Sunday, December 28, 2014
I love music because...
I love music because it connects. It creates.
I love music because it's interesting and passionate and unexplainable- infinite.
I love the muse because the muse is everyone and everything.
The muse is you and the muse is me and the muse is everyone and everything.
I love music because it is soul speak.
Because music is healing.
Monday, December 22, 2014
(Trendy) Ugly Sweaters, the Yuletide, and Bluegrass Happenings
Happy Winter Solstice from the Dead Horses!
Above you see our fiddle/mandolin player, Tim, with his Minneapolis doppelganger. Not only did she happen to wear a shockingly similar sweater, but she also is a GINGER! So great to cross paths!
Saturday we had the great pleasure of playing the 6th annual Yuletide Sweater Ball at the beautiful Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. I really enjoyed spending time with Travis and Kendall from The Lowest Pair- if you haven't heard of them go check them out now! We also got to play with Sans Souici and The Pistol Whippin Party Penguins. There's SO MUCH great music out there!
I found myself with a couple hours after the sound check and before the show, so I decided to take a stroll. I found myself sitting in a booth drinking a tasty old fashioned and looking up information about winter solstice.
I love the Midwest, but winter is hard for me! I could write about that but I have to wonder if it's even necessary. For those of us who live here, we know. There's a knowing about winter. Every year I take on a somewhat different strategy as to challenge myself to accept winter in a healthier way.
The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, and although winter is truly just beginning, it also marks the days getting longer. This is a day that has been celebrated by human beings for thousands of years! I really appreciate that as it stands for our connection to human beings of the past in the way of human beings connecting with the earth and the cosmos.
The Winter Solstice marks the return of the sun, (just like Christmas celebrates the coming of the Son) and I find myself respecting darkness and its place... as well as the return of light. It's a time to take a step back and look at your life- a pre winter cleansing- what to walk with and what to walk from.
Having said all of that, we are pretty excited to take a little bit of time off from traveling and spend time with our families! Our next show is on New Year's Eve at the The Source Public House in Menasha. There is so much to be thankful for this year and I'm thoroughly excited to be sharing the coming of the New Year so close to home. On January 9th, we have been very excited to announce that we will be headlining the Isthmus Bluegrass Fest at the Majestic in Madison. This is quite the opportunity for us and we are looking forward to playing in such a beautiful venue with a great lineup of bands.
Happy holidays everyone and we hope to see you all soon!
Dead Horses @ The Source Public House (New Year's Eve!)
Dead Horses @ The Majestic (January 9th)
Monday, December 1, 2014
The hardest part of being a musician?
Not really sure to be honest! My answer today would be different than tomorrow or next week or year.
One thing I do find to be challenging time and again is in regards to the performance aspect. We'd all like to think of ourselves as artists, but we're creating our art every single time we play, every performance. If there's not a recording (and even if there is, really) there's nothing left behind besides a memory. Imagine if every painting done was invisible as soon as it was finished. How would that change the way we perceive paintings?
A lot of these thoughts came to me while thinking about the difference of playing at home in a room by myself and how I feel when I'm on stage with Dead Horses. In addition to the sound being different (room sound, amps and speakers, crowd noise etc) as well as all that extra energy rolling around the room, the lights, the smells, the set list or lack of one, the energy the band before left on stage and in the room...
There's also the freedom in sitting at home alone... choice to pick up the guitar when you want to, play whatever you want to, sing or not sing, stop a song in the middle or play it five times in a row. There's therapy in that.
And on stage the idea of what's going to happen and what needs to happen is different in every person's head- especially in the audience. This whole idea is partially why it's hard to hear people shout out songs that you don't really feel like playing!
At the same time, there's challenge in staying fresh on stage- a challenge that requires some discipline. And the reward is getting to work with new energy at every single show, to experience every song differently every time you play it, and to do that is a give and take between all the people in the room.
This I find as very spiritual.. we pack ourselves in these rooms and move our bodies around to the sound waves, energy waves back and forth, back and forth. Push and pull, ride, repeat.
One thing I do find to be challenging time and again is in regards to the performance aspect. We'd all like to think of ourselves as artists, but we're creating our art every single time we play, every performance. If there's not a recording (and even if there is, really) there's nothing left behind besides a memory. Imagine if every painting done was invisible as soon as it was finished. How would that change the way we perceive paintings?
A lot of these thoughts came to me while thinking about the difference of playing at home in a room by myself and how I feel when I'm on stage with Dead Horses. In addition to the sound being different (room sound, amps and speakers, crowd noise etc) as well as all that extra energy rolling around the room, the lights, the smells, the set list or lack of one, the energy the band before left on stage and in the room...
There's also the freedom in sitting at home alone... choice to pick up the guitar when you want to, play whatever you want to, sing or not sing, stop a song in the middle or play it five times in a row. There's therapy in that.
And on stage the idea of what's going to happen and what needs to happen is different in every person's head- especially in the audience. This whole idea is partially why it's hard to hear people shout out songs that you don't really feel like playing!
At the same time, there's challenge in staying fresh on stage- a challenge that requires some discipline. And the reward is getting to work with new energy at every single show, to experience every song differently every time you play it, and to do that is a give and take between all the people in the room.
This I find as very spiritual.. we pack ourselves in these rooms and move our bodies around to the sound waves, energy waves back and forth, back and forth. Push and pull, ride, repeat.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
White Winter Wisconsin
A resounding theme in my life- PERSPECTIVE.
This tends to come up more this time of year- how my perspective can completely shift my reality.
On Friday afternoon we found ourselves in a beautiful living room full of beautiful people- gathering for friends, family, music and food. High ceilings and organic sound. Many of these faces were familiar- some were new. The humbling experience of being brought into someone's home, into their family for the afternoon- it's one of the most rewarding things I get to be a part of.
And I just kept thinking, "Man, we're so lucky!"
This is the time of year we start really preparing ourselves for the coming winter months. Winter for me now means perfecting the art of dressing in layers so that I can be comfortable outside, in the van, in a stuffy bar, and playing music in a stuffy bar. This last weekend I found myself exchanging my wool socks for some cotton ones on stage right before our shows.
Yesterday we drove from Wausau to Madison. White Wisconsin winter, rural and flat and the orange sky during dusk which goes so quickly during the winter... we were driving right into it and if I can't be present in that moment I'm not so sure I'm alive anymore.
And a lot of things on the horizon we are looking forward to this winter! A new Daytrotter Session, a new music video, releasing our album again on a different format, playing with talented musicians, making new friends, seeing the countryside, seeing some cities, seeing new art, new energy (never really new,) and swimming, swimming, swimming.
This tends to come up more this time of year- how my perspective can completely shift my reality.
On Friday afternoon we found ourselves in a beautiful living room full of beautiful people- gathering for friends, family, music and food. High ceilings and organic sound. Many of these faces were familiar- some were new. The humbling experience of being brought into someone's home, into their family for the afternoon- it's one of the most rewarding things I get to be a part of.
And I just kept thinking, "Man, we're so lucky!"
This is the time of year we start really preparing ourselves for the coming winter months. Winter for me now means perfecting the art of dressing in layers so that I can be comfortable outside, in the van, in a stuffy bar, and playing music in a stuffy bar. This last weekend I found myself exchanging my wool socks for some cotton ones on stage right before our shows.
Yesterday we drove from Wausau to Madison. White Wisconsin winter, rural and flat and the orange sky during dusk which goes so quickly during the winter... we were driving right into it and if I can't be present in that moment I'm not so sure I'm alive anymore.
And a lot of things on the horizon we are looking forward to this winter! A new Daytrotter Session, a new music video, releasing our album again on a different format, playing with talented musicians, making new friends, seeing the countryside, seeing some cities, seeing new art, new energy (never really new,) and swimming, swimming, swimming.
Friday, November 14, 2014
Fine Line Art
"I just do the things I do, I don't know why except that it makes me happy to do them."
It's a fine line for artists.
We don't want to make money off our art. We just want to make a living.
We love the road- new places, new people, new towns, new stages, new ideas and new ways of living.
But we all need a home... a place to lay our heads.
"After all, a man has to have something to tie to, something he can trust to be there in the morning."
And to our families and lovers- we want you to miss us, but we don't want you to miss us too much. Sometimes I feel like a stranger when I come home. Sometimes I feel like a stranger when I leave.
"Be still a moment... there's something here. You are afraid of it, but I know it. Somewhere, perhaps in an old dream, I have seen this place, or perhaps felt the feeling of this place... This is holy- and this is old. This is ancient- and holy."
This morning I feel so very encouraged by all the people I've met along the way who want to dedicate their life power to enabling the arts- dancing, painting, music making, theater... It's true- it's a hard life! But it's easy too. Trust me. And when it gets a little too trying, there's a million other souls doing the same thing you can draw from and feel connected to. Because on some level, we all really are doing the same thing.
Here's a video our friend, Nick put together for us. The audio track is off our new album:
PS: Quotes taken from the novel To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck
It's a fine line for artists.
We don't want to make money off our art. We just want to make a living.
We love the road- new places, new people, new towns, new stages, new ideas and new ways of living.
But we all need a home... a place to lay our heads.
"After all, a man has to have something to tie to, something he can trust to be there in the morning."
And to our families and lovers- we want you to miss us, but we don't want you to miss us too much. Sometimes I feel like a stranger when I come home. Sometimes I feel like a stranger when I leave.
"Be still a moment... there's something here. You are afraid of it, but I know it. Somewhere, perhaps in an old dream, I have seen this place, or perhaps felt the feeling of this place... This is holy- and this is old. This is ancient- and holy."
This morning I feel so very encouraged by all the people I've met along the way who want to dedicate their life power to enabling the arts- dancing, painting, music making, theater... It's true- it's a hard life! But it's easy too. Trust me. And when it gets a little too trying, there's a million other souls doing the same thing you can draw from and feel connected to. Because on some level, we all really are doing the same thing.
Here's a video our friend, Nick put together for us. The audio track is off our new album:
PS: Quotes taken from the novel To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Women Music Producers?
I had a revelation and a little giggle tonight while I was listening to some mixes and was thinking about the recording process and where we might want to record our third album and whose influence we would like to have on it... and for some reason, I thought, "What would it be like to work with a woman producer?"
And then I thought... and I thought some more... and I realized I couldn't think of one producer that is a woman.
Which I think is pretty interesting!
From what I've observed, the role of a producer is never completely the same from one project to the next, and I imagine it's hard to know what you're getting into with any project. A good producer has to be pretty versatile from one role to the next.
And that's generally true when you're working with musicians- whether you're the sound guy (or girl!) or the person printing our flyers, or the person designing our flyers, or the person taking our order at the cafe... musicians are funny people and you never really know what you're going to get. Some weeks I spend about three or four days living out of a backpack with one or two showers and not brushing my hair, wearing dirty clothes, and the other three or four days of the week I walk around town with a laptop, drinking espresso, and feeling like some weird business lady. We play a lot of roles too.
Anyway, what I was getting at is that since their are so many different roles a producer could fill on any album, I'm surprised that there aren't more women producers. I'm curious... if there had been, say, if Bob Dylan had done some albums with a woman producer, or the Beatles, or Radiohead for that matter, I wonder how that could have changed music? And maybe it's not such a thing.. I mean, any person on any project being different, especially the producer, that would change everything regardless of gender.
It turns out there are some pretty cool women producers out there. A woman named Sylvia Massy produced Tool's Undertow. I also ran across a woman named Susan Rogers. Currently a professor at Berklee, she worked with David Byrne, Prince, Edie Brickell, Violent Femmes,... I did a little bit of research- there are actually quite a few articles about why there aren't many women producers. I found a list of the "50 Most Influential Producers" and not one was a woman. I found lots of speculation on why there aren't more women producers, all just speculation it seems.
I should also definitely mention a pretty rad recording engineer I personally know named Natalie Fores. She was our sound person for a while before she moved to Madison to do an internship at Paradyme Productions, where she recorded the audio for our video to "Eureka Bridge." She was a pleasure to work with at shows as well as in the studio.
And who knows, maybe I'm overlooking some well-known women producers. Do you know of any?
That's it for me.
And then I thought... and I thought some more... and I realized I couldn't think of one producer that is a woman.
Which I think is pretty interesting!
From what I've observed, the role of a producer is never completely the same from one project to the next, and I imagine it's hard to know what you're getting into with any project. A good producer has to be pretty versatile from one role to the next.
And that's generally true when you're working with musicians- whether you're the sound guy (or girl!) or the person printing our flyers, or the person designing our flyers, or the person taking our order at the cafe... musicians are funny people and you never really know what you're going to get. Some weeks I spend about three or four days living out of a backpack with one or two showers and not brushing my hair, wearing dirty clothes, and the other three or four days of the week I walk around town with a laptop, drinking espresso, and feeling like some weird business lady. We play a lot of roles too.
Anyway, what I was getting at is that since their are so many different roles a producer could fill on any album, I'm surprised that there aren't more women producers. I'm curious... if there had been, say, if Bob Dylan had done some albums with a woman producer, or the Beatles, or Radiohead for that matter, I wonder how that could have changed music? And maybe it's not such a thing.. I mean, any person on any project being different, especially the producer, that would change everything regardless of gender.
It turns out there are some pretty cool women producers out there. A woman named Sylvia Massy produced Tool's Undertow. I also ran across a woman named Susan Rogers. Currently a professor at Berklee, she worked with David Byrne, Prince, Edie Brickell, Violent Femmes,... I did a little bit of research- there are actually quite a few articles about why there aren't many women producers. I found a list of the "50 Most Influential Producers" and not one was a woman. I found lots of speculation on why there aren't more women producers, all just speculation it seems.
I should also definitely mention a pretty rad recording engineer I personally know named Natalie Fores. She was our sound person for a while before she moved to Madison to do an internship at Paradyme Productions, where she recorded the audio for our video to "Eureka Bridge." She was a pleasure to work with at shows as well as in the studio.
And who knows, maybe I'm overlooking some well-known women producers. Do you know of any?
That's it for me.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Five Albums of My Infatuation
ALBUM INFATUATION/LOVE- A Preface
Released in February of 2014, I first heard this record on vinyl on a sunny, lazy day in my apartment at the tail end of last winter. It's got a polished sound. It's slow, it's melodic, it's heartbreaking and captivating. I have had some of the most intense conversations of my life while listening to this album. I fell in love within the very moment I heard the first note- an indulgent symphonic chord. Morning Phase is so thick I could drown in it. It is music that makes my heart well way up to the brim and I can surrender to that.
This one is new to me and I haven't listened to it more than a couple of times. It's spiritual, interesting rhythmically. I don't really know what he's talking about, but I know what he's talking about! It's great driving music- especially on sunny September days. There are many layers to this album but it's not complicated. It makes my body flow with its rhythms. This is a feeling album primarily- sensual.. trippy.. instantaneous connection.
Oh man! I re-stumbled onto this one again sometime in early summer. It made so much sense to me. It melted me into an excited little puddle of a girl. It's genius. It takes you for a ride that can become almost too intense at times depending on where you're at... This album is powerful and shakes me to my core.
Of the five, this is sort of my soul mate album. It's got a timeless feeling, an organic vibe. The whole thing is consistently good. It's sort of simple and subtle as well as graceful and gentle. If it were landscape it would be gently rolling hills with a big open sky, sharp greens and blues and puffy white clouds. I fell in love with this album late spring-time this last year and soon after realized that it was recorded at Hyde Street Studio- where we recorded Space and Time. Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful.
Every album is different, but in general I fall hard and fast. Whether it's a melody, word or string of words, rhythm, or some other aesthetic seasoning, I hear and feel and think and I am so quickly infatuated. I've fallen in love with many albums throughout my short life- all different kinds and for all different reasons- sometimes it lasts for a long time- continually finding new things to love about the music- and other times it's more short lived... Either way I'm thankful for all my relationships with music. In regards to music, I suppose you could call me a polyamorist?
So here we go- judge me or don't, try out these albums or don't, here are five noteworthy albums I've been infatuated with this summer:
1. Beck- Morning Phase
Released in February of 2014, I first heard this record on vinyl on a sunny, lazy day in my apartment at the tail end of last winter. It's got a polished sound. It's slow, it's melodic, it's heartbreaking and captivating. I have had some of the most intense conversations of my life while listening to this album. I fell in love within the very moment I heard the first note- an indulgent symphonic chord. Morning Phase is so thick I could drown in it. It is music that makes my heart well way up to the brim and I can surrender to that.
2. Tallest Man on Earth- There's No Leaving Now
I've been enamored with Tallest Man on Earth since I first heard him around five or six years ago. The Pabst Theater was doing a run of free shows on Tuesdays. There were maybe 50 people there or less! I really enjoyed his first two albums, but "There's No Leaving Now" really stole my heart. The song-writing is over-all beautiful, but there are certain strings of words that really stick out to me. His nitty-gritty voice attracts me as well as his rhythmic and decorated guitar playing. Released in 2012, I have come back to this album time and again.
3. Damien Jurado- Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son
This one is new to me and I haven't listened to it more than a couple of times. It's spiritual, interesting rhythmically. I don't really know what he's talking about, but I know what he's talking about! It's great driving music- especially on sunny September days. There are many layers to this album but it's not complicated. It makes my body flow with its rhythms. This is a feeling album primarily- sensual.. trippy.. instantaneous connection.
4. Radiohead- In Rainbows
Oh man! I re-stumbled onto this one again sometime in early summer. It made so much sense to me. It melted me into an excited little puddle of a girl. It's genius. It takes you for a ride that can become almost too intense at times depending on where you're at... This album is powerful and shakes me to my core.
5. Sun Kil Moon-Ghosts of the Great Highway
Of the five, this is sort of my soul mate album. It's got a timeless feeling, an organic vibe. The whole thing is consistently good. It's sort of simple and subtle as well as graceful and gentle. If it were landscape it would be gently rolling hills with a big open sky, sharp greens and blues and puffy white clouds. I fell in love with this album late spring-time this last year and soon after realized that it was recorded at Hyde Street Studio- where we recorded Space and Time. Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful.
There they are! I could name several more but I wont. Well, I will make two more notable mentions! And they are:
Jim James- "Regions of Light and Sound"
Townes Van Zandt- "Our Mother the Mountain"
Cheers!
Sunday, July 13, 2014
I Love Wisconsin Northwoods
I've never considered myself a city slicker.
I was born in a little town in the U.P.
Grew up in Oshkosh- current population 65,000ish
Lived in Milwaukee for a few years
Found myself back here in Oshkosh
And also on the road pretty consistently every weekend.
One of my favorite parts about being a musician is getting to see so much of Wisconsin in a bit more of a personal way than if I were to just drive through on my way to another place.
I've learned some things...
There are a lot of rural politics that happen often that don't make front page headlines even in smaller cities let alone Milwaukee or Madison. They don't get talked about much from what I can tell. A lot of times these rural politics affect things like farming and how we treat the land and the water and the resources.
I've realized this last year that I've spent my whole life in Wisconsin being pretty unaware...pretty unaware of how it all works in general. I've been a lot like many other Americans who are semi-informed on news and politics on a national level but when it comes to local politics there's quite a void.
I've researched a little bit and found a really interesting article about "rural versus urban politics" in Wisconsin. It's about a UW Madison political scientist named Katherine Cramer Walsh who has traveled around Wisconsin for the last five years- going to informal social groups all throughout the state- churches, local cafes, gas stations, etc. Check out that article here if you're interested.
So there's politics and the farming stuff and the mining stuff and the rural people stuff...
And then there's the feel of it. The feel of northern Wisconsin... Last week I found myself way up north at Pete's cabin. West on highway 8 and then a few more miles on some gravel roads. No cell phone reception, no computers or screens of any kind to look at...
There were a few of us there and we took a walk- crossed the river on the stones. It was pretty easy for Pete- I'm pretty sure he does Parkour on the side of being in Dead Horses- for me it was a little trickier... slippery rocks and everything!
Me? I could call it a nature thing
I could call it a feeling thing
Or a solitude thing
Or getting back to the basics of things
But mostly I'd call it a spiritual thing.. in the way I experience it and the way I perceive other people experiencing it.
I was born in a little town in the U.P.
Grew up in Oshkosh- current population 65,000ish
Lived in Milwaukee for a few years
Found myself back here in Oshkosh
And also on the road pretty consistently every weekend.
One of my favorite parts about being a musician is getting to see so much of Wisconsin in a bit more of a personal way than if I were to just drive through on my way to another place.
I've learned some things...
There are a lot of rural politics that happen often that don't make front page headlines even in smaller cities let alone Milwaukee or Madison. They don't get talked about much from what I can tell. A lot of times these rural politics affect things like farming and how we treat the land and the water and the resources.
I've realized this last year that I've spent my whole life in Wisconsin being pretty unaware...pretty unaware of how it all works in general. I've been a lot like many other Americans who are semi-informed on news and politics on a national level but when it comes to local politics there's quite a void.
I've researched a little bit and found a really interesting article about "rural versus urban politics" in Wisconsin. It's about a UW Madison political scientist named Katherine Cramer Walsh who has traveled around Wisconsin for the last five years- going to informal social groups all throughout the state- churches, local cafes, gas stations, etc. Check out that article here if you're interested.
So there's politics and the farming stuff and the mining stuff and the rural people stuff...
And then there's the feel of it. The feel of northern Wisconsin... Last week I found myself way up north at Pete's cabin. West on highway 8 and then a few more miles on some gravel roads. No cell phone reception, no computers or screens of any kind to look at...
There were a few of us there and we took a walk- crossed the river on the stones. It was pretty easy for Pete- I'm pretty sure he does Parkour on the side of being in Dead Horses- for me it was a little trickier... slippery rocks and everything!
Me? I could call it a nature thing
I could call it a feeling thing
Or a solitude thing
Or getting back to the basics of things
But mostly I'd call it a spiritual thing.. in the way I experience it and the way I perceive other people experiencing it.
Monday, July 7, 2014
I Love Being a Musician in the Summer Time!
The summer sun, the mentality of Midwesterners in general, the outdoor aspect of shows, the extra sweat from the thick humidity, jumping in lakes and sweating, sweating, sweating. Warm nights and loads of stars and the zing zing energy that July brings...
From hearing the loons and seeing the stars in Minocqua, to seeing some of our oldest and dearest friends in Omro (they like the new "hippie bluegrass sound,") to meeting new friends and tasting new beer at Door County Brewing Company... and to top it all off a fun set at Sawdust Days here in our hometown on Sunday.
Being a musician means a lot of things, but one thing it usually means is traveling a LOT! I'd take the hottest of summer days over the polar vortex we traveled through in Minnesota last January!
And man we get tired, and we get dirty, and we get crabby, and I wonder how I'm going to answer the same question to so many different people and try to be present with each and every one of them, and guitar strings keep breaking cause it's so humid and I haven't even had a chance to unpack before packing again and sometimes you wonder how you're going to keep you're head on straight!
But..
I love the stretches of shows and the driving between and the endurance through the exhaustion and I love making eye contact during the songs and the pure and true joy and love I feel... the genuine kindness shown to me and to us by complete strangers willing to support another human being. And I've been feeling so proud of Dan, Tim, and Pete when we're up there.
And I'm really looking forward to what we have going on these next few months- lots of traveling but lots of local community stuff! And I'm so excited to share our album with you all! I hope you're all doing well out there and I hope we get to hang out with you at some shows.
PS! Our interview with Stephanie Elkins aired on Simply Folk last night! If you missed it you can stream it by clicking here: Dead Horses on Simply Folk
From hearing the loons and seeing the stars in Minocqua, to seeing some of our oldest and dearest friends in Omro (they like the new "hippie bluegrass sound,") to meeting new friends and tasting new beer at Door County Brewing Company... and to top it all off a fun set at Sawdust Days here in our hometown on Sunday.
Being a musician means a lot of things, but one thing it usually means is traveling a LOT! I'd take the hottest of summer days over the polar vortex we traveled through in Minnesota last January!
And man we get tired, and we get dirty, and we get crabby, and I wonder how I'm going to answer the same question to so many different people and try to be present with each and every one of them, and guitar strings keep breaking cause it's so humid and I haven't even had a chance to unpack before packing again and sometimes you wonder how you're going to keep you're head on straight!
But..
I love the stretches of shows and the driving between and the endurance through the exhaustion and I love making eye contact during the songs and the pure and true joy and love I feel... the genuine kindness shown to me and to us by complete strangers willing to support another human being. And I've been feeling so proud of Dan, Tim, and Pete when we're up there.
And I'm really looking forward to what we have going on these next few months- lots of traveling but lots of local community stuff! And I'm so excited to share our album with you all! I hope you're all doing well out there and I hope we get to hang out with you at some shows.
PS! Our interview with Stephanie Elkins aired on Simply Folk last night! If you missed it you can stream it by clicking here: Dead Horses on Simply Folk
Thursday, July 3, 2014
I Love Minocqua Brewing Company
Minocqua Brewing Company! Home of the infamous Whitey's Wheat Ale as well as several hand crafted beers and a fantastic food menu, beautiful setting, and great waitstaff.
It's July 3rd and I've found myself in Minocqua again. Last night I played a Rucksack Revolution show- opening for Charlie Parr at Minocqua Brewing Company.
The drive up here was beautiful. I felt my worries and tension leaving my body. Left rainy Oshkosh and the farther north I got the more the sun peaked through. By the time I got up here it was blue skies and clear waters.
There are a lot of neat venues and spots to play in northern Wisconsin but Minocqua Brewing Company is one of my favorites- definitely a gem. Musicians are treated very well here and that means a lot. It's a great setting for an intimate show and the green room is basically a dock on the lake. Last night I saw more stars than I've seen in quite a while!
And the show was just so much fun! The people in the room, the energy in the room- it really makes or breaks the show, and I felt honored to be able to play last night.
Watching Mr. Charlie Parr was soul-satisfying. And he even invited Adam and I up on the stage to play with him! One of the better musical moments of my life. There's something so very spiritual about what Charlie does on stage every time I've seen him perform. I feel that I could learn so much from him.
The kicker is that I get to play there again tonight with the full band! I can't wait for Dan, Pete, and Tim to get up here. I can't wait to get all plugged in and let the set begin. Making music with my brothers and feeling blessed.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
I Love the Mutts
Hellloooo internet land!
It's been a while! We've been busy playing shows and festivals and interviews, mixing our record, having bonfires, listening to Radiohead, packing and moving boxes and shelves, walking dogs, painting.. things like that.
This weekend Dan was out of town which meant I had a Friday and Saturday night to myself with no Dead Horses! (Although Pete and I did play a pretty fun wedding yesterday.)
What do normal people do on weekend nights?
Seriously?
Friday night I was pleased to find a show with two of my favorite local bands at Mill Creek in Appleton... the Mutts and the Traveling Suitcase.
Check out the Mutts- HERE
Check out the Traveling Suitcase- HERE
The Mutts are a three piece from Chicago. Keys, drums, and bass. I first saw them over a year ago in Oshkosh. It was a small crowd that night.. yet the show was one of my most fun live show experiences. It felt tribal, it felt raw and real, honest- by the end of the night everyone was dancing all around the room. Friday night in Appleton was really incredible as well. The Mutts have a hell of a lot of heart- a sense of brother-ness radiated from the stage. Good song writing- good energy.They have a tight sound that gets me going, reminds me of things that I love so much about music.
Things like...
1.) You can always learn more
2.) Music is the teacher
3.) Music is anything you want it to be.
4.) Music is vibrations and energy
5.) Music connects all things
6.) You can play a song 23048209384092384093284 times and every time it is different
7.) Music is art
8.) Above all, the most important thing is HEART
It's been a while! We've been busy playing shows and festivals and interviews, mixing our record, having bonfires, listening to Radiohead, packing and moving boxes and shelves, walking dogs, painting.. things like that.
This weekend Dan was out of town which meant I had a Friday and Saturday night to myself with no Dead Horses! (Although Pete and I did play a pretty fun wedding yesterday.)
What do normal people do on weekend nights?
Seriously?
Friday night I was pleased to find a show with two of my favorite local bands at Mill Creek in Appleton... the Mutts and the Traveling Suitcase.
Check out the Mutts- HERE
Check out the Traveling Suitcase- HERE
The Mutts are a three piece from Chicago. Keys, drums, and bass. I first saw them over a year ago in Oshkosh. It was a small crowd that night.. yet the show was one of my most fun live show experiences. It felt tribal, it felt raw and real, honest- by the end of the night everyone was dancing all around the room. Friday night in Appleton was really incredible as well. The Mutts have a hell of a lot of heart- a sense of brother-ness radiated from the stage. Good song writing- good energy.They have a tight sound that gets me going, reminds me of things that I love so much about music.
Things like...
1.) You can always learn more
2.) Music is the teacher
3.) Music is anything you want it to be.
4.) Music is vibrations and energy
5.) Music connects all things
6.) You can play a song 23048209384092384093284 times and every time it is different
7.) Music is art
8.) Above all, the most important thing is HEART
Sunday, June 8, 2014
"Heaven is under our feet..."
"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads."
-Henry David Thoreau
A question of perspective?
Or perception?
To be grounded.
To play shows barefoot (because it's barefoot season again!)
Somethings we have been up to...
Delfest- incredible trip... traveling out there and playing shoes with Horseshoes & Handgrenades. Chicago, Toledo and Pittsburgh. The sweet Appalachians. The Potomac River. Del McCoury himself! Late night picking and sleeping outside. I could literally feel my perspective on playing music and going to shows and festivals and personality and music in general shifting and stretching. That's growth! And a looong drive home.
La Crosse and Minneapolis last weekend- the Mississippi! She sings sweetly. And the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, quality beer at Harriet Brewing Company, and driving home through the night- watching the sun rise and the incredible storms in the open sky through a car window.
And this weekend we had two shows close to home. Sweet to see so many familiar faces, sweet to play outside on a patio in the summer sun to summered faces feeling the vibe with us. Sweet to celebrate Wisconsin together! Sweet to remember that the musical community we are so active in extends to our homeland even though I sometimes forget it. Sweet to strive to reach new levels at every show between the four of us and of course those open to experiencing that with us. Sweet to see our friends at the Roadhouse, some of whom have supported us for years. Sweet to play them some new songs. Sweet to wake up to another sun shiny day today.
And sweet to be looking ahead to another string of festivals next weekend. Thursday I play with Rucksack Revolution in Rhinelander for the Summer Roots Concert Series, Friday in Door County at Steelbridge Song Fest with Dead Horses, Saturday in Manawa at the Little Creek Music Festival with Dead Horses, and then Sunday at Little Creek again with Rucksack Revolution. Bound to be a fun weekend!
Until next time... here's a picture of the famous giant spoon and cherry at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Dead Horseshoes East-Bound-Run-Around
In about an hour we'll be taking off for our trip our east. Tonight we're in Chicago, tomorrow in Toledo, Wednesday in Pitsburgh, and Thursday through Saturday at Delfest in Cumberland, Maryland.
Oh boy, I'm excited to head east- it's been a long time. I'm excited to be in another region, excited to share the road with our good friends, Horseshoes & Handgrenades, excited to see the green Maryland appalachian goodness and contemplate things with a new perspective.
And truth be told- I'm excited to be on the road again. We've truly met so many amazing and inspiring people and I think there are lots more to come. Summer is here- season of barefoot and sunny run-around, festivals on rivers and lakes, sleeping outside, skin darkening and hair lightening...
Growth, renewal, the shedding of different selves and masks, the challenging of perspectives and beliefs and ideals, the challenge to embrace change as uncomfortable or painful as it may be.
It seems as though so many of the people I've been talking to throughout the last few weeks can relate. Things ending and beginning, people moving to the other side of the country, relationships starting and ending, packing up belongings, sorting through old pictures and letters and clothing.. sorting through the physical remnants that have made up certain parts of your life.
And really what I would like to say is that I'm proud of all of us in a sense- we're all growing and moving and paths may seem to be going in different directions and some people seem healthier or happier than others but I promise you that we are all little specks moving around doing the same thing and the bottom line is loving each other, supporting and teaching each other.
These are the things floating around in my head and I know that in a week it'll all be different again. Until then....
Oh boy, I'm excited to head east- it's been a long time. I'm excited to be in another region, excited to share the road with our good friends, Horseshoes & Handgrenades, excited to see the green Maryland appalachian goodness and contemplate things with a new perspective.
And truth be told- I'm excited to be on the road again. We've truly met so many amazing and inspiring people and I think there are lots more to come. Summer is here- season of barefoot and sunny run-around, festivals on rivers and lakes, sleeping outside, skin darkening and hair lightening...
Growth, renewal, the shedding of different selves and masks, the challenging of perspectives and beliefs and ideals, the challenge to embrace change as uncomfortable or painful as it may be.
It seems as though so many of the people I've been talking to throughout the last few weeks can relate. Things ending and beginning, people moving to the other side of the country, relationships starting and ending, packing up belongings, sorting through old pictures and letters and clothing.. sorting through the physical remnants that have made up certain parts of your life.
And really what I would like to say is that I'm proud of all of us in a sense- we're all growing and moving and paths may seem to be going in different directions and some people seem healthier or happier than others but I promise you that we are all little specks moving around doing the same thing and the bottom line is loving each other, supporting and teaching each other.
These are the things floating around in my head and I know that in a week it'll all be different again. Until then....
Friday, May 9, 2014
Dead Red Conversations (Part 2)
R.I.P. Dead Red (6/10/12 - 5/7/14)
Things come and things go...
Ironically, as I've started this short series of posts, we've been informed that Mr. Mechanic Man wouldn't drive ten feet in Dead Red let alone all the way to Maryland. She still runs sweet and strong, but seems as though the red rust has gotten the best of Dead Red. And more ironic yet is that Dead Red now really is Dead.
Things come and things go...
And this seems to be the theme standing out to me for most people I know in their lives right now. The passing of things, the coming of things... ever changing and transforming...
I think we're all just shedding our winter skin... preparing for the humid, hot, grey-blue summer ahead. And this winter was especially bitter, especially dry, especially winter, so our winter skin is thick and strong and chaffed and the shedding of it... it's not easy. And our new springtime summer skin is young and not quite willing to be fully exposed to the baby rays peaking out these early days of spring.
So...
adjust.
So...
adapt.
So...
accept.
Be flexible.
Or don't.
So on Thursday I drove down to Sun Prairie with Tim to look at a van that's for sale by our good friends' house. It's the same van as Dead Red except newer and less wear. I really enjoyed the drive with Tim- just the two of us listening to NPR and talking about mixes and upcoming shows and Tim telling me about this program he heard about how research showed that people with shorter and easier to say names tend to be better liked. I enjoyed seeing the new green grass and the sun at dusk.. dusk is getting longer now with summer approaching.
And the earth is changing too...
Monday, May 5, 2014
Dead Red Conversations (Part 1)
For those of you who haven't met her yet, Dead Red is our beloved van. Not only is she our bumpy form of transportation, but she is also our office, nap room, feeding place, reading space, sleeping place, and even practice space sometimes! (Ask Dan how he plays bass in the van...)
Here is a picture of us standing next to Dead Red last summer. We were at a fancy country club when she started falling apart a little...
As a band, of course we play shows together and practice together, record, fly on airplanes, we sweat together, we eat together, we have visited probably over half of the Kwik Trips in Wisconsin together, we often sleep on couches next to each other, eat with each other, and so on so forth!
And in Dead Red, we have many, many different types of conversations together.
So I have decided to start a new series entitled "Dead Red Conversations." I wouldn't mind this blog being a little more interactive, so I really encourage you to comment. You don't need a username or anything to do so, but I would appreciate if you say who you are and where you're from.
Topic 1- Quantum Physics
Okay- not as genius as it sounds, but I came up with the idea for the posts after talking about Schrodinger's Cat on the way to one of our shows. Here is a youtube video that illustrates Schrodinger's Cat:
5. Cosmos- the show.
What do you think about Quantum Mechanics? Make sure to comment with any thoughts and stay tuned for at least another post or two on Dead Red Conversations!
Here is a picture of us standing next to Dead Red last summer. We were at a fancy country club when she started falling apart a little...
As a band, of course we play shows together and practice together, record, fly on airplanes, we sweat together, we eat together, we have visited probably over half of the Kwik Trips in Wisconsin together, we often sleep on couches next to each other, eat with each other, and so on so forth!
And in Dead Red, we have many, many different types of conversations together.
So I have decided to start a new series entitled "Dead Red Conversations." I wouldn't mind this blog being a little more interactive, so I really encourage you to comment. You don't need a username or anything to do so, but I would appreciate if you say who you are and where you're from.
Topic 1- Quantum Physics
Okay- not as genius as it sounds, but I came up with the idea for the posts after talking about Schrodinger's Cat on the way to one of our shows. Here is a youtube video that illustrates Schrodinger's Cat:
In school my favorite subject was never science- always English. In fact, I really struggled in science and math classes. Over the last year or so, however, I've become really curious and interested in science- especially quantum physics. As I understand it, quantum physics is the study of things on a very, very small level (atoms and particles and so on..) And partly what's incredible about this is that the laws of science are completely different on this level! Things happen that are quite simply phenomenal and mind-boggling.
I am tempted to try to describe, but I should probably be the last person to describe quantum physics to anyone. Maybe if enough people ask Pete to give some input he'll do so :) Our van conversation started off with him describing an experiment he did in college in which he dressed up like Marty McFly from Back to the Future.
Now that I look, Pete does resemble a young Michael J. Fox. We should get him a hoverboard...
To wrap this up, here are some great sources that have helped a beginner like me with quantum physics:
1. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Marty (I mean Pete) and I both really like this book.
2. Anything by or about Stephen Hawking
3. The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality- by the Dalai Lama.This one... I'm working on right now.
4. Basics of Quantum Mechanics for Dummies - I referenced this blog while writing this post.5. Cosmos- the show.
What do you think about Quantum Mechanics? Make sure to comment with any thoughts and stay tuned for at least another post or two on Dead Red Conversations!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
And All of Life is a Collaboration
Maybe it's spring time, maybe it's discovery, maybe it's the growth of respect or the search for new creativity, but collaboration certainly seems to be in the air.
Call it co-writing, co-creating, sharing thoughts,jamming, networking even... being each others' muses.
I feel like... what an honor. And it's exciting! Exciting to see musicians from different projects working together. It's exciting to collaborate with others across the country (mixing and mastering our album!) It's exciting to share space with someone and truly let them affect you.
We've been getting some rough mixes to tunes on our new album. I have a lot of thoughts- but often I just feel so incredibly thankful to be able to create with Pete, Dan, and Tim- thankful we get to affect each other in so many ways.
I've also been working more with Adam Gruel of Horseshoes & Hand Grenades- our duo titled "Rucksack Revolution." It's been really wonderful working with him, learning from him as a musician and as a friend, as a fellow human being. Sometimes it's good and real necessary to have friends who help us remember what it's like to be human.
And all of life is really a collaboration...
Call it co-writing, co-creating, sharing thoughts,jamming, networking even... being each others' muses.
I feel like... what an honor. And it's exciting! Exciting to see musicians from different projects working together. It's exciting to collaborate with others across the country (mixing and mastering our album!) It's exciting to share space with someone and truly let them affect you.
We've been getting some rough mixes to tunes on our new album. I have a lot of thoughts- but often I just feel so incredibly thankful to be able to create with Pete, Dan, and Tim- thankful we get to affect each other in so many ways.
I've also been working more with Adam Gruel of Horseshoes & Hand Grenades- our duo titled "Rucksack Revolution." It's been really wonderful working with him, learning from him as a musician and as a friend, as a fellow human being. Sometimes it's good and real necessary to have friends who help us remember what it's like to be human.
And all of life is really a collaboration...
Monday, April 21, 2014
Community! Yeah!
Heeey Jude.
Well, we're home! We flew into Milwaukee last Thursday night around 11, shuttled to Pete's car, and drove home. Even in Milwaukee Pete made the comment, "the buildings all seem so spaced out!" I'm still sort of adjusting to the difference in pace, in lifestyle, but that's a common thing these days.
We played at the Farmers Market Saturday morning. That was a treat as it was acoustic. It was great to play unplugged. It was great to see family and friends and community members.
Saturday night I went to the Oshkosh Music Art Series Concert at the Algoma Club. It's a fundraiser for music education in Oshkosh. Dorothy Zerbe, The Guilty Wanted, and Copper Box played. It's not often that I'm in Oshkosh during the weekend, and it was so fantastic and encouraging to see the Oshkosh community getting together to celebrate art and say that it's important. I was reminded of how incredible our community here really is and how much it has to offer. Leif Larson also painted throughout the night and auctioned off his masterpiece near the end of the evening.
Whoever you are reading this, if we were sitting together with a drink I'd toast with you to lovers of art, lovers of people. It's an incredible thing to be a part of.
Well, we're home! We flew into Milwaukee last Thursday night around 11, shuttled to Pete's car, and drove home. Even in Milwaukee Pete made the comment, "the buildings all seem so spaced out!" I'm still sort of adjusting to the difference in pace, in lifestyle, but that's a common thing these days.
We played at the Farmers Market Saturday morning. That was a treat as it was acoustic. It was great to play unplugged. It was great to see family and friends and community members.
Saturday night I went to the Oshkosh Music Art Series Concert at the Algoma Club. It's a fundraiser for music education in Oshkosh. Dorothy Zerbe, The Guilty Wanted, and Copper Box played. It's not often that I'm in Oshkosh during the weekend, and it was so fantastic and encouraging to see the Oshkosh community getting together to celebrate art and say that it's important. I was reminded of how incredible our community here really is and how much it has to offer. Leif Larson also painted throughout the night and auctioned off his masterpiece near the end of the evening.
Whoever you are reading this, if we were sitting together with a drink I'd toast with you to lovers of art, lovers of people. It's an incredible thing to be a part of.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
"What a long strange trip..." (San Francisco Part 4)
-Thursday night
And here we are in Studio D doing some rough mixes. It's late and we've been sitting in here most of the day. Breaks here and there- we just climbed up to the roof. Climbing on top of roofs seems to be a metaphor for me- a mark of a special night, and a mark of transition, change, growth I hope. Stared up and looked at the stars, the moon, the wall art, the people on the street, the tops of the trees...
Mixing up some of the tunes is a little surreal. Tunes that started blooming five years ago and tunes that were born five months ago. And then here I am. He we are.
And tomorrow everything begins new again. Just as I was starting to sink into this lifestyle. A day on the plane and then we'll be in Wisconsin and what comes next? That is a big question mark and one that even caused me some suffering for a while during our stay here. Just letting that go, and now we go home.
Nonetheless, our time here has been magical. We have been honest because we haven't known anything else to be.
I tried coming here with a state of mind of effortlessness, welcoming the change, the new- moving with flow of things. And I guess I should approach going home the same way.
Something has been created and we've been not only immersed in it but immersed in a completely new environment. So to go home now and to hear it with fresher ears.... hopefully to hear everything with fresher ears, see everything in a new way...
"Oh, what a long, strange trip it's been..."
Sunday, April 13, 2014
The Tenderloin District (San Francisco Part 3)
In the Tenderloin District
I see bright light sunshine, worn down buildings, old men smiling, drug transactions, people and their little dogs, old woman dressed in all red leather with a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and a purple scarf
I hear French accents, accents of all kinds, children, change jingling, dogs barking, voices muttering, voices yelling, horns beeping, outdoor music playing, pigeons cooing
I smell life, I smell restaurant foods mingling, I smell joints burning, I smell bodies unbathed for who knows..
I taste their hunger
I feel my past path ghosts, I feel present, I feel my many "selves"- past, present, future, I feel ghosts from my past, ghosts who surely exist alive somewhere? I feel eyes
homeless folk and junkies and dealers and folks walking their little dogs and the sun on my skin and the cool polluted but still so fresh ocean air
and men calling me "princess" and wishing me well in California. "You a musician? Yeah we see lots of musicians standing in front of here. You sing? Yeah you look like a singer."
and I walked down the street in the morning trying to muster a genuine smile for these people instead of looking so serious and sleepy-eyed
and I tried to think of something to say to Joe at the coffee place while we sat outside- me smoking a cig and him smoking a roach he found on the ground. I tried to think of something to say.. to say.. instead I just sat with him and watched the tourists walk by because we weren't in the Tenderloin- I don't think many tourist folks go to the Tenderloin- not on purpose anyway.
And if I can't muster a smile I try to muster a nod- but not the kind of nod that implies anything- I don't want to do that. just a nod of respect. cause I haven't felt an ounce of disrespect from anyone in the Tenderloin. Everyone's doing their own thing.
And other times i'm aware my smile is in my eyes and that's all that's necessary- that's all that is.
How to draw a cartoon (San Francisco Part 2)
In a way, meeting Stephen Barncard like this and having him produce our record in a relatively short amount of time is sort of like meeting someone for the first time completely naked.
It would be like... if you got a brand new recipe and taste-tested it by tasting each ingredient individually.
There were actually a few moments the first day that I worried that he would think we aren't very good or maybe even that he wouldn't like us as people or be able to work with us.
It turns out Stephen is a pretty wise and laid back guy and we've all been having a lot of fun together. Long days playing, long days sitting in the control room and playing back.. over and over and over again.
Stephen has compared the album making process to creating a cartoon of a performance. It's that ever-present predicament all different types of artists find themselves in... specifically for musicians, do you want your album to sound exactly like what you do live? Are you tailoring your album after your live show or vice versa? Or are you just going into the studio to make something that sounds neat?
For example:
Do we add drums on a song?
We never have drums at our show, but there are drums here and there are drummers. So if it sounds good on the track do we use it?
Most of all there's one main characteristic I wanted to focus on for our album and that is "honesty." And I think I want to spend the rest of our days here meditating on that.
In other news, we're doing fine over here! A good friend visited us yesterday and it was nice to have new energy in the room. Tomorrow we work again and then have a show in the evening. If you know anyone in the area, send them our way! We play at the Riptide at 730 PM- no cover.
I haven't had much contact with anyone from back home- I truly hope everyone is doing well. We had such a great time at Deb's for the send-off. We're doing our best out here and hope you all can get something out of it when it's all said and done. We're so thankful for all the support and encouragement that we've been shown so far.
I could write volumes about my thoughts regarding recording and San Francisco and music and album making, drawing cartoons, but honestly I'm tired from thinking about it all day every day.
Instead, I'm going to write a list of five of the best highlight-worthy moments of the last couple days:
Here we go:
1.)Tim making us pancakes this morning
2.) Kayla visiting us (and bringing us goodies!)
3.) I met a cute tiny little pup outside this morning named "Neenah"
4.) A person off the street followed me into a convenience store and stopped me to ask if I am Russian. I said, "No," and he immediately disappeared.
5.) We pranked Tim during one of his vocal takes... Jack turned on an effect that would switch Tim's voice to chipmunk mode on playback. Tim, of course, went along with it and played the part. He had the whole control room roaring with laughter.
Here we go:
1.)Tim making us pancakes this morning
2.) Kayla visiting us (and bringing us goodies!)
3.) I met a cute tiny little pup outside this morning named "Neenah"
4.) A person off the street followed me into a convenience store and stopped me to ask if I am Russian. I said, "No," and he immediately disappeared.
5.) We pranked Tim during one of his vocal takes... Jack turned on an effect that would switch Tim's voice to chipmunk mode on playback. Tim, of course, went along with it and played the part. He had the whole control room roaring with laughter.
Still rolling!
Thursday, April 10, 2014
And here we are (San Francisco Part 1)
Three days later and we're here and we're in the middle of making an album.
The day of flying here is a daze. Flights went smoothly- boarding two different planes and trying to keep our instruments safe...
Arriving at the San Francisco airport, Dan went to pick up his bass. We sat outside the terminal and Tim picked away at his mandolin, we waited for our friend, Jack to show up.
Took the subway, took the bus, walked a few blocks and entered into Hyde Street Studio. The warm air, the green grass and leaves and... the human beings. Sometimes, especially when I walk in bigger cities, I feel like I'm watching a study on the race of human beings.
Tour through the studio and the layout, a little bit of the history... looking at the albums hanging on the wall. (Turns out even 2pac recorded here!)
And we crashed.
Yep, we've been sleeping at the studio. I've been sleeping great.
We've gotten to walk around a bit the last couple of mornings. It's been gorgeous and sunny and I love seeing all the people, the architecture, the culture and the feel. The studio is in a part of town called the Tenderloin- it's been around since 1969 (it was called the Wally Heider Studios until 1980) and has some really magical history. (You can google it if your interested:)) We even get to work with Stephen Barncard who has been producing records here for years.
And we've been recording... getting the feel of things, adjusting, learning a lot.. Finding new ways to communicate, function and make decisions, taking musical risks.
Went to a Farmers Market today with Stephen, Pete and Dan.
Drank some of the best coffee at Philz Coffee (twice.)
Listened to our DayTrotter which just got released! Check it out: (You can get a free trial subscription to hear it if you don't want to purchase a year subscription.)
The day of flying here is a daze. Flights went smoothly- boarding two different planes and trying to keep our instruments safe...
Arriving at the San Francisco airport, Dan went to pick up his bass. We sat outside the terminal and Tim picked away at his mandolin, we waited for our friend, Jack to show up.
Took the subway, took the bus, walked a few blocks and entered into Hyde Street Studio. The warm air, the green grass and leaves and... the human beings. Sometimes, especially when I walk in bigger cities, I feel like I'm watching a study on the race of human beings.
Tour through the studio and the layout, a little bit of the history... looking at the albums hanging on the wall. (Turns out even 2pac recorded here!)
And we crashed.
Yep, we've been sleeping at the studio. I've been sleeping great.
We've gotten to walk around a bit the last couple of mornings. It's been gorgeous and sunny and I love seeing all the people, the architecture, the culture and the feel. The studio is in a part of town called the Tenderloin- it's been around since 1969 (it was called the Wally Heider Studios until 1980) and has some really magical history. (You can google it if your interested:)) We even get to work with Stephen Barncard who has been producing records here for years.
And we've been recording... getting the feel of things, adjusting, learning a lot.. Finding new ways to communicate, function and make decisions, taking musical risks.
Went to a Farmers Market today with Stephen, Pete and Dan.
Drank some of the best coffee at Philz Coffee (twice.)
Listened to our DayTrotter which just got released! Check it out: (You can get a free trial subscription to hear it if you don't want to purchase a year subscription.)
Dead Horses Daytrotter Session
We've been recording a lot of what's going on (besides through the console I mean!) So we'll have more to show you later, but here's some pictures I have access to right now...
We're rolling right along I'd say.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Hey! Spring is coming!
Sunday, 3/30/14 1:37 PM
Sunshine, blue skies, and open road! We are currently traveling from St. Louis back on home to Wisconsin. We've had a good few days in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. We left Thursday, an early spring morning, light grey. A four hour drive took us to Rock Island, IL, where Daytrotter Sessions are recorded. If you aren't familiar with Daytrotter, click HERE. Recording there was pretty exciting- there's been a lot of talented people in there, and it's also a good warm up session for recording our next album in a couple of weeks. The recording went well. We did four songs and are excited for its release sometime in the next couple of weeks.
From Rock Island we drove up to Dubuque. It's such a beautiful city! Right on the Mississippi River, historic and sweet. The skies still grey and blue, the land finally just becoming uncovered from its white winter blanket. The world was looking especially different to me yesterday.
We arrived in Dubuque and checked out the venue we would be playing. We had the pleasure of sharing the night with Rebekah Rego and the Trainmen. This was our first show in Dubuque and the people there seemed really friendly.
I woke up Friday morning and walked around downtown Dubuque for a while myself. The streets were quiet and the skies were still grey blue. From Dubuque we headed on to Urbana, IL, sort of a twin city of Champagne. We played at a bar called "The Rose Bowl," naming itself as the home of country music. It was a fun show and we met some crazy cool people who let us crash at their place for the night. Lots of jamming was done into the night and in the morning they fed us with eggs, biscuits and gravy. I don't think that the realization of strangers' kindness and compassion will every grow stale. Seeing it, living it, and even somewhat relying on it is one of the best things about what we do.
Here we are in front of the Rose Bowl Tavern:
After hanging out in Urbana, we drove down to St. Louis. Saturday the skies were still grey- miles and miles of relatively flat land.. crossing the Mississippi. I have seen the arch before and I think it's astounding.
Our last show of the weekend was right in St. Louis at a venue called the Cherokee Performing Arts Center. We played with River Kittens and Scrambled . We arrived earlier in the day and there was an art show going on upstairs involving Harley Davidsons. Later in the day when we were getting ready for the show, hanging out outside, I had one of those great perspective moments when everything shifts and you sort of become aware of what you're doing and where you are from a slightly more subjective perspective. Many times when I have these moments I will say something like, "Here we are.. doing this right now, seeing this." We happened to be standing in St. Louis watching a group of bikers take off on their Harleys.
I'm aware that when we take trips like this, playing every day for several days in a row and spending a lot of time together in the van on the road, seeing and experiencing things together... our sets start changing. We become a little gutsier, a little more confident, a little tighter, and we all know that the set is the meat and potato to our day. Everyone stretches out just a little more.
Yesterday we also talked to Stephen Barncard who's going to be producing our next album. We fly out a week from tomorrow! There's been so much thought and feeling regarding making this album that I was relieved when I realized that in less than a month it'll be complete. Talking with Stephen set our minds at ease- I think he's going to be a good guide and it's going to be quite the honor to work with him in Heid Street Studio.
Sunshine, blue skies, and open road! We are currently traveling from St. Louis back on home to Wisconsin. We've had a good few days in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. We left Thursday, an early spring morning, light grey. A four hour drive took us to Rock Island, IL, where Daytrotter Sessions are recorded. If you aren't familiar with Daytrotter, click HERE. Recording there was pretty exciting- there's been a lot of talented people in there, and it's also a good warm up session for recording our next album in a couple of weeks. The recording went well. We did four songs and are excited for its release sometime in the next couple of weeks.
From Rock Island we drove up to Dubuque. It's such a beautiful city! Right on the Mississippi River, historic and sweet. The skies still grey and blue, the land finally just becoming uncovered from its white winter blanket. The world was looking especially different to me yesterday.
We arrived in Dubuque and checked out the venue we would be playing. We had the pleasure of sharing the night with Rebekah Rego and the Trainmen. This was our first show in Dubuque and the people there seemed really friendly.
I woke up Friday morning and walked around downtown Dubuque for a while myself. The streets were quiet and the skies were still grey blue. From Dubuque we headed on to Urbana, IL, sort of a twin city of Champagne. We played at a bar called "The Rose Bowl," naming itself as the home of country music. It was a fun show and we met some crazy cool people who let us crash at their place for the night. Lots of jamming was done into the night and in the morning they fed us with eggs, biscuits and gravy. I don't think that the realization of strangers' kindness and compassion will every grow stale. Seeing it, living it, and even somewhat relying on it is one of the best things about what we do.
Here we are in front of the Rose Bowl Tavern:
After hanging out in Urbana, we drove down to St. Louis. Saturday the skies were still grey- miles and miles of relatively flat land.. crossing the Mississippi. I have seen the arch before and I think it's astounding.
Our last show of the weekend was right in St. Louis at a venue called the Cherokee Performing Arts Center. We played with River Kittens and Scrambled . We arrived earlier in the day and there was an art show going on upstairs involving Harley Davidsons. Later in the day when we were getting ready for the show, hanging out outside, I had one of those great perspective moments when everything shifts and you sort of become aware of what you're doing and where you are from a slightly more subjective perspective. Many times when I have these moments I will say something like, "Here we are.. doing this right now, seeing this." We happened to be standing in St. Louis watching a group of bikers take off on their Harleys.
I'm aware that when we take trips like this, playing every day for several days in a row and spending a lot of time together in the van on the road, seeing and experiencing things together... our sets start changing. We become a little gutsier, a little more confident, a little tighter, and we all know that the set is the meat and potato to our day. Everyone stretches out just a little more.
Yesterday we also talked to Stephen Barncard who's going to be producing our next album. We fly out a week from tomorrow! There's been so much thought and feeling regarding making this album that I was relieved when I realized that in less than a month it'll be complete. Talking with Stephen set our minds at ease- I think he's going to be a good guide and it's going to be quite the honor to work with him in Heid Street Studio.
As a last minute fundraiser for our trip to California we are going to be playing a San Francisco send-off party at Deb's Spare Time here in Oshkosh on Friday. We sincerely hope to see you all there and jar up all your love and good vibes to take with us to California the following Monday. Show will start at 9 PM!
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Springtime and Bee Kisses
Well it's springtime (sorta) and I hope you all are enjoying the sunshine and relatively warm weather we've been having! It sure makes loading in equipment and riding in the van a lot easier.
I asked the boys what they're favorite things about springtime are.. They agreed that they're looking forward to watching the weather grow warmer slowly, but I think the most notable response was Dan's which was something like:
"Bees! Getting stung by bees... it's like getting kissed by bees."
It's been quite the last few weeks for us. We played in Decorah, Iowa, last weekend. The ride to and from was really beautiful. We saw a few bald eagles and crossed the Mississippi into Chickentown Land. We also played at the Shortbranch Saloon in Neenah. That show was exciting as one of our friends, Tony, proposed to his girlfriend during our set.
Last Sunday I also played a show at Malarkey's in Wausau with Adam Greuel of Horseshoes & Handgrenades. After our set he played another set with their banjo player, Russ Pederson.
I stayed for their set and really enjoyed it. Hanging out in a bar listening to live music isn't something I get to do very much unless I'm preparing to play myself. I had this realization about how it can be from a musician standpoint playing shows at all these different types of venues..
You have all these ideas. How you want the song to sound. How you want your guitar to sound. How you want your voice to sound. How you want the energy to flow. What you want the vibe to feel like.
And it's not necessarily that you want all these things a specific way, but I think you imagine them a certain way at the least..
And then you get to the venue and nine times out of ten it's completely different than what you had imagined for the night. There are a million different things that can affect this. On Sunday, we were playing the post Trampled By Turtles party. Most of the people at the bar had just spent the last couple of hours jamming to Trampled. (On a side note, I met some really amazing people that night...Lots of good energy in the room.)
You can be thrown off by a text you get right before your set. Or the lighting in the room. Or the background noise. Or the way the building and the room makes the sound. Or the person in front of the crowd...
And don't get me wrong- I think most musicians pride themselves on being able to play through all these things.
I write a song in my little bedroom, singing and playing.
And then I go into a crowded bar and play the song through speakers over voices and pool cues and ... the next day it's at a festival- you're outside and there's sunshine and bugs and dancers ... and most of all I think it's the people there- it's the energy in the room.. what's been in the room before... One single person in the room can change a whole show.
The reality of it is different every time....
Here's a picture our friend, Jack, shared with us : Bread Horses
I asked the boys what they're favorite things about springtime are.. They agreed that they're looking forward to watching the weather grow warmer slowly, but I think the most notable response was Dan's which was something like:
"Bees! Getting stung by bees... it's like getting kissed by bees."
It's been quite the last few weeks for us. We played in Decorah, Iowa, last weekend. The ride to and from was really beautiful. We saw a few bald eagles and crossed the Mississippi into Chickentown Land. We also played at the Shortbranch Saloon in Neenah. That show was exciting as one of our friends, Tony, proposed to his girlfriend during our set.
Last Sunday I also played a show at Malarkey's in Wausau with Adam Greuel of Horseshoes & Handgrenades. After our set he played another set with their banjo player, Russ Pederson.
I stayed for their set and really enjoyed it. Hanging out in a bar listening to live music isn't something I get to do very much unless I'm preparing to play myself. I had this realization about how it can be from a musician standpoint playing shows at all these different types of venues..
You have all these ideas. How you want the song to sound. How you want your guitar to sound. How you want your voice to sound. How you want the energy to flow. What you want the vibe to feel like.
And it's not necessarily that you want all these things a specific way, but I think you imagine them a certain way at the least..
And then you get to the venue and nine times out of ten it's completely different than what you had imagined for the night. There are a million different things that can affect this. On Sunday, we were playing the post Trampled By Turtles party. Most of the people at the bar had just spent the last couple of hours jamming to Trampled. (On a side note, I met some really amazing people that night...Lots of good energy in the room.)
You can be thrown off by a text you get right before your set. Or the lighting in the room. Or the background noise. Or the way the building and the room makes the sound. Or the person in front of the crowd...
And don't get me wrong- I think most musicians pride themselves on being able to play through all these things.
I write a song in my little bedroom, singing and playing.
And then I go into a crowded bar and play the song through speakers over voices and pool cues and ... the next day it's at a festival- you're outside and there's sunshine and bugs and dancers ... and most of all I think it's the people there- it's the energy in the room.. what's been in the room before... One single person in the room can change a whole show.
The reality of it is different every time....
Here's a picture our friend, Jack, shared with us : Bread Horses
Monday, March 17, 2014
Mountain Top Music Festival- where everyone knows your name
This past weekend we had the pleasure of playing at Mountain Top Festival at Indianhead Mountain Resort in the UP.
This was one of my favorite festivals we've played to date. Some of our favorite bands were there such as The Last Revel, Sans Souci Quartet, Horseshoes and Handgrenades, and Charlie Parr. It was amazing to see so many of these people in one place. I've noticed that everyone plays a little better when there are a lot of musicians in the room.
The festival included music, music, music, skiing, a bikini ski race, lots of jamming late into the night, and a few inches of snow the night that we were there.
As a band we're in a very interesting place right now... we're all holding our breath a bit I suppose. We've been traveling and gigging and pursuing things in our own personal lives. We've been fundraising for this album, thinking about it...taking care of flight tickets and instruments...
And yet it seems completely surreal that in three weeks we'll be getting on that plane.
A good friend wrote to me about the correlation between risk and freedom. I've been focused on how excited I am about this opportunity, and I have a feeling that the boys would agree with me on that. However, as the date draws closer, I think we're seeing other sides of it... such as the risks we're taking, what we're really investing.. not just financially, but also how we're investing our lives in each other. There's a lot of other things too-- the pressure to make the album as good as it can be (and what is good art, anyway?) to be most all honest.. to handle the stress in a healthy way, to treat each other the right way. And in the midst of all of this playing every weekend and working throughout the week, dealing with one thing after the next.
I feel incredibly blessed to be working with Dan, Tim, and Pete. We had coffee together last night and talked about the things we're approaching.. we were honest with each other, said things that needed to be said.. grounded each other and ourselves in what we're doing and how we're functioning. It was a conversation that definitely put things into perspective, that gave me affirmation, and instilled some genuine excitement about the future.
And at the end of the day I find myself reminding myself to not take myself too seriously here. There's a million different ways to look at a picture but really what I keep saying is that I just want to play music. Dan reminded me the other day, "None of this is bigger than ourselves." And honestly there were moments last week where I felt like I was falling apart...like it was bigger than me, than us. It is in these moments throughout my life that I've learned to lean a little on others and to breathe... to fly out a bit for a different and maybe broader perspective.
"He is enlightened who joins in this play knowing it as a play, for man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun."
-Alan Watts
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Art is...
I asked Google, "what is art?"
Google said, "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power."
I tend to think of art as really any form of human expression that reflects the human experience- or even just the experience of being. Maybe it's just any expression at all.
A question that has come up frequently lately has been, "Why do humans feel the need for expression at all?" Volumes and volumes of books could be written about that, but ultimately in my mind it comes down to the desire to connect with others... not just to not be alone, but because I feel that we are innately designed to long for that connection with others- and not just human beings, but animals or plants or rocks even or I guess maybe the entire cosmos.
Last night I was able to visit some dear friends in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. They run Center Ground Studios, an art gallery attached to their home. I got to play some tunes while folks checked out the art displayed by Jessica Kaminski, Teresa Lind, and Janelle Holmstrom.
The gathering of these people... artists of all different types- photographers, painters, musicians, potters, welders, and the likes... it gave me such inspiration. The world seems like a beautiful place when you find yourself surrounded by those who support art, those who make a life out of examining and celebrating the human experience.
We all hung out through the night, went to the local bar across the street and had breakfast together in the morning. I found myself in conversation after conversation about art, ego, love, religion and spirituality, living as an artist...
And I thought of how weekend after weekend as a band we find ourselves in front of these people... we're sharing our songs and talents maybe, but mostly we're sharing our energy. And everyone in the room is part of that sharing.
And I asked myself, "why do we do it?"
And I remembered last week at our show at the Minocqua Brewing Company. I honestly felt it was one of the best shows we've ever played. And why was that?
Questions and more questions.
Art puts people in a room that maybe wouldn't normally be in a room together. Art is the connecting, the sharing of what I often call energy, but I wish I could think of a word that implied something more intimate than that.
And it feeds us! It nourishes us. All different types of people seek out all different types of art forms every day. Last night I wasn't surprised to be surrounded by a lot of people from different places around Wisconsin that all sort of knew each other through various ways and different connections. And these things are more than coincidental in my mind. For example, I got to the studio to find out that Jessica Kaminski, whose photography was being showcased, is dating the man who does my tattoo work. There is no question in my mind that there's a reason in all of us finding ourselves together in a space like that.
So? Celebrate art. Support it. Eat it up. Breathe it in. Make love to it.
In respect to all these words... here's some links I was able to find if you're interested in checking out some of the cool artists I got to spend time with last night:
Center Ground Studios
John Pahlas
Heidi Clayton
Ross Bisbee
Jessica Kaminski
Kahlil Gibran
Friday, March 7, 2014
"When Water Comes to Life"
I was sleeping in the lilies
Or was I up all night?
These days it's hard to tell what's half asleep from fully alive
This show was pretty different from anything I've been to. Walking into the historic Turner Hall building I first noticed the mellowness of the crowd. One of my favorite things about going to shows is watching the people there- what do they seem like? And how does that correlate to the band or musician that's playing? I also noticed how relaxed everyone seemed, the vibe was really chill. I saw hipsters, hippies, families, John and Jane Does, old, young... A pretty good mix of a crowd.
Cloud Cult is a much better band live than they are on a disc from a studio. There's something I think they can't quite capture without a live presence. I was very aware of this at the concert and it made me think about recording our album this coming April and how we're going to try to capture a sound that has morphed into a very improvisational and flowing thing...
Anyway,
Picture this:
No opening band.
Cloud Cult walks on stage humbly and sits down on chairs. Guitar, cello, horns, keyboard... two canvases in the back which artists paint on throughout the show. Gentle, beautiful melodies.. four part harmonies... incredible dynamics. Intimate strings.
And the second set? Members exchange instruments. Electric guitar, electric bass, drums! Beautiful backdrop. Effects on vocals. Massive energy exchange.
I was also very happy to share the experience with Dan. It's not very often that we get to go see shows since we are usually playing, but it's so important for us to experience from the other side.
"A singer cannot delight you with his singing unless he himself delights to sing."
-Kahlil Gibran
Thanks for reading.. stay tuned for a post about what we're up to this month.
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