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.

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

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