Author: Captain Ledge

We’re very honored to have our album “Rumors of The Great White Skunk” named Bluegrass Album of the Year by the International Music and Entertainers Association at their annual awards ceremony held on June 16, 2018.

A special thanks for all the musicians on the album. Tony Adams, Greg Gash and Justin Joslin from Cliff and Jeana Downing.

Just saw this and had to post it. It’s credited to Keanu Reeves but who really knows for sure. After all it is the internet…..

Keanu Reeves writes.. “My friend’s mom has eaten healthy all her life. Never ever consumed alcohol or any “bad” food, exercised every day, very limber, very active, took all supplements suggested by her doctor, never went in the sun without sunscreen and when she did it was for as short a period as possible- so pretty much she protected her health with the utmost that anyone could. She is now 76 and has skin cancer, bone marrow cancer and extreme osteoporosis.
My friend’s father eats bacon on top of bacon, butter on top of butter, fat on top of fat, never and I mean never exercised, was out in the sun burnt to a crisp every summer, he basically took the approach to live life to his fullest and not as others suggest. He is 81 and the doctors says his health is that of a young person.
People you cannot hide from your poison. It’s out there and it will find you so in the words of my friend’s still living mother: ” if I would have known my life would end this way I would have lived it more to the fullest enjoying everything I was told not to!”
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.”

Tomorrow is not guaranteed. All you have is today and you can choose how to use this moment. Live it in misery and the rest of the day will be miserable. Live it excited and happy to be there and the rest of your day will follow that path.

I never really thought about the phrase “live in the moment” until recently and I think I’m beginning to understand the wisdom of that statement.

Go enjoy a festival this weekend. If you’re in our area then head out to Harmony in the Hollow near Russellville, Arkansas. You’ll get 37 bands for 30 bucks, free camping, meet new friends and you can spend the weekend living in the moment. In fact, if you make it out let me sweeten the pot for you. Come find The CLB campsite (our bus won’t be hard to miss), find Captain Ledge and tell me that I owe you a t-shirt and a CD. I’ll give you one absolutely free just for letting me know you read this post.

And if you can’t make it….

Then live this moment like it is your last because you’ll never regret the things you did, you’ll only regret the things you didn’t do!

Live, Love, Laugh and Dance like no one is watching!

So, did you click on this because of the title? I hope so and I hope that it means that Peace and Love are something you are very interested in. I know I am and there are a lot of other musicians and music fans that feel the same way. I think there are a lot of us that wish we had been there for the summer of love in the 60’s…. but we seem to be a small group.

I know there are those that will say “HEY! I’m all about peace and love” with the strongest of convictions. But it seems like that group can be very quick to turn on someone that has a differing opinion. That doesn’t seem like sharing love to me if you only love those that agree with you and it certainly doesn’t make for any kind of peaceful co-existance.

I wish I could single out one certain group of people that are guilty but the truth is of late we all are. Lots of you will whole heartedly agree with that until it comes time to take a deep look inside and be honest with yourself. Are you capable of being honest with yourself? Can you take an objective look at your inner being and have an honest conversation with your self?

As a songwriter I’m forced to be honest with myself and sometimes I don’t like what I’m forced to put into words and music because of it. In fact, it’s really uncomfortable. Not so much because of some deep dark inner turmoil but because of how people would perceive me when confronted with my innermost secrets and the internal conversation that is continously running in my over active brain. It’s because there are things about me and some of the things I’ve done that I’m not particularly proud of. Those are the things we tend to try and hide from others and from our selves.

I’m becoming of the mindset that we can’t show peace and love to others if we don’t have it within ourselves and having that as a part of your being means being honest with yourself and that inner conversation that many of us have going on inside.

How does this relate to music?

This is in many ways what music is for me. I’ll probably never be “popular” or “famous” because just writing catchy phrases that sound commercial and might provide great income or even wealth doesn’t seem like being honest to me. In fact, it seems to me, approaching songwriting with an eye towards accumulating wealth is in and of its self dishonest. For me, I want to be able to live with my music and enjoy it. I guess there are those that will argue that if it makes you a bunch of money then it’s going to be really easy to live with. Does that leave a bad taste in your mouth because it does mine.

So…. do something hard. Go out and show some peace and love to someone you don’t really like very much. If you’re of a more liberal persuasion then pick a conservative. If you’re more conservative then choose to show some of that peace and love to a liberal. Pick someone with which you have some really strong disagreements with.

You’ll be a better person for it and so will the world. AND if we all approach our lives that way then Peace and Love won’t just be for a summer. Peace and Love will be forever!