StarCat/CatStar

Kilcher song, as he asks are you running away or are you running home,
Atz Kilcher? And significantly, the past blends with the future when
Kilcher’s conversation with the river harkens back to his forebears (are we
running away or are we running home, Dear Mother) and to his own
offspring (are you running away or are you running home, my children),
putting a fine point on the eternal progression of our existence.
In the theme song to Alaska: The Last Frontier, Kilcher sings “life is
good when you’re living like you should,” but admittedly, he wasn’t always.
With trademark candor (“I try to shoot straight and keep my word and I
expect the same from you”) and compassion, many of Kilcher’s songs are
saturated with allusions to alcoholism and self-degradation that have
dogged so many veterans (of the battlefields of both war and abuse). This
leitmotif is most notable in the songs “PTSD” (the acronym for posttraumatic
stress disorder) and “Froggy Went to War,” in which a
reworking of the jocular old Scottish folk song “Frog Went A-Courtin’ ”**
takes a somber (but, in the final stanza, hopeful) turn. While the anecdotes
are certainly personal, he touches on the human condition as well, opining
that “everybody’s trying to get here with a little help or on their own; they
have a drink, fill a script, pop a pill, take a trip, thinking all roads lead to
Rome (but they don’t, let me tell ya).” For Kilcher, though, salvation is
found, once again, through his proximity to Mother Earth.
There’s no last call for alcohol here by this mountain stream
there ain’t no ghosts to haunt you here or drag you from your dreams
just silence ringing in your ears, the air is mountain clear
there’s no such thing as being lost when you’re lost out here
“Good Old-Fashioned Ways” is a heartfelt testimonial to continuity
and endurance, with plenty of kumbaya moments amid the demons, and a
dash of Wild West swagger (courtesy of “After the Gun,” which also has
some very cool syncopated sound effects). In the final song, the haunting,
soothing “Clearwater Slough,” Kilcher comes full circle, proving that, for
him, there’s no place like Homer.
Many moons ago, a talented young singer named Jewel (Kilcher,
that is) asked the question Who Will Save Your Soul? The answer is
intrinsically linked to her own roots, because if her papa’s generous
collection of fiercely beautiful songs can’t save your soul, then your soul is
a lost cause.
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*“Blue Suede Shoes” was written, and originally recorded, by Carl Perkins.
“All Shook Up” was written by Otis Blackwell.
** Modern versions of “Froggy Went A-Courtin’ have been recorded by
Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen, among
others