Evan Agee: Live from Richmond Indiana

For those of you in the Richmond/Wayne County that happen to enjoy films I wanted to bring Richmond Art Museums new film series “fade-IN Film Screening Series” to your attention. From their website:

“RAM’s new film screening series, fade-IN (Focusing on Art, Diversity, and Education - Indiana) will showcase a variety of films that fall outside the box of mainstream cinema and were most likely not shown in our area. The series will include independent, foreign, and experimental films, and even a scattering of older studio works that deserve another look. Opening dialogue by local filmmakers and film aficionados along with discussion following the films will offer a unique experience to film lovers. Screenings will be held the last Friday of each month, September through June.”

The first film of the series will be “American Movie” which was released in 1999 and tells the story of an amateur filmmaker trying to release his latest film. The film will be shown on Friday September 29th at 7:00pm in the auditorium at the Richmond Art Museum. Admission is $5.00 or $3.00 for Richmond Art Museum members. For more information see the Special Events page on the RAM website.

The other night at Bible Study Fellowship my mind jumped to a tangent from something that had been said in our lecture. I don’t recall what the statement was or what it was related to but I’m sure that it had almost nothing to do with the resulting tangent, which made it all the more interesting. What was the thought? I started thinking about all of these artists/musicians that I enjoy listening to and the fact that on each of their albums there’s almost always at least one song that I just don’t like very much. Now, these are just my casual favorites, these are the musicians that are my biggest influences, whom I highly respect.

Until last night I just assumed that these anomalies were nothing more than the differences in taste between myself and the artist showing up. But, after thinking about my own experiences I believe I’ve found the real reason why many albums only have a couple of good songs on them and the rest are, well, the rest.

Let’s say that you’re a songwriter/musician (not one of these glorified cover bands that only performs songs written by professional songwriters) and you’re working on your next album. The record companies have put pressure on you to have it finished by a fast-approaching deadline and not only are you going to be hard-pressed to finish recording those songs by the deadline but you haven’t even written 3 of the songs that will be on your 9-song album. What do you do? You either have a miraculous experience in which you’re able to write 3 hits in a day or so or you do what most artists do, you throw together whatever drivel you can squeeze out and hope that your label will call it good enough and put your record out onto the shelves. Granted there are those occasional art-songs that are intended as nothing more than a form of artistic expression by that artist/group, but I’m calling the bluff of many artists out there. But, like I said, this is from my own experience.

I’ve been feeling some self-imposed pressure to write and record music that is an example of who I am as a musician. Not only have I had problems getting that music together but I’ve found the harder that I work to try and get out all of the music inside of me the more that music clings to the darkness, where no one will hear it.

So, I’m curious to hear from some of you other musicians/songwriters out there. What are some of your methods for getting your talents to translate into the music that it should? I for one am very interested in hearing from you.

It was a beautiful letdown
When I crashed and burned
When I found myself alone
Unknown and hurt
It was a beautiful letdown
The day I knew
That all the riches this world had to offer me
Would never do

In a world full of bitter pain
And bitter doubts
I was trying so hard to fit in
Fit in, until I found out

I don’t belong here (I don’t belong)
I don’t belong here (I don’t belong)
I will carry a cross and a song
Where I don’t belong
I don’t belong

It was a beautiful letdown
When You found me here
Yeah, for once in a rare blue moon
I see everything clear
I’ll be a beautiful letdown
That’s what I’ll forever be
And though it may cost my soul
I’ll sing for free

We’re still chasing our tails
In the rising sun
In our dark water planet still spinning
In a direction no one wins
No one’s won.

See, I don’t belong here (I don’t belong)
Well, I don’t belong here, I don’t belong
I will carry a cross
With a song where I don’t belong
I don’t belong
I don’t belong here (I don’t belong)
No, I don’t belong here, I don’t belong
I’m gonna set side
And set sail
For the kingdom come, kingdom come
Your kingdom come
Won’t you let me down, yeah
Let my foolish pride forever let me down

Ah, Easy living, you’re not much like the name
Easy dying, you look just about the same
Would you please take me off your list
Easy living please c’mon and let me down

We are a beautiful letdown
Painfully uncool
The church of the dropouts
The losers, the sinners, the failures, and the fools
What a beautiful letdown
Are we salt in the wound
Hey, let us sing one true tune

I don’t belong here (I don’t belong)
It feels like I don’t belong here, yeah
It goes like I don’t belong here
I don’t belong (I don’t belong)
Won’t you let me down (I don’t belong)
C’mon and let me down (I don’t belong)
You always let me down (I don’t belong)
So glad that I’m let down (I don’t belong)
C’mon and let me down (I don’t belong)
‘Cause I don’t belong here
Won’t you let me down!

Lyrics by Switchfoot. Echoed by me.

When I was in high school most of my thoughts of graduation were focused on the fact that I would finally be able to move away from Indiana. I had big plans, I was going to go to college in Boston and after that move out to Los Angeles to work in a recording studio. I thought I had it all figured out. So, why am I still living in Indiana? Well, despite popular opinion it’s not because I’m a loser and I couldn’t get out, quite the contrary. I want to live here.

Something about being a teenager makes you blind to your surroundings. I was focused on the things I didn’t like about Richmond; the limited number of recreational venues, a seeming lack of culture and the fact that I was born here. I thought that Richmond was a black hole in the middle of an otherwise interesting and fun country, I would move to any other city in the country and then, like magic, I would be submerged in a community that had a sense of culture and identity.

Since I graduated I’ve come to see Richmond as not only a home but a desirable home. The small town feel of Uptown Richmond, the surrounding countryside and the ability to sit in my backyard and talk with neighborhood kids are all examples of the things I love about this town. There’s a young boy that lives a couple of houes down from us in the alley named Froggy. He comes to the door every couple of days to see if our dog Pepper can come outside for a visit. Every time he knocks on the door I remember what I love about this town.

Are you feeling like you need to get out of Richmond? Do you think that moving to another town is going to give you something that Richmond doesn’t? If so I would encourage you to think of the things that you’ll be losing by moving away.