Hand Grenade Job

UPCOMING SHOWS:

Tues 9/26 in Brooklyn at Gold Sounds with Majority Rule and Pageninetynine (sold out)

Wed 9/27 in Boston at Great Scott with Majority Rule and Pageninetynine (sold out)

Fri 10/13 in DC at Black Cat (main stage) with Wes Swing, Gull, and Albert Bagman

Wed 10/25 in DC at Dupont Underground, curated by Goethe-Institut Washington

Upcoming shows:

September 26 in Brooklyn, NYC @ Goldsounds with Majority Rule and Pageninetynine to benefit New York Legal Assistance Group

Thank you to everyone who came to last night’s recital at Atlas Brew Works, to eternal friends Thou for playing, along with Cloud Rat, Moloch, and False; to Hasan for booking the show, and to Chris for running sound. 

I am particularly grateful to the musicians who joined me for the last two songs: Esha Kallianpur, Cecilia Staggers, and Alex Tyson, and also to the beautiful, powerful performers who danced and held space with me, aka the HGJ Militia. Choreographed and orchestrated by Paula Martinez (in collaboration with militia members), I thank: Fabi, Melan, Rafi, Tam-anh, Sid, Madison, and Abby. 

IF YOU LIVE IN DC:

• Pick up a copy of the Washington City Paper this week - my tour diary is the cover story! I’m from here, and it’s an honor to have a feature in WCP. The unabridged version of the diaries is literally about 10x longer than the version that appears in print. You can read the pure, uncut version online - the full final chapters are still being posted throughout this week.

• I hope you are keeping an eye on the budget debates that have been going on this week. Mayor Bowser’s proposed budget reflected the national trend of making the rich richer by looting the poor. I know there’s so much important news happening nationwide and everywhere, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and oversaturated. But please don’t lose sight of local politics, on which you can have a direct impact.

• Don’t forget about the 200+ people facing felonies and decades in prison for being at a protest on Inauguration Day. What happens (and what has already happened) with these cases lays the groundwork for how protest will be punished moving forward. You need to follow this.

• Be aware that this week, someone(s) left nooses inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and outside of the Hirshhorn.

• Remember Richard Collins III, who should be alive and celebrating his graduation. He was murdered by a white nationalist on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park. 

Running over at the Washington City Paper’s Arts blog, in serialized form, more to come:

Part I: Freedom, Loneliness, and Ways To Die

Part II: Welcome to Florida!

Part III: We Must Stop For Fireworks

Part IV: Home Is Where You Make It

Part V: On The Road Again

Part VI: Adventures in Asheville and Alabama

Part VII: A Spiritual Warrior In St. Patrick's Day Hell

Part VIII: Fuck SXSW

Part IX: Performing In a Monument to Douchebaggery

Part X: No Country for Old Men

Part XI:  Fear and Loathing in Savannah

Part XII: The Home Stretch

Part XIII: Here I Go Again On My Own

Part XIV: Sleeping With Cats

Part XV: Prayers for Pesach

Part XVI: Fuck The Police

Reviewed by The Le Sigh:

Devotionals doesn’t seem to exist on the same cycle of time as most contemporary punk or even experimental music; each note feels suspended in time, lingering even as the song moves on. It is a sparse record, utilizing vocals more than any other instrument... Most of the tracks clock in over four minutes, giving the listener enough time to really immerse themselves in the atmosphere of each song; it's an atmosphere that is not always pleasant or comfortable, but always is lent a beauty that does feel almost divine.

“Rohyphnol,” the second to last track on the album, embodies the sedative effect of the drug that it’s named for, yet has a sinister undercurrent to it that’s impossible to ignore. “I like the mornings best,” the song begins, “their cold substancelessness,” over a rising strum of ragged guitar, monotonous guitar. “Rohyphnol” is far from substance-less, but it evokes the listlessness of depression, the desire for oblivion, total neutrality, in a way that few songs do. 

Devotionals is a resonant album, and it’s the kind of experimental music we need today.

HGJ NEWS

Personnel Change

Sadly, Erin had to leave HGJ due to other obligations in her life taking precedence. Since early March, Beck has been carrying HGJ forward solo, and with various other accompanists and collaborators.

Upcoming Performances

Fri 4/7 - Baltimore, MD @ Joe Squared ^º Sat 4/8 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Storefront ^º Sun 4/9 - Brooklyn, NY @ Trans Pecos ^º Mon 4/10 - Providence, RI @ AS220 ^º Tues 4/11 - Winooski, VT @ The Monkey House ^º Wed 4/12 - Montreal, QC - Brasserie Beaubien ^º Sat 4/15 - Boston, MA @ Track Shack º

Mon 5/22 - Baltimore, MD @ TBA *

Mon 6/26 - Washington, DC @ Atlas Brewery*

^ with Gauche º solo * with special accompanists

Merchandise

• HGJ - “Devotionals” - full album available for download here: http://handgrenadejob.bandcamp.com - tape available at shows or order here: http://sisterpolygonrecords.bigcartel.com/product/hand-grenade-job-devotionals-spr-023 - ltd number of letterpresses songbooks with download code available at shows • HGJ - s/t demo - tape available at shows • HGJ - Clergy t-shirts - double-sided black on gray, designed by Grow Wild Studios and printed by DC Shirt and print - available at shows • HGJ - Driven By Suffering handkerchiefs - lavender on purple, designed by Grow Wild Studios and printed by Bid Chaos Welcome - available at shows