I hope your holiday was restful and that the new year brings with it a sense of hope for the future. My family celebrates Christmas which is always a meaningful time of year for us and it has been good to take time off and reflect on the things that truly matter.
New Demo
Every year around this time I debut something that is not yet public. Sometimes it is an acoustic version of a song that will be re-arranged later, and other times a tune in progress. This year it is a track is called "Not On Your Team" and is available below as a private link on sound Cloud. This demo was recorded by Jordon Walton with myself on vocals, Wurlitzer and guitar, Sydney Metcalf on cello and Tony Green on acoustic bass.
Alongside my artistic life I've been involved with a local health clinic in my area called Lahai. The clinic provides medical, dental and mental health counseling to the under-insured. Over the last 8 years our primary focus has been with undocumented immigrants providing care and helping them feel welcome as neighbors. Our medical team treats their wounds, our dentists care for their teeth and I help oversee a team of psychodynamically trained therapists who listen to their concerns each week. The stories these people tell of fleeing violence and persecution in their own countries is truly heart wrenching and it is gratifying to give them a safe place to heal.
Another reason I love this clinic is that, surprisingly, it is faith based. It is an honor to serve alongside people of faith who resist the demeaning rhetoric of our current administration and choose instead to love immigrants as neighbors (not resent them as invaders). It is my hope for the future that people of faith will be known more for their care and compassion of others and less for their political self interests.
This year I was able to perform a little more. You might recall had some challenges with chronic fatigue, dizziness and sleep (I detailed this more personally in my
blog). I am happy to report that I have felt significantly better and I was able to fly out to resume playing house concerts in various parts of the country. I do hope this trend continues so shoot me a line if you want to arrange something.
One Small Orchestra performing in Seattle
Back at home I've returned to my traditional format of an orchestrated ensemble which I call "One Small Orchestra" (think Days Like These and Earthside Down). Very thankful for the many Seattle musicians who have made room in their calendars for me this year including Sydney Metcalf (cello), Aleida Gehrels and Kimmy Harrenstein (viola), Josh Golden (bass), Lacey Brown (drums) and most recently Dan Infecto (acoustic bass).
I debuted this song to the elist last year as an unreleased demo. It has now been mastered by Ed Brooks for release and
available on Spotify, Apple Music and all digital platforms. Spread the word.
Rumors of vinyl...
Many of you have asked if I would re-release my first two records on vinyl. Well I can't confirm anything at this point, but I have been in some discussions with an East Coast label (distributed by Light In The Attic), who are interested in a vinyl re-release.
From the Archives...
One Small Orchestra recently re-arranged an old tune, “A Russian Murder Ballad,” from Thirteen Stories. It was great to hear this revitalized in a new format. This clip comes courtesy Nathania TenWolde and was shot at Hotel Albatross in Seattle.
