Saturday, November 15, 2008

Andy Juhl - Feeling Bliss

I’ve been in this situation. Pour out your sweat and tears in front of an audience for 3 or 4 hours and I feel like I’m just warming up. Tons of energy is still flowing through my body. What to do? Some people know. The musicians gather and really start jamming. “The crowd has all gone home, it’s not too late for music from the band.” No longer performing, but living the music, it’s a tremendous feeling. “Friends gather round with arms wide open and I’m feeling bliss, singing through this hazy mist.” As the sun begins to come up the musicians realize they need to move on to their day jobs, but still, for the main character the “music lingers in my open mind, the sound is keeping me always on the run.” Cool poetry, with a matching melody, I’m loving this.

Send The Rain is a folk tune for the past few years, where the drought has made even more small farmers close up shop. “There is no more green grass left for the cow.” The narrator of this song is moving on, but he’s still praying, “help the poor people who are left behind.” I love the way Andy decided to keep the instrumentation sparse and sounding as if the farmer himself is singing the song.

Prairie Home is about a country gentleman who went to the city, but decided for his own sanity to return to his roots. He made a friend while in the city, and sings, “I won’t see you again, but I’ll smile each time you’re on my mind.”

The Wind And The Buffalo is a simple instrumental guitar tune that pulls it’s strength from the intensity of the guitar strumming.

We Belong To The Earth is a full band tour-de-force that relishes the irony that mankind has created rules that are totally ignorant of the truths that live among us. “You say you own this piece of land? You better listen to the wind.” Our rules and customs seem to completely ignore the fact that we are only here temporarily, and our actions leave a footprint. This album begins with the feeling of bliss, and leaves us that way. Nice work!

Andy Juhl

Andy on Eartaste