*50 copies edition* "Drekka's debut full-length, "Grieve", was release on August 24th, 1996. This was the day of my friend Phil Perry's funeral and the first copy was buried with him. Phil was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic supporters of my initial attempts towards making music, always honest and constructive when I was failing and always encouraging when I was making progress.

Today, on the 25th anniversary of its release, I am unsure how I feel. I have created a body of work from this project which I think Phil would have been very proud of. And I am certainly proud of it. At the same time I feel conflicted about how I feel in regards to the 'state of things', as it were. During this twenty-five years since its release, music and art has been both marginalized and commodified to the point of almost total devaluation.

The world is moving ever more quickly towards the inevitable chaos that plague and disorder brings. Lack of touring and community engagement has begun numbing me to an almost mental stand still. And yet, as I listen to this album today and prepare it for this digital re-issue... I am extremely proud of it and of the path life has taken me. As oblique and opaque as my life has been, I am reminded that the important thing is the work... and the work is powerful. I only wish that I could have shared more evenings with Phil over the years - and Kirstin, for that matter - listening and talking the hours away."

Stay safe, keep your loved ones close, and take every opportunity to tell them how much they mean to you.
Be well, be kind, drink tea.
Mkl. / Drekka. 24 VIII 2021.