David LaMotte

Speaker • Author • Musician

Blog

Looking back on 2020

Dec 30, 2020
We are almost there, friends… 2020 is coming to a close. As the Washington Post wrote this morning, 2020 has been 97 months long, and it’s hard to remember all that has happened. I kind of like New Year’s Eve, in general.  I think it is important to mark time, to acknowledge the passing of […]

Looking back on 2020

by David LaMotte

We are almost there, friends… 2020 is coming to a close. As the Washington Post wrote this morning, 2020 has been 97 months long, and it’s hard to remember all that has happened. I kind of like New Year’s Eve, in general.  I think it is important to mark time, to acknowledge the passing of […]

Navigating turbulent days

Dec 30, 2020
I have friends who are celebrating having fallen in love in 2020, and friends who, like me, have lost people they love to COVID in recent months. Others who have had their finances wrecked, jobs lost, and are having a hard time seeing a way forward, musician friends who have not only lost work, but […]

Navigating turbulent days

by David LaMotte

I have friends who are celebrating having fallen in love in 2020, and friends who, like me, have lost people they love to COVID in recent months. Others who have had their finances wrecked, jobs lost, and are having a hard time seeing a way forward, musician friends who have not only lost work, but […]

‘Braided Prayer’ Free screening Dec. 6

Nov 24, 2020
In historically divisive times, it’s good to be reminded that we don’t have to be the same in order to form deep friendships and create community and art together. Please join us on Sunday, December 6, at 4:00 PM Eastern, to see this new 18-minute documentary from John Kennedy and David Saich. The one-hour online program […]

‘Braided Prayer’ Free screening Dec. 6

by David LaMotte

In historically divisive times, it’s good to be reminded that we don’t have to be the same in order to form deep friendships and create community and art together. Please join us on Sunday, December 6, at 4:00 PM Eastern, to see this new 18-minute documentary from John Kennedy and David Saich. The one-hour online program […]

Join me for songs and stories…

Oct 18, 2020
Hi friends, On Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, at 4:00PM, I’ll be offering a few songs and stories from Black Mountain.  You can tune in wherever you are, for free, on Crowdcast, or watch on Facebook and chat with folks there. To reserve your ‘seat’ at the Crowdcast concert, click here. Feel free to spread the word […]

Join me for songs and stories…

by David LaMotte

Hi friends, On Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, at 4:00PM, I’ll be offering a few songs and stories from Black Mountain.  You can tune in wherever you are, for free, on Crowdcast, or watch on Facebook and chat with folks there. To reserve your ‘seat’ at the Crowdcast concert, click here. Feel free to spread the word […]

Wednesday Words – a free sample :-)

Aug 26, 2020
 Here’s a video with a few hopeful words for you from Howard Zinn, and some thoughts on the Stockdale Paradox. This past weekend, my Patreon community grew to over 250 people.  It is a beautiful group of folks, and I’m really grateful to have this intentional village to share with. In addition to ‘Monday […]

Wednesday Words – a free sample :-)

by David LaMotte

 Here’s a video with a few hopeful words for you from Howard Zinn, and some thoughts on the Stockdale Paradox. This past weekend, my Patreon community grew to over 250 people.  It is a beautiful group of folks, and I’m really grateful to have this intentional village to share with. In addition to ‘Monday […]

‘White Flour’ featured in Essence Magazine

Jul 3, 2020
I was blown away to get the news that in a June 2 Essence magazine article titled “11 Children’s Books To Teach Your Kids About Racism And Discrimination,” my book White Flour was listed as number 4. Given that Essence is a prominent magazine by, for, and of black women, I am beyond moved that […]

‘White Flour’ featured in Essence Magazine

by David LaMotte

I was blown away to get the news that in a June 2 Essence magazine article titled “11 Children’s Books To Teach Your Kids About Racism And Discrimination,” my book White Flour was listed as number 4. Given that Essence is a prominent magazine by, for, and of black women, I am beyond moved that […]

A hymn for these days

Jul 3, 2020
 In 2019, I was commissioned by the North Carolina Council of Churches to write a hymn in honor of their eighty-fifth anniversary in 2020. Though the lyrics were written months before the world’s focus turned to the twin pandemics of Covid-19 and racism, the hymn seems to resonate with these turbulent times, and calls […]

A hymn for these days

by David LaMotte

 In 2019, I was commissioned by the North Carolina Council of Churches to write a hymn in honor of their eighty-fifth anniversary in 2020. Though the lyrics were written months before the world’s focus turned to the twin pandemics of Covid-19 and racism, the hymn seems to resonate with these turbulent times, and calls […]

Reprise: Thoughts on Confederate Monuments

Jun 23, 2020
Note: I originally wrote this post in 2015, in the context of events spelled out below. In light of our current national re-examination of various monuments, I recently looked it up. I found that it still expresses my feelings, and a few folks have asked me for the link recently, so I’m sharing it again […]

Reprise: Thoughts on Confederate Monuments

by David LaMotte

Note: I originally wrote this post in 2015, in the context of events spelled out below. In light of our current national re-examination of various monuments, I recently looked it up. I found that it still expresses my feelings, and a few folks have asked me for the link recently, so I’m sharing it again […]

Online shows and conversations

Apr 15, 2020
Hey friends, Blessings on you and yours in these strange and turbulent times.  Like everyone, I’m navigating day by day, trying to figure out where I’m needed and what I can do from here.  My friend Gareth Higgins gave me a mantra for these times (and others, for that matter): “Bring what you have. Ask […]

Online shows and conversations

by David LaMotte

Hey friends, Blessings on you and yours in these strange and turbulent times.  Like everyone, I’m navigating day by day, trying to figure out where I’m needed and what I can do from here.  My friend Gareth Higgins gave me a mantra for these times (and others, for that matter): “Bring what you have. Ask […]

March 13 Concert at White Horse will be live-streamed

Feb 24, 2020
Hey friends — I’m playing at my hometown venue, the White Horse, on March 13, with special guest Brian Hilligoss. Come on by, if you can make it! I’ve got some new songs to share that I’m really excited about, and it promises to be a really beautiful evening.  Tickets are available here.  And if […]

March 13 Concert at White Horse will be live-streamed

by David LaMotte

Hey friends — I’m playing at my hometown venue, the White Horse, on March 13, with special guest Brian Hilligoss. Come on by, if you can make it! I’ve got some new songs to share that I’m really excited about, and it promises to be a really beautiful evening.  Tickets are available here.  And if […]

A new song finished, a new book begun…

Jan 17, 2020
Greetings from Fancy Gap, Virginia. My friend David has a beautiful cabin here, and let me hide out for a few days to write.  Sometimes it takes getting away, especially when there is a big project to work on, like a book, and I am so grateful to have a place to be that is […]

A new song finished, a new book begun…

by David LaMotte

Greetings from Fancy Gap, Virginia. My friend David has a beautiful cabin here, and let me hide out for a few days to write.  Sometimes it takes getting away, especially when there is a big project to work on, like a book, and I am so grateful to have a place to be that is […]

Turning

Jan 1, 2020
Each year on New Year’s Eve, folks gather arm in arm and sway and swill and sing an incomprehensible old Scottish song that Robert Burns is often credited with writing. It asks the rhetorical question of whether we should let our old friendships and memories go in favor of the new. The assumed answer is […]

Turning

by David LaMotte

Each year on New Year’s Eve, folks gather arm in arm and sway and swill and sing an incomprehensible old Scottish song that Robert Burns is often credited with writing. It asks the rhetorical question of whether we should let our old friendships and memories go in favor of the new. The assumed answer is […]

Going to jail for the crime of seeking help

Dec 11, 2019
About six weeks ago, some neighbors of mine gathered at the White Horse Black Mountain for a two-hour conversation.  Fifty-five people showed up to learn, and to offer their help.  They did both. I’ve seldom been as inspired by my community as I was that night. We were meeting to talk about asylum seekers, large […]

Going to jail for the crime of seeking help

by David LaMotte

About six weeks ago, some neighbors of mine gathered at the White Horse Black Mountain for a two-hour conversation.  Fifty-five people showed up to learn, and to offer their help.  They did both. I’ve seldom been as inspired by my community as I was that night. We were meeting to talk about asylum seekers, large […]

An invitation to create something new with me

Dec 9, 2019
Dear friends, Sixteen days ago I launched a new project, and as of now, 59 folks have signed up to be a part of it.  It’s an exciting adventure — a smaller group of folks who are taking a deeper dive with me into creating a digital community, and who are supporting the work I […]

An invitation to create something new with me

by David LaMotte

Dear friends, Sixteen days ago I launched a new project, and as of now, 59 folks have signed up to be a part of it.  It’s an exciting adventure — a smaller group of folks who are taking a deeper dive with me into creating a digital community, and who are supporting the work I […]

Violence, transformation, and that banner on my house

Sep 24, 2019
Nearly three years after I hung the first one of these on my house, I am amazed at how far it has gone.  The banner is hanging on houses and places of worship all over the U.S.  Here are a few of the stories. I made this banner and nailed it to my house because […]

Violence, transformation, and that banner on my house

by David LaMotte

Nearly three years after I hung the first one of these on my house, I am amazed at how far it has gone.  The banner is hanging on houses and places of worship all over the U.S.  Here are a few of the stories. I made this banner and nailed it to my house because […]

Where The Kindness Went

Sep 10, 2019
I’ve had more than a few conversations with folks recently who have said they feel like kindness is going out of the world. I get that, and I know better than to think that my experience is everyone’s. That said, I don’t believe there is any shortage of kindness. I just think it’s not getting […]

Where The Kindness Went

by David LaMotte

I’ve had more than a few conversations with folks recently who have said they feel like kindness is going out of the world. I get that, and I know better than to think that my experience is everyone’s. That said, I don’t believe there is any shortage of kindness. I just think it’s not getting […]

Abraham Jam Returns!

Jun 9, 2019
Put July 27, 2019 on your calendar to celebrate the birth of Abraham Jam’s second CD, following last year’s live album, tentatively titled ‘White Moon.’  Dawud, Billy, and I have been hard at work in the studio with Chris Rosser for the last few months, cooking up this batch of eleven songs, including our own […]

Abraham Jam Returns!

by David LaMotte

Put July 27, 2019 on your calendar to celebrate the birth of Abraham Jam’s second CD, following last year’s live album, tentatively titled ‘White Moon.’  Dawud, Billy, and I have been hard at work in the studio with Chris Rosser for the last few months, cooking up this batch of eleven songs, including our own […]

Big Benefit Show!

May 29, 2019
On Sunday, June 9, at 4PM, I’ll be performing at Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville, NC for a big benefit show.  I’ve invited five amazing musical acts to join me, and all proceeds will go to good work that the Rotary Club of Asheville is doing, both locally and abroad.  I’ll be playing two sets […]

Big Benefit Show!

by David LaMotte

On Sunday, June 9, at 4PM, I’ll be performing at Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville, NC for a big benefit show.  I’ve invited five amazing musical acts to join me, and all proceeds will go to good work that the Rotary Club of Asheville is doing, both locally and abroad.  I’ll be playing two sets […]

Which Way Is Forward? A Conversation and Workshop on Race and Racism

Dec 10, 2018
Which Way Is Forward? A Conversation and Workshop on Race and Racism with Tyrone Greenlee and David LaMotte. 7 – 9 PM, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 at the Black Mountain Public Library. 105 N. Dougherty St. | Black Mountain, NC 28711 | (828) 250-4756 Light refreshments will be provided. Suggested donation $10. Please register in […]

Which Way Is Forward? A Conversation and Workshop on Race and Racism

by David LaMotte

Which Way Is Forward? A Conversation and Workshop on Race and Racism with Tyrone Greenlee and David LaMotte. 7 – 9 PM, Monday, Jan. 14, 2019 at the Black Mountain Public Library. 105 N. Dougherty St. | Black Mountain, NC 28711 | (828) 250-4756 Light refreshments will be provided. Suggested donation $10. Please register in […]

News from Guatemala — Chonita is visiting!

Nov 20, 2018
Chonita is visiting! And you can meet her! When I close this laptop, I’ll be getting in the car and heading to Atlanta to pick Chonita Pablo Lacan up from the Atlanta airport. Sarah Robinson Bryan, the Director of PEG Partners, will be road-tripping with me, and we can’t wait to see our friend and […]

News from Guatemala — Chonita is visiting!

by David LaMotte

Chonita is visiting! And you can meet her! When I close this laptop, I’ll be getting in the car and heading to Atlanta to pick Chonita Pablo Lacan up from the Atlanta airport. Sarah Robinson Bryan, the Director of PEG Partners, will be road-tripping with me, and we can’t wait to see our friend and […]

A new song

Oct 16, 2018
Here’s a newer song for you, as summer changes to fall… September Me © 2018 David LaMotte Man, I love the summer, with its wet green life just buzzing everywhere But there’s nothing like the first scent of the turning when you catch it in the air There’s something like a promise in a cobalt […]

A new song

by David LaMotte

Here’s a newer song for you, as summer changes to fall… September Me © 2018 David LaMotte Man, I love the summer, with its wet green life just buzzing everywhere But there’s nothing like the first scent of the turning when you catch it in the air There’s something like a promise in a cobalt […]

The Hard Days

Oct 15, 2018
Hey friends, These are hard days in so many ways. Much of the time, it seems like the headlines are in competition for the worst news. The disappointments and challenges of daily life and relationships can seem magnified through that lens, and then things  come up that really are big. Being alive is hard work. […]

The Hard Days

by David LaMotte

Hey friends, These are hard days in so many ways. Much of the time, it seems like the headlines are in competition for the worst news. The disappointments and challenges of daily life and relationships can seem magnified through that lens, and then things  come up that really are big. Being alive is hard work. […]

In the News…

Aug 9, 2018
Well-respected music writer Bill Kopp, author of Reinventing Pink Floyd, wrote this article for Asheville’s Arts & Entertainment magazine Mountain Xpress.  The full article appears here.   For many Asheville-based musicians, making music is just one of the things they do. Cobbling together a financially sustainable lifestyle means taking on one or more part-time side […]

In the News…

by David LaMotte

Well-respected music writer Bill Kopp, author of Reinventing Pink Floyd, wrote this article for Asheville’s Arts & Entertainment magazine Mountain Xpress.  The full article appears here.   For many Asheville-based musicians, making music is just one of the things they do. Cobbling together a financially sustainable lifestyle means taking on one or more part-time side […]

Abraham Jam: making the case that harmony > unity

Jun 1, 2018
  A Muslim, a Jew, and a Christian walk into a recording studio… It’s no joke. Actually, it’s the musical project that is capturing most of my energy and imagination these days.  My long-time friend Billy Jonas, who is Jewish, and my dear friend Dawud Wharnsby, who is Muslim, and me, a Quakerterian Christian, have […]

Abraham Jam: making the case that harmony > unity

by David LaMotte

  A Muslim, a Jew, and a Christian walk into a recording studio… It’s no joke. Actually, it’s the musical project that is capturing most of my energy and imagination these days.  My long-time friend Billy Jonas, who is Jewish, and my dear friend Dawud Wharnsby, who is Muslim, and me, a Quakerterian Christian, have […]

King’s relevance today

Feb 4, 2018
The folks at the Black Mountain News asked if I would offer some thoughts on the relevance of Martin Luther King’s teaching and legacy to today’s circumstance.  This is the article they published on January 31, in advance of the town’s  MLK Breakfast on Feb. 10. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. came to prominence in […]

King’s relevance today

by David LaMotte

The folks at the Black Mountain News asked if I would offer some thoughts on the relevance of Martin Luther King’s teaching and legacy to today’s circumstance.  This is the article they published on January 31, in advance of the town’s  MLK Breakfast on Feb. 10. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. came to prominence in […]

My TEDx talk

Jan 9, 2018
Hi friends, My TEDx talk has just been released, and I’m happy that I can finally share it with folks who weren’t there. Check it out, and let me know what you think…

My TEDx talk

by David LaMotte

Hi friends, My TEDx talk has just been released, and I’m happy that I can finally share it with folks who weren’t there. Check it out, and let me know what you think…

In the news: Songwriter and writer David LaMotte to speak at Longwood, March 28

Mar 17, 2017
The full article is available here… March 17, 2017 Songwriter, author and peace activist David LaMotte will speak Tuesday, March 28, at 7 p.m. in Longwood University’s Wygal Auditorium on “Worldchanging 101: Challenging the Myth of Powerlessness.” The title of LaMotte’s talk is drawn from his most recent book, which is being used as a […]

In the news: Songwriter and writer David LaMotte to speak at Longwood, March 28

by David LaMotte

The full article is available here… March 17, 2017 Songwriter, author and peace activist David LaMotte will speak Tuesday, March 28, at 7 p.m. in Longwood University’s Wygal Auditorium on “Worldchanging 101: Challenging the Myth of Powerlessness.” The title of LaMotte’s talk is drawn from his most recent book, which is being used as a […]

Nailing stuff to my house…

Jan 18, 2017
I have learned to pay attention to the words, “Somebody oughta…” It is universally acknowledged that the United States is at a particularly divisive point in our history. Not, as some have said, the most divisive (try the early sixties or the Civil or Revolutionary wars), but definitely a hard time. It’s leaving me wondering […]

Nailing stuff to my house…

by David LaMotte

I have learned to pay attention to the words, “Somebody oughta…” It is universally acknowledged that the United States is at a particularly divisive point in our history. Not, as some have said, the most divisive (try the early sixties or the Civil or Revolutionary wars), but definitely a hard time. It’s leaving me wondering […]

Wrapping up my Nobel work…

Jan 17, 2017
Thanks to the Black Mountain News and Asheville Citizen-Times for deeming this story worth their time, attention, paper and ink… Local resident and internationally acclaimed musician David LaMotte in November completed his sixth and final year on the American Friends Service Committee’s Nobel Peace Prize nominating committee. As he describes it, the experience has been […]

Wrapping up my Nobel work…

by David LaMotte

Thanks to the Black Mountain News and Asheville Citizen-Times for deeming this story worth their time, attention, paper and ink… Local resident and internationally acclaimed musician David LaMotte in November completed his sixth and final year on the American Friends Service Committee’s Nobel Peace Prize nominating committee. As he describes it, the experience has been […]

The KKK has announced a march. How do we respond?

Dec 2, 2016
On November 10, 2016, The Loyal White Knights of Pelham, a North Carolina branch of the Ku Klux Klan, announced a “Victory Klavalkade Klan Parade” to take place on Dec. 3rd, 2016.  The stated purpose of the march is to celebrate Donald Trump’s victory and the sense of validation they have gained from it. As […]

The KKK has announced a march. How do we respond?

by David LaMotte

On November 10, 2016, The Loyal White Knights of Pelham, a North Carolina branch of the Ku Klux Klan, announced a “Victory Klavalkade Klan Parade” to take place on Dec. 3rd, 2016.  The stated purpose of the march is to celebrate Donald Trump’s victory and the sense of validation they have gained from it. As […]

An update on PEG Partners’ work in Guatemala

Nov 29, 2016
PEG Partners, the organization that Deanna and I founded in 2004 to work with schools and libraries in Guatemala, turned 12-years-old this year.  Here’s a bit of an update about the work we’re doing there.     If you’re inclined to join us in this work, you can learn more or make a donation by […]

An update on PEG Partners’ work in Guatemala

by David LaMotte

PEG Partners, the organization that Deanna and I founded in 2004 to work with schools and libraries in Guatemala, turned 12-years-old this year.  Here’s a bit of an update about the work we’re doing there.     If you’re inclined to join us in this work, you can learn more or make a donation by […]

Football or Marriage? What does ‘politics’ mean?

Oct 31, 2016
A couple of weeks ago, Deanna and I watched the third presidential debate on my laptop in the living room, and then went to bed feeling pretty discouraged. We weren’t saddened because we think we are going to ‘lose’. We were just feeling the darkness of our current national political process, and the damage that […]

Football or Marriage? What does ‘politics’ mean?

by David LaMotte

A couple of weeks ago, Deanna and I watched the third presidential debate on my laptop in the living room, and then went to bed feeling pretty discouraged. We weren’t saddened because we think we are going to ‘lose’. We were just feeling the darkness of our current national political process, and the damage that […]

Home from Alaska, my 50th state

Oct 14, 2016
On Monday night I returned to North Carolina from a ten-day run of events in California and Alaska.  It was a wonderful trip, and even had some downtime in it, which is not always the case in my crazy schedule.  

It also marked my fiftieth state to perform in professionally.  Having offered concerts in Anchorage […]

Home from Alaska, my 50th state

by David LaMotte

On Monday night I returned to North Carolina from a ten-day run of events in California and Alaska.  It was a wonderful trip, and even had some downtime in it, which is not always the case in my crazy schedule.  

It also marked my fiftieth state to perform in professionally.  Having offered concerts in Anchorage […]

New CD debuts at #8 on the Folk-DJ charts!

Oct 4, 2016
Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska, where tonight I’ll play a concert in my fiftieth state.  Great fun to be here, to play music for folks, to see some old friends, make some new ones, and if all goes according to plan, to go visit a glacier tomorrow and get in a bit of a hike before […]

New CD debuts at #8 on the Folk-DJ charts!

by David LaMotte

Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska, where tonight I’ll play a concert in my fiftieth state.  Great fun to be here, to play music for folks, to see some old friends, make some new ones, and if all goes according to plan, to go visit a glacier tomorrow and get in a bit of a hike before […]

Hospitality in my digital living room

Sep 20, 2016
In my line of work, I get to move through a lot of different spaces. Not only geographically, but socio-economically as well. I spend time with folks who are quite wealthy, and folks who are extremely poor, people of various skin tones, political persuasions, identities, nationalities, orientations, abilities, and challenges. I treasure that, and I […]

Hospitality in my digital living room

by David LaMotte

In my line of work, I get to move through a lot of different spaces. Not only geographically, but socio-economically as well. I spend time with folks who are quite wealthy, and folks who are extremely poor, people of various skin tones, political persuasions, identities, nationalities, orientations, abilities, and challenges. I treasure that, and I […]

Rapid River: David LaMotte celebrates 25 years with ‘The Other Way Around’

Aug 17, 2016
Rapid River Magazine published this article about David’s new album and the release concert that will launch it: Internationally known Black Mountain songwriter David LaMotte celebrates 25 years as a professional musician with the release of a new album, The Other Way Around. LaMotte and a large backing band will mark the occasion with a Release […]

Rapid River: David LaMotte celebrates 25 years with ‘The Other Way Around’

by David LaMotte

Rapid River Magazine published this article about David’s new album and the release concert that will launch it: Internationally known Black Mountain songwriter David LaMotte celebrates 25 years as a professional musician with the release of a new album, The Other Way Around. LaMotte and a large backing band will mark the occasion with a Release […]