October 2023
Hi Amigos!
Looks like autumn is finally arriving. Well, here in Central Texas it’s more like November that any fall colors appear. Still, waking up to a thunderstorm (finally – rain!), and having an overcast sky at least feels a little fall-ish.
September was a pretty exciting month! My gang did quite a bit of traveling. Marvin, Chip, Chip’s brother Bob, Marvin’s lovely wife Becky, Lynn and myself visited Italy, first Rome, then on to Paestum, where our band was part of the 80th anniversary of the first Allied troops (from Camp Mabry in Austin) that landed there to begin Italy’s Liberation from Nazi control in WWII. In attendance were Camp Mabry’s Military band, Major General Wingate Burkett, Military personnel from Camp Mabry’s WWII Museum, art students and members of the Bee Cave Arts Foundation (Bee Caves, Texas) – who were part of an art exhibit in Paestum celebrating the event.
There was a very moving tribute to the soldiers that lost their lives that September day in 1943, in which a wreath was placed in the water where the landing took place, and Taps was played. The Military Band played a concert for the town. On the last day of the weekend, we took to the stage in a free concert in which I sang with a lovely Italian singer, Valeria Graziani, exchanging English and Italian lyrics to popular Italian songs. All in all it was a rather chaotic but fun and very memorable week.
From there, Lynn and I met up with some friends and visited Lisbon, Portugal, and took a week long cruise on the Duoro River. Lisbon was such a fun city! We visited a premier Fado bar to listen to live Fado singing, AND I was asked to sing a couple of my own songs! I could hardly believe that I was singing in a real Fado bar in Portugal! For those of you who don’t know Fado music – check out Portuguese singer Ana Moura. She is one of my favorites. On the Duoro River we saw some really beautiful mountains, wineries, and vineyards. We enjoyed some really good food and drink and met some wonderfully friendly people along the way.
Meanwhile – news from back at the ranch, literally (!) in Tubac, Arizona, we’ll be hosting another concert on our famous Blue Truck Stage! Our good friends from Northern New Mexico/Southern Colorado, The Rifters will be gracing our stage with their signature Cowboy and Two Stepping tunes for us on Sunday December 17. It will be an early afternoon show, so this should make it easy for anyone who’s got some miles to travel. Please pass word on to friends and family around Arizona and the southwest. I know you’re gonna LOVE The Rifters. Please make plans to attend this very special event in Beautiful Tubac, Arizona. For ticket information please contact lynn24215@gmail.com.
My next gig coming up is The Austin Acoustical Café on November 11, which I’ll be playing with Marvin Dykhuis and Chip Dolan. We look forward to see y’all there! I’ll be sending another note out soon with info about other upcoming shows and recording plans. Til then, take care of each other and let’s make this world a better place. Have a safe and fun Halloween!
Abrazos,
Tish
P.S.
I want to share with you two poems from my friends Naomi Shihab Nye and Debra Winger. I hope you will respect and appreciate the words of pain and sorrow that come from their hearts when seeing the suffering in Palestine and Israel. Thank you for reading them. Let's pray for peace.
zero
where do they go where do they go
where it’s safe where it’s not zero.
zero sense in killing other people
because your own have been killed
for so long, but so many someones
must have felt boiling inside convincing
others to boil too and everything boiling
together recklessly was a disaster
not only ending so many beautiful lives but
placing their own beautiful people on the
firing line where they have already been
for 70 years, zero sense zero accomplishment
zero compassion zero gain. there was music.
there were neighborhoods.
I can’t stop thinking about classrooms
bedrooms pets toys strawberry patches
altars bent skillets spatulas. The skirts
of little girls. The pink. I can’t stop thinking.
Naomi Shihab Nye
~~~
zero
Hard to be with my perfect little girl.
knowing nothing of cruelty.
why tell the babies there is a zero
before they count to three
Holy Zero
Darkness that is peace
Take Over!
Make it Quiet!
Enliven them so they will not kill
Again they do the same that was done
and call it something else
The Women have been telling you
For centuries
to Stop.
And still they have babies you kill.
This is not writing or praying or begging.
This is Zero Power over any thing.
Debra Winger