A gift for you ...

It’s been quite a year, really ramping up these last few months. My husband Michael and I began creating more videos for Musician’s Life 360, our Youtube channel. The channel is based on our viewpoint as artists and musicians living in Europe, in keeping with our goal of living artistically in all 360 degrees of our lives. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please check it out!

But today, *drumroll* … I’m excited to announce the release of my new original--a cozy, nostalgic Christmas song, “It Must Be Christmastime.” The seeds of this song started back in September, when I began listening to Christmas songs every morning, to put the Christmasy vibe into my head and then to see what would come out.

By October, I had stewed in holiday music enough, and I began writing at my keyboard. Over the course of a few days, this song evolved. For songwriters, some songs have sections that you get stuck on, but this one flowed pretty easily both lyrically and musically.  When it was done, I recorded piano and vocal tracks and then sent the song to Jacob Hildebrand in Austin, Texas, to add guitar. Michael added cello and bells, and Kelly Donnelly, also in Austin, laid the bass and mixed and mastered the song. 

“It Must Be Christmastime” is available on Bandcamp, where you can listen for free or buy a copy, complete with the lyrics, credits, and album artwork. It will be available on streaming platforms next week. 

I hope you love the song! It’s my gift to you this Christmas. Please drop me a comment and let me know what you think of it!

Hope this time of year is filled with moments of peace and joy for you. Looking forward to releasing new music to you in 2025!

xoxo—

Cheryl

New music for a new year

What a flurry of activity has been happening here over the past few months … we’ve been looking for a new home—a good place to create and make music. Living in Europe is truly an adventure in every sense of the word, and it’s definitely a learning process too. While all of that has been going on, I’ve been able to continue to spend time recording and working on music.

Today, I have a new song for you. January Moon sounds like a nighttime song, and it is. It was recorded live, solo, in the studio at about 4 am. We recorded two takes, and this is the second one. It captures the moody magic of January, I think …

In a week or two, I’ll be releasing a video to go with the song, and I’ll let you know when it’s live for viewing! In the meantime, please check out January Moon on any of your streaming platforms, or, to truly support the arts, buy a copy on Bandcamp. Please listen, share, and add it to your playlists. And as always, drop me a line and let me know what you think of the song! I hope it adds to the soundtrack of your January,

Thank you so much for supporting the music!

Chapter 9

The conclusion of the story - a recording that led to an adventure. Please check out St. Ann's Gold, specially remastered for this release. It’s available on Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes, and all other major platforms. Thanks for listening!

Chapter 8

A visit with Daniel Lanois …

Chapter 7

After we had talked and listened to music for a while, Dan asked me if I’d like to see his recording studio. He led us to the basement, where the studio was set up at that time. Dan’s engineer Adam was working on Dan’s latest solo album, and Dan asked him to cue up a track. As the recording played, Dan stood right in front of me and sang to me. His lyrics were scrawled in black marker on a sheet of poster board on the floor, and he picked it up and held it. The track was loud, and Dan was singing right to my face, almost shouting the melody. When the song was finished, he told me what he had written it about. He had no self-consciousness or artifice—just true enthusiasm for his new music. That was a moment ...

Chapter 6

The story continues … There are many highs and lows in the life of an artist. This was a good day.

Chapter 5

It was a beautiful early summer day as we drove up the long, winding driveway through the trees to Daniel Lanois’s home. The 1920s mansion sprawled gracefully before us, and we climbed the steps to the front door and rang the bell. Dan answered the door with a huge, warm smile. He introduced himself, shook our hands, and invited us into a wide, welcoming entry hall. On a small side table in the hall sat a book of Dan’s photographs, which he told me he was considering publishing (Dan is a gifted photographer--his photos grace Dylan’s Time out of Mind album). At the far end of the hall, a large staircase wound up to the private quarters. Another staircase led down. But Dan led us to the right, through a billiards room. In one corner beyond the pool table, a standing ashtray was empty except for a pair of black, fly-eye sunglasses.

Chapter 4

Daryl Johnson passes along an invitation from producer Daniel Lanois

A phone call and an invitation lead to a new adventure …

Chapter 3

In the space of less than five hours, Phil and I recorded our song. I remember that it was such a relaxed, fun, effortless session. I had chosen a track from Lanois’ Acadie album, which had always struck me with its rich ambiance and its haunting vignettes. In the studio, Phil layered in electric guitars, reversing a line or two. He added some e-bow and built in a ghostly snare drum. On his foundation, I added ethereal, floating vocals. We quickly mixed it, and the song was done. I sent it off to the record producer to be added to the compilation album. But that wasn’t the end of the story …

Chapter 2

Young artists find their inspiration in different places. This was a major wellspring for me ...

Daniel Lanois has produced some of the most iconic albums in history, and I get a special opportunity to show my appreciation for him …

love letter, long overdue

Dear country,

I remember when we first met, 244 years ago now. We were starry-eyed and full of lofty dreams that we shared—dreams of a beautiful, adventurous life, free and happy. We had long, deep talks about how we would respect each other and give each other space and support each other even when we disagreed. 

We were quite happy for some time, until one major, important disagreement over one enormous evil almost tore us apart. In fact, it did for a while. We separated and fought, and we almost divorced. Many tears were shed and scars were ripped into our fragile skin. But after five long years, we slowly began to move toward reconciliation. While we were far from perfect, we were trying. And over the coming years, we faced every high and low together—devastating wars, a massive depression, and a looming threat that, thankfully, never panned out. Then one day we experienced a massive attack right in our own backyard. We banded together, we lifted each other up, and we wiped away each other’s tears. We were heroes for each other, and in that, we were able to bring healing.

Now, somehow, we’ve drifted away from each other. We’ve neglected the garden of our relationship. We don’t work at respecting each other’s differences or encouraging each other. Instead, we spend a lot of time finding fault with each other and hurting each other. And after all the threats we’ve faced, the trials we’ve gone through together, the joys we’ve experienced, the life we’ve shared, somehow this threat feels real. Like it might actually break us. 

So today, I’d like to put in a word for us. We are worth fighting for, not against. We are worth doing the hard work of mutual respect, forgiveness, and understanding, and coming back to the love we once enjoyed. Here’s to a happy anniversary, America.

the power of your song ...

On these 20-degree mornings, I am always a little shocked and surprised to awaken to the chorus of birds cheerfully trilling right outside my window. How did these fragile little beings, with only flimsy little feathers between them and the icy wind, survive the frigid night? And after all that, what makes them so undauntingly joyful? “Hope is the thing with feathers—that sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all …” So it’s cold, so things are not always easy, so we might not make it until tomorrow, but still the voice is raised in song. Still there is hope. Welcome to your new year, your new morning, your gift … nothing has the power to stop your song.

For me, this new year is full of excitement. I’ve been writing new songs nonstop for months now, and I’m looking forward to sharing them, adding to that morning chorus … Look for a new album this year, new performances online, and keep your eye on the tour calendar. Hope to see you soon!

Packing up ...

So it seems that, like so many artists and musicians over the past year or so, we are saying goodbye to Austin, TX, and moving on to new adventures. When we first moved here a little more than a decade ago, Austin buzzed with creative life and was an affordable haven and outlet for artists. But, as mostly happens when big money is involved, things began to change. And there were little signs. First, the city began to look different. Even the music lights no longer lined the downtown streets at Christmas. Noise ordinances and rising rents threatened clubs, and many closed or replaced their original music with cover tune bands and DJs. Then, venerable, legendary venues began to be razed to the ground, to be replaced by condos, pricey boutique restaurants, and chain businesses that could afford the rent. Just as we and other musicians had been drawn to come here, now, high-tech industries imported their employees in droves, and the things that made Austin cool began to be shoved by the wayside.

Making music is a costly endeavor. It takes time and money to fund recording and performing. And in the current climate, musicians struggle to reap a livable return on their investment. When you find yourself spending inordinate amounts of time just trying to meet the rising expenses of life, your resources for making music diminish. And little bits of your soul start to chip away. And when the oasis that you were in in the middle of dusty Texas begins to dry up, it becomes difficult to find your route.

But it’s not all about what’s not here, it’s about what’s ahead. New adventures await to inspire us and new challenges will stretch us as we spread our wings again. By the end of this month, we’ll be in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. We’re excited about the friends we’re already making and the opportunities that await.

Yet the hardest thing, of course, is leaving you, Austin friends. You amazing, creative musicians, you diehard friends, you—true family. Please come and visit us. Please keep collaborating with us. Please send us on the wings of your prayers. We love you all.

Gardens on the Moon

The afternoon sun is wafting through the towering oaks today with the gentle golden air it carries in winter. Already the scarlet quince is blooming and the peach trees are budding, and it is barely March. The winter days have blown through with cold, icy rains drenching the earth and overflowing the streets here in Austin. But still, the plants fight back and insist on not just surviving, but growing. They take every bit of sunlight and warmth and tuck it in. They hide the rainwater away for the summer droughts to come. And with the first balmy day, they spread their defiantly leafy branches and wave them joyously at the sky. That's what it takes to keep blooming.

I read recently that scientists are working on ways to plant gardens on the moon. They think that people will eventually want to live there, so they will need fresh food. Already the experts are learning that plants can take much more than they had thought. They can survive with reduced gravity. They can live with canned sunlight and no soil--only water. Plants can't even think, but they seem to know that their work is to grow and bloom. When they stop growing, they perish. But with their growing, they fill the earth with beauty and life. And soon, maybe, they may bring that life to the barren moon too.

It has been good to be so deep in the music, to follow its winding roots into the frozen earth. To take the winter rain and frigid air and turn it into something that is full of life. I can't wait to share it with you! Stay tuned ...