The Kid with the Tattoo

The kid is a live wire. He’s jittery, his presence makes me nervous, afraid, almost. From where I sit I can see him staring at himself in the wardrobe mirror with great intensity. It’s not right, it’s not just vanity, it’s something scarier. Meth, I think, or blows to the head. There’s an electricity coming …


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A Side: In My Life

In My Life, with many thanks to Joel Katz of Seaside Recording.

Pahala Mix Tape

I didn’t see the falls when I came in, it was too dark and the sky was too low. There was a heavy mist in the air and there was no ambient light. I slid the little bathroom window shut, thinking that the white noise was some kind of air conditioner or generator, and it …


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Postcard from Pahala

I want to tell you some things about what it’s like to be in this part of Hawaii. I want to tell you about how there’s a big hole in the lawn out in front of this big old plantation house and how there’s a chicken wire wrapped pig lying on its back, trotters up, …


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The Ukulele Connection

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The first time I went to Hawaii, I got crazy from the sound of the ukulele. When I returned to Seattle, I’d decided that I was going to make that sound myself. I had no idea how this was going to happen, only that it was. I …


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