Same Light

Dear Daniel,

Since John Martin died last week, I have been struggling to find a song to post on here. I settled on May You Never but it's just occurred to me that I have nothing to write on the subject and I really just never got Solid Air. It's not for me.

So, instead, here's Jack Ohly. I saw him in another group, the Old Goat, performing Brazilian folk songs which he had learned while living in Sertao and had then re-arranged. It was in an upstairs room through an unmarked, unlit doorway in a Portland, Maine sidestreet where we had to sit cross-legged on the wooden floor as there was no more space on the six slim pews; three to the left and three to the right. At the back of the room was a table laid out with CDs for sale featuring Jack's songs and songs by the band Big Blood, who were also playing. The covers were folded, reconstituted card with tissue-paper inserts and the stall ran an honour system. We bought one of each.

Pulling out on the N25 towards the White Mountains the next morning, eager for a rural soundtrack, we realised we had paid $10 for the cover Jack Ohly had propped up against the pile of actual cds.

But here's testiment to young folk playing DIY music in draughty first-floor artspaces everywhere. I wrote Jack Ohly a note explaining how we had enjoyed his night and how sad we were that we had no Goat music as a souvenir and do you know? Jack Ohly posted me a copy of his record. Properly bound with string and brown paper and with a note, handwritten in worn down, 6H pencil. "I'm sorry about the problem with the packaging," it said, "I shall have to have words with my distribution department."

Dear James,

You're such a country dropper. I enjoyed the John Martyn song, and I never got Solid Air either. Jazz-folk? A foolish scheme.

If any readers in Buenos Aires could tell me of any draughty first-floor DIY artspaces where I can take James to watch Americans play Brazilian folk songs, please comment in the relevant area.