Calling Rain Native American flute music

Short live video Calling Rain

Enjoy.

Mama's Ashes

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 and everything to settle in for a night of community. Not exactly Kumbaya as the beer and vodka flows freely. One night a man gets up and leaves upset. His wife tells me Amazing Grace, which I just played, was his mother’s favorite song etc. Another night a young cowboy lingers and brings more to drink eventually telling me he is also part Indian, Apache in fact, and says he was working up the courage to come and ask me to play for him. He had just been diagnosed with Lymphoma, something his grandmother was in the hospital for at the time. He says he’s had 3 DUI’s and the last one cost $25K to fight. I listen. He starts crying says he’s scared and fighting the bureaucracy to cover his meds and treatment. He works as a maintenance guy at the camp as well as restores and details cars. Pretty much this is the story you hear out here where everyone is working many jobs under the table to get by and always with a plan to score some big dough. Here’s the thing though. Very few bemoan or whine. Most just end it with the comment that things will get better, other people have it much worse and always there is hope and a belief that they’ll be okay. When I think of our politicians (all of them) who spew platitudes about the American People want this or that I get disgusted. What the hell do any of them know about us? Nothing! I’ll spare you a rant on that subject though…haha

So one day this guy sets up camp a few spaces down and across from me. He comes by to say hello and he seems skittish and nervous. He asks if he can come hang out later. I say sure that my site seems to be the community center and to bring a chair. When he comes later he notices that I suck at building fires. He says his dad taught him how to build a “Kentucky Fire.” I’m intrigued and say go for it. Plus it will give him an activity. He said his dad told him always travel with an Axe, matches and a knife. Hmmm okay. He’s trying to make kindling from a log and to me seems ill trained at it. But, as he chops he’s telling me about how his brother’s (whom he lives with) girlfriend is visiting so he had to leave town. She wants him dead was the quote. He says she is moving in with her autistic teen son so his brother bought him the cheapest tent available and told him to go camping. Wow. The poor log is really taking a beating by now and I’m thinking oh shit, I am camping with an axe murderer nearby. So be it I think. This rain and mosquitoes are kicking my ass anyway.

As “Abe” (a made up name) drinks more Vodka he goes through my logs and I’m thinking hey save some for tomorrow and at the same time glad he has an activity. Abe says his mission on this trip is to spread his mother’s ashes in Lake Superior. Though he explains Mama never actually went to Lake Superior she always liked it. He says he doesn’t really have enough money or gas to actually get there so I suggest Lake Michigan which is just miles away. Soon it comes out how Mama kowtowed to drunken dad ignored the molestation his uncle did to he and his brother….whew, and on and on. I’m thinking how on Earth do I get out of this one? So of course I do what I always do, I play music. He crumbles and retrieves his Mama’s ashes saying she loved music. Oh shit. This goes on another night but I flee into town for the day. Other campers are leaving the next day and bringing me their beer, hot dogs, groceries and even a bigger tent. I graciously accept because I know they want to tell me thank you for the company and music and this is their way to do that. The damn raccoons break into my cooler and steal the hot dogs, chips, granola and everything but the beer. Guess they can’t open the cans. 

Mama's Ashes

Early in the morning I hear someone calling, “Randy. Randy are you up? Randy?” I come out and Abe is there saying he is taking off so I get out and he seems excited. I’m rarely excited about mornings until I’ve had a half gallon of coffee and my mood shows. He says, “I took your advice.” “About what?”  He says, “I left Mama’s ashes here in Michigan.” “You drove to the lake already this morning?” He says, “No, she is there.” “Where?” “There,” he says pointing to the fire pit. I look closer at the ashes and sure enough there is a different color of ash on top with little fragments that I think are bones. I am in shock and jolt awake. “You put your mom’s ashes in the fire? Really?” He says yeah makes perfect sense. I ask if he’ll tell his siblings. He says maybe the other brother who was also molested but not the others because they’d get mad. You think?! I ask if he said any words or anything? He said no she wasn’t very religious. I tell him I’ll play Amazing Grace for her later. He says “Oh your music is pure magic, just magic, she’d like that. “

I just don’t even know what to think at this point. I’m so mixed about how to feel but decide I don’t need to have an opinion other than be honored. When you play Native American flute music, have long hair, are of American Indian ancestry and speak calmly people think you are somehow spiritually connected so I just went with it. After I got cleaned up I did a ceremony, said some words and played Amazing Grace on the flute. Later that night I’m thinking do I build another fire here? I’m out of wood by now so gather fallen wood from the campgrounds. I scoot the ashes out of the way and let it roar. Half a dozen or so campers come by and I tell them the story. Some are appalled, shocked and are asking if it’s legal. So as we are talking about it and our strange camper Abe I notice (not kidding here) there is a log that looks like the lower part of a woman’s leg with an old-style shoe attached. It is glowing and I tell you, we all agree how real it looks. The young cowboy at that moment says he was just diagnosed with Lymphoma Cancer and as soon as he said, “cancer” the log split and poked straight up. Several people screamed. It was so on time that we just freaked out. Wow.

I leave the next morning thinking okay I’m camped out and had enough of playing listening post. I suspect something about the outdoors and fire makes people open up. I don’t know. Maybe there are just more people with issues out camping these days. Either way I love collecting stories so it worked out I suppose. I never did eat those hotdogs and was craving them for days. Dang Raccoons.

This weekend August 7^th & 8^th I return to perform at The World of Faeries Festival in South Elgin, IL. This festival is set in the west Chicago suburbs in an Oak tree park on the Fox River. The atmosphere and mood is always festive and magical. My Flute and Hang music just seems right at home. Check their website at World of Faeries Festival. You can find my performance times on my calendar at Randy Granger Calendar.

Here is a new video of a song Heart Song from my newest album “Pura Vida.” I hope you enjoy it. Listen to song clips, post reviews, download or purchase the album at “Pura Vida.”  

Randy

HEART SONG

Life as a work of art in progress.

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 people’s minds and on their radar screen. I heard an interview with the songwriter Jewel about her new project. What struck me was how insightful and practical she is. At one point she says how after her first huge album success she realized she had more money than she could possibly ever need and continues to be very conservative with her money so she won’t be put in the position of having to be desperate and pressured to record a hit. What a refreshing thing to hear I thought from a successful musician. One quote really struck me though, “I want my whole life to be a great work of art, not just my art," she says. "And that means paying attention to my entire life and trying to make sure my whole life is balanced." You can hear the whole interview at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128243945

2010 INAFA Convention Randy Stenzel, Randy Granger, Randy Starnes

I live that way as well. Most of the time it means I get too little sleep, push myself too hard and don’t make rest a priority, but I’m not at the point where I yet have more money than I could ever need. Jewel, Joan et al have all made the sacrifice and struggle on the long long road up. A good sense of humor and thick skin are nice tools of the trade and a few lucky breaks sure as heck don’t hurt. Funny that we need to ask someone what they do as part of the initial meet. I mean dogs sniff each other’s butts; we want to know how they make a living and if they make more than we do. That’s easy on my part. Most people I meet make more than I do. Of course they then ask, “Is this all you do?” I still don’t have a witty answer to that question. Whether I’m cooking, taking photos, working on the garden, washing dishes, cleaning or whatever I try to make it all a “work of art.” Yep, even the dishes. I take care in soaking and scrubbing them. Sounds crazy but I think if you are going to be doing something might as well make it your best intentioned, in the moment thing right? Of course, I don’t want to do anyone else’s dishes so don’t send me yours thank you very much.

So getting back to the whole more money than you could ever need thing; here is how some booking inquires go, especially lately. So Mr. Granger, could you tell us how much you will charge to play 2 or 3 hours for our event? You will need to bring your own PA system, pay for your own travel and hotel but you can sell your cd’s on a little piece of cardboard only when you are performing. I reply and give them a very modest quote; especially compared to my Native Flute contemporaries let me tell you. Then, if I’m lucky I will hear back saying they didn’t choose to go with me or “went another direction” as happened recently. A gay and lesbian community in New Mexico recently contacted me about performing there since I would be in the area anyway. I perform anywhere they hire me mostly. So I gave them a modest quote and heard back they “went another direction.” Something about his didn’t sit right. So I politely responded saying thank you and pointed out how every single candlelight vigil, memorial walk and event the aids, gay and lesbian, battered women, child advocate, spay and neuter, humane society, human rights, peace, hospice etc etc. has an event they need music for or a fundraiser they are organizing guess who they call? Yep, moi. When I am available I say yes thinking I need to give to the community at large. Is it SO wrong to expect to be hired once in a while? Hello No! Share the love people. Same thing with the Abq Balloon Fiesta. They asked how much I would charge to get up at 4am, play in the freezing October cold for 100,000 people and I gave them a “range” of price. They also went another direction…hmmm. Getting paid has rarely been harder my friends.

When I can I try to book as many shows in an area as possible to maximize my income earning potential. But I’ve been so so busy getting my new album Pura Vida released I and now up in the Midwest for six weeks with about 10 performances total with a week at a time in-between. That means find a place to stay they won’t cause me to go broke. Solution; tenting and camping it. Someone forgot to tell me about all the flooding and raining and the mosquitoes the size of bats and more aggressive than paparazzi. The other night when Milwaukee got hammered by flooding I lay in my tent in about two inches of water and in wet clothes. A raccoon got into my trail mix and brazenly walked right over my shoes as I sat playing flute. Not so glamorous. But like Jewel, who was living and sleeping in her van on the California beaches when she was discovered by and A&R guy playing at a coffee house open mic—well, it’s what we do. This is what you do when your art is your priority, your passion, your living. You take it in stride and have no regrets and seek no sympathy. That doesn’t mean I can’t bitch about it if I want to. I meet really generous people camping and traveling. They are astonished as I fill the campground with my flutes or Hang or Halo. When they find out I’m a professional musician they never say to me, “Is this all you do?” Somehow we all know if you are camping you are probably a self-determined, rugged person who is there by choice. They usually buy my Cd’s and always share food and beer with me, give me wood even a tent the other day. People are good, they are kind and they are generous and I am in good company. When I can I pick up gigs through open mics or searching online for coffee houses. I would like more house concerts but haven’t quite trained people to do that yet. I also busk at as many farmers markets as I can. I always find musicians and chat them up about how it works locally. It feels good to work really hard and be able to pay my bills. When I’m on stage playing for several hundred people or at a festival no one needs to know just how much work it all is. And that is how it should be. Next time, however, you hear a musician think for just a moment at the metaphoric and literal road they took to get there.

I have some performances coming up in Chicago at the 2^nd Unitarian Church and South Elgin, IL at The World of Faeries Festival August 1^st, 7^th and 8^th. Check my Calendar page for details. After that I’ll be at the Santa Fe Indian Market and Roots and Rhythms festival at the Buffalo Thunder Resort in Santa Fe then the Indian Summer Festival in Milwaukee and the Franciscan Festival of Fine Arts in Mesilla Park, NM. Sometimes venues pay for my rooms and sometimes not. It is always an adventure and I hope makes me more appreciative of what I do for living, notice I didn’t say “a” living….

Oh yeah I found out this week that this blog you are reading right now won a “2010 Top 50 Indie Music Blogs award!” Thank you following this blog and for your support. 

Randy