spring things
playing catch up on things you'll love
hey y’all! as i sat down to create yet another full-scale audio essay and song production for you this week, i realized i just didn’t have it in me. i find this time of year a tough one. though the time change is enlightening, and there is the cautious hope that winter might be done, many an april snowstorm has crushed me. so i remain wary and tentative in letting my light shine. plus the world is weird and awful right now. so! we’re gonna dispatch some of my career business and have an extra loaded serving of ¡ME GUSTA! you can look forward to another experiment in audio and essay form in a few weeks.
if you missed it, last newsletter was a hum-dinger in my hum-ble opinion. a new song for carl and an essay that i thought might be controversial, but ended up a tree-falling in an empty forest. maybe there’s a moment now for a delayed reaction. and if you’re way behind, i have recently written about learning to play the violin and what “swing” means to me.
next! i didn’t see The Slap, because i was onstage with my pals Welcome To Night Vale, bringing the noise to a sold-out crowd at Washington DC’s historic Lincoln Theater. this spring i am going on a longer tour with them, and i need merchandise help at each show. you get 2 (!!!) free tickets and there’s a minimal time commitment pre and post show. the following dates are still available:
5/1 - seattle (early)
5/1 - seattle (late)
5/2 - san francisco
5/4 - los angeles
5/9 - boulder
please email me erin@erinmckeown.com for more details.
before i sign off, here’s some delicious #carlcontent. my friend emily captured him snuggling with her lab, eleven, who is likely his best friend. do dogs have best friends?
stay well everyone!
x erin
¡ME GUSTA! : SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!
i am loving “abbott elementary”. quick little sweet bites of charming sitcom fun, 2021 style. here’s a wonderful, barbed conversation with its creator, quinta brunson, who has entered my venerated pantheon of Small People Who Rule (judy garland, edith piaf, dolly parton etc).
how pencils are made! you’ve always wanted to know!
sarah lancashire is one of my very favorite actors ever. i will watch her in anything, though i particularly love her in happy valley. now she is doing her first big american project, starring as julia child in HBO’s new limited series “julia”. i am suspicious of the series, but giving it a try because i truly adore her.
a surprisingly compelling and well researched book about a man-eating tiger in early 20th century colonial india and nepal. i love a historical book that makes the context of the subject as fascinating as the subject itself.
having been a 2020 census enumerator, i was thrilled to see the data of the 1950 census are now public domain. people are finding wicked cool stuff already!
yesterday i saw a lovely new musical with music and lyrics by my longtime comrade and dear amiga carrie rodriguez. musicals are hard to make! getting one to premiere off-broadway is a feat to be celebrated!
the invention of jaywalking! i’m embarrassed to say i do it all the time. so impatient.
a nice multi-media exploration of the guitar solo. i’m always interested in re-thinking the usefulness of such musical moments.
pictures of contemporary writers’ desks. everyone has a mac! so do i.
the uber-talented travel writer colleen kinder has edited a new collection of essays with the alluring organizing concept of “letter to a stranger”. there are some bold-faced names in this collection, but also some lesser known writers whose contributions you will love.
you know me, i love a period drama. i devoured “1883”. i am living for the final series of “peaky blinders”, which i am watching already on my secret pirate UK TV internet sites. “gentleman jack” returns next month. but i was sooooo disappointed by “the gilded age”. to my eyes, it was stultifyingly boring. yes the gowns were divine, but the “new yawk” accents made the dialogue seem even stupider. yes my opinions are strong! here’s a wonderful essay on other reasons the show falls flat. hint hint they have to do with race and memory!
2022 IN-PERSON SHOWS
** volunteers always needed to sell merch. you get 2 free tickets and minimal time commitment before and after the show. email erin@erinmckeown.com for more info
April 30 - Portland OR
appearing as The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
May 1 - Seattle WA
appearing as The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
830PM 530PM
May 2 - San Francisco CA
appearing as The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
May 4 - Highland Park CA
appearing as The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
May 5 - San Diego CA
appearing as The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
May 6 - Phoenix AZ
appearing as The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
May 7 - Santa Fe NM
appearing as The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
May 9 - Boulder CO
appearing as The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
May 12 - Waltham MA
Museum of Industry and Innovation
TICKETS
Jun 3 - Fayetteville AR
Erin will be performing in-person to celebrate the opening night of T2’s production of “Miss You Like Hell”
***
Jun 1 - Jul 17 - Fayetteville AR
Miss You Like Hell at Theatre Squared
TICKETS
Nov 17 - 21 - Richmond VA
Miss You Like Hell at University of Richmond
MORE INFO
If you have further questions or concerns about COVID protocols, please contact the venues directly.
Reminder, Erin does not appear in productions of Miss You Like Hell
