I was walking along Willy Street last December and I saw the sign above in a door window. By the time I reached Schencks Corners I had written this chant in the rhythm of my walking. I did alter it from the original a little, but the inspiration is pretty direct. It’s an interesting exercise …
Last fall I visited the National Museum of African American History. I went back again in July. It’s an amazing museum, one of my favorites. So dense with artifacts and stories, and powerful emotion. It’s impossible to come to terms with even a small part of the stories of suffering, atrocity, and evil that slavery …
Every few months, and I wish it were move often, I sit with my dear friend Peter Berryman at what used to be Cafe Zoma, and we talk. Every conversation fills me with inspiration, recognition, wonder, and reflection. And lots of joy at the connection. One of our topics is music and songwriting. He said …
Mindful, creative and kind. It’s a new mantra for me when I think about education. It also has a nice rhythm. Mindful, creative and kind (oh my!) We talk about preparing children for the future, and there have certainly been enough pundits, educators, parents, politicians, and civic leaders who have bemoaned the lack of focus …
I am going to finish my recordings made in Tanzania two years ago. It’s one of many things on my list for this fall. Although the version recorded in Tanzania with those fine musicians is quite different, here’s the genesis of the song in an early version, recorded and shot at the CMN round robin …
I recently read two articles that have gotten me thinking yet again about the connections between brains and art, specifically, how the mechanics of thinking and feeling interact with and influence our experience making or appreciating art. It’s a huge subject, but here are two articles that provide food for thought. The first article is …
Every year I write many songs for my wife Heather. Love songs. Anniversaries, Birthdays, Spring, etc. I get inspired by the love we have for each other. There are lots of songs in the archive, sort of a Basement Tapes-type treasure trove, (but without the genius of Dylan or the musical circus of the incredible …
I was talking with my friend Barbara Chusid last night. We were playing music, jamming just for joy, as we have on and off for nearly 40 years.At some point I said that there were too many songs, meaning that the world is full of amazing music, and we have easy access to it all. …
I heard Ram Dass’s quote some years ago. “We’re all just walking each other home.” It struck me then with a resonant chord, and suddenly, in the face of a conversation with my dear friend Charlie Knower and seeing Sarah Day at American Players Theater doing an amazing piece from Joan Didion’s “The Year of …
Tom Pease is an incredible children’s performer and a dear dear friend of many years. Pictured here with an equally incredible performer and dear friend, T.R. Loon. Tom’s taught me so much about singing with kids, and even though we work together somewhat often, I’m still in awe of how children just take to his performances. …