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There Is A Season…

Hello, friends…hope you are doing well as we head into a long-awaited Delta spring:)

As we begin this season of Lent, I thought I’d share a few things in this post that have been meaningful to me recently…I hope you find meaning in them, too.

First things first… the good folks at Thacker Mountain Radio in Oxford visited the Delta for a remote show at DMI last week, and the broadcast is set to air this Saturday, March 12 at 7:00 pm CST on Mississippi Public Radio. As the ‘guest author’ I sang a few tunes and had a conversation with their wonderful host, Jim Dees, and then sat back to enjoy the performances of my former student Keith Johnson, “Prince of the Delta Blues,” the Bobalows, DeltaRoX, and the Yalobushwhackers with guest musicians Fish Michie sitting in…a great afternoon!

I subscribe to a daily reading from Frederick Buechner and found this piece particularly inspiring…enjoy!

Creation

TO MAKE SUGGESTS MAKING SOMETHING out of something the way a carpenter makes wooden boxes out of wood. To create suggests making something out of nothing the way an artist makes paintings or poems. It is true that artists, like carpenters, have to use something else—paint, words—but the beauty or meaning they make is different from the material they make it out of. To create is to make something essentially new.

When God created the creation, God made something where before there had been nothing, and as the author of the book of Job puts it, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (38:7) at the sheer and shimmering novelty of the thing. “New every morning is the love / Our wakening and uprising prove” says the hymn. Using the same old materials of earth, air, fire, and water, every twenty-four hours God creates something new out of them. If you think you’re seeing the same show all over again seven times a week, you’re crazy. Every morning you wake up to something that in all eternity never was before and never will be again. And the you that wakes up was never the same before and will never be the same again either.

-Originally published in Wishful Thinking and later in Beyond Words

Carolyn Arends is a fellow singer/songwriter and friend of mine…she and her family live in Canada, and I’m a big fan of her writing and thinking…here’s a post she shared called I Was An Ash Wednesday Rookie along with a prayer for Ukraine she had posted on her site:

Prayer for Ukraine

Sovereign Lord, you observe all those who dwell on earth. Have mercy we pray on those who now suffer the miseries of a war not of their own making. Have compassion on the wounded and dying; comfort the broken-hearted; confound the hatred and madness of those who make war; guide our rulers, bring war to an end, bring peace across the world.  Unite us all under the reign of your Son, the Prince of Peace, before whose judgement seat the rulers of the world will give account, and in whose name we pray. Amen.

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel,
Sydney, February 24, 2022

Also, here’s a video of her wonderful song written during the pandemic, “After This:”

Lastly, I was invited to submit a piece for Delta Magazine this month…the piece is called “Seasons”…I hope you enjoy it….+peace+…Tricia

SEASONS 

Eccl. 3:1 (KJV) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…

The first seasons I remember were as a kid growing up in a beautiful old pre-civil war home built in a clearing among ancient hardwoods. My mother was the editor of our small town newspaper, so my love affair with words and writing began early. She always said she had ink in her blood, and I suppose she passed some of that ink along to me.

I was 27 years old when I heard ‘the call’ in my heart to go try and see if I could ‘make it’ in music. This was before the advent of the digital age we know today, so to answer that call meant packing a U-Haul truck and driving 500 miles away from my hometown of Fayette, Mississippi (pop. 1600) into the mysterious, unknown world of the entertainment business in Nashville, Tennessee (closer to home than New York or Los Angeles). A one-bedroom second floor apartment (no elevator) for $235 a month was where I began my quest, having made the move with no steady employment and no personal or business connections…and remember, no cell phones or computers. It was a scary and exciting season, but it was also a great time to be in Music City. I was afforded amazing opportunities over the years to meet and work with both legends and wannabes, crafting songs with pen in hand, standing behind a microphone in a studio or on a stage, and traveling to places near and far with some of the most gifted musicians on the planet.

Eccl. 3:4 (KJV) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…

A quarter century went by and, after Hurricane Katrina, I began to hear the call in my heart to come home to Mississippi. No big lightning bolt, but rather a slow revelatory ‘parting of the curtains’ over time which, with confirmation from trusted friends and counselors, was undeniable. The opportunity of this season was in the form of a new entertainment industry studies program at Delta State University into which I could sow all that I had gleaned from my time in Nashville. As I drove that U-Haul south down Highway 61 through those fertile flatlands, headed to my new position, I remember experiencing an immediate familiarity in the natural beauty of the land and sky along with what seemed to be an invitation coming from the sheer expansiveness of the Delta.

Eccl. 3:2b (KJV) A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted…

The Delta carries a constant reminder of the seasons in the Law of the Farm…the necessary process of planting, watering, fertilizing and cultivating in order to be able to produce a crop of any kind…no short cuts. After working the ‘field’ of the DMI for a season of 13 years, I went through a yearlong discernment process and came to see that, for me, another season was on the horizon, so I announced my retirement from Delta State, with plans to spend more time engaging in creative pursuits related to community building through music. And what better place to do that than right here in the Delta? The roots of music and community run deep in the dear hearts of the good people who live here and who took me in, and even in this age of uncertainty I find that one of my greatest sources of comfort continues to be found in the faithful and relentless repetition of the seasons.

And for all the seasons away from the beautiful Delta and my beloved Mississippi, given the circular nature of seasons, in many ways I feel like I was never even gone.

Eccl. 3:1 (KJV) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…

Tricia Walker — singer/songwriter, Director Emerita, DMI Entertainment Industry Studies, Delta State University, Music Ambassador, Cleveland, MS.www.bigfrontporch.com

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All the trees in the fields will clap their hands…

11/24/21

Hello, friends…

It’s been a busy fall here on the Big Front Porch presenting local Deep Roots music shows, doing community and church work, and prepping home and hearth for the winter season ahead. I hope this post finds you well with your finest place settings ready at the table and delicious smells coming from your kitchen…and a strong WiFi connection in case some of your loved ones can’t actually BE at your table. 

I’ve been concerned that the ‘push’ for Christmas consumption seems to be so much earlier and more ‘in your face’ this year…feels like Thanksgiving is almost being overlooked altogether….anyone else? I hope this holiday of ‘gathering with grateful and thankful hearts’ is not diminished…

I was pondering this on a walk one afternoon, when I looked up and saw….the trees…(Isaiah 55:12)

I had such a good experience with my inaugural car camping trip back in the summer that I planned to block a few days off for another road trip to see some fall foliage over in Arkansas. But lo and behold, as the days passed, I could see that the trees on my own street and in our own little town were prettier than they had been in years, so I decided to stay put and enjoy what was right outside my own front door. The golds and reds of the crepe myrtles, ginkgos, sweet gums, oaks, and maples have been rich and deep this fall, along with the rust color of the Leland cypress trees which complimented the entire palette beautifully.

Staying put and observing the lessons of the natural world around me reminds me of one of the three primary monastic vows of the Benedictines…stability. Stability refers to the importance of community and commitment in life. When I came back to Mississippi in 2006, I believe it was a calling, and when I retired from Delta State in 2019, I believe I had a call to stay in this community….To  Be. Now. Here. And so here I am…

Part of my ‘staying put’ over the past decade has been to share whatever gifts I have been given in considering visions, sharing ideas, dreaming dreams, and then working towards the realization of those things. It has been my honor to serve on the board of the Cleveland Music Foundation, Inc., the governing body for GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi, since 2011 as a founding member.

My “sermon,” if you will, was and continues to be, “Music can bring us together and make us better,” and trying to insert that idea has been my primary contribution while serving on this board. Others who have way more ‘left brain’ that I, have done the ‘heavy lifting’ of procuring funds, making political connections, overseeing construction, and developing staff in order to make the museum the reality it is today. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of such a magnificent project.

 

Advent begins this Sunday…one of my favorite seasons, and the beginning of the new year for the Church. No argument from me that Easter is the great Alleluia! to the Gospel story, but to consider the Incarnation…that God would ever come to be with us at all…Emmanuel…wow. One of my Advent/Christmas/Epiphany readings will be For The Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio by W.H. Auden. I was not familiar with it until recently, but it is said to be perhaps one of his greatest works. I’m looking forward to some reading time spent with a well-written book and a cup of strong Community coffee.

+peace+ to you and those you love…I am thankful for each of you:)

 

Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free,
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.

 

Tricia

 

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Nothing Like Old Friends…

8/15/21

Nothing like old friends…

Earlier this summer, one of my closest friends sustained a severe ‘head injury’ and it was my fault. After finishing a local performance, I placed my old friend, a 1981 Guild D-45 cutaway, in her case, and thinking I had zipped the case shut, became distracted in conversation with a fan at the event. When I picked up the case to leave, my old friend came out of the case and did a complete face plant on the concrete floor. Horrified, I reached down to pick her up and when I did, I became nauseous at the sight of what would have been diagnosed, in a human patient, as a severe head trauma..the headstock was almost completely severed from the neck of the guitar. 

When I got home, I immediately phoned the only guitar repairman that has ever worked on this guitar (30+ years), Mr. Greg Krochman of Classic Ax, in Nashville, TN. I sent pictures of the injury and asked if he could treat the patient. He said, “Hard to tell…you’ll need to bring her to me.” So a quick road trip to Nashville a few days later took me to his new location (after he was nudged off Music Row in the name of ‘progress’…read that however you like), where I left my friend in the capable hands of this master craftsman and then made the drive back to the Delta. My ‘sub’ guitar through the next several weeks was the guitar I went to college with, a 1970 Fender Newport acoustic. It’s always been my favorite ‘writing’ guitar, and it served me well while I waited on the outcome of ‘surgery’ on the Guild. Did I mention that American Airlines broke the headstock on the Guild in almost exactly the same place 17 years ago (another story for another time…)? Not knowing what the total ‘medical bill’ would be for surgery and hospitalization, my sweet church family at St. Luke UMC, in an exceptional act of kindness and generosity, took up a collection towards the repair and recovery of my old friend.

I got the call from ‘Dr. Greg’ in mid-July so I hopped in the car to go pick up the ‘patient’ who was being discharged after a successful surgery. Not only had the surgery been successful, but with some additional PT (neck adjustment, new strings, new pins, etc.), my old friend played like she did when she was new 40 years ago. I was overjoyed to say the least:)

I have several of these old friends, and like their human counterparts, each is different and special in his/her own way…and each contributes to my life is ways for which I am eternally grateful. Since you’ve been kind enough to put up with this rambling medical analogy, let me introduce these friends to you.

1981 Guild D-45 cutaway

Nothing like old friends…

I recently returned from the annual ‘Summer Gathering’ with my sweet YaYas (lifelong friends) down on the Mississippi Gulf Coast..I’ve lost count of how many years we’ve gathered, but suffice it to say it’s been a LOT of years. I know this because the main topics of our conversations have shifted from the challenges of middle age and career adjustments to the joys of grandchildren and the comparison of medications and health conditions brought on by the inevitable aging process. So very grateful that all three of us could once again gather for a few days of doing nothing together except lounging in the pool, binge watching Manifest and feasting on home-cooked vegetables, summer peaches, and fish from the Gulf.

Nothing like old friends…take a moment to call/text/email/visit one of your old friends today…they are PRICELESS gifts.

+peace+

Tricia

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Random Acts of Kindness…

July 6, 2021

When I was a teenager, the Jesus Movement was in full swing, invigorating young believers like me. My chosen Bible translation at the time was the Living Bible, and my mama sewed a cool cover for my copy out of a pair of old blue jeans, complete with a pocket for assorted inspirational materials. I often refer to that sacred ‘conversational’ text still today. I began to soak up how the ancient stories sounded to my ear in a more ‘common tongue’ rather than the regal King James version. I have a distinct memory of being sixteen years old and coming across a partial verse spoken by Saint Peter in the tenth chapter of the Book of Acts, explaining to the Gentiles that “…Jesus went around doing good….”

Somewhere…somehow…that stuck.

At random times over the course of my life from age 16 until now, when that fragment of a verse surfaced (and it continues to surface) in my conscious mind, I would think, “Wouldn’t it be great to just go around and do good?”

Many years ago, I took a test to identify what my spiritual gifts were based on the list of gifts in the New Testament book to the Romans. The results pointed to two gifts in particular…teaching and encouragement. Is it any wonder then, in the Divine scheme of things, that over the course of all my years working in the music biz to developing the DMI entertainment industry program at Delta State to now being in ‘retirement’ and working on behalf of the community….that putting those two gifts into practice along the way offers me the best opportunity of standing in the ‘crosshairs of my giftings’ from time to time? How sweet it is…

To that end, I am humbled by a recent honor I received from the Cleveland Exchange Club when they selected me to receive the 2021 Golden Deeds Award, one of their highest honors, given in recognition of service and volunteerism in the community. Three of my friends were given the task of getting me to the luncheon, and they successfully pulled off the ruse by inviting me to the club’s monthly meeting to be the guest speaker about the Deep Roots music project…I had no clue what was coming. If you look at the names on the list of previous recipients you will see men and women who have been and continue to be foundational to the success of this wonderful Delta community that has embraced and supported me so generously over the last 15 years. I am truly grateful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Random acts of kindness…that’s something we can all do…helping a respected elder with some mobile technology, assisting a young pastor in serving communion, singing softly to a friend in her last days on this earth, feeding the neighborhood tom cat that hangs around the back door, sharing home grown tomatoes with a neighbor…sometimes seemingly insignificant things, but each of which resonates like ripples in a pond. Just like Scout explained in To Kill A Mockingbird…”neighbors bring flowers in sickness and food in death and little kindnesses in between”…..I believe this is how the kingdom of God comes to us.

And because baseball is often like life…congrats to the Mississippi State University Diamond Dawgs for bringing home the D1 NCAA National Baseball Championship! Whether you regularly side with MSU or another team in the Magnolia state, you gotta admit…it was so much fun feeling the growing momentum of the entire state behind this Bulldog team. Once again, here’s a tribute to the first Mississippi State scholarship baseball star, Boo Ferriss, who knew a thing or two about random acts of kindness…just ask the hundreds and hundreds of young men who played for him.

See you down the road…pax,

Tricia

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Let Us Never Forget…

I remember the roar of jets flying over as one of them peeled away to represent the ‘missing man’…I remember the crack of the rifles firing a 21-gun salute…I remember feeling smothered by the heat of a Mississippi July day as we laid Mama’s baby brother, “Action Jackson,” to rest in our hometown cemetery. In my memory, it seems like most of the town turned out for his service. He died trying to guide one of his squadron members to safety. I was 12 years old. He was 41.

Countless brave and selfless men and women have given the ultimate sacrifice during the many wars our nation has seen…wars for which the reason for some is easier to grasp more than others, but every conflict devastating as is the nature of war. So we pause to remember…to memorialize…to give thanks for duty and service and sacrifice. Let us never forget…

The Deep Roots music movement is going well, and I’m having fun with it. Folks are glad to be outside after being ‘locked up’ for over a year, and it is such a joy to see how music can be a real connecting point in building a community. There are some great photos from some recent shows on the Deep Roots Facebook page HERE. Or our Instagram page HERE. Please ‘Like’ the pages for updates. If you haven’t seen the video series we’ve done featuring our local Deep Roots artists, here’s a link to the YouTube channel (please subscribe!): Music From The Ground Up. In fact, last Friday’s feature was me performing “The Heart of Dixie”…enjoy:)

For all the difficult things that have come with the pandemic, the ability to connect online almost anytime/anywhere has really been an amazing gift. Yes, I, too, have suffered from ‘Zoom fatigue, but this Thursday is a fun example of having the opportunity to connect with folks all across the world, and that amazes me. Jeff’s Place, a virtual coffeehouse hosted out of New York City, will be celebrating the 39th birthday of the Bluebird Cafe` by presenting an ‘in the round’ show online with me, Fred Knobloch, Amy Speace, Paul Jefferson, and Amy Kurland, the founder of the Bluebird Cafe`. The show will be this Thursday, June 3, at 1:00 pm CST. Free tickets are at this link:  https://tinyurl.com/jeffsplace2021. Hope you can tune in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we head into the heart of summer, I hope that you will have some long overdue chances to gather with your friends and loved ones on a big front porch somewhere with the perfect tomato sandwich, a glass of sweet tea, and a fat juicy slice of watermelon (no salt for me, please). And traveling mercies as you head back out on the road!

From the Big Front Porch…stay safe, keep a song in your heart, take time to dance in your kitchen, and be kind to your neighbor. But…who is my neighbor?  Look it up…the Gospel of Luke…chapter 10:)

+peace+

Tricia

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Another Trip Around The Sun…

(Originally written 3/17/21; meant to be posted that day…oops!)

Yesterday I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day and another ‘trip around the sun’ for me…plans for some time in quiet contemplation, but severe weather and a series of tornadoes in the area disrupted that idea a bit (although I did have some prayerful moments in my storm ‘closet’)…

I am blessed and so grateful for all the wonderful birthday wishes on social media, texts, emails, and in person gatherings…who could ask for more? Thank you ALL…

I am amazed, but not really surprised, that there are actually flowers in bloom and buds on the trees after that really DEEP freeze we went through a couple of weeks ago. How wonderful to be reminded of the promise of new life, even after the coldest and darkest of days. I’ve said before that’s one of the things I love most about being in the Delta…seeing the Gospel lessons manifested in the ‘seed’ and the ‘farm’ and all related agricultural activities…year after year after year…the faithfulness of God.

I hope you and all you love are safe and well and enjoying the beginning signs of spring as vaccines for the COVID virus continue to roll out to the public. I’m grateful that I’ve received both my doses…that in itself lifted my spirit and increased my hope that we are indeed seeing light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. I’m continuing to pray that the collective ‘we’ rises with courage and strength to meet the enormous challenge of vaccinations for all in the coming weeks and months.

Have you seen the Music From The Ground Up episodes yet? The episodes are looking GREAT! A new episode is released each Friday at 1 pm CST on the Deep Roots website and also on our YouTube channel. Please subscribe and hit that notification bell so you’ll be reminded when a new episode goes online! Yours truly was featured last Friday, and in case you missed it, here it is:)

If you’re in the Cleveland area, get ready to grab your folding chair, a friend, and a cool beverage as the Deep Roots: Live Downtown! outdoor music series begins on April 23 at 6 pm at the Delta Arts Alliance awning. Live music for eight Fridays in a row, featuring local artists on the Deep Roots roster. I hope you’ll support these efforts of Cleveland becoming a MUSIC CITY…plenty of room to safely spread out with friends and neighbors and enjoy our talented local musicians! Schedule of dates and artists will be announced soon and will be on our website events page HERE.

Another little bit of good news…and a reminder of how songs have a ‘life of their own’…my friend and co-writer, Karen Staley, shared with me that singer Kelly Clarkson performed our song, “Keep Walkin’ On,” on her TV show earlier this week…how fun is that? Faith Hill recorded this song over 20 years ago…hope it makes you dance around the kitchen!

https://youtu.be/b4MkmJc4_Wk

Until next time…wear your mask…wash your hands…get the vaccine…say your prayers…and be kind to one another…

+peace+

Tricia

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Always we begin again…

The Rule of Benedict opens with the word…listen. 

One of the main tenets in Benedict’s Rule is that we are always offered the grace to begin again. After coming to the end of an (dare I use the worn out word?) unprecedented year like 2020 (not to mention the unthinkable events during the first week of 2021), I am ready to begin again…ready, when the time is right and the virus has been contained, to engage once again as a human being in the presence of other human beings. My pastor remarked in a recent sermon that, “God did not design us for distance learning.” True dat. We are designed for relationship,  and I miss being in ‘real’ community with others. Don’t get me wrong…I am incredibly grateful for and constantly amazed at the technology that allows us to ‘connect’ with each other, but I look forward to the days ahead when hugs are safe and back in style and travel is spontaneous and carefree. I also know that time has not quite come, and so I will continue to mark these days, holding onto hope and relishing the joy that is somehow stored in the deepest part of the heart, if I will but claim it by faith.

In the recent weeks of this continuing pandemic, I have found myself being drawn to familiar books, movies, albums, and articles that have particular meaning for me. I’m also getting ready to dive into the task of culling boxes and files in my closet, with a strong probability of being led down some nostalgic ‘rabbit trails.’ What is interesting is that I recognize this pattern as being related to a subconscious preparation for something creative in the works. Hmmm….

Somewhere in the last quarter of 2020, I found myself, once again, in a real love/hate scenario with social media. I greatly appreciate the opportunity these platforms afford to reconnect with old friends, promote worthwhile projects, interact online with musicians, and more, but I was also made aware of the addictive and divisive power of these platforms. So I put myself on a bit of a ‘social media diet,’ taking some time to try and sort out how to best use this method of communication as a means for good without going down a dark hole. Finding that balance is a struggle, to be sure, but it recently dawned on me that perhaps I could ‘ease up’ a bit and use social media as a platform to share some of the stories and incredible opportunities I’ve been blessed with along the way rather than trying so hard to provide ‘newsy’ posts for the sake of ‘engagement.’ I wonder if that’s the ‘creative thing’ possibly in the works? You never know…so, be on the lookout…and if I’ve missed the mark__don’t worry___I’ll begin again.

Until next time…wear your mask…wash your hands…say your prayers…get the vaccine…and …

 

 

 

 

 

+peace+

Tricia

 

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A Thrill of Hope…

12/24/20

Hello, friends…and Merry Christmas to you…it’s almost time…out of the longest night of the year, the Light is about to appear…the Promise is about to be kept…

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel…”

This past Monday night, a little after sunset, I drove out to the edge of town to see if I could see the ‘Christmas Star’…the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the southwestern sky. Since I live in the flatlands, I wasn’t concerned that there would be visual obstructions to the night sky, but while driving to my destination, I found myself ‘surprised by joy,’ as C. S. Lewis wrote, as I felt “a thrill of hope” in my heart and a moment of anticipation that was fresh and new this Christmas season. Is this what the Magi felt when seeing the great star as they journeyed? Did their excitement increase as they neared Bethlehem? In these final pandemic days of 2020, I was grateful to feel a measure of joy as I stared up into the dark Delta night...”O Come, Emmanuel…”

Another ‘surprised by joy’ moment I wanted to share….during this 2020 year of pandemic, I’ve been working through the United Methodist Hymnal again, a couple of songs each morning…good for keeping up my sight singing skills and pleasant on the ear to sing the ‘old’ hymns while learning some ‘new’ ones. I always glance at the bottom of the page to see who the writers are (that’s what songwriters do), and lo, and behold, there it was….hymn #728…”Come Sunday”….by…wait for it…

DUKE ELLINGTON.

Yep, ‘the Duke’ has a song in the Methodist hymnal! How did I miss this? I jumped up and headed straight to the piano, reveling in the augmented and diminished chords that you don’t hear in the old ‘standards,’ and I was smiling all day long:)

Well, here’s to 2021….thinking about doing a little YouTube series from the Big Front Porch…nothing fancy…a little encouragement and music…what do you think? Let me hear from you….I hope you and all you love have a blessed and peaceful Christmas (even if it’s on FaceTime or Zoom), with many moments of joy and…

“…A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…”

+peace+
Tricia

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Indian Summer…

10/12/20

This afternoon I’m sitting on my back porch enjoying the continual breeze of a ceiling fan as the temperature is a balmy 80 degrees. Not terribly unusual for the Delta this time of year, but I’m about ready to break out my favorite sweatshirt, how about you? Skeeter is napping in the chair next to mine, one of the many squirrels in my large oak tree is navigating his/her way down to nibble on some corn I put out, the sweet olive tree is full of fragrant blossoms, and I see two new buds on my knockout roses. All in all, it’s a lovely day…and what a gift that is.

Nice to be able to still find peace even as the pandemic continues and hurricanes blow through our region…even as political ads/texts/emails seem to grow more persistent and invasive (I’ve turned my tv off)…even as things seem out of control…at least from a flawed human perspective. But thanks be to the One who calls us to be. now. here. rather than pushing so hard and so fast that we often tend to be. nowhere. (And yes, I have that finger pointing straight back at me…)

I’ve had a great week of having the good fortune to be in what I call “the crosshairs of my giftings,” which I believe is found, for me, at the junction of music and encouragement. The Deep Roots music project, a community initiative to develop and promote local roots music, had the opportunity to shoot videos of eleven local artists performing at a lovely theatre space at the Delta Arts Alliance. A brief interview with each artist/band revealed a common thread of just how much we have all missed playing music WITH EACH OTHER. And even the film crew and a few select visitors said the same thing…”It’s great to hear live music again!”  So stay tuned for a series of short roots music programs (probably on YouTube), featuring some really talented local musicians, in early 2021…after we put the Year of our Lord 2020 behind us. If you’d like to read about the project and meet the initial roster of musicians, visit www.deltadeeproots.com, and if you sign up for the email list, you’ll receive a link to an exclusive playlist of three hours of local Delta roots musicians (yours truly included)!

In case you’re not familiar with the term, American roots music is described as a combination of musical styles which incorporates early music genres and traditions of indigenous groups with ‘shared roots,’ heavily influenced by both the culture and sound of the blues. American roots music grew from the “folk” music made by whites of European descent in the early 20th century, mostly of meager means and living in the rural, isolated South, then expanded to include the song styles of other cultures, particularly the blues and gospel music of African-American southerners. While it encompasses a broad range of music genres and styles, roots music now includes those genres which were given birth in the Mississippi Delta and the American South: blues, folk, gospel, traditional country, zydeco, R&B/soul, bluegrass, and singer/songwriter styles. Often marginalized on commercial radio, roots music contains a common thread that draws on the lived experience of ordinary men and women and has served as a vehicle for offering the disenfranchised a voice.

I’ve been cleaning out some Dropbox files today, and as I took a few moments to reflect on some photos and movies, I was reminded how I have been blessed over the past several years in seeing plans and hard work bear good fruit. I hope, with intention and focus, that will be the case going forward with new projects and ideas. As Thanksgiving approaches, my hope is that all of us are able to find something good that has come out of the upheaval of the last 8 months …and that we will cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude for each day that we are given.

 

 

 

 

 

…and remember, at least we have SOME football to watch… (And I really like this all-SEC schedule☺)

Thanks for reading…I hope you and all those you love stay safe and well…and that you find some time to enjoy the peace of a few moments on your own Big Front Porch.

____Tricia

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40 Years…and counting…

During the pandemic, I’ve been spending some time digitizing old cassettes, CDs, and VHS tapes of ‘homegrown’ content and/or various performances, more to clear out some space than for posterity, but I realized today while working on some transfers, that this date marks a milestone. Let me explain…

The number ’40’ has symbolic meaning in Christianity, with various interpretations as to its significance. ’40’ is often seen to signify new life, new growth, transformation, a change from one great task to another great task, while other viewpoints tie it to the fulfillment of God’s promises, not all of them positive, and associated with the themes of testing, trials, and judgment.

Sounds like breaking in and surviving the music ‘biz’ to me…

FORTY years ago on August 15, 1980, this small town Mississippi girl left Jackson driving a U-Haul truck that was packed with passed down furniture, kitchen pots and pans, clothes, my stereo, boxes of books and records, a ‘cutting-edge’ TASCAM multi-track cassette machine, my guitars, a piano, my cat, and a suitcase full of hopes and dreams. I pointed the truck north and headed to Music City…Nashville, Tennessee. Didn’t know a soul there, had not yet nailed down a ‘day job,’ and had no clue how to begin to break into the ‘biz.’ There were no educational resources like today that teach you how the music industry works…my entry to the town was definitely a reflection of the old adage, “Ignorance is bliss.” But as I have told many students over 20 years of teaching, my moment of ‘truth’ was clarified one day when I realized in my heart that I was not as afraid to go to Nashville and fail as I was afraid NOT to go at all and try my wings….that realization is what got me into that U-Haul truck with the key in the ignition.

I had arranged to sub-let a second floor one bedroom/one bath apartment in a very old apartment building (no elevator) in an area that was still 30 years away from becoming ‘hip’ and gentrified (I remember a very active and bizarre religious cult living three houses down the street). My rent was $235 per month and I was going to have to hustle to make that payment, but the ‘hustle’ is what it was all about…a more appropriate word today might be ‘entrepreneurship,’ but for creative types, ‘hustle’ fits the bill just fine. By the way, the last time I checked, that little apartment, which is now part of a very hip and gentrified neighborhood, rents for about $1000 a month…still no elevator in the building.

We safely arrived at our destination (my mom, a friend, and me), but it was past 5 pm, the utility company was closed, and I couldn’t get the lights turned on that evening. So we improvised…ordered pizza, lit a few candles, and unpacked the stereo even though we had no power. My priorities were in order…for a musician, hooking up the stereo ALWAYS comes first (remember multi-component stereo systems?).

Within a few weeks, I landed a job as an assistant recreation director at the Tennessee State School for the Blind in Donelson, a suburb of Nashville…my hours were 2 pm to 10 pm which left me half of each day to learn how to navigate the area known as Music Row, which, at the time, was the unassuming looking neighborhood where the majority of music publishers and record labels were located…lucky for me, it was within walking distance of my apartment. And so I began…researching and learning the ‘hustle’ by day, working my steady job in the afternoon/evening, writing songs into the late night hours.

When I made the move to Nashville in 1980, there were no personal computers, no mobile phones, no internet, no cable TV…hard to even fathom that now, but that’s the way it was. Contact information for any music industry professional was GOLD, and I kept the sacred info I was collecting on 3×5 note cards before I bought an actual Rolodex (remember those?).

Ok….pause….I can tell that this post could get pretty long if I keep going with the ‘History of Tricia in Music City,’ so I’ll just put a pin in it here and maybe add some installments along the way. Either way, I wanted to mark this ‘Music City’ anniversary with all of you on the Big Front Porch and share how I have been blessed beyond all that I could possibly imagine…by the grace of God, friends made along the way, stages made available to me across the country and around the world, the rare gift of being able to do what I love for a living, and the opportunity to serve and be a part of a unique creative community that truly helped shape me as a singer, songwriter, and producer. What a trip that started on that hot summer day so long ago…I’ll bet some young dreamer is pulling into Music City today, and for the next 40 years, if all goes well, it will be their ‘promised land.’

Stay well…wear your mask…wash your hands…and enjoy some music everyday,

+Peace+

Tricia