Richard Strick

Aside from some mild embarrassment over my mistaken conclusion that the fellow I talked about last month was joining us on drums, it may have been a blessing in disguise. He responded immediately to my post and disabused me of any notion that he would be joining the band. Sometimes the nicest people have a hard time telling you what they really think.

Very happy to report that our friend, Cameron Shells, is going to cover the drums for us on the 15th next month. Cameron is a bandleader, songwriter, and, fortunately for us, multi-instrumentalist, and we are lucky that he had a spot for us in his busy schedule.

In the event that anyone has forgotten, Barbed Wire Valentine, my band, is playing a 30 minute set at 9 o'clock the evening of October 15th at The Big Easy, 128 American Alley in Petaluma. It's a show featuring three songwriters put on monthly by Drew Pierce's Secret Song Club. Starts at seven. Big Easy is a great place to hear live music, and their support for shows like this is a priceless contribution to the community. I'm expecting every one of you to be there unless you have a very good reason why not.

I'm reading four books now. Critical Race Theory, a collection of essays that I picked up because I wanted to understand what all the commotion was about…all the right-wing objections to this being taught to our children. Believe me when I tell you that this is not a subject for children. These are complex issues regarding the evolution of civil rights legislation written by scholars in the field. 

Also reading The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. I've been hearing about Joseph Campbell for years, and a friend just recommended this particular title. Seemed like a good place to start checking out this influential writer.

My sister, Diane recommended Parable Of The Sower by Olivia E. Butler. Nice to get an occasional break from my usual diet of nonfiction.

The fourth is Regime Change by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan about the second Trump presidency as it unfolds. Recommendations, including one from Jamelle Bouie got me to pick this one up.

Speaking of books, I'd like to remind all of you that I had copies of Revealed Translation of John's Revelation printed. If you'd like one, email me an address (richard@richardstrick.com) and I'll send you one. There is no charge. The reason I'm promoting this book is that I believe that it is what it says that it is; a direct communication from Jesus to this medium, Archie Inger to explain a book that directly concerns the changes unfolding in our time.

Best Regards,

Richard

Due to a misunderstanding, I regretfully inform readers of these posts that Jason Petek will not be drumming with Barbed Wire Valentine. Perhaps misunderstanding is not the correct word. Wishful thinking on my part would be more accurate. 

As some of you may know, there is a page on my website called “The Book”. On this page I write, briefly, of my belief that this book, Revealed Translation Of John's Revelation, is actually what it says it is; a direct communication from Jesus to Archie  J. Inger. A PDF of the 1956 San Francisco edition is available there.

The book's introduction explains that anyone who wishes to may re-publish the book under certain conditions; primarily, that it not be done for profit. I have done that on a small scale by having 100 copies of the '56 edition printed in paperback form. Anyone interested in receiving a copy can contact me via email. There is no charge.

In band news, it is beginning to look like our appearance at The Big Easy in October will be as a proper four-piece rocknroll outfit. Brandon Braezeale, Of 'Me And My Jawbone" fame (my first CD) will be joining us on guitar, and Jason Petek will be joining us on drums. Eric and I are thanking our lucky stars. It  is a great pleasure to work with talented musicians toward the common goal of bringing these song s to life.

The show in October is the monthly Singer- Songwriter Showcase put on by Drew Pearce's  Secret Song Club at The Big Easy. It begins with an open mic from 7 till 8. (sign up at the event)  Then Grant Gibbs, Brindl, and Barbed Wire Valentine will play at 8, 8:30, and 9 o'clock respectively. This will be followed by a jam.

Put it on your calendar so you don't miss it! Barbed Wire Valentine! October 15th! Nine PM at The Big Easy! Get there early!

That's about it for this month. Can't seem to muster a decent rant.

Best to all,

Richard

I've been thinking about the god-awful conditions in this world and how they've come about. The role of the United States in this cannot be denied. And yet, it would seem, from looking at surveys, that the violence inflicted on others by our government is not one of the more important issues for my fellow citizens.

These surveys indicate that despite the misery our government is causing; or, in the best case, doing nothing to alleviate around the world, most people are primarily  interested in improving conditions for themselves. Affordability is the new buzzword for the political opposition. The most terrible thing about attacking a country on the other side of the world is that it's causing prices to rise. It's not that this could, and should have been handled peacefully.

The misery caused by the arrest and deportation of thousands of our neighbors seems to be barely noticed. It is even applauded by many, and if you hear an objection, it is usually that it is disrupting business or causing inconvenience.

The U.S. is the most prosperous and powerful nation the world has ever seen, and the fact that we have not used that wealth and power to make this a better world, but have acted in what is supposed to be our self-interest, and contributed mightily to the violence and misery we should be working to alleviate, is shameful. This selfishness cannot be without consequences, and it looks to me as if we're beginning to see them coming. I have no doubt that we will learn our lesson, but it will be a hard one.

I have been a voter since I came of age, but have nearly always felt that I was voting for the lesser evil. Trouble is, the lesser evil is still evil.

Why have we not been presented with better alternatives? i think it has to do with the rules of the game, and the fact that it is a game.That fact violates one of my most deeply held beliefs; that there is such a thing as the honest-to-God truth, and that we should seek it, find it, and embrace it wholeheartedly. Self interest is an obvious obstacle to that endeavor, and if the endeavor is serious, must be kept in check.

Not much happening with my music. I've been in a bit of a slump; avoiding some mundane tasks that I know I need to address. I'll get past this. Hopefully, I'll have something to talk about in that regard next month.

Till then,

Richard

I will begin with a quote from a James Baldwin essay titled, "The Dangerous Road Before Martin Luther King". He concludes his essay: “We will need every ounce of moral stamina we can find. For everything is changing, from our notion of politics to our notion of ourselves, and we are certain, as we begin history's strangest metamorphosis, to undergo the torment of being forced to surrender far more than we ever realized we had accepted.”

Although Baldwin's subject was framed in the struggle of blacks vs. the white power structure, he always managed to step back from the immediate situation and describe it in terms that are universal. This is , for me, is ,the beauty of his work.

I have become , as Mr. Baldwin must have, accustomed to living in a world where the idea that there are “terms that are universal” is viewed with skepticism, if not outright derision. That's okay. Error has consequences, and that's what Baldwin is talking about when he refers to “history's strangest metamorphosis” above; a process we are in the midst of.

Barbed Wire Valentine will be playing two songs at the open mic preceding The Secret Song Club Showcase featuring Late But Ready, Brittany Aquamarine, and Larisa Roberts at The Big Easy in Petaluma. BWV will be playing at 7:10.  This is a free show. Hope you can come.

Thanks for reading,

Richard

Went out this morning, a black cat crossed my road

Ain't superstitious but the prophets say it's  gonna explode

I been keeping it to myself, but I think it might be time to unload

That is the last verse of my new song, Black Cat. In my post this month, I'm going to do that…Unload.

I would guess that there are those who think that the belief that there is such a thing as prophets is a superstition. Typically, such arguments come from those who put their faith in reason; the power of the human mind. I would argue that, as we gain the ability to see more, we must conclude that what we cannot see far exceeds what we can, and that perhaps this fact alone should endow us with some humility regarding our ability to define reality. 

As I have discussed previously, it is my understanding that true Christianity did not outlive by much the lives of the apostles.The adoption of the religion by the government of Rome resulted in the distortion of the true teachings of Jesus to suit the purposes of that government. An interesting exception to this is the Revelation to John, which seems to have been so obscure that it was left pretty much as it was given.

That book tells of the 2000 years that are to pass before the Lord returns to assume his rightful place as King of Kings. The reason I know that this is what that book is about is that it is explained in a book written in 1908 called “Revealed Translation of John's Revelation” which says that it is written by Jesus through a medium, Archie Inger.

When it comes to a discussion of the two “faithful witnesses” in chapter eleven, it says that Archie Inger is one of them. It does not identify the other.

I'm not going to go into what I think about these predictions except to say that I am anticipating the appearance of these two and their declaration that they are in fact the two witnesses. Archie Inger died in 1954, so you may conclude that I believe in the impossible. You would be correct.

One more thing to add regardng these two prophets: I have create a playlist on Spotify called “Bob Dylan Mystery Man Playlist” that I think are songs about Archie Inger. Check it out with the link below.

If any of this has aroused your curiosity, you can download a PDF of “Revealed Translation of John's Revelation” from my website, richardstrick.com . If you'd like to join my mailing list, just shoot me an email (richard@richardstrick.com).

Thanks for reading,

Richard

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3IYRdKRfFw1srWhqlLZMDb?si=fe3c3fa73252498f

It is April 12th, about four days till our set at The Big Easy. I don't think I've ever been so pleased to be performing as I am with Eric and Andrew. The love and care they bring to this music is a joy for me to hear and be a part of. 

And playing at The Big Easy! Really cool venue. They have been so supportive to the musicians in the area; like the songwriters open mic one Monday night a month; an event I attend whenever possible, hosted by Kevin Hutchinson. And this show we are in Thursday; a songwriters showcase arranged by Drew Pearce of The Secret Song Club. 

There are probably nearly as many reasons for writing songs as there are songwriters. The reason I do it is to raise hell. I believe there is a critical need for people to get their heads screwed on straight.  I, of course, am in need of the same operation. People are a work in progress.

Foundational to this way of looking at things is the idea that there is such a thing as the honest-to God, hope-to-die truth. What follows quite naturally is the idea that this truth is something we aspire to. Kind of the opposite of all this fashion stuff. And I'm talking here about fashions of thought and opinion as well as those of appearance. 

I'm not going to get too side-tracked  from my main focus for this post: The Songwriters Showcase. Barbed Wire Valentine will play following Kyra Gordon and Parson Jones. The show is Thursday, April 16th from 7 till 10. There is no cover charge. The Big Easy is at 128 American Alley in Petaluma.

I want to invite everyone to this show, but I would especially like to invite those who write about music. As performers of our own compositions, we are of course interested in expanding our audience. As music writers, you are obviously interested in what is new and different…maybe even extraordinary. I encourage you to check us out.

My son tells me that I need to include a link on these posts to a signup for my mailing list so people can get these posts in their email if they'd like. Since i'm a little backward in this area, that will have to wait till my next post in May. In the event that someone would like to be included on my mailing list, you can do that by emailing me,            richard@richardstrick.com  and I will be happy to put you on the list.

Thanks for reading,

Richard

I watched the State of the Union address. Believe it or not. I can hardly believe it myself. A large room full of our leaders, gathered to listen to our dully elected President tell us how things are going.

First thing they did was expel a guy from the House who held up a sign that bothered the folks on “The Right”, the ones that are presently in charge. There was no response to this from “The Left”. That should tell you something about “The Left”.

One thing struck me about this display of our political system. Aside from the President's insistence on behaving like this is reality T.V. and he's the star, using people, some of them very sad as props, and generally exhibiting a staggering disconnect from truth or reality, what struck me most was the Right/Left cohesiveness. these two sides are unitary; one side demonstrating unquestioning support for the President, and the other defined by it's opposition. Like a machine.

The unfortunate situation for  those of us living under this government, this supposed democracy, is that this represents our choice. One or the other. Not a hopeful picture.

The “None of the Above” choice, while not on the ballot could,at some point, be a significant factor. In fact it is a factor in the sense that a large portion of the potential electorate chooses not to vote at all, and is essentially saying “none of the above”. My own choice to vote has always been  a vote for the lesser of two evils rather than a vote for a proposition or candidate that I whole-heartedly supported.

What really sticks out to me in this false choice Right vs. Left game these people are playing is the cruelty that is being embraced by the President, and supported by the politicians on the right, and the political response of the opposition. They want to focus on “affordability”. 

Are you kidding? Without even mentioning locking up thousands of people who's only crime is a desire to improve their lives by coming to our country, in conditions that the S.P.C.A. would shut down if you kept stray dog that way. What about USAID? The aid we were providing was one of the first things that this administration cut. Where are the God fearing Christians outraged by people forced to sleep on a cement floor with a tin foil blanket? Where are the voices raised about people being cut off from food aid that was authorized by our legislature, or life saving medications being cut off causing suffering and many deaths? Affordability? Is there a way to make this cruel, stingy loveless, corrupt, delusional, ignorant machine affordable? No problem!! Just pay with your soul.

That's probably enough of my rant on our political world. Maybe more than enough.

In other news,Barbed Wire Valentine will be appearing at The Big Easy in Petaluma on Thursday evening, April 16th. Thanks to Drew Pearce for including us in this show!

Well it's the 15th of February - I've completed another trip around the sun,and I'm starting this newsletter late. Better late than never.

Immersing myself in James Baldwin's fiction; reading my third novel of his, (in no particular order), ‘’Another Country".  I don't typically read fiction. I've just been fascinated with Baldwin since reading his bio.

A great deal going on musically. Played at a house party on valentines day. Had a wonderful time. Played solo …guitar and mandolin…bunch of my songs and a few covers.

Barbed Wire Valentine has a feature spot at Ceni's Open Mic on Tuesday (8:00, February.17th at HopMonk Tavern in Sebastopol). It'll be our first time out with the new lineup. Andrew Shackelford has joined the band on drums. Andrew is a multi-talented, life-long musician; multi-instrumentalist, songwriter,singer, and with BWV, drummer. Eric and I are thanking our lucky stars.

Later…..I was thinking I would wrap this up and post it to announce our maiden set at HopMonk, but it was not to be. The show went splendidly; We sounded like we belong together; great crowd; many friends showed up; very appreciative audience.

I'm at a loss for anything to add…I'll try to think of something to write about next month…look for some video on You tube… thanks for reading.

Richard