Luke Callen's 'Sand County' Shares Portraits Of The Natural World Through Music
Callen's latest musical project guides listeners through a tour of our "priceless natural resources," inspired by Aldo Leopold's prose
“The geese that proclaim the seasons to our farm are aware of many things, including the Wisconsin statutes,” Aldo Leopold writes. “The southbound November flocks pass over us high and haughty, with scarcely a honk of recognition for their favorite sandbars and sloughs.”
The seasonal writings of Leopold, the American philosopher, conservationalist and storyteller on behalf of the state he called home, have offered new perspectives to environmentalists throughout Wisconsin. Luke Callen, the laconic singer-songwriter based in Eau Claire, too appreciates his teachings; inspiring Callen's latest musical project, Sand County.
Callen, known for a collection of “oddly folk and strangely country” records which exude honest Midwest charm, shared how the Sand County Almanac – penned by Leopold – has inspired his latest improvisational music group in the local music scene.
“There are a lot of lessons – both very macro and micro – that the natural world offers; the interconnectedness of the natural world which we are very much a part of,” Callen said.
Sand County began to emerge during Callen’s time in St. Paul, Minn. with a collective of artists who gathered monthly, to share stories and improvise tunes with one another.
“I invited friends each month to come down and improvise with me,” Callen shared. “As a backdrop to the improvisation, I would read a writing from the Sand County Almanac – where the (project’s) name comes from.”
Callen, who now resides in Eau Claire, has carried the project with him across state lines. Today, he draws inspiration from Leopold, using writing prompts to illustrate the landscapes that surround him – in the state which serves as a common link between the two.
“A handful of those writings have been taken from um exploring the natural world around Eau Claire,” Callen said. “I've been very fortunate to become a lot more intimate with (the city) in this last year since moving.
“My goal for writing and for performing these things is just to give people an opportunity to be in touch with the natural world in a different capacity,” he continued.
These writing excerpts are then coupled with a backdrop of “American primitive” guitar – a fingerstyle form of instrumentation, Callen said.
Most recently, an iteration of Sand County – joined by instrumentalists Shane Leonard and James Taylor Donskey – performed alongside Callen at SHIFT (615 Graham Ave., Eau Claire). Callen envisions the project will take many forms across its lifetime, with an open invitation for Chippewa Valley musicians – and venues – to join in its collaborative efforts.
Sand County brings forth a necessary narrative, Callen believes, to foster conversation about the beauty and delicate nature of the natural world – particularly as significant pressures on landscape conservation continue.
“Oftentimes, we look at the natural world as a place to dominate and make our own,” Callen lamented. “Now is an important time to think about those things and to also create.
“There is so much destruction, so much severing of relationships between the natural world, between people, between families – it's just like a really important time to create,” he said.
As Sand County works in tandem with the natural world, to convey the reciprocal relationships between all living things, its instrumentation possesses a beauty akin to the first songs of wood thrushes in springtime.
With each new writing excerpt Callen authors, echoes of Leopold’s legacy are still felt, and each season’s turning will surely offer new stories to share with Chippewa Valley listeners and beyond.
To learn more about Sand County, upcoming performances and Luke Callen's other musical endeavors, visit his webpage online at lukecallen.com.
