Two nights ago I was fortunate to see Rising Appalachia live in Glasgow. I have followed their journey from afar for some years and have taught a version of a traditional West African song called Sunu in my drum classes, which they have recorded so beautifully….so this was a special night for me. They did not disappoint. So moved was I that I cancelled my plans and jumped on a train the next morning to Leeds to see their next gig and surprise Mrs Scribbles who could not make Glasgow and thought I could not make Leeds. Another treat was in store for me. Sadly all my plans cannot be cancelled and work/play at festivals beckon me so I will most likely (never say never!!!) not catch them again on this tour. Here is a poem i wrote inspired by the two gigs and my brief encounter with these lovely folk. Haste Ye Back.
life affirming
soul sound
aimed right
at your heart
resonating
at the
frequency of love
pure
and determined
to
affect change
blessing us with
music rooted in
a deep-down and dirty
Southern Sista(hood)
and in the Earth
THIS our only Earth
and her people
those who have a seat at their table
for a stranger
a cup spare to fill up
a plate of food
a bed for the night
a lift along the road
the diggers
the dreamers
humans
being
bardic vibrations
ink-folk-ed
and ancestral
unfold
before us
as the songs rise up
some say spirit shines here
bright and alive
and they’d be right
but what
moves me the most
is the HUMANITY
this deep
beautiful
presence
borne out of
a life loved
and lived
in
sacred
moments
step
by
learn(ed)
step
and out of a walk
of talk
of purpose
of power
this ain’t no show
this shit’s for real
harmonies of the whole lift
you and your
new found soul cradle
up to a place
on the bough of
the world tree
that you only thought
could be dreamed
about
to rock you
sweetly
gently
and so soulfully
smiles a mile wide
eyes deep and light
a flame burns there
and you catch the fire
hearts connected by blood
pumping Sista -love through the veins of it all
strings that collide
both thick and thin
in an ecstatic dance
woven into majestic
sound-vines
that wrap a melody
around us all
like a hug
from the inside out
and pull us into the heart of this
rhythm that is full
but spacious
funked up
and breathing
flowing from the
shaker-hands
and finger tips of
a
deep
listener
this is not just music
nor art
but an echo of life’s very pulse
throbbing and vital
necessary
i am altered
by this
taken away
but simultaneously
brought
right back
to here
to the
NOW
i bathe in this
drink it in
knowing it must pass
i swallow it whole
and hold it there
visioned
like that glorious dawn moon-rise
that lingers
in the photograph
i never took
and i walk on
with a song in my heart
reminding me
to
keep on
finding
my
way
Paul, while I don’t know their music personally, I know drums and beats from other parts of the world. I have been a drummer since I was tall enough to reach a table. Only Jazz drumming seems to have successfully eluded me. So… as I read your poem I felt the energy coming off you. I know it’s more than just beat… it’s beatitude… and beautiful commonality of hearts, spirits, joy that you poured into those words. In short… goal!
Thank You Charley. I hear you bro.