Songs & Strings Tour Journal
Autumn 2002, West Coast
Michael DeLalla & Andrew McKnight
October 25, 2002: Back to the Bay Area
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Songs & Strings Tour JournalAutumn 2002, West Coast
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 Michael and Andrew weaving nylon and steel-string guitars in Andrew's instrumental lullaby, "For This Time", at the Fiddling Cricket concert series at Espresso Garden, San Jose CA
Andrew reaches for the California redwood heights, Big Basin Redwood State Park CA
Andrew, Fiddling Cricket host Dick Brundle, and Michael keep company with the lady in the mural, Espresso Garden |
I have come on this tour in part in search of soul healing in a big way. After losing my dog Teddy in June I found great solace in my two-week tour through the austere deserts of the American Southwest. It is interesting to me how tours far from home have a way of removing so many of the daily obstacles we face in getting straight with ourselves. For me, this tour was foreshadowed by the loss of dear old childhood friend and bandmate, my companion Mary Byrd Brown's continuing struggles against the ravages of Lyme disease (or more accurately, the treatment, not sure which is worse!), and the unrelenting anxiety and media frenzy around the sniper attacks near home. With yesterday's news of arrests in the case, I had expected and hoped for a profound sense of relief. Strangely, I do not feel it yet. Perhaps it is our physical distance from home. Perhaps it is suspicion on my part that the full story has yet to be told. Yet the healing goes on in earnest. The West is too majestic a place to not be touched deeply to the core by its sights, sounds, stories and smells. Our evening in Lancaster near the Mojave desert was exceptional. Last night in the Gold Rush foothills was also just really magical in its uniqueness, particularly in reconnecting with someone for whom my music brought vital light at a very dark and dangerous place in her life, which is thankfully many footsteps behind her in a life now rich with blessings. I have learned to accept that music is healing to people, even though I don't understand how mine in particular does it. While I have been told this enough to learn to recognize it now, I still sometimes forget that the act of writing and performing also is like a great topical treatment for my own soul. I count myself to lead a charmed life, and many blessings pile up each day. So, like the salmon fighting their way upstream last weekend in Washington, I too now draw breath and resume the journey with my own load slightly lessened. An interesting sidebar to all of this is that my journey through the shadows and light is playing out in my mind to a soundtrack of various different incredible pieces of music performed by my pal Michael, whom I affectionately refer to as "The Senor". I must say his solo acoustic guitar recordings, Soli and And Then .. or Somewhat Later have long been two of my favorite CDs to have coffee with in the morning. And of course, during a tour with someone else it always seems as their songs stick in my head at various times and places. Michael's guitar pieces really are very soulful and meticulously crafted things of beauty. Feel free to zoom around the Listen page at the Falling Mountain website and see for yourself (or if you'd like an idea beyond these words of what kind of stuff rolls around in a touring songwriter's head!!) Meanwhile, I must say that today's journey is marvelous! A short walk in the giant redwoods at Big Basin State Redwood Park, then a visit with my pal Dancing Dave Stafford at KKUP 91.3 FM in Cupertino/San Jose, followed by a really delicious evening concert at the Fiddling Cricket series in San Jose. The clowning around on the air at KKUP really set the tone for a loose, fun-filled evening on stage, and the audience really seemed to be right there for every moment, from the poignant to the side-splitting and all the ones in between. Tonight we rest in the company of good friends here in the East Bay, parents of some dear friends of mine back home. Today, all is well, and the journey is rich. Andrew |
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