Make Them Last

Writing in the local paper. Local Issues with a global take. I never translate literally and the editor trims at will to make it fit. Here's my version, then theirs, which can now be seen online  (in Spanish) as well. 

In the span of under a week, I’ve been fortunate enough to have two concerts so close to home that I was able to pick up my guitar and literally walk to the show. For any musician, at any time of the year, this is an almost unheard of luxury. But after a summer filled with concerts in the USA, Portugal and Spain, reaching as far as my beloved Fortunate Isles, these little treats tasted to me particularly sweet. To add to the charm, both concerts took place in a near perfectly setting. Under the flashing stage lights I could make out some of the silhouettes of the things that I first fell in love with when I came to Caceres; the Almohad towers that dot our beautiful but ailing wall. To come home to a city that seemed somewhat asleep in the heat of the day but that filled up as night fell with familiar, tanned faces who were also coming back home from a summer of adventures, added an extra dimension to the good vibe that permeated both nights. Faces that were either lamenting the end of the long summer days filled with chiginguitos and sand or happier ones, anxious to get the kids back to school and start a new cycle. Whichever the case, both were rested just enough to ignore the community-killing allure of Netflix and the sofa and take advantage of these last bits of ocio before routine sets in and the siren song of the couch becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. Relaxed enough to meet old friends and maybe make some new outside the four walls of offices or living rooms and strengthen those bonds that make up a community. The nights are finally cooler and with them the last burst of events before our city goes into its hibernation mode that is only briefly punctuated with the soul-destroying pachanga of Christmas parties of December. The challenge now is to find a way to spread that vibe out throughout the year. To make November through March a little less dark and if Netflix and Youtube lose a few viewers in the process, it’s a risk, I for one, am more than willing to take.