The Poison Pie Publishing House presents:

November 1, 2026
In scarcely a fortnight, our band of musicians left Epirus behind and with it the Greek language. Fording the Aoös River, they arrived in the land of Illyria. It was inhabited by tribes, each with their own dialect of a tongue incomprehensible to an outsider. The travelers were well into the territory before Andromache became aware of this linguistic change because the shrubs and trees, no less than the birds and beasts, whom she encountered along their path, were steadfast in their adherence to a universal speech indifferent to geographic borders.

written while listening to:  Alessandro Galati Trio - Cubicq (Blue Gleam, BG003, 2010, Japan, cd, discogs.com)

November 2, 2026
In a small glade surrounded by forest, they came upon an isolated homestead, built of moss-covered stone and roofed with thatch. In all lands, people are made in different ways and some have a low tolerance for the company of their own kind. So it must have been with the couple who fled the civilized world to live their remaining years together in sylvan peace. The gray-haired pair were tending to their garden when the band came along the footpath. Hektor had been playing walking music on his pan flute but ceased when he noticed them.

written while listening to:  Carlos Zíngaro, Guillaume Gargaud & João Madeira - N'Bandi (4DaRecord, 4DRDGTCD006, 2023, Portugal, digital files, discogs.com)

November 3, 2026
"Don't stop playing on our account," said the old woman, "We seldom hear music of this kind." Andromache had never heard Illyrian spoken and recognized not a word. The old man continued his wife's thought, "On most days we are content to listen to the song of the wind and the voice of the birds." Much to Andromache's surprise, Papa responded in kind, "Then we are met by kindred spirits for, though we are capable of making music, our best efforts imitate the arias and psalms of the natural world."

written while listening to:  Raed Yassin - Phantom Orchestra, Sides C & D (Morphine Records, DOSER046LP, 2025, Germany, lpx2, discogs.com)

November 4, 2026
Papa Krokodeilos' passable Illyrian provided Andromache with an indication that, in their earlier attempt to reach Massalia, the band had made it at least this far. No trading transpired at the homestead for it was inhabited by just husband and wife, who managed to meet their own needs with little surplus to spare. Nonetheless, Papa found good reason to pause here for the day, as he wished to learn what he could of the current state of events hereabouts. They pitched tents at the edge of the clearing, the house being too small to accommodate all of them.

written while listening to:  Derek Bailey - ECA [1992] (scatterArchive, no catalog #, 2025 (rec. 1992), United Kingdom, digital files, discogs.com)

November 5, 2026
From the old woman and her husband, Papa learned that little had changed in the long years since his last visit. No significant settlements had arisen and the people yet dwelt in isolated hillforts, best defended against bands of roaming marauders. The couple managed to elude the predations of local bandits largely due to a combination of isolation, poverty, humility and luck. None of this was explained to Andromache, who thought that, if their hosts represented the barbarians of the northern wilds, the Greeks had much to learn from them.

written while listening to:  Keiji Haino & Reinhold Friedl - Truly, Slightly, Overflowing, Whereabout of Good Will (zeitkratzer Records, zkr1103, 2025, Germany, cd, discogs.com)

November 6, 2026
The band played a concert that night, the first public set as an octet since Molykreia, north of the Strait of Rion, which seemed ages ago to Andromache. Time flowed weirdly in the wilds, she supposed. Seated side by side on a blanket in the glade, the couple were a gracious and attentive audience. The music contained more pauses than usual, a mechanism Papa introduced to allow the surrounding nocturnal chorus to fill the momentary silences and contribute to the music as a whole, which delighted their two listeners to no end.

written while listening to:  Joëlle Léandre - Contrebasse et Voix (Adda, 581043, 1988, France, cd, discogs.com)

November 7, 2026
In the morning, the band folded the tents and loaded them in the cart, planning to make an early start. The Illyrians came out to bid them farewell. "Where do you go?" asked the husband. When Papa shared their eventual destination, the couple, not surprisingly, had never heard of Massalia. Papa translated a last bit of advice for Mama Chloë. "Take care of yourself and your daughter," said the wife, "for the brigands of these woods are unsavory men. Avoid them if you can. If you cannot, then be wary and do not let her stray from your sight."

written while listening to:  Various Artists - Meuf Vol. 3 (Barefoot Records, BFREC087CD, 2025, Denmark, cd, discogs.com)

November 8, 2026
This warning was issued within earshot of Andromache, for the old woman wanted her to heed it as well. After the musicians had left the homestead, Andromache did not broach the subject with Mama or Papa. Part of her silence was due to resignation; whatever dangers lurked ahead, none would drive her from the band. She neither had nor wanted any other option. But a brighter source of her silence was a confidence in Papa's ability to protect her. He had traveled here before and knew something of what perils lay before them.

written while listening to:  Poor Isa, Evan Parker & Ingar Zach - untitled (Aspen Edities, Aspen 023, 2025, Belgium, lp, discogs.com)

November 9, 2026
The land remained rugged. As their winding path followed contours between gorges and peaks, the band began to encounter juniper, and saw from afar the preponderance of pine and fir on the high slopes. The skies were a haven for the gliding silhouettes of falcons and vultures, while the stony cliffs harbored a distinct aviary. Triballos pointed out to Andromache a small bird with a brilliant red band across its wings clinging to the rock. Grandpa called it a wallcreeper. The proper names of many other choughs, larks and swifts were unknown to him.

written while listening to:  Dave Rempis, Tomeka Reid, Joshua Abrams, Tim Daisy & Tyler Damon - The COVID Tapes, disc 1 (Aerophonic Records, 031, 2021, United States, cdx2, discogs.com)

November 10, 2026
The highlight of the evening, at least from Andromache's perspective, was another lesson with the lyre. She enjoyed the feel of Mama Chloë's fingers repositioning her own over the strings. This meticulous attention to touch and posture of her hands seemed a kind of affection that Andromache craved. Moreover, she began to intuit during the lesson that Mama was teaching her a new song in which she would lead on the lyre. The other musicians occasionally chimed in with complementary accompaniment when she practiced the melody.

written while listening to:  Olivier Hestin - Orpha (Modus, OH03, 2023, France, cd, discogs.com)

November 11, 2026
On following nights, the lesson resumed with Andromache improving her playing of the basic structure of the song, though any improvisation yet lay beyond her skill with the lyre. Mama Chloë introduced the idea that the song should have lyrics. "Synder," she said, "I've been toying with a few words to match this tune and I would like you to sing them." Her suggestion was greeted with resounding approval by the other members of the band. Andromache was surprised for none had heard her sing to judge the quality of her voice.

written while listening to:  Roscoe Mitchell New Chamber Ensemble - Pilgrimage (Lovely Music, Ltd., LCD 2022, 1993, United States, cd, discogs.com)

November 12, 2026
The verses that Mama Chloë revealed rather abruptly at the next lesson appeared almost complete. They had been subject to numerous internal revisions during the long miles of their walking days. Henceforth, this song served to define unambiguously the nature of the malady that irrefutably made Andromache part of the band. Seated around the campfire, all listened with rapt attention as Mama recited the lyrics for the first time. She cleared her throat and then proposed that the song be titled, "The Plaint of Sundered Synder".

written while listening to:  Jandek - Austin Saturday (Corwood Industries, CORWOOD 0844, 2021, United States, cd, discogs.com)

November 13, 2026
A virgin wandered alone in a frigid forest. Shunned by all, she bore a curse lain upon her in retribution for the sins of her father. Any man who lay with this maiden would have the strength sapped from his muscles and, after the act of coitus, be left a shriveled invalid. The first fool, unable to control his libido, lost his youth and became a charge of this woman, who cared for him now in his helpless state. Let her husband serve as a warning to all others lest they be tempted to sample the fruit of her womanhood and suffer the same doom.

written while listening to:  Ahmad Jamal - Jamal Plays Jamal (20th Century Records, T-459, 1974, United States, lp, discogs.com)

November 14, 2026
The band seemed very pleased with this creative output, even Grandpa who was not portrayed all that favorably. Andromache sang it ten times, until she had all the words memorized and the band settled on a melody. In each repetition, they experimented with tempo and tone, searching for the right combination of elements to lodge emotion in memory. Andromache privately maintained some ambivalence about being described with a vampiric aspect. However, she followed the lead of Papa and Mama who deemed such precautions prudent.

written while listening to:  Sam Kulik - Putting a Hand on the World (Relative Pitch Records, RPRSS037, 2025, United States, cd, discogs.com)