My short story, “Rocks and Snow”, appearing in Lamplit Underground volume 6.
This story was nominated for a 2021 Pushcart Prize.
Archive for the ‘Features’ Category
Won’t Back Down: A Roots Tribute to Tom Petty
Red Spot Rhythm Section presents “Won’t Back Down”, a loving tribute to the music of Tom Petty. The Chicago musical collective and rhythm section has re-imagined hits and deeper tracks from every era of this beloved American musical great, rendering them in roots rock, reggae, and ska arrangements. The album features immense vocal talent and teems with groove, heart, and, of course, incredible songs.
The album features the talents of Akasha, JC Brooks, Todd Kessler, Angela Peel, Jaik Willis, and more.
It has received airplay on WBEZ, WNUR, WLUW, WCGO, CHIRP Radio, KPCR, and KCBP, as well as syndicated shows such as This Is Ska and The Music Authority, among others.
Released August 6, 2021
That Kid Who Saved the World One Time
My short story, “That Kid Who Saved the World One Time”, published in the Spring 2021 issue of SHiFT: A Journal of Literary Oddities.
Hard To Give Thanks / Foundation
In March of 2020, the Red Spot Rhythm Section went into the studio to begin recording a new two-song single, but unfortunately the studio’s doors had to close – along with most businesses – before the end of the month. Undaunted, the group continued to work with the engineer and guest artists remotely, while recording additional parts at their home.
The single debuted on The Deli Magazine, and has been featured on Alternate Root, WLUW radio, CHIRP radio, WZRD radio, and WCGO radio.
The single features the guest talents of Shane Jonas (Akasha, Lowdown Brass Band) on vocals, Mike Bruno (Spare Parts) on drums, and Michael Bizar (AJ Croce) on lead guitar.
Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Bass, Percussion – Red Spot Rhythm Section
Vocals – Shane Jonas
Lead Guitar – Michael Bizar
Drums – Mike Bruno
Engineer – Doug Bistrow
Master – Rollin Weary
Cover Art – Shannon Belock
Words & Music by Red Spot Rhythm Section
Produced by Red Spot Rhythm Section
Covid By State
covidbystate.org is a covid tracker I built to view normalized curves of covid cases for US states overlaid against one another. The site has received over 100,000 visits by over 60,000 unique visitors.
The site uses the wonderful Covid Tracking Project, an open-source tracking and data API project supported by The Atlantic.
Check out the project on github.
Solar Shrine Fundraiser Soundtrack
I created this soundtrack for the Solar Shrine fundraising video to support their architectural installation planned for Burning Man 2020.
The Solar Shrine is a large-scale Afrofuturistic art installation for Burning Man 2020 that is inspired by the architecture and art of the Ancient Egyptian and Nubian cultures. It’s a holistic space of healing, spirituality, and wonder designed to help connect people of all cultures in the present to their pasts and futures together. The Solar Shrine is positioned precisely so as the Sun rises in the East, it illuminates the solar discs on the tower and the solar barque inside the shrine, connecting us with the cosmos and the energy of our Earth. This is a sacred space, a refuge, a place for sharing art, music, healing, and ideas. It is a space for people of all cultures and backgrounds to commune and express their histories, experiences, and visions of what lies ahead.
To donate and find out more information: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-solar-shrine-community-arts-project
Water at the Top of the World
My debut children’s book, and debut as an art director self-publisher as well.
“A charmingly illustrated children’s book about inclusion and peace-seeking in a world of colliding mythology and science. Enjoyed by religious and non-religious parents and children alike, this book is a great point of entry for discussions on diversity of thought and commonality of human experience.”
Illustrated by Shannon Belock. Layout by Chris Telemann.
Win For Losing
Win For Losing is a protest song EP recorded at Audio Bistro, with some guest performers from around the Chicago reggae scene.
The EP contains a Nyabinghi mix and a dub mix by Cale Wilcox.
The tune features Ted Sirota on drums, Chris Paquette on percussion, Shap on saxes, Andrew Zelm on trombone, and Robert Hubbard Alonzo on trumpet.
The song has been appeared on CHIRP Radio Chicago and was featured on the Reggae Vibes show on WLUW FM.
Confessions of an Aphrodite Bug
My short story, “Confessions of an Aphrodite Bug”, published in the Fall 2017 issue of Michigan Quarterly Review.
CRA Newserator
Newserator is a custom RSS aggregator that I built to break the filter bubble effect in online news consumption. It allows a user to simultaneously view news feeds from both sides of the political spectrum, filtered by reputation and also keywords.
The feeds are curated in an evolving list of media sources, according to a private set of criteria. At some point, convening an actual editorial board to oversee the list of feeds is planned.
The host site, Citizens Rights Alliance, is an advocacy site dedicated to the intersection of the Horseshoe Theory as it pertains to Civil Rights.
The goal is to expand minds and illuminate common ground.