Ellery

Other blog...

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:11:00 +0000

Hello wonderful blog readers! I don't know if you've noticed, but we've made a new blog at the site www.ellerystimulus.com, and to save some time and confusion, we're only going to be updating that one. Thanks for your patience and following! Please consider heading there and subscribing - your time, attention, and listening mean the world to us. :-)

The update from Massachusetts

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Given our questionable vehicle-luck on the tour so far, we were a little intimidated by the downpour that accompanied us from Newburgh NY to Natick MA yesterday. It was a steady, driving rain - The kind that occasionally engulfs the road ahead so that you have to drive under 40mph on the interstate if you want to see clearly.
But our quickly-diminishing collection of podcasts was good company, offering a bit of peace & distraction (the positive kind)... And even through that Corridor of Immense Traffic in Connecticut, all was refreshingly Well.

Miraculously, the rain stopped as soon as we pulled into The Center for Arts Natick, and we loaded our gear into the building sans soaking and said hello to some of the kindest folks around.

The Center for Arts Natick ("tCAN") is a beautiful converted firehouse... It's full of historic vibe, and the sound is amazing in the performance room. Lucy sound-checked with Billy Joel's "Goodnight My Angel" (which I hadn't heard in years and is as beautiful as I remembered,) and we took the time to settle in after the drive. We let our jaws drop at the amazing paintings newly-installed on the walls of the performance space, which were done by local high school students from Walnut Hill Art School. These are these stunning, deeply-emotional portraits that left us in disbelief about the young talent... And grateful for the art, which seemed ideal for the night's music.

And we couldn't have asked for a lovelier experience: A nearly sold-out show, the opportunity to play a beautiful (and beautifully-tuned) grand piano, a fabulous audience, and a fine artist to open for. So many thanks to tCAN and the crowd tonight-- We loved loved loved connecting with you.

The winding roads of Massachusetts have always enthralled us. The scenery is charming and mysterious in this altogether New England way, and we can't help ourselves. It often feels magical. One of these dark and tree-lined, spotted-with-lovely-cape-cods routes led us to our hotel last night.
And we may be easily-pleased these days, but we've found ourselves tonight in a lovely, clean, and safe place nestled against a couple rolling hills, and wow, that front desk guy was such a human being - absolutely kind. We're laying our heads down tonight with some deep breaths.

The Early-April Tour So Far

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:05:00 +0000

It's our first tour since the Stimulus began, and we're racking up our share of adventures...

The Early-April Tour So Far:

Day Minus-One: Tasha loses her voice. (Come on!) New bag of cough drops saves the day. (Leaves me smelling like medicine @ our shows, but -- singing.)

Off to Akron.

Day One: Stranded north of Columbus because ignition won't turn. AAA guy saves the day, which gets us to Akron, where Justin's cousin-the-awesome-mechanic REALLY saves the day.
Off to the University.

Day Two: Flat tire for no identifiable reason. Fix-a-Flat and nearby tire&lube place (and new tire) saves the day.

Off to Pittsburgh.

Day Three: Leave early from Pittsburgh for Penn Tech in Williamsport. Spend 80 minutes getting out of the city; now running VERY late. Construction on every state hwy and interstate, ALL the way to Williamsport. (No really: every highway & interstate. And we hear this is typical of Pennsylvania; anyone want to verify this rumor?) So: Oh the angst! Arrival time: 15 minutes after showtime. In this case, the incredible patience of the college staff (and our kind listeners) saves the day.

Off to Newburgh NY for the night.

Day Three (later): Check into name-brand hotel that is inexplicably skanky. We are disturbed upon entry... Then the toxic cleaner-fumes give us crazy headaches & sore throats. Disturbing--->Scary! Check out (with grace from a kind front-desk clerk), and drive down the road.

Day Three (evening): Explore Algonquin Park in Newburgh.

Breathe fresh air, take pictures, watch the sunset. Are totally wrong about what we think all those old stone buildings are.

Go to the PetsMart across the street & de-stress by staring at adoptable cats. Go back to cower in our room for a while. In short: Slowly perk up. (Chocolate and those "veggie chips" from Whole Foods certainly help.) (And Colbert.)

Currently: Justin's playing guitar along to some music on his laptop, but he's wearing headphones & I can't hear anything but the (not-plugged-in) electric. Sounds cool. And hilarious.

I'm turning my phone off with a delight reserved for the most hermit-ish of hotel dwellers. "Ha," I say. "If you call, I can't hear it." (I mean this with love.)

Speaking of love, oh, has it been good to connect with kind audiences. With these eventful days we've been arriving at shows in a rather ragged and desperate state... Only to find the loveliest of people waiting for us. So, our many thanks to U of A, Howler's, and PennTech for welcoming us--

Tomorrow: The drive to Massachusetts: always beautiful. And we'll collide with Lucy Kaplansky's tour again at the lovely Center for Arts Natick--

The Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:11:00 +0000

THE BIG NEWS...

Hello Friends,

It's a big day for Ellery!

We've been so excited to tell you.
We can finally say to you, to all of you, the one thing we've been wanting to say for SUCH a long time:

We're making another record.

It's true. And not just someday, but beginning right now. Today.
And with you. (More on that in a minute!)

The recording time is on the books. We've signed on the dotted line. We've blocked several Summer weeks.

It's all begun, and it's feverishly moving ahead.

THE WHAT...

We've had our eyes out on our next full-length since late-2007. We've been compiling songs as they come, tucking them away to see where they lead. We've been enthusiastic, but patient. We didn't want to make another record just to make another record.
We've wanted the recording process to unfold gracefully and authentically -- Whatever that meant. Whatever that means. We'd surely know it when we felt it. :)

THE WHO...

In January, Justin began talking about Malcolm Burn. Malcolm is a Grammy-winning producer who has worked with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Kaki King, Rachel Yamagata, Sarah McLachlan, Gillian Welch, Ryan Adams, and more.

Once Justin mentioned the idea, we began listening more closely:
Emmylou's voice on "Red Dirt Girl." The haunting sound of Rachel Yamagata's "The Reason Why." The clarity of Kaki King's "Open Mouth," the intimacy of Carrie Rodriguez's "Rag Doll," and so much more.
I (Tasha) don't know much about production, and I don't get into gear or studio layouts or anything akin to either of these. But I know something deeply beautiful when I hear it, and the more I heard these samples of Malcolm's work, the more convinced I became that he was exactly what we'd been looking for.

By the time we found out he wanted to work with us, we were sold.

THE WHERE and WHEN...

So we'll be recording in Malcolm's upstate-NY studio this June and July: a glorious time to be in the Hudson Valley! It’s a dream of an opportunity, with the potential to open a lot of doors for us in the future.

Which leads fabulously to the next piece of news...

GET IN ON IT!...

This is definitely our most ambitious project to date. We're setting out to make the best record we've ever made, with what we believe are the best songs we've written.

With that in mind, we've developed the "Ellery Stimulus."
(Ah, the pop-culture reference.)

You the fan have the opportunity to participate in the Ellery story in a much more personal, intimate, and integral way. Through the Stimulus, we're raising funds to complete the next record:

Go now to www.ellerystimulus.com
You can read the story, find ALL KINDS of details and FAQ's and, most importantly...
You’ll find LOTS of options for contributing towards the new record, each with a collection of interesting rewards: from new music, to private shows, to keyboards, to dinner, and more...

You can contribute a little or a lot, whatever works for you. Every dollar counts, and every contribution has a PROFOUND effect. The love adds up!

And there's more to this than "raising funds." Through the process of fundraising, we're creating ways to connect with you beyond the artist/listener realm we love so much. Our hope is that you'll truly be a part of this journey with us.

Get In On It:
www.ellerystimulus.com

(If you'd like, leave comments on the blog. Tell us what songs we should record. What songs to leave off. What songs to write. Anything, really. We love your feedback; go!) :)

CLOSING...

Thank you so much for sharing our news and excitement. We believe we have the most warm, kind, and music-loving fans in the world; it's an honor to make music for you and with you. You make all of this go.

We can't wait to see you on the road,
to tell you how the Ellery Stimulus is doing,
to hear your thoughts and feedback,
to show you how the whole thing unfolds,
and to create something beautiful with you.

More to come soon...

Our very best to you!

--Tasha and Justin // Ellery

Ten minutes in Romulus.

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:45:00 +0000

I came down to the lobby of our Romulus MI hotel this morning to do some work and let Justin rest.
An older man, a hotel employee, was moving around the room, gently wiping down tables and countertops from the continental breakfast which had ended about an hour before.

I'm an introvert and particularly so in the mornings; I like being alone with my thoughts and I had already considered shutting off the enormous TV that was shouting ESPN at me.
The cleaning man seemed harmless enough until he came around by my table. He clasped his hands behind his back and leaned over a bit, reading my computer screen over my shoulder.
This did not feel okay.

"What is this?" He asked, and I felt a bit annoyed. But I smiled. "Oh, just doing some work this morning."
I noticed that this didn't quite register. "You- student?"
Then I noticed his accent. Russian, lovely.
"No, just work."
"What you do?"
My computer screen was on a Yoga site, so I answered, "Well, mainly I'm a musician, but I also teach Yoga."
This is when I learned that he speaks very little English.

So we spent some time trying to talk about what I do.
I realized I'm not so good at charades.
After some work, I think we established that I perform music, but I don't teach it... And what I do teach is "Yoga."

He's not sure what Yoga is:
"You teach -- small children?"
"No, it's more-- people who want to lose weight (I hold my belly) or get strong (flex biceps)." (I didn't think I should launch into stress relief.)
"Ooooh. So you teach-- kind of therapy?"
"Kind of. Kind of."
It was a good start.

We talked about children. "No, not yet" I say when he asks if we have any. "That's okay, you young..."
"I have two children," he says after a pause.
He described his daughter and son, 28 and 26, both in University. "It's hard. Very expensive. Very hard on wife and me. We work-- every day. Every day. But my wife, she's um... optimistic? They're good, no smoking, no drinking, good brain."

I noticed that he looked tired.
I thought about his son, in the very expensive dental school, and wondered if he was thinking about his dad, wiping down tables at the Quality Inn. Mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms. I noticed that if I were his son, I'd feel guilty. And then I noticed that this man wouldn't want that.
Appreciation doesn't have to be followed by guilt. This is new & interesting to me. :)

"What about your parents?" He asked.
"My parents? Like what do they do?"
"No, what is their-- ethnicity?"
"Ooh. Mostly British, German, Native American."
"Ah," he says. "I love the Europeans. And I do like the people American. But here, just so many."

This was funny to me at the time, but funnier in retrospect. He's surrounded. I feel for him.

We chatted for a while, a lovely, very real few minutes which he concluded by saying, "You a good girl. Maybe in 3 years, you birth baby."

A little prophecy thrown out with love. :)

He went back to his work, but after a while he came back over again.
"You eat breakfast?"
"No, just having coffee."
"You want doughnut? Cheerios?"
"No, it's okay, I have food in the room." (The continental breakfast was long gone by now.)
"What you like? Cheerios? Apple?"
"Oh, thank you, but I'm alright." [Just to clarify, I was planning on eating. There's some hott Kashi Oatmeal Action in the hotel room. But I digress.]
"No, I serious. I get you something. You like my daughter: she skinny, but I like a bit more. (He gestures around his middle.) For strong brain, need strong body."
"So - you are my daughter," he continues. "Maybe you like that, maybe not? (shrugs) But I am your father. I take care of you. What you like?"

I think I conceded to dry Cheerios and an apple. Off he went.

So. There's now a plate of bananas, apples, an orange, and a large bowl of cheerios on my table, all covered with a carefully folded napkin.

I came down here bristling against social interaction. In ten minutes this man went from nobody to one of the most deeply meaningful random connections I've experienced while touring.

Feels holy.

I just need to be real for a second.

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Alright.
I've missed you, Blog.
I think.
I mean, I assume.
I mean, I feel like I should.

You're so large. You have so much SPACE.
You can feature pictures and videos.
(Not that we have such things terribly often.)

(You know how it is. You get a nice digital camera, you learn how to use it, sort of, and then you leave it where it's nice and safe. Like in a bag you never carry. Or in the car. Or better yet, at home.
In other words, anywhere other than WITH you.)

But anyway, pictures, videos, whatever, it's been a long time.
The truth is, I've found another Love. I totally didn't see this coming.

Because I'm wordy. Wordy, I said, and you know it.
(If I don't have time for a 500-word essay then what's the point.) (THAT kind of wordy.)

I want sentences that run on, and questionable punctuation (oh, punctuation!), and proper grammar, and room for elipses...
and for hyphens --
(Oh God does Tasha love her hyphens -- And two at a time -- That's important --)

And I want some semicolons; you know, those lovely elements that allow me to join one thought to the next and the next without that irritating period. (So final.)

So I totally didn't see this coming.

I'm sorry, but I love Twitter.

I do. It's embarrassing. Seriously.

Because I spend half my Twitter moments panicking that I can't use my beloved hyphens.
I cringe at the ugly abbreviations, my cherished words all jumbled into a small space -- and for what??! For someone's arbitrary squeezy bless-them-those-Twitter-founders 140-word limit??

Like putting on a pair of jeans two sizes too small.

But then, oh that quick satisfaction, the no-need-to-fill-space, the immediacy of it, the short distance from thought to micro-blog --

(Ew, I said I'd never say "micro-blog," and there it is.)
(I'm sure this could get worse but I don't know how.)

So. Blog.
Big one. Macro. Real one. Original.
I'm not leaving you.
I mean, not totally.

There will be photos, perhaps videos... (Really! We're newly-motivated! Newly-inspired!)
...There will be long paragraphs and run-on sentences whose prose-ish blocks of the English language request, plead for, nay, require a vacuous white space...
And where else could I find such a thing? -- such a willing container for all the Capitalizations, punctuations, ongoing ruminations followed by hesitant elipses, because I can't quite let go...

For such a thing, there is no other.
That I know of.
But I mean, technology is always developing.
But for now -- Well,
There is surely more to come.

And meanwhile, I'll be tweeting.
(And I don't use this proudly: this lingo, this giving-in-to-the-tech-advanced-web-2.0-masses-by-using-their-jargon...
*sigh* But there you have it.)

www.twitter.com/ellerytheband

(oh -- and
www.twitter.com/ellerythepoems)

The Snowy Midwest.

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:17:00 +0000

We're in southern Kentucky tonight, holed up in (if I may say) a gem of a hotel near the University of the Cumberlands.
Speaking of which, we have to send out some enormous thanks for a great night on campus --Lovely lovely lovely.

Our tours this year began on the 15th, with a show on EIU's campus in Charleston IL, and what a brilliant way to begin. It was the coldest of nights so far this Winter, and we were all of us huddled inside over coffee and hot cocoa, feeling connected and human. (Or at least we did.) Thank you guys --

We turned our hotel lights off that night at 1:30am, and turned them on again at 3:30, which is just a sad kind of thing any time it has to happen... But outside our door (and outside of our blankets, it felt!)... it was negative 16 degrees. Climbing out into that was a sorrowful thing for sure!... :) ...The frigid air followed us all the way to Columbus, with me layered up, coat on, and buried under two blankets in the van. (And yes, with the heat cranked and more stops for hot coffee than usual.)

We were stopping in at WCBE for an on-air performance/interview, and the campus was quiet with cold and snow and with people staying in from all of it. But we had a great visit, and were then deeply deeply blessed by a nap in a nearby neighborhood, inside a lovely historic home in the perfect nook of a room whose bed lured us in and sent us to sleep right away.

We played that night with Steppin In It, at the Columbus Performing Arts Center. And we were amazed. We hadn't seen these guys live and it was ridiculously fun... Their tunes are great online, for certain, but seeing it live is where it's at. Make a plan --
And the Six String Concert Series is downright delightful... We felt so welcome and taken care of; such a great audience and a fabulous fabulous staff that obviously loves music and loves people.
And then it was home again for a couple nights...

And so after the historic events today (which left us both deeply inspired and proud), we made our way south, the snow finding us during the last several miles. We played for another blessedly warm room; always such a gift... Tomorrow it's back to Ohio with us.

Back to the Road --

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:47:00 +0000

We've spent the last few weeks in Ohio,
our stomping grounds,
feeling out a sense of home.

Which came to us while with family; much-anticipated days that were every bit as warm and lovely as we could have hoped.

We also got to join the ranks of fine citizens everywhere who suffered a crazy bout of holiday-time flu.
(Less-than-special gift.)

Mine hit while we were with Justin's family, and his came while we were with mine.
(Apparently we enjoy a good balance when one can be achieved.)

But I do have to say: if one must get sick, what better time than when he/she's off the road and holed up with family, surrounded by a ridiculous amount of compassionate coddling.
We're two lucky Goldens.

Besides, all of that was so very short-lived...
The Christmas season bloomed into a seriously refreshing New Year.

(Confession: Usually the New Year feels distinctly arbitrary. We don't typically make resolutions (we didn't this year either), nor do we generally feel that January 1st is a particularly fine time for starting over.
Which is not so much cynicism as a manifestation of stubborn will. I simply like to think I can make a fresh start whenever I want, thank you very much, calendar be d**ned.))

But this January has felt like an honest beginning.
We came home from our family travels, looked around, saw too much stuff, and feverishly listed a hearty pile on Craigs List.
(A quick shout out to Spontaneous Purging.) :)
Our home is much emptier now, in a peaceful, new-beginning kind of way that put a fresh spin on nearly everything.

Especially since we've been able to spend most of January IN our home... Waking up in our own bed, playing music in the living room, making several daily pots of coffee to keep the cold at bay. Calls to friends, card games at the kitchen table, trips to the local Skyline, working & rehearsing in familiar corners, and making plans for tours around the midwest and out to the east coast.
A very exciting time.

It's a beautiful, tragic, defeating, hopeful, lofty, intimate, wide-open life we all live.
And seasons like this - Home, Family, Belonging - they root Justin & I, let us take in the rest of our lives without feeling so much like we're going to blow away, or like we're simply surviving, like we're gliding along on the whim of God-Knows-What.
An immense gift.

The best we can wish for you is something similar: That you'll feel loved and grounded, ready to lift off.

(By the way, if you've heard a song, seen a movie, or read a book that's inspired you this season, we'd love for you to share it -- Please leave a comment!)

So here's to a sense of Home.
We hope the New Year brings us near you soon.

--Tasha & Justin

Can't Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:31:00 +0000

it's a beautiful time, and devastating
the dim light and wind in the trees
rain now, leaves bobbing
and strings of lights with a swoon

the darkest nights staying long into day
and coming on early, early, earlier

we said it was beautiful. All of it, yes.
But oh, love, not easy --

A deep sorrow settled in, has cast
the strangest light on all of us
(hasn't it?)

It's time to go home, but I can't
It's getting late, flung far and wide,
but there's no return, I don't suppose,
for any of us
to anywhere we've been

And I will tell you a secret, darling
how I believe in so very little
how I know peace best
by its unspeakable silence

but --

(shh, shh)

there are songs I love to hear
and the lights-- oh, the lights

Nativity, blasphemy, dubiety
Who will speak next, dear?

I can't sleep for listening
I can't sleep for listening

The Dusk of the Year.

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:56:00 +0000

As I type we're getting ready to send the newsletter out... To send links out to new music... To send some enormous thanks out to the world of Ellery Listeners.
It's a cold, cold morning in Cincinnati. We're both wearing layers and hats in our kitchen, and our empty coffee mugs are sitting nearby. There are a few glass bulbs hanging near the windows, and in certain moments, when birds fly by or when leaves fall, you can see several lovely moving shadows in them.

It's certainly December,
In all its cold, gray, dark, warm, colorful, bright, soul-stirring paradoxical glory.

One of the great gifts that came to us this season was the opportunity to collaborate again with Ric Hordinski.. Ric is a dear friend and an intensely-talented musician who makes glorious things happen when he encounters guitars. "We Can Dream Tonight" is the song that came from our work with him this season...

And it's such a treat to re-release a couple Ellery holiday tunes via the free holiday EP; we really feel like our hearts and our thanks are sent off in these songs. You can get all four songs on the "December Days" EP for FREE by clicking here, or at www.myspace.com/ellerymusic!

We've never made their lyrics available online... Until now. :) You'll find them below.

We hope a song or two will join your holiday playlist this year...
Our very best to you!

December Days
© 2007 Set Adrift Music ASCAP

I was afraid
You always came in like a ghost
Snow falling soft from your coat
Lighting our lanterns with whispers and prayers

I stayed up late
You always sang me right to sleep
Glittering lights in the trees
You held our dreams out like stars everywhere

chorus:
I wish you could come
now like you used to
I wish you could come
now like you used to
I’d love to bring you back

When I was alone
You always spoke like something old
Magic and lights in the cold
I’d breathe you in like a wind on my soul

I’d close my eyes
You always came in like a breath
Quiet and still while we slept
December days falling graceful and gold

(chorus)

I’ve held them close
Winters I so wish I could find
Angels and wonders and signs
Mary and Joseph, a stable, a star

Lay Your Head Down
Tasha Golden, © 2007 Set Adrift Music ASCAP

Lay your head down dear
There's no sorrow here
Only time for letting go
And room for landing light as snow
The gentle daylight fading slow
My murmur soft and whisper low
So lay your head down
So lay your head down

Lay your head down dear
There’s no sorrow here
Only time for starry skies
And room for long and languid sighs
A gentle dream to close your eyes
A night to fall, a moon to rise
So lay your head down
So lay your head down

Lay your head down dear
There's no sorrow here
Only time for falling in
And room for shadows dark and dim
A gentle song to soft begin
Your breathing out, your breathing in
So lay your head down
So lay your head down

We Can Dream Tonight
Ric Hordinski & Tasha Golden © 2008 ASCAP

I thought you were afraid
When the Winter came in like a lumbering train
And the snow clouds put out the stars,
but you were quiet and still in the dark
You were holding on, a sigh and yawn
barely a breath in my arms

But I think we both know
I'm the one who's afraid of these ghosts
Oh, I think we both know
I'm the one who's afraid of these ghosts

I heard you cry in the night
and I heard myself say we were alright
I'm sorry; it's never been true
But I’ve tried to believe it for you
Maybe you're the star, the sign, a starting line
Morning could break over you

So sleep, close your eyes
Darling, I think we can dream tonight
Sleep, close your eyes
Darling, I think we can dream tonight

So what child is this? I was crying tonight while you slept
Maybe you're the star, the sign, a starting line
Darling, I'm holding my breath...

So sleep, close your eyes
Darling, I think we can dream tonight
Sleep, close your eyes
Darling, I think we can dream tonight

Mid-November

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:55:00 +0000

The cold has swept in quickly, and only a few leaves are left hanging on the trees in the backyard.
I've officially been shuddering my way from house to car to venue to car (repeat) for a week or so now, with a few warm reprieves... So it's probably time to get the gloves out and the real Winter coat.
And Justin is terribly excited about taking deep breaths full of cold cold air, the crunch of leaves underfoot in our driveway, and layering up...
When I'm indoors, there's no doubt about how beautiful this is.
Well, indoors - with several layers on and some hot coffee. It's COLD, you guys!

We wound our way around Kentucky last weekend along with the kind and wonderfully talented Micah Dalton, spending Friday in Lexington at the beautiful, newly-renovated Natasha's on its amazing new stage. What a gift to find so many listening ears in such a lovely spot for music. A perfect beginning for the new CD and its new shows...

On Saturday we performed a house concert in Louisville, made several new friends, connected with old & dear friends, and found that we certainly had not driven the farthest to get to the show. (Thank you road-trippers!) And I was surprised with my first pumpkin soup of the season -- Brilliant.

Sunday found us back in the Cincinnati area, at Molly Malone's in Covington KY -- For the official release show and a night with friends, family, fans, and strangers. We do love the Third Floor at MM, and the folks who come through its doors...
Thank you all so much for your support, and for lending your ears to a couple new songs. We think they might stick around for a while.

This week we're circling around Indiana and Illinois... We just got in last night from McKendree University near St Louis. And the drive there and back, while chilled and a bit long, was tremendously beautiful. Not to mention that it was simply the right time of year to encounter Lebanon IL... Its brick streets lined with trees whose leaves were scattered all over town--

The New Release

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 03:45:00 +0000

We began this recording in July.
Well, in our heads, this recording began in January.
But depending on how you see things, that does or doesn't count.

We released our last full-length album in 2006.
And a handful of its songs had released a year earlier.

In other words,
it's been a long time since we've been in the studio.
Like really in the studio.
Which in itself is neither here nor there (though we do like the studio experience quite a lot).
But more importantly,
it's been a long time since we've put any songs, in studio fashion,
onto pieces of plastic
(or digital files)
that can then go out and live their own lives in the wide world.

Thus, in January, we set out to record a demo EP.
Which, to clarify,
meant to us, "a short CD that illustrates some new songs and stylistic choices, that will help potential producers & other folk to determine whether they'd like to work on this next record with us."

But, in January, in the midst of decisions about where and when to record said demo, more songs were coming.
(They do always come in on our stories.)
(Which, who knew, seem to keep unfolding as we keep waking up to new days.)

So we decided to give it time.

In June, we had 8 songs we were ready to record...
and in July we chose five and found ourselves in a lovely studio making them come together.

Into a record that was supposed to be just a "guide."
And we created it in 3 long days and 3 long nights,
being spat out afterwards from the belly of the whale,
with a demo, sure, and one we felt good about.

In September the songs were online, streaming on MySpace and such...
And we also toured up the east coast that month with our dear friend Kyler England, playing at least a few of the songs at each one of our shows.
In the process, we saw that they (the songs) already had lives of their own.
And that we were reining this demo in, in anticipation of our next full record.
Which was maybe fine;
but what if it didn't have to work exactly that way?

The more requests we received for the songs,
the more trusted friends we asked about our predicament,
and the more support we received from fans both while on tour and with the whole Paste Magazine contest (and all your many kind votes)...,
the more right it felt to alter our plans.

The songs are written, they're in our live sets, they're streaming online... They should be made truly available.

So here we are.
And here it is.

Five songs, all of them previously unrecorded, with the exception of Lay Your Head Down, which appeared on our 2007 Holiday EP.

But do note --
None of this implies for a moment that our next full-length is now on hold, :) or that it will be pushed back.
We're as invested as ever in the process of developing our next album, and we'll certainly have updates for you as we go.

Meanwhile, welcome to a new chapter in the Ellery story.
Give a few new songs a new home...

(You can find the EP at all of our upcoming shows, or order your copy online by Clicking Here! Coming very soon to iTunes, et al.)

Our very best to you --

MI and oh, the Sun...

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:00:00 +0000

We're spending most of this week in southern Michigan, with our first stop at Henry Ford Community College on Election Day. We were up at 4am and heading in the cold to the Detroit area, only to find that as the hours passed it became gloriously warm, blue-skied, June-like in early-November...

And what a way to pass the time on the morning of the 4th: to the sounds of the final NPR election updates, results from the very first district, the final words from the campaigns-
We'd voted early, but we donned our stickers and hit up a Starbucks for a much-needed coffee break about 3 hours into our drive. Hardly anyone had voted yet, so the baristas were still happy to be handing out free coffee; there wasn't even a line yet. :) (We hear we were tremendously lucky on that front.)

The morning was brilliant, quietly buzzing, so that by the time we arrived on campus in Dearborn, it seemed the world was stirring - (and it was) - with the weight of the day. The whole thing unfolded like a song.

Yesterday's show was in Rochester, just a few miles north. We were at Oakland University at noon, and then there was another afternoon of November's version of June. We got to spend it with dear friends in inspiring conversation, and as we left for the hotel we were grateful grateful grateful for the kinds of people our travels allow us to encounter.

Today we're trying to look out the windows and drink in this last warm day of the year --
The sun's beginning to set, the sky's a little cloudy, yellow and rust-colored leaves are pouring down over the old white house nextdoor, and it's Spring Arbor that will be our home tonight.

Halloween in Peoria.

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:52:00 +0000

We closed the month of October with a few days in Illinois...
We had an official showcase at the MidAmerica NACA Conference on Friday October 31st, so we decided to head west a little early and spend some time with family in nearby Lincoln. (Yes, Lincoln, IL.) (Where apparently one is not terribly surprised to see the resident Lincoln impersonator in the waiting room of a doctors office.)

We had a brilliant time with family -- It's the thick of Autumn but Illinois was warm and sunny and begging for deep breaths outdoors. An amazing time to be with people you love.

Early Friday morning we grabbed our coffee and took off for the Peoria Civic Center, where the conference was being held...
As musicians, we're not exactly accustomed to being out and about downtown at 8am. But come on, it was a little alarming that no businesses were even open yet.
At a nearby hotel we met our very-cool college booking agent, took some candy from the receptionist's trick or treat bowl (kitkats at 8am; I'm pretty sure that's wrong), and headed for our soundcheck in the Civic Center theater.

We knew that the venue was beautiful, but we weren't expecting THIS (see photo above; it's the view from the stage)... And thus we were granted unbelievable sound, lighting, and the opportunity to share the stage with unbelievable talent. (Magicians, mentalists, fellow musicians, comedians... These are crazy events!)

Our early-morning soundcheck was for a 3:30pm show, which was truly fantastic. What an awesome crowd of college students, what a beautiful room -- It was a fabulous 15 minutes. (Each artist showcases for 15 minutes; it's actually really cool -- Quick and punchy.)

Afterward we spent some time with other music artists in a hotel room...
You should have seen the lot of us, boring as ever, huddled around the coffee table with our computers and knocking out a bunch of work, feeling quite like a studious office, no one talking, the sun setting out the windows, no one getting up to turn the lights on. I guess when you're on the road you take the moments you can get; it was just unnerving (and kind of hilarious) to see us all resorting the same thing.

But then we were introduced to the Flat Top Grille for dinner... Illinois-ians: Where did this fabulous place come from?
And much later in the evening, we joined our agency's booth in the exhibition center. (This is where musicians, speakers, balloon artists, retailers, those people who make mugs with your school's logo on them, etc... They all come with impressive booths to convince college students of their many merits.) :)
And it WAS Halloween, so at some point in the afternoon it had apparently become the appropriate time to change into costumes. So this hour or so was -- So entertaining. There was a costume contest for students (did the ScoobyDoo team win? We were impressed) -- Some serious creativity going on there. And this was in addition to the number of amazing people we got to meet - (Thanks to all the naca participants for making us feel so welcome!)

On another topic, I didn't say hello to Mr. Belding this time (though we passed in the hotel lobby), but I did touch a boa (snake, live one), and I think this counts.

When all the festivities had ended for the night, and after spending some seriously fine time with new friends, we took off for the quiet of Lincoln IL, to our dark & peaceful temporary home there...
A beautiful way to say hello to November.

Lancaster, PA and the wild world of NACA

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 22:20:00 +0000

We were visited in the middle of the night last night by a steady October rain-- a muted, rhythmic sound over our heads that took no time lulling us back to sleep. When we woke this morning it was October in all its glory, gray with a leftover, wind-blown rain that dripped down our windows here on the top floor of our cozy (if strange) hotel in Lancaster PA.

We've been here for a few days, for the Mid-Atlantic NACA Conference... Ellery was selected as an Alternate, which means that if one of the fine showcasing artists fails to show, then we play a brief showcase for the thousand-ish college students who have gathered here. A strange but terribly interesting position, and it's given us the opportunity to spend some time at our agency's booth in the "marketplace," chatting with crazy-kind student leaders, checking out the other booths (oh the free frisbees, mugs, pens, cookies, shirts, balloon animals, Mr Goodbars, CDs, stickers, and unidentifiable sample products we passed by!) (Except for the free scoop of Cold Stone. We're only human).

Yesterday we got to catch comedian Jason Stuart's showcase, and we were happy to chat with him (and gush a little) later on, before the marketplace officially opened again. (He was hilarious, and he WAS on House, a Golden favorite --)
And oh my childhood: I also managed to meet Mr. Belding (Dennis Haskins), apparently a NACA regular. Few experiences have been stranger.

The highlight of our evening may have been our accidental introduction to Jared Mahone, who was spending some of his out-of-booth time playing with bandmate JP at the local Starbucks.
We had a couple hours to kill last night before the day's final marketplace, so we stopped in to get some coffee and read for a while. As we pulled up to the storefront, we noticed that a couple guys were playing music inside... We couldn't have guessed that they'd sound so great, or that they were with NACA (ok, we should have guessed that one), or that they were from Columbus OH, or that they'd be so kind. So we're looking forward to seeing them again next week in Peoria... (There's another conference next week; we have a showcase on the books for that one!)

Today we were simply on call again as alternates, and it was so beautifully Autumn, so thick with rain & gray, we had to get out for a few hours. While navigating the small circumference of Lancaster, we managed to meet up (not all in one place) with some kittens, sheep, horses, buggies, and several random, rather angry Lancaster residents. (Fortunately they weren't angry at US, but we're feeling that maybe Lancaster needs some love.)
When we arrived back at the hotel, there was an obligatory game of air hockey in the game room, at which I schooled Justin, as expected.
(Air hockey & word games; he can try but he's no match.)

Later, after some work, there was a lovely moment when the weather overcame us in that gentle, vaguely sad-but-lovely way that it does in the Fall, and we found ourselves falling asleep again. When we woke it was early evening, the sky giving over to dusk, the myriad signs lit up outside, the traffic streaming by, the rain still falling.
Looking out the window, I have the distinct feeling that the year has deepened. It's settling in, and the season is rolling on into the thick of the holidays.
I recognize it by the shadowy feeling of being far from the people we love; the way this fact of our lives feels suddenly disturbing and out of place, the way we feel such a sure invitation home. Which sounds melancholy, but so does the rain outside, and somehow it's more of a lovely reunion with a friend we haven't seen in a year.

Carl Sandburg's Home

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:17:00 +0000

Speaking of having our eyes wide open, we were driving down I-26 through North Carolina when we spotted a sign for Carl Sandburg's Home, the historic site coming up at the next exit.

Oh my gosh.

So: I have this thing about not reading biographies of the authors and poets that I really love. To be honest, I enjoy reading the writings without knowing much about the specific framework from which they came.

Thus I had only a vaguest idea that Carl Sandburg had lived in North Carolina... That he had moved to the mountains for the solace he needed for his writing, for breathing room and inspiration, for his "creative hush..."

And I certainly didn't know that his home had been purchased by the federal government from his lovely widow Lilian, soon after his death in 1967. Lilian wanted the home to be used to remember Carl, and so she left nearly everything just as it was... Down to a calendar for the family's haircuts, and magazines sitting out that were addressed to

Carl Sandburg
Flat Rock, NC

...So of course I had no idea that such a home had been preserved and made into a national historic site that we could visit on a random Saturday traveling through the Carolinas.

Obviously, there was no decision to be made; our exit off of the highway was mandated by having spotted the sign.

We drove the handful of miles to Flat Rock, and were taken aback by the winding stretch of road that took us there. Beautiful hills, lush with trees... Amazing victorian homes, still ponds, changing leaves, the Autumn warm and clear outside our open van windows.

When we pulled into the parking lot, we were laughing (in a joyous, as opposed to ironic, fashion) -- It seemed like the only appropriate way to respond to the utter beauty of the place.
It was like pulling up to a magical national park: Beautiful paths cutting through forest and overlooking a wide-open, still lake -- Which sits at the bottom of a breadth of hill and field.

A plaque on the way onto the grounds quoted Sandburg as saying (perhaps quoting Vernon Lee?) of his home in general: "This is where I dirty paper."

And with that beginning I was on the verge of tears for the remainder of our stay -- Such a feeling of being deliciously moved.

A wide trail leads you the .3 miles up to Carl Sandburg's home, lined with great oaks and pines that would have towered over Carl himself years ago. And the home is a beautiful-yet-simple sight (photos coming soon in our Gallery), sitting at the top of the hill, overlooking the fields... And offering, from its front porch, a striking view over the hills of Flat Rock.

Just inside on the first floor of the house is a small bookshop where you can purchase ridiculously cheap tickets ($5??!) to tour the home with a volunteer... And this we quickly did, having arrived with 5 minutes to spare for their last tour of the day.

Let's take a quick break. I can't launch into all the reasons I love Carl Sandburg, how I fell hard for his writing while at a used book store in KY, how I carry a copy of "Selected Poems" on every tour...
But I do need to say that this poet is monumental to me.
As if I haven't been making this apparent.
Okay, moving on:

Inside the house, the walls are lined with shelves of books, books, thousands and thousands of them... Most with Carl's bookmarks still in them here & there. I confess to scribbling down as many titles as I could, as we walked through, me with a scrap of paper bent over my knee. (My new list will comprise a project for the next visit to a used bookstore...)

Sandburg lived here for 22 years, publishing more than a third of his works from this site; it was lovely to let our eyes settle on his surroundings as he wrote through the night for so many years.

The Sandburgs were a simple family; Sandburg's Pulitzer Prize award is still rolled up in the case in which he received it, stashed into a bookcase in the corner of the living room.

Brilliant.

Everything about their home and the grounds exemplified their emphasis on nature, on Being, on reading, words, ideas, music, function... And yes, a good many cigars and goats.

(Lilian owned and operated a premier goat dairy farm. Her breeding program produced prize goats, and you can pet goats that represent her three breeds when you visit the grounds.)

(And yes, we did pet the goats.)

So we had no idea this place existed, but we couldn't have visited at a more perfect time... October in the Carolinas is breathtaking, and Connemara gives generously of it, all covered in giant trees, dark earth, blooming flowers, pools of water, gardens of bamboo, and worn trails.
It was the Gift of the Year for me -- Such an amazing happenstance.

Name on the Air

I will write my name to hang in the air
hoping the hang of it in the air will please me
till a wind comes picking each vowel and consonant,
setting them to roost with birds on branches,
while I walk under them saying:
The sun and the rain are
two of my great-great-grandmothers
two of my youngest sisters.

--Carl Sandburg

Hello, October --

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:04:00 +0000

It couldn't be a more beautiful time to be in eastern Tennessee.
It's 70 degrees and the air is clean and cool in the mountains... And it's Autumn in all its glory, the hills alive with green, red, bright orange, yellow, purple, and today they're up against a clear blue sky.

We were at Milligan College last night, playing a show to a fabulous audience that gave us a warmer welcome than we could have hoped for. We also got to see old & dear friends (we love you guys!), and met new friends who grew up in the tiny dot of a town that I called home during my early childhood. Who knew.
We woke this morning in a beautiful home on campus, to the clear light of an Americana October morning, and the sound of the breeze blowing through the great tree out the 2nd story window. Amazing --
On my run, leaves were falling in a shower all around me along the tiny winding roads... Justin and I sat out on the front porch for a while when I returned and watched them fall across the front yard. It was a beautiful place to breathe.

Such a beautiful time to have our eyes wide open --

Home

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:40:00 +0000

It has to sound ridiculous, but the last couple days of this tour were, for us, a lovely dream of a time. We fell into a hotel in Eau Claire on the night of the 23rd, and tried to sleep in as late as we could before driving up to Duluth. (We were going to need that sleep!) We left the hotel at 3pm for our show at the Univ. of MN-Duluth, a campus that has always been so supportive and welcoming to us. It was another lovely evening with the fabulous Dave Mehling opening, and a kind and attentive audience in the very cool Rafters venue. (Special thanks to Paul and Christina for setting us up!)

We took off from Duluth a bit after midnight (EST) to head back for our hotel in Eau Claire... We greeted the front desk manager at 3am and said goodbye to him again at 6am... He was kind enough to grab Justin a couple bagels and send us on our way with a few tired-but-kind words. :)

And so we were headed home. Driving down 53 and then I-94, heading south and vaguely toward Rockford IL, watching the sun rise to our left in a grand orchestra of a morning which, as it always always does (dangit), lulled me right to sleep. Justin was left on his own, as he knew he would be, with Terry Gross to keep him company. We headed into IL and stopped at the first Oasis for the inevitably regular and necessary break, and for the inevitable and necessary Starbucks. (But we'll have you know it's always decaf... It's the ritual of coffee; not the caffeine -- And it's such a beautiful thing.) :) It'd been a while since we'd had coffee -- (Tom, that Peet's Coffee was so awesome!) -- So this made our morning, and enlivened the drive through Chicago.

Which, as on our way Tuesday, went mostly-smoothly, no complaints. (And praises for the nearly-done construction!! How many years has it been?!) :)

Heading down I-65 was surreal as it almost always is... The re-entering of home-like territory, the well-worn paths that Indiana's highways are for us. It's a 10+ hour drive from Eau Claire to Covington KY (where our show was last night), and we were ecstatic to have somehow arrived 15 minutes ahead of our goal-time. Oh the glories.

And at The Carnegie no less, for the close of our tour... This venue/theater that we've grown to love so much, the place where we filmed An Evening with Ellery last year, and with which we feel so much personal connection for several other surprisingly emotional reasons.
And we were opening for the stunningly kind and talented Dar Williams, such a gift... So we got to stretch our legs for a while as we listened in on her soundcheck before our own setup, etc.

We expected Dar to be the beautiful performer that she is, but we couldn't have predicted her kindness, or that of her tourmates... It was such a lovely encounter -- So many thanks to all of you for allowing us to share the evening. And to John Magus, Jon Sheperd, Bleu Penwell, and the many others who made our homecoming such a memorable, gentle evening.

I'm so happy to say that our hometown just never disappoints. SUCH a beautiful audience; so open and supportive -- It's always such an amazing thing to play in our city. Thank you thank you for listening, and for your graciousness; we feel so honored to call Cincinnati home.

And After

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:29:00 +0000

As the evening died down, we left our instruments on stage and took off for the night... Heading down I-75 and oh, finally to the exit that takes us home, and to our Kroger (milk! toilet paper! cereal!) -- and down our driveway. We were greeted by our kind neighbor who had gathered our mail, and who informed us that during the crazy windstorm that wailed its way through the Midwest last week, our neighborhood was without power for 3-4 days.

Good to know... We walked into our backdoor to a strange-ish smell and to the tasks of wiping up the stained "something-melted-and-dripped-here" spots on the floor, and of course emptying our fridge and freezer. Hmm, we're happy to have great neighbors; we'd have totally eaten some of that.

We fell into bed in two funny lumps of exhaustion--

We woke this morning and prepared to head back to The Carnegie. Now this is a beautiful gift:
Once we booked the show with Dar, I realized that we'd be in town for Covington's Day of Peace: an event presented by the Women's Crisis Center of Northern Kentucky, (with whom I've had the honor of doing volunteer training/etc), as well as by the Family Nurturing Center).

The Day of Peace is an event organized each year as part of a national movement each October, whose aim is to educate the public about domestic violence, to encourage survivors and their families, and to keep women and girls safe from violence.

When I realized we'd be in town, I emailed my volunteer coordinator to say we'd be there. And it just happened that this year's event coordinator had been unable to reach her planned musicians for weeks...
My contact there knew that I had this song I'd wanted to share with women in domestic violence situations (You Did Everything Right), and so long story short: we wound up performing an opening and closing song for the event.
It couldn't have been a more ideal situation; we were in the same venue the night before, we had the same awesome sound person (Bleu--Thank you!), and best of all: I was finally able to connect this issue that is deeply moving to me with both the song I wrote and the organization I've come to work with and admire here in my own city. So what an honor, oh my gosh -- What an amazing thing to come home to.

The mayor of Covington spoke, as well as the Secretary of State-- so, so good to see their support. But Justin and I were most honored and inspired to hear from two survivors of abuse, these brave and powerful women who have chosen to use their experience to reach out to communities across the country and to children and adults who may be in similar situations. They were so strong and compelling, so beautiful --

About half of the audience was high school students-- including a large group of guys from a local boys' catholic high school. It was so inspiring to see all of the students there: Seeing young women absorbing information & statistics, being reminded of their value and potential, their rights, the warning signs, all of it. And to see high school students witnessing these survivors, these inspiring women, and hearing their stories... Being prodded (along with the rest of us) to take responsibility on some level, to realize our capacities to make a difference with this issue: beginning with ourselves and extending outward --

Anyway, we came home with full hearts, to the place we call home, which sits now in the midst of the first fallen leaves, with its beloved creaking wooden floors, our luggage spilled out across its living room... And we put ourselves to bed. Welcome home Justin. :)

Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:23:00 +0000

We spent some time this evening with Ben Folds' Rockin the Suburbs... It's been a long time since we've listened to the album as a whole. (Although, to be fair, we began our album-listening with Still Fighting It rather than Zak and Sara) --
Anyway, this album is (and has long been) on our list of top 5 records; it was so good to be reminded of the myriad reasons why.
Ben Folds is a master of melodies that are incurably catchy but somehow original, interesting, surprising... And in his uniquely Ben-Folds way he communicates these heart-breaking stories and truths, all of them sliding about on music ranging from ridiculous to intensely emotional, and often both at the same time.

So I'm reminded what it is that I love in songwriting, or any writing for that matter, which is the sense that the writer has truly seen something for what it is, for more than what it often lets on to be, or more than we'd like to think it is. Patty Griffin is a master of such a thing, Emily Dickinson certainly, Carl Sandburg, Rilke, Frederick Buechner, Kahlil Gibran, Kathleen Norris, and oh so many others, their words cutting to the heart of something we see only in our best moments.

Not that I would group these writers and authors together, or consider them equal; there's simply no need to; there's no such thing as equal. It's just that what they do coincides for me in this way: this striking element of their writing(s) that speaks so deeply to me every time, that binds these artists together under the heading of "What Tasha Loves."

And so I was particularly struck (yet again) by Ben Folds' Fred Jones Part 2:

There was no party, there were no songs
'Cause today's just a day like the day that he started
No one is left here who knows his first name
And life barrels on like a runaway train
Where the passengers change
but they don't change anything
You get off; someone else can get on
And I'm sorry Mr. Jones; it's time...
He's forgotten but not yet gone...

And then Patty Griffin, whose Impossible Dream we played for a while as we drove into Akron Sunday night:

Something as simple as boys and girls
Gets tossed all around and lost in the world
Something as hard as a prayer on your back
Can wait a long time for an answer...

or

I wished I was smarter
Wished I was stronger
I wished I loved Jesus
The way my wife does
I wished it'd been easier
Instead of any longer
I wished I could've stood
where you would've been proud
That won't happen now; that won't happen now --

And Emily Dickinson:

As old as woe -
How old is that?
Some eighteen thousand years -
As old as Bliss
How old is that
They are of equal years

Together chiefest they are found
But seldom side by side
From neither of them tho' he try
Can Human nature hide

Sandburg (whose Mag I barely get through on some days) --

Mag

I wish to God I never saw you, Mag.
I wish you never quit your job and came along with me.
I wish we never bought a license and a white dress
For you to get married in the day we ran off to a minister
And told him we would love each other and take care of each other
Always and always long as the sun and the rain lasts anywhere.
Yes, I'm wishing now you lived somewhere away from here
And I was a bum on the bumpers a thousand miles away dead
broke.

I wish the kids had never come
And rent and coal and clothes to pay for
And a grocery man calling for cash,
Every day cash for beans and prunes.
I wish to God I never saw you, Mag.
I wish to God the kids had never come.

Kahlil:

People of Orphalese, beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.
But you are life and you are the veil.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.
But you are eternity and you are the mirror.

Buechner:

Another time when I was on my knees at night between my cell and Wear, I thought I saw a slender shadow stir. If it was Burcwen, though, she never came. In winter when the snow and ice were fierce, we shook beneath our different roofs alone, and that's what Hell is like, I think. It's cold and shame and shaking. And worst of all, it's loneliness.

-- From Godric

Rilke:

No one lives his life.

Disguised since childhood,
haphazardly assembled
from voices and fears and little pleasures,
we come of age as masks.

Our true face never speaks.

Somewhere there must be storehouses
where all these lives are laid away
like suits of armor or old carriages
or clothes hanging limply on the walls.

Maybe all paths lead there,
to the repository of unlived things.

--From Book of Hours

and finally, Kathleen Norris:

Today, we are baptizing our little nephew. He's seven months old, chubby, thoroughly healthy. Ever since we came here for Christmas, I've listened for him in the morning. Like the birds, he begins to sing at first light, and together, they make the most joyous music - the baby, the birds - cooing and calling, as if life depended on it. We've planned the ceremony for late in the afternoon of Epiphany, at home, after our two ministers - my brother (Disciples of Christ) and his wife (Episcopalian) have returned from their church duties.
The baby's tired and cranky, he has no way of knowing that we are passing through hell. We renounce the forces of evil, and he cries out. As the godmother, I am holding him, and he's fussy, squirming; I have to hold on tight:
Our words wash over you, and you brush them away. The candle catches your eye, your mother's hair and fingers transparent in its light. You want the candle, you want the food your mother has become for you, you want to go down into this night at her breast. Poor little baby, water on your hair, chrism on your forehead, dried milk on your chin. Poor, dear little baby; hold on.

-- From The Cloister Walk

Westward

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:22:00 +0000

From Harrisburg on Saturday we made our way to Akron OH, where we were able to connect with family and experience the beginnings of Autumn... (It came quietly under the doors this year; we awoke today and realized we'd missed that celebratory first day. Nevertheless: Welcome, Autumn; how we missed you--)

We replenished our podcasts before heading out for Kalamazoo-- And as it was Monday morning, there were new episodes of our favorites (drumroll for the exposure of us as continuing npr junkies)... We were distracted enough by the greatness that we missed our first turnoff from I-77 and landed in Cleveland, taking 480 back over to the turnpike. (This means oh so little to non-NW-Ohioans.) (It was only like 8 miles; never fear.)

Justin got rather sick on the way, and we spent a great deal of time at an exit off the turnpike trying to get him feeling better, and so we're terribly fortunate that the folks at K College were so kind and patient. Very very special thanks to Kate and to Danielle for your compassion and help with our rushed load-in...
And we had a great time at the college show. It was the first day of classes and the inaugural musical event in their new Student Center, so we were honored to share an evening and chat with some of K's fine students... And how restful to spend the evening at The Hall House, a nearby bed and breakfast. Such a treat--

Today we took off for the long trip to Eau Claire WI. (Today and Thursday are massive driving days for us, so we've settled in to the idea of massive time for good conversation, listening to music, and making moments for every podcast ever made.) :)
It was a stunning day for driving; the weather is amazing, SO fall-in-the-midwest... The skies were blue with wispy clouds, and the breeze was blowing...
Chicago was brilliant; its traffic nearly effortless (oh the wonder!) -- And then driving through Wisconsin, as many of you know, is one of our favorite things in the world. There are few landscapes so endlessly breathtaking... Which is perhaps unexpected to many of you, but it does remain one of our favorites, connecting with something deep in our bones.
Hello Midwest, your Autumn settling light on our skin.

Wrapping Up the East Coast

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:17:00 +0000

We stayed last night with friends up in Nyack NY, which is utterly beautiful (so many thanks to Carrie!)... A large and open, lovely and restful place with dogs and a cat... (Have we mentioned our nearly-pathetic love of animals?) -- And I was able to jog this morning toward the mountains, which was so inspiring.

After a home-cooked breakfast (awesome!) we made our way toward Philadelphia, with a stop at Classic FM for a interview and in-studio performance with Gene Godfrey, who's been a great support in the Philadelphia area... You can hear Ellery on Classic FM on Sunday, September 28th, between 11am and 2pm -- This live webcast is at www.z889.org.

So... Okay, Justin is terribly excited: After our time at the studio, we stopped downtown and met a couple severely talented and intelligent folks who've invented a musical-instrument-slash-hardware-controller. We had some coffee and tea with them and, curiously, :) we left with one of their incredible inventions. This device will remain a mystery to me for a while, and therefore to all of you as well. But Justin is one happy and inspired musician right now.

Afterwards, we made the short jaunt over to Ardmore, a lovely little town two miles outside of the city, and the home of Milkboy Studios and Milkboy Coffee. It's been far too long since we played in Philadelphia (2006), and we've been so excited about closing our east coast run in this fine city. This was our first time at MilkBoy, and it's absolutely a fabulous listening room: Great vibe, amazing food (check out that menu!!), ridiculously kind folks (thanks so much to Tommy and Joel), and we were sharing the evening with Chris and Thomas, who were not only crazy-talented but genuinely lovely people.
Not to mention the wonderful, wonderful audience... (Thanks so much for making our Philadelphia return so beautiful; we'll be back soon!)

Our thanks again to WYBE, which has been such an enormous support by airing "An Evening with Ellery" so many times in the last year...
And to Gene Godfrey, and to Kyler England, who is one of the loveliest artists out there and who we've deeply missed these last few nights.
(To those of you in CT, NYC, and Philly, check Kyler out at www.kylerengland.com!)

Tonight we're on the turnpike heading west... Monday's show is in Kalamazoo MI, so we're getting a head start, and it's beautiful outside.
The night is thickly dark, traffic is light, and we'll be in Harrisburg soon --

Connecticut and NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:12:00 +0000

On Thurs the 18th we traveled from the Boston area down to Bridgeport CT for our first show in the area. As luck would have it, a favorite author of mine (Kathleen Norris) was speaking and book-signing right across town in Fairfield, at the same time we were doing our soundcheck. Darn darn darn.

We'd of course never been to Acoustic Cafe, but several of our friends and favorites have played there, so we were looking forward to it -- And to meeting Victoria Vox, who was headlining the evening. Kyler came down with a terrible cold over the night before, and was unable to sing -- (So, so sad not to share these last few shows with her!) -- But we're thankful that she's getting some rest, and we're thankful for a our Bridgeport audience and a great venue (special thanks to William and Darian).

After hearing a lovely set from Victoria and chatting for a while, we rushed for our hotel -- hoping to rest up for the day in New York today... (Driving into the city is always an adventure. Although, to our great delight, driving to The Living Room isn't nearly as messy as the driving to some of the other venues we've played in town... So -- Bonus.) :)

We got into the city early enough to get some great parking (oh the beauty of such a thing), and to head uptown to connect with an engineer whose work we've admired for a long time. It was a short visit, but inspiring and so kind --

And our friend Paul had recommended The Creperie a few doors down from The Living Room... We walked right by it on our way back from the subway, and it was definitely dinnertime... So have a crepe we did, and it was extraordinary. I had the Veggie Crepe, with eggplant, squash, red pepper, and ricotta... Amazing. We'd heard that the crepes were large, so we decided to share one, but it disappeared way too fast. Next time I get my own. :)

Afterwards, at The Living Room, we were treated to wonderful sound (thanks to the venue's fabulous gear, and to Steve...) -- And I was thoroughly delighted to see a few friends from yoga teacher training (shout out to you guys; so amazing to see you -- And those of you in Boston too; such a gift) --

We've loved The Living Room since our first show there in 2005, and we've been excited to make our way back again. Such a romantic room, stunning sound, kind staff (which, when you're doing this night after night, counts for so much) -- And such a great listening environment. We had a lovely crowd too, which makes any show feel so much like home: like it's Where We Should Be.

Up the Coast

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:10:00 +0000

On Monday we woke early and set off for the drive from Chantilly VA to just south of Boston. It's a (mostly) beautiful 9-hour drive through several major cities, the experience of which never seems to get old for us. We had plenty of great music and podcasts, and an immensely beautiful day for driving... About 75 degrees, clear and cloudless, breezy, amazing.

We arrived at our respite of a place that night, this home just south of Boston, with enough time to settle in, have a beautiful dinner (oh vegetables -- how we've missed you!), and watch an episode of This American Life, which we'd never seen before. (I'm sure you've caught on that we have a serious crush on the radio show. I now have a serious crush on the TV version. All of it is so great; really, can there be too much Ira Glass in the world? And where did he get those awesome glasses?)

So we're enormously, ridiculously blessed with this temporary home on the water: overlooking the marsh and off into the Atlantic. At high tide it's all one big body of water; at low tide the marsh becomes a labyrinth with walls 10 feet tall -- dark muddy paths cutting through the weeds. And at any time, out the windows of this amazing room, the view goes on forever -- The back lawn, the dock, the marsh, the crashing waves, the island, the atlantic, the horizon.
There is no comparable gift.

The last time we were here, we arrived after a couple high-stress days, one which involved arriving in Harvard Square during OktoberFest and nearly missing our Club Passim show because all the streets were blocked. (An experience which is much more palatable now that it's over.) :)

But arriving here after that show was an immediate balm: The suddenly-deeper breaths, the salty air, the monumental breezes, the waving trees and bushes, the rippling water, the tide's slow and reliable ebb and flow, the seagulls and herons flying effortlessly, broadly, lighting and watching for fish, all of it un-self-consciously, being what they are and doing what they do in a testament to life-as-it-should-be.

And so it's been the same kind of healing respite this time around, perhaps even more poignantly.
The air is cool (60 degrees right now), the windows are open to the sea-salt air and the sound of the wind, you can hear the Atlantic waves crashing from far off, and every now and then the seagulls fly up and around to a new spot on the neighbor's dock.

Yesterday it was bright and sunny, utterly beautiful, and Justin was able to take the kayak out again--
I stayed in and did what I'm prone to do in these situations, which is to work like crazy until I forget the beautiful place I'm in. But my workaholism is a work in progress (of course), :) and I'm doing what I can with a little help from beautiful books (Kathleen Norris, Rilke), from runs along the water and through the charming town nearby, and from, obviously, Ira Glass. :)

Last night we played Toad in Cambridge; we opened the show followed by Kyler and then Kristin Cifelli, who sounded truly stunning with her band (and a new song called Fault Line that we're anxious for her to record)...

Toad is a very small, very "cozy" place... It was a bit of a sardines scenario last night -- Everyone pressed and packed in, loud and buzzing with a crammed kind of energy. Definitely a new experience for the Goldens! But very fun; so many great folks and a truly great crowd... So, so good to see new and familiar faces and, as always, to hear great music from Kyler and from Kristin. We've decided that we love the Boston area; such a beautiful and bustling little city, so much going on, an amazing pocket of great music artists--

Finding our way back to this home last night proved to be more interesting than we bargained for. And you know, VZ Navigator is great but I'm not sure it knows where we are right now. It sent us in a couple circles last night, which thankfully were very small... But the Navigator, (and the terrible voice she has on our phone!) -- They were both confused. :) Luckily, we spotted a couple things we recognized before we spent too much time wandering the narrow wooded roads around us.

And coming in last night, we had to open the screen door and listen to the wind and waves, smell the air--
We're hoping when we drive off today we'll take some of its magic with us.

IOTA and Assorted Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Ellery) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:09:00 +0000

We found ourselves today in Arlington VA, the DC-area-- A short trip from Charlottesville, which was great.
We got to spend some time with Justin's family, which is always such a gift... So we were able to catch up with family, with SNL, with the Redskins game... And we also got to check out the unusually awesome treats at Java Jones in nearby Ashburn.

And, we were delighted to encounter IOTA tonight for the first time. We've heard so much about the venue from fellow artists and some friends and fans in the area, and it proved to be a lovely home to us for the evening.
Stella Schindler opened the show, followed by Kyler's set and the sitting-in-on-it that we've come to really love on this tour. Ellery closed the evening, and it was an honor to play for such wonderful listeners so late on a Sunday night -- (Thank you guys for spending the evening with us; we'll be back soon!) Also, many thanks to Steve Negrey and Burns, and to Sophie -- who were all so lovely and made us feel at home.

As the evening slowed down, I began packing up our gear while Justin left to fetch our van from the local garage.
Such things (parking garages, double-parking to unload or load gear, van-fetching, etc) have always been rather interesting endeavors in large cities; there are plenty of adventures to be had. But we'd never had this one:

When Justin arrived at the garage (with a ride from his uncle; thankfully!)-- It was closed and locked, and our forlorn van was somewhere deep inside the dark abyss.
Back at IOTA, I was wondering what the heck someone does when his van is locked inside a garage. Perhaps he sleeps outside of it and waits until morning. Or maybe he busts through the garage's lowered security arms, and gets a hefty fine. Hmm.

What ended up happening was something Justin chalks up to mysterious personal victory...
He walked around the garage, found an opening, squeezed himself in, found our van, and then drove it round and round to where an attendant was hanging out at an entrance. Somehow, they thought he was trying to get INTO the garage (wasn't he facing the wrong way though?) -- So they told him that the garage was closed and that he couldn't park there.
And you know -- that was okay, because he didn't want to park there at all!
So, he smiled and said no worries and left the garage on his merry way.
What the heck; how does that happen?
He's certain he's owed some french fries for this stunning work.