West Coast Vibes
CA + WA events this week
I wasn't much of a reader until about ten years ago when I delved into books centered around Led Zeppelin and Billie Holliday. From there, my literary interests expanded, driven by recommendations from friends: spanning genres from westerns to historical accounts of New York City, and even (shockingly) delving into the realm of sports. Over time, I became captivated by literature exploring race in America (Kathleen M. Blee’s Women of the Klan is a must read).
Though I can't recall how I stumbled upon it, one of my favorite discoveries during this phase was the 1974 novel "Oreo" by Fran Ross. The narrative follows the journey of a half-Black, half-Jewish girl who embarks on a daring and occasionally treacherous quest through the gritty landscape of 1970s NYC, all in search of the elusive father she has never known.
I told everyone about “Oreo”—like it was an obscure album or band that only I knew about. Until last month when one of my favorite podcasts, The Stacks, announced that it was a featured book club title with a podcast episode dedicated to it.
Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Traci Thomas, the creative mind behind The Stacks, for coffee in LA. Our conversation naturally gravitated towards the obvious things we have in common like books and music, and I’m excited to go deeper this Wednesday eve at Reparations Club, an independent, Black-owned and operated bookstore in Los Angeles. While the primary focus of our discussion will be my book, I wouldn't be surprised if our dialogue inevitably circles back to the captivating world of "Oreo” and our personal connections to it.
When I played drums in the Seattle band The Long Winters in the late 2000s, we toured a lot. I took tons of photos on those drives across North America and Europe, but because I was often the only one taking photos, there are very few with me in them, and even fewer with both me and John Roderick, the band’s singer and songwriter.
I do, however, have numerous photos of John from behind—on stage, recounting lengthy narratives as I patiently occupied the backdrop, waiting to click off the next song. Although this photo might seem unremarkable, it reminds me of the great years I spent globetrotting with my friends.
I’m excited to get back on stage with John this Friday at Port Townsend, WA’s Thing festival, where neither of us will play music and both of us will tell stories. It’s officially a book event, but it will likely evolve into a much more nostalgic conversation somewhere between secondary market sound check banter and six-hour-van-ride shit talking. This one’s early—like noon-ish.
Lots of fall events are coming together. Event details and updates can always be found HERE.
Wed Aug 23: Los Angeles, CA / Reparations Club / in conversation with The Stacks podcast host Traci Thomas. 7pm
Fri Aug 25: Port Townsend, WA / Thing (music festival) / in conversation with John Roderick. 12:45pm (early)
Wed Sep 13: Syracuse, NY / Syracuse University
Mon Oct 9: Oklahoma City, OK / University of Central Oklahoma
Tue Oct 10: Austin, TX / University of Texas, Austin
Tue Oct 17: Tucson, AZ / University of Arizona Humanities Festival
Wed Oct 18: Los Angeles, CA / UCLA
Thu Oct 19: Detroit, MI / Third Man Records in conversation with Ann Delisi
Fri Oct 20: Madison, WI / tba
Wed Oct 25: Durham, NC / Duke University
My memoir My Life in the Sunshine is out now. I’d love it if you picked up a copy at your local independent bookstore. It’s also available at all the big places, and for your Kindle as well. There’s an audiobook that I spent 20 hours of my life reading (it’ll only take 7 hours to listen). You can listen to the 5-minute intro for free on Spotify.
I hope to see you somewhere soon.
Nabil Ayers / Brooklyn