Truly Amazing

For those of you who remember the days of Zeala, you'll probably recall a fury of blonde energy surging from the drumset, an outstanding voice emanating from beyond the snare.
That's Lisa Taylor.


We're going to be sharing the stage once again at the Potter's House, as we kick off a new season of the 2nd Saturday Songwriter Showcase.

Now, I already knew that Lisa Taylor was a powerhouse performer. My good friend, Matt Holsen, had put a copy of her Sibling Rivalry CD and turned me onto Tom Prasada-Rao, with whom Lisa had done a great deal of recording and performing. It wasn't until I had the opportunity to share the stage with Lisa that first time with Zeala that I realized I was in the presence of a truly amazing talent.

Equally adept on the acoustic guitar and behind the set, Lisa's voice is what really knocked me out. At once powerful, subtle and so capable of embodying every once of emotion in her complex, yet entirely accessible songs.

In the days of Zeala, we sang Thing Under the Bed (from Sibling Rivalry), with a wicked horn part added on for good measure. The song has so haunted me since, that it's been added to my repertoire. Echoes of Laela's fear of ET and too many people's fear of immigrants and different sexuality always ring through my head when I sing that tune.

We also covered, It Means Alot, which is a sultry, bluesy peice that made it onto True North, Lisa's newest recording. It's buried way down deep, though - around the 8th track when the CD is winding down. Cause let me tell you the thing opens with a bang!

Have a listen at Splinters

"How many anxious little Einsteins find disbelievers within their own family?
Standing together in unified field, discussing pros and cons of their own relativity."

And that's Lisa, in a nutshell: whimsical and warm, like her website says. Her songs sing like portraits from her own life (with plenty mention of her siblings and reference to family memories). "The Girl Changes Everything" is one of my favorites, 'cause goodness knows I can relate to a "personable person impersonating me." I'm sure Lisa's daughters Halle and Rachel can relate to a recent title that Laela and I discovered, "Queen I-Am-The-Boss-Of-You."
The tune is an incredibly fun tribute to mommyhood.

There are moments when I think I know, but am not quite sure what Lisa's singing about. The Emporer's Clothes for example, is a haunting, beautifully produced tune that I'm assuming is a no love lost farewell to our commander in chief. But I'm grasping. That leads me to my biggest complaint about the whole recording - lyrics. They're so layered and awesome, I'd like to have them laid out in front me (with a couple of bonus photos). Did I mention that this triple threat singer/songwriter/musician and drop-dead gorgeous.
Oh well, the graphics are cool. :)

Finally, I would be remiss, if I didn't mention Will's favorite tune on True North. I hear in Brave Me a luxurious letting go lament complete with a piano padding and guitar solo to knock anyone's socks off.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that she has an Icarus on her record? Great minds right?

Guess I'll have to ask her what that tune is all about when I see her next Saturday. Lisa and I will be sharing the stage again - for the first time in 2 years. We'll both be doing some sanging and banging. Will will play a bit of bass. A grand ol time is guaranteed for all.

Perhaps the coolest part of the evening is that we're raising money and awareness for the great work being done House of Ruth to support and uplift the area's women and families faced with homelessness and abuse.

Looking forward to seeing you guys and hearing Lisa again!

Check out the new site for the 2nd Saturday Songwriter Showcase

Saturday September 13
Potter's House
1658 Columbia Rd, NW
Washington DC 20009
(202) 232 5483

Suggested donation - $10

www.pottershousedc.org

Hangin With the Cool Kids

It's been some heck of a weekend.
Sunday afternoon now and I'm just getting a moment to reflect.

It all started with a bang on Thursday, at the Strathmore's Joni Mitchell Tribute. It was such a great time hanging out with, preparing and performing with the area's most incredible musicmakers. If I tried to start listing names, I'd never run out. Suffice it to say, it was a great time with a lot of great people. Thank you all so much for letting me be part of it.

at the Photo Shoot with Charlie and Chelsea. I think we were singing Swing Low.

The minute the curtain was down, I was in the car with Will (the bassist) and Laela (the offspring), to get about 6 hours of sleep before playing an open house at Potomac State University in West Virginia. (Yes, I missed the after party :)

The next day was a two-fer. In the afternoon, I was the first act at the 8:13 festival with Ilyaimy and the last act at the Caroline Summerfest.
This morning was another chance to stand beneath the trees and sing for the Unity Church of Baltimore

And tomorrow, I'll be doing a wee cameo at Dupont Circle around 7. So, if you're in town, stop by and say howdy.

Then, it's hibernation for a couple of days before another weekend of rockin & rollin.

Chillin

Hey everybody,


Well, I've given myself a week or two of a break. It's been pedal to the metal since I last returned from Germany. My brain needed a moment to be still and enjoy the fam and the summer.
So, now, with the summer nearly half over, I'm restarting the engines. Slowly, though.

At the moment, I'm chillin in the yurt with my little lady, planning the next steps

Got some great news from the gentleman who does my college booking: got a showcase at the NACA South conference. So, I'll be doing a bit of touring in slightly warmer climes this fall and planning some of the promotional stuff accordingly.

Looking forward to getting a helping hand from a few kind souls I've met recently at a performances. As always, the street team's open to recruits.
Jarvis and Jen, thanks you guys for putting the fire back under my can.

LEA
(Hadn't been writing much, but I've got a new tune. I'll be sharing before the end of the month)

Spreading the Word

So, last week, we did this thing - this Tell-a-thon thing.
Thanks again, Jill for the great idea and to all of you guys who passed the word along.

That has always seemed like the missing link, to me.
I know you guys are digging the tunes, so there must be a few other people who would, as well.
So, I'm checking out various digital venues and what not to figure out the best way to "get the word out there."
If anybody else has got some tips, I'm all ears! Lea

The First Ever Tell-a-Friend-a-Thon

Hey you guys,

My friend Jill is so smart and so dear and such an earnest supporter of this music I make.
She's a genius in the ways she's been sharing the tunes with folks here and in other places where she's lived. One of my favorites is how she uses some of the songs for the cool down session at her aerobics classes.

It happens all the time that someone tells me at a show that they were sent by a friend. A lot of you guys have bought a handful of CDs to share with friends. Thank you, more than I can say, for helping to spread the word.

So, in speaking with Jill this idea has come to be.
First of all, with the help of the bigBEE, we're making it super easy to send people to the site. All you've got to do is fill out the form attached to the links on the pages of my site.
As a matter of fact, here's one such link:

And, as a little bonus, for anyone who sends to friends who actually sign up at the site, a small gift:

Sign up

5 friends : honey sweets

10 friends: the new CD, Get It Right

15 friends : a T shirt & CD

20 friends : a ticket to an upcoming show at Baldwin Station

You Heard It Here - Edition 2 - Meet Cathy & Marcy

Hey Everybody,

Hope you've enjoyed listening to an unplugged version of The Moon, A Planet & A Star. I'll be refining the download process over the coming weeks.

This edition, however it is a grand pleasure to "introduce" you to my friends and mentors, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer.
If you aren't already familiar with their music, you've certainly heard their names. Multiple Grammy winners, they are an institution in Folk, Children's performance and Traditional music.

It's been wonderful getting to know them since they mentored me during my tenure as a Strathmore Artist in Residence. Here's a little peek into a recent conversation with Cathy and Marcy about their journey in music.

LEA: First of all, how, when and where did you two meet?

Cathy: We met in July, 1980 at the Toronto Folk Festival. Marcy was playing in an old time stringband and I was starting my solo career after 6 years in a duo. We were in workshops together, jammed at the parties, and had a lot of fun playing music together.

LEA:What brought you to the DC area and when did you get here?

Cathy: I moved first, in Sept. of 1979 from Winnipeg, Manitoba. I was looking for a place where it didn’t snow in May and where I’d be closer to much of the old time and folk music I loved. I’d also made friends here during concert tours.

Marcy: I moved in about 1983 from Michigan. I’d been touring with the Robin Flower Band and working at Elderly Instruments. My move was related to there being more musical work in this region, and of course to form the history making duo with Cathy :)

LEA: I love that your collective is called Community Music, Inc. Is there a story or mission behind that?

Marcy: In the early 1980’s, Cathy was hired by the Clean Water Action Project to teach 10 different branches about event production, particularly how to MAKE MONEY with fundraising concerts. When that project was over, she and her assistant, Sheila Kahn, had gained a reputation as savvy consultants in the fundraising and folk concert world. When Cathy opened an office in Takoma Park, with Sheila as the employee, the name Community Music represented both the community work we did as well as how we felt the music interfaced with community. It stuck! By the way, we also contributed to a book, “Note by Note, A Guide to Concert Production”, which is available at (901) 522-1170.

LEA: A lot of people know of your children's music, but you two wear a number of hats in the music world. In addition to performance and Strathmore mentor, what are some other ways that you are active in the music community?

C&M: We wash the dishes, clean the floors, do the laundry. We have produced about 70-80 albums through the years, played on hundreds as side musicians, helped organize fundraising concerts, learned studio engineering, write songs, write more songs, learn old songs, produce more recordings, etc. We’ve done radio shows, written articles for music magazines, worked with all ages from head start through seniors in concerts and workshops, and we love it! We play for kids, families, and everyone in between. Swing, Bluegrass, Old-Time, Folk, Original and even a little Rock & Roll!

LEA: You are both accomplished musician, but you also obviously have your act together behind the desk, as well. Is it ever challenging to balance the musical and business aspects of your career? Do you feel one receives or requires more focus than the other to be successful?

Cathy: It is always challenging, which is why we're getting to this at nearly midnight!

LEA: You ladies never seem to stop and you just keep getting better. What's the next project on the docket?

C&M: We are getting ready to launch a series of interactive, REAL MUSIC, kids and family podcasts called “Cathy & Marcy’s SongShop”. We set up our studio with bright colors, invited some families and friends over to sing and play, and had a fabulous time. All of the other podcasts we found for kids were based on TV, movies, licensed characters. This may be the first of it’s kind-where real musicians play real music and sing-along with real people. And, we encourage folks to “try this at home”. Get out your ukuleles, guitars, kazoos, and make some music together as a family.
More info at www.cathymarcy.com

LEA: Before I let you go, I mentioned before that you two are an institution. Thank you for your incredible music and guidance. Any tips for us fledgling professional performing musicians?

C&M: Be true to your self and your music. Practice, work at the business, and most of all, make sure that you enjoy what you are doing-otherwise, you can find another job you don’t enjoy. Crucial - keep a good sense of humor about yourself and the music business. Never eat anything bigger than your head. Meantime, don’t take every “rejection” personally or you should get a different job. Think less about being a star and more about honing your craft. Utah Phillips wisely thought of playing music and performing for a living as a “trade”. It makes sense. And, get whatever health insurance you can. So much to do, so little time. Less talk, more music!

www.cathymarcy.com
www.myspace.com/cathyfinkmarcymarxer
www.facebook.com/pages/Cathy-Fink-and-Marcy-Marxer/25405755690

A Somewhat Quieter Weekend

Hey Everybody,

So last weekend, the "release" of the newsletter kind of trumped this space, but I have to tell you it was a whirlwind.

It kicked off last Thursday at the William Paca Garden in Annapolis, MD, where Will and I did a show. We were billed to play with Jason, who came down with food poisoning - the poor soul.
He's back on his feet, though and will be joining us tonight in Takoma Park - hooray.



Then, Friday night, I opened for the illustrious Catie Curtis at the Cellar Stage in Baltimore.
She was terrific. Great, real songwriting and I offered my services to sometime back her up on percussion and harmonies. She said, "Whatcha doin tomorrow night?"

As it turned out, I was playing Herndon Festival the next day, but that was in the afternoon, so we got together at 11 and ran some tunes. We also wound up running inside before the bitter storm descended upon the day. Here's us jammin in the backyard. Very cool. Photo by Laela



On the Road again from Herndon to Easton, MD where Catie had her show. Here's Laela doing her favorite thing. She did, however, take a break for a moment to film us. So, without further ado, here is Laela;s debut as a cinematographer.

Catie Curtis with Yours Truly, LEA backing her up at the Coffee East in
Easton, MD. (Hold your applause til the end :)






So, this weekend, it's just this evening at the Takoma Park Co Op and a secret show tomorrow I can't tell you about :)

That's it for me, that is. If you wan to know my pick for the weekend, though, it's Ellis and Bob Sima at Focus in Alexandria.
If you've got the time GO GO GO. You will be so glad you did.

See you next time.
Lea

You Heard It Here - Edition 1

Here it is, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The first installment of my article in conjunction with the newsletter, Now Hear This. .
I also drop by here from time to time to fill y'all in on goings on.

This is a great chance to share new tunes and introduce you to some of the incredible music and musicians I'm encountering along the way.

So, without further ado, this tune is called: The Moon, A Planet & A Star

If the embedded song below is taking a while, you can listen here.

The Moon, A Planet and a Star

Written by: LEA

The moon, a planet and a star in the midnight sky, well, they're not so far. 70 some years ago. Was it a night like tonight? Guess we'll never know. The light has journeyed for a while just to land on you and to make you smile. On the night I'm dreaming of, it could have been us just discovering love. If you take a photograph, looking back, well we'll have to laugh. We are near and yet so far form the moon, a planet and a star. I wish I may, I wish I might reach into the darkness and grab a light. I would keep it tucked away just to shine for a while on your rainy day. But I have to let it go. It's the law, everybody knows. We are near and yet so far to the moon, the planets and the stars. We are so like the moon, the planets and the stars. I should explain. This song was born on the road. Very literally. I was driving in the midnight hours to make it to a show in Alberta, VA the next morning. As I always do, I was listening to NPR and happened to catch the StarDate information that they gave. The astronomer announced that souls lucky enough to be awake so late would get an eyeful of a cosmic triangle: the moon, the star Regulus and the planet Saturn. Naturally, I looked and got an eyeful of cloud. About 10 minutes before arriving at the hotel, the sky parted and there they were. It was as though they wanted me to see and of course, I was instantly inspired. Perhaps what moved me the most was the knowledge that the light I was seeing was sent my way some 77 years ago. Quite a journey just make me smile for a few moments. To download this song to your computer and share with friends , click this link & retrieve from Audio page.

Remember, You Heard it Here.
(come back soon and tell a friend)

The New CDs have arrived & other cool news

So, I'm scrambling.
Not unlike the proverbial chicken, freshly decapitated.
Got a gig this afternoon at the William Paca Garden in Annapolis. Looking forward to it.

Also, working on some things with bigBEE Records this morning. Packing up some preorders to go and getting the drill on the very first production of Project MiniMuse at the Chesapeake Children's Museum.


And very excitingly, my new CDs have arrived. Horrah!
They're still available at the pre-order price of $10 until the release.
More info soon. See you tonight!
Lea

Live from Annapolis

Where were you this morning at the crack of dawn.
I, my friends, was yawning awake.



Made it into the WNAV studios in Annapolis, MD just after 8. (That's an hour from my homestead and in traffic, I should add). Did a little mini interview with Scotti Preston and radio personality, Maria Day. Hopefully, we drummed up some interest for the first ever Garden Concert Series at the William Paca Garden - the coolest backyard in town!

Check out the info at my site.


Looking forward to playing outdoors with Will and Jason again so soon.
Here are some pics from the radio interview.
Photos by Preston Carter. Thanks Preston!

Tasty Goodness

Hey, you guys. It's late. What are you doing up?
What am I doing up, considering that I'm going to be singing at Washington Ethical Society way early in the morning tomorrow?

Well, I just wanted to let you know that there are sound clips up from our show at the Taste of Wheaton on Sunday. Have a listen: at my website.
I was joined by the illustrious Mr. Will Henderson on electric bass and Jason Walker on drums. We mixed it up with a bunch of covers ( including my new favorite, Proud Mary).

It was a pretty rainy day, but the food was great and I'd call it a success. You can hear me trying to cheer up the Sunday morning, grey sky crowd on No Woman No Cry.

Will and I played with Doug Alan Wilcox over at the Rainbow Connection in Hagerstown.
We love those guys. They obviously love us, too, as we've been invited to be part of their Pride event this year. We'll keep you posted on that.

I'm actually, thinking about tagging along with Karla from the Rainbow Connection and singing a little bit for the good folks at a few of the regional Prides. Look for me at local Farmer' Markets, too. Wherever good people are celebrating - I want to be there :)

Oh, yeah and stay tuned. I'm going to be posting video and audio from Will and my appearance at the Montpelier Arts Center soon.

By the way, you guys are all coming to the CD Release, Benefit, Birthday party on June 20 at the Potter's House, right?

If you're looking for something a little quiter, more cozy and intimate, I'll be doing a release at the Ten Thousand Joys in Frederick, MD. You can buy tickets at my website or take your chances on the evening of the show at one of the few seats available in this house concert like atmosphere.

Later,
Lea

Survived the weekend

Hello everybody. Miracle of Miracles.
I survived the weekend.

Generally speaking, playing 5 shows over a weekend is, as my sister would say, "Doing a lot."
Considering that I had just gotten back from a 2 week European tour a day before, it was doing a whole lot.

I'm of the school of thought that any gig worth playing that comes my way - ought to be played.
As it turns out, I got 5 such offers for this weekend.

Friday, thank goodness, I was able to relax. However duty (labor of love) called in a different way. I had the privilege of sitting ( ) this close to Odetta while she sang at the Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel. It's a beautiful venue in Laurel and I will be performing there this Friday.
It was a great opportunity to see the place and finally experience this mesmerizing pioneer in person.
If you don't know, check out some of Odetta's stuff on youtube. You'll be awed, I think.

Saturday, I played a private party at Strathmore. That was pretty trippy is so many ways.
First of all, we did a 90% cover set, which I haven't played since... geez, I don't know the last time I played so many covers. What was particularly surprising is that it was actually kind of fun.
You know, playing with Doug and Will is fun anyway, but we did tunes like Proud Mary and Wind Beneath My Wings and it was a trip.

Also interesting was the room. Chris VanHollen, Ike Leggett to name a few. If you're from elsewhere, these are Maryland politicians. BIG names. As a matter of fact, Mrs. Leggett came over to tell us how much she was enjoying the set.

Nice.

That night, played an opening set for the Grandsons at the Folk'n Great House Concert. Inuendos were flying left and right.
It was kind of hilarious, as one point when the host says to his wife, "Hon, I think this is the first time we've had sax in the basement."

Groans. And then, the voice of a 9 year old, "I don't get it."
So, everybody's still trying to figure out how to classify the Grandsons. I think it's surf music. Seriously. You listen and tell me what you think.

Really nice guys, super fun music.

Sunday, Will, Jason and I played the Taste of Wheaton.
If you were awake at all on Sunday, you know it was not exactly prime weather for a festival, but we had ourselves a time. Actually got a decent recording of the show. I'm going to put up a few tracks on the website, for your listening pleasure.

(The afternoon show got cancelled, which was only kind of a bummer, cause... well, you got to sleep sometime).

Then, Laela and I did a 25 minute set at the Music for Myanmar event at the Rock and Roll Hotel. I tell you, it was, indeed, a rockin way to end a wacky weekend.

A great weekend in music.
It is good to be home.
It was good to be gone,
but it's way better to be home.


I'll be keeping the next few days holy ( you know, Sabbath.) - working from home
So, see you guys on Thursday or Friday - depending on where you hang your hatt

Jiggity Jig Baby

That's my poetic way of saying, I'm BA-ACK.
It may interest you to know that I was on the road (or in the say, as it were) for about 25 hours yesterday. I arrived alive, so I'm not complaining, but it was a heck of a long day.

The whole experience was made bearable by an unexpected and pleasant conversation that took place over half of the Atlantic Ocean. One the advantages of American Airlines Economy Class (READ: lack-o-elbow room) is a ready-made opportunity for intimate discourse, if you want it. Of course, you can always just stare at the water, if you prefer. (That's why my sister always gets a window seat).

Now, tonight the pleasure of a second grade opera. Tomorrow a bit of band practice and this weekend 5 shows. I find that to be only mildly insane. My family seems to find it annoying.

Too bad my body doesn't realize it's in North American again.
Awake at 5:30 AM. Got myself a fresh cup of yerba mate and I am ready for the day.

I got a new attitude

It's kind of true. I've certainly been working like a dog - or a bee, as it were. 

Got a new website, too. Feeling pretty good about it and might actually let it stand like this for a while. Really... Okay, I would like to change the color of the buttons, but after that...

All the links ought to be working and the form and everything else. 

When you get a chance, take a look and let me know.

That's pretty much it for now.

The plan is to go out and do some touristy stuff on this, the last day of the European tour. All the shows performed successfully and a very cool, unplanned session at Stockfisch Records in Northeim. Along with all the great ideas and the prospect of an intern, this has been one of the best tours yet. 

See you lovelies again soon.

Lea

European Co-conspirators and a Huge Producer. All in a Night

Hey you guys,

Thanks for a great show at Noergelbuff in Goettingen. Performed with Sven von Samson (percussion) & Adrian Schmidtke (Bass) and had just a grand ol time.

Jan Sperhake opened the evening with a set of sweet original tunes and we finished the night with a set of tunes from Great Big World, mostly. I'll be posting some sound recordings and maybe a video to the website soon.

This venue has officially tied with the Scheunenverein in Liebenau as my favorite European venue.
It's a joy to play for a room full of attentive souls. When you all chimed in on "Everything's gonna be alright", it just felt like home. Thanks again.

Some amazing, syncronicity happened last night, as well. First of all, I met 3 enthusiastic ladies from other countries (Belgium, France and Spain), who invited me to come play in their countries. I've made a pact with myself to do it within a year. Keep me hones.t

Then, while sharing some of the ideas about bigBEE records with a young lady who is versed in public service and music, I received the most incredible inspiration to invite her to be an intern. Amazingly, she seems to be as impulsive as I am and I think this is going to happen. There'll be more information about that on the bigBEE blog and site.

Earlier yesterday, I had received a call from a producer who was looking for a vocalist. As it turns out, he was the legendary Guenter Pauler from Stockfish Records. It looks like we're going to be doing a session on Monday.

Everyone who found out that the connection had been made between us was floored and Adrian, the bassist, told me that he is one of the top 3 in his field in the world. So, this can only be good. Can't wait to see his studio, hear the tracks and sing my fool heart out.

There is nothing quite as good as that feeling that you are absolutely on the right track. That you are in the right place, at the right time and you know exactly what you are meant to be doing on this journey.

Virgin post & more to come soon...

Hi everybody.
Lea here.

Not sure if you caught the beginning of this blog, about a week ago.
I began while on tour in Europe for a couple weeks.
There are still a few entries and pics up on the website.

But since, I plan to overhaul the site soon, thought I'd post these thoughts in some neutral spot. So, here we are. Meine, Germany is where I am - a tiny little village (Dorf) outside of Braunschweig, which is a rather modest city in the northwest of my home away from home.

Two more shows to go. Looking forward to playing with Sven and Adrian at Noergelbuff again.
Great players. Here's a photo from the last time I performed there with them.
We've added some new (old) tunes to the set. New playing them together, but from older CDs ("creation" and "looking forward").

So, all kind of good stuff is cooking up - a new label, new CD, great ideas for some community building.

Also, if you're signed up to receive my mailing list, you will notice a change coming over me. Starting with the next installments, I'll be adding a bit more meat
(Yes, I'm a veggie, but you know what I mean.)

Anyway, there'll be more about that in a post soon.

til then,
Lea