Whenever my daughter, Anya, comes home to Charlottesville, she signs up to play a new song at the open mic at The Local. This is no regular open mic: the emcee and host is the extraordinary musician and human, Michael Clem of the band, Eddie From Ohio. Every week he gives a prompt for writers and many come in with songs inspired by that prompt. You can bring in anything, as long as it is original. Then, the backing band, made up of a drummer, lead guitar, and bass, play with the musician on a song they have never heard before! It’s an alchemy of live music, improvisation, and love. For Anya, it feels like coming home. She’s been playing there since she was twelve and Michael always makes her and everyone feel known and held in the family of music. Last week, Anya played her song, The Alchemist, which felt just right for the alchemy in the room. On our way out, Michael asked us for a prompt. Since I’d just written the “Yes, and…” post, I tossed it out as a prompt for the song writers. As if to prove the point, Michael took that YES of the prompt, and ANDED the hell out of it by writing this incredible song….Read on.

My daughter recently recorded a few songs with Colin Killalea of Chris Keup’s White Star Sound. After hearing a rough cut of the first song, “Anastasia,” I was moved to tell Colin that I saw, I knew, I could tell, that his work was in service of the music. Colin, a remarkable musician and producer, knew exactly what I meant. When I listen, there is no ego, no showing off, no marking territory, no wink to the listener saying, “aren’t I clever?” Our attention remains on the story, the feelings, the beauty and meaning of the song as told through the melody, lyrics, musical performances, and production. The work is to reveal that song, not obscure it. Colin’s work treats the song itself as a precious thing. As you listen, notice the delicate, almost etherial piano, the emotional swell that takes us with the storyteller into her dream, the hush of recognition as the song ends. This quality of “expression in service of,” threads itself throughout my work and in this blog. Generally, it is connected to…Read on.