Welcome to Gaelynn Lea's new monthly newsletter! 
Stay in touch with show updates, musical musings, and life happenings.
OCTOBER 2015 NEWSLETTER
Greetings!
 
I hope you are having a wonderful Fall day! I recently decided to start a monthly newsletter to keep friends, family, and music fans in the loop about my upcoming shows and life happenings. This is Edition #1, so welcome to my writing experiment!
You Can Make Gaelynn's Solo Album a Reality
E ven though I have recorded on approximately half a dozen album projects over the years, I have never created a solo album before... Until this fall! Back in August I went into the studio at   Sacred Heart Music Center  to record my first-ever solo creation, and now  I am asking for your support to see it through to completion.

"All the Roads that Lead Us Home", will be an instrumental album - mostly traditional fiddle tunes (Celtic, American, and Swedish), with a few recognizable standards. Even though the album is just me and my violin, the sound is filled out with live loops from my Memory Man pedal that are layered underneath. This looping creates a tapestry of sound with the various layers weaving in and out. You can read more about my album project and my music career in an interview I recently did here.

If I can raise enough money I am also planning to release a 7" vinyl, with two vocal/violin tracks (one on each side). I also love to sing so I recorded an original song of mine and an old standard song... But I decided I didn't want to break up the flow of instrumentals so I am doing something different with these two tracks! 

Many of you have already contributed to this project - THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your donations paid for the recording and mixing of my album! However, the album isn't ready yet! I still need to raise $2,600 before the end of October to pay for the printing of CD's and the pressing of the 7" vinyls. So if you haven't made a contribution until now, your help would very much appreciated... Everyone who donates to this project  will receive a complimentary copy of the CD when it's done!

Can't contribute financially? You can still help by spreading the word about my album... It will be released in November. Until then, listen to one of the tracks here.

Thanks in advance for your support -   I am so excited to share this music with you!

Riding the Rails: Chicago

Recently my husband, my friend Allison & I had the treat of traveling on the Amtrak to visit our close friend in Chicago. It was so nice to get out of our "norm" - the sights from the rails were gorgeous, the city was buzzing, and there was lots of laughter! 

In 48 short hours we managed to see Wrigley Field and the Sears Tower (albeit from the outside), eat tons of yummy food, and take in some comedy at Improv Olympics Chicago. It was a great trip, and I would love to return!  If you haven't taken the Amtrak before, I'd highly recommend it! 
Preparing for the Health & Human Services Conference
Ba ck in college, various professors would ask me to present about disabilities in their classrooms. Since disability is such a normal part of my life, I sometimes forget how little mainstream American culture acknowledges this reality. It was eye-opening to the students to learn about the barriers still faced by people with disabilities, and empowering for me to talk about concepts like Disability Pride. 

After college, life got busy, and these types of presentations fell to the wayside. Now that I am self-employed, I have again decided to pursue public speaking about disability awareness. In fact, this October I will be presenting at the St. Louis County Health & Human Services Conference about the importance of compassionate understanding and communication when working with people with disabilities.

As a part of my preparation for the Health & Human Services Conference, I wanted to research others' experiences about disability. So I wrote a survey, the Comprehensive Wellness Survey for People with Disabilities! If you have a disability or if you live, love, or work with people who have disabilities you are invited to take the survey at the link below! 120 people have already taken the survey, but the more the better! 

Take the Wellness Survey  for People  with Disabilities
Upcoming Performances and Presentations
I am excited to be doing a number of performances and speaking engagements this Fall... Maybe I'll see you out and about as the weather turns a tad more chilly! 
  • October 13th: Gaelynn Lea Plays Music for the RSI Board Dinner, 5:30-7pm 

 

FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS AVAILABLE AT MY WEBSITE