Music to write to has been an occasional series that, with any hope, will become a regular Saturday feature going forward.
With my first novel completed after 5+ years of work, I wanted to write a story that would simply be for fun and to play around with. The first on my pile of random ideas was a roughly sketched outline of a story revolving around an Alkaline Trio show at the Fireside Bowl in Chicago in the Spring of 2000, following the release of their second record, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire. I don’t know if in the past I’ve ever written fiction listening to the Trio (surely because I’ll always end up getting distracted and singing along) but in this case it was the logical route to go, even if it was the equivalent of breaking the rule of wearing the t-shirt of the band you’re going to see. Ah well.
I was introduced to the Trio my sophomore year of high school when I saw them at the Fireside in 1998. I didn’t know who they were when I went but as I wanted them my 15 year old self was blown away. This was what I was looking for even though I didn’t know it. I picked up their first EP, For Your Lungs Only, and listened to it over and over and over and over. Since then they’ve been my favorite band and played a major role in each period of my life, leading me to meet or bond with many of my closest friends, including one of which had his first wedding dance to a trio song. Most of my college experience can be reduced to a haze of chasing girls, drinking, and listening to Trio records.
Anyway, I’ve finished the first complete rough draft of the story, which follows ten different storylines that all come together at the show, and have had a lot of time doing it. Hopefully a finished version soon.
Here’s them at the Empty Bottle in Chicago performing 97, my favorite trio song and favorite song of all time:
And Radio at the Metro in Chicago from their Halloween DVD:
Words will keep us together 