artist jess martin (center) with Shadow, Sound, and Spectacle
today’s audio is “not callin’ you a vampire” by my guest, artist jess martin. i had the opportunity to produce the song, play keyboard on it, and sing background vocals. it’s one of my favorite things i’ve worked on this year. but as you’ll hear in the episode, the way it was made was a bit different than the traditional production process.
“not callin’ you a vampire” is part of a set of four songs called “exquisite”, which also has a multi-media extension called “shadow, sound, and spectacle”, of which you’ll here more about in the episode.
jess is a truly unique artist with roots in theater and community organizing, whose sound spans punk, goth folk, inspired by puppetry and non-traditional theater performance. they often perform in libraries, outside, or in community spaces.
our conversation is in three parts - first we discuss the story behind the “exquisite” project and the process of making “not callin’ you a vampire”, then we chat about an auditory situation that happened to jess later in life, and finally per Fax Of Life tradition, jess sends a very very interesting fax based on a family legend.
i hope you enjoy my conversation with artist, jess martin.
hey yall! i just want to start by saying i was quite forthright and vulnerable about my financial situation in the last episode and SO MANY FOLKS stepped up. it feels so good to ask and be heard, and yall made a huge difference for me this month. if you’re still on the fence about whether to upgrade your subscription, i just want you to know that you will be amply rewarded in heaven and in the moral olympics required to enter. but seriously! i do not paywall content or dole it out for premium listeners. you are all worthy audience members to me whether you can afford to subscribe or not, and those that can give more, you are much appreciated for carrying this whole enterprise. it’s not just me that benefits.
as a reminder, a couple of northeast dates are on the calendar while i figure out my next moves: on june 14, i’ll once again be leading a hiking concert with The Trustees, this time in the western mass town of sheffield. and on september 18-19 i’ll be joining a songwriting camp put on by the Beacon Music Factory in hillsdale NY. info for both events is, as always, on erinmckeown.com/shows
and if you want to see my guest jess martin perform, they will be performing their “Literary Monsters” program in Brockton MA on June 11, and in Worcester on June 14. all of their dates are on their website jessmartin-music.com
thanks as always for listening!
ME GUSTA! : SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!
when i was a kid i was obsessed with esperanto - the attempt to make a universal language
astronaut christina koch was a guest on one of my fave pods
who doesn’t dream of coming onstage to save the (orchestral) day
ugh creative men! (most) have been poseurs standing on the labor of women, who often throw in the towel. who can blame them. the dark side of the creative “haven” carmel-by-the-sea is dark indeed.
UPCOMING SHOWS
2026
now - June 2026 - Fredericksburg VA
Fredericksburg Area Museum
Out And About: The Walk-in Closet
VISIT
June 14, 2026 - Sheffield MA
Scenic Songs Hiking Concert
TICKETS & INFO
Sep 18-19, 2026 - Hillsdale NY
Beacon Music Factory Song Camp
TICKETS & INFO
