What the folk is wrong with the world today?

When I was 18 and putting myself through the local community college, I was researching in the library one dreary afternoon. I was starting to get interested in some of John Coltrane's more accessible recordings, and I figured I could find a biography or two. But, then I made an interesting discovery.Shrugging beneath it's time-laid blanket of dust, like a forgotten Atlas, was "The Land Where The Blues Began" by a fella named Lomax. Then and there, the potential to understand so much of the music I loved opened before me, as if some heretofore unseen church had begun to light it's stained glass windows from within.

I'll not lie- time and life have worn down my memories of said book, while other timeless tomes by Robert Palmer (Deep Blues), Nat Hentoff, and many others have come to share what little headspace I have left. But there's a lesson I learned from the memory of these books today, and now is the perfect time to share it.

On the sometimes wonderful contraption called Facebook, I've been linked to friends new, old, and to become. I am selective in my choices and alliances, and one choice alliance was a Blues/Folk Radio program based out of the Boston area. They were trying to save their Blues and Folks programs; much like the first act of your typical fairytale, the program stood no chance, Evil steamrolled Good, and all seemed lost in anticipation of heroic ascent. Except this is real life, billionaire playboys don't really don capes, and somedays life really is a toilet and we're all swirling downward.

But the book... maybe this old book can tell us something.... maybe, but not quite yet....

You should know that I live in Des Moines, IA, a community with very deep blues roots, and a strong, burgeoning folk scene. Which is why it strikes me as so odd that in a recent City Council election, an incumbent Councilman, when asked to describe his vision for shoring up the budget and getting back to black, specifically culled arts, entertainment, and the public library from the herd of potential budget cut victims. Calling arts and entertainment too "esoteric", and saying that the public library is "non-essential", I found myself infuriated at the sheer ignorance of his comments. Democracy survives because we have free, public institutions such as libraries, parks, and... you know where this is going.... radio.

He lost to an early 20's go-getter with basically no experince. Just saying.

Wait- back to the book. It's been right there all along. An old blues book is like an old blues record- testaments to what came before and should be remembered. I guess ignorant, illiterate folks, a generation or two removed from chattel bondage, should have more studiously taken the yolk of education upon themselves and properly phrased those slave hollers, instead of passing folktales through dusty, scratchy old aluminum discs that Lomax & Lomax carved out in the fields and juke joints.

Shame on ya, Terra. Boss 'round those parts never called learnin' time, eh?

I feel like I live in a world where the Truth is an iceberg, and Hear/Speak/See No Evils are pushing with both hands towards the equator, as if life would be better without these big chunks of ugliness floating around. The Truth remains ugly, right?

So ugly we've got to hide it when destruction's not hip, apparently. I would not have gone on to write for publications such as Guitar World, BluesWax, and others if I had not been so personally persistent in uncovering hidden truths about what I love. I could not have learned without someone preserving the history that birthed what I love. I would not be able to illustrate the web of influence and result, of cause and effect, to students without being shown it first, in pieces small or large. I could not have become the musician and man I am today without that sense of history. Of knowing that after my Scottish ancestors fought bravely and returned safely to their highlands, it was with the music of both their ancestors and their own lives that comforted their loss, put hope in their hearts.

Past easy and safe categorizations, roots music today keeps that alive, not because of an adherance to using vintage instruments and wearing period clothing, but because the stories continue to grip the hearts of generations past and present. Behind words translated to modern tongues live melodies and harmonies that people shed blood and life to keep alive. They kept it alive so that their sons and daughters could progress without having to suffer the same mistakes.

There is an entire book written about the history of "The House of the Rising Sun", that presents an interesting look at how one song can take on so many guises and meanings in it's lifetime. It's also true that songs, like books and history itself, can be twisted to speak agenda instead of truth, which is why my generation is passing N'Sync and Lady Gaga to the grandkids. Isn't anyone going to revolt, or are we too revolted?

My world likes to present itself as a renaissance era, but it's like lipsticking a corpse, as my wise and wily wife would say. Decorations hiding the fact that we're rotting from the inside out. I don't have the answers on how to diagnose, much less cure, such ills. But, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that there's at least one song out there that holds the answer.

I just don't expect to hear it on the radio any time soon.

Looking back is the best way move forward sometimes. I wonder how much better this country would be if we followed Washington's benediction when he left office. Read the farewell address. We promptly ignored the warnings, and now reap our due harvest.

Perhaps the loss of roots programming, wheter folk, celtic, blues, americana....whatever- labels are worthless and serve the problem, not the solution. Perhaps this loss should jar us into action, but it's not really. I'm writing a letter on a blog that no one regularly reads, so what good did it all really do? Well, if you read this a hundred years from now, and it still rings true, then you tell me. I made the record- it's what you do with it that matters....

Jeff Boudreau, please know that I've tried....

The Manzanar Project- check it out

My friend Rusty Eklund (Mali Kan), an excellent and well-studied musician of several ethnic drumming styles, posted this on his Facebook today. I read through the info at this website, and knew I had to share it with my readers.

Get involved if you can- ideas like this can be infectious, you know?

-Deacon

Yet another thought....

I've said before that the measure of a man is in what he creates, not what he destroys. My creative/artsy/"enlightened" friends tend to agree with this thought. But these days I think it's really about balancing your creative and destructive powers. For instance:

1. Creatiion can be bad- ask the creative braintrust behind the Manhatten Project if their creation was all they hoped it would be. Not famiilar?- read about the Manhantten Project here.

2. Destruction can be positive- the United States abstained from entering into WWII until Pearl Harbor. Perhaps we always knew that monsters such as Hitler and Stalin needed to be stopped, but FDR needed a reason to enter into war. Japan offered it up, we went to war on its heels, and the destruction that our weopons and soldiers caused actually ended genocidal suffereing, stopping the death count at around 11 million Jews, handicapped, gypsies, resistors, and soldiers.

We don't live in a world where current events preach a balanced approach to life's choices. In this world of extreme changes, constant shifting of priorites and goals, and an endless feeling of peacelessness, we should mourn the loss of old houses that must be torn down, celebrate new houses that must be built, and be content with finding a home in this midst.

Study Probe #2

Ponder this- Freedom of choice was the alpha weopon of mass destruction- what will be the omega? Will our own creativity be our undoing? Can our creativity "save" us? Will we choose to rise above, or fall below?

I believe there is an unbreakable link between the spirit and the arts. Part of that is unexplainable- some things just cannot be made tangible for painless digestion. So, I'm encouraging my email list and Facebook friends to respond to a series of questions I'm going to post here. Here is the first. Please leave me as detailed an answer as you feel, and know that I am very grateful to all who reply!

Study Probe #2:

NOT SPECIFIC TO ANY SINGLE FAITH- Please reference your own beliefs and theology when responding to this question.

"Theaters are the new Church of the Masses- where people sit huddled in the dark, listening to people in the light tell them what it is to be human" - 1930's Film Critic. [Editor's note- If you know who said this, I'd love to know! Found by my spouse Tina at churchofthemasses.blogspot.com]

To some, this will be furiously provacative, to others, this will ring true and deep. Regardless of what side you fall on, it is universally true that the arts, whether visual, theatrical, or musical, have endeavored to enrich human life and lead us into a deeper understanding of ourselves, our fellow men and women, and things that are far greater than all of us. Much like spiritualities and faiths have done. But who is leading who in this "race" of sorts?

The modern church, globally and especially nationally, has seen the Christian church experience try to re-imagine itself a mixture of college multi-media lecture hall and U2 cover band concert experience.

Other faiths have taken strides to remain traditional and orthodox per their history, but this perhaps is to their detriment as well, as humanity is constantly re-conditioned as to what expectations they should carry forth. Many times, values such as 'historical 'and 'traditional' don't connect deeply enough to entice new followers, or were the very causes of a person's exodus in the first place.

At the same time, whether through blogs such as this one, or huge theatre experiences such as "Wicked", a very complex and sometimes hurting world desperately seeks for what is truly worth having faith in. Faith is a very human trait, unique in its seemingly contractictory nature.

Faith helps to maintain hope in the face of hopelessness, and peace in the midst of desperation. Desperation- that's a key word in this discussion. An inescapable feeling we all suffer... Desperation- a hopeless Palestinian kid is convinced that paradise is one small sacrifice away. Desperation- a hopeful drug-addict takes one final hit the night before entering rehab, and never wakes up. Desperation- what does it look like for you?

Some people feel desperate locked into their cubicle at their 9-5 insurance job. Some find desperation waiting in the welfare line. And some people find "normal" to be a panic-inducing thought. What does "desperate" look like to you?

I think it looks, and feels, "Human", which is why faith so perfectly foils it. So if this quote is true, then it has proven itself quote prophetic, as a desperate world reaches for a better version of itself on stage or screen- it's just that sometimes those stages/screens are in a church/temple, and sometimes they're in a theatre/concert hall....

?'s for you:

1. What is the greatest benefit(s) that the arts can provide to spiritualties/faiths?

2. How have the arts bolstered your faith in Faith?

3. Bonus question... other than the object of worship, how different is, say, a theatre or concert experience vs. a church/religious experience... that's sure to get a few people going....

Dialougue is a key to improving the state of affairs in our life and world. No thougths are wrong, but keep this spirit of discussion in mind, if you would.

Blessings,
Deacon

Study Probe #1

Ponder this- Freedom of choice was the alpha weopon of mass destruction- what will be the omega? Will our own creativity be our undoing? Will we choose to rise above, or fall below?

I believe there is an unbreakable link between the spirit and the arts. Part of that is unexplainable- some things just cannot be made tangible for painless digestion. So, I'm encouraging my email list and Facebook friends to respond to a series of questions I'm going to post here. Here is the first. Please leave me as detailed an answer as you feel, and know that I am very grateful to all who reply!

Probe 1:
"The church has found that condescension, irrelevancy, and a total lack of commitment to the Creative Vanguard has not only tarnished it’s heritage and legacy, but has, like a Great Flood, washed away it’s foothold in the hearts and minds of this world."

1.How true or false is this statement? Please explain how strongly you agree if it's true or false, in detail.

2. What is the first change the Church/Faiths must make to positively and permanently change this perception?

Faith/Church in this usage does not denote Christian faith/churches specifically- whether your faith is Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, etc... your feedback is important. My goal here is to contextualize the connection between the spirt and the arts. Please & Thank You.

Be blessed,
Deacon