July 10, 11, 12 Mamacat and I attended a state wide conference in Columbia where I gave an oral presentation along with Leslie Holt of Missouri V.S.A. on the empowerment of art. Here is a link to a video clip of this event.
The first six minutes of the clip is my oral presentation, then I perform an original song "Promise Land" I wrote for my fiancee Debbie Hediger after she was killed by a drunk driver in (1995) as we were returning home after a gig in Springfield, Mo.
Never loosing consciousness after the collision, I envisioned her spirit rising to heaven and reaching out for me. I am uncertain as to whether I was in the Van or the ER when I had this vision, but I can tell you my guitar was soaked with tears upon completion of the song, which I began to compose around three weeks after the wreck.
This is a prime example of the healing powers which may be experienced through art as an expression and communication.
During my oral presentation I refer to my friend Dan (Rosco) Reese whom I visited in a St. Louis hospital as he was struggling with a brain tumor. He was unable to speak, but as I began to play music for him, he could only vocalize one word which was "Wow". Mamacat told me he also began to move his foot to the music as tears flowed in the room. Ah, the power of music.
Stay Cool! Blindcat and Mamacat
