I am ashamed to say that I have fallen behind in keeping you up-to-date with this health blog. At times it feels like we are slogging through the days. Other times the days fly by. Let me catch you up on a couple of things.
The last day of January was the fabulous fund-raiser at Tipitina’s. Organized by our son Andre, a full house of friends, fans, and family rocked to some of the city’s best musicians while also enjoying a silent auction and some luscious food. The love in the room was palpable. Our whole immediate family was there, along with friends and associates from 45+ years of our lives. Absolutely incredible! Our thanks to everyone for their generosity and good wishes.
Photo of a full complement of Bohrens 1/31/19 by Jamey Shaw
The month of February was a time of tending to our diet and energy work. At one point we visited a nutritionist to be sure we had as many bases covered as possible. She helped us tweak a couple of things after running some labs. We were encouraged to see that some of the numbers had improved. There were just a couple of shows in nearby Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but the focus was on healing. In early March, Spencer performed a concert at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Center. In addition to his performance with his occasional band, The Whippersnappers, he was invited to exhibit his Reliquaries in the foyer of the Foundation Center. This was the first time his art has been shown in New Orleans.
So many folks associate us geographically with New Orleans, but we also have a large and loving community in and around Fairhope, Alabama. In March, these kind and generous friends launched a fundraiser concert and silent auction at the inimitable Frog Pond in Silverhill, Alabama. It was a beautiful day filled with all the love and care southern Alabama has to offer. Our good friend Ray Bonneville also flew over from Austin to drive over with us for the song circle that day. Ray’s and Spencer’s musical association dates back to 1974, when they played in a band together in Boulder, Colorado. When Ray heard about Spencer’s illness, his first response was to write a song directed to the cancer: You Can’t Live Here. That song debuted at the Frog Pond during this performance. We were all awe-stricken with the depth of emotion displayed on stage that evening, a perfect cap to a beautiful day in the country.
Within a couple of weeks, Ray recorded basic tracks for You Can’t Live Here at King Electric Studio in Austin. These were sent to Spencer and Andre, who went into the studio to complete the recording with Marc Paradis on electric cello. I like Andre’s description of what he envisioned as he was producing it:
“Lyrically, the song is a one-sided conversation directed to the cancer, but there is also a musical storyline that was created, wherein Ray’s raspy harmonica represents almost a snakelike cancer and Spencer’s lap steel responds with cautious yet steady pushback, while the cello’s haunting sound stands as a reminder of the seriousness of the situation.
“While it is not exactly an uplifting song, it sets a very heavy and cool vibe which aptly represents both artists, and is a true collaboration between Ray and Spencer.”
You can listen to You Can’t Live Here and download this fabulous song from Spencer’s website
Dig it!
Marilyn
