A little bit about the music released in 2021
“Maybe I’m Flying”
I wrote “Maybe I’m Flying” on a dreary day in January 2020. I often struggling in January to stay afloat, and this song was an attempt to interrupt and re-frame cyclical thoughts that were pulling me down. Falling or flying? Maybe I could choose.
As I lived with this song, I delved into the transformative power of "maybe." Certainty can be lovely, but "maybe" is where possibility lives. "Maybe" is where change can happen, and is what I tried to capture in this song.
I picked an instrument that resembles my experience of depression: singing glasses (stemware, filled with water). The sound is pure and often beautiful, but also cold and empty. The repetitive piano drone represents relentless monotony. In the first half there are no vocal harmonies, and the instrumental harmonies are mostly aligned with this monotonous pulse. I was intrigued by the idea that even the sensation of falling could feel disorienting with an ever-ascending vocal line.
And then: Evolution. As the second half takes off, the drone continues, but the rhythm changes, which creates lift. The singing glasses are still present, but the polyphony in the vocal harmonies and instrumentation changes the context of the song. To me, it feels like flying.
I enlisted the help of my friends, Erin Christensen (cello), Kamen Schoepflin (violin) and Theo Spanos (drums) to add to this piece. Beth Lorio created a lovely video, and Miranda Kanter did the mastering. It is not a lonely piece of art, even if it began that way.
I know a lot of people have a rough time around the holidays. It wasn’t originally my intention to release a song about depression in December, but it was an absorbing project and it took until now to fit all the pieces together. My hope is that it can give us some validation in difficult times, and "maybe" create a little light to help see us through to the other side.
"Maybe I'm flying" will be out December 1 on your favorite streaming platform. Here is a link to all the places you can follow me, so you never miss a new song or video. Also, clicking these buttons means more people are likely to hear about my music.
Recent Singles
“Looking”(released 9/1) Looking for integrity after a bewildering year, this piece uses a variety of textures to explore both emptiness and mounting tension.
“Wash Through”(released 7/7) Waves of harmony flowing in and out—a meditation?
“Juggling” (released 6/2) Reflections on simplicity and letting go—also fun with bass lines.
“Drifting”(released 5/5) A collaboration with lyrics by Susan Winterbourne. Gently rocking harmonies, and a lot of permission to be just where you are.
“Now” (released 4/3) A piece full of harmonies that explores the value of the present moment.
“Love Song of a Windup Girl”(released 3/3). This piece is an interlude between the mechanical and the organic, between limitation and possibility, and finding transformation in unlikely circumstances.
“Folded Paper Flowers” (released 2/3) Inspired by a simple gift of origami flowers.
Find new songs each month on Spotify and all streaming platforms, and be sure to check out the videos created by Beth Lorio on Youtube! These songs were originally recorded as part of Shitty Song Tuesday, and with a little polish, I’m sending them out to find new ears to land in.
While you’re checking out the new music video, you can look for my “Wednesday a.m.” videos, where I talk about the inspiration behind the music.