May 2020: The Bars in Boston (From Under a Ponderosa)
Here's a new tune I began writing on March 15th. A friend told me "The bars in Boston are closed." Made me think of "To arms. To arms. The Red Coats are coming." March 15th was before everything closed down and this state of quiet we are getting accustomed to was just beginning. I strapped the tiny guitar to my backpack and made this video in the Juniper forest to the south of my house. This song was released on Patreon last month, and felt right to make public now! For more new songs check out my Patreon page.
Drum roll...
Live on Wednesday is back with the only acceptable sequel, Live on Thursday!
Season 2 will not answer questions such as, "When it starts to rain, and you're sitting under a 100' Ponderosa Pine, how long before you get wet?" Or "Where's my tail?" Or "Why do we have beards under our arms?" Or "When will we get to have concerts in person again?"
But it will attempt to answer, "Which blackberries are safe to eat?" And "What's the strange three wheeled thing in the background of your live streams?" And "Is that a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant, or a hat?"
Thanks to you all for making the first season a hoot. Your comments, stories, and requests meant a lot. It felt like music was shared, and that's a darn good feeling.
I hope you are finding reasons to laugh and explore some new corners of your rooms.
Wishing you my very best,
Jenner
Watch Live on Thursdays, HERE.
And keep writing in with those requests and stories!
Thursday, May 21 – The River Edition – 5pm PT / 8pm ET – a percentage of proceeds will go towards the river advocates over at Restore Hetch Hetchy.
Thursday, May 28 – The Little Prince Edition with guitar wiz Jeremy Elliott – 5pm PT / 8pm ET – a percentage of proceeds will go towards helping our neighbors at United We Dream.
RSVP for Thursdays HERE.
And a special exciting Sunday show with Poet Emilie Lygren:
Sunday, May 31 – Watch on Instagram Live – Join us for a song and poetry swap – 5pm PT / 8pm ET.
Online Music Lessons
Natalie and I are still taking on students for online music lessons. Message me if you're interested.
Songwriting Camp
OurCassiopeia Music and Songwriting Campwill run virtually this year. The first session is full, but if you're interested in the second session, June 29 - July 3rd, let me know. All ages are welcome, even adults! Start the week with a blank sheet of paper, end with a song or ten.
Rafting, Yoga, & Music trip on Alaska's Tatshenshini
Travel restrictions and CDC guidelines permitting, I'll be teaming up with R.O.A.M. and Susan Fox Yoga Trips, for the stunning and adventurous 11 day Tatshenshini-Alsek river trip.Check it out here. Let me know if you're interested, if this runs it will be kept to a small group.
"Spuds and Ketchup" – another patreon throwback. And my submission to the NPR tiny desk contest this year.
On May 5th when the Patreon deposit came in showing the support of 81 people, it felt pretty huge, both for the grocery bill and knowing that sitting down every morning to my desk and my guitar is not just for me.
Patreon is a platform that allows you to directly support creative endeavors that you find meaningful. Basically, it's a voluntary monthly subscription that you choose to pay because you believe in the artist and want to keep this musical spaceship orbiting. Any amount you contribute each month helps me get my music out there. And you get perks, like for $3 a month you receive a new song demo in your inbox every month! Check them out on my Patreon page.
Fox Recommends
Born a worm by Dan Reeder. This song has been hitting hard on the ol' funny bone.
"Sis" Spotify Playlist. Some of my favorite listenings from the spring.
Spire phone app. Super easy multi-track recording in your pocket. I've been geeking out. The quality is half decent, and there's a minuscule barrier to entry. And maybe even some of these songs will be worth sharing!
#8 from Letters to a Young Poet, by Ranier Maria Rilke. Rilke's collection of letters is high on many a list, and #8 feels particularly relevant right now. I find in reading these, that they always seem to answer the questions of the moment.
"Alone at Sea." An episode of "The Daily," a New York Times podcast. About Doba, a polish man, who solo kayaks across the Atlantic ocean thrice. Deeply rich in humanity.
PS.
"But only someone who is ready for everything, who doesn't exclude any experience, even the most incomprehensible, will live the relationship with another person as something alive and will himself sound the depths of his own being. For if we imagine this being of the individual as a larger or smaller room, it is obvious that most people come to know only one corner of their room, one spot near the window, one narrow strip on which they keep walking back and forth." – Rainer Maria Rilke