March 15, 2007
Zach Baron
The Village Voice
36 Cooper Square
New York, NY 10003
Dear Zach,
I was deeply impressed by the passion and style you brought to your evocative review of Jonathan Lethem's latest novel in The Village Voice, and enjoyed reading several other pieces that you have written over the years for the Voice, The Boston Phoenix, and Pitchfork Media. Now, I am delighted to call your attention to a phenomenally talented literary musician, Jamie Reckelhoff. You will be excited to learn that this Boston luminary is turning his gifts for writing, vocalization, and performance toward music. A profile of Jamie will be of equal interest to you and to your readers at Pitchfork Media or The Village Voice. Jamie was most recently been profiled in InNewsWeekly and The Boston Herald, and is an engaging and comfortable interviewee. As in his writing, no topic is off-limits.
The line between poet and singer has never been insurmountable (Jewel notwithstanding): performative poet and SlamNation star Saul Williams is currently recording an album with Nine Inch Nail's Trent Reznor. Patti Smith, Nick Cave, and Leonard Cohen wrote albums in order to draw attention to their novels and poetry. Although review copies of his books and recordings of his songs are available, Jamie's unique twist on language and rhythm is best experienced live. Equal parts glam-rock and punk-rock, his performances are visceral and dynamic, certain to tear even the bravest audience member out of his or her comfort zone. He is currently practicing and performing with his band, Radio Sweetheart, boasting an impressive roster of Boston musicians: Tony Baldor on keyboard, drummer Joe Pelosi, bassist Brian MacDonald, and Galway-born guitarist Ronan Fahy. They are in contention to be the opening act for Cyndi Lauper's True Colors tour in Boston this June, and at Provincetown Gay Pride later this summer.
Jamie was voted Best Local Author in the 2006 Boston Phoenix poll. He is a multiple Cambridge Poetry Award winner in the categories Best Erotic Male Performance Poet and Best Slam Poet—Male. He competed with two National Poetry Slam teams, and represented the Cantab Lounge in the first-ever Individual World Poetry Slam. He is currently collaborating with bassist Blake Newman and playwright Andrea Bredbeck, composing a set of humorous songs for her autobiographical one-woman show on rape and racial violence. Jamie is also hard at work on the manuscript for a novel-in-verse based on the life and legend of Dionysus, the Greek god of drunkenness, music, and theater. He has been published in Quarry, Subliminal, Pinned Down by Pronouns (Lambda Literary Award Finalist for best LGBT nonfiction anthology in 2003), The Shadow Sacrament, The Cascadia Review, and Painted Bride Quarterly.
For Jamie, the movement from writing poems to writing songs is not about finding a wider audience for his words or new consumers of poetry. It is a manifestation of a lifelong refusal to be defined. Songwriting is also a very natural progression in his work: his last project was a book of poetry celebrating rock-and-blues culture. He will be performing with his band in August at Cambridge's Club Passim (formerly Club 47), a legendary venue noted as a springboard for several music careers, including Bob Dylan's. Members of Boston bands past and present, including The Good North, The Bon Savants, The Chainletter (2006 Boston Music Award nominees), and Codetta are fans of his music; musicians Monique Ortiz (Bourbon Princess), Jerome Dupree (Morphine, Either/Orchestra), and Ryan Lee Crosby regularly perform with Jamie; and poets Regie Gibson, Patricia Smith, and Anya Achtenberg have praised his words in print.
I will contact you shortly to follow up, and to assist you in obtaining any materials or information you require, including a full-length vita and an interview with Jamie.
Thank You,
Christine Bower