Song(s) Of The Day
I love John Moreland.
I had front row tickets to see him in October but had to decide to miss it bc we are taking a trip to Kansas City at the same time.
Turns out they announced a few days ago the John Moreland show got moved to November and now I can go! 
I think I’ve mentioned this story before, but it’s a good one.
I was working as a bartender in Los Angeles. It was a large nightclub, with live swing music seven nights a week. It was the inspiration for and where they filmed the movie ‘Swingers.’
I saw a great episode of Austin City Limits one night, with Joe Ely as the performer. I marveled at the song ‘Gallo del Cielo,’ which I had never heard. Looked it up, it was written by Tom Russell. Neat.
Went to work and told some coworkers about the song, and how fucking great it was. One girl just started crying, which was an odd response.
She was Shannon Russell. Tom’s daughter. I had no idea. Tom and her mother split up when she was fairly young. She remembered that he would go out to the garage to write music. Her dad isn’t ‘famous’ but he is a hack of a songwriter. But also the kind of guy who is all about his music. Not much time for family.
I can’t imagine what emotions it evoked for her to hear someone praise her father for his work, which has never been widely acknowledged.
I am a copywriter by trade. Used to teach writing at a state university. I am leaving that error unfixed, which will be painful for me but a joy forever.