Deep Voices #33

Pillars of eternity

Deep Voices #33 on Spotify

Deep Voices #33 on Apple Music

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You could listen to this week’s playlist, or you could watch this 1995 video of a Down concert; both take about an hour. If you don’t know Down, the band is something of a New Orleans heavy metal supergroup, with Phil Anselmo of Pantera on vocals. Their sound gives a Southern groove to heavy metal, touches of the type of smoky riffs of classic rock groups like Lynyrd Skynyrd while maintaining the bark Anselmo perfected in Pantera. 

I mention this video because it was my primary experience with music this year, in a draining week. My infant son had surgery on Thursday, and though it was minor, it was still a source of stress on our family. Unfortunately, because of Covid, only one parent is allowed to accompany a child to hospital, so I had to wait at my in-laws’ apartment nearby while my wife went with Renzo to the OR. I tried to do a little work but I couldn’t really focus, so I gave up and watched the Down video, which is totally absorbing. Anselmo is in full feral mode, moving at all times. He’s wearing a short sleeve button down shirt with large, Big Brother-esque eyes on the chest. Between songs, he gives several rants, one extolling the virtues of weed, one talking about how it’s difficult for the band members to line up their schedules to play shows. Occasionally he calls out for guitarist Pepper Keenan to get the song started and then Pepper steps up to the center of the stage shirtless and riffs from here to high heaven. About 40 minutes into the video, my face an inch from the screen, my wife called and said Renzo was fine and I went back to the hospital to pick them up and go home. 

Anyway, I say all this not to be dramatic about surgery, or to twist your arm into watching a 25 year old metal concert. It’s just that what I needed at that moment was to be absorbed in something and, without fail, music delivered. And, to be honest, though I love Down, it’s not like they are some kind of go-to for me. They were on my mind because a day or two before I’d seen a photo where I was wearing a Down T-shirt. I typed their name into YouTube and relief awaited. It’s not rocket science but it remains a miracle. 

I usually put together Deep Voices throughout the week which allows time for the tracks to slowly meld together perfectly, like I’m writing the perfect recipe. Due to the pre-op stuff we needed to deal with, along with some other obligations, most of my free time this week was spoken for, so I made this week’s playlist on Sunday night. Renzo is back to normal, but stuff still feels heavy to his mom and me. The vibe I was searching for with this week’s playlist was music that would mirror that liminal state a little. I almost included a Down song but I figured no one other than me really wants to hear that. Life is heavy enough.