Ham Kicker http://www.hamkicker.com/blog Collaboration and Transparency in Music Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:47:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 In The End http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/in-the-end/ http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/in-the-end/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:18:56 +0000 admin http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/?p=788 Featured here is a collaboration between Cynthia Spencer and Joe Robinson. Cynthia lives in Milwaukee and writes poetry. She has a chapbook available from Plumberries Press titled “In What Sequence Will My Parts Exit.” You can look forward to reading more of her work here. Joe is a Chicagoan. He’s a teacher by day. Ham Kicker is his other passion. For this piece, Joe wrote and recorded a song for Cynthia’s poem.

In the End
By Cynthia Spencer

To chase
emphatic exhaustions,
breaking bed-bones with satisfying
smacks, to find
pillow clouded agoraphobic, crawling
low and sweetly
out of blanket loam.

Someday, I will go around
with clasps undone. I will speak
myself an opening. A photograph

will find its way into the hands
of someone who wondered, long ago,
what it was made of. Someone

will be answered, not stop asking.

 

Download In The End or click below to listen.
Download audio file (In_The_End.mp3)

]]> http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/in-the-end/feed/ 0 Antheraea Polyphemus http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/antheraea-polyphemus/ http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/antheraea-polyphemus/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:15:11 +0000 admin http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/?p=760 Featured here is a collaboration between Alicia Hilton, Suzy Erin, and Ben Grigg. Alicia is an author, a law professor, and a former FBI Special Agent. For more information about her poetry and other publications, visit www.aliciahilton.com. Ben and Suzy live in Chicago. They comprise the band, Deathsnack. For this piece, Ben and Suzy wrote and recorded a song for Alicia’s poem.

Antheraea Polyphemus
by Alicia Hilton

Muscles flex
Suction cup feet release
Slide forward on the leaf

Download Antheraea Polyphemus or click below to listen.
Download audio file (Antheraea_Polyphemus.mp3)

]]> http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/antheraea-polyphemus/feed/ 0 The Progress Project http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/the-progress-project/ http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/the-progress-project/#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:38:46 +0000 admin http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/?p=741 Featured here is a poem by Suzy Erin, which has been put to music by Barber Green.

The Progress Project
by Suzy Erin

Once we were told
when you cross the street
be sure to have a hand to hold
It was medicine we just wouldn’t swallow

We laughed in the face of danger-
Put our cold hands into the fire.
We beleived we were going somewhere-
That Rock’n'Roll held some meaning.

Who will ever know about
the dress I never wore?
What will you do
with a jacket that doesn’t fit anymore,
or blue jeans filled with holes?

Dust gethers in an empty room
where yesterday still writhes on the floor.
A proud display on the cofee table:
photographs sick of their smiles.
It’s been a long time since that was that child.

Smell the seasons changing – Fall to Winter
Already the town is changing its face.
Cut off and cauterized,
We can never go back home.

Now we find ourselves alone
standing in the middle of the street.
Stars we once reached for
are headlights running us down-

Download The Progress Project or click below to listen.
Download audio file (The_Progress_Project.mp3)

]]> http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/the-progress-project/feed/ 0 The Beast http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/the-beast/ http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/the-beast/#comments Fri, 29 Jul 2011 03:55:30 +0000 admin http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/?p=646 Here featured is a collaboration between Alicia Hilton and Jake Anderson. Alicia is an author, law school professor, attorney, former FBI Special Agent and former fine art consultant. She is taking time off from teaching to write poetry, a collection of essays, and a novel. You can read more about Alicia at www.aliciahilton.com. Jake is a Chicago musician. His new band, Deserters, will release their first EP this fall. For this piece, Jake wrote and recorded a song for Alicia’s poem.

The Beast
by Alicia Hilton

Once you fit in my hand,
Diminutive emerald.
Your leaves, delicate diamonds
Edged with saw teeth.

Joined with the earth,
Fed by the sun,
The rain
And the worms.

Your growing tendrils
Tipped with purple spiky globes
Like a thistle, but soft.

Your icy scent
A magnet.
No longer diminutive.
Luring the weak
And the hungry.

Sharp incisors snip.
Fur-covered lamprey
Scatters seeds.
Tenacious tsavorite replicates
As Easter toy burrows
Into its heart.

Host and parasite
Growing stronger,
Growing larger.
Teenage rabbit emerges.
Stands on hind feet.
Ears twitching,
Look at me.

A symphony of
Honeybees
Gathers nectar
Basking in the sun.

Come winter,
It withers.
But in spring,
A promise fulfilled,
The beast returns.

Download The Beast or click below to listen.
Download audio file (The_Beast.mp3)

]]> http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/the-beast/feed/ 0 Does the Pope Wear Prada http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/does-the-pope-wear-prada/ http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/songs/does-the-pope-wear-prada/#comments Sat, 02 Jul 2011 13:35:14 +0000 Joe http://www.hamkicker.com/blog/?p=568 Here featured is a collaboration between poet Robert McDonald and musician Joe Robinson. Robert lives on the north side of Chicago. He works at an independent bookstore, reads an awful lot, and blogs at livesofthespiders.blogspot.com. Other than a brief stint as a backup singer in the band “Johnny Meadowmuffin and the Road Apples,” this is his first foray into music. You can find his poetry on line if you utilize the Google. Here is a nice interview with Robert. Joe also lives in Chicago. He is a busy teacher, but he reserves some of his time and passion for this patient project here called Ham Kicker. For this piece, Joe wrote, performed, and recorded a song for Robert’s poem.

Does the Pope Wear Prada
by Robert McDonald

Does the Pope wear Prada does a moose wear
shoes is hell getting hotter can you tell me
good news are the rich getting richer do the poor
taste good can we begin the shoot,
do our stars have wood?
Does the Pope wear dresses
does the government lie
does Mary Kate love Ashley
is Howard Stern shy

I need you, baby, like a bathtub
needs a drain
I need you, darling, like a masochist
needs his pain
I need you, sweetheart, like a monkfish
needs its gills
I need you, pumpkin
like Judy Garland needed pills

Does the Pope wear Prada does an elephant
snore are you going to raid my larder
are we doing this some more
did the muppet eat cookies did Mayor McCheese
get fries like a nympho needs her nookie
like a worm needs eyes like a john needs a hooker
like a tree wears leaves like Marilyn was
a looker like an ATM has fees

I need you baby
like the shortbus needs four tires
I wear you snoogums,
an FBI informant wears his wires
I need you bunny:
a paper towel commercial
needs its spills
I want to take you, baby
like Judy Garland took her pills.

Someday we shall all be fed
someday we shall be filled
someday you will take me
like Judy Garland took her pills

Download Does the Pope Wear Prada or click below to listen.
Download audio file (Does_The_Pope_Wear_Prada.mp3)

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