Live Performances

Every Tuesday in July!! (7/1,8,15,22,29) 6-9 PM solo at The Taos Inn, Taos NM

Sunday July 20 6-9 PM The Serpent Herders at The Taos Inn, Taos NM

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Musings – Influences

Once upon a time, I toured regularly as part of my career as a musician. I’d load up my unreliable VW Westfalia camper van with my gear and my dogs and we’d drive around the Western US, at least initially playing in places I’d never been to people who had no idea who I was. In an attempt to convince strangers to come to my shows, I did lots of interviews for newspapers and radio stations. Two questions I could always count on were “How would you describe your music?” and “Who are your influences?”

Those questions probably should have been easy, but the answers eluded me then, and they continue to do so now.

I love all kinds of music. When using Tidal, the streaming service we subscribe to, we often put our favorite songs on shuffle. A typical morning soundtrack at my house might include classic rock, Benedictine Monks, Mexican hip-hop, alternative rock, classical guitar, 90’s grunge, singer-songwriters, and riot grrrl bands. But the music I love doesn’t necessarily influence the music I play. Or does it?

A few firsts for me:

Record album – “You Light Up My Life” by Debbie Boone

Cassette tape – “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar

CD – strangely, I have no idea

Concert – Ozzy Osbourne ‘Bark at the Moon’/Motley Crue ‘Shout at the Devil’ tour at Tingley Colosseum in Albuquerque NM (accompanied, mortifyingly, by my dad and several of my middle school friends)

Some music that I currently love:

Heavy classic rock (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath)

Broody singer-songwriters (Townes Van Zandt, Jason Molina)

Bands with beautiful harmonies (Low, First Aid Kit, The Be Good Tanyas)

Bands/singers that would probably be labeled Alternative Rock (Bill Callahan, Sonic Youth, The White Stripes, Nirvana, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Sleater-Kinney, Portishead, Radiohead)

Unique, strong female artists (PJ Harvey, Neko Case, Cat Power, Natalie Merchant, Gillian Welch, Jolie Holland, Frazey Ford, Karen Dalton, Kim Gordon, Cinder Well, Peaches)

The list could go on and on and on, but all this rambling is just a long way of saying I still don’t know how to answer when someone asks me who my influences are. I’m probably influenced by everything I listen to and love, but at the end of the day I can’t draw a straight line from any of them to the music I write and play. And that’s okay with me…luckily I don’t do many interviews any more.

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miscellaney

~as a long-time vegetarian and not very good cook, I finally found this recipe for veggie burgers that I can actually pull off

~recent reads: Enlightenment by Sarah Perry, The Age of Deer by Erika Howsare, The Most by Jessica Anthony, Wellness by Nathan Hill

~hot off the needles: pattern – Bridge Arm Warmers by Kukiko Inoue yarn – Manos de Uruguay Maxima

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Thank you for reading…see you next month!!!