Thinking and over thinking.
Musical Inspo - Gratitude and Thank yous
It’s been 24 weeks of substack. I’ve missed two. One when I was crippled by the flu, and technically I didn’t miss it, I still posted but that’s about all it said.
Flu 1 Des 0.
The second just two weeks ago when we lost our boy, which we are both still reeling from.
Reeling the last few weeks has had me thinking, and over thinking, like my mind tends to do, wandering, random, ruminating at times - thoughts, lots of thoughts. One of the thoughts that randomly popped into my head while we were driving down the country roads on our summer tour recently was, “if I ever made it to where I did any sort of acceptance speech in life”, specifically music in this instance, it being front of mind while on the way to play and sing live, mental picture of me holding some sort of heavy piece of metal or whatever they make awards out of, “who would I thank?”, which led me down a rabbit hole that really I believe is based in gratitude and inspiration.
I would thank, along with many many others, my musical inspirations, which is what I want to write about today.
The more I do this, learn to sing and share my gifts in life, the more I am inspired by the ones along the way doing it too. Of course I have many iconic inspirations, of which I admit wholeheartedly I look up to and feel a sense of “what if?”, but it’s the others that daily, deeply inspire me.
I am very new to this whole thing in the grand scheme of it all. A beginner vocalist. Nothing fancy here, just trying to stay on pitch and time, with good breath control.
Can it always be better, yes.
Will I keep growing, yes.
Will I give up, no.
Will I have hard days that make me want to give up, yes.
More than I wished honestly.
Either way, right now I sing. In a duo, and soon a band. Not much, not lead, not solos, yet. As I grow, so will it. But I’m doing it and my heart is really truly inspired by people doing it too. That I’ve met along the way.
I cannot type one more sentence without, however cliche it may seem, acknowledging my husband as my biggest musical inspiration. I’ve watched, helped where I could, as Seth’s stepped, and continues to, into all he’s created to be. It’s inspired me to want to do the same. Deeply.
The gratitude I have for him in going for it himself, followed by encouraging me and standing by me, is tremendous. At times he’s full on flipped the nest over and proverbially hollered at me, even when comprised only of a small smile and twinkle in his eye, You can do it babe.
As I learn to fly all on my own.
Next to him, of course, but with my very own wings.
Soaring and catching winds together the rest of what this life and music dream may hold.
And then there’s the others, ones I’ve met along the way, they’re doing it.
The Brothers Reed, two brothers that are slaying it on the west coast. We discovered them in Southern Oregon and I was immediately inspired by them. They have fun, play like you would not believe, and the brother harmonies are seamless. Both great writers too. We got to know them a bit, thankfully, and I love to see them continuing to take their rocking folk bluegrassy styled tunes to the world.
Maddy Joy, I met her in Southern Oregon too. The Jammin Salmon, a local dive a bunch of us hippie musicians always hung at. Seth and I lived right down the road for a few months and stopped in all the time. We met a bunch of cool people there, Maddy was one of them. She plays, sings and writes - her voice is bone chillingly good. Her videos are some of the few I actually watch and give full attention to, I miss hearing her live.
Miranda Dawn, she’s a part of a duo with her partner and they have other players join them a lot too. We saw them when we were touring in Colorado in 2022. A show at The Black Rose Acoustic Society. They were on a Colorado tour, originally hailing from Austin, Texas. I met her in the bathroom, she was so sweet. Then they proceeded to shred, the folk version of shredding, the entire set. I loved their stories, and her voice, so so much. She also plays and writes too. (The lyrics, plus her vocal and lead on their original song ‘Stardust’ brings me to tears almost every time I listen.)
Sue. Freaking Sue Demel, she is a huge inspiration to me. We met her when we settled in the region we’re in now. She hosts a singer/songwriter open mic night, with a special guest artist, each month in the slower season. We went, immediately connected with her and have only missed when we absolutely had to. It’s an encouraging fun community she’s watered and tended, to blossom. She is the most talented vocalist I’ve ever met in person. She can do things with her voice I’ve never heard before. She studied music professionally, and now teaches remotely from here in Michigan, at Old Town School of Folk Music based in Chicago. She is in a folk trio that’s been going for 30+ years I believe. All three of them write, they have sit in players all the time and they are literally phenomenal. In every single way. They can all play everything, write, and sing together in glorious harmony. It’s healing and beautiful. She’s also one of those souls, the good kind. Wants to see others win, wants to see others succeed. Says things like “think about what serves the song best”…
She knows music is going to heal us all.
We’ve met countless incredible musicians on the wild open road, all inspirational in multiple facets. We were very very grateful when we decided to move to the Northwoods, far from any “typical” music city scene, that we unexpectedly found a thriving beautiful local scene of fabulous musicians. We love getting to their shows when we can and hope to develop deeper relationship and connection as the years unravel.
As far as inspirations that have lept and found their place globally, I of course have many.
Morgane Stapleton, Stevie Nicks, Missy Higgins, Sierra Ferrell, and Iris DeMent come to mind immediately. All with different and vast pieces/parts of their talent and hearts inspiring me.
I am grateful to have been raised by parents that found solace in music. People who didn’t play but with every beat of them enjoyed it and sang along. It’s how I first fell in love with it, enjoying and ingesting it. Being healed by it. Soothed.
Now all these years later I’m married to a man who grew up doing it, learning it, playing, and enjoying that side.
And now I’m learning what that’s all about too. And having a lot of fun, most of the time, doing it!
I am thankful for it all. My hats off especially to the people slaying it locally and regionally. We’re not all gonna be Stevie, but we can be us in our very own way.
And the world needs us. The human race needs us all to be as us as we can be.
After ruminating while passing beautiful green trees down the backroads, I bring you this sporadic writing on inspirations of my musical life thus far.
It’s already June 17th. Life feels like its gonna go by in the blink of an eye sometimes.
Hope we’re all living it.
My love,
Des
