Monday, August 15, 2022

Moving Along

Well, hallelujah, it's only 71 degrees outside this morning.  We have been enduring hellish heat this summer, breaking records.  The air feels marvelous.

In two weeks I'm hosting a concert in our clubhouse, and the air conditioning is not working.  Given that we live in an HOA and have to run decisions by many people, and get bids from three contractors, it is not likely it will be fixed by the concert date.  Either the day will be mild and we'll meet inside, or it won't, in which case we'll find a shady spot under the trees.  I'm counseling myself to live gracefully with the uncertainty. Our musical guests are a folk duo who tour frequently and perform at house concerts.  Since my condo is not big enough, I'm using the community clubhouse (or not).  Bob and Judi live in California, and I used to perform with Bob back in the day.

We met at an open mic, and along with another fellow, formed a trio. It was the first time I made a serious effort at practicing my singing and songwriting.  I was a marginally good guitar player, but Bob and Chris made up for it with their instrumental skills.  Back then I thought I would make a career out of music, but I lost my mojo and I truly don't remember why or exactly when the three of us went our separate ways.  It's hard work, being a musician/singer, and if you don't have that fire in the belly it's just not going to happen.  I admire people like Bob and Judi who take their talent into the world and have an actual career.

Bob recently urged me to read Joan Baez's autobiography, "And a Voice to Sing With," primarily for the chapter on her relationship with Bob Dylan.  I had just watched the documentary on Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue that toured the country in 1975 (the year I graduated high school).  Joan joined the tour, as did many others (including Joni Mitchell) and it was a chaotic free for all most of the time.  Though I admire Dylan's talent, he was a real cad.  Not honorable in his relations and seemed to enjoy screwing with people's minds.  In Joan's book she confirms this.  

Like any artistic community, there are some real difficult characters in the music business.  Sometimes I think I dodged a bullet when I didn't pursue that line of work.    On the other hand, musicians have a large community of like-minded friends who come together to produce that magic that is music.  There's a lot of pleasure in the music camps, the songwriting workshops (I did one with Ronnie Gilbert) and the performances.  I haven't seen Bob in roughly thirty years and I'm looking forward to both the concert and the conversation I'll have with him and Judi about their years on the road and their lives as working musicians.

You can listen to their music here.  

6 comments:

  1. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a musician and go around the country and the world singing and playing. The delight it brings to the audience and to oneself must be truly wonderful. When I was young I wanted to play the piano. I wanted to make music... it was just a dream some of us had. I wish mine had come true.

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    1. I used to get so high playing in front of audiences, that the adrenaline made it difficult to go to sleep at a reasonable time of night! It really is a drug. Tara

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  2. It's a positive sign that you are feeling well enough to arrange this. And live music is good medicine!

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    1. Music really is good medicine. I agreed to do this well before my health crisis, and they offered to pass on it if I wasn't up to it. But like you say, good medicine is what I need! A friend of mine said I could sleep for days if I wore myself out! Tara

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  3. What a wonderful event to look forward to, seeing your musician friends again, and sharing with others around you! I am going to look for Baez's autobiography - she has long been my she-ro.

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    1. She's my she-ro as well. The book is great: I've been going to chapters that have particular interest to me so I'm not reading it from front to back. Tara

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