It takes a village to build a music career.
(L to R: Mary, DD, Amber, Michelle, & Nancy)
Here's the Tucson-gang post our (or my) performance at Weststock (Woodstock re-hashed at the Westward Look Resort in the desert, as opposed to Yasgur's Farm). I got the privilege of being the "folk-singer" for the evening, which seemed to be quite the appropriate title since I got to sing and share music with a bunch of "folks".
Speaking of "folks", the picture above is of the "folks" who travel with me from the West to the East, coming to my shows, hauling my gear, air-brushing t-shirts, selling tickets, hanging posters, and memorializing the musical journey through their time and talent creating art, photography and videography.
I am continually amazed at the community that muse-ic brings together.
Is it the common vision? Is it a metaphysical phenomenon--everyone connecting through the vibration of melody, harmony and rhythm? Music transcends time, distance and language. A good song survives through decades, and ancient drumming seems to course through our most primal vein. Tones and rhythmic vibrations can inspire deep meditation and healing. We use music, song and chanting in our diverse spiritual practices. Sound waves have the potential to travel into infinity.
What type of butterfly effect(s) do we create through our sound, through our music?
We, as a human species, seem to be drawn to it (the music, that is); and in cases like me, I crave it. I used to think it was an obsession. But now I realize that it's my way of commune-icating, sharing my soul and making a path in this world.
As I learned folk songs from the 60's, I realized that a lot of them incorporated minor keys such as Em and Am. Communing with songs of the past allowed me to feel a connection to the artists who created them, almost like a sacred communion through time and space. The messages are Universal - struggle, hope, war, release, and faith that one day "we shall overcome."
I find it very interesting that the Native American flutes are also created in minor keys. It seems that this type of "sound" resonates very deeply on a soul level. This "sound" seems to symbolize all those Universal feelings and messages that the folk-singers of the 60's commune-icated, the same themes that still run through our society today.
For thousands of years, humans (folks) have been brought together by creating muse-ic through drumming, tones, melodies and chanting in cadence.
Maybe it was our first language...before the spoken word. And maybe it still is the primary language of creatures like whales, birds, wolves and crickets.
Obviously, we crave that sense of community and communion--Commune-icating through tones, rhythm, and messages in cadence. Through this, we open to each other. And somehow, the music connects us ("folks") in a way that transcends the illusion of separation - whether it be differing viewpoints, cultures or lifestyles.
That was the magic of the original Woodstock. 500,000 people. Not enough water, food or bathroom facilities. Everyone had to work together for a common purpose.
And amidst the weekend of communing in hardship, there was music...and there was peace.
I am honored to be on this path. And I am honored to be part of this community--as we strive to open our hearts, connect with each other and build commune-ity through the muse-ic.
