Come To The Table. I am somewhat in awe at what can happen when our art gets away from us. I think it was the second memorial I played this song at that I knew it was getting away from me. It's joyful. This goes all the way back for me, and all the way down.
I was surprised by emotion the first time I read through Brandon's lettering/John's inks on Act II. It was done, and it was good. It looks like we're going to hit our goal of going to press November 1, this fall, and maybe a few weeks early.
I am so impressed what John has done with black and white in this ... Act.
I knew it would be interesting to think about meeting my ancestors up in the Pioneer Graveyard, some warm moon-lit night..........
Rose Hips... So yeah, we started singing this little Derek tune <Rose Hips> Sunday mornings sometime in the mid-90s, I think... but then, when I got back from the Road To The World in 2007, Jill and Aaron had this piano arrangement. Nice.
I told someone I made it true and kind and right; Jill and Aaron make it exquisite. And that's the fun too of doing it anthology style and inviting different people in.
It turns out that it was always about the people. The ones in the songs of course: the Pastor’s Daughter and the Blue Pony, Marguerite, the Christ-child and Mary Sweet, and the Angel with the Big Black Wings (and her mascara running). And of course, Jesus, who walks these dark hills, as Iris Dement sings, looking for me. And finding me, inside and outside of the songs. Finding me over and over.
It was always about the people. So I finally called Nate, about three years ago, not quite hat in hand and I said I think I have one last collection of songs to record and I want you to co-produce and engineer, and you know, he said little and to the point, he said hey-hey baby… . (No, wait I said hey-hey baby! Nate just said yes. Very politely.)
So I went home (singing hey-hey baby), and went to work: what songs? What people? Gosh, the last time I recorded was with April and Rich and Bill, in… 2006? Could it be thirteen years? And people were born and grew up in that time, could that be?
No, no, wait, that’s not true, not quite; because in the summer of 2017, Adam Sweeney hosted me, Ruba Byrd, April and Rich Vanderwal, Bill Norris, Aaron Pruitt, and Jill Townley to his excellent boutique basement studio to lay down our best Come To The Table. It was good. And here’s the thing: I knew I was supposed to record it. That summer with that crew. I didn’t really know why. It was the start.
What comes to us, what we say yes to…
There'll be more to say: their are 13 lucky songs to go. About one a month we think.
Save the date: July 1st we release #2: Come To The Table (2017) Co-produced by Adam Sweeney.