Greetings from Robinson Illinois, a town I've never heard of. Something Robinson has in common with almost every other town in Illinois is that I've never heard of them either.

The wife and I are on a road trip in the Midwest. This is how I'm getting ready for a couple of shows next week. I'm driving around rural back roads in thunderstorms. I am thisclose to making up a song that includes two or more of the following words: truck, whiskey, boots, girl, daddy.

But my first bro country song probably won't be ready in time for: 

Yeah this flyer was in the last newsletter too but there's been a lineup change.

If someone forwarded this to you

and you want to sign up: Go here.

Wanna read the archives?: Go here.

I know Tuesday nights are a big ask for those of you who have made life choices like having jobs and not hanging out in dive bars on Tuesday nights. I'm not going to judge your lifestyle no matter how strange I find it, but I'd love it if you'd Come On Out because it's going to be a fun show.

General Vicinity is a really good power trio that will open the show, and then they'll lend me two-thirds of their members for part of my set, when I will once again Go Electric. So like the flyer says, you can Rock Out With Your Knockout.

I didn't want you to miss that highbrow humor on the flyer.

Then Cole Cook will bring down the house, no small trick because it's already in the basement.

You might know Cole as the host of the Common Market open mic in Durham, or you might know him as a member of The Rattletraps. That might not be helpful because that band has a higher population than Robinson Illinois. He's the harmonica player but he's also a singer and guitar player, one of the FOUR(!) Rattletraps who are legitimate frontmen. That's how many The Beatles had just saying.

The fun starts at 9 and is not scheduled to stop, though I won't be offended if you go to your job Wednesday morning.

I'm not using the red headlines enough so let me use one to say

I'm gonna be on the radio

I'll be on the legendary Pass the Hat show on WHUP in Hillsborough North Carolina on Friday the 25th at 6 p.m. EDT. You can open a can of WHUP at 104.7 on your FM dial or you can stream it live at this link. I think but I'm not sure the show will also be livestreamed here on YouTube.

I get to sing and play and talk to the hosts for an hour, and then they'll play some songs of my choosing by my "favorite North Carolina songwriters." I would have accepted bribes from NC songwriters to be included, but I didn't think of it in time and it's probably illegal. In that order of importance. 

About that photo on the flyer

Speaking of illegal, here's some non-music content, courtesy of my previous life as a journalist, about the photo that I used in violation of copyright law. It's one of the most famous sports pictures of the 20th century. It was taken by Neil Leifer of Sports Illustrated, the same guy who took the even more famous photo of Muhammad Ali standing over a fallen Sonny Liston.

This one was taken a year later, in 1966 at the Houston Astrodome. It shows Ali walking away, arms raised, as the referee counts over the flamboyantly supine challenger, Cleveland Williams.

I defy you to find a description of this photo that doesn't describe it as Muhammad Ali knocking out Cleveland Williams.

But that's not what it is.

Williams actually got up from this. He was saved by the bell at the end of the second round. His corner men helped him up and got him to his stool, and he came out for the third round. He fought for another minute and 51 seconds, by which I mean Ali punched him relentlessly for another minute and 51 seconds, knocking him down one more time before the ref finally stepped in and stopped the fight.

But this photo has gone down in history as the moment Ali knocked out Williams. That's how history works. There's what happened. And then there's the story of what happened. And they might not be the same. They're often not the same.

You didn't ask for my advice but my advice is never forget that.

And come to The Cave Tuesday.

And buy my EP Us Ugly Guys Got Style on Bandcamp.

Thanks for reading, listening and coming on out.

Your friend,

The King Teen

YouTube | Spotify | Bandcamp

Instagram | Bluesky | Facebook

Important stuff in italics 

If you like anything I do, you can help me out by forwarding this email to at least one person who you think would also like it, or just telling one person to check me out on YouTube or Bandcamp. Thanks.

To keep me out of your junk folder: For Gmail, move this email to your Primary Tab (desktop: drag and drop; mobile, hit the 3-dot thing) and add king@kingteenmusic.com to your contacts. For Apple Mail, tap the email address at the top of this message and select "Add to VIPs." Here's more help.