Things close to home are undervalued.

If your cousin is/was Hemingway, then he might just be the guy who smoked on the porch, threatening to box anyone who disputed his opinion or questioned his manhood.

He wouldn’t be anything important.

He’d just be Hemingway…your hot-headed cousin.

I don’t know why that is….that the things close to us become common.

Aaron Burdette isn’t Hemingway’s cousin.

He’s not Hemingway.

Who is? Hemingway?

He’s pretty good, though.

I thought that I’d seen him once before….performing with a cellist friend of ours down in Saluda….and thought he was a little less “pretty good” than I think he is now.

When I met him and mentioned this, he steered me straight….told me it must have been someone else….that he’d never played with that cellist before.

That was good to find out.

The other guy was OK….but….

I really appreciate hearing good local music….but I take it for granted because the folks making it are from someplace familiar.

Surprisingly, I used to do this when I lived in Atlanta, too.

“Local bands”……were just “local bands”.

This guy wasn’t the guy with the cellist.

He’s pretty good.

He’s not Hemingway’s cousin

Hemingway’s not my cousin, either.