I am happy to report that I’ve been writing some new solo material and hope to start recording in the spring or summer. My new band, Dead Ship Sailing, is also moving full steam ahead. We are in the studio working on a full-length record and are getting ready to play some shows. On December 14th we will be playing at Ella St. Social Club in Portland, Oregon. Stay tuned for an announcement about our first Seattle show…

Listen: www.deadshipsailing.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/deadshipsailing

My acoustic guitar is gathering dust. My lack of enthusiasm regarding my solo music disappoints me greatly at times, but sometimes the songs just don’t come and it can be quite frustrating. I am happy to report that my electric guitar has recently been dusted off. My enthusiasm regarding “just not giving a fuck” inspires me greatly these days. Sometime when you are alone in a room trying to write a song it can be easy to over-think everything, question if its good enough, write and re-write. With my new project with Graig Markel that just isn’t an option. Once a week for the past 13 weeks we’ve been going into the studio with a blank piece of paper, plugging in our guitars, and writing and recording a full song. We give ourselves one evening to complete each song. No time to over-think or question anything. Loud guitars, attitude, and simplicity. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s turning out. We’ve posted the first 10 songs we recorded on our website and they can be downloaded for free. We are currently writing a few more songs and then we will re-mix 10 songs and put out a record sometime in the near future. xo

deadshipsailing.com

Filmed by: Marlon Schaeffer

There are 3 new tracks, as well as 2 re-mastered songs from Birds And Bullets Fly. I will be posting previews of these new songs today and tomorrow. Check back tomorrow to hear “Break Your Bones” – and I hope to see you on Saturday at the show (show details below). xo

Thursday October 21: Letters From Jail

Friday October 22: Break Your Bones

City Arts Festival

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Doors: 8pm

Location:

The Crocodile 2200 2nd Avenue Seattle, WA 98121

Zera Marvel
Star Anna
Sera Cahoone

Buy your tickets here

10/25/10 UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who came to the show and bought a copy of the EP…we sold out of them! xo

While most Seattleites might know Zera Marvel from her onstage appearances with Head Like A Kite – she’s tough to miss – the singer also writes and performs her own material, dark, intimate and bare, yet somehow uplifting. A solo performance from Marvel is a rare one – the singer claims to suffer from stage fright – so… this, her first show in a year, should be a special treat. Show up and give her your support. -City Arts Magazine

Buy Your Tickets HERE

City Arts Festival

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Doors: 8pm

Location:
The Crocodile
2200 2nd Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121

Zera Marvel (with full band / opening)
Star Anna
Sera Cahoone

Buy your tickets here

Above: The music video for “She’s Wearing that Costume” by Head Like a Kite from the album Dreams Suspend Night. Featuring Zera Marvel with camera prowess by Robert Bailey.

Above: The music video for “We’re Always on the Wrong Side of Sunrise” by Head Like a Kite from the the album Dreams Suspend Night. Featuring Tilson, Zera Marvel & Brent Amaker. Directed by Matt Wesson.

I’ve been in the mood to simplify things in my life lately. My website was one of the things that’s been under-construction for far too long. I needed something that would be easy to access and update, so I choose this blog format. I’ve imported old posts from my last website. This new site will encompass all the things I am currently involved in musically, including my solo project, Head Like A Kite, Animals At Night, and a few non-musical updates as well. In this age of Twitter and Facebook, it is difficult to tell where to draw the line between personal stuff and music stuff…but at the end of the day it all comes out in the songs anyhow.

I am in the deep, dark process of trying to write songs for the follow-up to Birds And Bullets Fly. As you will read below I’ve had lots of inspiration lately. I hope some good songs come of it all.

xo

Eddie and Zera

My father passed away. He was 61 years old. I had my flight booked to Boston to visit him in the hospital, and he died the day before I was scheduled to leave. I never got to say farewell to him in person. Instead I got to go to his wake, his funeral, and to his small room to sort through all the belongings he left behind.

I thought the hardest part of my trip, aside from flying (which I hate), would be seeing his body in the open casket. That was hard, but not the hardest part. It took all the strength I had to walk into the funeral home. The first thing I noticed, after his pale, painted lips were the rosary beads draped in his hands. My father was not a religious man. A great friend of his suggested I put a pair of drum sticks in his hands. That was exactly what was missing. The next day she brought me a set of sticks and I placed them under his hands. He would have loved that.

My father was a drummer. He also had a deep, soulful singing voice. All these years I’ve been playing music and I never gave him much credit for influencing me musically, but he did. He always had music gear around the house, and I loved plugging his microphones into his amplifier and making up songs or putting on radio shows with my friend. He took me to my first concert when I was about 7 or 8. We saw one of his favorites, Willie Nelson. My father never “made it” as a musician. He never really made much of his life. He got heavily involved in drugs and sadly that consumed him.

The hardest part of the trip was going through his belongings. What a strange thing to have to do. I felt like I was invading his space, snooping through things I shouldn’t be looking at. I kept waiting for him to walk in and ask what I was doing. It felt wrong to try to decide what I wanted to keep and what should be discarded. I packed two boxes filled with his journals, photos, drawings, a painting, hats, a shirt, and legal documents. Reading through his journals has proven to be one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. If that doesn’t conjure up the need to call someone and clarify things, I don’t know what would.

It’s been over a month now since he’s passed. The urge to call him is slowly fading. For the first few weeks after he died it seemed I thought of a reason to call him every other minute. A few times I actually dialed his cell phone number and listened to his still-active voicemail message. He had been sick for years, but didn’t suffer many symptoms until the very end. I guess, in a way, I am thankful the end came as suddenly as it did.

The Crumbling Stags (my father, Eddie, back row/center)

Rest In Peace.

The Carpenter from Birds And Bullets Fly. Written by: Zera Marvel