As the Mad Swirlin' Turns...

"To everything - turn, turn, turn / There is a season - turn, turn, turn / And a time for every purpose under heaven" - The Byrds


We here at Mad Swirl are turn-turn-turning, mix-mix-mixing things up and keeping this swirlin' whirlin' into 2012... and beyond!

The first turn we're turning is on our editorial staff. Gordon Hilgers, our former Short Story Editor, is now Mad Swirl's Resident Critic. If you know Gordon, you'll understand why we felt his talents are best suited for this role. Come MadSwirl.com 2.0 time (see below), Gordon's role will play a significant part by adding in his spiciness to the content through his commentary, critiques and sharings'o'links. We're looking forward to seeing what he stirs up!

With that being said...

Please welcome aboard the newest member to Mad Swirl's editorial staff, Short Story Editor Tyler Malone. Tyler is a longtime contributor to our Poetry Forum and Short Story library as well as our stand-in Poetry Editor when MH Clay is off globetrotting. Tyler was asked and tasked with the job of filling the very large editorial shoes of Gordon. Why Tyler? We have several reasons. Just to name a few... 1) Tyler is a very talented writer himself. 2) Tyler's voice will be a great addition to the harmonizing ditty we sing here at the Swirl AND 3) Tyler sends us homemade chocolate chip cookies every week! (OK, he doesn't, but maybe he'll take the hint) We know you'll agree with us on our reasoning behind our selection.

But wait, we're not stopping there... there's more!

Another yearnin' for the turnin' comes swirlin' thru our monthly Open Mic. As some of you know, we've been stirrin' up madness at Absinthe Lounge for over 7 years now. That's like 84 in open mic years! It's time to switch things up a bit, wouldn't you say? We say yes! Mad Swirl will still do the 1st Wednesday poetically musical voodoo that we do do but starting in March we will bring back feature sets, streamline our list, and do 2 bigger shows this year in the same vein of our past Swirl-a-bout and Blue Note events. Stay tuned fo' mo'!

Getting dizzy yet? Yeah, we too...

Did someone say Mad Swirl Anthology? Yep, we did... this time last year. We planned on doing a print anthology in 2011. But as John Lennon sang, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" Life happened to us. But luckily, life goes on and so do our plans and promises! We are in the process of gathering the best of the "best of" poetry, short stories and artwork featured in 2011. If you were a part of our online community of mad ones you just might make our biggest print issue yet! We got a goal and doggone it we're gonna do our darndest to get it all between a front and back cover and into your hands by the time the trees start filling in with leaves.

Feel those winds a'changin'? How refreshing!

Speaking of refreshing, Mad Swirl plans on unveiling the new, and improved MadSwirl.com 2.0! Yes, it's been teased before but we never unveiled this latest phase of our creative evolution. The new design will allow for direct commentary from you, our fellow mad ones! Yes, Facebook is great for that too. With our 2.0 version you can intermingle with both MadSwirl.com and Facebook! We will also be able to post more rapidly meaning less time in the review queue for you! And with the RSS feed capabilities, you'll know exactly when, what and who we post the minute we post. Look for this turn this summer!

"A time to be born, a time to die / A time to plant, a time to reap" We couldn't agree more with the Byrds. It is time. Change isn't a comin', change is here! We're ready. We're willing. We're able.

Mad Swirl-fully Yours,

Johnny O
Editor-in-Chief

Notes of Gratitude to ALL the Open Mic Mad Ones : 12.01.10

••• Notes of Gratitude to ALL the Open Mic Mad Ones •••


0n 12.01.10, Mad Swirl continued to do the poetic & musical open mic voodoo that what we do do every 1st Wednesday of the month at Absinthe Lounge! The crowd in the Lounge dug the musical musings of Swirve. Then hosts Johnny O and Gordon Hilgers got to callin' all the mad poets, musicians, singers & performers & a few other miscellaneous mad ones in Absinthe Lounge to come & strut their mad stuff! And strut it they did!

Mad Swirlin' thanks to the following mad ones that made this past open mic one of the most wonder-filled nights ever... (in order of appearance)

Johnny O (host)
Gordon Hilgers (co-host)
BA
Lilly Penhall
Roderick Richardson
Alex P
Maggie Smith
Andrew Marstellar
Josh Weir
Emily Riggert
James Hargrave
Victory
Chris Zimmerly
Desmene Statum
Konnichiwa Zach
Hammer
THE Chris
Jason Gully
Justin David Tate
Amy Ledbetter
Charlie Tips

A very special swirlin’ thanks to the hep cats who are Swirve. Gerard Bendiks kept the beat on skins and trumpeteer Chris Curiel keepin' us movin' and groovin' all night long! All the ingredients needed for the trip they took us on, note-by-note.

HUGE thanks to Absinthe Lounge owner Kevin Christensen for allowing us mad ones to go with our flow for AMOST 6 years now. And a shout-out to the fine Lounge staffers for keeping the mad spirits fillin' and swillin' for us buzzed mad ones.

And finally we would like to thank ALL of you who freely shared their hand claps, finger-snaps, hoots and howls with all the mad ones who got up on this sacred mad swirlin' mic.

••• Mad Swirl Open Mic 01.05.2011 •••

0n 01.05.11, starting at 8:00-ish, Mad Swirl will continue doing the open mic voodoo that what we do do on and into 2011! Join host Johnny O and co-host MH Clay,along with the musically magical trio Swirve and the usual unusual mad suspects as we do our darndest to both blow and open your minds. We will be callin' all you mystically mad poets, musicians, dancers, actors, singers, performers & any other miscellaneous mad ones in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to come & strut your mad stuff!

Come one, come all! Come to participate. Come to appreciate. Come to be a part of the madness!

••• Interested in Performing? •••

Are you a mad poet, musician, actor, singer and/or performer? (circus freaks and Elvis impersonators always welcome) Do you live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area? Then come-n-strut-yo-stuff.

Come one. Come all. Come to participate. Come to appreciate. Come to support your fellow mad ones.

The mic opens up around 8:00 and closes when there's no one left standing. Show up the night of and get on the list!

Got questions? E-mail us at openmic@madswirl.com for further details that may not be listed here.

Mad Swirl Open Mic at Absinthe Lounge. It's THE place to be on the first Wednesday of the month! (it's also THE place for 1st Wednesday's $2 drafts/$5 Mad Absinthes)

And please, by all means, FEEL FREE TO SPREAD THE WORD!

••• Where's This Madness Take Place? •••

Absinthe Lounge is located in the SouthSide on Lamar building.

1409 South Lamar Street • Dallas, TX 75215

Mad Swirl Open Mic'in It Into 2010!

0n 01.06.10, starting at 8:00-ish, Mad Swirl continues doing the open mic voodoo that what we do do on into and thru 2010! Join host Johnny O along with the musically magical trio Swirve, as they do their darndest to both blow and open our minds. We will be callin' all you mystically mad poets, musicians, dancers, actors, singers, performers & any other miscellaneous mad ones in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to come & strut your mad stuff!

Come one, come all! Come to participate. Come to appreciate. Come to be a part of the madness!

Where's all this madness take place? Why it takes place at Absinthe Lounge, located in the SouthSide on Lamar building.

1409 South Lamar Street • Dallas, TX 75215 (google map)

"Begin doing what you want to do now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake." - Marie Beyon Ray

Mad Swirl Open Mic : Celebrating 10 Years of Swirling Madly!

(pre p.s. Mad Swirl Open Mic on 11.04.09 is not to be confused with Mad Swirl's Swirl-A-Bout! on 11.07.09)

Mad Swirl kicks off each 1st Wednesday open mic night with a special opening "swirling it up" set that showcases a medley of featured mad ones.

0n 11.04.09, starting at 8:00, Mad Swirl will continue doing the poetic & musical open mic voodoo that what we do. Join us this month as we are celebrate our 10th Mad Swirl Birthday AND our 5th Open Mic Anniversary! Wanna be a part of this whole mad swirly celebration? Then shoot us an e-mail (crazy@madswirl.com) and let us know what you got in your mad mind.

After we get our celebratin' on, join host Johnny O along with the musically magical trio Swirve, as they do their darndest to both blow and open our minds. We will be callin' all you mystically mad poets, musicians, dancers, actors, singers, performers & any other miscellaneous mad ones in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to come & strut your mad stuff!

Where's all this madness take place? Why it takes place at Absinthe Lounge, located in the SouthSide on Lamar building.

1409 South Lamar Street • Dallas, TX 75215 (google map)

You say it's your birthday? It's Mad Swirl's birthday too yeah!

::: Notes of Gratitude to the Beat-utiful Mad Ones of 09.02.09 :::

::: Notes of Gratitude to ALL the Mad Ones :::

0n 09.02.09, Mad Swirl continued doing the poetic & musical open mic voodoo that what we do do do. All the loco local hipsters gathered 'round, diggin' on the scene. They came armed with hand-claps and finger-snaps as we kicked off the with our feature set.


A Night of Beat-itudes was our ode to the beats that inspired us to be what we be. Our most sincerest gratitiudes to our featured beat aficionados... (pics coming sooner then later)

Opalina Salas (host)
MH Clay
Roderick Richardson
Carlos Salas
Johnny O

This beat-tific crew reminded us why these beat legendary poets, writers & musicians still hold a place in our mad, mad hearts. Swirve kicked off the mad swirlin' festivities with some tunes to get us movin', groovin' and steppin' lead us into this beat-u-till-full evening.

Then it was on to the open mic madness where Johnny O & guest co-host Opalina Salas, called all the hip chicks and daddy-o's out there to share their soul. We called all the mad poets, musicians, singers, comedians & performers to come & strut their mad stuff! They came. They saw. We dug. We dig.

Mad Swirlin' thanks to the following hipsters that made this past 1st Wednesday a most beat-utiful night... (pics coming sooner then later)

Konnichiwa Zach
Desmene Statum
Gordon Hilgers
Lisa O
Poetic Shaman
Josh Weir
BA
Jolee Davis-Cloudy
Joey Cloudy
Devorah
Chris Hamilton
Amy Weaver
Andrew Marsteller
Victory
Bear Rodehaver

-

Atrium
Hammer
Poet Echo
Randal Scott
Rachael (10K Poets)
Tim Miranda

A very special swirlin’ thanks to the hep cats who are Swirve. We dug the scene that amazin' mad man Chris Curiel on trumpet and Tamitha Curiel on vocals and Clark Walker on skins made to keep us movin', groovin' and go...Go...GO-ing all night long!

HUGE thanks to Absinthe Lounge owner (and the hippest of the hip) Kevin Christensen for allowing us mad ones to go with our flow for almost 5 years now. And a shout-out to the fine Lounge staffers Brian and John for keeping the mad spirits fillin' and swillin' for us mad ones.

And finally we would like to thank ALL the ca-razy chick-sters and daddy-o's who freely shared their hand claps, finger-snaps, hoots and howls with all the mad ones who got up on this sacred mad swirlin' mic.

::: Mad Swirl Open Mic Night :::

Mad Swirl kicks off each 1st Wednesday open mic night with a special opening "swirling it up" set that showcases a medley of featured mad ones.

0n 10.07.09, at 8:00, Mad Swirl will continue doing the poetic & musical open mic voodoo that what we do do. This month we'll be featuring the magician, poet and "mad medicine" man Merlin the Magical One. Join the long-haired mystical Magical One, along with the musically magical trio Swirve, as they do their darndest to both blow and open our minds.

Then it's on to the open mic madness where host Johnny O will be callin' all you mystically mad poets, musicians, dancers, actors, singers, performers & any other miscellaneous mad ones in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to come & strut your mad stuff!

::: Where Does This Madness Take Place? :::


Absinthe Lounge is located in the SouthSide on Lamar building.

1409 South Lamar Street • Dallas, TX 75215
(google map it!)

Mad Swirl Open Mic : A Night of Beat-itudes

Mad Swirl kicks off each 1st Wednesday open mic night with a special opening "swirling it up" set that showcases a medley of featured mad ones.

0n 09.02.09 at 8:00-ish on dot-ish, Mad Swirl will continue doing the poetic & musical open mic voodoo that what we do do. A Night of Beat-itudes is our ode to the beats that inspired us to be what we be.

Join beat aficionado Opalina Salas, along with Roderick Richardson, Carlos Salas, MH Clay & Johnny O as they reminds us why these poets, writers & musicians still hold a place in our mad, mad hearts. Swirve will kick off the mad swirlin' festivities with some tunes to get us movin', groovin' and steppin' leading us into this beat-u-till-full evening.

Then it's on to the open mic madness where Johnny O & guest co-host Opalina Salas, will be callin' all you mad poets, musicians, dancers, actors, singers, performers & any other miscellaneous mad ones in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to come & strut your mad stuff!

Where's all this madness take place? Why it takes place at Absinthe Lounge, located in the SouthSide on Lamar building.

1409 South Lamar Street • Dallas, TX 75215 (google map)

Be there all you hip chicks and daddy-o's...or be...well, you know...square.

Mad Swirl's Swirlin' It Up with the Mochalux Experience

Mad Swirl kicks off each 1st Wednesday open mic night with a special "Swirlin' It Up!" opening set that showcases a medley of featured mad ones.

Join us on 08.05.09 as we swirl it up with the mad ones from DFW Open Mics as they present to us the Mochalux Experience!

Starting at 8:00, Swirve will kick off the mad swirlin' festivities with some tunes to get us movin', groovin' and steppin'. From 8:15 - 9:15 the Mad Swirl Open Mic transforms into the Mochalux Experience! Featured in this set will be...

Paul Sexton (host)
Roderick Richardson
David Crandall
Devorah
Josh Cooley

Then it's on to the open mic madness where Johnny O and guest co-host Paul Sexton will be callin' all you mad poets, musicians, dancers, actors, singers, performers & any other miscellaneous mad ones in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to come & strut your mad stuff!

Don't wish you were there, JUST BE THERE THIS 1st Wednesday!

Come one. Come all. Come to participate. Come to appreciate. Come to support your fellow mad ones.

Mad Swirl Open Mic at Absinthe Lounge: If cool was gas, we'd all be tootin'!

Mad Swirl Open Mic's Grinding It Up on 07.01.09!

Mad Swirl kicks off each 1st Wednesday open mic night with a special "Swirlin' It Up!" opening set that showcases a medley of featured mad ones.

Join us this month as we swirl it up with a twist of slam with the Dallas slam poets from The Poetry Grind!

At 8:00 Swirve will kick off the mad swirlin' festivities with some tunes to get us movin', groovin' and steppin'. From 8:15 - 9:15 the mic belongs to The Poetry Grind!

Then it's on to the open mic madness where Johnny O will be callin' all you mad poets, musicians, dancers, actors, singers, performers & any other miscellaneous mad ones in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to come & strut your mad stuff!

Don't wish you were there, JUST BE THERE THIS 1st Wednesday!

Come one. Come all. Come to participate. Come to appreciate. Come to support your fellow mad ones.

Mad Swirl Open Mic at Absinthe Lounge: The best thing since the invent of electroshock therapy!

Mad Swirlin' Grats to the Open Mic'n Mad Ones!

Mad Swirl kicks off each 1st Wednesday open mic night with a special "Swirlin' It Up!" opening set that showcases a medley of featured mad ones.

On 06.03.09 Mad Swirl swirled up our open mic with East Dallas' creative collective crew Death List Five (insert echo here). These mad ones brought their poetic A-games as they, along with Swirve, and served us a heaping plate of swirling madness! Sincere gratitude to the following mad ones from Death List Five...

Jolee Davis-Cloudy (feature host)
Max Earl Blair
Desmene Statum
Joey Cloudy

Then it was on the usual open mic madness as Johnny O & co-host Jolee Davis-Cloudy called all the mad poets, musicians, singers, comedians & performers to come & strut their mad stuff! They came. They saw. And we all went mad!

Mad Swirlin' thanks to the following mad one's that made this past 1st Wednesday all that it was: (pics coming sooner then later):

Round 1

Johnny O (host)
Merlin the Magical One
Opalina Salas
M.H. Clay
Amy Weaver
Claude Barrett
Roderick Richardson
Cabe Lindsay
Konnichewa Zach
Gigi Foster
Bear Rodehaver
Devorah Titunik
Josh Weir
BA
Gordon Hilgers
Andrew Marsteller
Chris Hamilton

Round 2

Poet Echo
Queen
Ebony
Sam
David Crandall

A very special swirlin’ thanks to Swirve's amazin' trumpeter Chris Curiel, mad man G-Man Gerard Bendix on skins and Kenny Withrow on wailin' guitar for keeping us movin', groovin' and steppin' all night long! And an extra special thanks to special guest Cricket Taylor for sharing her AMAZINGLY beautiful voice and chords with us.

And HUGE thanks to Absinthe Lounge and owner Kevin for allowing us mad ones to go with our flow for over 4 years now. And a shout-out to the fine Lounge staffers Brian and Tracey for keeping the mad spirits fillin' and swillin' for us mad ones.

And finally we would like to thank ALL the appreciators who freely shared their hand claps, finger-snaps, hoots and howls with all the mad ones who got up on this sacred mad swirlin' mic.

Join us next month as we "swirl it up" this time with a twist of slam as we feature the Dallas slam poets from The Poetry Grind! Don’t wish you were there, JUST BE THERE on the next 1st Wednesday...

::: 8:00 ::: 07.01.09 ::: Absinthe Lounge :::

Then it's on to the open mic madness where Mad Swirl's Johnny O & the Poetry Grind-ers will be callin' all you mad poets, musicians, dancers, actors, singers, performers & any other miscellaneous mad ones in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to come & strut your mad stuff!

Come one. Come all. Come to participate. Come to appreciate. Come to support your fellow mad ones.

Mad Swirl Open Mic at Absinthe Lounge: If we could bottle this swirling madness up and sell it, we'd be bazillionaires!

Mad Swirl's Swirlin' It Up Open Mic Night

Mad Swirl kicks off each 1st Wednesday open mic night with a special "Swirlin' It Up!" opening set that showcases a medley of featured mad ones.

Join us on 06.03.09 as we feature the East Dallas creative collective crew from Death List Five (insert echo here). Don't wish you were there, JUST BE THERE at 8:00pm as the following Death List Fiver's will be taking over the mad mic for our feature set...

Jolee Davis-Cloudy
Joey Cloudy
Desmene Statum
Max Earl Blair
Dan Evans

Then it's on to the open mic madness where Johnny O & guest co-host Jolee Davis-Cloudy will be callin' all you mad poets, musicians, dancers, actors, singers, performers & any other miscellaneous mad ones in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to come & strut your mad stuff!

Come one. Come all. Come to participate. Come to appreciate. Come to support your fellow mad ones.

Mad Swirl Open Mic at Absinthe Lounge: If we could bottle this swirling madness up and sell it, we'd be bazillionaires!