I'm writing this column right after the October 1 coffeehouse featuring Tom Russell and Andy Hardin. During the open mike we heard a beautiful song by Eric Gerber, another by Lawrence Clark and performances by many talented students. We heard poetry, we heard the Breeden father/son team, we heard the songbird of Schreiner-Laran Snyder. I was thrilled to see what can happen when we prepare a space for self-expression. The audience listened carefully to every performance. The audience might have just been on of the performers that Wednesday evening.

My head is filled with the songs of Tom Russell, songs that continue to paint pictures for me even after the music fades. Andy Hardin added the perfect guitar solos. I first heard Tom in a small café in Frutigen, Switzerland, when he was playing the song, "Gallo del Cielo," a song that became his closing song on October 1.

He sang songs off his new album, "Modern Art." I'm listening to the CD now, as I write, and the song "Boy Who Cries Wolf" is tearing out my heart. He's also the boy who cries "love." "The boy did not know true love until love had gone away," he says. "Fairy tales are funny little rhymes, unless they are happening to you," he also says.
 
I happen to know a little of Tom's literary background and interest. I mean, where else can you read the name "Bukowski" on a song title? Yeah, this man is a scholar and reader. His performance mesmerizes even as he lightly teases the audience. He invited Laran Snyder up to share a song about Mohammad Ali, noticing that she could easily be with any music. Snyder, a music major at Schreiner, is the student host of the coffeehouse series. Patricia Vonne will perform on November 5, the last evening of the fall series.

Thursday, October 2, Tom and Andy shared stories and songs with my advanced composition class. Education can be delivered in many forms. We had a special day in class on October 2, my birthday.
Tom dedicated "Blue Wing" to me, and it is a song that moves me to tears each time I hear it. I enjoyed sharing the evening with many dear friends in that audience. Terri Fass has followed this music a long time, and she showed up a beautiful gift in hand. Don has shared the stage with Tom at the Elko Poetry Gathering, and he and Sug shared the evening with me. You know, something special happens when you share a song or story with someone who "knows," someone who also appreciated the depth of the song. Don said, "I don't think this show would have been any better if they had been playing to 50,000 people. We got the best show."

Andy Hardin, who has performed with Tom for years, has a new CD, "Just Like This Train. His exquisite guitar playing brought a round of applause after each solo. Tom finally said, "We are singing the next song so Andy can begin with an amazing guitar solo." See www.andrewhardin.com for more information.

Hightone Records is Tom's label, and they have a great catalogue of artists. "Modern Art" showcases three duets with Nanci Griffith as well as songs by some of Tom's favorites. I love the Tom's version of the Steve Goodman song, "The Dutchman." Elena Fremerman, a performer in Hot Club of Cowtown, adds fiddle and violin. I talked with her once at Taco Express in Austin, and her stories give a distinct view on the passion that drives these performers.

Tom ends the CD with a list of "modern artists": Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle, "El Juli," Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Edith Piaf, Bob Dylan, Billy Holiday, Seabiscuit, Warren Zevon, Randy Newman, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Charles Bukowski, Carl Brouse, Stephen Foster, Manolete, Jack Kerouac, Lew Welch, John Fante, Nanci Griffith, Lennhjy Bruce, Simon Rudia, Graham Greene, Ian and Sylvia Tysohn, Edward Abbey…and on. Now that is a list to draw to. Tell a story about each of these, and you will have scratched the depth of a Tom Russell performance. He weaves all these threads together. See www.tomrussell.com for more information.

As I end this column, Tom's version of "The Dutchman" plays on my stereo. I feel sadness, nostalgia, appreciation, hunger and joy around Tom's stand on art. I, too, believe that artistic expression is at the center of being human. And should be at the center of education.

Signing off with Tom's words and laughter ringing in my ears. Signing off with my heart full from my experience with this great audience on October 1. October 11 is the annual PIP workshop at Schreiner, a way of learning from Native American stories. Free Leonard (Peltier, that is), and down the road.