January 2018: The Life of a Song, a Tale of Freedom
In da studio, photo by Julian Pitt
The travelogue edition,
This newsletter will feature three stories.
To first is about the life of a song. A few years back I worked as a musician on a rafting trip in British Columbia. I befriended a 16-year-old on the river and gave her a CD. 3 years later she shows up in Futaleufu and tells me this story: We’ll call her L - L was driving her car and listening to my first record (self titled), when the 6th track, Taos, NM came on. Taos is my blurry recounting of the dark October night I was sleeping in a the back of a Subaru Outback that swerved and rolled 60 yards off the road into a cow pasture. L said she was singing along to Taos when a deer ran in front her car, she swerved off the road, lost control, and totalled the car into a tree. As L sat there, thankfully with no major injuries, she gasped in disbelief as Taos continued playing and through the smashed stereo.
The second, a tale of freedom. I wanted to write a friend, so I drove the hour to town to find the internet, but due to a landslide 80 kilometres away the lines were down. 2 days later same deal. Internet connection is new to Futaleufu. The following day guests were arriving in camp and it would be another week before a connection attempt would be possible. I heard a neighbour had wifi at his house so I woke up at 6:30am to bike the 30 minutes to his campo. The morning was blustery but clear. I arrived to find everyone sleeping (obviously) and no way to get the password. I waited an hour but no one stirred, so I accepted defeat and headed home for work. As I mounted my bike the skies opened up and deluged one of the hardest rains of the season. Zero to 60. Under the shower head status. Fat pellets that made water pitchers out of my boots. A perfect Patagonian beat down, alive, freedom. I showed up for work sopping wet and a bit embarrassed. I sent the email the following week. The sweet woosh of the sent sound, a simple note, I miss you.
The third and final is a tale that ends in a damn good testimonial. Mike Posner, the guy who wrote "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" among other pop chart toppers, showed up in our rafting camp to spend the week on the Futaleufu river learning to kayak. He’s a normal late twenties type - nice, young, bearded, soft spoken, wears nike, goes to bed early, doesn’t drink, but he packs a stadium filling dose of conviction and authenticity. We played a small concert together on the last night of the trip, trading original songs, very fun. As we were nearing the final tunes he pointed to me and said, “he’s not just good for on a river, he’s damn good.” Thanks Mike, you’re pretty damn good yourself, but keep working on that eskimo roll.
Heading home before the rain starts a’falling,
Jenner
ps. Buffalo, my new record, exists! In the form of 1000 CDs, most of them biding their time in Bend Oregon. But some made their way down to Patagonia and are now person by person flying all over the world to find their homes in car stereos. The official release date in the UNITED States is April 6th!!!
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Serenade on a River?! My sister's company, Serenade, pairs chefs with live music to create incredible communal meal experiences. This May they're bringing the show to the river!!! It's a 4 day rafting music feast on the beautiful Rogue River in southern Oregon, May 19-22. I’ll be guiding a boat, playing music, and eating multi-course meals hopefully with YOU. The chef is Portland's own cooking-over-fire specialist, Jaret Foster. Trip Details Here.
The onion. Chop it, put it in a pan, fry it. Your house/camp will smell like a home.
The onion. For real fake news.
JJ Grey & Mofro - The Choice Cuts. Want to feel cool, turn on the first track, Lochloosa, sit back and sway.
PS.
If I could kiss anyone
I would choose a purple plum
Celibacy s’not hard for me
With all this fruit on all these trees
And be that plum out of reach
Tis no thing, I’ll kiss a peach
-anonymous