Art portfolio of The Chemire Cat
Writing Portfolio
Tranceformations: trans formations
My poetry book is self-published through Amazon KDP:
Since I was a young child I marveled at the process of change and the flux and lack of stasis of life. Out of this wonderment comes my poetry book, Tranceformations. An experience meant to conjure poetic, transformative, and powerful images into the readers' minds in a kaleidoscope of evolving pictures.
For a free, rough audio performance of the work, please click here.
To read a free sample, click here.
The Diary of James Douglas Manson
It first started as a fictional blog to experiment with on write.as. Now it is my first self-published work available for purchase on Amazon KDP. Inspired by reading Tom O'Neill's book Chaos. James Douglas Manson learns about the San Francisco Project that occurred in the late '60's and decides he needs to do his own Washington, D.C. Project against the American government.
Planetarium Coliseum: The Nationalist Capitalists
An unpublished rough work that a lot still needs to be added to, but the rough idea is a triptych of three interconnected works in an album, musical form with this as a supplemental kind of document to go alongside it. This part of the work concerns an alternative universe inspired by a deep study of WW II. It has a very graphic-novel like feel and can be checked out here.
The Pig and the Machine
Written when I was a teenager (I am 39 as of this typing), this is a surrealist short story about the trauma of war and how it can shatter a psychology. First person narration from a younger character's perspective very inspired by Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. Check it out here!
2018 Road Trip Diary
In 2018 I was fortunate that my wife had the Summer off from her job as a teacher and we had saved up to go on a big road trip. From North Dakota, we went down the West Coast, through Texas, up through Florida and up a bit of the East Coast and then back. This was before the Pandemic hit so it was a really special time. Check out a sample here.
My road trip diary is self-published through Amazon KDP:
Amazon.com: Road Trip 2018 eBook : Smith, Mitchell Grant: Kindle Store
The Pencil Sharpener War
When I went to High School at Century High School in Bismarck, North Dakota I was a part of my school's newspaper, The Century Star. Most of the time I did personal columns but I did a few stories. This one, about a history and geometry teachers' healthy, funny rivalry is my favorite.
Music portfolio
"I Already Did You In My Mind."
Inspired by The Doors "I Can't See Your Face in My Mind," it's a quick a capella vocalization of some lyrics I wrote. Check it out here.
I Hate Rock & Roll
This is a "teaser" in digital form and link form of what I later hope to produce as an album. It starts out with the song, "The Beginning," and is meant to bring homage and respect as its source inspiration from The Doors' first self-titled release. It comprises a bunch of remixes of the song, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," flips the song on its head and takes the perspective of law enforcement. When performing the song I'd wear a police uniform or something of the like, and it's meant to be a very theatrical album that you see and hear performed but can enjoy in a classic rock album. Each link is another song in the someday-to-be album. Eventually, from the rocker's standpoint, the ante is upped with the song, "I Love Boulder & Avalanche."
This is the beginning
Ugly enemy
"The Alternative The End."
...
We arrested him there by the record machine
He must have been about nineteen
The beat had come along
Knew him like a song
And he could tell he wouldn't be without we,
authority
yeah
I hate rock n roll
Empty all the dimes out the jukebox babe
I hate rock n roll
Arrest all the rockers on roll call
He thought he'd rock all night
He won't rock at all
Like a broken grandma's rocking chair
trying to rock on carpet bare
he frowned, asked me for my name
i said, "it don't matter, it's all the same."
we said, "you have the right to remain silent."
and next we were movin' on
in the squad car with me, yeah, me
I hate rock n roll
Empty all the dimes out the jukebox babe
I hate rock n roll
Arrest all the rockers 'n' roll call
-------------------------------------------------
"The Rolling Rocks."
"Boulder & Avalanche."
"Drive-By Flasher."
I love boulder n avalanche
You keep on loving law and order
By the courthouse
Like it's a record machine
Putting some more lies
In the justice machine
I love boulder and avalanche
You hate rock n roll
"Trip's Rooftop In Our Minds."
"Trip's Rooftop."
"Scissors Beats Money."
"Scissors Cuts Money."
"Death, LIberty, & Rock 'n' Roll."
"The First Shaman."
"T.V. Rain."
"Global Warning."
"The T.V. Of The Forest."
"The Unknown Warrior."
"Not To Touch The Universe."
This Is Native American Rock 'n' Roll For The Genocide Death Toll
I considered that "country music" was Native American music more than it was the Wasichu who later came here and committed horrendous genocide. Out of a love of the Pop-Country fusion a la Shania Twain, and oddly inspired by Staind's vocalist and frontman defection into the genre of country was born...Native American Country. More a rough character sketch for another alter ego, "Sitting Fire Tiger" who sits with that Sitting Bull; this is a piece which shows the potential of the idea in a comical and rough form. I'd like to do an album as this alter ego and in the Native American Country genre.
"Native American Pie."
A rendition of "American Pie" which concerns drinking Ayahuasca and feeling wry. Native American woman better not get away.
Piano Practice
The more mediums the more possible expression is the Greek idea exemplified by "Arete." Here is a pretty old video back when I was playing keyboard on a daily basis. I really need to get back into that.
G Major Scale Practice
I haven't yet really combined my lyrics/ vocals with guitar or keyboard. I have a version of "End of the Night" by the Doors where I've mixed vocals in, but I am very much still working on it. For now, here's a video of me messing around with the G Major Scale.