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[news!
So thrilled to be playing my friend Michael the Blind's big album release show, June 5 at the White Eagle, with my full band! Ben Landsverk, Leigh Marble, Liz Savage and Jeff Langston and I will be playing songs from World So Sweet and maybe a couple unheard tunes. Michael's album is great (as is he). I hope you come out for this!
This is really early notice but I'm delighted to be involved--The Woody Guthrie Porchlight Concert, July 14, at Trinity Cathedral. In celebration of Woody's 100th birthday, me and and a bunch of other Portland musicians will be singing under the stars--incl. friends Ben Landsverk, Holcombe Waller, Danny Seim, and other fab folks like Corin Tucker Band, Buoy LaRue, Floating Pointe, and Una Rose (full list on the shows page). Free, but donations will feed Portland’s hungry. A benefit for Trinity’s Northwest Community Meal and Food Pantry.
Some folks have been such stalwart supporters and friends--John B. Jones, host of Hello Cruel World on KZME, has my everlasting gratitude. I'll be back on HCW, live, in July--doing songs from Songs Without a Home (guitar. gasp!). Was supposed to be on April 21 but had to postpone due to hot dog fingers brought on by moving house, ugh. Not that I'm usually a great guitarist, but at the moment I can't play at all. Dammit! Will promise to practice 'til that great day in July, and will tell you when I know exactly which great day! And while I'm at it, MANY thanks to KZME for being such an ally to my music, and to Portland musicians in general. 107.1FM--go listen! I hear KZME's also featuring my friend Leigh Marble's tunes from his wonderful new album (which WW just reviewed). I had the great pleasure of singing backup on Leigh's record.
I'm way past flabbergasted and honored to be included in the Loud Family/Game Theory legend Scott Miller's book, "Music: What Happened?" (p. 225! er, but the whole book's a delight. He picks songs from each year, 1957-2010, counting down backwards from 20. He picked my song, Stagg Field, #5 for 2008. Crazy!). 2nd edition just out and available now--just click on the title (above). He's a terrific read: funny, succinct, thoughtful. I'm a-burst with pride! Nothing this great'll probably ever happen to me again. P.s...many thanks, Sue T!
OK--this is also great, and a complete surprise that likewise tickled me pink: Willamette Week included World So Sweet in the WW Best Albums of the Year. Put a little skip in my step, for certain. Thank you, MS & WW!
Also, one more big thanks due to WW and writer Robert Ham for featuring "City of Angels" as the
Willamette Week Cut of the Day.
I've managed to get six albums up (including the unreleased, stripped-down Songs Without a Home and my holiday album, 7 Small Winter Songs) on Bandcamp. The World So Sweet link'll take you there. Also--some very nice press for World So Sweet on the Press page. i.e.: "...doesn’t follow the crowd and doesn’t care of the consequences. Unless the crowd is of the cat-loving, Buffy-watching hermit variety."]
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Jay and I have just moved and are currently in physical and mental collapse (while very happy about our new home) so I'm not doing a whole lot on the gigs front at the moment. Will hopefully be playing my dear Press Club again before too long, but Kevin and Pete who've lovingly brought that place up and have been so good to me and many other musicians, are moving on. The new owners seem nice and devoted to it but I'll sure miss Kevin and Pete! Thanks, and have wonderful new lives, you two. Ben's and my latest gig there we shared with 3 Leg Torso. It was packed to the rafters (mainly because of, well, 3 Leg Torso, cough) and it was a great night. Special place. I hope it stays that way.
I don't know if this has anything to do with deleting my personal FB account, but since the new year I've written a new little album (will tell you more about it later: am excited about it, though) and a number of new songs seem to have come together into one long piece that I guess you'd call an additional album. I'm also very honored to have been included with a number of great Portland musicians in a very beautiful project for a very beautiful Portland musician (more on that later, too).
Spring has sprung, and it smells good. Our new house has expert songbirds--so weird and lovely to hear that again! I'd gotten so used to the screechy scrub jays and crows (which I love, actually--the crows, I mean) over the years at our old place. I started the new year with a lot of curiosity. Kind of discombobulated and not certain about anything at all, which is a feeling I've had so many times in my life over its many years, I don't worry so much about it anymore. I'm no starry-eyed optimist but the great thing about knowing nothing is that delicious sense of mystery. Hopefully, life won't suck. Hopefully, it'll make us delighted and, ok: starry-eyed.
Much love,
Rachel
p.s....some radio shows and podcasts i like:
Hello Cruel World on KZME with John B. Jones
Kill Ugly Radio with Rich Lindsay
In Memory of John Peel on Radio23 with Zaph Mann
Ola's Kool Kitchen on Radio23 with DJ Ola
Trixie Pop on KZME with Denise Kowalczyk
p.s...My friend Zakk of the Nunnery made me a fan page on the FB: the
"Rachel Taylor Brown Fan Page for Musical Enlightenment." Please believe me that I didn't name it that.
p.s...if you need anything and it's not here please just give me or Alex Steininger at inmusicwetrust.com a shout.
contact rachel . skyhand website design, seattle
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