in 2010, I made my first trip to the Pacific Northwest. I left Missoula at sunrise, and drove across the Oregon desert. As the sun set and I approached the remote Winema National Forest, I swore I could taste the Pacific Ocean in the air despite being a long way from the coast. I remember only seeing a few cars that day, out of hundreds of miles. While I drove, I played this song. A lot.

“Song Among the Pine” was written by an artist called Gravenhurst (multi-instrumentalist Nicholas John Talbot). The album “The Western Lands” soon became one of my favorites after that trip. So much so I even recommended “Song Among the Pine” for THE PULLER movie.

Sadly, I just found out that Nicholas John Talbot passed away in December of 2014. So I’ve been playing this album all week, thinking about how much his music moved me artistically. Thanks for the inspiration, Nicholas.

Song among the pine
Cones and needles lie atop the dark soil
They will come for me
With searchlights streaming through the cedar trees
Cold ash smother the fire
Cold ash smother the fire
The ripple of the stream
Is just one way the forest speaks to me
The anger in the streets
Is just the way a broken city breathes