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July, 2008
14 Julys ago I wrote a song called "American Night" after returning from a 4th of July in Poland... I think being away from America on the 4th made me realize how important the holiday was for me- not so much on a "political" level but on a personal level. I guess politics & life experiences eventually intersect but that's not a link I usually get into in songwriting. American Night is probably the closest I've got and it's more about a "feeling" of America than any kind of political commentary. The net result though is that I was fortunate enough to have had experiences growing up that made me "feel" American, and they were good experiences. I spent summers as a child at my Grandfather's home in the town of Wilmot, New Hampshire. At that time, New Hampshire still had hints of its former agricultural industry- the forests that took over the fields were still growing in. In 1994 I remembered all this and wrote: "the longest days came in July, out in the fields, under the sky..." There was a 4th of July celebration in the neighboring town of Andover when I was growing up where there was a parade, a church supper and a midway with turtle races-- and of course the fireworks came last. I wrote: "The sun went down, red blue & white all the way through the American Night..." It was totally Currier & Ives (there was even a Currier's store in town!) and that was America for me back then. I think I realized how fortunate I was to have had that "look into the past" when I wrote American Night, but more than that, I missed having the feeling I got from those experiences- especially when I was in Poland that summer. And of course, like all of us, I missed my own childhood innocence. In many ways, I've re-discovered the feeling of those times in Western Massachusetts, where Tracey & I have started a new life together in a town that reminds me alot of Wilmot & Andover, and is a bit Currier & Ives itself- maybe more like Hippie Currier & Ives-- but somehow there is some of that hopefulness in the atmosphere. Maybe it's the change, or maybe it's just the new beginning, but I think it's also the changes over the years in our country and a re-birth of many of us in our belief in community and hope. The Northampton area has so many people who embrace the values of the so-called "60's revolution" but they have put them into practice- you see it in the families & neighborhoods and ethos of the area. We all went off to "look for America" after we heard Simon & Garfunkel sing about it and I think some of us are beginning to find it... My daughter and I drove to California last month to actualize a dream we both had and always talked about- that we would make this trip together and discover America the way so many have before us- by heading West. We had our "passage" and our time- and time is really all we have- and we tried to make the most of it and look for America. I think what we really found was that America means the chance to realize your dreams, and isn't that what life is all about? Chance and hope. I feel blessed to have both in my life today, the chance to start a new life, the chance to realize some of my dreams, and the hope that these chances will continue to unfold. Happy Independence Day! In mid-June we had the chance to play the Iron Horse Music Hall again, this time with our friends the Dennis Brennan Band. What a ROCKIN night it was! The band got an encore and I got to announce my engagement to Tracey... talk about realizing your dreams! Our original drummer, Jim Treacy, who played on our first CD, "Set Free," joined us for this love-fest with Dennis, Andrew, Billy, Kevin & Duke going on for a burning show after our set. We had a great time playing with Jim, and Jim had a great time reminiscing with Billy about shared shows in the '80's. We all enjoyed this special return to the Iron Horse and we appreciate all of you who turned out for this gig-- and there were alot of you!--- it means a great deal to us to have had such a good showing at a venue we love to play. The balance of the month had Paul & I reviewing new songs for the rest of the band to learn- it's been a long while since we've broken in new material and we plan to get these songs live for you in September. Tracey & her daughter headed to California to visit Tracey's childhood friend and spend some time in the mountains & San Francisco before coming home to settle in for our engagement, and I headed to Virginia to spend time with my son in Charlottesville & the Blue Ridge mountains. Hopefully we'll all have seen enough of the rest of America this summer to last us until next year... This month we'll do a mini-residency at Toad, on Mass Ave in Porter Square, Cambridge, two Thursdays- the 10th and the 24th. We caught Toad's 15th year anniversary last month and were happy to find Dennis Brennan playing that night. I got out my "toadturnsten" t-shirt for the occasion-- it seems like more than 5 years ago that Toad turned 10! So glad the room is still rockin & we hope to see you on one or both of these Thursdays in July. Looking ahead, we have only ONE show in August-- Friday, August 1st- at 7:30 PM on the Natick Town Common in Natick, Mass- so don't miss it! We'll be joined by Sarah Borges & her band who we played the Iron Horse with last September. This should be a great show and I hope many of you will come out to see us and to discover Sarah who is a very talented songwriter-- and a nice gal with a great band! How can you miss? We'll keep you posted on September & the fall as we get more news. In the meantime we'll get back to learning new material... Well, time to get on with summer! Thanks for stopping by & I hope we'll see you at Toad on one of our Thursdays this month. Love, John |
