I wrote this song a few months ago. It’s another challenging guitar song. I am learning a lot about recording, but not enough. And mixing is its own quandary. My friend Laurie died 19 years ago yesterday. I lit a candle for her that night, as is, I heard, the Jewish custom. She understood the …
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 …
“The alchemy of the changing life is the only truth,” said Rumi. I’ve been going through things in my house. I want to sell it and move to someplace smaller and simpler. I remember being young and being thrilled at the prospect of certain possessions: a mixer, a comfortable chair, a sculpture. Now I’m at …
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. …