We're sick and tired of your ism-schism gameDy'n' and go to Heaven in-a Jesus' name, LordWe know when we understandAlmighty God is a living man
You can fool some people sometimesBut you can't fool all the people all the timeSo now we see the light We gonna stand up for our rights
- Bob Marley
I love words, and I love talking, and I love writing, but sometimes I have way too much to say and way too much to write. It is overwhelming. At some point in processing all of my emotions and attempting to sum them up in some kind of digestible way, I reach a mental roadblock. That is where I turn to music. I find it much easier and perhaps more individually meaningful to express myself in song. That is why not only am I a songwriter, I am simply just a general lover of music. This is nothing new. Why am I saying this? I have so much to say about the overturning of Roe v. Wade and it is putting my mind in the situation that I have described. There is not much that I can say that has not already been said. This decision is not only an attack on all women, but racism rears its ugly head again as it is an attack on BIPOC communities and people with lower income in this country. Anybody who is paying attention knows this. The call to action here lies in the Bob Marley song above. As for me; this is my newsletter so I guess I have to give my personal take on this matter and write about it from a personal standpoint. This is where music comes in. The truth is that I have no editorial. I do have money to donate to abortion funds that will help the people most directly impacted by this. The other thing I have is my voice and my privilege, and the only way that I feel I am able to communicate my feelings and my initiative is by singing about it. Music also brings joy. I think it is imperative to have some semblance of that, and to remind yourself that it is okay to be happy in this armageddon. I am not saying that singing takes the nationwide pain away, but music is definitely something to lean on. I will talk a little bit more about this in the section where I discuss this week’s song.
It is difficult to segway out of that, but on the topic of joy and music, I would like to remind everyone that I am playing my first New York City show on Thursday at The Delancey in Manhattan. I am so excited, and I am looking forward to giving people and myself the great time that we all so desperately need. It is going a hell of a night, and you are going to want to be a part of it. I have created a setlist that I feel not only highlights all the layers of my artistry but the immense talent of the musicians in my band. I cannot thank all of them enough for sharing their talents with me.
I also just bought tickets to the Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes show on Saturday. Look, I like Southside, but I am there for one reason, and it is the possible guest appearance of the man who gave Southside Johnny his name (and wrote many of his songs). I think he will show up. This is his adopted hometown and a good friend with who he has been known to sit in with many times before. He was just in London for his equestrian daughter’s competition. That is over, and where would he rather be the weekend before the 4th of July other than the ol’ jersey shore? He could literally come onstage for two minutes, belch in the mic, and leave the stage and it would be worth the price of admission just to be in his presence after four years. Seeing him would give me possibly enough life to last me until the first leg of the 2023 US tour.
Grateful Eight:
* I just mentioned to my family that one thing I treasure is when Sam sings or hums along to a Bruce song without deliberately doing it for the benefit of anyone else. He did it the other day with Murder Incorporated. I know there is no way he could not know at least 100 Bruce songs in my family, but most of the time you would have no idea.
* New guitar strings. Quick story: I thought my guitar’s intonation was all out of wack and that the bridge saddles need to be fixed, so I called Bill at Dave’s Sound. He asked me how long it has been since I have changed the strings. I could not even remember, and he told me that if the strings were shot the intonation is going to be terrible and if you change your strings, the intonation will likely be perfect. And it was. That was embarrassing, but I changed the strings and now the thing is playing and sounding better than ever. Who knew?
* My own money. The thing with the music industry and many industries for that matter is that they do not pay their interns. I need money badly and cannot be strictly relying on my parents anymore for going out and all other college person activities. (That sounds super suspicious, but it is not I promise you.) I got a job delivering pizzas and in three shifts I have been racking in the dough. Lol.
* Jeff McNeil. The guy is an unbelievable baseball player. The lineup is missing him severely right now and I hope that after this off day he will be back in it. I also love his grit. We have a gritty team over there in Flushing.
* That no one gave me s**t that there was no newsletter last week. Sorry!
* My friends and I in Kd (if you don’t know what that is do better) have been utilizing voice messaging and it is absolutely hilarious. Grateful for voice messaging, shoutout Tim Cook for that feature.
* Robert Knott Jr.
* The blues, my friend. There ain’t nothing better.
This Week’s Rare Mnemonic Advice/Josh Carus Recording: The Pill by Loretta Lynn
In light of the strike down of all the human rights that have come from the overturning of Roe v. Wade, I covered this Loretta Lynn song about birth control. This song came out in 1975 around the time that birth control pills were introduced as a means of contraception. It marked the dawn of women taking control of their own bodies and reproductive rights. It must have gone over well with the public right? Wrong, of course. It was met with dismay by country music radio stations that refused to play it and her record label did not let her release it for three years. It was actually recorded in 1972. Of course, there were many country hits at the time about sex written and recorded by male artists. It is also apropos to mention that sexism within country music exists just as much today. It is so much harder for them to break through and write about topics that simply should not be taboo for them. “The Pill” did become massively popular though and introduced the birth control pill to many lower-income areas or parts of the country that were either unfamiliar with or unable to attain this contraceptive. I do not know how this song is going to sound from the voice of a straight white male, but I hope you like it. It is an important song that broke barriers and hits the nail on the head with each verse as they cultivate an anthem for women. Man, does it feel depressing that the context around this song is not so different from what we are experiencing now. I also really like this era of country music.
