"Prining" for the Good Old Days
Hello, friends. It's been a while. About a year to be specific. Ed and I are both a 2nd vaccine dose away from being able to get things ramped back up. We've got some great guests in store this year, and I don't think I can describe how much I am looking forward to getting back to interviewing and performing. We're not fully back yet, but we're really happy to have this unique episode pulled together to share in the mean time.
Like so many, we assumed (or hoped) we were just hitting pause for a few weeks last March when the first wave of meaningful lock-downs made their way across the United States. The episode we produced at the end of March was one fueled by a desire to help the music community weather the storm, and focused in on the efforts being made by local musicians to setup live streams as a means of connectivity, preservation, and ultimately to sustain their livelihoods. Artistry evolved into ingenuity and resilience, and we saw music communities across the world persevering.
Ed and I have been fortunate in our circles. As of the time of recording, our loved ones have practiced caution, taken the warnings and CDC guidance seriously, and so far been okay. Unfortunately, we don't have to reach too far beyond our inner circle to feel the impacts and loss of people we knew and loved. The global music community as a whole lost incredible, influential artists that shaped so many of the musicians towing the line today. We've lost historic venues, festivals, and shows like "Live from Here" with Chris Thile which was a personal favorite of ours and a beacon of musical hope and celebration every week on NPR for the past 4 years. So, in thinking about how we honor those we've lost to COVID-19, we've put together an episode dedicated to a prolific songwriter we had hoped to one day host on the show. The late, great, , and now 2021 Grammy winner, John Prine.
John's passing brought an outpouring from across the map. It was strangely fitting that the only thing resembling an anecdote for the pain came courtesy of John himself, through the undying generous gift of his own music.
We heard stories of gratitude, lessons learned, his unfailing kindness, and his impact on so many of the song writers we have today. We saw inspired and resourceful dedications from the intimate living rooms of musicians we usually only see in the bright lights of stage. Consequence of Sound hosted a John Prine dedication via their Instagram account that almost seemed to roulette from living room to living room, as artists performed live from their respective lock down locations, playing beautifully raw and unpolished takes on some of their favorite John Prine songs. I cried several times while watching it, but smiled the entire time. Despite the challenges of the format and diverse settings, we experienced some of the most moving and authentic musicianship that there is in this world. For me, Sarah & Sean Watkins, Sarah Jarocz, and The Lone Bellow are performances everyone should go find and watch. The Lone Bellow wraps up with his children making their way into the frame and joining in. A scene that was so hopeful and moving, I am still getting a little thinking about it now.
Shortly after John's passing our friends at WMNF, our local community radio station, hosted Prine-Time, inviting musicians to send in covers of their favorite Prine tunes. It was a pretty amazing 2 hours of artists and styles across the spectrum of which Ed and I both took part with our own submissions. In honor of that effort, and those made throughout the musical community, we're releasing this special episode of John Prine covers graciously sent to us by some of our previous Song Divers guests on April 7th. The anniversary of his passing.
You'll hear:
Mercy McCoy featuring Emma Robinson, a really amazing vocalist and friend of ours, in our take on John Prine's "Picture Show," which Ed Produced.
Ed's take on the song "Far From Me" is beautifully approached and produced, and I'm so glad that take will live on this episode.
Andrew Duhon does what he does, giving us a perfectly raw “Spanish Pipe Dream”
Rebekah Pulley and Rob Pastore with a stirring version of “Crazy as a Loon”
Dean Johanesen joins Rebekah for the classic Prine duo “Inspite of Ourselves”
Kirk Adams gives us a sunny rendition of “Fish & Whistle”
Liam Bauman conjures up a beautifully solemn “Summer’s End”
Joshua Reilly takes an early Prine story-telling classic for a spin with “Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone”
We miss you, John. These are for you.
Photo Credit: Vanity Fair
