We are very excited to release a new single and in-studio video for our cover of Pink Floyd’s “Mother.”
I looove this song, it’s so rich and deep and dramatic and all the things I generally look for in a song. I’m really happy with the way our version turned out; it captures the spirit of the original and still has its own unique identity.
I felt like we couldn’t even attempt a guitar solo, because anything we did would pale in comparison to the perfection that is Gilmour’s guitar solo. SO we opted to keep the melody of the original solo but completely change the instrumentation, take a listen:
I recently sat down (in front of a computer) with Anna Kroupina from The Vocalist Magazine to chat about music, being an independent artist and other fun stuff.
It’s really nice when people contact you out of the blue and give you press! Thanks Anna!
Here’s the article:
We just got back from an awe-inspiring trip to Peru. We went there specifically for Ayahuasca and San Pedro ceremonies in the Sacred Valley.
I’m still at a loss for words, but I can tell you that as I was lying on the ground, surrounded by the most magnificent mountains I’ve ever seen with beautiful birds singing all around me and so much LIFE happening, I thought of this song people have been singing since the 1800’s:
“I’m gonna lay down my burdens down by the riverside, I won’t study war no more”
In that state of total and complete surrender I understood this song on a whole other level, how simple and profound the message is.
In how many ways do I “study war?” What am I fighting in my daily life? I’m not even talking about actual war, or even large social issues. Just the tiny ways I am subtly (and not so subtly) aggressive towards myself. Fighting to get somewhere or be someone, achieve something. This constant quest denies my perfection and ultimate belonging right now in this moment.
There’s nowhere we could get to that would make us more whole than we already are.
I’m blessed to be here, I’m blessed to be an artist, to witness this world. In the words of Thích Nhat Hanh, “I have arrived, I am home, my destination is in each step.”
Here are a couple of verses of my new favorite song:
We’re busy booking our next European tour for Spring 2015. We’ll be teaming up with TJ Concerts again for bookings in The Netherlands and Germany and we’ll also be adding shows in Belgium and France this year. As well as playing regular venues we want to include some house concerts – for those who don’t know, house concerts are invitation-only shows held in someone’s home with between 15-50 guests. Usually guests pay a suggested donation between 10-15 euros which goes directly to the artist. These shows tend to be extremely rewarding for us as artists and for the audience, and they encourage a more intimate performance and connection than traditional venues.
If you have even the slightest inclination to host an evening of music for you and your friends get in touch! Trust us, it will be a night to remember 🙂
Here is our planned itinerary so far:
Netherlands/Germany: April 16-27 Belgium/France: April 28- May 10
We had a great time touring in Holland and Germany in May!
We’ve come to the conclusion that The Netherlands is just a little more advanced than everybody else. First there’s the gay marriage thing – it’s been legal in the Netherlands since 2001, which means there’s a whole generation of kids out there who didn’t have to grow up as second class citizens in the eyes of their own government. Then there’s the whole not-spending-billions-of-dollars-locking-people-up-for-personal-marijuana-use-thing. PLUS all the bike riding. I’ve never seen so many bicycles in my life! When we arrived (hungry and jetlagged, recipe for disaster) we got lost and ended up in a cute little neighborhood where we witnessed a rush hour involving only bicycles, it was awesome. The whole country seems to cater to bicycles and there are usually separate bike paths which means bikers and drivers rarely have to share the road. On top of all that Holland is really pretty…and clean…and they really know how to design cities, there’s always a vehicle-free pedestrian/bicycle zone in the center where you can walk for twenty minutes without seeing a Starbucks…plus everyone we met was really nice….aaaaaaaand the government still supports the arts over there so musicians can actually get paid, imagine that!
Okay, you get the point, we like Holland.
Germany was awesome too, we played on a Tuesday night and there was a room full of people who came out to listen…you can’t pay people to come out on a Tuesday in New York. There seems to be a real appreciation for live music over there which was so refreshing.
Anyway, we played seven shows in Holland and one show in Germany and it was a great experience. So great that we’ll be back next Spring, hopefully delving into Germany a little more and expanding into France.
Recording a new single at Dream Projects Studio
You know you’ve made it when there are mirrors with lights around them in your greenroom
The green room at a 12th century Church in Fryslan, Netherland
Post-tour trip to Europa Parc – Rollercoastersss weeee!
I recently had the pleasure of getting to know Auke Ferwerda, who runs a studio in the Northern part of The Netherlands called Dream Projects Studio. As some of you know we’re getting ready to play some shows in The Netherlands and Germany (next week!!) and Auke is organizing an incredible show on May 18th at Kloosterkapel Sybrandahus – a 13th Century chapel in a small village in The Netherlands, how amazing does that sound?!
Auke told me the story of how his studio came to be, and it is pretty awesome. Many years ago Auke was a radio DJ but left the music industry to take over his father’s construction business. He got married and raised two kids with his wife Klaske, who is a singer. Both of his children are now musicians and Auke knew that his boys weren’t going to take over the business so he decided to build a state of the art sound and video production studio in one of the construction buildings…pretty great parenting if you ask me 🙂 So after 130 years the construction business will be coming to an end but he believes that you must follow your heart “and if that is not in building construction but in music, so be it.” Touche!
We were invited to record there during our tour so hopefully we’ll have a new song to share when we’re back!
You can check out Dream Projects Studio here: http://dreamprojectstudios.nl/
