| Wednesday, December 31, 2014 The Waning Year 2014 has been an incredible one! My thoughts are wrapped with the great joy and gratitude for all the glorious opportunities that came our way. From Glasgow to Krakow, new friends to new records, festivals and fabulous moments... Castle Wall CD Release Party My CD release party, held at Soul Food CoffeeHouse on Nov 22, 2014, was a glorious success. We had such a beautiful evening of music with a fabulous turn out. Looking back, I am so humbled by how many local friends and fans that we have. I am very grateful to those who took time out of their busy lives to come to the show and share their support. I am so fortunate. The night started off with Orville Murphy and Jerry Middaugh. These two gentlemen won the hearts of everyone in that room. Their blend of stories and old time songs warms the soul. It was a true honour to have them open the night. My band, that evening, consisted of Ron Allen, Clint McCune, Joel Gamble, Michael Falcone, and Captain Chambers. We rocked the house. I enjoyed what I was hearing so much that, at times, I was so immersed that I had to remind myself to change chords. Powerful instrumentation from everyone involved. The fiddle swirling out into the audience, the primordial power of the drum, the licks of lightning from the guitar, the twinkle of starfall from the piano, the rumble in the heart from the bass... and a voice soaring above it all. It was rather moving and, I have to admit, I felt just a little bit like a rockstar. I can honestly say that it was one of those nights that I will never forget. Moving Right Along... As some of you may have noticed, we've had a bit of a lineup change recently. It is all good and we are all friends, just the path has moved into two. Our great friend Kelly Blanchard is working hard with his amazing band Blue Star Creeper. They have a new album called White Hot Starlight that is wonderful and big things are on the horizon for them. I cannot express enough how much I love this band. If you haven't heard them, you must! I have a great respect for Kelly and am incredibly grateful for his part in SeaStar. I know that our musical friendship will still exist in the future, but right now, I wish him every success that he deserves with his talent and his beautiful music! Thanks Kelly! from the bottom of my heart! Ron Allen, the fella who recorded Castle Walls and mixed our North Winds album, has taken on the role of second guitar. Ron, who is also the guitarist in Wynne C Blue and the Troublefakers, has a great ear for the Celtic world and we have had a great time over the last few weeks experimenting with different Celtic and folk styles. I hope that you will enjoy what he brings to the band. We've got some great new songs to bring to you! Three Rivers Show in Pasco, WA SeaStar headed back to Eastern Washington to play in Pasco for the Three Rivers Folk Society, the folks who put on the Tumbleweed Music Festival. It was a super fun adventure! We drove through a winter wonderland, saw the glorious full moon dancing on the Columbia, put on a grand show at the Community Unitarian Universalist Church to a lovely full audience, and even saw Santa and his minions of cheer! We had a great adventure! Thanks Three Rivers! The Rest of the Month The following weekend brought my winter recital from my studio. It was incredible! 18 students performed and a guitar ensemble too! Super proud. This December was the first time in ages that I had the Christmas spirit in full force. My Fa la la la lah meter was off the charts. This was primarily because of Audra, the tallest Christmas elf you'd ever meet. The month ended with Christmas in Tulsa with Mom, sister, and my in-law family. I had my final show of the year at the Gypsy Coffeehouse, the place where I met Adam so long ago. It was a great night of old and new friends. Thanks to all the folks who came out! And dear thanks to the Gypsy! And as I type this, the temperature is dropping. The year is over in mere hours. I sit, awaiting a plane ride back to Seattle, with a full thankful heart. I have so much gratitude for all the incredible things that happened. If I could write down all the adventures that took place in 2014, it would fill a full manuscript. Such a grand life. Thank you! London/Paris on the horizon.... Scotland later in the year... more music, more dreams, more living to be had. I encourage you to live louder. Push the bar. Laugh more and spend less on social vampires and material things. Get outside more and connect with folks. A smile can change the world. I believe that. With a peaceful and thankful heart, Biglove and hugs,
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November 2014
| Monday, November 10, 2014 Castle Walls Well, it's almost here! I am still waiting to hear from I tunes but they have all the info and the new album should be posted in the next week. Sometimes it is easy for me to be impatient when I tend to work on deadlines while others do not. But never fear.... you can have your very own copy of the new album HERE! If you download it from my bandcamp site, you will receive a bonus track that is unavailable on the album! So, not only will you have it ON TIME, you will have an EXTRA song too! Thanks for supporting my music! Hope to see you at the CD Release Party on With thanks, love, and warm hugs!
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The new record, Castle Walls, is composed of some of Fae's earliest works, traditional pieces that she adores, and some of her most recent tunes. Like a castle wall, the record contains a few foundational songs that Fae performed very early in her career. Stone by stone, story after story, the journey continues. Recorded during the first half of 2014, by Ron Allen at Four Lumen Studio in Kirkland, Washington, Fae continued to travel during the recording process. The record and arrangements seemed to be seasoned by her travels. She is very grateful for the fine friends and musicians who played on this album, often with little to no rehearsal. The record was mastered by Seattle legend, Chris Hanzsek. Castle Walls is a fine example of a songwriter's journey through mystery, history, love, and loss. |
Congratulations Michael and Rebecca!
| Monday, November 3, 2014 Congratulations Our band mate, brother, and friend said "I do" on Saturday, November 1, 2014 a' top of the historic Sorrento Hotel in the heart of Seattle. It was an honour to sing at this beautiful wedding! Love you both!,
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October 2014
| Friday, October 31, 2014 Magic, Whimsy, The falling leaves, the patter of summer echoes that skip the ground, the colour racing to freedom, brings a smile to my heart. The blushing trees are vivid against the grey skies. Our breath takes form as our season transforms with the turn of the Celtic wheel. Castle Walls My solo record, Castle Walls, will be released on November 11, 2014. I am very happy with the outcome and hope that folks will enjoy it. This has been a magical adventure over this past year and my sincere thanks and appreciation goes to Ron Allen for all of the energy and hard work he put into this album, not only in an engineer sense, but also as an artist. I am very honoured to have Ron play on several tracks as well as Joel Gamble, Clint McCune, Orville Murphy, Captain Chambers, Michael Falcone, Kelly Blanchard, Doug Hayman, and Matteus Vaga. Many of these fine friends and performers will be joining me on stage at the CD Release Party! Save the Date! King StarHead
We had the extreme honour to play at a party for our dear friend and King Starhead, TieDye John. It was a surprise from his daughter.What a grand evening of fine friends, family, good food, and music. Thanks for having us! We will help celebrate with you anytime! Our Next Show is FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14 Boo! With sparkles, ponies, and lots of good deeds,  | |
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September 2014
| Monday, September 29, 2014 Summer Sizzle & Slumber The remainder of summer flew on with great wings! From Tumbleweeds to twinkling moments, I soaked in every moment of it! And now, the trees are blushing... Tumbleweed Music Festival Over Labour Day Weekend, we played at the Tumbleweed Music Festival It was breathtaking! Firstly, the wind kicked up and almost blew us over. We saw trees dancing and tumbleweeds.. well, tumblin'! I wondered if that was why the festival was called Tumbleweed! Wow! I was selected as one of the finalists in the Tumbleweed Songwriting Contest. I was humbled and privileged to play with 9 other talented folks in the contest concert. I didn't take home a prize but was honoured just the same. We had such a grand time playing near the Columbia River on the South Stage on Sunday afternoon. The crowd was stellar! Hoops and Hollers! We sold out of our CDs! wow. Thank you soo much for the warm reception! We LOVED playing for you! While Kelly was away at Burning Man, we were thrilled that our friend Ron Allen could accompany us on this journey. We had a swell time with him and look forward to other musical adventures with him and his band Wynne C Blue & Her Troublefakers. Urban Coffee Lounge Urban Coffee Lounge was on the 5th of September. Always a pleasure to play at this fine coffeehouse! We sang songs of summer and got the place rockin'! Such a treat for us! Thank you! Farmers Market I played my final Bothell Farmers Market for 2014 on the 19th. It was such a warm day. There wasn't shade for me at the market so I decided to sing at the end of the boat! It was a perfect place to bring forth a song. I had a fan travel 2,400 miles from Galveston, Texas to hear me sing! That's right! Ross, a lovely piper whom I met while Dougie MacLean was in town last fall, came strolling through the village and made a few requests! It was wonderful to see him again! I was soo surprised! Castle Walls It's finally finished. Slumber Our show schedule is slim at the moment. I need a little time to recharge and regroup. Thankful for all the wonderful support and love from all over the world. Get lost in the magic of Autumn With love,
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At Tumbleweed ~ photo by Tumbleweed Music Festival
August 2014
| Monday, August 11, 2014 Across the Pond & Back Again On Thursday August 7, I returned from my one month stay in Poland. I was on an exciting adventure teaching voice and guitar as part of the Kosciuszko Foundation’s TEACHING ENGLISH IN POLAND Camp held in Załęcze Wielke, Poland. The experience was life enriching. I spent the first 3 weeks of my journey teaching 64 high school level students. They were incredible! I was under the direction of my high school theatre teacher, Tom Rusnak. He inspired 10 teachers and 10 TAs to enlighten, inspire and educate the 117 students attending this year's Fine Arts Camp. The camp is sponsored by the Kosciuszko Foundation of New York. It is dedicated to promote educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and Poland and to increase American understanding of Polish culture and history. Founded in 1925, on the eve of the 150th anniversary of Thaddeus Kosciuszko's enlistment in the American revolutionary cause, the Foundation is a national not-for-profit, nonpartisan, and nonsectarian organization. I had 4 classes a day, 5 days a week. We focused on guitar, voice, sight-reading, and movement in rhythm. The students learned such songs like "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, "Learn Me Right" by Mumford and Sons, "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay, "Cups" from Pitch Perfect, an improvisation on minor pentatonic scales as well as a group number, "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. I also held an advance guitar activity that brought forth a gypsy jazz ensemble of 9 guitars and 2 vocalists. We performed "I'm Confessin" as part of the Expo or final performance day in camp. Also performed at the Expo was the Improvisation on the Minor Pentatonic Scale for my beginning guitar students as well as 48 students singing and performing Cups. This was AWESOME! Aside from watching the students grow, I too had a bit of a personal growing experience. I had experienced a bit of tummy troubles while at camp (10 days of bread and water to be exact). On the last Sunday of the camp, I felt a little weak and took a rest day. I picked up my ukulele and wrote a wee song about camp and saying goodbye. There was a talent show scheduled a couple of days later and I thought that I may perform it. As I was watching the talent show, the day waned. It became darker and darker and I wasn't sure if I would be able to read my words. Plus I was feeling vulnerable with such a new song that I had pretty much convinced myself to play something more rehearsed and shiny. I put my uke down and tuned my guitar for an old standby tune. Just then, my student comes off stage from playing and tells me, "Fae! I was brave!", something that I had been telling the students to be from the first day of classes. I said, "Yes! you were. It's time I was brave too." On Thursday July 31, at the close of camp, at the end of the Expo performance, with the help of 117 students and about 40 staff members, my new song "Hold on Till Tomorrow" or "The Camp Song" was sung to a room full of parents and friends. It was one of the most precious moments of my musical career. I will never forget that moment, those students, that feeling. We had days off from teaching. Weekends were field trips to nearby cities for culture and history. In my short time in Poland I experienced adventures in such cities as Warsaw, Łódź, Wrocław, Wieluń, Kalisz, Krakow, Częstochowa, Wieliczka's Salt Mine, Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains. I kayaked on the Warta, strolled along the Odra River, and sipped whiskey on the Vistula River. I visited castles, churches, museums, Auschwitz, saw the President of Poland, sang with 800+ people in the centre of Krakow, performed for the Marshall of Łódź and more! It was such an amazing journey! Moving Forward With the jet lag still lingering, and the magic of travel still swirling in my heart, more new songs are coming! As well as my new CD, Castle Walls!
Oh summer... you woo me. Thanks for listening and following!
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During lessons
June 2014
| Monday, June 30, 2014 Kenyon Hall, Cama Beach, We had another incredible month of music! Our first show in June was at the beautiful Kenyon Hall in West Seattle. Within these historic walls, music swirled and sang with warm voices and root beer float smiles. Camano Island was the next night! What a gathering of amazing souls to honour Dena Marie, long time StarHead and cheerleader. We enjoyed playing to the sea and the smiling faces at Cama Beach. On Friday, June 13 I did a radio interview on Alternative Talk Radio 1150 AM with Dena Marie as well as our first Bothell Farmers Market performance. The radio spot aired the world premiere of "The Wild", a song from my upcoming solo album. Twas a great day to talk about music community and then share the music with the folks at the market! What a charmed life we lead! Across the pond.. Captain and I traveled to Victoria the following weekend. My band Syren was playing the Victoria Folk Club on Father's Day. Seems like a tradition for us to play on Dad's Day. A special time with an amazing audience (full to fire code), standing ovation, encore and sold out of our CDs. I'd say that was quite the night! Melody and I recorded a few tunes the following day. Slowly but surely Syren's new record is coming! Inspiring Young Musicians My summer camp, Summer Voices, was a huge success! We had some wonderful talent this year! All the campers learned a few penny whistle tunes, created incredible art pieces, and we had an amazing recital. I am renewed, albeit exhausted, by this yearly camp. It's a ton of work and worth every hour of prep and enthusiasm. I am honoured to be a teacher. And thankful to have such amazing students in my studio, Syren's Voice Last weekend of June Susie's Night of Stars was the next performance opportunity on Sat June 28. My friend and engineer of my new solo album, Ron Allen, join me to play a wee set at this benefit concert helping a working mom with breast cancer. It was a beautiful evening of warm music and hearts. Next Stop... Poland!!! I leave in 10 days! The Arts Enriched English Language Camp presents a rare opportunity for Polish students (upper elementary through high school) to experience a curriculum focused on the Arts: visual, auditory, performance, and literary with classes conducted in the English language. Most schools in Poland do not offer Fine Arts Classes so this is a real treat for students interested in the arts!
August I return from Poland on the 7th and SeaStar's first show for August is Edmond's Concerts in the Park on Sunday August 10 at 3pm. I hope you can join us! Until then, Thanks for following, supporting, and sharing in the adventure!
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May 2014
| Tuesday, May 13, 2014 An Intimate Night of Music We have been asked to play an evening of music Reserved table seats, $14; Reserved row seating, $10 general/$8 seniors; At the door, $12 general/$10 seniors. Under 18, $5; Preschool free. Reservations email kenyonhall@earthlink.net www.kenyonhall.org Kenyon Hall 7904 35th Ave SW, Seattle, WA Hope to see you!!! Double Header Weekend We had a blast this past weekend playing at Soul Food Coffee House on Friday night and then Flying Apron Cafe on Saturday night! We had the opportunity to roll out some new tunes and play some tunes that we haven't played in years! Thanks to all the fine folks who came out and supported us! This weekend is Folklife at Seattle Center! We will be busking on Friday! Stop by and say hi! With love, Fae, Captain, Falcone, and Kelly | |
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April 2014
| Sunday, April 27, 2014 Music, Music Everywhere... This month Fae had the honour to meet Gordon Bok, the singer songwriter who penned the additional lyrics to one of her favourite songs, "The Cuillins of Rhum". Gordon played at the Phinney Ridge center and gave an incredible performance with longtime folk companion, Carol Rohl. Fae also secured permission to use the lyrics on her upcoming solo album, Castle Walls. Thanks Gordon! Upstairs Music Music at the Upstairs is always a treat! With our favourite barman, Andy, slinging classic and creative spirits, we had the honour of playing to an intimate audience in the heart of Belltown. We unveiled 3 new tunes at this micro-show and enjoyed some great conversation with our fans. Medicine.. Stars.. Traffic An amazing evening of music resonated in Shoreline on Friday, April 25 as The Big Medicine, SeaStar, and Letters from Traffic brought down the house at local hotspot, Darrell's Tavern. We had a packed house and a grand time was held by all! Thanks to all who came out to support us! SeaStar Takes Scotland!
Join us as we tour through tiny villages, seaside castles, ancient ruins, and give a thrilling performance in Thanks for all the love!! -Fae, Captain, Falcone, & Kelly | |
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March 2014
| Monday, March 31, 2014 The Adventure Continues... Wow. The end of February was lovely! We had a great time playing with our friends Wynne C Blue and her Troublefakers at the Skylark. Fae even found Nessy in her beer! What a find! Fae finished her 7th RPM challenge album and we have been enjoying learning new tunes from it. Lots of folklore on this wee album that she wrote and recorded in just 13 days. You can here it at her bandcamppage We had a serious 'Get Ready for St Paddy's Hootenanny' at the Urban Coffee Lounge on the 7th of March! Full house, lots of dancing, and some serious kazoo playing! Such a great time! Thanks for all our fans and friends who came out to support us! Fae had a great show with Melody in Mill Creek, Washington when Syren played the Country Club for St Paddy's weekend! Lots of singing and laughs! Fae and Melody have a special vocal blend that charms the world. If you haven't heard these ladies, you should! Fae ended the month by playing a solo gig as part of the Singer Songwriter night at Hattie's Hat in Ballard. She shared the stage with Jeff Greer, Val D'Alessio, Ethan Freckleton, and was back by Paul Beaudry, and Kubby Casual. It was an enchanting night of great song writing and singers. Fae also played her mandolin, Rosie, for the 4th time ever in public! If you haven't heard Rosie yet, you will! Fae's in love! Speaking of love, Fae has a new bodhran from Belgarth Bodhrans in the Orkney Isles. Custom made by Eoin Leonard, this beauty will be a symbol of the magic that SeaStar experienced on their tour in bonny Scotland! Look for her at the upcoming shows! Poland Well, it's official! Fae will head out on another journey in July! As part of the Kosciuszko Foundation’s Teaching English in Poland Program (TEIP), Fae will be teaching music for one month in Załęcze Wielke, Poland. That means she will miss her favorite festival, Index Arts Fest, but the lads have promised to make an appearance on her behalf. As more details roll in about Poland, we will post it here. Scotland DVD It's here! If you wish to order a copy, please do so by emailing us at fae13@jetbutterfly.com $15 plus $2 Shipping. You may pay by paypal to the address above or visit our bandcamp page to order. That's all for now! Thanks for following us! | |
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