spiritual discernment and trust. Yes, yes, I know that my spirituality is radically sacramental and intensely incarnational. But of course I view most of prayer as breathing, trusting, waiting, listening, and responding to the world around me with as much compassion and creativity as possible. Without a doubt, I aspire to see reality through a nondual lens. And I got the chance to practice all of this in spades trying to pull this gig together.
Which is not to say that it has been hard. Complicated and fluid would be closer to the truth. What started after Easter as a conversation about celebrating the end of covic with one of my long time singer friends found resonance with my dear wife and partner. In early June, 2021 our families gathered for supper at a local Asian fusion eatery to talk about turning this dream into a deed. It was the first time in 15 months that we were out in public besides being masked for shopping and medical appointments. In our innocence, we anticipated doing an early autumn show and I began recruiting some of my old buddies and local artists - until the new variants shut down all consideration for the fall and winter of 2021. This was in and of itself an important encounter with defered expectations and "hanging loose in the saddle." We knew that sometime it would come to pass, we just had no idea when. We regrouped in November and thought right after Christmas but that, too was optimistic. A degree of patience and focus was essential.
Another reality is that while I look towards "small is holy" in most thngs, I can easily be caught up in creating a "really big sheew" as the late Ed Sullivan was want to say. There is nothing like playing loud, bold, kick-ass rock'n'roll with screaming electric guitars, thundering bass, excellent raucus vocals and crashing drums - and we've done some of that in the past. This time around, however, the music that I was feeling and playing was mostly acoustic. We'll have a few rousing rockers to open and close the show - ROCK in the USA and Times Like These - but mostly our tunes are quieter, gentler, and more intimate. Perhaps Di and Jon's take on Beth Orton's version of "Ooh, Ooh Child" evokes the heart and soul of this event.
Same goes for the type of musicians who are free to join us and the number of players in this gig as well. In the past 15 years there have been times when I created a 15 person ad hoc gospel choir to be a part of the six person guitar army, horns, keyboard and all the rest. For a variety of reasons this year was destined to be different as many of the previous players are booked elsewhere that night. Upon reflection, once we zeroed in on a tentative date, some have had to cancel out while others have joined in but mostly this is going to be shaped and driven by a small house band: three key vocalists, two guitars, drums and bass. Think more Robert Plant and Allison Krause than E Street Band or the Last Waltz.
And dare I say that this time around it's a lot more fun? I'm putting myself out there more as a performer, but that's only part of the energy. My bandmates ALL are groovin' to being back together, playing live music for real people in a grand old hall for a cause we care about: welcoming and supporting Afghan allies who have relocated to our community. There's a LOT of laughter and collegiality in the hope that after this gig we'll create a small forum to keep it going. We want to find new ways to keep making music and caring for the common good. It has something to do with living into the charism of this age: small acts of tenderness shared one heart at a time. My old seminary adviser, Cornel West, said recently that he wanted to be an intellectual, "the way that musicians are."
Because musicians are an extension of the community. They have the same spiritual and cultural properties as the very people that you are connected with organically... like Coltrane. Like Frank Sinatra. He touches our souls. He empowers us. There’s a use and a function in the gifts that he gives that allows us to be more fortified in our living... I want whatever wisdom I have, whatever sense of joy, quest for truth and beauty I have to be filtered directly into the empowerment of people (like a musician) so that sisters and brothers can see more clearly, feel more deeply, and act more courageously before the worms get their bodies.
It's going to be a gas and a joy to see where it all leads. Come on out on Friday, April 29th if you can @ 7 pm. You won't be sorry.
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