I am so glad you asked about musicians that feed my soul - there are so many! On Thursday, I'll make my way to Richmond, VA to see Karina Rykman play with her trio. She comes from Manhattan so you may know her. I also am a dedicated follower of Robert Fripp and all things Crimson (as in King Crimson) so will be at Beat at the Warner Theater on the front row here in DC on October 4. I'll catch Suzanne Vega at the Birchmere in Alexandria between those shows. She's another with Manhattan roots and her "Tom's Diner" was actually inspired by her friendship with the son of my nursery school teacher - and a fellow fifer alumnus of the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps with whom I had the pleasure of marching while at the Deep River Ancient Muster in Deep River, Connecticut in July 2011. Brian Rose (known as Chip or Chipper) during his high school years was a classmate of Bruce Hornsby. Brian has been a fine arts photographer since his college years and met Suzanne in those days. While the connections are tenuous, knowing that my life is a thread woven into the whole tapestry of art, music, and culture really feeds the soul. Thanks for the writing prompt, again.
Good afternoon from London, Jesse. This is such a lovely post of yours. I love your writing dearly, you brighten every day. Yesterday I replied about the artists I've missed seeing, and the ones I have loved seeing - your mum at the very top of them. She is the artist I have seen the most times, and I treasure every one. She has truly always touched and ignited my soul and spirit. I mentioned that I was sad to have missed out on a ticket to see her next week at St Paul's Cathedral.
Well, today, just now, just as I returned home from a walk in my local park, I managed to get a ticket - right at the front of the nave! St Paul's Cathedral is my eternal favourite symbol of my home city. I am crying tears of gratitude, excitement and joy, and I cannot wait to see Patti there next week.
I was very happy to get to see the Gin Blossoms last summer in North Hampton, MA. Their music always spoke to me as a teenager in the 90's and I finally got to see them play live now in my early 40's and it was just magical in every way. I am also very glad I got to see your mom Patti Smith play in Connecticut in 2019 I believe it was. Her book "M-Train" is what even got me into wanting to know who she was and then discovered how amazing her music is also. That same night is when I also met you Jesse, for the first time. You were selling your Pathway to Paris T-shirts. I looked up more information on the cause when I got home and started getting suggestions on social media of videos and such of yours, and fell just as much in time with your spirit as much as I did with your moms and that leads me to your concert in Concord, MA that I was so very happy I got to attend! Your voice is so amazing and your piano playing and your stories and knowledge of famous writers and your appreciation of them really connects me back to earth when I need it the most.
As for people I wish i had gotten to see, but unfortunately never will is Lisa Marie Presley. She only made 3 albums, but she truly had something to say and her music speaks to my soul very much. Her music was very feisty and raw and then there were the beautiful, eyes closed, euphoric, slow paced ballads that just drew you inwards.
Leo Kottke's music takes me back--in a very good way--to my first love who introduced me to his music--and to that of many others who otherwise might have not found their way onto my radar. And as for Lyle....Oh! The idea of seeing the together...pure heaven. Thank you for this post!
I saw Leo several times in Portland Oregon , the first time at the Agora Cafe where he played many times along with John Fahey. They both played at Reed college, again a place where I saw Richard and Mimi , Joan’s sister, Pentangle and many more. Those were great days of small intimate venues, often in college basket ball courts. Thank you for igniting the memory of how much I love Leo’s music.
Beautiful stuff! There's been a lot of musicians I've been lucky to see (U2, Pink Floyd, Brian May) and a lot I haven't (Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Genesis). A few big names have passed through my part of the world, though Bob Dylan was the only one I really had to see ("Who, me?"--his lone comment to the audience through the entirety of the show.)
Some of my favorite shows have been completely surprising and unexpected--a reunion of my good friend's band, Sky Burial (I'm still shocked); Kiiyama Shouten, an Okinawan Beach Boys, if you will (incredible energy); and a 20th-anniversary performance of one of my favorite Taiwanese albums, "The Night March of the Chrysanthemums" (菊花夜行軍) by Labor Exchange (交工樂隊)--Lin Sheng Xiang is, imo, one of the greatest songwriters I've heard.
My favorite concert experience, however, would have to be this: My wife and I had managed to squeeze in a short trip to Bali, Indonesia, after our son was born. (Her parents took care of him while we were gone.) The first night there, we were passing through the lobby of our hotel when I suddenly came face-to-face with one of my university professors, Poovalur Srinivasan, director of the South Indian music ensemble at the University of North Texas. We both did a double take--Wha-? Is that-? Hey!--and it's still one of the happiest, most random moments of running into someone in my life. He was there for the Bali Arts Festival and was at the hotel to perform with his good friend, Jamal Mohamed, and several local Balinese musicians. Sriji, as we called him, is a master musician, an excellent and supportive teacher, and a super nice guy. Really, just running into him at all was great, but then we got to hear him play--At our hotel! That we had just checked into that day!
All the best, Jesse, and happy birthday to Leo Kottke. (Looks like I'll be diving into his stuff soon ...)
I’m one of the lucky ones who got to see Leonard Cohan, Jonathan Richman, Johnny Thunders, Bowie 3 times once in the 70’s!!! I can’t stop!! Bob Dylan many times some with the Dead. The Rolling Stones in 1975. CSNY where Neil sang songs from Harvest for the first time. I was at the Tom Waits “Big Time” Show in LA. Eoozoo Chavez. El Vez. Cows. Muddy Waters. Eric Burden. Clifton Chenier. Mojo Nixon. Irma Thomas. Dr John( The Night Tripper ) at Tulane’s Homecoming in New Orleans. Ava, enough already. Oh wait. Patti Smith. Can’t remember how many, but will never forget each show. I went when I was pregnant so Patti would be her first concert. My sweet girl first PS SHOW WAS AT ABOUT 3 yrs old in Santa Monica. She remembers dancing. We also got autographs to add to my Patti collection. I love Patti Smith so much. My musical life changed forever when I heard her song on the radio in 1975? Or 6? I’ve been lucky to see just about everyone I’ve loved. My first concert was Alice Cooper when I was 15. One regret. I never saw the Chairman.
Arriving late, but what a great post (as usual). When I hear people like Leo it makes me wish I had the patience to learn guitar (the best I could do in my youth was drums).
Well, I have to admit that as a music journalist I have been soooo lucky to see so many people live. It is hard to select the best from my earlier years but I would have to say David Bowie at Milton Keynes Bowl on the Let's Dance tour. Also I had the extreme privilege of seeing Freddie Mercury and Queen light up the stage at Live Aid. I also had the special honor of jotting down my concert notes on the stage at a Tina Turner concert in a small venue in Aberdeen Scotland on her comeback tour. These are highlights for me in the past,
In the present it would be of seeing your mother last December at Brooklyn Steel and again in February at the Bowery Ballroom. That first concert reminded me of where I was supposed to be...back in music after many many years in the health/fitness/bodybuilding world. After that show I made my return with my music podcast celebrating local and upcoming bands.
Okay, this is getting overly long so to round up, I wish I had seen Joplin (though Mary Bridget Davis does and excellent recreation) Jimi Hendrix and The Doors,
Thank you for bringing up a great discussion point....again:)
Also I wanted to thank you for this wonderful memory I had forgotten.
My Pop was a band leader. He played many wind instruments, I still have his saxophone. I grew up with my grandparents so I was influenced by much older music than my friends were. When I heard
Wonderland by night, I was transported back to a much kinder place and time, thank you for that 💜
Wonderful musicians collaborating. So breathtaking and pleasing to hear talents jam together. Pretty magical!
I get to see Lucinda Williams and Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs in a couple of weeks. The following week 10/6/24 I will fulfill my dream of seeing your mama at the Hardly Strictly Festival in GoldenGate park. I must be doing something right!!! Get to see two of my favorite ladies in the same month!!!! So excited!!!
So many I did see- Etta James, Ruth Brown, Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, Tina Turner, Big Mama Thornton, Joni Mitchell, Betty Carter, on and on…Looking forward to see more of Jesse Paris Smith on stage. 🙏
I’ve never seen Patti Smith. She was at Carnegie Hall when I was in NYC when I was there in February right before the pandemic started but I couldn’t get tickets. Recently she was in Cincinnati and Chicago but I didn’t learn about those concerts until I saw them on her Substack. Both venues were close enough that I could have gone. Maybe next year….
My first rock concert was REM in Atlanta on the Green tour, with Indigo Girls opening. It was a wonderful introduction to live music! Monday at school, wearing my concert tee, was one of the few days that I felt I for in there.
I’m so glad I saw Nanci Griffith play. I’ve seen Joan Baez play a couple of times—I wish I’d seen Peter, Paul, and Mary play.
I drove from Macon, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama to see Pussy Riot play. That was a powerful experience for a lot of reasons.
I’m really glad that I’ve gotten to see Laurie Anderson perform in person. Her work makes me feel better about being in the world.
You asked a question that I could talk about all day :) Here’s a piece that I wrote about how seeing members of R.E.M. helped heal some sadness rooted deep within me.
Leo Kotke, magical! Saratoga Springs, SPAC 1980s, then 2005 Aloha Theatre, Kainaliu, HI. Fun memories, folks. Love Leo. Named a kitty for him!
I am so glad you asked about musicians that feed my soul - there are so many! On Thursday, I'll make my way to Richmond, VA to see Karina Rykman play with her trio. She comes from Manhattan so you may know her. I also am a dedicated follower of Robert Fripp and all things Crimson (as in King Crimson) so will be at Beat at the Warner Theater on the front row here in DC on October 4. I'll catch Suzanne Vega at the Birchmere in Alexandria between those shows. She's another with Manhattan roots and her "Tom's Diner" was actually inspired by her friendship with the son of my nursery school teacher - and a fellow fifer alumnus of the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps with whom I had the pleasure of marching while at the Deep River Ancient Muster in Deep River, Connecticut in July 2011. Brian Rose (known as Chip or Chipper) during his high school years was a classmate of Bruce Hornsby. Brian has been a fine arts photographer since his college years and met Suzanne in those days. While the connections are tenuous, knowing that my life is a thread woven into the whole tapestry of art, music, and culture really feeds the soul. Thanks for the writing prompt, again.
Good afternoon from London, Jesse. This is such a lovely post of yours. I love your writing dearly, you brighten every day. Yesterday I replied about the artists I've missed seeing, and the ones I have loved seeing - your mum at the very top of them. She is the artist I have seen the most times, and I treasure every one. She has truly always touched and ignited my soul and spirit. I mentioned that I was sad to have missed out on a ticket to see her next week at St Paul's Cathedral.
Well, today, just now, just as I returned home from a walk in my local park, I managed to get a ticket - right at the front of the nave! St Paul's Cathedral is my eternal favourite symbol of my home city. I am crying tears of gratitude, excitement and joy, and I cannot wait to see Patti there next week.
I have to add (even though I have said enough already). I am glad that I saw Diana Ross at Radio City Music Hall 2 years ago tonight.
Wow! Happy anniversary :))) ahah,, What was your favorite song of the night??
It would have to be "Ain't no mountain high enough."
I was very happy to get to see the Gin Blossoms last summer in North Hampton, MA. Their music always spoke to me as a teenager in the 90's and I finally got to see them play live now in my early 40's and it was just magical in every way. I am also very glad I got to see your mom Patti Smith play in Connecticut in 2019 I believe it was. Her book "M-Train" is what even got me into wanting to know who she was and then discovered how amazing her music is also. That same night is when I also met you Jesse, for the first time. You were selling your Pathway to Paris T-shirts. I looked up more information on the cause when I got home and started getting suggestions on social media of videos and such of yours, and fell just as much in time with your spirit as much as I did with your moms and that leads me to your concert in Concord, MA that I was so very happy I got to attend! Your voice is so amazing and your piano playing and your stories and knowledge of famous writers and your appreciation of them really connects me back to earth when I need it the most.
As for people I wish i had gotten to see, but unfortunately never will is Lisa Marie Presley. She only made 3 albums, but she truly had something to say and her music speaks to my soul very much. Her music was very feisty and raw and then there were the beautiful, eyes closed, euphoric, slow paced ballads that just drew you inwards.
Leo Kottke's music takes me back--in a very good way--to my first love who introduced me to his music--and to that of many others who otherwise might have not found their way onto my radar. And as for Lyle....Oh! The idea of seeing the together...pure heaven. Thank you for this post!
I saw Leo several times in Portland Oregon , the first time at the Agora Cafe where he played many times along with John Fahey. They both played at Reed college, again a place where I saw Richard and Mimi , Joan’s sister, Pentangle and many more. Those were great days of small intimate venues, often in college basket ball courts. Thank you for igniting the memory of how much I love Leo’s music.
Yes they are both wonderful musicians. So them back in the 70’s while working at the Santa Monica Civic
Beautiful stuff! There's been a lot of musicians I've been lucky to see (U2, Pink Floyd, Brian May) and a lot I haven't (Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Genesis). A few big names have passed through my part of the world, though Bob Dylan was the only one I really had to see ("Who, me?"--his lone comment to the audience through the entirety of the show.)
Some of my favorite shows have been completely surprising and unexpected--a reunion of my good friend's band, Sky Burial (I'm still shocked); Kiiyama Shouten, an Okinawan Beach Boys, if you will (incredible energy); and a 20th-anniversary performance of one of my favorite Taiwanese albums, "The Night March of the Chrysanthemums" (菊花夜行軍) by Labor Exchange (交工樂隊)--Lin Sheng Xiang is, imo, one of the greatest songwriters I've heard.
My favorite concert experience, however, would have to be this: My wife and I had managed to squeeze in a short trip to Bali, Indonesia, after our son was born. (Her parents took care of him while we were gone.) The first night there, we were passing through the lobby of our hotel when I suddenly came face-to-face with one of my university professors, Poovalur Srinivasan, director of the South Indian music ensemble at the University of North Texas. We both did a double take--Wha-? Is that-? Hey!--and it's still one of the happiest, most random moments of running into someone in my life. He was there for the Bali Arts Festival and was at the hotel to perform with his good friend, Jamal Mohamed, and several local Balinese musicians. Sriji, as we called him, is a master musician, an excellent and supportive teacher, and a super nice guy. Really, just running into him at all was great, but then we got to hear him play--At our hotel! That we had just checked into that day!
All the best, Jesse, and happy birthday to Leo Kottke. (Looks like I'll be diving into his stuff soon ...)
I’m one of the lucky ones who got to see Leonard Cohan, Jonathan Richman, Johnny Thunders, Bowie 3 times once in the 70’s!!! I can’t stop!! Bob Dylan many times some with the Dead. The Rolling Stones in 1975. CSNY where Neil sang songs from Harvest for the first time. I was at the Tom Waits “Big Time” Show in LA. Eoozoo Chavez. El Vez. Cows. Muddy Waters. Eric Burden. Clifton Chenier. Mojo Nixon. Irma Thomas. Dr John( The Night Tripper ) at Tulane’s Homecoming in New Orleans. Ava, enough already. Oh wait. Patti Smith. Can’t remember how many, but will never forget each show. I went when I was pregnant so Patti would be her first concert. My sweet girl first PS SHOW WAS AT ABOUT 3 yrs old in Santa Monica. She remembers dancing. We also got autographs to add to my Patti collection. I love Patti Smith so much. My musical life changed forever when I heard her song on the radio in 1975? Or 6? I’ve been lucky to see just about everyone I’ve loved. My first concert was Alice Cooper when I was 15. One regret. I never saw the Chairman.
Frances Albert Sinatra. 🤌🏼🕊️♥️
Arriving late, but what a great post (as usual). When I hear people like Leo it makes me wish I had the patience to learn guitar (the best I could do in my youth was drums).
Well, I have to admit that as a music journalist I have been soooo lucky to see so many people live. It is hard to select the best from my earlier years but I would have to say David Bowie at Milton Keynes Bowl on the Let's Dance tour. Also I had the extreme privilege of seeing Freddie Mercury and Queen light up the stage at Live Aid. I also had the special honor of jotting down my concert notes on the stage at a Tina Turner concert in a small venue in Aberdeen Scotland on her comeback tour. These are highlights for me in the past,
In the present it would be of seeing your mother last December at Brooklyn Steel and again in February at the Bowery Ballroom. That first concert reminded me of where I was supposed to be...back in music after many many years in the health/fitness/bodybuilding world. After that show I made my return with my music podcast celebrating local and upcoming bands.
Okay, this is getting overly long so to round up, I wish I had seen Joplin (though Mary Bridget Davis does and excellent recreation) Jimi Hendrix and The Doors,
Thank you for bringing up a great discussion point....again:)
Melanie Safka, I wish I could have seen her live and of course your dear Mother, an inspiring woman in so many ways. Both so harmonious to my soul.
Also I wanted to thank you for this wonderful memory I had forgotten.
My Pop was a band leader. He played many wind instruments, I still have his saxophone. I grew up with my grandparents so I was influenced by much older music than my friends were. When I heard
Wonderland by night, I was transported back to a much kinder place and time, thank you for that 💜
Wonderful musicians collaborating. So breathtaking and pleasing to hear talents jam together. Pretty magical!
I get to see Lucinda Williams and Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs in a couple of weeks. The following week 10/6/24 I will fulfill my dream of seeing your mama at the Hardly Strictly Festival in GoldenGate park. I must be doing something right!!! Get to see two of my favorite ladies in the same month!!!! So excited!!!
So many I did see- Etta James, Ruth Brown, Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, Tina Turner, Big Mama Thornton, Joni Mitchell, Betty Carter, on and on…Looking forward to see more of Jesse Paris Smith on stage. 🙏
I’ve never seen Patti Smith. She was at Carnegie Hall when I was in NYC when I was there in February right before the pandemic started but I couldn’t get tickets. Recently she was in Cincinnati and Chicago but I didn’t learn about those concerts until I saw them on her Substack. Both venues were close enough that I could have gone. Maybe next year….
I regret never seeing Bowie or Prince.
My first rock concert was REM in Atlanta on the Green tour, with Indigo Girls opening. It was a wonderful introduction to live music! Monday at school, wearing my concert tee, was one of the few days that I felt I for in there.
I’m so glad I saw Nanci Griffith play. I’ve seen Joan Baez play a couple of times—I wish I’d seen Peter, Paul, and Mary play.
I drove from Macon, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama to see Pussy Riot play. That was a powerful experience for a lot of reasons.
I’m really glad that I’ve gotten to see Laurie Anderson perform in person. Her work makes me feel better about being in the world.
You asked a question that I could talk about all day :) Here’s a piece that I wrote about how seeing members of R.E.M. helped heal some sadness rooted deep within me.
https://open.substack.com/pub/monicacmiller/p/maps-and-legends?r=1ekgn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web