As long as we’re still breathing air, we’re all going to roll around another 365 (or 366) days and a birthday pops up again. Our family recently celebrated a milestone one – 90 years. The calendar also rolled up the same age for a Farmall tractor my dad gave me many years ago. I made the investment to have it restored and it was celebrated along with the family member, but it was certainly relegated to being lesser important.

A community center was rented for the celebration because we’re quite an assembly by now – over 70 people (and everyone was in attendance). There were of course appreciations expressed and a lot of conversations (and an equal amount of food). At the end of the day, I at least came away with a deeper sense of legacy. What are we imparting everyday, and what of real value will last beyond us? Someone commented that even that 90-year-old tractor with its very simplistic technology would outlive all of us (barring of course some unforeseen event).

A young musician came by the studio recently and we were talking some about our journeys – Tesco Productions over the past 40 years and his shorter time making music. I showed him around, which brought us by the dozens and dozens of names signed on the walls – some with accompanying artwork. This often causes me to reflect on the interactions with so many people over the years, and the projects we worked on together. In a study group I’m in, I was assigned last week to expound on Psalm 90 from the Old Testament book of Psalms. We had been reading about the concluding months and days of Moses, and I did not remember this psalm is attributed to him. Nearing the end of his life and giving final thoughts, he summarizes his many years leading the nation of Israel. He then concludes with these final repeated words, “Lord, establish (confirm) the works of our hands.” In other words, “may our lives have lasting value beyond us,” implying that’s not a given. I guess that’s a big part of why I’m still opening the door and connecting with clients – hoping our time together has meaning beyond itself.

This past Sunday marked a significant music-making legacy as the Great Plains Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association commemorated 50 years of making/promoting Bluegrass and Old-Time music. The Jubilee was held at Danish Vennelyst Park on N. 31st Street in Omaha. A nice lunch was provided during which an open mic featured various musicians. The final group to perform has multiple members in it that are on the board of the GPBOTMA and who have largely helmed the club for a number of years. I was reminded as I entered the meeting hall that we had all been there for the same event 10 years earlier, when the Kopsa Family performed at the 40th celebration.

Of course no club meeting is complete without jam sessions, and three such groups formed both inside and outside to enjoy each other’s company and make some music. The club exists to provide a setting for learning an instrument and how to listen and perform both individually and in a group, and along the way to encourage the preservation and promotion of Bluegrass and Old-Time music. It’s always encouraging to see some younger attendees appreciating the same interests and valuing learning and preserving these genres. Many friendships have been made and maintained over the years through this association.

The GPBOTMA has monthly shows/jams the 1st Sunday afternoon of each month October through May which are held at The American Legion Post #1, 78th & Davenport in Omaha. Club dues are a nominal annual amount and entitle you to $2 off the admission price. There’s always multiple jams following a varied group performance or open mic opportunity – depending on that month’s schedule. More information can be found here on facebook. Congrats on 50 years!

This month a new out-of-state client was able to work out his schedule and came by to restore some old band archives. He had been in a rock band for a number of years and they had made various recordings – some of which had been transferred onto digital media and others were still just on reel-to-reel tapes. There’s always the mystery of what condition a reel has transitioned into as the years have passed. Interestingly, consumer grade tape generally survives the passing of time better than many pro-formulated spools. Over time it’s not uncommon for certain brands of studio quality magnetic tape to become sticky. This is caused when the glue which adheres the plastic backing to the oxide layer (which actually holds the audio information) leaches through the oxide. When it becomes bad enough the wraps of tape become “glued” to each other making it almost (or actually) impossible to play, and at a minimum the glue builds up on the tape path resulting in slow play or the tape just stopping.

After delving into the various flash drives of previously transferred material and identifying what he had/didn’t have it was determined 3 songs were missing. He had been informed they didn’t exist anymore, but “let’s try this reel and see what’s on there.” Fortunately, the client’s tape we loaded (yes, I still remember how to thread a tape machine) did not suffer from any of those symptoms. As my 40-year-old Otari reel machine spun the reels and the VU meters bounced to the music he was delighted to hear those songs. I asked him how long it had been since he heard them, to which he replied “40 years.” He was pretty ecstatic they were there and in good shape. So, having now copied the tunes over to computer I looked for software versions of processors that would have been popular in music production at the time. I found a couple (we both knew/and or used the hardware versions) and we put some polish on those old recordings and set up a master CD with the other songs from that original album.

It was a lot of fun actually. I had been forced to get my reel machine back into working order. Old lubricants used in the play mechanisms had dried out and needed to be cleaned and replaced with new. It had also been some time since I cleaned and demagnetized a tape path. I honestly don’t miss all the mechanical maintenance and electrical alignment/calibration of tape machines, but I also have to say I miss seeing spinning reels and active mechanical meters. Somehow, it just seems like you’re doing something more “tangible”. And in addition, I had a musician in the studio who was delighted to have an old project updated into a current usable form as we reminisced about old recording methods and tools. Somehow, it just felt reel (sorry) comfortable. Would I want to go back to the old recording methods? No, but there was a simplicity in that afternoon session and a warmth in the sounds and friendship that ensued.