Tag Archives: BrandiCarlile

Americana Music, Community, Gratitude, Joy, Live Concerts

Brandi Carlile by a Mile

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Daily writing prompt
What is the best concert you have been to?
View all responses

That is my answer.

My husband and I were at her show in Minneapolis in February of this year.

From start to finish, we were blown away. I was thrilled to hear Brandi and her band play my favorites, like “The Story”, “You and Me on the Rock”, and “The Joke”. I was surprised and delighted when Brandi covered “Uninvited” by Alanis Morrisette, and when she brought out the opening act, an awesome band in its own right, The Head and the Heart, to sing Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”, to when she told the story of when she met Elton John, after having idolized him since she was a kid.

Brandi shared the impetus for the lyrics in her song “War with Time”. It came from her previous perspective as a young woman leaving the nest for the first time juxtaposed with her perspective as a mom to a daughter in the current who will naturally do the same before she knows it. You know, the emotional push and pull that goes along with all motherhood and daughterhood.

And Sista Strings and the Twins? Putting them all on one stage, complimenting each other’s musical skill sets and working as a team, infused with joy throughout. Chef’s Kiss.

As it was not long after ICE thugs murdered Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis that this show took place, Brandi gave a lot of love to the crowd in appreciation for the courage shown by the citizens of Minneapolis in the face of that. At the end of the show, she invited the Singing Resistance onto the stage who led us all in a song with the rallying cry “It’s Okay to Change Your Mind“, which was what they sang at the ICE officers during Metro Surge as an act of political non-violent activism.

I’ve never been to a concert that felt more like community in my life. Brandi Carlile is not only a gifted, dynamic songwriter, performer and musician, but she is also a builder of community. She is a national treasure.

I’ll sign off with a song of Brandi’s that I love so very much that she didn’t play at this concert. I hope you enjoy!

Aging, America, Creativity, Dogs, Grandparenting, Home, Intentionality, Self-Reflection

8 Lessons from 2025

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Well, here we are, at the end of another year. And what a year it was. It was chaotic, tumultuous, disappointing, and challenging. It was also inspiring, delightful, meaningful, and full of great lessons.

Here are my top 8 insights from 2025:

This is truly going to be a mish-mash, so bear with me, my friends.

  1. There’s nothing like the birth of a new baby to bring unbridled joy and hope into a family. The birth of our latest grandson in June was the highlight of my year.
  2. I have the right to invest in myself as a creative. In fact, I’ve learned (thanks to The Artist’s Way) that it is my duty. Yours too, by the way.
  3. I learned this year that America as a whole has the unfortunate ability to become severely morally injured. This, of course, is due to the rot in American politics and governance, which surely began decades ago. It is in 2025 that the cancer began to fully reveal its gory self to the masses. God help us.
  4. Adopting a second dog was an unexpected but wonderful development. Yes, it’s doubled the work for us, but more than doubled our daily joy factor. Worth it.
  5. Aging is a trip. It’s rough and humbling. Note to self: get that referral for a hearing test, STAT! My eyes are already going to hell, and I don’t want my hearing to follow. I know, I know, I know (and you might too if you read that post), I published an essay on this blog about how aging is RAD back in 2024. But suffice it to say, 2025 has altered my opinion on the matter (though from an emotional well-being standpoint, aging is indeed still RAD).
  6. 2025 readied me for moving from being intentional on an intellectual level to being intentional also on a physical level (see above: aging combined with being perhaps a wee bit exercise-averse has caught up with me).
  7. I am home. A quick Google search led me to this quote that enchants me, from T.S. Eliot: “Home is where one starts from”. What a gem.
  8. Going from 2025 to 2026, there are reasons to be hopeful, and there are reasons to freak out. Life is a continuous ebb and flow between unpleasantness/misfortune/disappointment and joy/connection/love. There are times when your cup is overflowing and times when it’s dry as a bone. If we could all get more comfortable with that reality and aim to be thoughtful with our responses to both the good and the bad, I think we might just come out ok on the other side.

So, cheers to 2025 and a big, hearty welcome to 2026!!!

The song I’m sharing today is a beautiful and bittersweet one that came out this year from an artist Mr. NOA and I will be seeing live this year.

*Featured image from brainyquote.com*

Americana Music, Love, Memories, Self Compassion

Be Gentle

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The other night, I watched the best thing I’ve seen in a good long while. It was a Brandi Carlile concert on the streaming platform, HBO Max. I liked it so much that I watched it twice.

This concert was nothing short of magical.

The setting was in California’s Laurel Canyon (hence the title “In The Canyon Haze”). This was a loving nod to all the fabulous music that came out of there in the late ’60s and ’70s. I loved the “Hotel California” style vibes. Brandi and her multi-talented band performed songs from her latest album, “In These Silent Days” as the sun slowly set. She answered questions from audience members who were watching on IMAX screens live across the country. She performed a couple of covers of other artists’ songs (which I will provide no spoilers for but assure you will enjoy). It was so well produced. As it went on, it just kept getting better and better. I guarantee it’s going to win all the awards it’s nominated for.

In other words, I highly recommend that you watch this.

Brandi’s song, “Stay Gentle”, was one I hadn’t heard before. It reminded me of a special piece of artwork that I acquired from my dad, which I wrote a blog post about in 2018. What follows is a re-imagining of that blog post, because, with this song, Brandi reminded me of the power of this message.

I don’t know the origin story of this sign.

I can only imagine that someone made it back in the early 70s and gave it to my parents. I just remember it hanging on the fiberboard walls of my dad’s beloved garage while I was growing up. I can only assume that my mom couldn’t find quite the right place to display it in our house. Or she found it tacky.

But my dad had an appreciation for this sign. It meant something to him. It was hung on those fiberboard walls next to scribblings from family and friends from near and far who were visiting our house for one celebration or another. Dad got a big kick out of having guests sign the wall in the garage to commemorate various celebrations. To some, he was gruff, but those who loved him best knew he was quite the sentimental guy.

It’s bittersweet for me to re-share this now, with the knowledge that someone new is living in this house. Dad passed away in 2018, and Mom in 2019. The house was sold earlier this year.

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As a silly 13-year-old, I christened myself the cutest “chic that ever came here”. 

I think first and foremost, these words, “Life is fragile, be gentle”, are the crux of self-compassion. It’s so easy to go through our days mentally haranguing ourselves about how we could have done “this”  better, or how we shouldn’t have said “that” to whomever, and all that unhelpful baloney. I strive to put my self-defeating thoughts on pause and ask myself if the negative thoughts about myself would be something I would say out loud (or even under my breath) to a close friend. The answer is always, emphatically, “no”. This simple phrase, “Life is fragile, be gentle”, puts me in that head and heart space where I can do that.

I believe if we have any hope of ushering in a kinder, less dysfunctional, society, we should endeavor to heed these words in our day-to-day interactions with ourselves and others, whether they be strangers or friends.