Smoke on the Plains

I’ve long harbored a deep love for the American West.

Some of that came from growing up as a kid watching cowboy movies, of course, but those feelings really put down roots during my travels through the West in the 1980s, particularly during my time living in Tucson in 1987 and 1988. It was during that time in Arizona that I spent countless hours hiking through the area’s desert and mountains, and learning to absorb the unique energies that permeate that region.

Ever since then, I’ve fantasized about composing a musical piece that conveyed my feelings for that region—but how to do that?

It was around 2016 that I came up with an idea for acoustic guitar that might do the trick, and I recorded it at a friend’s studio in Oak Park, Illinois. I had originally considered trying to evoke vast open spaces by means of (synthesized) strings, and ethereal voices—but in the end chose to go with stark simplicity, and I think that was the right approach.

I hope you enjoy it!

This is the house I lived in my first year in Tucson, off of River Rd. (That entire area used to be on the outskirts of the city, but is now all completely developed. Progress marches on.)

Ray Grasse is a writer, astrologer, and photographer living in the American Midwest. He is author of ten books including The Waking Dream, Under a Sacred Sky, and An Infinity of Gods. His websites are www.raygrasse.com and www.raygrassephotography.com.