Drag City artist David Grubbs is releasing a new book — and I’m excited about it, but I’m playing it very cool

Drag City artist David Grubbs is releasing a new book — and I'm excited about it, but I'm playing it very cool

Damn. Ok. I’m here to tell you about a new David Grubbs book, and I kinda gotta gather my shit, cuz the editors around here have told me I’m only allowed one “boy howdy” per post going forward on account of it “ruins the vibe” or whatever — and to be totally honest, this feels like a four to five “boy howdys” kind of post if you ask me. So here we go…I guess.

Anyway: David Grubbs. You know him. You love him. He’s played with all the cool bands; he’s released solo works; he’s written a book about John Cage. He’s really the whole package.

Well, Grubbs wasn’t content to rest on his laurels evidently, because I’ve just heard tell of a brand new book he’s got coming out via Duke University Press on April 13. Entitled Now that the Audience is Assembled, it’s a book-length prose poem that traces the tale of a “phantasmagorical all-night concert.” Boy h… No, wait, I’m saving it. But! That sounds sick, right?

In honor of the book’s publication, BOMB magazine just posted a neat little convo betwixt and between Grubbs and John Sparagana, the artist who created the book’s cover art as well as some collage work included within the book. The book is available for pre-order now, and there’s even a 30% discount on offer if you use the code E18NOW.

And…BOY HOWDY, that’s not all: turns out Grubbs is also planning a short little tour (with more dates coming soon) featuring readings from the book in conjunction with solo guitar performances. Peep the book’s cover down below, and get at it, y’all.


tour dates:

04.13.18 - Chicago, IL - Seminary Co-op Bookstore
04.14.18 - Chicago, IL - Corbett vs. Dempsey
04.18.18 - Washington, DC - Rhizome DC
04.19.18 - Baltimore, MD - The Red Room
04.26.18 - New York, NY - Printed Matter *
06.02.18 - Louisville, KY - KMAC

*Reading and discussion with Mónica de la Torre

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