At our Basement show on July 6, I was approached by a gentleman named Kevin Kaz who informed me that he had surreptitiously captured a video of our performance which he would impart for a nominal fee. What a brilliant idea! It was reminiscent of stepping off a roller-coaster at Disney World and being solicited to purchase a photograph while under the influence of adrenaline. Of course I would trade my money for an objective view of that memorable moment! Not more than a day after a simple online transaction there was a disc in my mailbox, the contents of which I found it to be of the highest quality. I am grateful for the ingenuity of this fellow! His other works may be found on his Vimeo Page. ~Hazelwood
It has become exceedingly necessary that I should express my sincerest gratitude for those who have taken an active interest in the progress of my upcoming album. In these early stages of what I intend to be a life-long career in the recording arts, you are the pioneers of a land which is yet to be discovered. Each of your posts upon this and other of our pages is like a National flag, planted upon the surface of Mars. It is by virtue of your curious nature that this site stands to be colonized by future adventurous music fans, and so I am truly humbled and inspired by your openness. I thank you wholeheartedly.
There have been several developments since my last post. One important announcement is that I have decided to change the name of the record to ‘The Golden Age’. Mr. McMahan and I have spent the past week in his home studio, making some finishing touches to the tracks before we set about mixing them down. In listening to those eleven selections as a whole – after having gotten away from them for a month – I was able to listen more objectively than ever before. As I have mentioned previously, we made the decision to go back into the House of David and record a song entitled ‘The Golden Age’ at least a month after the initial tracking sessions. And to me, it seems a fitting title track and the perfect ‘last song’ on the album. It is commonplace to put a lot of consideration into selecting the opening song on an album, but I have an almost equal fixation on how the album should end. That perfect last song just wasn’t there…until ‘The Golden Age’! Interestingly enough, the opening song is yet to be determined. The album will be rendered within a fortnight and I have complete faith that this initial track will emerge and the rest will fall into sequence.
Another important tidbit is that we have been booked for two performances at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville! These dates are September 24 and October 15 – each on a Friday. It is quite an honor to be asked to perform in the midst of priceless works of art and in such serene, marbled environs.
Last night we did a set at The Wine Loft in The Gulch area of Nashville. It was a wonderful moody environment with an attentive and gracious crowd. I extend my warmest thanks to the staff there and everyone who came in support. Tonight, we appear once again at The Family Wash in East Nashville. It will be the same stripped-down manifestation of the New Transcendentalists as last night – Mr. Goforth on lap-steel/harmonica, Mr. Estes on bass, and my-self. Our set begins at 9pm sharp.
The Basement is my very favourite place to experience and to perform live music in Nashville. The layout, lighting, and/or unseen aspects of that environment are inexplicably conducive to the intimate exchange of energy betwixt performer and audience. It is appropriately termed ‘The Basement’ as breaching its discreet rear entrance is liken-to taking refuge in a storm shelter – amidst a swirling squall of worldly complexities. I like the safe, underground feeling invoked by this dimly-lit dive, both on and off the stage. I have witnessed countless shows there which I would categorize as ‘magic moments’, being saturated in that certain something that makes for an awe-inspiring performance. Stand-out performances by Sarah Siskind, Jennifer Niceley, The Altered Statesmen, Kurt Wagner of Lambchop, and many others rush into my mind as I recall that feeling of musical transcendence. Certainly, there have been many great performances there which I have missed altogether, and so other minds have surely been impressed with once-in-a-lifetime experiences within that space which have managed to evade my consciousness. But in those sanctified moments of my recollection, I have no doubt that every other present soul was equally inspired and engaged as I was. It is among my philosophies that this is the aim of music – to invoke this mysterious, collective experience that I want to call Unity.
Last night, from the vantage-point of the stage, there were undeniable moments when logic was suspended just long enough to allow that unnamed entity to flow into our performance. It seems to me that the degree to which every participant – musicians and spectators alike – is willing to surrender in this way is directly proportional to the success of the performance – ‘success’ being defined in the aforementioned terms. I am at a loss when I attempt to intellectualize this experience, so I will say only this: It felt Good. From my position in the stage-lights I was only able to discern a room-full of shadowy figures. I often find these lighting conditions favourable, because in my opinion it is detrimental to a performer to gauge the response of an audience in-the-moment, or to second-guess any myriad of perceptions in-order-to adjust his performance in alignment with some imaginary expectation. Emerson said it best: “Shall I preclude my future, by taking a high seat, and kindly adapting my conversation to the shape of heads?” It would serve no end for me to deliver some performance that I could only mistakenly presume one would want to hear. Moreover, it feels extremely liberating to allow for the possibility that my own perception could be the correct one! This is how last night’s performance felt to me – as though my own intuition was served.
After the performance, that collective body of silhouettes disintegrated into individual personages with features and expressions and encouraging remarks! It is inexpressibly gratifying to receive such an overwhelmingly positive response after having detached from a need for it. It is at such a moment when I am completely fascinated with the perceptions of others with regard to my music. I want to know what they see and hear and visualize, and if it speaks to their experience of life. I want to know how they came to be there, and recognize the synchronistic undercurrent of those logistics. I want to say a silent prayer of gratitude for having crossed their path. The same goes for my band-mates, the New Transcendentalists. I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to share the stage with each of these highly-creative individuals. Yet, having said all that, I have the sense that our stage-show has yet to become fully actualized. Upon the release of ‘Days of the Visceral’, I fully expect our presentation to have reached greater and greater heights.
