News Archives

Tom Kimmel February 2008 News

Contents

1. Greetings!
2. News: Vandy update, blog entries, Europe trip looms
3. Recommended: music by Tommy Womack, Shelby Lynne
4. Perspective: Musicians on Call

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1. Greetings!

Greetings Earthlings! I come in peace and mean no harm to you people! I always wanted to start a newsletter like that. But seriously, do you ever feel like you've just arrived on a strange planet, a place very foreign to your own home world, where the inhabitants behave in ways that make absolutely no sense, and its rules and customs seem to have little to do with reality as you've come to experience it? No?? Well, in that case, me neither!

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2. News

a. Music News

i. Working with Vanderbilt U.

I'm greatly enjoying my stint as Artist in Residence for Vanderbilt University's God in Music City program. Recent VU sponsored shows by the New Agrarians (Kate Campbell, Pierce Pettis and yours truly) were a big success, and I'm currently putting together a Vanderbilt event for April 17 that'll feature Marshall Chapman, Danny Flowers, Beth Nielsen Chapman and others.


ii. Blog

Last month I posted the 1st of a 3 part blog entries titled, "Am I Really a Folk Artist?" If you enjoyed Part One, well, Part Two's up now. Check it out at www.myspace.com/tomkimmelmusic

Note, to view blog and/or post comments... or send me mail, here's what to do:

1) go to www.myspace.com/tomkimmelmusic

2) sign in

Note If you don't have a MySpace membership, it's free (and easy) to sign up, and you don't get spammed as a result. Nor do you have to put up a MySpace page.

3) at lower left you'll see a box labeled "My Controls." In the box, click on "View Blog."

4) Voila!


iii. Return to Europe

Come March 3 I'll be heading across the pond again. (See Tour Sched below.) I'm looking forward to reconnecting with fans, friends and students in Denmark... and making new friends in Germany and Spain. Thanks to Brett Perkins for setting it all up... and to Michael Boesen for the key to his Copenhagen crib.


b. Book News

i. I'm very much looking forward to participating in the 2008 South Carolina Book Festival Feb 22-24. Big thanks to Paula Watkins and Mary Harris for the invitation.

I was remarking to a friend yesterday (OK, it was my therapist) how fascinating it is to me that the written (and spoken) word has so quickly become an integral part of my work. In terms of the "juice" in it, I have to say that it feels as significant to me as songwriting and performing does. Sometimes I feel like a leaf on a river, not sure where the current is taking me. Of course I'm trying to be more purposeful than that, but the water does seem to have a mind of its own...

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3. Recommended

i. Tommy Womack's new album, "There, I Said It!"

Tommy's a truly unique writer and performer. When I hear him live I find myself slapping the table, shaking my head and shouting involuntarily. Don't miss this record. "Alpha Dog and the Mystery Canine Blood" and "Nice Day" alone are worth the price of admission. Tommy's also published a wonderful, quirky account of his years on the road with his band Government Cheese, titled (of course) "The Cheese Chronicles."

www.tommywomack.com


ii. Shelby Lynne's new album,, "Just a Little Lovin'"

I heard an advance copy of this a couple of months ago and have been anxiously awaiting its release. It's advertised as being "inspired by Dusty Springfield," and boy howdy, I'd say Shelby channels Dusty. Or rather, she channels Dusty's soul; Shelby's voice and singing style are all her own. I have to say, this is more than a cover album. Phil Ramone's exquisite stark production perfectly showcases Shelby on these great songs.

www.shelbylynne.com


iii. And if you don't know Dusty Springfield, start with the classic "Dusty in Memphis." Released in 1969, it sounds as fresh today as it did then.

(Found just about everywhere music is sold.)

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4. Perspective

Tom Glavine, Cy Young award winning pitcher, was scorned in New York after he used the word "disappointed" to describe how he felt about his first inning meltdown in the final game of the '07 Mets' disappointing late season collapse. Many fans, I read, were angry that he'd not used the word "devastated" (or something akin to it) to describe his emotions after that game.

Glavine recently responded: "Devastated is a word used for greater things in life than a game.... My parents always taught me to have perspective, to recognize where parts of your life really fit in the overall picture.... My son is 11, he has a friend who's going to lose his leg to cancer. That is devastation. That was an awful game, a terrible outcome for us. But it wasn't life and death."

Speaking of life and death, last week I made my rounds in the surgery ward of a Nashville hospital here, accompanied by an angel named Wendy, a volunteer guide for Musicians on Call, an agency that brings musicians to hospitals to play for patients.

My first visit was with an elderly man who wanted me to wait outside till he could sit up by himself. With great difficulty he'd gotten himself upright without disturbing his tubes and monitors. His wife said, "He likes Gospel." So Gospel's what I played. He closed his eyes while I sang, and, as he could not speak, smiled and reached for my hand when I'd finished.

Around the floor and into the next wing we went, playing for all those who wanted a song. Many of the patients I played for were, in poet Ted Kooser's words, "tethered only gently to this world." Some were surrounded by concerned or frightened family, some alone. Some wanted to talk, some could only nod or say thank you. The weight of lives in the balance was evident, but so was the light and lightness of spirit, and it buoyed me as I searched for the right songs... and later, on my way back home.


www.musiciansoncall.org