The shoulder straps sagged and the hip belt splayed open, a couple of the pockets were unzipped.Reporter Margie Fishman had returned it to me earlier that day. She had used it while in Nepal covering the efforts of various Delawareans to help the victims of a devastating earthquake.Prior to Margie’s trip, the canvas backpack had primarily been used for annual weekend camping trips on the Appalachian Trail with a group of friends.On those trips the backpack would play witness to male bonding at its best.
It leaned up against a tree and heard raucous tales of conquest and woeful tales of denial. It listened to off-key renditions of 70s songs and learned enough curse words to be a sailor.It has been doused in Jim Beam and soaked in beer during those trips. The worst time was when a can of beer was poked through by something and the beer leaked out as I hiked along. It soaked my gear and then worked it’s way to my backpacks for college. I thought I was just sweating out the previous night’s beer. I didn’t figure out what it really was until I got to the campsite and took my pack off.It was also packed once and brought to work with me when we thought Hurricane Sandy was going to deliver a direct hit on Delaware and we’d be caught here at the building or a satellite site with a generator.
I’m not going to say if there was any bourbon or beer in the bag that time.So for the most part, the backpack has been used for fun and has witnessed mostly the intemperance of a group of men who for one weekend a year, revert to dragging their knuckles and grunting a lot.So it was probably shocked to find itself packed with women’s things – including leopard print pajamas, I learned – and headed to Nepal two weeks ago.There it saw canvas rucksack backpack and joy. Landslides and rebuilding.It went through a second earthquake.It heard a new language and saw a new people.The Jody Pyles Band will perform at Pulaski Theatre Saturday night to raise money for the Dublin Elementary School BackPack Program, which helps provide meals for children in need at the school.
Based out of Nashville, Tenn., the country-rock band is headed by Jody Pyles, who grew up in a well-rounded musical background in the Blue Ridge Mountains. According to the band’s Facebook page, Pyles’ mountain heritage is evident in his music, as he was raised on everything from “mournful mountain bluegrass to praise-filled Gospel and the kind of country music you hear at the local county fair.”Doors open at 7 p.m. and the concert begins at 8. Tickets, $10 in advance and $15 at the door, are available online at pulaskitheatre.org, at Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley and Martin’s Pharmacy in Pulaski and at Pulaski County Visitor’s Center in Dublin.All proceeds go to the DES BackPack Program, which is part of Feeding American Southwest Virginia. The 
Program sends nutritious and easy-to-prepare foods home with children in need on weekends to make sure they get enough to eat.The Jody Pyles Band has performed nationwide and on three continents. He says his music is “deeply personal” and “gives a voice to the common working man and woman, and the experiences they face each and every day.”