David Berkeley - The Faded Red And Blue
posted 09 Oct 2018 by Krister Axel
The final message is one of hope, and solidarity - which we need right now, in all its raw melancholy.

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A whispered folk temperament, and a social, public-facing sadness informs this sonic poem of acoustic guitar and brass. It’s about self-reference, a walk through the past, and a reverence above all for the redemptive power of love.

It’s a tired and tattered image, but one worth fighting for: the stars and stripes, on a lonesome flagpole, on a hill; waiting for the wind to pick up, which is where the movement is:

“My heart overflows
the fear will fade I know
I have seen the flag laid out
old glory, red and blue”— David Berkeley

The final message is one of hope, and solidarity - which we need right now, in all its raw melancholy.

David Berkeley is a singer-songwriter from Santa Fe, New Mexico. In his own words, this is how the writing of The Faded Red And Blue came about:

I was in Washington, D.C., on tour with my new duo project Son of Town Hall. My band mate Ben Parker and I wandered into the National Museum of American History and found ourselves standing in front of the American Flag that inspired the writing of the Star Spangled Banner. That beautiful old flag was profoundly and surprisingly moving. It looked particularly fragile. Like our democracy itself, it was worn and weathered. It seemed to be nearly falling apart. I felt both a great love and a great fear for our union on that day. I still feel that. I finished these songs in the spring of 2018 shortly after the Parkland shooting.

About the Author

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Krister Bjornson Axel

Ogdensburg, New York

Paris, France. Madison, Wisconsin. Los Angeles. Ashland, Oregon. Ottawa. I write music, I write about music, and I write code. See also: photography, prose, podcasting. I have 1 gorgeous wife, 2 amazing kids, and many interests.


Recent Awards: 2020 ND (Photo) Honorable Mention, 2020 Accenti Writing Contest Finalist