NOVEMBER GUNK
how parenting plays into figuring out a song, ur shows, & a VOTING GUIDE we love
November GUNK by Secret Riso Club + Can Can Press
Treating a Song Like Good Parenting
Subtitle: On rehearsal, bike metaphor, and tacit understanding
By Jane Lai
A few months ago at rehearsal, we were repeatedly working on a song with an odd feel. There was so much pollen in the air. And the chicken porridge for lunch helped. We sat in the meat of spring, cool when sitting still but warmer after a while through the heat of growing concentrations percolating through the room.
There were five of us. Everyone scattered at different ends speeding up or slowing down. After many attempts, none of us could place it.
I offered a metaphor to the group: can we treat this song like good parenting? Let it do its thing but be there to reel it back, to re-center it—if it falls out of line.
Good parenting extends further than helping someone stay on track. In music, it’s learning how to forgive through a journey of self-discipline. It nourishes a feeling of safety and reassurance when playing with others and plants a willingness to discover novelty through mistakes. You make space, return to it, protect what’s important, and ask the right questions to yourself and those around you.
My friend Elias told me about the Alexander Technique while walking to a cafe one muggy morning in Milwaukee. Founded in the 1890s by Fredrick Matthias Alexander and popularized by performing artists, it's a collection of exercises to relax tensions in your body so you can mindfully move through life—or whatever you’re doing now. When Alexander developed chronic voice issues and professional medical help didn’t work for him, he experimented with different head, neck, and spine positions as well as exercises to improve breath and voice control.
Elias and I were on tour in May and appreciated their incredible drumming. They’re immensely dynamic, well-controlled, and completely soak in each moment. Every once in a while, rhythmically, they’d match or echo another instrument’s lead. Elias is one of the most attuned people I’ve met. In music, it meant no overplaying which translates to a form worthy of laud; a great listener with thoughtful reservations. They told me about this technique they applied to drums and we tried a variation of an exercise:
Pretend you’re late walking to an important interview.
Now try it again. This time relax your body and mind. You’re probably walking at a similar speed, right?
Immediately, I felt reprieve. It’s not always as simple or a solve-all as that. But it made sense to me as a musician. Tension doesn’t necessarily move you faster or more efficiently. It’s likely doing the opposite. Instead, trust your intuition to handle the task at hand. There isn’t always a reason to think too hard.
At that moment a sharp unadulterated Midwest breeze cut through miles of still air.
Back at rehearsal, we try again with renewed intention. Late-afternoon sun sprinkled into each crack of space and Woody, the small dog, curled up in a cat bed beside us. The drums led with careful pace, and the guitars, bass, and keys bridged the gaps while leaving space for one another. We look at each other with an openness to adapt and we never stop looking. But we’re also kind of at ease. Like parenting, playing music with others is a constant reshaping of a practice.
Eventually, we nurture a tacit sign of trust like a comfortable silence and the song succeeds. I imagine holding onto the handlebar of a bike with one hand and a child’s back with the other. When they’re doing great and not looking, trust you can let go. This was how I learned to bike, float on my back, have a conversation, and every other important lesson in good listening. I’m still learning. It’s a bit like running a maze in a cave. Though I have a lamplight on my head this time.
A Sneak Peek at November Shows….
another lil excel sheet leak for our early-month shows. full list dropping soon.
you can reliably find GUNK at: ♡ secret riso club (bushwick) honeymoon coffee shop (ridgewood) topos (ridgewood) normas (ridgewood) milk&pull (ridgewood), little roy (bed stuy), playground zine box (bed stuy) prima (clinton hill) the lot zine box (greenpoint). baby’s all right (williamsburg), billy’s record salon (east williamsburg) lagoon (bedstuy), bike plant (bedstuy), swallow (bushwick), East One (carroll gardens) orphan (carroll gardens).
Keep your eyes peeled for our November print issue in the coming days….
Soft Power Voting Guide
Soft Power Vote is a grassroots organization powered by New Yorkers with the aim of empowering New Yorkers to “level-up” their voting. Early voting is open and we encourage you to get out there and make your voice heard, as best as we can. This guide explains ballot measures (1-yes, no all the rest) and everything else you need to know about the candidates up for election.
2024 General Election Voting Guide
Comment…Rate…Subscribe???
Thank you for subscribing to GUNK - we have officially hit 50 PAID subscribers. Pretty wild. Thank you to each and every one of you who donate each month to help us keep this thing rolling, it is thanks to you that we can! If you are new to GUNK, or a returning free subscriber and have found GUNK useful to your life and show-going, consider upgrading to a paid subscription <3
As a paid subscriber, you can get GUNK mailed to you!
To ensure you secure a copy, we’ll mail November GUNK to you (or do local delivery for NYC heads) for $10. Please make sure to send us your mailing address (either thru email or substack dm), if you up the subscription and you’ll get a GUNK asap. About 30 of yall have opted in for GUNK to be mailed to you monthly and a handwriting reveal.
★ You can always still find GUNK in the wild for yourself, for free. ★
˚ ✦ . . ˚ . . ✦ ˚ . ★⋆. ࿐࿔
The November GUNK playlist features GUNK designer’s new song which is really hitting (promise he didn’t know about this), a song from the beautiful new Nicolas Jaar album, from the beautiful new Laura Marling album, one of the many perfect variations of true love waits, and a lot of older picks that scratch the fall itch just right. perfect time of year.
✦ . . ˚ . . ✦ ˚ . ★⋆.
ˋ°•*⁀➷ GUNK CLASSIFIEDSˋ°•*⁀➷
is your band (or solo act) looking to connect with other bands or performers to put together a bill for an upcoming show? send GUNK a little intro to your music (no links sorry) including an email address for a reply and we’ll publish the listings!
—> thegunkyard@gmail.com **if you’d rather your email address not listed let us know and we can get you in touch with interested parties**♡
I recently moved from the midwest to Brooklyn, and I am looking to put a band together for my project Bri Barte. I am currently seeking collaborators to play lead guitar, bass, and drums. I play primarily indie pop and folk, and dabble in indie rock and electronic music. I independently released a record in 2022 called Hex Sign. My main influences are Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey, Bjork, and Cat Power. If you are interested and want to hear more, reach out to bribarte@gmail.com.last thing, you can follow gunk’s new IG: @gunk.nyc
yours, ceci and hannah
 | A guest post by
|
Gonna find you on instagram!!