Summer shows, mile markers, and some thoughts on feminism
From Buick Audra:
“but I’ve been keeping score”
Hey pals!
It’s peach season here in Nashville. Lightning bugs, cherries, and Tennessee’s trademark microwave heat have been the backdrop to my summer so far. Plus, writing. More on that in a minute! Let’s get through the imminent happenings.
The first bit of news is that Friendship Commanders’ summer tour dates start this weekend in Louisville, KY! We’re hitting Mag Bar Music Fest tomorrow, the 18th, and then we head out for a run of shows with our buds in Crop on August 7th. Should be fun! All dates are at the bottom of this message; come out and see us if we’re traveling your way! Also, if you order vinyl from us (standalone copies of BEAR excluded) during the month of July, we’ll include a copy of our second album, BILL! It’s our way of honoring our late friend Steve Albini, who was born on July 22nd. We made the record with him!
Speaking of anniversaries, Wednesday marked one year since the release of KEEPING SCORE / MELT, the lead dual single from the current FC album, BEAR, a project I wrote about being outside of womanhood. I thought to myself, let me make a quick video about writing KEEPING SCORE to mark the occasion! Famous last words. There was nothing quick about it. I made one, and it exists quite awkwardly on the FC socials, but it felt like it took about three hundred years to do it, and even still, I’m not sure it nailed the point. And what is the point? That I wrote KEEPING SCORE after a lifetime of watching women coddle/favor/praise boys and cis men, at the expense of girls and other women. Ad nauseam. All around me. While wearing feminist t-shirts. It was difficult to capture all of that in a one-minute video (mine was two minutes).
Video and social media flails aside, I’m enormously proud of KEEPING SCORE. I’m super proud of MELT, too, but KEEPING SCORE hits bone for me. It has since the day I wrote it. I deeply appreciate all who have connected with it and the rest of the tracks on BEAR!
One of the reasons I’m having a hard time with anything that takes less than a minute to consume is that I’m deep in the trenches of something that is taking most of my time to express. As I mentioned in my previous letter, I began writing after the European tour. It started as work I was doing just for me, to chronicle the tour, but maybe also for some other reason I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Now that I’m up to my eyeballs in it, I see what it is. It’s me exploring: what is feminism? And does it still exist? I don’t mean the marches and slogans and swag left over from other times. No, I mean the actual belief system. And if it does, is there a version we can agree on, or even work with temporarily? Furthermore: where do I land in it? Stay tuned for my thrilling findings (maybe)!
I’ve also been writing some new music for both of my projects, which is always a relief. It’s not that I ever fear I’ve run out of music, but when the new songs do show themselves, I’m reminded that I’m more than however this moment feels. My interior and exterior worlds expand. New songs are lighthouses on any given stretch of sea.
Okay, that’s all of it for now! Wait, one more thing: should I start a Substack? And if so, would you subscribe? It would be about songwriting and music. I’m rolling the idea around in my head, and whether I can manage a posting schedule. Let me know what you think!
I greatly appreciate your presence here and hope to see you at some of the shows, if not elsewhere!
Sending love, solidarity, and a wish for good peaches near you!
Take no shit, and make good work,
Buick Audra
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS SUMMER TOUR DATES
07/18 - Louisville, KY @ Mag Bar Music Fest
08/07 - Lexington, KY @ Green Lantern
08/08 - Cincinnati, OH @ Northside Tavern
08/09 - Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl
08/10 - Ithaca, NY @ Angry Mom Records
08/12 - Braintree, MA @ Widowmaker Brewing
08/13 - Easthampton, MA @ The Heavy Culture Cooperative
08/14 - Swarthmore, PA @ Warehouse3
08/15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Squirrel Hill Sports Bar
09/20 - Austin, TX @ Ripple Fest Texas