Challenge of Music Blog Hop

This Hop, hosted by the very talented Miss Erin over at Treasures Found, seemed to be right up my alley. My only two obsessions are jewelry and music. I weaned myself off my shoe obsession so I could afford more CDs and concert tickets and beads. I figured I sit when I bead and I sit when I pour over the liner notes while listening to CDs so I really didn't need the shoes anyway.

Challenge of Music.
I didn't think it would be much of a challenge.
I was wrong.
When certain things click and flow, something else is bound to trip me up.
In this case, it was the photography...a geode slice, Swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls, matte hematite rounds, steel size 15 seed beads, and a silver tone button. Not easy to photograph all that grey and sparkle. I could write a short story on the photo session this necklace and I had. It was a 3 day affair. The dog was even in on it.


Onto the Music and the Beadwork. It has been a few minutes without either one and I am needing a fix.


"Now I could sing you, um, a really tender song filled with despair, or a really weary song laced with hope. What's your pleasure?" ~ Jackson Browne

Well, that about sums up my musical taste right there.



I could write a post a day for the next several years on the musicians I escape with every day. I have a very incomplete list on the profile page of my blog, but it will give you an idea of what fuels my days and nights.

For this hop, all the pieces fell right into the guitar strings of two of my many loves: Gram Parsons singing "A Song for You" and Jackson Browne singing "The Times You've Come". Gram has long been my Muse. When I can't get anything right or lack any original thoughts, I put Gram in the stereo and a door opens wide. His lonely, aching voice sounds like a tear rolling down my cheek. He is loveliness and tragedy. And looked real good in a Nudie Suit! Google Image will show you what I mean!

Jackson just reaches in and takes hold and is full of poetry and beauty and double entendres. What comes out of his guitar and mouth truly is a window to my soul. Seeing him in concert, once with just him and his 30+/- guitars, another time with David Lindley and the rest of his band, was as close to Nirvana as I can hope to ever come. Nothing in the music world can top that experience. It was as much about the music as it was about the stories between songs and how he encouraged audience participation and his fantastic sense of humor. And the way he pronounces his "R"s gets me every time :-)









The piece itself came together with relative ease. I actually wanted it more stripped down than it is, but opted for a very brief pop of color and complexity. Maybe that is where Emmylou Harris joins Gram in the song or where Bonnie Raitt joins Jackson singing "You might try to find your way up around it, but the need for love will still remain". The weaving just came as the chords on the guitar. It was a natural chord progression in my mind. And the Geode...a glimpse into the soul. The darkness and shine and jagged edges. And maybe the camera knew what it was doing, not letting me capture that geode in all its subtlety and glory. Because we can never really see all the parts of someone's soul. We can only hope to catch tiny bits of the depths and sparkle.



"The Times You've Come"~~~Jackson Browne

In the time we've known that we each are a part of one another
We've lost as much as we have won
And as our lives have grown we have found that it only brings us pain
To hang on to the things that we have done
Still I love the times you've come

When you went away taking all that
I'd built my false road on
I dropped my life and couldn't find the pieces
Now you come and go and it's hard but I feel my strength returning
We'll see how far this new road reaches
We'll see a little more each time we come

Now everybody's gonna tell you it's not worth it
Everybody's gotta show you their own pain
You might try to find your way up around it
But the need for love will still remain

Now we're lying here so safe in the ruins of our pleasures
Laughter marks the place where we have fallen
And our lives are near so it wouldn't occur to us to wonder
Is this the past or the future that is calling
You know I've loved these times you've come

(skip to minute 2 in the video then enjoy the song and where he messed up. reminds me of tearing apart jewelry and starting again)




"A Song for You"~~~Gram Parsons

Oh my land is like a wild goose
Wanders all around everywhere
Trembles and it shakes till every tree is loose
It rolls the meadows and it rolls the nails
So take me down to your dance floor
And I wont mind the people when they stare
Paint a different color on your front door
And tomorrow we will still be there

Jesus built a ship to sing a song to
It sails the rivers and it sails the tide
Some of my friends don't know who they belong to
Some can't get a single thing to work inside
So take me down to your dance floor
And I wont mind the people when they stare
Paint a different color on your front door
And tomorrow we will still be there

I loved you every day and now I'm leaving
And I can see the sorrow in your eyes
I hope you know a lot more than you're believing
Just so the sun don't hurt ou when you cry
So take me down to your dance floor
And I wont mind the people when they stare
Paint a different color on your front door
And tomorrow we will still be there
And tomorrow we will still be there




I am laughing at myself right now. All I was going to do was post song lyrics and pictures. I guess I just couldn't help myself!!!

Up Next at the Hop:

Erin Prais-Hintz
Marcie Abney
Christine Altmiller
Elisabeth Auld
LJ B
Lori Bowring Michaud
Shannon Chomanczuk
Cece Cormier
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Malin de Koning
Beth Emery
Michelle Escano-Caballero
Erin Fickert-Rowland
Therese Frank
Amy Freeland
Tanya Goodwin
Stephani Gorman
Amy Grass
Beth Hemmila
Kristina Johansson
Jennifer Justman
Tari Kahrs
Susan Kennedy
Ema Kilroy
Kathleen Lange Klik
Kirsi Luostarinen
Paige Maxim
Beth McCord
Natalie McKenna
Alice Peterson
Cat Pruitt
Bobbie Rafferty
Johanna Rhodes
Cynthia Riggs
Sally Russick
Sarah Sequins
Amy Severino
Staci Smith
Kristen Stevens
Lola Surwillo
Stefanie Teufel
Sandi Volpe
Holly Westfall
Shaiha Williams