Valley Futures

Hear Chris Smither on Saturday, September 13 as part of the 2008-2009 Valley Players’ Acoustic Showcase Series.

Most folks who’ve ever listened to the blues casually assume that this time-worn and much-appropriated musical genre is more or less focused on all things depressing – cheatin’, lyin’, stealin’, boozin’, lustin’, heartbreak, and life’s many other sorrows and woes.

While this is certainly true, there is an often-overlooked playful aspect to blues music, as well, and few blues musicians capture the clever side of blues better than Massachussetts blues veteran Chris Smither.

Affable and understated, Smither is one of those rare birds in the blues/folk world – a solo acoustic performer (think John Fahey, Dave Van Ronk, or Leo Kotke) who has carved out a successful long-term musical niche for himself without sacrificing his commitment to the genre he most loves. Audiences and critics alike laud Smither for his standout talent. The Associated Press calls him “an American original, and one of the absolutely best singer-songwriters in the world.” Wired magazine, meanwhile, refers to Smither as a “megawatt solo performer,” while Rolling Stone baldly states that “Chris Smither delivers one of the most riveting live shows you’re ever likely to see.”

I’ve listened to Smither’s music on and off for years – and, in spinning his newest (and twelfth) 2006 CD “Leave the Light On,” I can only conclude that his newest project is the best testament yet to Smither’s tremendous virtuosity as a performing songwriter.

Begin with Smither’s instrumental skills, which are top notch. Anyone who has ever futzed around with blues chords knows how easy they are to play, but how hard they are to play really well. Smither’s effortless playing is as smooth as it comes – he can lay down both a bass line and a blues riff without thinking too hard. The album’s first cut – “Open Up” – slides the listener right into the space, and then segues into the title track, which showcases Smither’s slapping bass-driven thumb pick style. Tremendous.

And all this smooth playing is so tasty, in part, because it opens up the ear to Smither’s gifted lyrical abilities. Simply stated, Smither is fun to listen to because he is so good at turning a phrase.

If I were young again I’d pay attention /
To that little known dimension/
The taste of endless time/
It’s like water, it runs right through our fingers
But the flavor of it lingers
Like a rich red wine…

Notice how Smither takes the songwriter’s tendency to simply rhyme one verse’s end with another (standard beginner’s stuff –not bad) and “complexifies” it by adding the “time/wine” pairing. And he does this sort of verbal acrobatics constantly, to the point where anyone who thinks about songwriting begins to wonder if there’s something in the whiskey he’s drinking that gives him special word smithing powers. I could write pages on Smither’s penchant for phrase-turning – suffice to say the man combines the best themes of the blues vernacular in a unique style all his own.

And Smither’s voice – how to describe it? By turns wry, witty, and wistfully hopeful –good vocal qualities to have for a blues performer in the midst of interesting times.

So if you’’ve never heard Smither perform – take a chance and come on down to the Valley Player’s Theater on Saturday, September 13 for the 8:00 show. Be prepared, though, to be quietly, cleverly, effortlessly wowed by one of America’s greatest living acoustic bluesmen. Hope to see you there.

Rob Williams is a musician, historian and writer living in Vermont’s Mad River Valley.

Tags: Arts and Media by Rob Williams
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I recently came across the comments of a bicycle commuter in the bloggisphere who had this to say about his daily commute:

“I seem to get an inordinate number of questions about bike commuting from my coworkers and people that I meet on the train and bus. I suspect the fact that I ride a folder contributes to this, though it may just be that I attract questions because I’m enthusiastic and eager to chat with people about one of my favorite subjects (bikes) and it shows on my face.

People are typically curious about how far I ride, how long I’ve been bike commuting, what I do in the winter, how much my bike cost (that always shocks them a little, but I remind them how cheap it is in comparison to a car), how much money I’m saving, etc. And they’re often congratulatory, saying what a great sacrifice I’m making for the environment, what a big commitment it must be, how nice it must be to ride past the gas station, and how they “could never do that” (though they most certainly could, and I tell them so).

It’s so much fun, and I derive so many benefits from it (health, wealth, serenity) that my subconscious mind assumes I must be cheating, that I must be doing something bordering on the unethical or illegal, because nothing in this world is free (right?). But bike commuting, so it seems, defies this capitalistic logic of getting what you pay for, and actually gives you what you deserve; not in the negative sense of retribution, but in the most positive sense of reaping the rewards of trying to do the right thing.”

So I’ve started telling people about this. When they ask why I bike commute, instead of launching into the ecological and economic benefits, I first talk to them about how much fun it is, how good it makes me feel, and how little effort it takes. I tell them about the things I see along the road (birds, kids, dogs, turkeys, hawks, squirrels), the way it clears out the cobwebs in the morning and flushes out the stress in the evening, what a relief it is to be free of driving related stress and anxiety, and that you couldn’t pay me to go back to driving a car everyday.

I hope that by sharing my big secret—the fact that bike commuting is not a sacrifice at all, but instead is a richly rewarding endeavor—people will be more likely to consider it for themselves.”

–Alan, quoted from a posting on Ecovelo. 

I considered paraphrasing his comments, but he put it so well it seemed better to just let him speak for himself. I would add that I often feel safer on my bike then I do in a car as well. Of course there are potential dangers however you choose to travel, but the potential damage I could do to others on a bike is minimal and I find drivers to be highly respectful of my presence on the road. 

Tags: Uncategorized by Dave Cain
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Hi All,
The next meeting of Valley Moves will be on Thursday, Sept. 25 @ 7 pm at the Wait House.
See ya’ then.  Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested in coming.  Thanks.
Still seeking a Co-Chair for this great working group.  Email/call Laura or Bobbi if you are interested.
Cheers,
Laura

Tags: Transportation by Bobbi Rood
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