January 1, 2008
A Song of Survival
Chapel Hill musician bounces back with new record, new outlook
By Chris Bushnell
The following article is from "The Good Life," an annual supplement to the News & Observer, published September 21, 2007.
A.C. Bushnell played his first fiddle tune at age 14. The difference between fiddle and violin, a difference he is often asked to explain, is the way the instrument is played and the way it is tuned; what kind of music comes out of it lies in the player's choice of approach. On his more than 40 years of playing the fiddle, "If I can't play by now, I've got no excuse," he says with a laugh.
In January of this year, A.C. celebrated his 60th Birthday at his home in Chapel Hill. The party, filled with family, friends, food — and lots of music — stretched from sundown to the early hours of the morning. A.C .'s singing and fine fiddle notes rode the high crest of joy in the house as the warmth of the party escaped out and disappeared among the tall, naked trees. At a glance, one would never have known that, just 18 months before, the music could have stopped for good.
"I remember what the doctor said," A.C. explains. "You don't forget this call." Dr. Michael Fried, head of Hepatology & Transplantation at UNC Memorial Hospital, told A.C. that chemical markers in his blood showed that he had liver cancer. As upsetting as it must be to get the results, Fried said, he was very optimistic because they could cut the cancer out — an option that wasn't available in cases like A.C.'s even five years ago. Despite his doctor's bright outlook, the gravity of the diagnosis filled A.C.'s mind with uncertainty.
Devoted to exercising three times a week, A.C. felt healthy. Throughout the years of playing music for fun with life-long friends, and band concerts big and small, he had managed to establish and preside over a successful national direct mail business, and raise three sons to adulthood with his wife. He also officiated at weddings from time to time as an ordained interfaith minister. Now semi-retired, it felt strange to him that he might leave the world he found so beautiful so soon.
A.C. prepared himself for the possibility he might not have as much time as he thought he had a few days before. "If I've only got three months to live, what will I do with my time?" he asked himself. He began making a list and realized immediately that, whether the surgery worked or not, he had to do the things on his list. "What was I waiting for? Or for that matter, what's anybody waiting for?"
Among the important things on A.C's list were the words "GO INTO THE STUDIO AND RECORD." So he plunged into the Rubber Room studio in Chapel Hill with friend and producer Jerry Brown. He figured he would record an "old-time" record, as he had before with fellow preservationists of the pre-bluegrass sound that's been rolling down from the Appalachian Mountains for over a century. But the great majority of what made the cut for the album is not old-time, and is instead songs A.C. composed, or other pieces with musical influences he hadn't ever recorded, like Sanskrit chanting. The album, titled "Dancing on the Water," is set for a November release.
It wasn't just the style of music that was new. As A.C. branched out from the familiarity of old-time and plucked away at the guitar writing songs, Brown suggested other musicians who lived in the area that could bring the new material to fruition in splendid fashion. Together, they would become The Happyjoy Band.
Will McFarlane, who has played alongside Bonnie Raitt, can make his guitar cry or sing. "It is obvious that Will is in the top 2 percent of guitar players in the world," A.C. says. On bass is Robert Sledge, formerly of Ben Folds Five, who A.C. considers "virtually genius" at his craft. And filling out the group are keys player Chris Frank of the Red Clay Ramblers, and the not-yet-famous Kevin Brock on drums. Work on the first Happyjoy Band album is underway, and several songs by the group are on A.C.'s album.
"What a privilege for me to be able to play with these people," A.C. says about the formation of the fourth band he belongs to. "When you're doing your list, wonderful things happen."
Although the procedure to remove the cancer was a total success, A.C. has had to undergo several additional surgeries since, due to complications that arose from the original operation. While they were frustrating and inconvenient, A.C. considers himself extremely lucky. "I'll probably have an MRI every six months for the rest of my life, and that's OK. I've become a believer in checking."
A.C.'s experience has reinforced his belief that while he can't control the circumstances that surround him, he has the choice to look at things in a way that gives him choices and peace inside. "I don't know what the future holds, but I'm having a wonderful time now," he says. "As far as music goes, I have no doubt at all that I'm doing just what I'm supposed to be doing."
(Chris Bushnell is A.C. Bushnell's son – Ed.)