Dust was one of the most unlikely and unplanned songs on the record. We had a lot of songs already recorded for what was to become the Ghosts Of Highway 20 but we wanted to get a couple more recorded. We got Bill Frisell to come back for two days back in April and Lucinda was working hard finishing up some songs so they were ready when he got to town. She had a couple songs ready but wanted to have a few more.
Ironically, she was just starting to work on the song the Ghosts Of Highway 20, but it wasn’t going to be finished in time – which I was disappointed about at the time. Somewhere in the week before I had shown Lu her father’s poem Dust and just sort of casually told her that I thought it would make a great song. I had come across it several months before and it stuck with me that it had song potential. Well…it really resonated with her instantly and it just came to her and she had it done in a day – maybe two at the most. When we got into in the studio it just exploded into the very special song it became. It was amazing to witness. Two days before it hadn’t existed.
Musically, it has some amazing guitar interplay between Bill and Greg – they are telepathic together. They way they play off of each other on this song is just incredible. That was one of the reasons we decided to open the record with this song. We wanted to establish that the guitars on this record were going to be a musical center of the record – and we also wanted make a statement that this record was going to be musically different that Spirt Meets The Bone. We actually put Magnolia (which features Bill & Greg) at the end of Bone as a bit of a musical sneak preview of the next record. That is one of the ways that two records connect.
– Lucinda mgmt. (Tom)
#DWTSMTB #Hwy20InsideJobBlog
I live on HY 20 in Winthrop, WA. 98862. Cool. The very small town of the Winthrop Rhythym and Blues Festival (largest in the State of Washington, laughing, it is still small) HY 20 Winthrop Washington. thank you PBS and Lucinda. we will enjoy!
I have suggested, to Kathy Mattea’s guitarist, Bill Cooley to explore your music to cover. Since Emmylou Harris and Mary Chapin Carpenter have covered your tunes, I feel she has similar wonderings. I am a nobody fan of singer songwriters who don’t write for radio.
It made me overjoyed to read an old article about how Flannery O Conner knew your father. I loved reading about how you write poetically.
I love that you told people you can be in love and still write sad songs.
Most of all I like how giving and merciful you have been toward your family.
My favorite thing is you don’t neatly fit in any category .
May God Bless you and your family
Denise Boudreau
I love it! Here near the eastern end of hwy 20, at the beach of S.C. we love you! Please come back to Asheville! or Charleston! or Wilmington!
Well, made my tears well, I didn’t cry / from the first call and response guitars /
from the soulful voice of the wise woman / the words slurred into my heart /
My tears didn’t fall, they sat there in the corners of my eyes and I didn’t cry /
but my nose dripped and my heart broke and my face might’ve looked funny /
if someone had been there this morning at 9:15 or if someone is there unseen /
and far away and here now once again is the beloved wise woman, always welcome
I was so moved by this song. When I was young I was moments from committing suicide, I opened my arms inaudibly told God Icould not live another second. Since then my life has changed. I have never felt the way I felt that darkest of night. God is at my side evey second now. I love life in all its trouble and strife, I find myself laughing at stress and pain. There is no darkness in my life anymore. I am happy with the problems I face everyday, and they are many. I am so grateful for your words and music, you are truly won of the most beautiful souls I have been lucky to experience, I admire your artistic expression of your life. God Bless You Lucinda. You are a gift to me. I would love to meet you someday. I admire you very much. Iwas at the show at the contemporary art museum in Saint Louis. I have seen so many musical shows. This was the best show I have ever seen. Good luck on your tour, wherevever you are.