molly.com
Sunday 22 May 2005
Finding the Missing Pieces
SOMETIMES I FIND MISSING PIECES OF MYSELF. Some readers here know I once was a serious musician and performer. I haven’t been following that muse lately, though. She still calls, but I’ve been ignoring her, for whatever reason(s).
Sometimes, visiting the past can help us find a missing piece. Today, I’m thinking of a concert I did with Patty Sundberg in our nearly ten-year duo, “Courage Sisters.” (Wow, check out that page for a real flashback, yikes!)
We performed at the Southside Presbyterian Church, home of the Reverend John Fife.
Reverend Fife is a revered humanitarian and immigration rights advocate here in the Southwestern United States:
“My understanding of the church’s role in a community like this and my understanding of the faith is very clear. You look at where the most oppressed and poorest people are suffering, and you try to relieve those — that suffering and those problems.”
The good Reverend heard Patty and I sing at a wedding held in the Kiva chapel, and invited us to hold a concert there. We loved the idea. We also decided that all proceeds beyond cost would go to charity.
So we played inside the Church’s magnificent Kiva, which is built upon American Indian tribal custom. It’s a round building, made of natural wood, stone, and adobe, all gathered from here in the Sonoran desert.
The acoustics are phenomenal.
So, here’s a song recorded live and in the round from that very special night. The song is called “Love’s Immortal Fountain.” Patty Sundberg is singing the beautiful harmonies, and we have Phil Stevens (honorary sistah) on viola. I wrote and arranged the song, and I’m doing the finger-picking on an electric acoustic Takamine as well as singing the lead vocals.
Love’s Immortal Fountain (MP3 format)
I hope you enjoy! And I hope you will share some good things you thought once lost but now again found in your life.
Filed under: flashback, music
Posted by: Molly | 10:16 | Comments (19)
I really loved this powerful song, and I’m sure I found something special today.
Thanks Molly!
You sang…and a musician?
I never knew that! *Adds to Molly’s list of talents!
Me: I can’t sing a note, and I can’t even play ’spoons’ all that well! (I’m obviously no Matt Mullenweg! *Laughs*)
p.s. I do have a website, and could have put that in the ‘website’ text field of your comments form, but my site is undergoing a redesign just now – so there’s really nothing there to look at *ashamed*.
I’m glad to hear that there’s another Web developer out there who’s first love was (or is) music. I’ve been playing piano since I was nine years old, and I have never enjoyed anything more than sitting down at my keyboard, piano, or guitar and playing the night away. I just wish that I could do it more often…
beautiful just beautiful
There are quite a few web developers out there who have been involved in music and/or theatre at some point. I was originally a dancer and singer. Ever since I quit (and that was a long time ago) I’ve felt like there is a bit of me missing somewhere, a small sadness that creeps up on me every now and again. No regrets and I wouldn’t change my life now … but I miss the theatre.
That was the song you sang at Vox Nox! It is quite beautiful and for a moment I was sitting in that beautiful Austin night.
Due to the incredibly hectic lives that most of us live today, sometimes we forget to make the time to spend with friends and experience the moments, like that night in Austin when we were all so deeply moved by your singing and deeply touched by Eric’s words.
Can’t play the MP3 on this computer but I bet I was at that concert!
Wow, you looked like a dark haired Courtney Love there! I’m glad you had that experience and the affirmation of your talents that came with it. Things to remember whenever anyone forces you to question your relevance or worth as a musician: you had presumably multiple moments of that sort in which you were doing something you loved and excelled at in a beautiful place amongst people who appreciated it. Something other than your “primary” career, which you are also lucky enough to both love and shine at. No one can ever take that away from you, my dear, you are blessed indeed.
Also you get a thousand points of Karmic credit just for playing in that Church which was the source of so much goodness and compassion in the form of the Sanctuary Movement. Incidentally, I guess our mutual friend Catie’s dad (yes, THAT Catie) was a colleague of Reverend Fife and involved in the Sanctuary Movement in his work as an Episcopalian Priest. And in another little instance of the six degrees of incestuous separation that is Tucson: my mom taught Kevin Bowman’s son in second grade. I remember really liking his album in spite of my teenage sneerage at anything resembling “country” music.
[...] wing. (The one I’d been practicing religiously all month.) Molly has been writing about finding the missing pieces – visiting the past and reminiscing o [...]
Very, very nice. Thank you so much. I love the acoustics are wonderful. Even through the MP3 I hear the soul of the Kiva. Awesome.
Here’s a gift in return: a photo of the Grand Mesa near Grand Junction, CO. Alpine glow reflections, shot from the Colorado National Monument where I was camping at the time.
Thanks Again!
Jack J
ridetolife.blogspot.com
http://photos5.flickr.com/8995298_8a6580ff64.jpg
Beautiful… Thanks for posting this.
I’m impressed. Thank you very much for it.
There are quite a few web developers out there who have been involved in music and/or theatre at some point. I was originally a dancer and singer. Ever since I quit (and that was a long time ago) I’ve felt like there is a bit of me missing somewhere, a small sadness that creeps up on me every now and again. No regrets and I wouldn’t change my life now … but I miss the theatre.
that is very very nice!
[...] Molly has been writing about finding the missing pieces – visiting the past and reminiscing on her days as a musician. I guess like her, I just drifted away from music; “Got bored” is the best way I can describe it. [...]
[...] Molly has been writing about finding the missing pieces – visiting the past and reminiscing on her days as a musician. I guess like her, I just drifted away from music; “Got bored” is the best way I can describe it. [...]
Web developers with a music hobby – who ever heard of it?
LOL as I recall a huge percentage of my fellow Deadheads were also hackers!
now we do stuff like this http:/gruvr.com to help those small bands like Courage Sisters get on myspace and connect with small local audiences. Time for a reunion tour!
Nice blog, glad I dug down to find this old post.
thanks for your sharing