This is unusual for me; I never write about music. That is probably because all of the composers on my playlist have been dead for hundreds of years (Mozart is 250 this year, woo-hoo!) and my pop music tastes tend to be Beatles-bland. The less said about it, the better.
But some days ago I attended a cool concert at a friend’s house. The venue was intimate –45 people or less—and the artist was new to me. Bob Bennett is a well-known Christian guitar player, and his folksy ballads are what I remember about that evening gathering. The guitar was expertly and sweetly played (again, I don’t know enough music-related adjectives to give a good description) but the real draw were the vivid lyrics and sheer poetry of his work. Hmmm…. I have heard the phrase ‘dulcet tones’ used, but I don’t know if it applies to the vigorous work that Bob Bennett performed that night.
Also included:our evening is graced by an iconic film actor who just happens to play a mean guitar…..
I was not previously familiar with his work, but two pieces stand out. ‘Kings of Summer Street’ describes the feeling of two childhood friends that run a small kingdom in their neighborhood backyards; their euphoric summer adventures are played out in the song and their happiness and joy is palpable. A companion piece, ‘We were Kings’ describes the musings and memories of the surviving friend after his old neighbor passes away, decades later.
The second piece is a neat ballad that proclaims “Jesus, the Apple Tree.” I like it because I’ve always felt a little miffed and left out by a lot of the parables in the New Testament. They’re all about sheepherders, vineyards and all sorts of Middle-Eastern desert landscapes. Sure, Jesus lived in a dry desert setting, but I can sometimes feel the distance between myself and all of that desert history, so long ago. In this ballad, Jesus is compared to an Apple Tree, instead of a Grapevine. Both allegories work, because we want to keep in mind a source of Life and Fruit and Water. And let us not forget: gram by gram, apples have more water content than grapes!! It’s true; check it out. An apple tree smacks of American verdant forests and orchards; what a visual and spiritual treat.
Here is a sample of his work; it is a piece dedicated to his son – A Marine serving in Iraq. You may download under his existing permission, enjoy.
And what concert would be complete without a celebrity sighting?? We were lucky to be joined by Tom Wilson, a multi-faceted artist that is well-known for his iconic portrayal of ‘Bif’ in the Back to the Future series. Sorry to bring it up, Tom, but you can’t create a cultural touchstone and not have us mention it !! If you go to his website at
you can learn about his varied interests and his work in theater, stand-up comedy and oil painting, among others. I hope to see him perform with his band one of these days. Here is a picture of Tom and some of his work:
