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Side B:
November 24, 2024
Howdy, y’all! Julián Martinez here, guest editor of this issue of Major 7th Magazine, our collective literary mixtape. I’ve never written an editor’s note before, so part of me wants to just talk about how grateful I am for Kirsti’s trust in me to take the reins. Part of me wants this to be as quick as possible. I’ll just talk about the theme of the issue: LOCAL SCENES.
This past summer, my pal Rich Jones dropped an album called Sour Dub. I’ve had it in heavy rotation since then. It’s great in the car, catchy and eclectic, pushed along by Sleep Sinai’s smooth yet glitchy beats. It’s funny, emotional, dark, hopeful. Rich and musician and producer SHOWYOUSUCK run a monthly show called The Dream Blunt Rotation, where local acts perform as a sort of variety showcase. That doesn’t feel like a great term for it, since it’s more intimate than that. More fun than that.
I love the musicians, writers and artists I’m friends with here in Chicago. I think it was after a Dream Blunt Rotation show that I thought, why not create an opportunity for writers to showcase THEIR friends’ music? And thus, LOCAL SCENES was born.
We have an amazing collection of work that’s even cooler and more heartfelt than I had imagined it would be. Every writer in this issue adds their own skillful style to this ensemble. It’s kind of a supergroup, like The Traveling Wilburys or The V.S.O.P. Quintet. And me and Kirsti are backstage, just like, how do they do it??? How did we contain this heat into one online literary magazine???
Romy Rhoads Ewing’s three poems are funny and inventive. They feel somehow fantastical yet deeply honest, the way great songs feel. In short, each one of them is a rockstar.
Brian’s essay is a dive into the beginnings of a band powered by recklessness and friendship. The love and respect for the band members and the music they produce is palpable. If this essay doesn’t make you nostalgic for days gone by… I hope those days are ahead of you!
Caleb Bethea’s story feels like it’s being told to you at a bar. It’s short and sweet, gripping in a way where you don’t know you’re hooked yet. Then the finish. Then you just want to read it all over again.
Justin Carter writes about the forlorn memories of a one-night-only show that… well, I’ll let you find out for yourself. This piece is so lyrical, so busy with detail and texture. It makes me go wow every time I read it. It is, as they say, one of them ones.
Bethany Cutkomp gives us the stranger-than-fiction true story of a local band’s wild performance in the woods. It’s giddy with you-won’t-believe-this energy. I almost don’t believe it! But it’s written with enough heart and humor that I feel like I was there.
Hope you enjoy this edition of the literary mixtape! Your readership means the world. Remember— if you’re a musician or writer or artist, your friends love you.
Peace out,
Julián
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