The Wild Bunch 2 is gonna be lit.
(Photo by Sarah Hoster)
We need the art/discourse of our world to speak to our times. Homogeneity is hopefully impossible but we always seem to strive for it as a species to brand ourselves within confines that constitute an allegedly safe, capitalist ‘normal’ – even as we scramble to buy sugary drinks that would kill any mildly diabetic person, indebt ourselves as we purchase crap we don’t need at all for a false sense of upward mobility or adhere to impossible beauty standards.
It is hard to face our grief and collectively or individually mourn. It is oh so easy in these times of Covid and racial conflict to go numb with sorrow. Some people even construct false confidence, like people in denial as they swagger around all while catching Covid at a fucking Smash Mouth concert. I can’t help but also think of the false bravado of Tom Waits in Jim Jarmusch’s still hard to top Down By Law, drinking and driving around New Orleans with no seatbelt on in a stolen car and mumbling half hearted attempts at self-encouragement like his shitty life isn’t about to hit the skids even worse (as if getting dumped by Ellen Barkin isn’t a sad enough fate for any down and out character). As Waits noted himself on Blood Money, “Everything Goes To Hell” anyway.
Thankfully now we have a record called Dream Griever from the excellent new project BLEAKHEART. It will startle your senses open like a bucket of ice water dumped on your head, even when the music is quite mellow. Initially the endeavor served as the solo project of JP Damron (Vermin Womb, In The Company Of Serpents) who soon recruited friend Kelly Schilling (Dreadnought) to contribute her voice. Following the release of their first demo they were joined by Mark Chronister and Josh Kauffman.
