Defying Gravity - Let the Journey Begin...!
May 19, 2026
Hey,
I hope you’re doing well...! It’s Monday evening, a pretty unusual moment for me to watch the sun go down as I’m sitting in my office, catching my breath from what has been one of the busiest weeks I have had this year thus far! I literally didn’t have a short moment to write this missive beforehand since we had so much happening between announcing a new tour, releasing a new song and EP, while spending my mornings at our pressing plant as we reached a never-reached-before level of projects to finalize.
Alex left for Virginia this morning for another week as he also needed a short break on top of his mountain looking for a fresh perspective as we’re finalizing the work on some new songs we truly can’t wait to start sharing with you! I read something on Alex’s Substack mentioning mid-June...! Did you notice?
In the meantime, I really enjoyed the upcoming tour name and had those two words following me everywhere I went over the past few days, and I thought I’d share some of those with you, since, to me, Defying Gravity is not about leaving Earth behind, even if, in all honesty, it would be so cool to be able to fly!
🎧 Music I’m listening to
New release from Thrill Jockey, which I always liked and followed, but this time, the song truly fits my actual vibe, navigating between being exhausted and excited!
OOIOO (I don’t know how to pronounce that band) and Lightning Bolt are both bands whose music is wholly unique and whose creators’ influence would be really hard to overstate. YoshimiO, OOIOO’s founder and bandleader, has been a guiding force in uncompromising art across the continuum of rock and improvised music for four decades, from her work in countless bands that would send Cabaret Voltaire to the radio.
Even though I would love to fly, this kinda vibe truly keeps me grounded and sometimes even floored!
Listen to the Missive Playlist
📖 Reading highlight I’m pondering
“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses and princes who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage.” - Rainer Maria Rilke
I often find myself wishing transcendence came from escaping things, escaping pain, contradictions, grief, anxiety, the heaviness of existence itself. There are days where getting rid of all that weight sounds like the most beautiful thing imaginable, and I’m sure you agree with this!
But lately, I’ve been wondering if it’s actually the opposite.
What if transcendence doesn’t happen when we run away from life, but when we finally stop running? What if defying gravity has less to do with floating above everything and more to do with learning how to remain present within it all with tenderness, kindness, dignity, and even wonder despite the weight we carry?
This year’s theme for The Club, Transcending Time from One’s Heart Gravity, keeps unfolding in unexpected ways for me as weeks go by, realizing how much the heart has its own gravity. Invisible, but powerful. Something is constantly pulling us toward what truly matters: connection, memory, love, beauty, and one another.
And maybe time itself changes shape around the things we deeply feel.
🎙️ Podcast That Inspired Me
Houston We Have a Podcast - The Overview Effect
We all recently were excited to follow the incredible journey around the moon of Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and CSA mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. Since they came back to planet Earth, I was intrigued to hear and read what they had to share after such a unique experience.
That brought me to discover this podcast, which is profoundly moving. It explores how astronauts emotionally changed after seeing Earth from space. It features author and philosopher Frank White, who spent decades interviewing astronauts about what they experienced psychologically and spiritually after returning home.
One of the most beautiful ideas discussed is this, and it made me think of the spirit we give birth to during our gatherings around concerts and else:
Astronauts often return realizing that humanity’s divisions are largely imagined from the distance of space. Borders disappear. Ego shrinks. Fragility and emotions become visible. Many of them come back talking less about technology or achievement and more about how fragile and connected everything suddenly feels from up there. Borders disappear. Noise disappears.
The illusion that we are separate from one another starts to dissolve. Connection becomes undeniable, even inspiring thoughts like “We are really all in this together.”
📸 My Picture Of The Week
A Defying Gravity Moment!!!!!
I took that picture while in Toronto and decided not to share it on my personal social media, as I was sure I could keep it for a greater moment!
💬 Shared in the Long Shadows Chat this week
As you of course are not surprised, all of your comments shared following the tour, between those who were so excited to see us live, and those who were disappointed not to read about cities nearby.
A little more patience...!!! For us, this world has no boundaries nor limitations, and we truly are dedicating our daily lives to connecting with you, and this will happen, sooner or later...!
Through your messages, I can truly feel how our differences don’t weaken connections, but how they deepen it. Someone also shared with me how difficult it can feel to exist authentically in a world constantly trying to divide people into categories, tribes, and absolutes. And yet, what emerged from the discussion was the realization that perhaps real community isn’t built through sameness, but through the willingness to remain curious about one another.
To listen longer, to judge slower, to make room for contradiction, and it reminded me that The Club has never really been about full agreement but always about presence and gathering around music, stories, vulnerability and reflection in ways that help us feel less alone navigating this strange human experience together.
And in a world increasingly pulled apart by noise, maybe choosing depth is already an act of defying gravity. Or maybe this is why Alex is so attracted by the nature of what "noise" really means!
Let’s be great to one another!
Your friend and Chief Operator,
Jeff
