ESP Publishes SMILE, HON No. 17

BALTIMORE, MD – From Casablanca to Central Booking, nothing ever really ends in the brand-new Smile,Hon, You’re in Baltimore! No. 17, published by Eight-Stone Press.

In this issue, EARL CROWN learns the price of beating the rap; BILL HUGHES chases the ’58 Colts into history; and MARGO CHRISTIE strips down to the Block of yore, plus a whole lot more. Contributors include:

• -          D.R. BELZ
• -          SUSAN BEVERLY
• -          A. AUBREY BODINE
• -          DAVIDA GYPSY BREIER
• -          MARGO CHRISTIE
• -          RUFUS CLETUS-CLACKTUS
• -          EARL CROWN
• -          E. DOYLE-GILLESPIE
• -          G
• -          S.J. FERRANDI
• -          MARTHA GATEWOOD
• -          ANTHONY C. HAYES
• -          IAN HOCHBERG
• -          BILL HUGHES
• -          MIKE KOENIG
• -          KAT MALONE
• -          MIKE MURPHY
• -          OTHERDRAWLINGS
• -          SARAH SMITH
• -          CECILIA M. STRAKNA
• -          WILLIAM P. TANDY
• -          TIM WARD
• -          LISA WISEMAN

Pick up Smile, Hon No. 17 or browse our back catalogue at the Eight-Stone Press table in the Literary Marketplace at the 11^th Annual CityLit Festival, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. this Saturday, April 12, 2014, at the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Central Branch in downtown Baltimore. Smile, Hon editor, publisher, and contributing writer William P. Tandy will be on hand to provide more questions than answers.

From the harbor to the hills, Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore! collects the tales of those on whom Mobtown has left her indelible mark: polished professional essays; barroom sermons delivered from the sanctity of a favorite stool; the poet’s fleeting sentiment captured in both word and snapshot. A slice of Baltimore as told by Baltimore, all presented with the time-honored, DIY accessibility of a limited-run, handcrafted zine.

Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore! is an Eight-Stone Press production and is available for purchase locally at Atomic Books. For more information, contact:

William P. Tandy, Editor

Eight-Stone Press

P.O. Box 11064

Baltimore, MD 21212

wpt@eightstonepress.com

www.eightstonepress.com

eightstonepress.blogspot.com

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THE LOST PATROL - "Driven" (2013; self-produced)

While each album from the canon of New York’s prolific LostPatrol has featured singular high points, the band’s 2013 outing Driven is perhaps the trio’s most atmospherically cohesive record to date. Indeed, permeated by a consistently chaotic undercurrent, almost every song here feels inspired, starting with the sleepy bounce of the opening track, “Spinning”.

The haunting, melodic pop of “All Tomorrow’s Promises” conjures visions of sunrise and western skies, the while reaffirming the Lost Patrol’s status as hit-makers of an alternate plane. Vocalist Mollie Israel skulks through “A Chance of Rain” like Enya’s wicked stepsister. And shades of Sam the Sham creep about the haunted-house swing of “Little Black Kitten”.

Amidst the snarling groove of “See You in Hell”, Israel channels a more worldly version of the psycho-bitch persona that first surfaced on “In Your Blood” (from the band’s 2010 effort, Dark Matter). “You wanna play / You might get beat / If you wanna win / You’d better learn to cheat,” she taunts.

Longtime Lost Patrol fans will take comfort in the signature twilit landscape summoned by the dark trinity of Israel’s vocals, Michael Williams’s infallible 12-string rhythm, and Stephen Massucci’s soaring, Sailor-and-Lula-meet-the-Shadows guitar work. However, each album has also reflected the band’s determination to reach beyond its comfort zone, and Driven is no exception – from the spacey, mock-Theremin on “A Chance of Rain” to the piano-lounge jazz of “Just Go” (the latter also providing a rare, unfiltered glimpse of Israel’s vocal chops). This combination of new and familiar terrain makes Driven a ride worth taking for old and new fans alike.

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