bucknerI’ve always been obsessed with time. From an early age, my Ma used to tell me, “you’re gonna be one of those people who worries about your life passing by too fast.” Bingo. But I also have a deep respect for time. Since the passing of my Pop in 2005, I put nearly everything on a time/energy scale and try to figure out what it’s worth (sometimes this includes arguments – sometimes I just can’t help myself – for worse or better). This isn’t to say I’m one of those folks who thinks time=money, I’ve just realized that on my short time here on earth, it’s best to let some things fall away so you can get to the good stuff.

Another aspect of time I’ve always been fascinated with is how much or little you can do with a song’s duration. Some of my favorite songwriters are folks who can take three minutes and distort it so it always feels like an eternity (not like church, mind you, but in more of an alien abduction way, where you almost lose your sense of time completely – not that I’m advocating for alien abductions here). Hank Williams instantly comes to mind (Cold, Cold Heart – wow), as does Richard Buckner, who not only wastes no time on his masterpiece Ariel Ramirez, but also uses it efficiently and effectively. Even if you don’t know who Ariel Ramirez is, it doesn’t matter. Bucker makes you care about him in a unique way. In fact, Bucker’s Devotion and Doubt album may be one of the best demonstrations in the absolute arc of life that can be endured in a relatively short time, and yet, when you listen to the record, you’d swear it was hours long. It’s quite literally a lifetime of emotion uncorked in 40 minutes.

I can remember the first time I turned my friends MC and PA onto Doubt. We were hanging in the North Buick Lounge at the end of a long day, sipping beers and swapping stories. I put Doubt on, and I swear it was like a beekeeper had spelled the beehive with smoke. Nobody said a word. When the record finished, PA said, “wow. You got anything else from him?” I went and dug out everything I had, and we listened to it all. Six hours later, we emerged from the lounge different than when we’d entered. Buckner has that affect on you.

Me? I always have a hard time keeping my songs under five minutes. Music is a message, a communication. The shorter and simpler it is, the better chances people will understand it. This is still a work in progress for me, but I think we may have achieved this on a couple of songs on my new record. Stay tuned.

By the way, Bucker’s playing at Johnny D’s in Somerville, MA tomorrow night for only $16. Worth every penny.

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