THE SIGNAL from David Katznelson
“I do not understand how anyone can live without some small place of enchantment to turn to.”― Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
We are getting ready for the final trip of summer which is starting out with a camping tour to Aspen this weekend. Picked up Kaya from camp yesterday, who seemed very happy to see us but happier if she could have given a hug and jumped back on the bus to go back (I cannot say how glad I am to see her). And now tidying up some life and work stuff so we can hit the road, off to the next adventure. The newsletter may be sporadic over the next few weeks given the lack of internet connectivity along the way, but such is life.
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Today is the dark anniversary of when the US dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Ended the war, killed over 135,000 innocents instantly and thousands more slowly with radiation poisoning. My friend and filmmaker Jeremy Solterbeck recently worked on a truly moving short documentary called WHO WON THE WAR built off of interviews of Takashi Tanemori, an “extremely rare survivor within a one mile radius of the blast” which killed his entire family and changed the course of his life. In a fashion that is typical for Jeremy, the film is a beautiful piece, using animation to help tell Tanemori’s tale, powerfully bringing this 76-year-old history to life while examining the power of survival and forgiveness.
You can watch the film here. In a mere 12 minutes, it tells such a deep, complicated story and very very much worth your time on this day in history.
Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus :: Love Thy Neighbour
I have been trying to find a way to work with Ras Michael for years, the ultimate purveyor of Nyabinghi music and one of the people who brought Bob Marley in to the Rastafari fold, with an influence that slowed down Marley’s sound from the rocksteady beat to the reggae found on Catch A Fire. We got close to nailing down a deal a few times before he just let it slip away. But there are some great stories from the experience, including the meeting of the great Rasta Ras Muggah (for another time). This record Love Thy Neighbor is not my favorite of Michaels (given I like the pure Nyabinghi without the dub), but it is a damn good one in the bigger scheme of reggae music.
Interview collects all of the best Jagger quotes from the many articles and interviews the magazine has run over time. Fun read. And there is no reason to see the Stones without Charlie as long as he is living….ok, maybe there are some reasons, but still……..
JOHN WATERS NAMED TO BOARD OF BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF ART
It looks like it is time to become a member of the BMA. A town has to do SOMETHING when its baseball team—who I love—is the second worst in the MLB.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 125th Birthday Celebration
Most people know Rawlings for the heartbreaking tale The Yearling (why did Flag have to die??? WHY!!! Jody could have matured without that dark event…c’mon!) but did you know (I certainly did not) that she was known for her Mango Ice Cream???? Seriously, the recipe is easily findable and in honor of her 125th, and I might have to try it out, especially since I cannot go to the party at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park (another thing/place I had absolutely no knowledge of).
WEEKEND LISTEN: RL Boyce: Ain’t The Man’s Alright
Fucking RL Boyce. The greatest living Hill Country bluesman, improvisationalist, groover around. To have RL playing on a porch for a wang-dang-doodle with a jar of shine in hand is just a glorious thing. This record is one of the crown jewell blues artifacts of our day featuring an all-star backing band including the incomparable Luther Dickinson, Cedric Burnside, Lightnin’ Boy Malcom….damn. I co-produced it…along with Luther who introduced me to RL through his work with Otha Turner (and in doing so, changed my life). But regardless, this record is worth many a’listens due to the sheer power and singularity of voice that RL has and his sweet rhythmic guitar style. It is available on bandcamp TODAY for the first time, on this bandcamp Friday. This record has never before been released digitally, which is happening today as well, and can be streamed on bandcamp as well. Come give it a listen!
Crossing the Bar
By: Alfred Lord Tennyson
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
