We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory…will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. —Abraham Lincoln, 1861. First Inaugural Address
I’ve tried to take Lincoln’s words to heart while putting together the “Better Angels Benefit Tour.” Admittedly, it’s not always easy. Passions are still pretty strained these days and still for good reasons. And I acknowledge that “talking” may not always help us find shared solutions to serious disagreements. Even shared music from our past and present—literal “mystic chords”—may not have the power to “swell the chorus of the Union.”
Nevertheless, I believe that Better Angels, both the organization and the metaphorical “Better Angels of our nature,” can bring out parts of us that can bring us together. If we really commit to changing the way we communicate with each other, we can learn to work with, live with, do politics with—and maybe even respect—those with whom we disagree.
Therefore, I have been working for nearly a year to make a show that supports Better Angels. If you also want to help spread their message, I’ll be selling these bumper stickers that I’ve made at all my shows. In the Better Angels spirit, you can show that you recognize the limitations of the labels we throw at each other and even put on ourselves. Instead, start a real conversation. Make a new friend.
My fiddle teacher, Stacy Phillips, passed away earlier this summer. Even though he can no longer give me musical advice, Stacy gave me one last inspiration. For the first time, I’m releasing an original single. I wrote this song for him.
Stacy was one of many teachers who changed my life (the picture for this post is of my grandfather and his teacher). Stacy’s influence was largely in converting me from a classically trained violinist to an aspiring fiddler. While I only paid him as my formal teacher for a short time, Stacy continued to advise me long past my time at Yale. He supported my move to Nashville—meeting with me just before I left—and consistently commiserated with me on the struggles I’ve had in my pursuit of music (while showing me how to move forward). I hope to maintain his hard-headed passion for this music and his realism about its endless disappointments and limitations.
Stacy was also going to attend a show on my Better Angels Benefit Tour: Bethany, CT. Instead, I’m going to play this song throughout the tour as a tribute to him. As planned, I will also perform near his home in Bethany, CT. I hope some of Stacy’s friends and family will be able to attend.
And thank you to all the artists who helped bring this song to life: Nathan Meckel, Mark Niemiec, Tim Galloway, and Jimmy Sullivan.
Post #10: The Countdown Begins with @National Week of Conversation!
Every Friday through Dec 7th, I’ll be sharing news about my upcoming “Better Angels Benefit Tour.” Today, I’m releasing (almost) the entire tour schedule! If you live near any of these cities, RSVP using the links below. Andy Roth and I are so excited to share our music and support @Better Angels. We promise the show will be fun, honest, political, unique, and free!
Stay tuned on Fridays for more information, and click a link NOW to reserve your tickets.
For my final National Week of Conversation post, I’m sharing a Honky-Tonk Critters’ performance about traveling. Despite the song’s lyrics, I have not yet “been everywhere,” so to fix that I’m going on the road (again). This December, I’ll be doing an East Coast music tour as a fundraiser for Better Angels. But to make this project work, I need your help.
I plan to start in Maryland and drive north until I get to Vermont. In between, I’ll make as many stops as I have places to play (especially in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts). If you want to host, assist, or attend a house concert, please let me know. Any support is appreciated.
This tour also has the specific purpose of raising money, awareness, and participation for Better Angels. While there are many great organizations working to encourage civil discourse across our nation, I’ve chosen to support Better Angels for three reasons:
1) Better Angels has equal participation from “Reds” and “Blues”–which is unusual for these generally liberal-leaning groups. In “The Big Sort”–a book showing how America has become ideologically polarized along geographic lines–Bill Bishop argues that “mixed company moderates; like-minded company polarizes” (70). This principle was central to our founding fathers’ federalism and has more recently been confirmed by social psychologists. For example, Hamilton argued that while communities isolated from different ideas become more extreme, the “jarring of parties… often promote deliberation and circumspection, and serve to check excesses of the majority.” Like our federal system, which brings different voices together, the “Better Angels Rule” promises that “at every level of leadership we are half red and half blue.” By guaranteeing the inclusion of opposing voices, Better Angels fights conversation’s potential to provoke rather than diminish polarization.
2) Better Angels runs workshops specifically about polarization. For example, you might talk about how you think “the other side” sees you and what is and is not true about that judgment. While I’m skeptical a “Red” can persuade a “Blue” to change her mind about gun control, I believe a conversation can open that Blue’s mind to reconsider dismissive stereotypes about Red people. Even if we can’t find common ground, Better Angels can help us remember our common humanity.
3) Better Angels is a movement. Its leadership has travelled the country to spread the word, and has thereby built up grassroots participation, encouraged sustainable local chapters, and inspired independent efforts (like mine). Its message is catching, and I hope to spread it further.
Mostly, I’m supporting Better Angels because I want more people to experience the good work they are doing. If you want access yourself, for just $10/year you can become a member, which allows you to “organize workshops, build alliances, get trained as moderators,” and be included on regular, nation-wide discussions. To learn more, click a link below. For (more of) my opinions, keep following my posts and attend a show in December!
Today, a post answering my own question from yesterday: Do you know any good political songs or artists that build bridges?
I ended yesterday asserting skepticism that political songs can build “bridges” between truly different people. Here’s a recent Ed Helms/Jack Black song (“A Song to Fix Politics”) parodying how ineffective these types of songs often are:
However, there are people making art that battles polarization more effectively. Craig Havighurst gave one great bluegrass example in his article: Rhiannon Giddens bringing diversity “back” into bluegrass (for more on this, see yesterday’s article). But bluegrass isn’t the only artform making this type of progress. Here’s three very different artists doing “bridge” work:
First, this awesome podcast called “Conversations With People Who Hate Me” by Dylan Marron, a hysterically creative and courageous “writer, performer, and videomaker.” While all of us have seen/received hate messages online, Dylan actually calls the people behind his hatemail to find out the reasoning behind their words. It’s amazing to hear how differently people communicate when they realize there’s a human on the other side.
Second, the new Netflix remake, “Queer Eye” (for the Straight Guy). I didn’t see this brilliance coming, but this show isn’t really about fashion, remodeling, or self-grooming—although those topics are highly entertaining. Rather, it’s the tensions and bonds that form between these 5 eccentric “queers” and their extremely diverse (but often conservative) “straight guys” that make this show relevant and fascinating. Seriously. Give it a chance (trailer here).
Third, the program “Songwriting With Soldiers,” which proves (despite my skepticism) that songs can bridge differences. This program pairs soldiers with professional songwriters who help them “tell their stories, rebuild trust, release pain, and forge new bonds” in song. That music is then recorded and shared, “to bridge the divide between military and civilian communities, and build awareness of the challenges faced by our returning service members.” Mary Gauthier, one of the program’s songwriters, has talked about why songs specifically can forge such powerful connections:
“Songs build bridges over broken human connections…. They reassure us that our deepest fears – that no one has ever felt the way I do before, that no one could understand what I am going through, that I am totally and utterly alone — are not true. We humans are so very much alike on the inside, and songs announce to the world our universal human condition, through their lyrical and melodic expressions of how we feel. They are timeless, weightless, and can’t be seen, but they are the great human connectors….” –Mary Gauthier (more here)
I think all these people and programs are doing incredible work, and I hope to eventually find my own path in making music that builds “bridges.” As always, if you have ideas or want to get involved, get in touch!
