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The Saturday Soundtrack 2021 top ten

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Saturday Soundtrack began as a diversion. Or perhaps therapy. But it has become a real labor of love. *

2021 was the second full year of my commitment to focus more on the music in my life and share those explorations with the readers of More to Come. This was another strange year for music and musicians. Not as bad as 2020, yet still confining and restrictive. Thankfully, there was a tremendous amount of creativity and energy that exploded in 2021, as if the music couldn’t be held back forever. I hope you’ve experienced some of that artistry along the way.

At this time of reflection and “best of” lists, we are going to turn to see what you — the readers and listeners — enjoyed by highlighting the ten posts with the most views from this year’s Saturday Soundtrack series, beginning with….

#10 — February music for those of us tired of being alone (February 13th)

February is always the longest month of the year. As we rounded out a year of loss and lockdown, the 28 days of February in 2021 just seemed extra cruel. 

Dark and alone (Credit: Pexels from Pixabay)

The great Johnny Cash was one of the singers I featured in this post on being alone. He turns in his version of the Hank Williams’ hit I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry in a duet with rocker Nick Cave. This is Cash near the end of his life, so the voice isn’t as strong as it once was, but it aches and fits the tune perfectly, as only he can.

Then there are the times when loneliness isn’t the worst alternative. Jack White, joined here by country singer Margo Price channeling Dolly Parton, sings the White Stripes song I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet).

#9 — I’m just going over home (November 20th)

The plaintive yet hopeful American folk tune Wayfaring Stranger has long been a personal favorite. In this particular Soundtrack, I explored the interpretation of the song by some 18 different musicians or groups. Each one is unique, but in many ways the definitive version for me will always be Emmylou Harris from her Roses in the Snow album. I also very much treasure Rhiannon Giddens and her interpretation. Giddens performed Wayfaring Stranger, with the remarkable Phil Cunningham on the accordion, as part of a BBC Northern Ireland program. 

#8 — Classic bluegrass delivered in royal style by the Earls of Leicester (February 27th)

The Earls of Leicester (Credit: Home | The Earls Of Leicester)

This wonderful tribute band, formed by Jerry Douglas in 2013 with five of his friends who love the music of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, plays the classic music of the Foggy Mountain Boys pretty much straight up and with a real affection for these pioneers of bluegrass. I used to listen to Flatt and Scruggs in the mornings on WSM radio as we were getting ready to go to school, so this helps me recapture my past.

I’m Gonna Sleep with One Eye Open, as Douglas explains in the intro, was famously banned by the Grand Ole Opry after Flatt and Scruggs played it one Saturday evening.

#7 — The distinctive, raspy vocal stylings of Elise LeGrow grab hold and won’t let go (March 20th)

Elise LeGrow, Playing Chess album cover

Canadian Elise LeGrow has a wonderfully raspy voice that makes any tune she sings distinctive and unforgettable. She explained it this way to American Songwriter.

“I’m told that I have a lot of ‘sound.’ One of the challenges that I’ve encountered again and again is finding the right sound for the song. Ultimately, the song is the most important thing to me. It’s more important than the production, it’s more important than the show — it’s all about the song. So, for me, the vocal tone is there to serve the song. It’s one of many tools that tells the story. So, my vocal tone on this song (Evan) is really broken up, and I think that fits the sentiment of the song. Whereas, some of the other songs on the record have a completely different vibe, so you’re going to hear a lot of different tones coming out of me in the future. They’re all a little raspy! But, this song was much more intimate, it has a more intimate tone than you’ll hear on other songs of mine.

Her first full-length debut album, Playing Chess, was drawn entirely from the catalog of Chicago’s iconic Chess label, home to Muddy Waters, Etta James, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and so many more. You can hear her style on the acoustic version of You Never Can Tell.

#6 — Lamentations and reflections for Holy Week (April 1st)

In our second year of a Holy Week overlaid with the heartache of a worldwide pandemic, a Saturday Soundtrack with lamentations felt right for the season and the readers seemed to agree. Our son, Andrew Bearden Brown, was part of the program Lamentations: Music and Reflections for Holy Week from St. John’s Lafayette Square in Washington, DC.

The 38-minute program alternates between reflections by priests in the church on life in a year in quarantine and beautiful music by Tallis, Tomkins, and other beloved composers and arrangers.

  • Reflection | Rev. Robert W. Fisher
  • The Lamentations of Jeremiah I — Thomas Tallis (5:34)
  • Reflection | Rev. Savannah Ponder
  • When David Heard — Thomas Tomkins (18:49)
  • Reflection | Rev. William Morris
  • There is a Balm in Gilead — arr. William Dawson (26:40) **
  • Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Chile — arr. Carl Haywood (31:14)
  • This Little Light of Mine — arr. William Bradley Roberts (33:53)

#5 — The Steeldrivers continue exploring the heartbreak of broken affairs (April 24th)

For #5 of the countdown (he says, channeling his inner Casey Kasem), we find an old friend. The Steeldrivers‘ catalog shows how the band has made a living exploring the heartbreak of broken affairs (or what Dolly Parton calls “sad ass” songs.) In spite of personnel changes, they are still “Drinking dark whiskey, tellin’ white lies ” because “One leads to another, on a Saturday night” and you just know you’ll get a good song out of it.

The SteelDrivers | Bad For You (photo credit: Anthony Scarlatti)

Bad For You, the band’s fifth album, arrived in 2020 after a period of adaptation and change. The title track, shown here in a live video, opens the album. It sounds like a classic Steeldriver song, full of desperation and danger, with the harmonies and skill you’d expect from Nashville professionals.

#4 — Yasmin Williams: Not your father’s Takoma Park fingerstyle guitarist (January 30th)

John Lingan‘s appreciation for Yasmin Williams and her music in the Washington Post led me to explore more of the work of this 24-year-old bold acoustic innovator. Williams grew up in Northern Virginia and she recorded her most recent album, Urban Driftwood, at studios in Kensington, Silver Spring and Takoma Park, Maryland. As Lingan notes,

Anyone who approaches the acoustic guitar with a thumb pick or their bare fingers in suburban Maryland inevitably invites comparisons to Takoma Park’s John Fahey, whose experiments with country blues made his name in the 1960s and ’70s. After inventing the term “American primitive” to describe his spare style, Fahey founded Takoma Records, which released solo guitar records by such similar visionaries as Leo Kottke and Robbie Basho and influenced generations of younger players, including Jack Rose and William Tyler.

But her music doesn’t sound like Fahey’s, and it is certainly not primitive. She has “an unorthodox, modern style of playing,” notes her website bio. “Her music has been commonly described as refreshing, relaxing, and unique and has been called some of the most imaginative guitar music out today.” This live version of Restless Heart is a stellar example of her artistry.

#3 — The darkest hour is just before dawn (January 9th)

After the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th — in which there was a riot incited by the sitting president — there was great despair for our country. Despair and concern that is appropriate. 

In considering what to feature on that week’s Saturday Soundtrack, a simple country refrain from a gospel song written by the great Ralph Stanley in 1960 kept playing on a loop in my head. The first line of the chorus is pure country poetry: The darkest hour is just before dawn.

One doesn’t have to believe in the gospel context of the song to understand and appreciate the meaning of trial, loss, and rebirth. That week we all saw the inevitable culmination of our trial of four years; a period of lies, hatred, and division. As we came face-to-face with the fact of the fragility of the American ideal, our loss was clear. But in the special elections in Georgia, in the coming back of Congress after the insurrection to certify the will of the people, and in the beginning of the difficult discussions around what American democracy means, we see the glimmer of dawn and rebirth.

The definitive version of The Darkest Hour is undoubtedly by Emmylou Harris, with Ricky Skaggs singing harmony, from her 1980 Roses in the Snow album. When Skaggs comes in at the 2:00 mark to take the lead, it sends chills down your back.

The post also includes a lovely live version by the band I’m With Her, as well as a take on The Times They Are A’Changing by Bruce Springsteen.

#2 — Exploring the roots and branches of American folk music with Low Lily (March 27th)

One of the joys of writing Saturday Soundtrack is the discovery of new musicians and new bands that pop up unexpectedly in the research. I came across Low Lily in the fall of 2020 while catching up on the music of Matt Flinner. 

Low Lily (credit:  HOME | LOW LILY)

In the “Gifts of new favorites” Soundtrack earlier this month, I focused on Low Lily’s vocal work. Yet the band is made up of strong instrumentalists, which you can hear on their tune The Good Part. That is followed by one of their signature vocal tunes, Nobody Knows.

Nobody told me that the road would be easy…but it is nice to have such beautiful music to take us along the path.

And now, for the top-rated post in the 2021 Saturday Soundtrack series…

#1 — The hot and sassy swing of the Avalon Jazz Band (March 6th)

I could tell by the number of times this title showed up in the “trending posts” list that it had a good chance to take the top spot this year. And I love that! I’ve been a long-time fan of gypsy swing (as you will read about in the post) and the Avalon Jazz Band, fronted by the ebullient and talented Tatiana Eva-Marie, plays in a style that comes across as both carefree and highly polished. (Yes, I am a believer in the power of paradox.)

Avalon Jazz Band

Besides the vocals of Eva-Marie, another key element of the Avalon Jazz Band sound is the violin, played in most of the recordings in the post by co-founder Adrien Chevalier. Let’s end this collection from the year with several pieces of hot and sassy swing!

Thanks, as always, for reading and commenting on the musicians and music that pops up each week on the Saturday Soundtrack.

I can’t wait to see what you choose in 2022!

More to come…

DJB

*I enjoy all types of music but realized in 2019 as More to Come passed the ten-year mark that I was seldom finding time to really listen to new music, much less highlight musicians I loved through the blog. Announcing a weekly commitment to showcase some of the work of those who caught my ear was a way to push me out of the realm of posts around politics, work, life lessons, or leadership. The reaction? Well, I have one family member who confesses to “never reading the music posts.” Others — friends, business colleagues, and family members — regularly comment or send emails with thoughts and suggestions only about the Soundtrack features. Suffice it to say that enough people read them that I’ll continue to feed my soul though these explorations and highlights.

**If you are having trouble picking him out under the masks, Andrew begins this piece with the tenor solo.

Best of the blog: Top ten posts of 2021

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December is when “Top Ten” lists spring up in all sorts of places. For instance, last year’s listing of the top ten posts on More to Come as selected by reader views. It was a hit, so we’re back for 2021.

What follows is your selection of the top posts for the year, and I want to begin by simply thanking you for reading this eclectic mix of observations. I write about experiences, people, and things I enjoy; issues that are important to me; and topics I need to hear. Not exactly your single-focus blog. However, readers keep checking in, providing feedback through the choices of what’s of interest to you. The list of your 2021 favorites includes one music post from the Saturday Soundtrack series; pieces on history, preservation, and art; updates on family celebrations; and in-the-moment responses to the dramatic events of January 2021. And yes, you have to go all the way to the end to see what’s #1 (and to find a small bonus)!

Music and miscellany

The hot and sassy swing of the Avalon Jazz Band — Because I featured this post in both the New Favorites and Top Saturday Soundtracks of 2021 lists (the latter to come at the end of this week), I’ll be brief. We are in a period of time where we can use some happiness. As lead singer Tatiana Eva-Marie explains, that’s why this music was created in the first place and why it has such resonance today. See if you don’t find some happiness in Sunshine.

Pay your doctor bills / throw away his pills / you can cure your ills / with sunshine.

Digital declutter — Well before pandemic-forced quarantines, much of my time was spent in voluntary self-seclusion. How? By staring at my phone or tablet instead of making real connections with people. Cal Newport‘s 2019 book Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World was recommended by a friend and former colleague, and it immediately resonated with work I’d been doing during 2020 to address the love/hate relationship with my smartphone. It was time to make permanent the digital declutter I’d struggled to adopt throughout the year. Many of the MTC readers evidently agreed.

History, art and architecture

Grove Arcade in Asheville, NC

Architecture, art, and craft in Asheville — As more people begin to put their toes in the water to travel this fall, National Trust Tours brought twenty-five hearty souls to western North Carolina in October. As the educational expert for the exploration of this small gem of a city, I suggested our travelers look for three key elements as they toured: stories, vision, and action. Why? Great communities don’t stay that way by chance. Those that survive connect people with place, know where they want to go, and work tirelessly to make it happen. My edited remarks to the group were captured in this popular post.

Les Colombes installation at the Washington National Cathedral

Les Colombes — My May post from the nave of the Washington National Cathedral — where Candice, Andrew, and I were fully enthralled with Les Colombes, the multimedia art installation of German artist Michael Pendry — was a big hit this year. Andrew and I captured photos of the exhibit from several perspectives and in different light. It was a night for optimism and hope in a new year.

An October view of Lake Mohonk and the Mohonk Mountain House

For beauty, nourishment, and the celebration of life, Mohonk is one of our special places — This last post in the history, art, and architecture section is a nice segue to pieces celebrating family. Our entire family — including partners — spent the Indigenous Peoples Day weekend at one of the great places on earth: Mohonk Mountain House. We gathered for the celebration of a significant birthday, and I wrote about the experience and posted pictures from family members in this October post. It continues to draw views at the end of the year. To put it simply, I love Mohonk.

Family celebrations

The family enjoys a birthday celebration dinner at Mohonk Mountain House

Our year in photos – 2021 — During the Thanksgiving season, when so many are thinking of the love of family and friends, I continued my annual tradition of posting family photographs on More to Come. This practice began back in 2008 but has grown through the years so that the entire family now participates in the creation and curation of this particular entry. This is shameless family promotion, so you’ve been warned!

Reminders — Personal reminders of what matters can help as we seek to regain our equilibrium. My list shows up on the computer screen each morning. We were all looking for our way through and beyond the difficulties of 2020 and I found that I had written — in one way or another — about each of my personal reminders, or life rules, over the previous twelve months. This post featured eight of those stories from More to Come, given in the hope that they would help readers think about cardinal rules. It was a very popular read.

Tending the heart — The last weekend in May, our family celebrated what I called a “significant” birthday for my wife. When Andrew, Claire, and I began to think of ways to recognize this milestone, we settled on something called a Boombox. Through the wonders of the internet, we invited others to join us in sending best wishes. More than 100 of Candice’s friends and family members responded with cards, notes, poems, photos, newspaper clippings, and anecdotes. This post captured some of those well-wishes, and only something pretty momentous was going to knock it out of the top spot for views this year. As one commentator simply said, “Wow!”

The times we live in

“The Bridge” cartoon by Mike Luckovich that hangs in the office of Senator-elect Jon Ossoff

Heartbreaking and galvanizing — Our emotions were whipsawed in early January between heartbreak and elation. Our country is still making the choices that will help decide which one wins. Two things happened that week, both of historic proportions. On Tuesday night, January 5th, during a special election, Raphael Warnock was chosen by the voters of Georgia to be the first African-American to represent the state in the U.S. Senate and the first African-American Democrat elected to a senate seat by a former state of the Confederacy. His victory was shared with Jon Ossoff, who became the first Jewish Senator elected from Georgia. The wins by Warnock and Ossoff meant that with a 50-50 tie in the Senate, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s vote gave Democrats the effective majority. It was an uplifting moment for democracy after a bitter 2020 election season. On Wednesday, a mob of white supporters of Donald Trump, incited by the sitting president, marched and overran the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt government and overturn the certification of the presidential election by Congress. It was a terrible moment for democracy in this country. I wrote about both of those things, shortly after they occurred, in this post.

The Hill We Climb — And the top post of the year was another “in the moment” piece of writing. In an inaugural ceremony full of wonderful moments and historic firsts, Amanda Gorman’s recitation of her six-minute poem The Hill We Climb was among the best. I snatched a video and some text and had it up online. The post quickly outpaced all other pieces on MTC for the year.

“History has its eyes on us,” as Gorman said. But as she ended her powerful call, it requires bravery for “our people diverse and beautiful” to “emerge battered and beautiful.”

“The new dawn blooms as we free it

for there is always light

if only we’re brave enough to see it,

if only we’re brave enough to be it.“

Bonus: The wisdom of fathers

The two posts which fell just outside the top ten in views both had to do with the wisdom that can come from our fathers. In Lessons Jamie Raskin learned from his father (February 16th), I turn to the eulogy our Congressman, Jamie Raskin, gave at the funeral for his father, the remarkable Marcus Raskin. In The practice of breakfast (May 3rd), I write about how my father’s morning practice of centering, and then cheerfully making breakfast, was the example I needed all along. I hope you enjoy them both.

Thanks again for reading.

More to come…

DJB

Image: Mohonk Mountain House as an October day turns to evening by Claire Brown.

Musical gifts for the Yuletide season

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With this Saturday Soundtrack falling on Christmas Day, it seems only appropriate to send some gifts your way of well-loved Yuletide tunes by acoustic, folk, and roots musicians. We’ll begin with performances of four of my favorite tunes of the season — Carol of the Bells, In the Bleak Midwinter, Star in the East, and The Wexford Carol — followed by holiday sets from some roots and acoustic musicians I treasure.

Carol of the Bells

There are many versions of Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovich‘s Christmas song that didn’t begin as a Christmas song. At the annual Celtic Christmas concert hosted by the Institute of Musical Traditions earlier this month, guitarist Robin Bullock played his beautiful arrangement of Carol of the Bells, which is still my choice for this melodic, haunting tune.

Bleak Midwinter

In the Bleak Midwinter — based on a poem by Christina Rossetti — is one of Candice’s most beloved songs of the season. I also cherish the combination of words and music speaking to hope and life springing from the darkness. Two years ago, I featured a post on the forward-looking folk stylings of Kate Rusby. Included among the tunes from her new (at that time) Christmas album was Bleak Mid-Winter (Yorkshire).

Ken Kolodner, Elke Baker, and Robin Bullock played a version of the tune on their newest album On a Cold Winter’s Day and they performed it live at the IMT Celtic Christmas concert earlier this month.

Acoustic guitarist Doyle Dykes has a lovely version of In the Bleak Midwinter. He is followed by one of the pioneers of the English folk revival, Scottish musician Bert Jansch, with a rendition — filmed through the haze of cigarette smoke — from 1975. Finally, I include a nice arrangement by Tall Heights, an electrofolk duo based in Boston.

Star in the East

The Southern Harmony shape-note tune Star in the East is one of those Yuletide songs not heard as frequently as it deserves, yet it has always been a personal favorite, with the lyrics pointing to what’s really important.

Vainly we offer each ample oblation, / Vainly with gifts we his favor secure; / Richer by far is the heart’s adoration, / Nearer to God are the prayers of the poor.

We’ll begin with a traditional version, sung by one of the country’s premier early music groups, The Rose Ensemble from St. Paul. Their rendition is followed by folk singer John McCutcheon’s arrangement from 1984.

A long-time IMT favorite is the duo of Al Petteway and Amy White. I hope you’ll enjoy Al and Amy’s take on Star in the East, which they pair as part of a medley with Born in Bethney.

The Wexford Carol

The Wexford Carol is one of Ireland’s oldest Christmas carols.

It is one of the oldest surviving carols in the European tradition. Dating back to the 12th century the Wexford Carol is also known by its first line “Good people, all this Christmas time.”

I’m going to give top billing for this tune to the trio Síle: Lizzy Hewitt on vocals, Olivia Barrett on fiddle, and Ellen Gibling on harp. Síle “blends fiddle, harp, and voice in delicate, thoughtful arrangements of Irish traditional and folk music.” Their beautiful rendition of this carol was released last December.

The other vocal version of The Wexford Carol I’ve included features the much more famous Alison Krauss, Yo-Yo Ma, and Natalie MacMaster in a 2009 video that’s been viewed more than 4 million times. The arrangement and the musicianship, as one would expect, are sublime. That is followed by an instrumental version by the group Nightnoise.

Nightnoise

Shifting to sets of tunes by some of my favorite acoustic artists playing songs from the winter solstice and Yuletide, we’ll continue with the music of Nightnoise, an ensemble “active from 1984 to 1997. Their original blend of Irish traditional music, Celtic music, jazz, and classical chamber music inspired a generation of Irish musicians.”

The seasonal Snow on High Ground is a favorite I hope you’ll enjoy. I’ve also included their version of another chestnut, The Holly and the Ivy, which is featured in different renditions later in this post as well.

Al Petteway and Amy White

These YouTube videos of Al and Amy’s Yultide tunes give you a chance to see them play live as we have at IMT: the medley Joy to the World/The Gift and the festive Breakin’ Up Christmas.

Al and Amy also have a beautiful arrangement of The Holly and the Ivy…

…which leads me into the work of the next musician.

Alex De Grassie

Fingerstyle guitar master and composer Alex De Grassie also plays a notable arrangement of The Holly and the Ivy. The video that follows is the audio of a Christmas medley by De Grassie, beginning with Jesus Christ the Apple Tree, followed by Once in Royal David’s City. In a slightly different mode, De Grassie and west coast Americana group The Real Sarahs have also just released their arrangement of the traditional Dona Nobis Pacem.

Custer LaRue and the Baltimore Consort

And this Christmas Day post will end with three tunes from my friend Custer LaRue with the Baltimore Consort from their 2009 Bright Day Star album. One music critic rightly described it as “One of the finest Christmas recordings ever made…” We begin with the traditional Cherry Tree Carol, followed by the sprightly instrumental A Christmas Jig, and end with the delightful Hey for Christmas! written by John Playford.

Happy Yuletide to you and yours!

More to come…

DJB

Image by wal_172619 from Pixabay

Happy Christmas

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In this season of celebration and merriment, taking the time to pause and reflect on the precious and sacred nature of life can be a gift we give ourselves.

Our interconnected world remains in the midst of a pandemic that has taken far too many lives much too early. Yet even in the face of the omicron variant we are making progress against this deadly virus. Many of us will be able to gather for a few days this season, something we took for granted until last year’s global health crisis shut down all but the most essential of travel. We have been able to hold friends and loved ones close more frequently in recent months, providing that essential human touch.

May this year’s season — in whatever way you celebrate — bring you happiness, help you treasure what is important in your life, and build hope for a future where love trumps hate.

Happy Christmas, and best wishes for 2022.

From our home to yours

More to come…

DJB

Image by monicore from Pixabay.

Don’t let others frame your story

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During a meal with a thoughtful storyteller and friend, the discussion focused on the framing of several recent stories in the news. That was followed by a blog post from another friend and colleague who was pushing back on the conventional wisdom that everyone hated this past year. His year was actually pretty wonderful, and he wasn’t going to let others frame that experience for him.

I’ve turned both conversations over in my mind, thinking about the state of the country and how that story is often defined by leading national media outlets and large social media platforms with an agenda that is not necessarily healthy or truthful. Two specific political examples come to mind, and both have lessons to be learned by those in positions of leadership.

Focus on the crucial story of the moment

Media outlets continue to spend time and staff resources covering a story that — instead of automatically foreshadowing electoral disaster for the Democrats next year — followed the historical trend over the last four decades. We had an off-year election in November when the voters in Virginia and New Jersey went to the polls to elect governors for a four-year term. What happened on November 2nd is that Democrats actually outperformed the normal expectations based upon the historical pattern. But instead of that story, we were told that with “surprise losses” the “Democrats were in disarray.” *  Very few outlets then or now lead with the fact that the winner in Virginia — Republican Glenn Youngkin — used a scare tactic based on a lie.

The real story could read:

Republicans are successfully galvanizing their base with a disinformation campaign alleging that the widespread adoption of “critical race theory” has led to K-12 students being taught that white people are oppressors and Black people are victims.

But here’s what you need to know about critical race theory: It’s not what they say it is, it’s not being taught at your child’s school, and anyone who suggests otherwise is either misinformed or is lying to you.

Anecdotal conversations with voters (often rural and white) lead in the framing that is so often used by the media. It might be interesting to talk with Black voters to see if they feel that our public schools over-compensate for people of color when teaching about racial history. I haven’t seen too many of those stories.

In any event, the critical political story of our time is that one of our political parties backed an unsuccessful coup d’etat in 2020 and is working hard at all levels now to wrest power in 2022 and 2024 from legitimately elected officials. I don’t expect the national media to back one political party over another. I do expect national media to be pro-democracy. That’s where the resources need to be focused. Those in position of leadership need to understand the crucial story and not be swayed by the narrative-of-the-moment.

Good news gets lost if we don’t make the effort to spotlight it

The famous line about local news — “If it bleeds, it leads” — is another way of saying that bad news sells. Good news — even about an amazing economic recovery — gets lost for a variety of reasons.

Year-end accounts of the U.S. economy are very strong indeed. According to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal—which are certainly not giddy media outlets—U.S. economic output has jumped more than 7% in the last three months of 2021. Overall growth for 2021 should be about 6%, and economists predict growth of around 4% in 2022—the highest numbers the U.S. has seen in decades….

The U.S. is “outperforming the world by the biggest margin in the 21st century,” wrote Matthew A. Winkler in Bloomberg, “and with good reason: America’s economy improved more in Joe Biden’s first 12 months than any president during the past 50 years….”

  • The jobless rate under Biden has dropped from 6.2% at the beginning of his term to 4.2%.
  • The Biden administration has created 4.1 million new jobs in one year, more than were created in the 12 years of the Trump and George W. Bush administrations combined. 
  • Wages are growing at about 4% a year.
  • The American Rescue Plan, passed by Democrats in March without a single Republican vote, cut child poverty in half by putting $66 billion into 36 million households.
  • More than 4.6 million Americans who were not previously insured have gotten healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act, bringing the total covered to a record 13.6 million.
  • When Biden took office, about 46% of schools were open; currently the rate is 99%.
  • In November, Congress passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that will repair bridges and roads and get broadband to places that still don’t have it.
  • Support for consumers has bolstered U.S. companies, which are showing profit margins higher than they have been since 1950, at 15%.
  • Companies have reduced their debt, which has translated to a strong stock market.

The American economy is the strongest it’s been in decades, with the U.S. leading the world in economic growth…so why on earth do 54% of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy (according to a CNN/SSRS poll released yesterday)?

Maybe it is the fact that 57% of those responding to the poll say that the economic news they’ve heard lately has been mostly bad. Only 19% say they are hearing mostly good news about the economy. And we have an energized political opposition that is working to spread misinformation about the state of the economy and the state of the country.

We all have stories about this past year. I agree with my blogger friend that 2021 was better than is often reported. We can all — simple bloggers and national reporters — do a better job at telling our perspectives and getting to the truth if we focus more on the critical stories for our time, find the good news that is taking place, and spend less effort on repeating bad news and misinformation that flies in the face of the facts.

More to come…

DJB

*As I wrote earlier on the blog, over the past 40 years, here is what has happened in those two states in the first year of a new president’s term:

  • 2021 – Joe Biden (D) is in his first year as president. Virginia elects a Republican governor. New Jersey reelects its Democratic governor in a close race, the first time a Democrat has been reelected in NJ in 44 years.
  • 2017 – Donald Trump (R) is in his first year as president. Both Virginia and New Jersey elect Democratic governors.
  • 2009 – Barack Obama (D) is in his first year as president. Both Virginia and New Jersey elect Republican governors.
  • 2001 – George W. Bush (R) is in his first year as president. Both Virginia and New Jersey elect Democratic governors.
  • 1993 – Bill Clinton (D) is in his first year as president. Both Virginia and New Jersey elect Republican governors.
  • 1989 – George H.W. Bush (R) is in his first year as president. Both Virginia and New Jersey elect Democratic governors.
  • 1981 – Ronald Reagan (R) is in his first year as president. Virginia elects a Democratic governor. New Jersey elects a Republican governor by a margin of less than 2,000 votes.

Image by yogesh more from Pixabay

Seeing through times that try our souls

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It was helpful to be reminded by historian Heather Cox Richardson that Thomas Paine’s American Crisis was first published on December 19, 1776. It begins with the famous first sentence, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Historian David McCullough has told us again and again that we’ve been through difficult times before.

Many had hoped that 2021 would bring, if not a semblance of normalcy back to our lives, then perhaps something resembling a page turned. But the first week of the year made it clear that we would continue to navigate tumult and upheaval in what are unquestionably liminal times for the world. This past week drove that point home. We are all looking for a way through and beyond the present difficulties. *

As we come upon the winter solstice, Krista Tippett reminded the On Being community of what it takes to navigate such a hard, strange time in the life of the world. In an e-newsletter entitled The fullness of things, she writes that 2021 has not lived up to the vision many of us had for what lay beyond 2020, as we were looking for “at least a page turned, a new chapter opened.” But we find ourselves still in “an in-between time of rupture and searching and unmourned losses and so many callings yet to heed, so much change to absorb and propel.”

The wonderful poet and essayist Jane Hirshfield (brings) her reframing reminder that “our human task” is precisely this: to acknowledge “the fullness of things.” The darkness that cohabits with light, even at the best of times; the beauty that persists even as this world absorbs a magnitude of suffering. 

The winter solstice, with its darkness and chill, also reminds us that a new year is on the way. Many begin thinking of resolutions, perhaps focused on personal ways to respond to our current reality. Since 2013, I have taken a different route. That year I established several rules of how I want to live day-to-day. Rules for the road of life, if you will.

Computer wallpaper with DJB’s life rules

They came as the result of a more intentional focus on life’s journey rather than relying on a changing list of annual resolutions to respond to the challenges of the moment. These personal guidelines are not quite principles but rather serve as reminders of how I want to live over time. And they are especially helpful in times of disruption and turmoil.

I’ve written — in one way or another — about each of my personal rules over the past twelve months. Here are eight of those stories from More to Come, given in the hope that they will help you think about your cardinal or life rules in this new year, and provide you with hope in trying, liminal times.

Rule #1. Be Grateful. Be Thankful. Be Compassionate. Every Day. 

“Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice,” wrote the Dutch priest and theologian Henri J.M. Nouwen, as highlighted in The discipline of gratitude (January 4th). Rule #1 is in that first slot for a reason. It recognizes that gratitude requires intentionality, and it encourages everyday action, not just when things are going well.

I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of a complaint.

Rule #2. Exercise six days a week for the rest of your life. 

With the passage of time, walking has become my favorite way to see the world and to get my exercise. Walking is moving at the speed of life, even when life is hard and strange. In Touch the earth (October 1st), Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh has his own distinctive take on walking.

Walking is a form of touching the earth. We touch the earth with our feet, and we heal the earth, we heal ourselves, and we heal humankind. … With every step it’s possible to bring healing and nourishment to our body and our mind.

Listening

Rule #3. Listen more than you talk.

In Kyshona: The music therapist gone rogue (September 25th), singer Kyshona Armstrong speaks about her newest album, entitled Listen.

What I tried to set forth in this album is just: Listen. From every corner that you look at it, we’re all just screaming at each other. Nobody’s really listening. The thing about ‘Listen.’ is that it’s a whole sentence. It’s the most difficult thing to do.

Develop a bucket list focused on time and experiences more than money and possessions

Rule #4. Spend less than you make. 

In some ways, the current climate crisis is a result of a period of consumer-focused, debt-fueled consumption. Having been raised in that time period, I have to teach myself to follow this 4th rule again and again. In Stellar (and short) rules for a good life (May 21st), Ryan Holiday includes the admonition to “Value time more than money and possessions.” Define your rules. Then live by them.

Rule #5. Quit eating crap! Eat less of everything else. 

Being mindful about what we eat supports us in responding, with hope, to those challenges we face. In The practice of breakfast (May 3rd), I show how my father used breakfast as part of a morning practice, well before that term came to mean what it does today. When he walked into the Tennessee Valley Authority office at 7 a.m., he had already centered his soul, stimulated his mind, cheerfully provided for his family, and exercised. We could all do much worse in beginning our days.

Rule #6. Play music. 

This rule may not apply to your life, and it may seem far-fetched to think it can help us navigate times of heartbreak and challenge, but in Happy 100th birthday, my friend (December 18th) I am reminded of a continuum of musicians and the fullness of life each time I pick up my 100-year-old A-4 mandolin.

Helping hands (photo credit: James Chan from Pixabay)

Rule #7. Connect and commit. 

One of the key regrets of the dying, as discussed in Your time is sacred (December 13th), is that “I didn’t stay in touch with my friends.” I firmly believe that one of the reasons we are in such a difficult time as a country is that we have lost our connections and our commitments to each other. Real life connection is the essence of wellbeing.

A child of the drum
A child of the drum: David learns the art of traditional Japanese drumming (photo credit: Melissa Blunt)

Rule #8. Don’t be a Grumpy Old Man. Enjoy life! 

In What if we have it all wrong? Reality and the dislocation of joy (October 4th), I turn to two of my mentors to help me think about joy. Our everyday language would lead an observer to believe that what we see as real is always serious, harsh, and cruel. The words “harsh reality” stand as one idea. Yet, “what if joy, wonder, and peace are what life is really about?” Can the harshness and bitterness that we too often see as reality be a passing phase? “All babies are born with the firm belief that joy, wonder, and peace are the norms of life. … Babies are born with that understanding of life. And slowly, patiently, the elders of the world teach them that their view is wrong.” One day at a time, I’m working on instilling joy into life — even when the world is troubled and unsettled.

Best wishes for a restorative holiday season. And as you welcome the winter solstice and the New Year, remember to be grateful, thankful, and compassionate every day.

More to come…

DJB

*Liminal is my new favorite word.

Image: Milky Way from Pixabay

Happy 100th birthday, my friend

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The year 1921 was an important one in world history. The pandemic that began in 1918 had weakened, but it was still causing sickness and death. The Irish War for Independence ended, leading to the creation of the Republic of Ireland. The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre saw a white mob burn down the community of Greenwood — known as the Black Wall Street — destroying lives, property, wealth, and dreams. Babe Ruth hit his 138th home run, taking over as career leader in that baseball category until his eventual record of 714 was broken by Hank Aaron in 1974. Franklin Roosevelt contracted polio at age 39. Coco Chanel introduced “Chanel No. 5”.

Gibson factory: This is the interior of the factory that was in use in 1920, although this photo is from 1936 (credit: Kalamazoo Public Library)

And at the Gibson instrument factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, workers are building a number of A-style mandolins.

At last Monday’s Celtic Christmas concert sponsored by the Institute of Musical Traditions, Robin Bullock picked up his Gibson A-style mandolin and announced that he wanted to make sure to play it because the instrument was celebrating its 100th birthday. *

Robin Bullock, Elke Baker, and Ken Kolodner (l to r) at the 2021 IMT Celtic Christmas concert with Robin’s 100-year-old A-style mandolin.

As he proceeded to join bandmates Ken Kolodner and Elke Baker in an old-time medley, I had a thought. In that batch of mandolins being brought to life in Kalamazoo in 1921 was one A-4 model with a red sunburst finish and a fleur-de-lis inlay in the headstock. One with the serial number 65905.

My Gibson A-4 mandolin headstock with the fleur-de-lis inlay, serial number 65905

Yes, my Gibson A-4 mandolin also dates from 1921, so it is also celebrating a 100th birthday this year! And anything that reaches 100 deserves to be honored, as we’ll do in this Saturday Soundtrack.

Because there are several great musicians playing A-style mandolins online, they’ll take the lead in showcasing what this versatile old chestnut can do. To begin, here’s a video featuring the three musicians who originally put the thought into my head. This particular IMT performance is from 2015 — when Robin’s mandolin was still a spry 94-years young — but he puts the youngster through its paces on Richmond, Greasy Coat, and the frightfully named Starvation at Hell Creek.

After that appetizer, let’s turn back to when these instruments were first introduced. Mandolins have been around for a long time, and some classical composers — including Vivaldi, Beethoven, and Mozart — wrote specifically for them. When Gibson began making mandolins in Kalamazoo, the company was building off the second wave of mandolin popularity — which began with the Paris Exposition of 1878. The company helped fuel this new interest in the instrument as well as the related members of the mandolin family: the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello, and mandobass.

Instruments of the mandolin family, all made by Gibson (credit: By Larry Jacobsen – Flickr: The Gibson Collection, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25470719)

Mandolin orchestras are still popular in some parts of the music world, as shown in this video of the Vivaldi Mandolin Concerto in C Major performed at the 8th Osaka International Mandolin Festival in 2013. (You have time to work on your skills before the 12th festival in October of 2022!)

Tone Poems: The Sounds of the Great Vintage Guitars and Mandolins is an album of duets by mandolinist David Grisman and the late guitarist Tony Rice using vintage instruments. Turn of the Century, which opens the album, features instruments that were available when the song was written, and that’s not the 21st century they are referencing. Rice plays an 1891 Martin 1-21 guitar while Grisman takes the lead on a 1905 Gibson A-4 mandolin.

Norman Blake is the first musician I saw play an A-style mandolin in person, and he probably was the key influence that led me to step into Gruhn Guitars in 1979 and check out their inventory of vintage instruments.

The invoice of my $636 purchase of A-4 #65905 in September of 1979

The story I recall from when I bought my mandolin is that it once was owned by none other than Norman Blake himself, although that very well may be a story I invented over time and in my mind! In any event, give a listen to a still-active Blake put his A-style mandolin through the paces on the T.A.G. Railroad Rag.

Carl Miner of the band The Greencards plays a beautiful rendition of Jay Unger’s Ashokan Farewell on an A-4 in impeccable condition.

Sad to say, my A-4 did not come into my possession in such good condition. The pickguard has always been missing, with the resulting wear showing on the body. There are other nicks and minor flaws, but hey, it is 100 years old and sounds great.

The only modification I made to the instrument was to add a strap button on the heel (I can hear the purists now). The only repair, by a Gibson-certified technician, was to address a small separation issue at the tailpiece.

Other A-4 models have seen more significant modifications. Multi-instrumentalist Flynn Cohen of Low Lily joins Mandolin Monday for an original microtonal fiddle tune called The Last of Biff played on his modified vintage Gibson mandolin that has two partial-frets and one micro-tuned course. See if you can hear the difference.

In the 1980s, I was listening to a good bit of Tom Espinola and Lorraine Duisit. Their album Feather River featured both musicians playing an A-style mandolin on lovely tunes like Chimes.

Yes, the case is pretty darn old as well!

A-4 number 65905 has now been in my life for 42 years. I don’t play it as much as I should, but since the old box is now 100 I suspect I’ll give it some more TLC and attention. As with all my musical instruments, I see them as living things and I see myself as just a steward. This one was here before me, and it should — with any care at all — outlast me. I hope it gives someone else great pleasure in the future.

For while other companies still produce A-style mandolins, they are no longer a part of the Gibson lineup. I get it, F-style mandolins look stunning! “An F-style mandolin is as much a work of art as it is a functional instrument.” And in the hands of Chris Thile or Sam Bush, an F-style looks as cool as any electric guitar in the hands of a rock star. No one would think of using John Starling’s description of John Duffey (i.e., “the big man with the little instrument”) on one of those two guys, with their hip looks and their stylin’ F-5s. And then there is Sierra Hull. I rest my case.

But if I was worried about stunning looks, then I wouldn’t have bought an A-4, and perhaps would have changed a few other things in my life.

Let’s end the celebration where it began with two pieces by Robin Bullock. First up, Robin plays a medley of two old time fiddle tunes on a 1920 A-style, and he’s added the following comment about the tuning:

This is a pair of old-time Appalachian fiddle tunes, “Coleman’s March” and “Bonaparte’s Retreat”, played on my 1920 Gibson A (affectionately nicknamed The Feral Cat because its previous owner claims it only purrs when it’s in my lap). These tunes are traditionally played with the fiddle retuned to the “Dead Man’s Tuning,” DDAD low to high, so I retuned the mandolin the same way and discovered that the tuning yields some amazing sounds on mandolin. This arrangement continues to evolve over time.”

We’ll end with some J.S. Bach on the mandolin…in this case, Bach’s Allemande from Cello Suite No. 4.

Happy birthday, dear friend.

Enjoy!

More to come…

DJB

*He also said he owned a number of mandolins, and this one was the “youngest.”

Image of #65905 by DJB

Bringing clarity to our times

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The Wednesday Weekly Reader features have included multiple posts focused on fears for the future of democracy. With links to the writings of historians, reporters, lawyers, media watchdogs, and political analysts, I have shared the thinking of the people I read in trying to sort through mounds of online and written information about this threat to our country.

This has been my way of understanding the context of the times we live in. But frankly, I’ve gone down this rabbit hole too many times.

After a year of setting aside space on More to Come (MTC) to curate a collection of articles and clips from writers I admire, it is time for a mild course correction.

A change is on the way

I remain worried about the future of democracy in America. But there are others you can turn to on that topic and go straight to the source, doing away with the middleman.

More to Come is not a platform with thousands of followers waiting with bated breath to hear what I think about today’s events. * I’m happiest when writing pieces that connect the dots between events and places in my life with the things around me. Only a small portion are political in nature.

Beginning in the new year, the focus of the Weekly Reader will shift to serve as the go-to place for my reflections on the books I’m reading. If 2021 is a guide, I’ll average a post every other week. But I’m not changing the name…the Every-other-week Reader is just too cumbersome.

I’m thankful for the following clear thinkers

What follows are my suggestions and links to the writers I’ve found to have useful insights, with a special focus in the area of history, which is my primary interest and specialization. These talented writers and scholars continue to help me sort through the puzzle of life today.

Understanding the historical context for the events in our lives

Heather Cox Richardson

Heather Cox Richardson — This is the easiest and strongest recommendation I can make. Each night or early morning, Richardson — a historian at Boston College — sends out a summary of key events of the day linked to historical events or trends. It is brilliant, and frankly I don’t see how she does it with such consistency and quality. You can pay to subscribe to her Letters from an American newsletter on Substack, or you can get it for free. She is the one person I gladly pay to ensure that her insights show up each day.

Richardson describes Letters from an American in these words:

Historians are fond of saying that the past doesn’t repeat itself; it rhymes.

To understand the present, we have to understand how we got here.

That’s where this newsletter comes in.

I’m a professor of American history. This is a chronicle of today’s political landscape, but because you can’t get a grip on today’s politics without an outline of America’s Constitution, and laws, and the economy, and social customs, this newsletter explores what it means, and what it has meant, to be an American.

These were the same questions a famous observer asked in a book of letters he published in 1782, the year before the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War.

Hector St. John de Crevecoeur called his book “Letters from an American Farmer.”

Like I say, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure rhymes.

I especially like Richardson’s take on days with special significance, such as Pearl Harbor Day, the anniversary of the day Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, or Veterans Day/Armistice Day, to name three recent ones. Richardson is a reliably progressive voice who also happens to be very smart and very good at what she does.

Joanne B. Freeman (credit: Beowulf Shehan)

Joanne B. Freeman — Richardson also hosts the podcast Now & Then with historian Joanne Freeman. The podcast is accessible from Richardson’s Substack platform.

Freeman was the co-host of the great history podcast Back Story before it ended production. I recommend you read Freeman’s Field of Blood. She’s writing a great deal about political violence and polarization, so her work has a hand-in-glove fit with today’s events.

Ed Ayers (credit: edwardayers.com)

Ed Ayers — The co-founder of Back Story, Ayers is now the founder and Director of New American History, which attempts to show history in more meaningful and memorable ways.

Ed provides insightful analysis and is an excellent writer. I always enjoy his updates. He writes on the Medium platform, where you can see articles such as this summer one: The classroom is a community of trust.

History is the turbulent, unpredictable, and deeply human record of everything that happened before this moment. Through interactive maps, video, audio, an algorithmic engine of journalism, and tools for educators, we hope to make visible what was previously invisible about our shared American story.

Rebecca Solnit (credit: Adrian Mendoza)

Rebecca Solnit — A writer, historian, social critic, and activist, Solnit is simply one of the best writers and thinkers working today in terms of social commentary and the times we live in. Solnit is the author of more than twenty books on feminism, western and indigenous history, popular power, social change and insurrection, wandering and walking, hope and disaster. I highly recommend her books Whose Story Is This?, Call Them by Their True Names (Winner of the 2018 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction), Men Explain Things to Me, The Mother of All Questions, Hope in the Dark, The Faraway Nearby, and Wanderlust: A History of Walking. 

Just put her name in the search on MTC and more than 30 references will come up. Solnit is also writing a regular column now for The Guardian. You need to know her.

Finally, I want to add a special commendation to Nikole Hannah-Jones for her groundbreaking work with the 1619 Project.

Understanding today’s media landscape

Dan Froomkin — Froomkin runs the indispensable Press Watch site, which he calls “an intervention for political journalism.” His “let me rewrite that for you” columns are both very funny and sad beyond belief. Froomkin, to put it mildly, doesn’t suffer fools.

If you want to see his list of the journalists up to the task of reporting in the midst of our upheaval, check out the Thanksgiving post entitled, I am thankful for journalists who bring clarity to our times.

Judd Legum — Legum is the founder of Popular Information, and I very much appreciate his “follow the money” approach to investigative journalism. One of his most important ongoing investigations is into those corporations who are supporting the Republicans who voted to overturn the election on January 6th.

A strong voice in understanding legal issues

Teri Kanefield — An attorney, writer, and commentator, Kanefield produces a weekly post on her blog that delves into the legal aspects of events today while also explaining why those who support democracy cannot simply take the same approach as those who want to kill it.

Laughs help get us through

McSweeney’s — Sometimes you just need a good laugh to get through the day’s grind. When that’s the case, I often turn to McSweeney’s. The Smart replies to dad emails piece kind of hurt, however. But the mother of all year-end summaries was great: Things I didn’t have on my 2020 bingo card, including:

  • Dumbest. Coup. Ever.
  • U.S. Postal Service: White hot center of drama and intrigue
  • Quitting royal family: An option

There are too many good, smart (and funny) people writing on a variety of topics to claim ignorance of what’s happening today. I encourage you to read:

There are so many more that I have not mentioned, but perhaps this will whet your appetite. In this day and age, you don’t need to settle for muddy analysis, bothsiderism, and anecdotal journalism (I’m looking at you, NPR). Whatever you read, come at it with a smart, curious, and open mind.

More to come…

DJB

*I do not have any special access from which to provide insights. I’m not on Twitter, Substack, Instagram, or Facebook to amplify my comments, nor do I want to be.

Image of puzzle pieces by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay.

Your time is sacred

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We all want to live well, being true to the life that makes the most sense to our hearts. It is the how to live well that is a challenge.

Working from her experience with those near death, a former palliative care nurse wrote a bestselling book that is illuminating and instructive. The top five regrets of the dying came from Bronnie Ware’s observations during that time, and it led her to focus on how the rest of us spend our waking hours. Like Natalie Goldberg discovered in fighting cancer, Ware arrived at a simple yet challenging answer to the question of how to spend our time to avoid finding ourselves on our deathbeds with regrets for the life we’ve lived.

Face the fact that you are actually going to die one day and that your time is sacred. 

We all live with a “terminal diagnosis.” The more awareness we can bring to this, the more it will support us to live well, instead of living a life dictated by others.

First regret of the dying: I wish I’d lived a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me

My parents modeled this way of living, telling their five children that they would teach us their values but, as we grew into adulthood, each one of us needed to make choices to become the person we were supposed to be. Their willingness to let go without expectations led us all down different career and life paths: musicians, arts administrator, preservationist, planner, public servants, navy veteran, artistic blacksmith, missionary, authors, parents. It was a good start to living a life true to oneself. Both of our children are now following their passions, providing us with lessons from another generation.

Too many of us fear the risk of such an approach to living. Instead, we have learned to live our lives trying to satisfy other people’s demands. Ware notes that as our individual callings become more prominent, we come to realize that our “own beliefs and preferences may not actually be aligned to those you have been raised with.” There is a healing in this realization.

Second regret: I wish I hadn’t worked so hard

My father loved being an engineer. But it didn’t define him. He wrote about this after he took early retirement and faced his third stage of life without the traditional comfort of being known for his job. Fortunately, his way of living already included what today we call work-life balance, and he moved confidently out of a full-time career into a very productive and satisfying three decades of retirement.

Ware notes that dying people who have this regret learn too late that there needed to be more in their lives than work. When work was taken away from them, “there was nothing left: no identity to support them, no stimulus to inspire them, no joy.”

Third regret: I wish I had the courage to express my feelings

When I was a child, I had no problems expressing my feelings. I laughed when I felt joy, cried at pain, and delighted in new discoveries. Most young children experience a similar life of wonder. But along the way, we are taught how to suppress our feelings as part of learning life skills to navigate challenges and see different perspectives.

Many of those skills are useful, Ware writes, but “some of them hinder your natural expressions, until over time, you think it is normal to never be vulnerable or express yourself honestly.” Too often we never summon the immense courage to express ourselves, “whether that is by being vulnerable and sharing your love, or being strong and sticking up for yourself. But it is absolutely vital to do so if you are going to live your fullest life.”

Fourth regret: I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends

This past Thanksgiving, we did what we have done for years: got in our car and drove 2 1/2 hours to spend the weekend with friends we’ve known for more than three decades. Yes, we have Facebook, LinkedIn, or text connections. But staying in touch is so much more than a “like” on a social media post. Our daughter Claire, who regularly makes time to get together physically and emotionally with friends she has known since grade school, has taught us how to live to avoid this regret.

“Real life connection is the essence of wellbeing. It is natural that some friends may fall away as your lifestyles and tastes change,” writes Ware. Yet dying people “regretted not staying in touch with their old friends, though, because during their last weeks they wanted to reminisce, laugh about the old days, feel understood, and remember they once belonged in an easier world.”

Fifth regret: I wish I had allowed myself to be happier

Happiness is a choice. For me, that choice came when I made the decision not to get stuck in old stories and to make the expression of gratitude a regular practice. We can all decide where to locate our joy and how long we focus on the unpleasant in life.

“Every time you take ownership of your focus and steer it towards something that leaves you feeling a little better, you are opening your heart and life up to more happiness. Life is not a penance. It is a precious gift of time.“

The late Italian-American philosopher Jim Valvano summed up his approach to living a happier and fulfilling life by saying that every day we should “laugh, think, and cry.” Think about it, he said. “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day, that’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”

It gets late early out here. It is your life. Choose your own focus.

More to come…

DJB

Image by Claudia Martinez from Pixabay

Gifts of new favorites – the 2021 edition

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Many of the musicians featured in these Saturday Soundtrack posts are like old friends who have been in my life for a long time. I have also committed to discovering music that wasn’t a part of my youth, highlighting musicians brought to my attention recently via recommendations by friends, readers, and other sources. Those new discoveries are gifts, if you will. Since we are in the gift-giving season, I want to revisit a few of those “new favorites” that may be well known to some of you, but that I just discovered in 2021.

The Avalon Jazz Band (see March 6th review) is fronted by Tatiana Eva-Marie, a Swiss-born and Brooklyn-based singer who grew up in an eclectic musical family. She used the variety of musical styles heard during her childhood to move toward swing jazz. As a long-time fan of the gypsy jazz made popular by the Hot Club de France, I am always pleased to find new (and not-so-new) groups such as the Avalon Jazz Band playing in the swing jazz style of 1930s and 1940s Paris.

Avalon Jazz Band

Eva-Marie has a wonderful voice and captures the spirit of the Zazous, the “swing kids” of Paris, albeit with an American twist. She is “what many people would call a ‘triple threat.’ She’s brilliant, beautiful, and talented. She’s basically a Swiss fairy princess, with soul.” And the band is pretty hot as well! To prove both points, take a listen to Runnin’ Wild — and make sure to check out the break by the guy on the washboard rhythm section at the 1:35 mark.

Yasmin Williams (see January 30th review) has a sound and style that stands as “her challenge to widespread preconceptions about the music made by young Black people or acoustic guitarists. It’s Williams’s achievement that she makes that challenge sound so calming and beautiful.”

Yasmin Williams (credit: YasminWilliamsMusic.com)

Williams released her second album, Urban Driftwood, in January, and although it was partially recorded in Takoma Park, Maryland — home to self-styled “American primitive” fingerstyle pioneer John Fahey — her music doesn’t sound like Fahey’s and it certainly isn’t primitive. Her piece Juvenescence is a lyrical, technically challenging tune, played with simple beauty and impressive virtuosity. Since first discovering her music, I’ve heard Williams playing in multiple settings over the past few months. She is clearly an artist on the rise.

A gay and Black performer working in Appalachian music, Jake Blount (see February 6th review) features “historically informed, beautifully played old-time music.” As noted on his website, “Blount specializes in the music of Black communities in the southeastern United States, and in the regional style of the Finger Lakes. A versatile performer, Blount interpolates blues, bluegrass and spirituals into the old-time string band tradition he belongs to. He foregrounds the experiences of queer people and people of color in his work.”

Jake Blount (credit: by Michelle Lotker via JakeBlount.com)

“I felt the need to go back to the songs my ancestors had sung, initially in the form of spirituals, and then eventually in the form of banjo and fiddle music to sort of understand how they had seen the world because songs are the only direct record they left us,” notes Blount. It is his way of responding to the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Goodbye, Honey, You Call That Gone opens the 2020 album Spider Tales. “The tune comes from Lucius Smith, a Black banjo player from Sardis, Mississippi, who often performed in a band with Sid Hemphill.” In this video, Blount is playing the banjo while Nic Gareiss performs with his feet.

Low Lily (see March 27th review) is a Vermont-based band exploring the roots and branches of American folk music. This exploration takes place “with traditional influences and modern inspiration that weaves together a unique brand of acoustic music. Liz Simmons (vocals and guitar), Flynn Cohen (vocals, guitar and mandolin), and Lissa Schneckenburger (vocals and fiddle) are masterful players with deep relationships to traditional music styles ranging from bluegrass to Irish, Scottish, New England and Old Time Appalachian sounds. When you combine this with stellar composition skills and inventive arrangements you get music that is rooted yet contemporary.”

Low Lily (credit: HOME | LOW LILY)

While the band members handle their various instruments with great skill, I was very much drawn to their vocal harmonizing. Hope Lingers On is a personal favorite, with an optimism that comes through even in “our darkest hour.”

Guitarist Charlie Rauh (see June 5th review) is an Alabama-born, New York City-based musician who was influenced by Duke Ellington and his “wonderfully lyrical melodic sense intertwined with dense, idiosyncratic harmony.” Rauh notes that “Playing guitar really opened up a lot of creative momentum for me, as I could play chords as well as melodies and form more developed ideas. 

Charlie Rauh by Liz Maney (credit: PHOTOS — Charlie Rauh)

Rauh’s music is soft, slow, and beautiful. Here he plays a gorgeous composition, Arolen, from his 2017 release Viriditas.

Kyshona (see September 25th review) — a “music therapist gone rogue” — has a message for a broken world. I absolutely love her music and approach to healing. Kyshona (pronounced Kuh-Shauna) Armstrong began her career as a musical therapist, writing her first songs with the students and inmates under her care. As she began to write independently, she lent “her voice and music to those that feel they have been silenced or forgotten,” making her a unique figure in Nashville’s creative community and songwriting culture. 

Kyshona (credit: Kyshona.com)

In the liner notes to Fallen People, she writes:

“In a time when we are all so divided, this song was written as a reminder that each and every one of us has an obstacle we’re trying to overcome, an emotional wound we are living with and a struggle that we’re walking with everyday. THAT is where we can all be united… in the hurting.“

Over the last few years, Kyshona has shared the stage with a host of top-flight performers. I especially enjoy her collaboration — alongside Adia Victoria, Allison Russell, and Kam Franklin — with the talented alt-country singer Margo Price in this spell-binding version of Hey Child from Price’s That’s How Rumors Get Started. When you go past the mass market in Nashville, you will discover some unexpected performances.

Speaking of Adia Victoria (see October 9th review), the South Carolina-born and Nashville-based blues singer-songwriter “wants to make the blues dangerous again” and has important stories to tell.

Adia Victoria (credit Red Light Management)

South Gotta Change is a powerful 2020 single produced by T. Bone Burnett (who also produced her album A Southern Gothic) that Victoria described in a release as “a prayer, an affirmation, and a battle cry all at once. It is a promise to engage in the kind of ‘good trouble’ John Lewis understood necessary to form a more perfect union.”

Trout Steak Revival (see October 23rd review) is “the quintessential Colorado string band. Defined more by expressive songwriting and heartfelt harmonies rather than any one genre, Trout Steak Revival crosses over and blends the bounds of folk, indie, bluegrass, and roots evoking its own style of Americana.”

Trout Steak Revival (credit troutsteak.com)

This band can really swing. While everyone in the band jumps in on vocals, I am especially drawn to those by Bevin Foley, as heard here on this live version of Go On.

Tre Burt (see November 13th review) comes from a working-class background, just like his songwriting hero John Prine. Sacramento songwriter Burt is one of a talented group of musicians today who uses his personal experiences and perspective to reconnect folk music with its African American and protests roots. 

Tré Burt (credit TréBurt.com)

In this mini concert from Paste Studios recorded in September of this year, Burt plays three songs live off his most recent You, Yeah You album.

Maggie Rose (see December 4th review) is a new favorite who a consulting client/new reader brought to my attention. Her vocal talents are stellar, and she both writes and interprets songs in a variety of styles. Rose was raised in the DC area and now lives in Nashville, where she is among the growing number of artists broadening the city’s musical palette.

Another friend, in commenting on the post, mentioned that she was listening to Rose cover Carole King’s hit I Feel the Earth Move. Rose puts a different twist on the song in her arrangement, which is worth a listen.

MonaLisa Twins (see November 27th “Sharing the covers” review), with real-life twins Mona and Lisa Wagner fronting the band, are from Austria and seem to be strange ambassadors for the music of the Swinging Sixties. They were 16 when they released their first album (well after the 60s were in the rear-view mirror), yet the connections to groups like The Beatles is clear. In fact, as you look on their online shop, they have released a number of albums of Beatles covers. They are not technically roots or Americana artists, but they often perform these covers using instruments one finds in those genres.

MonaLisa Twins live at the Cavern Club (credit monalisa-twins.com)

Take, for instance, I’m Looking Through You from Rubber Soul, which they posted earlier this month. It may be the only version of this song where the banjo (actually a banjo-guitar) takes George Harrison’s iconic lick (played along with an organ on the original) and makes it work. 

But be careful. These young ladies can drive you down the You Tube rabbit hole if you aren’t careful (says the voice of experience). And you may even come up with something — especially if you’ve had twins — that will make you cry.

I hope you can find a gift or two you enjoy in this collection. Let me know your thoughts.

More to come…

DJB

Note: Here’s the post on New Favorites uncovered in 2020.

Image: By Mike Gattorna from Pixabay.