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Finding Wellness, One Song at a Time

5/25/2022 4 Comments

51. I Release Control

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Song: I Release Control
Words & Music​ by Alexa Sunshine Rose
Lyrics
I release control
and surrender to the flow
of love, that will heal me.

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Notes: This song by Alexa Sunshine Rose has been a huge resource for me as I’ve gone through big transitions and grief this spring. I think that’s in part because it is so direct and short -- it settles inside me without worry or fret. And then the potential complexities of possible harmonies keep me interested, as well as the way it feels inside as I sing. You might start by humming one of the drone notes… then maybe humming with the melody. Eventually, when the words start pushing inside you, wanting to come through, let them appear in your mouth. Feel how your tongue moves against your teeth, how the air moves against the roof of your mouth, the way f and v vibrate against your lips. So my invitation to you: let singing this song be a physical experience that draws you into your body -- how does it feel?

Songwriter Info: Alexa Sunshine Rose describes herself as a singer-songwriter, mother, artist and mystic who has dedicated herself and her life's work to being a clear channel for peace on earth. Her songs are prayers, which bridge worlds; the inner and outer, the mind and heart, chaos and calm. She has been touring and teaching across the West Coast and Hawaii since 2009. I met her on Zoom through the amazing songcarrier Aimée Ringle during the pandemic, and knew immediately that more of her voice in my life would only be a good thing.

Links: 
Alexa Sunshine Rose's website
One of Alexa's video recordings of I Release Control
Alexa on Bandcamp(buying her music here means more of the money actually goes to her)


Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Mixolydian, Harmonized over drone

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Tip Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
4 Comments

5/18/2022 2 Comments

50. Navigate The Current with guest Saro Lynch-Thomason

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Song: Navigate the Current  Words by Saro Lynch-Thomason  Melody based on the traditional Irish tune ​known as "Star of the County Down"
Lyrics
I often feel a deep despair For a pain that feels unending
For a body made with many faults That resists all salve or mending
I’m tossed and driven with a tide Of an ocean unforgiving
I am left shaking on the shore Afraid of even standing.

I feel a deep temptation then As I am lying weary
For a marble form to encase my bones That I may rest more deeply
What comfort to be cast as stone To be static and suspended
No ecstasy, no misery Nothing given or expended

I am startled then by the touch of friends Who raise and fortify me
Who say my name, bid me stretch my frame Help me face the sea’s great fury.
Where would I be in these long hours Without their voices by me?
To ease the pain and soothe the strain Of a troubled and angry body?
​
I am bound between the amity That salves a body splintered
And the cries and sighs of the daily hours That pull my soul more inward.
Oh, may I learn to trust the hands That soothe a pain so fervent
​May I ride each wave with a greater faith And navigate the current
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Notes: There's a freedom in not waiting for a cure. Traditional music is a way to connect to your spiritual ancestral community; it can affirm your experience and there's the "big expansion of empathy that is happening when we sing." Ornamentation and pronunciation of words in oral tradition. We don't create in isolation. How Saro's mom conveyed joy in singing, and what Saro would love "every human being on the planet to understand about disability." The broad umbrella of disability. Speaking with compassion to our bodies, and how that relates to justice work. Why singing is too important to be left to the professionals. Need I say more? This conversation with Saro has left me mulling over so much, and learning "Navigate the Current" has touched me deeply. Here's a chance to dig into what authentic expression feels like...
​
Songwriter Info: Saro Lynch-Thomason is an award-winning ballad singer, song leader, folklorist, and documentarian from Asheville, North Carolina. Saro has been studying and teaching traditional song and balladry from the British Isles, Appalachia and the American South for over a decade. Saro believes that old songs help modern learners access history, folklore, and (most importantly) compassion for the experiences of others, and she uses in-person teaching, film documentary, podcasts and more to convey these lessons. She holds an M.A. in Appalachian Studies and a Certificate in Documentary Studies.

Links: 
www.sarosings.com
www.patreon.com/sarolynch,
Music at sarolyncht.bandcamp.com,
TikTok and Instagram at @songspeaksaro
Sign up for Saro's newsletter to be the first to hear when the class info is available...
​
​Tim Eriksen Soul of the January Hills -- the link goes to Bandcamp, because if you buy the album there, the artist receives a larger % than any other source. Learn more about Tim Eriksen here: Tim Eriksen (timeriksenmusic.com)
Michael & Carrie Kline at ​Talking Across the Lines (folktalk.org)

Nuts & Bolts: 2:2, Aeolian (minor), ballad form
​

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Tip Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
2 Comments

5/11/2022 0 Comments

49. More Waters Rising

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Song: More Waters Rising
Words & Music by Saro Lynch-Thomason
Lyrics
1. ​There are more waters rising, this I know, this I know.
There are more waters rising, this I know.
There are more waters rising, they will find their way to me;
there are more waters rising, this I know, this I know,
there are more waters rising, this I know.

2. ....fires burning....
3. ...mountains falling...
4. I will wade through the waters... when they find their way to me;
5. I will walk through the fires...
6. I will re-build the mountains....
​7. I will wade through the water....


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Notes: This particular song of Saro's has gained international attention, becoming an anthem in the movement to end global warming and garnering praise in the Huffington Post. You may already be familiar with it... in which case I'd really encourage you to use this podcast to explore it and use my voice as an opportunity for you to experiment with harmonies, or being a grounded, single note, or be able to pay extra attention to how it feels inside your body as you sing. Or maybe you don't know it yet? That's cause for celebration, because you have a treat waiting for you today! For me, when I sing this, I feel huge things -- grief at what is happening to our planet and a powerful, grounded determination to respond as I can -- and, like I said -- feeling those things strong and large. It taps into something bigger than myself, even when I'm singing alone, as I often am these days. And then Patty sent me her image for this, which she had developed independently, after listening to the song over and over -- and I was so moved by the force of this hippo! I'd be curious to hear how it feels to you to sing it with me?

Saro encourages people to sing this in groups -- "please share this song -- use it at protests, use it in church, use it in meetings, add new verses, spread it around!"
​
Songwriter Info: Saro Lynch-Thomason is an award-winning ballad singer, song leader, folklorist, and documentarian from Asheville, North Carolina. Saro has been studying and teaching traditional song and balladry from the British Isles, Appalachia and the American South for over a decade. Saro believes that old songs help modern learners access history, folklore, and (most importantly) compassion for the experiences of others, and she uses in-person teaching, film documentary, podcasts and more to convey these lessons. She holds an M.A. in Appalachian Studies and a Certificate in Documentary Studies.

Links: 
www.sarosings.com,
www.patreon.com/sarolynch,
Music at sarolyncht.bandcamp.com,
TikTok and Instagram at @songspeaksaro
Saro herself singing More Waters Rising. (SO worth singing with!!!)


Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Aeolian, harmonizable
​

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Tip Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
0 Comments

5/4/2022 0 Comments

48. I Am Free

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Song I Am Free
Words & Melody by Liesel Rigsby
Harmonies​ by Patricia Norton
Lyrics
I am free, I am free, like the ocean I am free.
Free, I am free, I am free.

I am love, I am love, Lord fill me with your love.
Love, I am love, I am love.

I am light, I am light, yes, I am shining bright.
Light, I am light, I am light.

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Notes: This is the first song Liesel wrote, on an island, starting the process of freeing her voice. What amazes me about this song, and keeps me coming back to it, is how good it feels to sing. From the opening jump of realization up to the word "free" to the rhythmic interplay that sets me swaying on the "love, I am love, I am love" line, the music and words strengthen each other. I added harmonies of my own, but you might choose different harmonies and end up with a very different kind of sound. I love how this song doesn't need complexity to be satisfying, and my focus is very quickly freed up to notice how my voice feels, how my body responds. Spacious and gracious -- and from my brief time with Liesel at a songleader workshop in 2019, I would say those are qualities of Liesel's as well.

Songwriter Info: Liesel describes herself as an intuitive relationship coach -- she is also an author, mother, spouse, and successful entrepreneur.... and a heart-centered, laughter-filled wise presence, with an amazing Parking Fairy song to find those elusive spaces! Liesel shares freely guided meditations on her soundcloud channel... check them out!

Links: 
About - LieselRigsby.com
Stream Liesel Rigsby meditations

Nuts & Bolts: 4:4, Aeolian, harmonized
​

Join the A Breath of Song mailing list to receive a heads up as a new episode is released, plus a large version of the artwork, brief thoughts from my slightly peculiar brain... and occasional extras when they seem vitally important! No junk -- I will never sell your address. I read out all your names into my living room when I send new mailings... I appreciate the connection to you who are listening and singing these songs with me.

Exchange energy with A Breath of Song with dollars at the Tip Jar (whoo-hoo!!!!), or by making comments, leaving reviews, suggesting songs or songwriters (including yourself) ..... your participation matters!
0 Comments

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