What a couple of weeks since the last news page blog. Last weekend’s flood was a shocker, mainly because it wasn’t the Blanco River this time (though it did rise a lot) – it was the docile little Cypress Creek running through the center of town, literally, not like it usually does as a trickle underneath small bridges. It came up and wiped out some iconic places in our little town. Again we weathered it fine being on high ground near neither and only dealing with lots of rain, some runoff, and being stuck here for a little bit until the water receded from the roads and low water crossings.
Saw some live music, the band Zydeco Blanco, on Halloween. Their guitar player absolutely killed it – on a cheapo customized baritone Jazzmaster he designed for Squier, with a Fender tube combo. Guy had tone for days; that guitar sounded like a million bucks. And it was Antigua, my favorite painted guitar color. The guy worked it.
Much work got done here in the Wingfeather workshops as usual; Allman Brothers wafting out into the surrounding woods, sun shining down from clear skies, grateful hands just doing what they do and helping the instruments happen.
And this week I even got to make some music, slipping out to finish up an album project down in San Marcos. West Like the Sun is electric, eclectic and very inspired. I couldn’t describe it, there’s no simple box for it. All I know is it started as a forgotten batch of 2011 demos with an alternate-tuned 12-string acoustic and built into something massive in a few sessions. So I’ve now got probably a dozen albums in the can. Time to start putting this stuff up and getting it out – there’ll be a bunch of that next year.
What it’s time to do here is stay steadily on top of the builds I hope to have done and out by the Christmas break and to get everything on order at least started. That’s huge, and it’s happening. I’ve got some really wild stuff to make! There’s a lot going on but there’s a lot of inertia too, and I’m feeling great and doing what I love. There is magic here and I get to be a tool in its process. So I’m again going to do a 2-week interval before the next news page blog. For smaller updates in the moment that happen more frequently, follow Birdsong Guitars on Facebook and/or “friend” Scott Beckwith. I show things there I’m working on that just don’t fit to put on a Birdsong news page.
Go create something this weekend – don’t read this and think that because you won’t manifest an entire album into the world that whatever you can fit in to do isn’t worth just as much. I live in a state of perpetual creativity and I’m the most grateful person on the planet for that, because honestly, I would barely function in a life much different. This is my position on the field, as much who I am as what I do. But everyone is creative, and being in the moment with it is like vitamins for the spirit. So take an hour for you and go play, draw, whittle, write… do it with no agendas or judgments, just BE with it. Light a candle, put on some music and make something happen.
Workin’ with the wood,
Listening to: The Allman Brothers And The Road Goes On Forever Disc 2, The Encyclopedia of Jazz The Gold Collection (Old Jazz Compilation), Fleetwood Mac Tusk