This year I am recording twelve songs to my 4-track tape machine and sharing them exclusively with subscribers to this newsletter. This is track number three. All songs in the series may be downloaded for free by clicking the three dots to the right of the play button on the media player.
This song is a hymn to Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and springtime. It was written five years ago for the birthday of my goddaughter who shares the goddess’ name. The spring of the previous year, little Flora had taken up gardening with her mother, and I liked to think about how in that activity, she was in the service and power of her namesake: “Flora, won’t you bring the Spring?”
At the time I was thinking a lot about names, wondering especially what it means to have a name. This may have been prompted by a concluding line of Lady Bird (2017)—“People call each other the names their parents made up for them, but they won't believe in God.” There is something both arbitrary and providential about a given name, a thing merely chosen by a parent but which can become almost synonymous with a person’s identity.
Names also have histories and many have namesakes. To have a name must be one of our earliest and most pressing encounters with an archetype. There is some saintly, mythic, or divine person following most of us around. So I like to think that little Flora digging in the garden really was performing the goddess’ good work.
Lyrics
Flora, won’t you bring the Spring,
and melt the snow away now?
It warms my heart to sing
of gladsome things,
the blossoms in the trees now.
And Flora, won’t you wear your smile
and walk among the gardens?
They’ll come back to life,
just open up your eyes.
Flora, bring the spring.The frozen ground begins to soften.
The grass will soon begin to grow.
The budded trees will start to open.
The crocus is pushing through the snow.
The Collages
This month, I want to share something about the paper collages that are featured in the album art of each of these new songs. I started making collages last summer, and the practice has really taken me in. I love the process of discovery, gathering clippings and ephemera. I love the way it transforms my vision of the world, and especially of its garbage (there are collage making materials hiding everywhere!). And most of all, I love the experience of revelation as I attend to materials that have caught my eye and then discover something new.
When I make collages for this series, I don’t set about to make something that looks like album art. Instead, I create a larger piece in portrait orientation, and then after a few days break from the work I try to find the album art within it. Here are some of the larger works that the album art of “More” and “My Two Hands” were drawn from.
We live in a world that is constantly producing and then discarding images. Collage making takes up and meditates upon these passing reflections of our collective inner-life. The fractal imagistic onslaught we live in is a terrifying kind of Plato’s cave where we are all both shadow-bound and shadow-casting. What does it look like to peel a few of these off the wall and see what they have to say for themselves?
Lately, I got my hands on a pin-back button making machine, and I’ve been experimenting making mini collage pins. If any of these catch your eye, I think we’ll have them for sale on the merch table at the concert on Thursday here in Halifax.
Updates
Something to Say: I’m happy to share that my dear friend, Simon Bridgefoot, (who you may remember from the first issue of The New Canadiana) has started his own Substack! In each post he shares a story, something to listen to, and an image. Send him some love and go subscribe to his newsletter.
The New Canadiana: This month I had the pleasure of interviewing one of our City Kid Song Circle members, Darrel Cameron. We had a wonderful conversation about his journey as an artist and music producer. A highlight for me was the live video of his beautiful song “Balmoral Falls” we captured down by the water at Point Pleasant Park here in Halifax.
The City Kid Song Circle Showcase: This Thursday, April 3 at 7:00pm at the Bus Stop Theatre, the first City Kid Song Circle will be sharing some beautiful new music. Join us in the North End to hear six talented songwriters share their work. It’s going to be a very special night.
Thanks for listening and reading. It’s wonderful to have you here. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments and to pass this newsletter on to a friend or family member.
—Matthew
Get connected
🪕 Listen to my new songs, “Water in my Mind” and “The Grey Line.”
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