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A Peaceful Solution Rattlesnake Annie and Amy Nelson
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Hear ”A Peaceful Solution” by Rattlesnake Annie and Amy Nelson
Rattlesnake Annie and Amy Nelson bless us with their rendition of “A Peaceful Solution” accompanied with the Hawaiian sounds of slide guitar and ukulele skillfully blended with jazz flute and saxophone, played by Jim Hoke.
Two generations of women singing over an eclectic mix of instruments seems to me to be a fitting example of a peaceful resolution.
Rattlesnake Annie and Amy Nelson make it all sound naturally harmonious.
Who would guess that this could be accomplished with such style and grace? Take instruments from around the world, keep the integrity of each instrument’s roots, ask the generations to sing with each other and you have what may become a recipe for chaos.
Yet under the guidance of their masterful musicianship it all becomes a version of “A Peaceful Solution” that I can listen to over and over again.
With this example, how can we strive for anything less?
And what style would you call it? Is it country, folk, jazz, gospel, island, continental or Americana? I would venture this version has a little bit of it all in it.
Wouldn’t this also be true of a peaceful resolution?
Peace would necessarily need to embrace all people, of all generations and all backgrounds. Peace will not come from insisting upon a single tradition and a single voice.
Peace will come from the harmony of diverse voices accompanied by a wide variety of instruments. And all of this diversity and variety would need to work together as a harmonious whole.
Just like the way Rattlesnake Annie and Amy Nelson harmonize over a tasteful selection of the world’s instruments.
But don’t stop here, listen to all the versions of “A Peaceful Solution” that have been submitted so far. No one can say that any one of them deserves to become the definitive version.
Can’t we appreciate them all?
Can’t we appreciate all visions of peace?
And no one can say that any one of them deserves to become excluded. Just like peace, this project must embrace everyone’s expression. The longer this goes on greater becomes the depth of the evidence.
So how would you sing “A Peaceful Solution” and what would you use for instrumentation?
Of course you do not sing like Willie Nelson, Rattlesnake Annie or Amy Nelson. You don’t play the guitar like Sirus B, Mountaindawg or Mudslide. Your piano work will not sound like Eynon Shaw or Sky Nelson.
But the point is not to sound like someone else.
The point is to give voice to the idea of peace in your own personal style.
So go listen to the different versions of “A Peaceful Solution” then record it your way. Or, make a video with the images of your choice over one of these versions.
And when you do, we’ll add it to this site and it will become more evidence of the marvelous diversity possible in the celebration of peace.
Hear ”A Peaceful Solution” by Rattlesnake Annie and Amy Nelson
Rattlesnake Annie and Amy Nelson talk to us.
Why are you passionate about creating peace?
Rattlesnake:
Peace, is the answer to a safe and happy life on this planet.
And peace feels good.
Amy:
Peace is good for everyone, except for those greedy few who make his or her money off of war. There is no place for war in a highly evolved society.
What we should be fighting is religious fundamentalism. One thing I know intuitively, God does not want us killing in the name of God. If God wants someone dead, human assistance is not needed, leave it to God.
How long have you been working for peace?
Rattlesnake:
As long as I can remember, peace has been an important issue to me.
By witnessing first hand, the wounded and dead coming home from WW2, Korean War, Vietnam War and the civil rights conflicts in the American South, I knew at a very young age that my life would be a journey for peace.
Amy:
Since I was very small.
What motivates you to work for peace and the environment?
Rattlesnake:
The present moment motivates me to work for peace and what we will leave for future generations to inherit, motivates me.
The environment?
First was the destructive impact that farm chemicals had on our land and my family. It was my wakeup call!
Second was the destruction of Brazos River, our land and home, when the first Nuclear Power Plant was built in Texas.
VIDEO “Goodbye To a River”
This is story of why I wrote “Goodbye to a River”
“Goodbye to a River” lyrics
Amy:
Everything in my being. Everything I love about Mother Earth and her creatures motivates me to protect them. Earth is our home; all earthlings are our brothers and sisters. It’s hard to imagine us not being connected.
Why have you chosen the path of Art for Peace?
Rattlesnake:
My life has always been music, and hopefully my music is for peace and understanding, so the path is a natural one.
My songs will tell you my heart and who I am.
This is how I express myself.
Amy:
Art is a powerful way to communicate, and I think the path was chosen for me, especially this time.
What are your ideas for peaceful solutions?
Rattlesnake:
To be a citizen of the world, and work for world peace and understanding!
Education, love, compassion, tolerance and having the guts to stand up for what we believe.
Amy:
Here are some ideas that I think would help:
Start by acknowledging that we are all sons and daughters of God, and none of us are better than another, or more deserving of love and happiness. All creatures are deserving of love and respect.
Do not underestimate the consciousness of any creature of God; err on the side of compassion.
In other countries, people will have different names for God, and that shouldn’t scare us. The more we learn about other cultures, the less we will fear them.
Fund humane education, and education in general.
Write to our TV news networks and let them know that we would rather be informed than entertained. Think back to the days when the entertainment section of the news was five minutes out of an hour.
It wasn’t that long ago.
Pray for our enemies, better yet, think of no one as an enemy. The best thing that could happen for the worst person is a miracle that will make them a better person. So why not pray for miracles for everyone, love for everyone, so that all may find happiness?
Hear ”A Peaceful Solution” by Rattlesnake Annie and Amy Nelson
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September 14th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Peace.
Hey All,
I’m proud to be a friend of Amy’s. She has throughout the years, sporadically but consistently been a bright light in my sometimes dreary world. I know that the principles she is promoting here are truly from her heart and have been successful for her life.
And I am glad to be reminded to love my enemies. If left to my own devices, I would make plans for the destruction of anyone that posed a serious threat to my family and friends. I love those close to me and I want to see them be safe and prosper. For those that want to hurt me, I have a knee jerk response of “make them go away by whatever means available”. So it is vital that we’re reminded to LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS often to create and sustain PEACE.
1 JOHN 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. God loves your neighbor enough to die for them. You are God’s ambassador, representing God to your neighbor, for the purpose of demonstrating His love. What are you doing to show God’s love to your neighbor? Love without actions is dead.
This is a small piece of my religion that I feel is germane to our discussion. The Christian fundamentalists need to know that they do their Father, His Son, and our Holy Spirit no favors by being promoters of murderous wars.
However, I think it best that fighting religious fundamentalism should be done by using there own doctrine to upset the apple cart of their selfish and fearful interpretations of Holy Scriptures. Read the Bible and understand the truth for what it is.
The other thing we can do is to help feed, clothe, and provide shelter, clean water, and medical treatment to everyone on this planet. It makes it a lot harder to love ones neighbor when your children are starving to death.
There’s a lot of work to be done out there and maybe that’s why we’re here in the first place. Well I’ll get down off of my soapbox now.
Thanks Amy! And Annie you must be a pretty special lady to be hangin out with Amy.
Peace,
Johnny G.
September 15th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Dear Annie and Amy
This is a GREAT version of “A Peaceful Solution”. and I love listening to it over and over again.
Also, I couldn’t agree with you more on all of your answers to the questions about peace, the environment, art, and your ideas for peaceful solutions!
Blessings, Peace, Joy and Love
Patty
September 16th, 2007 at 6:16 am
[...] Amy and Annie’s version is backed up by slide guitar, ukeulele, flute and saxaphone, which you can hear at http://willienelsonpri.com/peace/387/a-peaceful-solution-rattlesnake-annie-and-amy-nelson.html [...]
September 18th, 2007 at 12:07 am
[...] Rattlesnake Annie in collaboration with Amy Nelson recently shared a powerful version of Willie Nelson’s and Amy Nelson’s A Peaceful Solution. While researching the article for A Peaceful Solution we watched Goodbye to a River and read the story that gave birth to this classic song. We felt compelled to share this song from a one-of-a-kind musician with you. [...]
September 19th, 2007 at 9:10 am
[...] Rattlesnake Annie and Amy Nelson [...]
October 2nd, 2007 at 9:56 am
[...] you haven’t seen the feature article about Rattlesnake Annie and Amy Nelson please take the time to check out these two fabulous musicians and very dear friends who spend [...]
October 31st, 2007 at 6:02 am
Thanks for sharing the song… Great sound of the slide guitar. Serious but gives hope to us all! Besos from Isla Mujeres, Mexico!
November 30th, 2007 at 12:52 am
[...] has stepped up with this video using Amy Nelson’s and Rattlesnake Annie’s soundtrack of A Peaceful Solution to indicate a peaceful solution to this particular aspect of the War on [...]
December 1st, 2007 at 6:57 am
[...] has stepped up with this video using Amy Nelson’s and Rattlesnake Annie’s soundtrack of A Peaceful Solution to indicate a peaceful solution to this particular aspect of the War on [...]