Things People Say About Your Music...

 Singer songwriter James McMurtry has a song, and I may be just paraphrasing, where he is asked, "is that a real song or one you made up?" Someone asked me recently after a Goat Rodeo performance if we wrote all those songs. There had been one original but the rest of the set was tunes by the Beatles, Stones, Howlin' Wolf and John Prine that are million sellers as well as a few by more critically acclaimed writers that should be better known. McMurtry also lamented the fact that in his efforts to become an artist he discovered he was a good beer salesman. In the last month or so I've sold barbeque, fish plates and it's given me a chance to think about comments people make about my music. 

One of the best comments and I got it a few years ago was from a classically trained musician, older and very experienced. He said after hearing some of my more creative efforts, "Your not coming from the same place as I am." It made me think of the lyrics to the Papa Mali song "Sugarland." 

"You see me standing on the highway

Don't ask me where I'm going

I'm not going your way

I'm searching, trying to find my way, trying to find myself..."

Recently when Goat Rodeo, which is what me and Cathy call our duo finished a set some one commented to us, "ya'll work well together." Well duh, happy wife, happy life is all I can say about that. I learned real quick not to kick on the ring modulator during her songs. 

The best all time comment I have had though came on one of my youtube videos of a tuba riff I recorded during the early covid days in March 2020 when lock down and shelter in place orders were looking like they were going to be pretty severe. The riff uses a Fender Bassman 70 tube amp, an EHX Blurst low pass filter and a delay. I called it simply enough "Shelter in Place." About two weeks ago Elemkay left this in the comment section:

"Nice. Those bursts are like ingesting mushrooms with an elephant trumpeting in your direction." 

Thanks Elemkay. You made my day. 

Just so you can kind of feel like Elemkay does and maybe leave a comment of your own about how you felt:

So next time you talk to musicians about their music remember they might write a blog about it.