Creating, Composing, Playing, Listening, Thinking, Dreaming, Music.

Music.

Music has been the savior in this time of pandemic, of trauma, toxic leadership and social unrest. Creating, composing, playing, listening, thinking, dreaming, music.

The hardest cut has been not being able to make music with our band. We can play at home, in the kitchen, in the bedroom, one guitar, two voices, a bit of percussion. But we truly, madly, deeply miss playing music with our wonderful band of musicians. There is nothing quite like sitting in a circle, a group of musicians, listening, communicating, creating new music together.

Playing music to a camera doesn't do it. It's really does need to be live, in the moment. Yesterday we had the chance to meet in the little "village green," wearing masks, six-feet apart, social-distancing, sitting under shady trees, with a big, blue sky looming overhead. We played some brand-new songs. Two guitars, a violin, voices, percussion. It was so fun, thrilling, satisfying, life-affirming. Soul work.

The best kind of soul work imaginable.

The a.m soundtrack - Kings Go Forth - "The Outsiders are Back" - (2010). Sounds like a throw-back to another era. Late 60's or early 70's soul. A ten-piece band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sounds like it was recorded on tape, vintage analog gear, all the musicians in the room together, making it happen, in the moment. Maybe "old-fashioned," but it's the good stuff, the right stuff, the soul stuff, done supremely well. I "discovered" this one via Greg Kot of Sound Opinions. I look to music "critics" not so much to hear criticism, but to hear what they may be enthused about. This is a great, rare find. A fabulous band and sound.