A few months ago, the Spaghetti Party team brought about the return of the zine (last seen October 2018) in celebration of Pride Month. Initially available in print form, the 2019 Pride issue is now here to enjoy online, featuring original art and writing from around the local scene.
I had the honor of recently playing long side these talented people, and watching them make all these dream-noises on stage was other worldly. They just released their album “Holy Matrimony” and are embarking on a tour down to Texas from Philly as we speak.
I will tell YOU, I can not stop listening to this gal. I’m hovering on a healthy level of obsession, I’ll be honest. Cydni is the kind of songwriter I aspire to be, amazing lyrics that you decipher into her real life moments and experiences.
This is a girls supporting girls anthem. And even better than that, it’s sung by LADY GAGA AND FLORENCE WELCH!
After a long hiatus, MARINA (formerly, Marina and the Diamonds) is back with new some new alt-pop tunes for us to bop to. I hadn’t thought about Marina in some time, but I remember loving this song to death when I was 13 so it’s been put back onto my playlist recently. A good song never gets old.
Never underestimate what you can find on your discover weekly. Woman Believer is from Detroit, and creates quite the lovely noise experience. Some jazzy influence, throw in some feminism, some noodly riffs, and that’s a pretty good musical soup.
In one word; extraterrestrial.
My vision for my music has always been to create something that sounds as if it’s from its own world entirely. I want to make music that feels alien, but cohesive within the context of its own planet.
Aesop Rock has, by far, been my biggest influence since day one. The incredible metaphorical content that he packs into his lyrics, combined with his expansive vocabulary, is absolutely insane to me.
I try to draw from as many genres as I can. I grew up listening to a lot of Pixies, The Cure, R.E.M., Talking Heads, Tori Amos, even They Might Be Giants. All of which, I have my mother to thank for.
I’m also, low-key, a huge Primus fan.
Extremely diverse. No matter what you’re into, you can always find a niche in the scene that fits you.
Our local hip-hop community is expanding pretty rapidly as well, and I’m very happy to be a part of it alongside some amazing artists.
It can be quite disheartening, the amount of effort that goes into a project like this, especially when it only comes out to a whopping 15 minutes.
I’d say I spent the majority of 2018 working on it, and quite a few of the concepts on the album date back to as early as 2015.
All in all, it is certainly one of the things in my life I am most proud of, and I hope everyone that listens to it can get a sense of the sheer amount of passion I have for what I am doing.
Honestly, it was tough. I produced the instrumentals, wrote the lyrics, did my own recording, mixing, mastering, the whole package.
Definitely working on plenty of new tunes. I had originally planned on taking a break from writing after I dropped HUBRIS, just to let my mind settle for a bit and come back with new concepts, but that only lasted so long.
A tour is on the way. I’d love to go all over the east coast this spring/summer, and hopefully make my way out west next year!
I’m, also, working on merch ideas at the moment. So, that’s probably the next biggest thing on my horizon.
We were graced, yet again, by the wonderfully talented, Ms. Fink. Her poetry is always heartfelt and inspiring. This time around, she wrote a poem for her friend, Lauren, whose birthday was the day before the party. Although Ms. Fink had some woes about her performance, the kindness and love behind this poem for her friend overshadowed any blips she thought she made in its delivery. She, also, led us in a big ‘ol Happy Birthday sing-along. Get yourself a friend like Summer!
You can follow Summer @thepoetricpromise on Instagram to keep up with her latest and greatest creations.
“When I close my eyes, I see purple Thursdays with you.”
“Yeet!”
The Spaghetti party was honored to house the first performance ever of Juneau’s original song, “Losing Game.” Juneau’s pop influences definitely shined through in this peace and it felt like a song we could hear on any (good) radio station! With a great piano part, interesting song structure, and catchy melodies, Juneau digs deep into his soul and doesn’t hold back! This song is a great example of “write what you know.” We can’t wait for more!
Juneau hosts a radio show for the Shepherd University radio station every Friday from 1-3PM with his friend Paola, tune in to 89.7 FM WSHC to hear what they’re listening to!
Hagerstown native, Ceejay, came at us with uncensored honest tunes and original style; musically and otherwise. He got intimate, up close & personal. Some performers might shy away from crowd interaction at a smaller venue such as the Spaghetti Party, but CeeJay hit the nail on the head. It was clear that he fully engaged his audience with his lyrical expression. It was a new sound for the Spaghetti Party; confident, vibey new wave Michael Jackson with some spacey back-tracking.
You can listen to Ceejay “The Artist” on SoundCloud, and follow him on Instagram @ceejaytheartist.
“We only fuck when the lights are off.”
“Shut up! I’m having ME time!”
If you were at Spaghetti Party #5, you’ll know that Spencer did some impromptu ASMR, and it was a hit amongst our crowd. For Spaghetti Party #6, we decided to bring the Spaghetti Team’s very own Spencer back onto the stage for another round of ASMR. Although, Spencer admitted his last go at ASMR was totally improvised, and he had no idea what he did. So he launched into another sub-category of YouTube videos: conspiracy theories. “No one ever talks about Nebraska,” he says. “Have any of you been to Nebraska?” The crowd made some noises and a meek “yes” emerged from the crowd. “Shut up! I’m having me time,” Spencer bellows back at them. “It was a rhetorical question.”
You can find Spencer and more of his silliness on his twitter @sebthebeanie.
Flo Petite took to the stage (aka play mats in the basement), once again, to close out the show. This time, she was joined by her band, consisting of Phil DiMercurio, Alex Baughman, and Alex Hess. She played some old favorites, along with debuting a brand-new song. Her newest tune is called, “My Body.” She describes it as about being human, and what that even means. She enjoyed testing it out on her supportive Spaghetti fans.
You can find Flo’s music on various popular streaming platforms, including Spotify. You can get more info on her website, as well, at www.FloPetite.com. Plus, you can catch Flo herself hosting the next Spaghetti Party!
“Making paper airplanes with your cardboard friends.”
*art intensifies*
Jiala is a local artist with some inspring work about black youth, especially with her latest zine “Black To The Future; black girl magic.” She had her buttons and necklaces flying off the racks all night at Spaghetti party #6!
You can check her etsy shop blacktothefuture and her instagram @jai_the_wizard
A short illustration about health. Organic cigarettes are pricey; save your money. – Til
Check out more of Til’s art on his Instagram @nulltil
Mixed media, pen, recycled paper
Hello folks! Spaghetti Party #6 is happening December 7th @ 7PM! We’ll be having featured musicians, CeeJay “the artist”, Juneau, and Flo Petite. As well as poetry by Josh, and LIVE ASMR with Spencer! There will also be art for sale by a few local artists. $5 dollars at the door. To all those who pay: you will be put in a raffle to win a poster of the Spaghetti Party #6 flyer!
For the address and any additional details, email us at thespaghettipartymd@gmail.com or DM us on instagram
It is a truth universally acknowledged, dear reader, that one would be hard pressed as to find anyone that could be said to have a lint problem. Yet humanity still possesses among its extensive repertoire of inventions a little device commonly known as a lint roller. Its seemingly unitasking nature, as evidenced by its name, could be easily overlooked amongst such devices as those whose only purpose is to assist in the perfect slicing of a kiwi fruit. Except for the fact that as aforementioned and in this writer’s experience people possess a remarkable tendency not to have an excess of lint on their person. What one might have is fuzz, pet fur, crumbs, or even the occasional stubborn string. All of which can be easily done away with by the lint roller. Amazing and convenient, to be certain. But where is the lint? Possibly trapped in the dryer lint catcher. At least that gets to do its intended job. Sometimes it does its job too well, it does not ever want to let go. It refuses to let the lint out of its clutches. Inadvertently causing a fire hazard that might bring about its premature demise. A demise that might not be covered by the extended warranty.
And then there is the infamous pocket lint. The stuff that the lint catcher cannot get to, and thus cannot consume. Not a big deal, since it remains hidden from judging eyes most of the time. Even in the event that one is worried about their unwanted secret stash of lint being discovered, most pockets are not big enough to warrant a lint brush fitting inside, rendering its application useless. Large enough pockets, of course, do exist, yet they are an anomaly almost as rare as an influx of lint itself in some circles. Where is the justice? Nowhere to be found. It is just another problem for another time, unfortunately. Back on the issue of pocket lint, one of the best solutions, relevant regardless of the size of one’s pockets, would be to simply turn one’s pockets inside out. Or, if that is not an option, just to turn the entire article upside down and shake it vigorously. One must be careful where they do this, however, for the lint may fall right on the clean floor, then leaving no other option than to look at the mess one has just made and to eventually sweep it up. Tragic.
The time has come, this writer feels, to address the general inefficiency of the lint roller itself. Just think how many sheets one needs just to clean off a single garment. Two. Three. Four. Possibly more. Each picking off only a tiny fragment of the debris. It is positively wasteful! Indeed, there are most likely numerous other uses for the lint roller. Much untapped potential just waiting to be discovered. Things it might even be better at than what it was designed for. Emergency sticky tape, perhaps. Paper on which to write an impromptu list. One could take it to a beach or desert and run it across the ground. Suddenly there would be sandpaper. Sandpaper where there had not been before, in reaction to which one might even remark “What a turn of events” or some similar exclamation of delight.
Still, the name lint roller caught on for popular use. There were people dying, but still long ago the people that had it in the first place only cared about their lint. This writer too cares about lint. Where did it go? Will the lint plague strike again? Is the holder of such secrets just preparing us for the inevitable apocalypse with every lint roller sold? These are the questions, dear reader, one should ponder until the last piece of lint falls through the hourglass of life.
After five Spaghetti Parties, we’re starting to get a good system going. The energy is always fun and inspiring! The Spaghetti Party crew brings enthusiasm and creativity and the audience provides support and encouragement for self-expression. It’s just an all-around good vibe. Here’s a little overview of SP #5’s performers. Be sure to check them out on their respective social media spots, and join us at the next show for some groovin’ & grub!
Sterling, front-person of the Philadelphia based band, Dead Sally, gave an excellent acoustic performance. He showed exactly how to get a community engaged! With frequent sing-alongs, the crowd was always on their toes (in a good way), ready for the next song.
Sterling definitely has a very unique style that I was drawn to. He wore a rabbit hip-bone earring and danced around in his socks while he played. But, style isn’t just what you wear! In between songs he told stories that made me feel very connected to his lyrics, even if you had never really heard them before. I think this is an important tool that any songwriter should have with their audience; connection.
You can find Sterling and his band on Bandcamp at Dead Sally.
“…I’ll hold your hand when you’re feeling defenseless. And, I will be there to remind you that you are loved… at least I’ll try to be.”
“AM, PM, FM. Bringing you street quality sudafed since at least 2018. Don’t touch that dial. “
Fairly new into the scene, the Buller boys closed out the party with some fun and exuberant tunes. Their cover of “Sir Psycho” got everyone feeling funky. Comprised of Phil DiMercurio, Alex Baughman & Alex Hess, this trio is adept at mixing genres and creating new sounds. They are currently in the process of recording and hope to be releasing songs soon. Be sure to check out their work! Find them on Instagram at fm_buller.
At the Spaghetti Party, we always have a last minute stand-in, and for Party #5, it was Spencer. When I expressed my stress about an act being late and scrambling for something to fill the time, Spencer stepped up to the plate with his wit and ASMR skills. He got up to the mic, speaking softly with a bag of Kettle brand Sea Salt and Vinegar chips in hand and crunched for an engaged audience. The sound echoed throughout the basement, sending tingles down the collective spine. Spencer, also, read some of his tweets in his witty whispery tone.
Spencer will be doing ASMR again at Spaghetti Party #6, so don’t miss it. In the meantime, find him on Twitter @ sebthebeanie.
“I regularly exercise my facial muscles by crying.”
“What does being a woman mean to you?”
Spoken word is a powerful tool, and writers Mina, Gracie and Summer definitely hit the nail right on the head with their poetic performance. The ladies all attend BISFA for creative writing and you can tell! Their piece was an unapologetic, authentic, honest conversation about being a woman.
Summer, also, did a poem on her own, called “An Ode To Grieff,” which was featured in the Spaghetti Party Zeen Issue #1.
Find them on Instagram!
Summer @ thebasicflaws
Gracie @ graciehxstings
Mina @ raddmina
Syd Wilson displayed her art at October’s Spaghetti Party show. It provided an extra layer of creativity to the eclectic vibe of the evening. Syd is a graduate of Barbara Ingram School for the Arts in Hagerstown, where she refined her artistic talent. Her artwork invokes thought and emotion. If you’re interested in Syd’s work, you can connect with her via Instagram at sydvwe.
“Syd Wilson Art Stuff…”
