Elvis Night at Andy's

#37 by Good Boy Records

I’m going to try something, so y’all please bare with me. I’ve been thinking 🤔 and I wonder if I could do a better job of sharing all the fantastic stories submitted each week with our readers.

I’ve always said the the cheat code for readers of the Jukebox is to be a week behind on reading — because that’s when all the stories have been submitted. Well, what if I can help you cheat?

We’ve got about two dozen writers in our little writing group. But the newsletter generally receives around 200 reads, and I want our writers to get those reads as well!

So this week I’m going to publish the newsletter, making the prompt available to the writing group on Tuesday as usual. But I’m going to wait until Monday at Midnight to send it. That way our readers will receive the newsletter already stacked with lots of wicked stories!

I appreciate your patience as I work to make Stories from the Jukebox the best it can be. And if this is confusing at all, please feel free to ask for clarification in the comments. -MJ

Week #36 Feature🏆

I don’t think it’ll be a surprise to any of our readers that Gray is being awarded this week’s feature for her submission titled, On a Monday Night in a Library. Goodness gracious what a beautiful story!

I had a thing. On a Monday night at the library. And it was kind of a big deal. I’ve had several firsts lately—yeses where I used to default to no.

As a matter of fact I said no to this.

Look, all I was going to do was go to this class, learn a little about public speaking, bump up my voiceover game. That’s it. But then I was “encouraged” to do the thing.

On a Monday Night at the Library

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Here’s this week’s prompt, Elvis Night at Andy’s, by Good Boy Records!

“Elvis Night at Andy’s” is track #6 on Chip Martini’s debut album, No Band Required. Written, produced, and performed by Good Boy Records.

A bar, a piano, a tribute night that shouldn’t work but absolutely does. Chip narrates the whole thing with the delight of someone watching magic happen in a place that usually settles for karaoke. When the band drops out, and the voices rise, the room shifts into something theatrical and strangely moving. It’s tender, funny, smoky, and affectionate. Elvis would’ve approved.

Elvis Night at Andy’s

A half-empty beach bar, a full Elvis show, and a night that refused to behave.

This is my contribution to this week’s Stories From The Jukebox, a memoir piece built around a song that took far longer to find its voice than I care to admit.

This one’s for Mr. Polk.

He very kindly said I could bring one of my own songs to the table, which is no small thing. There are easier, safer choices I could have made. Something tidy, well-behaved, and perfectly capable of sitting quietly on the page without needing much explanation. But this is not that song.

It never really left me alone, and in my experience when that happens you’re better off giving in early and telling the story properly rather than trying to out maneuver it.

It starts, as these things often do, with Elvis Presley.

Or rather, the King…

Here’s our Headliner, Elvis Night at Andy’s, by Good Boy Records!

Elvis Night at Andy’s

Calling all Poets, Fiction, or Non-Fiction writers that love music — Share your prose of 1500 words or less, using the prompt, Elvis Night at Andy’s.

Remember:

• Each Tuesday I’ll publish a newsletter with that week’s song prompt — along with a featured writer’s submission from the previous week.

• Anyone is then free to run with it! Just add the link to your story or prose in the comments of this newsletter.

• Subscribers to Stories from the Jukebox, also have a chance to be featured in the following week’s newsletter. And I’ll do my best to give feedback and restack each submission.

There’s always rules:

1. All forms of prose are welcome, just keep it under 1500 words.

2. Submissions must be published by midnight on Monday.

3. Submissions must include a tag/link to this week’s Song Prompt Newsletter embedded within the post.

   While anyone is welcome to add their post in the comments at any time — all rules must be followed for a post to be eligible to be featured or shared.

How would you like to pick our prompt? Find out how to join our revolving list of Headliners here.

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Get to know our Headliner, Good Boy Records!

I write songs and about the life around making them. Good Boy Records is my song journal. Grooves & Gravy is the writing. I release music as Chip Martini. Please don’t ask why. It made sense at the time. -Colin G.

Here’s Colin’s post announcing Chip Martini’s debut album, No Band Required, the home of Elvis Night at Andy’s.

Chip Martini - No Band Required

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Do you know a reader, writer, or musician that’d be perfect for this prompt? Share it with them!

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Oh and if you’re an email reader, just hit reply — I want to hear from you too!

Don’t like commitments, but still want to support my writing? You can make a one-time contribution here.

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