"Artists are Second Responders" - love that idea, and through the magic of the internet, I watched it play out over the last pandemic year: Writers offering encouragement and humor, songwriters sharing online concerts and artists of all kinds helping…
Read moreViewing: songs - View all posts
See How We Heal
This song started on a Whiskeytown Hike - I marveled at the healing that magically happened throughout the park after the devastating Carr Fire of 2018.
Our local community is facing some tough times…
Read moreCommon Ground
No, he wasn’t talking about 2020, but Thomas Paine's words are fitting: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” And their relationships. AND their patience with their fellow humans.
There is no shortage of divisive topics these days…
Read morePandemic Art and Shasta Strong
Pandemic art - it's a way to pass these troubled times, a means of offering a small measure of comfort. It's also how I talk myself down from the ledge - I like to say the things I need to…
Read moreThe Whiskeytown Wind
An antique bottle embedded in cement....A concrete angel with a broken wing...
A plastic giraffe surrounded by seashells....
...just a small sampling of the inventive memorabilia decorating the graves at the Whiskeytown Cemetery…
Read morePlease, pretty please
The most frustrating aspect of this pandemic has been the sheer helplessness - it seems that the ONLY action I can take is to worry. So I do. Endlessly.
But there's good news coming out of Japan and…
Read moreViral Inspiration
During the quarantine and lockdown that has been in effect for the last few weeks, I’ve watched lots of solo live streams, read posts from musicians who dearly miss their musical comrades, and watched as months of gigs for hard-working…
Read moreTogether We
I joined a peaceful protest last month. I didn’t know any of the other marchers, so I was on my own until a young woman stepped in beside me, put out her hand and introduced herself. We walked through the…
Read moreThe Songs Written in the Wind
From the musical I'm writing - Tied 2 the Tracks.
Once upon a time, Leo McIntyre was a superstar songwriter who toured the world with his beloved guitar, “Rosie.” After suffering a stroke, Mac realizes that those days are…
Read moreThe Rosewood Guitar
In Act II of the musical I'm writing, "Tied 2 the Tracks," country music legend Leo MacIntyre suffers a devastating stroke that leaves him unable to play his beloved Rosewood guitar. He's angry, frustrated and, at…
Read moreIn the Belly of a Buzzard
Because I never wanted a conventional send-off....And really, why should doves get ALL the songs?
Doing my part to make Buzzard Ballads a thing.
Beautiful Scars
“I think she misses her people.”
Those were the profound words of a friend. It was a few months after the Carr Fire and she was talking about Whiskeytown Lake. I had lamented that I’d been unable to visit…
Read moreFancy Mood
It started with a cow. A plain black cow in a neighbor’s pasture who ended up getting a Spring makeover when I painted her picture in bright, joyful pinks and blues and yellows. I called the painting “Fancy Mood.”
…
Read moreArt in the City: Wonders of Whiskeytown
For many years, I've organized a North State Songwriter Showcase at Redding City Hall for the quarterly Artist Receptions. The two mediums seem quite complementary: Original music pairs perfectly with visual art created right here in…
Read moreThe Turf o' Tullamore 2.0
I wrote The Turf o' Tullamore a few years ago, but I recently revisited it to correct ONE, small grammatical error. And I ended up rewriting the whole darn thing. The best-laid schemes o' mice, an' men, an' songwriters, I…
Read moreThe Cultural Cruise and Whiskeytown Blue #2
After Whiskeytown Park burned, I spent a lot of time with my watercolors and my memories, trying — with varying degrees of success — to process the loss and create pictures that capture the beauty and the joyful spirit of…
Read moreWhiskeytown Blue
Whiskeytown Park is one of my favorite places on this planet - just minutes from downtown Redding, it has been my escape, my peaceful place to run, hike and explore. We moved to Shasta County a little more than 20…
Read moreThe Redding Song Video
A little more than a year ago a group of people gathered at Redding's Old City Hall in hopes of getting a California Cultural District designation for Redding. It was a long shot, there were a lot of…
Read moreThe Pub That I Love
I'm now six months alcohol-free -- so it's time to have some Fun with Songwriting.
Honestly, the ONLY thing I miss about drinking is the convivial atmosphere at our local tap house. I felt bad about leaving the…
Read moreWhat Would Woody Guthrie Do?
Who's telling the story? That's the first question I consider when I begin writing a new song. For this tune, the storyteller is a business owner -- a business owner who is frustrated, angry and disappointed by the homeless situation…
Read moreThe Rams Rise Again
Lester and Wilbur, those beautiful, ornery beasts who were vandalized a few months ago will be rebuilt by artist Joel Dean Stockdill -- fundraising efforts are underway at this website: Learn how you can help Lester and Wilbur
Meanwhile…
Read moreThe Ballad of Lester and Wilbur
Lester and Wilbur just appeared one day - in south Redding just east of I5. Two giant bighorn sheep - they brightened up the morning commute and it turns out they were created by artist Joel Stockdill…
Read moreCelebrate Waterfall Week with The Lost Falls of Whiskeytown
The hike to the falls makes Banjo smile
These spectacular falls were known only to a few locals for 37 years - then in 2004, they were re-discovered and opened to the public. "The Lost Falls of Whiskeytown"…
Read moreThe Other California
We raised our three children in rural Northern California and since they grew up, all three of them have lived abroad.
When they tell people: "Yes, I'm from California, but..." they find it's not easy to explain Shasta County. It's…Read more
When they tell people: "Yes, I'm from California, but..." they find it's not easy to explain Shasta County. It's…Read more