In the nick of time

Or better yet, I nicked some time off a good night’s sleep last night. Had to go out for work (a book about the Haspengouw region in Belgium) in the evening and thought I was drinking decaf at this wonderful location, a medieval farmstead that has been beautifully restored by its owners. Or maybe I was just inspired by the peace and quiet, good entrepreneurship and genuine Flemish hospitality. On my way home I decided to let the cellphone camera roll and film the journey back and after having arrived at my destination, I switched on the computer and spent hours watching clips in YouTube and listening to music. The wee hours, as they say. I could hear the real early birds sharpen their toncils and exercise their vocal chords. If they have any.

There’s a lot to be thankful for. Honest to Jove. Cherries in the garden. One single tree feeding six households in the hood. Neighbours exchanging homegrown salad for a bowl of fresh handpicked cherries. The simple stuff can be so magnificent. It’s what draws one back to the essence of life, perhaps. Despite the whole lot of ugly that surrounds us. And music. Music is magic. Always. It was a trip down the 80s lane yesterday, most of the time. It started at a friend’s Facebook page with Robert Palmer. Every Kind Of People. And soon it drifted on to Thomas Dolby and an incredible version of The Flat Earth. From there, it went haywire. Medium Medium, C Cat Trance. Shriekback, Scritti Politti, Curiosity Killed The Cat, Big Country, Wet Wet Wet. And loads more.

I also found an interesting cover of Rickie Lee Jones’ Night Train. A couple of years ago, she said she would love for others to cover her songs. She realized that the general perception of her music is that she has such a distinctive voice, her compositions and lyrics might not be covered easily because each song is extremely authentic, breathing RLJ’s persona, spirit and imagery. Well, here’s a pretty cool version of Night Train, done by a duo, Joe and Ellen. And to end this in a Steely vibe, kinda keeping it close to its old Mizar5 roots, this same singer/bassist Ellen also has a clip up singing Josie