09.02.05--Bonfires Peace Harvest in Mars Hill, Indie Sept Issue Misery

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING! Heave a sigh of hope--not of desperation and anxiety... Things will be allright.

First of all, thanks to Rachelle Arrowood, Stephanie Morgan, and new UNCA Indie/Bonfires "volunteers" Courtney and Brett and Shelley for helping me and Marta The Nicer Osbourne in hurdling the surreal, weird barriers of this just concluded Sept issue of The Indie. (Expect the new Indies this afternoon...)

MORE THANKS -- Thanks to Loretta Hoffman for dropping by with some food, thanks to Peach Abubakar (Manila), Concei (DC), Nina Collins (Chapel Hill) and Justin (Asheville) for the warm words for my Mom (Maria L, thanks for the card), thanks to the searing zeal and energy of young souls Demi Pascua and Jaja Campos for working on the two-event kickoff of the "Bonfires for Peace in Manila" concerts this October... Thanks for my Virginia/DC/Maryland homeys, esp. Jun Fontanilla and Veegee Pineda, for anticipating another Bonfires event or two on my next up-north road trip this middle of Oct. Thanks to Ed Sunico of RenSun Entertainment in NY for the side-writing job, thanks to Gino and Ren for being friends-as-ever...

Thanks to all the Kinko's-Asheville employees--esp. graveyard shift employees--for not making me pay for most of the work that I do there, in the last three years (nice spirits, they are!) Thanks to Matt Mulder and Justin Gostony for the Indie layout rescue... Thanks to Woody Henkle and the Phuncle Sams and Mark of Bearly Edible for believing (special thanks to Woody for the tent for these coming two weekends' festivals)... Thanks to Duane, Daphne, Donna, Dylan... Thanks to my bro Alberto's concerned calls from Vegas (but, no, I wont trade the peace and ethereality of the mountains for the burnout hedonism of the desert). Thanks to Beanstreets open mic host, Jarrett Leone, for the wonderful words about The Indie and The Bonfires, whenever he introduces me... Thanks to Leslie&Associates (our landlord) and Iwanna Press/Bill Taylor (our printer) for believing in our madness, after all these years. Thanks to Mike Hopping for, again, beating the month's Indie deadline (he just submitted his first story for Oct issue!)--a story about city council candidate Robin Cape.

Thanks to those that I failed to mention... you are all in my heart.There are many things and blessings and graces to be thankful for--other than getting pissed with laptops that crash, pagemakers that die down, zip discs/drives that conk out, and yes, GASOLINE prices that make life in this side of Synthetic Heaven really uncool because it delays life. But that's okay... Instead, let's pray for the bereaved and departed in Louisiana... let's hope for the best. We hope that the government cut more money out of their military budget to Iraq and simply direct them to the misery in New Orleans.

Let's continue to vibe, rock, and groove--dont forget, we will be tabling at the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival (LAAF, spot number 36, near Vincent's Ear-formerly) this Sunday (Sept 4), and at the Organicfest on Sept 10. Stephanie M's Stephanie's Id will be performing at LAAF, Kimberly Summer at Organicfest... Phuncle Sam and Alice "June Bugg" Stegmann will be performing for The Bonfires at Malaprops on Sept 8 (I will be reading in between), and--DONT FORGET--Katie Kasben's "Hair" will be rockin' the sunshine in and all over the Appalachians on Sept 9 and 10. Be there...

Now, the Updates (I am writing this beside Rose Byrne's purpleandvelvet couch... You know, "Wicker Park, "I Capture The Castle," "Troy")

[ ]Bearly Edible (c/o owner Mark) is hosting the Traveling Bonfires benefit camp ("Harvest Bash") in Mars Hill from Sept 30 to Oct 2. The fee of $15, includes camping (swimming, hiking, music). Those who have already signed up to perform are: Phuncle Sam, The Great Slide, Afromotive, Peace Jones, Jamie Tomas, and June Bug (more awaiting confirmation). There will be food to sell, crafts vendors, and stuff, BYOB. Other sponsors include The Getup Exchange, Enter The Earth, Caravanserai... with more set to be finalized. How do you get there? Exit 3 off I-26 -- right off exit -- left at stop sign. First left after Little Creek Restaurant (Big Laurel Road). Go down road and under bridge and look for parking signs on left. For info, call 828 255 8154.

[ ]The Traveling Bonfires' Oct 29 "Bonfires for Peace at Pritchard Park" (Event 4) features a 3-part program: "Kids `r Indies" children's fun activity, 11am to 3pm; "Bonfires for Vampires" concert from 4pm to 10pm (Dashvara, Sunshine, Phuncle Sam, and more); and "Dark:30 Till Dawn: A Bonfires Halloween Party" in a tba venue, 11pm until dawn. Downtown stores are donating food, as usual, and books and toys and things for the kids at the park...

[ ]The upcoming Malaprops Bonfires shows: Sept 8 (Phuncle Sam, June Bug), Oct 6 (Pasckie Pascua, Matt Mulder, tba), Nov 19 (Deborah Crooks and Mica Lee Williams--our visitors from San Francisco). And, of course, dont forget--Nov 18 and Dec 3 at the Grey Eagle. We may also have shows at Broadway's and Fred's Speakeasy...

For the Nov 18 Third World Asheville benefit at the Grey Eagle, we are negotiating with either a local burlesque act or a bellydancing group. Those who have already committed to perform are Ms Crooks and Ms Williams, and Vanessa Boyd. We are tapping Asheville's huge (diverse) women population, after all--Third World Asheville is primarily a women's organization ... For the Dec 3 show, Laura Blackley is the headliner, with our other visitors--Milwaukee's Mississippi Cactus and Boston's Patty Keough. Phuncle Sam and Vanessa Boyd complete the 5pm to 2am event. We might have an art auction in between...

[ ]We have assumed Asheville distribution of our friend-publication, The Blotter, from Chapel Hill NC. So a $100 monthly honorarium goes to The Bonfires Fund. We also have an existing ad-exchange with them. Its publisher-editor Martin Smith is also one of our Bonfires hook-ups in the Triangle...

We are working out a show in Chapel Hill on Oct 14 or the 23rd--on my way to and from up north (Vagrant Wind tour resumption). Nina Marie Collins is also helping us get bookings there... So far, she have given leads to Open Eye Cafe, The Skylight Exchange/Nightlight, and Artscenter, plus a number of local performers and poets. (Nina is traveling to Arizona this fall... May you have the Spirit and the Force on the road, or up in the sky.)

[ ]Laura Blackley will be writing a feature article about The Traveling Bonfires for Take 5, the weekend magazine edition of the Citizen Times... Watch out.

[ ]Jaja Campos and Demi Pascua are busy negotiating with bands/acts in Manila for the 3-event "Bonfires for Peace" concerts there... So far Joey Ayala (for the acoustic 70s Bistro show) and Razorback (for the Mayric's rock show) have said yes to headline both shows. Mr Ayala and Razorback are two of the most popular rock/musical acts in the Philippines... Jaja is currently negotiating with a reggae band, Tropical Depression, and invited my friend and ex bandmate Pearlsha Abubakar (who's quite big now in Manila) to also join either of the concerts... We are looking forward to huge Bonfires concerts in Manila. [By the way, Joey A also signified traveling to Ashevlle and perform with The Bonfires; and Woody Henkle and Phuncle Sam also voiced interest in spending a Bonfires summer in the Philippines. Hmmm, cool Bonfires exchange...]

[ ]I'd like to mention my special thanks to our new building (70 Woodfin Place) friend, Rachelle Arrowood... no, she's not Mathilde, the extra-terrestrial apparition, this one is the Real Friend. Apart from helping me out with a new pagemaker program for The Indie's desktop, she loaned me her laptop ("Use it as long as you need it"), and requested her brother Tim to fix my Vaio notebook--all for free. Aside from consistently handing us food and things (soap, liquid incense, herbal vitamins, shampoo etc etc)--and rides and occasional Indie scanning jobs--she also pledged to take us to Earth Fare on a weekend for some healthy, organic food. THANKS A LOT FOR THESE BLESSINGS FROM THE BLUE SKY. As I mentioned in my last Indie column, "Without women, my life is nothing but a flat tire."

[ ]The Indie is looking good, despite that last computer hassle. That's over now... Our Oct issue focuses on the upcoming local elections, with a featured interview with Mayor Worley. Mike Hopping, as usual, is doing that story... Believe it or not, I have taken to keeping close watch on our Indie office supplies because we have been running out of copies lately... Meantime, UNCA "kids," led by Aja Hamden and her "Me and Bobby McGee" homegirls, are requesting more Bonfires open mics. So we may have one at Beanstreets soon, and a regular one at Bearly Edible. Let's see...

[ ]Another Bonfires Pinoy rock concert looms in Virginia Beach or Washington DC--as part of the Oct Vagrant Wind Road Journey. Marta The Nicer Osborne might join me--all the way to the concert invite in Atlantic City's Taj Mahal--if she gets to move to another job and earns more money (of course!) No, that doesnt mean we are gambling.

[ ]Lastly, after almost a month since my Mom passed away, I still receive warm words from friends... Here are some more--

Pasckie, the loss of your mother must be very difficult. I can only hope to help by saying that she continues to live on earth through her creation of a strong, vibrant, active, kind son. I hope that you are feeling stable, and I hope that in your time of loss you can turn to the Great MotherEarth.
--Nina Marie Collins
Chapel Hill NC

I grieve with you, magkikita na sila ng nanay ko sa taas... (she will meet up with my Mom up there).
--Pearlsha Abubakar
Manila, Philippines

Dear Pasckie, my deep and heart-felt condolances on your mother's death. Death is unusual always but a process for all of us. Stay strong.
--Concei
Washington DC

I'm really sorry to have heard about your Mom... You have Jackie and my best wishes in what I'm sure has been a tough time.
--Justin Gostony
Asheville

So that's it, for now. I gotta get some sleep--as I finish this Kevin Spacey movie ("Ordinary Decent Criminals") that I still dont understand, they have really faked Irish accents! Okay, I gotta crash now, and gain more energy later today, to distribute The Indie, with Marta and Courtney and Brett.

Gracias mi los amigos, las amigas!

--Pasckie
6:52am. Asheville NC