Growing up is often a process of realizing that the things that are important to you, the things that molded you, the moments that you hold as IMPORTANT – are often unilateral. The teachers that were so important have new classes next year. The musicians that made you weep at their shows may never meet you. Your first kiss doesn’t recognize you. The song you Love was just a way for someone else to pay the rent. The open mic you went to that made you at least partially what you are today was just part of a scheme, and just a way to pass the time.
Things are really, really important to me. I’ve created communities that I deemed to be really, really beautiful. I Love what I do, and I Love the people that have come together to do those things with me – whether they’re friends or fans or part of one of my open mic communities – but often as not after an open mic or venue dies, I’ll never see 99% of those people ever again. It was important as long as it was convenient, you know?
Java Mammas falls into that territory. I Loved it, I hated it, I spent a LOT of time working on it, and I wanted to escape it but I was always SO glad to come home to it. And then it died.
I haven’t seen most of those people again, and it makes me sad. But today I put together a pseudo-reunion show just cause I could – and it was beautiful. I got to see a bunch of faces I’d really missed, got to hear a bunch of voices that are painfully absent in my week to week Life. And during a couple of tunes that we played, closing out the show, I could see that we mattered. I looked into a couple of peoples’ eyes that were transported.
As a touring musician I’ve given up a lot of the concept of “home”, but over the past several years, as touring has been a LITTLE less intense and my open mics have
blossomed and fallen and risen again, I’d recaptured some of the feeling of being a “regular” somewhere. I’m glad that for at least some people I wasn’t merely a convenient regular, and that some connection has survived the demise of the REASON of the connection.
I think the world could do with a little more sentimentality.
This kid (Noel?) really surprised me with just his ease on stage and his elegant fingerstyle. And BOTH parents were there, both filming! Huzzah for families that are together! (Boo for a world where I’m surprised to see it). Kit Strong checking out the scene at the 2012 Catonsville Arts Expo. Dylan Lee Brady kicks off the rob portion of the afternoon. His voice is a little different from the last time I played, but he’s still one Hell of a writer, just like I remembered – very, very good to see him and his family again. Jon S Patton tuning up his homemade Don Quixotocaster before he plugs into a bunch of home-wired pedals which in turn were plugged into a homemade amplifier before he joins with other forces in Catonsville, MD.
Liz and Anna, two favourite audience members from the Java Mammas open mics who came out to see us. Andrew Luttrell is backed by his trio (I swear they’re there) and joined by Jon Patton on lead guitar. I never forget how amazing Andy is, but something I don’t get exposed to NEARLY enoughis Jon on electric guitar. He’s got an evniable grace to him that flows out of his fingers into his homemade guitar and into his homemade amplifier – some of my favourite recordings are of Midway Fair (his band) performing at my Trax on Wax open mic and listening to his Mark Knoppflerian guitar stylings. Acacia Sears performing at the 2012 Catonsvillve Arts Expo in her passionate manner and Sharif performing with her in his his hat.
