Wheeze gotz poetry from Michael Haeflinger (from Ohio but in Berlin and writing wherever he is day to day); musicz from Spoon and BBC Radio 1; and event-announcin' from Atomic Pop and there DIY Vinyl Toy Show. Who'ze hiding the mambo sauce?

And that picture? That's what happens when Justin Sirois' new book comes out. The one that we talked about last week. The one available at motherfuckin' Target, yo. Don't sleep on it. And if you are in NYC get yer bottom to the Zinc Bar this Sunday (March 9) when the Secondary Sound Book Tour Juggernaut comes to your town.

Dollar dollar bills, y'all. (No really, look, they are singles... that's how we roll in the high stakes poetry world)

We have been caught up in the sweep of graffiti-kid vinyls for quite a bit now... and then Atomic Pop came along and made buying them a local community service and so our addiction bloomed.

Go check out their show of Baltimore Artists vs. the various do-it-yourself blank forms that have been coming out for the past year or so.

I know I'm looking forward to Brian Ralph, Nolan Strals, and Ben Claassen III -- not to mention barako'munny from Kevin Sherry (right, photo by Rachel Whang) and tons more.

Vinylmore Friday, March 7, 8pm (show runs through March 31) @ Atomic Pop 1234 Falls Rd, B'more www.atomicbooks.com Here's a CityPaper story about the show. And click the poster for a bigger view where you can actually read all the designers' names.

I’ve done cartwheels over subway cars,
spotted rashes on pocketed handkerchiefs,
tanned the daylight, ground
the sky into manure / I’ve

lit the match on the wood end,
forced it through the bottom
of the candle, pedaled
with my hands, steered with my nose

and fell over, once into a streetsign,
once, a guitar broke
my fall / I’ve coasted the Brown Line
hanging on a lawn chair, ate

at a dinner table on the S42,
brought a van load from Cincy
to D-Town to Illinoise to Leipzig
to Berlin and I could unload six more /

I’ve put more quarters in jukeboxes
than Fountain Square, burned
twenty-four hours with the blink
of somebody else’s eye,

ridden a horse backwards
into town, gave up on mountains
but reconsidered ocean,
chopsticked public parks, pierced

hundreds of unpopable eggs, dirt
sledded over calendar pages, broke
bones to pass time, I’ve crept across

traffic faster than others walked /
stopped myself with calves,
went over the bar at people
walking by, counted all

the ankles in the world, twice,
spanked the lunch
out of a dog, pushed a cat
around while sleeping,

played the same song twice,
used lots of names in vain /
I’ve made omelets of couch
cushions and mints / I’ve unscrewed
the light bulbs in the sun
and shook them for signs of life /

I’ve cleaned my fingernails
with ink, black
and blue / let it be heard /
let it be heard, o! /
let it be heard
 
 
 

Check out more Black Cab Sessions at the site www.blackcabsessions.com including that Okkervil River guy we love playing a Big Star cover.

Oh intended song of the week, you must wait seven more days!
 
 
 

Download and fold your very own Chris Toll mini-chap -- I'm Having Some Shape-Shifting Problems. It's free free FREE. But wait, there's more... He's thrown in an extra poem -- an outtake in fact -- ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS SPECIAL OFFER.

Meanwhile, if you're in Baltimore, or close to it, this Saturday (March 1), you'd be a DAMN FOOL to miss Justin Sirois' Book Release reading at the i.e. reading series -- get the info below.

And meanwhile meanwhile, enjoy our song of the week from Liam Finn. Or more aptly, WE DARE YOU NOT TO ENJOY IT.

ALL CAPITALLY YOURS,
Rock Heals

A budget analyst
cleats the blues
and pleats the lies
that dress the pie chart
who plots to murder me.
My shopping mall
stands on a bridge
and studies the heedless river.
Three chords knock me down
and three chords pick me up.
 
 
 
+++
Get the chapbook I'm Having Some Shape-Shifting Problems below.
 
 

We've quietly published a little chapbook series ("big package, mini chaps") for a couple years now... They're self-binding books made from one sheet of paper with this "folded eight" technique that's downright magic. We always wanted to share them on the web -- but couldn't find a way to give proper instruction. Hopefully the below is a start.

Without further ado, snag yourself Chris Toll's great chap from the link. Print. Fold. Enjoy.
Get I'm Having Some Shape-Shifting Problems (659k)

Note: Turn off the "fit to margins" setting (if your machine defaults to that) when you print it out... or it will fold all wrong. Speaking of which:

How To Make Chris Toll's Book at Home

We'll start rolling out the back catalog soon... so look out for chaps and mini-comics from Greg Fuchs, Dan Nester, and more.

Come celebrate the release of homme de Narrow House Justin Sirois' new book, Secondary Sound, at the i.e. reading series this Saturday (March 1) where he'll read with a couple Rock Heals faves -- Gina Myers and Ken Rumble.

Here's a link to the i.e. reading series site for more info.

Here's a link to buy the book at Target(!) because we love that you can buy Secondary Sound from Target... but you should probably go to the publisher's site for it (BlazeVox) and follow it's link to Amazon. Then Geoffrey will get a cut(?) and use the dough to put out more great books.

Here's a blurb on Justin's book -- take that search engines!
An absurdist media firm hires a pirate to “create the most alluring ringtone known to man” – while the author takes a secondary role as this digital scallywag plunders and pillages his way through the book’s vexing text messages. Presumably the first manuscript of both poems and fiction to be licensed with creative commons, Secondary Sound questions the legal limits of electronic sampling, asks why zombies and pirates are so in vogue, and pushes the limits of poetry (and hopefully makes it fun again).
&nbps;
 

Here's the honest-to-God video they made for it (who does that anymore?). But take a moment later to track down some of the diverse live performance recordings out there and go get the recorded version for ongoing personal fulfillment.

Three short poems from someone who is Not Lisa Jarnot and music from Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea -- now 10 and one of the best albums ever recorded. No, seriously.

Consume. Digest. Mobilize.

Oh, turkey machines
Beside small Detroit.

Oh, three squirrels
Like turkeys I love you.

Okay, I’ll _______
On the _________
 
 

James Joyce-shaped reverence
would pigeons hedgehogs chocolate climb
yarn and purple

At mile upturned
near spectacles lifting
up birds rounded
my material murmurs

Joi de human day
I hosted possums
Francais is under pass unleashed
if it is black.
 
 

Inspired by The Diary of Anne Frank, it will more or less kick yours ass -- try not to get choked up listening to "Holland 1945." But let's leave your crying for another day and enjoy "The King of Carrot Flowers."

That eater bandying:
First do right
First set things
First know people
Then see right.
 
 
 
 

Pam Martin brings us our annual report from Sundance -- her second, our third, and the best so far by far. Sara Mumolo, from fine Oakland CA, balances it out with some poetry. And since "light activity" is the best path to getting over that flu that surely has you puking bedside like everyone else in the world this week -- do enjoy an amazing new bit of get-on-your-feet music from The Black Kids.

Keep your chin up kid. You're gonna make it. And holy crap, next Tuesday is Super Tuesday already... look out for some post-results reactions from the Robots!