Labels

Musically, I have never been very fond of labels.  They are handy, but sometimes feel to me like they put into a too small box of what you do.  Our first band, The Blood Mountain Boys played mostly bluegrass music and I played banjo almost exclusively in that band.  But I did not want to be known as a 'bluegrass band', though we probably were, with some progressive tendencies.   There have been times we have played a lot of gospel music and performed in different churches, but I did not want to be known as a gospel group.  David and I as Buck & Nelson, played a lot of old time and traditional music, but I did  not want to be known as an Old time musician either.  I was an am a mixture of all of these and started using the label Roots music more than anything.  A label that could be and was applied to Doc Watson, David Holt and other musicians I have tried to emulate.

Those labels can help to define a type music you play and sometimes to help you find a place to play, but I still have discouraged using them a lot.  There is one label that I would not mind earning.  That is the label of singer/songwriter.
I have written a few songs over the years, but hav not felt them good enough to sing regularly.  Like everything else, I think songwriting takes practice to get better, and I do plan to do much more songwriting.  I have lines and parts of songs that have been lying around for a while.  Some of these I will try to finish, some to incorporate in new songs, and also I have several ideas of songs I want to start and write.

When I look back it seems most of the people I admired most were songwriters and singers.  The Beatles were a band, but most were also songwriters.  Even Elvis wrote a song or two.  The one I followed most when learning to play was John Denver and how many great songs he wrote.  I still do a few of his songs.  James Taylor and Gordon Lightfoot were and are two other favorites.  Of course Bob Dylan is in there and some of his songs were the first ones I learned.  I do a couple of his songs now and have another one or two I want to learn.  Willie Nelson can fit there, though he is mainly a country singer, he still wrote many great songs. 

I am working on a CD and plan to include some original songs on it.  Hopefully someone will like them enough for me to start performing them.  Maybe I will someday be able to honestly claim to be a singer/songwriter.  I'm getting a little long in the tooth to be starting something, but maybe it takes a lifetime of living for some of us to be able to write the songs we feel in our hearts. 

There are many ladies that fit this genre too, and several that I have come to admire, though I only mentioned the men above.  There are many others out there that I have not yet listed.  Men like Jerry Jeff Walker and Jimmy Buffett.  Country singer Shania Twain, Clint Black.  Didn't realize it for years, but Lester Flatt wrote many songs he and Earl did.

Other writers are doing excellent songs, but have not yet had a lot of commercial success.  These folks are the heart and soul of singer/songwriters.  Traveling the country, playing small venues, and writing the stories of their lives and those they meet.

I am not looking for, or expecting to be, some great commercial success.  I am just hoping to write some songs I would be happy and proud to sing, and a chance to share them with folks.

See you down the road.

Nelson Thomas

Listening to Music

I love to perform and I love to play and sing.  One of the great joys in my life to play music, or at least something close to music.  I also enjoy going to hear others perform and play music.  I really enjoy getting to meet musicians I admire and learn that they are real people willing to spend some time talking with you, even though you know you are nowhere near the level they are.

I had that expereience again last weekend.  Last Friday night I drove to Decatur, GA to hear the Claire Lynch Band performing at Eddie's Attic.  Claire has one of the best voices you will hear, and is easy on the eyes as well.  That is a killer combination.  The band consists of Jason Thomas, an extraordinary fiddle and mandolin player, as well as a great harmony singer.  The bassist is Mark Schatz, an awesome musician who also plays clawhammer banjo, dances, and performs a great hambone routine.  I have watched out for Mark since he was playing with the Tony Rice Unit many years ago.  He is one of the world's great upright bass players.  He replaced Missy Raines in the band a couple of years ago, another world class bassist.  On lead guitar, mandolin, and singing harmony is Matt Wingate.  He fits right in, keeping this one of the very best bands in the world of bluegrass.  The guitarist for Claire until last Spring was the phenomenal Jim Hurst.

A few years ago I was at the Wartrace Music Festival in Wartrace, TN and the Claire Lynch Band was one of the featured bands at the festival.  Buck and I were performing at the festival as an open mic guest, though we had a full slot of time and were included in the program that was handed out.  It was a great experience and we had the privilege of getting to spend some time talking with Jim Hurst.  Jim was so gracious to spend time with us and treated us as peers.

About a year after that, they were appearing at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee, GA.  That is only about 15 miles from my house.  So I went to that and again had the chance to talk with Jim, meet Mark, and even speak a few words with Claire.  These are small things, but mean a lot to us.  I have always tried to remember that when I am performing and so I take time afterward to speak with all who want to come by and say hello.  I am nowhere near the level of these folks, but being on stage does put me in a category that most people do not completely identify with.

Again this past Friday, I was able to speak a few words to the band members.  Jason Thomas was very nice and I enjoyed speaking with him, as well as saying hello to Mark and Matt.  I was most happy to talk with Claire for a little while and to get a band photo signed by all of them.  I also came away with another of their CD's to listen to as I travel - the newest one, "Whatcha Gonna Do".

These folks have been gracious enough to accept me as a friend on Facebook too.  Through this medium, I have just learned that Jim Hurst will be doing a series of concerts in Georgia in the Spring, and I intend to be at one of those dates.  Jim is performing as a solo act right now and I am anxious to see him again.

Being a performer may make me go to a concert with a little different slant on things, but you do not need to be a musician to enjoy a concert.  Sometimes I think a non musician may even enjoy them even more.  Either way, I encourage you to go whenever you get the chance to support any performer that strikes your fancy.  It is good to support the arts, but sometimes it is more important to support the artists.

See you down the road.

Nelson Thomas