Last night’s show at the Climate went well. What an enthusiastic audience!
I learned two important things.
1. We’ve outgrown the Climate Theater. We sold out 3 days before the show.
2. The way I move my body on stage informs the way I sing. The stage was tight and cramped last night. I felt restricted. Like if I stomped my feet or moved them around I’d break something. If you’ve seen me live before, you know I like to move when I sing. Having to stand still was a serious challenge and I realize how important it is for me to have space on stage.
The Climate show was the last bit of preparation for recording the new album. I’ve been workshopping some of this material solo for years. Getting to know it. Trying different tempos, keys and feels. I added Seth Ford-Young, my bassist and best friend back to the mix in October, the first month of our residency at the Dark Room. In November we brought Myles Boisen on guitar and Chris Grady back into the mix for the second month of Dark Room Shows. December we brought our percussionist Jenya Chernoff back and began working with our new cellist Alex Kelly in weekly rehearsals. We played as a sextet every Thursday in January at CSC with rehearsals in between. Then we took 2 weeks off in February before we went on retreat in Occidental. Since then we’ve had two sold out shows including last night. Now we have two days off before we go into the studio.
I’m thrilled with results of the strategy we took in preparing for this album. The band is tight musically and personally. There is so much love between us. I’ve been told that it comes through on stage and I’m hoping it comes through in the recordings.
Now my job is to fulfill my teaching obligations today then to rest up and take really good care of myself.
On the teaching note, I’m happy to announce that I will not be renewing my contract with the middle school I’ve been teaching at. I’m going to be focused on the music, private lessons and my Embodied Singing courses. I love teaching kids. But the combination of performing regularly, running a business and teaching middle school is just too exhausting for me.
