ghOst of dEEp Edward profile picture

ghOst of dEEp Edward

About Me

If you really must know........................................................ .......Edward crossed into town along the train track in early spring. Despite what the calendar said, it was dangerously close to summer, when the flowers were pushing up, desperate for a gasp of warm air, but the light was changing patiently, little by little each afternoon. He had left his last inspiration behind, for she no longer got a certain gleam in her eye when he came to call.Within moments of his arrival, Edward, trusting his impeccable sense of adventure, crossed Lucidas path. Her songs had just begun to reemerge from winter, and on that day she was looking for a particular word to complete a thought. Having exhausted all possibilities near her home, she was searching in vain in the wood by the river. Edward, being an unappreciated and out of work muse, read her mind and readily produced for her the word she had lost. He approached her slowly and presented the word, laying it softly on the grass in front of her, as if it had grown there. She smiled.At first, Edward and Lucida formed an uneasy partnership, but once they were sure about each others intentions, their connection, like an irrational chemistry, began generating unexpected and unscientific reactions, sometimes producing heat, and sometimes cold too bitter to mention. One early morning, without many words being spoken, the pair packed up their songs and guitar, and set adrift in a paddleboat into the river, not knowing where they were going, or what they would encounter. What follows is Lucidas account of that journeyAfter some time under the rising sun, we saw a woman on the left bank attempting to board an upright piano onto a log raft. She appeared to be a fair and delicate woman, but with a determination that was undaunted by the task. Upon seeing this, Edward and I maneuvered over and lent her our assistance. She asked us where we were going, and we replied that we had not really considered our destination. She said, Excellent, I happen to be going the same way. So we tied a line from her raft to our boat as she tied her long red hair back in a knot, satisfied at the completion of the chore. The sun had made considerable progress in the sky, and we took shelter in the shadow of the black shiny upright.We had just about dozed off when the sound of strings came wafting over the water- I remembered the sirens that had lured Odysseus, and coyly peeked over the edge of the piano. On the bank I saw three soaked figures on a cluster of rocks- my eyes alighted upon the siren-like figure in the middlea wispy and graceful maiden tempting a cello. On her right was a dashing bright eyed chap with a viola and a de bon aire air. On her left stood a tall and unflinchingly Teutonic man with a violin and flaxen hair blowing in the breeze. We steered our convoy over to greet the trio, who were so intent on their playing that they did not notice us. When they had finished the piece in progress, and their garments had just about dried in the sun, they related the events of their morning. They were having their daily rehearsal on the river when a gust blew their proposed repertoire into the water. As they scrambled to retrieve it, their rowboat capsized, and their oars disappeared downstream in the process. Alas they could not salvage the notes, but managed to save their instruments and swim ashore. They did not, however, allow the mishap to interrupt their scheduled practice, and were soon delighted to discover they did not need notes to play and began inventing the music that drifted by their thoughts. Since they had finished their rehearsal and had no pressing business, the trio thought it more prudent to accept transport in our bustling cluster than to replace the oars with the violin and viola. We hitched the their rowboat to the piano laden log raft, and gave in to the current once again.The afternoon was glittering on the water, and we decided to steer down the shady side of the river. There were more obstacles to avoid there, but the reprieve from the sun was welcome. When we heard a song coming from over our heads, we expected to catch a glimpse of some rare bird in the trees above, but upon looking up we saw instead a large bellows breathing in and out by the hands of a dark but disarming gypsy man with a half moon smile, sitting in a tire swing. We were just as curious about him as he was about our floating spectacle. After some pleasantries and translations he decided our modest caravan would make a much better place to practice than his precarious perch, and before long, he was lashing his tire to the rowboat, with accordion and another guitar in tow.As I had mentioned, we were not sure when we would arrive, because we did not really know where we were going. But we did discern the waterway widening ahead. The skies were lowering, and unfortunately we had no useful seafaring knowledge among the characters we had collected. No one said anything when the small peaks began swelling into waves, and when we caught a glimpse, far ahead, of a whirling eddy that despite its menacing nature, was quite breathtaking to behold. After we had realized the danger of such beauty, we began paddling against the grain, in vain, yet still maintaining our composure and cheerful demeanors all the while. Again I remembered Odysseus, and his narrow escape from the maelstrom arms of Charybdis.When I thought perhaps I would have to speak a discouraging word, and just when it seemed the violin and viola might find their dual purpose, we heard an engine, low and deep through our mad paddling. When I had cleared the water from my eyes (slightly brackish, though not from tears), it was clear that another vessel was approaching to intercept our descent into the deep eddy.The steady pulse from the sternwheel churning suggested the power of the riverboat, and the low rhythmic rumbling settled the dread in our bellies. As they drew closer, we saw two men, one certain and light, steering with surefooted command at the helm, the other elegant and dark, throwing a look and a line down to reel us in. We tethered the tow line from rear of the steamboat to our paddleboat while behind us still trailed the piano raft then the rowboat trio then the accordionists tire.So went our buoyant processional. And as we approached the open sea, anchored in motion by a beat and bass line, we heard the warm breath of the calliope exhaling a song, dispelling the fear into the steam. We started to play along, and Edward and I thought about where we might go, and how nice it was to not really know.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 28/06/2005
Band Members: Karla Manzur -vocals, guitar, accordion, songwriting; Valerie Klatt- cello; Hollie Thomas- keys; Thomas van der Brook- violin, saxophone; Jessie England- viola, keys, vocals; Gus Manzur- accordion, guitar; Alex Sarabia- bass; Chuck Fischer- drums
Influences: The Police; The Smiths, The Cure, Latin folk, Shearwater, Laura Veirs, Sufjan Stevens, Feist, Andrew Bird, Jorge Drexler, Kings of Convenience, Arcade Fire, David Byrne, Rufus Wainwright, Elliott Smith, Bjork, Tom Waits, Sam Phillips, Beck, The Decemberists, Baudelaire, Patty Griffin, Lyle Lovett, The Sundays, Radiohead, my family, Iron and Wine, Wine.
Sounds Like: "It's like The Addams family meets the Partridge Family" - JC from Ruta Maya“Ever walked off the concrete path and taken your shoes off to feel the grass between the toes? Aw, refreshing. That's the sound of Karla Manzur's voice…” - Mo Pair of Grass
Record Label: whatever.

My Blog

mouth of the river

mouth of the river the bold letter in golden threadno shame, no shadows i show my headwherever they are so they may seewhat lies in spaces they will never reach,and what a woman does when she i...
Posted by on Sun, 11 Feb 2007 01:05:00 GMT

Check out this event: All Hallows Eve :: Hill Country String Quartet

Hosted By: thomas van der brookWhen: Tuesday Oct 31, 2006 at 7:00 PMWhere: American Legion 2201 Veterans DriveLake Austin Blvd / MoPacAustin, TX 78701USDescription:thomas van der brook Click Here To V...
Posted by on Mon, 09 Oct 2006 16:35:00 GMT

penumbra

early breakingthe day is in paintrying to startdespite the dark the first thought is rent into tworagged from the night what does one doin these hoursmeant for nothing at all i...
Posted by on Tue, 23 May 2006 05:41:00 GMT

to a cereal

oh i could give up the wholeof my kingdom for a bowlsweet dappled wheelsi pour the milkupon mock fruitfraught in circleswith all the colors offantastical worldsand then the perfect momentbetween crisp...
Posted by on Wed, 26 Apr 2006 21:33:00 GMT

tired of cool

overused underwornits just a wordand you're all bent out of shapeover itget over itwhat to wear?nothing on your sleeve of courseexcept an ironic iron-onemotion is so un-emowhen we cant take it anymore...
Posted by on Sat, 22 Apr 2006 16:59:00 GMT

true to your namesake

dear edward,it's hard to escape the swirling undertow, but i'll trust in the waves and that they will always reach the shore.  xo how you change your colors spin around the wh...
Posted by on Mon, 17 Apr 2006 23:44:00 GMT

Three Nimble and Quick Verses

1. Darkly I goThrough the rain laden airClean as a cutOr the part in your hair.Thin as a knifeThat youre hiding so wellUnder layers of laceAnd a hard candy shell.Ive laid out a trapBut you sift throug...
Posted by on Sat, 15 Apr 2006 23:29:00 GMT

standing by

edward_ you have ended transmission?  can't receive your frequencystatic / stasisdo you copy?  [do you care]particle or wavenon applicable N/Ano electric conductionthrough air and ethera mys...
Posted by on Mon, 03 Apr 2006 22:54:00 GMT

state of the you

dear edward,i have seen lots of movies this week--all taking place in european cities. i do miss the old country. we should go on holiday soon, no?xo-lustate of the you ...
Posted by on Fri, 03 Feb 2006 21:29:00 GMT

Limbo Lost

Dear Edward,I was saddened today by the news that the Catholic Church has officially done away with Limbo, the spiritual grey area between Heaven and Hell.  Of the afterlife choices, it was the m...
Posted by on Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:42:00 GMT