Jim James (Louisville, KY) 
Amy O'Bryan (Louisville, KY)

Brigid Kalin (Louisville, KY)
Bobbie (Louisville, KY)
 

FEBRUARY 

Billy Bisig (Louisville, KY)
Anne (Louisville, KY)
Tom Grubs (Toledo, OH)
Kim McKnight (Cincinnati, OH)
Lintinis Restaurant (Louisville, KY)
 

A heartfelt welcome to all our new red army cadets. Thanks for joining us, and growing the coalition of support for myself and "the vixen red." With 10 days to go before the first of spring, I reflect back on a warm and productive winter, tucked inside my studio @ the ghostly Distillery Commons Complex in Louisville. A new record is finished and the planning for the 4th year of a historic, outdoor festival is underway. Before I go into detail about this and everything else exciting and new, a constant reminder to send me your mailing address if you haven't done so already. Everyone who has will be getting a cool version of this in the mail, along w/ free stuff when available. And if you're already on the mailing list and you're getting ready to move, SEND ME YOUR NEW ADDRESS. Otherwise, I can't keep sending you the free cool stuff. Allright, onto the cool stuff. Here's what's keeping me up all night::

+ RECORDING: The writing process for the next Vixen Red record - "Amazing Places" is finished, nearly 20 new songs in a little over three and a half months, plus some new ones in February that are quite good. Musically and lyrically, it’s completely different than the last record – lighter and brighter. It’s still got a big, overbearing sound felt to the extreme on last year’s “Sunrise and Nightfall in the Equestrian Sea”, and of course is very poetic: cathartic stories set in broad landscapes. But there is no more screaming and no more putting thirty guitar tracks on one song. Those days seem to be behind me, as adolescent angst is buried in my back yard. This one stands on its own, resembling an epic love poem, a journeyman’s tale. It’s really, really positive and I’m proud of it. I’ve posted all the lyrics online, check it out @ http://www.thevixenred.com/amazing_places.htm In January I completed acoustic demos of all the new songs, write me if you’d like to receive a copy. The next step for me is finding a new band, which has always been the most difficult challenge for me. If I can find new people, we’ll be doing shows by late spring and recording in the summer with a significant other, who resides in Lexington, Kentucky. Speaking of which: 

If you know a good, dedicated:
DRUMMER, BASSIST or KEYBOARD PLAYER out there, send them my way!

+ SHOWS: Speaking of adolescent angst being buried in the back yard, so is touring for the time being. I have to put together a new band, it’s my #1 priority over the next several months. I’ll be doing a few solo dates here and there, debuting the new vixen red material, but am planning no significant road adventures until a new band is in place. Here are the upcoming dates:

03.17.05 - Louisville, KY @ St. Patrick's Cathedral (outside)

05.06.05 - Louisville, KY @ Uncle Pleasants **DERBY EVE SHOW**

The bigger news here is FORECASTLE 2005. As many people know, for the past four years I have dedicated myself to a cause bigger than my own self interests. An outdoor festival which showcases music, art and social activism equally in a scenic, outdoor environment: FORECASTLE. The past three years have been amazing, with no sponsorship and everything donated, the show we put on last July attracted almost two thousand people. This year’s festival, the first festival to be attempted in ten years @ the famous, 409-acre, Olmstead-designed “Cherokee Park”, is going to be historic and memorable. I’ve dedicated everything I have to it, raising money for the first time and planning an event 3X larger than Forecastle 2004. For the first time, we’ll be bringing in a national band to headline our “west” stage, and will be launching a 10-city promotional tour in June. I wrote a good piece on the festival last January, it’s the bible of what Forecastle is and what it will become in the future: READ IT HERE. The next several months will be challenging, but incredibly exciting as well. So many people have been calling, writing, and pushing me forward. For the first time in my life, I understand exactly why. Their enthusiasm drives me, with the challenge to do something that’s never been done in this city, and more importantly, the opportunity to build Forecastle into major national festival, unlike any other in the country.

+ WEB STUFF: The official FORECASTLE website: http://www.forecastlefestival.com, is slated to launch in April. You can guarantee that I’ll send out a massive red army memo when that happens. Other than that, I have updated the entire concert chronology section of the dual jk mcknight and vixen red websites w/ late fall and winter shows, and kept the news sections updated as well. Lots of things going on, more “behind the scene” than anything else. As mentioned previously, the next major addition to the websites - "The Red Book" – has been put on hold until more money comes through. The world's first book-design, 4-chapter, user-interactive message board site WILL BE BUILT. It’s just going take some time, longer than I expected. For all our new cadets, The Red Book Interactive Message Board is a multi-thousand dollar project that will set new standards for online communication, and make it possible for all of us to express ourselves in new ways. The interactive "Red Book" will be comprised of the following 4 chapters: 

LYRICS
POETRY / SHORT STORIES
OBSERVATION BOARD  (a place where fans can gather to discuss issues of importance)
OBSERVATION DECK  (going further, a place where fans can write a full or half piece page on whatever seems relevant or interesting, and publishing it in the book)

+ STREET TEAM: The JK McKnight / Vixen Red Street Team has transformed itself into “The Forecastle Team” until the next vixen red record – “Amazing Places” is ready to record. Having said that, myself and other Forecastle organizers will be having our first committee meeting @ Cherokee Park at the end of the month, to begin formal discussions on FORECASTLE 2005. For anyone interested in joining us, please e-mail forecastle5@yahoo.com There are going to be a ton of jobs available, and we’re going to need all the help we can get. It’s going to be a great time and an experience you’ll remember. So don’t hesitate to write if you want to get involved, lend a hand, and make some new friends. In conclusion, once the recording process for “Amazing Places” is underway, I’ll be expanding the street team regionally. If you're based in Louisville or elsewhere, and our interested in joining the vixen red street promotional team, write me @ thevixenred@yahoo.com. Jobs can be as simple as putting up a few posters to promote an upcoming show, to actually setting up the show itself. We're always looking for more locals, but also need more out-of-state team members, to assist with promotion efforts once the next record is released.

+

This is it for now, for the first time since I starting mailing   seasonal newsletters, I’m afraid I’m too wrapped up in this festival and bandmate search to create the artsy mailer I send every three months (you know, the one that arrives on your doorstep in a red, spray-painted package? The one your neighbor thinks is part of a terroristic plot?). The truth is, I’ve worked really hard these past two months with little sleep and the upcoming weeks are critical. I’ll get through it and come May everyone will get their newsletter, packed with info. As I am a southern boy, I cannot wait for the season of love and renewal to entrench me in hope and sunlight. In the months ahead, I will continue my search for new vixen red bandmates and push on with the historic opportunity presented to me in FORECASTLE 2005. As always, when important news breaks and catastrophic global events occur within the world of myself and the vixen red, I will continue to update. I want to say thanks to everyone who has joined this community, your spirit is always with me. As more join and make their presence heard, the greater our swell will rise.
 

nell 'amore e spirito (in love and spirit) ~ JKM

http://www.jkmcknight.com
http://www.thevixenred.com

http://www.forecastlefestival.com (launching soon!)