The Oppenheimer Report 2/24/20

Years ago, Buck Marshall, one of my musical mentors, brought over a few albums for me to hear. I guess he thought I needed a little education in the Country and Bluegrass categories. Buck's opinion was that someone arrogant enough to host a radio show about those he considers to be good songwriters, should not be myopic in his musical tastes. While I did enjoy Country Rock, I’d never explored the more traditional Country and Bluegrass genres. I welcomed the education, and over the past few years, Buck and others have apprised me of some really great music. Among the first CDs, Buck gave me Willie P. Bennett’s seminal “Blackie And The Rodeo King” album, Stephen Fearing’s “Between Hurricanes”, and 2 albums by Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, a band that took its name from that legendary Willie P. Bennett album. I have since become a huge fan of theirs.

Several years ago, Shauna Leigh Taylor and I were fortunate enough to see #BlackieAndTheRodeoKings perform live at Massey Hall in Toronto. While we had already been fans for years, it was an entirely different experience to see and hear the band perform their music before our eyes. The concert was inspirational, and when it was over, we literally floated out of that hall 6 inches off the ground. When the opportunity presented itself to see the band again, this time during their 25th anniversary tour in nearby #Huntsville, we were among the very first people to purchase tickets. Saturday night, we were front row centre for the magic as #BARK electrified the Algonquin Theatre for what will likely go down as our favourite concert of the year.

After Attawapiskat, Ontario singer/songwriter Adrian Sutherland (of the Adrian Sutherland & Midnight Shine band) opened the show with several of his original tunes, there was quite a lengthy intermission, affording Shauna and I the time to mingle with some of our fellow concert goers, and we were surprised to hear how many attendees had never before seen the Rodeo Kings perform. Knowing how good their live show is, we were excited to be in an audience that was about to have their socks blown off. The band did not disappoint.

In their music, I hear so many influences. Artists like JJ Cale and Buddy Holly, Lonnie Mack, and a dozen other major musical powerhouses, inhabit their rich melody lines, their well-crafted lyrics, and those beautiful harmonies. Like all great musicians and songwriters, Blackie And The Rodeo Kings pay homage to their influences without aping them. Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing, and Tom Wilson (LeE HARVeY OsMOND), are all excellent songwriters in their own right. When you add their distinctive singing voices, Colin Linden’s incomparable guitar skills, and their first class rhythm section, this band can only be described as world class. I’ve long admired the songwriting skills of Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson, and now, after having seen Colin Linden perform just 10 yards away from me, I have now dubbed him “The Blackie And The Rodeo Kingpin”. I have a newfound respect for his energy and showmanship. I’m not at all surprised that Colin Linden recently received a Recording Academy / GRAMMYs Award for his production skills. The band made it look fun and easy, and their passion is contagious. During one jam, in the second half of the show, Linden just kept dialing it up, and the band spontaneously formed into a tight circle, building and building until they had the entire audience pulsing in unison. By the end of the song, the audience erupted into a standing ovation. Shauna and I agree that this band, as a unit, is one of the most entertaining and highly-skilled acts we've ever seen.

At the end of the show, for the first time, Shauna and I had the opportunity to meet and converse with the three founding members of the band and I found myself a little starstruck. They all had wonderful things to say about #HuntersBayRadio and thanked the station and its hosts for all the support with which we're providing them. In fact, during the performance, Tom Wilson noticed Shauna had her Hunters Bay Radio jacket draped across her legs, and he gave the station a hearty shout out, sparking a round of applause from the audience members. That was a thrill for all of us "88.7FMily" members in attendance. Thanks to the Huntsville Festival of the Arts for bringing the brilliant Blackie And The Rodeo Kings to town. What a great show it was! I’ll be buzzing all week. Like Shauna said: "DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE to be MOVED & GROOVED by the mega-multi-talented BLACKIE AND THE RODEO KINGS. If you're lucky, they'll be BARKing up a tree, perhaps in YOUR neck of the woods." https://blackieandtherodeokings.com/tour/

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer ©2020
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
jamieoppenheimersongwriter@gmail.com

Jamie Oppenheimer, Songwriter, Author, Blogger, Radio Producer, & Host has been writing THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT every MONDAY since 1992 and has published the articles on his blog since 2006. We are including Jamie's weekly reports, as a feature of Hunters Bay Radio, The Bay 88.7FM.

HuntersBayRadio.com #MusicYouNeedToHear #EveryOneHasAStory #GotLocal? #WeAreMuskoka #WeAreAlmaguin #TheOppenheimerReport #JamieOppenheimer #JamieOppenheimerSongwriter #BlackieAndTheRodeoKings #BARK #ColinLinden #stephenFearing #TomWilson

  

The Oppenheimer Report 2/17/20

Mark Puffer, Bobby Cameron, and me at Peyto Lake circa 2005

If memory serves me correctly, it was 1995, when Shauna and I were walking along the main street of Banff, Alberta, and we heard some excellent live music drifting out of the second floor windows of The Barbary Coast Steak House Bar And Grill. We gave each other that special look which meant “This warrants further investigation".e walked up into the sparsely attended bar and saw two guys up on the stage performing an acoustic set. They were so good that we were gobsmacked. Those two musicians were Bobby Cameron and his friend Laurence Pugh. Not even halfway through their set, Shauna and I decided to return the following night. Bobby's passionate style, extraordinary guitar skills, and rich,  rootsy singing voice were particularly riveting. As planned, we went back to see them again the next night, and therein began our long friendship. Over the next 10 years, when we travelled out to Banff to hike the Canadian Rocky Mountains, we made of point of reuniting with Bobby to spend time together and to attend at least one of his gigs. If he was in Banff, we’d get together at our hotel, in Room #421 of the Douglas Fir Resort & Chalets. Our marathon picking sessions would ensue. Many of his and my songs were written and vetted in that very room. While I cannot speak for Shauna, a skilled pianist, singer, and songwriter in her own right, those sessions, out in the mountains of Banff, are among the happiest memories of my life.

The other day, I posted that a song I wrote back in 1993 entitled, “Strange Holiday”, had just been covered by Bobby Cameron. In fact, we have commissioned him to record and produce 8-10 of my original songs. That has been a pipe dream of mine from the time we first met.  Ever since 2005 in Toronto, when he recorded a very cool, bare bones demo of “Strange Holiday”, I was inspired to work with him. Over the years we’d co-written several songs.  Most notably, he, Shauna, and I co-wrote a song entitled, “Where You Live Where You Die”, which reached #1 on the Hunters Bay Radio Top 20 Countdown chart a few years ago. Never very good at collaboration (just ask Shauna), I checked my ego at the door on that one, and in so doing learned an important lesson about taking notes on a song. Sometimes the primary writer is too close to see the big picture.  Bobby, a good writer in his own right, has that rare ability to take someone else’s song to the next level. Regardless of the elusive brass ring of widespread recognition and financial success, two goals which are becoming harder and harder to achieve in today’s myopic and ever-morphing music industry, we are decidedly growing creatively, and that has finally become enough for me.

Last Saturday night, in a heavy snowstorm, I drove up to a house concert near Sundridge, Ontario with my pal Buck Marshall, and we watched fellow musicians Mark Hockey and Barry Hayward (Bazza) perform a benefit concert for Hunters Bay Radio, hosted by Christy Flynn-Sollman and Jamey Sollman. It was a packed house and the vibe was as good as the music. As I have said many times before, music brings us together in a way that only music and kindness can.

On this sunny Family Day, I walked on the frozen lake, and silently took inventory of my good fortune. February’s grey-sky blues melted into the bright blue sky. Negativity was an impotent, distant foe, and for the moment, I was in the moment. By the way, “For The Moment, I’m In The Moment” is the title of my latest song. I am thankful for my beautiful, creative, and supportive wife, for my talented creative friends, for the fresh air of the Almaguin Highlands, and for the music-loving community in which I live. I hope you all had a Happy Family Day!

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer ©2020
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Oppenheimer Report 2/10/20

Po Cholly and his band 2/15/20

About 23 years ago, Shauna and I were out in Banff for one of our summer hiking tours and we went to the Chateau Lake Louise for dinner after one of our long hikes. We got into a discussion with one of the interesting young waiters there about music, and after dinner we joined him and one of his female companions at their room in the staff accommodations to have a beer and to continue the discussion. We had a great time and talked late into the night. Shortly before we were about to leave, Shauna noticed a guitar leaning beside the door. Our new friends asked us if either of us played and, ever my supporter and promoter, Shauna mentioned that I write songs. They then implored me to play one of my original songs for them before we left. Reluctantly I agreed, and l played them one of my oldest songs, “Deeper I Go Into Blue”. It might have been because they were tipsy on beer, but they both raved about how much they liked that song. They really were encouraging, and I was genuinely surprised. From day one of our relationship Shauna has been constantly supportive and encouraging of my songwriting, but in the ten or so years since I’d written that song, and after performing  that song at least 50 times in public, and after submitting it and having had it rejected by 30 or 40 publishers and record companies, I don’t recall ever getting a compliment about it. This was the first time I’d ever felt as if I had reached someone emotionally with one of my songs. That has always been my aspiration.

Jump ahead to last Saturday night, when I opened for Po Cholly Robertson and his band at the Huntsville Legion. It was one of a series of Hunters Bay Radio-sponsored free concerts which Jeff Carter and the station have presented throughout the year, and we have had some excellent performers. Regrettably, we do not always get big crowds for these gigs, and on a bitter cold February night, I was quite sure this concert might be poorly attended. As I mentioned earlier, Shauna is my biggest promoter and supporter, and she went to great pains to ensure that anybody and everybody in our local community was apprised of that concert. Between her efforts and those of the radio station, they drew in a full house, and I was delighted (and nervous) to be playing in front of such a large and receptive audience.  What was particularly meaningful to me was the number of people who came up to Shauna and me before the concert to tell us how much they appreciated hearing my songs on the radio, and how much they enjoyed my radio show. As well they complimented ET’s MARTINI MUSIC show, and told us how much they appreciated what Shauna does for the station, and how much they love listening to Hunters Bay Radio. I think I can speak for Jeff Carter and all the volunteers, who selflessly offer their time and expertise to this little community radio station, by saying that this means the world to us.  

I cannot speak for my own performance, but I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Po Cholly and his bandmates play. Those musicians included his wife Beverlie Robertson, the Juno-Award-winning Julian Fauth on keyboards, Ken Yoshioka on harmonica and electric guitar, and Michael Lopez Philips on bass and acoustic guitar. It was one of those “perfect storm” evenings wherein all the stars align, the entertainers were bang on, and everyone in the room could feel the positive energy. It’s about good karma, it’s about the collective appreciation of good music, and it is why Shauna and I and so many dozens of other like-minded local volunteers devote their valuable time and energy to the station. There is the palpable sense that we provide a service to our community, that we give back, and I for one feel good about that.

I wrote down a line about 25 years ago which I thought might make a good chorus. It reads: “Sometimes you’ve got to change your dreams, before your dreams change you.”   Long ago, I envisioned myself as the guy writing that hit song which would make me rich and famous. Now I have different dream. These days I get more satisfaction out of turning new listeners on to a great under-recognized talent, or airing some aspiring young local musician just starting out on their journey. Rejection and empty rooms are the hazards of creating, and there are plenty of times when it feels like no one is listening. Still, you never know whom your art might positively affect. Because of the opportunities I and many other local musicians have been afforded by Hunters Bay Radio, I have realized my dream. I cannot express my gratitude for all the support from the station and from the local community of listeners and fellow musicians. I no longer write my songs in a void; those songs are now out there and being heard. As a songwriter, there is no greater joy for me than to have someone say to me: “I liked that song about the wolves “… or “can you play that Dublin song for me!”  That’s what Hunters Bay Radio has done for me.

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer ©2020
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Oppenheimer Report - 2/3/20

The other day, I was in a creative mood and I had an hour to kill so decided to record some musical ideas for songs I was beginning to write. These days I’m not as prolific as I once was, so I felt compelled to strike while the iron’s hot. Typically, I record my songs on a portable multi-track recorder, let them breathe a bit and tweak the lyrics over several months, sometimes longer. If I feel I have a decent song musically and lyrically, I present it to one of our many talented local producers to record it. As I said, the muse has been elusive lately, so when I do get an idea or a melody in my head, I try to record it immediately.

I had my portable multi-track recorder, and I had my pair of cordless headphones. For this song, I was working on lyrics to music I’d already composed. I noticed the outlet into which the cordless headphone base was plugged was dead. When I went down to the basement to check the breakers, it took me a long time to find the breaker that had tripped. The little orange warning strip that indicates a tripped breaker was for some reason only partially visible. When I finally figured out which breaker had tripped, I reset it, came back upstairs, got my guitar out, and tried to turn on my little multi-track recorder. The batteries were dead.  I’d recently broke the DC transformer for it, so then I spent another ten minutes looking for fresh batteries for that. When I finally did, and just as I pushed “record”, the phone rang. The moment was gone, and I wasn’t going to get it back. If I’ve learned anything in 45 years of trying to write songs it is that there is a right time and a wrong time. The muse will come back, but I can’t say when.

I made a startling observation as I looked around our house today. We are surrounded by electrical devices and electrical wires, and they seem to be multiplying. I must have fifteen transformers of various voltages that I think I might need some day. I have extra cable for TV’s, RCA cords, speaker wires, musical equipment, computers, TV remotes (one for which I defy you to find the mute button), cell phones, and lots of “labor-saving” devices. I realize that, although we live in the bucolic splendor of the Almaguin Highlands, I spend an inordinate amount of my time focusing on technological problems. The internet router needs to be re-booted, or the computer crashes, the alarm system sensor batteries need replacing, or one of a dozen computer-controlled appliances malfunctions.  Last week it was the oven. In university I met a guy who eschewed all modern technology; I thought he was crazy extremist. As I grow older, I’m beginning to understand his point of view.

Yesterday was 2/2/20. That was a weird date to see on the calendar. Will we make it to 12/21/21? We’re all so worried about destroying the planet, which we may be doing, but perhaps it will be nothing we can control. I heard an interesting statistic on the news last night: 60 Million people have been quarantined in China because of the latest viral outbreak. As my cell phone rings or texts me with the latest scam, informing me that my bank account has just been drained, or that Microsoft needs access to my computer,  or that Canada Revenue has a warrant for my arrest, I am beginning to wonder what the heck is going on. The other day I watched a story on the news about drones in China that fly around scolding citizens for not wearing protective face masks during the Coronavirus outbreak. How strange is that?! Big shout out to George Orwell. I wish we spent half as much time inventing technology that could improve healthcare as we do to develop new (and easily hacked) applications that allow our cell phones to control everything.  Just sayin'.

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer  c2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Oppenheimer Report 1/27/20

Yesterday afternoon, Shauna and I had the pleasure of attending a small house concert at the home of Grant and Debbie Nickalls. On the bill  were their son, Jack Nickalls, and his musical partner Josie Robinson. "Jack & Josie" performed two house concerts last weekend in order to raise funds to defray travel expenses associated with their upcoming trip out to Alberta. Their high school band has made it to the final round of North America's largest educational music festival, MusicFest Canada. The finals competition will soon be taking place in Calgary. Vicariously, I’m excited for them, and hope they do well in the competition. Regardless, they and the band will be touring amid some of the most beautiful parts of Canada. I spoke with Josie a bit during the intermission to Saturday’s concert, and she was clearly excited about the opportunity to see the Canadian Rockies. Among other destinations, the trip includes visits to Banff, and Whistler, B.C. .  

Apart from the obvious talent of these two young performers, the thing I most appreciated about the above-mentioned concert is that Jack and Josie chose an eclectic mix of good songs to cover.  I was impressed by their song choices, and by their unique interpretations of those works. That they chose to cover songs like the Burt Bacharach/Hal David hit “I Say A Little Prayer For You” covered by Dionne Warwick, the Harry Warren/Mack Gordon classic “At Last” made famous by Etta James, and a wonderful interpretation of the old Ashford & Simpson classic “I Don’t Need No Doctor”, along with with several songs by contemporary alt country Canadian talent Colter Wall, and the oft-covered hit “Valerie” written by the talented British songwriter Amy Winehouse, shows a respect for and appreciation of many different kinds of songwriting. For me it was refreshing to see teenagers with such open musical minds.

I’ve seen Jack and Josie perform onstage before, most notably as openers for the William Prince concert last summer at Huntsville’s newly opened Canvas Brewery. I’ve also had the opportunity to watch Jack develop as a musician over the past several years. His growth, both technically and in his stage presence, has been fun to watch. Last summer, he performed his first original song during a live radio performance for Hunters Bay Radio; I was gob smacked. The song was really good, and I’m not surprised that “Stay Forever” was voted one of the top 5 local songs of the year in Hunters Bay Radio’s local Song of The Year Top 20 Countdown. I guess I was a bit jealous; the first song I ever penned was abysmal.

Several years ago, around the time Jack began to share his talent with a wider local audience, I guest-hosted a TALENT ON THE BAY show wherein Jack was the interviewee. During the interview, which was one of my first opportunities to hear Jack perform, we discussed the value of musical education. I think most music lovers in this community will agree that the Huntsville High School has spawned some remarkable young talent. I tip my hat and offer my thanks to all the enlightened local educators who made that happen. There are so many reasons why this is important. Forgive me, I know I sound like a broken record when I say this, but I see music as one of the few universal languages which everyone can understand, if they just listen. I am always better for having listened, be it to constructive criticism, Mother Nature, a cry for help, to my breathing, or, as I suggest here, to music. Believe me, I know it’s not so easy, and I would do well to take my own advice. As I become palpably more attention-challenged, I find myself struggling to just shut up and listen. It all goes by so quickly. At what I consider to be a tipping point in humanity, wherein I deem communication to be on injured reserve, music (all art really) might be one of the few life rings remaining for us to throw out. It is the selfless expression of creativity that embodies all that is good about us human beings, the thing that can bring us all together.

Shauna’s 95-year-old mom “E.T.” asks me all the time “do you think the music I present on MARTINI MUSIC is reaching anyone; do you think any younger people appreciate this music”.  I think the answer is “yes”, and Jack and Josie’s performance last Saturday night was proof of that. As long as good music is created and performed, it will be timeless, and there will be a receptive audience. Be it an aria from Pagliacci  or the Rolling Stones song “Jumpin’ Jack Flash, music draws us together on some visceral, fundamental level. Whatever it is that puts us all on the same wavelength was alive and well last Saturday night. Everyone at that house concert left happier than when they came. I think that is a good thing, and it is why Shauna and I spend so much of our free time promoting good music.

To Jack and Josie, and to all their bandmates from Huntsville, best of luck in Calgary. In my book, you’ve already won.

ARCHIVED The Oppenheimer Report - March 18, 1992

Tragic news in the Daily Mail … Fergie and Prince Andrew will separate. Stand in line girls “Randy Andy” is back! But he cautions: “No more bloody plebes!” And in a related story Tammy Faye Bakker tearfully announced plans to divorce her humpin’ hubby Jim. Sobbing cheap, mascara-saturated tears Mrs. Bakker confided: “I can’t share him with another man … loosely translated, “You can take the T.V. ministry business and shove it … I know where he stashed the loot!” Jim Bakker, recently spotted walking like Walter Brennan in “The Real McCoys” could not be reached for comment. Leona Helmsley, hospitalized after she learned that she will spend the next four years behind bars for tax fraud, tearfully pleaded with the judge: Who will change Harry’s “Depends”??? Nice try Queenie,  he’s IRS lunchmeat too!

p.2  On the Hollywood homefront: Richard Gere makes an especially generous gift to the SPCA with the proviso that the monies be target for small, abused rodents, Geraldo R. affectionately referred to by friends and enemies alike as “Butthead” has had yet another slab of his rear end cut off and implanted on his face, and what’s-her-face who plays what’s-her-face on “Murder That Bitch” was fined for impersonating an aspirin expert. Controversial and allegedly deceased rock star Jim Morrison was spotted in a Winn Dixie in Coral Gables, Florida buying sprouts, tofu, and mineral water. Take that Oliver Stone. Zsa Zsa Gabor is back in the news after reports she kicked, beat, and generally abused an L.A. policeman last week. A spokesperson for the LAPD had this to say: “Well, she won’t get off so easy THIS time … this time we got her on videotape!” And finally, a bitter fight is breaking out over Flipper’s estate, valued at between $20Million and $30 Million. Never legally divorced from his first with, Flipper was apparently married four times. Trial is set for June in People’s Court. Show biz can be so ugly. This is Hyman, good day!

The Oppenheimer Report 1/20/20

The other day, I noticed that one of my songwriter friends, and in my opinion, one of Canada’s better musician/songwriters, Noah Zacharin, was attending the 11th annual 30A Songwriters Festival held in South Walton County, Florida. I’d never heard of this festival before, but it is yet another reminder of how little I do know about the vast community of songwriters out there. This festival is a huge, three-day event, with headliners like Brian Wilson, John Prine, Tonya Tucker, and Don McLean, as well as hundreds of other performers playing at a myriad of local venues. For years it’s always been my dream to attend one of these big songwriter festivals, and to take in the live performances by some of the best songwriters in the world.  

Coincidentally, yesterday I learned that David Olney, a Nashville songwriter whom I began to follow and admire several years ago, passed away suddenly during his performance at one of the venues in that 30A Songwriters festival. Dave was in the middle of a songwriter’s round with 2 other writers, he stopped singing during his 3^rd song, apologized to his audience, then closed his eyes and quietly died of an apparent heart attack. Amy Rigby, who was one of the other writers onstage with him when he passed, said his end was very peaceful. From most accounts, Olney was a humble, wise, and generous ambassador for the craft of songwriting. His loss, especially in the Nashville music community wherein he lived, is seismic.

Back in 2005, about 13 years after I began to write this weekly report, I started posting it in blog form. On the blog site, I wrote a brief bio and in it spoke of my aspiration to be a recognized songwriter. I said that, while I felt there were a lot of great contemporary songwriters, much of the best current songwriting is being eclipsed by pop music mediocrity. I also said that my songwriting was something for which I aspire to be remembered.

I’ve been many things in my 64 years. I’ve enjoyed creative writing since I was a young teen, I’ve been a boater since I was old enough to swim, I love all watersports,  I used to be an avid snow skier,  a photographer who spent a good deal of my teens in a darkroom. I enjoy hiking, observing wildlife, collecting old postcards, attending live concerts, people-watching, reading, cooking, really bad reality television shows, and a dozen other things which are likely of little interest to anyone else. I believe songwriting is the best tool I have to express myself. It is the skill I have consistently developed for over 4 decades, and the one thing I for which I hope I will be remembered when I am gone. The field of good songwriters is vast and ever-expanding, so that aspiration may be wildly optimistic. Each week, I find it humbling to discover yet another songwriter who impresses me. I am always shocked to note that the most talented and prolific among them are typically doomed to obscurity. I suppose it’s like that with most art, and often true genius goes under-recognized for a long time. In a letter Shauna and I received from Jon Brooks around the holidays, he said (and I paraphrase) that he continues to search for the perfect love song to write, the one which will unite mankind in a peaceful harmony. The great songwriters do this; they strike a universal chord that resonates among us all. While Jon may also hope to realize the elusive dream of wider recognition, he has already succeeded well beyond my most hopeful aspirations in songwriting. Someone made a comment recently under one of my reports, wherein I discussed songwriting, and she referred to songwriters as the prophets of our society. I think all good art reflects our world, and I have profound respect for the artists and storytellers who do that effectively.

The longer I live, the less impressed I am by the things that I once aspired to achieve: money, fame, and a stadium full of adoring fans. These days, I’d be content to figure out a way of teaching love and acceptance. Unfortunately, I’m still very much the student myself. I want to connect with people in some positive ways. My dream, for well over 40 years now, is to write at least one really good song, one that will be meaningful decades after I am gone. David Olney wrote dozens of those songs. The late, great  American songwriter, Townes Van Zandt, once said of David Olney: “Anytime anyone asks me who my favorite music writers are, I say Mozart, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Bob Dylan, and Dave Olney. Dave Olney is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard – and that’s true. I mean that from my heart.”   

R.I.P. David Olney. Thank you for your selfless contribution to the craft of songwriting, you’ve left big shoes to fill.

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2020  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Oppenheimer Report 1/6/20

I don’t what is in the air, but a few mornings ago, I woke up in a positive frame of mind for the first time in a long time. Almost every morning during 2019 I woke up with a stomachache, plagued by a dozen unresolvable worries. The other day, I felt none of that. It certainly wasn’t because of the good news on television. I came home from my “Lyrical Workers” show last Thursday night to the news that Rump had just ordered a targeted bombing attack in Baghdad which killed a high-ranking Iranian military leader. I know nothing about foreign policy, but it sure seems like that attack with stir up a hornet’s nest in a rogue nation so widely deemed to be sponsoring terrorism around the world. It also seems to me that this might have been a horribly irresponsible public relations move to distract the attention of the American public from the impeachment hearings soon to begin in Washington. Wildfires are burning out of control all over the continent of Australia with no relief in sight, and there were horrendous floods in Indonesia. Politicians continue to ignore the ravaging effects of climate change, and if I take the time to think about it, my conclusion is that the sky is falling. 

I had the most unusual dream on that morning I woke up peaceful and unworried. I rarely remember my dreams, but I wrote that one down immediately upon awakening, because it was so obviously hopeful. In my dream I was in one of those impersonal, big box appliance stores, and out of nowhere, someone began to sing a gospel song. I can’t remember the song, but suddenly the entire store full of people began to sing along. It wasn’t a dream about religion, and I am reminded of that Lennon song “Imagine” which is played so often around the holidays.  In my dream everyone took turns singing and it was beautiful, and it bespoke unity and the promise of hope.  

As a songwriter, I’ve been in a dry spell for several years. I’ve written a few new songs but have been devoting most of my songwriting energy to the resurrection and rewriting old, half-finished songs. I rarely throw anything away. It’s strange to revisit verse one wrote as a younger man. I used to think that those songs should have a temporal stamp and are representative of the time in which they were written. For this reason, I have not rewritten many of my older, more imperfect songs, because they indicate the person I was at a given point in time. Everything is changing.

It doesn’t take a history buff to see the direction the world is heading. Leaders aren’t leading, societies are fractured and tribal, role models, at least the ones who make the front page, are anything but, and the preponderance of shoot-first-ask-questions-later social media-fueled disinformation is rotting the very fabric of the human tapestry. I can blame the news media, or religion, or video games, or wireless communication, or cell phones, or anxiety over climate change, but it really seems like we’re reaching the tipping point. When an angry schoolgirl from Sweden is our best hope as the voice of reason, we’re really screwed. Seriously, no wonder our children are pissed.

About a year ago I started a series of songs written in an unusual drop G guitar tuning I rarely use. I wrote the songs  “Better” “New Constitution”, and a love song about Shauna entitled “These Are The Things I Crave”. After my recent, hopeful dream I sat down with the guitar and came up with the music for another 4-5 songs along a similar theme. Perhaps I will have enough songs for an album about love and peace.  I don’t know who if anyone will listen to the songs I write, but I believe art reflects reality, and I have the opportunity to affect the reality I see. Love is hard; I’m still figuring it out. From my experience, it does have a trickle-down effect. The next time you have an opportunity to say something negative to or about someone, imagine one hundred strangers in a Home Depot, singing “Oh Happy Day.” Maybe instead you’ll find some positive or constructive to say.

 Written by Jamie Oppenheimer ©2020
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
jamieoppenheimersongwriter@gmail.com

Jamie Oppenheimer, Songwriter, Author, Blogger, Radio Producer, & Host has been writing THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT every MONDAY since 1992 and has published the articles on his blog since 2006. We are including Jamie's weekly reports, as a feature of #HuntersBayRadio, The Bay 88.7FM.

HuntersBayRadio.com #MusicYouNeedToHear #EveryOneHasAStory #GotLocal? #WeAreMuskoka #WeAreAlmaguin #TheOppenheimerReport #JamieOppenheimer