To my music family,

I hope your August is off to a good start.  What a whirlwind summer it’s been, filled with teaching, performing and planning for the upcoming album recording.  I’ve got so many updates!

Over the July 4th holiday, I went to a family reunion in Kingsburg, CA where I met up with cousins and family members that I hadn’t seen in many years.  I also had a chance to meet up with some of my mother’s old friends.  The Indiegogo campaign set off months of catching up with friends old and new.  This is one of the parts I love most, being able to harness the energy from each of these meetings.  Always, there are beautiful takeaways with information I hadn’t known about my family, or old stories with new twists that fill me up.  It’s been 5 years since my mother passed away and not a day goes by that I don’t think of her.  Jean Gatewood, one of my mother’s high school friends, took us down memory lane, sharing all of the antics my mother and she did in high school.  I’ve always thought of my mother as more reserved, so it was funny to hear ways in which she shined her light and a lovely way to honor her memory.

Speaking of honoring, I’ve had the chance to create and collaborate on some wonderful songs for the album that I think you will love!  “Soul and Bone” is a song I am writing with Patricia Bahia, a dear friend I made last summer while at Mary Gauthier’s songwriting workshop in Nashville.  The song is about when we go through all the trials and hardships, all the extraneous things get stripped away and we are left with who we truly are.  One of my favorite lines from the verse, “If freedom is nothing left to lose, then I am truly free” is so powerful.  There’s nothing like sharing and collaborating live.  Patricia and I sang our hearts out at Muse Café Music Night two weeks ago.  It was a magical night, with a wonderful impromptu group that gathered to give their feedback.  I’ve so enjoyed meeting some of you from Facebook in person!

This coming weekend, I will be performing at The Hangar in the OC fair, with Paul McCartney and Wings Band Tribute on Friday evening.  Please stop by if you have a chance, there are still a few tickets left.  Doors open at 7:30pm, show at 8:30pm.  We’re going to be rocking out so come join us!

Last but not least, we are off to the races to record in 2 weeks at the studio. I am in great company with some stellar musicians, Mick Taras, Doug Petty, Edwin Livingston, Paul Alexander Gonzales and I’m so excited that Aaron Sterling will be joining us too.  He’s played with John Mayer and Taylor Swift, to name a few and my favorite duo of all time, The Civil Wars!  I will send another update next week with more details.  I’m off to get ready for Wings Band for now….

Until next time!

With much love,

Christine