Jun 12, 2020
I first met David LaMotte at a
weekend retreat in the WV mountains where he was performing.
He and his newly-wed wife Deanna were there, and it was fun hanging
out with them both. As it goes, though, with many traveling
gigging musicians who bounce around the world bringing music and
great joy to thousands, my memory of the moment was a little more
vivid than his. On the night of his performance, after most
everyone had retired to their respective cabins, David and a
handful of us hung out of the porch of the camp lodge with a few
guitars and just made some music. It was pretty grand.
And this is David. Behind the
professional touring musician, he really is one who yearned and
still years for close community, regardless of whether that
community is filling a theater, a church, a concert hall, or a
campfire. He has spent his career trying to build and nourish
that community, through 12 albums, three books, two trios, a
massive move to Australia to study Peace and Conflict Resolution at
the University of Brisbane, developing a non-profit organization
dedicated to the enrichment and education of children in Guatemala,
countless workshops, seminars, weekend retreats, & online
gatherings, marching and speaking out in movements for peace and
social justice, welcoming rich conversation and thoughts on
navigating difficult times through his 25-episode Crowdcast
"Sustaining
our Spirits" series, and on and on and on.
Finding the time to pick David's
brain on everything I'd like is obviously a daunting if not
unachievable task, at least in the time frame we generally have for
these kinds of things. I picked his brain on a few things,
though, and I hope you enjoy the conversation we had. I
really did. I also got a chance to chat with David's
11-year-old son Mason, about his passion of playing Celtic fiddle
and the kind and supportive community he found in a weekly "Celtic
Jam" in their town. That was a fun talk too.
You can find all things David at www.davidlamotte.com. Also, something that might interest you is becoming a part of David's Patreon Community, which I can say from experience, really is true community, which isn't always easy to nourish and grow over a webcam.
Lastly, Abraham Jam's "Braided Prayer" documentary will be arriving later in 2020, but in the meantime, here is the trailer to whet your appetite. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about the dynamic trio and buy their music at www.abrahamjam.com.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gEkPr_SMDg]