A chance encounter, wonderful memories, and Otherfest

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Jamie and I just returned from New Orleans. We spent Christmas with her mother and the rest of her extended family, and then on Saturday I had the honor of photographing a wedding for the Dowdy family -- old friends of our family, as well as the in-laws of my sister Bethany. I'll blog those images soon.

But the point of this post is music. I've said it here before -- I love what I do, but I truly admire the abilities of brilliant musicians. My one regret in life -- if you can call it that -- is that I didn't study music more as a child. That I never learned to play an instrument. I know, I know. There is still time. And learning to play either the guitar or the piano is on my bucket list. But I've got a few other things I need to improve on first -- my photography being towards the top of that list. So I'll have to wait just a bit longer.

In the meantime, I continue to be amazed and inspired by music. I think music can move us more than any other artform. It can excite us. It can humble us. It can move us into imaginary places -- even if just for a moment. It can take us back to memories that we never want to release. It can connect us with others, and it can connect us with ourselves.

So at the wedding on Saturday, Jamie leaned over at one point and whispered in my ear that the bass player for one of my favorite bands was right behind me. Of course I was giddy. But I was also working, and I'm also 36. I don't have time to be giddy over seeing a musician. Right? It's just not cool as an adult to act that way. Right? Responsible. Dignified. GROWN! I'm past the age of being a groupie. . . . . . right ?

Well, my brother-in-law knows the band, and he knows how much I love them. Wanting to dig at me a bit -- and also do something that he knew I wouldn't do for myself -- he introduced us. For a few minutes Jamie and I visited with this guy, whose band I have followed from their earliest beginnings as a college frat house cover band, to a point of prominence in the music industry. They were never huge names, but they were steady. They played all the spots and all the TV shows. They were on all the video channels and all the radio stations. They decided to pursue their dreams -- and while I have no idea what those might have been, I'm betting they at least got somewhere close to achieving them.

So this brought back memories for me. Memories of leaving home to head off to college. Memories of speaking to my wife for the first time. Memories of introducing them to a group of wide eyed 7th and 8th graders -- the wonderful children, now adults, that were in my English classes the one year I taught school -- just as the band was gaining national prominence. Memories of old friends and new ones. Memories. Lots of memories.

I wish I had told him this when we met. But I didn't. I was too embarrassed. But I'm betting he got a little kick out of it as well. The guys in the band are settling into adulthood more and more. They don't play nearly as many shows. They are having children. They band is slowly coming to an end. And that's OK. There will always be the memories. And the joy of knowing they were built with wonderful people at wonderful times.

I'm glad we met. And I know that there is no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed. And I hope that I never lose the desire I have to seek out new music and artists, nor the pleasure I find in letting myself become lost in the sounds and emotion of a beautiful song. I don't ever want to reach a point where I say, "I'm too old for that." And I think perhaps the encounter Saturday was a reminder of that.

Now. The photos above. I created them a few months ago, and I've been meaning to share them. They were made at a small music festival 20 miles from my home and just a stone's throw from the Mississippi River. The festival is called Otherfest. It is the creation of a local band called Disposable Faces. These images came at the end of a particularly trying day for me. A day in which I wanted to just curl up in bed and wallow in sadness and self pity, but instead made my way -- along with Jamie -- out to the small festival near the levee. And I'm grateful that I did. The beautiful music there brought me back to a good place. And so these guys in Disposable Faces are now on the list of wonderful musicians that I will never forget because of the incredible memories they have provided me.

These guys are good. Really good. Good enough, I think, that they can lead a wonderfully interesting and creative life if they choose to do so. Who knows where they'll wind up. Maybe they make it huge and everyone will know their names. Maybe they'll be rich beyond their wildest dreams. Maybe they get older and have more responsibilities and slowly fade away from the music. Or maybe they'll land somewhere in between. Where ever they go, and whatever they do, I hope that they will hold on to these memories they're creating not only for themselves, but for many others as well. I hope that they live a life full of all the creativity and wonder they could want. And I hope that one day, they be introduced to a random stranger, shake his hand, and have the chance to realize what an impact their talents have had on others.

Check 'em out. Below is a link to their iTunes page. Their music is a wonderful blend of country, rock, blues, grit and emotion. It's heavy at times, filled with the angst of a good, pure, rock song. Yet flavored with the south in general; the Mississippi Delta specifically. And it's true. So, very unapologetically true. And for that I admire them.

Keep playing guys. Keep pushing. Keep exploring. And keep dreaming.

~wj

Disposable Faces iTunes link:

"Like a mall Santa?"

I want to wish you all a happy and safe holiday season.  

My brother-in-law just emailed this radio spot featuring his son Wilkins.  I've blogged about Wilkins before, as he is half of the Wonder Twins that are my nephews.  And he's quite the little performer.

I didn't realize this, but apparently he's been doing reports from the North Pole for a radio staion down in south Mississippi.  And I thought this might be the perfect way to wish all of you the best this year.  And let me go ahead and state for the record that I am well aware that I am a proud and doting uncle.  But I find this kinda funny nonetheless.  I hope you do too.

Thank you all for your support and for giving me the blessing of being able to do what inspires me most -- record the beauty in all of your lives.  I'll see you all in 2009!

~wj

. . . . a little football humor . . . .

Some of you may know that athletics have always been a big part of my life. I played football and baseball all through high school and college. I coached for a year before going back to graduate school. I even spent a little time as the "color" analyst for radio broadcasts of one of our local high schools. By buddy John was the play-by-play man and certainly the boss. (I know you're reading, counselor) We had some nights where we were pretty darn good, and some nights where I'm sure our listeners wanted to chuck the radio at the wall. But we always had a blast.

So I mention all this to point out that I still keep up pretty intensely with the wide-wide world of sports.

A few quick comments I have:

1. Small college sports (Division II and Division III especially) are more fun to watch and become passionate about than most people realize.

2. Major League Baseball is rapidly slipping away from the heritage that made it America's game. That makes me a little sad.

3. College baseball looks like a video version of the game. Let's ditch the aluminum bats.

4. The first weekend of March Madness may be the best TV viewing weekend of the year. It should be declared a national holiday so we can legitimately stay home from work.

5. Major college football needs a playoff system. This BCS junk is like watching an athletic version of VH1's Best Week Ever.

So with that, I'd like to share an email I just received from Al Michaels . . . . I mean my buddy John. It's a pretty funny dig at the way the BCS determines which two teams play for college football's national championship. Thanks, John, for sending me this. It's one of the best ones yet.

BCS DECLARES GERMANY WINNER OF WORLD WAR II
US Ranked 4th

After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.

" Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland , France , Norway , Sweden , Denmark , Belgium and the Netherlands . Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking."

Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated "The US only had two major victories-- Japan and Germany . The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted event."

German Chancellor Adolph Hiter said "Yes, we lost to the US ; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to enhance Germany 's rankings. Hitler protested "Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces."

The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented " France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2."

Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines


Take care. Have a great holiday season!

~wj