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| Just outside Kaffee Meister in Santee last Thursday night, shortly before showtime |
To my surprise, my name got drawn for the first time slot at 6:45PM, so I had to guzzle down the decaf coffee I had just bought, tune my guitar up, and go play pretty quick!
Incidentally, I ended up leaving my guitar tuner and cable at Kaffee Meister because I tuned right before I went on, but did so in such a rush I forgot that I had just left it by the performance area. Thanks to Open Mic organizer Tim Woods and musician Cliff Niman, for seeing that these crucial little pieces of musician gear both found their way back to me on Saturday.
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| Singin' n' strummin' at Kaffee Meister |
I started my set with "First Step to Starlight," then played "Picture of Your Touch." I played "Home of Love" third, and then had a few minutes left. I wasn't exactly sure what to play, so I played "20 Faces of Love." That ended up being the first time I played that one for a live, in-person audience, ever - I played it a few times for my live, online audience on LIVE from The Basement last year. It's a fun tune to do. I was glad that was the one that popped into my mind to use as my closer.
There were lots of great performances throughout the night, too many to list them all here. But I did want to mention a few covers that really jumped out at me for various reasons.
Amos Jessup played a song by Al Grierson called "Til the Circle is Complete." In the few times I've seen him, Amos has a real knack for finding songs from days gone by, not widely well-known, and honoring them with great renditions of his own. I wanted to share this song with you, because I had never heard it before, and it really moved me. You can listen to what I believe is the original version by Al Grierson below. I've posted the beautiful lyrics underneath the video as well.
Both the turning
of the season and the ticking of the clock
Say the planet's
one year older -- so are you
But I'll leave
the speculation and the silly idle talk
For another time
and someone else to do
There'll be a
celebration at the end of every street
When we claim our
bread and roses, and the circle is complete
So if destiny
should drag you down, or dress you up in style
May you never be
too weary
To walk another
mile
And may you never
cease your growing
And your learning
as you grow
May the things
that you discover
Be the things you
want to know
May you gain in
strength through sorrow
And may all your
love be true
May you turn your
hand to something
That you really
want to do
May your friends
encounter fortune
And your comrades
find release
Though they see
the hopes of others disappear
May your parents
die contented, and your children live in peace
Though the hands
of desperation hold them near
Should the future
find you lying with a lover by your side
Or left alone
with broken arms, and all your dreams denied
May your
footsteps ring like rifles through the darkness of defeat
May your spirit
never falter
'Til the circle
is complete
And may you never
cease your growing
Your learning as
you grow
May the things
that you discover be the things you want to know
May you gain in
strength through sorrow
And may all your
love be true
May you turn your
hand to something
That you really
want to do
May your life be
like a love song in the act of every breath
Be a poem to the
purpose that it serves
May you set your
shoes to dancing in the hour of your death
And meet it with
the courage it deserves
May your shadow
pass in pirouettes of such amazing grace
That the tears of
those who mourn you disappear without a trace
In the smoke that
shapes their sorrow to the fading of your feats
In a ring around
the rainbow
Where the circle
is complete
And may you never
cease your growing
Your learning as
you grow
May the things
that you discover be the things you want to know
May you gain in
strength through sorrow
And may all your
love be true
May you turn your
hand to something
That you really
want to do
May you turn your
hand to something
That you really
want to do
I'll finish up my story of the Kaffee Mesiter Open Mic here tomorrow, with more cool songs brought to life by my fellow performers.
Thanks so much for coming here and reading. I sincerely appreciate it!
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Beautiful song by Al Grierson! Glad "20 Faces of Love" made it to an in-person audience :) Can't wait to hear it again. -kw
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoy it as well, Kelly. I was really blown away by it. Thanks for the support on "20 Faces of Love," as I said in the post, I had a lot of fun playing it.
ReplyDelete