Track Listing from the Session
"Let The Mystery Be" by 10,000 Maniacs (Damon F.)
"Goodbye and Hello" by Tim Buckley (Phil M.)
"Grace" by Jeff Buckley (Phil M.)
"Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright (Judy S.)
"Mr. Soul" by Buffalo Springfield (Diane M.)
"On The Street Where You Live" by John Michael King (Gil S.)
"Imagine" by John Lennon (Diane M.)
"American Tune" by Paul Simon (Judy S.)
"Blowin' In The Wind" by Bob Dylan (Gil S.)
"State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U)" by Jim James (Damon F.)
Participants
Damon F.
Phil M.
Judy S.
Diane M.
Gil S.
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Session Summary
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damon_ferrara
“Imagine” is a song I turn to when I’m feeling as though the world is crumbling.
“Mr. Soul” brings me back to my high school days and fond memories.
Natalie Merchant of 10,000 Maniacs and David Byrne are two of my favorite musicians. Together, they performed a beautiful version of the Iris DeMent song, “Let The Mystery Be”. It is a thought provoking song that directly addresses the question of what happens after life leaves our bodies. I thought it would be the perfect song to start a session with my mother and father in law (Judy and Gil) and two of their best friends (Phil and Diane).
I have always had an issue with organized religion, passing on (in my view) opinions about what happens after life as if they are facts. I find much more comfort in letting the mystery be.
‘Some say they’re going to a place called Glory and i ain’t saying it ain’t a fact. But I’ve heard that i’m on the road to Purgatory and I don’t like the sound of that. I believe in love and I live my life accordingly. But I choose to let the mystery be.’
Jim James (My Morning Jacket) is one of the best songwriters of the last twenty years. What I love most about him (aside from his otherwordly voice and guitar chops) is the spiritual quality of his lyrics. As someone who believes very strongly in the importance of believing in ‘something’, but who also has major problems with belief systems being force fed on to individuals, I have always connected with what I believe to be Jim James’s life philosophy. When I listen to his lyrics, I feel like he and I read the same books or listen to the same teachers. “State of the Art” (off his 2012 album Regions of Light and Sound) is a hypnotic meditation on our complicated relationship with technology.
‘I used the state of the art technology. Supposed to make for better livin’. Are we better human beings? We’ve got our wires crossed. Our tubes all tied. And I’m strainin’ to remember just what it means to be alive.’