Back in the early nineties, Bruce Springsteen wrote a song called “57 Channels (And Nothin On).” On one hand the song is hilarious, on the other it provides excellent commentary on what has happened (and continues to happen) to television programming in the US. I’ll just quote a verse of the song to refresh your memory: Well now home entertainment was my baby’s wish So I hopped into town for a satellite dish I tied it to the top of my Japanese car I came home and I pointed it out into the stars A message came back from the great beyond There’s fifty-seven channels and nothin’ on Fifty-seven channels and nothin’ on Fifty-seven channels and nothin’ on (Bruce Springsteen) Only now the song would have to be amended to “Hundreds of stations….” Television producers have even resorted to “reality” [...]

I know, I know, that song is about Buddy Holly, one of the all-time creative energies in early rock music. And I’ve always loved him, but another death struck me more personally. What about you? I remember driving home across Spanish Oak Road, a high two-lane road that offers a commanding view of Roan Mountain to the west and Grandfather Mountain to the east. I was, as always, listening to the radio when a voice broke in. “It has just been reported that John Lennon has been shot in New York City.” Only minutes later, he was reported dead. I was still driving, stunned and with tears blurring my vision. I felt bad for John and for Yoko and for Sean, Julian, and Cynthia. But my grief was chiefly for myself. A part of me was suddenly missing and would [...]

What is it with the changing seasons? Are they all necessary? If you were given a choice, would you dispense with winter? “When it snows, ain’t it thrilling Though your nose gets a chilling We’ll frolick and play, the Eskimo way Walking in a winter wonderland.” (Barnard and Smith) Before the beginning of the 20th century, Barnard and Smith put together a sweet love song about winter and love and Christmas. Of course they neglected to mention brutal wind chills, frozen pipes, treacherous roads, damaged crops, and frozen pipes that are also a part of this “magical” season. Why couldn’t we just have a tropical wonderland all year and call it good? Although I’m in Florida at the moment, still the wind whips outside and the sun rises later and sets earlier than it did last month and the month [...]

Tell the truth, is there a Christmas song that you really want to hear this year? For many people, Christmas songs are like Christmas fruitcakes. Everyone makes jokes about fruitcakes throughout the year, about how they use them for doorstops or as lethal weapons against intruders. But I know that my Christmas memories would not feel complete without the taste of my mother’s rich seasonal creations, my Cousin Anne’s light and sophisticated renderings, or “Granny’s” heavy concoctions that could take the place of an evening meal. Fruitcakes only exist for a brief season, but their very presence somehow helps to make the Christmas experience more real for some of us. Then after Christmas, fruitcakes are gone. Christmas songs also make their presence known during a limited season. First you hear a familiar Christmas song or two — usually way too [...]

Why is it that young people see the world with such wisdom and wonder? It is Writers’ Night at Nolan’s Original Irish Pub, and the young lady sits down at the keyboard. This is her first time at Nolan’s. After all, she is only thirteen. She begins hesitantly, with a song about her experience of life, of friends, of budding relationships. Her style is a little stiff, her execution a little choppy, and her lyrics somewhat uneven. But she uses the clear lens of artistic expression that seems to be given to those who inhabit the land of youth. They see, without having to worry so much about what people have reportedly seen before. They feel as if it were the first time such feelings have ever been experienced. And they express with a freshness that tends to be lost [...]

What is it about great music and good, decent people that can transform an otherwise ordinary place into a place of intimacy and magic? I don’t know for sure, but I experienced it to the full at the Patti and Frank show at Murdock’s last night. When you first walk into Murdock’s there may not seem to be much to get excited about. The architecture suggests that the building has been in existence for a while, sagging a little under the weight of its years. The atmosphere, though, is warm and vibrant, particularly after the band, Patti and Frank, begins to play. The two of them are so charming. Patti has a clear, emotive voice and plays solid rhythm guitar while Frank provides skilled multi-instrumental backing and provides perfectly-placed harmonies. Most persuasive, though, is the embracing personalities exhibited by these [...]

We were performing in the Acoustic Coffee House in Johnson City, Tennessee. We were singing and playing our hearts out as we always do. As we were playing, I noticed an attractive young woman at a table close to the stage who was involved with every song and cheering us on every note of the way. Her enthusiasm not only boosted our level of play, but it helped our tip jar as well. It wasn’t long before I realized that she was Lauren Lapointe, the act that would follow us on stage, and that she hailed from my own home town of Savannah, Georgia. For those of you who know Lauren, it should come as no surprise that when she did follow she lit the place up with her captivating melodies and siren voice. The question is: Why do so [...]