Today is the anniversary of Dave Carter’s death, eleven years ago. This day is etched in my mind, the way Dave’s music is etched in my soul. I always find a way to mark both this day, and his birthday (August 13th), usually by playing all the Dave songs currently in my repertoire. This year I’m also at an Inn in Vermont where Tracy, his former partner, is playing shows. Which means I got to find a lovely place outside and sing The Mountain to an actual mountain. (Those of you who don’t know the wonder that is Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, run, don’t walk, to your favorite online music purveyor and buy some CDs or mp3s. Trust me on this. I’d start with the Tanglewood Tree CD, but you can’t go wrong whatever you go for.) Today I find myself thinking about how many things that I value in my life would not be there were it not for Dave. That includes a whole slew of friends, friends in real life who are important to me and who I met through celebrating Dave’s music. It includes my whole performance career – I had stopped playing music in public and started up again playing in memorial song circles after Dave died. It includes my songwriting – getting back into playing in public eventually led to songwriting again, and my songwriting is deeply influenced by Dave’s – listening to any of his CDs is the best songwriting education you can get. It includes getting to know Tracy (who has played on my first two CDs) and a whole bunch of other musicians I’d previously avoided spending time wtih, because I couldn’t imagine they’d have any interest in some random person who just happens to like listening to their music. Dave also got me excited about music again in a way I hadn’t been for awhile. I know I’ve said this before, but at least I have no regrets about not appreciating his music enough when he was here. In the couple of years after I discovered Dave and Tracy I saw them everywhere I could possibly get to, gave their CDs to everyone I knew (including someone who was interviewing me for a completely unrelated job) and absolutely knew that I was in the presence of genius. I’m grateful for those years, for all the songs he wrote (and the few more that are still trickling out of the unrecorded archives), and for the influence he has had on my life.