no future/no past

yes, the best cloud nothings song from the 2012 album attack on memory. ALSO some past and future news from ME, claire rousay, the artist behind the best 2024 album sentiment

hello everyone,

i am writing today from the comfort of my air-conditioned home in LA. there are many topics i could speak on but there are very few that i will. the summer heat in los angeles is approaching oppressive and i am trying to find acceptance that 90+ degree temperatures and full sun will be a part of my life for a while. here is to trying. in addition to my struggles with accepting the current weather, i am obsessing over many other things outside of my control. many of my struggles with control are rooted in not being able to live in the moment. maybe one day i will be better about this. today, however, it is all talk of the past and the future.

Photograph by Amber Knecht

The Past — since returning home from tour on June 2nd i have read 14 books, paid $125 to change my hair from shaggy mullet-ish type of thing to just straight up mullet. the past 7 weeks have also included two 1-hour NTS shows. one on June 3rd and one on July 1st. listening to these is made possible by the convenient NTS online archive. another wonderfully documented and archived item is This KEXP live in-studio performance that was recorded during my April west coast tour with Lina (violin) and Randall (guitar). finally, as of last week i have finished and submitted FIVE (both solo and collaborative) new records to various record labels and most are being sent into production before the end of the month. this, i guess, is both a past and future thing.

The Future — over the coming weeks, months, and half year i am performing Many Times. below is a full list of upcoming performances (both solo, collaborative, and solo music + a band). tickets are on sale now and if you purchase these presale tickets it provides me with a sense of relief. it also boosts my reputation with booking agents, promoters, as well as boosting my ego.

July 29, 2024 Chicago, IL - Experimental Sound Studio duo w/ Kim Alpert

Sept 20, 2024 Philadelphia, PA - Making Time

Sept 22, 2024 Boston, MA - Middle East

Sept 24, 2024 Cincinnati, OH - Talk Low Festival

Sept 25, 2024 Cleveland, OH - CUSP

Sept 26, 2024 Toronto, ON - Monarch Tavern

Sept 27, 2024 Montréal, PQ - Pop Montréal w/ Still House Plants

Sept 28, 2024 Québec, QC - Pantoum

Sept 29, 2024 Queens, NY - Ruins at Knockdown Center w/ Mica Levi

The Future continued — on July 29th at noon EDT i will be back on NTS for a special 2nd radio show this month. this time i invited my best friend in the whole world, Mari aka more eaze, to b2b 15 min slots with me >:) in August i get to travel for a site visit that is part of the preparation for a week-long workshop residency this winter. more details on this will come as we transition to the fall season. there are a few other unannounced items that i could tease but what is the point of that, really?

like many of my previous postings on Substack, this letter is unedited and extremely from the seat of my pants (sweat shorts). i am two cups of black coffee in to this beautiful, soon-to-be blistering day and my fingers are struggling to keep up with my active and distracted brain. when i first started typing this letter i wanted to discuss my recent thoughts regarding the music industry, how oppressive that industry and it’s expectations are even on tiny artists like me, and how i have been trying my hardest to not play into it’s greedy little hands. i am too caffeinated to do this in any coherent or structured way right now but would love to maybe even take the time to compose my thoughts on these things and revise a draft so it is digestible for folks who are not just me. Mari got me to pull the plug on my Sp*tify subscription recently and it has been liberating to not see the statistics and industry-imposed/applied rankings next to the names of the artists i listen to. staying away from social media has also been a great relief for similar feelings of inadequacy, doubt, and envy. alrighty, on to the recommendation portion of this letter.

Recommendations — 1. Ryan O’Connor’s book The Voids (also recommended by Paul of The Blue Nile - obvious rec to pay attention to)

2. the pre-order for the new Whitney Johnson / Matchess albums on Drag City (I was lucky enough to play some of this music live recently and cannot recommend it enough).

3. the pre-order for the new More Eaze album on Mondoj (truly mari’s best work yet. and i would know! because i’ve heard it all!)

4. the last 20 vinyl copies of my album sentiment in the “light spotting” color

finally, a question — for those coming to the shows on the upcoming September tour dates — should i bring any specific merch with me? emo ambient items? vinyl? tapes? etc.

and as you can tell from all my substack postings, i reference my favorite songs in the titles of these letters. this time it is no future/no past

okaiiiii sending love to you all xx,

cr