tember 12, 7:30pm. For tickets, go to www.kerrypatrickclark.com/shows his family just moved to Austin, Texas the song “ A Fact’s a Fact” is just dang fun for me. How did this song come about? Kerry- Do you KNOW anyone from Texas? It IS a big state… but I also have an experience of folks from Texas to be larger than life… in one way or another. I was in Texas for a family wedding… the police officer stood outside the reception. I later ftold that every wedding in Texas needs a police officer on hand. I now know why… a beer bottle was thrown… the ruckus moved outside… the officer had his knee in the bottle thrower’s back (who was on the ground). She (YES! SHE!) had her hand on the officer’s private parts and was screaming she was NOT going to let go. He was on the radio calling for back up. OK… I am from the Midwest. I THINK I am a kind and mostly gentle soul:-) My mouth was on the ground! A man I didn’t see… walked up to me an said (please read with a Texan/Southern accent). “Y’all ain’t from Texas… are ye?” “No… no… no I am not…” My mouth still on the ground and face staring in disbelief at the scene in front of me. “Well…. it ain’t a Texas wedding… til someone git’s arrested…” Thus began a dialogue in my head… which became the song, A Fact’s A Fact! Ed: “Everyone is Welcome Here” really resonates with the theme of this issue of Toledo Streets. Can you share a bit about it? Kerry- I LOVE that the lyrics of this song resonate with the theme of this issue of Toledo Streets!!!! Listen. I get it! In our modern, Western-culture, headline news bold 28 point font we glance at to get the gist of what’s going on as we enter the grocery store… which is sectioned and separated by frozen food… fruits and veggies… cereal… you get the picture. I think, as humans, living in this fast-paced, social media driven world… we are SO accustomed to seeing and having everything in nice, neat packages (don’t get me wrong… this is absolutely wonderful when… grocery shopping!)… that we haven’t recognized we have categorized, labelled and sectioned the stuff that fills our hearts and minds. Things like... I live in Perrysburg or Maumee. I am a Christian. I am a Democrat. I am homeless. I am a steel worker. I am a recovering… You get the point. Each of these labels have become a way for us to perform. What I mean is this… it is WAY easier to use a label we are most comfortable using to describe ourselves to others… what comes with each label are the beliefs and ideals that, like the small print on the back of a cereal box, are assumed (because of the label- or section found in:). What the song, my music and ultimately my life and work are about is inviting us to notice! We DO have a choice in how we see something. To Choose… we each have a story to tell. If we stop long enough to read ‘more than the headline in 28 point bold font’, what we will be quick to learn is, there is an incredible story we each carry that is rich with wounds. Victories. Struggles. Loss. Al of these combine to bring us to this moment. The trick is as the song’s lyric suggests… ’the question now is how to… wide the opening of our heart’. Widening the opening of heart requires investing time and questions. Seeking first to understand than to be understood. Ed: Any other songs you care to highlight? Kerry- I LOVE the song, Silence. Probably because it was a song that I wrestled with for a LONG time. Getting the right lyrics and melody to honor and celebrate the moment that the idea was placed in me. 24 years ago this September, my wife and I stood on a beach as husband and wife. We watched the sun set… OK… now you will have to go listen to this song:-) What A Show- was the first song really written for this album. I was revisiting the 6th grader’s story I mentioned above and wondered what it would look like if I ‘ran away with the circus’ at this point in my life. There is a line that slays me when I sing it…. in the second verse… I am explaining to those ‘lining up’ what i see for this show…. “Que the spotlight and the music… oh this big top don’t leave town’! What moves me is… the business model of ’not leaving town’ does not suggest long-term success! LOL! MAN! I hope this makes sense:-) LOL! A Father’s Love- one of the proudest labels I wear… that of a father:-) You Matter- was a conversation I had with an addict who overdosed. I love this song because, like the invitation to ‘wide the opening of our hearts’ above.. this was a moment for me that was not only what I had said to the addict… but I find constantly reminds me of who I am… when I forget! Ed: What does Community mean to you? Kerry- Have you ever noticed someone who was a GREAT TEACHER? Someone who REALLY knew about something… was an expert? Do you know WHY they are an expert or gifted teacher? Because it’s what they most need to learn! That is me. I sing and celebrate community because it one of the hardest things for me to open my heart to. Don’t get me wrong! I love, honor and value community! That does not mean that it is hard for me! We were not designed to live in isolation or alone. We have modern technology that plugs us in, logs us on... we are NEVER really alone. And yet… many studies site many/most of our problems (I will let you fill in what those problems are for you:-) stem from 2 things. Loneliness and Isolation! I sing about it… hopefully really well:) Because I recognize that it is most needed… in ME! Forgive the selfish sound of that statement! It is my hope that one of my songs changes the world! I think what will really change the world is… music that opens hearts by resonating with the frequency and voice that is already present. This open and softened heart moves me/us to a place of stoping and talking to the person we are standing in line with or hold the door open for or bump into. I see the conversation that starts. The questions come…. ‘how was that for you?’ “What would I know if I REALLY knew you?” What is the best/worst thing in your life right now?” That is what community is! Breaking down the barriers of labels and categories to get to the story! Page 9
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