farmer's fertilizer
back in the times of the last cold war and before, our language included agricultural references for day to day events. a late snow in the northeast US was known as “farmer’s (or poor man’s) fertilizer” because it was close to planting season and expected to melt quickly. this seems quaint in the age of “bandwidth” as a description of mental capacity, but it is more than that; its absence represents a disconnection from the earth, and from the physical world of which we are a cellular part. i miss this language because it made me feel grounded, and part of a larger humanity. it made me feel connected. isn’t that what we all want?
as a songwriter, i am driven to communicate feelings through words and music as a way to connect. i think all artists yearn for connection, and that yearning is manifested in their work- tangible proof of an independent vehicle that connects us. the joy of performing is in the connection with audiences. when we connect through the music, we’ve proved the theory- the value of the work- it works- we’ve connected!
the van gogh brothers’ lifetime residency at vincent’s gives us a laboratory for our songs, and a larger physical community to share with outside of our work as recording artists. while a track can be heard by literally millions of people online or on television or film, there is no substitute for the actual, physical connection of performing a song for a live audience. you either connect, or you don’t. it is my belief that this is how you prove the real value of a song. if it passes this test, it can stand the test of time and space. some years ago i wrote a song with jamie walker called, “may the road rise to meet you.” it was a bit of a sappy affair, and i wasn’t sure about it, but when i played the song at a dinner party, the people at the party connected immediately. we finished the track and it has now been heard by millions of people on television and online. had i not played it at the dinner party and made the connection, i would not have finished the recording.
we have one last recording session for our sweet sixteenth album, “backroads,” and we will then move it to mastering and release. we will release backroads and “ghost” online together, hopefully before april is out. i’m excited to move to a conclusion on the eve of my 67th birthday and the moon moving into aries. i have a good feeling about both albums, but “backroads'“ is a special creature. we’ve been performing some of the songs live and yes, they connect!
we are at vincent’s on march 12th and april 9th and are waiting to hear on boston area dates at toad and the village social club in brookline village. and of course we will return to magical moon farm this summer with dates tba.
in the meantime, i hope you can get your hands in the dirt and connect with the earth as winter gives way to spring. we all come from the same “cloth” and it’s especially good to remember this in times like these.
peace + love,
jc