My Grandmother lived a long life, from 1900 to 1999. What changes she saw in society in that almost century. She raised my Mother and Uncle by herself, as my Grandfather died young. She lived long enough to bury all nine of her brothers and most of her friends. Through the Depression, the Great World Wars, The Cold War, Viet Nam, she remained steely with determination and discipline for her whole life. She worked until just a couple of years before she passed. Sometimes, she would tell me on the phone that she was "blue." I could see how the overwhelming weight of event could stop her in her tracks. But from somewhere, she summoned the energy to marshall on.

Photo Credit: Margaret JowElliot Randall has written the theme song for ‘getting on with it,’ even when the odds seem insurmountable. It is quite amazing what some of us do for a living, and we take this moment on a Friday to salute you all. And it is almost impossible to believe that for millions more, the jobs are now gone, but we must somehow get through that too. The ‘official’ video for this song is an homage to working folks of all stripes. I want to have us all sing “Getting My Nerve Up” in unison all weekend long. Actually, you can take it with you, as Elliot’s team is making the song available as a free download on Bandcamp for the month of August. Just click-through from the song below, and then hit the 'free download' link. No email address required---two clicks and you're jammin'. Play it loud, play it for everyone you meet.

Elliot Randall and The Deadman; James DePrato (lead guitar), Danilo Lopez (bass), and Kyle Caprista (drums), performed “Getting My Nerve Up” at our Threadgill’s sessions in March of 2010.

- Jessie Scott