D-Squared

Good news in Mayer, we got our room back! And this time we are going to try to keep it. Mike Connors, our friend and the proprietor of the Old Mayer Mercantile is in the process of transforming the Old Dance Hall into a coffee and sweets shop complete with WiFi. Mayer is in desperate need of a place like this, where we can hang out and see each other – talk a little Nietzsche, watch YouTube, play some euchre. We think all it will take is a good cup of coffee and some decent chocolate. Since it’s on Big Bug Creek, let’s call it Big Bug Station.

To do our part we have committed to producing shows there on a much more regular basis – to feature D-Squared as well as other fine regional and national acts. For those of you who have attended past shows you know how lovely this room sounds and feels. Old wooden bar and floor, rounded glass windows, and high pressed tin ceilings – the place just oozes history. We are excited about this opportunity and ask for your continued support of what passes for culture here in the heart of Arizona.

So to kick off this venture, the new Big Bug Station at the Old Mayer Mercantile will present D-Squared and special guest Michael McGarrah at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, September 22, 2007. Suggested donation $15. The new Big Bug Station is located at Central and Main Streets in old downtown Mayer, AZ. (map link in case you need it).

Michael McGarrah is an exceptional songwriter who moved down from Seattle a few years ago. His songs are masterfully skewed vignettes that always reveal a deeper truth. We were honored to play on his brilliant new CD, Love Boat to Reno, this is a record you will want to own. Check it out at www.michaelmcgarrah.com.

As we will be leaving for an extended road trip after this show, we will be showcasing parts of our latest road set. Unfortunately we will miss the Sharlot Hall Folk Festival this year so this will be your opportunity to hear what we would have played there. Deb has a couple of brand new ones that are very cool.

So mark your calendar and join Mike, Susan and the girls at the Old Mayer Mercantile for an evening of tasty songs and tasty treats. We hope to see you there.

Thanks, Don & Deb

A new song by Deb exploring the ongoing push-pull relationship with her muse.

When the sky
Is hot and dry
I can’t seem to find
My way back to you

In this world
No one keeps their word
And the promised bird
Flies away from you

There’s no sleep on this bed of nails
Bitter weeping and keening wails
Oohoo oohoo oohoo
Oohoo oohoo oohoo
Oohoo oohoo oohoo

Water’s deep
And minds are weak
And the raven beaks
Her way back to you

Bluey bright
Burn the stars at night
And the blindman’s light
Shines the way for you

Tattered prose in the silence rages
Forgotten rose ‘tween the empty pages
Oohoo oohoo oohoo
Oohoo oohoo oohoo
Oohoo oohoo oohoo

When the sky
Is clear and wide
The raven flies
Calling out to you

Oohoo oohoo oohoo
Oohoo oohoo oohoo
Oohoo oohoo oohoo

This is exciting for us! Our friend and webmistress, Cheryl Colan, went on a camping trip with us to the desert and video taped our newest song, “Little Iraq”. The song was inspired by a camping experience several weeks prior to the filming, when we embarked on an impromptu Birthday Camp in the desert just north of Phoenix.

It started out innocently enough – hiking among the saguaros, throwing the frisbee for Yippy and a gourmet campfire meal. But from dusk to noon the next day we witnessed an assault on the desert unlike anything we had ever experienced. Drunken fishermen drove throughout the night around Lake Pleasant in their diesel trucks (one right through our camp); the moon kicked up a small arms barrage that lasted until 3AM; and the next morning, after the sheriff had tried to ticket us for an unrestrained dog, a horde of off-road vehicle enthusiasts descended upon the river bottom we were camped in. When we were finally driven out, we passed hundreds of people with all manner of armaments from pistols to shotguns to AK47s, standing upon mounds of spent shell casings firing into the desert – a most impressive display.

At one point we climbed a small mountain only to command a 180 degree view several miles deep of churning dust accompanied by a soundtrack that bore a striking resemblance to Apocalypse Now. It was then that we dubbed the place Little Iraq. And it pissed Don off enough to go home and write this song.

To vote for “Little Iraq” on YouTube go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWJbQ0KJTus