#9: Moon Glow

“I believe life is a continuum, and that no one really dies, they just drop their physical body and we’ll all meet again, like the song says. It’s sad but it’s not devastating if you think like that… We’re all going to be fine at the end of the story.”

- David Lynch

The recently departed Garth Hudson was known as the keyboard player in The Band. He was the bearded one surrounded by precariously balanced instruments in the Last Waltz. No one had combined mountain music with a classical sensibility before Garth. He was singular in this regard. Listen to his clavinet through a wah-wah pedal on Up On Cripple Creek (he did this before anyone else) or his ethereal organ accompaniment on Whispering Pines. Actual magic.

I listened to Bob Dylan's Planet Waves a few days later. It was the unmistakable sound of The Band and, of course, Garth. I purchased a worn vinyl copy and waited for its delivery. That same night, a moon halo appeared, which I managed to photograph (see above).

This morning, my copy of Planet Waves landed and scrawled in the bottom left-hand corner of the sleeve - the word Moonglow.

Happy New Year to all of you. Congratulations on making it through January! It’s been a busy couple of months here. Parenting continues apace. (Parents, we see and salute you.)

Matt Stockham-Brown’s 6161 received airplay on Giles Peterson’s BB6 Music Show. We will be touring in April - dates and album pre-orders (including vinyl) can be found here.

Robin Kester’s lead single Departure is available for pre-save here. I’m looking forward to hearing the full album which we tracked last year.

My friend Patrick Duff has a show on 13th February at The Mount Without in Bristol. Patrick is a master songwriter and performer. Don’t miss this one! Tickets are available from his website.

There is lots of other news, but it will have to wait. For now, here are some things to chew on.

A chilling BBC radio adaption of J.G Ballard’s Concrete Island.

After two years, I’ve finally finished Barry Lopez’s amazing book Arctic Dreams. It has rewired my brain.

A piece of music that made me stop walking and stare into the middle distance.

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Thanks for reading! I hope things are good with you out there!

Dan x

(replies are always welcome)