An Evening with Richard Thompson
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\n\n2-4-2023
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\nIn 2017\, \;Ivor Novello Award-winning and \;GRAMMY®\; Award-nominated legend \;Richard Thompson \;began composing ideas for what would become "\;13 Rivers"\; at his California home. Off the road\, he focused on writing. As a result of the defined time period\, the music possessed a distinct cohesion. \;&ldquo\;I wrote the songs as a group to hang together\,&rdquo\; he elaborates. &ldquo\;They belong together in some way and seem to possess a commonality since they were written in the same time and space. I never really think about what songs mean\,&rdquo\; he admits. &ldquo\;I just write them. Some of them reflect on what happened a few months ago or even a year ago. It&rsquo\;s a process of surveying my life and where I was at.&rdquo\;
13 Rivers commences on the tribal percussion and guitar rustle of &ldquo\;The Storm Won&rsquo\;t Come&rdquo\; as the artist bellows\, &ldquo\;I&rsquo\;m looking for a storm to blow through town.&rdquo\; The energy mounts before climaxing on a lyrical electric lead rife with airy bends and succinct shredding.
\n\n&ldquo\;Obviously it'\;s been a stressful couple of years\,&rdquo\; he sighs. &ldquo\;The song references wanting to change your life - but it&rsquo\;s a difficult undertaking. You have to wait for it to happen naturally. You can&rsquo\;t force it. The are 13 songs on the record\, and each one is like a river\,&rdquo\; he explains. &ldquo\;Some flow faster than others. Some follow a slow and winding current. They all culminate on this one body of work.&rdquo\;
\n\nIn many ways\, his career has pointed towards such a statement. Powered by evocative songcraft\, jaw-dropping guitar playing and indefinable spirit\, this venerable icon holds a coveted spot on \;Rolling Stone&rsquo\;s &ldquo\;100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time&rdquo\; \;and counts a \;Lifetime Achievement Award \;from the \;Americana Music Association in Nashville\, and a \;Lifetime Achievement Award \;from the \;BBC Awards \;among his many accolades. 2011 saw Thompson garner an \;OBE \;(Order of the British Empire) personally bestowed upon him by \;Queen Elizabeth II \;at Buckingham Palace. Moreover\, Time touted his anthem\, &ldquo\;1952 Vincent Black Lightning\,&rdquo\; on its &ldquo\;100 Greatest Songs Since 1923&rdquo\; list.
\n\nThompson&rsquo\;s influence can&rsquo\;t be overstated. Everybody from \;Robert Plant\, \;Don Henley\, and \;Elvis Costello \;to \;REM\, \;Sleater-Kinney \;and \;David Byrne \;have covered his music. \;Wilco&rsquo\;s Jeff Tweedy \;jumped at the chance to produce 2015&rsquo\;s "\;Still"\; - which earned plaudits from \;Pitchfork\, \;The Guardian\, \;Rolling Stone \;and more. Meanwhile\, \;Werner Herzog \;tapped him for the soundtrack to \;Grizzly Man. He launched his career by co-founding trailblazing rock outfit \;Fairport Convention\, responsible for igniting a British Folk Rock movement.
\n\nHowever\, 13 Rivers represents another high watermark. &ldquo\;The songs are a surprise in a good way\,&rdquo\; he leaves off. &ldquo\;They came to me as a surprise in a dark time. They reflected my emotions in an oblique manner that I&rsquo\;ll never truly understand. It&rsquo\;s as if they&rsquo\;d been channeled from somewhere else. You find deeper meaning in the best records as time goes on. The reward comes later.&rdquo\;
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