Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Christmas Part Three: Happy New Year



It seems that I might be in the process of no longer speaking to someone I have spoken to at least once a day for the last 7 years, and at the same time, a dialogue has been started with someone I used to be speak to everyday for 15 years but haven't uttered a word to in the last 10. I believe the catalyst for these two events is the end of the year.

I'm not comfortable sharing details. I don't think it would matter, anyway. But as I said last week in the first Christmas post, this time of year can mess people up. These turns did not happen in July. With a day left in any year, the time is set up for reflecting and starting anew, and of course, it's the damn reflecting that either gets us in trouble or paves the way for something good. In my case, it is both.

I have no intention of beginning 2016 by quitting smoking. I don't smoke. But you get the idea. I am not making a list of resolutions. Improvements need to be made everywhere. In my diet. In my attitude. In the way I treat people. In the way I react to people. In the way people react to me. No time like the present, or conveniently, the first of the year, to begin working on all of this.

Up top is a video pulled from the recent documentary on the making of Bruce Springsteen's "The River," titled "The Ties That Bind." It is just The Boss and his guitar and a version of "Two Hearts," an upbeat rocker and concert favorite. For 35 years, I've listened and danced and sang along to this song, but only now have I been affected by the sentiment of the song. Acoustic performances will do that. (There's that damn time of year again.)

If you've had a bad year, someone's got your back for 2016. I guarantee it. If you've had a good year, get someone's back in 2016. Don't forget the people who matter. Make the time.

Thank you all for another splendid run on Burning Wood.

If you have a song that is hitting you harder now than it had the first 11 months of the year, share it if you're up for it.

See you next year.

Happy New Year to you.






12 comments:

William Repsher said...

Go to youtube and search "Hazey Janes - Monkey Hair." The woman singing that is the daughter of Michael Marra, a little-known-in-America Scottish artist who passed away the fall of 2012. If you like that, there's plenty more where that came from, as I've been discovering in the past few weeks, although it's comparatively harder to find these days. A Scottish friend had made me aware of Marra back in 1998, but I didn't really follow up at the time. I'm following up now! I'd say he was a Scottish hybrid of Leonard Cohen and Randy Newman.

And I still don't know what "monkey hair" is. Scottish slang? Dundee slang? Just shit he made up because it sounded off-kilter? I don't know.

kodak ghost said...

Thanks for an informing year. Always interesting, often entertaining and sometimes confrontational and challenging. I really don't like several of your music choices, but have liked (and loved) far more - which is just what you want.
I hope you manage to keep it all together in 2016. Regards from another continent.

jeff said...

Let's see, I've had two surgeries, a couple of what they call "procedures" and a stroke, and now I have specialists poking around me trying to figure out the source of the weirdness in my motor. So, yeah, tough year and it's given me a real knock on the head these past few weeks. But when it all gets to me, I look around and think of my wife and daughter and realize what we all have makes me a lucky fellow. Often, I'll play this, the Tish Hinojosa song we danced to at our wedding. She'll hear it and will come down to my office and we dance again.

and everything is all right.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3008887/%20Every%20Word%20copy.mp3

Anonymous said...

"Once I spent my time playing tough-guy scenes; I was living in a world of childish dreams; someday these childish dreams must end, to become a man and grow up to dream again." Even in his dance-along rockers, Bruce still hammers home poetic words that never fail to make us want to be better people. Here's to '16 for that and I'll raise a glass to this website for all the stories, music and enjoyment I get here. Thanks Sal and everyone a part of this.

-Paul

cmealha said...

Happy New Year Sal and thanks for another year of turning me on to so much wonderful stuff, new and old, that i would have otherwise missed.

steve simels said...

Ditto. Have a rockin' New Years Eve despite the absence of Dick Clark!

JAYESSEMM said...

Hey Sal -- Here's something to celebrate!

Did you see this piece of Aretha singing (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RIgeu-6Jcs

Wow!

Have a great 2016 and thanks for all you do for we of the Burning Wood Nation!

philo said...

Came across this by accident when browsing YouTube. It's a duet by 2 Norway singers whose names I can't pronounce.
It's one of the more famous Kings Of Leon songs that sung acoustically is just brilliant. What's more striking to me is that I'm not much of a King's Of Leon fan and when this song comes on I usually just cringe. I was curious about the singers. It appears the one on the right is (Norway Idol) winner. Most countries have their own version of American Idol and The Voice. What's more astonishing is most, if not all contestants sing in English. It appears the one on the left actually came over to America and tried out for The Voice. My apologies for such a long winded response
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXneYdJK450

David said...

Hello Sal,

Happy New Year! Thanks for sharing the music you love. I thoroughly enjoyed checking in with you and hearing all the great music you post. As for sharing music, where to start, I few weeks back, I saw Dave and Phil Alvin at Slims in SF. I tell you, I can't get enough of Dave and his wonderful songs and to have his big brother Phil in the band - one of my favorite vocalist/shouters, right up there with Big Joe Turner. I leave you with this wonderful rendition of James Brown's Please Please Please, which they do in concert, it gave me shivers when he belted this out - and my favorite Dave Alvin song, which he originally wrote when he was with the Blasters... See you in 2016 - Dave in San Francisco

Please Please Please
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3cQIi_Hwds

Marie Marie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-h--cLO9rA

A walk in the woods said...

Nice Bruce clip!

I hope things flow well for you all as the new year begins later today. Sal, and now BBJ helping out, this blog continues to be my fave blog to check in for musical convo, songs I haven't heard, and reminders of some songs I love but haven't heard in a while.

Keep it rockin' in 2016!!!

Ken D said...

I second what David said above about the Dave & Phil Alvin show. Probably my favorite musical evening of 2015.

Thanks again, Sal, for keeping the wood burning for another year.

Keith said...

Happy New Year Sal from England

The version of Two Hearts is truly excellent and it got me to thinking about acoustic versions of songs that had struck me this year. A couple of weeks ago I was recommended this -
https://youtu.be/_HQLYGEtgt4

A band from Chile (La Ley which I was told is The Law) unplugged featuring a Mexican singer Ely Guerra. No idea what they are singing about but it sounds beautiful and uplifting and I hope it strikes a chord for you too............

All the best and thank you