That Was My Family

Plus 4th Sunday Salon this weekend + Resistance Fest NC

Welcome to all the new folks who have subscribed here recently! I just found out we are #33 on Substack’s “Rising in Music”. That feels good. Thank you for joining me.

I think and write about my ancestors a lot. It started with New Thanksgiving Feast and my spoken word piece Chicken Soup. Most recently, That Was My Family.

I have pictures on my bureau of forebears whose names I don’t know, the specifics of whose lives I can only imagine based on their dress, their determined but exhausted faces, the seemingly ancient year stamps and the fading Cyrillic scribbles on the backs. I feel grateful to have these images, but the majority of their individual stories died with them or their children.

Maybe all my ancestors were saints; maybe some of them were not great people. I don’t know. I do know that I owe everything to them - my literal existence, my inheritance, both tangible and intangible. I don’t know what their political views were. I do know they were running for their lives when they came here and I know that when I see peoples’ lives being threatened because of their immigration status, ethnicity or the color of their skin, it’s my responsibility to do something. Because that could’ve been me. That was my family.

That Was My Family came out first as a single - you can watch the video here - and then as part of my 2023 album When We Rise.

If it’s not part of your collection, you can get the single now on my Bandcamp for a donation of $5 or more, with all proceeds going to Immigrant Legal Resource Center who provide legal training, technical assistance, and educational materials, and engage in advocacy and immigrant civic engagement to advance immigrant rights.

I know my accent when singing in Spanish is not perfect, but it felt more important to do something than to do something perfectly.

DONATE TO GET THE TRACK BY CLICKING THE COVER ART:

My paternal great grandmother and grandmother. I’ve never seen a photo of the former where she wasn’t holding her pocketbook.

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Proud to join this lineup of powerful women artists Saturday, June 14th in Burlington, NC! Together we can Resist Hate and Reclaim Love. Come join us and get powered up!

Our monthly Salon is this Sunday, 5/25 at 3 pm ET over Zoom.

This month’s theme: Songs of Families.

We’ll discuss:

1. Your top three songs related to family - the conflict, the joy, the stuff you can’t get away from.

2. Bonus round: Any music you learned to love (or hate) BECAUSE of your family…Dad! Enough with the polka!

To join, become a paid subscriber OR redeem your one time free upgrade. Zoom login is below the paywall.

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Thanks so much to Cassidy at

Dedicate Your Life To Music

for interviewing me for their podcast. Cass is a *brilliant* career coach. If you are a woman looking to feel stronger about your music career, your belief in yourself as an artist, or how to “brand” yourself without feeling icky, they are your person. They helped me cut through some deep shit to discover a lot more power in my work.

Ep 2. Make An Artist Brand That Transforms Your Music Career With Jess Klein

Much love to all,

Jess