Back in the beginning of the summer, Andrew and I were contacted by two of his friends from high school who were getting married.  They asked if we would provide music for their wedding ceremony and reception.  We were pleased to be asked, but knew it would be some work.  I played music for a lot of weddings years ago.  I typically spent hours learning and practicing songs that I would play for only a few seconds.

          Andrew and I got together with the bride and groom to be.  They explained what their musical hopes were for the wedding.  They were mostly reasonable things that we could do.  The bride asked that an instrumental version of John Prine’s great song “Angel From Montgomery” be played for the processional when she walked down the aisle with her father.  She explained that this was the favorite song of her mother who had passed away a number of years ago.

          Andrew and I went to work on this.  We wrote an arrangement for two guitars, with no vocals, that emphasized the composition’s pretty melody.  We didn’t want it to be a copy of other versions of the song we had heard, but we wanted it to be close enough to the original that anyone who knew “Angel From Montgomery” would recognize it quickly.  We put some hours into crafting the arrangement and practicing it until it sounded right.  We rehearsed the other special music until we were ready for the wedding.

          The music went off without a hitch.  We played our three pieces during the ceremony and our regular blues/jazz for the cocktail hour before dinner.  We had a good time.  During the wedding reception I was approached by five or six women.  Some came in groups.  Some were alone.  They all talked about how nice the music was and they all told the same story.  They all told me what a good friend the bride’s mother was to each of them and of what a special person she was.  They spoke of how she used to bring out her acoustic guitar and sing “Angel From Montgomery” to them and of how much she loved that song.  They all said that when they heard the song playing as the bride and her father walked down the aisle, they were moved to tears.  When they recognized the song, this group of women turned their heads and searched for one another in the congregation.  They got it!  The song did what it was supposed to do.  It was for them.  For everyone else there, it was pretty wedding music.  For those close to the bride’s mother, it was a celebration of friendship.

          The whole thing was good for me, too.  This experience taught me one more lesson about the power of music to give people joy, to bring us together and to rekindle good memories.  I can grumble about the work involved in doing wedding music, but the story these women told me made it all more than worth while.  Andrew and I are lucky to be able to play the music we love for people and to help out at events like this.  The bride and groom are good people.  We wish them the all the best.  They had a fun wedding.  Now it is on to a great marriage.

          Andrew and I will not be playing any music in the area for a few weeks.  Sandy and I are going to Europe for the rest of August to spend time with friends.  Andrew will join us there around the 20^th of August.  There is a possibility we will play some music at a jazz festival in Switzerland, but I won’t give you the details for that show.  I don’t expect you will be able to make it.  Our schedule for when we return follows.  If I remember, I will send you the schedule again when I return in the beginning of September.

Hello friends,      

        Andrew and I recently took a month off from music.  We didn’t want to play Easter weekend and work was going to tie him up on a couple of Saturdays.  I was looking forward to the break.  We have been playing pretty steadily for almost three years.  I had some songwriting I wanted to work on.  I have had some lyrics kicking around in my head that have needed melodies and some musical ideas that need lyrics.  I thought I would use the time for that. 

        That isn’t what happened.  Our eight month old grandson, Gavyn, went into the hospital and spent most of the month there.  His mom and dad lived at the hospital.  I stayed in Lockport caring for his 3 1/2 year old sister, Esme.  Gavyn is having problems eating and gaining weight.  He had all kinds of tests done on him.  Now he eats through a feeding tube in his stomach.

        Gavyn is a good little fellow who is pretty cheerful when he is feeling okay.  He is cutting a couple of teeth he is really interested in.  He likes to sit up and take things out of boxes.  His sister is a sweet and active little girl who is fun to be with.  Their mom and dad are good parents.  

        Through these weeks of adventure we have heard from many friends who have offered their good wishes and prayers.  It helps us to remenber to be thankful for the important things:  family, friends and faith.  After all the tests, the doctors were not able to figure out what is causing Gavyn’s problems.  We experienced our share of anxious times, but eventually accepted that it is best to trust in God’s kindness and believe that this is just a part of his plan for Gavyn’s life.

        Well…The month “off” is over and it is time to start playing music again.  For obvious reasons, working on our musical craft and performing builds our family.  It gives us a chance to see many of you when you come out and support the music we make.  To everyone who wished us well and prayed for Gavyn during these weeks, we give our thanks. Our schedule for the coming weeks follows.  I haven’t had much time to work on booking new dates lately.  I expect to come up with some other shows in the next couple of weeks.