Otis Gibbs - The Trust of Crows

Rootsyland Approved

 

Rootsyland-favoriten Otis Gibbs har släppt sitt tionde album, "The Trust of Crows", inspelat i Columbia Studio A i Nashville, där Bob Dylan gjorde Blonde on Blonde och Nashville Skyline. Och vem är bättre lämpad att berätta om plattan än artisten själv. Ordet är ditt, Otis:

Story Behind The Trust Of Crows 

There’s a lot of ugliness in this world that I can’t seem to do anything about. I try my best every day, but it weighs on me mentally. I think most of us feel this weight.

When we first moved to East Nashville almost 20 years ago, I spent my down time on the back porch trying to decompress. My partner, Amy Lashley introduced me to the simple joy of feeding birds. I’d sit there silently, watching birds at the feeders. We called it "bird TV."

In those quiet moments, I could feel the stress leaving my body.

Sometimes a cat would come by and I’d feed it. Maybe a squirrel, a possum or a raccoon would show up and I’d feed them too. Sometimes we’d take them into our home and they’d become part of our family. I started joking to my friends that I was “Investigating ways of using bird feeding as a form of civil disobedience.”

The truth is, there’s a lot of ugliness in this world that I can’t change, but I can feed that cat. It’s a concrete action I can take. A tangible gesture that would reduce the suffering of another creature and reduce my suffering in the process.

Most of the birds got used to me and they’d start chirping when I’d walk out into the yard. The possums weren’t afraid and the squirrels eventually let me feed them by hand.

Then came the crows.

The crows were different. They’d stay in the back of the property. Super cautious. It was obvious they were much smarter. If they decide you’ve wronged them, they’ll remember it. And they’ll pass it on for generations.

Over the course of time and sustained effort, I noticed they were coming a little closer to me. Not real close, but they were no longer squawking when I’d walk outside. They were beginning to understand that I was alright. I had good intentions and I was beginning to earn their trust.

That stuck with me. There’s something beautiful to me about the idea of trying to earn the trust of crows. It’s hard. It takes a long time. You can’t just show up for the photo op and you have to live it every day. What a beautiful thing to dedicate yourself to.

And yes, it could also be a metaphor. A way to live life. Someone whose daily actions are a testimony to who they are, and what might be possible.

A year or so ago, I was thinking about the crows on Mount Renraw. That’s what I named our tiny house on top of a hill in East Nashville. I opened up my notebook and wrote, “The Trust Of Crows” near the top of the page. I liked the sound of the phrase. It sparked my imagination, so I followed wherever it led me. That’s when I started writing these songs.

All of the songs on this album began with that one phrase scribbled into my notebook.

Thanks for giving a damn,

-Otis