Softly and Suddenly

by Sean M Whelan and the Interim Lovers

Softly and Suddenly sees Melbourne poet and performer Sean M Whelan reunited with long-time collaborator Andrew Watson and band – The Interim Lovers – to produce an album that settles somewhere between post-rock record and spoken word CD. In a series of six Fits we are presented the story of Ballard and Betsy, two inner urban Melburnians in the throes of a surreal affair, whose tale unfolds against the Lovers’ backdrop of sparse guitar, percussion and keening violin. Together Whelan’s words and Watson’s music carry the listener along in undulating waves towards the album’s haunting close.

The title comes from Lewis Carroll’s nonsense verse The Hunting of the Snark, in which the suite of poems has its beginning. Elements are freely and playfully borrowed, pressed into service either literally (Betsy gives Ballard a blank map) or metaphorically (Ballard at one point feels like he’s “wearing three pairs of boots”). Softly and Suddenly is not a retelling, and doesn’t require knowledge of the original (as Whelan himself discusses in interview), but will reward a (re)reading of Carroll’s work, which provides the key to much of the imagery (such as Ballard’s vision of “a Butcher and a Beaver… playing chess”).

Opening track The Landing is an instrumental, and sets the musical and emotional tone for what follows. A simple seven-note guitar figure loops over the squeaks and bleats of Watson’s violin and the lazy throb of bass guitar. Over several minutes these build in intensity to a triumphal peak, driven by snare and cymbal, before ebbing away again. The music shares a good deal with the unhurried, expansive instrumentals of bands such as Dirty Three and Explosions In the Sky, and is eminently listenable in its own right. From the second track (I Love The Things That Haven’t Happened Yet) these atmospheric arrangements make way for Whelan’s delivery. His voice sits a long way forward in the mix, in front of but not overpowering the accompanying tracks, clear and comprehensible. This clarity is testament both to Whelan’s skill as a performance poet and to the quality of production on the album.

Over the course of five tracks and twenty-five minutes Whelan narrates the exploits of the whimsical (or perhaps disturbed?) Betsy and her rather more prosaic suitor Ballard. The poems work as a continuous narrative, events and images recurring as the story progresses. Following his lover’s disappearance, a disconsolate Ballard (having spent the week “putting all the food in his cupboard into alphabetical order / because he didn’t know what else to do with himself”) struggles to make sense of their meeting and subsequent, sudden parting. Both characters seem more archetypes or embodiments than individuals (the mysterious, sensual feminine and the analytical, technological masculine), and Whelan leaves physical description to the imagination (save for Betsy being “all smiles and Fifties floral dress”). This doesn’t detract from the work – rather, it allows the focus to fall on what the couple do and how they feel, not who they are.

By contrast, the setting is unequivocally specific, taking in a swathe of Melbourne’s inner east (from Preston to Alphington) before winding up outside of Daylesford. Unreal things happen in these real places – this might be the Melbourne of a Marquez or Murakami, where birds and cars spell out secret messages, and women are mysterious creatures capable of disappearing at will. Then again, it could just be love, elevating the everyday into the extraordinary.

With his relaxed delivery and ability to slip in and out of rhyme with ease, it is hard not to be carried along by Whelan’s storytelling. Softly and Suddenly is a charming tale, a bedtime story of sorts for the lovelorn and poetic. The sentiment which lingers after the last bars have died away is one of hopefulness, if not happiness – a sense that there may yet be a little wonder left in the world.

Softly and Suddenly is available from Collector’s Corner, or by contacting Sean and the Lovers through their Myspace page. You can read Sean’s thoughts on the album in interview at the Overland blog.

By Tully Hansen.

page seventeen is taking a break over the Christmas and New Year period, so this will be our last post for a while. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas with lots of excellent reading and listening material and look forward to catching up in 2011.

Melbourne’s poem has been chosen. Soon we shall have Adelaide’s  safely in the bag. And just to prove that we do get around, it will soon be Brisbane’s turn to have a poem  selected for Issue 8 at one of their spoken word events.

More information you demand?

Sunday August 1st, SpeedPoets @ InSpire Gallery Bar, 71 Vulture St West End, Brisbane, 2-5 pm.

Entry is a gold coin donation

Judge-  the one and only Graham Nunn

So get your writing shoes on- get out there  and have a go.

And don’t forget you can still make it to Hard Boiled poetry @ La Boheme, 36 Grote Street, Adelaide – this Thursday 29th July, 8.30 pm. Judge -  Amelia Walker. 

We’ve had a few questions regarding the choosing of the poems at these events…the guidelines are set according to the events open mic  ’rules’.

Some events have a 3 mt time limit, others have a 5 mt limit. Some events have a restricted number of open mic spaces- so first in, best dressed.

Be aware that the judges are looking not only for a poem that is a great performance piece, but one that works brilliantly on the page.

Best of luck

Vicki Thornton – Acting Editor

This year we are getting out and about, having fun selecting poetry at spoken word events for Issue 8.  We already have one  poem from Melbourne, chosen with love and care, and now it’s Adelaide’s turn.

Where you ask?

‘Hard Boiled’ open mike poetry @ La Boheme, 36 Grote Street, Adelaide.

This Thursday, July 29th 8.30 pm.

To be judged by Amelia Walker.

Come along for a great night of spoken word and who knows…your work  may appear in Page Seventeen.

Vicki Thornton – Acting Editor

It’s almost the end of June, which means there isn’t long to get submissions or entries in to us.

If you want to make a general submission, we accept stories, poetry and black and white images. Please use the relevant cover sheet, but feel free to email your submission (we may request a higher resolution image if what you submit is selected). There is a limit of 3 written pieces and 5 images. See the guidelines for more information.

If you want to enter the competition, there is no limit to how many pieces you may enter, so long as the correct fee accompanies your entry form and entries. You cannot email entries to the competition: they must be posted. You can enter short stories and/or poetry in the Short Story and Poetry Competition, or colour images in the Cover image competition, whereby the one fee of just $5 gets you up to 5 entries.

But, you have only until the end of next Wednesday, June 30, to do it, so get moving!

Also, congratulations to Angelina Mirabito, whose poem ‘Alone Together’ was selected for inclusion in Issue 8 at Stopping all Stations in Nunawading last Saturday. There were many great pieces to choose from and it wasn’t easy. Thanks to everyone who came along, both those who participated and those who enjoyed listening.

Don’t forget there’s a similar opportunity for Adelaide and Brisbane poets coming up. On Thursday 29th Julyand Sunday 1st August respectively. Check the Events page for details.

And, we’ve announced a little competition on our Facebook page. It’s free to enter and all you have to do is ‘Like’ our page then guess how many stories and poems we’ll receive in this year’s competition. The winner will receive an available issue of their choice.

Best of luck.

It’s come along quickly. Tomorrow we are selecting a poem from the open mic section of Melbourne poetry event Stopping all Stations to go into issue 8.

It’s easy, all you have to do is bring along one of your poems and registerto read/perform it in the open mic section.

It’s all happeneing at the Station St cafe, 26 Station street, Nunawading, from 2pm, Saturday 19th June. If you’re on the train, it’s right across the road from Nunawading station (Belgrave/Lilydale lines). There’s a $5 fee for the event, which includes lucky door prizes (including books and book vouchers), and the pleasure of also hearing featured poet Catherine Bateson read her work. There are no additional requirements or payments for you to enter, except you might like to bring an extra copy of your poem to leave with the judge/s in case yours is selected. The winner will also receive a copy of the current issue, Issue 7.

If spoken word isn’t your thing, or you’re not in Melbourne, there’s still time to send us your submission. You have until June 30 to submit up to three written pieces and/or black and white images, and/or to enter either or both the Cover Competition or the Short Story and Poetry competition.

Also, keep your eye on our Facebook page. In the next few days, we’ll be announcing a little competition that will only be open until the end of June.

Up to 5 poems for Issue 8 will be selected at spoken word events around the country. Issue 7 includes two poems selected this way, one from Melbourne and one from Queensland.

If you want to get in on the action, all you need to do is put your name down in the open mic section at one of the following events and hope the judge thinks your piece is The One (take a copy of your poem to leave with the judge if that’s the case). Or if you just want to hear all the fabulous offerings, by all means go along as audience and show support.

VIC: Saturday, June 19, 2-5pm at Stopping all Stations, Station St cafe, 26 Station St, Nunawading. $5 entry includes lucky door prizes and June’s featured poet is Catherine Bateson. The judges are myself (Tiggy) and Vicki.

SA: Thurs July 29, 8.30pm at Hard Boiled, La Boheme, 36 Grote St, Adelaide. Free entry. Judged by Amelia Walker.

QLD: Sunday August 1, 2-5pm at SpeedPoets, InSpire Gallery Bar, 71 Vulture St West End, Brisbane. Entry by gold coin donation. August feature TBC. Judged by Graham Nunn.

I’m working on a couple other states and will keep you posted. Keep an eye out for our Events page (to appear soon) where these details will be posted, including any updates.

Oh, and you can ‘enter’ whether or not you made a general submission to the same issue. The guidelines are set according to the event’s open mic ‘rules’. For example, some events may impose a limit of 3 minutes on the open mic and others 5 minutes, and each event may close the open mic list once a certain number of people have registered. The judges are looking for a poem that, while fabulous as a performance piece, would also be great on the page.

So, scribble one of those dates in your diary and get cracking on a fabulous piece.