Sun Kil Moon: Part V: The Party

Mark enjoyed the beautiful evening with the rest of the guests. He met family and chatted easily with longtime fans. He even endured a few strange comments from a distant uncle (on the in-law side), who stated with certitude that all music has been crap since Rubber Soul. I put my arm around the perpetrator and walked him in the other direction, shielding Mark from any more ridiculous statements. Our friend has obviously never listened to Ghosts of the Great Highway, an album of absolute perfection that was not recorded in the 60's.

As the night grew crisp, Mark told me he was concerned about his fingers in the cold. (After watching his fingers move across the strings, it is easy to understand why). I said we would run to the store and grab a space heater to place next to him on stage. He said he felt pretentious even bringing it up, but I quickly dismissed the notion as we wanted him to be completely comfortable during his performance. I had spent most of the night pacing back and forth among friends and family, too nervous and excited for the concert to sit still. I was not about to let Mark's fingers feel the least bit disenchanted.

Mark jumped in with the soundguy to pick something up--he said he wanted to see some more of the place. Nothing like a Saturday night run to Lowes to capture the essence of our community. Indeed, I laughed thinking about the scene: Mark searching the aisles of a big box hardware store right before playing a show. A man the Sunday Times recently said had "assembled one of the most impressive and indivdiualistic song canons American music has thrown up in the last 20 years." To be sure, his humility was a godsend on this unpredictable night.

Enjoy "Moorestown" from 2008's April.