So this month's song is A Prayer to Mandy. I chose this song for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is because I've spent a chunk of the summer at the New England Music Camp, the place where I wrote the song nearly 15 years ago. I was a counselor there for three summers during college and it is a very special place to me and many other people. I spent this summer helping a mason build an elevator shaft. I discovered new muscles (mostly from pain) and really enjoyed reconnecting with the place and the people that make it special. Mandy is one of those people.
Another reason I decided to feature this song is because of the tuba. In case you didn't know, tuba is one of my instruments. I've played it for a very long time and I plan on recording some of the bass lines on my next album with it. As I am quick to profess, the tuba is the King of all Instruments. There is no other instrument that is as solid, as melodious, and/or powerful than a tuba. My brother is sure that the reason I picked the tuba in fourth grade was because that almost every note that a tuba makes can be mistaken for a fart. I'm sure my brother is spot on with his reason that I picked it. It's a powerful, solid, yet inherently funny instrument, a perfect example of how we should be as human beings.
A friend of mine was giving me his track by track assessment of this album and his commentary on this song has stuck with me for months now. He thought it was a rather frivolous, silly song but it stuck in his head. That's gold as far as I'm concerned. I don't think I've performed this song live more than two or three times and it hasn't been for a decade at least. I found myself practicing it a couple of weeks ago. I really feel like it's a prayer. I've had some big things happen in my life recently and this song really spells out the idea of being at peace with what you can and can't control. It's a lesson that I need a refresher on from time to time. If you say you don't, I think you're a liar, or you really are the Buddha.
I've had a lot of support from a lot of friends over the years and I don't know if there's anything I can do to thank them all. I've found that when times get tough, friends come out of the woodwork to give you a kind word, buy you a frothy beverage, or give you the honest, even if it's painful, truth. I had an old college friend be very blunt with me awhile back and I really needed to hear it. So, without getting all gushy, thanks and I hope this song gets stuck in your head.
Especially if you're farting.
Another reason I decided to feature this song is because of the tuba. In case you didn't know, tuba is one of my instruments. I've played it for a very long time and I plan on recording some of the bass lines on my next album with it. As I am quick to profess, the tuba is the King of all Instruments. There is no other instrument that is as solid, as melodious, and/or powerful than a tuba. My brother is sure that the reason I picked the tuba in fourth grade was because that almost every note that a tuba makes can be mistaken for a fart. I'm sure my brother is spot on with his reason that I picked it. It's a powerful, solid, yet inherently funny instrument, a perfect example of how we should be as human beings.
A friend of mine was giving me his track by track assessment of this album and his commentary on this song has stuck with me for months now. He thought it was a rather frivolous, silly song but it stuck in his head. That's gold as far as I'm concerned. I don't think I've performed this song live more than two or three times and it hasn't been for a decade at least. I found myself practicing it a couple of weeks ago. I really feel like it's a prayer. I've had some big things happen in my life recently and this song really spells out the idea of being at peace with what you can and can't control. It's a lesson that I need a refresher on from time to time. If you say you don't, I think you're a liar, or you really are the Buddha.
I've had a lot of support from a lot of friends over the years and I don't know if there's anything I can do to thank them all. I've found that when times get tough, friends come out of the woodwork to give you a kind word, buy you a frothy beverage, or give you the honest, even if it's painful, truth. I had an old college friend be very blunt with me awhile back and I really needed to hear it. So, without getting all gushy, thanks and I hope this song gets stuck in your head.
Especially if you're farting.