π The Beautiful Pink Shirt / Shows This Month / More Than Ever π
Hello, friends! Within this text you shall find:
1. Hi
2. Shirts
3. Free Workshop
4. Upcoming Shows (Nov 10, 11; Dec 1, 16)
5. What's been happening
6. What's next
7. Four other items of interest including some chords
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1. Hi
Newsletter list, I have been neglecting you. My social media work has increased like 1,000% since Alive People was released, and in the back of my mind I have been thinking about how to make these emails a valuable addition to all the stuff I put on facebook and instagram. Maybe I'll write longer form messages here? I don't know. I'm making this up as I go along.
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2. Shirts
First of all, the pink shirts I had made are now available online. High quality, incredibly soft, 100% cotton, light pink long-sleeved tees. Made by Comfort Colors. Green embroidery on the left breast is about 2" wide, and reads "Alive People Ruth Garbus" with a couple hearts. Because it was a bit pricey to get them made, they're a bit pricey for you to buy - $40 apiece. But these are above-average band tees, and it includes a digital copy of the album (more info here). Cozy enough to sleep in, stylish enough for semi-casual work wear. BUTTER SOFT. So soft it's like they've been worn and washed a thousand times over fifty years by a sweet little old man, but they're brand new. A special shout out to Dave at Emulsion Embroidery for helping me out with the design. Also, light pink is a very nice color that is flattering on everyone and will bring you joy. If you buy today Bandcamp won't take a cut! Order here.
3. Free Workshop
I'm leading a free workshop in Brattleboro, VT at The Stone Church next Wednesday as part of a great series called Grrrls 2 the Front, the mission of which is:
To create access an opportunity for women and non-binary people in the music industry. To celebrate their accomplishments. To amplify their voices & to connect them with resources and each other.
Here is the description of the event I'm hosting:
Big Enough: Get Comfortable with Taking Up Space
November 8, 6-8pm
At the same time that we work on our songs, skills, and publicity, we also canβt forget the internal work that sometimes needs to be done before we can truly thrive as musicians. If you are uncomfortable, confused, or unmotivated in any aspect of your musical work, this workshop might help.
Discussion, meditation, and visualization are the tools we will use to peer around the corner at the expressive beings we are becoming.
No registration required but it is helpful: register here
More info about the whole program here
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4. Upcoming Shows
(These are all with my trio: elie mcafee-hahn on keys and Nick Bisceglia on guitar)
Friday, 11/10 in Keene, New Hampshire at Nova Arts with Joseph Allred. Tickets and details here.
Saturday, 11/11 in Burlington, Vermont at the Radio Bean (Presented by Waking Windows). We're still looking for an opening act. Tickets and details here.
Saturday, 12/1 in Brooklyn, NY at The Owl Music Parlor with Zach Phillips. No online ticket sales but find the event listing here on The Owl's site. $15 at the door.
Saturday, 12/16 in Portland, Maine at Space Gallery. This is the vinyl release for Dead Gowns, h. pruz also performing. Tickets and details here.
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5. What's been happening
(This is the part you might already know if you've been following me on social media or hanging out with me in the last couple months.)
California tour in September was great. Reviews for the album have been deeply kind and insightful. (The thoughtful, generous review by Marc Hogan on Pitchfork and 8.0 score made me very, very happy and excited!) I have been set free by Nick and elie - the only instrument I'm using during performances now is my voice - and playing is more wonderful than ever before. I'm singing in the way I have wanted to for so long but wasn't quite able to do, bringing my songwriting and improvising together, through collaboration. Tim Heidecker sang Julia's part with us on Office Hours. I was joined by the full Alive People group for the release show last month here in Brattleboro. It was heartwarming and fun. Several parents and Brattleboro Select Board members were present. My friend Christina Schneider, a.k.a. Locate S,1, opened for us, and they were so great great.
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6. What's next
Looks like some touring will happen in the spring. Earth Flower, my trio with Sam Gendel and Phil Melanson, will be releasing something probably before the end of this year. But the most important thing really is how different I feel on the inside. It's hard to describe, but I feel like I'm on a mission to do this in a way that has never been true before. So, g*d willing, I will be creating and performing more in the next few years than I ever have.
More music.
More learning.
May I be an instrument of love and healing.
I'm on a rocket ship made out of an oyster shell.
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7. Other items of interest
a) The chords to Mono No Aware (pictured below). Chris wrote them out for me, meaning Chris Weisman, my life partner of love and totally stellar music maker and thinker.
b) Chris just started a newsletter on Substack called Cadential Windfall. I highly recommend it. It's all about music. The first post is about the new Beatles song that just came out. Subscribe!
c) elie mcafee-hahn and and Julie Bodian (both of the Alive People band) record and perform as an instrumental guitar duo called Blue Dish, and they're also brilliant programmers. They created their own music streaming app called Blue Dish Soothing Music, which you can download on your iPhone or Apple computer for free (not sure if android/PC is in the works). It's a weird and wonderful art project that's almost too good to be true. They just want to give you their soothing music. It's so good.
d) My wonderful label, Orindal Records, just released a sampler with lots of great Orindal artists. It's called Powerful Forces Beyond Our Understanding. You can find it here.
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and well
That's it for me, except to say that I pray for people's sorrows and losses and the violence to stop in Palestine and Israel, and all over the world, throughout time. I don't know what else to say.
I humbly thank you for reading and listening. Thank you so much.
π