today’s audio is a live version of my song “you, sailor” performed at the variety theater in atlanta georgia on my recent tour with welcome to nightvale. the wonderful musician disparition joins me.
while every night, every room, every audience was different, this version gives you a nice idea of what we were making each time we took the song out for a spin.
“you, sailor” has always had a talismanic power for me. whenever i play it, in whatever circumstance, it has always drawn focus - mine and the listener’s. it is quiet and still and sure of itself in a way that i personally strive for and only sometimes achieve.
i wrote it sometime in 2005 or 2006 when i was out on the road opening up for a sailor mentor of mine, ani difranco. we were playing one of the weirdest venues out there, the cape cod melody tent, in hyannis, massachussetts. if you haven’t seen this venue, google it. if you’ve played or attended a show there, then you know what i mean.
the stage is a perfect circle, and the seats are arrayed 360 degrees around it. already, this is a challenge as a performer, especially as someone who is tied to a stationary object like a vocal microphone. perhaps to make up for this, the cape cod melody tent instead made it more strange: the stage is a lazy-susan. just like the thing in the middle of your table that theoretically makes the salt and napkins and dip more accessible, the cape cod melody tent stage rotates as you play, giving the audience many views of you, not just your front.
as if this weren’t disorienting enough for everyone, the stage does not complete a full rotation. instead, like a wind up music box, it turns itself all the way in one direction and then unwinds all the way in the other. sometimes you are rotating left to right, other times right to left.
this is madness, especially when the stage lights are on and the audience is dark. you have no idea where you are! you have no idea how you got here! you may ask yourself, how do i get off this thing? the answer is you pray that when the spinning stops, you can find the crew member frantically waving a flashlight toward the glowing tunnel of tape marking the exit. you pray that that you can walk steadily towards it, without weaving like a drunk person, and exit the stage with some measure of grace and dignity. sea legs indeed.
so it was in this strangeness, traveling with a group of artists to an old, oceanside town, that i wrote “you, sailor”. hints of this are in the lyrics, like little souveniers of the afternoon i wrote it:
what’s this comraderie of country
that turns before me salty
rust on fragile parts
all this, all you have inspired
the crew and ship of empire
when i first started playing this song, i just played it. no explanation, no set-up. people connected to it immediately. but somewhere along the way, i started doing the long intro, telling the story of my path as an artist and contextualizing the images.
over the years i have gone back and forth over which i prefer: the long setup or the unadorned presentation. on this last night vale tour, i decided to go for the setup, hoping that the younger audience might identify with the person i was when i wrote the song - embarking on life, stepping out on my own.
truth be told, i am now the sailor in the song. i have been out and about on my own ship for awhile now. being the lonely sailor is its own story, one i didn’t have the perspective to explore almost 20 years ago. now i’d say that it feels nice to have the company of a protege along the way. i personally have had a few that i have felt so energized and enlivened by. and i suppose to my students, i too am a sailor for them. at the end of every semester, i watch them set off on their boats, while i tidy my own for my next adventure.
perhaps that’s the new setup for the song. so next time you see me, ask me to play “you, sailor” from that perspective.
hey yall - popping in for our usual announcements.
i spent last episode telling you the story of my chet atkins guitar, which is now up for sale on facebook or reverb if you’re interested.
it’s the time of year when we buy things! if you know someone who might appreciate some of my swag, may i direct you to my online store. there’s music, plus apparel, signed vinyl, and most importantly my anti-holiday album F*ckThat! including the hymnal and chordbook so you can sing and play all your anti-holiday favorites with friends or enemies.
do you have a song or an album you have always dreamt of making but don’t know where to start? i love to produce music for other artists and am looking for production projects in 2024. all levels of experience are welcome. drop a line! erin@erinmckeown.com
and finally, Fax Of Life is going on winter-break. it’s time for me to hibernate, nest, go underground, lie fallow, all the metaphors and come back in mid-february refreshed and ready for another great year. meantime, you can always catch up on previous episodes you might have missed on substack, apple, or spotify.
it’s the time of year for wrap-ups and resolutions, so i just want to shout-out a few things that happened in 2023 that were awesome and for which i am grateful.
in february, i had the pleasure of producing mo pepin’s new album “gravity”. it’s a quiet, thoughtful record of carefully placed phrases and musical moments that add up to an experience as beautifully solid and present as its namesake.
throughout this year, i’ve been working with the wonderful leslie buxbaum and david levin on a new musical at the university of chicago. it’s called OUT HERE, and we’ll be doing more public things in the near future. we have a website and a mailing list, so join us for the ride.
2023 marked the second installment of scenic songs, a concert series i helped conceive with trustees, an organization that maintains trails and museums throughout massachusetts. in august, along with some wonderful folks, we hiked a little bit, i played a show, then we hiked some more. it was one of my favorite gigs i have ever played. if you want me to do this wherever you live, please drop a line.
and finally, my musical MISS YOU LIKE HELL had wonderful productions in Seattle and Northern California, among other places, including one i got to visit at arizona state university. this show continues to be a blessing, bringing me in contact with outstanding artists and amazing communities. thank you to everyone who did our show this year, and look out for a production near atlanta, georgia in early 2024.
i treasured every moment of my time on the road with welcome to night vale last month- being with my tour mates, meeting audiences new and old, seeing for myself what’s happening in our country. deep down, i have really been missing being on the road. so my resolution for 2024 is to try to play more shows. it might take me a second, and it might not look like what you expect, but know that i’m trying!
see yall in february!
erin
ps - your carl content
carl is serving perfect sunday morning vibes
¡ME GUSTA! : SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!
luray caverns, in the piedmont of my home state virginia is a weird and wonderful slice of old-fashioned america. but did you know it also houses the world’s largest musical instrument?
a sheep was living by herself at the bottom of a canyon FOR TWO YEARS. she has finally been rescued.
speaking of finally, an HBCU figure skating team!!
someone got a scanable spotify tattoo. which is such a shame because spotify is a drain on the entire planet. happy wrapped season!
the metal band Iron Maiden plays pickup soccer games wherever they tour. sign me up!
fascinating read about the actor behind Flo, the progressive insurance spokesperson.
a doctoral student at brown university is leaving a piano outside for years to see what happens. i love my alma mater!
6 short audio works responding to the prompt “letting things go”.
a very true graphic expression of the societal horror that is NFL football. good to read, even if you’re still a football fan, like me.
would you stay overnight in a clown motel?
another reason i hate pickleball. just play tennis!
UPCOMING SHOWS
March 8 -24, 2024 - Woodstock GA
Miss You Like Hell at Woodstock Arts
TICKETS
If you have further questions or concerns about COVID protocols, please contact the venues directly.
Reminder, Erin does not appear in productions of Miss You Like Hell
you, sailor