Revolution on Canvas, Volume 1 : Poetry from the Indie Music Scene

by Rich Balling

This is poetry and prose straight from the biggest mouths and hearts in the independent music scene. These are their words. This is their revolution.

Genres: Poetry, Music, Nonfiction

221 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2006

Reviews

[pranasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

it wouldn’t have been that bad had it
a) actually followed through on poetry, and played on the beautiful lyricism found in most indie music
i understand it might’ve been mislabelled on the cover, but seeing random short stories or diary entries is certainly not it
b) stop vying for social commentary. like yes we do need to talk about gun control, but a fictionalized story of the youth shoving guns at each other’s throats doesn’t convey what you think it does
and that’s not even touching on poems like “idiots are taking over” or “the final act”. i don’t mean to call these out specifically, but truly what you get from these lines isn’t an awe of prose, or thought provoking questions, not when it’s doused so heavily in themes of faded glory or an imagination of suffering that’s just that- a fragment of the author’s imagination. like i’m not saying people don’t face challenges, but when you’re writing about someone’s final act after “knocking himself out” and telling this star-dazed tale of drama and women and end it with “he smiles”- this is a piece of fantasy, the kind of idolization and memoralization people long for, dream for, simply because they can’t bear to be forgotten for anything less than divine
c) please please please don’t write a poem like it’s a tweet. i sound damn fucking snobbish, but random paragraph breaks, single compound sentences- that isn’t structure, that’s weird formatting!! to use slang is personal preference, but a random “cuz” really deteriorates the standard quality of a poem when the rest of the symbolism was good, like there was a reference to big brother when society has spouted a big father and mother but before anything was wrapped up or organized it veered completely off course
in addition to this particular point, being fake deep doesn’t create more meaning. convolution does not equal great writing, and vice versa, but you can’t just use things like “what do i see? The third letter of the Alphabet” and have it be metaphorically meaningful to the sea- the poem’s title is “untitled wave” for goodness sake, the entirety of its contents sound more like privileged brooding than anything else

however with this said, there ARE some nice ones i liked, but for every gorgeous “the morning is begging us awake yet holding softer” there are a dozen poems named “busy?” surmised with “and the day refuses to end”


im probably being incredibly harsh, and should save my thoughts for when it isn’t 3 am in the morning, but god i want to flaunt this collection’s flaws if only to make the grueling hours worth it

[Martina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was such a massive disappointment. So many poorly written poems full of pretense, misogyny, and even some racism. The few that were actually good/great were outshined by the worst over and over again and quite frankly, I’m more angry at the editor for deciding to include so many of these.

As an avid fan of this genre, it’s sad to say I’m not surprised but christ, I kind of am. Wow. Just wow.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since when are Rise Against and The Academy Is... Indie? Answer me that. If it wasn't for "Emergency" on page 169, this would be getting one star.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love poetry and this was the only real poetry volume I've read this month (April being National Poetry Month). The poems in this book are all from members of the indie rock scene. Love it!

[Francesca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the concept, the execution not as much.
I appreciate that there's a lot of variety of theme and form, and sometimes you can really discern the artist from the writing style and/or words used (looking at you Nate Barcalow!)
However, unfortunately a lot of these simply didn't click with me or I just didn't like, and some would have been better as song lyrics

[A E Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very impressed by this book of raw poetry. The fact that it was not line-edited kind of tripped me up during some of the poems, but I still loved it and understand why they did not. I want to read the next one.

[Jenn G · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I was very happy to read from some of my favorite songwriters and I found some that I didn't know at all.

[Jessica Christenson]

I was gifted this book when I was a teenager. it's literally embarrassing the pages I dogeared stoppp

[Stephen Carradini · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Indie" here mostly means various strains of punk rock, as lyricists from bands like Lagwagon, RX Bandits, Reel Big Fish and Motion City Soundtrack make up the bulk of the collection. Pop, indie-rock and metal get some love too. With 74 pieces from almost as many authors, the quality is varied, but most falls at average. The lows are quite low, but the highs are inversely as high. Bob Nanna's piece on how to keep a voice alive on tour keeps me coming back, and Nate Ruess' contribution of the written-out lyrics to "On Your Porch" gives the words a whole new gravitas. Worth buying for fans of indie-rock; not so much for fans of trained poets.

[Brit · Rating 5 out of 5]

My name's Brit, and I'm a lyrics freak.

I bought this book a couple of days ago for $2.99 (yes really) and I LOVE it.

This is a collection of poems. Words. Written by songwriters who have been stripped of their music .. I sat down and read it in one sitting.

I loved it .. I need to read it again .. I have specific opinions about the individual writers .. I need to research their music and see whether they are better with, or without it (not that they'd give a f**k what *I* think but ...)

I love anything lyrical, and anything which makes me hungry for research.

[Manda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a huge fan of poetry just because I find it hard to follow and understand, but I really enjoy this book. The poems are all different styles and lengths and are descriptive, but not too difficult to understand.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book that really turned me on to poetry. I picked it up when I was about 14 at my school library, and immediately I needed a copy of my own. About half of the pages of this book are dog eared to mark which poems have been my favorites at different points in my life.

[Katrina Knittle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ave never been much for poetry, but this book definitely got me hooked. Throughout this book the poems are all different. Such as, the length, style, and very descriptive. Definitely plan on reading the next book.

[Frankie OK · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the poems, stories, and artwork in this collection are interesting and beautiful. My favorite was Justin Pierre's.

[Christan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm used to reading more classic poetry so I found this refreshing and unique. I'm gonna get volume 2!

[Annyka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite piece is written by Nate Ruess

[Windy Zamora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book almost 10 years ago, and it still travels with me. It's reminds me of my childhood angst and the moments of my life where each poem or story related and helped me cope.

[Kira Cutsinger]

I dont really like poetry, but it has good reviews and it seems like a book that I would be into.

[Brendan]

The lack of formal training is obvious with some of these poets. But there's also some refreshing nonconformity. The contributors all seem to be male, which is disappointing. There are a few short stories, as well as a section of art at the end. The proceeds went to the National Center for Family Literacy.

Favorites:
"There Are the Dogs" - Russ Rankin - the scene at an open air concert
"Hadley" - Danny Smith - Ernest Hemingway's wife during his Paris years
untitled short story - Bob Nanna - keeping his voice in shape while touring

Too many bands out there underestimate the influence their lyrics have on people, and that irony can be a double-edged sword.
- Rusty Pistachio, Foreword

You're the taste upon my lips when I wake.
Sometimes you're the only faith I have.
- Dan Arnold, untitled

your secretary is the mistress I never had
- Jeremy Talley, "Perfect Teeth"

I am the piano that nobody plays
when everybody's home
- Nick Torres, untitled

She is the last verse in a thousand bitter love songs
- Jason Cruz, "Nylon"

We are constantly being told we aren't good enough, that the individual is lacking and must belong to something bigger and outside itself in order to find purpose. We're told that the individual is worthless unless it attaches itself to something.
- john Bowers, untitled

Do you have ideas or do ideas have you?
- Matt Rubano, "Emergency"