A voice, a guitar, and a harmonica - sometimes that's all it takes. It certainly is when it comes to 'Fault Line' by 'Black Rebel Motorcycle Club' or 'BRMC'...
Fault Line
I've been waiting on the fault line
Living evil take me on
I'll be standing with my dying bed
If you care to come along
My mind keeps going back in time only to find songs that feel as if written for today ~ the message still resonating - at least with me. Nothing much seems to have changed since my mother translated the Latin portion of Cat Stevens' O Caritas for me. The cover of the album Catch Bull At Four provides an English translation which - while not literal - still very much brings the message home:
I don't want to lose the harmony of the universe
I see all things... burning, I hear men... shouting.
Now is the light of the world and the stars going out
Just when I feel that I might be ready to welcome spring with a smile as bright as the sunshine outside and a lot more warmth than the sun is able to radiate through the yet chilly north wind ... news headlines scream of more blood being shed in the streets ~
Somewhere out there on the horizon
Maybe there's a glimmer of hope ...
My thoughts go out to all affected by violence and bloodshed, and to my friend in Australia who first introduced me to the music of John Butler and the John Butler Trio ... hugs to the moon goddess, may they find you well ...
There's something about the majesty and relentless power that is the ocean inspiring awe and fear alike and keeping me fascinated in spite of tragedies like the loss of the Yarmouth Castle. Here's to her and to all other ships and souls who came to rest below the waves ~
Sometimes it's a trailer on TV but it's not the pictures that grab the attention, or even the comment running along. Much rather, it's the song that plays in the background ... It took me quite some time to figure this one out: Glory by Josh Tarp and The Still ~ time well worth spending as I've discovered a new-to-me band with a sound that's right up my alley ~
Josh Tarp and The Still creates music that pushes the boundaries of genre stereotypes, creating a balanced pallet of folk, soul, and classic rock rounded together by constructively effortless songwriting. Since beginning this project in 2010, theirs songs have impacted a diverse and growing audience of true music lovers and easy listeners.
Glory
I dreamed I saw the devil
Dressed in his Sunday suit
Every year I take a road trip to clear my mind and reset my equilibrium ~ for me, there's nothing better, nothing more relaxing than driving some off-the-beaten-path road and listening to music. One such trip included driving through the night on some forgotten street, and in the early hours of the new day -long before the sun would make its appearance- 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' by Bruce Spingsteen started playing on the radio ...
Well the highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kidding nobody about where it goes ...
It wasn't a highway, and the street wasn't alive that night, but -as strange as that may sound- the song dispelled some of the lonely feeling that I hadn't been able to shake ~
Men walking 'long the railroad tracks
Going someplace, there's no going back
Highway patrol choppers coming up over the ridge
Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge
