Hi Friends,
I hope this finds you well and healthy and if so, THAT is worth celebrating. A lot has happened this month; in the news, in the world and it seems to be steam roller-ing along as we “sit in our homes” and wonder, “What’s next?” Or do we dare to ask that question in hopes not to tempt fate.
Here in Idaho we have been affected by the Covid but not to the degree that other states have, but…we are catching up with the rest of the states. At the same time the numbers in our state grow, venues are wanting to book us. So strange. Such a strange place we are in, all of us, witnessing, watching, praying, protesting.
I have come to the page thinking, what is really new to say? What is there to be joyous about? What is going on with music that we are excited about? Is there ANYTHING exciting?
Last blog I wrote about finding joy in the simple things. That is still the case. My drive to get projects done has waned, as there will ALWAYS BE another project. I’ve extended my energies towards “accomplishing” enough. I have immersed myself in Netflix series. Immersed myself in Gin and Tonics too! Now, I’m drinking tea. The pendulum may be swinging back to balance for me. Not a new world that I like…but one that I am slowly accepting… perhaps.
I still miss hugging people when I see them. It’s still so strange to feel so much love and not be able to do anything with it. We are beginning to play out live, mainly at outside venues provided they are maintaining the safety perimeters. In doing so, we feel the emotional distance too at first. Yet, music is the grand uniter! After 2-3 songs in, people forget the hard times and start smiling again, if only for a moment. This is good and makes our hearts smile.
How can you be aware of what’s going on…concerned and safe…but NOT worried! Right? What does worry get us anyway? One step at a time, alligator closest to the boat, right? Keeping conscience and staying aware yet also holding the knowing-ness that all will inevitably be ok in the long run anyway.
In the long run we all will go back to our maker with the gifts we’ve collected from this world. The exchanges that we’ve had, the memories, the soul gets it’s “food” for where ever it needs to go next. No one nor I knows concretely where we all wind up of course. But I have faith that it is someplace beautiful and good.
I know it’ seems a morbid blog. Yet there is a reality…many people are passing from this planet. It IS happening. And politically we are faced with GREAT CHANGE for the world. How ELSE do people listen? If their lives aren’t threatened, if there are no grave consequences for our actions, people tend to keep “going along”.
There is a grand intelligence to the universe indeed. We look around and see the “magic” of a crystal stream and the ecology of what it supports. We see the circular pattern of the a day into night or a year into next and the seasons change like a sunrise and sunset. We see the universal law playing before our eyes and sometimes…especially in times like these…we can feel so small. So minuit. Up against a big thing, a series of systems and unfolding.
We can feel helpless in the midst of solidified mind-sets, other peoples programs or belief systems that differ from ours. We can think the little things don’t matter. But…they do.
I said to a crowd this weekend, “Have you ever tried to sleep with a mosquito in the room? The little things definitely matter!” This little germ spreading across the world has made itself matter. Sometimes we can wonder in anything we do…”does it matter?” Especially in isolation. People, others, the love for others gives us purpose and gives us a “mattering point” if you will (for lack of better word).
It is an easy time to lose our compass and the feeling of our true North. But this is where we pull in the reins a bit. We take shorter steps. We walk the trail and we NOTICE the small stuff going on in our consciousness. We do the “house cleaning” and we get to the “calm” in the middle of this shit show. We find ourselves. We look in the mirror at another day and walk into our lives as best we can.
I have known enough or figured out as much about myself to know what motivates me. I am very accountable to other people (not so much to myself at times but if I say I will do something…I’ll do it.) Last year I had this song idea dropped into my lap. "The 5 star dive bar”.
Actually Earl Grief a guy who hired us for “Ride Idaho” a non-profit here in Bose, called me to write a song called “the 5 Star Dive Bar”. Earl is quite a character. Very fun loving, whimsical, sweet, ornery, and sometime surly. We love Earl and have been playing for his organization for over 9 years.
When he first told me about the song concept (5 star dive bar), I though, “how clever”. Yet, it seemed vaguely familiar. Well no wonder, up in Sandpoint at a seedy little joint called the 219 there is a sign that reads…”the 5 Star Dive Bar”. Earl stole the idea from that. Sandpoint of all places! I had a whole other life there years ago so I thought that was coincidental.
I was excited about a twangy “country-fied” song that would tell a story about a 5 star dive bar. Visions played in and out of my head for about…5 years! Ha! Maybe more maybe less, they go so fast these days. I wrote the song a million times, but I never wrote it down. I would show up for Earls gigs and sing him something different each year. I would make it up there on the spot always poking fun at Earl and the audience would laugh.
Every year he would ask, “Did you write that song yet?” and I would fib my way through a live ad lib for pure fun and entertainment with a sweet crowd. Well, last year 3 days before Earls gig I was sitting in the bathtub…songs fall in when everything else falls out. I started coming up with lyrics and melody.
“Damn it Earl, now I have to get out of the tub, dry off and write your damn song!” Ha! You never know when the song fairies are going to drop “gold” into your head and this time it was truly inconvenient. But I got up, dried off, grabbed paper and pen and recorder and penned out this very fun song.
I sang it for Earl 2 days later and we laughed like hell. 5 Star is a culmination of all walks of life. It’s a tale of coming in as a stranger and leaving as a friend, where all walks of life reside and are accepted. There was no covid then, people played darts and rode mechanical bulls. The good ol boys merged with the queers and nobody cares. I invented a place like that in my mind. A true melting pot of color, creed, gender and all the in between ADDED to this 5 star culture. Variety made it great…like the scene from Star Wars and all those weird characters in that bar.
I wanted it to be a celebration song where everyone sings and raises a glass. We STILL have much to raise a glass to boys and girls. It may be camouflaged right now, but there are some strides being made. I know you all need some cheer! I hope you enjoy having this song and many of you are in the audience of this recording saying exactly that….”cheers cheers cheers”…good things are coming! Hang in there and stay safe!
Much love and many hugs!
Niccole
Cheers Cheers Cheers, at an Irish Pub in Whistler Black Comb Writers Tears Whiskey with a Guinness emmm…
Mo in her happy place in the sun on the slopes.
