ClayKirkland300x2001Ten years ago Clay Kirkland started marking his birthday with a live music event he dubbed “Clay Kirkland Beats the Reaper.”

Though he didn’t know it at the time, the accomplished harmonica player, who has shared the stage with everyone from Willie Nelson to Chuck Berry, to the Flobots and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, started an annual tradition among Denver musicians. That tradition continues Saturday, February 6 at Swallow Hill Music with Clay Kirkland’s Beat the Reaper X.

To mark the occasion, Clay kindly offered up his Top 10 Ways to Beat the Reaper:

1. Practice Yoga regularly: pranayama (breathing exercises); postures (asanas, stretching) ; meditation ( sit quietly and focus on your own Inner Divinity ).

2. Chew each mouthful at least fifty times or until the food is liquid.

3. Accept the fact that you will be sleep deprived until your children finish college and then sleep 8-10 hours a night.

4. Eat organic food, steam your vegetables, eat only whole grains, and eat mostly food you have prepared from scratch.

5. Love yourself.

6. At least three times a week exercise until exhausted.

7. Eat a large breakfast including something green, don’t skip meals, don’t let yourself get real hungry, don’t multitask while you eat.

8. Consume little or no alcohol or tobacco because they are deadly poison, advice I wish I had taken earlier in life.

9. Feel your feelings fully, or to paraphrase, “If you haven’t cried lately, you’re not paying attention.”

10. Express gratitude frequently.

Thank you Clay! Here’s to many more years of Beat the Reaper concerts.

Clay Kirkland Beat the Reaper X