wrap it up
& tell me what 2022 should look like
notice anything different here? i hope so! i have switched to substack because i am tired of paying $100/month for thousands of people to *not open* my emails. if you’re receiving this, it means you opened one of my last 50 emails. thank you! everyone else can f*ck off. tis the season!!
in switching over, i gave everyone a free subscription. you can convert your free subscription into a paid one via the button below. however! you don’t get anything special for subscribing. i already do enough work and hate the idea of “exclusive content”. i am sure you do too. so! if you want to think of subscribing as a tip or a gesture of support or a thank you for my writing, go for it. i appreciate you!
before i get to this month’s essay, i want to wrap up the loose ends of KISS OFF KISS and some other end of year business:
- this friday is #bandcampfriday and it’s a great moment to give to the KISS OFF KISS #microgranting project, which closes Dec 15th. we almost have enough for 3 microgrants. i’d love to get us all the way there.
- i had a delightful and revealing conversation on the basic folk pod as i went track x track through the album with rad host cindy howes.
- my old song “you were right about everything” found new life on the Showtime series “American Rust”.
- while i was moonlighting with The Mountain Goats, we recorded a song for the “Tick Tick… Boom!” soundtrack. it’s very rad.
- please consider giving the gift of creativity to yourself or someone you care for this holiday season. i take on a very few private students each year, and i have just a few slots left for 2022.
- and finally, i was tickled to find myself the answer to a clue in a syndicated crossword, appearing in The Washington Post, The LA Times, and many more papers. is there anything better? yes! an EGOT is better. but this is still pretty cool.
this last bit, about the crossword, has me… well, a little cross!! a dear friend texted me saturday AM to tell me this fun but trivial news. i love crosswords. i do them all the time. in the pando i have committed to getting way better at them. i am the proud owner of a 25 day streak of solving the new york times. that’s two saturday puzzles, betches.
as a lark, i posted on facebook about my appearance in the puzzle. and it turns out this post has become my most popular post. ever. even more popular than when i met michelle obama. it has been seen by 7K of my 11K followers. it has nearly a hundred comments.
by contrast, the 5 music videos i made ahead of my (i think) very good new album, the album itself, and the accompanying tour, never even got a quarter of this type of traction, engagement, and frankly, enthusiasm.
what gives? can you understand why i would be grateful but also feel confused and want to complain? is it possible to do both?
i am here for the music. i think y’all are here for the music, right? but maybe i am wrong! i pour my soul into my albums. i meet y’all at shows, and we talk. you all tell me that my songs are the soundtrack to your dates, weddings, memorials, car rides to school, and silly dances with your kids in the kitchen. this is amazing! but i also just did a tour where on some nights i sold single digit numbers of tickets. the views on these 5 videos don’t even add up to the one facebook post about the crossword. it’s hard to hold all of this, the joy and support for my semi-famous status and the difficulty in getting people to listen to my songs. maybe i need to change my career to… what? being the answer to crossword puzzle clues?
in all seriousness, i have a question for everyone. if i am not going to tour or make albums (which for various reasons seems unlikely in the short to medium term), how would you like me to best serve you? because that is what i am here for. to use my music to be of service and to facilitate connections. is it these monthly essays and provocations? is it more video content? is it live streams? IS IT CROSSWORDS?? you tell me! write me an email: erin@erinmckeown.com or just reply to this one. tag me on social media. how should the public part of my music-making look in 2022? TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!
here for you always,
x erin
¡ME GUSTA! : SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
if you want to make #microgrants a regular part of your life, may i recommend redistribution club.
the delightful absurdity of OBVIOUS PLANT. this is what the internet is for.
i *love* 18th and 19th century history. maybe you do too. i also *love* stories about how ridiculous the concepts of binary genders are. maybe you do too. if so, even if not, you will want to read jen manion’s new book “female husbands” which looks at the lives of many folks who were singularly themselves.
there’s a new lucy & desi movie coming. i remain agnostic! but to get in the mood, you will love listening to this awesome TCM pod about lucy’s pre-TV fame and more.
from the violence of the russian pale to the decadence and glamour of broadway… the crazy story of polly adler, the roaring 20’s most famous madam.
2022 IN-PERSON SHOWS
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
***
Feb 11 - 27 - Merced CA
Miss You Like Hell at Playhouse Merced
TICKETS
Feb 24 - 27 - Allentown PA
Miss You Like Hell at Muhlenberg College
TICKETS
Jun 1 - Jul 17 - Fayetteville AR
Miss You Like Hell at Theatre Squared
TICKETS
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
