People Who Unite and Things I Learned by Falling Into One of My YouTube Rabbit Holes

In a music mood, I recently was checking out what was happening at this year’s Newport Folk Festival. I was delighted to find a treasure: the Joni Mitchell performance. Besides the beauty of hearing her sing again after her stroke, the the second was the work of Brandi Carlile to make this happen. There is a lovely back story to this event centered around Brandi taking a risk to start a relationship with Joni. Here are two of the many videos on the Newport performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiluPSmAF8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr6K612Mjig


The results of a person who has the gift of uniting people is a rare and beautiful thing to see. Brandi had taken the steps to encourage Joni to come back to the Newport Folk Festival. I took note that Brandi had that gift. Not only did Joni appear but Brandi’s initiative knit together on the stage all kinds of diverse musicians who knew Joni as fundamental to the roots of our music.


More recently, I went back to listen to John Prine, my comfort music of choice. I decided to listen to tributes made after his 2020 death. Again up came Brandi Carlile. She had been inspired by John Prine and experienced his ability to tell a story that could bring people together to understand someone else’s life. A young Kasey Musgraves wrote a song about wanting to “burn one with John Prine.” Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires sang because they had experienced his friendship and wisdom. Here are variety of tribute videos. Notice the wide variety of ages and music traditions represented(31-81 years old):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFLqYKjOVOk    (Brandi Carlile)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEyPXA0c7E4     (Dave Matthews)

https://youtu.be/CJPvc5vvKY4     (Joan Baez)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi-AHqQ48EM.   (Bonnie Raitt)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBksI8zbhrg     (NPR with Margo Price/Jeremy Ivey, Courtney Marie Andrews, John Paul White, Nathaniel Rateliffe, and Brandy Clark)


The Youtube algorithm started sending me to videos on Amanda Shires and the Highwomen. Sure enough there was Brandi Carlile taking up Amanda’s vision for a women’s band to challenge the male dominated country music industry. The most important part of this uniting was the courage of Amanda to tell her story and have the courage to reach out to someone who might help the vision happen. Of course the thing that happened was that four woman musicians choice to try uniting as an example to other musicians and fans. The very recent video from CBS Mornings is a very touching interview of Shires on vulnerability and courage. It gets at this work of uniting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s6uVf_eKjQ   (CBS interview August 2022)


And if you want to rock with the Highwomen doing ‘The Chain’:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVLNB3d-2cA&list=RD1s6uVf_eKjQ&start_radio=1

When all is said and done, what experiences do you have with people who unite? Uniters are just not in music. If could reach out to one person and ask for help creating something new to unite people for a noble purpose, who would it be? Share your story with us! 


May your day be filled with music, collaboration and creativity,


Van


Brandi Carlile’s Memoir Broken Horses can be ordered here, as well as books on Joni Mitchell:

My Book Store


   



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