Monday 23 March 2020

The CAL State of the Union

i want to thank everyone for reaching out
so many messages coming in
i started replying individually
then i had to do a format reply
that felt fake
so i’m addressing a few things in this blog

i don’t think we’ll be back in business for a very long time
i can’t imagine a large public gathering in two months
maybe six months
probably more
but even then - who’ll have money to spend?
i hope i’m wrong about this
but as soon as the big sports teams get back to normal
so will CAL

despite the song
i do trust our governments
i don’t believe that anyone will go hungry or get thrown out onto the streets
the change coming is severe
but the humanity of the crisis is starting to take hold
and people are going to be taken care of
it’s a time of trust and awareness

i don’t think we’ll be doing a live broadcast anytime soon
i have been in talks 
and we agree that when the time is right - we’ll do it right 
until then 
we can’t gather
it’s just not responsible
we’re abiding by the protocols and doing our part to flatten the curve

and having musicians all stream together online is extremely problematic
sound and sync
mics and mixes
too many moving parts
it’s classic albums live
not classic albums digital

i do applaud all the musicians that have been doing their thing from their pads
they’re joyous and connecting
i’ll post more of those as time passes
right now my feed is full of living room performances
rob phillips did one with his daughter
they wrote a hit song!
i’ve been humming it all day
i hope to see more of these
they restore our connections to one another 

it’s dark days for us all
and yet
in isolation there is a certain peace
all the alumni are practicing 
and learning things
i do chores and cook and crosswords and compose
i put on some doobie brothers from time to time 
i’m learning french through the duolingo app!
mostly i play guitar piano and sing
while music is not an essential service
we do have a silver lining in that we have our instruments
to guide us through the uneasy unclear path

my mother is a world war two survivor
she was in london
a child 
she was evacuated to the country
where it was rations and drills and uneasy expectations
her stories of this time
filled both my childhood and my adult life
i’ve learned that 
the stiff upper lip can really make a difference
she came through the experience and is living a life full of love and appreciation
so 
i look at that time from the comforts of my home
and reflect on her and my father’s experience
and i stiffen my lip and get on with it
i abide

when the curve disappears
we will all be amidst the roaring 20s once again
people will be warmer and more empathetic 
borders will just be lines on a map - but respected
and the world will appear like a mirror to us

and when this happens
it will be the musicians who will make a difference
it will be our time to share what we have committed to 
we’ll show the way towards love and goodness
we will be harbingers of soul defining life experiences
we will be at our best 
me and my crew
we’ll do it with classic rock

i send love and hope and harmony to anyone who reads this

craig martin
founder 
classic albums live

(glenfiddich with apple and cheese)

9 comments:

  1. Thanks for all you have done and for all that you will do. Your message is perfect. I'll manage to attend your next concert.

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  2. Well said Craig.
    The world is in reset mode, we will get through this and be better for it.
    Hoping you and the entire CAL team stay safe and healthy. We, your loyal fans, will be here when you regroup.

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  3. Very well stated Craig. All the best to you. Until we get the honor of attending another show, we wish you and all your talented musicians well.

    The Young Family
    Melbourne, Florida

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  4. THANK YOU, Craig and the CAL family for putting so much joy in our lives. We are anxious to return to the Hard Rock to see you perform...whenever that will be! Until then our CAL bootleg shows will have to suffice! Stay healthy and have a beer. With love,

    Candi & Bob Willey

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  5. Just a beautifully delivered message, Craig.
    Thank you for it, and thank you for the music you create, and re-create. The shows are all amazing and take me back to a simpler time in my life where problems seemed much smaller.
    I'm hopeful as you are, that this pause will provide us all an appreciation for the simpler things, and to not sweat the small stuff nearly as much in the future, and just be kinder to one another.

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  6. It all started March 13, Friday the 13th...schools in Ontario shut down, sports teams cancelling games and CAL cancelling in Sarnia, it was to be Rolling Stones, Let it Bleed. Where we are heading, no one really knows. Starting week 7 today and trying to keep the faith. Thank you for your beautiful music, and hoping we can enjoy in person sometime soon.

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  7. I don't know the dates of the messages that you put out there long has dated March 23rd so I'm wondering now that we know Universal is open next week, SeaWorld this weekend, Disney next month. NBA will be playing in Orlando the NHL be playing probably in New York and Las Vegas boardsource coming back footballs gearing up to start camps, so I'm wondering if I should still buy tickets for it if they're available for your June 20th concert in Florida somewhere. I don't know exactly where because you took t schedule down. Live in Jacksonville Palm Beach or somewhere near Tampa or Melbourne I was wanting to go anywhere to see you since I live in the Daytona Beach area. Could you put me on a mailing list so that I could attend a concert. Thank you very much I'm trying to attend any Beatles concerts. I saw you do the White Album down in Fort Lauderdale 8 years ago a lot of years ago and just fell in love with the way you did it. Note for note. I need to see more Abbey Road, Sergeant Pepper's, I Am The Walrus, help, and any other concert you're going to put together I'm going to have to look into Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon I'm going to have to look into and any Led Zeppelin stuff 1 2 3 or 4. Thank you very much please let me know,.
    Sincerely,
    Robin Miller

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