The Trace

"The Sky, Finally" is my debut novel. This is the story of 17 year old Anna from Omaha, Nebraska. The year is 1979 and she feels very much like an outsider. She is longing for another life. Punk music, religion, partying, sex, philosophy..she's looking for a place to be. Will she find it?

I will be releasing these in parts here on The Trace Podcast and also at andrewhackett.bandcamp.com. I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings on the story so please reach out via email or on Instagram if you want to discuss. Thank you for listening.

Many thank you's to Casey Broadwater for allowing me to use his wonderful music throughout. Also thank you to Josh Horvath, Camilla Walter, and Bob Enslow for talking with me about this story throughout the entire process. Thank you to Josh for the beautiful cover art as well! I hope the story transports you to another place.

Natalia Keogan is a film critic who is especially passionate about the gendered and sexualized aesthetics of horror, LGBTQ+ cinema, Spanish-language films, punk music and anti-fascism. Women's reproductive and mental health issues are also subjects of interest in her work.

In other words…Natalia is a perfect guest for The Trace Podcast!

We talk about how she fell in love with movies, the ethics of "A Clockwork Orange", horror films, and her favorites of 2021.

You can read her wonderful work at Paste Magazine, Filmmaker Magazine, and other places. Thanks for being on the show Natalia!

On this episode of The Trace Kat Sommers and Andrew Hackett play "Outcast Songs".

These are songs by or about people that are different, people that don't have a place to be, people that don't quite fit in.

As usual Kat and Andrew get into existential themes through their song choices.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming serialized audiobook by Andrew which is called "The Sky, Finally". Part 1 comes out next week.

Now…onto the music!

A 14 year-old makes his first true friend after his family moves to a commune in the San Fernando Valley foothills of Los Angeles. They cause trouble, begin to discover sexuality, and fall in love with Weezer (oh yes, the year is 1992).

All is well and then, of course, life is interrupted.

"Erotic Thriller and the Tumbleweed" is an audio story written by Andrew Hackett and produced by Andrew Hiller (alhhla).

Enjoy the experience and check out andrewhackett.bandcamp.com to listen to more audio stories.

In the coming months I am going to be sharing audio stories here on The Trace. I spent much of the quarantine part of the pandemic writing fiction. Now I am ready to share these stories with you in audio format.

First up is "Erotic Thriller and the Tumbleweed". I wrote this story knowing that my dear friend Andrew Hiller would do the score and production on it. Well, he went way above and beyond with a beautiful creation that I am so excited to share with you.

In here I also discuss dreams, horror movies, and the writing process.

Get ready for the release of "Erotic Thriller and the Tumbleweed" in two weeks!

What songs make you think of rebirth? We are in the season of fall where the leaves are falling and the weather gets colder. But we also know from experience that those leaves will return and it will heat up once again.

On this episode of The Trace Andrew and Kat talk about rebirth, anger, grief, hope. Expect to hear some awesome songs and also some inspiring words. You know there will be some surprising choices here. Let's go!

On this episode of The Trace Radio it's Andrew solo playing music and musing on mysteries. The Coen Brothers are discussed as religious provocoteur filmmakers which leads into tracks by NIN, mewithoutYou, and Andrew WK.

Take a walk, a drive, a run, or just chill out as you listen to some curious thoughts and some great music.

Steve Elkins is a filmmaker whose recent documentary Echoes of the Invisible takes the viewer on a "journey into the most extreme environments on earth to find the connective tissue between all things seen and unseen".

On this episode of The Trace Podcast Steve and I talk about interconnectedness, filmmaking, plus everything from science to meditation.

Steve is also a musician who played in The Autumns before focusing his full attention on making movies.

Listen to our talk and then watch Echoes of the Invisible where you can fully dive into the mysteries of this beautiful world we live in.

Kat and Andrew are back with songs that would be on our life soundtracks. Happy birthday to Kat on this episode!

If there was a movie made of your life what would be 5 songs that would have to be on that soundtrack? That's the theme for this show and it gives us a chance to talk life and music and meaning.

As you listen to the show think of the songs that you would choose for your own life soundtrack. Feel free to write us on Instagram with your choices.

Once a month I (Andrew) host a 2-hour Saturday morning radio show in Seattle on 107.3FM. This is an opportunity to get a little more mystical and philosophical while pairing songs with thought meditations.

A theme I keep returning to is "You are who you say you are" or "I am who I say I am". This is about lovingly and intentionaly defining yourself. If you don't do it the culture or other toxic people will be happy to tell you who you are.

Going all over the place with genre, era, and feels here in terms of the music. So sit back or talk a walk and listen to some great music and some (hopefully) empowering words.