Everyone has their own unique perspective of things. It always amazes me when I listen to other people speak about what they values or believe, because it makes me realize how little I know. When it comes to music it is the same thing. I still feel like I’m faking it. I learn songs that I like and pay attention to songs other people like and try to learn a little bit of everything, whether blues, country, folk, rock & roll, Irish songs, old spirituals and so on. There is just so much good music out in the world; it would take a couple of lifetimes to hear it all (if that is even possible!).
When I play at a community market, someone inevitably comes up to me and asks me to play something they've heard. Sometimes I know it, sometimes it’s, “sorry, I never even heard of that”. And yet, I really do want to hear it all, while still knowing that it will never happen.
It makes me think about the past, incredible musicians that grew up learning to play by listening to other musicians, before radio and records. What I really wish is that I could have heard my Grandfather play. His name was William Zurich Coglizer. He died in the late 1960’s and I never knew him. He was a fiddle player and had an old German violin that was made sometime around 1870. After he died the fiddle sat in the closet at my Aunt’s house for 43 years, wrapped up in woolen cloth and duct tape. No one on that side of my family was interested in that old fiddle, so one day I called my Aunt and asked her if I could have it. Surprisingly, she packaged it up and mailed it to me this past summer. I was absolutely stunned to see it for the first time and hold it in my hands. Except for the fact that the bridge and the tail piece were broken, it was still in very fine shape. It had a thin crack on the top and there were signs that it had been repaired a few times in the past, but overall, it looked great. I brought it to Keith Davis’ Violin Shop in Hammond, LA (985-340-0137). Keith is a fine luthier and he took his time getting it back into shape. I finally got it back this week and am thrilled to finally get into learning to play it.
When I recorded my latest music CD, Gilead Valley – Original Country Blues, Robert Chaney, who plays fiddle for the Fugitive Poets, kindly offered several tracks for me. He did such a wonderful job embellishing my arrangements and creating counter melodies on several songs. It really makes me appreciate what a fine instrument the violin is.
Anyway, getting back to personal perspectives… I realize that the vast majority of people see things totally differently, but none the less, it is obvious to me that most of us are moving into some challenging times. It’s as if the big corporations of the world have just stepped all over the working middle class and instituted laws and policies to rob the savings and resources out of the hands of the little guy. Whatever is going on with the devaluation of the dollar and the higher food prices, it is obvious to me that more and more people are beginning to feel the pinch. Gasoline prices are starting to rise again, and the latest estimates say that the price per barrel is going to get up to $150 - $200. That is going to devastate truckers, commuters; it’s going to raise prices on everything from food to household supplies. It is a bad situation. And it looks to me like the next few years are going to be a real challenge for a lot of hard working Americans.
All I know to do is keep focusing on living simply, learning how to do practical skills, and keep playing music. I was at Café Taste of Louisiana in Denham Springs this afternoon, playing for a small lunch crowd and it was such a delight to share old familiar folk songs with the people there. There is something magical about the singer-songwriter era, that time of great folk music from the early 60’s to the mid-70's. Most people just seem to enjoy those inspired songs, if played well, and it makes me delighted to see people singing along. I just know that for a few minutes they are having a memory of the past.
Though there are plenty of places in and around Baton Rouge to go and listen to bands, it’s still strange that there are hardly any places to go and enjoy solo performers. The majority of restaurant business owners and managers don’t seem to get it, not everyone wants to hear a loud band, sometimes it is nice to just sit back with a glass of wine or beer and listen to some nice mellow songs, with great lyric and simple melody. I can’t figure it out why there are only a handful of places that feature local musicians around Baton Rouge, (in fact I can just about name them all: Brew-Ha-Ha, LaFonda’s open mic night, Birdman Coffee & Books, Taste of Louisiana, Whole Foods Market, Magnolia Café, The Red Dragon Listening Room…and that’s just about it.) Hopefully Dorothy Leblanc will soon be able to get her new coffee shop, The Third Place, up and running. And when she does, you can bet they’ll be some great music there all the time. www.dorothyleblanc.com
Familiar songs bring back good feelings of a simpler time. Whatever economic conditions are unfolding, it will be those who come together in a sense of community and spirit of helpfulness that are going to get through. Try to get more places to allow solo or duo performers. There are many talented musicians around town willing to share their stuff, but few places to do so.
