The Kitchen Musician ~ January 2025
Hello Friends,
We lost a great songwriter last month. I pay tribute to David Mallett and reflect on a long line of inspirational folksingers and folksongs. Join me in the kitchen and I’ll share my new song “They are My Brothers.”
Index
NEWS:
THIS MONTH’S MUSIC: “They Are My Brothers”
UPCOMING SHOWS
FEATURED NON-PROFIT: Folk New England
Tom and David Mallett, Framingham, MA
Photo © 2014 by Michael Burd
Used with permission
News:
I am very much looking forward to these great shows.
Jan 22, Wednesday: Dan’l Boone Library, Virtual Concert, Columbia, MO. Performing a songwriter showcase with talented friends Kim Wallach and Tracy Newman, virtually via Zoom. 8:00 pm ET. Public invited. CLICK HERE to go to the event page, or CLICK HERE TO REGISTER and get the Zoom link.
Jan 25, Saturday: Needham, MA. Sharing this show with Cosy Sheridan, along with Charlie Koch and Seth Connelly, at The Homegrown Coffeehouse. I guarantee that you will leave feeling better than when you arrived. Show at 7:30 pm, doors at 7:00 pm. Tickets: General admission and live stream $22, Seniors/Students $20 Purchase tickets at the door, or online at this link.
Feb 7, Friday: High Street Coffeehouse, Boscawen, NH. I feature at this open mic. Sponsored by the Boscawen Congregational Church. Doors open at 6:15, and music starts at 7:00 pm.
All show details can be found at upcoming shows.
This Month’s Music: “They Are My Brothers”
℗© 2025 Tom Smith (ASCAP)
Although we are only a week away from inauguration day, I choose to turn my focus this month to the great inspiration I receive from music. As a performer, my first love was traditional folk songs – songs passed from person to person and village to village over many years.
Recently I learned of a quote by Henry David Thoreau from my singing friend Deborah Goss. It comes from a journal entry written on January 13, 1857 – exactly 168 years ago today! “When I hear music I fear no danger, I am invulnerable, I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times and to the latest.” This is a perfect reflection of my frame of mind. I suppose it is no surprise to the psychologists among you that as my anxiety about current events rises, I have been seeking the comfort of those old songs again. I am even performing a few live streams that focus exclusively on the old folk songs.
But what about modern day songwriters? How do their songs compare to the old songs that I fell in love with, and that inspire my own songwriting? The famous scene of Bob Dylan “going electric” at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival comes to mind. As the story goes, many in the audience boo’d him for abandoning the roots of folk music by performing his songs with electric guitar and band. That is the centerpiece of the current film “A Complete Unknown”, but a more nuanced account can be found in Elijah Wald‘s book “Dylan Goes Electric” (Dey Street/HarperCollins 2015). There have been many heated discussions about what is and is not a folk song. Let’s just say that there are many different views on this, and my own have broadened over the years.
Yes, there are modern day folks writing songs that inspire me in much the same way as I was inspired by the traditional folk songs. In particular, David Mallett, who passed away last month on December 17th, combined his deep connection to his life in rural Maine with a keen artistry. David could write a two or three minute song that tells a story one can imagine filling a novel or a two hour movie. His performance style was simple and straight forward with a rich and true voice accompanied by a steady right hand on his guitar that I am still trying to emulate.
Twice I had the great honor to open shows for David. This photo is from 2014 when I (along with his accompanist Mike Burd, and friends Marc Bridge and Margo Lemieux) joined David for his iconic “The Garden Song” (Inch By Inch). Photo by Dan Tappan.
At one of the shows when I opened for David, the host slipped me a note part way through my set, saying that David had just broken a bridge pin when changing strings. I don’t know anyone who would change strings in the thirty minutes before going on stage, but I guess David really liked playing his shows with fresh new strings. Immediately after my set, I rushed into the green room and removed a bridge pin from my guitar so he could use his own guitar that evening. I confess that it felt kind of good to see my one black bridge pin next to his five white ones on stage. He was on tour, so after the show I told him to keep it. I don’t know how many gigs he performed with my bridge pin, but I enjoyed the thought that a piece of my guitar went with him.
My song this month is a tribute to David Mallett and also to all of the current songwriters and unknown folksingers of the past to whom I am in great debt. Circling back to my opening statement about the inspiration I receive from folk songs to get me through difficult times like these, I will leave you with David Mallett singing his song “Celebration”. (That is his three children who appear part way through this video.)
… and this final lyric from my song…
“Songs that sow the seeds of hope
Inch by inch and row by row
Wisdom of the common folk
Links in our human chain
We need those singers here and now
May they keep their hands upon the plow
By their songs show us how
We can do the same”
Tom
(If so inclined, I invite you to leave a comment by scrolling to the end of this page.)
Featured Non-profit: Folk New England
“The mission of Folk New England is to foster appreciation and preservation of the indigenous folk music of the New England area through collection, preservation, and dissemination of both primary and secondary sources. We work with individuals, families, musicians, scholars, students, and ordinary folk to increase and perpetuate the collection and understanding of the diverse common musical heritage of the region.”
Please join me in supporting Folk New England.
Tom Smith
January 13, 2025They Are My Brothers
© 2025 Tom Smith (ASCAP)
When I was a younger man
The songs I sang were second hand
Of folks long gone who worked the land
And sailed upon the sea
Songs no single person owns
Polished smooth like river stones
Or patched by common thread, sewn
By those unknown to me
CHORUS
They are my brothers
I sing their sorrows
They are my sisters
I share their pain
I hear their laughter
In every chorus
And dreams whispered
In each refrain
Some of the singers of today
May say it in a different way
Plug in their instruments and play
Louder than I do
(But) I feel the same way when I hear
New songs that ring true and clear
It gives me faith replacing fear
We can make it through
CHORUS
(They sing) Songs that sow the seeds of hope
Inch by inch and row by row
Wisdom of the common folk
Links in our human chain
We need those singers here and now
(May they) keep their hands upon the plow
By their songs show us how
We can do the same
FINAL CHORUS
They are our brothers
Sing their sorrows
They are our sisters
Share their pain
Hear their laughter
In every chorus
And dreams whispered
In each refrain
Beverly Granoff
January 13, 2025I started playing guitar in the 60’s and have always loved the traditional songs. Listening to your song tonight I feel a real connection with it. Not exactly sure why! Especially the line, By their songs show us how We can do the same.
Also have been enjoying your live chats! 🎶
Tom Smith
January 14, 2025Thank you for your deep listen, Beverly. It seems we have a lot in common with those old songs. Take care.
mike b
January 14, 2025poignant.. nice work Tom..
Tom Smith
January 14, 2025Thank you Mike. Grateful for your photography, and your long and dedicated history with David.
Stuart Stotts
January 14, 2025So good to hear you
Tom Smith
January 14, 2025Thanks for listening, Stuart!
Paul Weilage
January 14, 2025Your song brought up memories of listening to many songs of the late 60’s and 70’s that helped me cope with those turbulent times. It brings hope to search for the calm in songs again.
Tom Smith
January 14, 2025I’m right there with you Paul. Thanks for getting on the band wagon.
Trisha Knudsen
January 14, 2025A lovely tribute all around, Tom. I’m pretty sure that Phil and I were across that table with you and Mike Burd in Framingham that evening. What a treat! Thank you for honoring David and those who came before him with this beautiful song. Love you. Trisha xo
Tom Smith
January 14, 2025Thanks Trish. It was such a great gift when Phil asked me to open for one of my heroes. And yes, I do remember sharing a table with you that evening at that little place down the street from the “firehouse” stage.
Virginia Amsler
January 14, 2025I found myself singing along with you Tom, and then when I listened to Celebration, I thought of the music you and your family share. I watched David Mallett with his children. Once upon a time I played the guitar singing folk songs. My son and grandson play the guitar. I am forwarding this to them. Music is the prayer, the celebration of life that we share.
Ginny
Tom Smith
January 14, 2025Hi Miss Ginny. Great to hear from you. I can picture you with a guitar on your lap and a song in your heart! I hope all is well with you. <3
Carl N Beverly
January 14, 2025Nicely don Tom, I’ve been listening exclusively to Dave in my car. I have a bunch of his music that I have not gotten to yet but will. Greening Up is my current awe. Every album has songs that I want to learn. I really admire how he speaks to social issues in such simple but moving words. The bar was set high. Thanks for the tribute…and keep on saying what needs to be said.
Tom Smith
January 14, 2025Thanks Carl. So glad you discovered David. He was my go-to whenever I’d get stuck writing. I’d ask “how would David say it?”.
Rachel Deakin
January 16, 2025Hi Tom, we meet over a year ago at Cosy Sheridan’s song writing conference. I love the lyrics you have put together in this song.
Verse one and two are lovely, I especially like the comparison to polished river stones. The later verses hold a wonderful perspective we would all benefit from adopting.
The simple melody is immediately comfortable making it easy to sing along and carry in your heart.
Thank you for your faithfulness at the plow spreading hope and the wisdom of the common folk.
Tom Smith
January 17, 2025Hello Rachel. Great to reconnect with you. Thank you for your deep listening. Wishing you well on your songwriting journey!