This Musician's Life

Hallelujah! the Music Video for Hallelujah

2012-01-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings and Happy New Year friends. I hope this early 2012 finds you filled with optimism that everything you desire comes easily, friends and loved ones are healthy and that our world is filled with Peaceful cooperation. Or at least things stay steady. We had an unusual snow early in December. It was beautiful though shut down the county. Feb. 3rd I’ll be performing a concert at the Branigan

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

Season’s Greetings. I hope this holiday time of year finds you well, healthy and enjoying life. This is my first holiday marathon since my partner passed away in March from pancreatic cancer. I’m taking things in a metered approach making sure my expectations are realistic all the while trying to navigate new traditions. As the executor of his estate I’ve been consumed with cleaning out a house

Fall Music Notes

2011-10-05T07:14:00.000-06:00

Greetings folks. It has been a while since my last blog post. I want to update you on what I’ve been doing music wise and of some upcoming gigs and an announcement. Singing "Hallelujah" Yosemite Festival As I wrote last time my partner had passed away in March after a very grueling fight against pancreatic cancer. It hasn’t been seven months and I still have moments of crushing grief. Anyone

Returning to music and myself

2011-05-12T08:17:00.000-06:00

Greetings friends. It has been a while since I’ve blogged here. Since last fall I had been the primary caregiver for my partner Wayne Crawford who was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and cancelled many gigs as well as put the promotion of my new album “Pura Vida-This is Pure Life” on hold. Well, Wayne passed away at home in my arms March 12 and it has been a frenzied, difficult but

Paying it Circularly.

2010-12-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

In the 2000 movie “Pay it Forward” Haley Joel Osment played a boy, so desperate to detach from his world with his alcoholic mother played by Helen Hunt…. “Young Trevor McKinney, troubled by his mother's alcoholism and fears of his abusive but absent father, is caught up by an intriguing assignment from his new social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet. The assignment: think of something to change

Staying in the stillness.

2010-12-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

Gilbert Granger Jr. flashing a Peace Sign I had been working mentally on a blog about “Stillness” the qualities of peaceful people and music. The word Metastasis had been on my mind as I am helping my friend though pancreatic cancer and learning the lexicon of the diseases. It comes from the Greek words Meta and Stasis which essentially means “Beyond Stillness” which just blew my mind. See

Measuring the notes in a life's song

2010-10-30T19:04:00.000-06:00

“In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln As musicians we read music by notions of key, tempo, time signature, volume etc., and units called measures. In rehearsal we’ll say, “Let’s begin at measure 30 and take it to the coda,” and we understand each other. When you hear a song

Healing the musician.

2010-10-16T11:58:00.000-06:00

There is no gig like a sit-down concert where the audience is attentive, with you and not distracted by the sounds from another stage, a festival P.A. system or crazy local radio remote blasting hip-hop a few yards away. Not that those aren’t fun and necessary but I find I rise to the occasion and feel the audience notices and appreciates it. Last Sunday I performed one of those types of

Is it the music that heals?

2010-10-04T23:41:00.000-06:00

I’ve read a few studies that suggest that there is a genetic component to compassion and empathy in humans. It develops in infanthood and is engrained to assure we won’t always go around killing each other without some feeling because, after all, that wouldn’t be good for the continuation of the species the studies suggest. As a musician I know without a doubt the power of music to heal, lift

Are you a Fan? A Friend? Or a Fran?

2010-09-17T18:40:00.000-06:00

I’ve learned to keep my expectations simple. When you are a musician you really need to know what you are walking into but also plan for contingencies—and let me tell you are some big ones at times. Personal examples would be being double booked with another act, not being on the calendar because the person who booked you quit and took everything, getting the worst possible time slots at a

Indian Summer Settling in......

2010-09-09T11:31:00.000-06:00

Banking into O'Hare over the Chicago Skyline As the Earth begins to finally tilt north I can sense the change in season, and in myself. Fall has always been my favorite season. I was born in September but don’t think that is it. In New Mexico we pick and roast green chilies in fall and the smell of them roasting in every parking lot and backyard is intoxicating. The smoky, earthy and musky

Radio interview with Randy Granger and KUNM-FM's Ear to the Ground

2010-08-28T12:54:00.000-06:00

Hey friends forgot to mention you can check out a recent interview I did with KUNMFM up in Albuquerque while I was passing through to play at SF Indian Market. The show is called "Ear the Ground" with host Matthew Finch, KUNM's Music Director. We talked about my music, where some of the songs from my new CD Pura Vida - This is Pure Life evolved. How I write and compose. The instruments I play

Seeing through musician colored glasses

2010-08-28T00:44:00.001-06:00

One aspect of being a touring musician is you put yourself, like any aware traveler, in situations that are unfamiliar. The difference is how well you connect and people enjoy what you do is directly related to the night’s end result. Whether you freak out and sleep in your car or rent a hotel room because you made enough to cover expenses. It really is that tight of a margin and has been for

Calling Rain Native American flute music

2010-08-16T17:41:00.000-06:00

Short live video Calling RainEnjoy.

Mama's Ashes

2010-08-06T12:26:00.000-06:00

I have always depended on the kindness of strangers, the last line from Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) Camping near Saugatuck Michigan Staying at campgrounds on this Midwest tour has made for some good stories and fodder for later songs. Practicing my music at camp a community of campers and Rv’rs comes by each evening. They bring firewood, build my fire, and have food

Life as a work of art in progress.

2010-07-25T13:50:00.000-06:00

I get inspired by reading autobiographies, hearing interviews with artists and learning about the not to public side of creative people and public figures. Hearing Joan River’s audio book about her husband’s suicide, her really difficult rise after being fired by Fox and struggle to find work again, I related to just how really tirelessly and hard you have to work to be noticed then stay in

July Newsletter posted

2010-07-11T08:57:00.002-06:00

I'm on the road, however, enjoy the Randy Granger Music Newsletter. Read it in pdf at http://www.randygranger.net/RandyGrangerMusicNewsletter.html Thanks See you down the trail. Randy

Finding inspiration in the mirror? and new song clip

2010-06-29T11:26:00.000-06:00

Recently I came across a story about Kevin Michael Connolly. His book Double Take: A Memoir has recently been released in paperback. Kevin was born without legs and has managed to insert himself into an active (understatement) life with, shall we say, gusto. He has travelled the world, was a silver medalist at the 2006 Winter X-Games and rides around on stake and snow boards. With all that what

Kicking around the southwest getting ready for summer touring.

2010-06-04T22:44:00.000-06:00

Greetings I hope this summer is finding you and those close to you safe and happy. Last Blog I reported I was up for several New Mexico Music Industry Awards. I am happy to report I won one of those nominations in the category of New Age Contemporary. I was surprised and honored as I accepted the award for all

Feels like the first time.

2010-05-21T08:34:00.001-06:00

Recently I watched the movie “Crazy Heart” starring Jeff Bridges. It’s about a tarnished, waning country- music artist who is still on the road abusing his body, relationships and stumbling into redemption. Not the religious redemption but the personal kind that makes rock bottom look like a ceiling. Seeing the scenes of New Mexico, where it was filmed and my home state, made it even more

The real web

2010-05-02T21:04:00.000-06:00

Remember when the web referred to something other than photons streaming together and all things preceded by “e” as in e-mail, e-book, e-cigarette? I do. I came late to email and all things webbish not being able to afford a phone line much less a computer. But such is a musician’s life. Gear first, all the rest in good time or until your boyfriend or girlfriend can afford it. The old joke of “

Gigging under ground and a painted sky.

2010-04-30T15:22:00.000-06:00

Gigs are what musicians call work as in “I’m gigging Saturday night and can’t come to your party.” Weddings, funerals, rehearsals are all gigs too. So this past week I did some shows, gigs, in Texas took me from the edge of Space at the Mayborn Planetarium and Space Theater then deep below the Earth in the Cave Without a Name. Science, music and art—sounds like a perfect combination to me. It

Remembering what music does.

2010-04-19T15:38:00.000-06:00

Saturday I played for the Mesilla Valley Hospice memorial walk. It was intended that people would walk around the campus and gardens and end with a remembrance ceremony in the Veteran's Garden with words, music release white doves at the close. It rained however. It was moved inside and there were about 200 people there, the family, friends and people involved with the end of life care both

How to Shine - "Pura Vida"

2010-04-15T22:40:00.000-06:00

“An activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better” – John Updike Calling yourself an artist of any kind can seem lofty, almost pretentious. So how do you? I have found that as a musician it is when you don’t settle or compromise in what you are recording or what you present in performance. In other words, someone hears you and knows you cared enough to craft

A Flute, A Kiva and a Journey Home

2010-03-19T04:50:00.005-06:00

This weekend is a return of sorts to where it began. My Native American Flute journey that is. Before I severed the tether of a day gig, as we call it, I had a number of jobs that were odd like when I supervised urinalysis tests for federal and state parolees while working at a university substance abuse center. I got to transport the

Balancing the Wind

2010-03-05T10:50:00.001-07:00

Video Killed The Radio Star - ...When MTV came on the air 1 August 1981 it played the song “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles as their first song. Now in 2010 we have American Idol and I think “Idol Killed the Subtle Star.”Simon Cowell, of American Idol is quoted to have said something like, “If you've got a big mouth and you're

Is This All You Do?

2010-02-14T08:43:00.005-07:00

This time last year I was performing at the Sundance Film Festival. Though I’m not there this year my music is included in the instrumental CD that goes into every official gift bag at the festival. I’m thrilled. Instead this year I’ll be returning to the Casa Grande Ruins American Indian Music Festival in Coolidge, Arizona. The Casa

Advice from a Road Scholar

2010-01-18T18:59:00.002-07:00

Recently, a musician, writer and film-producer from San Antonio, TX was found sealed in the trunk of his burned to a crisp car he named “Linda” about 17 miles from where I live. Adam Espinoza, 20, was going west, so to speak, to renew his life, his passions and his dreams. He posted on Facebook, Dec. 30;"Although this year may have had

Haiti Earthquake - Amazing Grace slideshow

2010-01-14T18:49:00.002-07:00

My humble homage to our Haitian brothers and sisters. AMAZING GRACE GUITAR AND VOCALSHAITIAN EARTHQUAKE SLIDESHOW

Holiday Newsletter from Randy Granger Music

2009-12-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

TinyURL.com - shorten that long URL into a tiny URLhttp://tinyurl.com/RandyGrangerMusicNewsletterMerry Christmas, Feliz Navid! A Peaceful New Year to you allRandy

Busking like a mad elf....

2009-12-17T22:03:00.002-07:00

I posted a quote not too long ago on Facebook. Something about how an artist must do art, a poet must write and a musician must make music if they are ever to be at peace with themselves. Many of the comments seemed to say that music or art made them feel peaceful. Funny how every person brings what is from their context, the experience

Chaco Moon Meditation Dance Premiere this weekend.

2009-11-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

News Center">News Center ‘Tis the Season’ for dancing Date: 2009-11-30 Writer: No author cited The New Mexico State University Dance program will present its annual holiday dance concert, “Tis the Season” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, at the Onate High School Performing Arts Center. NMSU performing companies will include Contemporary Dance Theatre, Sol y Arena Flamenco

Daydreaming across the south...

2009-11-25T19:11:00.003-07:00

How quickly the holiday season is arrived. I’m grateful to be home and am looking forward to the huge Thanksgiving Day dinner with the same group of friends. It has become a nice tradition. We eat about 2:00 then go for walk along the Rio Grande walking path, then go back for coffee and home-made apple pie. My own past thanksgivings have

From the West to the Atlantic

2009-11-13T08:10:00.008-07:00

Having left my town of Las Cruces early on Sunday morning the first order was to get two large coffees and a breakfast burrito at our local Pic Quick. That could fuel me for several hundred miles. Good thing because the 9-1/2 drive to San Antonio is bleak I tells ya, bleak. Save for the wind turbines on the mesas, the prolific road-kill

Following the Flute Road East

2009-11-06T13:08:00.012-07:00

Fall came overnight here in southern New Mexico’s Mesilla Valley along the Rio Grande. Then almost 80 degree days meant lots of yard work for the industrious. Our 14 Pecan trees require lots of love and soon they will freeze the husks and be ready for harvesting. That is a serious task that usually means lot of hot baths and Aleve. A

Finding the Updraft

2009-10-04T21:23:00.002-06:00

Well friends. I am happy to report that my CD "A Place Called Peace" has earned the 2009 Indian Summer Music Award in the "Native American Flute" Category. I am honored, humbled and in the acceptance speech I mentioned how all of my resilient ancestors meet in my heart, and that is where the music is made. I know that my experiences and life represent so many people

Dog Days of Summer Festivals

2009-09-11T10:45:00.005-06:00

I hope the Dog Days of summer find you all well, rested and creating wonderful memories. Here in the Mesilla Valley on the Rio Grande River the Green Chile harvest season is well underway. All around the valley harvest and wine festivals abound. The smell of roasting chiles is strong and people are lined up with their burlap bags to get their supply into the freezer—a

IAMA | International Acoustic Music Awards | Featured Artists of the Month

2009-08-26T17:22:00.001-06:00

Featured Artist on IAMA.IAMA | International Acoustic Music Awards | Featured Artists of the MonthShared via AddThis

A Tale of Two Rivers

2009-08-09T21:55:00.005-06:00

My most recent road trip/tour was a journey I’ve made several times to the upper Midwest, specifically Illinois. This time I made sure to book a couple of free days in Chicago as down time. Booking a hotel downtown Chicago on Hotwire I wasn’t sure what I’d get but it turned out to be an absolutely perfect set up. I was right downtown

The World of Faeries Festival road trip

2009-07-26T23:20:00.004-06:00

Summertime is the time for festivals and what a better way to spend a day. I’ve played quite a few festivals this year and always enjoy myself and the exhaustion after a long day is strangely rewarding. Next weekend I’ll be performing at the World of Faeries Festival in South Elgin, IL doing a couple of private shows along the way. The

2009-07-05T21:38:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer. Here in southwestern New Mexico it has been dry and just a little under normal for temperatures. We are grateful for this. Now that the Monsoon rains have begun the humidity makes every living thing here droop a bit. I’ve been busy with performing and recording a new project. I am honored to

Live Radio Studio Guest Sunday Night

2009-06-21T14:01:00.004-06:00

Just a quick note to let you all know I'll be an in-studio guest on KRWG-FM public radio in Las Cruces tonight from 6:00-8:00PM, MDT/Denver. The show is The Back Porch a folk/americana format with an knowledgeable host. If you live in the listening area you can hear it at 90.7FM. Or you can stream it online at http://krwgfm.org/This

June thoughts and gigs...and a video too!

2009-06-19T17:06:00.003-06:00

It is already June with temps rising to the 100 mark here in the Mesilla Valley. The Rio Grande is really full now and crops are green. I do hope everyone is remembering their father or being remembered by your own children this Father’s Day. I’ll be doing a return performance at the Hillsboro Community Center in historic Hillsboro, New

You and Puccini Made Me Cry

2009-06-14T18:21:00.003-06:00

I heard an interview recently with Elvis Costello on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. He was referring to what he tells parents who ask advice about their children pursing music and he said for them to be sure they are pursuing “music and not fame because fame will disappoint you but music rarely will.” He went on to explain how the

FAME Review: Randy Granger - A Place Called Peace

2009-06-07T14:43:00.000-06:00

FAME Review: Randy Granger - A Place Called Peace Randy Granger - A Place Called Peace A Place Called PeaceRandy GrangerDM-3407Available from CD Baby.A review written for the Folk and Acoustic Music Exchangeby Frank. Gutch Jr.(frank.gutch.jr@gmail.com)Funny thing. As long as I've been listening to and reviewing music, I've not run across a Native American flute player until now. My exposure has

What's in a Stereotype?

2009-05-05T22:01:00.001-06:00

Last week I had the good fortune to attend and perform at the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque. The media said over 150,000 people were expected to attend. Seeing all those people in ordinary clothes, in tribal regalia and western wear brought home the diversity of native peoples and the creativity and talent. Living in southern New

Gathering of Nations and Thoughts About Spring Gigs

2009-04-21T22:52:00.006-06:00

I hope this post finds everyone well. Spring in southern New Mexico means wind and more wind. Trees are greening up and I’ve learned that Mesquite trees will always tell you when it is safe to plant your garden. I’ve been busy with a few gigs, trying to get to recording, writing and building a sound isolation booth. The Taizé service I was

Taizé Service, Meditation and Thoughts

2009-04-10T11:33:00.006-06:00

This time of the year I always find myself in a contemplative and somber mood. It could be the 60mph spring winds, the years of attending a Catholic school and being an altar boy well in to my late teens or the fact that it always gets cloudy on Good Friday. It can’t be coincidence that Christians, Jews, Pagans and ancient Greeks all mark

2009-03-31T21:58:00.002-06:00

Scheduling a concert in your hometown can be a risky gig. If you bomb and no one shows it can be hard to swallow. On the other hand if you are widely successful you are tempted to stay closer to home. How should an artist measure success then? Monetarily? Audience size? Quality of performance? I feel my most recent hometown show was a

How much service is enough?

2009-03-23T21:16:00.001-06:00

I’ve been thinking about the concept of “service” lately. After six years of playing at Hospice every week I was in town I decided to move on for a variety of reasons including wanting to play for people who are healing. I do think that death is a form of healing but felt playing for people who are returning the serious challenge of

Casa Grande Ruins Festival Recap

2009-03-01T10:29:00.004-07:00

The inaugural Casa Grande Ruins American Indian Music Festival was one of those welcome, but rare, overwhelmingly positive music events that I look forward to being part of for many years to come. What makes everything good is usually one of two things: The absence of people or the quality of the people there. When you go hiking or

Best Native American Album by NAR

2009-02-19T18:19:00.006-07:00

Hi Friends. I'm back from the 1st Annual Casa Grande Ruins American Indian Music Festival and it was an overwhelmingly positive experience. I'll blog about it soon. In the meantime I am honored to let everyone know that my CD "A Place Called Peace" has been nominated for Best Native American Album by broadcasters worldwide as reporterd by

Casa Grande Ruins American Indian Music Festival

2009-02-09T07:06:00.004-07:00

Already February and we've had temps in the mid 70's this week. Not to rub it in of course. We are definitely fortunate weather wise here in the southwest. I feel really sympathetic when I see the rest of the country out of power from freezing power lines. I cannot imagine that. Later this week I'm off to play at the first annual American

Sundance Film Festival. How to strech your comfort zone.

2009-01-28T22:06:00.008-07:00

Sometimes you do things as an independent musician without any real sense of how things will turn out. I like to trust that something good always comes out of everything I do. About 3-1/2 hours into my trip from Las Cruces to Salt Lake City I had an omen but kept moving on. I had smelled an acrid odor that I thought was either an Acid

Sundance Film Fest trip day one.

2009-01-25T21:29:00.005-07:00

January 14th I start my long trek to play at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The nearly 14 hour drive is daunting but I'm grateful that it is sunny out when I look at the Weather Channel and see so much of the US in a deep, nasty freeze. This is my first time at the festival and I'm looking forward to performing but in the

Utah Bound - Sundance Here I Come

2009-01-14T08:31:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year everyone. I hope peace and contentment enfold you every day of the year. It’s been a busy start for me and my Blogging is slacking along with my belly from too much holiday Tamales, wine and general indulgence. But I’m doing something about it. I’m leaving today to play five shows at during the Sundance Film Festival in Park

How Loud Should Peace Be Played?

2008-12-29T11:42:00.005-07:00

“Once Poets resounded over the battlefield; what voice can outshout the rattle of this metallic age that is struggling on towards its careening future? …. Let such a person go out to his daily work…where greatness is lying in ambush….” Rainer Maria Rilke [Fragment of an Eligy]I’ve come back to this line by the poet Rilke time after time. I

Music and Movement Collaboration. A Peaceful Piece.

2008-12-11T13:18:00.001-07:00

Randy Granger, Composer; Debra Knapp, ChoreographerMusic, rhythm, movement, peace and grace all in less than ten minutes. There is something so ephemeral about music and performance, yet eternal. Last weekend was the premiere of a dance piece “Peace Dance” set to music by me called “Ancestor’s Dance.” The music was commissioned by the NMSU Dance Program and choreographer Debra Knapp. We had

Advocating for compassion and getting paid.

2008-11-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

I would rather feel compassion than know the meaning of it. Thomas Aquinas: Monday is the 20th annual World AIDS Day an event that hopes to bring light to the continuing Pandemic of HIV disease and AIDS. In my community there will be an event with speakers, information, free testing and me providing music. Check my calendar for details. As a musician, and like many artists, I get asked to provide

Transcending DNA & Thanksgiving through music!

2008-11-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

This year began with a set of concerts in a museum in January and in November another performance in another one. These are those great museums with life sized figures, sound, lighting and information plaques. I really like these places and get immersed in the past. Turns out both places have permanent exhibits about the first peoples of the area collectively “called ‘Paleo-Indians’ (meaning "

What the Luck?

2008-11-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

“Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work -- and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't”.- Lucille Ball: “I don’t believe in luck, but I could sure use some.” – Randy GrangerI’ve been hearing luck attributed to success lately. Roger Moore said on a morning talk show recently that it was just

DNA Music in my blood and yours too.

2008-11-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

What is it about music that is so conducive to healing and emotions? I've been wondering this and mostly just accept it. Some recent experiences have brought it home. I know how affected I am by music and see the affect on listeners and sometimes hear from them about being brought to tears or moved by my songs. Other times I hear from people how much they hate my music and me in general. Hey, at

NM Music Artist of the Month

2008-10-17T14:58:00.000-06:00

Randy GrangerRandy Granger's latest CD, A Place Called Peace, is reviewed by Emily Drabanski in the current issue of New Mexico Magazine. RANDY GRANGERA Place Called PeaceGENRE: Native Flute Randy Granger’s latest CD is a diverse collection of meditative flute songs. Richly layered with the sounds of a variety of flutes and percussion instruments, A Place Called Peace offers more

Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Jr. song Fly on Home

2008-10-13T12:29:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone. Ten years ago Matthew Shepard was beaten and tied of a fence in Wyoming where he died of his injuries. The men who killed him said he was gay and deserved it. That same year James Byrd Jr. was beaten and dragged behind pickup truck with a rope and also died from his injuries in Texas. Byrd was an African American. Both of these introduced the idea of a "hate crime" to many

Hillsboro, NM show wrap.

2008-09-29T21:45:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday I was delighted to perform at the Hillsboro Community Center in Hillsboro, New Mexico. I was invited to play and invited a few friends to sit in with me. I had a really great time and hope the audience did too. It is a real cool experience to bring your music to people who have never heard you play or don’t know much about your music. Bringing those listeners into your stories and

New Mexico Magazine CD Review for A Place Called Peace.

2008-09-21T09:46:00.000-06:00

Here is a new review for A Place Called Peace appearing in the October issue of New Mexico Magazine. I'm grateful for the positive coverage in such a wide reaching and respected magazine. As with anything that appears in print a couple of things to point out: I was a "workshop presenter" and performer at the 2008 INAFA Convention and have never called myself "Mix" Granger.RandyRandy Granger,

What is Za Zee Za Zu Zing?

2008-09-11T14:23:00.000-06:00

The opening track on my new album A Place Called Peace is a song called Za Zee Za Zu Zing. It is a fun song with vocals, djembe, Native American flute and Hang drum. The chorus is the nonsensical phrase Za Zee Za Zu Zing which really doesn't mean anything that I'm aware of. I was playing around on my Hang and came up with a melody and heard the djembe part and the singing etc. Sometimes the words

The Honor Jar.

2008-09-03T16:34:00.000-06:00

Performing musicians need to be creative when it comes to the art of selling your CD’s and merchandise at live shows. Recently I’ve come up with an idea I call “The Honor Jar.” Basically it is a plastic coffee container that I’ve peeled of the label and put the words “Thank You!” with some designs on the outside. I’ve printed a little sheet detailing the price of the CD’s and how the Honor Jar

A New Day for Peace or Bored with Barack?

2008-09-01T21:04:00.000-06:00

Maybe it is a new day for us in the U.S. I know many of MySpace friends are in other countries. Barack Obama was nominated as the presidential candidate for the Democratic Party at their convention tonight. It was the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial in our capital. What is remarkable to me is that we had a woman and an

Milking the music Muse. And a video too...

2008-08-24T09:36:00.000-06:00

I heard an inspiring interview this week with a master Cello player, Bernard Greenhouse, who is 92 and still practices hours every day and plays concerts. It wasn’t his age that was inspiring but his passion for music and something he said about the rare ability to communicate emotionally through music and if the players feel it on their skin then the audience will too. He was a founding member

Chicago Tribune write up.

2008-08-20T07:56:00.000-06:00

www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0817-fairiesaug17,0,1393770.storychicagotribune.comAll's fairyFestival brings the sprites out of hiding and reveals their secrets (who knew they loved pickles?)By William HagemanChicago Tribune reporterAugust 17, 2008On a beautiful summer weekend, under a canopy of oak trees at Vasa Park in South Elgin, the fairy people gathered.Hundreds of them, many

Ghost Dancers video.

2008-08-18T09:29:00.000-06:00

This is "Ghost Dancers" is from my new album 'A Place Called Peace.' The song was inspired by the Ghost Dance religion that tragically led to the Wounded Knee Massacre. Indian people at that time in the 1890's were having it hard. Hunger, disease, despair and extreme poverty was the story of the day. A new religion that came to the Pauite Shaman Wokova said by praying, meditating, chanting and

Dog Days of Touring, Poem. And Friends or Fans?

2008-08-18T09:15:00.000-06:00

Ah the Dog Days of summer are here in the southwest with long sultry days and occasional thunder-head clouds that look like huge cotton candy icebergs above the Organ Mountains. The green chilie is finally being harvested after too much rain kept fields muddy as cake batter. I’m happy to be home for just a while after tours that resemble long-haul trucker routes. It’s funny that I’ve been

Dancing to keep the lights on. Illinois gig travelblog.

2008-08-09T10:05:00.000-06:00

“I’m just one little Indian/Dancing to keep the lights onOne little Indian/Singing to light the skyJust one little Indian/Dreaming of the old waysOne little Indian/Looking for the Red Road home”—Randy GrangerI’m back in New Mexico from a Midwest gig trip and appreciating the drier climate, bigger vistas and Green Chilie. This trip took me up to South Elgin, Illinois to perform at the World of

Ego? What Ego?

2008-07-27T20:21:00.000-06:00

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being. - Goethe I always try to believe the best of everybody -- it saves so much trouble. Rudyard Kipling: I’ve been thinking about Ego this week. Ego has come up on my tour where I witnessed some exploding Egos, an Ego self-destruct before my eyes and had a radio interviewer project

Wisonsin Road Trip - INAFA Convention

2008-07-17T08:13:00.000-06:00

Well about two weeks ago I set out on a tour that would end up in Wisconsin at the 2008 International Native American and World Flute Association convention. I was driving so set up a couple of gigs along the way to break up the 23-hour drive. First night I stopped at the KOA in Amarillo, Texas. It was pleasant except that it is wedged between the railroad lines and the airport. I played my

Notes from a Desert Pied Piper

2008-06-29T08:30:00.000-06:00

Nothing like being on the road to give you an appreciation for home. This week began attending a memorial for a friend who died suddenly of a massive heart attack in his living room. His memorial was on a late afternoon in their back yard and art studio. It was so hot and we were all squishing around the shade like delicate plants. What was amazing was how he navigated so many different crowds

Zion Flutes Fest Wrap Up

2008-06-29T08:27:00.000-06:00

I’m back from a road trip to the Zion Canyon Art and Music Festival in Springdale, Utah. Though the weather was amazingly hot, dry and breezy—kind of like living in a huge blow dryer set on low—overall some really excellent music took place and loads of fun. On my drive up, which is a 13 hour drive from my home in New Mexico, I camped out in Canyon de Chelly on the Navajo Reservation of

Zion Canyon Bound

2008-06-29T08:25:00.000-06:00

Well as I sometimes do I like to start by saying it is so hot here. It has been in the low 100’s for the past week with a steady wind and at sometimes a downright gust accompanied by so much dust and grit it could sand blast a tree bare. People say well at least it’s a dry heat to which I respond—you mean like an oven or a blow dryer? I was driving outside of El Paso yesterday when the hugest

Adventures in Gigging

2008-06-29T08:12:00.000-06:00

For a while I had a quote from writer John Updike as my email signature it goes: “Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or doing it better.” I would take that further to say that is what an artist does. I’d like to think of myself as an artist because with every song, every performance and every recording is an attempt to communicate MY experience in life, love