Month: March 2026

Zeitgeist 3/28/26

No Kings 3.0 Edition

So… we went to the thing. And did the thing.

This one seemed calmer, but I think every bit of the determination is still there. It just didn’t feel as hair-on-fire as the ones last year, especially the first one, at least here in Greenfield. I’ve looked at a little bit of the news, and I do see that there are some huge protests in the big northern cities, and our little town managed about the same turn-out as the other two, which is to say large and strong. We’ve filled the common every time.

A picture of Karen and I at No Kings in Greenfield.
photo by Jovonna Van Pelt

That’s me and the BBE. I’m holding the sign I made and Karen is holding one that Jo made. Karen knitted our red hats.

–

I’ve seen in the news that other protests — Memphis and LA had clashes with the police happen. I don’t know enough details about any of that to say with any conviction what they mean, but even though us protesters are more focused and seemingly spending less of our energy yelling our frustration out at the world, it does seem like things are heating up between protesters and the establishment.

I want to point out the level of criminality of this regime – how they don’t seem to have any compunctions about killing and mass destruction – and suggest that they might bring that level of evil nonsense home to us. Further, I want us to be prepared for it, and to continue our commitment to nonviolence. The police and DHS would like things to get violent, because that will support their wish to start killing Americans on American streets with much greater regularity than they’re managing right now.

Just generally, I see that the world is heading for something cataclysmic. I think you’d have to be blind not to see how various forces are trying to force various issues around the world as well as here at home.

Buckle up.

–

It’s a few days later, and over the last couple of days, I’ve read that some on the left think these No Kings protests are not doing what we participants expect it to do. I will concede that just showing up in the streets in our millions and millions may not be enough to overthrow this fascist regime.

I never thought that was what peaceful protests would do. As far as I know, the purpose of protest is to signify solidarity and commitment. I think we’re doing that much, at least. Each one of these events gets larger and the energy gets more focused. The thing that brings down the fascists will come out of this movement, that’s what I think. These protests give the opportunity for people to unite, to know that they have power and that power is in sharing it with others. It says to those in power that there is some level of commitment to change.

What we need is leadership that arises to focus this energy and point it towards some achievable goal. What changes the system is concerted, targeted action. I’m hungry for that. I would love to support and participate in such action. In the meantime, though, I’ll go down to Greenfield Common and wave a sign from time to time. Gimme something better to do and I’ll do that.

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Khn and Klek

Angine de Poitrine went viral last month and are currently taking up lots of space in my brain, so let me broadcast my thoughts about it for a bit.

Cover art for their soon-to-be-released second album, Vol. 2

You can find pretty much all of the information available about this band via Mr. Google. I don’t feel much of an obligation to repeat what you can read elsewhere. I recommend looking into this band — they’re doing fabulously creative music and creating adventure and fun at the same time. You can find their music on bandcamp and in various videos posted on Youtube, including the ~30 minute live performance video that brought them to everyone’s attention a month ago. As of this writing, that video has 4.4 muh muh muh million views.

That’s Khn on the microtonal guitar and bass loops, and on the right is Klek the drummer. I don’t see much about the two guys as individuals yet, and that may be because of the sort-of anonymity their costumes allow for. For now, it’s probably sufficient to most new fans that they exist, that they’re on some wavelength frequency vibe thingie that they have deepened thoughtfully and organically and that it’s a wavelength frequency vibe thingie that is insular and unique.

Mostly what I see talked about in the various articles and reaction videos and what-have-yous is the costumes and the microtonal guitars. Which is fine, those are two techniques that are quite worthy of attention. The band’s visuals are deceptively bold and simple, but like so much about this band, clearly result from a great deal of thought. Note how Klek’s headgear brings his physicality up near to level with Khn’s, as an example.

But more centrally, here’s Music Theory Youtuber David Bennett discussing the strategies the band uses to keep their microtonal music from being atonal chaos, and instead actually pleasing to western ears:

Music like this comes from years of work and intense thought about what will work, and Khn and Klek have definitely found a winning formula. Propulsive, melodic, adventurous, quirky… these performances are decidedly winsome.

The musicianship level is quite high; incorporating odd time signatures into looping requires a deft touch. It’s also of note that Khn will get to four or even five consonant voicings, or carefully constructed dissonant voicings, as noted in the Bennett video. I also have a great appreciation for Klek’s drumming. Every rock band is only as good as their drummer, and as you might be able to tell, my opinion is that this is a truly great rock band.

There are layers to this project, and I won’t go into them more than I have, because one of the great joys of this experience for me is what I hope to leave for you — the joy of discovery.

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about my music reviews

This is a perblog, obvs., so it follows that my approach to music reviews would be quirky. I don’t pretend to encyclopedic knowledge I don’t have, but where I do have knowledge or lore to share, I’ll probably include it.

That said, I make a distinction between the object in my hand and the band it represents. I don’t know these bands, most of them I haven’t and never will see live, so my relationship is with the chunk of vinyl, the CD or the streaming digital file. That’s what I review.

Zeitgeist 3/16/26

I guess I could subtitle this one “Trans in 2026”

We’re about 5 days out from the Equinox. It’s raining pretty good out my window. A few days ago, the aspect of the world was whiteness everywhere, and right now the whiteness is almost gone, being replaced by a muddy grey/brown/green, like bad color blending.

My sweetie is planning to make soda bread today and guinness stew tomorrow. Soda bread is OK, but the sweetness and strong caraway flavor is not something that I look forward to the way she does. I do love me some guinness stew, though, and the soda bread will go with it just fine.

The world continues to be a rolling disaster, and it’s not particularly “slow-rolling,” though the pace could pick up significantly, if certain people aren’t stopped. On that note, there’s building speculation that Bibi Netanyahu is dead, although there’s no confirmation of that other than the worrying “proof of life” videos that are clearly AI fakes.

There are two genocides going on in the Israeli sphere, both funded by the US, both intended to clear the way for Israeli expansion. There’s a third major conflict in the area – the bombing and proposed invasion of Iran – also funded on the US credit card, and adding to the depletion of US weapons stores. China and Russia have aligned behind Iran, as the US has aligned with Israel. The major powers are in opposition and things are escalating quickly. It feels like both a cliché and an understatement to say that this situation is not sustainable. But TPTB are certainly hoping to maintain the awfulness.

Domestically, we are in the midst of midterm primary election season, with a deeply unpopular President who wants nothing more than to be an authoritarian monarch in the style of Vladimir Putin or even Kim Jong Un holding sway and openly plotting to steal the upcoming elections.

The espablishment opposition party is not resisting nearly hard enough. Even the wannabe dictator has remarked on it. He thought his takeover was going to be a lot harder than it has been. The street-level response has been fierce, if entirely nonviolent opposition. That opposition hasn’t got the power to make changes on its own, but it is slowing down the fascists significantly, making itself heard on the streets, if not in the oligarch-controlled mass media. The real victory so far is that people continue to resist and to hope for better.

The anti-ICE and No Kings protests are keeping me alive right now, in more ways than one. As the fascists continue to scapegoat not only immigrants but also trans folk like me, it’s very stressful to watch what’s happening in the world, and yet I can’t look away. I spend a considerable amount of mental energy thinking about ways to flee the country, but if I’m being honest, I have to acknowledge that moving from here would be very difficult.

I suppose I’m gambling that ICE won’t make it this far. Or that being trans won’t be made a crime in Massachusetts and that I’ll be protected here. But whatever happens, I can’t predict now, everything beyond the horizon seems shrouded.

Steve Hackett – Beyond the Shrouded Horizon

Surprisingly gorgeous, atmospheric rock album

Beyond the Shrouded Horizon was released in 2011 on Inside Out music. It’s Steve Hackett’s twenty-first album.

I love all of the ways this record is its own thing, and yet harkens back to Hackett’s history. It’s very “boomer,” sometimes astoundingly old-fashioned but somehow beautiful even in its most cornball moments.

“Waking to Life” has a harmonic minor motif that’s very nice. I love that he has Eastern European connections in this music.

There are other essays into varied musical styles – The bluesy rock of Prairie Angel and Catwalk, the dense harmonies of Looking for Fantasy – but the central feeling here is mystical, in the same way that blue-hour motif reflected in both the title and the cover photo is.

insert from my copy

One reason this CD appeals is that Karen, my wife, also likes it. She asks me what I’m playing when I put it on, which she doesn’t do for a lot of the music I’m listening to these days. I think she would like Renaissance, which I’m about to start a deep dive into, although she’s aware of Annie Haslam. I think Annie is folk-adjacent enough to appear on her radar.

I love folk too, but I have really felt pulled towards prog and high-energy rock music for the last little while. I think that may have to do with the state of the world. I think i’m hungry for warrior energy, and metal and prog seem to have that energy more than most music.

I do understand “warrrior” energy as “boy music” which I resist on a personal level. I wrestle with that idea a bit, since I prefer to signify on the female side generally, but I feel like this is a time when fighting is the most necessary thing for a world citizen to be ready for.

But a warrior has to be fighting for something, and beauty seems like one of the best things one can fight for. Beyond the shrouded horizon, there may be more beauty to come. I hope there is. But we have to get there.

In the meantime, find beauty where you can.

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