Vital Joy
Hillsborough, NC this week + Spring Northeast Shows
Beloveds,
Thank you sincerely for being here with me. Here, specifically, on my email list. The toxicity of social media feels less and less like something I want to put meaningful effort into. Whether you’ve been on this list since day one, or signed up last week, thank you - for believing in the value of art, believing its worth making space in your inbox, giving me and you a way to connect directly. It means a lot.
Joy means a lot, and it’s something we have to cultivate. The world is not going to spontaneously burst out of the shit-cake it is in with rouged cheeks, a top hat and cane and dance our troubles away. We have to find the joy and make it loud. We have to be the girl in the cake.
For a while I was going around telling everyone who would listen that I wanted to cultivate community to build resilience and to vision something new while the powers that be try to cobble us. Now, I’m actually starting to experience the benefits of that cultivation, and it feels like I can’t believe how good my life is. That feels subversive to say. A little guilt-inducing. I’m not claiming there isn’t terrible shit happening. Obviously, there is, and we owe it to each other to engage and push back. We are being required to. We also have a right to claim our joy while doing it.
Finding the light in the darkness.
I tap into joy when I sing for you. Literally nothing makes me happier than to be lost in the feeling of a song and feel you there with me.
I’ve got a lot of shows in the works this year, starting with this gold nugget:
Join Wes Collins and me for an intimate song-swap this Thursday 1/30 at Eno House here in Hillsborough, NC. We’ve been learning some of each others’ tunes and will be doing some harmonizing and guitar work for each other. I really want to scream from the rooftops what a killer songwriter this guy is. If you’ve heard him, you know. If not, come get on the ride. BYOB and BYO SNACKS. I’ll take some Bugles.
Northeast Friends:
I’m looking to fill in a couple April and November dates for this year. Do you have a house concert or series you want me to play? Please let me know.
Some places I’m finding deep community:
My 3rd Sunday Salons - open to all paid subscribers. I alternate monthly between livestream concerts and chats about our current music and culture faves. It feels like coming home to the funky side of the family each month. Next Salon is February 16th, 3 pm ET. Join us by becoming a paid subscriber.
Dedicate Your Life to Music - OMG, this group. Such beautiful, supportive energy from artists doing amazing work. Cassidy is a publicist with an impressive record among artists and labels as well as their own sweetly subversive acoustic pop songs.
Looking forward to this event in Greensboro, NC 2/22 called “Becoming More” - From the Eventbrite description: Through a seamless blend of music, interpretive dance, and personal narrative, Stephen Emberley—an inspiring transgender, Two Spirit individual—invites you into their journey of self-discovery, resilience, and healing.
As part of my birthday week last week, I joined these cats at the O’Henry Hotel in Greensboro, NC for a set of Great American Songbook standards. We threw in a few wildcards, including The Dead’s “Stella Blue”. My sweetie has been telling me for years this tune would soar with a jazz arrangement. He was right.