“Time to start a blog for your music,” I was told. Told by those who know about such things. My old music website had a page for writing. It wasn’t really a blog. Just a place for “Writings, Lists and the Occasional Rant” as I described it, which is also how I’m treating this new blog. The page was called Last Word simply because I have a song by that name and because, like the song attempts to express, words can be important. Not only can they last well beyond those who speak or write them, but they can also be the last communication between two people. One never knows. I believe we need to be better at parting with those we care about with words of love and laughter instead of mindless and trite send offs.
So… in light of this new blog venture, I decided to revisit some of those early writings. The one I’ve reposted below is from 2007 and is about playing music with my other two original members of The Brains Behind Pa trio: Garry Bole and Gordon Bonham.
It makes sense to do so now, as we have a new album out—our first since our Better for the Deal album in 2006. There will be more written about the history of this band and the new recording called Beggars Belief, on this blog in the coming months as we roll out this album. But for now, I’d just like to look back at where my brain was on a Tuesday in March of 2007.
– bp
3/13/07
Today, The Brains Behind Pa acoustic trio (Garry, Gordon and I) played a lunchtime set at the beautiful ArtsGarden in downtown Indianapolis. A massive, semi-circular, glass exhibition space, the ArtsGarden is full of light, bouncing sound and passing people.
It has been almost seven years since the three of us met and played together for the first time at a cop bar in the shadow of I-65. We met through “Long Black Veil,” “My Babe,” “Blind Willie McTell” and of course, “I Shall Be Released,” among others. I remember driving home that night feeling like I’d never enjoyed music so much.
Driving home today certainly didn’t have that giddy excitement of seven years ago, but similarly I felt lifted. Lifted in a different way. Lifted not by newness, but by privilege. The privilege to share music with good souls and to have some history among us. Our set list included songs that we’ve continued to play from the beginning (“Trail of the Buffalo,” “Ain’t No More Cane”) and brand new ones that had not been heard by anyone outside of the band.
It was also a day to look back in the short term, as spring has definitely arrived with warm sun and wind. Winter is over. Glancing just over our shoulders to the beginning of the year, I feel it has been pretty good. Opening for James McMurtry in Lafayette in February was a great boost for us. The people in Lafayette that night were so kind and encouraging. A belated thanks to all of them. We hope to get back there this year. Also, we are starting to get some reviews of our Better for the Deal album. It’s nice to be noticed even if just a little.
A song, a book and a color: “Nettie Moore,” Bob Dylan; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain; White, Kazimir Malevich and Josef Albers.
– bp
Postscript: We miss you, Molly Ivins (1944-2007)
