{"id":37217,"date":"2025-10-02T00:00:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T07:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/?p=37217"},"modified":"2025-08-19T12:31:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T19:31:28","slug":"am-i-in-a-cult-the-only-music-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2025\/10\/02\/am-i-in-a-cult-the-only-music-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Am I in a Cult? The “Only Music” Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIs this a cult?\u201d an attractive, mid-40s woman inquired, accusingly, from the fringes of our circle. She took a sip of white wine from her stemless glass and clinked the massive diamond on her ring finger against its thin wall. My 12 friends were clad in almost the opposite attire\u2014sun shirts and hats, cut-off shorts, bandanas, river shoes and rain jackets.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sun was setting behind a high school graduation party in Homedale, Idaho. We did not know the graduate or his parents, who were hosting the party, but had found ourselves there because of a social experiment called <\/span>\u201cOnly Music\u201d<\/span><\/a> that my husband, Justin Fountain, dreamed up almost ten years ago. Justin did the first <\/span>\u201cOnly Music\u201d<\/span><\/a> trip alone, then took his band <\/span>A Brother\u2019s Fountain<\/span><\/a> on the next one. This third trip along the Snake River in rural Idaho was by far the biggest, longest and most extreme iteration. And we certainly put this concept to the test.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is \u201cOnly Music\u201d?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cOnly Music\u201d is a busking adventure, a social investigation and a personal odyssey where musicians embark on a journey with only their instruments in tow, traveling from point A to point B. They trade music for everything needed to survive (food, shelter, transportation and money) and sometimes score non-essentials in the process (tattoos, cigarettes, a jet ski ride, beer).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A Brother\u2019s Fountain<\/span><\/a> utilizes these \u201cOnly Music\u201d trips to prove to others (and often themselves) that music is valuable, healing and possibly the greatest force for good. Music connects people in ways that conversation can\u2019t. It transcends political and religious boundaries and overcomes socioeconomic barriers more effectively than anything. We\u2019ve always needed music, but if there were ever a time to remember that we need <\/span>each other<\/span><\/i>, it\u2019s right now.<\/span><\/p>\n

If it looks like a cult and smells like a cult, it\u2019s probably a cult.<\/span><\/h2>\n

We were in the middle of our nightly ritual, which we call \u201cchanging of the guards,\u201d when this woman popped her question. Our TL (trip leader) was about to pass over power to the next day\u2019s TL, who then would choose a high priest (to lead intentional moments and quiet time), a movement maestro (helps us stretch while on these long river trips), a speaker of the house (more of a formality, really) and others. Okay, yeah. Now that you mention it, we could be a cult. However, our system is invaluable when we take on challenging trips like this: 21 days, 120 miles, no food or money, trading music as we go.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have a bunch of friends and we don\u2019t do shit like this,\u201d the woman challenged. Her eyes darted worriedly around our circle, as if we were about to sweep her up without consent into whatever the hell this was. <\/span>Zach Baumann<\/span><\/a>, who is the most eloquent of our group (he\u2019s an Air Force Major and TEDx speaker, do we sound more legitimate now?), attempted to explain \u201cOnly Music\u201d and our daily leadership system, underscoring that it\u2019s dorky, not dark.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n