Did you see the Transit of Venus on Tuesday? It is the last one for a hundred+ years - the last time it happened was in 1882. Ya gotta wonder how the ancients even knew about this stuff when you can’t look directly at the sun. How wonderful those inquisitive minds were that looked at the world and ask why…didn’t just ask, but sought answers, and that got handed down sometimes over centuries. This seems so arcane to me now, that spirit of cooperation feels quaint and old fashioned. Not that there aren’t scientists who still operate with the awe and the discipline, but since there are so many people who seemingly don’t believe in science anymore, I wonder what the world will be like when the next transit occurs in 2117.
Culture matters. Our lives are so busy, so demanding, it is important to take time for awe wherever it comes from. For me, the renewal comes from music. Phoebe Hunt came to visit us during our Music Fog Marathon in March at Threadgill’s WHQ in Austin. Phoebe went to school at University of Texas. She spent her college years touring with folk trio the Hudsons. I first met her through the eclectic Belleville Outfit, who burst onto the scene with energy and mad skills. I was standing in the wings at The Ryman Auditorium during an Americana Honors and Awards show, watching them delight the Lifetime Achievement Award winners with their joyful performance. Phoebe carries that with her in her solo career. She has a new EP just out, which was recorded in LA. The song “Sugar” can be found on it. Here is the Music Fog recording, with sister Stephanie Hunt and Ali Holder helping out.
-Jessie Scott