I call this photo piece, ‘King of the Ark’. It is based upon seeing the obvious that is hidden from our normal eyes.
So, as many of you know, we have had quite the run of shows. On Friday night we had a stripped down evening of songs and Sufi Kirtan with a fabulous group of people in Gainesville. On Saturday night we did the last Florida show of the tour, headlining a small festival in Sarasota at the Cock ‘n’ Bull. It was a really superb evening. The thing that really stuck with me from it was that at the very end of the set we played ‘Iavnana’. This is a song from the Republic of Georgia about healing. I asked that the attention of the audience go to the gulf and to all of the life that is currently being destroyed and threatened. Everyone who was there seemed to truly work with this intention. I sometimes struggle with what the true value is of devoting my life to music and not applying myself to a field that yields quantifiable results in the betterment of life for others. I wonder at times if it is a narcissistic practice to be performing songs that I have written. However, it is at times like these, when there is a desperate hunger, not just for the marine life, but also for the people who live on these coasts, and the reaction that I perceive is people crying in the audience and being offered an opportunity to touch upon the pain they are holding, that I am well aware of the true value of music.
We are about to head off for a slew of shows in Atlanta, Knoxville, Bristol, Jonesborough, and Nashville in the next week. In the following week we will be playing Scottsville and Lexington, KY. We sure as a heck nugget hope you can join us!
Also, as a special aside, one of my best-of-best friends, Arianne Shaffer, has started an incredible project titled ‘love letters to a friend’. She is searching for submissions of all kinds. Please don’t hesitate to give over the letters that you have written that speak of all of the attributes of love.
Here are a couple more of my quirky touring photos: