Dang, I’ve had this site for a while. My original goal was to write a bunch of recovery related stuff and Stoner/Doom reviews. Kinda…
I don’t consider myself a reviewer and I don’t mean to be. I mean, listening to x-amount of music to write z-amount of posts: there’s a ton of that out there. What I really wanted to do was write about older albums, the ones that, after a few years, I still listen to. Those are the only ones that matter to me anyway. Sure, I can rave about Besvarjelsen putting out the “album of the year,” and it might be great. But if I never listen to it again, was it really that good? I don’t think so.
For the record, Besvarjelsen is absolutely that good.
Obviously I’ve have been all over the place for the past 6 (!) years. Sometimes I only posted twice a year. Then I have a year like this one, where I’m actually posting regularly. Consistency has not been the hallmark of Cleanandsoberstoner, that’s for sure.
Interestingly, a couple of PR firms have put me on their mailing list. That’s how I posted on Abrams before it got released. I’m grateful, amazed, that they thought enough of this site to give me that kind of shot. It’s not a HUGE deal, but they are trusting that I won’t copy/sell/release the material or screw over the artist in any way. I guess I take that seriously.
So, here’s where I see things going. I want to post “Late to the Party” reviews, to keep up with the stuff I think is great. I also want to earn the trust of the PR company, so I’ll write about these bands so I can support them in some small way. I also want to do longer posts on older stuff that I still listen to, like Scorched Oaks’ astonishing Withered Earth. It’s been on heavy rotation for me for well over a year, and it keeps growing on me. I think it’s due for some more praise, and it didn’t get nearly enough when it first came out.
I don’t want to step away from social commentary, but my political essays make me wince. They just feel unnecessary, and while I’m not going to delete them, I’m going to keep that to a minimum. Some things I want to comment on, but I’ll keep the Trump and Biden-bashing to a minimum.
Lastly, I’m still writing the book, 30 Years of Heavy Recovery. I’ll have Chapter 2 up in a few days. It’s not perfect, it’s not fit to be published and I’m certainly not going to charge for it. But it is my story: how I use heavy music for personal therapy, and openly addresses real shit like I lost a part of my memory for like 27 years. It’s a real-life Mexican Soap Opera with a soundtrack of YOB, Elder, Opeth and Cowboy Junkies. You’ll have to read it to see how that makes sense. Well, it doesn’t make any sense, but it really did happen.
To everyone that has subscribed and follows this site: thank-you so much! I used to think the big sites were pandering, but now I know it’s real. To the thousands (and I can’t believe it’s that many) that have also visited: I am so darn grateful. I plan on doing better, posting more regularly and contributing to the communities that mean so much to me: the Recovering and Stoner/Doom crowds. There are quite a few of us.
Oh yeah, thank-you Poland. Outside of the US, Poland has been my largest audience: you rock!!!!!!
Until next time, I appreciate that you took the time to read this.
-S
