Welcome to month two of the Covid Chronicles.

It has of course been three months now since we have been dealing with this new reality forced upon us by this novel virus which has threatened our very existence. What any or all of this means to our future is unclear, but we are now realizing that the world we once knew likely will never be quite the same again.

What has remained the same during all of this is the gross incompetence of Trump. He has applied his usual lack of knowledge, combative communication style and callousness to his dealing with this pandemic. He has rallied his ever-shrinking base of followers, who at this point can only be referred to as cult members. Read my thoughts on this in an editorial entitled The Dangerous Cult of Trump.

The downside to life in the spring of 2020 is obvious. This includes the daily death count updates and the continuing news coverage of the global economic collapse. You don’t need me to remind you of these things, but there are many upsides as well.

For starters, nature seems to be on the rebound. The earth seemed to actually have its first ever really happy birthday on the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day. We have been forced to give our planet the much needed break it deserves.

For the first time ever, I feel like a trend setter. My preferred communication style of actually talking on the phone has made a comeback. People are using voice more than ever, as opposed to all the digital options to reach out to one another. One thing is for certain, we all miss the human contact and social interaction that we used to take for granted. Now the human voice on the other end of the line is all we got.

I have received more phone calls lately. It is as if folks are thinking to themselves and perhaps even saying out loud, “I’m going to pick up the phone and call Dave. I’m bored out of my skull and that long winded motherf*cker might talk my ear off, but I’m not doing a damn thing anyway.”

As we slow down and take a break from the hustle and bustle of the modern world, even though it wasn’t our idea to do so in the first place, many folks are getting more acquainted with their audio libraries again.

By now everyone knows that live blues music is gone for the time being. The recording aspect of all of this left some time ago, when folks made the conscious decision to let their own greed outweigh any consideration they might have had for the artists. Maybe, we can finally get it through our skulls that YouTube, Spotify and Pandora weren’t such a great idea in the first place.

A project that I had been working on for several months and that I had to lay down while I was down is now ready for public consumption. It is The Top 200 albums of the past 20 years.  

Maybe this would also be the time to dust off an old piece entitled Are CDs and Vinyl Records Obsolete? You can read that here in the brand-new May edition of BLUES JUNCTION.

Since we can’t go out and support these musicians with our hard earned money in a live music setting, the least we can do is buy their CDs. This is the only source of income left to them. Hell, we are home anyway and presumably we have more time to listen to music. With all this in mind, I offer up to you our Recommended Listening feature for May. This new music could be the last batch we get for awhile…but we will just have to wait and see.

While you are picking up on some of this new music, I urge you to visit the website of our longtime friend and contributor to BLUES JUNCTION, Charlie Lange. His online store, Bluebeat Music, continues to be the greatest vintage music retailer in the world. Since 1994 Bluebeat Music has been the go-to source for rare and hard to find blues, soul, jazz, rhythm & blues and vintage rock & roll recordings. Additionally, Charlie has many CDs that are Bluebeat music exclusives.

Charlie has provided us another installment of his Re-Issue Rodeo. Again, the folks at Jasmine Records out of the UK are well represented in this roundup of old noise. Great artwork and interesting liner-notes, as well as discographic information have become the hallmark of the Jasmine label.

Charlie also has two programs on the new community supported radio station called the Squid (KSQD). Check out the poster on our site this month. Over the past 14 months or so I have become a huge fan of the Squid.  The 100% volunteer operated station has become a unifying factor in a world that seems more fractured and contentious all the time.

Our Monthly Album Spotlight shines on an album entitled Tenderly by Ukrainian harmonica player Konstantin Kolesnichenko. This is the third album from Konstantin since 2016. He has quickly become a favorite out here at the JUNCTION.

As we think of all the folks that are so adversely affected by this pandemic, I think of places like Austin. The social fabric and the economy of that growing metropolis, centers around the live music scene, like very few places that come immediately to mind. They are now forced, like everyone else, to do without. We visited the Texas capital three years ago this past winter and as a tribute to a very special place we present a piece entitled Austin: The Capital of Texas Cool.

As far as we are concerned out here at our little word factory by the sea, Tracy and I are doing just fine for now. Our lifestyle hasn’t changed as much as it has for most of you, as we have both worked from home for many years. Listening to music without the distraction of a flat screen or electronic tether is something I have always enjoyed. I still do this for hours at a time every single day. My ability to receive pleasure from this activity is something I have never taken for granted. Now, I am eternally grateful. 

Our biggest worries right now center around our mothers. Of course, one of the saddest aspects of this is we can’t see either one of them, even though they live fairly close. We are taking the shelter in place orders from our Governor here in California very seriously. My mother is 89 years old and is in good health. Frequent phone calls are all we have right now.

With Mother’s Day upon us, I thought I’d publish an interview that I did with my favorite musician of all-time…my Mother. I am in close contact with her and she is doing great. I hope you get a kick out of “meeting” my Mom.

Mothers are the most empathetic of humans, that’s a given, but during this pandemic there is certainly more empathy and acts of charity even in my own country than many thought possible. For every asinine, selfish, divisive, self-aggrandizing, often incoherent and just plain false statement that spews endlessly out of the mouth of Trump, there are many more examples of true courage and leadership coming from all over the world and from non-Trump-cult members in my own country. There are even more stories of individuals and local business that are giving back to their communities. It is truly inspirational and heartwarming.

Our biggest concern is the health and safety of all of you. Those thoughts of course extend to your family and friends as well. Like all of you, we are staying home and trying the best we can to protect ourselves and therefore others in trying to keep this worldwide pandemic from spreading.

Each and every month I conclude these letters from the editor by asking you to be well and be in touch.  Now those simple words take on an urgency and gravitas that I couldn’t have imagined just a few months ago.  

We have entered into uncertain times to say the least. As far as the future of BLUES JUNCTION, it is our plan to press on and do the very best we can to provide you with a thought provoking and entertaining reading experience. We have never been a “newsletter” or news driven in any way, so this won’t be a place where you have to be burdened with anymore of that. In this day and age, it is impossible for a “monthly” to provide any relevant and timely news anyway. Maybe, if we can make your “sheltering in place” a just a little more bearable, even if it just for a few minutes than it will be worth it to us. I love all of you.

BE WELL AND BE IN TOUCH.

- David Mac