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š¶ Life is a Band - Find Your Voice and Build a Band (Musical or Otherwise)
More climate and other news and analysis anon, but here we pause for a musical interlude, starting with a program note:
Join me for another Sunday Sanity show on Sunday October 12 at 7 p.m. with the Grammy-winning activist folk music duo Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer to talk about their recent string of viral tunes confronting the Trump regime (thereāll be singing):
Paste this post link in your calendar for showtime, then watch on Substack Live, Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter or YouTube.
Listen to āNo Kings Here,ā written and sung by Cathy Fink and Tom Paxton. And hereās āIt Aināt Gonna Go Away - Ode to the Epstein Filesā:
And now for my latest song, which is about the power of community - musical or otherwise.
Most folks here know Iāve been a performing songwriter in the background behind my journalism for decades. Music is a fine counterpoint to reporting - giving me the ability to tackle issues, observations and questions that simply donāt fit into a āstory.ā
Three years ago, I scribbled the line ālife is a bandā on a scrap of paper in a songwriting workshop at Bagaduce Music, a great hub for music making here in Downeast Maine. [Disclosure: I just joined the board.] That line has finally grown into a song, which is still being refined but is close enough to post. The lyrics and a YouTube video are below.
Hereās what itās about:
I used to sing and strum up on the stage all by myself...
Iād been a solo performer most of my musical life and only co-created a band for the first time around 2003 - a quartet and then quintet called Uncle Wade, centered on making āsimple music for complicated times.ā We avoided ego trips by each mainly playing the instruments we were least good at. For me that was fiddle and mandolin. This 2013 WFDU radio show appearance gives the story:
In that band and others later, I began to appreciate the musical value of mixing personalities, instrumentation and voices, particularly when there were differences! (Lennon and McCartney were the ultimate expression of this phenomenon.)
But āLife is a Bandā didnāt solidify until recently. A few months back, I started frequenting a Monday evening ākitchen junketā - a potluck supper and singalong - at the Conscious Cafe in Ellsworth.
This cozy eatery is tucked into a yoga center in an old house on a side road. Under chef Jesse Steiger, the mission is āto build community and connection through conscious food and living.ā The regular crew ranges from octagenarians to youngsters, from tuba players to a saz player from Turkey.
The junket began last January, with the music side cheered on and semi-organized by the marvelous fiddler, dancer and music educator Molly Gawler. Listen above or scan my lyrics below to see how the song relates to these sessions.
And I hope youāll consider starting a junket of your own in a living room or accommodating cafe.
Here are the lyrics (which Iāve updated slightly since I made the recording!):
LIFE IS A BAND - Andy Revkin, Oct 2, 2025
A D E A
I used to sing and strum up on the stage all by myself.
E A Bm7 E
Some Dylan and John Prine, Mixed with some songs of mine.
A D E A
But something was not there. Licks and lyrics were too spare.
Bm7 E
Customers drinking and scrolling and yapping, once in awhile some scattered clapping.
D E A A
Then walking home from a sleepy gig a fellow called my name..
Bm7 E A
He said I love the way you play, but there is a better game.
chorus
D A E
Life is a band, no more singing on your own.
D A E
Life is a band, grab a uke or saxophone.
D A E
Life is a band, tenor, bass or baritone.
D E A
Come add your voice. Letās make it grand. Life is a band. (twice)
A D E A
He said right down the block there is a place you have to see,
A A Bm7 E
We gather every weekend for a potluck jamboree.
A D A E
Bring some wings or a casserole, a flute or mandolin.
Bm7 E A
Choose folk or blues or an Irish tune and then we start to sing.
chorus
bridge
E E
Like a town needs a mayor and a baker and a plumber
A A
A band has a singer and a picker and a drummer
Bm7
Each, on its own, is monotone.
E
Put āem all together for something betterā¦.
Put āem all together for something betterā¦.
Put āem all together for somethingā¦ā¦betterā¦
chorus
Is there anything like this where you live?
Sustain What is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revkin.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Andy @RevkinMore climate and other news and analysis anon, but here we pause for a musical interlude, starting with a program note:
Join me for another Sunday Sanity show on Sunday October 12 at 7 p.m. with the Grammy-winning activist folk music duo Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer to talk about their recent string of viral tunes confronting the Trump regime (thereāll be singing):
Paste this post link in your calendar for showtime, then watch on Substack Live, Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter or YouTube.
Listen to āNo Kings Here,ā written and sung by Cathy Fink and Tom Paxton. And hereās āIt Aināt Gonna Go Away - Ode to the Epstein Filesā:
And now for my latest song, which is about the power of community - musical or otherwise.
Most folks here know Iāve been a performing songwriter in the background behind my journalism for decades. Music is a fine counterpoint to reporting - giving me the ability to tackle issues, observations and questions that simply donāt fit into a āstory.ā
Three years ago, I scribbled the line ālife is a bandā on a scrap of paper in a songwriting workshop at Bagaduce Music, a great hub for music making here in Downeast Maine. [Disclosure: I just joined the board.] That line has finally grown into a song, which is still being refined but is close enough to post. The lyrics and a YouTube video are below.
Hereās what itās about:
I used to sing and strum up on the stage all by myself...
Iād been a solo performer most of my musical life and only co-created a band for the first time around 2003 - a quartet and then quintet called Uncle Wade, centered on making āsimple music for complicated times.ā We avoided ego trips by each mainly playing the instruments we were least good at. For me that was fiddle and mandolin. This 2013 WFDU radio show appearance gives the story:
In that band and others later, I began to appreciate the musical value of mixing personalities, instrumentation and voices, particularly when there were differences! (Lennon and McCartney were the ultimate expression of this phenomenon.)
But āLife is a Bandā didnāt solidify until recently. A few months back, I started frequenting a Monday evening ākitchen junketā - a potluck supper and singalong - at the Conscious Cafe in Ellsworth.
This cozy eatery is tucked into a yoga center in an old house on a side road. Under chef Jesse Steiger, the mission is āto build community and connection through conscious food and living.ā The regular crew ranges from octagenarians to youngsters, from tuba players to a saz player from Turkey.
The junket began last January, with the music side cheered on and semi-organized by the marvelous fiddler, dancer and music educator Molly Gawler. Listen above or scan my lyrics below to see how the song relates to these sessions.
And I hope youāll consider starting a junket of your own in a living room or accommodating cafe.
Here are the lyrics (which Iāve updated slightly since I made the recording!):
LIFE IS A BAND - Andy Revkin, Oct 2, 2025
A D E A
I used to sing and strum up on the stage all by myself.
E A Bm7 E
Some Dylan and John Prine, Mixed with some songs of mine.
A D E A
But something was not there. Licks and lyrics were too spare.
Bm7 E
Customers drinking and scrolling and yapping, once in awhile some scattered clapping.
D E A A
Then walking home from a sleepy gig a fellow called my name..
Bm7 E A
He said I love the way you play, but there is a better game.
chorus
D A E
Life is a band, no more singing on your own.
D A E
Life is a band, grab a uke or saxophone.
D A E
Life is a band, tenor, bass or baritone.
D E A
Come add your voice. Letās make it grand. Life is a band. (twice)
A D E A
He said right down the block there is a place you have to see,
A A Bm7 E
We gather every weekend for a potluck jamboree.
A D A E
Bring some wings or a casserole, a flute or mandolin.
Bm7 E A
Choose folk or blues or an Irish tune and then we start to sing.
chorus
bridge
E E
Like a town needs a mayor and a baker and a plumber
A A
A band has a singer and a picker and a drummer
Bm7
Each, on its own, is monotone.
E
Put āem all together for something betterā¦.
Put āem all together for something betterā¦.
Put āem all together for somethingā¦ā¦betterā¦
chorus
Is there anything like this where you live?
Sustain What is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit revkin.substack.com/subscribe