95 North. . . The Newspaper

Hiss Golden Messenger is the musical moniker for singer/songwriter MC Taylor. In 2010, he released a stark, acoustic based album entitled Bad Debt . The album is full of late night brooding. . . a kitchen table lit by candles and a baby sleeping in the other room. The kinda dark hours where you're soul bursts, explores some dark territory, and scans all corners of the mind, trying to map meaning. The best of the batch of songs featured on Bad Debt is represented by "Jesus Shot me in the Head". A provocative title, for sure, meant to convey the radical act and nature of an instantaneous religious conversion experience. Here, the metaphor of salvation- or dying to your old self- comes in the form of Jesus' killing off one's old self, in order to be "born again". Often, born again conversion experiences are preceded by a life lived on the low, which is accurately described here- the rough friends, the Motel 6, the drugs, the drinking. . .it's all pa...

Some quick hits on some books I've read this summer. . . Cache Lake Country: Life in the North Woods by John J. Rowlands While I quite enjoy hiking, camping, and generally being in places of natural beauty as much as the next person, I am not and will not embark on the type of outdoor experience documented in Cache Lake Country . John Rowlands details his life in the deep north woods of Maine with only a sketch artist and an "Indian Chief" as his companions. Rowlands works for a timber company, thinks no man is meant to live alone, and has a deep appreciation for Native American culture despite the outdated language he uses throughout this 1957 book. He particularly admires "the Chief", who he says has taught him everything about living the great north. There's no high drama here, just a practical and enjoyable guide to living in the wild. Here, you'll find recipes for raspberry drinks, fishing tips, a guide on how to sleep outside in the middl...