- we are on to you. Feel free to join the rest of us at the Blue Moon on February 14th, but be forewarned, your powers will be useless there.

Thank you for your attention. We love you all.

The End Times
www.thesearetheendtimes.com