Songwriter Spotlight: Songwriters!

This will be a short blog entry but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to offer a few thoughts on a cool experience I had last weekend. I participated in the Queen City Songwriters Invitational (QCSI) last Friday and Saturday ( qcsongwriters.com). The Invitational is in its third year but it was my first year as a performer.

I’m not sure how many towns across the U.S. have dubbed themselves “The Queen City” but, in this case, it refers to Spearfish, South Dakota which is our closest town of any size. We knew little about Spearfish when we moved to Wyoming ten years ago but we have come to adore our adopted hometown. The QCSI only deepened that affection.

The QCSI is a two day festival where regional artists are invited to perform their original songs at venues around town. This year there were three establishments that opened their stages for a couple hours on Friday and again on Saturday. Performers are placed in groups of three and each group plays for an hour. Each songwriter plays three or four of his or her original compositions. Cover versions of other people’s songs are not allowed.

I found two things particularly remarkable about the QCSI “rounds” as the hour sessions are called. First, despite Spearfish boasting a population of roughly 12,000 people, there are some very talented songwriters living here in the Black Hills. Second, the number of locals who turned out to listen to music they had never heard before was stunning. Every venue was, literally, packed.

After over forty years of writing songs and performing occasional gigs as well as open mics and song pulls, it was incredibly refreshing to play for a bunch of people who came with no expectation of hearing Wagon Wheel or Sweet Home Alabama or any other hit song. And, they weren’t just there, they listened!

There are lot of special things about Spearfish but the QCSI is a delightful addition. In these often bizarre times, moments of community seem rare and fleeting. Watch for similar events in your area and go listen to your local talent. I suspect you won’t be disappointed. And you might just bless someone who has decided to bare their soul by singing their song for you.

Speaking of original songs, here’s a video that J.C. recently released of one of his own.

The Red Petals Black Hills Tour

Heading off for some travel so doing the monthly update a little early. The Red Petals came to the Black Hills this weekend for a show in Rapid City and one in Spearfish. Here are a few clips.

First some straight ahead rockin’ blues (replete with bass and drum solos), followed by my favorite Van Morrison song and then a little late night bluegrass in the Wyoming countryside. Enjoy!

Songwriter Spotlight: Lori McKenna

I love great songwriters. Some of my favorites have gained a level of fame but most toil in relative obscurity. From time to time, I am going to feature some of these incredibly talented people on this Music blog as a “thank you” for the times they have moved me or made me move. I will usually attach a video of the artist or my sons or me or someone playing one of the artist’s songs.

About a decade ago a friend bought me a copy of Lori McKenna’s album Unglamorous. I vaguely recalled hearing of her because Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were trying to make her a star. So, even though the production had that Tim McGraw/Faith Hill sort of feel (which sometimes I like, sometimes I don’t), it didn’t take long to realize that most of the songs on that album were incredibly good. “Drinkin’ Problem”, “Written Permission” and “I Know You” all were so original that I thought (again) “Good thing I opted for being a lawyer because I could never write songs like this.” 

As a result of that first gift, I bought each subsequent Lori McKenna album. If I had to recommend just one it would be Lorraine. But her most recent album The Tree is outstanding as well. To test your ability to keep your emotions in check, read the lyrics for “People Get Old” as my son Cal plays it for you:

                                                People Get Old

Someone said, "Youth is wasted on the young"
I spilled every last drop of time that summer in the sun
My daddy had a Timex watch
Cigarette in his hand and a mouthful of scotch
Spinnin' me around like a tilt-a-whirl on his arm

Houses need paint, winters bring snow
Kids, come on in before your supper gets cold
Collection plates and daddy's billfold
And that's how it goes
You live long enough, people get old

I sat up right beside him in the cab of that truck
Goin' thirty miles-an-hour down a side road talkin' 'bout the fish we caught
And I'm older now than he was then
If I could go back in time, I would in a second, to his beat-up blue jeans and a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off

Houses need paint, winters bring snow
Kids growin' up and sneakin' out the window
Hittin' every small-town dirt road
And that's how it goes
You live long enough and people get old
Yeah, people get old

Daddy keeps busy in the afternoons playin' cards by himself
And he shouldn't be shovelin' that first snow, but you know he won't take the help
Full of pride and love, he don't say too much but hell, he never did
And you still think he's forty-five and he still thinks that you're a kid

One day you'll find yourself sayin' the things that he said
You'll be walkin' down the hallway, turnin' off every light switch
When you twirl your kids in your arms
Before you know it, it won't take too long
They'll be runnin' off makin' a life just like you did

Houses need paint, winters bring snow
Nothin' says "love" like a band of gold
Babies grow up and houses get sold
And that's how it goes
Time is a thief, pain is a gift
The past is the past, it is what it is
Every line on your face tells a story somebody knows
That's just how it goes
You live long enough and the people you love get old

Songwriter: Lori McKenna

Cal and I will be playing together at Good Day Cafe in Spearfish on June 19. Come on out to Spearfish’s coolest new music venue.