Weekend Recap

I doubt there was a warmer, cozier place to be in all of Dallas than Opening Bell last Saturday for Dallas Does the music of James Taylor and Carole King. In spite of the rain and the falling temperatures, the place was packed with smiling faces. We saw lots of old friends, made some new ones, and enjoyed classic songs like "Fire and Rain," "You've got a friend," "It's too late, baby," and "I feel the earth move" (we played that one). My favorite moment was brought to us by Julie Anne Turner, who led the audience in a sing-along of a chorus of "Shower the People." Her rendition is the first time I've truly enjoyed that song (perhaps because I wasn't distracted by the "thee"s where there should have been "thuh"s, but also because Julie Anne is wonderful). I also thoroughly enjoyed hearing some of the lesser-known James Taylor songs, performed beautifully by the other artists on the roster.

As wonderful as all that was, my favorite music of the evening came not from the Taylor/King covers, but from the original songs that everyone performed after going through all the King/Taylor sets.  Each artist brought excellent original music and performed it well -- if you didn't already know, there is a lot of talent in Dallas! What a testament to the enduring influence of pioneering singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Carole King. After folks like Dylan created the genre of singer-songwriter, Taylor, King, and their contemporaries firmly established it as a category of popular music, and all of us who participated in Saturday night's festivities have them to thank.

Speaking of thanks, I'm thankful to the amazing Steve Jackson for setting the event up (and treating us to his original songs at the end of the evening), to Opening Bell Coffee for hosting with their lovely atmosphere and chai lattes,  and, most of all, to the guests and friends and fans who slogged through the rain and the bad traffic (that's kind of like going through fire and rain) just to make it there. Thanks for making it a great evening.