21 April 2021> The Sound Furies' Tributaries album ain't out for another 8 months but we released an early single to honor Giancarlo Ditrapano. Every song is named for a river so we called this 1 "Kanawha," the river in West Virgina that Gian was born on. We were actually working on the tune when he died + was originully gonna call it "Styx," hear's the notes:

B4 "Styx" looks like we was gonna call it "Tana," a river in Eastern Kenya + we originully started w/ the "from the Mekong delta to the Tigris she bleeds" sample (from "The Daily Noose," off un... we're taking a sample from each of our prior albums, kind of how like u make bread or yogurt) before changing it. Baysickly we used open Em tuning + riffed off that. Not sure what other chords we used xcept D maj + C, don't think we ended up using B7 or F♯ + as the notes imply we wanted to rip off Jean Ritchie's "L + N Don't Stop Here Anymore," who coinsidentally is also from West Virginia + we were also trying 2 rite a song along the lines of Felt's "The Stagnant Pool"... we often do this, set out 2 rite a toon inspired by another 1 + our version ends up being nothing like what we was attempting to replicate (for eggsample "Totem #9" on our last album was sposed 2 be a nod to REM's "Losing My Religion" but ended up sounding more like sumping Tom Petty would due). Seams @ least lyrically we also wanted 2 write a song for Jeff Buckley (who drowned in the Mississippi)... guess we'll also save that 4 a nother track. This 1 is about + 4 Giancarlo. This was the 20th tune weave written, w/ the idea that there will be 25 tribute tributaries (for our 25th anniversary), tho they might not all halve lyrics (@ least that's what we tell our bedder-½ (the singer) to not overwhelm them). Hear's the lyrics:

Kanawha

no derivative
for the speed u lived
+ died by the word
+ sight of the other side left u undeterred

delta X over Y
between land + sky
heard the sirens sing
bring hym home to heaven

the world will never be the same
once u cross the river the land behind caves in

but your empire remains, thriving
+ the 4-river fountain keeps flowing

u spiked the font w/ your blood
u dosed blotter paper w/ your love

from the Ganges to Danube
from the spit beer is brewed
who will get the next round?
1st sip poured on the ground.

The "delta X over Y" (change in position, i.e. speed) line makes more sense when we was gonna call the track "Styx," but we still like this idea of the river as threshold between the living + dead, land + sky. The 4-river fountain (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi) is in Piazza Navonna in Rome + the Ganges + Danube are 2 of said rivers. The "spiked the font w/ your blood" line is in refrence 2 the 1st Tyrant Books release, Baby Leg by Brian Evenson, where each cover had Gian's bloody fingerprint on it (@ least that's what he toll us, in theory it's sposed 2 be Evenson's blood). + that's G's voice @ the beginning of the track (appropriated from this Otherppl w/ Brad Listi podcast). We also made this video using the only footage we halve of Gian, when he was talking in his sleep in the backseat of a taxi somewhere in the outskirts of Rome over decade ago when he was visiting us (so probly had jet lag, tho undoubtedly we'd also bin drinking).

+ hear's a mixtape of tunes we member G liked or that make us think of hym: