I had some skin taken off my nose, and have a big bandage - facial recognition doesn’t work. That leaves me glad to spend some time at home, no gigs this week, catching up with travel plans and finally filling out Google Calendar. Here we are in this context of harvest (and our privilege) in the midst of such inequality, corrupt leadership and an unsustainable war on our life support system.
I wonder what effect on the world I’m having, compared to tearing down the White House and dumping excrement on peaceful demonstrators? There are much more serious concerns as well, though I won’t take that on here. Plenty of pundits expound on it all, and you’ve probably read it. I’m personally tired of the talk about how we can’t believe what’s happening. We have a year to change minds and hearts and save not only democracy in the US, but nature and this little planet. We need engagement, not necessarily money (but that helps if you have the wherewithal to contribute to good causes). We need a year-long campaign, boycotts maybe, and things other than just registering our discontent. I’m saying it all the time, we need diplomats, teachers, healers. I’m planning to spend this year living up to that.
So I want you to know, I’m going on a tour soon with my multimedia show and business is picking up. It makes me feel good to be getting busy with my work. I’m delighted that people are responding positively to my messages and I’m primed to go do it a bunch. I’m mostly preaching to the convicted, as we say, but I think it’s important for us to get up and remind each other that we have work to do.
My “The Year to Save the Earth” multimedia concert has a new name, “A Vision for the Planet”. I’d gotten some feedback that it sounded too much like a lecture. Or was going to be all gloom and doom “Here’s the trouble we’re in.” It really isn’t. There are some take your medicine songs, but also a lot of celebrating the Earth and nature. The jury is still out on that name change. If you have an opinion, I’d like to hear it.
First off in November I’m visiting a great little Universalist church in West Paris Maine. After a few days at home, I hit the road. I’ll be visiting Eastern North Carolina and then up to Chicago IL and Madison WI. Perhaps I shouldn’t admit it, but I’m driving the internal combustion vehicle on this tour, mixing in some visiting with friends.
Greenville and New Bern NC for the first weekend. Then I will actually have a face-to-face meeting with my friend Chuck Wiggins in Southwestern OH, who puts together these posts for Substack. We work by email and phone, so who knows what might come out of a live collaboration.
I always love visiting my great guitarist friends Helen Avakian and Dave Irwin. I’ll be joining them again on their weekly online concert Nov. 13. They have been guests on my First Wednesday concerts, and we’ve done live events together as well. It’s a lot of strings and always fun. Then, there’s Madison and Chicago concerts. Then back around home for the rest of the month.
My big show has evolved a good bit, I’ve added and subtracted songs, now including my song about plastic and one about diet to save the planet. And - I’m now singing with back-up tracks on a lot of it. That really raises the energy and we’re rocking it up. As several songs have ethnic flavors, the tracks help transport us. It’s great fun to play that reggae or salsa song with a rhythm section. Bruce Kahn is helping with all this process, and we’ve done the collecting of hundreds of pictures together. Some songs are quite orchestrated. So it may be canned, but it’s the opposite of AI. Humans did it, although there was no recording session with human musicians.
I wrote the music out for piano, bass, drums, organ, strings, sometimes horns, and a bit of choir “Ooo’s.” The written notes then go to MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and become whatever instruments I want. All the back-up makes for lot of new interactions, but I also left it open enough to still have live musicians join me.
The other great step forward is no longer needing someone to follow the script and push the buttons for the PowerPoint pictures. It’s all becoming one continuous show, which makes it much easier to present. My original NEA grant provided for a projector and screen, so I can come with my whole dog and pony show with the visuals on a big 15-foot screen, for greater emotional impact.
I’ve done it with choir and band several times, but mostly I’m doing it myself, from big events, to sitting beside a video screen with an intimate little audience. I keep saying I want to take this message everywhere. So if you have ideas, I’d love to hear.
Here’s where to find me in November:
* Sun. Nov. 2 – 9 AM Service, First Universalist Church of West Paris, 208 S Main St, West Paris, Maine 04289
* Sun. Nov. 2 – 2 PM, A Pete Seeger Songfest, First Universalist Church of West Paris, 208 S Main St, West Paris, Maine 04289
* Wed. Nov 5 – 8 PM First Wednesday Online concert, ”Harvest Moon”. YouTube , Facebook personal page, Facebook musician page
* Fri. Nov 7 – 7 PM A Vision for the Planet multimedia concert, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greenville,131 Oakmont Dr, Greenville, North Carolina 27858
* Sat. Nov. 8 - 4 PM A Vision for the Planet multimedia concert, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 308 Meadows St, New Bern, North Carolina 28560
* Sun. Nov. 9 - 10:30 AM Service, Gaia, Mother Earth and The Oneness of Everything, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 308 Meadows St, New Bern, North Carolina 28560
* Tue. Nov 11 - 7PM House Concert in Cincinnati, Ohio. Contact Chuck at cwiggins999@gmail.com for details.
* Fri. Nov 14 – 7 PM A Vision for the Planet multimedia concert, Prairie Unitarian Universalist Society, 2010 Whenona Dr, Madison, Wisconsin
* Sat. Nov 15 – 7 PM, A Vision for the Planet multimedia concert, Prairie Circle UU Congregation, at Byron Colby Barn 1561 Jones Point Rd. Grayslake, Illinois 60030
* Sun. Nov 16 – 9 AM Service, Gaia, Mother Earth and The Oneness of Everything, at Byron Colby Barn 1561 Jones Point Rd. Grayslake, Illinois 60030
* Sun. Nov. 16 – Concert TBA
* Sun. Nov 23 – 11 AM Service, The Season of the Grateful Heart, First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, On the Common, 7 Concord Rd, Billerica, Massachusetts 01821
* Wed. Nov. 26 – Online concert Thanksgiving Eve. The Season of the Grateful Heart. YouTube , Facebook personal page, Facebook musician page
* Sun. Nov. 30 – Service, The Season of the Grateful Heart, Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Milford, 20 Elm St, Milford, New Hampshire 03055
Finally, a song of this season of harvest and many changes.
In peace, Jim
Season of Change Jim Scott ©1985
So you’ve pushed back the wilderness
and you’ve fought for your piece of land.
Now your hunger is forgotten
as the earth pays on demand.
But what has your hard won peace afforded
amid the cries of those in need,
Who, like the soil, know the tyranny of wealth
and the bondage of poverty.
Season of change - My eyes are open
I know the debt must be repaid.
I’m just lookin’ for love to save us
From the mistakes we’ve made.
So now the great nations are defended
and the speeches have all been read,
But have we learned to live in harmony,
oh people, we’ve been misled.
So you know of the inhumanity
but you feel so powerless alone,
And the distant cries grow louder,
bringing it all back home.
Season of change - My eyes are open
I know the debt must be repaid.
I’m just lookin’ for love to save us
From the mistakes we’ve made.
You say you’re not participating
but we’re all caught in this warring race.
And how long can the earth keep waiting
for us to put nature back in place?
We’re all together, under the gun,
and the crisis grows alarming,
But I know that the solution
is to disarm, and be disarming.
You want to tell me it’s out of our hands,
tell me we have no choice.
Well I may be just one man,
but you’re gonna hear my voice.
Season of change - My eyes are open
I know the debt must be repaid.
I’m just lookin’ for love to save us
From the mistakes we’ve made.
