Thoughts & Musings

Learning the harp

A decade or so ago I taught myself to play the harp. All the notes are in order, in a line, similar to a piano, and they repeat. I was okay on it. My biggest stumbling block was that I…

It started with an open mic

The first Tuesday of 2013 I walked into The Moonshine Cafe earlier than anyone shows up for an open mic. I didn't know the rules yet, so when I saw the empty sign-up sheet I picked the 4th box from…

My path to Winterfolk

I started in this business late. I was in my mid-30s when I first stepped onto an open mic stage for the first time, and terrified. Surrounded by people who'd been up there for decades. But when I committed to…

Going to a Slumberbardy

When I was on tour in Dec 2018 I got to attend a SCA event on songwriting led by my friends in Danville IN, called a Slumberbardy (which is a fantastic name). We learned about songwriting, different approaches to composition…

Giving back to younger me

When I was 9 years old we did a play at school about the story of Noah's Ark called The Rainbow Express. It was a musical, the staff played the leads, and the 8s and 9s played the chorus parts. …

It's my 10yr anniversary

Today is my 10 year anniversary of being a solo musician. I have a lot of memories - some I'm going to revisit & share this month - from huge audiences and big stages to moments like this

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1r2G_9gX2P/

If…

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21/21 Grow Wild

21/21 "Grow Wild" (album: 12 Months a Year) came to me one morning during FAWM (February Album Writing Month) this past year. I woke up and these words were in my head 

"A hedge witch without a hedge 
Is like…

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20/21 Carving Knife

20/21 "Carving Knife" (album: The Wanderlings Volume Two) honours the role antagonists play in fairy tales, folklore and mythology. 

I grew up inundated with stories from universes where Good Battled Evil, as though there were ever 2 sides, as though…

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19/21 (I Gotta) Bow My Head

19/21 "(I Gotta) Bow My Head" (album: Keep Left at the Fork) is about that dawning realization that the reality you thought you'd so carefully curated for yourself is an illusion. 

I'm not sure if you've ever been a part…

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18/21 Silent Era

18/21 "Silent Era" (album: Reset to Factory Specs) began with a prompt. I had this image in my head of a woman screaming in a silent film, but no one could hear her. 

That's how I've felt in my skin…

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17/21 Even Standing Still

17/21 "Even Standing Still" (album: Reset to Factory Specs) sums up a lot of my feelings in 2020. When something beautiful is felt again, after a long period of feeling almost nothing, it's an epiphany. 

I was deep in the…

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