Learnedsofar - Ryan's Song

What I've Learned So Far...

The 2010 Concert for Lost Voices is just around the corner. We'll be hitting the stage at The Barnstormer at 6 PM on Friday, August 27 with Jost White, Jr., Kitty Donohoe, Annie & Rod Capps, Charlie Allen Martin, Salem Witchcraft Backstage Pass, Dr. Mike & The Sea Monkeys, Cliff Gracey, Soulstice, and more. We'll enjoy a round robin of blues and folk music until about 9:00, then the great '70s era bands Salem Withcraft and Backstage Pass will take over and rock the night away!

Of course, there will be good Barnstormers food and drink, rounding out what may be the best entertainment value of the year. And it all goes to support the important work Lost Voices does with incarcerated and at-risk youth.

If you can make it, we'd love to see you. You can buy advance tickets online ($20, students $15) and you can get more details at lostvoices.org. Tickets will be $25 at the door.

If you can't make it, please consider going to the Lost Voices Web site and make a small donation. In any case, we would appreciate it if you would forward this to all your friends.

The column below is one story from our Lost Voices work.

Thanks for your support!

- mike

Ryan's Song

His name was Ryan, and he was not the most popular guy in the group. He was a big country boy with big farmer arms and a big farmer face, the kind of kid some people might call a "bumpkin." On this particular day he was outnumbered nine to one by street smart city kids.

We were sitting in a circle on a dimly lit stage in the maximum-security WJ Maxey Boys Training School for incarcerated young men, working on a collaborative song about a guy who is, coincidentally, being released after serving time in a maximum-security facility.

This was one of the first Lost Voices sessions ever, and Josh White, Jr. and I were figuring out how we might translate the thoughts and poetry of these troubled kids into original folk and blues music. The process was working well, but it was intense almost beyond belief.

We were taking a break to catch our breath when Ryan spoke up, "I wrote a poem in my room last night. It's about this one time when my uncle took me fishing. Do you want to hear it?" We did. He began to read.

It's early morning, down at the lake
Me and my fishing gear
All of my worries, and all of my cares
Just seem to disappear.

Read on...

Treat yourself to your own personal copy of What I've Learned So Far... Part I: Bikes, Docks & Slush Nuggets and get a 15% Online discount! Just enter the code: Y8NYMDN4 when you order your copy.

If you enjoy What I've Learned So Far... and would like to see it in your local paper, just send the editor an impassioned plea and this link to my Web site.

Also, chase all your friends on over to my Web site to Subscribe (it's FREE!), so they can enjoy it too! They'll thank you, and so will I.

- mike


Mike Ball

Author of What I've Learned So Far...
Winner of the 2003 Erma Bombeck Award

Web: whativelearnedsofar.com
E-mail: mike@whativelearnedsofar.com

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