JuNu

I occasionally drop by YouTube and am often disappointed. On the other hand, I sometimes find something, always by accident, that makes me feel good. Those who know me can be absolutely certain I am not talking about sentimental poetry, or puppy pictures, or a video of Old Glory flapping over Amber Waves of Grain.

Steady readers may recall my love of Andy Mckee's guitar style. I periodically return to "Drifting" and let it play in the background. It's as if his music is mine and strangely personalized in a way that I can't adequately explain. It's just a video of a guy playing the guitar. Millions have seen it and yet it feels somehow as if I stumbled into a small pub on an off night and there was this guy up by the bar, just jamming away to nobody in particular. It's the same feeling I got on the few Sunday nights we made it to The Falkland Arms in Great Tew and crammed in to catch a buzz on real ale and listen to British folk pounded out on beat up guitars. In Great Tew, we sang along, pressed up so close to the musicians I could smell the beer as they harmonized, breath moist and malty, the chorus to "The Green Fields of France." It was an intimate, human connection.

This evening I ran across another artist. I never heard of her before and simply clicked on the link that only showed someone's hand on a fretboard. This young woman's work makes me feel good: not ecstatic, or overwhelmed, or amazed. She is not musical hyperbole but she seems an honest musician with talent and a good lyrical turn. She's trying hard to flog her CDs and shrug off misogynistic comments and insults. She is not a polished product* and, like the happy harmonizers in Great Tew, that may be a big reason I like her performance.

In any case, lean back and catch Julia Nunes as she performs her original piece, "Into the Sunshine." I smile when I listen, maybe you will to.

* Although I suppose her videos could be carefully crafted by EMI to look informal in order to generate a following and maybe test the market's waters. I would do it if I ran a record label.