Its been a very productive week here at the Wingfeather Workshop; great times in my favorite spot in the universe. You’ll see this over on the builds page where all the updated pictures of the builds in-progress are. I’ve also continued my “Release an album every month” 2016 gigantic harvest of recordings… to see what floats into my mind while I'm working on your basses, you can go download Finlay’s Ripples for free here: www.noisetrade.com/scottbeckwith. It’s a stripped down songwriter set of 13 songs.
This one has been floating through my head all week, one I wrote a few years back called “Working With The Wood” and I dedicate it to anyone out there carrying on, as we craftspeople often do, the work of others in with our own devotions, out in the solitude of the workshop.
We’ve all heard stories of magic made
With a steel string under an old tree’s shade
One searching soul that one guitar
And an unseen fire that fuels you far
There’s another kind of mojo mystic man
Manifest The Muse with his callused hand
Soul deeper than the rocky Hill Country soil
Bring it all back to life with a hand rub of oil
In an old workshop where an Oak once stood
Down a well worn path working with the wood
Some groove on pedals and old tube amps
Him it’s old spokeshaves and Jorgensen clamps
And what some folks see as old dead planks
Pulled out of faded barns and river banks
Carving to the tunes from a Trans-Oceanic
Select fitting parts like Jehovah’s mechanic
All is not as it seems there’s more than we see
And I learned well what the man taught me
That plank of mesquite gonna sing real good
Once touched by the hands working with the wood
Are you ever really gone if your work is carried on?
Well we gave old Johnny back to the ground
And that old workshop been long torn down
Might seem funny might sound strange
But the wheel of life it’s all just change
So play it from the heart and rock ‘em all night
Or sing to the stars by the blue moonlight
You practiced hard to get real good
Now go move the people like the music should
In a shop reborn out of torn down wood
I’ll take my time and work with the wood
©2015 S. Beckwith / Parking Lot Music BMI
Pictures to the right: A mentor's shop comes home, 2007. This is the workshop in the song... and the radio.
Where wood turns to craft
The journey changes seasons
For man and shop too
Whatever your medium, make it well done and I’ll see you back here next Friday for more words from the workshop. I’m a lucky craftsman to hear all the time about how happy folks are with their basses and guitars from our hands, old and new, and I understand that – I have instruments that have come into my life and brought some magic with them too. I might just share one or two with you. Thanks so much, I’m honored to help make that happen for others! It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of.
Listening to: Grateful Dead Movie soundtrack, disc 3; a couple of discs of a great old blues compilation; Luciano Pavarotti, The Best (disc 1); Alice In Chains, Dirt.