Sunday Sip
Assorted ramblings and ruminations on normal folks creating amazing art to bond us together
Happy Sunday, my friends. I hope this day is greeting you with a big smile and black coffee or tea or diet Coke or hot cocoa or whatever flips the lights on for you. I feel that your environment is important to reading or listening, so wrap yourself in your favorite space, and let's talk about normal people who inspire others with their work.
Creativity and Everyday Heroes
I hinted on my last Sunday Sip in the “What Are You Reading” about inspiration for this Sunday Sip leaking into my mind as I read Geddy Lee’s “My Effin Life.” Perhaps I should say “listened to” instead of “read,” as Brenda and I both listen to books during our morning 5-mile walks. I don’t know if it matters if you listen or read (more on that later), but the point is that Geddy’s memoir struck a chord with me.
That chord, which sounds like a power chord in E to me, is that Geddy is a regular guy. If we’d lived in the same town during high school, we might have been buds. And yet, he is an inspiration to me and others around the world. Sure, he has extraordinary musical talent, but in the end, he is just like you and me. He goes to work each day (at 9?), takes care of his family (he’s working all the time), and lives his life the best he can. He just happens to do that while motivating people like me with the music he creates.
If by chance you aren’t familiar with Geddy Lee, he sings and plays bass/synths for the Canadian progressive rock band Rush. His memoir “My Effin Life” is a thoughtful account of growing up the child of Holocaust survivors, losing his father, and finding a path through life with music. I won’t give away all the details, but Geddy shares the ups and downs of his life with humility and humor. If you are a Rush fan, you’ll come away with a better understanding of Geddy and perhaps a new appreciation for his work. If you aren’t a Rush fan, you might want to become one after hearing his story.
Geddy inspired me to want to be a better musician. I’ve mentioned before that my Mom was also a huge source of motivation for me musically. She gave me the tools and the desire to soak music into my bones. However, it was Geddy’s voice and bass guitar playing that instilled a desire in me to be more than a fan. Because of him, I wanted to play and play well. Technically, it was Geddy, Alex Lifeson (guitars), and Neil Peart (drums), but you get the idea. Rush was huge for me.
My effin life as a fan of Rush began as a diehard member of the Kiss Army. Our sixth-grade social studies teacher let kids bring in albums to listen to on Fridays. A sort of wild and wooly kid named Jim Romine brought in KISS Alive! One listen, and I sold my soul to the Knights In Satan’s Service (at least that is what the Christian zealots would have you believe).
My middle school years as a goofy introvert were spent air guitaring to KISS classics such as “Deuce,” “King of the Night Time World,” and “Parasite.” My walls were covered with Hit Parader photos of KISS and, of course, a giant poster of Gene Simmons dripping in blood. I’m sure my parents were impressed. I can still remember my Grandma saying, “Who are those devils?” when I enthusiastically showed her the cover to Destroyer. Good times, good times.
By the time I strolled into high school, trying like hell to be cool, the KISS belt buckle wasn’t doing it. It probably didn’t help that I didn’t fit in as a jock and wasn’t quite a burnout. In a nerdy void of kids who didn’t quite fit in, I met a guy named Karl Vollmar, and he changed my life. I can’t remember the setup other than it was before history class started, and Karl asked if I had heard of Rush. I shook my head, no, and Karl offered to bring in a Rush album for me to check out. That album was 2112.
Imagine the scene from Almost Famous where a young William Miller is told, “One day, you’ll be cool,” and then “Look under your bed. It'll set you free.” Or better yet, take a couple of minutes to watch the clip from one of my most favorite movies ever.
That awestruck response from William as he cues up Tommy from The Who is nearly identical to my experience hearing 2112 for the first time. As I write, tendrils of that memory cause the hairs on my arms to lift up. “The Discovery,” with the story of finding a guitar and discovering music, sparked my passion for the instrument.
Thanks to Geddy, Alex, and Neil, I started to spend more and more time with my guitar (actually my Mom’s guitar). The music that Rush made transcended anything that I had heard up to that point in my life. As with all new learning, you have to walk before you can run. That meant learning to rock out to “Working Man” from the debut album by Rush. I jammed those power chords until my fingers were raw. In the process, I’m sure I drove my siblings close to madness.
The music of Rush set me on a course of exploration. I found Yes (Chris Squire - another hero), Jimi Hendrix, Iron Maiden, and Pink Floyd. My circle of friends added Al Di Meola, Black Sabbath, and David Bowie. The list goes on and on. Then along came Randy Rhoads with Ozzy, and the doors to music and guitar were smashed open once again. The cycle keeps repeating as I hear a new band or discover music that I’d missed or overlooked. I revel in the discovery.
I guess where I was going with all this is that I marvel at how a kid from Willowdale, Toronto, can have such a profound impact on someone they don’t know and have never met. That kid took his passion to create something from nothing, and the art he forged lept out and touched me to the core of my being.
Over the last ten years, I’ve had the honor of being able to interview several artists that I admire. They all share similar humble beginnings, like Geddy Lee. Playing in a basement or garage band with aspirations to take their craft further. In the process of reaching out and making that connection, they share their gift with the world.
It is a reminder that when I see a local band playing original music, they are reaching out to make a connection with me. The art they create may resonate with me, and through it, we now have formed a bond. And while my focus here is music, I know that this same communal interconnection is happening all around us in all the other various modes of creative endeavor.
This all dovetails into what I talked about in my last Sunday Sip regarding reaching out. We all need connection with other people. The arts, in all their forms, allow us to craft those connections. In those connections, we can find inspiration and realize we are all part of the same cloth woven from endless threads of creativity.
Curiosity Question for You: Is listening the same as reading?
Do you “read” or “listen”? Is listening to a book the same as reading it? I sometimes feel like I’m cheating as I listen to the story instead of reading it. It seems intuitive that different aspects of my brain are involved with the tasks of reading with my eyes versus listening with my ears. Yet, does it matter what the vehicle is for the information we consume? What do you think?
Upcoming Events You Won't Want to Miss
Every week, there is so much to share. If you have events that we miss, please be sure to drop a note on Substack.
Ann Arbor Restaurant Week on Jan 21-26th. Come hang out with us and enjoy spectacular food and beverages in downtown Ann Arbor. Brenda and I will hit up Miss Kim, Peridot, and Blom Meadworks.
We tagged along for a preview of Ann Arbor Restaurant Week with our friends John Gonzalez and Amy Sherman of Behind The Mitten. Be sure to catch them on the radio next week or listen to their podcast with delectable insights from Pacific Rim, Old Town Tavern, and Jolly Pumpkin Cafe and Brewery. Along the way, you can get the scoop on upcoming events from Chad at Destination Ann Arbor and Vicki from the Main Street Area Association. In the meantime, check out this preview from John and Amy
Made In The Mitten on Jan 25 at the Indian River Library. Join our friend Dianna Stampfler from Promote Michigan to learn about the diverse agricultural products of Michigan and sample a few as you learn.
Heikinpäivä 2024 on Jan 19-27 in Hancock. Celebrate the Finnish traditions in Hancock (way up in the U.P.) at this Finnish-American mid-winter festival.
The Batch Brewing Company Winter Olympic Leisure Games on Feb 11th in Detroit. Gather up your team and get ready for Nerf biathlon, magnet darts, and more at Batch Brewing’s inaugural Winter Leisure Olympic games. I can almost hear the Wide World of Sports theme music now!
18th Annual Winter Beer Festival on Feb 24 in Comstock Park. Dress warm and drink some amazing Michigan beers at the Winter Beer Festival at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park (just north of Grand Rapids). Be sure to visit the Stiggs Brewery & Kitchen truck at the festival for our collaboration stout called “Camping With Uncle Charlie.”
In Other News
Over on Rural Innovation Exchange, we’ve got stories about Bridget Kavanagh, who is raising sheep in Mason and Manchester Underground Music and Art, bringing sweet music to River Raisin Distillery in Manchester.
I’m slightly overwhelmed by the flood of awesome on Substack. However, I want to shout out to some very cool stories/articles that I’ve enjoyed recently:
The Garden of Forking Paths - We are different from all other humans in history
Patti Smith - Looking out for half magic
On Repeat by Kevin Alexander - Van Halen’s ‘1984’ at 40
Adventures Yet To Print
We’ve got a recap of our brew day with Stiggs Brewery & Kitchen coming up. We had a lot of fun making beer over an open fire during a blizzard. Ok, it wasn’t quite a blizzard, but the snow was flying. We’ll also have a recap of our behind the scenes with Behind The Mitten, along with our adventures at Ann Arbor Restaurant Week.
Brenda’s got some stories brewing on the beer scene. I’ve also got to get my butt moving on a recap of our trip to Austin, TX, where we indulged in plates full of Texas BBQ.
What Are You Reading?
After ruminating over Geddy Lee, I switched gears and checked out some fiction. Having recently mentioned the Slow Horses series on Apple TV, I jumped into the first book by Matt Herron called…wait for it…Slow Horses! The book colors the characters in more depth, but I’m finding the TV series matches up extremely close to the book, which is encouraging. Nothing is worse than reading a great book and finding out that the film or series has not done it justice. Let me know if you want me to rant on the various book adaptations that have missed the mark.
What Are You Spinning?
My recent spins are of the digital kind. The new Temple of the Fuzz Witch song called “Ashes” is devastatingly heavy blackened doom. Prepare to burn! Keep an eye out for their forthcoming album, which will be available on Ripple Music.
I’m really loving the brutal prog metal madness on “Creation Transcended” by the Caudle Brothers (Phil and Mike) featuring Geoff Jenkins on vocals. The last time I saw these outstanding musicians - Mike was shredding in After The Minor, and Geoff was roaring with Speedgod. Together, they are forging a lush and extremely powerful song that will appeal to fans of Animals As Leaders, Devin Townsend, and Tesseract.
That’s A Wrap
Sheweee Ilene! That is it for me on this Sunday morning. I’ll leave you with this adorable little bird.
💛👍