song du jour: bruce springsteen.mrs. mcgrath
for your taste o’ ireland tonight, let’s go with bruce springsteen’s (why not, eh?) take on the traditional irish tune, ‘mrs. mcgrath’. it’s a not-so-upbeat number about a mother’s son returning home from war, but a fantastic song nonetheless and a classic example of irish storytelling through song.
from a song of war to an actual war (always one to make a good segue-way when possible). it’s a war in central africa that is reaching it’s twenty-fifth year, but in all likelihood, a war you may not be familiar with. it is also a war that my sister has been actively involved in attempting to help reach an end for the past five years.
she started her work with invisible children in high school after their documentary was shown in one of her classes (i highly recommend checking it out if you have an hour to spare). the following year, she spearheaded the fundraising efforts at her school and they ended up raising the third highest amount of money out of all the schools in the country. this, in turn, earned her a trip to uganda to help put those funds to work (the trip was documented in the invisible children film, go… look for the sis in there!). she continued in college, taking her sophomore year fall semester off to travel around to schools in the pacific northwest to help spread the word. after that experience, she ended up taking the spring semester off as well to help out at the invisible children headquarters.
so, why do i bring this up in the middle of irish week? (still did manage to get the irish tune in there, thank you very much.) invisible children is holding their next big event on april twenty-fifth and my sister is currently in fundraising mode again. if you have a minute, check out her page, watch the video to see what it’s all about and if the generosity bug has really bitten you, it would be awesome if you could make a donation. any amount, of course, helps. tanks much! (irish accent there.)
Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band - Open All Night (2006-05-12)
It’s not wilful eccentricity that leads me to claim The Seeger Sessions is my favourite Bruce Springsteen album. I know it’s not a major critical statement, not even the future of rock and roll but a look deep into its past. It’s just that this album sounded like so much fun to make. Here on the old spiritual Jacob’s Ladder you just want to be in the room with that big old band swinging and swaying, climbing a little bit closer to heaven.
The Seeger Sessions album definitely doesn’t get enough love. I know how you feel: to me it’s perfect.
Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band, Colts Neck, NJ 2006, photo by Danny Clinch
We Shall Overcome | Bruce Springsteen
Our country is facing some hardships in this new decade: economic, environmental, and even some moral dilemmas are before us; but there are often shadows to be faced, and I know that we can persevere: with wisdom, hope, and stamina.
I hope that we can clean up our Gulf Coast, repairing some of the damages caused by the recklessness of BP; I pray for all of those who are without work, desperate to find a way to get by, taking care of themselves and their families; and my heart goes out to the good, honest people (both foreign and domestic) whose lives are adversely affected by the U.S. presence in the Middle East.
Are you a fan of the Seeger Sessions album?
