What You Are Supposed To Be Doing

Rockaway Park, June 13th

 

Canadian Wildfires. Trump Dumpster Fire. Ukrainian Damn. Paul McCartney’s Photographs.

So much news.

After Saturday’s gig in Woodstock my friend Philip introduced me to a woman from Portland, Megan. “You gotta hear this woman’s story”. Megan was on the verge of tears and hugged me. She said she had lost her mother two days beforehand and was coming from the nearby cemetery when she heard the music and felt compelled to come in. Megan lives in Oregon and is a songwriter too. Her mother had been Irish. She said she felt the healing power of music and as if her ancestors were speaking to her through the songs, “Keep doing this, it is what you are supposed to be doing”.

 

Thank you Megan for the reminder that my occasional frustration with flying under the radar of the industry and the algorithms, doesn’t matter so much. If my music can any bit of comfort to anyone at a time like that, then, I agree, I am doing what I’m supposed to be doing.

 

I got my haircut before the album release party. The usual place. Different barber. His phone rang while he was cutting my hair. He answered it. Okay, might be important. He kept cutting my hair whilst on the phone. I didn’t glare till he stabbed me the third time. He hung up the phone. I have a very effective glare. The haircut wasn’t as good as my usual barber. Of course I still tipped.

Last week, New York was shrouded in smoke of Canadian Wildfires. Much of the rest of social media world berated us for finally caring now that it was us. I’m calling bullshit on that. I care about the environment and do care when we see these issues in other parts of the country and other parts of the world. New Yorkers talked about it a lot because it was new for us. It’s one thing to see something on TV and another to experience it in real life. That’s just physics. So, whilst I sympathise with the irritation of the West Coasters who suffer this more frequently, and who felt like we only cared now that it was us, I feel like that’s a simplification and misplaced anger. I do care. We do care. Let’s direct that anger at climate change deniers and the politicians who pretend we are not in dire trouble.

Anyway, the sky is blue again today and the air quality is good enough to open the windows.

Thanks to everyone who’s been buying, streaming, attending gigs, reviewing, talking, screaming about the new album. We put an awful lot of work and thought and time into this one. I’m glad you like it.

 

Loads of gigs coming up. Come say hi.

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