Singing in the West

We’ve taken the tour out west. October 30 was the date of the launch at Symphony Space. The Irish Arts Center produced the event in association with The New York Public Library and NYU’s Glucksman Ireland House, and with Fountain House, NAMI Metro-NYC, Bring Change 2 Mind and New York’s MDSG (Mood Disorders Support Group).

For the debut of all the songs from the album, most of the musicians who performed on it were able to play their parts live. Halfway through the evening Paul Holdengräber moderated a discussion with myself and author and psychiatrist Kay Jamison, delving into some of the works featured on the album and exploring the connection between madness and creativity. The album is one which has songs in many styles, moods, and a number of vocally challenging pieces. I was grateful to have all the wonderful guests present and that everything ran according to plan, making it a magical evening.

Since then I’ve been touring the Ryan McGiver, Eamon O’Leary and Jason Sypher on the East Coast which included a performance as part of the Johns Hopkins Art & Psychiatry Series introduced by Dr. Raymond DePaolo, with remarks from Kay Jamison. Kay is Professor of Psychiatry there. That event took place in an old medical lecture where the staff still hold their Grand Rounds.

Two nights ago we were in Eugene Oregon and so I invited David Oaks of Mind Freedon International to talk about his organization at the concert. What he had to say was enlightening and thought provoking and you can learn more at mindfreedom.org

Last night’s event at The Secret Society Ballroom featured Will Hall and Myriam of Portland Hearing Voices (http://www.portlandhearingvoices.net/). Their presentation featured their own stories and the work of the Hearing Voices Network, which is fascinating to me. When I last met with them in Portland in September, Will told me how much he had enjoyed Daniel B. Smith’s book Muses, Madmen and Prophets: which I have since been reading.

There is not a day that I don’t wake up grateful that I’m able to earn my living from music, but on this tour I have a particular sense of gratitude connected with how this album is being received. Having planned the work for so many years there's a tremendous sense of satisfaction in releasing it through these meaningful events.

Getting ready for release

I thought this would be a quiet week but no. The Kickstarter fund reached $8,595 through the backing of 142 generous people. The CD is at the manufacturing plant. The tour is about to begin. There is much work to be done and new things are coming up needing to be done every day in readiness for the album release.

Why did I choose to give up caffeine this week? Probably because I didn't realise how much my body was going to miss my daily cup of tea...

Mad Mission

Well it's done. I had been thinking that because Roethke's poem is written from the perspective of a man, I had to have a man sing it, but on the advice of a good musician friend who is a man, in the end I did it myself.

So the last recording session was on Wednesday, the mastering is finished today, and the artwork is complete also. It's been a hectic week to say the least, in the midst of which we passed the $7,500 mark on my Kickstarter project which gives me the needed funds to finish the project and get it on its way, and I became the new client of music agent Lori Peters. Her agency is called Mad Mission.

Almost there

Oy. I have been quietly groaning sometimes this past week and the only sound I can compare it with is when I gave birth! And now I'm trying to birth this album and so many elements are so close! The album is all but done except for the final vocal part for Roethke's poem In A Dark Time. I'm sitting here in New York City writing with the rain pouring down in the dark outside, and the thunder and lightning raging overhead. The release gig is at Symphony Space on October 30. Today it is October 11... It takes 12 business days to press a CD...Hanging in there...

On the plus side (and there is so much on the plus side) the Kickstarter project I launched to help complete the album is 85% funded today with 4 days to go. I'm so thrilled and grateful that it has come through in this way and everyone has rallied with incredible support.

Katie Andresen has designed most of the CDs I have released. What great fortune that she and Becky Uberti walked up to me after a gig at the Bottom Line once and asked if they could design for me. That was 17 years ago. She just sent me the designs for Singing the the Dark and its a great feeling of getting ready to let go, grabbing the highlighter to make the final corrections...

West

Just after I wrote the last post I got a call from the musician John Doyle to go on tour at 48 hours notice, so I took off on a tour through Washington, Pennsylvania and California. John and I started our careers together, so it was very enjoyable to perform some of the songs we had done together back then, as well as material that we each learned from each others more recent repertoire. I stopped off in Portland for an hour to go to Bushka's for dinner before getting back on a flight to Spokane. Caridwen picked me up at the airport (eventually! ha!) and I'm so glad I got to meet her as she's a rare soul.

The next morning I was up early and got take a short stroll through downtown and see the carousel. Unfortunately I was too early to get a ride on that! A short while later one decent rehearsal was enough for us to get our bearings, a nap to combat the jet lag, and then we were ready for our first performance in 17 years at the Bing Crosby Theatre.
I was sorry I didn't get to stay longer and see more of Spokane and the region. I have good friends not far north in Nelson so I'm very happy now to have made such good friends in Spokane and good reason to return.

Seattle was next where we played The Triple Door, and then Traditions in Olympia where I always pick up some of their Peace Fleece. It's a lovely wool made by combining the wool from sheep of two family farms in Russia and Maine. They have a wonderful ochre this time and I got some new needles. I'd never gotten to see much of Olympia on previous visits so this time I enjoyed a stroll out to the lake and also to a great second hand bookshop where I picked up a copy of Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo.

We had a day free in Portland next where I popped in to see The Secret Society Ballroom. It's a beautiful room and I'm looking forward to playing there on Saturday 27 November as part of the Singing in the Dark tour.

It was up early the next morning (4:45am) to fly to Philadelphia for the Celtic Festival in Bethlehem. We had two evening concerts over two days in a lovely concert hall and some old friends travelled from New York for them. I was almost finished The Count of Monte Cristo so I found another second hand bookstore and picked up another Dumas. Another thing I love to do when I'm on the road is to browse in thrift stores and Bethlehem has some great ones.

Then it was back west for the Sebastopol Celtic Festival. Cloud Moss has developed something really special in his festival over the years and I was really happy to return. The last time I played there was with Johnny Cunningham a few weeks before he died. There was a lot of warmth and good feeling in the room where most of the performances were held. It brought back a lot of good memories.

Tenement Talks

On Monday we'll officially release Sings from the East Village with an event at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. The school is very excited about the event and while it's not a concert, there will be a few musical moments.

Back to School

We got back from our trip to Ireland last night. Now we can put the cardigans and jeans away for another while as the temperature is still high here.
We brought back a spear Róisín made from a fine piece of wood she found at Tara. We were there last week for the third annual Feis Teamhra: A Turn at Tara, which this year featured Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley, Paul Muldoon, Colm Toibín, Aidan Brennan, Laoise Kelly and myself. It was a bright afternoon on the Hill and a very moving event. It was also our most successful event yet and augurs well for our plan to grow the event

As another school year begins I have a great sense of accomplishment having worked hard over the last year in the making of two albums, and they're both going to be released in the next couple of months.
Songs from the East Village comes out officially on September 20 when we'll have a public event at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.
As for Singing in the Dark, the single 'A Woman Like That' comes out on October 4, followed by the album on October 30. In the meantime I'm up to my eyes with work for the promotion of both albums and booking the tour.