all gone. the story of a beard.

february 21, 2013

it began with the usual winter hibernation.
off the road, not shaving for a few weeks.
weeks turned to months and my baby daughter was loving playing with the growing beard so much i let it stay a while longer.

                                              
before i knew it i had myself a bona fide mountain man beard, playing shows with a decidedly hairy face and enjoying the shock on people's faces when they realized it was me underneath.

my wife, beautiful partner in life, didn't mind. so i stayed the razor and before i knew it the beard was off to scotland on the mind blowing bronach adventure with me. and of course the beard felt very at home in the highlands. here was born "dark angus of the outback", courtesy of "gentle jamesie" (of the glens).

despite having to be introduced as a whole separate entity, the beard never bothered me. and so it lingered as the months went by.
i have been likened to/mistaken for abe lincoln, grizzly adams, ned kelly, a civil war general and, among other things, a homeless man - and enjoyed all the personas.

several months ago i felt it was time to say farewell to the beard, and to find a new home for the endangered birds that had taken up residence within.
it was around that time that i had the idea for a video shoot. the beard had a mission. it was to go out in style. little did i know it would take this long to fulfill said mission.
but here we are. and this evening former band mate dez ryan stewart will lead a merry gang of us from a new york subway station to a classic barber shop and back. and along the way, i will say goodbye to 15 months of beard ...

february 28, 2013

a week down the line and i'm still getting a kick out of actually seeing my face again. the shoot went well, tho with dez coming straight off the back of another 40 hour shoot and our camera man booked for an early morning job, we had to get much done in only a few short hours.

midnight thursday i found myself on my back in a barber chair, somewhere in brooklyn, with a camera directly above me and alex the barber performing his magic with a straight razor.
by 2am we were back out on the streets under a clear sky, getting some vocal and bagpipe shots.
it happened to be below freezing so i wasn't really feeling my new face. but we got most of what we wanted before the camera lights finally died.
and now, dez gets to work on the footage. so, we shall see!
i'm happy to say my little ones recognized me on my return and weren't the least bit perturbed. my 21 month old daughter just held my chin in her little hands and said wistfully, "beeeeard. all gone. all gone."

point of view

here we are, 14 days into another new year. incredibly interesting times we live in. a world of distraction. smoke and mirrors everywhere. what are we to believe? i believe in my two incredible children and i believe in helping them be happy and strong and free. 

i've been reflecting on the past in this time, as one does, with a view to rolling forward powerfully. gave our song 'purple haze' (one from the heart of my brother hamish) a listen the other day. not quite the same as a trip to oz, but very evocative for me nonethless. and so when leila asked me what song we should have for the next 'free music friday' i looked no farther.

spent a couple of hours looking at a sky full of stars with milan the other night. learnt a couple of new constellations. very thankful to be in a place with a clear sky. it's always a good way to appreciate the big picture and to step outside oneself for a while.

we played a benefit concert last night for a local lad battling leukemia. the response from the community was incredible. makes me all the more glad to be in a place like this in times like these. power on little man.

after our set i stepped outside with drewski to once again contemplate the night sky. like milan, drew knows his stars. the picture can indeed be quite large. 

i've changed my point of view a good many times since the days on the farm. and i no doubt will again. being a dad is by far the most potent, challenging, inspiring and motivating point of view. as i envision 2013, year of the snake, i feel some rather large changes acoming. 

for now, i am still bearded. incredibly bearded. how did that happen, you wonder? i ask myself the same question. i've been mistaken for many people this past year - ned kelly. grizzly adams. jeremiah johnson. a homeless man. the list goes on. my mother is horrified but my baby daughter loves it and that has been reason enough to stay the razor a while. but the beard does now need to be introduced as a separate entity when i meet someone new. and that is sobering. but the beard does have a purpose. a mission. and that mission shall reveal itself soon now. patience my friends.

as the new year unfolds, i give thanks for those around me. family. band mates. the brother team. and all of you who continue to support us. may we all have a happy and exciting 2013...

your brother,

angus