Did you know the migratory Cedar Waxwings are some of the most socially engaging birds, easily recognized by their silky brown plumage, black masks, and yellow tipped tails? They also get drunk! Due to a heavy diet of berries, they sometimes eat fermented fruit and are known for passing out, waking up hours later. Who knew birds liked to party? Most birds regurgitate the seeds inside the fruit, but not Cedar Waxwings. They digest it all, which provides a vital mutualistic benefit: it helps plant species propagate across wide areas, and the gut process can actually increase the germination rate of some seeds, like juniper. They get their name, in fact, because of their specific appetite for cedar berries in the winter. During the summer months and breeding season, they eat bugs and are excellent at catching them midair, using a technique called “sallying”, where they patiently wait on a perch and launch a sudden, short pursuit as soon as an insect flies by. The other part of their name comes from the red tips at the end of their wings that kind of resemble red wax. Finally, one of my favorite things about these birds, besides their striking beauty and social interactions with each other, is what they are called when they are in a group. A group of Cedar Waxwings is called an “earful” or a “museum” (my personal favorite)! These are just a few cool facts about these birds. You should definitely look them up and learn all about them. While you’re at it, look up Shrikes. You’ll never look at songbirds the same way.
So why did I just tell you all about Cedar Waxwings? Well, they kind of inspired a line in one of my new songs, currently titled “Bird On A Wire” (however, I’m thinking about changing the name to “Museum”). The line in the song is “Bird on a wire, museum in the trees, migration from the south to San Pedro Springs, a forgotten time, lush, geographic scene, the skyline may have changed, but their culture, it’s in everything”. Ok, now this whole line isn’t just about Cedar Waxwings. I’m just using the word “museum” to connect this grouping of birds with a bigger meaning, “a forgotten time”. I’m referencing a time, before we had a big city skyline. Before the Spanish settled in what is now San Antonio. A time before technology and even modern homes. A time when Native Americans lived off the land, slept under the stars, traveled by horse and by foot to various landmarks. They knew and appreciated the land in a very unique way. We can get a glimpse of this perspective when we immerse ourselves out in nature, go hiking, camping, explore overgrown areas in your local park. Look closer. Get on your hands and knees and look at the grass and the soil. Watch the little bugs on a mission to get to wherever they’re going. The great outdoors!
This is where I get inspired. Side note: I just finished reading this great book called “Rooted” by Lyanda Lynn Haupt. It’s great for those, who (like me), feel like nature is your church. It discusses life at the crossroads of science, nature, and spirit.
So, back to the song: “Bird On A Wire”, or “Museum”. I really like the title “Museum”, because there is double meaning. On the one hand, it’s the name of the group of Cedar Waxwings, while on the other hand it implies that there is some sort of history involved here. I like to imagine if these birds could just live forever, hanging out in the massive Bald Cypress trees along the San Antonio river, overlooking the changing landscape from century to century, what they would have seen. If only we could understand bird language, what would their version of history be… from a birds eye view?
Ok, I keep getting distracted. The song! It’s going to be the first single off my new album and it’s going to drop JULY 30TH!! I’ve been hard at work this year, working with Brant Sankey (Studio E) over at Edit Point Studios. We started this new album journey a little over 3 years ago, stalling a few times along the way due to lack of funds and the fact that Brant is a highly sought after producer in the San Antonio area. He’s also a really cool dude and has one of the best pair of ears in the business. He also produced my 2016 album, “Orange Moon”, so it was only natural that we team up again.
The reason I was able to kick things into high gear at the top of this year, is because I actually got a little help from the San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture in the form of a grant. More than a little help even. Over the course of the last 3 years, I’ve received two separate individual artist grants. I’m so thankful to the city for believing in my vision and giving me the funds needed to see this thing through. I also have to give a huge shout out to my wife, Bryana, for pushing me to apply for these grants even though I wanted to give up several different times. She has always believed in me and has continued to be my number one fan over all these years. Ya’ll, grant writing takes a LOT of work. And I already over-analyze everything. The first grant I applied for back in 2023, took me a painstaking week to fill out, and I mean like, everyday, I woke up and worked on it, typing stuff out and re-typing stuff, and deleting it all and starting over, slamming my laptop shut and storming off to go outside and re-group (did this several times), come back and type it all out again. For that first grant, I had only a week until it was due. I was so ready to just give up and just say F-it, I’ll figure out how to make the money some other way. My wife pushed me though, and I was smart enough to listen, and I kept going back to it and finally submitted it a day before the deadline. Then I waited 6 months before I got a response. Yes. They approved it! Best news I had received all week, all month!
So this first grant was called an “individual performance artist grant”, which means my obligations for the grant was to research, get inspired, write some new songs and curate/debut a live performance somewhere. I also pitched the idea to have a projector of illuminating photos taken by me over the course of a year, projected over my head, while I performed the new songs. This all culminated with my second ever Echo Bridge performance! More on that next time.
In my next blog, I’ll dive deeper into the songs I wrote for this echo bridge performance, how amazing that show was, the complications we had preparing for and during the show, and also the 2024 grant that I applied for but didn’t get, and how that effected the momentum of the album. Until next time, go be a tree in a park somewhere and be still for a while. Maybe you’ll make friends with a bird.