News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Buddy Mondlock talked metaphor and work ethic with young songwriters in the Americana Project class.
Buddy Mondlock is one of the most respected songwriters in Nashville. Greats like Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith, Art Garfunkel and Janis Ian have worked with him.
Last week, students at Sisters High School (SHS) and Sisters Middle School got the chance to do the same as the songwriter swung through for a visit during a tour that took him to several dates in Washington. The visit was arranged by Mondlock's friend, SHS teacher Leah Soloff.
As it is for all the great songwriters, the art is more than a profession - it is a calling and a way of finding a way through the world. And the act of creation can be that for anyone who picks up an instrument.
"I feel like songwriting is one of the very best things I can do for my soul," Mondlock told the students during a session of the SHS Americana Project class.
He described driving along a mountain road and seeing a single flaming sugar maple amidst a uniform slope of green trees. The standout tree reminded him of an independent, exceptional girl he thought he might love, and it led to a song, titled "Fire of Change."
He played the song for the class, and noted, "I got to work out how I really felt about her by writing this song."
That is the kind of slice of the artist's life that teenaged students can completely relate to.
Mondlock talked a lot about the use of metaphor, giving the session a literary bent. Chasing a metaphor is a signal aspect of Mondlock's songwriting.
The songwriter related his "discovery" at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1987, by legendary songwriter Guy Clark (who has appeared twice at the Sisters Folk Festival). Mondlock encouraged the students to hone their craft and get themselves "out there" to build a potential career simply by playing at every opportunity and connecting with other musicians whenever possible.
He noted that Sisters has an exceptionally rich and encouraging environment for young songwriters.
He also encouraged Americana Project students to be patient and work hard on their creations, playing for them a song it took him a year to write. Getting it right is more important then getting it quick.
"That's one of the joys of songwriting," he noted. "To say a lot in a few words - but just the right ones."
To learn more about Buddy Mondlock visit www.buddymondlock.com.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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