One of our top favorite musical groups is The Arcadian Wild (official website; my previous post). They’re “newgrass,” neither bluegrass nor pop nor country. We heard them in OKC a couple years ago, and went again a week ago at Beer City Music Hall for their OKC stop this year.
A few years ago we drove to a Bruce Cockburn concert in Des Moines. We were among the youngest folk there, and everyone had chairs. This time, we were among the oldest folk there, and almost no one had a chair. But just as with the Cockburn concert, the music was incredible and practically everyone could sing along.
They opened with Welcome, a theme song to make Thanksgiving every day of the year (cf. “Grateful“).
Welcome, friend
I’m so glad you came
It wouldn’t be the same without you here
Step inside
Sit down for a while
Drink in all the smiles and the tearsHelp yourself
It’s all on the house
Pass your plate around and don’t be shy
Have your fill
There’s plenty here to share
Everything prepared with us in mindEvery night we wonder “Who..?”
How we hoped it would be youWhatever you brought here tonight
We will feast and find the light
Draining every cup of joy and grief
Only God knows why we all
Stumbled in this dining hall
Searching for the food that we all need
Let us gather round the table
Come and eat…
Their play list included Shoulders, a song Lincoln Mick, the lead singer, wrote about his Dad. Many people were singing along; probably not a dry eye in the house. I was thinking of my Dad throughout. I saw a vision of Ethan (born last Christmas Eve) riding on the shoulders of his papa, Stephen, and thought of Ethan singing this song for Stephen a few decades hence.
[Chorus]
I’m standing on your shoulders
You turned my green to golden
It still comes as a surprise
Whenever I look in your eyes
Without fail, I always find the man I want to be
I’m standing on your shoulders[Verse 3]
I watched you bear that cross upon your back
All along an ancient path, ah
You showed me how to find my way back home
And I have never walked alone, ah[Bridge]
I cannot count the times you’ve caught me from the fall
I hear your voice when my back’s up against a wall
When the darkness makes
me feel I’m far away from you
You gently remind me that this never was nor will be true
With never a hint of disappointment, Stephen has caught Ethan from a fall going on 1,000 times, and my Dad has done the same for me my entire life.
As an encore, they unplugged, came down from the stage, and sang right in front of us. No one between us and their incredible harmonies. We were glad there had been no chairs for us after all. As we gamely limped to our parking spot, we rejoiced at having been gifted such a beautiful, lovely, encouraging evening.
Thank you, Lincoln, Isaac, and Bailey.
Update: A new Christmas album will be coming in November! One track is already out, and the other tracks look like a great assortment. What an autumnal treat!
