BLASST 110: COVID CALLS 3

TRACKLIST

1. Phoebe Bridgers - "Garden Song"

2. Talking Heads - "Making Flippy Floppy"

3. The Raincoats - "The Void"

LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

NOTES
Today’s episode brings to a different corner of the Rio Grande Valley, one that is often overlooked and yet the lifeblood of the any region: Education. Students and educators alike have been undergoing entire overhauls of the way they have to live their lives with the shift to exclusively-online instruction methods in the wake of the shelter-in-place orders put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students have found it difficult to transition to a form of learning without the classroom environment they are accustomed to, and instructors alike have found it challenging to recreate their classroom environments and teaching methods through one side of a computer (or sometimes smartphone) screen. 

As of this moment, the country has been forced to reopen by its state governments (after immense pressure from the federal government) and has abandoned any requirements for sheltering-in-place, as well as any requirements for the use of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in their communities. The message is clear: we the people are expected to continue to live our lives as if the pandemic has been beaten and no longer poses (quite possibly) the greatest threat to our health we have ever seen in our lifetimes. By doing so, and ‘going back to normal’, I believe the states’ expectations are that our economy (which has been dead in the water for some time now) will magically flourish. The problem here, however, is that over 30 million people are out of work, out of money, and have now been violently shoved off of their unemployment benefits, so there’s really no money to spend! 

Meanwhile, schools made the decision back in March to continue their online instruction throughout the remainder of the academic year (2019-2020) and have been preparing for continuing instruction in this manner, regardless of whatever new ‘liberties’ the state  has granted the general public. While this should be commended, it does not come without its challenges. Unfortunately, the transition to online instruction has left many students (especially those who live in poverty or out of the country) without access to resources they would have otherwise exclusively had through their schools. Needless to say, their entire worlds have been turned upside down, and it’s been the responsibility of their teachers and professors to alleviate this burden for them. Sadly, this noble task is also up against great obstacles for the time being. This is where we enter our episode today. We talk to three people: a student at UTRGV who also works in a leasing office, an English 3 teacher from PSJA ISD, and an English instructor from South Texas College. Each guest shares a unique perspective on this situation (and picks a great song to play on the show).

This will not be the only episode to focus on Education, as the conversations I had on the topic were far greater in number than with any other area. With luck, we will also hear from an administrator next week; a perspective the show has yet to showcase, and a valuable one when it comes to understanding the decisions made you too’ in moments like these.

Thanks for listening as always. Stay safe, stay home, and stay healthy.

See y’all next week.

AS

BLASST 109: COVID CALLS 2

TRACKLIST:
1. Al Green - "Tired of Being Alone"
2. George Clanton - "Warmpop"
3. Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers - "Old Love"

LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD
LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

NOTES:
Today's episode is a heavier one. Our guests are all healthcare workers from different areas of the field - all based in the Rio Grande Valley - and all with stories to tell. 

Our opening conversation is with a good friend of mine, Evy Rendon, who up until the arrival of the pandemic had been embarking on a new career as a speech pathologist. Evy tells us about becoming unemployed, and shares her experiences navigating the increasingly complicated unemployment benefits system. On top of speech pathology, Evy also DJs under the name Ojitos with the Rio Grande Valley's chapter of the world-class Chulita Vinyl Club. You can find the RGV chapter's recent pandemic-inspired "Dancing With Myself" mix online at the club's Soundcloud page along with other mixes from various CVC members.

Our second conversation is with John, a developmental health case manager with Tropical Texas Behavioral Health, a mental health clinic in Edinburg. He shares how his job has changed under the current stay-at-home orders - under normal circumstances he would be able to make home visits to clients to assess the progress of their rehabilitation through the services of the clinic - with social distancing measures in place, he's had to adapt to maintain the same level of support for his clients. This, as you will hear, is not without its own challenges.

The closing conversation of today's broadcast is with Briana, a Registered Nurse at the Edinburg Children's Hospital who has personally lost people to the virus, and who shares experiences from working on the frontlines. From the rise in potential COVID-19 patients to the lack of available personal protective equipment (PPE) for her and her coworkers to the lack of support from superiors, Briana's time at work has become more challenging than ever. She talks about a rise in child abuse cases coinciding with the arrival of the pandemic in the Rio Grande Valley, which is likely a result of current shelter-in-place orders keeping children at home with abusive family members - similar to the reported rise in domestic abuse cases in which people have had to stay home with their abusive partners. We also talk about best practices for minimizing spread of the coronavirus including but not limited to: using proper PPE, minimizing travel outside your home to essential activities, and doing our best to disinfect and isolate items and clothing that could potentially carry the virus after being out and about.

Since these conversations happened almost a month ago, I reached out to Briana for updates on what we talked about, and will share those follow-ups below:

AS: So when we talked, the time it took for testing results to arrive was about 3 days. Has that changed?

B: There have been improvements from the length it got to get results back. It actually was closer to 5-7 days in the beginning. Then it went to 3-4. Now we’re at about 1-2 days. We finally are able to test in hospital so the turnaround is much quicker. 

AS: You mentioned at the time that y’all had been reusing gowns and masks for extended periods of time, and that there was a limited supply of PPE in general. Are either of those still the case?

B: We reuse the masks still. We went from using the masks for a week, to a month, back to a week, [and] we now have them for one shift. Our gowns and eye shields are allowed to be thrown but the eye shields we have a low supply of so we’ve had to resort to placing [them] in paper bags and putting our names on it... same with our N95s, surgical masks, and cloth masks.

AS: You had also mentioned that cloth and homemade masks are at best minimal protection against the virus. Is this still your position on them? I know they’ve become very prevalent now and some folks believe they serve a better purpose for reducing the spread of droplets from infected people. Would you agree with that, or would you still recommend folks try to use something better than homemade masks?

B: Hm, this question is weird for me to answer. I don’t hate cloth masks, and I’m definitely not against them. I mean we all wear one at the hospital until we go into a patients room, or a heavily populated area of the hospital. It’s better to have something than nothing at all. I think my point was to compare the lengths and differences between what health care workers do to protect ourselves and what the community is told. It’s very different and I think because they’re vastly different it almost feels like we’re not telling the community the best information.

AS: Have your patient numbers gone up/down since we spoke?

B: They’ve been fluctuating. In adults and pediatrics. We go up and then go down. Today (4/27/20) I had a full and heavy load of patients while last week I breezed through the day.

AS: Lastly, any thoughts on what the upcoming reopening of the economy will mean for people on the frontlines? Rise in case numbers, etc?

B: We are actively preparing for an influx of patients. Passing COVID-19 is as easy as a parent going to buy groceries with a cloth mask and coming home and infecting their child. Which we’ve seen. It was also really surprising because they didn’t have the symptoms were constantly told to look out for. So, we’ll see what happens. You definitely won’t see me out and about though. I recently had a COVID 19 scare - just recently finished my 2week isolation - and the not knowing if I passed it on to anyone else was terrifying. I don’t want to go through that again.

Thanks to all of the brave healthcare workers doing their best to keep us healthy and safe! Thanks to you, dear listener, for taking the time to listen to these stories. Stay vigilant and stay home, even if your local government wants you to leave the house to buy things and risk getting you or those you love sick. It's. not. worth. it.

Once again, the intro and background music was made by yours truly, and the artwork for each episode was designed by me with the use of Swiss Typefaces fonts, licensed exclusively for this mini-series.

See y'all next week.

AS

BLASST 108: COVID CALLS #1

TRACKLIST:
1. Пожар - "Цвет"
2. Sick/Sea - "Slow Poke"
3. Dua Lipa - "Love Again"
4. Ozzy Osbourne - "Dreamer"

LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD
LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

NOTES:
Introducing BLASST's first mini-series, COVID CALLS, where we center the narratives of people from the Rio Grande Valley and highlight all of the different ways we as a region have persevered in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each caller also gets to select a track to play on the show, which is perhaps our favorite part of the whole thing. 

This is our first episode in the series, and doubles as episode 108.

In our first episode of COVID CALLS, we speak to five different individuals (two shared a call) about how their lives have changed over the last few weeks. The impact the Coronavirus pandemic has had on our society stretches beyond our economies,  burying itself deep within our minds. Things have changed, and will continue to change, and I think with this series, we at Universal Punk can perhaps offer a glimpse at our community, and how despite our separation, we are actually closer than ever. The callers we speak to in this episode, like many others throughout the series, express their anxieties and challenges, and reveal the way they view the world by what it no longer resembles to them today.

I hope you are able to find something in this episode within yourself, and that you feel encouraged to share it with others in your community. 

Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Swiss Typefaces for donating licenses to use their fonts in the promotional materials for this project. Their support for COVID-19 initiatives is commendable, and if you wish to learn more about their work, visit their website.

As always, thanks for tuning in. See y'all next week.

AS

BLASST 107 - So Long Bernie, and Thanks For All The Wishes

TRACKLIST
1. Arto Lindsay - "Livestream for ESS"
2. Amyl & The Sniffers - "Control"
3. The Panik - "Modern Politics"
4. OK BOOMER 
5. Gang Starr - "DWYCK feat. Nice, Smooth"
6. Yaeji - "IN THE MIRROR"
7. Yves Tumor - "Dream Palette"
8. Slift - "Ummon"
9. RMP - "4'33'"
10. Einsturzende Neubauten - "Ten Grand Goldie"
11. Fugazi - "Waiting Room" (Ohio Mix)
12. Protomartyr - "Processed by the Boys"
13. Opian - "Opalescent Sands"
14. Jasper Lotti - "Sword"
15. Los Cadetes De Linares - "Palomito"
16. Herbie Hancock - "Watermelon Man"

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS
LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD

NOTES
Well, I imagine a lot of people are pretty upset with Bernie Sanders now. He's gone ahead and played along with the game of politics the way he did in 2016 when he endorsed Hillary Clinton after being denied the Democratic nomination by the DNC - that time. You could argue that it's a long-game move, he's still a state senator after all, and if he wants to expect any kind of cooperation on the legislative floor, he has to play ball in some way. It doesn't make it any less disappointing to see though. The 'movement' he built over the last 5 years has lit a fire under people's butts to engage the political systems of the United States. Hot enough to get them into the streets? Perhaps not just yet, especially considering our need to stay home to curb community spread of COVID-19. Even the cops are involved now. We'll see how things unfold as the election draws near. People want mail-in ballots so they can vote from home - a sensible thing to want, if you ask me - and the Trump administration is refusing to bail out the post office. If the foul play isn't apparent to you by this point, I don't know what to say to you. Both candidates in the presidential election are alleged rapists. Thousands upon thousands are dying of a respiratory illness due to a complete neglect for the country's medical infrastructure. This is America 2020. 

On a lighter note, the world is moving forward whether we like it or not, and we may as well make the best of it while we can. Even if that means trying to enjoy an hour's time out of your otherwise chaotic trash fire of a day. Today's selection is eclectic and stimulating, not at all like this tea I made in a hurry to warm up my voice to record the episode. Tracks from the new albums by Opian, Yves Tumor, Yaeji, Protomartyr, and Einsturzende Neubauten. What a mix!

Keep an eye out on the Universal Punk instagram (@_punk) for our new Instagram Lives performance series! We're going to feature one performer from the RGV (and eventually beyond) once every Saturday evening at 7pm starting this weekend - with yours truly! Every artist will be able to raise funds for either themselves or a charity of their choosing during their performance! We're booked up until July now! Wild stuff!

I know I said "DJ" Guru, when I meant to say MC Guru. RIP Guru. To watch the beat battle between DJ Premier and RZA, look no further:

Lastly, our series of call-in episodes featuring community members sharing their stories about how COVID-19 has affected their lives in the RGV will begin airing next week! 

See you then.

AS

BLASST 106: Angel Corsi

TRACKLIST:
1. May Erlewine - "Living Well"
2. Zion I - "Coastin' feat. K-Flay"
3. Pigeon John - "Gotta Good Feelin'"
4. Angel Corsi - "How We Survive (live)"


LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD 
LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

NOTES:
Today's BLASST features our second guest of 2020: Angel Corsi! Angel is a singer-songwriter from Harlingen, TX with a strong community-oriented MO. He's owned venues, music shops, organized municipal live music events across the Valley, and most notably to me, he also regularly teaches classes on how to write music and be a better songwriter and performer - even from a business sense. His contributions to the RGV music scene have brought him to my attention over the past couple of years, and with the release of his latest EP, In The Quiet Hours, I wanted to bring him on the show to talk about all of it! I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite conversations I've ever had on the program, and I hope you enjoy it too.

One of the aspects of Angel's recent work with the In The Quiet Hours EP is that he's focusing on the processing of trauma. The narratives he puts forth in his music are living and embodying trauma for the purpose of overcoming it, and I think that's a great contrast to a trend in art and music right now where we as artists are defining ourselves by our trauma in such a way that we can never escape its effects on our identity. I think that's a really significant creative choice, and one that perhaps could lead other artists by example. 

You will probably notice that this interview, like my talk with Jacob of Pillowsnake a couple of weeks ago, also took place before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US, and so some of the things we talk about didn't end up happening, but as Raymus Media commented on that episode, it's nice to listen to a conversation that takes place in a world where the novel coronavirus is not at large.

Tune in next week for the first in a series of episodes I'll be doing to highlight different ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted members of the RGV community. I don't have a name for them yet, but all of that will be ready to go by next Tuesday!

To check out the 'mafia folk' music that Angel mentions, go here.

To listen to In The Quiet Hours, go here.

To visit the webpage where Angel has posted all of the lies his fans typed out at his release show, go here.

To watch the video from which the audio I play at the end comes from, look below.

To learn more about Angel's RGV Songwriter School that I mention briefly (and he alludes to later in the show), follow Angel and the school on Instagram!

Thanks again for tuning in, see y'all next week.

Stay home, stay safe, stay healthy.

AS

BLASST 105: Quarantunes

TRACKLIST
1. Arrington de Dionyso - "Improvisation on Bass Clarinet"
2. Charmel Lucas - "Voicemail to Democracy Now"
3. Nicolas Jaar - "Cenizas"
4. Manu Dibango - "The Panther"
5. Manu Dibango - "African Boogie"
6. Shabazz Palaces - "Chocolate Soufflé"
7. Takako Minekawa - "Fantastic Cat"
8. Lorelle Meets The Obsolete - "Lux, Lumina"
9. Dan Deacon - "Become A Mountain"
10. R. Stevie Moore - "I Like To Stay Home"
11. Fehler Kuti - "Mayday Mayday"
12. Chasms - "Until It Happens To You"
13. Dusty Rhodes - "Hard Times Promo"
14. Weyes Blood - "Andromeda"
15. Protomartyr - "Jumbo's"
16. Chino Amobi - "White Mætel"
17. Delroy Edwards - "I Love Sloane"
18. Ann Annie - "Claire de Lune (modular synth ver.)"
19. John Prine - "Please Don't Bury Me"




LISTEN TO THE SHOW ON MIXCLOUD
LISTEN TO THE SHOW ON APPLE PODCASTS

NOTES
We're living in the future, we're living in the present, we're living in a world that is moving faster than we can comprehend. I've been spending a lot of my time in isolation cooking, doing yoga, helping my body recalibrate to its normal impulses - away from everything inspired by social media and things I see on the internet. Being in this position for a few weeks has led me to begin thinking about what the future will look like after the COVID-19 pandemic period passes. Will Donald Trump still be president? How many people will die? How many people will survive? How many people will use this moment to change themselves into something better? How many people have the PRIVILEGE to do so?

These questions swim about my mind like an alphabet soup today. Much like soup, today's mix consists of a diverse set of sounds. We pay tribute to the great afro funk master, Manu Dibango, as he's now left this mortal plane, surely to be missed by many. We here at BLAST send our best wishes and condolences to Manu's loved ones in this time. I featured more interludes and samples on this show, because I like the break up in the momentum of the show. I'm trying to treat these are more audio-narratives than playlists. You should be able to press play on this and not need to skip a single track ( to me anyway ). I'm not actively trying to beat the algorithm or streaming services but I can guarantee you that this is not something that the algorithm can do for you. Sure, the algorithm can tell you your story, but it only tells you what you've been. BLASST can tell you what you can become, what will be, and what may still be to come. I think of it as a cautionary tale, a guide, a momentary lapse in the noise of today. Also, where else are you going to hear Dusty Rhodes lead you into Weyes Blood? Come on, now.

Anyway, I want to extend my best wishes to John Prine and his wife Liona, both of who have been diagosed with COVID-19, and both of whom also seem to be in recovery. Wishing y'all the best and hoping you pull through on this one John. I don't want to have to make an entire episode about you so soon into the year, ok?

Thanks for listening y'all. I had no idea there was a new Dan Deacon album until I remembered "Wham City" and decided to feature something he's worked on recently instead of playing THAT thing again. Though I must admit the temptation was intense. If you haven't heard that little ditty, here it is below.

COVID-19 Resources:

Center for Disease Control
World Health Organization

See y'all next week.

AS

BLASST 104: Pillowsnake

TRACKLIST:
1. Pillowsnake - "LOVE GAVE ME THE LUXURY OF TIME"
2. Serge Gainsbourg - "Theme from Cannabis" (Cannabis the film)
3. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - "Crime Pays"
4. Solange - "Almeda"
5. Pillowsnake - "GABRIELA IS THE NEW SKIN" 

Content Warning: this conversation covers sexual assault at points, and contains strong language.

LISTEN TO THE SHOW ON MIXCLOUD
LISTEN TO THE SHOW ON APPLE PODCASTS

NOTES:
Welcome back to Blistering Listens and Strange Sounds, thank you for tuning in - again! Today's broadcast features our first guest of 2020, Jacob LaFollette, also known as the RGV's own avant-pop wizard, Pillowsnake! 

As you will hear in the episode, I first came to know of Jacob's work the same way most people hear about things these days: social media. Soon after becoming Facebook friends a few years ago, Jacob began regularly sharing links with me to listen to his music, welcoming me into the sonic space his mind occupies. Unlike anything I had ever heard from an artist in my neck of the woods, Pillowsnake's music lives in a multi-verse of inspiration: hip-hop, vaporwave, industrial experimentalism, and everything sexy about rock n' roll. 

The first time I saw him play was in Brownsville at the Carlotta Petrina Cultural Arts Center in 2019 for The Objects album release party, and he absolutely ripped. Switching between crystal clear rapping, singing, and shredding out guitar solos at a moment's notice, he was a one man band that was clearly larger than life. 

Since then, I've booked him for my own shows, recommended him for others, and as of a few months ago, been jamming his latest release, hmminBYRD, a five-track burst of glittery, glitchy, madness. We talked about that, his production style (he makes all of his music on his smartphone) and influences, and about his hometown(s) of San Benito/Harlingen, and life growing up in the Rio Grande Valley. 

You can check out hmminBYRD here.

Check out Jacob's new single below:

If you can guess the background music in today's episode, you can select all of the music I play in a future episode. Drop me an e-mail (uupunk [at] gmail [dot] com) if you do.

HINT: it is from a video game.

Thanks again for tuning in, hope everyone's been staying safe and staying home (if you have the privilege to do so). I'm working on some ideas for streaming shows via social media (IGTV, Twitch) etc. Inspired by Angel Corsi's recent Quaranstream, Tubby's (a friend's bar in Kingston) streaming sets all this week from their Instagram, and Don Giovanni's streaming music festival (also via IG Live). 

More on that in coming episodes. See y'all next week.

AS