Category: Behind the Scenes

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Podcast Stats

Here’s some of the stats for this year. I know I haven’t posted a new episode in a while, as I am pursing other avenues of sharing and earning, but for those of you who listened and shared the episodes I did put out there into the world, thank you.

I earned less than two dollars doing this: 9 hours of talking about things I think matter, and trying to put something out there to help the world. I’m grateful for the opportunity. I have zero regrets about having spent my time this way.

I’m not sure whether or not I will try to keep this going next year. What I do know is that I won’t be able to if I don’t secure some funding for my life. That I need to pay my bills, and earn a living are at the forefront of my concern these days.

Keep me in your thoughts as I navigate this tricky curve in the path of life.

If you’d like to listen to past episodes, you can find them here.

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Mixtures Poetica Addition: At The Water Met

January 23, 2021, I wrote the poem: At the Water Met

The poem is a story about awakening, and the longing to rest easy in a disconnect from the world and the events in it. It is a cry for peace, as well as an answering to the call that is life and responsibility. There are dragons and aliens – symbols of power and otherness indicating a universal connection to energies we don’t fully understand which support humanity’s growth (we hope!).

For a while now, I have been playing with this -trying to get the music just right, and testing this kind of vocals or that kind of vocals, and I just couldn’t get it the way it needed to be until recently.

Here’s the spoken word with soundscape version of At The Water Met which will be on the someday forthcoming collection of pieces called Mixtures Poetica which is the follow up to the EP Poetic Mixtures, available on streaming platforms globally.

Here be dragons!
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Previews of Upcoming Music Releases

I’ve been working in the studio this week, and brought a couple of tracks to completion.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks, and I’m grateful to have such fulfilling work.

Fancy Car is a song about keeping at it (the music) even with self-doubt, and with some discouragement. What’s also true is that I’ve had a great deal of encouragement and it’s good to remember the sources.

I’ve played out and had good responses and bad responses. I practice more.

I love the encouragement. When someone tells me my song has touched them, there’s no feeling better.

If I don’t know you, I may not let your opinion derail me.

Streaming release December 2, 2022

Updated vocals, edited, and mastered A Truth And A Lie for distribution. It really took me a while to figure out what needed to change, and how to change it, but I’m pretty happy with where it is now.

I tend to write love songs, and break-up songs, but A Truth And A Lie is about political disillusionment with our entrenched systems. I’m tired of people taking office and becoming politicians who don’t follow through with the ideals that get them elected. I wanted to express my sadness, and anger, and the hopelessness I sometimes feel with the process. I believe the only way we can address the things that are wrong with us – our society, our culture, our world – is to try to see what is happening as truly as possible. And in a world of spin, it is increasingly more difficult to wade through information which is usually presented through the filter of someone else’s agenda.

Also, wait until you see the full cover! 🙂

Tentative release date: December 21, 2022
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Updates

Some exciting things have been unfolding, which is why I haven’t been posting much.

My friend and collaborator, Rosalie Robison, came for a week’s visit and we worked on updating some songs off of the Patchwork Blue album, and on three new songs for an upcoming EP! I have been working hard to build upon the basic structure of these three songs.

I found a blank art wall at a local library branch and hung 10 art pieces there where they will hang in public view through the first of January!

I ordered some business cards, and post cards for a book signing I started to organize which has turned into a sort of poetry reading thing called The Word Garden, and I’m not sure what that’s going to end up being like, but I’m really hoping it’s not just me sitting in a room reading poetry aloud to myself while sadly strumming a guitar.

I just sold another book on Amazon today, so that’s very encouraging!!

I’ve been doing odd jobs here and there to try and make ends meet while avoiding taking a real job, but I may have to try and get some seasonal work to make it through the next few months. This is frustrating when I feel so close to being able to generate some income from the projects and creative works, but it is a common obstacle when building presence and generating sales on several fronts.

I voted.

I’ve played some open mics.

I’ve written a new single I’m very excited about and trying to finish up the production of that.

November is here and it’s a historically difficult month. This is why I hung my paintings to share out there in the world. Maybe someone else who is having a rough month or two through the holidays will gain some comfort from them. I was surprised how sad I became when I went to leave the library after having hung the paintings on the wall.

Thank you for reading.

Hope your November has some moments of joy and peace.

Appreciate you!

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Music Update with Videos!

My friend, Rosalie, who collaborated with me on the Patchwork Blue album will be coming into town in October. Be on the look out for more about that! Very excited to have some time to sit down with her and work on some music!

Recently, I’ve ramped up music practice, going to open mics, and compiling the business end of Promo – which meant some minor tech upgrades, and rearranging how I use my devices. Some of this back end stuff requires quiet thinking and planning.

As amazing as it might seem, I’ve been taking some time off here and there to relax and enjoy myself, and I think my art and music is better for it, if only because I am better for it.

Here’s a little glimpse of a new-ish song. I tend to write a new song a week. The second week or sooner, I try to put some music to it. Often will release a really early video of the gist of it on Instagram or in my Facebook music group, and then will spend a few weeks refining it – trying it out at an open mic etc.

This one I played out this week, but it is still being developed, and this is something I have been appreciating about music, and that is the refining process. On YouTube, I took a Truth and a Lie and deconstructed it, analyzed it and put it back together in a way that helps me understand what’s going on in the song better, and it’s the second in a series I’ve started of Songwriting Workbooks.

This is: Will I Be Ready

And this one is a really new one – just a few times through called ‘We Return to the Sea’