Songs of The South and Synchronicity

Ali Perry-Davies: Sleep, let it sweep you off your feet. Hi, you're listening to find your joy. If you're looking for ways to thrive rather than survive in a world that can seem rather chaotic, you're in the right place, we will be sharing stories of our own, as well as those from guests who have found ways to bring hope, healing and freedom into places where trauma has impacted them. I'm Ali, author of the art of healing trauma, and I'm here to remind you that life is sweet. Now, let's dive in and find ways to create our joy. Hi, this is Ali and find your joy. And we are back with the amazing the incredible, the oh my gosh, this guy has stories for days. Lonnie lass, welcome back.

Another day, another dollar? Well, no, just another day. That's

Ali Perry-Davies: right. That's right. You know, when we were just just chatting, because we're going into Episode Two, part two, you were talking about taking care of the people. And, and, and cleaning up things and stuff. And I thought, you know, you remind me very much of, well, you're a bit of a prophet, I see you as kind of a prophet and, and I'll tell you why. I think that you have a gift. And I was sort of talking about this a little bit before. So there's, there's that you are this incredibly disciplined, and skilled individual. And that's those are, those are handy things, those are really good. On top of that, though, you have this huge heart, and a lot of integrity. And you're really kind and you see things in others. And then you just you go for that. So when you were talking last time about, you know, drummers and different people and seeing where they've come in the people that you're surrounded with, I just I was thinking, Do you are you aware that those people, if they're reciting the amazing people that they're surrounded with, that you would be on their list? And that's, you know, and the prophetic part is, I think, you know, I remember years ago, a voice right, whatever if it whether people want to call them, whatever, they are a prophet, or a revelatory person or a psychic, I don't really care. But I heard a really good description once was that it doesn't take much to see something, a flaw in another person that takes no great gift. We're humans, you know what I mean? You walk into any room, and you're gonna see a lot of flaws in there. What's a treasured quality and a person is a person that sees the diamonds in the rough, the person that sees all that a person could be, and then they found that blame, they bring they, they speak it to the person, they speak it over the person, they bring that to life. And I think that's something that a gift that you walk in,

you know, amazing just made the think of another little story. Again, a drummer, his name is Phil craw Chuck and he lives in Calgary. He's just, again, just a dynamite. I got to say, as a bass player, you know, the rhythm section is, for me, it's even objectively, the rhythm section is the key. Yes, to a band. I mean, you can have a good band with a great rhythm section. The good then becomes really good. Yes. And a great band with a crappy rhythm section can be come mediocre. Anyways, we're the unsung part of sort of music as the rhythm section. But Phil and I were were fanatic golfers. So we we would have our golf clubs in the in the van, we're driving him. Of course, if we saw a golf course we'd stop. And the other guys we'd say, okay, take a rest. We're going for three hours to golf. And so we would golf our way on tour. And always and we were very similar our talent as golfers, which was quite good. And so we were very competitive. But then I started realizing my god, Phil. He's really incredible golfer he's getting he's becoming unbelievable. So I told him, I said, you know, Phil, I think you're a great drummer, but I think you should quit. And I think you should become a golf pro. And said, you're good enough. I It, you know, think about it. You know, if you if you think your dreams are to be a rock and roll star drummer, you know, your odds are very slim. He was, I think 35 or 30 at a time as you know, it'll take you four years to go to school and get the proper degree. So you can have your card as a pro, you'll be a pro anywhere, any golf course. And you could still play. Yes, just reverse it, make golf your thing, and then you'll become so I went off and I did other things, Roy find out. He's a golf pro.

Oh my gosh, I love this one became

a golf pro. And he moved to Edmonton. And he got his degree for it. And he became a golf pro. And he's my age of noise a lot younger night, but he still has his card. So he can still be a pro, but somebody do with his money. But studio equipment, and he recorded a recording studio. And he was drumming and continued to drum content to music. And so he's, he's double faceted. And so he's a great friend of mine. And they live in Calgary now. And you know, we went on tour in Finland together, I took him and, you know, we meet this we're on on this ship, going to Stockholm for a little break. And I walk in, I started talking to this, this girl, cute little cute Finnish woman photographer. And then I go back to fill it fill, yada, yada trying to hook up with this girl. I think she's really cute. And I think I think he'd be fine. So we ended up marrying this girl. It's unbelievable. Like I have all these little scenarios of avenues. I'm

Ali Perry-Davies: telling you, you're a prophet.

I think the Indians called them Bodhisattvas. They come they, the they decide they're not going to go into the transcendental enlightenment. They'll come back and help others, as

Ali Perry-Davies: well as beautiful. I love that.

But my favorite one, I have to say this because I love her so much is Sarah Smith. You know, Sarah, I've known, I guess a person who were around almost 25 years. But when she was obviously very young, and I was doing my ZZ Top thing, and my guitar player, this guy Billy Thursday got playing for me. This was the guy who went on tour with by the way, Billy Durst. When that got me into thinking about doing the ZZ Top thing, so he went off to do his thing I was with my boyfriend, my boyfriend left, actually from an argument we had. And he'd split. And I was walking down the street, and I see this cab corner. And honestly, this is like you couldn't write this and thinking to myself, What the hell am I gonna do? Who am I going to find that seat and close to John, as a guitar player, we have all these gigs and tours coming up. And at the corner is this taxi. And the taxi driver is Billy the guitar. So you're just this unbelievable, Elliot. So I say, Billy, you want to be in a band. And he looks at me says, Great. And I said, Only thing I have to find out. Can you grow a beard? He says Sure. So I told him as easy topping. Now, Billy, still as his beard. Like, this is like 30 years. And his beard is down to his waist and it's white. He's aged. Anyway. So Billy becomes the guitar player. And we're rocking having a great time. Okay. We've gone to Finland a couple of times. So I call them up. I say Philly. It's Finland time. And he says lonely. I can't go. I said, come on. That's so much tour is but what's the problem? He said, I'm working with this young songwriter named Sarah Smith. And, you know, and I just can't go. I said, Okay, here's, here's what we're going to do. We're going to bring Sara with us, and she'll open the night. She'll open for us every night. So Sarah, I gave Sarah her first experience of that story. So Sarah comes on tour, and then we get back and she comes to visit me. And because they will, they were thinking at the end of by the end of the tour, Billy and her, wanted me to become the manager. Right? janela. So I was I've been thinking about it. So I said to Sarah, okay. Here's the hard news. If I Was Your manager, I would say to you, you know, Billy Durst is a phenomenal guitar player, but he's my age. I was like, 50 years old. I said, Sarah, you gotta, you gotta go find a guitar player who's hungry? And young, like you? Because right now, you know, it looks like you're playing with grandpa. Right? And it's cool. But, you know, it's like, you're, you're a punky rocker. And, you know, you want to legitimize yourself. You can still use Billy as the songwriting partner, use him in the studio for His great plan, but get someone young. So there was like some, it was didn't go so well. However,

Ali Perry-Davies: was moments. Oddly,

10 years later, I saw that Sarah was playing nearby where I was living, and I thought, Oh, gee, I haven't seen 710 years. I'm going to go in and say hi. So I walked in, and she saw me she just ran over and hugged me and, and she said, Lonnie, you were right. And that's what she'd done. she'd gotten this young, young kids and they were just young band, punk band, and they were getting really successful and doing great. And I was so thrilled with her. And I see I just recently as five years ago, I said, Sir, we're in touch and I said she wanted to come on West. I said, Okay, I'll, I'll get you some gigs. So I did, I got some island gigs. And I drove her and her bass player were around, they were coming into the duel. So we became, I became a valet. And I said, Well, all I ask is that I can open a couple of shows for you to my acoustic. So we did. And then Sarah moved out. The Pender Island. Right, right. And she immediately called me and said, I'm a West Nile, Lonnie, you want to you want to be my bass player. Oh, it's like pay back. Pay back for what you did. I said, Great. Amen. So I've been a bass player. Since then, we've gone to Europe a couple of times, we're going again. And but you know, we're like soulmates, you know, and I love her so much like her. She's one of the most amazing ladies. Anyone could meet. Really? She's absolutely beautiful. And she's going through her own little hill. Yeah. Which can either kill you or make you stronger.

Ali Perry-Davies: And that's right. That's, that's the whole thing. Right? Yeah.

And she made it through. And she's just just an adorable human being, and I love her. That's

Ali Perry-Davies: awesome. I actually was able to do an interview with Sarah and get to know her a little bit. I mean, I known her music a bit. And because of you and Stewart, I was feeling like I knew her because I'm, you know, I'm watching you guys. As you're going on these tours and, and I the connection between you and Sara's very, you can see that it's electric on stage. Yeah, I've got great but you

have like her and I, that to something happens is totally organic. I mean, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's real, you know, and I've had so many people that just say, actually say is, are you a couple? And I said, Well, you know, maybe it's father daughter, but it's certainly not a couple. But you know, just moments that happen. I've got one just someone just a gorgeous photo of her and I were like, rocking out we're getting close. And then Siri just I'm looking right at her and she just moves her head and touches my head with her right in the middle of this thing and that somebody got a shot at it. It's so

Ali Perry-Davies: isn't that perfect that someone got shot? Yeah.

And it's like, you know, that to me sums up Our relationship in the eye, you know, and again, you know, I have to look at it and objectively and say, you know, there's going to come a time when, you know, I'm done. Eon I'm not young, I can go for however long but I know that she's a younger woman. I won't say what her Her age is.

Ali Perry-Davies: But you know, younger than us,

you know when she's a certain age I'll be at so you also Mick Jagger still tours these at Yes, sir.

Ali Perry-Davies: I was just gonna say

that I'll still be hobbling or that I'm when later on anyways, that's, that's Sarah Smith, who I love. And I've been gifted to be able to help her and she's reciprocated in like, like, likewise, which is great. And these are the connections in an eye, I know that it can happen in any field you're in. It's not like, yes, you know, but But it's, for me, it's particularly poignant, in a musical sense. Because the tendency, as you know, we all are, you know, relatively egocentric. You know, we have our, our own little shields, we put up the defender, our artistry, you know, and we cling to that, and it's, you know, I'm, I have narcissistic tendencies, you know, me artists, what artists doesn't. So to be able to open the door and let the others in. Is, is, is great, it's, it's a lovely thing is, it's, it's a way better way to find expression, you know, the more you open, the more expressive you can be. So these people have have been very instrumental in my own awakening, right, being able to release and then you know, that allowed me to do things like CO right, which is probably one of the great releases of ego. Yes, is to let go of

Ali Perry-Davies: that intro.

It's mine, how dare you? Yes. And I've, I've co written with a bunch of people getting swinging into the writing space of my life, you know, right.

Ali Perry-Davies: And it's true, when you think of it like a band just do a band coming together. So as you mentioned, there's you know, all all careers, all professions there's this way. And I think I'm going to, I'm going to say that people who tend to be on the artistic or more creative side of the spectrum, tend to what we're passionate, and we're and we get a, you know, you get a focus, and it's just, I just want to go for that thing. And I would like you to all come along and support me in that. But I'm not always really wanting to hear a bunch of opinions on it. I think that's kind of where the wheels come off the bus, sometimes in bands and things like that. And then the other side of it that works so beautifully. is learning the conversation of music, or any other art, right? Well, that you know, we're all going to support you we're still playing, but when someone is doing their thing, we're backing off and giving room for that part of the conversation. And that's a beautiful thing. I think that happens in music, the learn to collaborate, because if we don't really listen, then it's not it's going to be noise, just a wall of noise. That's very true. Figure that out.

You know, there's there always has to be I think, anyways, that you when you're collaborating, or especially in a band situation, it's great to hear all the voices. But I think there has to always be the benign dictator that

Ali Perry-Davies: so many

benevolent, yes.

Yes, no.

I appreciate your input. I love what you're saying. But we're gonna

Ali Perry-Davies: do this. We're gonna do it this way that I mean, they're and that's

great. And Sarah is quite like that, like she's open to people's when we're working up a song of hers. And Stewart will say something or, and she'll listen. But you know, you know that. You know who's got the who's holding the reins? Yes. That's good. I have a co writing friend. Who was there's another really neat story. His name is Norman Balis. From Leesburg, Virginia. He lives in Ireland now. And he's a poet is is an incredible poet and published and you heard me on on some sites. I don't know if it was brought jammer taxi or some one of these form platforms. And he heard some of my songs. And he contacted me and said, Would you be interested in putting music and your voice to my poetry? So he sent me I said, well send me I've never done it. So send me some stuff, and I'll see. So I found one, one thing I thought would be very cool. And then went into the studio and recorded it and sent it to him. And I said, Look, I've taken some light license, because you know, some of these words norm, and no one is even gonna know what they mean. It's very erudite. And, you know, I've sort of constructed bridges, which bones don't have. And so you tell me if he's like, Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. So he said, Oh, man, I love this is great. And we we've done several we have about 70 songs together. Yeah, several several CDs together. And he gives me full license says, I won't even ask you, I won't even tell you to change anything. Do what you want. So it's amazing, because sometimes I'll write a song and I'll send it to him. And they'll say, Wow, I wrote that as a as conic. And I've made me personally, I read it differently, and thought of it as this morose song. So it's quite fascinating.

Ali Perry-Davies: I love that too. Right. So. So I love that he wrote something in a certain way. And this is when what's the word collaborations and, and perspectives and how something lands on us is, can be so beautiful, because he wrote this thing with what was something in mind? Yes, and then you took it. You know what, it's one of the reasons I often don't like to watch music videos, because I hear a song a certain way. And then I see the video. I have a couple of late that I just love the songs and I saw the video and I'm like, Ah, that wreck did i Why did I watch that video just was so different. But I so it's, it's a wonderful, collective mosaic. It's like a quilt and everybody makes a square and then we put it together within it's so beautiful.

You know, I have this is going to be a segue again into another perfect, but I I was I love traveling, you know, I was I was on the road. And we were in the United States, and we're in southern Pennsylvania. And of course, everyone in the band was sleeping, and whenever the band went to sleep, but that was my chance to go out and do something. And because I was always didn't matter if I got to bed at three o'clock, I was still up at seven. You know, I'm not wait to just the way I am. I love the mornings. So I get up and I'm thinking, Oh, where am I? What am I going to do? So I went to this battlefield in Pennsylvania Gettysburg. And it was such a mind. F for me. It was so astounding, and that I got home and I wrote this song relating to this battle. The battle it was three day battle and Gettysburg. Three days of fighting 50,000 casualties, the greatest battle ever on American soil. And it was just stunningly emotionally gut wrenching. So I wrote the song. And going back to my early my friend Eddie Schwartz. So I sent it to him. This again, inspiration and how things happen. I send us an area of written song that I think is really good. Give me your opinion. So he listened to any Roman Baggins ally, this is just fantastic. And he said, Have you ever thought of like making an entire CD leading to these battles? Because you have this gift of this kind of energy for this kind of thing. And so I ended up I was so inspired by his inspiration that I started researching the old the whole Civil War and battles and individuals and I ended up right You can see these called the great storm. And

Ali Perry-Davies: what is it called the great storm? Storm. Oh,

which is what it was, which is what it was called by? Yes. Yes. And so it's I think it has about 18 or 20 songs. 23 songs. Yeah. So I wrote an entire, I wrote a triple album, trial chronology, it was like, because I ended up breaking up a part into one CD, which was like a nine song CD, dealing with slavery. And then 18 songs dealing with the battles of the Civil War. And so I immediately called my friend or emailed my friend Norman, and to Norman and doing this. Can you any write some poetry? So he sends me just this flu, because he went to one of the major William and Mary universities, which was majorly, like Confederate, like, it was like, Stonewall Jackson, the great Confederate general, has statues there. He's buried there at this university. So I got so much, so much material from Norman. And then we started collaborating to do this CD and, and I do a concert of, of this. I haven't done I've never done one here in Canada. But when I toured the United southern states, I decided I'm going to go on tour in the United States. And I organized the tour myself, and as solo, all through the Deep South. So I'm thinking, Oh, wow, you're here's this Canadian kid going down to the south to tell them about slavery, and the Civil War. So I'm thinking, oh, man, I may not even survive the trip. No, but it was remarkable. I did it for the summer of 2010. And I played everywhere, universities, colleges, cafes, bookstores, churches, black churches, white churches. And you know, the greatest thing I got out of it with kids with tomato and say, Man, I wish you were my history teaching teacher. Ah, because I I'm, I love stories, Ellie. And so rather than just research the raw stuff, I would find books on like, I've got one, I still have this book, it says, what you didn't know about the Civil War. And it's all this compendium of all these unbelievable stories, and facts about all the stuff that took place. And, and so I would incorporate these stories. So it wasn't on its own. It's just, you know, songs. And you have to try and glean from the song lyrics. The story, which doesn't work, so I would tell the story. So I tell the story. And then I play the song that relates to the story, because it's the story right in the old I was doing

Ali Perry-Davies: Oh, so you're actually giving a bit of a prequel? Sort of a preamble?

Right. Yeah, the preamble. The preamble as just a narrative. And then I would sing the song at the end, as like, okay. Here it is that idea of that I just told you about. Here's the song I wrote about that. Ah,

Ali Perry-Davies: you know, that's interesting. I don't know if you know, my cousin Mark. Mark Perry is a Canadian singer, songwriter. And he was at if you remember the, and I'm not going to remember the name of it right now. But the ferry that went down a bit.

Again, I don't know the name of but I know the story. You

Ali Perry-Davies: know, the story. Yeah. Well, my my cousin Mark and his band, were playing at Bouchard gardens once he lives in Smithers actually, but he came down and he told the story, he and he, in the bit of a story that he told was that he, he, someone from the crew knew his music and said, Would you consider writing a song about this situation that happened? And so So Mark went and spent time with the crew and then wrote this. So if you so no, imagine this. So now this is just so here's another thing so my husband David, what I was in his youth. He was from St. Catharines. And for several years in his early to late teens, went all through the states doing Civil War reenactments. He was he loves, that he loves that stuff. And he's and he's just so so I'm sitting there with him watching this. And Andy Kate was with us. So me that David and his two wives is what we'd like to refer to ourselves as the little Three Musketeers. We do a lot together. Anyway. So we're sitting there watching my cousin now. Now, David, is still Wow. So he has he was in a collision of two Canadian warships, so actually a tanker and a Canadian warship. So and he's still really processing that, right. So I don't know I'm so we're sitting there listening to tell us a story about this is what this is about. And then he plays this song. And it is so haunting and powerful. He's such a, I'll give you one of his CDs. He's a really, really amazing storyteller. I'm all teary. And then all of a sudden, I realize and I look over and here's my husband. Just, I mean, he's, you know, 35. military or military guy, right? He's, he's, he's not. He's holding it together. But he's on done with this song, because the song is about a collision. Absolutely. Yes. Well, it's his story, not mine, but he's struggling with the effects, the impact of being in that collision. And then we play the song. So when you're saying that, and I don't know if, if he hadn't done the little preamble, like you're saying it didn't take long. This is what this is about. This is how that happened. And now you have us, because now I'm not having to figure out what you're talking about. I know what you're going to tell me. I think there's something. There's something about that, that happens with people if if you say, and it only has to be like a couple of sentences or a paragraph? Absolutely. You just let them know, this is what this is about. Now, you've got me I'm engaged. Yeah. Yeah, that's, I can't wait to get your I mean, I can't wait to get the whole

thing. It's a really, it's a, it's a, I always find that the you know, the story. You know, the it's like, the music is just a, an emotional background, you know, you find the right chords, the fit the, what you're saying. So it just becomes a, like, this rhythm behind the story.

Ali Perry-Davies: That sort of, lets lets us yeah, there's something about music that just lets our guard down enough to listen to the lyrics. I mean, music on its own, and instrumental is beautiful. And I would never take away from that. There's such a beauty in that. I think in a song with lyrics, there's a way that the music can guide us a little bit.

There's no doubt there's no doubt. You know, absolutely. There's something about the chords, you find the chords that for me as a writer, that that strike me that relating to what it is I'm trying to say, Yeah,

Ali Perry-Davies: I love that. Oh, I you know what, now that I'm now that I'm doing sound and vibrational work and as a practitioner in that I and I've been studying I've, you know, now done a few certifications and diplomas in that I'm learning so much about music from from a different from a therapeutic angle. I mean, we all knew it's emotional, and it's therapeutic, and it's relaxing. But the actual, like, the actual chords, you would choose would resonate, because they would carry certain frequencies, frequencies and vibration, right? It's, it's going to do that. So that's why you could put some words to two different chords, and it may not have the same impact, because of the vibrations. And so, like with me, if I'm doing a sound bath with a person, and I'm getting their history, now I know okay, there are certain frequencies that this person will benefit much like, you know, take vitamin C or whatever, because you're getting a cold I'd be like, Okay, so this is happening. These are the frequencies that I'm going to I do most of it organically and intuitively, but I will be very specific say with what you're saying with that song. The what it what it? Oh, the bed that it lays in? Yeah.

Yeah, it's and I can it's very impactful and, you know, my that tour for me. Again, I met some just remarkable people on day one especially his name was Emory Campbell and Emory black man in near Savannah, Georgia, which is the border of, of South Carolina. All right, sorry. Yeah. The border of South Carolina and Georgia. Right. Okay. And, you know, he comes from a long line of well comes from his heritage is African. And so he's called a Goa gol, ah, and Nicola, where were the are the remnants of slaves, the last remnant of the slaves, and they live on long the coast Atlantic coast, from North Carolina down through to Florida. And, and their communities still, they still speak the patois of, of, of English and African language, and they still all the food is still the African food and, and they're just remarkable. And some believe that that they there, they may have come originally from Angola, Africa. So well, that's where you get Gulla, Angola, Angola, right. So anyways, he was remarkable. And I met him, I was doing a concert there. And we met. And then he said, I want to take you he was a tour guide. And he tour to make tours into the Gullah culture on these islands. He said to me, I'd like to take you on a tour. And I said, Okay, well much blah, blah, blah, where do we make these says, No, I'm going to take you on a private tour. And he took me alone. And they went into the Gulf of people's homes, we ate, we sat and talked. And this was the inspiration for when I got home I be I did a ton of research and did my CD on on slavery. And, and that horror, which is which I, I play a lot now. Because in America, it's they're actually trying to rewrite the history of what took place. And the trying to make it like slavery was not a bad thing. And it's really, really grotesque. Anyway. So that was another guy that inspired me. There's been

Ali Perry-Davies: a lot of rewriting of history in the last years. As victors,

or Victors write history. Anyone? That's right. It's never the full story.

Ali Perry-Davies: Yes. Wow. That's what an incredible gift like for someone to trust you that much to take you and now have you kept in touch with that guy that

Emory Emory. Yeah, I, as often as I think of it, I you know, it was 1312 years ago. And, you know, so I haven't contacted them in a few years. But I probably will. Just because I'm thinking about it a lot.

Ali Perry-Davies: Yeah, well, what I guess it was, I guess, mostly what I'm wondering is if he's heard the CDs,

or ice I, I sent Emery I was finished the two CDs I had. And I also send them because I have them all. They're all on my site. Anyways, so I Oh, I send out always to my friends in the in the self that that I met did you know I go into like a, a, a diner. This was great was in Georgia, went into a diner. I'm sitting there. And I've got my seat some of my CDs there. And some of the folks they just say, well, like What are y'all doing down here? And I because I always think my guitars into the restaurant because they don't want to my car. Yes. And so well, I'm just touring around the world. What are you what you're doing, like what kind of music so I tell them And then and then we was, this is a your CD. I'd say Sir, what's it about that? There we go. It's about the Civil War. Oh man says we don't call down there. We don't call it the Civil War. We go the war of Northern aggression. They don't even consider it. It's there they aggressed they were the aggressors on loss. It's fascinating to talk to them. And it's and I get up I got to leave in as ilani It ain't over.

Ali Perry-Davies: i Yes, I also,

it's like, so fascinating to meet so many people there to have really good discussions with a business. My stories were just stories. I wasn't being political. I wasn't trying to talk about winners and losers. I was saying, Here's history. This is the history of those times. It's no, you can't change what took place. Right? Back, you'll never be able to resolve things you'll never be able to move forward. You have to know what your history is. Anyways, I'm a history nut in there. I

Ali Perry-Davies: love it. Are you kidding? This is this is amazing, because this is what makes up a human being. I mean, this is these things that you're passionate about is make sense. To me. It's all a part of who you are. Right? That's a tapestry of Lonnie.

It's true, you don't and again, I've just been really fortunate to get these inspirational moments. I again, just very briefly, I was in Savannah, gorgeous city. And someone said to me, we were chatting and and I was found out I was musician and they said you got to go an hour in inland. There's a there's a luthier there and he's got a music store. And so I go into this into the backwoods of Georgia and come up on this like wood shed with a big sized garden. And I walk in and there was like just umpteen mandolins and chairs already had made. And those just stunning and in the middle was in a glass case was this mandolin was like remarkable. It was and it was Ricky Skaggs. But you know if you know Ricky's Oh yes, about my goodness, yes. And it's $59,000 price. It's mentally it's like, encased in glass. So I'm trying to talk to this guy, Mr. Wood was known as one can remember his first name. Anyways, he said, asked me salon. Hey, are you sticking around here? Are you just leaving? It says because, you know, it was it was Sunday. And they were open. And he said, because Sunday is usually some of the folk come in from the backwoods. And they do little playing little circle play, you know, two or three guitar players maybe. So I said, I'm hanging in, because it was in the morning. So I went and had lunch, he came back and income these musicians. And he said, normally they get two or three than 10. This day, they had fiddlers, a bass player, they had four guitar players, they had a mandolin player, banjo player, and they sat down in circle. And here they go for hours. I was there for the bluegrass. Like it's like I've never heard. And all of them, of course, they didn't know each other of them. Some of them did. Right. They all know all the songs. So they will just call out a tune and they and all them saying this choir. Look at that I had I had a 12 string, Taylor 12 string it and I pulled it out. I said, I'm going to join in. So I'm joining in and then we started talking. And then they asked me why was there and then when I told him about the Civil War. Oh, this guy comes, says I'll be right back. He goes into his truck. The pickup truck pulls out a binder. And it's a says Lonnie, I carry this with me everywhere. And it says his great great grandfather who fought in the Civil War and he's got all the pictures. of his great and he's he's turning the pages and he's crying while he's telling me these stories. I'm like, my mind is totally blown. And then so I give them a CD. And so the whole 10 of them say, will teach us a song Lonnie. I taught them one of the songs. And it was like, here we go, boom. And we they played my, my tune. It was just unbelievable. It was just so that was just like, more unbelievably.

Ali Perry-Davies: Oh, what an absolute? Yeah. Experience

of, you know, it's like a life experience like you. You couldn't ask for it. And it was all a little bizarre little incidents that led me to this one guy sitting on a bench who says, Oh, you gotta go inland about an hour. You know, and I've sold timing like, I could have done that. You know, it's a long way to go. I don't

Ali Perry-Davies: know what it wasn't that you did that. But you did. Yeah. And

that's so this is, to me, this is this is life. The beauty of it is just if you'd let yourself be open to stuff, you know? Yes. And not caught up in your own sort of routine and just take a take a chance on stuff especially musically think a chance with your music. And just if you love doing it, then

Ali Perry-Davies: do it. And do it all, man. Oh, hi. I think I think that that maybe this particular episode if if we can I think that's a just a beautiful place to wrap this episode up. I? Yes, you are.

Let's get into the next section, which is my stuff with Hank Lionheart.

Ali Perry-Davies: Oh, he's a dear friend. He's a dear friend and I so so thank you so much for this. i We're gonna go on to part three, like Stalinism are crazy. Like, this is awesome. Oh, my gosh. Well, thank you so much, Lonnie. And thank you, Ellie. Oh, thank you, my goodness. And to the listeners. Thank you so much for hanging out with us and you really young men. These are amazing, amazing stories and experiences. And so this is Ali and find your joy. There is going to be a part three. So do come back and join us. Thanks again for spending some of your time with us today. And do find your joy

thanks so much for joining me today. If you found a piece of your joy in this episode, I would love to hear about what came up for you so that we can continue to grow the impact of this show. Thanks again. See you soon and remember find your joy

is Sweetie