Bones Gazette: Back from my Unannounced Hiatus
Hello and welcome back to the Bones Gazette! It’s been a while—seven months to be exact (which pains me to admit, but hey—shit happens). What can I say? Life got a little crazy for me and this blog took a long retreat to the Back Burner of my mind. I apologize for the time away, but I am so glad to be back!
MJ Bones has had an incredible year, one I had intended to document as it was happening. I kicked off the year with a lovely east coast weekender with my friends BlueRaspberry. Together, we took on Providence, Rhode Island, at the Red Ink Library. Of course, any place that has a communist library/event space is cool in my book. The secret coffee bar in an off-the-beaten-path vintage bike repair shop was just the icing on the cake. Not to mention the homebrew wrestling scene that thrives in the backyard of the people we stayed with. It’s safe to say that Providence bewitched me, body and soul.
From Providence, we made a mad dash to Portland, Maine, where we killed it at Find clothing store. The owner was kind enough to gift me a vintage dress just for playing, and the space was packed with a capital “P”. With Portland favorites Myles Bullen and The Bumbling Woohas as the local support, I didn’t expect anything less. As a teenager, I had always dreamed of moving to Maine. I had never been to the east coast, and admittedly knew very little about Maine in particular—but it made for the perfect thing to project my domestic fantasies onto. I wrote countless poems about the salty sea air, the weathered fisherman at the docks, the grey mornings spent sipping black coffee on my porch, a knit shawl wrapped loosely around my shoulders. For a kid who knew nothing of the place I longed to reside in, I wasn’t that far off. Portland was just as charming as I had hoped it would be, and I have been itching to go back ever since.
The third day was spent at the Wrong Brain headquarters in Dover, New Hampshire. Atmospheric, vibrant, bursting with color—the place was electric, eclectic, and alive. Though the turn out made for a rather intimate show, I had a blast just inhabiting the space for a few hours. In addition to throwing DIY shows, Wrong Brain hosted resident artists, clothing swaps, and was big into community outreach. It was so inspiring to witness a slice of that radiant human spirit. Unfortunately, the headquarters is closing down until further notice—read about it on their instagram to see how you can support them during the transition.
Finally, we closed the tour in Rockland, Massachusetts at the Chess Company, former home to Justin Arena’s Together Press. Mass powerhouses A Day Without Love and Chris OG and the Dopameanies absolutely knocked our collective socks off. After the show, Justin gave me a tour of their schoolie conversion, which was coming along rather nicely. Together Press is now moving into a new headquarters, expanding into a community arts and education collective. As I stated with Wrong Brain—read about it on the ‘gram to learn more and show your support.
After the tour, things slowed down for me in some ways and picked up in others. I got hired as a barista and started volunteering more at a local bookstore. Playing local shows here and there, my focus shifted away from music a bit in the name of laying down roots in my new city. I spent much of the spring writing, planning, and taking it day by day.
Summer, however, was a little more happenin’ in the Bones World. I hosted a 27 Club themed show in honor of my 27th birthday, was defeated by the confusing (to me) realm of Amtrak—resulting in tragically missing my dear friend’s birthday fest in Maryland—and drove across the country to play Compost Heap in Denver, Colorado. The season wrapped up with an absolutely killer show at Cafe Nine with the likes of Eevie Echoes and the Locations, Tallbois, and Kmoy. I got to catch up with pals I hadn’t seen since the spring and make some new ones. The highlight of the evening was getting decked in the pit by The Northaven while skanking around with reckless abandon. I also dropped a few secret singles amidst the end of the summer: a demo of “Surely”, a cover of “Shady Lane” by Pavement, and my first new track in a few years, “Clementine”. It’s a wistful song about the daydreams and idyllic future plans that never get realized when you break up with someone. Check it out on spotify or bandcamp!
And that’s all for the recap of my year thus far! To keep it brief, I’m signing off—but keep your eyes peeled for what’s happening this fall.
