The Long Road Back to Spring Again
"Spring lied to us this year again" - "Away From the Mire," Billy Strings
It’s not always easy for me to feel optimistic or to trust any sort of hopeful feelings. As an Irish-Catholic, I’m automatically programmed to expect the other shoe to drop. But today, for the first time in a year, I’m going to choose to be optimistic, heritage be damned. Today, I’m going to go for a run.
This time last year, the world shut down (and it was quite literally the whole world). I certainly don’t need to remind you about it. Spring is usually a time of rebirth and reintroduction to the world after a winter spent huddled inside under a blanket, but in 2020, that moment never came. Spring never arrived. Instead, we were stuck inside, sheltering from an invisible enemy we still don’t know a lot about. With schools shut down, restaurant tables unfilled, music venues reduced to empty halls, and social gatherings of any kind deemed life-threatening dangers, life lost all of its color. We became goldfish with Netflix accounts. Worst of all, a way out of this crisis wasn’t necessarily a guarantee.
Do you remember how shitty that all felt last year? Do you remember feeling of existential dread, that help may never come? Remember when we thought a shutdown would only last be a few weeks, and then those weeks turned into months? I know I’ll never forget it. I’ll never forget about the people who were in positions of power to help us but seemed disinterested at best in doing so. I’ll never forget how it should’ve been easy for all of us to come together, do our part, wear masks, stay inside, and listen to science, many of us (including many of the aforementioned people in power) chose not to.
For now, I’ll let those grudges stay dormant, for today I find myself in a different state of mind. I’m trying my best to be optimistic, with good reason. Something feels a little bit different in the air this year, a little closer to the life we once knew. We may have to get used to a new normal, but even a new normal is looking a lot different than it did in 2020.
Today, I really think we’ve reached a turning point in our battle against the coronavirus. Another pandemic relief bill has passed. We have a government that actually gives a shit about all of us. The vaccine rollout is really happening, and we may in fact reach President Biden’s goal of having enough vaccines for every American by May. I can’t believe it. Grandpa Joe is actually delivering! Who knew having a competent government could take so much pressure off?
Think about how far we have come since this time last year. The fact that the vaccine arrived as soon as it did is the greatest miracle I have ever witnessed. We made it through despite the weight of lies and incompetence from the very people we depend on and who are supposed to know better. Science prevailed despite the heavy winds battling against it. Frankly, we all owe every scientist out there a round of beers and then some.
Thanks to them, our family, friends, strangers - they’re all getting vaccinated. It’s actually happening! I mean, the rollout - especially here in Philadelphia - has been slower than continental drift, but nevertheless, it’s happening. Little by little, our lives are getting back to what they once were. We can start to hug each other again. We can enjoy each other’s company without being fearful of an invisible germ attack. Runners can run without fretting about the strength of their lungs. Maybe races will come back sooner than later.
In general, cases around the country are going down. Newspapers are writing about decreasing numbers and not decreasing hospital rooms. Sporting event attendance is safely going up. We have March Madness again (Go Nova)! There is even hope for live music again, maybe not immediately, but at least bands are scheduling Fall tours again and this time it doesn’t seem like a total pipe dream. Daylight is good at arriving at the right time.
We still have a long way to go, nothing is going completely away just yet (and we still will probably have more spikes in cases and deaths we’ll have to unfortunately endure), but like the snow in Philadelphia, the coronavirus is slowly beginning to melt off the face of the earth. It’s hold on us is loosening it’s grip. We may never forget how shitty it felt last year, but that just makes the unclenching of our muscles today feel all the better. Today, it all feels... well… good. It feels good, right? It’s okay to admit it feels good.
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As I write this [note: last week], I’m visiting my future in-laws in a small North Carolina town just outside of Charlotte. There is a road by their house that is one of my favorite spots to run. It’s a wiggly mile of road that cuts through two horse ranches and a sprawling little country side, like you’re in the middle of a Bruce Springsteen song. The horses stare at you as you run, silently nodding before returning their attention back to whatever it is they’re munching on. I’ve seen chickens literally crossing the road from their coops among the horses, like I’m in the middle of an overplayed joke. Every truck that drives by (and literally, it is only trucks. I think owning an F-150 is a requirement in North Carolina) offers a friendly wave and politely moves away to provide more running space. I’ve run alongside dogs who have ventured beyond their backyards just to say hello and challenge me to a race (the dogs always win). Clearly, a lot can happen along a small, country-esque backroad.
There is a moment on this run where the road dips a bit before coming up again, where there is an lone old tree hanging over the road. It once sheltered me from a summer downpour, and every year, just as it looks like it’s seen it’s last winter, it blooms right back again right on schedule. As you pass the tree coming up from the brief valley of the road, you are greeted by a wide open field. In that moment, the whole world seems to open up for you. The fields seem to expand forever, and the skies look a bit grander, and I can’t help but feel a sense of optimism running through it. Hell, in that moment, I don’t even the mind the hills.
I’m looking forward to my next encounter on that road today, because today, it feels like Spring again. Oh, such a Spring! This is what we got stolen from us last year. This is what we were dreaming of when we were listening to Saint Cloud last March. This is the feeling Waxahatchee was after, that feeling of closing your eyes and embracing the warmth of the sun. And it’s okay to face that direction now. It’s okay to embrace a little optimism after a year spent knocked down and getting up before the slow count ends. Today I’m going to fill myself back up like I used to do. Today, I’m going for a run, and it’s going to feel good.
IT KEEPS YOU RUNNING: Music for Your Miles
Music and running go hand-in-hand. Here’s what you should be putting on your running playlist this week.
It’s St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow, so pour yourself a pint of Guinness (at 45 degree angle now… but not all of it! Let it sit for a minute or two, then pour the rest) and let’s see what’s going on in Ireland.
Since Dublin’s Fontaines DC came into my life a few years ago, I’ve been really interested in Ireland’s flourishing music scene. It’s more than just U2, The Dubliners, and “Whiskey in the Jar,” you know? While Celtic folk music is still deeply embedded in the heart of Irish culture, Ireland sounds a lot different in 2021. The kids in Ireland have been cultivating a much-discussed scene over the past decade. In her profile on Pillow Queens for Stereogum earlier this year, writer Jael Goldfine described an Irish music community borne out of a recession from which the country has still not recovered. Without meaningful employment, creative endeavors were pursued. It’s a great read that provides some valuable insight behind these great new bands.
Which brings me to, well, Pillow Queens. Their fantastic debut album In Waiting has been out since the Fall of 2020, and despite pandemic, it feels like they’re on the verge of something big, similar to the way Fontaines DC stormed their way out of Dublin a few years ago. Their music is grand yet totally catchy, including singles “Holy Show,” “Gay Girls,” “Liffey,” and “HowDoILook,” all of which mix bits of DIY emo, harmony-laden folk, and indie rock, with a healthy dose of that famed Irish storytelling. The band recently signed with Sub Pop, so expect to hear a lot more from them in the not-so-distant future. Add them to your running playlists immediately.
Since finding Pillow Queens, I took a bit of a deep dive into the Irish music scene and wouldn’t you know it, it’s a goldmine! Here are a few to add to your running playlists:
New Dad is a group of kids who hail from western Ireland, where they make hooky guitar-based dream pop a la Alvvays or Night Flowers. They’ve released quite a few singles in in 2020, with my favorite being “I Don’t Recognize You,” and they just announced a new EP called Waves, coming in 2021.
Kynsy, a 23-year-old multi-instrumentalist hailing from Dublin, released a savvy new EP Things That Don’t Exist, featuring the best song Julian Casablancas left off of First Impressions of Earth “Happiness Isn’t a Fixed State.” The whole EP is super catchy and a delight to listen to.
Then there’s Bitch Falcon, which might just be my favorite band name of all time. I mean, give their latest album Staring At Clocks a listen and tell me that’s not the perfect name for this band? They remind me a lot of Brutus, whose album Nest I listened to on many a run in 2019, although Bitch Falcon might lean a little more post-punk and grunge than Brutus’ metal inclinations. Nevertheless, Staring At Clocks rips. Bitch Falcon rules, both in name and in practice.
All of this is to say, I really need to get my ass to Ireland. Sláinte!
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P.S. I would also love to use this column to talk to musicians not only about their music but also about running (or just exercise in general). If you’re a musician or you work in music in some capacity and you would like to be involved, hit me up! Be sure to follow the Running On Nothing Spotify Playlist here.