The band he is touring with is an environmentally conscious old time/bluegrass group that mostly plays functions protesting mountain top removal. For those of you who don't know, mountain top removal is basically a way of mining without a miners or tunnels and completely destroying the mountain in the process. First the land is clear cut, then explosives are used to turn what was a mountain into an enormous pile of loose dirt. Afterward giant machines come in and scoop away the soil and dig up the rock leaving the now exposed coal ready for harvest. Needless to say, there are a lot of people protesting this process and as a result the band has a lot of places to play.
He toured with this same band last year and got the opportunity to protest inside some Bank of America buildings as well as spending some time in the swamps of florida attending workshops on environmental protest. It was a really great experience for him and something that I am incredibly jealous of. He found it less than perfect because there really isn't a great deal of focus on music. They play all the time but for these people it is about the message. For him it is ALL about the music. He wants to make records and play shows with packed houses. It is a great experience traveling with these people but I am pretty sure this will be his last tour with them.
Last year I received several late night phone calls from him telling me that he just felt out of place. He feels like a fraud when he is with them because of his lack of dedication. I think he is just being too hard on himself. After all, not everyone is meant to save the world with handcuffs and megaphones. Some do it with banjos and there is no shame in that.
1 comment:
Thanks for brining to light the idea of touring from the other side of the relationship. You always hear musicians, when interviewed, say "oh yes. it’s been a long road trip. Can’t wait to get home yadda yadda yadda." But I've never really thought about the people on the other end of that relationship. It must be a lot like watching one of your family members go off to war -- an experience I have been a part of. You sort-of see him or her off, and then you’ll see them when you see them…if you see them. Both have “ending” dates. The unfortunate part is that the government has a say-so in one and not the other. I wonder what would happen if the government was able to mandate touring musicians’ tour dates too. Think more people would be anti-big government? I’m sure.
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