Yesterday

Yesterday is one of those nice words with a melody. Yesterday I was sitting at a big table of friends at the “We’ve Got Gravity” CD Release event, here in Bloomington, at our own “Player’s Pub.” Several of us were talking about favorite songs. There were at least two or three who mentioned the song, "You've Got To Serve Somebody," by Bob Dylan. It’s a song with sounds true meaning. And as far as I can tell, I'm pretty sure it is true.

The CD Release event went real well. It was from 2 – 6, on an absolutely gorgeous Indiana 'last of May' day. I was kind of the producer for the event, and even I didn’t want to go. Fortunately, there was a good crowd there, despite the weather and other even more intervening issues. The program was wonderful. John has some new musical friends, and already I see a very good fit. Wonderful comedy was provided by Ken Ferrell. As John said, "He's actually funny!" I got to sing with Carlyn Lindsey on three songs! It was the first time I have sung publically since 1979 and "The Sponges." I had fun!

Today’s artwork is about catching a cup of good karma. Today’s music is a Basement Collaboration track, of the very same, to the point, "You've Got To Serve Somebody, we were talking about yesterday." This song was the first track of the first disk I pulled out... Jerry Farnsworth is singing, and playing guitar, Scot and Kenny are there as per usual, although not to complain, but I would have turned Scot up a little in the mix. I do think that’s him playing tamborine though.

Joining the boys that night was Nelson Batalon, who is serious about his horn playing, and who has raised up two amazing young horn men, in his sons. They were all three down at the Fig Gig last week. It was cool to see these young people be so serious about their music, and absolutely jamming with their dad. Real cool........

Music Monster

I married a music monster. I was born of a music monster. My sire was a music monster ‘wanta be’. Music has ALWAYS figured big in my life.

But today I talk about the artwork first. I am listening to a cassette, trying to find a track I had--but lost. In the meantime, here’s the lowdown on today’s art, which ends up sounding a lot like a thing about music. Music figured so largely in Scot’s life, that it is not surprise to me that he started reaching for the physicality of music upon which to perform his art.

Bloomington is a BIG music town. Scot began scouring the weekly library book sale for interesting music manuscripts. These manuscripts were always sort of mysterious to Scot, because the notes on the staff actually meant nothing to him. Interestingly enough, he began creating art on musical scores from practice books to Mozart classics. I was there selling the artwork in the booth, and digging it every time a musician came into the booth and began figuring out what piece the artwork had been created upon.

Scot became a fully integrated man before he died, but for a long time, there was a schism. There was the art man and then there was the music man. Few people have the kind of gift in any one medium as Scot had when he pulled out his handkerchief, and sneezed. This man breathed it, day and night, night and day, every day.

I was looking for just this song tonight, just the kind of thing Scot threw across my path—everyday. I know now that, the commitment I made in the nature of this memorial blog is no insignificant thing. I mean to honor it. I dug my hand deep into the bin of unknown recordings, and this is what I came up with.

Before I close, I have to say this. Today’s artwork was drawn with a squeeze bottle. We’ve had “drawn with a mouse.” This piece was drawn with a squeeze bottle, filled with India ink, and then nothing short of squirted out on to the page. All I can think to tell you is to “dig it."