Bryan greeting the people
Photo by Kenny Metcalf

James, Bryan, and Kenny, with the Ventura Pier in the background
Photo by Kenny Metcalf

Nifty Noodles/ Dallas for Days........
10/20/06 Dallas TX area…
I started in Grand Prairie this weekend with a show that included Ashley Cleveland and Geoff Moore and author Michael Courtney. We were here with Refiners Fire International for a one day summit. It’s good to see old friends who are still doing music. I compared notes with Ashley and Geoff. We’ve all found ourselves adjusting our lives for the back half as it were. Things don’t look at all like they did 20 years ago. One thing for sure is the songs are still great. Ashley Cleveland is the top of my female list of singers. I love her lyrics and that voice of a survivor never gets old. Geoff is quieter than I remember but he has a sharp sense of humor and an easy laugh. He had a great story on stage of the adoption process he’s gone through with his daughter. You’ll have to go to his website to get the real story but it was something I found myself leaning in to… I made notes about how wonderful it was to hear someone talking AWAY from their self about a passion for others, in this case children who are abandoned in China simply because they are “girl baby’s” or the parents are over the national quota.

Michael Courtney is the brother of Comedian Chonda Pierce and has a book out called “failure and how I achieved it”. He, like me has survived to tell a story of recovery from destructive behaviors and additions. He too seemed very quiet around me… maybe I don’t leave much room for others to talk if I’m wound up. 8) But I’ve heard much of his story through his sister second hand and I plan to read his book on my first free day or two… o.k. haven’t seen one of those in a few months.

This was a benefit for Refiners Fire International… it is a counseling ministry to people in leadership roles in the Christian ministries around the world. There are many who suffer burn out of one kind or another.. and finally Frederick Umar has chosen this calling of support for leaders in need. To say the least the sound system was marvelous. I came on in the middle between Ashley and Michael. Did a sweet little set that included the new songs from Surprise… you know the record I’m still trying to finish? But I threw in some unplugged little ditties like Never lied and No words and all was well and I smiled and shook peoples hands and signed stuff and left.

Saturday started slow but I had a fill in date that night at a Nazarene church in Carrollton, Tx . I had invited friends to come to this. Turns out the address and phone number given for the church takes you to a home in the suburbs. The home owners weren’t happy about it… had more than a hundred calls and some twenty cars sittin out front of their house at one point… every one did the same thing to find the church … they went to the internet for directions. Dallas is spread out all over tar nation and ranks up there with Phoenix and Boston as the most irritating cities to drive around in! You never feel like yer getting any where.

Nazarenes are a new constituency for me really… seems like I’ve done a lot of Nazarene churches as of late… coming on at first I felt like I should open in a whisper. The ceiling was tall and the sound was booming. I think the sound board had a “governor” on it… the tracks never did kick in… but all was not lost as I was in a great mood from hanging out with fellow pragmatists all day. Got to relax in front of the tube and watch football in the afternoon and eat great food. The air that night was right and my voice was in fine form for a change and I played around with the melodies of every song like I was reinventing the tunes.

People were leaning in too … it went well and I celebrated at the local Bennigans with some other Irish friends after the show. I can see why Texas is called the “Lone Star State”… there’s so many lights on the ground at night you can only see one star in the heavens. It was quite a difference from the skies in Alaska.

Sunday was a whirlwind and a complete change of pace. I was in Mesquite, Tx at Pathway of Life church… a very ethnically diverse reasonably Pentecostal gathering. I walked in for sound check on Sunday morning glad I’d donned a pair of slacks. Folks were dressed to the nines! And the band was a crackin funky group of musicians gathered loosely around a Hammond B3 Organ … the choir was rockin and I knew I was gonna have to have some serious coffee to be able to keep up. I came on after the sermon actually for a mini concert. Opened with “Never Lied To You” after hearing the sermon on how Joseph was sold out first by his own family before anyone else crossed him. Pastor Dave Wagman looks like an ultra conservative but his views were refreshing…. He told me before the service… “a lot of churches make the gospel unapproachable” and went on to share in his sermon, of some of his own poor attitudes through out the week. And added at one point… “you can’t be an ungodly person if you’ve never been a godly one… “ suggesting that we all fall short of the intentions at some point.

He is primarily supportive of the “deliverance” principal but did acknowledge that not every one is healed instantly or transformed miraculously and that most of us find ourselves in a process of redemption and on that note we agreed to be friends. I realized with some later thought too that I still have a chip on my shoulder about certain religious groups because of a few bad experiences. I’m realizing that my redemption story is mine and cannot be discounted because some one else doesn’t believe it to be true. Truth is I have had to realize that there are enthusiastic bodies of Christ such as Pathway of Life where the love is genuine and the humility forthcoming… they “Gave” to me in abundance through an embarrassing offering and little presents that were unexpected. People here were in hot pursuit of a chance to serve others out of pure joy.

I thought long and hard about how I’ve grouped people into little safe labeled packages to protect my own dysfunctions. I too judge others by trivial things often. But Like a friend told me later… “Everybody can’t be on the same page at the same time” …(that doesn’t even happen in a song service) 8)… again here’s where the process of redemption plays out. And I played out my songs to a wonderfully receptive crowd and later that night as well. Their band joined me on several impromptu numbers and it gave the night a very professional air. I spoke briefly for the first time on stage of the loss of my marriage and what I’ve learned in the painful process. I must have felt pretty comfortable with these folks to speak in such a manner but I really felt they were in a place to receive the kind of transparency that I’ve experienced only in small support groups. I know how it gave me insight and encouragement to press on just hearing the failures of those around me. I’m not the only one to have made mistakes that I paid dearly for! And hearing from others the results of their own bad decisions gives me more than a “Moral” stand about avoiding “Sin”.

After much consideration through this weekend…looking at who I am now and where I’ve come from I wonder if my paradigm isn’t shifting once more. Realizing that I may be returning to the very roots of my childhood to tell my own story of humility and grace in the same kind of churches I grew up in. not necessarily a pleasant thought. I think if you are effective you will eventually find enemies more committed to your destruction as well as those who support you. This goes against my very nature… wanting everyone to be happy with me. As with true Co Dependency, I have not been able to bear disapproval and most of that has come from within the church where everyone tends to think they have it right…well I know that I don’t have it right but I’m finding a “Will to be willing” to understand people in all denominations who are muddling through as best they can. All on different pages perhaps but still wanting the same things… peace of mind, happiness, clarity of purpose, and to be loved.

O.k. so there’s that Bryan D

Nifty Noodles/ North to Alaska
10/17/06 Fairbanks, Alaska
I was farther north this weekend than I have ever been in my life. In a 24 hour period I went from Anatuvik, Alaska 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle and minus 27 degrees Celsius where I only saw four people and not another living thing… back to Orange County and a sea of people places and cars. I must say… I miss the wilderness just a little.

It took me an hour to get thirty miles from the Orange County airport to home. In the same amount of time in a small private plane I found the edge of the world from Fairbanks.

I was in Alaska to help in a seminar on developing a Celebrate Recovery program there. It was four days and three concerts and I participated in the seminars talking about Sponsors in recovery and why they are important. “It’s unseasonably warm for this time of year” everyone kept saying. That’s great but I still couldn’t feel my fingers after just a few minutes outside. The parking lots here all have little electric plug ins for your car. On really cold days you plug your car in to keep the engine block from freezing. Doesn’t keep folks from coming out to Zion Lutheran Church though. The parking lot was full, and some people were in shirt sleeves only.

Alice Heckert is the tip of the iceberg in the development of this program that started with a single recovering addict. From there came the development of new recovery outreaches in several towns in Alaska as the friend's and family of first one that had been thru Recovery there wanted to find something local to offer others.

Don Heckert is the classic Alaskan and Alice’s husband of three years and a former spy plane pilot for the U.S. government. He had stories I can’t tell here. He gave us a tour of his operation at the airport. He flys the mail and supplies to several of the outposts and Indian villages in remote parts of Alaska. He has the largest fleet of “Rotary Engine” planes in the state. (propeller driven big planes). They can land a heavy load on short runways… and what he calls “one way runways” where you can only land one direction and take off the other.

Alaska thru the plane's windshield
Photo by Hillary DeCecchis

So I trusted him to fly us farther north to see the real God’s country. Sunday afternoon after a buffet dinner at a one time start point for the Iditarod, the famous dog sled race, we boarded a small six seater Piper for a “three hour tour” 8). The flight plan is meticulous up here cause if you go down off the plan “they won’t find you” Don said. Hey that’s comforting news.


Alaska
Photo by Hillary DeCecchis

It was worth the risk in this case. Anatuvik is a small Indian village at the north edge of the Brooks mountain range. It makes the Colorado Rockies look real friendly. I only needed about twenty minutes outside here to realize that God was not calling me here! From there we flew to Bettels, an outpost boasting some 27 inhabitants. We met Ann, a talkative caretaker and her Caribbean born husband at the “gocery store/restaurant/ outfitters” where we had the best food of the trip and the most laughter. I got the feel of Beaver skin and Polar bear and Moose pelts in my spare time but we stayed mostly to view the Northern Lights and see stars you can’t see anywhere else I’m pretty sure.


Bryan Dressed for Alaska
Photo by Hillary DeCecchis

I was dressed for a southern California winter by the way and had to keep coming indoors to thaw out. But it was “unseasonably warm”. The aurora borealis was late coming up and we stood on the only gravel road through “town” and waited with the sound of howling sled dogs in the back ground. Other than that it was an incredible silence that filled the crisp clear night air. No real amenities out here and the bathroom was down a little trail to the next building! Picture “Jeremiah Johnson’s” first home and you’ll be close.

We left about ten p.m at night taking off on a gravel runway after a sputtering start of the planes engine in the cold. Off we went into total darkness. It was alittle disorienting to only see stars. The ground was unrecognizable by now and we flew along side the Northern lights for the next hour. It truly felt like outer space next to one of Saturn”s rings. Kinda took the whole “suffering” thing out of this “mission trip”.


Bryan flying in Alaska
Photo by Hillary DeCecchis

I also met on this trip the real hard core motorcycle enthusiasts. Only one Black Sheep member here so far. “Colors” are the last thing you worry about wearing when dressing for a motorcycle ride up here. I was offered a chance to ride but opted for the airplane this time.

Maybe next July we’ll think about the bike trip!

Oh yea.. the concerts were my usual fair mostly. The sound was nominal and I struggled for inspiration from the track stuff but no body seemed to mind. Recovery is a mainstay ministry for the future here I believe and well needed. The nights were spent at the “College Coffeehouse” next to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. Where we listened to “live” blue grass music… we sung along when they jumped into “Praise the Lord… I saw the Light”… in this case it was the Northern Lights I was thinking of…

Pictures will be coming as soon as I get em back! Yer gonna love these.

O.K. So there’s that! Bryan D.

Nifty Noodles/ Maple Syrup
10/10/06 Hartford Village, VT
Vermont this time of year is outrageous as the colors of fall are painted in the trees… and man there were lots of trees! Being from California, I felt a little claustrophobic. But the roads are black ribbon spectacular. They run by pristine lakes and rivers through red, yellow and orange foliage,veined with chocolate color tree limbs. The countryside is dotted sparsely with little white houses and old fashioned churches with steeples. It is home to the worlds longest covered bridge still standing… the Cornish/Windsor bridge. (I kept calling it the ‘cornish hen” when calling home to share the moments.

I’ve never been to Vermont and when Keith Ingalls called to book a concert offering a Motorcycle trip to boot, I’m sorry, I didn’t even pray about it! Keith is a long tall family man who lives on a mountain with his wife Chantel and three kids Jude, Noah, and Chelsea.

There is an extended family here as Chantel is one of three gorgeous sisters who’ve married and stayed close to home. No wonder there. This is a made for t.v. setting. “Petticoat Junction” comes to mind as well as “Little House on The Prairie” “The Waltons” and several newer shows I can’t remember the names of “Everwood” and that show about Alaska… (I don’t watch t.v. that much these days) cause I’m finding the real locations and writing my own script!

Chantel’s folks Lanni and Kathleen Janisse run the Seven Gables Inn and pastor Praise Chapel and a small school out back of the house in a converted Barn. It’s all “This old house” immaculate. The Seven Gables is a Bed and Breakfast with at least 14 bedrooms in a three story mansion some two hundred years old I think. Quaint and spacious at the same time, but I was expecting “lurch” to answer the door!

What I found were people warm and disarming. I haven’t seen happily married people in a long time either and there seemed to be a lot of young family’s around. More kids under nine years old than I’ve seen since my chaperoning days at science camp when my kids were young.

I came up Friday night on a six hour trip just to ride the White Mountains on a motorcycle. Did I mention I’ve never been to Vermont, or New Hampshire for that matter. I was right on the border of the two tiny states. I don’t think there are two stop lights in a row anywhere outside of Manchester.

I rented another beautiful Harley Davidson Soft tail with Keith who rented a Harley Fat Boy. He’s been lookin for an opportunity to ride for the first time in over ten years… let’s see his oldest child is nine… I get it. I promised not to own a bike till my kids were out of the house too. From the dealership we rode the interstate a few miles to a McDonalds for breakfast and there hooked up with Shawn and his Honda Shadow and my new best friend Joe, who pulled up on a VTX cruiser… no helmet, long fly away hair and a gunslinger type trench coat, the perfect accessory to his handle bar mustache.

The Vermont Countryside

I was among the chosen few 8)…and ready to go shoot up the countryside. We rode only a short distance on a perfect fall day before coming up on the Motorcycles of Manchester Club… “MOMS” they’re called and I believe they might be a 1% club. A name for the scary kind of biker you tend to associate with motorcycles… they weren’t happy to see us behind em and they went out of their way to make sure we did not pass them.

I’m all for giving em plenty of room and we pulled off to meet Toby on an exact duplicate of the bike I rented. From there we rode through scenery that just puts you in touch with the almighty in a friendly sort of way. I was smiling most of the day. And when we took a trip up a one lane black top called Methodist Hill through a canopy of over hanging trees I thought I was gonna come unglued with happiness.(picture SNOOPY dancing).

We were rolling slow enough for me to take a glove off and reach for my cheesy little camera and take some pics of the procession. From the top of hill you could see most of the state I think including the Cornish/Windsor covered bridge on the river below.


The ride to Cornish/Windsor Covered Bridge

We met another 70 year old biker at the top, who gave me hope that I have a possible twenty years still to do this.

This was more a vacation than a gig I think. But I am here primarily to present my story and my songs. And Sunday morning came too soon. I did three songs in their morning service. A mildly Midwestern Pentecostalism prevailed which include a dance routine from the kids dressed in fifties outfits and singing “Holy Rollin”, one of my old songs. I on the other hand remained rather… well old.

I sung “No Words” and “I love you with my life” and “peace” from the Christmas project.

Sunday night came and I played to a small gathering, which I expected… seemed like more people than I saw all day the day before. 8) . I worried a little before the concert. There’s gotta be a reason I’ve never been this far Northeast before. Maybe they don’t like soul music in New England. But the songs were well received. As was I. something I don’t think I’ve ever separated before in my concerts.

I chose to just be who I was here and I might have been better received here than anywhere I’ve been. Just a thought, but I was feeling things during the concert I haven’t felt in some time and I was saying things I’ve wanted to say about my perceptions of God as I understand him that I don’t think I’ve ever shared before. I was clearly moved a couple of times at my own honesty and aware of how much courage it has taken me to face the truth of my own story. I objected to things I heard about God in the past. That kind of “God is annoyed with you all the time cause yer not getting it right” kind of sermon I’ve heard in my head my whole life. The night ended on a sweet and soft note. I don’t think they wanted me to stop singing but there was a moment at the end where I felt to do anything further would be anti climatic. I had played for an hour and a half anyway.

I stayed up late with Lanni and Kathleen, Kieth and his family and the other two sisters and their husbands and kids and a couple of guests at the B&B… one woman from South Africa and a traveling woman preacher/ former stripper in Las Vegas in her younger days. Ever wonder what happens to the wild bunch? All had stories of redemption, unfinished but with a thread of common understanding about the compelling need to Know a savior. Lanni had mentioned several religious people he studied under (Bob Mumford and Bob Larsen) People I have never “resonated” with and I realized I needed to check my judgmental/ defensive spirit at the door. I couldn’t condemn where he was now because of who he came in contact with in his past. All were sweet and insightful and excited to be included in the conversation about common ground. It was really for these moments that I believe I was here. I was here to affirm others in their passion. And to encourage the pursuit of what ever things are good in this life and to acknowledge the hardship as a pathway to peace.

Wow I sound like I’ve joined a hippie cult now don’t I?

Truth is I might have received more insight here than I offered. Healing I wasn’t looking for and didn’t know I needed. This was far from the kind of gigs I’ve done over my lifetime. No this was about ‘Community” a lesson I’m still working on. There is talk of doing another concert here in September of next year. I will invite friends to join me if it happens… I think there’s at least 14 bedrooms in this old house and the experience comes down to one word… Rejuvenating! .

O.k. so there’s that… Bryan d

Nifty Noodles/ About Last Night
West Coast Office/ 10/2/06
I read Ozzy this morning (actually it was yesterday’s reading that I almost missed) he was off the hook… about our “calling”… let me read to you quickly:

“we try to make “our calling” out of our own spiritual consecration, but… God brushes all this aside, and rivets us with A PAIN that is terrific to one thing we never dreamed of… and for one radiant flashing moment we see what he is after and we say ‘send me’…

“God can never make us wine if we object to the fingers he uses to crush us with… ‘make me poured out wine in a SPECIAL WAY” we say…but when he uses someone whom we dislike.or some set of circumstances to which we said we would never submit…and makes these the ‘crushers’ ..we object..

“we must never choose the scene of our own martyrdom” … “I wonder” Ozzy says “what kind of finger and thumb God has been using to squeeze you, and you have been like a marble and escaped?... you are not ripe yet, and if God had squeezed you , the wine would have been remarkably bitter”…

This is remarkable insight especially to my recent disappointments… it’s a tiny bit over simplified as I feel like I am more a cluster of assorted grapes some of which have been squeezed to death and other marble like grapes still threatening to turn bitter. The promoter of the show I missed referred to “acts of satan” to prevent my coming… but as I see it.. it’s just the “squeezing” process perhaps orchestrated by God himself to insure that we do not lean on our own understanding of the circumstances. I will not credit the devil for the ‘diversions’ in my life.

I’m starting to see how even my chosen career in music is simply a “tent making” proposition often times and not God’s primary focus as my “Calling”. His calling to me, I think is to be in the moment! Serving as a monument to his grace… and that often comes with out any words of wisdom to impart. I heard someone say… “you don’t have to do anything to be a hero to someone… it’s a matter of being there at the right moment”

Truth is… I love being God’s grace to others in all their busyness… the pure joy of sitting with someone who is embroiled in their own fiascos and listening to their tired thoughts …is worth everything else I put up with in life and the disappointments of what I cannot change…I think this is what God is after in all of us at some crossroad in our paths.

Nifty Noodles/ What the ?
10/2/06 West Coast office…
I spent most of the day getting to El Dorado Springs, Missouri yesterday… flew to Kansas City and drove 100 miles to an outdoor festival. Highlight of the weekend was talking to a Nazarene preacher/ dentist/ farmer…. He picked me up at the airport and we talked about spiritual survival mostly. We were close to the same age and our views were similarly pragmatic.

The festival had a good variety of music… starting with the young rock thing in a band called “Uncommon Sense”, and my favorite distraction: “the Bluegrass Missourians”… authentic mid western blue grass gospel… and then there was a wonderful surprise too in the band in front of me… Sara Kelly and band. Sara sounds like a reincarnation of Janis Joplin doing ballads mostly.

I didn’t play till ten p.m. and sadly, most of the audience had gone home by then… it was dark and I sang mostly to the moon, even it was sinking by the end of my hour.

It was a little disappointing but I’m always happy to play even when I’m unhappy. 8)… I kept sayin to myself “hey, yer singing… yer doing what you love… leave it at that” can’t control much else. It was a first time attempt at a festival setting here and it was managed well except maybe the timing of the stage presentations… opening acts find the enthusiasm of the crowd and probably the ones who were paid the most played to the least. I sold two records… that’s gotta be a new all time low. Never got around to singing the new material, didn’t see much point in it.

I hitched a tired ride back to Kansas City that night with Sara Kelly’s band and the camaraderie was outstanding. The drummer is a dead ringer for Kurt Cobain! These guys all live in L.A. and I’d never heard of em before now…Sara claimed to have grown up on my music…. I felt a little like the wizard of Oz…. a lot smaller in person. They were expecting a spiritual giant of course, but I think a little relieved that I wasn’t 8).

By the time we reached the airport hotel it was 2a.m. and I sat outside with a couple of the band members telling road stories and laughing hysterically till 3a.m. and then I was up at 5:a.m. for an early flight back to California as I was supposed to do a “ground breaking” ceremony for a church in Mentone, Ca.

It took me twelve hours to get home though.

Had a “near miss” experience upon take off of the united airlines flight… an aborted take off! First time in my thiry years of flying. We gained speed to lift off and then suddenly a lurch as if someone had stepped heavily on the brakes and the plane swerved to the right and then back…”we’ve got to go back to the gate” the pilot announced… our brakes are hot and they seized up… first they shut down the engines in hopes of cooling the brakes but discovered a tire blown out as well… we “deplaned” to find out that there are no spare tires in Kansas City for a 737. and from there it became airport hell… standing in line for some two hours to reschedule flights for everyone… I probably would still be there if I hadn’t called costumer service from line on my cell and booked a new ticket on the next flight. It was on a small commuter plane to Denver but by now it’s too late to make the afternoon gig in Mentone. Only the third time I’ve missed a show the day of (in my whole career) cause I couldn’t get there.

I’m grateful though for the mild discomfort. The pilot was over heard to say “it’s a good thing we didn’t get off the ground (On the failed flight)..cause it would have been a lot more serious to have had to land the plane in the condition of the landing gear”… I looked again at the ill fated plane as it sat at the gate and the right side gear looked out of alignment with the plane and one of the two tires was blown… they didn’t make much of deal about it though and I’m happy to be home.

O.k. so there’s that Bryan Duncan

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