Contents
1. Late Summer Greetings!
2. The News-in-Very-Brief: Art book update, virtual shows, recording project(s)
3. TK Poem of the Month: "Rockin' Mockinbird"
4. Recommended: "Love on the Spectrum" (TV) and "Against the Rules" (podcast)
5. Food for Thought from Ilia Delio and Ralph Waldo Emerson
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1. Late Summer Greetings!
Lord have mercy, I pray, pray, pray that all of you are healthy and reasonably sane as we hurtle down this very challenging stretch of road we find ourselves traveling. How bizarre and uniquely daunting it is. Now if only we live to tell...
FYI my sister and brother-in-law have survived the virus with no lingering ill effects, and three of my friends are suffering with it at the moment. And I'm guessing most all of us in the music community have lost peers or acquaintances. Bless them. Bless us all.
OK, a thimbleful of news...
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2. Late Summer News: Virtual show(s), recording project(s), and more to come
a. I've gotten some emails recently asking if I'm doing any virtual performing, and the answer is YES.
Poet/songwriter Nathan Brown and I will be Beth Wood's guest at her September 14 virtual "reading and concert" celebrating the release of her third volume of poetry, "Believe the Bird"
The Scoop:
What: Joyful Measures—Beth Wood Book Release Celebration, A Virtual Reading and Concert... with special guests Nathan Brown and Tom Kimmel.
When: Monday, September 14 at 6pm Pacific, 7pm Mountain, 8pm Central, 9pm Eastern
Where: Beth's Facebook Music page: https://www.facebook.com/bethwoodmusic
NOTE: You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch!
—If you don't know Beth's and Nathan's music and poetry, check out Beth's website HERE, and Nathan's website HERE.
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b. I'll be letting you know about more virtual music and poetry in the works...
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c. Ke Francis art book and recording project
I'm completed recording 4 songs for the Ke Francis art book "The Last Time I Saw Cain," which is based on a song by taht title I wrote with Michael Lille. I'm so looking forward to sharing the book and the music accompanying it, but we'll have to wait a bit till it's safe for Ke to introduce the book in art galleries.
FYI, it's a soulful, beautiful, completely handmade and bound batch of books, and the project has really kick-started me creatively..
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d. EP: Songs from the Book
I'm adding two songs to the four I cut for the book project... to round out a 6 song EP I very much look forward so sharing with you. More to come on that.
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3. TK Poem of the Month: Rockin' Mockingbird
When I walk my crazy little pup Dexter early mornings one of my ornithological neighbors is usually carrying on from his high wire perch like a musical maniac. Crazy, the sounds this dude is broadcasting, and he inspired this one...
Rockin’ Mockingbird
Mockingbird says he’s mad!
Robin got the song.
And what’s rockin’ about a robin?
Alliteration? Come on!
Now a Mockingbird, he says
is truly rockin’.
Rockin’ Mockingbird!
what it's got to be!
Robin hop around going
cheep cheep cheep.
Mockingbird raising hell,
throwing down,
taking names
blowing his horn
and telling the truth.
Listen to him sing!
Jazz man, dee jay,
hippity hoppity
instigator in the first degree
scatting, moaning, screaming
Daddy’s home!
It’s crazy, it’s fusion
and it flat out rocks!
Hot damn! he, says.
Everybody knows that.
Everybody knows.
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4. Recommended: "Love on the Spectrum" (TV) and "Against the Rules" (podcast)
a. Love on the Spectrum (TV series)
A lot of us are watching a lot of TV, streaming a lot of shows, and for me, a lot of it feels harsh... or dumb... or manipulative...
...but my sweet wife recently got me started on the Netflix series "Love on the Spectrum," and it's so sweet, humbling, inspiring.
(Check it out on Netflix.)
b. Against the Rules (podcast)
If you've read the books (or seen the films) "Moneyball" or "The Big Short" you've already sampled the excellent work of Michael Lewis.
Now Mr. Lewis has created an entertaining, fascinating and thought provoking podcast series called "Against the Rules." Highly recommended! Start with the first episode.
—Find it via your favorite podcast app... or HERE.
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5. Food for Thought for Our Time: from Ilia Delio and Ralph Waldo Emerson
"We must fix our eyes on the future, on forging new relationships of love that include the earth, all peoples, all religions, all planets and all galaxies."
—Ilia Delio (b. 1955), theologian
“Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.“
– Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), philosopher