“Left on Lincoln” in the NY Times!
It’s Election Day here in the so-called United States of America. I have been actively working on hyperlocal transportation issues for four years now. We won Proposition J to get car-free JFK Promenade through Golden Gate Park in 2022 and today Proposition K is on the ballot to turn the Great Highway into a glorious oceanfront public recreation space. The NY Times covered the story and gave a shoutout to my ridiculously in-the-weeds song “Left on Lincoln.” The video is also fun. :)
Long Pause: “Off The Charts”!
The new collaboration album with Elam Blackman called “Off The Charts” is up on Bandcamp today! I think/hope we broke the sophomore album curse? We call this project Long Pause. The way it works is Elam sends me occasional voice memos of mostly spoken word bits with some songs sprinkled in. When the spirit moves me, I create ambient music to accompany his poetry. Eventually these stack up enough and we have an album. I love Elam’s words so much. They are a meditative/ASMR antidote to the chaos and noise. I also love Elam. Old friends. Back in 2012 we both found ourselves washed ashore in different spots of the San Francisco Bay, twisted wrecks, long relationships over in other places, trying to continue somehow. I would take the ferry to his spot, he’d pick me up, beat me very badly at Boggle or Scrabble, and take me back to the ferry. Somewhere in there healing happened too. To quote Elam toward the end of this recording: “Darkness at the window, I don’t want to tell nobody / That would be cruel if I was gone without goodbye / Darkness passes and stays and says not to tell / You walk through, I tell you just how dark it gets before the light breaks through.”
“50 States With 50 Shapes.”
The computers see us as insane, irrational creatures obsessed with food? One of the hit songs on my new hit album is called “50 States With 50 Shapes.” Here is a fun compilation of all the state shout-outs with computer art impressions of each one from an article I found on the internet that made me genuinely laugh harder than I have in a very very long time. I hope this brings you joy. The computers apparently do not consider diversity in their casting decisions. Montana and Wyoming win in a long shot. How did your state fare?
“In the 80s in America.”
The fifth episode on the ongoing quadrennial series “It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong” is hereby inflicted upon the world today! The full album and the rest of the series is only on Bandcamp. Stream all you like over there for free and/or get two secret bonus tracks if you name your own price and buy it. And thank you! And here is the third video from the album for the song “In the 80s in America.” It was really fun to write and record this one. I hope you have fun listening to it.
“I Still Like Obama.”
The second single and video from the new album is “I Still Like Obama,” which premiered on Americana Highways!
“The Last Black Lives Matter Sign in the Neighborhood.”
NEW SINGLE + VIDEO: “The Last Black Lives Matter Sign in the Neighborhood” is out this Friday, April 12th. Remember when Black Lives Matter signs were everywhere? Where did they all go? First they were replaced with Ukrainian flags. Now there are Free Palestine signs. When do those come down and what will take their place? This is the first song released from the forthcoming new album: Part V in the “It Doesn’t Matter Why It Is, It Doesn’t Matter If It’s Wrong” series.
New album announcement!
I just finished the mixes for a new album! It is the fifth installment in the quadrennial series "It Doesn't Matter Why It Is, It Doesn't Matter If It's Wrong." For those of you who are here because of the bike content, I also make music. Most of the bike riding, in fact, is in service of making music (which is my job). I'm not going to create any new plastic in the manufacturing of this album so a great way to support its completion + release is to get on board over at Patreon for as little as $1-3 a month (or more?) -- you do the math! Everything I make will always be public because I make stuff for everybody, but however you choose to support my creations with your money is also always great. If you have energy to share in financial form, I will accept it and it will make me stronger. More to come!
Doing Stuff Without A Car - Episode 7: Going To A City Council Meeting (1/3).
Part 1 of a trilogy of episodes related to the Board of Appeals meeting at City Hall about the glorious Great Highway’s inevitable destiny as a public space. Local government rocks SO HARD. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of singer/songcyclist John Elliott and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Great Highway Park, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, or San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.