This tour has become a beast of its own.
57 different locations in 13 states, and the District of Columbia.
Originally pitched as a solo tour (which I wasn’t comfortable doing), I asked poets Dan Altimus, Bracha Weiss, Linke De Vries, Jouquin Perez, Amanthi, and Sofia Ayala, visual artists Valentine Becerra and Vincent Bequet, as well as musical guest The Soulfly Tangerines, Black Cat Tuesdays, and The Liskonum Symposium if they would be interested in joining up. The theme: any interpretation they have on the phrase “mesenchymal reprisal”. They all agreed on the idea and are running with it.
Why did I not want to do a solo tour? Because I am not “that guy”. Also, generally speaking, the audience will start to lose interest in 7-10 minutes at any reading. What is the point of doing a 10-minute show at 57 locations? This tour isn’t a recital, it is a show.
In conjunction with Ghosts For Valhalla Press, I will be promoting my latest collection “Base Jumping at Taughannock Falls”.
The first leg of the tour travels thru the five boroughs of New York. There had been some original talk about beginning the tour in Upstate New York but there is no way a reading in Trumansburg, home of Taughannock State Park would be a good idea in early February. Lake effect snow and all that jazz. Manhattan, NY was selected as the first stop. The current poet lineup of myself, Dan Altimus, Bracha Weiss, and Linke De Vries, visual artist Valentina Becerra, and musical group The Soulfly Tangerines will perform during the “furloughs of the five boroughs”.
I have been asked if this is a Rusted Straitjacket Unicycle Troop production. No, it is not. While The Soulfly Tangerines and I are members of this troop, the rest of the lineup in NY are independent writers and artists. The majority of this tour is sponsored by Ghosts For Valhalla Press.
All of the presale copies of “Base Jumping at Taughannock Falls” have sold out for the NY and NJ shows. At this time, I do not have any personal copies to sell privately.
A few of the hosts on the NY tour as well as in other states have asked to sell tour t-shirts. My initial reaction was that I would be repulsed in doing so. I don’t want to be “that guy”. After some lengthy discussions with the press, the hosts as well as the performers, a t-shirt design will be voted on and created. This was a group decision. While my name is headlining this tour, the tour decisions are made as a group. No, the names of the performers involved will not be listed on the t-shirt. That was my caveat. No, I will not be selling any of these t-shirts on my website.
I have also agreed to undergo some interviews, namely from online blogs. Ghost For Valhalla Press has asked to do a video interview with me at some point during this tour and I have agreed. I have politely declined any additional interviews. My reasoning is that four interviews is enough for a 57-show tour.
I have been asked if Eventbrite will be utilized for the events at the various state parks that will be held during this tour. No, it will not and no, there will not be an admission charge to these events. More on that later.
I have been asked if any older copies of my literary works will be available for sale while on this tour. The majority of this tour is sponsored by Ghosts For Valhalla Press. You don’t sell Coke products at a Pepsi convention. So no, they will not.
Until next time ‘Merica.
Transgressions in Transubstantiation: The Mantras of Jameson Bayles 
You must be logged in to post a comment.