Karma Repair Kit . Thoughts, Photos and Video . April 2009
Early in February I reread a Richard Brautigan poem titled Karma Repair Kit. At the time I was in the infancy stages of planning a group show focused on music, the act of eating, and poetry. Here is Brautigan’s poem:
Karma Repair Kit:
Items 1-4
by Richard Brautigan
1. Get enough food to eat,
and eat it.
2. Find a place to sleep where it is quiet,
and sleep there.
3. Reduce intellectual and emotional noise
until you arrive at the silence of yourself,
and listen to it.
4.
The simple poetic list struck a deep chord within myself and resonated into the title of the show. Karma Repair Kit it had to be. I set a date 2 months in the future and began the process of finding artists. By the time April 25th came around, most musicians who had expressed interest had become too busy or flaked. I became disenchanted and laid down the ideas to waste. In planning events, shows and parties, you come to realize over the years that you can excite people about the idea of being part of a collective experience, but when it comes down to setting up, showing up, and cleaning up, the group grows thin. I knew I couldn’t do this alone. It’s not worth it.
Eben Stewart showed up at my house last week and said “Are we doing this still?” with enthusiasm. Eben and my band Lantern just played a couple shows in Big Sur and Monterey a early in April. I said “Yea if you help”. We shook hands and Karma was back in action. We quickly hatched a new plan, strung lights and a chandeleir, borrowed my father’s BBQ, and we were set.
People started showing up around 6PM on Saturday and Lantern went on a 8:30 to our best show yet. I was slipping around in wet grass and I almost fell off the stage down a hill while losing myself in a heavy part of one of our songs. Comedian Tommy Ritter then hit the stage for a venomous set that offended everyone, which is an amazing feat. Although offended they laughed like hell especially when this crazy Hungarian man Andras decided to loudly argue all of Tommy’s jokes. Eben finished off the night to a huge crowd and babes dreaming about the dusty roads of the musician’s mind.
Karma Repair Kit was a huge success and although it was stressful I can’t wait to have another one sometime this summer. Next time maybe charge for beers.
Thanks to the following people: Trademark and Thomas Mahoney, Eben Stewart, Kyle Burns, Michael Hamm, Joe Imes, Fernie, Tommy Ritter, my neighbor Paul for the stage, Andrew Paszterko for the pasta and BBQ, Caseman, and Jess for the extension chord. Also thanks everyone for showing up, you are all great friends I love you dearly.
All Photos and Documentation by Kyle Burns
