"There He Is Again"

"There He Is Again" - "Thoughts on the diverse life and career of fiddle virtuoso Vassar Clements - Dead at age 77 (Aug 16, 2005) by Jeff Mosier

Vassar Clements dies, but he leaves behind his print. His unique prints are on thousands of some of the most influential tracks of recorded music. I played these tracks on the radio for nearly fourteen years long before I ever met him personally or played a note of music with him. During those radio days, I would see and hear the reactions from listeners as the phone would light up from their calls. I would always grab the record jacket during the fiddle solo to see who it was and I would see that weird and wonderful name "Vassar Clements". I remember thinking, "there he is again"! Then Bela Fleck used Vassar on some of his last and more complex acoustic recordings prior to starting the Flecktones project, and there was that fiddle player again! Who was this Vassar guy? He could play anything, simple or complex. Who was this guy? I soon learned!

He played everything from early traditional bluegrass with Bill Monroe and Jim and Jesse, to progressive bluegrass including John Hartford's groundbreaking "Aereoplane" masterpiece. He recorded on the album, "Will the Circle be Unbroken" (Vol. 1), that helped me in the 70's as I was learning to play banjo. Playing along with that album was the only "banjo lesson" I ever had. It was, along with Hartford's "Aereoplane," in my opinion, the beginning of the future of "cosmic Americana" as we sometimes call it. This unique meeting of musicians hosted by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was the newest, freshest and most eclectic sound of the time. It was my first listen into the future and it inspired me to stylistically play past the bounderies of traditional banjo. It did this for many players at the time.

Between Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs, Newgrass Revival, Peter Rowan, Sam Bush, David Grisman, Hot Rize, Bela Fleck, Tony Rice, John Hartford, Norman Blake, J.D. Crowe and the New South and Old and In the Way, I had my own personal "Beatles." These artists made me jump up and down and cry like a teenage girl and made me stay long after the concert was over until the announcer said that "Elvis had left the building." Amazingly, among all these great players listed above, one person can be found in and around their music at many times over many decades, and that person is Vassar Clements. But, surprisingly that is the short list of people he played and recorded with. Look at the long list on his website!

Truth is, up until just a few months ago, he was gainfully employed, touring regularly and going full bore in the front office of his own music career so to speak. He was not some old fiddler hanging out to talk about the good ole' days. Vassar was always there to be heard, seen and to live that day in his own Vassar way, both personally and musically. Few have ever lent such a diverse ear to music as Vassar. Bela Fleck once called him one of the greatest "free association" players of all time. I told Vassar that Bela's comments were true and great, and he just humbly laughed, patted me on the back, and said "let's go pick" as we both prepared to play an early Sunday morning festival set. Vassar heard music and not the math of musical theory. He could make anything work out in a solo or in a jam. It was like magic to watch him as a player. His ear lent so much to us and surely was a gift. His ear interpreted music through one instrument, the fiddle, yet he must have been hearing a symphony in his head as reflected by his diverse choices. He never used fancy effects, racks or complex stage equipment. He plugged straight into the front of house sound system with a 1/4 inch chord and then you had better hold on for your life because here comes Vassar ready or not! He was always willing and ready to play! No matter what PA or soundman, or size band, he could hang tight. Vassar's fiddle would cut through the mix and there he was! ,It was always so, very unmistakingly, Vassar Clements! There Vassar was, like a clean stream of toneful jazz horn lines, like a Billie Holiday vocal, or a sweet simple piano fill, an African drum, or like the most perfect "IBMA approved" classic traditional bluegrass fiddle you had ever heard on any record. Lending his ear to the San Francisco bluegrass of "Old and in the Way," gave that band an authentic fiddle sound, without destroying the free, droney, stoney, folksy sense of psychedelic wonderment that the other members naturally brought to the table. Vassar told me many times, "they needed a redneck and I was the only one in the band." He said that with humor, yet his playing melded into that ensemble like nobody else could have. In that light, Vassar's influence on our jammy ilk and persuasion of roots music may not be really known for years to come. In the eighties, Vassar and Bobby Hicks restated traditional bluegrass fiddle on the many volumes of "Bluegrass Album Band" records released on the Rounder Label . These all-stars of bluegrass gave many of us, who were "turning blue" for fresh new bluegrass material at the time, the kick in the ass we needed to get the "drive" back into our playing and not let these "old guys" show us up! They quietly and confidently challenged the whole bluegrass establishment with those recordings. They were like the Rolling Stones of bluegrass at the time and they all still play even today. Right up until Vassar's illness set in, just months ago, he was playing and standing tight with some the youngest and greatest players of the new generation, that are on the stage today.

But beyond his influence as a player and the influence of his ear on so much music, Vassar gave to many of us the gift of acceptance. After finally meeting him personally in 1998, I was immediately touched by his humility. Sometimes after talking with him, playing with him, or just laughing with him, I would walk away and inside I would be amazed that I had just been with him. Had I just talked to the same guy that had done all of that in one career and the guy was truly one of the reasons I play music? All that music I had played on radio years ago had his prints on it. All that, and he was still here like some fresh young man from another time? He always appeared, even in older age, as some mysterious young hotshot fiddle buck who had just rolled into town looking for a gig, but with humility and a manly confidence that wasn't cocky. He had much love for people, and no one in his path went unnoticed. He was as alive as any teenager and as wise as any sage. He never judged music no matter what he may have thought. He played great at loud volumes and at soft ones. He worked a microphone like an early radio fiddler, because he was one, and he rocked his "plugged in" electric fiddle sound through the biggest PA's and stages like a seasoned rocker, because he was one. He looked the part of the consummate starched shirt early Bill Monroe late 30's banker suit wearing Grand Ole Opry type, because he was there. However, he could hang out comfortably with the biggest names in pop, rock, folk, bluegrass, jamband music or any form of experimental music and do it on the largest stages and in the biggest arenas, and he did. No matter how big or how "rock star" the gig may have been, Vassar would come off the stage and hang out with people like they had all just met at the general store to simply pick up a loaf of bread. Fame and crowds and hype never changed his demeanor or attitude toward others. The kind of example of humility that Vassar was to us all, is virtually nonexistent in our music culture nowadays. He was a hippie inside and a bluegrass picker and the neighbor next door and the grandfather and father we had grown up with. To some, Vassar was the only fatherly figure in their life. Vassar knew people and loved people from all walks of life. He would look you in the eye and would gently bend down and listen when you talked to him. People from all over the world have whispered their love for him and his music into his ears and shaken his gifted hands as they witnessed his sweet humble presence. His laugh and his sense of life were a constant. Once during an early morning rehearsal he ask me to pass his coffee to him calling it, "his cup of personality." To this day I think of him every time I pour myself a stiff dark cup of early morning festival coffee. Col. Bruce Hampton said he was "the man who invented music." In a way, Vassar's ear and his musical interpretations on old and new ideas of music did invent a kind of music. He helped invent and formulate and install free form sensibilities into the very cloneprone tendencies of bluegrass music. However, he would change the music with ease and respect without ever drawing attention to his prowess on fiddle. He always played Vassar on the fiddle and not just "fiddle music."

Now that he's gone from here physically, we can at least listen to what he was hearing in his head on thousands of musical tracks. We can hear him "coming out" to solo or "laying back" to fill, because Vassar would always solo and do backup with the same passion. We can hear him coming in and out of time like a seasoned jazz drummer and we can hear him laying down the most human, lively, toneful and creative fiddle takes of all time. We can hear his laugh and see his smile in the music. That Vassar smile could stop all fear, hate and sadness in this world if it were posted on billboards everyday across the planet. We have tapes, digital music files, pictures, and many bootlegs from the many bands, big and small, that he played with, recorded with, or sat in with. We have a lot to be grateful for. Yes, we hear the proof in his music, the proof in our music, proof of him in our memories, and proof that we actually knew one of the greatest men, musicians, and friends of our lifetime,Vassar Clements.

If we, his fans, love him this much, imagine the loss his family must feel. We send out our love and peace to those in his family who need so much support at this time of loss. May Vassar rest in peace and may his family feel our love this very day and may we all strive to have more Vassar in our world and more Vassar in our music.

Jeff Mosier
Atlanta, GA USA - Wednesday, August 17, 2005 at 15:06:38 (EDT)

It's Sunday in Spring

It's Sunday in Spring

drink some coffee and drive to that building again
for the first time sit and take it in
what is really happening?
you fought with your kids
you put on your cloths
you say all the sayings
repeat all the prose
the sad faces around you
and the money you sent
to keep it all going
your life is now spent

next week take your family
just sit in the yard
talk about goodness and how blessed that you are
look at your children
tell them you care
sing songs together
sit in a chair
show them the calmness
that living can bring
forget about buildings
it's sunday in spring
who were those people to you anyway
someone your parents let raise you that way
parents remember that kids need YOUR love
parents remember that kids want YOUR love

(Don't let strangers and preachers and priest and leaders and politicians and law enforcement officers do for your kids what only you can and should do as a parent. Confess to your kids when you have wronged them and you will teach them to do the same to others. Don't dress them up and parade them in these make believe worlds filled with blindness and fear. It's time that we question these old old ways and these old old stories and start protecting our lives and our time and our money from such fear driven group think. Focus on "life before death" and then "life after death" will take care of itself. Don't let religion be a cheap substitute for time with your children or for a real community of your friends where they get to see real people living real lives all outside the smoke and mirrors of church and its piety of playing "god's house. God's house is everywhere, not just there !")

Plain and Simple

Plain and Simple

Plain and simple, let me say
What you’re thinking anyway
You don’t have facts, you don’t have proof
You only want to raise the roof

Plain and simple let me say
You can’t hear me anyway
Roll your eyes and shake your head
That’s how you put your fears to bed

As your thoughts go round and round
You circle up to scare the town
All those things you love to hate
Fan the flames and you’ll be great

But time rolls on and years go by
You say your prayers, but don’t ask why
When you die before you wake
You’ll leave behind the fear and hate

Plain and simple, let me say
What I’m thinking everyday
Can’t use hate to play the game
Can’t use fear to shift the blame

Plain and simple, make it clear
Find new ways to fight the fear
Use our heads to keep it clear
Use our hearts to fight the fear

As our thoughts go round and round
Circle up and help the town
Let our message rise above
Fan the flames of peace and love

As time rolls on and years go by
We say our prayers, yet wonder why
But when die before we wake
We’ll leave behind the love we made

We'll Never Be the Same

We'll Never Be The Same

I'm not mad don't worry
I just can't let you care
Don't think I've not been in it
Don't think that I don't care.

Just know my pain is different
Just know my pain is real
That's why I care so much for you
That's why you've got to heal

Just know if things were different
Then I'd tell you how I feel
But now I've got to love you
I've got to help you heal

Friends love as deep as lovers
Friends share the rawest tears
My love for you is strong dear
I want to help you heal

Someday if things are different
We'll reach the highest hill
And when you finally see me
You'll know that we are healed

And In that place I'll love you
And you can be yourself
And I will share my passions
And give you all my best

For now just know I care for you
I always call your name
I sit and hope you feel me
We'll never be the same.

We'll never be the same
We'll never be the same
We opened up the doors of love
We'll never be the same

Copyright Jeff Mosier

Jeannie's In Her Bottle

Jeannie's In Her Bottle

old soul new schtick
old school modern chick
hip slingin' time wastin'
she's the train that runs on time

cares about the culture
but she won't play the game
sees through the bullshit
before it says its name

she lives like a queen,
with a blues man's soul
wants to keep it real
but the shoes don't go

she loves all of life
she has been here before
she recognizes souls
that she has known before

modern girl livin'
with blues man's heart
wants to be the center
of the cutting edge part

she runs on guitar,
or horns or some songs
music is the one thing
that has never done her wrong

wrong doin' is for livin'
rules are for wimps
women are for lovin'
whores are for pimps

take me away
take me so real
take me for something
take me in heels

give me that look,
cause i've got it too.
the brain is the part
mine's hotter than you

got the whole package
head to my toes
give me some music
taking all of my soul

don't tell me i'm pretty
i already see.
put me in your bottle
drink on your knees

tell me you see me
love me for me
play me some music
then set me free

got the whole package
head to my toes
give me some music
taking all of my soul

tell me your secrets
i'll tell you mine
give me your song
give me some time

hear me i'm coming
walking towards you
watch me and listen
play me some blues

i like it old
but i like it hot
not too slow
please play it a lot

you've got to sing,
to want to keep singin'
got to keep dancin'
if you wanna keep bringin'

bring me the music
i've got the ear
i've got the wisdom
my mission is clear

got the whole package
head to my toes
give me some music
taking all of my soul

wrong doin' is for livin'
rules are for wimps
women are for lovin'
whores are for pimps

take me away
take me so real
take me for something
take me in heels

by Jeff Mosier
Copyright 2010

Living a life that Matters

This is quoted at the end of the film "The Beautiful Truth" about Dr. Max Gerson and Gerson Therapy.(Itunes.com) I've been attempting 90% raw food eating or at least natural food eating for almost one year now. I have lost weight, but more importantly on my 50th birthday physical exam my doctor told me I was 33 on paper. I wanna live. It's that simple. This poem pushes reset for me.
I post it for the possible good it may bring to those who take the time to read it. Josephson is a wonderful man involved heavily in the field of ethics. I don't know of him beyond the internet, but I love his choice of words here.

Jeff Mosier 3/26/09

What Will Matter

Author: Michael Josephson

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

Return to Writing. Return to Life.

This a blog that I have had and not used in a long while. Things will start now again. As I have just turned 50 my mind is full of things that I need to get on paper in order to orient myself to the present in order to keep my mind and body moving forward. Sitting at a computer for hours is not the goal, but rather written expression in the service of human change. May this process bear fruit for my mind and peace for my emotions as I now embark upon ever bigger changes for my life, my art, my health and my relationships both family and community. As one of my song lyrics states.."life's about change and change is life, we say it all the time" which is easy to say but hard to remember in the heat of life conflicts. Until my dying day may I always strive to reach higher and further in my quest for a life lived at the fullest and most healthy level possible for me. May I begin to more completely see my life, my family, my art, my body and my world in a growing positive and constructive frame that will bring me emotional courage at levels high enough to face my fears with enough determination to never allow those fears any chance to rule the major fabric of my decision making process. May a renewed joy for life and celebration of all that has been given to me be the continual focus of my cognition as I move forward into a wonderful yet different phase of my life. May this attitude and thought bring my biological health into a renewed condition rendering me the fulfillment of my most heart felt desire which is to simply live a long, creative, and love filled life here on this planet. I love it here, though I have thought of leaving it several times. May the my gossip and disapproval of others take a back seat to a more hopeful desire to see all people realize their dreams in ways they never imagined. May I stop seeing those with whom I disagree with as my enemy. I don't want to go away from this life for some careless reason that I could have prevented through better health, through more complete rest or through the management of my energy and how I choose to spend it. May writing become more than mere expression, but rather may it become a real and wonderful creative way to save my own life day by day. I'm thankful today for words and for the possession of a brain that is already full of wonderful memories and ideas about my world and the people that I am lucky enough to love and know. Maybe if this helps me , it will help others. All we have is our health and our perspective about what life is presenting us in the moment. May writing take me there.