Showing Signs of Life – Horton, Michigan
I do love summers in Michigan, but man – the other seasons offer so much more, visually. In fall, you have the colors. Winter has frost and ice. Spring has the whole Earth waking up (like here).
Summer? It’s all green.
Between Itself and Us – Concord, Michigan
Cool busted bridge down on the Kalamazoo River, between Albion and Concord.
Brian Vander Ark is one of my musical heroes. He’s a local guy (from Grand Rapids, Michigan) who has worked awfully hard to get where he’s at.
It starts with The Verve Pipe, of course. Everyone’s heard The Big Hit, but the whole Verve Pipe catalog is great. I catch them (almost) every year in Ferndale, Michigan, for their holiday concert.
Brian takes his solo show on the road, and a few weeks back he came to Albion to perform at the restored Bohm Theatre.
Channing and Quinn joined him on stage for a few trio songs, too, and the whole show was really great. Brian snuck a few Verve Pipe songs into the set, and lot of his solo songs and covers.
He put on a great show for the audience that turned out on a spring Sunday evening, and it was great to shake hands with him before the show and introduce myself.
Loved my signed edition of Portraits by Eduardo Torres. Eduardo has a great personal touch. The book included some extra prints, posters, and a nice note from the artist.
I’m a big fan of Eduardo’s work, and glad I grabbed his book. There may be a copy or two left, if you’re lucky.
Humanity doesn’t need more sharpness. That is not one of the things for which we hunger. We hunger for beauty, and meaning, for stories, and for love.
