To say that the last two weeks have been surreal would be an understatement.
Granted I could be rambling nonstop about the fact that Derek Trucks, along with Count M'Butu and Yonrico Scott of the DTB, sat in with Captain Soularcat this past weekend up in Pennsylvania in a moment that I will be thankful for many times over, but as awesome as that was, it's small potatoes compared to the shock I got these last two weeks.
I don't deny that some of my songs I have written are latent with politics, and I won't deny that these past two weeks have already pushed me down towards this path, lyrically. I do myself a disservice as an artist for not writing what's in my heart, and in my opinion, to "sell out" as an artist is to create a product with no heart or soul put into it. I would be selling out my heart and soul if I told everyone I did not believe that this country will likely be heading into very tough times, and I do mean tough. The catch is that many of us who have been following closely where this country has been heading will be prepared, while so many will not. Case in point: New Orleans.
Two days after the levee broke and just before the spike in gas prices would send people into a mad, gun-toting frenzy, my mom asked me if I knew back in February what I know now and/or what would come to pass, would I have quit my job? My answer: yes.
Why?
Because even back then, after the recent election, I knew what direction our country chose (even if some are now starting to realize exactly that) and I told myself that I'd be damned if I found myself working odd jobs to make ends meet, and yet wishing I had pursued my musical passion. There is nothing that haunts a human being in this country more than finding yourself in dire straits, barely being able to put food on the table much less have a roof over your head, and yet wishing, in the back of your mind, that you had done this or that when you had the chance.
My chance came at the beginning of this year, and I never looked back. Granted, it hasn't been easy and I have been forced to commute between two towns to continue making money, a system that will likely continue until mid-October. Not only that, I risk losing almost all I own and then some for doing this. But, I am doing the one thing so many wished they could do: pursuing the dream. For that, I am blessed and thankful.
In fact, I realize today how much more blessed I am than a lot of other folks. I think about my friend and mentor Robert Walter, who just bought a house a year ago in New Orleans and in such a time established himself as the main keyboard guru of the jazz scene in that city. Now, I'm assuming that he and his wife & child will likely have to relocate back to San Diego or San Francisco where they originally lived. Regardless of where they go, they will be starting completely over.
My buddy Trevor, who used to play keys with Tishamingo, repaired and remodeled organs for a living, and continued playing around the Big Easy. The last I heard, all he owned - organs, leslies, clothes, music, etc. - was lost in the flood. He will be starting completely over.
Galactic established their base of operations and recordings in the Big Easy, all of which were washed up when the levee's broke. Their machine and fanbase they built over 10 years will withstand this blow, but from where they were, they too will be starting over.
Pat Ramsey, blues harmonica virtuoso of whom my mother's sister sang backup vocals for his band Crosscut Saw back in the 70s, had his house in Biloxi wiped out by Katrina. He will be starting over.
Brotherhood of Groove is now living on the road in light of this disaster; Ellipsis, halfway through finishing a record, are trying to pick up the pieces of their project; Fats Domino and the Nevilles have lost their homebase. Musically, this is beyond tragic. So many great players and writers have been thrusted from their homes and places of influence, and are now forced to figure out how to survive and thrive elsewhere.
Many of us are struggling with life as we know it (Lord knows I am), and now it's bound to get even tougher. But I think when Katrina struck and the levees collapsed, any small excuse we had to complain about our circumstances was wiped out along with the Gulf Coast. If you got a job, be blessed. If you got a roof over your head, rented or bought, be blessed. If you got family not lost or dead with you, be blessed. If you got food on the table, be blessed. If you got friends who've also got you too, be blessed. If you are alive and healthy, be blessed.
Gaurav from Captain Soularcat made a very good point with me this past weekend - there are those who live in worse conditions than the evacuees of NOLA in all parts of the world, and in some areas, the only version of toys children have are hardened dirt and stone. America, compared to the rest of the world as a whole, finds itself in much better shape than we could find ourselves in. Kids who complain about their PlayStation not working have absolutely no clue what it's like to not have a TV much less a game console, much less even the clothes they wear. How many of you in the last two weeks, especially the week of the Katrina disaster, took a shower and felt blessed that you could do that?
If anything, this catastrophe got me thinking about my circumstances. While I may have debt up to my ears right now, I have the ability still to pursue my dream, to be a full-time musician. While many others are struggling to figure out how to pay their electric bill or where to find a job, I am touring around the region performing music, providing a means for others to escape the trials and tribulations of this world. I also have the time to write here on my blog, too.
9/11 taught us, and reiterated again by Katrina, that we take for granted so many things in life, and many of the simpliest things we do, like driving a car, are real blessings. The only thing I can ask of you is to keep supporting live music for musicians such as myself who put their livelihoods on the line to pursue this dream, and especially for those musicians from New Orleans whose music and art were a definition all their own in that big city. In addition, take the time to look at what you have, see on the TV what you could have gotten instead, and be thankful for what and who you have now with you.
Simply, be blessed.