Just Keep Swimming
It’s been a hot minute. I’m so glad you’re here.
The climate - environmental, political, global - is charged, raw, seething, broiling, and I hope you’re taking the time and space you need for yourself to feel good, sane, and grounded. As a wildly sensitive person (ugh, I know, it’s annoying but I is who I is,) it’s been especially challenging to feel a sense of calm amidst the accruing chaos. What’s helped me the most has been a regular yoga practice, and connection with friends. Getting to the mat and picking up the phone are both hard tasks, but once completed, I feel like I can make it another day despite the despair of reality.
On a cool note though, the songs that I’ve been steadfastly working on are 99% finished. All that’s left is for these tunes to be mastered, and then they’re ready.
This is terrifying, for obvious reasons, and I want to do right by these songs. I want to release them as singles, beginning with This Old Grave. Ideally, I want that song to be released in early November, after Halloween and on the heels of the full moon. Musicians are advised to have at least four weeks to prepare a release, so if I can get my songs mastered and back to me in time, you’ll be hearing a new song before year’s end.
That said, if I don’t get the masters back in time, or if it feels too rushed, I’ll wait until after the holidays. No one will be paying attention to new music during that time.
In the meantime, I’ve finalized the font for the album art on This Old Grave, (thanks again to Jes Raymond for designing the beautiful imagery,) and I’ve got a date locked in for an upcoming photo shoot with my dear friend Lindsey Flicker. Lindsey has been photographing me for years now and it’s such a privilege to work with her. She’s only in VT once a year so it’ll be an extra treat to catch up and get photos before she’s off again to her home in Minnesota.
I’m trying not to get stuck in the swamp of perfectionism as I go about the release strategy, so I’m going to do as Dori says and ‘just keep swimming!’
ALSO. I am changing my stage name. I will no longer go by Allison Fay Brown. I will go, simply, by Allison Fay. It’s cleaner, simpler, and there’s a lot of energetic and symbolic meaning to me that feels right, true, and empowering.
Finally, one more giant shout out to the hostess with the biggest heart and most delicious breakfast sammies, Lisa Piccirillo, for housing me throughout this whole wonderful and immersive studio process.
More soon, and thank you for being such an integral part of this work.
With heart,
Allison
Breakfast sammie of all breakfast sammies!