This is the season of “best” and “most” lists. I can’t do that for you. We hosted six concerts here in 2024. They’re all on my list.
… Music
At the start of the year, I was sure this would be the “year of music:” listen, host, play, sing, learn. It certainly was. But more, it was the year of friends and friendliness. Strangers came to the house to hear music and left less than strangers. Musicians poured out their hearts, their energy, and their enthusiasm. They seemed to leave filled, not empty, for all that effort. We broke down any barrier between stage and audience. Listeners shook hands and hugged the players. There will be a lot more hugging in the new year. The year of music also turned out to be the year of open hearts.
The year of open hearts
Thank you to the bands: Maxfield Anderson and Tader Shipley, The Wildmans, Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light (Kat Wallace opening), Rob Flax, Crowes Pasture, Micah John and Lillian Chase. (We were sad to have to cancel a duo because one of us got COVID. We’re still working on bringing them back.)
Rob Flax and Boom Chick, Crowes Pasture, Micah John and Lillian Chase, Maxfield Anderson and Tader Shipley, The Wildmans, Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light.
Thank you, and I mean you! Everyone who came to listen and, honestly, thrill to the intimate experience of live music close up. Thanks for bringing such good will and warmth for meeting new people, having a new experience, and sharing this fleeting and heartfelt experience.
And yes, the year of saying “I love you”
Old friends recently asked Laurelyn and me about the year in concerts. There’s a lot to say. What we learned, what we loved, and what we are planning. What came to mind in the moment is that I’m most grateful for discovering this way to say “I love you.” What else could a room full of chairs, instruments, cookies, drinks, and human beings be about? If “I love you” sounds too strong to describe hosting and opening the front door, maybe it’s because we don’t say I love you often enough.
Wishing you a happy new year, music that’s alive, warm company – here and everywhere, and the umph to say I love you a lot more often. Go ahead, say it! Saaaayyyy it!
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