Well it’s been a hot week of cool things out here in the woods of deep Texas in the little shop that could. And did. And is doing. It's a fun shape to work with, what can I say. This week we started on the batch of Birdsong SPORT basses just ordered this month. It feels so good to say that. It begins with a couple of walnut bodies I'm pair-building at the same time. In the small sawdusty corner of independent makers in the guitar biz, it's expected to wait months or even years to begin on an order. It's like a long line out of the pizza shop; a mark of established quality and demand far outpacing supply for a time. I've always done things a little differently, and took the past year-plus to clear out the backlog to where I feel on top of things again. And THAT feels so good. Constantly buried in work IS a kind of blessing but past a point it’s difficult to explain that to the spirit. And it’s then one has to choose… maybe not “sides” like everything else in nutty times, but leanings. Which navigational way gets 51% of the decision making. Well, spirit got me here and spirit will river me on. Like anything else, it’s a balance. My balance is to have plenty to do, but not to be buried. To stay at it and on it, but not to be consumed. Though hotter than a stolen tamale, it still feels like spring inside... and that feels good too!
I don’t like to fire up the tools really early, I’m very aware of the peace I live and work around and never like to be “that guy” who shatters it. Let’s face it, we’re not talking giant industrial machines, and it’s not like there is anybody close enough to be disturbed… but, still. Stillness and natural sounds are good. But I’ve had to sneak in and use the less hot morning hours for the woodworking and get out of there by early afternoon. When I started leaning into this as a life, I swore I was going to take Augusts off. I think a couple actually happened. Truth is, it’s a good balance to have it where I can’t spend all day where it’s dangerously hot. Because, like so many who work outside, it's where my work is and I will. I love getting sweaty. But, as we daily, in the deepest of non-sun-facing-wall, under-overhang, under-a-bunch-of-trees shade creep up from “Pits are screamin’” into that whole other triple digit realm, one has to work with life and its seasons just as we work with the wood – WITH it. WITH the grain of it. I’ll take days here and there and hole up to record music or work on writing projects, but I’m pretty much on it. There’s plenty to do in AC in assembly and on here with the words on the screen. And you know what? That balance, that rhythm of the moment, feels good too! To just fall into what feels natural. It’ll change, but I’ll change too. And that’s OK.
One of the things I did under late afternoon air conditioning was to put a good setup on this, the prototype Birdsong Companion from 2022. So IT feels good! And boy howdy, does it. This is the prototype for this model, and it came out great. As did the batch of Companions that followed. Two of which are for inventory and I still have in-process. This one, I’ve gone back and forth on selling it. But there is so much coming up behind it and it deserves to be out singing like the others. I’m not putting it up on the inventory page yet… I don’t think. It’s been up and down quickly twice over the past few months. Make contact if you want it and I’ll give you THE DEAL. It’s time to let it go to its home.
So today, this morning, I set out on an adventure to find more Texas wood – spalted pecan and mesquite – for upcoming builds. I treat these outings like adventures, because they are. I’m not out and about every day. Or even every week sometimes. I live a small, quiet, simple life that revolves around a workshop deep in the woods. So I do a bunch of things in a big circle and cover some ground when I do come out, and leave time for some improv and interaction. I went to check the PO box in town and, there at the gas station with the best breakfast tacos in town, was a ’68 AMC Javelin and a ’73 AMC Gremlin. Knowing who the two AMC guys are in town, there they were. That felt good, these guys are old friends and like true car folk, the first thing they ask about is how YOUR old cars are doing. “Where’s Sarge?” Sarge is my ’74 Roadrunner. (He’s parked for a bit while my attention is on other things.)
Then I went and saw our old friend Jake down in San Marcos. Jake worked for Birdsong for several big years, and it was good to see him. Before that though, since I was going to BE in San Marcos, I treated myself to breakfast at the Café On The Square. An old haunt still the same as decades ago. And who do I see sitting at the next table but an old music friend from decades ago, Ike Eichenberg! So we caught up, I bought him breakfast and gave him a Neil Young book I was just about finished with. I’ll tell you, it’s not every morning you get to treat a local legend to his own breakfast taco named after HIM right there on the menu. That, in San Marcos Texas terms, is equivalent to being crowned. It felt good. Ike’s a great guy. He was older than us, when we were the young local songwriters 30-something years ago all trying to sound like John Prine and Jerry Jeff walker because we didn’t know HOW to sound like anything else, he was this fully formed beatnik jazz guy, his own thing. Just the coolest cat. Still is. I parked next to a van painted with mountain scenes and “Just Keep It Simple” on the windshield. Thank you for the reminder, universe and whoever; that has always been the way to the answers and the path, for me.
So then it was wood time – this time a new place, Swift River Pecan. www.swiftriverpecans.com Pecan everything, including a huge warehouse with big stacks of wood slabs and pieces! Scott (I remember his name) helped me so much, took the time, and was a great guy as well. He works there but also makes old-school wood toys and building sets for kids. You know, like the kids who built the whole world used to play with. Round things roll; part A fits on part B; this puzzle piece goes HERE. That kind of basic brain-wiring play that ripples out into hands-on work later on. Really cool stuff – I encourage anyone reading this to support this local craftsman and buy a little something made by his company The Happy Quacker Artisan Toyshop, from wood from this great place. It means something, and – you guessed it – that feels good. Here’s Scott the wood guy:
So listen, thanks for reading, thanks for being in my world whether we’ve ever spoken or not, and thank you SO much for having me in yours for this time. It’s hot, stick a fork in me I’m done, I’m going to kick back and play for a while on a 1974 script-logo Ibanez LP Custom with a ‘70s DiMarzio Super Distortion and recent Benedetto jazz pickup in the neck position. I hope your toys bring you the same joys and you have a spectacular weekend. I think I’m going to break from doing this update blog for the next week or two and really pour it on in the workshop. Watch the builds page and the inventory page for updated pictures, and as always, get in touch when you see something you want! I can’t think of anything more to say. I guess I’m stumped.
Laters,
Listening to: Tony Bennett (who passed on today); Chris Knight, Pretty Good Guy; Aerosmith, Rocks; Steely Dan, Pretzel Logic; Richie Havens, Grace of the Sun.