Sunday, July 22, 2012

Bing Futch on the "Pickin' Porch" June 23, 2012

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Long Time, Lots See

Che Hun Ta Mo!

The blog has been rather unattended of late and I blame that squarely on the busy nature of my schedule. So, I've got a bit of a break in the action here at Patapsco State Park in Ellicott, Maryland to catch up readers of this blog with the latest.

First off, summer tour has been amazing in every way. Each show has been a revealing gem with lots of music, great visits and moments that I'll always treasure. Once upon a time, I dreamed of being a celebrity superstar; making the money, the headlines and doing whatever I felt like doing. But somewhere along the line, my true calling manifested itself and it's been a pure joy to not only perform across the country and see fans from all around the globe appreciate my music, but also to teach, and to learn from, people who are discovering their own musical voices. To be in touch and not removed from people is my reality and it gives me great purpose.

I've been on the road for three weeks now, living in Rita, doing laundry at the coin-op, cooking meals (and eating lots of Mexican food), playing shows and exploring both familiar and new parts of this country. I won't paint a completely pretty picture - reality is that we're fighting tough times, much like our predecessors did in the 1920's on the North American continent. One of the things that the folks of the United States won't give up is their music, and it's been a delight to help people explore, engage and enjoy the passion of melody, harmony and rhythm.

When I get back home from the Indiana Dulcimer Festival next week, I'll be starting a low-key period where I'll dig down deep into production and finally knock out so much of what has been caterwauling in my head, heart and soul for so long. Though I'll hit the road again briefly in October for an East Texas tour, I am planning to drop from the radar for a bit while I do some very important recording, writing, practicing and planning.

I'd like to thank every one of you who comes to this blog for believing in me and for all of your encouragement and support. In the interest of always looking for better ways to do what I do, I'm always in flux, or that may just be the ADHD talking. In any case - the past four or five years has been absolutely tremendous and I'm truly blessed to live this life. As summer tour draws to a close, I want to thank you all for your participation in this thing I call my life. It has enriched me and brought me to a higher plane. So much of that comes from meeting you folks on the road and at home. Even those who were unaware of that particular dulcimer festival or pub or cafe show still came up to share some of your life experiences with me and, you know what? I'm a better man for it.

Thanks again, everybody - for your texts, e-mails, phone calls, cards and posts. Thank you for trusting me with your questions; thank you for believing my answers. But above all, thanks for keeping it real. If there's one thing that I believe in with all of the craziness going on in the U.S. right now, it's that the beautiful, the skillful and the upwardly/inwardly seeking people are alive and well. To quote Doc Brown (and, parenthetically, Andrew Hagen) "remember, the future is what you make of it - so make it a good one!"

Sho na bish,

Bing

From iPhone with love.