It’s been a bittersweet month my friends!
I (Mo) wanted to share a bit of it with you…..so when Niccole said she wanted to record “75 Septembers” by Cheryl Wheeler to share with all of you, I smiled widely. Niccole always has some special notion of what we should share with you based on our life’s experiences at the time and memories we’d like to pass on to you. Well, 75 Septembers is about Cheryl’s grandfather and the passing of 75 seasons. It’s tells his story interwoven with the elements of time, and captures it so well. So much so that all of us, when hearing the song, can’t help but be filled with gratitude for the many years we’ve had on this beautiful planet with our beautiful people!
For us though, and this particular time, singing this song held incredible meaning as we had to say good-by to our old Bose system. It’s traveled with us for the past 7 years and has been a faithful friend. I’m sure over 25,000 songs have come out of it’s speakers over the years! We played a very HOT gig in the Sun. We were overheated at 107 degrees and…well…the system fried! Fortunately, Niccole had put all of our equipment on special insurance for just such occasions (Smart cookie)! So it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it could have and of course, your proceeds to us she diligently saves away, also helped make up the difference! (Thank you!)
The thing that we did not for see, the real kicker and almost prophetic that we picked this song is…my father left the planet. We got the news when we were in Stanley and my cousin happened to be visiting us from California (I think Dad set it up that way). She came up to celebrate her birthday with us and he died of heart failure (due to many complications) the same day as her birthday. We were sitting at our campsite stunned when we got the news. A blessing my cousin was there because our sadness could then turn to laughing hysterically telling all the funny stories of him we could remember in his Jersey accent (Nicc didn’t have to try hard; she’s got his accent pegged). So bittersweet. Lots of laughs and tears, followed by a meteor shower that late evening. He was saying hello to all of us.
What an imprint he made in this world. He touched so many people, influencing them to be the best that they could be, in everything they strive to do in life. Yep, that PE/Health Teacher/Driver’s Ed teacher/football, baseball, and golf coach/and home education where he taught kids how to cook wild game he’d hunted. 40 years of teaching and 4 generations of kids, not to mention all his hunting buddies. The list is too long to count. There were almost 800 people at his funeral. He was well loved by many. I will miss him but I am smiling knowing that he had such an incredible life, and experienced so much, with such charisma and joy, and he knew love. What more can a person ask for.
Niccole and I had to perform that same night on the green at Redfish Lake Lodge (Stanley ID). I gazed at the amazing Mt. Heyburn and prayed for strength to get through our 2 hour set. I didn’t lose it until I sang “Lena’s Lullabye” at the end, so all things considered; I think he’d be proud. People always told me how proud he was of me. Good to know we had nothing between us that needed cleaning up before he passed. Forgiveness is our friend, regrets hold nothing but sadness. I am glad he taught me all he did. I am grateful to have known him.
Intertwined in this recording of “75 Septembers” marks moments in time that will never be forgotten. Pictures Niccole picked from this past trip and some special moments we chose to share with you. She is thrilled to have learned how to drop a picture in the movie. It looks quite cumbersome as the software decides to not play very nicely at times. Watching this movie, I needed a few Kleenex, but then again, there’s much to be sentimental about at this time.
On a more uplifting note, we are back in the studio now that Niccole and our engineer are all healed up! We have a mix coming to us next week and have to dive into our homework, listening to the album on multiple mediums, and deciding what needs to stay or go, be accentuated or pushed back, and decide if anything else is needed for the fine finishing touches. We are getting close and it’s very exciting! We can’t wait to share it with you! Mark your calendars for Thursday November 10, 2016 at the Sapphire Room where we’ll be finally releasing our new album! “The Sun Runs” vs. “Thankful” to be determined…cheers to another 75 Septembers…or “another 100 years!”
Be well friends!
