Quarantined in the Studio.
Writing a record in these times is humbling…
What a time to be alive!
It feels crazy and it feels sane at the same time…I have felt — we have felt that change has been “coming” — that change has been needed…
I wanted to make change through music —
I wanted to make music with Gene Evaro Jr and Piper.
And here we are, quarantined in the home studio —
Change— is certainly here.
Laughter. Gratitude. Perspective. Music. More laughter.
——-
Back story::
Three years ago, my dear soul brother Abraham shared his latest music discovery with me— Gene Evaro Jr and the band. Immediately, I was taken by the lyrics — the rhythm and the soulful tones of the music.
Months later, I flew from my then home in Hawaii to meet Gene and his sweet lady, Piper in Joshua Tree, California — I let them know how connected our community felt to their music , inviting them to come down to the Safe House (our community center) to play a show.
They came down to San Francisco and we brought together all our fellow freaks in the name of deepening in love — the weekend was vibrant — full of biodegradable glitter, flower baths and love songs.
Gene, Piper and the band played an epic show on the roof top —our hears bursted with rainbows — we sang, topless — San Francisco was alive and well!
The journey with Piper and Gene continued— with me re-discovering my voice and trekking to Joshua Tree to record — and go deep in immersion with Ting Kelly and Carson for what would eventually become the bones of this album concept….
The healing journey of freeing my voice took me deeper than ever in the vast desert of California — my relationship to my creative voice expanded — yet, the recording didn’t go as planned…and all there was to do was let it be…
Our lives intertwined, seeds were planted and then, the journey of this mystical life took us a part for year…
Life does that…and while we wanted to be together and figure it all out— that wasn’t the most nourishing for our creative spirits or our personal lives.
So, we gave the recording, the collaboration time and space— we let it breathe and we kept cultivating the seeds with love.
A year later, Abraham, Barbara and I ventured out to the desert to celebrate a dear sister, Casea Rose and decide it was time to come back together and close a loop with our dear desert family. We missed them — and we felt in our hearts the need to come back together in the name of creative joy.
Our reunion was filled with softness. We sat together in the back of the Mexican market, eating burritos and catching up on where we left off. We talked about how much had changed in our personal lives, what we were hoping to create…and how much we wanted to do it together.
As artists, there is a lot of deceit in the “industry” — in the world, really.
More than ever, it is so imperative that we find the people we can grow with…cultivating nourishing relationships of support, trust and abundance. Relationships where we build trust, where you feel safe to express and ask for help. The world deserves this…
For us, the music industry can be misleading— full of those who want fame, power. For us, we want to see the power being used for the good of all beings.
We want to see people creating for the sake of creating— because it FUELS them— and we want to see it being done with respect, reverence and gratitude.
I am a family girl— raised to treat everyone I meet with love and compassion as I would my own family member, children of God. This ethos of mine has taken me down hurtful paths where I trusted the “wrong” people —which ultimately, led me to recognize what I needed in relationships. Reciprocity.
When giving feels like receiving and vice versa. I want everyone that I create with to feel safe, supported and appreciated. I want to feel safe, supported and appreciated.
With a record on the horizon, I had been most excited and ready to collaborate with Gene and Piper.
Coming together again meant everything for me in the name of TRUST and building safe relationships in this industry. A deep sigh of healing the heart.
___
I invited them to come to Austin — to write, record and play shows for SXSW….
We all took a leap of faith , together, in wild trust that creation and music would show us the way…
Here we are, two weeks in to our togetherness and the laughter can be heard throughout the city of Austin.
The divine certainly had a greater plan for us— as we are now QUARANTINED together in the home studio— spending our days writing, processing and laughing through these times together.
I am so fucking grateful for the way it has all come together.
I am grateful to have opened my heart to trust.
I am so honored to be trusted — and to be here with Gene and Piper through this moment of history.
On day one of recording, we had elections.
Day three, the stock market crashed…
Day four…SXSW cancelled.
Day 6…quarantine…
The divine orchestration of it all…the laughter when I think about how I could literally never have planned for this.
I am stuck in a beautiful home studio with people I love, respect and admire most.
I feel full of luck in every moment and now, I see why it all worked out the way it did.
Gene and Piper are salt of the earth— they are gracious, sweet, loving and understanding. They are supportive, creative and gentle. Family.
I have never been around more talented musicians in my life — they emanate music and can create like you’ve never seen before. The world is so lucky to have them .
Gene is a genius producer — his commitment to find the right sounds for an emotion is special. Piper, is quiet and plays her “behind the scenes” persona— however, she is deeply creative, has an amazing voice— she can hear the space in between songs and really pulls the whole project together for us. Silent ninja. Working with them is inspiring— to say the least.
I pinch myself in moments — because this is my dream life.
Also, I have never been great with room mates— until Gene and Piper. They are the BEST roommates and I would not enjoy being quarantined with anybody else. I am going to miss them when they are away…they bring warmth and vibrancy to everything they do.
Our times together are opening my heart in new ways—my desert people…they get me in ways I can’t fully put in to words (so I will put it in to songs ) — I feel safe to create here.
Making music is vulnerable and with these two, I can express my soul.
This is it.
I love you Gene and Piper.
A deep bow of thanks to the divine, to God and to all the angels that led us here.
It is more beautiful and joyful than anything I have ever dreamed up.