Today is my birthday…
Last year at the Newport Folk Festival as I, and everyone else, slowly emerged from the covid-underground back into live music I was very excited to be back at one of my favorite festivals and performing live again. This was my third time at the NPFF and my first time playing the main stage, which felt significant. Walking around the festival grounds before my set I kept noticing younger song writers that I hadn’t heard of before approaching me to tell me how they were fans of my catalogue and had been “listening to my music for years”. At a certain point I deduced that if a 22 year old had been listening to my music for years, then it’s very likely I was part of their high school soundtrack. I zoomed out a bit and realized I was publicly wearing a beard for the first time, was a seasoned vet of the festival and had somehow already released 6 albums as a solo artist.That’s when it dawned on me…I got old!
As someone who has long been the young man in my friend group (most of my best friends are a decade older than me) this took me by surprise.But I, of course, was actually young then. I was 33. And today I’m 34. Knee deep in the jaws of the bear-trap that is my mid-30s.
I love getting older and I love being alive. Bring on all the years. I am enjoying, for the first time in my life, being one of the elder statesmen in the room. Or as a friend and I were discussing a few days ago, being the youngest old person in the room.
Yesterday I spent the morning and early afternoon doing German press. Same as it ever was, except now these interviews are conducted over Zoom rather than me flying to them. Answering questions about my new album on the eve of my birthday with radio stations across the sea had me feeling extremely grateful to still be here making music and living the life of an artist, and to have people that care.
In between interviews I found myself fiddling with Swingin Party by the Replacements on my guitar in an open G tuning (or the Keith Richards tuning where the high E remains an E but everything else is tuned to open G). I thought I’d share a little phone recording I did of it with you all as a little celebration, and to say thank you for everyone who’s subscribed. Feels appropriate as the word Party is in the title. I know I said music would be behind the paywall, but as they says—the first ones free! I have uploaded it in a separate post.
xo km
(Photo of me doing press on the eve of my birthday - still a young, early 30’s-something)
Happy Birthday Kevin!
“Knee deep in the jaws of the bear-trap that is my mid-30s.”
I feel this keenly. I’m leaving mid-, heading deep into late-, and am left wondering what the coming decades will bring. This one nearly did me in! What monstrosity of time lurks on my horizon?