May 17, 2020

What we are going through is traumatic, real and scary. Everyone has lost something to this virus and I think it is safe to say that we’re all going through the five stage of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.) If you don’t believe me, looks at your friends’ Facebook posts  and then look at your own. You don’t travel through the five stages linearly — you bounce around. I know I am right now. It’s a good idea to cut people slack — but it is even a better idea to cut yourself some slack. Take care of your mental health as well as your physical health. We’ll get through this — together.

April 24, 2020

There are 58,320 names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. The Wall covers a time span from 1957 to 1975 (it was originally 1959 but they added a name of someone who died from injuries received in 1957). That number was just a number to me — one that I could not put my mind around, until I visited the Wall for the first time in 1991. I walked silently along the path and saw the names listed one after another. My heart sank — by the time I exited the memorial I was overwhelmed. Then you’d see the tributes left behind by grieving friends and loved ones. You realized each name was a life lost. By the time I had made my way through the memorial, my perception of the number 58,320 had changed forever.

Today we’ve passed 50,000 deaths due to COVID-19 — all since the end of February. Each day, that number climbs higher and higher. Soon, the number will surpass the number of heroes we lost in Vietnam.

It’s important to remember that 50,000 is more than just a number. It represents people’s parents, grandparents, friends, children, lovers, spouses, coworkers. Each person represents a life lost and represents deep grief.

Lord be with all who are grieving, suffering and healing.

Lord be with us all.

April 20, 2020

You’d know him if you saw him. In fact, several people have stopped him in the store, asking him for his autograph. “I take it with a grain of salt — the good and the bad,” Greg Goldman laughed as he described his newfound fame. Goldman is the man you see signing during Gov. Tate Reeves’ daily press conference.

He’s arguably one of the most talked about people in the state right now on social media.

The first time I remember seeing Goldman was during Haley Barbour’s post-Katrina press conferences. That was the first time a Mississippi public official had an interpreter. Since then, he has driven the highways and byways of Mississippi helping the deaf and the hard of hearing get the information they need. He’s a contract employee and works for courts, doctors and, yes, the governor during a pandemic.

Greg Goldman is a Jackson native. Growing up with a deaf father, Goldman learned sign language from his mother at the same time he learned English. “I had planned on becoming a diesel mechanic, but I started volunteering helping those who are hearing-impaired.”  He also was a wide-receiver. That football skill would later lead him to coaching at the Mississippi School for the Deaf.

It is estimated that there are between 10,000 and 20,000 deaf and hard of hearing Mississippians. Technology has helped them stay informed, but the service that Goldman provides is invaluable. I asked him about how he keeps up with all the new terminology due to COVID-19. He said that he uses abbreviations (CV19) and explained how he signs coronavirus (the sign for crown). “Numbers are the worst. It’s hard to do math on the fly,” he said describing trying to interpret the amount of water flowing down the Pearl River during the recent flooding. One thing I didn’t know was that the signing is about 10% of how the information is conveyed. Body language is the other 90%.

Signing is truly an art form. And, Goldman is an artist.

I asked him if he had seen the New York mayor’s interpreter (who looks just like him). No, he hadn’t, but he did explain his eponymous black shirt. “It’s for contrast, so I am easy to see.  A bunch of us will wear black all the time and people think I’m Goth or depressed.”

I also asked how people who are interested in becoming an interpreter could follow along in his footsteps. “Immerse yourself in the deaf community. Hang out with people who are hearing impaired.”

I hope to meet Goldman again. He’s truly one of the nicest, most down-to-Earth people you’ll meet. You can tell this is more than a job to him. It’s a passion. And it shows.

P.S. Goldman asked for a signed copy of this cartoon. He’s on the far left getting zapped by an alien. 

April 9, 2020

With gloves on and a face mask, I made a trip out this morning for “essential business.” I left the house at 8:30 and it seemed more like a Sunday than a Thursday morning. The nearby elementary school sat dormant, with an empty playground and still buses. The cacophony of children’s voices had faded away, leaving birds chirping to fill the sonic void. A handful of people were taking advantage of the beautiful spring weather by walking on the nearby running trail. I listened to the news on my car radio and the reason why all of this happening was made apparently clear.

The virus looms.

COVID-19 had taken the life of a minister who was a dear friend of a friend of mine. Last night, I drew a cartoon celebrating his life. Here was a man who had moved so many and lifted up a whole community and, yet, he had died alone in a hospital. With Good Friday coming tomorrow, I thought of him and then Jesus’ words on the cross: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” I was heading to the post office to mail the cartoon.

It will arrive on Easter.

The post office has been modified slighting in our new COVID-19 world. The one worker (there used to be three) stood behind plastic strips like you might see on a walk-in freezer. Strips of tape marked six-foot intervals for the customers. Four of us were in there — three customers and one worker. All of us had on masks and gloves (one older gentleman walked out when I walked in — no gloves or masks. I wish him luck). I mailed the package, opened the door without using my hands, tossed the gloves in the trash and got back in my car. I used hand sanitizer on my hands and arms and went home where I removed my shoes out in the garage and went in and took a shower and changed clothes.

Part of me thinks, “OK, that is ridiculous.” Then, part of me thinks of the minister, who was about my age and died gasping for breath. Nothing is ridiculous these days. Maybe off-the-rails insane, but not ridiculous. This virus doesn’t come to play.

I thought about the postal worker, and I appreciate her taking the risk that she does just to come to work. I passed by the grocery store where the workers there take similar risks. I fired up my computer and read Mississippi Today’s coverage, and I appreciated my co-workers getting out and getting us the information we desperately need to make good decisions for our family.

One of the side-effects of the virus is that it has made me more aware of those around me and what they do for me and our community. And while the virus has done so much damage to our lives, that’s one thing that’s not so bad.

Stay healthy.

April 6, 2020

Sorry for the gap in blogs. Like many of you, I’m at home doing work, helping the kids with their school work and feeling a bit like a rat in the cage — you know, getting used to the new abnormal. I started thinking the other day, “Where will I go first when I can move around?”

Hmmm… To go see family comes to mind. And maybe a trip to the Smokies, too. I miss church and going out to eat. A live concert would be nice, too.  But until then, we’ll need to keep flattening the curve and staying healthy.

Here are a few of the places you said you’d like to go:

Did you miss my last art lesson? Be sure to check it out here. And, don’t miss more lessons every Friday at noon.

March 31, 2020

First of all, I’m going to wish my sister Jennifer a happy birthday! Why? I know, I know, it has nothing to do with COVID-19. But, I wanted to have one minute of normalcy. So… happy birthday, Jennifer. Now, sing that for 20 seconds when you wash your hands.

Back to the regularly scheduled program.

Yesterday, I had a bishop, a restauranteur and a musician on my radio show. Yeah, I know — it sounds like the set up to a joke. I’m just missing a bar. But, there was a golden thread running through all three guests. Let me explain.

The Rt. Rev. Brian Seage, the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi, was my first guest. We talked about the challenges churches face now that congregations can’t congregate, especially going into Holy Week. (If you still think they should be able to, read this). He spoke of all the new and creative uses of social media that are being done out there. We discussed the mental challenges facing Mississippians and compared them to the ones that many along the coast faced after Katrina. But, then, he said something that was very profound to me. He reminded us that now is the time to give until it hurts.

Jeff Good has always made giving until it hurts part of his business model. A self-described hyperactive guy, Jeff talked about the huge economic challenges facing his restaurant business and some of the innovative ways he is trying to bring in revenue and ways to help his furloughed employees. Jeff’s plan also included giving back to this community.

Seth Power is a talented musician, based in Brandon. His new album, Souvenir, is excellent and launched with great excitement in January. Seth also is a server at Fine & Dandy — or at least he was. The two main avenues for revenue for him, concerts and waiting tables, are now on hold. Yet, if you see Seth’s Facebook page, it is post after post of helping other people.

I can’t provide you with a clear roadmap on how to get through this minefield laid by COVID-19, but the golden thread running through all three of my guest’s stories is this:

Give. Then give again. And when you are done, give some more.

Don’t miss my next art lesson on Facebook Live — this Friday at noon. Click here for more info and to join the event and be notified when I go live.

If you missed the first lesson last week, watch it here.

March 30, 2020

Nothing quite like a global pandemic and an economic shutdown to get you to start reevaluating life and how you’re living it. So I asked, “Name something you’re going to change in your life because of this pandemic.” Here are a few of the answers. The last one, by Brant Sappington, really hit home with me. Although Jill Conner Browne’s is probably the most true.

Jill Conner Browne My pants size.

Heidi Hutchings Shoemake The words “Thank you” have always been part of my vocabulary, but since this started I am using them less out of respect and more from true, genuine appreciation. It’s imperative for all the “essential” workers to know they are truly ESSENTIAL and APPRECIATED.

Susan Gandy McNeill I’m going to be more deliberate about my retail choices. I’m going to remember those small businesses who protected their patrons at the expense of sales and those who cared for their employees. It’s easy to make the fast convenient choices with our dollars but I plan to seek out businesses who did the right thing instead of the selfish thing.

Pamela Leonard I have been retooling my budget and my emergency fund. And will probably do better about keeping a pantry with good staples in it. And call my parents more often.

Lisa Moore Count all my blessings more often and realize what is most important in life. Not take anything for granted!

Butch Bailey 1. Hug every human and canine I come across that will let me. 

2. Call my mom more often.

3. Be ready to react and respond to these disruptions in the future.

Cindy Long Get together with friends more often!

Fiza Pirani Work less. Buy less. Live simply.

Kelli Scrimpshire Bridwell I will never EVER again make fun of my husband for being prepared BEFORE a crisis!

Christy Pender It’s reminded me why making healthy choices important; so your body is strong for things like this, not just to look better. So I hope that’s the thing that changes, my outlook.

Jennifer Wilson Hall Read my Bible more, pray more, more FaceTime with family…..never miss a moment to say I love you to family and friends

Mark Lyon My next condo is going to have a usable balcony. (He lives in the city).

Clayton Thornton Spend more time reading Bible and try to understand it better.

Becca Pen I’m throwing things out because whenever I pass away, I don’t want my friends and daughter to have to sort my stuff.

Brooke Vance Maier Paper towel use. We literally have one roll bc all the stores are out. It’s forcing me, in a good way, to be mindful of just how dependent on them we are. I have a drawer full of kitchen towels I am using now.

Debbie Waggener I’m going to always have a good supply of sanitizing wipes and use them consistently.

Brant Sappington I feel like this is a time of reassessment. I’m finding out, both in my personal and professional life, just because I’ve always done something one way doesn’t mean it has to be done that way. I think this is teaching me to be more open to the concept of change and more willing to look at the options and possibilities that come from being flexible and adaptable.

How will you change your life? Leave your answer in the comments section below.

March 26, 2020

The national unemployment figures have come in and they are literally off the charts. Anna Wolfe’s story today points out that they were up 600% in Mississippi and would have been higher if not for the system jamming up. People — no YOU — are hurting. We have been hit by something that is NOT our fault. Our anxiety is rising at an exponential rate that I’d guess is somewhere near COVID-19’s exponential growth curve.

We have to take care of ourselves. Stress is a killer, too.

For me, drawing is a way to relax (unless I am on an impossible deadline, but I digress). That’s one of the reasons we started doing the coloring sheets that you can find on Mississippi Today’s site. I’m taking kids (and grownups) on a tour around Mississippi. We may have to social distance but we don’t have to cartoon distance. Download one or two or more and start coloring. Take five minutes to breathe. Give your kids something to do that doesn’t involve a screen.

Tomorrow, I’ll do a Facebook Live drawing tutorial. Join in — I look forward to your comments. I’ve come across a few folks who are doing other things similar and will highlight them along the way, too.

Before I go, I am going to leave you with a quote from Apple’s Steve Jobs.

“Sometimes life’s going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”

My suggestion is to take that brick and use it to rebuild.

And color. Always color.

March 24, 2020

Yesterday, I checked in on Facebook with some friends to see if they were OK. I got over 100 responses within an hour; people just needed to talk. Some were doing OK — plowing along through this new sea of weirdness, well, while others were rightfully anxious. Actually, they were scared. And, if you’re reading this and are also scared, guess what? That’s OK. It’s perfectly normal to be freaked out during this. These are times that haven’t been seen in nearly 100 years. That said, this is a marathon and not a sprint. While it is important to wash your hands, not touch your face and remain socially distant, you also need to take care of yourself. Mental health is just as important as physical health. This morning, I took a break and went outside. I left my phone in the house and just went out and breathed. Deep breaths — in and out. I listened to the birds and the wind blowing through the pines. I focused on the grass surrounding me. A blue heron flew in and landed nearby.

For a brief moment, I was in that moment.

Then, I went back in and went to work.

I would work 24/7 if I could. For me, one way to reduce stress is to be doing something. It’s a Ramsey thing. But this is not a good longterm strategy. Yesterday, I started working at 6 a.m. and quit at 9 p.m. One, my family, all in the same small house as I am, is going to get sick of me quickly if I don’t stop that. And, second, I’ve already been sick once this week. I don’t need to make myself sick again.

So, from here on out, I’m creating an “essential” list. I will get up early, stick to my list and knock it out. I will build in breaks to go outside and breathe. And when I am done, I will unplug. COVID-19 might get me. It might not. But I’m not going to allow the fear of it to get me first. I still have some living to do.

So if you will excuse me, I’m going to go out and walk Pip. I need to breathe.

And so do you.

Here’s a good article from PBS about the mental effects of what we’re going through and some things to look out for. 

Also, be sure to check out these coloring sheets I’ve made to help you, young and old, take some time to breathe…and color.

March 23, 2020

When I was a kid, my mother had a poster with a donkey straddled over the rail fence. The caption was “Darned if you do, darned if you don’t.” I was thinking about that poster this morning when I was looking at the latest economic numbers and then the spread of COVID-19. All the closings, which are to flatten the curve and slow the spread, have already had huge economic effects on small businesses. It’s hard on my friends who have had their lives upended so rapidly. It’s also hard on all my friends who will get ill and might not find a ventilator that is necessary to keep them alive because people refuse to self-distance. The scenes out of Italy are heartbreaking — where doctors are not treating people over 65. They didn’t shut down fast enough.

Today, the virus is here.

COVID-19 is silently spreading throughout our community. Now that testing is taking place, the numbers are growing exponentially as predicted. We can do things to help our friends in small business — order takeout from restaurants still open, buy gift cards, continue to shop when we can. And, we can also do what we can to help out medical friends. Staying home is one way to do it. Let me correct myself here: COVID-19 doesn’t spread. WE spread COVID-19 and, if we can break that chain, then we’ve helped free up a spot in a hospital.  We must do that for not only our safety but for others.

We also can stay calm and support each other.

I think about how quickly my own life has changed. I am sitting at my kitchen table writing as my wife films a lesson for her students. After I’m done here, I’m going to go do my radio show from my car (a soundproof studio). I didn’t leave my bedroom for over a week due to a chest cold I had (no testing so I don’t know if it was more serious). My son, who is home from college and now working online said that our afternoon walk feels like time in the prison yard. I count toilet paper rolls like I used to worry about my 401K (I gave up for right now on it).

How has your life changed? Let me know in the comment section below and I’ll print some of your responses on my next blog. We can do this all together. But it will get harder.

We must be strong.

Check out Mississippi Today’s COVID-19 Coverage here.

And respect goes out to everyone who is still working out there, trying to stay safe and keeping the lights on.

Cases in Mississippi so far:

[Read all of Marshall’s COVID-19 blog posts here.]

The post Trying to Reason with COVID-19 with Marshall Ramsey appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today, Report For America

Rep. Robert Johnson listens as arguments are made concerning Hester Jackson-McCray’s House of Representatives seat Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020, at the State Capitol in Jackson, Miss.

Republican Speaker of the House Philip Gunn called House Democratic Leader Rep. Robert Johnson last Friday with a rare invitation: He wanted Democrats to work with Republican leadership on crafting a major policy initiative.

Gunn told Johnson that another fight with Gov. Tate Reeves looked possible over what would become a $300 million relief package for small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and he wanted Democrats at the table early in case a veto override became necessary later.

“I’m not gonna lie, I laughed. I thought to myself, ‘This will last one or two meetings, and it’ll fizzle out and fall apart,’” Johnson told Mississippi Today. “I told the speaker, ‘If we’re going to do this, it has to be real.’ And it was. They proved me wrong. Every step of the way, every point that we thought was important that (House Republicans) hadn’t considered, they considered them.”

Last week marked one of the first sincere bipartisan efforts under the Capitol dome since January 2012, when Gunn was first elected speaker and Republicans earned a supermajority in both the House and Senate. By the end of the negotiating process, Democrats got several items added from their wish list, including a $40 million pot of relief money set aside for minority-owned businesses.

“Everyone, Republicans and Democrats, felt good walking out of that room when the deal was done,” Johnson said. “It’s the way the Legislature should work. It’s more effective when it’s not always about party.”

Republican leaders have taken extraordinary care over the past decade to strip Democrats of any semblance of influence they once held in Jackson, and Gunn led the effort to shut Democrats out of the legislative process. He offered no major committee chairmanships to Democrats. He split Democrats and Republicans on the House chamber voting board so everyone could clearly see if Republicans defected from the party line. He even took office space from Democrats.

“We pull out the roster of our team, and we pick leaders off that list,” Gunn said in a commanding 2015 Neshoba County Fair speech about the rise of the Mississippi Republican Party. “Your man, because he’s a Democrat, is not on that list.”

Much has changed since Gunn gave that speech. Then, he didn’t have a Republican governor who publicly threatened to veto Republican policy. He didn’t have a Republican governor who suggested that “people would die” because of Republican legislative action. He didn’t have a Republican governor who suggested that Republican lawmakers were ignoring the state Constitution or “trying to steal” spending authority of federal funds from the executive branch.

Now he does.

And while Republicans hold a three-fifths supermajority, they do not hold a veto proof two-thirds majority. If Reeves were to veto any bill the Legislature passes, Republican legislative leaders would need Democratic votes to override the veto. That’s why Gunn called Johnson last weekend, and that’s why Johnson and the Democratic caucus were able to score the rare win.

Lawmakers of both parties in both the House and the Senate told Mississippi Today this week that one thing drove the partisan sea change last week: the desire to defeat Reeves.

“Almost to the man and woman, everybody in the House and many in the Senate have an experience with Tate Reeves that makes them feel no desire to work with him in any way,” Johnson said. “We spent eight years with him (as lieutenant governor) laying down the law. It always had to be his way. Now we get the chance to be legislators and not be dictated to, and Democrats are at the table because of it. Mississippi is better off because Tate Reeves is no longer able to do that.”

Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/ Report for America

Rep. Kathy Sykes, D-Jackson, left, asks Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, a question concerning infrastructure during a special session of the Legislature at the Capitol in Jackson Monday, August 27, 2018.

Rep. Trey Lamar, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a top lieutenant of Gunn, acknowledged that the Democrats were brought to the table because of a possible veto. Lamar, a longtime opponent of Reeves, also said that “some of the public statements (Reeves) made about members of the Legislature” fueled the decision to reach across the aisle.

“As far as I’m concerned, I expect (Democrats) to have a seat at the table regardless of what the policy issue is,” Lamar said. “When we have input from different groups of people, oftentimes, like we saw last week, the byproduct is a better piece of legislation. I welcome that, and look forward to working with them in the future.”

Republican and Democratic leaders appear optimistic about their ability to work together moving forward. The new goodwill Gunn earned in the House last week is balanced with Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann’s efforts since he was elected last November to include Democrats. Hosemann offered several key Senate chairmanships to Democrats, and he’s regularly kept Democrats informed of his deliberations with the House leadership.

“Senate Democrats have achieved more in two or three months under the current leadership than we did in the entire eight years under (Reeves),” said Sen. Derrick Simmons, the Democratic leader in the Senate. “It starts with inclusion and respect for different perspectives… I’m very optimistic about it being a new day in the Mississippi Legislature.”

Last week, as Gunn predicted, Reeves did not discount the possibility of a veto of the small business relief package. Because of the bipartisan negotiation process, that small business bill appears veto-proof.

But in the weeks to come, lawmakers will consider coronavirus relief packages over more politically contentious issues like public education, health care, access to polls, and corrections. Those items have generated more disagreement between party leaders over the years.

“Until something shows itself to be different, we’re going to keep working together as a team,” Johnson said. “We talk about this being a crisis, but I think Mississippi has been in a state of crisis for at least 10 years. It’s absurd that anyone would talk about Republican versus Democrat when you’ve got the highest poverty rate and lowest income of any state in the nation. It’s not just Democrats who are affected by that. Those things cross party lines and racial lines. That’s a sentiment I think all of us share, and I hope it keeps us going.”

The post Analysis: Could legislative contempt for Gov. Tate Reeves create lasting bipartisanship at the Capitol? appeared first on Mississippi Today.

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Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/ Report for America

Some Lawmakers say the Legislature should take steps this year to provide Mississippians safe voting options if the coronavirus pandemic is still an issue in November.

In no state has more blood been shed for the right to vote than Mississippi, where people have died in the quest to end Jim Crow-era laws that denied the vote to African American citizens.

Hopefully, Mississippians no longer have to put their lives on the line to vote. But under current state laws, voting could again be dangerous if COVID-19 is still a threat in November when Mississippians go to the polls to elect a president, U.S. senator and other officeholders.

Mississippi has some of the nation’s most restrictive voting laws. And Mississippi is one of only six states, according to Represent Us, a national non-profit promoting mail-in voting, to not have taken steps to make it safer to vote if the coronavirus is still a factor in November.

Bobby Harrison

Both House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, have said the issue of ensuring voter safety will be a topic to be taken up in the coming days and weeks of the legislative session. The state has received federal funds to help ensure a safe election.

Hosemann and Gunn are saying all options are on the table. But as of yet, they are not providing any details.

Will the safety precautions be providing personal protection equipment for poll workers, constantly cleaning voting machines, poll books and the entire voting precinct, limiting the number of people in the precinct and imposing other social distancing measures?

If those are the only changes, many believe the results could be long lines and a lot of inconveniences for a presidential election where normally well over a million Mississippians vote. And still, it is possible mistakes could be made that could result in the spread of the coronavirus.

Other states are taking more significant measures. In Georgia for the upcoming primary elections, the Republican secretary of state sent out requests for absentee ballots to all registered voters. Voters can return that document, receive a ballot and vote by mail.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, about three-fifths of the states allow no excuse voting by mail, and about four-fifths of the states allow no excuse in-person early voting. Mississippi is not among those states.

In Mississippi, only people who are away from their home for extended periods can vote by mail. These would include college students and people in the military. In addition, the elderly and disabled can vote by mail.

People who are away from their home just on Election Day, such as on vacation or for work, can vote early in person at the courthouse.

Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, who previously dealt with election issues when he worked in the Secretary of State’s office, has long been a proponent of providing Mississippians no-excuse early voting options.

Blount said the Legislature should at least take steps this year to afford Mississippians safe voting options if the pandemic is still an issue in November.

Those safer options could be something like what Georgia is doing for its primary, allowing anyone to vote by mail and making it easier by sending them an application for absentee ballot form. In addition, Georgians can go to the secretary of state’s web site to request an absentee ballot.

Another option would be to allow people to vote early in person. If that is done, Blount said the number of areas where people could vote early should be expanded instead of just allowing people to vote at the courthouse.

Perhaps, five locations to vote early could be placed in each county – one in each supervisory district. That could cut down on long lines on Election Day.

House Elections Chair Jim Beckett, R-Bruce, does not rule out expanding early voting, but said he prefers to look for ways to make the precincts safe on Election Day.

Republican Secretary of State Michael Watson has endorsed the Legislature expanding in-person voting options – not mail-in voting – if there is still a pandemic-related state of emergency.

“I want Mississippians to understand this is not a ploy to implement early voting, but a temporary way to permit those who are most at risk of contracting COVID-19 a safe opportunity to exercise their right to vote,” Watson wrote in a commentary he sent to the state’s media outlets.

Watson and many members of the Republican establishment believe that mail-in voting provides the opportunity for fraud. Most states take a different view.

A recent poll conducted by Mississippi-based Chism strategies for Jackson’s Millsaps College found 54 percent of Mississippians believe people should be able “to safely vote by mail this November” and more than 70 percent fear an election disruption.

Of course, there has been a history of election disruptions in Mississippi – at least in terms of allowing people to vote.

The post Mississippi, with history of voter suppression, trailing most states in making elections safer appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Mississippian Brett Orrison takes his love of music to Austin and beyond

The Mississippi Gulf Coast native is the first call for Jack White, Widespread Panic and other music acts 

Story by Jim Beaugez | May 16, 2020

Ocean Springs native Brett Orrison has experienced plenty of highs during his nearly 20 years working in professional audio.

Mixing sound at Widespread Panic’s record-setting 50^th sellout at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado in June 2016 was a big moment. Manning the mixing boards at the “Dear Jerry: Celebrating the Life of Jerry Garcia” tribute concert in 2015 for 20,000 fans at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, is also up there.

But as the lead sound engineer for “Imagine: The John Lennon 75^th Birthday Concert,” he played a key role in producing an event that brought artists like Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton, The Roots, Sheryl Crow, Eric Church and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine together on the same stage to honor one of pop music’s greatest legends.

“[That was] one of the most amazing shows I ever got to mix,” he says. “I’m pretty sure I cried when Willie Nelson was singing ‘Imagine,’ standing at front-of-house in the middle of Madison Square Garden.”

Orrison’s years of tour-production experience brought his name into the conversation for the Lennon tribute gig, but it’s likely that his background in recording locked it down. Being able to understand the needs of live sound versus recorded music—and the talent to serve both ends in an unpredictable environment—is also what landed him his first high-profile touring role with Widespread Panic.

A friend and collaborator living in Austin, who also happened to run sound for the long-running jam band, called him one day in 2014 with a proposition.

“He knew I was doing studio and live sound, so he called me one day and says, ‘Hey, I’m giving up the Widespread Panic gig. You’re the only guy I know that does studio and live sound,’ which you kind of have to do with Panic because every show is streamed and every show is recorded for a live record.”

The move changed everything for Orrison. Although he was seasoned from running live sound on tours with The Black Angels, and ran a small studio in a converted toolshed behind his house, the gig launched his career into orbit with one of the most successful touring bands of the last 25 years.

Hurricane Katrina’s landfall on Aug. 29, 2005, altered the course of many lives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Orrison had just moved home from New Orleans, where he was running sound at House of Blues, to take the production manager role at the new Hard Rock Biloxi Hotel and Casino in Biloxi. It was a step up and he was eager to get established.

“I got to oversee the purchase of the entire live concert situation, sound equipment, video equipment and stage equipment,” he recalls.

He never got the chance to use it, though. Two days before the Hard Rock’s official opening, Katrina pushed a wall of water through the property’s lower floors and left the much of the surrounding northern coastline of the Gulf of Mexico in ruins. Instead, he ended up working at The Shed, the barbecue restaurant his brother and sister, Brad and Brooke Orrison, run in Ocean Springs.

“I stayed and worked at the Shed on the line, and cooked and served barbecue until Brad and Brooke were back up and running,” he says. “I basically had to pick another city that had a lot of music going on so I could get a proper job. I was looking at New York, L.A., Austin and Seattle.”

A few of his friends who had lost their homes in the storm had already relocated to Austin. He made the jump in February 2006 and landed the lead front-of-house production job at La Zona Rosa, a 1,200-capacity club in downtown Austin. After working short tours with bands like Galactic and Better Than Ezra, he hit the road full time with psych-rockers The Black Angels and established Austin Recording Service to keep him busy during breaks.

Taking the Widespread Panic gig in 2014 allowed him to flex both skill sets, and as the band dialed down its tour schedule, he had more time at home to work in the studio. That’s when the phone rang with the biggest gig of his life.

“I was on the road and got a call from a production manager that had done a bunch of Widespread Panic shows with me,” he says. “He works for different venues and festivals that I happened to be on, and he offered me the Jack White gig. So I jumped from Widespread to Jack White and did that for all of 2018.”

Orrison came onboard just in time for White’s first tour in four years, where he played major arenas and festivals across the U.S., as well as London, Paris and Amsterdam.

“I left my house for almost 10 months straight,” he says. “By the end of it, I came back to the studio and bought a console and all kinds of stuff that I’ve always wanted. I made the conscious decision to stay home this entire year, and only do studio stuff and hang out with my kids. For the first time in 16 years, I wasn’t going to leave the house.”

Orrison had already torn down his first studio and replaced it with a larger facility when he recorded an Austin-based eclectic soul band called Kalu and the Electric Joint at Austin Recording Service. Led by Nigerian Kalu James, the group earned wide acclaim for the blend of West African rhythms and American funk and soul on their Orrison-produced debut album, Time Undone. 

He believed in the band so much that he created a record label, Spaceflight Records, to release the album. But what began as a one-off project soon turned into a fully functioning concern. 

“Once I got home and had time to really think about it, [I saw] how a lot of bands were not getting a fair shake at proper distribution and marketing for their records,” he says. “We devised a plan to try to become a nonprofit that would allow you to get major donations and grants that would pay for the entire marketing, distribution and release of a record for an artist.”

Spaceflight Records is now recognized as a non-profit in Texas, and Orrison is working to get federal 501 (c)(3) status. The label’s mission is to educate artists on what it takes to release and manage a new-release campaign in the music business. By operating as a nonprofit organization, bands could start their careers without the debt artists usually incur.

“One of the big things around Austin is the gentrification and how the rent just went up ten-fold, half of our venues have closed and people aren’t being paid fairly,” he says. “It’s really hard for an artist in Austin that’s trying to do true art and not just make something that’s commercially sellable.

“If we can relieve that pressure and give them a proper release where they’re getting the same amount of marketing [as they would on a bigger label], we just did a huge one-up for that artist. That’s the goal.”

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