“Walk through the door, go find what you’re looking for

When you’re ready to go

When you leave, don’t worry for me

For I have learned to let go …”

There’s a house our family lived in when I was a kid. It was a tumultuous time, a turning point, in which we weren’t entirely sure where we would end up once the turning stopped. But for two years, we lived in this house, we figured things out, found some stability, and when we moved out, we were on our way somewhere great. We had made it, at least through that.

From time to time, when I remember those years, I’ve wondered how that house would have told the story? It had been present to several other families through the years, what story would it have told about us? What if the stationary objects of our lives could reflect back to us the journeys we’d made, not in steps, but in time?

That was the starting point for this song … Walk Through the Door.

I’m currently crowdfunding to support this new album’s release. If you’d like, you can pre-order your copy and/or make a donation to the project here. Please browse other blog posts for more information about the album’s overall themes, other song features, and the realities of being an independent artist. Thank you so much for your interest and support!

Today is the day, folks! For the month of March, I’ll be collecting donations toward the production, release, and promotion of my new album of original songs, The One Who Remembers. This is an effort I’ve been working on in the studio since last summer, featuring songs written and edited over the past 5+ years. Learn more and make your donation now!

I have already written about some of the album’s major themes here, and about the special crowdfunding launch show coming up March 9 here. I will continue to post more about the album and the process of making it – check back here throughout the month, and/or follow me on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the loop.

What is crowdfunding? Why is it important?

As an independent artist, I do not have the support of record labels, which means all costs of producing and promoting an album come to me. There are a number of essential people involved in this process: a studio engineer, studio musicians, post-production technicians, and a publicist, to start. In addition to the work these folks put into the project, it also takes an enormous amount of time on my part as the artist – practicing for studio time, communicating with those working on the project, listening to the recordings and mulling over decisions about potential changes. This time is unpaid, fit in between my Music Together and adult ‘ukulele classes, parenting my five-year-old son, and the everyday tasks of putting food on the table and taking out the trash.

Crowdfunding – seeking funds from a large crowd (as opposed to say, a few investors) – is a popular strategy for recouping the funds an independent artist puts in up front for a creative project. But there’s so much more than “strategy” to the support of a project like this. Being the songwriter I am, I’ve got a metaphor for everything, so just go with me here… This month, as I indeed seek to recoup the funds I spent on making this album, I also want to invite you into the wild and wonderful garden of the art-making community. There is so much growth happening here … and I’m not talking about the GDP. 😉

What *am* I talking about?! Join me here to find out.

I staged the photo above at my mother’s house recently, as I consider possible cover images for my new album, The One Who Remembers. It features some artifacts from my great-grandmother’s kitchen: one of her many teacups (always individual, never in a set), a teapot, a lace place setting, and … of course … her spoon jar.

I’ve since learned that spoon jars are just something you know or you don’t, depending on what was customary in your own home. I grew up with this spoon jar on the table, usually dancing around on a lazy susan or next to a larger jar of wooden spoons and spatulas. Thanks to my aunt and uncle, I have my own spoon jar now, but the one pictured above was the inspiration for the first song I wrote for this new album, appropriately titled The Spoon Jar. Take a listen to this snippet:

What is this new album about?

This new album consists of songs that capture memories based on the everyday observations and artifacts that bring them to mind. I’ve gone through some transitions over the past decade (more on that later). When I think on what has kept me steady through the change, it’s interesting to me how mundane they are. A jar with a bunch of spoons; a potholder charred from years-long use; the melody of a lullaby from childhood; the feel of a sandy beach on my feet … Memories arise from any number of simple moments in our everyday lives, taking us away from the present moment and then back again. Sometimes memories leave us with new resolve or decision. Sometimes they are just comforting, or discomforting. Sometimes they are just there, traveling with us forward in time.

It’s hard to capture memory in any concrete form, of course, but what is art for, anyway? Each song on The One Who Remembers captures a moment of remembering, reflecting on where it simultaneously finds us and leaves us in the present moment.

What may surprise you …

I know you all are familiar with the idea of an album of music, and familiar with me as a music teacher, so there are some things about this album that may surprise you …

• When I see most of you in class or at jams, or most of you see me on YouTube, I’ve got an ‘ukulele in my hands. Not on this album! While I write songs on a variety of instruments, this album features 7 songs on guitar and 1 song on piano.
• In addition to these 8 songs, there are 4 interstitial tracks I’ve named “Echoes”. These come between the musical tracks and are meant to stand in for the kind of auditory experience or moment in which a memory comes forward. The song that follows each of these echoes is a representation of that memory.
• Finally, you’ll be hearing some other natural sounds on some of the song tracks … wind, birds, voices. While I wanted these songs to have a polished sound, of course, I wanted to place them in the real and concrete environments that inspired them.

Reminder: Crowdfunding Show March 9!

EDIT: Due to illness, I had to cancel this March 9 show. However, I’ve been able to reschedule this show for April 7, 5:00pm, at Artichoke Music in Portland, OR. Learn more here.

As I’ve already written in more detail in this blog post, I’ll be sharing more about this album and playing through all of the songs at a special house concert in Northeast Portland on Saturday, March 9 and 5:00pm. There are a very limited number of seats for those who want to come in person, enjoy some snacks and drinks ahead of time, and get that intimate performance experience – if you’d like to join us, please contact me here. However, it will also be live streamed for free so anyone and everyone can tune in, wherever they are. I’ll be posting the live stream link in the next couple days so please check back here soon. You can also get it directly delivered to your email inbox by signing up for my e-newsletter here.

I hope you can join me!

This spring, I am very excited to release a new album of all original music: The One Who Remembers! I have been working on this album since last summer, and CANNOT WAIT to share it with you and the world.

Next month, I’ll be sharing lots of details and stories about the making of The One Who Remembers, inviting you to pre-purchase your copy, and – if you are willing and as you are able – to support the work of this album with an additional financial donation of your choice. To kick off these crowdfunding efforts, the lovely Dani Joy and Perry Stauffer of Starlight Ukes in Northeast Portland are hosting me for an intimate, limited, in person performance.

Show Details

This show takes place Saturday, March 9 at 5:00pm Pacific. There are approximately 20 seats open for in-person attendees, or you can livestream the show from home. Here’s what you can expect, either way:

• If you join us in person, doors will open at 4:00pm for wine, snacks, and conversation.
• Shortly before 5:00pm, we’ll turn on the live stream, get ourselves settled, and the show will begin!
• I’ll start off with a few songs from my previous album, Dreams & Ghosts, and then I’ll play the new album straight through, offering short stories and context pieces along the way.
• To conclude, I’ll take questions from both in-person and online audiences, if you have any. 🙂 The whole performance will wrap up no later than 6:15pm PT.

Tickets!

We would love it if you could join us for this very special show. In-person seats are $35 per person / $60 per couple. This ticket price includes wine and snacks before the show, and goes directly into the crowdfund for this album – THANK YOU for being among the first contributors to this important effort! Contact me here to make your reservation, and please plan to bring cash or check to the show. It’s house concert style, folks! 🙂 (Venmo/PayPal is also an option, if preferred)

The livestream link will be public, and will not require any tickets to access. We’ll have a donation link posted on the video for you to make a donation of your choice directly into the crowdfund for this album – THANK YOU, TOO, for being among the first contributors to this important effort!

Questions?

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out, any time. Contact me here.

As we transition seasons, I’m excited to announce a new term of weekly ukulele classes, monthly songwriting workshops, and regular jams – all offered online *and* in person here in Portland, Oregon! Read through some brief descriptions below, browse the Shop, and/or check out the Event Calendar to find the best options for you.

Weekly Classes

Ukulele Theme Study: The Music of Hawaii

I really enjoy the opportunity I have as a teacher to share my expertise and provide meaningful learning experiences for my students, as well as to learn right along with them! This term, we’ll be learning together about The Music of Hawaii. As I followed the news of August wildfires on Maui, and processed my own thoughts and feelings about it from a distance, I realized I hadn’t yet truly investigated the ukulele’s relationship to Hawaiian culture and history. It’s time! I hope you’ll join me. Ukulele Theme Study of The Music of Hawaii. We’ll study a mix of popular Hawaiian songs, as well as traditional music and lesser known writers from Hawaii. It’s mixed level, so advanced beginners through experienced players are welcome! Click here to learn more and register to attend on Zoom or live in person.

Ukestra (Ukulele Ensemble)

We had a really nice monthly group of ukulele instrumentalists meeting monthly earlier this year. This term, we’ll met every week! This class is best suited for those who are familiar with reading music notation and/or tablature on the ukulele, and are eager to play with others in different parts. In other words, as in an orchestra, we will play instrumental pieces of music with a melody, harmony, and bass part, and perhaps others. The music we play mostly includes traditional music from various traditions (e.g. Shenandoah), along with instrumental arrangements of popular songs (e.g. God Bless the Child). Click here to learn more and register to attend, in-person only.

Workshops

Beyond Beginner Ukulele Workshop Series (Weekly)

It’s fairly easy for some folks to pick up the ukulele and get themselves started. However, at some point, everyone needs a bit more guidance, perhaps some accountability,  and the fun and support of a community to get them to the next level of their playing. This weekly Beyond Beginner Ukulele Workshop Series is designed to help players get beyond the feeling of being on a “beginner’s plateau”. Over the course of 8 weeks, we’ll cover rhythm, ear training, how to sing and play at the same time, and instrumental music for ukulele, including how to read music and/or tablature. Register for any and all of four workshop topics, or purchase the whole package. Click here to learn more and register to attend, in-person only.

Songwriting Basics & Beyond Workshop Series (Monthly)

The creative process can be an inspiring, fulfilling, yet lonely journey. This songwriting workshop series is designed to support your individual writing experience in meaningful community with other songwriters. This Songwriting Basics & Beyond: Workshop Series introduces participants to the fundamental elements of songwriting, and explore different approaches to engaging with them. Each songwriting workshop will feature one of three elements: lyrics, music, and arrangement. We’ll study existing songs that offer interesting examples of each element, but we’ll spend most of our time working with prompts and invitations to engage with these elements more consciously in our own writing. Click here to learn more and register to attend, in-person only.

Ukulele Jams

Monthly jams resume, both online and in person!

Online Ukulele Jams meet live on Zoom, 1:00-2:30pm on the following (mostly) 1st Saturdays: October 14, November 4, and December 2. Join my e-newsletter for full details, our 2023 Jam Songbook, and the Zoom link. Free and open to all, but donations are gratefully accepted here.

In-Person Ukulele Jams meet at Artichoke Music, 2:00-3:30pm on the following 3rd Saturdays: October 21, November 18, and December 16. Jam Songbook provided. $10 per person – registration link to come!

Whew!

So much musical fun coming our way. See you there! If you have any questions, please reach out to me any time.

The newest member of the family …

A couple of weeks ago, I went to pick up my new custom tenor ukulele from my friends Aaron, Nicole and Henry Keim (a.k.a. Beansprout Musical Instruments). I have been teaching and performing on ukulele long enough now, it was time to up my game and work with an instrument that I also want to work *for*, that will demand as much – if not more – of me as I will of it.

I knew Aaron would be the one to make whatever my next instrument would be. He is an expert craftsman, a deep listener of old records, and a curious soul ever on the journey, which means he’s the perfect bridge for this wood to travel from it’s latest iteration to its newest. Aaron works exclusively with salvaged wood that would otherwise be discarded. He knows where this wood has been, that it long preceded him and will long outlive him. A true artist, in every sense of the word.

I share a bit about the origin of the wood in the video below, but Aaron explains it best in the video he made on this gallery page on his website. Check it out, as well as the countless other instruments he’s made.

We went back and forth about how to describe the sound of this instrument. I know Aaron can get a bit nervous when an artist friend orders an instrument, whether they’ll like it, whether it will achieve the sound they were looking for. Truthfully, I think a lot of us don’t really know how to describe what we want, which can’t make his job easy. But I have not been able to keep my hands off this thing since I picked it up and I’ve realized that – intentionally or not – he’s achieved a sound in this instrument which is exactly what I strive for in my own voice: gentle, but full-bodied; breathy and pleasant, but present and with substance. Indeed, an instrument I will happily spend the years to come earning the right to play.

The newest selection from the repertoire …

What better way to celebrate a new instrument than with a new song! Earlier this summer, I taught at the Northwest session of the Cazadero Performing Arts Family Camp (a.k.a. Caz Northwest) and it was just the change of scenery and tempo I needed to write this little tune that had been swirling just below of the surface for me.

Oscar and I have been tearing through the series of children’s books about different science topics called The Magic School Bus. We started with dinosaurs, which was epic enough (did you know the dinosaurs lived for *hundreds* of *millions* of years?!), but went full throttle recently, reading The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System and The Magic School Bus: Explores Human Evolution almost in tandem with each other, back and forth, back and forth.

One night, as I put him to bed, I said, “Goodnight, Boo. I love you to the moon and back!”

He responded, “I love you to moon, too, Mama. … But the sun is farther, isn’t it? I love you to the sun and back!” And so it went … to Jupiter … to Pluto … and finally: “I love you to the end of the sky and back, Mama!”

I turned out the light and thought to myself, we don’t actually know where the end of the sky is, do we? Or if there is even an end to the sky at all? And isn’t that exactly what love can feel like … you launch and there is no coming back.

The End of the Sky

You and I are the blink of an eye / Going round the sun, just a speck in the sky

Something so small can be something so big at the same time / I know why, I know why

Powers of ten, again and again, to the end of the sky and back to

You and I, going round the sun

Me and you, we got nothing to do / But pass the time as we pass on through

The days are too long, the years are too short at the same time / I know why, I know why

Ringing the bell, back down the well, to the very first cell and back to

Me and you, just passing the time

Hold on

Let go

How far does it go?

Powers of ten, again and again, to the end of sky

Follow the path, narrow and vast, but there’s no coming back from loving you

You and I … just passing on through, on this speck in the sky