Co-Mission Contributor: Erika Lewis
(Photo by Eve Hawthorn)
Meet Erika Lewis
I had written this song some years ago during a transitional time when I could feel a necessary change was coming and it brought up hard feelings of fear and uncertainty. Those feelings came with the realization that the pain of letting go was the only way to move forward and foster new growth. The song felt fleeting and cathartic and at the time, too dreary to share. But now, in this collective place we find ourselves in, it feels relevant. Not just because there is a sadness to it, but because I think we are all experiencing letting go on some level. I had forgotten about it until recently when I was working over some songs with my friend John James, just before the pandemic became a reality. My hope is that this experience serves to open our hearts and minds as we re-emerge into the world.
Before the pandemic I had recently moved to Asheville, North Carolina with my son. Starting over is never easy but spring was on the horizon and I began to make some musical connections and book shows around town for my band, The Lonesome Doves. Hope for the future. Put on hold. For the past 11 years I have also been part of a jazz and blues band from New Orleans called Tuba Skinny. We tour a couple times a year and for us, April is a big month of festivals and events down there that I return to play for. Of course, that was all cancelled as well as the majority of gigs for the rest of the year. Sharing music with people is what I love to do and I feel grateful that I have been able to support myself in it so far
The best way to support me is to download my album here: thelonesomedoves.bandcamp.com or if you’d like to be a patron you can PayPal me at thelonesomedovesband@gmail.com
You can also find me on:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thelonesomedovesband/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thelonesomedovesband/
Bandcamp: thelonesomedoves.bandcamp.com
Co-Mission Contributor: Brittain Ashford
Meet Brittain Ashford:
The scope of how I planned to navigate the next year has radically changed, but I know I’m not alone. Mostly I find myself thinking about what it means to live in New York when one can’t enjoy any of the things that make New York… livable. I’m optimistic that, as a society, we will come out of this better. I just wish I could say I knew what that really meant or how long that process was going to take. Fuck it, I need a hug. I recently started a Patreon to try to make up the deficit in my monthly income, which feels weird and very humbling.
Support Brittain Ashford:
www.patreon.com/brittainashford
prairieempire.bandcamp.com
brittainashford.bandcamp.com
www.brittainashford.com
www.instagram.com/kittendonut/?hl=en
www.facebook.com/brittainashford/
twitter.com/brittainashford?s=20
Co-Mission Contributor: Sinkane
(Courtesy of the artist)
Meet Sinkane:
Prior to the pandemic I had been battling with a lot of anxiety and stress about my career. I was feeling uninspired and altogether frustrated, depressed. I wasn’t looking forward to any of my upcoming gigs. Then, when things shut down, I felt a huge sense of relief. I didn’t have to do any more work…. And then, there it was, upon being forced to slow down and be with myself, I realized that THAT was what had been missing in my life. This pandemic has taken me inward. I haven’t been creative and I am ok with that. I play a lot of video games and cook dinner every night with my girlfriend. I’m not being a musician and it feels great because I know that, when I do decided to start working again, the fruit of that labor will be inspired, fresh, and healthy.
I don’t really feel connected to the live streaming thing but I’ve done it nonetheless. It has showed me how supportive my fans (and music fans all over the world) are. I’ve put up a digital tip jar with every acoustic performance or DJ set that I do on my Instagram/Facebook and the response has been so great. We are all hard wired to connect and this pandemic is showing us that. The news is dark…. but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
If you feel inclined to support Sinkane you can send a donation to:
PayPal.me/Sinkane
Venmo: @ahmed-gallab
Cashapp: $ahmedgallab
You can also join my Patreon page and receive exclusive new music, merch discounts and early bird info on any upcoming Sinkane things: Patreon.com/sinkanetv
Co-Mission Collaborator: Kath Bloom
Meet Kath Bloom & David Shapiro:
In these days of Covid -19 the best and worst of humanity seem to be illuminated. I am so grateful and proud of all workers on the “front-line” They ALL should get raises. I am humbled everyday!! I am also sickened by some others: their ineptness and selfish motives. But this is also the territory of artists-to connect us on strong emotional and spiritual levels. To find beauty!!!
Support Kath Bloom and David Shapiro:
kathbloom.bandcamp.com
davidalexanderguitars.bandcamp.com
www.kathbloom.com
Paypal: kathbloombronski@gmail.com
www.instagram.com/kathbloomofficial/
Co-Mission Contributor: Kevin Killen
Meet Kevin Killen
From a working standpoint…this situation has it’s good and bad…. I no longer need to come up with a reason to hide away in my studio for days on end, tinkering away at noises. But, the live gigs are gone now and that is where most of the money and enjoyment comes from all of this music stuff. I had big plans for this spring….In April I was supposed to drive out to IL to record an album with my dear friend Peter Adriel. That was going to be book ended by a big tour all around the country. The monetary loss on a project like this is one thing but you cannot put a price on an experience missed. I look forward to a chance to make up that session but for now……I’m still here…tinkering.
Support Kevin Killen:
kevinkillenmusic.bandcamp.com
www.instagram.com/kevin_killen/
Paypal @ psychokillen@gmail.com
Venmo @ Kevin_killen
twitter.com/kevin_killen?lang=en
www.facebook.com/KevinKillenMusic/
Co-Mission Contributor: Squirrel Flower
(Photo by Maria Gelsomini)
Meet Squirrel Flower
Thankfully i’m living rent free and getting unemployment right now, so i’m not in extreme hardship, but I have lost pretty much every other source of income for the foreseeable future. Downloading my earlier music on bandcamp and supporting me on Bandcamp Day is probably the best way to support me, as well as streaming+sharing my music with others. My tour promoting my debut LP got cancelled, and it’s a strange thing to promote an album without touring. I also urge people to donate to others who are more in need, specifically to bail funds and undocumented worker funds.
Support Squirrel Flower:
squirrelflower.bandcamp.com
www.squirrelflower.net
www.facebook.com/sqrrlflwr/
twitter.com/sqrrlflwr?s=20
www.instagram.com/sqrrlflwr/?hl=en
Co-Mission Contributor: Louisa Branscomb
Meet Louisa Branscomb
We’re really always standing at the edge of the precipice, but we don’t look down until we trip.
Everything seemed perfect. I had launched a new all-woman band, Geez Louise, and we had some gigs and plans for an album. My regular band, Branscomb-Williams, was touring my new CD I’d worked on for 3 years, and we were at the top of the wave. Then came that that day in March. The full impact of the new pandemic hit me, and I got in the car in Florida and drove 13 hours home to my farm, non-stop.
I’m a songwriter, but my music has always been collaborative. I love the shared experience of co-creating a song together – it’s a special intimacy and bond. So not being able to hang and perform with my bandmates has been one of the hardest parts. When I heard about the project, I decided to take the dare. How could we fly over the landscape of loneliness between us and create again together, from 3 towns in 2 states?
The song that jumped to mind is one I’d never recorded, but one that gave me solace in another disaster – when the tornado of 2011 destroyed my farm. I’d lost 75,000 trees and my home and barns. There had been no time to grieve and crying was a luxury I couldn’t afford. In a moment of stillness, sitting on top of the scalped hill, I saw a thin pine tree stripped bare that I had tried to save. There it was still standing – the skeleton of a tree, refusing to fall. I was flooded with grief. I thought, what redeems this tragedy – 460 people killed, all the destruction?
Suddenly I was filled with peace. We are all held by this benevolent old world that keeps giving us chances. It’s all we’ve got, and it’s not so bad. We are each the pine, sometimes stripped to the core, but… together or apart, as Ram Dass said, we are all just walking each other home.
I’m honored to be joined here by my distinguished band mates, Jeanette and Johnny Williams, (Branscomb-Williams) and Jody King, a gifted multi-instrumentalist, engineer, and friend who made it possible to pull this off in 2 weeks across 250 miles, with improvised studios lined with grandmothers’ quilts and flannel PJs, varying software, and makeshift equipment.
Sure, I’d rather we were on the front porch playing. And it’s quiet here in the country – I long for the songwriter retreats I’ve had here for 30 years, like in the picture (the lonesome pine that inspired the song is just to the right of center, top of the hill). And fear still lurks in my mirror. But it’s comforting that we are all on this walk together.
Support Louisa Branscomb and the band:
www.louisabranscomb.com
jeanettewilliams.com
JohnnyHWilliams.com
twitter.com/jodykingbanjo?lang=en
www.facebook.com/LouisaBranscombMusic/
Co-Mission Contributor: Janice Jo Lee
Meet Janice Jo Lee
Support Janice Jo Lee:
Co-Mission Contributor: Jolie Holland
Meet Jolie Holland
The pandemic is a real shock to our musical community. I’m concerned for our side players, for the venues, for the culture. My main source of livelihood is gone. Please consider supporting me at Patreon.com/JolieHolland where I’m sharing new songs or videos every week, even at the lowest tier. You can buy merchandise directly from me via my website joliehollandmusic.com, or by tipping me at Venmo or Paypal. I’m the first Jolie Holland on either of those platforms, i.e., no numbers. I was about to start recording a new album with my friend Heath Cullen as co-producer. I was about to go on tour for the vinyl release of my 2004 album ‘Escondida’. Consequently, I have a lot of ‘Escondida’ themed merch available on my website, including 6 shirt designs. Hopefully we can revisit these ideas when the pandemic is past us. During lockdown in the eye of this hurricane, I continue to write, to coach other songwriters, and to work on some longer form writing: a memoir and an illustrated collection of first hand ghost stories.
Support Jolie Holland:
www.patreon.com/jolieholland
joliehollandofficial.bandcamp.com
joliehollandmusic.com
twitter.com/JolieHolland?s=20
Paypal: muzeekan@gmail.com
Co-Mission Contributor: Driftwood Soldier
Meet Driftwood Soldier
Support Driftwood Soldier:
driftwoodsoldier.bandcamp.com
driftwoodsoldier.com
www.facebook.com/driftwoodsoldier/
www.instagram.com/driftwoodsoldier/?hl=en