Driving south on Meridian Ave E (at Sunset Blvd E) into Graham, Washington about 9:30 AM on August 24, 2010.
This morning is absolutely gorgeous and one of the most beautiful mornings I've seen this summer. I've already rolled down the windows so I could enjoy the breeze. Our coastal westerly's from the Pacific Ocean create rich blankets of oxygen rich moistened air and the sun light dances through it as if it were a kaleidoscope.
It looks as if it were but a short hike right up to that old Mt. Rainier from here. As I pull up to the intersection Fleet Foxes, Ragged Wood is coming up next on my CD player...
"Come down from the mountain, you have been gone too long"
Ragged Wood and White Winter Hymnal are two of my favorite songs from the Fleet Foxes, a quintessential Northwest band. My friend Matt Sweet introduced me to their music about two years ago when we were driving down to Portland, Oregon for an Oregon Association of Realtors event. We both brought music to share for our 6 hour roundtrip. Good times...
The Northwest bands I love have a very interesting blend of traditional and leading edge. They're searching for their unique voice, yet they don't need to diss anyone to make their point. The good one's honor the past and attempt to contribute to a new direction they've chosen to explore. I think this is a mature approach.
To me it's proactive, not reactive. It's inclusive, contributes, and it explores.
It's unique in that it simply accepts influences both old and new. It's generous.
Not that other artists from other places don't do that. To me, what I love about Northwest art is, "it's less about look at me and what I have to prove", then it is about sharing an observation or a point of view. "Let's talk about it."
One has to make a very big personal investment to do that and it's not just about "making it".
(Whatever that means?)
It's about a chosen path, it's about the work that needs to be done.
All good things to remember for those of us who traverse the path of the creator in social media.
"What risk I do take to bare my soul unto thee. Only time will tell."
The Blackberry Chronicles
ARFCO Media ©2010
Where there's conversation, there's opportunity.
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