The Book of Sorren

Hands of A Shepherd

The band was recently invited to participate in a fundraiser concert being held for an old friend. However, given the strained relationship with my brother there is no way that this could be accomplished. I discussed this with our band's bass player and he fully agreed. The musical collaboration that has lasted many years will have to be put on ice for the foreseeable future. However, there is the matter of the album that was recorded upon my brother's return from Scotland. These songs were based on his experiences there and they came quickly and almost effortlessly. The tracks are in the final mixing and mastering stages and should be completed shortly. The working title for the album has been "Hands of a Shepherd", a reference to the ending sequence from the podcast, "Scotland, Day 6". As I ponder this title I am reminded of something I recently read attributed to one of my musical muses. He said that, upon meeting his fans, that he could unfortnately no longer shake their hands in friendship because of the damage caused to his hands by the lifelong devotion to his craft, guitar playing. He could not risk further injury or pain if he was to continue playing. The idea that his hands, as an instrument for creating beautiful and powerful music, could draw one to consider the artist as a shepherd appeals to me greatly. And now I begin to wonder at my brother as the damaged shepherd. He too has suffered for his craft. But in this instance his craft is in the writing and researching of the arcane, and his devotion is to understanding the mysterious book given to him. These pursuits have placed him in an emotional battlefield, one that he will not escape without consequence. But I am heartened by the idea that one can still participate in life and in love, one can still find a meaning and a beauty in the everyday, all the while carrying a burden, an injury, while one is damaged.

- D