White Winter Wisconsin

A resounding theme in my life- PERSPECTIVE.

This tends to come up more this time of year- how my perspective can completely shift my reality.

On Friday afternoon we found ourselves in a beautiful living room full of beautiful people- gathering for friends, family, music and food. High ceilings and organic sound. Many of these faces were familiar- some were new. The humbling experience of being brought into someone's home, into their family for the afternoon- it's one of the most rewarding things I get to be a part of.

And I just kept thinking, "Man, we're so lucky!"

This is the time of year we start really preparing ourselves for the coming winter months. Winter for me now means perfecting the art of dressing in layers so that I can be comfortable outside, in the van, in a stuffy bar, and playing music in a stuffy bar. This last weekend I found myself exchanging my wool socks for some cotton ones on stage right before our shows.

Yesterday we drove from Wausau to Madison. White Wisconsin winter, rural and flat and the orange sky during dusk which goes so quickly during the winter... we were driving right into it and if I can't be present in that moment I'm not so sure I'm alive anymore.

And a lot of things on the horizon we are looking forward to this winter! A new Daytrotter Session, a new music video, releasing our album again on a different format, playing with talented musicians, making new friends, seeing the countryside, seeing some cities, seeing new art, new energy (never really new,)  and swimming, swimming, swimming.

Fine Line Art

"I just do the things I do, I don't know why except that it makes me happy to do them."

It's a fine line for artists.

We don't want to make money off our art. We just want to make a living.

We love the road- new places, new people, new towns, new stages, new ideas and new ways of living.

But we all need a home... a place to lay our heads.

"After all, a man has to have something to tie to, something he can trust to be there in the morning."

And to our families and lovers- we want you to miss us, but we don't want you to miss us too much. Sometimes I feel like a stranger when I come home. Sometimes I feel like a stranger when I leave.

"Be still a moment... there's something here. You are afraid of it, but I know it. Somewhere, perhaps in an old dream, I have seen this place, or perhaps felt the feeling of this place... This is holy- and this is old. This is ancient- and holy."

This morning I feel so very encouraged by all the people I've met along the way who want to dedicate their life power to enabling the arts- dancing, painting, music making, theater... It's true- it's a hard life! But it's easy too. Trust me. And when it gets a little too trying, there's a million other souls doing the same thing you can draw from and feel connected to. Because on some level, we all really are doing the same thing.



Here's a video our friend, Nick put together for us. The audio track is off our new album:

PS: Quotes taken from the novel To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck