I love music. And I really love that by making it my career it has given me an opportunity to see so many things and meet so many people that I would never have gotten a chance to meet without it.
This week I have just returned from a work/fun trip to British Columbia to write with Canadian recording artist Bobby Wills. Bobby is a great combination of singing talent, work ethic and an analytical brain that wants to figure out the best way to do things for his career. He is careful and methodical about the moves he makes- the kind of man who listens and weighs advice carefully before deciding what he thinks about it.
Some years ago Bobby was lucky enough to meet Dayna. They became friends and she asked him to play at the wedding when she married her husband Jeff. Jeff is a litigator in the province of Alberta who has spent much of his career focused on representing First Nation peoples (the politically correct Canadian term for the native Indian people) in treaty matters and disputes. He has taken on the government in massive suits that have had dramatic results for the tribes and individuals he and his firm has represented. As a result, Jeff and Dayna have been blessed with much material success.
Jeff and Dayna and Bobby are business partners in his career, and as such, were interested in meeting me and my songwriting pal Mike Pyle recently since he, Bobby and I have been writing together. For this reason, we found ourselves at the Jeff and Dayna's lovely and isolated summer home estate in the Southern Gulf islands off of Vancouver for some writing, relaxation and general getting to know one another trip.
The islands of British Columbia (from what I have seen) are mountainous, lush with forest, and enjoyed by tens of thousands wishing to enjoy the beaches of dark sand and dramatic rock formations and scenery for swimming, surfing and relaxing, fishing or just getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The geography is uniquely northwest.
Getting there is not easy for those of us calling the southern US our home. We flew from Nashville to Dallas, Dallas to Las Vegas, Las Vegas to Vancouver and then took a ferry across to an island off of Vancouver. From there we took float planes to and from Tofino, which is an island on the eastern side of things where the great salmon runs happen. We spent 2 days on a fine fishing boat called the Linda Sue 2, skippered and guided by Bjorn. Bjorn is a fishing boat captain of Danish extraction who knows the area like a mother knows her child's face. He also has strong and interesting opinions on a variety of subjects and speaks with great detail about his love of woodcarving. He spends most of his months when the fishing is not peak creating art from woods that are indigenous to the Vancouver area islands.
Within 10 minutes of arriving where he said we would catch fish each day we had a hookup and the action rarely lulled for the whole time we fished. It was not a matter of catching fish but of catching the size and variety we wanted. Suffice it to say that I returned to the US with about 100 lbs of fine, fresh Chinook salmon that my family and my friends will all enjoy for some time.
Bobby, Jeff, Mike and I were joined on board by Jeff's pal Alan, the son of a taxidermist who sells mortgages, tends bar occasionally, is an avid hunter and loves to cook. Jeff seems to surround himself with other people who are enthusiastic about a great variety of things: all types of firearms, boats, sports and music. He speaks as excitedly about old days in the military and bar fights growing up as he does business, boat motors or Bobby's career path. His passion for adrenaline inducements seems surpassed only by the passion he and Dayna have for their 2 month old daughter, Georgia.
Our last night there we all gathered at their home for talk and a farewell feast. Jeff talked about local artists and Dayna talked about the unusual folks they had the great pleasure of knowing in their part of the world and Alan talked about what wine paired best with the splendid final night's meal he and Dayna prepared from our harvest from Mother Ocean- Chinook and Coho salmon, rockfish and halibut.
In the end, we sat on the helipad at their home and shared songs we knew. And I made new friends, saw new places in the world and learned things I didn't know. During our stay we sang on the patio, at sea and in the guest house writing new songs. Music was the reason I went there and the reason I had to leave: to go back to Nashville to meet a whole new set of friends- this set all being Swedish musicians, producers, photographers and business people who came to the US to find other music lovers to help them make a record for their fans in Scandinavia with elements of the sounds and vibe of Nashville and our soulful South. We charged headlong into 3 days and nights of hard work and fun. I made new friends and learned new things. Things like Stockholm has over 20 feet of snow a year and musicians the world over strive for excellence in the same ways in their art and "tack" is Swedish for thank you.
Did I mention? I love music!
