fireflies
writing songs is like catching fireflies. on the lookout, we notice the light in the corner of our eye and, ever ready with the jar, we swipe at it. once in a while we get lucky and we capture the little prize where, for all to see, we parade it through life showing it to friends and onlookers and memorialize it in a recording where it can shine forever. but for us, one is not enough. we continue looking into the darkness for the next, and the next after that, and the next after that. sometimes the fields are filled with fireflies, and sometimes there’s not one to be found. that’s just the nature of things.
when the fields are empty, some of us move to another field. sometimes there are fireflies, and sometimes there aren’t. but usually, if there aren’t any in the fields, there are some on the way to or from, so the search is almost always productive. that’s just a style, depending on the collector. i’m of that persuasion. if the fireflies aren’t shining in the fields at home, i start looking elsewhere— on the highways and byways, or in new destinations. i didn’t find many in california, but i found that the idea of california gave me luck in my quest.
there are times when the fields get so full that the fireflies are all driven out. that’s life interrupting and there’s no choice about that sometimes. we just slag through it to get to the other side. but once you catch a firefly, nothing else ever gives you the same thrill, so, somewhere, in the back of your mind, you’re always thinking about it, and you’re waiting for the next time you can return to that summer field with the hope that you’ll see those little lights in the night.
in the meantime, we have our little firefly collection that we can share with everyone else. this fine month of june brings the return of summer which we kicked off in salisbury, mass, at the Deck on memorial day weekend. it was a fine unofficial start to summer with an 82 degree balmy night overlooking beautiful newburyport harbor. thanks to our friends charlie and alison moore for getting us in touch with the good folks there. hopefully we’ll return this summer or next.
on june 11th, we play our last show until september at vincent’s worcester from 8-11:30. it’s been a fantastic season at vincent’s and we managed to skirt covid from last september forward— i don’t think we missed more than one month, thank God.
on june 17th, i’ll appear in-studio on troy tyree’s radio show on WCUW in worcester. i’m so looking. forward to hanging with troy again- it’s always a blast. we’ll play tracks from our double-release albums, “Backroads” and “Ghost.” and speaking of radio, thanks to Devo at WRTC in Hartford for having us on his show last month. we greatly appreciate the media support.
finally, on june 19th, we’ll play the South Shore Arts Festival in cohasset, mass, at 12 noon on the cohasset common. pauls “other band,” Grand Theft Audio, will follow our set, so look alive all you paul groupies! thanks to our friend and former drummer jay fitzgibbons for including us on the bill. maybe jay will sit in for a song…
after that, i’ll get back to the fields for more fireflies. this time, in my new little cottage in marshfield that i’ve dubbed, “Summer House.” i move in this month and i just can’t wait. the view is spectacular and the setting is magical. it’s like a mini Magical Moon Farm. speaking of which, we’ll return to the beautiful Magical Moon Farm on august 6th for a tailgate party! tailgating starts at 4:30, music runs from 6-8 in the amazing new barn performance space. it’s byob and $20 per person, with proceeds benefitting music programs for children at the Farm.
well, i think that’s enough out of me. hope to see you all this summer. enjoy the fields…
love,
jc