Fall Newsletter
I'm sitting here on what seems like the first cool evening of summer listening to a cd my grandfather just sent me called Abayudaya--Music From The Jewish People of Uganda. Okay, two things. One: who knew? Two: this is wonderful stuff! Increasingly, I find myself drawn to music that is unadorned, authentic, and deeply rooted in community and shared experience. I suppose you'd call that folk music, huh?
Earlier this summer I was in Montana visiting with Tandy's family and I spent an afternoon playing music with Carrie (one of Tandy's childhood friends) who is a self-taught fiddle player. We spent hours in the backyard playing fiddle reels and whatever other songs we both knew or didn't know. We weren't performing--we were all there just enjoying the afternoon.
All of which is to say . . . may I suggest you make music a part of your family gatherings or your community of friends. You don't need to be a 'musician'. You are one, trust me. Go ahead. Sing together. Make up a song in the car. Dance around the laundry room. See what happens. It is sweetest when shared. Speaking of sharing, I have much to share with you as Fall approaches. Lots of shows, a songwriting workshop, and more. Check the shows page, see below for some random interesting things I'd like to direct your way, and, as always, kiss your children, hug your parents, floss, repeat.
INTERESTING THINGS . . . .
∞ THE THREE R'S. In the middle of planning my September trip to Chicago, I was talking with my friend, Rob Sullivan about OneVoice and my trip last summer to Uganda. He said, you know who you need to know? (I love it when people say this). To make a long story short, in addition to the shows in Chicago, I'll be visiting and singing with Sarah Elizabeth Ippel and the Academy for Global Citizenship. She's an inspiring woman and this is, in my humble opinion, what education ought to look like everywhere. Check it out.
∞ MORE YOGA! Our friend and teacher, Insel Metin, has opened a new Bikram Yoga studio in Tysons Corner, VA. It's beautiful, he's beautiful, and . . . well, you might just wanna check it out for yourself. At the very least, send him a message and tell him to cut me some slack during triangle pose.
∞ MANY HANDS. I don't often comment on such things, but if you're in search of some fantastic and meaningful music for your little ones this Fall, look no further than this compilation cd put out by Spare The Rock Records.It features Pete Seeger, Dan Zanes, They Might Be Giants, Recess Monkey, and many more you may not have heard of, but will be thrilled to discover. I just love this record. It's the brainchild of Dean Jones and proceeds go to the Haitian People's Support Project. So, you get some fabulous music and feel morally superior to your neighbors all at once. Bonus! Check it out: manyhandscd.com
