brett l. - ProfilesArchive

About Me

grew up in the heart of appalachia under the guidance of an old time musician from pipers gap and a good woman from cripple creek. was raised alongside two others in an old white farmhouse in elk creek, virginia - a place that has been called god's country by more than one. came out of there with values and a knowledge a little bit beyond my years -- and i was blessed enough to have music coming out of my fingertips. went to college not far away and learned what i needed to about myself and about how to change the sadness of a place that has been broken by greed's hands and hollywood stereotypes. now i'm trying to hold on to this place and to all the good people around by making hard times merry and easy times meaningful. i've seen some of the world, but not enough, so that's what i'm doing right now. i'm just a mountain girl still learning how to live, so throw out a danceboard and i'll tap out the tune.
"Some moments the heart is generous and then it knows that for better or worse our lives are woven together here, one with another, with the place and all the living things." -Wendell Berry

My Interests

old time music: grayson county banjo styles, rocking the bass, galax style fiddling, lonesome kentucky ballads, handcrafted songs, flatfoot dancing (also known as blue ribbon dancing.) real country music, southern louisiana, riding the roads, cooking, kicking the halfbacks out/the hillbilly revolution, sustainable development, community organizing, potlucks, other forms of ruckus, the city of austin, the hills of new mexico, good friendships, spontaneous moments, coffee in the mornin, mist over the blue ridge after being away, bassett hounds, good brandy, matt kinman impersonations, short stories, dance parties, apple butter, auctions & yard sales, old free farmhouses, bookstores, the whirlybird, camping & hiking, sundresses, mexican cowboy boots and pearl snaps, saturday and sunday visitations. livin it and finding my calling.

I'd like to meet:

people who get it

Music:

real good stuff. old time, honkytonk, southern rock, cajun, zydeco, real country, real bluegrass, '90s rock, you know.

Movies:

documentaries

Television:

channel 5 - BRISTOL, KINGSPORT, JOHNSON CITY

Books:

dharma bums
the education of little tree
jayber crow
the world according to garp
animal dreams
all over but the shoutin'

Heroes:

people who tell their stories.

My Blog

real communities dont have gates

actually, real communities are made of real people - people you see at the store, people you see at the cemetary. they are made of people you wave at when you pass them on the road, whether you know t...
Posted by brett l. on Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:33:00 PST

to the west

i'm going. see ya'll at clifftop.
Posted by brett l. on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:25:00 PST

...grew up fast

and no one seemed to notice. since it seems like the right thing to do, i'm here to give an update for those who don't know or want better clarification of what is goin' on in my life these days. othe...
Posted by brett l. on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:00:00 PST

"repeal the 19th amendment"

So, I was driving through town today and I get behind a car with a solitary bumper sticker that says, "Repeal the 19th Amendment." Because I'm on my way back from taking three consecuti...
Posted by brett l. on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 07:08:00 PST

early in the morning, rise into the street

so, all of us, we're playing music, we're riding around, we're running down by the river, and embracing the common beauty of it all. but then we go back to the structure of our "lives" ...
Posted by brett l. on Sun, 15 Apr 2007 09:31:00 PST

Hands.

"well, what'd you learn?" tal asked me the other day in class. "a lot," i replied. "a lot."and ain't that the truth.every morning this week, i've woken up to find myself disappointed to be in my bed a...
Posted by brett l. on Thu, 15 Mar 2007 06:51:00 PST

lady of the lake

1. Name one person who made you smile today?my bff carl....man, that truck with the squirrel tails on the antennas was great today.2. What were you doing at 8:00 this morning?sweet stoner sleep in a h...
Posted by brett l. on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 06:56:00 PST

sometimes four: an update, a recap, a nutshell.

Describe your: self: somewhat lost, but surrounded with good & beautiful things...kind of like trying to find my way out of the mud in the middle of the night in aisle...H...at galax fiddlers con...
Posted by brett l. on Mon, 29 Jan 2007 07:34:00 PST

oh, did i ever!

In 2006, did you...did i ever!fall in love with someone that was just a friend?no, not in love. didn't do it. not with a friend.fall in love at all?oh, yeah, about that. you all know my classy hollywo...
Posted by brett l. on Sat, 23 Dec 2006 01:18:00 PST

for everyone.

1. You are stopped at a red light and when it finally turns green the car in front of you doesn't move. How long do you wait before you honk?-like, 15 seconds. i'm not one for roadrage, but i'm usuall...
Posted by brett l. on Fri, 01 Dec 2006 11:28:00 PST