It is getting so that weather events are accompanied by an uneasy feeling. There was a dust storm on Tuesday afternoon here in Austin, TX. It kicked up grit, and hung in the air with a weird sandy coloration. Eerie eddies of swirling papers and leaves were chasing around parking lots and lawns. I hear there was rain in some spots, but couldn’t attest to it myself. The last time we felt an ill wind blowing here in Texas, it was the outer bands of Tropical Storm Lee on Labor Day weekend. That was what brought the fire storms to central Texas. So many homes were lost, so many lives were changed forever. And so many people need our help. Fire Relief Benefit concerts are springing up everywhere. Willie and friends are doing one on October 17. Others are being planned, as so many folks lost everything. And you can always count on musicians when there is a need. That’s how they are wired.
Bob Livingston is one of them, caring, giving, sharing, innovating. His is an illustrious history, as a member of the Lost Gonzo Band, he was in on the beginning of the Austin Music ethos. BTW, they are this year’s tribute artists at MusicFest at Steamboat Springs. And congrats are in order, as Bob has just won the 2011 Texas Music Album of the Year Award for his latest album, Gypsy Alibi. Bob came to visit us on the Music Fog bus in Memphis, February 2010 during Folk Alliance. He brought Bradley Kopp, and he brought this song, the title track from “Original Spirit,” which came out in 2008. It is a reminder to obey the ancient, to honor the holiness, to live in harmony.
-Jessie Scott
