Racially in Solidarinosc,

No one can do that embarrassing thing of talking about "white boys playing the blues" again in my presence.  Usually if I'm on stage when they do that, I ask who they are calling white.    Or I comment that "you people" are always bringing race into it.

Well I'm taking the same stuff you take if you have sickle cell anemia.  That is extremely hip, egalitarian, and solidarinosc out the yingyang.   So, where's the friggin' white privilege in that?

I fully understand the white privilege concept.  The problem is that much of it is false and pure political manipulation.   Unless you treat people equally under the law, and do not punish some and reward others based on condition of birth, things will always be hostile and tense.

Hostile and tense people are easy to control.  Once you convince a group that their trials in life are all the fault of another group, they are easily led using victim psychology.  They will kill for you, never knowing they are being used.  Well orchestrated fomentation of hatred ensures that.

The charlatans exploiting and creating racial tension are from both races.  I love it when some white celebrity or political figure rants about something being "just a bunch of white guys", or "nothing but white faces" blababla.  The old self-hatred-so-I-am-not-really-white card.   If only that were true...  But the positive part is that your existence prevents me from getting all chauvinistic regarding my race.  (the word chauvinist, per se, has zero to do with male or female.  So many people are clueless about that)

Once again, race is not a virtue.  Neither is your sex, lack of any gender identity, or what have ya.

However, now that I am in solidarinosc, I may reconsider.   This is why I am so soulful.  Well, and because I am a documented mutated person.  Part of me, anyway. Next craze?  Mutant music.  More soulful than soul, more everything.

Seriously, it is probably not common for someone to leave an office cheering with the news that I cheered. But this type of trouble leaves a little more wiggle room for hope than the other possible choices.  I don't have sickle cell, which means this new drug was working before I even took it.

Played a test run tonight at the open mic without the fiddle, who split the group. Of course it gets back that he's talking BS.  Too bad.  No need to spin it or try to make anyone seem bad.  He left because he wanted to be more special than the three other sidemen. Happens all the time with groups.  That is why so many very talented people never really see any action or even the inside of a studio. Ego, and foggy view of their best place.  I have that too.

But I have paid attention to my favorite harp players and how they did things.  Much of even Lee Oskar's career was as a side man for War and others.  He was good at it.  And the smartest of all is Willie's harp player.  It takes very good sense to stick with a good group, and don't worry about being the big bright light.  Just help the others make the song sound good.  Funny how it takes a libertarian to know when group action makes sense.

Mickey has had a great run, and far more stability and breadth of music than the usual harp fronted band.  Good sideman harp is an art and not all that common.

I wanted to do a short post but I got carried away.  The exuberance of a little wiggle room and no immediate indication of the definitely don't buy any green bananas stuff.

So much of my effort with this group has been laying down fat chords, many of them split, so the fiddle can play freely without clash.  I did not find he was ever pleased when requirement or chance for turn about presented itself.  It is rare to find people who get the blend, and if a player feels superior due to training or just because, it won't happen because they don't respect me.

A rare occurrence but it happens.  I'm not sure the fiddle respects me as a player.  Fortunately most others do.  And it may not have to do with playing.  That is what I think.  When people want to change me or bulldoze me, I know what is up.  Been around the block. So, now I call it out.  Maybe that is why he left, though that is no one's official story.  I'm glad of that.

I do think I was central to his decision in some way, but it is perfect that to indicate that would be a bad PR move for him, so he has not said that, as far as I know.  But he was encouraged to stay.  He split, and Sande wasted no time removing him from the band pic on facebook and from any written material about the group.  She is not doing it as anger or revenge.  She is right.  I like it that she is strong about drawing certain lines, and decisive with these things.  Strong woman, that one.

So, now I am changing how I play again.  Somewhat more of a hybrid thing. But it is taking some experimentation; trial and error.  If you don't take chances and try things, you don't know.  It settles in soon enough.