Sunday, March 13, 2011

Homecoming

Aura’s mother’s family lives in Japan just 10 miles up the coast from where the tsunami hit. After news of its impact, and before Aura could get hold of her kin, she quietly pursued news of their well-being via email, facebook and phone. Just as we were pulling into Santa Cruz, she leaned over and told me they were safe. Ten miles from them, the wave had completely washed away houses, buildings, roads, yet their homes were still standing. Even her uncle, whose front door opens onto sandy beach, still has a home (albeit needing repair) to go back to.

The town of Santa Cruz was quiet when we pulled off a side street to park. As Noble, Aura and I walked toward downtown, we noticed the beaches were closed. Later we learned that the tsunami had caused large swells that morning that turned over boats and cracked a few docks. Photographers perched atop a cliff overlooking the water and a helicopter circled with expectations that another wave would hit about 4 pm. It was a bright and sunny day, but the tsunami threat cast a slightly surreal feeling over the afternoon.

Aura, Noble, and Ryan all went to UC Santa Cruz for undergrad. As we walked past downtown store fronts, Noble pointed out where the DJ company he worked for used to be, ducked his head into a music shop where he’d bought one of his favorite guitars, and showed me the clubs where they used to dance. Aura almost visibly grew a few inches toward the CA sun. “When I drove up the first time from San Diego with my dad and opened the car door on the campus nestled in redwoods, my face immediately swelled from the pollen-filled air,” Aura noted. Now she and the rest of us can’t get enough of that fecundity into our lungs.

The feeling of homecoming followed the band into the night’s show. Exes came to watch the set and mingled with old roomies and former fellow music or theater majors. Ryan introduced me to his freshman year roommate, Aura friends from her Latin music ensemble. We had a guy come wearing a t-shirt from the band Ryan and Noble played in together ten years ago. The band was called It’s a Whale, and they used to hold hippie jam sessions at packed house parties before the police would break them up.

Especially fitting for such a night of remembrance was Noble’s tune “Victor Song.” It was written by a much younger Noble about 10 years ago, and had been marinating in his brain until the band started playing it a couple of months ago. Named for his father Victor, and addressing both his mom and dad, the song celebrates a family connection that lasts even as we venture out to make a solo go of adulthood. Though Noble notes that he didn’t follow any specific African musical tradition, the cadence gives it that feel. He keeps it simple – Noble playing acoustic guitar and Ryan trading guitar for snare and cymbal, Aura leaving aside her keyboard for a thumb piano.

Noble belted out the lyrics that night to a crowd of old friends in a town where 10 years ago he just might have dreamed them up. I couldn't help but see the song that night as his own little offering up of sentimentality for the homecoming, and for the family and friend connections (both near and far) that continue to make this trip possible.

No comments:

Post a Comment