The Kitchen Musician ~ June 2026

Hello Friends,

Join me in the kitchen for a new song and a big show announcement.

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Index

  NEWS:
  THIS MONTH’S MUSIC: “Each Sunrise as a Gift”
  UPCOMING SHOWS
  FEATURED NON-PROFIT: Force Multiplier

In one of my happy places – Club Passim (formerly Club 47)

News:

I have teamed up with Ruthann Baler, Doug Kwartler, Susan Levine, and Margo Smith to produce a great concert showcasing some notable folk/Americana artists to raise awareness and support for Democratic candidates in close races with the ultimate goal of flipping the House and Senate in November. We are doing this with the help of Force Multiplier, an independent, all-volunteer, self-funded organization, to identify where donations can have the biggest impact. There will be outstanding performances by Mark Erelli, Cosy Sheridan, Alastair Moock, Les Sampou, Kemp Harris, The Lied To’s, Ruthann Baler and me. This promises to be a memorable and uplifting concert.

When: Sunday June 21st, 3:00 pm (doors 2:30)
Where: First Church and Parish Dedham, 680 High St., Dedham, MA 02026
Free: Reserve a seat to guarantee entry. If no more seats are available online, we will keep an additional 50 seats for walk-ins. First come, first served.

This is a free concert, however you are invited to contribute to our Force Multiplier funds as you are able, whether you can attend or not. Click to view our concert web site for donate links and more details.

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UPCOMING SHOWS

June 21, Sunday, Dedham, MA, 3:00 pm. “Fight Back with a Song.” (See above)

August 21, Friday, Jaffrey, NH, 7:00 pm. Cosy Sheridan and I will share a presentation at The Amos Fortune Forum, at the historic Jaffrey Meeting House. We will sing our original songs and have a conversation about how this ancient story-telling art form serves both the songwriter’s and the listeners’ healthy relationship to the challenges of living in the modern world.

All show details can be found at upcoming shows.

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This Month’s Music: “Each Sunrise as a Gift”

I have made no secret about the fact that “current events” news contributes to my elevated level of anxiety these days. While I find that my activism does help, even if it is just showing up with a sign at a #NOKINGS rally or to support immigrants at the local ICE field office, I am also trying to develop some habits of mindfulness to get through each day and avoid capsizing.

Without getting too deeply into it, mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist and Hindu teachings. Modern day science and medicine has successfully applied it to therapeutic techniques to address anxiety, stress and more. According to Psychology Today, at its core “mindfulness encompasses two key ingredients: awareness and acceptance. Awareness is the knowledge and ability to focus attention on one’s inner processes and experiences, such as the experience of the present moment. Acceptance is the ability to observe and accept—rather than judge or avoid—those streams of thought.” Mindfulness helps me to keep a healthy balance between hopelessness and extreme reactions to negative daily news.

I have a daily mindfulness routine that includes guided meditations (assisted by an app on my phone), walks in nature and more. Sometimes I join my friend Sloan Wainwright on her virtual vocal coaching sessions via Zoom. I find it meditative and it certainly grounds me in the present moment. Before we warm up our voices, Sloan often has us stand with eyes closed and encourages us to “Stand and know you are standing.” In other words, be mindful about your practice. I love that phrase, and you will see that I use it in the final verse of my new song. (Thanks Sloan!)

With that as a backdrop, in a recent conversation with some songwriting friends we discussed the growing affect that Artificial Intelligence (AI) was having on our lives. We observed the apparent “success” of music that has been created and “performed” by AI. We also expressed our love for the human imperfections in the songs we write for ourselves and each other, and in the live shows we attend. One of us is job hunting, and his stories of all of the professions that have replaced the work of humans with machines were very discouraging. His tales of being “interviewed” by AI agents were positively dystopian.

So it is quite natural that as someone who grew up in the 1950’s and 1960’s I would compare and contrast my modern life with the one I experienced as a youth in rural Pennsylvania. Could my 77 year old self return to the way I lived back then, even in a world that is radically different?

As always, thank you for joining me on my music-assisted journey.

May we take each sunrise as a gift.

Tom

(If so inclined, I invite you to leave a comment by scrolling to the end of this page.)

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Featured Non-profit: Force Multiplier

“Force Multiplier, an independent, all-volunteer organization, can help you maximize the impact of your political investments of time and money. We guarantee that 100% of your donations goes directly to the candidates and groups you choose to support.”

“We work on three intersecting fronts:

• We support candidates in competitive races to win the House and build power in the Senate.
• We fight autocracy by supporting litigation groups that uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and organizations that prevent election interference both nationally and locally.
• We educate and engage voters online and on the ground.”

Please consider donating to our “Fight Back with a Song” funds, curated by Force Multiplier. Note: While Force Multiplier does have non-profit status projects, these specific donations go to candidates and are therefore not tax deductible.

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