The T.O.

(the Titanic Orchestra) 

Above: The brave members of the Titanic orchestra (Top row L-R: Clarke, Taylor. Middle row L-R: Krins, Hartley, Brailey. Bottom row L-R: Hume, Woodward), from The Illustrated London News, May 1912. Bricoux is not shown.

Titanic Musicians

Theodore Ronald Brailey – Pianist (aged 24)

Roger Marie Bricoux – Cellist (aged 20)

John Frederick Preston Clarke – Bassist (aged 30)

Wallace Hartley – Bandmaster, Violinist (aged 33)

John Law Hume – Violinist (aged 21)

Georges Alexandre Krins – Violinist (aged 23)

Percy Cornelius Taylor – Cellist (aged 32)

John Wesley Woodward – Cellist (aged 32)

    Many brave things were done that night, but none were more brave than those done by men playing minute after minute as the ship settled quietly lower and lower in the sea. -Lawrence Beesley, Titanic survivor

100% – the number of these musicians who perished. Showing great courage, and looking to soothe the nerves of others, all 8 are believed to have continued playing as the crew loaded the lifeboats.

1 shilling – the monthly salary of a Titanic band member.

352 – the number of songs contained within a book of music given out to First Class passengers. The musicians were expected to know them all, in case passengers made requests.

*All data for this topic was gathered from only one source, and thusly has not been verified, but it does serve the intentions of my use of it here.  https://titanicfacts.net/titanic-orchestra/

I think that given the reality of the situation only a few options seem worth considering.  After having given it some consideration, about a decade of mindful consideration, I came to the position that the example set by this small group of musicians would be a good model for how I might proceed as I come face to face with what we have sown, and what we are in the midst of.  So onward I go, trying to provoke smiles, and lightness of heart.  Yesterday I watched a grown woman dancing thru a farmer's market to my music and giving me a big thumbs up, smile beaming from her face.  I saw little kids, nervously approach my guitar case and drop in a dollar that their mother's had provided, make eye contact with me, and then scamper off with a grin.

    What else is there to do, given the reality of the situation?

From: https://guymcpherson.com/only-love-remains/

After all, as I’ve known for a long time, birth is lethal. Nobody gets out alive, a notion that applies to cultures and species as well as individuals. My perceived lack of empathy led some to conclude I was a sociopath. Or a psychopath. My two-sizes-too-small brain can’t customarily distinguish the two. Those insulting me cannot distinguish between sociopathy and psychopathy, either.

Long familiar with his talent as a guitarist, I didn’t think the words of Jimi Hendrix applied to my world: “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” Recently I’ve begun to question my earlier sentiments.

    I suppose if I ever had a band I might have called it "The STO" the acronym for "The Sinking of the Titanic Orchestra".

I'll keep playing as long as it's fun, and then I might do an encore.

Peace

An excerpt from "The Moonflower Waltz"

 Another Thursday at the Farmer's Market.  Really nice day today.  It's really fun to get people saying how much they like the lyrics to the songs and my singing.  Well, as long as it's fun, right.  

Michael Evans and Susan Hefner at Mudlark, 2013
https://youtu.be/TiUCMmo_Df0

    

 It's been a year and a day since we lost a lovely spirit, musician, chef, and a mentor...  My time with him was quite brief, if you add up all the minutes, but his words and actions and manner are a part of my life to this very day, to this very moment.

    Some people are jus fearless in the way they go at art.  He was one of those people.  There is a bravery in his creation, and thus his life, that I have never been able to rise to, though I have been trying all my life.  Maybe that is the key, I have been trying to be brave in life and art, and he just was.

    He gave me some of the best advice about performing my music.   His words now always come into my mind and then are followed by the voice of Bob Dylan, echoing the sentiment but with a different phrase.

    As with most thoughts, ideas, theories, philosophies, I have to digest the words and then regurgitate them in my own unique way.  I suppose that is actually part of what I got from "The Bob" and from Michael.

    I have to know my song well before I sing it(B. Dylan), I am only nervous playing my music for others if I don't know it well enough(M. Evans), Ya got to give yourself the shivers before you can give'm to someone else(J. Cragie), I need to own my music (Various voices).

    I think that Michael's impact and music still vibrates thru the universe.  I feel it. ☮

Festival Mode! 

Back in the social mode, with the music.  It's been a while.  The time away was well spent.  I feel so much more ownership of my songs and the playing of them.  Sometimes ya just need time.

    Seemingly, as easy as just doing it, I am performing regularly, twice a week.  They say half the battle is just showing up.  In this case it seems to have been more than half.

    Well I am trying to do more than just show up.  I guess I am trying to step up.  The Vanagon is on the road now and set up for regular performing.  We have the extendable awning to cover our spot, provide a little shelter from the sun and rain, but not too much.  I had a graphic magnate made for the side of the van, it's from the album cover of "Summer Sessions".  I think this makes sense as this project is a bit of an endless summer adventure.  The van goes in full festival mode on Sundays at the Haverstraw Market.  From my seat their in the doorway I can gaze out at the sky and clouds and just be with the music until I come back down to meet the eyes of the generous listeners and passers by as we give each other nods of approval.  People have been truly lovely and kind.

    The amp rig is now solar powered!🌞. We've got plenty of energy in the little power station to last thru the markets and it is constantly recharging.  It's works so well that it is hard to figure out why it hadn't happened sooner, or why we hadn't used this kind of system for other things.  Our rig is made by Westinghouse and we bought it thru Lowe's.  

    Sticking with my "nano music" career attitude, I am playing at the Nyack Farmer's market before any of the normally booked musicians.  That's early, when the market opens, or close to it, and no true musicians want to be awake at that time, let alone, be playing a gig.  So I take what others do not want.  it leaves more for them.  In this case, a fee, and I get the freedom to play for as much as I want for the 3 hours before the real talent shows up.

    On Sundays at the market in Haverstraw, which is just barely able to be called a market, though it has been happening for TWO decades, maybe more, there is just the one farmer's stand, and me, so far.  It's very low key and it's kind of like doing my regular Sunday thing, but out in public.  Over the past few years I have tried to play on Sundays as if I was performing, though it was just me and the chipmunks and birds, and trees.  That time allowed me to develop some skills, or at least kept me from forgetting how to play in front of people.  The rest of the week I played just for me, informally or worked on songs.  

    So far I have had a friend show up and hang out with me.  Coffee and muffins, or breakfast burittos from the farmer (mmmmmm!) and just play music.  I have been pleasantly surprised by the reception from all the local people.  My music is mine, and it seems far from the music of the local culture, but even so people seem to get a smile when they pass by.  Maybe it's just the van, it is pretty great looking.

    I am pretty content with this situation.  I get to play my music for others and watch it's affect on them, without all the pressures that can come with some gigs.  These two markets feel like my neighborhood, familiar, safe.  I think that a degree of pressure or nervousness can be good for a performer, but I know that for myself that bar is very low and to much of it is really destructive.  This is supposed to be fun or why would I be doing it, right?

    My friend commented that my guitar strings seemed tired, that I could use new strings.  I have grown used to them.  I generally don't change them til they break.  This time when one string broke, I changed the whole set, my friends comment in my head, and the result was like getting a different instrument.  I need to store that away in the brain for future reference.

    I hope that I will post here a bit more often now that I am playing out again.  I still have not done the work needed to be able to publish the two albums worth of music that I've had compiled since before the pandemic, and I have a few new songs as well, so there maybe things to think and write about.

Until then, Peace.