scudding clouds and salmon in the stream

Jeff Rosenberg reminded me of why I love music so much. He called me up to sing a new song over the phone. He had just finished it and that was him guitar in lap, phone creaked between shoulder and ear singing away. It was a good song too. Sometimes you loose track of why you do this. This odd musical way of being. Like the songs you've written run dry inside them and there ain't no rain to fill them up again. It's a bad feeling to watch someone sing a stale song. And worse yet to feel like you are singing one. And quite a bad thing if that song is yours. A song can be sung a million times and never sound empty like all the song got sung out of it. Some songs hold water better than others. Your own songs though you have to keep bringing fresh buckets of inspiration. I guess I wasn't feeling too good, or there was a hole in the bucket, or the river changed and wiped out the path between the well and the song 'cos I couldn't seem to get there for awhile. Or maybe it was just the crappy gig in Oregon a couple of weeks back. It followed me around like a bad shadow self. You tell it to go away but until the next gig comes the last one is your bench mark. What do they say "only as good as the last show"? I think that's crap but still I'm dogged from time to time when gigs, for whatever reason, tank. It doesn't happen too much anymore. I'm more sure of my footing. Still though it's easy enough to get lost along the way. Or maybe it was the weather. Almost solstice and dark by late afternoon. No, it's not the weather. I'm sitting looking out at blowing rain and gray on gray skies. Too wet to work. Quiet writing and art after dark. After Jeff sang me his song something shifted inside. I changed my way of thinking, or got over it (or me) or something. Wrote two new songs in the last days and one's a dandy for sure. Also been in the studio with David Malony putting the finishing touches on two songs we've been working on for a few weeks. We work when the studio is free and some weeks have more time than others. "Up In Meath" and a re-working of "Blessings". They will go on an extended EP with some live stuff and sent away to Ireland and we'll get something going there in this next season. Off to Oregon next week. Jet lag and the I-5 run. Driving to gigs. I fucking love it.