Someone to Wake

I am not entirely sure what to say, so I say this: I cried today listening to Obama. I am sure that many years from now, I will remember sitting in the living room as the snow fell outside the window. My son walked laps back and forth pushing a cardboard box for support, as the first African American was sworn into the office of president. I will remember that it felt like the whole world could change, like we could actually fix the ills of humanity. As unrealistic as this may sound, I happen to believe that such optimism is the only way that people have truly changed the world throughout history. I'm sure people told Martin Luther King Jr. that he too was crazy and unrealistic.

So I will remember that I had just arrived home form that historic city, a fifteen hour drive through a blizzard, where I played music in honor of the men who have held this office. That the plow would wake me each morning at four am this winter. That I would see photos of me playing my new guitar for the first time that day, and think it a beautiful instrument. That perhaps the small things could come to matter again in American Politics, because the big things were finally being dealt with. That maybe world did change in one quick moment.

The above illustration of Obama was done by Rama Hughes for the new song Christian Kiefer wrote for our presidents record about said gentlemen. The song was sung by Will Johnson of the Texas band Centro-matic, and I played the aforementioned new guitar on the tune. You can go grab the song at NPR and listen to another brief interview. Feel free of course to post the tune on your own blogs, websites, etc. I confess that my secret dream is for Obama to hear it and invite us to play The White House and have dinner with his family. Now that would be something.

January 17th

I believe Christian Kiefer said it quite well today in an interview (scroll down): (I paraphrase) "I would like to be able to say that I was there, but I don't really have much interest in standing around in a crowd of four million people." Ditto.

You see next week I am headed to Washington DC to play a show in honor of the inauguration. (see above) The show itself is on the 17th, a mere three days before the historic date. And yet, by the time the beloved Obama takes the podium, I will be back in the snowy drifts of Ontario, likely quite glad to be free of the crowds. I know that in years to come, people will say to me, "but you were there a few days before and you left?" "Yes, I left."

Nevertheless, I will almost be there. Or rather, I will be there, and then I will not. Anyway, we are indeed playing a big show which happens to be a benefit, with the proceeds going to a great organization called Bands for Lands. I'm looking forward to feeling the buzz of what will undoubtedly be a city charged with a flurry of excitement, and happy to be a part of it in some oblique way. In some regard, I suppose it is cooler in the end to have played a gig about the presidents, than it would have been to stand outside in the cold with millions of people, eating warm nuts. Or pretzels. Screaming and waving banners. Not to make light of arguably one of the most important events of my lifetime, but I have a hunch I will feel good to drive out of the city that following morning.

Tickets to the show can be bought via Live Nation or at the door.

We also have a song about Obama forthcoming for download (I think via NPR) that is most excellent if I say so. Penned by Kiefer, sung by Will Johnson of the Texas band Centromatic with appearances in some form from all three of us, it sounds a bit like R.E.M., and a bit like Christian Kiefer, and a bit like Centromatic, and a bit like...You get the idea. Anyway, I'll keep you posted of course.

Two.

How in the hell did my wife talk me into keeping two blogs? Insanity I tell you.

Then it feels silly, that I am writing there and not here. So I feel compelled to cut and paste the writing here from there, but it doesn't make any sense out of context. What to do?