we got a wild connection

Good evening. Here are some things.

• After weeks of insisting he's going to release it on vinyl, CD, and cassette only, Sturgill Simpson leaked his new album on YouTube last night. It's horny, political, and plumb full of grooves. Long live Johnny Blue Skies.
• one of the best things you can do for your community imho is to make something nobody asked for that's weird and delightful and Ruby Meadows was exactly that shoutout to Greg King, RIP Ruby, RIP Ruby Meadows
• A private equity bagel chain is bullying an ATL small business. Fuck that. Let's spend some money at Emerald City this week.
• "This endeavor is bigger than one person, one decision, or one business. It is a collection of every entrepreneur, every restaurateur, every visitor, every resident, and every South Downtown employee who believes these 16 acres, 10 city blocks, and 50+ historic buildings will create a change in our city not since the BeltLine started or the Olympics arrived. I believe the impact will be greater than both combined."
• We've still got ICE stickers, if you want 'em. We've sent $3,200 to Minnesota mutual aid funds so far.
• Related reading: A 5,000-person, 75% MAGA town in Georgia is pushing back hard against a massive detention center ICE is planning to establish there. We're gonna need a whole lot more of this going forward.
• this newsletter about the disputed origins of the reuben is a wild ride tbpfh
• Love is Love spring plant sale pre-orders are live, which means it's a great time to click that "add to cart" button until all of your yard's wildest dreams come true. And if you're a real sicko like the guy who writes this newsletter, Southern Exposure is a great place to get a bunch of weird flower seeds.
• The Atlanta Community Press Collective does an incredible job covering ATL stories that no one else will touch, including live-posting every city council meeting. We need them, they need money. Please give what you can and tell everyone you know.
• Twisted Teens are a couple "New Orleans punks who happen to play country instruments." Their new album, Blame the Clown, is fantastic—a dumpster fire of hooks and pedal steel and a guy that kinda sounds like Captain Beefheart. It all somehow feels so sloppy and on-point simultaneously. "This band brims over with hits," writes See Saw. "They put on an amazing live show. It’s not often a band like this comes around."

talk soon,
austie

PS — Back in September, y'all helped How I'd Fix Atlanta—in partnership with Undue Medical Debt—raise $31K that abolished $5M in medical debt for folks all over Georgia.

The UMD folks recently shared some testimonials from people who were helped by our campaign and now I'd like to share those testimonials with you:

“I owed a medical debt that would have been covered by my insurance—had the hospital billed them. I never received a bill for this debt, but one day, I received a collections letter. The collections agency was unable to bill my insurance, of course, and this debt was stuck on me due to the billing error. This burden has caused me to avoid going to hospitals for treatment—even if needed. When I received the letter from Undue Medical Debt, it was like the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders.”

-Erica F., McDonough ($947.00 abolished)

“I opened this letter tonight and cried. I have been tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt due to reproductive health issues. I am a huge advocate for women's healthcare and am actively involved in related projects. This is a huge weight off of my shoulders as I continue to fight for affordable and accessible care for women all over Georgia. I have always said that I hope to do for people one day what was just done for me. I am eternally grateful.”

-Rayden, Locust Grove ($995.00 abolished)

“I was totally surprised when I opened the letter. I flipped it over, read the back, then flipped it back to the front again—and to my surprise, I was completely overwhelmed to see that someone had paid my debt at this particular hospital. Thank you so much, and thank you for having the means to do the same thing for so many other people who need help. Again, thank you.”

-Douglas F., Douglasville ($671.00 abolished)

“I have been overwhelmed with medical bills for years due to being either uninsured or underinsured while dealing with multiple health conditions. Therefore, receiving a letter stating that at least one of my medical bills has been relieved is a true blessing.”

-N.C., Fayetteville ($484.00 abolished)

“Wow! This was something wonderful to wake up to. I [can't] thank you guys enough for this...thank you!”

-Latisha, Conyers ($3,109.00 abolished)

“This blessing came at a time when I needed it. With the economy like it is, this bill was causing me stress and concern. I want to say thank you for including me in this blessing.”

-A.V., Atlanta ($416.00 abolished)