A song came up on my iTunes shuffle last week that propelled me to nostalgia, remembering how much it shaped a particular time in my life. The album is Chase the Buffalo, by Pierce Pettis. I randomly met a guy on a road trip in college, and somehow Pierce came up in our brief conversation. I discovered him when I was writing CD reviews and connected with his alternate tunings and general style of play, which reminded me a lot of my dad. This random guy asserted that I needed Chase the Buffalo, and it was out of print, so he took my address and promptly sent me a burned copy. I wore it out playing it so much. A few years ago I replaced it with a gently used copy from amazon marketplace.
I like contemporary folk music (Pettis, Wilcox, Dar Williams, etc.) in moderation, it’s not actually something I can generally listen to on a daily basis, but something about the songwriting on this album blew me away. The song I heard last week, “Trying to Stand in a Fallen World” – the imagery of the title alone is so moving to me. “You’re Not There” with it’s haunting first line, “The presence of your absence follows me…” There’s “Family” which has been covered a number of times, including by Dar Williams, and “I Will Be Here” which is a great tribute to friendship. In college when I needed to feel something other than my own self-important rantings in my head, I’d put on this CD and be transported. I can remember listening to it in my dorm room, in my car, in the brand-new Borders, everywhere. I can even remember some of what I was trying to escape from. Music has that power, mixed with memory, to take me back in time.
This wasn’t the first, or last CD that grabbed hold of me, I am sure I will write about others. I’d love to hear some of yours as well.
