2. A great novel about Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah, is The Gilded Chamber, by Rebecca Kohn. See? Here’s an example of a strong woman character who made it into print. Even though she’s a historical figure. Maybe that doesn’t count.

3. As a child, I was inspired by women like Esther. I wanted to be a strong woman like her — and like Princess Leia. Leia was the first woman I’d ever seen who picked up a gun and held her own, in all arenas. She was tough. I wanted to grow up and be her.

4. I look at my own fictional characters and wonder if I’m fitting the bill, myself. Am I creating the sort of woman I want to be?

5. I think so. Kerri is an artist. She’s cool. She’s got it all, she knows it, she appreciates it. As any of you who were here earlier in the week saw, she’s got a past of her own that she had to overcome. Without bitterness. It’s one of the ways in which she’s similar to Trevor, who also has no bitterness toward his upbringing. If you can call it an upbringing.

6. Then there’s Chelle. Chelle grew up dirt poor and, without a college degree, found a way to wiggle into being a rock journalist. Sure, she writes for the city paper, not Rolling Stone or something, but she’s popular. Those of you who read her posts here on my blog know that she’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind.

7. I’ve got Val and Pam roaming around, too. Pam’s not ever going to be confused for being a strong woman, although in her way, she is. She can’t help it that Mitchell turns her into a simpering idiot. As for Val, she’s assertive when she’s comfortable. But as you may have noticed, she prefers to hang in the background.

8. However, none of those four women are math/science women, which is the sort of character Bunny and Thomma Lyn are looking for. That, of course, means a challenge for me.

9. You haven’t met Heather yet, but she might be someone I develop more, especially once I get Trevor’s Song into print. Yes, that’s a hint of things to come.

10. I’ve got an idea for a new character, named Aliyah, but nothing concrete yet. And even if I do flesh her out and write her story — which would have to center on her strength and her career — is there a point if I can’t get it published?

11. For Trevor and situations like this, I wonder what the strong approach is: self-publish and do it ALL myself (but also retain ALL control over my vision) or go for the traditional, royalty-paying publisher and the respect that is inherent with that pathway. I mean, anyone can self-publish in this day and age. But is giving up control a way of selling my vision out?

12. I have long dreamed of owning a publisher of my own. Yes, that’d get me in print, but it would also take care of situations like these. Lots of people in my comments last week — and as I visited others who participated in BTT — were all saying that they like strong women. They want more.

13. Without money, business acumen, time, and a million other things, this is only going to remain a dream. So the problem remains… How do we get strong women into print?

Anyone? Bueller?

2. Deadly Metal Hatchet. The fledglings around here. They suck, but they’re fun and sometimes, you need fun.

3. Walter Cicewski. He’s one of those guitar guru-types whose backing band is a revolving door. Many of his backing musicians go on to huge musical careers, thanks to what Walter taught them. He’s never had huge success, but it’s been huge enough for him.

4. Hammerhead. You’ll meet them when you get to read Trevor’s Song. You’ll never forget them. If you can find the few passing mentions of them on this blog, more power to you.

5. Tech Support. The ShapeShifter roadies got together during a band hiatus and decided to make some music.

6. Carrion. I haven’t done much with them yet, but stay tuned. They have a part in a current WIP.

7. Bitterness. Same thing.

8. Temple of the Book. If you’re too rushed to read the whole blog about them, here’s what Chelle has to say: They’re not all acoustic, they don’t wear ponytails and the only glasses were the ones they were drinking their beer out of. And they rock. Hard. Geoffrey, the guitarist, might be able to out head-bang some of you regulars, and that’s no joking on Chelle’s part.

9. The Gathering Rising. I created The Gathering Rising in response to literary agent Nathan Bransford‘s blog about the many books he’d been seeing queries for that involved those two words in their title. I asked Nathan what kind of music he liked to listen to, and created this band in his honor. I think his tates lean too literary for him to represent me well, so this wasn’t a kiss-up on my part. It was just something fun to do.

10. Nerdvana. I created them around the same time as The Gathering Rising.

11. Vanessa Kontempt. You guys haven’t met her yet and I’m not sure when you will. She’s a girl from Riverview, the only band on this list to be from there other than ShapeShifter (which is funny, given what a musical mecca Riverview becomes). Cross Britney with Courtney Love, throw in some Susan magic, and you’ve got Vanessa. The woman’s a disaster.

12. Jim Shields. A guy sort of like Ozzy. ShapeShifter was touring with him (and his latest backing band) when Mitchell’s hair turned green. (You mean you missed Green Hair Week? The shame!)

13. Jock La Feet. Another New Orleans band; Chelle’s review of them was her first appearance here on the blog.

2. That gimmick is the Deadly Metal Hatchet, their mascot.

3. Here’s links to other DMH posts. The first. An earlier Thirteen. Chelle and the Hatchet. The perils of being a baby band. And meeting a groupie.

4. Fozzy, the lead guitarist, is the only known survivor of a Hatchet attack. That’s why the Hatchet lives with him now.

5. Fozzy founded the band as a better way to cope with a bad motorcycle accident. The alternative was to crawl into a bottle. Which he tried.

6. Lido’s the singer.

7. He figured that being in a band would take him out of town and away from the woman he loved — and who loved him back.

8. Scott’s bass drum was a Hatchet victim. Thankfully, Scott wasn’t playing it at the time.

9. Unfortunately, though, the Hatchet did its work before a show. Scott’s tech was one busy man, but it wasn’t enough and the band had to take the stage without the drums. They returned in the second song. Thankfully.

10. By that time, the audience was booing. It was an ugly show.

11. It took them awhile to get booked again after that. And when they did, they had to play the frat of one of Lido’s friends.

12. Fozzy and the Hatchet had a long talk about desecrating the band’s equipment.

13. Notice how there’s nothing about Gecko yet? Like I said, I’m still working on these guys.

C’mon. Every good band out there writes love songs in one form or another. Some artists make their entire career about love songs.

And then there’s ShapeShifter. It’s probably a good thing they’re fictional, because, in honor of Valentine’s Day, here are thirteen reasons why they don’t do that lovey-dovey thing with their music.

1. Love songs make Trevor gag. While that’s usually fun to watch, it’s not so fun during a show. The guy needs to concentrate, not gag.

2. Love songs make Mitchell all swoony. Which makes Trevor gag. (see #1)

3. Love songs make Daniel get all sappy and start talking about the little things about Val that he loves so much. This doesn’t just make Trevor gag; it gives him the dry heaves. IF you’re lucky enough to catch him between meals.

4. Love songs are best when they are slow. There’s nothing slow about ShapeShifter’s music. Except for love from the critics. That is very slow, indeed.

5. During a show, all those lighters held aloft blind Eric.

6. Trevor gets jealous when he looks out into the audience and sees couples making out. Those girls should be his, dammit! And the guys? They should be basking in the glory that is ShapeShifter.

7. While love songs bring about the girls, they tend to bring about the girls who whine about the lack of pink ShapeShifter t-shirts.

8. ShapeShifter’s all about saying Fuck You to the world. When you bring love songs into the mix, that takes on a whole new meaning. Not a bad one, but it loses some of its rebellion.

9. Having love songs in your catalog means you can’t conveniently forget about Valentine’s Day.

10. Guys who sing or write love songs are perceived as being tender. The only person Mitchell wants to come across as tender to is Kerri. Nope, not even his mom gets to see that side of him.

11. Ever notice how you think someone can sing until they sing a love song? Well, Mitchell doesn’t want them to feel bad. (So much for hiding that tender side, eh?)

12. Trevor believes love is for the birds and if the band were to do a love song, he’d be a hypocrite. Trevor Wolff is not a hypocrite.

13. We love ShapeShifter as they are, all prickly and speedy and thrashy. We don’t want them to change; we want them to improve.

1. Mitchell: Look! She’s a shadow of herself!
Trevor: Who let you in here? Did that woman of yours wise up and throw your ass out?

2. Remember this whiny post? Ha. It’s got nothing on that blob parked on the couch.

3. We all know she writes book reviews over at Front Street Reviews.
Mitchell: That’s why over on her sidebar, it’s listed under “byline.” Which is a play on Chelle, in case you hadn’t noticed.
Trevor: Like I give a fuck? Let me get back to the story.

4. Beats the shit outta us where or how it happened, but these Bostick Communications people picked up Susan’s name. Not a bad idea, except their oh-so-researched targeted marketing has her deleting about five e-mails a day.
Mitchell: Stays silent.
Trevor: Gets mad that Mitchell won’t play the straight guy.

5. They’re all for Christian lit and non-fiction! Why the fuck would you send a Jewish novelist an offer to review your Christian lit or non-fiction?????

6. Mitchell: She reviewed LL Cool J. And that Brian Wilson book. And White Bicycles. Those weren’t fiction.
Trevor: They were about music.
Mitchell: LL Cool J’s book was not about music. It’s a workout book.
Trevor: You ought to know. You’re sleeping with it under your pillow, in the hopes you’ll wake up and look that good.
Mitchell: Actually, I loaned it to Daniel. I think he’s using it.
Trevor: He would.

7. Now, here’s a good one to show you how out of it Susan is. The Tour Manager called to tell her that this new doohickey showed up.
Mitchell: It’s a trainer, for her bike. You need that part to make the joke work.
Trevor: Yeah. Her trainer. It was waiting at the office for him. And Susan’s first thought? What’s she doing there?
Mitchell: I think it works better if you know that Susan’s got a personal trainer. Or if you hear her tell it. She’s got the space cadet thing down the past few days.

8. Eric: Oh, hi guys. Want to practice when Daniel gets back?
Mitchell: Where is he?
Eric: Off driving Susan’s car. He wanted to know why it’s won Best Car awards a bunch of times.
Mitchell: I can’t believe she’s letting him.
Eric: I was right there. She said, “Mmm-hmmm.” Didn’t even open her eyes or anything.
Trevor: Is that how #2 got permission to play on the computer for a few hours?
Mitchell: Hours?
Trevor: Hours.
Mitchell: Damn, she is out of it.

9. Trevor: We suck at ragging on Susan, know that?
Mitchell: Yep.
Eric: Everyone’s giving her awards again, too.
Mitchell: The two things have got to be related.
Trevor: Ya think, Super Brain?

10. Eric: She’ll have to catch up on the awards when she’s feeling better.
Trevor: At this rate, that’ll be in another week.
Mitchell: Think I ought to call Amy again? She’s awfully out of it.

11. Trevor: This sucks. You can’t rag on someone when she’s this pathetic.

12. Eric: Oh, look! She’s up!
Mitchell: I think she’s hungry. Since Val’s not here, I’ll go see if I can help.

13. Trevor: Yum Yum.

Both Donica and Gecko (the blogger, not the member of Deadly Metal Hatchet) have tagged me for the six things meme, the one where you talk about six non-important habits/quirks/things. Here are the rules.

* Link to the person who tagged you.

* Post the rules on your blog.

* Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.

* Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.

* Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

But… this is me, and God forbid I follow the rules. And you guys like the band more than you like me, so … onward!

These first six are smokin’!
1. Trevor had his first cigarette at ten and his first joint a week later. Why bother to smoke if you’re not going to smoke the good stuff?

2. Trevor had to convince Mitchell smoking was cool.

3. Daniel started to smoke when he was fourteen. He’s not really sure why; he gravitated toward the burn-outs in school and loved their music and smoking was just part of the scene. He never thought much about it.

4. Daniel’s grandmother had a cigarette a day while he was off at school. He never suspected.

5. Eric took up smoking when Trevor got all over him about being the pastor’s kid. Cigarettes don’t do it for him, but pot does.

6. Kerri tried it once, coughed, and decided there were better things to do with her life and better highs to get. That doesn’t stop her from hitting Eric or Trevor’s joints every now and then (usually when Mitchell’s not watching. As if he doesn’t tipple…).

This six is cold.

1. Kerri grew up in Pittsburgh. She’s familiar with snow; it’s no big deal. In fact, living in Riverview, she sort of misses it.

2. Mitchell, Trevor, Daniel, and Eric had never seen snow until they went on tour.

3. Mitchell likes to build snowmen.

4. Trevor likes to throw snowballs. At Mitchell’s head. Mitchell’s aim, once provoked, is better than Trevor’s. Trevor milks the resultant sore areas for the girls. Go figure.

5. Eric’s a snow angel sort of guy.

6. Daniel just watches and laughs. And wishes for a white sand beach.

As for me (your thirteenth bonus fact), yes.

Now to tag… nah. That’d be playing by the rules. If you’re so moved, do the usual: link back to me and holler that you have so I can come giggle with you.

This was taken in the Lamar Valley, where a new wolf pack is trying to establish itself. They call the pack the Silver Pack.

2. Another shot from the same spot. Yes, I had a hard time concentrating on the wolves in the spotting scopes. After all, the wolves were laying around and there was all this magnificence around me.

3. The final shot from this same area.

4. This was taken on our way back from lunch, when we stopped to see what the Druid Peak Pack was up to. They were hanging out on the hillside; the two who had been playing earlier had stopped for a nap. The pack’s alpha female was wandering around, checking on everyone. A bit earlier, an interloper had shown up and a scuffle had ensued; the interloper was laying in a hollow, wounded. We don’t know how seriously.

5. This is shot from the top of the terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs. Yep, that’s a hot spring in the foreground.

6. Another one from Mammoth.

7. In the foreground is the (snow-covered) famed Minerva Terrace. In the background… mountains.

8. Yup, Mammoth.

9. And more Mammoth. See the boardwalk? Parts of it ended mysteriously where the springs have overtaken the boardwalk. But that’s another TT.

10. …and more.

11. I spent an hour in the lobby of the Mammoth Hot Springs resort with my MP3 player, watching the sun rise over the mountains. Every now and then, I’d run outside with my camera to get a shot. This is my favorite. We won’t speculate if I got it that time I was in such a rush that I jammed my arm into my coat and got outside to find… my coat was upside down. Well, at least only one arm was in it.

12. Crap. I picked this one earlier today and now I don’t remember where it’s from. I took it along the ride from Mammoth down to Canyon, over to the Lake, and off to Old Faithful. That’s the long way around, but it was worth it.

13. Same problem. And you wonder why I am ready to have copies printed and to spend the time putting the pictures into my scrapbooks?

3. I survived snowshoeing. This elk didn’t. Or maybe he was there as a trophy for my first snowshoeing experience.

4. This guy — we think — along with a friend welcomed me to my first snowshoeing trip. He and his friend stood forty yards apart… on opposite sides of the trail we were taking, and didn’t leave us a way around him. So the eight or so of us had to thread the bull elks. Who had big antlers that could have hurt us. Badly.

5. I put on four layers of pants and stood outside with a small group — ten or twelve of the twenty-seven of us — and watched this beautiful lady erupt for the last time in 2007.

6. This is her last daylight eruption of 2007.

7. This is her in 2008. She’s aging well, isn’t she?

8. She wasn’t the only thermal feature with things to say.

9. Daisy went off.

10. Riverside went off.

11. Castle went off.

12. Seeing all three of these — and the cross-country ski group got to Lonestar just as it erupted too — was pretty darn special. One of our three guides (who live nearby and do research in the park) said he’s been waiting years to see Castle erupt. I decided it was the Park’s way of thanking us, since we were there as part of a National Parks Conservation Association trip.

13. Yep. Saw wolves. From a distance. A great distance. I bet they knew we were there, only able to see them through our spotting scopes.

2. In 1976, my parents took me to Yellowstone. To say I fell in immediate love is to underestimate the power of the emotion the park evokes in me.

3. In 1988, 1.4 million acres of Yellowstone burned.

4. In 1998, I made a return trip with the Tour Manager. Signs of the fire were still everywhere. The Tour Manager promised we’d return in five years.

5. In 2008, the Tour Manager and I will layer up our winter gear and leave the warmth of the Old Faithful Snow Lodge to see Old Faithful’s first eruption of the new year. (yep, five years became ten. Amazing what happens when you blink.)

6. Because we’ll be spending five of our six nights in the park, we probably won’t have Internet access. Or cell phone coverage.

7. Our first morning there, we’ll go wolf spotting.

8. We’re bringing both digital cameras and the laptop, so we can upload the pictures and have empty memory cards to start each day.

9. I have learned more about long underwear than any rocker chick like me ought to learn.

10. We’re going to be surrounded by bison and yet I’m betting that all that will be on the menu is cow.

11. As a result of this, I probably won’t be able to check in while I’m gone.

12. I’d thought about having a friend post entries for me, but given what Trevor’s done around this joint in the past when I HAVE been here, I didn’t think that was wise.

13. But if I can post from Yellowstone, I will. Keep your eyes peeled, and have a terrific New Year’s.

1. First, she wound some of Mitchell’s hair around a piece of string. “Look!” she cried, inordinately pleased with herself. “Instant dredlocks!” (he tried to keep from blushing, lest someone discover he’d tried this, himself, once.)

2. Then she took a number of strings, divided them into groups of three, and braided them around a strap of leather, which she turned into a very sexy choker for Mitchell. He wore it.

3. This fueled her ambitions, and she soon figured out a way to make the wire stay when bent. She made a charm for the choker. When Mitchell wore it to a photo shoot, girls everywhere coveted it.

4. Kerri’s next masterpiece was a blob that she designated as a Christmas tree ornament. Since Mitchell is usually on the road this time of year (preferably in Australia, where it’s summer), Kerri gave it to his mom, Sonya, who treasures it.

5. One day, Kerri noticed Eric using a book thong to mark his place in a book he was reading. He admitted it was a gift from one of the many girls he befriended on the road and then kept in touch with. Kerri found some beads and some of Eric’s used strings and voila. Eric had a return gift for that girl.

6. Bored one day on the bus, Kerri pulled out her stash of broken strings — by this point, she was collecting Eric’s as well, although Trevor’s were too thick — and made what she dubbed an abstract sculpture. It got left behind in a dressing room, or was perhaps stolen by a fan. At any rate, it’s gone.

7. One day in October, Kerri figured out how to make the wire form right angles — and stay that way. She got a small piece of wood from one of the roadies and snuck out shopping one day while Mitchell was giving interviews. She came back with a rubber rat that was supposed to be a Halloween decoration. She tucked it under the piece of wire, on top of the wood and, voila. Rat trap. The guys liked it so much, they took to putting it on the catering table in their dressing room. Watching girls encounter the rat right beside their food is a never-ending source of amusement.

8. By now, Kerri had a pretty good idea of things she could get the wires to do. So she fashioned a tiara for herself. It came out great. Problem was, Trevor stole it and wore it onstage a few times — and then gave it to a girl in the front row.

9. She tried making an earring out of the wire, but that was one of her few failures.

10. Thinking it would make the bus homier, she took the demo CDs and cassettes handed to the band by fans eager to have their band discovered, and hung them in the back lounge. Mitchell ripped them down and threw them in the garbage, not sparing the guitar strings Kerri had used as hangers.

11. It took a coffee mug to get the shape right, but Kerri wove the strings into what most people called a Dream Catcher, but what she called a Heavy Metal Nightmare Preventer. Eric stole it and hung it in his bunk. He claimed it worked.

12. Kerri bought a book about how to make chain mail, but gave up that idea as too time-consuming. That didn’t stop Daniel from trying it — and giving up, saying that the wire was just too hard to make behave. Kerri winked and said she knew.

13. At last, fed up with Kerri’s collection and the things she spent her days creating, Mitchell stole the unused strings and gave them to fans. While it was widely agreed that they made the best souvenirs, everyone missed Kerri’s creations. She largely stuck to pencils and paper after that. It was, after all, her preferred medium.

1. Monday’s Musical Hanukkah Benefit raised $9k, just from the ticket sales.

2. All 200 t-shirts were sold, for $30 each. That makes for another $6k.

3. ShapeShifter matched that money and gave it to a program in Riverview that’s going to keep music in local schools.

4. Then they said they were giving an equal $30k to one of the national music in the schools organization.

5. That’s 60 thousand dollars. $45k of which comes right out of the ShapeShifter boys’ pockets.

6. There was a Chinese auction of stuff donated by local churches and other religious folk. That raised another thousand, and is also going to stay local.

7. Guests included Hammerhead’s Howard the Hammer and Walter Cichewski, as well as a cartoon video featuring the Deadly Metal Hatchet.

8. Our buddy Springer was allowed to jam during ShapeShifter’s famous song, Still Life. That’s the song that almost everyone asked if they could play along with. Only two got to. Springer’s a lucky dude, despite the incident with the cop earlier in the week.

9. He wasn’t able to stick around or sneak back on for a second song.

10. Neither was anyone else who was there. Most tried. Many were shown the door for their rather vigorous and sometimes creative efforts.

11. After the show, Springer hung around the backstage door in the hopes that he’d get to see Eric and have a few words with him. He wasn’t the only one waiting.

12. Eric must have left through another door. Springer never even got on the same side of the stage as his idol. From that angle, the night was a disappointment. Too bad he didn’t think to go to Roach’s.

13. Mitchell got off stage, surprised no one by dragging Kerri into the shower with him, hung with fans for a few hours at Roach’s, and was in bed around four in the morning. Upon getting up on Tuesday, he realized he didn’t have much more to do with himself than he’d had the day before.

2. Here are the basics: it’s held on the Monday during Hanukkah, because Monday is traditionally the slowest night in the entertainment business (yes, that explains why restaurants close on Mondays!). Everything from the food to the stage hands to the club itself is donated to the cause.

3. Tickets last year were $10. You could also chip in another $50 and jam onstage with ShapeShifter. Only fifty people were allowed to do that, but 300 tickets were sold.

4. Because it’s a fund-raiser and because of the success, the boys jacked the prices this year. Now, it’s $15 to get in and $75 to jam with the band. Still a bargain considering what a ticket to a ShapeShifter concert costs.

5. If you were here on Monday for the Poetry Train, you are still waiting to find out if our new friend, Springer, raises the money he needs to attend this year. Stay tuned; we’re not done with his story yet. Read the first part of it here.

6. Notice how he’s forgotten to factor in the price of a limited-edition, commemorative t-shirt?

7. I’m still trying to figure out the logistics of having 50 people jam onstage with a rock band. One thing that helps is that this turns into a full two-hour-long ShapeShifter show. I think that means five people on stage for ten songs, and then the band finishes up on their own. Or with surprise friends.

8. Last year, the concert was as fictional as ShapeShifter but the charity that the donations went to wasn’t. Music Lives seems to have … not lived. Thus, the ShapeShifter boys will keep their raised funds closer to home and make sure that the kids of Riverview and the surrounding area have great exposure to music in their schools.

9. Wouldn’t it be great to have real-life t-shirts from this? I think so, too. As soon as that awesome graphic chick comes up with a logo for ShapeShifter, I’ll see what I can do.

10. It ought to go without saying that any net profits from this dream shirt that may or may not happen will go to a charity that supports music in the schools.

11. Last year, Eric had said he and his father were going to work to get more people involved with the event, particularly people within the religious community. This year, a (still fictional!) Chinese auction will be happening at the show, too. At least one of the prizes is tickets to a VIP box at a Riverview Otters game. (that’s the city’s baseball team)

12. Last year, the band managed to talk the club’s chef into making potato pancakes for 300 people. This year, the latkes are being catered.

13. Once again this year, ShapeShifter will match all monies raised from the tickets and the opportunity to jam onstage with the band. They want to see the take before committing to matching the t-shirt sales and the money raised from the Chinese Auction, but they probably will. After all, it’s all for a good cause.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll try to add you here!)

Thanks to Casa Sosegad for the awesome header!

1. in strip joints like Moon Shadows

2. reading catalogs from Lyric‘s competitors and deciding what to bug her into ordering for him

3. practicing with Daniel. It’s easier without Mitchell‘s fancy-assed rhythms and attitude.

4. getting stoned, usually with Eric. It’s one of the few times they get along.

5. picking his nose — or so he says, but the pasttime is probably more along the lines of irritating others.

6. tinkering with his Vincent.

7. picking on Mitchell.

8. eating: at Harry’s Hoagies, Roach’s, or conning Val or Sonya Voss into cooking for him.

9. checking out girls and picking them up and bring them to … their homes (for quicker getaways)

10. dreaming of how big ShapeShifter will be

11. crusing town on his Vincent, looking for trouble.

12. Check out the competition playing around town

13. When all else fails, take a nap.

2. The first year that Chelle was living alone, she decided that the best way to celebrate her independence was to make Thanksgiving herself. Not sure how to cook, let alone roast a turkey, she microwaved it. For an hour. What she was left with resembled the shrunken heads she’d seen her elderly relatives use for voodoo ceremonies. Those creepy elderly relatives were all too glad to see her when she showed up for dinner.

3. One year, Pam accepted the invitation of some vegetarian friends for a Tofurkey dinner. She made sure they served fish the next time she ate with them.

4. Inspired by Mitchell and Trevor’s lame attempt at flame, Val decided to try it herself. The apricot brandy glaze was a success. The flambe wasn’t. The bananas foster that was an alternative to the pumpkin pie was.

5. When he was a teenager, Eric and his brothers had a pumpkin pie eating contest. Problem was, their mother had baked the pies for a church dinner. They learned fast how to bake a good pumpkin pie.

6. Amy called it a disaster the year Mitchell was allowed to carve the bird for the first time. Until he did, Amy had visions of herself becoming a surgeon. After Mitchell sliced that baby perfectly, she knew surgery wasn’t going to be her thing.

7. Eric’s family is still traumatized from the year the TV broke and the football game was tied, with two minutes left and the home team set to score. The ball was intercepted, the visitors won the game — and Eric’s family missed it.

8. The year Patterson was called away from the table for work. He didn’t come home until after the kids were in bed.

9. The year Eric’s dad decided to invite the entire congregation to a Turkey Bowl — and broke his leg on the first play. The Turkey Bowl turned into an annual event for about ten years. The broken leg became legend.

10. The year Hank came home in time for dinner, upended the entire contents of dinner into Jenny’s lap, and turned Trevor into a punching bag. Yeah. That’d be a disaster. Trevor couldn’t eat solid food for a few days after that one. This is not the only time Trevor had loose teeth around Thanksgiving, poor guy. (here is the reference to the other time)

11. The second year Chelle tried to cook. Instead of making voodoo turkey breasts, she set the oven on fire. Thankfully, she was quick-witted enough to put it out before it spread and destroyed her apartment — or worse. This was the last time Chelle tried to cook. Anything.

12. Then there was the year the band was on the road. This was before the days of nice hotels. No one was terribly surprised when they came down with food poisoning.

13. Lastly was a disaster only in Val’s eyes. She made a wonderful feast for the band. And I do mean feast. They ate it all, somehow — and ruined her night by having another of their burping fests at the table. The boys, of course, thought it was the best Thanksgiving ever.

2. Singing gives you enough glory; someone else can have the guitar god status

3. Easier to cover for Trevor and his mistakes

4. If you want to take your hands off the guitar and gesture at the audience, you’re covered by the rest of the band

5. It’s just cool

6. Guitars are the ultimate chick magnets, but rhythm lets a shy kid hide a little bit. (as if singing doesn’t negate that, but let’s not argue)

7. Rhythm guitarists groove; lead guitarists wail

8. Rhythm gives a band an extra crunch

9. Not every band uses a rhythm guitar

10. Eric plays lead and he’s damn good at it. Why compete?

11. Working together, Daniel, Mitchell, and Trevor create a solid rhythm that Eric can build melodies on.

12. It just feels right

13. He quickly realized once he got started that to most girls, a guitar’s a guitar. They didn’t care if he played rhythm or lead. They just cared that he played. Guitars, apparently, are sexy.

2. What about the underbrush? Ever think about it?

3. Think about the contrast of an illuminated room on a dark and stormy day. Not evening. Day. You’ve got the grey outside and the warm, welcoming light inside at a time when it should be the opposite.

4. When the weather gets cold, shorts are replaced with jeans. They make a person’s legs look entirely different. We’ve gone from muscles and hair and scars and tats to blue sheaths. It’s sort of boring, but makes for a quick sketch.

5. Being the cool rock star that he is, Trevor wears his leather jacket — and pants — year-round. In Riverview, that’s not such a big deal; it gets cold in the evenings and mornings here. But when we’re somewhere cold, it’s fun to watch Trevor shiver.

6. Ski jackets. Ever noticed how many colors they come in? Especially the really expensive, high-end lines. It seems to me that there’s a group of people who make skiing into a fashion sport. Go for it.

7. Look at the flowers that are done for the season. Brown, shriveled — there’s a poetry in there that’s not the usual ShapeShifter all-about-dead-stuff.

8. This time of year, sunglasses go away and you can see people’s eyes again. Eyes fascinate me. Each pair is so different from any other and so many things go into making the eye area unique. I can always tell when Mitchell is stressed; he shows it around his eyes. Look at the eyes of the people around you. What do you see?

9. Colder weather means colder ears. Hats, headbands, muffs. All sizes, shapes, colors. Headwear speaks volumes about a person. I mean, have you seen Trevor in a hat?

10. I wonder how many calories a person burns by stamping their feet to get warm. Ever try to draw a person stamping their foot? It’s hard to deny the sense of motion that a raised foot inspires.

11. Pets get those lovely, thick winter coats that are just great to bury your hands in.

12. Ever notice how lonely a now-dead patch of grass looks once the leaf pile’s been disturbed?

13. November begins candle season. That’s all there is to it. You see candles in my art, I did it around this time of year.

Even before ShapeShifter was a household name, like they are during Trevor’s Song, Mitchell and Trevor knew how to rule the world in their own style.

To wit, the band’s first Halloween. They were booked to play the Halloween Party at All Access (their first time there!), opening for two other more established local acts (both of whom broke up before the end of the year.) — there were two sets: one for the Under 21 crowd and one for the Over 21 crowd, which was when the cops were generally expected. This was, after all, the annual Halloween Party at All Access.

That meant no trick-or-treating for the ShapeShifter boys who, in their late teens, were too cool to go out but who still wanted some free chocolate. Especially Daniel, whose grandmother had taken to denying him candy in the hopes of clearing up the drummer’s acne, which wasn’t that bad, but we all know how grandmothers dote on their grandkids.

The young band came up with an idea: Drop candy into the bags held by Mitchell’s sisters or Eric’s brother Jared and get entered into a drawing for free ShapeShifter stuff. Demos, t-shirts, and the brand new patches for your jackets and vests.

Free stuff! How could the crowd refuse?

Here is what the band managed to collect:
1. 150 Peanut Butter Cups, in varying shapes, sizes, and manufacturers.

2. 300 Tootsie Rolls.

3. 50 lollipops.

4. Four lollipop rings.

5. Too many packages of Smarties to count. This was a particularly nice haul, as Eric has a serious addiction to them.

6. Two packages of brand-new rolling paper. Trevor considered these better than candy.

7. Three jellybeans, possibly left over from someone’s Easter basket.

8. An entire, unopened package of Hershey’s miniatures.

9. A complete set of brand new guitar strings, of a finer variety than Mitchell or Eric were currently using.

10. 35 Almond Joys.

11. 100 Kit Kats, possibly donated by someone dressed up as a lion.

12. Four sets of gummy eyeballs.

13. Ten packages of Fun Dip.

The fires in Southern California have been on my mind quite a bit lately. I’ve got family out there, friends, and people with whom I’ve fallen out of touch — but not out of thoughts.

Kermit Ladd wanted to talk to the boys about something serious for a change. He posed this question to the band: If these fires were to ravage Riverview, what would you risk your life to save?

1. Mitchell: My guitars. I’ve got a few that’re worth tons. I couldn’t leave without them.
Kerri: Not that you can be without a guitar in your hand for more than twenty minutes before you get twitchy.
Mitchell smiles guiltily.

2. Trevor: I’d want my bass with the cracked neck, the one M taught me how to play on. And my bike. I rebuilt that fucker from the ground up. I’m taking it to the fucking grave with me.
Kerri: It’ll be a big chunk of land, Trev. You and a motorcycle.
Trevor: Good. Plant some trees. If they burn, plant more.
Eric: Part of the reason so many homes are burning is because people are planting too much in a desert.
Trevor: Don’t fucking bury me in a desert, okay? I fucking hate deserts.
Eric: So do many of the people who live in them.

3. Mitchell: Eric? You’re the more serious guitar collector. Which would you save?
Eric: The important things are family. So long as I have that, the guitars can burn.
Mitchell winces.

4. Kerri: I have a few paintings I’d want to save. Like the first one I did of you, M.
Mitchell: And the one of us in the bathroom.
Trevor: That’s you two?
Kerri: Who’d you think it was?
Mitchell: Of course it’s us. I’m not letting Kerri paint any pictures of couples making love like that unless it’s us.

5. Daniel: I talked to Gecko, from Deadly Metal Hatchet the other night. He said Fozzy’s taking the Hatchet out there so it can cut down brush and try to help.

6. Mitchell: What’re you going to save?
Daniel: Val’s cookbooks. That way, we can help by making gourmet meals for people stuck living in trailers and shelters and stuff. At least, that’s what she says. I don’t know how she’ll pull it off, though.

7. Eric: There are lots of ways to help. I’m not sure that’ll be so easy, either.
Daniel shrugs and says: Maybe, but at least it’s doing something. Some of those people are our fans.

8. Mitchell: Maybe we’ll figure out a way to get t-shirts to anyone who lost their home. It’s not much, but at least they’ll have something clean to wear.

9. Eric: You’ll notice none of us thought about saving our clothes.

10. Mitchell: Makes you wonder how many who had to run thought about it, too.

11. Kerri: I don’t know that I would. I think I’d be too busy trying to figure out how to save the painting of you guys that’s on the wall in the trophy room.
Mitchell: I think that one’s a goner, babe.
Kerri shudders.

12. Eric: It really makes you think. Appreciate.

13. Daniel: It sure does. Kermit, you’re going to donate your payment for this article to the relief effort, right?