Whilst reading Agnes Martin last night I realized that the concept of "perfection" (which only exists in the mind, and not in nature) may very well be a form of (in)sanity. A collective mental illness.

The excerpt that trigger the realization went something like this:

The Greeks made a great discovery. They discovered that in Nature there are no perfect circles or straight lines or equal spaces. Yet they discovered that their interest and inclination was in the perfection of circles and lines, and that in their minds they could see them and that they were then able to make them. They realized that the mind knows what the eye has not seen but that what the mind knows is perfection.

(From Agnes Martin, Writings. Essay: "What We Do Not See If We Do Not See")

:-)

I see this:



I read this:



I love this:

A soft impulse of love is the sole life of a melting heart.

A tiny hope of love brings the light of dawn through the darkness of a lengthy night, and love, small, even as the twinkling of the faintest star, keeps the light at the altar shining.

And in that faintest light of love, some day, the beloved finds his way and creeps on in silence, in quietness, drawn by that tiny, tiny love, which kept the door open in the hope of fulfillment; in the hope of fulfillment, that some day and some time the darkness of the night would give way to the brightness of the midday sun in a clear sky.

- Maharishi -
Love and God

And now, today's paintbrush meditation:


:-)

"GET LIKE ME" BY DAVID BANNER READ BY A POET

A masterpiece theater-style reading aloud of the lyrics of David Banner song "Get Like Me" (Stuntin' is a Habit) by poet/musician David Hurlin. Pretty awesome.

read more | digg story

ATTENTION HUMANITY!

Evangenitals drummer David Hurlin has hereby entered the realm of Performance Art with his latest BAD VLOG entry: "David Hurlin Reads "Get Like Me" By David Banner."

I hereby decree a movement be begun in which we ferret all all the profound poetry speeding by un-excavated in these POPULAR SONGS.

"When she sees the carrots
They're real
Just like a rabbit"
(David Banner)

Meanwhilst, I have been horribly remiss in my VLOGGING as well as my BLOGGING (and my journaling and studying and reading and writing and the rest of it as well, I may as well add, since we're on the subject!) though I've been doing lots of OTHER STUFF which can be proven by a mere glance at my PERSONAL GIG CALENDAR on Myspace.

My apologies if it seems I'm yelling... I'm feeling the CAPS LOCK today, not for aggressive reasons -- I'm employing it purely to express ENTHUSIASM! YAY!

I shall be back in the saddle again soon. Don't you worry! In fact, I suspect the mere typing of these words suggests I am already there! Always & already, almost & anachronistically even if, as the wonderfully astute Gertrude Stein said, there is no there there for me to be.

Evangenitals & Improvisers at Mr T's Bowl in Highland Park

Evangenitals & Improvisers at Mr T's Bowl in Highland Park
Originally uploaded by juliocrockett

This super-awesome (though uncredited!?!) photo of the Evangenitals appeared in the September 25th - October 1st 2008 edition of LA Citybeat, page 10. Available right now on newsstands throughout Los Angeles.

It was quite a fun and weird show with costumes and improvisers and great crowd enthusiasm. We played with Mahi Gato & Piel and the whole evening was totally Boss.

I'm working on editing some video that was shot of the evening and it will be appearing on the Evangenitals YouTube Channel very soon!

Much Love,
Juli & the Evangenitals

The problem with not blogging on a regular basis is that I simultaneously develop both a BACKLOG (b.log?) of all sorts of thoughts, emotions, experiences, etc that I want to share with you all (whomeversoever you may be) and I start to question the validity of ANYTHING that I may want to share, putting crazy pressures and standards upon myself and dreaming of a magnum opus blog entry of PARADIGM SHIFTING dimensions that will forever alter the lives of whomeversoever may read these words of INSPIRATION and BOUNDLESS INFECTIOUS HOPE.

However, eventually the moment arises when I neither can nor can't stand to blog or not to blog anymore and that's usually when I do. So here we are...

Right now I'm sitting in the Tribal Cafe in Echo Park, right near the glorious twinkling lights of downtown Los Angeles, CA watching the Henry Bermudez Trio rock out to a handful of folks in this insanely hot room. The Tribal Cafe is one of those places that always make me feel like I'm in another country... like a Mexican Restaurant in Bremen, Germany cooperatively run by homeless artists. Weird art, lots of painted cement, no air conditioning, slow service, surprisingly good food with vegan options on the menu, an air of social consciousness pervading the joint, all kinds of music coming through, a small dirt parking lot without lines drawn. These are things that make me feel like a traveler in my own town.

Which reminds me, I've been fantasizing about hostels lately. Backpacking through somewhere... a high-tech explorer with very little clothing & toiletries, yet a really good camera & cellphone & a laptop. A compulsion to communicate every ounce of my experience, both to myself and others. (Are you LISTENING, self? Did you SEE that? What do you THINK about that, self? That was CRAAAAZY!?)

The Evangenitals have been playing a ton of lil' shows all over town. We're taking advantage of the idea of the "public rehearsal" to get "tight" for the Eagle Rock Music Festival on October 4th. We're also doing an in-store appearance at Rhino Records in Claremont on October 3rd and an Obama Fundraiser on October 5th, so it's going to be quite the Evangenitals weekend, which I'm super excited about... considering that I FRIGGIN' LOVE THESE PEOPLE AND WANT TO TRAVEL THE WORLD OVER WITH THEM!!!

Tomorrow I venture down to Ramona, CA to do my June Carter bit with Cash'd Out at the Ramona Theater. I hear it's a really nice old place and that Cash'd Out has a real nice following there, so I'm excited to see the joint.

I'm totally loving the experience of performing with Cash'd Out. Strangely enough, neither I nor the rest of the band *ever* seem to get sick of singing Johnny Cash songs. The Evangenitals even busted out a cover of "Long Black Veil" at the request of bass player Keith Lubow at last Thursday's open rehearsal/show at our rehearsal/performance space studio (experience). It was friggin' great.

I'm so friggin' excited to have been turned on to the Paintbrush program for Macs! Ever since I quit my job at the sex toy factory, the one thing that I have missed about my PC was MSPaint and my daily practice of drawing stick figure drawings.

Well... I'M BACK, PEOPLE!!!! :-)


SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!

This is crazy...

Not only does this blog quote Patrick's blog about his film shoot with C Thomas Howell and Judd Nelson, but when I visited the site, the photo in the top corner was by MY BROTHER, photographer Jaisen Crockett, and linked to a site featuring his work. What are the friggin' chances??

11% !!!!

(this blog quotes Patrick and the other blog, too)

Awesomeness abounds.

In other news, I posted my 2nd VLOG:

Look who's VLOGGING now....

Hiya!

You may know by now that I have been making a living lately performing as the "June Carter" in the world's premier Johnny Cash tribute band "Cash'd Out"

What you may *not* know is that we are performing THREE shows in the LA area THIS WEEKEND. So, if you've been itching to see the spectacle of me, Juli Crockett, in a dress and heels with curly hair and my southern accent set free belting classic Johnny Cash and Carter family tunes... you are in luck!

Here's the scoop:

First, we are playing a BBQ Festival at 2PM on Saturday in Santa Monica. This event will have great food, bands and activities for the whole family. And meat. Lots of meat. I'll try not to cry about it. :-)

For more info: http://www.labbqfest.com/

Then, Saturday night we are playing Joe's Great American Bar and Grill in Burbank. Cash'd Out has been trying to get a gig at this world famous club for years! So, please support this event so we can continue to perform at the venue.

For more info: http://www.joesgreatbar.com/

Finally, on Sunday we are playing the UltraLux Car Show in Redondo Beach. That should be wild.

For more info: http://www.ultraluxsalon.com/

Let me know if you'd like to come to any of these shows. There is always a good chance that I can get you on "the list" if money is an issue! :-)

Much love,
Juli

Fucking

If I fall any deeper (into this horrific joy love)
Without a doubt unflinching I'm going to
Fucking
Drown choke on blood from the great oceanic heart
Pumping the good rhythm all the way into breaking bones
Powdered
Unresisting

If I look any longer (into this blinding light)
Without a doubt my eyes will
Fucking
Shriveled unseeing spots of black ash glowing spirit beads
A new musket I am rightfully named "shoots self in the foot"
Tripping
Maimed

If I breathe any longer (this infinite cold breath)
Without a doubt my lungs will
Fucking
Burst buoyant flame blasted hot air floating ropeless
Shrieking land locked tempest worms the moist dirt inspiring
Groundless
Unproven

If I touch once more (this body inhabiting)
Without a doubt the I will be
Fucking
Curvilinear endless hunger ever-blossoming exponential sweet tooth
Carnival locked door integrity fast one two three HOW DID HE DO IT?
Slowness
Silence

To review,
Without a doubt the I will be
Fucking
Powdered
Unresistant
Tripping
Maimed
Groundless
(This chapter has been removed from the original)
Unproven
Slowness
And the rest is silence.

	Make your own at MoreCowbell.dj

What an awesome night...

Lisa Dee and I went to see Evangenitals gift from the Lord and bassist (among a multitude of other instruments-player) Keith Lubow play with Deborah McColl at South Pasadena Music. Her tunes were sweet and deep and philosophical and heartbreaking and when she crooned "it's raining, it's raining, but we're connected now" my heart did in fact break open and the tears began to flow. It was such a beautiful set I had to water it like a flower. :-)

The next song, she announced, was co-written by her and her lover, soul mate, and guitarist of 15 years (Keith's dad, guitarist Patrick Lubow). They started the song a month before he died, and they finished it, together, she said, a month after he died. Gorgeous. Lovely. Love. Straight up Rumi and Shams. I dig it.

You can download the song "We're Connected" for free, here: We're Connected mp3.

Post-show, I went back to Keith's mom's house (she and Deborah are both huge fans and supporters of the Evangenitals) and we ended up having an impromptu all-requests Evangenitals hootenanny, with Keith and I on dueling guitars. I, of course, am no match for his ludicrous multi-instrumentalist abilities. It's awe-inspiring how many different things he can play: bass, guitar, mandolin, banjo, trumpet, trombone, ukulele, harmonica... and that's just what was available in the room! I'm sure there's more.

Accompanying us were violinist Andrea Baker (formerly of Evangenitals pal-band Shaped Like a Gun! Small world!) playing the mandolin, her husband (a composer who's name is totally escaping me) playing the uke, and James Graham, mandolin-player and vocalist for Deborah McColl, plucking around on the banjo. Nashville guitar genius Gary Talley of The Box Tops was in the room and listening... however, he was on to drinking wine and off of playing for the night.

We did a ton of Evangenitals songs, including a bad-ass version of The Hole with Keith on the Trumpet, and some really awesome covers of June Carter's "Tall Lover Man", Johnny Cash's "Long Black Veil" (with 4 part harmonies!), and Bob Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight". Good times, and such an honor to get to hang out and harmonize with such incredible musicians.

(FYI: There's actually a pretty dope video of Keith, myself, and Evangenitals drummer David Hurlin playing the new Klezmer-punk version of The Hole atop The 1 Second Film's Road to Oprah bus with iJustine and Brookers here: Evangenitals, iJustine, & The 1 Second Film.)

At 2:30am I sold an Evangenitals CD to a nice man visiting from Australia who said that my vocal stylings reminded him of one of his favorite Australian vocalizing twins, from the band "Johnny Cash Converters" in Melbourne, which is a clever play on words in Australia, where a "Cash Converter" is a sort of high-end thrift shop, he explained. The fact that I am the June Carter in the premier Johnny Cash tribute band Cash'd Out made the associations even more aligned. Then he showed me some Australian currency, which is beautiful, and it even has a little plastic see-through window in it. Transparency in Currency?!? Whaaaat?!?!

My Evangenitals heart was stretched all over the nation tonight, though, as guitarist Henry Bermudez was up in San Francisco playing with Unpopable (one of his many awesome bands) at the wedding of balloon artist Addi Somekh, and David Hurlin is in Fairfield, Iowa getting indoctrinated into a new job at the soon-to-be-launched awesome music site 3mix.com and playing some gigs, tonight's with the Jefferson County Green Band.

The gang will all be back together soon, however, for the Evangenitals Family Hootenanny at Molly Malones on Tuesday September 9th. Hopefully a bunch of folks will come out, as every show I get to play with this current collection of Evangenitals is a spiritual experience and I have a feeling the 9th is going to be a new height of sublimation. It's a feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeling.

In other news, I'm officially, thoroughly, and totally addicted to Twitter, so if you find yourself wondering what I'm doing just about every second of every day... I'm doing my damndest to share it. The MICRO-blogging is, I realize, having an effect on my MACRO-blogging, though. After giving mini-updates all day long via text message, sitting down and committing to a full testimonial of the day has proven rather difficult to muster the enthusiasm for. It seems, however, the trick is to have more ludicrously awesome nights like tonight which make me want to share the love and link every single person place and thing that I encountered for the world to see. I'll do my best to say yes to more of these experiences and keep the news a'flowing.

In the meantimes, however, you can totally follow me on Twitter. :-)

p.s.
You can follow David Hurlin on Twitter, too. :-)

p.p.s.
I love you. You know who you are. Yes... YOU! :-)

Evidence of the Union of All Things Betwixt Heaven and Earth in Trinity:
A Visual Essay

by Juli Crockett


Exhibit A: The Triangulum Nebula

Exhibit B: The Jellyfish

Exhibit C: A latex glove found on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles

Mind Body Spirit

Sky Land Sea

Waking Sleeping Dreaming

Hypothesis, Antithesis, Thesis

This is This

I am That


The End.

I have some glorious news for everyone out there...

You are free! Gloriously, horrifically, infinitely, absolutely, ridiculously free.

Publish the news in menus world wide!

It's what's for dinner.

:-)

"God wears himself out through the infinite thickness of time and space in order to reach the soul and to captivate it. If it allows a pure and utter consent (though brief as a lightning flash) to be torn from it, then God conquers that soul. And when it has become entirely his he abandons it. He leaves it completely alone and it has in its turn, but gropingly, to cross the infinite thickness of time and space in search of him whom it loves. It is thus that the soul, starting from the opposite end, makes the same journey that God made towards it. And that is the cross."

- Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace

I friggin' love Simone Weil. What a total badass. Highly recommended reading.