January Gone!

Amazing.  The first month of 2010 is already behind us.  What happened?  Well, musically, not much for me I’m afraid.  I have been super busy with “other stuff” (like making a living) and haven’t made the time for recording.  There are so many things I WANT to do with this new set-up I have (Thank you again Jeff Bohnhoff – and Happy Birthday!).  Among them are transferring tracks from my old portable machine onto the new iMac and seeing if I can improve the mix for a new master track.

I need to find a solution to music transcription that is not so labor intensive as re-producing my guitar parts and vocal melodies with a midi-keyboard.  I need to produce some scores for the songs I’m writing for Joseph Sheppherd.  I know Sibelius software has a candidate solution, but the price makes me hesitate.

I got some news from home that our dear friend Rosalie Moeser passed away in Virginia (at the age of 96). That’s her on the left of the picture with me and my mom – taken back in 2005. Rosalie was an incredible woman. When I was a kid she gave me piano lessons and acting lessons and was one of the adults who spoke to kids with the same dignity afforded to grown-ups.  She was the mother of about six kids (I think I’ve counted right) and endured the pre-mature passing of two of them and of her husband Ralph (an extraordinary character himself).  When I was first married, Rosalie, then in her mid 60’s, became a real-estate agent and negotiated the purchase and subsequent sales of the two homes I owned in Virginia. She was a vibrant soul even through the pain she suffered near the end. Thank you Rosalie for the example of a life well-lived!

The current bright spot in the month of January has been the arrival of my dear mom, Katy.  She’ll be staying here in AZ for a while.  In fact, in 2 days, her brother Dale Witherow, my artist uncle, will join us for a week.  I’m looking forward to a gathering with them and both my daughters and new son in law.

I want say CONGRATULATIONS to my friend Robert Reid Gillies for winning the Grand Prize in the Songdoor Songwriting contest.  Although we, his friends, had already told him he was top-quality, we couldn’t back it up with a bunch of cool prizes and a song publishing contract.  Now it’s official – Robert is fantastic!

One more thing:  my friend Moro Baruk and his wife Paule have lived in Haiti for over 30 years.  Beside their artistic crafts and jewelry, they have provided jobs as well as spiritual mentorship to many there.  Please take a moment to pray for their safety and strength.  I do so daily.  Thanks.

 

///Darrell

 

Darrell Elmer Rodgers

Singer, Songwriter, Performer, Humorist

http://darrellsongs.com

2009 Retrospective

It’s been quite a year for Deb and me.  It’s almost sad to see it go.  It started with preparing an audition recording and then being selected to perform at the Tucson Folk Festival. And that led to quickly producing an entire Folk CD with my bass (and guitar) playing friend Rick Heyman and doing a warm-up show at the Tucson Baha’i Center. And while doing that, I helped Mike Lindsey produce a CD of his stories – both traditional Cherokee and “modern” – in preparation for his speaking engagement at the first University of Arizona Book Festival.  In the midst of all that, in February, we went on Baha’i Pilgrimage to Israel by way of Virginia (to visit family) and London, England.

In May, I performed at the Tucson Folk Festival (twice actually). We also shopped for, and purchased, a new home in Casa Grande. In June we moved from Tucson to Casa Grande, and then sold our old home in Tucson. In July we celebrated my daughter Rachel’s wedding to Cody Langness (a great guy I might add) – and that brought a houseful of relatives to our new home for a week.  In September, I performed at the Annual Commemoration of Abdu’l-Baha’s visit in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and got some ankle surgery for Deb.

In October, I coordinated and hosted the 7th annual Music Industry Weekend at Bosch Baha’i School in Santa Cruz, CA.  In November, we kicked-off our weekly firesides hosting our dear friend Jim Rhodes, visiting home from Vietnam. I also performed at John Cook’s birthday party at Desert Rose, and attended a funeral for a friend and great Baha’i teacher – Ken Jeffers.  This reminds me that along the way, we also bid farewell to Henry Dolphin, and Dan Seals, two very fine Baha’is.

Now, finally, the Christmas season has come and we have no where we need to be except home.  It’s a blessing. I’m taking the whole week off work.  But just so you don’t think I’m not busy, I have to tell you that recently, with help of Jeff Bohnhoff, and advice and encouragement from Jarome Matthew and Russ Salton, I purchased new recording studio equipment – built around a new iMac computer (it’s cool!).  I have a lot of gadgets and software to figure out as I work on my latest project commitment, which is writing a series of songs to go into Joseph Sheppherd’s new book.

Joseph Sheppherd

Joseph is an anthropologist and has written several books including “Island of the Same Name”, “Leaf of Honey” and “Wayfarer’s guide to Bringing the Sacred Home“.  He and his wife Jan moved (as Baha’i “pioneers”) to Slovakia last year and are there now.  He is collecting “legend artifacts” from the Folklore of the region and writing stories about those legends, as though they might have been told back in the 1700s.  Each story, he plans, will include a song of a troubadour – a common character through all the stories – about that particular legend or adventure.  Joseph enlisted me to write the songs. (We met years ago at Bosch and I provided Music for a weekend event at his home in Bend, Oregon back in 2004).  I have just finished writing the first song about “Vodnik” (a shape-shifting underwater creature) for his first tale in the book.

I made a draft recording of the tune for Joseph using Garageband on my new iMac, and my two condenser mics, via a PreSonus Firestudio Project interface, for a stereo guitar track.  I then overdubbed a mono vocal track.  I had to punch in some new vocals after I changed a lyric and it was a breeze.  I added some compression in post-production and “warmed” the gutar and vocals with the pre-configured EQ selections.  For a quick recording, it sounds pretty good.  But I may have to find a decent (yet inexpensive) twelve-string guitar since the Troubadour reportedly plays a 24-string Lute! (seems a waste since he has only ten fingers).  The hardest part for me is yet to come, as I must now transcribe my recording into sheet music for publication in the book.  I’m shopping for some software to make it easier – but nothing good is cheap.

I hope this holiday season brings joy to each one of you.  And if you’re like me, I know you’ll appreciate a prayer for peace as well.   You have one from me.   Thanks for “tuning in” this year.
 

 

///Darrell

 

Darrell Elmer Rodgers

Singer, Songwriter, Performer, Humorist

http://darrellsongs.com

Firesides, Funerals, Birthdays, and dogs.

The Fireside sessions are up and running at the Rodgers’ home in Casa Grande.  (That’s an informal discussion about the Baha’i Faith)  Following Jim Rhodes’ visit, Deb and I decided to make such gatherings a weekly event.  It had been our plan all along, but the house (and we) weren’t really ready until now.  Our first one was a musical fireside with yours truly performing. We had a small crowd and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. 

We’ve done three of these now and will be “branching out” as we invite some of our learned friends to present topics at future firesides.  And I will be recruiting some of my fellow musicians to come and perform as well – kind of like a free house mini-concert.

On a somewhat sad note, we bid the final farewell to a great man and fellow Baha’i teacher a couple weeks ago.  Ken Jeffers passed away from a series of heart attacks – the last occurring in the hospital as he recuperated from an earlier attack.  Ken was quite a character and a big-thinker.  He didn’t do things in a small way, but always to his maximum capacity.  Maybe that’s why he had EIGHT children!  And those adult children today, and the grand children I was fortunate to meet at the memorial, are the greatest living testimony to Ken’s life and character.  They all spoke of him with such love and respect that it made me see, THEY were Ken’s real treasure. 

Ken shared the Baha’i teachings with thousands of people, all over the world.  In fact he made about 5 trips to Russia where he “found” about 600 new believers.  19 years ago he married his latest treasure, Donna, and the two of them perfected their “Music and Conversation” series of fireside presentations. They did those in Russia too.
Donna, who was a big-band singer “back in the day” and more recently a leader of the “Roses of Love” singers here in Arizona (shown here singing at his memorial), would of course provide the music while Ken talked about the Faith and answered questions.   Perhaps that’s why Deb and I have adopted a similar approach, except that she does the talking and I do the music.

The past several weeks also included a performance at a surprise Birthday Party  for another fantastic Baha’i Teacher and Singer-So0ngwriter – John Cook.  I had not met John although he and I share some dear friends in common. Our paths had not quite crossed until last weekend when I got a call from Richard Dodge asking if I would perform for the surprise celebration.  When I realized who was being honored, I readily agreed.  For you Baha’is out there, if you’ve ever heard the song “Will you give your life for Baha’u’llah”, then you’ve hears a John Cook song.  He wrote that one many years ago.

Before I sign off, I realize that I haven’t mentioned the new dog.  Yes, we did it again.  This is about our 6th attempt at a second dog.  Deb chose her (I accept no responsibility).  Her name is “Gracie” (according to Deb, though I have called her many other names)  She is a mix of Black Lab and Visla.  A Visla is a Hungarian Pointer, a hunting dog.  But, I think “Visla” must be Hungarian for “Nerve End”.  This dog is the most anxious, fidgety, chews-everything, animal I have ever tried to live with.  Her saving grace is the way she gets along with Rocket.  Those two can run and wrestle in the back yard for hours.  She seems absolutely tireless.  I never thought the day would come when Rocket would be a gentle relaxed pet, but after a week with Gracie, this pit is pooped.  He readily comes in and seeks a spot to sleep.  Good dog.
 

 

///Darrell

 

Darrell Elmer Rodgers

Singer, Songwriter, Performer, Humorist

http://darrellsongs.com

Jim Rhodes and “The American War”

Jim Rhodes is a great human being – and a dear friend.  He recently returned from a year of living and working in Viet Nam – Hanoi to be precise.   What makes his story somewhat unique is the special relationship Jim has with the Viet Namese people.   He told his story at our house on Saturday Night.

Jim was in Viet Nam as a soldier with Special Operations from 1968 to 1969.  His unit was responsible for retreiving downed American pilots.  They also mixed and loaded and dispersed Agent Orange, the dioxin-based defoliant we sprayed on that country by the millions of gallons.  In 1969, Jim got sick.  He began vomitting blood.  He was evacuated from Plaicu with the 71st med-evac and discharged with honors.  Unfortunately, “with honors” meant “without healthcare”.

As Jim suffered tumor after tumor for the next 14 years and exhibited all the symptoms that the Government’s own Agent Orange report linked to that deadly defoliant, Jim was repeatedly denied treatment.  The Government report not withstanding,  the Veteran’s Administration continued to insist there was “no proof” that his illness was caused by Agent Orange.  Finally in the early 1980’s, having a strong will to live and a cultivated disdain for bureaucracy,  Jim wrote to the US State Department and told them he intended to violate the embargo on Viet Nam and travel there for the medical treatment they had developed for their own victims of that horrific poison during what they call “The American War”.  Receiving no response from our government, Jim went.  The Viet Namese people saved his life.

Jim has spent years as a columnist, publishing many newspaper articles about Agent Orange and our government’s feined ignorance of it’s dangers.  Jim was welcomed into Viet Nam “as a long lost brother” he says, and given the treatments there that have helped overcome the physical pain.  More importantly, he has received a measure of forgiveness and love from a people with every reason to hate him, that has yielded a great spiritual healing in his soul.  He has written a book about his war, and post-war, experience which will be published in Viet Nam next summer.  All of his proceeds will go into a fund for the treatment of Viet Nam’s Agent Orange victims.  Jim says “it’s the least I can do”. 

There were several Viet Nam veterans among our guests Saturday night.  Every one of them expressed their gratitude to Jim for telling his story.  One man, who has also suffered from Agent Orange, told Jim “when you go back there, please tell your friends inViet Nam that I’m sorry”.

There comes a point in a man’s life when politics and power, struggle and stress, must give way to compassion.  

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.  (King James Bible, 1 Corinthians, 13:11)

 Jim Rhodes reached that point some time ago.  I hope nations can follow his lead.

 

///Darrell

 

Darrell Elmer Rodgers

Singer, Songwriter, Performer, Humorist

http://darrellsongs.com

Mission Accomplished

Well, I got back home on Monday night after spending four glorious days at Bosch Baha’i School in Santa Cruz, CA.  Bosch is a georgeous place about 7 miles or so from the coast north of the city.  And this year, the weather was perfect.

Each year I coordinate the activities for the Annual Music Industry Weekend at Bosch Baha’i School.  It is a labor of love.  This year it seemed to pay dividends as this group of musicians, though fewer in number than past years,  included many new faces and some very talented ones at that. Meeting them was a sheer delight.  I wrote a full report for the Music Industry Weekend website.  Please have a look.

What I want to write about here, was the Birthday surprise I received on Saturday (one day early).  My dear bride Deb enlisted the help of a friend, and delightful singer Kyra Platte, to get folks to sign a birthday card. Some of their comments are a hoot.   And then she conferred with Bosch’s Chef, Jamshid Kiana, who baked the bigest birthday cake I’ve every been presented.  It was as big as a truck tire.  Of course, he thought he would trick me with one of those candles that re-light themselves, but I saw the sparking and applied wet fingers to quench the flame.  But man, what a cake.  After feeding EVERYONE, there was still a good portion left over to enjoy with coffee.

I also wanted to comment about songwriting.  For the past 3 years, Alan James and I have hosted a “songwriter’s round table”  where we share our views on songwriting and also some tricks for breaking writing block, etc.  This year, several of our participants launched into songwriting during the weekend and that to me was very gratifying.

We’ve set a schedule for next year, tentatively reserving October 21-24 for our annual gathering.  We also are arranging for an optional “early arrival” Wednesday night for those who want to jam all day Thursday.  I’m looking forward to that.

Right now, I’m tired.  And I’m happy to be home for a while. I plan to take some time in December to do nothing but write new songs.  I have a collection of ideas and starting lines.  It’s time to develop some new material.

 

///Darrell

 

Darrell Elmer Rodgers

Singer, Songwriter, Performer, Humorist

http://darrellsongs.com