Hand in hand: Dispatch from Fuzzy Needle
Greetings Fuzzy Needle friends,
Greetings Fuzzy Needle friends,
Hope everyone’s enjoying this wacky spring/winter weather. Thank you to everyone who came to the Al Olender show in Wilmington earlier this month. We were psyched to see a recap of the show in the Star-News. Thanks to our buddy John for capturing this special night. Also congratulations to our friend Ahna Ell for the release of her stellar new project Ride On. We were fortunate enough to hear some of her latest tunes at the shop that night. This one in particular is killer.
This week, I wanted to spotlight a poem I read on Poets.org Poem-a-Day. (As an aside, that’s a really cool corner of the Internet that you should bookmark.) This is the poem — go read it and then come back to the newsletter when you’re ready.
Okay are y’all back? Isn’t that so cool? Lately I’ve been thinking about how age makes a stranger out of yourself. We’re inclined to blame it all on time: “time laid waste to her” “time ravaged him” etc. etc. (Always time as a wolf, huh.) The reality is we’re as much to blame as time. Every day is an act of making ourselves, and while we can’t control the clock, we’re usually responsible for what happens within its cycles. I’m not trying to victim-blame anybody for their wrinkles lol. I guess what I see is how cool that this act of self-creation is ongoing. You can wake up any old day and decide to read Tolstoy, or tattoo your throat, or learn to do the splits.
This freedom to do whatever we want is a little terrifying. But if I had to choose between being a hapless victim of outside forces and a hapless victim of my own making, I’d probably choose my own making. At least then I can have a weird haircut.
Q & A with Anjimile
I did a survey of 100 North Carolinians recently, and found that of those 100 people, every single one was addicted to 9 mg Velos, refreshing the News app, and freaking out. Sometimes, the antidote to that anxiety is by gazing directly into the abyss, and maybe making a crazy industrial track naming and shaming the ugly horrors within. But sometimes, you don’t need to surround yourself with ugliness: you need a balm.
Anjimile’s You’re Free to Go is one of those breezy records that reminds us about how wonderful humanity can be. It has a particular focus on the transformative power of queer and trans love — something that obviously doesn’t come without struggle, but when done right, can serve as an oasis in a hostile world. Anjimile has a residency at the Fuzzy Needle in Durham this month to celebrate the album’s release off 4AD. Here’s my interview with him, which has been lightly edited for clarity.
Nikolai Mather: Your latest album is called You're Free to Go. How did you come up with the title?
Anjimile: So a couple years ago, I went on the best first date of my life with my now partner. And we had this magical connection. I think the title came about as an expression of love for this partner because it's sometimes hard in relationships, you know, to feel freedom. This relationship with my current partner is me in my polyamorous era. My partner has more experience with non-monogamy than I do, and I feel like I've just learned a lot from her. But the title is kind of like a romantic notion: you're free to go, like live your life, do your thing. I hope you come back, but you're free to go.
NM: Were there any other relationships that inspired this record — personal, creative, et cetera?
A: My relationship with Brad, the producer, because we've become very, very good friends. That's my homeslice. It’s helped me remember like the value of friendship. Like, I want to extend all this to friendships as well, you know? We have to be diligent in those love connections, which I feel like the older I get is harder. You need to make time for them and spend time with them, and take responsibility for those relationships.
I think also my relationship with my dad. My mom is transphobic. My dad is not. They are together. And I haven't spoken to her in years and years, but I talk to him every couple weeks. It sounds kind of wild, but I really feel like my dad has come such a long way in like being supportive of me and my gender identity in tangible ways. And I feel really supported by him and I feel like it really helps to balance out like the grief around my relationship with my mother.
NM: That’s really beautiful. This residency you’re doing also brings in all kinds of musicians and friends from around town. Tell us about some of them.
A: Sure. Meltdown Rodeo came last week, and I guess I’ve known those homies for awhile. They’re Durham’s queer country rock band, so it just seemed like an easy pick. For Loose Green, I had to be put on by the homies. I was like, “what should I do for this second one?” And they were like, “have you checked out Loose Green?” I was unhip in that regard, but that MF was down to clown.
NM: This is the first time I’ve heard the phrase “down to clown” in any interview.
A: [laughs] I love it. Well, Quay is the last band that’s gonna be opening. That’s my buddy Yan Westerlund’s band. Yan is a local legend, not just for his drumming, but for his neuroses. He’s the least eligible bachelor in Durham. But he’s been playing in this experimental band called Quay. Yan is a jazz guy, which is the most annoying thing about him, and consequentially the best. Anytime that I hear that he's doing anything where he has the opportunity to like flex his crazy jazz chops, I get so excited. He’s gonna be so good.
Anjimile will be performing March 19th alongside Loose Green and March 26th alongside Quay. Click here for more information and tickets.
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Shop recs
〰️ Shop recs
Wilmington
Durham
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Upcoming events
〰️ Upcoming events
Durham
Thursdays in March: Anjimile Residency, the Fuzzy Needle, 8 pm… Presented by phishonphilm and Good Moon. More info here. Shows 3/19 and 3/26.
March 28th: Rosali and Verity Den, the Fuzzy Needle, 7 pm… We’re super pumped to have these guys at the shop. Get your tickets here.
April 6th: Ex Iguana with Expensive $hit and Poison Skull, the Fuzzy Needle, 7:30 pm… Marking the release of Ex Iguana’s new album Tunnelvision, out April 3rd. Gonna be sick. $12 at the door. More info here.
Wilmington
March 29th: Fuzzy Frame Cinema, the Fuzzy Needle, 7 pm… Our monthly movie series with Gutterbliss is back, this time with a selection of 16mm and 8mm films. It’s free admission, but please bear in mind the movies are PG-13. BYOB. More info here.
hereApril 16th: An Evening with Laurie Gwen Shapiro, the Fuzzy Needle, 6:30 pm… All about Shapiro’s new book The Aviator and the Showman. Join us for a night of conversation, music and connection. More info here.
April 23rd-26th: Greater Cape Fear Book Crawl, various locations… Mark your calendars for the second annual Greater Cape Fear Book Crawl. Follow them on Instagram for updates.
May 22nd: Hiding Places, the Fuzzy Needle, 7 pm… A big night for NC music. Buy your tickets here.
P.S.
Hey, y’all ever heard of Tri-County Vintage? It’s a thrift mall on Oleander in Wilmington. Fuzzy has a stall there with records, books and other cool things. You should check it out sometime.
Tim wanted to shout out the new releases from Widowspeak and John Andrews. Widowspeak’s “If You Change” is a gorgeous and brutal little ditty. John’s “What’s Good?” is mellow, sweet, and wistful. Check them out.
And, as always, you can check out our stuff on Discogs and eBay. See you at the shop.
- Your friends at the Fuzzy Needle
