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From The Desk Of Diamond Rugs’ Robbie Crowell: Kurt Vonnegut

If Diamond Rugs’ music were a man, it’d be the guy with the dirty hair and the joint drinking a PBR right next to the speakers at the party, feet firmly planted, head bobbing, eyes closed. He’s having the time of his life, and he doesn’t even need the rest of the party to do it. Diamond Rugs consist of Deer Tick’s John McCauley and Robbie Crowell, Ian Saint Pé (Black Lips), Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Hardy Morris (Dead Confederate) and Bryan Dufresne (Six Finger Satellite). Rather than just backing McCauley’s brainchild, Diamond Rugs morphed into a collaborative effort between all six musicians, who each contributed his own songs to the band’s self-titled album (on Partisan). The result is a fully formed group with a solid sound and a must-hear record. To hear how their SXSW experience went (hint: lyrics were forgotten, ups were fucked, but somehow they emerged triumphant), read our recent feature. Diamond Rugs will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.

Crowell: I’ve recently been reading a lot of Vonnegut again, after taking a break from him for a few years, and once again I am amazed by the economy of his writing. Even the most absurd phrases or paragraphs are absolutely necessary to the complete picture. It’s a gift that’s rare with writers. Most use 10 words where two would do, whereas Vonnegut will use two instead of 10, and still give a far more complete picture.

Video after the jump.