Louise Coombe

Just a quick post….I pretty much suck at promoting myself and my music, but I did notice that my most popular song on Spotify BY FAR is “Battle of Blair Mountain”….and I had no idea why until I did a deeper dive on the playlists. It appears that folks are using the song as a pro-union rallying cry and I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE. It's not why Mike and I wrote the song, but it does emphasize the need for unions…more now than ever considering the anti-worker/little guy administration we now have. Fight the power…

It's fun! 

Last month I was asked by an activities director at an assisted living home nearby if I knew of anyone who played “old country songs". I thought for a minute and said I did not, but……I could learn some and play them for her residents…? She said okay! So, for the past three weeks, I've been trying to learn a set of country songs and it's been a blast for me and a piece of my music education that I sadly skipped years ago. I learned a few Dolly Parton songs like “Jolene”, “Coat of Many Colors” and…

I like to walk. It is essential to my mental well-being.

I happen to live in a beautiful part of the country – at the foot of the Berkshires in MA – but I’ve always walked no matter where I’ve lived.  I think its essential for my mental health (and physical). Walking keeps the body engaged and lets the mind rest. There are all kinds of walking mindfulness techniques, but I just look at the trees and the sky and keep my mind quiet. I listen to my feet on the pavement and the bird-calls. If I turn all of my…

My ex-husband’s best friend died a couple of years ago. He lived out on the west coast, so I didn’t know him all that well even through 16 years of being with my ex, but I knew him enough to know his humor, talent (he was a great photographer) and kindness. He was a good friend, father and husband. He was my age. Struck by cancer in his early thirties, they treated it aggressively and it went into remission for 15 years. Then it came back with a vengeance. So young. So tragic.

When someone dies – whether…

Here's what I wrote back:

One of the best things that has ever happened to me in my whole damn life is coming across the writings of Eckhart Tolle. He had an epiphany about the "nature of the mind and consciousness" and he has written books trying to explain what he discovered. In a moment of abject despair (contemplating suicide), he experienced a collapse of the "ego" - the mind. As this was happening, he realized that he was observing it. You can only observe something if you are at least somewhat separated from it. He kept…

So, lil sis wrote back that she had just returned from a big trip and was having a lot of trouble getting inspired to get back into her work of tile making and pottery - feeling uninspired and disconnected. She referenced my album "Home" as being about "the little things" - which was true. I like the quote from Annie Dillard, "How you spend your days is how you spend your life". That quote has inspired and haunted me as I sometimes watch my days go by with little to show in the way of good work or even…

She was worried that she is turning 40 and hasn't "accomplished" much. I think in this world of FOMO (fear of missing out) encouraged on Facebook plus just the plain old fear of death, it's easy to go down this road of "what have I done of note?". Coincidentally, I had been dealing with some existential problems myself this week, but I had a realization....so, I'm just going to share what I wrote to her verbatim. Please forgive my swearing (although studies show swearing is a sign of intelligence :))....I…

So I went out to dinner tonight by myself...determined to leave my cell phone alone. It was a hipster place  -probably a bad choice, but I wanted to try something new.  Because I had no reservation, they asked me to sit at the bar, which was fine by me. I had two seats to choose from…one next to two couples talking and one next to one couple more my age. I chose the latter. I soon discovered this was a mistake. To my left, there was an older couple around 70 talking to a younger couple around 40. They…

Hey guys - - sorry it's been so long since an update! Lots of changes around here. In fact, "around here" has changed too. In late May I packed up a 16' truck with all my sh*t and drove 1100 miles to Williamsburg, MA where I'm starting the newest leg of my journey. New England has a long rich tradition of folk music and I felt I needed a change of scenery. Having lived in Tennessee all my life, it was a bit scary to move so far, but it's exhilarating too. I loved living in Nashville, but it was time for a…