The art of losing isn't hard to master...

You'll get nothing but random news & notes from me today, friends.

I started my first try at horizontal stripes on my bedroom on Sunday, & my biggest fear came true. The paint bled through the tape leaving small little bumps underneath the line instead of a straight line. I figured out a way to fix it, but it was incredibly disappointing. Luckily, I only did one wall, so I'll have to employ a different technique. There's no success like failure, I guess.

I read that Jack White joined Bob Dylan on stage for a couple of shows in Nashville last week. This is incredible news for a huge fan of both artists. The first night, Jack joined in with Bob for the debut of Meet Me in the Morning, an underrated little gem from 1974's Blood on the Tracks. The next night, they debuted Outlaw Blues from Bringing it All Back Home & they played the rarity, One More Cup of Coffee from my favorite Dylan album, Desire. I was there for the first time Jack White played with Bob Dylan when Bob brought him onstage in March 2004 to perform White's song, Ball & a Biscuit. It was the most exciting concert moment I've ever experienced.

Despite the fact that Jack White's band The White Stripes is a duo, there are many parallels to Dylan & White. They both have unconventional voices that many people consider to be nails on a chalkboard. More importantly, both push the envelope of what songwriting can do while using traditional folk & blues music as a base.



One Art

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, & names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

--Even losing you ( the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

Elizabeth Bishop, 1976

Five Favorite Songs of the Day

Don't Take Everybody to be Your Friend-Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Dry Your Eyes-The Streets

Eyes on the Prize-M. Ward, Post War

To Go Home-M. Ward, Post War

The Picture-Son Volt, The Search

Happy Tuesday, friends, keep your eyes on the prize!

andrew