Who is listening?

Greetings friends. I hope summer finds you all well and in good spirits. Me, I'm working very diligently on my new album. I'm writing the songs, laying the tracks, asking in a guest musician or two and designing the artwork all simultaneously. It has me thinking about who is listening. Who is the music for? Who will hear it? Will anyone listen to the nuances and micro decisions each song's story tells? Recently while playing at Hospice I was slowly walking up and down the hallways so my flute would resonate in each room. It was quiet less the sounds of beeps and occasional TV sets broadcasting daytime shows. As I was packing up my gear to leave I feel a touch on my shoulder and a small woman says, "Thank you so much for being here. You might think no one is listening but every time you come my husband's face is so relaxed the whole time and his breathing is so peaceful." This stuck with me for days. That Saturday I went Busking at our Farmer's Market and the cacophony there is overwhelming especially now that so many hollering groups are there now. They play somewhere between Hillbilly music and a warped bluegrass. I love good Appalachian and Bluegrass don't get me wrong. It is tough to be heard on my Native American flutes and Pan instruments, almost impossible. The vendors have begun to complain they can't even do business when those groups are there.

So I was Busking away and between songs a vendor came up to me with a dollar bill. She put it in my case and began to walk away then turned around suddenly. She said, "I'm sorry, I was going to compliment you but I started to cry. When you played Amazing Grace I thought of my mother who passed away recently. It was so moving and I wanted to thank you." Another woman in one of those motorized wheelchairs rigs came zooming right at me pretty fast. I thought oh no I've pissed someone off. But she waited until I finished and said, "I wanted to tell you I've been up and down this entire market and asked someone where that flute music was coming from and they pointed to you. I had to come back and tell you you are the best music I've heard all morning. Thank you." She put a buck in. Woo hoo big bucks. haha. I'm kidding but what these two people reminded me that in fact, someone is always listening. Thus is the power of the music we make, the vibrations we emit so always be conscious of that and respect your audience. You may not be able to see them but they ARE listening.

Near Ramah, NM photo by Laura Hall

I will give you a chance to Pre-Order the new album/CD which is called "Strong Medicine" very soon with incentives and rewards.......stay tuned and check back please.

I have some upcoming shows in June in North Carolina. Please let people you know in those areas know about the shows. Of course if you live in the Chapel Hill area of North Carolina please come yourself and bring lots of friends.

• June 16, Las Cruces, NM 1PM, Southern NM Pride, Pioneer Park, Downtown Las Cruces
• JUNE 21-24,   Handpangea near Asheville, NC Gathering of fans, enthusiasts and players of the Pan family of instruments like the Hang, Halo, Bells, SPB, etc.  Randy Granger concert Friday night, June 22nd. at Laughing Waters Retreat Center near Asheville, North Carolina 
• June 26th  - Covenant Place 103 Culbreth Rd Chapel Hill, NC 27516. 3PM Randy Granger performs for the Summer Bash.  Private show. 
• JUNE 26 - Carrboro Century Center 100 N. Greensboro St. Carrboro, NC, 7 - 9 PM. www.carrboro.com/centurycenter.html $6. Randy Granger in concert. 

Thank you for reading and for your support. Much peace and prosperity to you always. Be sure and "Like" me as they say on FaceBook.
Randy

Live performance from a recent show.
Enjoy

The anatomy of an interview

The anatomy of an interview

Interviews whether they are print, live radio, TV or recorded for later even podcast are a vital and necessary part of being an artist today. You have a chance to reach listeners who may come to your work for the first time. First impressions being what they are critical and I use that word in all its meanings. Recently I did an extended phone interview with a station out of Santa Fe, NM, KSFR that brought these points home. It was ostensibly for the upcoming Gathering of Nations PowWow in Albuquerque where I’ll be performing April 27&28. The first questions were about significant women in my life and how I would like to honor them being the end of Women’s Awareness Month. Of course I was thinking….um is this the right program? Did I get the info wrong? But I went with it and you’ll hear it. You’ll hear me speaking spontaneously and from my heart about the first person to mind, my mother. The interviewer skillfully led that into my background, my Native roots, my music and other areas I couldn’t have prepared for if I wanted. Those are the good interviews: the ones where you don’t chit chat beforehand and are forced to get out of your own self-promotion and try to connect with the question, the interviewer and especially the listeners.

You will hear me speak about that aspect of the listener and how I realized years ago that you don’t speak into a vacuum. You must have some consideration, be succinct, remember the question, get out of the way and be present to that moment alone. I’m grateful to have done so many interviews that I can be spontaneous and go with the flow. But I’ve found you can’t be distracted or look at notes. I visualize the question and the “arc of the answer” so to speak. You learn to talk about your music in a detached way instead of saying ummmm I have no idea where that song comes from sorry…. As I have heard many an artist say.

I hope you will learn something about me as you listen to this interview and about my music. I was visiting a friend at his ranch in southeastern Arizona and sat outside during it. You can hear his Turkey, Clark, goggle a few times, the chickens and even the whiney of a horse. I love it and worked it in. Please feel free to comment and share. Next interview you can also stream live is Monday, April 9^th at 10AM MDT at KGRT.com. It is a Country station so should be interesting but then again, I like that.

Randy

See them tumbling along

Randy Granger NM Cowboy Days 2012

This weekend I played again at the New Mexico Cowboy Days festival here in Las Cruces, NM where I live in the heart of the Mesilla Valley. Typically spring in southern NM is our windy season. Not just breeze but gusts of 45-65mph pure dust that feels like half of Arizona, our neighbor to the west, ends up in your house and teeth. I marshaled through my set on Saturday by playing as hard as I could trying to find the direction of the wind so I could put my back to it. Was a struggle as vendor tents flapped and leaned and straw from the bales pelted the audience. The Pavilion is set outside and there is no real way to avoid it.

Though I’ve tried many a wind break device on my flutes I’m of the school of tough it out and play your loudest, hard-wood flutes preferably of a higher key. One fan noted on Facebook that it was like they were listening to me in a canyon as the winds swirled by. Nice spin on things and I’m glad it didn’t come off like a struggle. I told more stories about the flute and music than normally trying to wait for a break in the gusts and did a song with backing tracks, Hallelujah, so stretch things out in a pleasing way.

My friend Donn Shands had sent me an innovative wind screen he calls his “Dead Kitten.” It works, but like I said I’m of the tough it out school. Though next time you can bet I will practice more with the Kitten before a windy outdoor gig. Thing about our winds is they swirl from no direction in particular. Humbling. The sound guy said it only got worse after I left with vendors leaving early and a thin crowd. Glad I had some people.

Sunday was the absolute windiest with a cold, low front moving in from southern Arizona. When I got to the gig even the vendor tents had been moved into the courtyard. That should have been a sign. I found myself circling the mic to find the direction of the wind with not much success. The mic stands and flutes were constantly falling over. Was almost comical. I felt bad and did several vocal songs but even the sound of the wind in the mics was a distraction and we all knew it. You do your best every single time. The temperature dropped and we all began to freeze. The rest of the day the skies here turned an unsettling orange as winds howled. Facebook was alight with people saying how restless and uncertain they felt from the weather. I hope the festival broke even and the vendors too. When you are relying on a crowd can be hard to make due. My CD sales were paltry. Thank goodness I got paid.

Point it you show up for your gig, contracted or not. Do your best, try to make people smile or feel something with your music. I didn’t bring my Hang drums because I was respecting the theme of the event. This weekend a documentary on the Bataan Death March, “Bataan: The Making of a Memory” by director Stephanie Dove, will premiere in Las Cruces at the NM Farm and Ranch Museum. It uses some of my music in it and I am honored.

I am also honored to announce I will be performing with Michael Graham Allen at this year’s International Native American and World Flute Association’s convention in Eu Claire, WI. I will also be offering private lessons to attendees and conducting a workshop titled, “The FUNdamentals of Playing the Native American Flute” on Sunday morning. Sign up for both as early as they are posted. I plan to have a vendor table as well. Visit the website for convention information. Worldflutes.org. April finds me at the NMSU American Indian Week doing an indoor concert April 11^th @5PM and The Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque April 27 & 28, as well a shorter concert 11am, Sunday April 29^th at Unitarian Universalist Westside Congregation   Check my website calendar for times please randygranger.net/calendar.html for information. Please come out and support and say hello.  

Thank you and happy Spring Equinox

Randy