Stepping Back, Stepping Out, Stepping Up
2.5.26
Hey, hey, long time, etc. Apologies for the radio silence but you should know by now that your humble narrator isn’t too big on consistency.
Some of you may have noticed a drop in activity on social media, and that’s not an accident - I am taking a very deliberate step back from the FB and IG and TT and all the rest, so this Substack will be my selected mode of online communications for the foreseeable future. I will share my posts here to Facebook but won’t be checking the site itself on a regular basis, so if you want to react or comment or message me, you gotta do it here.
I am super stoked to announce a return to my weekly joint at Prohibition on Upper King every Tuesday night from 9-12, this time with the added bonus of two of my dearest fellow travelers, Alan Schmitt and Jonathan Peace. We’re calling ourselves the t.ambien trio, and hope to explore the groovier side of our repertoire and explore some hitherto unaccessed regions of our musical landscape. The staff at Prohibition are incredibly cool and their mixological skills are second to none, so come on out and catch some vibes. The residency commences this Tuesday 2/10.
On Saturday 2/14 I’ll be appearing with Trey “Stump” Smith and Jason Ridenhour at the Sweetheart Vendor Market benefiting My Sister’s House at Triangle Char and Bar. It’s always a good time playing with these fellas and it’s a great cause so come on out and get your sugar something sweet. Music from 11-2…
…after which I’ll be dashing down to the Tattooed Moose in Park Circle for a 3-6 with the Trio.
I have been thinking a lot about how to navigate our current situation without losing our humanity. It is absolutely disheartening to know that such a significant number of our neighbors are on board with the Gestapo-esque shenanigans we’re seeing in our cities, and the natural impulse is to lash out and condemn them along with the violence and corruption itself - and social media is perversely well-suited for this kind of dynamic. I have indulged in it myself, many times, even as I believe, under the anger and bewilderment and fear, that love and kindness and forgiveness are the only way out of this mess. That’s why I’m stepping back from those platforms - I don’t like the version of myself that surfaces all too readily when I log in. We must condemn evil when we see it, without hesitation or apology - but we must also be careful not to burn the bridges that allow the confused and deluded and fearful who support the chance to return to sanity. Otherwise, how are we different from those we condemn? Being “right” is not the point, in and of itself - Ram Dass explains this better than I ever could, so I’ll give him the last word:
(This) is a prescription for social activists: oppose, stand up, defy, confront. Do what you do to stop their action - you may even have to imprison that person so they don’t hurt other people. You do what you must do, but do it without closing your heart.
With a defective, broken, tired heart that I struggle to keep open, I wish us all peace and healing and love.