Working with a Team

Aunt Mabel, who lived next door to us as I grew up, used to say, "Many hands make light the work."

Shellie Baxter Photography

Perhaps because I am primarily a solo touring and performing artist, I have been kerwacked in the best possible way with the awesome joy and power of working together with other partners in a creative venture.

My trio, S*E*A (folkgrass) just completed our 4th tour of the year with a 14-day tour of the middle of the California Coast.  Erin Mae Lewis and Amber Rogers arrived on the 30th Anniversary of my Ordination and we played a Bell Tower Show at St. Philip Episcopal Church in Scotts Valley (near Santa Cruz) to launch the tour.

Band on BART: Amber Rogers Selfie

We had stops in Palo Alto, San Mateo, the beach in Half Moon Bay, Erin and Amber joined Wayne Jiang and Patricia Delich for some Pacifica and San Francisco adventures; we headed as far north as Roseville and returned to San Mateo for an amazing Seasons of Blessing Concert to raise funds for the survivors of the Lake County California fires and give the best-ever Concert Window show.

Then we packed up to enjoy the FarWest Folk Alliance in Oakland for the weekend.  We drew the first slot for the Open Mic at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse on Wednesday night.

There we jammed at every possible opportunity, played for showcases and represented another part of our team, Local 1000 AFM, in the Networking Center, and volunteered for a total of 24 hours to support the conference.

Jeanette Lundgren (Mother Hen Promotions)

I took part in a Panel Workshop on Crowdfunding to talk about another part of my team:  Patreon.

We then gave a workshop called:  Organizing:  The Nuts and Bolts of Touring.

But the best was when we arrived back in my home on Sunday night and Erin exclaimed:  "Let's have a FarWest FollowUp Party tomorrow!"

That sounds a whole lot better than w*o*r*k to me, and you know what, it WAS!

FarWest Photo

And it made me recall how many people's support and commitment helps me to continue making my way in this world as a musician and creative artist.

So Aunt Mabel's words have proven true in my experience, and I just want to say,

Thank-You to ALL OF YOU!