Upon reading this post by William Brafford, I immediately applied it to my feelings about participating in musical traditions, and found it resonates with those feelings:

"I find myself caught between traditions, and I often wish I could commit to one. In short, I find myself wishing I were a better partisan. When you’re a part of a tradition, you need to commit to it. When I satisfy my doubts about which political tradition I’m entitled to claim, I’ll join the struggle of hashing out the central conflicts of that tradition and arguing for its superiority over other traditions. But contributing to the growth of one’s tradition requires the virtue of proper confidence. We live in a world where many people lack that virtue."

This is part of the reason it's frustrating to be asked "what type of music do you play." I can say "Artful blues for the soul" like Don Campbell called our music, or I can say "Modern folk songs drenched in blues tradition," but few folks want to hear the long answer. They want me to give them a category or three and then leave me there. I have to have something to respond to that question with that sticks in yer head--but it's also got to be special to me, I've got to tell you something that I believe is as much of the whole truth as you're gonna get in under 30 seconds of my talking.

But let's un-digress: I grew up drinking in folk music from live performances and tape cassettes of musicians like Hobe Kytr and Dave Berge. That early influence dissovled without a trace as I listened exclusively to pop and rap music from ages 12 - 16, after which Bob Dylan hit me, and wasn't folk music wasn't really re-activated in my conscious brain until I discovered early rural blues music at age 17. From there I got into early Dixieland music while I was studying classical music in college. The music I make now draws on all of the above in various ways, and I can fit very few of my songs into any one of these genres comfortably.

All of which is to say that I, too, "find myself caught between traditions, and I often wish I could commit to [just] one." Of course, I won't give up any of the traditions that I draw on, not because I couldn't, but because it'd make me lose my deep love for music. The real meat of Brafford's quote comes when he talks of "contributing to the growth of one’s tradition"--I'll have to get to that in a later post.

Song Seed #1 continued

In reference to my post regarding Dylan's self-ordained professors Scott Warmuth pointed out to me that what he wrote was actually this:

"Is this where Dylan got the title of the album [Together Through Life]? Perhaps."

I implied that he "was convinced" of the origin of Dylan's source--which was by no means correct. So I will strive to be more accurate in the future when representing other folks opinions. I must confess to writing rather flippantly because after a steady diet of Dylan criticism over a number of years, I cannot believe the size of the army of people that is out there finding the various allusions that are consistently present in Dylan's lyrics.

For adherents like me, it is rather wondrous that, however big his catalogue is, Dylan can cram so many allusions to literature (not to mention other forms of culture) into his body of work while still remaining one of the most resoundingly original artists in the English-speaking music scene. Michael Gray's Song and Dance Man III is the book that first opened my eyes to how deeply affected Bob is by blues music and lyrics. I recommend it to anyone interested in such things.

I value what folks like Scott Warmuth do because, as a songwriter, it is always valuable for me to see new examples of how the greatest songwriter alive digests his sources. The thing that I miss from Warmuth's dispatches is analysis of these references and allusions in the context of the song as a whole. For instance, how does "I'm gonna pluck off your beard and blow it in your face," one of the many lovingly-stolen lines off of Dylan's new album, contribute to the larger themes at work in the song? It's neat to see from whence (some of) Bob's inspiration comes, but it's even more valuable to read someone who is being Sherlock Holmes in his most vital sense--not just gathering the clues but seeing how they fit together in their ever-changing contexts.

Playin' fer Kids

Every Monday at noon, and every Wednesday at 10am, I perform solo at Airplay Cafe in Portland. This is a blessing because every songwriter should have some spurs a'workin on 'em. Nothing gets a song done like a deadline. I suppose if I had thousands of people interested in my band, I wouldn't need a bi-weekly gig to stir me to action as a songwriter, but so be it--I cherish the freedom of mild anonymity.

Anyways, the Airplay gig is great because I quickly get sick o' singin' the same old tunes every week. I know plenty more songs than you could ever fit in an hour, but that's not the point. The songs I perform have to appeal to the audience that's there, and that audience is interesting. It's all young mothers and their toddling kids. Some days there's no more that eight folks in the joint, some mornings I'm playing for over fifty people, and it gets rambunctious. Generally, young kids are more captivated by strongly rhythmic tunes, so I bring out the fast ones. Here's a typical set list composed of the fast songs I play on a solo day at Airplay:

"Talkin' to You, Mama" - Blind Willie McTell
"Spanish Harlem Incident" - Bob Dylan
"Shake It and Break It (but don't let it fall)" - Charley Patton
"Hard Travelin'" - Woody Guthrie
"Hide Me in Thy Bosom" - McTell again
"Boy in the Bubble" - Paul Simon
"Swing n' Friction" - an original song
"Freeways at 3" - another original
"I Was Made to Love Her" - Stevie Wonder

In between these songs, I'll perform whatever slower tunes I think I can get away with--but the people want to groove and jive, so I've gotta keep them hoppin' beats comin with the strummin.
What this means is that I'm driven to expand my repertoire with more covers (Last week I added Johnny Cash's under-appreciated tune, "Big River") and write more upbeat songs to appease dancin knees and behinds. Thus, a weekly gig is a great spur for new material, never mind that you might premier a new song and no one notices sometimes--whatever. Any chance to perform is a blessing, I'll always believe that.

The less selfish gratification for the Airplay gig is that young kids dig music--I could be up there with just my harmonica and, provided my rhythm was regular, the kids would love it. That's not all though: kids are attentive. I consistently see kids that are still nursing who will watch me for three songs straight without looking away. Their mom's rarely look my way for 1/3rd that long.
Also, I encourage the kids to dance, so when they do sometimes I'll watch and experiment with different strumming patterns and rhythmic styles to see what it makes 'em do.

I'm damned lucky to have such a fun, dependable gig.

Song Seed #2

Here's another idea for a song which I do believe I will pursue. I've been mulling over and thinkin on how to make the songs I write interact with the world as it is reflected online. So what I'm going to do is post intriguing snippets of imagery, conversation, ideology, whimsical flurries, and experience to my Twitter account. After a month or two, I'll cull out the bits that intrigue me and make a song thereof.

Also: why not incorporate others' posts as well? Well, the problem with that is that few posts I read on twitter are all that enticing to a songster. Perhaps I can get some twitterfolk to get on board? Tell me if you're into that.

This seed fer a song dovetails with my previous post, because I've realized that one of the best ways to take Ulysses like language and make it relevant 't today is a set of lyrics that are fragmented in ways similar to the compression of all that happens online. The challenge to that will be making the song at least mildly poetic, and not dreary and dry as too much of online life can be. I'll seek to capture the excitement of meaningful interactions that the web makes possible, and not drag the song too deep into the mucky gobbledeegook of html...

Song Seed

As reviews of Dylan's latest recording, Together Through Life, begin to spread, lyrics from the album have trickled out. Already, the self-ordained professors of Bob start proposing links and allusions and references. Here is a guy who's convinced that--contrary to what "some have supposed" about a Whitman allusion--the album's title is drawn from a phrase in James Joyce's letters to his wife. This particular blogger, Scott Warmuth, also proposes that Dylan uses the term "whorish" in the same way that Joyce used it in addressing his wife. This brings up the ever-fascinating issue of how Dylan's lyrics address lovers or listeners, which is probably somebody's doctoral thesis by now.

I note this nugget because it gives me the idea to write a song that uses language in a Joycean fashion--not the more standard prose he uses in his letters, but a song with lyrics more like the prose of Ulysses. It'd be difficult to do; but then, why write just another mildly interesting set of lyrics? Why not reach for what you never have heard or through could be in a righteous song?

That, dear reader, is what I want You to expect from my songs as we roll together through life.

A well said thought

Here is a keen quotation of an (overall) dismissive review, which is quite worth reading:

Often when we think Shakespeare is being original, he is actually voicing the commonplace thoughts of his age. Where he was unique was in the vigor and invention with which he turned traditional "themes" into living drama. He took Palingenius's hint of linking the succession of ages to the metaphor of life as a play. But he was the first to prove the truth of the metaphor by including the discourse within a play as opposed to a treatise or sermon. He was also the first to assign particular dramatic parts to each age. In all versions, the infant cries. Only in Shakespeare's does it do anything so theatrical as puke--indeed, no writer had ever used the word puke as a verb before.... Instinctively, Shakespeare dramatizes, individualizes, converts archetype into image, idea into action.

It matters little how cliched it is to say so: there is no greater invigorator of thought and insight than the Bard. He exerts a greater influence on my song lyrics than any other writer.

Misson Statements

I've been mulling over mission statements for months now, but have done so in more of a rambler fashion than in a focused manner. Currently our website states our mission as "Extending traditions through a musical narrative" and that's just not quite right. I'm going to work on this for seven weeks, and then on Friday, June 5, make a final decision on Renegade Minstrels' mission statement. What do you think of my three current rough-draft ideas, and what do you think I'm leaving out?


Invigorating language through keen lyrical music.


New troubadours forging lyrical blues fervor.


Swinging the blues with troubadour lyricism.


What thinkst thou?

Perspective

This may seem obvious, but I am most engaged as a reader or listener when addressed in the second person (and I'm talkin to You). If you write a song in first or third person, that's swell, it may be a great ballad ("Barbara Ellen" comes to mind) but how is it going to draw me in like what follows?

You walk into the room
with a pencil in your hand,
You see somebody naked
and you say, "Who is that man?" ...

I have to pay attention because this isn't about the singer, it's about Me.
Ms. Dickensen is good at it too,

"Wild nights, wild nights / were I with thee / Wild nights would be / our luxury..."

Or think of Whitman,

"Oh, the hum of your valved voice..."
(I'm quoting from memory, don't quote me, quote them)

Whitman's interesting because he'll address anyone and anything: himself, trees, rocks, nation states, sexual positions, whatever.

What I want to get to though is perspective in general--it's the artist who is highly adaptable that will thrive today. She who is able to look from this side, then through those eyes, then from that hole, then from that plateau all in the course of one verse, or chapter, or song. That is what the internet is giving us--go click through six or seven blogs, reading a few posts in each place, and you've probably encountered more than seven perspectives, because bloggers are constantly citing others past and present.

What is your favorite song that has multiple perspectives projected in the lyrics?

Two Shows at the Schnitz

By way of random luck and a stupendous Valentine's present, I got to see two concerts in Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland last week. First, the second one:

Sunday night I went and saw the following pieces performed by the Oregon Symphony.

MOZART: Symphony No. 36 (Linz)
RACHMANINOFF: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
LINDBERG: Feria
RAVEL: Bolero

Many will sigh, scoff or guffaw to read me say it, but Mozart usually only captivates for short stretches. I love his playfulness, but he only moves me in short bursts, and with moods that are too gentle for my taste. In the Rachmaninoff, there was some scintillating interplay between the hardcore piano soloist and the symphony, and anyways that composer is always mightily dramatic, which I need in classical music in order for it to keep my attention. The Ravel was just a rather hilarious novelty piece that made middle o' the road rap beats seem complex by comparison--all of Bolero is just the same old melody orchestrated different ways for some 14 minutes while a snare drum plays the same riff the Entire time. It was amusing that such a Serious composer wrote such a piece.
The real thing of interest to me was Lindberg's "Feria," because it's actually a modern piece of music (of which there is far, far to little in classical halls around this country). Not being at all familiar with either the composer or the piece, I was curious to see how the Finnish fella dealt with the everywhere-at-once state of classical music in our day n' age. I was not enthralled by the composition, though it had its moments. Of course, I've learned that I can't judge any music by one listening. Let me hear the piece five different times on days when I am in different moods, and then I'll pass judgement. That said, it was interesting, but not interesting enough for me to seek out more music by this guy who is apparently a big deal in the Finnish classical scene.

The most entertaining part of the concert was the introduction given to "Feria" by the conductor (who I believe was also a Fin), who was funny and set up the audience for the music by talking briefly about the form and ambition of the piece.

The first concert I saw at the Schnitz last week was Merle Haggard & the Strangers onstage with Kris Kristofferson, we were sittin' in the third row. Wonderful show. Merle has written some great songs, no doubt, but I was only familiar with his most popular tunes, and again, he didn't play in anything that encouraged further investigation. What he offers are beautiful melodies and well crafted lyrics that soothe and tickle, but don't transform. No doubt if I was one of the older folks with a thirty year long relationship to his music I would talk different. The Strangers were all clearly fine musicians, but the one who switched between guitar and fiddle shoulda played way more fiddle (who needs three or four acoustic guitars strumming the same chords?). The most striking part of Merle's backup was his 16 year old son who sat on the side of the stage and played a sparkly electric guitar throughout--he could really, Really play for how young he was. I should also mention that Merle got off a few good ones in his own solos.

Kristofferson was onstage the whole night, basically just trading songs with Merle, and occasionally the backup band would join in with Kris. His songs were the ones that knocked me out--he's got poetic candor, elemental imagery, the force of wise simplicity. He's the one that had me walkin' away going, "Ok, I gotta get my ears on every Kristofferson recording I can rustle up." Of course I knew "Me and Bobby Magee" and a few other of the more popular ones, but the man played some ballads that demanded I get to know his work further.

So, the show I just talked about was sold out, and the classical concert was not. That, of course, does not reflect the value of either form of music, it only goes to show who's got more going for 'em commercially. But still--I think you gotta bring in the groundlings along with the snooty sniffers in order to really make an appreciable impact on the culture. The classical music audience is mostly old, except for the students of classical music in attendance. Now, the country songs concert was also very much an older crowd, but I attribute that more to economics than to appeal. You could get a symphony ticket cheaper than a country one.

Ultimately I'm just glad that there's room in the world for both classical and country music, not to mention everything in between the two. But down deep I'm a country boy, especially when the country songs sound more radical than the modern Finnish classical music.

Getting the right photo

One of the most maddening things that's stymied me right now is getting the right band photo. For a while I just tried getting friends & lover to take pictures of us while we played, but that doesn't work, because it turns out we make all sorts of hilarious facial expressions at each and every performance. What it's really going to take is spending a solid three hours somewhere with good lighting and a professional quality camera. Of course, I'd rather not just have yer standard musicians-standin'-there-with-instruments sorta photos like I've got now. We need images that reflect our music in a dynamic way. A rather exciting challenge, but also a blasted headache.

You got any good ideas for a compelling image?

The Online Labyrinth

This may be the way to go about navigating the bewildering amount of possibilities for getting one's music out there online: at reverbnation.com they have some fairly innovative features and options for promotion and networking.

If you want to help us spread our music, please check out the link above, take a few minutes to join up, and tell me what you think of that particular site. Do you know of a better option I should be pursuing?

For instance, reverbnation allowed me to create the widget below: