Last Night At Icehouse Studios

"Without music life would be a mistake." ~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Last night after work I went to Icehouse Studios to make a little music with Elliot Silberman, a kindred spirit who is likewise an artist, musician and lifelong fan of Mr. Bob Dylan. Maybe one difference between us is that Elliot's made a living doing these things (kudos!), and this is what I do just because I can't help myself. Music really is best appreciated when you can be part of it. If I may quote Carlyle here, "All deep things are song. It seems somehow the very central essence of us, song; as if all the rest were but wrappages and hulls!"

For part of the session last night we played a few Dylan tunes including Pressing On, The Man In Me and Three Angels, plus fragments from Boots of Spanish Leather, Went To See The Gypsy and Day of the Locusts, and chord progressions and the opening verse from Ballad of a Thin Man. The trigger event was the release of Bob Dylan's latest album, Together Through Life, and yet another Dylan photo on the cover of the Rolling Stone.

At one point Elliot tried to give me a little lesson on how to play a Hohner button-box accordion. From what I've read, there's some button-box accordion on Dylan's new CD, giving some of the songs a Tex-Mex flavor. But most of the time, it was Elliot on guitar, myself on piano, a lot of crooning and some good vibes in the air.

Just so you know, we have a few gigs approaching now. You might say I'm getting to be a pawn in his game, having had the privilege of performing with the band a few times. I sing harmonies, play blues harp, rattle some bones and shuffle a bit on the washboard.

The big gig coming up fast is the annual Battle of the Jug Bands at Amazing Grace, downstairs in the DeWitt Seitz Building, Memorial Day Weekend. Put it on your calendars. You owe it to yourself to be there. If you like down home music, it's an event you won't want to miss.

In the meantime, here are a few more quotes to about music to ponder and enjoy. And if you ever want to join us some evening, be sure to let us know. I think you'll be more than welcome.

"A painter paints pictures on canvas. Musicians paint their pictures on silence." ~Leopold Stokowski

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." ~Berthold Auerbach

"If the King loves music, it is well with the land." ~Mencius

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