World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”
On the 315th day of 2009 I took a piano and a single microphone into an abandoned third floor dance studio in the Armory Square section of downtown Syracuse. The weather was wet and the mood was heavy. I played five songs and left. It was Veterans Day and the date was tied at 11-11.
I climbed the dark narrow staircase that leads to the room, holding a microphone and a flashlight. No one has occupied this space in over 35 years so I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to find. There was no power in this section of the ware house, it was pitch black, like I was a mile deep in a iron mine. I shined the flashlight a couple yards in front of my steps and occasionally lifted the beam to inspect the vaulted ceilings ahead.
As I reached the top of the stairs I stepped and felt something crunch under my feet, I looked down to find that I was standing on two barely dead pigeons. I thought it was really strange to see two dead birds lying directly next to each other. What are the chances of these birds dying in the same location? Maybe someone or something had swept them together in this fashion? Could it be a Shakespearean scenario where the female bird died and loving male stayed by her side until he collapsed next to his soul mate? I couldn’t help but view the black birds as brave soldiers that lost their lives on the battlefield. I gathered myself and continued down the hall toward the room.
I slowly turned the corner to find a large wide-open room with 14-foot ceilings. There was a small leak in the ceiling right next to the entry that dropped like a metronome, perfectly paced. Each drip leaving a 2 second sound trail in my ears. I whistled and yelled to hear the sound the room. It was incredible, a church-like reverb with an emotion that no computer could possibly duplicate. This is where I wanted to sing. This is where I had to sing.
I ran an extension cord and brought up the rest of my equipment. I turned on a set of construction lights I had brought up to illuminate the space and it revealed some amazing murals, painted on the walls, of old men and women in dance attire. I found a window at the end of the room so I opened it to let in some fresh air and some life. I hit record and this is what happened. This is for them.
1. Drops Of Rain - M. Powell
2. Angel From Montgomery - John Prine
3. Beneath These Fields - M. Powell
4. Country Roads - John Denver
5. A Song For Clarence - M. Powell