by Peter Banker

FATE

I’m unclear on the concept of fate of late and have only recently put it into question because of the drive I have to be the best musician I can be in the time that I have left. It’s come upon me late in my life, for certain. Those youngsters who sit in their bedrooms and play their instruments until their hands bleed, who–seemingly wayward–defy all societal and parental expectations and run toward the music—they are more brave—even smarter than many give them credit for. I’ve come to know that it’s not about becoming a rock star, but rather it’s just about improving; it’s about reaching into the music in an attempt to draw forth a temporary little piece of magic and, for me, it’s also in the collaboration that I share with Wendy in making songs come alive for an audience, big or small…..or even none at all, to be truthful.

THE GENERAL STORE, THE OPEN MIC, THE EMERGING ARTIST SERIES

A very good friend of the band, Donnie Phillips, recently put us in touch with Scott Hayward, the owner of the General Store in Harvard who, through conversation, is generously allowing for Wendy and I to run an open mic which will start in the next months. Prior to that monthly event, we are intending to run an EMERGING ARTIST SERIES, which will begin on Saturday, April 30th. This event will feature 3-4 acoustic groups who are trying to break in—not into the profession necessarily—but rather are ready and rehearsed to play and have engaging music they’d like to share.

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, WENDY DARLING AND THE LOST BOY?

We’d like your support on Saturday, April 30th at 7:00 p.m. Firstly, we’d like to show the General Store that the community would support an event like the Emerging Artist Series and then the open mic. For short money in an admission fee and in taking advantage of the good food and drink at the General Store, you can have a Saturday night of good music, good chatter and—a great scene. Secondly, if you feel as though you or someone you know fall into the category of an Emerging Artist (like Wendy and I do, for example), come forth and make a case for it and we’d love to hear you out and then give you a spot in the show. And do not fear it. That drive toward music I talked about earlier? I had it as a youngster and it was only fear that took me out of the practice room where I belonged and into a world of toil that I’ve never loved nearly as much. Please come on the 30th. It’d be great to play for you and to get this thing rolling in a venue that feels like a gift.

by Peter Banker

There are a number of reasons that Wendy and I work well together, but one of them is the deep respect we have for each other as friends and musicians. That’s important all the time, but becomes a little more so when one of us approaches the other with an idea to cover a song that—is un-coverable. Some tunes, in my view, should not be touched…by anyone, and certainly not by me. An early example came from Wendy when she proposed we try “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones, arguably the greatest rock tune ever written. I cringed at the thought of trying to capture the essence of that tune and shared my reluctance with Wendy as the effect those lyrics and Keith Richard’s solo has over me has not waned over time; when that song is on, I am at full attention and entirely inspired. I’d like to tell you that we’ve tried that tune, but we haven’t, and it’s my fault, and to Wendy’s credit, she hasn’t pushed it at all. At some point she may, but I remain honestly doubtful that we’ll make it come to life as it should. And that will be my fault too. My heart is not in it.

Now, just a week ago, Wendy sent another video, a live version of “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard it Should Be,” another favorite from my childhood sung so beautifully and lyrically by Carly Simon in 1971 at the peak of her singing prowess. After listening to it, Wendy and I had the same conversation. Is it possible—should it even be legal to touch a song of this magnitude? I had some doubt, but Wendy really wanted to try it, so that gave me some hope– a lot of it actually. I could sense that she was going to make this one work. Her heart was in the right place. And it does work, in my view for a number of reasons.

The lyrics, you may remember, are incredibly poignant. Simon writes of parents and how “their children hate them for the things they’re not;/[and how]they hate themselves for what they are— “and for me it resonates a bit. It’s because of the fact that my children are getting such a kick and even some joy out of watching me express myself through music and it thrills me to be seen by them in this new light—a testament of sorts that one should never stop exploring and going after adventure or possibilities for individual growth. I hid my longing for it when they were younger and still don’t know why. And while I don’t “hate myself for what [I am]”, I wonder myself why I lacked the courage earlier in my life to take a stab at playing music. The song, one could say is also a skeptical look at marriage, all of the failings of relationships as they try to endure. I don’t really see it that way. The chorus says (in the midst of all the negativity) that “it’s time we moved in together/and raised a family of our own you and me/well, that’s the way I’ve always heard it should be/ you want to marry me…we’ll marry.” Pretty matter of fact, but also gorgeous. Truly is. It’s the leap we take in meeting love when it comes upon us—and it can at any point in our lives. The song tells us to jump in, and to go at it full force—because there’s a chance that love can beat it all. Take a listen. Wendy nails it in her very unique way because it’s clear that she believes it. Maybe you can too.

Yesterday during practice, Wendy and I decided that, on occasion, I would put my voice to the blog. It makes perfect sense, really, and it’s because of the way we work together; each one of us brings something new to the practice every time and it’s always a pleasant surprise. No doubt this will be true of the blog as well.
Yesterday, for example, we had a long practice, but concentrated on two songs, one by Taylor Swift, something she wrote for the Hunger Games Soundtrack called Safe and Sound, and an original tune by Wendy called Blue Skies. Blue Skies was originally called Nobody Knows; it is a tune Wendy had written some time ago that she was willing to pull out of the dust in the hope that we could revive it together. A bit nervous (it’s always a little frightening to put forth something you care about), she played it for me at the end of a practice last week and immediately I liked it. There is so much being communicated in her lyrics and I always feel privileged to get a chance to put my touch on the way the song ends up. It’s a meandering process of creativity that works for us. We try a number of things, nod in agreement when something works or, in a lot of cases, simply take note of body language indicating that something isn’t quite right. And we pay attention to all of it, until such time that we find ourselves moving easily through a tune that has transformed into something that makes us smile. It’s always a great moment—a true joy—when, at the end of a song we’ve been working on for a long time, we hit the last chord and look at one another with the full knowledge that we’ve created something that we know people will enjoy.
As I said, Wendy changed the name of the song after our work on it to Blue Skies and it makes perfect sense. It’s all I can see, after all, in this partnership of music and friendship. I hope you enjoy the songs. They are both young in our repertoire, but here to stay.

Blue Skies – Original

Safe and Sound – Taylor Swift Cover

A lot has happened since my last blog entry. In addition to Life’s big events (weddings, funerals, births, graduations, surgeries, vacations, birthdays, etc), the band has also been up to some fun endeavors.

We are very excited to have our first official CD in hand. The EP, titled Found, has 4 songs (3 covers and one original) and was produced with the goal of sharing music with family and friends but also to reach out to a larger community of listeners. We hope to use the CD to find more performing venues as well.