Posts in Thoughts
Going to Church with Chance the Rapper
Going to Church with Chance the Rapper

Full disclosure, I’m a late comer to all that is hip-hop. I thought Macklemore’s The Heist was pretty stellar, but that’s about as far as I ever got. I stay pretty close to my Americana sensibilities most of the time. But over the last year or so, I’ve found that Americana and rock haven’t had a lot to offer me. They seem, in many ways, out of touch with a world that seems to be spinning out of control. 

I first started to “get” rap when I saw Kendrick’s Grammy performance last year. It hit right on a lot of the ideas I had been exploring (privilege, systemic racism, you know, easy stuff). I went and dug into his record (about a year after everyone else), and I found a voice that I had been missing in my music. A voice of a prophet, you might say. 

Fast-forward to this 2016...

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ThoughtsJameson Elder
Adding to the Noise - When Silence is No Longer An Option

I don’t speak much about my thoughts on political and social issues. I’m fairly non-confrontational and generally prefer friendly debates over coffee or beer to Facebook and Twitter. I have also felt that as a straight, white, Christian male who has all of the benefits of privilege that one could possibly have, that my role was to make room for other voices to be a part of the conversation

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ThoughtsJameson Elderelection 2016, justice, learning
On Opening Up

I’ve been thinking a lot about legacy over the past several days. Two weeks ago, a friend I’ve known since I was in the first grade passed away suddenly. Over the following days I watched the grief over Kappel’s death take shape both back home and here in Nashville through social media. It really was a huge blessing to see, and it made me proud to have known him. It has been an odd mix of sorrow and joy to read the stories of his life...

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ThoughtsJameson Elderthoughts, honesty, opening up