The Trick to Finding a Good Book

February 17, 2014/0 Comments/in Book Tips /by Cassie Cross

This morning I was looking for a new book to read and it occurred to me that I haven’t set foot in a bookstore recently. Every book I’ve read this year has come through a series of clicks on my iPad, and I’m usually led to that book from an online recommendation. With the incredible boom of online shopping, online recommendations are everywhere. It’s never been easier to get an opinion on a product. But just like that friend who recommended seeing National Treasure: Book of Secrets in the theater, not all opinions are good. Finding an online tastemaker is important.

Artwork Inspired by Mary Roach’s Bonk

February 9, 2014/0 Comments/in art work, Posters /by Mike Votava

Here are a few variations on the poster art for our upcoming event on this Valentine’s Day – original music inspired by Mary Roach’s Bonk.

Designs by Travis Young and Michael Wallenfels.

Song of the Week: Animal Not Important by Karen Lindenberg | inspired by Ellen Forney’s Lust

January 6, 2014/1 Comment/in Song of the Week /by Geoff Larson

Are you ready for another Song of the Week? I hope so because here it comes.

“Animal Not Important” by Karen Lindenberg | inspired by Ellen Forney’s Lust

All right, everyone. It is time to go for a ride through the world of… ummm… Animal Costume Sex! For this event, we asked the musicians to pick their favorite illustration from Ellen Forney’s book Lust, a book inspired by the online personal ads of The Strangers Lust Lab, and then use it as inspiration to write a song. Double inspiration!I know it seems a little weird to start off a blog talking about songwriting this way, but the truth is Karen Lindenberg really nailed the curiosity of how one could not care about which animal they would want their lover/complete stranger to dress up as. It is quite curious indeed and maybe even a little confusing.

A Kurt Vonnegut Inspired Poster

December 18, 2013/0 Comments/in art work, Posters /by Mike Votava

You should already know that the next Bushwick event is about to rear its magnificent head.

Saturday, January 11th at West of Lenin
The Bushwick Book Club Seattle Presents
original music inspired by
Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions – GET YOUR TICKETS

But what you probably don’t know yet is of the existence of this awesome poster, custom designed for this very event by the mighty Travis Young. Take a look. Read more

Song of the Week: The Lord, The Devil and The Boy by Vince Martinez

December 16, 2013/2 Comments/in Song of the Week /by Geoff Larson

Here we are with yet another Song of the Week! In these posts, I talk about some of my favorite tunes inspired by books. We can all agree that music inspired by books is awesome and I’m going to tell you why I think just that.

And this week’s song of the week is…

The Lord, The Devil and The Boy by Vince Martinez
inspired by C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

The Lord, The Devil and The Boy| Download

The first thing I want to say about this tune is that I just love Vince Martinez’s songwriting. He pretty much nails it every time he takes on a book. The quality of his singing makes his voice a wonderfully unique instrument. I always wonder how singers find their voice; whether it is a specific choice, or whether it’s just what comes out when they sing. (I think I’ll ask Vince about this one.) Read more

Song of the Week: “A Little Less Each Day” by Anna Coogan

December 9, 2013/1 Comment/in Song of the Week /by Geoff Larson

It’s time for another “Song of the Week”. In these articles I talk about some of my favorite tunes inspired by Books. We can all agree that music inspired by books is awesome and I’m gonna tell you why.

“A Little Less Each Day” by Anna Coogan | inspired by Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity

photo by Wade Trenbeath

Every time I hear this song I find myself closing my eyes in an attempt to listen to it harder than I did the previous time. I love a simple opening guitar line, especially when I know what is coming next.

Anna was out on tour during the time she had to read Nick Hornbys’ High Fidelity and write the song. I believe she was in somewhere in Europe with her band. I could really feel her inspiration coming from believing in love, and what long distance can do to being in love. This is something I can relate to from my life’s experience, even if my feelings weren’t exactly the same as the way the tune came out for her. Read more

Song of the Week: “So it Goes” by Sam Ford

December 2, 2013/0 Comments/in Song of the Week /by Geoff Larson

So here’s the new weekly article that will be coming from me, Geoff Larson, the Program Director of The Bushwick Book Club Seattle. I have been part of and/or planned every single Seattle Bushwick show. It has been quite a journey over these past few years.

Now I want to present my “Song of the Week” where I will write about a song from one of our Bushwick artists and talk about what I think about the tune. Hopefully I can keep these pretty short, but you never know.

So here is this week’s song of the week:

“So it Goes” by Sam Ford | inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five

The first thing I’d like to say about this tune is, I love the name! “So it goes” is a phrase I frequently use in my life. For me, it means the same thing as “such is life” or “shit happens.” Mostly it means that it’s time to move on to the next thing, no matter what just happened. Vonnegut used it in a somewhat similar way, but who knows what that guy is thinking.

So it Goes… Now to the music. Read more

Bookshelf Report: More Music Books Than You Can Shake A Drum Stick At

October 24, 2013/0 Comments/in Bookshelf Report /by Mike Votava

The Bookshelf Report is an ongoing series where we ask 5 questions and share 5 pictures of a bookshelf belonging to a Bushwick reader. Today’s bookshelf comes from long time Seattle music journalist Travis Hay. He has written for many notable publications such as MSN Music, the Seattle-Post Intelligencer, and Seattle Weekly, and is the creator of GuerillaCandy.com, an amazing website dedicated to documenting the Seattle music community.

What’s your favorite book on the shelf?

Asking me to name my favorite book is like asking me to name my favorite record. It’s a very tough thing to do. As you can tell, most of my books have something to do with music and I consider the music books in my collection to be good reference material. If I had to name a single one as my favorite it would have to be “Everybody Loves Our Town” by Mark Yarm. It’s a massive oral history of the Seattle music scene from the late 1980s to mid/late 1990s, aka the grunge era. I own quite a few local rock history books (“Love Rock Revolution,” “The Strangest Tribe,” “Sonic Boom” too name a few) but Yarm’s book is the definitive book on grunge and everything comes from first-hand primary sources. There’s stories about Eddie Vedder drinking bile as part of Jim Rose’s Circus Sideshow, The U Men lighting a pond on fire outside of the mural Amphitheater at Bumbershoot and tons of other really great stuff. It’s a must read for any fan of the Seattle scene from back in the day. Read more

Bookshelf Report: The Titanic Won’t Build Itself

September 6, 2013/1 Comment/in Bookshelf Report /by Mike Votava

The Bookshelf Report is an ongoing series where we ask 5 questions and share 5 pictures of a bookshelf belonging to a Bushwick reader. Today’s bookshelf comes from Amy Levenson. She is one of the organizers behind Moveable Type’s: Literary Mixer, a fun social event for book enthusiasts. The next mixer is on October 23rd at The Vermillion Art Gallery.

What’s your favorite book on the shelf?

I’m very sentimental about books, so it’s nearly impossible for me to pick just 1 favorite. How about 3?

I have a copy of Taschen’s The Pedro Almodovar Archives, which I received as a gift. I’m a big Almodovar fan, and this edition is beautifully laid out with great content. This book rarely leaves my coffee table because I can flip to any page and be completely happy.

The Alien Vault has a special place in my heart because it was a huge labor of love to get it published. If you’re a fan, it has some really great stuff like Ridley Scott’s storyboards and some of H.R. Giger’s early concept designs.

Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee is another one of my favorites. After I read it for the first time it took me a while to pick up another book. There’s nothing quite like the terror of human nature. Read more

Bookshelf Report: The Case of the Missing Photography Books

August 22, 2013/0 Comments/in Bookshelf Report /by Mike Votava

The Bookshelf Report is an ongoing series where we ask the same 5 questions and share 5 pictures of a bookshelf belonging to a Bushwick reader. Today’s bookshelf comes from Seattle photographer Morgen Schuler. For the past 5 years Morgen has been using her camera and creative eye to put her own artistic spin on Seattle’s music and arts community.

What’s your favorite book on the shelf?

Ender’s Game is my all-time favorite book and always on my shelf. I’m a big sci-fi nerd and I gobble it up like Thanksgiving Dinner. Ender’s Game was one of the first sci-fi books I ever fell in love with and every time there’s a drive at a bookstore where you buy a book for young readers, I get them Ender’s Game (it’s too bad the author, Orson Scott Card, is a huge jerk… crazy to think someone so horrible could write something so heartfelt). Read more

Posts