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NEW RWRS PAGE
Every week, a brand new song (or the solid beginning of one) finds its way onto the internet via the RealWomenRealSongs project. I'll be writing with this group all year. A few early videos are below; the fun continues on a new page I've dedicated to collecting all the videos in one place, which will be updated every week. If you prefer, you can also watch the YouTube playlist here. Let me know which ones move you most! REALWOMENREALSONGS week 4. Prompt: JUNK DRAWER!
REALWOMENREALSONGS week 3. Prompt: FLASHLIGHT. For Miss Kitty.
REALWOMENREALSONGS week 2. Prompt: CRADLE. Enjoy!
REALWOMENREALSONGS begins 1.5.21
Along with 21 other writers and 7 visual artists, I'll be creating new work each week based on prompts. The idea behind the project is to create a TON of new work on a schedule. This facilitates creative flow by moving us swiftly past our hypercritical inner editors into generative territory. The motto -- my motto -- is "DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT." Likely none of the songs will be album-ready, but they are starting places and that is all that's required. To make a thing, and make the next, is good, good, work, and we are underway. Here's my first offering based on a true story. I hope you enjoy it. REMEMBERING MISS KITTY My beloved touring partner, teddy bear, little spoon, playmate, confidante, teacher, dance partner, and best friend left this earth on December 14 at 18.5 years old. I adopted her from Dakin Humane Society in 2006 when she was four years old, never suspecting what a clarifying force she would be in my life, not even realizing that the level of love and bonding we found was possible. My grief is great -- two weeks out I'm still ugly-crying whenever I talk about our love and adventures -- but my gratitude is greater. I look forward to the time when I can take everything she taught me and offer it to another in need. There are always others who need us.
Many of you have followed our escapades on Instagram and Facebook and some have asked how they can honor her life and the lives of shelter animals in general. I suggest making a contribution to Dakin on Miss Kitty's behalf, either with a purchase from their Amazon Wish List or through a donation. And once again, thank you for loving her and for bearing witness to our incredible journey. BACK CATALOG LISTENING PARTY - TANGLEWOOD TREE
On October 30, Ellen Stanley, Anthony Ihrig and I listened to and discussed four songs from TANGLEWOOD TREE with some of our biggest fans. The chat was uplifting and the questions were great, and luckily, the show is archived on YouTube -- so if you missed it, you can listen anytime! SECOND SINGLE FROM TRACY'S 1970S SIDE PROJECT, BLUELINER
Jim Henry, Lorne Entress, Paul Kochanski and TG formed a little project called BLUELINER and released their first single, "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" June 19. Their follow-up recording of Carole King's "Sweet Seasons" was released September 24 and is nothing short of joyful -- the perfect antidote for what ails you. Check out our happy video below, and then visit the band's Bandcamp page for downloads, or to gift this track to a friend. We hope the music brings you as much joy as it brought us! NEW TOWNES VAN ZANDT COVER AVAILABLE AUG. 14
Tracy pays tribute to one of her all-time favorite songwriters with a lovingly-crafted cover of "I'll Be Here in the Morning." "I recorded this at the beginning of the shut-down," says Grammer. "There was something about this chorus that struck me as particularly heartbreaking. All those reports of Covid-19 patients on ventilators, passing away without friends or family near. That loneliness; that impossible separation. I sang this one as if music and love and wishing could somehow bridge them." Tracy recorded her guitar and vocals in The Blue Room (her home studio), with Jim Henry adding electric guitar in his studio across the valley. The song was mixed by Bob Stark in Oregon and mastered by David Glasser in Colorado. NEW SINGLE FROM TRACY'S 1970S SIDE PROJECT, BLUELINER
Jim Henry, Lorne Entress, Paul Kochanski and TG formed a little project called BLUELINER and released their first single, "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" June 19. This follows the video of the song they released in April, which has received more than 10k views on Facebook. Download "Rose Garden" at the band's Bandcamp page, and drop us a note to let us know what you think? More to come soon ... stay tuned. VIRTUAL SHOW SCHEDULED FOR 3/24 AT 3PM EASTERN - YOUTUBE
Artists everywhere are looking for ways to continue delivering their music -- and earning their rent -- while the country is more or less on lockdown. To that end, Jim Henry and I are excited to be doing our first post-quarantine live show from his house on Tuesday, March 24 at 3pm Eastern via YouTube. There is no admission fee or ticket structure for the show but if you'd like to donate, I do have a handy Virtual Tip Jar set up to receive contributions. You can watch the show by clicking here!
NEW SINGLE RELEASES 2.21.20 on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, more
TRACY GRAMMER kicks off 2020 with a brand new cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Needed You.” The song, which Grammer has performed as an encore for years, was recorded and mixed in her home studio with Grammer on all the instruments, including electric guitar. David Glasser at Airshow mastered the track.
The song was recorded as a “thank you” to friends and fans who offered material and energetic support to Grammer after she sustained a serious knee injury during a film shoot in 2019 and was forced to cancel more than 20 tour dates. “A hit like that can sink an independent artist,” says Grammer, “but I was buoyed in a time of need by people who have been moved by my music. I couldn’t think of a better way to thank them than to offer them a heartfelt version of this beautiful song.” “If I Needed You” is the first of several digital-only singles Grammer plans to release independently in 2020. Click on the graphic to listen or download. |
