MOOSE, IF YOU ARE READING THIS…
The Lung is frozen and sleepy. The weather seems to be on vacation and the Lung doesn’t care. Downed trees are cemented in place for the winter by old snow. There are hardly any bird calls and the only leaves I see are the transparent, yellowish Beech who cling on to the branch until the new buds force them to vacate. Skiing is impossible and walking is hazardous thanks to a moose who likes to use my ski tracks as a trail too. (Moose, if you are reading this, I am a HUGE fan) I sink violently up to one knee out of nowhere every few minutes or so. Now my shins feel like corn cobs with the corn scraped off. But I press on to visit the forest. It’s just too good for the soul. On a walk with my friend we see the tracks of the other mammals living their best midwinters; coyotes, raccoons, mice, mink and most exciting, the bobcats! Talk about a mammal crush! Ugh! The turkey tracks look straight out of the Museum of Natural History T Rex exhibit. It thrills me every time!
Recording continues. Lead vocals this week. Scary! And simultaneously repetitive and sometimes crushingly dull. I procrastinate by practicing the baritone guitar. Nothing makes a person feel as cool as those low notes on the B string. Mmmmmmmm! “I am so POTENT!” The sound goes through you like physical therapy. This last week I have been making notes for the recording and set lists for the upcoming tour. I am always amazed by the fact that no matter how hard I prepare, I can never imagine what the sound of a song will be until it is well underway in the studio. I prepare and demo, but unless it’s just a vocal and guitar, the song becomes almost unrecognizable later. Some people would find this incredibly frustrating, but it gives me such a rush when it feels like I’m just hearing the song for the first time despite being several years into the writing process. It’s like getting a present or watching a makeover reveal, haha!
I will drive to work today in the sparkling sunlight, the White mountains crisp as an apple. The snow buntings will scatter from the snow banks and I will be one step closer to something new I can share with you. Be well and care for eachother. Xo
One of my favorite little tricks to play on a room full of smelly children (4th graders, generally, but often kids enduring various degrees of adulthood into middle age and occasional octogenarians too) is ask them, when the subject comes up (as it often does), "Hey, you want to learn the Ojibwe word for moose?" and after the enthusiastic outburst of "Yes!" I say: "It's 'mooooze."
Yes, the word we all use is essentially the Ojibwe word, if we just drag the "oooo!" out a little longer – as it really should be, shouldn't it? – with just a hint of a "z" at the end. 🫎
i looove the idea of a mooze following in your footskids 😍 happy recording! and thanks for sharing. instead of demystifying the process, music making now sounds even more magical and unknowable than before...