For the second or third year, I've put a little Christmas trimming at the top of this forum's homepage. As a proud half-Jew, I've got nothing against other faiths and their end-of-the-year / midwinter holidays, and in fact I actively encourage us to be ecumenical about such things. (Santa Claus isn't in the bible, after all, and some hard-core Christians disapprove of him.) Really, the fat man in the red suit who lives at the North Pole and brings presents to nice (as opposed to naughty) children is just good, healthy mythology, and a bit of that sort of deep magic is good for the soul. The day after Christmas, as we know, we get hit by the annual barrage of Weight Watchers commercials and the fat man is suddenly NOT our season's presiding ideal.
Merry Christmas, in any case, to one and all. I hope you've had a reasonably good, happy, creative, and productive year, one that maybe even contained some fantastic, life-altering, and beautiful moments along with the usual assortment of troubles, including shit-lousy troubles. May there be a few presents for you under a tree, somewhere. And may 2017 be even better. Spread the joy. Be nice to somebody for no reason at all.
One final note: It's been a long, hard political season. 2017 promises to confront all of us, but especially we Americans, with what will surely be some significant political and existential challenges. Music, and harmonica music in particular, can not only help us transcend whatever differences we carry from THAT world, the world out there, but it can help us express how we're feeling about....all that.
Finally, and for me just as importantly, please remember that harmonica players have a special mission in the world. We are, or can be, the madcap fools. We are the stewards of the irrepressible barbaric yawp that shows up, like a truth-telling fart, when the king waxes too pompous in his royal court. Don't let go of that. Remember that it is OUR power, one that no other musical instrument can deploy with such savage immediacy and vigor. It ain't about the mics, amps, or tabs. It's about THAT SOUND. We all know it and love it. It is the sound of the unconquered soul, dancing down the street and swerving into--and sometimes alleviating--all sorts of trouble.
That's what blues harmonica is. We are the merry pranksters and tricksters. Carry that with you into 2017.
--Adam
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Dec 24, 2016 5:52 AM
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah to all my friends here on Modern Blues Harmonica. Even though I have not met most of you in person, I appreciate the friendship we all share with each other on this forum. I have learned so much from being a part of this community. And many of you have helped me build a thriving harmonica business through your patronage. So, thank you for your support and thank you Adam for creating this wonderful atmosphere where we can all hang out and talk about all things harmonica. ---------- Tom Halchak www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
Well said Adam! Thanks to you for providing this space where we can exchange music, ideas, knowledge and all sorts of stuff harmonica related. Warm wishes to one and all!
Thanks Adam. I enjoyed that whole post but: "It is the sound of the unconquered soul..." are words that will stay with me for a long time.
Merry Christmas to you too professor! Tom
Edit: And yeah... Thanks for that unique bit of holiday cheer Iceman! Ha! That's going to be stuck in my head all day. ---------- Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.
Last Edited by TBird on Dec 24, 2016 10:16 AM
A nativity scene was recently discovered on a cave ceiling which dates back 5 THOUsand years. So what do we really know about truth in this arena? Regardless of anything else I wish all of us a nice holiday season and good stuff in the coming year.
Jawbone and Jolene are about 3 months from going full time mobile blues gypsy so stay tuned. We do look forward to meeting some of you along the way. Adam, you run one of the very best forums I've been a member of. Thank you so very much.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Kwanza, Festivus, Solstice or whatever you celebrate, and may what every gift giving tradition you have bring you many harmonicas!
Adam's post pretty much summed up my year. It's been very eventful with some bad stuff such as problems at work, health problems and my wife's health problems. But there's also been some great stuff happen too like the birth of our second child and having a book accepted for publication. At times this year the mental and emotional strain has been severe but throughout it all this forum has been a source of solace and enjoyment.
So thanks everyone and I look forward to talking to you all next year.
Best wishes.
Last Edited by Glass Harp Full on Dec 25, 2016 2:53 AM
