Editor's Desk

Editorials:

One Nation Under the Great Spirit

How to Save the Music

And It Makes Me Wonder

Back to ACN

When In Rome

By Carol Harper

Editor, Amador Community News

Ever have moments in your life where you’ve held your breath, closed your eyes and stepped out into the great unknown? Or jumped? Or fell backwards, trusting that a friend would be there to catch you?

There is a certain thrill that ensues when the entire human being takes an utter and complete leap of faith, not knowing what the next minute, hour, day, week, month or year will hold. That kind of spontaneity takes a lot of courage and letting go—maybe a few tears and sleepless nights. Maybe it’s the kind of excitement that you only feel on Christmas morning, or when you suspect a surprise party. Maybe it’s like a first date, or a first kiss. Or the kind of feeling you get in the late afternoon after you've been in an argument or break up that morning, and you're wondering what tomorrow will bring. Maybe it’s that lump in your throat that doesn’t quite surface. Maybe it’s the look on the face of a loved one as they are taking their last breaths of life. And you think about it and wonder…and worry…and wonder some more: what does it all mean? What's it all for?

My husband and I took a chance and leapt into a new chapter of our lives by loading up a big yellow Penske truck and taking the 2,246-mile trek across the good ol’ United States from our mountain home in Pioneer to Music City…Nashville, TN. It’s been a little over two weeks now, and we’re still unpacking boxes (never thought I’d see my home in boxes). Then again, we never thought we’d really have to move…and there are several reasons for it:

First of all, we are casualties of the economy, with a house in foreclosure and a car repossessed. Ever since being laid off in January of 2007, neither my husband, David, nor I could find local jobs that would sustain the cost of living here. I couldn’t make it as a writer - I made mice nuts as a reporter for the Ledger Dispatch, and have seen their Craigslist ads soliciting part-time reporters. Part time?? Granted the economy is bad, but for the amount of work and overtime it takes to cover a story and write copy? Not only is it a slap in the face, their wages wouldn't even pay for the gas to and from work, much less help with a mortgage and expenses. Now, I know it’s not much better anywhere else, and it's cliche these days to simply say "everybody's hurting, it's bad everywhere." Bottom (red) line: given our career paths and professions, we tried, but just couldn’t make it here in California. At least not today. We were falling backwards...

Secondly...David’s working band, The Favoritz Band, www.favoritz.com was being asked to play for half their going rate and lower, or for tips, or (I can barely write it)…for free. It seems there are those who have no concept of how much work it is for working musicians when you factor rehearsal time, set up, tear down, gas to and from a gig, and wear and tear on a vehicle. Would you work for free? Granted, there are either retired or desperate musicians all too willing to further cheapen Amador County’s already flailing music scene, but that only hurt(s) the rest of us. For those of you who play for cheap, tips or for free, it hurts those of us who do music for a living. And it hurt us. You want to “save the music”? Start by respecting and investing in it. Budget for it; charge a cover. And musicians…give back to your audiences and venue owners what they pay you for, because if you suck or don't rehearse/practice, you deserve to play the gig for free or mice nuts.

Whew! Sorry…had to say it, may have just spilled out kinda harsh-like. And rightly so, because being in a place where music IS taken seriously has made me think about it more and more. Would we have had to move if we could have made a living doing music and writing, or if we were being paid what we were really worth for what we did? Maybe...maybe not! Perhaps if more people would have taken what we had to offer a little more seriously? You can bet that I am SO appreciative to those who did. You know who you are. Thank you.

I’m so grateful to those who support and advertise on ACN. As for me as a writer, I can pretty much write from anywhere. Hey, you’re reading this…you’re still there, I’m still here, ACN is still here. E-mail, web sites, MySpace—the Internet has changed so much about how we are all connected with each other, how we communicate and stay together, even when we're apart! I’m so glad I can still e-mail with you all, and am more than happy to help you all out in this tough economy by still offering you all some affordable online advertising and community exposure on ACN.

Maybe it’s just that my heart aches as I long to enjoy my morning coffee on the back deck of our Pioneer home, just one more time. Maybe I want to watch the deer prance away from the road, the squirrels spiral up the trees, catch the smell of pine and cedar in the mountain breeze, or glance up at the myriad of stars in the summer sky at midnight, with not a city light around. Maybe it’s the nights out with our friends at Denny’s in Jackson in the wee hours of the morning after a gig, or taking a Sunday afternoon drive through the Shenandoah Valley, or an upcountry backroad. Yes, I miss being in Amador county. I miss being with all of you…I will always have great memories of our Sierra home.

So many sacrifices to be made in a lifetime, and this would be a major one. We have a rental home for one year, so we’ll give it a shot. The fireflies at dusk here are magical, and I must enjoy them while I can. It’s kind of nice to live in a neighborhood again—folks come out at dusk to sit on their porches in the semi-cool of the evening (“cool” being defined as mid-to-high eighties). I’m even picking up a slight southern drawl. The humidity takes some getting used to, but it’s doing wonders for my skin!

The traffic and circulation here has been very well thought through...Nashville has an interstate system that circles around the heart of the city like a wheel, with main arteries that extend out via parkways like spokes. They're putting in a third "circle" for truckers to avoid downtown altogether. I know that Amador county/Jackson has been tossing the bypass issue back and forth for years. Maybe a bypass that circles around the county would work, too (see? I'm such an idea person, I can't stop thinking about y'all!)

And, of course, I can’t even begin to describe the music here. It is truly amazing to be able to hear great music every single night of the week, no matter where you go (click here to read my first “Reverb” piece for LMNO). So whether in Rome or in Nashville... we'll hold breaths, close our eyes and step out with wonder into the great unknown, hoping it will be come familiar territory before we know it. And if we fall backwards, well...we know our friends are right behind us to catch us.

Everything happens for a reason. Who knows...maybe someday there will be a reason for us to come back!