Barack Obama – May the Wind Blow Your Troubles Away
It is the sunrise of times for those musicians dwelling in the dark for so long. Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan … then decades of good times … Billy Bragg & Wilco, and Jay Farrar / Son Volt for our new hard times. Whoever taps into the angst infected bloodstream of modern economic suffering first – wins.
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Of all the songs to close Dan’s Silverleaf sold out show in Denton, Texas, the completely jelled Son Volt closed with Windfall – the lyrics timely now more than ever, “may the wind blow your troubles away”.
Jay took listeners on an adventure Thursday night that traces his history, and at the same time gives us glimpses into the future – with tidbits from the new Son Volt release coming out this June. He finished with the reassurance that the wind will take care of your troubles. All I can say is, if it brought out the mighty Reverend Brandon from my church, there must be something going on.
For all Jay Farrar’s and Son Volt’s incantations, the sound and lyrics remain true to a Zen stream of consciousness sound that turns American road flavored lyrics into some kind of religious chant that transcends the ability to decipher the words, and at the same time grinds listeners in sweet, screaming guitars that bring relief to suffering ears.
Farrar did not miss a note since I last saw him at Stubbs in Austin when he rolled out the new and improved Son Volt. It is good to see him working while working – rolling out new songs on the edge of a new release in June. He seems happy with his band mates, and to see his lead guitarist work again is nothing short of an insight into the future of Alt. Guitar Hero Version I.
The Dan’s Silverleaf show was a “Smoke Free!” show, and the exclamation point says it all. Dan’s is ahead of the curve for the moment because we all know a Smoking Ban is coming to Denton, Texas. It’s not a matter of if, but when. Most venues are so bad, that I as a photographer shooting musicians, can no longer do shoots in shows that are not smoke free. Typically, it takes two days to recover from a shoot that includes smoke, and I could see that it would take even longer in the future – if I live that long! Kudos for Dan Mojica for biting the bullet and making the show a smoke free show. Now if we can just hire a lighting guru, my future is pure platinum.
I can only hope our fearless leaders/spenders are listening to the voices that will re-emerge in the next two years, who will be the voices of the New Depression, the new Hard Times. Sure, it pales in comparison to the 1930’s, but nobody cares about what’s not happening to them right here and now.
I have yet to look at the images from last night, but with well over 400 images shot, I will be lucky if I get one that passes my test. If not, I will run a post on low light and show you the disasters that await.
The only thing I wish for is for The Wind to Blow Your Troubles Away (OK and for Dan to hire someone to do lights).
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Coming Soon – Chain Pickerel in East Texas / New Waterproof camera offerings / Sand Bass are running NOW
Category: Culture on the Skids, Music
Maybe James McMurtry wins the prize because he came out with ‘We Can’t Make it Here’ in 2005. Now maybe it’s a stretch that he was already foreshadowing the ‘depression’, afterall it could just be a sign that our country sucks even when the economy is fine.