Cody Cowan
Red River Cultural District
All of life, all Reality, is of the Great Song. From the birthing cry of creation (that old Big Bang), through the grandest symphony or, perhaps, rock opera, which is the gift of life, to that final note that we all must let slip, when our soul shucks this mortal coil and returns to whence it was composed.
Music interweaves the story of all that is, stitching all of it together — from wild neurons to Nasty Nas, with the boom to the bap. It’s the beat that keeps things moving. Flowing. The rhythm with purpose.
(The fact of the matter is, purpose is often largely about discovering which notes are just yours to play in this big bad band.) With or Without us, the Great Song plays on. For those of us who have found our note working inside of the music professions, 2020 has been a rough set, fraught with broken strings and a frankly disappointing audience. It has damn near broken too many of us.
Today is September 1, 2020. Under COVID, folks in the music industry have lost not only jobs, income and purpose, but also our unique, safe spaces. In music, we have found solace, camaraderie, therapy, catharsis and celebration of life. We have lost our tribe, our family of sorts. Human connection. Intimacy.
It’s uncertain when and in what form shows may ever return. Our stages remain empty, silent. And yet the Great Song plays on ...
It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words. It is certainly true that the visual capture of music moments has left an indelible mark on generations of music lovers, myself included, becoming guidestones or mile markers on our journey of self and world discovery.
Photos have transformed culture, transfixed audiences and birthed new (and recycled) attitudes. And in ancient times (pre-Internet), music photography was one of the only ways to put faces to names, fill the bands’ deep mystery with deeper theater and add some strike of punctuation to every musician’s artistic message.
There is vast energy, unparalleled spirit and irresistible life imbued into the sound of stills. You can only experience music. But if you look closely at these pictures, if you can sit yourself still, that sound comes pouring through. These pages bear witness to the music of our community. The Great Song plays on, forever.