One of the things that blows my mind about social media,
other than the fact that people can personally attack their perceived enemies
with impunity and broadcast their every pearl of wisdom to a universe of cyberspace
recipients who could care less, is the fact that I can communicate with
otherwise inaccessible people in the music business. In the past five years,
and through my affiliation with Hunters Bay Radio, I’ve interacted with dozens
of successful songwriters and musicians whom I admire. As well, I’ve been blessed to meet some talented
performers. I remember back around 2014, I walked in the front door of Hunters
Bay Radio and there on the stage was my late friend James Carroll, interviewing
Alan Doyle, lead singer for the band Great Big Sea. Music is the universal
language, and I feel that our little radio station is beginning to get that
message out.
Dean McTaggart is one singer/songwriter with whom I recently
made contact. I featured some of his songs in last week’s LYRICAL WORKERS show.
I am currently reading the book “Talk! Conversations In All Keys” by musician/producer/arranger/radio
host Bill King. Dean McTaggart’s name came up in a discussion about Amanda
Marshall’s self-titled debut album. That is a great album for many reasons,
certainly not the least of which is Amanda Marshall’s distinctive and bluesy
voice. What impresses me most about the album is the great songwriting, and when
I learned that Mr. McTaggart had written four of my favorite songs on the
album, I had to let him know. He was kind enough to write back and, though him,
I have learned about several more songwriters with whom I was unfamiliar. With
every new contact, and every new story imparted, I learn a little more about
the craft. Many are familiar with the artists who make songs famous, but I’m
more interested in the writers. Liza
Minelli and Frank Sinatra made the song “New York New York” a hit, but how many
people know that Fred Ebb and John Kander were the lyricist and composer of that
song?
We got a lovely email from our friend and singer /
songwriter Jon Brooks the other day, and in the message he talks about this
“time out” for mankind, wherein people are perhaps more inclined to listen to songs
carefully. His hope, and ours, is that as humanity resets, good songs will be
an important part of the healing process. He is hopeful that, as a result of
this pandemic, superior lyrical content will become more relevant, to a wider
audience. I hope he’s right, because I fear we’re losing our capacity to listen.
Fellow volunteer and friend at Hunters Bay Radio, TECH 5 commentator
Ben Harrison, sent me an interesting article the other day. It concerned the
remarkable nature of trees, and their ability to take root almost anywhere. The
article included a series of photographs illustrating the myriad of ways trees manage
to grow in harsh environments. There are pictures of trees growing out of
rocks, pavement, and old, rotted tree stumps. It’s a subtle reminder of the
tenacity of Mother Nature. She will always prevail, and man’s hubris will be but
a footnote in one volume of the Encyclopedia Of Life. I heard a sobering
statistic on the news the other day. It was reported that, as of last week,
COVID-19 has killed more Americans in 3 months than the Viet Nam War did in 10
years. Ironically, that fact was reported as parts of America begin to open
back up for business, despite dire warnings from health experts. Peterborough
songwriter Washboard Hank recently released a live performance which I posted
on my Facebook page. I think the title of the song, which he penned with Terry
McEvoy, sums it all up quite nicely: “Ain’t No Cure For Stupid”.
Written by Jamie Oppenheimer ©2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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