A couple of years ago, I caught Tom Waits perform at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis during a rare trek for the artist through several Southern states. In the encore, he played a stirring version of his beautiful and lyrical anti-war lament “Day After Tomorrow.” In the song, a soldier writes home, exhausted from a war he’s conflicted about fighting, but filled with hope about his return to Illinois, the day after tomorrow. Among the things he misses, is “shoveling snow and raking leaves.” For the listener, the song is a love letter to the things we take for granted, yet fraught with anxiety and uncertainty. We’re reading the letter, but we know there are still two days before the soldier returns.
Joan Baez was so taken with the song, written by Waits and his wife and collaborator Kathleen Brennan, that she not only recorded it, but made it the title of her 2008 Steve Earle-produced album. An anti-war song in the hands of Baez is something to behold, and in September of last year, I got to hear her perform it live at the Ryman Auditorium, on the occasion of her receiving the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award. Waits’ voice embodies the withered soul of the soldier, and it’s easy to imagine him speaking directly to us. Baez has always been one of folk music’s greatest interpreters, and accompanied by only her acoustic guitar, she delivered a powerful, deliberate rendition of the song that left the auditorium stunned. It was 2008, seven years into the war in Afghanistan and five years into the war in Iraq, and here’s the legendary folk singer and activist Joan Baez, some 50 years into her career, standing in front of several thousand people with only an acoustic guitar, delivering a powerful and contemporary anti-war song. Had I walked outside and caught famed high-wire artist Philippe Petit walking between the spires of the AT&T Building downtown, it would not have surprised me.
How Baez has remained as vital as she has for 50 years is the subject of the excellent American Masters portrait, Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound, airing Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. It’s the first comprehensive documentary to examine her recording career and journey as the conscience of a generation.
NPT celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Latin Music, USA, a documentary series celebrating the Latin rhythms at the heart of jazz, rock, country and R&B, on Mondays, October 12 and 19, 8:00-10:00 p.m. Narrated by acclaimed Golden Globe and Emmy-award winning actor Jimmy Smits, the doc featuring stories and performances by Latino artists Celia Cruz, Carlos Santana, the Fania All-Stars, Shakira, Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin, along with exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage.
Dave Matthews Band kicks of the 35th Season of Austin City Limits on Saturday October 3. Joining DMB this month are Ben Harper and the Relentless 7, Kenny Chesney, Andrew Bird, St. Vincent, M. Ward and Okkervil River. It’s another great month of music programming on NPT.