Woke up this morning to the news that The Civil Wars (a country/folk duo that I’ve been raving about for a good while) are to stop touring, due to “internal discord and irreconciable differences of ambition” . This is very sad news, and I admire their honesty and the lack of euphemism in their statement. My Twitter feed was peppered with reaction to the news, in amongst all the Obama tweets.

It goes without saying that I wish them all the best, and hope they can work it out. They’ve made some great music, but even if they never sing another note, I hope that they can reconcile any differences, and keep something of the friendship and connection that imbued their performances with something special. Touring as they have been doing must be unimaginably intense, and the strain on their health, families and relationships must be incredible. Wonderul success must bring major pressure to bear. It’s hard to know how any of us would bear up under that.

I’ve been involved in some wonderful music, and I have some wonderful friendships, but if I had to choose, I’d choose the friendships, every time. So while I’d love to hear more music from them, I hope they can make the choices that are right for them.

Speaking more generally, stories like this put me in mind of a few situations, where bands, or other groupings connected for a specific purpose have parted ways, sometimes on good terms, and sometimes in a very painful way. 

One song I’ve been working on, which may or may not make it to the next record (it’s on my “maybe” list!) talks about branches in the wind that have the flexibility to bend, rather than the brittle stubbornness that can cause breakages. 

May God grant us abundant grace to pursue our partnerships, friendships and relationships, to try and empathise and accommodate where there are disagreements, and when we need to part, to do so as friends.