A couple three years or so ago in a small town that would soon play host to some primo outlet shopping, a young boy picked up a trombone.
And then he put it down.
Wait, that's not the end.
Some years later, there would be guitars. And amplifiers. And thousands upon thousands of spinning discs, first big and black and then small and silver, that play music. And lo, so many, many, many other various and sundry musical things, many of them limited editions and beyond my repertoire at first, but I tell you, the things I've learned about that there music and how to consume it from my friend Mike Conrad, whose website I would link you to if he'd get it going already.
He's currently living in a city well known for many things historical and more recently, a bit fanatically, for all things baseball championship-related. Today, I hear he's putting on a little a show there. I told him I'd keep him in heart and mind and send him whatever good vibes I could (in an impressively random fit of niceness.) In doing so I realized that I'd not linked here - I don't think, at least I can't remember now - a project that he worked on last year that supports the women and children of Darfur.
I believe it is all Berklee College of Music students (and maybe some faculty too, don't know...) on the cd. So if you have...umm, looks like 13 bucks and you want to support music produced by people who aren't getting paid big bucks to do it, I suggest you throw your money behind We Are All Connected, and the work they were doing through music for some people who sorely need it. It's also not a bad record, at that. You can buy it at iTunes like the rest of the sheep, or at CDBaby, which is a little more fun.
Mike's song is called "Side by Side", performed with Carol Souki. Simple lyric: "Sing with me, stand with me, so that we can create world peace." Maybe I should send a copy to the White House?
Here's another link or two where you can learn more about the Darfur conflict, and the Sudan in general. Most important reading isn't easy, and there's a reason this topic keeps coming up. It really does suck over there.
Here's another nice link I found from the Berklee Darfur page for a project called Art of the Song, just for kicks.
Anyway, there's a show today, and that's exciting. And since I'm talking him up at the moment, it's probably worth noting that he has an internet radio show as well that you may well find interesting. Seriously, this guy works harder at this stuff than you can imagine, you just have no idea. And if there was a person I could hand a dream on a platter to, he'd be one of my first choices. What can you wish for someone that surpasses luck? Whatever that is, it's sent his way, every day, but today especially for sure. I'm sure it'll be fabulous.
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