I’ll be playing in a trio format with guitarist Samm Bahman and drummer Alex Brander on Friday, April 11th, at True Brew Barista (3 Bicentennial Square, Concord, NH). The show starts at 8:30pm, and we’ll keep the tunes coming until about 11:30pm. Hope to see you there!
For all the info, visit True Brew Barista’s website.
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I’ve been working on a full length solo release for over a year now.
There was snow on the ground last January, when I gathered together with my production team for a full run through of the album, and there’s snow on the ground now as we finish up the final recording and mixing sessions. Somewhere along the way, there were tree buds and flowers and green leaves, 90-degree summer days, thunderstorms, sunshine, clouds, early mornings and late nights and a whole lot of hard work.
It’s been the busiest, most difficult, most exhausting, most frustrating, most rewarding, happiest year of my professional life. I’m absolutely thrilled that we’re nearing the end of this process so that I can finally share what we’ve been working on with all of you, but in a way it’s also sad, and a little scary, to move on to the next step.
But don’t worry, there’s still a lot of work to do. We aren’t there quite yet. So while you wait, here’s a few snapshots of what life’s been like for us over the past 365 days, String Sessions Edition.
When I studied abroad in college, I shared a flat on Cabell Street in London with two other girls and four boys. Luckily, the tiny TV in our common room only got a few channels (one being in Arabic) so fights over “who wants to watch what” were replaced by exclamations of “oh it’s so fun to all hang out together and watch obscure American sitcoms that we can’t even remember being aired in the States.” There was one program, however, that not only re-aired frequently, but that we actually enjoyed: a Sam Cooke biography.
I was already a big Sam Cooke fan, and the show gave me an even bigger level of respect for this incredible artist. The fascinating thing about his music is that its utterly timeless: it defies trends, spans generations, and always seems not only relevant but so freaking cool. I mean, think about it. Is there a cooler guy than Sam Cooke? Has there ever been? I don’t think so.
“That’s It, I Quit, I’m Moving On” is one of my favorite Sam Cooke songs and I had a blast recording this paired down video version, the latest in my Car Covers series. It also features Samm Bahman on Guitar and Alex Brander on Drums, and was shot and edited by Samm. Hope you enjoy!
I never quite know how to introduce “One More Step” – I find myself torn between wanting to explain why I wrote the song, and not wanting to drag everyone down. You see, last April, I was on Boylston Street in Boston watching a friend run the Boston Marathon when two bombs exploded on either side of me. It was the scariest experience of my life- I had never been so close to violence before, and I am so, so grateful that my loved ones and I were able to get out of the situation unharmed.
Obviously, there were many who weren’t as lucky, and in the days after the event, I, fully intact without so much as a bruise, really wanted to do something to contribute to the relief efforts. So I did the thing I know how to do- I wrote a song, and, with the help of my good friends and bandmates Jon Francis and Samm Bahman, recorded it. I made it available on Bandcamp, through which I was able to raise over $350 in sale donations that went directly to The One Fund Boston.
I was overwhelmed by the generosity of friends, family, and strangers who liked the song, and happy to be able to do a little something to help the relief efforts. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed and listened – I hope you all enjoy this video version!
Lyrics:
I woke up
The blue and gold
Sky it spoke
My name
And all around
The clouds came down
This quiet town
It sang
Hush, my friend
We’re ok
Grace is on
The way
And on the hill
The April chill
As hearts stood still
Unchanged
With every step
The streets they wept
But no regrets
They say
Hush, my friend
We’re ok
Grace is on
The way
And one more step
Is all that’s left
To take
Now don’t you cry
I’m by your side
And by your side
I’ll stay
As fast and strong
As rivers run
The lucky ones
Have faith
And hush, my friend
We’re ok
Grace is on
The way
And one more step
Is all that’s left
To take
And we pray
We pray
We pray
We pray, we pray, we pray
And hush, my friend
We’re ok
Grace is on
The way
And one more step
And one more step
And one more step
And one more step
And one more step
Is all that’s left
To take