Sublime eclectic mayhem. That’s been my playlist project and musical life, one that begins with The Muppet Movie soundtrack and later involves performing hymns, death metal, surf, and bluegrass. I’ve played in theaters, tents, and basements, for multi-stage festivals and squirrel rodeos. I’ve written and recorded music for The Drunken Odyssey. Sublime eclectic mayhem. A warning and a welcome for joyous noise, for those navigating what Beckett called “this bitch of an earth.”

In medias res 

Awake at two, and the old scars
still buzz like rooms full of sitars.

A twang in the ashes, brass knuckle radio,
a hundred untuned Dixieland banjos.

If it offends thee, then pluck it out–
clogged–dirt and sorghum in my mouth. 

I avoid the mirror’s flaws in fortissimo,
go down the hall, face the kitchen window.

Still dark, the only light is next door,
the rest is foggy neighborhood lore.

And then, l wonder, who’s that behind my car,
waiting with a cat’s paw and a crowbar?

A Twang in the Ashes

Listen on Tidal. Listen on Spotify.

1. “Ginastera: String Quartet No. 1 Op. 20: I. Allegro violento ed agitato” – Miró Quartet
2. “Terry Riley’s In C, Pt. 4” – IRON GIANT FREE ASSOCIATION
3. “Volute” – Simon Picard, Paul Rogers, Tony Marsh
4. “Hyperbole And The Celebrity Wars” – The Phasing Octopus
5. “Fitelberg: Suite for Violin & Piano: II. Capriccio” – Marcin Halat, Aleksandra Halat
6. “The Incoming Rapture” – Malformed
7. “Yelladana” – Mc Tallah, Debmaster
8. “The Birds are Singing” – Pat Thomas
9. “O Holy God” – Julian Kytasty
10. “Niña De La Risa” – Clara Serra López
11. “Wyk: 5 Elegies for String Quartet: No. 2, Allegro feroce” – Signum Quartett
12. “Triumph of the Idiots” – Jeff McLeod
13. “Menhir pt. 2” – Mark Jenkin

Stephen McClurg (Episode 473 & 666) composes and improvises in Serenity Dagger, The Abdomen, and other projects. Along with session work for mid-Alabama singer/songwriters, he frequently collaborates with musicians across the state adding bass, guitar, and synths to friends’ recordings. He currently writes reviews for Horror DNA and is the substitute low end wrangler for Mobile-based punk rock band Future Hate. You can find out more about his work here.