I know I've been delayed in recapping for you the tour I went on the the upper midwest with the incomparable Emily White and Katie Dahl. In a word: magical. I loved it so much.
Nine days, nine shows, three musicians, three guitars, one uke, merch and luggage all in one Prius and it was so wonderful. The shows were so unique and beautiful all in their own ways. We got up on that stage every night and played our hearts out, harmonized the chorus, joked about our adventures and practiced true friendship and team work throughout it all. We laughed, we cried, we told our stories on the long drive between Minneapolis and Chicago and, when we finally had to bid farewell to one another in a church parking lot in Milwaukee, we promised that we'd do it again. If I had my way, we'd go right now. But we've all got stuff.
Like Holy Week. After a very busy week I am so eager to enter quietly into the sanctuary and bow my head and listen to the words read at the lecturn and approach the table of our Lord. I need it. I long for it. Lent escaped me this year, I'm afraid. I don't want to let the passion escape me too.
I've really been digging in to the commission songs for the past two weeks. I completed two right before tour and turned one just last weekend. I'm currently wrestling a new alligator and it's hard and interesting and wonderful like only songwriting can be.
Hard before I don't know how to write it. I've filled up three pages so far and maybe 1/5 of it is worth keeping. I know I'm getting closer, but it's taking time and patience. It's hard because part of me really wants to walk away because it isn't just falling out of the sky.
But it's interesting because of those very same reasons. I don't know what it's supposed to look like so it feels like digging up a dinosaur. Is this a verse or a chorus? Is this the beginning of the song for the end of the song? Who knows? The only way I can be sure is to keep writing and find the structure through the practice.
Wonderful. It feels wonderful to create. Yesterday I wrote a song that wasn't a commission it was just trying to put something down on paper to get the wheels turning. I like what it is. I love the idea of getting back into a regular writing practice which I held for so long. I like to think I can do it again and these commissions are great challenges for me to explore genre, style and attempt to work on things I know are my weakness. Like variety in vocabulary. I know I need better words. More ABAB rhyme schemes and quit it with the couplets, ya know?
But there are eggs to dye and records to promote and Holy Week to observe and family to host. In it all I'm thinking and trying to keep my creative brain going. Just this afternoon I smiled to myself while scraping plates and doing the dishes after lunch rush grateful for this day job. Without it I wouldn't have met people I've put into songs. Without it I wouldn't have had hours of sweeping floors to rewrite choruses and verses. A day job is a good thing.
This has nothing to do with anything except for that one time Amanda Shires listened to me sing her song thanks to a spot in an online magazine.
Finally. Coming up is Denver and Boulder on the 12th and 14th of April. I'm going to pack up the car and meet my brother and parents and spend a couple of days together. I'm so excited for the shows and for the family reunion. Hopefully, by then, I'll have finished a few more commissions. Thanks everybody. I'm grateful for your support and for following this blog. It means so much to me.