The thing about a song …
You gotta strike when the iron’s hot.
Or is it about reaching back far in time? The truth is, whenever and wherever the muse strikes, you’ve gotta be ready to go with the flow but also be a finisher, too. I’m not saying this is my next smash hit. Or is it an old song I resurrected from the crypt? Song writing is more alchemy than exact exact science. More present than future or past.
Bobby Angel was promised …
A “river” venue.
Bobby Angel’s 2-song set with lots of story telling
The problem? After a long search he gave up and settled for the canal. Not to worry: The campfire lit easily enough and the strings of his guitar were tuned just as well. Bobby Angel’s 2-song set includes (1) One More Melaleuca and (2) David Moody Blues. But the true focus of this campfire concert is the mystery and history (and artist recommended future) of the road, the canal, the river and the old railroad. Bobby Angel goes deep history mode and doesn’t turn back, nor does the crackle of the campfire disappoint.
All artists get their start somewhere …
For Bobby Angel it was campfire events.
Placard announcing the event
After years of obscurity at small campfires, Bobby Angel is moving up in the world and scheduled to perform LIVE “within walking distance” (granted, it’s a long walk) from the very same arena where Bob Dylan and many other luminaries played. Next step: Getting inside the arena. Bobby Angel’s 4-song set near the coffee shop of Florida Gulf Coast University will feature (1) Ballad of a Florida Panther, (2) Ugliest Forest, (3) Preserved and (4) Higher Moral Ground, and who knows – maybe a surprise song … and lots of storytelling in between. Or at least that’s the plan. First lets see if I can remember the songs, and how well I can pull off the campfire vibe at a daytime event.
Have you ever set off for a place …
Only to later discover you never arrived?
Firelight Radio is available on Apple Podcasts and Podbean
Such was the case with Bobby Angel at this campfire podcast. He thought he was setting up camp at the Barron River only to find out, or start to develop a hunch, that he was actually along the banks of the modern-day canal. Not that it stopped the singer/songwriter from having a quality campfire. His 2-song set includes (1) One More Melaleuca for the Road and (2) David Moody Blues, plus campfire deep dive into the history and many mysteries of the road, the river, the old railroad grade and the canal.
I‘ll say this:
I never set out to be a folk star.
Bobby Angel sits down for an interview
Not that I’m a folk star yet (although I can play one on the internet). A singer/songwriter? Maybe. Or I would say definitely so. After twenty years of on-and-off playing, and really only showing up unpaid gigs, why and how I ended up putting together a pretty decent website is anyone’s guess. Stranger still: I’m not even halfway through recording the songs I’ve written and performed over the years. Way back when, when I first got my start, there was a coworker who was enthusiastic as he was adamant: “We have to get all your songs on CD.” That CD never happened, but 15 years later the website just might. What I love about the website is it makes me be a finisher. After I record a song I add in an interview, the lyrics and other tidbits. All the songs were of course farewells, written for people moving on the greener pastures of a new job or retirement. Since them I’ve written a range of other songs, too. My best? Ballad of a Florida Panther seems to be a fan favorite.
As for the Bobby Angel effect, and what it is? I think I noticed it on the first song I played in front of anybody, or at least at a farewell party. It was Marsha. After the song I turned to her and she was sobbing in tears, and not because my song was bad. They were tears of joy. In a song Bobby Angel could touch someone in a way I could never approach in work-a-day real life. And so the Bobby Angel effect was born. Over twenty years later I’m still trying to figure it out.
If practice doesn’t always make perfect …
It is a proven (and well trod) path to success.
Bobby Angel practices a new song
And really, you should never strive for perfection for the reason the pursuit is a fractal and will continually leave you feeling let down. Campfires are the perfect antidote. Or rather, not perfect — I mean pretty darn good salve for whatever ails you. Around the campfire that more than suffices. This one-song campfire includes plenty of talking and one practice session of Return of the Lone Ranger.
Have you ever heard the story …
Of the cowboy that tries to ride off in all directions?
Bobby Angel’s ode to moving one
The short answer is he fall is his rear end. And maybe the moral of the story is you can only get somewhere one place at a time. On the other hand I get it — if you’re a cowboy like me you have a lot of things to do and people to see. And the truth is sometimes you don’t know what direction to go first. The secret to my success, if you can call it that, is that I do one thing at a time. The caveat is that I don’t always do them as well as they should be.
Take for example my contact form for this website. If anybody out there has been trying to contact me, you’re inquiry has been getting lost in outer space somewhere, or wherever the internet sends things that aren’t correctly addressed. I’m assuming that’s Jupiter, or maybe a distant star. Whatever the case and wherever those messages have gone, I’ve officially gone in and fixed it so your inquiry goes to me. So don’t lose faith if I haven’t replied back — Please feel free to reach out and contact me again. This time, I promise, I’ll respond back. And yes, I can already guess at your question: How do you get tickets for my next campfire event? Someday I’ll get a manager and an event coordinator and a bunch of other staff. But in the meanwhile look for me to handle all the tasks. That includes writing the songs, maintaining the website, and answering fan mail.
Who knew being a folk star required wearing so many hats?
You wouldn't believe it.
In the 1850s, a man named Aaron Cloud, one of the town’s first dreamers, raised a 160-foot wooden tower at the summit.
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