The Great Columbia

We’ve spent a lot of time around the Columbia River these past few years. It’s an ancient river, having been carved out by multiple massive volcanic eruptions over 10’s of thousands of years. It has stories to tell. It was the life blood of Indigenous people for perhaps 10,000 years. It led Lewis and Clark to the ocean and the end of their epic journey, which in turn became the seed for European settlement. There have been industries and villages which have come and gone. This history is painted all around the Lower Columbia River, as well as up into the hidden valleys where its tributaries flow. Cellist Andrew Emlen lives up in one of those sparsely populated, soggy, and beautiful valleys. It was an honor to have him perform on this track, our ode to one of the world’s great rivers. Producer, Raymond Richards, added some key elements with his mellotron, including accordion and mandolin. We hope this folk song will give you some wistful moments. In these dark times, it is hard to imagine that the river continues on to the sea and that all things will pass. If you have children to put to sleep tonight, or if you have trouble finding rest yourself, you can sing the classic existentialist tune that gave inspiration to this song:

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.