Noir has been reinvented. Armed with a typewriter and surrounded by beautiful 20th Century static, Steve Ramirez’ new poetry CD, Night of the Living, embarks on a trip through smoky rooms, rainy late-night confessions and yes, brownies Masterfully chosen words and eclectic audio textures conjure the muted trumpets of a funeral parade in New Orleans or driving along Pacific Coast Highway with the black ocean and lips tingling from a fresh, deep kiss. He also manages to weave in laugh out loud lines that will sneak up and surprise you, while embracing the details of life with a firm grasp and delicate eye. Not to mention an ode to a brownie (yes, he writes poems about junk food, too). Mining the vast landscape of Americana and blues, he combines words and sounds with great skill and thought. From the player piano tinkling in the background of Rogue without a Cause to the fully orchestrated homage to horror movies in the title track, he sets out layers of sound for the ear to float upon. He also offers up a full spectrum of guest poets to help with a list of dictionary entries about ex-girlfriends in the guise of a school quiz. He combines it all with his intoxicating voice to transport you into the past, while speaking about issues that are very much rooted in the here and now. Artist Bio: Steve Ramirez hosts the weekly reading series, Two Idiots Peddling Poetry in Orange, CA. A member of the Laguna Beach Slam Team 2000, he was also one of the organizers of the Orange County Poetry Festival, a co-director of the Big Damn Poetry Slam and member of the Five Penny Poets in Huntington Beach. Publication credits include The Comstock Review, CRATE, ARTlife, Limestone Circle, Lummox Journal and Incidental Buildings & Accidental Beauty. Recently, he released his first poetry CD, Night of the Living. Somewhere in there, he even manages to find time to sleep and write poetry.