We’re all missing live music at the moment. We have been trying to fill that void with regular ‘mini-gigs’. Great artists have been sharing performances recorded at home as they adapt to the same lockdown restrictions as you and me. Today’s show is a beautiful performance from virtual duo, Pete Gow and Joe Bennett (The Dreaming Spires, Bennett Wilson Poole, Co-Pilgrim and more…), expertly put together while separate from one another.
They need little introduction for fans of Americana and Gow’s ‘The Fragile Lines’ is one of the best albums of the year so far. But this performance is something particularly special as the pair decided to cover the title track from John Prine’s 1980 album ‘Storm Windows’ as a tribute to the great man. It’s one of his most memorable songs, handled sensitively and with great skill.
Gow says of the song: “I recorded my part for this song the day that John Prine passed. Joe and I were toying with doing something remotely since we all started our ‘new normal’ under COVID- 19 restrictions but hadn’t really settled on what would work best. Sadly the decision was made for us on April 7th. ‘Storm Windows’ has always been one of my favourite Prine compositions, so an easy choice to make. The album came out in 1980 and the production on albums made then means it rarely makes it on too many ‘prime Prine’ album lists, but it is a beautifully crafted song and to me perfectly encapsulates why so many people felt Prine’s death so acutely.”
This is a great performance. With Prine’s passing and the current restrictions on our lives, lines like: “It’s times like these…I sit alone just looking at the world,” seem to take on even greater emotional resonance. Sit back and enjoy from the comfort of home.
